Harry Potter and the order of the Phoenix

Watched the much awaited movie yesterday. This is the worst in the series!!! I agree it's a long book but they have cut most of the vital parts...

• The Protean Charm finds no mention.
• And why twist the story so much as to portray Cho Chang under Veritaserum to reveal Dumbledore's Army??
• Rita Skeeter has also been missed altogether.
• Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood is a good choice but they have missed Harry's interview in ' The Quibbler'-her dad's paper.
• The fun parts in the book are also omitted-like the one in which a swamp created by Fred and George's escape attempt considering it a monument to be preserved at Hogwarts; Umbridge being sent out of Hogwarts; Snape's worst memory, I remember, is one whole chapter in the book. The scene appers for a few seconds and there is no sign of Lily Potter there!
• By the way, who is Nigel, who appears in the D.A?
• Sirius dies in a flash! Such an important episode!!!
• Where is Firenze??

A neighbour of mine suggested I hear this song. Awesome... 'Megame megame' from 'Paalaivana cholai'.

My favourite off-beat film songs!

My friends never really want to borrow my ipod except when it's too boring and they have got nothing else to do. That's because it hardly has any popular songs. Maybe they'd be aware of those songs but I guess noone would want to load their ipods with them!

Here's the list-

• "Uravugal thodarkadhai, unarvugal sirukathai" from 'Aval Appaditthaan'. This song just stands out! I listen to as often as I can. Amazingly simple lyrics!! AWESOME! Lyrics take the upper hand; not that the music is anything less. Just the song to listen to when you are in a melancholic mood. Sung by K.J.Yesudoss!

• "Kanaa kaanum kanngal mella urangaadho paadal solla" from 'Agnisakshi'. Another song that's got good lyrics. The picturisation shows a hysterical Saritha and Sivakumar as the caring husband. Slow and soul-stirring... Sung by S.P.B!
  

• Sangeetha SwarangalEzhae kadakka,innum irukka" from 'Azhagan'. Anyone with good taste would like this song. I especially like the DD theme music that gels beautifully with this song!;)
  

• "Poo pootthadhu, thottam yaar pottadhu" from 'Mumbai Express'. Probably the only memorable thing in that movie was this song!
  

• "Kamban Engu Ponan,shelley enna aanaan"from 'Jaathimalli'. The lyrics are different and I love the screams in between!
  

• "Maanida sevai dhrogamaa, kalaivaani neeyae soll" from 'Unnaal mudiyum thambi'. Awesome lyrics!! And Maami says the ragam is Poorna Chandrika! The whole film is a musical treat and this one, is unarguably the best!
  

• "Sattena nenaidhadhu nenjam, sarkkarai aanadhu kanneer"- the BGM piece from 'Kannatthil Mutthamittaal'. I'd like to watch the visualisation too! Typical Mani style...
  

• "Enakku pidittha paadal" from 'Julie Ganapathi'. It's quite an experience to listen to this. I can almost feel the rain, the drive and the Ooty atmosphere when I listen to it!

Even youtube has only 2 of these songs! Looks like am the only one who ever listens to these!

My second innings with Music!

Like any other Brahmin girl, I was also sent to 'Paattu class' when I was in school. What with every one in the family taking up carnatic music damn seriously!! Somehow, I never stuck to a single teacher. We shifted pretty often. And I ended up learning the same 'Sarali varisai' and 'Jantai varisai' again and again and again! For years together! Finally, I just got bored with the ordeal and quit at the age of 12 or 13 after learning a few varnams and keerthanais. The decision was met with stiff resistance from most of my family; to them,it was strange not to learn music!!!
Days went by... Maths tuitions during high school began eating up my free time. So, I couldn't spend much time thinking of music except when my paatti and aunts would brood over my 'hasty decision'. Every vacation when I went to my paatti's with my cousins, she'd make every cousin sing in the evenings. And I'd watch the kutcheri silently!
Entered college and somehow Shantha maami made me listen to some music and this time, I found some kind of a passion in me. I badly wanted to get back to it but I had taken too long a break and my vocal chords refused to coordinate with my desire. I now wish I had not discontinued those music classes! I did try to learn from Maami but it wouldn't work. Anyway, am now content listening to it rather than singing; and trying to learn and identify ragams!!!

Roadside Romeos! Pay heed to this!

With lots of time to kill today, I went out for a walk today. I had just crossed our street and there was this group of young men coming the opposite way. And before you jump to conclusions that am this self-conscious, vain female, drop such accusations! Am usually the least bothered about wayward comments from these pests or their antics. Like any sensible woman, I just walk as though they are invisible and that their comments never reach my ears. But for some reason, I start smiling to myself incurably after witnessing such attempts. And smile i do, IDIOTICALLY, for a long time after the incident! Today was yet another such day when this gang of brash men started nudging each other in front of me. One fellow came forward and shouted 'I love you' on top of his voice for the whole street to hear! And went back with a speed that'd have surprised a lightning. And damn it, I started smiling to myself! For quite a few minutes after that!!! And damn Murphy's Law- I bumped into several familiar faces who saw me smiling like crazy for no apparent reason at all! Guess they thought I was heading straight to Kilpauk! One lady gave me such a confused stare that I can't forget, for the life of me! Men who wanna behave strangely,please choose your victim more carefully!
Classmates right from school to college would not scoff at this and would rather sympathize with me, because they know what I go through! Whenever I get caught by the teacher I just start giving them one of my idiotic smiles!!! I have frustrated my high school Physics teacher so much with my vacant smile that she quit sermonizing with me after as soon as a term with me! And as expected, I ended up becoming more lethargic with my school work!

Thanks to Ajay, stumbled upon this poem... And I found it great!

A Dream Lies Dead

A dream lies dead here. May you softly go
Before this place, and turn away your eyes,
Nor seek to know the look of that which dies
Importuning Life for life. Walk not in woe,
But, for a little, let your step be slow.
And, of your mercy, be not sweetly wise
With words of hope and Spring and tenderer skies.
A dream lies dead; and this all mourners know:

Whenever one drifted petal leaves the tree-
Though white of bloom as it had been before
And proudly waitful of fecundity-
One little loveliness can be no more;
And so must Beauty bow her imperfect head
Because a dream has joined the wistful dead!

Dorothy Parker

Last night, I watched 'Vettayadu Vilayaadu' for the third time. I do like the movie; think it's novel and brave attempt in Tamil filmdom. The story's great, fast-paced, it's got awesome music, an impressive cast and of course, KAMAL HASAN! Watching the movie is an experience.
Yes, i think the movie's great. But do I ever want to watch it again, I ask myself. And I answer with a definite note- NO! I don't want to watch it again. In fact, I have a list of movies which I love but I'd never ever want to watch them another time... for various reasons.

1) Vettayadu Vilayadu- I admit I don't have the stomach for gore and blood. I remember watching it the first time. In a seedy theatre somewhere in Kerala. En route to Munnar. Watched it with the whole C.S dept in our final year tour. The movie got over at 1 '0' clock in the morning -serial killing+ungodly hours+strange place!!! I can vividly recount the fright when we came out of the theatre!!! The film is probably the goriest Tamil movie I have ever watched!

2) Mahanadhi- This is one film that can make me go to a state of deep depression! Certain scenes and dialogues echo in my mind for days after and I simply can't shut it out of my mind.

3) Guna- Should i even state the reason?!

4)Arangettram- There are some issues you wish you had never known; or that you had never stumbled upon. Watching this film is one such experience. Prameela haunts your thoughts ever after.

Now, I'll go and catch Chennai-28 or Michael Madana Kamarajan as an antidote to last night's movie and this post!

SUPERSTAR!!

Watched Sivaji last Wednesday... The film rocked,no doubt! 3 hrs- not a moment that was dull or boring! Superstar has proved himself yet again! Yes, it's the same old poor guy-rich guy-poor guy-finally rich guy again-story! Same old indifferent heroine... same old rich,influential villain!
But he's the only one who manages to rake crores of Rupees with each film! Here re my observations-

1)Yes, Shriya does look drop-dead gorgeous! But she could have given atleast half a thought to acting and her lip sync! They have gone horribly wrong!

2)VIVEK is simply AWESOME! He just does everything right.

3)Like many friends of mine, I went to the theatre with high expectations about Manish Malhotra's work. Another sore point!
- Shriya never really wore anything. Jus a few hankies draped around. So, we can't blame Malhotra about that!
- Thalaivar's costumes would have looked good on Shah Rukh and the likes, but didn't go well with Rajnikanth.
-Surprisingly, Vivek's costumes were awesome!

4)Adhiradi n Sahana are good to listen to. The picturisation of Sahana is a li'l too psychedelic.

5)Suman has done a decent job! A neat portrayal.

And despite the sore points, like millions of other die-hard Rajni fans, i wanna catch the movie AGAIN! And AGAIN!!!!!!!!

Achievement of the day!

Restarted 'The Alchemist' last night;third try,I think. Burnt midnight oil over the book. Read and finished the book with a determination that I'll get back into the groove this time... I did finish the book. Perhaps I was not in the mood to take in that kind of a book. The supposed classic failed to make an impression on me;not that I have always been fond of such philosophical fables.
Trying to get back to Howard Roark and 'The Fountainhead'. Guess I'll eventually get to the last page, but doubt I'll enjoy the experience. Maybe I have lost the ability to take in the essence of the book! Have i lost part of my identity with this, I wonder... Reading glasses, a backpack full of books and my head bent over a book under the desk was what defined me most. Strange and distant, it now sounds... I recount those moments with a sense of wistful nostalgia! Whew, hope I really do get back into the groove!

A forgotten love...

There was once a time when i went to bed with a book and woke up with the first thought being what I'd read that day! EVERYDAY! Throughout my school days, I was always in the bad books of my teachers because most class hours of mine were devoted not to the blackboard but to the book under my desk! I still remember my class teacher complaining to my dad that I was flouting school rules!! Dad was not too happy about it and refused to lend me money for the library... Not to be put down by this, I'd borrow the library cards of classmates and use them. I'd finish my lunch in the morning break and use the whole lunch hour to read in the library! It continued in college... I was convinced that I had a severe problem with this excessive reading... and would brag to friends that I might possibly develop withdrawal symptoms if I keep away from books for more than two days... Then came my third year of college and somehow, something somewhere went wrong and suddenly I found that I could not take in more!! I lost the inclination, COMPLETELY! Letters swim around the pages when I try to read something these days...
List(!) of books I have read from Jan 06:
Archer's 'As the crow flies'
Follett's 'Night over water'
Segal's 'Love Story'
Some reader's attempt at writing his own version of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'
60 and odd pages of 'The Alchemist'
2(yes, i swear) pages of Ayn Rand's 'Fountainhead'
THAT'S THE WHOLE LIST!
Whatever happened...