One might guess from my previous post that I am grumpy about this; one would be correct.

My entry for today was going to center upon the process by which I have managed to live twenty-five years without accomplishing anything. However, I thought that would be too predictable.

Instead, I will list some things I have achieved.

(Please note that this is not to boast. I detest a braggart. You need not read another word if you dont want to. I do this for myself.)

My Successes (in no particular order)

Although my expenses are astronomical, I have managed to buy myself all the things I dreamt of for years. Further, I made more money this year than last year, and will make more still next year. (This is a modest amount by most standards, but I made it on my own.)

When I have a problem, I may obsess over it unduly, but eventually, I do my best to solve it.

Since I began this blog earlier this year, I have written over a hundred posts with single-spaced text. This year, I have also successfully created and maintained another blog and I am thinking about starting a third.

I am particularly honest and usually not afraid to say what I think.

Although I appreciate comfort, I have learned not to fear change or taking on new challenges.

Despite devastating experiences in my youth, I have managed to grow up relatively sane.

I have many wonderful friends who, for some reason, love me.

I have learned to ask for what I want.

For over a year, I have maintained my part of a more-or-less healthy single life.

I am more myself now than I have ever have been before. I behave the way the rest of the world secretly behaves in the privacy of their homes. I talk loudly, giggle loudly and let my personality quirks run wild.
What it comes down to is this. When all you have is crowds, you can either get lost in them or stand out in them, marching to the beat of your own drum.

This morning, I woke up at an unholy hour, convinced that I was adored. It was that some of my regular readers visited this journal on Tuesday, had seen fit to leave a comment as desired (scroll down if you don’t know what I’m talking about). And now I love the whole universe, and I suppose that’s enough love for anybody, reciprocated or not and that’s how I got through the boring day.

Truth is as much about what is not said as what is. You could read all of this and think that you know me, but you do not know me. On the other hand, today I witnessed a lie that was the most honest thing I have ever stumbled onto. A track called ‘Leaving Town Alive’. Sung by Bethany Joy (you might recognize her from the serial ‘One Tree Hill’). I had the feeling that it was created from nothing—from everything—just for me, that everyone else vanished when the music started and the artist began to sing the truth.

We are lucky to live in a day and age when we can participate in this kind of social dialog about sexual abuse. It can only make us feel better about who we are as people, and as a result, I imagine would make us a better community. It's scary to talk about sexual abuse, given the culture of abuse we live in and the increased awareness of it. It’s so easy to be frightened by things I feel and wonder if they're normal or just another manifestation of my psychosis. And it really feels good to hear another person say those things, and out loud for us all to hear! Not that it makes it okay, it’s just that there are more people out there who have felt similar things they couldn't explain. People are capable of bad things and I, like most humans, feel a sense of anger and sadness when I read about "bad things" being committed against fellow humans especially to people I know. If someone close to me was touched inappropriately, well, I don't think murder would be that too far from my mind.

Abuse can be defined as "improper or excessive use or treatment". Something that is emotionally exhausting and anxiety ridden and very controlling at worst, especially if the person or victim has faced it very often. Of all crimes known to mankind, sexual abuse must be considered the worst for it leaves an innocent plus a victim to fend for themselves after being violated. It’s the height of arrogance by anyone. It’s a violation of the spirit that suggests that there is no credibility at all for which one human can honor another.

I know everyone was expecting a light-hearted post, but this is something that has been weighing on my mind and I figured the best thing to do was to write about it.

Oh Switchfoot. You make life worth living.

Yes, after something real serious, we’ve finally gotten back on track around here, but before we get to the music, a word of warning. It’s the week of audits, which means working overtime, worrying overtime and eating fast-food. So there’s a good chance that sometime during tonight, I’ll be lost to whatever you call it when you mix a heart attack and a coma.

That said; let’s get on with the music! For those of you who don’t know this, admittedly, I’m a huge fan of Switchfoot. It’s nice to have these boys back on EC with my second favorite song – ‘Meant to live’ off ‘The Beautiful Letdown’ album.

‘We want more than this world's got to offer
We want more than the wars of our fathers
And everything inside screams for second life’

And that’s the week. As always, any questions about something, you know where to leave it.

8 more days to Nagaland....

I go through phases of dating and phases where I just can't be bothered with it. But when you’ve been through as many experiences as I’ve been through you tend to come up with more clear-cut realizations about what you want in a relationship. Not stuff like hair color or salary (although I must add that there is always the minimum package size requirement) it's more about their attitudes and how that might reflect on me.

And that's how I came up with today's new rule:

I need to be adored!

I've got a reasonably healthy self esteem. When I look in the mirror, I am fine with my reflection. I am not a beauty, nor will I win pageants, but I am a good looking woman. But I am not content with my partner thinking that I am simply reasonably attractive. Nope. My significant other has to think that I am the most gorgeous thing he's seen. Luckily for me, I've dated men who genuinely loved my appearance.

Yes, it's self esteem, not my-man-makes-me-feel-better esteem. It isn't about needing someone else’s validation entirely, just that in my case, doubt sets in if I am not sure that the man is physically completely into me.

I also don't seem to mind if my man thinks I've done something stupid, or made a bad judgment call. That aspect of my self esteem is powerful and tough. This adoration requirement only seems to manifest in the physical.

So, if we've met and you think I am gorgeous, then please continue to be in touch. If we've met and you think I am just ok, then by all means keep it movin'.

This chick needs adoration.

Thank you.

(It doesn't take Freud to tell you that I wasn't complimented much as a kid. Must go and tell my lil niece that she is beautiful...)

There's a bold new era to get cracking on! I thought, once, about possibly posting frequently about ‘Audioslave’. Unfortunately a lot of good ideas here at EC have come and gone without really taking root in my blogging routine. And that might be a shame. The track I’ll be posting today is titled ‘Like a stone’. Personally I love this track, but I’ve had a love affair with Chris Cornell and his particular brand of music for a while now. He’s all about making great music. This track is one of those songs designed to punch your brain in the face!

I know this blog started out as a strictly music blog and then I allowed my personal life to bleed over and contaminate the lovely pages of EC. The trend has continued and I just decided to continue writing this way. As the sole writer, author and creative personality behind this blog I can afford myself the luxury to pretty much say whatever the heck I want.

For a long time I’ve found comfort and peace in the songs I’ve put up on this blog. If you’ve been reading, or just listening, here on EC for any amount of time at all I do hope that you’ve found yourself enjoying the music as well. That being said here’s an excellently polished track by the Californian Rockstar. Enjoy.

When I was younger, I used to—not enjoy, exactly, but take a certain pleasure from being low and melancholic. I remember I often spent days at a time in an unbroken mood of gloom, regret, and dislike for the world and for other human beings, - just plain, general despair. A few days after not really cracking a smile, being really sorry for myself and completely bumming out I’d recover looking pale, monosyllabic, and wonderfully refreshed. In later years I’ve had to give up this indulgence. Walking around depressed with no reason is disagreeable behavior for which friends, colleagues and family will chide you, out rightly. Plus I just don’t have the time for it anymore. Whenever I'd get started on a good downward slope of melancholy, work concerns or pleasures would distract me, and I would abandon my mood in irritation. On Saturday morning, I decided to stay at home as bad weather made shopping or any kind of socializing impossible. I sat in my room and watched as the day got gloomier and gloomier. Rain fell constantly. Outside my window heavy drops of rain landed on the parapet with thuds. I sat on my bed and listened to some soft jazz music intermingling with the sound of the rain... All of which appeared to be interesting to me at the time.

Then the call arrived from my friend reminding me that we had to meet up for lunch. So I set out to meet her and Dex. Dex is short, with dark brown eyes and a wholesome north-Indian face except that he’s south Indian. A generous sprinkling of freckles would not be out of place on it if he had them, but somehow he doesn't. They would clash, anyway, with his short hair combed flat, and the aviator shades he carries around, and the black pants and white t-shirt he dresses in. Dex and I have known each other for what feels like forever and as we wait for our third friend, history revives. At eighteen, we went on our first trip together. We used to go out in cold nights that were chill, slightly hazy; nights with a buoyant softness in the air, and maybe the scent of freshly turned earth and a gradually darkening sky that seemed almost combustible with possibility: the kind of night when you're eighteen and you’re sure that something exciting is just about to happen. For a moment the memory of those nights hit me, taking me by surprise in the midst of my lunch with Dex. In the next moment the vividness of the memory was gone. Dex knows what I was thinking about; he just doesn’t bring it up. For a while longer we sat quiet in the timeless time zone smiling at each other. After our friend arrived we became just best friends again, talking about work, a changing world and our possible futures.

It's hard to pick just one B’lore cafe, because so many have been around for so long, frequented more for ambience than for the coffee. Most of my friends love to meet at a café called Java City. It’s noisy, big enough to hold 40 people, a little scruffy and perpetually full of students. It defines what a meeting-place should be. Iced tea is the number one seller, but the cold coffees are awfully good, too. It’s at this place that I met an old friend yesterday after 7 years. That’s who this post is dedicated to.

If there’s anyone who gets my music right, it’s this dude. And props to him because I got a fantastic artist lined up today.

So here are two things I learned about James Morrison. One: He’s probably got one of the best voices I’ve ever heard. And Two: His hair is perfect. His music–which I’ll admit to only having listened to a few of his songs–have clicked rather well with me and they hit me quite the way they should. Of course, that’s not exactly news to anyone, but with the highly enjoyable play list finished, it’s worth repeating: Solid stuff! Good music today at EC, but heck. That happens every month. ;)

As always, any questions about what I wrote or if the music uploaded this week was totally awesome (answer: yes), can be left in the comments section below.
And I’m outta here but not before we hear from James Morrison with ‘You give me something’.

My only contact with the fashion world:

Imcha & A Model at the Lakme Fashion Show. Day 4

This is what an article in India Today had to say: ‘The day started with ten entrants called the GenNext by Lakme showing their collection where Anand Bhushan and Imchatsung Imchen stood out.’
I can’t wait to get my hands on one of my beloved friend’s creations and strut around showing off my new fabulous fashion sense.

saw it? want it? get it!

Contact the designer here!

You know how you’re always paranoid about people thinking that there's something wrong with your head or face? You think everyone is laughing about how hideous you look, but actually, they don't care about you or your blemish? Well, that’s what a couple of researchers say. These guys have determined that both women and men consistently rate themselves less attractive than others rate them. In particular, women saw themselves as heavier than men did, and men saw themselves as less muscular than women saw them. This is scientific proof that not only does the world not revolve around you, but all the members of the opposite sex are trying to kiss your ass. Once again, science shatters your worldview but improves your quality of life.

I should be put in charge of studies. Then we'd find out really useful things. For example, I could figure out if we could confine radiation from mobiles and turn it in to superpowers. I could also find out how long someone could live on just booze and vitamins. Unfortunately, I don't have the time or the funds to find this out, because all funding has been halted as our corporation has decided that they want to do away with 10% of the employee population. So till they decide who they’re going to fire and hopefully once it’s safe I’ll think about enrolling myself and my friends in little fun...ahem… serious experiments. And I am sure I’ll only have to wait a little while until I’ll be supported by other studies. Any ideas for interesting experiments? I would like to invite you to mail them to me, in 300 words or less.

Let’s be real: if there’s one thing we look forward to on EC it’s the music. To kick off the fireworks here, Jason Mraz:

He is so awesome - I adore his music and the humor in the video 'The Remedy' - especially the idea of plushy rabbit shoes. He’s the wizard of oohh's and ahh's and fa-la-la's, yeah the Mr. A to Z, he's all about the word play...As I listen to his music I’m struggling to find a piece of land to put my feet on.

‘And it's time to get ill I got your remedy
For those who don't remember me
Well let me introduce you to my style
I try to keep a jumble
And the lyrics never mumble’

If you dig his songs make sure you check out two other tracks I love- ‘Wordplay’ and ‘Make it mine’. Simply brilliant.

Congrats Imcha. Muah!!

Among the cruelest tricks life plays on us, the way our brain declines into a blob of something that has no more memory power to spare is truly the worst. As a girl I had only a few things to keep track of. There was one place in Dubai, a small town of sorts that I lived at; two main sports, basketball and bingo; two TV channels- Channel [V] and Channel 33; one season; ten kids in my building to play with; and so on. In no category did the number go beyond a dozen. I didn't meet new people and have to remember their names, because everybody I ran into I already knew. With my extra, leftover memory I conserved senseless conversations, garbage slogans my older sister and my friends made up and told me that these were what adults used. And not to forget insignificant information such as the number of children on the bus and the number of steps from our house to the end of our street, and the time it took to run and still catch the school bus if we were late.

Since then my brain has been required to hold gigantically much more, most of it highlights the word ‘dull’. Lately, it has become a feat to remember certain vital pieces of information; such as the title of a movie or a song, where I placed my offer letter and the name of that guy I went out with in college. And just when I have about given up trying to recall it, it appears, good as new. I guess the brain has only so many slots, and by the time you reach adulthood they have become muddled and packed out. I have a small place in my brain containing the following three things:
1. Steve Martin 2. Chris Martin 3. Eric Martin

They huddle together by some mysterious law. The three are easy to confuse because as names, they sound like made-up versions of each other. The first is the legendary ‘Father of the Bride’ actor. The second is the vocalist of Coldplay and the third, the voice of the band, Mr. Big. Sometimes when I have a spare moment I take each name out, consider it, link it to the proper person, recall each one's face and biography, and then put all the names back in place in my mind. I believe this is a basically healthy exercise, like brushing your teeth or taking a walk. I am slightly afraid that there's another category I've forgotten about, but I won't worry over it now. When I have all the names straight, maybe I will get to sleep. On the other hand, I don't want to become so carried away with remembering them that I repeat it over and over to myself as I lie in bed late at night. If repeated often enough, it will drive you insane.

However, when you suddenly remember something that you've been trying to remember, the relief and happiness you feel is intense. I imagine that would be what heaven feels like. The fate of a thing lost when you were barely 3 ft tall, the names of people you met only once at a party, the difference between Robert De Niro and Al Pacino —every answer coming to you in a rush of revelation, as if you'd known it all along.
Two things are certain about Amy Macdonald; she’s quite attractive and her music is the kind of stuff I would choose for this blog. Could this upcoming artist be as good as her famous female contemporaries? A large part of me thinks it will be impossible, but I can always hope. This is for certain, Macdonald makes amazing music. Music matters, not the rest of the hubbub. That being said enjoy.

Prattling

Some of my friends, (no wait, actually many) will tell you that I can worry my head off and make a mountain out of a mole hill. From worries at work to deciding what I’m going to wear, I realize that sometimes I let my imaginations run wild. I think of the worst because it's usually the worst that happens, but also, when you expect the worst and something great happens instead, you can be pleasantly surprised.

All you positive thinkers out there, you're always being let down by people because you expect good things to happen and you think the best of people. “Oh, he would never do that to me!” and “he’s better than that”. Guess what? He WOULD do that to you, if he hasn't already. People will not only live up to your negative expectations of them, they will surpass them.

I admit, it's a pretty cynical outlook towards life, but it's also realistic. I bet most of you could list on one hand how many times you've been let down, either by a lover, co-worker or friend just in the last six months. I try not to think about the bad things that have happened in past relationships, since it just means extra baggage for current or future ones, but a little baggage is sometimes needed, you know?

And you can probably guess that I’m not feeling too spunky today. Do you believe that every high is followed by a low? Sometimes I feel like my highs are higher than everyone else’s and I also feel that my lows are lower. You can’t really measure something like that though. It’s much too subjective. But since I’ve been having a rough couple of days it sure feels like it.
Sometimes, on days such as this one, I need to fall back on a regular to get me where I need to be. The deliciously useful Channing Tatum.

If this doesn’t work… then it’s over to dear ol’ faithful music.

Damien Rice: If you like Folk Rock then you’ll like him. If you’ve never heard of him before it’s good that he’s getting more exposure because he really is a talented singer. Rice stays true to the folksy, acoustic, harmony filled sound which easily lands him a post on my blog. His music isn’t daring or extraordinary, but it is well crafted, well produced and flows seamlessly from start to finish.

As always, any questions, such as whether or not my regular poster boy could’ve been more hairy like Jack Sparrow: Or muscle power like Mantastic Diesel! Booya!

Or inked like Ami James: Or dashing like James Mcavoy:
can be left in the comments section below. And if you’ve got time after reading this, why not head over to Split-Ends and Sob Stories. For 15, she sure can write.

Find a way to listen to Damien Rice’s music.

Need help? Contact me.

FINE-FOR-BLOG

Hi, everybody! I’m Eveline, and apparently, this is my blog.

You’ll have to forgive me. I decided on impulse this morning that I was going to skip out on having any tea today–marking the first time I’ve done that in… well, let’s just round it off to twenty years–and I’ve been in something of a stupor all day. In actual fact, to be truthful, the past few days are all sort of a blur at this point.

But anyway, it seems I’ve got this website, and I vaguely remember something about updating it daily, so I better get to it.

Fortunately, in my laptop, there were a couple of tracks recommended by some of my readers… In a folder named (I’m assuming I typed it) “FINE-FOR-BLOG”, so I guess that’s what I’ll be posting about today.

Looking around my room, I see that I’ve got stacks–stacks!–of crap lying around, and I’m starting to get the feeling that I never finished college! Clearly, a change of lifestyle is in order. But we’ll get to that some other day.

All right, folks, let’s get to it! After all, every minute I spend writing a snappy intro is a minute I’m not playing music. And if I don’t have my music then… then do we really know what to expect from anything? Will the sun rise tomorrow? Do I even know who I am anymore?! Up is down and black is white, people! Cats and dogs! Sleeping together! Mass madness!

So it’s best to just dive right in. Ah, that’s better. And my faith has been restored in the order of the Universe.

I’ve got a couple of tracks/ bands recommended by some of my readers and – People I’ve listened to all your stuff but there are just a few tracks I have in mp3 format right now and these I shall play.

Kings of Leon: Once in awhile there comes a song that I can listen to on repeat for an hour straight. These songs are few and far between. One such song I found a couple of months ago was ‘On Call’. After fellow blogger Epiphany told me to listen to another track (I’m afraid I forgot which one), I decided to get myself their album ‘Only by the Night’. The track ‘I want you’ is what I’ve chosen off this album.

The Scavenger Project: The kids of this band are awesome. They also span quite an impressive range of heights. A reader here on EC (whose blog I adore) had mentioned the band in my comments section and I liked them. So here they are gracing the web with this track titled ‘Signs’.

Tom Cochrane: This is my pick of the day. If you’ve been hanging around here long enough you probably realize that I’m into music like this. Hopefully that’ll make my support of Tom Cochrane’s music even more meaningful. Twenty years from now, when your children are just starting to listen to your lame old music and when they stumble upon ‘Life is a Highway’ they will listen to over and over again.

And on that note of excitement, that’s the week! As always, questions and statements on anything I wrote over this week can be left in the comments section below.
(Pls hit Refresh if the player doesn't appear.)

Today, my older sister and her husband celebrate their anniversary. They went out for 3 years and have been married for 4. I would like to have a relationship like theirs, but I will not mention any names lest I prematurely terrify that particular someone.

At the moment, I feel like plucking out my throat to relieve myself of the pain I feel every time I try to eat or drink something. I rarely fall ill and when I actually do, it’s really bad. The symptoms of a sore throat have resulted in blogger's block and I’m consumed with worry that people will start finding my blog boring and then stop reading it because they've come to hate me.

Wish me luck.

Unless you've come to hate me, in which case, is there anything I can do to win you back?

And moving on to the music-

Just when I thought I was out, he pulls me right back in. For those who read yesterday’s post already know and are probably anticipating the man with the dreamy voice. It is once again time for me to dust off my spectacles and devote myself to exploring and revealing true music’s latest offering. With that in mind, onto the mystery heartbreaker.

Ray LaMontagne

For the record, he looks like this:

So there’s that.

Really, though, I’m actually pretty excited about this one.

Ray LaMontagne, the singer of ‘Let it be me’ is set to release his much-anticipated third album, ‘Gossip in the Grain’, on October 14th. His music is a fascinating cocktail of pastoral folk, railroad blues, front porch country, and plangent balladry. The song I posted on my blog yesterday proves what quality music is.

So what took me so long to write about this guy? Because he’s brilliant. Most of the time the word brilliant being associated with a track makes me want to post about it immediately, that day, on the spot. This time around, though, everyone I know agrees that it is brilliant. As such this song has been played out, heard by quite a few people, and garnered almost universal acclaim amongst my friends and family {I think even my mother likes it}. Trust me when I say that every single track this man has come up with is worth listening to and you’ll be grateful you’ve added Ray LaMontagne to your 2008's artist collection.

And that takes care of the majors. If anything caught your eye this month or week–or more importantly, if you want to talk about whether Ray LaMontagne is just radiant–feel free to let me know about it in the comments section below. Now if you’ll excuse me, the new episode of The Mentalist dropped in this week and I still haven’t watched it.
Peace out. Stay sweet. I’ll keep posting music if you keep pretending to care. That’s it today.

All By Myself

As a teenager I was always swept away with the images of nightlife I saw in movies and shows like Cheers and Ally McBeal that always seemed to feature working, sexy women experiencing the big city social prancing. I was born to drink my nights away in wine glasses filled with dangerous liquids while chatting casually with other working folks, dressed in formal attire. But I find myself at home with pubs and cafes not very far away and I deliberately choose to stay indoors for some much needed relaxation and homeliness – which feels like a hopeless announcement of defeat.

I remind myself of Bridget Jones, stuffed into her pajamas and safely tucked in her room far away from the world of the media. Sleeping early on a Saturday night I actually find myself looking forward to the idea of waking up early Sunday morning. This is how every spinster in the Asian continent feels, no?

There’s so much difference between the person I had imagined myself to grow up into and the boring person I see myself now. The image of going-out is just a way of making yourself feel better, of trying to live the life you saw on screen and see yourself do things you never imagined you could do in ordinary life? Drinking exotic drinks, dancing in a crowd, seducing someone handsome- Is there really a difference between that and the escapism of looking through various models of mobiles to find the one that will make you stand out while waiting for coffee? Is there a difference between making small talk with a bunch of arty-farty people over loud music and reading an exciting book, which reveals some truth about life and what’s been missing is right there in front of you if you look closer?

And I’d go on but this post is exceeding the number of characters that mark me as a social neurotic. So enough about the fantasized nightlife and the adolescent imaginations! It’s almost the end of the post, which means it’s time for The Musiq!
Here’s what I picked for today:

'Let it be me'

There’s a new man in town!

I have had his tracks sitting in a folder for more than a week and it’s about TIME he takes his place on my blog. I don’t think my house could contain that much awesome. I’m not saying more because this is just a teaser of what’s to come in my post tomorrow or sometime this week, but tonight belongs to this DUDE! Onward!

A Quick Update

At long last, my tickets have arrived for Dimapur, Nagaland. I’ll be going for a month long vacation, leaving next month: My Quest Is to Learn All I Can about Naga Culture and It’s People. I mention this not only because my blogging may be spotty for the next month, but also because some of these places I’m going to will have names, which I hope to god, I spell right.

First order of business: I must add him, my travel agent, to the list of people to whom I owe a debt of gratitude for his help in arranging my journey.

Second order of business: A Thank you goes out to my dear friends who offered to be my guides in the city.

Third order of business: Ru’s back and my package from my air hostess friend has arrived. Many little souvenirs from her trips around the world and a letter that left me crying. Pratz, I miss you!

So, that’s the update for Sunday! As for me, I’ll probably be over here re-reading the letter. Sob. Sob. Just… just knock first, okay?

Pictures taken by my best friend Imcha:

Traditional Ao Dress

Muse

There’s something about this track that is intoxicating. Almost makes me wish I was playing bass. This single impresses me with the amount of energy that is crammed into it. Seriously, a video of one of their live concerts will leave your mouth hanging open. Somehow they prove that nothing can be more awesome than a Muse track. If you’re only going to listen to one song today, this should be it.

Written on Fri, 10-10-08

Yikes, this has to be a quick one so I can sneak in between the sheets before midnight.

I survived ending things with my ex. It was long overdue.

I spent the first hour closing my eyes and praying that what he said wouldn’t affect my head.

I spent the next hour and a half messaging Mr. Flirt while I devoured a tub of ice cream.

In between, I wished my twin was around and not with her boyfriend in another state.

The whole evening was horrifyingly bizarre that I didn't really know what to do with myself afterwards, other than run to Mr. Flirt and talking to him seemed like the best thing to do at the exact moment when my self-esteem was least prepared to deal with the throbbing.

When I met my ex- Mr. Bollywood, the one with the anger management problem- I was lonely and bored and getting into a relationship with him just seemed so much better than sitting in front of the TV all night long. It's a vicious catch-22, and I've caught myself in it many times over the years. It seems as though companionship became more important to me than the way I was treated. Sometimes, I would just convince myself that I was making a big deal out of nothing and give it another go. Hope, or at least delusion, springs eternal. And when I ended things today it seemed like quite a relief to be out of that psyching game.

I need a holiday, frankly, and bizarre as it may seem, this is it. Sorry folks, this is all simply an expression of my own escapism, a fleeing from my life. Instead of lazing on a beach or walking through picturesque valleys I'm twiddling letters on a website. Perverse, no? What kind of vacation is that? Well right now I think change will be as good as rest.

What is it I'm looking for today?
What am I lost without?
Sitting despondent in front of my laptop,
Tossing out this painful rubbish?
Ah, don't worry about it, this mood won't stay for long.
Tomorrow is... oh, you know.

That's it for now, anyway. The road ahead is looking awkward indeed. Three more days in ill-fitting drag; sigh, that's not so many.

Last evening, fellow blogger, Meenakshi Reddy- the compulsive confessor, read from her book ‘You are here’, that I think is attention-grabbing and pretty amusing. It was really nice to meet her at the reading and she looked quite fabulous.

To the man who deserves nothing more than this song. Kate Perry sure did say it well- ‘You’re so gay’…

I have to admit that some of the best thinking I do is in the shower. I’m under the impression that maybe our mind works at a higher level during bath time. After all, when suffering from writer's block — or, back in college, when reaching desperately for oral presentation or paper topics — the warm cuddle of steaming hot water has always gotten those creative juices flowing again. Is it possible to control and channel the invigorating powers of showering in a new way, possibly to increase comprehension, ingenuity and knowledge? Perhaps so. Which is why I think everyone needs to have a 30 minute long shower if not an hour to make ourselves inventive and resourceful breathing entities. If your vocabulary levels are already outstanding, how about picking up a new language?
I stumbled upon this track by Virginia Coalition the other day. And for some reason today I’m supremely frustrated with life {I actually know the reason. I’m still waiting on my travel agent to come through with my tickets to Dimapur}. Once again the EC series is comprised of the best tunes I’ve heard this year. Yes I have a lot of free time. Yes I listen to a lot of music and no I don’t have time to listen to every single track that was online during the past thirty days. In my opinion, this track is brilliant and just what I need to beat the crappy mood.

And that, my friends, is today’s post. As always, any one-sentence questions or comments you might have can be left in the comments sections below. Even if you’re assuring me that I’m not the only person who thinks that Season 3 of Heroes sucks ass.

This new show ‘The Life & Times of Tim’ is a must-watch! Catch some of the clips here.
Enjoy the music and tell your friends. Here’s ‘Sing Along’.

I truly am the world’s worst blogger. However, I’m quickly becoming the world’s best employee. It's nice, to have a job from which I can come home and do nothing. I walk out my workplace, and the place ceases to exist until the next morning. I love it. Until the next morning, that is. I don’t love that it makes it harder to find time with Mr. Flirt, who’s usually busy when I get off work. He spent most of his time, this past week, asking me if I was alive. It’s funny; after months we are still utterly unable to have a complete, coherent phone conversation. We suck at it. He called me sometime back and listening to our conversations you’d think I’d never have spoken to a boy before. After we hang up I’d immediately think of lots of fun things to discuss. I hate the friggin phone. I have, however, come to love texting. I love how punctuations and words typed a certain way can tell you so much about the person.

Health has been on my mind for weightier reasons than too-tight tops that are starting to show my very obvious tummy bulge; I turned 25 recently. While 24 allowed me to evade the issue in my head, there’s no denying it now: I’m in my MID TWENTIES. 30 – gasp – is just around the corner. Yes, I know, 30 is the new 20, blah blah blah. I don’t feel bad about aging in general. There are only two milestones I have yet to meet on my very vague life plan, albeit big ones: to meet someone strikingly marvelous, and to own a Victorian house. I’m hard at work on the former, and hoping that might enable the latter, although after many years of staying with folks I’d be willing to settle for a rickety little house as long as I can paint the walls anything other than white. Other than that, I have a healthy appetite, a great job, a masters and a great bunch of friends. I think it’s going ok, but I reserve the right to freak the fuck out on Mondays, regardless.

Behold! Eve raves unabated, and in the wake of her weekly excitement, she is left with no recourse but to unleash some of the best tunes here today!! Tremble, ye mortals, for the streetwise devourer of melody hath commanded you, reader, to click on the player below that will generate which man doth call Music!

So it is written… So it shall be done!!!

That’s right, I’m posting a track of Detroit’s ‘Black Gold’ and you’ll love every second of it. You’re welcome by the way. I like this track because it’s laid back. It’s one of those rare songs that’s soothing as well as dance worthy. Everyone just chill out and listen to the bubble bursting.

Oh and if you have any questions, comments, or just want to talk about what an outrightly pretty post I've put up, feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email.

Sad Tale of Online Dating

I need the internet. Well, for one, its part of my everyday working life. After work, I get to check my mail, chat with friends I don’t see too often and generally catch up on new updates. The internet brings you in contact with so many folks, so what if you decide that you are going to meet some of them? Yeah, a mistake made, regretted and moved on from.

I had met two people online; both were without doubt exciting experiences! Enter Mr. Bollywood and Mr. Lying Scoundrel.

Mr. Bollywood looked like one of those suave heroes out of some movie. He was a charming, older man who seduced me in real life with his bad boy attitude and flowery language. After talking to him for a while online, I agreed to meet him. He turned out to be quite consistent with his online personality. Except that he had an anger management issue. But I was attracted to who I met and ended up having a short-lived but passionate relationship. Until I realized I had had enough of the verbal mistreatment and I dumped him online. You start some place you’re bound to end back there again. While our brief romance did end quite soon we still remain very good friends.

Mr. Lying Scoundrel was a very different experience. We met when I was on the rebound. We had been exchanging messages for a few weeks and shared pictures. The date finally happened and… I met a very different person. Instead of the slightly tall, cute haired bloke in the photos I had seen, I was greeted by the exact opposite. I admit I’m a bit superficial but seeing him in reality, I was instantly turned off and was now wondering what I could do with him. I had decided that even though I was no longer interested, it didn’t mean we couldn’t be friends for an hour or two. So I sat through the date talking about myself. And while we never kept in touch after that day it was quite the nicest date I’ve ever had. I came away from these experiences with the thought that that was what the internet was all about. It gives us the space to pretend to be who we want to be. It also allows us to escape from our own reality and enter someone else’s. Unfortunately, two different realities rarely get along well. I don’t know if I will ever meet anyone from the internet in real life again. If I do, I’ll remember that no matter how much I chat with someone I’ll never really know who’s on the other side of the screen.
-

-

-

-

-
Oh come on! It’s a National Holiday! You can’t really expect me to review stuff tonight, can you?

Just for the sake of tradition, though…

Here’s what I picked up this week…

I have sought only to serve the fans what meager offerings I could find. A lot of the tracks this time around are of the slow burn variety. They’re steady, consistent, and they get better the longer you listen to them. This is one of those tracks. A perfect tune for the start of rainy October. Enjoy the track below titled ‘You in a Song’ by Jason Reeves. I’ve done all I could to bring you only that which is worthy of your precious time. If you’d like to peruse through his other tracks, click this link and you will be magically taken to his My Space page.

And that’s all I got for you today. As always, feel free to discuss whatever you’d like from this week’s haul in the comments section, but there’s a bottle of vodka a-callin’ my name from the kitchen and after that, I plan on doing some serious sleeping in, to celebrate the fact that I’m not working on a Thursday.

Tomorrow, however… it begins again.

Oh and Eid Mubarak!

P:S: Rupa Gulab does have a blog. http://satiricalcitizen.blogspot.com/ (Brought to my attention by good ‘ol Bluesy Blues)

And updating the Buckley blog. Do check it out.

Girl Alone and More on My T-Shirt Idea

Okay, I don’t know if you guys know this or anything, but apparently, kids today are into these things called “blogs” where they go online and talk about stuff. You ask me, it’ll never catch on.

Clearly, I’m in a kidding sort of mood tonight.

Anyway, I’ve mentioned my affection for the book ‘Girl Alone’ sometime back here on EC, and I wish Rupa Gulab had a blog or something. The book is pretty good, if you’re in the mood for some really casual reading. And while I don’t think it’s in danger of being dethroned anytime soon, fellow blogger Meenakshi Reddy’s book ‘You are here’ seems awfully similar to this one. Still, both books are a pretty enjoyable way to knock out an hour or two.

In ‘Girl Alone’, our main character, Arti (also the main character of ‘You are here’), is the terribly smart and occasionally petulant girl that seems terribly familiar. There’s some nice character moments for her that see her feeling bad about her flaws and trying to be a better person. It’s zippy and entertaining, and Gulab’s art is highly parallel to that of Miss Reddy’s, but with an entirely different style of easy-to-read faces that really do a great job of bringing it to life.

When it comes to t-shirts, I’ve always been a fan of the slightly more plain t-shirts with logos on them and I’ve got to say thank you to the few who gave a shout of approval for the idea. In fact, I’m starting to think my Apparel section scheme might be making a turn for the better! Maybe this is where it all comes together and I’d start getting interesting designs that make sense.

Wednesday night like every other night belongs to the music played here on EC. In this post I'm going to abandon my usual method of band introduction and assure you that there’s only one thing I take seriously around here.

Because music is serious business. And that’s the foundation upon which the Internet’s Most Remorselessly Savage Music Blogs are based on.

And that’s the week. As usual, blah blah blah, comments and questions about anything I write are welcome- or an urge to discuss how Eveline is quietly becoming one of the best writers in the industry, feel free to drop in a line.

Just a friendly reminder for those of you who might’ve missed it: Heroes is out, well in the US. But thanks to The Pirate Bay, I’ve got the latest episodes to one of the most addictive series out there. And that, for the record, makes someone like this happy.

To SwB, Happy Belated Birthday

To Abhi, It’s about time you got here.

Here's Lacuna Coil with 'Closer'