Movies

Trainspotting

Well this dopchi goes right into my list of weirdo movies to join movies such as 'I love Huckabees', 'Earth Girls are easy', 'The Cable guy', 'Jacob's Ladder' etc
Trainspotting seems to be a very well known movie, but it did not move me too much.


Glengary Glen Ross


A starstudded cast consisting of Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Kevin Spacey, Ed Harris, Alec Baldwin, make this adaptation of a play watchable with some very good acting :)
About 4 real estate salesmen, a sales contest (1st prize - a car, 2nd place - a set of steak knives, 3rd place - you are fired) and a robbery.
slow paced but interesting.

Holidays

Done with the project I was on, I decided to take a few days off. Normally when I get or take a few days off, I try and fit in quite a bit of travel during that period. but this time around I decided to do nothing.

Now I am good at sitting and doing nothing, you may laugh, but if are one who thinks doing nothing is a waste of time or how can one do nothing, then forget it, you just wouldn't understand :D

Well this is what nothing consists of

- Wake up late
- Read
- A bit of Scrabble and other word games
- Watch Cricket on tv

that is it!

Some clowns told me "So you are going on holidays and sitting at home!" well yeah that is my style really .

What is coming up? I do have a lot of travel that I would like to do, and that is something that I look forward to.

oh reading the second in the Bartimaeus Triolgy btw, and a friend promised me some super Terry Pratchett books that I haven't read before so quite a bit on the reading front :D

Irritating scrabble tips!

Lol, This is how I DON'T play scrabble, check out the tips this LINK provides, used on a regular basis by "Hardcore" Scrabble players.



Krymsson and I just enjoy playing the game to make and learn truly beautiful English words, and not high scoring words that mean nothing. heh.

Books are weapons... (of mass distraction ?)

Here I found a list of top 10 Banned Books of the 20th Century

Kangaroo Words

A fun concept for all ye Word Smiths -> Joey to the World

Fair Share of Hair

I am not one of those who go to a glitzy saloon, where the tresses are pampered and cut as if engaging in topiary.

I belong to the category of people, who find the place most close to home, that offers to chop off the hair, hence getting the hair cut with minimalistic effort.

“HARE CUTTING SALOON” shouts the lettering neatly stenciled on the door of the Saloon I visit on a not so regular basis, yes this is the same place that used to have the Himesh Reshamiya look alike (cap and all).

The girl thinks I look " ‘funny’ with my hair all around the place ",

well at the moment it does indeed look like it is defying the laws of gravity :(

siiiggghh it definitely is time to go get a haircut. Yaaaawn.

When do I get to go bald ?? *taps fingers impatiently*

Been Reading

American Gods

True to my word, I went back to Gaiman, was not disappointed, American Gods is supposedly Gaiman's best book. I would not go as far to categorise it as his best work, but definitely a good read if you are used to reading Gaiman, else it gets a little dark and confusing.

The Bartimaeus Trilogy - The Amulet of Samarkand

The first book of the Bartimaeus Series, was recommended to me as being very Pratchett like. I was promised I would enjoy it. I promptly bought it and began reading, and boy! is it wonderful?
I am about halfway through the book and am thoroughly enjoying it! A must read for all lovers of fantasy, the way fantasy must be.
Very funny, laden with sarcasm and oodles of magic.

Hilarious!!

I loved the 300 trailer, here is something I found on you tube that takes it all to a new level.

300 - Southpark Spoof

Movers and Doers

The Movers are the people who delegate, they see a need and then are able to talk some other people into fulfilling this need, they are a different breed , a necessary breed, without whom the push may not exist.
The Doers are the people who do the work, they may do this because they either enjoy doing the work or because the Movers hold some power over them (positive or negative)

Many a time the Movers and the Doers exchange roles, depending on the need.

I have been both a mover and a doer on different occasions, everything has worked fine.
However, the balance is gone, when there is unnecessary interference.

As a Mover, if you do not know what is being done or how it is being done, then it is better to shut up and trust the doer.

Buddha

Am reading Osamu Tesuka's brilliant 8 volume comic epic, Buddha. Thanks to Krishnan :D

It is a mixture of known facts and made-up fiction, all mixed with perfect quantities of humour and gore :)

Very very nice, I am in Volume 3 at present, a bigger and better review will replace this one once I am through with the series!

Rewhew

Dead Poet's Society



Slow, but simple and nice, Robin Williams carries this movie entirely on his shoulders and does a fantastic job!, what were Yash Raj films thinking when they made the indian version, with SRK, Ash and load of other crap...wouldnt know.


Crow Road



Iain Banks has written better, I personally would consider 'Inversions' and 'The Wasp Factory', to be better books, But 'Crow Road' is apparently the book people swear by. (Maybe because it has a limited 'acceptable' quantity of macabre and black humour compared to the afore mentioned books)
I believe the term for this style of a book is, bildungsroman
Mind you, this is well written, in that, Banks does a good job of smoothly moving between time lines, first and second person narration etc. However, that is the only positive I can think of,otherwise I found it to be trite, meaningless and predictable ( I was always under the impression that Banks was good because of his unpredictability)

siiigh, back to Colin Dexter and Neil Gaiman then, at least they haven't disappointed me (...yet)

Pet Peeves

1. People littering the road...grrr extremely irritating to see plastic of all shapes and sizes on the pavement, the road and everywhere the eye can rove.
2. People generally assuming they can affectionately call you with any term of endearment or abuse. 'oh you bastard!' , 'Thats awesome baby' .
   
3. Fake Laughter, its worse when the FL emanates from people at their own jokes, its the equivalent of running finger nails down a blackboard.

Super

Come, my friends.
'Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
the sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
It may be that the gulfs will wash us down;
It may be that we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.
Though much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are---
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

- Alfred Lord Tennyson

"Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine."

- Anthony J. D'Angelo


yeah its worked on most of my trips, indeed I R a lucky charm!!

Songs in the cranium

Na Jaane Kyon - Choti si Baat
Thandi Hawa yeh chandini suhani - Jhumroo
Mama I'm coming home - Ozzy Ozbourne

Skies...

Well the rains were scheduled to hit on the 1st of June, however I have never seen clearer skies in Bangalore till date :)

I personally prefer gloomy weather to bright skies, but the azure skies of B'lore the past couple of days have been a sight to behold.

A beautiful Blue unmarked by clouds in the day and just about sunset a wonderful set of clouds that reflect the light of the setting sun giving the a lovely hue to the sky :D

Fantabulous... missed clicking a few pics, if the skies last, then maybe tomorrow :)

Wayanad

I have been to Kerala on numerous occasions, and each time the place has had something new to offer.

This trip started off more like a means of relaxing, but turned out to be a full blooded trek :)

We trekked to Edekkal Caves and rock climbed up Mount Ambukuthy.
Explored the forest to find MeenMutty waterfalls; untouched by 'tourists', deep within the forest nestled in a valley, splashed about in the water and lost our way for a bit on the way back! (that added to the excitement, nothing as confusing as a dense jungle!)
The trip ended with a cresendo in form of a wonderful climb up the tallest peak in the district - Chembra peak, we did the 14 kilometre climb and descent in 5 hours with a30 min break at the top (after two rigourous days of trekking behind us, Me thinks, that was good time:) )

Here are a few glimpses

Photu of the week

yeah the photus are back!, this one listed out some rules...

The last 3 are the ones to look out for :P

On the Wall

Recently we went to this new coffee place near JNC, Koromangala called Brewhaha,

Apparently this coffee shop/Board Game zone was started off by a couple of IIM students. The food is decent, the drinks are quite good, the place also offers a wide variety of board games and most importantly the serving staff are nice polite people :)

What caught our attention though, was the big scrabble board mounted on the wall, they were nice enough to let us play and off started a decent game of scrabble !



I still prefer playing at a relatively quiet Barista on Brigade road, but Brewhaha is an interesting place in itself. Not for me though, I just enjoy a simple game of scrabble, sitting in a corner, without all the pretensions of uber-coolness.

In the summery summer

Tagged by Seemantini

Here is what I enjoy in the Summmery Summer!

• Rain in the evening
  
• Games of scrabble!
• Tender coconut water :D
• Mangoes!

Anyone who wants to take the tag, go ahead!