'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.