Shopping

I don't like shopping. This dislike has grown gradually. Shopping for books and movies are ok but shopping for appliances, jewelry, clothes not so great. Id love things to be magically delivered once I have imagined what I want. Shopping for clothes is most annoying. It is also something I need to do. Now. Everything I own is worn out, stained, torn or something. Also I like new things, I like clothes, I like shoes, I like jewelry- I just hate shopping for them.

I dint always hate it. When I was younger, it was an event/activity -some two three of us girls would get together wheedle our parents out of some money and go "shopping". We would call and plan ahead -"lets go shopping on next next Saturday" It was not so bad then - limited money meant limited items which meant there was a finite end. Once you bought something game over. No wondering if you should buy something else to go with this and so on. Back then I I also knew what I wanted -(whatever the other girl was going to buy). I could buy anything - as long as it was "fun". When I shop now- I have to wonder where and how I would use the item. Could I wear it to office? Would it also suit a family function? an office get- together, a non office get together? Is it better to buy one item that is a not perfect but probable for 2 different purposes or buy one really good item that is perfect for only one purpose/location?
See? Nightmarish. Back then parents would have stocked up on enough appropriate clothes for occasions. Now shopping is no fun, it is a chore. The other big problem- nothing fits. Everything is too lose or too tight and does the shirt wrinkle funnily when I bend so and is the gap between the buttons too large and will it last.

These days I have a systematic approach for shopping like I do for chores, I venture out alone.  I make list of items I need. I will first go to a regular mid range clothing store and then hate everything there. I will then defiantly walk out and go to one or two more expensive stores, cluck cluck at the prices and then rush back to the  mid range store and buy something that was not on my list to begin with but is cheaper and multi purpose. Ill stare at it resentfully till its time to go shopping again.

In next post- Bangalore shopping guide.

ON TV

Well not TV really, but DVD. I have been watching the eccentric and refined Belgian detective and it is really bloody good fun. It is not the mystery or the whodunit suspense , since I usually know who the murderer/thief is after the first few scenes (having read most of the books). It is fun nonetheless because it is crisp, because of the quaint language, and because of David Suchets portrayal of Poirot. David Suchet as Poirot is charming and shrewd while retaining Poirots dandy-ness and fussiness.

There have been other on screen appearances of Poirot by actors Austin Trevor (played Poirot in Alibi and Black Coffee), and Albert Finney ( played Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express) . I read that Agatha Christie gave her stamp of approval to Albert Finney's Poirot. He was even nominated for an Oscar and was considered by many as the definitive Poirot. I don't agree- too well built. What do you think? (and he looks just a little bit like Kamal Hassan no?)

Albert Finney as Poirot

Peter Ustinov also played Poirot a total of six times, (He played Poirot in Evil under the Sun -this one has been on TV often). In my opinion he was least like Poirot, being tall and grey haired. Just look at him-

Peter Ustinov as Poirot

David Suchet is the closest to the Poirot I had imagined from the books. He has all Poirot's key characteristics that find their way into all the books - his egg shaped head, his luxurious black moustaches and always being neat and impeccably dressed. Agatha Christie in The Murder on the Orient Express describes Poirot as a "small lean man" David Suchet is anything but lean, but somehow I have never thought of Poirot as lean, considering his elaborate meals and hot chocolate - lean does not fit with Poirot.

David Suchet as Poirot

The actor who plays Hastings is - right amount of bumbling but not in a slapstick obvious kind of way. Similarly Inspector Japp is also the right amount of clueless.

All the performances hit just the right key. Tonight I will find out what happened to Prince Farouq' ruby when he foolishly lets his date wear it and she simply walks away with it.

Weekly wanderings

What have I been doing? Nothing much , watching movies (mostly forgettable- confessions of a shopaholic -terrible) and the random check to see if Bangalore nightlife has returned (which dint disappoint so much this time) and watching loads of sitcoms.

Watchmen

Whatay movie. Both Awesome and Aiyoo Rama. Contradictory you say? What else do you say about a movie that has superheroes who do bad things but are yet superheros, superheroes who have relationship troubles, the weight of too many superpowers and high maintenances girlfriends on their nuked blue shoulder.
While the movie is brilliant at times it seems like it is a little pretentious and thinks it is above its own genre. All right superheroes can be complicated and have their troubles on the side, but there is also much to be said for the superheroes who go around bashing criminals for most o the movie as opposed to having sex and long philosophical discussions on mars.

The movie is definitely worth a watch. Information, stories, back stories, twists are simply thrown at you the first 40 minutes or so, daring you to catch up, and creating a dense storytelling, which is thoroughly enjoyable. Then, when it has reeled you in the movie settles down into a somewhat more traditional narration. Each scene is spectacular. It is strong vibrant visual story telling. So yes Watch Watchmen.
And I will go read the book- no comic- no graphic novel.

Beach

Yes I am aware Bangalore is landlocked. Still some people pining for sun,sand and fun, created a pub/bar/club/restaurant called it the beach and filled up the floor with sand, and expected it to fill up with bangloreans who wouldn't know the difference anyway. I always thought Beach was a monumentally silly idea, but hey suprise suprise its quite fun. First I went to Fuga hoping some page 3 coolness will rub off on me but it was deader than what really really dead is. So onwards to beach which had greenish bouncy lights and people dancing. yaaay.
I believe that they have some sunset grooves party every sunday 3:00p.m- 6:00p.m. Yaay madhyana party! the kind we used to have when you had permission to stay out of home only till dinner and when you went to bunkers to order a small vodka and split that with a friend. You dint do that? Well neither did I.

Pub crawl

Went on a truncated pub crawl but totally awesomely worth it. From the springy benches of styx (that we dint sit in) to the uber blue tinted coolness of nasa (the loos are also space themed and your waiters are captains and the cocktails are insane -insanely named and priced at least zero gravity will cost you some 250 bucks) and pecos.

What is wonderful about hopping from shady pub to shady pub in bangalore is that you can walk from one to another yaaay! An excellent way to spend a Bangalore evening.

More events as and when I remember them.

The post title doesnt make sense? I know.

Female Indian Villan

I read a post on another blog (that I cant remember now and when I do I will link it) about female villains of how Glenn Close is an awesome female villain.

Usually being a female villain is no fun, especially on TV, and even in some movies. You have to wear terrible make up and plot all day about how to make life more difficult for your bahu, adopted daughter, step daughter having to create torture devices with items like tea, jhaadu, etc. Their male villain companions are also disappointing and fickle, always ditching the female villain while trying to escape or the male villains turn righteous in the end and give long homilies about women and their place.

(I know I know some of the ladies above may actually be the ‘good guys’ but they look villainous to me)

The female villains usually don't get armies of flunkies, or tanks of liquid oxygen, or other diabolical torture devices involving electricity and glittering button panels. Those belong to the male villains alone. The female villains are allowed to dress as eccentrically and as ridiculously as the male villains though. Remember Rohini hattangadi Chaalbaaz?

There other kind of female villain to be- is the super hot one- the one who is either a. oversexed narcissist b. over sexed ball breaker c. over sexed manipulator (kaikeyi/macbeth-take your pick). This villain has a little bit more fun than the make up caked domestic trouble maker above- cos she gets around, she sleeps around. She is everywhere- in the office, in her skimpy clothes, trying to get that young fellow to sleep with her. She is sunning in the islands in her bikini plotting to bump off her rich husband. She is obsessive crazy and has only one thing on her mind- Evil (why what did you think I was going to say?)

What I like about female villains is that they are ruled completely by their villainous desires. There is no grey, no difficult childhood, no trauma of watching father getting murdered that turned them into psycho revenge seekers, no political power play happening.
In her intent to do evil, the female villain of today is somewhat like the male villain of long ago like Mogambo and Gabbar who were probably born plotting who they'd rape and which village to terrorize. However Gabbar and Mogambo's had armies and mansions and private nations they ruled, while our female villains have to just do all the bad work themselves- and on a much smaller scale too- no nations to blow up just marriages to break.

This not to say that there have not been regular people female villains treading the line between the super ridiculous and super hot. They are just regular people, who just happen to be villany- like - there is Kajol in Gupt, Tabu in Maqbool . However, they are too few and too far in between.

The male villain seems to be getting more complicated and less stereo typically evil -like John Abraham in Dhoom and Hritik Roshan in Dhoom- 2, Saif as Cyrus in Being Cyrus, and as Langda Tyagi in Omkara. Akshay Kumar, Emraan Hashmi have also started playign a new brand of villain who is evil all right but has 'layers'. So, its upto to the ladies to hold up the flag for being Evil for the sake of Evil. I would love to see Mad Scientist Evil Female Villain, or just evil evil corrupt politician female villain.

Ladies- you can be good or bad- you just cant be complicated.

PS: I actually started this post wantign to blog about my all time favorite female villain- Ramya- as Nilambri in Padayappa but got sidetracked. Next post- on Nilambri.

:(

Hindu newspaper article: Random attacks on young women- Bangalore.
http://www.hindu.com/2009/02/26/stories/2009022658410300.htm

Story of one such Attack -
http://www.babajob.com/person.htm?user=10041

Blogpost doing the rounds via emails about attack in resthouse road-
http://vishshanker.sulekha.com/blog/post/2009/02/this-happened-in-bangalore-bengaluru-shocking.htm

and what to do?-
Maybe some answers here

How

is it that this mobile phone survives being swallowed and shat out by a buffalo while mine dies in shallow fake pond/pool?

silly 6

Ponderings:


- is masakali a dove or a pigeon- she(he?) looks like a dove, but have heard it was supposed to be a pigeon edited to add: I have been told masakali is dove- but what i want to know is what masakali is in movie- is it dove playing pigeon? or is it dove playing dove? I cant remember -but i think someone called masakali kabootar in movie

- why patti waheeda rahman has no relatives/siblings/cousins in delhi? only nosy neighbors

- why sonam kapoor, is so annoying despite being very pretty. Is it the 'feather' haircut?

- why abhishek bachan has been cast as roshan, despite being so annoying?

- which monkey gave better performance- abhishek in gems type button monkey suit or camera on steroids jumping to crazy janga wanga woiza toiza music?

- abhishek bachan/roshan fellow has no job? He can take long undefined leave at moments notice...never has to call back boss, check work mails nothing. Maybe he is student?

- why abhishek bachan/roshan fellow keeps going round and round chandini chowk and not hanging out pubbing and clubbing in CP- which I think he'll like better.

- why abhishek bachan/roshan fellow could not ditch that stupid phone and get a proper digi cam, now that they are quite affordable.

- why abhishek roshan would fall in love with Bittu/sonam, why would sonam/bittu fall in love with abhishek/roshan

-why wahedda rahman patti is lighting a lamp when abhishek/roshan is being beaten to death in monkey suit

- isnt is nice that nobody actually dies, despite so much talk of dying peoples.