Random Stuff About Me

Oh noes! It's a meme!

1. All right, here are the rules.
2. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.
3. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
4. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
5. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

The 8 facts follow:
1. My earliest, happiest and care-free memories are from the mid-80s in Lahore, Pakistan. Some day I'll write about them.
2. The first time I appreciated music was when I watched the movie Tezaab. I remember being in my aunt's house and rewinding the video cassette again and again to listen to the song "So Gaya Yeh Jahan". By the way, A. R. Rahman's Dil Se.. is the greatest Hindi soundtrack of the 1990s. Yes, that's a fact!
3. I don't like to drink out of flimsy containers--plastic or styrofoam. I prefer the feel of a strong material like glass. (Does that make me gay?)
4. In my first year in the United States, I defeated an English teacher in scrabble. On many occasions. By considerable margins. He wasn't happy.
5. I don't own a TV. The last time I watched something on a TV was last year. Though, in the You Tube era that doesn't mean much.
6. My favorite Hollywood actor and actress to watch? Cary Grant and Grace Kelly.
7. I bought the components for my PC separately and then put them together.
8. I don't pass on memes.

Comments

[Tambi Dude]

Oh c'mon. Dil Se can not be even in top 5 of ARR himself, what to say best track of 90s. I would put ARR's Thiruda Thiruda (tamil, dubbed in Hindi as Chor Chor) or Duet (Tamil, dubbed in Hindi as Mil Gayee Manzil Mujhe) or Kadhalan(hindi - Hum Sai Hai Muqabala) clearly above Dil Se.

BTW I feel he is a spent force now.

[Josh Scholar]

I want to know how you studied to learn the words so fast. Or do you just have a great memory?

[Isaac Schrödinger]

Tamil Dude: In my view, Rahman has had three phases in his brief career so far.

1992-1996: Here we saw Roja, Hum Se Hai Muqabala, Rangeela.

1997-2001: Earth, Dil Se.., Taal, Lagaan.

2002-Now: Meenaxi, Swades, Rang De Basanti, Yuva.

Of course, Rahman released a lot more soundtracks than what I've listed above. I gather that you like his first phase. I prefer the second. His present phase is 'not bad' but it doesn't reach the level of greatness he achieved in his first 10 years.

[Isaac Schrödinger]

Josh Scholar: I had two advantages.

1. I approached the game to maximize points. The English teacher was into making elaborate words. In such a contest the elegant fellow loses.

2. I knew all the two-letter words. For example, how many two-letter words start with the letter 'x'*?

Answer: Two. Xi and xu. I remember when I put down one of them, the teacher was outraged. "That's not a word!"

He brought out his dictionary and, sure enough, it was there.

* The Webster's dictionary has less than two pages for the words that start with 'x'. It's very easy to find the two-letter words there. How do I know this? Well, I have spent many summers in Saudi Arabia--where I found myself with plenty of time (and colossal boredom).

And we had a dictionary. So...

[Tambi Dude]

Just curious: What other old music directors you like in bollywood music.

[Isaac Schrödinger]

R. D. Burman

I especially like the song "Chura liya hai" from the movie Yaadon Ki Barat. The sense of romance there is heightened because his wife Asha Bhosle is the female singer.

I think his score for 1942: A Love Story is also fine.

Laxmikant-Pyarelal

Who could forget Amar Akbar Anthony? I love the lyrics and the music of the song "Parda hai parda".

They also did the music for Tezaab. The pop influence was heavy in their Khalnayak soundtrack but still I find it enjoyable.

Ismail Darbar

This guy is relatively new. His initial releases were quite spectacular. For example, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas.

[Tambi Dude]

IMO only RDB is worth mentioning. LP were too rustic for my taste, though they did come up with few good songs. ID have given too few movies to be considered.

Of course given a choice I won't listen to any of them. My most favourite composers are Madan Mohan, SDBurman, Salil Chaudhury, Shankar Jaikishan , OPNayyar. All of 50s/60s era. I am not sure whether you have heard of them, let alone their songs :-)

[Isaac Schrödinger]

I have heard of S. D. Burman and Shankar Jaikishan but you're right: I wouldn't know what songs they came up with. My Bollywood music knowledge is mostly in the period between 1990-2001.

[Tambi Dude]

"My Bollywood music knowledge is mostly in the period between 1990-2001."

that explains why you rate ARR the best :-)

anyhow have you noticed how some pakis
(almost all I have spoken to) try to
emphasise that ARR is a muslim. They
even cook up his past history (when he
was a hindu) that he was always half
muslim. His mom was always muslim
and dad hindu. I had to correct them his
mom was hindu (Kasturi) before they
converted to islam in 1989/90.

Have you heard about his comments about
islam. Poor guy, he does not know anything
about real islam.

[Isaac Schrödinger]

Yes, Rahman, an apostate Hindu, does believe in the sweet, syrupy version of Islam. Though what impresses me is the Indian society in the whole matter. I can't think of a similar situation in Pakistan where an apostate of Islam would live for long, let alone succeed spectacularly in his / her career.

[Tambi Dude]

Indian society is essentially hindu society. Even Christians, Sikhs, Jains, and some south indian muslims are quite liberal when it comes to religion.

Here is an actress called Sada who acts in south films. Her real name is Sadaf Mohd Syed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYmzjMQLOKQ

she is generally on the 'i-will-show' side of indian actresses.

Most of the indians muslims I have met, specially those whose mother tongue is not urdu are no different from hindus. Telugu speaking or tamil speaking (like ARR) muslims have strong ties to the culture.On a lighter vein,it can be said that ISI pakistan does not have enough agents in these languages.