mere funde

Some updates on stuff that happened while I was gone.

1. Most important - revived a friendship I think. Hope that this time it works better.
2. Misra got promoted - Yay! I bet he has to treat.
3. It is confirmed that Debo broke his leg.
4. My knee is healing up.
5. Albus Dumbledore is gay - Great!! Now I feel so weird about being rated as closest to Dumbledore on that Facebook app!! Maybe it is time to bid it farewell.
6. Rediff copies the article blatantly - or almost. I know they do mention LA Times in passing, but try to pull off the whole thing as theirs! (removed after an email and IM discussion with Ojas and Amit Varma)
   

Don’t have much time for a full post, so a small roundup:

• Google goes hindi. In a related news, it also launched the Finance service for China. Do it for India - the markets have gone bonkers!
• Jason Calacanis analyzes the Facebook hype. It is not a Google killer. Period. And I hate some Facebook apps that allow people to chuck things at me.
• Daily WTF - Copyright stupidity - Act One.
• Daily WTF - Copyright stupidity - the Grand Act. Sue a Durga Puja pandal of all things!!

Some interesting posts from around the blogoshpere.

• What if Harry Potter was written by someone else?
• Highlights from the Seventh edition - I specially like the one with “inhe kanoon ke hawale kar do”
• The Harry Potter movie review. Check out the special

Some spoilers ahead.

So I am finally done with Deathly Hallows and my verdict. Awesome.

There were so many questions in my mind before reading this book that I thought that all of them could not be answered in a single book. However, I must say that Ms. Rowling has done a fantastic job and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is one of the best books of the series.

The shocker first. The book does not belong to Harry Potter. It is all about Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore. Yes, Harry does most of the job, but it is Dumbledore and Snape that provide the real meat to the entire story. This is not to take anything away from Harry, Ron, and Hermoine.

The entire story of the brilliant yet enigmatic Dumbledore is poignant. He is a genius, yet human. He is perhaps the best wizard but even he falls to the philosophy of “greater good” for a wrong purpose and his desire for glory. I had this writing on the walls of my school once, “The greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time you fall.” And that is what makes him so great. He learns from his mistakes and becomes the champion of people (Muggle) he once scorned. Equally touching is the story f his family.

Snape is altogether a different story. I had almost killed myself thinking why would Dumbledore trust this fellow. But Rowling provides perhaps the most convincing reason. Love. His undying love for Lily and his dedication to saving her last belonging moved me to tears. That one mistake of calling her a Mudblood, him begging Dumbledore to save her, and his insistence that Harry never knows the truth. Very believable and incredibly sad. Would things have turned out different had he been in Gryiffindor? Maybe. It is about choices. Between love for Lily and hatred for James. Between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Between Voldermort and Dumbledore. He sure made some wrong ones initially. But in the end he made the correct choice, a tad bit late though.

The book moves at an incredibly fast pace and still there are a very few loose ends. Rowling almost magically weaves the different threads together that you believe most of what is happening. The wandlore is a slight disappointment to me though. Also, I think I expected a lot more from Prof McGonagall and the Order of the Phoenix.

All in all a very well written piece. One complaint though, Albus Severus, very bad. As rahul said, have two kids instead.

Quote of the book:

You know, I sometimes think we Sort too soon. . .

I got the book yesterday and read for 5 hours at a stretch, and again got up in the morning and read for another hour and a half. I am more than half way through the book and expect to complete the entire book by sometime around midnight today, and will then post a full review.

Meanwhile, Misra has completed reading the book and you might head over to his blog and read his review. Beware though, it contains spoilers. Also, though I had laid my hands on the ebook on Saturday itself, I waited for the actual book to arrive. Did not want to spoil the fun, and thankfully none of my friends messaged any spoilers.

I have finally received the book. Shipped in perfect condition, but just a little late. But I have lost faith and I am not ordering important stuff off Indiaplaza.

I hate Indiaplaza.in! Stupid people. Definitely my worst online shopping experience ever. You guys suck! I wish I could Avada Kedavra you.

I had ordered the final edition of Harry Potter some ages back and they have not yet delivered my book . I am furious and angry. On top of all this, they do not take calls, and their support has not been responding since morning.

Also, the last book I had ordered through them - Excel 2003 VBA - was delivered in 17 days. Can you frickin’ imagine that!!

I think I want to kick some ass. But the problem is, whose?

Can someone provide me with any other number to call them on? 080-41303030 does not work.

Indiaplaza has mailed back with the shipping details and it seems that I should be getting the book today. Also, they have sent me a Rs. 100 gift voucher, for filling some feedback form, and I am sure I am going to provide some feedback for the last two books I purchased.

The good things first - Helena Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange - devious, evil and totally believable. Imelda Staunton as that old hag, Dolores Umbridge. The dark side of the novel has been brought out brilliantly. The fight in the Ministry of Secrets.

The bad - is not as good as the book, which itself was not great. The book was long, and even though the movie tries to capture as much as it can, it misses out a lot and there is a lot of discontinuity.

Radcliffe plays his part as a frustrated Harry really well and Rupert Grint is loveable as ever. Emma Watson is cute as (swoons) Hermoine, but she does not play that significant a role in the movie. For that matter, no one does. And that is the entire problem. Other than Harry, no on else has a beefy role and it shows on the movie. I used to love Richard Harris as Dumbledore and the Michael Gambon, though he tries hard, does not match up. I think Gandalf from Lord of the Rings would have been a better replacement.

The kiss between Cho Chang and Potter isn’t worth all the hype and Ginny Weasly’s character has been built up slowly but solidly. The look in her eyes before Cho and Harry get “snoggy” is priceless. You can just feel her love for Harry.

If you are a Potter fan you will like the movie, even though you feel that many important parts have been paid less attention to. Go watch it. I would rate it 7 on 10.

PS: I am again in love with Nauheed Cyrusi. Watched Anwar partly last night.