Wassaaap!.......

Do u remember the time wen this holler of urban greeting was made (in)famous by the Budweiser ad? Well not many would remember the ad as much as the greeting in itself...the genNxt way of simply saying 'Hello, How are you?'....That is one tangential way of starting a blog entry...the main emphasis was on the part that I am writing an entry and on that account--Wassap!! Although I havent been as prolific as my other fellow blog writers, I am still happy to see that the blog isnt half as bad. On another tangential note, the ads these days are just about anything...I had been to the movies recently and the ads that they showed before the movie and during intervals were just too lame to bear....There is this one ad of some learning institute where a couple are driving through the mountains and the guy gives the girl a diamond ring..she is so excited that she hugs the guy (who apparently is driving the car with no focus at all) and the car swerves off the road in the mountains and fall into the sea below..well, thats one helluva hug! Anyway the car is in the water and interestingly is filled with water in like 3 secs (even with all the windows rolled up) and the chick gets one brilliant spark in her otherwise dark head that she can cut the car windows with the diamonds with the super cliched line 'Only diamonds cut glass' to her dumb blonde fiance...and they cut the glass and swim to safety...there should be a disclaimer that the learning institute wont take in retards though and certainly not anyone with no concentration while driving..
Weird ads....weirder in a boring movie too....especially those stupid toothpaste and tooth powder ads that claim to have been cleaning the teeth worldwide...anyways...this was one entry to check out if my blog account still works or not (n it does! yay!)....so will b bk with more updates later...till then adios..

Reel Genius

I'm back (yes...this line has been officially rendered cliched on my blog with all the disappearing acts that I routinely put on). What have I been up to you ask? Well, as a close friend rightly pointed out...I have been busy watching a lot of movies and working strenuously on my assignments. The key word here is movies and that is the reason for this blog. while I do agree I have turned into an avid movie buff (at the risk of that being an understatement), I always manage to watch them with the standing excuse that it is all in the name of some creative stimulation. So this entry is to some of the movies that I have loved the most over the years purely on the visual brilliance and creative psych that the film is made with. I should probably start with the rightful choice of being one of the best movies of all times. This movie has been on the 1st position of the IMDB top 100 movies of all times for as long as I can remember. Its The Shawshank Redemption. This is one movie that always amazes me no matter how many times I see it. It is pure brilliance the way it is directed and the movie flows (n hey...its not just me....a billion other people agree with me..) this movie perhaps shows how someone used the system to beat the system... a cult favorite and the top of my list as well. Another movie that I can watch countless times is Transformers. The first in the series that keep enthralling audiences the  world over, this movie is perhaps what Michael Bay will be best remembered for. Steven Spielberg had said that Michael Bay was born to make this movie...and if he says so then who am I to refuse? :) 
Next in line is a couple of graphic novel adaptations. The first being Sin City. Its produced and directed by Frank Miller on his very own graphic novel by the same name. I think every one will agree when I say the cinematography is slick and breathtaking. All I could wonder was how did he manage to make a film that looks like the graphic novel had come to life. Another in the series is Frank Miller's 300. Dialogue, action and pure raw power is what this film delivers (add to that fact the use of extensive mind blowing CG.....and a lot of good looking macho men with six packs and weapons for all you ladies out there..). Another visual treat is an adaptation of the graphic novel V for Vendetta. Although the film lacks visual action that the previous two films delivered, what takes the cake is the beautiful dialogue delivery and the theatrics at its very best (trust me the dialogues itself will get u floored).
Final Fantasy series are a couple of animations that have taken my breath away. Its the first time I saw animations come anywhere close to real life rendering (all this way back in 2001 and of course the super cool Advent Children that was released in 2005)
Visual treats will be incomplete if I do not give credits to what is one of the most technologically advanced movies of our times....no I'm not talking about Rajnikant in Robot...... but this is the pure genius of a man who had a vision that went over a decade in making....James Cameron's Avatar...Characterization, story and a whole movie in 'mind-blasting' 3D... this movie is the dope of everything awesome.
 I am sure there are many more which i can count in this creative genius category but shall refrain owing to the lack of print space (sic) and the fact that half the people who have read till this point have either dozed off or are yawning their way there.. But before i end this entry a movie that is a personal recommendation for must watch is a movie called Buried..no special effects, no action....what is brilliant about this movie is that the director has managed to engage us with just one character in a 6X4 coffin buried in the ground...that is pretty much the plot...the location and the cast of this movie yet you shall be glued to this movie till the very end....pure brilliance i say!
That was my low down on the ingenious movies that I find appealing to my eyes and the grey matter to an extent...watch this space for more banter on such topics....till then watch some more movies...you never know what might inspire you...

Flavour of the Season..

Christmas and New Year's just passed by and that marked and end to my hibernation from blogging (not that i would start updating entries daily :P ). An expression on meeting friends and acquaintances after a long time in recent years is the remarkable 'What's up?' or 'Wassap' or the even more abbreviated variation 'Sup?'...I consider this greeting as one of the most rhetorical thought provoking question of sorts (right after 'What is Life?' and 'What is enlightenment?' and quite above most other questions as the quintessential 'Do I look fat?). It is often subject to many inane retorts as 'erm...nothing much' to the very clichéd and much annoying 'the sky is up'...however the point of the matter is that quite a few things have been 'up' recently....a lot of scams have surfaced since my last blog entry (none of which made me any money)...New Year and Christmas were quite sober for most of the city..and that brings us to the topic of the blog- the Flavour of the Season--- no it wasnt rum soaked cakes....not even walnut cakes....not even marshmallows or eggnog...it was surprisingly (and this is a tear jerking moment) - Onions!! Never has this vegetable been the celebrated talk of the town...and this time the entire nation as well...the one thing that consistently going 'up' were the onion prices. Among other things, the north is still snow covered and people still shivering there...as for news about me...well...my blog is news enough for now...more later....watch this space..

Underdogs no more..

The FIFA World cup is coming to a close tonight. Its been one hell of a month with 32 countries fighting for glory. India is not really the football fanatic country (with cricket being the poison for sports enthusiasts....i think that has something to do with the Brits ruling us for 150 years...). But then we have states within India who have a passion for football. Kerala and Kolkata (Calcutta if you're not looking for political correctness), are examples of such states. Both are communist states with a lotta strikes happening either way. Added to that, the fact that football is revered and Pele & Maradona are gods here, It's a no brainer to conclude that its a virtual holiday season in these parts. Mumbai views the World Cup phenomenon as a social meet, with friends hanging out at pubs for drinks and cheering the teams they have very little idea about. Well, thats a generic view though we do have people following the sport with equal passion. The favorites for this year's cup were Brazil, Argentina & Germany for most fans and Portugal, France and Italy for the lesser few. This World cup has history in the making as none of the major teams came close (with Germany coming close to it by clinching the third place title) Now we have Spain and Netherlands fighting it out for the ultimate glory. Both were the underdogs throughout the competition, with Spain never reaching the finals and Netherlands having a chance to win the title after over 30 years. It is pretty cool knowing that eitherway its pure entertainment and fun since there wont be much heartbreak over which favorite team would win (with all the favorites out of the tournament anyway). I know I will be happy with either win because I will be cheering now for game and not the players (would be awesome if the Dutch takes the cup though :P ) Will write more after witnessing history being written. It has begun....

Surprise!!

Surprise!!...That's something people love to hear.....well most of the times...unless you're surprised by the fact that you have become bankrupt or something...in which case, it totally sucks!! Well I just celebrated my birthday recently and that is the word that, well, took me by surprise. The day started off pretty well and the plan was to have a quiet time with one of my closest friends. To say the least, that was the plan in just my head. Unknown to me, she had something else planned......obviously!! So we are there with a plate of nachos and a drink and all of a sudden I'm blindfolded by some hand and realizing later on that I'm surrounded by my gang of close friends yelling (yeah you got it) SURPRISE!!. Needless to say, I was stunned. I probably understood, at that very moment, what it feels like to be frozen in time...(Like the sloth in Ice Age). What followed after that was some more moments of me frozen in different poses and good food and a lot to drink. Needless to say, the birthday went very well.
What surprised me truly was the love and affection that i saw within the gang that day. The warmth that could be felt being within that group...those moments of laughter and fun. This is where I belonged, that group of friends not just mere friends.....they are family now. I know for a fact that there is a much stronger bond that ties us together than just that of friendship. It is perhaps the best gift that anyone can have. A gift for a lifetime....I am blessed...To the ones who make life worth it...love you all...

Resilient Soul...

This blog is about something that is close to my heart as a human being. Its about a student of architecture from Mumbai who has been a victim of the recent attack on a passenger train in West Bengal. The groups that attacked may have their justifications for it but then it is not good enough as many innocent people were victims of the tragedy. They may have emphasized some point they wanted to prove through this deed of theirs but then again at what cost. Back to the student in question, she is a talented person and excels in her studies. From what I hear, her work is impressive and among the best in the class. So how did she qualify to be traumatized by this act of violence?....she shouldnt have been.... To get a grip of the tragedy, this is what she is left with-- an amputated right arm, broken hips and surgeries involving her limbs. Perhaps I feel much for her because she is a student of the college I belong to...but then again she deserves a fighting chance. hence the purpose of this blog....its a call to everyone out there, anyone who can contribute to the treatment of this girl, feel free to leave a comment to this blog with your contact details, we will get in touch with you. Monetary help will be much appreciated (current estimates for her treatment with the prosthetic arm stand roughly at Rs. 1 crore). If not, then any help in kind (treatment, counselling, physiotherapy or even the donation of a prosthetic arm) will be much appreciated. This is for someone who would rise against the odds... this one is for Shreya Sen... to her resilience..I havent seen her or met her for that matter but I hope this blog helps her in some way, no matter how insignificant..(for my part, an amount from the projects that I do will be forwarded to her treatment). Its time for us to rise up and do the right thing.
Do visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/SHREYA-SEN-SUPPORT-GROUP/131548410190475 for more info and contacts.

YLGMH

My best friend introduced me to this website called 'Gives Me Hope' yesterday. The website is a compilation of small incidents that have changed people's life all around. Its divided into sections for 'amazing friends', 'inspiring feats', 'random acts of kindness', etc. As a concept i find this a very nice website. Its not as sissy as people might think it to be. The beauty of the concept is the fact that its all about thanking someone publicly (publicly respecting a person who changed your perception of life) and to inspire people around the globe (people like me). The concept of it was so hard hitting that it actually made me go ahead n write a blog entry about it. A couple of entries are as follows: -

"I was recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

I told my husband I would understand if he wanted to leave, he didn't sign up for a mentally ill wife, and I have made his life hell for the past three years. 

He just smiled and said, "In sickness and in health covers crazy, too." 

His love GMH."

"Recently, I found out I have a serious problem with my blood.

I was talking to my best friend about how scared I was. I started crying and said, "What if my body starts shutting down? What if I have to be in a wheelchair?" 

"Well," he said, "I'll be the one pushing." GMH."

The part i loved most in this website was that every entry on the website ended with the 3 letters GMH (Gives Me Hope). As I said, it's about inspiring people.....about giving them hope....about appreciating the people in our lives. As I live through every difficulty in life this is the one thing that I wanna say out loud....to my family and to my best friends....your love gives me hope.....YLGMH...

P.S. Do drop by the website http://www.givesmehope.com/ and be inspired...

Working Class Hero

What is our life if we cannot look up to someone or idolize someone? I presume it to be mundane and.....well....drab. Everyone needs a hero in their lives. And that would perhaps bring your attention to this blog title. No, I'm not gonna rant about the Greenday song (even though the title is inspired from them....go ahead...sue me). But I do want to write a lot about the hero in my life. This person didn't do any extraordinary feat. He didn't stop a runaway train...he didn't fly up and pulverize the doomsday comet that was on a collision course with earth (the Armageddon one)....nor did he ever have to fight with the crazed run-of-the-mill villains (or super villains....just so that i dont offend anyone who might read this blog :P). So what did this guy do? Well, He didn't do any of the awesome CG effect stuff...he didn't need to. He did the extraordinary in his own ordinary routine way.

He shouldered the responsibility of an entire family at a very young age. Normal, you say?...well, try managing an entire household of 6 within 100 bucks a month (with savings to spare). I assure you its not as easy as it seems. This man studied with a passion and worked with just as much passion, so much so that he was a pundit with the engineering jargon (even though he wasnt one...not out of choice but out of circumstances). He could teach you the working of machines to such intricacy with such fluidity that you could not help but soak it all in. He didnt stop there...he is one of the best people i know in finance and accounts. He can analyse your portfolio and come up with options that would make any CA worth his salt run for his money (no pun intended). It wasnt all about work. He had his priorities sorted (at my age, i dont even know what the hell i'm gonna do with my life). He always knew that family came first. Everything else can wait. Thats the principles he lives by. And prinicples are what defines a man.

It is said that a man is known by his virtue and virtue we attain through our character....and character and virtue is what superheroes have in abundance. but what happens when you come across an ordinary man who has been honest all his life...lived by the rules...always took on difficulties head on...loved everyone....has integrity...and is also a genius. I believe all that qualifies that person to be a hero and so it is.....heroes in our lives...hero in my life....my working class hero...who is it, you might ask...for those who couldnt guess it by now....its my dad...living breathing real life hero. Still fighting odds...still loving all...

'What we are now is a result of the prayers of our parents...do not take it for granted' - Dad

A rush through my veins..

I am back..not with a bang...certainly not a boom...not even a fizzle (or a sizzle). But I definitely am back to writing blogs after an unintended hiatus...nothing much changed in the meantime...i mean the world is still turning monotonously on its own axis (right?)...some first world country is at war with the middle east....and the rich is still living off the poor....and we still have our very own unknown working class heroes braving the odds everyday...n now i'm back with my dose of enlightened wisecracks.

So what really urged me to this profound state of writing another (not so) enriching blog? well, i saw this movie called August Rush yesterday (must watch for music lovers). seeing the movie i realized once again how much music is a part of all of us. Hence the blog. Come to think of it, music has always influenced our perceptions and outlook towards the world around us. everyone of us grew up listening to one of the greats of the generation. be it Jimi hendrix or Clapton, Guns n Roses or Nickelback, Poets of the fall or Satriani, Yanni or Santana, they have all shaped us and a generation at large. U2 brought in a whole new revolution with their music. Oasis sang that we are all gonna live forever. Isnt it cool to know that so much can change and all for the better through music? It is this music that makes us feel alive....makes us feel a rush through our veins.... a thought worth pondering is this line from the movie that i talked about earlier - 'Music is all around us...all we gotta do is listen'

Lessons.....

Just recently I received a mail from a friend detailing the lessons a 90 year old woman learnt in her life. She bulleted them as 45 learnings she had from the life so far. Taking a cue from that I am jotting down the stuff that I have learnt from life so far, Albeit too small a life to learn much, but this is my take on life....the lessons learnt and the experiences I've had....so here goes....

1. Life is hard, Learn to crawl before you walk and run....but always progress such that in the end you would believe you can fly.
2. Be true to yourself.....you can fool the world around you....but in the end you gotta live with yourself....so be truthful to yourself.
3. Smile a lot....might be weird at times but it sure takes out misery from those around you.
4. Love your parents....trust them immensely....they will be the only ones to stand by you when you're all alone.
5. Honor every promise you make. It builds people's trust in you...no matter how immaterial the promise may be.
6. Experience love. Once, twice, thrice.....heck!! even a million times.
7. Once you love someone, be prepared for heartbreaks. Expect nothing from love except that it will all vanish one day..so love someone like never before....n pray for the courage to see you through the times when you loose it all.
8. Believe in true friends. After your family, they will be the ones to see you through a dark night. Trust their words and actions, they know what is best for you.
9. Its OK to be weird, eccentric and paranoid. Sure beats leading an uneventful life.
10. Try to do things that you never did before, even if you totally suck at it......even at the risk of total humiliation. It takes sheer courage to make an ass of yourself in the public eye.
11. Stand up for what is right in every walk of life.....There is such a thing as pure justice....so what is rightfully yours will always be yours.
12. Dont try to be Superman by wearing undies over pants and a cape and jumping off tall objects. You will look stupid and the most you would get out of it is scraped elbows and a broken nose.
13. While fighting, always punch in the nose first and then kick the balls... Opponent down in 3 seconds.
14. If life gives you lemons, make lemonades.......but the trick lies in commercializing it and building a fortune and empire outta it. Easy life after that when you have people to worry for you.
15. Experience hate. That will help you understand how much you love someone or something more.
16. Never forget where you came from. In the end what you are now is because of what you were then.
17. Its cool to have alter-egos.They are the voices in your head and they make any discussion seem even better. At last count I had four of them in my head.
18. Work for something that interests you and something you believe in. Money will follow.
19. Never loose out on an oppurtunity to be a part of anything. The most dreaded thing is to regret that in future thinking 'What if..........?'
20. Respect your partner's wishes, even if that hurts you. The person will love you even more for doing that.
21. Spend as much time with your family and friends. They are the ones you have lived for all this while. Make it worthwhile for them as well.
22. No system is perfect. No human is either. Rebel against the system that you dont believe in.
23. Every experience in life makes you a better person. What doesnt kill you only makes you stronger. you will eventually be strong enough to challenge any hardship that life throws at you.
24. Fear lies in your head....nothing can take you down....what stands between you and the glory of the world is only this fear.
25. Once you reach rock bottom and have lost everything you loved and believed in, you have nothing left to loose and everything to gain. Make the most of it. The only way to go then is up!
26. It is very important that you breathe. Two simple actions in a continuous perpetual cycle go a long way in enjoying life..so inhale......n dont forget to exhale!!
27. Actions define the person you really are. So be justified in your actions.
28. Never forgive those who betray you. They are not worthy of it.
29. Emotions engulf you.....deal with it.
30. Be loyal to those who stand by you. Ensure your support and usefulness when they need it the most.
31. Cry a lot.....Grieve the pain within. Even tough men cry. It shows you have a heart thats still beating.
32. Death is never the end......neither is breaking bonds.......It never ends there.
33. Indulge yourself with the good, simple life. It will keep you happy....
34. Celebrate everything in life.. Even your uncle's third cousin's best friend's wife's second cousin's daughter's birthday..
35. Break away from the mould....Be different.....Get up.....get noticed...
36. Watch movies.....I learnt more from cartoon and movies than i did from books and History Channel.
37. Listen to music. Nothing will give you more pleasure...except perhaps the opposite sex.
38. Gorge on food.....Anorexia and starvation will get you nowhere but to problems in life.
39. Rush to the terrace and scream your heart out......wont get you anything or prove anything.....but sure is fun.
40. Try your hands at cookin......burnt food never tasted better
41. Let go of everything that holds you down.....Dead weight only helps you sink.
42. Memories are what eventually remains forever.....Make ones that are worth living over n over.
43. Happiness is a relative term......Be at peace with yourself.
44. Family, Friends, Happiness, Love, Glory, Money, Power........always in that order.
45. Dont envy the kid's life of eating, napping & crapping throughout the day......you would do it yet again after the age of 70.
46. Get in touch with someone you completely forgot about.....Its a nice feeling.
47. Fortune favors the brave and those who dare......so DARE...
48. Never hurt a human so much that they cant pick themselves up.....Its a curse you wont wanna carry.
49. Pain is a constant in life...It shows that there are much better things to look forward to.
50. & Lastly, read a list and try to make one bigger than that yourself...

Till I write the next blog....Adios.

My Immortal....

Ever since Evanescence, a rock band, released their album Fallen, I have been a fan of the song 'My Immortal'. The song is written by Ben Moody, who co-founded the band with Amy Lee. Although Ben has left the group citing creative differences, this particular song has assumed a hit position in the minds for a million people. The song basically is about the loss of a loved one. The way people move on after the loss. The lyrics are powerful and brings tears to the eyes of countless people. What I love about this song is that it is a piano piece and a beautiful one at that. The best way to experience this song is to close your eyes and listen to it (preferably on a surround sound system). It makes you feel as though you are riding a wave of music. Amy Lee sounds amazing right from the deepest lowest note to the highest pitch. The song infact shows the immortality of the person in essence. thats what touches us all the most than anythin in the song. The music, the lyrics, the emotions.....they all work up to that effect and that effect alone. A recommended song for the ones who have lost something precious in their lives. As usual I part with the lines from the song and urge everyone to atleast listen to it once...

I'm so tired of being here
Suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave
I wish that you would just leave
'Cause your presence still lingers here
And it won't leave me alone
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
[Chorus:]
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me
You used to captivate me
By your resonating light
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face it haunts
My once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away
All the sanity in me
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
[Chorus]
I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me
I've been alone all along

Salaam Mumbai.....

Yes, this entry will also be about the acclaimed Slumdog Millionaire (for those tired of hearing about it already....tread no further). Much has been said about the film. It's basically about a boy from the slums who becomes a millionaire by being on a popular game show where every question that he answers is somehow related to some phase in his life and eventually leads him to answer the final question and win the money and the girl he loves (sorry for telling the story to those who havent seen the movie yet.....but then again why have you not seen the movie yet? :P) Many people has lambasted the movie saying that it portrays Mumbai and eventually India as a whole in bad light. This made public by one of the leading 'superstar' of the country. Enough with the hue and cry about only slums being shown in the movie....Wake up and smell the coffee guys....Mumbai afterall has one of the biggest slums (we didnt need a firang to make us realize that). If anything then what Danny did was open a new perspective to India on an international scale. Till about 5 years back the generic notion of India among westerners were that Indians wear bejewelled turbans as such or live in palace or haveli like buildings..c'mon princely states have been dissolved ages back in India. After Slumdog... westerners are now opening eyes to a different India. And it is not about India having just slums. It shows India having a metropolis that has contrasting classes of people, both rich and poor. It shows the innocence of the kids in the slums and the notoriety of the ganglords that rule the street. If anything, the movis is a real take at the real India....and the real people that reside here. Movies here are larger than life (too much fantasy to make us dream better in our sleep I guess). A few Indian movies like A Wednesday and Mumbai Meri Jaan make things more realistic but are considered lacklustre since it doesnt attract huge commercial gains as other mainstream cinemas. So what if a firang had to come in India and made a hardhitting movie about the country? A good film is a good film. And I believe that we got so much acclaim due to the combine efforts of Danny's vision and direction anf the crew that went onboard. I doubt anyone else would have made the same film any better. Every detail in the film, evry scene tells the story beautifully and the end credits show a very creative outlook as well... Oscars for the well deserved....As the whole world is now singing.......Jai Ho!!!!!

The Golden Knight Comes home........

Continuing from the previous blog......its still Oscar fever. A time to celebrate the wins. Moreso for us Indians as Slumdog Millionaire swept 8 of the 10 Oscar nominations. Three of these picked by our very own - two by A.R.Rahman and one by Resul Pookutty. Undoubtledly a time for celebrations and probably a long partying time. Its very good to know that finally Indian crative minds & technical geniuses are being acclaimed internationally. I can onlly imagine what it would feel like to receive an Oscar, an award that has been widely reputed and acknowledged as the pinnacle of succes in the entertainment industry. And to know that it has been received by two fellow Indians is a matter of much pride. Honestly, I hadnt heard of Resul Pookutty until this film was nominated for the BAFTA awards. He has worked on many acclaimed Indian films as sound technician. A.R. Rahman is known internationally and nationally as a creative genius that created many a beautiful melodies. His compositions are heard in many films and also his own solo ventures. One rendition of patriotic nature named Maa Tujhe Salaam is something of a common track played during most Independence and republic day celebrations. Most of his tunes invariably stays in the head. Thats his effect on the masses. This also includes a jingle tune for a popular Indian cellular network. An unassuming man, sweet and docile and quite respectful, A.R. Rahman's international acclaim is not trivial. Contrary to the humble persona that he carries, Rahman has performed live at Wembley Arena (a mecca for music lovers) and at the Royal Albert Hall as well as the Carnegie Hall (both the success stages for any musician). The Oscars he received are a cherry on the already illuminary carrer of his. The fact that both the winners from India came from a small background and made is big to this extent is the success story of our times. Irony lies in the fact that the movie for which they received the award was also about the main protagonist starting from the small slum and making it big in life eventually... Kudos to you Rahman and Resul...Take a bow.....you have arrived!......

The 'Heath' of the moment....

Its Oscar nights. A night where the who's who of the biggest entertainment industry rubs shoulder with the best in the industry.....a night where glitz and glamour rules above all.. a night where the most influential wait with bated breaths to hear the verdict......a night where if invited, then it is assumed that you have more or less arrived. The Kodak Theater has seen it all, as did the Shrine Auditorium before that. Black ties and evening gowns galore, its every designers dreams that one of their works be strutted on the acclaimed red carpet. Millions watched the ceremony prime time and live......and so did I.
One award that I did wait for was the Best Actor in a Supporting Role category. I was more than overjoyed when the award was announced as it went to Heath Ledger for his brilliant performance as the Joker in the Batman movie 'The Dark Knight'. Overjoyed to the extent of giving him a standing ovation. This was perhaps the first posthumous award in the category since Heath left his legacy at the young age of 28 when he died of prescription drug abuse on 22 January 2008. Tell you the truth Joker never felt this cunning and villainous, not even at the hands of Jack Nicholson (he played Joker in the earlier movies). Heath proved his mettle in his acting prowess. Watch the movie and you will realize that this is the Joker that has always been depicted in the Batman comic series. I saw the movie over and over not to see Batman in action but to see the sheer villainy of Joker. Everything that he showed as the character on film only added to his sheer brilliance. Not to say that i was saddend to hear the news of his demise. Heath may have gone from amongst us but he left the most memorable performance before he passed on. That, to me, is what true showman genius is all about. He has attained immortality in my heart and this feeling is perhaps seconded by millions who have seen his performance. A well deserved stature for a brilliant actor. This is a tribute to Heath Ledger and the character of Joker that he immortalized. Applause, standing ovation and encore!!!!

At about 2:45 pm. EST, on 22 January 2008, Ledger was found unconscious in his bed by his housekeeper, Teresa Solomon, and his masseuse, Diana Wolozin, in his fourth-floor loft apartment at 421 Broome Street in SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan.
Heath Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine (prescription drugs for insomnia, anxiety, depression, pain & cold symptoms).

All Apologies....

My last blog entry was about love and the bonds it nurtures and sentiments attached to it. One emotion that often comes with love is the feeling of getting hurt. We are all scared of getting hurt by the ones we love. Somehow its beacause of the fact that we expect never to be hurt by them. But that never happens does it? No matter how hard we try we always get hurt. No matter how much we try to avoid that feeling. I have been loved by very few and there are very few that i trust completely. But the cycle of getting hurt always goes round and round. I have been hurt by the ones i have loves and I have hurt the people who have loved me endlessly. I have been blessed by the people that actually do love me. They have my complete trust in them. Its really strange to fathom how you could hurt the people who love you. Might seem extremely crazy.....and perhaps is as well...This blog goes out to the ones who have loved me beyond the defined extents of love itself yet got hurt through my crazed behaviour......All Apologies......i have nothing to make things better or change what has happened.....yet it still is a wild and desperate attempt to seek solace through the fruitless action of apologizing knowing full well that it can neither change nor remedy the hurt caused through my being.....especially to the most important people in my life whom i have caused more heartaches and grief than anyone else.

I wish I was like you
Easily amused
Find my nest of salt
Everything is my fault
I'll take all the blame
I'll proceed from shame
Sunburn with freezer burn
Choking on the ashes of her enemy
What else could I write?
I don't have the right.
What else should I be?
All Apologies....

The Measure of Love...

Valentine's Day just passed by....supposedly a day to celebrate love. But let me ask this....If you truly love anyone, Isnt it a celebration in itself? Every single day? Love is basically an emotion......and emotions are very hard to define. Essentialy emotions are actually human perceptions of their feelings and their way of defining the bonds that they share. To me love transcends in all forms. Quite a few people that I love......& the ones I love are the ones i trust to stand by me through thick and thin. They say love has no boundaries. Love exists in many forms and extends to even the most inanimate objects. You love someone and cannot explain the extents of it because the main reason for love is a certain kind of attachment and the sentiments that they induce. Memories are such that they do not erase quick. They linger and prolong in even a subconcious inanimate state. There are certain memories that even i feel are forgotten....but they arent, As I said, they linger and all it takes is a certain occurance to trigger it. Life itself is made up of memories.....memories that make you stong......memories that make you smile. So what then is the true measure of love?.Well, the true measure of love is YOU......Its upto you.....upto me.....upto everyone of us to make a memory......a memory worth living.....a memory that inspires....a memory that bonds and binds us......that is the true measure of love. Make a difference to somebody's life......orchestrate a change.......love and then be loved by all. We have but one life to live.....make it worthwhile by loving. This blog is a dedication and moreso a tribute to all those instrumental in my life.....my best friends........ my family......everyone who has affected my life (which perhaps include everyone i know)....and also a certain sealephant that i adore.....
will be back with more soon....till then hastalavista baby... I'll leave you with a song from Bon Jovi's last released album called 'You gotta make a memory'

Hello again, it’s you and me
Kinda always like it used to be
Sippin' wine, killing time
Trying to solve life’s mysteries.
How’s your life, it’s been a while
God it’s good to see you smileI
see you reaching for your keys
Looking for a reason not to leave.
If you don’t know if you should stay
If you don’t say what’s on your mind
Baby just, breathe there’s no where else tonight we should be-
You wanna make a memory.
I dug up this old photograph
Look at all that hair we had
It’s bittersweet to hear you laugh
Your phone is ringing, I don’t wanna ask.
If you go now, I’ll understand
If you stay, hey, I got a plan
You wanna make a memory
You wanna steal a piece of time
You could sing a melody to me
And I could write a couple lines
You wanna make a memory.
If you don’t know if you should stay
And you don’t say what’s on your mind
Baby just, breathe there’s no where else tonight we should be-
You wanna make a memory
You wanna steal a piece of time
You could sing a melody to me
And I could write a couple lines
You wanna make a memory

One Wednesday Night.......

It all began on a wednesday..a wednesday night to be precise. Everything was normal & people were returning home after a long day's work. Some might have been tryin to unwind after the days work & put things in perspective. Thats when it all began. A handful of people brought havoc on the city of blinding lights by opening indiscriminate firing on innocent bystanders at different locations (mainly restaurants) throughout the city. Within hours, without warning or a shred of mercy, innocent people were brutally massacred and injured.They quite metaphorically shot the heart of the city that never sleeps. What ensued was a bloody trail of mayhem that was shed at two of the city's most prominent hotels. The city came to grips with thesituation as cops & enforcement battalions were deployed to fight fire with fire. When lives of innocent people are shed, it becomes evident by default that rational negotiation can only be of least possible help. I quote a photographer on tv to describe the sentiments. He said, 'These people had the audacity to barge into my city.....my home & take away innocent lives..all i want to see is them being killed before my eyes'. We still fight valiantly against the terror. It all began on one Wednesday night..

Weirdness is me.....

Well..the previous blog entry was quite something..to say the very least it was depressive. It was moreso since that was the actual state of my mind then..& to tell you the truth it felt better once i got done with that entry. Now that it's over I try to get back to my usual abnormal self..for one thing i wanna do something weird..which is why i'm writing this blog entry thru my cell hone..not actually the weird thing to do but i try to be resourceful & make do with whatever is at my disposal. You may find instances in this entry where I might use sms'in abbreviations..like 'evr' & 'no1' & so on..kindly excuse them as i do get into that zone when i type on my phone. Also there would be a lotta typos & no para breaks..which is mainly because the phone screen is only so big..for one thing my thumbs are gonna be mighty strong..next time you see me, my thumbs would have its very own set of six-packs & bulgin biceps..my purpose is accomplished since i did type in an awful lot using only my thumbs..so yay to that & i have to bid adieu..till the next entry..

Everything Fades......

I received a sound advice once from someone really close to me who said "Nothing stays forever"..... Of course this was in context to relationships and bonds that we have during our time here on the third rock from the sun (Yea Yea i know that it contradicts the DeBeers Tagline and philosophy....). At that point of time I had debated upon this ideology. Personally my view towards life is this....We have one life to live, so we better live for the moment.....live in the moment....& live it such that there is no regrets...

Even though I agree with the part that nothing really does stay forever, I don't see the point in thinking about how things would change rather than trying to be happy with the way things are. Perhaps this can at some times be loosely associated with being indifferent because when things change some people do have the ability to remain unaffected by it or at least act so. Relationships break....people fade away....bonds vanish....its all a part of life really. This i have learnt in my very own life. Recent enough i have lost some people that have been close to my heart....bonds did break....& it was always painful .........especially when friends go away. But we always live on......we pick ourselves from scratch...... Whenever such incidents occur, it is mighty helpful to take a deep breath and imagine it to be purging your soul and starting life afresh. Change is inevitable....it measures the true nature of man.....we all know that what we have at the moment will not be what we would in the future.....perhaps we might just loose it all......but when we hit rock bottom it is in some sense the greater achievement cos no matter what you do from then on, you would have nothing to loose and everything to gain. The secret lies in letting go. Its not as easy as it sounds....trust me.....I have lost quite a lot in the past few years....but the more you loose the more instinctive you become....and in some sense it give you sense and strength to see past what is to what will be.

Nothing stays forever.....nothing ever will.....no one ever will.......but we all try nevertheless..... we all try harder.....Change is perhaps the greatest constant in life.....the only part that never changes in this universe is perhaps change itself. As my blog readers would have noticed, my blogs have some or the other relation to music or songs. and this one is no different......The title is Everything Fades by the Poets Of the Fall......I bid adieu with the following lines from the song....

Silly thoughts of small deeds
Everything that once answered to your needs
The thoughtless but kind
The caring but blind
Everything fades away

Everything fades away, come turning of the tide
For your love I'm sorry
For your pain, don't worry
Everything fades away
Everything fades away

Silhouettes, false leads
That which drew you, like a crow to glass beads
Secrets spied
Wishes sighed
Everything fades away

Everything fades away, come turning of the tide
For your love I'm sorry
For your pain, don't worry
Everything fades away

We are one but not the same.......

Something has crept into my mind for the past few days which has kept me thinking.... To what extents can you go for the ones you love? and how far can you bend for them till you snap?..... Well these questions didnt arise out of nothing....obviously...... It comes from another thought which implored me to think about what would love really is.

I have very few whom i call worthy to be friends. Of them only two form the innermost circle of trust. Very recently one more got added to that circle of trust. To me, these three people are the core of everything i do. The bond i have with them is greater than anything i can ever experience. Perhaps that is what should matter to me. Still I somehow feel that something's amiss. Perhaps i am imagining things. Well coming back to the title of the blog, two of my closest friends are exactly similar to me. Well, sounds simple and common though. But what makes it all uncommon is the fact that they are exactly like me except for the fact that they are of an opposite sex. We eerily love the same stuff... to an extent that we know what's going on in the other's mind. This is perhaps where everything becomes blurred. When i asked if its possible to be friends in love this is what she (my closest friend) had to say "I place friends higher than love, because love comes and goes......friends are what stays forever....." I believe what she gave me was the true definition of love........ atleast that what i want to believe.

We're one
But we're not the same
Well we
Hurt each other
Then we do it again
One love
One blood
One life
You got to do what you should
One life
With each other