Drink diary

First dry Martini. Pretty could, but Bond could have done better.

how’s the weather there?

It’s definitely the heat.
It’s not the heat where you strike a pose and strut up in less-than-nothings.
It’s the heat of the scorcher; the burning roads, the sweaty gardens, the crispy cigarette, and the melting bodies.
Or maybe it’s some end-of-the-world warning.
Either way I’m toast.

The man who made me love TV more

is being heralded by the Slate as the man who changed TV criticism. Alan Sepinwall has made me fall in love with Mad Men, Breaking Bad and I’m sure more are soon to follow. An excerpt from the well-written Salon article:

His recaps appear online in record time, typically bursting with incisive commentary and wit." Sepinwall's output is also legendary: He's currently reviewing between 10 and 15 shows each week, which he says is "a fairly light schedule for me."

His earlier blog was a wonderful discovery that I am really grateful for. It was the epic series The Wire that directed me towards his blog and since then I have always turned to Sepinwall after finishing every episode that he also reviews.

I loved his reviews of Dexter, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and recently Community.
Sepinwall (or the king of the form) can now be read here.

Technorati Tags: alan sepinwall,tv,popculture

Delayed by good reasons

Silos is watching people that make her go squee!_{or explode}

Yes, I do realise that all of them are Korean.

Couch potato for a week

This past week has been hectic in terms of watching and finishing series. Catching up with wonderful and mind-blowing series is pretty much called hard work.

Sepinwall always sang praises about this but I was too wrapped up in Mad Men to care. But when it started to make it to lists on top of the decade, I knew I couldn’t ignore it.

I covered the series in about 4 days. It’s something that first takes you in easily – you want to know what is going to happen to this man who has knowingly involved himself in danger. But then you go from care to apathy to excitement. The acting is top-notch and so is the plot.
Top marks all around.


I also covered one season of Twin Peaks. I would call this show an existential dilemma made easy (oxymoronic, I guess).  The show is like a small-town meets Luis Bunuel. David Lynch’s Blue Velvet is like this too – It looks like a mystery, but it’s a surreal look at the seedy mechanics going underneath. The music is haunting and so are the town folk. Kyle MacLanchlan is a treat to watch.


I’ve finished most of Cougar Town (atleast as much as was made). It’s fun to watch cause it’s witty, crisp and refreshing. Although 24-hour wine drinking bums me out. But it’s still nice to watch if you want a break from all the heavy drama.


This is what I’m currently watching – Korean drama Full House is a long journey ‘cause even though there are 16 episodes, each one is almost more than an hour. Plus, it is a pain to find them! It’s a bit of melodrama and romance but not bad to watch. Definitely recommended.

Best books of 2010

This year, for me, has been a really slow year in terms of books. I’m glad I’m back on the wagon, even though it’s by the help of the Sookie Stackhouse series. I finished the last 4 books in a month and they were entertaining. Currently I am reading From Dead To Worse, the eighth book in the series.

Anyway,
Here’s a compiled list of the best books for 2010.
- A comprehensive list by Amazon HERE. It includes best customer favourites, Editor’s picks, and it’s also divided up by genre.
- NYT also has a list. You can also hear a podcast on the link. In the site’s book section, there are also links to notable children’s books and crime thrillers of the year. 
- Salon also has a list of this year’s best books, which is divided into fiction, non-fiction and author’s picks.
- Boston Globe’s top 10 children’s books here.
- Slate’s list of year’s top books.
- At NPR, you have book critic Maureen Corrigan’s favourite books of 2010. You can also have a listen too.
At largehearted boy, you can get a complete list of the online best books of 2010.

Popculture Linkage

Includes the greatest minfuc* moment, controversy that won’t die and what list would be complete without a nod to the infamous Lady Gaga. I do have some serious concerns regarding their choice of the biggest douchebag, but then that’s getting political.
available Here

For all your daily news needs, there’s the front page. You can always log onto Newseum, which is great for not just the front page view, but also gives an insight into journalism. What I like the most is their best of the week pages though.
You can also see the pages here: http://frontpages.tumblr.com/

Flip fast is like my go-to guide for news analysis. It has almost all major news sites linked to it and they’re all divided into sections.

 

Pirates of Caribbean: On stranger tides

Via

Johnny Depp always looks good and nails it as Captain Jack Sparrow.
ps – This series always reminds me of One Piece. Luffy is as eccentric as Sparrow. 

Glory of Gantz

What can you say about a series that has a horny and sarcastic hero, a storyline that tumbles death and existentialism, and as a cherry on the cake - guns, boobs and aliens?

Written by Hiroya Oku, Gantz is a full-blown affair. It wastes no time in lulling you in. It violates and breaks in your mind and by the time you can process what is going on, it has already left you with tons of questions buzzing around in that baffled head of yours.

However, the manga and anime is not for the squeamish – There’s oodles of blood and liquids oozing out. I would suggest anyone to begin with the manga, which is much better than the two anime series. There is also the live-action movie that is being released soon – but I have an inkling that it’s going to hurry through and leave the juice out.

Can you say the most difficult game ever?

http://foddy.net/Athletics.html

This one has me tripping real bad!