"Make new," said Erza Pound.

A sniff of travel: Fight me!

Though ferocious in appearance, the animals, for some strange reason, did not accept Raincloud's challenge..

Freeze frames: a sniff of travel

As I try to make the most of the remaining drops of what we time crazy people call the 'year, here are some selected photographs from my travels so far...Subsequent posts till the end of the year will carry these photographs, that is until my mind says, let's do something else...

'Ghajini' reviewed by Rajeev Masand of CNN IBN

One of Aamir's six looks for the song sequence - Behka

I tried catching the latest Aamir Khan starrer Ghajini at the nearest theaters but they are all housefull until next week. So here is the link to noted CNN IBN TV channel film critic Rajeev Masand's review of the same who does this show called NOW SHOWING every Friday evening on the channel.
Here is the link to the transcript, that is...
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/masands-verdict-ghajini-is-dumb-and-celebrates-it/81344-8.html

Dog Story: I belong here

I am the bakery dog.

This is my home.

I sleep here, yeah, right here.

"I have nowhere to go." How's that for sympathy.

Menu?
Bits and pieces, bread crumbs, chewed chicken bones, countless empty glasses of cold coffee...

It is the same everyday, except on some days there are bits of chocolate.

Movie Review: Madagascar 2: Good fun while it lasts...

Madagascar was a good animation movie, its sequel is also OK. It is the characters and their voice-overs, and the humourous one-liners that engage us - Alex the Lion who can only dance to save his life, Marty the 'black and white striped' Zebra, Melman, the ' I am dying' Giraffe, Gloria - the shapely Hippo, the penguins and the very funny King Julien. By the way, the story is set in Africa. At 90 minutes, Madagascar 2 is a pleasant watch.

King Julien tutoring Melman on how to ‘say it’ to a woman

A confident Marty is just about to lose his self-esteem

photo courtesy: www.imdb.com

Dog Story: The art of sleep

It is very simple process - falling into sleep. If only you humans could learn. It is an art, that can only be polished each time, crafted to perfection that each time you sleep deeper, deeper, deeper...until nothing matters.

The first thing is to LET GO, let go of the world, be obscure - the one thing most humans fear - anonymity, the fear of not been noticed.

Anyway for the moment, you can leave us alone. Someone or something calls us from a mysterious world, something like bliss....

Dog Story: Do not disturb...

Some dogs are just lucky. Big, 'cute' and cuddly, this robust mongrel enjoys an afternoon siesta after a large meal, courtesy a colony inhabited by that identifiable human species - the dog lover.

There are many who would say that there are hungry children who could be supported instead, but human behavior is beyond our understanding. We do not know why we love and hate things, do we? 

Dog Story: The family

The garage lies disused and deserted and under a dusty wrecked car, this family of a mother and four pups live in a temporary paradise.

Soon the games will be over, the pups shall have to scour for food, their robust bodies will be reduced to a bag of bones and skin, unless they are very fortunate...

Dog Story: Ignorance is bliss

So many strays have been crushed under the wheels of speeding vehicles.

This young mongrel rests unaware and safe for the moment under the shade of this parked bus, probably reflecting - where is the next meal coming from?

Dog Story: The road king

It may be a road for us, for the dog - a favorite resting place.

...under a pleasant summer sun, 

it's mouth open, 

as if laughing at the pointless hurrying traffic, 

the aimless shopping crowd...

Dog Story: Let's get bored together

Dogs are territorial by nature and these two companions are no exception. Their rule extends from Om Supermarket to the chicken barbecue corner, an area of about 700 meters. The barbecue corner is their stronghold - their evening meal comes from occasional meat pieces thrown at them by the customers. Here they squat near the supermarket on a cloudy Sunday afternoon.

Dog Story: Much BOW WOW about nothing ?

 

Would it comfort dog 'owners' to know that the closest ancestor of the animal is the wolf?

Ha.

Just like its ascendant, the dog is a pack animal. When a dog has to live with humans, as is so often the case, they make us part of the pack.

Of course, you are not supposed to walk naked on four legs, bark at strangers and howl in communion - a dog's brain is not as devilishly evolved (as ours) to impose themselves on any other species. So we enforce ourselves on them, and they become our 'pets'.

Then there are the strays, the 'free dogs' who loaf around as they please, when not dependent on their human friends for food. 

Subsequent posts will feature photographs of this unique species, captured during my wanderings around the city. 

If any reader has had the misfortune of been bitten by a dog (or dogs), please forgive them. For they do not bite without any provocation or rabies, unlike certain human beings who kill and maim each other for no apparent reason.

barking soon...

Barking Soon....

Movie Review:Transporter 3 : For the speed crazy and popcorn crunchers

The best five minutes of the movie, (a rare touch by the scriptwriters) is when the hero is trapped underwater in a car, with a metal band around his wrist courtesy the villans. He goes 100 feet away from the car and - KABOOM! So what does the guy do? This is the only time you are gripped by the feeling, "What will happen next?"

Otherwise, this Jason Statham starrer has the usual - fast cars, loud blasts, stunts, macho hero, girl with seduction written all over, Transporter 3 takes the trodden path, you have seen it before, but you are not bored yet. Some action scenes may remind you of the Hndi films of the nineties - hero breaking through a wall in one piece, hero crashing through glass, again intact.Expect the usual, let your brain sleep and enjoy!

Movie Review: Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye: Enthralling cinema

Don't go by the HIT or FLOP label, Oye Lucky... tells the unlikely tale of a thief with wit, humour and drama without going overboard for a moment. Filled with some great cinematic moments, the director is probably let down by the cast - not that Abhay Deol lacks the effort, just that lingering feeling that somebody else could have been cast. Paresh Rawal enacts his three different roles adequately.

Questions about morality and the role of media in 'sensationalising' is presented as part of the story, that is how tight the director holds on to his storytelling skills.Go for it, for it is not always that the hero of a Hindi film are the enfolding scenes themselves! The general public is cruel to original (he)art, so catch it at the theaters as soon as possible..

Movie Review: Dasvidaniya: Refreshing Take on Death & Life

Directed by Shashant Shah
Main Cast: Vinay Pathak, Neha Dhupia,Sarita Joshi, Gaurav Gera  & Rajat Kapoor

No cry babies, no prolonged lectures on death, no 'I am going to dieeeeeeeee, save meeeeee!' screams. Dasvidaniya's screenplay takes the unexpected comic path, much to our delight, without losing its realistic charm.

A wonderful Vinay Pathak leads the talented cast- he plays the list making Amar Kaul, who realises, like so many protagonists have on the Hindi film screen, that it is really worth living only when you are told by a grim-faced doctor that death is not too far away. This could so be close to real life. Are we also waiting for someone to tell us a definitive death date that we start living, for a change?

Go for it, before it disappears from the theaters.

Torna travel briefs II

Raincloud blares the horn as we enter the one and half kilometer long tunnel.
The sound of the engine echoes loud and a orange light spreads all over.
As we emerge to the light again, a rock wall runs high along our left, before dwindling in size, making way to open fields on both sides.