square route

shut shop

2010-03-23T02:03:00.000-07:00

Let me first say that I love Leonardo diCaprio because he's an intelligent actor and does things to save the environment. I still love him after watching Shutter Island because I think he didn't quite expect the film to turn out the way it did. Did Scorsese know what the outcome was going to be? I don't think so, but getting back to the film-- it had a superb beginning and a lousy ending. The story revolves round an island for the criminally insane which is doing experiments on mad people a la Coma etc, and Leo poor boy goes to investigate. The film has a climax on the lines of Sixth Sense, with many juvenile sub-plots going on in between. Watch if you're a Leo fan and Scorcese buff. Don't watch if you're expecting something between the ears. Coz it all comes out a hodge podge of good bad and ugly!

you drive me crazy

2010-03-23T01:56:00.000-07:00

You know what they say: take a has-been singer, shove a bottle in his hands, give him some chicks to take home every night and sad songs to sing, and you've got a hit film on your hands.
Now take the same scenario and throw in an oscar winning performance by Jeff Bridges and you've got Crazy Heart, a searingly honest performance by a guy who finally got his due in Hollywood. Crazy Heart has all the elements of a tried and tested formula but somehow just cuts to the chase. You get glimpses of past glory, a man's downward spiral into booze, an intrepid journalist and some heart-breaking country tunes. Surprise package this, but all credit goes to Jeff. He's the man! Can't say the same for Maggie Gyllenhall though who plays his love interest.She's just too affected at times, but I guess some find it alluring. This one's a must watch just for the hero's performance!!

Marriage not for everyone

2009-12-15T02:09:00.001-08:00

Also watched another gem Rachel's Getting Married and am prone to say that Anne Hathway is a powerhouse of talent. She got into her role as addict on the rehab route with so much zest that you wonder how its all going to end. She's searingly honest in her performance and almost rivals Angelina Jolie in some of the gutsy emotional angst ridden scenes. Nice! The film too is a colorful take on marriage and multi-culturalism what with shades of Afro beats, punk rock, Indian tabla, Oriental chimes... Interesting I might add to see how it all comes together!

Nothing Cagey about this

2009-12-15T02:03:00.001-08:00

I've always liked Nicholas Cage and always wondered why an actor of his calibre wasn't picking up the right scripts... But the other day I caught Bad Lieutenant and find it safe to say that Cage is back with a vengeance. He plays a bad cop riding on the edge, liberal with his fists and with a penchant for anything addictive. Though the film has its highs and lows, Cage is outstanding as man on the verge of desperation. Almost like Leaving Last Vegas but though the aforementioned film was a bit understated in terms of performance, this one was a no holds barred one. Not for the faint hearted of course since some of the degenerate scenes of Cage are really brutal. Almost unnecessarily so at times! But worth a watch anyday!

Murder charge

2009-12-08T02:16:00.000-08:00

Kristin Scott Thomas is haunting in I've loved you so long. She plays a woman who gets out of prison after 15 years for a murder. The film is all Kristin even though she does not say much, but the lighting of her cigarette just stays with you. She's killed her six year old child, you realize along the way, and she's remorseless. You figure the whys in the end, so it's a must watch!
I loved the way the film built up though I didn't like the climax. The performance was excellent but I could not buy into the veracity of the last 15 minutes. It somehow robbed the film of its essence!

Clint in your eyes

2009-12-08T02:00:00.001-08:00

Wow. How time flies! This year has rushed past and the sleigh bells are upon us once again. Had a a bad movies year. Just no time to catch the best! Did see a wonderful Clint Eastwood offering Gran Torino the other day. It just makes me envy those who tell the story of life and its relationships in a simple, untoward manner. The film was very powerful and covered an entire gamut of emotions ranging from rage to fear to isolation. Eastwood was devastating in his role as a old man with young fists. And the young priest was a complete surprise package. Must watch!

back!!

2009-01-28T22:57:00.000-08:00

like they say, the show must go on, and so here i am back from a year and a half hiatus. back to watching the films lying around...
last 2 were slumdog millionaire and a wednesday.
the former was interesting, i loved the music and the kids and the pace. but i was shocked at the awards it picked up. it just didn't seem "that good". then again, the premise of the film makes for an outstanding storyline, so i am hoping the screenplay wins. and the score. about the rest, the direction was impressive, but best picture... i am not so sure!
a wednesday was simply OK. good plot, but it fell apart at times. good performances by the two stalwarts, kher and shah, other than that, it waxed and waned, just couldn't keep up the momentum...

just a forward

2007-10-03T04:19:00.000-07:00

To all the wonderful kids who were born in India and survived around the 70's:

First, we survived being born to mothers, some, whose husbands smoked or drank while they carried us. The mothers ate whatever food was there, and didn't get tested for diabetes. They were mothers who did not keep checking their blood pressure or go for special exercise classes before delivery.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, or childproof doors on cars, and when we rode our bikes we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking or going out on our own. As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or airbags. We sat on top of our or neighbors car without a second thought.
We drank water from the garden hose or for fun imagined it to be a captured snake. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this. We would share a dosa, dip a chapatti into someone else's plate of curry without batting an eyelid. We ate sandwiches with pickle on bread and raw mangoes with salt and drank orange squash with sugar and water in it.

We ate at roadside stalls, drank water from tender coconuts, ate everything - bhel puri to bhajias and samosas, but we weren't overweight because WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING - We jumped on each others backs shouting 'kity-kity' & went places in rented cycles & fixed its chain if it came out, on our own. We had no gadgets, we just hoping-goed & batting-goed & sometimes turned our sofas & chairs into 'land' and floor into 'water' or put 'jolly' dots on our palms and sometimes got 'statued'. We celebrated with 'same pinch' and 'new pinchs' with buddies & felt joy.

We would leave home in the morning and play all day during the holidays, we were never ever bored, and we were allowed freedom all day as long as we were back only when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day by mobile phone. We got drenched in rains, made paper boats, got pleasure from imitating croaking frogs, catching tadpoles and cutting earthworms. We touched street dogs & adopted their pups. And we were O.K.

We swam with an inflated tube which we got from somebody who was replacing their car tyres. We ran barefoot without thinking about it, if we got cut we used iodine on it which made us jump. We did not wash our hands ten times a day. And we were OK.

We did not have parents who said things like "what would you like for breakfast, lunch or dinner". We ate what was put in front of us and best of all, there was never any leftovers. We knew our cousins & our friends family well and had un announced lunches there. We never said to them "Thanks for having me over at your house to play" yet we were not dubbed "manner less". We had birthday parties at home & not in a party hall. The same B'day menu of cake, wafers & Thums-up still excited us & there were no return gifts, yet we looked forward to a friends birthday.

We fell out of trees numerous times, got cut, broke bones and teeth. We ate fruit lying on the ground that we shook down from the tree above. And we never washed fruit. We had a bath using a bucket and mug and used Lifebuoy or Hammam soap. We did not know what shampoo and conditioners meant. We sang along & recited all the 10 TV ads that came only before start of a program and enjoyed them as much as the program. All converged on Sunday time pass by watching Magic Lamp or Hindi movie on a black & white TV.

Yet this generation of ours has produced some of the best risk-takers & problem solvers ever! The past years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!
Those were the days my friends, those were the days !

bang of brothers

2007-07-17T03:22:00.000-07:00

watched diehard 4.0 and thought that bruce willis still rocks. the film had some great action, with lots of extra sound effects. it was fast paced and the chemistry between the male protagonists was really good. willis seems to have a way with kids. all his films which feature him saving the young ones have all done well if you've noticed.

pitter patter

2007-06-17T21:49:00.000-07:00

its raining outside and i am so thankful for that. had just about enough of the heat and i do love the rains. it makes me feel like finishing all the books i had kept aside for a rainy day. am currently reading shantaram which i love because it talks about the bombay i knew. leopolds, colaba causeway, gateway if india, reminds me of the late night sojourns with old friends. don't usually like reading books set in bombay but this one makes me nostalgic. also saw shrek 3 just to keep my movie quota up. wasn't bad at all. tried watching kevin costner's postman but it was just too dark, but then his films on the future of civilization usually are! looks like he used the same set as waterworld here. on the desi side watched honeymoon travels which i loved, bheja fry which i liked. i say liked for the latter coz i am a claustrophobic kind and any film shot in just a living room makes me want to scream for air. but it had a good script and great acting.

nachos?

2007-04-20T00:50:00.000-07:00

watched nacho libre the other day. and though i found it mildly annoying, i had to watch, since i am a big fan of jack black's humour. the movie has some great shots, though i didn't get too taken up by the script... probably because it revolved around boxing, which i completely hate watching!

also saw an inconvenient truth and would recommend it to everyone i know, especially those who care about the environment. al gore makes a good case for the perils of global warming and the earth as he sees it 100 years from now. enough to make you switch to cycles instead of cars, and plant trees in all available corners. ominous, but an intelligent watch, though gore's detractors claim he is making an unnecessary hue and cry!

happy feet is for smiling happy people so if you're smiling and happy at the same time, you can take a look at it. the penguins make for a cute star cast, though their walking styles now remind me of a lot of my childhood buddies who have simply let themselves go!

cruzing thru

2007-03-14T05:23:00.000-07:00

managed to catch volver the other day. from the little i saw, penelope cruz was quite impressive, more beautiful than ever and with varied facial expressions. she has come a long way from the bimbette in woman on top. i didn't take to the movie though, felt it was a little loose in parts. but the story was interesting, about a woman who comes back from the dead to make changes in the living. interesting!

oscar fever?

2007-02-05T21:10:00.000-08:00

ok so i saw kate winslet shed all her clothes and get nominated for an oscar in little children, i saw ryan gosling give a heart-rending performance in half nelson so much so i have transferred my loyalties from leonardo to him... i saw helen mirren get all royal in the queen and transferred my compassion from diana to her!
(little children by the way is as bizarre as suburban america can get, and if you like that kind of paedophile-is-your-neighbour thingie, then don't miss it.)
the queen meanwhile makes you think twice before marrying into royalty, so don't watch it if you are about to marry your prince charming.
and please watch half nelson. it's the saddest story about a brilliant teacher hooked on coke and his favourite student who finally ends up selling it to him to make a quick buck!

ruled out?

2007-01-25T03:07:00.000-08:00

liked these 2 New Rules for 2007:
New Rule: Ladies, leave your eyebrows alone. Here's how much men care about your eyebrows: do you have two of them? Okay, we're done.

New Rule: When I ask how old your toddler is, I don't need to know in months. "27 Months." "He's two," will do just fine. He's not a cheese.And I didn't really care in the first place.

over to leo

2007-01-25T02:57:00.000-08:00

i'm really hoping leonardo di caprio wins the best actor oscar this time round. i thought he was awesome in departed and have yet to watch blood diamond but i am sure he will not disappoint.

also think little miss sunshine is a great film since it works on the one premise that i find most reassuring: keep it simple.

they kept it simple and i was in splits at the end. very clever!!

no kidding?

2006-11-19T07:37:00.000-08:00

i have been busy helping a friend set up a playschool for kids between 2-4 and through teaching them i have learnt so much about human behaviour.

when i first started out i was quick to divide the group into the ones that were irritating and those that were cute. had a lot of experience with this albeit for a slightly older age group.

soon i realised that there was more to the irritating behaviour than what met the eye. so i decided to closely observe the parent that came to pick them up each day. and soon very soon i quit getting irritated with the kids. i just transferred the irritation to the parent, usually the mother in this case.

lesson no. 1: we are what we come from.

realized that parents are becoming more adept everyday at creating monsters. then when its too late they ask themselves why their kids are in disarray!!

like so many of the kids keep banging their heads...this is sometimes due to an under-stimulated environment or just to recreate the act of rocking that they enjoyed as kids.

similarly, if a kid is showing aggression or has just knocked someone over out of spite, the trick is to give your attention to the one that is injured making sure there is enough drama to indicate that something very wrong has taken place. the villain of the piece should ideally be given time out or taken to another room and made to understand that he will qualify for timeout each time he decides to play bully!

i am trying all this out on adults now and have found that it's working brilliantly.

each time someone irritates me now, i take much longer to react since i try to make myself understand that its not the person to be upset about but where he comes from... read spouse/ home/ work etc.

its back to school for me!

tick tock

2006-10-03T03:01:00.000-07:00

is greatness really in the genes or does it get diluted with each passing generation? only recently i chanced to meet the great grandson of Lokmanya Tilak and i thought that i would get the feeling that comes when you're in the same room with a slice of history. but what i saw was a young, handsome man, sitting behind a huge desk, with a black and white portrait of his famous ancestor over him, looking perfectly, well, uncomfortable!
that same week i heard tushar gandhi on TV trying to justify why his form of gandhiism didn't make an impact on politics. and i was left wondering... often one's place in history is only about good timing.
the beatles were a hit coz they were at the right place at the right time. would they have made as much of an impact on people if they had appeared earlier or later? similarly there are so many great people in our midst today who will remain unknown coz, "their timing is not right".
which brings me back to the old saying:
There is a time for everything under the sun..
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak.

haves and have nots

2006-10-03T03:00:00.000-07:00

there are different kinds of people you meet today: the ones who are in synch with their lives and those who are not. the latter are usually the ones who are living the eternal lie. yes, they are seeing new places, trying new restaurants, trying new designers, redoing homes. but look into their eyes and all you can see is intense boredom.
only recently i met a friend who had had a life altering experience read divorce and she seemed to be scared. even though she had a great career ahead of her she looked scared. the loneliness scared her, and the fact that she might live really long with no one to chat with on a rainy day.
but then again i have met so many people in their 50s and 60s who even with scores of kids are completely alone. and they have the same fear. the fear of being alone.
in fact, more women today are showing signs of insanity very early on purely on the premise that they will die all alone. while men handle it by becoming irritating, women try to get past it by acting strong and in doing so, lose it along the way thus alienating themselves even more as no one wants to be with them.
the one thing that cheered me on was a single friend of mine in her 50s who told me that she was looking around for a good retirement home where they have yoga, meditation, and interesting people to spend the last few years of your life with. supposedly a place like this actually exists! so even if it attracts a band of very loony people, at least, there will be a method to the madness? and lots of hope for everyone who dreads the fact that people today are living well into their 90s... all alone!

top dog

2006-08-17T02:29:00.000-07:00

does a higher education really matter when it comes to reaching the top? i don't think so anymore. all you need is clever packaging and you can rise faster than the froth in your beer glass. but of course, staying there is another matter altogether, and this is where those degrees come into play. i have encountered many bright chaps who have pulled off a top spot but haven't a clue about managing people or themselves after reaching there. all they do is surround themselves with people less fortunate than themselves to feel like they belong. but in effect, they don't and they know it.
then again, what degrees can't touch is experience, and that's for another post. till then...

deeply depp

2006-07-25T02:59:00.000-07:00

Films I caught.
Water: Brilliant cinematography. Lisa Ray was superb, so was Seema Biswas. It was a chilling tale of widows in the pre-independence era. And it was done unpretentiously, with no holds barred. The child widow (i don't know her name) deserves an award for her sensitive portrayal of a girl child banished from the external world on the death of her aged "husband". Simply unforgettable.

Pirates of the Caribbean-Part 2
I have always wondered why Hollywood never gives Johnny Depp his due. He was flawless in Finding Neverland and he is once again flawless in Pirates- Part 2. In fact, I preferred this to the first part. Depp had various emotions running across his face, and so did Keira Knightley. Clever scripting!! Also, the villians of the piece were tres extraordinaire, in fact, the entire package was completely spectacular. Some of the fight sequences and action scenes were outstanding, and very very creative. I really liked!!

Blue
This is a part of a French trilogy. There's also White and Red. The latter has won countless awards. They are all stories of liberty, equality, and fraternity. Told through the eyes of ordinary people, and everyday dilemmas. Blue is about a woman who has to deal with the sudden death of her child and husband. How she shuts out the world is cleverly scripted and executed. It's the little things that stay with you, stark symbolisms, that foreign films love to explore! Bollywood should try it someday -- less talking, more acting!

click flick

2006-06-27T03:19:00.000-07:00

you know how we are always talking about the photgraphs we have shot, the hills, the sunset, baby's first smile etc. but what if we were to write about all the photographs that we didn't shoot? images that weren't captured because, well, the camera was too far away.
this site is far more interesting than any photography site i have seen because it revolves around the images that got away... like i recall so many instances where i feel i should have clicked a picture-- it mostly had to do with people's prized expressions-- but unfortunately the camera wasn't near at hand! i should have written it down "his eyes were narrow slits, his cheeks had sunk in, and the mole between his right eyebrow and forehead glowed menacingly..."

bread of fresh air

2006-06-18T23:20:00.000-07:00

mumbai never ceases to amaze. it always offers you whole packages which is what makes it different from the service sectors in other cities. like it is the only city i have encountered that has a lounge bar also selling a range of exotic breads.
so people who have downed a couple extra on a saturday night can in their hazy states throw some breads into a basket for a late sunday brunch.
the brown breads and pink magaritas both hold equal sway, which makes it all the more interesting... talk about innovative night-outs.

dreams unlimited

2006-05-18T00:16:00.000-07:00

Two films really got me thinking last week.
One was Requiem for a dream, the other The Sea Inside.
They were both so riveting that I feel it is not right for me to say anything about them just yet. they are both still sinking in.
The first one shocked me. it hit me right in the stomach.
the other, left me bedazzled.

i have never seen a more beautiful film perhaps. and it amazes me to say that maybe i never will?

The Sea Inside will always stay with me whenever i think about film making being intuitive. you just need to believe in what you are telling, and show it in a manner closest to your heart.

that's pure for me.

storylines:
requiem for a dream: it's the story of america and its addictions to a better life no matter what the price. it's not just the very young who are vulnerable here, but also the very old. finally it is about a descent into madness to keep addictions alive. at the cost of love, sanity, and most of all, self esteem.
shocking, scary, and absorbing!

the sea inside: don't think i can do justice with my five liners here, so i will not say much. it's the story of euthanasia, and a man bedridden for 28 years who tries to find somebody kind enough to kill him off! how he escapes from reality without moving an inch is a marvel to watch!

rang de viggo

2006-04-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

Being Cyrus: very irritating. don't know why this film got on my nerves, but that's exactly what it did, much to my bewilderment. it was very good in phases, and so irritating in the rest, that it is all i remember of the film. irritation!! i think dimple really overacted, naseer, was wasted, saif did nothing noteworthy... the only ones who i liked were the guy who played the old father, boman, and simone singh who was understated and a relief. so what was all the brouhaha about? "path-breaking" and "indian cinema has arrived" were what i kept hearing about this thriller-in-patches. not in my books, it was not! you see countless such "dark" films on star/hbo between 2-4PM if you take a day off and stay glued to the tv screen. one saving grace: good soundtrack!

rang de basanti: oh-mi-god! another letdown. it didn't even come close to dil chahta hai. where was aamir the powerhouse? i searched for him everywhere, through the fields and the college campus, but i couldn't find him anywhere. what i did find was another gem, but then again, i couldn't find his name. he was anupam kher's son in the film and i think he did a fabulous job. soha too was endearing, and a complete natural. she looks like she was born to act. the film had some excellent moments, like the blokes jumping from a height into the pond below etc. but i found parts of the story unrealistic and difficult to believe. for one, would any political party in the heart of delhi have the guts to beat up a peaceful procession carrying candles, and put one old lady into a coma? i don't think so!! similarly, i don't think the last scene of the film made any sense. the cops just start killing the boys without finding out if they are ALL armed? wouldn't they enter into a dialogue with them first? ask them to surrender, or some such thing? given the fact that they are live on air!! i dunno, but this film on the whole was very unconvincing. the music was good! thank god.

history of violence: they say bad things come in threes:) hmm. brilliant first half. stupid second half. that's all i can say. viggo mortenson was terrible. he was like a flop porn star all throughout. no expression. just waiting for the next love scene to appear so he could start acting again. the story had an amazing start, in fact, it was fast-paced and snappy for the first hour, but then it disappeared into an abyss of mediocrity. a happy loving mcdonald-like family is shattered by a piece of unexpected violence. now you can do wonders with a plot like that. but no. the film has to go and get all entangled in its own web. the end leaves you amazed -- you can't imagine that something so right could end up so wrong!!

tagged!!

2006-04-20T01:44:00.000-07:00

i have been tagged by mindcurry.

5 people who top my shit list..... and why:

1. People who are nice on your face and bitch about you behind your back
2. People who can't bear to see other people do well
3. People who put other people down in order to look/feel good
4. People who pass snide remarks out of insecurity
5. People who look around for people to blame when things go wrong

5 Guilty pleasures:
1. Sleep
2. Dessert
3. TV
4. Daydreaming
5. Tuning off

5 things I never want to forget:
1. My friends as a journo
2. Bandra
3. The first time I walked into my present home
4. Living on my own
5. Discovering the magic of cinema

5 things I wish to forget:
1. Bad friends
2. Bad jobs
3. Bad films
4. Bad bosses
5. Bad moves

5 exotic dishes I have tried ( most were exotic coz of the people who made them, otherwise have tasted better in random restaurants)
1. My grandmother's mutton curry
2. Stuffed Bombay Duck at Gajali, Santacruz
3. Mother-in-law's prawn wadas
4. Stuffed bhangra at Calangute beach
5. Vindaloo at a Goa wedding

5 most valued possessions
1. my memories
2. my downloaded music
3. my diary as a schoolgirl
4. my crucifix from fort aguada
5. my patience

it was men-to-be

2006-04-12T03:39:00.000-07:00

The Constant Gardener: There's not much to say about Ralph Fiennes in The Constant Gardener. The movie happened each time Rachael Weiz walked in, and paused each time she walked off. No matter how hard Ralph tried to pull off the subterfuge, the jealous husband, and the weed puller, he couldn't get the camera to fall in love with him, as Rachael unintentionally did. She was provocative, honest, and completely impassioned in her role as the vociferous activist for the down-trodden in Africa.
As with most other movies set in Africa, some of the shots were heart-rending, others kept reminding you of India.
The plot weakens in places, but it manages to keep you spell-bound with the rest. Not to be missed. Especially the politics of the giant pharamceuticals in under-developed countries. It's enough grist for the NGO mills.
Walk the line: Joaquim Phoenix, that's what the movie was. But yes, Reese Winterspoon won the Oscar for her role as his one and only love interest. Phoenix was Johnny Cash all the way, the way he swaggered, hung his guitar, or twisted his facial expressions. His love-sick moments were quite commendable, the drug battle even more so. There were so many parallels here to Ray Charles -- both men lost a sibling at a very young age and blamed themselves for it, were very very unfaithful to their wives, and pursued drugs for a good night's sleep. The only difference was that Ray married the right woman, and Johnny Cash the wrong. That's what made their music so impassioned?

killer looks

2006-03-10T00:19:00.000-08:00

Munich: In the aftermath of the tragic slaying of eleven Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, a secret band of highly trained agents is formed to track down and kill the men responsible for the murders. As their mission unfolds, its repercussions begin to take a psychic toll on Avner, the group's leader.
Astounding performance by leading man Eric Bana. His piercing eyes stay with you throughout as he goes down the torturous path of the mastermind seeking revenge on the terrorists. Each kill is a treat to watch, and every single character is masterfully put together. I would watch this film more for its performances than anything else. I still preferred Crash, and Brokeback to it in terms of entire packages. One thing it does manage to do is switch scenarios artfully, from english to french to middle eastern... Interesting!!

six secrets

2006-02-27T21:17:00.000-08:00

"I have Six Stalwart Serving Men,
They taught me all I know,
Their Names are What and Where and When,
And Why and How and Who."
--Rudyard Kipling

After ascertaining the methods etc. of a process, by using the 5 questions of What, Where, When, How and Who, question each and every detail Why?... Why?... Why?...
This is the secret of creativity.

risque?

2006-02-22T21:05:00.000-08:00

Risks

- by Janet Rand

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental
To reach out for another is to risk involvement
To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self
To place ideas and dreams before a crowd is to risk being called naïve
To love is to risk being not loved in return
To live is to risk dying
To hope is to risk despair
To try is to risk failure
But risk must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing
The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing,
is nothing and becomes nothing
They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they
cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live
Chained by their certitude, they are slaves; they have forfeited their freedom
Only a person who risks is truly free

good and bad

2006-02-13T21:04:00.000-08:00

Capote: More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones... thats how Capote ends. The story of the unscrupulous author of In Cold Blood who shocked most around him with his provocative remarks is worth watching if only to see a realistic portrayal of the author by actor Philip Seymour. The film is a mix of thriller, drama, love story albeit a bit skewed, and history. If Seymour's voice begins to grate midway, clench your teeth and keep watching. It's a telling tale about how people will go to any lengths to get what they want only to realize that perhaps they shouldn't have wanted it in the first place!

Broken Flowers: A man in his 50s gets a note from an ex-lover saying they have had a a son, a fact that she has kept hidden from him for 20 odd years. She doesn't disclose her name which gets the aging hero into a tailspin as he begins the long voyage of visiting all the girlfriends of his past to see whether they fit the "bill".
bill Murray here is fantastic, the film as a whole is not. One thing to glean from this is that no matter how much we try to alter the art of filmmaking, closure will always be number one priority for audiences all over. They need to know that the two hours they spent on a story has been wisely invested. Which is why when you see a film end, too philosophically, giving nothing away, you are left wanting. That's not a nice feeling to have either in real life or reel. Which is why Broken Flowers is a great story but not a great film. Sadly! Since it had so much potential. Watch it if you are a fan of Murray's poker-faced expressions, and clenched-lip sarcasm.

black, white, and shades of gay

2006-02-06T02:29:00.000-08:00

since i am in the process of hurriedly catching up on "the best films of 2005", here are my next 2 entries:
Crash: absolutely loved it, thought provoking, it brought to the surface the simmering rage between blacks and whites in america. without being preachy, it maintained the racy pace without once going overboard. one word to sum it up -- clever!!
Brokeback Mountain: don't know why it keeps reminding me of Bridges of Madison County. it's the same kind of love story that extends 20 years, set in breath-takingly beautiful countryside, with one of the protagonists dying in the end. Madison County was heart-stopping, can't say the same for Brokeback... though the performances between the two gay men here was as good as it gets, the film as a cohesive whole didn't do much for me. why has it got a nomination? well, now that gay marriages have been legalized, on screen gay romances might just seem the order of the day!!

purrfect man

2006-01-25T03:01:00.000-08:00

I have been tagged by Mindcurry.

Rules of the game are...

1. The tagged victim has to come up with 8 different points of their perfect lover.
2. You need to mention the sex of the target.
3. Tag 8 victims to join this game & leave a comment on their comments saying they’ve been tagged.
4. If tagged the 2nd time, there’s no need to post again.

Sex of the target :
Male (in this case)

The Perfect man

1. A Comic- he should possess the ability to laugh at himself once every day

2. A Maverick- he should not have to rely on tried and tested formulas to live his life

3. An adventurer- he should not be afraid to take risks, or lose

4. A solutions provider- he should be able to come up with a solution on the fly, ones that work of course

5. A believer- he should have one passion which he will do anything for, which is non-work related

6. A bit of Bond- he should be a lover of gadgets and intelligent design

7. Aesthetic- he should have an eye for beautiful things

8. Medicine man-he should have a cure for all my ills, physical/mental/spiritual

8 and a half- he should juxtapose all his TV watching read cricket/WWF with my ha-ha-ha serials

two of a kind

2006-01-25T01:37:00.000-08:00

m night shymalan has an interesting take on people. in unbreakable he puts forth a theory that for every individual on this earth, there is an exact opposite. so for every evil black guy out there, there is an honest to god white man to keep the balance. and everyone should make a concerted effort to meet this personality if only to get enlightened on how the other side works...
the concept is quite intriguing, it gives a completely new twist to the tried and tested "opposites attract".
like, i always wonder, are all people in a relationship really at diametrically opposite ends of the spectrum? i for one don't think so. i think two people who come together are arguably more alike at the core than they would like to believe. and i'm referring to relationships that make it here.
which is why one is often caught wondering "what do those two see in each other?" see being the operative word, they are actually seeing things you and i can't and never will see. that's why some of the unlikeliest couples make it while the ones you thought were "made for each other" don't!

worldly wise

2006-01-23T21:59:00.000-08:00

ok...so now mans world has decided that there are just too many single women doing the rounds of clubs and bars looking for men who come in presentable packages. and they have stepped in with a TV show that will tell men that shoes, watches,and fingernails are what will find them a companion for life. so naturally, business in parlours, watch outlets, and shoe shops, is booming. and why not?
which brings to mind a thought... what women look for in men is 2 accessories, and one body part--well trimmed and packaged. so what do men look for in women? the reverse? 2 body parts and one accessory? he he. anyone up for "woman's world?"

flick pick

2006-01-22T22:05:00.000-08:00

movies i caught up with:
transamerica ***
brillant performance by felicity hoffman. great in desperate housewives, she excels here as the man opting for surgery to become a woman. in true grit and spirit, she delivers a fantastic portrayal of the trauma and suffering transsexuals experience in their quest for a better life in a gender-friendly body. Must watch.
Matador**
Watch this if only to see pierce brosnan deliver a volatile performance as an assassin on the brink of a nervous breakdown. though the film as a whole wasn't spectacular, pierce is completely astonishing...never would have thought there's this much hope for james bond!
syriana*
written by the guy who wrote traffic, one is sorely disappointed by the disparate characters. though it all came together in traffic, coz the plot was so riveting, the sheikhs and their oil in this case, didn't quite have the same impact. george clooney was somewhat Ok, though i don't know why he won a globe, and matt damon was poker faced. should be renamed sorryiana...

why madonna rocks

2006-01-17T00:47:00.000-08:00

heard her new single "hung up" the other day and since it has been ages since i have listened to madonna, i didn't quite know how to react to it. pop songs are no more my listening pleasure but this particular one brought back the memories of a red-lipped madonna wearing lace and garters, looking wild, as she gyrated. it also brought back images of college socials in the middle of the day and enthusiastic DJs called chris and ryan falling back on La Isla Bonita to rev up the crowd.
hung up has some great tempo, and you kind of get hooked on to it real quick, even if you are well past the disco stage/age.
i distinctly remember moving to the beat the whole song through, even though i was in the midst of serious work! that's madonna for you.
she may not be able to match J K Rowlings in writing children's books, but she sure can give beyonce a run for the booty...

vodka shots

2006-01-16T02:35:00.000-08:00

i read today that circus elephants in russia are being given gallons of vodka to keep warm. now that's an interesting thought. the report did not mention if it went to their heads... what would it be like encountering a pachyderm with a drunk trunk?

see; see

2006-01-16T02:31:00.000-08:00

it's no small wonder what J K Rowlings can do with just one tree. it can morph into a monster, it can look angelic, it can turn into a cave, it can exhibit fangs. what makes imagination run this wild?
i find most people around me have stopped reading completely. they are all watching moving pictures. but watching moving pictures does not help you hone your visualization skills.
people who read more are always the ones who visualize better. and being able to form mental pictures effectively helps you in any field of work.
like many people i know cannot get through a gabriel garcia marquez book. they find it tedious, too many words, and too many images to form in the mind. but imagine if you were to spend an hour daily connecting far flung images together.
one hundred years of solitude is one heavy load of imagery, and imagining ants, soldiers, lilies, and gunshots all in a span of 5 minutes is exhausting.
but you kind of get used to it, and are able to rationalize better the next time you are confronted with one of life's tricky problems. that's the power of visualization. it's what today's corporates refer to as the "global picture".
and getting it is what keeps you at the top of the heap. it's also why "well-read" is still used to sum up an interesting personality... or is it "well-googled" now?

not my own...

2005-12-16T03:53:00.000-08:00

Hello kindred spirit brother!
Have you traveled far today?
"Far enough" I know you'd say!
And when again we meet,
"We may have fun or we may have grief;
whatever it is, we'll dare it.
and we may go broke and we may get rich;
whichever it is, we'll share it."
You know, kindred spirit brother,
this is always the best way;
I can never believe in any other.
Cause in the vagabond's house they say,
"Theres time and stories for all to share!"
Theres not enough miles to seperate smiles,
and time is too free, not to dare!
Have you traveled far today?
I was hoping you'd ask!
"Far enough" brother, "for today!"
But theres always tomorrow;
and stories for today!

word of 2005

2005-12-07T01:19:00.000-08:00

editors of the New Oxford American Dictionary have selected "podcast" as the Word of the Year for 2005. Podcast is defined as "a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar program, made available on the Internet for downloading to a personal audio player".
ways to use it:
so are you a podcaster? have you podcasted? stop podcastinating...

disco top 25

2005-12-02T03:37:00.000-08:00

here's a master list of all-time hot disco songs that i chanced upon for those of you/us who like disco... it's reportedly an eclectic collection for the highly discerning disco fan.
i have heard all of five/seven i think.

The Undisputed Truth: "Ball of Confusion," "Higher Than High"

Eddie Kendricks: "Goin' up in Smoke," "Keep on Truckin'"

Gloria Gaynor: "Never Can Say Goodbye"

Silver Convention: "Fly Robin Fly"

Pierre Bachelet: soundtrack from "Histoire D'O (Story of O)"

ABBA: "SOS," "Knowing Me, Knowing You," "Voulez-Vous," "Fernando"

Diana Ross: "Love Hangover"

The Trammps: "Disco Inferno," "I Feel Like I've Been Living (on the Dark Side of the Moon)"

Marvin Gaye: "Got to Give It Up"

The Isley Brothers: "Go for Your Guns"

Sylvester: "Stars," "Body Strong," "You Make Me Feel Mighty Real," "Do Ya Wanna Funk"

Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder: "Four Seasons of Love (four-part album)"

Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder, from "Once Upon a Time": "Now I Need You," "Working the Midnight Shift," "Queen for a Day," "Rumour Has It"

Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder, from "Bad Girls": "Hot Stuff," "Bad Girls," "Walk Away," "Lucky," "Sunset People"

Irene Cara and Giorgio Moroder: "Cue Me Up," "Flashdance (What a Feeling)"

Giorgio Moroder: soundtrack from "Midnight Express"

Yvonne Elliman: "If I Can't Have You"

Bee Gees: "Stayin' Alive," "Night Fever," "You Should be Dancing"

Evelyn "Champagne" King: "Shame"

Saint Tropez: "Violation"

Cerrone: "Je Suis Music," "Supernature"

Vicky Sue Robinson: "Turn the Beat Around"

The Michael Zager Band: "Let's All Chant"

Karen Young: "Hot Shot"

Cheryl Lynn: "Star Love"

Pattie Brooks: "After Dark"

Rick James: "You and I," "Super Freak," "Give It to Me, Baby"

Teena Marie and Rick James: "Behind the Groove," "Lover Girl"

Ashford and Simpson: "Found a Cure," "Don't Cost you Nothing'"

Jackie Moore: "This Time, Baby"

Machine: "There But for the Grace of God"

Gino Soccio: "Love Is," "S-Beat"

Jackson Five: "Can You Feel It?"

Michael Jackson: "Billie Jean," "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough," "Rock With You," "Shake Your Body"

Olivia Newton-John: "Physical"

Grace Jones: "Pull Up to the Bumper," "Demolition Man," "Slave to the Rhythm"

The Gap Band: "You Dropped a Bomb on Me"

Slave: "Slide"

Aretha Franklin and Luther Vandross: "Jump to It"

Prince: "Delirious," "1999," "Let's Go Crazy," "U Got the Look"

Lime: "Angel Eyes"

Chaka Khan: "Ain't Nobody"

Stephanie Mills: "Pilot Error"

C-Bank: "One More Shot"

Up Fron: "Infatuation"

Madonna: "Burnin' Up," "Into the Groove," "Lucky Star," "Dress You Up," "Open Your Heart," "Causing a Commotion," "Who's That Girl," "La Isla Bonita," "Vogue," "Deeper and Deeper"

Evelyn Thomas: "High Energy"

Laura Branigan: "Self-Control"

Pamala Stanley: "Coming out of Hiding"

Bronski Beat: "Smalltown Boy"

Bananarama: "Cruel Summer"

Alisha: "All Night Passion," "Into My Secret"

Patti Austin: "Gettin' Away With Murder"

E.G. Daily: "Love in the Shadows" (45 RPM Special Remix), "Mind Over Matter"

Dead or Alive with Pete Best: "You Spin Me Round"

Taste-T-Lips: "Hypnotize"

Inner City: "Good Life"

Adele Bertei and Jellybean Benitez: "Just a Mirage"

Pretty Poison with Jade Starling: "Nightime"

Jody Watley: "Don't You Want Me"

Real Life: "Send Me an Angel"

Isaac Hayes: "Shaft"

Curtis Mayfield: "Move on Up," "Superfly," "Freddie's Dead"

lincoln?

2005-11-27T22:04:00.000-08:00

i feel good when i do something good,
i feel bad when i do something bad,
this is my religion.

pick up

2005-11-27T21:54:00.000-08:00

watched The 40-year-old virgin, the other day, chart-topper supposedly. the film had its moments with a colourful, actually extremely colourful script, and some fairly graphic viusals. it's about any other loser male, except in this case, he is a virgin AND 40. enough to form the premise of a film that has got rave reviews. so here you have a completely simple, bicep driven, long-nosed, all american guy who is trying to get a piece of the action. interesting to see how the script unfolds. nice pick if you're looking for some mid-week laughs. not for a weeekend though. (but this is purely a female perspective.)

city of god

2005-11-06T21:54:00.000-08:00

there are consistently two kinds of answers one gets upon enquiring after people in mumbai --
dead. divorced.

icons of our time

2005-10-17T21:33:00.000-07:00

just something i came across.
"...If you were to draw a graph of innovation and Microsoft's wherewithal in terms of people, capacity, recruitment, training and salaries, you would find that the more Microsoft hired the best minds at the highest salaries, and so forth, the less innovation it got. For a user, there are no substantial changes whatsoever between the various versions of Microsoft Windows. For anybody who's used a 1990 version, a '96, '98, 2000 or XP version, it just seems like the color of the icons changes. Does it take 5,000 engineers with postgraduate degrees to change the color of icons...?"

two much

2005-10-14T02:40:00.000-07:00

"...the creative person basically has two kinds of jobs: one is the sexy creative kind, second is the kind that pays the bills. Sometimes the task in hand covers both bases, but not often. this tense duality always plays centrestage. it will never be transcended..."

virus alert

2005-09-26T04:29:00.000-07:00

why do men handle viruses so haphazardly? am not referring to the computer ones which are axed with proper fanfare, but the ones that attack the immune system. men get wide-eyed at a body malfunction since they cannot download a software that will solve the problem. they stare forlornly at themselves wondering why there never was a virus alert... why couldn't it be a plain and simple pop-up that stated in its display bar: "virus detected". crocin was never as effective as symantec anti-virus...hell it could not even be counted in the same league! men make for bad patients... ask any self-respecting nurse. they turn curt, self-piteous, and make for ungracious hosts.

beauty is the beast

2005-09-26T04:17:00.000-07:00

says my bong colleague: there are more beautiful women per square mile in calcutta, yet, men don't want to go within an inch of them coz they are dominating, irritating, and completely obsessed with not becoming doormats. So Beauty be damned, the men turn their backs on the doe eyes, and just check out the other communities.
Which means that there are loads of bong beauties, all single, many even divorced, unable to find someone who would take the chance and date them in culture rich Cal...
maybe they should all just move to mumbai, where they can carry out relationships without ever making conversation!! no doubt, that might solve the problem?

imagine a world without one-liners

2005-09-15T00:28:00.000-07:00

long ago, a man walked into my office telling me he was the best thing that happened to mumbai. i looked at him quizzically and he returned the glare with a brilliant one-liner. later found out he was ash chandler, at that time, one of the few stand up comedians around. my first question to him was why only a handful of people in the city took up humour as a career choice. why would stand up comedy clubs never take off in mumbai? he gave me a limmerick i think in exchange, and whatever it was, it really made me laugh.
today when i see the great indian laughter show on star, i think that maybe the time is near when you can drop by your neighbourhood adda read laughter club and chill over one-liners and a few drinks. isn't that an incredibly easy way to unwind... i mean think about it, the people you veer towards most when it comes to spending an evening out are the ones who can make just a lil fun of themselves...
has the concept of a comedy club finally arrived in mumbai?
on another note, everyone today is interspersing business communication with something geeky, just to fan out the flames. should effective one-liners become part of college curriculums?

2005-09-15T00:17:00.000-07:00

Oh, where have i been for so long? dunno...
can't remember a thing of the past month, so makes it difficult to write.
the most exciting thing that happened was that i got rejected for my US visa the second time.
why exciting?
the conversation followed the same flow:
why do you wanna go?
how long will you stay?
how long have you been with your present company?
your visa says you've been to canada? (eyebrows raised)
how long did you stay?
aha
sorry/really sorry.

so now i am wondering if a trip to canada has made me ineligible to enter the united states for good.
oh the price of toronto:(

on the flip side, why do americans name all their hurricanes after women?

heroes

2005-08-24T02:37:00.000-07:00

Kitne Guevara the?
Che, Sarkar.

if you're a che guevera fan, check out the motorcycle diaries. it's a slow film but a better bet than the other hero tribute mangal pandey...

the old fold

2005-08-15T23:23:00.000-07:00

mumbai has become a great place to retire, it seems... i realised that on my last trip there. riding on the roads is like a space odyssey since you're mostly getting tossed about courtesy some rocking craters, the papers that reach you every morning are fatter than the da vinci code, the news is inundated with so many unnecessary tidbits that you can spend the whole day deciphering it, the over-60 citizens are all wearing Tommy Hilfiger and Reeboks, the film stars are now all on the streets, in some form or the other, and the cacophony is become so commonplace that it is now referred to as piece and serenity... what more could you ask for in your golden years? no wonder everywhere you look, its the 60 plus generation that's making the most of it. the 16 year olds meanwhile are busy trying to gatecrash mocha or coffee day...

pots and pants

2005-07-29T04:24:00.000-07:00

i finally discovered the one big difference between a man in a kitchen, and a woman in a kitchen.
man: to make one sabzi, 10 dishes will be used, 4 spoons, many lids, 5 powders, and all will be accomplished in stages. by the end of the 35 minute hot flush episode, there will be a colourful sabzi, matched by a colourful amount of dirty dishes, all strewn around for the bhai to handle the next morning.

woman: to make one sabzi, a small pan will be taken, which will see the sabzi through from tadka to dining table, all in the span of 5 minutes. bhai next morning will have one dish and one serving spoon to contend with...

so which is the better output? am still working out that one.

kiss and yell

2005-07-12T03:28:00.000-07:00

so many people i know kiss ass to get ahead. and get ahead they do. if they're the butt of jokes, they don't care, coz in the end they are climbing faster than the neighbouring geek. so here's a personality profile i have drawn up of people most likely to ass kiss on their way to the top:
1. 5%intellect + 95% hot air
2. exaggerated sense of self
3. wannabes of the highest order
4. if you ask them a pointed question, which they are supposed to know, they will reply with a question, and then flee
it's not that i am against ass kissers, it's just that you require a skill set to pull it off, and most of the ass kissers i know, and they are omnipresent, just don't have it!
5. freaky humour
6. inability to enjoy the money they make

boxing day

2005-07-05T21:37:00.000-07:00

i don't like boxing movies... blood spilling over the audience as teeth shatter and ribs smash ain't my cup of tea. but i chanced to watch the latest ron howard film cinderella man. it had russel crowe in it, and once again in beautiful mind mode, he gave a breath taking performance. in lots of ways, he reminds me of aamir khan. you don't get to watch him often, his films are few and far between, but when he does do a film, it stays with you for a long time to come.
coming back to cinderella man, its the story of a man who reaches his pinnacle only to fall face down... but he gets up again, and goes on to become the darling of the masses. true story of course! must watch... if you are into all of the above.

phobic

2005-07-04T00:31:00.000-07:00

Girls and boys start out at comparable levels of interest and abilities in math, science and technology during lower elementary grades... Research has shown that perceptions begin to slowly change in upper elementary grades when girls tend to view the computer as a tool to complete a task, while boys begin playing games and establishing a "friendship" with their computers.
(Research has shown that girls prefer problem-solving and strategy computer games over shoot-to-kill scenarios.)
Perhaps if girls in elementary school experience technology as fun and enriching they will make the choice in high school to enroll in advanced math and science courses. In this way, opportunities will remain open to them that previously would be closed. Teaching girls the benefits of being tech-savvy requires the collaboration of parents, teachers, and designers.

changin..

2005-07-01T02:54:00.000-07:00

what we are never changes,
who we are never stops changing...

art of the matter

2005-06-13T02:40:00.000-07:00

Gordon MacKensie, the former “creative paradox” at Hallmark Cards, tells of visiting public schools to talk about art.
When he asks kindergartners, “How many of you are artists?” all the children raise their hands.
Among first graders, a third of the hands no longer go up.
Half of the second graders raise their hands.
By fifth grade, no hands go up.
In six years, school has managed to beat the creativity out of its pupils

film feisty

2005-06-12T22:47:00.000-07:00

decided to take some time off from hollywood and catch up on some foreign films...

caught two this weekend, y tu mama tambein, and malena.

the first is an old favourite, had seen it 2 years ago, and loved it. its the story of two guys, a girl, and a long journey. it's a hot film as a lot of foreign films usually are, but it conveys a message far far beyond "skin show". it talks of betrayal, death, destruction, and wrong turns... must watch.

malena too was quite a handful... again, hot scenes dominated, but what stayed were the images of war widows and hasty bargains we all make in the hope that all will be well in the end. more often than not, the price is too high to pay. a brilliant depiction of obsession, and hypocrisy that exists in a war torn society.

ditties

2005-06-09T23:28:00.000-07:00

As I was going up the stair
I met a man who wasn't there
He wasn't there again today
I wish, I wish, he'd go away

As I was sitting in my chair,
I knew the bottom wasn't there,
Nor legs nor back, but I just sat,
Ignoring little things like that.

------"Antigonish", by Hughes Mearns.

sdfjhfjdfhdjfdjshfs

2005-06-03T02:30:00.000-07:00

i am feeling rather confuzzled of late... all because of the woots around me. at first i attributed it to cognitive displaysia or gription, or maybe even my current display of "dunandunate"... but this wannabe whinese of mine is courtesy the polkadodge i play each time i go to the water cooler...
have i lost it? no i simply found merriam websters favourite words not in a dictionary.

confuzzled (adj): confused and puzzled at the same time

woot (interj): an exclamation of joy or excitement

cognitive displaysia (n): the feeling you have before you even leave the house that you are going to forget something and not remember it until you're on the highway

polkadodge (n): the pseudo dance when two people attempt to pass each other, each moving in the same direction

dunandunate (v): to overuse a word or phrase that has been recently added to one's vocabulary

whinese (n) a language spoken by children or spouses on long road trips

remembering

2005-05-30T21:54:00.000-07:00

your memory doesn't work the same in every situation. certain factors, such as time of day, distractions, and your own internal states can affect your ability to remember things. these factors all make up what some people call the context of your memory...
http://cat.xula.edu/thinker/

i told u so

2005-05-30T03:10:00.000-07:00

approach love and cooking with reckless abandon -- dalai lama

wine wine situation

2005-05-24T03:17:00.000-07:00

my two favourite instruments of all time are the flute and the saxophone. strangely both are played by the mouth which is why they maybe speak more coherently to me? i was first introduced to the sax in college when a jazz enthusiast introduced me to the albums of spyrogyra and sadao watanabe. i got hooked. then later i had a job where i spent weekends doing music reviews which is when i began to build my collection. today i no more listen to cassettes, my tape deck lies bereft in a dusty corner, but i can't bear to part with all those tapes. whether a miles davis or an obscure african band, i hang on to them.

then recently i caught sideways, the film on two friends who take an adventure in the vineyards of california, taking copious gulps of merlot and sauvignon blanc while resolving interpersonal conflicts.

it had some very interesting music and i was lucky when somebody got me the soundtrack. trust me when i say that if you are a wine lover, and a jazz aficionado, this is a great option. its witty jazz for a sunday afternoon, just the way the movie is -- smooth!

other OSTs that i have just added to my collection: kill bill and pulp fiction.
yes am a tarantino fan!

my first glimpse of thrissur

2005-05-20T05:58:00.000-07:00

all i can see from the sky are rows of velvet green palm trees forming a thick blanket over the city..

this after seeing the semi-thatched roofs of dharavi. big relief.
the heat hits me as soon as i disembark. it's like a blast of hot air and it acts as a revitaliser. almost!
i get into the a/c taxi.
trissur, i say, hoping i won't be asked to answer something in malayalam.
luck i see is on my side. he nods.
and we are in first gear.

the taxi speeds on. on and on. it's a never ending journey. where on earth is trissur? i wonder. my last trip was from blr and it didn't seem half as long.
the life size cut-outs of heros and heroines, both looking voluptuous from my position, stare down at the little a/c cab.
i look up and the sun gets into my eye.

the palm trees are multiplying by the minute, so are the beads of sweat on the pedestrians. though they don't seem to mind.
i feel guilty though riding in a/c comfort with my nose pressed to the window pane.
meanwhile we come upon a railway crossing. there's bumper to bumper traffic, but the cool dude driving me is not in the least bit ruffled. he just makes his way forward

along the wrong side of the road, and finds a suitable gap. again and again. how does he know he'll find a gap? only god's own country bumpkin knows between taking calls

on his cell and doing a Jim Carrey on a bulimic street.

and then it's off again. in the face of fast speeding trucks/buses, our dude doesn't budge an inch. i shut my eyes tight, i have been forewarned not to keep an eye on the

road since its bad for the heart. lesser known mortals have been known to pass out at the sight of an oncoming truck with no room for escape.

i enter thrissur, the rows and rows of shops, are full of the hustle and bustle of a saturday morning.
women with flowers in their hair and gold bordered saris are talking in high pitched voices.

the temple looks busy.

i reach the confines of my room. there i get ready to face the crowd. they all speak mal, i don't.

i make my way through the wedding hall, sit in my chair, and begin to stare.

first i stare at the stage, so many flowers... then i look at the musicians, very nice, then i look at the 700 faces... they all merge into one.

large kohl eyes are all around, as are men in mundus.

i catch sight of the one person i know, but he is very busy welcoming the guests so i look to the groom. his face is expressionless, he takes huge gulps of oxygen as he sees

more and more smiling faces.

the bride enters carrying her share of the flowers, and her share of the trepidation. what next looms large on her face...

the ceremony kicks off, i turn to look at the turnout. when i look back on the stage, the pair is already married. i blink once then blink again. goodness gracious me! this is

faster than a wedding in las vegas.

then everyone is happy, happy shining faces. some wipe away tears. these unions have a strange way of moving people. women of differing ages make their way towards --

oh no ---me? i smile. i say "malayalam areela". they remain unperturbed. not so i.

i am pulled away to wash my hands since i am about to embark on the banana leaf trail. i sit eyes wide open and watch as the leaf in front of me gets brighter and fuller. payasam heralds itself with a splash. i am too thrilled as i dive fingers first into the mounds of red, green, and mustard. my palate gets its first taste of authentic fare after a

long day of airline food. it is pleased. meanwhile i am getting full/fuller though the servers show no signs of stopping. they are merrily piling it up, and my stomach grins in the only way it knows best.

then it's over and out, as the next lot of hungry revellers amble in, hands washed, stomachs growling.

soon the couple leaves and the guests sit around waiting for phase 2, read, reception at the groom's house. for another round of appam and vegetable stew. and the ubiquitous orange crusted gobi manchurian which is fast becoming a national obsession...

2005-05-17T22:40:00.000-07:00

I am sick to death of cleverness. Everybody is clever nowadays. You can't go anywhere without meeting clever people. The thing has become a public nuisance. Oh for a few fools...

there's this highly addictive japanese game going around...
http://flash.qbol.net/pl;p/youxi/images/04042203.swf
There are 13 items hidden in this room in order to let you get out
of this room.
If you found:
0-6 items, your IQ is very low, total idiot
6-8 items, Low IQ, u r an idiot
9-10 items, u r normal
11-12 items, your IQ is high, above the average.
Find 13 items, get out of the room and consider yourself very rare!
Less than 4000 people in the world have got of the room! Inspiring
enough!?!

now everyone i know has found 12... and that's scary right? if everybody's IQ is above average, where have all the idiots gone to?

thumbs up

2005-05-11T21:49:00.000-07:00

the theory going around is that "sending text messages via cell phone is leading to a renaissance in the use of that original human tool, the opposable thumb. a new generation of people who are growing up using their thumbs to tap out messages on their phones' tiny keypads are now putting those handy appendages to other new uses as well. Many kids in Japan now point and ring doorbells with their thumbs instead of their index fingers..."
how ironic is that!

mamma mia

2005-05-09T04:35:00.000-07:00

all women become like their mothers. that is their tragedy. no man does. that's his!

angry kya?

2005-05-03T03:53:00.000-07:00

its interesting to watch how different people react to anger, their own and someone else's.
while some just let it all out, others hold back and let it grow deep within.
the latter eventually become loonies slowly but surely without anyone knowing it.
today most people i know are suffering from some dementia or the other, which makes them so much more interesting i think.
i find sane people extremely boring since they rarely ever have anything interesting to say!
why am i saying all this? watched this really nice flick on the weekend -- a new Kevin Costner release called the upside of anger.
it's a must-see if only to realize how terribly futile it is battling demons within... it makes you laugh and it makes you think and it makes you wonder "angry kya? again?"

soppy this?

2005-04-25T22:08:00.000-07:00

Falling leaves...

I was thinking of old friends today
And how many of them have slipped away,
Moved, got married, or stopped calling so much,
Found new friends, got busy, and just lost touch.
It reminded me of falling leaves.
Every autumn the leaves fall from the trees.
Some stay longer than others,
But eventually - Each leaf must fall, I'm told,
Leaving the tree alone to face the cold.

Why is it that in the time of utmost need
The leaves would seek to leave the tree?
And when we need our friends around
We look and they cannot be found?

Of course these friendships come and go
And in the spring new leaves will grow.
But I prefer autumn friends of old
With crackling laughter and colour bold.

It saddens me now I must admit
How somehow, someway,
I did forget Laughing with old friends of mine
During summers when the sun would shine.

And then I thought of you.
That one stubborn leaf that won't let go.
That clings despite the winds that blow.

Fighting ice, and snow, and winter's stings
Hanging on right through till spring.
So I guess that's what you are to me -
The very last leaf to leave the tree.
When I see that last leaf...
I think of you...

lonely v/s alone?

2005-04-25T04:04:00.000-07:00

a lot of people i know find being alone daunting/intimidating/depressing/overwhelming... they need to be constantly around people to feel alive. i for one love solitude. i can be alone for hours, do nothing, and yet be completely occupied. that could be to some extent because i am constantly evaluating- people, places, situations, the tree in front of my window. so what makes some people so comfortable with themselves and others so terribly ill at ease when all alone?
some say "only" kids have this tendency to crave solitude. in fact, people beyond a point grate on their nerves. i can ascribe to that train of thought considering i am an only kid, yet, i think that being alone sometimes has tremendous advantages. not always but sometimes!
another thought that comes to mind is that we are fast becoming a world of single kid families, so are we on the brink of a generation that will constantly resent company that is below par?

express trrain

2005-04-14T06:15:00.000-07:00

watched polar express over the weekend and couldn't believe i was watching an animation film... everything was soooo real, so subtle, and so unbelievable. i actually was waiting to see santa by the end of it.

people i know

2005-04-10T23:15:00.000-07:00

these are divided into people who send forwards and those who don't. the latter form a minority--me included, the former is a burgeoning bunch... right from five ways to not be lonesome on a saturday night to why men prefer cricket matches to cream foundations, the forwards just keep coming, and coming. for some, its a first-thing-in-the-morning, last-thing-in-the-evening kind of regime, for others its timepass. i wonder whether it says something about personalities. this kind of intrusion into other people's private places read mail boxes. or even cellphones for that matter. are some people just more uncaring about making an appearance without calling? which brings me to the other breed-- people who just land up at other pople's houses without first calling. some say it's the done thing. after all, we are Indians and by the very nature of our upbringing, other people's time or space is not sacrosanct. so you have people just dropping by in the middle of your favourite TV serial wanting to spend some quality time with you. is that rude? today, unfortunately, lots of people think it is. but lots of other people just don't get it.

good god

2005-04-05T06:47:00.000-07:00

movie of the week: City Of God (2004)
powerful depiction of life in brazil- drugs, violence, gang wars, and the degradation of little kids. for a true story, it's amazing how the director managed to keep the pace.
must see!

lovers, mothers, daughters

2005-04-04T04:51:00.000-07:00

think John Mayer's Daughters is the most amazing piece of song writing I have seen in a long time...

I know a girl
She puts the color inside of my world
But she's just like a maze
Where all of the walls all continually change
And I've done all I can
To stand on her steps with my heart in my hands
Now I'm starting to see
Maybe it's got nothing to do with me

Fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers, be good to your daughters too

Oh, you see that skin?
It's the same she's been standing in
Since the day she saw him walking away
Now she's left
Cleaning up the mess he made

phew hollywood

2005-03-21T02:50:00.000-08:00

Was listening to Rahul Bose the other day making a very interesting observation. According to him, most of the stuff coming out of Hollywood is trash, so why single out just Bollywood for the downward spiral. I am forced to agree with him after spending a weekend watching two movies which are supposedly on the top 5 list in Hollywood as of now. One was Taxi, the other was Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Now all I was looking for were a few laughs but the laugh that came out of me was anything but entertaining. The scripts made me gag, the treatment made me yawn, and the acting, well let's just say, all's not well that doesn't end well. Jeez, the two films were a lesson in what not to do in script writing.

On the other hand, also caught two very interesting films--Dear Frankie and A Song for Bobby Long. The story lines for each were unique so they made for interesting developments.

communalism this?

2005-02-22T20:06:00.000-08:00

the funniest thing i heard in the past week:
beware of punjabi men and bong women...
don't ask why!!
now for a person like me this is really scary since the only thing that i stay off is gemini men, women, and babies!!

joplin revisited

2005-02-14T21:10:00.001-08:00

joss stone and melissa etheridge have just risen a notch for me. this after seeing the amazing powerhouse performance they gave on stage for the grammies. they put up a janis joplin act, and the energy of etheridge was awesome. stone's range is quite unbelievable, especially if she's only 17-18. someone to look out for i would say! meanwhile another piece of my heart is still ringing in my ears...

eyes wide shut

2005-02-09T03:58:00.000-08:00

watched Ray the other day-- the film on the life of Ray Charles and it got me wondering... I always thought that good acting is all in the eyes. but if that is the way it is, then why is the lead who plays the blind musician being touted as a sure fire bet for Best Male Actor at the coming Oscars.

it only goes to follow, that good acting is not just about what your eyes say, it is also about what your body language says and how your dialogue delivery works.
it is also about how close a depiction of the real life character, in this case, Ray Charles, comes through on screen.

what if the film was not based on a real life person...then what?

could Jamie Foxx have still pulled off the scores of nominations with his eyes closed?

am still mulling over this.

i told you so

2005-02-03T08:16:00.000-08:00

how many people like hearing the words i told you so...? nobody i guess. i am currently observing an extrememly smart person do something really dumb. i can see the consequences large and clear, but the person in question can't. i have debated this with others: do you let someone make a grievous error only so that he/she can take a lesson away from it; or barrage him/her with "gyan" only to be told "mind your own business". i for one firmly believe that it is better to do something then regret it and finally learn not to do it again, than not do it at all and never know how wrong you could have been (ouch, that was rather difficult to put together grammatically.)

hear or listen

2005-02-03T08:13:00.000-08:00

learnt two important lessons in these past two weeks.
1. when you're stuck with a tough decision on a problem you don't understand, talk to all the smart people you know.

2. no idea is so good that it can't be improved upon.

thumbs up

2005-01-21T06:31:00.000-08:00

johnny depp (finding neverland) and jude law (alfie) have given amazing performances in the above mentioned films. simply unmissable to say the least. just shows what a good script can do for you.

triples

2005-01-21T06:23:00.000-08:00

the only image i came away with after seeing swades was three guys on a motorbike... this film has half the people i know saying wow, and the other half saying yawn. so what's it gonna be? i for one was impressed by just two spectacular shots -- one of the station urchin selling water, and the other of shah rukh's expression on the canoe. both are part of the promos, so i guess ashutosh thought that too!!

2004-12-30T02:23:00.000-08:00

for the longest time, i used to love the sound of Enya until i heard Dido. though they are both similar--haunting voices-- dido scores when it comes to lyrics... enya leans more towards the notes while dido combines both.

life for rent-dido
I haven't ever really found a place that I call home
I never stick around quite long enough to make it
I apologize that once again I'm not in love
But it's not as if I mind
that your heart ain't exactly breaking

It's just a thought, only a thought

But if my life is for rent and I don't learn to buy
Well I deserve nothing more than I get
Cos nothing I have is truly mine

I've always thought
that I would love to live by the sea
To travel the world alone
and live more simply
I have no idea what's happened to that dream
As there's really nothing left here to stop me

It's just a thought, only a thought

But if my life is for rent and I don't learn to buy
Well I deserve nothing more than I get
Cos nothing I have is truly mine

While my heart is a shield and I won't let it down
While I am so afraid to fail so I won't even try
Well how can I say I'm alive

swish

2004-12-29T21:14:00.000-08:00

what if you were sitting on the beach, were two tequilas down, and saw a great big wave taller than the highest mountain you have ever seen, coming your way... would you even try to run, or hold on to the one you love/d and say goodbye?

"just go with the flow" -- i am going to think twice before using that phrase again!!

two types

2004-12-22T03:31:00.000-08:00

there are two types of people i know now--those who upgrade their looks and the others who upgrade their computers. both are equally interesting to know. i would never call the former ones fruitcakes nor would i refer to the latter as geeks. depending on the mood of the moment, i can connect with either one of them. one thing is for sure though: i now know more of the latter than the former. it's all about occupying different places at different stages in your life...

shrinking

2004-12-12T04:05:00.001-08:00

seems like the list of people i like spending time with in real life is fast shrinking. the list now largely comprises characters on screen or in books.

OHMIGOD

2004-12-06T00:47:00.000-08:00

i am not a jokes kinda person...i mostly forget the ones i hear and don't enjoy hearing new ones either...but this is one that i keep going back to time and again coz it gets funnier with each passing day.

Monica: I can't decide between lamb or duck.

Chandler: Well, of course, lambs are scarier. Otherwise the movie would've
been called "Silence of the Ducks".

OHMIGOD

justice this

2004-12-06T00:45:00.000-08:00

i have seen over time that people who are kind to animals are extremely unkind to people

words don't come easy

2004-12-01T20:58:00.000-08:00

two words that we can't live without or so the media would have us believe
-- outsourcing and metrosexual

go shaun

2004-12-01T19:57:00.000-08:00

saw a bizarre movie the other day called shaun of the dead...it is listed as one of the 100 movies of 2004 to not miss. the story was strange but so wonderfully executed that it left you very impressed. basically it was a horror story woven into present day humour which was so subtly done that even though it was full of cliches, the cliches were worth every bit of your Sunday afternoon!!

coming back to the list of 2004 movies not to miss, i've seen around 5, so its 95 more to go... and 2004 is fast on its way out!

quote uncoat

2004-11-22T21:17:00.000-08:00

having a B grade emotional life can really rake in the moolah. take breakup babe, the latest blogspotter to win a book deal. she got whipped by all the men in her life and in turn she lashed out at them online. result: her blog gets a book deal from random. now this is one thing i have noticed, people who are in search mode in their private lives -- no google doesn't have a kickass solution for that -- write amazing poetry, alternate between bedroom eyes and soulful eyes and if they are lucky write a bridget jones diary that breaks all records. wanna get dumped? you might just get rich!!

jeez...sweet november or what

2004-11-22T02:14:00.000-08:00

http://singlesclub.indya.com/espresso/singlespirit/untying.htm

it shall come to pass....

2004-11-22T00:04:00.000-08:00

i don't know what prompted me to ask for exorcist-the beginning... especially after i had taken tom hanks'ladykillers. but that's me and horror movies. i can't ever turn down any of them. no matter how silly or how trashy. like the last flick vaastu shastra which i chanced to catch on my cable. it had its moments but the end was a hodgepdoge of bodysnatchers meets the others meets sensational sush. ok, so now i am deviating. back to the beginning or rather the prequel to exorcist. i slid it into the player at 10.45 PM right after the 2nd instalment of ZMZ Temple of doom. at exactly 11.45Pm i decided to end my ordeal. first i got scared, then i got chilled, 45 mins through the film i was convinced i would never 1) take a trip to cairo 2)pick up objects from the ground 3) laugh if i see hyenas.
one thing that really rattles me is the psychobabble that they use to scare you, what should be standing pointing upwards will be pointing down, kids will get possessed, and priests will kiss women.
also not to forget, heads will spin furiously like tops. that is what did me in in exorcist I. it was the scariest most chilling moment i have ever encountered in my horror film fest to date.

Boo!!

2004-11-19T04:02:00.000-08:00

just realised i know better ghost stories than ram gopal verma...and they are not lifted from hollywood! ram ram

great gatsbyesque

2004-11-19T03:55:00.000-08:00

just finished great gatsby... Fitzgerald's classic had been lying with me for four years before i deigned to open it and then i couldn't put it down. it was superfast -- i like --a jaded look at how rich playboys come to ruin in a consumeristic society where people love you only so long as you can show them a good time. the moment you fall apart they fall behind.
the interesting part is that this book written in the aftermath of world war II depicts the very same sentiments that affect today's --what do they call themselves-- happening crowd.
same shit new day?

all new

2004-11-09T01:22:00.000-08:00

learnt a new phrase today-- all mouth and no trousers. it translates into "Boastful and without just reason".
E.g."You shouldn't pay any attention to him, he's all mouth and no trousers."

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha

i just know so many contenders for the above description

coincidences

2004-11-07T08:42:00.000-08:00

life is quite crazy, the more you avoid something the more it will follow you. its like this: if you don't like someone you can be sure you will see him or her on your next visit to an obscure spot. of all the hours on the clock, this particular person will choose the same hour and the same spot to come to as you... now isn't that odd?

cagey musings

2004-10-31T07:21:00.000-08:00

a wow ending always makes a hit, i heard nicholas cage say this in adaptation and thought it was a very powerful statement. in his case he was talking about a movie script but it holds so true for life too. its the end that finally makes sense of the beginning and the middles...

sounds

2004-10-26T03:30:00.000-07:00

my favourite TV serial soundtrack as of now: Boston Public on star world..it's riveting to say the least