A really loooong weekend

Not because I got Friday or Monday off. Oh no, it was a long weekend because it seemed to stretch on forever. The reason: Christmas in Harmony 2006. For those who don't know what that is (which is pretty much everyone who reads this blog), it was the Christmas concert that the youth of my church organised. We started it last year mainly to collect funds but since it went off well, we decided to make it a yearly event. This year since most of the paraphrenalia such as sounds and chairs and stuff was already with us, we had a lot more work to do to set up the whole thing. Boy, time seemed to race by and crawl at the same time. But it was worth it. Event though rain threated to disrupt the show, it soon passed and the concert went off smoothly after that. It was pretty well-received and though the crowd dwindled considerably towards the end, there was a definite feeling of satisfaction (not to mention overwhelming relief) when it was all over.

Work wise, well, not much happening. Things are slowing down now as we approach Christmas and will probably pick up again in January. Nothing further on the car front either, but Dad is here now so we should be able to sit down and decide on something soon. Will keep you posted on that.

Chow for now.

Arul.

The Beach

Don't worry, I don't mean the Leo DiCaprio movie of that name. This refers to a nice place on 100 foot Road, Indiranagar, that I happened to visit last week. With waiters dressed in hula shirts and straw hats, to the drinks menu pasted on bamboo, the theme pervades it completely. Though parking is a problem, the experience makes up for it. Though not as expensive as a TGIF it is still pricey and not the kind of place to go to every week. But if you want a place where you can relax, and talk without the music blowing your eardrums off, this is definitely the place to check out.

My trip to the Philippines has been moved (again) to January. But since that trip will be to attend a sort of conference which would definitely increase the company's (and my) visibility in that part of the world, I'm definitely looking forward to it. Will keep you posted on how things go.

Chow for now.

Arul.

(There and) Back again

It's been days, nay months, nay... oh, who cares anyway? I've been gone for a long long time. I don't think there's any point in me apologising for that since I tend to do this so often. But I'm back, baby, and... well, I'm back.

Several things have happened since I went AWOL. Peter left to work in Dubai (so secretively, as if the Mafia were after him, and his only hope of survival was to not inform his friends who might betray him). But he is doing well there so, cheers Pete, have a ball there.

Allen is now in Malaysia and by the looks of it, he may be there a while. Good for you too, dude, and maybe we can catch up if I happen to come by sometime (on one of my "trips", that have never materialised so far).

And me, well, I've been busy but nothing much has happened for me. Travelling a bit to Mumbai and back but not much else. Also involved in organising a Christmas concert with the youth of the church I attend. And I'm on the lookout for a car. After two years of driving two-wheelers in the dust and grime of Bangalore, I am finally ready to graduate to a four-wheeler. But which one; I'll keep you posted on that.

And for all those who like their action with some story attached to it, catch Casino Royale. It does take some time to adjust to the continuity as this is the first book of the series that has only now been officially adapted to the silver screen. Bond isn't quite as suave and sophisticated as we know, rather he's hot-headed, impulsive and arrogant. But he learns over the course of the movie and by the end he is definitely turning into the character we all know and love. Good to watch; Daniel Craig puts in a solid performance as the famous double-o agent just learning the ropes and the supporting cast are also quite good.

Chow for now.

Arul.

You're going...no, hang on...yes, you are...no, you're not...AAARGGHH

The last few weeks have been frustating, to say the least, because of the uncertainty over whether I'm going to Manila or not. It's been blow-hot-blow-cold, all the while, so now I've just given up thinking about it. It'll happen when it has to. Allen, apparently, has been going through much the same experience and has come to a similar philosophical realization. The strange thing is, though, that some of my friends thought I'd already gone there and returned. Weird.

And in the middle of it all, my laptop had a fit of the vapours, nearly resulting in me having heart failure. Luckily, it was a minor fault and it's A-okay now.

Peter (the little orc) is off to Dubai now that he's got a job there. He had vanished for a while but has resurfaced, apparently, still in Bangalore.

Also, I'd like to wish all those who celebrated Onam day before yesterday, and those who will be celebrating St. Mary's Feast tomorrow. Pray for me, dudes.

Chow for now.

Arul.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Sinking of the Black Pearl?

After much anticipation, and several failed attempts, Allen and I finally managed to watch Pirates 2. The verdict; watch it once if you're a die-hard Depp fan or a Pirates fan. And prepare to be disappointed.

The sequel moves away from everything that made "Curse of the Black Pearl" so good. The humour is limited and for some unknown reason, Gore Verbinski had added more slapstick rather than the quirky and witty humour that made Pirates 1 such a success. I won't go into more detail, suffice to say, that several scenes would be better suited to a Disney cartoon than a live action movie.

Worse, Depp's screen time is drastically reduced, and yet, it is his performance that saves this movie. Perhaps the director wanted to devote more time to Will and Elizabeth, but in doing so he has sacrificed the main draw of the film.

The CGI is ok, though some can argue that is was overused, and I would find it hard to disagree. The film does have its moments, but they're too few and far between.

All in all, if you can forget that Pirates 1 was ever made, and view this movie as a prequel to Pirates 3, then the disappointment may diminish. But if you're looking for a swash-buckling sequel, then this may not be your cup of tea (or bottle of rum).

Chow for now,

Arul.

Gone to the Great Gig in the Sky

Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (06/01/1946 - 07/07/2006)

Syd Barrett was one of the founding members of the progressive/psychedelic rock band, Pink Floyd, which is one of my trio of favourite bands. A innovative but troubled song-writer and guitarist, he provided most of the material for the acclaimed Pink Floyd debut album "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" and also experimented with several musical possibilities with his guitar. He was believed to have suffered from mental illness possibly brought on by drug use. This badly affected his guitar playing and his live performances, and he lasted just three years in Pink Floyd (1965-68), before the rest of the band decided to cut him loose. He did attempt a solo career but that too was short-lived and he finally bid the music industry adieu in 1972, after just 8 years in it. He has, however, been a big influence for several solo artists and bands who have covered several of his songs. As for me, just the fact that he was the driving force behind Pink Floyd is enough to make him a hero.

Rest in Peace.

Football Frenzy

It's interesting to note that out of every four years, for three years and eleven months, all of India will only talk about cricket. But for that one month, every four years, they will talk only about football. Yup, the World Cup has come and gone, and unfortunately, it will most likely be remembered for all the wrong reasons. The 20 cards handed out during the Portugal vs. Netherlands match, the rather strange refereeing, and most infamous of all, Zidane head-butting Materazzi and getting red-carded just nine minutes from retirement. All part of the drama that is the football World Cup, I suppose. And in the middle of all that, Italy quietly put in enough good performances to earn the trophy.

Now that that's over, it's time to move back to cricket; only there is no cricket right now to move back to. On the F1 front however, Schumacher and Ferrari are catching up to Alonso and Renault. Strong performances in the next eight races might just see them pip the Spaniard and the French team to the post.

On a personal front, well, there isn't much happening. Pretty much the usual, but there might be some interesting happenings in the days to come. I'll let you know as things develop.

Chow for now.

Arul.

Boys Toys

So I finally decided to splurge on a gift for myself on my 25th birthday. And splurge I did, picking up the Motorazr V3i worth Rs. 12,000. Cool phone, check out the pic below.

Awesome huh, and mine is black. Only problem is that its operation is slightly difficult as the cancel and select keys are opposite to their positions on other phones. But on the whole, a great buy; leaving a great hole in my bank balance.

That didn't stop me from catching up with X-Men:The Last Stand. An ok movie, with lots of special effects of course, but with the passing of some of the key characters, it becomes a little weak. However, they seem to have left the ending open; wonder if they are planning another movie after this.

That's about it.

Chow for now.

Arul.

Searching for those wasted years

"So understand
Dont waste your time always
Searching for those wasted years
Face up... make your stand
And realise you're living in the golden years"

- "Wasted Years", Iron Maiden


Another birthday come and gone, now I'm 25. No different from when I was 24, except probably that I'm fatter, and now have a job. But it's been a good birthday, and most of my friends remembered it. Even Roshan all the way from Dubai. So maybe we are living in the golden years after all.

Cheers for actually getting to the quarter century (highly unlikely that I'll make it to 50).

Chow for now.

Arul.

Hobbiton or Rivendell

For all those LOTR fans out there you can check out this site. It tells you what your name would translate to, in Elvish or Hobbitish(?). I know that its the same names being used in rotation but its fun to try. The site names are: -

http://www.chriswetherell.com/hobbit/

http://www.chriswetherell.com/elf/

And what am I? Well in the language of the hobbits my name translates to Popo Bulge (well duh!) of Hobbiton. However my elf name is pretty cool, it's Huor Arcamanel. Definitely Rivendell for me.

Chow for now.

Arul.

Birthdays galore

It's been a time of birthdays this April with quite a few people celebrating theirs in this month. Started off with Benett on the 14th then onto Gowda on the 19th and then ending up with the Little Rock (Orc?) on the 24th. Apparently the Orc's also caught a bit of a cold so he's battling that.

It would appear that Peter shares his birthday with a couple of famous people, at least here in India. One is Dr. Rajkumar, who passed away recently (and the resulting riots caused 8 more people to join him on the way to heaven). The other is Sachin Tendulkar, who's sitting out due to some injury, and whom the Indian team seems to be doing quite well without. Still, hope to see him back in action soon.

Moving to F1, what an amazing race at Imola last weekend. Schumacher holding off Alonso for more than 30 laps was just pure class. Looks like Ferrari is back but we'll have to wait and see. Till then the tifosi can continue to celebrate.


That's all for the moment.

Chow for now.

Arul.

Resurfacing after a looooooong time

Its been a while... no, let me rephrase that, it has been ages since I last posted. Unforgivable really, but in my defence I did try a couple of times but the site was down for a while.

So what's been going on with me? Just a quick 3 day trip to Singapore at the end of the last month. Unfortunately didn't get to do much there but did get to go to some places. Had quite a bit of beer there, man it's humid in Singapore. And a beer is just what you need at the end of the day. Food is also pretty good there. Overall had a pretty good time even in the tight schedule there. And I picked up a camera, a Nikon Coolpix L4. Its pretty neat, will post some snaps of Singapore next time.

Been pretty hectic of late, especially the last week what with getting home after 12 everyday. But things are slightly more relaxed now and hopefully I'll post again soon.

Chow for now.

Arul.

Valentine's day again

I'm back in Bangalore after my vacation and really sorry that I didn't post till now. All that I found in my travels to Jamshedpur and Bokaro were dial-ups so there was no chance of posting. It's good to be back in Bangalore.

Another valentine's day has arrived and will go just as quietly for me as I have no valentines and never have had and probably never will too. My friend Purva will probably remember my scathing diatribe on the stupidity of valentine's day and I stand by what I said then. Don't ask me what I said cuz I don't remember, but I stand by it.

Thats pretty much it for the time being.

Chow for now.

Arul.

Aahhh... vacation time

So finally its almost time for me to take off for my vacation. Unfortunately due to a slight change of plans, will be leaving tomorrow instead of today. But thats alright as long as I am taking off for a couple of weeks.

Also had a major programme in church yesterday for which we had practiced every day of this week. And so what happened? We screwed up, not big time, but big enough to be going on with. But it was ok on the whole.

Peter is back from his trip from Manila and had much to say about the beauty of the place (or was it, the beauties in the place). Be as that may, its good to have him back here although apparently he may have to go back there soon. Good for you, dude.

Chow for now.

Arul.

Manila Ho

So sorry for not posting for such a long time. Truth be told, nothing really exciting has been happening with me for the last couple of weeks which is why I haven't been posting. Now there is something to post about.

Good friend, Peter Paul Crasta, a.ka. the Little Rock, is heading out to Manila today for a week-long training programme, as in, he's conducting the training. Have a good journey, dude, and be safe there. I'm sure there'll be lots of stories when you get back.

Another good friend, Allen Pais, who was in Malaysia for the last one year has now taken up a job in Bangalore. Good to have you back, dude.

Well, I've been talking about everyone else so what about me? Nothing much really, will be heading over to Jamshedpur for a wedding at the end of this month but nothing else besides that. Just an Average Joe. But what's the harm in that?

Chow for now.

Arul.