Tee hee hee...

The money grabbing, boring-to-death (at present, not in the past), rich band finally realized that they were missing out on earning more money. So, what did they do? Signed up with iTunes!

Another year gone by...

The three Js of music - Jim (Morrison), Jimi (Hendrix) and Janis (Joplin, not John Lennon) died when they were around 27. Back in college, 27 seemed like a good age to die. I am 27 today, and my sweet little Bengal Danio died this morning. He was bad last night, and it was heart breaking to watch him struggle. I still don't mind dying at any age, but its so bad to watch your pet die on your birthday.

On blogging

I gave up all thoughts and desire of being a writer a really long time ago. But did I? When blogger came up, I was pretty reluctant to start blogging. Seemed like a really hard thing to do. After over two years of blogging, I can safely say that I cant imagine not being able to blog. Doesn't matter if anybody reads it or not - its a great place to express yourself. Looks like quite a lot of people agree.

Breather

Finally managed to get a break after days of near back-breaking work. Result season is such a drag. Can't wait to go over to Pune over the weekend to meet my dear little brother.

By the way, the Indian government has decided not to block blogspot at a domain level, so should be able to view my posts without resorting to other measures.

Exhausted but happy

Went on a trek to Tungareshwar near Vasai in Thane district with 8 other people. Started off at 9 from Borivali on a horribly crowded Virar train. Reached the base at 10 and started walking up a fairly crowded trail to the Shiva temple there. Right next to the temple was a river mouth with sparkling clean water that put some real life into us. Lunched there and started the real trek up to the ashram up in the hills.

A 5 minute shower chased away the heat and humidity that was beginning to affect the group, and we continued with renewed vigour. About 50 minutes into the trail, my friend and I realized that we had left the others far behind. We plodded on, meeting some really interesting folks on the way - botanists, bird watchers, photography enthusiasts. We reached a lovely plateau at about 3, sat there and watched the cows graze and got nostalgic about B-school. The others in the meantime, had proceeded to the ashram in search of water.

So we sat at a tiny waterfall that fell into a small pond and watched crabs and frogs for a while. After a while, we started skipping stones on the water and had a little world cup there. Great fun - felt like 10 again! Then the clouds decided to give us a bigger thrill and descended down on us. Walked in the clouds for a while, enjoying the misty feeling. Hated it when we had to head back. Great trip, cant wait to do it again!

Hazy...

Its just one of those things. You know that it is the sensible and practical thing to do. You know you'd probably be very happy in the long run. But somehow, your heart is really not in it. You keeping hoping that something else will happen, something your heart desires - even though you know that nothing of that sort will happen. And there is nothing that your heart desires right now. Why do things have to be so muddled?

The day that rocked Mumbai

Burn the villains who disrupted life in Mumbai yesterday with a series of blasts on the local trains. Intended to inflict maximum damage, the blasts took place during the rush hour, leaving over 150 dead and over 350 wounded. While people are praising Mumbaikars for their spirit and courage, one needs to ask - Who did this? Why didn't the government do anything to stop it? If they had no intelligence about it, why did they allow trains on the Central and Harbour lines to run? Why didn't they stop those trains immediately and check for more bombs? How could they have been so sure that there would be no more blasts? Why are the politicians just blaming each other instead of doing anything? What will they do to ensure this doesn't happen again? Why are the politicos such big bastards??


RIP -Syd Barret has passed away. Shine on you crazy diamond.

Today

The water is murky today, the winds too strong. The rudder seems to be malfunctioning and the boat is adrift. Waiting for the sight of a comforting shore to rest.

Rockstar Supernova

After INXS, its Tommy Lee, Dave Navarro and Jason Newsted who have sold their souls to the devil. Rockstar Supernova is even worse than Rockstar INXS. Its the story of three once-pretty boys-now-aging-rockers trying to making some dough by pretending to be long lost friends trying to throw a band together. To make things worse, they have to say stuff like ' that rocked' and 'way to go' to some godawful contestants. I mean, there was one who sounded like a yowling cat. Such a let down, especially Newsted!

Wishes

I want two days of work with 5 days off. I want bands to make good music. I want to sing out loud. I want my private moment in the crowd. I want love and sunshine. I want ice cream soda and snazzy movies. I want to sit on my porch and watch the world crumble around me. I want a house with a porch. I want madness. I want joy. I want all of life.

The mind is the bridle to the heart

I am sure that we've all had days when we have so wanted to do something that we know is insane. You head tells you to stop it at once but you seem to be beyond reason. There is this weird feeling in the stomach, but you feel like plunging into it recklessly. And it takes a supreme effort of will to stop yourself from descending into chaos.

Rains and mayhem

After almost non-stop rainfall for 4 days, the skies cleared up yesterday and Mumbai returned to normal. Trains kept running despite flooding along the tracks (especially the Western Railway), police were around in case things went wrong, and mobile phones were working without major disruptions. While Mumbaikars breathe a sigh of relief, we must take time to say a few things about a few key players - the Mumbai Muncipal Corporation, State government and the media.

First, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. Which hasn't done anything at all since last year's deluge despite tall claims of having done this and that. The BMC says that it has cleaned up the Mithi - well who knows, all we care is that our homes and streets were flooded on the very first day of rains!

The State Government - the CM Mr. Vilasrao Deshmukh went on record to say that 'Mumbaikars were used to such things and that the city would be fixed in another 2-3 years'!! People, please make sure that this guy loses the next election!

The media, which sensationalized everything (as usual), showing pictures of the most flooded areas and extrapolating it to all of Mumbai. The irresponsible media single handedly created enough panic in the city. Not to mention worried family members outside the city. Shame on you!

That said, Mumbai once again displayed courage and resilience, with people refusing to stay at home even with threatening Met forecasts. And a special mention to the teenagers who were in the water, offering directions and support to stranded vehicles and commuters. We are so proud of you! You are the guys who saved the city, not the BMC, not the State Government. And we know that the next time around, we can count on you!

Superman returns, and how!

As a kid, I was totally besotted with Batman. Growing up, I fell in love with the tough guy with adamantium claws - Wolverine. Superman was never a favourite. Batman and Wolverine seemed more 'human' -they had failings, angst... lots of it. Even Bill (Kill Bill, Vol II) extolling the virtues of the true super hero didn't convince me. My point being that he was too good to be true - too righteous, too perfect, too happy to be in his shoes. But the sight of Bryan Singer's Superman soaring through the skies to single handedly stop a plane from crashing and assuring the passengers that flying is statistically the safest way to travel did it for me. I finally realized why Superman is what he is - a super human who can do the impossible!

Singer also does a good job of 'humanzing' Supes. Here, he feels alienation and plenty of angst, just like the modern day super heroes we have come to love. When Lex Luthor and his goons beat him up after weakening him with Kryptonite, he is more man than Superman. (I really hated that scene. I mean, I was finally getting warmed up to the idea of a Superman!). But Singer goes a bit overboard here - Supes gets a tad too human. Warning - Spoiler ahead! Getting beaten up is one thing, but Supes becoming a father? He's a super hero, for chrissake!!

That said, Superman Returns is a mixed bag. The first half is simply great, but the second gets a bit too mushy. This is not a special effects movie, but the scenes of Supes soaring through the air are brilliant. Like a character puts it early in the movie ' you can hear the faint pop of the sonic boom' as Supes enters/exits the atmosphere. Make no mistake, this movie is a romance at heart. Lex and his villainous scheme exist so that he can get close to murdering Supes and Lois can run to save him. We all know what Supes feels for Lois Lane, but it is a little too weepy towards the end.

The casting is pretty neat. Bryan Singer's choice of newcomer works well for the movie. Brandon Routh (have I mentioned that he's Superhot?) channels Christopher Reeve whenever he's in the blue suit, but he is more his own man as Clark Kent. He's goofy, clumsy and extremely endearing. Kevin Spacey gets to have a lot of fun as Lex Luthor, but he doesn't have much to do here. Parker Posey as Lex's girlfriend Kitty is deliciously funny. Hated Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane. James Marsden seems to enjoy roles like these - what a waste! Eva Marie Saint as Martha Kent should have had more screen time. Verdict - Don't miss it.

The US vs John Lennon

Found an interesting trailer at apple.com. Can't wait to see it.