Xtra Innings...

Today i saw an ad on tv with Mandira Bedi in her 'babe' persona saying 'Watching cricket with me is different..' (imagine attempts at sauciness oozing out of your screen). Very true. Apparently, more women are watching cricket than ever before. Which is strange considering the amount of hue and cry the spagetti top evoked. But the show is evil (to paraphrase Georgie boy) and Navjot Singh Sidhu makes it worse. The pro-India bent is embarassing. Discussing how India will fare in a match 2 weeks from now is bad, discussing the same 20 minutes before Australia play West Indies is worse. Even the numerologists and tarot card readers say 'Today I think I will support India' even before their cards or numbers have spoken (or do what they.. erm.. do). And Rohit Roy who considers himself an expert just cause he's played gulli cricket adds to the gallery of dumbfucks who host the show. The number of experts is always out numbered by the number of hosts. Everything smarter people say is drowned out by Sidhu's long distance call bellowing.
We are generally an intelligent cricket watching public and we deserve better. Otherwise any discussion on cricket is bound to be dominated by 'Did you see Mandira's sari today?'

Memories...

While sorting my cluttered and overloaded computer, i decided to organise my stuff which went the whole gamut from cad drawings to obscure sound clips from 6 years ago. And came across a whole set of pictures from 1st year. Now shamefully i have to say that once you join architecture, you have no life for 5 years. So the people in your class become your family. The same shiny, happy people in 1st year seem so different now. i saw a study trip picture of people working together on some slide or something for kids and it seemed like it happened yesterday. But out of the 4 people in the picture, i can't stand two and the other two aren't as close as we used to be. So what changed since yesterday? Any argument, any issue was sorted out in 30 mins flat. And now we can't even decide a date on which to leave for our last ever study trip.

Does getting older neccessarily mean i am getting wiser? Or just more smug about my own wisdom?

Diwali Day...

Feels nice to wake up without having a schedule at the back of your head. i'm sure my comp feels so much more happier that i'm not opening Autocad anymore. It kinda gave up before i did... 2 days before a submission!! And it's nauseating (by association, i guess) to sit in front of the comp. But i shall fight all that. Its the first day of a (really short) vacation... the first one since 3rd year started!!! Happy diwali to me, i guess...
Saw 'Don'. The Shahrukh version. Have already written about it and have tarnished it even before i could see it. And as usual, its foot-in-mouth time. But before i jump onto the new movie, i should mention i have never seen the original one. So unlike all the reviewers and the oldies who've seen the old one when they were my age and are seeing this one with a nostalgic bent, i can claim that my view of the movie are neutral. Except for the anti-Shahrukh bias.
First, the music. The songs suck. The background score is awesome, going with the pace and the feel of the movie, in fact rescuing some scenes in patches.
Whatever snatches of the old movie ive seen make it look almost cartoonish in its appeal. This one is so slick, i can re-oil my car by just sticking a poster of 'Don' on it's bonnet (sorry for that).
Arjun 'mumble-mumble' Rampal is miserable. Kareena sizzles in just the one song she gets to do. Priyanka Chopra, hot as ever. Isha Koppikar, non-existent. Two performances stand out though. One is Boman Irani as DCP D'Silva. Never imagined the funny man to give such a serious and sedate performance.
And Shahrukh Khan goes back to his 'Darr' days and gives a bone-chilling performance as Don. In fact, when his 'Vijay' avatar came up, it almost made me wish i could fast-forward to the real deal. For the first few minutes, it takes a little getting-used-to to see him in this role. But that's just me and my prejudices. Slowly, you see the effort to make it as different from Vijay or Rahul or whatever. The evil glint in the eye and the childish yet maniacal attitude makes it one of the best character treatments this year. Although Shahrukh hams a few scenes, its still a good performance.
The retro look to some song picturisations and the almost 'flower-power' clothes worn by the males in some scenes try too hard to make a connection the 70s. 'Khaike Paan Banaraswala' gets a new twist with Shahrukh's energy.
The movie has some nice touches. The fleur-de-lis print shirt in 'Khaike..' is obviously well publicised. The other one is not. Shahrukh and his henchman walk into a high security safe where all the drugs and stuff are stashed away. In the corner is a painting barely noticeable yet instantly recognisable as Munch's Scream, stolen a couple of years ago in broad daylight. The painting was found a few weeks ago, around the time the movie was deep into post-production... coincidence??

Speed post II...

Most dramas on the many Hindi channels we get here are family-oriented with a dominating female/male and many secondary characters.

Most comedies on the few English channels we get here are family-oriented with a dominating male/female and many secondary characters.

Thats all.

Question...

What are the chances of someone drinking tea and throwing the paper cup in some bushes such that it falls upright; and leaking water from an A/C on the 1st floor drips right into it??

(i'm really asking... cos i saw one today. And am really interested to know what odds that had...)

Billboard...

My favourite billboard has transformed itself again. (must write a book on it some day) This time into a slick 'Matrix'- green poster of Shahrukh 'Rahul' Khan trying to look uber-cool in Farhan Akhtar's Don. Trailers look slick. Priyanka Chopra looks hot (when doesn't she?). Kareena looks like Princess Leia for some reason. And Shahrukh is Shahrukh. In fact, there's no difference in the outstretched arms as well. 'Mitwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa' becomes 'Main Hoon Donnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn'. Only difference being the black suit. And the glass of champagne. And no violins (thank God for that!!). He doesn't seem to make a good 'Don'. Unfortunately, i'm so prejudiced while watching movies that every time i see Shahrukh, i see 'Rahul' or 'Raj' or 'Dev' or whatever KJo wants him to be tonight. Maybe after 'Baazigar' and 'Darr' he might have been grey enough to be Don, but not now after years of playing the diabetically saccharine characters he's played.

And on a completely different note, 2006 seems to be the year of the broken dream. Old fogeys France gallantly and steadily progress till the finals and lose to (corrupt and evil and moneyminded) Italy in the World Cup. While Schumacher, on the verge of retirement, comes this close to a seventh World Championship and loses to cranky baby Alonso. We need some angels with loads of miracle dust next year.

Orkut part 2...

After months of orkutting, scrapping and other assorted -ings, i have a few questions:
1) Why does the number of communities you join directly proportional to the amount of interest you have in each of them?
2) Why do all communities from 'Keira Knightley fan club' to 'I Hate Pakistan' have the post 'What does the person above you remind you of?' as the most replied to?
3) If someone scraps you while you're online, is it rude to not reply?
4) Similarly, is it rude to suggest you chat on messenger?
5) And when you chat on messenger, why does one realise there's nothing to talk about?
6) Does Google Inc. have a magic wand?