Wednesday, March 31, 2004

Movie Trivia III - The Return - Answers.

Sorry, these are a li'l late, but for those who really wanted to know, here are the answers for the movie trivia quiz put up on Friday, March 26th.

1) Jon Voight, Ice Cube (yes, token black guy)
2) Orlando Bloom, Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn; Paltrow's lover)
3) Robert Duvall, Giovanni Ribisi (as Cage's younger bro in 60 secs)
4) Nicolas Cage, Joaquin Phoenix
5) Meatloaf, Brad Pitt.

Winners : Two Penny! Congratulations.
Hope it was fun.

Friday, March 26, 2004

Of shit and sitcoms.

Lately, the first few hours of every morning feel like "Same Shit, Different Day - Recap of episode 167".

Different days have recaps of different episodes. The sad part is today's episode doesn't seem to make a rat's ass of a difference to the end outcome, or advance the story at all. Oh, crapola - I am 'The Bold and the Beautiful".

Oh, well...might as well make the most of it. *snaps fingers* Brooke!!! Yeah, and tell Taylor to be on standby.

Crapola = Hello, Shit (Spanglish)

Thursday, March 25, 2004

Movie Trivia III - The Return

Walt (doing the crossword) : What's a 3-letter word for man's best friend?
April : Tit?

- Stuck On You.

Hello and welcome to the return of Movie Trivia! Without further ado, I'll get straight into the new edition concept. We've dispensed with the movie quotes and we're going to, perhaps, a higher level. This is called 'Connections' - a game originating from drunken evenings spent under the impression that in that state, for some reason, our brains worked so much better than the average mortal's, and, of course, we knew everything.

Concept - I'll keep this one simple.
Movie name______Movie name______Movie name. The blanks are actors who connect the 3. No particular order of difficulty - I'm just putting them down as they come to me. Try to get as many as you can yourself before imdb-ing the thing. Answers on Tuesday. Have fun!

1) Mission Impossible________Anaconda________Three Kings
2) Black Hawk Down_________Lord of the Rings________Perfect Murder
3) Godfather_________Gone in 60 Seconds_______Saving Private Ryan
4) Raising Arizona_________8 mm_________Gladiator
5) Rocky Horror Picture Show________Fight Club_______Sleepers

Wednesday, March 24, 2004

Victory

Koi hum se jeet na paave, chale chalo, chale chalo

It sounds damn cheesy at all other occasions to me, but it did sound rather nice this time. India beat Pakistan in a series in Pakistan for the first time ever. This is History 101, Mr Ganguly, and you're it! There was only one problem - try as I might, I couldn't get the idea that the match was fixed out of my head.

I seem to have caught on to some subtle signals in the previous 2 matches, made some subconscious connections, and the way the final and the series would pan out seemed rather clear. Mind you, even after the match fixing scandal rocked the world a few years ago, I still watched with avid interest. I'm the last person to doubt the veracity of a match. But yesterday, I just couldn't help it. The words and predictions felt very strange coming out of my mouth. Now, people I told my theories to tell me they wanted to call me during the match because they felt I was right. And I SO didn't want to be right.

This series is way, WAY beyond just a game. I feel truly touched by the many stories of Pakistani hospitality and bhaichaara towards Indians. The common man Pakistani insists the animosity is hype created by politicians and militants - we have no problems with you folk. There are many email forwards doing the rounds about the extraordinary niceness and goodwill, and the inevitable follow-ups saying they were hoax mails.

No.

No hoax. Live interviews of Indians in Pakistani stadia and streets would touch the stoniest of hearts. Reputed journalists of the much maligned media go out on a limb to substantiate the wonder tales. Alright, so I get emotional about some things easily. So what? My heart jumps with joy at such tales of communal harmony and brotherhood. I like seeing hands cross at a shaking level and not at a choking level. No, there is no hoax. I believe the love is genuine. It sends a thrill down my spine so even if it is all a lie, so be it. Even if it is just a show, I don't care - I want to believe.

Just as I want to believe in this victory. With all due respect to healthy rivalry - The battle is won, bring on the war.

Mo' Movies

I am such a sucker for movies.

However, I HATE to have to watch them on the comp. It just takes something away from the whole experience, the magic of cinema. Now, one cannot always have the movies one wants to watch running at the theatres. Maybe one missed some of them due to one reason or the other. Still, one cannot just let them go unwatched, can one?

So I have to settle for them on TV. Praise and glory be to HBO, Star Movies, MGM and other movie channels - a totally enjoyable way to watch 8 hours a day just slip you by. I'd be lost without these channels. And the sports ones too. So I'm a mindless dolt couch potato fuelling corporate capitalism, watching mindless drivel, ignoring informative and educational television.
Sue me.

STILL, one cannot have one's favourite movies on these channels whenever one wants. And the dumbass DivX format plays only on computers. So, here I am stuck watching some great movies on the comp. I caught up on Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, Requiem For A Dream, and Fight Club.

I'd heard so much about Requiem... but it still blew me away. Such a morbid tale and so fascinatingly told. What a MOTHER of a make up job on Ellen Burstyn, as on the others. I'm not sure but I think she won an award for that performance. She thoroughly deserves it and she did a fabulous job. Not to take away from Jen Connelly and the others, but probably their roles didn't offer as big an acting canvas. The movie reminded me of Trainspotting (the book; haven't seen the movie) and the directing style, especially in the shooting up scenes, were reminiscent of Guy Ritchie. But that rapid cut-paste style of editing and storytelling seems to have been quite a fashion during those 3-4 years. Not to be missed, this movie.

Y'know, I'm not gay, but I think Brad Pitt has THE best bod I've ever seen on a guy. Maybe within the top 5 even if I included women. He can sell me a gym any damn day. Heck, he can probably sell me ANYthing he wanted to sell. And he can act. Seven, Snatch, Fight Club, Legends of the Fall...he's good. Ok, so the characters are reasonably similar in most - a natural nonchalance, crazy streak, wild child maverick. But convincing you that it all comes so naturally, making you believe in his character is not easy. Edward Norton ain't no spring chicken himself - Keeping the Faith, Red Dragon, The Score - and Fight Club was probably his springboard. Another crazy, fucked in the head (ha ha - ironic considering the plot) movie. No wonder I loved it.

And now, I've got Memento, Gangs of New York and many, many others to look forward to.

Yay piracy!

Monday, March 22, 2004

I have this strong urge to go get drunk, put on some old Aerosmith and Meatloaf and sing/scream my heart out...

I just LOVE Amit Datta's apartment. We gots to have us another party there precioussss...

Sunday, March 21, 2004

Identity

So I went to the pub to watch the India-Pakistan ODI. Hate going to them noisy places 'cos the drunk buffoons and the dumbass DJs drown out the commentary, which I feel is very important in cricket. It's not like football, where the state of the game is pretty obvious, the rules are simple, and drunken revelry just adds to the fun and general mayhem.

Surprise surprise. I actually enjoyed myself in the first time I went to a pub to watch a cricket match. B&C was good, though not overly rocking. Anyway, the interesting part was towards the end of the Pak innings. I asked the drunken bunch in front of me for a light and they were rather unexpectedly gracious. The punch-happy, bespectacled loudmouth in the centre said "Why a light? Here, take my cigarette itself!". Not the first time I've seen such behaviour, but the reason became a little clearer with what he said next.

"Dil pe mat lena bhai, magar aaj to India maa chudaayegi!" - don't take it personally, but India will win today (in somewhat more colourful language).

He obviously thought I was Pakistani. Can't blame him really - I had my long white kurta, and my little chin beard (yes, after a very long time!). Guess I must have looked a little like a stereotypical Muslim. Not that I mind, really. It doesn't matter what or who you think I am, as long as your prejudice doesn't affect me negatively. I've faced discrimination, been called 'Paki' (not in this country, of course) before - it did bother me a little then, it didn't bother me now. Because I sensed there was no bad intent here - just healthy rivalry and banter. And I like that anyway - I've myself had famous individual football and cricket rivalries with my best Muslim friends in school and college. I appreciate good sporting skills and these guys' presumptions must have been further confirmed when I was applauding the Pakis' batting skills. Guess they missed me being the first to celebrate the fall of every Pakistani wicket. In any case, it was nice to see Indians appreciating Pakistani cricketing talent.

Maybe I should take being mistaken for a Pakistani as a compliment even - the Pakistanis are, by and large, a rather good-looking lot!

Thursday, March 18, 2004

Confucius say:
Soldier who go to bed horny wake up with dishonourable discharge.
I was in her arms and time was strawberry jam on toast, space was butter under a hot knife...

She bangs, but he rocks!

When was the last time you saw an icon rise from a ridiculous, almost laughable failure?

And the rise was not because of talent hard done by, because there wasn't a whiff of talent anywhere near him. William Hung, an American originally from Hong Kong, studying engineering at U Berkeley auditioned for American Idol. He came up with an absolutely horrendous rendition of 'She Bangs' by Ricky Martin. And just when you thought nothing could get worse than the vocals, he decided to dance. He left the judges speechless with horror and an audience of millions with guts ruptured laughing. Wordless explanations were sought as to how he even IMAGINED he qualified to be a singing dancing star.

And he saved the day, most innocently, by speaking from the heart.

William Hung said " I did my best and I have no regrets". And he smiled a dentist's delight of a smile. Delight because it was a vision of a lifetime's work in prospect. They would have been lining up outside his door, and even more so now - Americans and thousands of people the world over have rewarded William's unassuming joie de vivre by making him a star. And boy, does he deserve it.

It thrills one at a basic level to see so many people fall in love with such an unlikely hero. He has websites, he has fanclubs, he has chat forums, he has video clips doing the rounds, he holds search engine records - and he hasn't created a SINGLE one of these himself. It is heartening to see that under all the pretensions and superficiality of daily life, and the American Idol show itself, people have identified with Hung's basic values of doing anything 'Dil Se'. He probably knew he sucked, but he went ahead, shorn of all pretension and false ambition. He did what came naturally and was so amazingly humble and graceful in defeat and elimination that he is a bigger idol than any singing, dancing puppet will ever be.

And he's going to make a ton of money - he's been on gobs of chatshows and now has his own recording deal! People have forgotten how Ricky's original track and dance go, there are dance/trance remixes with William Hung's vocals, oh the list of the Hungmania goes on. What a happy thing that ordinary people are rewarded manifold for just being themselves.

She may bang, but William Hung - you rock man!

Wednesday, March 17, 2004

Focus

Wise man said - nothing focusses the mind like impending mortal danger.

Or something along those lines. And how true.
Need focus in life? Want to know what you really want from it all? Think of 10 things you want to do before you die. List them, according to priority if you choose. They could be anything, from planting a tree to re-establishing lines of communication with a family member; from reading a particular book to talking to the Pope. As you keep identifying, focussing and achieving, you gradually separate the truly important from the merely interesting. The method from the madness. The emotion from the music.

It works wonderfully.

Tuesday, March 16, 2004

Dreams

These days I find myself dreaming a lot about flying.

3 weeks ago, I was talking to G and we were discussing her wedding plans. Suddenly, I felt like flying. So I just asked her to hold on, I'd be right back. And I gently glided over Jumbo grounds, which had now become some sort of vast marshy, wasteland. It was wonderful.

Couple of nights ago, I found myself dreaming along the same lines, except we were in a group, some sort of escape/exploration theme, and I was flying over beautiful, magical landscapes, based roughly on my old school backgrounds. And I could actually FEEL the ease with which I could fly...it was fabulous!

Me and my morbid fascination with the Nasgul.

Monday, March 15, 2004

We danced all night as the music played,
The sheets got tangled in the mess we made,
There, in the stains, we remain,
No one left to blame...

And my heart's breaking even.

Thursday, March 11, 2004

Goodbye

Saying goodbye to someone you care about is difficult.
Breaking up is very hard to do, even more so when it's a friendship...

Goodbye, RJ.

Internal Jukebox: 'Dreams' - Van Halen

We have it so good.

I was sitting in the cafeteria and happened to see all the pretty ladies walk past. And I realised - it's so good to be a guy!

I mean, there can't be any doubt that the female form is far more fun to look at than the male form. It's just more beautiful. Women do spend some time trying to look good (generally) and we get to see the results and enjoy it. Cool.

It doesn't take much to make guys happy. Like the joke goes, to impress a guy - show up naked, bring beer. How nice to be satisfied with so little. Given things are changing and all that, but generally, it takes more than just looking at a cute guy to make a woman happy. He must be intelligent, funny, warm, caring, yada yada...but I could just sit and admire beauty in a woman, in the most decent way of course, and I'm happy. It's just that women don't get that hey, I'm not trying to think up ways of chatting you up and figuring out how quickly I can get you into bed, I'm just looking at you because you're beautiful. Please don't mind, but I'd like to stare at you for a few minutes longer.

Men don't HAVE to put in too much effort to look good, and that's accepted by women. Great! I have absolutely no complaints with that. Now, just tell us how to tell you you look lovely and attractive without you being offended or thinking we're calling you a slut or something. In this country, I find it bloody hard to tell a woman I don't know that I think she looks very attractive.

There are a hundred other reasons why being a guy is so great, including NOT having to go thru pregnancy (whew! I don't know how you do that). Plus, and this is the best, we get to pee standing up.

Ha ha. Beat that.

Wednesday, March 10, 2004

No no no!

Mark your calendar or Palm V. You can expect to die on:

December 10, 2040.
(TheSpark.com)

No no no! Too many birthdays that month...not least of all MOM's, on the next day!

Tuesday, March 09, 2004

Really?

Some 80 odd questions...and THIS is what I get? Damn...
Internal jukebox: 'My oh my' - Aqua

Woke up with this in my head. I'm a very, very sick person. I need help...
AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!!
Begin hair plucking sequence in T minus 10 seconds.

Sunday, March 07, 2004

Love is a many blundered thing.

You'd think with the number of those I've made, I'd know a helluva a lot about it by now. Guess not everyone learns from mistakes...

I must be one DUMB dawg...

Wednesday, March 03, 2004

Awrite! My poison of choice, and its effects. I especially like that 'should be forgiven' part...

Aries Style:
Impulsive Aries people like to party and sometimes
don't know when to call it a night. Their
competitive streak makes them prone to closing
time shot contests. They're sloppy, fun drunks,
and they get mighty flirty after a couple
tipples. Getting people drunk is a good way to
get what you want out of them, should other
methods fail. Aries can become bellicose when
blotto, but they will assume that whatever
happened should be forgiven (if not forgotten)
by sunrise. They can be counted on to do the
same for you -- so long as you haven't gone and
done anything really horrible to them last
night, you sneaky Geminis.


Alcohoroscopes MRK 2- the stars and your drinking style
brought to you by Quizilla

Note to self

Vox Andruni.

Remember that name. And all it represents. Someday, it will release you.

Pointless

In the larger scheme of things, what's the point to anything?

My life, your life, our little interactions, humanity, the existence of anything. Anything. I mean, it's not like I'm depressed, but this line of thought is pretty sure to get me there! I was born, I live for 70 years and then I cease to exist. What has my time here accomplished? Okay, so I had children and propagated the species, in my own small way. And what has that accomplished? My children will cease to exist one day, too. And even if they didn't die, is there a point to immortality?

I could think that the one way of 'living on' after I'm gone is to contribute something to our combined heritage as a race. Write a book that someone may read many years later, compose music that will stay on in memories, and both these could provide some pleasure to someone at some point; or initiate a movement that betters humanity in some way...I don't know. We still draw from 2000 years of history, maybe I can achieve something in my lifetime that will keep my memory alive.

Then what?

I'm not too sure about the existence of an afterlife, so how will it matter to me after I'm gone? People may remember, they may not. How is it going to change my status? Am I going to be any happier or sadder or any less dead? Will someone thinking highly of me a 100 years later bring me back to life (assuming I even WANTED to come back to life)? I question the existence of everything around me, every little thing, and ask, extremely originally, what's the point of it all? And at the moment, it feels like - nothing.

But there must be a solution. Or supportive therapy, at the very least. I cannot let this thought gnaw at my insides for any length of time. That would just make me unhappy.
Ah.
Happiness.

Here and Now. Here and Now.

This seems to make a smidgeon of sense. If I can live out my life, making it the richest experience I can have, that might seem like a purpose in itself. I'm sure many, many great people have gone down this thought path before. I have just joined it from a side lane. Maybe I could draw from their ideas. Maybe they've crystallised these ideas better and I could read what they've written. I should start, seeing how I've never read a single religious text or a single philosophical treatise in any depth at all. Ever. No time like the present to start, I guess. So, in today's class, we have learnt that my immediate purpose in life is to learn as much as I can, experience even more, and find happiness. Nothing else matters too much and even if it did, it's unlikely to make too much difference in the end.

Give me a place to stand and I shall move the earth.
Give me a purpose, and I shall justify and validate my existence.
Internal Jukebox: Bon Jovi

There's no love, there's no hate
I left them there for you to take
And every word was a piece of my heart

Have I said too much?
Maybe I haven't said enough...
but every word was a piece of my heart.

Tuesday, March 02, 2004

Comfortably Dumb

So I've spent an immensely fulfilling, productive day today.

I've spent close to, oh I don't know, 8 hours browsing blogs. Is it MY fault I do my work (when I actually get to it) very fast, so I have all this free time to muck about with? So let's see - what have we accomplished today?

We have learnt to distinguish the children from the slightly older children, blogwise.

Holy crap - blogs of kids from SE Asia really get to me. Or kids below the age of 14. They have only the faintest idea of the English language. They know the words, but try guessing how they're going to spell them, and you have the lexicographer's worst nightmare. I noe dat eye sumtims sim 2 jujjmentel, but pliisss...gimi a brek!

Not that British/American kids are any better. Dennis Farina in Snatch summed it up beautifully when he said " I thought this country spawned the fuckin' language. So far nobody seems to speak it". Ya go' tha' right, innit? Anyway, Lessen Wun of my hieli produktif dae wuz 2 diffrenciate dis frum dat.

Oh well, children. Forgiven.

There was this highly interesting one about a girl screwing both a girl AND a guy. At different times, of course. Did not know SE Asia had gotten quite so far. My bad.
Have absolutely no idea where this post is going and guess what - I couldn't care less. No, really. I could not.

Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii have become Comfortably Dumb

I have also learnt that simple templates rock. I don't want the bloody page falling apart every time I click on something. I don't need some weird messages scrolling at the bottom of the screen, distracting me from the already painful process of trying to find the little pink words in the multicolored background, lost among all the flowers and fluffy toys I'd be happy to kill one by one. I don't want some cheesy-ass music trying to put me in a good mood, so I'd feel all happy-happy while reading what you did in skool today, who smsed you when and why she's a bitch, if I even get that far. Which I don't. Simple straightforward templates. Beautiful.

But, of course, there was the odd ray of sunshine. Too bad I can't remember any. Funny, how we tend to remember the stuff that pissed us off more than the stuff that made us happy. Or is it just me?

There's that song again...

Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii... have become... Comfortably Dumb
(guitar solo..aaahhhhh!)

Monday, March 01, 2004

Coincidence??

This is weird.

Just two days after I post a big one on the differences between men and women and how they are very basic and fundamental, I read this.

I was partly inspired on the Mars Venus post by a post on another blog. That lady is a very strong believer in karma, fate, the unexplained and the like. I always take her discussions with a pinch of salt and enjoy them because she usually makes a good, logical case. Her next post was about gender divisions and how sexual demarcation is not as clear as we presume.

Exactly how the above article ends.

Coincidence?? Sometimes, I freak myself out.

Original

Does a compulsive henchman with an inferiority complex suffer from a Cronyc disease?

Just struck me while watching, of all things, The Godfather.