Coconut Cruncher

24th dec 2010 At my bedside lies the significant signs of a sick person. A ceramic coaster with a green mug filled with haldi milk, made from the warmth of the best father in the world. Tossex, the addictive pink cough syrup that turns green phlegm into transparent sputum, and a book lent from a close friend - 'Tuesdays with Morrie'. My tableside lamp is yellow, and my rug is thick, and I realise I'm still in one of the greatest places to be in the world. A place called home. When I woke up today, I woke up with one thought. That I could do whatever I pleased, and that I was free as ever. I could sleep the day off for all I cared! But I did my homework, sorted out some stuff on my planner, watched some great Vimeo videos and hoped to purchase a Canon 7D someday. Next thing I know I'm out pajama shopping with mum, and on the way I meet my uncle and later mum's student, who is a professional photographer. Assavari's her name. As we chatted about her work she talke

[Wooow... under-surfing the social network a.k.a: Facebook made me recently discover the Quasar 5 page! Had no idea there were just 38 days to go! Wonder how cultural evening's gonna happen; haven't noticed any auditions around.] Home is so blissful. Of-course I am welcomed by Flu, a Chest full of sputum and of-course Mr.wretch of a wisdom tooth that is currently tearing through my gums, making it's place in the world of...my jaw. It's IMPOSSIBLE to talk, chew, or indulge in any of the long-awaited food cravings. As Ravi would say it, "Nice...very nice." Argh. I wish I could extract it RIGHT now (but it's not even out yet). Well, happy vacations to all, and hope you guys have a fun new year and an overdose of rest.

4.12.2010 "People always go from your life to come back again." it said. The good quotes in the canteen seemed to know the inside story of everyones lives. From the time I read one of the first - "Faith is the bird that sings even when the dawn is dark", I was curious to know who wrote these quotes. It wasn't some mysetery that I had to solve. Even if it was, it wasn't hard. All I had to do was ask Manoj Bhaiyya who wrote them everyday. But somehow I didn't want to know anymore, who they came from, where they were read from, and who made them up. Somethings are best left unknown, and maybe that's why I keep the curiosity up and high, awaiting the next line that would appear on that whiteboard in the canteen. :)

They have already planned your grade, they have already graded you in college courses - and you're just another student whose work they want to show to the externals. You are told since the beginning of sem one that juries are taken for the purpose of knowing you, your growth in the duration of 6 months, and a constructive feedback that helps you move forward; But sometimes, in this 'expected-to-be' formal presentation, when it's all about them respecting your work, you panel will eat in front of you, laugh at some of your work sarcastically and sometimes call your work kachrapatti. Talk of juries being 'professional'. After spending much time you see - juries are just a formality. So to all you guys who really want a good jury, present it with an open mind, expecting the worst and giving your best.

2nd Dec 2010 Why is it that I get distracted the most only during jury time? I wrote the time on the table. More than what I was writing I watched the lines that were being drawn, the lead grazing on the texture of the table. I wrote the time.7:29 pm. I would start working right....NOW. But I got distracted by the doodle on the table. I spent 5 minutes shortening her hair in 3 layers, something that changed her personality drastically. Random thoughts flowed in my brain after I was done decorating her. She looked like she could be a character in corpsebride. I looked around. Monica Vicky and Alok were working, and here I was talking to myself. Monica's lightdisc was in her hands, and I thought - hey, you can animate anywhere. All you need is a pegbar. You don't need a light disc, or a capturing table. I thought of making many films. I thought of writing this down. And I think now, as I write this down, hey, I could make a movie out of this. Infact, if there was someone shooting

Truism? A young Arab asks his father: What is this weird hat that we are wearing ? It's a "chechia" because in the desert it protects our heads from the sun ! And what is this type of clothing that we are wearing ? It's a "djbellah" because in the desert it is very hot and it protects your body ! And what are these ugly shoes that we have on our feet ? These are "babouches", which keep us from burning our feet when in the desert ! Tell me, papa... Yes, my son ? ... Why are we living in Vancouver and still wearing all this shit ?

In an alcohol factory the regular taster died and the director started looking for a new one to hire. A drunkard with ragged, dirty look came to apply for the position. The director of the factory wondered how to send him away. They tested him. They gave him a glass with a drink. He tried it and said, "It’s red wine, a muscat, three years old, grown on a north slope, matured in steel containers." "That’s correct", said the boss. Another glass. "It’s red wine , cabernet, eight years old, a southwestern slope, oak barrels." "Correct." The director was astonished. He winked at his secretary to suggest something. She brought in a glass of urine. The alcoholic tried it. "It’s a blonde, 26 years old, pregnant in the third month. And if you don’t give me the job, I’ll tell who’s the father!"

It's the 9th day of claymation. Pressure from all sides. Backlog, jury, 2D project, portfolio, lack of assistance or support from faculty, and to top it all, lack of time to have a second go and a test that went wrong. It's not like I'm losing interest.. More like I'm losing patience. I dunno if I would really like to animate in claymation. But that's with everything I do. I don't like animating something unless it comes right. 2D seems SO much easier now that I've done claymation I realise I can undo in animation. I can trace the previous frame, hold it, change the lighting, sharpen a line, it's all so much easier. Phew. Claymation ki jai ho! Vaibhav, I bow down to your talents. Have no idea how claymation studios - esp. studios like Aardman do it. They must be really patient people. The camera man is boring, but you have to pay good attention to the minute details - cracks in the clay, armatures being seen, shadows cast or moved. Overall the team has t

I have always wondered why I've never come across any great disney female animators on their movie's credits. It always pissed me off that we, women, never made it up there. I had to find out why. After doing some research and finding some treasure too, I found out that disney didn't even take women in their learning programs. When female animators asked why, disney didn't answer, but said instead, that women were to do only the manual work (told to be done on a daily basis) of inking and cell-painting. Okay, those times were different, women weren't given previliges, blah blah. What about now? After more digging I realized men have a goal and they run for it. For fame, for money, or to feed their families. Women, on the other hand, have goals, have dreams, and run for them - until their man provides them with kids, which they solely take responsibility for over their professions. And why is this? Because they are lazy? Because they lack creativity or intelligence?

HOW TO IDENTIFY DIFFERENT CITIZENS OF INDIA Scenario 1 Two guys are fighting and a third guy comes along, sees them and walks on. That's MUMBAI *** Scenario 2 Two guys are fighting. Both of them take time out and call their friends on their mobiles. Now 50 guys are fighting. You are definitely in PUNJAB !!! *** Scenario 3 Two guys are fighting and a third guy comes along and tries to make peace. The first two get together and beat him up. That's DELHI *** Scenario 4 Two guys are fighting. A crowd gathers to watch. A guy comes along and quietly opens a Chai-stall. That's AHMEDABAD *** Scenario 5 Two guys are fighting and a third guy comes. He writes a software program to stop the fight. But the fight doesn't stop because of a virus in the program. That's BANGALORE *** Scenario 6 Two guys are fighting. A crowd gathers to watch. A guy comes along and quietly says that "AMMA" doesn't like all this nonsense. Peace settles in... That's CHENNAI *** Scenar

Even I salute this internet joke. It was the first day of a school in USA and a new Indian student named Chandrasekhar Subramanian entered the fourth grade. The teacher said, "Let's begin by reviewing some American History. Who said 'Give me Liberty , or give me Death'?" She saw a sea of blank faces, except for Chandrasekhar, who had his hand up:?'Patrick Henry, 1775'he said. 'Very good! Who said 'Government of the People, by the People, for the People, shall not perish from the Earth?'' Again, no response except from Chandrasekhar. 'Abraham Lincoln, 1863' said Chandrasekhar. The teacher snapped at the class, 'Class, you should be ashamed. Chandrasekhar, who is new to our country, knows more about our history than you do.' She heard a loud whisper: 'F___ the Indians,' 'Who said that?' she demanded. Chandrasekhar put his hand up. 'General Custer, 1862.' At that point, a student in the back said, 'I

Step off the curb and jump on the bike Are we going for a ride or going for a hike? The breeze is good, and the sun is warm Let us embrace till the winter comes. My 20 year old vehicle, needs a kick start Jump on the seat, I'm up for a ride. Here we go, the cows block the road, a car honks from behind my back, I ride on, I ride on, I ride on. Flicks of hair brush my face, the wind blows a hurricane of particles in my eyes, it blocks my sight, but I ride on. He paints his walls and measures how tall the plants grew in that old goan backyard Touristswalk in semi-nude fabrics, I swallow in a visually colourful sighting of bags and shorts hanging on racks Non-localites selling stacks. I ride on, this summer is sweet. I halt, she talks to me in local tongue Talkative me, I suddenly see. Did I miss the Konkani, Did English serve sufficiantly? I sing this song, I'm on the bike The vehicle rattles on potholes deep The greedy greedy government's greed, But I ride on, ride on, I ride

So many questions left unanswered. What is Italy’s drainage system like? And how come they hardly have any street dogs? It was pouring outside. India decided to welcome me with the thing I liked most about it, the thing that was void in most other countries – monsoons. The fresh smell of wet mud and moist humid breeze; a dark gray cloudy sky and droplets of rain on my face, nothing could beat it. I smiled at the airhostess as she said ‘thank-you’. It would be nice to receive a smile from a perfect stranger, a genuine one. I always thought air hostesses had one of the most boring dull lives one could ever have. I was home, I had lots of plans, and one focus. I knew where I had to reach. I stuck my head outside the window as we got into my car. My old dusty car seemed a hundred times better than that sick grimy vomit inducing Fiat Panda that we rented in Italy. Old cars smelled (ANY DAY) better than new ones. The wind almost pushed me back into the car, and I could almost stick my tongue

15th June 2010 Another thing that I completely despise, is waiting for somebody for many minutes (Yes, I do get turned off by multiple things). Waiting for someone to put on their lipstick, or switch off the lights, or lock the doors before leaving, and especially look around to check if everything in the house looks kept; and the award for the most to-be-waited-for-person goes to...............MOM. To top it all she suffers from psycho-disorders like ADD and OCD. She keeps fidgeting around at everything and has to straighten a slightly tilted painting on the wall, even if it’s not her house. And all of this comes to her head when I am WAITING..... Chi, I don’t know how you do it, every single morning. For all those awesome friends who waited for me, for even more than less than 6 minutes, I am extremely sorry for such pathetic behaviour, and I vow not to do it to you, again. :(

14th June 2010 We spent all morning driving 50 km and back. That’s a 100 km; just to see a lake, called the Bry lake (no I won’t forget the name of this one); and why? Because, it’s the second among the only two things a tourist can do here!! I HATE cars. I HATE the smell of them, especially a new one! They smell like dusty fake material and diesel and heat and all of that put together it smells worse than lizard shit; and mind you! I have smelled lizard shit. Accidently, while it was dropped all over my layout sheets in class while I was cleaning one day. I was stuck there in the backseat sleeping, trying to drive my sickness away, and the roads were twisted, and so was I, in that horrible backseat. I could feel excess of bile juice being secreted by my liver and all little bits of egg I’d had in the morning was about to be thrown up from my oesophagus. Ugh. You know what is the worst thing when you’ve got motion sickness? Vomit. Mr. Vomit wants to come out of you and it just doesn’t

15th June 2010 Everyone seems to have this special thing; this magic recipe for any kind of mood swing, grumpiness, depression or stress. Music, silence, talking with friends, cooking, getting a massage, cleaning, or going for an awesome bike-ride (Tanu, I think this will work for every bike rider, not just yourself). But honestly, the day the earth is gonna be submerged in water, and earthquakes would kill us all, I’m going to spend my last few moments eating and feeding others ice-cream. All the delicious flavours of the most cold refreshing creamy bit of ice-cream. You can never have enough of ice-cream; especially Gelato, here in Italy. It is the most wonderful sweet sour tangy creamy thing you can ever have. To those who’ve never had a real Gelato – you’ve really missed something.

It is something I've been wondering about. This selfish purpose of providing entertainment to humans(and very rarely education or purposeful study) at the cost of the freedom of another living organism is not justified. Isn't there anything we can do about it? Here's a small write-up by Eric Steinman. For more, read this . _ The Los Angeles Zoo, while well regarded and an exemplary urban zoo at that, has a dark history (as most long-standing zoos do) that lurks barely under the surface. A mile or so down the road from the existing Los Angeles Zoo in Griffith Park, are the remnants of the first Los Angeles Zoo built in 1913. Without much effort, you could visit these archeological ruins (as that is what they resemble) and gather an idea of how cramped, unnatural, and inhumane the captivity was for these animals. These were not enclosures, or pseudo-natural environments, but cages carved into the rock, and no larger than a small trailer. These were the places where captive li

He said he needed to discuss something with us animators. We hadn't called him, even though we should have. I don't know what stopped us. Maybe we were just lazy, but had he not come to us today, we would have really missed out on something. I'm talking about Prasanjeet Sir. It's embarrassing that after seeing him around so much as a visiting faculty, and admiring him so much that I almost worship his ideals, I still don't know his last name. I don't know where he's from, and I hardly know what kind of animator he really is. All I know, is that whatever he does, must sure be awesome. I am gonna get a huge list of all his work and the wonderful people he's worked with, and watch everything I can like it's eye-candy. He told us to enjoy life. He told us to change what we disapproved of. We did disapprove of a lot of things, but nothing ever happened about them. This institute had only one thing missing. Spirit. I'm going to share a story with you.

Me: So we're going to Emeralds right? Ap: I-FELT-LIKE AN ASS-HOLE, I-FELT-LIKE AN ASS-HOLE!!! Ap: I-FELT-LIKE AN ASS-HOLE!!!! I-FELT- Ap: ?? Am I loud?

23rd Dec 09 The Mental Convict So there I was, next to Azaad maidan, with Supro. We were experimenting on my cam. It was a sunny evening, and I was telling her of the aperture value, when suddenly, out of nowhere comes this man! He had short cropped hair – looked like he got an electrical shock. (Maybe he did land up in a rehab after all, right Supri?) Anyway. Here I was, taking the pic, and “Are you a professional photographer?” Supri thought he was here to ask the price of the cam, which was his next question. “No, actually, I’m just trying to learn my new cam.” I said, confused. “Oh! It must be expensive. How much is it?” he asked. “I’m a dentist you see! I practiced it in Panjim, but now I’m doing cosmetic surgery, in Nainital. I’m studying in Panchgani also. Dentistry is like an art you see,” he said, flapping his hand over an invisible canvas that might’ve been someone’s teeth. Supri imagined him painting teeth with a flat brush. He continued, “Do you study here? Are you a lawyer