A Hero's Side-effects

I was positive that I could glide my way in a Micro from Patan all the way to home sweet home. It was 2 in the afternoon and vehicles had run out of petrol; it meant no traffic! Pure bliss. But to my utter surprise, vehicles had started piling up from Kupondole itself. Now, I have been plying on this route for 5 years now and being quite familiar with the traffic, I immediately sensed something different; the vehicles started clogging exactly 75.5 meters ahead of the Traffic Jam point. Something is wrong I thought, so I ventured to walk till Thapathali in high hopes that the turn to Tripureshwor would be less congested...10 minutes of walk, smoke from Kerosene + Petrol + Diesel, dust, and the never alleviating stench of the Bagmati; I reach Thapathali. But still no vehicular movement; it was clogged like the drainage system of Kathmandu valley.

So I continued my stroll towards Tripureshwor, thinking how this was one of the worst day of my life, battered with CO2 and bruises I reached Tripureshwor what I saw angered me to the very core of my internals...

First it seemed like a rally of some sort, I saw the jeep decorated with the painfully bright 'Yellow' poster with 'Rumpum Noodles' moving at the pace of a snail. Then I moved closer, on the side of the jeep was the picture of no other than....Kamal Nepali (the 'monkey kid' who rescued a little girl from a 60-feet gorge).

*Steam out of my ears.*

Please, end this stupidity. What is Khulla Manch for?

2. Sōjirō: Reminiscence from the past

Chatper II: An older stronger Sōjirō

“Kill the runt; he’s a waste to society .”
“Please! No! Forgive me, I-I didn’t mean to! please, somebody! help! HELP! THEY'RE GOING TO KILL ME!”

Sōjirō’s eyes thrust wide open. His heart was pounding in his ears and his whole body was drenched in sweat: It was just another dream about his childhood. It had been a while since he had dreamed of the past. Of course he hid all his emotions behind that boyish smile of his and if anyone asked if he was feeling alright, he’d just smile it off. No one could possibly find traces of the sadness or the brutality in that bright and innocent smile.
It had been ten long years since Sōjirō had last seen his family. In fact, he wasted little time thinking about them.
“My, it’s been so long since I left my home town”, Sōjirō muttered as he picked up his katana. “Well, I’d better go summon the members of the Jupongatana. Maybe Mr. Shishio will feel better when he’s around those men-not that he needs any protection.”

The Jupongatana, headed by Makoto Shishio was made out of the best fighters in Japan. They were a group of elite fighters who had survived the horrors of the Meiji revolution. No matter how strong and skilled these fighters looked, Sōjirō would always be known as the strongest of the Jupongatana. Sōjirō had learned a technique that reached extraordinary speeds: Indeed, Shishio had taught him well. He moved so fast that the naked eye couldn’t even roll fast enough to see him. Thus, earning himself the nickname Sōjirō the Tenkin.

It was a bright sunny summer day in Kyoto. Sōjirō usually went to the market to buy fresh deacon radish and some tofu for lunch but even though it was a perfect day for shopping, Sōjirō would have no choice but to follow Mr. Shishio’s orders and go meet each and every member of the Jupongatana. As he walked by the ferocious fish traders along with the subtle flower sellers, Sōjirō couldn’t help feel lucky to be able to breathe the fresh morning air and see flowers blossoming with life. Ten years ago he couldn't even smell the sweet fragrance of white plum after a hard days work. In fact, if it wasn’t for Makoto Shishio, Sōjirō would have been sleeping under the flowers.
“I’m glad I met Mr. Shishio, even though he was scary at first. He he.” Sōjirō thought, walking faster than usual but calmly smiling as always.
Ten years ago Shishio taught him one thing, ‘Those who are strong will live and those who are weak will die’. And that fateful night, when young Sōjirō fought for his life, he understood what Shishio meant.

Makoto Shishio was an assassin during the Meiji revolution who was later shot and burnt alive by the Meiji government because he knew too much. He miraculously survived the attempt on his life and after that, he spends the rest of his days plotting against the Meiji government until he is stopped by the Battousai, ending his reign of terror. Shishio saves young Sōjirō from his evil family and molds him into one of the strongest swordsmen in the history of Japan.

Next time

The story of how Sōjirō fights for his life and becomes cursed with a smile...

All characters are based on the anime Samurai X

Click for Chapter 1

Kung Fu Panda vs The Hulk; the ultimate battle?

First, the Ancient secrets of Kung Fu straight from China and then a US Military experiment gone green; just this week I was fortunate enough to watch two movies, you can guess both...Its the Kung Fu Panda and The Incredible Hulk.

Watching both the movies in the same movie hall and from the same seat, I think, puts me in a 'fine' position to judge them both. I'll do that now.

First, a brief intro on both;

Kung Fu Panda: staring Jack Black as the chubby Panda 'Po' and other actors like Jakie Chan, Dustin Hoffman and Angelina Jolie, this animated feature follows the story of a Panda in China who dreams to become a famous Kung Fu warrior. The panda's dreams come true when he 'accidentally' gets selected to be the dragon warrior and fight the powerful and evil snow leopard warrior Tai Lung, voiced by Ian McShane. The only problem is that Po's 'to be master' Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) doesn't want to train him and he wants one of his four disciples to be the dragon warrior. However, the tortoise Master Oogway insists that Shifu train the Panda. The Panda does learn Kung Fu, in somewhat a very short period of time, and the fights begin...

The Incredible Hulk: Staring Edward Norton as Hulk or Dr. Bruce Banner and the lovely Liv Tyler as Betty, this movie is the sequel to film Hulk (2003). This movie continues the story of the Hulk who is now hiding in Brazil and is on the run from the US army for 5 years. He attempts to control the transformation through yoga and meditative techniques and also takes help of the then mysterious 'Mr. Blue'; However, his location gets compromised and he is forced to transform into the green monster...

While both of the movies are big-budget and are from the daddy of studios, I think that The Incredible Hulk hasn't been able to make the most of the talent and money spent on it; part of the dislike is credited to the fact that I'm not really a fan of Superhero movies (That's right, I don't like Spiderman). I found an immense lack of emotions in the movie; while attempt has been made to make it a love story too, I must say, it didn't work out. More, the inner conflict that Bruce Banner should have experienced isn't potrayed effectively which leaves a great hole in the vibe of the movie. But, it does deliver more than the first feature, Hulk (2003).

Kung Fu panda is by far, I think, totally my view, what I felt, the best animated film I've seen. The humorous, vivid and entertaining plot and the cast of incredible actors like Jack Black, Jakie Chan and Dustin Hoffman, makes the film a must see. The animation is incredible and isn't at all like Shrek (That's right, I don't like Shrek either). This release comes at a time when China is to host the 2008 Olympics and after the Sichuan Earthquake, which has had both received positive and negative feedback from the Chinese. Also, there where calls for a boycott for the film as its produced by Dreamworks which is owned by Steven Spielberg who resigned from the post of an advisor to the Beijing Olympics.

So, here are my ratings:

Kung Fu Panda: 4 and 1/2 stars
The Incredible Hulk:- 3 stars

Who wins? I say Kung Fu. Haiiiyaaah!

1. Sōjirō: Reminiscence from the past

Based on a character from the anime, Samurai X: Romantic tales from the Meiji era

Chapter I

He was a small boy, a normal boy who liked to eat sweets and play with his toys. But he couldn't eat sweets and he didn't have any toys. This boy, instead of growing up, worked all day long for his meal.

It was a cloudy day when Sōjirō turned eleven. It was really unfortunate that it had started to rain on the day of his birth. He had just finished carrying the last barrel of rice into the store house when a monstrous thunder cracked the dark clouds, bombarding the rice fields of Osaka with rain. Yet, Sōjirō smiled:Five years ago on this day, his mother was alive.

The cold rain fell gently on his rough little hands. He felt the piercing pain as the water passed through his engraved palms; but it was okay. Instead of breaking down like a petulant child he smiled as the rain mercilessly gobbled him up.
"Thank you Ma, for giving me such a refreshing gift. I just wish you were here, with me, dancing in the rain."
Sōjirō's thoughts were invaded by a loud unstable voice."Sōjirō! OYE Sōjirō! I thought i told you to bring me some more sake!"
“I’m coming, s-sir! p-please wait, I’m on my way!”
Sōjirō dashed over with a bottle of sake only to be treated as always.
“You little runt. After all we’ve done for you, looked after you even after your mother died, you still dare to delay your work?”
Sōjirō, dressed in his half torn-half patched up kimono, looked up at his step-brother and stretched a skinny smile.
“I’m s-sorry brother, I didn’t mean to…”
The sound of the rain drowned the cracking sound of timber hitting bones. It was as though even the rain was punishing Sōjirō but no one would scream or cry on that awful, very unfortunate night.

To be Continued...

Problem with Internet Explorer

I wasn't aware of this problem until yesterday. When I tried using Internet Explorer 7 to check this blog, I could only see 1/3 of the page. No side bars and some posts. ??

Works superb with Firefox. Get it here. Or if you live in Nepal, get it here.

If you have problems or don't with IE. Leave a comment. :D

Bandhs: A New and Improved Formula

[b-awN-dh] adj.;
Bandh, also a Nepali word meaning 'closed', is a form of protest. While often means the closing down of markets of a city for the day, there have been instances of the entire nation coming to a standstill.
From www.nepalbandh.com
by Shraman and Saral.
[shraman]There was a time when people were people, bygons were bygons and bandhs were bandhs. If one wanted to elongate study leaves and project deadlines, bandhs were the answer. When was the last time you stayed home, relaxed and watched a whole innings of test match cricket? And before you know it, those leisurely times are long gone (sadly).

If history serves me correctly, it was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who started this method of protesting 'non-violently'. The old man inspired and captured the hearts of millions of people worldwide: even the great John Lennon wore the same spectacles that Gandhi wore. The protesters in Nepal needed a tool to fight with and Gandhi gave it to them by his means of 'non-violent' protest.

But if all I've said is nearly true then why the hell is everyone doing nothing? Nepal is going down a deeper and darker path than before. The country that I so dearly love is being run by dish washers and porters! This humble and honest writer isn't blindly being discriminant. But any sane person would agree with me when I say that the keys to the country should be held by people who are at least well educated, don't you think so? With that said and done, the fact still remains that www.nepalbandh.com 's visiting rate has plummeted drastically. (You must be thinking, what? Is there a website like that? Oh, yes there is. And its updated daily.)

This crap ain't cool. [saral] Especially if you have that hot date (not the same people like here, they have a different problem) and now, the date is bandhed! Not exactly the right grammar but it makes the point. So, why even after the horrid torture and the 'wooga booga', adverse effects, of bandhs, do we need them today?

The answer is simple, we need to keep ourselves warm in the winter, and burning tires does it best...Nope, that's not it. At least not entirely. The correct answer would be fuel; Yes, petrol, diesel, petrol + kerosene, and every expensive 'accessory' that goes into our vehicles. A change it vital my fellow brothers and sisters, we need to change our life styles. No more, racing that jaguar..car..., or going for long rides to the countryside. Save fuel save money, environment...

So, where does Bandhs come in all this mayhem, well let me do some maths;-

Nepal needs 126000 kiloliters, yes kiloliters, of petroleum products in a month! And the demand is rising.

So everyday, the demand in the market is 126000/30 = 4200 kilo liters everyday.

One day of bandh, we save 4200000 liters, 2 days 8400000 liters, 4 days of bandh? You do the math.

So bandh's not all, grumble grumble, uff uff, folks, a few here and there does help. Plus, think how we will be contributing to stop global warming...! Its a small effort but it is an effort.

Like always, you don't need to have the same views as I do, after all we are all different creatures. Now if we all had the same thoughts, the world would be peaceful, wouldn't it?

Cloverfield, Manhattan

Manhattan, New York, May 22, horrors far beyond the events of 9/11 come alive.

Cloverfield (2008, monster/horror), tells a story of a group of young New Yorkers who throw a surprise party for a friend leaving for Japan and during the party tremors start to be felt, there are blackouts and suddenly a huge explosion takes place.

It doesn't have the fancy camera angles like you would expect in Spiderman but the film is shown as being shot by a hand held camera which is then later recovered by the American Military; it is stated at the start of the film that the footage was "found in US-447, area formerly known as Central Park". The point-of-view (POV) camera settings, which would generally work great for 'other' materials, does give the film a feel of being right there at the center of action. However, if you don't like shaky video or have trouble playing First Person Shooter (FPS) games like Quake 3, the film might end up giving you a headache.

The thing that makes you stick to the movie is the suspense about what actually is happening, which, however, isn't explained in detail. We know what causes the destruction but nothing about what it was or who created it.

The best scene has to be when the head of The Statue of Liberty comes crashing down on the street, simply awesome and vivid.

The film Jimmy and Judy also has the same POV style as Cloverfield.

Paramount Pictures had a very good viral marketing strategy for this film. The teasers before the release of the movie focused on developing this suspense and some even came without the titles!

Click to View Trailer

3 1/2 stars.