A Message

This post is dedicated to everyone who lost their lives in the tragic terrorist acts that occurred in Bombay in the last few days.

To the 47 people, who died, trying to escape bullets at VT Station.

To the 4 that passed away at Cama Hospital.

To the 30 that passed away at Taj Hotel.

To the world, these may seem like numbers. But these numbers mean a lot to those who were waiting for them to return.

To Joint police commisioner (ATS) Hemant Karkare, Senior inspector Vijay Salaskar, Additional police commisioner Ashok Kamthe, Inspector Shashank Shinde,Police sub-inspector Prakash More, Police sub-inspector B Durgunde, and several other policemen, and military men who laid down their lives so that average people like us can live another day. I salute you all.

To the people still held hostage at Taj Hotel, Oberoi Hotel and Nariman House. I pray that you be released as soon as possible. I pray to God to give you strength.

To Bombay's beloved Taj hotel. You will be re-built again.

To the lives lost, I pray that your souls Rest In Peace.

Finally, to the terrorists. You will be caught. And you will get what you deserve.

IGGY DOESN'T SHARE FOOD!!!

Joey: Hey, hey, hey, hey. Look. I take a girl out, she can order whatever she wants! The more, the better! All right? Just don’t order a Garden salad and then eat my food! That’s a good way to lose some fingers!
(Rachel enters from the main door)
Phoebe: (to Rachel) Oh
Rachel: Hi
Phoebe: Thank God you’re here. Listen to this!
Rachel: what?
Phoebe: Joey and my friend were out last night and having dinner and she reaches over and takes a few of his fries...
Rachel: Oh! Oh, no!
(Joey looks satisfied)
Phoebe: What? You know about the plate thing?
Rachel: Oh, yeah. Joey doesn’t share food. I mean, just last week we were having breakfast and he had a couple of grapes on his plate and ...
Phoebe: (to Joey) You wouldn’t let her have a grape?
Rachel: Oh no! Not me! Emma!
(Phoebe looks horrified and she turns to watch Joey)
Joey: (mad and pointing a finger to himself) JOEY DOESN’T SHARE FOOD!

[EDIT: HAD TO TAKE THIS OFF. SORRY!]

My first kiss

12. 03. 2008
Marine Drive, Bombay

I want to remember everything about today. Nothing should be erased from my mind.

The way he smiled when he first saw me. The beautiful flowers he gave me. How awkward it felt, and how we slowly eased in. How he laughed when I gave him imaginary low blows and slaps. The short time we spent at Anda Pav, sharing an Anda Pav, and sipping on our cutting chais. How embarrassing it was when all the girls barged in to see us together. How sweet he looked when he was flipping through the scrapbook I gave him. How we ran out and got a cab to Marine Drive.

Marine Drive. -sigh-. The Pizza I just could not eat. Him staring at me...telling me over and over how beautiful I am. Me getting so embarrassed and getting red in the face. Him telling me I look even more beautiful when I blush. Me blushing even more.

"I just can't help it...you're just so mesmerising..." Me hiding my face between my hands, him telling me I still look beautiful. Me getting goosebumps, butterflies...everything.

Us walking around Marine Drive, sharing the brownie. That spark I felt everytime our arms brushed against each other. Him looking at me. Me looking at him. Me wanting to tell him "I love you" so bad. Him pushing me. Me pushing him. Him telling me, "Look at me. When I say you're beautiful, I really mean it. And...I love you." Me getting tongue tied and unable to speak. Looking at my feet while he walked next to me. Thinking about how I should say it back to him.

Us sitting there. So close. Us playing footsie. Him sheepishly putting his arm around me. "It hurts my arm if I rest it here...Can I put it around your shoulder?"

"I just wan to say...I love you," I said. "I love you too."

Him coming close to me. Really close. My heart beating like crazy. Me running my fingers over his arm..running them over each vein. "You've got really soft hands"

Us linking our fingers with each other. Him looking at him. Me looking at his lips. Him looking at mine. "What you looking at?" I asked. "Your sultry lips. I bet they're really soft."

There was just the two of us. The world didn't matter. No worries. No troubles. Just us. His lips so close to mine, just about to touch. And then, they did. In a magnetic, soft, just right kiss. His lips pressing against mine. Me forgetting to close my eyes, and then closing them. Him biting my lower lip, and pulling out, looking at me. Kissing me again, harder this time. Pulling out again. Running his fingers over my lips, my chin. Pulling me in to another kiss. His beard pressing against my skin, tickling me. Me wanting the kiss to go on forever...but he pulls out again, for the last time.

And then, he was gone.

"I will, return...
Yes I, will return.
I'll come back, for the honey,

and you..."

F***

Damn.

I've finally got work to do in office, but it's something that is beyond my comprehension: Bug Checking. I have absolutely NO clue as to how to go about it. I've bugged the project manager 1 million times asking him how to do stuff, but it's just not registering. Help. I'm so scared. I'm sweating bullets here! Times like these I wish for my old job again (reading comics all day long)

Sigh.
F***

I'm gonna be rich!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG!OMG!OMG! I saw this on facebook today!!

Though it is going to be a real big decision, I think I am ready for it! What's the harm in donating a few Indian eggs? See, I even took a photo for an application...

Isn't the egg top grade?

OMG! I'm gonna be sooooooooo rich! :D :D :D :D

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

10 Films To See Before You Die (Part deux)

6. Andaz Apna Apna:
Directed by: Rajkumar Santoshi
Language: Hindi
Released: 1994

Rajkumar Santoshi's cult classic comedy of errors 'Andaz Apna Apna' is indeed one of my favourties. The film's story is so irreverant, but so funny at the same time, you just can't forget them. Who can forget Crime Master Gogo, with his classic line "Aankhe nikal ke gotiya khelta hoon", Prem with "ooi maa!" while Amar goes "aai la!", the laugh-out-loud "Oranges?" scene and the all-round mad cap antics of the characters?

This is truly a "thinking" comedy, as it was not made in the un-funny, only slapstick style that Govinda was famous for them. Wait. I won't insult Govinda. He is my God. Will explain my love for him in a later post. So yes, on a boring Saturday afternoon, pop the disc into your DVD player and get ready for laughs, laughs and more laughs!

7. The Killing Fields:
Directed by: Roland Joffé
Language: English
Released: 1984

The Killing Fields, much like Schindler's list and Life is Beautiful, is based on real incidents in Cambodia, and the real life story of the American journalist Sydney Schanberg and the Cambodian one, Dith Pran. The film tells the story of how these two men survive the Khmer Rouge, inspite of being separated at one point of time. Schanberg manages to escape Cambodia, but Pran is stuck there, and is captured by the Khmer Rouge. Years later, Pran escapes and finds himself re-united with Schanberg.

I had no idea of the existence of the Khmer Rouge before I saw this film. It is shot so realistically, that it almost has a documentary feel. Cambodia's lush landscapes lay ruined by explosions and blood. The scene where Pran finds the killing fields, with hundreds of bodies rotting on the land, is truly terrifying. The ending is so emotional, with John Lennon's song "Imagine" playing in the background, you can't help but cry.

8. Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro:
Directed by: Kundan Shah
Language: Hindi
Released: 1983

I think this is the only black comedy I've seen on Indian cineme. Irrespective of that, it is also one of the funniest movies ever made in Bollywood. The film looks at corruption in Indian politics, news, and almost everything else, in a twisted, satirical manner. The protagonists - Naseeruddin Shah and Ravi Baswani- are average-joes, out-of-work photographers desparate to make money. The land a sting operation job with 'Khabardar' magazine, and fall in to a huge web of corruption and politics. Even the editor of the magazine, whom they considered to be on the side of the truth, turns out to be corrupt. Oh, and there is also a dead body involved!

My favourite scene in the movie is the Draupadi Cheer-Haran one. Satish Shah's deadpan portrayal of Draupadi is just hilarious. The whole scene, in fact, is so funny, that you'd want to see it over and over again! The ending is the best though, where the protagonists, inspite of being the good-guys, land up in jail. The moral of the film, as the title suggests, is Jaane bhi do yaaro!

9. Citizen Kane:
Directed by: Orson Welles
Language: English
Released: 1941

Orson Welles' masterpiece, as I call it, is truly one of the most unusual and interesting movies ever made. It follows the life and death of Charles Foster Kane, of how he began as a steadfast, honest man, and how power corrupted him. The film is unusual in it's style and compostion, and is somewhat mysterious, with the Kane's famous last words --- "Rosebud", the interpretaion

The film is such, that you will either like it, or you wont. I went with the first option, and all the film buffs out there will agree with me!

10. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest:
Directed by: Miloš Forman
Language: English
Released: 1975

The film is an adaptation the novel of the same name, and it stars Jack Nicholson as the protagonist Randle Patrick McMurphy. He portrays a criminal who has been sent to a mental institution due to his apparently deranged behaviour. Among the other inmates in the institution, he seems "normal". Nurse Ratched (played brilliantly by Louise Fletcher) looks after the well-being of the patients, though in their eyes, she is an evil tyrant. There is not much more I can tell you about the film, cause it would spoil it for you.

What's best about the movie is the fact that though Nicholson is the 'hero' of the film, he is not so in the traditional sense of the term. Nurse Ratched is the villian, inspite of the fact she is looking out for the patients. The whole film has a deeper meaning to attach, one you will interpret only after seeing it. This is also the first film to win all five major awards at the Oscars, so it's just another incentive for you to watch the film!

This concludes Part deux of the 10 Films To See Before You Die.
There are so many others which should be in this list, and ones I may have not watched either.
What is your list like?

10 Films To See Before You Die (Part une)

I am not a movie critic, nor am I an expert. Still, I have compiled a list of 10 movies you must see before you die for the sheer reason that if you can listen to Roger Ebert, you can listen to me too :) So read, enjoy, and if you ever get your paws on these 10 films, do me a favour, and WATCH THEM!


1. À bout de souffle:
Directed by: Jean Luc-Godard
Language: French
Released: 1960

Jean Luc-Godard's best work to date (according to me), starring Jean-Paul Belmondo as the young crook Michel and Jean Seberg as Patricia, the American reporter. The story unfolds mainly in the streets of Paris, though most of the important sequences are shot in Patricia's bedroom.

This film blew my mind away, with it's unstructured jazz feel, the jump cuts, all the 'easter eggs' of sorts which I could spot in the movie, the poignant acting, the deliciously good looking Jean-Paul Belmondo (seriously...when he runs his thumb over his lips à la Humphrey Bogart, I felt like jumping him) and for Michel's last words to Patricia before he dies: "C'est vraiment dégueulasse", which is a source of confusion even today, since no one has been able to translate what Michel really meant. Watch this movie, even if you have to watch it without English sub-titles!

2. Schindler's List:
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Language: English
Released: 1993

Those who know me, know my obsession with Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler, Auschwitz and the Holocaust. My dad had first brought the movie's VCD a long time ago, and my sister and I were forbidden from viewing the film due to it's graphic nature and some sexual content. He also forbade us from watching the movie because after he saw it, he was unable to sleep at night.

I can honestly say, the same thing happened with me too, after watching it. Spielberg has done an excellent job in portraying Nazi Germany, and how it was living hell for the Jews there. How one man, Oskar Schindler, initially out of greed, saved the lives of so many Jews. I cried, and I cried, and I cried throughout the movie. The film left me with such a heavy heart, because after all, it was a movie. What would have happened in real life would have been far, far worse. I think everyone should watch this film out of respect for all those who died during the Holocaust, for the people who survived it, and for making sure that such acts of immense violence not repeat itself.

3. Dumbo:
Directed by: Ben Sharpsteen
Language: English
Released: 1941

Like every other child, my growing up years were filled with hours and hours of cartoon viewing. I've seen every Disney movie there is, but none of them have had such a profound impact on me than what Dumbo has. Dumbo is a short story about an elephant who is different. He is very big ears, because of which he becomes the subject of ridicule from almost everyone. There is only one person who loves him unconditionally, and that is his mother. But due to some turn of events, he is separated from her, and then the story goes on to how he re-unites with his mother with the help of his buddy, Timothy the mouse.

This film feels so close to me, cause I've always felt like an outcast myself. The bond shown between Dumbo and his mother is done so well, you can't help but feel for Dumbo's plight. But the best part of the movie is the ending, where Dumbo overcomes everything and becomes a big star in the "circus industry" and re-unites with his mother. See the film, just for the sheer beauty of it. And see it with your mother. There won't be a dry eye in the house, I promise you!

4. Life is Beautiful:
Directed by: Roberto Benigni
Language: Italian
Released: 1997

Here's another Holocaust story, which I saw for the first time in 2007. This one stars Roberto Begnini as Guido, a Jewish Italian, who is taken into a concentration camp with his son, Joshua, portrayed brilliantly by Giorgio Cantarini. His wife, even though she is not Jew, goes to the concentration camp. Joshua is unaware of where they were going and why they were leaving, not understanding the gravity of the situation. So Guido turns the whole situation into a game, turning the concentration camp into a playground, where the person who get 1,000 points wins a tank.

This film has been made so well, and Benigni has made a twist in the way how the world percieves the Holocaust. Even till the end, Guido doesn't let Joshua know of how much their lives are in danger. Perhaps the best scene in the film is when Joshua comes out of the sweatbox, where his father had told him to hide, and comes face-to-face with an American tank. So in essence, Guido had not lied to him. This film is a must-watch, for it simply says that no matter how bad or how bleak things are, life is beautiful...La vita è bella!

5. Pita, Putra aur Mahayudh:
Directed by: Anand Patwardhan
Language: Hindi/English
Released: 1995

During college, I've had the privelege of watching three documentaries by Anand Patwardhan: Ram ke Naam (In the Name of God), Jung Aur Aman (War and Peace) and Pita, Putra aur Mahayudh (Father, Son and Holy War). From these, I've been moved the most from the third one. It is a two-hour long documentary, divided in two parts, which basically talks about the fact that in this "politically polarized world....the minorities get marginalized". It shows what people think are the ideals of "manhood". How in all the various wars around the world, women suffer.

There is not much I can say about this documentary, except that you must watch it. In fact, you'll be lucky if you get a copy, since this is one of his most controversial documentaries! He must be applauded for his courage, to push forth a subject matter that will be suppressed from all over.

This concludes Part une of 10 Films To See Before You Die. More tomorrow.

What a week!

What a week!

Wait a minute, let me rephrase that:

WHAT A WEEK!

Right now, I am a mixture of sleepy and angry, and I don't know what the feeling is called, but I'm sure as hell feeling it. I have not updated my blog in ages, the last being a tag, which can not really be considered a post...but I digress. Let's just get back to my terribly pathetic week.

First, I have come to the understanding that I have made the biggest mistake of my life by working where I do right now. The place stands for everything I am against. Corporate atmosphere has always made me puke, then what the hell am I doing here? We're basically answerable to various 'Gora' multinationals, and this fact makes me angrier than ever. I never thought I would be here, but still, I am.

And do you know what I do there for 8.30 am to 6.00pm everyday since I joined? Play games all day, read Calvin and Hobbes, Asterix and Tintin (Occasionally India Today and Cosmopolitan). Yup. Everyday. And I get paid for it.

I know, I know, this sounds like a dream job, but not to me. You'd feel the same if you were sitting in one place reading comics all day, while everyone else is working. My neighbours look at me with eyes wide open as I spend all day flipping through comic books. I take occasional naps too, which is probably a sin in the corporate environment. At this point, I don't really even care!

Second, I don't know why, but I have been really really sleepy lately. I can barely keep my eyes open post 9:30pm, which sucks. I can't understand why this is happening, cause I don't have any physical activity going on, except gymming. Hmm.

Third, on Tuesday, dad's car met with an accident. We're safe, Thank God, but the car is a mess. A bus rammed into the car, and the driver's side is wrecked. Dad couldn't even open the door on his side. And you know what the bus driver did? He just sped away. That too in front of the traffic police man, who was so busy scratching his balls that he did not even have time to look up to see what had happened. Such is life. Grr.

Fourth, my father's colleague and close friend passed away at 4:00 in the morning today. I could see my dad was pretty shaken up, and I have never seen him this way. My usually happy, laughing, joking dad was solemn and quiet today. On our way back home I tried to cheer him up, but nothing was happening. I feel really bad for him. He's already so stressed, and this certainly does not help. But I feel even sadder for the family who lost a father and a husband. R.I.P

I think the crux of my troubles is my job. I am planning to quit, but times are so bad these days, I don't even know what to do. I can't leave unless I have some other job in my hand. Sigh. What to doooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

The Hardest Part - Coldplay

I got this off Spiced Coffee And The Keyboard ,so I thought I'll do this too! :)
Rules:
1. Put your MP3 player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must write the name of the song no matter what. No cheating!

If someone says "Is this okay?" You say?
Listen To My Heart - Ramones
True. Don't bother me. Ask my heart that!

What would best describe your personality?
Paralyzer - Finger Eleven
"I'm not paralyzed..I seem to be struck by you" Yep. That's me!

What do you like in a Guy/Girl?
So Sick - NeYo
No comments!

How do you feel today?
Break Away - Tokio Hotel
So true. All I can think about right now is breaking away from the clutches of this job environment!

What is your life’s purpose?
4 Minutes - Madonna feat Justin Timberlake
Uhhh..To do everything within 4 minutes?

What is your motto?
With a little help from my friends - The Beatles
I'm too lazy to do things on my own.

What do your friends think of you?
No More - Drowning Pool
Hey! Is this a some sort ofsubliminal message?

What do you think of your parents?
Baby - Serj Tankian
Quite the opposite, really!

What do you think about very often?
A Taste of Honey - The Beatles
Honey good. Mmmm. (This also used to be our song)

What is 2+2?
Love is Dead - Tokio Dead
You killed love math! You son of a *****!!!!!

What do you think of your best friend?
Fansong - Dethklok
I'm a fan for life!

What do you think of the person you like?
It's not over - Chris Daughtry
Umm!

What is your life story?
Move Along - The All American Rejects
Move along people! Nothing to see here!

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Brainstorm - Arctic Monkeys.
Yay! I wanna be a brainstorm! Yayyyyyyyy

What do you think when you see the person that you like?
Posters - Jack Johnson
Usually the people I like are in posters on my wall

What do your parents think of you?
Starlight - Muse
I know. I'm speshul!

What will you dance to at your wedding?
Empty Walls - Serj Tankian
Obviously. Cause there won't be a wedding!


What will they play at your funeral?
Made a Mistake - Sugarcult
I think the person who kills me will relate to the song!

What is your hobby/interest?
Shout At The Devil - Motley Crue
Hail Satan!

What is your biggest secret?
Life Is Beautiful - Sixx AM
Don't you think so too?

What do you think of your friends?
I Miss You - Blink 182
I do miss some of my kickass friends who aren't really in touch with me anymore :( (Read: SCM ladies)

What should you post this as?
The Hardest Part - Coldplay
This wasn't THAT hard..


Own questions:
What song will you play while making sweet sweet love?
All Nightmare Long - Metallica
*coughcough*


What do you think of your boss?
Baby Got Back - Sir Mix-a-Lot
Hahaha! This is so funny, I can't even comment!

What does your boss think of you?
Do You Realize?? - The Flaming Lips
"Do you realize...that you have the most beautiful face...?" Sexual harrasment, anyone?


People whom I tag to do this:
Everyone reading this (But do leave a comment saying you've done it, so I can read it too!)

Peace out
Random song: We Are All On Drugs - Weezer (Yeah we are!)