You've been warned...

Korean dramas are Bollywood lite!--Similar story elements sans song and dance.

Not so long ago a reader suggested that I check out 풀하우스--Full House, a 2004 K-drama that featured K-pop star Bi. I warned myself to stay away, instinctively knowing that Bi was merely a "gateway drug" to all sorts of unimagined subtitled substances.

Enter Exhibit A, Kim Sung Su, aka the man on the left. Seriously, he looks good from every angle. How I love a man in a sharp suit--which was his entire wardrobe for the series. *sigh*

Furthermore, judging by this guy, the secret to cloning attractive men was discovered in a laboratory in Korea. (Yes, that's a different person.)

en Vacance

So, as of this Thursday, I will be on vacation. Thank GOD!

During the course of my travels visiting family & extended family, I plan to spend a day in the NYC kicking it with Ms. Makhijani, Filmiholic and Totally Basmatic.

We're having lunch down at Saravanaas then rolling through "Curry Hill." If time permits, I may organize a dance around trees or stand in the middle of Times Square waiting for the wind to blow through my hair.

I'm way past due to leave Nashvegas! Posts to follow...

ON the CALL

I was prodded by another blogger to record my thoughts about The Call, the major gathering at LP Field this past Saturday, 07/07/07. Initially, I hadn't planed to post about it. Two days later, I'm still having difficulty describing the experience.

I have never been one to spend an entire day in the summer sun, to spend extended hours in prayer, to willingly fast from food. None of those things sound like fun to me and as a general rule, I like fun.

Still, I woke up at 430 a.m. on Saturday because I had a feeling that if I didn't, I would be missing something I needed to be a part of. Around 615 a.m. I met up with a few friends and we made our way to gather with a few thousand other believers at Centennial Park a walk of prayer and repentance. Walk we did.

The silence was absolutely astounding. As far as my eyes could see before me and behind me were people filling all four lanes on Church Street. The image is burned into my mind. There were hundreds upon hundreds of people, many of whom had gotten up extra early to park at the Titans stadium then walk the nearly three miles to Centennial Park just to participate in the Repentance Walk--another 3-miles of walking. [Side note: Thank You to the folks from OutLoud who served water. Be blessed! A lot of people were severely thirsty by the time we reached that area.]

In some ways, it's a miracle anyone showed up at The Call. There was very little media promotion for the event. Other than the organizing team, no one even knew who would be there besides Lou Engle and a couple of the other folks and musicians he often ministers with. No schedule of events or performers/speakers was released. The Call was simply billed as a solemn assembly, a time of "prayer, fasting and repentance" and no less than 50,000 people showed up.

I don't think that I can do justice to all that I saw and heard in those 12+ hours I spent at the stadium so I'll simply list some of the things that stood out the most:

• Every ethnicity was represented, not only in the crowd, but on the stage in the leaders that were chosen to lead the assembly in prayer.
  
• The Call began as a day of prayer for America should--with the prayers of indigenous (First Nation) leaders. The prayers began with repentance and went from macro to micro:
• Historically immoral legislation--Native American policies, slavery
  
• Prayer for specific minority groups--Jewish, Latino, Asian, Afr.American, Native
• Current immoral legislation--abortion, pornography
• There was a lot of really great music and NONE of the artists were announced. (This was the biggest un-concert I've ever been to!)
• The diversity of audience members was really cool. There were definitely some neo-punk styled kids there. I saw at least two families who appeared to be Mennonites. There were tons of hippie types and a few bikers complete with leather vests. Then there were ordinary-looking middle American folks of all ages--families, singles, youth groups--and all ethnicities.
  
• It was HOT! By midday, the organziers assigned volunteers to take cases of water from their own supply and pass them over the rails from the field into the stands. Dasani bottled water was $3/20 oz. and the stadium does not accept credit cards(!)

The experience was absolutely life-changing for me. There were quite a few things I set straight on Saturday and I know my life will be better for it.

A few folks stayed behind in Nashville--I think they'll be here until Tuesday--holding prayer and worship sessions in the grass behind the stadium (near the river). They'll leave Nashville later this week and pile into a couple of buses, several cars and vans and start trekking across the US to San Francisco 1967-style. They call themselves The Cause.
Obviously Pure Life Revolution will continue doing its thing here in Nashville. If they decide to do another Stand, I'll be right there with them.

Also, Bound4LIFE made a really big impression on me. I couldn't help but think how my immediate family is missing two members because of abortion. No more! Bound4LIFE is a grassroots prayer mobilization movement targeting the ending of abortion, the increase of adoptions and the reformation of government and society through spiritual awakening.

I could say more but I don't think it would explain very much so I guess that's it.

07.07.07

“Prepare the way for the Lord!” It's time to clean house y'all...

So, for all you N-town Christians, this is an invitation:

Get Clean. Get Pure. Get Life.

Join us at Hustler Hollywood downtown on the corner of 14th & Church, from 4 – 6 p.m. the rest of this week (until July 6), for a time of silent prayer.

People often ask, “Why are you protesting?” Well we’re not. We’re praying. The state of the American church is quite abysmal.

At the same time, it absolutely wouldn’t be fair of me to write something like this as if I’ve never veered off the path, as if I’ve walked around “humbly, in prayer and seeking God’s face” all the days of my life. Anybody who’s known me long enough would throw up a ?!?!? to that.

This is all something I’ve just recently begun to understand the importance of. Y’all, God no more desires to be disrespected than we as individuals do! He’s calling and He wants his name back.

Then, on 07.07.07--while several million citizens of the world will be gathering in front of electricity guzzling devices to watch another several million gather under several million watts of lighting to power up audio systems that release several hundred decibels worth of noise pollution while local spectators release concentrated pockets of carbon dioxide into the air in order "to trigger a global movement to solve the climate crisis" --the entire nation is invited to join us at LP Field in Nashville for The Call, a time of fasting, prayer and worship. 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. Not quite as illustrious, I know, but there won't be any commercials. ;)

Let those in the world do what they’re gonna do—“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?” [I Cor 5:12]—but let those who call themselves by the name of Christ do what God says, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” [2 Chr. 7:14]

Cause we’re crazy like that, I guarantee LP Field will not be quiet. We're gonna bring the ruckus.

Hamesha (1997)

Love death did not part
Love wealth can not buy, but
who loves Hamesha?

Hamesha actually made me shout at the television, You play too much! an expression my people are sometimes prone to overuse but on this occasion, was most appropriate. One hour into the film and the only thing I’m thinking is, “This is a HOTT mess!”

Aside from Saif’s billowing scarves (12 at last count) and Kajol’s copious headbands, I really can’t get down with revenge suicides. Am I the only one who thinks that boys who threaten to kill themselves over you should be promptly reprimanded? I mean, talk the fool off the cliff and everything but don’t actually go out with him. Sheesh! What’s he gonna threaten you with when he wants sex and you have a headache? But I digress…

So as far as costuming goes, the ‘90s are in full effect in this film. Billowing poet shirts and a-line cut dresses were quite the rage at that time. Likewise, the soundtrack is saturated in Kenny G-esque saxophone riffs and a couple of synthesizer tracks that sound like they were lifted from a Cranberries song.

Ok – the second half: No Saif did NOT get beat in the face with a stick (!), jump up, run down hill, catch up with a speeding car, jump on top of it, tussle with the driver, get thrown off the car, run down the side of a cliff to grab (yes grab!) the car before it fell into oblivion being choked all the while, to then have to defend himself in a fistfight against Prince Cujo!!! WTH?!? Well, at least old dude got his come-uppance.

By the second half, the music is just too much. It’s out of control y’all. One more soaring string ensemble followed by the sinister synthesizer track and somebody was gonna get a letter in the mail! I think the most fascinating thing about Hamesha—perpetual killing a la Indian combined with the revenge/rebirth a la Karan Arjun aside—is that the film required very little acting from any of the stars.

Frighteningly enough, Hamesha has led me to the conclusion that the makers of this film will be reborn 100 births as men in love with sub par films. Ha ha!

[Side note: Is anyone else perplexed as to why fashion didn’t change a bit in 22 years?]

8 Random Things, huh?

Thanks to Filmi, I had one more reason to procrastinate at work today...

The rules are as follows:

1. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged, write a blog post about their own 8 random things, and post these rules.
3. At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and include their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment and tell them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
4. If you fail to do this within eight hours, you will not reach Third Series or attain your most precious goals for at least two more lifetimes.

Right-o! on #4. I don't even know what that means...
Here goes:

1. When I was in high school, I used the word "random" so much--as in, "That's so random!"--that became my nickname for a while.
2. I once had a man ask me, why--as if he didn't believe me--hadn't I gone to a better college if I had spent two summers boarding at Choate on academic scholarship. How frickin' random!
   
3. Since age 11, I've always had really close friends who are Asian. (Korean, Taiwanese, Lao, Filipino) I didn't get get good with chopsticks until college though!
4. Whenever I speak Mandarin to Chinese people they make this face. I'm not sure if they're surprised or if my pronunciation is just that bad.
5. I've had a passport since 2000 but never used it.
6. Of the few places I have been, Montreal holds a special place in my heart. It was there I had my first (and last) taste of malt liquor. Boomerang anyone? I have since deduced that my bladder is about the size of a small tangerine and therefore, overly responsive to diuretic side effects...
   
7. When I would hang out in the projects with my cousins as a kid, the other girls wouldn't let me play double-dutch because they said I couldn't twirl right and, being coordination-impaired, couldn't jump in either.
8. That's ok. Those girls probably still live in the projects and I'm absolutely positive I can take any of them on a snowboard!

Fortunately, Filmiholic didn't tag any of the other bloggers I know. That would have been bad since I can only think of 6. Guess I'm stuck at Second Series and stuff. *Dang it!*

• Beth
  
• Daddy's Girl
  
• Babasko
  
• Totally Basmatic
  
• Maja
  
• Susan
  

Knock 'em dead ladies!

Chori Chori (2003)

Successful liar
meets her match: a man who needs
lies to find true love

First of all, let me just say, Ajay Devgan doesn't walk y'all. He struts. Furthermore, as irreplaceable as Hrithik is in my hierarchy of actors, there's nothing like some brown skin! (Ok, ok. Tan would probably be more accurate. Let's not nitpick.) On to the film...

As I have been informed, Chori Chori was Rani's first comedy attempt and it works. Truthfully, her character in Bunty aur Babli is similar in many ways--fun, squeaky-voiced (!) and mischievious. Ajay, on the otherhand, moped around the film looking appropriately depressed and being a bit (too) mean at times. While a scowl is the most necessary accessory to a proper strut, I don't believe I've ever seen Mr. Devgan with any other expression on his face. It's bothersome. It really is.

Anyhoo, the first few moments of the film really had me wondering whether or not I was gonna make it. Grown women who call their stuffed animal "my best friend" when not calling them by their given name (Jonathan!), are a little unsettling to me. But maybe it's just me...

I liked the storyline though. It was different. In some ways, it's the reworking of an arranged marriage: two people who had no more than passing interest in on another, suddenly find themselves thrown together with a wedding planned out and--because this is Bollywood--they do indeed fall passionately in love. Rani's character is a hustla baby! I love how she turns everything around on the ex and gets a free lunch out of it. And for some ridiculous reason I found her homeless, wino surrogate parents rather amusing.

For a film of 2 hours and 15 minutes, 8 songs is a sure clue that the writers ran out of material. That's ok. File it under cotton candy. It was a nice return from my viewing hiatus.

Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage (2002)

[I just looked through my blog drafts and found this thing lying around and figured it was worth a post...]

Love brings out baba's hate.
Not able to cope, daughter
hyperventilates.

A bad haiku for a bad film.

If I had to watch Amisha hyperventilate one more time, I was going to smother the director. Was her character supposed to have asthma or did she just cry that hard all the time? It was so distressing I couldn't even be happy when she and Hrithik got together at the end. Because I'm such a firm believer in therapy, I wanted to force her fictional character to sit down and talk through the trauma before trying to start a new life with the man of her dreams.

Aap Mujhe Achache Lagne Lage had the potential to be good. It had an unusual turn on the genre, the stakes were remarkably high--life and death--for both characters. If the writers (somebody!) had taken more time to give the characters some emotional depth maybe Where is her inhaler?!? wouldn't have come to mind so often.

Additionally, I love a good action sequence as much as the next romantic film viewer but a man can only take so many beatdowns before the movie turns into an action film. Hello! We girls did not watch this movie to see Hrithik get beatdown and random unknowns get shot, nor did the fellas sit through this to see Amisha looking crazy for half the film! Boo. Boo. And boo!!!

Remember these...

...films I borrowed from friend Susan? Just finished Chori Chori (2003) last week. It was a nice 'Welcome Back.'

I've also started Hameshaa (1997) and I don't know if I'm gonna make it y'all! Between Kajol's unibrow extraordinaire and Saif's Fabio hair--complete with perpetually billowing scarf--I may pass out in exhaustion from fugliness if I don't hyperventilate in response to the continual puffs of directionless air onscreen.
Reviews en route...

[Kajol is making the exact face I make when watching Hamesha!]

Quote of the week

To me it’s unconscionable that you can’t give an aspirin to a child in school without parental consent, but they can have major surgery without parental notification.

--State Senator Robert J. Letourneau of New Hampshire in response to the legislature's decision to repeal a law requiring teenage girls to notify their parents before having an abortion. [link]

Word?
I said the exact same thing to the school nurse--in far less articulate terms--when she refused to give me ibuprofen for cramps back in 1994 because I didn't have a permission slip...