Saturday 21 September 2013

The Hunger Games

Another great sci-fi film by Gary Ross is brought to the big screen, starring Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss),Josh Hutcherson(Peeta), Williow shields(Primrose), Liam Hemsworth(Gale) and many more.                                                                                                                                                   
In a dystopian future, the dictatorial nation of Panem is divided between 12 districts and the Capitol. Every year, two young, teenager representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal revenge for a past rebellion, the televised games are broadcast throughout Panem. The 24 participants are forced to kill their competitors and to endure the natural and supernatural creatures and forces they are supposed to fight against, while the citizens of Panem are required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss's young sister, 12-year-old Prim, is selected as District 12's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart Peeta, are pitted against bigger, stronger representatives, some of whom have trained for this their whole lives.

The movie was only acceptable as it lacked in many areas. One was that a long time was taken to build the character though it wasn’t enough to make the watcher grow attached to the character. Katniss was portrayed as a tough girl from the beginning though it would’ve been better if the reason for her bravery and a little of her family’s history such as her dad were portrayed.

I also anticipated the start of the Hunger Games, expecting it to be jam-packed with action but it was quite the opposite. There was action but not as much vicious as the film said it was.

The storyline and the scenes weren’t made clear. There also wasn’t a smooth transition connecting each scene. There was this particular scene where Katniss recollects her memories about Peeta. Here particularly, the reality and the flashback scene are hard to distinguish as there is a sudden change of scenes, making it look like it’s just another scene in the movie.

One main thing that messed up the whole film was the shaky camera work. Gary Ross said that his decision to do this was because, “had a lot to do with the urgency of what's going on and to reflect Katniss' point of view”. In his point of view, he might have a done a good job but the shaky camera work made the detailing of the scene and the character’s actions very hard to perceive, making the watcher to do lots of guess work.

The movie altogether was satisfactory. I might as well have thrown my 120 rupees in the well. In my opinion, I am still in the blue about the movie. On a positive note, I liked Elizabeth Banks, playing the role of Effie Trinket. Her costume catches the eye of all and clearly tells that the movie is set in the future. On the whole, the movie is worth a watch.
















Thursday 12 September 2013

My Dream House

I sighed. Today had been the most depressing and catastrophic days of all. I had a fight with my best friend, got a ‘D’ in reading, got the lowest mark in math, was scolded by the teacher, missed the bus only to come back home to find my earrings lost. I also had homework in the subject I flunked the most: English.

I had to write a descriptive writing on the topic “My Dream House”. I had literally torn my brain, turned it inside out and rummaged around for ideas but in vain. I tried to whip up a dream house only to get a dilapidated den that looked like it belonged to a skunk.
I took a long deep breath. I lay back on my bed and took a deep breath. Maybe I should sleep on it, I thought. Soon, I had hit the sack...

The trees parted to reveal a clearing. I gasped. I took a 360turn. The scene was extremely stunning and ravishing. The whole painting in front of me was verdant, mesmeric and invigorating. It made my palms and the soles of my feet burn; I felt like prancing.

There was a statuesque, natural monument standing in front of me. The house was situated on the peak of the mountain, overlooking a large lake which mirrored the landscape. The fragrant aroma of Linden trees filled my nose. A tiny stream, the size of a bunch of threads wound itself around the house which formed a kind of natural moat, only without crocodiles and other vicious creatures. An ethereal mist lingered over the mountain. But it didn’t give a somber, poignant feeling, it gave - you could say - special effects, making the house look divine and natural. I could feel my muscles loosen.

I entered the heavenly abode. An earthy smell washed over me. The inside was as natural as the outside. It was like bamboo world. There were halves of bamboos lining the walls, bamboo chairs, bamboo tables, bamboo etc.

Suddenly, a blinding light lit the atmosphere, reflecting the dust in the room. I looked up to see sunshine streaming through the ceiling. The room was circular and there was hole, of about radius 5 feet, cut on the ceiling so that when it rained, it formed a circular waterfall at the heart of the living room, welcoming the water from the heavens.

A circular, copper vase filled with water was placed right under the center of the hole. It had beautiful, resplendent, pink lotuses floating on it.

I could basically slide on the polished wooden floor. It was extremely slippery, polished and soft.

I also noticed a primeval, black grand piano to the north-east side of the hall, with three candles sitting atop it.

One thing that seemed extremely bizarre was that the temperature in the room seemed to hover around 15 degrees always. I quickly realized that water was running through the hollows of the bamboos lining the edges of the ceiling. Natural air-conditioner huh?, I thought.

There were 3 rooms, one opposite to the entrance, one to the east side of the house and one to the west side of the house. I entered each of the rooms. All the rooms had glass ceilings to gaze out into the starry night and had natural mattresses and one of the rooms had those beds where fish swim inside the hollow space in the beds.

The house was filled with natural sounds such as the chirping of birds, the rustling of leaves, the gushing sound of the stream and even the tranquility atop the mountain.

I climbed to the second floor and found balconies facing all 8 directions, each with a glass bottom. As I stood on it, the wind rustled my soft, ivory hair. I got the sensation of vertigo as I stood on the glass bottom (I’m acrophobic). Three of the 8 balconies overlooked the lake.  One overlooked the horizon where the sun rises and other the skyline where the sunsets. One overlooked the valley and one overlooked a mystifying waterfall that fell from the mountain opposite to the one I was standing on. The waterfall seemed to merge and disappear into the clouds surrounding it. The last balcony overlooked a pigeon hang-out. The grey and white birds were fervently pecking at the seeds on the open square soil.

I went back to the sweet, little porch of the house and enjoyed the fragrance of the linden trees and roses and the honeysuckles that lined the sides.

Everything was calm, quiet and peaceful. I felt like if anyone pushes me off this mountain, I would still fly and survive. I could feel my heartbeat slowing down. I took a deep breath and…

RRRIIINNNGGG! The alarm clock rang. I leaped out of bed, grabbed a pen and put my astounding dream to paper.


















Saturday 7 September 2013

My India...

Freedom Fighters...

When times were cold, they were like the fire in a hearth,
Protected India, to honour her birth.
A mother she was, all her children she cherished,
Children we were, we helped her to banish,
The cruel ones who made her culture famish.

Now she flows free,
In her robes of saffron, white and green,
She has achieved her enduring dream
And she stands on every map looking serene,
And now, the sun is shining, casting dancing beams
That through the fighter’s eyes was never seen.

                                                                       

Yabba dabba doo.........

Here's a really tough math question. Let's see who can solve it!


Cafe Milky Way logo

Hi everyone! long time, no see. At school, we were learning abt adverts and so we were told to form groups of 4 and told to shoot a real advertisement. Here's the logo: