The Great Gatsby - The Movie

Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful
Will you still love me when I got nothing but my aching soul
I know you will, I know you will
I know that you will

Ok, so I love reading books, fiction mainly, no exclusively! Non-fiction does not interest me much, except for books by Bill Bryson, and some other authors whose names I cant recollect. You see, I love drama, and real life (at least mine) just doesn't have enough of it! That's what leads me to books.

However, I've missed out on many classics, which I ought to have read in my childhood, and so am catching up now. And when I heard that a movie based on The Great Gatsby was gonna release soon, I went and got myself a copy of the book, so I could read it first and then watch the movie.

So, I started reading the book, but due to lack of time, I couldn't complete it by the time the movie was released, and so went for the movie before reading the book, a first for me!

• I liked the movie, I really did.
• Liked the way the camera kept sweeping across the landscape.
• Liked all the party scenes, all the colors and lights and people
• Really liked the haircuts of the ladies!
• Amitabh Bachchan was a waste in the movie, I mean he wasn't really required, was he? I'll have to complete the book to know for sure. 
• The end was a little depressing, but I'm really gonna have to read the book before saying any further.
• I've been watching Downton Abbey which is set in UK, and just realized that this movie is set in the same time frame, but in the USA! 
• Loved Leonardo DiCaprio & Carey Mulligan as Gatsby & his long lost love Daisy. I read somewhere that many others were considered for the role of Daisy (even Scarlett Johansson), but CM was perfect.

 

• I cannot get over how young Leonardo DiCaprio looks! I mean the he must be in early 40s or something, right 'ol sport'?

  

Found this on Google Images: :D :D

• And most of all, LOVED the music. Got the album the day after watching the movie!

Some of the songs that have stayed with me were:

Hot summer nights mid July
When you and I were forever wild
The crazy days, the city lights
The way you'd play with me like a child

- Young & Beautiful, Lana Del Ray

A hauntingly beautiful song. A quote I read somewhere (I think it was said by the Music Producer for the movie) sums it up nicely:

"I think it’s an unusual song, because on the one hand, it has romance and tells a love story, but at the same time, it’s filled with real yearning and melancholy, which I think is at the heart of the story"

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We only said goodbye with words
I died a hundred times
You go back to her
And I go back to, I go back to black

- Back to Black, Amy Winehouse

Another really good song, I thought it was an original song, but its actually a cover. It was written by Winehouse and Mark Ronson. Apparently it was inspired by a boy-friend, who left her for an ex-girlfriend, leaving her going to "black" with drinking and depression.

 ********************

 Book review coming up as soon as I finish reading it...

Mumbai: Days 2 - 4

There was a time
I used to look into my father's eyes.
In a happy home
I was a king, I had a golden throne.
Those days are gone,
Now the memory's on the wall.
I hear the songs
From the places where I was born.

- Swedish House Mafia

Ok, so for the next three days I really was a queen, as I always am when with my parents. After the big party, my parents, who were also in Mumbai that week came to pick me at the hotel. We had a quick photo session in front of the water fountain thingy, and then left. After a long long ride around Mumbai in the auto (everything was closed due to the bandh, even the malls), we finally got off at the Infinity mall, and had the best movie experience! Had a quick lunch and were back at the guest house where they were staying. It was a far cry from the hotel I'd just stayed in the previous night, but it was home for now.

The next day I had my quarterly doctor's appointment, which went pretty well except for the fact that a Thyroid problem was detected in my blood test. Since I was doing well from the looks of it, she (the doc.) asked to repeat this test in a month, preferably at another place, to verify the results. So, although I was a bit disturbed with this new problem initially, I have since decided there's no use in worrying about it now when it is unconfirmed. I will worry when there is actually something to worry about!

After another quick lunch at a nearby place and a hunt for the best concealer, we went home and rested (read lazed) around for the rest of the day. The next day we were told we had to vacate the room, since due to some mis-communication the room had been booked only till the previous day. So, we moved across the city, from Andheri, to Dadar into a a nice hotel. Ma was feeling pretty sick by now, due to something she ate. So we stayed in the hotel the rest of the day.

Continued at: http://pitchdarkroom.blogspot.com/2013/07/mumbai-day-5-wedding-day.html

Since I Dont Have You!!

Ok, so I'm currently using my Big Brother's (BB's) Zune player, and mine is with Ma. That's how electronic stuff flows in the family, most of the times, at least! BB gets it first, when he's done with it, I get it, when I'm done with it, Ma gets it. Not sure where exactly Pa fits in. I guess when he wants something, he just takes it. Sigh!

Anyway, BB's got a HUGE collection of songs on the Zune, which I didn't delete, since there's a lot of free space (I think am currently using less than 10% of the total space). Most of these are like really old songs by really old bands, so I've added my collection also. I listen to these songs while traveling to and from work. Sometimes I fall asleep while listening to them, and wake at the exact same junction which is the entry to my lane.Every single time! Spooky!

So this one time I just put a random song to play and fell asleep. When I woke up at the junction this amazing song was playing. It was just so fun and easy on the ears!
Specially liked the end part "You, you, you, oh, oh! "

Though I don't understand what the end noises are. Is it rain falling on a tin roof? In a bucket? What is it???
Anyway, on checking the screen, the singer was revealed to be none other than GnR!! Yeah, seriously! I didn't know they sing such songs as well. I did a little more research and found that the original singers are a band named The Skyliners.  And GnR just did a cover of it! Anyway, lyrics below:

 Since I Dont Have You

I don't have plans and schemes
And I don't have hopes and dreams
I, I, I don't have anything
Since I don't have you

And I don't have fond desires
And I don't have happy hours
I don't have anything
Since I don't have you

Happiness and I guess
I never will again
When you walked out on me
In walked ol' misery
And she's been here since then

[spoken] Yeah, we're F****d!

I don't have love to share
And I don't have one who cares
I don't have anything
Since I don't have you

You, you, you, oh, oh!
You, you, you, oh, oh!
You, you, you, oh, oh!
You, you, you, oh, oh!
You, you, you, oh yeah!

*weird noises* 

Remember..

Ok, So here I am sitting on my bed, laptop on lap, on a hot Saturday afternoon with nothing better to do. You see I was supposed to go in to work today, but everything got cancelled due to the Boston Blasts. Funny how something happening so far away in the US affects me, sitting here in Pune, but it does (Ok, I guess it shouldn't come as much of a surprise since I do work for an MNC!!). Anyway, so here I am sitting on my bed, laptop on lap.
I just finished watching Sherlock (amazing series, cant wait for the third Season) and checking my Facebook page. Nothing new there. So thought I'd update the blog, change the look or something.

One click led to another and next thing I know I'm reading my cousins blog. Now some four years back, when I'd joined my first job and had nothing much to do there, we used to chat all the time on GTalk (I guess she didn't have much work too!), and came up with the ideas of creating our own blogs each. We'd motivate each other to post, actually she'd be motivating me to post, she always had something to say, still does, and would read and comment on each others blogs. Called ourselves true cousins. There was always some scandal/secret to share about the rest of the cousins, and a lot of time to discuss all these things. Reading her blog brought back all those memories. What fun we had, talking rubbish most of the time, but it made sense.
How times have changed now! I don't even have her number (lost my contacts), we meet maybe 5-6 times a year. No chats/calls/gossip nothing! And its really sad. I have friends here too, but its just not the same. Miss those days, there wasn't much to do, everything was easy and laid back. No deadlines, no work pressure, no office politics. Parents and delicious food to come home to!
Most days I'm happy here, but some days, I wish I'd stayed back home and got a job there. Everything would have been so easy. But then, I would have never learned to do stuff on my own. Never would have known the freedom and independence I do now. Never would have met any of the people that I've come to know and love now.

I guess the moral of this rant is, you win some and you lose some. You just have to make the most of the situation you are in. Anyway, all this reminds me of a song I'd heard.

Remember by Harry Nilsson

Long ago, far away

Life was clear

Close your eyes

Remember is a place from long ago

Remember filled with everything you know

Remember when you're sad and feelin' down

Remember turn around

Remember life is just a memory

Remember close your eyes and you can see

Remember think of all that life can be

Remember

Dream love is only in a dream

Remember

Remember life is never as it seems

Dream

Dream love is only in a dream

Remember

Remember life is never as it seems

Dream

Long ago, far away

Life was clear

Close your eyes

UPDATE: May 6, 2013:

So after this post, I called her sister and got her number. Now we are in contact almost every hour, thanks to Whatsapp!!!

Alone

Okay, so I've just started watching the series GLEE, and I absolutely love it. The storyline is not that great or original (very similar to the High School Musical movies), but love the singing, the dancing, the acting.

It has brought back to me songs that I once loved so very much, like "Alone". Kristin C does full justice to this song in the series. And I love her version almost, but not quite as much as the previous one by "Heart".
Since watching the episode yesterday, I have been continuously humming/singing this song, and just cant stop!

Alone By Heart

I hear the ticking of the clock
I'm lying here the room's pitch dark
I wonder where you are tonight
No answer on the telephone
And the night goes by so very slow
Oh I hope that it won't end though
Alone

Till now I always got by on my own
I never really cared until I met you
And now it chills me to the bone
How do I get you alone
How do I get you alone

You don't know how long I have wanted
To touch your lips and hold you tight, oh
You don't know how long I have waited
And I was gonna tell you tonight
But the secret is still my own
And my love for you is still unknown
Alone

Till now I always got by on my own
I never really cared until I met you
And now it chills me to the bone
How do I get you alone
How do I get you alone

How do I get you alone
How do I get you alone

Alone, alone.