Superfluous Rants

“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”
- Martin Luther King

Happy New Year everyone.

The second trailer for Christopher Nolan’s Inception in glorious Quicktime HD can be found here.
I would still consider it a teaser since it does not give away the plot  other than whatever is revealed by the voiceover in the beginning. I would like for them to stick to this strategy however, as many movies of late  tend to give away the whole story in trailers. Avatar, for example. 

I am looking forward to it for two main reasons. 1) Inception is an original movie with an intriguing plot about the architecture of mind. 2) Its directed by Christopher Nolan – of whom I have been a fan since Memento.
The trailers are making it look fantastic thus far and I am sure it will be Nolan’s first big blockbuster that doesn’t have a billionaire dressed up in a costume with pointy ears.

Inception will open on July 16, 2010 in conventional and IMAX theatres and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Marion Cotillard, Cillian Murphy, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe and Michael Caine.

Flashing lights. Paparazzi. Propaganda. Publicity.
Life is better unravelled in the mouths of other people. Advocacy, it is all about the advocacy.

Ode to you, Poster Boy. You strive to set an example. No, in fact you ARE the example. You and your PR team will stop at nothing when it comes to setting the bar for the rest of us mere mortals. From golden spoons to glitzy shindigs to simple devotion and acts of faith and trust. You are the beacon of light for the kommyouneety in these dire times. You instil hope in the defeated, you thrive to pave the ideal path. And in process, you discovered the secret of immortality – word of mouth.

I salute you Poster Boy. Keep on posterizing!

Season’s greetings, happy holidays and HAPPY FESTIVUS to all.
Have a safe one.

I recently started watching this show and I am liking it very much. It is consistently funny, has a great cast and reminds me a lot of Arrested Development.
It airs on Wednesdays at 9pm on CityTv and ABC.

PS. Word to my friend for watching it in class and introducing me to it.

Holy shit!

http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/ironman/

And what do we have here. The Star makes a cameo!

Behold unlimited!
Wind mobile is finally up and running. They have a few simple, affordable plans and awesome add-ons, especially for Blackberries. I am really contemplating on getting the Bold 9700 with the Talk35 and Social Blackberry add on. Alas, I still have a year left on my Fido contract :-(
Check them out at: http://www.windmobile.ca/

The first trailer for Karan Johar’s Shahrukh-Kajol starrer “My Name is Khan” was released today. You can find it on Youtube by clicking here.

According to IMDB, the film is about Rizwan Khan, a Muslim from the Borivali section of Mumbai,  who suffers from Asperger syndrome (a form of high-functioning autism complicating socialization). The adult Rizwan marries a Hindu single mother, Mandira, in San Francisco. After  9/11, Rizwan is detained by authorities at LAX who mistake his disability for "suspicious" behavior. Following his arrest, he meets Radha, a therapist who helps him deal with his situation and his affliction. Rizwan then begins a journey to meet US President Obama to clear his name.

In all honesty, when I first heard about this project I was very skeptical. Karan Johar doing a serious film on humanity. Hmm will it be another Kabhi Alvidaa Na Kehna? A supposedly “mature” film about infidelity but in fact a big forced tear fest.
Having seen the trailer, however, I am more optimistic.
I understand everyone and their grandmother will already make the assumption of dismissing this film based on any/or all of the following:
- Karan Johar cannot make anything but bubble gum candy flavoured films that follow the typical outline for the massses.
- Shahrukh Khan always overacts
- Karan Johar…seriously? GTFO..Lots of Kanta-behn references, homoerotic jokes, scantily clad skanks, poorly dubbed foreigners etc.

Granted these assumptions are fair and understandable, consider the following:
- Shahrukh Khan did an extensive study on Asperger syndrome. It has been reported that he has stayed in character even at home, while on break from filming.
- A copy of the script and a director’s cut was sent to the National Autistic Center to make sure the disability in question was portrayed properly.
- Karan Johar and screenwriter Shibani Bhatija has met and constantly worked with Chris Aston (Asperger syndrome sufferer) and his wife, the couple who was the inspiration behind relationship of Kajol and Shahrukh in the film.
- Following the current trend of new-age Bollywood cinema, songs inspired by the film are either situational or in the background. (Yes, no extended romantic duets featuring Shahrukh and Kajol in the wheat fields of Punjab)
- 20th Century Fox will be distributing the movie worldwide and the trailer will be attached with James Cameron’s Avatar.

Why am I stating all this? Well, from personal experience….I have seen many dismiss Shahrukh Khan often quite unfairly on the basis of the vast number of type casted roles he usually portrays. While I completely agree he has hammed up more than often (can’t blame the producers for making films with guaranteed returns)….he has also done gems like Maya Memsaab, Hey Ram, and more recently, Chak De India.
I am interested in seeing how Karan Johar handles a realistic film dealing with underlying socio-political themes for the first time. He is a proven formulaic director, no doubt about that. So this will be something completely different from him. The trailer gave me a feel-good-Forrest-Gump-like vibe. 
Will this movie be great/flawless/epic? Who knows. But at least come February, those who wish to see it, I hope leave their biases aside and make judgements after having seen the film. 

PS. All that and I didn’t even mention how hot Kajol is.

This will blow minds off, literally….the second trailer will be attached with Sherlock Holmes.
Wonder how many people will look at the poster and think the movie is about a flood or something…hahaha

Adidas Superstar 80s Special Edition with Tricolour.

They are so beautiful!
Unfortunately, I cannot unleash them until the weather gets better :-(

Why robbing a donut store is a very very bad idea!

Just finished watching the draw of groups for next year’s World Cup in South Africa. The ceremony was co hosted by Charlize Theron and featured legends from the past and today such as Eusebio, Roger Milla and David Beckham. Anyways, this is how the groups stack up:
Looks like Group G is the proverbial “Group of Death” with Brazil, Portugal, Ivory Coast and Korea DPR. I feel sorry for Kim Jong Il’s men, returning to the World Cup after some 40 years….they will be torn apart. Argentina got grouped with familiar foes:- Nigeria (94 & 02 World Cups) and Greece (94 World Cup) while the hosts will play with former winners France and Uruguay and the perennial underachievers Mexico. The rest of the groups look fairly balanced out.
The first game of the World Cup will be between the hosts South Africa and Mexico on June 11, 2010  at Soccer City, Johannesburg.
The full schedule of the 2010 World Cup can be found by here.

Here are my picks:
Winner of the 2010 World Cup: SPAIN
Sentimental pick: ARGENTINA
Darkhorses: ENGLAND, NETHERLANDS
Underdogs to create upsets: SERBIA, IVORY COAST
Teams with good chance to win (but I don’t want them to): BRAZIL, GERMANY

What of the defending champs Italy? Well, I predict they will flop around and make it to the round of 16 where they will exit via shootout.

[FIFA] | [ESPN Soccernet]

Any one else find the new fade-in feature on the Google home page annoying?
I hate it. I don’t understand why they would experiment with something that was simple and effective other than trying to look cool. I have read that it is supposed to emphasize the search box on the page but I find it on the contrary. Its distracting, feels tacky and utter garbage. First they increase the size of suggested search and now this. What next?
Stop messing with us…Google…you haven’t taken over the world …..yet.

Fucking hilarious!

So will the poster boy of the society set an example with his  course of action in the near future and put an end to the import/export industry?
Only time will tell…

Yahoo! Movies posted the first poster from next year’s much anticipated Iron Man 2. The poster gives us a first look at War Machine and he looks freaking bad ass!

Rumour has it that the first trailer from the movie will be attached with Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes this Christmas. I was going to watch it anyways but an early look at Iron Man 2 will only make it even more sweeter.

[Yahoo! Movies]

If you are looking for authentic Chicago-style deep dish pizza in the GTA, then head over to Chicago Pizza Kitchen over at Maple. I was there this past weekend and the pizza was amazing, stuffed with cheese and toppings and full of flavour unlike the cardboards from Pizza Pizza. The service was very good as well and so were the proportions; three of us shared an order of wedges and a medium deep dish pizza was too big for us. Another thing I liked about the place was that they had these humorous banners and posters everywhere. A few that caught my eye were:
”Once upon a time….there was Time!”
”If you don’t eat here, both of us will starve!”
“I aim to keep this washroom clean….your aim would be very helpful!” (In the men’s room)

Chicago Pizza Kitchen is located at 2338 Major Mackenzie Drive and you can check them out on the web at: http://chicagopizzakitchen.ca/

Eid Mubarak to all. Here is wishing everyone a safe and fun filled holiday with your friends and family.
Also, please do not forget the lesser fortunate on this blessed day of Eid and support a local charity :-)

Who does Salman Khan think he is? Gerard Butler?? Hahaha.

        

Despite setting new records for a midnight opening with $26.27 million at 3,514 theaters and single day opening with $72.7 million from 4,024 theaters, Summit Entertainment's The Twilight Saga: New Moon ended up with $140.7 million domestically for the three-day weekend.
That means it's the third-biggest opening domestically, trailing the opening weekend record of The Dark Knight's $158 million and also is behind Spider-Man 3's $151.1 million.

In your face preteen girls and perverted middle aged women. Fuck team edward or team whatever the fuck it is.
I am team Batman.

On a side note, its sad to see vampires relegated to such pussy-fication. A genre that boasts classics such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Interview with the Vampire. Heck, even Underworld and Blade are better at portraying vampires than the emo-angst-A&F-catalogue vampires  from the Twilight movies. 

[SuperHero Hype]

The final season of Lost will air on Tuesdays at 9pm starting on February 2 2010. No more socializing for me on Tuesday nights come February I suppose.
72 days to go :-(

Last night I pulled an all-nighter at Renna’s house. We were working on a presentation that was due this morning at 8. We played poker, Sid and I took some bong hits, drank…and we still managed to finish our presentation. And what do you know, this morning we completely blew away the class and prof with our work. We ended up with the highest mark in class and the prof actually had a mini discussion in class regarding the material we independently studied and presented to the class.
I reckon lack of sleep, alcohol and weed in your system does do wonders.

Phase two starts tomorrow!

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Shumon feat. Elita – Hoitoba Bhalobasha

Hoitoba bhalobasha kono chhotto ekti ghor
Jhor o hawa arr brishtite debe tomaye osroye
Jokhon charidik odhan tumi nishongo eka
Bhalobashar sriti hashabe tomaye

Hoitoba bhalobasha kono chhotto janala
Tomake dakbe sheye je kacchhe dekhabe bhubonta
Jodi jaao hariye kono ek ojanaye
Bhalobashar sriti pherabe tomaye

Bhalobasa karo kacchhe jeno ek tuku megh
Keu bole ei jibon othoba onubhobi ek
Kaur jonno kacchhe pawa othoba chole jawa
Keu bole shob kicchhu arr keu ojana

Hoitoba bhalobasha kono bishal ek shagor
Jeno sheeter raater aagun jeno brishtir chena shuur
Amar shopno gulo jodi pai haather muthoye 
Bhalobashar sritite akbo tomaye

Bhalobasa karo kacchhe jeno ek tuku megh
Keu bole ei jibon othoba onubhobi ek
Kaur jonno kacchhe pawa othoba chole jawa
Keu bole shob kicchhu arr keu ojana

Hoitoba bhalobasha kono bishal ek shagor
Jeno sheeter raater aagun jeno brishtir chena shuur
Amar shopno gulo jodi pai haather muthoye 
Bhalobashar sritite akbo tomaye

This is incredible yet creepy at the same time. The digital tattoo interface concept is a blood-powered electronic interface which is embedded under skin to mimic a tattoo, display videos, or act as a phone or computer.

More at [Geekologie]

I like the depiction of the groom and the bride in a battle because essentially that is what marriages really are.

[GeekStir]

Confined to my house for 5 days straight. Fell asleep randomly at random hours for random amount of time. Grew a beard that the Taliban would be proud of. Fell behind on course work, work, resp. etc. Watched  game 6 of the World Series because I was too much in pain to get up and get the remote. The horror. Actually, it wasn’t that bad, the Yankees played really well. Hideki Matsui is a monster and looks like Jackie Chan.
Anyhow….being sick sucks. Really. When I was younger, sickness was a blessing. I got to miss out of school, parents gave me extra attention, they cooked my favourite dishes, bought my favourite toys, watched cartoons all day….lives of kings I tell you. The pain and discomfort were worthy sacrifices for the cause. Not anymore. I hate being sick. I have been sick since last Sunday and although I am  feeling much better now and the Osama beard is gone, I can’t wait to be 100% again.

PS. I don’t have the H1N1 aka swine flu as most of my friends think I have. Rotten people,  you would think they would only wish the best for you.

[College Humor]

A much needed victory for Liverpool this morning especially with all the pressure on Rafa following the poor run in the past few weeks.

• Liverpool has now beaten ManUre in 3 consecutive EPL games. :-D :-D :-D
• Torres’ goal is a reminder of why he is the number one striker in the world today  and how fortunate we are to have him play for us.
• Not surprised at the fact that Old man Ferguson is lashing out at the referees. Of course, we all know ManYoo are never outplayed…its always the referees that conspire against them.
• Owen’s ineffectiveness proved why Rafa didn’t sign him in the summer.
• Carragher is a monster and no way in hell is he done.
• Vidic is such a pest.
• Lucas had a very good game, for a change.
• Reina’s marathon run to celebrate Ngog’s goal at the end sums up how much this victory means for the team.

 

[18 minute Highlights]

How about this for a cross promotion. Burger King in Japan is selling a limited time only sandwich called the Windows 7 Whopper to commemorate the launch of Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows 7. It is your typical whopper but with 7 patties! That's right, SEVEN artery-clogging-calorie-laden-yet-so-delicious flame broiled patties

The Whopper 7 will sell for a special price of ¥777 (about $8.50) for the first 30 customers each day and then for the normal price which is ¥1,450 (about $17.10).
However, it will only be around for a week…7 days!
Microsoft has got it right. Apple can have their hippies, trendies, and artsy fartsies with their eco friendly computers, fashionable accessories and what not. Microsoft caters to the true nerd that still lives in his mommy’s basement, plays WOW 24/7 and LOVES his fast food.
Now if there is going to be a youtube video with the PC guy downing 7 of this monstrosity, I am definitely upgrading my system!

[Electronista]

Will anything go right for Liverpool this season :-(

4 losses in a row with ManYoo coming to Anfield this sunday :-S

This morning’s Metro had an interesting article about Quebec City proposing to build an  NHL sized arena. The plan for an 18,000 seat, $400-million arena was unveiled yesterday by the Mayor and obviously the first thought that comes to mind is that of the Nordiques. Does this mean Canada will finally get its seventh franchise? Is this the reason why Bettman was so reluctant on Balsilie buying up the Coyotes and moving them to Hamilton? (Never mind the bullies at Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment)
Or is it just a ploy for the mayor to be re-elected?
Either ways the proposal for the arena has been well received by several MP and MPPs  and there are also talks of a possible Quebec City bid for the 2022 Olympics.
The original Nordiques played in Quebec City for 23 years before relocating to Colorado in 1995, where they still play today as the Colorado Avalanche.

[Globe & Mail]

**Leafs trivia** (because the world of hockey revolves around Toronto)
Mats Sundin was drafted first overall by the Quebec Nordiques in 1989!

Every child in a primary school in Uruguay now has a laptop due to the country’s participation in the One Laptop Per Child program. “Plan Ceibal” (Education Connect) has introduced the world of computers and internet for the first time to many families across Uruguay and the initiative only cost the country less than 5% of its entire education budget! Amazing.

One Laptop Per Child  (OLPC) is a non-profit organization set  up by internet pioneer Nicholas Negroponte. Their mission statement found on the official website states:

To create educational opportunities for the world's poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning. When children have access to this type of tool they get engaged in their own education. They learn, share, create, and collaborate. They become connected to each other, to the world and to a brighter future.

One can participate by donating laptops at Amazon, host fundraisers, help at OLPC pilots or simply by spreading the word about the project to friends and family.

[BBC News] | [One Laptop Per Child]

My brother is on the :28 second mark.

So this is what Heroes has resorted to. A girl on girl kiss, that too with the lamest most annoying character on the show.

Ratings have been steadily dropping since the first season and for a good reason too. Crappy writing, stupid unimaginative storylines, claire this claire that…,character flip flopping,  soon the show will find itself in Smallville territory. I refuse to watch this show anymore and I am ashamed I even watched this crap after the first season. This show is an insult to every comic book/superhero fan out there.

[SuperHero Hype]

I wasn’t too sure when it was first reported that Seth Rogen was going to be TGH but after seeing the picture below some of my doubts have been laid to rest. If anything else, you gotta give it to him for looking the part. I am hoping this doesn’t suck. The Green Hornet is being directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Be Kind Rewind) and also stars Cameron Diaz and Jay Chou as Kato. The tentative release date is 22 December 2010.

[Aint’ it Cool]

Looks like Telus and Bell’s joint venture into  the GSM market will officially kick off tomorrow or Wednesday and rumour has it that the iPhone will be the launch device for both the carriers. The iPhone has been exclusive to the Rogers network since its launch in 2007.
As much as I loathe the iPhone, I feel this is a very smart move by Telus and Bell due to the popularity of the device. This will also mark the beginning of the great make over in the Canadian wireless market that we have been anticipating for a while. With the launch of WIND Mobile, Dave Wireless and Public Mobile  just around the corner, look for the existing 3 players to offer more and more retention plans, HUP offers and promotions.

Read more at [Globe & Mail]

Update (6/10): It’s official now. Bell and Telus will start offering the iPhone 3G and 3GS starting November for their brand new spanking HSPA network.
[Bell] [Telus]

Time is on your hand…literally, thanks to designer Alex Kurovets’ concept watch. It uses a laser mounted inside the wrist band and angled over the flat part of the wrist to reveal digital time. Sick!



More at  [Yanko Design]

The picture above, "Rendezvous on top of a cliff", was taken by my friend Maliha. Click on it above to do the picture full justice, its very beautiful!
There are more cool "amateur" photography by her at her photoblog at http://freewayfoto.com/
You can also read her regular blog at http://malihas-confetti.blogspot.com/ 

thanks for the feedback everyone
the comments section is not working for some reason. i get to see them but they don't get published...oh well i might have fidgeted something
meh

Just a quick post from London
Its so freaking cold here and I was caught amidst a major hailstorm with nowhere to hide
my head hurts now :-(

I started watching the show The Wire earlier this week and I'm absolutely addicted to it. Its probably the most engrossing police drama I have ever seen. It covers everything from politics to socioeconomic issues to petty drug dealers. I finished one season so far and there is 4 more to go. At this rate I will probably be done in a month lol. The thing I like most is the fact that its not all out action like most other police dramas, it takes a novel like approach in building characters and story lines. There's an ensemble of complex protagonists and antagonists. For instance my favourite character so far: Stringer Bell, an enforcer for a drug lord, is not just another "Mo" from the streets. Instead we have a character that is very shrewd and plays the game with an entrepreneurial mentality. He even takes economics classes in a community college.
I highly recommend this show if you haven't checked it out. Word to my boy Shakil for pestering me about it all this time.

Not only is Emmanuel Adebayor a classles twat, he is a shameless thief. Apparently last season he robbed clean the Arsenal dressing room after the final game. Amongst other things he grabbed a pair of boots that Robin Van Persie was saving for his friends. In defense Adebayor's agent had this to say

“A lot of African players take kit back to their country because the facilities and conditions in Africa are not the same as they are in England."

What a load of crap.

Eid-ul-fitr has always been my favourite of the two Eids, especially while growing up in Al-Ain. I remember waking up very early to go to the Eid prayers and then sadly (I suppose) looking forward to the end of the prayers in order for the feasting to begin. Eid has always been about the food. Not just sampling or tasting but gorging vast amount of delicious calorie laden FOOD! Haha. We would wear our new clothes and go from door to door, greeting aunties and hugging uncles, and EAT!
Rice, beef, chicken, curry, sweets..the whole shabang. Most of my Eids would end up at Mamu's (then called Mishu) one way or another. I don't think I have ever spent a single Eid without Mamu (aka Mishu aka Head Boss) or Nasir (then called Tanim) while we were all in Al-Ain.
One of the more memorable Eids was when Naseef (then called Nishu) held his first semi-somewhat-annual Eid cricket game. I remember that first one quite vividly for one sole incident. I was batting at one down and I came in quite early having lost our opener. Nasir (aka Tanim aka CEO of NMT Corp.) was bowling on the other end and I hit him for a boundary on his first ball. Inspired by a Star Sports Cricket special I pointed my bat towards him and yelled BODYLINE!! It was ON! Dammnit, I wanted blood. His blood? My blood! I was taunting him to hit me! As Nasir (aka Tanim baba) took his 15 gajillion steps run up for his delivery, all I thought of was the boundary. 6! 4! Certainly over Naseef's (aka Nishu) head. Alas, as fate is a cruel mistress, I was clean bowled middle stump. I remember slamming the bat down hard on the pavement as Nasir celebrated.
Rest assured I did take my revenge over the years hehe but BODYLINE has remained.
Eids in Canada haven't  been able to keep up with my Eids in Al-Ain. Heck, last year I even coined the term Eid Muba-humbug, jokingly ofcourse. I know very well the reason for these second-rate Eids but meh I would rather not get into that now.
Eid Mubarak everyone! May Allah reward us with the best!
And oh yeah, feast on!!