Bliss.

Bliss.

Monday, May 2, 2016

Musical Memoirs.

Why do I love music?

It’s because music understands in a way like nothing else. Music connects to that part of your soul which either leaves you with emptiness or a sense of inexplicable contentment. Music can fill the void in your life, music can bear the emptiness in your heart and more than anything, music can celebrate with your happiness. Every emotion is amplified with the right music.
Music can bring out the dark memories that you want to banish from your mind or the even your most cherished ones.

Every song (atleast 75%) of the songs I listen to have associations. It might be the simplest memory of the location where I was when I heard it or something more complicated like what I was going on in my life when I heard it.

Take:
  • Manja: takes me back to the movie Kai Po Che which I watched with the Deeksha gang on the sanskrit exam got over. It was my first such outing with so many people and we had a good time. The best part is Adi and Sanj also have fond memories associated with this song :)
  • My Happy Ending: Stardoll lead me to Avril Lavigne and some "research" on the Girlfriend singer lead me to this song. There is so much sorrow and anger in this song that it just resonated further back then with my moody musings.
  • Naadan Parinday: This beautiful song was stuck in my mind during the holidays post first year. Maybe it was Rahman's voice or maybe it was the soulful lyrics, but it is definitely a song that will remain with you.
  • One in a million: I recently got this song after almost 5-6 years. Back in high school, watching Hannah Montana was not encouraged at home but the badass that I am, I would continue to stare at the idiot box even after Suite Life of Zac and Cody had ended (oh that show! :') )Maybe the simplicity of the lyrics or my eagerness to relate to it being a teenager led to my obsession with few of her songs.
  • Too little, too late by Jojo: Donated to my playlist by Maidha during Deeksha days, this song is a typical example of how when you are in the mood, you seem to be able to relate to every song that you listen to.
  • Raabta: Another donation by Maidha on one rainy day back from Deeksha, I only fell in love with this song much later.
  •  Phir Mohabbat: Not many know that Pa was and still is a great lover of music. Back when it was the era of cassettes, he had a huge collection of songs of Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Kumar Sanu and the likes. He took my surprise when this song was playing over the radio and he announced that it was actually one of his "current favourites". Given how he is usually not expressive, his explanation really touched me.
  • Yoon Shabnami: Did I mention I was also into cassette collecting business? So when the movie promos were out, I had to plead and managed to get both OSO and Saawariya cassettes. I had this small casette player (I still didn't have my iPod yet I guess). This qawwali style song was on the hitlist in those days not to mention the other songs of Sawaariya.
  • Ai Pappi: Kismet Konnection: Yep, you read it right. I'm usually not the funky party song kinda song but I do have the occasional love for some peppy numbers and this is one of them. Maybe it was Shahid Kapoor’s dance or just the infectious beat of this song that made it a favourite back then.
  • Heroes: Alesso. Donated to my playlist by Froggie, this song has such a good vibe that it’s a great way to begin your morning.
  • Something New: Axwell Ingrosso. Yet another contribution by the music addicted Frog that’s got a great tempo and a feel-good vibe to it.
  • Empty: The Click Five. Knowing my love for Snow Patrol, Annlee contributed this song because it’s got some similarity with Chasing Cars (Snow Patrol). They don’t have too many songs but this is one of their good ones.

YOLO

There’s just so much going on lately that there’s been no time to sit down and blog it out  and yet the urge to pen down my thoughts only gets stronger.
I probably can’t provide a detailed account of everything that’s happened lately but here are the highlights:
  • Aynur scenes on Manjushri’s Gaadi with Abhi (all because we didn’t want to stay on campus on that particular evening). We went ahead by 13kms and then realized that we’d already crossed Aynur so we drove back and then made our way to Aynur Dam (which doesn’t exist. It’s a lake which was drying up) but nevertheless we had a good time racing on the highway until the gaadi became all wobbly!


 
  • Home scenes: I’ve been going home every 10 days or so and things are improving only very slightly. Bheemi is bored at home since Science camp is over, the 3 day outdoor camp is also over and there’s nothing to do other than bug the birds or Ma. I’m not sure where things are headed but I’ve got the knack of filtering out these worries from my brain and feeding new ones when I get back to college. I wish I could spend more time with her given how she doesn’t play with the neighbourhood kids or by herself. The comparisons with the present scenario and the seemingly idyllic childhood that I had only puts more pressure on everyone and I hope once school starts, the usual routine will put everyone back in gear.


  • Mama and his Toastmasters:
I haven’t spoken much about the famous Balu Mama (yep, he’s quite famous among my friends) here and this seems like a good time. So being the CFO of Fidelity, he is definitely a busy man but his dedication to his passion is noteworthy. Initially it was music and he made time for it and attended the classes in the midst of tiny tots and improved gradually. Today he sings well during Karaoke sessions at home with other fellow music lovers.
About 2 years ago, he took up Toastmasters to improve his public speaking skills given how he is required to speech to large gathering in his work capacity. I’ve been listening to his speeches and reading his scripts from his early days and I can only marvel at the improvement he has shown over time. The effort he puts in for every weekly speech is noteworthy given how he spends most of his time at office or in transit. These days he is participating in competitions and making waves in the Toastmaster circles. Given how he is now mastering the finer nuances of the art of oration, I can no longer provide any criticism to his speeches.

The other day we were at Cubbon for Di’s mountaineering class and Mama presented his speech. He describes how in his college days, cricket was his passion and in one such match, he was fielding and his arch rival was batting. While the ball came in his direction and he caught in the nick of time, not many knew that it had crossed the boundary line. While that remained within him and nagged him in spite of winning the match, it was only later in life did he face the bigger challenge.

While working in one of the international banks in his younger days, he was offered a senior position if he agreed to certain terms and conditions. On closer looks, he realized what they expected of him was unacceptable and would only land him in a soup later. It was a tough choice and the promise of luxury was inviting but the burden of guilt would be too much and nothing was worth the peace of mind he could have. Thus he left and began working is way up all over again in Fidelity.

Thus, we are often faced with tough decisions in life, sometimes the line between what is right and what is wrong is a thin one and not everyone might appreciate it but as long as you can see the line, you need to exert your will power and do the right thing.

I’m also thankful to him for making a huge difference in the light of recent events. Words cannot express how his timely intervention softened Pa’s stance. I only shudder to think of how things would have progressed if not for him. Whatever he said definitely had an impact and made Pa look at things slightly more broadly.
  • Demedcon 2016
So we attended the Neurology workshop and the quiz at Devraj Urs Medical College. BP, Govi and I had a good time.

  • Abhi and Avm were in Bangalore in the same week and we all (including BP and Govi) spent some time together. Di and I joined them later at BlueO and we spent time bowling, Di had some Gaadi scenes of her own and then headed home. Di did a lot of photography and turns out she was not half bad. The evening was memorable one but the evening didn’t go along expected lines but maybe hoping for it to was just my foolishness.
  • There are plenty of thoughts running in my mind but I don’t think they deserve the importance of me brooding over them. Nothing is constant. It’s all about priorities. Happiness is a choice, a conscious decision and once you make it, it's not about the circumstances you are in. It's about the way you choose to react to it. A wise frog once said, react to yourself and not for others. It's best to deal with your thoughts within your own cranium rather than expecting others to understand. 
  • I participated in the 5K Speakathon on May 1 which was to raise funds for the speech and hearing centre in Shimoga. A good number of people turned up and several of our professors were all set for a good jog on a Sunday morning. So Shobith was also participating in the event so he picked us (Akkamma, Varsha and I) and we registered and got our Tees. It wasn't all that tiring and we jogged/ brisk walked for the most part and got our certificates. After the mandatory photo session we all parted ways. It was a good start to the day and definitely a great initiative in Shimoga. I wish I was fit enough to participate in the 10k! Maybe next year :)
  • And the countdown begins! I’m thrilled to bits about the upcoming trip and can’t wait for this vacation. After all the uncertainty and confusion in the past 2 months, all I want to do is explore new territory and get lost in the midst of nature! I’m going to stay off the radar (hopefully) and do some much needed soul searching. Paediatric postings are at stake but then, you just can’t let go of some opportunities…. :P  
ENT internals are coming up over this weekend but all I can think of is what lies ahead. It’s about time I get back to Semicircular canals and turbinates.

Movie Marathon


There are so many good movies that I’ve been watching lately and there’s something to take back from each of them.

Take Philadelphia for example. Set in the 1980s when AIDS was still a taboo and a gay man with AIDS was certainly a bigger taboo in the United States. So the protagonist (Tom Hanks) plays a lawyer who is wrongfully terminated on the grounds of his illness and the story is about how he and his lawyer fight for his rights. The movie is probably predictable but it’s still worth a watch to see a man fight for what he believes in.

Another beautiful movie is Good Will Hunting (starring Matt Damon). Robin Williams plays a therapist who tries to bring the unruly orphaned genius on to the right track. A long time ago Atthe had recommended this movie; probably when I was in high school. It’s truly a must-see.

Catch Me If You Can starring Leonardo is one movie that will make you realize why the Oscar was an overdue for Leo. A cat and mouse game that will keep you guessing till the end, it’s one of the few movies of DiCaprio that I’ve watched and I clearly need to watch more.

Charlie is a Malayalam movie that I recently watched and it’s amazing how these Mallu movies tend to be so creative and original. A free spirited designer goes in search of the previous resident of her house after she is mesmerized by his creativity and what she infers about him. The man in question is also a happy go lucky wanderer who tries to help people who have no place to go.


Letters to Juliet starring Amanda Seyfried was another movie that I enjoyed inspite of it being borderline corny. Perhaps the whole idea of writing letters to Juliet and getting answers in return is romanticised a bit too much but I liked the movie for its freshness.

And yes, I watched Jab We Met again and cried like a baby. I can’t believe I finally got my hands on this movie. It takes me back to 7th standard when I was simply OBSESSED with the movie and the ideas of ‘Geet’ and ‘Aditya’.


I finally watched Veer-Zara starring SRK and Preity Zinta and it’s got the typical Yashraj style of romance; songs, dance sequences, emotional drama and finally an end to the wait. Preity Zinta reminds me of another era of actresses who were genuinely naturally beautiful and it had less to do with skin show or expensive fashion sense. She’s just so natural in the movie sans extensive make up that you wonder what’s up with the skinny plastic models these days. And as for SRK, the dashing young pilot makes you realize why he’ll always be the heartthrob for the Bollywood loving teenage girl.

I also recently watched the movie ‘Fan’ starring SRK in a dual role. While it definitely is one of his best movies in recent times, it is SRK-centric and devoid of music so those with ear for melody will return unrewarded. The fact that I watched it with two die hard SRK fans did not ease matters and I was left with many doubts during the movie but nevertheless it was an interesting evening out.


Watching Jungle Book with Di was interesting considering how we reached 10minutes late, wandered around the theatre in search of our seats in a packed multiplex and then I shivered every time Sher Khan lunged at us or Bhageera pounced from across the screen while Bheemi sat still unmoved by all the action. To those who’ve read the book, there are deviations from the original tale by Rudyard Kipling but somehow the whole setting is just like how I’d visualized it while reading the book and that’s a beautiful feeling. :)