Looking in from outside

A must read article..
make your own judgement, I for one could not agree more..

US daily finds fault with Indian leaders over terror attacks

Mumbai meri Jaan

Not a very good time to return to blogging.

Its tough to see the city of dreams facing it worst nightmare. The city that I love the most has been hit in the past.. but nothing like this. I hope the city responds the only way it has know..with defiance and solidarity.

BUT, the way our nation responds HAS to change..
3 of the best police officers lost in encounter... its hard to believe its a coincidence...
and why did it take the permission of the Home Ministry to call Black cat commandos from NSG, and why did it take too long..

Its high time we need, sorry demand an anti-terrorism agency that's answerable only to the supreme court/prime minister, capable of taking decisions on their own.

MOM DAD HERE WITH ME :)

Son of a Gun

Anni and Shamit (NY boys) and Abhinav (recently NYorker) had come over to see the countryside, so we had gone to a Winery. Later in the day decided to try our hands at shooting. Set the address for French Creek in the GPS. It took us to a shopping mall. Yeah, the shooting range was inside a shopping mall, go figure. It was actually at the back of a mountaineering store.

Signed the consent forms and picked up guns that were on display. Murali had been to a shooting range before, so the instructor teamed me up with him. The instructor gave us 50 9mm bullets. I made the mistake of going inside without wearing my earmuffs. The moment I step inside the sound of gunshot scared the living hell out of me. Saying that I flinched would be grossly understating it. Almost jumped.

Loaded the magazine with 15 9mms, locked it in the stock, pressed the glide stop. Took my position. An now the moment of truth.....(drum rolls........slowly fading drum rolls...)

click......click,click....(more clicks)

I know what you are thinking, guns don't go click click... they go BANG!!! BANG!!! (or dishkaun!!! dishkaun!!! as in hindi movies). But it did click.. :( Your guess is as good as mine, the safety lock was on. Called in the instructor to fix it for me didn't want to fool around with a loaded gun.

Held the gun, aimed at the target..Drum rolls.... (again please) and
BANG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The bullet shot through the barrel and pierced the target, the gun recolied, shooting a pulse of adrenalin originating at finger tips and radiating throughout the body. Stood there stationary enjoying the moment. I had fired my first shot. 14 more shots followed, some hit the target most didnt, but who cares. With each shot all the bullet metaphors made more sense.

A few rounds later got a hang of it. Hit the bullseye Thrice, the bullseye and I am not talking about hitting the edge of the bullseye or near the bullseye.. hit it dead center. Let me paint the picture for you, if I have a gun (and licenced to kill) and you really piss me off. I could shoot you in the head 18 times and 3 of those would be right between your eyes*.

On the last round hit 5/8 shots in and around the red mark. Lo and Behold! the Son of Gun has arrived.




Videos -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTFKwCBJQJA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLoqX8x1FM8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlnAYrmV8G0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KJyguBz2JY

Conditions apply - For this you have to stand/sit real steady for about an hour. Looking straight at me and no flinching please when the gun fires. ;)

Nuovo Cinema Paradiso

It is not very often I suggest a movie to my friends, but will make an exception this time. I was not aware of this movie until I accidentally stumbled on it. Which does says something about my movie literacy; however that is not the point. It's more of a 'movie finding the viewer' kinda thing. I copied over a bunch movies from my friend. Yeah, yeah, i know its digital piracy and its not right.. and the whole nine yards. If there is a movie that I intent to watch, I do take the efforts to watch it legally. But, if not for piracy I (and many of us) would have been deprived of some many great movies...that is not to say it right.. but its one of those issues I am on the fence about. But, I will do my bit and buy a original DVD of this movie.

No words I say or write (or copy from other reviews) would ever come remotely close to capturing the essence of this movie. Its movies like this that make me love movies so much. The only thing I would like to say is set aside 155 minutes... dim the lights (you pervs, that's how you enjoy good movies), take you seat and the movie will do the rest. Take my word for it, it will be worth your while. Please leave a comment once you have seen it.


Living here day by day, you think it's the center of the world.
You believe nothing will ever change. Then you leave:
a year, two years.
When you come back, everything's changed.
The thread's broken. What you came to find isn't there. What was yours is gone.
You have to go away for a long time... many years... before you can come back and find your people. The land where you were born.
But now, no. It's not possible. Right now you're blinder than I am.

Seeing Nelson

What started as an interesting observation is now becoming kinda annoying. 7/10 times I check the watch , i see a Nelson. Ok Ok, its an approximation, i've not really counted it, I have a Life!, jeez.... But, that is besides the point, the point being; about 70 % of the times I read time I pick up a Nelson. Some or the other form of it 1:11, 2:22, 3:33, 11:11...

I just did some googling, but was not able to find the average number of times people read time. I was planning to find the odds of this happening (I still stand by my statement, I do have a Life). If the cosmos is trying to send a message, a little more directness would help, please. I am not not good at taking hints, i have friends who can vouch for it. @ Cosmos, I really feel touched and honored for being picked up as a recipient, but i think yo've got the wrong Number :)

'Food' for thought.. lilterally

Every time you'd pass a cake display window, haven't you always wondered. How great it would be to gorge on that piece of art all by yourself... Well, i no longer have to.. ;)

....just stating the obvious.... if heaven would feel half as good, i'd kill to get in...... :|

Journey is the Destination

Drove to Chicago (from Boston) over the weekend. You read it right, DROVE. Well the intent was never to reach Chicago.. All we (me and 3 other driveoholic ) wanted to do was drive for 3 days... to those who think this is a crazy thing to do, i would say; I agree. The only condition was no red eye drive. So after lot of calculations, yes, calculations; its not always you get to use your brains, so when you do grab the opportunity by both hands. After a lot calculations we concluded that we should be able to cover 2000 miles in 3 days. Chicago just happened to fall in the circle. Plus, Atlantic occupying half of it, didn't really leave us with many options.

Things we saw en route..

mamu's diwali - in the rear view mirror, when i was not driving... ;) hehehe.
Road signs..
indicating switching of time zone - Yes there is actually a point. All it takes is 1 step to get 1 hour of your life back.
Welcome signs for the Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois.
farms, endless farms - There are farms on both side of the interstate.. for miles..... and then there are more farms when you take an exit....again for miles....maybe the concept of cities have not reached these palace, which is actually a good thing. However since it was winter all we could see was vast expanses... barren..still beautiful..at sunset, you could see the sun at eye level.
121 mph - the speedometer needle touching 121 mph,
125 mph - this time didn't see it, however the GPS recorded the exploits of someone. This was night time..crazy bugger..


A building about 20ft barbed wire fence.... just googled it, its the NY Fishkill Correctional facility.... that justifies the fence.... still so near to the interstate, all you have to clear the fence, your life the, will literally be on the highway.
Winny trying and failing miserably to finish up blueberry country pan cake at Ihop, think that's what it was called.
Chicago - Of course :)

.... that's all i can remember now, will keep on adding to the list.

The Road goes ever on,
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

Think about it.....

If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher. - Abdul Kalam

Taare Zameen Par

Checked with my roomies, two had to prepare for certifications, one was out of town, and the other has a phobia for hindi movies (stupid). I had no choice but to go solo. I have never till this day watched a movie alone in cinema hall. Too soocha yeah bhi experience kar lete hai. Drove around 35 miles to get to the nearest theater playing hindi movies. On reaching the parking did it dawned upon me that I had left my wallet home (supid me). A few expletives flew around then I scoured the car for loose change. After looking under every possible crevice I was able to conjure 8.52$ (5 + 0.25*9 + 0.10*10 + 0.5*3 + 0.01*12). Took whatever I had to the ticket counter and asked the lady "How much does the ticket costs, including taxes". "8.25$ and no taxes on movies" she replied with a rye smile. YES!!!. The exhilaration was however short lived, the movie show was @ 9:50 and not @ 9:05. An hour alone in the lobby with 22 cents to spend. What a F@#$%d up day for watching a movie. Only the thought of watching Aamir Khan on the screen was somewhat of a solace. Then again there was the looming danger of it turning out to be another Fanna.

His foray into direction was a much awaited one. Direction is all about story telling to a willing audience, they already have invested 3 hours of their lives (and 8.25$) to listen to you. As a director it's your job to make sure that they don't regret their decision.

I would like write very little about the movie, for the fear that my lack of vocabulary would do injustice to the movies brilliance. From scene one your are riveted to the story. The 1st half belongs to the kid and the director. I am stunned by the kids acting. For him to portray the kind of emotions he has neither seen nor experienced with such élan is mind blowing. All along the 1st half there are subtle hints about Ishaan's problems. This is however missed by his parents and they send him to boarding school. Once he is pulled out of his protected shell, naughtiness gives way to seclusion. As he becomes more and more introvert, eventually thinking of suicide. Swoosh comes in out hero and saves the day... how.. watch the movie for it.

When you like a movie and think is a great one you end up try to find up flaws in it, however minor or obscure they might be. In TZP all the Teachers are portrayed in pure black. This might have been necessary to juxtapose Aamir's role. But then again 90% of the teachers I had, did belong to the greyer shade of black, if not absolute black. :)

The one area where the movie really triumphs is the acting at not stage becomes melodramatic. The dialogues are at not point heavy, all the melodrama is provided by the scenes themselves. The movie really is hard hitting and a few scenes strike a cord in you. Some of the scenes gave me goose bumps, while a few others left tear in my eye (oh yes, you will). There is one scene where the teacher tears up Ishaan's book in the classroom. How i wish "Another brick in the wall" was played in the background for this scene. but then that expecting too much.. :). All the songs are nice and integral to the movie. The background score is really very good and helps the scenes convey its intensity. Its 3:30 am now, and I am writing about a movie, its that good i couldn't wait till tomorrow to write about it.

The star of the movie is definitely Ishaan (Darsheel Safary).

Aamir Khan has proven once again that, not only is he a SuperStar, but also when it comes to movie making acumen he is out there with the best in the world. No one in Indian film industry even comes close.

As far as movies go, this month rocks. I had the pleasure of seeing 3 really good movies

Aaja Nachle, I am Legend and Taare Zameen Par. TZP is definitely an addition to my list of Credit Starers and probably the best work of art created by Aamir.

Think about this, its past midnight @ a theater in Massachusetts, the credits are rolling on the screen and a mini documentry plays along. There are still 15-20 people watching it. The last name rolls by.... the sound stops.... the screen goes blank.... only now that the remaining people trickle out.

Kimi Raikkonen

Saw this vide on Dailymotion from Saima. what a great video this is.
To all the Kimi fans, this is a must watch.



KRS 2007 Brazil - Kimi World Champion Uploaded by EvenstarSaima

For more Kimi Raikkonen videos visit http://darkmaiden.spaces.live.com/

Love is

Mia: That's when you know you've found somebody special. When you can just shut the fuck up for a minute and comfortably enjoy the silence.

(no points for guessing which movie this is from)

Aaja Nachle

Watched Aaja Nachle today, finally a very good hindi movie this year. This is not a hatke movie, it’s your standard underdogs fight and underdogs win theme. It’s about a small village NRI woman, who has returned back to her roots to fulfill the last wish of her guru. This is to save Ajanta Theater from being replaced by a shopping mall. Akshay Khanna (MP, Indian royalty, US educated) offers Madhuri a deal wherein if she is able to host a successful show using cast members compromising only of villagers, the theater would stay.

Credit must go to the director for keeping the movie light hearted, fast paced and real. There are no overbearing melodramatic scenes. Up until the musical finale the entire movie is full of lovely moments some funny some touching. There is not a single dull moment in this movie, and barring a few scenes the movie's integrity is not lost.

The film is blessed with a brilliant supporting cast. All the characters are very endearing, and the actors have done full justice to their roles. Their quirkiness leave a lot of room for comedy, which the director has exploited to the fullest. The selection process is a laugh riot, the best scene is when one of the aspirants does a Dhak-Dhak number.

This is an out an out Hindi movie, bright coloured clothes, people ready to dance and/or sing at the drop of a hat etc etc. And I was so happy to see the director embrace it, rather that shun it. All the songs are really good and in tune with the story line. Having Madhuri Dixit dance for your songs surely helps. The musical finale is Grand and very nicely choreographed.

The only place the film lacks is, unlike in Lagaan, you don’t really feel their pain and passion for the fight they are in, and though you root for their victory, you will not be heartbroken if the loose.

You are so engrossed in watching the movie that you really don’t question a few technicalities, like. How can Madhuri just run away to USA without a visa? (maybe she has a H1-B we don’t know off). Or Where do they get the money to finance such a Grand musical Finale. And this I think is where the movie succeeds in insulating you from the realities. After all this is not a documentary but a Hindi film ;)


Madhuri Dixit

For my generation of film buffs, there are only 3 SuperStars.

• Shahruk Khan - and I hate to admit it.
• Aamir Khan - just too good.
• Madhuri Dixit - no other actress comes even close to her(well maybe Kajol, but she cant dance)
• Will not include the Big B in this list, he is in a league of his own.

These 3 are the a cut above the rest, no one in my 15 years of watching movies even come close. I think their ease in front of the camera come from the knowledge that even with 10 people in the frame, all the eyes will be glued to them.

Coming back to Madhuri, I must agree that she looks a bit aged in few scenes (she is 40+ so cut her some slack will you). But you turn on the music , all you see is the teenager who rocked India with her "Eak Do Teen" number. Not only is her dancing sublime, but her grace coupled with her expression ignites magic on the silver screen. And who can forget her Million Dollar Smile. An acting power house she had proven herself time and again, however as I said this movie has very few melodramatic scenes. You watch the Laila-Majun finale and you will know what I am talking about.

Hail the undisputed queen of Indian cinema, and savor her comeback. On second thoughts did she ever leave.

Can you phrase Life any better

Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, champagne in one hand, strawberries in the other, body all worn and used, screaming “Whoo hooo what a ride!" - Lynds

Conversations

Almost a year since I’ve publish a blog.. not that i have been sitting idle or have nothing to share.. . just couldn’t get around to finish the "Unfinished Tales"

2007 has been a hell of a ride... many unpublished blogs (sitting in the Drafts list, awaiting finishing touches).. lots of anecdotes to write about.... but those have to wait...

Had to write this blog today.. cause If not today.... if not now... i would probably never write this blog, and I really want to write it.

Today began a 7:00AM (yeah 7:00 I can see a few eyes rolling over) and from then on it was a free fall into a bottom less abyss. Work kept on piling up, unresolved issue, new issue cropping up. The cherry on the cake was the discovery of a bug we had inserted in the build scheduled to go into tonight’s Production install. We the found the rootcause and concluded it was partly our mistake. That was it, I decided to close shop for sometime, take a break, and get back to the pile of pending work later from home.

Before leaving office had a chat with a friend. Love having conversation with her. Our conversations are mostly about nothing, taking shallow potshots, witty remarks (mostly mine, and thats been acknowledged today), and gossip.

I started the conversation with a casual, crude remark which had to potential of ruining the conversation and making an already worse day; well worstest. Fortunately that didn’t happen and the chat steered towards the jocular, quick witted conversation we normally have. To that Friend ... Thanks for bringing a smile to my face.


PS: In all honesty it really was a casual remark. On hindsight it was not a very smart thing to say, then again knowing know how such kind of remarks will be entertained. There definitely are more in store. ;)