Tuesday, February 24, 2009

A R Rahman at the Oscars

So, did you see how the sweet man's 'Mere paas Ma hai' anecdote fell a little flat? Haw haw. So kyoot only.

Umm. I think the Indian film industry and all the big-shots who are now jumping from their roofs in joy, should just shut up and stop feeling proud of themselves. Until Slumdog won its first international award, no one gave a shit about this film let alone rave about it, give it a thumbs up or CLAIM IT AS THEIR OWN!!!! Gaaak.
Well done to Danny Boyle, Rahman, Irfan Khan (whom I SHALL spell in the proper way), Anil Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla and other established stars should be the ones taking the bows for sticking their necks out on a low. And very good for the newbies.
'Nuff said.

PS: I love Kate Winslet.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Bummer

"TCM will not be available on dish TV from March 15, 2009." So says an unbelievably cruel scroll that runs relentlessly across the bottom of the screen, all the bloody time. Okay, okay, WE GET IT.
"Thoda aur wish karo" my arse.
There goes my daily pick-me-up. How I love old movies. They spoke funny and they were funny, you know?

Esp. the clever, snappy, sarcastic, comic friend character that almost all the old flicks used to have.
And the lovely ladies with their corsets and incomprehensible 18-inch waists, and the smart-mouthed 'heroes' with their panache and easy manner.
Sigh.

On the bright side..... just a few days after this horrible tragedy shall come to pass, there is a certain sporting event going to take place in Melbourne that will help ease the pain a bit. I speak of.... dhaaan ta daaaan!.... the first F1 race of the 2009 season in Melbourne, Australia.This here is the McLaren 2009 car. The MP4-24.
And here's what the folks at McLaren Mercedes have to say about it:

Introducing the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-24


Friday, January 16 2009:
With an unprecedented series of rule changes introduced ahead of the 2009 season, the new Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-24 represents a significant departure from its world championship-winning predecessor.


Incorporating new bodywork regulations and the much-heralded return of slick tyres, the team’s new challenger not only looks radical but also incorporates a host of new innovative features under the skin, such as a sophisticated kinetic energy recovery system (KERS).

Wheeeeee. Here we go.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Please be informed...

... that:

1. I think the winter is already over. Who would've thunk it? Spring in Kashmir, and not even March yet. At least it looks like it's spring time here in Doda. My lawn has started sprouting grass and some buds are rearing their heads. We've had bright sunlight for the past few days. I am now comfortable in only three layers of woollens. Have also cut down night-time bed-rations from four blankets to two.

2. Due to the sudden collapse of AN ENTIRE MOUNTAINSIDE nearby (I kid you not), three major districts: Doda (where I live), Kishtwar and Bhaderwah have been unceremoniously cut off from the rest of Jammu and Kashmir*. This fascinating turn of events took place a couple of weeks ago when the lone highway route that connects us to anywhere (NH-1B) went crashing into the Chenab. Read here.
CAUSE: The destructive and very ugly Baghliar Dam which has been constructed on the Chenab, leading to unnatural rise of water levels for a certain length of this gorgeous river. EFFECT: The water rose to such a level that it seeped into the moutain on either side of the river (one of which sides was host to that hapless victim, the national highway). The more the water seeped in, the more the mountain soil turned loose and eventually just caved in, taking along with it some houses, a few vehicles and some folks.There is a six-kilometre stretch of road that is now unsafe for vehicles near a town called Assar, and folks who want to travel from here to Jammu or Srinagar have to disembark from their vehicles, walk/trek/climb up and down the mountainside for about an hour and a half on foot to get to the other side of this stretch and then board another vehicle and carry on.
As you can imagine, food and other supplies have been hit and the bare minimum is airlifted to the main townships every once in a while. In Doda, the helipad is right outside my house, so we have dust storms and noise all day when the helicopters come in bringing gas, food and other rations. Headache only, ma. See my view of the proceedings.Just the other day there was a serious road accident here and some folks had to be airlifted sud-suddenly. We had ambulances and stretchers and crowds and the whole jamboree unfolding in front of our eyes.

*Please note: Kashmir is pronounced as Kush(as in 'rush)-meer, and not 'Cash'-meer. To pronounce it as the latter only shows how ignorant you are, and also, it does not make you look cool. Okay? Okay.

3. With reference to my previous post and movies, have watched Slumdog, and will soon have Benjamin Button ready for viewing. I do love Cate Blanchett (Galadriel etc.). I shall not state the obvious about a certain Brad Pitt. Am waiting for the Oscars and Hugh Jackman. Really hope it's funny and not silly with awkward silences in place of spontaneous laughter. Also, I don't think Slumdog ought to win 'Best Movie'. Seriously. It's very good but, you know, not heart-wrenchingly great.
Other movies that now go on my wishlist are all the usual suspects:
-Vicky Cristina Barcelona
-Doubt
-The Reader
-Milk
-Frost/Nixon
And..... closer to home:
-DELHI-6 (singing Masakalli, Masakalli with fun sing-along-Sonam-Kapoor-actions)
-Dev D.

4. Plan to show the kids Kill Bill at school. Showed the young boys a few of the good scenes ['The Bride v. The Crazy 88' and 'The Bride v. O-Ren Ishii']. Oh, how they squealed in delight at the blood spurting and the awesome soundtrack. Made me smile warmly to my insides. These kids are creatures after my own heart, I say. *wink*

5. Have been doing a fun exercise with all my classes and they're responding beautifully. I play them a song, and they have to figure out the lyrics line-by-line. I find this really helpful in teaching them figures of speech, slang, -isms, and similes, metaphors, puns and whatnot. (Plus, I make them listen to MY kind of music and my self-interest is satisfied for a while. Moooahahahaha.)

6. Nice pun I came across yesterday, while looking for funny examples for my class: "The cross-eyed teacher had no control over his pupils." Tee hee. Titter titter. So now you know.

Okay. That's that.