I saw Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince yesterday with my friends. I am not going to write a review here because its a complete waste of time…maybe i will. Ya, you heard me, this was (officially) the most slow paced, least charismatic and dreadfully boring potter film yet. There is ONLY one thing i like about the film was the way it was treated like a serious flick and not just a summer blockbuster…but now i guess they should have made it like a summer blockbuster. The movie has exactly 10 minutes of exciting footage..THAT’S IT.
Every other scene is filled with teenage romantic-love crap between Harry-Ginny, Ron-Hermione, Ron-Lavender, Ron-Harry, Dumbledore-Harry love stories…
Considering the quality of visual effects, its fantastic, but that’s the problem, there’s hardly any of it. Just boring monologues (very badly written) between underdeveloped characters.
I haven’t read the sixth book (stopped after 5), and even i was disappointed. When i saw the trailers, all that was running through my mind was that i would finally get to know more about Voldemort and the Death eaters, and how the “muggle” world will react to magic. Before the movie, my friends (who read the book) said they were looking forward to see the Horcruxe’s part. None of us got what we wanted. Although Dumbledore’s first meeting with Tom Riddle was fantastic.
Now let me come to the acting. It has improved greatly. The Highly underused Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) does a good job with his role. Jim Broadbent as Professor Slughorn was great too.. Rupert Grint (Ron..come on everyone knows that) was fun to watch, but the biggest disappointment was Emma Watson with her over-acting and over emotional portrayal of Hermione Granger.My good friend Abraham, who just loves her (well, obviously not as much as me) hates her now..that’s how bad she was. Daniel as Harry was okay, nothing much to write home about…A surprise for me was Michael Gambon who plays Dumbledore, who finally showed us a version of Dumbledore i have never seen. My all time favorite Alan Rickman as Snape was brilliant yet again…What i really missed was Ralph Fiennes aka you-know-who..but he wasn’t in the book either.
I don’t blame David Yates or Steve Kloves, i blame Warner Bros for selling out on the audience, to make sure that we come and spend our money to watch the two-part Deathly Hallows installment. The only purpose of this movie is to build up what happens in the next and that left all of us cheated. Literally after the last scene was screened, all of us looked at each other and said “WTF”?
Anywho, please don’t waste 150 to 200 bucks on this movie, maybe go for a 60 or 70 bucks morning show..
ps: Indian Coffee House at Church Street sells the worst coffee ever!
Download Cover Song
Another nice artist i stumbled upon was Michael Buble , a jazz singer with wonderful songs. A song that wouldn’t leave my head was “Home” which i saw on Tv..Just soft and sweet, thought i’d give it a try and recorded it at 2am. Tell me what you think..
How do i start writing about this trip? Where do i start? Well, the whole trip was just overwhelming. The vast and tremendous expanses of nature makes you feel so small. The cold , nail biting weather seems nothing in front of the shimmering snow. The trip to Leh? The best yet.
It all started with my dad’s old course mate from NDA inviting him to come to Leh, where he was posted. My dad, realizing that a vacation was overdue, decided to take the trip. We left early in the morning for the airport. Our flight was from Bangalore-Delhi and then Leh the next day. It had been quiet a long time since i flew, and it was the first time i saw the Bangalore International Airport too. But what i don’t understand is, why no one told me that there was a great epidemic which killed off all the hot air hostess? huh? Am i missing something or have all the air hostess have become Butt ugly? They looked more like the ice-princess from Narnia. What the hell? Leaving the face, even the body man, very disappointing.
Anywho, i have never seen the air hostess scream so much in my life, cause earlier flights weren’t so cheap, now , anyone can afford them..by anyone i mean people who like to get up all of a sudden and do a 5o meter dash inside the plane or start screaming when they look out the window or take a bath in the plane bathroom.
Delhi was the first stop, more like mid-stop. Roamed around for a while, didn’t like it so much…anywho, the flight to Leh was early in the morning. People who have gone to Delhi before, you already know that the bathroom in the Delhi airport is as big as the whole Bangalore International Airport..just wanted to clarify.
The flight to Leh is like no other..mainly because the whole plain is filled with European, American and Russian tourists, Indians were a minority. And, the view from the window is breathtaking! The snow caped mountains were a treat to the eye sockets.
Landing on Leh, we were greeted by the Army ( i mean the whole freaking army). We were immediately escorted to the military base in Leh (which is 80% of Leh) and shown our guest room. A nice comfy room, which looked more like a bunker which could survive the war.
Due to the lack of oxygen in Leh (only 25% of whats available in Bangalore) we had to acclimatise for two days i.e. sit at home for two days covered up from head to toe and do nothing. Unfortunately my moms Bloop pressure sky rocketed and she was in the ICU for two days. Don’t worry she is fine now.
After we got suited to the climate, we were off to see the land. First stop was Leh market. Due to the tourist season, there were more tourists than Indians (its a fact) and watching the bustling bazaar was fun. Then we visited Sanchi Stupa , a big ass stupa on top of a hill which took 8 years to make. Really amazing view from the top.
The next day, i fell sick , cause i , like a retarded wearing a t-shirt sat outside and sketched the mountains. The next day my B.P. rose and was on medication. The reason for that is, in high a altitude place like Leh,Dry wind blows. That is, its air which blows past you, sucking the moisture out of your body. You instantly get dehydrated without even knowing it…
After that, we drove to Chang la, a mountain pass at the height of 17,576 feet, ya, your right, it was shit cold. But it was also the first time i saw snow. That was really exciting. We drove ahead to Pangangso Lake, which is the highest lake in the world (not kidding) its so long, that the lake extends into the Chinese border.
The next day, we visited the Shey palace, its was a 18th century palace. After that we roamed around near Leh to visit many scenic routes. The next day, we went to Tso Morriri , a beautiful lake 220 kilometers from Leh. The Drive was just amazing. When we reached there, we just relaxed and took pictures of the lake. There i saw a horse tied to a stick eating grass. I went and stood next to him, luckily he was friendly and told me his name was Ramdayal. I spoke to Ramdayal the horse for a few minutes while my brother clicked pictures of me talking to a horse.
After coming back home, we were treated to the usual military food from the mess (believe me, the cook makes amazing food). The last day was the best. We were going to visit Khardungla top, the highest motorable road in the world. At approx. 18,500 feet, i didn’t want to argue. When we reached there, we went crazy , cause we had never seen so much snow in our lives. Me and my bro climbed a snow covered hill and slid below. Being with the army has its advantages since only we were allowed to climb the snow while other jealous tourists watched on (or maybe they had seen enough snow in their native land..)
We ended the day, with dinner at the Grand Dragon Hotel which is the only hotel in Leh which is open in the winter also, when temperatures dip to -35 degrees.
The flight back was fun too, and we spent a few hours in Delhi airport (i got lost in the terminal again).
I can write volumes about the trip, but i know no one has the patience to read all of that. But what i will always remember is the snow flakes at Chang la, Ramdayal At Tso Morriri, Snow fighting at Khardungla and the long drives with the army…now that’s what i call a vacation.
ps: For More pics in high resolution, CLICK HERE
When someone mentions Ooty, immediately vivid pictures of beautiful flora and fauna come to mind, with cold chilly winds brushing through your face, snuggling in your blankets as you see the glass windows fog up…ahh, the perfect place. Ya, you guessed it, i can’t stand such places. Dont take me wrong (actually, what do i care, go ahead TAKE ME WRONG), i am still human my friends, but i like to go to places where every step is an adventure but i guess another reason i wasn’t a big fan of the place was that i just felt like sleeping all day.
I mean sleeping is a wonderful thing (second to Fried Chicken), but i can do that at home, and frankly i am an expert at it. But Ooty is like the best place to go with your love (Girlfriend, wife , your enfield whatever).
But not a place for a young teenager with horse’s blood in his veins. Another thing is Ooty is freaking cold. Holy cow, its cold man, and its not even winter season. You must have reached a conclusion that “Why the beep does Kenneth hate Ooty so much?” Woo, woo..i dont hate Ooty, i just can’t digest it. Its too mushy-mushy for me. Maybe one day, when i am 30 and married (ya, i know funny shit) and when my wife has completly tamed me into a butt-kissing over-sensitive slave, i might actually enjoy the place with my wife and two spoilt kids, but lets hope i die before that. cough.
Honestly, Ooty is a great place to unwind, i really recommend visiting Wellington Gymkhana Club (If your a memeber) its the most breathtaking resort i have ever laid my eyes on, we couldn’t stay there for long as we planned a short trip. Really a sweet and calm place. To desribe it one sentence.
Ooty is like a long walk in a park.
ps: I hate parks. The drive to ooty is just amazing, pls drive to ooty if possible.
Flickr Photos
