Licensed to Kill.

Got my Learner's Permit today.
Took the Zen out for a minute or so, then got freaked out and let my driver take over. Cars coming from all directions- it's freaky!
Today's T2 carried an article about how times are changing- how women are driving better than ever before...
Coincidence? ... I think not.
*grins*

The Weekend.

1. Finished J M Coetzee's 'Foe' - it has good rhythm in the writing, and the constant suspense is quite addictive- makes you turn the pages pretty quickly.
2. I can't believe I studied this weekend! (Only for an hour, but still!) What is the world coming to??
3. Monkey-Man is on Facebook, and now on Blogspot! He uses Superpoke for obscene things too. Whoever is behind it has way too much time on their hands. (Neelu and Somdev- are you listening?)
4. Watched 'Top Ten Best Johnny Depp Movies' on Zee Studio. Must really get hold of the ones I haven't seen, and watch them- like Chocolat, Finding Neverland and Donnie Brasco! To think I consider myself a Johnny Depp fan, and haven't even seen these- shocking!
5. Cooked 'Ilish Maacher Bhape'. It was pretty good, actually.
6. This weather rocks- I mean, really. Nothing beats curling up under the blanket with Obelix! (My cat, in case you're scandalised...)
7. Had Vegetable Hot And Sour Soup last night. Damn- no chicken. When will this blasted bird flu end? It's getting mighty annoying now.
8. Tried to bully Ma into taking me shopping at the new Landmark (I refuse to call it Starmark) at South City- she didn't take kindly to the suggestion, but muttered something about 'much needed relaxation'. Heh.
9. Been on a Western Classical music downloading spree- Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, even a little of Pavarotti. Now my latest obsession is 'Beethoven's 9th Symphony'. It's just BRILLIANT- how did a deaf man compose such music?? (Come to think of it, Stevie Wonder's blind, yet he's a whiz at the piano... *sigh* Some people are just too gifted.)
10. Tried reading a bit of Dominique Lappierre's 'City of Joy'. Bloody book is sooo unbelievably negative. I know I read just twenty pages or so, but he makes us come off as poor, illiterate, superstitious, uncouth people! Shall try finishing the book, maybe it shows us in a better light towards the end..?

The first rain of the year.

The splash of puddles. The smell of raindrops. Paper boats floating down the road. Muri and alur chop. The flash of colour in the raincoats that children wear. Getting drenched in the little drops of ecstasy that pour down from the heavens.

Today marked the first rain of the year. Unexpected, early, yet lovely.

There's a nice chill in the air. Ideal to curl up under a quilt and listen to the pitter-patter of rain outside.

It's beautiful- rain. It's romantic. It's friendly. It's calming. And it always makes me feel much better about life in general.

Rain- it seems to wash away all the evil in the world. It leaves behind such a fresh, new feeling. It rinses out all the bitterness and sadness, somehow. And it leaves behind a sense of completeness.

Another Tag!

Instructions:

Remove 1 question from below, and add in your personal question, make it a total of 20 questions, then tag 8 people in your list, list them out at the end of this post. Notify them in their chat box that he/she has been tagged.

1. Name three most valuable assets?

Self respect, generosity, and love.

2. If you have the chance, what would you probably say to your beloved one?
"You are the wind beneath my wings" - Bette Midler.

3. If you were to be stranded on a desert island, who are the 3 blog buddies you would take with you?

Esmo, Priyanka, and Annesha!

4. Where is the place that you want to go the most?

Europe!

5. If you can have 1 dream come true, what would it be?

Right now? Nothing, as such. All my dreams have come true, for now. But I'd wish for everyone I love to be happy.

6. Till now, what is the moment that you regret the most?

Not any particular moment, as such. But I do wish I had let my dad teach me all that he wanted to. (He always wanted me to read more, listen to classical music, and teach me about History- I rebelled and refused. I regret that now.)

7. What are you afraid to lose the most?

My family, friends, pets, and values.

8. What would you do if you found a briefcase full of money?

Out of sheer conscience, search for the owner, albeit half-heartedly. If he/she isn't found, buy presents for everyone, spend some on myself, and put the rest in my account!

9. If you meet someone that you love, would you confess to him/her?

Already met him, so question doesn't apply. But when I met HIM, I didn't confess, just dropped subtle hints. :P

10. List out 3 good points of the person who tagged you...

Deya: Friendly, warm, and mature.

11. What are the requirements that you wish from your other half?

Be there when I need him, deal with my moods, and listen to all my rambling.

12. Which type of person do you hate the most?

I can't stand fake and superficial people, slutty girls, and hypocrites.

13. What is your ambition?

To be a good writer, to make a difference in the world, and to be remembered when I'm gone.

14. What is the thing that will make you think someone is a bad person?

If he/she is cruel, or gets pleasure out of hurting others.

15. Christmas is coming, who do you like to celebrate with?

My family and friends.

16. If you could do one thing different in life, what would it be?

Refer to question 6.

17. Are you a shopaholic or no?

Totally! I go crazy over clothes, earrings, CDs and books!

18. What is your stress buster?

Long hot baths, being by myself, cooking.

19. What should be done to people who make such long tags..?

Treat them. I like these tag thingies!

20. (My question) Honestly speaking, are you happy?

Yes. I've got lovely family, fantastic friends, cute pets, I own everything I want or need, and I pretty much lead a charmed life. (Touch wood)

I tag Esmo, Little Boxes, Beyond The Realms Of The Rational Mind, Abhijan, Rukmini, Shreya, Quitelittleshything, and Doubletake Doublethink.

*Yawn*

I am so not a morning person.
*yawns and rubs eyes*
Why, oh why must my driving classes be at 7.30 am?????
It's an ungodly hour. :(

A Midsummer Night's Dream

What a play! I watched Tim Supple's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' last time at Tolly, I seriously didn't think I'd be lucky enough to watch it again. As I said, studying in JUDE has its advantages.

And what advantages! I was bowled over, completely bowled over. The vibrant colours, the effortless dialogue delivery, the sheer amount of grace with which the actors moved- I could go on and on. It isn't easy to make a Shakespeare play in Indian languages- it's quite a big risk to take, in fact. But Tim Supple has pulled it off, and how!

Joy Fernandes, I think, stole the show, with his antics. Puck was good as well, darting about the stage, I loved the rope scene the best. Titania's hair- I'd die for it. And her part was brilliant, hanging suspended in the red silk above the stage for quite a while. I loved the play, every bit of it. Somehow, I think Tolly was a better location- the open air and the breeze really did make it A Midsummer Night's Dream, but Kala Mandir was good too- our attention was more concentrated on the stage.

I don't want to watch it anymore though- you know what they say- too much of a good thing spoils it.

But kudos to Tim Supple, for making a play that's sentimental, funny, erotic and mischievous!

I am broke.

Went to Gariahat today with the intention of buying 'Foe' (a Post-Colonial text), couldn't find it. Couldn't control myself around so many books either. Ended up buying Dominique Lappierre's 'City of Joy', and Dan Brown's 'The Da Vinci Code'.

I have bought four books this month- counting 'Dracula' and 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame', which I bought last week.

This promise of mine to buy and read more books is turning out to be slightly expensive.

I am SO broke it isn't remotely funny! :(

Rest In Peace

No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow. ~Euripides
So true. How many of us know if we will live to see the next day?
So live every moment- we never know what Life could hand us.
And in case I haven't said it enough: Thank you, to all the people who have made my life special. I love you all.
His path and mine never crossed. But I was still horribly shocked when I heard about what had happened. I hope he's happy now. That he's looking down on everyone and remembering the good times he had.
May his soul rest in peace.

A quick update.

Just dropping in a few lines....

Finally finished 'Robinson Crusoe'. On the whole, well written- but the majority of the book is extremely boring- how long can one continue to read about a man trapped on an island? I didn't like the character much- he seems to get real pleasure from rampant deforestation, he kills cats (!!!!) - and where's the need to convert Friday to Christianity? Talk about arrogance... But yes, the book does have some rather good parts.

Went to Landmark yesterday. Bought two books- 'Dracula', and 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'. Have already started the former. Brilliant so far. I quite like Gothic novels- 'Frankenstein' being another favourite.

So far, have been successful with my promise of reading more books this year. :)

Made myself some pasta this evening.

Oh, and my article on Chef Hartnett's temporary stint at the ITC Sonar Bangla was carried in the January 16 issue of Femina. And for all those who are interested, check out my article on Animation:

http://www.buzz18.com/features/movies/saifkareena-lend-voices-to-dogs/30991/0

College is great fun- we have good courses this semester! The three Core courses are Post Colonial (we've done 'Robinson Crusoe' so far), Literature and the Other Arts (we're going to watch Tim Supple's production of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' next week- woohoo!) , and Rhetoric and Composition (mainly fun with Rimi-di.) The Extra Departmental is compulsory for all English students- 'Classical Christian Background', and we are currently studying 'The Iliad'.

When we are not having classes, we hang out near Milon-da's, talking about the queer disappearance of stray dogs from the JU campus, and on the same note- wonder what ingredients go into Moni-da's Momos.

Fascinating life, I tell you! :P

Taare Zameen Par

I've always been a little suspicious of movies that get great reviews, and columns of praise in the newspapers. Most of the time, I find them a little, if not highly overrated. When 'Taare Zameen Par' released, I looked at the great reviews, and the columns of praise, and said skeptically to myself, "Is it really THIS good?" Well, there was only one way to find out, wasn't there? And so I went to watch the movie, prepared to find it overrated.
And I didn't find it overrated at all- I think the amount of praise heaped on the movie is completely deserved. I wasn't prepared for little Darsheel to pull at my heartstrings. I wasn't prepared to find tears running down my cheeks at Prasoon Joshi's lyrics of 'Maa'. And I wasn't prepared to find myself laughing and crying, feeling sad and sorry for Ishaan all at the same time. The movie is a complete rollercoaster of emotions. It deals with a sensitive subject, and has dealt with it in a truly sensitive way.
The movie has lovely cinematography. The focussing on faces- because it is faces that children mainly look at. Little things like a reflection in a puddle, a paint drop, a cotton-candy machine- all make up the world of a child. Aamir has outdone himself, while most other actors would have been trying to hog the limelight themselves, he has let the movie focus on Darsheel primarily, while playing a small but substantial role .
And what acting Darsheel has put in! It's marvelling at the amount of talent he shows- at the tender age of 9! The movie also seems to mock the Education System- its love for cramming information into children and ignoring individual capabilities or needs, and the complete lack of sympathy of most teachers.
'Taare Zameen Par' explores the world and perspectives of a child- fear of desertion by parents, being afraid of getting into trouble, bullying by older children, the stress of trying to live up to high standards of excellence, and last but definitely not the least- the fear of our own mother being too far away for comfort.
It's a brilliant movie. One that everyone should watch. Dealing subtly with the issue of special children and their unique needs, it makes you realise that the sub-title of the movie IS true- every child is special, you just need to tune in to their needs and potential to realize it.

Snippets of the Delhi Trip

• The biting Delhi wind as soon as we landed.
• The chicken Guppy cooked for us.
• Buri saying, "3 minutes to midnight!" on New Year's Eve, and promptly falling down!
• Shorma- need I say more?
• Grapes, grapes and more grapes.
• Sarojini Market- there's something for everyone!
• The endless malls in Gurgaon.
• Guppy's bean bags.
• The ragging sessions. (Poor Divya..)
• Phone balance fading away into nothing. (All thanks to Roaming!)
• The way Ma had to be picked up from the bean bags- every single time!
• Guppy and his antics.
• Gora saying my 'gajar ka halwa' had a slight flavour of baking powder. (Of all things!)

Those were just snippets, mind you. I can't possibly begin to describe the entire trip- some things just cannot be put into words. And those are not all the pictures I took, obviously. There are many more, to be posted on Facebook soon. So watch the space!