Of Cuts, Bruises and Open Wounds - 13th December 2013

Excuse the title, it is not as emo as you think.
So it is time once more for my biannual reflection on a semester fraught with  twists, turns and amazing moments too. I learnt a lot of life lessons which I would like to share with you.
 This one is going to be quite long, since a LOT has happened this sem, so I am going to put them under nice bold sub-headings for the ease of my readers.

So,let's begin!

1.Of Cuts

Well, the first major event of the semester was that I cut myself. No, I am not depressed, it was merely a work place accident. Having been functioning for about 4 hours a sleep a day, I was naturally tired when I decided to start work on my model due the next week.
All it took was a simple slip of hand with the new blade and I found myself bleeding all over my work. Two things crossed my mind that moment: 1- SAVE THE MODEL
                                                              2- Thank God it was my left finger. :P

Ah the thought processes of an overworked archi student. I hadn't realised the extent of my injury but I ran out didn't grab no shoes or nuthin'. (To those who didn't understand that reference, here.) It turned out it was worse than I thought, I had to literally pull a small piece of my left index finger out. (cue widespread cringing).

Even then it didn't occur to me to ask for help. I finally knocked on the door of my friend who was living on the same floor (the poor thing was completely baffled when she pulls open the door at 3am and I'm there asking her for Milo). One thing led to another and long story short, I ended up in the hospital, accompanied by three amazing seniors who were wondering why I wasn't making a bigger deal out of it ( I don't know what state of mind led me to joke about my bloody finger-" Who needs Game of Thrones when you have this?") .

After a long process of my finger being cleaned, wrapped and being made tetanus-free, it all culminated with the four of us having Ben and Jerry's chocolate ice cream in my kitchen at 5:30 am.
The lesson I learnt here at this point is that you can always rely on your friends. It gave me an amazing feeling (it also got me a tad emotional) to see my friends constantly worrying about whether I was alright or not for the next week. ( I also got a generous amount of scoldings ( "You Jackass") for not being careful.) I am truly lucky and grateful to be surrounded by the wonderful people I have around me today :)

2.Of Bruises 
Several little incidents to mention here. The good kind of bruises. Like the ones that stay with you after a strenuous game of well, any kind of sport. The ones here are mostly fandom -related and emotional.

A) Memorable Outings 
Whether it was a simple dinner outing (ok, not so simple as I was literally forced into a dress with strict instructions not to wear sneakers) or a visit to the National Geographic 50 Greatest Photographs exhibit, every little thing has a memory attached to it.

Endless walks to the 7-11 behind the hostel, come rain or haze or humidity, each walk with a different conversation, a different wish, a different dream, each one concluding with me finishing off 500ml of Magnolia Chocolate Milk (I have developed a rather unhealthy obsession with these, another cut on my finger may just result in me bleeding Chocolate milk) and feeling happy to be just surviving.

Also visited Universal Studios with my cousins! An amazing day to remember (pity the crazy awesome roller coaster wasn't working though)

B) Crazy moments 
Pillow Battles (nope, not small enough to be classified as fights) with cushions and bean bags in the lounge with a dozen people, a dance in the rain with your best friend , Pizza orders at 3am,Maggi in the microwave at the oddest times, constant practice of the Cups Song and the endless games of Heads Up!. Yup, just your average hostel day.

A note on Heads Up: This has got to be the most entertaining and addicting game I have ever come across. I would also like to say that my friends and I have become quite pro at it.

Ignoring the occasional slip-up ( Certain mentions of "Where's the Love Tonight" and "HellDog" come to mind :P ) we have reached the level of a minimum of 14 guesses per minute. If we went on this  game show, we would clean out their coffers.

C) Oh to Fangirling
My busy schedule prompted only two movie outings this semester, both highly anticipated and steeped in feels. The first was Thor 2, which mostly involved me sitting in the centre of a group of 5, fangirling constantly over both Thor and Loki. At one point I had to hold my friend's shoulder, breathless because I thought Loki was going to die.

Because Tom Hiddleston, that's why.

And of course, who could forget the build-up to The Hunger Games: Catching Fire! 18 months of constant waiting, intensive hyperventilating at 1 minute trailers (outside Exam Halls, I might add), days of wondering if they would do justice to the book did not go in vain. After watching The Hunger Games the previous night, a group of 6 of us went for the first show (despite it being Reading week). We shed tears, laughed and hyperventilated through it, fangirling intensively even after it was over. In this aspect, The Odds were certainly In Our Favour.


D) Cheers to Anal Critiques -.- 
Some of the best fun I've had this semester is with NUS Indian Dance. Don't worry, I don't dance, I merely make the posters and the programme booklet. Having finally learnt Photoshop to some degree over the summer, I spent fun days tweaking and re tweaking posters when they used to be set back with some minute change or another :P But still, it was all worth it in the end :)

E) Hell Yeah to Moral Support
This section is very important. If there is one thing you desperately need in college, it is moral support. With your family so far away and quite helpless, it is important that you have people around you who can keep you going. And I have a lot of that. Even if it meant staying up till 9am so that I could finish an assignment, or walking all the way from another block so that we could walk to 7-11 together, or putting up with my constant existential crises, I am really grateful to my extended family here in Singapore :)

F) Quizzing is ruining my life 
I have always mentioned this, that NUS has a knack of making you feel like shit about things you thought you were good at. The Quizzing page on Facebook, although teaching me loads, made me have
mini existential crises every time I couldn't answer a question I should have known (like a bunch of
Harry Potter and Doctor Who questions I couldn't answer) .
It also created an unfortunate addiction during my exam period, as my good friend pointed out ironically, " Our thirst for knowledge is preventing us from studying." :P
It is an amazing page however, and I shall be forever addicted to it. Like I said, ruining my life, but in a good way.

G) While Improv is Improving it. (:P) 
 One of the best things which has happened to me this semester is the fact that I joined Improv.

For those of you who are not sure what it is, it is basically improvised comedy, wherein the performers make up on the spot scenes and situations meant to be funny. Like the show Whose Line is it anyway?.  It is the most fun I've ever had and my group is just brilliant. Besides, Hoedowns are awesome.






3. Of Open Wounds

This semester was the time we lost someone close to us.  This was a wound which cannot be closed, for any of us. And despite several sleepless nights hoping for a Sherlock-esque return in a dramatic fashion, I know that my life wasn't directed by Steven Moffat and my wounds will still be open.

At this point I want to express how proud I am of the people around me and how beautifully we handled it all. We are a strong lot, and I pray we continue to be that way.
This incident made me realise just how transient everything around me is.  The things we so take for granted may not be around everyday. Appreciate them while you can people. Spend more time with the people you love, do the things you want to do, because it may not be always there, in the end.


That sums up my semester. Sorry for the lengthy post but you know how I like to talk :P It is funny how I haven't written a thing about my work, but I think my previous reflections will still apply for this semester.
I hope everyone is having an amazing winter break :D
Love you peeps.

Spaces that speak volumes- Why I love museums

Call me crazy or unconventional, but I find a museum one of the most romantic places on earth. It is a simple space, at one point so empty, which speaks volumes once it is filled.

An architect who designs museums is incredibly powerful. Imagine, an empty room. Now, imagine it slowly filling up with meaning. Pictures, words, lights, paths. The architect controls where the people go. The circulation is uni-directional, and the architect has full power over it.

Museums literally tell stories. Every room, every wall, every corner has a story. It houses within in centuries' worth of tales, all waiting to be discovered by eager, enthusiastic minds. It gives you the tale of a young girl in Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, in the Middle Ages, during the World Wars. It reflects onto you your own life, in different ways. This is why I find their hallowed halls so intriguing.

I had the greatest fortune to attend the "National Geographic 50 greatest photographs" exhibition which
is taking place in the ArtScience Museum at MBS right now. ( Its only there till next weekends so grab your tickets soon!) A must see, no excuses. Best 13 dollars I ever spent!
I was blown away. Bedazzled, Awestruck, Breath-taken, agog, agape, astounded, to say the least. The exhibition did not feature the most famous photographs (there were the more obvious ones of course, like the Afghan girl) but featured a collection of the best photographs ever taken. An ambiance which beautifully reflected the mood of the place, had a way of affecting yours too.

The first thing that greeted us was a photo of a lion. Not just any lion, but an alpha lion. This photo featured the king of the jungle, plunging its jaw into the neck of another, all whilst staring directly into your soul. Its eyes bored into you, as if to search inside you for your greatest weakness, while giving you the "You're next" glare.

As you turn through a series of hallways, you encounter several different photos, taken at different times and featuring different lifestyles. Each photo had a background narrative. The circumstances leading up to the capture of the still are as beautiful as the photo itself.

Just as you start feeling complacent about this place, you see from the corner of your eye, one of the most powerful photos ever to be featured in the realm of human existence - The beautiful Afghan girl with the breathtaking eyes.  The genius of the placement  of this photo is that it is kept on a wall facing away from the general circulation path- but it is made visible by the placement of a mirror. So people notice the photo, and immediately gravitate towards it, only to realise that what they saw initially was merely a reflection.
She was placed with her older self; so we can reflect of the regality of her beauty, and how age and suffering have changed her. The timely placing of a seat induces one to just sit there and admire her for a period of time.

Another thing worth mentioning was something which shook me quite deeply. A section named "Disconnecting from the planet" consisted of a circular space, lined with mirrors and lit by red lights. On three strategic locations was a photo of burning oil wells ( notably, the Ahmadi oil wells in Kuwait) with silhouettes of camels in the foreground.  It was so disorienting, so confusing, and so beautiful.

This was followed immediately by a section which made you lose faith in humanity. Mutilated birds, trapped sharks and dead gorillas. A section so heart-wrenching that you feel for the world in more ways than one.

I could go on and on, but for fear of losing my readers, I shall end here. The exhibition concluded with a beautiful photograph of Jane Goodall (captioned "Reconnecting with the planet") , a way of saying that maybe, just maybe, there is hope in this world after all.

I want to disappear

All I want in this world is to disappear. Travel the world in a backpack and a hoodie, hood pulled low over my eyes to hide the agony, music in my ears.  Merge into the background, blend into the rain.
Get lost in vast bookstores, seek pain within the lusty pages, hear the crackle of the paper as the storm thunders outside.


Why do we so actively seek pain in our lives? Cry over the death of a fictional character, fray our nerves on suspense and cheesy romance, wishing that all these things happen to us in reality. Why is the world we find hidden within printer ink so seductive that we just hope that if we keep it close enough to our noses we might just fall through?
Reality bites.
All I want to do is to hitchhike around America. Sit at a cafe in Paris. Throw boomerangs in Australia.  Be a constant presence in random stranger's vacation photos, the lone hooded figure in the background.

But the world was not built on the whims and fancies of a lonely teenage girl .

I will have to continue. Scars fade, wounds heal, and the world dosent stop for anybody. All one can do is to get lost in their subconsciousness and drink away the pain. 

So, What did you do this summer?

The long summer is at an end.. and I cant say Winter is coming mostly because Singapore has no concept of seasons.
Ah summer, that time of year wherein you have no work and no concept of the time of day, when deadlines dont matter and all you can think about is Food.
So what did I do this summer worth mentioning?

1.Caught up on some sleep

I can speak for any college student when I say that a good night's sleep is about as common as finding

an alive person on Game of Thrones. And I needed to catch up and stock up on my sleep bank to accomplish anything worthwhile next semester.
So happy days of sleeping at 11 and waking up at 12, (much to the chagrin of anyone in the house) and catching a catnap or two in the afternoon hours when the house is quiet.

Speaking of which...

2.CATS


I have been inhaling cats all summer. Not only am I drooling over the little critters over the internet, I have been host to a family of 7 on my aunts front porch.  ( ok not a family, but its still quite a number- I smell Von Trapp involvement, maybe I should teach them to sing.)

A mummy cat (which my aunt named Kuch) gave birth to three adorable kittens(named- Dr.Sir
Brownie Jr. IV, Kit Kat and Vijayam ( we named the littlest one after my granny-much to her reproach- as a joke, but the name sort of stuck.)) , plus there is a drunk uncle cat who shows up randomly for food( named Brownie) , a scary demented male cat whose meows sound like hes being run over (Bob Cat) and a GORGEOUS black female cat who looks like a cat version of Toothless from How To Train Your Dragon ( whom we very non racist-like named Oprah- well she was pregnant and we were expecting free kittens ("You get a Kitten! You get a kitten! All of you get kittens!") But they didnt show
:( ).

So my day kinda revolves around feeding them, staring creepily at them and resisting the urge to pack them in my suitcase.

3. Became a little less illiterate in terms of Software

I finally learnt two things I ve been embarrassingly illiterate at- Photoshop and Google Sketchup. Although Im still iffy at making anything great, its a lot of fun playing around with them.
With my new Wacom I absolutely adored colouring all my sketches on Ps.

4. While on the subject, I completely ignored my subject

I spent every single day sketching- I finally understood how to draw humans properly and just had a whale of a time using my creativity to its fullest. Like a good friend of mine says- I absolutely thrive on boredom!

5. I finally watched some movies.

Drumroll please!  I think my seniors should be quite proud of me by now.Having admitted (like a fool) that I hadnt watched The Dark Knight and then getting burnt on the stake on charges of Heresy, I caught up on some movies that I should have seen ages ago.





6.Went on a long road trip around Karnataka.. and got lost. 

When my dad finally landed into Bangalore, We piled ourselves into a car and when on an extensive road trip, visiting most of Northern Karnataka like Bellary ( where my mum did Junior College, so it

was really kinda cool visiting her school and sitting on the bench she sat on and visiting her old home, bit of a nostalgic roller coaster for my mum too.) , Hospet, Hampi, and Badami.
There was a lot to see for the Historic Architecture enthusiast. The bit which really got me going was Badami because they had caves cut out from the side of a hill and the workmanship inside was really astounding and awe-inspiring. I find it ironic that we in this day, with modern tools and thinking, cannot reproduce such similar splendor.

Well, as one would expect in a long road trip, we ended up lost in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night. I guess I need to thank my cousins GPS for getting us home in one piece, although if Google Maps could express an opinion, she would have scoffed at our stupidity. It was an amazing experience though, and I highly recommend getting hopelessly lost atleast once in your life.

7. I fangirled.. A lot.

Introducing me to a new fandom is never a good idea. I never just like or dislike something. I either

absolutely HATE IT TO THE POINT OF UTTER DISGUST (*cough cough* Twilight *cough cough*) or  I LOVE IT TO THE POINT OF UTTER DESPAIR.
And obviously I got hooked to Game of Thrones. It isnt really the best fandom to get initiated into especially if you have had a history of major misery with respect to fictional deaths.
Not to mention my already excruciating wait for Sherlock Season 3, Catching Fire and a bunch of other stuff too long to mention. This led to a virtually depressing summer.. in an awesome way.

8.I broke all sorts of records in the laziness department

Really. I was a combination of Snorlax and Kumbakaran all summer. Lying down and staring at my
ceiling pretty much made up my day.






9. I felt extremely accomplished in the littlest of ways

I kept daily goals and projects for myself, and felt pleased when I did them. Even if it was a sketch a day,  a few comic strips,  learning the Cups song from Pitch Perfect or perfecting a Brit accent, these little things really helped me feel good about myself in the end.

10. Ranted a lot about Tamil serials 

   I learnt a fair amount of  (not so good) Tamil phrases too.

and finally 11. Troubled my family to no end! 

My poor mummy. I really do love being pampered.

Now that my holidays are at an end, I have recouped and re energized myself for a long semester ahead, and I will excel in my own way!

Good luck for the new year guys! 

The Woes of a forced Tamil Serial Watcher

I couldnt resist the temptation to write this. Although discretion is advised lest I should be brutally

chastised by my poor grandmother whose only source of entertainment seems to be these atrocities.


There are several bones I have to pick with the people who produce these serials.

1.Firstly, the major lack of budget these people seem to have. Seriously, I ve seen amateur videos on
YouTube with better quality video and editing than the scenes you see here. Its like they have just discovered the software and some old man drunk on caffeine decided to take the reins and try every single feature possible, stuffing it into a single sequence.

2.Two, They couldnt afford boom mikes, hence they decide to dub the dialogues. Why does it not surprise me that they pick the most annoying, high pitched squealers whose voices go directly through your brain and crack your skull?

3.Three, the acting is terrible. barring like, 2 people in all the serials my folks watch (about 6 in one day :P ) they just refuse to show any reaction to anything. And is it a rule to never face the person when one speaks? Just try it, it is insanely uncomfortable, turning your back to a person while talking to them.

4.Then there is this , almost obligation to show everyone's reaction whenever something overly dramatic happens (which is pretty much always)
And the camera dosent even switch, they just pan over to each person's face, and make sure they get every single person's (about 10 people in the shot mind, you) reaction, which would range from absolutely scandalized to completely nonchalant (like seriously, there would be one guy who is just picking his nose in the scene ).

5.Then there is the terrible background music, long drawn out and extremely LOUD. Some random singing at a random scene accompanied by extremely overdone drums.

6.THE CRYING. It would pretty much sum up these serials. Slaps, tears , constipated faces and more tears.

7. No one really dies. People dying makes it interesting dont you think? ( *cough cough* Game of thrones *cough cough*) . If they do, its usually accompanied extremely loud and incredibly drawn out crying  sequences  which last atleast a week and feature extremely distraught random people who cant act for peanuts. Several suicide attempts occur though, all extremely uncreative, usually featuring a young woman whose marriage (arranged, in case you're wondering) got cancelled, downing a bottle of poison.
One particular scene springs to mind wherein a young lady, having just discovered the brutal truth about her fiance, decides to commit suicide.
So, she runs dramatically to her room and bolts the door, and starts searching frantically in her bedside drawers. Firstly, which house has completely empty night stand drawers?
After opening a few empty drawers, she opens a drawer containing only a bottle clearly labelled POISON which she downs in one go. The circumstances leading to that were as convenient as if one was to find a fully cooked four course dinner in a Masterchef Drawer. Honestly, do they even have script writers?

8. Next is the almost blatant use of stereotypes. The young, saree clad woman with hair neatly pinned and flowered who decides to stay home and look after family? yup she is definitely a good person.
The modern woman in jeans? stay away from her shes the serial's villain.
Also the fact that each serial involves an annoying police inspector and an arranged marriage gone wrong seems quite tiring to the watchers.


I have several more rants but that seems quite sufficient dont you think? It may seem quite hypocritical to be writing so much about a show I so obviously condemn, but it is pure entertainment to watch such bad television. I m sticking to Sherlock and Game of Thrones, people.

Oh nothing much, Just a write-up on Villains.

My topics do get stranger and stranger, but I ve been meaning to write this for a while.
Let's get straight to the basics:
Just what is a villain anyway?
Random House Unabridged Dictionary defines a villain as "A cruelly malicious person who is involved in or devoted to wickedness or crime;who constitutes an important evil agency in the plot." 

My definition of a villain is an individual who from the reader's point of view , is counter-active to the mission of the plot.
Although, if not by definition, but by thought process, I wouldnt classify the Lannisters (A Song of Ice and Fire) as villains per se, would you?

Fine, that has been taken care of.
I ve been reading up, and I stumbled across the AFI List of 100 greatest villains. It got me thinking. What makes a great villain? Why makes a great villain? ( Oh you know what I mean)

How do you go about becoming one? and how do you kill them?

Firstly, Why? No one is born evil, they have to embrace it.
The largest cause is generally childhood trauma. A burning Vendetta, perhaps?
Then there is greed. Greed transforms people into crazed maniacs. 

What makes a great villain?
A great villain is one who can instill great fear into an individual , but at the same time can be admired by a large portion of the human population.

I dont want to go into major details, merely stating a few observations I have made.

Go through the classifications I ve made below.. Can you classify all the villains you know into these? 

I would say by experience, Villains can be broadly (very broadly, you see, villains are mysterious creatures) classified into three:

1. The Skilled Leader

I would say the most common form of villain: It generally consists of a single individual, who, by virtue of their own abilities ( As they are generally skilled in some form of combat, making

them formidable in themselves, or are just very persuasive) have managed to collect a large number of followers , brainwashed ( or threatened) to join their cause.

Motives: Generally a kingdom, Power, or immortality. This of course, gives these villains a weakness wherein they are afraid for their own lives. They are willing to throw their followers into the fire if it means that their own lives be spared, and seldom like to get their hands dirty. You can guess that makes them quite unpopular. These villains are also weakened by the fact that they usually need their followers to make a dent in the world, but can also take you down in a battle quite easily if they have to. 

Major examples include: Lord Voldemort( Harry Potter), The White Witch (The Chronicles of Narnia) , Dr.Facilier (The Princess and the frog) , Scar (The Lion King) , Pitch (Rise of the Guardians)

And to a certain extent, Loki (Thor).

2. The Mercenary 

This kind of villain is generally focussed on a single goal, and would do anything to achieve it.    

They generally avoid followers, mostly because they would like to do everything on their own, but if an ally brings them closer to the thing they want, they will accept help. 

They are scary because they usually dont let anything get in their way. One-on-one combat can generally prove fatal as well, as they are quite skilled adversaries. 

They usually arent very smart, but there are many exceptions to this rule. 

I have noticed that female villains tend to dominate this category, nothing is more dangerous than a woman on a mission wouldn't you say? 

Motives: Generally, a single, burning passion: Eternal beauty, death of their enemy, the last pizza slice. 

Major examples include: The Evil Queen (Snow White and the Seven Dwarves), Mother Gothel (Tangled) , Ursula (The Little Mermaid), Bane (Batman series), Gaston (Beauty and the Beast) , Bowser(?)(Mario) , Darth Vader (Star Wars) , Khan Noonien Singh (Star Trek). 

3. The Psychopath

These are, in my opinion, the most dangerous kind of villains, and also the best liked. These are men (and women) who just do not care what the outcome of their carnage is, or whether it works at all. They dont care if the attempt kills them, as long as they get their job done.
This makes them especially formidable because they dont fear for their lives, and hence would go to extreme lengths to get it done. They may not be very skilled in combat, in fact may have little or no fighting skills.Their weapon is their extreme intelligence, and their sly talking skills.

 But they are feared the most just because there is just no reasoning with them, no bargains, no blackmail. They dont really care for their followers either. Its all part of the fun. 

Motives: Its fun. They are bored, you see, or merely hungry. Anything to make life interesting.

Major examples include: The Joker (Batman series), Jim Moriarty (Sherlock Holmes- I see this more in the BBC version) and of course, Hannibal Lector ( Silence of the Lambs )  

I would classify Loki in here too, but partly. 

I obviously couldn't include all the villains I know, that would just take a bit too long.

Villains are important, they give the protagonist a purpose in our stories, and most protagonists feel incomplete without the good old fashioned villain dont they?
Take the case of Perry and Doofenshmirtz.
But you mustn't judge them too hard, after all,

Villains are people too.

My Top-10 Heart Wrenching Animation moments

Been doing a lot of thinking lately about genuine emotion that movies bring out.. and I have this conviction that animated movies bring out (if not the most) a lot of emotion into its work, and cause many a tear in various eyes... So here I have compiled my Top 10 list of moments in Animated cinema which make me cry every single time... The title contains a link to the scene I am talking about.. just in case you want your day ruined with feels :3 .

10. Try to bring Ash back. (Mewtwo Strikes Back- 1998)

 Im sure all of you know what I am talking about. The great Mew-Mewtwo faceoff, Ash getting caught in the middle and turning to stone, AND PIKACHU TRYING TO REVIVE HIM AHHH.
 It has got to be the saddest 3 minutes in Pokemon History. I remember crying buckets over this scene as a kid. OH THE FEELS.


9. Kitty says goodbye (Monster's Inc- 2001)

There was so much emotion in a movie devoted to monsters and frightening experiences. Kitty has to go, love.








8.WALL-E? (WALL-E- 2008)
Its funny how a Robot consisting of just EYES can express more emotion than Kristen Stewart.
This movie has a lot of feeling, and the scene when Eve fixes WallE only to have him forget her is heart breaking to any robotic soul.

7.Brother Bear, I let you down. ( Brother Bear- 2003)

Disney sure likes single parents and orphans dont they?

This scene wherein Kenai confesses to Koda that he killed his mother is soul shattering and tear -inducing. If seeing a cute and tiny bear cub cry dosent tear you up, they add a heart wrenching song to accompany it. Evil Disney.

Not sure if everyone remembers this movie. I feel this is one of the more underrated films they've made, because I personally feel it is fabulous. Great animation, beautiful scenary and goosebump-inducing music to accompany the magnificent emotion felt between two bears who are brothers at heart. 

6. Baby, Mine. (Dumbo- 1941)

Dumbo misses his mother, and surprise surprise, Disney decides to make a 3 minute song sequence to kill everyone who dares watch this movie.

Giving heart breaking feels through generations, I present to you DISNEY!

5. When Somebody Loved Me. ( Toy Story 2- 1999)

How much can a song make you cry? The makers of Toy story 2 shouted "LETS TEST THAT THEORY" with all the heartless enthusiasm only these people can have. The story of how Jessie was replaced when Emily grew up is soul wrenching and heart exploding to say the least. And her expression when Emily gave her away?

Why would you do that to us Pixar?

4. Bambi's mom dies. (Bambi- 1942)

Talk about Childhood Trauma.

 His Helplessness just kills you inside.

Sssshhh, dont tell Phoebe.

3. Andy gives his toys away (Toy Story 3- 2010) 

I would say this is a good sort of crying. It was like Pixar was telling us, thank you folks, you have

grown up with Andy and shared Woody's adventures, its now time to grow up and face the world.
The final act of Andy giving his toys away churns up a wave of nostalgia that hits you harder than a hurricane in Florida.
Its time to go to college, kids.Time to give your Toys away.This scene affects me to the point that I stopped listening to "You got a Friend in me" for fear of dissolving into a pit of feels.

2.Mufasa's Death ( The Lion King- 1994)

Yup, If you werent sad enough, I bring this up.
We just watched good ol' Mufasa fall to his death from the Canyon of Doom. Oh look, theres Simba.
HE TRYS TO WAKE HIM UP AND THEN SLEEPS UNDER HIS PAWS LOOK AT HIM HE IS SMALL AND CONFUSED AND DEVASTATED WHY MUST YOU TAUNT ME SO DISNEY. WHYYYYYYY. Well, you have all seen it. you know what I mean. This one scene can make full grown groups of people weep their hearts out. That is the power of these people. 

Havent recovered from his death yet, Just saying. 

1. Carl and Ellie ( UP- 2008) 

It is said that Pixar came up with a four minute sequence with no dialogue which was a better love story than Twilight. They were absolutely right of course. They take you through Carl's life and his happiness as a married man only to plunge you into the darkest depths of hell by killing off his one true love. All that, without fulfilling her desire of going to Paradise falls.

Apparently, the original script featured Carl using his balloons to fly into the sky to join his wife up there, before the Pixar people realised it just might be a tad too sad.
Woah, hold up on the Childhood trauma, people.

Wow. I seem to have left out Dreamworks completely havent I? There are several other sad moments I can think of but which dont fit in a top 10 list. Feel free to point out any which I have missed!

Be right back, in a corner crying my eyes out. 

What did I want to say?

Now I understand Poor Dory's frustration too. A Must Watch people! I would't say it is Nolan's best, but his revolutionary methods are awe-inspiring.

What if you realise that everything you remember is a lie? Or worse, you dont?  What if I told you that you remembered it that way because I told you so. I prompted that memory, when it wasnt actually there. What you think is fact may actually be false. That is the bit that scared me the most.

What a transient thing memory is. How well can you rely on your mind? Do you remember what you had for breakfast yesterday? How about the day before that? How about today 5 years ago? Do you remember the last significant place you were? The day you visited the Pyramids? Do you recall exactly what it looked like? The smell of the sand? The heat on your face?

How did get here?

This movie made me think a lot. It scared me too. It was so beautifully taken and now I understand why it irks people so when we compare it to its Bollywood ripoff, Ghajini. There was no comparison. In Ghajini they take you on this drawn out hellish journey  on how he meets his wife in the first place and then creates a good (not) old fashioned villain to kill his wife. No spoilers for Memento but they obviously handled it much better without boring us with details of courtship.

Where Am I?

It features two timelines, one in proper chronological order in black and white, giving the audience clues to try to piece together the movie into a jagged whole and the other in colour, featuring clips with the sequences backwards, to try to make the audience understand Leonard's condition.

Imagine forgetting all that you know. Imagine not knowing the difference between what is real, and

what is not. All sounds rather dramatic dosent it? Well, these are the things that happen to Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce)  in the movie Memento (2000). An accident to the head causes him to develop Short term memory loss which means that he forgets what has happened in the previous 12 minutes.. now, what was it I was talking about?  The movie is mind-blowing albeit a little difficult to understand.
Yes,I just saw Memento. I sincerely thank my friends for prompting me to see this. Mindblowing.

Now, read this backwards. Multiply your initial frustration 1000 times and you begin to understand a little how it is to watch Memento. You're welcome. 

My Top-10 Must watch Animated Movies

With the influx of "Must watch movie lists" floating around.. I feel its only apt as Self appointed Animated movie critic to create a list of my own.. I try to be as unbiased as possible and try to keep the fact that these pretty much shaped my childhood out of my judgement. I have taken several things into account, namely the actual animation itself, the voice acting, the Score and Story, the impact etc.

Note: Spirited Away isnt on this list simply because I havent seen it.. I recommend watching it because it is first on IMdb for a reason.

#10- Rise of the Guardians(2012)

 Ok, before you jump down my throat, hear me out. Aimed towards younger audiences, I do not expect people my age to appreciate it as much. But I have several reasons for it being on this list.

Firstly The ANIMATION. Sitting in the theatre I could almost reach out and let the enigmatic sand, designed to inject your mind with the loveliest of dreams, flow through my fingers. And I wasnt watching it in 3D. I felt the chill of the ice, the terror in the Guardians' eyes and the Charming evil that was Pitch ( the Bogeyman) run through my spine. Plus Jack Frost is hot xD

And then there is the Story. You realise that they are summing up our greatest Childhood fantasies and dreams into 90 mins of film. And I think they have done so brilliantly. Santa Claus, The Tooth Fairy, The Easter Bunny, The Sandman , Jack Frost. The concept of good vs evil in times where kids no longer believe,  beautifully summarised in a way which relives your childhood and makes you, as an adult, want to believe.




#9- UP (2009)

 Tears. Tears. Tears,
Heart-wrenching story, Lovable characters and beautiful soundtrack.
Need I say more?







#8- Corpse Bride (2005)

  Tim Burton's Stopmotion feature is truly mindblowing. The nightmarish concept so characteristic of his films coupled by dark humour and wonderful  music places it on  my list.
The amount of patience required in creating these characters, moving them minutely each time to create the final product. Truly commendable.

#7- Finding Nemo (2003)

 Actually Im surprised I havent placed it higher; The beautiful story of a father's search for his son
through treacherous waters in the Great Barrier Reef has captured the hearts of many since it first released in 2003.  Coupled with the amazing voice-giving of Ellen Degeneres ( who arguably has created the most well-liked character in Animation today) this movie leaves bubbles of emotion in your heart long after the credits are done rolling off the screen.

#6- How To Train Your Dragon. (2010)

 Admit it, theres not much to hate in this movie. Special mention to the beautiful animation and rendition of the dragon soaring across a diamond-studded sky. Makes you want to own one dosent it?
Also the book of dragons. The artwork in it is beautiful.
Relatable characters, amazing scenery and a wonderful soundtrack places this at  #6!

#5- Tangled/Brave- (2010/2012)

I placed both together for the AMAZING ANIMATION OF THEIR HAIR! It is said that each individual strand of Merida's scarlet tresses was animated separately and a special software was created to bring Rapunzels famous locks to life.




Tangled is a compilation of all the good things we havent seen for a long time in the Disney Princess movies. The adorable Rapunzel, her childlike curiosity and  feistiness with her frying pan, Pascal who
has got to be the cutest sidekick ever , Maximus, who honestly has more expressions than Kristen Stewart and of course FLYNN FREAKIN RIDER AKA EUGENE HOTNESS FITZHERBERT.
I mean, that one piece of animation perfection has altered my perceptions of men to such an extent that I ll probably wont be finding one anytime soon. The bar has been raised too high.
Believable story, memorable villain, amazing voice giving and Beautiful music, combined with what has got to be THE most romantic scene in movie history (the lanterns btw), Is it no wonder that it is placed so high?

Brave's animation brought tears to my eyes. The breath-taking Scottish Glens so perfectly rendered by the hands of God himself brought to the screen in all its glory, the characters done so we detect every
subtle expression change and brilliant voice giving combined with a glorious soundtrack which gave me chills. This movie isnt placed higher for the only reason that I could not stomach the gaping holes in its plotline, and the fact that its trailer was the most misleading one I have seen so far. Plus Merida is kind of a brat. We all agree :P

#4- Wreck-It-Ralph (2012)

To be honest, this one deserved the Oscar more than Brave did. The concept was GENIUS. Pure Genius. Video game characters moving around and having adventures? I was mindblown with the animation
And face it, the characters are ADORABLE. Well rounded,with their own backstories and personalities, its hard to hate any one of them. The story had enough plot twists to keep it interesting and enough heart to keep it engraved in our souls for a while.
amount of thought put into this movie. Small details like villain gatherings in Pacman country and a volcano consisting of Coke and Mentos stalactites made me want to cry , overwhelmed by the sheer awesomeness of the minds of these animators.

#3- Fantasia (1940)

Think of the context in which this movie was produced. 1940, with the concept of Animated features still in the cradle and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs still lingering in everyones minds as a revolution in the movie industry, Disney decides to do something out of this world. Make an animated movie completely coordinated to music.  The artists rendition of their perception of the music, transitioned from Ear to Paper is truly commendable. Imagine the difficulty in syncing the traditional drawing to the music , the problems in translating the tune into the screen, and still capture our imagination so perfectly.
And lets not forget the fact that The Sorcerer's Apprentice sequence is widely used today.
True Brilliance is seen only in the time of the Greats is it not?

#2- The Prince of Egypt (1998)

Proof that Imdb is severely flawed. This film deserves a rating in the 8-9 region. I cant fault it.
Ok, Jeffrey Katzenburg is a traitor for leaving Disney and going to Dreamworks, but hey if it brought this quality of film I shouldn't complain.
 The characters are animated to perfection, the Egyptian scenery glorious to the point of Godly.  and the Soundtrack, oh how it brought on the goosebumps, the chills and the tears!
The architecture and context of Ancient Egypt so wonderfully put, breathtaking landscapes , coupled with music which became a household tune irrespective of the Lord you believe in!

 The story of Moses could not have been put in a better way as it was rendered in this magnificent film. A must watch!

#1- The Lion King (1994) 

Call me incorrigibly biased, but seriously, no one with half a brain and a trickle of a childhood has not seen Lion King today. From its iconic beginning, (The Circle of Life sequence which made me jumo out of my skin every single time), to its chill-inducing conclusion, it is virtually impossible to find anything wrong with this movie. Again, Jeffret Katzenburg, however unpopular he might have been, proves his quality. Ironically, this movie was produced by Disney's
team B because they didnt expect this movie to succeed! (Meanwhile,Team A consisting of the genius of Glen Keane and Alan Menken worked on Pocahontas.)

Oh werent they proven wrong!
The animation, flawless, the research without loopholes ( the team traveled to parts of Africa and even had visits in the studios by live Lions and Cubs) and the character development amazing. Based on Shakespeare's Hamlet and featuring the voices of Matthew Broderick ( Inspector Gadget, Godzilla), Jeremy Irons (Eragon, Beautiful Creatures), James Earl Jones(Dr.Strangelove, Star Wars), Rowan Atkinson (Bean, Johnny English)  and Whoopi Goldberg (Sister Act) who brought life to these characters, this movie carried the momentum of the Disney Renaissance (initiated by The Little Mermaid in 1989) forward to new heights.

The heart in this movie is unrivalled. I mean, come on, there is no age bar to weeping buckets when Mufasa dies or laughing your heads off to Timon and Pumbaa's shenanigans. The lessons taught in this movie ( Learn from your past, dont hide from it, etc) stay with us as we grow, and these lessons we will pass on to our kids when the time comes.

The soundtrack, beautifully composed by Hans Zimmer and Elton John, features music that will stay in our hearts forever and ever and have us humming its tunes for years to come!

Well now, Hakuna Matata, and I Just Cant Wait To Watch it Again!

Is it any wonder I wouldnt eat without this movie on the screen as a kid?

And there you have it. My list of must watch Animated Features , well thought out and expressed to you here. Sorry it is a bit long, but passion has no word limit. 

Why Benedict Cumberbatch is ruling the internet.

Yes, I have finally gotten down to writing this. With the release of Star Trek: Into darkness and the anticipation ( to put it mildly; in reality it is the slow and bloody torture of our mindless souls churning into the dust of utter pain) of Sherlock series 3, I feel it is only apt for his sheer awesomeness to be brought to light. Then for the benefit of all you cumberbitches out there..( yes that is what his fans are called.) I shall compile a list of movies and shows wherein dear dear Ben has featured.

So lets begin.

Top 5 Reasons to love Benedict Cumberbatch

5.He is British

I honestly think thats reason enough. With his swoonworthy accent and impeccable manners, its hard to hate anyone who makes a scandalized face on hearing his phone ring during an interview.



4. His eyes (and his cheekbones) 

There is a whole website dedicated to Ben's eyes for Pete's sake, ( much better than the one dedicated to Katy Perry's Armpits, just saying) . I mean, they seem to change colour as you look at them, and they seem to contain every hue known to man, and some unknown. It feels like you are staring into the  universe; infinite aspects of beauty.
Glasz: (adj) The most beautiful and magical colour ever. Glasz eyes seem to constantly change colour from blue, green, gray and yellow.
Lets not forget his cheekbones. He needs a BAFTA for those. They look like they can cut you by looking at them.

3. He is freaking adorable

I mean, honestly. When asked what he would want to become, he said a lightsaber. The man wants to BECOME a lightsaber. He wonders why anyone wouldn't want to go

His life goals and morals are exemplary, he has the ideals of an angel and the heart of a child. He is as normal and weird as the rest of us, more human than most of the celebrities out there. We can relate to this man in several levels of craziness.

Shall I let the gifs do the talking? 

2.His acting

His versatility is commendable, whether he play a grumpy son, a high functioning sociopath or a hardcore villain. This is the actor who can cry on command and make us feel the pain in his heart and rip our souls apart.  He is perfectly capable of reverting from murderous psychopath to a person who is on the side of the angels ( but not one of them) .
We fell in love with him in Sherlock, and we are prepared to hate him in Star Trek ( but love him anyway).



1.HIS VOICE.

If I were on my deathbed, my one request would be to have Benedict Cumberbatch read to me at my bedside in all his deep-voiced glory. He sounds like the pearls of rain dropping from the heavens; a rumble from the bottom of the ocean and from the deepest, darkest parts of the forest, with dew on the grass and mist in the air. It also sounds like pure chocolate dripping off your fingers onto a plate of brownies and icecream. In short; all things good.
  With this imagery in mind,it is no surprise that his voice also can cause erotic eargasms which can make anyones eardrums swoon.
I think I ve said enough?

 Selected Benedict Cumberbatch filmography ( why not watch these while waiting for Sherlock?) 
1 Atonement- Paul Marshall
2. Marple: Murder is Easy - Luke Fitzwilliam
3. Third Star- James
4. Tinker Tailor Solider Spy- Peter Guillam
5. War Horse- Major Jamie Stewart
6. Star Trek: into Darkness- Khan

He has also featured in several tv shows but one I saw was Fortysomething starring Hugh Laurie as Ben's dad and it was quite good, and also obviously Sherlock which started this whole "Benomenon" in the first place :3

And this is why this amazing man leaves destruction and debris in his wake (specially on tumblr) and will probably continue to do so many years into the future.