Thursday, April 23, 2009
Exercising rights and all that jazz
posted by Anamika Anyone at 6:05 am
Today I vote. For the very first time. I execute that activity which among other things makes my country a democracy. I fulfill my end of the bargain.
There's been a lot of hoohaa on voting this time. Its all over the media. No, not the politics; nothing new about that. The hue and cry has been over not voting. Please vote, for God's sake and the sake of India, please vote, they say. "They" here means everybody who gets 15 seconds in front of the camera.
I'm sure I'm not fully informed. I follow the news in a vague sort of way. I don't sit glued in front of the TV when politicians battle it out with other politicians in debate whilst TV anchors/moderators-of-debate look on amused. I merely glance through newspapers; what I actually sit and read are only editorials, glossies and comics. So, I don't know the whole story about each party and each candidate.
I have however, made an honest effort to get to know them. So, I'm informed, but not so much. I am very much inclined to vote for the person, not the party(unlike my father). I was always like this.
When I was in the 7Th standard, my seniors stood for the student body president elections. The candidates were mostly of the typical type; popular, athletic, not academically excellent but good. There was one girl; she was in no way that popular. She was a 70%er, an all rounder, sort of quiet but good in debates. She didn't seem to have that "Look how many people love me" attitude about her. Her campaign too, reflected actual issues instead of focusing on freebies and extra PT periods.
I voted for her. I knew she wasn't going to win because we kids discuss our votes and the verdict was out before the results.
She didn't win. She got 2 votes. Only two.
It felt strange that she had my vote and (probably) her own. I didn't regret my vote then nor do I regret it now.

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Saturday, April 18, 2009
Pulp Fiction
posted by Anamika Anyone at 9:51 pm


The CD was lying in the case for months. I hadn't yet watched Pulp Fiction. Maybe because I had heard that this was an exceptional movie and I wanted to wait for a good time to enjoy it. Well, I watched it today, and I have to say, I'm not disappointed.

Pulp fiction is a delightful-yet-sordid dark comedy on crime syndicates, petty burglars, and Hollywood. It's basically three short interlinking stories. Story 1: Contract killer Vincent(John Travolta: I didn't give a damn about him, but he has pretty much caught my notice after this movie) takes his boss Marcellus' wife Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman: that Bob! Awful!) out on a friendly dinner date. He ends up frantically fighting for Mia's life as she's ODed. Story 2: Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) is a prize fighter who wins last battle and runs for his life from Marcellus. I won't tell any more about this story because its so fantastic it has to be watched. Story 3: Vincent and his partner Jules(Samuel Jackson) land themselves in a mess involving a headless corpse, blood and brains splattered all over their car, and a couple who think its a clever idea to rob a cafe.

I read "The great Gatsby" a month ago. Like Pulp, I had heard glowing references made to it. Good story, but I didn't like it because I could not identify with any of the characters. All of them lacked substance. Even Gatsby himself. In Pulp, however, I've got a host of well-etched loonies to choose from. Lets see; who do I like the best? Mia Wallace with all her witticisms, her twist dancing style and those sharp heroin-addled eyes? Or Winston Wolf, the think-on-his-feet virtuoso sent to clean up the headless-corpse shit? Or Jules, with his scary evangelist voice when he recited a psalm before unloading a gun on a guy. Or maybe, Butch's girlfriend whose genuine sweet talk made me think of Audrey Hepburn. I cannot decide. No book I read, play or movie I've seen has been so rich of characters.

The movie had me glued to my seat, thanks to the unforeseen twists and turns. In the absence of abovementioned t.s and t.s there were kitschy, engaging dialogues and then there was the soundtrack. The soundtrack! I loved one song in particular; something about a preacher's son teaching.

So, to sum up: I decided I like Quentin Tarantino(all that extreme violence aside) when I watched Kill Bill. Now I like him much, much more.

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Little Johnny wants to play
posted by Anamika Anyone at 6:56 am
Rain, glorious rain!

Finally after a long time of punishing heat, the first rainfall of the season! I was returning home from work yesterday evening when the drops began to fall. It was pouring as I reached Tilaknagar. I didn't even care that the rickshaw was open on both sides and fat raindrops were coming at me like welcome arrows (there's an oxymoron). The fragrance of the mud after rainwater falls on dry land! Somewhere along the way I caught a whiff of hot pakoras. Mmmm..

Its seven in the morning. I got up at five thirty to see my parents off. They're going to Bombay. (I miss the panipuri so much!) The world is still as hot and humid as it was, but there are tell-tale signs of overnight heavy rainfall outside. I've got a long Saturday ahead. Got to make a schedule. But I think I'll make hot pakoras before that. Anybody have a recipe?

Ah, what the heck, I'll settle for hot tea!

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Tuesday, April 14, 2009
The fast and the Furious
posted by Anamika Anyone at 9:24 pm
Myriad cars, homegrown and imported. Girls making out with each other. A lot of bald guys. A lot of vrroom vroom. And a lot of adrenaline.
I actually didn't mind it.

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Saturday, April 11, 2009
Que sera sera
posted by Anamika Anyone at 3:11 pm
Another favourite - Sing along!



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Thursday, April 02, 2009
Everybody's free to wear sunscreen
posted by Anamika Anyone at 6:06 pm
One of my all time favourites!



Here are the words:
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’99
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be
it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by
scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
than my own meandering
experience…I will dispense this advice now. Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not
understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and
recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before
you and how fabulous you really looked….You’re not as fat as you
imagine. Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as
effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing
bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that
never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm
on some idle Tuesday. Do one thing everyday that scares you Sing Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with
people who are reckless with yours. Floss Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes
you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with
yourself. Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you
succeed in doing this, tell me how. Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements. Stretch Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your
life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they
wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year
olds I know still don’t. Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone. Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children,maybe
you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky
chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…what ever you do, don’t
congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your
choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s. Enjoy your body,
use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people
think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever
own.. Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room. Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them. Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly. Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for
good. Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the
people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you
should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and
lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you
knew when you were young. Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live
in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel. Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will
philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize
that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were
noble and children respected their elders. Respect your elders. Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund,
maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one
might run out. Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will
look 85. Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who
supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of
fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the
ugly parts and recycling it for more than
it’s worth. But trust me on the sunscreen… "

What's amazing is that this does not feel like preaching.

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