And I'm off... ... to London/Mumbai for work.

Conference in Aamby Valley (picture inset) in Lonavala. Supposed to be pure paradise on earth. Will testify once I taste the goods, for myself.

Will try and post from there. (Who am I kidding, right?)

Back on Fri 3/9!

Stay cool, cats!

Church vs. State

5th Avenue. See this everyday, but it doesn't cease to fascinate me.

Make that....

5 out of 5! Departed picked up Best Pic, and Scorcese won Best Director.

Martin Scorcese's first Oscar, ladies and gentlemen. How sheerly and truly deserving indeed. I mean, 5 time nominee for films like Raging Bull, Last Temptation of Christ and The Aviator .. and GoodFellas. 5 nominations over 27 years. Christ! Now there's a career.

Awesome moments:

• Jack Black and Will Ferrell, that was awesome.
• Beyonce Knowles solo of 'Listen' during the Dreamgirls medley. Magical!
• The Leonardo DiCaprio/Al Gore sequence, where Leo keeps asking Gore to announce his candidacy, and then the music starts to play. Nicely done!
  

Disasters:

• Clint Eastwood fumbling beyond defumblement.
• Crazy drunk guy hanging on to Al Gore during award for An Inconvenient Truth
  

The ceremonies were lack-lustre though. DeGeneres was subtly humorous, quite similar to the tongue-in-cheek humor of Stewart last year, but nowhere close to the magic that Billy Crystal brought to the plate. Feel that American humor on the whole, has just ... fizzed out. But it was a ceremony of diversity. Italians. Spaniards. An out-of-the-closet lesbian MC. Another married lesbian winner wins for Best Original Song (Ethridge), and thanks her 'wife' during her speech. Best Actor wins for the portrayal of a Ugandan dictator. Best Actress wins for the portrayal of a British royal.

Regardless of dimness, the 79th was truly a melting pot of a ceremony.

Can I call 'em or can I call 'em?

Whitaker, Mirren and Hudson. Awright!

3 out of 3 predictions right, so far!! Woo Hoo!

My fortune cookie said...

In order to make the cart go, you must grease the wheels

"And the academy award goes to ...."

Having kept up my resolution of watching all the major Oscar contenders this year, my picks:

Actress: Helen Mirren, Jennifer Hudson for supporting (Although I personally think Meryll Streep's Prada was much more deserving)

Actor: Hands down, Forest "Idi Amin" Whittaker (what a performance!), no choice for supporting (I don't know why people consider Wahlberg a favorite, his performance was aight)

Picture/Director: Although my heart wants Scorcese to win both of these, I have a strong feeling he may share this duet with Dreamgirls. Ok, ok, don't go all 'double standards' on me, I know my post on The Departed wasn't exactly deep appraisal, but my subsequent 3 viewings of the movie, swayed my opinion. I remember every scene, every dialogue. The Departed, although it takes a while to circumvent the variance, eventually is an unforgettable experience, in true and inimitable Scorcese style.

And there you have it.

Melody AM

Am totally in love with the song, Remind Me by Royskopp. Am not usually an electronica fan, but this song is so subtle that its universal. First heard this on the Geico caveman commercial where the guy is on the moving walkway at the airport, and been hooked ever since. The simple yet catchy sound is something that musicians aspire for! Reminds me of the one-song-wonder, Everything but the Girl.

In other news, Oscar bash at the Mandarin Oriental in 'nhattan tonight. Go DeGeneres!

Simply Wow!

R Balki, the ad man, takes the wheel on this one. Illayaraja's music. Despite the title, this movie looks real 'sweet'.

Now hear this

 

If you can read this, note that I have conquered the methodology of e-mail blogging!

 

In simple words.

 

I rule

Visual Poetry

That's Eklavya, for you. One of the most intense and unconventional films to emerge out of the deep pockets of Bollywood. Films like this make you feel that there is room for diversity, hope for new boundaries to be crossed.

Eklavya is the harbinger of "coming of age" Indian cinema.

Unfortunately, its a movie, far too sonorous and deep in vertical simplicity, to be accepted by the 'masses'. Take for example, the audience at the theater where I watched the movie, predominantly techies and a few ABCD couples trying to get the dose of 'justification' Bollywood, reading subtitles in a realm where they laugh at the wrong moments and constantly cross-compare Hindi flicks to Hollywood. Depressing to say the least. If they really wanted a movie to laugh at, there's plenty of Govinda-Dhawan stock.

But Eklavya is far more meaningful than its first viewing represents. Its a film that battles with basic social morale and ethic foundations. Towards the backdrop of the gloomy world of royals, lost in abeyance in a now-democratic India - almost still reeling from the shock.

Picking such a backdrop for the movie, ensures an esoteric level of pseudo-mysticism to the movie. Almost like Anastasia or Zubeidaa - any movie to do with fallen royals always has a mystic and curious aura to it.

Vinod Chopra has begun to break conventions like no other. There are scenes that make you feel like you've never scene(sic) anything like this before. Especially out of Bollywood. The Amitabh-Sheirgill sequence where the lights go out - is handled almost Tarantino-like.

But if one has to truly enjoy and appreciate Eklavya - one should not expect any degree of traditional Bollywood. The movie is a ballad. A stage play on camera, if you will. Some may consider certain scenes to be slow and long-winding, but it is basically Vinod Chopra setting his stage. His story is simple. Doesn't have the usual thousand twists and turns. But it doesn't need them either. Because Eklavya's magic lies in its vertical simplicity.

If the trailers of Munnabhai Chale America and Talisman are anything to go by, this man is on a rampage to change the face of Bollywood. But its all good. How many weepies, shaadi-films, extra-marital films or family dramas can you actually watch. Oh, and don't miss the trailer of Cheeni Kum (Amitabh, Tabu - Balki, the ad guru, on the mantle and Illayaraja's music). Wow!

But even flawlessness has imperfection. Several downsides. Raima Sen is a pest. The ending leaves a lot to be desired.

The true hero of Eklavya? The camera. Sheer brilliance in terms of cinematography, lighting, sets and basic handling of the visuals. Especially the scene where a motion-less Amitabh holds a lifeless Boman Irani, to the backdrop of the sunset and desert, and shots of the fort with rolling clouds.

As Raja Sen puts it best, Eklavya is almost fluid.

Sheer visual poetry.

Exception to Tharoor

Did anyone catch Shashi Tharoor on the Colbert Report, last night? The man was dignified, but subdued. Although Colbert tried to sarcastically-lapel pin accusations to Tharoor's coat, Tharoor took it in stride.

One of his responses was world-class, when he was askedhe quoted Charles Talleyrand-Perigord as saying, "The only thing you can't do with a bayonet is sit on it!"

VOUD #3: Bonus Edition

Seatspooling (n.): The complex algorithm that goes through our heads, when we're trying to figure out where to sit on a crowded train/bus.

"Not next to the Chinese lady, she probably smells like General Tso's socks".

"Not next to the whale, don't wanna rely on the armrest for survival"

"Not next to the obnoxious phone guy, he'll probably be talking all through the ride about which tax software he uses"

"Not next to the sleepy, bespectacled dude. He looks like a snorer"

"Not next to the guy with the afro, with the I-Pod, who has his leg on the seat next to him, thinking that it creates a coat of invisibility on the seat, as if we can't spot an empty seat because his bony-ass leg is on it. At least its better than that pierced Shaniqua on her way back to the hood, with the long fake braids, who puts her K-mart wintercoat and Chinatown purse in her glorious attempt to invisibilize the seat next to her, while she chats it up with Laquisha on her pink studded Razr about her 4 children with different fathers. (and of course I know this, cuz by now, the whole freaking train knows this)"

"Not next to the nerdy Indian software engineer, cuz he's gonna go clackety-click on his laptop, as he talks annoyingly softly in an ununderstandable tongue-twisty language to his homebound wife, telling her which curries he wants to go with his rice by the time his patriarchal butt gets home".

So many options, so little time. That leaves one with the coal car or the driver's lap. The things one does to avoid paying for New York City Parking.

All Quiet on the Western Front

Sorry for the silence. Was busy dodging enemy fire.

Dudes! Performancing still requires me to download a little thingie onto Firefox, is it not? Can't download anything cuz of company firewall. Way around this? Either that, or am not getting this right, or am just plain menopausal.

We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering – these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love – these are what we stay alive for. - Robin Williams, Dead Poets Soceity

Note: Big Brother has officially denied access to Blogger at work. They may take my access! But they can't take ... my FREEDOM!

Not to worry, loyal fiefs! We shall prevail!

Vishal's *Online* Urban Dictionary
Just VOUD it!

Foodles (n., usually plural): Defined as serious of symbols (usually of Font, Wingdings) used to simulate cuss words. As in, I think Paresh is a #%$^&*@?<>

Foodles were first used by comic book and animated book writers back in the 1960s along with the invention of censorship. Little boys around the world spent countless non-productive hours trying to find the code hidden deep within the foodles, trying to decipher the exciting 'Holy Grail' that would supposedly project them into post-puberty.Unfortunately, there really was nothing to the foodles, although certain children were rather certain that they saw Jesus, while some claimed that if they stared at it cross-eyed, while levitating and maintaining a strict diet of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia for a month, you would see

(Couldn't read that? Hmmm, guess you would have to try to simulate said conditions, no?)

As censorship became more and more lax, writers started to get more and more ambitious and kept pushing their limits at every stage. Foodles were soon out of the market, as books and movies became more explicit with time. With the development of Adult Swim, Foodles were pretty much #*&$ed.

By the early 90s, Foodles were replaced by Asterfixes - their new-age cousins. Asterfixes were basically "*" symbols, which were strategically placed within cuss-words to obliterate them beyond comprehension. So basically, asterfixes would give the reader/viewer the complete visual experience of the expletive, while saving him/her the moral guilt of having sinned. Kinda like a modern-day church confession box, just without the leather and cardinal lube.

Asterfixes were usually used to fuzzy-up words which would be taken as offensive, like n**ga or G***ge B*sh.

Vishal's Urban Dictionary (VUD)
Have you checked out VUD today?

Prook (v.): Surreptitious glance-away, usually conducted when person next to you is typing in a e-mail password or ATM pin.

So .. what are you trying to prove? Like, hey man, I'm not going to check your mail or steal your money. I may, however, rat on you to the boss, steal your phone charger or get your wife to cheat on you though. After all, there are gracious limits to my niceness.

Prooking is rather common, and considered to be socially polite, in most cases.

Also see: De-prooking: Immediately returning to stare at screen once said subject has completed secret word-entry. De-prooking is done in most cases to highlight the prooking, and to validate the fact that you weren't just checking out some girl, or looking for a clock - you were indeed prooking, and respecting the privacy of your fellow human. De-prooking is usually done to enhance self-esteem, and to make one feel good about themselves - kind of like injecting a "I'm-a-good-person-I-think-about-others" dose, prior to proceeding with your selfish endeavors that make your life ever so meaningless.

Have a nice day.

Thank you for using VUD.

(Brought to you in part by Bud. *Glug*)

High on Information

On the IPod-supported, caffeine-injecting, semi-conscious commute to work, one visual made me do a double-take (you know the kind, rapid shaking of the head from side-to-side, along with rubbing of eyes and staring again, usually backed up with cartoon-like jingling noise) on the New Jersey Turnpike.


A Kaun-Banega-Crorepati hoarding with SRK towering over. Mind you, this is not JUST an Indian neighborhood. This is the NJ Turnpike. The primary connecting artery between New Jersey and New York City. It traffics over 1.1 million vehicles a day (over 350 million a year!).

That's prime visibility, people! Any more such epidemic growth, and SRK will have one hell of a Mardi Gras head.

In other news, you know what the world needs? One great, big jaadu-ki-jhappi ;-)

And note, as you can see below, I'm blank-posting these days. You know what they say about blank posts. If you stare very carefully at the blank post, you will be able to get a glimpse of Paris Hilton's ethico-moral values. Just a glimpse, mind you.

This proves it...

Children are evil!!

Don't believe me?

Voila...

(PS: Graciously borrowed from Crumpled Nothings. Thanks, Sach!)

Boy's screaming kills chickens?

BEIJING, Jan 24 (Reuters Life!) - Hundreds of chickens have been found dead in east China -- and a court has ruled that the cause of death was the screaming of a four-year-old boy who in turn had been scared by a barking dog, state media reported on Wednesday.

The bizarre sequence events began when the boy arrived at a village home in the eastern province of Jiangsu in the summer with his father who was delivering bottles of gas, the Nanjing Morning Post reported.

A villager was quoted as saying the little boy bent over the henhouse window, screaming for a long time, after being scared by the dog."One neighbor told police that he had heard the boy's crying that afternoon and another villager confirmed the boy screaming by the henhouse window," the newspaper said.

A court ruled the boy's screaming was "the only unexpected abnormal sound" and that 443 chickens trampled each other to death in fear.The boy's father was ordered to pay 1,800 yuan ($230) in compensation to the owner of the chickens.

End of story

"Why chickens? Why?

They could've been pigs.

Or pigeons, for chrissakes - those birds don't do crap, but crap.

*sniff* but chickens?

(Ominous Sound)

This won't be taken lightly, people

(*Cluck* *Cluck*)

MorePowerToPoultry.com

Move over, Plunge...

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel is home to my new most-favorite hangout spot - MOBar. Although we met clients there for some afternoon tapas and wine, this place has a vibe. Its like a bass-inspired-breakbeat at the back of your head - you just know its groovy. Chic, classy and exclusive - what makes an NYC lounge, a true NYC lounge. And what truly delineates midtown from SoHo. The mojitos are murderously awesome, as are the martinis.

Reservations highly recommended, and please get seated in the lounge area - the bar isn't too much to write home about.

Online Existence...

.. is here. With Second Life.

This is cool.

Wow... an Indian Lolita....

... without being overtly crassy?

Only RGV can carry that of.

Do you suffer from....

...Reptile Dysfunction! Has the lizard let you down?

Hahaha... Anti-Geico ads. Gotta love 'em.

Hit up the AdAge Marketing 50 Awards at the Hilton this afternoon! Quite a revelation - what an industry!

Microsoft Humor (r) 2007

Can you believe that this man can buy Africa with his checking account balance?

Mustt-Listen

* Finally Found and Downloaded the album "Night Song" from I-Tunes - the legendary album by Michael Brook and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Was guided to understand that this year marks the 10-year death anniversary of the Ustad.

After 12 consecutive listens to this glorious album, this is what I have to say.

If you are dying, starved, destitute, thirsty and hungry, and all you have left is $9.99 from now till eternity - go to ITunes.com and buy this album. It'll get you through.

Unbelievably trippy, after just the second listen, this album becomes the soundtrack of your life. Almost seamlessly, it just slips into the fabric of your being.

Its excellent. By far.

Genre Bender

New genre: Completely engaging, without being overtly preachy.

There are movies that preach. Unabashedly preach. Deepa Mehta's Fire as well as Water, for example. There are movies that are completely engaging, which don't really preach at all. (too many in this category).

There are also films that sometimes get so wrapped up in their preachery, that they get obscenely obfuscatory (read:Hey Ram!).

Then there are films that remain flat center at the middle of the philospectrum. Movies with high preach-potential, but still remaining engaging enough for the viewer to remain tensely involved. Basically subtle-crucial messaging through a brilliantly gripping storyline.

Two movies that achieved this superlatively in recent times were Rang De Basanti and Guru.

Ok Ok Ok Ok....

Somebody explain this to me. ..... WHY???

And please do this in order ---

First watch this : CLICK HERE

And then watch this ....

My God .. she is so mainstream

Now that's what I call a campaign!

This is pure brilliance! Well scripted. Simple, crisp yet comprehensive. And delivered adeptly in a style that only the Big B is gifted with.

Leader Line

The mark of genius is indelible. Sometimes its obvious. Sometimes its subtle. But in an effortless and somewhat magical way, Mani Ratnam always manages to leave his mark on his works of art.

Guru is no exception to his legacy.

As always, Mani Ratnam manages to draw that ever-so-grainy line between sticking to traditional movie format, and breaking conventions altogether. Although to many, Guru may seem like your typical sinusoidal-success, feel-good, rags-to-riches story, it still manages to break away from the mould of the "typical" Indian film - a definition that gets more and more hazy with the coming-of-age of Indian movies over the last few years.

As Mom rightly pointed out, you can see the love and magical chemistry between Aishwarya and Abhishek - more from her side - in Guru. She has clearly never stared into any co-star's eyes with the passion that she looks into his with (*sniff*). (She had the exact inverse with Hrithik in Dhoom 2).

I love Mani's new technique. The cutting-flash slow-motion-feel that is applied to various song sequences, and especially the courtroom tirade where its most effective. He always seems to have a new toy to play with (In Dil Se [and Alai Payuthe], it was the reverse-shot technique - remember? - when Manisha's dress keeps flowing the other way in the Satrangi sequence). Especially when it comes to period drama, he never overdoes it in terms of costume and location, unlike other wistful directors who keep their mother's name. The torn posters of Naya Daur, and the usage of old Hindi songs in the background, is intricately researched keeping the story years in mind (he's on the money, folks). Guru also portrays Gujarati culture, language and fashion subtly - noting that this is one Indian sub-culture that has been kept at the back-burner in terms of on-screen portrayal (that is, if one can forget the 5-second G-U-J-J-U song-and-dance in Kal Ho Naa Ho). Its usually been Punjabi, Rajasthani, and even, Bengali (Devdas et al).

The downside? This is the first time in a Mani Ratnam movie, that I felt like joining the damned folks who take a bathroom break when a song comes on. The songs sincerely didn't flow with the film, with the exception of Hairate (brilliant) and the "Baarish" song. Although, the background score, with the "dum dara" bit was heartwarming.

And what puts the wax seal of Rahman on this movie is the drum solo (heavily inspired by the remix of Jagged Edge's Lets Get Married, no I'm serious!!), that accompanies most of the heavy scenes. The dialogues needed more punch. Especially when Gurukant speaks at the first hearing, and he just goes "namaste!". The thud doesn't justify the hype, there.

Completely completely agree with P when it comes to the ridiculous side-tracks that go completely tangent to the story (both the Madhavan-Vidya angle, and the brother-in-law bit, which I feel could've made a glorious comeback later).

The lyrics of the songs.... *sigh* .... you know what? I really feel that before beginning every new project, Gulzar does this. He vigorously searches and locates the rarest, wierdest, most forgotten words in Hindi/Urdu/any regional language's history, and says, "lets bring this back!". With Guru, get this - "bosa", "besuaadi" and "kaature" are making a comeback. Never heard of them? Get in line. Gulzarjee! Why the desperate need to be different, by being incoherent? Why does it take you 20 lines and dozens of dismal, lost-in-history verbs to say what Javedsaab can say in 2 lines? *Sigh*. We'll never get some answers, will we?

With Guru, Abhishek Bachchan, the actor, has arrived. With Guru, he completes a story which was left untold in Yuva, the last time Mani directed him. In the last scene, as Abhishek delivers his courtroom tirade, one was left to look into his eyes and see both glimpses of the trademark Bachchan raw anger, and his own originality as an actor. Taking on a role that most actors would choke considering, given the weight gain and deglamorization involved, Abhishek completes his circle of acting with this role. And like his father, its now time for rediscovery and many more such concentric circles, before he is established as a superstar.

After all.....

"Happiness isn't Happiness without a violin playing goat"

New found fascination for Marc Chagall.

(Image: La Mariee by Chagall)

"Art picks up from where nature leaves off" - Marc Chagall

Visuals that make you glad to be alive: Atop the winery in Adams County, PA.

Images from Gettysburg: Back in the '30s

I loved...

Sacha Baron Cohen's acceptance speech at the Globes.

Assume the Position

Sundance-recommended and as part of my self-inflicted series of serious cinema and dark comedies - Watched James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal in Steven Shainberg's The Secretary, a dark comedy-drama that throws a little light into the nether worlds of the dominant-submissive romance world, within the intricately-bonded S&M community.

Would put this flick right up there with Eternal Sunshine, but the pace of the film prevents me from doing so. Instead of using the BDSM tinge in a darker or negative sense as in the past (serial killer, repressed individual), Secretary evaluates the realism associated with people of this alternative community. NYC has become more and more accepting of this sub-culture, as you find a lot of leashes and collars down the East Village these days.

As is usual with society in this century, the exception soon becomes the norm.

Amazing background score by Angelo Badalamenti (David Lynch's favorite). Sample it here on Amazon. The recommended track is of course, the main title - one of the most haunting pieces I've heard in a while.

Picture Perfect

Most of you know of my aspiration to delve into photography, time and instinct permitting, of course. But I draw serious inspiration from the not-so-dabbling and elegantly-named Dabboo Ratnani.

You totally totally HAVE to check out his 2007 calendar on his site. Its one of the most magical pieces of works ever.

In other news, why would you name your kid Dabboo?

Now hear this! You haven't grasped inanity until you've seen My Bollywood Bride. It is beyond mere mortal comprehension as to why 'cute white guy' travels all over India to find his lost love - who, you ask? - Kashmira Shah - and yet, who, you ask? My advice to 'cute white guy'. She's lost, bro. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And at the hallmark of that inanity, is the opening credit track, *ahem*, "My Freakin' Bollywood". No, I'm serious.

In totally unrelated news, after our 4 AM lamplight vigil, Didi's response to my offer to a stick of gum at 7 AM on our way to work - "I'm too tired to chew" - now that's really tired.

Gogo-jee? .... aapka ghaghra...

The week trails on like a reluctant ghaghra. On and on again.

I had the cutest conversation with J this morning - went like this...

J: Workin'?
V: Vigorously
J: Hmm rough, innit? Ate summin'?
V: No... say ... what about 'breakfast at tiffany's'?
J: Well ... I remember the film.... and as I recall ... I think we both kinda liked it.
V: Well, that's one thing we got.

Ah, forgotten melodies. Who was that band anyway?

And remember .... Only a true South Indian can see a "Nathan Lane" billboard and go "Wow.. that says Nathan .. as in Swaminathan".

In other news, Irish fans are now burning effigies of Big Brother producers to outpour their love for Shilpa Shetty.

Hmm.

The world is truly moving in an interesting direction.

'Twas Miss Scarlett in the Conservatory with the Candlestick!

Hence was the mood all across the murder mystery weekend at the ultra-scenic Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as the whodunnit unfolded at the Ragged Edge Inn. Met some really interesting and diverse people. Didn't manage to solve the murder, but its all in the game. Dabbled in civil war and pre-civil war history - the whole inns and taverns and cannons and battlefields of Gettysburg. All in all - a great B&B experience! Recommend this to everyone, especially the spa-B&B kind, throughout winter.

Pictures up soon.

In other news, it took a non-Indian company to pay tribute to him, but I'm glad someone did it. Awesome ad. A true wake-up call.

Many Lives, Many Masters

Highly recommended reading by Dr. Weiss, which highlights one of the only documented true stories of mortal reincarnation. Doesn't really make you a believer, and its definitely not Hindu religious propaganda. Its just a series of events, and potential hypotheses, and then the reader is left to extract his/her own meaning out of it.

Sometimes, the truth is eternally stranger than fiction. Book review here.

On that ominous note, off to Haunted Gettysburg. Have a great MLK weekend '07.

Cost of Iraq War: $357,000,000,000

Holy oilfields, batman! That would've bought a whole lotta chickens, wouldn't it?

A Man Apart

If anyone remembers Angoor - the Gulzar-icized Comedy of Errors - the scene where Ashok (Sanjeev Kumar) is being escorted to the bus stop at the plantation by Mastaan (random guy). And he's trying to portray to Mastaan how capable of violence he is, and he says "ek ultaa haath pade, to pata chal jaayega", followed by a "kya? .... pataaa chal jaayega". The second time around its done with a significant Utpal Dutt impersonation twang. Which is cool, cuz Utpal Dutt is Sanjeev Kumar's father in the movie, and Gulzar was trying to show that streak.

Gulzar was once known for his exquisite subtleties. Of course now, he's known for vicious inanities - talking about how wet the water is, and how green the greenery is. Ah, what mindlessness age hath wrought.

Lost City of the Incas

With Peru pushing for Machu Picchu to be nominated as another wonder of the world, it raises more interest in this amazing civilization which parallels the Indus Valley Civilization in terms of growth and adaptability.

After re-watching the Motorcycle Diaries, really makes you feel that this is one of those places where you can truly feel the power of an early civilization, and perceive centuries of development that have gone into making our planet what it is. Conversely, its surprising how a few brick walls help you understand the vagaries of our needs, and the wastefulness that technology has preached to usher in a new techno-millennium.

A civilization so distinguished. that time mercilessly extinguished.

Quite a Tall "Odor"

"New Jersey eyed as source of stench" - CNN, this morning

I resent that remark!

Anyhow, most major corps shut down and shipped employees home/to safety in fear of bio-terrorism due to the surreal stench that stalked Manhattan yesterday.

So get this. NYC, the world financial capital, shut down cuz of odor issues. If this should be a worldwide phenomenon, I don't think New Delhi should ever be working ;-) (Extremely Colonial and Sensitive Delhiites - yes all 9 million of you - I would've said Mumbai too, but ND stinks a helluva lot more. Maybe its the stench of corrupt politicism).

Back in action, back to work.

Songs to start '07 off with...

Bavari Piya Ki - (OST - Babul): Sonu croons magically through this classical track. Aadesh Srivastav is heavily influenced by Abhijeet Pohankar's Piya Bavari, but offers a significant amount of originality to this track. Worth a listen!

Javeda Zindagi (Tose Naina Laagey) - OST-Anwar : Two rather unknown singers. A rather unknown music director. Rather confusing movie trailer with people dipped in blue paint chasing each other around rocks. Awesome song though.

Ya Rabba (OST - Salaam-E-Ishq) : Either give Kailash Kher a higher octave, or let Rahat Fateh Ali Khan do this song. Brilliant composition though. Typical S-E-L.

Bolo Na (Album - Sona, Artist - Sona) : Highly addictive!! Must-listen!

Nikhil Chenappa's mix of Bhagam Bhag is legit too! ;-)

26

very few people have the privilege of celebrating their birthday across two continents :-) proud to be one of them.

return to blogdom scheduled for tomorrow.

Tower Power

Images of the new Dubai Marina - towering residential and commercial skyscrapers surrounding a yacht enclave, miles into Sheikh Zayed Road - and part of the new breed of Dubai constructions. What used to be the deserted road to Jebel Ali and Abu Dhabi, is now what will be referred to as "Downtown Dubai". Over 250 new skyscrapers are being developed here.

In other news, one will be back on the 4th, instead of the 31st.Yes, yes I know, most of you said that I wouldn't be able to leave Dubai before New Years. You were right. Catch you all soon!! :-) Those celebrating NYE in NYC, live it up!

Cruisin' Dubai is always easier..



... when you have the right vehicle.

Happy New Year, folks.

Dilli ki Sardi

A few discoveries about Delhi, thought I'd share:

(1) Parallel cars on the road will try to get as ridiculously close to you as possible, just because they can. Kinda like a game. Wish the girls were like that.

(2) Talking of games, the medieval ages had jousting where knights would ride their horses towards each other. In Delhi, cars do the same, by sneaking on to the opposite side of a no-barrier road in an effort to overtake. The opposite traffic car doesn't change path, appears non-plussed that there is a car directly in its path, coming the other way. Actually, it speeds up. Both cars speed up. And merge back into their respective lanes at the last minute. And go on driving as if nothing ever happened.

(3) Traffic signals are like the Rajya Sabha - no impact whatsoever on the moving population.

(4) Gurgaon - a force to reckon with. The growth in this city is amazing. The malls, the skyscrapers and the MNCs that have made it their home.

(5) In Nai Dilli, Fog is a way of life. Its also helps the proliferation of extra-marital affairs. "Raj, who is that girl with you, where is she running, I can't see her face! Dammit!"

(6) Creditworthy: All auto rickshaws and buses in Delhi are CNG-equipped. As eco-friendly as it gets.

Back to Dubai in a few hours.

Guten Tag!

Greetings from Frankfurt. Yes, I had to do it, cuz Airport-blogging is fun (and free for T-Mobile Hotspot users - paid plug, that one)

The deutschness is almost sinking in and smelly like sauerkraut. Not to worry, am not chewing carpets just yet, although my pseudo-denial for the Holocaust is heightening. Perhaps it will substantiate while flying over erstwhile-Persia as well!

Anyway, off to sample some bitter, (its 11 AM, people). Laterz

Homeward Bound!

Leavin - See you guys in another timezone

You know how you know the world is ending?

When Himesh Reshammiya sets forth to be a hero......

in a movie .... called .... Aap Ka Suroor: The Real Luv Story.

Set to rock the Bollywood in June 2007.

Dear God.
Have Mercy.
*Sniff*,
Vishal

Trailer coming up.

Its things like this that make it all worth it in the end

The Citigroup Award for Star Newcomer and Breakthrough Performance for 2006. Supported by a generous cash prize, and Bellagio chips. The way they kept it a secret for all this while is wonderfully adorable - as is the fact that the award was the last one announced, as I was the one that put everything together for this conference. Having our Area Director acknowledge my initiatives was a plus.

I can sleep now, after 72 straight hours of work.

In other news, for all my Hyderabadi lovers out there, check out Angrez!

Climbatize

Ok. Beyond the fact that I'm actually in Vegas for work, I think that the fact that I choose to take the time to update my blog, and utilize the room internet access for WORK, is a pure sign of my eternal geekdom. Time to join the squad. Orange car, here I cometh.

In other news, is complex verbosity the pre-requisite to being a news journalist? I feel that the text of news articles is getting more and more unnecessarily contorted. Quite like the news stories themselves i guess.

sinfully yours,
vish

The Bellagio Dancing Fountains (a la Oceans 11)

Venezia

Room with a View

There's no business like show business..

.. and apparently no publicity like bad publicity.

White Christmas

Talking of Christmas collections, picked up this album while in Minnesota - Christmas Chillout by Crystal Theory. And its grown on me like stubborn algae. It blends some of the most popular christmas carols (only lyrically of course) and gives them tender electronica, lounge and jazz feels. Brilliantly produced album, especially the track, White Christmas. Got a very David Visan meets Nacho Sotomayor feel.

Am on the hunt for more by Crystal Theory.

In other news, why are they making such a big deal over De Vito drunk on The View. I think he was amazing coherent (more than when he's not so wasted ;-)

"All You Need Is Love"Performed by John Lennon and Paul McCartney
"Take Me As I Am" Performed by Wyclef Jean
"Bye Bye Baby (Baby Goodbye)" Performed by Bay City Rollers
"Sweetest Goodbye" Performed by Maroon 5
"River"(Mitchell)Performed by Joni Mitchell
"Here With Me" Performed by Dido
"Rose"(Horner)From the Original Motion Picture Score "Titanic (1997)
"Like I Love You" Performed by Justin Timberlake
"Turn Me On"(Loudermilk) Performed by Norah Jones
"Songbird"(McVie)Performed by Eva Cassidy
"Smooth" Performed by Santana featuring Rob Thomas
"Wherever You Will Go" Performed by The Calling
"White Christmas"(Berlin)Performed by Otis Redding
"God Only Knows" Performed by The Beach Boys
"The Trouble With Love Is" Performed by Kelly Clarkson


What a soundtrack!!

OST - Love Actually! Great to hear especially around Christmas!

How you doin'?

10 years of 'Friends' in 90 seconds. Worthwhile watch for hardcore fans of the sitcom.

Last night's dream left me with a potent, fully-loaded question. If we were all to die, in a cataclysmic Armageddon-esque meteor-type thing, and we had to have four people (2 men and 2 women) to begin to create a gene pool again, assuming that they cross-breed like Stanley Kubrick's pet bunnies - which 4 visionaries would we choose. Its hypothetical, so dead or alive , don't matter. I'm still contemplating that one.

In other news, watch Khosla ka Ghosla. The movie is a riot! Boman Irani proves his substance yet again. I know this movie didn't get its due at the box office, but its one of the most ideal DVD-movies I've caught in a while. Especially for those who are familiar with Delhi-ites and their ludicrous Delhi-ness.

Off to sin city. Will be back (and broke) shortly.

Ooh brokeback.

Yeesh.

Perfect time to take a cruise to the Caribbean, eh?

Sales Tales

My titles are beginning to sound suspiciously like the titles of those Archie's one-pager animations. Gag Bag, Fun Run. Jeez.

Been off the radar for a while, cuz of travel and some reviews that have pervaded my life in entirety. Now that I have some time to breathe, decided to plot my return to blogdom.

What's interesting to note, are the sales tactics of vendors who distribute free copies of newspapers like New York Metro by the subway. Especially during the morning commute. The traditional lot just holler out "free paper, free Metro" and distribute it, but obviously have a lower hitrate because commuters are in such a rush to get out there. Most of these distributors are homeless New Yorkers, who have been given this task through the outreach program, and usually earn a commission off the number of papers they get out there, beyond their target.

But I couldn't help but notice the sales acumen of one of these guys. At 42nd street-Times Square, which is the busiest subway terminal in the city, there are a batch of glass doors. Obviously these doors are usually opened by commuters, and then, half-assedly, held open for the next commuter, who rushes towards the door as if you're giving him your kidney, followed by a profuse thank-you (well, unless he's a kallu woman, who'll probably walk through the door without acknowledging you. skank!). This manner of etiquette does get tiresome, as does the process of opening a glass door every morning.

What the smart sales guy does? He holds the door open, stands on the other side with a big smile on his face. Naturally, by the basic law of human etiquette, you are thankful to him for holding the door open. What does he ask for in return? Take a paper, he says. And his hit-rate is alarmingly high! But of course. Not only does he employ that tactic, but he also comes up with clever ways to convey the paper's headlines. A few days back he was caught singing, "Enron-ron-ron, En-ron-ron".

Little things that make a big difference. The guy is clearly delivering numbers that are 120% better than his closest competitor, and all 'cuz of a simple methodology.

"Genius means little more than the faculty of perceiving in an unhabitual way" - William James

Ja Rules!

Not even there yet, and January's already turning into an entertaining month.

4 takers to my e-suggestion to watch Robin Williams Live at the Borgata - its going to be sidesplittingly surreal! - on the 27th of Jan, and managed to score tickets to that!

Also, at the Borgata is Bryan Adams LIVE on the 13th of Jan. Tickets go on sale on Dec 2nd. Fingers on your mouses, and get ready to click, minions.

If you....

have an issue with me, contact me and speaketh it out. Do not resort to vile and cheap anonymous commenting on my turf. At least I have the decency not to call you out, even though I know who you are.

In other news, payback's a biatch.

"This blog's so confused, it should be called a glob!"

No seriously! No movie has ever been more twisted than A Clockwork Orange. You can't help but wonder if Stanley Kubrick was even partially in his senses when conjuring up this monstrosity. And even though this is a 70s flick, it holds adequate shock value in today's day and age.

Countdown to Dubai has begun! 12 days. Will be in Vegas before that (Dec 3-5) - anyone up for some serious blackjack?

In Minnesota, it is illegal to consort with a moose, after having shaved your eyebrows.

You have madness. You have insanity. You have sheer lunacy. And then you have the last 48 hours. Whether it be group-whistling the Munnabhai theme at the movies or playing an obnoxiously loud version of "tapori antakshari" to the annoyance of surrounding mallus, or modifying the lyrics to several classic songs by adding some questionable 'phallacies' to it - yes, we did, and when you get on Google at 5 AM to find more songs to 'phallicitate', you know you have a serious problem. P and I totally got our quizzing groove back on, and irked the girls' egoes with Taboo and Battle of the Sexies. Drank and listened to some serious 'blast from the past' prom music, which made us realize how old we are, then drank some more, as an ode to depression.

Side note: Dhoom 2 was like rocking! Ash looked smoking, but someone in Brazil should've shoved a permanent banana in her mouth to keep her from like talking. Funny guy!

All in all, a real fun weekend. Couldn't help but be amazed by the serenity (and mysticity) of the land of 10,000 lakes. As I told T, everyone's voices were so enhanced to my New Yorkled ears, that I felt that we were all in a sound-proof room with bass-enhancing Bose sound - and this was outdoors. Also - there was enough turkey (and tharki) to go around - and romantic songs will never be the same again. "Do dil...".

P and T - thanks for the wonderful hospitality, and the Mona Lisa clock (inset) - that was tres touching (Don't go there, P!)! It was great to catch up with you guys. Was really sweet how you guys waited till the very end, after security check, to say g'bye - (things you don't see anymore).

N - Was great meeting and singing with you as well - the world is really small (as is.... hyuk hyuk ... jeez corrupted for life). Must detox brain before work. Must detox brain before work.

Hail Moose-olini!

Gratitudinous!

Too Wong Foo! Tis the season of giving 'thanks for everything'. And there are two memorable quotes I shall leave you with for this loong weekend:

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them" - John F Kennedy.

"Way to Shop" - Macy's

Live it up, ya hear?

Recommended listening (only for hardcore Rahman fans)

Two tracks from the soundtrack of Indira (Tamil). Check em out on Raaga:

Thoda Thoda Malardhadhenna
Nila Kaikarathu (the Hariharan version)

Although I prefer the original versions, try listening to the Hindi versions (movie's called Priyanka

Can't wait for the Guru score. The grapevine says it is the deal!

The Apartment

Hey everyone! Put up a few pictures of the apartment (just the living and dining area) for your viewing pleasure. Simplistic red and black, with some effective, minimalistic accents courtesy of Chiasso, Blomus, MOMA and Contrast - the godfathers of accent design.

You can view the entire flickr set here.

The Lounge Effect

The Lounge Effect, originally uploaded by v_oberoi.

The Tealight Sculpture

The Tealight Sculpture, originally uploaded by v_oberoi.

The Blomus set

The Blomus set, originally uploaded by v_oberoi.

The Bookset Clock

The Bookset Clock, originally uploaded by v_oberoi.

The Dining Zone

The Dining Zone, originally uploaded by v_oberoi.

The Other Side

The Other Side, originally uploaded by v_oberoi.

The Main Lounge

The Main Lounge, originally uploaded by v_oberoi.

There's the main lounge.

Wrath wrought?

I was never too much of a fan of Club Avalon - but check this out!

Open Forum:NYC

Was invited to a really nice Amex Business event at the Nokia Theater on Times Square yesterday - one of the many networking/marketing forums that New York has, but one of the few that actually leave an impact without hardselling anything.

The event basically featured the Liz Lange, the lady who made maternity clothing hot and happening, sizzle-chef Mario Batali (of Babbo and Lupa fame - which are by far some of New York's most snazzy joints) and the founders of the Blue Man Group. Seamlessly organized and taped for television, the event was really cool, right down to the Millionaire/KBC-style voting pads for audience opinions on marketing trends.

All three of the panelists were self-made successes who did not have a business plan other than the will to succeed. Being in the company of some of New York's most established success stories and to hear not just how they did it, but why - was truly an inspiration. Not to mention, some good networking with the who's-who of the advertising world - they had name tags divided by fields, but didn't have a category called Finance. The F&M divide deepens. I sincerely miss the advertising days! :-)

Muhahahahahahaha!

In other laughability - a snippet from the San Jose Mercury News review of Casino Royale which had me in tears - "Pierce Brosnan's Bond substituted geek gadgetry for glamour, groaner puns for wit and a look of emotional constipation for character".

All of a sudden

Pennsylvania seems to be a lil more happening :-) with the rise of the new Mohegan Sun!

I'm gone, but not forgotten! Will be back on a wing and a prayer real soon!

Ha-ha! Talk about an expensive word-feud!

Chugging Along

"The Incas had a high knowledge of astronomy, medicine, math, among others
But the Spanish invaders had gunpowder
How would America be today if things had been different?"
- The Motorcycle Diaries, 2004.

Touching. I had a totally different projected view of the life of Che Guevara, until I caught this baby. Its more of a docu-drama, but I've always loved journey flicks.

Suddenly discovered a latent passion for foreign film, and have violently re-aligned the Netflix Queue.

A true dark horse

Picked up the CD of the Bas Ek Pal soundtrack, and it really grew on me over the past week. Although it takes a while to settle in, but then you realize that its an a really brilliant score!

If you can ignore Atif's off-keying in Tere Bin, the melody is amazing! The song that really stands out is Dheemey Dheemey. The guitar work by Dominique Cerejo in almost all of the songs is awesome. Check it out on Raaga, and if you love it, buy it.

The Gods must be Matchmaking

Surprised to see this in Yahoo! Personals

White supremacy finally bows down to idol-worship eh? hyuk hyuk!

And of course, Nikhil Advani's new movie, Salaam-E-Ishq (from Sharaabi)

Costa Rica Coffee Rules

As I take my daily caffeine dose, I have a few pondering thoughts :

(1) I hate it when someone uses the term "expired" for humans. They aren't MILK CARTONS, people.

(2) Barring remakes, and movies with the same title as older movies, so many Hindi movies in the recent past have been titled using lines from old movie songs, and in many case, not just the title, but a catchy hook line within the song. Think about it, here are a few I could remember (with some help from HindiLyrix and Wiki to locate the movie names)

Aashiq Banaaya Aapne (from Karz)
Pyaar mein kabhi kabhi (from Chalte Chalte)
Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya (from Shakti)
Pyaar kiya to darna kya (Mughal-E-Azam)
Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (from Uthe Sab Ke Kadam - Baaton Baaton Mein)
Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (from Chalte Chalte)
Ek Haseena Thi (kind of, from Karz)
Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega (from Sangam)
Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke (from Nau Do Gyarah)
Hum to mohabbat karega (from Dilli ka Thug)
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (from Chor Machaye Shor)
Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (from Shri 420)

The Net Can Do Anything

This is becoming more and more true everyday. Ever have that song in your head, where you had the tune or the beat, and could tap it out, but couldn't get the words. Now there's a website that lets you tap the beat that you have in your head, on your spacebar, and then generates songs that it identifies to follow that pattern.

This is absolutely ridiculous!!!

Few more images from the event

"Believe me, my dear fellow, that so long as people refuse to give up everything for the sake of which they attack and devour each other on earth, that so long as they refuse to think of putting their spiritual fortune in order, there will be no fair distribution of earthly fortunes, either" - Nikolai Gogol



Although the security confiscated all digi-cams and camera phones, I managed to sneak mine in to catch an extremely hazy pic of Kal Penn and Mira Nair talking towards the front of the screen, prior to the movie. Am I star-crazed paparazzi enough for you?

But what left one mesmerized was the film itself. The Namesake was a touching and brilliant amalgamation of a few generations of talents - Mira Nair, Jhumpa Lahiri, Tabu and Irfan Khan supported by the understructure of the flute/guitar/drum'n'bass background compositions of Nitin Sawhney. And of course, the elusive Siberian who began this whole thing - Nikolai Gogol.

Namesake captures the Indian immigrant experience, almost effortlessly. This movie amalgamates all the individual thoughts and emotions thrown across in singularity by several comedians and journalists over the last 10-15 years, as this diaspora has expanded out of anonymity. But in true Mirabai-style balance, the movie uplifts as much as it depresses - perhaps depresses is a strong word in this case, I would say, makes one clearly realize what's missing. Unlike other movies that scream out their messaging, Namesake plays on simplicity.

A MUST watch!

Hard Day's Night

Beatles' fans unite! 'Cuz my new pad's on Abbey Road. Well, close enough. Its Abbi Road. Same difference.

New Postal Address: 801 Abbi Road, Carteret, NJ 07008

Pictures coming this weekend, as most of my new stuff is up.

Stop Press: Heading to the Namesake premiere, this evening. Keynote addresses by Kal Penn, Salman Rushdie (who seems to have all the time in the world these days) and the legendary, Mira Nair. Will keep you all posted!