Razorligh - Self Titled Album

Sometimes I think that what the music world really needs is some smashing lyrics and a great rock sound to rejuventate the music listeners of today and take them back to the basic 4/4 music pattern. It seems alot of today's music listeners are into R+B and Hip Hop. Which is not a bad thing but then again there are other art forms that are getting lost in the mix.

Razorlight have a very fresh sound to them and the music is something that you can pick off the shelf and just start listening to. There is no complexity and guess what, it sounds fucking good. I was turned onto this band while i was plugged into Radio 1 one Sunday and since then I am a fan of the sound of the vocalist and the ever inspiring guitar work in the background. I tell people all the time that the beauty of the rock guitar is no longer with the English speaking portion of the Western world.

Take some time out and give this band a chance, chances are you may start putting rock back on the plate.

Playlist

--------

1. In The Morning

2. Who Needs Love

3. Hold On

4. America

5. Before I Fall To Pieces

6. I Can’t Stop This Feeling I’ve Got

7. Pop Song 2006

8. Kirby’s House

9. Back To The Start

10. Los Angeles Waltz

Overall Rating - 8/10

Nintendo Wii

Every once in a while, a videogame manufacturing powerhouse comes along and does something revolutionary that just makes me feel all warm inside. Nintendo Corp. Japan did such a thing two weeks back when they released their contender into next-gen gaming called the Wii (pronounced as weee) according to Shinji Miamoto.

The thing that I like most about this console is the fact that Nintendo has now made a console that actually makes gaming a physical as well as lazy feat both in one. The new joystick has a motion sensor in it that is responsive to the user's motion. There is also the nanchuck attachment that turns the Wii Remote into the old school Gamecube/N64 configuration that brings back the old school way of playing Nintendo games.

Now, here are some interesting comments on what the two other big giants (Sony Entertainment America and Microsoft had to say about the console).

Sony -- These guys literally rule the computer game realm when it comes to having a large archive of games to choose from. And 99.999999% of them are backwards compatible all the way back to the PS1 or PSOne. They have done the most ridiculous thing ever and actually incorporated motion sensing into their joystick eventhough they stood by MS when they said that motion sensing will never catch on and is hard to incorporate into next-gen games.

Microsoft -- J.Allard went on record to say that Microsoft would never support a motion sensing joystick for their XBox series as they were not going to be headed in that direction of the market. Microsoft will always get full marks on the fact that they revolutionized the console market with Xbox Live but they always fall into the lower of the three when it comes to fun and of course the library of games are very eh.... of course changing with the new console (Xbox 360)


It however will be a good thing for Nintendo who have never conformed to high power graphics to bring gamers to their niche. Their games have always been about fun and challenge rather than a pretty game that has the replay value of about 1.5 times. As a closing note I am going to name the games of the consoles over the years to show the fun factor and games I have found good.

Nintendo
----------
NES/Famicom - Legend of Zelda 2 - Links Awakening
SNES/SuperFamicom - Super Mario Bros. 3 / Streetfighter 2 (Revolutionized the market)
- Ninja Gaiden/Super Contra
N64 - Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time (Game of the Century)
Gamecube - Metroid Prime (Outclasses Halo and in some aspects even Gears of War)
Wii - Yet to be seen but Legend of Zelda - Twilight Princess is looking very promising


Playstation
------------
PSOne - Metal Gear Solid / Gran Turismo 2 (So hard to choose)
PS2 - Metal Gear Solid 2 : Sons of Liberty (Excellent gameplay and wicked storyline)
- Gran Turismo 3
- Grand Theft Auto 3/Vice City (Put Rockstar back on the map)
- Metal Gear Solid 3 : Snake Eater (Any PS2 owner needs this)
PS3 - Poor launch titles, best title is Resistance : Fall of Man


Microsoft
----------
Xbox - Ninja Gaiden/Knights of the Old Republic/Halo (I hate this title but it is a box seller)/Forza Motorsport
XBox360 - Perfect Dark Zero/Gears of War

Posting after a long time

Its been quite a while since I have last posted and yes I have had quite a few thoughts on my mind recently. Things mostly involving death and the afterlife. Do not worry I am not going to make this a supernatural discussion board. More to come in the weeks to follow.

Melroy Coelho

Heaven or Hell?

I have had an ongoing debate with myself since the age of 12 and it involves the human-made concept of heaven and hell (yes I know this comment starts another topic all together). But lets take some time to think of the things that actually constitute each of the said after-life planes of existence.

Heaven (Simple Rundown)
-------
1 - Cant have crime
2 - Cant do anything bad as God comes from there
3 - People would have to behave and be polite at all times
4 - Everlasting pleasure

Hell (Simple Rundown)
----
1 - Eternal suffering and pain
2 - Sinners getting flogged
3 - Total sin as the Devil comes from there
4 - Crime has to be prevalent

In recent times, many people have tried to justify the non-existence of heaven. The best example I have found, and I can't remember where I heard it, is where someone said that heaven and hell actually exist on the same plane and the decisions we make as people takes us closer to the final actualization of whether or not we live on either one of the planes. For eg. When you go to work in the morning and say hello to someone and smile pleasantly then its existing on a heavenly plane, however, when you go to work and start giving that same person the brunt of your frustration and start cursing then its hell. The interesting thing about this is the gradual progression of someone into hell which coincides with the concept most religions have about hell. The more good deeds you do, the more chances you will have of reaching heaven. Unfortunately the world does not work like that and if we all did good deeds then at some point someone would forget what good was and deem it as standard life.

Someone has to be doing something bad for us to know the concept of good so I think the earlier concept does have to hold true as there needs to be a very consistent balance between people doing good things and bad things in the world for the two, heaven and hell which I shall call H/H from now on, to exist. But then comes the question of whether or not the decisions made by an individual at an instant also depend on perception of the other individual and hence leaving the choice of us going to H/H in the hands of another. Confused? Here lets try an example ...


You wake up in the morning and say hello to your wife, get out of the house, walk to the car and start driving, you call a friend; of many years; and start talking about how your marriage is in a rut and you wish you were out of it. Your friend gives you the advice that maybe you need to work on it. So you go home at then EOD and talk to your wife about the thoughts in your head. With little or no thought, she gets upset saying that its been the major reason she has been sleeping with a person on the side. Now we break into two scenarios ---

Scenario 1
----------
You decide its best for you'll not to be with each other anymore and leave it at that. More points to go to heaven? Well we will see that at the end of this discussion.

Scenario 2
-----------
You take it pretty hard and tell her all the wonderful profanity you have accumulated over your tenure in the realm of the living. Finally, in a fit of rage you'll start fighting and you push her down the stairs and break her neck thus ending her life.

Scenario 1 happens to be a bit more trickier than 2 because in the fact that some religions consider breaking marriage a more grevious sin than actually being a bigger person and letting it go. Also, in that case, the breakpoint can spin either way depending on who is more forgiving and that ultimately decides who is being bad or good. It's not some supernatural force but another living being that decides whether your living in the heaven portion or the hell portion. There is truly no logical answer to Scenario 1.

Scenario 2 can work alot of angles as well. The first one being that all murderers go to hell. But what about the catalytic act of sleeping with someone else and tainting the concept of marriage, trust and responsibility? On the other hand, some fanatics would say that its ok for the man to have pushed the woman down the stairs as it was the right thing to send a sinner to where she had to go. On the other hand, the lady in this situation can also be considered as a victim and hence doing no wrong as her marriage was going to the doghouse and as an act of self-preservation and being emotionally unkept she slept with someone else. So who is to blame here?

So infact, the concept of Heaven and hell really breaks down to other people letting you into the gates. Its not about going to mass or eating communion or going to a temple or going to a mosque or praying five times a day or giving money to the poor or even helping that old lady cross the street (but you better do it lol). Its actually about letting other people see the good in you and letting them decide how the moment shifts in your favor to end up in H/H.

Of course, if your a religious fanatic you'll probably read this post and hang me like a sheep before the slaughter but then again I don't really care as its time to get somethings on the table just so that they can be discussed in a good/clean fashion.

Google Taking Over The Media

So today I was logging into my blog and I noticed there was a Beta version of it and lo and behold I have now found Google in yet another part of the my web-based entertainment. Its amazing how at every corner I seem to find the name Google. For example, Orkut is now linked to Google Talk and also, Google has now decided it wants to be on the radio. Only time will tell what they have in store next.

Only good things will come of this ...

You have much to learn Grasshopper

<-- Adithi Belting Notes

Every now and then I teach people things that can only be taught by actually seeing and listening to other people. Music is one such concept. Most people will come up to you at a party and say 'man can you teach me to play ... '

Of course, like any good-mannered musician, I always say that I will take time out of my day to teach music to the person asking the question.



Teachography (I know get a dictionary) [People that I appreciate more than they'll ever know]
===================================================================
1997 - Manish
1998 - Raymond Shimra, Danny, Andy
1999 - Anil Mendonca, Nigel, Gary
2000 - Matt Tash, Joe
2001 - Sachin Mendonca, Jake Whitmore, Mr. Ed
2002 - Hemanth Kumar, Jen, Ilya
2003 - Robbie Porro, Carmen
2004 - Broken wrist takes time out to learn music theory
2005 - My sister, Sristhi, Elvis, Bikram, Damien Lythcott (I was one busy Nigger)
2006 - Adithi, more to come

One thing I always take away from teaching someone music is the fact that they don't just learn from you, they also teach you new styles of music that you probably never heard before. Sometimes I sit back and look at all the people I have taken time to teach and how their choice in music has made me a more rounded musician over the long term. I would never have given the time of day to Dave Matthews or even sounds like Pantera and Sepultura unless I had spent time from 2000 - 2001 listening to and playing the stuff.

I don't think i'll ever stop teaching people until of course my wrist breaks and I am no longer able to play. Even then, I think my schooling and self-education in music won't let me be inactive about the second biggest passion that I have in my life.

Viva la Musica ....

Nandi Hills et All

So this weekend past was good and the only reason that it has taken me so long to get to blogging about it is the fact that I have so much work and pressure on my head these days that when I take time out I actually feel guilty when I'm done ....

Anyways, onto my trip to Nandi Hills. I got there first class thanks to some drinks at the bar and of course when I awoke in the morning I was greeted by the back seat of the car coupled with a backseat companion, a guitar. Its been so long since i've actually played a guitar that it took me a few minutes to actually orient my hands to what they used to be good at. The place, Nandi Hills, really doesnt have too much to offer for the sightseer, there is Tipu point but even that has a charm that can only last for a few minutes, maybe an hour at the most depending on what you go there to comprehend. However, the highlight of the day came in the form of an unexpected visitor with a tail, a monkey. Its amazing how many monkeys there are on that hill and how unafraid they are of human presence.

The rest of the day revolved around recuperating from the hangover as well as making up some music. I now have a new song, kinda like an x'mas jingle, that sounds like it came out of Curious George movie.

At the end of the day I feel that the trip was worth it just to get out of Bengalooru (how will people ever cope with this) and to see a place other than the smog laden city that used to be nice.

Pix
==

Azad and Rahul enjoy a moment on the rocks near Tipu Point



Current mood : Sleepy
Word for the day: Persistence

Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way

I've always liked the Dixie Chicks, and this new album really is a different sound from their usual happy twangy sound. I guess in all the time they've spent recovering from insulting the president and losing popularity with the masses on their take on the invasion of Iraq, they've refined their sound and come out with something that sounds more mature. The best song in my opinion on this album is the opening one because it takes us right back to why we love these girls so much, their lack of common sense when taking political stances lol.

There is a good selection of music on this album that will keep country fans well entertained for a long time. Another good song with a fresh sound is Bitter End. Good for you girls and to add salt to the president's already gaping wound, this album has worked wonders for the girls

Playlist

1. The Long Way Around
2. Easy Silence
3. Not Ready To Make Nice
4. Everybody Knows
5. Bitter End
6. Lullaby
7. Lubbock Or Leave It
8. Silent House
9. Favorite Year
10. Voice Inside My Head
11. I Like It
12. Baby Hold On
13. So Hard
14. I Hope

Overall Rating : 8.5 / 10

Bar Report - Surya

Surya bar is located in what can only be described as the Boston of Bangalore. Situated among a throng of colleges, this bar offers the visitor a range of mostly college students. The highlight of this bar is its rooftop where groups of students/visitors sit in circles (on the ground I might add) and consume copious amounts of alcohol. Now I know what your thinking, how can that be fun? In some ways it can be because it offers an ambience that most other bars don't offer which is the openness of the drinking experience. For example, if you went to a place like Pub World then you'd be forced to just drink with the crowd that you went with unless of course you sat at the bar.

The one thing that did seem of place at this bar was the lack of a guide railing to stop innocent (in more than way) students from pretending to be Clark Kent and try and fly off the roof. The drinks cannot really be gauged here as there really isn't a plethora to choose from but then again once you find the drink you like then the place takes more precedence.

The food was good and from what I could tell, the service could have been better but they really aren't paid to serve well nor are they inclined to step up to the situation and make a better effort.


Drinks Rating : 8 /10
Food : 7/10
Safety(Special Rating) : 2 /10 (But who wants to be safe anyways)
Service : 5 /10 (being kind)
Overall Score : 8/10

An Opera, Aussies win a game and I got better

 They say bad luck comes in waves and I guess good luck does the same thing because in one day I got Opera 9 Beta 2 (very nice as far as im concerned), the aussies won their first world cup game in 32 years and the Czechs mauled the US and to put the icing on the cake, i got back to 100% fitness from two weeks ago when i got mobbed lol.

So what else can i look forward to? hehe i think ill put that one in the private blog hehe

cheers
MEL

Word of the moment -- Yippeee

World Cup 2006

Maradonna swinging a shirt around, Jurgen Klinsman getting, Michael Ballack getting up off his seat and cheering Klosse on, David Beckham opening Englands account. If you are as ardent a fan as me then you know what I am talking about. Yes, World Cup 2006 is underway in Germany and im stuck in B'lore, a city that doesn't really care about something that brings the world together even more than the olympics. Its kinda sad cause this place used to be full of Anglo-Indians and they actually went out of their ways for Portugal, England and Argentina matches. I dont think its bad for any bar in b'lore considering the number of football crazy fans there could be in b'lore but oh well i think cricket will always be at the heart of most indians.

I still think India can make it to the next world cup if we only got our heads up a little more and told the government to go fuck itself and get funding from the sponsors. The problem with indian football is its just as bad as indian cricket lol all fucking politics. As long as portugal go to the world cup continually ill always wear a Portuguese jersey for world cups and yes when India goes there will be no shame in getting an Indian jersey too.

I hope it happens in my lifetime .....

Cheers
MEL

CD in Audio Tray -- Dixie Chicks : Taking The Long Way

Jewel - Goodbye Alice In Wonderland

Release date - May 2nd, 2006

They say when you grow up you get wiser and this woman surely has. I remember getting my first Jewel album when I was still an average guitarist and it made such a profound impression on my playing skills that I kept buying her music except for that one pop debaucle (i forgive you lol). But this new album is alot fresher, shes gone back to her music writing roots and I really have to say that it was a mandatory buy for me but if you have the time to listen to some country music written on a very folk level then its good stuff. The first song brought back memories of my first listen to Pieces of Me and it was good.

Will it win a Grammy ? I don't think so but its nice to see people going back to their musical roots and not changing cause to be honest with you Ms. Kilchner doesnt really need to. Go on Jewel belt your lungs out.


Fav Track on Album -- Again and Again

Overall Rating - 8.5 / 10

And the mob has my number

So i guess its tradition, every five years i get mobbed. What do i mean by this? well lets take a secnario.

- We all go out and drink
- We drive a friend home
- We decide to get him into the house he lives while he wails away in the car (i dont blame him job stress can get to you eventually)
- He decides to let his neighbors have it nice and proper so he curses them all out
- We get his roommate to drive him around the block to sober him up
- I get my friends car and we are about to drive out
- My friend then gets stopped by an angry mob
- They try and pull him out of the car and take his keys, take my other friends badge, slap the shit out of all of us, smack me up like im a little bitch and hey we all leave.

Whats so coincidental about all this is that its happened before in Karnataka on my way to Goa. I think theres something in the air that lets ppl know that hey i think hes overdue for a hammering so lets give him one. I dont mind getting beaten for people that out of their senses (god knows ive been there many a time) but i mind getting beaten by people that wont listen to reason. I think sometimes you just have to put your foot down and say no but thats me and start fighting back but what can you do against 15 odd people. Sometimes I wonder what goes through the mind of people when the mob gets together? I think they feel a bit super and say hey theres X number of people behind me why dont I take a chance and show my balls now.

All i can say is I have made a solemn promise never to venture to that area anymore and I have made a promise not to drink with that person anymore. Ill hang out but as far as alcohol goes, big no no. And as for my friends that stayed in the car and took the beatings; I've got nothing but respect for you'll and somehow or the other we will make it up but for now lets all take a sit back and laugh about it because what can u do other than that lol.

cheers to World Cup in a few more days
MELLY

P.S. First time i ever saw a Punjabi run for his life when he was supposed to be in the car with us.

Bar Report - Scottish Bar

Name : Scottish Bar
Nick : Scottish
Location : St. Mark's Road, Bangalore

Drinks Range - Moderate
Drinks Variety - One type of beer and One type of Wine
House Speciality - Inhouse Wine

Food Range - Nothing Spectacular
House Speciality - Chinese Pakoda

Scottish Bar on St. Mark's is one of the few places in Bangalore that caters to the college crowd as well as the working class of the city. Its location on St. Mark's road makes it easily accesible to all Josephites be it commerce or science as well as the crowd that wants to stray off the street for a drink or two (namely me). Although it doesn't sport a wide variety of drinks, it still has a good charm to it and is probably one of the better places to watch the World Cup at.

The place also sports a wine that is made inhouse that is pretty good and comes close to a Port Wine finish leaving a sweet and rather woodsy taste in the mouth. The pricing in the joint is also fairly decent leaving you with money to spend on a date after your done.

Rating - 8 /10

Additional Comments always welcome

Is This What They Call Love On A Saturday Night

Ahhh,
Joy, what else can I describe today as. After so many weekends spent out at bars and pubs i finally took the day off and decided to stay indoors, the result was so refreshing that now i think im going to do this more often. Sometimes i think we do something regularly for so long that we lose the taste for it so from now on i am going to have weekends off from my regular weekends (does that really make sense?) lol ill let u figure it out.

VIVA IMBECILEMENTE

A Now Back To Your Regularly Scheduled Programming

21:30 IST Bangalore

Sometimes I amaze myself. After a days worth of work and a run in the morning I decide to go out for drinks with friends from college. Why? because you dont get a chance to meet the people that went to college with you very often when you live on a total different continent. Anyways, here we are the three of us and we go to a regular joint where we have a few drinks and discuss how and why India and the infrastructure it has now will not go anywhere because of politics and all that jazz.

23:30

Now we're outside the bar and jonesing for a nice spliff to give tribute to Bob the man and have a good time. We finally manage scrounge some off a bouncer in the bar (through a contact) and off we go on a drive around B'lore at night. Im guessing it was somewhere in between the consumption of smoke and the driving around that i suddenly realized that the best time to go around B'lore is late in the evening on a week day. The roads were serene and traffic is next to negligible. Additionally, there are some nice places in B'lore that can be seen in the night.

1:30

At this point in time we've moved onto spliff no. 3 and we're having a good time. It was then that I realized how much I actually miss Melbourne and all the people that went to school with me. Alas, I am now in b'lore and slowly starting to like it. It's like coming full circle. When I first went to Melbourne it was good and exciting and then it went into a lull for a long time but I weathered the bad times and then the good times rocked. Im guessing its only a matter of time before the bad times stop and the good times roll again.

Viva Melbourne

What White Paint Can Do For Your Discipline

There are some good things about bangalore and then theres the chaos and confusion that people in India have come to deal with not out of necessity but habit.

Todays rambling is about something i strongly feel India is in need of --- White Paint on the Road.

Now you must be thinking, he must be off his rocker to want to do soemthing like that and what the fuck is he talking about maybe he has had too much to drink or something lol. But hear me out. If someone took some white paint and drew some lanes we'd have less traffic jams, infact, if someone got off their lazy arses and put a divider on the road we'd have less confusion and fewer people driving cars cause it would take forever to get somewhere.

BUTTTTTTTTTttt... is that going to happen? HELL NO. Why? because we want to be backward in our discipline and claim to be a rising nation. Get the cows off the road and then we can call one of our cities a metropolitan, get the people to obey all the traffic laws and then we can talk about competing with the best cities in the world.

Its been a long day and im tired but I had to get this off my chest.

Oh and for the record if anyone asks we have no truly metropolitan cities in India.

Playing Snakes and Ladders on a board that sports only Snakes

You know when you were young (lol now i sound old) your parents at some point or the other introduced you to the game of snakes and ladders. The objective was simple, all you have to do is get from the number 1 to the number 100 while rolling some dice and maneuvering your token through a chicane of snakes and ladders.

The beauty of this game is that it teaches us two things.

- Luck is sometimes necessary to get to the top and you may have all the skill but you'll never get there if you are luckless.
- Hard work and time can sometimes get you to the finish line.

Last week i had a talk with my so-called managers about quitting the company that i currently work for. What happened? the dirty sons of bitches put me in a corner and told me that they were going to have me blacklisted if i didnt meet their demands or rather requests. It was so sad because I now feel that coming home might actually have been a good eyeopener for me as to how stupid and childish even top management can be when they want to be.

If these assholes think I am going to bend backwards for them they have another thing coming but wait oh wait for time is on my side and so is guile

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAA

Snap Crackle

So what to write about today? hmmm. Turned 25 the other day and realized that hey thats a quarter century so i decided to celebrate it by dousing my youth away with one last grand gesture of being beligirently drunk. Does that mean ive taken being drunk out of my system? not really its going to be a while before i jump back on that horse but that demon has been quelled temporarily.

What else? hmm the United States has to get some perspective on the growing world around them and disallowing a merger between Dubai and the port authorities really isnt a way to get a foothold on the spinning economics. Boeing is now paying the price by having to go ass kissing all over the globe. Contrary to the gung-ho attitude of the military and people saying that the US doesnt need anyone, the new world that exists outside the well that american frogs live in is changing so fast that by the time they catch up when it gets going it may be too late.

Whos going to be the next superpower? hmm good question but only time will tell and the stupidity of ppl that want to hold on to something that wasnt theirs to begin with.

cheers
MEL

When Childhood Habits Have More Meaning

Now im sure anyone in their youth has read comics and I have to say that instead of ruining your perception of the world, comics (not that shitty archie and supandi crap) but real comics have got so much hidden meaning that it turns my head inside out wondering how they ever went unnoticed under the radar. To cite a few examples i'll bring books that i've read in my youth in this discussion.

#1 - The Incredible Hulk
---------------------------
Most ppl say oh its about a guy turning into a green monster and destroying everything in sight but on further inspection, its actually about a guy fighting inside demons to make sure hes not a menace to society. teaches kids to keep their anger in check and even if they can let things go loose and cause havoc not to do so. I remember reading my first comic about Bruce Banner and how hes so mild mannered but the demon inside needs to be culled or else it will cause problems. The movie on this comic did not do as much justice as it should have infact it failed where the comics have done so well over the years. i remember Stan 'the man' Lee giving Bruce the power to control his change and that made the comics even more interesting to read.

#2 - Bob Kane's Batman
--------------------------
Now, alot of people just watch Batman and say wow nice gadgets, funky car, millionaire lifestyle, James Bond in the dark. what they dont see if who Bruce Wayne really is, a kid who is so mangled on the inside because of his parents death that he familiarizes himself with the darkest animal that there is in the animal kingdom and then goes on a vigilante mission. Enemies like Two Face, Killer Croc, Scarecrow, etc in the original Batman series actually shed light on more human imperfections and the very place of Gotham really can be disected to show how modern society and law fails and darkness has truly got the upperhand in the modern world.

#3 - Uncanny Xmen
----------------------
This used to be a staple diet of mine till Scott Lobdell stopped writing for them. The initial series with the original Xmen tackled issues of non-acceptance in society based on the fact that mutants were just normal humans that looked different. The later series of the uncanny and brotherhood got a lot more into the issue and how the Genoa crisis clearly showed racism in the modern world. Top class writing for Marvel standards that have now gone totally pop and have lost their meaning.

#4 - Amazing Spiderman, Peter Parker Spiderman, Spiderman
-----------------------------------------------------------------
By far the most loved comic book character ever made. Peter Parker is the average joe showing responsibility and what better model for kids growing up. Its almost like ObiWan telling Luke about the way of the force lol. This book deals with a guy who has real-life problems and yet finds the time to deal with villains. granted the earlier issues were mostly done with the fact of just having a hero come around and save the day but as the Amazing Spiderman got into the clone issues as well as the Kraven issues it showed Pete in a much more human light struggling for money, running from the public, dealing with a personal meltdown and the demise of Ben Riley, Gwen and Flash Thompson.

#5 - Superman
-----------------
Im sure at some point in our lives Clark Kent made us jump off high beds in the hopes of flying lol but even this comic book with all its flare and supernatural workings shows a man who has the power to take over the entire world but he doesnt. instead he goes thru life hiding his true abilities and helping a race that he could snap in an instant.

There are so many more that ive read over the years. Daredevil, Fantastic Four, Fathom, Witchblade, etc. But ive got to say that no matter the writer, no matter the era, no matter how many iterations the writes and artists go through there is always some moral point to take home from these comics. Be it racism, the power of responsibility, the mere fact of showing us how society is fucked up or just people running away from their own insecurities these books have the power of teaching and sometimes emulating these heroes can show us a better way. So the next time someone says that 'Comics will rot your brains' take a step back and have a nice chuckle for what do they know about lol.

cheers
MEL

Bird Flu Scares and Lent

Well with the beginning of lent the latest stupid scare of bird flu really has me wondering whats happening to the world around us. This craze of bird flu can suck my balls and got to hell.

Now about lent, its a good thing that this bird flu came around now i can eat more beef and get my lazy arse to start eating pork too hehe.

on with the show.

MEL

Tirupathi - My trip to a temple

So i was asked about a month back if i would go to a temple with a friend once he got his car. I said 'why not i think it would be good for me'. Little was I aware that I would get an insight into what pilgrims must feel during Haj and the almost madenning concept of lines in India.

The trip started out on a Thursday (9th Feb 2005) afternoon and the usual bullshit that can be associated with trying to get people to go on the trip (someone drops out, someone wants pickups at a specified point). Once that all got done we were finally on our way out the door and I was genuinely interested in seeing the temple and all that it had to offer. Someone I had talked to prior to my trip to this place said it was the second most richest temple in the world and the most richest was apparently the Vatican in Rome. So i was expecting something like the Vatican. A few beers and some silly conversation on how someone thought their concept of God was the 'one-to-end-all' explanations we were finally in the town that actually borders the entrance to the temple. The name of the town was Tirumala.

I was then told we could not carry any alcohol or cigarettes up the hill so I thought hey these guys wont drink on the hill top afterall they are going on a pilgrimage lol. Boy was i wrong lol. We managed to smuggle some contraband (hehe i feel like a terrorist) into the area we were staying in and I said well here begins the journey. We had to buy tickets (yes the kind you buy to see the superbowl) to stand in line to get to see the deity (Balaji) and what other names you can come up with for him.

5:00 AM
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So now im standing in line and its frigid but not too bothersome to me. I was quite excited and had not slept the whole day as I had been working the night before and hadn't had a chance to sleep. But I am now waiting in this line with all these people who have shaved their heads in honor of this deity. Its quite a sight to see bald ppl (men and women alike) waiting in line. I think people probably realized that i wasnt a hindu but I could care less. Now here begins the interesting part of the trip, they started telling me about these amazing laddus (sweets) that are prepared in this temple. At this point im wondering what people really come to this temple for ? hehe. But then again im one to judge so I talk less about the topic and actualyl cant wait to get in the temple.

6:00 AM
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Still waiting in the line and now im inside the main line kiosk that gets into the temple and all i can think about is how this resembles some of the prisons I have seen in east asian movies. Its almost dismal to say the least and people are walking about with no shoes on. I even tell one of my friends that it looks like a prison and he begins to explain to me about how many people come through here and how they have to lock people in rooms to maintain queue control. Quite interesting stuff i say and then we move on.

8:00 AM
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After about three hours of finally waiting in the queue, we finall come up to the moment of truth. I am now standing inside what seems to be a pre-entry to the final shrine and It is quite amazing. The stone walls and the carpeted floor almost makes it worth the three hour wait in line which was told to me later was short as there werent alot of people there.

8:30 AM
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Now heres what gets me about this place. It cost me Rs. 200 ($50) to get a ticket, stand in line for three hours and push and shove these people around to just get to the temple shrine and after finally getting to what can be explained as totally calming and i only get to see the deity for about 5 seconds before someone is pushing me along and telling me to move as fast as I can say. It has to be the most RIDICULOUS thing in the world. I know its a small cave and all but for this they should have free lines and no money at all an then let people pay how much they want to. Anyways, the statue is truly amazing to see and the shrine has some very interesting architecture to it as the light in the there is all natural and not generated by any source.

9:30 AM
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After visting the shrine and seeing the place around it, i finally did something tourist like and got a guy on the side to take a polaroid snap of me and my mates near the temple entrance. Ate some breakfast as i was totally starved. Got some blessed sweets while leaving the temple and ate it too.

11:00AM
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Once we were done there I stil wanted to see what else this place had to offer. My friend told me that there were two waterfalls in the vicinity that were quite amazing to see so i said why not go there. Just my bad luck, the roads were closed so we could not go. Instead, we went to see a rock garden which housed a natural arch made of rock and a rather lazy peacock lol.


Afterthoughts
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Tirupathi is quite an amazing shrine I must say. For that many people to come there all the time and visit a deity that can be seen for a total of five minutes it certainly has to be. But at the cost they have going for the public that are willing to pay to see it. I think its a sham and to be honest I would not condone such a behavior from the Catholic church as a Roman Catholic. The place is very soothing but alas it has been destroyed by the masses that come in hordes and drag their children and the house pets to this event. And last but not least i went with people that talked in their native tongue and did not really speak to me about things and I went there with an open mind and had so much to learn in mind but alas all i learned was with my eyes and not my ears so heres to a trip with three lessons for the learning.

1 - Dont take a trip with people that dont want to talk and arent as excited as you
2 - Dont take a trip with people you will never be comfortable with
3 - Dont take a trip with people that arent serious about what they are going to do


Ill post pictures once i get the chance

Cheers
MEL - Much better as a person and better relaxed as a man

Crying Man Crying Game

Today my roommates and me had a discussion on whats better for a child

-- Dont overburden him with studies when hes younger
-- Overfill his brain with too much matter that it explodes

Now i grew up with the latter and to be honest, i wish i had the first option growing up because i feel i would have turned out as a better all-rounded person. Why u ask? why make a child loose the best part of his life -- childhood by making him do things like study geometry, etc. Sure u have to make him competitive for the coming years but to be honest alot of ppl i know that work in india do just that.... work. wheres the love for ones self? wheres the time we put in to be people and not employees? we need to realize that we are humans and if we dont do something to take care of personal wants and needs for ourselves then how can we truly show care and want for others?

Some ppl say, hey man i do that ... and all ive got to say is yeah u may but the majority of the population doesnt. we make fun of ppl who spend their times in bars and other places saying that yeah they wont amount to much in life while we spend our time pinning over books and numbers to prove to our piers and parents that we can be who they want us to be. sometimes i think direction is good but when i ask ppl if they can remember the most memorable part of their lives, it usually starts in the tenth grade or higher. i have fond memories of the place i grew up in, from the fourth grade where i remember summer days playing football and being a kid eventhough i went to a CBSE school. i remember saying fuck to my summer homework and doing it only two days before school restarted. was i being neglegent (YES) but i was on holiday and refused to let them be ruined by homework.

Some incoherencies might exist in what ive said but in short, growing up i wish i had spent more time on becoming me instead of wasting my childhood behind books. i think we should spend 80% of our childhood being children who are accepted for whatever faults we have with the learning curve instead of being pushed and pushed until we are ready (8th grade) to be pushed.

Melroy Coelho

Brokeback Mountain

Every once in a while ill watch something that truly turns me inside out by watching it. This movie was very good to say the least although indian masses digesting it is another story. The movie deals with gay cowboys lol and to quote a TV presenter from the BBC its a cowboy movie without the 'cow' in it.

Other movies recommended for mind twisting fun

Primer
Oldboy

There are some others lol but these two will definitely keep you busy.

Cheers

Understanding Mechanics

Today out of sheer curiosity i started reading a manual on orbital dynamics to see if i was capable of going back to my science background and to be honest i found reading it more interesting because it wasnt a part of my curriculum anymore.

Its amazing how we will pick up things when we like them rather than when we are forced to read about them. the reason i started doing this stemmed from a program i was watching on the BBC about the new NASA expedition to Pluto and how it is going to take 9+ years for the shuttle to get there.

Who knows by the they may develop a better method to read the planets without having the wait time. Ive also pondered on whether they will develop something faster in that time and realize that they sent a slow one out and send that out lol.

But that is something i pondered on but i dont think the US govt would be that stupid. then again they elected an idiot into the post of president so we can doubt that choice.

Cheers
MEL

Whats in a name?

Well today i read that Intel is finally doing away with the name Pentium to usher in a new era of processors? Good news? yes but unfortunately Intel has gone the cheap way and is not hiring anyone with the ability to come up with a new name. Instead, they are going to give the products names like Intel D-4000 etc.

Now, if Intel thinks that by giving names like that its going to create a great marketting scheme for its sales department lol ive got news it wont. The best thing about the Pentium brand name is that it had the name to go with it. People would always say Pentium vs AMD now its going to be Intel vs AMD and not Pentium vs Athlon. The good thing that Intel has going for it is that its also partnering with Apple to get boards for their new computers but the AMD market is also picking up.

I wonder how many people would have blindly jumped on the bandwagon if Sony had named its playstation as Sony P-128X lol.

Sounds dull. get on the board Intel and give ur new product a snazzy name.

Cheers
MEL

Waking Up Is Hard To Do

well it was very interesting today as i saw a different side of b'lore. i am normally so plagued by lack of sleep that I miss my mornings but today i took a walk around in my neighborhood and saw many morning time activities that were not around when i wake up late lol as a resolution i now get up at 7:45 but we'll see how long that lasts

Cheers til the next rant
MEL

You Gotta Roll With It

We are in india ..... Just reaffirming that. it seems that most things in India cannot and will not work on a perfect swing of the clock except the ability to con someone out of their money. A few of my friends seem to be having trouble with Citibank (The worlds best bank for customer service) but that takes a steep 180 degree turn when u come to India.

So sad but if we want to be a better nation and get to world class standards then we need to improve punctuality and the sense of work ethics. And the question for the Indian ppl in India i want to ask is the following ....

1) Why do u feel that your always deserver a better job?
2) What makes u think more money will make u happy?
3) What makes u think that when u go to work your boss/superiors are looking out for your well being?
4) Why dont u work just as hard in India as you would if you went to another country?
5) Why dont u take pride in whatever job you do and do it to the full extent?
6) Why do u feel the need to always screw someone over to feel better?

These questions when answered and turned into a positive attitude will set us on the right path. Until then GOOD LUCK INDIA ENTERING THE 22nd Century AS A WORLD POWER.

We are a nation with 2 billion ppl that are out to screw each other.

Till the next rant
MEL

A friend who has come a long long way

Ok ill be honest,
When i first started talking to this lady it was a long time back and she wanted to see if i could spruce up her campaign and her website if needed. since then she has come a long way. now i dont know how many of ull actually appreciate Female Body Building but the reason i got to helping her was because there was a girl at school who was an athelete and she told me how hard it is for them to get sponsorships and stuff but good on this girl because now she is doing really well.

http://jabrams.blogspot.com/

if ur looking for a read that is. its a day in her life and its pretty good stuff

till the next rant
MEL

The Xerox and Cybercafe People

Now sometimes i post about jobs that people do that they must really hate but have to do anyways. One such job is a job owning a Xerox place lol i mean these ppl must feel like shit and thats why the guy that did my xeroxing yesterday threw attitude my way.

Im sorry buddy but its not my fault that you were conceived when ur mom bent down to pick up some xeroxes ur dad was getting. i mean all i want u to do is give me my xeroxes.

The second type of job that ppl must really hate is running a cyber cafe, i mean at some point i feel that even they must get bored of all the free porn and if you live in a place and have no clue about international entertainment then you really are truly fucked.

On a more brighter note i have finally exorcised the demon inside me that hates it when ppl talk in languages i dont understand or care to understand. I say to myself u want to play that card its ok ill just stop talking and walk away.

My new policy for 2006 and ppl that talk to other ppl in their native tongues -- SDSM

S - Scan
D - Discard
S - Select
M - Move On

im tired of conforming to india and being nice to it. it doesnt seem to be nice to me so its time to say fuck you and take matters in my own hands.

Cheers till the next post
Mel

P.S. Plastic ppl now rock

Ode to the Skirt

Before i start posting let me wish everyone that reads my posts a very Happy New Year.

Now that that's done lets get on with it. I was recently in Goa for my post Xmas , pre New Year break and let me tell you something --- I never realized how much i missed skirts on girls lol. I know it seems a bit childish or unbecoming of a gentleman but i cant seem to fathom how any woman in her right mind would ever deny herself the joy of this wondrous invention of the fashion world.

I mean dont get me wrong there are ethnic dresses and then there are skirts .... what more can i say. on a more brighter note ive decided that this year im going to drink more (is it even possible?) and do more bad things to corrupt my health and the health of others around me because i realized that I actually dont give a shit anymore about the things ppl say or the stupidity they claim is reality.

I know i must sound like a pompous arse for saying all this but how many of us get what we want really?

And with that I leave you till my next post

Melly (NEW AND BETTER)