Day 09 — A photo you took

Last few days of Tai Shan at the National Zoo, DC. Apologies for the iPhone quality.

You know what annoys me?

 Ironically/ Irony/ Ironic being used incorrectly. Irony is simple. The use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning. It's not sarcasm. It's not coincidence.

That's it. It's a Thursday. Needed to get this out.

Day 08 — A photo that makes you angry/sad

Click to enlarge. (via)

Day 07 — A photo that makes you happy

Click to enlarge. (via)

Day 06 — Whatever tickles your fancy

These days, I am all about sustainability. Seriously. I am still trying to figure out what I want to do, where I want to be and all such existential questions. What I do know is that I want to be involved in change.

I would like to thank the Academy..

Day 05 — Your favorite quote

"Things happen to you for a reason. A good reason."
I actually just made it up. It's how I live my life.

Day 04 — Your favorite book

I have a bad memory. Real bad. Right now, I can only remember the book I am reading and the one I finished. Which is a shame, because I have so many books that I have loved. The issue here is books can't be re-read as often as movies can be re-watched. Regardless, I am going to pick one that had an impact on me (and countless other readers too) - Portrait Of A Lady. Nah. Scrap that. I'll go with Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.

Ha. And here you thought I was being all intellectual and fancy.

Day 03 — Your favorite television program

I wrote a whole other post for this with Gilmore Girls and Seinfeld as my favorite show. But who am I kidding? It has to be Friends. My repeat viewings prove it.

Day 02 — Your favorite movie

Whoa. This keeps getting tougher and tougher. To pick one favorite movie is almost impossible. How do you decide on a favorite movie? Is it something that you can watch over and over again or is it something that impacts you in a way that you had not thought possible. The latter kind are generally intense dramas or movies dealing with issues you might not necessarily want to watch multiple times.

I am going to go with the simpler definition and choose Andaz Apna Apna. Its beyond entertaining, its memorable, its sprinkled so many of my conversations with humor I have lost count. Its made me judgmental in a mean way. I CANNOT have someone who dislikes this movie as my friend. No way.

Day 01 — Your favorite song

This is difficult. I don't listen to much music - and I enjoy instrumental more. Does an instrumental piece qualify as a song?

Anyway, qualifying or not, I'll say right now my favorite tune is the soundtrack of 25th Hour by Terence Blanchard. Not heard a lot of jazz, but if this is what it is - damn!

Open Title - Terence Blanchard

Edward Norton

 Image Credit: The Insider

This blog is slowly converting to a movie review blog. Which I have absolutely no problem with. And neither should you.

Up until last week, I had watched 2 movies of Edward Norton. Fight Club and more recently The Illusionist. I remember watching American History X when it came out, but then I was a stupid college student who probably slept through most of it (I blame my then crazy schedule for this and it should by no means be indicative of my love for cinema). Anyway, this entry warrants a little background about my movie watching habits and seasonal obsessions.

 As Monty Brogan in The 25th Hour

When I like a movie I watch, I go to it's Wikipedia and/or IMBD page and read up on the actors/directors/writers etc. I then go about watching every movie of the said director or actor. This method has served me well in finding hidden gems. For example, I watched Matilda, directed by Danny De Vito a while back, which made me watch Death To Smoochy (same director), which made me watch all movies of Ed Norton. Once I am done with him - I still have the Obama campaign documentary remaining, I'll move on to Throw Momma from the Train and the rest.

As Smoochy the Rhino

Image Credit: NYTimes

Now, most people agree on Ed Norton being a good actor. Sure, people sometimes relegate him to being predictable and repetitive (multiple-personality roles), but why change something that works as good as this (think Tom Cruise). Looking beyond these roles, he has done some amazing "normal" characters with aplomb too - Father Brian in Keeping the Faith and Smoochy the Rhino in Death to Smoochy.

Whatever people may label him as - controlling and difficult (he works on the scripts of all his movies), intelligent and articulate (Yale grad after all), I can confidently (by virtue of watching every single YouTube video of him in 2 days) say that he is a honestly genuine and level-headed person who knows exactly what he wants, in movies and otherwise.

Also, he is super involved with conservation, sustainability and the environment - all of which I am/try to be involved in. Maybe some day when he is testifying at the Congress again, I'll get a glimpse of him!

Seriously.

Research by Donald A. Redelmeier and Sheldon M. Singh has found that, on average, Oscar winners live nearly four years longer than nominees that don’t win.

One day...

When I buy a tiny piece of real estate with my name on it, I'll build a stone house and have the following in some form:

• Red Chandelier
• Fawn (the color! Geez..)
• A library
• Kitchen island
• Something unfinished
• White painted wood
• Dark stained wood
• Bay window
• Walk-in closet
• Patio/ backyard/ balcony/ terrace
• Big grandfather sofa chair, preferably rocking
• Yellow wall
• Milk glass
• Something refurbished/ salvaged
• Something handmade
• Everything perpendicular
• Double light-blocking curtains
• Canvas and/or corduroy
• Silk
• Textured wallpaper
• Tulips and/or sunflowers
• Sunlight
• No plastic

I am gonna do this - maybe starting April 1?

Day 01 — Your favorite song
Day 02 — Your favorite movie
Day 03 — Your favorite television program
Day 04 — Your favorite book
Day 05 — Your favorite quote
Day 06 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07 — A photo that makes you happy
Day 08 — A photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 — A photo you took
Day 10 — A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 — A photo of you taken recently
Day 12 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13 — A fictional book
Day 14 — A non-fictional book
Day 15 — A fanfic
Day 16 — A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 — An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 — A talent of yours
Day 20 — A hobby of yours
Day 21 — A recipe
Day 22 — A website
Day 23 — A YouTube video
Day 24 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 — Your day, in great detail
Day 26 — Your week, in great detail
Day 27 — This month, in great detail
Day 28 — This year, in great detail
Day 29 — Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 — Whatever tickles your fancy

I am penning a letter. Yes. With a pen and paper. Oh stop it. I am old-school that way.

Isn't this just the perfect shoe?

For summer of course.

Image via Kate Spade

This is very important

If made to sit and write something daily (which is what I have been trying to do, in case you have not noticed), I write about the shallow stuff - movies, books, TV shows. I am a bit of a recluse. I would much rather prefer staying at home than venture out (especially when the weather makes it possible for even perpetually cheery people to become hermits).

I could very well talk about the healthcare debate, Aishwarya Rai's pregnancy issues or Duke's Youtube admission videos, but lets leave that for another time.

I know.

For tomorrow we live

Why do I procrastrinate? Isn't that a question about 95% of the population asks itself everyday? Why do something today that can be put off for tomorrow?

It is the hedonistic nature cultivated by us that makes us behave this way. Enjoy today; work tomorrow. My blog is testament to this theory. Started in 2007 - 9 posts, 2008 - 2 posts (!), 2009 - 11 posts, 2010 - 13 and counting. I put off writing on this blog conveniently for more than 3 years.

I indeed have turned over a new leaf. Like Lady GaGa would say - Just Write! (Okay, this does not come across the way I am playing it in my head!) But you get my point.

We cannot wait for things to happen. Do something. No, I do not mean kill Dick Cheney. By now you should get my point. Do not buy a domain name and make a one-page website "waiting" for a politician to pass away, even if just for injecting a bit of humor in our dull lives.

Wake up. Work. Play. Dance. Write. Read. TODAY.

What has changed?

You know, everyone changes. Everyone grows up. Everyone matures. It is inevitable. High school is good for some people. Bad for a lot more. I am proud to say that I had an amazing childhood. I would not change a thing. I remember being a brash, arrogant, and selfish kid with a devil may care attitude. I acted as a child was expected to act - I was very outspoken without a hint of coyness. I had no qualms about going up on stage and making a fool of myself (back then I had a very high opinion of myself, so consequently I thought that making a fool of myself was an impossibility).

Then I went to university. I held onto my attitude and lived just the way I grew up. It worked perfectly. I did modify my attitude a little though and became a more likeable person as a result. I was still a very confident, young kid.

Then I moved to the US. A part of me died. That confident, outspoken part. I still can hold my own in any conversation, but I just choose not to. When previously I would initiate discussions, arguments, talks, now I just sit and like to observe. Previously, I would speak my mind; now I carefully calculate my words and only if need be, speak up. Previously, my hand shot up in class like Hermione's; now I think unless my question/answer could save a life (or less dramatically, be relevant to the discussion and not considered a waste of precious time by my peers and professors) I don't need to bother. Maybe this is what is called growing up. If so, then I really don't want to.

A Confederacy of Dunces

On the suggestion of Aamir Khan, I picked up this book. Because you have to heed to Aamir Khan's suggestion. There is no other way.

If I liked him before, I love him now. This book is a classic I did not know about. For me, I turned out to be a hidden gem, a gem that was carefully picked up, dusted, and polished to perfection by yours truly. It is times like this one where I feel like I have not lived life. I mean, I am closer to hitting the quarter-century mark, and in all these years how did I miss this book? This is the kind of book that makes me want to run (yes, run) right this minute to a library (or bookstore) and start reading. No wasting time blogging. Seriously.

I love reading. For the longest time, I resisted buying a SmartPhone. For good reason. The book I would read during my commute got replaced by browsing NYT (which technically qualifies as reading). If I was not in a mood to read (translate: brains not functioning after a tiring day at work), I would listen to the 15 songs I had on my iTunes (which is a big deal for me!). I was reading the aforementioned books for a total of 3 months. That's just plain shameful. I feel guilty even admitting it.

This brings me to the title of the post. The book. It is one of the funniest books I have read in a long time. Actually, I cant remember reading a funny book. Writing adventure, mystery, drama, fact, romance is a lot easier than trying to make someone laugh. It's my opinion any who. Like they say, half of the fun in a joke is the way it is said. Which makes the job of a writer a lot more difficult.

All I will say to anyone who reads is this: Please rush over to a library/bookstore/friend and get this book. You will not be able to put it down.