Now Reading

Even though I’ve read the novels partially (didn’t read the second part of ASIS or TVOF) and all the short stories atleast once, the writing and the stories still captivates me…and encourages repeated readership. So much so that even though I had the entire canon in hardbound, the fact that it was tucked away in my hometown prompted me to buy this paperback version during my recent trip to Bengaluru…just so that I could read it! I’ve finished almost a third and hope to complete it before my vacation sets in. Ciao.

Related: My Shelfari

Wierd Wired Game

So the recession’s making the workspace a little all-too-boring does it? Or maybe a little scary and jittery, not knowing when’s the ‘light red coloured piece of paper’ is gonna come! Fear not, for the wacky Radio Stations in your city will come up to your workplace and ‘jazz’ it up…with some wierd games n stuff

Well, that’s what happened at our workplace today as one of the leading FM Radio stations came swooping down for an evening full of CITY-styled BIG fun with MIRCHI-hot games and some S-pecial prizes!

[Incoming] Intrepid Ibex

I got the CDs of the latest version of Ubuntu, the open source Linux-based operating system, via international courier today. The version’s 8.10 and is codenamed Intrepid Ibex (sic!).

What bothers me is that I have never requested it in the first place The last time I’d ordered the CD’s were for the 6.10 version – Dapper Drake – and had received about twenty of them. After fiddling with the installation for about twenty or so minutes, I gave up and distributed them amongst friends and colleagues; and didn’t think about going back to Ubuntu ever again. If Canonical had the policy of sending the CDs to registered users, I’d have got them for Eft, Fawn, Gibbon and Heron as well…but I didn’t! I’m wondering if one of those Ubuntu advocates had given my name & address in the CD mailing site

Music Review: Chandni Chowk To China

“China” in the movie title and an integral part of the story, so I expected lotsa ‘oriental’ sounds in the soundtrack…something on the lines of chin mini chin choo from Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja. And like in RKRCKR, Chandni Chowk To China (CC2C) also has that one track that is totally oriental in nature, the title track – Chandni Chowk to China. Neeraj Shridhar is fast becoming the one-song-trump-card for several music directors (Ticket to Bollywood in JBJ, Hare Ram in Bhool Bhulaiya, Ishq ka Kalma  in Goal) and he does a swell job in this madcaper of a song, providing the vocals for Akshay Kumar whilst Anushka sings for Deepika and Shankar Mahadevan popping in to add a fizzy by-line. The Remix version is much more better than the original with DJ Amyth adding in electrical and drum sounds and taking the song to quite another level. The only discordant notes are the intermittent sounds of “haiyya”!

 

Kailash Kher, Naresh and Paresh contribute two songs in this ensemble album, one an introductory song for Akshay and the second, a motivational song. Naam hai Sidhu is Akshay’s entry song, set in the bylanes of Chandni Chowk and tracing his dreams and ambitions…and also his stagnation as a plain cook. The Harmonium and Tabla dominate the music and though not in a qawwali-esque style, its pretty traditional. Chak Lain De is a motivational song, set as in China as Akshay prepares for battle with the local foes in trying to protect the village whose re-incarnated warrior he is believed to be. The Sitar and Flute set the tone here. It reappears as a Remix version – by DJ Amyth again – and is listenable though not a great value addition.

The weakest and least-favourite song of the lot comes from Bappi and Bappa Lahiri, who rework the yesteryear song bambai se aaya mera dost  into India se aaya tera dost. With some incomprehensible lyrics at the start (presumably Chinese!) and some other inane lyrics (such as Seena to rhyme with China!), it is a put-off from the beginning and makes you skip to the next song. Thankfully, melody and romance returns in the form of a delectable Tere Naina. Shankar Mahadevan’s slow rendition is ably supported by a slightly fast-paced rendition from Shreya Ghoshal and that is what I like in this song. The album is rounded off by a Joker-in-the-pack track (one that probably isn’t part of the movie narrative but is placed at either the opening or closing credits) titled CC2C which is composed by the Punjabi Rapper Bohemia and is sung by Akshay Kumar himself. The lyrics are more to do with Akshay himself than his character in the movie, hinted by the Bangkok-to-Delhi lyrics innit. There’s a heady fun-quotient in the song both at the start and the end as Akshay raps in his own imitable style. Overall, its a fun album with four good songs and two that will probably go onto become blockbusters. The remix version of Chandni Chowk To China, Tere Naina, CC2C and Naam hai Sidhu are my personal picks, in that order.

Movie: Chandni Chowk To China
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Mithun Chakraborty, Ranvir Shorey
Directed By: Nikhil Advani
Music Director(s): Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Kailash-Paresh-Naresh, Bappi Lahiri- Bappa Lahiri & Bohemia.
Lyrics: Rajat Arora, Shailender, Kailash Kher, Bohemia
Official Website: CC2C-TheFilm.com

WordPress 2.7 – Initial ‘Bugs’ [Posted via QuickPress]

WordPress 2.7 has been rolled out across all the WP.com blogs and though its too early to start loving/hating the dashboard outlay, I see it still needs some rework.

Few of the anomalies I’ve noticed are:

• ‘Recent Drafts’ section shows the posts’ date as ‘January 1, 1970′ – the UNIX time. Maybe some synchronization issues.

• Once the navigation pane is minimized to just icons (on the left of the dashboard), hovering the mouse on the ‘Home’ icon opens up the dashboard sub-menu. But this doesn’t work within the ‘Blog Surfer’ section!

• The Blue-colored buttons are not rounded and not aligned properly (CSS issue?)

• Try as I might, I can’t move the ‘QuickPress’ box around the dashboard

Now Listening: Slumdog Millionaire, Ghajini & Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

Itz A.R.Rahman all the way! And a wee bit of Salim-Sulaiman. Thatz been the composition of my in-a-loop, listening-every-evening Winamp playlist. I’d love to carry them on my commute but alas, I don’t (yet) have any portable music player to accompany me on my jaunts. The albums in question are:

• Slumdog Millionaire (Miscellaneous | Music: A.R.Rahman)

The only non-movie album of Rahman’s that I’ve listened to was Bombay Dreams which had a heady mix of Bollywood tracks as well but in Slumdog Millionaire, its Rahman in excellent non-filmi form. Out of 13 tracks, only one is a pure filmi number – Aaj ki Raat and that too is by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. The very-brit M.I.A has two tracks – Paper Planes and O Saya and though both good numbers, I prefer the instrumental-y songs that are awesome! Mausam & Escape, Liquid Dance, Riots and Lathika’s Theme are all heavy with music and sprinkled lightly with vocals and are an absolute treat to listen. Gangsta Blues is too rappy for my taste whereas Millionaire is too ‘electric’. Dreams on Fire reminds me very much of Celine Dion’s My Heart will go on from Titanic! Jai Ho and Ringa Ringa stick out like sore thumbs and are the least liked of the lot. Overall, a soundtrack that is pure Rahman and pure music. Take a bow, A.R.Rahman!

• Ghajini (Hindi | Music: A.R.Rahman)

If it wasn’t for it having released prior to Slumdog… and for the fact that I had been listening to it quite often, Ghajini soundtrack would have been er…um…shelved by now! The songs have steadily grown upon me but only two of them – Guzarish and Behka – both sung by relative newcomer/young singers – Javed Ali & Karthik respectively. I fast-forward through Aye Bachchu and listen to Lattoo only if I’m in a good mood. Kaise Mujhe mil  gayi is another good song and its instrumental compares quite well also. Only 5 tracks may seem too less compared to the deluge of 13 in SM but that is in hindsight! Given the choice, I’d pick three tracks from the Hindi version and three from the Tamil/Telugu version and make myself a Ghajini Mix

• Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (Hindi | Music: Salim-Sulaiman)

This one is as filmy as it can get! What else can one expect from Yash Raj productions and Aditya Chopra especially. Though the choice of Salim-Sulaiman for the music is a little doubtful, the duo churn out some good numbers. I find myself humming Hum hain rahi pyaar ke, phir milenge chalte chalte all the time and no, I’m not randomly clubbing three movie names but that actually is one of the track from this movie. Call it a medley or a mix or what-have-you, its lyrics comprise of old and new movie names and also other popular songs and one-liners and music bits. Sonu Nigaam absolutely rocks this one and it shows….absolute fun track. The second favourite is the Punjabi dance number Dance pe chance maar le, a vivacious and groovy track sung even more vivaciously by Labh Jajhua and Sunidhi Chauhan. Tujh mein rab dikhta hai is slow…too slow for my liking. Haule Haule is another feel-good track that I initially disliked but after repeated listens now I kinda like it. Sukhwinder Singh maybe a misfit for Shah Rukh Khan but no one complained for Chaiyya Chiayya no? So why bother here! Overall, a peppy album with no blockbuster songs (which one expects in a Yash Raj movie) but three good numbers.

Movie-watching…in a Bus!

During my recent sojourn to Bengaluru, I happened to watch two Telugu movies on the bus ride. I prefer taking the Volvo buses and they put on some decent movies during the journey. Why I’m explicitly penning down the experiences with these two movies is because whereas the first one kinda rekindled my belief/interest/faith/hope in Telugu movies, the second one nullified it all over! The first one was:

• Aadavari Maatalaku Ardhaale Verule [4/5 | IMDb | Wikipedia | Review]

Starring Venkatesh and Trisha, this one is a feel-good wholesome entertainer movie which was quite good. Ignore the whole system-crash-in-DOS sequence and turn a deaf ear to the farty-comedy scenes and its golden! Though there were no chartbuster songs, the music was quite good. Venkatesh carries the film on his shoulders throughout and his effortless portrayal of a myriad of emotions – anger, comic, cheeky, romantic, preachy, sentimental – is a treat to watch. Trisha looks good throughout. My fav part was the one where Trisha’s younger sister (played by cutie Colours Swathi) develops a crush on Venkatesh…the sequences were too good! Watching this movie made me realize Tollywood wasn’t too bad after all…and that feeling was intact till the return journey, when I happened to watch this:

• Hare Ram [-5/5 | IMDb | Wikipedia | Review]

Starring NTR-clan-boy Kalyan Ram (in a double role that too!), Priyamani (National Award winner) & Sindhu Tolani, this movie is as lame as it can get! Based on a wierd premise – twins, one having a dysfunctional Medulla Oblongata who kills anyone who calls him ‘dumb’, older brother included – it endlessly meanders through sibling separation, sincerity in police duty, serial killings, corrupt politicos, health mafia (!), kiss-ass media, misplaced romanticism and brotherly love before ending bizarrely in courtroom drama! Having more twists than a corkscrew and a pea-brained apology of a script, this one is what defines TRIPE! And it was not as if I could stop watching…I had seat #5, right in front of the TV

Now I shall have to wait for another good flick to reaffirm my faith in Telugu flicks. Any recommendations?

[Repost] In Bengaluru, Unconnected

Am in Bengaluru at Friends’ place but as ill-luck would have it, their wireless internet connection is acting up all crazy whenever we seem to be needing it! When left idle, the signal strength is strong and immediately upon connecting, it drops down to a trickle! And coz of its fickle-mindedness, we are left unconnected from the WWW!

Thankfully, we have the TV PC monitor hooked up to a set-top box and a ‘stolen’ cable connection to ease out the boredom and as I type this, the news is all agog with the Terrorist attacks on Mumbai. Our condolences go out to those affected and curses to the perpetrators

[Edit] I’d drafted this on 28/11 but before I could post it, the damn connexion dwindled off again!