Yawn!

It starts with...My friend and I are going trekking into some woods and we see different terrains, flora and fauna. After quite a bit of walking, we come to a place where it's a bit thick and also has a steep climb. All of a sudden we notice a few snakes around. One jumps at my friend, tries to shield...i try to shield and somehow i get bit on the hand. Then there are other people too who tell me it was a sandman(the name of the snake, why sandman - beats me) - which is supposedly deadly. It starts to become hazy and I wake up. I realize it was all a dream, but check my hand for the bite (here, I am not sure if it is still there or not) but I Google for symptoms, sandman, etc - even check all of Metallica's album for tips....My dad walks in and I ask him if he came into my room at night (not sure what the significance is though) and he says no. Then I tell him I need to go see a doctor (So, I presume I saw the bite marks on my hand!)...

Now the corners fold again and I wake up (again!??) But this time around I am thrilled to have a dream within a dream! I check and find no bite marks. So a plus there. Not sure who I am talking to but I am telling people that this was like a Christopher Nolan moment (For 'Inception' I guess - though he did not direct it, oh wait - he DID). This must have been due to the Allergy tablet I took is what I laugh and tell people. I can hear my cousin talking to someone in the background...and then the most unexpected thing happens! - the clock chimes four and I REALLY wake up ...with a slight headache!!! WOW! It took me some time to figure out which was reality! - but here I am, immediately blogging about it - before I forget it. BTW, the 'woods' in the first dream was awesome. Words cannot explain it :) - Anyway, Back to sleep now! G'Day!

PS: Have to tell Rohit and a few others!

C O N T R A

Does anybody remember this?....ahh the hours and days that we all spent glued to the telly playing CONTRA over and over and over ....and over again.

It all started one bright Saturday morning (actually it was a rather cloudy day!), when I landed on my 'old' games HDD - as one of the E-Street Band wanted some games - and found this small exe lying around. I started it and my eyes almost popped out! It was a PC version of CONTRA! - Gloryosky! I started playing and before, I knew it was time for lunch! This game is still as addictive as it was back then! Jungle, Base 1, Waterfall, Base 2,...I can still remember my friends urging me (it was more than urging actually) to keep moving fast so as to move the screen along with us. Anyway, I am off to make a call to my old Contra buddies and then re-live it all over again.

Two movies and a Dinner...

...would be better titled 'Good Popcorn and nice music' if you want to mention the good things alone! We wanted to go for 'some' movie and had our choices and since none us were strong with our sales pitch, the longest straw pointed to 'Battle: Los Angeles' - which in my opinion is a really weird name for a movie. For all I know, it could have been called 'The Attack of the metal space monsters' or 'Go down Pico blvd and take the exit' and it would have had the same effect at the box office. Well...I should not complain much because I literally walked into it - but the funny part was, when we walked the feeling was mutual. Anyway, the movie?in a nutshell? - Aliens land in L.A, Marines fight Aliens,Marines win and cheer with dramatic background music. Now you've seen it as well! If you had a good bag of popcorn, you might want to sit through it as well.

Moving on to...'The Eagle'. I have read great titles with Eagles in them but sadly this was not one of them. At least it had a story line and followed it meticulously but Channing Tatum still has to learn a bit on acting...specifically acting. Expressions, my dear boy, expressions do matter. Fair enough, The Eagle got our vote (remember the straws) over 'Black Swan' and 'The King's Speech' so it had high standards to live up to. It might not have been too bad a movie if the theatre had been slightly warm...and that could be due to the lack of people in it as well...in fact we almost had the whole theater to ourselves! Anyhow, two weekends were done.

Now for the best part (of course, any best part with me has to involve food!). Sandwiched between the weekends was a dinner worth remembering for all the wrong reasons. A five star hotel, you must be thinking it can't be thaaaat bad, well think again. The spread looked huge but on closer inspection showed nothing out of the ordinary, and more so looked very tame. The starters...not too bad, the main course was absolutely ridiculous with normal food made to look extra-ordinary and taste even worse. And the less we talk about the almost-no-variety dessert, the better. The positive part about the dinner was the music - the live two member band was GOOD and we certainly enjoyed it more than the food!

...so that was Two movies and a Dinner.

21 Guns

Do you know what's worth fighting for?
When it's not worth dying for?
Does it take your breath away
And you feel yourself suffocating?

Does the pain weigh out the pride?
And you look for a place to hide?
Did someone break your heart inside?
You're in ruins

One, 21 guns
Lay down your arms, give up the fight
One, 21 guns
Throw up your arms into the sky, you and I

When you're at the end of the road
And you lost all sense of control
And your thoughts have taken their toll
When your mind breaks the spirit of your soul

Your faith walks on broken glass
And the hangover doesn't pass
Nothing's ever built to last
You're in ruins

One, 21 guns
Lay down your arms, give up the fight
One, 21 guns
Throw up your arms into the sky, you and I

Did you try to live on your own
When you burned down the house and home?
Did you stand too close to the fire
Like a liar looking for forgiveness from a stone?

When it's time to live and let die
And you can't get another try
Something inside this heart has died
You're in ruins

One, 21 guns
Lay down your arms, give up the fight
One, 21 guns
Throw up your arms into the sky

One, 21 guns
Lay down your arms, give up the fight
One, 21 guns
Throw up your arms into the sky, you and I

It's 10 minutes to midnight and the new year has started - Welcome 2011 - Will it be better than 2010? or make 2010 look like a grand year? Only time will tell..
Here I am, hammering on my laptop with the Arsenal-Birmingham game on the telly(1 nil to the gunners courtesy RVP -for those who are interested) reminiscing about the year gone by and the new one walking in. On this, the first day of 2011, had a good time with the E-Street Band (sans Shriram) and now my thoughts drift to different people, to far off places and the good times. Not sure why but a couple of them feature prominently and I realize that I miss them now. A crooked smile manifests itself! Sometimes, I gather, people come into our lives and leave a mark. - And I guess, they are meant to be remembered with a big smile. I've had a lot of people in my half life (quarter life?) but the ones that come right in front when I hear a song, when I see an advert, when I hear a particular word, when I see a particular sign...and when I hear a name - have had a big role in making me who I am right now. Thanks and Happy New Year! :)

Happy New Year 2011!

Let the games begin...

With the WC about to kick off (literally) in a few hours time, I am all geared up for late night TV and pizza! As usual rooting for Italy (of course!) hoping for a second successive crown (might be a bit too much to ask though) so if the Dutch or the English win, I would still be happy - relatively. :)

FORZA ITALIA!

The TEAM!

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon, Morgan De Sanctis, Federico Marchetti

Defenders: Salvatore Bocchetti, Leonardo Bonucci, Fabio Cannavaro, Giorgio Chiellini, Domenico Criscito, Christian Maggio, Gianluca Zambrotta

Midfielders: Mauro Camoranesi, Daniele De Rossi, Gennaro Gattuso, Claudio Marchisio, Riccardo Montolivo, Angelo Palombo, Simone Pepe, Andrea Pirlo

Forwards: Antonio Di Natale, Alberto Gilardino, Vincenzo Iaquinta, Giampaolo Pazzini, Fabio Quagliarella