Terrified. Mortified. Petrified. Stupefied.

system reboot strongly advised
(also The King should be in town and Mom-sis are leaving for a Dubai wedding this saturday)

Will go to class tomorrow, even though I've been mainly playing electric since watching Johnny Cash (and Nikhil was right, the black Fender seems like an small easy toy after working on my classical). Bought a neat guitar stand too - Mr. Fender sits straight up by my bed, all night long.

Got accosted by a pimp on Sunday.
My name's Ramu. You don't want? Why?!!! You don't want a look?? Why??!!! Take phone number atleast - you don't have to call. No???? Whyyyyy... Ramu. Ramu. Remember, and ask for me.

here we go again

friday night, last local.
5:30am, login from home.
9am, dinner-cum-breakfast.
11am, office office.

better late

I brought in Navroz sweets to office today (as I'd then got the jacket for Shome). One assorted box for each of our three rooms - badam barfee, chocolate barfee, kaju katli and mawaa. We really aren't a bad sort, we're just lazy.. and that is all.

Cancelled my friday class for the second time yet. I could've worked hard and made the cut, but I've started on 'The Great Gatsby', and it's something I'd been wanting to read since a long time.

"It made no difference to me. Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame too deeply - I was casually sorry, and then I forgot." - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Navroz Mubarak!

Finished reading Steinbeck's 'The Moon is Down' (while waiting for the ticket cancellation/rebooking - dad came and relieved me at eleven - the line was even longer than yesterday).

"Your eyes in their deep heavens
possess me and will not depart;
a sea of blue thoughts rushing
and pouring over my heart."

(may not be exact, I've returned the book)

So it's finally out!!

yes, I hadn't been reading - just found the post.

All the best you two!!

marlboro gays

the contrast is the key to the drama here...2 macho men, straight from the hoardings of marlboro fall for each other, one summer in the locales of brokeback mountain. the movie spans some 20 years of their lives wherein they are trying to balance their respective family lives and the relationship between them. breathtaking visuals, minimal use of beautiful music and understated performance of heath ledger makes it a good viewing

being a straight man i couldnt empathise with the situation but having been in love a few times, could identify with the emotions involved. a slow pace, repititions of the same situation and a lack of universal appeal are some of the negatives in this oscar frontrunner.

worth one viewing for all movie buffs

- the other bojangles

first poem of our own jerry bear

She sits her head held high,
Doesnt care for my forlorn sigh.
And me, the fool's fool,
Keeps on loving her as a rule.

O! Shall I never caress,
the skin where her auburn hair does recess,
Or feel the heat,
When with her, my chafed lips do meet.

Oh God! my hands are raised in prayer.
Give me life or send me my slayer.
How long should I withhold my encore,
Must I always stand on a deserted shore?

- Shamik

The Peter Sellers version

It's been a hard day's night,
and I've been working, like a dog.

story of sayuri

from the desktop of the 'other' bojangles:

for those of you who have seen the kamaal amrohi epic 'pakeezah', memoirs of a geisha will come as a hollywood rendition of it. an underdog goes on to become the most happening geisha in the town and in the end gets united with her childhood love. loads of plot twists like, a bitchy rival, a dedicated trainer and wwII happen in between. the high points are mindblowing cinematography of the oriental and moving background score by none other than john williams . all in all a visual/musical delight.

i havent read the book to comment on the quality of adaptation but 'time has told us' that the latter is usually weaker.

ps: sayuri is her 'geisha' name.

craaaash!

from the desktop of the other bojangles:

many plots, 2 days, 1 city and racism in US...that in a nutshell is the plot of this multiple oscar nominee. the execution, remindful of previously seen smart flicks like magnolia & traffic lays bare the deeply embedded racism prevalant in the US society. some great acting specially by don cheedle & matt dillon and a brilliant background score makes this movie a must see!

though the nation keeps bragging about the egalitarian, humanitarian society that they have, the reality is that something like racism is still very much around. but its only a country like US where you can talk about it so openly!

..anything

you say
or do
can and will be used
against you.

But I finished!!

All of 21.097km!!! (these spirit fellows don't know a thing)
It took me 2 hours and 40 minutes - knee gave way when there were about 3kms left, so I had to slowly walk to complete.. now for 2007.

Straight from the horses ear:
'Milind Soman! Milind Soman!!' (he overtook me twice!)

'Dude we have to be smart - see that guy with the frizzy hair with that short chick. They sprint for a while and then walk - yet they catch up with us every time.'
'Keep running or I'll tell Shivani you wanted to walk behind a babe.'

'prrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Excuse me.. sorry..'

frizzy haired guy to short chick, 'I was..'
short chick, 'shut up!'
(when I crossed them half an hour later)
frizzy haired guy to short chick, 'I..'
short chick, 'just shut up!!'

'Abhi nahi, race ke baad mein donate karo!' (the organ donator cheering group - and there were lots of cheering groups in all sizes)

'Aunty, aap ko toh fashion-show mein hona chahiye.'

'Abhi toh ho jayega. Aate waqt kaise hoga!' (DHL guy on running up the peddar road bridge)

When we started out at 7, the full moon was still up over the sea..
and there was a navy brass band playing really well - the guys actually used sheet music!
and there were lots of these small yachts with uniform light blue sails..
and for a long long while I ran with a big white baloon having a UV water purifier ad - till I gave it to a street kid at Haji Ali..
and the Mousey did the 7km dream run - even with her terrible cough that kept her up most of the night..
and the dream run looked a Carnival - there were kathakali dancers, people in all sorts of costumes with things on their heads, even a Yamraj (with two guys dressed as skeletons) doing an anti-tobacco campaign!!

Mumbai rocks!
(The Bombay festival has begun - trilok gurtu playing tonight by the gateway - but the knee demands his rest)

Another brand new day!!

So there I was, coming back up after my jog, thinking how I no longer have time to watch the VH1 classic hour, that apart for being able to read very simple pieces I have nothing to show for my 7 months of practice, that something's really wrong with today's education-career thing..

Got home and slid open the drawing room window.

Pre-dawn skies, the calm sea, the sweet morning breeze.. mom leaving for her morning class saying she'd left me some tea (and that sugar was added twice by mistake).. the mouse still in hibernation (and she's better now) - who was I kidding?!!!

'No need to run and hide
it's a wonderful, wonderful life.' - Wonderful wonderful life (Black)

last working day of the year!

Straight from the mouse's mouth:
when car's there - "Here's the car, now where are the keys?"
when car's towed - "Here are the keys, now where is the car?!"

Ran 7km this morning. If my knee holds, I think I can go on and on.

bub bye 2005

Had my last class of the year (and I played on his Fender nylon string!!)

'What's this symbol?'
'That's a breve.'
'A breve??! Never heard of that..'
'Come on, if there's a semibreve, there had to be a breve!'

(also got formally introduced to mr. hemi-demi-semi-quaver)