...a year later

It's been a year since my last post...I've been thinking...

blackout_Raju says

blackout_Raju, a photo by abhishakeitup on Flickr.

"Raju says living on public beaches with a cow will chase mothers out to sea."

baby_001

collage_baby_001, a photo by abhishakeitup on Flickr.

..for a POP of color.

blackout_wallstreet

blackout_wallstreet, a photo by abhishakeitup on Flickr.

inspired by "Newspaper Blackout."



"The story that Wall Street is honest and forthright sounds too good to be true."

blackout_greed

blackout_greed, a photo by abhishakeitup on Flickr.

inspired by "Newspaper Blackout."


"Greed dismantles mankind with fantasies of power and pointless poetry that quietly expires in a rocking chair."

letterhead_001

letters_001, a photo by abhishakeitup on Flickr.

inspired by cecil touchon

blackout_booze

blackout_booze, a photo by abhishakeitup on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
inspired by  "Newspaper Blackout."



"More booze. More trouble. No more security."

this year i'd like to share some of my random creations.

some inspired by random artists, some by randomness itself.

2012

if this really is the year that the world comes to an end, then let's enjoy it till it lasts.
like it were our last.
and not just enjoy it mind you, devour it.
you and i.
together.
let's smash expectations. unleash love, joy and happiness. let's really live.
or if you prefer, let's kick some ass.
HAPPY NEW YEAR.

light up the sky

light up the sky, a photo by abhishakeitup on Flickr.

flickr trial

SWAN SONG

A short story that I wrote in college.

My mother said that she was closer to understanding God. And then she left. I was six years old.

and the oscar goes to...

Sunday is oscar night and the city is abuzz with who will win (WW), who should win (SW) and who could win (CW)...

we are all fans, and yes, we are all experts.
so here's my take on the 2011 academy awards.
ok, you can start rolling the drums anytime now...

a bright future

Long, long ago, I mentioned that we Nepalis make the news for very silly and almost embarrassing reasons.
Here's my case in point # 37.
Now I'll go hide under a rock!

New PM, again

Since I've gone a year without writing anything here,  I figured I should pick an auspicious day to mark my return.
Boy, was this an auspicious day or what?
It was back home in Nepal and, honestly, I'm not sure if it really calls for much celebration.
After seven months and 17 attempts, the parliament has finally decided on a new Prime Minister.
Jhala Nath Khanal.
I don't think he's been the PM before (yes, we recycle our PMs over and over again) but he certainly was in the news recently. And for a very interesting and exciting reason!

RAIN

It's finally raining. And it smells wonderful.

4 Palms at sunset

2008

When a year draws to a close, everybody comes up with their lists. "The Best of..." this and that, most of which are absolutely insignificant. So to add to the list of lists, I have decided to come up with one too.
As with everything else, I am a little late for a year-END list. Nevertheless, here it is...My TOP 10... most significant things for me during 2008. So drumroll please...

Thank You

it's picture time

Dhrona-the indian superhero

i have hardly watched any indian films the last few years, and for good reason. there are just too many of them, and only a handful that are alledgedly any good. so i avoid them completely. however, when i'm visiting friends, i manage to watch a few, and reassure myself that i haven't been missing much.

last week it was dhrona. there were certainly a few aspects of the movie that i enjoyed. abhishek bachan, whom i like, played the title role of dhron-a superhero. there were some impressive graphics, animation and effects. however, i soon realized that all that fancy schmanzy stuff was in there just to show off what the filmmakers were capable of doing. i know i should be talking about the good things about the movie first, but now that i think of it, there really wasn't much.

the story sounded pretty good in the beginning. soon i realized that the entire movie, story and effects together, was a mash up of harry potter, the mummy, and the lord of the rings. if you've seen any of the three you'll immediately notice all the blatant references-faceless beings in black hooded robes, sandstorms that have monstrous faces, dhrona living with foster parents-his true identity hidden from him throughout his childhood, an old man with snow-white hair and beard dressed in a white robe and with a staff, and so on.

i mean, the filmmakers obviously have the capabilities-the animated stuff is proof, but why put all that to waste on an unoriginal story.

and here's a spoiler (because there's nothing original, anyway.) this guy is supposed to be a superhero, the chosen one. but apart from herculean strength, he doesn't really have anything else going for him. and even that is only when he wears a particular outfit.

the major drawback of the film (if you are still interested in watching it) is that dhrona doesn't really overcome any obstacles by himself. there's nothing that he figures out for himself. he is told what he needs to do at every turn, and he simply does them. and he always has help. it just seems too easy. to put it in very plain terms, there aren't any "oh shit, how is he going to overcome this?" moments. and if there were, i missed them when i dozed off (three times, i think.)

dhrona is a film that aspires to be visually appealing-and it achieves that to a certain extent. however, in doing so, it comes off as a showcase of the filmmaker's animation skills, and nothing more. so if you want to see how far indian animation has come, go ahead. but if you're expecting anything more, (now that i have ruined it for you) you're better off watching something else. or reading a fairy tale.

Run Deepti Run

It's been a two month hiatus. It certainly feels longer, and there have been many things that I've wanted to talk about. However, I felt compelled to come back with something worthy of your attention. So here goes.
A dear friend of mine, Deepti Shrestha, is running the NYC Marathon on November 2nd. She is hoping to raise at least $2000 for educational scholarships for underprivileged children in Nepal. Helping her in this challenge is Sarvodaya Nepal (raising the money, that is. As far as running is concerned, she's on her own!)
Anyway, I hope you will support Deepti and Sarvodaya Nepal now and in the years to come.