Boy oh boy! This Is Planet B-Boy

(B-boying/breakdancing is a form of hip-hop dancing. It is also a term used for a B-boy or a B-girl who is devoted to hip-hop culture.)

What an amazing documentary about how people from different parts of the world can come together in one platform and communicate with what they know best - B-boying. Since it is a little over an hour long, the doc. focuses on five teams who ultimately are the finalists at the Battle of the Year 2005 in Germany.

(Source: IMDB)

Most of the teams do not even interact with each other till the final day. There is always high tension as the competition is stiff but as you see each other dance in the end they cannot help but respect each other's craft and style.
Along with the scenes of awe inspiring body movements, the doc. also weaves in personal stories of some of the dancers from all the five teams. So, as you get to know the personal lives of some of the dancers, you actually feel the emotions of the dancers as they give in all their passion and dreams to their movements. While most of them are poor, shunned by "society" or a failure by most "standards", I think all of them have lived their dreams - of doing what means most to them. They may not be b-boying forever but I cannot help but be sure of the fact that this art they imbibed have made them a better human being. To dance like they do, you need dedication, commitment and love and in the process they learn just that; to be dedicated, to be committed, and to love.

A joke: How would a b-boy react if I wished him "Break a leg!"? I know it's lame! :D

Surfwise - Not Your Average Surf Movie

I made a Big cup of hot piping tea to relieve my sore throat and jumped on the bed to watch Surfwise. Listed as one of the best movies of 2008, I thought wow, another surf movie/documentary, let's watch the waves! I was very gladly wrong. What I discovered is this beautiful flawed family that Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz, an MD from Stanford University engineered. He left the normal "comfortable" life and hit the road with his wife and had 8 sons and 1 daughter on the way to the beach. None of them attended school but grew up surfing and moving about in their 25 feet camper/home with a strict diet - no fat or sugar.

It is not a rosy picture that filmmaker Doug Pray paints. It is real emotions. The children are angry at their father for not giving them the "tools" and "skills" to thrive in the modern society. Their father agrees. The mid-80 year old father regrets that he did not give his children the choice that he had; a) leading a "decent" and "normal" life or b) leave the material world behind and go be one with the world/ocean - he chose b, his kids had no choice.
Irony is that they still wish that they had a choice but none of them would change a thing.

(Picture Source: Magpictures)
"Even a flawed family that sticks together is better than no family at all." - Joshua Paskowitz


This movie is thought-provoking and it moved me. Please watch - it is not just my obsessive love for the beach or surfing :)

And we be body surfin...

During the elections, this picture was posted on the lading page of Jack Johnson's website with the caption "I support Barack Obama, A leader with the Aloha Spirit.”
Alohaaaa baby! :)

Barack H. Obama - the 44th President of the United States of America

The world is affected by the United States of America because it is most powerful country in the world. Yes, with great power, comes great responsibility but does that mean that they should be perfect? Can they be perfect? I have listened to numerous U.S. bashing and beating and though almost all are true I cannot help but reason that along with great power, comes great criticism too. The U.S. is both loved and attacked just because it is in power.

But today, as I watched Barack Obama being sworn in as the most important man in the world, I am filled with pride with the human spirit that a son of an African immigrant stands tall as the 44th President of the United States of America.

Indeed, it has been a been a long walk for Barack Obama who has risen through the ashes of his ancestor's history. More than forty years ago, an African-American could not vote but this nation has shown that they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character by electing the son of an African immigrant as the most powerful man on earth. Dr. King's dream has come true today.

May God bless America and Barack Obama. He has a long, long way to go.

Holidays 2008

(This post was written late December in Nagaland and posted today in Hyderabad. I haven't been active as usual but Wow blogger has improved and how...love all the features!)

I am home for a month. Like always, each year is unique. Last year it was all about my nephew Aarak, since his brother was just a month old. This year I have the pleasure of being with my second nephew. He is 13 months old and already I can see his personality so different from Aarak, who turned 4 last month. These two boys are such joys to me and I cannot believe I am their second mom! I remember telling my sister to have only one kid because of the fact that she will have her hands full and all the blah about not being able to enjoy her ‘me’ time. I take it back! I cannot imagine life without either of my two nephews. But yeah, she is not having any more babies :)

Things are changing at home - there are more traffic, more shops and more activities around. However, one thing constant in Nagaland is that Christmas is always warm - free open concerts in almost every corner, carols in buses and a star in every house. I even got to see a Whitelion concert (with my older cousins, sister, their husbands and nephew(4) and niece(6) - yeah, imagine). Not that I am a fan but I remember their song "You're all I need" sung by almost every guy in school. So it was pretty awesome to actually listen through the horse's mouth!

I also met some old friends and acquaintances who I was not in touch with and realized how differently I felt; you'd never think at that point of time that you'll grow apart. This actually reminded me of an old literary class lecture about how art or a text does not change, but we do. I have changed, the way I look at life has changed and I guess that is why I don’t feel the same about people who I am not growing up with literally or virtually for that matter.

Travel wise I, "Loren" and her brother/my friend also drove up to Kohima which is almost three hours away. The drive was amazing – I actually felt like a tourist as we crossed through the mountains and streams and the little waterfalls amongst the greenery. See pictures below...we stopped to buy pineapples on the way up and down as well...they were so sweet and juicy!



Now, I am from Dimapur and this town is as plain as any city. So, technically though people gush about the mountains and the weather when I say that I am from Nagaland, I actually do not see the mountains and greenery except when I go toward Kohima and further. Otherwise, Kohima and every other area of Nagaland is all lush and green and all the splendor that comes with it – almost all my friends houses in Kohima are on hill-tops amidst the glory of the mountains and the greenery and to wake up to such a sight in the morning must be like a piece of heaven.

The only overkill factor - BBQ. I am not going to have another BBQ or attend any for the next six months! We had BBQ nights almost every other night - if it was not at Loren's place (pic below), it was at Kohima or at my place and I was always tending to it cause' I was the best tee hee :)

Happy new year everyone - may we always, always make the best of every situation - Cheers!