In last month or two, I have received quite a few certificates. I got 'purple-belt one from my karate school. Second one I got from 'recording association', as 'life time achievement' award on Jan 26. The came my certificate for Diploma in Cyber Law (50% marks).
I have also started studying cinema books, as mentioned earlier. I have started second book on editing.
And from today I am going to the office of WIMP&TVSEA for attending classed to learn 'Pro Tools'. They have organised an instructor for 2 hours to train older members of recording fraternity, because they seem to have missing the bus in this digital technology.
Today is the 3rd day our maid did not come. I kept the unwashed utensils till evening today and when her arrival time passed I washed them off. Kalika is cooking dinner. She is making stir fry veg and garlic toast.
Yesterday (March 28) I asked Prateek if he had any books on editing and he handed me with a bunch. Some on editing, screenplay and direction. I read Walter Murch's book In The Blink of an Eye in one day only. I did not get much value from it. The book is full of his own experiences and history. Doesn't teach me much.
Now I am on the Editing book by Karel Reisz and Gavin Millar. Even this one does not seem to give me much as far as page 47. They have just compared cinema of D W Grifith (US) with Russian directors like Eisenstein, Pudovkin and Kuleshov. They have said that Americans do not edit scenes well. Much more substance can be derived if certain shots are juxtaposed with each other. I disagree. Why does anyone has to intellectualize a simple scene of a soldier going home or someone feeling cold in a horse cart?
Let us see, but I guess it is a very good idea for me to start reading so called text books on cinema. I have not read these books, as I was concentrating on 'sound' much more during my time.
Where better is expected, good is not good enough.
Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but rising up every time we fail.
One man with courage makes a majority.
The man who fears no truths has nothing to fear from lies.
A little learning is a dangerous thing thing but a lot of ignorance is just as bad.
Invest in inflation. It is the only thing going up.
When you cease to make a contribution, you begin to die.
Yesterday I spoke to Patil at MIT and Milind from Nasik, reminding them both about my dues. They both were helpful. I feel it will come through soon enough. MIT though has taken very long - more than a month now.
My Hindi translation for a documentary was added to the film and final version was delivered too in just a few days.
I had mailed Amit to try and fix me as in-house production department. He said they are actually reducing people; but will keep it in mind.
Evening we all were invited to Grazia for the launch of Param Kannapille's new company called Grazia. Beena had called us for it. No one from my family could have made it and even Dharam did not come. He was keen to come until the previous day. Well in my case I took it as a exercise to get over a mental block and getting hold of will power. I decided to go it alone. Of course along with it I also did a small job of handing over the 'packaging tape and scissors' to Kishu for her to pack her computer.
Reached the party venue at 9.30. Had some snacks, one mango based mock-tail, one lime based mock-tail, some 'sev puri' and 'pani puri'. Had dinner a 10.30. Met Beena, Sabrina, Param, Indu, Murli, Hersh, Renu, Shyam...
At 11 just got up and left. Indu had offered 'come with us till somewhere'.
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
To be afraid is to behave as if the truth is not true. -- Bayard Rustin
Nine-tenth of wisdom consists in being wise in time.
The artiste brings something into the world that didn't exist before and he does it without destroying anything. -- John Updike
It takes time to save time.
What annoyances are more painful than those of which we cannot complain. -- Marquis De Custine
I hear and I forget; I see and I remember; I do and I understand.
It is not the reason that makes the faith hard, it is the life. -- Jean Ingelow
If tomorrow were never to come, it would not be worth living today.
Technique is what you fall back on when you run out of inspiration. -- Rudolf Nureyev
Anything you're good at, contributes to happiness.
To refrain from imitation is the best revenge. -- Marcus Aurelius
Science is what you know; philosophy is what you don't.
Death has a thousand door to let out life; I shall find one. -- Phillip Massinger
The biggest things are always the easiest to do because there is no competition.
Power is always right, weakness always wrong. Power is always insolent and despotic.
A hateful act is the transference to tothers of the degradation we bear in ourselves.
A place for everything and everything in its place.
The test of a vocation is the love of the drudgery it involves.
Vices can be learn, even without a teacher.
Talent is always conscious of its abundance, and does not object to sharing.
Reading is to mind what exercise is to body.
There is nothing like a dream to create the future. -- Victor Hugo
One who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; one who does not ask a question remains a fool for ever. -- Chinese proverb
In every community there is work to be done. In every nation there are wounds to heal. In every heart there is the power to do it. -- Marianne Williamson
To choose what is difficult in one's days, as if it were easy; that is faith. -- W H Auden
Time changes everything except something within us which is always surprised by the change. -- Thomas Hardy
You can touch the same river twice, for flowing water will never be the same. -- Heraclitus
The future has a way of arriving unannounced. -- George Will
When you come to the end of the rope, tie a knot and hang on. -- Franklin D Roosevelt
The thing always happens that you believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen. -- Frank Lloyd Wright
Someone called Pasha of ICICI bank called me and said smooth things like "the cheque has been given by the 'party' and will be deposited soon in your account". Nothing happened for 15 days so I shot
off an email to them. He called again today again and said they have received a complain from me and said, "whenever it is handed over to bank it will
be deposited." I told him last time you said "the cheque has already been handed over to you." He was trying to hash up the
story by, "I do not know if the cheque has been given to the bank or
investigation authority".
...next Friday 'robbery' of my account will be exactly 4
months old.
Yesterday on March 12, there were 2 birthdays, Rinty's and Manyu's. Manyu's parents Anil and Anjana (Dharam's sister) came to Mumbai. Dharam's house is almost done - flooring, bathroom, windows etc except painting. All 4 of us were in his house for dinner. Dharam's nephew Chirag too is here and is staying with him. In fact on his 'day one' here I took him to see Delhi-6. It was a bit strange, because he came to Mumbai to see Delhi-6. Director Rakeysh Mehra film seemed so confused about what line he should follow. He hashed it up with the "kala bander" and the preaching of 'evil within all of us' that audience had to swallow. he could have left the idea of an Indian American coming back to his land. It would have been much more interesting (although oft repeated) and humane. Sad, since his last film "Rang De Basanti" was so good.
We gave Manyu a pair of jeans I had got from Jhansi for Prateek. It did not fit him. It did not fit Manyu either. So today I gave it for alteration. We might be going to Manyu's place at Bandra for dinner tomorrow. His place seems interesting.
I also saw Revolutionary Road, starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo D'Caprio. Great performances and very good technically. I wonder why the name 'Revolutionary Road'? It gives a misleading impression of what the subject of film might be.
March 12 is also death anniversary of the people who died due to famous Bombay blasts in 1993 I remember that day. I had left Plus office in Juhu around 11am to reach Cuff Parade for Pritish Nandi's interview. We never reached there. We were lucky since our car got konked just a little before Siddhivinaka temple, Prabhadevi or we might have been in the middle of the huge Worli blast. Rest is history. We shot on all 12 blast locations.
After reaching back at the office I washed soles of my shoes, since I had to walk on roads filled with mixture of blood and shattered glass.
Reading to the mind is what excercise is to the body.
He said true things, but called them wrong names. -- Alexander Ledru-Rollin
Keep busy at something. A busy person never has time to be unhappy.
The function of mythological symbols is to give you a sense of, "Yes. I know what is is, it's myself." -- Joseph Campbell
When you're looking for a friend, don't look for perfection, just look for friendship.
I am not botherd about the fact that I am unknown. I am bothered when I do not know others. -- Confucious
The greatest success is successful self-acceptance.
Success is welcomed gift for the uninhibited mind. --Adlin Sinclair
Maturiy is the capacity to endure uncertainity.
It is important to expect nothing, to take every experience, including the negative ones, as merely steps on the path, and to proceed. -- Ram Dass
Whatever limits us we call it fate.
The greatest danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aims too low and achieving the mark. -- Michaelangelo
If people know what they had to do to be successful, most wouldn't be.
It is evident, therefore, that the dependence of the individual upon society is a fact of nature which which cannot be abolished - just as in the case of ants and bees. -- Albert Einstein
All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them. -- Galilio Galilei
