Ages...Definitely ages since I wrote down anything meaningful, that's discounting the writing I do at my day job!
Life (2007-present) has been what can I say life - a roller coaster ride involving varying use of my brain's power, heart's strength and guts. The one to blame is obviously me! Who in their right mind would constantly keep taking on - new work challenges, new side projects, new hobbies, new people, new residence, and a million other minute responsibilities all at once? While I might have started this "change mission" consciously to discover myself, its only now - a year later that I realize that I am going for the overkill. Although, I have not encountered any major stress or strain during this new life that I have built, I've pulled myself in tens of directions simultaneously. Occasionally, when things have not gone as I would have liked them to, I have felt a momentary lull then moved on to the other [million - 1] things to do.
Off late a lot of things have gone haywire due to environmental or other factors which cannot be controlled. Since I don't believe in God or a supernatural element I have to find a root cause for all the chaos that has ensued in and around me. Using basic deductive logic, I am the least common denominator so I am responsible for the mess! Thereby the conclusion, I cannot do everything; I must not take on too many others' responsibilities; I definitely cannot do all the things I take on to the minutest level of perfection!!!
The funny thing about this new life is that I probably get tired/overwhelmed/anxious that my well orchestrated castle of cards will come crashing down once a month. But people who consider themselves my friends joke/worry that I am so unlucky that things keep going wrong with my plans. At such times, I internally chuckle :) for I consider myself lucky to be able to do a 100 things and bravely face the successes and more importantly the failures. Life is after all about surviving and if u can survive your journey, adapting to it with a happy and an agile attitude then its yours dream adventure.
While my attitude is break-proof, I have to find a way to tackle my various interests or how am I ever going to connect the dots and realize the aim and work of my life! I guess the solution is to find no new interests or new projects till the current ones are completed, close to completion or consolidated in a way that they make sense.....More on this after I mull over it......
Showing posts with label arts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label arts. Show all posts
Movies, trilogies, etc.
I am a big Matt Damon fan, from Goodwill Hunting to Talented Mr. Ripley all the way to The Departed...I love his movies, acting and style; he is easily on the top of my list...As his new movie "Bourne Ultimatum" hit screens this Friday, I wondered whether I should watch the third movie in the Bourne trilogy - Bourne Identity, Bourne Supremacy and Bourne Ultimatum.
This evening I did a quick Yahoo Movies check and was surprised to find that the new Bourne movie was on top of the list based on critics and popular votes. So the decision was easy - go watch it in pure trilogy/series tradition. For anyone who loves a genre, for instance thrillers or action or horror, isn't it a must to see your protagonist all the way through? I mean its fun to watch movies like Rocky and Die Hard III, IV etc.
Interestingly enough despite my best intentions I was unable to watch JB - houseful on the last show?! Dejected I was generally surfing the news when I stumbled upon Watch your back 007 – Bourne is out to get you.
This was a cool article, its interesting that Jason Bourne is giving James Bond - a now legendary character a run for its money and popularity. My vote is obviously with the more realistic, humane and natural (relatively glamor free) Jason Bourne! More on this once I see the damn movie :)
This evening I did a quick Yahoo Movies check and was surprised to find that the new Bourne movie was on top of the list based on critics and popular votes. So the decision was easy - go watch it in pure trilogy/series tradition. For anyone who loves a genre, for instance thrillers or action or horror, isn't it a must to see your protagonist all the way through? I mean its fun to watch movies like Rocky and Die Hard III, IV etc.
Interestingly enough despite my best intentions I was unable to watch JB - houseful on the last show?! Dejected I was generally surfing the news when I stumbled upon Watch your back 007 – Bourne is out to get you.
This was a cool article, its interesting that Jason Bourne is giving James Bond - a now legendary character a run for its money and popularity. My vote is obviously with the more realistic, humane and natural (relatively glamor free) Jason Bourne! More on this once I see the damn movie :)
Toastmaster's Club Speech 5: Questioning Life
“Mom, why does the moon change everyday?”
“Come here. Our earth, this earth that we live on - goes round and round; the moon also moves in a circle around the earth. So we see a different moon everyday depending on where the moon is relative to our earth.”
“Uhm, okay”
Each of us has been that child and some of us have been that mother. When was the last time you questioned something crucial in your life?
Question! Curiosity! That’s what I want you to think about now, when you walk out of this room an hour later and every day of your life.
WHY Question?
Nobel laureate Bertrand Russell said – “In all affairs it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted.”
Russell was a British philosopher, mathematician, and above all an advocate for social reform and peace. Let me explain how he lived this axiom. Russell's first book, An Essay on the Foundations of Geometry, was heavily influenced by Immanuel Kant. Later he realized that the conception he had laid out made Albert Einstein's schema of space-time impossible, critical analysis made it clear to him that Einstein’s system was superior to his own. Thenceforth, he not only rejected the entire Kantian program but also maintained that his own work on the subject had no value.
What I want you to get out of this example is that change is life – we change physically and mentally throughout life. People, inanimate objects like the moon and the circumstances surrounding us – they all change! Given so much churn is it wise for us to assume that decisions that we made a month, a year or a decade ago still hold true??
WHAT Questions?
Gandhi said - You must be the change you want to see in the world.
During our younger years we ask, we learn, we assume and get influenced. A strong and confident voice does not develop inside of us till our 20s. This is the time to reevaluate dogmas and hand-me-down religions we inherited and put them in the context of our lives. We may find ourselves discarding certain principles while developing a strong belief in ideologies that we earlier followed robotically. Give a free rein to your voice -- taking the time to question life may be the best gift you give yourself.
Randy Komisar in his book “The Monk and the riddle” delves on the fact that life is momentary yet at some point we all loose track of this fact and start living with the intent of enjoying in the future. Why not simply enjoy the journey, live in the present? Po Bronson in his book “What should I do with my life” chronicles stories of 900 ordinary, non-famous people who extraordinarily changed their lives not by 90 but by 180 degrees. He does not throw any mantra or solution at you; rather he urges you to not dissuade your own calling. So think about the past, present and future. Connect the stars in the sky and you will see new dreams, plans and aspirations.
Questioned, now WHAT?
Shakespeare said “Strong reasons make strong actions.”
Once we start thinking we stop making excuses, avoiding problems and more or less we start realizing our faults and start resolving issues. Everything in life is a personal choice not chance, stars, God, parents’ or anyone’s fault – truly absorbing this can be a déjà vu.
In every situation, you always have a choice – think, take the right turn and rise to your full potential. Live life the way u were meant to live, go ahead give it your personal color for that’s the only way to leave this world with some sense of self contentment. Do something u always wanted to do – backpack across the world, write your own motorcycle diaries, learn how to swim, found a nonprofit; whatever it is that jump starts your engine, just do it!
Ever feel guilty about spending less time with your parents and kids? Make a change - they probably need you more than what the best hospitals and schools can offer.
As kids we pondered: Why is E=mc2?
As grownups how much time do we spend on introspection!!
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” is also something Mahatma Gandhi said.
Fellow toastmasters – When you provide me feedback today or later by email, more than my presentation; tell me if u self-reflected, tell me if u were a bit more connected with yourself …. Thank You
Fiction Writing Assignment 4: Dialogues in a short story
Teachers without Borders 4
Tim felt weary with pain in his chest as he got out of bed. He took the liberty of a long shower to release his blues. I have one last chance to tell her, Tim thought as he felt the hot water bring his body to life. After ages, he took the time to get dressed yet ended up arriving early at Sheena’s doorstep.
“Aloha!” Tim watched Sheena with awe as she opened the door smiling.
“Hi Sunshine. You ready?” he responded cheerfully.
“Um, how should we do this – take my luggage or grab lunch and come back for it?” she said.
He was keenly admiring her cherubic face, natural brown hair, beady earrings, peppy clothes and her mood, which always a part of her appearance. Does she ever catch me glancing, Tim wished she did.
“We have plenty of time, lets chow first; we’ll come back for your stuff,” he managed to say. Maybe we won’t need to come back, he thought to himself
“You pick,” she said.
“Hey, I am not the one going to
He saw her sense his feelings. Was she taken aback? They had been coworkers and friends for a little over 6 months now. Did she think he was taking a blow as she left the continent?
“Oh dear, what’ve I done? Has the most confident and cool teacher I know turned in to an emotional friend for one day?” she quipped.
Friend, the word rang in his ears. I have to tell her before we head to the airport so she has time to consider.
Tim opened the car door for Sheena bowing gracefully as if he were a butler. “Guilty as charged!” he said.
In the car, a soothing James Blunt CD was playing. Tim was taking in large puffs of air to feel stronger. It’s now or never; if I let her go…
He stole a couple of fleeting peeks at Sheena; she was fiddling with her right earring looking away from him.
…she will never know! She is probably nervous about her trip and the enormity of change in her life.
He didn’t know that Sheena was at war on the inside at that moment.
“What will he say or think if I tell him I am crazily in love – with him?” she deliberated. She flinched as she ripped off her index nail. He’ll act aloof. Probably laugh if I told him that I fell for him on day one.
They were both quiet in the car.
“You know pal, I will really miss you,” Tim said awkwardly breaking the silence game.
“So where are we finally going?” she asked, completely missing what Tim just said.
Tim didn’t answer and fiddled with the radio. Kelly Clarkson was singing in a high pitch. Since you been gone….
Fiction Writing Assignment 3: Conflicts in a short story
Teachers without Borders 3
Tonight it was Sheena’s turn to pick a restaurant for Foodie Fridays; Tim and Sister Rosa had assigned a code name to their weekly dinner together. Food was important to both of them. Most Fridays, they went to one their favorite Asian restaurants and enjoyed food over school politics. Sheena wanted things to be different today; she planned to seek advice on her foundation idea from both her comrades. So she chose an upscale Italian restaurant with spotty service and large booths.
They arrived separately. Sister Rosa and Tim were a little amused as they walked to their cozy dark leather booth. This was totally not their usual hangout place. “Wonder what is going on in Sheena’s crazy mind!” exclaimed Tim.
“I smell some news, may be she found someone” said Sister Rosa.
Tim pondered for a second - “Nah, I would know. She can’t hide anything on that face of hers. We shall see.
With this fancy place, I bet its good news!”
Sheena walked in 10 minutes late grinning, her arm loaded with her huge jute handbag swung like a pendulum. She took a spot opposite Tim, piled her things next to Sister Rosa and immediately belted out “I have something to tell you guys. But what do you think about this place, it’s nice huh.”
The server came by Sheena’s side and politely asked – “Have you all had a chance to look at the menu? I will be happy to talk about our specials or any of our dishes.”
Tim chuckled.
Sister Rosa abruptly said “I think we will need 5 minutes or more to decide.”
The server shrugged “What would you like to drink?”
Sheena pitched in “Water with ice for all please. Can I also see the wine menu?”
Once they were alone in the booth, Sister Rosa nudged Sheena’s arm and motioned her hand and face questioningly. Tim had his right elbow on the table, face resting on his palm and his gaze fixed on Sheena. Sensing they were both ready to be shocked Sheena let it out “I have been exploring new opportunities in the educational non-profit arena and I think I might have found my next thing – this foundation called Skill, which is opening a new school a month in African countries. They want me to try something in
The server was back with three glasses of chilled water and a wine list. His keen judgment told him there was a serious discussion ongoing and he left them as fast as he had intruded.
Lowering her tone Sheena said earnestly - “I really want your honest opinions both as friends and academics.”
Sister Rosa’s face was snow white, as if blood had disappeared from her veins. She was plainly in shock and could not bring herself to say anything.
Tim said “Sheena this is great! I always knew you were thinking bigger and deeper but this is fantastic. I think you will be very effective in building new programs and spawning new schools. I have to say Mt Mary’s High School will miss your spirit dearly. Your students might be a little distracted for a few months, but I can read them your inspirational African letters.”
Sister Rosa fiddled with her knife and fork; she seemed to be looking for a dark spot or a half moon in her beautiful plate. Just then the server was back to take their order. Suddenly Sheena wasn’t sure if dinner at this cost was such a good idea.
Alternate link: http://fictionwritingclass.blogspot.com/2007/07/conflict.htmlFiction Writing Assignment 2: Characters in a short story
Teachers without Borders 2
{For background read part 1 under Beginnings}
Sheena stared at the big old clock on the grey side-wall of the room; it was about 10:05 am, still no sign of Tim. Right then, Tim walked in to the meeting room with a bowl of cheerios in one hand and his worn-out journal in the other. He had his cozy smile, ragged blue jeans and a starched white shirt on. To Sheena, it appeared that he had come in high air, standing tall at 6 feet with all his convictions in tow. Sheena loved his confidence but hated such situations all at once. For a wicked second, she wondered if today she would be the winner.
“Morning, sorry I’m late” said Tim earnestly.
Sheena jumped back “Hey! I guess I should bring along a test or something to read while I wait for you”.
Tim responded with a stretched instantaneous smile on his lips: “May be you should; you say it every time. Do you forget or were you running late too? In fact, after your class finished at 9:50, if you went to the teachers lounge to pick up a few tests you would bump in to me pouring cereal in the break room and we could walk to this very room together starting this meeting en-route!”
Sheena wanted to shake the shit out of Tim for his nonchalance but he was right. Why did she let him get to her? It drove Sheena nuts that he was witty and smart; it felt like she lost her whiz status when she was with him.
By now, Tim was amused and making a funny face -“Hello Ms Day Dreamer ! Should we begin? We’ve already lost 10 minutes. So where were we on Tuesday?”
Before Sheena could respond, Tim answered his own question “Ah, found my notes! We finalized the budget and the committee members on the annual project. Today we should focus on a cause - possibly social and then talk to student volunteers who might be interested. Once we have a good project plan we can pitch it to Sister Rosa.”
Tim eyed Sheena to scan her reactions. She was in one of her dark days – black cotton shirt, jet black slacks and black leather boots. The only thing non-nerve wracking or even delightful in her appearance was the way her petite black earrings made her small face stand out amidst waves of short, cropped hair. Had he not seen Sheena in her colorful, cool and casual clothes over the last 6 months, Tim would have thought she belonged to some gothic band or cult.
“Look Tim - I totally respect and appreciate your passion for this project and yes WE need to decide on a cause. But what makes you think it has to be one of social significance? I would much rather lobby for an annual project within the school that helps our students and strengthens Mt Mary High School’s community – that could be the social impact you so desire in everything. You know charity begins at home!” Sheena blurted out.
Her style did not appeal to Tim - she was aggressive, rational but over-the-to-top dramatic. He decided to ignore the Hollywood style effects and focus on her message and think of an appropriate response. At this very moment, Sheena was biting her tongue and fuming internally. Once again, she had let her emotions dominate her calm, collected professional self, which she had developed after years of critical self-analysis and practice.
Alternate link: http://fictionwritingclass.blogspot.com/2007/07/character.html
{For background read part 1 under Beginnings}
Sheena stared at the big old clock on the grey side-wall of the room; it was about 10:05 am, still no sign of Tim. Right then, Tim walked in to the meeting room with a bowl of cheerios in one hand and his worn-out journal in the other. He had his cozy smile, ragged blue jeans and a starched white shirt on. To Sheena, it appeared that he had come in high air, standing tall at 6 feet with all his convictions in tow. Sheena loved his confidence but hated such situations all at once. For a wicked second, she wondered if today she would be the winner.
“Morning, sorry I’m late” said Tim earnestly.
Sheena jumped back “Hey! I guess I should bring along a test or something to read while I wait for you”.
Tim responded with a stretched instantaneous smile on his lips: “May be you should; you say it every time. Do you forget or were you running late too? In fact, after your class finished at 9:50, if you went to the teachers lounge to pick up a few tests you would bump in to me pouring cereal in the break room and we could walk to this very room together starting this meeting en-route!”
Sheena wanted to shake the shit out of Tim for his nonchalance but he was right. Why did she let him get to her? It drove Sheena nuts that he was witty and smart; it felt like she lost her whiz status when she was with him.
By now, Tim was amused and making a funny face -“Hello Ms Day Dreamer ! Should we begin? We’ve already lost 10 minutes. So where were we on Tuesday?”
Before Sheena could respond, Tim answered his own question “Ah, found my notes! We finalized the budget and the committee members on the annual project. Today we should focus on a cause - possibly social and then talk to student volunteers who might be interested. Once we have a good project plan we can pitch it to Sister Rosa.”
Tim eyed Sheena to scan her reactions. She was in one of her dark days – black cotton shirt, jet black slacks and black leather boots. The only thing non-nerve wracking or even delightful in her appearance was the way her petite black earrings made her small face stand out amidst waves of short, cropped hair. Had he not seen Sheena in her colorful, cool and casual clothes over the last 6 months, Tim would have thought she belonged to some gothic band or cult.
“Look Tim - I totally respect and appreciate your passion for this project and yes WE need to decide on a cause. But what makes you think it has to be one of social significance? I would much rather lobby for an annual project within the school that helps our students and strengthens Mt Mary High School’s community – that could be the social impact you so desire in everything. You know charity begins at home!” Sheena blurted out.
Her style did not appeal to Tim - she was aggressive, rational but over-the-to-top dramatic. He decided to ignore the Hollywood style effects and focus on her message and think of an appropriate response. At this very moment, Sheena was biting her tongue and fuming internally. Once again, she had let her emotions dominate her calm, collected professional self, which she had developed after years of critical self-analysis and practice.
Alternate link: http://fictionwritingclass.blogspot.com/2007/07/character.html
Fiction Writing Assignment 1: Beginnings in a short story
Teachers without Borders 1
The dazzling
During lunch breaks, Sheena avoided the teachers' lounge, she ate either with her class or under a shady oak tree in the yard. Quite the social bee, she knew all her colleagues in and out. She had all of them figured out in her first month: Mrs. Tyler liked to knit, her colorful yarn was strewn on the beige coffee table in the lounge; Mr. Bing was a coffee enthusiast and a computer geek - he lived for them; Mrs. Edwards was the only grapevine - if it were not for her there would be no personal details floating in the school.
Unlike her colleagues, whom Sheena thought of as the "Brady bunch", her students were an interesting challenge. It took her a good 6 months to understand the context in which they lived and how it affected their performance. By the end of the school year, Sheena knew what normal behavior was for every student in her class, which helped her identify anything different almost immediately. Sheena worked hard at constantly improving the quality of education in class while influencing students to raise the bar of expectation that they set for themselves. Most evenings she was the last teacher to leave the school - busy creating an exciting science project, assessing students' silly mistakes on their tests with critical scrutiny, tutoring a student who needed special help or writing notes to parents.
The heat was relenting as the sun went down, Sheena was a just mile from her exit but her mind was a collage of images - of Tim! Earlier today, Sister Rosa had introduced Tim as the new Math instructor at the staff meeting. Her body tightened as she felt seasick in her stomach, something she rarely felt. Sheena parked her truck in the garage, planned her evening for a minute – jog, cook, TV, handbag stuff, read, Tim!? By now she was struggling, what was so special about Tim, why was she flustered? Was it that he seemed passionate about his work, was it his charismatic speech or was it just a crush - she hadn’t had one of those in ages!
Alternate link: http://fictionwritingclass.blogspot.com/2007/07/beginnings.html
Inspirational Research on Desi Entrepreneurs and Moviemakers
So this topic is really funny, exciting and inspirational all at once for me. It started with me reading the news on a personalized google homepage which receives news feeds from 20 different news and business magazines I like. Often I am unable to read all the news that pours on my page, so it was sheer luck that something on fortune.com caught my eye. It was an article on Matchmaking Indian-style which is apparently (I should have known given the affixiation Indians have towards getting married) a 300 million dollar enterprise. At the forefront in the e-form of this emerging industry are 2 websites launched in late 90s, shaadi.com and bharatmatrimony.com both founded by Indian-American entrepreneurs.
With usual curiosity, I started to review Shaadi.com's founder Anupam Mittal's career graph. Interestingly enough, this rather bland and boring blurb on Shaadi.com does not do any justice to the creative dabbler hidden in him. A quick google search revealed that Anupam is none other than the long-haired protagonist Rad and producer of the fun indie flick Flavors. I just saw this movie on DVD a week ago and recommended it to my friends and family :)
This fun fact sparked my interest even further and I went on to review the directors of the movie and what they have been up to. I also looked up Gaurang Vyas and Gaurav Rawal two of the Flavors cast members.
The most fun cast member turned out to be the guy who played my favorite character Kartik in the movie Flavors - Dr. Reef Karim. Now this guy is really something! I am impressed - doctor, actor, model, speaker, professor, social activist...the list seems to be endless. How he manages it all is cool but the fact he is doing more than one thing he is interested in at the same time is supercool and inspirational. Same goes for all the other Flavors cast and crew members, all of whom apparently have a different day job.
This means that there is hope for lazy people like me who aspire to do a million different things (a bunch of which obviously fizzle out). I have now Barack Obama's "Audacity to Hope" that one day I will sincerely vest the time and energy to passionately pursue the few things that make me tick and my life happenning enough to make me happy!
On a filmy and fun note I must be sure to check out this new indie movie Khel Shuru.
With usual curiosity, I started to review Shaadi.com's founder Anupam Mittal's career graph. Interestingly enough, this rather bland and boring blurb on Shaadi.com does not do any justice to the creative dabbler hidden in him. A quick google search revealed that Anupam is none other than the long-haired protagonist Rad and producer of the fun indie flick Flavors. I just saw this movie on DVD a week ago and recommended it to my friends and family :)
This fun fact sparked my interest even further and I went on to review the directors of the movie and what they have been up to. I also looked up Gaurang Vyas and Gaurav Rawal two of the Flavors cast members.
The most fun cast member turned out to be the guy who played my favorite character Kartik in the movie Flavors - Dr. Reef Karim. Now this guy is really something! I am impressed - doctor, actor, model, speaker, professor, social activist...the list seems to be endless. How he manages it all is cool but the fact he is doing more than one thing he is interested in at the same time is supercool and inspirational. Same goes for all the other Flavors cast and crew members, all of whom apparently have a different day job.
This means that there is hope for lazy people like me who aspire to do a million different things (a bunch of which obviously fizzle out). I have now Barack Obama's "Audacity to Hope" that one day I will sincerely vest the time and energy to passionately pursue the few things that make me tick and my life happenning enough to make me happy!
On a filmy and fun note I must be sure to check out this new indie movie Khel Shuru.
Oh My God....Bollywood Maniacs Bury Me :)
I don't know whether I should be happy about this or sad or just outright mad!
I have this quaint silly blog that I write for fun..Its a funky old blog that no one reads! And I like it that way :) http://cynicalthinker.blogspot.com/
Well I just had 600 visitors because some idiot or a computerized crawler posted my silliest and most random rantings on a popular Hindi music site!
http://www.indiafm.com/features/2007/01/15/2091/index.html
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh :)
Outcome:
See View My Stats under My Links on the right menu bar...
I hope no more craziness comes out of this topic..I m off to work meetings!
I have this quaint silly blog that I write for fun..Its a funky old blog that no one reads! And I like it that way :) http://cynicalthinker.blogspot
Well I just had 600 visitors because some idiot or a computerized crawler posted my silliest and most random rantings on a popular Hindi music site!
http://www.indiafm.com/features
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh :)
Outcome:
See View My Stats under My Links on the right menu bar...
I hope no more craziness comes out of this topic..I m off to work meetings!
No Bollywod for 2007
Just made a New Year resolution....I will not watch any run-of-the-mill Desi aka Hindi aka Bollywood movie till June 2007 at the least! Half a year is a good aim given the number of Indian friends I have, one of whom will surely keep trying to break my resolution.
Why?
- 90% of the new Hindi movies that hit the not-so-cool Naz8 theater in Fremont, CA every Friday night are outright (story/script) spineless, have too many mundane songs and are a 3 hour drag with too much melodrama.
- Emotions and love are an integral part of such highly predictable movies and if that is a subject you don't like you better stay away.
But before I completely right off this billion dollar industry, let me recap the few movies I did see in 2006 and what I thought of them:
Really Bad: Dhoom 2, Don, Phir Hera Pheri, Golmaal, Krrish
Could Have Been Good: Fanaa, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Rang De Basanti, Pyar ke side effects
Awesome: Lage Raho Munnabhai, Omkara, Dor, Iqbal, Being Cyrus, 15 Park Avenue
On a side note, I had thus far a lot of faith in movie reviews/ratings at rottentomatoes but the fact that a movie like Dhoom 2 has a rating of 80% leads me to believe that something is really wrong with the tomatometer. The flip positive side is that Indian movies are also getting listed on this website.
Added: 1/16/2007 11:18 PM
This just in: As if to prove my point the Hollywood Foreign Press had some bad news for Bollywood. Water makes it to Oscar shortlist, Rang De... out
Why?
- 90% of the new Hindi movies that hit the not-so-cool Naz8 theater in Fremont, CA every Friday night are outright (story/script) spineless, have too many mundane songs and are a 3 hour drag with too much melodrama.
- Emotions and love are an integral part of such highly predictable movies and if that is a subject you don't like you better stay away.
But before I completely right off this billion dollar industry, let me recap the few movies I did see in 2006 and what I thought of them:
Really Bad: Dhoom 2, Don, Phir Hera Pheri, Golmaal, Krrish
Could Have Been Good: Fanaa, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Rang De Basanti, Pyar ke side effects
Awesome: Lage Raho Munnabhai, Omkara, Dor, Iqbal, Being Cyrus, 15 Park Avenue
On a side note, I had thus far a lot of faith in movie reviews/ratings at rottentomatoes but the fact that a movie like Dhoom 2 has a rating of 80% leads me to believe that something is really wrong with the tomatometer. The flip positive side is that Indian movies are also getting listed on this website.
Added: 1/16/2007 11:18 PM
This just in: As if to prove my point the Hollywood Foreign Press had some bad news for Bollywood. Water makes it to Oscar shortlist, Rang De... out
'I Hope You Dance... '
This was written by an 83-year-old woman to her friend. The last line says it all.
Dear Bertha,
I'm reading more and dusting less. I'm sitting in the yard and admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden. I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time working.
Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experiences to savor, not to endure. I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them.
I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good china and crystal for every special event such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, or the first Amaryllis blossom.
I wear my good blazer to the market. My theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries. I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties, but wearing it for clerks in the hardware store and tellers at the bank.
"Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now.
I'm not sure what others would've done had they known they wouldn't be here for the tomorrow that we all take for granted. I think they would have called family members and a few close friends. They might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend fences for past squabbles. I like to think they would have gone out for a Chinese dinner or for whatever their favorite food was.
I'm guessing; I'll never know.
It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew my hours were limited. Angry because I hadn't written certain letters that I intended to write one of these days. Angry and sorry that I didn't tell my husband and parents often enough how much I truly love them. I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives. And every morning when I open my eyes, tell myself that it is special.
Every day, every minute, every breath truly is a gift.
"People say true friends must always hold hands, but true friends don't need to hold hands because they know the other hand will always be there."
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance
Dear Bertha,
I'm reading more and dusting less. I'm sitting in the yard and admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden. I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time working.
Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experiences to savor, not to endure. I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them.
I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good china and crystal for every special event such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, or the first Amaryllis blossom.
I wear my good blazer to the market. My theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries. I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties, but wearing it for clerks in the hardware store and tellers at the bank.
"Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now.
I'm not sure what others would've done had they known they wouldn't be here for the tomorrow that we all take for granted. I think they would have called family members and a few close friends. They might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend fences for past squabbles. I like to think they would have gone out for a Chinese dinner or for whatever their favorite food was.
I'm guessing; I'll never know.
It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew my hours were limited. Angry because I hadn't written certain letters that I intended to write one of these days. Angry and sorry that I didn't tell my husband and parents often enough how much I truly love them. I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives. And every morning when I open my eyes, tell myself that it is special.
Every day, every minute, every breath truly is a gift.
"People say true friends must always hold hands, but true friends don't need to hold hands because they know the other hand will always be there."
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance
In a Mirza Ghalib moment all of a sudden
hazaaroN KHwahishaiN 'eisee ke har KHwahish pe dam nikle
bohot nikle mere armaaN lekin fir bhee kam nikle
bohot nikle mere armaaN lekin fir bhee kam nikle
Some interesting articles on IBNLIVE
Homemakers make a B-line at IIM-B
You go ladies! Its never too late to learn and get going on fulfilling your dreams :)
Rang de Bizarre
I think I agree with Sagarika Ghose! When will we stop over-dramatizing and glorifying life in Indian movies? Let me leave u with her closing lines:
"Rang De Basanti does a terrible disservice to the nationalism of India's young people. It wilfully paints modern day patriots as unthinking anti-establishment killers. It foolishly creates a myth known as Gen Next which does nothing but drink and dance. And it promotes a leviathan media as the ultimate interpreter of India. The fact that Rang de Basanti is a hit shows just how catastrophically distant we are getting from reality, where we're happy to live from media image to media image, from frame to frame, without realising the depth and profundity of "ordinary" human dramas."
Indian Ocean: The Band with a Big Bang
Sunday night I went to see an Indian band called the "Indian Ocean" perform. This was a bit funny since I tend to go see bands that I like and this one I had never heard of. But a lot of my friends had good things to say about them so I just went. And man was it a good decision or what! A couple of my friends who chickened out did certainly regret doing so once I called each of them to give them my spiel.
The verdict is out: they were great, the crowd loved it. The music was mostly metallic rock mixed with classical Indian table notes and melodic guitar tunes. The lyrics were minimalitsic to say the least but where they did exist, they were great and had deep meaning. After the show, I was quite excited and even went on to meet and greet the band members. Psyched as I was, later in the night I checked out their web presence and history. They are quite well travelled and have had the honor of playing at several prestigious occasions.
Some sparkling fusion, it's Bollywood in the big tent
Gr8 fan site
A Band Apart - Lalitha Suhasini meets Indian Ocean, four men who chose to quit their careers to make music full-time
Reading the News Paper: An old habit comes back to life!
As I kid, reading the newspaper was an activity that I thoroughly enjoyed every Sunday afternoon. During the weekdays, I had school but some how I would manage to skim through the paper in the evening. Just reading the headlines, cartoons, a little bit of jumble and crossword, some sports and the horoscope meant I had done my reading for the day. Sunday afternoon was albeit a whole another experience. I have always been a late night person so early morning (for me) at 6:30 I would hear my dad and mom as they headed out the back door to the verandah/patio to start reading the papers while sipping mugs full of glorious Darjeeling tea. An hour later, my sister would join them and reading, chatting and tea sessions would continue till about 8:30 or 9, which is when I would finally get out of bed. This is also when mom would strategically get up to start cooking breakfast, the maid would arrive and start doing the dishes, the milk man would deliver milk packets to our doorstep and dad would head to the bathroom.
Cool! Now I was free to harass and fight with my sister over the newspaper section or the remote control for the TV. Yohoo! Sunday morning had amazing cartoon and kids shows. Now while I wanted to watch He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, she wanted to watch some fluffy show about mischieveous teenagers living in a boarding school. At the same time, dad after finishing his daily prayer would now seat himself at the dining table and pitch for NEWS (Why do Dads always want to see News of some sort, is it to prove they are older and serious people?). Mom would walk in with the breakfast tray and she would have her own draw but somehow we would all compromise and watch one great show while enjoying Mom's great food! When I was a teenager, I thought all Moms are great cooks and did not appreciate my Mom's culinary skills enough. Today I am humbled by her consistent performance as our chief chef of the house. Her quality and persistence easily match Rahul Dravid, the epitome of consistency in the Indian subcontinent. To get back on track, the only TV shows that we would always agree on as a family without arguing were a live cricket match or the Bournvita Quiz contest.
Further along the day, after throwing 10 tantrums regarding taking a shower, I would enjoy a hearty lunch with my family. This was followed by a Sunday late afternoon siesta for all except me. 2 to 5 in the afternoon were my hours of relaxing while devouring the weekend addition of the Times of India or the Indian Express. This was just awesome. The entire paper to myself, I would read it page by page not leaving a single word or image.
This very personal regimen of spending a Sunday ravising the newspaper was completely stiffled and killed at college where the newspaper freely accessible at my dorm was really bad. Some Sundays I would borrow a friend's personally subscribed Times of India and read it just like old times. Effectively, I have been unable to resume my old habit since 1997. A cool 9 years later, I am backing to reading my old friend - the newspaper every day all thanks to my new roommate who subscribed us to the San Jose Mercury News. I was a teenager then, now an adult; the country and papers are different but its still as much fun as a decade ago. Reading is one of the best habits I have and for that I have to thank my awesome parents! Another set of kudos goes to the newspaper companies for finding innovative business models to keep their papers running despite the ubiquitious presence of free news services online.
Here some very interesting columns from today's San Jose Mercury News:
I loved it. Kinsley is as cynical as it gets! If you don't know the history of US and its politics in the Islamic world this piece gives you an excellent summary of the history as well.
Hey, gang! Now let's go help the Iranians! - By Michael Kinsley
A total contrast to Kinsley's crticisms, this one is full of ideas and optimism and has some great lines on the middle class and its importance in a society.
Saving the middle class requires long-overdue investments - By Don Perata
This is a contemporary article. Makes interesting reading for most of my friends and peers from Generation MTV. Long distance relationships (LDRs) are a reality and we might as well acclimitize ourselves.
Six ways to help make a long-distance relationship work
And finally to top it all of, the frontpage for Life & Style section of the paper talks about Sikhism, one of the youngest religions in the world which originated in Punjab, India and how Sikhs in the Bay Area celebrated their Spring festival "Baisakhi" at the Gurudwara (temple) in Fremont this weekend as Christians celebrated Easter.
Sikhs celebrate renewal of faith - By Kimra McPherson
Happy Baisakhi to All!
Cool! Now I was free to harass and fight with my sister over the newspaper section or the remote control for the TV. Yohoo! Sunday morning had amazing cartoon and kids shows. Now while I wanted to watch He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, she wanted to watch some fluffy show about mischieveous teenagers living in a boarding school. At the same time, dad after finishing his daily prayer would now seat himself at the dining table and pitch for NEWS (Why do Dads always want to see News of some sort, is it to prove they are older and serious people?). Mom would walk in with the breakfast tray and she would have her own draw but somehow we would all compromise and watch one great show while enjoying Mom's great food! When I was a teenager, I thought all Moms are great cooks and did not appreciate my Mom's culinary skills enough. Today I am humbled by her consistent performance as our chief chef of the house. Her quality and persistence easily match Rahul Dravid, the epitome of consistency in the Indian subcontinent. To get back on track, the only TV shows that we would always agree on as a family without arguing were a live cricket match or the Bournvita Quiz contest.
Further along the day, after throwing 10 tantrums regarding taking a shower, I would enjoy a hearty lunch with my family. This was followed by a Sunday late afternoon siesta for all except me. 2 to 5 in the afternoon were my hours of relaxing while devouring the weekend addition of the Times of India or the Indian Express. This was just awesome. The entire paper to myself, I would read it page by page not leaving a single word or image.
This very personal regimen of spending a Sunday ravising the newspaper was completely stiffled and killed at college where the newspaper freely accessible at my dorm was really bad. Some Sundays I would borrow a friend's personally subscribed Times of India and read it just like old times. Effectively, I have been unable to resume my old habit since 1997. A cool 9 years later, I am backing to reading my old friend - the newspaper every day all thanks to my new roommate who subscribed us to the San Jose Mercury News. I was a teenager then, now an adult; the country and papers are different but its still as much fun as a decade ago. Reading is one of the best habits I have and for that I have to thank my awesome parents! Another set of kudos goes to the newspaper companies for finding innovative business models to keep their papers running despite the ubiquitious presence of free news services online.
Here some very interesting columns from today's San Jose Mercury News:
I loved it. Kinsley is as cynical as it gets! If you don't know the history of US and its politics in the Islamic world this piece gives you an excellent summary of the history as well.
Hey, gang! Now let's go help the Iranians! - By Michael Kinsley
A total contrast to Kinsley's crticisms, this one is full of ideas and optimism and has some great lines on the middle class and its importance in a society.
Saving the middle class requires long-overdue investments - By Don Perata
This is a contemporary article. Makes interesting reading for most of my friends and peers from Generation MTV. Long distance relationships (LDRs) are a reality and we might as well acclimitize ourselves.
Six ways to help make a long-distance relationship work
And finally to top it all of, the frontpage for Life & Style section of the paper talks about Sikhism, one of the youngest religions in the world which originated in Punjab, India and how Sikhs in the Bay Area celebrated their Spring festival "Baisakhi" at the Gurudwara (temple) in Fremont this weekend as Christians celebrated Easter.
Sikhs celebrate renewal of faith - By Kimra McPherson
Happy Baisakhi to All!
Information Overload: I need a Google NextGen
Have you ever felt that you have too much information floating in your head that you need to somehow store before you lose it all....I have had that sinking feeling one too many times in the last few years...Books and television give us ample amount of time to view and digest information. Its not the same with the web though. Google news, other news sites, emails, forwards, blogs, feeds, text messages, email lists, newspapers, magazines and their online versions have made this a world of information overload for some of us. Sometimes I am amazed that my brain does not fall in to an endless loop or a data overrun error and crash much like a computer.
To top of all the previously cited information sources, we also have the MOTHER of all Google. My plea and request to the millionaires @ Google is to stop enhancing the search methods, yes we all love information, who doesn't? But what we need now is Google NextGen, the information search engine that also synthesizes and summarizes it so that our brain and eyes have to deal with only the most important details not the Holy Grail on any given topic.
Now that I have that one out of my stomach, I am amazed at how much has happenned this week in my boring and dull life. I have learned and experienced a lot in a few days and it would be simply stupid not to write and retain it.
Started this week with the never ending saga of my life: To be or not to be? Background: I can't live with or without you! However, thats not the interesting part. Instead of indulging in self analysis I found energy and insights from outsiders.
1. Jerry Lo, a senior at Evergreen High School @ San Jose wrote in the Mercury News:
"
Fellow members of the ``MySpace generation,'' please listen to me. It may be a few years away, but before you pop the question or say ``I do,'' think about what you are getting yourself into.
When you get married you'll vow to be with that person ``through sickness and health,'' and, ``till death do us part.'' Let's try to understand our vows before we say them.
Do we want our children to have to live through the trauma of divorce? Do we really want our children to grow up with single parents?
"
These are some intelligent words from a young adult that we all can learn from.
Read Jerry's views @
When marriages crumble, children suffer
2. Next, by a chance skipping of channels I landed upon Discovery Travel at primetime 9 pm and found an amazing show Jeremy Piven's Journey of a Lifetime. Jeremy Piven is this real cute and funny guy you must have noticed for sure in John Cusack movie Serendipity, HBO series Entourage and a bunch of theatre plays. His journey is to India and no its not amazing because he went to India. The show is not your routine sight-seeing travel guide. Its a very personal journey that Jeremey lives out in his own style. He walks the streets of Delhi and Bombay, does yoga in Kerala, Himalayas and Hrishikesh; drives a Kinetic Honda moped in Southern India, rides a cycle rickshaw in Paharganj, Delhi and glides on a smooth water boat on the backwaters in Kerala. He enjoys his time at an orphanage in Mumbai, is consummed with appreciation for the Kathakali dancers who put peppers in their eyes to maintain red eyes matching their face colors during the dance performance and is agog with anxiety as he watches the wild monkeys at Lakshman Jhula in northern India. He found his personal connection in the form of an old Jewish lady who enjoys her small Jewish community in Kerala, the Kathakali dancer who had shared the same teacher as Jeremy at some NY acting school and a Sadhvi (holy woman/priest) of American origin who came to India 12 years back as a visitor and found her calling as a priest in India. The real deal were the pearls of wisdom Jeremy gleaned from a swamiji in Hrishikesh:
- Look at people around you, every one is trying to get their life back together, its all scattered in pieces......Look for peace inside you...you want peace in your life, not pieces!
- I as its written in English is a vertical bar, a a symbol of ego and the idea of self and selfishness. If you think as I you will always be unhappy...Try to bend your I from a vertical bar to a horizontal bar. Its akin to bending forwards and giving in to people and life. Thats where lies happinness: in bending, not in holding yourself straight up.
More learning about real life continues in the next blogging streak...
To top of all the previously cited information sources, we also have the MOTHER of all Google. My plea and request to the millionaires @ Google is to stop enhancing the search methods, yes we all love information, who doesn't? But what we need now is Google NextGen, the information search engine that also synthesizes and summarizes it so that our brain and eyes have to deal with only the most important details not the Holy Grail on any given topic.
Now that I have that one out of my stomach, I am amazed at how much has happenned this week in my boring and dull life. I have learned and experienced a lot in a few days and it would be simply stupid not to write and retain it.
Started this week with the never ending saga of my life: To be or not to be? Background: I can't live with or without you! However, thats not the interesting part. Instead of indulging in self analysis I found energy and insights from outsiders.
1. Jerry Lo, a senior at Evergreen High School @ San Jose wrote in the Mercury News:
"
Fellow members of the ``MySpace generation,'' please listen to me. It may be a few years away, but before you pop the question or say ``I do,'' think about what you are getting yourself into.
When you get married you'll vow to be with that person ``through sickness and health,'' and, ``till death do us part.'' Let's try to understand our vows before we say them.
Do we want our children to have to live through the trauma of divorce? Do we really want our children to grow up with single parents?
"
These are some intelligent words from a young adult that we all can learn from.
Read Jerry's views @
When marriages crumble, children suffer
2. Next, by a chance skipping of channels I landed upon Discovery Travel at primetime 9 pm and found an amazing show Jeremy Piven's Journey of a Lifetime. Jeremy Piven is this real cute and funny guy you must have noticed for sure in John Cusack movie Serendipity, HBO series Entourage and a bunch of theatre plays. His journey is to India and no its not amazing because he went to India. The show is not your routine sight-seeing travel guide. Its a very personal journey that Jeremey lives out in his own style. He walks the streets of Delhi and Bombay, does yoga in Kerala, Himalayas and Hrishikesh; drives a Kinetic Honda moped in Southern India, rides a cycle rickshaw in Paharganj, Delhi and glides on a smooth water boat on the backwaters in Kerala. He enjoys his time at an orphanage in Mumbai, is consummed with appreciation for the Kathakali dancers who put peppers in their eyes to maintain red eyes matching their face colors during the dance performance and is agog with anxiety as he watches the wild monkeys at Lakshman Jhula in northern India. He found his personal connection in the form of an old Jewish lady who enjoys her small Jewish community in Kerala, the Kathakali dancer who had shared the same teacher as Jeremy at some NY acting school and a Sadhvi (holy woman/priest) of American origin who came to India 12 years back as a visitor and found her calling as a priest in India. The real deal were the pearls of wisdom Jeremy gleaned from a swamiji in Hrishikesh:
- Look at people around you, every one is trying to get their life back together, its all scattered in pieces......Look for peace inside you...you want peace in your life, not pieces!
- I as its written in English is a vertical bar, a a symbol of ego and the idea of self and selfishness. If you think as I you will always be unhappy...Try to bend your I from a vertical bar to a horizontal bar. Its akin to bending forwards and giving in to people and life. Thats where lies happinness: in bending, not in holding yourself straight up.
More learning about real life continues in the next blogging streak...
Fear Factor
Fear Factor is a tremendously famour show on NBC where teams compete to win a large sum of money. The competitive task can be just about anthing from running up a hill to eating the guts or shit of an animal. Thats just disgusting. Yeah it is! Recently, I saw Fear Factor host and standup comedian Joe Rogan perform at the San Jose Improv in downtown San Jose. Boy was he good or what! His first joke was: " The only reason I agreed to host Fear Factor was that I thought it would never run more than a few weeks...Who would've thought we would find so many stupid people who were willing to eat God knows what for some money...And here I am hosting the Nth season of Fear Factor and encouraging dumb contestants"
Personally, I have a lot of appreciation for courageous people who fight their fears! Just as well people in general are God or Nature fearing and get shit scared especially of lawyers, police officers and doctors. For instance, any time a doctor recommends a biopsy for someone we know whistles start blowing in our heads. People are scared to their wit's end for no apparent reason. Yes there is reason to be worried if you get a warning call from a cop or if the doctor recommends an MRI but the worry should be focused on grasping what has the triggered those actions and on how to best tackle all future scenarios. This is what I call positive or useful stress that leads you to take some action and intiative. Then there is the other worry which is purely negative and has no value or purpose. It is just an amalgamation of ambigious statements, half-baked theories and ignorance. I for one have known one too many people in my life who self-inflict themselves with this negatiev form of mental stress at every juncture in their lives. To me its annoying, to some its a way of life....
Personally, I have a lot of appreciation for courageous people who fight their fears! Just as well people in general are God or Nature fearing and get shit scared especially of lawyers, police officers and doctors. For instance, any time a doctor recommends a biopsy for someone we know whistles start blowing in our heads. People are scared to their wit's end for no apparent reason. Yes there is reason to be worried if you get a warning call from a cop or if the doctor recommends an MRI but the worry should be focused on grasping what has the triggered those actions and on how to best tackle all future scenarios. This is what I call positive or useful stress that leads you to take some action and intiative. Then there is the other worry which is purely negative and has no value or purpose. It is just an amalgamation of ambigious statements, half-baked theories and ignorance. I for one have known one too many people in my life who self-inflict themselves with this negatiev form of mental stress at every juncture in their lives. To me its annoying, to some its a way of life....
The World is Flat
The World is Flat - my belief that the world is flat is growing by the day. An exicting array of events have lead me to this understanding.
For the longest period of time, I had no idea why public service broadcast TV or radio existed. Recently, while surfing my TV, I found interesting programs on KQED a public funded TV channel for the Bay Area. The most remarkable shows that I enjoy are:
Charlie Rose Show a hard core interview show with the best of CEOs, politicians, sportsmen, artists, writers
Josh Korbluth Show which is hosted by Josh, the very funny protagonist of the movie Haiku Tunnel
CEO Exchange which is an awesome platform for idea exchange between CEOs, students and professors at a prestigious host business school
In terms of how these items relate to a flat world, well all these shows enlighten a person to the nuances and concepts of countries all over the world. The coverage and knowledge being shared is truly global in nature and expands the horizon of one's understanding.
I will leave you guys with an interesting article about how a call at a McDonald's drive thru will be outsourced to a person at a different location than the McD's.
The Long-Distance Journey of a Fast-Food Order
For the longest period of time, I had no idea why public service broadcast TV or radio existed. Recently, while surfing my TV, I found interesting programs on KQED a public funded TV channel for the Bay Area. The most remarkable shows that I enjoy are:
Charlie Rose Show a hard core interview show with the best of CEOs, politicians, sportsmen, artists, writers
Josh Korbluth Show which is hosted by Josh, the very funny protagonist of the movie Haiku Tunnel
CEO Exchange which is an awesome platform for idea exchange between CEOs, students and professors at a prestigious host business school
In terms of how these items relate to a flat world, well all these shows enlighten a person to the nuances and concepts of countries all over the world. The coverage and knowledge being shared is truly global in nature and expands the horizon of one's understanding.
I will leave you guys with an interesting article about how a call at a McDonald's drive thru will be outsourced to a person at a different location than the McD's.
The Long-Distance Journey of a Fast-Food Order
Business news
Its such a pain to keep up on current affairs these days - be it politics or business or any topic. There is just so much happenning each day, that by the time you play catch up on all those news articles you had flagged for reading, its already stale news, new developments have already changed everyting that existed before. But in keeping with old and new employer loyalty I did follow these news stories:
Naina Kidwai - First Indian female to graduate from Harvard Business School and now the first woman CEO of a foreign bank in India http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1461955.cms
Key Move: Artful Outsourcing from StartupNation.com - http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneursmanagement/2006/03/07/wholefoods-wildoats-babyfood-cx_bn_0308startupnation.html
More to come
Naina Kidwai - First Indian female to graduate from Harvard Business School and now the first woman CEO of a foreign bank in India http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1461955.cms
Key Move: Artful Outsourcing from StartupNation.com - http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneursmanagement/2006/03/07/wholefoods-wildoats-babyfood-cx_bn_0308startupnation.html
More to come
Writer's block!
Its been a while since I wrote anything...even 2 lines of prose were difficult to pen down. And here I am, finally breaking this overwhelming writer's block with a big sigh of relief! Why has it been so impossible to write? It couldn't have just been the time (or no time) factor....
Possibly, a lot of what we do is a reflection of our state of mind and body. Lets just say several issues were/are on mind and one thing led to another and at the end of it all, I managed a long period of online silence with numb fingers and untyped thoughts.
But finally I am out of the closet, more excited than ever to write and enjoy the world of blogs.....Some interesting blogs I recently checked out:
Inspiring story of a liberal politik blogger out of Berkeley - http://www.dailykos.com/
Another inspiring and jaw dropping writer, see her new book - http://lastsinglegirl.blogs.com/bornsingle/
What can I say, storytelling at its blog best - http://randomexpressions.rediffblogs.com/
Very cool, I'm reaching out to other bloggers and getting in on the whole scene again....I am back baby...
Possibly, a lot of what we do is a reflection of our state of mind and body. Lets just say several issues were/are on mind and one thing led to another and at the end of it all, I managed a long period of online silence with numb fingers and untyped thoughts.
But finally I am out of the closet, more excited than ever to write and enjoy the world of blogs.....Some interesting blogs I recently checked out:
Inspiring story of a liberal politik blogger out of Berkeley - http://www.dailykos.com/
Another inspiring and jaw dropping writer, see her new book - http://lastsinglegirl.blogs.com/bornsingle/
What can I say, storytelling at its blog best - http://randomexpressions.rediffblogs.com/
Very cool, I'm reaching out to other bloggers and getting in on the whole scene again....I am back baby...
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