From The Heart

What do movies like Juno, Rocket Science, Little Miss Sunshine, Waitress or Ghost World have in common? Well, they're all sorta indie, predominantly teen driven, cute movies, which mirror real life. They generally have happy endings, but not perfect endings.

In my opinion, the common thread that ties all these films together is heart. All of them have heart. No, they wont make you cry, but they will make you think; they will make your heart swell up... they will make you feel.

Well, do any of you know films that fit into this genre, be sure to post them as comments here. I will be grateful.

Well, this post has been written, as I'm just back from watching Juno. A genuine feel gooder full of wit with a whimsical soundtrack, this is a must watch. Ellen Page is predictably brilliant, but Michael Cera is brilliant too. After Superbad, I'm keeping an eye out for this little guy.

Interestingly enough, the screenwriter, Diablo Cody, used to be a stripper, and I'm guessing she has many more interesting tales on the way.

The film is full of one liners and zingers, and the plot never really goes where you expect it to. But put all together, it works; it really does.

EARTHQUAKE!!

An earthquake has just been experienced in Norwich at around 1.00 am on the 27th of February 2008. No information online yet about the magnitude or epicenter.

This reporter got the shock of his life, and ran and stood in the doorway. Hope there's not much damage!

There was absolutely no mention of it on the net, and I thought I was going mad, till I found another friend online who thought he was going mad too, and that he only had felt it! This brings back memories of the quake in Noida, where my entire apartment building started swaying (I lived on the eighth floor).

2.08 am Update

BBC has finally got the story - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7266136.stm (an hour after this blog :) )

Apparently, the earthquake was a 4.7. Wonder how much damage this has caused, and how this will affect the Insurance companies (after the beating the took during this summer's floods) ? Look at the damage an earlier 4.3 earthquake caused - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6605095.stm

Laughter Therapy

Omanomanoman. I'm hyperventilating here. This may be a bit of a cheat, but watch these. Totally worth it. And if you cannot watch them, INSTALL FIREFOX >:(

My Bloody Valentine

To all you sad fucks in the same boat as I am -

The Gun in My Mind

The O2 arena stood out in the night like the head of some weird alien with glowing antennae. Okay that’s a crappy simile. But it is quite impressive. The O2 Arena at London , I mean. Not my simile. We were there for the Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight tour. Now I was never a LP fan; yes, I have heard the odd song here and there, but have not really followed them.

Well, Kumar was late as usual, and hungry as usual, so after standing in a disturbingly short queue, we made our way straight for the burger stand. We finally entered the arena, beer and burger in hand, and were suprised to see it almost empty, with only forty of fifty people around.

Well, apparently someone had tipped everyone off, for though we entered the audi at half past six, Linking Park came on only a few minutes after nine. The good thing about this was that we were able to get amazing positions just a few feet away from the stage.

At around half past seven, a group I'd never heard of before - Biffy Clyro came on the stage and proceeded to rock the audience with some high voltage music. I quite liked them, and the lead vocalist, Simon Neil, had an amazingly powerful voice.

In about an hour they were done, and it was another long wait. Finally they drew a curtain round the stage, and with a crescendo of music, the show was on. I must tell you; maybe the thousands of decibels pumping through my brain affected my taste, but I quite forgot I didn’t care for Linking Park, and was shouting and jumping just like any of the angst ridden, lovesick teens around me.

And of course, being close enough to the stage to feel the spray from Delson's spit, only added to the excitement, as I sung, nay screamed, with the band to songs I had never heard before. Okay, so maybe I didn't have the words down pat, or even the tune, as I saw people glancing at me nervously and backing away as I belted out 'Brawling in a tin, these boobs are not a meal. Dear I cannot stall, you have to turn the wheel' in a thin shriek. But hey, it's the enthusiasm that counts isn't it?

Standing right in front and jumping up and down like a deranged kangaroo is not the perfect recipe to getting clear pictures of the band, especially when your attention is divided between watching the stage and the statuesque blonde gyrating a foot to the right of me. Wait, it was Linkin Park performing that day, right? Right?

But thankfully I had friends in the seated section who were able to get a couple of clear snaps, which I place for your delight and viewing pleasure. For I am nothing if not generous to a fault.

Well due to their late arrival, LP performed way past our safety time margin, and we had just a half hour to reach Liverpool from North Greenwich, which we achieved, with a dint of frantic running, with three minutes to spare.

Check out more pics below -

Credit goes to Mr. Saxena and his Cybershot for most of the pics.

Watch this space for some vids of the concert.

Revenge: a dish best served in a pie.

There's a whole in the world like a great black pit
and the vermin of the world inhabit it
and its morals aren't worth what a pin can spit
and it goes by the name of London.
At the top of the hole sit the previlaged few
Making mock of the vermin in the lonely zoo
turning beauty to filth and greed...
I too have sailed the world and seen its wonders,
for the cruelty of men is as wonderous as Peru
but there's no place like London!

There's a hole in the world like a great black pit
and it's filled with people who are filled with shit!
And the vermin of the world inhabit it!

As rich red blood wells out of cracks and runs into gutters and sewers, you can settle back in your seat, with the confidence that Tim Burton, as always, will not fail to deliver a surreal, quirky and visually fantastic experience.

The music is NOT by Elfman this time, and at times the songs seem to stretch just a wee bit longer than what is comfortable, but Burton more than redeems himself with hilarious sequences, especially the 'By the Sea' song.

Depp is as usual brilliant, and Carter manages to be both grimy and sensual and funny at the same time. Rickman is not as creepy as he could have been, which is a disappointment, but Sasha Baron Cohen is pure genius.

And like my friend remarked, Burton must've gone through several thousand bottles of ketchup for this film, for the blood flows freely. Oh boy, does it flow! Quite gruesome really, but go watch!

Snowflakes melt to teardrops.

I'm surpised to find myself still alive and kicking. Yes, yes, I can hear the screams and wails of anguish and disappointment, but I am quite well now. I do have a sorethroat, and the remanants of a fever, but hey; thats what you get for eating ice-cream and playing in the snow in your jammies.

Yes, it has finally snowed in copious amounts in Norwich. And let me tell you it's no fun walking through the snow without a hat or gloves. By the time I reached home the sleet had turned into large snowflakes; it was a veritable blizzard.

Watching those large flakes drifting down onto my bare skin, I was taken back to my youth on my home world of Titan where large blue flakes of methane used to slowly condense out of the air. But I digress...

(You may ask why the flakes were drifting down on my BARE skin, but thats neither here nor there is it?)

Anyway, have a look at the pics. Hah, take THAT, kind stranger; Drama queen, am I ?? :P

As usual, click on the slideshow to link to larger versions of the photographs.