the lovely northern irish girl who endures me whenever i have to come to ktm says that my sick obsession with this soundtrack and the very fact that i actually consider it as legitimate rock music is "evidence" that i have been in south asia for "far too long"... i think it's catchy ;)... and p.s. there is an actual reason as to why i am so bollywoodised these days... a very very good one ;)
Friday, September 26, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
the artist behind exploding dog went through a period of laziness... not enough colors, not very clever... but i hope my favourite nonsensical artist is back on track...
i wrote a review of this book for this paper... i guess the most frustrating thing about being a writer is editing... and i am not just talking about having to do my own. i am talking about the way others edit your stuff to make it "better" but actually they paraphrase, rearrange or cut things and make it worse... or they change things from good english to bad english.. (that seems to be my problem in this country.... ahhh... oh well)... but nonetheless, you'll get the gist of the article.
Friday, September 12, 2008
upon hearing the title, i am sure any of my dearest nepali friends will know EXACTLY
why i bought this book. yep, you are right, too. every now and again i get a bit of a one-tracked kind of mind... and as pooji or sewa would probably say, 'enough with that bhuchalo guff, didi!!" hehehe.. but the book... i think i am starting to find a passion for all things japanese. books, movies, paintings, food... they just have this way of making things tightly knit... a way of crafting things with delicate fingers or thoughts. after the quake is another short book... well under 200 pages... this one by haruki murakami. it is a short book of short stories. yet despite the minimalism, the book is very deep. it looks at the very different lives of people post-quake. the reason it is so interesting is because the characters are not direct survivors of the quake. they didn't feel the rumbling of the earth themselves... but somehow they were effected. i grew to love the characters of this book and felt like i knew all of them in a personal way by the time their stories came to a close. this is a great book for subway or lunchtime reading... simple, yet profound thoughts that will make you take an introspective look at the relationship between humanity and nature.
why i bought this book. yep, you are right, too. every now and again i get a bit of a one-tracked kind of mind... and as pooji or sewa would probably say, 'enough with that bhuchalo guff, didi!!" hehehe.. but the book... i think i am starting to find a passion for all things japanese. books, movies, paintings, food... they just have this way of making things tightly knit... a way of crafting things with delicate fingers or thoughts. after the quake is another short book... well under 200 pages... this one by haruki murakami. it is a short book of short stories. yet despite the minimalism, the book is very deep. it looks at the very different lives of people post-quake. the reason it is so interesting is because the characters are not direct survivors of the quake. they didn't feel the rumbling of the earth themselves... but somehow they were effected. i grew to love the characters of this book and felt like i knew all of them in a personal way by the time their stories came to a close. this is a great book for subway or lunchtime reading... simple, yet profound thoughts that will make you take an introspective look at the relationship between humanity and nature. Sunday, September 07, 2008
rock on!!
apparently my new favourite topics to blog about are bollywood movies and actors. there is so much more going on in my life at the moment, but nothing i feel like sharing on this blog. so for the moment, the superficial pondering of my mind will have to suffice.a group of nepali girls i am friends with asked me to a 9:15 a.m. showing of Rock On!! yesterday morning. 9:15 on a saturday morning! now, i am an early riser so the time was fine, but I thought it was just strange for others... boy was I wrong. when I came up to Kathmandu's famous Jai Nepal theatre, I thought there was some kind of protest going on... the theatre is close to the palace... but, wait, isn't the king already out? :) but you never know what is going on with bandh and andolen in nepal.
it wasn't a riot, strike or closure. no tibetan protesters, or royalists trying to bring back the monarchy. it was a bunch of 15-25 year old nepali youngsters in their best dress on motorbikes pushing their way into a morning show.
the movie was sold out and not because it was an exceptional movie, but because every saturday morning movie sells out with the help of the youngsters. why? oh, let's just say it is something to do with a little thing called the incentive of a 50% discount.
the movie had no subtitles, but lucky me, i had a girl on either side simultaneously trying to explain EVERY part of the plot... (arjun storms out of the office and slams the door) "di, and then he gets mad and leaves"/ "he just got so angry, so he's going"... really, girls?? :D
the movie was pretty good. the first hour i really liked it, but two hours of anything is a bit much for this girl... but i must say, i was impressed to know that farhan akhtar actually really sang all the rock songs... hmm... where can i get a copy of the soundtrack?
actually, i liked all the band members and the leading lady :)... but i am still wondering, is the guy who played rob a westerner or indian? his real name is luke kenny... but... considering some of my indian friend's names, that means nothing. according to my girls, his hindi was perfect... more perfect than the girl in rang de basanti...i'm totally confused. i guess i could just google it and probably find the answer... but that would be too simple, wouldn't it? arjun rampal was great - but what was with his character's name?!?! Joe Mascerenhas?!?! okay, i just got done talking about how indians have very diverse names... but joe masceranhas??? come on.... fahran's on screen wife, prachi desai was great a great choice for a lesser known actress...she looks like a young penelope cruz. and probably the most overlooked member of the cast... purab kohli. his character was so nice and adorable... but not in that 'hearthrob' sort of way like arjun and farhan.
overall, it was a nice and refreshing change of something 'new' in bollywood and definitely a fun one to see with a good, interactive audience.
Saturday, September 06, 2008
my phutchay is growing up....
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
i think i am still confused about differentiating between when difficulties are just a test of faith and i am supposed to keep pushing through them and when difficulties are road blocks i am supposed to adhere to... when are things signs to stop and when are they barriers to be broken? ahh... if only things could be black and white every now and again...
Monday, September 01, 2008
the ladies of bollywood.
So I did the fellas... Now is time for a few of Bollywood's finest ladies.
She was pictured below with her new family, but Aishwarya is just one of the hottest chicks alive... and I don't care what B says about "how fake she is in real life"... She and the queen of Jordan... man, I love them both. Aishwarya won Miss World about a decade ago and then hit Bollywood hardcore. Miss Rai waiting until crossing 30 to marry may have been because she was so focused on her career, or might have to do with the bad luck written in her destiny by Hinduism's interpretation of the stars. Either way, we hope Ash and Abishek live happily ever after. She deserves it :)
Born into a family of Bollywood types, Kajol has carved out her own single-name identity in the land of Hindi films. She's been in somewhere around 30 films, but still Kajol doesn't let film take over her life. She's already taken two breaks from film making to give time to her family, the latest being after the birth of her baby girl. After Nyasa was born, Shah Rukh Khan; Kajol's on-screen partner five times; teased her by saying he would find a role for her with a baby crib on set so she wouldn't have to leave her one year old's side.
And because Bollywood likes to keep in the family for the industry they themselves often refer to as their "fraternity", it's no wonder that Kajol's cousin, Rani Mukherjee is also a big star. Probably best known for her role in the movie, "Black" where she starred opposite Amitabh Bachchan as a deaf, blind, mute girl who goes on to graduate with the help of a faithful mentor, Rani has played in a number of interesting flicks. Although it was a box office flop, the Dostoevsky-inspired film, Saawariya was an artistic film that took Bollywood in new directions.
Kareena Kapoor is one of those names you feel like you hear almost daily. Finding her awkward and not really that stunning at all, I must be in the minority because she's worked on or is working on a total of six films this year! That's a lot of filming! Along with Amitabh, Kajol, Hrithik, Kareena, and Rani, Kareena starred in that movie I could hardly stomach; Khabi Khushi Kabhie Gham; as some Londonite popular girl who wears the most ridiculous outfits in order to demonstrate that she is indeed "cool". (bad wardrobe coordinator, BAD!). 
Last but not least, my favourite fella's lady. While I am quite jealous she has such a friggin' hot boyfriend, I've gotta give Bipasha Basu mad props for making it hot to be dark. In Asia it is far too common for girls to pile on the skin whitening creams in hopes of bleaching out their skin because they have been told time and time again that light skin = beautiful. Her parents taught her to embrace her natural beauty from an early age when they named her Bipasha, which means "Deep, Dark, Desire". She is beautiful, confident and can act as well.... and as much as it pains me to say it... I hope you live as happily ever after as Ash and Abishek.
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