There was a time not so long ago that I used to detest weekends. Those were my school days. Days when I looked forward to the Mondays. The hatred towards weekends were due to the fact that, I would miss chatting and playing with my friends for two whole days. More dreadful were the winter and summer vacations. Two months of idling and killing time was such a waste for me back then.
But things change. And when they do, they change dramatically. Its a 180 degree turnaround now. Friday evenings are the best part of the whole week. Sunday evenings are the worst. I never realized till I started to work that 'Monday Blues' could happen to me. In fact I have met very few people who do not have it.
It does not mean that I don't like to work, nor does it mean that I don't like to hang around with my colleagues in office. It's just that, I hate being in that closed environment. I sometimes get the feeling of a bonded laborer, sometimes of a prisoner. Working in a cubicle tends to tie me down. It has nothing to do with claustrophobia. Cubicle spurs my unhappiness. What ever the reason the bottom line is that I feel that I'm not 'free'.
But that feeling changes to euphoria once the Friday evening mist sets in. The drive back home becomes so much more enjoyable. I tend to feel that freedom awaits me. It's the best feeling I have in the week. So much so that I tend to plan activities of the next weekend all through out the week. Rarely has there been a weekend in the last 1 year where I had absolutely no plans.
Even small things done during the weekend make me happy. Things so small that I would have taken these for granted not so long back. But this is not the worst part. The worst part is I don't know how to change this dangerous trend and again start looking forward to the MONDAYS!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
They all come 'Via Agra'
Add some length to where it matters the most. You know what the mail with this subject line is talking about, right? And the mail asks you to buy their so called wonder drug which, well, apparently can make a Qutub Minar an Eiffel Tower. But, isn’t a Qutub Minar supposed to be enough for anyone? I mean- isn’t it true that all that matters is what you do with the Qutub Minar and not the physics of the Qutub Minar. Anyway, when I was young- I mean when I wasn’t as ‘mentally matured’ as I am now- I used to get so pissed off with ‘the people’ who send such mails. My argument used to be- How can they make such blind assumptions and suggestions about my size without even making an attempt to look at it? Not that I am an exhibitionist, but…..
My spam folder is full of such ‘length giving’ mails. Thank God, we have a one click spam delete. I'm just wondering if women also get such spam? And what will their thoughts be? :D
My spam folder is full of such ‘length giving’ mails. Thank God, we have a one click spam delete. I'm just wondering if women also get such spam? And what will their thoughts be? :D
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Review of Psycho Songs
I have been accused of being partial to A.R.Rehman as my blog carries reviews of only his albums. I cede to these accusations, as he is my favorite composer. So this is for the people who crave for variety, a review of non-Rehman, non-Hindi album!
It took me just one hearing of this album to blow my mind away. Truly inspirational.
So let me introduce you to the amazingly talented Raghupathy Dixit, the music composer, singer and lyricist. I had been waiting for a long time now to hear fresh voice in Kannada industry. And my patience has been rewarded big time. After 'Mungaru Male', there has been a wave of excellent music and lyrics in Kannada film industry. Much of the credit should go to Mano Murthy and Jayanth Kaikini for not only giving us great songs, but also inspiring others. But it was kind of sad to see Sonu Nigam, Sukhwinder Singh, Shreya etc.(non-kannadigas) to sing in 'Sandalwood'. We have always know to breed great singers, who go on to sing in other languages, right from the great P.B.Srinivas. But with the introduction of Raghu, we have nothing to worry about. In him, we have a genius for the future.
Raghu came to limelight with chart-busters like 'Mysore se aayi' 'Ambar' and 'I'm in Mumbai'. But he was never a household name till Psycho happened. One story goes like, Raghu had prepared these songs for an album. But the director sensed(thank god!) that these songs should be in a film. So started building a story around these songs. Though this is not a verified story, its just a testimony to how good the songs are.
Raghu tries to bring in the bass guitar into most of the songs. So you will get a rock kind of touch in some songs. That is quite different in Kannada songs, although it is now commong in Hindi film hits. Also what I like in this album is that, Raghu tries to keep the number of instruments in the song to a minimum. He has given priority to certain instruments in each song to accompany the beautiful percussion.
Track Listing:
01. Ee Tanuvu Ninnade
02. Ninna Poojege Bande Mahadeshwara
03. Beladingalante Minuguta
04. Mussanje Rangalli
05. Eno Ide
06. Preetiya Manashantiya
07. Psycho Theme
Ee Tanuvu Ninnade is probably the best rock song in Kannada. Use of violin in this song is awesome. Even the dialect has a rock touch to it. Although it takes couple of hearings to get used to the pronunciations, it is a very good experimentation. It is a typical Raghu song. Sung by Raghu himself, the song is refreshing. It is certain to drive the emotions in you.
Ninna Poojege Bande Mahadeshwara sung by Raghu, has a folk touch to it in the beginning. But I was really surprised when I heard the 'Kannada Rap' in the middle. It was just too good. Again the experimentation pays off. Raghu experiments with the trumpets in this song. This song has a very Kannada touch to it in many places, even the pronunciations are 'Mysore/Mandya Kannada' and one can expect this to be a hit among the masses.
Beladingalante Minuguta is a beautiful romantic duet. The lyrics written by Jayanth Kaikini is extremely poetic. It has some 'Hale Kannada' words in it. Haricharan and Saindhavi render justice to this awesome lyrics. The BGM is also romantic. The beats are soft and smooth. After the first time I listened to this song, I kept on humming it through out the day. It was difficult to take away the music from my head! Raghu uses Flute as the main instrument in this song.
Mussanje Rangalli is a typical South Indian song. There is even extensive use of Veena. I just love the sound of this instrument, but lot of composers hesitate to use it. The lyrics is R.N.Jaygopal is extremely good. Saindhavi touches the right notes every single time. The percussion is dominated by Mrudangam. I also liked the way Raghu makes a fusion of the Jazz guitar and Veena.
Eno Ide is my favorite song of the album. Raghu gives us another master piece. When I listened to it the first time itself, I felt the pain/confusion that he is trying to convey. All those emotions felt by the protagonist oozes out in this song. Yet again the lyrics of Jayanth Kaikini is exemplary.
"baLina deepave indu aari hogide
nanneya neraLe nanna bittu hogide
jeevana allola kallolavaagide
kareyuva koraLe mounathaLide" wah wah! Amazing way to describe that you are lonely!
This song somehow reminds me of 'Yeh Jo Desh Hai Tera' from Swades(only difference is the use of Flute instead of Shenai).
Preetiya Manashantiya is a beautiful song describing this great land "KARUNAADU". This song made me feel proud to be a Kannadiga. No doubt this song will be sung on Nov 1st for a long time. Jayanth has described this land, its culture, and its environment in a very poetic way. Raghu has again done a great job, singing with lots of emotion. The only disappointment is the song length. Seriously this song deserved a second stanza. Still a excellent patriotic song.
Psycho Theme is a beautiful note rendered completely through flute. Being a flutist myself, I can attest that this a very good piece of music. Reminds me of the flute used by Rehman in Roja.
For those who would like to know more about Raghu Dixit, visit his personal site www.raghudixit.com . Raghu is a self learned guitar player and a traditionally learnt classical singer. He had a band called Antaragni. And one thing before ending, this man is a great talent here. I hope Kannada industry retains him before he is lost.
It took me just one hearing of this album to blow my mind away. Truly inspirational.
So let me introduce you to the amazingly talented Raghupathy Dixit, the music composer, singer and lyricist. I had been waiting for a long time now to hear fresh voice in Kannada industry. And my patience has been rewarded big time. After 'Mungaru Male', there has been a wave of excellent music and lyrics in Kannada film industry. Much of the credit should go to Mano Murthy and Jayanth Kaikini for not only giving us great songs, but also inspiring others. But it was kind of sad to see Sonu Nigam, Sukhwinder Singh, Shreya etc.(non-kannadigas) to sing in 'Sandalwood'. We have always know to breed great singers, who go on to sing in other languages, right from the great P.B.Srinivas. But with the introduction of Raghu, we have nothing to worry about. In him, we have a genius for the future.
Raghu came to limelight with chart-busters like 'Mysore se aayi' 'Ambar' and 'I'm in Mumbai'. But he was never a household name till Psycho happened. One story goes like, Raghu had prepared these songs for an album. But the director sensed(thank god!) that these songs should be in a film. So started building a story around these songs. Though this is not a verified story, its just a testimony to how good the songs are.
Raghu tries to bring in the bass guitar into most of the songs. So you will get a rock kind of touch in some songs. That is quite different in Kannada songs, although it is now commong in Hindi film hits. Also what I like in this album is that, Raghu tries to keep the number of instruments in the song to a minimum. He has given priority to certain instruments in each song to accompany the beautiful percussion.
Track Listing:
01. Ee Tanuvu Ninnade
02. Ninna Poojege Bande Mahadeshwara
03. Beladingalante Minuguta
04. Mussanje Rangalli
05. Eno Ide
06. Preetiya Manashantiya
07. Psycho Theme
Ee Tanuvu Ninnade is probably the best rock song in Kannada. Use of violin in this song is awesome. Even the dialect has a rock touch to it. Although it takes couple of hearings to get used to the pronunciations, it is a very good experimentation. It is a typical Raghu song. Sung by Raghu himself, the song is refreshing. It is certain to drive the emotions in you.
Ninna Poojege Bande Mahadeshwara sung by Raghu, has a folk touch to it in the beginning. But I was really surprised when I heard the 'Kannada Rap' in the middle. It was just too good. Again the experimentation pays off. Raghu experiments with the trumpets in this song. This song has a very Kannada touch to it in many places, even the pronunciations are 'Mysore/Mandya Kannada' and one can expect this to be a hit among the masses.
Beladingalante Minuguta is a beautiful romantic duet. The lyrics written by Jayanth Kaikini is extremely poetic. It has some 'Hale Kannada' words in it. Haricharan and Saindhavi render justice to this awesome lyrics. The BGM is also romantic. The beats are soft and smooth. After the first time I listened to this song, I kept on humming it through out the day. It was difficult to take away the music from my head! Raghu uses Flute as the main instrument in this song.
Mussanje Rangalli is a typical South Indian song. There is even extensive use of Veena. I just love the sound of this instrument, but lot of composers hesitate to use it. The lyrics is R.N.Jaygopal is extremely good. Saindhavi touches the right notes every single time. The percussion is dominated by Mrudangam. I also liked the way Raghu makes a fusion of the Jazz guitar and Veena.
Eno Ide is my favorite song of the album. Raghu gives us another master piece. When I listened to it the first time itself, I felt the pain/confusion that he is trying to convey. All those emotions felt by the protagonist oozes out in this song. Yet again the lyrics of Jayanth Kaikini is exemplary.
"baLina deepave indu aari hogide
nanneya neraLe nanna bittu hogide
jeevana allola kallolavaagide
kareyuva koraLe mounathaLide" wah wah! Amazing way to describe that you are lonely!
This song somehow reminds me of 'Yeh Jo Desh Hai Tera' from Swades(only difference is the use of Flute instead of Shenai).
Preetiya Manashantiya is a beautiful song describing this great land "KARUNAADU". This song made me feel proud to be a Kannadiga. No doubt this song will be sung on Nov 1st for a long time. Jayanth has described this land, its culture, and its environment in a very poetic way. Raghu has again done a great job, singing with lots of emotion. The only disappointment is the song length. Seriously this song deserved a second stanza. Still a excellent patriotic song.
Psycho Theme is a beautiful note rendered completely through flute. Being a flutist myself, I can attest that this a very good piece of music. Reminds me of the flute used by Rehman in Roja.
For those who would like to know more about Raghu Dixit, visit his personal site www.raghudixit.com . Raghu is a self learned guitar player and a traditionally learnt classical singer. He had a band called Antaragni. And one thing before ending, this man is a great talent here. I hope Kannada industry retains him before he is lost.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Getting into Shape - Part 2 - The diet
In this part I'll summarize my diet. But before I start, I would like to comment on "dieting" in general. Many people have a misconception of what dieting is. Dieting does not mean to eat sparingly to lose weight. Nor does it mean cutting out certain types of food. For me dieting is taking everything in moderation. Don't force yourself not to eat something because it has too many calories or something like that. This in turn will make you to quit exercising as your mind will carve for that Sunday ice cream or a cheese burger. There is nothing wrong in an occasional bite of a pizza. But do practice restrain on these stuff, as these tend to negate all the hard work you put while exercising. So when you hear people say 'Don't diet', what they mean is don't starve yourself to death.
With that clarified, I can tell about the diet that I'm am currently on. Being a vegetarian, I was constantly told that body building requires one to eat meat. Well, that is bull-shit. Agreed, eating certain type of meat will give more protein and easily soluble protein, but one can get the required amount through pure vegetarian menu.
Simple formula. More protein => Quicker Muscle building/recovery => Better body. Sounds simple right. So where do you get the extra protein from? Soya is the major source of protein for me. I consume soya in many forms. From the beans to milk. It has higher protein content per gram than any other natural substance. Apart from this, egg whites are know to contain amassing amounts of protein (don't consume yolk, as it it known to have the bad cholesterol). Apart from this green vegetables and citrus fruits contain the essential minerals to supplement the protein intake. Do not go low on carbs, since it is the major source of energy for your workouts. It is when we go low on carbs, does a workout result in loss of body mass. In general have a balanced meal. 5-6 meals with lesser quantities is better than the 3 meals a day formula.
If you are working in the evening, don't take anything for 2 hours before the workout. During the workout, one can eat a banana or have an occasional energy drink for the instant energy. Remember to drink lots of water. Don't let yourself get dehydrated. And do not listen to people who tell that drinking water during workouts is bad.
It is desirable to work on the abs and run on the treadmill on an empty stomach. So its better to do these workouts in the morning.
So what about the capsules that claim to give you the 'Arnold' body? Most of them are bad if not outright dangerous. But some are good, like the Whey protein. But take your doctors consultation before having anything that is not natural.
With that clarified, I can tell about the diet that I'm am currently on. Being a vegetarian, I was constantly told that body building requires one to eat meat. Well, that is bull-shit. Agreed, eating certain type of meat will give more protein and easily soluble protein, but one can get the required amount through pure vegetarian menu.
Simple formula. More protein => Quicker Muscle building/recovery => Better body. Sounds simple right. So where do you get the extra protein from? Soya is the major source of protein for me. I consume soya in many forms. From the beans to milk. It has higher protein content per gram than any other natural substance. Apart from this, egg whites are know to contain amassing amounts of protein (don't consume yolk, as it it known to have the bad cholesterol). Apart from this green vegetables and citrus fruits contain the essential minerals to supplement the protein intake. Do not go low on carbs, since it is the major source of energy for your workouts. It is when we go low on carbs, does a workout result in loss of body mass. In general have a balanced meal. 5-6 meals with lesser quantities is better than the 3 meals a day formula.
If you are working in the evening, don't take anything for 2 hours before the workout. During the workout, one can eat a banana or have an occasional energy drink for the instant energy. Remember to drink lots of water. Don't let yourself get dehydrated. And do not listen to people who tell that drinking water during workouts is bad.
It is desirable to work on the abs and run on the treadmill on an empty stomach. So its better to do these workouts in the morning.
So what about the capsules that claim to give you the 'Arnold' body? Most of them are bad if not outright dangerous. But some are good, like the Whey protein. But take your doctors consultation before having anything that is not natural.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Review of Yuvvraaj songs
I'm back again with the review of another A.R.Rahman's album. This time it is the yet to be released Subhash Ghai's Yuvvraaj. This is expected to be a musical, so one thing you can be rest assured is the music quality would be top notch. Ghai is one of the directors (along with Mani Ratnam and Shankar) who constantly get the best out of A.R.Rahman.
Before I begin to dissect each song, a few general comments on the album itself. Rahman, after experimenting with various types of music comes back to his forte - fusion of Indian Classical and Western classical music, using the piano, violins, cello extensively in most of the songs. As for the singers, most of them are established. Not many new voices to look forward to, which is a bit of a dissapointment after JTYJN. And being a musical you can expect most of the songs to be exceeding the 5 min timeline. I was really not that impressed with the lyrics of the songs. Its definitely not even near the levels set by Gulzar saab. This might partly be attributed for the fact that there is intertwining with english lyrics written by different people.
The next song Tu Meri Dost Hain is performed by Benny Dayal and Shreya Ghoshal. It is melodious from the word go. This was the song used for the promos, so the producers think that this is the most catchy song in the album. And they are dead right. It grabs your attention immediately, all the while being very simple. Benny Dayal starts of the song and Shreya completes it in a amazing way. Although Shreya is currently my favourite female singer, the way she intentionally takes deep breaths while singing is getting a bit irritating lately. In the end, its just an excellent song!
The next track is Shano Shano. Sung by Sonu, Srinivas, Karthik, Timmy, Sunaina, Vivienne Pocha & Tina. Its a real surprise. I never expected this kind of a song in a Ghai musical. The song starts with a discotheque music, and english rap. It feels weired for the first time. To be honest I skipped this track the first time I listend to it. Especially when I listened to the weired voice in the middle. A second hearing will make it bearable. Not a great song. But I think it is more of a situational song. I'm not sure how this song will fit in the film.
The next track is Tu Muskura. Sung by Alka and Javed Ali. It is one of those melodious situational songs, accompanied by excellent instrumentals. The song starts off well with Alka easing us into the song. This is the kind of song that goes well with both romantic and sad situations. It is really not that evident that it is the duet till the last minute of the song, when Javed Ali really comes alive with the swaras, which is used extensively in most of the songs.
The next song is Mastam Mastam. Performed by Alka and Sonu, its a soft romantic number. Its a typical Rahman melody. When you hear this song, you kind of get the feeling that you have heard similar tunes before. The claps and the percussions are very much tried and tested formula. But it still works and works really well.
The next song is Zindagi. Performed by Srinivas who is one of the main singers for Rahman in Tamil. As a keen listener of Tamil songs, I have to admit that this is a typical Srinivas song. Very melodious. But something makes me feel that Hariharn would have been the right choice for this song. It sometimes feels that Srinivas is trying too hard to make it more impressive than he should have. But the quality of the song is very good. The song although initially very slow, picks up after a minute with the beats.
The next song in the album is Dil Ka Rishta. One word for it. Awesome. It starts with just the piano. The music has a eerie feeling to it in the beginning. But once the drums starts, the pace picks up dramatically. The voice of Sonu Nigam is as ever refreshing. The lyrics easily blends the hindi and english pieces. The swara in the middle of the song is trademark Rahman. It reminds me of the music of 'Bombay'. This is also happens to be the lengthiest song of the album. And also my favourite song!
The next song is Manmohini Morey. This song is performed by Vijay Prakash. Some might not recognize him. He has sung in Tamil and Telugu, also in lot of Hindi films like Swadesh and Lakshya. Even as the song starts, it puts you in a comfort zone. It has all the touches of a perfect Indian Classical song. Again the swara in the middle is super.
It is a very good album. This is what I expected of a Subhash Ghai - Rahman musical. But while it is very good, what it lacks is a killer song to make it ranked among the best. And also couple of mediocre songs pull the album down. But kudos to Rahman for pleasing our ear again!
Before I begin to dissect each song, a few general comments on the album itself. Rahman, after experimenting with various types of music comes back to his forte - fusion of Indian Classical and Western classical music, using the piano, violins, cello extensively in most of the songs. As for the singers, most of them are established. Not many new voices to look forward to, which is a bit of a dissapointment after JTYJN. And being a musical you can expect most of the songs to be exceeding the 5 min timeline. I was really not that impressed with the lyrics of the songs. Its definitely not even near the levels set by Gulzar saab. This might partly be attributed for the fact that there is intertwining with english lyrics written by different people.
Track Listing
01. Yuvvraaj - Main Hoon Yuvvraaj
02. Yuvvraaj - Tu Meri Dost Hain
03. Yuvvraaj - Shano Shano
04. Yuvvraaj - Tu Muskura
05. Yuvvraaj - Mastam Mastam
06. Yuvvraaj - Zindagi
07. Yuvvraaj - Dil Ka Rishta
08. Yuvvraaj - Manmohini Morey
09. Yuvvraaj - Shano Remix
The next song Tu Meri Dost Hain is performed by Benny Dayal and Shreya Ghoshal. It is melodious from the word go. This was the song used for the promos, so the producers think that this is the most catchy song in the album. And they are dead right. It grabs your attention immediately, all the while being very simple. Benny Dayal starts of the song and Shreya completes it in a amazing way. Although Shreya is currently my favourite female singer, the way she intentionally takes deep breaths while singing is getting a bit irritating lately. In the end, its just an excellent song!
The next track is Shano Shano. Sung by Sonu, Srinivas, Karthik, Timmy, Sunaina, Vivienne Pocha & Tina. Its a real surprise. I never expected this kind of a song in a Ghai musical. The song starts with a discotheque music, and english rap. It feels weired for the first time. To be honest I skipped this track the first time I listend to it. Especially when I listened to the weired voice in the middle. A second hearing will make it bearable. Not a great song. But I think it is more of a situational song. I'm not sure how this song will fit in the film.
The next track is Tu Muskura. Sung by Alka and Javed Ali. It is one of those melodious situational songs, accompanied by excellent instrumentals. The song starts off well with Alka easing us into the song. This is the kind of song that goes well with both romantic and sad situations. It is really not that evident that it is the duet till the last minute of the song, when Javed Ali really comes alive with the swaras, which is used extensively in most of the songs.
The next song is Mastam Mastam. Performed by Alka and Sonu, its a soft romantic number. Its a typical Rahman melody. When you hear this song, you kind of get the feeling that you have heard similar tunes before. The claps and the percussions are very much tried and tested formula. But it still works and works really well.
The next song is Zindagi. Performed by Srinivas who is one of the main singers for Rahman in Tamil. As a keen listener of Tamil songs, I have to admit that this is a typical Srinivas song. Very melodious. But something makes me feel that Hariharn would have been the right choice for this song. It sometimes feels that Srinivas is trying too hard to make it more impressive than he should have. But the quality of the song is very good. The song although initially very slow, picks up after a minute with the beats.
The next song in the album is Dil Ka Rishta. One word for it. Awesome. It starts with just the piano. The music has a eerie feeling to it in the beginning. But once the drums starts, the pace picks up dramatically. The voice of Sonu Nigam is as ever refreshing. The lyrics easily blends the hindi and english pieces. The swara in the middle of the song is trademark Rahman. It reminds me of the music of 'Bombay'. This is also happens to be the lengthiest song of the album. And also my favourite song!
The next song is Manmohini Morey. This song is performed by Vijay Prakash. Some might not recognize him. He has sung in Tamil and Telugu, also in lot of Hindi films like Swadesh and Lakshya. Even as the song starts, it puts you in a comfort zone. It has all the touches of a perfect Indian Classical song. Again the swara in the middle is super.
It is a very good album. This is what I expected of a Subhash Ghai - Rahman musical. But while it is very good, what it lacks is a killer song to make it ranked among the best. And also couple of mediocre songs pull the album down. But kudos to Rahman for pleasing our ear again!
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