Introspection 1

I read an article today. It was witty, funny, crisp and very well written.

Reading that, I realized what exactly it is that my articles have. 

Length.

I always enlarge one theme after another, striving to give an explanation when none is required. Every sentence is linked to a para, every para to page, every page to an entry and so on. 

I think I do this because I want everyone who reads it to get the story in exactly my point of view. 

When am I going to realize that the true beauty of a line lies in the multiple meanings that one can derive?

Trans lingual haunts - 1

Damn gult tune won't stop ringing in my ears - Catch it here if you like.

A close second - Watch this one with subs for an enhanced experience :?)

Cross my heart and hope to die..
That I only stay with you one more night...
 Here it is.

A new favourite! Don't miss it.

Right on! I'mma do it acapella..


#addicted

English Vinglish

Given the hype surrounding this movie, I was damn sure that I would not like it. But seriously, it’s worth every bit of praise that it has harnessed.

What a performance by Sridevi and what a role given by the director. Finally, we see a mature treatment of a traditional Indian Bahu who is sensible enough to understand what exactly is wrong with her spouse and is not so soppy as to keep forgiving him for it. Did this wow you? Wait a minute. She is the realistic mother too. She adores her kids, true dat... but not to the extent that she is blind to the atrocities they commit. 

The movie showcases the journey of Sashi, a simple homemaker with a brilliant talent for making ladoos (she was born only to make ladoos as her husband puts it). She has no knowledge of English and is constantly mocked for the fact by her family, and her life in India suddenly shifts to Manhattan where she gets her self-respect back.

I like the movie for a lot of reasons. I respect the way Sashi realizes the unconscious abuse that she is being subjected to. I like the portrayal of the actor playing the role of her husband who keeps mocking her in a way that it would be impossible for anyone to pinpoint it to him. Of course, the behavior is unintentional, but that’s exactly the point. Each and every one of us tends to take Sashi’s role as well as her husband’s in our lives, but we stay unaware of the fact.  And I totally love the fact that ignorance of the English language is not the main point but the under confidence that you develop when those near you don’t believe in you is. And all hail thee, oh director for passing on all these without preaching.

To those who think the above para is just a load of philosophical bosh, let me give one convincing reason for me to rave about this movie. The French guy. As I’m not the story writer, I wasn’t able to make Sashi divorce her husband and elope with this French dude but anyway I can live with that for now. Do such sweet guys even exist in reality? Maybe, maybe not. Oh ya and I cried during the café scene where she tries to order her lunch. Badly. But the movie made me realize a few things. Love does exist. The deep feeling when you’re completely helpless but some person who doesn’t have to help you, rescues you from the situation anyhow, that feeling of pure gratitude, and respect is what I call love.  The mutual respect and encouragement that you give to one another is what I call comradeship and it exists! I want to shout from the tallest building, ‘It exists, it exists, and it exists!!!’ And the best part is, it is by definition momentary, not permanent. So trying to make it work when you know it’s not going to is futile. 

Apart from these meta-physical outbursts of enlightenment, I did have a few disappointments. Like Sridevi’s voice! (What on earth happened to it?) Her dialogues and feeling of guilt when her son gets hurt and she blames herself. The few scenes where they try to capture the Mind Your Language magic. The fake accent of her niece. Too much stereotyping of the Tam guy.

But these are so minor that the movie is intact in my opinion and flying better than ever.

All I can say now is,

Thank you… for making me feel good about myself.

The Emperor's New Groove

I know I am a sucker for animated movies. But believe me when I say, that the Emperor's.... is one of the most amazing ones.

Being basically a hand drawn animated movie, it wows you with the amazing display of skill in the presentation. Kuzco's sovereign features true to the Eygptian pharoah is just as brilliant as Pacha's simple, honest peasant face. The voice and the face somehow blend together to give the effect that is so absent even when real people act in the films. I have been saving the best part for the last. The dialogues! One of the very few movies that is truly funny! The one-liners are amazing! Kronk deserves a special mention, as do Pacha's wife and children! I was extremely impressed to see that they avoided the traditional cliche of having a female mate for the Emperor. Of course, he was great enough on his own :?)

I somehow feel that I have messed up writing this review and people reading this might actually get prejudiced against the movie. But establishing that I really really really loved it on print is worth this risk!! :D

Emperor! I love your groove.. ;)

Ignore

Resurrected wreck? Ah what bliss!

I've been searching for inspiration everywhere. In the parks, woods, music, books, words, cinema.. Even within myself. It just doesn't happen. Sure, something manages to give me brief passion and emotion. But these are almost always extremely short lived. Dying out in the same fizz that they had erupted. Nothing ever makes me belong. I can calmly and dispassionately view things and be completely unmoved.

The problem is, there is a secret longing lurching in my soul that somehow someone or something would rekindle my fire. This state of disinterest irritates me but prevents me from actually doing anything. I just mourn the loss of my interest and grumble and go into fantasy-land. What is wrong with me? Why am I unable to focus, dream or at least show decent enthusiasm that my peers seem to be infinitely capable of irrespective of my snobbish nature telling me that I am better? I cannot but foretell gloomily that it's going to be this way for a long time.

Hmmm.. Hopefully I can talk myself out of this urge for public attention so that I can be content with the passivity that I'm doomed to endure.

Potential. That's all I'm going to be, I guess.

Marugo.. Marugo

maarugO maarugO maarugayee
adi jOrugO jOrugO jOrugayee
maarugO maarugO maarugayee
adi jOrugO jOrugO jOrugayee
aahaa vandhirichchu aasaiyil Odivandhaen
aahaa vandhirichchu aasaiyil Odivandhaen
vaadi en kappakazhangae.. !!!
kappakazhangaa ??

maarugO maarugO...maarugO maarugO
maarugO maarugO maarugayee
adi jOrugO jOrugO...jOrugO jOrugO
jOrugO jOrugO jOrugayee

neththu raaththiri thookkam pOchuchu..
inji iduppazhagaa hOi...

manja chevappazhagaa hOi...

sundari neeyum sundaran naanum
iLamai idhO idhO hOi...

inimai idhO idhO hOi...

nelakkaayudhu...naeram nalla naeram
nenjil paayudhu...kaaman vidum baaNam 

(the best lines of the song - way better than the original one in fact)

maarugO maarugO maarugayee
jOrugO jOrugO jOrugayee
aahaa vandhirichchu aasaiyil Odivandhaen
vaadi en kappakazhangae...
maarugO maarugO maarugayee
adi jOrugO jOrugO jOrugayee

ennadi meenaatchi sonnadhu ennaachchi
thaNNi karuththiruchchi hOi...
thavaLachaththam kaetturuchchi hOi...
pOttu vaiththa kaadhal thittam ok KaNmaNi
raaja kaiyyaa vachchaa hOi...
wrong-a pOnadhilla hOi...
rumbum bumbum...ah ! aaH ! aarambam bumbum !
hey hey ! rumbum bumbum ! yahoo...paerinbambum ! yae..yae..

ponmaeni urugudhae hO...aaa..
aaa....aaaa...
ri ga ri ga ri ga ri ga ri ga ri ga ri ga ri ga ri ga ri ga
ni sa ri pa ga
ma dha ni sa ni
ni sa ri pa ma dha ni sa
ma ga ma ri ga ma ni ri sa
pa dha ni ri sa ni pa ni pa ma ga ma ri sa

maarugO maarugO maarugayee
jOrugO jOrugO jOrugayee
aahaa vandhirichchu aasaiyil Odivandhaen
aahaa vandhirichchu aasaiyil Odivandhaen
vaadi en kappakazhangae...
maarugO maarugO maarugayee
jOrugO jOrugO jOrugayee

Catch it if you can here !

Blues

What's the matter? Why am I feeling so bleak?

Is it the cleaning up of my wardrobe? Is it the sight of the long cherished familiar clothes in the giving-away pile? Is it about Maggie and Tom? Is it about how Maggie remained misunderstood throughout her short life? Or is it about how Tom never really got the chance to live like he had dreamt? Is it about my lack of feeling in certain matters? Is it about the over-abundance of tears that are drawn from my eyes involuntarily? Is it about the realisation that there's no 'happily ever after'? Is it the yearning for the unattainable? What is it?

Oh ya! My vacation ends in a couple of weeks.

TLAT I suppose

Too bad. This post has been upgraded. You can catch it here if you're quick enough.

Oh well, what do you know...

I'm not a boring person—I have an imagination, I just don't have dreams..

Tell England

"Tell England, ye who pass this monument, We died for her, and here we rest content."

"Eighteen by Jove! You've timed your lives wonderfully, my boys. To be eighteen in 1914 is to be the best thing in England. England's wealth used to consist in other things. Nowadays you boys are the richest thing she's got. She's solvent with you, and bankrupt without you. Eighteen confound it! It's a virtue to be your age, just as it's a crime to be mine."

Do I laugh or cry?

Janaki Devi...

Janaki devi.. Ramanai thedi..
Iru vizhi vaasal thirandhu vaithal..

Raman Vandhan.. Mayangivitaan..
Than perai kuda.. Marandhuvittan..

Cocktail

Thumi ho bandu, sakha tumhi! :D

Despite the obviously ripped off songs, this one refuses to go out of my mind.

Oh well, it started out alright. Saif playing the only thing he knows best - the chocolate lover boy / long nosed butterfly flipping from one girl to the next (it worked out great in Hum Tum, not too bad in Salaam Namaste, but seriously dude, how long? Are you even the guy who came in Parineetha?? Doesn't look like it :-/ ), Deepika showing us that she can drink and vomit (ah yes how did I miss it?) and pee and of course "party" (but to be fair, her role was the one that was most intriguing), that Meera girl (I don't know her name) doing I don't know what. I dunno why she fell in love with Saif, I dunno why she went back to her hubby after getting chucked out from Deepika's place (come on.. this was the guy who ran some shady car joint and had insulted her badly and left her on the streets!), and I certainly don't know why the movie focused on the aforementioned husband having a plaster on his nose at the end but did not even imply that she was responsible for it!! And what a stupid ending for god sakes. I would've been content even if they had shown that they work out a threesome! Imagine my frustration.

Due credit should go to Boman Irani, who made cliched parts funny, Dimple too for the same reason. Deepika was not too bad. But why did she accept this film in the first place?? I should probably thank the Fame Lido theatre group for enhancing the experience by switching off the power every half an hour and not having enough diesel for the generator. 

A true spartan ;) Boy was I young..

Travelling across the world,

Without a roof overhead;

With a pretty little face,

With just a loaf of bread...

Very young in age,

Very old in troubles;

Bound by poverty's cage,

Life very similar to floating bubbles.

One prick - all gone.

But still he strode on...........

In a life full of danger,

Facing risks around every corner.

Wanderin' hither and thither,

Till lost further.

(literally & figuratively.......

Never experiencing the blessing of childhood,

Always knowing it as a curse.

Never knowing a mother's touch or a father's voice,

Though searched in vain.

Never far apart were these :

Not pets or toys,

But cold,hunger and even pain.

The only friends he had ever known......

In spite of all that,

With a brave smile,

Blessed was he!- panic still a stranger to him

He strode on,

Not giving up without a fight...

A TRUE SPARTAN - THE TRUEST, THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN.

 

 

(composed a very long time ago)

Drat!

I love the wind. The wind hates my hair. How does that leave me? Bald?

Hmmm...

Despite various variations in the place, the time, the situation, the characters, the moods, the conversation, the wit, the humor,the style, the darkness, the solemnity, the restraint, the irony, the enjoyment, the grief, the misery, the enlightenment, the awe, the prayer, the myth, the suspicion, the courage, the truth, the passion.. , why do we always end up going through the same story again and again and again and yet again?

Ain't I a woman?

That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?

- Sojourner Truth

Is it that difficult for men to realize that women are equal to them? 

If

This first interested me when I came across it in a Reader's digest issue. It still does, I guess.

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 on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe 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!

My CURRENT blog

Hey all! (or whoever has come to this page at least)

If you've come to this page by mistake or if you've come here for the purpose of reading my blog ( awww.. wonderful), just take a peek at this site as well - it's my main blog.

Don't forget to post your comments !! :)

Ancient Post

Attention!!!

This is NOT my blog now.. It used to be, but for the greater good of all, I've decided to abandon this one and go for another. Until I can muster up the courage to spell out my new blog address, you can reread the post/posts that I wrote as school kid and hopefully remain interested enough to read the other blog.

Toodle pip!