This week's edition: Songs and scores made for one film, then used for another film to create an unnerving experience in its new setting.

De Usuahia a la Quiaca/Pajaros - Gustavo Santaolalla

The Motorcycle Diaries (starts at 3:36)

My Blueberry Nights

Save Me - Aimee Mann

Magnolia (music video)

The Jane Austen Book Club ( starts at 6:58 )

This collection of journal entries from Che's journey through South America with his friend Alberto on La Poderosa II is an insightful look into South America and its poverty stricken habitants. Che's hypnotic descriptive writing is incredibly insightful despite his young age (he was 23 when he set out on this year long road trip). It begins with about 30 pages of introductions from Che's daughter, maps of the road trip as well as analysis of Che's trip. These introductions help develop a frame of mind when reading Che's notes by placing this trip in a context with which the reader can understand.

Che was studying to be a doctor, and had just finished taking his exams when he set off on the trip. He stopped in many leprosy colonies, helping when he could. He and Alberto had many adventures and misfortunes in their travels, hitchhiking when La Poderosa II finally gave out, relying on the hospitality of the community to provide food and shelter then the two men ran out of resources. Sometimes the stories seem the same in each country and city he would visit, but I suppose that reflects something of the nature of Latin American life during that time. Its obvious this cross-country journey planted the seed of Che's future political career as a revolutionary in Cuba, and from reading his notes, you can't help but agree with his ideals and beliefs.

Che's work is filled with moments of humor, such as attempted to cross the desert by foot. Che writes "Until what point our actions were "heroic," as one policeman put it, we're not sure, but we began to suspect, I think with good reason, that the definitive adjective was approximating something more like "stupid.""(p82). There were also moments of real consideration and understanding of human suffering because of poverty and ill-effective governments. "...individuals in poor families who can't pay their way become surrounded by an atmosphere of barely disguised acrimony; they stop being father, mother, sister or brother and become a purely negative factor in the struggle for life and consequently, a source of bitterness for the healthy members of the community..." (p70). He alternates between these two moods, and sometimes throwing in awe, as when describing the city of Cuzco. We see the world through his eyes in this selection and in a way, you can almost visualize what he sees when he writes with passion and colorful language.

This particular copy also contains 12 pages of photographs from Che's and Alberto's trip, as well as a transcript of a speech Che gave to a group of medical students in Cuba almost 8 years after this trip. I am hoping to rent the movie starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Rodrigo de la Serna and compare that with the book sometime this week.

Find this book at your local library

Buy this book on Amazon

On October 12, 1992 I walked up to Coit Tower in San Francisco to gaze upon the statue of Christopher Columbus. The day marked the 500th Anniversary of his discovery of the new world. I unexpectedly would find the statue to be a work of collaboration of artists, from that of the sculpturer and a stealth painter who with a few strokes of red paint changed the entire emotional content of the statue. The red paint depicted blood spilling from his hand grasping a blood stained sword. These few strokes of red paint left a deep impression upon me, without which the statue would have remained a forgetful figure. The red paint was removed within days. Mankind insists on whitewashing history to preserve its myths.

I recalled this vivid memory upon reading of a new 80 foot bronze statue of a Che Guevara standing proudly in his hometown of Rosario, Argentina.

Who was the real Che Guevara? Was he the compassionate man of the people as portrayed in the eye-opening film, The Motorcycle Diaries? Or, was he the brutal butcher portrayed in the underrated mini-series, Fidel. Perhaps, both were true. As a younger man, he may have shunned violence. Then later on in life, when he donned the fatigues of war, he believed it became necessary to purge -- MURDER! -- real and imagined enemies of a Stalinist, hardline communist ideology.

The new statue of Che Guevara is incomplete. Where is the blood on his hands?

[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2623926387575468019&q=Che+Guevara+&ei=C85hSMugLYicrQOiuLSjAw]

1. I have lots of time in office. I spend almost 7 hours doing nothing..believe me its an art to enjoy this phase of life and not be bored at the same time.
   
2. Before my 2nd trip to Kerala in mid-may I researched a lot about the road maps, places to visit etc. in Kerala.
   
3. And Ofcourse the purchase of My dearest Ävi.
   

The first time we discussed about a road trip to Kerala was 2 years before. At that time I had a Splendour, Avadhut had his antique CD-100SS, Mukul was planning to buy a new bike and Anmol was as always stubborn for a bike trip and Manmit preferred a car/train trip. We had decided to go by Konkan railway and load our bikes in the train, roam the entire Kerala state on our bikes and then return back by train. But today things have changed, a 350cc Bullet, a 500cc Bullet and two Avengers (If Anmol is willing to bring his motorcycle) are more than willing to hit the national highways.

The plan is for 14 days in Kerala. Ofcourse it is just a rough plan and things are bound to change dynamically.

The basic outline for the plan is something like this.

Pune-Panaji-Mangalore-Munnar-Periyar-Alleppey-Trivandrum-Kanyakumari-Trivandrum-Kochi-Mangalore-Panaji-Pune

All distances are practical in a sense thinking of the highways traffic jams, weather conditions, offroading and its consequences ;). I know it is easily possible to complete 700kms in a day thereby saving a day and we might even do that.


Day1: Pune to Panaji: Distance covered is 461kms.

NH-4 Road Map

Everytime we goto Goa it is from the Kolhapur-Amboli-Sawantwadi route. However since we are interested in going to Panaji directly and not to Calangute, the route from Kolhapur to Panaji via Belgaum is the shortest.Till Belgaum we take NH-4 and then we turn towards Panaji to join NH-17.

Day2: Panaji to Mangalore: Disatance covered is 505kms.

NH-17 Road Map

It's riding only on the NH-17. Seems to be a beautiful ride through coastal Karnataka.What I like most of such bike trips is not just visiting the places but the travel time too.

However there is a high probability that we will cross Karwar on the first day itself. Karwar is about 550kms from Pune.

Day3: Mangalore to Munnar: Disatance covered is 402kms.

Mangalore (Mangaluru) to Munnar Road Map

Till Calicut we still continue to ride on NH-17. From Calicut onwards we turn in the interiors of Kerala towards Idukki district for Munnar.

Now the real journey starts. Munnar will be the first place we will explore in Kerala. I hope the weather will be great since this is one of the most scenic hillstation in India.

The route is Mangalore - Kasargod - Kangangad - Neeleswaram - Payyannur - Thalipparambu - Cannanore - Thalassery Mahe - Vadakara - Quilandy - Calicut - Kottackal - Kuttippuram - Edappal - Trichur - Chalakudy - Angamalli - Kalady - Perumbavoor - Muvattupuzha - Kothamangalam - Adimalli – Munnar

Day4: Explore Munnar and complete rest. Our biker souls will need a much deserved rest and Munnar seems to be the most idyllic place for that. There are thousand of spots in Munnar and I hope we cover almost all the major ones. I am expecting just 100kms this day exploring around Munnar since rest is on top priority.

Day5: I recommend a rest/reserve day here. Or else one can also explore the unlimited beauty offered in God's Own Country. For more info on Munnar click here http://wikitravel.org/en/Munnar

Day 5: Munnar to Thekaddy (Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary). Distance covered is 110kms.

Assuming that we don't take a rest day because of some or the other reason then we head to Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary.This might turn out to be the best drive of the trip.Only 110kms, but the road takes you through dense forests, slopes cornenerd by waterfalls admist greenery. Since 110kms can be covered in just a few hours we get the whole of the evening for ourselves. We can shop in the bazaar and at the same time go for the boat ride in the evening in the Periyar lake. This is one of the most unique sanctuaries in India. Although the option of exploring the 777sq. km sanctuary by car /foot is always open; but still the most preferred means for exploring the sanctuary is the boat ride in the lake which is situated in the middle of the forest. The boat rides are open throughout the day, but the probability of spotting wild animals is the most in early morning or in the late evening.

Munnar to Thekkady Road Map

Day 6: Periyar to Alleppey. Distance covered is 155kms.

Most of the tourist stay in a town called Kumily which is situated just next to the sanctuary. There are hotels inside the forest too, but they are expensive.

Periyar is also famous for its spice gardens and it offers guided tours to these gardens..but I am sure we might not be interested in it. There are shops which sell the best quality spices in India. Also lots of shops offer souvenirs made by the tribals/ locals. We can spend the morning shopping and visiting the park and then in the late evening we can set off for the land of backwaters- Alleppey. 155 kms by the side of the backwaters.. Oh!! I am simply going to love it.

Periyar to Alleppey Road Map

Day 7: Around Alleppey. Distance covered is 25 kms.

One of the main purposes of this trip is that it should be a laid back trip. There should be innumberable moments when we do nothing. And the backwaters of Kerala are the perfect gift of nature to enjoy this very feeling. I think we should dedicate one day to master the art of doing nothing. There are customized tours as per the need, as per the budget to fit the requirements of every tourist. There are backwater rides from 1 hour to a 3 day package.. from an AC 5 star boat to the most simplistic house boat (my personal fav.). I am looking forward to eat lots of fresh water fish here J

Day 8: Alleppey – Trivandrum- Kanyakumari- Trivandrum. Distance covered is 333kms.

Road map from Alleppey to Kanyakumari via Trivandrum (part of NH-47)

After being rejuvenated (MS-Word corrected the spelling for me ;) ) at Alleppey it is time to reach our destination- Kanyakumari. Actually Kanyakumari and Trivendrum did not feature in my original Kerala plan since I was of the opinion that going till the southernmost point is too much of time consuming. However, I realized (after Mukul's disapproval) that going to Kanyakumari is the biggest kick for keep the trip going.. I mean just the thought of reaching the southernmost point of India gives so much of satisfaction.

Drive till Kanyakumari is on NH-47 via Trivendrum. Once we reach Kanyakumari and after watching the Vivekanand Rock Memorial and the sunset I don't think there is much to do here. We would have travelled only 244kms that day. Since Trivendrum is just 87kms it is better to return back to Trivendrum.

Day 9: Explore Trivendrum. Around 50kms

All capital cities have their own charm and so does this one. Kovalam beach is the most famous here. Eat, drink and a day dedicated for complete rest. We can also use this as a reserve day.

Day10: Trivendrum to Cochin. Distance covered is 220kms.

The only city left in the itinerary is Cochin. For that matter every part, every district of Kerala is worth a visit, but then we have only 14 days with us. Cochin can also be skipped and we can start our return journey from Trivendrum itself. If we reach Cochin we get time to shop and most important is we get time to bid a final goodbye L. Refer map of NH-47.

Day11: Cochin to Mangalore. Distance covered is 447kms.

447kms ride of pure bliss. The entire road is through coastal Kerala entring southern Karnataka.

Day12: Mangalore to Panaji: Disatance covered is 505kms.Repeat of Day2

Day13: Panaji to Pune. Distance covered is 461 kms. Repeat of Day1.

Refer to NH-17 road map.

Here is a distance chart © of the major cities we will try to cover

PU- Pune

PN- Panaji

ML- Mangalore

CO- Cochin

MN- Munnar

PE- Periyar (Thekaddy)

AL- Alleppey

TR- Trivendrum

KA- Kanyakumari

I hope our (Manmit, Anmol and ofcourse myself) leaves are approved for the 2 week Kerala trip. Worst.. I sincerely wish that at least Mukul and Avadhut make this trip and use this post as a reference J.

We are planning to go after the 10^th day of Ganesh utsov..thats when the rains start to recede. Anant Chaturtithi(the 10^th day of Ganeshutsov is on 14^th Sept which is a Sunday.). I think 13-27 Sept seems to be the perfect time for the trip…

Note: In Kerala almost each town has two names, one in Mallu and the other in English (which the British Govt. kept since they couldn't pronounce them)

Cities with the same name:

1. Alleppey and Alappuzha
   
2. Kochi and Cochin. Also Ernakulum is the also used. I dont exactly know which is used when...but all 3 are almost the same.
   
3. Calicut and Kozhikode
   
4. Trivandrum and Thiruvananthapuram
   
5. Mangalore and Mangaluru (in Karnataka).
   
6. Kanyakumari and Kanniyakumari
   
7. Moreover Periyar is not a district. The wildlife sanctuary is called by that name. But it is in the Thekkadi district and in a small town called as Kumily. So basically when I refer to Periyar it is actually Thekkadi. Kumily in some 4 kms from Thekkadi.
   

Disclaimer: The information provided on this website can be used by anyone..however I will love to see a "Thank You" comment. The distances might not be accurate and the spellings of some towns in Kerala might be atrocious. I hope the CPI (M) don't go on a strike or order a ban on my blog.

PS: This is till date my most reasearched blog.

PPS: Most of the images are taken from http://mapsofindia.com and edited in MS-Paint (I love the simplicity of this tool). I have also used http://wikimapia.org extensively in my research. Although the former is a paid site I don't intend to use the maps for any commercial purpose and use is only for personal research. I have used the distance calculator of http://www.kerala.com/distance.htm. I thank this website too. However the distance chart is not copy-pasted from any website as you might have assumed. It is done in a liscenced copy of MS Excel. The Microsoft Office Picture Manager comes handy for cropping and resizing the images.

PPPS: A big thanks for the testing team, QA Team, Client and everyone involved in testing our application and reporting 1 bug/3 days which has given me so much of time. And a bigger thanks to our team for coding the application in such a manner that there are hardly any bugs ;)

1. On one of Dylan's visits to see Woody Guthrie at the New Jersey mental hospital, Guthrie tells him about "some boxes of songs and poems that he had written that had never been seen or set to melodies--that they were stored in the basement of his house in Coney Island and that I was welcome to them. He told me that if I wanted any of them to go see Margie, his wife, explain what I was there for. She'd unpack them for me. He gave me directions on how to find them. In the next day or so, I took the subway from the West 4th Street station all the way to the last stop, like he said, in Brooklyn, stepped out on the platform and went hunting for the house. Woody had said it was easy to find. I saw what looked to be a row of houses across a field, the kind he described, and I walked towards it only to discover I was walking out across a swamp. I sunk into the water, knee level, but kept going anyway--I could see the lights as I moved forward, didn't really see any other way to go. When I came out on the other end, my pants from the knees down were drenched,frozen solid, and my feet almost numb but I found the house and knocked on the door. A babysitter opened it slightly, said that Margie, Woody's wife, wasn't there. One of Woody's kids, Arlo, who would later become a professional songwriter in his own right, told the babysitter to let me in. Arlo was probably about ten or twelve years old and didn't know anything about any manuscripts locked in the basement. I didn't want to push it--the babysitter was uncomfortable, and I stayed just long enough to warm up, said a quick good-bye and left with my boots still waterlogged, trudged back across the swamp to the subway platform." (p. 100)

What a story! Stayed long enough just to warm up and then trudged back across the swamp! Dylan was the first mermaid. I was reminded of the scene in The Motorcycle Diaries where Che Guevara swims across the river to the leper colony to shake their hands while the people look from the other side. Brooklyn had a swamp in the 60s. I guess gentrification levelled that one.

We reached there on our bikes. The road was through semi-dense forests with steep mountains on one side and Mulshi backwaters on the other. Once we left the main Mulshi road we didnt see a single vehicle in the journey. Then came time for the last 1 km of the journey.. time for some serious offroading. The road(was there any??) was through bushes, large pebbles and stones.

We finally reached the place by around 9pm. Honestly I was totally chickened out. Imagine just 5 of us, on a secluded spot, totally disconnected from civilization. Bhajans were being played in the nearest village and I actually I liked it; felt a bit secure. We(rather everyone except me ;) ) put the grill (which a simple steel mesh) on the stones placed around the small pit and in no time WOOOFFF .. the fire was all set. Immediately we started boiling water for the maggi and put some chicken pieces on the grill.

By mistake (remember--> BY MISTAKE) my legs touched the kerosene which was kept on the ground in a cup spilling it all. We had to use our bike petrol as fuel for cooking. I don't know why these things happen with me. Once in Nagoan, Konkan we had searched for 45 mins for a shop selling Vodka, we purchased it for 50% more than MRP and just before having it in our hotel room I spilled it :(. Anyways my achievements deserve a separate post.

The chicken was awesome. A BIG THANKS to Mukul, especially bcoz even for Manmit's sarcastic remarks he prepared it without any chid-chid. (although once he threw a little bit of tantrum by saying he wont do it, but calmed down in seconds :) ).

Anmol meanwhile tried his best to help him and to a certain extent did help Mukul. Talking about Anmol he has put a moustache which is really looking stupid on him.

We were lucky that it was the night before full moon. The moonlight really helped although sometimes the moon was being covered with clouds. The light was bright enough for preparing the food.

We covered the place where we were going to sleep with our bikes..a psychological security for Anmol. After a fight over the places as to where we should sleep (in which I lost and was "Ordered" to sleep in the corner) we slept in no time. The below snap is of our bedroom.

I remember getting up at 6:30am and saying to Manmit that I could hear someone's footsteps. I was completely in my sleep and I again slept. I could hear Mukul and Manmit getting up and going towards the water to catch a glimpse of the sunrise. I really missed it.

It was an hour since the sunrise but still I was sleeping in my MADE IN USA sleeping bag. I knew Anmol was jealous of it. It was so very comfy comfy. I like such sleeping bags...u just need to slide in it and zip yourself from inside.

Mukul boiled water for some tea and coffee. He had the same enthusiasm after all things were going his way and was enjoying the creative liberty.

The crystal clear clean blue water was too tempting. I decided to swim with Mukul. About 100m from the bank was a very small island. We decided to swim till there. But as I started to swim some kind of fear gripped me. What if I get a cramp like the one I get while doing "Leg curl" exercise in the gym, what if some poisonous reptile or insects bites me, what if I don't make till the island and worse what if a beast like the Loch ness monster catches hold of me?? I was shit scared. And as I was in the middle of it I realized my stamina had reduced by half. Mukul reached the island and it was a big motivation for me. But I preferred gliding more than swimming and conserving my stamina since I had to return back. Once we reached the island we decided to relax. Now I really missed Avadhut. I mean this guy loves swimming even in canals and here we were swimming in blue waters. It was such a refreshing feeling. A white bird kept hovering around us and made extremely irritating shrieking voice. Adamant Manmit finally photographed us. The one in the front is Mukul and behind him is me and behind me is our small private island. Having said that Manmit clicked a snap of every memorable moment and that must be appreciated.

We packed our bags, cleaned the place (mind u not even a small piece of plastic did we left behind) and rode off on our bikes. Again chance for some off-roading.We wondered how we managed to ride so easily in the night! This was our road..just imagine!!

Manmit clicked this snap from some height. It has come up beautiful.

Now we could enjoy the scenic beauty in the real sense since the previous night we could only knew that we are driving alongside the backwaters. We realized that the huge mountain behind our small private island was another island. We dreamt of purchasing the entire island but we jumped back to reality after the thought that Anmol might help us for the land deal ;)
But imagine, how beautiful it would be to own an island some 50kms from Pune. WOW!!

This superb trip although had a sad end.. I lost my wallet and ofcourse my driving licence :( :( . Luckily for me, I had kept my credit and debit card at home.

With Mukul showing no interest in Konkan and the new found craze of bike trips I think forts and such random trips are the future of our group.

From L to R: Manmit(with a duplicate Ray Ban ;) ), Mukul(with all biking accessories like a jacket, gloves, knee pads, saddle bags) and Anmol on my future bike hopefully...

The Control Group

Movies with Liberal Messages/Themes

The correlation coefficient for the control group was 0.6938172023, while it was a paltry 0.2309258957 for the movies with liberal messages or themes. The coefficient represents the degree to which one data set correlates with another - basically, critics and audiences are more in agreement if the number is higher. There's a pretty significant difference here, suggesting that film critics as a whole tend to endorse liberal flicks more than the general populace does.

Also fun: using CelebPolitics.com's lists of the most liberal/conservative films determined by the cast's ideology.