Never postpone this(only this!)

Many of us has this habit of dreaming of a better tomorrow all the time that we forget the fact that the present time is part of 'the better tomorrow' that we dreamt some days or years back. I guess that must've confused you all. Good, a little confusion is a nice way to wake you up on a lazy morning. Well, what I meant was that we always postpone enjoying life thinking that we'll do so after achieving some goals. For eg, in school we think that we'll enjoy after we pass 10th. After 10th, its time for preparation for entrance exams and all that stuff. So enjoyment is postponed to post-entrance. Then Its life in college and we are all thinking of campus recruitment. Life will be rocking once we pass out of college and start working. And, when we start to work, we realise that enjoyment is possible only after retirement. But who knows what awaits us after retirement.

But, am happy that 'enjoying every moment of life' is the only one thing I never ever postponed. And looking back as well as looking ahead, I feel really good about that...

your crusader Praveen

No Man's Land

Saw the Bosnian movie "No Man's land" yesterday. If U haven't heard about it, its the movie that pipped Lagaan to win the Oscar for the best foreign lanuage film in 2001. Its a film about the war between Bosnia and Serbia. Thought its a war movie, don't expect epic war scenes except for some odd shoot outs. What sets it apart is the lighter vein in which big issues are commented upon. It captures the travails of 3 men from either side caught in no man's land. One of them is lying injured on a mine, which will explode if he moves. A UN team is sent to rescue them. This movie actually makes fun of the ineffective UN, which has failed to live up to its name in times of crisis. The media which is hungry for breaking news is also made fun of. The exchanges between the 2 enemy soldiers are hilarious. The scene in which the Bosnian point a gun at the Serbian to make him say that his country started the war. And then after sometime, its the turn of the the Serbian to make the Bosnian say the same.

The movie has some great quotes.
Here are some samples(courtesy-IMDB)

1."A bomb disposal expert only makes one mistake in his life."
"Two."
"Two?"
"The first one is choosing the fucking job!"

2.Neutrality does not exist in the face of murder. Doing nothing to stop it is, in fact, choosing. It is not being neutral.

3.The guy from UN talking to a serbian soldier.

Sgt. Marchand: Vous parlez francais?
Serb private: No.
Sgt. Marchand: Do you speak English?
Serb private: Yes.
Sgt. Marchand: We came for people.
Serb private: Yes.
Sgt. Marchand: People between lines.
Serb private: Yes, yes.
Sgt. Marchand: Where are they?
Serb private: Yes, yes, yes.
Sgt. Marchand: Ok, you don't understand a word of what I'm saying, right?
Serb private: Yes.



Also lookout for some breathtaking scenery of Slovenia, where this movie was filmed.

Still, I think Lagaan deserved an Oscar more than this film.

your crusader Praveen

MAD ADs

Its election time here in Karnataka and the campaigning is going on at a feverish pitch. There are vehicles laden with big cutouts of the candidates looking at us with a big fat conceitful smile. And newspapers are also filled with political ADs of one party or the other. Yesterday, there was this AD in Times Of India by the Congress party carrying the pictures of the usual suspects, the Italian glam girl, her brainless son and the puppet with the beard. But what caught my eye were the pictures of the Kandahar plane hijacking episode and the then external affairs minister Jaswant Singh accompanying the Taliban terrorist who was freed in return for the freedom of the passangers. This was accopanied with a question in bold letters-"Which is the party whose external affairs minister accompanied a terrorist to safety?" and below that there's the answer in even bolder letters-BJP. Then they go on to explain how the BJP and its allies were always soft against terrorism and considering the safety of the nation its better to vote for congress. This is dirty campaigning to say the least. Kandahar is one of the saddest episodes in the history of the nation and putting ADs like this will dig up the trauma that the surviving passengers went through.

PS-Am not a supporter of BJP, or any other party for that matter. Its just that I found this AD was in real bad taste
Your crusader Praveen

Food for thought

Its been a long time since I spend a weekend fully at home. This week also I din't expect to be at home. But somehow, it happened. Two days fully at home, except for the odd trip to the nearby store to buy some items for our cooking extravaganza. Coming to cooking, it was real fun and a source of great satisfaction to eat food cooked by my own hand. For the past 22 years, I been eating food, never giving a thought to the work that goes behind it to make it . But now as I cut the vegetables or hide from the smoke of a boiling excercise gone bad, I suddenly realise how blind I really was to the hard working hands that made tasty food to sustain me for 22 years. I would've laughed at you if you were to tell me about two months back that I'll cook and eat my own food. But somehow it started and me and my friends are really enjoying it. The tears that come when I cut onions are partly due to the mischievious onion itself and partly due to the tears of gratitude to my mother for bearing with all my tantrums that I threw up wanting some specific item to be cooked. Hope I can cook a tasty meal someday for her.

your crusader Praveen

'MEGADETHED'

I've always loved his peculiar vocals. I've been inspired and touched by his amazing lyrics. His jaw-breaking solos have took my breath many a time. His band has remained one of my all-time favorites from the time I started listening to heavy metal. So, it was always a great dream to watch the man and his band live atleast once in a lifetime. But that dream is no more. Because, it became a reality this saturday at the palace grounds, Bangalore. Yes, am talking about Dave Mustaine and his band Megadeth which made India headbang to its tunes this weekend. The 'Rock in India' fest was a dream come true for me.

The day started with the metal army from my hometown, Trivandrum, landing here in the morning. We all proceeded to Palace grounds by afternoon. But the crowd outside the grounds were not as big as expected. The security was checking every inch of our body to make sure that concealed cameras and cigarette packets didn't make its way to the venue. We got inside only at the end of the 2nd band Prestorika's performance. We missed the first band 'Casino blues'. Anyway, I was happy that we were there in time for one of my favorite Indian bands, 'Junkyard groove'. This was my first time of watching the guys from Chennai live. I love most of their songs that I listened from their myspace page. Songs like 'its ok' and 'been so long' were lapped up by the small crowd. The vocalist with his drunken antics and able singing stole the show. Lots of people din't care to come near the smaller stage set for the Indian bands as they were waiting near the main stage to be in front by the time Megadeth performs. Next in line was 'Motherjane', the rockers from god's own country and the best in the country, IMHO. They belted out their great numbers from the old 'Insane biography' album as well as the unreleased 'Makhtub' album. We all enjoyed a lot by headbanging from the front row and singing along the lyrics. We also got a copy of the rare 'Insane biography' cd and got it autographed by the band.

We went around for a drink of cola(the only other things available were alcoholic drinks) and also visited the merchandise shops. By the time, we came back Thermal And A Quarter[TAAQ] were on stage. They played crowd favorites like 'Paper puli'. Though I liked their show, it was not as big as I expected. Then came the oldest guys on the Indian rock circuit 'Millennium'. Before the show, I haven't even heard their name. But after their show, I was wondering where these guys were hiding all these days for me to miss them. What I liked most about them was their in your face attitude. It was a power packed show all through with heavy riffing and stage antics like the 'metal army' chanting.

By the time Pentagram started, we were searching for a place near the main stage to watch Megadeth up close. Still, from there, we enjoyed the Pentagram show especially 'Its electric'. Am still wondering why vocalist Vishal Dadlani went behind bollywood music when he had such a great band at hand[obviously, its the money :D]. So, the side shows got over. Though it was supposed to be a side show, almost all the bands performed really well to underline the fact that the future of Indian rock is in safe hands.

We made our way through the crowd waiting impatiently in front of the main stage. About 6 rows from the front, the crowd was so dense that we couldn't move any further. The lights went off and then it blasted on to a sudden assault of heavy metal. 'Machine head' were on stage led by their evergreen front man Rob Flynn. I haven't heard much of them except a few songs from their new album 'Blackening' and the old song 'Davidian'. Still I enjoyed the show and headbanged to their songs. There was some heavy moshing happening right beside us and we had to do lot of expert maneouvers to save us from the assault. Lots of people[many of them with their GFs] were escaping from the front rows to stay free from the moshing and pushing. That paved the way for us to move forward a couple of rows. Rob Flynn said that when they started the band he never ever dreamed even in his wildest dreams that they would ever play in India. He was visibly surprised by the aggressive Indian crowd singing along their lyrics. Their show ended after 8:15.

Now, it was time for what I waited for all these years. The huge drum on stage was replaced with another one, specially for megadeth. The stage backdrop of Machine head was replaced with a huge one reading MEGADETH. The band crew was busy running around setting things up and sound checking. The impatient crowd began chanting 'MEGADETH, MEGADETH'. The huge speakers were playing songs from metal greats like Ozzy, Maiden and Pantera. And then at exactly 8:45 PM, the opening riffs of 'sleepwalker' from the new megadeth album 'United abominations' began streaming in. The crowd let out a huge roar. There he was, standing near the mic with his guitar in his trademark style. The lights went on in full bloom. I couldn't believe my eyes. Mustaine the great was standing before me and singing "No one is safe when I close my eyes, I come to take your life". Yeah, he almost took my life. He looked thinner than what I've seen on video. But the voice was still the same as was the guitaring. Chris Broderick was also great, playing the leads to perfection. As was Shawn Drover, pounding hard behind the drums. The only bad thing was the sound system, from which nothing was audible at first. One had to strain one's ears to hear the guitar leads. There was a slight drizzle right from the time Megadeth were on stage but it disappeared after sometime. The show really picked up with 'Tout Le monde' when the whole crowd sang along the lyrics. This fired up Mustaine and his bunch and the complexion of the show changed from there.

For the next 1 hour and 15 minutes we were treated to a mix of old as well as new favourites from the Megadeth discography. The crowd loved the old ones more, evident from the singing along. Maybe, they were more familiar with the old lyrics. The crowd, though small in number compared to Iron Maiden's show last year, played along well with the band. One such thing I particularly loved was the 'Megadeth, Megadeth' chanting that accompanied the guitar rhythm part in 'symphony of destruction'. During the last song 'Holy Wars', the band suddenly switched to the 'Mechanix' song after the arabic solo. Then again after the song, they switched back to 'Holy wars'. That was one surprising and nice touch to end the concert. It brought back memories of the long standing fued between Metallica and Mustaine, which actually paved the way for the birth of MEGADETH. Was this is a sign of Mustaine 'buying peace' with Metallica or declaring 'Holy war' on them? One can never be sure...

The playlist of Megadeth was as follows[not exactly in the same order]

1.Sleepwalker
2.Wake up dead
3.A Toute le Monde
4.Peace Sells..But whos buying
5.Symphony of Destruction
6.Tornado of souls
7.Trust
8.Burnt Ice
9.Skin o my Teeth
10.Washington is next
11.Hanger 18
12.In my darkest hour
13.Take no Prisoners
14.Holy Wars...punishment due
15.Mechanix[played in between Holy wars]

Some songs which I expected them to play[but they didnot play] were 'countdown to extinction', 'sweating bullets', 'United abominations'[I was sure of this since this was the title of the tour],'This was my life', 'Addicted to chaos' and 'Captive honour'. But still this was a great concert, a once in a lifetime experience. And I wouldn't have missed it for anything, not even work :P. The concert ended faster than expected at 10PM and we were left craving for more. As if he read our minds, Mustaine announced that he really loved playing here and that they would be back again to rock us...Now, am waiting for that day...Until then, its memories of this great day all the way

PS- Couldn't put up the pics I took there online cos its still in my mobile. Would do that soon.

PPS- Do checkout this interesting blog on the concert by young metal head Hari, a 10th standard student- http://hari-musicmania.blogspot.com/

your crusader Praveen

The STALKER

First it was orkut. Then it was all the e-mail sites and video sites. Now Blogger is also blocked in my company. But can it stop me from writing and blogging more? Never. So, here I go again, using a proxy site. This is the 1st song I wrote after completing my training and starting work at office. Donnow why, this subject came to my mind all of a sudden. Is it because an idle mind is a devil's workshop?

******STALKER*********
Obsession fuels my ride
On a duel to decide
In me, the devil reside
Its me, always by your side.

I am the thorn in your flesh
U r the smile on my face
U can't see me in the haze
Behind you,here I rush.

chorus:
You call me the stalker in black,
the man without a name
and the man without a face
Yes, am the stalker at your back.


You see a psycho behind you
But I am a macho, out to save you.
Am not the evil lurking in the woods
Am just a dreamer, with a mind full of wounds

chorus:
You call me the stalker in black,
the man without a name
and the man without a face
Yes, am the stalker at your back.



25/02/2008

your crusader Praveen

Skandagiri-Conquering heights

A 6-lane highway, then some village roads, some steep travel through rocky slopes and bushes, and finally the exhilarating feeling of reaching the top, looking all around and savouring the cool breeze and breathtaking beauty. That aptly sums up the trekking trip that we had on saturday. We heard about this hill called 'kalavarahalli [skandagiri]' from a forward mail that we got some days back. What attracted us to this are the snaps which showed the hill with its head majestically floating over the clouds. And so we set forth from Banglore on saturday morning in a qualis. Our only info about the place was that its 70km from Banglore near the new airport at Devanahalli. The ride along the new 6-lane highway was exhilarating. As we passed Devanahalli, we enquired about this hills to some people we saw on the wayside. But nobody seems to even have heard about it. Anyway, we rode on until we reached a village and got to the foot of the hills after asking atleast 10 people.

After taking the permission from the forest officer, we set forth on our journey. For a group of 6, we only had 2 packets of biscuit and 2 bottles of mineral water for the whole trekking. One old man led us to the path that started from the foot of the mountain. A dog was following us and it was too close for my comfort. We started the climb and we saw one group leaving the place after the night trekking. Other than that, we didn't meet a single soul on our way to the top. The dog closely followed us all through the rocky path. We took rest at regular intervals and this time was spent in taking snaps. The biscuit pack was getting thinner by the minute what with the dog also getting a share whenever we ate. The interesting part was that the dog stopped whenever we stopped and waited for us all to start walking so that it could follow. It wudn't start even if one person is lagging behind. And, so after almost 3 hours of walking through some treacherous as well as beautiful paths, we reached the top. Nothing prepared us for what we saw there. Our jaws dropped as we feasted our eyes on the limitless beauty that was lying all around us. The only thing missing were the clouds kissing the hilltop, that we saw in the snaps. Later, the forest inspector told that we should be there at sunrise to witness that scene and for that we have to take night trekking, preferably on a full moon day. We sat there for a long time enjoying it all.

Then we started the downhill journey which took us another 2 hours. The dog was still following us like a faithful servant. Along the way down, we saw a young guy, about 14 years old, walking uphill to sell buttermilk. Mind you, this is not a place where many people visit. The fact that we didn't meet a single soul during the whole 6 hours that we spent in trekking will tell you how popular this place is. After a sip of butter milk, we continued our walk downhill. As we reached the foot of the hill, the sun was already fading. We took a glance back at the hill. There was that unexplainable feeling of satisfaction in my mind then.

To top this heady saturday, there was a rocky sunday at palace grounds, banglore as part of rock ethos. 13 Indian bands performed all day through and as expected Motherjane topped them all with an earth shattering performance in which one of their new songs 'fields of sound' was also played. Other bands which I liked were 'Bhoomi' and 'Kryptos'. It will need another full post to describe the full fest, which was notable in that it was exclusively for promoting original Indian rock music.

So that was my great weekend for u.....wish every week was like this

NB-The snaps that we took there couldn't be put here because its still inside the cam. USB access is blocked here in office. So I have to wait till I get to work on some computer outside office. The pics displayed here are the ones that I got from the forward.

Info to reach Skandagiri- Proceed along the new banglore airport road to devanahalli. From there, go to Chikballapur. Then to Kalavarahalli[skandagiri]. Its almost 80km from Banglore. And do remember to carry something to munch on and drink.

your crusader Praveen

Wingless,Finless
This is a song that I wrote last week. You can interpret it in any way you want, just as you interpret your dreams...

*********wingless, finless*************

Its pitch black as darkness falls
the shadows are hard to make out
but i ride alone and shine along
the helios glows its heart out.

Its a brand new story, every night
as my unchained mind gallops
along unknown paths and little known worlds
on another aimless quest

Its the power of dreams, they tell u
Never known of these endless boundaries
wingless I fly, finless I swim
But built up are castles of sand.

Its an escape route, when doom looms
Sown are the seeds of inspiration
Its a ray of hope, for the lost soul
Born out of a thought etched in time.

NB-I took the snap of the sunset last year at Kovalam beach. Thought this will be apt for the subject...

your crusader Praveen

The 'Maiden' Miss

This is really a bad day for me as I'll miss watching 'Iron maiden' performing live in mumbai marking the beginning of their 'somewhere back in time' world tour. I can safely say that watching them live some months back during their banglore show was one of the greatest experiences I ever had in my life. If that concert was a mix of old and new, this mumbai jig is exclusively in tribute to the good old days. Coupled with that, they've chartered a flight titled 'ed force one' with a mammoth amount of equipments being flown in[our own great bruce dickinson himself is flying the plane]. So, Me and my friends were eagerly waiting for this. But, as fate would have it, we have our final exam of training scheduled on monday and we had to drop that plan.

Now, poor me is sitting here catching every possible news on the concert on the tv and net. My ipod been playing Iron maiden non stop for the last 2 days. To get that concert feel, am playing 'rock in rio' and 'live at donington'. And also browsing through the old pics that I took last year during 'eddfest 'o7' at Banglore.

So, for all those who missed the show, here's a link to last year's concert review and a collection of pictures from the concert.

Iron Maiden eddfest '07 -Banglore concert review
Snaps from the Banglore concert

your crusader Praveen

I am racist

Yeah.U read it right. I been a racist right from the time I started going to nursery. Because thats when I learned about the monkey and started calling some of friends monkeys. And for that matter, most of my friends are also racist because they also been using this word for a pretty long time. This shocking truth struck me yesterday when the ICC declared the word 'monkey' as a racist slur.I am still wondering what crime did the poor creature commit for its name to be ranked alongside such respectful words as 'nigger'.

Today, I read so many posts in infyblogs about how the Indians are blaming the umpires and aussies' lack of sportsman spirit for their own incompetence. I just don't see any justification in these claims rather than the urge to have a different opinion from the masses. Team India put in all of their effort to make it tough for the aussies except for a few notable exceptions like Yuvraj. The main point many raised was that the Indians wouldn't have raised the issue of bad umpiring and aussie spiritlessness had India atleast drawn the match. But the point they are forgetting is that it would've been a different story[India might actually have won] if not for the above mentioned factors.

Its time the ICC threw away such blind incompetent donkeys as steve bucknor from the umpiring panel. And, for the Aussies, words starting with 'm' and 'f' are friendly . The only thing is that only they are allowed to do so. They can call others anything. If u reply, you are a racist. In the now infamous Bhaji-monkey incident too, it were the men in yellow who started it. But it was an indian who got penalised in the end. The Aussies are known to intimidate their opponents with the ugly sport called 'sledging' when things are not going their way. Thats what happened here too. Its really a surprise that 6 aussies were there to testify against bhaji claiming to have heard the 'monkey' call, which not even the umpires didn't hear[reportedly,one of these players were in the boundary at the time of the incident].

The Indian captain conducted himself really well in the post match conference after exemplary performances in the field. Its really a shame that many Indians are blaming their own team and praising the shameless aussies like ponting and clarke. I had great respect for the aussies until this match. They spoiled it all. They are a shame to the sport alongwith the biased umpires. Hope the next 2 matches will turn out to be heated contests with Indians giving the aussies a taste of sledging:D
PS- I developed a new habit yesterday. Using 'F' and 'B' interchangeably...For example, Buck Fasketball. So, how will you say Steve Bucknor?

your crusader Praveen