Thundering Typhoons

I was having a chat with my brother in Germany and he mentioned about his visit to Bruge, Belgium. Tintin affecianados (did i get that right?) might recall the creator of TinTin : Herge.

A few of us might have even noticed the name on the covers of our favourite TinTin books...

Tintin

&

The Explorers to the Moon

By Herge

My first Tintin was The Shooting Star. Actually, my bro got it as a birthday gift. That was some 16 years back...

The adventures of TinTin have enthralled a lot many of us. And aren't we all in love with the ever abusing, ever thirsty for a drink :-), and always faithful companion Captain Haddock. The one thing which, for me, will alwayz stand out about Captain Haddock is his vocabulary...his box of expletives :

Billions of Blue Blistering Barnacles,Thundering Typhoons,Pockmark, Freshwater Swab, Carpet Sellers (this one takes the cake), Baby Snatchers, and so many more...

Although I've loved each and every TinTin, it has to be said that no TinTin is complete without the bumbling twins - Thomson and ThomPson (with a P as in Philadelphia). Even when I pick up a TinTin now, I find their antics hilarious and rib tickling. 'Course, any description is incomplete without, the slightly hard of hearing, Prof. Cuthbert Calculus. Introduced in the funniest of ways in Secret of the Unicorn, Calculus (and his infamous Pendulum, the one which alwayz pointed to the west) forms an important aspect of humour and adventure throughout the rest of the TinTins. No Snowy, we can't forget you, the first page of The Broken Ear, in which, Snowy is doing some kinda exercise with TinTin is etched in my memory forever, for some reason. Btw, hes quite a drunkard himself :-)

Even baddies deserve a mention. Rastapopoulos was the cigar smokin' badman in a few of the TinTins. Made his final appearance in The Lake of Sharks, which , I think, is not a Herge creation.

Personally, the adventures I liked most were The Secret of the Unicorn + Red Rackhams Treasure & The 7 crystal balls + The prisoners of the Sun (Rascacapac!!!).

Does anyone know Captain Haddocks first name?

The Sultan of Swing

Forth-coming ...

Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris

All The Roadrunning...

...says the website http://www.mark-knopfler-news.co.uk/.

Having released moderately successful Solo Albums - Sailing to Philadelphia, A Ragpicker's Dream and Shanghri-La, and the intense world tour following Shangri-La's release (he was there in Mumbai too...so was I !), Mark Knopfler, the headman of the Dire Straits, has come out with a duet album with a particular Emmylou Harris (never heard of her b4!). Infact, the album will be released worldwide on 24th April...the song names seem interesting.

Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler are the reason, I, so to say, 'got into Rock'. It was the first day of the new millenium and I was in Delhi at my cuz's place. Thats when I first heard the sound of the groovy opening keyboard riff of 'Walk of Life'. That was followed up by them xtraordinary lyrics :

We've gotta install Microwave oven, Custom Kitchen Delivery,

We've gotta move these Referigators, We've gotta move these colour TVVVVVVVVVVs...

And the rest, as they say, is history. First album I bought was the compilation 'Sultans of Swing'. Couldnt stop there, couldnt have enuff of em, so On Every Street, Communique, et al. soon followed.

The crowning glory, without doubt, was March 5th, 2005, when MK performed live in Bandra - Kurla complex in Mumbaiiiiiii...and u bet, I was there. The T-Shirt's still there with me.

Lookin' fwd. to the next album, I wonder how he'll sound in a Duet with a lady.

The first song is called Beachcombing...rings a bell...isnt there a book by the name 'Beachcombing at Miramar' or sumthin...

Ready...Steady...Go...

My first blog...and guess wot...I am absolutely lost for words.
Funny isn't it, how often this happens to us. You get all ready and prepared to start writing, and the words just get choked. Damn that Murphy. Not a very auspicious beginning, to say the least. But I am determined to put somethin' on paper...be it utter trash. Jus to get a start.

Its one of those funny dayz when workload is drastically less.
Its a wierd cycle for the likes of us...the times when there is no work, you feel all messed up and an insignificant part of the human race, a 0 contributor (I bet Aryabhatta is laughing now). All you ask for, pray for, dream of, is to get work, feel on top of things once more. And then the day comes...ur Request has been granted.

One month down...and you feel like shit...you say to urself..."You LLLoser, you work ur Butts of from 9 to 9 and end up with no Life...Damn!"

Its a funny dilemna, I wonder how many know wot I am talkin' bout...

P.S. :Watch this space for better blogs.