Glory days

Bought my first pair of running shoes a couple of weeks ago and now the doctor tells me that I should walk only if necessary. Apparently I've damaged my knees doing almost nothing. Goodbye squash! Time to look at swimming lessons, methinks.

One post too many?

Couldn't resist blogging this-

Here is the atheist prayer: that our reason will subjugate our superstition, that our intelligence will check our illusions, that we will be able to hold at bay the evil temptation of faith.

A really thought provoking article after so long.

Very short stories

Wired's very short stories collection is super good fun. Have to agree with Kitabkhana, Joss Whedon's entry is a killer!

Hmmm

Went to the doc to see if my back was alright after my little stunt trying to get off a running train. Turned out that my back was ok, but an old knee problem turned out to be something else. In response to my question if it could be cured, the doctor told me that it could be kept under control (!). I guess he saw my face shrink then, because he told me we'd discuss how good or bad it is after I get my X-rays done. Told me to stop playing squash - the one thing that makes me forget everything else. Will get to know today how bad (or good) it is. Man, I'm too young for this shit!

Support Firefox

An early convert to the Firefox browser, I hate it when I am sitting on a strange PC and have to use Internet Explorer. With all due respect, IE sucks! Now Microsoft has launched a new version of IE that has supposedly copied some of Firefox's best features - tabbed browsing, web feeds, the works. While I am positive that Firefox will continue to remain the better browser, I would like to take the opportunity to urge all non users to please switch to Firefox. Firefox currently claims 11.5% market share (IE is at around 85%, mainly because it bundled with Windows)- each percentage point has been hard earned and it would be a shame to lose any of it. So, if you don't have Firefox yet, get it now!

Rest, music and cute guys who are gay

Got some much needed rest over the last 2 days before I ruined it with bad sleep and a fall off the train. Bought some good music (Third Eye Blind, Marilyn Manson), books. Saw Open Season, not bad. Shared browsing space with Rehan Engineer (actor and playwright) in the graphic novel section at Landmark. Guys who are cute, smart and read graphic novels should not be allowed to be gay! Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against gay people, just that its such a waste when such a guy is gay and wont even look at a woman.

The Idiot

Still beating myself up for having been such a dunce. I mean, if I had just put my foot down, I would be at home now. Dunce!

Highlight of the weekend - spent some time watching some friends jam on Sunday - those guys were just amazing with their guitars. I wish they would form a band and play their kickass music. Such a rush!

Friday

Indian, Indian, what did you die for?
Indian says, Nothing at all...

Grouse

I enjoy my work, its just that I so hate the establishment! Song of the day:

Monday Morning Blues

Boy, I HATE Monday mornings! Reminder of the real world - work, career (or lack thereof), bosses, results, late nights. It would all be palatable provided I were getting somewhere by working my ass off. At present, it looks like I'm slogging away for nothing at all.

Anyway, had a relaxed weekend - pampered and polished my tired muscles, then tired them out some more playing squash, shopped for music (Godsmack, Ozzy, Oasis, Progressive hits... bliss!). Lunch at TGIF with a cool drink and a really yummy salad (5 stars!!). Watched Nagesh Kukunoor's Dor.

Dor is a quiet, warm movie about 2 women who are brought together through the death of one's husband at the hands of the other's. Zeenat (Gul Panag) sets out from the lovely hills of Himachal to obtain clemency for her husband, armed with just a photograph. Her search leads her into rural Rajasthan, where she runs into Beharupiya (Shreyas "Iqbal" Talpade in a really comic turn). Beharupiya turns out to be a crook with a heart who helps her find Meera (Ayesha Takia), the widow who holds Zeenat's fate in her hands. Zeenat befriends the timid Meera and encourages her to break free from the walls that hem her in, even as she continues to feel guilty for her deception. Meera, in the meanwhile, has to contend with in-laws who blame her for their misfortunes and plot to barter her flesh with the lecherous Mr. Chopra (Kukunoor, who is too cute to look the part).

The ending is predictable, even funny (think DDLJ with a lesbian twist). But then, Kukunoor has always had trouble with how his films end (Iqbal being an exception). Kukunoor ventures into unexplored territory (for him) in Dor - drama. And wisely stays away from over dramatizing it - no buckets of tears and laments from anyone here. There is a really touching scene where the newly widowed Meera dances to her favourite Bollywood number even as she feels guilty that she should be in mourning, you realize just how young she is for a fate like that.

The cinematography is captivating - Kukunoor takes full advantage of the beauty of the landscapes he is shooting in. The very landscapes are symbolic of the difference between worlds the two women inhabit, yet linked by the wild, untamed nature of both.

What I really like about the movie is that it is feminist without being too obvious about it (take a few lessons Tanuja Chandra, Kalpana Lajmi). The protagonists Zeenat and Meera are not in your face, bra-burning, women's libbers - they are just trying to live their lives by their own rules in a society that expects them to toe the line. Kukunoor has created women who are more like you and me than a faux rock star. And his choice of cast works well for him - Gul Panag does justice to her role, Sheryas Talapade is endearing, but its Ayesha Takia who walks away with our hearts as the simple and innocent village girl who is laced with steel inside. I hope she gets better parts in Bollywood post Dor.

Verdict - Kukunoor is getting to be a really interesting director, Must watch.

Still here

I know that I'm being such a woman about it, but I really like this number - it'll always stay relevant!

Disconnect

I might lose my access to the Internet pretty soon. Time to get that laptop and broadband connection, I suppose. Till then, I'll have to find a way to post whenever I can.

Song of the day

Storm in a tea cup

The ebb of a once promising premise
Long, winding roads inhabit this life
Muscles drip sweat with exertion - the miracle of love
Old men ogle chorus girls in tight white shirts
Cruels grins split pretty faces open
Mad monks sell luxury cars
And Ginsberg's corpse rots away like roadkill...

300

The teasers for 300, the upcoming movie based on Frank Miller's (Sin City) graphic novel, look awesome! The novel/movie is the story of battle between the Spartan King Leonidas, who fights the invading Persian army with just 300 soldiers. The trailer is finger licking good! Can't wait for the movie to hit the screens. I wonder if it'll ever release in India - Sin City didn't. A few screencaps:

A flying start?

Started the week listening to "Given to fly" by Pearl Jam. Pandora seems to be in a benevolent mood today, its playing all my favourites - Pearl Jam, the Smashing Pumpkins, Greenday. Woo hoo! Nice and peppy after coming back to work reluctantly after a long weekend.

2 pairs of fish - golden and kissing gouramis - have added colour to my aquarium. They also seem to have scared the wits out of this big bully that bit 2 on my Danios to death. Hopefully, he'll get his act in shape and refrain from killing the only other Danio left. And I've finally stopped feeling awful about my fish dying. Which is a good thing, because they have much shorter life spans than the average human.