Acadie performed live by producer/singer/musician Daniel Lanois.
Day: October 10, 2011
50 Things To Do In Cochin – Via Priya
Priya, a fellow blogger from my hometown of Cochin, has posted about the 50 things to do if you are ever in this town. While I haven’t done all 50 I do agree with her list. Read her post, while I click off some of the things that I have done. My comments will be in italics.
1. Check the view of the ocean from the rainbow bridge at Marine Drive / Been there many times. I even had my name carved on one of the pillers when I was 17.
3. Absorb the market chatter on the Broadway (parallel road to Marine Drive) / terrible place to drive to. Just park your car elsewhere and walk.
5. Cover the Mattanchery, Jews Street and Fort Kochi area on foot / This is ‘tharavadu area’ where my mum’s family is from and I’ve been there many times.
6. Take a walk around the fish market along the sea in Fort Kochi area / best fried fish you can get in India. They cook fresh catch for you on the spot.
12. Go for a stride along the waterfront at Willingdon Island, next to Taj Malabar – Vivanta. My last visit to the island was with few friends, on a bike which we rented in Ernakulam / Been there few times.
13. Have beer at Taj Malabar – Vivanta, by the waterfront – and watch the sunset. Bliss! / Been there for a couple of parties. Good food & drink.
14. Visit the Synagogue at Jew Street run by the last Jew family left in the city. Do ensure you are wearing full pants and sleeved shirt/t-shirt else you will be denied entry! / It’s a landmark for the city. Visited it twice when I was younger.
15. Visit the Dutch Palace. Interestingly it was built by the Portuguese and only renovated by the Dutch. Soak in the history of Cochin / Kochi here. Check out the mural paintings albeit in poor condition. / It’s a landmark for the city. Visited it twice when I was younger.
17. Learn more about Kerala through a light and sound show at the Kerala history museum, Edapally. / Went there for the full tour on a school trip, grade 9 I think.
20. Visit Durbar Hall Art Gallery on DH Road. Once the official durbar hall of the Kochi Maharajas is now a gallery exhibiting oil paintings, old coins, sculptures,…etc.There is a studio gallery within the complex that promotes works of various artists. Entry is free. / Visited it many times. Quite nice collections.
30. Beautiful traditional Kerala saris can be picked up from Kasavukada, near Fine Arts Hall or Karalkada opposite Pai Brothers on MG Road / members of my family often buy stuff from there and I have been with them on many occasions.
31. Kerala women are popular for their gold, which explains the array of gold shops n MG Road – Bhima, JOSCO, Joy Alukkas, Kirtilal, Alappatt, Francis Allukkas, Tanisq, Geeripai, TribhuvandasZaveri,…etc are all present on this 5km stretch. / total women’s domain. Me & my male cousins remember our childhood passing us by while the ladies discuss, argue & dissect gold ornaments at these shops.
Most of the others are of good food & drinking places of which I have my own tastes and preferences (she does mention a couple of my favs here though). So you know what to do if you are ever in town. And oh yeah, if you are a hot babe, call me!
The Simpsons To Go On For 2 More Years
What could have been a disastrous end to the long running animated series was averted and the Simpsons have been signed on for another 2 more seasons. There was a contract dispute regarding salaries for the actors who voice the yellow family and the others in the Springfield community. Previously, Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright, Julie Kavner, Hank Azaria, Yeardley Smith and Harry Shearer each earned a whopping $8 million US a season, which they say pales in comparison to the profits the studio makes off the show. Fox says that they couldn’t continue making the show, which is the longest running sitcom for the network and for American Television, without cutting costs and that included the voice actors taking pay cuts.
Initially the actors refused to take the pay cut, causing concern that the series may be axed by the network as being too costly to afford. On Friday Shearer said he’d offered to take a 70 per cent pay cut, in exchange for profit participation in the show. The terms of the cast’s new deal were not announced, though The Hollywood Reporter, citing unidentified sources, said the actors accepted a 30 percent pay cut. The new deal secures the show through seasons 24 and 25. The six main voice actors behind the cartoon juggernaut agreed to undisclosed but substantial per-episode salary cuts, though not as steep as the 45 percent Fox TV had been demanding, to ensure that the 23-season-old staple would continue through a landmark 25th. Thought what will happen beyond 2014 is anyone’s guess.
I wouldn’t complain if the show came to a close; and that is only because it will have had a run of 25 years which is awesome and I doubt if it can ever be repeated. Sure there are soaps and other crap that run for many decades which I would never watch unless you gave me a million dollars (I’d sleep with your daughter for that money) but something as good as The Simpsons will never happen again. I won’t be sad cause I would have 25 seasons worth of stuff to keep me company. Later this month I plan to get a copy of seasons 1-18 that is being offered at a huge discounted rate in a store in the city. 18 seasons worth of Simpsons averaging around 22 episodes per season. With the 25 seasons, it should keep me company and in good humour until my death.