Book Review: Lolita

Author: Vladimir Nabokov

Phew! I finally finished reading this book... took me almost 2 full months, not becoz I had no time but 'coz it's one of the weirdest books I've read so far. I was determined though, to read the book till the last page just so that I dont end up missing out on something. I've read a lot of good reviews on this book so I'm not going to say it's bad - but it just wasn't my type or maybe I just didnt know how to approach the book! I ought to accept that I had a tough time reading it....

English is not english when it's written by Vladimir Nabokov. This is the first time that I couldn't grasp too much from a book written in english :) It's like learning a new language. It reminded me of my GRE/GMAT preps when I used to go thru the huge word list and wonder who on earth would really use those long-complex words! Now I know who does ;-) But I really appreciate the choice of words that the author uses. If you go dig it up in a dictionary, you'll realize that no other word could describe what he means, in a better way. It's that appropriate!

The book is in a first person narrative. One of the weirdest stories I've ever read. Not acceptable on moral grounds; I just couldn't digest it. It's about Humbert Humbert, an adult-middle-aged guy who is obsessed with nymphets. He goes as a lodger in one of the lonely widow's house where he gets attracted to her 12 yr old daughter - Lolita. He marries the widow so that he gets to stay close to Lolita. After his wife's death, he seduces his 12 year old step-daughter and has an "affair" or to be precise, a sexual relationship with her for nearly 2-3 yrs.

The author does know that such relationships are not acceptable by rational human beings and he brings out this acceptance through Humbert's character. He describes very well, how Humbert's and Lolita's conscience are at work...thru all this, and more importantly what effect this whole thing has on young Lolita's mind and her life. Due to the subject matter, the book was very difficult to read at times - all boundaries of ethical behavior crossed..

The story is definitely compelling and something that can really give you goose bumps, but I wish it was written in a simpler way so that I could understand and appreciate it better! But as of now, I guess I wouldn't really recommend the book ... unless, of course you are someone who is experimental in literature and wants to read a book that is very differently written!

The challenge list -
1. Sister of my heart- Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (India)
2. The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Mohsin Hamid (Pakistan)
3. A thousand splendid suns - Khalid Hosseini (Afghanistan)
4. The Bastard of Istanbul - Elif Shafak (Turkey/Armenia)
5. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov (Russia)
6. To kill a mocking bird - Harper Lee (USA)
7. The Conservationist- Nadine Gordimer (South Africa)
8. One hundred years of solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Columbia)
9. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak (Australia)

The moment of truth

One more addition to the band of reality shows these days! I watched this new show which premiered in Asia on star world yesterday. Hosted by Emmy nominated Mark Walberg, the show is all about telling the truth and winning money - upto US$500,000!! Well, who wouldn't want to take a shot at this then? ;-) The hitch here is that the contestants are strapped to a lie detector to validate the answers. Prior to the show, each contestant is asked about 50 qns by a polygraph expert who records the answers but its not revealed to the contestants. During the actual show, 21qns out of these 50 are asked randomly and for each answer that is TRUE the contestant wins money and moves ahead. The questions get more and more embarassing and personal, as you move up the ladder.. Also, there will be a surprise guest who can come and ask the question to the contestant... that could be the person's father, mother, friend, wife..or anyone for that matter and ask just about anything.... good opportunity to get the truth out? :)

Though it seemed like some new concept, how real can this reality show get?! Everyone of us have our own secrets; everyone of us would have lied to people close to us at some point...maybe for the good or bad.. So would someone be willing to expose their deep down dark secrets on national television, infront of their family and loved ones?? Yesterday's show had some questions like -
- Have you ever cheated on your wife?
- Have you flirted with other women after marriage?
- Have you ever lied to get a job? etc...
Even though its a game show, the fact that they claim there is a lie detector does make it sound authentic... The show does get uncomfortable and shocking at times. I wonder would someone be willing to risk their precious relationships in life for about 1.5millions?!! Especially when trust forms such an important aspect of any relationship.....Well, am sure there are people who would, for whatever reasons...coz the show is on :)

Well here's something that Walberg has to say -
“Many times I ask them if the money is worth the pain you are causing. And they would say it’s not the money. I think people come on the show to reveal things they won’t say at home"


Interesting!!


Here's a small clip of one of the contestant's game - watch it...its fun!

Books & Reading...

A friend fwded the link to this video yest and I so really loved it!!!! It's just abt 1min long but never fails to impress u..everytime u watch. I wish I could write something like this!!!

One movie...

Ah! So that post yesterday did really do the trick ;-) I do feel like writing about something finally!

I actually came across this post through my google reader in the morning and I found it pretty interesting! So as per that blog...
If somebody told you that he/she is allowed to watch just one more movie in his/her life. Just one. Which movie would you recommend to that person?

I have been trying to pick one, but it's harder than I thought it would be! First of all, there are so many good movies on my 'to be watched' list that are highly recommended. So my list wouldn't be that vast, nevertheless...from the top of my head, I picked out 3 and I am trying to decide among The Godfather, As good as it gets and Little Miss Sunshine.

It would probably be 'As good as it gets'...the movie really touched me and I have seen it multiple times and wouldnt mind watching it again... amazing direction, story, acting, with a good sense of humor...

What would it be for you? Note that, it can be from any language... no restrictions!

Blogger's block...

Experiencing the "Blogger's block" syndrome...Hope to be out of it soon! I thought at least this post will trigger something and make a start.. :)

Any tips?

The New Champ

Increased heart rate, high blood pressure and a bit of acidity - the effects of yesterday's Nadal v/s Federer match!! I can't remember being so nerve wrecked for a tennis match before...This Wimbledon final, supposed to be the longest men's final in the history of wimbledon, didn't let me sleep a wink till the last serve of the match, irrespective of multiple rain delays. (This didn't seem like an unwanted interruption though, coz I got to watch the replay of another enthralling wimbledon final - Borg v/s McEnroe. I was just a couple of years old when this happened, so I was glad I got to see that match :-) A pair of true champions undoubtedly!! )

This was one match where I didn't know whom to favor, both seemed to be my favorites and I would be disappointed if either of them lost, coz Federer is undoubtedly one of the best players i've seen, and winning a 6th wimbledon title would re-iterate that..and Nadal is the only guy who has really tried hard to give a tough fight to Federer over the last couple of years. But finally I was delighted that Nadal managed to win, coz I think he truly deserved the trophy...right from the first set, you could see his 200% effort in each and every single shot that he played - he was there to just WIN and that's what he achieved finally!! Nadal, on being asked how did he feel on collapsing on the center-court after defeating the five-time-champion, said "It's impossible to describe it no?"... am sure it is, absolutely no words!!

An ever green bollywood song, from the movie Masoom (1983).... with Gulzar at his best and music by R.D Burman... I fall in love with it every time I listen to it...!! Hard to find such music and lyrics these days...
I love both the male and female versions of the song... but the one in Lata Mangeshkar's voice is too good... her voice itself adds that golden touch to the song, so soothing....

tuz se naaraaj naheen jindagee
hairaan hoo main
tere maasoom sawaalon se
pareshaan hoo main

jeene ke liye sochaa hee nahee
dard sanbhaalane honge
muskuraye to, muskuraane ke
karza utaarane honge
muskuraoo kabhee to lagataa hai
jaise hothhon pe, karza rakhaa hain

Update on OT challenge...

Not too happy with myself on the progress of my book readings :( Lost the momentum; this month was again very slow. Haven't finished even 1 book completely. Not sure if the books that am picking are not holding my interest or the other things in life are distracting me... whatever it is, it's not good for my own goal that I have set - to read at least 25 books by end of this year... thats on an avg 2 per month, which is not too hard! How I arrived at this number? Just random! :)
Update on my OT list - modified the list a bit, coz I didnt like a couple of books which I had originally decided upon... My last book was on Turkey/Armenia, depicted in the map below (I love this tool that I found to create colorful maps!) Armenia is that small portion in dark brown next to Turkey (in orange)

1. Sister of my heart- Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (India)
2. The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Mohsin Hamid (Pakistan)
3. A thousand splendid suns - Khalid Hosseini (Afghanistan)
4. The Bastard of Istanbul - Elif Shafak (Turkey/Armenia)
5. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov (Russia) ........ in progress
6. To kill a mocking bird - Harper Lee (USA)
7. The Conservationist- Nadine Gordimer (South Africa)
8. One hundred years of solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Columbia)
9. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak (Australia)

(Click on the book names to read the reviews..)

More photos..

Both pics taken with my Canon point and shoot A85! So i guess they are good enuf ;)

Macro of a flower... not sure which one this is

Dove..

On the top...

..... of my current playlist

Kabhi Kabhi Aditi ... (Jane Tu Ya Jane Na)
- An AR Rahman composed number from the movie 'Jane Tu Ya Jane Na' with playback by Rashid Ali makes it a very different song altogether (Rashid's voice quality really suits the tempo and mood of the song) Unlike the recent ARR songs, this one is a fast and peppy number and really gets addictive...It's a typical Rahman number; I call it 'typical' coz you have to listen to the song a few times before you fall in love with it! I feel Rahman has done a *great* job with this song, something very different compared to Swades, Jodha Akbar kinda music... (which too are my favorite ofcourse!) I suggest u listen to the song at least 3-4 times before qualifying it as 'not good' in one shot :)

Koi aane wala hai... (Strings)
- Title song from their new album 'Koi aane wala hai' released last month; the paki band doesnt disappoint their fans yet again with this new release, after Duur and Dhani. Faizal, the lead singer really does have a golden voice and I just love it! The music video has John Abraham featuring as an angel....an attempt to add a stint of glamour! It did work before, he and Sanjay Dutt featured along with the band for one of the songs in Zinda....

The Bastard of Istanbul

Author: Elif Shafak

My reading momentum had come down suddenly over the last few weeks. Am back again now with the review and more books lined up by the bedside :)

After Pakistan and Afghanistan, this book which I picked up is about Turkey/Armenia. This was not on my original list but after coming across several good reviews, I was keen on reading it. Here, Elif Shafak deals with the age old cultural dissonance that exists between the Turks and Armenians, through a complex story of two families. She indicates how even a 50-60years old history can have a strong impact on the present lives of people. In Istanbul (as well as in parts of U.S.A), the Turks and Armenians still co-exist with mutual uneasiness and hatred; with the act of genocide (during the Ottoman empire) still fresh in the memories of the Armenians whereas the Turks feel no such continuity with their ancestors or the past.

Asya, labelled a 'bastard' since her birth, born when her mother was just 19yrs old, in a household full of women in Istanbul, grows up as a rebellious young Turkish woman, with the identity of her father shrouded till the end. Her only uncle who has immirated to America has an Armenian-American step-daugther called Armanoush (Amy), who later comes to Istanbul to stay in Asya's house, in search of her 'Armenian past'. Though the relationship between these 2 girls is strained, they soon become friends, intrigued by each other's culture. And during this quest, a lot of secrets tracing back to 1915 are discovered which really make the story gripping. There's a lot to learn about the Turkish-Armenian struggle history and the genocide especially, through the story of these 2 familes.

I took a longer time than expected to finish this book coz I felt it became very slow in the middle. Also, the author's writing style was quite different. There were different un-related parts of the story which were told together and I couldn't make much sense of it at that point and would lose track and end up being confused. But towards the final few chapters I could see it all come together! I really loved the book for this reason. Every small detail that was mentioned till then, just fell into place and the ending just left me awestruck!!! I didn't want to write the review as soon I completed the book, wanted that feeling to sink in and see if I really did enjoy it. Even now when I think about it, though it bored me a bit in the middle, I still love it for the complexities depicted in a very nice way!

Elif Shafak was prosecuted and acquitted in Turkey for insulting Turkishness by referring to the "millions" of Armenians "massacred" by "Turkish butchers" who "then contentedly denied it all." But finally the case was dismissed and she was back home and not in jail...

Pallavi Anupallavi..

Every time I watch a Mani Ratnam movie, my admiration for him as a director increases. Then how could I miss his directorial debut?! I’ve tried real hard to get hold of this Kannada movie for a very long time (almost 1 or 2 yrs!). Finally managed to find the VCD and watched it yesterday. Released in 1983, the movie stars Anil Kapoor (supposed to be the bollywood actor’s debut too) and Lakshmi (better know by the movie Julie) in the leading roles and music composed by Illaiyaraja. Couldn’t have asked for anything better :)

The movie is about this guy Vijay (Anil Kapoor) and his relationship with 2 women. He falls in love with one and later due to circumstances meets the other lady who is married, with a kid but separated from her husband and develops a great bond of trust and friendship with her. But he is confused and treads the fine line between trust and attraction amidst societal pressures. The ending of the movie is the best. Mani Ratnam has his own style... just like every other movie of his, the ending is very realistic and not just the 'all's-well-and-happy' ending.

Mani Ratnam weaves so many sub-plots in the movie which are very subtle yet so powerful. The movie is shot in Bangalore and Madikeri (Coorg). It's really a treat to see old Bangalore in the 80's (with so much greenery of course!); the photography and cinematography are awesome and add to the texture of the movie. Illaiyaraja's music is a magical melody, it just mesmerizes you and leaves you craving for more- listen to the song ' Naguva Nayana.....' and you'll know what I'm trying to say! Last but not the least I have to mention that Lakshmi has given a powerful performance which is commendable. Though Anil Kapoor was very good, he didnt create an impact 'coz I have seen much better performances from him in bollywood movies later.

All in all, a wonderful movie and truly a Mani Ratnam classic!

Macros..

My first two (pretty good) macro shots.... I'm thrilled! :)

The world is enlightened.. :)

Beer? Maybe, maybe not!

For those of you who thought beer is a very healthy drink , here's something that might put you on second thoughts.

http://www.littleabout.com/2008/05/23/beer-increases-the-risk-of-developing-pancreatic-cancer/

According to this study, beer is known to increase the risk of pancreatic cancer. Obviously, it does indicate that the risk is higher for heavy drinkers, so I am assuming that a mug of beer once a while should still be safe.... but who knows?!

Unaccustomed Earth

Author: Jhumpa Lahiri

This book, from the author of 'Interpreter of Maladies' and 'The Namesake' is one of the nicest short story collections that I've read so far. It's hard to pick which one is better, 'Interpreter of Maladies' or 'Unaccustomed Earth', both of which are collection of short stories, but I still favour this one a little more.

Lahiri is one of the finest Indian authors that I've come across. She has something new to offer in every book and every story of her's. Her style of writing is very unique (with her attention to detail she creates a lasting image in your mind), thought provoking and gripping; none of her stories have a perfect ending, it leaves you thinking at the end... always, and that's what brings it close to reality coz more often than not, you dont see a 'perfect end' to situations in life.

Unaccustomed Earth, is again a set of 8 short stories intrically woven with their themes...Bengali families who have migrated to US of A. That's the author's focus in all her books, but each story has something different to offer.... Be it a daughter's dilemma whether to give shelter to her father after her mother passed away, discovering some secrets during the time he comes to visit her; or a married woman falling in love with a stranger who comes to stay with them and becomes a family friend, only to be discovered by her daugther much later in life; or a sister trying to help her alcohol addicted brother who is rejected by his family and the society but at the end starts doing it herself, Lahiri has mastered the intricacies of human emotions and put it across in the most simple and subtle way.

The first part is a set of 5 distinct stories and the second part, is a set of 3 intertwined stories forming a trilogy - where two people (Hema and Kaushik) meet at different stages in their lives - during childhood, in their teenage and later in their 30's. The ending is very touching, though somewhat contrived.

The only criticism would be that she tends to get a little melodramatic sometimes in her narrations and becoz of the only central theme she uses - NRI bengali families who are academic over-achievers (everyone is a PhD), economically prosperious and always in mixed marriages, the stories sometimes seem to lack variations.

Nevertheless, I still rate this book 4.5/5 and highly recommend it. It is well worth the time...

Oye! Amritsar...

This restaurant on church street(located above Ruby Tuesday), is something that I'd heard of a lot and been recommended even more.... I read loads of reviews about it before going there for lunch today, and that set the expectations high...and I surely was not disappointed. A very small place, with hardly 10-12 tables and no hi-fi ambience(a mock roof-top dhaba), all this place has to offer is its awesome authentic punjabi food which is it's USP (unique selling point). The very first thing that I can think about, when I think of this restaurant is it's lassi, served in a monstrously huge glass.... very tasty.. and it can almost compensate for a full course lunch, coz I had to almost eat the lassi rather than drink it :)

(Photo courtesy: google search)
The food was extremely good,a treat to your taste buds.....it defnitely leaves u craving for more! They have a wide variety on the menu but I would recommend the lunch buffet coz it reduces the pain of ordering and you get to taste a lot of their good stuff. The service was very good and fast even though the place was very crowded, but if you go without reservations, then you have to bear with the agony of a long wait.

The buffet was 175Rs and with a-la-carte, a meal per person will be about 250Rs (without drinks). The price is slightly towards the higher side but considering that they are offering a cuisine which is not so common (and authentic ofcourse!) in b'lore, it doesnt seem expensive and it's definitely worth it!! Something you shouldn't miss for sure...

You can read a really good review about this place on Bangalore Metblogs (with nice pictures)

Jhumpa Lahiri...

It's strange that I am currently reading 3 books simultaneously, somehow ended up starting all 3 and it's all going parallel now...so will take time to finish and post all the reviews! One of it is Jhumpa Lahiri's latest - Unaccustomed Earth - a collection of short stories. I have finished half the book, and it's so amazing that I love her writings all the more now.. While browsing about the book and the author, I came across this exclusive author's interview, which is quite nice (Link at the end..)

It's interesting to note that she came up with some of the stories in this new collection nearly a decade before.... authored 'The Namesake' in between and now actually completing those old stories!! 'Hema and Kaushik' is a trilogy in this new short stories collection, which she is referring to below...

Lahiri: It began in a staggered way, with Kaushik and Hema. The first of the stories in that series, "Once in a Lifetime," is a story from about ten years ago that I started and never finished. The characters had those names, though.
They were characters that first entered my mind about a decade ago. I thought about them, and I had a very vague sense of them and their world, their situations and their families. The earliest incarnation was the idea of the story of their two sets of parents who are at once very close and very different.
I was trying to write about Kaushik's family moving back to India and then moving back yet again, and staying with Hema's family. That was always the kernel, this strange couple of months in both their lives, in which they're all crammed into one household.
That was the idea, but at the time I never knew why exactly the family had come back; I hadn't yet figured it out. Those are the earliest characters in the book, and eventually, many years later, I returned to that draft (if you could call it that — it was just a few pages) and was able to work on it again and move forward and finish the story.
That's how it began technically, I suppose. Then I wrote The Namesake, in between, and then started up with some of the other stories. "Hell-Heaven" I had first started while I was writing The Namesake. Sometimes a story idea comes to me and I loosely write it or half-write it or quarter-write it. So when I was finished with The Namesake, I turned to these other ideas. I went back to Hema and Kaushik, and went back to "Hell-Heaven." The other stories just followed, one by one. "

And for all those people who think that the final-product of writing is usually those initial-thoughts that come into mind, then here's something to contradict that....

Jill: How much do you revise, generally?
Lahiri: That's really all I do. It's all a process for me of continued revision. I worked on most of the stories in this book for several years. When I finished some, and I published some, along the way, then I considered them done, but I still worked on them for a considerable length of time, and the ones I didn't publish, I continued to work on. Most of these stories were simmering for two to three years, minimum.

Read the full interview here

A Thousand Splendid Suns

Author: Khaled Hosseini

Here is the link to the author's offical website. He has a blog in there too, pretty interesting.

After reading 'The Kite Runner', there was no way I would have missed out on this one. A couple of reviews that I had read initially indicated that this book is very similar to the the previous one and has nothing different to offer. That put me off a bit, but am glad I still picked it up, coz it was amazing in its own way!

Without writing much about the plot, I would like to say that Khaled Hosseini really does know how to make your heart ache!! The last 2 days when I read this book during bedtime, I found it hard to sleep...some of the things described in the book really haunted me, day and night. If the very description of Taliban and life in Afghanistan could make me go thru this, I wonder how people in there would have endured it all... I have foregone hours of sleep, just so that I get to read one more chapter, and that never ends... hard to keep the book down.

The author's style of writing is something that I enjoyed - very clear, simple and effective. The way he has described the emotions of the two women in the story, a peek behind the burqa, is really commedable.....In one of the lines he writes about friendship, which I felt was nicely expressed - "Boys, Laila came to see, treated friendship the way they treated the sun: its existence undisputed; its radiance best enjoyed, not beheld directly"

I will definitely remember this as one of 2007's best novels and would look forward to reading more of his books..

Update on Orbis Terrarum Challenge...

'Orbis Terrarum' in latin means 'the whole world' or 'globe of the world'.. I've just finished 2 books as per my list and on to the third one now.. It's interesting to note how you can travel to different parts of the world and learn about various countries and its cultures by reading books...I 'm loving it!!

Got this idea of showing the world map from Ramya's blog... but managed to get a picture of my own though ;-) The map just made me realize how limited my reading has been and how vast the world is! :)

Updated list:

1. Sister of my heart- Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (India)

2. The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Mohsin Hamid (Pakistan)

3. A thousand splendid suns - Khalid Hosseini (Afghanistan)

4. Kafka on the shore - Haruki Murakami ( Japan)

5. Reading Lolita in Tehran- Azar Nafisi (Iran)

6. To kill a mocking bird - Harper Lee (USA)

7. The Conservationist- Nadine Gordimer (South Africa)

8. One hundred years of solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Columbia)

9. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak (Australia)

Sister of my heart

Author: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

The next stop in my Orbis Terrarum Challenge was India. As per my list, I was supposed to read R.K Narayan's book but my eyes fell on this one and the reviews were so amazing that I couldn't resist myself from picking it up. I had read 'Mistress of Spices' by the same author and was not too impressed with it, but the story and reviews of this tempted me to try her book once again and I am surely not disappointed this time!

The story is about a bengali family, two sisters, cousins - Sudha and Anju, born on the same day... growing up in a household of 3 widowed women in Calcutta. The story is quite typical and cliched, but what makes it different is the way in which it is told, the events are so interlocked and it goes zigzag across time and alternates between India and America (the 2 places where the story is set up). Both Sudha and Anju are inseparable and so attached to each other that you can hardly say where one begins and the other ends. Both of them are forced into arranged marriages under different circumstances and their lives takes a drastic turn when each of them gets to know of some hidden truth. The bond of love and friendship that they share is very heart warming and their relationship shows to what extent one can be selfless and find happiness in sacrificing for someone you love. The story is full of unexpected events and surprises. It just keeps you at the edge of your seat and I found it hard to put it down every night and would eagerly wait to read it the next day!

About the author, I have heard that she gets very stereotyped in her stories and focuses only on bengali women and their issues. Maybe if I pick up another novel of her's I might notice the same but nevertheless, I enjoyed the way she has chosen to tell the story. The chapters alternate b/w Sudha and Anju - one chapter from each person's perspective, yet the story is so smoothly flowing; you dont feel left out... searching for details. I loved the way she has used the right words to describe each situation or emotion... and it defnitely has an impact. Even if you dislike this author, you will still surely enjoy this book! By the time I finished the book, I was left craving for more.... I've heard there is a sequel to this and would love to read it!

Next on the list : A Thousand Splendid Suns

Power of silence

Found this nice article called 'Silent Power' in TOI yesterday.. Pretty interesting and definitely worth a read.

Link to the article

It talks about silence as a means of communication and how effective it is... sometimes much more than words, and also it's importance in relationships. Silence referred to here, is not just absence of sound, but a state within you where you are at peace with yourself - the stillness of mind. It is something that gives you that inner power, removes tensions and helps you cope better with relationships on all levels....

"From silence, our true powers emerge - the powers to withdraw, to accommodate, to face the truth, to discriminate right from wrong, to tolerate and to co-operate..."
"Silence is your connection to your soul. This is where true power resides. You begin to see life with clarity"

All these are for sure inspiring and thought provoking and am sure pretty effective if put in practise... but we all know, it is easier said than done...you can just keep at it, and keep trying hoping u can be there someday!

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Author: Mohsin Hamid

As part of the Orbis Terrarum challenge I picked up this book first, though it was not on the top of my list and am glad I did. It's one of the most interesting books I've read so far. A very short one, just about 180pages and something that you got to read in one sitting to really follow and enjoy the plot. You just cant put the book down till the end 'coz every page u read makes u want to read further to know what happens, till u reach the end. This is one such book that you should read before reading any of the reviews. Because even a one-liner on what the book is about is going to spoil your whole experience. So if you are planning to read this book at any point, then warning - *do not read the next paragraph *

I loved the way the author has written this book 'coz I found his style of expression very unique. The whole book is complete first person narration; a pakistani talking to a stranger from America about his experiences in the US of A and how his life changes after the World Trade Center comes down. The main character, Changez, has gone to America for higher studies, graduates from Princeton and joins one of the top financial firms in the US. He falls in love with an American girl - Erica and their love story, built amidst the growing tension between US/Afghanistan/Pakistan, is something that really touches your heart. The author's command over language and the way he has played with words is just awesome. The way he takes you back and forth, between the past and the present, in his narration is downright amazing. I feel, in a monologue, it is very tough to keep the reader's attention and curiosity alive thru out the book and the author has done it really well. The ending is something that I really loved, coz it is not perfect, it keeps u thinking what really could have happened! Sensitive topics like the war between Afghanistan and US after the WTC bombing, the perception of the US in middle east and other parts of the world and the plight of a lot of people who were part of this disaster, are described in a subtle yet thought provoking way. The emotions are complex and the characters are something that you will not forget as soon as you finish the book... Overall, a very nice read and really worth it.


So, my book for the month is done :) Before I pick up one more for the next month, which is most probably "Reading Lolita in Tehran", I have a couple of other ones to finish... one of which is Shantaram :)

I believe I can fly....

I don't remember the names of these birds :(

Painted Stork (not sure what this bird was doing though..)

The Orbis Terrarum Challenge...

I came across this book challenge thru' one of the book blogs that I follow regularly. I found this pretty interesting 'coz I never knew there are so many different type of challenges that people take up for reading books! :) It starts from April 1st (tomorrow) till December' 20th. The challenge is to read 9 books in these 9 months by 9 different authors from different parts of the world.... Isn't that something unique?! Am really excited! I would never have put in so much thought to list down books from so many different authors if not for this... ! So here goes my list...

1. Waiting for the Mahatma- R.K Narayan (India)
2. The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Mohsin Hamid (Pakistan)
3. The Conservationist- Nadine Gordimer (South Africa)
4. Kafka on the shore - Haruki Murakami ( Japan)
5. Reading Lolita in Tehran- Azar Nafisi (Iran)
6. To kill a mocking bird - Harper Lee (USA)
7. A thousand splendid suns - Khalid Hosseini (Afghanistan)
8. One hundred years of solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Columbia)
9. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak (Australia)

The list might change a bit in the due course but mostly it would be the one above...

Btw.. I still have my Shantaram to read... I guess I will finish 5 more books by the time I complete this one! :)

Found these lines somewhere while browsing through.... short and sweet but conveys a lot! Perfect day to post this I guess :)

Growing up, we get dismayed by the realization that we could not get everything we want.
Growing old, we are delighted by the realization that although we can’t have everything we want, we can want everything we have.

Time for few more pics!

The subject is the most interesting part here ;-)

After sunset..

Time of your life...

Been listening to 'Green Day' over the last couple of days... love this song a lot... more for its lyrics than for the music...

Another turning point;
a fork stuck in the road.
Time grabs you by the wrist;
directs you where to go.
So make the best of this test
and don't ask why.
It's not a question
but a lesson learned in time.

It's something unpredictable
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
So take the photographs
and still frames in your mind.
Hang it on a shelf
In good health and good time.
Tattoos of memories
and dead skin on trial.
For what it's worth,
it was worth all the while.
It's something unpredictable
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

I started reading this blog 'coz a friend recommended... and I must admit, whoever this lady is, she writes extremely well!! Drawing some inspirations from her.. :) Loved most of the posts that I read but this piece of poem that she has written is something that I enjoyed and appreciated the most....

Here is the Link to the poem..
And for those of you who are lazy to click on it, I have copied it here :)

Why are some things hard to let go,
While some are hard to accept.
Why is it so hard to be patient,
And never hard enough to suspect.
Why do some people come into our life,
Only to leave by the twists of fate.
Would we ever know to love,
If we knew the expiry date ?
Why do we say and do things,
For they have been said and done before.
What is good and bad is told to us,
No place for anything more.
Why are there so many dictums,
Hardly shades of grey
If I were to tell you the truth
How many of you would stay ?

Video..

Finally found the complete video of this awesome song from Jodhaa Akbar (with the exact picturization as in the movie)...

It's been a couple of weeks since I started reading Shantaram, everyday.. I still havent finished half the book! Never have I read a book which describes every inch of detail in almost everything... Found another interesting set of lines which I wanted to post here.... Am sure even without much context, this makes sense...

"..Sometimes we love with nothing more than hope. Sometimes we cry with everything except tears. In the end that's all there is: love and its duty, sorrow and its truth. In the end that's all we have- to hold on tight until the dawn..."

The person who hinders growth..

Someone forwarded this mail at office today.... found it very intriguing and nice... read on

One day all the employees reached the office and they saw a big notice on the door on which it was written: "Yesterday the person who has been hindering your growth in this company passed away. We invite you to join the funeral in the room that has been prepared in the gym". In the beginning, they all got sad for the death of one of their colleagues, but after a while they started getting curious to know who was that man who hindered the growth of his colleagues and the company itself.

The excitement in the gym was such that security agents were ordered to control the crowd within the room. The more people reached the coffin, the more the excitement heated up. Everyone thought: "Who is this guy who was hindering my progress? Well, at least he died!".

One by one the thrilled employees got closer to the coffin, and when they looked inside it they suddenly became speechless. They stood nearby the coffin, shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched the deepest part of their soul.

There was a mirror inside the coffin: everyone who looked inside it could see himself.

There was also a sign next to the mirror that said: "There is only one person who is capable to set limits to your growth: it is YOU."

So my dear friends, You are the only person who can revolutionize your life. You are the only person who can influence your happiness, your realization and your success. You are the only person who can help yourself. Your life does not change when your boss changes, when your friends change, when your parents change, when your partner changes, when your company changes. Your life changes when YOU change, when you go beyond your limiting beliefs, when you realize that you are the only one responsible for your life.

"The most important relationship you can have, is the one you have with yourself”. Examine yourself, watch yourself. Don't be afraid of difficulties, impossibilities and losses: be a winner, build yourself and your reality.

The world is like a mirror: it gives back to anyone the reflection of the thoughts in which one has strongly believed.The world and your reality are like mirrors laying in a coffin, which show to any individual the death of his divine capability to imagine and create his happiness and his success. It's the way you face Life that makes the difference.

Jodha-Akbar

This overly-hyped-heavy-budget movie finally released yesterday and I got a chance to watch it today itself. Well, I definitely did not love it but didnt hate it either... it is somewhere in between that i cant decide!. The movie is about 3hrs 45mins including interval and that was quite a lot to take!! I wonder what makes Ashutosh Gowarikar to direct such lengthy movies, even though this script didnt need so much detail. The movie is a 16th century love story, about the marriage of Mughal emperor Akbar (Hrithik) with the Rajput princess Jodha (Aishwarya). There's obviously a lot of history to tell but if the director was focussing on the untold lovestory of Akbar-Jodha then I think he should have concentrated more on that rather than mix it with lengthy historic details (which were also not very complete and hard to follow) and not do justice to both parts...

That apart, there are some really good parts in the movie which you will remember even after walking out. The cinematography is brilliant and the costumes by Neetal Lulla and jewellery by Tanishq are awesome and add to the 16th century look and feel of the movie. Hrithik's acting is commendable. After Lakshya, I think he has done some really classy acting in this movie. I felt he didnt suit the role of Akbar and that weird moustache on his face made it look worse.. Nevertheless, he portrayed the character with its nuances really well. Ash - as usual looks gorgeous but lacks acting... Ila Arun is also worth a mention - she is very powerful in her dialogue delivery.....

Most of the dialogues in the movie had urdu diction.. so i found it pretty hard to understand and follow the chronology of events and characters involved.. There are too many details shown in the movie.. so i think only if u watch it the second time u can grasp it completely :)

Coming to the best part of the movie - its music! Rehman has proved again that he is one of the best... u just have to listen to the songs to fall in love with them.. Especially the sufi song - "Khwaja mere khwaja...." is one of the best I've heard so far... Rehman himself is the singer and am sure no one could have done it better.. The picturisation of the song is out of this world...by the end of the song even I felt like getting up and swaying to that music along with the singers, just like Akbar does :) If you haven't heard this yet, then u are missing something!

Here's the link for this song on youtube... it doesnt show the exact picturization though, but still the entire song is here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezQ3katpLwE

Life...and choices..

"It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while i was chained to a wall and being tortured. I realized, somehow, through the screaming in my mind, that even in that shackled, bloody helplessness, i was still free: free to hate the men who were torturing me, or to forgive them. It doesnt sound like much, i know. But in the flinch and bite of the chain, when it's all you've got, that freedom is a universe of possibility. And the choice you make, between hating and forgiving, can become the story of your life"

This is the opening paragraph of the book "Shantaram" by Gregory David Roberts. Started reading this a few weeks back and still continuing to, and god knows when I'll finish this 1000pgd book.. These lines above really made an impact on me the moment I read it.. somehow... not sure why, maybe the state of mind I was in when I picked up the book or whatever, but it seemed to make a lot of sense to me suddenly, and it still does, everytime I read it.

The author seems to have put a gist of his whole life in these few lines..It's so true... Life is all about choices. If you look at it very subtly, every situation is a choice. You can choose how you react to situations. .. You can choose how people will affect your mood... you choose to be in a good or a bad mood... So it's your choice, how you live your life...

All of us are going with the movement of life...no matter what we do, we are on the roller coaster ride. We have a choice to either embrace it and enjoy the ride or fight it and scream all the way...It's upto us. We are what we choose to be... no one to blame or give credit for.

So the bottom line is... everyday we have the choice to live life fully... Attitude, after all, is everything! Well.. that's what I felt after reading this :) Opinions differ!

The Kite Runner

Author: Khaled Hosseini

One of THE BEST books that I have read so far... and I guess the only book which got my tears flowing as I read it. I could see myself thinking about it most of the time, long after i finished reading it....such was its impact. Two things that drew me to this book - awesome reviews and the fact that it was based in Afghanistan. Am sure all of us are aware about the political upheaval in the Afghan land but the way this book described every detail of life out there during the ruthless Taliban regime, just sent shivers down my spine... I almost thanked god that I wasn't born in that land!!

It's a story about friendship between two people, Amir and Hassan, whose lives change completely after one incident on the day of a kite flying tournament. You come across a lot of twists in the tale to finally see how Amir achieves his redemption by returning back to Kabul, from America. I wish I could write more and more about it but it's only going to spoil your read, if you haven't read the book yet... The depth of sensitivity and the power of feelings in this book can only be experienced by reading it!

I enjoyed the author's writing style... no language tricks or a complex plot. Just a conventional but a gripping story told in a simple and subtle way that touches your heart. No fairy tale endings... He gets the message out very well that redemption and reconciliation are never easy. Also, many times he doesnt state the obvious.. he first gives u a hint and only when u continue to read u figure it all out..

I am waiting to watch the movie based on this book, with the same title and even more eager to read the author's other book ' A Thousand Splendid Suns'.

If you are looking out to read a good book, then this is the one you shud pick right now.

Pics..

Some photos that I took from my cell phone... Since my phone camera is just 2MP the resolution in large size is not very good.. but when seen in small, looks pretty neat I felt :)

Sky after sunset...

The Inscrutable Americans

Author: Anurag Mathur

Writing book reviews is tough. One thing I’ve realized after writing reviews for a couple of them is that a review is not just about writing what the book is about but write it in a way which generates enough curiosity and interest for the reader to pick up that book and at same time not letting out the essence (keeping the suspense on) in it. So that’s what I’m trying to do :)

Picked up Inscrutable Americans last night and just couldn’t keep the book down till I finished it. One of the most funny and hilarious books that I’ve read after Five Point Someone (by Chetan Bhagat). This is also made into a movie which, now I am dying to watch!

It’s a very simple but a common story about a small town boy (Gopal) from a conservative family in India going to the US of A for his higher studies and the kind of culture shock that he gets – his fascinations, enigmas and the whirl wind of emotions during the span of 1yr of his life there. What makes it different is the way the author has brought in the unique aspects of both Indian and American cultures and the comical contrasts and comparisons between the two. The American lingo and the way it is interpreted by the Indian (Gopal) is truly hilarious…!! Well, I’ve also read some negative views from people who feel that the sense of humor in the book is cheap and cranky but I felt that the author has done justice to the character that he has created. Maybe a little extrapolated but so what? it is a story being told… Primarily it’s all about America as seen through Gopal’s eyes… Towards the end you will really end up empathizing with this character to a great extent! :)

It’s a very light read and can be finished in a day or two…

Revived interest..

One resolution that I made this new year was to get back some of my old and most loved interests... reading and music. I haven't done anything about re-starting my music lessons yet but a couple of hours of talk with my friend and a bit of self-motivation seems to have done the magic for me to get back into that groove of reading books all over again. The last few months I've just been stacking my bookshelf with lots of to-be-read books which just remain there un-dusted still... I've finally managed to bring them out and have lined up a few for the next few weeks...

1. Inscrutable Americans
2. Life of Pi
3. Never let me go
4. Shantaram
5. God of small things
6. The Kite Runner

Will definitely write my reviews of each :-)

Mungaaru Male...

I don't remember the last time I went to a theater to watch a kannada movie or even saw it on a DVD. The last good ones that I really admired were 'Amruthavarshini' and 'America America'. I know this is almost a decade back but I really haven't seen anything as nice as these till date. I hardly watch kannda movies...unless something is recommended by loads of people.. and am glad I saw this one. Mungaru Male (means pre-monsoon rains) is one of the nicest kannada movies and one of those really rare movies which has used rain as a metaphor thru'out the movie.. This movie generated so much curiosity and now I know that it has lived up to it's expectations. No wonder it's regarded as the biggest hits in South Indian cinema and has a whole wikipedia page for itself! It says..

"The movie set a national record as the first Indian language movie to run for 1 year at PVR Cinemas nationwide"

Everyone will agree that the script is the most important part of any film. The technicalities, glitz, glamor, choreography, item numbers are all just additions which are not required if you have a good script to present and this movie does exactly the same. It's a very simple but a very different kind of a love story which really touches your heart. Screenplay and cinematography are just mind blowing. The shots in the beautiful landscapes of the Malnad (Coorg) region during the monsoon rains make it even more beautiful. I would have loved to watch it on the big screen!! Am sure it will be even better an experience than watching it on TV... I was just looking at some of the subtitles here and there and noticed that the essence of the dialogue is lost in translation... So if you can't understand kannada and u are going to watch the movie with subtitles then you may not appreciate it as much....

The music by Mano Murthy is definitely commendable - almost all the songs are very melodious and hummable...with very meaningful lyrics too! The playback singers sonu nigam, sunidhi, shreya ghoshal and kunal ganjawala add their special touch to the songs of course...The most unexpected moment and the best part of the film is its climax which is one of the realistically best endings that I have seen in a long time... No wonder the movie is still running packed houses... I hope we get to see more of such high quality kannada movies in future!

Why blog?

It's been nearly 2 years since I started blogging... and what started as just a time pass became a hobby gradually. I wish I could be more regular with writing in this space... most of the days thoughts just remain in my head for multiple reasons - lack of time, energy, enthusiasm or plain laziness. So this new year I resolved that I should pen down my thoughts more often and overcome that inertia... :)

When I asked myself and a few friends 'why should someone blog'... here's what I felt and got to hear...

1. Share your knowledge and opinions - People like to hear what u think, your opinions, your thoughts...
2. It's like keeping a diary/journal - a historical record of thoughts over time
3. Network and connect with people - it's true that you really get to know some great people who you would probably never get to meet out of the blogging world
4. Express yourself
5. Improve your writing skills
6. Gives you exposure
7. You learn a lot! - coz you are always interested in what is happening around you so that you can write about it
8. It acts as your creative outlet
9. It's fun! - a hobby.. for time pass
10.. and finally.. you can blog just becoz everyone else is doing it these days! :)

So if you are a non-blogger and want to give this a shot these could be enough reasons for you to do so... and if you are already a blogger then all the more reasons to continue blogging!

Taare zameen par

One of the nicest movies that I have seen this year. Apart from the fact that it is pretty lengthy, everything else about the movie is amazing. After a long time we have a hindi movie which doesn't deal with the same old crap of rebirth, love and romance and is entertaining at the same time... The story is different, which everyone can relate to and very heart warming...and just like 'Chak de' even this had a strong message with it... I guess bollywood movies which try to convey a message to the society seem to click with the audience :)

I went to watch it with high expectations after reading all the reviews (and the fact that it wasnt hyped like OSO or saawariya!) and it really didnt disappoint me. I have loved Aamir khan as an actor since the days of QSQT and now he has done a good job as a debutant director too. The kid, Darsheel Safary (Ishaan awasthi) is truly brilliant. He has very well portrayed the emotions of a 9yr old kid who suffers from dyslexia... at least as a first time actor, I felt he was great! Aamir (as Ram shankar nikumbh) walks in after the intermission and takes the movie to a different level. He could have cut down a few details in the movie to reduce it to 2hrs and still managed to keep it as good... the length just made me a bit restless towards the end...

Coming to Shankar-ehsaan-loy's music, at first when I heard the songs during the movie, they didnt appeal to me much... but later when I downloaded the songs.. i realized quite a few are awesome... The songs raise the emotional content of the movie to a great extent... very soft and melodious. I have got so addicted to 'Kholo kholo darwaze...' and 'Jame raho...' that they are the only 2 songs on my playlist currently and I keep listening to them all thru the day :)

Anyways, this movie hardly needs any recommendation.... am sure it has generated enough curiosity for people to go and watch it...

Read more about him and his movie on his blog - http://www.aamirkhan.com/blog.htm

FuquaVision - Damn It Feels Good to Be...

A cool MBA related video..u can connect to it better if u are a B-school grad :) The video is pretty close to reality actually!

Pondicherry

Samarpan beach guest house, which is part of the auroville community is one of the nicest places i've been to... you really come back rejuvenated and inspired :) More info here.

view from the beach house...

clear blue water with light blue sky... nice sight...

coconut trees on the beach side..

Twilight...

Pics that I took yesterday evening just after sunset... The sky was really beautiful with interesting patterns and colors...

My playlist...

My current set of favorite songs....

1. Laree Choote..(Call the Band-Singer: Xulfi) - also in the movie 'Ek chalis ki last local'
2. Kuch is tarah.... (Atif Aslam)
3. Aakhri Alvida.... (Strings)
4. Doorie.... (Atif Aslam)
5. Tum hi tum..... (Bandish)
6. Mahi Ve.... (Faakhir)
7. Tera mera rishta ....(Roxen)
8. Aajao.... (Bandish)
9. Tere Bin ... (Atif Aslam) - also in the movie 'Bas ek pal'
10. Aasman ... (Call-The band) - very nice piece of guitar in this song...

Bandish is a new band formed by people who have disintegrated from various bands... they are pretty good though they have just one album to their credit so far... Watched them live at Bangalore habba last weekend... they performed really well.... a band with a great potential!

I just love each one of these songs.. and just dont seem to get enough of them :)

Lead India Advertisement

"Tum chalo... to hindustan chale..."

This Ad, which is shown very often on TV these days is so beautifully made that I just had to post it here! The message is conveyed in such a subtle and simple way..... and it is so pleasing to watch :) Just loved it!

A fish called wanda

It's a very old movie released in the year 1988 *ing Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline and John Cleese. Brilliant cast, Brilliant script and Brilliant direction!

One of the greatest comedies that I have seen in a long time. It is so perfectly made that at no point during the movie did I feel that 'oh it could have been better'! The performances are just awesome, above criticism and comedy timings are way too perfect. Kevin Kline really stands out all thru the movie.. no wonder that he won an academy award for the best supporting actor role. The movie has a very common plot- a boy meets girl kind of romance with a gang of 4 people trying to pull off a robbery; of course all of it with a lot of comedy. But what's different is the way it is scripted and enhanced with brilliant acting by all 3 of them.

There are so many funny quotes from this movie, but something that I can't forget and makes me laugh everytime I think about it is this line told by Wanda (Jamie Lee Curtis) to Otto (Kevin Kline) when he keeps telling her 'Dont call me stupid'... :-))

"Oh, right, to call you stupid would be an insult to stupid people! I've known sheep that could outwit you! I've worn dresses with higher I.Q.s!"

I don't want to give out too much about the movie for people who havent seen it but if you havent watched it then you are missing something!

All About Ads...

I've been watching NDTV profit for the last few days and I really feel it's a pretty neat channel.. very informative and they have some real good shows like Just Books - a show for book lovers which hosts interviews about authors and other celebrities talking about their choices of books...Gadget Guru -gyan about all the latest and happening gadgets and Car and Bike show - the name says it all..

Watched another cool show yesterday (Sunday) called 'All About Ads' for the first time. When I saw it I wished i hadnt missed the previous episodes... It's all you want to know about indian and global advertising. Yesterday's show was about branded entertainment; how it's the in-thing in advertising/branding these days. For those of you who are not sure what it is, it's about product placements in the entertainment channels such as movies... The best and recent example is Om Shanti Om (OSO). I think with the release of OSO, shopper's stop and maybelline really made some big bucks... These days most of the movies seem to be doing product placements.. it's just that few of them are done so subtly that they don't really catch the eye.... but some are so heavily done that u just cant stop noticing it and cant forget even after the movie! e.g Optolabs for the movie Sarkar ... almost every single character in the movie was wearing spectacles unnecessarily... Am sure you can find loads more if you think about it...

The example discussed in the show was about the movie 'Cast Away' (which i havent seen) in which Fed-ex was the associate brand... it's said that it was almost as if the brand was the character and it made the story happen... interesting!! So that's going to be the next movie on my list... :)

Jagjit Singh - live in concert

What could have been better than me getting to watch one of my favorite singers live in concert?! I had missed the last 2 concerts of his and this time I was waiting eagerly.. only to get a bit disappointed at the end.

A fund raiser event organized by 'Chaitanya Welfare Society' on account of world AIDS day yesterday (Dec-1) was a big let down. The whole organization of the event was pretty pathetic.. people had to wait in long queues for nearly an hour to get inside the venue and it was total chaos. And the next most important thing - acoustics, was totally screwed up..along with the lighting... I felt that listening to him on a CD would have been a much better option! Crowd handling was quite bad too.. people were just moving around all the time while the show was on which was pretty distracting and there was no way one could really get involved in listening to his music... To top it all, he didnt even sing many of his great ghazals which we were all waiting to hear.....I really didn't feel my soul stirring in the same way as it did in the days when I grew up to become his huge fan.... His recent albums seem to have lost that variety and innovation and they dont seem to appeal in the same way as his old ghazals used to...

I also heard from people that his concerts have become very predictable. (I have no comments here 'coz this was my first time..) He follows the same pattern every time, cracks the same jokes and connects with the audience in the same way... and that when he picks up the usual 2 or 3 punjabi songs, thats when u know the show is going to end!

The sad part here was that they priced the tickets at 550,1100 and 2k.. and it was absolutely no value for money. I understand that if someone is raising funds for a noble cause this is still fine and it makes sense, but at the end of it people who come there to watch the show should be able to enjoy it at least!

Am hoping that sometime in future I'll get to hear a better Jagjit Singh live in concert... along with Ghulam Ali would be even better! :)

IF..

One of the best poems i've come across... found it in my archives..It's amazing how sometimes these few verses can teach u such simple yet big things in life...


If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,Or being hated, don't give way to hating,And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

-Rudyard Kipling

Om Shanti Om...

The movie is everything but shanti! Over-hyped would be clearly an understatement. I am glad I didnt spend a single penny to watch it... Saw it on a dvd and had the privilige to fast fwd those painfully-boring-un-hummable songs which were just packed into the movie for the heck of it and had no connection with the story whatsoever.

When I had watched Farah Khan's directorial debut 'Main Hoon Na' I thought it was pretty bad and overly dramatic... But after seeing OSO I feel MHN was way better.. at least it was entertaining. There is absolutely nothing new in this movie. The story is the same old one about rebirth/reincarnation which has already been used in hundreds of bollywood movies.. The transformation from Om Prakash to Om Kapoor in the second half isn't handled well and is far from convincing. Coming to music, the only song worth listening to is 'Aankhon mein teri...' And I still fail to understand what Farah was trying to do with the 30+ bollywood stars in the song Deewangi... Akshay Kumar's 'Return of Khiladi' shown in the movie is priceless! Watch the movie and you will know what i'm talking about :) Shreyas talpade is quite funny in the first half but he is wasted completely in the second half.. Deepika Padukone hyped to be the next super star in bollywood does nothing to shine as an actress.. She defnitely looks awesome with those excellent 70's costumes in first half and the modern look in the second .. but is that all?? we want to see some acting too!!

Lessons learnt :)
- If a movie is heavily marketed, there's not going to be much substance in it!
- You can market/sell any crap in bollywood!

Long-stitch embroidery...

.... A new thing that I tried out this weekend. Here's the output....

Had done a few cross-stitch ones long back in college but this is the first time I tried out a long-stitch.. so didnt have much of an idea how to do it; used my own style and techniques :) Have to learn how to do it in an optimized way, using fewer thread loops.. Took me 3 days to finish, considering I spent 3/4ths of my weekend on this! Hope the next one comes out better...

Ghazal Maestro..

I managed to get almost the entire collection of Jagjit Singh's ghazals finally! Been listening to it since the last 3 weeks and I am so mesmerized by his music .. I have no words to put across. Had heard a few famous ghazals of his but never really listened to the whole set... now I'm an even bigger admirer of him. He is undoubtedly one of the most well known ghazal singers in the world today. Found these lines on some website while reading about him..

"His voice, a true gift of God, has the pain that an "Ashiq" feels after loosing his beloved, the love that a mother seeks for her child, the tranquility that a "Saaqi" delivers, the willing fear that a boy has when she walks in the room. There is absolutely no doubt that Jagjit Singh with his unique composing and singing style is the torchbearer of the survival of Ghazals in India."

The kind of intoxication that he gets in his voice (whatever may be the reason!) is AWESOME... it's mystical and it just takes me into a state of trance. A bad day.. quirky mood.. whatever be it.. listening to a couple of his ghazals just gets me back to feeling good... Well thats what music does... whatever kind it may be.. but this works wonders for me! Missed his live concert twice... once in b'lore and hyd.. Hoping that I get one more chance...

Few of his MUST HEAR songs...

• Tum itna jo muskurarahe ho... (Arth)
• Jhuki jhuki si nazar.. (Arth)
• Tumko dekha to yeh khayal aaya.. (Saath Saath)
• Hoshwalon ko khabar kya.. (Sarfarosh)
• Hoton se choolo tum.. (Prem Geet)
• Tera chehra kitna suhana hai..
• Koi fariyaad.. (Tum Bin)
• Badi Nazuk hai.. (Jogger's Park)

Sudoku...

This has been my latest craze ... picked up solving sudoku puzzles about 3-4 weeks back and have been hooked on to it since then. It's been a couple of years since I've been seeing people around me play this game... and I used to wonder why these ppl are so crazy about it.... and what pleasure they derive out of this ?! So finally I decided to give it a shot myself and now I know "why"! You just need to learn the tips'n tricks of the trade and trust me it's very addictive! I need a daily dose of it now :) I initially started solving it by taking prints and using pencil .... but now I play it online... I feel this is tougher than writing things down... needs a lot of concentration to keep mental notes.. but still.. its fun..... and of course a great exercise for the brain.. which usually doesnt get much out of my typical BA job :)

Here's a link that says "how to solve sudoku without thinking".. found this today while generally browsing.. didnt quite like this strategy.. as the whole point of thinking and solving is lost...

Chak diya!

This post has been lying in my draft for 2 days.. finally found time to finish it..

India-Pak T20 world cup finals on monday... what an awesome match it was! The fact that it was a match b/w India and Pak itself made it exciting... and that it was a world cup .. made it a bigger deal.. It's been one of the most electrifying matches i've seen lately. The match was running in favor of both the teams, till the last ball nearly.. Not very often do we get to see such matches; where you sit at the edge of your seat till the last ball/over is bowled... It was a great game.. and luck was defnitely on our side that day..and prayers of millions of Indians.... else for some of the glaring mistakes that we made.. like Sreeshanth's 2nd over of ~22 runs and a couple of more costly overs towards the end.. we would have almost lost the world cup! Joginder sharma's magic worked again.. he bowling the last over seemed to be like a lucky charm :) I was glad that Irfan Pathan was declared the man of the match... i think he really deserved it.. He being from a very small town, had so much dedication towards the game... the way he bowled in a controlled manner was awesome.. and few of those wickets were turning points in the match...

Towards the end of the match.. the camera was being focused more on Shahrukh khan who was present there to see the game, than on the game itself! Anyways, thats our country.. we crazy about bollywood .. we crazy about cricket! It's just amazing to see how the whole country celebrates the win... including myself.. like it is some joyous event of my life :) That's the kind of impact that cricket has on us! Thoroughly enjoyed watching every bit of it...

Chak de India!

Well, this time its not the movie but the Twenty 20 world cup that I am referring to. India-Australia semi finals yesterday - what an awesome match it was!! I had lost interest in cricket over the last few years.. but since I started watching this new young team play the series, I am back to the same old craze of getting glued to the TV so that I don't miss a single ball of the game.. After India won 2 consecutive matches, against England and South Africa, like everyone else, even I had thought that India cannot repeat their victory.. I was not wrong in thinking so.. coz thats the kind of reputation the team had built up... But yesterday's match really changed a lot of perceptions am sure!

I have never seen Indian players fight so hard till the last ball... in all aspects - batting, bowling and fielding. Even though the match seemed to have favored aussies at many points, these people just kept fighting and it finally paid off... I really admire the way Dhoni has performed as a captain especially... Even though J.Sharma gave away a lot of runs in his first couple of overs and proved to be very costly to the team... Dhoni still gave him a chance to bowl the last over... which was very crucial... Aussies could have easily managed the 22 runs in 6 balls.. it wasnt a big deal for them.. But sharma got a chance to prove himself and cover up for all the bad bowling he had done ...... he really managed to do it and lead india to victory. I don't have to say anything about Yuvraj... we all know he played classy and professional cricket... We need more batsmen like him, who can play so well under immense pressure and not just keep swinging their bats hoping to connect the ball...

Anyways, I am back to watching cricket all over again.. I guess we don't need tendulkar, ganguly and dravid till this new team continues to play with the same 'josh' :) It was a treat to watch the Indian's play and am really looking forward for the India-Pak finals. Doesn't matter who wins... it's not necessary that we have to win all the matches... 'coz thats not the only thing which proves the team's potential.. what matters more is that they fight till the end and play their best game....

article...

Here’s a nice article by Gurucharan Das about the education system in India. I felt that the example he has used to put his point across is very intriguing....

Link to the article

100th post...

This marks my 100th post since I created my blog! When I started writing, I had never thought I would continue to write for so long.. but am glad I did and hope to keep it more frequent in the future :)

I had a lot of things in mind to blog about, over the past 2 weeks but the lack of internet access at home kept me out of the blogging world. (Yeah, my office blocks even blogger sites!) Yet another instance which made me realize how dependent I have become, on technology..... Cell phone and internet - two things which I feel I cannot live without :)

I watched this movie 'Ratatouille' over the weekend. Felt good watching an animation movie after a long time. A fun movie, which keeps you entertained thru out. The movie is all about a rat named Remy which dreams of becoming a great chef despite being a "Rat" and also his family's disapproval. But fate does give him a chance... at one of the finest restaurants in Paris... and thats where the story is all about... Overall a very hilarious movie.. but I felt it could have been cut short by at least 20-30 mins.. the last bit seemed to be very dragging and I lost interest in the story at some point... It was the animation part that kept me hooked on till the end...

Another good part about the weekend was this english play that i watched at Rangashankara, called 'Flame of the Forest', directed by Gowri Ramanarayan. It was something totally different from all the plays that I had seen so far.... it was a combination of dance, music and drama. The carnatic music and bharatnatyam were the best part of the play.. it suited the context really well. The story is adapted from Kalki's immortal classic 'Sivakamiyin Shapatam' and set in the medieval period.. during the time of Pallavas and Chalukyas. One of the drawbacks according to me was the length of the play. I felt it could have been cut short by half an hour and it would still remain equally impactful. The story started off by focusing on 'Paranjyoti', the general in the Pallava army.. but only at the end I realized that it was all about the court dancer Sivakami, in Mahendra Pallava's kingdom, Kanchi. This was another confusing aspect. That apart, the acting was brilliant, well carried out by the dancer and the vocalist..

Overall a really good play and I would highly recommend it...