Orbis Terrarum Challenge - 2009

Bethany is hosting the challenge once again this year! It has started March 1st and goes on till end of Dec 2009. I had a lot of fun participating in this challenge last year and I even won a book :) It got me interested in a lot of genres and gave a kick to my reading habits! If you want to see the list of books I read as part of this in 2008, here it is.

I am already done with my book for the month of March (A Flight of Pigeons by Ruskin Bond) and will be posting all the reviews of the books I read on my book blog.

Here are the details if you wish to take part in this challenge.

http://orbisterrarumchallenge.blogspot.com/2009/01/rules-and-regulations.html

Main Challenge Rules:

*The Orbis Terrarum Challenge begins March 1 2009(you are welcome to join later) Through the end of 2009.

*For the challenge each reader is to choose 10 books (for the 10 months).

*Each book must from a different country, I have decided to go by the country of origin of the author, or the country he/she lives in is fine as well.

*You don't have to have a list, that means you can change your mind at any time. As long as there are 10 from 10 different countries, written by 10 different authors: Anything goes.

The bottom line: choose 10 different books, written by 10 different authors, from 10 different countries.

Earth Hour - Do you want to make a difference?

Switch off the lights between 8.30 to 9.30pm on March 28th
For more information and to sign up for the event, visit www.earthhour.org

Two years ago, a movement called Earth Hour was started in Sydney. Millions made a statement by switching off their lights. Just for an hour.This year, on March 28 we the citizens of the Earth, will make a pledge to do the best we can. Earth Hour will reach global proportions!
Close to a billion people from 930 cities across the world will join this show of solidarity against climate change. They would turn off the lights of their homes and offices for an hour between 8.30 pm and 9.30 pm (in their respective time zones) to tell the world leaders they want something done... Participating in Earth Hour is easy, fun and absolutely free!

So, what are your thoughts?

Dev D's music...

I never bothered to listen to the songs from Dev D till I watched the movie recently. The only song that was given limelight in the promos/trailers was 'Emotional Atyachaar' which didnt appeal to me much, though it was different and funny.

But when I watched the movie I realized that it has lovely music - not just one, but a lot of good tracks!!! I would have really missed it out if I hadn't seen the movie. I guess thats why the initial marketing/promos is very important to sell the movie, especially its music. With the busy lives that we all lead, not many of us go buy CD's or download songs of all the movies that release. It's either through word of mouth or something catching your attention in the trailers.... I feel Dev D's music didnt get all the credit it deserves only because one song got all the attention and buzz.... what a waste!

Amit Trivedi, who has earlier composed for the movie Aamir, has made some marvellous tunes for Dev D. He has tried just about everything - rock, pop, bhangra, fusion, classical...and more! There are about 18 sound tracks but I have fallen in love with the 2 songs 'Nayan Tarase' and 'Paradesi'...both are folk fusion tracks. While Paradesi has a slight western touch to it, Nayan Tarase starts with a classical touch and progresses a bit towards rock...Amit gives his own vocals to Nayan Tarase; his voice adds to the lovely music. Toshi (one of the favorites in Star Voice of India show) does an awesome job with the song Paradesi...I absolutely loved his voice.

Some of the other good songs to look out for - Yahi meri zindagi, Saali Khushi, Duniya and Dhol Yara Dhol...

TV Meme

After movies, it's now time for a TV meme :) I found this on Amy's blog and I just couldn't resist myself from posting it here! It's pretty interesting if you enjoy watching sitcoms/TV shows..
(These are answered based on the shows on Star/ZeeCafe... haven't considered any of the Indian TV shows)

1. Name a TV show series in which you have seen every episode at least twice:
Friends, Seinfeld (Most of them), Mind your Language, Different Strokes, Full House, Small Wonder, Who's the Boss, Bewitched... Not just twice, I've watched every episode more than 5 times I guess!!

2. Name a show you can’t miss: Scrubs (As of now)

3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to watch a show: I dont think any one actor would make me watch a show... The show must be interesting, funny and good overall

4. Name an actor who would make you less likely to watch a show: None so far!

5. Name a show you can, and do, quote from: FRIENDS!!

6. Name a show you like that no one else enjoys: Hmmm...I guess if you dislike any show you will surely find someone or the other who likes it! So I have no answers :)

7. Name a TV show which you’ve been known to sing the theme songs: I would love to sing the one in Scrubs...though the complete song is not aired on TV...it's there on the DVD :)

8. Name a show you would recommend everyone to watch: Scrubs, for sure! and also Who's Line is it Anyway

9. Name a TV series you own: As of now... Seinfeld, Friends, Scrubs, Sex and the City. Will be adding more soon.

10. Name an actor who launched his/her entertainment career in another medium, but has surprised you with his/her acting choices in television: Can't think of anyone...really!

11. What is your favourite episode of your favourite series? - Both parts are tough to pick! If I consider FRIENDS, then it would be the episode where Ross gets a tan :)

12. Name a show you keep meaning to watch, but you just haven’t gotten around to yet: There are more than one actually.... Grey's Anatomy, Monk, 30 Rocks, Shark

13. Ever quit watching a show because it was so bad? If I can count the reality shows, then it's definitely 'The Moment of Truth' !!

14. Name a show that’s made you cry multiple times: None so far..

15. What do you eat when you watch TV? Hmmm... sometimes dinner else nothing!

16. How often do you watch TV? Everyday! :) Sometimes I leave it on while I blog or read a book...so it's usually there in the background without being given much attention. But I never miss my favorite shows!

17. What’s the last TV show you watched? I'm watching a lot of repeats...So I have no idea which one to pick, really!

18. What’s your favourite/preferred genre of TV? Drama with a pinch of comedy (something like scrubs).

19. What was the first TV show you were obsessed with? Full House (when I was in school)

20. What TV show do you wish you never watched? Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives (had seen an episode of each of them)

21. What’s the weirdest show you enjoyed? Cant think of anything...I have either liked a show or disliked it completely...

22. What TV show scared you the most? Tried watching an episode of X-files long back and it scared me off! Maybe that particular episode was bad!!

23. What is the funniest TV show you have ever watched? Mind your Language.. It's hilarious!!

Movie Meme

It's been almost 3 yrs since I started blogging but I haven't tried even one blogging meme so far! That's strange considering the fact that meme's are pretty common in the blogging world. But not all meme's are fun and I'm too lazy to put in thought and answer all the questions! I found this movie meme today while reading blogs and I really got pulled into it..so I had to post it here! :)

This one is a list of "top 100 greatest american movies of all times" from the AFI (American Film Insititue) list on their 10th anniversary (1998). You highlight the ones that you've seen and add three more of your choice at the bottom.. I've just watched 7/100 which is pathetic!! :( Well..the only solace is that I've seen more of the latest movies than these old ones...so am trying to find a list for that :)

Want to check if you are a movie buff? Then feel free to pick this up and link back to this post or leave a comment!

1. CITIZEN KANE (1941)
2. CASABLANCA (1942)
3. THE GODFATHER (1972)
4. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
5. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
6. THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
7. THE GRADUATE (1967)
8. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
9. SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)
10. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)
11. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
12. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
13. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)
14. SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
15. STAR WARS (1977)
16. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
17. THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951)
18. PSYCHO (1960)
19. CHINATOWN (1974)
20. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975)
21. THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940)
22. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
23. THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
24. RAGING BULL (1980)
25. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
26. DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
27. BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
28. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
29. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
30. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)
31. ANNIE HALL (1977)
32. THE GODFATHER PART II (1974)
33. HIGH NOON (1952)
34. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
35. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
36. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
37. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946)
38. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
39. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)
40. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
41. WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
42. REAR WINDOW (1954)
43. KING KONG (1933)
44. THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)
45. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951)
46. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
47. TAXI DRIVER (1976)
48. JAWS (1975)
49. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
50. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
51. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940)
52. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
53. AMADEUS (1984)
54. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
55. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)
56. M*A*S*H (1970)
57. THE THIRD MAN (1949)
58. FANTASIA (1940)
59. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)
60. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
61. VERTIGO (1958)
62. TOOTSIE (1982)
63. STAGECOACH (1939)
64. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
65. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
66. NETWORK (1976)
67. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)
68. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951)
69. SHANE (1953)
70. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
71. FORREST GUMP (1994)
72. BEN-HUR (1959)
73. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)
74. THE GOLD RUSH (1925)
75. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)
76. CITY LIGHTS (1931)
77. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)
78. ROCKY (1976)
79. THE DEER HUNTER (1978)
80. THE WILD BUNCH (1969)
81. MODERN TIMES (1936)
82. GIANT (1956)
83. PLATOON (1986)
84. FARGO (1996)
85. DUCK SOUP (1933)
86. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)
87. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
88. EASY RIDER (1969)
89. PATTON (1970)
90. THE JAZZ SINGER (1927)
91. MY FAIR LADY (1964)
92. A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)
93. THE APARTMENT (1960)
94. GOODFELLAS (1990)
95. PULP FICTION (1994)
96. THE SEARCHERS (1956)
97. BRINGING UP BABY (1938)
98. UNFORGIVEN (1992)
99. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967)
100. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)

My 3 picks - ( so that makes it 10/100! )
101. Twelve Angry Men (1957)
102. Trainspotting (1997)
103. The usual suspects (1995)

Book Review: Black Friday - The True Story of Bombay Bomb Blasts

Author: Hussain.S. Zaidi
Pages: 290
Publisher: Penguin Books
Genre: Non-Fiction
Rating: 4.5/5

The whole world had witnessed the most brutal serial bomb blasts that shook Bombay on 12th March 1993. There have been probably many more such unfortunate events in the city and the rest of the country but this one is supposed to be one such incident, which even today, after more than a decade, can shake the readers as much as it shook the entire nation then. [Click here if you wish to read my complete review]

Rehman does it again!

I have always been a big fan of Rehman's music, from the days of Roja. I can never forget the songs 'Chinna Chinna Aasai..' and 'Pudu Vellai Mazhai...' They'll always remain in my favorite list..

I feel he is one such guy in the industry who has something fresh and unique in every piece of music that he composes. Hmmm...some people are just gifted in life! Waiting for his music does seem worthwhile to me...

After working his magic with 'Kabhi Kabhi Aditi...' in JTYJN and winning the Golden Globe award for Slumdog Millionaire, Rehman is back again to pour his charm in Rakesh Mehra's Delhi-6. It has about 10 tracks which is a fusion of various genres. He is never scared of experiementing... you can see a dash of rap, hip-hop, alternative rock and jazz in his compositions. That's the best part of his music, u get variety...!

The promos of Delhi 6 opened with the song 'Masakali..Matakali'. Obviously then it was thought to be the best of the 10 songs... I absoutely loved it!! The music is very playful and chirpy with a fluttery sensation and Mohit Chauhan's (front man of the band Silk Route at one point) voice adds a rustic charm to it and makes it even more desirable...It's sometimes impossible for me to proceed into the album to listen to the rest of the numbers, without playing this on Repeat mode...I just love listening to this over n over again...

I also loved the song 'Arziyan...' which has a Sufi touch to it. It's simplicity, melody and lyrics impeccably echo it's heartfelt emotion... Now, it's kinda difficult to choose the best between these two :)

Let's just hope the movie is not a let down and does as good as it's smashing sountracks!

My Review on Ezine

Ezine articles featured my book review on AIDS Sutra on their website yesterday :) Here's the link to the article - http://ezinearticles.com/?id=1908824



They also added me onto their Expert Author's list, so now I can post more articles there, which am planning to do very soon. If you want to view all the articles or subscribe, you can visit this link - http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Pratima_Jayaram

Orbis Terrarum Challenge Winners

Last year, when I got into reading books all over again, I took part in the "Orbis Terrarum Reading Challenge" hosted by Bethany on B&B ex libris in 2008. She announced the winners last week and I am thrilled to be one of them!! :) Eagerly waiting to receive the bookie gifts! It was very nice of her to have agreed to send me those gifts all the way here, though she is based out of US…Thanks Bethany!

On seeing the response to last year's challenge, she has now started a dedicated blog for the OT challenge and plans to host it again this year. Am eagerly waiting to take part in it!

If you would like to know more on the books that I read for this challenge, click here and if you have any books that you want to recommend for this year, don't forget to leave a comment :)

Life is too short...

All of us at some point would have felt that life is short, for we humans..... but for puppies, it way toooooo short! You ask me why am I thinking of puppies suddenly? Well, about 5-6 weeks back a dog (bitch, to be precise) that used to roam around on our street (being well fed by my parents :)) laid 8 puppies right in front of my house, near the gate. They were the cutest set of puppies I had seen; I just loved watching them lying around next to the tree, being nursed by their mom so lovingly.

(Took this pic from my balcony just few days after they were born ... )
It was just about 3 weeks since they were born, when a scorpio went over 2 of the cutest white puppies that were sleeping by the roadside and they were just smashed to death instantly :( I really wonder how a driver can just run over pups sleeping near a tree, not even on the middle of the road! It was a sad sight to see. Their mom now chases every four-wheeler that passes on this road and barks like there is no end. What more can it do?!

Anyways, another pup was taken away by someone (hopefully they are keeping it as a pet!) after a few days. At least it would have got a home to live and wont die coming under some damn vehicle. The 5 remaining puppies grew up to be nice and fat, eating 4 meals a day that my mom feeds them. They are very naughty and keep running around on the road even though we have made a cozy place with a few old carpets near the tree so that they can sleep. Though this is a small cross-road, the number of vehicles passing by is pretty high during the day and there is always a danger of someone running over. It's a pity that they never realize this!!

The saddest part is today evening, a bike (not even a car) went over another pup and it died right in front of my parents eyes. I just came in 10 mins later to see it lying dead. The other one is badly hit and just doesnt open its eyes; but it is still breathing, so we kept it inside a cardboard box and covered it with a small carpet to keep it warm. That's the max that I could do...to just keep it warm in this weather. But seeing its condition, am not sure if it will survive till tomorrow morning.....just keeping fingers crossed! We put the remaining 3 inside the compound so that they are safe, but they just sneak out thru the gate every few minutes...now what more can we do?! :(

It just feels terrible to see only 4 puppies (1 badly injured) remaining out of the initial 8. And it is even worse to see them die right in front of your eyes. Feeling so helpless. I really wish I could do something to keep this injured puppy alive :( But I guess this is the fate of all street dogs... just have to accept it and move on...... sigh!

Book Review: The White Tiger

Author: Aravind Adiga
Pages: 321
My Rating: 4.5/5

This book, the winner of the Man Booker Prize 2008 had generated a lot of curiosity among the readers and I was eagerly waiting to get a hand on it too; wanted to figure out if it was just a hype or there was really some substance in it, worthy of the prize. I picked it up in Dec'08 and nearly took a month to finish because of the hectic work schedule, but if I count the actual number of days I read the book, I have probably taken about 4-5 days...
[Click here to read the complete review]

A quote..

...by Marilyn Monroe. Came across while browsing thru the web and really *loved* this one, so thought of sharing it here..

Check your reaction time

Want to check how fast you react to changes?
Feeling tired or sleepy and want something to wake u up?

Check how alert you are by taking this short 1 minute test (it's more like a game than a test)
It's pretty cool!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/sleep/sheep/

Orbis Terrarum Challenge - Round up

Am finally done with the OT reading challenge hosted by Bethany. This was my first ever reading challenges and I completely enjoyed it!! If not for this challenge, I would have probably never read books from so many different countries :)

Here's the list of my 9 books with the links to the reviews -
1. The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Mohsin Hamid (Pakistan)
2. Sister of my Heart - Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (India)
3. A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini (Afghanistan)
4. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov (Russia)
5. The Bastard of Istanbul - Elif Shafak (Turkey/Armenia)
6. In the Country of Men - Hisham Matar (Libya)
7. Purple Hibiscus - Chimamanda Adichie (Nigeria)
8. Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding (England)
9. After Dark - Haruki Murakami (Japan)

[Click here if you are interested to read more ]

Violet Hill...

This song 'Violet Hill' (Alternate Rock genre) is by the band Coldplay from one of their recent albums Viva la Vida or Death and all his friends (released May 2008). It is supposed to be the group's latest & first single..

I heard bits of it on Zee Cafe yesterday and it really caught my attention, so downloaded it immediately and have listened to it like a zillion times by now! I absolutely loved the music and even the lyrics... During its first radio play, this song is supposed to have gotten about 600,000 downloads!!

I have always loved Coldplay's deep and soulful style.... It's nice to see that the band is still making such wonderful music even after the massive success of A Rush of blood to the Head and X&Y.


Was a long and dark December
From the rooftops I remember
There was snow
White snow
Clearly I remember
From the windows they were watching
While we froze
Down below
When the future’s architecture
By a carnival of idiots on show
You’d better lie low
If you love me
Won’t you let me know?

Was a long and dark December
When the banks became cathedrals
And the fog
Became God
Priests clutched onto bibles
Hollowed out to fit their rifles
And the cross was held aloft
Bury me in honor
When I’m dead and hit the ground
A love back home unfolds
If you love me
Won’t you let me know?
I don’t want to be a soldier
Who the captain of some sinking ship
Would stow, far below
So if you love me
Why’d you let me go?
I took my love down to Violet Hill
There we sat in snow
All that time she was silent still
So if you love me
Won’t you let me know?
If you love me,
Won’t you let me know?

Welcome to the new look!

I was experimenting with templates for my book blog and found this current template which I really liked, so thought of updating this blog as well since I was getting bored with the coffee cup design.. I kinda liked the way it has turned out! :) There's more space for the posts and the sidebar also has 2 columns, so that lets me add more widgets and customize the look of my blog...
It also has a set of links on the header bar which gives it a 'tabbed' look that helps me categorize... Also liked the new blog-roll widget which sorts the blogs based on the most recent updates....

Will add a few more things soon.....enjoy the new look! :)

Book Review: Purple Hibiscus

Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Pages: 307
My Rating: 2.5/5

After reading a couple of excellent reviews about this book I decided to pick it up as part of my Orbis Terrarum Challenge. This one is a debut novel of a Nigerian writer Chimamanda Adichie, who is also the author of 'Half of a Yellow Sun' , winner of the Orange Broadbank Prize for Fiction-2007. Amazon reviews give a rating of 4.5/5 for Purple Hibiscus, but for some reason I just didnt enjoy this as much as I thought I would. Maybe I had very high expecations from it![...Click here to read the complete review...]

Show me the money..

A great article by Thomas.L.Friedman on Obama........... a must read! He always amazes me with his writings!


[President Bush, because he was so easily demonized, made being a free-rider on American power easy for everyone — and Americans paid the price. Obama will not make it so easy.
So to everyone overseas I say: thanks for your applause for our new president. I’m glad you all feel that America “is back.” If you want Obama to succeed, though, don’t just show us the love, show us the money. Show us the troops. Show us the diplomatic effort. Show us the economic partnership. Show us something more than a fresh smile. Because freedom is not free and your excuse for doing less than you could is leaving town in January.....]

Book Review: AIDS Sutra

Author: Multiple Authors (Anthology)
Pages: 345
My Rating: 4.0/5
AIDS Sutra presents a side of India which is rarely seen before. This is one book which needs to be read by a wider audience. It will definitely open your eyes to the harsh realities faced by people in the underdeveloped & underpriviliged societies........[ Click here to read the complete review]

Learning to focus...

Been learning yoga for the past 4 months and I have always had thoughts to write about it, but the posts never made it here, for the lack of time. .... ..... .....

When you first start doing yoga, it seems to be oriented more towards the physical side but gradually you do realize that it has an equal impact on the mind; and slowly you notice that the body and mind start to function in unison...

An hour of yoga typically includes a couple of mins of deep breathing, 5-10 mins of meditation followed by a few mins of pranayam and then the asanas (postures) for the rest of the session. Though it seems like you are spending only about 15 mins on your mind and inner self, gathering thoughts and trying to focus during those initial 5-10mins of meditation is the toughest. And this is what yoga eventually does; it prepares you to sit in this state of silence and balance for a long period of time; that's the ultimate objective of practising yoga, apart from the zillion other health benefits...

It's only when you sit in silence, even for a short while do you notice how stressed your mind is! It's hard to keep your mind still. Just as you sit for meditation, turbulent thoughts flood your mind; the harder you try to gain control, the tougher it gets. It's like trying to fetch some water to drink from a muddy pond...the more you struggle to fill, the more muddy it gets. But allow it to settle down for a while and you'll see the mud settling at the bottom, leaving clean water on the surface. So let the thoughts flow in, give them the time to settle rather than chasing them and you'll soon find that desired calmness, however fleeting it may be.

It is said that finding a point of focus helps to maintain this state for a longer period.....focusing on your breathing or a mental image or chanting holy syllables (jap) verbally/mentally are some things that help. All these techniques render the mind pure, directing the energy inwards and thus helping us find that focus, inner peace and balance...

One more last thing to remember, just like the way our state of mind affects our body, the reverse is also true. Keeping your body absolutely still and physically relaxed also helps calm the mind to a great extent...

One good link that I found - http://www.how-to-meditate.org/