Friday, September 28, 2007

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

CHAK DE, INDIA!

The boys kicked some serious a$$! What a finale!

Haven't seen a climatic match like that, for a while!

Tuesday, September 25, 2007



TM@NYC

If Muhammed can't get to Agra, they bring Agra to Muhammed. As part of the ongoing India@60 celebrations, which is successfully bringing desi culture, music, art and celebrities to the street of the big, bad City.

One of the many displays, which includes performances by Sivamani and Remo Fernandes in Bryant Park, and keynotes by Ambani, Kamal Nath, Azim Premji and many, many others, there was this sand statue, a replica of the Taj Mahal, in the middle of Port Authority, one of New York City's mass transit hubs. Painstakingly recreated by famous sand artist, Sudharshan Patnaik. Now I wanna go to a beach party with this guy. Sudy Pat would be a veritable chick magnet, is it not?

In other news, to experience the "Shakira-ization of Bollywood" (complete with Middle Eastern 'string' rolls and percussion loops), please listen to Pritam's "Yeh Ishq Haaye", from the OST of (shudder) Jab We Met, rendered by Shreya Ghoshal. Its Dil Dooba meets Slave for You (with an O Rama, thrown in there for good measure).

Sunday, September 23, 2007

"First, I must solicit your strictest confidence in this ....."

The Nigerian e-mail fraud is something that almost all of us would've come across, but through the power of mass communication, are mostly aware of it being a hoax. To a large number of us, it seems so automated, that we forget that there are actually people out there who conceptualize, and actively position and target people using a carefully devised and time-improved strategy.

There are a substantial number of people who have fallen prey to this e-demon, with sometimes devastating and fatal results.

This has got to be one of the most chilling pieces I've read. Its scarier 'cause its true.

Friday, September 21, 2007

Feel Good Factor

Those who know me, know that I'm not one for 'positive thinking' non-fiction crap. I'm more the kind who would secretly stalk the Dianetics "Stress Test" philosophers into the dead of the night, before running them over in a rental Hummer.

But Rhonda Byrne's The Secret is, for lack of a better word, nice! Not preachy, not faking it, not unnecessarily endorphins-induced.

A very lucid 2/3-day read, which speaks of a very simple, scientific approach to better your thought process.

Highly recommended to pathological pessimists, like myself! If you DO read it without the typical cynicism associated with this kind of literature, rest assured that this book will neither make you a debt-free millionaire nor help you get terrifyingly well-endowed.

But, it could definitely improve your approach to life. A lot to ask for.
To quote Stephen Colbert....

... "This new Louis Vuitton bag is eco-friendly, as it is made from recycled material. Yes it is made of patchwork featuring earlier-designs of Louis Vuitton bags. It costs $45,000, but it comes with a complete theft protection mechanism...

... it looks like a piece of crap"

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Beneath the asphalt

Readers in Dubai - these links will probably not work because of the archaic and near-Nazi policies of the dominatrix internet provider. My apologies.

Grapeshisha directed me to this link that blew the cover off of Dubai-based nightclub, Cyclone, as the "United Nations of Prostitution". The video expose is a shocker as to what probably began as a clandestine occurrence in various parts of the city, but today has resulted in a full-blown epidemic, because the government chooses to let the virus spread, without any controls. Probably because anything that even minutely negatively impacts the booming tourism of the emirate, isn't worth the trouble, is it?

The flip side? Watch this Frontline World video-documentary called Dubai: Night Secrets. I stared into blankness for over a minute after watching this. What has it all come to?

In other news, can't wait to watch The Kingdom.
Don't you find...

.. those trailer messages at the end of e-mails sent by WAP phones, which indicate the type of device that the e-mail was sent from, annoying? I mean, I understand the pseudo-coolness associated with being able to wirelessly mail, but that's a thing of the past, my friend. I saw a counter guy at the 7/11 with a blackberry. Kids have IPhones (especially with the price drop. Gah, Jobs!)

The wonder years are over, minions. Eliminate the trailer message!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted wirelessly from my new, obscenely-expensive, ultra-chic, futuristic toy

Monday, September 17, 2007

Switched at Birth?


America Ferrera and Jordin Sparks.

Gotta admit, that this is a really good one.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Songs to check out

Jag Soona Soona Lage - OST Om Shanti Om (Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Richa Sharma) - this song really grows on you after the 2nd/3rd listen.

Woh Bheege Pal - OST Manorama Six Feet Under (the Zubeen Garg version) - brilliant composition, and really well sung!

O Yaara Dhol Bajake - OST Dhol (the Soham Chakraborty version) - heard it at a party, last weekend, hummed it at work all of last week.

Now, The Johnny Gaddaar soundtrack.

This is some seriously, new stuff. Well, a new take on retro-Bollywood, rather. The title track and its infectious opening Pulp-Fiction-ish guitar sequence, which loops through the track, really made me sit up and listen. You can tell that Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have really worked on this one. Its not an auto-pilot soundtrack like the last few they have been churning out. May take a few rounds of listening, but I think they've got something going here.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Mad respect for Nationwide's simple, yet cool, ad campaign

Watch the entire series. Its brilliant. So much more effective than the NYLife/Metlife range.







Don't Frustrate. Abbreviate.

Why do people abbreviate as soon as you mention something that may or may not have a universal abbreviation.

"I'm in Investment Banking"
"Wow. I've heard people in IB make a lot of money"

"I've moved to Credit Suisse"
"Nice! The big CSFB"

"I'm a firm believer in Christ"
"Well, I'm Jewish"
"Neat! So was J.C."

What are you trying to prove, smart ass? That you can take the first alphabets of various words and put them together, and this somehow makes you intellectually superior? Do you think it makes you COOL?

Abbreviations were initially invented to shorten multi-syllablic words. Like Intelligence Quotient. Or Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

But people will abbreviate ANYTHING today.

"I'm done with the Street, bro. I've packed up and moved to HK"

That's Hong Kong. HONG KONG. Its not hard to say, mo fo. Its barely two syllables. Urghhhh!

In other news, if New York has NYPD, will Kuala Lumpur have KLPD?

GN!

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

And remember...

Life serves great entrees, so don't fill up on bread.
Ground Zero Today


To quote Time Magazine's article today, called "How to remember 9/11":

"If actions speak louder than elegy, it tells you where we are that the team coverage on the eve of the sixth anniversary of 9/11 alternated between General Petraeus' performance on Capitol Hill and Britney Spears' performance at the MTV Video Music Awards. Osama returned to prime time, only to be mocked for his "impotence" and apparent need for Grecian Formula. A New Jersey community that lost 100 people that day has had to delay expansion of its memorial because fundraising fell short. September 11 falls once again on a Tuesday, we are six years away from the fire, and wondering what that means"

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Revisitation

More than half a decade has gone by since September 11th, 2001. For most of us, this is an eternity. Many of our careers have changed paths. Many of our lives have changed tracks. Many of us have achieved the next 'big thing' in life, and many of us have stopped waiting for it. After all, change is the only constant thing in life.

But, solemnly falling on a Tuesday, like that fateful day, 9/11/07 will make us all revisit the irreversible devastation that changed Lower Manhattan, America, and the world, forever.

Working in the District, I walk by Ground Zero to our offices at Two World Financial Center (the building with the green dome, on the left in this picture) everyday. A day hasn't gone by, that I haven't seen visitors stare ominously at the site. A day hasn't gone by, that I haven't seen fresh flowers placed on the border nets, or praying folk shedding silent tears .. be it in memory, or in shock as to how inhuman humanity can get.

What hurts more than the fact that one of our worst nightmares is now a reality, which sadly exists and stares us in the face everyday, is the sheer futility of nearly 3000 deaths. We call them heroes - martyrs, even - but that is merely to extol them. They were ordinary people, with the same attributes, the same drive to succeed, the same dreams, the same bad habits as any one of us. Let's be realistic and call them what they really were - victims of dastardly circumstance.

We mourn their loss, with a heavier heart, knowing very well that the unethical Republican Government hasn't spared even this sad occurrence as a piece of political propaganda, to fuel its profit-centric war machine. Needless to say, America sympathizes with them, else they wouldn't have re-elected Bush, would they?

Last year, today, I blogged about "spinning the wheel", and how our world is in dire need of a return to innocence. This year, I am reminded that our foundations, our basic morals, and nearly every Holy Book in existence, all teach us to learn from our mistakes. What happened that day should have been a global wake-up call to end devastation, or at least, reduce its impact on innocents.

Tomorrow, while millions pray in silence, thousands gather in memoriam, and a few people stand up and lash out at the inadequacies of governments, courts, commissions and senates, much will be said about how it is not too late, and how we can still learn from 9/11, and put an end to all the issues that led to it in the first place - oil politics, religious terrorism, territorial extremism.

Sadly, somewhere deep down, we will all collectively, heave a sigh of resilience, and the way we have been for over half a decade, sum up all that verbosity into two simple words.

Wishful thinking.

Monday, September 10, 2007



Which Springfield Resident Are You?

You are part Duffman. You take life by the horns and the bottle by its neck. Your confidence and sense of fun, however, can occasionally get in the way of sensitivity for others.
You are part Apu. On the outside you are kind and a hard worker, but you lead a deceptively simple life. Though your cleverness might be underappreciated, you never miss an opportunity to sneak ahead in life.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Sunday, September 09, 2007

Faster than a speeding bullet...

Hollywoodland scores a home run in terms of both sentiment and the recreation of the 1940s entertainment industry. It even sows the seeds for the irreverent change that would sweep the business on the edge of time that this movie closes on.

Almost a rhetoric on Los Angeles living in its time, it masquerades as a murder mystery, but remains unresolved till the end. The multiplicity of scenarios that could have happened are played, and eventually left to the imagination of the viewer.

And the best part is that its a true story. The story of George Reeves (brilliantly portrayed by Ben Affleck), the first-ever Superman, his rise to fame, and his battle to stay afloat in a business that only seemed to drown him towards inevitable anonymity.

One of the few films that tell a true story ever so effortlessly, without seeming too factual and profound. Some scenes cannot help but be embedded in your psyche, and there's no doubt that they'll be there till the end of time. Especially the one where Affleck tries to create footage of him being physically fit enough to wrestle. The embarrassment and the projected shame of the situation make this sequence, heart-wrenching.

I highly recommend Hollywoodland to people who appreciate the movies.
Sure hope he had GEICO



Carrie Underwood on SNL. Totally loved this performance, and boy, does she look blazing! Look out for the violin work! Legit!

Love the creative rhythmicity of the lyrics! Carrie deserves an accolade at the VMAs tomorrow! The Female category is so crowded, this year. Beyonce, Fergie, Carrie, Winehouse, Rihanna. Course Rihanna's gonna sweep a bunch (New Female, Video for Umbrella).

Rooting for Timbaland, TI, 'Roon 5 and Kanye!! Bring it home, boys!

"Careful what you wish for, cuz you just might get it all!!!"

Saturday, September 08, 2007

The Letter W

No, its not a misplaced episode of Sesame Street. I hereby launch the Super Secret Consortium to Give The Letter W its Respect back!!!

(Ahem... And no, its not the chronic. Its only Friday ;-))

The question is ... why DOUBLE-YOU? Why not DOUBLE-VEE? Its only a double-U in cursive. Not in Times New Roman! Its a Double-VEE!!

In other news, i'm sick of people calling it Dabblu. Its Double-You. Not Dabblu.

Jeez. Dabblu. Sounds like a porky, ghee-induced momma's boy.

And its worse when they're spelling out URLs. Then its a triple threat. "Ok .. go to .. dabblu dabblu dabblu ..... ". AAAARGH!

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Now THIS, my friends ....

is what I call .... a Hook.

Hot Damn!


Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Jab We Met??

New movie starring Kareena and Shahid.

That's the blasted limit for strange Hinglish titles. I mean, what's depressing is that the East/West connect has reached such a comfortable (for most..) cross-over in regular social life in both continents, but yet, the usage of seemingly "cool" angrezi terms in Bollywood films still seems sooo forced, and so affected.

I'm getting sick of "Its rocking". The first time I heard that, I nearly threw up - (Saif Ali Khan in Kal Ho Naa Ho - "Mera weekend rocking tha" ... I mean .... really ... who speaks like that??).

Now see. Some stars can carry it off. Some stars can't. When I hear Akshay "Jat Yamla" Kumar say "dude", it sounds like he wants milk.

Monday, September 03, 2007

Could they BE more accurate?

Which Friends Character Are You?

You are Chandler. You're funny and that's why people like to have you around. You're also a great friend, and when someone you care about is in trouble, they know to come to you for some level-headed advice followed by some sharp sarcasm.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com