A Hairy Situation

Depression makes a person do weird things. Those things may not be entirely the solution to the problem that depresses you in the first place, but hell, it does take your mind of the problem. Even if it's just for a little while.


I recently clawed my way through a really rough patch. I needed something to take my mind off the whole saga. So I walk into the saloon and tell the hairdresser to cut my hair so short that they end where my eyebrows start. Unlike me, she hadn't lost her mind so she salvaged the whole hair affair.


Of course, I was not received with much enthusiasm at home. Note to self: Never, ever get a haircut when your parents and grandparents are together. It's annoying enough when the ladies start sniffing and talking about how long their hair used to be. But my dad was the cherry on the cake. I quote him.

In Tamil:
"Naal mudi thaan irruku. Adhuku nee haircut ku ponaya. Hee hee hee hee hee."

In English:
"You've 4 strands of hair for which you needed a haircut. Hee hee hee hee hee."

Sigh. He still hasn't stopped ragging(Oops I used the word ragging. Probably gotta get ready to get kicked out of the college!) me. My granddad added his contribution by saying, "It's almost gender confusing!". Why!!!!!


Luckily, reactions at college seem to be more favourable. They think it's cute...yay :)

PT!

I was going through my blog and I was so surprised that I haven't posted about Porcupine Tree yet. So here goes.


My romance or obsession, whatever you call it doesn't really matter, with Porcupine Tree started in the my 3rd semester. Porcupine Tree is a progressive rock band from England. The front man is Steven Wilson. He's the lead vocalist and he also doubles up as lead guitarist. Oh did I mention that he writes most of the songs?! In short, he is insanely awesome. I love PT. Why?

• Every song of PT is unique and different. It's really hard to believe that the band that gave us Lazarus, was the same one that did a Blackest Eyes.
• For me, each song of PT is like a person. It has moods. Beautiful, melancholic, nostalgic.
• Their live performances are just A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I remember watching their concert on my laptop throughout the 3rd semester, to the point that I knew it by heart. Sigh, if only I concentrated this much on academics.
• The drummer, Gavin Harrison, is kick ass!

Naturally, when I came to know that they were coming to IIT Bombay for Mood Indigo, I was out of my mind. I knew that if I didn't go for the concert, I'll never forgive myself. So for about a month or so, I kept checking online if they had opened for booking. It was luck that I got tickets for their concert. I mean, frankly I've never really wished for something and got it, ya know. So I was happy that the tide was changing. Finally, mera number aa gaya!

Oops! Spoke too soon. I didn't get train tickets to go to Bombay and I fell sick. Ah, here's where lady luck brings me back to square one. I thought that all hope was lost, but my mom was not one who takes such things lying down. She convinced my dad to get me a flight ticket to Bombay. Of course, that's my birthday gift in advance but what the heck! Hopefully, my dad will forget about this teeny weeny gift. The probability of that happening is the same as that of Love Ishtory(Himesh Reshammiya's upcoming movie) becoming a super hit.

Anyways, by hook or crook, I reached Bombay. I reached on time for the concert and I was so super duper psyched. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I had seized it. But life is never so easy. I thought I was done with getting myself to Bombay. I did not realize that there would be a line as long as the Great Wall Of China just to get myself into the Open Air Theatre(OAT). While I tried to get entertained by the gentlemen standing behind me, who were talking about how Splitsvilla should be renamed Slutsvilla, a girl came up to me and said "Hey! There's a separate girls' queue so if you have come alone(which meant without a guy, judging by the funny looks she kept giving me like I'm a lesbian or something) you can join there". What's going on in my mind: Thank goodness I'm single and I'm a girl. And guess what? The girls' queue was empty, except for the mosquitoes though. And as you know, only female mosquitoes suck blood. But I reached the OAT with time and blood to spare. I found a few college mates and I got enough space to keep my big toe on the floor.

The concert started. It was amazing. When they came out on the stage, it was like this surreal experience. His first words on stage were "Namastey". So cute! They played some really popular songs like Trains, Halo, Hatesong, Lazarus, Open Car, Time Flies, Blackest Eyes, The Sound Of Muzak and a few lesser known ones like Start Of Something Beautiful, Way Out Of Here, Occam's Razor. It was even better to watch them live. Steven Wilson kept the crowd on their feet, which meant I got more place to sit! The band gave a stellar performance. I liked the fact that they had a good mix from older tracks and more recent ones. The crowd was kinda the type you have in cricket stadiums. Lots of whistling and all, ya know. But once the music started they thankfully stopped the irritating whistling. I was just really bummed out when they didn't play Arriving Somewhere and they played only for 2 hours. But as people say, all good things must come to an end. The experience is still fresh in my mind. It's something I'll never forget. And hopefully, I'll get to attend another one of their concerts :)

Idiocy at its best

I read Five Point Someone recently. I mean, of course I've read it before. After all, I'm studying in an engineering college, whose students deemed this book as "a must read for engineering students". It's been written by India's most "loved" author. I needed to read it because recently my results came out, and well, being a Seven Point Someone didn't seem so bad when I read about Ryan, Alok and Hari, as they're Five Point Someones. I'm not saying I like the book or its characters, but I do like the difference in the CGPAs. The fact that they're fictional doesn't matter to me, so ZIP IT!

A few days back, I watched the "movie version" of FPS, the much anticipated "3 idiots". Now, I don't know about you but I was dying to watch the movie. Come on, 44-year old Aamir Khan playing a 22-year old college-going, creative-thinking, gynecologist guy. Does it get any better than this!?! I liked the movie on the whole but the movie did have major flaws.


Pros

• Ladakh. 'Nuff said.
• Aamir. And he looked 22. Is he human or alien?
• College Lingo. ViruS, millimetre, Silencer. Nice touch, added authenticity!
• The song Zoobi Doobi. Very nicely shot and very cute lead pair :)
• The message. The movie highlighted the fact that students are being burdened with impossible curriculum. It also highlighted the fact that those students who can mug better than others, can score better than others.

Cons

• Boman Irani. His gigantic potential was wasted in this movie. ViruS cannot hold a candle to Asthana(Munnabhai M.B.B.S). Shame!
• The fact that Aamir just assumed the identity of Jaaved Jaffrey and never got caught by the authorities/government. Shows that in India if you have money, you can do anything. Just flash the cash, baby.
• Madhavan faked a heart attack to get of the plane and then they can't manage to hold him down in the airport. Oh, come on!
• Gags in the movie that we've read a million times, courtesy e-mails.
• The whole bit where Aamir plays gynaecologist. I was like WTF!

My final verdict is: watch it. In spite of many "idiotic" things that take place in the movie, it still leaves you with a smile on your face. I should mention here that though this movie was inspired by FPS, it did a much better job at capturing the youth. I think Chetan should quit fighting with Hirani for credit, because here's the truth buddy: Chetan should be giving Hirani credit ;)

Habbie Nu Ear!

I absolutely have NO idea why I spelt the title like that. I guess GRE preparation finally got to me and I've forgotten to spell the words I already knew how to spell. For those wondering, I've finished 3 letters in the word list. Oh wait. The letters were X, Y, and Z. That makes it a grand total of 12 words. Man, I got to put that on my CV.


Anyways, in other "new"s(haha...get it!?! News and "new"s :P), the new year has dawned upon us, the old one slinking away with all those resolutions that we made last year still pending fulfillment. But we continue making those damn resolutions. Why? Probably to experience the feeling(even if it's only for a few weeks, in my case, hours) that we will begin the year with a sense of purpose.


So, I've made a few resolutions of my own that I want to share with you. Yes, you, my imaginary reader :) Some of the resolutions are new, some old, both with the expectation that they never have to be made again.

1. To become leaner, meaner and fitter: I actually don't need the meaner bit. I had to add it because "leaner, meaner and fitter" has a nice ring to it.
2. To study: To. Study. Two simple words in writing, but so very, very hard in implementation.
3. To write more, and by extension, blog more: Oh yeah, this is something I have to start doing.
4. To get rid of the accent with which I converse in English: It's kind of a tamilian and mallu accent. I have to get rid of it. Really need to get rid of it.
5. To get rid of the accent with which I converse in Tamil: It's kind of an "English" accent. I know, I know...so messed up that I can't speak even one language well :P
6. To enjoy life: Simple one, ain't it? I just want to enjoy every single moment of life. Squeeze the juice out, you know. However, I don't know if it's possible considering resolution number 2.
7. To read more: I have nearly left the habit of reading after entering college. However, it's going to be back with a bang this year. Hopefully.
8. This isn't a resolution: Ahem, I had to append another point, because I like even numbers. Couldn't stand the fact that my list had to end with the number 7. Oh, the horror!

That's about it, I guess. Hopefully, I'll stick to it and be back writing a similar post at the end of 2010, except on a more positive note :)

Happy New Year, guys. Hope this new year brings more width to your smile, more money in your pocket, more shine in your eyes, and more love in your life.

Avatar - Not Worth The Hype

Avatar. I heard this word from my brother first who, by the way, is freakishly up-to-date with all the movies that have ever been made, being made, will be made, were planned to be made but didn't get made, were made but didn't make it to the theatres, well you get the idea. I heard this word everyday for the past 60 days. My brother would say an assortment of the following dialogues, just to be true to his motto "Variety is the spice of life".


"Hey, did you know Lord Vishnu has 10 avatars? Speaking of avatar...."

"Man, DasAVATARam soooo did not need those many avatars!"

"I will do a submission move(Undertaker) on you if you don't take me to that movie..."

"Eh? What hour?"

and so on and so forth. But as luck would have it, I was destined to get that long overdue submission move, as I had decided to watch the movie with my friends in Aamchi Bombay(Yes, I still call it by its old name). Anyways, we waited with bated breath, clutching our 3-D glasses oh-so-tight as we entered the cinema hall. Glasses on our eyes, popcorn in our mouths, we were ready to embark on a journey of a lifetime - or so we thought.


The concept is fairly simple and I'm very lazy. Which is why I've copy-pasted it right from Wiki.

"Avatar is a 2009 American science fiction film written and directed by James Cameron, and starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang. The film is set in the year 2154 on Pandora, a fictional inhabited Earth-like moon in a distant planetary system. Humans are engaged in mining Pandora's reserves of a precious mineral, while the Na'vi — the sapient race of humanoids indigenous to the moon — resist the colonists' expansion, which threatens the continued existence of the Na'vi and the Pandoran ecosystem. The film's title refers to the remotely controlled, genetically engineered human-Na'vi bodies used by the film's human characters to interact with the natives."


Blah Blah Blah. Now, for the review. I liked this film in parts. The visuals were stunning. The story unfolded beautifully when coupled with the amazing graphics. Kudos to the whole team of Avatar. What I like most about James Cameron's story was it was brilliant to watch on screen. The beauty of the movie was the simplicity of the story. Ah, but this is where the movie fails, too. The narration was straight out of those magical books we used to read as kids. The story was so predictable. I mean, at every point of the movie I was like "DUH!". The actors were okay. They don't deserve more mention than that.


I loved the whole concept of the trees communicating as a network and I agree with Jake Sully when he says "I'm in love with your forest.". The forest is something out of this world...oh yeah it is actually out of this world :P
The trees, the Ikrans, the forest, Pandora....everything was nicely created. But the story, the actors, the irritating 3-D glasses just fell flat. Although I still would say that you should go for the movie, just for the graphics, but not expect much in terms of story, and don't get carried away by the hype!

P.S.: A very entertaining moment in the movie was when the name of a Na'vi "Tsu'tey" was modified by the gujju guys in the front row to "Su Chhe"-means "What you want?" in Gujrati :P