The Singapore data recovery

Hello those few and far between who make the wrong turn to my blog.I am back.After precisely 4 months and 12 days,I decided to make a return to this hallowed URL.If you haven't been able to tell from the title of this post yet (and in which case schizophrenia would be an accurate diagnosis),I am now based in Singapore.I'm here to study animation and I am loving everything about my education.Yes,contrary to the content on this blog on education,this course is easily the best treatment I have had till date.I'm at the Tisch School of the Arts Asia (yes,a branch of Tisch NYU).

To start with,it takes a complete shit on the ridiculous education system I had been subject to for the past 15 years (for more on that,please read previous posts).The assignments here are proper creations of digital art made by us,the students.The time crunch is similar to that in a real studio.The resources are fucking cool.We have Wacom tablets on every computer,3 of them with Cintiq screens.Half the computers have Digidesign Protools.The professors here really know what they're teaching.The point of education in this field here is not to teach the software,but how to use what in the software (if and when necessary) to create a certain piece of art.We are taught the origins of art,the reason behind creating certain pieces of art.3 of the professors here are/have been metal fans.One has seen Metallica live thrice and other bands like Iron Maiden,Sepultura,Sodom,Kreator,Death,Carcass etc.

The campus itself destroys.Even though its a film school,there is a lot of vegetation around in the lawns outside.Till now,I have seen cockatoos,grey parrots,a vine snake and a monitor lizard on campus.My colleagues destroy as well.There is no worry about being 'politically correct' here.They understand that it is a tool for the weak.

Singapore itself is pretty cool.So far,I have purchased 7 metal t-shirts here:Metallica,Amon Amarth,Lamb of God,HammerFall,Iced Earth,Dark Tranquillity and Arch Enemy.I have purchased a computer with crazily awesome specs.So awesome that it runs Crysis:Warhead like butter even at 'Gamer' graphic levels and 1280 x 1024 screen resolution.The residents are friendly,the place is slightly on the expensive side and there is no fucking difference between summer and winter.In short,I'm loving it here.

As far as metal goes,I have been hearing more of the old guns:Judas Priest,Queensryche etc.I've also been introduced to Singapore's very own Rudra.These guys play blackened death metal but their tunes are highly influenced by Indian classical and their lyrics are exclusively about the Vedas.Another great band I've been hearing is a Doom Gothic Metal band from Sweden called Draconian.These guys are the ultimate name (for me) in beautiful music.They combine male death growls with female serenades,on a batter of crunchy,slow,deliberate rhythms drenched in atmospheric,ambient keys.

I return to New Delhi on the 20th of December for the winter,for those interested.

Half-baked Adaptation:Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You

Hello,its been a long time since I made an original metal-unrelated post like this...oh,wait.No.OK,then its a long time since I made a post on cinema.And thanks to this current slurry of movies that are adapted from popular literature or recreation,my topic is quite relevant.


I recently saw Transformers 2:Revenge of the Fallen.I loved it.Yes,Megan Fox was in the movie and there were times I felt helpless about not being able to do anything to her...but,the special effects and animation work created magic with the Autobots v/s Decepticons battles themselves.From my wandering on the net,I have not yet come across very serious backlash against the accuracy of the story to this movie franchise (as I know nothing about it myself).Yet,a movie that recently (and after much delay) released in India before this one was the eagerly-awaited X-Men Origins:Wolverine.I was waiting for the day this movie would release and had extremely high hopes from it.Especially when I learned that among others,Deadpool is a featured character.I was raring to see the red uniformed sword master with a big mouth at his best,killing mutants for money:

What I got instead was a semi-mummified,naked-chested freak that was indestructible and was basically William Stryker's new toy.Far from the real Deadpool story (a mercenary who gets cancer and after ending up as a failed Weapon X program,gains healing abilities beyond Wolverine's).And this is just a small part of the bigger lamentation:the story itself.Wolverine is NOT Sabertooth's brother (rather,Sabertooth is Wolverine's gardener's son),he works at a lumberjack outpost immediately after escaping his home as opposed to the movie portrayal,he ALMOST kills his 1st Weapon X captor (which happens right after World War II) and many other such grievances.

Which brings me to my point:cinematic adaptations are almost completely exclusive of the real story.Directors these days just bank on a star actor portraying a character to gather the cash.Cases in point:Hugh Jackman as Wolverine,Sienna Miller as Baroness (for the upcoming G.I.Joe),Tom Hanks as Professor Robert Langdon etc.Yes,they all have a certain level of excitement in them,but when will they start doing justice to the real story?

And what about TOTAL bastardization of a franchise like Eragon?Where the hell do I begin with this complete waste of 70 mm reel?The fact that a DRAGON was given feathers?Or Arya's sexy brunette imagined image was urinated upon?Or the Urgals looking like fired sumo wrestlers and NOTHING like a sleeker version of the Minotaur?Or the fact that the WHOLE story was so badly mangled (removal of the Hadarac desert scene,no breaking of the Isidar Mithrim,no Solembum and not even the mention of Murtagh's Zar'roc wound) that by the time one reached the end,the only thing he can do is lament.

Other popular movie adaptations like the Harry Potter,The Lord of the Rings and Spiderman series are less infuriating with the inaccuracy (though I hate Sam Raimi for killing Venom off).But on a whole,I have learned that if I should watch an adaptation,I should just unlearn anything I know about the original story.

The real Delhi University

Its that ridiculous time of year again when school finishing students across India race to the ends of the land in search of academic salvation.Needless to say,its the engineering colleges that get most applicants,but 2nd only to that would be the number of application forms oozing into administrative offices of Delhi University.Everyone wants to be part of Delhi University(useful hint:its abbreviated as DU,because it makes you sound a tad cooler than you actually might be),where studying is a criminal offense (2nd only to not smoking).

Central to DU,the college who's facade immediately jumps to mind on mention of it is St. Stephen's college.This college is the epitome of 'cool'.Its the ambition of every parent in New Delhi to see their seemingly direction-less child gain fame and glory (and more importantly,money) when he/she enters its sacred gates.Everybody dreams of walking out onto the petty streets wearing the Stephanian sweatshirt like a coat-of-arms.

It took just a list for the reality to emerge.On this day,the 18th of June,in the year of our lord 2009,St Stephen's brought out its cut-off list for various bachelor's courses:

http://www.ststephens.edu/admissions/cutoffs.htm

Now,this list immediately brings out a reaction akin to that of a bimbo's father when he sees the telephone bill.A gargantuan rise in percentages is what we find upon close examination.The reason that the college gives for this drastic action is that board results have been high in India and hence so should be the cut-off.Now,the layman will think:"well yeah makes sense because its the elite who make it to this college".Well layman,figure this:out of the total no of seats that applicants are battling with bloodshed for,50% are reserved for Christians (20% of these are for Christian Dalits while 40% of them are for Christians from North India) and 10% is reserved for SC/ST/OBC and physically challenged.The unfortunate percentage that were not baptized or born into caste-victimized families (or both) get just 40%.

THIS,my friends,is the situation of education in India.Its only for the 40% that this list is being released.This 40% is what makes up the 'elite' Stephanian crowd.Its the bunch of idiots who have studied without sleep for at least a month to be able to get a good education.It seems that the college wants them to lose some more sleep.A 95% is not a good enough percentage for them.The child who knows Chemistry for the science it is will lose his seat to the child who practically remembers every page number of a topic in his Chemistry book.

Education in India is dead.Mechanization is the new 'art'.Religious 'sentiments' are preferred over practical knowledge.If you're a Christian,you will find enough of your kind in the aforementioned 'prestigious' college.Who knows how many there will be.More importantly,best of luck in looking for one who actually knows his/her subject.And the saddest part is that people still stand for this.A rise in cut-offs will anger only those who did not get in,while others will be filled with the pride of getting the ultimate stamp of elitism.

The truth is,religion and social blasphemy have taken a very convenient shit on the face of education.Society is self-destructing due to its lack of practicality.And as Indians,the best we shall do is laugh it off with the 'this is India,my friend' statement.And then its back to our pitiful,religion and superstition-driven lives.

And this is just St Stephen's.Who knows what the rest of DU's lists will turn out to be.So kids,if you're looking for a good education in DU,follow these simple rules:

1. Get a fake identity made,preferably Christian or Dalit or both
2. Make sure you know insiders in the DU administration so that they can get you into the course you 'deserve'
3. Keep lots of money aside in case methods 1 and 2 fail
4. Be prepared to get chucked into a college full of lowlife scum because your 90% and above aggregate is too good for the high-society,religious bastards in the college of your choice.

I'm glad I escaped....

Another bass cover: Kreator-Servant in Heaven,King in Hell

I had to tune my bass guitar down to : D G C F for this. I'm quite jittery.Please refer to last video for reasons to that.

Khooni Murga by Workshop - Now THIS is the Great Indian Comedy Show

This is a review I've written primarily for Headbangers India. Here goes:

Have you ever worried that you are the only idiot who still wanks to screen nudity? Have you ever felt the sudden urge to pass stool at a very social gathering? Have you ever fantasized about that vixen in a ghaghra-choli? Have you ever been chased by a carnivorous, mutant poultry bird?

Have no fear, for you are not alone! Workshop presents, 'Khooni Murga', a showcase of all aspects of adolescence ranging from your 1st jerk-off session to nightmares about being disemboweled by the 'flightless bird from hell', and everything in between. All this has been specially wrapped into a tight package of memorable metal music and cheeky bouts of crooning. If you've ever felt outcast for finding a sexual innuendo in everything, then this album is your new best friend-in waiting.

Alright, enough sales talk. Down to business. This album marks a new pinnacle in Indian metal. Now, bands will not fight to be the most technical, or the most brutal or epic; please welcome the era of comedic metal, brought to you by The Demonstealer (Sahil Makhija-vocals,rhythm guitar), The Rijunator (Riju Dasgupta-bass), The Hamzoid (Hamza Kazi-drums) and The Rajbot (Rajarshi Bhattacharya-lead guitar). Think tight (and sometimes even brutal) metal music with the funniest of tunes and lyrics, and that very evenly sums up 'Khooni Murga'. The title is a wordplay of the title of a B-grade Hindi movie, and is basically a tribute to everything that an Indian can be ashamed of. The 1st song is 'She Folked Up My Jazz', a hard rock piece about lust being a jazz player's downfall. Its a very promising kick-off to an album, and like a typically good album opener, is a sign of even better things to come. 'Pudhe Sarka' (which is Marathi for 'aage khisakh') is a humble acknowledgment of a bad day without change on a BEST bus. Unlike the previous track, this one is blazing thrash metal track. Now, the next song as mentioned on the tracklisting, is 'Chati ke Saath Panga' but in reality it's been swapped with the succeeding track 'I Came'. 'I Came' is a song that EVERY male listener will relate to as it glorifies the 1st time a boy masturbates with tongue-in-cheek lyrics like 'Here I am with a loaded gun,it's pointed at you baby here I cum'. It also ends with the doomy line 'and I'm all out of sperm'. 'Chati ke Saath Panga' is a unique concept about a certain daaku Kamla Devi who has disturbingly large tits which she uses to terrorize people with. Instrumentally, this song has a very dark undertone and if it wasn't for the lyrics and vocal melody, it would be very at home on a Demonic Resurrection album.

The track to follow is the very 'colloquially' (for want of a better word) titled 'Garba Gandu' and as you might have guessed, is about a Gujju looking for pussy on a Garba night. The hallmark of this song is Hamza's ratta-ta-ta-ta snare that sounds like dandiya drumming. It ALSO has a very provocative Gujarati chorus section with BLAST BEATS! Next up is the very funky recipe 'How to Make a Demonic Omelet'. The title is quite self-explanatory so I will conveniently move on to the next track. 'Kothai Doro Cho' is a dig at a Bengali who feels the sinister urge to deposit what cannot be digested at a social gathering, and is running around looking for a place to do so. It has a very catchy yet heavy tremolo-picked hook and ends with a deadly E-major barrage that sounds like something off a Gojira album. The following track is the one that had made EVERY one clued in to India's metal scene to log on to YouTube and type 'bunty aur mallika sherawath'. Similar reactions were sparked by the next track 'Cookie Monster', a ballad about fighting a losing battle against sleep while chatting with a female e-pal/pussy hopeful. It has the distinction of being called 'cool' by none other than metal's master of innovation, Mathias Eklundh. The album then ends with the title track, one that has a very death metal sound to it and also has Sahil muttering 'A Darkness Descends'. Another publicity gimmick, and a pretty solid one at that.

All throughout this album can be found references to the penis, though not in an epic 'I'm the god-king with the longest and tightest rod' manner that Nile follow, but instead in a way very similar to what teenagers across the country refer to it as. The production is brilliant and so are the references to Demonic Resurrection. It also comes with a DVD containing over 2 hours of band footage, something that requires a separate review.

So, if you ever feel that your day is going bad, just pop in this CD and ensure a happy state of mind for the duration that it runs. Workshop claim no responsibility whatsoever for a return to a bad mood afterwards.

Bass-ic attempt

Here's me with a bass cover of Metallica's Master of Puppets.I'm pretty jittery,I know and that's because I've never taken lessons and have been plagued with all sorts of technical difficulties ever since I got my 1st bass around 3 years ago.I'd like to thank the Laney RB2 for being there...






The volume is a bit low so you'll need to fiddle with the volume knob on your speakers.Also,the light is low as well so those who are wondering,I play with m fingers and not a plectrum.

DLF IPL season 2:Double-take fest,anyone?

Well Lalit Modi is back.India's newly-found most awaited sporting event of the year makes a comeback,this time in the fastest emerging country for cricket locations,South Africa.The fact that its not being held in India makes little difference to me as I would have seen all the matches on TV either way.But getting down to the event itself,well its turning out to be as good as any Heroes episode,isn't it?

This time the IPL has had twists RIGHT from the start.The defending champions Rajasthan Royals led by the most-talked about captain of 2008 are now trying to sweep up a 'royal' mess;the Delhi Daredevils who provided at best a slightly-above average performance last year are now battling for top position;with none other than the team that finished last in the 1st season (and the one I chose to keep my faith in despite last year's paltry performance),the Deccan Chargers.But wait,its not over yet!The 1st edition's runners-up,the Chennai Super Kings,are now playing a tug of war for 4th position (at least) with probably the most bashed team of last year,the Royal Challengers Bangalore! Vijay Mallya,take a bow (and not a nervous swig).The Kings XI Punjab team continues with the form they were in last year,and the Mumbai Indians are putting up a much tougher resistance than last time.

So that covers all the tea....OH.Wait.I seem to have missed one out.Ah! Of course,its difficult to spot right at the bottom anyhow;the most glorified team of the IPL...King Khan's Kolkata Knight Riders.I always felt the advertising of this team was way too much,and now that has finally acted against them.The only time you will now see a happy member from that team would be during an advertisement.EVERYTHING has gone wrong for this team otherwise.From the controversial 4-captain theory,to Sourav Ganguly's dismal luck with Australian coaches and now,the Fake IPL Player blogger (chances are he's reading this himself).And that is just OFF the field predicaments.Last year's bat-brandishing knight from New Zealand Brendon McCullum now plays it easy by scoring a maximum of maybe 19,Chris Gayle believes in the Sehwag theory of '3 fours and a dismissal' and well,everyone else is happily dropping catches and batting at test match paces.The only ones putting up a fight are Bengal Tiger Sourav Ganguly and Aussie Brad Hodge.This team has almost certainly bagged last spot this season.

Another interesting thing about this year's IPL is how,despite it being called the 'young man's game' and all,its the classic veterans who are tearing the bowling apart.Matthew Hayden,Adam Gilchrist,Sanath Jayasuriya,Sachin Tendulkar,Jacques Kallis are people well in their late 30s but are playing like excited 15 year-olds.One just can't help smiling at their Viking spirit.Also surprising statisticians are the spinners.Sure,guys like Yusuf Abdulla,RP Singh and Lasith Malinga and 'firing it in the blockhole',but its been people like Pragyan Ojha,Anil Kumble,Shane Warne,Harbhajan Singh and even Suresh Raina who are actually turning out to be the partnership destroyers.

This season of the IPL has also seen the introduction of the Tactical Time Out,a 7.5 minute mandatory break after 10 overs for both teams to strategize and plan for the rest of the innings.Its a very fair decision of course,but its also a party pooper at times,being the main reason for the downfall of a set batting side on numerous occasions and the jinxed 16th over or the 'over of death.

I personally am enjoying this time of year as my exams are over,next 2 years are set and all I need to do is put on the TV and watch these matches.Shocking,dismaying,exciting,heart-stopping...no this is not the new Bond film,but the DLF IPL season 2.