Thursday, February 24, 2011

Books versus movies

It has been proven that your brain is more active while sleeping that it is watching tv, when you're reading you brain is more active

Books make you use your imagination, movies corrupt it, they challenge perceptions. ex: can anyone read Harry Potter today, and not see the characters from the movies? Films leave little to viewers’ imaginations. When you read, you’re creating your own movie, You may find yourself disappointed by movie versions that don’t live up to your imagination.

Books increase your vocabulary, grammar

Nine times out of ten something important is missing (left out) or just doesn’t add up to how things are in the novel

When you read a novel you see how the author envisioned the story, not how someone else sees it. Next time you see a movie based on literature, pick up the book and read it to see how they compare to each other. There's a higher probability of the book being better.

Although not all movie versions are better than books. Most will agree that a film like The Godfather is better than the book. Few people reread Mario Puzo’s novel with fervor, but many watch this film again and again. To most Godfather fans, Francis Ford Coppola significantly improved on the book . (other examples include Nicholas Sparks books, and Marc Levy books).

Any more inputs my dear readers?

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

The most famous books that are unreadable

1. Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie:

I will bow to the person who has ever managed finishing this book, it is completely boring, goes nowhere and you're left wondering why on earth you have this book in your hand when it should be thrown in the fire. I personally feel that Salman Rushdie and The government of India had a secret arrangement to ban the book, because had the book not been banned it would have never been this famous. Or maybe by banning the book the government was actually taking care of its citizens. Whatever it was, the book is just plain bad.

2.Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell

As Rhett Butler famously said : Frankly, I don't give a damn. An opulent drama about a rich spoilt girl who finds true love , at least that's what I understand from the trailer of the movie, believe it or not the movie is longer than the book, you can take a nap while watching the movie, and when you get up it's not over, then you take another nap and bloody hell it's still not over!

3.Lord Of The Rings

A huge fan following, movies made, forums, on must-read lists, die-hard fans and what not but you open the book and the first thing you must do is learn about the hobbits, their lifestyle, their eating habits, their culture, I mean enough are we in an anthropological class here.

4. War and Peace by leo Tolstoy

The sheer size of it makes me run away

5.In search for Lost time by Marcel Proust

I found it extremely slow paced and boring. This is Proust’s most prominent work, it is popularly known for its extended length and the notion of involuntary memory, the most famous example being the “episode of the madeleine” in which he describes in great (boring) detail, eating a madeleine dipped in tea.

6.Shakespeare books/plays

Everyone is crazy about this dude but how on earth do they understand him, he writes in old english verse, I would understand latin better than what he writes. I can take a dictionary and check out every word but not get the sentences. Bleh

Monday, February 21, 2011

Fads of the last decade

YouTube
mini skirts with leggings
skinny jeans
iPods
Emo style
Wii
American Idol/Indian Idol/Nouvelle Star
Flare Jeans
Blogging
High School Musical
Dance Shows
Himesh Reshmiya Songs
Wikipedia
Wikileaks
Robotic Pets
IPL
Metrosexuality
Reality TV Shows
Atkins / Low Carb Diets
Harry Potter Books
Energy Drinks (Red Bull)
Razor Scooters
Dragonball Z
Texas hold 'em Poker
Free/ Tivo
Speed Dating
Thongs
Text messaging
Hannah Montana and High School Musical
Environment Friendly
Oversized sunglasses
Ring Tones
Gel pens
Hybrid cars
TV/DVD screens in cars
Using Online Slang In Speech (OMG, BRB, etc.)
Bluetooth
World of Warcraft
P2P File Sharing (Napster, Kaaza,Torrent etc.)
Twilight saga
The Da Vinci Code
Low Rise Jeans
Wireless Camera Phones
Botox
Social Networks (Hi5/Orkut/Myspace.com/Facebook.com)
Sudoku puzzles

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Book tag

1. Favorite childhood book? Harry Potter series, Narnia series, and when I was really small Berenstein Bears, Enid Blyton,.........
2. What are you reading right now? Five people you meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom and Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
3. Bad book habit? I read in odd positions and never pay attention to the amount of light I'm getting
4. Do you have an e-reader? – Nope, nothing beats paper but ipad sounds really appealing you can carry loads of books in a small space
5. Do you prefer to read one book at a time or several at once? One book at a time, I'll get confused if I read too many books
6. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog? Yes I've started reading online more
7. Least favorite book you read this year (so far)? Romance by Joyce Carol Oates
8. Favorite book you’ve read this year? Eat Pray Love so far and Life of Pi
9. How often do you read out of your comfort zone? I don't have a particular comfort zone but usually I don't read non fiction
10. What is your reading comfort zone? Contemporary English fiction, stories about life, not one for thrillers
11. Can you read on the bus? Of course
12. Favorite place to read? In the train
13. What is your policy on book lending? RETURN MY BOOKS ASAP
14. Do you ever dog-ear books? All the time, to bookmark or to select my favourite passage
15. Do you ever write in the margins of your books? No
16. Not even with text books? I don't read text books
17. What is your favorite language to read in? English, and very rarely French
18. What makes you love a book? if it makes me get hooked, humour, how much I found the book honest, if it talks about life
19. What will inspire you to recommend a book? How much I laughed, or how true I found it to be
20. Favorite genre? Anything except romans policiers
21. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?) Jeffrey Archer type books
22. Favorite biography? Dreams Of My Father by barck Obama wasn't too bad
23. Have you ever read a self-help book? Yeah I've been gifted self help books, my friends thought my life was too much of a mess
24. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)? Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
25. Favorite reading snack? Anthing as long as I don't get stomach aches later
26. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience The Kiterunner, good book but really so many people told me to read it that i got pissed off
27. How often do you agree with critics about a book? Critics give a very detailed and almost scientific analysis of the book, whereas when I like a book I'll tell you in 5 lines if the book is good, bad, average
28. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews? Mostly if a book is bad I can't finish it so I usually don't give bad reviews, why waste time giving bad reviews when you can share the good books you've read. bad books are usually forgotten anyway
29. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose? Spanish and Hindi ( I can barely spell my name in hindi)
30. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read? My text books
31. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin? A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth, Crime and Punishment
32. Favorite Poet? none but I've read a few poems of Paul Eluard that were nice
33. Favorite fictional character? a Tough one, I'd say Anne of Green Gables
34. Favorite fictional villain? Severus Snape
35. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation? Funny books
36. The longest I’ve gone without reading – 2 years
37. Name a book that you could/would not finish- Sacred games by Vikram Chandra
38. What distracts you easily when you’re reading? My family or I fall asleep
39. Favorite film adaptation of a novel? The Namesake
40. Most disappointing film adaptation? All Harry Potter!!!!! Total BAKWASSSSS
41. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time? 72 euros
42. How often do you skim a book before reading it? Before I chose a book I read the summary at the back side and go through the first paragraph to see if I'll want to read the next one
43. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?if it sounds fake or if it's not an engaging story
44. Do you like to keep your books organized? Yes
45. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them? If I had a house I would keep them but since I lead a nomadic life I give them away once I've read them
46. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding? Books by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
47. Name a book that made you angry The KiteRunner by khaled Hosseini, I wanted to stop everything and rush to Afghanistan to adopt a child
48. A book you didn’t expect to like but did? How to Kill your Husband by Kathy Lette, Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
49. A book that you expected to like but didn’t? sooo many, one that comes to mind is Midnight's children
50. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading? Asterix and obelix, Archies

Friday, February 18, 2011

Faith

I reconsider my foolish position, ohh but I need some time from that emotion...........If I could touch your body, but I gotta think twice before I give my heart away. but I guess it would be nice if I could touch your body. I know all the games you play coz I play them too, I need some time from that emotion. Time to pick up my heart from the floor. Well it takes a strong person but I'm showing you the door. Maybe you mean every word you say , can't help but think of yesterday. Before you throw my heart back on the floor, I'll reconsider this foolish notion. Well I need to someone to hold me but I'll wait for something more . I gotta have Faaaaa-aaaaaaa-iiiiiiiiiiiiiiittttttttt-hhhhhhhhhhhhh

What I sing in the bathroom, ti hi hi hi hi

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Gossip Girl

Chuck sleeps with Blair who is going out with Nate who cheated on her with Serena. Serena is going out with Dan who later on becomes her step-brother, Dan's sister Jenny loses her virginity to Chuck who is secretly in love with Blair. Whew

Not to mention how they sleep left right centre with Tom, Dick or Harry

and yet I watch all of the episodes, it's a bit how you can be addicted to Saas-Bahu

xoxo

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Blah (plz read all the blah they are written in a musical order)

blah blah blah blah blah blah blah

blah

blah blah blah blah blah

blah blah

blah blah blah blah

blahhhhhhhh blaahhhh blaaahh

blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah

When people talk to me this is what I hear: gibberish.....and then when my eyes glaze over they say that I'm being rude, really! I'm not yawning am I? Be happy

Needy people!!!!!

Indians are seemingly all affected by what I call the fundaisms or advice-itis, which is giving unsolicited advice to people who have better thing to do that hearing someone trying to inflate their ego by telling people how to live their lives!!!!!!!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Richies

I don't think I can really get along with the insanely rich, the billionaire type of people, they seem to lead an alternate kind of existence, they are some where in a parallel universe where their worries are about which destination to go for holiday in or play mind games , at least the impression I get by seeing Gossip Girl!!!! HAHHAHA and you thought I was being serious, well barring a few people I don't really know the stinking rich people so I can't really say how they are, but they must be human.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Name Tag

Rules:
TAG 10 PEOPLE INCLUDING THE ONE THAT SENT THIS TO YOU.* USE THE 1ST LETTER OF YOUR NAME TO ANSWER EACH OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.* THEY HAVE TO BE REAL PLACES, NAMES,THINGS. NOTHING MADE UP!* TRY TO USE DIFFERENT ANSWERS IF THE PERSON WHO TAGGED YOU HAD THE SAME 1ST INITIAL.* YOU CAN’T USE YOUR NAME FOR THE BOY/GIRL NAME QUESTION.

1. What is your name: Shubhra
2. A 4 Letter word: Sand
3. A Boys Name: Samuel
4. A Girls Name: Samantha
5. An Occupation: Snake catcher
6. A Color: sapphire blue
7. Something you wear: Stole
8. A Beverage: Sex on the beach (it's a cocktail)
9. A Food: Strudel
10. Something found in the bathroom: Soap
11. A place: Saint Tropez
12. A Reason for being late: Sorry I missed the train
13. Something you shout: Shit!

I tag anyone who reads this blog, bless you if you actually do

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Google se baachke kahan jaoge

I'm a huge fan of Google God, but when I log in to Gmail, I'm simultaneously logged in Orkut, G-talk, Blogger, Google reader, Picasa,Google groups, Wave, Google sites, Google music and Youtube. Now if I was tech savvy and wanted just one portal to control all my other accounts, it would be great, but for example I decide to start an anonymous blog I don't want all my info to be available so easily. Same goes for my multiple Youtube accounts. I would like the option of having them kept separate. I find it quite pervasive. Say Google was to stop for a day today, I'll bet anything the entire world would lose huge amounts of data, money and be greatly traumatized and quickly start seeking therapy. We are so dependent on Google that we don't even realize we thrive on it. How on earth would people search without our Google....any question you have just ask GG (Google God), now if my using the word God with Google is any indication I loove Google, I mean for all the free things I get from it and how simple everything is, I am ready to sing love ballads for it, But on the down side it does make my slightly wary of it's complete hold on me and my entire community. A hacker would just need to get in my Gmail and have access to EVERYTHING about me, study my online behavior, know my family(through chat history and Picasa and Orkut), know all the things I don't want people to know. And why just a hacker, anybody who steals my password. Scary . Not to mention I hate being the person who can't answer a question because I couldn't find the answer on Google,like googling is a substitute for using your brain. And the fact that Google is a noun, adjective and a verb, how did that happen
On the other hand what would life be without Google. I can only laugh senselessly when someone tells me they still Yahoo as a search engine. What? Yahoo still exists, I used it on my first days of internet, but isn't it passé? Apparently not, from what my parents tell me, they are still yahoo users...Ugh
Pervasive, ubiquitous and yet not possible to live without it. I guess it's a bit how you can hate people you love the most. I mean how can I profess to hate the one most intimate and personal relationship in my life, me and my Google.
I still love you Google

Friday, February 11, 2011

Birthday wishes

It's Overthinker's birthday today, who also happens to be my big brother, and big in every way.
Just as I was thinking to write a post on him, and completely sure he will love it and possibly get emotional....and then it struck me why I was so sure he would love it: I've already done it, in 2009, I wrote a long post for his Happy birthday which he said he liked and made me feel very loved too....now it sounds lame to do it every year, so I'm writing this because I couldn't get him on the phone:
Happy Birthday Bhai
May you have many gifts
May you have many Girlfriends
Happy Birthday to youuuuu

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Sins against Gender stereotypes

This is a tag going around a while ago, so I decided to pick it, here are the rules :

Have you ever wanted something that is considered ‘manly’ ? Like a basketball, a cell phone, a dog, a camera or a new laptop? A new car or motor bike? Ever wanted to be a pilot? A doctor or not a nurse? And the manliest want of them all – The remote! ;)

As a kid did you enjoy playing with a bat and a ball?

There was a time when books were considered ‘manly’, women authors had to pretend to be men – would you say books are still rather manly – women should want to embroider and crochet?

Go ahead pick it up, it's funny


1. I had a boy-cut( short spiky hair) till I was 14-15, I was constantly confused for a boy, people have stopped me from going into the girls bathroom saying that "for men it's the other way".

2. As a child I mostly played with guns and cars.

3. I'm the muscles in the family , I open bottles, carry heavy bags, change the bulb (there are only girls in the family, no sons)

4. I like looking at pretty girls.

5. I find shopping and fashion really boring.

6. I am very comfortable being alone, I don't need protection, I've eaten at restaurant, traveled, gone to the cinemas and seen expos by myself. It's peaceful to be by yourself sometimes

7. I plan to never get married, I'm all for live-ins, slightly commitment-phobic

8. I do not like to be told what to do, with my money or with my time…I do as I please!

9. I appreciate people who speak their mind, frank, and don't care too much about hurting perceptions. Keeping up appearances is in other words being a hypocrite. If someone doesn't like me then goodness gracious me , I don't care, it's their problem

10. I'm hairier than most guys

I tag all my followers, all you 3 people :)