Just one LIVE Concert .... Please

I so want to attend a concert..... LIVE. To be a part of a mass of MAD crowd, shrieking in excitement and joy, banging theire heads in unison..... the brief period of time when you forget everything and soak the present moment...

I am sick n tired of watching the videos of concerts...its high time I actually attend one, a nice high profile performer...

And its all bcoz nothing seems to happen in Calcutta.... where Rock n Roll is a reasonable part of general culture..

The whole thing started with Deep Purple coming to India....Then Came Roger Walters to Mumbai. This one particularly frustrated me, coz I am a huge Floyd fan, and there is a very slim chance that Roger Walters will be coming to India again, or that I'll be somewhere in the world at the same time when he performs there....

He was followed by Iron Maiden. Another Hard Rock legend, and I couldn't be there....
Then came the female singers....Nelly Furtado, followed by Shakira. But that's OK, I don't listen to them anyway.

But the hardest blow was the most recent one, Aerosmith in Bangalore on 2nd June 2007. I love Aerosmith. And my friends from allover India were going to Bangalore for the concert....And for the first time since I've been in my job, I was in a position to go...... But, destiny had something else in store for me...I had to go home.

I've attended few concerts in Calcutta..... I went to a show of Indian Ocean, in some college fest... And then there were few bands performing for "Campus Rock idol".
But the pain is bearable as of now. Hope there are better things to come.....

I hear rumours of Linkin Park coming to India.... well, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Wear Sunscreen

I haven't heard such a song in a long long time.....

Wear Sunscreen or Sunscreen Speech are the common names of an essay actually called "Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young" written by Mary Schmich and published in the Chicago Tribune as a column in 1997.
The most popular and well-known form of the essay is the successful music single released in 1999, accredited to Baz Luhrmann.

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THE SONG LYRICS

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’99 If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.

The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience…I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked….You’re not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle uesday.
Do one thing everyday that scares you
Sing
Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss
Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.

Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch
Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.
Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.
Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children,maybe you won’t,

maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…

what ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.

Enjoy your body, use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own..

Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen…
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Quote:

We should not forget Morality, after all its one letter short of Mortality.

MONEY

All I have ever heard about money from people is that it is a necessary evil. Its not good, but you cant make without it. They will speak of idiotic things, perpetuating irrevocable arguments, just to say that money is basically bad. They portray poor people as pure and virtuous, and rich people as heartless blood suckers. Societal perceptions are carried forward by masses; the perception pulling down the money makers has been perpetuated by the non-achievers who hate themselves. But everyone knows the truth, and they're not strong enough to admit it. They try to shy away from their inability to make money by damning those who can make it. They prefer to damn money and live in their own mirage....

They say money is not important.
I say it is the most important thing in the world. Your chances of meaningful survival don’t stand a chance in the absence of money.

They say money is not everything.
I say money is almost everything. Money is like a sixth sense - and you can't make use of the other five without it. One of the most ridiculous arguments I've heard, "What if you are permanently crippled, with both hands and both legs severed. Can money prevent that?" They speak as if the loss which money can’t prevent won’t occur if you don’t have money. Pure 100% Bullshit.

They say money is evil.
People have forgotten that there is nothing pure than hard earned honest money. Money is not evil. The actions which people take to make money make it evil. That creates BAD money. As Billy Graham said, “If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life.”

They say money brings trouble and unhappiness.
I say money prevents unhappiness and brings pleasure. The problems associated with spending BAD money bring troubles and problems. As Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.”

They say money corrupts people.
I say money relieves people of corruption and pushes them towards a peaceful, honest and virtuous life. People get corrupted by the power they feel is they have money. This power is the rotten form of the self assurance that money brings.

They say money kills one's emotions.
Really? I thought about it. But how do you feel when you see your bank statement? Isn't the sight of financial backup emotional? Doesn't it mirror your capability, your knowledge, your worth? Don't you feel an emotion when you spend money; to fulfill your daily needs, to provide for your family, to prevent a catastrophe in someone's life? It is the greatest emotion one could feel.

They say you'll become a slave of the greenback.
I say they become slaves of their own greed. This happens when people perceive money as their goal. Money is a by product of a higher goal, not the goal in itself.

They say money makes you blind to the things worth living for.
I say money gives you rightful access to things and facilities which make life worth living for. As Henry Ford said, “If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability.”

It is the greatest virtue to make money. It is the most moral and noble act. Create wealth. Create value. That, is the essence of life.

QUOTE:

For the lack of a good word, greed is good
From the movie “The Wall Street”

Ocean's Thirteen

What are the odds of getting even? 13 to one.

Thats the tagline of Ocean's Thirteen. Frankly speaking, I was a bit skeptical about this one,recalling the torutre of going through Ocean's twelve and the ridiculous tricks and manouvers which the team deployed.

No Spoiler in my blog this time. Period. Just go and watch the movie, it is worth it. Thak God that Jerry Weintraub decided to go on producing the third one, and Thank God that he had the good sense of retaining Steven Soderbergh.

Soderbergh learnt well from Ocean's Twelve's debacle and stuck to the USP of the Movie:

1. Unbelieveable meticulous planning by Danny, Rusty and the team.

2. Top-Notch Synchronization in the execution of the plan.

3. Brilliant Ad-Hock solutions to the gliches along the way.

4. The whole planning and execution being based strongly on the personality of the antagonist - in this case the Ego of Willy Banks.

Characters are smart, dialogues are witty, Brad Pitt keeps on eating in each and every scene, complex plan, crisp editing, and a fitting background score.

The beauty of the series is the fact that all the stealing and forgery is never done for money per se, the windfall everyone recieves at the end of each movie is just a by product. Danny Ocean wanted Tes back from Terry Benedict in Ocean's Eleven, Its a forced race with The Night Fox in Ocean's Twelve, and its revenge for a friend who was cheated this time.

The only downside is that the movie leaves you wanting for more. The limited screen presence which Soderbergh manages to provide to each of the Stars...Al Pacino, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matt Damon etc.... it somewhat frustrates you in a good way. But what can be done with such a huge Blockbuster starcast...

To sum it up; Oceans's twelve was a rude shock - Ocean's thirteen is a fitting farewell to the series.

Eragon - The Movie

Eragon – The tale of Dragon Riders. Sounds fun, isn’t it?

I have read both the books of the Inheritance trilogy released so far, and am quite impressed with Paolini’s work….It is quite obvious that he is inspired by JRR Tolkein, and The Inheritence Trilogy is a proper tribute to Tolkein’s style.

And so I went with great expectations to see the first movie of the series, Eragon. And came out disappointed.

It takes quite some talent to mess up a brilliant novel plot and turn it into something so deteriorating. The movie is campy at best, very poorly paced, in fact poorly done altogether. For those who haven't read the book, it has been a lucky break as they have been spared the torture of trying to decipher what on earth made the makers alter the plot so heavily? Someone has aptly written about this movie,
“If - you - have - read - the - book - you'll - see - this - as - the - biggest - book - to - movie - bastardization - in - the - history - of - book - to - movie - interpretations.”

How do they expect to put things in place in 1 hr 40 minutes? Everything happens so fast…in a blink the egg comes to Eragon, in a blink dragon hatches, then Garrow dies, the Razzak and Urgals come, then Brom dies, then Arya and Shade come,then Murtagh, then Nasuada and Ajihad, then the battle at Farthen Dûr and the END.

The casting is so out of sync with the characters…just try to think of LOTR without Gandalf, Harry Potter series without Dumbledore, or Pirates of the Caribbean without Captain Jack Sparrow……And when I look back at Eragon, there is not a single compelling actor without whom the movie seems impossible. Ironically, the closest to this comes Saphira herself, the creation of Special Effects with the voice of Rachel Weisz.

Stefen Fangmeier’s first-time directorial has gone haywire…He should stick to his original job which he is so good at. He has previously worked as a visual effects director on movies like Lemony Snicket's and Master and Commander.

Ed Speleers’ growth from a farmboy to a Dragon rider isn’t convincing. Jeremy Irons plays Brom as one would expect, nothing refreshing. Robert Carlyle looks evil as Durza, but should have been given better dialogues and screen presence. Garret Hedlund as Murtagh is decent enough, but again his character looks scratchy, which isn’t good considering his role becomes much important in next book. And Galbatorix looks like SHIT. Period. I mean, this role is played by John Malcovich, how can it get screwed up so much? And Sienna Guillory….she looks good, but acts bad, and her chemistry with Speelers just isn’t there.

Now Now, there is a silver lining here, and it’s a pretty bright one too.
The Special Effects are brilliantly done.
Of course, their dazzle on the screen could have been much more profound had the direction been up to decent standards as well. The hatching of Dragon egg is so cute (reminded me of Hatching of Norbert in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone), and then Eragon’s flight scenes …. Wow, they make you feel you are on an actual roller coster ride. The magic resembles the curses flowing from the wizard’s wands in Harry Potter, but is good. And the final fight scene between Eragon and Durza is simply spectacular. Kudos to Weta Digital and Industrial Light & Magic. They did their job well.

This movie’s Budget was $100 million with the distribution budget of $30 million, grossed approximately $75 million in the US and $172.9 million elsewhere, totalling $247.9 million worldwide.

I think that Eragon the movie can be summed up like this – confusing for those who have’nt read the book and Disappointing for those who have.

A Pictorial Tribute to Led Zeppelin