Fergie

He is old. Really really old. And still could put men the age of his son to shame in terms of the enthusiasm for the game he still has. Commands the respect of the entire legion of football fans around the world who have ever heard of ManU.

ManU's fan following around the world as also in the England itself has a lot to do with the man. While people elsewhere were ascending the football ladder by the power of cash injected from sponsorships and takeovers, Sir Alex has kept his focus on developing young players rather that buying stars with all the cash the world's richest football club has.

The touch he has with the young players has helped such an array of English players who have come up the ranks to don even the English shirt to go with the red one. When the Gunners were going through an entire season unbeaten, it wowed the whole of Europe and blew people away with their beautiful style of play. But inspite of all that, the hearts of so many fans still stuck with ManU for all the homegrown players they have, the legacy they bore, the passion they showed. And through all this the hand of Sir Alex has always been there on everything the club has ever done and all the titles and championships it has won, as also the many it will still win when he is not longer at the helm.

He has won all there was to win, (unless he wakes up one fine morning wishing to in the World Cup) and is the envy of even the self-promoting José Mourinho.

Seriously, what makes this man tick?

Learning Photography - 1

Have been pursuing my hobby for a while now. As is common to all other hopefuls, it was such an expensive hobby to keep in the times of the film-cameras, what with the developing costs in addition to the cost of the film-roll itself.

Now however, with everyone (almost) having access to a decent digital camera and the option hence of keeping GBs of stock photos on digital storage, it is so much more enjoyable. You are also allowed to make more mistakes :)

Canon has launched a website for explaining the nuances of SLRs but you can use those fundamentals in your compact digital cameras also, at least to some extent. Recently I purchased the Canon Powershot A590 and have been experimenting with the little manual control it offers. But the fundamentals are now shifting into place. Will be uploading a few photos showcasing the effects that manual controls can have on a photo rather than just using a point-and-shoot camera. Watch this space!

Elections, bloody elections...

I still remember that autumn of 1999. Along with other students in my undergrad college, we went as a group to Ziro to participate in the elections. A unique trait in the rural areas ( as also in most other areas) during elections is to divide the votes on the basis of the locality the candidate is from. Hence, when we went there, it was already decided who will be the one getting all our votes.

When we reached there however, the same night we were told to 'be prepared' as some people were overheard talking about attacking our group at night! I thought, "What the hell!" Turned out there had been some tension brewing at the time what with a car reportedly damaged and burnt the previous evening.

The next morning, as we were taking a walk post our breakfast, we came across a classmate of mine, same college, but who was from a different locality and hence supporting a different candidate. We met him and we din't even talk properly! And to think that we always hangout together back in the college.

That was when I had once decided that I am never ever taking part in any election in my lifetime. The time has come around when elections are taking a huge chunk of media and I can't keep myself insulated from it. Also, this time it is noticeably an effort to educate voters on the candidates they will be electing to the Parliament and I appreciate the celebrities taking time out for doing this.

This time it won't be possible for me to go back home and vote , but now it is starting to seem more like the decision to abstain from it lifelong was a rather brash decision, taken without the benefit of my wisdom as it grows with age :) Or is it?

Have been hearing about no one having the ability to dodge political affiliations as one tries to shimmy up the social ladder, is it so? Will I be able to keep myself sane? Or should I be instead taking a more active role to ensure that the elections throw up a worthier elected assembly?

Only time will tell it seems.

Angels and Demons

Ah! I just finished reading the book a week back and was amazed at myself for not having read this great book before! It has that classic breathless pace of a Dan Brown novel and at the same time is equally if not better that the Da Vinci Code.

But more than that, the believability factor of the novel is so much more enhanced by those diagrams he has cooked up. You cannot help but wonder how much research and hours would be taken by even an inspired symbologist to come up with those symbols and the mother of them all: that Illuminati Diamond, it truly is mind-boggling!

It is books like these which make me question why I did not take up writing as a career. The sheer satisfaction of writing a book which would be loved and read by millions is ecstasy.

Have moved on to reading a book on Nike in its early days. Cya!

Traditions

Caught the last quarter of ‘that’ program on Discovery on Apatanis on TV this morning. Aside from other observations, it focused on the marriage rituals and customs of the Apatanis. As is the wont of the Discovery-style documentaries, it was unbiased and true. It mentioned giving of mithuns, meat and the various rituals from Maabo-Inchi, Arii Banii and Mida. What struck me was the mention of such gift-giving as ‘Bride-Price’ and the exchange these days made easier by using paper currency. Up until now, I had always considered that these were gifts, and not to an extent as expensive as the ‘dowry’ prevalent elsewhere. Keeping amounts fixed in terms of currency as a proxy for mithuns and other allied gifts has eliminated much of the problems of gifts not being accepted. The program also mentioned that the gift-givings were reciprocal with the groom’s side first giving gifts and then the bride’s. However, there seems to be a view considering that this is taking it the easy way out and that customs are being erased out because of this new practice.

This set me thinking on whether it really is so, and whether this new practice was good or bad?

The question was, was this introduction of money into the social fabric a sign of the times that this was a custom that needed changing, or was it intended just as a respite for those cases where the financial burden of the traditional customs could be lessened for those who needed such help. Should have been there when this amount was being decided to be able to hear out the logic and the reasoning behind it. I guess I will have to grow up some more for that. :)

Am going home for Myoko this 19th, will see what I can learn there.

The Dark Knight: One another time, please!

The movie begins with that iconic shot, the 'Joker' standing with his mask in his left hand. And right then and there, it establishes the theme of the movie, with the Joker as the lead role, not the 'Batman'. Director Christopher Nolan has spoken of the movie and his handling of the editing as preparing an eulogy to the departed Heath Ledger and ensuring that what was so eerily portrayed by Ledger would come true on screen and would be recognised by audiences as the finest ever enaction of the character.

Make no mistake, the movie is much more about the Joker than Batman, and Nolan had to ensure that this came out subtly, even while letting Batman triumph in the end.

So many scenes from the movie will remain etched in my memory forever, recounting a few:

1. When the Batman battles his look-alikes, and is thrown from the car, he stands on the top of the railing preparing to drop. The way he climbs the railing, staggering a little, and so matter-of-factly like he's been doing right since coming out into this big-bad world, and the actual scene, where the camera goes above his head and follows him as he drops, Mindblowing! It's worth rewatching the movie even for just this scene alone!

2. The 'pencil-disappearing' magic-trick first establishes the nature of the mind behind the painted face. Hiding a simple and innocent pleasure in trying to one-up whatever it is that others think and do.

3. The first time he utters the phrase "WHY SO SERIOUS?" He says it so menacingly, it shakes my spine, no kidding! I don't know whether the voice used as the Joker is actually Heath's or is digitally altered, but the final editing as it comes out in the movie is so creepy, it deserves all the adulation it gets.

4. The 'sky-hook' in Hong Kong. Truly amazing in the way it got conceptualised. Simple and deviant. Even the Joker would have been proud of that.

5. "We are tonight's entertainment!!" What a way to capture the nonchalance of the Joker. He makes fun of himslef in a way that is scary to people around him! Also the accompanying gesture he makes- smoothing his hair when Rachel confronts him- a classic! if not for the situation, it would make for perfect date-behaviour!

6. The 'Bat-mobile turns to Bat-bike!' Incredible was what I thought when I saw the bike finally break out of the Bat-mobile as a separate piece. I remember watching "Batman Begins" and marveling at the design of the bat-mobile. The design is such that it seems really tough and no-nonsense, all-terrain vehicle, something you don't wanna mess with. And then you are hit with this one, pure-magic! One would be wholely forgiven for calling that bike design 'gorgeous'

7. The 'truck-overturn scene' No words to describe this scene. Just pure charisma. And the subsequent scene where the Joker stands his ground as Batman comes charging on his bike. Just another instance of the diabolical mind and brilliant psychologist behind the veil of a clown-faced fool.

8. The 'Joker-interrogation' The way the Joker laughs and utters, "you have nothing to threaten me with, nothing to do, with all your strength!" And the smirk on the Joker's face says it all, he is enjoying it! I have read in an interview given by Christopher Nolan (Director) that this was the first scene shot for this movie, and that it established the tone of the movie from thereon, with the Joker toying with Batman, Harvey, and Gotham City.

9. "So in a way, I know your friends than you ever did!" The psychologist at it again. And that little 'tongue-flick' he does every now and then, scary.

10. "I just want my phone-call!" Watch out for the innocence in his voice as he makes his request!

11. "Hi!" the look on the Joker's face. watch this scene again.


These are only a few of the many iconic dialogues brought out in the movie, nearly every word of sentences spoken by Sir Michael Caine's Alfred is so beautifully structured, it is as if the words are just the URLs, with an entire site linked behind it! (Yes, that's true!)

The above are just facets of the screenplay, the direction is exemplary. A batman scorner will bring out facets like the fight sequences, which might seem a bit robotic on critical analysis, but that is the whole point, this is the BATMAN! and he CAN beat this guys to pulp, he does not need to know kung-fu to do that.

But what carries the movie through despite its insane length (running time of two and a half hours) is the vision of Christopher Nolan. With the story on a knife's edge the whole movie, he leaves you just one step behind in every plot, you are second guessing yourself at every juncture and marvelling at how the plot unfolds after every rivetting scene.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing can distract from this movie with the amazing cinematography, the darkness in the plot, the continual hope for Gotham City, the uncertainty in Batman's future, the seeming invincibility of the Joker's tricks. There's nothing I can do, with all the movies around, to distract me from being partial to The Dark Knight. It is a masterpiece, and deserves to be called so. The Oscars should have been a forgone conclusion, and in my heart, it already has.

And long past this Oscar season, I will still be watching for the 'nth' time, - The Dark Knight.

Why we should not be enthused with the MacBook Air

Recently, many of the people I have met and have discussed Apple products with have been ecstatic with news of the MacBook Air. And I can't help but always advise them against deciding to purchase it. I will try to illustrate why it is one of the most unsuitable laptops for those of us who are not yet in an environment of Wi-Fi networks and hence making do without the use of CDs/DVDs.

No LAN port: Can you imagine that? In India, and more so in the state of Arunachal, the availability of Wi-Fi is not so great, to understate it gently. And this means, either you have to invest in one of the Wi-Fi routers in case you are content to use your Air at home; but then, isn't the Air supposed to be ultra-portable and meant to be carried around?

No CD/DVD Drive: Are you kidding me? In this part of the world, that would sound the death knell for a laptop. With movie watching the primary usage of the laptop for the student population, the CD is the ubiquitous mode of data-transfer. And while the USB drives have made a good appearance, they are obviously not the cheapest storage option compared to DVDs available for 20 rupees. This would have been ok if Wi-Fi was available everywhere, but then..

Lack of a user-replaceable battery: The battery that comes with the MacBook Air is attached to the unit. In other words, when the battery conks out, then the only option will be to send it to the Apple factory to get it fitted with a new battery! Which is exactly what I am most unwilling to do with all the data on my comp not to speak of the pira**d softwares.

In all, it is not a bad product for where it was manufactured, i.e. countries with adequate Wi-Fi networks and stuff, but, for us, here, well.. not right now please.

Biting the Apple

I have been a tech-geek for as long as I can care to remember, and one of the things you will notice about us is our idolizing of the Mac as the revered god of all things 'computerial'. This week saw the launch of the new MacBook and MacBook Pro. But frankly, the newer models lessened my intention to one day own a Mac. The 'new' Macs to me seem more like one of the zillions of laptops running the standard MS Windows or some derivative of Linux OSs.

The fine line between Apple and others, I believe, stemmed from its refusal to lean to the masses. While the rest of the world went after an array of models concentrating on various configurations to suit every type of computer user, Apple had just 3 models of laptops (MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro – as of before the launch of new models earlier this week), with 2 options in each of them. What this did was to build in an identity that we could relate to, something I call, Mac-like. Their design philosophy was based on the minimalistic, and the serene white panels all over their models. The colour was reserved only for what was displayed on the screen.

Also, the obvious close integration between their hardware and software made the Macs what they were - Macs.

Going to the masses has brought in enormous popularity for Apple, not least because of the universal iPod. However, this has come at the cost of pandering out to the common masses and the quality we always have associated with a Mac has taken a beating. Recent customer complaints which are only growing in number is testament to this fact.

Now it does not even seem worth taking the new MacBook which comes loaded with great graphics and features, which are exactly what is touted by so many others.

But the point of this post is, I did not dare buy the Mac when I was younger, because they command a significant premium over the regular laptops and I would be spending my parent's money on it. And now when I am getting to the point where I can decide on one or two things where I do not have to be hard on my money's worth, Macs are no longer Macs (sigh!)

Second Life

Is that the name of that online app? Sorry, unintended similarity there. What I wanted to refer to is just the fact that my second coming is on the anvil. I can positively feel it rising inside me. That hunger I had during my childhood days to lay my hands on as many books as possible (collecting actually, 'cos i am a crab and that's what crabs do as i have been told).

This has been triggered by the recent reading renaissance observed by my flat-mate and his unabashed love for fantasy novels (the LOTR kind). While I had built up this opinion that reading them was a waste, I cannot help but marvel at how can someone (he is older than me) still have the patience to read through it? It set me thinking a lot.

I still remember having read nearly all the classics by the time I was in the seventh standard. And it always bothers me; Is that the reason for the current lull in my reading life? The fact that I had read all these tomes at such an age and hence undergone the process of leafing through great books without having gone through enough in life to be able to understand and relate to it. Or should it be the other way round that everything in life that I encountered has been tempered by those readings?

These thoughts have been with me for the last few years, but today I hit upon the solution. These are philosophical ramblings, and no amount of pondering would be enough to generate an answer. So the best thing is, read on; but only when you enjoy it, don't think of forcing yourself to fall asleep with a book clutched in your hand with only the second page reached.

I am off to buy one! and thanks for all of you who visit once in a while, 'cos I believe having to write makes you need to read! and for that i say thanks, again. cya all in a while.

this has got to stop!

The funniest thing happened (according to me, i.e.). Last night i dreamt that I was at the office working on a Deal Slip for **** for further management approval. I dreamt that I had mailed a wrong version of the file to a person and also on top of it had already marked the mail to the CEO.

And then I woke up.

I mean, dreaming of office work at night? Am I going crazy? Is this healthy? All sorts of questions are ringing in my mind as to what is happening to me and whether this is right.

Any suggestions anyone?