Gypsynan

If you're going to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you're going to San Francisco
You're gonna meet some gentle people there
In the street
If you go
In the street
If you go
In the street
If you go
In the street
If you go to San Francisco

Happy holidays everyone. Party hard. Don't drink and drive. much love

Hello people! long time and all that. Just been super busy at office - trying to lick a business unit into shape, which made me go all hard headed and practical and not in a blogging frame of mind at all. its been hectic socially as well - all the holiday season parties - must also admit I have been super good and stuck to the South beach diet for 2 weeks now and got down to 4 dress sizes - and have been going to the gym and strength training. I feel really all strong and motivated and good. Last 2 winters I basically nested and ate and watched TV - this time it will be different - I swear.

Winter has hit Montreal as well. Crazy amount of snow in the last 48 hours - apparently the highest since 71 - 41 inches!!! It did not disrupt my life at all - the metro is down the block and being Vieux Montreal the street clearing is super efficient - it was eerie from my 32 nd floor office though as the skyline disappeared in a mist and I felt like I was suspended in mid air - but we still went X mas shopping and partied - its in times like this you realised what OIL really means to North America - its as basic a need as water or oxygen - not just their way of life but very survival depends on it. Winter is a cosy time too- I feel all dreamy in the first snow fall, softly drifting down and it is dry so its not like walking the rain - and as hard core Canadians know, snow time is warmer than the really cold days!!! Those are dry and sunny and kill you in 20 minutes. And the X mas lights are out and its all very white christmas magical.

I love my new home - the floor to ceiling windows let in light and a lovely view - the floors are all hardwood and glowy! I feel like a home bird for now and love coming back. I think I am getting comfortable - this winter is not so bad at all. Its a good feeling I have about our very own first home - all warm and cosy.

Feeling like loving Montteal. Here are some pictures of my old street - and the uber hip plateau area where we stayed - the pictures are of the annual bike athon , when the close all the roads for a day and bikes take over - cyclists are a big noisy political group here. Its nice. I am all happy and angst free and approving - the meds are working :)

Please drop a line when you are here. I miss you.

A New York Times article on the Golden Quadrilateral Project. Obviously government PR played a role in getting it commissioned, which is quite impressive, but the article itself is perhaps an example of the positive feedback about India that you find pretty often now. The NYT with Friedman is rooting for India it seems

Blogging is a great weapon in the hands of those with eccentric causes. I have found mine. Saw Virudh over the weekend. Bachhan was as hot as ever phew, I still like older men :), yay (see post below for reference, you speed reading 5 second visitors)

It was a pretty good movie by Bollywood standards - had a statement to make, was pretty well edited, and not too depressing for the escapist masses, the presence of a cute ghost in white is quite soothing and takes away from the sting of murder and death. Amitabh's late phase is getting more phenomenal by the day - that man takes a pretty good movie to great heights...

And the dialogues were good
BUT
what's with the product placement? So jarring - in the middle of an emotional dialogue - father remembering his dead son, there is an ad for Western Union- and another super heavy scene - old man shoots son's murderer and is arrested and giving deeply moving speech - there is again an praise of Calcium Sandoz, Calcium Sandoz???!!! I mean this is a part of the dialogue.

what @#%***@#$ is this. One does not expect a great deal from Bollywood, but it is an expression of Bharatiya Sanskriti, hai ki nahin? There are limits to how low we can get - and this is mine. I don't have a problem with actual product placements in the background, but for the hero to sing praises of brands in the middle of a dialogue is an insult to the audience! It totally jarred me out of my alcohol, amitabh, duck and bollywood induced stupor - nahin chalegi. No culture in the world should tolerate such a travesty. Total sell out... I mean total.

Please protest...Cholbey na, hic!

Saw the latest Harry Potter - they are all basically lame - except the Cuaron flick - but can I say Rupert Grint kicks ass??!!! Harry and Hermione are alright, no great acting there and sort of predictable - but Ron is growing up MOST interestingly! He has a sleepy, hulking, intense screen presence, a personality dammit, and I see him as the only significant actor to emerge out of the lot. Someone put him in a angsty teen age cult movie, quick - like the Columbine massacre or something!

Yes, I AM A FREAK.