Posted by: agsharma on: July 24, 2010
The quest to find my blogging bone continues. In the meantime here are some misc links :
Posted by: agsharma on: July 19, 2010
This is probably the only way I can keep the blog updated so please indulge me while I post some random links :
More posts to follow soon.
Posted by: agsharma on: July 9, 2010
Not sure how to define patriotism. Sure I could look it up in the dictionary/wikipedia but I looking for a definition more attuned to my senses.
Growing up in India we were fed a steady diet of patriotism which I would, at this point in my life, term xenophobia. I am of course referring to the toxic mix of the equation that every Indian knows by heart : Pakistan = Evil.
No matter what the circumstances, no matter what the issue, it was the patriotic duty of every Indian to passionately hate every Pakistani. Be it a debate on war, politics, cricket or mangoes, every kid and every adult knew that India is better than Pakistan. And I followed this version of patriotism fervently. Even now at the mature age of 39, I have an inner monologue going on with the Pakistani hating version of myself. Thankfully that idiotic part of myself has calmed down a bit especially after tasting some heavenly mangoes from Pakistan.
By late 80s, this passion to hate Pakistan had died down a bit amongst the citizens of India. Not sure why, but the politicians saw that their rabble rousing against Pakistan was not really getting them the power they wanted and so patriotism somehow morphed into an ugly sub-version called Nationalism especially Hindu Nationalism. This religious version of patriotism was simmering for sometime and had a great following in Maharashtra. The leaders of this movement were able to export it to the national stage (through poor management by the Congress party, I might add) during the Barbari Masjid episode. And suddenly, to be a true patriot, you had to align yourself to defination put forth by Hindu nationalist leaders which was always one sided and quite violent. I was stupid but not a moron. I firmly resisted this version of patriotism that was sweeping amongst my friends and family. And this left me a little disillusioned. I wanted to be identified an Indian but not as one that required me to align myself to a “certain” kind of Indian. And so life went on blissfully where I just kept silent whenever the subject of patriotism came up because I found out that my voice would easily be drowned out by patriotic zealots.
And now I am in Canada which I have adopted as my country. Here things are radically different than they are in my country of birth. Democracy is practised with a transparency that does not exist in India. There are numerous flaws in this version of democracy as well but atleast there are great ideas floating out there and there is rational discussions on those proposed changes. There is however an under current of intense loyalty towards the flag that is becoming more vocal with each passing year. This group insists that to be a loyal Canadian, you have to SHOW OFF your love for the country (a decidedly US version of patriotism). And the only way to do that is to wave the flag, take part in the activities during Canada day that every Canada loving individual is doing i.e. drinking beer and attend fireworks displays and making sure that you have a Canadian flag pin on your shirt. This kind of patriotism eludes me. I mean I love Canada but to put it on my sleeve so that everyone knows I love this land is beyond me.
Another problem, I have an affinity for Canada as much as I have for India. India was my past and Canada my future. Why in the world do some true blood Canadians insist on me forgetting about India because it’s a country ”I have forsaken”. I don’t understand why some people refuse to understand that a person can love two or more countries at the same time. Utter nonsense.
Here’s my version of what it means to be a loyal Canadian.
> As a Canadian I am committed to the Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedom.
> As a Canadian I am committed to ensuring that I contribute to the Canadian economy.
> As a Canadian I am committed to helping fellow human beings (Canadians and non-Canadians).
> As a Canadian I am committed to opposing, peacefully, elected politicians and officials in power.
> As a Canadian I am committed to paying homage to fellow Canadians who have died making this a country worth dying for.
> As a Canadian I am committed to opposing the forces that want to disrupt our way of life.
> As a Canadian I am committed to caring for my brethren in Canada AND the world.
If this in anyway steps on other Canadians’ version of patriotism, then, thank god I live in a country where I can tell them, very politely, to fuck off.
Posted by: agsharma on: June 18, 2010
This is the note that my daughter had left for me on my iPod.
“To papa I just what to say happy father’s day to you I love you so much that happy father’s day from’rhea
psYou are cutie.”
I have read this 20 times already and it still makes me feel all gooey and a little tearful.
Posted by: agsharma on: June 15, 2010
I am an avid book reader. There has never been a point in my life that there has not been a book around me. I mean, even when I doing number 2, there has to be a book near me. So, with the advent of e-book readers and audio books, one would say, I have reached my book heaven.
Er, actually, no. I am more confused than ever! What format should I adopt, completely? Should I stick with the paper version, should I buy a hardware (Kindle, Kobe etc.) or should I follow audio books more avidly?
Therefore, to answer my questions, I have chosen 5 criteria to gauge the desirability of one format over the other.
1. Read-ability
What I mean by this criteria is the ease with which I can read (or hear) a format. In that regard paper wins hands down. I mean there is no way the e-book readers can compare with the fonts and the paper background that a paper book. I have looked at both and I can conclusively say that ebook readers suck as far this criteria is concerned.
And what about audio books? Well, this where the audio book scores very high except in one scenario (I will come to it soon).
The biggest feature of an audio book is it’s ability to fill in free time. By that I mean when you go out running and you are not in the mood for music. Spend time listening to a book (other formats fail here). When you are waiting in doctor’s waiting room, listen to a book (in case you forgot to bring other formats). And so and so forth.
Audio books have an ease of reading that is unparalleled but they feel miserable miserably in one aspect. Night time reading. One of my most pleasurable moments of the entire day is night time reading. The evenings I am not able to read at night, I just feel the day has not ended on a high note. In that regard, audio books fail completely. I have tried and I cannot get used to the idea of listening to a book before going to sleep at night (which is strange because I use the drone of an audio book to put me to sleep on the GO train).
So, I will stick to a paper book as the choice under this criteria.
Paper Book = 3; E book = 1 ; Audio Book = 2
2. Browse-ability
One of my projects in my life is collecting books. And I don’t mean first editions or rare editions. Since I read 2 – 3 books at a time, one of the books I read is usually a repeat. I love to sit and browse through my collection trying to figure out which book to read.
Therefore, in that regard, a paper book wins again. I sometimes sit in front of my bookshelf for 20 to 30 minutes just browsing books – opening a book I have read before and just reading a page randomly trying to decide if this is the book I should read. That’s just not possible with ebook (ok maybe just a little bit) and definitely not with audio books.
Paper Book = 2; E book = 1 ; Audio Book = 0
3. Durability
Of course if I have a bookshelf and I like to browse, the books have to have durability. I don’t want to open a book after a few years and find out that the book is now junk because of a little moisture. Sadly, paper books fail in that sense.
Paper Book = 0; E book = 2 ; Audio Book = 2
That is not to say that if you take care of your books, they will still be destroyed. But the chances that I may drop a book in a puddle of water or leave the book on a plane are high. However, if I do the same with ebook reader or an MP3 player, I still have the book. Just not the hardware which I can easily buy again.
4. Environment friendly
Sadly paper books fail miserably, again. There is no easier way to say this……. Books kill trees and have a detrimental affect on the environment. That’s not to say that other formats have no impact at all. I mean, the ebook reader and an MP3 player have a huge carbon footprint when compared to a book. The thing is that you buy a hardware once and use it for many years practically negating the initial affect.
As an environment conscience guy, this is one of main reasons why I want to stop buying books and convert to the other two formats.
Paper Book = 0; E book = 2 ; Audio Book = 2
5. Second hand-ability
One of the main ways I purchase books are at the hand me downs shops tucked away in the various corners of a city. It gives me so much satisfaction to
roam around a bookstore and find a used book a second home in my life at a heavily discounted price. And this feature does not exist in the other formats. You pay for a book whatever the list price is at the back cover.
Unless there is a deal going on, the price never changes.
Unfortunately, this is kind of a deal breaker for me. My library consists mostly of used and discarded books and, on a rare occasion, a new book. I
look at my books as friends I have known for a long time. My copy of Starship Troopers (bought at $3/-) has been read and re-read numerous times. I can start the book at any page and immerse myself in it
completely. The same goes for Moby Dick. Or Brave New World.
This criteria alone tops every other criteria listed and is the sole reason why I continue to purchase paper books rather than other formats. Unless a dazzling new way of reading comes up, I am afraid I will be sticking to paper books and a few free books on other platforms.
Paper Book = 3; E book = 0 ; Audio Book = 0
Total Score :
Paper Book = 8;
E Book = 4
Audio Book = 6;
Posted by: agsharma on: June 11, 2010
Man, I really need to loosen my blogging muscles! Ok, here goes.
Been a few changes in my life in the past 1 month or so. First and foremost, my wife has completed her education in New York and is back permanently in Canada. Now begins the arduous task of finding a job. It is not easy, I have to confess. There are jobs for dentists in GTA but in the last few years, Dentists have become a dime and dozen in this area. I havebeen trying to push her into trying for jobs more west of Toronto so hopefully she will get a good job in a month or so and I breath a sigh of relief :)
This is the year!!! This is the year I finally go for a visit to India!!! Man, whenever I think about visiting India I get the chills. I am planning for a trip to India sometime in end of November for 3 weeks with my daughter. One of my cousin is getting married in December so it would be fun to attend the wedding and Rhea would get a chance to meet the whole family as it gathers under one tent. I have started the application to apply for dual citizenship so the process has begun. Woohoo!
Made a change in my job. I am now working at the IT department for a international bank in downtown Toronto. The work is pretty good so far. I can chalk up a new technology on my resume. Colleagues are nice andfriendly and diverse! White guys, brown guys, black guys, yellow guys……but severe lack of women :(
Running is going on well. Not as good as I had expected. I had thought thatonce my wife is back I would be able to focus on myself but things have not got back on track on the home front. We are still trying to figure out howto live together after 3 years apart. It’s a challenge and my theory is that it will remain a challenge until my wife gets a job.
Football World Cup 2010!!! I wait for this event every 4 years and followit fervently. I have no clue about the teams, the players the odds etc. I just want to watch the game. And it never fails to excite.
Will turn to regular blogging soon.
Posted by: agsharma on: May 18, 2010
Quick round up what I am listening to these days :
1) Broken Social Scene (Forgiveness Rock Record)
Finally!! Finally!! They have released an album. Woohoo!! I heard this album a little while ago when it was being streamed at spin.ca, so I had an idea of how good the album sounded. But listening to it multiple times has made me realise that this album is probably the 2nd best in their arsenal (the best being You Forget It In People). And yes, I have included the “solo” efforts by Brendan Canning (excellent album) and Kevin Drew (amazing album!!).
The album has everything that can be expected from them….foot thumping music, spacey guitar work, dreamy vocals, completely mismatched songs, cacophony up the yin yang and power chords where required. The continued presence of more commercially successful artist (Emily Haines, Leslie Feist and Amy Millian) in the album makes it sound better and delivers on every note. All songs work but then again, I have been a big fan of BSS so I am biased. Highly recommended.
2) The Pack A.D. (We Kill Computers)
I had been listening to CBC radio 3 top 30 on my iPod and I was barely paying attention to it. Radio 3 does that sometime. Even though the focus is on indie music scene, sometimes, it is boring and dull. And that’s what was happening on a lazy afternoon when all of sudden BOOOOM. Pack A.D.’s song from their new album came on. I forget which one it was but all I could think of listening to that song was, man, I have to get this album.
After downloading their previous effort Funeral Mixtapes, my respect and love for this band was reinforced and after giving their latest album a few listens, I have become a big fan of this band. Definitely in my top 5 Canadian bands in the last two years or so.
The album is packed with power riffs, big drumming and LOUD vocals. Never a dull moment in the album even when it slows down for a couple of songs. They have been compared unfairly to The White Stripes and The Black Keys. As far as the format is concerned, yes, it’s a duo with only a guitar and drums like the other two bands. But that’s where the similarity ends. They are not as bluesy as The Black Keys and they are not as eclectic as The White Stripes (not yet). And even though I love Meg White’s drumming, the drummer of Pack A.D. is far more superior to Meg White’s drumming. All I know is that they CAN play a mean tune and I am sure their worst critics tap their feet along with their music.
To be continued………
Posted by: agsharma on: April 27, 2010
My daughter called me yesterday and I was surprised to hear her voice at 2pm. She should have been in school! Turns out that she was pushed by a student (who is mentally challenged) and she got a bruise on her head.
As Rhea was narrating me the story, I felt a pit in my stomach and my first inclination was to abandon my work and reach her as soon as possible. But my next thought was “no”. She is a strong independent girl and she will handle it herself. And by all accounts (the way she was talking to me and at the same time telling me of the new J. Bieber song she was listening to) she seemed fine. Then what in the world was she doing at my in-laws house in the middle of the day?
Turns out that the school had called my in-laws (who live very near my daughter’s school) and they immediately went and picked her up. For a few moments I was REALLY angry with my mother-in-law. But then I realised they are just being grandparents. So I let it go.
Reason number 234 why I want to be working nearer to home and not 1 hour away.
Posted by: agsharma on: April 26, 2010
So there is the Toronto Marathon, The Scotiabank Marathon, The Cannon Mississauga Marathon and few shorter runs (Acura 10 miler and 10K Sporting Life being my favourite) in around town and GTA.
And everyone is angry about them. Actually I should say all the non-runners are angry. Therefore, there are numerous plans afoot to amalgamate, split, merge and dissect all these marathons because the non-runners are terribly inconvenienced by all these marathons.
As an amateur runner, I find this argument to merge and dissect all these runs….well…quite incomprehensible. I mean, each run starts at 7:30am to about 1:30pm on a Sunday. And these are the marathons I am talking about. The short runs are over by 10am or so. Hence my incomprehension at the anger over the runs. How bad are the businesses affected by closing down the roads in town on Sunday morning? How much of an inconvenience is to the general public on a Sunday morning? And, BTW, the roads are closed and opened in stages. So, at the start once all the runners have left, the roads are opened to the public. And this staggered approach is followed at each stage. So when I say the roads are closed, it is not really for the entire duration of the marathon.
Moreover, thousands of runners come from across Canada and the world to participate and spend money in Toronto (and yes because of the way the marathons are spread out, most come for both Toronto and Scotiabank Marathon) and the non-runners and bureaucrats want to close down some runs because of the inconvenience factor. Like I said, incomprehensible.
UPDATE : And let’s not forget the numerous parades in and around town and the obligatory strikes each year that shut down the city for days. And the non-runners and bureaucrats are crying about the city being shut for a few hours. Nonsense.
Posted by: agsharma on: April 21, 2010
Based on a podcast I started following recently, What Canada Reads, I bought this book with much trepidation from World’s Biggest Book Store (BTW, is it really the biggest book store?). Why the trepidation, I will go into it soon.
Brief synopsis of the book : the story follows three people (Noah (a descendant of native Canadian), Joyce (a descendent of Canadian pirates) and the book’s narrator). Each of these characters have had an odd upbringing and are connected to each other by a book that has been sown together from three books. In the end each character continues on a new adventure away from the drudgery of their current lives.
I love books that have parallel stories going on and have a thread of commonality between the stories especially when the authour holds off on the link right till the end. On that note, this book really delivers!
The pace of the book is remarkable. The book reads like a wave – sometimes it’s smooth sailing, sometimes turbulent and sometimes scary. By the time the authour had introduced us to the characters’ quirks and obsessions, he tells us how they are living their lives (one is idling away in a bookstore, one is selling fish by day and pirating (credit cards, etc.) by night and the last one is in some island digging up garbage for analysis). But you can feel the restlessness of each of these characters. They have a yearning to move on but they are completely lost and would have stayed that way but thanks to circumstances beyond their control (or because of it) they find a new lease on their lives.
The prose of the book is sublime and easy to read. I mean, I don’t really read a book very fast but I was able to read and absorb this book in 5 days. By absorb I mean, I would go back a few pages every now and then to try and get to the meaning (another reason why I don’t read books quickly).
On the whole a very satisfying book which will keep bouncing in your head for a few days.
BTW, my trepidation on buying this book from World’s Biggest Book Store stems from the fact that the book industry is represented by Indigo here in Canada. That’s it. There are no other big names and it really irritates me that they dictate the industry. The only challenge is from Amazon and that leaves me unsatisfied because I LOVE book stores so I go to only the small book stores for my purchases (New books). Therefore, when purchasing this item from Indigo I felt like I was committing a crime but the book was at a discount ($10!!) and it was signed by the authour. A deal that could not be overlooked.
Posted by: agsharma on: April 9, 2010
Well, that’s it. I am pulling out of the Mississauga Marathon and enrolling myself to the ½ marathon.
The reasons are fairly straightforward. My training was a pathetic. Sham is a better word. I just could not find the time to prepare myself for the marathon in the last 4 weeks. The training was going really well until end of Feb (when I was out of a job) but in March, my training went downhill. Between my job, my house and my daughter I just could not keep up with it. I have not been able to break the 25 K mark and my motivation levels have dipped. Before I really start to lose myself, I am going to do the right thing and aim for setting a personal best in the ½ marathon and focus for a full marathon in Oct 2010 (Scotiabank Marathon). My wife will be back in town permanently in May so I will be able to pay more attention to my training after she comes back.
I have discovered in the last 4 weeks that running a full marathon is not as easy as I thought it would be. It is infinitely more demanding and requires 100% devotion and dedication which if lacking means injury (which I had) or demotivating you to run (which I had as well). My training was hotch potch i.e. I would just go when I thought I had some free time which meant an erratic schedule. Moreover, there were numerous times when I would start my training and then get a call from Rhea (my daughter) imploring me to come back home as soon as possible. How can you say no to a 6 year old?
Anyway, I hope to put better input in my upcoming ½ marathon. I feel I am well prepared for it. Wish me luck!!
Posted by: agsharma on: April 7, 2010
As an addendum to my previous post, I wanted to note the music that my daughter is listening to these days. The artists she follows are
- Jonas Brothers
- Taylor Swift
- Lady Gaga (minus the videos)
- Miley Cyrus
It’s lovely to see her musical horizons broaden from school poems to pop music. I can only hope that trend continues and she does not get stuck in this one dimensional music. Having said that, I can understand it’s appeal. Simple chords and easy to understand lyrics. After having heard Taylor Swift’s Tear Drops On My Guitar 10,000 times, I quite like that song now.
And thank god for YouTube! There is no way I am going to spend money on this music so Rhea goes to youtube and listens to the songs from that site. I have the parental controls set on (although the one by Windows is not very good) cause I do not want her to see videos she is not supposed to see. I mean there is no way in the world I will let her watch Lady Gaga’s videos. You cannot convince me that they are ok for a 6 year old.
One song she constantly listens to these days is Stupid In Love. I think it’s by Rhianna. She loves it because I once proclaimed that saying bad words in songs is ok and now when she sings that song “I am stuuuuupid in love” she always gives me that impish grin as if daring me to contradict myself. So far I have been shaking my head but if this song is heading to the top of the charts in her mind, then I might have to clamp down pretty soon.
I do like the fact that we discussed the song at length after listening to the lyrics. I explained that it seems that her boyfriend/husband was mean to her and thinks she is stupid and she is being ironic when she sings those lyrics. That really upset Rhea. “Why would a boyfriend say such mean things?” Oh my dear baby, you are growing up too fast to learn about adult issues.
Posted by: agsharma on: April 6, 2010
Just a quick round up of what I am listening to these days.
1) Bat For Lashes (Two Suns)
Apparently the band is one woman show like Nine Inch Nails. My first reaction was, Tori Amos! But upon further listening there are big differences. I mean, she is definitely influenced by Kate Bush and Tori Amos but her music is more expansive and paints a larger & more complex picture even though her lyrics are not comprehensible to the casual listener like me. Anyway, a must if you are in a melancholy mood.
Update : Just found out a “crucial” song is missing from the album I downloaded from emusic.com. Hmmm, I wonder why emusic.com did that?
2) The Besnard Lakes (The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night)
The soundscapes from a myriad of instruments, the vocals, the lyrics all paint an astounding picture in my mind. I am very impressed with the band. And as per Spin, this is not even their best effort! Wow! The songs take a little while to get going but, boy, is the wait worth it. It would be interesting to see the band do a show. I mean the swelling music and the power cords should play well with the crowd. I have to say that listening to Besnard Lakes reminded me of SlowDive and alternatively My Bloody Valentine quite a bit. Shoegazing in the 10s? I thought that trend was long over?
3) Rilo Kiley (The Execution Of All Things)
OK, I know I am late to the party of Rilo Kiley but better late than never! Excellent album from start finish. I like it when bands mix different genres and make something pleasing and yet disturbing at the same time. The lyrics of most of the songs are pretty dark but they are encased in pop notes with hooks that keep your feet tapping that is until you realise what Lewis is singing! Definitely a better listen than their earlier album Takeoffs and Landing. Now looking forward to listen to their next two albums.
4) Frightened Rabbit (The Winter Of Mixed Drinks)
Eternally grateful to Will (www.willsband.net) for introducing this band to me last year. Loved their second album (Midnight Organ Fight) and this new album is again powerful stuff from the Scots. Will, Barrett and Chris have done a great job describing the album (willsband.net/index.php?post_id=596910) and I will only add that the overall tone of the album is upbeat and pulsating in stark contrast to their earlier effort. Love it!
5) Fanfarlo (Reservoir)
Got a recommendation from Allison regarding this band and, man, it has really grown on me in the last few days. Melodious yet powerful; soothing yet enough cacophony to keep things interesting. The music paints a beautiful picture in the mind and that keeps me coming back to the album for more. Although the vocals remind me too much of Beirut but I am willing to overlook that aspect for the music. It would be interesting to see what they come up with next!
6) The White Stripes
I know, I know they have not released anything for a while but I just saw the movie “Great White Northern Lights” and the sleeping White Stripes giant me has woken up again!! I missed their show when they were here during their tour and now am cursing myself for missing it. Amazing, amazing live performances. Jack going crazy on guitar around the stage and Meg thumping away at the drums producing foot stomping music. Or they would be just sitting and creating a beautiful sound from just two instruments at a time. Next they come around, I will definitely catch them live.
Here are some of my favourite tracks from each albums (minus White Stripes). It`s totally legit so don`t hesitate. Hope you like them :)
http://8tracks.com/agsharma/april-madness
Posted by: agsharma on: March 26, 2010
Well after trying three times over the last 4 years I have finally finished the book War And Peace. Man, I feel like I have just finished a marathon!
So where do I begin? First the obvious – the book is every bit as good as everyone says it is. The book has everything in it : politics, romance, sex, spiritual enlightenment, war, death, jealousy and a gamut of human emotions that would result in a long, long a list. The book delves deep into all these human emotions with a clarity that is astounding and the reader cannot help but “feel” what a character feels.
The book was like a first hand account of the life and times of Russia in 1812. The society norms, the way people lived, their thoughts, their actions, their ideas were all a in the book. Not only a peasant but actual historical figures were a big part of the book and Tolstoy did a marvelous job describing them.
When I read a book, I try to “visualise” the feelings and the scene and more often than not, I have to fill in the gaps because the authour could not put in words the scene. But I did not have to do that with this book at all.
I had no trouble putting myself in Pierre’s shoes when he finds that he has no alternative left but to assassinate Napoleon. I had no trouble putting myself in Natasha’s shoes when she overcomes her grief of losing the love of her life to take care of her mother who has just learned her favourite son is dead. I had no trouble in understanding why Kutuzov wants to reign in his army from trying to capture Napoleon as he fled from Russia.
My favourite character in the book was Pierre Bezukhov. The illegitimate son who becomes one of the richest men in Russia when he inherits his father’s estate. His story fascinates me : how to live a morally good life. I thought that this was the central theme of the book and Tolstoy has described in wonderful detail the trials and tribulations that Pierre goes through until finally he discovers new peace and a sense of existence as a prisoner of war.
Tolstoy has done mankind a favour by writing this book.
Posted by: agsharma on: March 22, 2010
There comes an album every now that captivates my senses. Sometimes it the dark and brooding sounds of The Pink Mountain tops. Sometimes it’s the melodious yet striking lyrics of Bill Callahan. Sometimes it’s the cacophony sounds of Broken Social Scene. But never in the past few years, when my music listening tastes changed from classic rock to alternative/indie, have I been so enthralled with a Rock group. And Cage The Elephant has done just that.
This album (thanks emusic.com!!) is an excellent album. Songs range from blues to rock and inspire foot tapping throughout the gamut of their music. I also like the lyrics of most of the songs and they don’t hold back on profanity which is a sign that they really don’t care about toeing the “morality”. I like that in a band.
Simple chords, killer hooks and catchy chorus define the album. LOVE the opener “In One Ear” whose message is basically a big F U to everyone who thinks a band is a just a clone (which sadly is true). The album continues the build up with the help of a strong rocking number 2 (James Brown). The third and sixth songs have been played to death by radio; “Ain’t no rest for the wicked” clearly the favourite amongst the DJs (it really is good but gets “old” very quickly) and “Back against the wall” which is an excellent representation of the album; rocking and melodious vocals. The weakest songs were “Tiny Little Robots”, “Lotus” and “Drones In The Valley”. These songs just sound as rushed and did not really grab me lyrically or musically. The hidden gem was “Judas”. What a fantastic bluesy rock and roll number!! Loved the buildup, loved the chorus and the energy with which the song was recorded was awesome!! “Back stabbin’ Betty” is laced with profanity so be careful about playing it in public but this is exactly why I like the song! The last two numbers are great way to close the album. “Soil to the sun” and “Free love”. Not very catchy but great listen anyway.
I do want to emphasise that there is no new sound break through in this album and there is a danger that CTE will be defined by this album until they do break new sound barriers. When I said that this group sounded like a clone because there are numerous groups out there with similar sound. What differs these guys is their free abandon when playing and their hooks. It would be interesting to see what they come up with next.
Posted by: agsharma on: March 10, 2010
Watching Rhea grow up is amazing. Here are some of things she has done that make me immensely proud of her.
Her favourite book these days is Rise And Shine Bunny. In the book a bunny rabbit wants to sleep late on a holiday and his mother allows him and goes to another room with the other kids.
At the end of the book the bunny rabbit realizes his mistake and apologises to his mom and his brothers at the dinning table. At this point Rhea stopped from reading and asked “papa, where is the father?”
“what do you mean?”
She said “how can mommy bunny take care of 4 children? Why is the father bunny not there to help? He must be a meany father”. And she continued the conversation in this line asking that on each picture in the book there was no father and the mommy was soing work lile making food and doing the laundary.
I was amazed at the perception by a 6 year old about the work involved in raising kids and the fact one of parents was missing.
Posted by: agsharma on: February 26, 2010
Radio Potatoe came up with a great post.
What is YOUR definitive artist for each decade?
My selection was :
Here’s my list :
60’s : beatles
70’s Led Zepp & P. Floyd
80’s : Bon Jovi & Prince
90’s : Nirvana
00’s : Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails.
I have to add to the 00′s the band White Stripes. I have no idea why I left them out of the equation. But the authour of the post also asked who would shine in 2010′s and that has been at the back of mind for a few days now. What will be the definitive band of the 2010′s?
The problem stems from the fact that popular bands in today’s music scene are not necessarily ”good” bands. Honestly, I have never been so out of touch the US or UK top 10 because the music on these charts is just bad. I am sorry there is no other word for it. The music being pumped out by the millions is hard to digest and with the focus on singles rather than albums, it is more or less guaranteed that the rest of the songs in the album are going to suck.
It is fair to say that since the music industry is pushing bands that have a shelf life of 10 weeks, there is going to be no big and a famous band in the 2010′s. The established ones will continue to shine but I think the era of big bands coming out of nowhere and storming the hearts of the audiences and critics alike is over. We the avid music listeners will have to contend with the theory of The Long Tail by Chris Anderson.
The Long Tail or long tail is a retailing concept describing the niche strategy of selling a large number of unique items in relatively small quantities – usually in addition to selling fewer popular items in large quantities.
My theory is based on The Long Tail where by the popular bands will continue to sell big for a few months or years and then disappear but there will always be bands which would be supported by a smaller but an avid following.
Bands like Sonic Youth has a small but a passionate following that ensures that this 25 year old band continues to perform and make records, bands like Tokyo Police Club have sold out shows regularly in Toronto even though they do not feature prominently on popular music scene outside alternative music. Bands like Blue Rodeo which is unknown outside Canada but are treated as gods in their home land and thousands of other bands.
The idea that music industry controls what we listen to is over. It’s us the audience that decides which band to listen to and support. Since we the audience have discerning tastes, we will never ever settle for one band as THE BAND of the decade. That is downright impossible.
Update : And as far as I know these small time bands do pretty good for themselves through shows and merchandising and are passionate about their music and their fans. As long as they keep making excellent music, we will continue supporting them. And some of them will end up on our Band Of The Decade Lists!
Posted by: agsharma on: February 25, 2010
Who knows when my next job would start so better to pack my time with a refresher course on .Net and SQL Servers and catch up on all the movies I can. So without further preamble from me here is what I have watched.
(Warning I have tried to keep away from revealing too much in the movies but it’s a slippery slope and I may have slipped once or twice)
1) Creation
My fascination with the science of evolution continues unabated. The idea that life and beauty we see around is a product of a simple yet a powerful mechanism is astounding! I have tried to follow the intricacies of evoutionary science but, man, it’s really tough. So I concentrate on the human side of evolutionary sciences. And the life of Charles Darwin is always so very fascinating.
As part of the 150 year anniversary of Darwin`s birthday, the movie Creation (starring Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelley) was released .
The movie works on three different levels. The relationship between Darwin and his pious and religious wife who is convinced Charles will go to hell. The relationship between Darwin and his dead beloved daughter. And Charles’s relationship with his literary supporters who are pushing him to finish his book. To me the movie was a wonderful interaction between these three story threads and Bettany does amazing job portraing the struggles of Charles Darwin as he tries to balance these three issues in his life. The most moving, of course, was his relationship with his dead daughter and the scene where he finally forces himself to confront the room where his daughter died while he was narrating her favourite story was heartbreaking.
The movie did have some flaws. I mean, why would an ”anti-religion” movie have a walking talking ghost/hallucination in it? That was a little over the top and I did not like that part. Other than that, there were a few scenes that were obviously fake (i.e. they never happened in Darwin’s life) and that put me off a bit too.
But overall, I loved the movie and I would give it 8 out of 10 stars!!
2) In The Loop
Aah, the Iraq war of 2003. What a wonderful time it was when everyone was backstabbing everyone else, when everyone was bullying everyone else, when decorated soldiers where licking the boots of kid politicians. And this movie portrays this period perfectly and with such sharp wit that I had to pause it a few times just to catch my breath.
The movie is about the how the burreaucrats and minor politicans play a crucial part in passing the UN resolution condemning Iraq and basically giving the US President and the UK Prime Minister the go ahead to attack Iraq. The back ground shenenigans illuminated in the movie are so funny and so hilarious that you wonder if it’s actually true!!
By far the funniest movie I have seen in a long long long long time!! 9 out of 10 stars.
3) Rocket Singh Sales Man Of The Year
Bollywood has transformed over the last few years and here is another example why. An excellent portrayal of the chronic corruption in Indian private sector which is always said to be the “saviour” of Indian economy. As everyone in India knows nothing is “non-corruptable”. So this is a refreshing movie where the lead character refuses to act dishonestly and eventually wins. The important part of the movie was bringing up other vital issues like sexism and racism (please, making fun of Sikhs IS racism). Which is why making the lead character a Sikh (in a serious movie, Sikh lead characters have been portrayed in mainstream movies as goofy fun loving guys), is a break through.
The major flaw of the movie is that the lead character tries to win honestly by un ethical means. By that I mean, if you have going to use the current company`s resources and clients for your own gain, then it`s unethical and wrong. But the directors and writers smooth that over by the lead character maintaining ”an account” of the resouces used so that he might pay back at a later date. Fortunately, the director and writers redeemed themselves by making sure that the law got hold of the lead character before the situation resolved itself.
8 out of 10 stars.
I will be watching An Education and Coraline soon and will be posting on these movies.
Posted by: agsharma on: February 16, 2010
So I had an opportunity to travel to New York city and I took it :)
This city is absolutely fascinating. One can actually feel the pulse of the city and I have raved and clapped numerous times about New York here and here. But on this trip I have had some bad experiences.
I mean Mr. Bus Driver, I did not see the disabled man trying to leave the bus and there was no need for you to shout at me and my daughter to “stop blocking the way”. Ms. Dog Owner if you want space to walk your dog please take it to a park. Don’t expect me to take a bow because “your dog needs space too” on the pavement.
And my favourite, Mr. Cyclist. I know you earn pittance delivering food around the city and the faster you go, the more money you could make. But as a pedestrian I have the right of way and you were out of line shouting at me. BTW, next time, be a man and stop if you want to argue and not run away. I am pretty sure that the nasty weather had some role to play in it. It is quite cold and snowy and slippery and generally gloomy here in NYC at the moment.
But that will not stop me from loving this city. Every gloomy and bad experience can be blown away by a scintilating walk (on the one sunny day) by the lake on central park, by meeting good friends from one’s teen years, from having the best pecan tart with awesome coffee at a small cafe, walking on the streets of NYC with Rhea, my daughter who was using our umbrella to make sure her Barbie did not get wet.
New York, even in the throes of winter, you continue to rock!!! I salute you.
Posted by: agsharma on: February 3, 2010
Tracking my training for the Mississauga Marathon through dailymile.com. As you can see it’s not going very well.
