The café we’ve always wanted to have:

Since the time I’ve known Runa, we’ve had this common dream to start a café. Not the usual ones we see cropping up around the city, but something that will serve homemade cookies and concoctions as well as hold an open mic night every week; sort of like a talent hub for amateur artists.

Something roomy, fine-looking, snug and welcoming. With some of Runa’s art work on the wall, framed poster sized photographs covering the indoors and vintage sofas to live in side by side with albums bought and signed by musicians both local and popular.

It would be one of those dream cafés that we’ve talked about so many times. You know? One we want to open and own. Where people will want to visit and sit in for hours, listening to a musician belt out some tunes while sipping on their tea or coffee. Where folks can bring their journals and sit alone, or just listen and talk about music with gathering friends.

On Sunday, I went to see a small concert at a little café called Café ID. The music wasn’t awesome, but the setting was. Runa won’t agree with me on this. She thinks the whole dimly lit, constricted space reminded me of PECOS. Well, it did- a bit. But I’ve always had a fondness for tapered locations, soft lights and rich colors with a combination of kitchen chairs and homely looking rugs, throwovers, duvets- the whole cushion mania thing.

What would be better than doing something you love and earn money meanwhile! The idea of owning a café where art amasses. Doing something creative with your life and being your own boss. I’m one big dreamer for sure, and my talk with Runa on Sunday has done nothing to put me off that.

Right now I’m too scattered with my plans, still trying out different things. My mind jumps from one idea to another… I seldom have any idea how I would make money from these ideas. But I know a day will come when I know what my business will be about and then I’ll start it!

Granted, this probably, almost, kinda, sorta should qualify for a spot in Best of the Classics series. For some reason it ends up here and you should all be less judgmental of my list making abilities and more supportive of hearing awesome tracks. Off the top of my head I’m inclined to believe Michael Hutchence was the best male artist out of Australia. I would bet he would agree (if he were alive). In the end, though, it doesn’t matter because the song just sounds amazing. Here’s to hoping the upcoming year is just as well crafted.

I am writing, rather typing this, in my car. I’m on my way to meet my sister, bro-in-law and niece who reached B’lore last night. Which is all very well and good, except I started out on a somewhat zippier drive and due to undetermined mechanical difficulties, we had to stop for an hour at the garage. I suppose I will arrive at my destination almost two hours late.

Oddly, I am not concerned. Guess, I’ve waited so long to see my niece again, a few hours won’t hurt.

Yesterday, I figured out why I have been lately making little progress on my personal goals (translate: no progress). Due to an exhaustive regimen of work, sleep and eating—and the well thought-out addition of a certain medication and a special magical liquid that we kids call, ‘Wine! Glorious Wine’ — the severe fretfulness that presided over my life for years is collapsing. This was my chief drive for carrying out anything I set my mind to. Now I am left strangely purposeless and my social life has been left languishing in a vague limbo. Even my obsessive fixation with cleanliness and tidiness seems to be fading: I no longer clean my room.
So here I sit in my dad’s car and look out of the window. An overweight man has been chewing pan and is now spewing out horrible amounts of dirty red liquid on the pavement. Gross!! Chunks of gravel are jumping off the tracks and slamming into the bottom of another car, making me feel as if I am in an asteroid field. As usual, I hate everyone in the vicinity. But it is a cranky and abstract hatred, and not the murderous fury I usually feel. Hey, I’m happy today!

And blah blah blah and whoop de do. What I really want to write about is that today is the wedding of my ex-boyfriend, M. One that I will not be going to as I don’t trust myself to keep silence when the priest asks the congregation if anyone objects.

*cough * cough*

Today, I will be lounging around eating shortbread cookies and thinking about going shopping. This is so scandalous I can barely stand to write it. What I expect is to step into my sister’s house, carry my niece in my arms and listen to the stories that she’ll tell me in her very broken English. And then not everything will feel like it has gone up into a puff of smoke because I was not present to hold things together with the force of my eroding will.

In other news, there is no other news. I just hope I remember how to post a blog entry, as I will feel awfully foolish if I'm the only one reading this.

You might want to check this out folks- Albums, recently acquired at EC:

There are times when a few random tracks and artists come along and literally steal my attention away for a moment and I feel obliged to pass them on to you. Chances are if you listen to a lot of rock or blues music you’ve heard this man who goes by the name of Joe Cocker. To be honest I have only heard a few of his songs. One of them I’m playing for you today. For whatever reason I initially became interested in this song you can rest assured that I’m passing it along to you because after the initial craze wore off when I first discovered him I still found this track, particularly his gritty vocals, to be worth multiple listens. And that my dear readers, coming from the pages of EC, should clue you in to the fact that I think Joe Cocker is someone to listen to. Enjoy your weekend fair world. And, valued readers don’t forget to enjoy some good music.

On Christmas day, I’m going to be doing something low-key. No large gatherings just spending time with my family. This time my older sister, bro-in law and niece wont be joining us for Christmas as they’ve decided to spend the 25th in Nagaland.

Christmas, as I’ve known, has always been about tiresome get-togethers. Relatives and friends would throw lunches and dinners and being one of the children, I was always forced to play with my cousins or kids around the same age, away from the adults who sipped on wine and laughed loudly. Christmas’ with them were never really enjoyable as we had nothing in common and I only saw them once a year.

Even though I’ve had some great moments with these not-so-complete strangers I’ve decided to not repeat the tradition this year around. I’m going to be working the days between Christmas and New Year’s because I can’t afford any time off and because I suppose the holidays are what you make of them and I’m going to have more fun at work.

My sister, bro-in-law and niece are going to be in a different place on Christmas Day. I can’t wait to talk to them and wish them all a merry Christmas.
I don't have the energy to write much of a post today. It could have something to do with the fact that I’ve had a crappy overworked week so far. It could also be the fact that so far today I've only consumed tea and an apple.

I can inform you, however, that my whole Christmassy mood hasn’t been shaken. It could have something to do with the fact that I patched things up with an old friend. Or it could relate to the fact that Ck gifted me the latest albums of Snow Patrol, The Verve, Keane and GNR.
The idea of going back to loads of work after Christmas doesn’t make the merry state last for long. Fortunately for everyone, the ability to spew out fire on my Christmas Wish List still hasn’t arrived.
This is a song that stick-in-the-mud Christmas celebrators and old fogey Third Day fans often like. And I love this version of the classic. The song is well-known: "Do You Hear What I Hear?" written by Noel Regney and music written by Gloria Shayne Baker. This song dates back to the 1960’s during the Cold War and this version by Third Day appropriately turns into a thrusting rock song that is amongst the best of the new Christmas songs, and with a clear message. I smell a new holiday favorite at EC.

Anyway, this entry is longer than I intended, but it was a good one and it was great to play some grand Christmas music for y’all. There's more to tell, but your attention span is probably about to disappear right now. So here's to bustin' out of the house. I so hope you’re feeling good, doing what you want with this holiday and that you are where you want to be. Happy, content, loved. Please give away lots of love and hugs and music.

Have a crazy cool musical Christmas!

I'll admit it. I’m a sucker for the whole Christmas caroling bit complete with a sing-along book. Sometimes, I even leave Christmas music on auto play for the entire day. In fact, my entire house is now specially decorated to ensure that I feel embraced by the Christmas spirit at every moment of the day, what with the ornament-laden tree, green and red knick-knacks, sparkling silver stars, glittered candles, and more. Of course, this only works if I never leave the house.

The weekend started with an office party — this or any type of forced work gatherings — are hardly an assured fun riot. But your absence is duly noted if you choose to stay away from one of these gatherings. If you do miss it you’ll hear stories about how that guy from the other process threw up in his shoe or how some guy and girl were all over each other the entire time. I suppose that that’s the best part about office parties: seeing what everyday co-workers are like outside of the office — and whether they’re going to do something stupid (especially since alcohol’s on the house).I went for the Christmas bash at a club called ‘HINT’ thinking that people might open up in other interesting ways. But I couldn’t find anyone fun and that’s really my fault. Deep down, I’m still that school kid, too shy to participate in anything without an intentional invitation (or copious amounts of alcohol). I was much the same way when I met Ru, Ck and Shreyas. They’d make friends with anyone, and strike up conversations with just about anybody.
I left the party feeling not too sad. The night had all the ingredients for a good time — Christmas, friends, colleagues, alcohol, a buffet and they did work well in combination. In retrospect, it wasn’t a terrible idea to go; I just wasn’t in the mood. I had had a long frenzied day and it has been a long time since I’ve spent Christmas without someone special. My New Year’s resolution: This year I’m going to get used to Singlehood.

Saturday night was at Runa’s and the entire crew was invited.
We were a big, loud crazy bunch singing carols, playing pictionary and trying to get the barbecue started.

Runa's Christmas Tree

A Beautiful Barbecue

Tony at the Grill

I never realized how much I missed Christmas, until I saw my friends unwrap their gifts.

I bring you the song ‘Mary Did you know’ today for a multitude of reasons. The first is that I quite honestly think this track sung by Clay Aiken, is a good seasonal song. There is a sense of December, of cold filled lit nights, of chilly winds, and the miracle of the birth of Christ associated with this season, that permeates every layer of this song. In the vocals and the music there is awe and veneration and the crescendo of the bridge makes you hold your breath. There is Christmas, happiness and goodies and there is even hope, admiration for a beautiful month. Runa, Ruan and I have also sung this track at Christmas concerts; hence it acquires a very special place in our hearts.

Enjoy the weekend my dear readers and keep coming back for more.

And so the countdown begins. Seven more days for Christmas....

We tend to forget the real meaning of Christmas in the hustle and bustle. So join with me in taking a moment out, from making party plans, running from store to store searching for the right gifts and putting up decorations, to ponder on the significance of this festival. And a question like this–like most questions I ask–can be ably answered with the help of visual aids.

Friends.
History - Off The Record
Gifts to Buy. Phew!
Current State of Affairs
It probably goes without saying, but given that I try to update this page almost every day, I rarely have any idea what I’m going to be writing about until I actually sit down to do it. Tonight, though, things are a little different.
Yes, with Christmas finally upon us soon and the magic of the season in full swing and…since this is my first Christmas here on EC, it’s probably quite apparent to you that I’ve got something of a soft spot for this festival. In fact, I’ve been actually going out of my way to make the next few days as special and Christmassy for my friends and family; which is why I’ve gotten custom-made Christmas hats for my crew. And it’s in the festive spirit that tonight; I’m throwing the spotlight onto what is, without question, my favorite Christmas track of all time. It’s sung by a boy band but it’s the best damn version of ‘O Holy Night’ I’ve ever heard.
Ok, before you listen to this song be warned that is brilliant. Yes it is brilliant and it’s as easy to listen to as it is captivating, but once you start the track you’ll be amazed at how quickly a quarter of an hour slips away. The track has been recorded in a live setting, and its decent quality, but what I find more fascinating is that the band does it in an appropriate straight up a-capella sort of way. Kudos. Another reason for you to click the player below is because I like the song, so just listen to it and agree with me.
If it’s not brilliant enough endorsement for this track I’m willing to bet you hate everything I love.
This track sits undeniably upon the top of the heaps of Christmas music available today and is a must-have for any true Christmas collection. Here it is my friends, enjoy.

It’s become visible to me that I have been infected with the Christmas spirit (no, not the alcoholic sort). Normally, I’m quite cynical about the whole thing but I’ve just been so happy lately… guess it’s all the colours.

(As promised, here are pictures of my hard work)






Today it was all quite odd. I got all cheerful and even a little syrupy when I heard a couple of carols. I found myself singing along to them at work; taking pleasure in it - that’s right – actually plastering a smile on my face all day long rather than worrying about my work.
I also spent some time this evening putting up the tree with my dad’s help (It’s finally complete!), feeling all Christmassy with Christmas music playing in the background cheering us on. What concerns me more though is that I willingly wanted to put up the tree without my dad asking me to.

So, am I ill? Do I need to go the doctor? Or am I just getting soft in my old age? Answers on a postcard (or email) please!

Today was also the beginning of the Christmas party merry-go-round, starting with a Christmas lunch at our main office and I was able to be in public without making an idiot of myself at least once. So the meal went well, people were eating and chatting, everyone was happy and I did get to meet my favourite blogger.

And finally, my horoscopes have informed me that as one door closes, another opens, that someone special will be arriving shortly and that I will learn new work skills. So, if I’ve got it right then I will lose my job, get a new one and probably have an affair with my new boss! Great. Something to look forward to this Christmas then!

I have stumbled upon a few Christmas tracks that are definitely worth a listen. I highly doubt any of these are really good, but they’re at least worth a quick listen and they’ve found their way onto a Christmas album I’ve slapped together.
The music is equally as iconic as the festival itself, if not more so, having insinuated its way into the Christmas ethos in the irrevocable way that only music could. At any rate, for us -- plum cakes, wine, candy canes and caroling -- this is what Christmas is all about. Here’s Boys II Men with ‘The Christmas Song’. Happy holidays, everybody!

Yay! It's officially full holiday season here in B’lore City. The sparkling decorations and lights, the overall feeling of warmth and cheer...well, as silly as it may sound; it makes life feel truly magical at times, despite the huge number of lay-offs that had taken place last week.
There are only ten days until Christmas, and I've done nothing. Well, next to nothing: I haven’t acquired presents for my crew yet- just gift wrapping ideas. The tree is still getting decorated. Helped mom with making a few fruitcakes, but she hasn’t prepared the tons of eatables that she usually makes. Right now, though, December seems just like November, only colder and darker.

I'm aware, readers, that there's a certain redundancy to most of my posting: one more account of work or love, interspersed with pictures, songs and a write-up of a musician. And sometimes I feel like I should give you more, but I have compelling reasons to record a large majority of my life and music history on the blog. For one thing, it's fun to write about, and I remain hopeful that recording my experiences and knowledge in a substantially honest manner keeps me from being too much like some music blog or life blog I read where at first I'm very interested in, but then I see entry after entry with the same clichés, and I start to think that the entries are largely unreal. The main reason that I write so much about my life and music is because my memory for personal detail is never all that great, and I do this by maintaining a searchable record.

Let’s move on to a special holiday episode of All I Want for Christmas:

Dear Mr. Claus,

I have been an exceptionally good girl this year and wanted to tell you what I want for Christmas.

I wanna be rolling in money, celebrated and influential
Step on all my rivals and never do a thing
I wanna be rolling in money, celebrated and influential
So all I have to do for years is sit around and sing.

And while you are at it and if it's not too much trouble, Mr. Claus, I could really use the ability to exhale flames. Not because I want to reduce anyone to ashes. I just think breathing fire would be hot and my friends would love me even more than they do now.

Peace and holiday love,

Eve.

We've officially entered the Christmas season and until the 25th, Christmas music will be played here on EC. I usually take pleasure in the music; until I've listened to so much of it that by the time Christmas morning gets here I'm ready to thump the first person who plays a Christmas song. There are songs that I wished were played more often, like the Drifters version of "White Christmas" - Attention readers- you might just like this. It features Bill Pinkney on lead bass and Clyde McPhatter on tenor. When I played it, it was fun to listen to-- a cappella with that 70’s wap-shoo-wap charm. I’m not very fond of listening to this kind of music, but these guys actually have some ability to harmonize seamlessly. Its slick stuff and I play it often.

So, if you've had it with the oldies then give this a try. Well, that's all I've got for today. Stay tuned, kids.

It’s Christmas Time

‘Day four was a busy day at CharMile. Wedding preparations were underway and the family count had gone up from 50 to 200. Every corner was bustling with conversation, men carrying things up and down, some setting up tents, others creating a ‘Morung’. Women crowded around the big kitchen, cutting, cooking and serving the people that just kept pouring into the house from villages and towns. I met a lot of people, none of whose names I remember and the rest of the evening was spent, snapping away pictures of the loud and busy crowd, recording memories.’

I understand that, for the young, like me, Facebook has a number of tempting qualities.
However, the worst things about this social networking site, as far as I can tell, are that you find out all the people you wanted to date in high school but couldn't dream of doing so because you were such a geek. And all the people you were jealous of and wanted to be so badly that it made you hemorrhage, are now fat and married with a dozen kids. Yep, all those "beautiful people" back in school have now been attacked by balding, gray hair, double chins, expanding waistlines, making known that age has slowly become their enemy.
I love the fact that people who refused to speak to me in school or college are apparently now excited to be my "friend" and remember the good old days. First, it makes me laugh then it makes me pity them, because their lives must be pretty empty. Then I throw in some self-loathing, because I always approve their friend request. Then I wish I hadn't, because they invariably start sending me applications to add... and I dislike that almost as much as I despised them in school.

How did December get here so quickly? What happened to the rest of 2008? Have I been drunk or depressed so much that an entire year has melted together? I wasn't quite ready to accept the answers to those questions. But, if one has to jump right into December and the holiday season, there's only one way to do it- homemade holiday cookies and everybody getting sugar-rushed while we decorate the tree.
With all that’s happening around us nowadays it's so easy to find a way around the practice and just live your life from one turbulent day to another, so moments spent with friends, family, goodies and that warm cozy feeling is more of a treat. It's truly one of the best times of the year. And I've got goodies from Nagaland that are rapidly disappearing!
The good times aren’t going to last long and I'm certainly not ready for a whole season of it yet, but it's awfully exciting to think of it.

Once I put up my Christmas tree and decorate my home I promise to put up pictures.
Happy December, Happy Holidays everyone!

As long as I have blog left in me I will continue to take in your music recommendations and post them here. Jon McLaughlin’s music was introduced to me by my good friend Imcha. I encourage you; I implore you, to please check out his music. Go to his page, stream his music on YouTube, or just press play on the player below that has been posted here on EC. Whatever you do don’t brush this post aside. Let the new pop-rock sounds of Mr. McLaughlin sink to the depths of you and ease you through this weekend. He’s brilliant and you’d be a fool for choosing not to hear his music. The song entitled ‘Beautiful Disaster’ is pure and simple with lyrics and melodies that tug at your heart.

Here’s to hoping he has a long and successful career because I’d love to hear some more of his particular brand of genius.

If you like the music here then puh-leeez share it with your friends, lovers, etc. And thanks to Imcha for this brilliant song.

Take it away Mr. McLaughlin!

Juniper Lane

‘We spent the day at home, in Dibuphar, 4th Mile. I was chatting away with my extensive kin. I’ve known all the members of the family for a couple of years now but my relative’s fiancé, ‘Chen’ is the new addition and while the nearest and dearest had a hard time accepting him into the family, we’ve grown quite close. He’s reserved but talented, witty, and a truckload of fun when one gets to know him.’

Post-trip proceedings: I have to say, it has been extremely exhausting. And it's hard to be really brief or humorous about it, as I am experiencing extreme anxiety even while I write this. I’ve been trying to catch up with all the updates at work and trying to do stuff that would’ve taken me 15 minutes tops; I now struggle to finish in 45 minutes.
Last night I found myself thinking about the past and all the times I’ve been so very happy – researching a book after an M.A lecture or running to work at the radio station. So really I am just a big old ball of sappiness right now. No neuroses. I am even recollecting studying for finals in a melancholy and longing way.
Now if only I could experience such contentment in the moment, rather than looking back at it!

Oh, and I realized yesterday that somehow a comment by Lionel hasn’t made it onto this page. Sorry buddy. Perhaps the web had a nervous breakdown. So if you posted a comment and it didn't appear, it's not because I hate you. Now, somebody else's comment I might have gotten rid of because I hate him or her. But not you.
I'm trying to figure out this problem with my comment mechanism. If you try to leave a comment and something funky happens, fear not; before long all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well. So, Lionel, thank you for your post. Oh I know your brother wasn’t Elvis in the play… he just sounded very close to the King. Thanks for stopping by.
‘Take Me Home’ : Rock/Indie/Pop

Interested?

This baby stretches past three minutes.

The track is by Juniper Lane.
Does the opening minute of this track remind anyone else of another song?
There’s just something so overbearingly uplifting about the opening segment. In a good way.
The louder you listen to this track the more you’ll like it.
This is an official dedication for all the music hyper informed and well connected bloggers and blog readers.

That’s all I got for this post. Check back often. I basically tell you what’s good and what I’m listening to. I succeed in convincing you that you’re not cool unless you’re just like me. Cheers.

It’s a phase I’m going through now.

I seriously think I’m done with it...

...giving up the search for love.

Of course, not the blog; that I shall keep despite the fact that I do have plans for ‘redebuting’ under a new name at some point in the future.

What's sending my thoughts in this direction is the fact that my failure to spark it with the guy I liked, pre-trip. We saw each other a total of fourty four times (unlikely; maybe more but I just like the number 44) before I discovered he was already taken. And this fellow seemed so perfect in so many ways. A top.

I don't know if it's the universe that doesn't want me to be dating somebody right now; Except that the idea of the cosmos as an attentive being that is actually concerned about what happens to me makes me want to gag. Whatever it is, I'm making a resolution at this time and this instant- I'm not going to search for love any longer. If it finds me, grand! If not, then I'll . . . I'll . . .

Well, I'll just . . . um . . .hmmm...mmmm...

This may be trickier than I anticipated.

Let's move on to the images below that are of recent happenings in Nagaland.





There are more pictures that will be put up at a later date. Right now I'm kind of in awe, a little bit, of this band:

At first color The Wreckers sound like everything you’ve ever loved in a folk pop band. On the second time around you realize that the quality of music they’ve created has forever raised the bar on just what a dynamic duo can produce. Originally I thought their sound was going to be amateur-pop like, but after a quick listen I was immediately in love with their music. There’s something here intangible that keeps me listening to them time after time. A good staying power.

For those that are still unaware what EC is all about here’s a quick refresher. I collect songs and upload the best that I’ve heard in the past thirty days onto this blog. Feel free to go through the archives if you’d like to browse through various artists and events of my life. Enjoy the music, and if you live in beautiful Bangalore then enjoy the glorious weather. Eid Mubarak!

'Shopping at the famous Hong Kong market was interrupted by my dear friend, Z, who wanted to take me out for dinner. Z and I graduated together and I’m meeting her after 2 yrs. She seems to be much the same as always: warm and friendly, distinct, peppy and strikingly beautiful. While not very tall, she has a presence of about ten ordinary people. She has that thing called ‘charisma’.

So we went to the only place that was opened at 6:30 in the evening- a lounge called Fusion. It had a couple of old men conversing over a bottle of whisky and three of us girls, the only girls, gutsy enough to be out at that time of the night. Z brought a friend along named Corinne. Corinne is a model from Guwahati and came from quite a well heeled family. She had pictures of herself all over the room and while she was perfectly good-looking she constantly apologized for not looking her best.

Dinner at Fusion included an assortment of roasted meats. Our girl’s night out was then interrupted by this creepy guy who was absolutely dense. No matter how much we ignored him he still sat at our table and tried to make conversation. Finally we decided we had had enough of him and left the restaurant. Z took me to her home and I met her parents and a ton of relatives but not before we were stopped several times by cops who checked our car and our bags. I was at my formal best at Z’s home but that didn’t last for long when I realized my audience loved me already. So I started off with some jokes on Z and then some about myself and they laughed so loudly that I thought I’d fall off my chair. It took Z some time to get me away from my beloved audience and when she finally did, we went up to her room and to her little doggy- Snowball, who’s the cutest thing since pink candy! We made plans to take a trip to the capital city and then I returned home just in time to kiss my niece goodnight.’

........‘The people who live here are famously agreeable. Whatever you ask of them, they will seldom refuse. Theirs is a culture of almost unending positivism. So dedicated are they to being optimistic that it almost seems as if their speech lacks the term for its opposite. If they shake their heads, it is always to say "yes".
For them, the world is all about the good things. Every day is a festival, leisure chat a celebration, each word a gift. Their streets are paved with laughter. They amuse each other with music and tales. It's so upbeat it made me gape in surprise. Oh, yes, it's a great place to visit.’

Not many days have passed since the tragic events of the Mumbai terror. It serves us all to think back and remember where we were. I was on holiday when I woke up late, stumbled into the dining hall, and had to ask my aunt Anungla, “where is this happening at?” while I pointed sleepily at the tube. 'Mumbai' was her answer, and it took me a moment to properly understand that she meant our Mumbai City, the city I grew to love on my visit there.
Looking back it’s sometimes hard to find the words to accurately describe how we feel today, how that day changed us or the country as a whole.

Here’s a song off of Gotthard’s third studio album ‘G’, in 1996 that sums up everything I wanted to say. Comparing this band with all of those well-known acts might come across as a bit exaggerated but I guarantee you that each and every association is deserved. The lyrics are amazing. Take a listen to this track titled ‘In the name’ and you’ll see what I mean.

The second song, seals this post and clocks in at just under 4 minutes. It is brilliant. It is epic. You’ll definitely want to listen to it as I’m not sure another track on this blog (planet) will ever come close to matching the power and energy alive in this song. This is what I mean when I use the word epic.
Janis Joplin’s ‘Piece of my heart’ to Bhumika.

‘I woke up today at around 6:30 in the morning, opened the curtains and looked at the sunrise on the mile-wide expansive land, now beside me. It was strange wandering through the area with just a hint of the dawn peeking over the horizon. It was as if all the energy of the land was just about to begin. There was no traffic thumping through the grounds, just quiet stirring. For some reason I was awake and restlessly treading the grass beneath my still sleepy feet. But it was beautiful and just that scene has been sitting on the edge of my consciousness lately. There are the servants and the masters, creative writers and the real media, pop bands and passionate rockers, Mr. Big followers and Jordan Sparks screamers, addicts and those who watch the world pass by, freezing indoors and warm outdoors, soft woven melodies and freak out heavy metal. Yet here we all are, set to enjoy another day of music and sunshine and in this moment it is apparent that Dimapur wouldn’t be the same without all of these images crammed together on one site.
Lunch for day two was red tea, pork, a hot tomato and prawn chutney with rice that was laid out in the dining room. I am rested and happy; what would have otherwise been a day of staring at the computer has resulted into a dream. My bro-in-law’s sister, his mother and I watched ‘Kung-Fu Panda’. No shopping could be done as everything is closed on a Sunday (Nagaland, being a primarily Christian state observe Sunday as a day of rest). So we stayed at home and occupied ourselves with cake tasting, niece annoying, bird watching and stories while the boys played TT and munched on tobacco.’
Nov 11, 08

A few days ago I finally snagged a copy of Gotthard’s album and amongst other things their music has made me realize that my blog is capable of time travel. So to all of you who love hard rock and haven’t heard of this band until now, you are welcome.
Gotthard put their best foot forward in 2005 with the album 'Lipservice'. And by best foot forward I mean they clearly proved to be a legendary act in creating a trademark sound. They sound like a mix of Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Whitesnake, Deep Purple, Bon Jovi and Van Halen. Their music is cohesive and entirely coherent and there doesn’t seem to be a single misplaced melody or harmony throughout the tracks and that, dear reader, should be music to your ears.

All right, enough of my hollow words. No matter how clever I aim to be you’re just here for the music. So we’re back to retro. Each month I scour the web for what I think are the best tracks out there. Here they are presented in an easy to read and easy to listen to format. Peace out home skillets. That’s all I have for you this time around. Click on the player to listen to the track titled ‘Lift you up’. Tell your friends, check back often, and keep searching for great music. This concludes today’s post, thanks for reading.

‘I hate the fact that Indian flights are never on time. My flight was scheduled to leave for 6:20am on Saturday. I was asked to check in 90 mins prior to departure. So I arrived at our fantastic looking airport at 4:00am and as I expected, everything that could happen to make me hate flying happened on Saturday. The flight was delayed and I was stuck in B’lore airport for nearly 2 hours and I detested the wait as I was getting looks from a couple of weird ass men- one of whom was actually wearing this big ol’ antennae-looking headset. As I tried to get back to reading my book, there appeared the yummiest looking steward I have ever seen. He was tall, strappy looking and stunningly cute. We checked each other out at the same time and I remember thinking to myself ‘he probably is on another flight’. I boarded the flight and nodded at the hostess who welcomed us in with a fabricated grin and as soon as I nestled into my seat I began to hope that the seat next to mine would be occupied by someone remarkable. The minute the thought was formed in my head, there he was this uninteresting, insufferable looking person who took the seat next to mine and he looked at me like I was non-Calcutta scum!
Cussing and just generally feeling bad for myself, I looked up into the face of the person passing by and there he was- hunky steward! But all he did was pass by a million times and ask me if I wanted this or that… hmm... every girls dream. To be waited on by a guy. No, we didn’t exchange numbers; I aint that forward but it really made me forget the creepy guy next to me.

I reached Dimapur, finally, at 4pm. Welcomed by my bro-in-law, sister and niece (who stretched her arms out as soon as she saw me). Sniff… it was quite like in the movies. Introductions to relatives took up a whole hour, unpacking another. Sleep was out of the question, when I had so many people to entertain. Family and friends gathered around the table to watch my current favourite video on my laptop- a 2 hr. show of Russel Peters. Then we broke for dinner- Fish Chutney with vegetables, smoked chicken and dhal. Post-dinner, we were joined by neighbors and delicious red tea until my eyes couldn’t keep themselves opened any longer. My first night ended in deep, unruffled sleep. I wake occasionally to a sensation of unusual calmness so profound that I might try to imagine it to put myself to sleep if I weren't in it already.’
Nov 11, 08.

So I've had a bit of time to myself to get reacquainted with reality. I certainly had the best time in Nagaland and I can't even begin to describe how beautiful the vacation was, from the weather to the house to the views. We had amazing meal after amazing meal, caught lots of rays (as my very dark tan can confirm), found love and laughed and laughed and laughed. I also took a gazillion pictures and I'll post a link to the gallery as soon as I get my pictures organized. All around just a perfect vacation.
It was funny to come back from living in such a relaxed pace to find myself in the middle of rush hour on my drive to work. There I am, sun-kissed and calm in my for-once-formal-attire (you know I was really excited if I was actually wearing formal clothes - as a rule I can't stand them), amidst the vehicles and various idiots all rushing to getting to work and driving like they were insane so that they could be the first ones to reach their office. We'll see how many office drives it takes before I'm back in their frame of mind! I'm thankful - and yet slightly amused - by how many people reached out to me today and told me they missed me. I received mails, text messages, and a swing of e-mails from friends and family, all happy that I was back.

I have to take a moment and say that the situation in Mumbai was unprecedented; amplified by around the clock television coverage, it seemed to take on a life of its own. The hours grew tedious, frustrating and- when the rescue mission awakened the rest of India and the world to the dangers- terrifying.
What matters most of all, was the life lost during this terror rampage. We can only hope that the tension ends and hope is all we can do.
And that's the latest from EC. Now it's time to get on, get with and get back to the bump and grind but not before I kick it off with my happy hour tonight! May as well ease back into the real world as gently as possible!

I have nothing more to write here, except that my first real boyfriend sent me his wedding invite this morning and I’ve been listening to Mr. Big’s ‘Take Cover’. Ok, that’s done {played it ten times now}, on with the show. This track serves as a perfect rock anthem. Dig it.
Hand. Claps. Head. Bounce. Awesome. Period. The band has made this track into something great. Great things are awesome too.

For all you readers enjoy your December and to M, Congrats!

I'm Back....

...from my little three week holiday and better than ever. Well, that’s if being better than ever led to being sore, slightly over tanned, a tired like never before.
It’s been awhile since I wrote here. It’s been awhile since I even typed on a keyboard. That’s colossal since I’m only online every other second. What’s even more massive was the amount of messages I received on Facebook and on e-mail while I was gone. During my trip I met quite a few musicians and discovered some new music that I can’t wait to share with you guys. Got Theja Meru’s album ‘Believe’ {score!}, I received an album from a singer I had met called ‘Changsen Pongen’ {double awesome} and while I wont be around in Dimapur to watch White Lion in concert I got a hold of their music.

Three weeks escape could be considered a dry spell {a small death if you will}, but I shall try and attempt to return EC to the brilliance that it was before my heart was reminded, yet again, of how much I love the mountains. So on with the show.

Nagaland was brilliant and impressive abounding with several mountain ranges, beautiful lakes and streams, the food, the military, multiple camp sites, countless shopping, open mic nights, local talent and a general sense of achievement and connection. But now I’m back, I should unpack soon and I must finish this blog before that. Let us all commence crossing our fingers.

While I didn’t have normal access to the internet during my stay in Dimapur, I still kept a record of the things I had experienced and seen during my days there. The next few posts might be filled with bits and pieces of notes from my journal.

For all my readers out there,I hope your November was a funfest like mine and you spent it getting tons of shoes and loads of food in your belly. I know I did. It really is something to behold and as this is my first long vacation since I joined my company, I surely did enjoy it to the fullest.
But regardless, if you had fun or not here is a track that anyone can enjoy. Consider this an introduction to the greatness that is to come. I hope to have a steady stream of posts from now until the New Year with a lot of great music, and quite possibly the best stuff you’ll ever see and hear on EC. Honestly.

If I was in my room all alone on a Sunday afternoon then this track leaves me head bouncing. Wait for the beat to pick up about thirty seconds into this one. It is worth the wait. ‘There goes the neighborhood’ by Sheryl Crow. More music is being collected as I speak. I’m off to unpack my life in awhile. Have fun this week in whatever country you’re currently located at. Cheers, and come back often.

And for anyone who would like to get in touch with me, send me music to listen to and possibly promote, or just say hi contact me: evelinerajan@gmail.com

On Vacation.

Hello dear readers, this is your captain speaking.

For those of who who have just stumbled onto this blog, I've been spending the past week in Dimapur, Nagaland and I've been living it up on a little slice of winter vacation. Due to these good times I haven't had a lot of access to the internet and it's really difficult for me to get to a cyber cafe in town and upload music. So I have no new music for you kids to gobble up. I’m spending this week visiting the capital, Kohima- specifically 'Dream Cafe' and the war cemetery. The following week I’ll be visiting some towns and villages in Dimapur.

As I wont be around for awhile, I’d like you to check out these fine blogs for your reading enjoyment in my absense.

Bhumika's Boudoir

Confuzd Jughead

Manuscrypts

Jugular Bean

The Eastern Glow

Pete

Enjoy them at your leisure. EC sincerely recommends them. To all my readers: Enjoy your November. Cheers.

Note to self: check the status of the flight.

I'm neurotic when it comes to travel. I hope I score a nice aisle seat with a cute guy beside me. I have always been a nervous flyer. This time I'm alot more jumpy and anxious as it's the first time on my own. I seem like I'm not bothered but I keep an eye out for all of the world's evils.

Xanax, anyone?

Days Until I Fly To Dimapur: 1

People Left on Shopping List*: 50

*Number is a minimum and subject to change.

A couple more hours until I'm out of this place! I have compiled a list of ten things I hope to accomplish before I return to B'lore at the end of the month:

1. Go for the movie 'Quantum of Solace' with some new friends.

2. Dine on smoked bacon, smoked bacon, smoked bacon!

3. Travel safely on two non-delayed, hopefully non-nauseating and non-painful flights from here to Dimapur via Kolkata.

4. Meet my niece –Abigail.

5. Visit my friends from college, Zenith, Ralli and Ela.

7. Meet an old friend and recently made DCP officer of Dimapur.

8. Get drunk.

9. Get lots of shopping done and visit places of interest.

10. Go for a local concert.

OMG, TGIF, welcome at last to another artist showcased here on EC. I'd never have heard of this radiant artist if not for Imcha. The name is Senti Toy.
At first listen I loved it and that prompted me to take a trip through this article written on her here.

Her sound reminds me of a lot of different and equally diverse influences and for the first hour or so I found myself unable to accurately put into words what I was hearing.

I guess you could say this is a serious example of the new wave of genre blurring musical acts (and really, what's a genre today? Everything is broken off from multiple patterns. Even MySpace has you list the three- yeah, you heard- three genres your band's music fits into.)
So the track below is by Naga artist, Senti Toy called 'How Many Stories Do You Read on My Face' and it's my new favorite song because it sounds so very intricate and oriental. After this track ended, my head mentally ticked off and said "ok, that's going online," because it easily makes for one of the best songs I have heard in a long time.

I'll shut up now so you can listen more closely to 'How Many Stories Do You Read on My Face' by Senti Toy. Happy weekend, everyone. I shall try to post from Nagaland if I am able to.

I'll miss you almost as much as you'll miss me.

Varied Updates

You can never keep a secret from your mother.

Not that this blog was going to be much of a secret anyways, but I decided to only spread it to a few people at first to gather reactions, critiques, choose the sort of tone I would write with and finally tell everyone about it. My older sister, brother-in-law and twin read it when I had began writing here. One of them told my mum, not sure who and now I'm in trouble. In proper official fashion, I am opening the blog up to the whole wide world. Or whoever happens to stumble upon it. Whichever.

I'm starting to feel icky and I'm just about convinced that I'm going to be catching some nasty ass TB or pneumonia or the flu or a cold. My mother kicked into on- the- spot- nurse so that I won't be sick when I have to travel- which gets on her nerves, especially since I don't listen to a thing she says when I'm sick.

(I think it's time for a collective *sneeze* for those of you who feel my pain. Ready? AaahhChhoooo. Ah! Much better?)

One more day until I depart for Dimapur, Nagaland and already word is starting to spread there that I'll be coming into town. This will mean a bit of travel, probably a bit of money out of pocket, and I don't think I'll be posting very often here. Also, it will mean leaving behind my crew (who I'm so used to seeing every day) and a lot of things that can only be found in Bangalore {family for one}. Fortunately, and this is an additional benefit for me, there will be no boyfriend left behind. If you read this blog, feel free to submit a list of reasons why I should devote some of my vacation to you, and I shall put you into consideration. Oh hell, if you put up with reading this blog, you pretty much deserve anything you want from me.

As promised in my previous post, a wish for Sheethal and a track of your choice up here on EC. And this dude gets his track played here today. Thanks for writing in Pete and for providing us all with some awesome music.
Thrice is an Experimental Rock band from California. The first couple of times or so I heard this track titled 'Come all you weary', I didn't know what to think. What I think it proves though is that I'm a sucker for the indie sound when it's used in a song that builds and builds and builds until it is an indefinable sonic shower of joy. And I like it. I probably would have given a kidney to sit in on a live set of this song, but instead I'll just give them a little slice of this blog. Congratulations to both of you (Pete and the band), this is a fine song. If you like the music here, and want to share it, please go ahead and link to this blog post. Thanks.

So, Mom, welcome to Evuhleen's Corner.

And that's today's offering! As always, if anything caught your eye this time around, feel free to let me know about in the comments section below. Cheers.

Some people believe that after a certain age, folks should stop thinking about modern fashion and take on a more classic approach on dressing. We’re not going to talk about what that certain age is supposed to be but what represents ‘classic’ is open to discussion. The thought of wearing unflattering clothes and loafers when one hits thirty, brings to mind the Brady Bunch.
I am not a student of fashion, and most of my knowledge in that area comes by virtue of being around people who have great dressing sense. I do have an eye for good lines and awfulness for anything originating in the nineteen forties; attempting to categorize my own style invokes the image of a slightly trendy college kid. Nevertheless, I keep my eyes and mind open and respond appropriately.

I suppose my question is, at what age does someone decide to do this to himself or herself, and is it even a bad thing to ignore what other people think we should be wearing in favor of fashion and comfort? When a woman turns thirty-five or forty, is she to sit down and decide that from this day onwards she’d begin dressing like an old woman? Which means, of course, that she would also begin acting like and being treated like an old woman.
I suppose all of this implies there is something wrong with being an old woman, and there most certainly isn’t. Nor do I believe that being forty constitutes being “old.” As usual, I am just concerned about this with associations to my own life. Will there ever come a time when Iwill  abandon my personal style? Or (and this is more likely) will I cling to the fashions from my generation and maybe redefine “classic”, comforting myself in the bargain.
I suppose I’m worried that I will all of a sudden hit some sort of wall, after which I won’t struggle to meet the expectations I made for myself.

That’s the day I will be old.

I am alone most of the time these days. I am alone but not lonely. In the large-scale stress of the past few months, I have just given up on even trying.

But I’m guessing it will all balance out in the end.

Update 1: Today is my dear friend, Sheetal’s birthday. Whether you know her or not, drop in a line. Bonus points are involved. You can request for a song or an artist/band and I will put it up on my next post!

Update 2: I know I’m way over the age of crushes and infatuations but there’s this guy who is so cute I can hardly stand it. Since I have no way to know whether my crush is actually reading this or not (because of course I can't do something as sensible as ask him), I am going to be constantly tortured by uncertainty about whether he's read what I wrote about him or not and realize what a neurotic girl I am.

He is so cute I can hardly stand it.

So I was debating in my head which artist to choose for today. There were quite a few songs/artists I could have chosen from, but my mind was made up last night as I went through my play list. I like this new James Bond track because it features two of my favorite artists- Jack White and Alicia Keys.

Now for those of you who are just showing up to these posts here on EC let me explain a bit. Normally I post about music that I really love and artists that I support. While that is true of every post I write here on EC it does seem that most artists I choose to write about could fit into a small subset of music. With this track I was aiming to finally admit that I listen to other music, yes even top 40 music, in an effort to show that good music can be found in almost every genre {except techno}. I must admit, I’ve listened to this track, at least three times in a row and I’m not sick of it. I actually enjoy it quite a bit. Enjoy the tunes.