The Kite Runner... A Tale of Broken, Fallen Dreams

Two nights of insomnia is all I needed to finish this mind gripping novel by Khaled Hosseini.

The Kite Runner (film)

Narrated by Karim, the son of an affluent and respected businessman, The Kite Runner is a nostalgic account of childhood, of days spent picking juicy pomegranates, munching dried mulberries and walnuts, and running across street markets in the suburbs of Kabul during a time prior to the reign of blood, before words like communism, the Roussi or the Taliban had begun to plague the people of Afghanistan. But Karim and his loyal friend Hassan soon learn that the happiness of childhood is as ephemeral as the wings of a butterfly. Evil strikes on the most important day of their lives, tearing them apart and leaving behind an emptiness, a guilt that will haunt Karim for life. It is this bundle of memories that Karim takes with him when he sets off to find a better life in California as yet another Afghan refugee. Decades later, when Karim discovers "a way to be good again", he is forced to return to the land of his birth, 'the soil of his ancestors'. The novel gathers pace as he sets out on this adventure in 'modern' Afghanistan.

It felt as if I was right there, strolling the streets of this forlorn city, amongst the sun scorched alleys and "adobe walls", reminiscing the recent past of a nation that had once had hopes and dreams of betterment. It inspired in me a sense of the desperation that clings to every aspect of life in Afghanistan.

The Kite Runner is not only a heart warming story of love, friendship and 'blood', but also a reflection of the ways of the people of Afghanistan and the dark and bitter history of their nation.

A Blood Curdling Dance: BLACK SWAN

About twice a year, you come across a story that leaves you absolutely awestruck. Last night, I watched Black Swan, a motion picture based on the timeless classic ballet Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky, and I am still haunted by the silent music that drifts through my being.
Black Swan is the story of the young, beautiful and talented ballerina, Nina, whose passion and dedication to dance has opened up the curtains of opportunity. The leading role of the Swan Queen in the dance company’s enactment of Swan Lake is within her grasp, but to realize her dreams she must fight hard, amidst her sister dancers’ envious treachery, and defeat the inner demons that plague her. Shy and anxious, she is vulnerable at the hands of the maestro and her wild and haughty competitor, Lily. Plunging into a sea of confusion and carnal lust, she ‘loses herself’ in the dance of her life. As her struggle for perfection overcomes her, she splits from sanity and delves into a darkness only she understands, bringing the tragic desperation of the swan queen alive, in her own being.
This captivating and hauntingly vivid portrayal of passion and defeat, Black Swan, is a dark and lustful experiment of psychology.

Things To Do Before I Die

courtesy www.bucketquiz.com

• Throw a huge party and invite every one of your friends.
• Swim with a dolphin.
• Skydive.
• Have your portrait painted.
• Learn to speak a foreign language and make sure you use it.
• Go skinny-dipping at midnight in the South of France.
• Be an extra in a film.
• Tell someone the story of your life, sparing no details.
• Make love on a forest floor.
• Make love on a train.
• Learn to roller blade. DONE 
• Own a room with a view.
• Brew your own beer/wine.
• Buy a round-the-world air ticket and a rucksack, and run away.
• Go and buy your mother flowers.
• Send a message in a bottle.
• Ride a camel into the desert.
• Plant a tree. DONE 
• Write a fan letter to your all-time favorite hero or heroine.
• Enjoy the sight of the Taj Mahal under a full moon.
• Fall deeply in love -- helplessly and unconditionally. DONE Oh, I am...
• Ride the Trans-Siberian Express across Asia.
• Write the novel you know you have inside you.
• Go to Walden Pond and read Thoreau while drifting in a canoe.
• Drink beer at Oktoberfest in Munich.
• Shower in a waterfall. DONE 
• Learn to play a musical instrument with some degree of skill. in the process 
• Teach someone illiterate to read.
• Write down your personal mission statement, follow it, and revise it from time to time.
• See a lunar eclipse. DONE Definitely want to do it again...
• Spend New Year's in an exotic location. DONE My home is exotic!
• Get passionate about a cause and spend time helping it, instead of just thinking about it.
• Experience weightlessness.
• Sing/play a great song in front of an audience.
• Drive across America from coast to coast.
• Make a complete and utter fool of yourself.
• Write your will.
• Sleep under the stars.
• Take a ride on the highest roller coaster in the country.
• Go wild in Rio during Carnival.
• Spend a whole day reading a great novel. DONE that's what I do as a hobby
• Forgive your parents.
• Learn to juggle with three balls.
• Drive the Autobahn.
• Find a job you love.
• Spend Christmas on the beach drinking pina coladas.
• Overcome your fear of failure.
• Raft through the Grand Canyon.
• Donate money and put your name on something: a college scholarship, a bench in the park.
• Buy your own house and then spend time making it into exactly what you want.
• Grow a garden.
• Spend three months getting your body into optimum shape.
• Drive a convertible with the top down and music blaring.
• Accept yourself for who you are.
• Learn to use a microphone and give a speech in public.
• Scuba dive off Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
• Go up in a hot-air balloon.
• Attend one really huge rock concert.
• Give to a charity -- anonymously. DONE 
• Let someone feed you peeled, seedless grapes. DONE Amma...
• Fart in a crowded space.
• Make love on the kitchen floor.
•  Visit Alaska.
• Create your own web site. DONE
• Visit the Holy Land. DONE Earth is the Holy Land
• Run to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
• Ski.
• Go to Wacken.
• Run a marathon.
• Look into your child's eyes, see yourself, and smile.

Hacking a Menu

A few months ago, my friend Nirmani and I had a lunch disaster! We cooked pasta and potatoes in the same white sauce and had no gravy to go with it. We made the mistake of cooking two different starchy staple foods. We figured that our meal didn't look as appetizing as we had hoped and made our second mistake- we BAKED BOTH dishes in the microwave oven.
The situation was much worse than it sounds. We were left with big white lumps of starch that we really had to struggle to swallow. Recently I remembered this incident and thought about what had gone wrong- we had cooked a meal without a menu!
Yes, a menu is definitely more important than the amateur cook would imagine. Even if you cook a dozen delicious dishes, but have no menu, a theme that binds the different items of the meal together, the final result will not be filling.
Coming up with a menu is not complicated at all and requires only a little creative thinking. You just need to pay attention to the following three points: GOD

• The Guests

The number of people is important for two different reasons. First and foremost, you need to prepare not only the food but also space, utensils and napkins etc. for the number of people you are going to host. You also need to decide which items can be efficiently prepared, considering the cost as well as  time for preparation. Additionally, you need to consider the preferences of your guests. For example, there might be vegetarians or kids who don't like too much of spice. So your menu will need to match your Guests.

• The Occasion

So what's cooking? Is it breakfast, lunch or dinner? How is the mood of the diners? Will everyone be hungry or will some small nibbles do? What is the weather like? Where and how will the food be served? Will it be a full-blown buffet, a simple TV dinner or a snack on-the-go?

• The Dishes

Unity is what holds the dishes in a menu together. And here are two simple tips to avoid disharmony:

• DO NOT REPEAT ingredients

Tomato soup, Pasta with tomato sauce and a tomato salad as a side dish is a bad idea.

• DO NOT REPEAT cooking techniques

There are so many techniques to choose from- stir fry, deep fry,grill, bake, roast, stew, boil, steam, saute, poach etc. Add some variety!
With G.O.D. you just can't go wrong!!!

The Maestro Of Comedy: George Carlin

George Carlin

When George Carlin teamed up with Jack Burns for a small performance in a coffee house in Fort Worth, TX, his life had been far from jolly. He was born in 1937, in Manhattan. In his later years he would frequently refer to his memories of the 'white harlem' and his Irish Catholic upbringing. His mother had run away from his father when he was only two months old and Carlin had had a difficult childhood growing up with his mother and elder brother. After leaving high school he had begun training as a radar technician for the US Air Force and had been sent to Louisiana. It was here that he tried his luck in the arena of stand-up comedy. Over the years, he evolved into a unique icon, shunned by some for his blunt nihilism but loved by most for his honesty, insight and enlightening philosophies of life. Today, he is remembered as one of the greatest and most influential comedians.

When Vimukthi first showed me an act performed by Carlin,what struck me was his persona. A man in black, speaking the bitter truth and using humor to give life to the fears that we cloak in a conscious attempt to prove that humanity has achieved greatness. He forces his audiences to analyze religion, commerce and life itself and see beyond the cliched ideals we hold.