Useless Stuff

I was listening to some of the CDs (all bought in the 90s and early 2000s, when buying CDs was still a (fairly) normal act and did not indicate that one was slightly insane) that I found after a long time today.  Its amazing how powerful a tool music is for reminiscing and bringing back all sorts of memories.  There are always some songs that make an impact at a particular time and place, and years later when you hear them it is a strangely therapeutic experience. Anyway here are some of the songs that I listened to after a very long time: Closing time – semisonic Big country – in a big country The buggles – video killed the radio star Foo fighters – my hero Third eye blind – semi charmed life Goo goo dolls – iris LIve – dolphin’s cry LIve – run to the water Bran Van 3000 – drinking in LA Stone temple pilots – lady picture show Santana – smooth Funniest part, except for a few, most of the people in the list either never made it big again or I at least never heard...

  The song of course is one of the better ones of the past century.  Written by Prince, the lyrics are powerful and raw and sound as good today as they did all those years ago.  I love big fancy videos which ooze visual artistry and creativity (michel gondry, spike jonze, hype williams) but the video here is perfect due to its very simplicity.  When you have such a powerful performance from O’ Connor, anything else would simply be distracting.    Nothing Compares 2 U video

October 2010, what a great time it was.  Our visit to Australia turned out really well and one of the highlights was the two days we spent in Gold Coast.  Because of our limited time, we simply could not spend more time there as was suggested by all.  As a matter of fact, our original plan was to spend 1 full day there, but as it would be impossible to even visit 2 theme parks in one day we decided to stay for two.  We stayed at the Kirra Surf Apartments, which is literally 5 minutes walking distance from the airport and also right next to the beach.  We arrived around 11 in the morning and after dumping our bags in the apartment, went off to Dreamworld.  Dreamworld was supposed to have the ultimate collection of roller coasters but was a bit disappointed to find only a few really good ones.  However what it lacks in quantity it makes up somewhat with the quality of their top rides.  Firstly the Tower of Terror II an insane ride that accelerat...

        Panorama courtesy of Nex-5

Visited Pondicherry for the first time.  French influence still easily visible.  Neat and clean place, perfect for a day trip from Chennai.  We visited an ashram, some of the mandirs and also the beach before going to the highlight – Auroville.  Definitely worth a visit!  Also worth it, is the 1 km walk from the entrance to the Matrimandir viewing point.  No entrance fees, but everyone has to see a short film first and then a pass is given.     Pondicherry Beach   Example of the colorful buildings near the beach   Statue of Gandhi near beach     Auroville Cafetaria   There are a couple of souvenir shops At Auroville Visitor Center     Auroville Visitor Center   Although you cannot go to the Matrimandir, you can view it from this location   The Matrimandir in all its glory

We visited Chennai in February 2011 and were mighty impressed by the brand new Express Avenue (EA) mall.  World class mall and a great movie theater to boot.   

  In our trip to Australia, we were very lucky to be able to visit Ballarat while we were in Melbourne.  Sovereign Hill is great fun and should be visited if possible.  It really does feel like a trip back in time!  This used to be a real honest to goodness goldmine and you can actually still hunt for gold there if you want….  In fact, I saw a lot of people doing exactly that.  Best part is that it really feels like a gold mining town, complete with the town apothecary, shops, eating places, theater and even “Builders and Undertakers”.    The Apothecary.     The School Teachers     The Students     Just Finishing Class   Need Any Frying Pans?       Panning for Gold       The blacksmith and view of Main street The Butcher             A complete town – even the undertaker’s office!     The Funeral hears...