30 Day Book Challenge: Day 3

Your Favourite Series

The Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling: There was no competition here. I started reading Harry Potter when I was in seventh or eighth grade. And I love the books even today. You know you go through phases of the series books? Like, the Malory Towers series phase, the Famous Five series phase, the Nancy Drew series phase, the Feluda series phase, the Sweet Valley High series phase, the Twighlight series phase, the Mills and Boon series phase etc? Well, there is no phase as such for this series. I can read them over and over again anytime I pick anyone of them. They are just perfect - for children, for adolescents, for adults, for men, for women, for boring aunties and Pompous-Ass uncles, for interesting creative writers, everyone.

Rowling  creates a whole alternate system of life! Ministry, Judiciary, Laws, Banks, Transport, Flora and Fauna, History, Geography, even things as minute as playing/ collecting cards and flavours of sweets. I think it's just sheer genius! The way how every event can later be traced into something meaningful (maybe not so much in the 7th Book but in the others) and even things in the third book can later be chained onto something perfectly sensible in the 6th or the 7th book is great. It must have required so many efforts and such hardwork and yet she manages to make it look like it's easy, this story-telling business - it just goes to show the talent of any writer.So, yes. Favourite Series: The Harry Potter Series. :D

That's a picture of the box set of Collector's Edition of the Harry Potter series which I intend to buy when I can. As you can see, I'm clearly a big fan. :D :P I seriously love this series and I think people who haven't read it are missing out on something awesome (Go read it!) and people who don't like it, you can't recognize amazingness when you see it! (Read it again. :P)

Noooze!! :D

::jumps up and down screaming:: NOOOZE, I HAVE NOOOOZE!!! :D

Ok, toning that down a bit, Fellas, I have NEWS. Notice the capital NEWS?? Shall I tell, tell? Ok, here goes, ::takes a deep breath:: I. Am. Going. To. Meet. AAMIR KHAN!!! Gotcha! :D Tis true, tis true! He is going to be in a city near my city to promote Peepli and the National Media Museum there is selling tickets to go and see Aamir Khan talk to a Bollywood professor and researcher from Manchester (He is a really big name in the Academics too, if anybody has heard of Rajinder Dudrah.) There will be time for question and answer later too! And, I and *some of* (ahem, you know, I'm talking to you) my other friends from our Bollywood class have booked tickets too. So, come 22nd September and wheeeeeeeeeee!!!! I'm going to see Aamir Khan with my own almost naked (coz I'll have my glasses on) eyes! :D For 20 years, when I lived in Mumbai, I didn't see a SINGLE actor/ actress. I've sighted minor celebrities like Band of Boys or Neena Gupta (does anyone even remember them?) at college festivals. But never a real celebrity sighting. And I don't even consider myself as someone who'd swoon over a celebrity sighting. I mean, they too will bleed when pricked, right? But, I think if I ever see Hritik Roshan, (maybe Shahid Kapoor, I'm not so sure), Madhuri Dixit or Amitabh Bacchan, I'll probably have the same reaction I've been having about Aamir Khan. Maybe a bit more for Hritik Roshan and a bit less for everyone else.


Dude, Aamir Khan!! I'd NEVER expected this to happen! I do truly, genuinely think he's an excellent artist. Every film of his, from Andaz Apna Apna to 3 Idiots has something awesome going on for it. Ok, maybe not so much the 90's films like Ishq, Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak etc. But that's because the films in the 80's and the 90's were like that. Besides, he was so new. And even these films, I know, are enjoyed by a LOT of people. I do happen to know some Ishq and QSQT fans. I'm sorry to say, I'm not one of those. But anyway, his later films from Ghulam and Sarfarosh to 3 Idiots - all of them rocked (with the possible exception of Mangal Pandey! :P) Rang De Basanti and Taare Zameer Par make me cry every single time I watch them. And I even wrote a whole paper on Lagaan for my Bollywood essay assignment, I love his work so much! And of course, he has flawless marketing schemes. That man reeeallllllly knows how to market his stuff. So much talent! I'm really lucky to have this chance of actually seeing this man in flesh and blood and hear him talk about intelligent Bollywood stuff. Yaaay! :D This is all because I came to this university and met all these awesome Academics and generally, did a lot of networking. I do absolutely love this uni. :D

Ok, in other big news, I have booked my tickets to go home!!!! :D I'll be in Mumbai in exactly 2 months time! :D I can't wait for 20th October to come and take me home, baby!! :D (June, does that make you happy? :P)

*Pictures courtsey Google.

Dear Christopher Nolan, will you marry me?

Finally!!! I FINALLY saw Inception last night with one of my house-mates. It was playing at a picture house near our house and he invited me to go along with him. It was a lucky coincidence that he knew. I never really check the schedule.

(Caution: I'm going to turn into a very fan-girly, squealy type person for the next few lines, like, rest of the post. :P Oh, and there may be some spoilers, in case you still haven't watched the film and want to keep the mystery going for you. You have been warned on both accounts.)

Inception is such a mind-blowing film!!! What a concept! Science in general but Physics in particular has been one subject totally and completely out of the realms of my understanding. It has always, always, always eluded me. And THEN, when you see someone not just having these fabulous ideas but also laying it out in terms that people like you can understand and appreciate, you are just left gasping for air. Just like you are when you see Leonardo DiCaprio in the serious, guilt-ridden husband and father act. *Sigh* Not to mention all the other good-looking guys having their serious scientist thing going on for them.

But, for once, for once, I was not really drooling over the good looking men. And I generally am not a big fan of action or sci-fi. But STILL, I was drooling over the concept and the execution of the concept of this film. Oh, at this point, I should probably tell you that I have this thing for Postmodernism. I really think whoever came up with the whole thing about multiple truths and questioned how real is our reality and how can one person's truth be everyone's truth was bloody brilliant. So, this film was like the Citizen Kane of the 21st century for me, you know? (Really. I'm even writing my dissertation about Postmodernism and Postcolonialism and all these -ism's. It's fun. Honestly.) Speaking of which, since I not only went to see the film but also went for shopping today and then am writing about it all now, my poor Dissertation [notice the capital "D" :(] has suffered a lot of negligence. Especially since I and my friends decided we'll all finish at least 50% of it by this Friday, I'm really beginning to regret these two little diversions. But heh. Inception is fucking awesome! And it's idea is even more awesome! Wonder who planted that in Nolan's mind! :P Hee. For all those who haven't seen the film, it's an inside joke. :P (Well, not really, if you have read the reviews! :P But what the heck! :P)

But, even when I say all of these fantastic things about the film, I have to confess, I was left most dissatisfied with the end. Blame it on Bollywood for having spoilt me. But, I did want a rosy, all is well kind of end. I hated the fact that he leaves one dream only to live in another one. Or...does he? I know it's again the same concept - of questioning what was real. Did Cobb really come out of the dream? Was he suspended in the limbo but created an alternate reality for himself? Was the top just about to settle down indicating that he did finally get his redemption? Or, was the whole fucking thing just a dream? Who knows? In fact, if we'd known, it'd probably have taken away from the impact and we'll would've been like, "Oh, how cliched!" So like I said before, it's bloody brilliant as it is. But I would've slept better if I had known. I wouldn't have kept tossing and turning to establish what would be the best possibility.

All said and done, I think it was too good a film to be criticized for what seem to be my notions of satisfaction. If you guys have still not watched it, just go and I promise you'll be sitting on the edge of your seats for 2 hours and biting your nails, it's that good! :D

*Pictures courtsey Google.