Saw Amelie (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211915/ , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelie ) a while back on TV.
I know, I know - a bit late considering that the movie came out and made waves in 2001. But somehow, mysteriously, I always associated the movie with Run Lola, Run. Don't ask me why, but I don't have any desire to watch that movie. And by sheer association I never got down to watching this one.
Right, anyway. I loved Amelie! There is an inherent sweetness in the movie which is just right. It's not sappy and it's not sallow - just perfect. I can't put a finger to it nor can I remember any one scene that was really really good but somehow all the pieces came together and I got up after watching the movie with a nice smile on my face and a warm glow in my heart.
There isn't much more I can say about the movie but the simplicity of the main protagonist and the finely etched characters surrounding and affecting her life in subtle ways. The sweetness of the girl covers her childish naughtiness which covers her shyness - a beautiful character.
Ok, ok I'm just gushing now. Can't blame me though, it's been a while since I've seen a movie from start to finish on TV (I even stayed through some of the intervening advertising breaks to make sure I didn't miss the movie).
If you haven't yet, go watch it
Monday, December 28, 2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Limitations of Lazing...
Most people I know have been hyper about their Christmas and New Year eve plans for a while. I've seen people with dreary eyes, dark hollows beneath their eyes running their fingers with a nervous twitch through their already frazzled hair murmuring "where do I go, where do I drink" in low yet persistent undertones since the beginning of November.
Staying in Bangalore, Christmas has suddenly become a very important milestone in the year. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love the fat man in the red suit as much as the next guy but since my MSM days Christmas has never really been a great festival to be celebrated boisterously. But in the heart of IT country where all clients in the US and Europe go on vacation in this period, this festival is once again a joyous occasion for finishing off your non-carry-forward-able vacation time and put up your feet. But if you happen to be in town then there are a lot of cash-depriving stresses involved. Everyone you know seems to be willing to spend atrocious amounts of money just to be out somewhere partying, and then running helter skelter when they realise that the cops have spent the twelve months since last Christmas stocking up on those breathalysers that can discern the subtle whiff of that mild Vodka that you took 'for the road'.
Now I usually stay clear of these parties in hotels but have always managed to be at some or the other house party celebrating in the occasion. In fact I've also hosted some pretty interesting Christmas parties. Videos from such parties exist, but have safely been forgotten till a time comes when one of those who attended hits the big time and I can retire on the blackmail money alone. I am referring of course to the awesome Christmas party of 2007 that RB and I organized at Club 108 (our house number was 108). I could tell you more about it but it'll kinda defeat the chances of getting a good blackmail return when the time comes. All I will say is - I know where all of you are, and I'm following your careers with a LOT of interest :)
Anyway, this year a lot of my friends have been away and the long Christmas weekend has gone by way too lazily. Except for a nice Christmas special buffet at the Chancery Pavilion the remaining hours have been spent in the close vicinity of my house. In fact I can recall the number of times I've gone out of the house to 4.
And that's quite sad.
Though it has it's good points.
The weather has been very nice. Just that perfect bite in the air that needs a mild blanket to make you snuggle in for hours and hours. And that's what I've been doing - brilliant afternoon naps which transcend the universally accepted definition of 'nap' through sheer number of hours alone. Getting up, switching on the bedside table lamp, reading one of my two light books for the weekend, gently reaching that somnambulant state again when all you can manage is to turn off the light and slide away for another couple of hours. Ah Bliss.
But the human mind is such a strange object. Two days ago this seemed like a perfect state of affairs but today after my last afternoon nap i'm actually feeling a bit sad about this weekend. Completely bored by the lack of human interaction.
Yes, I will get up now, go out the door, meet people, see the world, enjoy myself...
Or, you know, if I can reach that switch again I could slip away for another couple of hours...
Staying in Bangalore, Christmas has suddenly become a very important milestone in the year. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love the fat man in the red suit as much as the next guy but since my MSM days Christmas has never really been a great festival to be celebrated boisterously. But in the heart of IT country where all clients in the US and Europe go on vacation in this period, this festival is once again a joyous occasion for finishing off your non-carry-forward-able vacation time and put up your feet. But if you happen to be in town then there are a lot of cash-depriving stresses involved. Everyone you know seems to be willing to spend atrocious amounts of money just to be out somewhere partying, and then running helter skelter when they realise that the cops have spent the twelve months since last Christmas stocking up on those breathalysers that can discern the subtle whiff of that mild Vodka that you took 'for the road'.
Now I usually stay clear of these parties in hotels but have always managed to be at some or the other house party celebrating in the occasion. In fact I've also hosted some pretty interesting Christmas parties. Videos from such parties exist, but have safely been forgotten till a time comes when one of those who attended hits the big time and I can retire on the blackmail money alone. I am referring of course to the awesome Christmas party of 2007 that RB and I organized at Club 108 (our house number was 108). I could tell you more about it but it'll kinda defeat the chances of getting a good blackmail return when the time comes. All I will say is - I know where all of you are, and I'm following your careers with a LOT of interest :)
Anyway, this year a lot of my friends have been away and the long Christmas weekend has gone by way too lazily. Except for a nice Christmas special buffet at the Chancery Pavilion the remaining hours have been spent in the close vicinity of my house. In fact I can recall the number of times I've gone out of the house to 4.
And that's quite sad.
Though it has it's good points.
The weather has been very nice. Just that perfect bite in the air that needs a mild blanket to make you snuggle in for hours and hours. And that's what I've been doing - brilliant afternoon naps which transcend the universally accepted definition of 'nap' through sheer number of hours alone. Getting up, switching on the bedside table lamp, reading one of my two light books for the weekend, gently reaching that somnambulant state again when all you can manage is to turn off the light and slide away for another couple of hours. Ah Bliss.
But the human mind is such a strange object. Two days ago this seemed like a perfect state of affairs but today after my last afternoon nap i'm actually feeling a bit sad about this weekend. Completely bored by the lack of human interaction.
Yes, I will get up now, go out the door, meet people, see the world, enjoy myself...
Or, you know, if I can reach that switch again I could slip away for another couple of hours...
Saturday, December 12, 2009
32 going on 31...
It is with profound distress that I have to inform the concerned reader of this blog that your favourite blogger's sheer awesomeness is going to be reduced by a bit in a few days. It would still be startlingly bright, but the discerning observer will be able to see a little drop especially towards the right of my skull.
Well enough of these riddles, I shall hold in my plight no more. Harden your souls cause this is a scary story.
As most people knowing me would vouch for, I need all the wisdom that I can manage to get. I have bumbled through years without the benefit of a lot of intelligence and as a result when my wisdom tooth finally started breaking through I heaved a sigh of relief. Atleast now I shall finally figure out what goes to the credit side and what goes to the debit side of a balance sheet. Yes it was a bit painful but if I could finally go beyond a 'C' in my finance papers, the pain would be worth it.
Alas, I waited for financial knowledge to dawn with every eruption of wisdom tooth, but that never came. I resigned myself to my fate after I finally got my last wisdom tooth thereby completing my set of 32 teeth without any effect on my IQ.
Ah well, no harm done was what I thought.
How wrong was I!
apparently the last wisdom tooth decided to go for uniqueness rather than following the other 31.
"I have my own identity and though these 31 morons have grown up straight and stand glowing in pride in a straight line, I will break the norm. Yes, I will grow at an acute angle so that I push into the last tooth in line"
And that's what it's gone and done. My right most lower wisdom tooth grew at an angle pushing into the adjoining tooth and created a perfect atmosphere for a cavity to set in. And after two nights of excruciating pain (seriously i've never had a toothache before and IT SUCKS!)that went just beyond the tooth to the jaw, the ear, the temple even I finally got an X-Ray done and have been advised a root canal treatment on the adjoining tooth and an extraction for the rogue wisdom tooth.
I'm not sure when these things will be done but my pearly whites will be down by one in the near future. And I'll be glad if this can happen with minimal pain.
Wish me luck...gulp
Well enough of these riddles, I shall hold in my plight no more. Harden your souls cause this is a scary story.
As most people knowing me would vouch for, I need all the wisdom that I can manage to get. I have bumbled through years without the benefit of a lot of intelligence and as a result when my wisdom tooth finally started breaking through I heaved a sigh of relief. Atleast now I shall finally figure out what goes to the credit side and what goes to the debit side of a balance sheet. Yes it was a bit painful but if I could finally go beyond a 'C' in my finance papers, the pain would be worth it.
Alas, I waited for financial knowledge to dawn with every eruption of wisdom tooth, but that never came. I resigned myself to my fate after I finally got my last wisdom tooth thereby completing my set of 32 teeth without any effect on my IQ.
Ah well, no harm done was what I thought.
How wrong was I!
apparently the last wisdom tooth decided to go for uniqueness rather than following the other 31.
"I have my own identity and though these 31 morons have grown up straight and stand glowing in pride in a straight line, I will break the norm. Yes, I will grow at an acute angle so that I push into the last tooth in line"
And that's what it's gone and done. My right most lower wisdom tooth grew at an angle pushing into the adjoining tooth and created a perfect atmosphere for a cavity to set in. And after two nights of excruciating pain (seriously i've never had a toothache before and IT SUCKS!)that went just beyond the tooth to the jaw, the ear, the temple even I finally got an X-Ray done and have been advised a root canal treatment on the adjoining tooth and an extraction for the rogue wisdom tooth.
I'm not sure when these things will be done but my pearly whites will be down by one in the near future. And I'll be glad if this can happen with minimal pain.
Wish me luck...gulp
Friday, November 13, 2009
Barney's Back, Baby!!
BARNEY'S BACK BABY, BARNEY IS...WAIT FOR IT...BACK!!
Thank God.
As people following this blog with rapt and uninterrupted attention, or, you know, those who know me outside the the online world, I'm a huge fan of the TV series 'How I met your Mother'. Also, assuming that the reader of this blog is by definition a suave, connected to the world, modern individual, there isn't any need to really tell you what this series is about.
To put it succintly it's pretty darn funny. And the philandering philosopher that Neil Patrick Harris plays (the Barney in the title of this post)is easily the funniest and most, in his own words, awesome character of the show. Over the last four seasons he's regaled us through his commitment-phobic, one night stand and womaniser extraordinaire actions and one liners.
On the other hand is Robin, the similar character played by Cobie Smulders (sigh...should've been smoulders..those eyes... but we're digressing). Also fiercely independant, this character is as commitment phobic as Barney.
Unfortunately, at the end of the last season of HIMYM they start dating each other.
Now comes the main reason for this post.
The episodes play on CBS on Tuesday nights, US time. And almost immediately I'd get on one of those torrent sites to download the episodes and watch them within hours of the episode being aired. I did this for the first three episodes of the current season. But then I found myself actually forgetting about the episode and hence the downloading. A little introspection, and the reason was clear. Barney was not acting like Barney. He was some lame ass boyfriend-wannabe which JUST did not suit him. Instead of the self assured woman related advice giver he was actually sitting in Ted's class learning Robin 101! Now I wouldn't mind attending Robin 101 myself, if you know what I mean, but Barney! No way! That was just a sad turn for the character as awesome as that.
But in the latest one, which I downloaded today, Barney and Robin decide to break up!! A very mature and amicable break up (they exist?) where both realise that they just weren't happy in their relationship.
And so ladies and gentlemen, nay only the ladies - Barney is back where he belongs - climbing out of your bedroom window in the early hours of the morning after leaving you a form letter with a cock-a-bull story about he being:
a. a space alien
b. a time traveller
c. shipping out to war in the morning
to explain his absence.
And my interest in the series is right back to it's earlier levels! Happy viewing - it's going to be legen... :)
Thank God.
As people following this blog with rapt and uninterrupted attention, or, you know, those who know me outside the the online world, I'm a huge fan of the TV series 'How I met your Mother'. Also, assuming that the reader of this blog is by definition a suave, connected to the world, modern individual, there isn't any need to really tell you what this series is about.
To put it succintly it's pretty darn funny. And the philandering philosopher that Neil Patrick Harris plays (the Barney in the title of this post)is easily the funniest and most, in his own words, awesome character of the show. Over the last four seasons he's regaled us through his commitment-phobic, one night stand and womaniser extraordinaire actions and one liners.
On the other hand is Robin, the similar character played by Cobie Smulders (sigh...should've been smoulders..those eyes... but we're digressing). Also fiercely independant, this character is as commitment phobic as Barney.
Unfortunately, at the end of the last season of HIMYM they start dating each other.
Now comes the main reason for this post.
The episodes play on CBS on Tuesday nights, US time. And almost immediately I'd get on one of those torrent sites to download the episodes and watch them within hours of the episode being aired. I did this for the first three episodes of the current season. But then I found myself actually forgetting about the episode and hence the downloading. A little introspection, and the reason was clear. Barney was not acting like Barney. He was some lame ass boyfriend-wannabe which JUST did not suit him. Instead of the self assured woman related advice giver he was actually sitting in Ted's class learning Robin 101! Now I wouldn't mind attending Robin 101 myself, if you know what I mean, but Barney! No way! That was just a sad turn for the character as awesome as that.
But in the latest one, which I downloaded today, Barney and Robin decide to break up!! A very mature and amicable break up (they exist?) where both realise that they just weren't happy in their relationship.
And so ladies and gentlemen, nay only the ladies - Barney is back where he belongs - climbing out of your bedroom window in the early hours of the morning after leaving you a form letter with a cock-a-bull story about he being:
a. a space alien
b. a time traveller
c. shipping out to war in the morning
to explain his absence.
And my interest in the series is right back to it's earlier levels! Happy viewing - it's going to be legen... :)
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Dystopian Theories...
Literature and movies portraying a future dystopian society always fascinate me, whether it is the 'Big Brother' fronted suffocating oligarchy of George Orwell's 'Nineteen Eighty Four' or the societal choice between a free-will powered chaos versus a conditioned factory-like safe yet stagnant society exquisitely described in 'The Clockwork Orange' by Anthony Burgess.
And not necessarily a hypothetical society of the future, 'Animal Farm' (again by George Orwell) is a brilliant look at how the Russian society (in the communist era) evolved where the revolutionaries (pigs, if I recall correctly) overthrew the oppressors (the humans in the farm) but then slowly reacted in the same way as the humans they evicted to transform into another avatar of the very same oppressors they removed with no change in the conditions of the other animals. (I really recommend this book. It's a thin little book but phenomenally powerful). Another book on similar lines is 'Lord of the Flies', which essentially focuses on how idealized human culture fails under stress and freedom. Individual versus society is a theme in this plot as well.
Anyway, why am I going on and on about these books?
Well, I had taken some movies from R a long time back and had not really watched them all. I was getting bored this morning and sat down to watch a movie called 'Brazil'. If you're thinking this was about scantily clad women at the Rio carnival (the way I had thought) then you are in for a huge surprise. This movie is set in a world of the future where every individual seems to be sinking in a revolting marsh of bureaucracy. A totalitarian society at a more micro-level than the one described in 1984, this society curbs all freedom of thought through the simple machinations of filling forms! The government bureaucracy shown here with no one willing to take a decision and people capable of going beyond the forms being looked upon with suspicion of terrorism. When a freelance air conditioning repairman seems like a Robin Hood character, you can imagine what the society breeds.
In the midst of this is our protagonist, the ever reliable, unambitious and unimportant spoke in the Ministry of Information's wheel. But even though he may be filling out his forms as diligently as the next person, he has a secret - a dream where he is a Knight in shining armour rescuing a damsel in distress.
Things gather pace as he bumps into a girl who looks exactly like the girl in his dreams. The plot thickens as he also takes the help of the renegade Air conditioning repairman who left the government service when the bureaucracy and the forms got to him.
I'm not going to put in the whole story here but the movie is quite good. Some sequences are quite chilling and thought provoking. Though people would have many interpretations (after all that is something all such movies are supposed to do), for me the primary question it poses is the same one. Who decides what is good for someone - the Individual or the Society?
And not necessarily a hypothetical society of the future, 'Animal Farm' (again by George Orwell) is a brilliant look at how the Russian society (in the communist era) evolved where the revolutionaries (pigs, if I recall correctly) overthrew the oppressors (the humans in the farm) but then slowly reacted in the same way as the humans they evicted to transform into another avatar of the very same oppressors they removed with no change in the conditions of the other animals. (I really recommend this book. It's a thin little book but phenomenally powerful). Another book on similar lines is 'Lord of the Flies', which essentially focuses on how idealized human culture fails under stress and freedom. Individual versus society is a theme in this plot as well.
Anyway, why am I going on and on about these books?
Well, I had taken some movies from R a long time back and had not really watched them all. I was getting bored this morning and sat down to watch a movie called 'Brazil'. If you're thinking this was about scantily clad women at the Rio carnival (the way I had thought) then you are in for a huge surprise. This movie is set in a world of the future where every individual seems to be sinking in a revolting marsh of bureaucracy. A totalitarian society at a more micro-level than the one described in 1984, this society curbs all freedom of thought through the simple machinations of filling forms! The government bureaucracy shown here with no one willing to take a decision and people capable of going beyond the forms being looked upon with suspicion of terrorism. When a freelance air conditioning repairman seems like a Robin Hood character, you can imagine what the society breeds.
In the midst of this is our protagonist, the ever reliable, unambitious and unimportant spoke in the Ministry of Information's wheel. But even though he may be filling out his forms as diligently as the next person, he has a secret - a dream where he is a Knight in shining armour rescuing a damsel in distress.
Things gather pace as he bumps into a girl who looks exactly like the girl in his dreams. The plot thickens as he also takes the help of the renegade Air conditioning repairman who left the government service when the bureaucracy and the forms got to him.
I'm not going to put in the whole story here but the movie is quite good. Some sequences are quite chilling and thought provoking. Though people would have many interpretations (after all that is something all such movies are supposed to do), for me the primary question it poses is the same one. Who decides what is good for someone - the Individual or the Society?
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