IN MURPHY WE TRUST

Every heard of Murphy's laws? If not, go grab this book from your nearest bookstore. This is a humourous collection of laws, principles, rules, axioms, theorem, codicils, comments, precepts, and their corollaries on why things go wrong or how everything happens at the wrong place at the wrong time.

I have read them some 10 years back, and since then I haven't had a chance to go through them again till yesterday when I was rummaging my brother's stuff. And man, they were as funny as they were 10 years ago. Check out a few of my favourite ones:

CHEIT's lament- If you help a friend in need, he's sure to remember you- the next time he's in need.

ZADRA'S LAW OF BIOMECHANICS- The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to its reach.

MR. COLE'S axiom- The sum of the intelligence on the plantet is a constant; the population is growing.

SKOFF'S LAW- A child will not spill on a dirty floor.

H. L. MECKEN'S LAW- Those who can- do; those who cannot- teach; those who cannot teach- administrate.

BECKAP'S LAW- Beauty times brains equals a constant.

BELL'S THEOREM- When a body is immersed in water, the telephone rings.

KE N'S LAW- A flying particle will always seek the nearest human eye.

PARDO'S FIRST POSTULATE- Anything good in life is either immoral, illegal or fattening.

ZYMURGY'S LAW OF VOLUNTEER LABOUR- People are always available for work in the past tense.

CAHN'S AXIOM- When all else fails, read the instruction manual.

O'TOOLE's COMMENT ON MURPHY'S LAWS- Murphy was an optimist.

There are 1000s of such crazy statements (laws!) on everyday life, on work, on personal relations, on business, on mechanics, etc. and you will have a reason to smile while you are still seething with rage at your futile efforts to fix the water pipe. This book explains the truth of man's existence: IF ANYTHING CAN GO WRONG, IT WILL.

Awesome stuff- just got reminded of this couple of days back when I was sitting on a plane on a runway, stuck for over 2 hrs.. grrr.. so I say, "In Murphy we trust!"

EKAM, DWITHIYA, TRITIYA

Hollywood movies this summer have been bitten by the sequel bug. Within a short span of time four movies have come out with their third editions. Oceans 13, Pirates of Caribbean: At world's end, Spiderman-3 and Shrek the third are here. And within two months, another two more "part-3" movies, namely Bourne Ultimatum and Rush Hour 3 will hit the screens.

It is sure to bring back the producers their money for sure, and already some of these movies have crashed many records in terms of earnings.

I wonder why Bollywood and other Indian movies dont make sequels (just as yet). One popular experiment was with Dhoom, and a third edition is in the offing with Shah Rukh Khan being the thief. Lage Raho Munnabhai was a hit, but otherwise, there have not been much joy in making sequels. Mind you, when I say sequels it is NOT a remake of an earlier movie. That was seen with Mughal-e-Azam, Umrao Jaan, Don, Devdas and the soon to be released RamGopal Varma ki Sholay. Though loosely connected, Darna Zaroori Hai was a sequel to the earlier Darna Mana Hai. So was Krrish to Koi Mil Gaya. But on a firm scale, sequels haven't been embraced by other Indian movies. Long ago, a moderately hit tamil movie Krodham was released, which prompted Krodham-2 in 2000 but painfully bombed at the box office. Hyderabad Blues-2 was there, but still English movies dont qualify for mainstream Indian movies.

I would love to see sequels being made more in Indian movies- for example, just imagine what would be the response for a sequel of Baasha or Baazigar! Most sequels dont live up to its expectations largely built by the first one, (Phir Hera Pheri is a good example) and maybe thats why Indian filmmakers aren't quite ready yet to delve into making sequels.

But with recent successes of Dhoom-2 and Lage Raho Munnabhai, things could change.