The Prestidigitator

I could come up with a detailed analysis of the year that’s been; the various life changing events that have occurred, the people I’ve met, the epiphanies I’ve had and the resolutions (stop grinnning) I’ve made…but I don’t want to.

Somehow, things like birthdays, new years and other holidays seldom affect me…they seem very trivial. Now the antonym for trivial is consequential and I’m not really sure of things that are of consequence either so let’s just say that I don’t really care for the New Year for reasons I still don’t know.

If I had to select a song that pretty much defines the last year, it would be In the Sun by Joseph Arthur.

If there is anyone who is in the sun
Will you help me to understand
‘Cause I’ve been caught in between for all I wish for and all I need
Maybe you’re not even sure what it’s for
Any more than me

I have a feeling things are going to get weireder in the coming year! Bring it on!

I’m sitting at my work station and I’m afraid I’ll fall asleep any moment now. That wouldn’t be too cool so I’ve decided to write.

I’ve been severely sleep deprived for the last few days and things have been going very very wrong ever since I set foot in this place. It all started with my SIM not working, then my ATM card not responding and finally my ID card not being accepted at work. I smell a conspiracy and to top it off I think I may be catching a cold (so much for conspiracy smelling!)!

The icing on the cake was when I realised my office was a long way off from the city. An hour if I take the bus and two hours if I go by bike (thanks to my keen directional skills). The bike ride has induced severe wear and tear of certain regions of the anatomy and has increased my already receding hair line.

Now, things aren’t as bad as I make them seem. The toilets at my work place are amazingly spotless and I have great friends in Bangalore who for some wierd reason don’t scream at me when I lose my way around but just play along and pick me up no matter where I am.

Bad attempts at sarcasm aside, I had a pretty neat Christmas thanks to somebody who actually humored me by listening to me ramble on all night long. I love conversations that seem to be profound but in the end are just pointless!

Thanks to Guru, I don’t have to go apartment hunting and I may soon move into an apartment with Arijit, another blogger! It’s amazing how I’ve met so many people through the net; and they say the internet kills interpersonal interactions. Bah! Humbug!

Crap! Writing isn’t helping…I still feel like going to the lobby and plopping onto the sofa!

Listening to Clumsy by Our Lady Peace

Incidentally, I haven’t had fish in Hyderabad except for once maybe.

Anyhoo, The Man has decided to shift me to Bangalore/Bengalooru and so in less than 12 hours I’ll be saying goodbye to Hyderabad. Forgive the cliche, but the last 6 months have been a blur of events. Some trivial; most life changing. I’ve fallen in love with the city and I’ve also had the opportunity of meeting/befriending a lot of people ranging from the fiercely feminist to the staunchly egotistical!

But the one thing that Hyderbad always gave me was the chance to indulge my hobbies be it movies, books or quizzing. I was rarely ever bored (with exceptions) inspite of the fact that I stayed alone for the last 2 months.

After two months of solitary confinement, I feel I may be ready for society. But then again, is society ready for me?

Listening to Baby Goodbye by Aqualung

Alright, I read a lot. But, I’m not one of those guys who can read just about anything…somehow I have this inherent need to connect with the protagonist; to be able to relate to him or her (mostly just him). Few books have really delivered on that level and they include Catcher in the Rye, The Beach, The Rule of Four,  a few pieces by Ethan Canin and in the recent past, The Long Reverie of Partha Sarma. Now, this was a book I picked up just because of the blurb on the back and after two days I was head over heels in love with it. It keeps getting more profound with every successive reading and that’s something I really look forward to in a book.

So around six months back I wrote about it here and imagine my surprise when none other than the author C Sriram comments on the post. Better still was the chance to meet up with him last evening at the Taj Krishna for a book reading. Busy that he was, he was kind enough to spend time answering some of the incredibly stupid questions that I had and even doled out tips on reading and writing. I even had the chance to get introduced to some of his childhood buddies, one of whom sent me some of the snaps from last evening.

Considering the crazy week that I’ve been having, this was just what the doctor ordered!

Disclaimer: The video is 38 minutes long!

First off…thanks Arpit!

I couldn’t resist posting this…mostly because this is eerily similar to a one hour conversation I had with my bro last night.

This guy got filmed by a couple of idiots who were just having some fun with a homeless guy…goes to show how some people can be so damn shallow!

He’s amazingly articulate and mind numbingly profound. Makes you wonder if a person can be truly happy only if he/she gives up everything…

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB8BdRNVnEI]

Celine: It’s my biggest fear. To be one of those people with a sort of academic, liberal, detatched view of everything. The whole attitude has nothing to do with really living.

Jesse: Who’s to say what’s really living?

Celine: Well, I wonder. That’s the big question no? I think it’s either a life experienced or a life examined. But life examined is life experienced.

Maybe if I had none of these stupid artisitic pretentions at all, I would be looking at the world differently.

                                 From Before Sunrise (Richard Linklater, 1995)

Every morning, I wake up with that sinking feeling deep down that I’m growing up, and I hate it. Going to work makes it all the more worse…you’re actually expected to earn a living! Ugh!

So when things look as bleak, who do you count on? You count on Swen George Nanakkal!

Some things just don’t change even if 2 people are 500 kms apart…they just don’t grow up! This is a conversation Swen and I had at work yesterday…and we’re proud of it!

I miss the good old days!

Hmmm…interesting movie. For one, I heard a lot about it before actually watching it but still didn’t expect much. Face it, how real can you make a British Secret agent look, when it’s a known fact that the boys from Langley can kick MI6 ass anyday?

However, the movie is a revelation of sorts. Casino Royale is to the Bond franchise what Batman Begins was to the previously stinky Batman movies!

Now, I’m one of those few who liked Brosnan as Bond and I didn’t really mind the cheesiness in the last 3 movies (except for Halle Berry! Aaaaargh!). So the whole idea of rebooting the franchise to make it more ‘real’ was lost on me. But this is THE Bond movie to see!

Story follows the same old plot wherein you have a rich poker playing banker financing terrorism. Mads Mikkelsen plays Le Chiffre par excellence. You really feel the anger. Add to the equation, the stunning Vesper Lynd (played by the gorgeous Eva Green) and you have a fascinating Bond babe who actually has something to do with the plot (for once) and is of consequence.

This is Bond’s first mission and so he’s what M (Judi Dench) calls a ‘blunt instrument’ and by the end of the movie he has transformed into the sharp, ruthless and flamboyant assassin we all know.

The movie is extra violent (with an excruciating torture scene), has smart one liners, has an amaaaaaazing free running chase sequence at the start and of course, beautiful women!

However there are people who will definetly be disappointed and these are the ones who have grown too attached to Brosnan. Daniel Craig is spot on as bond…but he isn’t as suave as played by Brosnan. Watch Layer Cake (a fantastic but underrated British gangster flick) and you’ll know why he was chosen to be James Bond!

All in all, I give it 7.5/10. Good stuff!

M: This may be too much for a blunt instrument to understand. Any thug can kill. I need you to take your ego out of the equation.
James Bond: So you want me to be half-monk, half-hitman.
M: I knew it was too early to promote you.
James Bond: Well, I understand double-ohs have a very short life expectancy. So your mistake will be short-lived.