Are we a culturally proud generation

‘India’s population is its biggest strength. More people means more brains and more brains means more development’. This was an answer given by a beauty paegant contestant a few years back and I remember being amused at her optimism/stupidity because in my opinion its our population that needs to be addressed first before any basic problem can be solved permanently. Today I agree with her to some extent.

Watching our big neighbour China put on such a splendid show for the Olympics made me realize that if you put your heart and soul into something, you can easily turn doubts into beliefs and beliefs into reality. China has embarked on this rapid economic development quest of theirs at a huge risk to their environment,culture and political standing but all that put aside they managed to achieve something great even with a population bigger than ours. We are in now way a lesser economic power but the problem is not with the country but with the people.

We find it below our dignity to pick up someone else’s trash and put it into the dustbin. I myself am guilty on many accounts and am not too proud of it. We also think that jeans is way cooler than salwar-kameez. I have nothing against people who wear western wear, it is just that do not degrade your own culture.Someone who wears jeans does not become a babe and someone who wears salwar-kameez does not become a behenji.Its what in your head and heart that matters.

I think we need to start taking pride in our culture, our traditions and ourselves. Its only then that people outside will realize how awesome India is because we are walking talking advertisements for our nation. Imagine how cool it would be if a person dressed in a tux could greet by saying a namastey and speak in fluent hindi.

 

The Dark Knight

My all time favourite movies happen to be Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather and Fight Club and in that order as well. The fact that The Dark Knight has taken over the No.1 spot on IMDB is a little confusing for me. The Godfather is a movie with a great mind and Shawshank is a movie with a great heart. The Dark Knight has both a great mind and a great heart but yet it somehow failed to make a great impact on me inspite of the fact that it is perhaps one of the finest films ever made.

I have seen most of Nolan’s earlier work as well and I still feel Memento and The Prestige were his best works creatively. Christian Bale is a superb actor but an underrated star and this movie might definetely help him rise above his limited worshippers that includes me. Coming to the movie - the performances are superb. Bale’s restricted but dignified portayal is such a refreshing change when compared  to all the superhero junk movies that have been thrown at us in the recent past. Caine and Morgan are seasoned artistes and do what they do best. Ledger is incredible and all the buzz about an oscar nod is well deserved.Even the guy who plays Harvey Dent and the other police officer are brilliant and definetely the strongest parts of the movie. Everything else is perfect and thats what makes this movie a little confusing for me. I like movies that are not perfect and that leave you with a sense of curiosity, the Dark Knight does that but I am not curious at all about the next installment which is not a good thing I suppose.

All put aside, its a great movie and a must watch for everyone who loves Batman or who doesnt love Batman.

 

Wimbledon 2008 (of course the men’s final)

I have never been such a nerve wreck in my life and that too for someone other than myself, but last night’s Wimbledon men’s final was a near perfect tennis match. Unlike several people I do not think it was the best Wimbledon final ever because the 1980 Borg- Mcenroe final had better quality from both players and it was a true grass court match with serve and volley techniques used in abundance unlike this year’s match which was more like a clay court match. Nevertheless it is not a case of sour grapes on my part and I think Rafa deserved to win the match. I adore Rafa but worship Federer and it was hard to see Roger with the plate and not the trophy but he is so damn gracious that you cannot help but shed a tear for him. The atmosphere of the match was superb ,probably matched only by the Murray - Gasquet match earlier in the tournament.

Rafa is definitely the best player in the world right now and although he will not be the world number 1 when rankings are released, everyone knows it is just a mere formality. Roger has to come back strong after this and he will because he IS Roger. The American hard court season has been very kind to Federer over the years and Nadal’s true test lies here. I just hope and pray that Roger buries this defeat and restores himself back to his glorious form.

PS: Wow - what a match

 

Summer Story 08 - Part 2

What an eventful couple of weeks since I last wrote a post. A lot of interesting things and a whole lot of crap has happened over this period and strangely enough my summer story still seems headed one way - me turning into a couch potato.

I tend to sleep early when I am home and it took a CL semifinal match to keep me up beyond 12 after a long time. It was a great match between Liverpool and Chelsea and as heartbroken as I am for Liverpool, I think Chelsea deserved to win the match. I am not quite sure if they deserved the semifinal though. And what a boring match between ManU and Barcelona. It bored me to death.

The IPL has been the other thing I have been following and initially I was supporting Deccan Chargers (obvious choice) and KKR ( ‘coz I am a huge SRK fan), but I think its better to support the winning teams because you don’t get disappointed that often. So go Rajasthan Royals! I must admit that watching Warne and Smith play together makes me laugh out loud.

The ATP clay court season is in full swing and as expected Nadal is reigning supreme. I was never fond of him primarily because he was the one thing that stopped Federer from completing a career slam but now I like him and think that he is a good sport even when he is on the losing side unlike Djokovic - whom I really adore and admire but somehow success seems to have gone to his head. Fedex is coming into his own and in spite of being ill this whole year his commitment to tennis is worthy of applause and even if he does not win the French this year, he will still remain the greatest tennis player around. I check the BBC sports section pretty often and they create so much fuss about Andy Murray being the next big thing that it is amusing to see their optimism. Typical English complex

A few things you should not miss if you have access to a television set

1. Headlines Today and their pathetic Entertainment Quarter. It is funnier than all the Jim Carrey movies put together.

special mention to their over the top “Great Khali comes back to India ” coverage.

2. Zee Cafe is pretty decent and have lots of good old sitcom re-runs like Full House and Who’s the Boss? .

3. Zoom TV and its flash news bar with its irrelevant news items are pretty entertaining.

4. The TTC on Zee Cafe is a great show. So is American Idol and Ugly Betty.

5. Do not miss Zee TV from 9pm to 9.30 pm for the show of the century - Kasam Se. It is beyond comprehension of mere mortals like me but is so stupid that you will not stop laughing. Side effects - it is addictive !!

The temperatures are pretty high in Rajahmundry and with EAMCET on May 8th I feel sorry for all the students who have to write exams in such heat. Hoping that I get rid of my lazy bones and part 3 is much more interesting.

 

Summer story ‘08 - Part 1

I swear that if one more person asks me what I am doing this summer, I am going to snap and snap back at them as well. I understand that being students we must be ‘up to something’ but gosh , some people derive satanic pleasure by constantly posing that question just because they want to tell what is so exciting about summer to them(things like working on projects and internships are on top of the list). For me doing nothing is super exciting. An idle brain to me is a great thing. You can do so many things with it! There was a time when summers were all about that and I wish it went back to being the same. Having said that I know it is ridiculous to hope for the typical ’summer vacations’ because we have supposedly grown up and so have our cousins.

This summer in particular has been really hard on me. There is a limit to how much a person can laze around and I have exceeded mine. I was home for a couple of weeks and in spite of keeping myself engaged through some activities, the free time I had on my hand drove me crazy. I have probably seen the CB series matches 20 times by now, heard the Krazzy 4 title track like a trillion times and have lost count of the number of re-runs of FRIENDS I have been surviving on. Guess what, I still have time. I know I can do something constructive like join some class or prepare for CAT which has been my excuse for not doing anything this summer and yet, I do not feel inspired to study. So like every typical person in my place

I bash the television networks

Curse the scorching heat

Open orkut and facebook every 5 minutes

Eat like there is no tomorrow (this one is my speciality)

Argue endlessly with mum over the most insignificant things - which btw is incredible timepass.

This more or less sums up my summer story so far. There is 3 more months left and I am hoping that things do not get worse - well what could be more boring than this. I am blogging about what all I ‘have not done’ this summer and that just goes to show how slow summers can make you.

I really hope

Ajay Jadeja has some honest friends who can tell him how badly he sucks.

Deccan Chargers wake up from their slumber just like me.

Tashan does well at the box office because I belong to the minority who like Saif-Bebo.Kareena was too fiesty for Shahid anyways.

Liverpool beat the hell out of Chelsea at SB and Riise scoring a goal would be true to Liverpool style.

Barcelona beat Man United. I do not care how that happens but ManU should be made to eat dirt.

Signing off with hopes for a brighter, less warmer and interestingly idle summer.

 

A dedication to mommy dearest

A mommy can fix things from boo-boos to dinner, she is unconditional in her love, she does not mind reading out the same fairytale story (in my case Sleeping Beauty :D) night after night just because you like it so much, she makes umpteen number of sacrifices just so that you grow up to live a blessed life and I am living one now courtesy my fab Mom.

This post is a huge deviation from my recent spate of abstract writings but I think my mum deserves a post and I am going to go all out senti in this one. Many people say that their parents are like their best friends. In my case it is true. She is like my conscience - living outside of me, a mirror that tells me who I really am both good and bad and above all has a voice that comforts me over a distance of several kilometers. I have always appreciated my mum for her courage, her simple but practical ideologies and her constant need to make sure we are ok. Yet, with my own full fledged life I have realized that, that appreciation is not even an iota of what she deserves. I know she does not expect anything from me but I sure do of myself and in spite of our differences regarding some issues and those more than occasional telephonic fights, I love her to bits and have made a promise to myself to never let her down and make her proud of me because no materialistic gifts or gains will make her as happy as the former will.

My relationship with mumma is telepathic in a strange way. She knows what is going on in my mind even before I am sure about it. These mums really are superwomen! She has believed in me beyond believing and has actively pursued all her goals , including me in all of them. Aah.. I feel all mushy from inside. Keep rocking mum!!!

Mother’s hands took us to school
Mother’s hands in the morning
Mother’s hands rain, protecting us
Mother’s hands act as awning
Mother’s hands would hold our face
Mother’s hands held the tears
Mother’s hands brail our face
Mother’s hands read our fears
Mother’s hands held compassion
Mother’s hands would bake
Mother’s hands give us her ration
Mother’s hands give not take
Mother’s hands lined by caring
Mother’s hands not smooth
Mother’s hands map understanding
Mother’s hands every groove

I had sent this poem to my mom on her birthday and I really agree with whatever the poet had to say.

 

The art of saying ‘NO’

I call it an art because this monosyllabic word can cause catastrophes, break-ups, heartbreaks,wars etc. On the positive side , it can save you from embarrassment, from a situation you are dreading and all the things above. I have been in situations when I was literally tongue tied and could not bring myself to say no, fearing how I would come across to the people.

A friend asks ‘Do I look fat’ - if its a girl posing the question never say yes. That is like a golden rule.

Some people feel obliged to do things even though they do not want to because they do not want to hurt the feelings of the other person or want to earn some brownie points. Saying no is neither being nice nor being nasty.It all depends on how you say it and all the explanation after that - provided the person gives you that chance !! Saying no in a strange was is a proof of you being assertive. Paradoxical but true. At least it shows that you are honest and not caving into pressure.

It does seem to be part of human nature to blame others when things go wrong in our lives, or when we’re feeling hard done by. If you take away the ‘if only’ excuse you also take away the need to blame and make the other person wrong. It’s also rather wonderful to think that rather than waiting for someone else to change to make things all right, we all have the ability to take charge of most situations and make them all right for ourselves.

What also makes it easier is that we all just have to get better at ‘the art of saying no’; none of us has to change our whole personalities to create a more satisfying outcome!

Remember - there is a new ‘N word’ !!!!

 

Oscars 08

I prefer the Razzies to be honest because they are so much fun, do not take themselves seriously and the deserving person or movie always wins the award. On the other hand the Oscars are like those football and cricket matches that promise a lot and deliver below par. This year it was an extremely boring ceremony in spite of the effort put in by Jon Stewart.

For starters the red carpet was disappointing. Out of all the celebrities Regis was the best dressed !! As for the awards, I was rooting for Juno all through but I guess an Indie flick getting nominated is more than the makers would have expected. I have seen Atonement, No country for old men and Michael Clayton. No Country for old men is an amazing movie and deserved all the accolades that came its way but Michael Clayton was plain boring despite the fact that I love George Clooney. Out of all the awards the one that I thought was the most deserving was the one won for the best song by Glen and Marketa for the movie Once. It is a lovely movie and a must watch for indie film lovers.

It was good to see lots of Non-Americans and Non-Englishmen doing well this time. It was also good to catch a glimpse of Johnny Depp. This guy is incredible. The fact is critically acclaimed movies this year - with the exception of Juno dealt with dark themes and were not the kind of films one would root for. I guess awards are not the yardstick to judge a movie’s merit.

PS: SRK and Kareena won the Filmfare awards this year. Both are my favourites. Atleast I agree with one jury.

 

Summing it all up

Hindsight is the only reliable science. In that sense last week has been an eye opener. I traveled from the deepest corners of loneliness to the comfort of a friend’s smiley on gtalk, from periodic mood swings to laughing at a stretch for 10 minutes and posted twice on my blog with the last one becoming a mere tool for a blatant display of my love for comments which indirectly points to the fact that I like it when people read what I have written. There is always their opinion, my opinion and the right one but its good to read through what my classmates feel about issues which I think are a part and parcel of us-the-mere-mortals lives.

For a change I do not have any prerogative behind writing this post except that I just felt like writing. I have a lot of free time on my hands as well which is why I had time for a hindsight exercise in the first place. I thought that post-Felicity 08 I would have a high chance of risking my sanity doing nothing but watch the few TV shows that I follow religiously and the regular dose of WWE but it has been eventful! There was the throwball tournament and it was so much fun. Everyone played in spirit and I am so proud of the UG2k5 girls because we were gracious in both defeat and victory. Due to some unavoidable circumstances, me got a chance to play as well ! Not that I was looking forward to it because some people just cannot play sports. Its not in their blood and I am in that category. As much as I love watching sports the thought of playing sends shivers down my spine because of the sheer embarrassment I cause myself and my team. It was a miracle that in one of the matches I managed to win a point and in the other I made sure I did not lose one for my team. Yet, I had a great time cheering on for the people who played.

After that Liverpool won their CL match and India won a thriller against Sri Lanka. To sum it all up , I guess I had to hit a bottom to appreciate the highs of life.

PS : The last post was one of those low moments and this post , one of the highs.

 

Nothing Really Matters …………… to me

I borrowed this phrase from the Queen song Bohemian Rhapsody which I have been listening to with great intent for some strange reason. The song ends with these words and I think I relate to it which in turn is disturbing because the last I checked some people and some things do matter. Its just that I do not ‘naturally’ feel that way for anything or anyone except a select group.

Life is ,as it always was but I can’t help but think about what I am doing with it. The lack of relationships in my life is a reflection of me and I happen to think I am a nice person. Yet, I find it really tough to make bonds or strike friendships.  Many people around me seem to be pretty prosperous and I am stuck with a few people , some of whom are great but not the people that matter to me.Come to think of it I am sure I don’t matter to them as well. It baffles me because inspite of being a total snob sometimes earlier I had good friends.I guess the fact that I don’t care sometimes and do not pretend to care during the remainder of the times has not gone down well with people. Then again I cannot indulge in small talk and be all sugar coated when I do not like a person. Not everybody has to like everybody and not liking someone does not make either you or that person bad. People make a huge issue out of these things. I remember I hated everyone who did not like me but now I know that I was immature and its normal to not like someone and its perfectly ok to like their friend. The issue is ’someone’ and his friend complicate the situation and people like me are left stranded with another broken friendship.

I am surprised I wrote all of the things above but I guess deep down inside I felt it and I mean it when I write it. Just care about the things and people who matter to you. It could be your friend, your pet , your laptop or someone’s plight in Africa. As for the others they do not matter to me.

On a lighter note

-> Liverpool won against Inter Milan with Gerrard scoring another important goal. Things like this make my day !

-> Mid sems are over. Things like this just brighten my whole week!