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 :)