Mad About Madancer

Bodyguard - Movie Review

2011-09-01T12:05:00.003+01:00

Disclaimer: I really loved Dabbang, enjoyed Wanted and did not like Ready.

Walking into Bodyguard I knew I was in for another masala, Salman Khan movie. The movie trailer promised a different love story packed with action. In a nutshell, the movie delivered what it promised; there was definitely a love story and abundance of action!

Bodyguard is the third Salman Khan film to be released on Eid, after Wanted in 2009 and Dabbang in 2010. However the movie failed to evoke the awesomeness of Dabbang, despite having similar over-the-top, logic-defying action sequences and story proceedings. The twist in the story was indeed out-of-the-blue but not life changing. It played along conveniently in the culmination of the film.

Having said that, the principal actors have all performed well; with Salman Khan doing what only he can. I love his expression and his innocence in the movie. Of course the innocence factor was over-stretched and got to the height of dumbness in the climax (which I shall not spoil).

Kareena was strictly alright; her outfits were interesting and wearing by a normal girl. Hazel Keech, as Kareena’s best friend, makes a confident debut and even outshines Kareena in a few scenes. Aditya Pancholi used his eyes (was he wearing coloured lenses?) to emote which is a rarity for villains in Hindi movies.

The new funny man side-kick debutant, Rajat Rawail, worked in parts but mostly failed to tickle. He has a long way to reach comedy success of likes of Paresh Rawal and Johnny Lever. Also the fat-man and dwarf/ small people jokes fall flat.

The songs in the movie aren’t chart-busting, with the exception of I Love You and title track Bodyguard. It was a pleasure to hear I Love You singer, Ash King, sing live. He has an amazing voice and is definitely a singing talent to watch out for.

Despite all the shortcomings, Bodyguard is a true entertainer and Salman Khan would most certainly pull off another Eid blockbuster release and complete a hat trick! Also Doc Martins will definitely see their sales rise after having Salman Khan prominently wear them in the movie.

Review of Michael Winterbottom's Trishna trailer

2011-08-19T12:48:00.002+01:00

Trishna is Michael Winterbottom's latest cinematic offering and his third film adaptation of a Thomas Hardy novel, Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Trishna stars Freida Pinto and Riz Ahmed with original music by Amit Trivedi, and is set in contemporary Rajasthan.

According to Trishna's official Facebook page, "The movie tells the story of Trishna (Freida Pinto) who meets a weathly young British businessman, Jay Singh (Riz Ahmed), who has come to India to work in his father's hotel business. After an accident destroys her father's Jeep, Trishna goes to work for Jay and they fall in love. But despite their feelings for each other, they cannot escape the conflicting pressures of a rural society which is changing rapidly through industrialisation, urbanisation and, above all, education. Trishna's tragedy is that she is torn between the traditions of her family life and the dreams and ambitions that her education has given her."

The trailer for the movie is beautiful, with the music haunting you long after the trailer ends. I can’t wait to hear all the songs of the movie - hoping for another magical album by Amit Trivedi. It is also refreshing to see "modern" Rajasthan in the trailer rather than just the typical scenes of deserts, villagers and camels usually shown.

Riding high on her success in Hollywood, Freida Pinto returns to play an out and out Indian part as a young woman from Rajasthan – also a refreshing change. Of course will have to watch the movie to decide whether she embodies her Indian character as well as she does her Hollywood characters.

For more about Trishna, subscribe to the its Youtube channel, follow its Twitter account and ‘Like’ its Facebook page

Elite vs neighbourhood primary school in Singapore

2011-08-15T12:35:00.008+01:00

There is an on-going uproar over primary school (classes 1-6) admission in Singapore with a recent article on Yahoo! News debating the issue of parent volunteers. Apparently competition is so tough for the most sought-after seats that parents have taken to volunteering and donating to the perceived “elite” schools. The assumption is that if a child starts their education in a superior primary school, that child will be guaranteed academic success, which in turn would guarantee life success; “because it is just all that simple”.

Let me attempt to explain the Singapore primary education system for the benefit of non-Singaporean readers. I might have some things wrong, having “graduated” from primary school in 1998.

Primary school: Primary 1 to Primary 6 equivalent to grade 1 to 6
Students sit for the Primary School Leaving Exam (PSLE) at the end of Primary 6
Students are segregated into streams based on their academic calibre in Primary 4
4 streams are gifted education programme (GEP), EM1, EM2 and EM3
The GEP is a special programme for special students who are put through a special exam which identifies the geniuses, who are then groomed by special teachers in a special syllabus (you get the picture)
EM1 and EM2: students in both streams study all the same subjects with the difference that EM1 students study a higher level of Mother Tongue subject while EM2 students study the “normal” level of Mother Tongue subject
EM3: students identified as academically weak are assigned to this stream and are taught basic level subjects with the inclusion of technical subjects which are not taught to the other streams
PSLE results determines which Secondary School the children are allocated, keeping in mind a number of factors

Going through my Facebook update I came across a blog post by Kirsten Ham about going to an elite primary school and how inconsequential that was. I strongly agree with Kirsten and wanted to share the experience of going to a neighbourhood primary school.

So I am from a neighbourhood primary school and I loved my time there. I was also in EM2 just because my MT was Hindi and it wasn't offered on a Higher Level. But that made no difference to me and my friends. Like Kirsten, my parents have been very supportive of me throughout my education journey (I just graduated from my Master's course in the UK) and I give them all the credit to the fun I had in primary school and ever since.

My parents are not from Singapore and this meant they didn't quite understand the "gravity" of PSLE. As a result both my parents it like any other exam. I was even taken for movies a week before PSLE as a reward for all my studying by my mother. As you can imagine, this would be shocking for any parent to even consider today. Anyways I did well for PSLE with a 248 and went on to a good secondary school. I did far better than X, who was from an "elite" primary school. X's parents the make or break nature of PSLE. and she was always confined in the house being forced to study whereas I was left to my own studying with adequate supervision from my mother. Once when we were in primary 6, X asked me in all innocence how I had time to both study and have fun.

Based on my experience I believe that it is not the school that matters, but a multitude of factors including the attitude of the student, teaching of teachers and parental support at home. Best example of this would be that although my younger sister and I attended the same primary school, both of us had vastly different experiences. So parents really should not spend all their energy just on getting their children into the “best elite” school. That does not guarantee life success or even PSLE success.

My mother started teaching me from the moment I could talk at 2-3years old, and thus began my love affair with learning. It is that love that has propelled me all the way through graduate school despite my humble beginnings at a neighbourhood primary school. Also X, my younger sister and me all have gone on to achieve academic "success" despite our varied primary school experiences.

Transformers-Dark Side of the Moon - Movie Review

2011-07-10T14:51:00.005+01:00

Source: http://j.mp/qatSX3

Disclaimer: I’ve watched previous 2 Transformers movies and my favourite is the first one.

The trailers for Transformers 3 have been playing for months and they raised expectations of a larger-than-life movie. So in preparation to watch the 3 movie in the Transformers series, I watched the first two. Needless to say I watched Transformers 3 in 3D (at the largest 3D screen in Europe at O2 Cineworld Sky Superscreen).

The movie is definitely lived up to the expectations of being larger than life. The high point for me was the integration of the US moon landing actual footage with the movie. It was a genius idea and brilliantly executed. I’m sure hard-core Transformers’ fans would have enjoyed the final fight between the autobots and decepticons; it was amazing but personally I felt it went on for a bit too long. In fact it reminded me of the final fight between Salman Khan and Sonu Sood in Dabbang, save for Optimus ripping off his “shirt”.

The actors (humans) did a great job through the frustration act of Shia LaBeouf got irritating after a while. The Witwicky parents were wasted and their matching outfits didn’t nothing for the viewers. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley can’t act. She is only adds aesthetic value. However that is not enough as her character is a constant damsel in distress who keeps holding back Sam. Personally I preferred Megan Fox’s character, which was more gritty and always up to getting involved in the fights supporting Sam.

All in all, the movie is great especially for people who have followed the Transformers series. The storyline does get unbelievable at times and the fight at the end is stretched, however the awesomeness of the movie makes up for it and delivers great entertainment.

Rang Rasiya (Colours of Passion)- Movie Review

2011-07-02T18:25:00.003+01:00

Source: http://j.mp/mFvD7K

The second day of the London Indian Film Festival 2011 (LIFF) featured the screening of the Ketan Mehta movie, Rang Rasiya, at the Victoria and Albert museum.

Rang Rasiya is a movie that tells the story of the Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma and his tryst with art, science and technology against the backdrop of religious and conservative British India. Over 500years later the issues tackled in the movie are still pertinent; MF Hussain and the uproar over his art. With many non-Indian characters and being set in British India, the movie is in both English and Hindi giving it a more realistic touch.

Rang Rasiya tells a beautiful story of an unsung Indian hero but as one viewer said, “the movie succeeds in conveying a message but through a torturous journey”. The movie starts off abruptly with many confusing characters; especially that of the wife and Kamini. Fortunately the despite the abruptness the story is not lost. The songs are lovely but don’t do justice to the on-goings of the movie. A song-less movie with a melodious background score would have worked better.

The movie belongs to Randeep Hooda who does an exceptional job as the great Indian painter. He acts convincingly and adds life to the story. Only thing off might be him having a six-pack even in old age (I’m guessing the girls won’t mind). For the actresses, Nandana Sen and Ferena Wazeir do a good job. Ferena performs well in her role though I wish her character was better defined. Nandana Sen acts well and the scene where she breaks down stands out.

Rang Rasiya was completed 2 years ago and has been in the news since then about the controversial nudity scenes by Nandana Sen. This scene is one of the most beautifully and artistically shot scenes. In fact it almost looks like a painting. Kudos to Nandana Sen for taking this bold step, and Randeep Hoodda for complimenting her. Many movies claim to showcase “skin-show” artistically but Rang Rasiya is the only movie to fully embody that statement.

All in all, Rang Rasiya is a lovely movie which tells a wonderful story of India. Definitely worth a watch if only to watch the story of Raja Ravi Varma. The movie is expected to have a proper worldwide release in September 2011.

Movie trivia: There are 3 versions of the movie; an all Hindi version, an all English version and a mixed Hindi and English version

Delhi Belly- Movie Review

2011-07-01T13:18:00.003+01:00

Source: http://j.mp/iK7goV

Disclaimer: I love Imran Khan, Aamir Khan Production movies and movies that are different

Delhi Belly had its world premiere last night on the opening night of the London Indian Film Festival 2011 (LIFF). Being part the PR team for LIFF I got to be at the opening night and watch the movie. And what a movie?! Delhi Belly delivers everything it promised and more; its raunchy, crude, hilarious and a real movie.

The movie is all about the 3 actors who were amazing. In fact Imran Khan was the one who seemed a little miss-cast for his role. However it was a slight thing and it didn’t take away from the awesomeness of the movie. Vijay Razz is fantastic as a villain and only adds to the story and movie. The movie is majorly in English and its interesting to hear the Indian actors deliver their English dialogues.

Delhi Belly is hilarious and the audiences responded to its humour greatly. Some scenes literally leave you gasping for breath! Of course the movie is filled with raunchy scenes and crude language. Some of these were too shocking even for UK audience. The dream scene at the wedding stands out for this. The movie does get predictive towards the end portions through the final scenes are really great. Also Aamir Khan’s “item” number is brilliant!

The movie doesn't have any song and the sound track is woven into the background score. This is refreshing and ensures that the story doesn't get disturbed.

All in all, the movie is a must watch though I strongly advice that don’t watch this movie with your family!!

Interesting trivia: Aamir Khan was approached to play the villain

Double Dhamaal- Movie Review

2011-06-30T11:55:00.001+01:00

Source: http://j.mp/iM18KQ

Disclaimer: I enjoyed Dhamaal!

Double Dhamaal comes on the heels of the many recent Hindi movie sequels, which have not had the best track record. However the trailer and reviews made the movie sound promisingly funny. After the disastrous viewing of Always… kabhi kabhi I really hoping for a good comedy experience.

However Double Dhamaal was not as funny as it was being made out to be. It had its funny moments but they were few and far. The best scene was the imitation of Shah Rukh Khan being identified as that of a farm animal. The songs seemed forced and except for Jalebi Bai none of them were enjoyable. Mallika smoked in the song and danced well.

The boys acted well but Ritesh Deshmukh stood out, especially in his disguise as the wealthy Gujrati investor. Ashish Choudhary deserves special mention for his fantastic disguise as a hot female who funnily enough looked a lot like Neha Dhupia! For the girls, I preferred Mallika Sherawat as Kangana seemed to overact which made her look very uncomfortable and weird even.

All in all, the basic promise of out and out comedy was not fulfilled though the movie is watchable for light entertainment and definitely for the scene imitating Shah Rukh Khan.

Bridesmaids- Movie Review

2011-06-29T12:02:00.000+01:00

Source: http://j.mp/jvxiTC

Disclaimer: I loved White Chicks, Mean Girls, Hangover and Hangover Part 2 (though I preferred Hangover to Hangover Part 2)

I’ve been watching the Bridesmaids trailer for almost over 2 months. The trailer looks amazing and the reviews from US were promising with talk of the movie being the female Hangover. Needless to say I had been eagerly waiting for the movie to finally release in the UK. So when the movie finally released, I was at the cinema on the very first day.

The trailer is quite misleading as the girls never make it to Las Vegas and many scenes shown were not in the movie. The movie has its moment; the scene at the bridesmaids fitting and the engagement party stands out instantly. However other than that scene there is nothing else “Hangover” about the movie. In fact after 1 hour into the movie, it turns into a cliché chick flick. The ending is typical chick flick and very predictable.

The acting of all the character is great and I especially loved the character of Officer Nathan Rhoads (Chris O'Dowd) and as expected hated the self-obsessed character of Ted (Jon Hamm).

All in all, Bridesmaids was one of the better movies I’ve recently seen but it did not live up to the hype surrounding it.

Barry Island, Wales, UK

2011-06-28T13:17:00.010+01:00

After living in Cardiff for a year and having moved out 8 months ago, I finally visited Barry Island this month. I always wanted to visit Barry Island but kept waiting for good weather (warm and sunny) and the trip never happened. So this month when I went to Cardiff for a weekend and the weather was warm and sunny, I decided to seize the opportunity.

Barry Island is really close to Cardiff; a 30min train ride from Cardiff Central. We got a small group price for the train tickets which worked out to £3.30 per person. Upon reaching Barry Island train station we realised that Barry Island is a “no alcohol zone”. Anyways we made our way to the “Pleasure Park” and were greeted by a very compact area filled with 7-8 rides in total. Luckily for me, 4-5 of them were actually thrill rides. All rides at the Pleasure Park use coupons which were surprisingly really cheap. They are even cheaper if you buy in bulk and work out to less than 70p a coupon (the most expensive ride needed 3 coupons).

So after sitting on all the rides and having all my internal organs tossed around, we made our way to the beach. Frankly I was very pleasantly surprised by the beach- it was a proper sand beach and not a pebbles/ stone beach. The view from the beach was gorgeous! It was a lagoon with a long cliff running along one side. Being very ambitious we decided to walk along the boulders below the cliff and somehow make our way to the top. Needless to say, it was an interesting climb.

Ah the view from the cliff! It was breathtakingly beautiful with the beach at the back and the sea in front. There were benches placed along the edge of the cliff for people to enjoy the view. As you can imagine, the wind was crazy on top of the cliff and made walking around quite a challenge. Despite the weather elements, we soaked in the view and indulged in photography. (All of us forgot to bring our cameras so we were using our phones)

Always…kabhi kabhi – Movie Review

2011-06-21T19:00:00.000+01:00

Source: Bollywood Hungama http://i.indiafm.com/firstlook/akk1.jpg

Disclaimer: I love Kuch Kuch Hota Hai for those who said Always…kabhi kabhi was the new Kuch Kuch Hota Hai for today’s youths.

Always…Kabhi kabhi made me laugh a lot, not because it was funny but because it was so bad. The scenes, the dialogues, the situations and the issues in the movie were incredulous. The obvious tries to make the movie young and in tune with youths today was painful to watch.

The movie was filled with cringe-worthy lines and songs that were forced into the “story”. 2 of these painful lines were “Life ko experience karo google nahi” and “SMS kar raha hoga. Aaj kaal ke bacche tabhi saar jhukate hain”. There was even a song titled antenna!! I may not be the youth today but I am sure they have far better taste than what they movie offered them. The climax of the movie left me thinking “WTF” and I’m confident it wasn’t me alone who was wondering what was happening on the screen.

The movie had 4 debutant actors and each was worse than the other. They were all acting so randomly as if the movie was one very long audition process in which they forced expressions and emotions at whim and fancy regardless of the scene. Ali Fazal especially seemed inspired by Shah Rukh Khan but not in a good manner. Vijay Raaz was also totally a waste in the movie; what was his role, why was he in the movie?

All in all, the movie is perfect if you want to feel great about your normal life as the four characters in the movie have the most weird life and problems. Worst movie I have watched in a long time! I felt like I was being violated while watching the movie. God only knows why and how I sat through the whole movie... I should have walked out with the many viewers who started leaving 30min into the movie.

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry – Book Review

2011-06-21T17:00:00.001+01:00

Source: http://j.mp/iOwUDo

I got ‘A Fine Balance’ at Dishoom (a London Indian restaurant) as part of the ‘World Book Night 2011’ which basically promotes writing and power of books by distributing near 1 million books for free.

A Fine Balance is definitely not a light read. The book is full of dark, depressing and disturbing scenes. Despite the bleak and stark reality of India during the Emergency in India in 1970s, the book inspires in its own way. It inspires in comparison to what Indians have achieved today, more so than India. The writing in the book is superb. Rohinton paints a vivid picture with his words and transports the reader into the world of his characters. It doesn’t matter how different the read is to the characters; the reader ends up connecting with and understanding the vastly different stories of each of the four protagonists of the book. The book is also an eye-opener to the realities of India during the Emergency rule and how the lay-man suffered to fulfill the political agenda of dirty politicians. This might still be the case in India today, but the sufferings during the Emergency were of another level.

I loved reading the book and felt enlightened about the India of the 1970s that I had not witnessed. The book is a great read but not for when you’re feeling down and depressed.

Green Lantern- Movie Review

2011-06-21T15:53:00.004+01:00

Source: CityOnFire http://j.mp/iw5kkj

Disclaimer: I like comic books based superhero movie.

I didn’t have much expectation from Green Lantern; I can’t point out the exact reason but I was just not feeling the movie. Unfortunately the movie lived up to my expectations. The movie was jerky, abrupt and boring at parts.

The downfall started with the beginning introduction of Green Lanterns and their intergalactic police force. This introduction was messy and confusing at parts and left me wanting the movie to just move on. Also Ryan Reynolds’ opening flying dog fight was not as captivating as Tom Cruise’s flying dog fight in Top Gear. The scene was so familiar that comparisons had to be drawn. Blake Lively had an interesting yet clichéd character in which she tried to inject as much acting as she could. Also I wish she could clear her voice a little. She sounds like she is mumbling at times. However with a weak story, neither Ryan nor Blake could salvage the movie.

The movie only truly comes to life in the last 15min or so. Unfortunately many viewers had been too bored by then and had walked out of the theatre long before. Maybe if the movie length had been shorter with the ending sequence taking up more chunk of the movie, it could have been a better viewing experience.

All in all, Green Lantern could be watched for the very vivid full-body scan of Ryan Reynolds clad in a very tight and white low-cut underwear that left nothing to the imagination and of course the main fight scene in the ending.

Bad Teacher- Movie Review

2011-06-18T23:53:00.003+01:00

Disclaimer: 1. I have enjoyed watching Cameron Diaz in her previous comedy movies. 2. I love Jason Segal in ‘How I met your mother’; he’s my favourite on the show. 3. I have loved Justin Timberlake as a singer ever since his N’Sync days.

As with many recent movies, Bad Teacher packs the better/ best parts of the movie in its trailer to hook the audience. Like many other viewers I too was impressed by the trailer and was eagerly waiting to watch it. Unfortunately the actual movie was as bad as Cameron was a teacher in the movie!

The story of the movie was clichéd, due to which the ending was very predictable. All the 4 main characters (Cameron Diaz, Jason Segal, Justin Timberlake and Lucy Punch) are a mismatched bunch and their interaction in the movie seems uncomfortable. Justin Timberlake’s character was just simply very weird (combination of a himbo and a nerd), though I liked the neurotic character of Lucy Punch. Lucy’s character was crucial to the story and was in-fact the contributor of the funny parts of the movie. These funny parts came didn’t come up often and when they did they came up abruptly.

The sex scene or what was supposed to be a sex scene with Cameron and Justin was surreal! I can safely say that for the 2 minutes it lasted, majority of the audience had no idea what was happening on the screen. It was so absurd that I’ll suggest you watch the movie if only to watch this scene. The other much hyped carwash scene was hardly as sexy and hot as the trailer suggested it would be. Despite these teeny shorts and the never ending legs of Cameron, the scene was at most mildly entertaining. I doubt it got many boys hot under the collar (or in the pants).

All in all, the movie is definitely not worth watching in the cinema. At most watch it when you have other things to do while watching it as you might just end up feeling more bored after the movie than you did before.

X-Men First Class- Movie review

2011-06-15T22:55:00.003+01:00

Disclaimer: I used to watch X-Men cartoon and have been a fan ever since. I have watched all the X-Men movies and loved them all, including X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

I had been waiting to watch X-Men First Class ever since watching its trailer. The movie looked action-packed, exciting and held answers of the origins of X-Men- I was hooked! After watching the movie I can safely say that the movie lived up to my expectation and more.

The starting of the movie in Nazi occupied Poland sets the tone of the movie and explains Magneto’s history. It is sad, dark and powerful; shaping Magneto into who he eventually becomes. Comparatively the Professor X’s story is less detailed and dramatic, leaving the viewer to fill the gaps. The rest of the characters are well formed and contribute to the movie’s on-goings. The movie ended well and laid out the path for the X-Men series.

All in all the movie was really engaging start to finish and having Hugh Jackson onscreen for even a mere 5 seconds was a cherry on top!

Ready- Movie review

2011-06-06T16:08:00.003+01:00

Disclaimer: I am a Salman fan and I loved Dabbang, enjoyed Wanted and disliked Tere Naam.

So overall Ready is a fun movie that makes you laugh and leaves you feeling good. It is great for a chilled out viewing but nowhere as near the marvel of Dabbang.

The movie is full of double meaning dialogues and it definitely helps if you watch the movie in a full-capacity theatre to get the full effect. The funny moments are really funny with the need to hit your seat while laughing. Refreshingly the funny moments are not slapstick and in fact consist of a lot of 'clever' word play. The slapstick moments were really not needed. Moreover high emotional quotient of the movie was unnecessary and the climax looks better suited to a Rajshri movie.

For all the hype the songs are forced into the movie narrative and don't appeal much with the story. The choreography is also disappointing after the 'jhakaas' moves of Dabbang and Wanted. Moreover next to Salman, Asin is stiff in her dance moves. She looks awkward and uncomfortable in all songs.

Asin was actually not great to watch in the movie. Her skin looked awful- might have been the skin or the make-up. Also she was very limited in her 'masti' and naughty expressions. She should go to Salman for a few lessons for that. The movie could have done with another heroine.

By the way anyone know what Chunky Pandey's character was in the movie? He was literally blink and miss.

Quarter life...

2011-02-07T22:53:00.001Z

25 years in a week- quarter of life lived. What have I achieved and what more do I have to achieve?

Bachelors and Master in the bag, started off on the career, love of family and friends in place- all these grace my plate.

No complains and no regrets. 25 years taught a lot and made me grow to who I am.

25 years may seem very old, but life’s journey still to explore. A lot to look forward to as each day and year brings something new.

Thank you for these 25 years, looking forward to 75 more with hunger to grow and learn as ever burning.

Praying for heath for body, recognition for effort and love for soul. quarter-life crisis bring it on, I’m raving to have a go.

Good-bye Cardiff

2010-11-10T20:01:00.004Z

I finally leave Cardiff after being based here since September 2009. I came here to pursue my Masters degree but I leave having learnt a lot more. Tomorrow I will bid farewell to Cardiff as I move to London.

The time to finally pack up and leave Cardiff draws nearer with the passing of every hour. At noon tomorrow I will leave this city for good though I will leave a part of me behind. Packing up my room and my stuff in the house is filled with sadness and triggers many memories. Although I only stayed in this house for 3 months I have lovely memories associated with it. As if packing up wasn't hard enough, doing the last of everything in and around the city brings back memories and triggers emotions. I will really miss this place and everything and everyone here.

It is ironic that I love this city as much considering the city and I didn't get off to the best of starts. However I am glad I encountered that huge obstacle in embracing Cardiff. That experience made me love this city more and gave me a new perspective to view the various obstacles that are always popping up in life.

Spending the last hours in the city that I grew to love as home makes my heart heavy. This city gave me new friends and a family away from home. This city gave me a second university experience at Cardiff University (that couldn't have been more different from university life in Singapore at SMU). This city made me grow stronger and wiser and another year older. It is hard to say good-bye but it has to be said as only then can I truly move on to embrace the next change in life.

I look forward to the next change although with a heavy heart and a cautious mind. What life brings along one can never predict. The best we can do is to keep an open mind and a hopeful heart as it is up to us to make the best of what life has to offer.

Social media won’t let the past be in the past

2010-04-04T00:00:00.005+01:00

Over the past 5 odd years social media has exploded on the internet and how. From being the exclusive "thing" for Harvard students to my mother having an account, everyone is on the social media bandwagon in some way. We know the merits of social media; keeping in touch, getting in contact with long lost friends/family, sharing photos and videos etc... But has anyone stopped and thought that these advantages not only extend to people we want to be in touch with. They also extend to people we want to get "rid" off and/or forget.

So you have a friend or a boyfriend or girlfriend and the relationship has gone bad. You want to move on with life and have broken things off with them in real life. You don't meet them, you don't talk to them. You have deleted their all the sms they sent and their number from your phone. You have deleted all the emails, photos and chats you have had. However you log onto Facebook and see their photos and videos and status updates, which are constant reminders of them. Logically you decide to remove them from your 'online' life too. In theory it sounds simple. Remove the said person, X, from your 'friends list', block them or put them on limited profile.

However what about the shared network of 'friends' you and X share? As long as you have some link with X you can't truly remove them from your online social network even if you can erase them from your offline life. Say X got married and common friends were at the wedding. Photos of X's wedding would be posted by the common friend and you will see them. You might not want to but you would. It is only human nature to be curious and want to know, "So what happened to X?". Worse still another common friend refers to X in their status update and you remain paranoid about what the status means in regards to you. Even though you have removed X from your offline life, you cannot 100% remove them from your online life. Unless of course you go on a deleting rampage and remove your entire network of common friends.

There might be periods of lull and you would convince yourself that you are over things and everything is in the past. You move on and learn to smile again. However that smile is hostage to that one activity on Facebook which brings the past back, right in front of you on your computer screen. It opens the wounds, the self-doubts, the sadness, the anger and the resentment.

In social media it is almost impossible to get closure about breakups and to move on with life. That is the double edge sword, you are always connected and in touch. Even when you don't want to be. Social media won't let the past be in the past.

Age of Disposable Friendships

2010-02-24T22:43:00.006Z

We live in the age where there is a disposable version of almost everything. There are disposable cameras, disposable cutlery, disposable shoes, disposable stationery, disposable packaging, disposable tissue and even disposable underwear. What exactly does "disposable" mean though? Very simply it means to 'you and throw' whatever that is disposable. Use the object for its functionality and once you have exhausted its usefulness you dispose of it. The concept is innovative and new and in line with our fast paced lifestyle of today. However in our obsession of leading a disposable aided life have we made relationships disposable?

Are we living in the age of disposable friendships? Have we gotten so carried away by ambition and by progress and by success that we now view "friendships" as being disposable? Meet a person, realise their potential in getting your work done. Befriend them. Tap into their potential on the pretense of friendship and compassion. Once your task as been achieved and your success has been attained, feel free to dispose of the "friend". Now these disposable relationships come in all shapes and sizes and last for all variety of lengths. They could be your best friend who you grew up discussing wedding plans with or it could be your college friend with whom you shared your all-night study sessions with. The friendship could also last for a few days, a week, a few months or even as long as 4 to 13 years...

Apparently it is possible to be the best of friends for years, to celebrate moments together, to be the first to wish them on birthdays, to be together through thick and thin and yet end up being disposed. How it is possible I wonder... What can motivate a person to stoop so low as to wake up one morning and decide, "XYZ is not my friend any more"? Heck with the friendship and everything with it. Heck with the plans to attend each other's weddings. Heck with the promises to be there for each other.

Maybe that thinking was alright at the age of 5, 8, 11 or even 13. But as a person matures you expect them to understand and value friendships more. It is understandable that a person cannot be the closest of and bestest of friends with every single person. However is it wrong to expect loyalty and pure friendship with people you spent years being "friends" with?

It is amazing to think that for some people disposing a friend is as easy as disposing that used tissue. Take it, use it and throw it. No second glances. No regrets. No remorse. At least the tissue knows it was made for that purpose of being used and thrown. I am quite certain human beings were not meant to be used and disposed. Was the disposed friend at fault for being trusting and open in a friendship? I thought openness and honesty is what made a real friendship. Anyone can put up a facade but then that would not be labelled a friendship, would it?

If you think about it, it is a sad world for those who dispose of friends. I suspect they are actually ignorant of the meaning of friendship and devoid of emotions. They say you only realise what you had after you lose it. But what do you call the person who does not even realise what they have after they themselves threw it away? No matter how the world and people dynamics have changed over the years, no matter how Facebook and its like have "taken over", no matter how busy our lives are, friendship is a relationship that has existed as long as humanity. There is friendship hidden in every relation. There is friendship between a mother and daughter, there is friendship between a teacher and student, there is friendship between a husband and wife and there is friendship between a brother and sister. How is it then that a relation as pure and basic as friendship could become disposable like just another sheet of tissue?

25 years of friendship and love

2010-02-05T17:20:00.006Z

On the night of 6^th of February 1985 a young man and a young woman got married in front of the scared Hindu fire. 25 years later that couple is still together, bound by their true friendship and love. I feel immense pride in saying that they are my parents. My wonderful father and mother. Captain Sarda Umesh Srivastava and his lovely wife, Mrs Bina Srivastava.

It is heart warming to see how an arranged alliance of 2 people from 2 very different places in India has stood the test of time. They faced their share of life's obstacles and each time their relationship emerged stronger. They survived prolonged separations for years, they survived diverse natures, attitudes and backgrounds and they survived settling down in a foreign land.

Despite these challenges they faced they always were there for each other. They were each other's best friends and they were each other's confidants. 25 years later they are still together and as much in love. They have their own ways of showing it. I always loved how they held hands, gave each other hugs, how they say "I love you" to each other and how they adore each other in their gaze. I love how my father wakes my mother up in the morning with a fresh cup of tea. I love how my mother cooks my father's favourite dishes. I love how both of them go on dates to the movies or to dinners.

Their relationship has been very real and not a fairy tale. That is precisely what I love about them because they made that real tale come true despite the odds. I have learnt that there are problems in every relationship but it is up to us to face them and to grow on them. I would be blessed if I could have a relationship as strong and pure as theirs ever in my life.

I want to wish them all the love and all the wishes for a fantastic silver anniversary. I have not seen a couple as beautiful as them and I pray to god they see many beautiful years together.

Thank you Mummy-Papa for being who you are and for inspiring my life with your love. I wish I was with you today to be part of your special day.

The Year that was 2009

2010-01-09T11:51:00.006Z

Start of a new year and of the last semester in SMU. In the spirit of the New Year she joined belly dancing classes. Loving every moment of it she shimmied and andulated her body to the funky beat. On the other hand the economic slump stayed like a black cloud on her head. Despite the despair she kept trying and reached the final stage for 2-3 jobs but all in vain as she got rejected again and again. In midst of this gloom came her 23^rd birthday. It was on the day of her club's play and she knew it wasn't going to be her way. It was an understated affair but for the single long stemmed red rose that came her way. The kid in her was disappointed alas it was time to move on. The winds of change were blowing and she could feel it.

Not one to sit around and wonder, but one to make her own destiny she applied for her Masters studies. The winds carried some good news for her in the form of her conditional acceptance to Cardiff University. She was overjoyed and waited for her final results to seal her faith from the university. Till then it was all about enjoying her last months in SMU. She performed, partied, studied, had lots of fun and made lasting memories.

However her life was never a smooth sailing one. A trip to India led to revelations that shook her to the core. Her faith in friendship was shaken and she was thrown into a bottomless pit of self-doubt. Was she that evil, that horrible? She returned to Singapore but she was not the same and neither was life. Life felt bare like someone had passed. Then again that friendship was now only in the past. Yet life was moving and she was not one to be left behind. She pulled herself together and strived together with life. The months flew and soon she was done with SMU. 4 years had passed and soon would be time to bid goodbye to life she had known till then.

Wanting to celebrate her survival of her Bachelors she flew down under to her baby sister from where they embarked on an adventure to New Zealand and all over Australia. They spent an amazing 4 weeks together and returning home was hard for her. The results came and she a graduate officially. With that she sealed her fate; deciding to fly across the seas to pursue her Masters. Now all she had was time and more time. Never one to sit idle she sprung into action. An ex-professor asked her to be his research assistant and assist him on a case study he was writing. She also became his teaching assistant for an MBA class. It was awesome, it was a blast. All this while she kept progressing in her belly dancing class. She completed beginner's level and was onto intermediate. Then she decided it was time she drove and to get the licence to drive. Driving classes experience was amazing and she fell in love with driving. Time was tight but she was determined.

As the days passed her days at home were dwindling. She was excited and was waiting. Her sister came home and it was time for family. It was fun and it was heart warming. Her ticket was booked and she started to wrap up her life. Ended the roles of research and teaching assistant, completed her driving and her belly dancing. It was then time for the driving test which she aced in her first try; a triumphant act in Singapore that was. Next thing she knew she was at the airport saying goodbye to family and friends. The excitement of the unknown was tinged with anxiety of the same. It was a long flight to her destination and it had been a long life journey to it too.

Arriving in Cardiff, she settled in her new home. It was an 18^th century girls hostels far removed from her comfy room back home. However she made her peace and soon was busy as a bee. The classes had begun and there was a city to conquer, friends to make and a new life to build. She was lucky to find the friends she did and she was aware. The hostel life was different and it was new. She embraced it all making it her own. The weeks flew and the distances shrank. Her soul was near and her heart knew. It sang songs of happiness and jumped for joy too. The meeting was beautiful though short and bittersweet. Yet there was hope with the new distances between. Soon the semester flew by. She strived to do her best and worked hard. After a long hiatus she was rewarded as she was. She was given opportunities too, research on celebrities in India and an internship! Life seemed to be telling her aal izz well. Indeed it was as he was also there. Then came the holidays, bringing the snow, sleet and hail. It was a new experience and she enjoyed. She also enjoyed the daily cooking that was her safe heaven. As the end of the year dawned she looked back behind her at the year gone. The year that was 2009 had been a beautiful, bittersweet journey of life. Then again that is the nature of life as we know, one day up and the next day low. Back home for the holidays she sat looking 2010 into the face. What did this year have in store for the girl who was never going to let go?

You can run but you can’t hide

2009-12-10T20:00:00.003Z

You can run but you can't hide

You can deny but pain won't leave your side

You can laugh but the heart will ache

You can ignore but the memories won't fade

You can scream, shout and cry but you can't run from the sky

The urge to apologize

2009-11-04T20:59:00.004Z

Why do I feel scared when I get happy?

Why do I think my actions would upset someone?

Why do I feel guilty for having done well in what I have?

Why do I feel like I owe an explanation for doing better?

Why do I feel anything I do will inconvenience someone?

Why do I have the urge to apologize for the achievements in my life?

Fickle minded....and hearted??

2009-06-10T19:20:00.006+01:00

We have often heard about how one is freckle minded. The phase implying that the said person is not decisive and usually has a difficult time sticking to a single decision.

Today I watched a Hindi movie, Dil Kabbadi. It is a movie which would be classified as Art Cinema or parallel cinema or real cinema. The essence of the movie title and the story boils down to the concept of having a "fickle heart", the new villain to love stories...

Gone are the days (mostly) when parents and society stood against the love of the young. Today falling in love is no longer frowned upon. Parents are accepting and so is society. The problem now is in the process of falling in love. Apparently if you think you are in love chances are you would be falling out of it sooner or later. Lucky if you fall out before the marriage, unlucky if it is after the marriage. Or is it? Is the process of falling in and out of love as simple as changing clothes or shoes or mobile phones?

How then can we ensure that the falling in love we are experiencing is the real thing, the final change or the perfect mobile phone? When do we stop thinking there is someone better, more handsome, more understanding, more worthy and the list goes on.. How do we know the flutter in the stomach and the racing of the heart is for life and not going to stop dead when we wake up tomorrow?

Tin Fish by Sudeep Chakravarti- Book review

2009-06-10T18:08:00.005+01:00

Amazing book about the coming of age. A very frank narration in real language including a barrage of profanity in almost every sentence. What made reading the book really special for me was the setting of the story. The story is set in Mayo College in Ajmer. Ajmer is my birth town and I have always wanted to go to Mayo College's sister school, Mayo Girls. Reading about familiar places in Ajmer was like watching a film in my head with real places. A good read but you have to be ready to tune out the "language".

Thoughts in my head

2009-05-17T16:56:00.006+01:00

So many thought in my head fighting to be expressed

Unsure I remain as to act upon them fearing the consequences

Who will they hurt?

Which can of worms will they open?

Call me selfish, call me evil

For I don't want to get hurt more

Enough pain I have had, i need no more

Yet I seek no revenge..

Though i have never felt a stronger urge to use profanities to express myself

I feel i have lost myself in a black hole, emotionally and mentally

What have i done to get this upon myself?

I had the perfect plan which crashed and burned along the way

Leaving me in the dark hole I am in

Uproar over movies

2009-04-11T10:01:00.013+01:00

Recently there was an article in the news about how chick flicks are degrading the female population by a negative and weak portrayal of female characters. This came on the heels of the numerous criticisms about Slumdog Millionaire. I find both these issues stem from a single phenomenon; movie audiences today have lost the sense of reality in entertainment. I mean what is so wrong about showing the reality of some women who do indeed have shopping obsessions or those who desperately cling onto a man to feel complete? Also have the rich Indians today forgotten the slums that line the perimeter of their booming metropolitan city and the slum dwellers who exit side by side with them? It is very convenient to close our eyes and say these females or these slum dwellers don't exist and the movies are unfair portrayal of the "truth" in an effort to disgrace the female population or India.

I have seen 3 chick flicks in the last 2 months; He's just not that into you, Confessions of a shopaholic and Bride Wars. I am also a diehard fan of Mean girls and White Chicks. Does that mean I am on the side of the chauvinistic males who rule society and females alike? Not at all! In fact there are a lot of movies that portray men as the chauvinistic male pigs who couldn't give 2 hoots about using a woman's body and walking away. Now does that mean that is the typical man in the world? I certainly hope not. This man is just 1 of the many kinds of men who inhibit the world. So why then the uproar over the true portrayal of the "weaker" kinds of females?

The same goes for Slumdog Millionaire. The irony over the issue here is much larger since the majority of Indians live below the poverty line. Mumbai aka Bombay has the largest slums and a large, thriving slum dwelling population. How do you expect to deny this fact? What is so wrong with showing this to the world? In fact I applaud the movie for showing how a slum boy aka slumdog rose up in society to become a millionaire. Isn't that something to be proud of? Such stories though not the norm are a true fact of the Indian landscape. Stories of boys and girls coming to the big city with nothing more than dreams of making it big. These same people have gone to achieve amazing things. Indian should be proud to have such resilient citizens who dare to dream and dare to achieve those dreams despite such odds.

I enjoy chick flicks for the humour and the madness of the characters. I even use them as a reminder for myself to not lose my self-confidence and identity as a woman. I have certainly not ran amok after watching "He's just not that into you" looking for the perfect guy and then stalking him all in the hopes of falling in love with Mr. Impossible. Movies are made for entertainment but they usually are based on some kind of reality. This reality may not be the most predominant one but that doesn't take away from the fact that it is still reality.

Featured in the newspaper

2009-04-11T09:32:00.002+01:00

Click on the picture to read the article!

Lamhe- SMU Arts Festival 2009

2009-04-11T09:27:00.005+01:00

This article appeared in the SMU magazine..
Click on the photo to read the article!

8 X 10 Tasveer- movie review

2009-04-05T10:33:00.003+01:00

The movie is really engaging and the suspense very thrilling. However the end part and the explanation for the murderer's motives are weak. These flaws hurt the effectiveness of the story as a whole. However the movie is enjoyable and fun to watch if you like to be thrilled.

Confessions of a Shopaholic- Movie Review

2009-04-04T13:02:00.005+01:00

I love the movie! I can relate to the craze of shopping but can also distance myself from the magic of the plastic money. The story is fun, flirty and very real. I love the colours, the clothes, the gliz and the glamour. At the same time I love how the movie is real despite what the feminist are saying about chick flicks.

As the end draws closer

2009-04-01T11:27:00.005+01:00

4 years, 8 semesters, 39 subjects, uncountable projects and presentations, late nights in the library, rushing to meet deadlines, rehearsing in the concourse and SESS seminar 5.2.. As foreign as these may seem to you, to me they are reminders of the 4 years I have spent in SMU.

My experience at SMU is coming to an end and as much as I am thrilled to be finally over with my Bachelors, there is a sadness in leaving the university where I amassed a lot of memories. I was filling out my profile page for the yearbook when I came across the question "What is your fondest memory in SMU?". Needless to say I had a hard time pinpointing a single memory, there are too many for me to treasure for the rest of my life.

The times spent with friends simply chatting, having fun, drinking chai, laughing uncontrollably or the times spent frazzled in the library working till wee hours to meet an impossibly close deadline. I remember the 1^st day of FA class when I 1^st met Liz. Both of us were so out of place in an accounting class and were so relieved to find a friendly face in class. I remember we found each other during the class break and stuck together ever since. We literally slaved together for FA and MA, supporting each other through the horrors of the subjects.

I am going to miss each of these memories and much much more. More importantly I will miss all the people who have enriched my time in SMU, It is impossible to think about my university days without my friends and professors. I thank God for blessing me with such wonderful friends who have stood by me the past 4 years. I just hope we can continue to stay in touch and maintain our beautiful friendship.

I had always heard that university is the best time of your life and I totally agree. I loved my university days and am going to miss it a lot!

I think that what makes this rite of passage more bittersweet for me is the fact that I am as yet still unemployed. That means that once my exams end on the 18^th of April, I have an indefinite period of nothingness. I have been working hard on filling this black hole of a period in my life with some meaningful activities. The obvious thing is trying to land a job for which the process is still in process. As would be expected this is no easy feat in the economic times of today. Keeping that in mind I have also applied for Master's studies in the UK. Other than that I have been applying for various short activities like volunteering with the Asian Youth Games and being a Teaching Assistant and Research Assistant for the holidays.

As the end draws closer I look forward to a new beginning while cherishing the many treasured memories I have of university days.

He's just not that into you

2009-03-05T01:13:00.003Z

For me the movie was too unnerving. I had a hard time not reacting to the extreme desperation from Gigi. I guess it was just highly in contrast to the person I am. However I must say I liked the ending for the respective characters.

Love Story- Book review

2009-03-01T17:40:00.004Z

Too short for me. I finished reading it in an hour. I preferred reading 'I too had a love story'. I felt the love story was not developed as well. The author could have set the story at a more settled pace.

The hypocrisy of the hypocrites

2009-02-27T15:47:00.005Z

The hypocrisy of the hypocrites makes me hurl.

The ignorance and the negligence of the honesty of the simple leaves me amazed.

The world is weird and weirder are the people who constitute the world.

Truth and honesty are no longer welcome, neither are sincere relationships and genuine emotions.

It is instead the world of deceit, malicious gossip, back-stabbing and arm-twisting.

The spineless aspires to rule by preying on the dumb and fooling the smart. It remains to be seen who emerges victories.

Then again is this even a fight? Forget world peace. Is peace amongst "friends" even possible? Can I trust the person who is friend not to smile and back-stab while under the impression that the stab hurts without me knowing? Talk about being ambitious...

Billu Barber- movie review

2009-02-17T15:39:00.003Z

A good entertainment value. Irfan and Lara do a great job. The 3 "item" songs were catchy and well picturised. Though the choreography was not up to the mark. Deepika looked the most amazing of the 3 "item girls" and Kareena the most retarded. SRK's age shows and he looks awkward paired opposite girls 20 years his junior. Overall it is a good entertaining movie.

Slumdog Millionaire- Movie review

2009-02-17T15:34:00.004Z

Amazing story finely told. Brilliant acting and direction too. However Jamal speaking in a British accent and excellent English despite having negligible education was quite a turn off. Overall totally worth a watch to understand the plight of a kid born into the slums of India.

Karna- The Eternal Warrior

2009-02-04T15:51:00.001Z

Tickets are now available at $15 each.
To purchase, email icskarna@gmail.com or SMS 91998369 or 91810614

**Production is performed in English**

Singapore Management University Indian Cultural Society (SMU ICS) will stage its 3rd annual drama production Karna - The Eternal Warrior on 14 February this year. The production emulates the traditional theatre style prevalent in Ancient India. The drama boasts a SMU student based cast and crew including live vocalists, musicians, actors, creative and technical directors and production manager.

Karna - The Eternal Warrior is an English adaptation of one of the chapters from the Indian epic, The Mahabharata, focusing on the character of Karna. The protagonist, Karna, was the son of the Sun god and due to circumstances was disowned at birth. He faced humiliation at every step in life despite his revered lineage. He was never given the respect he deserved. However despite all odds he rose high and knowingly chose to be on the side of the wrong, but for all the right reasons– gratitude, loyalty, and friendship. Karna went on to use the strength and knowledge he amassed to conquer all who had mocked him in life.

Karna went on to become one of the biggest, most loved and most memorable heroes of the Mahabharata. He encapsulated in himself the angst of living a wronged life, which he lived by the motto of making the best of the worst.

The script of the production is adapted from the original “Karnabharam”, a Sanskrit play written in 500 B.C by Bhasa, who is referred to as the father of Indian drama. Karna comes in the wake of previous 2 highly successful productions by SMU ICS, Ek Pyaar Ki Kahaani and Heer Ranjha. SMU ICS hopes to continue entertaining audiences from across the spectrum while spreading awareness about Indian culture and the diverse talents of its members.

Vision for Karna - The Eternal Warrior
With Karna, SMU ICS aims to expand their audience to include the wider Singapore community. The club seeks to enrich the Singapore community with Indian culture and Indian theatre style. Karna will entertain and educate audiences with its unique blend of traditional Indian theatre (founded in 500BC) and modern theatrical technologies of today.

The drama delivers the message of being successful in all situations and standing loyal to your values and what you do in life. Overall the production gives the audience an opportunity to appreciate and enjoy the multiple talents of SMU students in the showcase.

Production Crew and Cast for Karna - The Eternal Warrior

Production Crew
Niharica Sand- Production Manager
Unnikrishna Menon Sreekanth- Director
Parampreet Kaur- Finance Director
Shaffalika Gandhi- Marketing & Sponsorship Director
Ramesh Chandraseharan- Technical Director
Saroopa Das Choreography – Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society

Cast
Zameer Vaswani- Karna
Gayatri Gopal- Kunthi
Sri Saravanan Sithiasagaran- Salya
Akram Yacob- Suthradhar
Unnikrishna Menon Sreekanth- Brahmin
Roger Cherian Payyappilly- Parasurama

I did learn something in SMU

2009-01-28T07:15:00.003Z

For the 1st time I am only doing 3 modules. Keeping this in mind I had forecasted ample free time and a chilled out semester. It has been 4 weeks into my last semester in SMU and boy have I been proven wrong.

For each of my 3 subjects I have weekly readings and for strategy I have weekly case homework. I know it doesn't sound so bad. But trust me in the last semester I just don't have the motivation to even pick up the textbook, forget doing case studies. Frankly it is not so bad. I agree. What makes it so irritating are the overly zealous juniors in my classes.

All 3 of my classes have an ample of year 2 and year 3 students. Maybe its generation gap (yikes) or the lack of experience dealing with the SMU style of education. Whatever the reason they are the epitome of kiasu. They highlight their slides a week before the lesson. They complete assignments a week before submission. They want to meet 3-4 times to work on a 10% project. They are eager beavers and it irritates me to no end.

After spending 7 semesters in SMU I guess I have gotten used to completing assignments and projects in minimum time and with minimum meetings. I have also gotten used to prioritising deadlines with their respective grade weightage. I must admit that I too have gone though the period of 3 hour sleeping time and pulling out my hair.

In short I guess I did learn something from my time in SMU. I learnt to be an efficient worker, managing my time well and multi-tasking effectively. Now if only I could land a job based on these practical leanings....

Raaz- The mystery continues- Movie review

2009-01-28T05:25:00.003Z

After a long time I watched a horror movie in which I laughed the least. Knowing me you would understand that this means the movie actually could have passed off for scary. Having said that the movie had many scenes and tactics borrowed from Japanese and Korean horror movies. Those just made me laugh. As for the actors Kangana was great like usual. She looked gorgeous and acted well. Emraan was alright though his French beard just pissed me off. His hairstyle too was extremely irritating. Adhyayan Suman took the cake in rubbing me the wrong way. I cringed each time he smiled or uttered the innocent sounding "baby".. His acting was only bearable in the last 1 or 2 scenes. Overall the movie is a decent watch with enough amount of scare and entertainment. Faint- hearted people might want to brace themselves.

A Girl Like Me- book review

2009-01-25T05:31:00.004Z

A book that tackles the sacrifices made by a daughter in order to keep her promise made to her dying father. The story also explores how we cling onto the memories as we want them to be and not how they usually are. I personally felt the ending could have been better. A lot of loose ends were left..well loose.

Lamhe at Re:Present, SMU Arts Festival 2009

2009-01-16T18:36:00.003Z

This coming Monday I will be dancing with 5 other dancers from the SMU Indian Cultural Society. Our performance will be part of the ongoing SMU Arts Festival, Re:Present. In line with the theme of time our performance, Lamhe, will showcase the transition Indian art has made over the years. Using a song from a 1958 Hindi movie and its 21st centuary remix, our dance showcases the difference in music, costumes, dance steps and socital attitude. Come down and watch us dance to the beats of Ek Pardesi, old and new, at Singapore Mangement University T-Junction at 12.30pm on 19th Jan totally free of cost!!

For One More Day- Book review

2009-01-15T01:33:00.004Z

Interesting story that takes time to hook you to the story. It is refreshing to read a book about the deep love shared between a mother and a son.

I too had a love story- Book review

2009-01-15T01:00:00.003Z

Amazing book! The fact that it is a true tragic love story moved me to tears. The many similarities with my life also made me scared and forced me to think of situations I would never want anyone to face in life. Please read the book and get an inside look at what true love is.

The Year That Was 2008

2009-01-03T20:32:00.003Z

The year began different as she had deferred her semester. She enjoyed working life as she interned at a Financial PR firm. The internship whizzed by and soon came her 22^nd birthday. She celebrated like the kid she always became on 14^th Feb. Dinner with friends and then partying the night away. The very next day she flew out to attend her cousin sister's wedding. It was all beautiful, it was lovely but it was all too rushed. It was time to celebrate and dance and sing but she was too sick. The wedding was soon over and back to the grind of Singapore it was.

It was time to return to SMU to begin the deferred accountancy term. That spelt misery with 3 core accounting subjects!! By then she had lost all faith in accountancy and had no fight left. She struggled and suffered through the term. Tax planning was her nightmare. In the end she scrapped through, barely though. The summer holidays came late but came with a bang! She finally secured a BSM and got accepted into for summer exchange. Summer promised to be the best of her life to date.

The day after her last exam she was off to Sweden and Denmark for the BSM. The travelling was exhilarating and amazing. The sights, sounds and tastes awed her. As she soaked in the wonders of Scandinavia it was time to head back to sunny Singapore. Just 8 days later she was off again. This time to Mumbai for 10days on her way to London for her summer school at The London School of Economics and Political Science. The 10days flew by, she was happy and free and very much busy. Before she realised she was back on a plane, flying off to London. She was excited, she was nervous. Alone in a foreign land.. She wondered how she will survive.

London welcomed with open arms and with soon she was totally immersed in her London life. Making new friends and discovering a new life. She was happy and truly content. Studying hard and partying even harder, she ventured into new places. Edinburgh in Scotland, Cardiff in Wales and Paris in France made her summer all the more enchanting. She was living a dream and she didn't want to wake up. Unfortunately all good things come to an end and so did her summer in London. She was soon saying alvida and was on her way back to Singapore. However a 1 day stop in Mumbai was awaiting and she was most looking forward to it. That one day passed to fast, in a haze. It was a tearful separation of indefinite period. With teary eyes and heavy heart she boarded the plane and flew far away.

Starting year 4 felt different yet the same. It started at a feverish pace of job applications and career talks. The interview calls came and she saw hope. She gave her all, impressed and prayed for the best. The future looked bright and she was all smiles. Then came the global economy crash which faded the future and blurred the present. The interviews stopped, the progress halted and she was even shown the door. She was in shock at the complete turn of events. Who can predict the game of God? She smiled and marched ahead. She went through classes and felt the emptiness in life. She left foreign in her own life. People seemed changed or maybe it was just her. She yearned for something to fill the void. Joining painting class she found some solace. Yet she longed to escape Singapore again. She wondered what the holidays would bring and if she would get to spread her wings. She longed for that touch, those arms and that love. The distance was hard to bear and she struggled each day, the smile never leaving her face. Her pain was hers and his alone.

December loomed ahead and she was invited to a friend's wedding. How exciting she thought.. But her parents refused. Then came Chakra like a knight in shining armour. Glad to be rescued she accepted Chakra and embarked on another journey. 2 weeks in a village living the simple life. No electricity, limited water, sleeping on the floor, cooking own food, doing carpentry and teaching kids. That was her life and she learnt a lot. She fell, she cried, she laughed, she smiled. She was glad she went; she came out a better person. Then came the trip to Goa; a holiday finally. For 3 days she relaxed and enjoyed on the sand and in the sea. She left sunburnt but happy, looking forward to a wonderful wedding. The wedding was great, she felt overwhelmed. Her friend was married, would it be her turn soon? She was happy and content with life. A few bonus days to spend in Mumbai. She seized each day and made it fun. Living her life and making memories. Then came time to say good-bye again. She cried and she cried and cried some more. Good-bye was too hard, too painful and heartbreaking; indefinite separation again looming ahead. Promises were made to strive hard for progress. Promises were made of undying love. Promises were made to meet again. Promises were made to keep the promises...

The year that was 2008 was amazing. Full of ups and downs like any other year. What 2009 holds is to be seen. Pray for the best, prepare for the worst cause life is a beautiful journey; unique for each.

Dasvidaniya- Movie review

2009-01-03T18:45:00.004Z

Amazing movie, very sensitive and clean. I loved every character, the acting was believable. Only glich I found was the Russian girl act.. It was not well shaped and seemed forced into the storyline. All in all a must watch movie.

Ghajini

2009-01-01T17:14:00.002Z

Date Watched: 27th Dec 2008
Venue Watched: Adlabs Wonder Mall

Rating: 5.5/6
My 2-cents worth: A great movie in every way. Almost a perfect movie if not for the abrupt placement of the songs and minor flaws in the story. Aamir Khan is brilliant!!! He has given the movie his 200% and it shows. Asin is good too, loud at parts but still watchable. Jiah Khan's role at times irritates the hell outta you with her antics. But its part of the story... All in all a must watch movie!

Rab Ne Bana De Jodi

2009-01-01T17:08:00.002Z

Date Watched: 23rd Dec 2008
Venue Watched: PVR R Mall

Rating: 2.5/6
My 2 cents worth: Horrible story with SRK overacting as the "hip and hap" Raj. It gets painful to watch the movie after the interval. The saving grace is Anushka Sharma. Her acting is gentle and suble, a relief after SRK's loud acting. The songs are not great either. Though the final dance sequence is pleasent to watch.