At Feb's End

I've got to write more often. But thats if I had more time.

These days, I come home tired. And I don't sleep too good... the thought of Chembur to Sion to Dharavi to Bandra the following day just fucks my mind. The stink. The traffic. The rage. Its a curse I'm certain.

But all this will end on March 5th... enter the Mahindra Renault LOGAN 1.4 GLX. Our first car... and I am super thrilled its not a hatch. I was toying with the idea of buying a Palio... but I knew that in 2 months (when the cash flow is really smooth), I would regret not going for a sedan. This car is spacious, comfortable and sturdy - and Autocar says that (although it may not be the obvious choice) its the most sensible choice of people like us.

Work is going good. Really hectic... the way I like it.

Nothing new in music. Nothing new in movies. Which is sad because I felt like an idiot when I watched the Oscars last night. Usually I have some opinion on who deserved the award.. atleast the popular awards like Best Picture, Best Director and the 4 acting awards. The Studios based in India paint this horrific picture of our audience back to their HQs in the U.S... so they release only the potential hits and sure-fire blockbusters like Spider-Man here. So while I Am Legend was released here along with rest of the world, we will never see the likes of No Country For Old Men, Juno, There Will Be Blood or even Eastern Promises. The last one was released in Mumbai in select theaters in town at a price of Rs.500 per tic. Truly insane. and Truly sad.

We watched American Gangster finally in the theaters on 14th Feb. A brilliant film in all aspects. Denzel's performance was amazing.

With the mushrooming of so many multiplexes, isn't it logical to get a few prints of these films (mentioned earlier) and buying out slots? I mean, not everybody wants to watch Halla-fucking-Bol. Or Dhamaal. While a company like Disney thinks that by even getting 1% of the potential Indian toy market, the business will grow 10 fold, their sister companies in film don't think that way... (well in the case of Disney, they do. Thats why they release crap like Enchanted and National Treasure here as well). I'm actually refering to the Warners and Universals and Sony Pictures ... why are they here? To sell us jokers dressed in tights?? Like I keep telling my wife - the only regret I have of leaving Singapore (6 months ago!!) is our cinema diet.

As I Am - Alicia Keys
A great album if you are hearing her for the first time. It would not have worked for her (or she would not be who she is today) if this was her first album. I missed the edginess of her first album... and the second as well. She calls it personal... I think its more taking the safe way out... and widening her fan base. But nevertheless a good buy.

Thanks to Arjun for Goldspot. Another good find.

Four months to go... for Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band in Paris.