In a land of bows, polka dots & other pretty things...

Hey Friends, do you guys know of my style blog that I occasionally mention here?
Anyway, just wanted to let you know that I am having a giveaway there at the moment:

You can win:

1. Aldo Polka Dotted Bow Hairband (cloth)

2. Set of Multi Colored Hairpins

3. Chictopia 1" Rose Pinback Button

Okay, I know I've had this blog for way longer, so why have a giveaway there first, right? Well, I won a couple of fashion blog giveaways  so I wanted to give back. But I want to invite you guys too! So please do go over & enter!
This giveaway is open worldwide. Guys, you may not use this stuff, but believe me, you girl friend, female friend, little cousin willl love this! So go & enter. :)

Love,

Spartacus: Gods of the Arena the game!

This one is for the Lucy Lawless fans who visit my blog:

There is now a Spartacus: Gods of the Arena game available on Facebook.

Yay! Can't wait to try this out. If only all my favorite tv shows had games.

xoxo,

Another Life with Books

Heeeeeyyyyy people. How have you been?

I have been very busy living my life. Not this life, but another life. That's right. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll know that I love computer games. My previous favorites were Age of he Empires III & RollerCoaster Tycoon 3. Now I found a new addiction: The Sims 3. (What is it with the 3's?) Yes. Addiction is no understatement, I mean it in the truest sense. I made a sim that looks quite like me, has traits very similar to mine. Right now she just got fired from her first job, & is writing her first novel (which is sure to be a best seller) & loves fishing, cooking & visit the library or Art Gallery. She's single at the moment, but is considering dating because there isn't any other way to have a kid! Haha. And I really was considering changing all the she's to I's because I really think she is me. (okay... you're probably lost now! That was not my intention). Also, exams are coming up so I can't spend more than two-three hours a day at my mac. Which is sad, because I am having serious withdrawal symptoms at the moment.
I have a lot more posts that I want to do, food, art & the most exciting thing coming up for all you quality writing/drawing book lovers out there. I was searching for Moleskines in India & I found something much more exciting, & pocket friendly. They're called BrahmaBooks & they have 5 different ranges: Amateur, Professional, Writers, Math & Economy. (all of them serve specific needs: Amateur & professional are drawing books, Amateur is good for the everyday sketcher while professional is for the artists, made with the best quality paper in the world. Writers are lined books for writing, Math books have grids while Economy is their most economically priced range. All the books are made with the best quality paper (except for the Economy range, all paper is 100% acid free). Also the binding is super strong & will not open up. Earlier I was attracted to writing/drawing books with funky covers but now I know that the paper matters much more. I am gonna get my books in a few days so then I will review them & tell you guys whether the claims are true or not. Either way, the stationery lover in me is excited! You can check out their Facebook page here.
Stay tuned online.

xoxo,

I am Number Four

So, I went to see the film I Am Number Four today yesterday (it's after midnight already!)
Anyway, first, you really should check out the trailer:


I don't know if I've mentioned it before but I love action flicks, so I decided to watch this!

Anyway, a quick synopsis:

Nine toddler aliens, who closely resemble humans, flee their home planet, Lorien, to hide on Earth. An invading species, the Mogadorians, have destroyed their planet, and followed them to Earth to hunt them down. Each of the nine aliens is given a guardian and will develop superhuman powers called Legacies on becoming an adult. Each is assigned a number. These last children of Lorien can be killed only in the sequence of their numbers. Numbers One, Two, and Three have been killed so far.
Number Four (Alex Pettyfer), also named John Smith, moves to Paradise, Ohio, disguised as an American high school student. He makes a friend, Sarah Hart (Dianna Agron), a sweet Midwestern girl who is a photographer. He also faces an ex-boyfriend of Sarah's with a grudge. After being on the run his whole life, Number Four falls in love and now has something to stand up and fight for.
Also, the film is based on a young adult sci-fi novel.

The movie started out with some scary but really good action sequences. The graphics were really amazing, made me think about how far we've come after the Hercules & Xena days with cheesy special effects. The film is touted as sci-fi but has many aspects of a teen film- high school, the mean jocks, the pretty girl, the outcaste, teenage love (you get the idea!) Dianna Agron (who everyone knows as Quinn from Glee) plays a teen photographer who photographs in analog (instant love for me! ♥) She even has a Diana camera, something I've wanted for a while. Teresa Plamerr plays this super tough, badass, biker chick. A totally BAMF (I can't tell you what the acronym stands for. If you're an adult, google it! :P) if you ask me.

Again, the action sequences are pretty awesome, I totally loved watching them, even had me jumping in my seat a few times (not literally, but some parts were a tad scary!) The film had it's share of heartbreaking moments too.

The ending was pretty feel good, but what I didn't love too much is the whole 'to be continued... element'  They didn't literally say those words but some of the plot was not wrapped up so of course you'd be curious to see what happens & go watch the second film. But then again, it worked for Quentin Tarantino with the Kill Bill films. Some stories just can't be told in a single film.

To sum it up, if you're looking for a critically acclaimed film this won't be one of them. But it has all the elements that make a film entertaining & I think people of all ages will enjoy it. Yes, you can even take a kid to this film, so it's definitely a family film for the whole family & I found it thoroughly enjoyable.

xoxo,

Saat Khoon Maaf (a review)

Hi everyone!
I am just back from watching Saat Khoon Maaf (I first blogged about it here). For those of you who didn't read that post, the screenplay of the film is based on a book by Ruskin Bond called Susanna's Seven Husbands. The book isn't out yet but I've pre-ordered it.

It is the second Vishal Bharadwaj film I've seen after DevD (which I saw on DVD & I'm sure a lot of stuff was cut out!)
I think this was the first A rated film I've watched in a cinema after turning 18 so yay!
About the film itself: Other than Priyanka, it had a good star cast that made me moderately excited. The basic story is about an Anglo Indian Woman Susanna Anna Marie Joahnnes who kills 7 husbands. (The number is kinda irritating. I found myself counting many times during the film to see how many husbands are dead). I don't really want to give any spoilers, let me just say that I'm glad I went for it. You'd think the character of Susanna is negative but that's not the case. I loved the camerawork & cinematography. The film has quite a few goofs/ factual errors, I can't really tell you about them without spoilers, let me just say you'd think Vishal would have researched better. I was waiting for the Ruskin Bond cameo & I'm glad that it was a decent speaking part & not one of the blink-and-you-miss variety. Thank God!
Overall this is definitely a must watch film for me. Maybe not more than once, though.

Have any of you seen it? Your thoughts?

xoxo

Chanakya's Chant, Susanna's Seven Husbands & other books...

I went for The History of India VIRitten, a stand up comedy show by Vir Das (followed by cocktails & dinner) at the ITC Grand Central on the 13th of Feb. And guess what? I met one of my favorite authors Ashwin Sanghi there. I had chatted with him a couple of times over Twitter (he calls me his first twitter fan :) ) but it was great meeting him in person. (How lucky am I to actually meet one of my favorite authors & chat with him? Now if I only get to meet Ruskin Bond I can die happy). I was absolutely blown away by The Rozabal Line (his first book, published in India in 2008 & I probably read it in 2009. Too bad I wasn't into books reviewing then). If you're curious about the plot, it is similar to the DaVinci code, only much better! It was terribly underrated, which makes me think that Dan Brown just got lucky. Anyway, his second book Chanakya's Chant is out & I just ordered it. The show by Vir Das was politically incorrect & absolutely hilarious! And I spent Valentine's Day at home, hungover. (I would like to mention that I was actually hungover on a huge highball glass of Cranberry Juice with less than half an inch of Vodka. Apparently I have very little tolerance for alcohol. Tsk tsk.)

Also, more book news. Have you guys heard of an upcoming Bollywood film called Saat Khoon Maaf? (litteral translation: Seven Murders Forgiven) It has a ton of famous Bollywood stars. I would have honestly never heard of it (seeing as how I don't even read the newspaper nowadays *sob*) but the screenplay has been written by Vishal Bharadwaj & Matthew Robbins based on a novella by Ruskin Bond! The book is called Susanna's Seven Husbands & it hasn't released yet. I suspect it's going to release on 18th Feb, the same day as the movie. Anyway I have pre-ordered it already & I am excited! Perhaps I'll go watch the movie too (It supposedly has a cameo by Ruskin Bond).
I am officially book-crazy. And I have a lot more books that I want, so I have gone ahead & made a wishlist! I'll probably end up buying them all eventually. So, how did you spend Valentine's Day? Any recent buys/splurges? I'd love to know.

xoxo,

Bruce Campbell & Books

For those of you who don't know, I am a huge Bruce Campbell fan. I first saw him in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys & subsequently in Xena: Warrior Princess when I was five or six. He didn't have a starring roll, just a recurring one. I didn't know his real name then, or even the character name (Autolycus) but I knew his as POT (an acronym for Prince of Thieves, something Autolycus liked to call himself!)
Anyway, a few years ago I found out he wrote two books. And that they were actually pretty good. I was dying to get my hands on them. But they were obviously only available in USA. And they were pretty cheap on Amazon.com, but the delivery prices were exorbitant. So I wasn't able to get my hands on them. :(
 But then around Christmas this year I decided to try out flipkart. They got my the two books I wanted, with free delivery! And this is not the free delivery that takes forever to come. The first book arrived just two days after I paid for it. The second book took a while because it was coming from USA (I was informed well in advance that it could take up to 30 days). It arrived in about 20. And no I am not getting anything for saying this (though flipkart should consider making me their brand ambassador). Though I shop online a lot, I can say this is the first time in weeks I was satisfied with how the order went through, delivery time & the state of the package (in came in tissue paper & a padded cardboard box. Expect a review of the said books soon!
The books I got were:
1. If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor (2002)
A memoir written by Bruce Campbell almost a decade ago, this one went on to become a New York Time bestseller.

2. Make Love! The Bruce Campbell Way (2005)
This one is part fact & part fiction. In Bruce's own words: Is it an "autobiographical novel"? Yes. I'm the lead character in the story, and I'm a real person, and everything in the book actually happened, except for the stuff that didn't.

So... I have been feeling a little blue now that two of my current favorite TV shows are between seasons (Psych & Burn Notice) & one of my favorite TV shows Criminal Minds is getting messed up because those asshole executives down at CBS are firing the best cast members.

I have been a member of GetGlue for a while, and my first batch of stickers arrived a few weeks ago.

I only just noticed that this photo is a tad out of focus. Sorry about that.

My fave stickers from the lot.

I think this goes to show that I am a huge TV show junkie. I mean, I think I love TV shoes more than movies. Films have bigger budgets, better production, cinematography and whatnot. But only TV shows can create complex story lines and great characters.

XOXO,