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Tuesday, October 31, 2006

One For My Passion

This one is for my passion. The art of dancing!

Recently I have been following Indian television shows like Jhalak Dikhla Jaa and Nach Balie with ardent fervor as if they were close to my heart. For those who aren't aware of these, JDJ and NB are shows were celebrities dance and compete for the trophy. While JDJ is a pretty good desi adaptation of 'Dancing With The Stars', NB entails real life celebrity couples charming us with their moves. It is such a joy for me to watch different genres of dancing styles, the portrayal of situations, depiction of words by movements, and learn some or the other thing every time a judge comment's on contestants' performance. I get so involved that I forget the distinction between being an audience and a keen critic.

What is disheartening is that which pair goes into the next round depends on the television viewers' votes through SMSes and calls. People obviously tend to vote for their favourite stars and not 'good dancers'. What are the studio judges for? Why cater decision power to such an large audience who (at least most of them) are not even aware of the 'D' of dancing. Favouritism takes the non-dancers/bad-dancers into one round after another. The so-called (and I believe this too) best jodi of NB, 'Narayani and Gaurav' were eliminated in the second round. Why? Because they neither got the people's support nor their co-contestants' who voted them out in a gimmick that was the controversy of NB. As for JDJ, the world and even judges knew that Shveta Salve was a true deserving winner, such grace, such style, and oodles of oomph. Be it Salsa, Samba, Jive, Cha cha, or apna Bollywood ishtyle dance, she was an epitome of perfection. But guess what, Mona aka Jassi of the Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi fame won the contest. Duh! Such a disappointment for the true admirers like me. Believe me its not a child's play.

Who cares? The Channels are earning TRPs in leaps and bounds. Only fans like us are left disgruntled. This is showbiz!

Cheerios

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Saturday, October 28, 2006

Taking a Chill Pill

It seems like ages that I can relax at my own leisure. I feel exhausted and tired, yet I have fresh enthusiasm infused in me. I was so waiting for this moment. The moment my midterms got over on Friday, I felt like a free birdie and that my time was my sky though only for a couple of weeks before I resume the incessant daunting routine. It isn't that I am cribbing, everything comes with a price. This is just graduate school. I am enjoying a little bit more of my "same-old-grad-student" life though boring and nonhappening. I don't miss earning big bucks in some job while I crave for that kind of grad-life which seemed so monotonous at times. Believe me I have tons of friends who want their school life back! I am enjoying every fraction of a moment being a student and I shall continue my exaltation for two more years.....hopefully.

==
Every 'desi' friend these days asks me whether I am following the Champions trophy aka Mini World Cup currently held in India. Yuck! I have had it with being an ardent fan of cricket team. They have developed a habit of disappointing millions and millions of zealot fans. Whether we replace Sourav Ganguly with Rahul Dravid or Sachin Tendulkar with XYZ, no good can come of it. The MIB won't stop displaying pitiable performances especially on home ground. Who cares which team will win this cup or that trophy?

On the sports front, thank god the Buckeyes are playing well. The college football season will see its one of the most challenging 'Do or Die' matches - OSU vs. Michigan in mid November. I would not be surprised if this will end up being a clash for title.

==
Bollywood movies are getting worse day after day. I don't know why Farhan Akhtar remade Don. As tabloids put it, "Recreating the Magic of DON". What the heck? The earlier version was a Superhit movie in its time and made every character a legend. The new DON killed the magic, the entire essence of DON. All actors are unfit for their roles. What can be worse than seeing Kareena Kapoor (who has two left feet, and barely any sex appeal) stepping into the shoes of dancing queen Helen? How can we see Arjun Rampal as Jasjeet, originally portrayed by Pran? I don't even want to talk about SRK, Priyanka, Ompuri, and Boman Irani enacting their roles. Technology is all that you have got in this movie. Audience are used to seeing slick action in Hollywood movies, give us something original. Pray my friends, pray that SRK would stop remaking all Amitabh Bachchan hits. I really liked the tongue-in-cheek comment by the rediff reviewers, "If this is what you have got Farhan, dude lets go back to Three guys picnicking in Goa".

As for Jaaneman, it appears like a "boring-to-death" and hammering Broadway Hindi musical. So very predictable and cliche. It was utterly butterly boring. Duh! No matter how many shimmering stars you put in the movies, it doesn't always shine!

==
Hail the weather god in Ohio and he help us. Its an unendurable windy, rainy, chilly weather out here.

Enough of my rants. Blah blah blah, whatever. Time to take a chill pill. Time for a cozy comfy nap. Ye!!!!!!


Cheerios

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Wednesday, October 25, 2006

One More Year Older

Happy Birthday to my dearestestest brother TJ!

Cheerios

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Thursday, October 19, 2006

Festival of Lights is Here!

WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY DIWALI!

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दीपावली की ढेर सारी शुभकामनाऎ!

Cheerios

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Sunday, October 15, 2006

Set it free

Wizard of Oz: "Hearts will never be practical until they are made unbreakable!"

The soul's tug-of-war between clinging to things and setting 'em free never ceases. The more we cling, the more it hurts. How to let it go? I dunno. It is a quest for me and I am ready to take it. I must first distinguish between what is material and what is eternal!

As the Bhagwad Gita preaches,

"sattvam rajas tama iti gunah prakrti-sambhavah
nibadhnanti maha-baho dehe dehinam avyayam"

Translation: Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas - these three qualities born of material nature tie down the imperishable soul to the body.

"
sattvam sukhe sanjayati rajah karmani bharata
jnanam avrtya tu tamah pramade sanjayaty uta"

Translation: Sattva drives one to joy and Rajas to action; while Tamas, clouding wisdom, incites one to error as well as sleep and sloth.

I wonder what prevails more within myself - Rajas or Tamas?

Cheerios

Friday, October 13, 2006

Yippppiiieeee !

Finally...I got my driver's licence. Time to celebrate!

Cheerios

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Overreacting

Overreacting. Yes! Thats what I do sometimes conciously knowing but moraly unknowing. I know I am overreacting but still i cannot restrain myself at that very moment. No brownie points for guessing that it is coupled with heaps of troubles. Come to think of it, the root cause of overreaction are gigantic expectations.

People say, human beings have wants and needs. I say, besides those two we also have expectations from anything be it living or non-living. The whole 'to expect' thing is like a surmise. We base our wants on our expectations and call it a need. It is not only crucial to differentiate between wants and needs but also to understand how much to "expect" or "contemplate" about something. I have to learn it and I shall! Vicious chain, aint it?

Somewhat similar to my situation, is this famous quote from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain:

"..Then away out in the woods I heard that kind of a sound that a ghost makes when it wants to tell about something that's on its mind and can't make itself understood, and so can't rest easy in its grave, and has to go about that way every night grieving..."

Ghost here represent my mammoth expectations. It is indeed difficult sometimes for our mind and heart to come to the same decision/conclusion/understanding.

Cheerios

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Remembering Ghalib

D'eja vu! Again, it is one of those moments where we expect a lot but get disappointment, where we wait a lot for nothing, where we wanted to say a lot but couldn't speak, and where no one knows who is at fault. Sad yet funny, isn't it? Guess who comes to my rescue then.."Ghalib". His ghazals are so surreal. I feel like crooning to some of Ghalib's compositions....right here right now.

"Humko maloom hai jannat ki haqeqat magar
Dil ke behlane ko ghalib, yeh khayal achcha hai.."

"Hazaron khwaahishein esii k her khwaahish pe dam niklay
Bohat niklay miray armaan, lekin phirr bhi kam niklay.."

"Aye dil-e-nadaan, aye dil-e-nadan..
Aarazoo kya hai, joostajoo kya hai.."

I am not much of a ghazal fan but Ghalib is one exception.

Btw, PKSE (Pyar Ke Side Effects) is a one-time-see but definitely much better than those candyfloss multi-starrers.

Cheerios