Google Romance

The day even Google turned matchmaker. Check it out.






And sorry for the hideous amount of white space.

In case you were wondering...

In case you were wondering whether Toe Knee had left this planet after his last post, you are half right. Yours truly is having major computer problems at home and very rarely am I able to blog surreptitiously from the office.

In case you are also wondering why I keep whining about my ancient computer and how it's high time I got myself a laptop, Yes! I totally agree with you.

In fact, my Dad's promised me a laptop, and although I am trying to speed up the process, I am confident of wheedling it out from him by June 2006.

Till then, please bear with me and although I sometimes wonder whether I have more than 2 assorted readers, let me remind each of them personally that blogging remains a priority for me and I will be posting something on some mundane subject as soon as possible.

By the way, I finally read C S Lewis' first Narnia adventure - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I had never attempted any of his books as a child but when the flick was released in India recently, I thought it was time I read the classic. To my surprise, found lots of Biblical references as well.

American vs Indian Idol Part 2

Young Kevin Covais is out of American Idol. Not that he was one of my favourites, but I kind of admired his confidence at such a young age.

Thank God! Taylor Hicks is still in competition. But Lisa Tucker may have to do something now - she's figured in the Bottom 3 for the second show in a row. Is this a sign?

As for Indian Idol, organisers are doing all that they can to generate even higher TRP ratings. Now the three that are left in the race to succeed whatshisname Sawant - N C Karunya, Sandeep Acharya and Anuj Sharma - will be enthralling audiences at concerts in New Delhi, Ahmedabad and Lucknow. Looks like it's going to be a long, long affair.

How to get Men to Shoot Straight

Here comes the klokicker: the football-urinal-sieve. What's that, you ask? It's a green plastic inset for a urinal, with a football goal installed on top.

A football dangles in front of the goal. The accuracy the male guests are capable of is now on the line and they have to kick the ball into the goal.

Bull's eye! And the ball changes colour. A lot of fun for top goal scorers!

Ideal for:
Football clubs, Stadiums, Bars, Beer gardens and many others.

Courtesy: Zigzackly

American vs Indian Idol

Yup! People are surprised to know that I prefer watching American Idol rather than the more popular Indian Idol series.

Unfortunately, the popularity of Indian Idol hinges on melodrama and thrills, rather than actual singing. In a recent episode, the judges walked out after the people of India allegedly committed a crime by voting out a much more talented singer.

Chaos prevailed for some time - helping to jazz up TV ratings - before the singer himself refused to allow a rematch, declaring that he had "accepted" the verdict of the people and destiny. Talk about TV magic.

On the much more staid American Idol show, I am kinda rooting for Taylor Hicks. If he's voted out, my next best bet would probably be Katherine McPhee and Paris Bennett.

I even started a blog on its official website although I haven't updated it. You can read it here.

Mother, son and hair

Conversation between mother and son at mealtime -

Me: Why don't you try Garnier Multi-Lights for your hair?
Mom: At least, I have hair. Even if it's grey.

Ouch! Mom sure got back at me with that one. References to my receding hairline do not find me in the best of moods. And in case, you were wondering - I was just telling Mom to try out something new for her birthday.

Happy Birthday Mom. That barb is forgiven...for today.

Inside the President's bachelor pad

Well, one can certainly visit the Rashtrapati Bhavan if one has the right connections. My mom knows one of the President's men and last Friday we (mom, dad, moi) ended up visiting Dr Kalam's residence.

The scientist-president was in Myanmar at the time - a blessing in disguise as security personnel didn't pay too much attention to us except for the usual metal detector rigmarole.

A man took us on a guided tour of a few of the 350 rooms the gigantic mansion contains - statues galore, carpeted walkways - making sure we appreciated every inch of its regal splendour.

"Someone broke the original chandelier in the Durbar Hall. This one's a replacement," our guide tells us in an aside.

The museum, full of marble busts and portraits and gifts, was a special delight and so was the view of the Mughal Gardens from inside the President's dining hall.

Our docent even demonstrated the system of three buttons used for ceremonial dinners - to signal the end of a course, time to clear up and ...I forget what the third one was for.

We visit the Children's Gallery (a new addition mooted by Kalam himself) and get a 3D sketch of ourselves. We even stopped for tea in a room in the Guest Wing (I am a tea-hater myself but even I couldn't resist drinking some Presidential Tea)

I wish I could be President - if only to be master of Rashtrapati Bhavan, a mini-city in itself. For God's sake! The place even has its own cinema theatre. Knowing Kalam, I wouldn't be too surprised if he's hiding a laboratory somewhere in the basement.

Cesar Y Zain

Surprise! Surprise! I drop in at the ongoing Spanish Film Festival in New Delhi today and find an India-centric film being screened. Can't believe my luck.

Larry Levene's 2003 masterpiece Cesar Y Zain (Cesar and Zain) is not a feature film in the conventional sense - it has running commentary and video clips of Bush, the war on Iraq and how Islam is being perceived as a threat by the West.

But it is also a film documenting a poignant cultural and religious exchange. Two young men - Cesar from Madrid and Zain from Delhi - become internet pals thanks to a common love for chess. The two friends evince interest in each other's cultures and decide to switch families for six weeks.

The Roman Catholic (although not practising) Cesar settles in with Zain's Muslim family in the backlanes of Chandni Chowk while Zain travels to Madrid to meet Cesar's kin. Interestingly, the two young protagonists never meet in person before the exchange.

The documentary - Yes! It is one...Although never for a second as boring as conventional documentaries - goes on to record the youths' experiences in their respective milieux.

Cesar records on his camcorder a harrowing picture of life in Old Delhi - a dead cow blocking traffic, lepers at the Nizamuddin shrine, abject poverty and over- population. Director Levene, who was also present at the screening, came in for criticism from one disgruntled viewer.

"India has progressed so much. And yet you chose to depict its poverty. Why wasn't Cesar exposed to other parts of Delhi?" the lady said.

Indeed, there were pleasant images too. An insight into the Muslim way of life, of kids flying kites on rooftops, of street children breaking out into smiles on sighting the camera (prompting Cesar to comment they are the happiest people he has ever met), of Kirori Mal students waxing forth on politics and Iraq.

Meanwhile in Madrid, Zain is shocked by life in Spain. Pre-marital sex, marijuana at club parties and gay pride parades come as a huge culture shock for the 23-year-old Muslim. He is particularly disgusted by the way "loving" parents are soon relegated to old-age homes in Spain.

He questions Cesar's friends on these issues and they in turn debate the practice of arranged marriage in India. It's not as if Zain is uncomfortable - he learns to love the freedom enjoyed by young people in Spain.

Other topics discussed by Cesar and Zain - spicy food, Indian-style toilets, how Muslims can't eat certain varieties of meat, education of women, couples holding hands inside protected monuments, oil crisis in the West. Indeed, director Levene has a humourous take on every conceivable issue.

The six weeks fly by quickly and soon it's time for the two friends to return to their respective homes. It's an emotional farewell for both Cesar and Zain - who find it hard to leave their second homes.
Dealing as it did with a politically incorrect subject, the film did raise some hackles at the post-film Q and A session. Some members of the audience did not take too kindly to the fact that the "heart of India" - Old Delhi - is described as a Muslim area.

"India is a Hindu country," one vociferous woman proclaimed, only to be booed by other members of the audience.

"Why couldn't have Zain been from Pakistan instead?" one viewer - a filmmaker himself - queried. "The movie is biased."

Fat chance - considering the movie is based on real-life incidents and real-life protagonists.

Before Levene, who was clearly uncomfortable by now, could answer - the session degenerated into a debate between sections of the audience.

Guys, it's only a film. It's an interpretation - not Gospel truth. I leave. Disgusted.

P.S. But even I couldn't forgive Levene this. The narrator in Cesar Y Zane describes Bollywood films as being made in Hindustani - a mixture of Hindu and Urdu.

Librarian Liberated

Am currently reading The Giant's House by Elizabeth McCracken - the story of a spinster librarian falling in love with an eight-foot tall teenager suffering from congenital gigantism. The novel is a scintillating read on this unusual romance, as seen from the perspective of protagonist Peggy Cort.

But for some reason, it set me thinking about my visits to the library. I wonder if I have ever spoken to the person at the desk other than for paying late fines (inevitably!) or asking permission to cut out articles from the newspaper.

I am sure librarians are 'normal' people too - with similar thoughts, wishes, desires. What goes on in their minds as they go about their daily tasks - almost always with a stack of books in hand. When patrons check out with books, does the librarian form a mental picture of him depending on the kind of novels he reads. Hmmm. Interesting...