The DVD drive works fine, thanks to comments on previous posts and erudite emails with extremely helpful attachments. Thanks, folks, for successfully convincing me not to flash the firmware drive. And the next time your DVD drive gets region-locked, do give me a buzz. Magic Attachments will get sent your way.

Hold on, slight modification to above statement. Sasi’s DVD drive, the one I had with me, works fine now. Mine, however, was still a battle-scarred wreck, fit to play audio cds and naught else, when we reexchanged drives on Saturday morning. “Was” being the keyword. Because I took it to my favourite shop in Park Lane yesterday, the place better known as Hyderabad’s Fish Market That Sells Computers, and ( with a very marked lack of self-righteousness) asked for a replacement, because ( I pointed out ) the warranty period was still on. It wasn’t, of course, the warranty was for eleven months and it had gotten over on 9th July. But because I am a regular customer, and because India is still an exotic land of Miracles, the guy kept the drive for repairs, and handed me a brand new Samsung drive to use for the next seven days. Basically because I promised not to leave any marks on the drive. Maybe also because I paid a deposit without haggling.

Ma left Sunday morning, and after a gap of one and a half months, I found myself in the Abids Sunday market that afternoon. My horoscope in the Times Of Sunday said that I was going to spend money, loads of it, and this was the safest way I could help fulfill that. (Not that I read horoscopes, you understand, senor? Eet ees being very near to Beetle Bailey on Sunday Times, capisce?)

The Loot:
1) Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgeson Burnett. A neat little hardcover of the book, beautifully illustrated with small black and white sketches and colour plates. I am a sucker for colour plates of drawings in children’s books. I am also a big fan of Frances Hodgeson Burnett.

2) The Complete Short fiction of Ruskin Bond. A Penguin publication worth Rs 395 in first-hand, and was being offered at half-price at the Best Book Stall outlet. Could not let this go by.

3) Shanks Mare: Japan’s Great Comic Novel of Travel and Ribaldry by Ikku Jipensha. Truth be told, I had never heard of this book. Saw this lying around, and flipped through a couple of pages, and whaddya know – the book is funny. And the price was just 30 rupees.

4) Prentice Alvin by Orson Scott Card. This is Book 3 of the Alvin Maker series – a fantasy series set in an Alternate America of the nineteenth century, and contentedbloke, my wholehearted recommendation to you. I have read book One, still holding out on book two even though the eBook lies on my disk. Some books are meant to be enjoyed live, without bothering about the intricacies of the Page-Down key.

5) The City and The Stars by Arthur C Clarke. The Fantasy Masterworks edition of the book, which was available for very cheap. I will probably not read it too soon, though the reviews speak very highly about it.

6) Hammer of The Gods: A Biography of Led Zeppelin by Stephen Davis. I had borrowed this book from a friend, and read it once upon a time, but hadn’t found it anywhere. A near-perfect guide to Led Zeppelin, the band and its mystique.

And yesternight, braving the onslaught of an up-and-coming cold (and a small imp that was playing the teentaal behind my ears), revelling in the power of a new Samsung DVD drive, soundly cracked by AnyDVD’s region-free protection, I had the time of my life. I watched Zatoichi.