Oh no!

I am having the most horrible time booking tickets for Harry Potter, it's just not working. Whether I try online or call! Uff! This is such a huge downer!

I hope the lines will clear up soon so I can have my seat booked and go about doing other things in peace.

Sleep tonight

Here's the finished piece of the the little 'sneak-peek' I gave you all a while back. Been completing it during my down time in office.

Don't you just want to float away in a bit of space-jaziness sometimes? :)

K.C. Das

One of the many wonderful snacks and sweets franchise here in Bangalore is K.C. Das. Us designers headed there for lunch today. At first I was a little surprised that lunch items were even available because in my head I kept thinking mithai, burfi, jamun and yummm! But, oh my god whatey lunch it was! The food consisted of Aloo Puri, Lucchi, Hing Kachori, Rasgulla and ridiculously delicious samosas. Such wonderful food! And at extremely reasonable prices the lunch there was simply awesome.

< The Aloo Puri. I couldn't get a proper picture as I remembered about clicking it only half-way through.

However, the one, huge downside of eating at the St. Marks Road restaurant was the service. After years of serving simply the best food the staff seemed to have picked up quite an attitude and not in a good way. They are slow, relaxed and waltz from table to table bringing food to their customers. They are so indifferent to their customers it's shocking. When we asked one waiter to join the tables for all of us to be able to sit together, he simply said, "Sorry. Can't be done. It's too much trouble. You guys can sit on separate tables." As Nish would say, "SHOCKING!"

I am still a foodie before all else, so I glorify their food. It must be sampled and enjoyed. Yumm!

Oh that funky sound!

For some time now, her song has been stuck in my head and of course I have no inclination towards making it stop. Her name is Janelle Monae and I am in love with her. She looks small but has so much spunk it bursts out of her. Through her singing, dancing and even her hair. I mean just look at that. It's so cool and unique. I adore that hairstyle! 'Tightrope' is definitely one of her best songs. It never fails to put some funk into my life and has inspired some really groovy albeit embarrassing dancing on my part.

Listen to 'Tightrope' here > LINK

The time has come my little friends,

To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings.

I find myself chanting this poem from time to time. It's very catchy and so non-sensical. Coincidentally, DeviantArt has been going Alice In Wonderland crazy for some time now.

Aye-ya-yaii!

I have to get back to the basics of animation again. Today as I sat and tried making a simple walk from scratch, I realized I don't know jack. Even Jack doesn't know jack. Oh god! That's how bad it's become.

Going through sheets of reference material now. I hope to get back on track soon.

And so six years later,

I realize we are still friends. I don't know what bond was created 13 years ago, but it was done and I think we are going to be in each others' lives for many more years to come. And I think it's awesome that you can count on something like that.

***

So much has passed between us, we must sit down and talk and talk and talk. It sounds like the perfect idea to me.

Here's to that plan. I cannot wait.

**EDIT** I realized my earlier version of this post was way too melancholy for it's own good. Here's the gist of it, toned down to what i think is necessary.

Top 5 Reasons

To watch some Miyazaki today:

1) Because the man is one the most respected names in animation. NO, not anime, I said animation.

2) Because every movie, even though based on similar themes always has something new and different to offer.

3) Because each one is a work of art. A masterpiece in motion.

4) Because his movies can teach you.

5) Because every single movie has the magical ability to transport you to a place and time and in fact, a world that will make you immensely glad you became a part of. Whether under water or up in the air, Miyazaki makes you believe.

Sneak peek and then some

Look above. I'm working on some new art. It's been a terribly long time since I did anything creative and S has been super supportive by believing in me to make more art. So, the upcoming piece is dedicated to S.

On another note - One of my favourite colleague's at R+K left today, it was her last day. And yes, it has made me quite sad. I honestly wish I could have worked with her more and not having known her well enough and still being this sad is a very odd feeling. It's not a happy one. I only hope I will keep in touch with her more in the future. I will miss you very much Shilpy. Much luff to you, Daniel and your loverly cats and wishing you a wonderful married life ahead.

<3

The Anthology Project

Collaborations are always an awesome idea and ' The Anthology Project' is no exception. Combining stories of artists from the US and Canada, it's a book I now desperately want on my bookshelf. Especially Volume 1.

One of the authors of the book also happens to be the artist behind that magnificent looking hard cover illustration. She goes by the name of Joy Ang, her name being a dead give away for the art she creates. After discovering her this morning I happily spent most of my day looking through her work on Deviant Art. You should too. Her comics are laugh out loud funny and her illustrations, simply wonderful. You can tell the amount of thought she put into each piece as they will make you go, "Oh yeah! That's an awesome idea." It's these ideas of hers, they go so well with each other. Things you might ordinarily never put together manage to find themselves looking pretty content in Joy's paintings.

The book throws together some of the most creative artists out there telling nothing more than stories. Stories of their own creation and the wealth of styles this book contains makes it a 'must have' for any illustration/comic junkie. I love it. As I looked through the project's blog, I came across some stunning examples of how the work was made and it also had a wonderful 'making-of' the book cover as well.

I bet it's a wonderful read. As the description on the website will tell you, the book's "humble intent is only to delight." So, anyone willing to pretty please buy Volume 1 for me :)

Listen

It's a really good day today to listen to some nice music. It's cold yet cosy, raining outside but, I'm sipping my nice cup of chai indoors. And what luck that I stumbled across this lovely duo and their awesome music > The Postal Service.

Listen and love them. The singer is none other than Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie.

Sometimes

you need to see other people draw to get inspired to do it yourself.

The Mafia Kalyanam

It was one of the best weekends I've had in the longest time. Aftermonths of living life through phone calls and internet chats, we all met each other. And for what better reason than a wedding. Our friend's wedding which turned out to be a lovely ceremony. The bride, like she should be, was the most beautiful person that day. Every time she smiled, she looked ten times more gorgeous. It made my heart swell up to five times it's original size when I saw her and her sweet groom stand side by side and look utterly wonderful together. A low-key ceremony made rich and happy by her loving family who welcomed all of us with open arms and hearts. We were never made to feel out of place at any time during the events. These are the original good people.
For me, any occasion can be marked as a complete pass or fail by the food it has. And boy! oh boy! did the food deliver. It was simple - the standard fare of idli, dosa and filter coffee for breakfast and lunch being a vegetarian sadhya. Let me tell you, I am a happy non-vegetarian. I love my meat and would preferably like it with every meal. But, I set all of that aside for this amazing meal which, to further send me into heaven, was served the traditional way - on a banana leaf. Joy! Food simply tastesbetter when eaten from a leaf.

To top it all off this weekend had the one thing that made it more memorable than others. My friends. It's the best feeling ever. To be able to hug your dearest friends and talk to them face to face. Games and dressing up and taking a million photos and realizing that even after 'growing up' a little we can still be, for lack of a better word, zany with each other. That's what makes friends more special than other people.

I love you all and it pained me to see us all go our separate ways. Let's meet up again. Weddings are too much fun!

Top 5 Reasons

To step out today:

1) Because you should only watch so many episodes of Boston Legal/Gilmore Girls/Scrubs/Modern Family back to back
2) Because the weather outside is so beautiful.
3) Because sitting at home and eating non stop never made anyone thin.
4) Because there is a sale!
5) Because it will make you bold and appreciate what's out there. It will only come with practice.

So go on, get out more!

Strange this is

A strange thing happened today. I was on the phone with my sister and we spoke for about 3 minutes. And then, without warning, I missed her. She talked about how much she wanted to be here in Muscat for mom's birthday and I actually felt sad that she wasn't here. And this time, it wasn't because it was a last resort to get some peace of mind, I actually missed her when she said that.

What a new development I say.

Kerala Cafe

Now, malayalam cinema has been going through possibly it's worst phase with the movies that it has been churning out lately. But tonight I saw a movie that really changed my perception of the type of people that exist in this industry.

The film is called 'Kerala Cafe' and it has a format that has been used many, many times in other movies, but is a novelty in Kerala. It tells us ten stories in ten places showing ten ways of life made by, as you might have guessed, ten directors. What really caught my attention when the movie started was a short message by my all time favourite director, Sathyan Anthikkad. He talks about how a viewer might not initially understand this movie, but goes on to tell us to give it a chance.

I did.

As I watched each story I can safely say it is an honest effort by all those film makers to make a movie that is compelling in both story and technique. Mind you, I'm not saying that this is the all time greatest movie ever made in Mallu land, but it is one that deserves some recognition.
Stories are tied together by one place, a major character in the film. A place where it is completely believable that people of all types and backgrounds meet - a coffee shop at a railway station. It is here that we meet and say goodbye to the different characters whose stories we become a part of.
Stories about misfortune and luck. Stories about finding solace with strangers over the passing of loved ones. Stories about fear, both of the supernatural and of the demons inside of us. Stories that made me laugh and think about stuff and one that made me cry inside.

The transition from story to story is quite interesting and I give the directors extra points for even wanting to collaborate to make a movie like this.

All in all a good show!

Gah!

It's that time of the year again, when the same feeling creeps upon me..

THERE IS SO MUCH FRIGGIN' TO DO AND SO LITTLE TIME!!!!!

so gah! :|

Handicap

I haven't used my mouse for any sort of photoshop work in ages. And it such a difficult experience for me right now. My Wacom tablet has spoiled me. SIGH!

***

March 17th 2010, around 5 pm.
The time when I effectively lost my mind. I have decided to start afresh in a whole new direction. I just hope it turns out to be as awesome as I am hoping.

Thank you
Maya
Sruti
Sherry
Sunai

Rat's Top 5

Actors
whom I love. Whose performances I have and will always cherish.

Robert Downy Jr. - With a dialogue delivery that looks like he makes it up on the spot (all the effing time!) I will sit through any movie if it has him in it. Simply to watch an amazing performer blow me away every time I do so. Most memorable movie - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Watey film!

Johnny Depp - An actor whose skill and interest seems to lie in the likes of characters that are zany, evil, rum soaked, secretive, passionate, loony or sporting sharp appendages, but each of them with enough heart that justifies them for being who they are and making them endearing characters we will never forget.

Morgan Freeman- with a voice like that it's hard not to be in awe of this amazing personality. The man who played GOD! I came to know about him through my dad and his admiration of this actor's amazing skill grew on me and I have been a fan of Red ever since.

Jim Carey- loud and sometimes green with an obnoxious need to behave in ways that normal people will never understand, this man is, well, I don't know how best to describe him. I love being insane. Even in photographs, as long as you look happy it's ok to be insane and make faces and talk funny and make people laugh around you. And iI can safely blame it all on this amazing actor. The one who made it ok to be crazy.

And finally, yes I have made up my mind on this after thinking about it for a while, my favourite actor of all time

Robin Williams- When I was a kid, my parents got me the VCD of Jumanji and with nothing better to do, I sat and watched the movie every time I got the chance. And as a kid his performance got me hooked. Later on while watching other films that had him in it, I realized that each and every one of the characters he portrayed I loved. From Alan Parrish to Genie, he is an amazing actor and, let's not forget, a superb comedian. He made me laugh and cry and fall in love. Robin Williams you are amazing!

Jack
Jumanji
Flubber
Dead Poets Society
Good Will Hunting
Bicentennial Man
Aladdin
Mrs. Doubtfire
from making us laugh in Whose Line to dancing and telling us Don't Worry...be happy!

The way I am...

Recent events (as all recent events have a tendency to do so) compel me, well actually, inspire me to write a post which is mainly for the benefit of all the readers who stumble upon my blog expecting, I don't know what exactly, but here's breaking it down for you- the way I am.

I am the Ratfinkle.

I am an oddball. I was supposed to embrace life one way, but I went ahead, took a sharp-right turn and hurtled along a path that many will not understand. Or in fact want to understand.

I am an artist. I draw and paint and animate and draw some more. That is my life. Nothing can inspire me more more than that. For those who think I waste my time studying a hobby, all I have to say is that you are a sad bunch of people who never had the guts to do something like this yourself. People with talent like mine are hard to come by and I am proud of that!

My thoughts and ideals are not exactly normal. Or should say, not exactly Malayalee. Many of my Mallu christians who see the life I lead may think that I choose not to observe 'the correct' path or that I am setting myself up to think or act rashly because I think and act differently. And also because I have not seen enough of the world to decide what's good and bad. But actually, I have had the opportunity to see a side of this world that many never will, rich with it's people and colours that may blind others who are not open to it. And like my favorite line form 'A Series of Unfortunate Events'(yep, that's right) "believe me when I say there is more good in it than bad."
Although like always, I know that people may choose to ignore this line completely.

***

I am different. I always knew that. From the day I saw The Little Mermaid when I was 8-yrs old and decided that that is what I am going to do for the rest of my life. I knew I wasn't going to do things the normal way and I am glad for that.

I am open. With my heart and my mind. In the last 21 years of my life (and yes that is a considerable amount of time to observe and learn), I have to come to realize that even those things that should have been the most solid and stable happened to be things that fell apart just like everything and everybody else. I am open to chances. How will we learn if we never try?

I am not ashamed of the person I have become, the things I have learned and the people I choose to associate myself with. My life has been moulded because of all these factors.

I love life. I intend on living it and not pretending to do so.

I am the Ratfinkle. Accept me for who I am. I do not intend on changing.