Friday, June 26, 2009

Remember the time...

Every once in a while, on a lazy afternoon, I throw on an MJ CD and listen to it play. His songs still have the same effect on me that they did when I was 8 years old - they make me want to sprinkle talcum powder on the mosaic floor and dance with reckless abandon. I have the fondest memories of playing and replaying all his incredible numbers, learning them by heart simply from ODing on them and gasping in wonder at his smooth supernatural moves. On the school bus home, Triv and I would go over all the rap bits in his songs until we had them down perfectly, we'd discuss Liberian Girl and Billie Jean as if they were the most serious topics on earth. We adored him, we still do. No one compares.

Life goes on normally; the people around me don't seem to understand. I am upset, I am devastated, I am mourning the loss of a special person whose music is really close to my heart. I think he did heal the world and make it a better place with his wonderful songs. It saddens me to think of all the suffering he had to face since he was a child, the dark side of being so colossally popular, the sad decline in recent years.

This is the face that I first saw, the face that I will always remember.

RIP, MJ. We're going to miss you a lot... :'(

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Monday, June 22, 2009

a little happy, a little sad...

a little happy, a little sad...

Thursday, June 18, 2009

A Cup of Tea

"It is curious how a cup of tea can be refreshing even on a warm day such as this - a mystery, really - but there you have it."
~ Mohsin Hamid in The Reluctant Fundamentalist

On our recent trip to the UK, I ODed on tea, in spite of the heat-wave we were fortunate to experience. It was such a joy to have tea readily available everywhere. Truly a haven for tea lovers.

Scones and Tea
Tea and Scones, at The Old Town Deli, Inverness.
An Enid Blyton moment for real.


Tea at Embankment Cafe, London
Assam Tea at Embankment Cafe, London.

Tea at Helen's Kitchen
English Breakfast Tea at Helen's Kitchen, Edinburgh.
Ah, the delightful little piece of shortbread on the side.


Delectable Dessert
Tea at Paul in South Kensington, London.
Delicious Strawberry Marzipan cake to go with it.

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Tuesday, June 16, 2009

CéU


I'm addicted to CéU's self-titled album. She's got a fabulous voice and her songs are beautifully composed. She's Susheela Raman-esque at times, but her style is unmatched. I'm fascinated by the sound of Portugese and particularly love how she sings "Menino Bonito" in Malemolencia. Also check out Lenda. The live versions are nice, but the studio versions are just out of this world:


Video of 'Roda' - Another beautiful number by CéU

Thanks, H... you're the best!

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Sunday, June 07, 2009

Global Chandamama

In every Telugu home, there is a rhyme about the moon that is taught to little ones before they can say Tomato Pappu. Presenting, Chandamama Rave:



Inviting the moon to your place and asking her to bring flowers for you is as integral a part of your overall Telugu upbringing as knowing and loving your pickles and pachadis. There are various references to this concept all over Telugu culture including in Tollywood. For example, see classic NTR hit song "Raavoyi Chandamama" from film Missamma:



And finally, the reason for this post. The latest rendition of this classic. Playing for Change has brought together musicians from all over the world to create this beautiful version of Chandamama:



PS1: Posting this reminded me of a couple of songs that have Telugu lyrics:
PS2: On the other hand, most Telugu songs have a lot of Hindi lyrics these days. Listen to "Dole Dole" from Pokiri.

PS3: Old Hindi Chandamama song.

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Sunday, May 10, 2009

Un printemps encore!

Spring is here!

Le Printemps
par Théophile Gautier

Regardez les branches
Comme elles sont blanches,
Il neige des fleurs.

Riant de la pluie
Le soleil essuie
les saules en pleurs.

Et le ciel reflète
Dans la violette
Ses pures couleurs…

La mouche ouvre l’aile
Et la demoiselle
Aux prunelles d’or,
Au corset de guêpe
Dépliant son crêpe,
A repris l’essor.

L’eau gaiement babille,
Le goujon frétille
Un printemps encore!

In English here.

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Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Naturally 7

Naturally 7 performing "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins in the Paris Subway:



Another fantastic version here:



They performed "Wall of Sound" (which has some serious beatboxing and only human sounds!) at a TED show in Feb 2009.

Official Website.

Merci, H.

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