Awake & Dreaming

Jan 14 2008

All Of Our Names – Sarah Harmer

Having heard about Sarah Harmer for years but only getting to hear her music for the last couple, her vocals are still great enough for me to claim her as one of my favourite singers. What got me hooked on Ms. Harmer is her dreamy Silver Road off the Men With Brooms Soundtrack and also included here, on her 2004 release All Of Our Names, which she co-produced. Guest musicians on the album include Howie Beck, Gavin Brown, Jim Bryson and Ian Thornley. Harmer plays a number of instruments on the album, including guitar, bass, and drums. Her vocals have a smoky feel, almost like Joni Mitchell, to it.

The album starts off with Pendulums, comparing our lives to the movement of a pendulum – swinging one way first and then the opposite way next. Almost was a hit single for Sarah, with its breezy feel of what seems to be, infatuation and shyness to call the object of that infatuation. You can hear falling rain in the background of Greeting Card Aisle. The song’s resignation is palpable and strong over the urgent acoustic guitar line, the one that accelerates and slows like an old car in winter. Have you got me in your bleeding heart file/Next to Lady Luck?” Harmer asks. “Well this Light of your Life has drawn the blind, and you can just hear her bitter exhale of air. Bittersweet.

New Enemy is about a person asking if the other person finds a new person to hate, will he/she stop hating the singer? My fav Harmer song Silver Road is next – I’ll be way down the silver road, i’ll go Where the moon has it lit up, Turn off your headlights and go slowly, I don’t want it to let up. All I can think of is a big full moon and a clear night sky, with plenty of stars. War is the theme of the next song, Dandelions In Bullet Holes. Things To Forget follows, reminding me of a long road trip on a holiday.

Came On Lion, Took It All, Tether & Go To Sleep round out this wonderful album by the very gifted singer from Kingston, Ontario. Female singers like her are the reason why I never have to go for that JLo, Jessica Simpson or Beyonce cd – why settle for crap, when you have chocolate

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By Roshan • Music, Music Album Review • 0

Jan 13 2008

One Man’s Meat…

Most people who know me know that I can’t stand most pop music, bollywood songs, dumb dance music and rap. I just can’t stand it and wonder why people even bother listening to that kind of drivel. Anyway, most places in Cochin play the stupid Hindi music with its really dumb lyrics these days, whereas they would have played good rock music about 10 years ago. Kind of like evolution in reverse!

Coffee shops, music stores, offices – almost everywhere. Now I frequent a couple of music stores in the city and buy atleast one music cd or a movie from them once or twice a month. They know me by name and its good to see that they also know my taste in music. I went in to both the stores today and in one of them, I stayed for a long while, figuring out what movie or cd to buy. They were playing some stupid Hindi movie music that was pissing me off. After sometime, most of the people had left the store, except for the store guys, 3 customer and me.

Now it was pretty obvious that the other 3 customers were also into rock music. One guy had an Iron Maiden t-shirt and another had a Metallica shirt. The 3rd dude was dressed more or less like me, button down shirt and jeans. The store guys changed the music to fit the 4 of us – they put on a cd of classic rock hit singles! The 4 of us gave assuring nods towards the store guys. Now that’s what I call knowing your customer!

By Roshan • Cochin, Music • 2

Jan 13 2008

The Sens Beat Detroit

futurama bender s big score online

The Ottawa Senators beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 in a match-up between the best of the East vs the best of the West and to enjoy bragging rights in what some NHL writers are calling a possible Stanley Cup final. Sens captain Daniel Alfredsson scores two power play goals, including the game winner with 2:56 remaining to lift Ottawa to a 3-2 win over the Detroit in a matchup of the league’s top two teams. Ottawa leads the Eastern Conference with 62 points, second overall to Detroit’s total of 70 atop the West. Mike Fisher also had a goal in the first period. Detroit scored twice in the third, tying it with 7:54 remaining after Senators All-Star Dany Heatley departed earlier in the period with an apparent right shoulder injury.

Steve Yzerman was honored by the Senators before the game for his recent induction into the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame. The Red Wings legend and Ottawa native dropped the puck in a ceremonial faceoff.

Two days ago the Sens beat Buffalo 3-2 in a shoot-out victory at home. Sean Donovan & Alfredsson had the regular period goals while Dean McAmmond had the winning shoot-out goal. On the 5th of this month Ottawa had a 4-3 over time victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Randy Robitaille scores two goals (does this guy always only score two goals?), Heatley also had a goal and Fisher scored the OT winner.

By Roshan • Ottawa Senators • 0

Jan 12 2008

Arsenal 1 Birmingham 1

Arsenal could not find the goals today and paid the price as they were held to a 1-1 draw at the Emirates stadium. Arsenal dominated the early stages but could find no way past the Blues until Stephen Kelly was adjudged by referee Phil Dowd to have fouled Eduardo in the box in the 21st minute – and Adebayor slotted in the resulting spot-kick. The Gunners could not hold their lead, though, Garry O’Connor’s header from a corner levelling the match only three minutes after the break.

Which means that Manchester United had a chance to go top of the league if they won their match against Newcastle United. And they did just that as Cristiano Ronaldo notched a goal for the Red Devils, who were in blistering form, while Carlos Tevez struck twice and Rio Ferdinand was also on target at Old Trafford as Newcastle, reeling after Harry Redknapp rejected the chance to become their manager, were dismantled after keeping their hosts goalless in the first half.

In other matches, West Ham beat Fulham 2-1, Chelsea beat Tottemham 2-0, Liverpool managed to salvage a draw against Middlesborough, Aston Villa beat Reading 3-1 and Everton beat Manchester City 1-0.

By Roshan • Arsenal, Football • 1

Jan 12 2008

So Maybe We Might Not Go

Ok that was a quick change of plans! I was looking forward so much to the trip to Calicut on the 19th but it looks like we may not go there after all. Still want to go for the show but if, as is rumoured, 13 AD are also going to perform in a hall somewhere in Cochin, then we might save ourselves a 5 hour trip and another 5 back. I hate traveling by train and am not so fond of buses either but I would have preferred the bus. I just hate trains.

Today at the office Eldo came to let me the news that 13 AD being a Cochin band, albeit broken up for the last 13 years, would also most probably be doing a concert in town, so he wasn’t too keen on going on a trip. We discussed it and if it turns out to be true, we will skip the Calicut show and make it for the one in Cochin, which might most probably be on the 26th.

I guess I will have to wait and see. But meanwhile, listen to their hugely popular song Ground Zero (couldn’t find the original video, this one is made by a fan).

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By Roshan • Music • 0

Jan 12 2008

Lester Moore

Here lies the body of Lester Moore

Shot 4 times by a 44

No less, no more

By Roshan • Humour • 0

Jan 11 2008

Annoying Eye Candy

whisper movie I had a sore throat today from about the time that I woke up. Don’t know why, but I just hope that a cold and/or fever avoids me as I am in no mood to take leave from work. I went to the office at a little before 10 am but was determined to leave by 6 in the evening. I tried doing as much as I could until 6 and then made my way out of the office and onto the bus stop.

I went to Cafe Coffee Day, thinking that a nice hot cup of coffee would be the best way to relax and so I entered their establishments with that in mind. The place was a little crowded but I found a couple of empty seats and I proceeded to take one near the staircase. Right behind me were a group of 8 girls who were obviously from the Northern or middle part of India. They all spoke fluent Hindi and were dressed like the girls from there. The 8 of them were babes, I must say, although a little too heavy on the makeup.

However they were quite annoyingly loud and obnoxious. The music was on loud and to compensate these chicks were even more louder and laughing in such a dumb manner. I wanted to turn back and tell them to shut the hell up and let me drink my cafe mocha in peace. I didn’t stay long because of the noise and decided to head for home after 20 minutes.

By Roshan • Personal • 0

Jan 10 2008

Memories Of Calicut

I might be going up to Calicut next week with a couple of my colleagues to attend a reunion concert of old Kerala rock band icons 13 AD. The concert is also for the benefit of the Eye Care Foundation and we just need an excuse to rock our asses off. So I hope that we can make it there and since the 19th is a holiday, we see no reason why we can’t go there and have some fun.

roxanne online download Making the plans for going to Calicut started making me think about the 8 months that I spent in that city. Despite the problems with the company that I had joined and the fact that we were not getting paid for our troubles, I still hold mostly fond memories of the place. After I quit the company and packed my bags for home, I went back to Calicut twice. The first was just for 24 hours but the next time was for three days and I had a lot of fun there. Three whole days in which to spend with my friends Mujeeb, Anoop & Shinu and a few bottles of White Mischief vodka.

I’m going to try to post about a few events that happened during my 8 months stay in the city of Calicut over the next few days, hopefully leading up to the 19th and my visiting the city again. That’s a city that I could move permanently to. Yeah I like Calicut a lot!

By Roshan • Personal • 3

Jan 10 2008

Where You Going With That Gun In Your Hand?

I so enjoyed the last clip of Anthony Gomes’ playing and so here’s another one. Watch this guy tear apart the Jimi Hendrix classic, Hey Joe. Great Blues rock, played live in France.

By Roshan • Music, Video Clip • 0

Jan 10 2008

Astroid Collides With A Planet

I’ve just changed my wallpaper a few minutes ago and I’m sharing this with you. If you would like to download this for yourself, either right click on the image and select ‘Save As’ to your hard disk or click this.

By Roshan • Images, Sci Fi • 4

Jan 9 2008

Bong Vodka

How cool are these designer bottles? Designed by some very talented artists, the bottles are of Bong Vodka, made in Holland. Bong Spirit Vodka is only the first product of a new collaborative, the BONG SPIRIT COMPANY. Bong Spirit is a lifestyle that represents self-expression, individuality, with a big nod to the creative arts. It’s about hanging out, listening to your friends perform, spinning records, landing big maneuvers, meeting new people, traveling to new places, all in the name of having fun. The vodka in the bottle comes from a Dutch family that has been producing spirits in Holland for over 150 years. They had previously never distributed it outside of Holland.

By Roshan • Cool Stuff, Drinking • 3

Jan 9 2008

Darkest Before The Dawn

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I was relaxing this morning and watching some clips on Youtube and was listening to this great version of Darkest Before The Dawn performed by blues virtuoso Anthony Gomes in an intimate setting of a record store accompanied only by his bass player Biscuit. Enjoy!

By Roshan • Video Clip • 0

Jan 9 2008

Drinks @ Malabar House

So I just wrapped up another Preprocess Training batch, which consisted of 12 new trainees and I am a little concerned about their caliber. I had to eliminate two candidates because a) they weren’t putting in any effort and b) I was worried that they weren’t suitable, especially the lady. So I finished the assessments and completed my report and mailed it and just as I was completing it, Anil called me up to ask if I was game for a few drinks at Malabar House. I checked to see if I was needed and to see if I could take my weekly off today instead of last Sunday and called him back to say yes.

We agreed on meeting up at Marine Drive and he was waiting outside Coffee Beans for me. We went on his bike to Shenoys junction so that I could take some cash out of the ICICI bank ATM next to the petrol bunk at the junction. While there I saw this girl who I kept staring at, cause I knew that I have met her before. I was hoping that she would look at me and remember me because I sure couldn’t remember from where I know her! I kept trying to come into her view but she was with another girl and they were talking and it looked like a serious conversation so I didn’t want to disturb them. Oh well, she left the ATM with the other girl and then got into an auto, so that was that.

Well as usual, Anil & I went to the rooftop garden bar @ Malabar House and ordered the usual drinks – 2 brandys for him & 2 vodkas for me. We chatted about his girl problems and about Madhu and about stuff that has been happening. We had some pork, cauliflaur, fish & egg and some peanuts. The fish was the best of the lot and we ordered some more drinks too and split a bowl of soup. We ended the evening at Caravan by having an icecream cone for desert and then headed to our respective homes.

I came home and fell asleep almost instantaneously and I woke up with a bloody hangover. So I canceled my plans of going out today and enjoying the city and a little shopping and decided to stay back in and relax.

By Roshan • Friends • 0

Jan 9 2008

Indian Road Traffic

First read Mike Boon‘s post on Indian traffic and watch the clip that he has embedded in it. He had wanted his “one regular reader who lives in India” to give a response to that. So I obliged!

Your “one regular reader of this blog lives in India” has woken up and is going to “chime” in and explain how it works!Mike, its all about where you live and what u have there. The roads are smaller, the British left us with a bitch called bureaucracy and we fed it with steroids. The roads are really bad in some areas and the local bus, taxi & auto drivers here will find driving in a western country a piece of cake! He may even find it a bit boring.

The clip is probably taken in mid-India although I can’t be sure. Organized chaos is right! But that’s the way most cities & towns are in India. You have to learn to go with the flow. My city is terrible at times; you can wait for an hour to cross the roads and get to the other sides. We are a huge population, over-populated in a country which suddenly does not look that big compared to her citizens. Maybe we can start sending some more Indians to Canada to fill in those wide open areas, eh? And let’s start with me! I wish, lol!
So that’s it, too many people, too many bikes, scooters, cars, buses, trucks, autorickshaws, cows, dogs, cats……, is it a wonder that I don’t drive?

Sorry that the comment is too long.

By Roshan • India • 0

Jan 8 2008

The Trainer Rests

Its a little after lunch time, at peace thanks to a good lunch. As I sit at my desk and monitor the trainees practising for an assessment, I thank my lucky stars that I can afford myself aboutÂ 60 mins of rest while my food digests and I relax.

Ah, now its time to get back to work!

By Roshan • Personal • 1

Jan 8 2008

The Holy Grail

The first rule of drinking Vodka Russian style is…, originally uploaded by ilmungo.

The rules of drinking Vodka Russian style are :

1. Vodka is to be drunk always as a shot, never sipped.
2. Vodka is to be drunk always in company, consisting of at least three persons (called a troika, I believe).
3. Vodka is to be drunk with a proper toast preceding the shot, by which we mean that the toast should be a narrative, the more elaborate the better; it is unacceptable to simple state: “cheers” or any such vapid niceties.
4. The drinking of vodka must be follow with a bite of food, preferably a piece of blini or a pickle.
5. Finally, when one person proposes a toast, nobody is allowed to refuse to drink.

By Roshan • Drinking, Images • 2

Jan 7 2008

Mocha Close-up

Mocha close-up, originally uploaded by Nescafe_kw

Oh I really want to have one of these right now!

By Roshan • Coffee, Images • 0

Jan 7 2008

Coffee Cartoons

If you are like me, you need your coffee – morning, noon & evening. I love my coffee, whether it is made at home or whether it is made in a coffee shop. I mark in my mind the small shops where they happen to make good coffee (instant or brewed) so whenever the need for a ‘fix’ comes, I am not lost.