I am really excited now, ok? Didn’t really think I would be this<\/i> excited about a book-release. Am hyper, am actually counting down the hours to figure out when I can get my hands on it.<\/p>\n
I am going to owe psasidhar<\/a> big. After all, he’s the guy who’s going to buy it, and he’s agreed to hand it over until evening. Really, Sasi, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this. And don’t even ask why I am not buying it. It’s that insane, anti-capitalistic, anti-hype part of me, who refuses to spend money on something untested, something entirely unreviewed. (Ha! This from a guy who thinks reviewers are fullashite.) What if it’s all wrong? What if the story isn’t as good as it is made out to be? I love JK Rowling for keeping the faith – the secrecy bit is working,really – for having the courage to stick to her guns about no-excerpts-no-previews…..part of me hates her for not giving me a choice<\/i>. Seven Hundred and Ninety Five Rupees. The end of the month. Tchah!<\/p>\n But no, like the Matrix Reloaded hammered over and over again into our brains – This isn’t about choice, and this is<\/i> about choice…<\/p>\n Warning: beatzo nearly took a trip into cliche-land again….<\/p>\n That reminds me, I just saw the double-cd Matrix Reloaded OST cd in Music World, Lifestyle. It’s on sale for 690 rupees, so I will have to think a lot and read a lot of reviews before I decide to buy it. (Actually, I have already made a choice, I now need to figure out why I made the choice. The reviews and the thinking should help me out. )<\/p>\n Me and Sasi are meeting early tomorrow morning, having breakfast together, and then heading to Odyssey. Only Odyssey, and not any other bookshop, because (a) Sasi gets a 10 percent discount there. (b) I get two copies of the poster of Order of The Phoenix<\/i>, through (ahem) acquaintances at Odyssey. <\/p>\n This feeling, of waiting and hoping things turn out right, and squirming at the thought of something unexpected that might happen and spoil the fun – this reminds me of the Ramayan<\/i>-days on DD. Single channel on TV, and every Saturday night would be pure agony. I can’t go to sleep, and also I desperately want<\/i> to fall asleep and not wake up until 9:00 o’clock the next morning, just in time for Appu Aur Pappu<\/i>, and then ….aaaaah….Ramayan<\/i>. Also, myriad thoughts would float through my brain all night ( at least before I fell asleep) – What if there is a powercut? What if some Leader dies on Sunday morning and they declare a three-day mourning on DD and show only Bhajans throughout? What if (oh horror!) there is the live telecast of a cricket match, instead of the serials? *shudder*<\/p>\n And then when I drifted off to sleep, I would end up having weird dreams, like – I am stuck at the barber’s, who is sloooooowly chopping away at my hair, and the clock shows 9:17 AM and I can’t move from the chair……<\/p>\n Yeah, I was that<\/i> desperate for entertainment. And those were desperate times, all right.<\/p>\n One major event of note – I finally finished watching Four Weddings and a Funeral<\/i> and Rain Man<\/i>, the former over a span of eight(or was it nine?) months and the latter, three months. Thank you, Sasi for all the motivation. You get your CDs back now. And I have also watched reruns of Singin’ in the Rain<\/i> and Monsters Inc.<\/i>, both dear to my heart.<\/p>\n Recent reads include Neuromancer<\/i>, which I ended up comparing to the Matrix<\/i> , trying to find similar themes and ideas ( let’s face it, that movie screwed up my thought-processes for good ), also a Gordon Dickson book called Straw Dogs<\/i>, on which the gruesome Sam Peckinpah movie was made. The book contains none of tha graphic rape scene which caused a furore when the movie was released…just goes on to show more about a director’s “creative interpretation”. Faugh! Finished Gaiman’s Smoke and Mirrors<\/i>, which was weird, really weird, and so very entertaining at the same time. I think I got a little too obsessed with Gaiman the past week.<\/p>\n And so, for myself, and for all those who care, here’s a short story Gaiman wrote, a reinterpretation of a familiar story – titled Snow, Glass, Apples<\/a><\/b>.
\nI am not legally entitled to post this story, it’s already there in Smoke and Mirrors<\/i>, but has been posted onto this site with permission. It’s creepy, and brilliant. <\/p>\n