Of Pie & Pizza!

Despite having (and constantly making up) so many lists, surprisingly I don't have a list of favourite books. Sometimes when I browse through other blogger's profiles and such - I see them listing a whole lot of books in that 'favourite books' part and then I check mine .. and it's void of any names. I think I could possibly say that I am .. well read .. as in I've read my share of great novels of all times .. (there are a few I've been meaning to read, and have them at home .. but never got around to it) .. yet when it comes to listing them, nothing comes to my head. [This reminds me of this great dialogue from High Fidelity which I won't bother typing].

Anyway, I realised that I can include 'Of Mice and Men' in the list. Now there's always always some stupid reason behind liking something. There have been many books I've hated despite their (good) reputation simply because, the timing was bad. The reason I really like the Steinbeck's Mice and Men is because when I had finished reading it, I remember having the worst kind of depression that lasted for an hour- and I remember one of my friends surprised to hear that I was really really sad over a book.

The crux (oh, I really like this word .. impressive yet non-pretentious) of life is possibly -Timing. Put this factor in everyday life, and you shall also be convinced that timing is everything. The right cues at the right time is essential for all things that happen (and doesn't happen) to us. This is the reason why we lust over Daniel Craig and not Wentworth Miller. This is the reason why we fall in love with someone who really isn't our type yet never fall for that someone who everyone thinks we really should be with. Let's not forget, timing is also the reason why we are even born. Had it been some other sperm entering the egg two milli-milli-seconds late, I could easily have been among the other billions (or however much) that loses the fight (to the finish).

Tomorrow is the deadline for this thing I wanted to enter one of my literature (?!) in. Unfortunately, I haven't actually got anything to submit and feel that it is too late to now transfer it from brain to paper. I am depressed again.

If we counted how many times I've typed the word depression - I bet there's a good chance of that quantity reaching over a thousand. So .. count away!

Procrastinators Guide to Procrastination!

I think its about time the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) included procrastination in their recent publication. That way, around two-third of the first-world (developed countries) population would have a mental condition to blame for their lack of concrete achievement in life instead of blaming themselves. On this regard the developing countries (the third-world .. [so what and where the hell are the 'second-world' countries?]) are lucky; Battle through poverty (and conquer) and waa-laa, that's their achievement done. Here in the West, achievement is judged on a different scale and I blame procrastination for most people's failure to achieve anything in life.

So here's a list .. this is how I procrastinate and waste away precious weeks/days/hours/minutes/seconds. Note, that most of my procrastination takes place in front of the computer from the minute I open up a word-document to type up an assignment that's due the next day.

- Checking of all e-mails
- E-Bay
- amaderGaan forum
- MSN
- YouTube
- Various blogs - random, known - everything
- Wikipedia (for things unrelated to the actual assignment)
- Re-naming various folders in the hard-drive, organizing the folders, fixing up tags on MP3's etc.
- Actual physical cleaning up of the room, table- lecture notes etc.
- WRITING AN ENTRY FOR THIS FREAKING BLOG

Senseless in the City!

Inside I'm panicked. But nothing a good determination can't fix (and I've been trying that for the last three weeks). Emotional dependency is worse than drug dependency methinks, although, the pot-heads can tell me better.

The problem is day-time dreams. The sort of dreams that come to your (sub)conscience head only after you resume back to bed at 8 in the morning. But they are by no means- day-dreaming- when you sit/lie down idly and fantasize about rubbing all sorts of food products on Daniel Craig and then .. .. maybe I shouldn't specify exactly what it is that I idly fantasize about. I'm talking about the proper 'I'm dreaming' - I'm in the middle of my REM sleep and I'm dreaming in black and white.

So anyway, this 'morning-dream' of mine (and I'm having quite a lot these days, almost one everyday, which tells me I should stop the sort of sleep life-cycle I'm leading) wasn't weird. In some sense, yes .. because it was situated at Coles (where I work) and instead of operating the check out registers- we were putting together Christmas gift packs (assortment of puzzle games, Bart Simpson comic books and pens etc). Then at one point (within an hour of my four hour shift) we were finished for the day and I happen to go to the back to see what things I can save for myself and buy later (the whole place looked like my grandmother's house in Dhaka with some modifications of course). After a massive search I came out to the main area and saw my dad sitting on bed, getting his palm read by some guy (he was someone close to my dad I think, can't remember). I asked if he could read my future - my future career, money, love etc. I still remember what he said - in my dream I remember telling myself- well he knows what you're like so telling you what you want to here. (oh! they were great things about the sort of person I really want to be known as and the current state of things with love life).

Anyway, I had a point to this story and I have just lost it. I think the point should be .. you-are-an-obnoxious-self-centred-hater (as in me). Oh well. The most fascinating thing was I was given a black leather bound book (I saw the name clearly, but now can't remember) and was told to read a verse - oh how movie-like!

I really do want to go see a palmist or a tarot card reader person- mmm .. should add that to some sort of a list. (or instead of lists, just go ahead and do it). Here's today's horoscope for Libra:

' The Moon moves through your relationship sector today, triggering a few emotional buttons and heightening your reactions. This is all part of a process that is preparing you for Mars' arrival mid week. It's the things that this draws your attention to that act as a trailer for the main event, with a need to pay attention. Avoid blowing things out of proportion, but don't stick your head in the sand either. '

I have no idea what in the hell the above thing means.

Paris, je t'aime!

Yes!! One movie crossed off the list. After watching Kill Bill vol. 1 and 2 (vol 2 was an absolute crap, and very unlike Tarantino, more on that some other day), I was way too tired to do an entry on Paris, je t'aime. So here goes. The main deal is this - eighteen directors (from all over) were given around 5 minutes to do a short clip- using Paris' backdrop as inspiration. All the individual snippets then integrated to form - Paris, je t'aime. (Originally I thought this was going to follow the likes of 'Love Actually' .. but yes .. I was wrong .. and I'm glad that I was wrong). It was great to see the different styles, the different story telling, the different Paris .. (but boy, some clips were just RANDOM and downright crap) .. but the pro's outweigh the con's and the more I let each of the individual clips sink in (and then think about the integration as a whole), the more I find new things I like and ... I want to go to Paris. Popular culture has such a bad influence on me that it's not funny anymore.

Since I have plenty of time at hand, I'm going to talk about all eighteen snippets. (It'll be a very long one). [I just wiki-ed the thing and all of a sudden the whole thing makes sense .. each director was given a specific area of Paris (there are 20 sort of divisions referred to as the Arrondissements of Paris) and each snippet's name is named after one of the 20 places or is somehow related. These are just the sort of things we had done in English back in high school .. anyway].

1. Montmarte: I don't know much about the director except he was is this clip himself. Basically, (oh people must see it because describing it (by me) does not do it justice) being the first clip, I forgot some details (not that there is a lot to remember, I think the intention was to show Paris and not so much the characters) except that he was a handsome French-man. It's about those unexpected encounters - he wonders (while parked next to a footpath) why he can't find love in the city of love despite having an 'okay' sense humour and 'okay' looking, when a lady collapses on the sidewalk. The five or so minute clip ends with 'I will wait for you' (she had an appointment and he'd drive her there .. but yeah .. we all know what the 'wait' actually meant).

2. Quais de Seine: Trust Gurinder Chadha to stick to what she knows best. Put a girl from the sub-continent (with a hijab this time) with an insanely cute white boy and waalaa. I wish she'd stop following the same routine every time. As much as we (the friend I went with .. she just happens to a 'hijabi' as well) loved the cute French boy (and vowed we'd move to Paris) I'm just so annoyed at Chadha. The only thing I can praise is her taste in white men- Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Bend it like Beckham) I pine for, Dylan McDermott (Mistress of Spices) is an absolute hottie and Marin Henderson & Daniel Gillies (Bride and Prejudice) weren't all that bad either. [But the French boy in this clip .. such smile .. why do the West have all the good looking men and women?]

3. Le Marais: I can't remember which one this was. So I'm guessing it was .. one of those middle things .. (if it was crap, I would've remembered .. and if it was awesome, I would've remembered).

4. Tuileries: Okay, I read good things about this one since it's by the Coen brothers. I can see the humour but at the same time it was just absurd. I'm not sure if I like it. But I did laugh in the theatre, so the humour factor I hadn't missed.

.... Okay, at this point I'm getting a bit impatient. So I think I'll just stop.

Ignorance is Bliss!

One of my favourite poem since grade nine.
(Someday I might post the one I wrote in year nine English too).

' How do I love thee? Let me count the ways .. '

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and idle Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn for Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints! -- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! -- and, if God choose,
I shall love thee better after death.

- Elizabeth Barrett Brown