Email Evolution

It amuses me the way I have changed my email IDs and services as they have evolved (as I did I). My first ever email ID was back in 1998 when we got our first PC, a Pentium. We were very proud because while people had 486s (the very few people who did have PCs back in those days), we had the new generation Pentium and it boasted a very high RAM of 64MB and an unheard of 4GB hard disk (Who'd ever heard of a GB back then? We believed that that HDD was enough to last us till we existed. How wrong we were!). Back then the internet was pretty rudimentary in India and VSNL was the only provider. I remember the day we got our student account, the unix-based text version. It came with Unix-based mail ID and luckily my bro knew how to work it and pretty soon we were "internet savvy" with the black and white text screens. I was truly proud. The account was in my name because I would remain a student longer than my bro. The ID they'd given us was jayap. :) That was the only internet account in my name.

A year or more later, we got our first TCP/IP account - ramp. And it remained ramp till i was in India last before we migrated to Hathway and it became parasuram. But this post isn't about the internet evolution in me. Its about the email evolution. As with most others of my day and age (I speak like a well-lived veteran), Hotmail was my first email account. A storage space of an "unreachable" 2MB. Who ever heard of emails needing anymore space than that? I still retain my first email ID jollyjaya though my frequency of mailing/checking that account has all but died. And the phenomenon that MSN Messenger was back in college is unforgettable. All of us HCE-ites were MSN savvy and after spending close to 9 hours with each other through the day, we still found the time and energy to actually go online and chat with the very same people. No wonder our parents were perpetually pissed. Not to mention that those days we had just dial-up and there was no question of sneaking online (because of the shrill hisses of the modem) or staying too much on it because of the stupendous phone bills incurred. Indeed, till we got our cable internet, I have been blamed as the root cause of all high phone bills at home.

Then we all got our Yahoo! Ids. But the Yahoo Messenger never kicked in as a favorite as far as I was in India (Now I can't believe we chose MSN over Yahoo). And the Yahoo emails offered more storage space of 5MB. Phenomenal improvement, we all thought and religiously created IDs in every server we'd heard of. Rediffmail gained brief popularity but never really kicked in with me. And then came the phenomenon that still maintains monopoly on my email usage. The God of all Emails - GMail on April 1, 2004. And with it came an unheard of 1GB free storage space. Surely they're kidding? No... they were just starting their dominance. For next, they bought their In Mail chatting, a huge step in sculpting GMail's Email monopoly. And the fact that you couldn't have an account unless you were invited only made it more intriguing. In fact it was very recently that GMail paved way for anyone and everyone to create themselves and ID on their server. Then on April 1st, 2005, they came up with the concept of ever-increasing storage space. This was surely a joke? A Fool's Day ploy? The joke's on anyone who thought so coz GMail is still counting. Along the way they came up with GTalk, yet another utility in close competition to the Messengers. With GMail still counting and the other mail providers trying to provide some competition, we are yet to wait and watch. As consumers, it can only get better for us.

Mozilla Anyone?

How many of you use Mozilla to view webpages and can't see the header of my blog well? And how many of you are actually bothered and would prefer a change? Lemme know.

The Tea Blog

So anyone who knows me knows that I have a big hotspot for chai. But these days I have progressed a little further from chai and experimented with a wide variety of herbal teas as well. So here's a short review of the varieties...

1. Masala Chai


Needs no introduction. Traditionally it is the only variety that is made with milk. There are a million recipes to make masala chai online. My favorite 'masala' is the one that my Patti makes at home. Its the typical blend of a bunch of spices (cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, etc) and is perfect when added to the boiling tea powder. No more on this one. Need a recipe? Take a look at Priya's blog. Navigate around and fin more than one variety of chai.

2. Green Tea

Green Tea is traditional Chinese Tea and is usually drunk black (well, actually yellow). It is a wonderfully soothing flavor and has just the right blend of being tangy and tasty. It is absolutely delectable when had with honey and lemon. And from my experience, green tea is a definite energy booster. It can keep you awake and active for hours. And the flavor of green tea has caught on so much that it is now disguised in many packages. The Green Tea frappuccino at Starbucks is a great option for those who like it cold. And if you manage to get to an Asian restaurant, try the Green Tea icecream. Just perfect.

3. Wu Long Tea

This is traditionally Chinese as well. By itself, Wu Long is very strong in flavor and maybe a little bitter to the untrained palate. And as with most Chinese brews, the more you steep the more bitter it becomes. When taken with honey and lemon, the taste improves phenomenally. Wu Long is supposed to be a major boost of metabolism. From my experience however, I think Green Tea is more energizing than Wu Long. Wu Long is excellent for digestion of food however and cleanses the body and is a rich source of antioxidants and has proven to increase the free radicals in the body. So, it is a definite healthy choice. Feeling heavy after a meal? No problem.. have a glass of wu long.

4. SleepyTime Tea

This was a recent discovery of mine. I tried it last night just before I got into bed. This is another traditional blend of typical ingredients like chamomile (for soothing) and spearmint to create a calming sensation. The box recommends taking it in bed literally and dropping off to sleep. Maybe because I expected something like a sleeping pill effect, I was a little wary of it. But once I took it, I could sense the warmth spreading through me. It had the effect of nearly idling my mind and with the right situation, I may as well have drifted into sleep. But then someone chose to blare horn at that exact moment and the spell was broken. It took me the typical 20-30 minutes to fall back into sleep after that. But its worth a shot and I will give it a try once more tonight.

Having a whole lot of natural tea is certain way of boosting the antioxidants in the blood. And whoever said a lot of tea was bad for health? If anyone's tried any other form of tea and would like to recommend it, please leave me a comment. Brew away and relax. :)

Eavesdropped...

Overheard about me - "She's a little quiet. But she's a lot of fun once you draw her out from her shell." ROTFL.

The Tarun

This is the word incessantly stuck in my vocabulary for the past one week to be precise. For this is when, my precious little nephew Tarun came into this world, at 5:29 AM PST to be precise on Tuesday, the 26th June, 2007. To know more about the Tarun's activities as soon as he was out, check out http://insideram.blogspot.com/2007/07/laa-laa-laa.html. The Tarun Talks. (Thru his dad ofcourse) .

Working la manière française

The French get on an avaerage 5 weeks of paid vacation per year. But ofcourse I knew that. In fact I thought they all get 8 weeks (according to a trusted source)! So, check this video out. The poor over-worked workforce out here in the US.
http://www.yahoo.com/s/617194

The new 7 wonders of the world

There's been all this hype about voting for the new 7 wonders of the world after the ancient ones, 2200 years later. And as of now there are 5 days remaining to vote. There's a lot of hulla-gulla in India that the Taj is being voted out. For the population that our country has and for the number of internet-savvy younger generation, its shocking for this to happen.

Here's the site: http://www.new7wonders.com/index.php. You need to register to vote. Go ahead and cast your vote for the Taj Mahal, a true and everlasting symbol of love, right on our Indian soil. The results are going to be disclosed on the historic date of 07-07-07. Lets vote us in!

A hearty brunch

How many times has it happened that you're really hungry but you don't want to cook elaborately and don't want to eat junk either. The solution to this is what I call a Spanish omelette (maybe thats what others call it too) and this is something thats filling, tasty and takes under 10 minutes to prepare. (And no, MindBlogging hasn't become a food blog).

Ingredients:
1. 1/8 diced capsicum
2. 1/8 diced onion
3. Few pieces of diced tomato
4. 1 chilli finely chopped
5. 2 large eggs well beaten
6. A smattering of milk
7. Salt and pepper to taste

How:
1. Just mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and pour over a non-stick pan which has been medium heated and cover the top with a lid.
2. While you're doing this, pop in 2 slices of bread in your toaster.
3. After a couple of minutes just as th ebread gets done, lift the cover to see that the omelette has started rising. This is a good cue to turn it over. Many amateurs tend to mess at this part because of the uncooked egg on top and the veggies floating on it. Tip: Use two spatulas if required to turn it over gracefully.
Important: The egg has to cook well or you may fall ill.
Once both sides are done, serve with bread and a tall glass of OJ for a delicious, yet hearty Sunday brunch. :)

The result: (Mine looked better and more colorful! )



Keep handy: A piece of gum to chew once you're done! Enjoy!!

Ode to June!

With this post to mark the occasion, its 32 posts to June... Woo hoo!! Keep MindBlogging rocking you folks!

Sivaji - The BOSS

As a rule, I dont think any review does any justice to Thalaivar movies. First things first, leave the logic behind on a barcalounger. And then enjoy the movie! Its a total blast! And its Thalaivar start to finish though appreciable lengths of roles have been given to Vivek and Shriya. I am not going to give a long review. Here are somethings I thought were absolutely worth mentioning -

1. Thalaivar. But ofcourse!! He is smashing and doesn't look his age ANYWHERE. He'll put younger heros to shame no problem with his agility and stature. He is incredible and looks awesome even upclose. And in Oru koodai sunlight, his colour has been whitened so convincingly, its totally worth it. This is not a typical Rajini movie with a bunch of punch dialogues et al. Watch it to see what I mean.

2. Vivek. Ode to the guy, man! Fantastic comic timing and sharing as much screen space as Thalaivar, Vivek simply doesn't disappoint. Soo many of his cracks left the audience roaring with laughter from start to finish. Asked to put Sivaji in a genre, I would probably put in a comedy genre. A through n through family movie.

3. The colors and costumes - The costumes are from Manish Malhotra and with a heroine like Shriya, it was a job well-done. She looks stunning in a fabulous array of attires designed for her. The sets are stupendous and the sheer colour in the movie is worth the mention. There's every single colour of the rainbow. Mindblowing!

All in all, its a thorough entertainer that anyone loves Tamil movies MUST watch. Rajini is stupendous in this and it is not the biased Rajini fan in me who's talking. The comedy is unsurpassable and the theme is great too. Shankar has kept it purely as a superstar movie and has spared no expense in bringing it to the pubic. Super!! Watch it. Watch it. WATCH IT.

~Ratatouille~

Serving: One portion of Ratatouille (Ra-ta-too-ee)

Chefs: Disney/Pixar

Verdict: D-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s

Its Disney-Pixar's latest and following on legends like Incredibles, Cars, Ants, Toy Story and what not, it doesn't disappoint in the least. The movie is about a rat, Remy who aspires to be a chef and is excellent at it, being inspired from the legendary chef, Gusteau who claims and writes a book "Anyone can cook", but recently died from the heartbreak of losing a star on the ratings. Remy is a cut above the rest of the rats.. he smells, identifies and relishes tastes and smells. He discovers the true culinary delights when he mixes a piece of strawberry and a slice of cheese. And thats when he knows that he has to be a chef. Through a mixup he arrives at Gusteaus own restaurant and thats when he realizes that he is in the culinary capital of the world, Paris.

Through a quirk of fate he is thrown together with the garbage boy at Gusteau's, Linguini who was trying to ruin a soup even as Remy glorified it and the former claimed all the credit quite unknowingly. The chef there is a sultry, selfish French man who looks forward to taking over the restaurant as Gusteau had no heir (till he discovers that Linguini is the son of Gusteau, a fact that Linguini himself doesnt know). Remy and Linguini reach an interesting arrangement where the rat sits under the chef's hat and puppets his hands into making some of the most delicious range of delicacies that anyone's ever tasted. The reputation of the restaurant improves phenomenally and the critics rave about the place, all thanks to the golden hands of Linguini who falls in love with the Sous chef, Collete. When asked for his inspiration, he shamelessly attributes it to his new-found love while the rat is thoroghly pissed. But ofcourse.

So the movie continues. There's a complication towards the end as the celebrated critic Anton Ego threatens to shut the restaurant down if it doesnt meet his exceptionally high standards. The movie is funny though not downright hilarious. The animations are brilliant. The comic timing great and the theme, ingenious. Who'd have thought that the unlikely combination of a rat and a chef would make for such a fantastic movie? Its absolutely yummy and the scenes are fantastic. If you are an animated movie fan, even remotely, this is a must-watch. Truly delectable for the right palate. Ok ok.. sorry for all the food puns... it is irresistably mouthwatering even with rats in it!!!

Blog vs. Diary

I have always been a Diary person.. or so I thought. In fact one of my very first posts here began with a Dear Di.. Its been about 2 years since then (or maybe a year and a half.. I can't remember and I m too lazy to go back n check). But I've come a long way in terms of blogging. From being the person who thought - how can someone blog their innermost thoughts to blogging 5 times a day - I HAVE come a long way.

But as I have entailed this journey, there are a few things I have noticed (as must a million others) - there are key differences between a diary and a blog. They are mutually exclusive for one - I can't imagine writing all of these blog posts in a diary and I can't imagine writing what I do in a diary as a blog. I guess the blog has your outer-most thoughts and the diary the innermost. The blog is what you WANT to share while it is unimaginable with your diary. Maintaining both may one day drive me crazy.. yet, here I am with my second entry of the day!

Cheers to both form for helping me keep my sanity as I drive others insane!

Movies on my mind

Being summer, there's always looooooads to expect in terms of movies... Here are some of which you as readers are definitely going to get my visesh tippani on...

1) Sivaji - The BOSS (I finally get to see it tomorrow)
2) Ratatouille - Have been waiting for this movie ever since I saw the first trailers back when Shrek III came out- This is going to be one of Disney-Pixar's bests... I can just feel it.
3) Live Free or Die Hard - I hear Bruce Willis is absolutely smashing in this sequel of the Die Hard movies and whats more - its PG-13? So no swearing I guess, unlike its predecessors.
4) Transformers - The next Spielberg movie and anyone who is someone in the ad industry is using the Transformers idea to make catchy ads. I especially like the Mountain Dew's ad. See it here.
5) 1408 - The Stephen King novel based horror thriller. I have been a fan of horror movies though I watch it through a window my fingers create over my eyes. But this title is especially intriguing coz it has the magic numbers - 14's my Bday and 8's my bro's. So its a must-see.
6) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - I don't think anyone who has ever read my blog will need an expansion to this title - this remains one of the movies I am DYING to watch.
7) Being Jane - Its Jane Austen's life story. Being a big Jane Austen fan, it will be fascinating to see how her life is and supposedly a clandestine love story in her own life inspired many of her great classic stories.

And many many more to come... Coming soon.

The Wonder Years

As time has passed, I have realized that the 20s in most people's lives is the Golden Era. In many ways. Its the time when you pass out of your bachelors, having hopefully collected a handful of very keep-able friends, a time you may pursue higher study, your first job.. Sooner than later, your wedding that ushers in an entirely different era... The birth of a baby, not necessarily your own (could be a sibling's), lavishing presents on the little one, being pampered by your own special someone, giving back your parents what they undoubtedly deserve, facing challenge after challenge at work, traveling like crazy, new places, new people, new things all the time, your first car, your own first home and a million other things. This realization truly makes me wanna celebrate and cherish the golden era of my life forever.

I could be rich?!

I have a copy of 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' somewhere in my bookshelf in India. What I have could potentially be a gold mine.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/Entertainment/Showbiz/2007/06/27/4293775-sun.html

Talk about weird people willing to fling huge sums of money for virtually nothing!

My Legacy.. My roots.. My grandpa

Here is the link to the sequence of posts my bro has written. Its a brilliantly written bunch of posts which carve out the life of my paternal grandfather (I barely remember him. I was a year old when he passed away). I could never have written anything like this for lack of knowledge. But I am proud of my roots. Here's the link to the last post on my grandfather which links to the first 3.

http://insideram.blogspot.com/2007/06/grandfather-remembered-iv-finale-all.html

A Mighty Heart

I saw the Larry King show sometime last week. Angelina Jolie was on it talking about her latest movie, 'A Mighty Heart' which is based on true-life incidents that happened to the journalist, Daniel Pearl (who was beheaded by the Pakistan terrorists) in 2002. I remember it creating a huge splash. I even remember vaguely that the actual video of the beheading was aired on the internet before it was banned and a few million people had already seen it. The movie is based on the book by the same name written by Mariane Pearl, the wife of Daniel Pearl. I was intrigued as I watched the LK show and immediately bought the book online, knowing that the movie was releasing on Friday. I am a strict believer of reading the book before seeing the movie. The book got here on Thursday evening and without further ado I delved into it. This post is a review of both the book and the movie.

Book review - A Mighty Heart - By Mariane Pearl

I expected it to be a poignant, heart-wrenching story of sorts but was taken aback by how objectively it was written. It was a narration of events for most part and has admirable details of dates, events and names. After a while, all the names start melding into one another because they are all Islamic names with 2-3 names to one person (eg. Omar Saeed Sheikh). Mariane Pearl was obviously not fascinated by the Indian subcontinent as her book continually indicates spoke much about the "filthy" conditions, begging children and what not. Writing about how she would need to experience a place like India would completely negate the point of the review. So, sweeping right past, the book does its work in making you feel her apprehensions, her pain , her anxiety as an expectant mom waiting for any news from her kidnapped husband day after day after day. She and her Indian-born, US-raised Muslim friend, Asra are the highlights of the home-based involvement in finding Danny. They set up fort at Asra's home in Karachi as they wire telephones, comb Dannys computer for information, colloborate with the FBI, the Pakistani police force and what not. It also conveys the horror on the day she finds out that he "didnt make it" and how she is so dignified in the way she copes with it. Amid all this is Captain, the Pakistani CID chief, who is almost waging a one-man battle to help find Danny. His involvement in the case is spectacular and he does everything in his might to try and find the man.. alive. The book is for her son Adam, who was born a few months later. So he can know that is father was not a hero, just an ordinary man who tried to fight and survive what happened to him under extra ordinary circumstances. The book concludes with a collection of letters written by people world-over to Mariane and her son, Adam about how brave Danny must've been to how brave Mariane is.

Reading the book most certainly paves way to understand the movie, which otherwise might be just a wee-bit confusing.

The movie

I must hand it over to director, Winterbottom for making what is the most dedicated version of the book as a movie. This is the movie that has stuck most to the book from what I have seen. From the way Jolie's (who plays Mariane) wedding costume actually matches Mariane's (found on the jacket of the book), to the French-accented English to the very dialogues, it does justice to the book all the way. Mariane Pearl couldnt have asked for more. Angelina Jolie has performed her class and is sure as hell to receive atleast an Oscar nomination for her performance. I think she peaks when she portrays Mariane's reaction to the news of Danny's death. She screams agonizingly loud and pained and you can feel her pain. The other actors in the movie have also to be commended. Dan Futterman (who plays Daniel Pearl) is a close fit and does a great job. But more commendable is Irfan Khan (who plays Captain). he has done a wonderful job of portraying the character just as Mariane portrays him in her book. All in all, I think the movie is certainly worth a watch though the first half, which is a lead up to the actual sequence of events is a bit of a drag, the second half makes up for it. Can watch.. surely atleast once.

Funny Google

I randomly tried getting directions from Ames, IA to Europe. Look what Google thought I should do to get there. Its funny. :)

Brainiacs?

The Japanese have made a device that sits like a crown on your head. This wirelessly connects to a toy train and by merely thinking about something, you can move the train! Welcome to the technology that's going to make remote controls obsolete. Apparently, the "crown" detects changes in blood flow or something up in your brain. So blood rushes to certain parts of your brain when you try to say mentally calculate something and rushes out when you stop. As enticing as all of this sounds and as successful as the demonstrations have been, makes me wonder - what happens if a people have many different thoughts at once. What if whiole you compute 1235 x 12, you think that you have to buy a carton of a milk, pay your credit bill and do your laundry for instance? Who knows... I bet these guys have all the right answers.. Read all about this innovation here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070622/ap_on_hi_te/japan_brain_remote

Hilary's campaign

I havent been following the Sopranos. But I do know that they ended the 10 year series or something with a blank screen - all in suspense, much to the consternation of many and admiration of many others. So what did Hillary do here? She created a campaign based on this and the estimated viewership for this video is 500,000 people as of the day it released. Thats certainly not less. As politics takes to the internet, things are bound to get more colorful. Check the campaign video out here. Good old Bill's on it too.

Back to Square 1... Almost

Its just over a week since I resolved not to bite my nails. I looked down at them and was I imagining it? Tiny nails were starting to appear over the top of my badly abused fingernails. Out of sheer joy, I bit them. Well, not all of them.. but some. But I am getting there. In 7 months, I will be there.

~Potter Mania~

I don't know about you, but I am a huuuuge Harry Potter fan.. That means that July is the most exciting month of the summer, hell, maybe even the year! Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the 5th installment of the movies is all set to release on July 11th and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the 7th and last installment of the book series comes out a week later. As a prep-up to receiving these two huge additions to my already Harry-muddled brain, I started reading the HP books from the IVth one onwards (considering I know the other 3 pretty well and all the details that are going to be in the movie and the book transcend them) and I am currently in the last few pages of the Order of the Phoenix. Though I hated Half-blood prince, I am going to have a go at it again to read between lines and strengthen the theories I already have formed for what should be happening in the final book. I remember the conversation I had with my bro, the day after Half blood prince had come out and we'd both read it. Itw as our most animated discussion after many many years. For all you HP fans who want a sneak preview of anything HP-ish, visit MindBlogging right after.. you won't be disappointed!

Thalaivar - The BOSS!

Check out these dual interviews by Thalaivar on Sivaji - the BOSS. All in dass-buss englees.. Check it out!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwwFTFRRSnw

Winds of change?

I found a link to this article in Aravind's blog. As I read through it, I realized how true it was. I am one of these new generation Indians who definitely wants to return and soon at that. Whenever I read such articles or see something thats so heart-wrenchingly patriotic, only one song comes to my mind, the one in Swades - Yeh Jo des hai mera. No other song has captured the Indian spirit better. Go India!!!

Knocked Up

This is the second movie from the same guy who made 40-year-old virgin that shot Steve Carrel into the limelight. The plot is typical.. Rich, sophisticated girl, Allison (Katherine Heigl of Grey's Anatomy fame) gets together with rogue and drinking-time-away wastrel, Ben (Seth Rogen). Its a typical story of one-night-stand gone bad and Allison ends up pregnant. But whats different is that she amazingly decides to keep the baby. And the rest of the movie is a comic relief as to how a wasted man shirks his drinking, pot etc and rises to the moment - to becomea DAD.

The humor is much on the same lines as 40 year old.. a bit adult, a bit weird, a bit uncomfortable, but all time-pass nevertheless. Overall, the movie was just a normal flick, something a guy could watch and be happy too (sort of a chick-slick) but with more guy-like humor in it. There were a couple of gross scenes up in the end and a few gross dialogues... but then we've come to expect that from this director. The verdict: The perfect solution to melt away 2 hours when you have absolutely nothing else to do on a Sunday Afternoon.

Nancy Drew

This is going to be my shortest movie review ever. In one short sentence - I don't think the makers of the movie read even ONE of the Nancy Drew books. Its a pretty bad movie and I wouldn't recommend anyone who even had free tickets to watch it. A total let-down, very incongruous, pretty dumb, totally unworthy movie... If anyone needs elaborations, watch it for yourself :)

The Solitary Reaper

Next to Glove and the Lions, this is my favorite poem.

Behold her, single in the field
Yon solitary highland lass!
Reaping and singing by herself
Stop here, or gently pass!
Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
and sings a meloncholy strain;
O listen! for the vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound.

No nightingale did ever chaunt
More welcome notes to weary bands
Of travellers in some shady haunt,
Among arabian sands.
A voice so thrilling ne'er heard
in springtime from the cuckoo bird.
Breaking the silence of the seas
Among the farthest hebrides.

Will no one tell me what she sings?
Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow
For old, unhappy, far-off things,
And battles long ago.
Or is it some more humble lay
Familiar matter of today?
Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain
That has been or may be again?

Whate'er the theme, the maiden sang
As if her song could have noending;
I saw her singing at work
And o'er the sickle bending.
I listened, motionless and still;
And, as I mounted up the hill.
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.

-- William Wordsworth

There's something about Paris

Honestly... whats with this place? Every newscast I have tuned into the past week, every news page I have opened, everywhere and anywhere, there's Paris Hilton splashed across the pages, either in full made-up glory at some high profile red-carpet event or tear-stained inside the sheriff's car. Whats the big deal? If you are one of those people who dont live around the US (and I'd be amazed if it still didnt make your local papers), all you need to do is google it!. Surely there are bigger crimes, definitely more important things happening in the world, a lot more major occurences - congolomerates coming together, a homicide, hell, even a genocide. So, why's everyone hung up on Paris? Why is everyone soo hell-bent that she serve her sentence in the propriety blah blah. How does this affect anyone on a personal level? I would be enraged if I had been given a harsher sentence for the exact same crime - the people with that much give and take on this can be forgiven. But I bet that they form less than 0.05% of the whole uproar thats been on. Whats soo fascinating about the rich n famous? And why is it that if she so much as glances somewhere its news? And every channel or page that remotely has news has capatilized on this with tons of photographers lined up so they can splash one of the gazillion pics of Paris behind bars and sell it to the public that apparently has nothing better to do. Grow up, people.

Nail it.

Today I have finally decided that this is it. This is where I stop biting my nails. I want to have very pretty nails 8 months from now and I am the only person who can do anything about it. So far, I have grown my nails 4 times overall in my life and each time I have ended up biting out far more than I grew. But I am a mature, responsible adult and I have the necessary will-power to give this filthy habit up. This blog will remind me of the public oath I am taking to keep the biting away. I have quit. I am a fighter. :)

The iPhone

Unless you've been locked away in Mars, you have probably by now heard all about the iPhone.. All about Apple's battle with Cisco for the name, blah blah. And if you haven't already checked out the pretty cool ad campaign for the iPhone check out a sample here. Sure.. this is the next best thing to hit the cell phone industry. Ever. Its unbelievable as to what all features have been included in a handheld device and with such magnificent colour and splendour. Its a first and it will be spoken about a long long time. But finally, above all it is a phone. How many normal people who are not gizmo-gadget freaks or of the younger generation or both and are reasonably rich (its minimum $499) are going to get this? I don't know. But I am sure that Apple will make back everything it wanted. There are enough of us techno-maniacs in the world for that. I read this article which compared an iPod to the iPhone (thats the title of the article though it really doesn't dwell too much on the comparison) and thought it was worth the read. The only thing I didnt get was why they were comparing a mere function of the iPhone to the whole purpose of existance of the iPod. People have been talking with whatever knowledge they have all over the place about it. And so the world waits with bated breath. Coming soon on June 29th. The iPhone.

~Officially done~

It was truly fun.. Meeting friends, taking that last walk across the podium - THE WALK, for all those photo opportunities that freeze a frame of time in eternity, for moving that tassle from the right to the left... for throwing that hat up in the air... for all our efforts that have paid off.. Congrats Class of 2007 at the University of Cincinnati. We did it!!! :)

Something to cheer about..

Those AIDS figures in India were all wrong! We aren't that high up the ladder.. Yoo hoo!

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/07/world/asia/07cnd-aids.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5087%0A&em&en=5d4b5d161712f209&ex=1181361600

Interesting business reads

I am shocked at myself.. Me n business are at opposite poles of the world. But I chanced on this article and it was good. Give it a shot:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/10/business/10money.html?em&ex=1181361600&en=8b0faac7d65e0c58&ei=5087%0A

And having read that, here is a follow-up article which pretty much says what all comebacks you came up with.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/02/business/02money.html?em&ex=1181361600&en=d28d5632ec5380a4&ei=5087%0A

He did push the "buy used things" bit way too much.. But still.. the rest of it is worthwhile. :)

Happiness

A matter of perspective:

“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go” - Oscar Wilde

Hell's Kitchen

So its on again, one of my favourite reality shows - Hell's Kitchen. And like anyone else who likes the show I like it because of the acerbic hero of television, the badshah of boorishness, Gordan Ramsey. Its shockingly caustic the way he treats his "probables". But thats what makes an otherwise normal cookery show very interesting. It was the season premiere last night and the chef already had a huge man called Aaron weeping like a baby. When the show began, in 'lone-time' with Chef Ramsey, he promised that he wouldn't shout, scream or verbally abuse people. I almost fell off my chair. That would ruin the whole show (for people like me). And then he said "Who am i kidding? Welcome to Hell's Kitchen". It almost put a wry smile on my face. Hell has just begun for these people. Now there's something to look forward to Mondays (talk about a mundane existence!)

Now running...

With an hour's bus travel each way, there's a lot of music in my life. The i-pod is not overrated. Its every bit as good or so I think. Thanks da :)

My first road trip

Finally, I had done it.. My longest drive ever... all by myself. I drove from Ames, Iowa to Waukesha, Wisconsin... Its not much; its the next state; its barely 365 miles. But it was my first and it was memorable. I'd asked for a bright car to beat the gloomy day.. here's what I got.. bright alright... But somewhere within the first 50 miles, I wished I'd asked for a better equipped car.. this one has roll-down windows and non-key-less entry.. But it was still memorable... Fighting with the FM transmitter while driving, listening to some clueless radio, hoping the next 50 miles would just melt away, it was all an experience that I'll forever remember. My first road trip.

The classic "bulb"

How long has it been since we've heard the phrase "bulb adichuten", the Madras lingo for "mera popat ho gaya" or simply put, an ungloriously "dumb" moment (I am not able to find the right words to describe it!)

It happened to me over the weekend.. It wasn't embarassing. It was just funny. We were at a glorious buffet lunch in Milwaukee downtown. Nithya and I were analyzing the delicacies in front of us and I am not going to go into how yumm the food was. But there was Pani Puri and after a few failed attaempts, I located the "meeta chutney" or the tamarind sauce which according to me defines the taste of the pani puri. I had already held up the growing queue behind me, having fussed over many things. Nithya was standing in front of me and was attempting to pour the chutney into each of 3 puris. And I could sense the glare of the giril behind me. I looked at Nithya hurriedly and said - "Freeyavidu, Moraikara." loosely translated as "Forget it, she's glaring." Imagine my shock when the girl chirps in pure ABCD accent "Moraikalai." = "Nope, I m not glaring." Shocked as we were, Nithya and I laughed it away and practically dropped the ladle and ran for our table! It was hilarious. You should've been there.

The rest of lunch was ofcourse spent skirting around the girl's table and running a marathon past it, etc. And they happened to leave at the same time as we did. We were so tickled that we had to get Ram to bring the car from the parking lot to us coz we couldnt keep a straight face. An ode to the classic "bulb" I say!

Blackle

How many of you have heard about Blackle? Its a google search engine.. yes I know thats redundant.. (Black + Google = Blackle) But the interface is in black as opposed to the white screen that google has. When you visit Blackle, don't forget to check out the About Blackle link which gives the simple story that led to its creation. And a black screen apparently saves power... Makes me wonder.. Should I change my blog pages to a darker shade? I would appreciate suggestions.

Max Posts!

May'07 is the leading month for my posting at MindBlogging! Its at 14 posts this month, which is almost a post every 2 days... I surpass myself. Wow :) (Ofcourse u cud attribute it to the teensy-weensy posts like this one and a coupla others!) But then, cheers to the blog!

Here Wii Is....

I had the opportunity to play with Wii last evening, thanks to my housemate. And in case you haven't heard about Wii or need more information, go here. Its Nintendo's answer to the X-Box and any other contemporaries I am not aware of. The thing that makes Wii different is what you all must already know by now.. That it reacts to you. That the 'joystick' is actually a wireless controller that signals to a sensor that you attach to your TV. And then the magic begins.

The controller is impressively responsive and sensitive and reacts to the slightest twirls on your hand. What makes it more fab is that for certain games , like boxing for example, it has an auxillary connector unit, making the whole thing funciton like a nanchuk. Its tremendous fun and I had the opportunity to play Tennis (you have hold your controller as the racquet and literally make those backhands, volleys and slices to win points), Golf (the controller becomes yr club), Baseball, Bowling and even Boxing! Was unbelievable fun and more exercise than any other video game can offer. Indeed after 20 minutes of boxing, I can barely lift my hands above my shoulders today... Excellent workout ;) (For the lazy ones like me).

The games themselves are great fun and imagination is the limit. The ones I saw were all 2D normal games, nothing elaborate. No level-after-level gaming like say Super Mario etc (yet). But there must definitely be more than what I was able to experience. I guess one might think its a tad overpriced... but with new innovations, honestly, sky's the limit. Brushing with such technology has always made me wonder, whats awaiting us? Will it be a mini-imax of sorts projecting 3-D images to your walls maybe? Wii will wait n watch. For now, welcome to the newer generation of gaming.

Pirates of the Carribean - At world's end

Major spoiler alert!

When you are in a town like Ames, its the best time to catch up on alllllll the latest flicks considering there isnt much else to do.. But that wasn't the reason I saw Pirates the night it released. The reason was the trilogy (or so I think) itself! So, me n my housemate gallavanted over to the theatres for the 8:40PM show. And lucky we went 40 minutes early coz when we entered, the theatre was almost packed to capacity. We did manage to find excellent seats though.

So, the movie begins almost where it left off... the quest to find Jack Sparrow. He's dead and put away in Davy Jone's locker. I am not going to go too much into the plot itself. But as the East India Company capture the pirates and hang them for, well, piracy, the dying ones start the pirate song. And the song when sung in distress echoes across the 9 coins of 8 belonging to the 9 pirate kings. I won't reveal anymore at this point. So, Jack as it happens has been locked away in Davy Jone's locker and so the crew that abandoned him go back to fetch him. Jack's intro itself is an unnecessarily close shot of his nose (so much so that u can see the pores on his nose - eew... Ok, We all love Johnny Depp.. but not THAT much :D ). And then comes an unbelievable sequence with stone crabs. I give whoever thought of it full marks for imagination, but it did get a li'l weirdly boring here.

After Jack is back, they have to escape the locker.. And this sequence of the movie is completely delightful. The cinematography, the visual effects and everything else was purely brilliant as they make their escape. As the movie twists and turns with each person in the crew having his/her own motive (Will - wanting to rescue his dad; Elizabeth having wanted to rescue Jack out of guilt at first and then get together with Will; Barbusa wanting the Black Pearl and its crew ofcourse; Jack wanting to retain the Black Pearl, to name a few), it takes one through a journey through the unbelievable pirate life. Davy Jones is captured by the East India company, now ruled by Capn Beckett, a ruthless 'businessman' who gets to capture Jack and Will individually and sets them free for good deals he thinks he has made. The Dutchman, the ship captained by Davy Jones with the sea creatures (which has one day in land and 10 years at sea) has to have a captain at all times. So the person who killed Davy Jone's heart in that chest would have to give his heart up and be chained with the ship forever. This forms the crux of the movie towards the second half.

As it progresses, you realize that neither Will nor Jack have as much a say or do in the movie as Elizabeth. This is her movie throughout, from being crowned the 'King' at the Pirate Shipwreck Brethren to being named Captain of the Singapore Pirate crew. But this is sort of the pattern. The Curse of the Black Pearl was through and through Jack Sparrow, and the Dead Man's Chest was a whole lot of Will. So, this one was a tribute to Elizabeth. The last sequence of the maelstrom at sea was a bit too long and dragged unceremoniously with a lot of haggling between pirates and typically dumb east india company folks, and with some melodrama such as Will and Liz getting married amidst all that fighting all the way to a climax no one really expected.

Pros

1) The plot - everything was woven in so well

2) The comic timing that Jack has

3) Return of Barbusa

4) Incredible fight sequences and fantastic cinematography

5) Last but certainly not the least - Jack's dad (!!!) from whom he's gotten his obvious dressing style! And whats most interesting is that the character is played by Keith Richards, the famous Rolling Stones guitarist from whom Depp himself claimed to have inspired many of Sparrow's characteristics!! - Excellent casting and very fitting!

Cons

1) The length of the movie

2) Unnecessary drags at many points which may have helped retain all the interest and reduce the length of the movie.

All in all, if you loved the first two movies, you are sure to like this one as well. There is no doubt about that. But as in most trilogies, I maintain that Pirates-I was the best for the sheer originality of the concept. And as we got exposed to more, our expectations rose that much more and not too many movie sequels have stood up to that. But for the length of the movie, this is a good follow-up to the two movies and has excellent contiguity to its peers and provides an unexpected closure to the series. At the same time, because they gave it a slightly loose ending, I wouldnt be surprised if a year later they came up with a Pirates IV. Definitely worth a watch.

American Idol

Warning: If you haven't seen Idol yet and you don't want to know the winner, don't read!

So, today was the finale of the American Idol. I must admit I got quite used to watching it week after week and to have closure, ofcourse I had to see the finale. The two hour finale was obviously just an advertisement gimmick because the performances were over and to announce the results would have taken all of 20 seconds. For those who didn't know but do care, the finale was between 17-year-old (they never never let you forget that) Jordin Sparks and beat-boxing wonder, Blake Lewis. After yesterday's performances, I was quite certain that talent-wise Jordin had to win. But seeing Blake's popularity carry him soo far, I wouldnt have been really surprised if he had won either. As it happened, the just audience prevailed and Jordin won!

A few observations I made - over the days, the audience had proved themselves as worthy judges of talent (even if they sort out Simon's acerbic comments to make their decisions). The most amazing result was in the round of three, when I thought Melinda was her perfectionist best and got eliminated! That was due to Blake's sheer popularity. However, the audience does seem to vote wisely going by the no of Emmy-Grammy and Oscar winners from years of preceding shows.

Well it was a season filled with hysterical performances from the audition stage right upto the final show. It was a season where Sanjaya gained undue popularity. He had a performance at the finale and he made that girl cry again (Check here if you dont know about the cry-baby). Its almost like they paid her and poured glycerin down her eyes.. I mean whats there to CRY? Gosh! Anyways, it was a fitting result. Jordin fully deserved to win and was clearly the better singer though Blake was the better performer and mass-wooer. But after all, Idol is a singing competition.

For all you TV junkies, there's a lot to look forward to - 'So you think you can dance' and 'Hell's Kitchen' are starting soon.

No. 100

Hi All,

Thank you for soliciting my blog so.. This entry is No. 100 for MindBlogging! Cheeeeeeers!!!!!! Its a milestone with many more to surpass. I wanted to make this entry special. Couldn't think of anything dramatic. So, I leave you with a poem I scribbled this morning.

Change.

As time goes by ever so fast
Makes one wonder if anything does last?
Why sometimes then does it sting..
And they say change is a good thing..

Memories shuffle in my heart
Fond thoughts surely it does bring..
Of days from which we've been torn apart
And they say change is a good thing..

Its the only constant in our life,
Putting an end to all that strife
Of lost friends and forgotten flings
Is change really a good thing?

A brand new morning every day
Vast horizons to spread our wings
And make the most in every way
Change is really a good thing

New beginnings like fresh breeze
Fill life's kaleidoscopes with fond memories
Makes my heart want to sing
Change is really a good thing.

Love before first sight?

Disclaimer: The views in this blog are solely my own.. Its not meant to hurt or disrespect anyone's sentiments. Also, I am not giving any form of "how-to-find-love-online-advice". So don't ask me for any. Just kick-back, relax and read forward..

I have been meaning to write this post for quite sometime now.. To start with.. how many of you believe in love-at-first-sight? I am sorry to disappoint you.. but I am not one of those die-hard romantics who does. In fact I am cynical about the whole thing because I believe that at first sight what you at the most feel is an electric attraction to the looks of the person which I personally don't classify as "love". That it may blossom into something beautiful in future... that you may cherish it years ahead, that it was 'just-right', etc doesn't count here.

But coming to the modern world... how many of you believe in love-before-first-sight as I've coined it? This is the age of 'internet-love', where MySpace, Orkut etc. are the best matrimonials that singles can themselves rely on... Having truly witnessed many such unions between people who didnt know each other from Adam, I can tell you it exists and its true. And in many ways, I feel that its more real than love-at-first-sight. Its a purely mental connection that happens and you like the person for who he/she portrays themselves to be. Its not physical (hopefully) and you share similar interests (hoping more so) etc. But this is the deception point as far as I am concerned. This way of finding love has sooo many holes in its fabric that you're lucky if you find anything pseudo to true-love. What if the person is sooooo not what they claimed to be? What if their tiny thumbnail picture on their profile was one moment of surreally great photography? What if they lied about anything from their hobbies/interests to their educational/family background? There are sooo many 'what ifs'. Yet, how are these hundreds of people finding love?

I'll tell you when love-before-first-sight has the best chance of working..

1) Timing is everything - The people involved definitely need to be the right age and 'marriage material' - What may not have worked on a girl even 6 months ago may as well work for someone who "tried" right now coz she is all ready to 'settle-down'

2) A little bit of genuinity - Lies ain't gonna build no love castle... All the stuff people say better ring true

3) Taking it beyond the scrapping - No love stories are truly built around the initiator engines.. The stories have to transcend these boundaries into the IMs - Yahoo!, MSN, GTalk or whatever works for you and then on, you'll be surprised at how similar the process is to the typical matrimonial engines themselves. (Except you arranged it for yourself! )

And so on... you get the idea...

So, how many of you believe in love-before-first-sight? I do....

The Loner in Me.

I never knew she existed,

For me to pry and see

She emerged from the shadows,

The Loner in me.

A movie here, a dinner there..

And a drink maybe,

She went by herself everywhere

The Loner in me.

T'was all an experience,

Different from being chirpy

Was all so new and hence,

The Loner in me.

The seeds were sown

And now, I feel oh-so-grown

Am glad I set free..

The Loner in me.

Shrek the Third

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

So it was the day of release and this month is the month of III segments.. first Spidey, now Shrek and next week Pirates... Ofcourse I had to check out Shrek the Third and offer my vishesh tippani on the movie. Without further ado, I m going to jump into the review..

I thought the movie was great... It was great follow-up and sheerly to live up to the legendary Part I and pretty good part II was a phenomenal part. I thought Shrek III was a worthy sequel and thoroghly lived up to the expectations. But then again, it maybe coz I am very partial to animated movies and Shrek is one of my favorite series.

The movie opens with Fiona's dad, the Frog King's illness which leads to the necessity of Shrek and Fiona playing King-Queen of Far Far Away temporarily as the king recovered. As it happens, he doesn't and there are a few gags even as the king lies in his death-pond issuing last wishes as he dies more than once, the final one being that if Shrek isn't willing to take up the Kingdom, he has to find the next-of-heir, a kid named Arthur. And so begins the movie, the primary goals having been established.

Its really cute to see that the dragon and donkey have 5 kids, each a mini-version of the donkey, just flying and shooting flames from their mouths... Very cute and adorable as they fuss around their "daddy". Shrek, Donkey and the Puss-in-boots decide to take a boat ride and fetch Arthur back to his Kingdom. Fiona chooses this opportune moment to reveal that she is pregnant. And Shrek barely takes it well, like every man (though he's an ogre!!) And what follows is a hilarious dream sequence of Shrek's where he is avalanched wih Shrek Jrs.. Very funny!
Meanwhile Prince Charming braves his way back to the pub of rejected people, the villains from the Fairy Tales where he puts together his own army with a goal saying that though they were villainized, they deserved their own "Happily-ever-after" in Far Far Away. I liked this concept of trying to glorify the villains - your typical Good vs Evil concept. But with the Fairytale creatures, it was a lot better than otherwise. Through all this, the Donkey and Puss have a voice-swap period which is really cute and fun....

Then what follows is the triumph of good over evil ofcourse....

What I liked:
1) The involvement of the Fairytale creatures - Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, all have their own tiny roles
2) The Arthur character - he's cute and has SOME personality
3) Merlin
4) The Donkey-Dragon's babies - adorable
5) Shrek-Fiona's triplets - so so so cute :)
All in all, a treat for all Shrek fans alike... Don't miss this one. Super cute, quite funny and very very watchable. Fully recommended.

Key to true and everlasting happiness

Over the years I have discovered and perfected the key to true everlasting happiness - zero expectations. People may have told you a variety of things... But nothing can actually substitute experiencing it yourself. And the best results are in the most important of things. When you don't expect something of a person, not only are you not disappointed something didn't happen or they didn't do something for you... But importantly, it makes the times they do count much more. You are taken completely by surprise and the joy it brings is obviously way past what it would if you had anticipated it happening.

Somebody, surprise me.

Wife or Cook?

The idea behind this post just sprung from a chat conversation with my bro. We were discussing the ongoing bride-hunt for a cousin bro, who is I am unhappy to say younger than me. He barely turned 25 a few months ago and out came the horoscopes and the whole rigamarole of mixing and the matching began. I expressed my views on the whole new arranged marriage deal in this post. Hearing about it all over again, this time with a cousin was a reaffirmation of how the process hasn't really come a long way from back in the days when my parents got married (except for the technology that is).

Wanting to probe into this deeper, I actually asked my Patti, whom I consider a key figure in expediting wedding procedures (well if you think she's been patient in my case, I assure you that it has taken her monumental effort and the only reason she's as cool as a cucumber is that she didn't have any searching to do!) a whole bunch of nagging questions.

Me: Avanuku ipo kalyanam pannikarthuku enna avalo avasaram? Innum 1-2 years pogatume. (Whats the rush for him to get married? Can't it wait a couple of years?)
Patti: Illa dee... Iruvathi anju vayasu ayachu... Engineering mudichachu.. nalla velaila irukan... samblam koodindu iruku... Jaipur la thaniya irukane... Kalyanam aana veeta paathuka yaravadhu irupa la... (No dee.. He's 25, Has completed a degree in Engineering, has a good job, has an increasing salary, is alone in Jaipur.. If he gets married there will be someone to take care of the house)

Me: Basically, veeta paathuka dhaan pondati. (You need a wife to take care of the house?)
Patti: Cha cha.. Illa dee... Avanuku vela velaiku vidha vidhama samachu poda yaravadhu irupa la... (Not at all.. Someone has to be there to cook a large variety of food for him for every meal)

Me: So samayalkaari nu solla vare.. (Oh you need a cook then..)
Patti: Paithyakara thanama edhavadhu solladhe.. Kala kaalathuku kalyanam panna dhaan azhaga irukum. Apram aathukararku samaikardhoda enna velai? (Don't talk nonsense. If you get them married early only, it looks nice. What better work than cook for the husband?)

Thats what I am talking about... Most single men away from their mollycuddled homes tend to get married early... not because they are financially sound and can support another individual, etc. But from the elderly perspective apparently to have a cook free-of-charge! I am not generalizing... For all I know, this is a TamBrahm trait.

Pet Peeves?

When I first learned that the house I'd be subletting would have 2 cats in it, I freaked out. I am a pet enthusiast... more specifically, a dog enthusiast. To be totally specific, I haven't ever lived around a dog.. so I'd imagine it would be much different from what I fantasized it would be.. when the stark reality of all the litter and stuff creeps in.

So when I met J.D (Jamuna Das is his real name), a big grey cat at Steinbeck, I was a li'l wary of him.. More so coz he was too friendly for a cat I just met. He became all pally pally and started nosing around my feet right away (Initially I thought it was the slippers... I tried throwing it away and all.. but it was me he was after!) I am sure it was a sight to see with me trying to tiptoe away from him all the time. When his owners were around, he fussed around them. Otherwise, he was always around me..

The first morning ofcourse was a shocker... I opened my bedroom door a bit wide (I wasnt used to animals waking up to me..) and JD jumped into the room before I could act fast... And horror of horrors, he pawed around for a good spot and landed square in the middle of my comforter to snuggle into a morning nap... Horrified but very scared to touch him, I timidly approached him and he purred. Hmph. I stalked off into the restroom praying he was gone when I returned. But guess what? He followed me right into the restroom and didnt leave no matter how much I coaxed him. (I became smart midway and shut the bedroom door when I could). I had a hard time chasing him outta the restroom and now this is a daily routine.. But he's learned quickly that I dont appreciate that much and doesnt wander into the restroom. However, now when he misses me, he vividly knocks on my door and mews outside. (His mew is a sign of protest. If you shut a door on him, he'll mew... if you dont let him in, he'll look you in the eye and mew). And last night once I had retired for the day, he kept mewing outside. And when I ignored him, he actually put his paw under the door and sorta waved!

In less than a week, I have adapted to a lot... a cat nonetheless... I must admit that my hosts are gracious and do their best to keep him away.. The other cat, Kitty is petrified (and maybe I prefer it that way) and barely shows herself.. Also, I admit that the prospect of cat hair on my clothes, comforter or bed isnt comforting... So, I keep JD at room's length... We have our 5 minutes of daily palliness... Thats good enuf...

Have you ever........

Have I ever what?? This is what... I saw this on Aravind's blog centuries ago and wanted to flick it back then.. Forgot about it.. wrote a whole bunch of other stuff.. Finally while chancing upon it on someone else's blog, thought I should publish this one.. This one's for timepass... Here goes:

1. Thought your cousin was hot? Eew ..No
2. Been in love? Yes
3. Gone over the speed limit? Yes
4. Painted your room? No
5. Drove a car? Yes
6. Danced in front of your mirror? Yes
7. Been dumped? No
8. Stole money from a friend? No
9. Gotten in a car with people you just met? Yes.. in fact even yesterday!
10. Been in a fist fight? No
11. Snuck out of your house? Yes
12. Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back? Yes
13. Been arrested? No
14. Left your house with out telling your parents? Yes
15. Had a crush on your neighbor? Yes (my first real crush.. the guy downstairs!)
16. Ditched school to do something more fun? Not school school... but college.. YEHA!
17. Slept in a bed with a member of the same or opposite sex ? Yes
18. Seen someone die? No
19. Been on a plane? Yes
20. Kissed a picture? Yes
21. Slept in until 3? Yes
22. Love someone or miss someone right now? Yes
23. Laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by? Yes
24. Made a snow angel? No
25. Played dress up? Yes
26. Cheated while playing a game? No
27. Been lonely? Yes
28. Fallen asleep at work/school? Duh ..YES
29. Been to a club? Yes
30. Felt an earthquake? Yes
31. Touched a snake? Yes (eeks!)
32. Ran a red light? Yes
33. Been suspended from school? No
34. Had detention.. No
35. Been in a car? Yes
36. Hated the way you look? Yes - just one freaking time!
37. Witnessed a crime? Yes
38. Been lost? Yes
39. Been to the opposite side of the country? Yesss
40. Felt like dying from embarrassment? Yes
41. Cried yourself to sleep? Yes
42. Sang karaoke? Yes! Awesome fun...
43. Done something you told yourself you wouldn't do? Yes.. many many many times
44. Laughed till some kind of beverage came out of your nose? No
45. Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Yes
46. Kissed in the rain? No
47. Sung in the shower? Yes
48. Had a dream that you married someone? Yes
49. Played getting married? No..
50. Got your tongue stuck to a flag pole? No
51. Ever gone to school partially nude? No
52. Sat on a roof top? Yes..
53. Didn't take a shower for a week? Yes
54. Ever been too scared to watch scary movies alone? No
55. Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? No
56. Been told you're hot by a complete stranger? Yes (thats one of those dying-embarassing moments)
57. Broken a bone? Uh.. does a fracture count?
58. Been easily amused? Yes
59. Laugh so hard you cry? Yes
60. Cheated on a test? Yes.. (Kaviiii...)
61. Forgotten someone's name? Yes
62. Blacked out from drinking? No
63. Played a prank on someone? Yes.. yes.. yes!
64. Gone to a late night movie? Yes.. all the time!
65. Failed a class? No
66. Choked on something you're not supposed to eat? No
67. Played an instrument for more than 10 hours? Not continuously
68. Cheated on a girlfriend/boyfriend? No
69. Did you celebrate the 4th of July? No
70. Thrown strange objects? No
71. Felt like someone? Yes
72. Thought about running away? Yes..(but when I was already away from home.. Does that count?)
73. Cried over someone? Yes
74. Have a dog? No
75. Own an instrument? Yes
76. Been in a band? Yes
77. Drank 25 sodas in a day? No
78. Broken a cd? I tried very hard one day.. Twisted it and malformed it.. Couldnt break it!
79. Shot a gun? Not unless u count those fake guns in the amusement parks!
80. Been on facebook for more than 5 hours? No..
81. Have a major crush on someone right now? Not a crush
82. Have a religion? Yes
83. Thought about what people would say at your funeral? Yes

Spidey 3 - Entangled

Warning: Detailed plot outlines ahead. Limited spoilers. For a brief, one-para review, skip to the last paragraph.

I was sooo excited to catch this movie, the third in the trilogy the day of its release and all.. and that too in Ames, Iowa... So, me n my newfound roommates went to Movies 12, the only complex in the 5-mile radius town that shows the latest flicks and bought tickets instantly for the 10:25 PM show.

As the plot unravelled, it was clear that ofcourse the movie had taken a few twists and turns of its own and wasnt going to be nearly as faithful as its comic... And fromt he trailers (if not the comics), one would know that Harry Orborn was going to be Spidey's next nemesis. The first fight between the Harry Monster (the new Goblin?) and Spidey was downright unbelievable.. and not in a good way. (Okay, if you are one of those people who wants to tell me... listen babe, you are watching a superhero flick and you are talking believable, you n I shd have a chat.. there are limits to even superhero fights!) And while the Goblin's moves and stunts were phenomenal, Spidey shoots sad-looking 'web-bullets' at Harry... And through a twist of events through steel, concrete and glass of the Manhattan skyline, Harry ends up in a pile next to a dumpster, waking up with.. well, you guessed it, a memory loss.

In this phase, is the introduction of the Sandman and his creation ofcourse... A criminal, the guy who murdered Ben Parker, nevertheless is being chased down by the police and in his run finds himself trapped in a particle physics testing facility. The 3 huge probe kinda things are supposedly whipping the silicon (silica?) in the sand beneath them and because of their sheer intensity and power, end up whipping the man in between them also! The scene's been graphically done quite tastefully.. And then rises the Sandman.. this weird superpower that can become sand as he likes and take his original human form as he likes. His one leading goal is to aid his ailing daughter for which he is ready to literally 'blow the city apart'. And so is formed Spidey's second nemesis for the movie.

While all this is happening, how could we forget MJ, Spidey's forever love interest.. She is in a Broadway musical and isnt doing so well... She's fired. While she wants to talk to Peter, her boyfriend about it, he's too busy glowing in the pride of Spidey's acceptance by the whole of New York... Here's where Gwen Stacy is introduced as the daughter of the police chief and Peter's labmate (Comic-wise, Gwen was actually Peter's college girlfriend who's tragically killed by the Green Goblin). While saving her and revelling in glory, Spidey kisses her upside down very much the same way he kissed MJ for the first time. This doesn't go unnoticed and MJ seeks Harry out for solace... Ofcourse Harry in his attempt to look innocent and 'I-don't-remember-anything-that-happened' ends up looking a wee bit retarded. Meanwhile, there's this black goo that makes its way to Spidey's house... And while he's in bed climbs all over him and makes this pretty cool-looking black Spidey outfit... (I know you already think there's a lot happening.. but read on to find out more!)

And with the outfit comes a reckless power, a power in which Spidey loses all compassion, all goodness and becomes downright selfish n evil. And the Peter that goes with this Spidey is not this well-groomed kid we've gotten used to seeing. Instead, he is this supposedly cool-looking dude with his hair flicked all the way across his forehead and some kajal (I swear!) and funky dance moves while walking etc. Harry gains his memory back, threatens MJ to break up with Peter.. and then fights him. Reckless as Spidey is now, he doesn't care no more...

Between allllll this drama, another nemesis remains to be introduced. A young photographer vying for Peter's job at the Daily Bugle to take Spidey pics, also being Gwen's boyfriend. Reckless Peter not just steals his girlfriend, but also his job.. And the guy wants revenge...
And how does he get it? When Reckless Peter forces himself to desparatelyrid his black suit, the goo sticks on to this guy making this toothy black villain. The rest of the story ofcourse is about how Spidey has to survive three formidable nemeses as they let dangle his most precious possession.. MJ ofcourse... I am not giving away the most important part of the plot here.. Go see it!

The movie was a little over 2 hours... but felt much longer... It was packed with stuff.. Three opponents to one Spidey, a whole new angle to his love interest on MJ, avenging his uncle's killer (who wasnt the guy who died in Spidey I), balancing his responsibilities and his fame and I could go on forever. The stunts were as usual out of the world (though I didnt think much of the first fight between the new Goblin and Spidey). The final sequence of stunts that ends the movie is worth a watch. All in all, I think Spidey III had definitely bitten more than it could swallow...

One to Ponder...

How many times has it happened to you? You are seriously working for more than 2 hours on something important... All along, your boss doesn't even know you exist.. And those 2 precious minutes you take a break to check email/orkut/chat or write this blog, he peeks into your cube.. Hmph.