Method Madness

Rann

2010-03-08T08:47:00.000-08:00

There are very few movies which captivate you so completely that for the entire time the film plays, you remain transfixed. There are fewer still for which adjective-brilliant seems justifiable, Rann simply happens to be one of them.

Rann is a purely intellectual experience. What made it so special? There were so many factors that made it the way it was but above all it was a brilliant story well told. The acting ofcourse was superlative. Amitabh Bachan as the head of the news channel India 24X7 & a reliable news anchor whom the entire country trusts, Sudeep as his son- hyper, young, just returned from the states who wanted to succeed at any cost, Riteish, as the journalist starting out, who wanted nothing else but to portray the truth like his idol Amitabh Bachan, Mohnish Behl, the rival news channel head honcho who was constantly sabotaging India 24X7, Rajat Kapoor as the cunning industrialist with no moral qualms whatsoever or Paresh Rawal as the absolute corrupt politician, each actor fit the mold so perfectly that it was as if they imbibed the very principles they so well portrayed.

It was perhaps that I was watching fiction imitating fact that made the movie so riveting and the story so relevant. I remember once being told when I was very young, that a news reporter must always portray a news with equanimity i.e. he should report a bomb blast with the same sense of calm as a weather report. I was told that his emotions should never cloud the news, so that the viewer is not influenced by an anchor’s opinion but rather be given the opportunity to take in the facts and analyse them intelligently. This, I believed was the only way news should be told & ingested. So, in a way, Rann typified my beliefs. Sensationalism of news has become so rampant that it is often a shame as what passes of as “news”. Newspapers, tv channels, magazines - everyone is in a race to outbid each other in an effort to gain maximum viewership. Like Amitabh says in the end, even if we punish the people involved, it won’t solve the root of the problem.

What then is the Root of the problem? What drives the media to present news the way the do or rather present the “kind” of “news” that they do? It is Us, the Aam Admi, R.K. Narayan’s Common Man or rather Imtiaz Ali’s Mango People. We watch & devour the sensationalized news so rabidly that they keep giving us the same high calorie, carbohydrated, fat filled juicy news for which actually, the apt term is Gossip.

Rann is a right movie made at the right time. More and more politicians are getting involved in the news business to the extent that we even hear of local politicians actually owning newspapers. Today, the very sanctity of information is threatened, more than ever before.

The movie drew so many parallels with the current scenario that it was hard to ignore. It’s a must watch for the thinking man. Most importantly, it asks a very crucial question-Is what is being said in the media truly a “fact” & who determines what really defines one.

“Quis custodiet ipsos custodies” - Who will guard the guards?

Changing World

2010-02-21T10:24:00.000-08:00

What has happened to that world full of wonder, subtlety & mystery? Was that called Innocence? Was it just childhood? Or has the world really changed?

Perhaps it’s all of these.

There was a time when it was so easy to believe in elves, dwarfs & fairies. Knowing it was unreal yet believing in its reality. A time when anything was possible. Time and space could be bent if one wished hard enough. Secret islands with untold magnificence existed with unicorns and other long lost exotic creatures. Magic was around every corner waiting to be discovered. Every book an adventure of mammoth proportions. A rollicking, laughter filled ride. Where the television had shows like stone boy, jungle book and the news with Pranoy Roy with his “World this Week” was such a treat to watch. Where the one movie a week on Sundays was waited for with bated breath.

When u live in such a world its hard to come to terms with reality, with books of today filled with psychopathic killers, evil and sunshine barely coming through. Where the news is full of killings, riots, murders and acts of obscenity. Where one cannot watch a music channel for more than 5 minutes without cringing. Where reality shows with people bad mouthing others are the flavour of the season.

What has happened to this world? There’s so much hate, envy and deception. What has happened to love? Love- pure and beautiful. Love unspoken, subtle and strong? Love with the passion of Wuthering Heights and the subtlety of Pride & Prejudice. Is everything lost?

I hope not, there must still exist a few endangered species of humans who still believe in strength of truth and the power of love. Here’s a call to them: Let’s go back in time, delve deeper into life and discover that reality isn’t so real after all & magic isn’t really an illusion.

Stardust

2010-01-15T07:01:00.000-08:00

Stardust is a Beautifully written novel. The words seem to dance and there seems to be a sparkle in the prose, Neil Gaiman is indeed an artist.

The story though seems to be deceptively simple. Tristran is on a mission to get a fallen star for his beloved Victoria. On acquiring the “Star” he ardently believes, hopes and desires that Victoria would be his. But for this, Tristran must enter into the forbidden forest, where “nothing is as it seems”.

The book was a breath of fresh air. Its been a while since I was so tantalized by a book. I loved the conversations between the main characters in the book and the sweet talk, which generally comprised of angry insults been exchanged! A small excerpt:-

She: “ Yes, which only goes to prove that you are indeed a ninny, a lackwit, and a……….a clodpoll.”

“Dunderhead” offered Tristran “You always used to like to calling me

Dunderhead. And an oaf.”

The chemistry between the characters was Evident, the tension –taut and the book in short was brilliant.

[No. of pages: 248]

Star Wars

2007-08-21T04:16:00.000-07:00

This is perhaps one of the most loved and popular films of All times. It’s a cult film with a fan following that defies logic. Now, since I don’t live in a well or rather that my well has a good healthy radius I too had heard of this and though for some strange reason or the other hadn’t managed to watch the entire series, had seen enough in snippets to know its jist.

Now when Star Movies(a while ago) decided to show all the Episodes “In Order” someone like me couldn’t have been more excited. Finally, I figured I could actually see what the hype was all about, I presumed it was just the camera tricks and laser fights which caused the frenzy. But I couldn’t have been more wrong. It is conceptually perfect. George Lucas got it bang on right. I found the concept of the Jedi warrior more real than anything else. It is always the truth in fiction that makes them so endearing. If we see the teaching they preach it is the very same that is written in the Holy Scriptures. One must know no fear, fear leads to anger, jealousy & aggression. Isn’t this very often the premise of most paths? In my opinion, it is a resounding yes.

Now the basic concept is this: In the future to come there exists society with democracy ruling and the Jedi’s maintaining peace in the galaxy. The Jedi are a group of chosen people who are trained from a very young age to become the guardians of peace. They are people with whom the Force is particularly strong. They are exceedingly wise, strong and just. But, no matter how advanced this race is, the dark side still exists. And its lure is stronger and more apparent than before. When this very dark side begins to cloud the Jedi the problems begin and they cannot see the Evil force which exists right before them in the Dark Lord.

Then we begin to see the true meanings of the Jedi teachings and why attachment is the root of all problems. We see a truly gifted young one turn to the wrong side because of the very exalted emotion we call “Love”. There is a dialogue between Aniken & Padame in Episode III which I find exceedingly poignant
A: “ You are so beautiful”.
P: “ I am only so, because I am in Love”
A: “No, you are, because I am so in Love with you”

That I thought was more often than not, very true. We so often color everything with our emotions. When we are happy everything is yellow and lovely and when we are melancholy everything is blue and dark.
We then see how Ani becomes Darth Vader, how Padame dies and the birth of their twins who then restore the balance that Vader had shaken.

Darth Vader we then realize was not born a monster (as is generally the case), it was when his belief’s were shaken that he began to turn. The tragedy of his mother, his deep attachments, their tragic demise and his loss of faith in the Jedi cult became his undoing.

With the light speed with which we are advancing, the Star Wars kind of world doesn’t really seem so distant. We seem to be taking giant technological leaps with each passing year and as for our spiritual ones, the bridges are already built & are awaiting those brave enough to tread and cross over to the other side. May the Force be with us all.

G O D

2006-07-22T06:15:00.000-07:00

“God” perhaps is the most misconstrued, misused & misunderstood concept in the history of human civilization. Every religion claims it superiority over others. Wars, murders, bloodshed & hatred are all in the name of Their own God & the best part is-they don’t even know Him.

Who art thou? Or what am I? Both mean the same thing. So much of chaos right now prevails but in actuality one underlying principle is what exists. We are similar-- variants at most of an original seed. The nature or rather quality of energy is perhaps the differing factor amongst us. But that ofcourse means that we are an impure form-- that which can nevertheless be purified. When we seek the Why’s more often than not the How’s present themselves.

It is said that there are as many paths to Awakening as there are variant forms. So, no path followed by one can be followed blindly by another. Each has to seek his way, but perhaps if the variant follows a variation of a certain method, that also will yield results. Every religion in its essence is a method of Enlightenment. In a few it’s apparent, in others hidden, but always available to those who seek.

The depth of Its complexity is as startling as Its level of simplicity. Sooner or later, the rivers will find their way to the ocean. But, as we do so, let’s not dry up & make deserts but rather deltas along the paths we traverse.

His Dark Materials Trilogy

2006-04-30T06:40:00.000-07:00

This is the last series I read. The trilogy consists of ‘The Golden Compass’, ‘The Subtle Knife’ & ‘The Amber Spyglass’. These were written by Philip Pullman. The books had concepts which I never heard before and were quite fascinating, I really loved the idea of Daemons and wonder what mine would look like..
The series are based on this special kid Lyra on whose decision, eventually, the fate of the world would depend (some concepts though, just refuse to die). Anyway, so how this rebellious young one defies all odds and does what is her destiny is the premise of the trilogy. The first one I enjoyed b’cuz of the uniqueness of its ideas, the second, for its story and fast pace(& ofcourse, the introduction of Will) and the third for its quotes. At the beginning of every chapter in the third book is a quote and/or a picture. They all are amazing one’s and the chapters should not be preceded with, without having first read them. I found to my absolute delight that they were quite a few by my all time fav- William Blake. Never have I enjoyed the words of one as much as those of Blake’s. In the book, even before I read who the saying was by, I would know which one’s are his, just by the way they touched my soul. Ever since forever, I have loved his poems and quotes.
So, I loved the third one for that alone, cuz somewhere towards the end, I felt that Pullman kind of lost the plot. But, on the whole, I liked the series.

Tere Ishq Mein

2006-02-21T17:00:00.000-08:00

Never have I, in my life heard a song which exudes such tangible sweetness & encapsulates sadness so beautifully. The first time I heard this melancholy masterpiece by Rekha I was moved to tears. Everytime I listen to this mellifluous melody, I’m enthralled.

“Tere ishq mein

Haaye tere ishq mein

Tere ishq mein... haaye tere ishq mein..

Raakh se rookhi
Koyele se kaali
Raat kate na
Hijraan waali

Tere ishq mein...haaye tere ishq mein..

Raakh se rookhi
Koyele se kaali
Raat kate na..
Hijraan waali...

Tere ishq mein..haaye haaye...
Tere ishq mein..tere ishq mein...tere ishq mein..tere ishq mein..

Teri justjoo.. karte rahe
Marte rahe..
Tere ishq mein..

Tere roobaroo.. baithe huey...
Marte rahe...
Tere ishq mein...

Tere roobaroo...tere justjoo
Tere ishq mein..haaye..tere ishq mein..

Baadal dhuney...mausam buney
Sadiyaan gini...lamhe chuney...
Lamhe chuney...mausam buney..
Kuchh garm the..kuchh gunguney

Tere ishq mein...baadal dhuney..mausam buney...tere ishq mein..

Tere ishq mein...haaye haaye...
Tere ishq mein...tere ishq mein...tere ishq mein...tere ishq mein...

Tere ishq mein...tannhaaiyyaan...tannhaaiyyaan...tere ishq mein
Humnein bahot...behlaaiyyaan...tannhaaiyyaan...tere ishq mein..

Roosey kabhi..manvaiyaan...

Tanhaiyyaan..tere ishq mein

Mujhe toh kar..koi din gaya
Mujhe chhed kar...koi shab gayi
Meine rakh li ...saari...aahatein
Kab aayi thi...shab kab gayi..

Tere ishq mein..kab din gaya...shab kab gayi..tere ishq mein..

Tere ishq mein...haaye ....haaye haaye...
Tere ishq mein..tere ishq mein..tere ishq mein...tere ishq mein...

Raakh se rookhi..
Koyele se kaali
Raat kate na..
Hijraan waali..

Dil sufi yeh thaa......
Hum chal diye...jahaan le chalaa...tere ishq mein..
Hum chal diye...

Tere ishq mein......haaaye...tere ishq mein..”

The Lightning Thief

2006-02-07T04:38:00.000-08:00

The golden-black hued cover gleamed as a beamed of light ricocheted off it. As it caught the attention of my sis & me, we went over to see an array of a certain book being displayed in the center of the mall floor. A flying shoe was depicted against the bluish black background & in bold italic golden letters was printed ‘Percy Jackson –And The Olypmians’ & below amidst the white streaks of light ‘The Lightning Thief’. ‘Half Boy, Half God, All Hero’ screamed the catchline. My sis was rather impressed and recommended we buy it.

“Another wannabe Tolkein or Rowling” scoffed I & pulled her away. A couple of days later, she showed me a glowing review of TLT in a Sunday newspaper & gave me her ‘I told u so’ look. As I always do in situations like these, I walked off in a huff.

Anyways, her birthday was fast approaching and it was time to go a-shopping. I walked through various gallis & nukkads (my favourite shopping haunts) but of no avail, I was stumped, I couldn’t find anything she’d like. So, out of sheer desperation, I went over to Blossoms & picked up, yes, The Lightning Thief.

So, on the eighteenth of October when she unwrapped her presents, she was quite shocked (pleasantly, ofcourse) to discover a hard bound copy of the book.
“So, you are gradually getting converted from an angadi shopper to a brand buyer” she exclaimed.
“Only this once” I muttered to myself.

Now any book, good or bad, new or old (the older the better, actually) plain covered or flashily clothed cannot stay for long infront of me-Unread. Barely had I tepidly opened TLT that I was pulled into a rollicking adventure.

Percy Jackson is a school kid who suffers from ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)he hates school (he’s changed many) & his teachers don’t like him much either, except his Latin teacher Mr. Brunner. Now, Percy’s lifez never been quiet and he seems to have a penchant for getting into trouble. A series of unnatural unexplained events happen & he lands up in Camp Half-Blood. Yup, turns out he’s not all human, he’s Half-God. But no one at the camp can figure out which God’s son he is. At the camp he meets Mr. Brunner, who is actually a centaur & his best friend Grover who is a Satyr. Here he’s told that he suffers from ADHD & can’t sit still in a classroom is because of his battlefield reflexes and the reason he has difficulty with English is cuz his brains’ hardwired to understand ancient Greek.

The fun begins as we slowly realise that he could be the son of any of the three most powerful God’s – Zeus (King of Gods), Poseidon (God of Water) & Hades (God of the Underworld). Percy is then sent on a mission to find out who has stolen Zeus’s Lightning Bolt & if he doesn’t all hell will break loose (literally).

Will Percy succeed? Ofcourse he will, but at what price & the how, makes for an interesting read.

My long review obviously indicates how much I enjoyed the book. With Greek mythology (which I always seem to be drawn to) deftly woven into the books tapestry, Rick Riordan has delivered a winner. But most important of all is the lesson I’ve learnt- Sometimes all that glitter can be gold.

[No. of pages: 375]

The King Of Torts

2006-01-22T06:03:00.000-08:00

..By ‘John Grisham’ is if nothing else, enlightening. What I mean is that, I have learn’t a whole lotta legal jargon, which if I hadn’t read the book, I wouldn’t have ever. Like for eg., well ‘tort’. Though it is ‘legal breach’ as per the dictionary, here it means mass settlement, so I suppose the title becomes ‘The King of Mass Settlement’, doesn’t have the same ring does it? Hence, that’s why, I suppose Grisham used King of ‘Torts’. So, the story begins with our hero who is depressed & struggling and aged 31. Age, important? Very. My interest actually went up a couple of notches when I came upon this very relevant info. It basically signified(to moa) that I had a whole 6 yrs to strike gold & become obscenely rich or rather that I had a whole 6 yrs of struggle infront of me(?)…..

Hmm…whatever, the age was definitely an interesting point of consideration. Right, so after the revelation of JCC-II(J. Clay Carter-II, our hero’s) age, he suddenly becomes rich. How? Well, he receives some inside info on a certain case he is working on & makes the most of it. But..he does so at the price of his ethics & as we all have learn’t , in the world of fiction , that this aint good. What our chap does is really this:

He comes to know (throu’ his secret source) that a certain medicine is harmful to people. So, he advertises this fact, gets their cases and then settles with the company, which is not really bad. What is , is that, he skims off a major portion of the settlement & gives his numerous clients a very small share. This is called ‘mass settlement’.

A couple of twists n turns later his bad karma catches up with him.

But what I found really infuriating was the open ending. I have nothing against them, but JG doesn’t even bother to take the effort to clarify certain important points. Its almost as if he is hoping to do a da vince & wants to write a sequel(or prequel).

But, there’s always one thing about Grisham’s books, you invariably have a good time when u’r readin’ ‘em.

[No. of pages:372]

The Scarlet Pimpernel

2005-12-10T08:11:00.000-08:00

Just finished reading 'The Scarlet Pimpernel' by Baroness Emmuska Ocrzy. Loved it. Now I know where all the old M&Bs I used to read in college got their inspiration from :)

The novel is set right in the middle of the French Revolution. It's the year 1972 and the aristrocrats in Paris are being beheaded by the hundreds at the guillotine. Their only hope for rescue - the Scarlet Pimpernal . Reknowned for his daring rescues and clever disguises, his identity is a mystery to all but his league of loyal followers.

The book is filled with a host of intriguing characters:
The cunning French agent Chauvelin - who is bent upon hunting down the Scarlet Pimpernel
The beautiful and intelligent Marguerite Blakeney - who is blackmailed into spying on the Pimpernel's league
Sir Percy Blakeney - Marguerite's wealthy, gallant and handsome but dull-witted husband

The book is soooo romantic - with a love-story woven into swashbuckling adventure, along with intrigue and comedy.

Lines I loved:
Sir Percy Blakeney's witty poem:
"We seek him here, we seek him there,
Those Frenchies seek him everywhere,
Is he in heaven? - is he in hell?
That demmed elusive Pimpernel"

the whole of chapter XVI ;)

of bonsais and birthday gifts

2005-12-08T06:38:00.000-08:00

..tea-time conversation among my team-mates( we are a bunch of s/w engineers :))
The topic- B'day gifts and the people who are yet to get one from the team

A: you guys haven't given me a b'day gift as yet
V: Yes. M and I went to Lalbagh today.
A(taken aback): whats the connection?? :))
V(very embarassed):..nothing..
rest of us: tell us!!
V: It's for the bonsai...
A( to those who came in late): R (the boss) wanted a bonsai as a wedding gift from us
J: V wanted to know if it's ok to pluck one from Lalbagh :))
A: So were you planning to pluck(!!) one and throw it over the wall to M?
S(patiently explains to V that bonsai are actually stunted trees): you know, like dwarves
G: Even I'd been to Lalbagh to buy one ...but no luck
G: How do they grow bonsai?
someone: maybe using the seeds from the fruits of bonsai trees
S: I didn't know bonsai trees bear fruit...(to R) what kind of a bonsai do you want?
R: I want a jack-fruit tree!
R: I've heard that the older a bonsai plant, the more valuable. I saw a 35 year old tree worth 35K.
S(doing some mental math): my mum has a 20 year old one ....
J: the older a tree the sooner it will die, why would it cost more?
R(after some thought): It's a well established tree.
A(after some more thought): yes, like buying an adolescent instead of a baby..
V:also it becomes more difficult to pluck
A: It's really cruel to stunt trees like that...they are cutting down all the trees in front of St.Jonh's Hospital....

the conversation then moves on to tree-cutting to the state of Bangalore's roads....

It's Not About the Bike

2005-12-04T10:25:00.000-08:00

'It's Not About the Bike' is not just the story of Lance Amstrong's - 7 time winner of the Tour de France - battle against cancer, it's a tale of courage and of one man's will to triumph against all odds.
It's one of the most inspiring books I've read.
Lance Amstrong's story is the stuff of legends. 'It's Not About the Bike' talks about Amstrong's childhood. His early rise to fame. Being diagnosed with cancer at 24. His battle against a disease that ravages both body and soul. His comeback into the world of professional cycling. And his first two Tour de France victories.
Anyone who enjoys watching the Tour de France on t.v. will love the first person account the book gives. You get a biker's-eye-view of the peloton, the attacks and counter attacks, the 60mph downhill freefalls, the mountain stages, the 'dear god please don't let him get caught' breakaways and all the other stuff that makes the Tour so exhilarating and heart-wrenching to watch.
But the book is not about the Tour. It's about the will to win. It's about hope and the unbreakable human spirit. A must-read for anyone looking for inspiration.

Am Currently Watching

2005-12-01T19:30:00.000-08:00

      Nach Baliye
A reality show on Star-one where TV celebrity couples show their dancing prowess’z. The judges in this one are Malaika Arora Khan , Farhan Akhtar & Saroj Khan. Was thoroughly disappointed last week when Archana & Parmeet were out.(Completely blame the judges for their harsh scoring).Right now am rooting for Rajeshwari & Varun.
Love this show esp. its
"Put u'r hands up ...put u’r hands up ..like u just don’t care..its nach baliye..
Na sharma mere mahi soniye..duniya ki na soch oe nach baliye..
Lootenge waah waahi..chal rang jamale ..nach baliye.."
Timings: 2100hrs on Thursday’z

      Monk
He’s the defective-detective. He’s a cleanliness freak & is phobic to almost everything, but he’s a genius & no-one can solve crime quite like him.
Timings: 2100hrs on Friday’z or 1400hrs on Sunday’z (Star World)

      Friends
This is the final season & ofcourse,I like the rest of the world am a loyal fan of this serial.
Timings: 2200hrs on Saturday'z-Zee English

      Smallville
Life of Clark Kent, when he was a teenage-how he comes to terms with who he is & how he masters his powers.
Timings: 2000hrs on Wednesday’z (Star World)

      Scrubs
A comedy about a group of medical interns & their hilarious experiences in the hospital.
Timings: 2000hrs on Star World

           & ofcourse these currently off-air serials which I still can’t get outta my head:
            Lost
A group of people find themselves abandoned on an uninhabited island & a series of the most strange & sinister events assail them all. It’s a complete thriller & is perhaps one *the* best serials I’ve seen in a very very long time.
It used to come on Saturday’z at 1900 hrs on Star movies. Right now am awaiting impatiently for the next season to hit Indian televisions.

      Ed
Comedy on Star World. It’s a nice funny, feel good serial. Its basically about Ed, a lawyer who one fine day finds out that his wife has cheated on him with the milkman & moves back to his childhood home-Stuckyville. Here he tries to serenade and win over his school-crush Carol Vesse, buys a bowling alley & re-unites with his high school best friend. There’s something about this one which always made me switch on my tele at 2000 hrs on Tuesday’z and watch it glue-eyed for an hour.

            Fear Factor
On this reality show, the contestants are made to do the most hair-raising antics. Walk on thin beams, jump off cliffs, eat spiders & other insects & all sorts of other such things. It’s very entertaining :)

Other than my regular watches, I irregularly watch Desperate Housewives (kinda lost interest in it after Lost came on air), Tru calling (she can bring ppl back to life), Seven (too early to tell if its going to make my fav-list), Medical Investigation, Gilmore Girls, Indian Idol (loved the first season), KBC,Monster House, The Amazing Race, Caroline in the city and Will & Grace.
Hmm...I guess that just about covers everything on air.

Winter days

2005-11-26T09:31:00.000-08:00

Hey Noor, just accepted the invitation to join your blog...better late than never, like they say.
So you'll find some of my posts scattered in between yours from now on...

Guest writing on one's best friend's blog has its advantages
-you get to post stuff on the net without maintaining a blog of your own :)
-the friend will no longer crib that you don't visit her blog often enough (net nanny at work to blame )

Winter days
Bangalore is at its best in winter.
Deep blue skies, the kind of blue you just don't see the rest of the year...with cotton-white clouds floating about. The red steeple of St.John's church framed against the sky. The breeze creating ripples on Ulsoor lake and the pale winter sun warming the early morning joggers. The abandoned granite buildings of the military barracks with their soot-blackened chimmneys. Even the trees here seem to wait for winter to shed their leaves and bloom. Thats the scenic route to work.
The nights are amazing too. Clear clear skies, a chill in the air that makes you glad to see the warm yellow glow emanating from the windows of your home. The huge full moon rising over the little islands on Ulsoor lake, the lights from the Philips campus reflected over the still waters. The early morning prayer from the local mosque breaking the stillness of the night air...reminding you of stories from the Arabian Nights.
Just the right kind of weather to laze around with a cup a coffee, a chocolate bar and a good book.

I recently got back from a visit to Chennai. It's a really nice city - great roads, well planned, etc.
But when it gives you a thrill just to see the signboards along the railroad change from Tamil to Kannada, you realize that Bengaluru with all its traffic and pollution and potholes is the best place on earth. Simply because its home.

This Must Be

2005-11-19T17:30:00.000-08:00

All things are not always what they seem,
There’s always more than meets the eye,
All people aren’t always so good,
And all aern’t all that bad,
There is kindness in the darkest souls,
& even angels have a darker side.
U need to look within your self,
U need to find the path, u chose,
We are here bcuz we wanted to be.
We’d like to look up & blame the stars,
& shift fault to a force beyond,
But, we know, deep inside that ‘tis not true,
Some where somehow we’d made this choice,
We had decreed that this must be,
& that’s why we are where were meant to be.

Life's Truth's

2005-11-15T05:39:00.000-08:00

1. “All are lunatics, but he who can analyse his delusion is called a
philosopher” - Ambrose Bierce

2. “For most of history, anonymous was a woman” - Virginia Wolf

3. “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will” – Mahatma Gandhi

4. “Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens”- Jimi Hendrix

5. “Success comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it”-Henry David Thoreau

6. “The deepest feeling always shows itself in silence” - Marianne Moore

7. “Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people whom we personally dislike" - Oscar Wilde

8. “There are two ways of meeting difficulties: you alter the difficulties, or you alter yourself to meet them” - Phyllis bottome

9. “We are forced to participate in the games of life before we can possibly learn how to use the options in the rules governing them” – Goethe

10. “What a wonderful life I’ve had. I only wish I had realised it sooner” - Collette

The Collected Short Stories

2005-11-10T05:45:00.001-08:00

…contains 36 of Jeffrey Archer’s finest short stories. Almost all his stories have an unexpected twist in the end & are immensely readable. The stories have been drawn from his three volumes- ‘A Quiver Full Of Arrows’, ‘A Twist In The Tale’ & ‘12 Red Herrings’. Though I liked most of the stories, my favourite was ‘Christina Rosenthal’. Also brilliant were ‘The Perfect Murder’, ‘Clean Sweep Ignatius’ and ofcourse the romantic ‘Old Love’ with that wonderful multi-meaningful one-liner ‘Legend has it that there were never apart for more than a couple of hours’, just like my books & I, whatsay?
[No. of pages: 705]

Artemis Fowl

2005-11-10T05:45:00.000-08:00

Fantasy became my new buzzword after ‘Lord of the Rings’ & the Harry Potter books. So, with me wanting to completely explore this genre, I was looking for more authors to exhaust & when Pratz mentioned Eoin Colfer’s ‘Artemis Fowl’, I was more than ready for this new adventure. Despite its hype & my huge expectations, the book did not disappoint. Thoroughly enjoyable, I can’t wait to read the entire series. The story is about a criminal-millionaire-mastermind Artemis Fowl, who happens to be a 12yr old boy. The entire Fowl’s race are pioneers in various criminal activities, so wanting to unload the Fairy community of their gold seemed to come naturally to the boy. But, when Artemis decided to capture a fairy, he hadn’t realised that he’d be getting the feisty & fiery Capt. Holly Short (of the LEPrecon Unit). What happens when these two diverse races clash, makes for a fun read. The other characters like Butler, his sister (Artemis’z allies) & Commander Root, Foaly (Holly’s comrades) add more spice to this already chilli hot book. After AF, I’m more in love with Fantasy than I was before. To Fantasy & Fowl, Addidas’z catchphrase aptly applies ‘Impossible Is Nothing’.
[No. of pages: 396]

Dan Brown

2005-11-05T19:25:00.000-08:00

Has written a whole number of books which I’ve enjoyed immensely. It all started with the much talked about “Da Vince Code”. I read the book & ofcourse, liked it, however, since it was hyped up so much, it sort of spoilt the ‘joy of discovery’. But, it had been quite long since I had become so interested in an author’s work & so I decided to read all he’d ever written (My last such obsession being ‘Earle Stanley Gardner’ of ‘Perry Mason’ fame). So, I read his prequel to Da Vinci Code, which was “Angels & Demons”. It was Brilliant. It was leagues ahead of DVC & the ending was a complete shocker & that really is saying quite a bit. Living in a world, where we’ve seen & read so much and where nothing seems to raise an eyebrow anymore, this book thrilled. It was superbly written and it put Dan Brown high-high up on my list. So, ofcourse, I had to read his “Deception Point” & “Digital Fortress”. Both good, but paled in comparison to A&D. Deception Point dealt in depth with rocks & rocket scientists & Digital Fortress was ofcourse, about codes. A curious feature I observed in all (well..almost all) his books was that the lead character was inevitably a professor. I suppose, DB found that in order to extraordinarily brilliant in any chosen field, one couldn’t be any less. Like for e.g. In DVC & A&D the lead character was a Prof. & in Digital Fortress the heroine’s fiancé was a Professor. Deception Point seemed to be the only odd one out, without any of the protagonists being one, I wonder why…
All said and done, Dan Brown with his A&D is the current flavour of my season.

Here are DB’s books read by me, in order of me having read them:
1. Da Vinci Code [Pgs: 389]
2. Angels & Demons [Pgs: 592]
3. Digital Fortress [Pgs: 430]
4. Deception Point [Pgs: 558]

Not So Strange

2005-11-05T05:18:00.000-08:00

Was in one of my melancholy-philosophical moods, when I came up this:

It’s not so strange when u think about it,
The world’s a stage & we all act,
When the cue begins, we cry,
We sing & dance & laugh & sigh.
But, it’s when our problems overwhelm our lives,
We think about life & the how & whom & the when & why,
We start to wish & pray & hope,
We invent & create a better way,
It’s not as strange as we think it to be,
All lives follow a similar strategy.
We think we know it all for a while,
But it’s when tragedy strikes our journeys begin,
We take strange paths & meet strange men,
We walk to mountains & to sages’ saint,
We slowly begin so see the light,
& see that it’s not so strange, after all.

A Rare Something

2005-10-23T01:27:00.000-07:00

It glimmered in the morning light like a silken thread, it was bright bronze and felt like gauze. It had the exact shape of that which left it, I’d never seen one like this before & this rarity added to its beauty.

Primal Fear

2005-10-22T13:10:00.000-07:00

Like the cover back said ‘a terrifying read’. In this psychological thriller, William Diehl left out no trick. The story kick starts with the violent murder of Archbishop Rushman, described in graphic detail through the eyes of the murderer. Gruesome & bloody, it sets the tone of the book. Aaron Stampler is found near the murder scene with blood all over him ‘and’ the murder weapon in hand, but he claims, he hadn’t dunnit. Martin Vail, the city’s most feared and brilliant attorney gets slapped with the case. His detractors say, it’s an open and shut case, he cannot win. As Vail & team delve into the mind of Aaron Stampler, they are astounded by the extent of its disorientation & brilliance. Diehl chooses those fascinating complexities & defense mechanisms which the mind contrives & explains them with élan.
Schizophrenia, split personality disorder, its causes, devastating effects & the mind of Aaron is dealt with brilliant dexterity. Diehl’s pace never slackens a moment, whether he’s explaining about the mind & its ego, superego & id or if it’s Vail’s courtroom shenanigans or Aaron n his antics, it races like a bullet train. Horrifying, thrilling & thought-provoking, it’s a roller-coaster ride, start-to-finish.
Suspenseful, it keeps one guessing, what Vail would do & how he would get Stampler’s acquittal. Like the tip of the scorpion’s tail, the ending’s a stinger.
William Diehl was a reporter before he started writing and as I read the book, I wondered where he got these absolutely thoroughly terrifying storylines from, could it be from his past profession? Does life imitate art or is it the other way around…..
[No. of pages: 508]

Tomorrow is another day

2005-09-27T06:37:00.000-07:00

I love sunsets. No matter how bad my day is, a few minutes alone on the terrace, at dusk, manages to soothe my hurt mind and senses. Its like taking a dip in a sea of tranquility.

The Thorn Birds

2005-09-26T20:40:00.000-07:00

.. took me 5 years to finish. No, I didn’t read a paragraph a day, I had actually progressed quite rapidly through the book, but when I reached the end, I realized to my absolute horror that the last chapter had been torn off(I had quite idiotically not checked to see if all the pages were there, whilst borrowing the book from the library).I did try obtaining it from various sources but wasn’t at all successful, later I got busy with life and the thought of getting the book was gradually forgotten.
So, when five years later, my sis comes home with a copy of this very book in her hand, my surprise & happiness knew no bounds.
“My cup runneth over” I yelled out loud,
to which she, used to my sudden emotional outbursts by now, walked on by, unfazed.
Anyway, after I wrestled the book away from her, I starting reading the last chapter and was quite happy to remember all the characters really well. It is a fantastic book. Even though I’m not too crazy of books which fall into the family drama category, I totally enjoyed this one. Made me crave and wish for more brilliant writers like Colleen McCullough . Every emotion struck a cord and the book was nothing if not soul-stirring.This is one of those books which one just *has* to read in their life time.
I’m not going to write about the story, like I usually do, but instead I’m going to write the book’s brilliant opening parah:
“There is a legend about a bird which sings just once in its life, more sweetly than any other creature on the face of the earth. From the moment it leaves the nest it searches for a thorn tree and does not rest until it has found one. Then, singing among the savage branches ,it impales itself upon the longest, sharpest spine .And ,dying, it rises above its own agony to out-carol the lark and the nightingale .One superlatives song, existence the price .But the whole world stills to listen and God in his heaven smiles. For the best is only bought at the cost of great pain…..Or so says the legend.”
[No. of pages: 560]

The Last Juror

2005-09-06T19:00:00.000-07:00

……………barely passed muster. I bought it basically because it was a ‘John Grisham’ novel and his books have a certain palpable excitement to them. This one though boasted of a slow humdrum. Set in the 1970’s, it tells the tale of Willie Traynor, a 23 yr old college dropout who assumes ownership of a bankrupt newspaper. A brutal murder occurs in the town and with the paper reporting it all, it begins to rake in the moolah. The murderer is tried before a jury who convict him and he swears revenge against them all. After a couple of years, he gets paroled and retribution begins. The book isn’t a complete washout and is extremely readable in parts. You even begin to connect with Willie & his struggle and feel warmly for Miss Callie, a maternal figure to Willie. It’s a slight drift from the usual Grisham and though this lullaby is soothing, it’s for the adrenalin that I thrive.
[No. of pages: 505]