The reasons are manifold.

Board Exams. Exams always do me in.

My severe laziness. That’s one niggling disease I can’t seem to get rid of.

A new phase in life. And it doesn’t really mean a good one. Just a new one. Let’s see how this one goes. Fingers crossed.

Till next time, this is all I have.

(Man! The writer’s block is killing me. Though I love using the phrase - writer’s block.)

I got it from Google that got it from a Blog that got it from a guy that got it from another guy. I think.

]]> http://dipanjantalks.wordpress.com/2011/04/29/caution-writers-block-ahead/feed/ 4 Dipie Writer's Block http://dipanjantalks.wordpress.com/2011/01/01/2011-of-turning-18-and/ http://dipanjantalks.wordpress.com/2011/01/01/2011-of-turning-18-and/#comments Sat, 01 Jan 2011 03:44:11 +0000 Dipanjan http://dipanjantalks.wordpress.com/?p=280 ]]> Status of 2010: Successful. Wiser. Smarter(!). Fatter.

Resolutions for this year:

To get a backstage entry into a Victoria’s Secret Angels‘ show.

Love the parents.

Pass out respectably from the School, and get into a decent college.

Get laid before turning.. 18?

Learn to cook.

#4 Again. (Wait, you were not numbering these commandments?!)

Unsubscribe all the useless magazines that I don’t even have the time to read.

Make some real contribution and help the needy. Yes, I will finally seed my torrents!

Won’t judge a book by it’s cover.

Become friendly, and stay in touch with all of my friends! And make some new ones too.

Will give heavy metal one more chance.

Will curb my desire to troll, and be nice. Or nicer.

And see all the Movies that are stacked up in my computer hard drive.

And, and write more frequently on this Blog. Say it with me – Alas!

And, and, and be happy.

Oh, also Happy New Year 2011 to all of you who read that shit. Any help in achieving all these aims is welcome.

P.S. : Sorry for the self-indulgence, freaks. Ah, nevermind..

P.S. II : I only have 278 days to carry out #4. Shucks.

Imagine no “Imagine”
What song would they use
For every Lennon tribute
In the annual Lennon news
Imagine all the people
Freed from that old song…

You may say I’m a dreamer
Like some crazy peacenik dove
I hope someday you’ll join me
And the new song would be Love.

And, I was never great in heading a Ball while playing Football.

Whereas, my essay Headers have always been appreciated.

I am heading out now.

And, till next time listen to this:

I seriously have no excuse now for such a lame Blog Post. Okay, I do.

I was bored.

• City of Blinding Lights

This won U2 a Grammy in the Best Rock Song category. How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb won a Grammy for Best Rock Album.

• Bad

This was not a radio hit, but it became a live favorite and a centerpiece at their concerts. The live version on their 1985 album Wide Awake In America helped them gain popularity in the US. They became a household name after the Live Aid performance.

• Where the Streets Have No Name

The song is actually about Ireland. In Ireland (and Northern Ireland), the many cities are divided: rich/poor, Catholic/Protestant, etc. By knowing which street a person lives on you can tell their religion, wealth and beliefs – it’s where the streets have no name.

• With or Without You

This was U2′s first #1 hit in the US. It was the first U2 single to do better in America than in England. The lyrics are about relationships, but can be interpreted many ways. They were written by Bono, who wanted to write a love song that dealt with real issues in relationships.

• Miracle Drug

Bono wrote this about an Irish writer with cerebral palsy named Christopher Nolan.

• Pride (In the name of Love)

This began as a song about US president Ronald Reagan. Bono had lyrics written condemning Reagan for an arrogant pride that led to nuclear escalation. This was a perfect song for the stadiums they were playing. They would stop playing toward the end and let the crowd sing the last chorus.

• I still haven’t found what I’m looking for

This is my Favourite U2 Song of all time, maybe because this song made me fall in love with them. This was influenced by Gospel music. Bono wanted The Joshua Tree to explore various forms of American music they had encountered while touring USA.

• New Year’s Day

This was U2′s first UK Top 10 and their first single to chart in America. Bono considers this a love song. While it is about war, it deals with “The struggle for love.”

• Sunday Bloody Sunday

While performing this, Bono would wave a white flag as a call for peace. In 2003, The Edge inducted The Clash into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. In his speech, he said,  “There is no doubt in my mind that “Sunday Bloody Sunday” wouldn’t – and couldn’t – have been written if not for The Clash.”

• All I want is You

This plays under the credits of the U2 documentary Rattle And Hum. And it probably has the Best Music Video for any U2 Song in my opinion.

Compiling a TOP 10 U2 Compilation is not easy at all, since U2 have produced so many gems over the years, and have been the most consistent Band in recent History. Some songs to miss out narrowly were, So Cruel, Desire, Mysterious Ways, Stuck in a Moment you can’t get out of, Van Dieman’s Land, and White as Snow. Let me know what you think of this list, and tell me about your own Favourites. Till then, Keep Rocking U2!

Breaking Dawn was such a disappointment. There’s no battle. Nothing happens. It’s like she didn’t know how to write a battle so she just has the Volturi surrender and say, “Okay, we’ll let your baby live.” A real author would have the conviction to carry through with an actual plot that made sense, or gave us an ending that wasn’t fairytale happiness just to make fans happy by not killing anyone off. Sorry, but that’s not how good authors and books roll.

Let’s face it. They’re trying to copy Harry Potter, except the only difference is that Deathly Hallows needs to be put into two parts because so many characters die, and the last book has so much going on in it. On top of that, J.K. Rowling actually had the guts to kill off some of her beloved characters, and not just in Deathly Hallows, but before that too.

Everything in the Twilight series is focused more around a love triangle than anything else. Honestly, the books do nothing more than make teenage girls believe they need a guy to protect them. Edward is a masochist, and I don’t care if Bella is a klutz, or that she might need protecting. Everything has to be done Edward’s way, and he has control over her, which a lot of people neglect to see.

The books are poorly written compared to many other franchises, so why break it up into two movies when the book isn’t anything great to begin with. Breaking Dawn was my least favorite of the entire series because she ruined it. She gave it the fairytale ending, gave the fans what she THINKS they wanted, but really, they wanted an ending that left them longing for more, not pages and pages of boring dialogue with the good and bad guys, only to be given a setup, and then a complete downfall in the end. It’s completely ridiculous!

I hope they change their mind and make it one entire movie, and hopefully they make the movie a bit different than the book. I also hope that it’s not from Jacob’s point of view either. I found that entirely irritating and pointless. The book has always been from Bella’s point of view, and then she basically changes it, except the very last part of Eclipse where it is in Jacob’s also. Big whoop. I honestly think she is a crappy author, and people have made too much hype over Twilight.

Also, who gives a crap about ‘that’ sex scene? They went around it in the book, they should do the same in the movie! They’re only having the actors show skin to sell more tickets and get more money. That’s the entire point of this franchise. They’ve banked in on it because of all the merchandising. Archies has become basically a Twilight store the moment you enter. Trading cards, shirts, pens, jackets, sweaters, everything you can basically think of. They’ve started to cast out other fandoms like Harry Potter and it’s ridiculous. This is just so f-ing stupid. Like they haven’t made millions off these movies already.

Let’s face it. Twilight is not even original. The only aspect of Twilight that is original is that vampires sparkle, which is the queerest thing I’ve ever heard of. The whole vampire falls in love with a human, been there, done that. Two sides that are enemies join together to fight. Been there, done that. I think it was Stephen King who said the difference between J.K Rowling and Stephanie Meyer is that J.K Rowling can write. It is true. It’s kind of disgusting how Meyer is making millions for being a bad writer. At least in Harry Potter, stuff happens and they have a battle. At least with Harry Potter, she created a world that was original, and yes, she’s made lots of money because of the Harry Potter franchise, but she wasn’t trying to cash in on something that already existed. She is actually a good writer, unlike Stephenie Meyer who gets so much hype because of one series that has done well.

That brings me to another point. The only reason that The Host actually did well in sales is because it came out the same year as Eclipse. Other then that, she hasn’t written anything outside of the Twilight franchise and it’s sad that people think she’s an amazing author. Sure, J.K. Rowling hasn’t written anything outside of Harry Potter yet, but look at how long it took her to write all seven books. It took years, possibly even a whole decade, where as Stephenie Meyer had all four books out within four years, or less. Take your time if you plan on writing something decent, goddammit.

I read the books, but I’m not a hard-core fan like some of those Twilight freaks out there a.k.a the Twi-Moms. I do see the movies, but I’m not exactly excited about them. It’s just something to do. Anyway, that’s my little rant. I hope some people start to realize that Twilight isn’t all that great. It’s hogwash actually.

• Leave aside marauding footballers, their feisty managers. What left tongues wagging during FIFA 2010 WC was undoubtedly Paul, the Oracle Octopus. He predicted all 7 of Germany’s games, and the final too. And most importantly he got all his predictions right! He captured the imagination of the whole world. I am not ready to believe that he has some supernatural powers, but if people believe in him, then I have no problem with that. I feel that he has been hyped way too much, and he has received more attention than was required! If it was up to me, Paul would be in the chopping blocks by now!

• Biggest Stars flopped. Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Lionel Messi, Didier Drogba, Wayne Rooney. You name the Superstars of the game, and they all failed to live up to their billing of being Global Superstars. Ronaldo was the sole scorer. Lionel Messi ran past most of the defences only to be stopped at the attacking third. He was the Best of the lot, but he was way off his true colours. This World Cup was surely a stage where new stars were born, and same old Stars like Diego Forlan showed the world what he is truly capable of.

• Larissa Riquelme. That Paragyuan Model. Most of the neutral Football Supporters started supporting Paraguay just because she promised she’d go nude if Paraguay reached the Semis. Spain eventually denied them in the Quarter-Finals, but she went ahead and did a nude photo shoot. She said she was proud of her players. We sure are proud of her! And, needless to say she has already bagged a multi-million dollar deal for a leading Modeling Agency in New York! She took great advantage of the Biggest Stage in the Sporting Arena!

• I will remember this World Cup, because of the World Cup parties we hosted at our home during most of the Games. It was terrific atmosphere at home during the Netherlands – Brazil Quarter-Final game. Everybody was supporting Brazil. Only I was on the side of the Dutch. 45 to 1, the ratio was. And gratuitous to articulate, I was ecstatic. It was one great night for me! It was Sweet , with a Capital S.

My World Cup All-Star Squad:

Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas, Manuel Neuer, and Maarten Stekelenburg

Defenders: Gerard Pique, Carlos Puyol, Jorish Mathijsen, Sergio Ramos, Phillip Lahm, Diego Godin, Maicon

Midfielders: Xavi, Nigel De Jong, Wesley Sneijder, Bastian Schweinstiger, Mesut Ozil, Mark van Bommel, Honda, Diego Forlan, Iniesta

Strikers: David Villa, Luis Suarez, Thomas Muller, Asamoah Gyan

Special Mention: I was happy that Spain finally went on to win the World Cup, but I was hoping that the Oranje would be third time lucky. But, that was obviously not to be! Holland gave it their all, and that is what matters. I would be happy, if Welsey Sneijder ends up at United this season. Spain have the Golden Generation playing for them, and appreciatively they have had their taste of success, unlike the ’74 team that Netherlands accumulated.

All in all, FIFA World Cup 2010 was an amazing experience for me. Even though I had no way to be present right in the middle of the action in South Africa, nevertheless, I loved 2010 FIFA WC, and it would always be etched in my memory. “It was a Special World Cup”, exclaimed FIFA President, Sepp Blatter. I can’t seem to agree more.

I thoroughly enjoyed the FIFA World Cup, 2010. And here are my personal Top 10 Favourite moments from the gallant show put up by the Rainbow Nation. Oh Africa!

• The excitement for the World Cup reached the highest level due to two songs. Wavin’ Flag by K’naan and Waka Waka by Shakira. Wavin’ Flag was the Official Anthem of World Cup sponsor Coca Cola. This song went on to become a huge hit with people all over the world. And nobody could stop humming the lines, ‘When I grow older, I will be stronger, They’ll call me freedom, Just like a Wavin’ flag!’ And the Official FIFA World Cup 2010 anthem Waka Waka by Shakira only made an impact during the course of the tournament, with the song being played in TV Channels, the Radio continuously.

I personally loved both of these anthems. And these two songs will make me remember the extravaganza that FIFA World Cup 2010, in South Africa was.

• The early elimination of two of last Cup’s finalists was disappointing for everybody, but not surprising at all. The adamant nature of both of the Managers of these two Football powerhouses in this year’s Cup made them perform so appallingly. Marcello Lippi refused to budge from his position of taking players like Antonio Cassano. And Raymond Domenech made a stupid decision in not taking Karim Benzema, Sébastien Frey, Philippe Mexès and even Samir Nasri to South Africa. The tactics they employed were clearly ineffective. Lippi and Domenech, both refused to shake hands with their opposing managers after the end of their group games. Both teams finished bottom in their respective groups. A new low for those proud Footballing Nations.

• Oh, is that a buzzing bee on drugs? Or an aeroplane let lose in the stadiums of South Africa? Surprise, surprise! It’s the Vuvuzela! What did you expect? For me, they were hell annoying, but not unbearable. I could deal with it’s presence. But some people clearly couldn’t, while others caught on to it very quickly. Vuvuzelas became a phenomenon. Debates raged on as to whether they should be allowed in the games involving Non-African teams. FIFA persisted with them. South African authorities said that the World Cup in South Africa should have the distinctive South African feel. And they were allowed at all the games. They sold like hot cakes all around Africa. But, I would like to see them limited to Africa. Thankfully enough, they were banned from Wimbledon, F1 GPs, PGA Tour Events, and the FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil too! But FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa belonged to the Vuvuzelas! It was Africa, baby!

And those who want a taste of the Vuvuzela, try this – Blow Me!

• The Ascent of the Young energetic Deutschland team. Players like Muller, Ozil, Khedira, Croos, Neuer  led by their Senior counterparts Klose, Podolski, Schweinsteiger, and the Captain Lahm. They played the Best football in the tournament for me. Better than even eventual winners Spain. They were God-like. Swift movements on the wings, the impromptu interchange of flanks between Özil, and Müller was flawless at certain times. But they were cagey in the Semi Final against Spain, and eventually had to bow out. They have a great future ahead.

• Robert Green. And his howler against the USA. I don’t need to say more. See the video, you’d understand!

• That Superb Frank Lampard goal in England’s Round of 16 match being disallowed, led to a lot of debates about the use of Goal line technology. I personally would love to see technology being implemented in these sort of situations. This World Cup like every other World Cup was marred by referring blunders. USA were disallowed of two goals. Kaka getting that obnoxious red card, are just a few of the shambolic gaffes made by referees in this year’s Cup. But certainly the disallowed Lampard goal was the talking point as far as referring at this year’s Cup is concerned.

That is it for now. Will publish the second part in a different post.

Dear Maa,

So, this note I am writing to you does not pertain to just this day. In fact, I planned to write to you some months ago, but as you know, I am lazy, and I don’t always end up doing things I should, or I promised will. But, I have decided to pen down my feelings now. Better late than never, right Maa? It’s that time of the year again, where the world revels in the spirit of Motherhood, and your Kind Motherkind is held aloof. I know you are one Great mother, and you did all those immense sacrifices for me that I can never thank you enough for.

I have seen you through a lot of sorrow, agitation. I have seen through you what it takes to be a woman. You in my eyes are, what a Mother should be like – Nice, Soft, Gentle, Fragile, and more importantly kind and sentimental. Women, generally are forgotten in this world, and their contributions undermind for whatever reason it maybe. You, Maa, have always obeyed what Baba has asked you to do, gave up your career, and all of your interests for him. On my Grandparents’ insistence you couldn’t go further with your interest in classical music. It was your choice to leave it all, and I am angry at you for doing so. You should have done what you wanted to. But, then I know you love Baba more than anyone. The love I have seen in your eyes for him, even when he has not lived up to our expectations is unflappable, and hopefully will remain so forever and always. But throughout the time I have known you, I have always noticed you surrending yourself to the wishes of others. And that does come from the love you have for Baba, and the people dear to you in general.

But, I so wish for that day when you will stand up to your husband, look him in the eye and say, ‘It’s enough. I will do what I want to. I will decide for myself.’ I know that day might never arrive, but I will keep hoping. And hoping. But, it will also be wrong on my part to expect something of you, which you can not do. Something that your nature won’t allow you to do. You just can’t be harsh on anyone. You can’t scold anyone. You can’t dominate anyone. But, I also want my Maa to be fearless, to be a woman who can provide for me by herself.

I can’t thank you enough for all the various delicacies which you have cooked for me each and every day of my life so far. And I am also sorry, that on most occasions I have disgusted your food as being too health-conscious, and too naive. I know now, no one in this world can cook better than you do. And yes, I will say this even after getting married (Sorry, Darling). I thank you for all the suggestions and advices you have given me throughout my teenage years. I thank you for secretly doting out money during the days I was out with my friends, without the knowledge of my Baba. I especially thank you for saying that I can have my girl friend, at least until I study well. I thank you for discussing your problems and grievances with me. I thank you for treating me like your ‘Raja Beta.’ I thank you for getting the best clothes for us at the cheapest rates during Sale Season. I thank you for giving me your phone to make phone calls when I do not have the balance, even when you know who I will talk to. I thank you for telling me your life stories, as it helped me in taking a lot of my own decisions. I thank you for not loving any other man, other than my father because then I wouldn’t have had those genes and I may not have turned out the way you did. I thank you for pampering me. I thank you for being strict when it was really necessary. I thank you for looking so much like a mother actually should. I thank you for everything you did. I know I shouldn’t thank you for everything you gave to me, but well I will thank you. Thank you, for being my Mother.

I know, I haven’t been the perfect child any mother would ever want. I know I haven’t lived up to your expectations on a lot of occasions. I know I have gone astray at times. I know, I have lied to you. I know, I will lie to you again. But I also know, I will do good in life. I know I may not be the perfect son, but I will try to give you as much happiness as I possibly can.

I want you to stay with me throughout my life, and give me all I need – the unconditional love, the infinite kindess you have been showering on me since time immemorial.

Your not so hopeless Son,

Dipanjan

P. S – Happy Mother’s Day. I love you.