Pehli Baar...lalalalalaaaa

So, this song is stuck in my head.

Its from Dil Dhadakne Do. It has an awesome beat and cool lyrics. What really gets to me about it is,  how can they have the word "tabaahi " in a nice girl-guy upbeat song! . "Laga ki tumse milna tha tabaahi"..Really cool use of the word



Pehli baar tumko maine jab dekha tha
Pehli baar tumko maine jab dekha tha

Sun lo yaar ki maine kya socha tha
Laga ki tumse milna tha tabaahi
Iss dil ko hi samjhaane maine kahaa
Iss raste na jaana kabhi raahi

Yeh tere liye hai hi nahi
 

Dil mera, bol uthaaaaaa, hone do ab job bhi ho,

Darna kyaaaa, bhala bhuraaaaaaa.....


Such a feel good song!  The foot automatically starts tapping to this song. And neck too.

Picturised on the right people.. with total energy!

Good start to the day.

More seriously stupid words

I have put in many posts on words that have come into everyone's vocabulary that I do not like. Not like is a very mild term.

Classic one is "My Bad".. what the heck is that! How can it be "my bad".. my bad what!!!! Even worse is "Ma bad". We are so not rappers.

There is one more word that I hear so much now. Peeps.

It sounds so stupid. Why cant we say people. Peeps is 5 letters and People is 6 letters! Come on. It sounds like poop.

The funny part is, it is not even only the young ones who do this!! Extremely Annoying.

And what is with hashtagging everything!!!

Poor Hashtag used to be used only during conference calls OR to denote a number. Now it is used for everything every single person wants to say!!!

The worst thing is I picked up a book from a library for my 3 year old. It is a series about a bear family (parents and cubs). They are shown in various scenarios - with new neighbours, going to a doc etc. Each storyhas a moral attached to it. The little one really likes it.

 I was astonished at the English used. Is there a word called Grumped, derived from grumpy??. First time I am hearing of it. I hope, all she picks up from these books are the morals and NOT the English!

The decay of English Language. Terrible times!!



 

Solo travel

This topic of solo travel has been making its presence felt in my life. It flows and ebbs as per my moods.

This concept did not exist for me till the last 4-5 yrs. I was happy traveling with people and never occurred to me that I should go anywhere alone.

A few years ago, I was frustrated with work. I used to crib and whine and cry and was the most temperamental person you could meet then. I desperately needed a break. We tried to travel. both of us together but it just couldn't happen. Either I was tied up or he was tied up. Finally he told me.. why don't you go on your own. I must say, I was enthralled with the idea. But finally I could not bring myself to travel alone. My big fear - how will I go to the restaurant and eat on my own!!!! It will be so pathetic. LOL

I almost booked it and backed off.

Then my daughter happened. An for you moms out there, you know what I am saying, when I say I was the most frustrated. I don't know why, people only spoke babies to me. I did not have a life beyond the child. Even when I joined work, I used to work from home. There was no conversation in the house that did not begin with "baby". People constantly advising, fretting, asking, worrying .. I was forever in an annoyed state. That was the second time I thought about solo travel. But again, could not bring myself upto it.

I have travelled alone many times for work but never for leisure. I always wonder how would it be. Will I really enjoy that kind of a vacation. I read about so many people backpacking and just going off somewhere, fulfilling their travel fantasies and I am always envious. But can I do it?

I have never even watched a movie alone. I have had food outside alone and felt awkward. And therefore, I am always with a book. Now of course there is the trusted phone. I have done small walks on my own in different cities to while away time.. browsing books, clothes, doing timepass till that someone keeps the appointment. I cannot for the life of me, imagine what I will do if I travel alone. But it is always there in the back of my mind.

My big fears : exploring on my own. Who the hell do I share it with? That moment, when you see something wonderful and immediately turn around to tell the person with you. And the disappointment of there being no one. The weird strangers. Getting lost in a new place. Making new friends. Sitting alone sipping coffee and wondering what should one do next.

But it is definitely on my things to do.. if I ever get around to doing it. I want to experience it. The heady rush.



 

Jurassic World : not enough crunch

Spoiler alert!

Again, one of many firsts. I left the little one at home with my parents to watch this one.

Not to say I haven't left her before, but that was mostly for work rather than pure entertainment. So we bought the tickets for the late night show. And the entire day passed in excitement.

And to top it all, it was 3D. How much more exciting can it get!

I quite like the Jurassic park franchise. Till now it has delivered. Earlier it was novelty of watching dinosaurs and for the later parts, it was scare factor. The build up to this one, hence was quite high. At least in my mind.

The concept of the story was good. And it could have gone places. But unfortunately it became idiotic in the end.

This new Jurassic World, is a huge amusement park, the creation of one Mr Masrani. They create a dino with dino-non dino genes as the stellar future attraction. Only it turns out to be quite intelligent. And starts eating everything in sight. And there is mayhem everywhere. The dino looks ferocious, has vicious teeth which we keep seeing close quarters. 2 kids lost in the jungle. So far so good. After this it becomes haphazard. Dino chases after kids.. kids jump over waterfall  and escape. All the time we were thinking, will it jump too? Or maybe it will appear on the other side of the waterfall and scare the living daylights out of us. But it just calmly walks away!

And then the movie gets sadder. They get other trained dinos to capture this dino. The large dino should have been the focus of the movie. But suddenly for next 20 mins, it is nowhere to be seen.

The ending is atrocious. You will see a lot of dino fighting. And one T rex emerges as the victor  with some help from a croc like dino! All the humans are just hiding. I actually got bored.

Where is all that mist .... the scary anticipation of the jaw grinding dinosaurs.. It is sad sad sad.

For one, there is not  much 3D. And second, the plot just loses steam midway.

Oh, how I was looking forward to this one. It is one of my favourite creature franchises!!! Much better than the anacondas of the world!!

Now to wait for the next one  :(

 

The books or the TV series : asoiaf

So I read the song of ice and fire series after my good friend, S and fellow blogger, mommie, strongly recommended it to me. This was in 2013. I literally gobbled up the first two books. And then I bought the rest and finished the series in a few months. My mind was whirling with questions and thoughts and I discussed it with Mommie as she was the only person who had read all the books.

Sometime later, it came back to haunt me in the form of this TV series. I am a bit of a snob. Whoever watches the series and doesn't read the book.. They are not really into it, I feel. They take the easy way out of watching a compressed version of the wonderful books. And people in this bracket, except for a couple of people like Scarlett, are not really readers. They claim to read and discuss asoiaf as if it is the most wonderful thing they know about. I love correcting them and telling them to read the damn books! And it kills me when they start a conversation in a room.. Have you seen this show! As if!!! Wannabes, I tell you!!

So I tried watching the show, I saw a few episodes and I couldn't watch it. Maybe because I wanted my visualisation through the book to remain as is.

Now the show is back again.. So much brouhaha on the net regarding the TV series. Over the last few days I have been reading online articles bashing theTV series. And I am loving it. This has rekindled my interest in asoiaf. I think it's time to dust off the book covers and read it again! 

Maybe then I will watch the TV series and criticise it like crazy!! :D 

Dil Dhadkne Do : the end of my sabbatical from movies

If you know the earlier me (pre pregnancy me i.e.), you would know that I used to be a movie buff. More than the movie, I used to love going to the theatre, the entire experience of it, the escape from the routine. I was a "deprived" child, we hardly used to go to the theatre. And when I joined college,  I went crazy. I used to watch anything and everything to make up for 12 yrs!!

Post marriage, the trend continued, with my husband a willing (may have been reluctant) participant.
I used to watch a movie in the theatre every weekend, sometimes 2 movies back to back. I just shied away from watching 3 movies back to back but am sure I would have done that as well if I had a chance.

The last movie that I watched in the theatre was Agnipath. Its been 3+ yrs now. Finally, the drought broke.

 My husband was still thinking - "should we, should we not. Is the baby old enough to watch a movie". I was apprehensive. I had posted many years ago how I used to find people irritating, those who got their crying babies to the theatre. And I did not want to be one of them. So, we have been thinking about taking her to the movies for the last few months. But there was nothing in the recent past we could take her for.

My sister wanted to watch DDD. And her daughter who is 9 gets along very well with mine. My mom also really really wanted to watch this before she goes back to Kerala. She wont get any company there.

So both of them kind of forced our hand and we finally booked the tickets on Friday.

I had already readied N for the theatre for the last few months. She was mainly enticed with popcorn.

We went, she cried during trailers as one of them was quite violent, then we watched. She watched for an hour before she slept off.

And just like that, going to the Movies is not a problem anymore!! Yay!!!!!!!!!


Ok, so for the actual movie.

I really liked it. I enjoyed it. I know there are many reviews on FB which are on the contrary. But I really really liked the movie.  The thing with Zoya Akhtar movies is that a lot of it is reality. When I say reality, I mean what we regular people go through in our life. There will always be something that connects with you.

I remember when I watched Zindagi na milegi dubara, incidentally one of favourite movies that I never miss whenever it airs on TV, I connected with the theme of prioritising. You really need to take a step back and think is this so important to me!!

Scenes from DDD are easily interchangeable with any family. I used to be in Delhi for quite a while and this really happens. The scene that had Rahul Bose saying, we are from such a forward family.. we allow our daughter in law to work! That is so true. It hit the nail on its head. And the societal pressure. We all face it, in some way or the other - from parents, from other elder people in the family, from in laws, from neighbours etc etc etc. I have faced it, have seen others going through it..

"Don't marry outside community, what will people think."
" You are doing economics, its not a subject for girls. You will fail"
"Don't join this field. Take a bank job, best for girls"
"You are married, wear some gold at least - people will say we didn't give you anything"
"You don't have a child even after 6 yrs of marriage. Do you have a problem"


And yakety yak. It really brings to fore so many things that we face in life. And look at us, we are all so educated.

I loved the movie. Anil Kapoor was brilliant. Plane le lo. LOL. I think he and Shefali Shah were the best.

I also liked Ranveer Singh's character. I admit I never liked Ranveer. He is too much in your face, I think. But he has a way of creeping up on you. After DDD, if you ask me this question again, I would say.. ummm, ah.. I don't know. I actually kind of, started liking him now. He gets completely into the spirit of the character I feel.

Others were good too.. Priyanka Chopra, a small cameo by Anushka Sharma and Farhan Akhtar. I liked the dynamics between everyone.. the uncles and aunties galore. Why only North Indian family.. you transplant them in a South Indian setting too, you would find it resonates with them too.

2-3 songs only, all of them good!

The end, everyone felt was abrupt. It finished on a note where you are left wondering - will Farhan and Priyanka get together, will they get arrested, will Ranveer find Anushka.. but then, all of Zoya Akhtar's movies have ended like that. Even for Zindagi, I felt that the first time I watched it. But the more you think about it, the more you feel, it was the perfect end. The best possible. And with DDD too. It ended at the right moment.  Finally, it is all about the family. Work will happen, people will come and go.. family remains.

I am happy after watching Dil Dhadkne Do. You may say I liked it as it has been 3 yrs! But I don't think so. The real test is if I still like it whenever I watch it on TV. And continue to watch it every time it airs.

Next is what?

A lot of crunching and grinding noises ... Jurassic World!!!







 

The great migration

I have been talking about the "shift " to anyone and everyone possible.

So for whosoever is familiar with Bangalore (why am I even saying this, only friends read my blog.. but it feels good to write these things :)), I stay or used to stay, in central Bangalore, close to MG road.

But now due to my daughter starting school tomorrow, we have had to shift to one end of the earth! It is a very crowded end, inhabited by many techie kind of people, a nice place if you continue to stay there and not move to other parts of the city!

So yesterday, with all our bags packed, we moved to my sisters place. Our place isn't ready yet. I didn't even get a chance to say bye.

Daughters school is closeby, husband's office is next door. I am the one who needs to travel all over the city to go for any meeting :(.

Life is tough. Ho hum. I need a break. Once we shift to our house, we have decided we will run away to some place for a quick weekend break - hampi / coorg .. somewhere

Well, on with the new.

 

Mc Australia favourites

I do not remember which season it is, but that's straying away from the point. 

I was telling Scarlett yesterday that I don't have favourites yet.. And suddenly in a day, I Do!!

I really like Billie. You know, quietly confident, does her own thing without all the brouhaha that always accompanies other contestants. I really like her. 

I know many people like Georgia! She is sweet not brash or arrogant about her skills.. . But .. There is always a but.. I am rooting for Billie. She kind of creeps up on you.. Silently working in the background.

And today I thought Jessie could be another contestant I may cheer on!! 

It is such a nice show isn't it! Everyone.. From me, my daughter who is 3, my mom in law who watches vernacular shows, husband who cannot stand most of the stuff we women watch, my mother who is hooked on to Hindi serials.. everyone watches it together at 9.. And everyone has an opinion. It is fantastic, isn't it. Who would have thought, a few years back, food would be the topic of  such an awesome show. 

And this year, they do not even have any Indians on the show... And look at us.. We are still watching!! 

Wayward pines

Have you watched it?

I had been meaning to watch it ever since it started. I was quite intrigued by the TV promos. 

And after I watched the first episode, was hooked. It's eerie. That's the best word I can find in my vocabulary to describe it. 

I have watched 3 episodes.  Can't wait to watch more. I hear there are only 10 episodes to it.. How can that be!!!! 

Apps : still counting

You are what you eat, you are what you wear...

Extended  to places you travel to, house where you stay, contents of your purse (?), contents of your phone, how you write an email, friends you keep etc etc etc

There are so many things that defines one as a person. A peek into ones phone should be able to tell you if a person is like minded, don't you think?

I am a technologically challenged person. I don't understand it. And whatever little I used to try to do on my own has billowed off in puffs of smoke post marriage. I am quite fazed by technology.

In any case, when I started using mobile, I used it just for what it was supposed to do.. Texting and calling. And this even when I got an I phone. 

It's only now that I have started using apps on the phone.

Here is what I carry and currently use on my phone:

Trip ideas - a cute app which has 365 places for 365 days of the year. Though I think this one outdated and I need to remove this!

Tripoto - Picture blogging kind of an app. Recently downloaded, I like their format. And if you like traveling, its a feel good app. You can sit and dream about all the places you can/want to go to.

Cleartrip - my most browsed app! Based on the holiday calendar I got in the beginning of the year, I keep planning various trips.. all in my mind i.e. I find it a good site to get quick info on travel + stay aspects.

GoodReads - sometimes I browse Goodreads for days and days .. in the hunt for new and interesting books to read

Epicurious - It has really nice pictures!!!  I hope to use this one once I get an Oven!!

NDTV cooks - I check Indian recipes on it

Whatsapp - !! Need I say anymore.

Ola cabs - I use this a lot!!! Its so convenient. I was completely taken aback with this app when it launched and now it cannot do without it! It is a boon to people like us in Bangalore - when I think of my auto hunting-fighting days!

Uber - Same with Uber. Till now both have been very easy and have had a good experience attached to  it.

Sky View - This one I really like though I don't use it much. You can point to the sky and it will show planets, stars, constellations etc.

Zomato -  I love checking new places to go to / order from - whether I go or not!

Google maps - I really wonder how I used to function with google maps 10 yrs ago. How in the world did I drive and get to meetings!!! The good old fashioned way of asking for directions, I guess!!

Gaana.com - One of  my favourites. It has replaced radio for me!! Which for me was and still is a real surprise. I love listening to music. And earlier, I use to always play radio right through the night in fact! Now radio is relegated to the car. And Ganaa.com is what I play at home.


FreshMenu - I like checking their everyday menu even though I don't stay in the vicinity of where they deliver. All this is MC influence! :)

Airbnb/ Hotels.com - timepass browsing!

SpaceJourney/ Earth 3D - pictures of planets etc which I love to show to my daughter.

I have so many other apps like daily escape, tarla dalal, Burrp, Houzz (BTW this one is good if you are getting interiors done), twitter, the ecommerce portals, furnishing portals, ebook readers (I tried but couldn't read), some games for my daughter, more travel portals..


You know when I was writing this post, I didn't realise I had so many apps downloaded!! I think I need to de-clutter my phone.

 
And I never thought I would be an "app person". But look at me now. I am wondering how many experiences these apps replace. Like the restaurant finder/review app. Earlier I guess someone used to tell us about these new places, cool hangouts but we would try it for ourself, reject it for ourself. But now you need not do that. Gaana.com like I said has replaced radio for me. I use the phone to check the time, calculator to calculate... what next I wonder!

Sustenance is tough

I am greatly motivated that someone saw that I wrote and chose to comment!!! I had a fleeting memory of the thrill of getting views/ comments on posts. And yesterday I went through some of the stuff to see happy bickering between all of us. It was quite a feel good.


So here I am .. trying hard to write something and post. But nothing comes to mind.

Its funny really. Everytime there is a discussion on any topic or any incident or a viewpoint, I always think it would be good to blog about it and wonder how will everyone else react. I tried to substitute whatsapp for blog/ mail but it really a poor substitute. I am a part of many friends groups on whatsapp.

Some of the promising ones dwindled after a day or two of intense excitement. I tried to introduce interesting topics of discussion (interesting to me anyway), but it all fizzled out. Whatsapp is good talk individually and share forwards and pics and wish multiple people on common holiday.. a la FB.

So here I am again.


 

Taking up from where I left off

It has been a long long time. My last post was in 2013!

Kind of lost the motivation to write. None of my friends are writing. I am hoping I can re-invigorate everyone. That sounds lame in itself. Oh well.

I have no idea what to write about. I am just testing waters so to speak - and checking if any of you say hello!!

Would be interesting to see if my blog topics are as carefree as it used to be earlier.

I wrote 2 lines and my daughter is up and wanting to know what I am upto.

This is so not going to be a success!!

A Song of Ice and Fire

I finished the 5 books finally! A book a month. I tried to read it as slow as possible. Reaaaaaaaaaaaally Really slow. But no matter what pace I read it at, I still cannot match finishing it by 2015!! Thats when the next book releases. :(  And then the last in 2020. I cannot bear it!! I would have forgotten all characters by then. And I don't think I can go through the series again. Even though I loved it. Hrrrrmmmmphhh.

I recommend this series to whosoever I meet. Actually I would like to amend that, not whosoever I meet but people who I feel should read this book and would do justice by enjoying it. I do not recommend it to everyone - there's no point really.

I don't think I can actually do a review or anything like it till I know all of you have read the book. Then we can talk.

Mommie had recommended this series fervently. And I picked up the first two books. It had been lying with me for a month or two before I started reading. I was just feeling very lethargic about starting a series and it looked a very heavy read to me.

But once I started I could not put it down. The minute I finished the first book, the first thing I did was call up Mommie to discuss it. Throughout the conversation, Mommie was like errr, ummm, ahh... I cannot really talk about this... you read the second book and call me!!

I read 2nd.. 3rd.. 4th.. 5th.. and now I find I can talk freely to discuss each of these mammoth books and the 1000 characters!! I am not kidding.

So now you know, I cannot really discuss the books here else it will be full of spoilers. I can say this much.. the story starts and is going on at a pace .. when you think "I know where this is heading"..Let me tell you, REALLY NOT!! And that does not change through the 5 books. At every point in time, you may think, ah now this will happen. And it doesn't!! At times it gets irksome. But it keeps you second guessing every strategy, every move. Interesting, intriguing are too mild a term to define it. It is full of cunning, strategising and what not.

So if you have read it, which one is your favourite character?

Mine has to be Tyrion. I loved the character of Cersei... and yeah, ok, Jamie as well. They make the story awesome. They have character. Without cunning and mischief and intelligence and evil, this would be downright boring.

I wish they show the series again on HBO. This time I will watch it!!!

Long time no see

Its been ages. And no I wont give the I am back, or I promise to write spiel.

I just so happened that I wondered about my blog, blog friends.

So, N celebrated her first birthday amidst my and A's friends!! :) Hosting parties is tough. I, for one, have never hosted a party. Neither has A. So we were terribly worried if people would turn up or not. You see, we had never measured our "clout". Many people had confirmed on the phone.. but you know how it is. On the D Day, A reached the venue early. The next trip was N, me and my dad. The birthday girl had to be there early! But we got late unfortunately and all the way I was fretting, thinking it would be so rude if guests turned up earlier than us!! But nevertheless, when we reached there, I found A and his cousin sitting and twiddling thumbs.

WE HAD ORDERED FOOD FOR 100 PEOPLE AND A 5 BL***Y KG CAKE!!

And there were only 10 of us, all family (including Scarlett, yes, she came for N's birthday!!!). The invitation card read 11.30-3.30 and till 12 not a single person turned up. And N started getting cranky.. this party was getting nowhere near what I thought it would be.

Finally at 12.15, some two people walked in. And then I got a message from my friend saying she is delayed. Phewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. And people started pouring in. Finally. In fact, they kept coming. And I tried to circulate as much as I could but I don't think I spent more than 5 mins with anyone. N was also in a good mood, snatching gifts and envelopes from everyone!! She was pointing at everyones plate and saying mumum (that's what she calls food).

People came in even at 3!! Can you imagine that. We had ordered a 5kg fresh fruit cake - kiwi, oranges, apples, green grapes, red grapes, guava, strawberry, passion fruit etc. It got over in a jiffy. I, at least, got 2 teaspoons, A got none.

Finally the party ended with 98 people having attended (our estimate was superb!) the lunch.

A and I were stumbling, fumbling along the entire planning thing. We have never created invites.. he made one for the first time. We thought we will keep the decorations simple. Simple got equated to nothing by the decorator.. 30 bunches of balloons in a huge space was equal to nothing. And then the board telling people it is N's party!! We were just all over the place with the arrangements.

The cake too didn't have any child appropriate decoration. We ordered an "adult" fresh fruit cake.

I was also confused about return gifts, does one give it or not? What is the protocol? I finally decided against it. And the minute I did that, dad came in saying kids expect a return gift. Of course I took Scarlett for the jaunt!! The entire time we were at the kiddie store, we were oohing and ahhing over kid stuff that none of us never had.  There were these mickey mouse pencils and fruit shaped erasers and bubble blowers and what not... And we picked up some random return gifts. Did I tell you how expensive everything was turning out to be!!!

ps: if you were at the party, please to ignore the above!! 

In any case, finally the much awaited party happened. We gave only half the return gifts. A forgot to give it to his colleagues' children. N got a lot of gifts and was sitting happily among balloons and wrapping paper and cardboard and enjoying herself. All in all, an eventful day, sunshiney, happy day.

The next day we were invited to a birthday party that was at a place called claytopia. Kids could paint and adults could order  from the menu. So cool!! Why didn't we think of it?

Next year, a small birthday party please.

Govinda

I am still on leave.. Alas!! They come to an end. Sob.

So I just finished a book called Govinda. It is written by a lady who goes by the name of Krishna Udayashankar. I have never heard of her before.

It was an impulse buy. I was reading the back flap of this book at a shop when the shopkeeper (obviously the non crossword, non landmark ones who do not have an opinion on anything and just sit there to bill people.. the owners of these small stores actually have an opinion and recommend books) told me that I should try this one out. And I do not usually need much persuasion to buy a book!!!!!!!!!

I did not read it for more than 10 days. It was lying around for a long time waiting to be picked up. The print was small. That is a big put off for me. And I had just finished the "Fallen" series and was still mulling over it. No, I did not like it. And I did not feel like starting another series especially on Krishna. I thought it will be one preachy Krishna story and I just did not feel like wanting to be preached to.

But finally I ran out of all books till I had only this one left. I even thought to order more books from Flipkart just to put off reading this one. Finally I felt guilty enough (of buying this book and not reading it).. so I decided to skip read it. Skip read as in skip paragraphs, chapters in between.

But of course things turned on its head. I quite enjoyed reading this absolutely fast paced non preachy book. YES, NON PREACHY.


It is about Govinda, aka Krishna, yet not about him. It is about the events around the era of Mahabharat. So there is the inevitable Panchali, Bhishma, the 5 Pandavas, the kauravas etc. But, it is so different from what we have seen or read earlier. The focus is not on Mahabharat per se.

There is a dying breed called firewrights - they create weapons. This art was passed on from generation to generation. But now they are a dying breed. They are hunted and killed. Then there are the firstborns (sages like vyasa) - firstborns of the arya race or aryavrat. They and firewrights have always been at loggerheads. And then finally the third set of people..the kings who serve the firstborn.

The books is all about politics. If you enjoy reading politic thrillers, then you must read this. It shows a very different side to that era. There is no good vs evil as portrayed on TV. Everyone falls in the "grey" range. This is what I liked about it. No one is shown to be right or wrong. Everyone is shown to be political, as it should be among the rulers. Like Suyodhan (i.e. Duryodhan) was always a big "NO" for all of us. This book showcases him in a different light. A positive person who Dharma (Yudhister) always falls back on. Or the fact that it is Panchali who rules the kingdom, who deals with all adminstrative work etc and not Dharma. These are of course the side tracks the book veers off to and form an important though small part of the bigger picture.


Yup. A truly enjoyable read. Worth a buy.


 

Percy Jackson, Kane Chronicles

I have heard often enough from people , "but these are children's books". Of course it doesn't help that my nephew who is in the 9th std also reads them. Percy Jackson is his hero I guess. The super cool demi god with powers. I would have loved him too.. when I was in 9th std.

Percy Jackson is a demi god i.e. the son of a greek god and a mortal. Percy is Poiseidon's (god of sea) son and then you have various characters who's parentage includes Zeus (god of skies), Athena (god of wisdom), Ares (god of war), Hades (god of the underworld) etc. They embark on various quests which involve fighting demons, Medusa etc with the ultimate objective of defeating the Earth Goddess Gaia. There is this prophecy you see ..of course.. all these books have to have a prophecy. Have you read any fantasy book that doesn't.. in answer to my own question, I think Golden Compass does not have a prophecy. No, wait, I think it does. So the prophecy is of 7 demi gods defeating the ultimate enemy by uniting with the gods. The "heroes" series is the extension of Percy Jackson series.

Similar to this one is Kane Chronicles which has two central chracters Carter and Sadie, a brother sister duo. They are the last bloodline of pharaohs and born into magic. Here again, many Egyptian gods make an appearance - Horus (god of war), Isis (god of magic), Seth (God of evil), Ra (God of sun), Osiris (god of dead),God of chaos Apophis. And then there are various interesting gods :

God of crocodiles - Sobek
God of knowledge - Thoth who wears a labcoat and looks dissheveled
God of Baboons (they apparently serve Thoth) - Babi who is a giant Baboon
God of Vultures - Nekhbet
God of river Nile - Hapi who is perpetually Happy
God of Dwarfs - Bes
God of Cats - Bast
God of Scorpions - Serquet
etc etc etc. .

Which interesting god would you want to see?
In between these gods, there is a house of life i.e. the magicians.The entire series is about defeating chaos.

Why I like these -

a) I am very interested in mythology. Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Indian.. anything and everything. Which is why I like the angel books too!! 
Gods flit in and out throughout both the series. How cool is that! I mean what more could I ask for!! What I love is the portrayal of these gods. The personality traits are cleverly defined. In the Percy Jackson series, each of these gods almost have a human avtaar. For eg, Dionysis, the wine god, has a punishment posting to look after a demi god camp. Ares, the war god, rides a bike, wears sunglasses etc. None of them are perfect , some have a huge ego, some are prone to anger, some to laziness. It is  really interesting to see the human rendition of these gods.

In Kane chronicles, whilst they dont have a human persona, they can take human form by finding a human / animal host. They are quirky - I find myself unable to define them without repeating what I explained for the Percy Jackson series.I am sure you get the drift.

b)  I quite like Rick Riordan's easy writing style. It is humourous and a very everyday language that you can identify with. Kane Chronicles is a narrative by the brother-sister pair. I do not remember how the other one was now.

c) The characters are etched very well. Well, not as well as Harry Potter (just because it is my first love.. of course) but still. The initial jitteriness, the sense of awe  the confidence building stage to defeating the enemy. It flows easily. And the best part is each character is unique (why do I feel I am repeating what I liked about Potter.. Did you know some guy has written the extension series to Harry Potter.. more about that in the end of this post.) They have their own fears, their own sense of disappointment, excitement. And they are quite normal.. They are shy of the opposite sex, they keep embarassing themselves.. Yeah very similar to HP characters in that sense!!!

d)  Magic and Power entice me. These books are full of both!! It helps me escape the regular hum drum of life.

I think I should write another post on why I like Fantasy books.

e) Everytime I pick up the first book in a series, I hope I will enjoy it. There's nothing better than waiting for the sequel to a book you like!! And Rick Riordan does not disappoint.


I am becoming absent minded these days. Rajesh Khanna's demise put this post right out of my head. I cannot remember how I planned to end it. In any case I hope I am helping you,a little bit, to make up your mind about the so called "kiddie" books.

Rajesh Khanna

I cannot claim to have watched his movies. I used to constantly question my mom and my grandma.. why did you watch his movies. I don't think I ever got an answer except well he was Rajesh Khanna.

Yesterday grandma and mom were recalling the yesteryears - grandma remembered that they always used to run to the theatre to watch all his movies. She remembers going to watch Aradhana particularly. The crowd, the frenzy. They were trying to describe to me the craze around Rajesh Khanna. Many girls apparently tried to commit suicide when he got married. In my mom's school, girls would keep his picture below their pillow when they would go to sleep. They would cold compress his brow (in the picture) if he had fever in real.. and such!!!

A superstar my grandma says. She cannot describe why. Some people are just that.

A sad day yesterday.


Update : I have 351 friends on FB of which about 30% are very active. People write about everyone and everything!!! But there are only 3 updates on Rajesh Khanna. Its weird.

I recently read..

I re-discovered flipkart and found a new site called goodreads.com. I keep checking these sites for new books, I read reviews, I look at lists enticingly called Cant' wait books for 2012!!

So here's what I have read recently :
 The Hush Hush (not a trilogy, what do you call a series of 4 books?) series : Becca Fitzpatrick

The fourth book is yet to release. The main protagonist Nora falls for a dark broody character aptly named Patch. He is a fallen angel. WAIT! Before you think this sounds likes Bella and Edward, let me assure you it is not absolutely not like Twilight. It is an interesting book. I am not sure if I love it. But it is interesting and definitely not weird (unlike the Twilight series). I couldn't put the book down one instant! I had read the first two books much earlier when I accidently ran into Silence. Of course I re-read part 1 and 2 before starting on the third.

My take : its a good read. Please to buy!!

I 've got your number : Sophie Kinsella

Its a cute book like all other Sophie Kinsella books. A guy loses his mobile number which a girl picks up. And she starts intervening in his life - personal and work. A nice breezy read.

The Rozabal line : Ashwin Sanghi

 I had very high hopes from this book as I had loved Chanakya's chant. That was a racy book from the start to the finish. This book has a nice concept - it is based on the theory that Jesus traveled to India. While the historical plot is fascinating, the story keeps jumping time frames and locations. It was a bit tedious to read.

The Kane Chronicles : Rick Riordan

I absolutely love the writing style of Rick Riordan. For those of you who are not aware, he wrote the Percy Jackson series. And no it is not childish. It is delightful. I like the idea of Greek / Roman gods. It is like escaping into another realm altogether. The portrayal of each god with the characteristics that define them was phenomenal. It is because of this series that I picked up the Kane chronicles. And I was not disappointed at all.

The two key characters are Carter and Sadie Kane. They are a brother - sister duo.The entire book is written in first person. And this series has Egyptian gods. The two children are the descendants of pharaohs and and hence are born into magic. They have spirits of Horus (the war god) and Isis (I forget what she was) residing in them. It is a lovely read.

Worth a buy if you like fantasy!!

The books in waiting that I want to read right now!!!

I have already read Angelology. It is a super duper book. Waiting for the sequel Angelopolis now.

Others am contemplating to read : Fyre(Angie Sage), Insurgent (Veronica Roth - Good reads has a good rating for this one), Krishna (Ashwin Sanghi), The mortal instruments (Cassandra Clare - Good reads again)

I haven't added Fifty shades of grey. Reviews are frightening.. MB like books!!

What are you reading right now? What are you eagerly waiting for? Do you all have any additions to my list?

 Update: I just realised all seem to be fantasy books!!! And most of them series. I love series actually.. I like the anticipation of waiting for something familiar that I loved previously.

Shifting loyalties

I must say this one thing about myself, I am one of the most loyal persons you could meet on this planet. Loyal to what I like.. no matter how much they deteriorate.. old fading celebrities, over crowded cities..

And it pains me immensely to acknowledge the fact that I am "over" something I have liked for ages OR more likely associated with something wonderful over the years.

As you can guess, one such thing has just made its way to my mind yesterday. I had put a post on this too! :((

I am talking about Outlook Traveler, the magazine. I started subscribing to it in 2006, immediately after I got married...you know, the freedom that comes with marriage got me to subscribe to it. I don't mean to say I was confined when I was staying with my parents - but you know you are answerable for whatever you do in terms of spending money.

And So, I fell in love with my new found freedom aka outlook traveler. It also I guess denoted to me the freedom to plan a trip to some far out place without having to take any permission :) .. of course taking permission from my parents was the easiest thing.. I traveled to Malaysia on my own, Shimla, Nainital, Goa with friends..of course I took all the liberties possible "under their guardianship".. lol. But I digress.

Am sure even though am sounding unintelligible, some of you understand what I am saying!

Its been 6 years since I have been reading Outlook Traveler. I used to absolutely love its editor, Kai Friese. Earlier, he would not ever appear in the magazine. And then one fine day, they published his silhouette and then his face. Damn cute the guy was!! The blow came when he left the magazine. The zing was missing. And then Lonely Planet launched its magazine edition in India.

Ooooooooooooohhhhhhhh. It was NICE.

It became much easier and nicer and friendlier to read. It has nice sections - pictures by readers, 5 easy trips, some main theme, 10 things to do in a new city... I just found it more engaging!!

But I cannot be disloyal to my magazine. So now I order both. Of course, the top lists theme I find to be much better in OT. Even the "ask marco polo" is a better section.

But still I am sad (even though am ordering both). I must not let go of old loyals, favourites.

I think somewhere I have forgotten the entire point of this post . Never mind!!!

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I feel like taking off on a trip. Someone went to Alaska and has posted pictures on FB. Hrrrmmmphhhh.

MC Australia Favourites

Already!!! Well, it is a work in progress list. I am sure as the series progresses, I will weed out more names, add some, rethink on others. But in the meanwhile, this is my first list.

I like : Andy, Ben, Kylie and Tregan and now, the quietly confident Mindy.

I definitely do not like : Kevin -Thank god he is out!! Could not stand his over exhuberant personality!! What an ass - entire credit to himself for getting kicked out of the competition.

Alice - Over confidence will fail her for sure!!!! At least I hope it does. With her giant specs, the over confident fashionista.

Mario - He just talks too much.

Who are your favourites?