a century ago

some very significant things, that took place, a hundred years ago:

• Britain finally adopted an Indian Standard Time.. thus setting into motion, a century long struggle, for the college student, to arrive in class, on TIME
• Rolls Royce was officially registered.. and true beauty and snobbishness, made a graceful merger, a long long time, after cleopatra's passing away( AHH! What a pretty nose!)
• The Great Earthquake of San Francisco, happened. and i am not such an inhuman beast, to make a triviality, of such a tragedy.
• the first Phonographic Player, called the Victorola, was manufactured. think of it as the first steps of man, before he WALK(man)ed away, to the gradens to music, to pluck the delicate (I) Pods
• SOS was internationally adopted as a distress call.. and dolphins were laughing, at how, despite all our so called " Intelligence", the only language, on the high seas, were CLICKS
• the first Commercial feature film, called " the story of the Kelly Gang" was released. and thus, people unfit for any other decent job, suddenly found themselves, fully occupied and paid, for not doing anything noteworthy, but just bitch in general. we also call them Movie Critics..
• The All India Muslim League was formed. and so, Sunny Deol could, ninety years later, make a comeback, and shout his lungs out, and indian music composers no longer had to feel guilty about lifting western music. oh, and we became a nation of great batsmen..

much thanks to wiki, for making this possible..

A Civil Right Part 1

Well, this post is strictly aimed at a very niche junta.. I know that most of you might feel this post is not worth your while, to go through, so go ahead and skip this. This is serious fanboy stuff here.

Now, ordinarily, being the only guy in my class, who actively spends hours online, to keep track with what the comic book industry is dishing out these days( I think), I am accustomed to being the outcast.

So yeah, I did identify with Peter Parker and ilk, way back in school. Which resonates with most comic geeks, I know.

And being in India, was a toughie, as the DC and Marvel issues we got in libraries, were old stuff. I mean , I even read an old issue, with the 1^st appearance of Superboy in it.

That issue is now worth a cool 50K $, but I never told my librarian that.. anyways, I was on the verge of quitting on comics for good. Cos most stories were meting out the same thing over and over again. I had also almost quit on Bruce Wayne, when they healed his broken back overnight, and Peter Parker, when the awful Clone saga started.

So, till 2003, I kept in touch with the continuity, intermittently, but still, querying FTP servers, for old issues.

But last 3 years, saw a renaissance of sorts. First off, I think Jim Lee is the best thing to happen to comics, since Frank Miller. I fell in love with Selina Kyle, again( for like 3^rd time), after reading HUSH.

I seriously recommend it to people, who aren’t remotely interested in comics, to go through it, for the artwork alone.

Then, Marvel unleashed the powerful, gripping House of M. I mean the characterization was on the lines of what we read, in good novels. And for once, a big crossover, had a serious repercussion on the comic universe( after 84, when the Crisis on Infinite Earths, wiped out BILLIONS of people).

I mean, the biggest change was, that the mutants, were down to a real MINORITY for a long long time.

Then, DC came up with the Infinite Crisis, which has thankfully removed all the darkness that had crept into the comics industry. Face it, most children wouldn’t feel right, reading the stories that were written upto 2004.

And now DC has 52 which is slowly unfolding into a beautiful piece of comic storytelling.

But, now back to the relevance to the photo on top. Read part 2 below..

A Civil Right Part 2

Marvel has started the best crossover of all time, titled Civil War. Why?

For a change, the two sides battling it out, aren’t villains Vs the Heroes. Oh no..

For the first time, it’s HEROES VS HEROES..

Beat that DC..

Well, the story line goes something like, due to certain events, unfolding in the marvel universe, the American government makes it mandatory for super heroes to register with the government or not operate at all.

Which effectively meant, that unless you complied with the government, you were an outlaw.

Which kind of resonates with the Patriot Act.

So, there are two sides. One Pro registration, and one anti Registration. And unlike regular comics, the split goes right into the heart of the Superheroes tribe.

Some, like Iron Man and Spiderman, are for registration, and join with the US government.

And, the biggest result of this, is that PETER PARKER REVEALS HIS IDENTITY TO THE WORLD!!!!

Now, I have never seen an action with such ramifications, for a long long time.

And for the greatest irony, the celebrated World War veteran, that American icon, the man with the red white and blue on his dress, and the star on his shield, Captain America, decides not to register!!

So, now, the government and it’s registered supers, are on a hunt, to round off all the dissenters.

Meanwhile, Cap is trying to gather those who feel like him, and have an army of sorts.

It’s leading up to something really big.. and the thing is, the basic concept is about the dilemma we all face. Where do we draw the dividing line, between subservience to the state, and individual conscience..

And what are the foundations of friendships? How will you treat someone, who disagrees with you, on a core level?

The writing is fanatabulous, artwork is tops, and the pacing is brilliant. I just hope, that they are able to end it on a satisfying level.

Marvel has redeemed my faith in comics.

And yeah, the geek in me still lives on...

the hidden secret

you know, amidst all the hype, about the tremendous BOMB blast, at a prominent VC's residence recently,( which turned out, not to be a bomb, after all), one detail in the world around us, got unnoticed.

save for the dedicated brethren, who still uphold, the centuries hallowed tradition, of bunking college and dredging their way, to the cinema, closest to their coll, none else, have bothered to note, the alarming rise, in ticket costs, all around chennai.

before you brush it off, as a one off thing, only at satyam, let me assure you, that even at the best theaters, like udayam, and Kasi, one can now purchase, what was once, a Princely,40 bucks, wow you must be rich, box seat, for a now, you definitely need a credit card, 70 BUCKS!!! and at satyam, it's fairly simple. you just pay twice as much as you used to, to come out and crib about the movie later on.

and on a side note, for the last 2 days, there is no ZEE sports on air, even as i speak.. just as teh tri series is going on..

something smells fishy here you know.. and it's not just karawadu

anniversary

yeah, it's true.. despite what you might have thought, and all the misgivings that i might have had, archiry continues on, for another year..

and i owe it all, to all those, who didn't read me first 30 posts, something which would have prompted a setting up of stop this blog community, on orkut...

too late, those ridiculous posts are lost to humanity forver.. cos better sense prevailed( for once), and i deleted those first attempts of mine...

as a sample though, there are a few weaker ones, thAT i have left untouched...

so, a year on, what has changed?

well, for starters, no one would have believed it back then, but months have gone by, without any india matches.. imagine, our players complaining, that they arent getting enough matches!!!

Darrell, Zizou and Agassi, were Hair today, and gone tomorrow( though the exits were remarkably different, in nature and grace).. and if reports are to be believed( OH, SAY IT AIN'T SO, PLEEEEAAAASE!!!!) Michael has lost the drive, and politely said F! to motorsport( yeah, go ahead agnostic guy, ur sarcasm is awaited :) )

Superman Return(ed) to earth, to find that the world has gone by, and learned to live without him.. and that no one welcomes him, anymore.. and i am not just talking about the movie's script here, oh no..

the Left continues to play that child's game, we call In/Out, with the congress.. and the Bechaara Jungli Politicians watch on helplessly, sunk into the ground, by a " Mole" in their midst..

TamilNadu said "AMMA stop that" , and moved onto younger leaders( HAAH!! Like that's gonna ever happen!!)

Preity Zinta's hubby goes abroad for 2 years, without returning, and she gives birth to a superboy... this logic, Krrishi se mat kehna..

and poor female, has to lose a husband, to a frigid ice queen(Ash got competition, at last), and no one felt bad... in fact, a friend of mine said " Kabhi Karan Na Kehna"

the Pm's Nuclear Energy deal blew up in his place... catty sources said the idea was destined to bomb out, in the first place..

we still have no idea, what Sonia Gandhi really looks like, after that famous " i listened to my inner voice" , which , some say, exclaimed " Mama Mia"...

Natwar Singh remains a foreign neta, within the congress.

TN is the only state, where rice is cheap.. 2 per Kilo.. beat that, anyone?

on a personal note,

my weight chart went haywire, like a ship in a stormy sea.
my hairline is showing remarkable rates of decceleration.. in fact, it's just 200 Mph short of creating a sonic boom.
and my heart still lies safely ensconced within the confines of my chest, much to my friends eternal suspicion and disbelief..

so, all in all, not a bad year.. best thing of course, was that Lara Croft made a smashing return to the console, and to my heart.. that of course, is the subject of my other blog( ZZT!! shameless plug)..

so, thanks y'all, for reading and commenting.

know this,

no matter who you are, or where you are,

DONT TRY THIS, ON YOUR BLOG!!
;)