Hello boys!

So I've returned. What's so great about that, you ask? Well, I almost didn't. The holidays took their toll and I was feeling too lazy to post anything. But I'm over it now. And to celebrate the same, I shall acquaint you with a whole new word - 'Bloggerazzi'. It refers to those bloggers who eagerly await a new post by a popular blogger, so they can be the first to comment on it. Pathetic, eh? I guess that's the way the cookie, er, those cookies crumble. Cheerio!

My best friend at work.

It's not a 'he'. It's not a 'she'. It's an 'it'. Ergo, Pacman! That's right. Whenever I feel a bit chewed up or on the verge of dropping off, I quickly play a game of Pacman. A cuppa coffee may sufice for others but as far as I'm concerned there's nothing more invigorating than a game of pacman. It makes you more dexterous. Sharpens your instincts. And perks you up of course. In fact, I've become so adept at it that nowadays I try playing it left-handed (I'm not a sinistral) to see how much I score. For the record, my all-time high is in the region of 1,15,000. Makes me wonder why they don't have pacman championships. I'm sure I could take a shot at being the world champ! Any pacman lovers out there?

Yippie-kay-yay, motherfucker!

I bet that's exactly what Qazi Touqeer must be whooping after reaching the Top 3 in the Fame Gurukul sweepstakes. This boy had been written off. Pooh-poohed. Dustbinized. And now, he's the man. HE'S THE MAN! Boyoboyoboy...it must feel good to make one's competition eat, nay, stuff its words down its oh-so-melodious throat. After ten times in the danger zone, QT has seen defeat up close and he's walked away unscathed. Every time. Today he has every reason to feel vindicated. He's singing well, his performance rocks and the audience adores him. Here's to Qazi's final performance to become part of the Fame Jodi. Break a leg QT.

Inspiration Hollywood ishtyle

Last night as I watched a film called The Long Kiss Goodnight, I was struck at how similar its story was to The Bourne Identity. Assassin loses memory. Assassin struggles to unearth original identity. Assassin knocks off numerous bad guys in the process and prevails over sinister organizations like the CIA, US Secret Service and what have you. The only major difference between the two films was that TLKG had a female protagonist (Geena Davis) while TBI had a male one (Matt Damon). My take on this is that the screenplay writer of TLKG was inspired by Robert Ludlum's novel (1980) and he was lucky that the movie based on the book, wasn't produced till as late as 2002. Who knows, there may also be two (or three) Bollywood films out there based on this much-copied plot!

Mindblowing music from a mindblowing movie

This is the second time I've struck gold at the Priya complex Music World. It was there that I found a superb 3-CD set of the best of Genesis. And last weekend I discovered the 'Pulp Fiction' soundtrack - arguably one of the best soundtrack albums you'll ever hear. There is a definite method to the madness with Chuck Berry, Maria McKee, Al Green, The Statler Brothers, Kool & the Gang, Urge Overkill (doing a cover of Neil Diamond's ballad 'Girl You'll Be A Woman Soon'), Ricky Nelson, Dusty Springfield, and the Tornados in one album. The CD ends with the excellent surf song used for the end credits "Surf Rider." Well actually, it ends in style with Jules (Samuel L Jackson) reciting Ezekiel 25:17, and then Jules and Vincent blasting you away. Do your music system a favour. Get this album.

Seinfeld:1 Friends: 0

Seinfeld tickles me pink. Everytime I laugh out loud during that sitcom, my wife shoots me a quizzical look. I know what she's thinking: '"How in the world does he find this funny?" But then 'Friends' doesn't have me rolling in the aisles (while she enjoys it thoroughly.) I think we have a yin-yang'ish situation here. Men identify with Seinfeld while - you guessed it - women identify with Friends. Why? I guess women love the camaraderie, the good-natured ribbing and the goofiness of the guys in 'Friends'. Something men find...ummm...okay...hey, close but no cigar. It may make me smile but laugh? No way!
Seinfeld is also about a bunch of friends. But Kramer, Eileen, George and our eponymous Seinfeld are very different from the characters in 'Friends'. No romance. No innuendos. No pretence. These guys are hyper, paranoid and teetering on the verge of being neurotic. While being funny. And the best part? Seinfeld understands what men want (for a change.) It's a guy's show - from sex to dating to male bonding to the full monty. It's all there. My favorite part is when Seinfeld takes centrestage as a stand-up comic and describes stuff in a very matter-of-fact manner. What kind of stuff? Well, why don't you watch and find out for yourself? And don't forget that mug of beer while you're at it.

Hallelujah!

Guess what? I found two gems while rummaging at Fact & Fiction yesterday. The complete Monty Python scripts - in two volumes entitled 'All the Words'. For all you ignoramuses out there, 'Monty Python' isn't a person, but a group of Brit actors that performed their famous comedy programme "Monty Python's Flying Circus" on BBC from 1969 to 1974. It's members include the likes of John Cleese (remember 'Q' in Die Another Day?) There's also some good news for all you 'The Far Side' fans. The Complete Far Side (boxed set et al) is available at F&F. Hurry, limited stocks!

IIPM Idiocy

Like most Delhiites, I knew IIPM was a rip-off MBA institute. What I didn't know was that they had a specialization in coercion too! It appears Arindam Chaudhuri has finally lost it. His books refuse to leave the bookstores. His film refuses to be house full. His (shady) MBA institute refuses to crawl up from the bottom of B-School rankings. I say! I finally understand what's eating him. Frustration. And boy, he is hell-bent on taking it out. On this chap. Tch, tch Arindam. Get a life.