Books, Movies and More

I saw Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie!

2009-08-24T11:23:00.000-07:00

I have been waiting anxiously to watch Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince for a long time and was practically counting days for its release. And then that weekend my husband and I set out to the theatre...and found that some other movie was running there! Imagine my disappointment! The stupid newspaper had confused the names of the movies!! And it was too late to go to the other theatre..

Anyway we saw the movie the next weekend... But unfortunately, I found the movie a huge let down :-(

Warning!! Spoilers ahead!!
First of all, several main points in the Harry Potter book were left out- like the crucial memories that Dumbledore shows Harry. Voldemort’s past, his parents, his relation to Salazar Slytherin, could all have been added. Of course, knowing a lot more about Lord Voldemort would have been very interesting...

In the book, Dumbledore talks to the Dursleys and gives them good for not treating Harry well. The scene was really funny and would have been nice to have been incorporated.

And the very exciting fight scene at the end, how could they??? BooHooo! In its place so many unnecessary scenes were added. There was actually no need for the Quidditch part (Okay, some of you might want to kill me for saying that), and Harry flirting with the waitress and the Death Eaters attacking the Burrow and too many romance scenes...

Another thing that annoyed me was this dark colour tone throughout the movie..Maybe it was to give the impression of “These are dark times”. But it kind of made the movie all the more dull.

And Ginny:-( Really disappointing...Bonnie Wright, who plays Ginny in the movie, looks as if she has a mask on. My opinion is that someone else could have handled this character much better. Harry and Ginny’s budding romance is not depicted well at all...It was all too mechanical and I felt that somehow it did not give the right effect...The book was so good:-(

Overall, for someone who has not read the book and who does not know all the important happenings, it could turn out to be too boring. That was what my parents said anyway...And I am now sceptical as to how the next movie would turn out...I can’t believe I am saying this, but I am not that keen on watching the next two movies..Hope they would follow the book as much as they could as it could not be perfected anymore...

A Train of Thoughts

2009-08-21T10:40:00.000-07:00

It was yet another day. The same job, the same people, the same to and fro travels, the same household chores...And it was during my cooking frenzy that my mind zoomed out...

‘Onam is nearly here. The last year was really good. Hope this year would be good too...What all should I cook for the Onam feast? OK, we will be going to our native place, so I will not have to cook! [:-D]

Oooh payasam [a dessert made with milk and ghee available in different mouthwatering varieties, a must after an Onam feast or Onasadya]... so tasty...especially Adapradhaman [the king of payasams I should say, made with jaggery, milk, ghee, coconut milk etc.] Hmm...

Grandmother used to make such tasty Adapradhaman..yummy...with rightly prepared ‘Ada’[the main component], the right amount of sweetness, the right ingredients, the right consistency..And the end result would always be...just right...

Sad that I could not ask her how it is prepared now...and she will not be able to stop me before I screw up... she will not be able to guide me in anything as a matter of fact...since, some years back she passed away...

What all stories she used to tell me as a child! She was so thorough in Hindu mythology and always knew the names of the characters in almost all the stories. How did she do that? I mean, I always mix up the names and always end up mixing up the entire story as well...Wonder what I would tell my children and grandchildren...

Yea..And she was ‘the human computer’, with all her children’s and grandchildren’s birthdays/anniversaries/star signs/ important events, stored up in her incredible memory...

Hmm..I could have asked her a lot of things. She was more than 90 years old when she died. The wisdom, the experience and the knowledge of nearly a century...I could have asked her a lot more and she could have told me much more. But alas...all that remains is memories.’

And that is one of the many ironies of life. One would never know the value of anything until they lose them. Now I know that I should treasure every moment and prize every treasure I have- my parents, friends, relatives, well-wishers... Nothing should be taken for granted...nothing is here forever...

I got kind of sentimental there...Did not think this post would turn out to be quite serious...Anyways...

Book Review: Remember Me? By Sophie Kinsella

2009-02-27T09:28:00.000-08:00

I was looking for a light read and 'Remember me?' caught my attention immediately. Maybe it was the author's name (I have not read Sophie Kinsella's famous "Shopaholic" series but have heard a lot about them) or the pleasant yellow book cover. Anyway I read the summary on the back cover..and found it interesting. So I bought it (at Rs.214/- after reduction).

Soon I started reading it and found myself reaching 'The End' page at top speed! In short, this novel was good (I wouldn't have bothered to write a review if it was bad in the first place).

I found the book to be a really easy read with lots of humour, a bit of sadness, a little about friendship and relationships and a lot about how one copes with a circumstance. And of course there is the romance part. It had a gripping story line with not even a single boring page.

Entirely narrated in the first person, the story is about an average-looking girl called Lexi Smart. She has an unimpressive job and an unimpressive relationship with her boyfriend whom everyone calls Loser Dave! On a particularly bad day, when she heroically tries to catch a taxi, she falls down and bumps her head.

And she wakes up in a hospital. Her memory is foggy and soon she is in for a shock. It has been three years since she met with the accident and in reality, she is in the hospital due to another accident, and a car accident at that (as far as she can remember she has never even tried to drive a car!). In short, she has absolutely no idea what happened in her life during three precious years!!

But on the good side- she is no longer snaggletooth (as was her nickname) but totally gorgeous! And she is rich and married to a millionaire!! Life couldn't get better than this, can it??

But soon she realises everything is not as it seems to be... She could not help but wonder what the heck could have happened during those three years??

With humour as the main element, Sophie Kinsella takes us through Lexi's life and holds us in suspense as much as Lexi. Bit by bit the pieces of her life come together and we slowly get to see the whole picture. Great writing!

This story, I believe, makes us think of how circumstances could change people, so much so that they could acquire a totally different personality. And it also gives the message that never to give up, no matter how messy the path appears to be... Hmm..something to keep in mind.

So what do you think? Are you going to read it or what? Hope you would Remember me and tell me what you think:-D

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

2009-01-03T21:22:00.000-08:00

First of all let me wish you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR! Hope this year is filled with happiness, peace and prosperity... Guess what? I got a job as Copywriter in a reputed company here. So now I am a busy bee as well:-)

OK, Enough blabbering! I have run out of excuses and here is a review for you!

Book: Twilight
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Fiction, Romance, A tiny bit of horror

I am sure everybody has heard about Twilight by now. It is first and foremost a love story. Only then does it touch on the tiny bit of horror. So, the story line.. A teenage girl and boy falls in love. But how can things go smoothly if the boy turns out to be a vampire?!

The heroine of the story, Bella Swan is thoroughly confused about this unimaginable complication but nevertheless could not imagine a life without this complication. Edward Cullen is equally attracted (to her as well as her blood!) and worried because loving Bella might result in him accidentally killing her!! Obviously love isn’t just fun and games for these two!!

I think that the book was widely accepted because of its great narration on the longing, the restriction and the desperation in Bella and Edward's romance- you know, the forbidden love theme.. The story does not go in a break neck speed, but rather focuses on revealing slowly the hidden mysteries behind the Cullen family.. as well as Bella.. (ooh there is suspense there)

Oh yea, the Cullen family. If you thought one vampire was enough to grab your full attention, there are a few more living in the small town of Forks. Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Jasper, Rosaline and Emmett all belong to the Cullen family and walk about just as ordinary people. But the good thing about them is that, hmm, they are good. That is they do not drink human blood. That is a relief, right? (But not for the animals:-s, you know what I mean?).

What I liked about Bella's character is that she is very affectionate and sincere. She takes great care of her parents Charlie and Renee. There is a funny side to her as well in that she is darn clumsy and attracts trouble and accidents like a magnet (Now can you imagine, how she could have loved a mere human?). The book clearly depicts the teenage rebellion, the immaturity, the hormones and all that. (Call me old fashioned, but I really did not like Bella calling her parents by name:-( Quite disappointing.)

About Edward, he is a vampire, much more mature, (since he has been seventeen ‘for a while’), loving and sincere. He turns out to be way overprotective in the second book (which gets on Bella’s nerves and mine when I read the book). And he is inhumanly handsome and in Bella’s words looks like an ‘angel’ (er..who drinks blood that is!)

There are three more books in the series- New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. I have only the last book to go now. Of the three, I liked Twilight the best.

I saw the Twilight movie trailer and thought that Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart were the most appropriate people for the story. Does anybody know whether it will get released in India? Or did I simply miss it?

My Rating for Twilight is 4 1/2 stars

This past month...

2008-10-11T10:56:00.000-07:00

This past month my husband and I had been busy. Setting up a new home at an entirely new place is rather tiring. Anyway we have settled down now and are getting to know this city.

What I missed was blogging since we did not have any internet connection till recently!

And yes, we celebrated Onam (the most-widely celebrated festival of Kerala).

Check out these pictures…

Legend has it that the great king Mahabali visits Kerala every year on this particular day. (Er..I did not make this grand feast- all the credit goes to my mother-in-law and sister-in-law!)

The traditional flower carpet "Pookkalam" which is set in front of every house is also an important part of the celebration. (A little short on flowers there, but we managed:-D. It was fun all the same.)

Malayalam Movie Review: Veruthe oru bharya

2008-10-06T02:20:00.000-07:00

An overworked and stressed out wife(starring Gopika), an impossible and self-centred husband(Jayaram) and their teenage daughter form the pillars for the story 'Veruthe Oru Bharya'( roughly translates to 'Just a wife'). The first half of the movie concentrates on the woes and pangs of a Malayali housewife with never ending chores -cooking, cleaning, washing the dishes, taking care of the cow and dog and hundred other things. There are not many modern appliances to help her and so almost everything has to be done traditional style.

In addition, her husband is so idiotic that he treats her similar to a servant with the added advantage of not paying any wages. He does not understand the amount of work that goes into managing a house. Finally she is pushed to the limit and starts a 'strike'.

Up to this point the movie seemed to be fine, but then the focus turns to the teenage daughter. I suppose they could have made another movie out of the part that followed.

In my opinion Veruthe Oru Bharya is an average movie. It was as if they wanted to tell a lot of things and ended up confusing everything. It had a theme similar to 'Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala' which proved its point well, while Veruthe oru bharya was not that successful.

Anyway Veruthe Oru Bharya seems to be doing well in the box office. Gopika has done a brilliant job in the movie as the mother of a teenager. Jayaram has done well too. I liked the song in which he imitates a number of Malayali actors.

Visit to Thekkady and Munnar

2008-08-03T00:16:00.000-07:00

For the past few days I have been busy. I got to visit Thekkady and Munnar.

We (My parents, uncle, aunt, cousins and myself) were really hoping to see some elephants at Thekkady, but were disappointed:-( Well, atleast we saw some monkeys, wild boars and birds:-)

I liked Munnar even more...

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Official trailer Released!!

2008-08-01T00:08:00.000-07:00

The official trailer of the sixth Harry Potter movie "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' is all over the internet now. Really can't wait to see the movie!
It is Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts and it is a time of fear and uncertainty. Harry learns more about Voldemort's past from Dumbledore in preparation of the final battle...
The main focus of the trailer is the young Lord Voldemort and the whole movie seems to be darker than the previous ones. And surely it ought to be, with Voldemort gaining more and more power and influence...

Update

Here is the international trailer of Hary Potter and the Half Blood Prince which was released just a few days back. It is totally good!! It gives a sneak peek into many interesting happenings in the movie. A glimpse of the cave in which Voldemort once tortured two orphans, Dumbledore fighting the Inferi, Harry's first side-along apparition, the additional scene at the Burrow, Ron and Lavender kissing, Slughorn handing over the memory, Fenrir Greyback and lots more

Book Review of 'Venetia' by Georgette Heyer

2008-07-02T22:51:00.000-07:00

Georgette Heyer has to her credit about 40 historical romance novels and 12 detective novels. Her historical romance novels are a delight. They are very popular and make for a light read. The specialty of her writing is the presence of humour and hilarity throughout the plot. Moreover, the characters are so alive and energetic that they seem to leap from the pages!

I have read only five of her romance novels- April Lady, Arabella, The Convenient Marriage, The Reluctant Widow and Venetia. I liked them all fairly well but I think there are some basic ingredients in most of her novels- an outspoken and frank heroine, a smart and rich hero, extravagant and naive guys, trouble through gambling, marriages in jeopardy and of course a wonderful romance.

I have also read one of her mystery novels Death in the Stocks which however, disappointed me a great deal. I do not think I would care for another!

Now about ‘Venetia’

Author: Georgette Heyer
Price: Rs. 285/- (I got it online at a discount of 25%)
ISBN: 978-0-099-4-65652
Main characters: Venetia, Lord Damerel, Aubrey, Edward Yardley, Oswald etc.

Venetia Lanyon was the eldest of the three children of a wealthy landowner. She was a charming woman of twenty-five with a startlingly frank nature, quick wit and an amiable disposition. Her two younger brothers, Conway and Aubrey, were very different from each other as could be. Aubrey was a bookworm with a brilliant brain but suffering from a physical disability. On the other hand, Conway was a great sportsman who did not enjoy intellectual pursuits.

Their father was an eccentric and selfish person for whom they did not care much (and vice versa) - as Venetia clearly states after his death ‘In fact, we go on very much better without him’!

After the death of their father, Venetia was left with the responsibility of taking care of Aubrey and the household, since Conway was away having a good time and could not be bothered with such affairs.

The Question of Marriage
Getting married was the ultimate aim of a woman in those times and in that respect Venetia’s future seemed vague. Venetia and Aubrey did not move in social circles, which rather dulled her marriage prospects.

However, there were two suitors ever ready to marry her if she chose- Oswald and Edward Yardley. (These two characters have given me several opportunities to have a laugh!) Oswald was a naive young chap of 19 with a wild imagination and an immense desire to be a hero. He was waiting for an opportunity to help the damsel in distress or to undertake any dangerous to win the heart of his beloved!

Edward Yardley in contrast was a sombre man of about thirty who was bossy with no liveliness or wit. He was so sure that Venetia would agree to marry him eventually that he meddled with her affairs with no ceremony. Hmm...not a bright future for Venetia, huh?

Enter Lord Damerel
It was then that Venetia meets Lord Damerel. It was all well and good but for the fact that he had a bad reputation and any acquaintance with him was scorned upon.
So what becomes of the beautiful Venetia and the notorious Lord Damerel?? That forms the main part of the story and I could not possibly tell you more.

My Opinion
Pretty good. Hope you would give it a try.

Backing Papers- Theme India

2008-06-25T23:02:00.000-07:00

Hello there! Check out these new backing papers with Indian theme ..I made these using some photographs that I took. The first one is a motif from the Taj Mahal, the third is a plantain leaf(on which we have our 'Sadhya' or feast), the fourth is a wood carving from Padmanabhapuram palace and the sixth is a 'Kasavu mundu', the beautiful attire of the people of Kerala. As usual it is free and if you liked it don't forget to leave your comments!

Something about Vishu

2008-04-25T22:57:00.000-07:00

"When are we going to get our Vishukaineettom??” My cousin brother and I hung about the kitchen where my grandmother, mom and aunts were busy preparing the Vishu sadya (feast). One of my aunts smiled and said “Hey, it isn’t nice to ask for Vishukaineettom...Wait child."

I was a kid then and getting Vishukaineettom was one of the main attractions of Vishu- since the custom involved the elders giving the young ones money:-) It was that part of the year when one got reasonably rich and started thinking of how to spend the money and how not to.

Our favourite "shopping centre" was the small shop near the temple which was open only on special days. (And this year too I got to see the shop. Just see the crowd!)

Another thing that we relished was Vishukkodi- which meant getting a new dress!! Now, don’t you see why everyone loves Vishu??

But Vishu would not be complete without Vishukkani. In fact Vishukkani is the most important ritual of Vishu. It is said that if we see loads of good things on this day, good luck and prosperity would be with us throughout the year. So Vishukkani is an assortment of all the things we would like to get that year- gold, Kasavu mundu(white cloth with golden borders), rice, jackfruit, mangoes, vegetables and also the flowers of Konna tree. (See my previous post for the pic)

This Vishu was really great. We got to see the festival at the temple near our grandfather’s house.

P.S. : I should have posted this long time back.. But I have been quite lazy the past few days. Really needed a break, you see? Hope you did not miss me much:-)

Today is Vishu

2008-04-13T19:43:00.000-07:00

Wish you all a very happy and prosperous Vishu!

Aur Aahista by Pankaj Udhas

2008-04-02T21:20:00.000-07:00

I am sure everybody knows the story 'The Gift of the Magi' by O.Henry( or read it here). The picturisation of the album song 'Aur Aahista' by Pankaj Udhas is roughly based on this story. It is really lovely and the song is worth listening to, again and again. Hope you would enjoy it too:-)

Featuring: Sameera Reddy (Sorry, I don't know the guy's name)

Lyrics
Aur aahista kijiye baatein, dhadkanein koyi sun raha hoga (2)
Lafz girne na paayein hothon se, waqt ke haath inko chun lenge
Kaan rakhte hain yeh dar-o-deewaar, raaz ki saari baat sun lenge
Aur aahista kijiye baatein
Aise bolo ki dil ka afsana, dil sune aur nigaah dohraaye (2)
Apne chaaron taraf ki yeh duniya, saans ka shor bhi na sun paaye
Na sun paaye (Aur aahista)
Aayiye band kar lein darwaaze, raat sapnein chura na le jaaye (2)
Koi jhonka hawa ka awaara, dil ki baaton ko uda na le jaaye
Na le jaaye (Aur aahista)
Aaj itne kareeb aa jao, dooriyon ka kahin nishaan na rahe (2)
Aise ek doosre mein gum ho jaaye, faasla koyi darmiyaan na reh jaaye
Na reh jaaye (Aur aahista)

Malayalam Movie Review: Varavelppu(1989)

2008-03-22T06:41:00.000-07:00

Varavelppu (= welcome) is a very notable Malayalam movie which saw the genius of three prominent people in Malayalam cinema- Sathyan Anthikadu who directed the movie excellently well, Srinivasan (a famous actor) who penned this story and Mohanlal who put forward one of his most memorable performances ever. Take a look at what this movie is all about.

Director: Sathyan Anthikadu
Story: Srinivasan
Actors: Mohanlal, Revathi, Jagadish, Srinivasan,Murali, Janardanan, Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Mamukkoya, KPAC Lalitha
Music: Johnson

The story
After seven long years Muralidharan (played by Mohanlal) returned to Kerala, India, his homeland. He was happy since he had been missing home so much. His two brothers and their families were eager to receive him. His sister-in-laws had even made special meals for him. Everybody was happy that their dear Murali was home. Or so it seemed.

When Murali announced that he would not be going back to Dubai, it was apparent that the family was deeply shocked and annoyed. In fact it was because of Murali alone that both the brothers were leading a decent life without any debts. For them Murali was a source of income; all they wanted was that he continued working for them and supplied them with money with everlasting generosity. Murali was quite oblivious to all these and thought everyone loved him from their hearts. But he was soon to find out their true colours the hard way.

When the two brothers understood that Murali’s decision was final they approached him separately with ideas of putting his savings to good use (for them, that is). However Murali did not fall for their traps and decided something on his own- to buy a bus.

The brothers are totally exasperated. But they could do nothing about it. Murali thus became the proud owner of a bus which he named ‘Gulf Motors’. However everything was not going to be a smooth run.

The rest of the movie is about the various problems Murali faces as a bus owner- the bad condition of the bus, the treacherous employees, the irritating vehicle inspector(played by Srinivasan) and ultimately the wrath of the trade union.

After seeing Varavelppu you would feel how unfair life could be. It makes you realize that the life of an employee or a boss trying to make both ends meet could turn out to be equally difficult and tricky as an ordinary worker.

I believe that everybody who has seen this movie will always think of it as a classic Malayalam movie.Check out this song from the movie:

Home Sweet Home!!

2008-03-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

Some of you might have wondered where I had disappeared these past few days. Guess what?? I am back home- in the beautiful God’s own country of Kerala!!Well, it all happened quite suddenly. I was fed up of the cold and windy climate of Bradford and longed for the warm climate in Kerala. Moreover I was very homesick. So what else to do but to book tickets, pack our bags and to set off as soon as possible??On 14th March we caught the National Express from Bradford and reached Heathrow airport at 7 a.m. the next day. On 15th March we reached Kerala. The trip was quite tiresome but how wonderful it felt to see all the happy and familiar faces that received us!!

So I am fully relaxed now and enjoying the warm climate and adoring the occasional downpour here. A festival is going on in the temple near our house and the loudspeakers are on full blast! Well, I don’t mind; all that matters is that I am home- Home sweet home!!

Free Backing Papers Again!

2008-03-12T07:12:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Here are the next set of free backing papers for you to download. You could check out more of my backing papers in the Crafts section...If you are new here, you may want to subscribe for my feeds.. Thanks for visiting:-)

Click on the thumbnail to see the full image. Have fun with your greeting cards and craft projects!!

Your comments are most welcome.. :-)

Book Review: Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie

2008-03-01T05:38:00.000-08:00

It has been many years since I first read Evil under the Sun. I got it from the library a few days back and read it once again. And found it equally interesting even this time. A perfect Hercule Poirot mystery!!

Book: Evil Under the Sun
Author: Agatha Christie
First published in 1941 by William Collins Sons & Co. in London, and by Dodd, Mead & Co. in New York
Detective: Hercule Poirot
Genre: Fiction, Murder mystery
Location: Smugglers’ Island off Leathercombe Bay, England

Poirot's Holiday
The story starts with Hercule Poirot, the famous Belgian detective ('with an egg shaped head'), enjoying a holiday at the Jolly Roger Hotel, Smugglers’ Island. The introduction of Poirot is very interesting, it tells us what sort of a character he is:

“There was one very important person (in his own estimation at least) staying at the Jolly Roger...”

(Agatha Christie sure made her detective overly proud of himself and larger than life..I remember reading somewhere that she gradually grew an immense dislike to Poirot over the years!! )

The guests at Jolly Roger
Anyway, we are then introduced almost immediately to the several characters staying in the hotel.

The very talkative Mrs. Carrie Gardener, the reserved and quiet Mr. Gardener (whose main duty was to agree to whatever the Mrs. was saying), the athletic Miss Emily Brewster, the narrator of non-ending boring stories Major Barry, a little fanatical Reverend Stephen Lane, the young and energetic Patrick Redfern, the almost plain-looking Mrs. Christine Redfern, the successful and beautiful Rosamund Darnley etc..

But who was the fairest of them all? Of course Mrs. Arlena Marshall. Men were crazy about her and women jealous…

The island seemed to be an unlikely place for a murder to take place but Poirot remarked at one point: ‘It is peaceful. The sun shines. The sea is blue. But you forget, there is evil everywhere under the sun’

His premonition came true soon enough.

The Murder
Arlena Marshall was found strangled to death in a secluded part of the island.

The suspects seemed to be many. It was a well-known secret that there was an affair of sorts going on between Patrick Redfern and Arlena Marshall. Thus her murder implicated two main suspects- Patrick’s wife Christine Redfern and Arlena’s husband Captain Marshall. But then nobody actually liked Arlena Marshall. The opinion about Mrs. Marshall was almost the same:

Reverend Stephen Lane : ‘That woman is evil through and through’;
Mrs. Gardener: ‘…but I have said to Mr.Gardener all along that there was something evil about the woman’
Linda Marshall(Arlena’s step-daughter): ‘If only Arlena would go away, I could enjoy myself’ ; 'I'd like to kill her. Oh! I wish she'd die...'
Miss Emily Brewster: ‘I am afraid I can’t have any regret for her death-’

‘Because the victim was the kind of person he or she was, therefore was he or she murdered!’ Poirot’s tactics to solve this crime was to study the character of the victim. And as always he was proved right in his methods.

Viewpoint
Agatha Christie’s formula for a mystery is generally well-proportioned with good characterization and a clever plot peppered with many false leads so as to confuse the reader. 'Evil under the sun' is an excellent example of how a mystery novel should be. I highly recommend it.

Adaptation
I believe there have been many movies based on Agatha Christie’s novels. But the best one is of course ‘Agatha Christie's Poirot’ the very popular British Television series with David Suchet as Hercule Poirot. David Suchet is absolutely adorable as Poirot. He is just as one would imagine Poirot would be while reading the novel.

Watch this video from 'Evil Under the Sun'.
Scene: Patrick Redfern being questioned by Poirot, Chief Inspector Japp (Philip Jackson) and Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser). (Inspector Japp and Hastings does not appear in the novel)

There is also a PC game Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun. I have never played it though.. Hope you enjoyed the review. Feel free to write a comment and let me know what you think.Have a nice day!

Oh my God!! Its an Earthquake!!!!

2008-02-27T02:51:00.000-08:00

Well, it happened yesterday night. The time must have been just before 1 a.m. I was slowly drifting off to sleep when suddenly there was a rumbling noise and the bed started shaking! The mirror on the wall rattled and there were sounds of alarms going off in the streets. I jumped up and was absolutely scared stiff. Then it was over. Then I kind of wondered if I had imagined the whole thing…You see, I was half asleep and perhaps I was just having a nightmare!

Hmm… No. It was an earthquake alright. I read today morning that there had been an earthquake of magnitude 5.2 in the Richter scale with the epicentre at Lincolnshire, UK (which is about 150 km from our place). This is supposed to be the largest earthquake to hit Britain since a 5.4 magnitude earthquake in 1984.

Yikes!! An earthquake!! This is the first time I had an earth trembling experience. And I tell you it was scary. Things like this make us think how vulnerable and helpless we are actually. I thank God that I am alive to see another day and sincerely hope that it does not happen again :-( :-(!! (I might be overreacting, but there, I can’t help it!!)

Free Backing Papers to Download- Check it out!

2008-02-26T01:15:00.000-08:00

Here is the new set of free backing papers for making greeting cards or for other crafting purposes. As you can see I have chosen blue as the theme for these backing papers. Hope you would let me know if you liked them.

Click on the thumbnail to get the full view of the backing paper.

Thanks for visiting. Pop in often, there is more to come:-) Happy crafting!

P.S. If you do not want to miss my latest posts you may want to subscribe for the RSS so that you will receive them in your inbox.

Attukal Pongala- A festival for women

2008-02-21T13:51:00.001-08:00

I can imagine how Trivandrum (Capital city of Kerala, India) will be like today. There will be an overwhelming number of women, everyone equipped with earthen pots and waiting patiently on footpaths, railway stations, open grounds and wherever they could find a bit of space. They will also be ready with all the stuff needed to start a small fire for cooking!

So what am I talking about? It is today that the festival of Attukal Pongala will be celebrated at one of the most famous temples in Kerala, Attukal. You might have heard of Sabarimala - a temple where only men are allowed to enter (and small girls and elderly women). Attukal temple is ‘Women’s Sabarimala’ (though men are allowed to enter the temple). Attukal Pongala is a unique festival since only women take part in it.

Attukal Pongala is celebrated to please Attukal Bhagavathi (Goddess). The main ritual involves the preparation of payasam (rice pudding) in earthen pots using ingredients like rice, jaggery, spices, coconut etc. and offering it to the Goddess.

The legend behind this festival is like this:

Once there lived in the city of Kaveripattanam a couple, Kovalan and Kannaki. They were rich and happy but everything went wrong when Kovalan fell in love with a dancer named Madhavi. He forgot all about his wife and it was not until he had spent all his money on Madhavi and became bankrupt that he realised his mistake. He went back to his wife who forgave him.

They went to the city of Madurai where they hoped to sell one of Kannaki’s anklets, which was the only valuable thing left with them, and start life afresh. But when Kovalan tried to sell the anklet he was arrested by the king’s soldiers who accused him of stealing it (someone had stolen one of the anklets of the queen which unfortunately looked very similar to Kannaki’s). Kovalan was killed without a fair trial.

Kannaki on hearing the news was devastated and angry. She went to see the King and the Queen and proved her husband's innocence by showing the other anklet of the pair. THe King and Queen were so ashamed of themselves that they fell dead. But Kannaki was still so angry that she cursed the whole city. Due to her immense chastity the whole city went up in flames.

Still not pacified she left the city and walked on to Kanyakumari and then to Trivandrum. There she was welcomed by the local women with offerings of Pongala Payasam. That is how Attukal Pongala started to be celebrated.
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Take a look at this video.

During the festival you can’t get anywhere near the temple (you can if you don’t mind getting squashed!). Women of all ages start arriving from all parts of the country even days before the festival- at least 5 km radius around the temple will be filled with devotees! Can you believe that 2.5 million women are expected to take part in the festival this year?? No wonder it is in the Guinness book of records for being the largest festival for women.

I have visited this temple many times and it is certainly divine. I have never seen it empty- always there are devotees queuing up to let this powerful Goddess know about their troubles and problems.

If you ever visit Kerala be sure to visit this temple!!

Liked this write-up? Then do leave a comment!

The best Miss Marple Mystery?

2008-02-19T10:27:00.000-08:00

Agatha Christie’s famous creation Hercule Poirot is definitely everybody’s favourite. But what about Jane Marple? I gather that most people do not like Miss Marple. But I like her mystery novels very much. In fact at the beginning I used to read only Miss Marple stories…

Anyway this is the result of another poll in a forum- which (sadly) indicates the state of Miss Marple’s popularity.

Choose the best Miss Marple Mystery
1. The Murder at the Vicarage
2. The Body in the Library
3. They do it with mirrors
4. 4.50 from Paddington
5. Haven’t read any

132 Agatha Christie fans took part
1. The Murder at the Vicarage- 18 votes
2. The Body in the Library- 23 votes
3. They do it with mirrors- 19 votes
4. 4.50 from Paddington- 40 votes
5. Haven’t read any- 32 votes (?)

4.50 from Paddington is the most popular. Other favourite Miss Marple mysteries in their opinion are- A Murder is Announced, Sleeping Murder, A Caribbean Mystery and Nemesis.

Hmm my personal favourite? The Body in the Library I should say.. No way to guess the twists in this one!!

Oh I have written the reviews of 4.50 from Paddington and The Body in the Library here. Hope this helped in some way...

Review of Malayalam Movie Nadodikkattu (1987)

2008-02-19T08:19:00.000-08:00

Nadodikkattu is another one of my favourite Malayalam movie. This is indeed an all time classic comedy movie.

Movie: Nadodikkattu
Language: Malayalam
Genre: Comedy

Written by: Srinivasan
Director: Sathyan Anthikadu
Cast: Mohanlal, Srinivasan, Shobana, Thilakan, Innocent
Sequels: Pattanapravesham, Akkare Akkare Akkare

Nadodikkattu is the story of Dasan and Vijayan, two simpletons who unknowingly (and knowingly) falls into one mess after another in their struggle to become something in their lives.

Dasan: (Played by Mohanlal) His catchphrase is ‘I am B.Com. First Class!’ He is so proud of being a graduate that he repeats it whenever there is an opportunity. You might think that he has a great job, but alas he is a peon in a private company which pays just enough salary to evade starvation.

Vijayan: (Played by Srinivasan) He is a very funny guy and more idiotic than Dasan. Dasan takes advantage of him a lot- like making him cook, do household chores and constantly reminding him that he is not a graduate. Vijayan is a peon too.

Everything goes reasonably well until one day they lose their jobs! (Ahem... they beat up the new Managing Director by mistake!!)

Cows to the rescue?!
No job, no money, no food! Their landlord feels pity for them and gets them a loan from the bank to buy cows. He convinces them that selling milk was a great business and that it was the secret of his success. He also sells them two cows which he claims would give them 25 litres of milk a day!!

Some Comedy scenes from Nadodikkattu

Dasan and Vijayan are so happy with the prospect that they start dreaming about their prosperous future. Surely they should buy a new car, a new house, TV, refrigerator, VCR, A.C......

But the cows do not give them 25 litres of milk a day. Not even close. Each day the quantity of milk dwindled; so did their hopes and dreams.. The landlord had cheated them. They fall into a sorry state once again. Finally they make a decision- to leave the country.

Dubai Dreams
They soon meet a man named Gafoor who promises to take them to Dubai (illegally) for a certain sum of money. They agree and give him all the savings that they had ever made.

Dasan and Vijayan soon reach Dubai.

So they think! It is not long before they understand that they are nowhere near Dubai but in Tamil Nadu, the neighbouring state of Kerala!!! Oops!!

Viewpoint
Mohanlal and Srinivasan have paired up in many movies, but I believe that their performance is at its best in Nadodikkattu. The story is really good; in addition to being a light comedy movie it also touches on various issues that ordinary people face everyday. Throughout the movie there are witty remarks about them which make it all the more interesting. A small example: when somebody asks Dasan and Vijayan why they were late for work, the reply is ‘Ask the Government to supply rice which will get cooked fast!’

Srinivasan (Vijayan in the movie) wrote the story. It is interesting to note that in all his movies he makes his character foolish/ugly/bad!! I don’t know why he does that but that in itself is funny.

No idea how many times I have watched this movie! Totally hilarious! Perhaps I will write about the movie ‘Varavelpu’ next which also has Mohanlal and Srinivasan. It is a comedy movie in many ways but quite sentimental too...

See you soon!!

A Digital Painting Adventure!

2008-02-15T11:32:00.001-08:00

This is what I got after I tried to paint a mug using GIMP. What do you think?? Is it any good??

More Valentine's day Backing Papers for free

2008-02-11T12:57:00.000-08:00

Here are some more free valentine's day backing papers for you(except for the last one). Hope you would like it:-) It would be great if you drop in your comments and ideas. That would help me improve:-)

UPDATE
See what 8 year old Kayleigh created using one of these backing papers.. Isn't it great? She is the daughter of Frances, one of my friends in Card Making and Papercraft forum... Keep up the good work Kayleigh!

Review of the Malayalam Movie Manichithrathazhu

2008-02-09T12:42:00.000-08:00

Wait!! Don't run away seeing this rather long title!! I promise this won't be boring (hopefully!:-D)

What comes to your mind when you think of Indian cinema? Of course- Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Aishwarya Rai etc. etc. But there are other film industries in India and a number of great actors as well. Kerala, a small State adorning the western edge of the Indian Peninsula has a number of superb movies to its credit. Let me elaborate with an example :-)

Manichithrathazhu is one of my most favourite Malayalam(regional language of Kerala) movies. In my opinion it has all the elements of a good movie- a great story, nice cast, excellent music and good photography.

Overview

Movie: Manichithrathazhu (1993) (Manichithrathazhu is a type of lock)
Director: Fazil
Cast: Shobana, Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi, Nedumudi Venu

The story revolves around the happenings in a haunted mansion called Madampalli. The legend behind the haunting is something like this…

The vampire of Madampalli
A long time back the ‘Karanavar’ (= the eldest member of the family, also used as a title) of Madampalli Tharavadu (Tharavadu=traditional house of Kerala) brought from Thanjavoor a dancer named Nagavalli. The Karanavar became obsessed with her but she had fallen in love with Ramanathan, another dancer . When the Karanavar knew about the affair he got into such a fury that he killed them both in the Thekkini (a room located in the south). But Nagavalli was so full of anger and revenge that she came back from the dead in the form of a Brahmarakshasu (very powerful vampire) to kill the Karanavar. Somehow he escaped and with the help of many sorcerers trapped her spirit in the Thekkini. Finally he too committed suicide and his spirit was confined in this room as well.

Enter Nakulan and Ganga
Back to the present day. To this infamous house comes the young couple Nakulan(Suresh Gopi) and Ganga(Shobana). Their relatives look upon this with concern and advices them not to live there. But neither of them is superstitious and pays no heed to their warning. Nakulan’s uncle asks them not to open the Thekkini atleast . Well, who listens to advice?:-) Ganga opens the door to the Thekkini…Everyone is so scared for the couple that Nakulan’s cousins Sreedevi and Chandu move in with them.

A song from the movie (with English subtitles)... Sung by K.S. Chitra, the Nightingale of South India, (oh she has such a great voice!!Did you know that up till now she has sung around 16,000 songs in 9 languages??:-o)

If you want to listen to the songs in the movie you can try Raaga.com..
http://www.raaga.com/channels/malayalam/movie/M0000401.html

The ghost awakens
Soon strange happenings ensue. Things get broken mysteriously. A mysterious woman in white saree(Kerala ghosts are usually in white sarees:-)) is seen by several people. Ganga’s saree catches fire under odd circumstances. Everyone is alert, scared and on the edge.

Help arrives
Nakulan’s uncle is convinced that the reason for all the chaos is the spirit of Nagavalli. Nakulan on the other hand has other doubts. Sreedevi has been suffering from depression because of a bad marriage . Nakulan strongly believes that she is behind all the strange happenings. He contacts his friend Dr. Sunny(Mohanlal) who is a world famous psychiatrist and asks for help…What follows is more suspense, action, music, a little bit of humour and a wonderful climax!

Viewpoint
This movie which kept on running in theatres for about 600 days(!) is one of the most popular and successful movies ever to be released in Kerala. I think there may not be many Malayalis who haven’t seen this movie! Manichithrathazhu has been remade into other Indian languages as well- Chandramukhi (Tamil), Aaptamitra (Kannada) and more recently Bhool Bhulaiya(Hindi). I have to say that the original is certainly the best!!!
Some of the things that I particularly liked about the movie:

First of course the performance of Shobhana. It was totally good. Well, no wonder she won the National Award for the Best Actress!!

The location. Several scenes of the movie were shot in the very beautiful Padmanabharapuram palace(Take a look at these pics). It was well suited to the movie. It created an atmosphere accentuating the story theme.

The music was really nice. The background music was really creepy! All the songs were excellent and meaningful

There were a lot of funny scenes which I enjoyed very much.

Real ghost or just a superstition?? The movie finally leaves a question to the viewer whether to believe in the deep-rooted superstitions or in the modern rational explanations offered by psychiatry…

Warning!! Spoiler video!! Take a look at Shobhana's acting in this scene. Sorry, no English subtitles but do watch it!

Hope you enjoyed this review and had a taste of Malayalam movie!