The Voice In My Head…

I really really wanted to see this movie - the whole idea of teleporting is something I’ve fancied for a long time (’Beam me up Scotty’ long!).

The whole teleporting thing is dealt with really well. I loved the way the special effects were done, barring the drive through Japan in the Mercedes (talk about product endorsements), all the other scenes seemed simple and realistic enough. It was nice because a lot of films tend to overdo the special effects, especially sci-fi films whose very premise demands it.

The story however could have been more developed. It’s basically about a boy (Hayden Christensen) who discovers he has the power to teleport himself. A lot of the movie then revolves around him honing his teleporting skills and taking us for a tour around the world. For a travel buff like me, it was fun anyway, but perhaps some of it could have been replaced with some proper storyline on his relationship with his mother (Diane Lane, who has the most ridiculous & disjointed role ever, appearing & disappearing for 2 mins) or his father or even his girlfriend (Rachel Bilson, the OC’s Summer) - yes, it would have been nice to have the dynamic between them explored just a tad bit more.

Jamie Bell plays another ‘jumper’ (that’s what them teleporters are called apparently) in the movie and one finds oneself thinking - ah now, the story’s finally begun. But then an all too short time after, and rather disjointedly, it ends.

All that said, I still recommend you go see this movie. Despite the failings in the plot, it’s a superbly made movie & the whole teleporting thing was enough for me to enjoy it.

In between someone asked, if you could teleport yourself somewhere right now, where would you go? And I thought, no where, I want to finish seeing this movie. That should be testament enough.

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PS: If you’re gonna catch this in a theater (& I recommend you do that for this and for any special effects movie) be warned that you might be subjected to rather brilliant people, the likes who can identify the Sphinx when they see it. Seriously, I am not worthy of sitting alongside such genius.

I am bored with my hair. It’s grown waay too long and though sometimes it looks lovely, sometimes it looks like this:

Which is scary, to say the least. Though my friend Sonal doesn’t think so. She thinks I should keep my hair as it is & come and pose outside her office “to drive in more business”, like a whore-y live advertisement I’m thinking. But I refrain from saying it out aloud.

Sonal is my sister’s childhood friend and as time passed and age gaps seemingly decreased, we too became friends. Recently though, I’ve not been spending too much time with her and hence received the very grave threat: “I’ll demote you from friend back to sister-of-friend status”.

I hence put my life on hold and made time for what turned out to be a great fun lunch with Sonal.

Among other things, we berated the waiting staff (at Dynasty, Santa Cruz) for taking our side plates and giving them to the people at the table next to us (seriously, wt?!). Ok fine, maybe I was the one doing all the berating, but still. We also discussed my hair.

I have recently come up with a brilliant idea and was very excited to share it with Sonal. The conversation that ensued went something like this:

Me: “I’ve decided to shave my head bald and give all my hair to wig makers for chemo patients”.

Sonal, in between snickering: “Stop behaving like Britney Spears”

Me, slightly offended: “Britney shaved her head because she’s psycho. I’m being benevolent here”

Sonal: “What, like Rakhi Sawant giving computers to inmates at Arthur Road Jail?”

Though I am appalled by the people my “friend” chooses to compare me to, I ignore the comment and instead we have a tangential conversation what the inmates at Arthur Road Jail are doing with Rakhi’s computers. Surfing for porn? Running their ‘Dhandas’ via coded email?

We shortly resume original conversation.

Me: “I’m determined to cut my hair. And why cut it half way and lose out on the almost waist length it’s grown to - might as well let someone else enjoy the fruit of my many months of hair harvesting”

Sonal, with tone of weary mother to silly child: “Mell, have you heard of Tirupati?”

I shake my head, no.

“No, one needs your hair. They get enough of it at Tirupati”

“How? What do you mean?”

“Well, women go there and specifically shave their heads as a “mannat” - a sacrifice of sorts for their families etc”

“Mannat!” I exclaim, triumphantly! “That’s exactly what I want to do. I want to sacrifice my hair for a chemo patient.”

Sonal is now shaking her head, not sure she should bother making me understand anymore.

We finish our meal and converse about a million things under the sun before we depart. I am surprised when she leaves me with this parting shot:

“The only ‘Mannat’ you’re familiar with, is the one in Bandra“.

Sigh. Britney, Rakhi & now this. I’m now thinking, I should demote Sonal to friend-of-sister status.

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Meanwhile what do you think I should do with my hair? Perhaps I’ll tabulate your answers & cut my hair or not based on what my loyal blog readers/ commenters say!!

What does one buy, when one has more money than one knows what to do with?

A Porsche Cayenne?

Or (though I never thought I’d say this) even sexier than the Porsche - a Maybach?

Or seriously, why get another car, when you can buy a private jet, possibly the Phenom 300 ?!!!

Ahhhhh!!!

Lots more, answers and ideas to that question at the “Extravaganza” - an entry by invitation only exhibition at the Grand Hyatt Mumbai yesterday & today. Before you wonder, I wasn’t invited, but got the chance to tag along with someone who was.

Other products exhibited included fancy alcohol from world famous distilleries, property, jewelery, designer clothes & shoes - I saw a totally sexy pair of shoes from Marc Cain, Rs. 15,000/-

But seriously, what totally got my fancy, was this - a diamond encrusted iPhone. I had to put on white gloves to inspect the phone closer, and my my my.

(of couse, I’d settle even for the “regular” diamond-less iPhone, but it was so sexy to hold that piece of art in my hands!)

If seeing all that luxury bored you - there was lots of champagne being served - along with chocolates and fancy Hors d’oeuvres - and even a fashion show.

And the people attending the exhibition were as interesting to watch as the exhibition itself. No, I’m not naming any names, but take a look at this sexy Ferrari parked just outside.

I didn’t buy anything, because I couldn’t buy anything, but it was a mind blowing experience. I felt like a kid in a candy shop! And now, having seen for a split second how the other half lives, I step back into my world. Not before giving you all a chance to enjoy it with me too, hope you liked the pics!

My two word review for this film is: “Children’s Movie”

That being said, it was a fun children’s movie and I had a nice overall time. It was mostly silly, funny at times but best of all (for me) there was a very very very nice bod - Matthew McConaughey that is! After excessive movies flashing women, it was refreshing to see a hot sexy man for a change (though I’d personally have liked him so much better had his hair been short).

The movie’s about a sparring couple (Matthew McConaughey & Kate Hudson) who get divorced and then through a series of weird events rekindle their passion to find treasure and finally end up back in each others arms. Oh shush, I didn’t just give away the plot, that much was apparent from the start.

What wasn’t apparent - and which continued to be very confusing throughout the movie - was how exactly they figured out where the treasure was at. It took a good part of the movie (rather long scenes) and I didn’t understand any of it.

The “bad guys” in the film provide the comic relief (though I’m not sure that was the intention!).

Other comic relief - and eye candy for the men (well, there had to be some for them too) came in the petite shape of Alexis Dziena, who I mistakenly thought was Miley Cyrus at the time. Don’t they look similar though?

McConaughey & Hudson make a cute couple & this would have been a good date movie had the relationship been dwelt on a little more than the treasure.

All in all, I think this a movie you can take your kids to (ok there’s one “sex” scene in a library which isn’t really shown, but!) and chances are you’ll all have a good time & go to sleep dreaming of pirates, treasure and lots of glittering gold.

My archive section will tell you that this is my oldest post here.

The truth is though, it wasn’t my first blog post ever. One of the early ones on the Indian blogosphere, I started blogging in May of 2002 at Blog-City.com, my url - melody.blog-city.com

Don’t bother going there, because all you’ll find is this:

This is what happened - I was living away from home in those days in a place with no internet access. I used to write all my blog posts in a word document with the correct dates & then copy paste them whenever I got home in my blog on the corresponding dates.

My “system” was really working for me, until one day, I reached home & omg, my blog - and all my blog posts - completely deleted. To my utter dismay I checked my email and found 3 “notices” that had been sent to me in the past month to update, or lose the blog. Since I hadn’t been home in over a month, I, by default, “lost” my blog - and along with it, over two years worth of entries.

Blog-city turned a pay site and lots of others who were regulars, are no longer around. Added negative: I also lost lots of “friends” - like Leah, a young teacher from the UK, who wrote one of the best blogs I read in those days - Ducksecho.blog-city.com. Why “Duck’s echo” ? Yeah, that was the question I first asked her too, before we became online friends who read each other’s blogs. I do hope she’s out there somewhere still blogging, she really is a fabulously funny writer.

As any serious blogger, who’s ever lost any post for whatever reason will tell you, losing a blog post is like losing a part of you. And losing years worth of posts, is like losing a bit of your life. Most of us, I’m guessing, do not go into our archives and read our old posts. But there’s a certain security in just knowing that they’re there, if ever we do feel like reminiscing. Or if we want to double check a date or a fact or to link to something that we felt/went through a long time ago that has some relevance currently.

Saket Vaidya knows what I’m talking about - he lost three and a half years worth of posts. His controversial posts (any of you remember his preference for North Indian women over their South Indian counterparts?!) that wrecked havoc on the Indian blogosphere, his funny posts (like his preference for small breasts! Viva Kate Moss!) and so much more, all gone. To quote him:

“that psychopath is yours truly, and is deeply pained”

Hardik Shah, a new friend, was telling me just yesteday of his similar woes he faced pre 2004. All he could do, was keep shaking his head and say: “Tcshay”.

Sadly, I’m sure there are many others, perhaps many of you reading this now, who have lost blog posts. I empathize, it is indeed like losing part of our lives.

Then again, it may not be the big deal that I’m making it out to be.

I was quoted by The Economist - am rather psyched right now!!

Read the entire article here: The road to e-democracy (Feb 14th 2008, The Economist print edition)

edit: Thanks Manish Vij, for the shout out @ Ultrabrown

I’ve been bombarded with mails from tons of you asking me when the next blog meet was happening ~ and here it is; the very first Mumbai Blog Meet of 2008:

(click on pic to enlarge)

It’s this Saturday night, Feb 16th, (and it’s free!) so confirm asap with Gaurav here or here.

PS: Have closed comments here, if you have a question, pls check with G (link above).

gps: so how come ur kala ghoda post doesn’t show on the front page?
me: It’s on a separate page
gps: all the wrong ladies…
me: I dont know
I’m thinking maybe I should make a post on the front page & link,
gps: ones who are already committed or too far away
me: because no one seems to be going there!!
gps: u shud.. its a lovely post
me: lol
gps: how wud we go there, if we cant find it?!

I not posting the rest of our chat here, so you’ll have to keep imagining how gps is making out with the ladies, but here’s the link to the Kala Ghoda post

Kala Ghoda Festival 2008 in Pictures!

That’s what it costs us, relatively rich, Mumbaikars for a single night out at an average night club. And that’s not counting how much we spent on dinner before we reached the club. Or number of drinks we had. Or the cost of the clothes we wore. Or the fancy car we gave to the valet.

And then there’s this and this, where parents of young girls are, “Caught in the vicious cycle of poverty, the cash-strapped parents can ill afford to refuse an offer that helps them earn Rs 100 per night”

Rs. 100/- a night. Imagine that.

Here’s me. I want:
A new Video iPod
A new Phone too - preferably the iPhone (yes, loving apple these days)
New Shoes (can never have too much of those)
New Jeans (I can’t seem to get the right shade of basic blue I want)
- not to mention the daily entertainment I crave. I want to go out with my friends; see movies, club, eat, drink & be merry.

And then there’s Moushumi, a 10 year old girl, one of the Bengali girls rescued from Bihar after being locked up, beaten and forced to dance sleazy numbers in front of violent, gun-toting crowds.

Here’s what she says:

“Although they beat us up, they served good food. It was much better than what we get at home”

Because of that, 10 year old Moushumi is willing to risk everything and go back on the stage.

And I, well, I’m not sure what I can do or what I want to do. But I know, I must do something.

The following is a copy of a letter written by the Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Raphael Cheenath, following attacks on people, churches, homes & other properties during Christmas 2007 in Orissa. I am disturbed & do not know how to react. I do know however, that when we speak out about things, chances of things being rectified usually increase. Hence, I am posting the letter here, in it’s totality.

Even as I post it though, I am (sadly) sure that there is bound to be people who will endorse such incidents (”conversion” will probably be the key excuse, as is all it is when there are any attacks on Christians in India regardless whether there is proof or not of conversions actually haven taken place).

I feel that we - Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Parsis, Christians and all others - in democratic India should not tolerate incidents like this.

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Bhubaneswar , Jan 5, 2008: The feast of Christmas, an event of joy and peace turned out to be a tragedy for the people of Kandhamal district in Orissa. Rioters have torched hundreds of churches, institutions and houses. Thousands of people are still stranded in the forests and on streets. Here is a first-hand account of the violence and aftermath that has left minorities especially Christians in fear and anxiety, submitted by Archbishop of Cuttack Raphael Cheenath, SVD.

From Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Raphael Cheenath, SVD

The background of the incident:
The trouble began on 24th December in Bamunigam village, which is close to the police station under Daringibadi Block of Kandhamal District. Around 8 am, a mob of fundamentalists forcefully removed Christmas decorations put up by Ambedkar Baniko Sangho comprising local Christian entrepreneurs as a preparation for Christmas, with due permission from the administration. This was followed by exchange of words between two groups, as the fundamentalists insisted that the people stop Christmas celebrations. Within a few minutes a group of people who were stationed close-by pounced on the members of Ambedkar Baniko Sangho with sticks, swords, guns and other lethal weapons.. During midnight Mass on 24th December, miscreants hurled explosives on Archbishop’s house in Bhubaneswar which though exploded, no damage was done.

Ambulance burnt at Balliguda:

Destruction at Balliguda Carmel Convent:

Homes of Christians in the area that were completely burned (these people are now homeless and without any material possesions):

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