Monday, September 25, 2006

After Iqbal comes Dor


Some movies just make you cry for joy. Dor, by Nagesh Kukkunoor, is one such. Simplicity is its USP. It totally lives up to Iqbal in that context. Although the themes of both the movies are miles apart, most of the casting is shared. The actors blend so well with their characters, you'll hardly feel the déjà vu of Iqbal. Gul Panag and Ayesha Takia have gone beyond my expectations. Shreyas Talpade is endearing as always. The movie had a predictable ending, but what I liked most was the beautiful friendship that blossoms between the two girls. The things they learn from each other: Zeenat (Gul) to be a bit less harsh about the world around her, and Meera (Ayesha) to be a bit more assertive when making and executing her choices. It puts all the sex-and-violence-sells kind of movies to shame, just as Iqbal did. These two movies are a proof that there still are good stories to tell and good ways to tell them. Nagesh himself is not very convincing in the tiny part he played. He either doesn't look the part or is a pathetic actor (like Mahesh Manjrekar who directs well but sucks when it comes to acting). In any case, hats off to Nagesh for this awesome movie.
Oh, did I forget to mention the beautiful landscapes and costumes in addition to Ayesha and Gul looking great without much makeup? Oops, I totally forgot about the great music score! Go check out for yourselves.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

This came as a suprise

No, no! It's not me. It's my sweet little boyfriend. I'd expected him to be anything other than Harry Potter. Maybe Ron Weasely or Cedric Diggory. In another test he took, he turned out to be Bill Weasley, which is more likely, I believe. In any case, he should heed the advice in the last sentence... not for others, but occassionally for me... poor chap--I bully him like crazy!

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Hell, I'm glad!!


My "inner eye" could see it ever since I came to know this character ;-) A book-worm, bossy, and above all a witch: what more similarities could I ask for? She isn't great looking, but confident, gutsy, and protective.

And I confess I've become a Harry Potter freak. But, as the first few lines in this entry indicate, it's more because of the presence of other strong characters, than because of Harry Potter himself.

I revere Dumbledore. I would normally not idolize anyone, but this person seems like what I would want myself to be. He's wisdom personified! Though he is a storehouse of knowledge, he does not glorify rules. As he confesses in one of the motion-picture versions of the book, he burned down the curtains of his four-poster bed when he was a student. But I'm sure he damn well learnt something from the experience and put it to good use. He lets kids be kids, at the same time imparting knowledge and values to those who seek them. Why can't we have more mentors like him?

A sequel to

...my blueness!
You Are Sky Blue

Dreamy and creative, you see the potential in everyone ... and everything!
And while you strive to have an ideal life, you are pretty mellow about it. You know your time will come.

Hmmm, there are times when I am very enthusiastic about working out certain possibilities. Then along comes a person (or crisis) that dampens my spirits. When this happens more than twice, and the next time a similar possibility presents itself, I don't even bother. Hmmpff!!

But the last sentence here, makes me hopeful again :)

Why I haven't been posting lately

You May Be a Bit Borderline...

Your mood swings make a roller coaster look tame!
When you're up, you're a little bit crazy...
And when you're down, your whole world is crashing
Scary thing is, these moods can change by the minute!

There have been so many things I wanted to write about, and so many times I could. I used to feel a strong urge to write but the next minute it would be gone, and I would keep wondering what the hell's wrong with me? Got this answer today, though it isn't entirely satisfactory... The worst part is, my blogging is not the only thing that's affected.

Thursday, August 31, 2006

Apparently I am a blue rose




You are a Blue Rose


You represent the unattainable and fantasies
Your vibe: larger than life and intoxicating
Falling in love with you is: like seeing a whole new world



There I go again... Remember me saying that blue was my favorite color? Here's another sign that it truly is. I answered this set of queries, totally unrelated to colors and roses, and what do I get? Cool! So now I not only like blue, I am blue! But blue for me does not mean "the blues" or sadness. It's more an indication of peace and serenity. Hmmm... I'm drifting into my calm again.

Monday, August 28, 2006

You should be a film writer


You don't just create compelling stories, you see them as clearly as a movie in your mind.
You have a knack for details and dialogue. You can really make a character come to life.
Chances are, you enjoy creating all types of stories. The joy is in the storytelling.
And nothing would please you more than millions of people seeing your story on the big screen!
Ha-ha! I knew it! Ever since I've known, I've had these random, weird dreams, which are so vivid, that if I could remember them for longer than I normally do, I could write them down and present them to a script writer. And the movies made from those scripts could beat any Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings that people have ever known. Ahem--that's going too far, but yes, they wouldn't be far behind ;-) This little test I took today confirmed my feelings and am so happy about it (grin)! Now if someone could make me a device that records all my waking and non-waking dreams... sigh! Well, all those techies out there should take me seriously. They've got a 15% royalty to look forward to (when my stories would inspire movies).

Pink se panga nahin lene ka!!

I can't stop grinning from ear to ear since I wore this dress this morning... rather, since I picked it up over the weekend. It's been a long time since I've had something pink, and I'm loving it! Not that it's my favorite color, but I'm taking a conscious break from my love for blue. That will not make me any less tomboy-ish, though. I will still sit, eat, drive, and talk like a "bhai", I will still put my arm around my boyfriend and slap him on the back whenever and wherever we're sitting and chatting... old habits die hard. I don't know how I acquired them, and I'm not sure what others think about how I carry myself, but most of the times I don't give a damn.
And...
  1. this picture (thanks to my boyfriend who clicked it and the place where it was taken--Fab India, after a fabulous lunch of Aaloo Parathas, Egg Sandwhiches, and Cold Coffee) is the perfect depiction of what I am, or what I feel I am--a fun-loving, independent, no-nonsense tomboy of a girl!
  2. if this liking for pink keeps growing I might one day end up buying the Pink Scooty Pep+ (whose slogan I've stolen for the title of this post), inspite of hating Scooty as a bike (except the good footboard and space under the seat enough to hold a helmet) and disliking the ad because it is based on the boys like blue girls like pink cliché.
Oh, and before I forget, I'm totally in love with the skirts (I bought one more similar to the one in this pic) I bought this weekend. Just the way I wanted them--print : floral, fabric : crépe, color : dark (low maintenance ;-)), feel : slightly coarse and heavy (keeps me from doing the Marilyn Monroe), leg room : roomy (frilly skirts allow you to ride a bike like the Hero Honda Street and provide simultaneous air conditioning ;-)), cost : just Rs.165 (that's inexpensive by all standards in Bangalore). What a feature-filled buy!! That reminds me of the jerkin my boyfriend bought a few months ago, but I will write a detailed post about it later. I've been intending to do that since the day he bought it. I think I should write reviews about such useful stuff rather than movies (which I happen to freak out on).

PS: For those who are interested, I got the skirt from a shop adjacent to the CCD on Brigade Road. I don't even remember the name of the blessed place. Warning, you (girls) might not want to check out anything other than these skirts in there. Also, make sure you do so until the stocks last! Shucks, they should pay me for being a brand ambassador!

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Funny happenings, beautiful coincidences, all in a day

Roobaroo...
I'd downloaded this ringtone from the internet and set it as my alarm tune. I'd set my alarm for 7:30 am and the song started playing but a bit more clearer and longer than the ringtone was. It felt soooooooo good. And then I remembered, I had changed the alarm tone to "radio", and the coincidence was that Radio City played this song exactly at 7:30 am! Ummmm, I was already in love with this day!
Here goes the song for all those who understand and love it.
***
aye saala
abhi abhi huaa yaqeen ki aag hai mujh mein kahi
hui subaah main chal gaya
suraj ko main nigal gaya
ruu-ba-ruu roshni heyy - 2

jo gumshuda-sa khwaab tha
voh mil gaya voh khil gaya
woh loha tha pighal gaya
kichhaa kichhaa machal gaya
sitaar mein badal gaya
ruu-ba-ruu roshni heyy - 2

(dhuaan chhataa khula gagan mera
nayi dagar naya safar mera
jo ban sake tu hamsafar mera
nazar mila zara) - 2

aandhiyon se jaghad rahi hai lau meri
ab mashaalon si bhad rahi hai lau meri
naamo nishaan rahe na rahe
ye kaaravaan rahe na rahe
ujaale mein pee gaya
roshan huaa jee gaya
kyon sehte rahe
ruu-ba-ruu roshni heyy - 2
dhuaan chhataa khula gagan mera
nayi dagar naya safar mera
jo ban sake tu hamsafar mera
nazar mila zara
ruu-ba-ruu roshni heyy - 2
aye saala - 4
***


Sleepy Cat (not the software company acquired by Oracle)
I go outside for a lovely, sun-basking morning stroll and happen to see this...

So I zoom in and see this...

Now I love to see soft, furry cats, and marvel equally at their larger and stronger cousins, but when I see something so serene in the morning? I wish I could sit in the open air with the golden sunrays pampering my skin, place the sleepy cat in my lap and stroke it's back, and let the calmness seep into me. Hmmmmmmm, beautiful morning dreams, these.


Fairies nowadays gift dish-washing liquids instead of rescuing princesses
This evening mom and I went to the grocery to buy some washing powder. Just as I was telling mom that I also needed to buy a dish-washing bar or liquid, the shopkeeper hands me the washing powder pack, followed by a lovely bottle-green-colored dish-cleaning liquid... that comes free with it! Bliss!


The night in shining splendor
I'm out on the terrace the same night, and this is what shines upon me...

Then the clouds move away in Sepia mode :)

So I decide to go further back into the B&W mode...

Hmmmmmm, reminds me of the 1960s movie sets :D


Relaxing into the night
As per my (almost) daily routine, I sat on a chair dipping my feet in a bucket of warm water, and reading. Just thought of calling a couple of my very good friends back in Pune. I did, and somehow, after a long time, it felt sooooooo nice! I topped it off with another chapter from Biplane, by Richard Bach. And I was all ready for the eternal rest, if it came to me that night. I felt so contended with everything!

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Gender Identity?

Read this on one of the daddy-blogs and couldn't help but say... so true! Quoting the author: I do think that our sexuality needs to find a way to be tied to us in a non-role based way. Touché.

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Survival, Change, and Perfection

All due respect to the person who wrote this, but I don't think it's quite true all the time. Not everybody understands what "being content with oneself" means.

This chain of thoughts has been sparked off by a friend's Perceptions. He talks about why people like/dislike certain people, and that people constantly change themselves so as to be liked by others. Someone responded saying that it was necessary for survival. I disagree.

Survival is the basic instinct of any living being, right from single-cell organisms to the most advanced homo sapiens. But we call ourselves "advanced" because we differentiate ourselves from other beings due to our ability to "think" and "create" like no one else can. Survival is no longer the sole purpose of all our actions. Of course, it is a basic requirement to fulfil every other purpose, but, it is not the only purpose.

People live and die for various causes, some within and some beyond their control. The causes are an individual's choice. If one says that one is laying down one's life for (or to save) others, it is still that person's choice. Even if those "others" have asked that person to do so, the final decision is the individual's. Unless it's an unexpected murder ;-)

But let's not go to extremes. I was talking about changing oneself so as to be favored by others. How necessary/appropriate is it? It's again upto an individual how much importance (s)he attaches to being favored.

There are people who are rigid, solid, who'll never change, come what may. They'd rather die than change themselves, or give in to the beliefs of others, or sacrifice something that they hold sacred. Then, there are those who change every second. They try to fit in. So much so that they lose all that is theirs. In the end they do not know who they were born as and who they are now.

And then there's me :-) I change everyday too. Knowingly or unknowingly, for better or for worse. But the "better" according to me is not necessarily in agreement with what others think. It's according to what "I" think. This "I" is what I call the core, which never changes. The soul. That which I hold most sacred. It's judgement is what precedes every action. Often, those actions may not be rewarded with the desired result. Then, I look towards other ways of doing the same thing. This is what I call change. The judgement, or intention, is pure and it doesn't change, but the method I use to get a certain result can change. This change is what I call growth, or improvement. And this change is my way towards attaining perfection.

Perfection too, is not one thing to me. It is many things, simultaneously. I will not discuss what those things are. My point is, perfection, to me, is not one goal that I will attain someday and get a trophy for ;-) If perfection is a point to be reached, those who reach there will stagnate, will get bored. And I don't want to be bored. So I keep finding reasons (or things with regard to myself or my surroundings) to improve and ways to do the same.

So yes, my perceptions, my habits, and my behaviour have been, are, and will keep changing, but the "I" will never change. It does not need to survive; it exists even beyond death. "I" is the only perfect thing, and it is not bored of itself :-)

I like this better. It's my favorite!

Thursday, May 25, 2006

My experiments with hair

Got the French braid right after a long time, inspite of the really short hair.

A side view, but obvious.

Another side view :D