Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

 

When you read the blurb of 'Twilight' you will be hooked onto the difference in storyline. Its unlike any book or love story that you may have read. But while I make such claims about the story, the narration and the pace is disappointing. You begin to have high expectations from this book once you realise that Bella and Edward(the vampire ) are in love, but from then on the story slows down, wherein it should have picked pace. 

This is indeed an unusual story and the result of the author's dream. Bella Swan shifts to the rainy town of Forks from sunny Phoenix and realises that she is irrevocably attracted to a loner Edward Cullen,who doesnt eat anything in the break and prefers to hang around with his brothers and sisters. Over a period of time she realises that she is in love with this Greek God and is indifferent to the fact that he is a vampire. In Edward's mind, there is a human and vampirish confusion that is on. On one hand he loves Bella(a human emotion) and there is a part of him that seeks her blood. In the process of saving Bella, from accidents, he realises that he too loves her. When he invites her to his house for a baseball game, another vampire from a different coven(clan) visits the Cullens and is attracted to the scent of Bella. He(James) decides to seek her as a game. From then on ensues a chase for the 'kill' and the need for Edward to protect her. Telling you how the book ends will be 'bloody' injustice.There is no doubt that Edward's character is the star of the story. In a debate with a friend I have removed Barney (Of Doctors fame) and Roark from my list of desirable men. His character keeps the story moving and it doesnt help that an overexcited reader keeps googling 'twilight', only to be greated with Robert Pattison's droolworthy face. 

No matter what, the enigma that this vampire is keeps you awake at night--testimony to the good writing work done by the author. And all the while there is a part of you that believes that Edward will kill her in the end. There are sequels to the book, so there is reason to believe that he doesnt(this is called a subtle spolier!). Bella's character is weak and I wished she would be more stronger that she is. In terms of personality, Edward overpowers her. The mental conflict, the way he says that she smells nice and means it in human and vampire terms, is well detailed. As far as the vampire research goes, Stephanie has picked on a myth and given it a realistic turn. In doing so, she almost classifies the book as 'fantasy' and not 'romantic thriller', even though its the latter.  Read the book for Edward Cullen, he is the star. And the most important reason for picking up the sequel too.

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Of High Expectations

Last Week Roadies-Hell Down Under, had a guy who entered the auditions because he wanted to prove to his parents that he was capable of doing 'something' in life. Interestingly, the Roadies audition is an intense psychological platform where personalities are dissected by the madman himself, Raghu. This year the executive producer of the show is joined by his twin brother,Rajiv.

During any given audition Raghu and Rajiv prove to the TV audiences that their impressions of the persons in front of them are justified, however much the person is trying to hide the truth. At times the contestants reveal the truth themselves. Finally, they select the person who will add a new dimension to the show. In this particular audition, with this contestant, who was a 'loser' in the real sense of the word, Raghu made an observation about the level which parents goto see their kids perform and succeed. 

Somehow, keeping up with the Joneses is not confined to cars and house and brands..its also extended to kids and I say this for kids across the world where media does a tasteless job of hyping achievements. Not only does it produce bullies and timids, it also results in children killing people to (remember Virginia Tech Shootout? ) become famous.Its a deplorable condition and with increased competition and FB statuses where people can hype their career or personal achievements, kids tend to move quickly towards depression.

Contrast that with parents who have become obsessed with the word 'stress'. This lot, doesnt allow their kids to work hard and tries to find flaws with the 'system'. A local school principal who is a family friend observed that in a week he receives atleast five complaints of parents who have stressed out kids. He has started yoga at his school to combat their frustation. But my point is that , hard work was present since time immemorial, then why are we playing the stress bugle so strenously , in these times? Because we have more sympathasisers? Or because we, as individuals have lost the desire to push ourselves? 

When Nadia Comaneci (winner of five Olympic Gold Medals and the first gymnast to score a perfect 10 in the Olympic Games) was asked if she missed her teenage years, because she traded innocent, carefree years with practice in the gym and Olympic preparations, she replied 

" If I hadnt done what I did, a lot would be different. I would just be a girl roaming in malls. Now I am an Olympic Gold Medallist and I find that to be more important. "

Clint Black

Clint Black is brilliant!!! He is the GOD when is comes to country music!!! The lyrics of this song are a perfect way to end the year !

Children of Heaven by Majid Majidi

Its not too difficult to surmise why Aamir Khan is a major fan of Majid Majidi's work. After seeing the movie 'Children of Heaven' you will scramble to find the remaining of his wondrous works like 'The Color of Paradise'  and 'Baran'. Children of Heaven is the story of Ali and Zahra, who are the children of a tea supplier and a housewife. Money is hard to come by in the family and the children realise this. Especially Ali who plays the older brother with simplistic maturity and heart warming emotion. One day he loses his sister's shoes on the way. The siblings decide to share Ali's shoes and hide the loss of shoes from their parents. Zahra realises that her lost shoes are being worn by a girl in her school. However, both Ali and Zahra decide not to speak to the girl or her parents when they realise that her father is blind.Meanwhile, Ali has to face the brunt of school teachers for reaching school late everyday. This is the result of waiting till his sister returns from school, so he can exchange shoes with her.  One day the school announces a inter-school marathon competition where the second runner-up gets new shoes as prize. Ali prepares for this competition and hopes that he gets the third prize so that he doesnt have to ask his parents to buy new shoes for him and instead get Zahra a new pair. Fortunately his dad gets a good part-time job as a gardner and gets new shoes for both the children and Ali wins the competition, much to his chagrin.  Throughout the movie, the poverty of the family is shown in a subtle manner. There is never an attempt to engage the viewer in such a way that we feel pity for the family. The fact that the family is poor is in the background and is never made to dominate the forefront of the movie.The children's roles are well thought and written in a simple manner. There isnt any boisterous or audacious angle to kids, like there is in movies these days(for example , The Cat in the Hat. The movie has obese, stupid and obnoxious kids who have lifestyle problems. And their only aim in life is to vanquish the bad guy). For example, the child's determination to run a race and hope for the third prize because it satisfies his wants. Any other film-maker or writer would have converted that part of the movie into an achievement centric scene where the child wants to win the prize and come first. There is pyrrhic victory in Ali's effort and he doesnt run for the success and the achievement, just for the shoes. The director and writer, explain situations with expressions on the faces of the children. Like the time Ali and Zohra discover that the girl from Zohra's school has a father who is blind. There is no explanation given, no dialogues spoken and its understood that the siblings wont retrieve the shoes from her. Majid Majidi's genuine and poignant work of art is a must watch. If there is a movie that parents should show their kids it should be this warm ninety minute canvas that paints such a pretty picture of kids!  Unfortunately, none of the rental stores in India have the movie listed. So we have to rely on good old Amazon for the DVD. I saw the movie on Zee Studio, so keep checking your local listings...just in case.  You can learn many things from children.  How much patience you have, for instance.  ~Franklin P. Jones

Wondering...

Dont know what hurts more....the fact that emotional choices fail in front of reality or that an inidvidual fails to catch up emotionally in the face of near perfect reality...

Alex Da Silva's Dance at the World Salsa Congress 2003

Alex Dasilva is one of the best salsa choreographers in business. This dance at the World Salsa Congress with his partner Monica Flores, is the clincher! Known as Mr Smooth, and a frequent choreographer on SYTYCD, he is known for some of the best salsa choreographies in recent times. The famous Black Mambo video of Benji and Heidi in Season 2 of SYTYCD, was choreographed by him. This one is really the best of them all.

Elixir

Is it just me...or is the song 'Mora Saiyan' by Fuzon, elixir?

So You Think You Can Dance

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFUL8kVW58I]     So You Think You Can Dance(SYTYCD) is one of my favourite talent hunt shows on television. Unlike its other counterpart, the American Idol, this show clearly focuses on talent and the search for the same. There is minimal drama and very little controversy which maybe one of the USPs of the show. When compared to the Indian dance talent shows, emotions run quite low. There are the customary tears when people leave, and when there is a highly charged performance and Mary Murphy decides to yell and shout her opinion , but apart from that the professional approach to dance and pure dance is appreciable. This season has some really great dancers and brilliant moves. My favourite one from last night's show is the West Coast Swing dance by Sara and Pasha. It was choreographed by Benji Schwimmer and Heidi. Its so close to perfect.

In the almost cold wintry atmosphere...I shudder to think of broken lives and an almost complete one of mine...I hear the cacophony of wasteful voices and the silent tears of those who have lost much...I remember

Safety Measures during a Terror attack

There are a lot of suggestions pouring in regarding safety measures related to anti-terror initiatives. But most of these involve system overhauls or concrete thinking. One wonders what the common man can do to save his/her life till the police force and the NSG teams are deployed. Who knows...maybe when we are present when a terror attack happens, no one will be around. For ths reason, I have compiled some ways in which we can protect ourselves. Add to the list, if you know some more. 1. My mom attended a social meeting yesterday where a man narrated an incident related to the firing at CST and the measures adopted by him and his brothers. This man and his five brothers boarded a 9:20 train for Aurangabad from CST. Had the train left a little late, they would have been victims of a shootout. Each of the brothers has a family and their parents are really old. Incase they would have died or been injured, a large family would have been rendered helpless. To prevent that, while returning, two brothers came to Mumbai by car, two others by train and the remaining two by air. His suggestion was that its better to travel separately in case you are travelling by public transport, especially if the entire family is travelling together. 2. When the firing started outside the Taj, a lot of people thought the staff was bursting crackers. They waited for a few seconds and when it was confirmed that it was indeed gunfire, they started running helter-skelter. In case you hear a sound like that its better to lie down and act like you are dead.  3. Henceforth, everytime you get into a taxi, check for unwanted bags and luggage. It pays to ask your taxi driver to open the dicky and check for leftover stuff. At times, some taxi drivers remove the deck from their cars, and in place of speakers there is a huge gaping hole. Check those spaces for any material.And before you leave the car, tell your taxi driver to check the car after every passenger leaves.  4. In case of a fire in a hotel room, run across the fire with a we t blanket. It saves you from burns.  5. Keep someone informed about every journey you take. I know a friend who before boarding any flight or train mesaages atleast two of his closest friends the flight numbers and train coaches.  6. Before you leave the house, at all times, check the news channels and leave. When I left for the airport today at 4 in the morning, I checked the news channels. There was random firing at the Indira Gandhi Airport in Delhi. I didnt change my plans, but I was mentally more alert.  7. Gone are the days when we can walk like zombies and listen to our iPods, like there is no worry in the world. Terrorism is here to stay and will take a long time to eradicate. It pays to be alert and aware of our surroundings. 8. Please talk to your neighbours. Know who they are. If there are renting a flat,  make sure you know more about them and their background. The attacks in Delhi were carried out by people renting a flat in Pune. Dont be unnecessarily suspicious, just alert. 9. In case there are large markets in your area, where there is no safety measure, inform your local police station about it. For example, Crawford Market in town is highly crowded. At any given point there are a thousand people moving in that area. One bomb and the number of casualties will be enormous. Notify the police of such places. Its not that they wont know about it, but when we take interest, they will also be willing to support us.  I am sure there are many more suggestions out there. I will keep updating this as and when something strikes me. [digg=http://digg.com/world_news/Safety_Measures_During_a_Terror_Attack]

S. Aiyar's article in the ET

Nobody has summed it better than Swaminathan Anklesaria Aiyar, in his article in ET : He says about the mismatch of intelligence report :  "The media are having a field day with stories of how many intelligence warnings were received of a possible attack on Mumbai from the sea. Some journalists (and politicians writing in the media) claim that the authorities had clear warning of a possible attack, yet were so incompetent that they did nothing. 

Really? If you have a wide intelligence network, you will get a hundred warnings every day of terrorist plots, suspicious behaviour and possible attacks. Some will be the fantasies of thousands of disgruntled people (of whom only a tiny fraction will be dangerous fanatics), some will be rumours, some will be time-pass speculation. US intelligence, the most sophisticated and high-tech in the world, has received thousands of warnings of imminent attacks in the last seven years, and has on many occasions put many cities on red alert, yet all the warnings have proved false alarms. "

On Shivraj Patil :

"Former home minister Shivraj Patil told Parliament in 2006 that the government had received warning of possible sea-borne attacks. Today media critics accuse him of doing nothing. But what should he have done? Suppose for three months in 2006 he had deployed the NSG, Army and Navy in full force, tried to check every ship and fishing boat, and tried to check everybody entering a tourist spot or hotel. The same media critics would have raised an uproar accusing him of harassing people, putting off tourists, and wasting public money on a false alarm. "

The entire article can be read here.

Media's Role in the 26/11 Mumbai Blasts

  No one can deny that the live coverage we saw of the 60 hour ordeal at Mumbai's famous landmarks, kept viewers at the edge of their seats. However there are a few points to be noted. 1. NDTV Profit and NDTV 24x7 were following different policies of censorship. While Profit gave us real time coverage and instant view of crossfiring, 24x7 chose to stay away from live images and stuck to details and analysis. There is something that I dont understand. Most of these terrorists were carrying phones. There is a possibility that another person in the city could be watching the news and relaying information to them. Yes the cable connections were snapped shut for the hotels, but who knows. If they were well prepared to fight and kill for sixty hours, then they must have been well prepared for events like these. When the NSG brought the snipers and covered the Taj and the Nariman Point, the media channels relayed all of that . People from the nearby buildings werent removed. And for this reason the operation was being slowed down. Israel has criticised the operation of the Indian NSG team, here. They have also made it clear that in a hostage situation, the operation should move fast rather than slow. The aim is to release as many hostages as possible and not to bother about causalties. 2. Barkha Dutt may be an excellent war journalist, but during the release of hostages, she showed the typical sensationalist side of journalism, that wasnt expected of her. When hostages were released, she was running after the hostages for sound bytes, which could have been spared. Where is the sense in asking a question like 'How are you feeling' after they have been through trauma of possibly the worst kind. But there is another take on it. We may go on and on about this silly 'spirit' rhetoric, but as a city we really dont have the guts to take on our leaders. Neither do we do anything about pressing issues that harm our social and physical security. So even though I and many others may not appreciate this emotional reality show on news channels, there are many out there who are apathetic. For them, this kind of rubbish, results in some form of action. 3. In a previous post, I had criticised Sreenivasan Jain about his reporting skills. In those days, he used to do Bombay Talkies. In fact on and off he still does. But nowadays one sees him in a better profile with terrorism related news in his kitty. He covered the Malegaon blasts investigation extensively and now the Mumbai blasts. For the lack of homework in one domain, he made up with dignified live reporting.  4. Experts and not ignorant celebrities should be brought to speak on public forums telecast on telelvision. Case in point : Yesterday's episode of 'We the People'. At an audience member's remark, on bombing Pakistan, Simi agreed and told the audience to check out some flags in the Parel slum area. According to her, they were Pakistani flags. To this an emotional audience member stood up and proclaimed that Simi is our enemy (Pun not intended! ). First of all, flags dont indicate anything. And if Simi would have seen the flags and tried to find out the reason behind it, it would have made more sense. She also talked about not paying taxes. This is an illogical solution. It begs to ask the big question : Who will bell the cat first? And who will build our roads and our metros, if we stop paying the taxes. Frankly, in the coming weeks, there will be a lot of emotional rhetoric flying thick and fast. There is an untold fear that all of the energy may die down and that we will be back to our old selves. If that happens, it will be in many ways, the death of Mumbai and its fake 'spirit'. I ventured out after four days today. There is paranoia and a certain sense of shock amongst people. But my question is not about the 'spirit'. That silly word that rears its head whenever there is an incident like this. Its about the kind of outrage people are showing. Isnt it unfair that Facebook status messages are pouring for this tragedy, but no one bothered when nuns were being raped in Kandhmal? Isnt it sad that Kashmir sees these kinds of militant attacks, but no one joins a group that is going to wear white today, for the Kashmiris? Isnt it in some way connected to publicity and glamour? And funnily thats what the terrorists wanted. Publicity. If this tragedy would have happend in a hotel in Virar, would we have bothered as much? Maybe we are biased towards bling and the media hype around it, but if it is this incident that throttles us at the core, its ok. Sometimes it does that shock and awe to effect change.