ZooZoo

You must have noticed those cute and funny and seemingly animated characters  which many mistake for alien like creatures in the advertisements of Vodafone on tv during IPL 2 Season.

One distinct feature of these characters is the white overall’s , fat bellies, disproportional heads and limbs, and dots for eyes n mouths.

But as a matter of fact, these Zoozoo characters which are used for ads of various value added services of Vodafone are infact Real people dressed up in costumes.

In a first in the indian advertising industry, Ad film maker Prakash  Varma [ Nirvana Films] chose a unique and innovative concept straight out of the book i.e. focusing on the product and the services being offerred rather than getting lots of glam and glitz who actually take away  the ad’s focus towards themselves. Varma who has directed these commercials and reveals that the Zoozoos were a big challenge to create, and mostly women stage actors and occasionally children were used .

The important aspect is that since Zoozoos speak gibberish and walk in a particularly funny way which mimics humans in a variety of ways often exaggerating what real people do. The practical aspects of how they will move, talk, gesticulate and emote were very important. Hence, costume design and artwork were crucial elements.

zoozoo's star

The backdrop of these ads is fairly simple to avoid attention being diverted to other subjects.

Such is the craze with Zoozoo that Vodafone ads are among the most watched videos on YouTube and there are over 50,000 Zoozoo fans on Facebook.

Vodafone has been innovative in its ad campaigns ,  every1 still remembers the cute lil pug in the Hutch ads which “ goes wherever you go “.

In constrast to Airtel which offers better services and is a much larger market share holder and bigger player, Vodafone inspite of being a new entrant has done something which people are actually taking notice of.

We do remember the Airtel jingle which A.R. Rahman composed which was very very hummable , but apart from that getting stars / celebs to do ads doesnt work wonders for products at the end of the day, unless they are cosmetics.

lolz i guess many corporates will want to skin me alive now…

I stumbled across this Blog “Rabbism” which has an amazing collection of Rabbi Songs and i must admit, the lyrics are vey meaningful , the depth of the meaning of some of the verses being so touching that it makes u stop and ponder .

The lovelorn  aching heart and the way the verses depict the longing for the beloved is brilliant, something which lingers with you for days after yo’ve listened and understood the song.  A mesmerizing all time Fav song in my list.

The second and the last stanza’s are the best according to me.

http://rabbism.blogspot.com/2005/07/tere-bin-rabbi-shergill-lyrics.html

Going by the happy go lucky mantra ” Live and let live” and ” Life is short and live it to the fullest “  is how we commonly avoid thinking about this topic.  Mostly because Theists’s believe in god and religion.Now i dont have anything against them, i partly do believe in religion , but i have my doubts, making me an agnostic . But inspite of all this you do wonder about death and the life thereafter [ if any ] or death as the act of creation and all.

Well lets get to the point with the movie review..now , all of the above is what i felt after i saw this movie .

The Fountain (2006)

Cast : Hugh Jackman , Rachel Weisz

Directed by: Darren Aronofsky

Music : Clint Mansell

Genre : Science Fiction / Fantasy

“Death is the road to awe.”

How many movies would contain that line? Visually entrancing, peppered with thought-provoking moments.

The mesmerizing yet hauntingly scored music by Clint Mansell and the Kronos Quartet, The Fountain is aan intense and fantabulous movie , nevertheless far from flawless.

I’ve watched it 4 times, and still feel the plot is in a shorthand / cipher to the writers.

Writer/director Darren Aronofsky says the film is not meant to provide answers, but to raise the big questions: “trying to find out the reason of why we’re here and what is life and what is love. And what happens when you die?  Does love  sustain in the event of death .

 These are questions that people have been asking since the beginning of time,” says Aronofsky. This is very serious and inspirng cinema that gets people thinking… I can’t criticize that. Some of my favorite moments:

Hugh Jackman’s Spanish Conquistador faces eighty Mayan warriors, single-handly charges them as he pledges, “I will not die, not here, not now, never!” I can’t but think how many countless warriors have died thinking the same thought….

Rachel Weisz laying in the hospital bed dying from a brain tumor describing how she felt during a seizure, “I wasn’t afraid. When I fell, I was full.”

Hugh Jackman’s astronaut’s weeping realization that, “I’m gonna die,” that delivers him (and all life) from the bondage of fear of death.

Hugh Jackman’s scientist loses his wedding ring in the the start of the film  before he goes into the operation .

Hugh Jackman’s Middle age Conquistador getting the ring from ( Rachel Weisz ) the Spanish queen, and being told that he is to wear the ring when he has found Eden [ the Tree of Life ] and that she would be his Eve and that together they will live forever and He is to Deliver Spain from Bondage   .

Hugh Jackman’s Middle Ages Conquistador loses the ring after drinking the tree sap from the Tree of Life as new trees Grow over his body and he dies.

Hugh Jackman’s monk Astronaut  [who is travelling in a Bio Ecospheric future Space craft towards a dying Nebula called the Xibalba ] , having visions / hallucinations of his lost love [ Isabella / Izzi] who urges him to Finish it, i.e. Finish the Manuscript of the Book Izzi in the modern day was writing before her death.Here one wonders whether the astronaut has been travelling for years and still his love for Izzi has survived, the concept of Eternal Love is hinted at.

Finally the Hugh Jackman’s monk Astronaut wearing the ring given to the Middle Age Conquistador by the Spanish queen [ Rachel Weisz] and and entering the dying star at peace with the thought of his imminent death and that after death he will be united with his love forever. Touche` i’d say.

For me, the film is a mixute about facing death and transcending our fear , a story of eternal love, the resurrection of life through death, a psychedelic science fiction story, or even a muddled mess.

Overall I’d give it a very good 8 out of 10,Must watch category for its brilliant script and critical impeccability, how ever i’m not very sure whether most of the folks will sit through this though its a kewl movie.

I’d also want to mention that the Music is Really something that lingers onto you for days after u’ve heard it , a definite recommendation for movie score lovers.

Do let me know what you feel about this movie. I’d like to hear ur comments.

Ciao for now..

Hello folks

Its been quite a while since i last posted, partly because i had nothing to post and partly because i didnt bother.Anyways blogging is all about writing about something when u feel you have to……right .So welcome back dudes n dudettes and all the new junta in here.

Was recently watching TV and heard this song ” Rock On” from the new movie Rock On, now i dont know how many of you have watched Lakshya { yeah the hrithik roshan starrer ,Farhan Akhtar’s kargil flick} and how many of you remember the scene where a really hard cliff rock climbing is shown.So is u remember well, there is this rock band playing in the background score.

Now i guess Farhan Akhtar decided to make his film debut, he was sure he didnt want it look phoney…so he decided to sing the songs himself[ well a few of them atleast] after all the movie was about a group of guys, a rock band and all… so most of the actors cxan actually play those instruments which i think is a first in any Hindi Movie .

You must be wondering wat the heck…kya faltu me story sunai shuru me…. actually i’m sure farhan akhtar liked the background score from the ascent wala scene in Lakshya and so he put a song with that and trust me it does sound pretty great.

The second song is ” Socha hai ” which has the that familiar rock badn tinge to it, which if u’ve been to gig’s and all back in campuses… or rather the present day campuses.

The lyrics are hummable too, but the song has got this new original feel which bands from pakistan and some singles from India have been delighting us with.
The movie is all about 4 friends who have ambitions of making it big as a rock band…unforeseen events and personal problems cause them to ditch the dream and proceed, but then there comes this stage in life when all of us realize that we get our life just this once and hence we want out live our lives to the fullest, they gang back together and start jamming again.

The ” bindaas ” carefree attitude of the rockers in even when they are faced with choosing either their careers or music is well etched, and constant dilemma that people have { choosing over having a great fun filled life vs Career and money} is the theme of the film which i think everyone can relate to, and its also about friendship and life and dosti yaari …so its definitely worth a watch.

So all the very Best to The Rock ON Team ..

I do think that this movie could be a Dil Chahta hai -2 , in terms that it could lead to loads of junta going on roadtrips and rock bands and buddy gangs , funky accessories , new hair do’s and stuff like that….ciao..

Check both the songs out.

Enjoy…Cheers…

p.s:- I cant seem to upload the songs, can anyone tell me how this is done on wordpress.i mean when i try to upload audio [ i dont get the option of uploading mp3 or wma files.

Surely there’s more to life than just doing all this routine crap , is the purpose of life just to work for others..?? or maybe just live a good life and be dead once game’s up?? Or live it just for the sake of doing it ??

So i ended up remembering a poem. It is considered one of the most inspirational poems ever and has been authored by HariVansh Rai Bachchan [Bachchan Sr]

 Here it is:-

Lehron se Darkar nauka par nahin hoti,
koshish karne walon ki haar nahin hoti

Nanhi cheenti jab daana lekar chalti hai,
chadhti deewaron par, sau bar phisalti hai.
Man ka vishwas ragon mein saahas bharta hai,
chadhkar girna, girkar chadhna na akharta hai.
Akhir uski mehnat bekar nahin hoti,
koshish karne walon ki haar nahin hoti.

Dubkiyan sindhu mein gotakhor lagata hai,
ja ja kar khali haath lautkar aata hai
Milte nahi sahaj hi moti gehre paani mein,
badhta dugna utsah isi hairani mein.
Muthi uski khali har bar nahin hoti,
koshish karne walon ki haar nahi hoti.

Asaflta ek chunauti hai, ise sweekar karo,
kya kami reh gayi, dekho aur sudhar karo.

Jab tak na safal ho, neend chain ko tyago tum,
Sangharsh ka maidan chhodkar mat bhago tum.
Kuch kiye bina hi jai jaikar nahin hoti,
koshish karne walon ki haar nahin hoti.

– Harivansh Rai Bacchan

So this is to all the ”STAGS” out there like me who enjoy their lives as they wish and also to the female readers,who are understanding enough that they even bother to check this out[so please take this in light humour ]…here goes:-

1. Save Time :-  The biggest truth, you can have the whole of ur time for urselves, no more time spent on shopping or listening to coochie talk….:)..or picking her up, and did we forget the shopping sport : statutory warning– shopping is not a sport and it is injurious to ur wallet.
2. Can sleep well:-  yeah practially speaking i’ve seen friends of mine getting up at 2 am to pick these calls…plus when u wrk more in the night and then ur girl calls u up in the morning to give u those sweet wakeup calls ….when all u want is to be bloody left alone to doze off for another hour or so.
3. Don’t have to worry about missed calls :- 10 missed calls == hallelujah……the devil save ur arse….coz some 1 is very very angry.
4. Don’t have to worry about how you look :- pajamas to the mall–who cares, not shaven for a week= not to worry, need a haircut– dont be silly.
5. Can eat in any restaurant :- better order pizza at ur place and do the  “dale raho==not getting up the entire day”..or have milk and biscuits or dont even bother about doing anything at all…..
6. No boring SMS in the middle of the night :- couples are like chocolates made in factory , everything seems alike but each one ends up differently……..kya…??? i bet u didnt get it ……right???? not to worry neither did i….
7. Can talk to all girls :- i’ll give u the killer alterantive, u can stare at all gals….& i mean it..those bombshell gals u just saw at the movies, the girl in the elevator, the one next to ur cubicle, the lass in ur class, ur neighbourhood chick……everything goes ……
8. You wont hear “Awww, you are dull today:- am i now…?? wat crap…this makes me feel like i’m chicken….like i’m the side dish to a certain main course of a 3 course meal….dont u…???
9. Can go anywhere with anyone :- remember those boy’s night outs..okay i need’nt be gender specific…remember those gals night out ….okay okay remember the friends party….or the roadtrip with colleages.
10. Don’t have to listen to same old crap jokes :- i cud’nt find any dumb jokes to fit in here, so if u have anything  good enough, do let me know.

Bonus:You will live a longer life….so enjoy folks……

As a courtsey to all folks who’re not so single , i think i may have to do a ” 10 advantages of having a girlfriend” post sometime.

Happy New Year all…….enjoy…

cheers…!!!!!!

Well i just got lucky enough…had a friend’s wedding….which i was more than glad to attend..because i used to hate weddings as a kid….i found them simply too melodramatic and boring….and so  had shied away from weddings for a really long time, but that was 7-8 years ago.And in case any of u folks are wondering….i’m just 23 for godsake…and totally uninterested in  marriage……[ and moreover i'd have to find a female in the 1st place...]

And anyways i could’nt dare say “NO ” to my pal and get shot for not coming….LOL….and add to that, this was going to be a College reunion of sorts..so i could’nt escape…and moreover i did’nt want to this time. 

i was dreading that this would be another of those boring trips , when u spent the majority of ur time dozing off…

and thats when one of my pals suddenly figured out that that i was going to turn 23 on the way back i.e. at midnight….and evry1 was eager to get our asses moving…me included.

I got a few really gr8 pictures along the way …and who on earth says India is not beautiful, and is always filled with filth and dirt….well those who say so….u guys are wrong..Blatantly wrong…!!!

Okay so i’ll cut the crap and move with post…..well the wedding was a big hit….considering that i was being a whiny ass earlier….but actually  i really enjoyed the whole thing…The DJ being very good, food and ofcourse

 Coming back to the post….well we started out in the morning [ Yeah i did take a bath..i was going to a wedding for christsake...LOl ] ..it was a 7 hour drive…took just 4 breaks ……and yeah we found this little stream by one of the highways….i was thinking of taking a dip…but that would have meant another delay. Anyways there was also this ” spot the hottest girl around contest” 

whoever managed to take a snap of the most beautiful lass seen while on the road…without us having to stop would win…and obviously since i was not careful enough…i did’nt win…LOl…so me n my buddy had to treat the winner to a beer..

Post breakfast..we managed to take a few snaps….we had almost a year of catching up to do..since all of us college buddies had’nt seen each other for a year…..so the blaring music was replaced with some music which u listen to when on long drives…one of these tracks being a few ghazals ” Koi Fariyad ” was played a lil too many times……interspersed with slow tracks by The Corrs and Maksim and the Summer of 69…okay we were all nostalgic about college…

We stopped for quick lunch….but eventually ended up eating a unusually large lunch…i’m must tell u…after having travelled India north to south and all over central India and the east…[onlyBihar n W Bengal]..that some of the most delicious food is served in numerous roadside dhabas [ like the one above ] which u find in the middle of nowhere on the National and state Highways. Just so that u people know, we initally had panner tandoori masala and matar malai palak..it was finger lickin good [thank u for the tagline KFC]….but could’nt help ourselves and asked for kadhai Paneer….all this coupled with roti’s , butter and mint chutney was like heaven. When u’ve stayed away from Mom’s food for 4-5 years..and one day get food like this…u just cant help urselves…i know u must have started cursing me…for mentioning all that….and feeling hungry by now….!!!!!

All 3 of us were overloaded …but we got half a dozen aloo paranthe packed for the road ……..in case we got hungry again!!!!! …..which we obviously were by another 2 hours….this was when we had the big fight…..ofcourse…evry1 wanted to doze off…but some1 had to stay awake, some1 had to drive…. but after a meal like that ….u feel like u wanna hit the bed instantaneously.

Okay i was the one who lost the toss and remained awake …..but i took this opportunity in finishing off half the aloo paranthe with pickles…..the poor blokes who woke up later looked at me with threatning eyes… but were told to piss off….coz i was the one who had to stay up and drive….right ppl…???  lol

we got to the wedding by 2 pm.I wont go into the wedding details except that we did eventully manage to eat the feast…coz after dancing like anything for 3 hours in the “baraat”  procession i managed to digest a lot…

The wedding over….we all bid farewell to the new couple ….our chum and the new bhabhi…and yeah i was the one who was given the task of handing the groom the contraceptives….[ Thank heavens , i did'nt mention any names here..] or i would have been killed…..surely.

We left at 11 pm…another pal of ours hitching a ride with us on the wayback….

I was really sleepy and dozed off[ having eaten like a fatso and dancing like an animal]…..so did the 3 others in the back..but then suddenly it was 12 a.m….

We parked by the side of the National Highway 3..fully deserted ….not even a light in sight except for the moon….and nothing available in a radius of 30 Kms….

So as was the norms in our Engg days…i  was dragged out …and given the birthday bombs[read kicks on the butt]…..My back and ass are still sore as i type this….

And since nothing else was available.. bottles of mineral water were emptied on my head….i’ll tell u here that the temperature outside was freezing….but who listens to the birthday boy anyways!!!!!!

But for a second i thought i was back in college in 2006….the parties , the friends, the mayhem and din….i felt nostalgic….but then there were rounds of ” Happy Birthday yaar/buddy/mate” , before the birthday bombs ” Round II”.

But this was one of the best and most weirdest and wackiest things i’d ever done in a while…try this sometime….and i assure u…its really great…[ okay stop sniggering, i'm talking about the roadtrip birthday and not the kicks on the butt]

Then came the calls…..many of them…i really hate the guy who hit upon the idea of roaming….not that i spoke on the phone any less….The next stop was a small tea stall…and the b’day celebrations were nothing but a ” cut chai” at 3 a.m. and cold buicuits[ Nothing else was available] & the company of old buddies…and ofcourse the small fire for warming ur hands…  We got back at 5:30 a.m….and went to sleep.By the time i got up, it was a 1 pm…And i had to catch a train back to Delhi in 2 hours…so packed everything and a quick lunch later i was on the Train…the Intercity Exp. The rest of my 23rd B’day was spent on the train [ read uneventful n boring except for friends calling up and wishing me....i again hate the guy who introduced Roaming] till i disembarked at 7 a.m. the next morning…

Thinking for a moment …i went on a journey and came back older………now i’m no philosopher, so i leave u with this….so thats it for this post..

ciao….

This is my first post on WordPress, not that i’m new to blogging altogether.

This is a blog that will be a bit different from the last one i had. So basically i’m starting all over again…

Just taking in the general feel of how different is this from the blogger for now..Posts will follows…

 Scratch scratch…hmmm i guess i’d rather import a few posts….wondering…!!!!

 ciao all…

p.s:- good to see that u have shown up..thanx a ton

FACTS : When J.K.Rowling confirmed the title of her 7th and final installment in the Harry Potter Series as “Harry Potter And the Deathly Hallows” on December 22 in 2006, the world was gripped in yet another Potter mania.

This can be guaged just from the mere number of hits sites like amazon.com recieved ,for giving eager fans a chance to reserve their copy of the final showdown to be released on 21st of July 2007.

More than anything this sparked off a string of Harry Potter Book 7 leaked version [mostly PDF's and .doc files]all claiming to be rough drafts and unedited versions of Rowling’s original manuscript.

Within days of this rumour spreading like wildfire there were franctic internet searches by all die hard Potter fans worthy of their name to google and ask the internet of all leaked or drafted versions of the 7th and final book.

The phenomenon is unprecedented. There are at least 20 book-7 versions out there, some in Greek n Italian. Never before in the history of literature has an author been FAKED with this magnitude.Faking an author is a brand new phenomenon; we are talking “Potter Forgers!”.Well keeping in mind the kind of revenue that is underlying with the release of this whole book, this is taken to astronomical heights.And we’re talking about the final part of a Mega series that has been in Print and Cinema for over 10 years now.The hype is surreal.

I have been searching and reading all leaks of book 7 plus fanfics, okay i have to admit here , that initially i was’nt much of a Potter enthusiast myself, but not untill i started reading the different versions of the leaked books and some of the Fanfics , now i’m in.

 On hindsight i thought i’d post two very interesting and funny versions which i found during my long hours of potter fanfic xploration.No matter how much we may disregard these writers, but the fact remains that they have brought out the inherent values we wished some of our characters had and provided an alternative version of the same story.We will always be grateful to JKR for this series.

So go check these out….

Warning:- These are not for minors..yeah..so if any minors reading these..u do so on your own risk…

http://www.diagonally.org/Fiction/op=show/kid=136.html

 and one that i found at phoenixsong.net

http://www.phoenixsong.net/fanfiction/story/1275/

I have a thing for Bass guitar bands, Jal has been one of my favourite Bands for a few years now.

Bikhra Hoon Main is a superbly composed song , which strikes a chord somewhere in everyone’s heart.

Then ,some months back i stumbled across their webpage, and i must admit it is well maintained for INDO-PAKI regional Band. Really…!!!!!!!

And guess what, they let u download the finest quality music from their website …………. for free… yeah u read right for FREE……..!!!!!

Bikhra Hoon Main is an extended version of “Aadat” following the same composition; the song beautifully portrays human emotions of a struggling mind which refuses to give up and strives to start afresh.

Check out the Lyrics.

Bikhra Hoon Main — Aadat
[ JAL The Band]

Maana bikhra hoon main abhi, main ne khwab piroye they…..
teri sansaun mein gum hoon abhi, meri chahat adhoori hai…..

Mushkilein jab bhi aa jayengi, dard hadd se guzar jayega
Koi gham na phir hoga mujhe,gar khwabon me tum aaoge

Ab to aadat si hai mujhko aisey jeene mein…….

Durr jitna bhi tum mujh se, paas tere main…

ab to aadat si hai mujh ko aise jeene mein
—————————————————
AADAT has always been a song close to my heart… the kind of guitar played is simply awesome….

Dont believe me hear it for urself @

http://www.jalfanclub.com/websiteV2/audio_gallery.html

 or at

http://www.jaltheband.com/

Cheers ..!!!