The mandatory 2013 wrap-up post !! :) :)

And thus we come to the end of another year, and the beginning of another yearly wrap up post on this space! :-)

I remember the start of 2013. I was so so so sick of 2012 that I was literally counting down the seconds, and waiting for 2013 to start and I wanted to make the most of it. I had this whole checklist planned and things that I wanted to do and cross off my list. I even had a mid-way sorta post roundabout my birthday telling you all what I have been up to until then...

You ask me what happened after that?  After May? :-) …

Well, what do I say?

“I had plans.. big big plans!! But then, life intervened!” :-P :-P

Naah, nothing of that sort… I just became a big ol’ bag of lazybones, and stayed in the comfort zone and refused to budge from there, literally transforming into a couch potato. Didn’t feel the need or the push to do anything, and was so happy staying in my metaphorical couch and pajamas! Didn’t read as many books as I wanted to, didn’t go out as much as I wanted to, didn’t write as much as I wanted to and gave all and sundry the excuse that I was contemplating the realities of life ;-) :-P

And contemplate I did! :P Wrote a couple of preachy posts about the 20s and then wrapped myself up in a cocoon, gave in to excuses of not going out anywhere and not doing anything new, save a few times! :-) Either ways, I did enjoy the time and the space and the introspections!! ;-)

You know, how sometimes you look back at a period of time and you think, did this really happen? Did I actually experience all this? That’s how 2013 was to me...  Honestly, the past year seems like a big blur to me. It went by so fast that before I knew it, it was a half year and now it is the year end… this year has not been without its fair share of happenings though… Now as I think about it, I realize how much has happened this past year, how much of it I was a part of and how much I was a spectator to… Nothing world-shattering, but still pretty much adds to the “lessons learnt” bag! :-) If 2012 taught me that things can change in the blink of an eye, 2013 taught me how fragile all interactions are… It made me realize that everything is a two-way street... And by that I mean, EVERY.SINGLE.THING. …. Family. Relationships. Friendships. Work life. You give. You expect. You take. Simple logic.

I always like the start of a new year. It’s symbolic. It’s like a chance of a clean slate in a very figurative way. Newfangled experiences. Fresh starts.

My wish for this NEW YEAR…

In the words of Neil Gaiman…

“May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, And don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.

I hope you will have a wonderful year, That you'll dream dangerously and outrageously, That you'll make something that didn't exist before you made it, That you will be loved and that you will be liked, And that you will have people to love and to like in return.

And, most importantly (Because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now), That you will, when you need to be, be wise, and that you will always be kind.”

SO EVERYBODY OUT THERE ... 

HAVE A ROCKING SOOPER-DOOPER AWESOMATIC MAGNIFICENTLY FANTABULOUS 2014… :) :) 

And make the most of it ...  :-) :-) 

I am planning to! :-D :-D

The 20s as I saw it! :-) :-)

There’s this article that’s doing the rounds in ‘my internet world’. I say my internet world because almost everywhere I log in; I see some reference or the other to this. It’s on my Flipboard, my Facebook feed (at least from 6-7 folks), on my reader feeds and of course on Thought Catalog. Where it all started from!! And add to it, the fact that I am at the fag end of my 20s, and also in the middle of doing a series of blog posts on the same subject, this seemed like too good a chance to pass up on.. Also as an aside, I am suffering from a block of not knowing what to write … so kill two birds with one stone I say! ;)

Here is the link to the original article published in Thought Catalog.

And here’s my take on it.

1. Have a roommate you love.

You know, back when I was at my first ever job, I moved into a PG and ended up sharing my room with a whole bunch of girls. I was no stranger to this. Considering the fact that I stayed in a hostel, run by folks who channeled Hitler’s spirit, the PG seemed like a haven really. However, I did meet quite a few interesting characters. One of them of was this girl, W, who soon became a good friend and a close enough one. We did the whole “roommates” stuff – midnight binges, taking care of each other, letting each other in on life stories, etc .. Until the time I was in the PG. After I moved out, of course, as is the case with a lot of my friends, I lost touch with her. Got in touch through Facebook again, only to lose touch again... Seemed like a cycle, and with more pressing matters to attend to, this took to the back-burner. But those were fun times.

2. Have a roommate you hate.

Same PG. Same room. Different gal. S was a character like none. She bought clothes by the dozen, loved dressing up, loved garnering attention, was rude, unbearable and had a high pitched whiny noise that was grating on the ears. Of course, I could be biased here. Things really hit the roof, when she got a friend of hers, exactly like her and with a pea-sized brain to boot who ran away with her boyfriend after getting a registered marriage done. I just wanted to be rid of them and one fine glorious day, that happened too! :-D she just upped and left the room, leaving it free for W to move in ;) :)

3. Fall head over heels for someone who treats you like dirt.

Done. Dusted. I think everyone goes through this. At some point. For some time frame.

4. Let go of someone you’ve been holding onto.

Done. It definitely was hard but not impossible.

5. Have one night you’ll never forget and that you can’t remember.

They say drinking in your 20s is way different than drinking in your 30s or closer to 30s like these days for me. True that is! I am sure most of us have had all had that crazy night where we have gotten piss-drunk and not remembered one single incident but guaranteed that it will be one that you will never ever forget. However, at the end of it, you will realize that one - drinking is not that big a deal as its made out to be and two – you will most certainly learn your limits about how much you can handle and cannot. There will always be that one drink that you know is the threshold. Look out for it and drink sensibly.

6. Make a life changing mistake.

Made it. A big big one!! Bang right in the middle of the 20s. Could have been worse I suppose in retrospect. But what the heck! It happened. It’s over. And I am way over it.

7. Royally piss off your parents.

Yes! Done! Scores of times! But irrespective of whether they are pissed by my decision or whether they agree to it, fully or not, they have always stuck by my and let me have my own way and learn from my mistakes. :) Blessed that way!

8. Date.

Yep. Go out, meet people, have a wide circle, flirt some and enjoy it to the fullest. And always remember, the choice is yours! :-)

9. Go out to dinner by yourself.

Very very true! :). And while you are at it, go for a movie by yourself as well. Nothing is more exhilarating than these once in a while. I do this pretty often. Go to a nice place. Take a book along for company. Pretty awesome feel! :-)

10. Take a huge risk.

Taken and it’s paying off. ;-) Fingers crossed! :)

11. Move.

I did. Of course it was not a part of a plan. It just happened that I ended up in Singapore in 2009. And when I moved here, I didn’t have a job. But I couldn’t sit at home either. So I went out. A lot. In buses. And walks. Learnt the routes. Learnt the places. Hidden roads. Lonesome getaway places. And a few nooks and crannies that are part of my favorite places here. ;-) But now it’s been 4+ years and that itch has started again. Wanderlust is raking its head up.

12. Get a pet.

This is pending. I want to have a doggy at some point of time. 30s probably! :-)

13. Donate your college clothes.

Of this I am glad. I don’t ever want to go back to my college clothes. Nope. Much better off now and much better taste now as well. Even if no one else vouches for it. But I still hold on to a few things from the “college-phase” that i am unable to let go off … you can’t imagine how comfortable these are! :P

14. Figure yourself out.

On a totally selfish note, I am taking my own sweet time with this. Doing what I want, the way I want and at the pace I want. Simple pleasures. :-)

15. Exercise.

To me, that just translates to Dance. ;-)

16. Pig out on junk food.

Did it for so long that I got appendicitis at the end of it. :P Still pig out on junk food from time to time though ;) especially at midnight… food tastes loads better when its midnight-binging!!!

17. Watch the news.

Keep yourself updated on what’s happening around the world at least not to look like an idiot when someone is talking about it. And I mean it. I will let you in on a little secret. I am/was curious by nature. But before I joined for my MBA, I wasn’t too bothered about what was happening around me in the world. I was in a sheltered cocoon and I was happy there. Until I got embarrassed to boot by a classmate… that really kick-started it. And now funnily enough, I crave for information in all forms. Curiosity is now my middle name and asking questions is second nature. I guess somewhere I must really thank him for that push!!

18. Keep your resume updated. Just do it.

You never really know when you might need it. The current job that I have is my third one this year. So best case, be prepared... You don’t really know what opportunity might come in when.. :)

19. Work your ass off.

The lure of your own money, the means to blow it up as you please, and also the taste of the independence that comes along with this …. :-) but keep this in mind! Considering that you are going to be spending more than 1/3^rd of your day at the office, ensure that you enjoy what you are doing!! :P  no point otherwise, spending half your lifetime, at a job that you don’t enjoy and gives you the ulcers.

20. Enjoy it.

This time, this decade… you aren’t ever going to get it back. You will of course have other things to be happy and be thankful for in your teenage and your 30s and 40s etc… but this time, this decade is all about you! YOU YOU and more YOU! So enjoy it. Live it to the fullest.

Have loads of new experiences; learn to revel in the taste and the after-taste of those experiences, so that when you come across them later on in life, you know what you have to do with them! Embrace or steer clear of them! :)

Travel. Widen those horizons. At the risk of sounding preachy and clichéd, nothing gives you a sense and value of the things that you have in your life and things that you may take for granted, when you are shaken out of that comfort zone. Live it up. Rough it out. Trust me, you will enjoy it. You have enough time in the upcoming years to be comfortable and be predictable. This is the time to be impulsive and take chances. Be spontaneous, but also be safe and wise when it comes to taking those chances ;-)

Flirt, fall in love, get your heart broken, break someone’s heart, and learn to differentiate between those voices in the head and the ones from the heart. Listen to the one you feel is right. And always always always go with your gut feeling. If you’re unsure, wait until you are sure about it. You have all the time in the world. It’s your life and you are the master of it.

Experience life to the fullest. Not just in your 20s.

But as long as that thing inside of you keeps pumping life into you… :-)

When BOLLYWOOD comes a-calling!! :) :)

"Kutte, kameene, main tera khoon pee jaoonga," Yaadon ki Baraat (1973)

"Rishte mein to hum tumhare baap lagte hain, naam hai Shahenshah," Shahenshah (1988)

"Bade bade shehron mein aisi chhoti chhoti baatein hoti rehti hain," Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995)

"Kabhi kabhi kuch jeetne ke liye kuch harna bhi padta hai, aur haar kar jeetnay wale ko baazigar kehte hain," Baazigar (1993)

"Mogambo khush hua," Mr. India (1987)

“Hum jahan khade hote hai line wahi se shuru hoti hai.” Kaalia (1981)

‘Kitne aadmi the?” Sholay (1975)

"Aaj mere paas gaadi hai, bungla hai, paisa hai... tumhare paas kya hai?" AMITABH BACHCHAN. "Mere paas, mere paas... Maa hai...," Deewar (1975)

Sounds familiar? Do you have a smile on my face like I have on mine right now, thinking about these movies? And these iconic dialogues? :-) If you do, then virtual hi-five! :-)

I love masala movies. Show me a movie that can take my mind of the reality that’s life and at the end of it leave me feeling all good and nice and warm inside, and we will be instant friends... I guarantee! I admit, I am a movie addict. And these days, I don’t miss most of them.. Because the one thing that Singapore has in plenty is Cinema Screens and they have a variety of movies in a whole variety of languages playing all the time..  You can take your pick from English, Hindi, Chinese, Malay, Tamil, Malayalam, and foreign movies from time to time… See the variety there! That’s what I am talking about…

But now, we all know that when it comes to masala, it’s very tough to beat BOLLYWOOD movies.. No! I am serious! Think about it.. Think about those dialogues you read earlier.. Yes! I can hear a lot of you say that Tamil and the other languages are not too far behind when it comes to melodrama.. But I am not just talking about melodrama here.. It’s the whole gamut of genres...  action, romance, comedy, drama… I think Bollywood ranks right up there..

And so we come to whole point of this build-up.. And this post..

We have EVAM back in town, ladies & gentlemen.. 

As of 2013, EVAM has commenced operations in Singapore with shows and workshops and made history as it became the only Indian theatre group to perform a full run at the Edinburgh Fringe, 2013 with its political thriller 'Ali J'.

And now they’re coming to Singapore with a brand-new show… Bollywood Kee-Maa’ in December!!!

A high octane fun play starring 5 actors, directed by UK based Gavin Robertson. Watch five actors bring to life and finally mince the Hum Saath Saath Hain world.

Every film you have (N)ever seen on-stage

The world of the rich father, his poor friend, the business magnate, his corrupt manager, the blind widowed mother, the U.S. returned heroine, the vampish stepmother, the forbidden love, the quest for revenge, the super villain and his abandoned lair, Mother India and twists in the tale. Ram and Lakhan, Vijay and Basanti, Shashi Kala and Shakti Kapoor, Samba and Ramu Kaka, Mac Mohan and many more residents of Ramgad come to life before you in this mother of all films.

Celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema, this play pays a comical tribute to Bollywood and “every other Wood”. If art is the mirror of society, and Cinema is the most popular art in India, then here’s a play that tries to capture India in 70 minutes – the method, the madness and the magic of popular Indian Cinema but captured on stage!!

As the title suggests, this play is a comic tribute to 100 years of Indian Cinema and all that is Bollywood. 

Details as follows: 

Show date: 13th (8pm) & 14th December, 2013 (4 pm & 8 pm)

Venue: Alliance Francaise De Singapour

Language: English

The SISTIC URL - http://www.sistic.com.sg/events/bolly1213

The link for the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hslYKf_Umvk

Need tickets? Reach out to me… FB, this blog, whatsapp or call (if you have my number!)

Or go on book them directly from the SISTIC URL… 

See you there! :) :) 

Psst.. you are coming, aren't you? :) :) 

A review of "Iruthiyil Yaar??" - An adaptation of 'And then there were none' by Agatha Christie.

“Ten little soldier boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were Nine.

Nine little soldier boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were Eight.

Eight little soldier boys travelling in Devon; One said he'd stay there and then there were Seven.

Seven little soldier boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in halves and then there were Six.

Six little soldier boys playing with a hive; A bumble bee stung one and then there were Five.

Five little soldier boys going in for law; One got into Chancery and then there were Four.

Four little soldier boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were Three.

Three little soldier boys walking in the Zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were Two.

Two little soldier boys sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and then there was One.

One little soldier boy left all alone; He went and hanged himself and then there were None.”

- And then there were none
- Agatha Christie (6 Nov 1939)

(Source: Wiki)

A Classic murder mystery. One of the top best-selling mystery novels. Over a 100 million sales to date. One of my most favorite murder mysteries ever. Adapted and remade in several other mediums.

And I happened to catch one of them over the last weekend. Which means, Yes! This post is way overdue and I got swamped at work to get down to writing it. But then hey! Better late than never, right? Right!! :D Oh and also, the play was in Tamil. :)

Avant Theatre – a Singapore Arts & Theatre group – put up a play titled ‘Iruthiyil Yaar’ an adaptation of this best-seller.

I’ll admit it, I was skeptical! I had never watched a Tamil play before. Heck! I had never watched a play before this. And they were doing an adaptation of a classic. The book is one that runs over 150 pages of well-crafted suspense and I was curious to know how they would squeeze this into a 1.5hr play. I was ready to take up daggers if this was not up to my expectations.

Fortunately, it exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds.

So what caught my eye? :)

Some specific things like the use of space, or what was available of it. The play was staged at ‘Aliwal Arts House Black Box’, a setting which is a little different from conventional staging. They made amazing use of the available space, created an old house, complete with chandelier and a bar at the side. Impressed!

The lighting and the sound effects. Good stuff! Some of the background pieces were really good and there was no hitch anywhere at all, which was a good thing!

The dolls. Yes. The 10 dolls, lined up on one corner of the stage, one of which disappeared with or right before the next killing. What’s so interesting about the dolls you ask? Well, the way they disappeared! It was noticeable only after the first two killings and even then it was not evident how they managed to remove one doll at a time without anyone noticing. I thought it was a string that pulled down the dolls, and I did see one of them being tugged off the table, but the crew said that it was not the method used. Still a suspense that one is! Trade secrets, they said! ;)

The CAST – Good performances by all. And the catch-phrase that Divya used – ‘IT’S SO ANNOYING’ – caught on quite fast, I must say! :-) Pretty good dialogues. Very relatable and some subtle puns here and there. Overall, a very enjoyable play. You could see that the actors had put in their life and soul to make this work and to make each character believable. That’s the thing about good performances! The dedication shines through no matter what! Being a performer myself, I get that feeling. The jittery nerves right before a performance, the slipping away of the butterflies in the tummy the minute you get into character and the self-satisfaction of a job well-done at the end of it. That was evident on the faces of each and every one of the crew!! :)

Even though, there were some slight deviations from the book, it was definitely a commendable performance and I really enjoyed watching it.

Here’s hoping that Avant comes up with more memorable and awesome plays.

Keep up the good work Guys! Kudos! :)

When it comes to something like FRIENDSHIPS, I sure can ramble on!! :)

So then after those famous last words - the series start …

Let’s talk about FRIENDSHIP, shall we? 

F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

Your other family.

The ones whom you have the right and the independence to choose.

I heard this recently – Apparently if you are friends with someone for a period of 7 years or more, chances are that you will be friends with them for life. Now, I am not the best person to comment on this. I have friendships that range the 10-20 years period, as well as the ones that are still in their fledgling phase, but that have the propensity to get to the ‘decades-old’ echelon. Of course, over this same period, I have also lost friendships that I thought would never break or fade away and people that have just disappeared, voluntarily or involuntarily from my life.

Me – I am a very complicated person. There are various facets to myself, some of those that I myself am unaware of! On the surface, I am an extrovert. I make friends easily. I talk a lot. I am vibrant in company. I can hold my own on a diverse range of topics. But on the other hand, I am a very private person too. I don’t trust people easily. I let only very very very few people into my head and I prefer it that way. I find it hard to express my feelings. And I find it hard to let people inside of me. So I let it be. In the hope that the other person understands what I mean to say, through my so-called actions, gestures and sometimes even the most stupidest of things I say, totally unrelated to what I really wanted to say, in the first place. This would be me reaching out. Of course, they may or may not understand and that’s where the wavelength, frequency, chemistry or whatever fancied terms you call it as, comes into picture.

The reason is trust once broken takes a long while to be regained and restored. The broken trust also brings with it skepticism, fear and a sense of questioning that not many people are aware of. Sometimes others suffer for what someone else has done. Or sometimes, they lack the patience to see the broken person through it and to regain or restore that trust. This is precisely the reason that many of us have more of acquaintances and hi-bye, casual friends, as opposed to very few close ones. It’s also the reason that I cannot claim that there exists one single person on this earth who knows every single thing about me. Probably if you get all my close friends together, of which there are very few, you may piece together stories about my life – bits and pieces again!

Most of my present day solid friendships were formed in my twenties. Some in the blink of an eye, some over a couple of drinks, an evening out, a chance meeting and some others over a period of months and some even years!! They are all people that I trust on various levels. And they are all people that I know I can turn to in rain or shine :-) and by god, am I thankful for them or what! But then, there have also been hits and misses. Lessons learnt, fingers burnt, and strife dealt with. Lots of insights along the way as well.

There are a lot of things that these bonds have taught me.

That there are always those kinds of rapports, the ones you can just pick up from where you left off! And you realize that nothing has changed. It’s like the break never occurred. These are the best kinds!!

That friendship can happen for the most stupidest of reasons. Like the fact that you both like the same cocktail. Or the fact that you both had that one person in common that you hate. You never know! And sometimes, you just know! :)

That you can always recall back to that time when you crossed that line with someone from stranger to acquaintance to friend to trusted pal or vice versa! That one discerning moment!

That sometimes you become friends with someone too soon, and too close. And you may not realize why or when. Because you are having too good a time with them! And then, your friendship with them reaches a maturity point. Where neither will have anything more to say, talk or share with the other. But that doesn’t mean that the friendship has ended. It just means that you have grown along in the friendship and now you are comfortable in silence as well in chat.

That chalk and cheese can actually be friends! Sometimes the people that you least expected to be friends with in the initial twenties, will turn out to be the ones that you are more comfortable with and you wonder why you never liked them back then!

And the most important of them all, that the people who like you for what you are; will always let you be the way you want to be.

In the course of these years, I have come across all sorts of people. I am sure you must have too.

The good ones. The bad ones. The ugly ones. The helpful ones. The selfish ones. The selfless ones. The ones with the devil-may-care attitude. The ones who genuinely look out and care for you. The ones who take you for a ride. The ones who take you for granted. And the ones who let you be.

All sorts of them. Most of these sorts are my friends. I probably belong(ed) to most of these sorts as well. Maybe not the entire gamut, but definitely an overlap of some of these.

Learn to choose your friends wisely. Pick up from the hits and misses! But never ever regret any of the moments! Most of your ‘rocking-crazy-fun filled-memorable-bad ass’ experiences come from the twenties. Where the only thing on the mind is to live on the edge, meet new people, gain new experiences and live it up! This decade is a great time for this. It’s the time that you are spreading out your wings. It’s that point of time where you are on the brink of ‘something old’ and ‘something new’ syndrome. When you step out on your own into the big world – the jungle! :) Make the most of it! :)

Inching towards the big THREE OH! :) :) New Beginnings!!!

There is this post for my blog that I have been contemplating for a while now.

It started out as an idea for a take on "Life in the Twenties" concept.

About the ups and downs and the way that things unfold and what to expect etcetera from my viewpoint considering that I was soon going to be hitting the big three-oh. It is most definitely a milestone of sorts, age-wise, experience-wise and also learning-wise.

It all started when some time back I came across these letters. One was a letter from a 19 year old to a daughter she was going to adopt and you could see such depth in it. The others were some from older selves to younger selves; their own or people they wanted to send it to…  I wanted to do one of these, or something on those lines. But the fact was that, I didn’t know whom I should be penning this to?  To my child, who may or may not be born? To my own younger self?  To the other 20-year olds?  I still don’t know frankly. And I am not too sure what I really have to say. And then it struck me that I was getting nowhere with it. Not with what I wanted to talk about, how to put it into words, how to frame experiences from my life, with respect to people, career, love, family, relationships etc. I hit a block and I wasn’t sure how to proceed with it. I had specific things in my mind that I wanted to touch upon. I knew that if I had to write it in one go; it would be like a mega blog post.

So then I thought that maybe this was not the right time to pen this, maybe I was not ready… but what the heck! My Blog! My Expression! My Life! :P (Shameless Plug-in as you can see ;) ).

Officially, I have started on my 30th year. I have completed 29 years and this is the last time I will be embracing the term “I am in my twenties!!”..

How does it feel to be hitting the big three oh?? A bit different…

How different? A teeny-weeny bit from when I wrote THIS post…

Is that good different or bad different? I am not sure, to be honest!

How has my twenties been?  I think A ROLLER-COASTER RIDE should sum it up nicely… :)

“Life is like topography, Hobbes. There are summits of happiness and success, flat stretches of boring routine and valleys of frustration and failure.” -  Calvin & Hobbes!

That’s precisely my twenties. :D Good times, Bad times, Fun times, Stressful times, you name it, I have had it! :)

They say that the twenties are the best times of your lives. And for now, I got to agree! Unless the thirties show me something better ;-) 

Terrific Twenties... Hell yeah!  Of course! Tumultuous Twenties... Sure! That too!

My adolescent years were a breeze compared to my twenties. If my adolescent years were peppered with rage, rebellion, mood-swings, helplessness, mainly because I didn’t know why I was behaving the way I was, my twenties were a lot worse. They are not too much different, the early twenties I mean, when compared to your teenage years. The only and the most important difference being, you start realizing why you feel something instead of the popular “I don’t know why I feel this way!” phrase! You find specific reasons to attribute those feelings to! And you get better at it, as you go along.

To me, that was the whole crux of my twenties.  If you ask me what is the one thing that strikes me first when I think of my twenties, its CHOICE. INDEPENDENCE most definitely, follows a close second. And more often than not, they went hand in hand for me. 

What have my twenties taught me? A whole bunch of things. :)

To me, this is the decade that I started to experience the true meaning to living life to the fullest…

I lived. I laughed. I loved. I was loved. I lost some. I won some. I learnt.

To me, this is the decade that I started realizing myself. Who I was, what I was turning to, what I had been all this while and why I was like that all these years …  I liked the person I was becoming from the person I was. I enjoyed discovering things about myself.

Then somewhere it struck me that if I had to cover everything that I wanted to talk about, it would be better to do this as a series. At the very least, it will save my writing from dying out.

All I can say is that it may help you who are reading this, but then again it may not.

It may make sense to you, dear reader, but then again, it may not. Your life and my life are / may be poles apart of course.

What I pen here, is the sum of my experiences, stuff that I have picked up from these many years … some of it in existence, but some truly living it up…

Somewhere I hope you identify with it.

Somewhere I hope you nod your head and say that “Yes! It happened to me too!” …

So then, here’s to NEW BEGINNINGS! :-)

I, Cyclops - Lord Shiva, X-Men and Dance! Interested? :-)

It’s no big secret how passionate I am about dance. I have written about it here and here. I have expounded on how much certain dance videos have moved me and how crazy I am about it. And this is not restricted to just any one type of dance. I love D.A.N.C.E. Any type of dance!! Classical, Western, Contemporary, Latin American, Dappankoothu, Fusion, anything as long as it’s aesthetic and pleasant to watch. :-) 

So when I got the opportunity to do a write up for an upcoming dance show here in Singapore, courtesy Pravasi Express, I did what any person ardent and obsessive about dance would do – grabbed it with both hands! :D  :D

And now guess what I am waiting to watch, come 28^th July …

A fusion performance called – I, Cyclops – featuring dancers of Canada and Singapore. It is being organized by Bhaskar’s Arts Academy, a name synonymous with dance in Singapore in collaboration with inDANCE, a company from Canada.

An excerpt from their flyer –

“Featuring exquisite dancers from Singapore and Canada, with a cutting-edge music score from master musicians in India, Singapore and the UK, I, Cyclops is a deliciously rowdy work that catapults the viewer between the mystical god Siva's Third Eye and sexy Cyclops’/James Marsden's cool visor in Hollywood’s X-Men reboot. Choreographer Hari Krishnan reveals vivid moments from his own tripolar dystopian universe, mirroring his artistic east-to-west passage, from Singapore to Canada via India.”

Catch a sneak preview here - https://vimeo.com/69861096

I am an ardent aficionado of Lord Shiva. I am a huge fan of the X-Men series. A combination of these two – and I am hooked! :D :D

Can’t wait to watch this show at, NAFA Lee Foundation Theatre on 28^th Jul 2013 at 7:30PM …

Anyone interested in joining me… details below...

28 July 2013 (Sun), 7.30pm - NAFA Lee Foundation Theatre

Tickets priced at: $20 & $30

Get your tickets now at: Nrityalaya Aesthetics Society Tel: 63366537 & Bhaskar’s Arts Academy Tel: 63964523

A tag's calling out to me .... :-) :-)

I have a perfect excuse for picking up a tag this time around!!

My last tag-based blog post was in 2012.

I know!! Right!!! :D :D

Am actually quite proud of myself as well… well even if I didn’t write as much as I’d like to, I still didn’t succumb to the pressure of blogger’s block with a tag! :D :D And that’s saying something considering how many tags I was doing at a point of time, evidence of which is in this blog !!!

And what’s funny is how, most of my tags revolve around books and reading and the like! :) All I can say in my defense is, old habits die hard! :P ;) And hence, we have one more book-based tag coming right up!!

Here you go! Picked this up on my one of my random blog hops …. Seems like this was quite a popular tag sometime back!

Take it up if you like it! You have to associate each of the questions with the title of a book you’ve read or which you can relate to!

And so we learn that …

In School I was: A Stranger in the Mirror

People Might be surprised I’m: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

I will never be: Slumdog Millionaire

My Fantasy job is: Dance. Dance. Dance.  

At the end of a long day I need: One Hundred Years of Solitude

I Hate It When: Crime and Punishment

Wish I Had: Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less.

My Family Reunions Are: Daddy’s Little Girl.

At A Party You’d Find Me With:  Many Lives. Many Masters.  

I’ve Never Been To: The Palace of Illusions

A Happy Day Includes: Loves Music, Loves to Dance

Motto I Live By: As The Crow Flies.

On My Bucket List: Almost Single.

In My Next Life, I Want To Be: The Godfather

Summer's here!!! So is Evam's Workshop for Kids! :) :)

What did summer vacations mean to you? The months of April, May and June… To me, it was all fun, trips, mangoes, get-togethers, lots of sleeping, eating and driving the parents up the wall saying that we were bored :P Today though, there are so much more options, I say! Kids these days have a lot more options than any of our generation or the ones before us had… and I mean that in a good way!!

Have you seen what the kids of today are capable of?? They are street-smart and are much more adept at using technology and gadgets while we still sometimes struggle with our smart phones… they dance like they can give stiff competition to the world’s best … they sing effortlessly and put many a talented singer to shame and some of them are so advanced for their ages that they give the older generations (including me!) a huge complex…  

Bunch of talented youngsters we have I say… It’s heartening to see the expanse of talent that is both explicit as well as hidden in most of the kiddos today and it is to hone these very talents that some of the biggest names in the field are flying down as facilitators for a summer workshop conducted by EVAM.  

Yes people!

Evam’s back in Singapore….  :D 

This time with SUMMER WORKSHOPS for Kiddos…

Looking for details… Here you go!!

About the courses:

	5-7 yrs		8-9 yrs
	9 am to 11.30 am	11.30 am to 2 pm	2 pm to 4.30 pm	4.30 pm to 7 pm
10-16 June (Venue: Pangdemonium)	Theatre (pinty)	Music (sudha)	Music (sudha)	Theatre (pinty)
17 - 23 June (Venue: NUS PGP function room 4)	Music (vedanth)	Theatre (pinty)	Theatre (pinty)	Music (vedanth)

Each of the above courses runs for a week (2.5 hours every day) and is charged at SGD250/person. Logon to SISTIC for registering - http://tinyurl.com/dxnhc3r

For further details:

Call: +6593886994 Email:  mailsgp@evam.in

About the facilitators:

1. Dr. Sudha Raja holds a doctorate in Indian Music from the University of Madras.  She has been training school groups and communities in choral singing & Indian Carnatic Music for the past 2 decade.  

Name of course:  The Harmony Project

The workshop introduces us to harmony, and its various forms. What we understand as sound, music, rhythm, silence and how it all comes together to create magic. The participants will learn songs in many Indian languages, and how harmony adds texture and colour to music.

2. Vedanth Bharadhwaj is an accomplished singer, composer and guitarist. He composes for top musicians in India, films, theatre and ads, and is a virtuoso performer. Guitars, banjos and just about any stringed instruments come alive in Vedanth’s hands.

Name of course: The Young Composers

Music is in all of us and in everything around us! In this workshop, learn the concept of harmony and rhythm. Try your hand at writing lyrics, give it a tune and perform your very own first song!

3. Padmavathi Rao - For the last ten years, Padmavathi (or Pinty akka as children fondly call her), has been doing theatre with and for children. Padmavathi conducts storytelling, puppetry and conducting summer theatre workshops in Bangalore as she has done over the last ten years on a regular basis.

The structure of the workshops will be flexible in order to work with the realities of the workshop and children’s individual and group processes.

Name of Course: Collage - Category:  Theatre (5-7)

This workshop aims at moving from a 2-D collage to a collage of emotions as it were. The children are taken through a journey of exploring their realities, their likes and dislikes, the obstacles they perceive in expressing themselves.

Name of Course: Drama of Things - Category:  Theatre (8 to 9)

The workshop aims at finding strengths that lie within so that children can find joy in what they do. It endeavours to put children in touch with the blocks they encounter and at least begin to take the first steps towards overcoming them.

So what are you still waiting for? :-)

Get going and register your kiddos now…  

Have fun and let me know how it turns out to be!! J J J

HERE’S TO A ROLLICKING SUMMER AHEAD! J