| where u been? |
[Oct. 22nd, 2006|12:22 pm] |
well that's a question that I can't answer myself. I've been so busy my memory is almost hazy. And I fell sick twice in the past three months - now that's not happened for a couple of years now - (sigh!) we do get old don't we - The past couple of months have been a cluttered with a flurry of activity compounding from issues at work - a whole lot of them - more political than otherwise and better left behind, contemplating a career change - nothing too radical but maybe bar- tending might just work out, getting the band together, writing material for the (much delayed)EP, rehearsing the live set (whew!) and naming the band (well actually methinks we need to cover some more terrirtory there and find something that really gonna "splat" right in)
well after all that one thing is finally official...we are moving to the studio - voidstar will have their first recording session at a professional studio sometime mid next week. we are planning to cut three songs at this point, all of them written by me. The track listing would I guess be Eden, Stay & The promise - all of which I hope we'll successfully record and be able to publish them on the net sometime soon
End of the month's gonna be huge - cous Nisha is getting married and the whole family is headin to Baroda for the wedding. Travel plans are changin by the minute but we should be there in good time mingle with the guys side and party!!!
well lets just reminesce for a bit here - lets see - here's whatz happened since my last update - cous (well actually my uncle though just elder to me by a year) Babesh got hitched, had a hellhole of a flight back from bangalore (worst ever), went down to NagarjunaSagar with buddies from work, wached two Jal concerts, gate crashed at CarpeDiem and uhmm... Is that it? geez I gotta move to a more happening city! there've been tons of gigs that I've missed just coz I'm confined to this &^^%$*& so then I guess it's been work and the band, work and the band, work and the band for me :( and oh yeah I quit smoking :) |
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| acapela faux pas |
[Aug. 29th, 2006|01:17 pm] |
the idea of a church choir singin "I touch myself" sounds simply ridiculous I know!!! but they do a super fantastic job of it :) click on the following link
powered by ODEO |
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| Slash And Gilby Clarke |
[Jul. 15th, 2006|04:18 pm] |
ran across this video again rekindling memories of glorious pasts, times that rocked and we were knocked stone cold crazy...watching rockstar supernova today and then looking at this gig when Gilby had just joined Guns in Izzy's place was kind of a deja vu trip - but it's always great to see two guitar gods sharing the stage while not trying to play each other out - enjoy! |
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| have cool will travel...to Egypt and back |
[May. 29th, 2006|05:32 am] |
Flew into Cairo on the 4th. Checked into the Concorde hotel at Dokke and left to watch the sound and light show at the Giza pyramids that night. Was so hungry and the chilly wind didn't help.
The next morning saw the sphinx and the pyramids again by day. Bellissimo. Stopped first at the Pyramid of Cheops the largest and the first one built. Followed by the pyramid of Khafra, his son and lastly the pyramid of Mykerinus. Lunch at the 'Caviar' and the rest of the day spent at the Egyptian Museum. Tut-Ankh-amun's treasure trove on the second floor totally mindbowing being the most well preserved I guess. The one that took the cake for me though was the was the very imaginative and actually instructive presentation of the 3 layered burial chamber.
Boarded train to Luxor that evening. Horrible train food. Reached unbelievably early next morning and boarded the nile cruise 'The Nile Ritz' as it was called. Spent the entire day in the room. Caught up on some reading and shut-eye, missed the welcome lunch and finally stumbled out for some dinner followed by belly dancers.
Next morning bright and early at the temple of Luxor (not El Karnak the other one I think it was the temple of Amun Ra), and reached the cruise by mid-day to finally set sail. Passing the lock was a bit of a highlight. Evening docked at the temple of Komombo. More gods and their temples. The curiosity was kinda wearing thin by this time. Dinner was a 6 course continental subterfuge. And Disco night did go down well at all but I seemed to be the exception. The average 60 year old on the cruise found it quite refreshing. The next day was the valley of the kings followed by the shrine dedicated to Queen temple of Hatshepshut the rest of the day at leisure. We finally got off at Aswan and toured around the place.
Took a train back to Cairo that evening. Horrible train food again. Slept all through though and woke up to a day trip to Memphis (the first capital of egypt) and Saqqara. The last day we spent in Alexandria. Toured the Catacombs of the greek-rome period, the astounding library of alexandria, saw the pillar of pompei, largest statue of ramses the second and finally the step pyramid at Djozer. Lunched at a place that's seen the likes of Yasser Arafat, Boutros Boutros ghali and queen sofia but very unassumingly called just 'The Fish Markert'. They however refused to put our picture up in front amidst those of the hallowed company. Dropped in at the Cathedral of St.Mark's on our way back to Cairo.
Flew out of Cairo stop over at Dubai. Promptly started shopping marathon at the Duty free till I was broke. The cars displayed on the luxury car raffle this time were a Lamborgini Gallardo and a BMW that I forget. Reached hyd saturday morning and hit the bed with my mind full of Egypt, it's gods and demi gods, their lives and loves and the eternal mysteries that keep drawing people by the hordes back to Egypt.
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| APRIL DROOL |
[May. 17th, 2006|04:57 pm] |
April started with a Symbi reunion of sorts. Had Alok & Mona, Thakur & Shreya and Saheli come over for a "Cocktails and Candles" do. Srini was flying out to Dublin that night and so was a no show. Shreya headlined the entertainment as she crooned a host of golden oldies and had us serenading with the alcohol. The couples then had a musical tryst and tired to outdo each other with duets and ...humming??? thanks to alok the humming bird sinha.
We all knew it was time to quit when Thakur started adding expletives to otherwise popular lyrics.Actually it was his flagrant use of the word "bloody" strategically introduced into every third bar of a song that got our undivided attention .The effort was nonetheless commendable for his acute sense of timing in his clearly altered state of conciousness.
That Saheli spent her first few days in town at the google guest house, pat across my place, was godsent. I finally had access to the pool table and raided the google fridge which thanks to some irish lady was full of chocolate and beer... God bless her!
Naina was in town for the month on a "long" break, brandishing her newly acquired nylon acoustic bestowed on her by her her dad. It sounded absolutely fab though and had me resisting the urge to procure one for myself. A quick speculation of my finances however settled the matter soon enough and I was content slinging my steel string. This gal is going all the way though. She's got the voice and the talent to really make it big.
Anu and me blithly walked, totally unawares, into "Battle of the bands" at central just in time to watch the hostess give out some neat Levi merchandise. We then saw "Jazz Trio" (arjun & gang) perform followed by "History Makers" cover some creed and slipped out as "Stiff Neck Syndrome" started their set with a lack lustre rendition of Coldplay's yellow. But considering the background these kids have, they probably put on a good show for the rest.
Bunny chickened out of the race bet shceduled for the end of the month proclaiming me champion forever I guess.
Made progress on the music front. Worked out "American idiot" and "Wake me up when september ends" both Greenday with Duke my drummer. Also wrote opening riffs and interludes for a couple of songs. It just kept on coming and for a while I was churning all these amazing riffs to put on the first record. It's penning the lyrics that is always slow...ugghh it's like writer's block except that I've had it all my life.
Movies seen
V for vendetta **
Ice Age 2 ***
Pink Panther ***
Wedding Crashers **
The Manchurain Candidate ***
Authors read
Henry cecil
O Henry
Music listened to
James blunt - feel good sing along stuff, neat and simple
Tori amos - intensely spiritual
Papa roach - nu metal for beginners
Live - Songs from black moutain, should've mostly stayed in black mountain, very unlike them and disappointing
Jack johnson - ah so so, riding the surf never sounded so laid back
Fleetwood Mac - lessons from the past for the future, more of a scholarly pursuit for me at this time.
Movie of the month :Crash
Site of the month: www.pandora.com
Artist of the month: Greenday (more of a nostalgia trip with bullet in a bible)
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| dude where's my tone? |
[Apr. 22nd, 2006|06:12 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  anxious | ] |
Another week passes by without me getting a chance at working out the rest of "Ten" set. Now the "Ten" set is a collection of 15 songs that I compiled as an official list of songs to play at our first summer gig. I initially started with a set of ten songs (gee wiz) which sporadically grew to 15 but then I felt loathe to change the name cause it so naturally fit like a glove to start with but all the more for it's reference to the awe-inspiring Pearl Jam record.
Cause and effect: All it took was one lousy moment when, in my haste to place my guitar on it's tripod and trudge away, the Tansen les paul lookalike that i am a proud owner of :), fell face-flat onto the floor :(. All I noticed at the time was that the pick selector had recceeded a little into the guitar's sound hole. I also suspected that the wiring had come loose. And so I promptly got that checked up and it turned up just fine. Well that's what I thought at the time.
This Saturday as I was getting warmed up I noticed that the action on the first string was low and kept souding like a bell was attahced to it's end when played open. Being the rational creature that I am, I promplty raised the bridge a little. But then this resulted in a dramatic loss of fuzz on the bass. Initally I just thought it had to do with the treble/tone setting on the amp. I made sure the six was strung with my fav super slinkys. But after trying every possible permutation (i.e, Np<what have you>) I got nowhere. I spent the next hour tweaking the relative heights of the bridge and the rest to get the right sound. Alas I exerted in vain.
I just gave up on trying to tweak the sharpness and decided to stick to songs that wouldn't need the M7Th tone. That's when I discovered the loss of tonality between the 3 and the 4th strings...now that's like a nightmare. The tuning would fall apart by the time I'd reach the bridge of a song. And all open chords sounded absolutely crappy. I was half expecting a solution that would bellow to me like "there's a trap door in the roof sergeant..!!!" but I wasn't gonna be spared my amortized analysis.
After spending what sure felt like eons and I realized I hadn't accomplised anything. I believe something essentially fundamental has slipped by me and I hope it doesn't take too long for me to figure it out. Sometimes the amp just needs to get warmed up to starting belting out those warm fuzzy tones, you know like a little more crunchier and grittier than the usual overdirve but can something be done about pitch imbalances bewteen strings...?
Maybe I should just quit on my amateurish attempts and actually look up some literature to find a solution. The only avenue open to me after becoming averse to having my guitar sent someplace where it's repaired by an inexperienced and insensitive "technician"
I still remember how I picked it up. lt lay there in the same shelf for over six months. It almost beckoned to me on every visit I made. When I played it, the warm tone tugged at me and I just knew I had to have it. It had seen some bad weather as the dent on the back showed but I bought it irrespective and it's never let me down till now. Note to guitar->Get well soon coz I guess ur my problem now.
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| mama said... |
[Apr. 11th, 2006|06:17 pm] |
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This is an article my mom wrote in her school magazine on the event of her silver jubilee with the school...which coincidentally happens to be my shcool - AND my dad's school - AND my brother's school...
THE SILVER LINING
Ann Oommen, Staff Member.
Twenty five years ago the decision to join Little Flower as a teacher was not a tough choice to make. My son was studying in the school and my late husband was a former student. So the ties were already established. I resolved that I would do my best and if I couldn't fit into the system I'd make a quiet exit.
The years rolled by and I got passionately involved in my work. I was fired with enthusiasm and was deeply committed to all the activities that made a school year. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching the little ones who were entrusted to my care and slowly graduated from teaching the kindergarten students to those of the tenth class. The process was one which taught me to look at the brighter side of life and helped me metamorphose into a mature, patient and sensitive human being. It seems as if my life was tied to the institution by an unseen umbilical cord. Perhaps, Little Flower was for me like a family heirloom.
The journey through all these years hasn't really been a bed of roses and neither was it a roller coaster ride. Many a time I got snowed under loads of work to be completed. But I did manage to stick it out and have learned valuable lessons from so many rewarding experiences that have enriched my life. The love and affection I receive from my students, both past and present, is simply overwhelming and motivates me to give my best. My unshakeable belief that things will get better has prodded me on all these years. The sum total of life lies in not doing great things in a great way but doing small things in a great way and that is what I've always tried to do.
I've learned to discover joy in small things which come my way everyday. The giggling faces full of mischief, the unsuccessful attempts at feigning stomach aches to miss a class, the loud pleas to postpone an assignment test, the helping hands to prevent me from falling as I miss a step on the stair, have made indelible impressions on my heart. I've learned to accept students with different levels of abilities and interests and to respect them for these. I've learned to be less aggressive in expecting students to live up to my expectations. I've realized how important it is to allow them to grow at their own steady pace. One of the most important lessons I've learnt is to prioritize my time and never to procrastinate. I've enjoyed friendship and companionship with several members of the staff, past and present and these have blossomed into lifelong relationships. I have close and helpful friends whose support has protected me to a great degree from some stressful events in the last few years. The school authorities have stood by me and encouraged me constantly for which I'm ever grateful.
Some days were harder than others. The promise-'Be still and know that I am your God'-has assured me of the presence of my Lord, my Heavenly Father in my life and that tough times do not last forever. I've learned to stop worrying about things beyond my control and to treat problems as opportunities to achieve what may appear to be unattainable. I've also learned that I will not always get what I want or what I feel I deserve.
My dear students develop a positive attitude and believe that you can do whatever you set out to achieve. Once you get going, life will create its own momentum. This will open the door to new horizons and success which will help you get past your fears and insecurities. Making your parents happy can help in building confidence and a motivation to do well. Today the most precious resource at your disposal is your time and how you plan to spend it. Make your life an enjoyable and pleasant adventure by pursuing something grand and big. Keep on learning continually and growing intellectually. You have been my source of inspiration and I've learned to stretch myself to keep learning from this continuous interaction with you. Today, I'm glad I made the choice to be a teacher in this wonderful institution.
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| the art of fLaMencO |
[Mar. 31st, 2006|04:32 am] |
Watch this space progress...more comin soon
And it all started here...
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| BunnY THE "BRAVE" |
[Mar. 31st, 2006|04:26 am] |
It all started sunday night during a lazy dinner at the Blue Fox (where else!). After an incongruous rant bout the great divide that would be Telengana & Andhra, which bunny fastidiously disowned almost immediately, came the "bet". The inspiration that triggered the pompous offer is still lost on all who were present at the time but the conviction that it was cloaked in seemed to dispel all wanton fears associated with the physicality implied by the task. This sudden surge of excitement from bunny was met with a wave of approval and beer breath. And then the deed was done. I accepted the challenge. Me against bunny. mano e mano. To the death. Bunny & me would run the race to endstart all races till either of us ceased to move out of exhaustion. The loser would have take all of us out for a movie of the winner's choice.
ffWd to Monday 6.45pm. I had Bharat Vishnu & Kali hovering around my cubicle like vultures expecting to feed on a carcass sometime soon. Now I hate being intimidated period. And I have no illusions bout what is possible by me. But this "bet" was a done deal. A walk in the park. But still I couldn't help last minute jitters on the wings of butterflies that found their sweet nectar in my stomach.
Bunny didn't seem overtly anxious about the bet and stone faced-ly admitted a hundred times that he was expecting to lose. Talk about an excuse to give us a treat. Wish I knew more friends like Bunny.
The drive to the battlefield was mostly drowned in arguments about which would be the best song for the moment and Bunny accusing me of foul play by resorting to mind games. We didn't have the classical eye of the tiger so we finally settled on RDB's patshaala...the remix version that keeps looping the guitar arpeggio on D sus played on the 5th fret... i think...anyway we were we were at the Gymkhana grounds by 7ish.
The 5 of us decided that the sandy hockey ground was the only place we could use. We altered the conditions of the bet a little. The winner would be one who completed the most number of laps in 20 minutes. Vishnu performed timing duties and Bharat counted the laps & took the snaps. Kali played the waterboy. and so it started and ...ended before I could say " the cupcakes are in the oven" a million times over. Bunny was way too exhausted to express any emotion on his defeat. But the first thing he said to me with bated breath was "One month down the line...we do it again". I had to struggle not to faint as the vision of what we just went through loomed once again before my eyes. But it was immediately replaced by greed and pat came my reply "...for higher stakes "
At the end of the day, Bunny's spirit in the face of insurmoutable odds has to be admired and celebrated. And that's exactly what we'll be doing this Saturday at the IMax incidentally by watching V for Vendetta( hmmm...is Bunny trying to send me a signal here???) and then right after hopefully be drinking to ... BUNNY THE BRAVE
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| dude get a weekend! |
[Mar. 21st, 2006|10:58 am] |
...what a 'let down' of a weekend to start with. Well it wasn't quiet but just plain uneventful. A host of really "formal" parties with some really "big" people is just what I need to feel totally insignificant and tiny again and had me scrounging back into my hole by Sunday evening.
Apart from that, friday started with a trip to our fav watering hole 'Blue fox'. Kali entertained us with the worst 3 of the 7 scripts he's penned so far. Varun, Bahrat and Vishnu played the doteful but rather irksome fans while I just sipped my jack daniels RC. If u ask me Kali just beat the shit out of RFID.
Dev was down in Hyd on Sat alternating between playing escort & 'shoulder to cry on' to a colleague in HP. Meeting him after a year resulted in the ritual guzzling of beer, nostalgic pashan talk, relatively new car bashing (by me) followed by irritating & voluntary paint-scraping (by Dev) and finally walking on the moon at the imax.
Priya called during the week and had me guessing where on earth she was. After a missent and totally unintended message to me from her dad's phone informed me of what I thought were her whereabouts at the time, I mailed her promptly only to intrigue her with my knowledge. Unable to resist the curiousity bug tickling her, she finally called me and allayed (..??) her concerns. Well according to her there should be something to celebrate about very soon. So let's hope I have a bangalore trip ahead of me.
and on the music front I had me my violin tuned by the ever obliging mantra and suddenly playing it has become phenomenally divide by 1000 times easier. I fiddled with the titan theme, a blues riff (yeah u read me correct), silent night and tried the Schindler's list theme.. well a little ambitous for my ability yet but doable...being a frustrated guitarist has led me to the violin. Hope the rest doesn't play out exactly. But it'd be interseting to know what I'd move to next:) |
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| ain't it fun |
[Mar. 17th, 2006|01:51 pm] |
ok...blogging is already growing on me and me like:) Now to stuff that's currently happening with me.
I have a software job that I spend the majority of my waking hours at. About my job all you can get from me even on a good day is a brisk 'Work is good' or 'Work is busy as hell' and I shall refrain from taking a different course in my journal too.
On a more candid note I am trying to break into the music business as a guitarist / songwriter which is taking longer that I had imagined but at the same time the ride along the way is proving to be more amazing than I had hoped.
All in all, I am (...and have been for quite sometime now) in the "getting there" stage. I stay at home (like everyone else) and venture out into the mean streets of this city only when I have to (like everyone else). There now that it's clear that I am as normal as anyone and to me that tossing out words is getting to be quite fun I shall wane my increasing proclivity for blogging to a time that I have something substantially interesting to holler about. |
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| of blogs and men |
[Mar. 17th, 2006|11:45 am] |
...so I finally take the leap into blogosphere. My delayed forray has not been the result of lack of material but of the want of the will to regurgitate life as it is for me all over again on the pages of this journal which I dare venture to say may bring some sanity back into my life. I only (meant to) whisper it though. Why oh why does the need to be understood...the need to be appreciated...the need to be needed define the state of bliss I flouder about in. Why does being part of something greater than ourselves...why does having to fit in constitue our makeup as men?
If you are noticing a trend here, this I fear will be a major sentiment in my journal.I am like this creature who can't control his ceaseless whining and has to be allowed to dole out atleast certain portions of it quite often. They may take one or more of several forms like questions that don't have answers, questions that don't want to be answered or statements that are only meant to provoke, etc. While my entries may not be as profound or as intellectually uplifting as a host of others, I could not let something as enticing as owning "my" inch of cyber space (for free) pass me by. Also the freedom that it provides for my bohemian state of mind regardless of the fact that I am such a private "oh so lonesome" person beckons unguardedly.
I guess blogging is as primitive in its inspiration like a caveman sculpting his 'kill' in his den. A primal scream into cyber nothingness. As natural as gravity, for men to shout "hey this is me". As I start my descent into this world, hope atleast some of you make this journey with me...to whatever end :)
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