The La Di Da World

Hey everyone!!! =D I have since of late resorted to keeping my mouth shut. After all, "Silence is Golden" .... lol. Instead I use a "Little Green Book" to note down my "spiteful comebacks "... Here are excerpts... which of course have no meaning now that the issues are history, but nevertheless give me giggles =D

• Don't take life too seriously, you will never get out of it ALIVE!


• Who gave you the right to judge me??


• Nothing like a nice new shoe to boost your confidence..


• Is there anything else that brightens your day, than a little puppy or kitten?


• Contrary to popular belief around here, I DO have a lot of work. It's just that I don't take-up all that much time to do it (like you do =P ) ... but there are instances when I need to fully concentrate on what I am doing... not listen to your bickering ..


• If I am not talking to you and I am trying to read the newspaper, why do you feel the need to poke yourself into my world???


• Being miserly is not poor nor is being poor miserly..


• Almsgivings are not about showing how much money or status you have, it's the thought that counts


• Organizing an exorbitant Almsgiving but not lending your family money, is sooo not cool >=[ ... even more UN-cool is, boasting about it in office !!


• Why does everyone forget my birthday nor get me any presents, but remember that I need to give them a treat?


• Does keeping your mouth shut, entitle you to free "kick-on-the-ass" ??


• Why do people expect less from someone just coz they are supposed to be WEAK and more from you if you are healthy? Is that really fair??

hah!!

=) =D ;D =P

PS : Check out Rehani's blog people ... She has a post on work here, kinda like I can relate to =) http://theniceblogs.blogspot.com/2009/07/at-work.html

Through the looking glass - so to speak!

What a way to start my day :( Woke up to a text saying Michael
Jackson had passed away. The wording itself seems so unbelievable, I
felt as if I'd been hit by a truck!! I grew up with MJ, his music,
his voice, I loved the way he danced, the way he managed to emanate real emotion through his songs, his music seemed so uplifting at times
when I was down... I love nearly all his songs, which seem to actually
change according to my moods and moments... believing that the moon is
indeed made of green cheese is actually way more easy than the fact
that "The King of Pop" is no more...

He was just 50 =( It's kinda hard to think of MUSIC without him. Some
of the first music sheets I learnt to play were his early hits.

I'm guessing this will be the first post in most blogs today. I'm also
guessing that maybe this is actually a FAD that belongs to my
generation. Whatever he may have said and done in his life, you cannot
overide the beauty and sheer wonder of his music. The incredible
ability he had to let the music flow through his body and actually
manage to let the listeners feel it themselves. The extrodinay twists,
turns and zwinges executed in his brilliant dance acts, that never
failed to catch even my mom's attention although she pooh poohed him.
The admirable determination and self-assurance he must have had to get
to where he is (was) from small means...

We tend to take people for granted when they are alive and when they
pass away... it leaves me flabbergasted....

Rest in Peace MJ ...

**

I seem to love to make the same mistakes each time. (Come to think of
it, I remember chavie blogging on these lines, so maybe I'm not
alone...) I still have not managed to really figure out my career :(
Most jobs tend to bore me after a time, maybe the work is too NORMAL
(?), I don't learn enough new stuff, its just the same old story
everyday... I don't mind even typing letters every day if it is really
interesting to me, if only it would lead me to a new adventure... I
know I sound like a spoilt little rich kid (so shoot me, who cares? :P
) but I seriously need to get sorted out.
So, that's my resolution today ... the day "The King of Pop" ceased to exist...
I need an interesting job which involves writing, ideas, and creativity =D
Any ideas people??

**
Much like Alice through the Looking glass I guess... Speaking of
which, I'm definitely looking forward to the new movie version. I
loved the book, the magic, the story, the adventure... maybe I should
pop downa rabbit hole.. really to see Johnny Depp of course =]

**

This wedding stuff is making me neurotic. I don't seem to be getting
anything done, I keep putting it off for later, and in the end I've
spent a whole day doing nothing... maybe I should contemplate a
"moonlight rendevous" =)

**

My office browser seems to have blocked off blogger, facebook, yahoo
and a host of other sites.... I won't even TRY to START writing what I
think about this.... !! *%#$@@!!

**

Many billboards in SL tend to have weird spelling.. ha ha ... which
makes me ponder on what is really being promoted in the particular
shop. ie: Cha**'s Pasty control (Pest control), Lunch and Dina for
sale (maybe a dinasour OR a nice girl? >=] ) and the ever famous
... "Tak-away", Take-a-way", "Takaway", "Takawe".
Oh well, at least it keeps me in good spirits ....

**

My dog seems to have developed a taste for "Mangosteens" !! err...
hope the rabbit doesn't follow suit!! =]

**

I'm fed up with FB anyway. It's so boooorrringggg... Just a spot for
people who want to publicize and boast about their personal lives,
achievement, photos and so forth!!
I'm gonna miss blogging!! big time... ='(

**

How on earth can you smoke 15 cigars a hour and still be alive???

**

Has it crossed anyone's mind that we are still a nation on the verge
of collapse ... that we need to seriously think about development
after the war??? Is it just me or has everyone forgotten this???

**

" I KNOW I'M STRANGE, BUT WHAT ARE YOU? " That's what the
gal-with-an-attitude-and-black-cat on my desktop wallpaper says...

**

I ♥ this post by dontwannabe
http://dontwannabecool.blogspot.com/2008/09/are-you-sri-lankan-or-are-you-christian_29.html

I'm quite a mix in religion and culture =] and have had to listen to
all sorts of stupid stuff from people who have never in their life
practised their own religion flawlessly!! I came to hate some
religions just coz the people I knew never practised it right... I
think everything depends on how you "practise what you preach"...
Everyone to his own beliefs and NO "Holyier than Thou" stuff!! =)
After all, we all need some sort of belief in our lives, and who cares
what it is, if it works!! ACTUALLY, I think I'm quite fedup of
arguing and counter - arguing and fighting for and about religious
beliefs.... =(

**

P.S. : This post came up late as a result of the 5th point mentioned in said post. However, I do manage to read all your blogs, so do keep posting guys... and help me out of my misery :)

To be or not to be

I have absolutely no idea what is going on in the blogosphere. I thought the main idea of blogging was to be able to vent your ideas?? That a blog is your private notepad, where you can let out steam??

Is this blogging or ego twisting of the advertising industry I wonder? The main point I have noticed so far is that many of the people who are snapping at each other seem to be or were advertising agency staff. Makes you wonder about even stepping into an agency or contacting them for some work hah?? (No hard feelings guys....please....)

It just seems to go on and on and on... Someone publishes a photo disclosing someone else, then someone else publishes details about someone else...and so on... Christ... I have never seen so much back biting and screeching as is happening in the SL Blogosphere these days.

People who want to blog anonymously should be allowed do that, while others can be public or whatever they want, right?? If you want to get high stats on your blog, fine... go right ahead... Just don't squash the others who are trying to let out a little steam in their day-to-day life. Sheesh!!! Get a life people!!!

If you want to publicly criticise each other and wash your dirty linen in public, why don't you guys invent a group or something and chat about it? What is the point in letting loose while hiding behind "anonymous"?
I started several blogs but could not really keep them going, due to my work and studies.... I started this blog with a firm commitment of carrying on, after DC left a comment one day. Thank you DC :)

The name was chosen mainly because I wanted to have something about my relationship and also because our names (my fiance and moi) were too long for a blog ID :D I have no problem in anyone knowing my real name as I'm sure some of you do. (thank you, all of you who have helped me in my queries)

I blog about things that catch my interest when ever possible, while checking out everyone else's blogs too. Many blogs have helped me get through daily issues, just knowing that everyone goes through the same thing... and many make me laugh out loud when I'm down in the dumps. Thanks guys!!

I truly hope that the people who have personal issues would sort it out amongst themselves.... I personally have no animosity with anyone of you. But it IS rather exasperating and also sad to see previously interesting blogs display personal feuds, which tend to pop up in my blog roll. (I am seriously considering deleting some of these, which would of course be a pity)

However, I guess ... you can take it or leave it .....

Good luck and take care

PS : I don't really care about my blog hits, just a couple of comments however, are appreciated. What I do love, is reading all your blogs; of course, without the hate and animosity..

Of Oscars and India

With Slumdog millionare winning Oscars, many bloggers and friends on FB have commented on the fact that the director had no idea of where or what India is really about. They also point out the fact that the movie only serves to bring out the negative side of Indian society. The fact that an asian won the oscars for music seems to have escaped these peoples' minds.

The thing is, The Oscars' Academy has certain rules and regulations, based on which the nominees as well as winners of Oscars are decided. Presently as per rule 2 and 3 of the Academy, in order to qualify, a film must have been released in the preceding year, from midnight at the start of January 1 to midnight at the end of December 31, in Los Angeles (California). According to rule 2, a film must be "feature-length", defined as a minimum of 40 minutes. The only exception comprises of the movies chosen for short subject awards. At the same time, it must exist either on a 35 mm or 70 mm film print or in 24 frame/s or 48 frame/s progressive scan digital cinema format, with native resolution not less than 1280x720.

The members of the Academy, related to different branches of filmmaking, vote for the nominees in their respective fields. For nomination related to Best Picture Award, all the members of the Academy submit their vote. The winners are determined by a second round of voting, in which all members are allowed to vote in most categories, including Best Picture.

How many Indians have won an Oscar? Bhanu Athaiya won Best Costume Design (with John Mollo) for Gandhi in 1982. Sathyajit Rai received an honorary Academy Award in 1991. Russell Pookutty won Best Sound Mixing (with Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke) for Slumdog Millionaire (2008) and A.R. Rahman won Best Score and Best Original Song for Slumdog Millionaire (2008). Also Gulzar won Best Song for Slumdog Millionaire.

General overview on movies doing the circuit these days:

Slumdog Millionare

Slumdog Millionare is a 2008 British film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan. It is an adaptation of the Boeke Prize-winning and Commonwealth Writers' Prize-nominated novel Q & A (2005) by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup.Slumdog Millionaire was nominated for ten Academy Awards in 2009 and won eight, the most for any film of 2008, including Best Picture and Best Director. It also won five Critics' Choice Awards, four Golden Globes, and seven BAFTA Awards, including Best Film. Despite the film's success, it is the subject of controversy concerning its portrayals of Indians and Hinduism as well as the welfare of its child actors. It was however, highly acclaimed and named in the top ten lists of various newspapers.

On 22 February 2009 the film won eight out of ten Academy Awards it was nominated for, including the Best Picture and Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, and Best Original Song (two songs were nominated from the film; "Jai Ho" won the award), losing only Best Sound Editing to The Dark Knight. It is only the eighth film ever to win eight Academy Awards. The film also won all four of the Golden Globe Awards it was nominated for, including Best Drama Film; five of the six Critics' Choice Awards for which it was nominated; and seven of the eleven BAFTA Awards for which it was nominated, including Best Film.

" The film has been a subject of discussion among a variety of people in India and the Indian diaspora. Indian film critics have "largely embraced the movie." Renuka Vyavahare of Indiatimes suggests that, "the film is indeed very Indian" and that it is "one of the best English films set in India and revolving around the country’s most popular metropolis Mumbai." Giridharadas also calls the film "a tribute to the irrepressible self." Film critic Gautaman Bhaskaran questioned the "euphoria in India" in a review for The Seoul Times after the film's release there, arguing that with a few exceptions, "there is nothing Indian about this film." Bollywood director and superstar Aamir Khan (whose film Taare Zameen Par was India's submission to the Academy Awards but was not chosen as a finalist for Best Foreign Film) stated in an interview with NDTV that he doesn't "see ‘Slumdog...’ as an Indian film." Director and filmmaker Priyadarshan criticized Slumdog Millionaire as a film which is a "mediocre version of those commercial films about estranged brothers and childhood sweethearts that Salim-Javed used to write so brilliantly in the 1970s." Similarly, filmmaker Aadesh Shrivastava expressed outrage at the stereotyping portrayals of Indians in the film. As a result the film, too, beggars belief." Authors and scholars have also responded more critically to the film. Shyamal Sengupta, a professor of film studies at the Whistling Woods International Institute for Films, Media, Animationa and Media Arts in Mumbai, criticized the film for its stereotypical portrayals of Indians by calling it a "white man's imagined India."

There have been many controversies surrounding the film, complete with actors's issues, lawsuits etc. Most have however been on the issue of the movie not being upto standard compared to the book.

TSC's review : I do agree the movie does not do justice to the book. Having read the novel, TSC feels it leaves the viewer with a feeling of "not seeing enough", not enough depth etc. The music is undeniably good however, as with any of Rahman's work =)


Billu Barbar

It stars Irrfan Khan, Lara Dutta, and Shahrukh Khan, and features Om Puri, Rajpal Yadav and Asrani in supporting roles.

In Gudbudi village, there lives a poor Barber Billu(Irfan Khan) and his wife Bindiya(Lara Dutta) and their two children, Gunja(Mitali Mayakar) and Ronak(Pratik Dalvi). Everything goes well until the great bollywood star Sahir Khan(Shahrukh Khan) comes in the village to shoot for a film. Billu, then remembers that Sahir was his childhood friend. Everyone tell Billu to ask Sahir Khan to meet them. But as Sahukaar Daamchand(Om Puri)asks Billu to ask Sahir to visit him, Billu feels shy. After that Sahukaar destroys Billu's parlour. Then everyone ignores Billu saying of Sahir Khan as his childhood friend. There Sahir tells about Billu, how Billu helped him.

TSC's review : Still to watch this, but overall comments seem good. The film has been (supposedly) acclaimed for its comedy.

Gajhini

Ghajini (Tamil: கஜினி) is a Tamil feature film directed by A. R. Murugadoss. The film stars Surya Sivakumar, Asin Thottumkal, Nayantara, Pradeep Rawat and Riyaz Khan. The film's story revolves around a rich business entrepreneur falling in love with an ad film actress.

The film's story was initially influenced by the concept of Christopher Nolan's film Memento. The movie was inspired by the American movie Memento, directed by Christopher Nolan, adapted from his brother Jonathan Nolan's short story Memento Mori. It stars Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby, a former insurance fraud investigator searching for the man he believes raped and killed his wife during a burglary. Leonard suffers from anterograde amnesia, which he contracted from severe head trauma during the attack on his wife. The concepts like writing notes behind instant Polaroid photographs, tattooing facts on body etc. are inspired from this movie. However, the director has added Indian elements to the story and changed the narrative to straight.

The tamil story centers on Sanjay Ramaswami (Surya Sivakumar), a rich businessman who owns a cell phone company named Air Voice and the events surrounding his relationship with Kalpana (Asin Thottumkal).Kalpana eventually falls in love with him without realizing he's Sanjay.Incidentally, Sanjay arrives at the scene and fights off the goons, but during the ensuing fight, Kalpana is murdered. The irony showcased is that Kalpana never finds out that he is Sanjay. Sanjay survives the blow, but suffers from a short-term amnesia.

Awards : 2006 Tamil Nadu State Film Awards • Won - Best Film and Best Actor — Surya Sivakumar
2006 Filmfare Awards South • Won - Best Actress — Asin Thottumkal and Best
Editing — Anthony, plus Filmfare Best Male
Playback Singer — Karthik

The movie had a very large opening. It managed to sustain the tremendous opening, and was hailed as Surya's biggest hit at the time. It collected 49 crores revenue to make it one of the third highest grossing Tamil-language films of 2005 preceded by Anniyan and Chandramukhi.

The Hindi version of Ghajini with pre-release movie rights becoming hot property Ghajini has earned an estimated Rs 90 crore by selling its distribution rights. It stars Aamir Khan and Asin Thottumkal in the lead roles while Jiah Khan, Pradeep Rawat and Riyaz Khan essay supporting roles. Aamir khan spent one year at the gym, continuously training with his personal trainer for the role.

The movie is an action-thriller, with strong romantic elements, that explores the life of a rich businessman who suffers from anterograde amnesia following a violent encounter in which his love interest, model Kalpana was killed. He tries to avenge the killing with the aid of Polaroid Instant camera photographs and permanent tattoos on his torso. The character of Aamir Khan will also feature in a 3-D game titled Ghajini the game, which is based on the movie.

The Tamil original was initially influenced by the concept of Christopher Nolan's film Memento. According to Khan: "Murgadoss had heard about a film called Memento and the concept had fascinated him. Without having seen the film he went ahead and wrote his own version of the script and screenplay. Having finished his script he then saw [Memento], found it very different from what he had written, and went ahead and made Ghajini."

TSC's review : Horrible, compared to the original Tamil version. It was like watching the same scenes on and on.. apparently revered for its techinicalities, TSC is yet to understand what these were. Note to self - watch Memento*

Chandni Chowk to China

Chandni Chowk to China (Hindi: चाँदनी चौक टू चाईना, Urdu: چاندنی چوت ٹو لندچوس) is a Hindi film which released on 16 January 2009. It is directed by Nikhil Advani and stars Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone in the lead roles, with Hindi cinema veteran Mithun Chakraborty and Hong Kong action cinema veteran Gordon Liu among the co-stars. In addition to being shot in China, many parts of the film were shot in Bangkok, Thailand, although some of the China scenes were shot in sets in the Shanghai Film Studio. Distributed in the U.S. and co-produced by Warner Bros., it is the third Bollywood movie made and distributed in partnership with a major Hollywood studio, following Sony's Saawariya (2007) and Walt Disney Pictures' animated feature Roadside Romeo (2008). It is Warner Bros. Pictures' first Hindi film.

Sidhu (Akshay Kumar) is a lowly vegetable cutter at a roadside food stall in the Chandni Chowk section of Delhi. In actuality, the Chinese men want him to rid their Chinese village of the vicious smuggler Hojo (Gordon Liu).Sidhu blissfully sets forth to China with Chopstick. Suzy, also known as the femme fatale Meow Meow, works for Hojo, not knowing Hojo tried to kill her father. Hojo kills Dada, and a disgraced Sidhu, left for dead himself, vows revenge.

" Frank Lovece of Newsday wrote, "Less a Bollywood bonbon than a pan-Asian fusion dish, this combination of Indian musical and Chinese chopsocky is, nonetheless, delicious fun". Michael Philips of the Chicago Tribune called the film "a massive and rather tiring showcase for Bollywood action hero Akshay Kumar". Rajeev Masand of IBN termed it a tiring watch, while praising Kumar's performance "

Controversies surrounding the movie include Nepal, there were protests against the film due to a passing claim that Buddha was born in India; Lumbini, which is the birthplace of Buddha, is located in Nepal. Protests included threats by Buddhists to burn movie theaters that screened the film, and racial slurs like "Dhoti" (the Indian term for a form of traditional clothing which is used as a derogatory racial slur against Indians in Nepal, see Usage of Dhoti in Nepal) hurled at the Indian embassy in Katmandu. On Thursday, January 22, Nepali cinemas stopped screening Chandni Chowk to China.

TSC's review : A scene to scene copy of Kungfu Panda. Akshay Kumar was however, unparreled in his ability to portray ANY role to perfection. (I love Akshay *sigh* =D ) The other bits of the movie however, seemed too cartoonish to my liking. I kept seeing a reincarnation of Kungfu Panda in Akshay ..ha.ha..he he.. I loved the movie =)

** The recurring point seems to be that most movies are made with the ulterior motive of being nominated for an award. Most well-known awards being American, the prevailing "style" seems to be to produce movies with a western inclination or built on western novels and movie adaptations. Those who criticize these movies should bear this in mind too.

Check out Jade while you are at it =D

in a nutshell =P

stuck in stupid meetings....got projects to do....assignments to complete.....wanna enjoy life...watched the navam perehera...shall upload pics...visited deyata kirula... lost several toes and body parts in the process....squashed by hordes of teenagers and lost children galore....exams exams exams.... hate office....sleepy... angry....happy I got to spend lots of time with darling recently... watched cc2c...laughed a lot..... planning....counting pennies..... choosing ...dictating and compromising....confirming...for wedding....laughing at fellow bloggers... smiling at Dee's words....my to-do list is overflowing... dozens of photos to upload...and miles to go before I sleep....

Me myself and I >>

Had to try it...

1. What time did you get up this morning?
5.45 am :)

2. Diamonds or pearls?
Diamonds - are after all a girl's best friend

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
umm...hmmm..... Oh..that Shah ruk's dancing film :D

4. What is your favorite TV show?
cartoons..... he he ...

5. What do you usually have for breakfast?
Bread, String hoppers (if I manage to wake up early enough before my bro gobbles it all up)

6. What is your middle name?
From the bible... you can guess!!

7. What food do you dislike?
actually... cant remember at the moment..... (Dee, why do you dislike Kadju???)

8. What is your favorite album at the moment?
Have not had time to listen to songs for ages. ....sigh :(

9. What kind of car do you drive?
WagonR

10. Favorite sandwich?
Oh... heres one... dont like sandwiches :)

11. What characteristics do you despise?
Gossips, tell tales, liers, show offs and the likes ;)

12. Favorite item of clothing?
Denims, tshirts, comfy dresses AND.....YEAH... BALLET FLATS :) :)

13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?
Paris and New Zealand

14. Favorite brand of clothing?
Pavement stuff!! he he he lol :)

15. Where would you retire to?
No place to go ... sniff sniff..... anyone got a room for a poor old woman??

16. What was your most memorable birthday?
24th

17. Favorite sport to watch?
Basketball

18. When is your birthday?
Why? Do I get pressies??

19. Are you a morning person or a night person?
Apoooii, definitely night person

20. What is your shoe size?
between 5 and 6

21. Pets?
rabbits, tortoises, dogs :) yep, got them all.... in pairs :)

22. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us?
life is boring.. sorry...
No, wait..... Im getting married !!!!!! Yeh :) Scary sometimes though, when I really ponder on it...
The trick is to only think about it for like.. say.. 5 minutes :P

23. What did you want to be when you were little?
Model :) too scared to try now

24. How are you today?
** no comment ** :)

25. What is your favorite candy?
anything goes...... ok send me the stuff guys....

26. What kind of flowers do you like?
Roses, roses :) Gonna use them for the wedding too :)

27. What day on the calendar are you looking forward to?
Wedding, WEDDING, WeDdInG, wEdDiNg....

28. What is your full name?
...

29. What are you listening to right now?
Some asshole complaining about his lost ATM card and a bloody printer trying to decapitate itself

30. What was the last thing you ate?
A Sausage bun

31. Do you wish on stars?
Yes, and it works :D

32. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
What?? ermm... Turqouise

33. What is the weather like right now?
No idea, stuck in this prison hole (wouldn't know if the next building collapsed)

34. First person you spoke to on the phone today?
My Darling :D

35. Favorite soft drink?
Black berry

36. Favorite restaurant?
None so good enough to be rated

37. Real hair color?
Black

38. Favorite toy as a child?
A doll called Patsie... I still have her (minus some hair and an arm, of coourse)

39. Summer or winter?
Winter ( can I have Autumn too?)

40. Hugs or kisses?
Both please :)

41. Chocolate or vanilla?
Chocky

42. Coffee or tea?
Tea I think....

43. When was the last time you cried?
Last Saturday, watched Marley and me....soooo sad....Did you guys watch it??

44. What is under your bed?
A tortoise and a dog .. he he

45. What did you do last night?
Tried to study... Called Darling.... Talked for two and half hours.... got yelled at by mom for talking in the night and waking her... Tried to study again.... failed miserably....Slept... which I managed to accomplish magnificiently :)

46. What are you afraid of?
Tree frogs, coz they stick on you when they jump :$ bleurgh...

47. Salty or sweet?
Salty... umm... spicy actually

48. How many keys on your key ring?
Three

49. Favorite day of the week?
Holiday

50. How many towns you lived in?
Two

51. Do you make friends easily?
guess so

That's all folks!!
Check out Sabby's, Sachintha's and Lady D's while you are at it...

To Blog or not to blog.....

Just read the following article in the Economist. Gets you thinking, doesn't it?
It's true though that it's increasingly difficult to differentiate between a real blog and just a photo album. Or even Facebook pages - most of which look like diaries of the user - probably enabling stalkers around the world easy access to many unsuspecting teenagers' lives. Many of them seem to update their Facebook profiles just to be the limelight or on account of the phobia that they will be cut out of peer groups and to be on par with their friends.

Excerpts of the article... its on page 76 - if you are interested :)

With "a heavy heart, and much consideration", Jason Calacanis this summer announced his "retirement from blogging", which he believed was "the right decision for me and my family". ..........

"Blogging is simply too big, too impersonal and lacks the intimacy that drew me to it," he offered by way of explanation. It was, he said, "the pressure" of staying on the A-list - ie, of keeping his blog so big and impersonal - that got him. Only a few years ago, so few people blogged that being in a blogosphere celebrity required little more than showing up. Now it takes hard work. And vitriol. "Today the blogosphere is so charged, so polarised, and so filled with haters hating that it's simply not worth it," Mr. Calacanis lamented........

.......... Blogging has entered the mainstream, which - as with every new medium in history - looks to its pioneers suspiciously like death. To the earliest practitioners, over a decade ago, blogging was regular posting of text updates, and later photos and videos, about themselves and their thoughts, to a few friends and family members. Today lots of Internet users do this, only they may not think of it as blogging. Instead, they update their profile pages on Facebook, MySpace or other social networks.........

....... Gone, in other words, is any sense that blogging as a technology is revolutionary, subversive or otherwise exalted, and this upsets some of its pioneers. Confirmed, however, is the idea that blogging is useful and versatile. In essence, it is a straightforward content-management system that posts updates in reverse-chronological order and allows comments and other social interactions. Viewed as such, blogging may "die" in much the same way that personal-digital assistants (PDAs) have died. .........

The Economist , November 8th 2008

As DeeCee says, "Any thoughts yo?"

.

.

Label Cloud

Hurrah!!!! I got a fab label cloud from here http://www.bloggerbuster.com/2008/08/blogumus-flash-animated-label-cloud-for.html

check it out.. :)

Label cloud

hmmmm........... that didnt work........
Wonder what went wrong....... Well, Im gonna try other website now......

Labels and clouds .....

Ok....... so moi's gonna try to insert a Label cloud in this blog

Let's see how it goes.......

Got advice from here http://gallicissa.blogspot.com/

and the configurations from here http://phy3blog.googlepages.com/Beta-Blogger-Label-Cloud.html