This Southpark episode probably comes in the later seasons. I have watched only till season 10 or 11. It was hilarious. Cartman with the WoW manual in his toilet reminds me of Marc insisting me and Ragha to read it via Guild messages. And the handing over of the sword in the end, I and Ragha had our share of pissing off Marc like that while trading in WoW.

I was always rather fascinated by the rows popular leader statues got into. During their lifetime, these leaders led peaceful, passive life helping one cause or the other. And after their departure, their statues get into one row or the other. Funny, really. We, Indians go to any length to see a leader’s statue installed in any one of the busy junctions only to leave the birdies have a pleasant time on their heads and shoulders. Now some Asian population in Leichester, England wants a Gandhi statue in the city center. No, says a white minority that wants a Football hero instead. What does a statue appeal to the world when it’s just the opposite to what he/she desired it to be? It reminds me of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld ‘Pyramids’ where the dead kings and queens hate to be mummified and put into pyramids ’cause it’s a boring afterlife. Leave the old timers alone, they probably better off in history text books and museums ’cause believe me you wouldn’t like it have a damn crow crapping on you when you are made to stand pointing in some obscure direction.

The Dogs trained by Ragha are quite docile in the least. Look closer, you might find them deadly. His controversial training methods on dogs need to be brought to the attention of the Blue Cross but no physical examination can conclude they are hurt in his combat training. We believe by his mere physical presence he can subdue any dog and turn it against it’s handler. There’s proof that dogs trained by him develop better cognitive abilities that equal Tamil movie heroes like this guy’s. They adapt to any ground you choose and often it may be the last you stand on. They have primary weapons and secondary weapons too. Heck, they can fight with bare paws. Once, I saw his trainee dog somersault on its hind legs and assume a stance he called ‘Doggy takes a leak’. He’s carried out several successful ‘Dog Attacks’ on his friends. Check this dog Bingo completing its level I training. Amazing.

This is Timmy, Suren’s pet dog. He is immune to Ragha. We are hoping to raise funds to sequence Timmy’s DNA.

I wanted to compare Jason Bourne with James Bond. Funny, they have the same first letters for both first name and the last name (quite silly, I know). But the similarity ends there.

Jason Bourne

He’s more close to reality. I mean the bourne movies draw you in instantly. Bourne gets hurt, groans and limps like everyone of us. The movie makers say what he is and they do justice to that. He’s broken down, trained hard as an assassin and always taught to finish the job no matter what. An objective always at hand and a target to hunt. He’s methodical in going about his task, never makes mistakes, finds new ways to fool his adversaries and stays ahead of them. And his lines, wow. One of his best lines would be when he calls CIA deputy director Noah Vosen to get his voice ID for a safe. Such lines make up for the lack of humour in Bourne movies. Brilliantly done with no gimmicks. The women, they have a definite part to play and never get objectified. And action? Well, no pointless gun fights, where enemies shoot everywhere but at the man. Actually, there’s no gun fight in Bourne movies if you come to think of it. A thing reminiscent of Bourne movies are car chases, shuttling between cities at either ends of the world - Goa, Moscow, Naples, London, Tangier, Berlin - and he speaks every existent language flawlessly! Heck, he comes close to a Super hero.

James Bond

I have nothing against this British chap. In fact, I like him as he is, ruthless and cold. Just that he depends too much on espionage gadgetry, Aston Martins and girls to complete his missions to suit my taste. Except for his iconic introduction ‘Bond, James Bond’, he does not much impress me with designer clothes and glasses. Beyond the occasional British pun, which goes over my head, there’s nothing funny about him. The only thing reminiscent in Bond movies are girls, gadgets and casinos with lots of Martinis to boot. Women are objectified to such an extent that you want to burst out laughing. He would bed them in one scene and next he will be somewhere in Nambia. Standard thing, never changed. I have to appreciate the villains though. They were from all over the world. The only consistent character was Judi Dench as ‘M’ in the recent Bond movies. You always stop short of groaning when skis latch on to his shoes at the click of a watch or when Aston-Martins convert into speedboats. True, every man would salivate at his gadgets, watches and cars but for how long. The recent movie, ‘Casino Royale’ shows promise to break these stereotypes to some extent. It shows him vulnerable, sensitive and for once not just playing with the lead lady. And of course, less gadgetry. Of all Bond movies, I liked only this one.

I think Bourne in just 3 movies is much more cooler than Bond in 21 movies. Watch this Bourne Ultimatum spoof… Hilarious.

As usual, Ragha found someone to cheat. This time, Vasanth Christopher’s cousin, Sam who, by the way, was always found making multi million dollar deals on the phone, huddling in a corner at IIT Saarang yesterday. Of course, I was asked to come as an after thought, only a half an hour before. Adithya, Ragha and me drove to Saarang in Sam’s car at around noon. We wandered here and there a bit, watched people performing impromptu dance to some soundtracks on makeshift stages, people walking with their faces painted, dragons and flowers tattooed on their arms. It was what it should be. A cultural fest. Fortunately Sam knew where he was going and led us into Central Lecture hall or something. I think it was Decibals event. Or Acoustyx. I don’t remember seeing any poster. Bands played mostly with acoustic guitars, basses, drums and keyboards here. An A cappella group from Bangalore was there too. Watch here at Marc’s blog an A Cappella group performing. They were quite good. A decent performance. 3 boys and 4 girls, each adding a different sort of music. Needless to say, they were not engineering students. They sang Alien Ant Farm (or MJ?) ‘Smooth Criminal’, Rockapella ‘Zombie Jamboree’ and two other songs. They were meant to sing only three songs I guess but seeing the response they got, they asked the audience if one more can be sung. The audience drowned the IITian’s refusal who was compering the event and the poor chap had to allow it. We left after that shortly, after gulping some food bought at the stalls. You can bet we didn’t buy the food. Sam did.

And I think this is one of group’s video.

Heath Ledger who played the Joker in ‘Batman Begins’ sequel apparently died of drug overdose. Joker’s death is tragic. Simply tragic. Now, that’s all the more reason to watch the movie. His maniacal laugh in the first teaser trailer was absolutely stunning. In fact, I was actually looking forward to more of Joker’s action. It seems that the Batman sequel took its toll on him and might be a cause for his ‘accidental’ death. In his November TV interview, he’s quoted to have said that he had trouble sleeping while portraying the Joker, whom he had called a “psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy” and that the drugs worked only for one or two hours. This shows the tremendous pressure these actors are in and how hard they drive themselves. Unlike some of our highly over-rated actors with questionable acting talent let alone screen presence down under in India. Especially, down south where they call themselves ‘Supreme star’, ‘Ultimate star’ and such superlatives. I wonder why they don’t drop dead.

Here, read about this wonder drug ‘Ambien‘

The full story, here.

Also, a 6 full minute bank heist trailer from ‘The Dark Knight’. Bad quality, but watchable.