As they say, the best things in life are free. And Dallas follows this advice quite nicely.
1) Auditorium 10 at the movie theater on Jupiter and 635: This is the strangest theater I've ever been to. I think there were a total of 50 seats. When I have my own personal home theater, it will look exactly like this (minus the annoying small children). It's partitioned off from Auditoriums 1-9 so much that they don't have an usher collecting tickets.
2) DART: It's true. The metro rail center for the DFW metroplex can be a free ride. Rumor has it that DART officials ride the trains every once in awhile to check that you have bought a ticket, but only in certain areas and at certain times. So, if you time it correctly, you can go anywhere in the city for free.
Note: I don't in any way endorse the above. Stealing is a crime and should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Saturday, June 25, 2005
More Reviews
I went to a couple of live shows this week. Here are my thoughts.
Riverdance (Tuesday) - First of all, the venue was in Grand Prairie, so it took about 1.5 hours to get there. Ugh, I hate Dallas traffic.
Too many cars + clueless drivers driving too fast = accidents.
Anyway, my mom and I left the apartment at 6 and the show didn't start until 8, so we still had plenty of time. The theater was really nice: incredibly quiet despite the thousands of people, and plush comfy chairs in the lobby. It had been awhile since I had seen Riverdance (2 or 3 years ago on PBS, when Michael Flatley was still the lead dancer), so I had almost forgotten what the big hoopla was all about, and doubted whether this group would be able to pull off a good performance without their main dancer. But, alas, it was a great show. It was sorta slow at times, when they had groups singing in Irish, but the fancy footwork routines more than made up for it. It amazes me how many taps they can complete in a minute, and it's an incredible sensation to see it live; at times, it looked like their legs were made of rubber, the way they were moving so quickly.
Grade: A (The females looked like fairies)
Music Temptation 2005 (Friday) - Yes, that was the official name of the event. Basically, there were about 5 or 6 of the biggest Indian playback singers (most of the music in India comes from movies, so a playback singer is the person who actually performed the song versus the actor/actress lip-synching in the movie), complete with musicians and "Bollywood Dancers." The event was at the Dallas Convention Center complex, which is in the rundown part of downtown Dallas. Traffic wasn't as bad as when going to Riverdance, and parking was much cheaper, so no complaints there. This event was much less professional than Riverdance though. They didn't start seating people until about 15 minutes before the show started, which meant it was an hour into the program before everyone was seated. So yeah, there was tons of movement and noise in the audience for at least an hour and a half. After people settled down, the show was much easier to enjoy. Admittedly, I'm not hip to all the latest Hindi songs (or to any of the older ones that were performed), but it was definitely fun to hear the ones I did recognize. The last performer, Kunal G., actually came out into the stands and shook hands and signed autographs while singing. The whole performance lasted over 4 hours, but it was definitely entertaining. Quite different from Riverdance in terms of venue, audience, and just overall quality of show, but still entertaining.
Grade: B (Yeah, as fun as it was, I don't think I'll be going to one of these again.. unless of course Aishwariya and Preity Zinta come together or something)
Riverdance (Tuesday) - First of all, the venue was in Grand Prairie, so it took about 1.5 hours to get there. Ugh, I hate Dallas traffic.
Too many cars + clueless drivers driving too fast = accidents.
Anyway, my mom and I left the apartment at 6 and the show didn't start until 8, so we still had plenty of time. The theater was really nice: incredibly quiet despite the thousands of people, and plush comfy chairs in the lobby. It had been awhile since I had seen Riverdance (2 or 3 years ago on PBS, when Michael Flatley was still the lead dancer), so I had almost forgotten what the big hoopla was all about, and doubted whether this group would be able to pull off a good performance without their main dancer. But, alas, it was a great show. It was sorta slow at times, when they had groups singing in Irish, but the fancy footwork routines more than made up for it. It amazes me how many taps they can complete in a minute, and it's an incredible sensation to see it live; at times, it looked like their legs were made of rubber, the way they were moving so quickly.
Grade: A (The females looked like fairies)
Music Temptation 2005 (Friday) - Yes, that was the official name of the event. Basically, there were about 5 or 6 of the biggest Indian playback singers (most of the music in India comes from movies, so a playback singer is the person who actually performed the song versus the actor/actress lip-synching in the movie), complete with musicians and "Bollywood Dancers." The event was at the Dallas Convention Center complex, which is in the rundown part of downtown Dallas. Traffic wasn't as bad as when going to Riverdance, and parking was much cheaper, so no complaints there. This event was much less professional than Riverdance though. They didn't start seating people until about 15 minutes before the show started, which meant it was an hour into the program before everyone was seated. So yeah, there was tons of movement and noise in the audience for at least an hour and a half. After people settled down, the show was much easier to enjoy. Admittedly, I'm not hip to all the latest Hindi songs (or to any of the older ones that were performed), but it was definitely fun to hear the ones I did recognize. The last performer, Kunal G., actually came out into the stands and shook hands and signed autographs while singing. The whole performance lasted over 4 hours, but it was definitely entertaining. Quite different from Riverdance in terms of venue, audience, and just overall quality of show, but still entertaining.
Grade: B (Yeah, as fun as it was, I don't think I'll be going to one of these again.. unless of course Aishwariya and Preity Zinta come together or something)
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Movie Reviews
I've seen three movies in the past couple of weeks (two Hindi and a small independent American one). Here are my thoughts.
'Bunty aur Babli' (Bunty and Babli) - An Indian version of Bonnie and Clyde. Two idealists leave their families, realizing that they don't understand their dreams. The guy, Bunty, believes his ideas are really great and that he could be an excellent businessman if someone gave him an opportunity. The girl, Babli, wants to be a model and tries to sneak into Miss India pageants all over India. The two of them meet at a train station, and after lying to each other about how great they are ("Yeah, I'm a really successful businessman", "Yup, I'm about to become Miss India"), they both finally tell the truth about how they both failed, but still don't want to go back to their families. So, they decide that they'll try to succeed in another city. But first, they'll need some money. This is where the movie really begins, because to get the money, they concoct various schemes and plots to con people. It's great fun. I won't reveal too much more, because I know you'll be rushing out to see it once you finish this post, but I will say that the "world's most beautiful woman" makes a great cameo!
Grade: A
'Parineeta' (One who is married) - This movie is based on a classic 1960's Indian novel based in Calcutta. It's the story of two childhood friends who live next door to each other. The guy is really rich, and the girl is really poor (yeah, I don't get how live next to each other either). The movie starts with the wedding of the guy to a rich girl (who can't cook, and at a bizarre moment confides in someone else that she will kill him), and the rest shows how the relationship between the two has grown over the years. It's a pretty interesting movie, and gives an insight to life in 1960's India. No Aishwariya though (although the rich girl looks like she could be Ash's sis), so that knocks the grade down a letter.
Grade: B
'Batman Begins' - Yes, this is the small independent American movie that started last week. Since it may slip under your radar, here's a brief synopsis: A boy is afraid of bats, primarily because he gets attacked by thousands of bats when he falls into the cave behind his huge mansion. His fear forces his parents to leave the opera when grown men dressed as bats appear on stage. When they're outside, he sees his parents get mugged and murdered, so he decides that crime is bad, and he needs to fight it at every turn possible. He also realizes that he can't really fight crime as a man, so he decides to take the persona of a "Bat man," hence the title. Pretty different from the previous Batman movies, but I saw a lot of similarities with the Spiderman movies. Oh, and Katie Holmes is in it. I'm waiting for the sequel.
Grade: A
I saw the first two movies with my mom, and the last one with 7 other people. I'm surprised that many people came, considering an event I previously organized (my birthday dinner) was at a location that was shut down! Yeah, so I told everyone the movie was at 7:30 pm, but bought tickets for everyone for the 7 pm showing. Ah well, luckliy the theater wasn't crowded and they let us into the 7:30.
After the movie, some of us went to Cafe Brazil and we had a waitress, Jaime, who looked like the long lost sister of Jessica and Ashlee (who are also from Richardson!) . She was kinda crazy, but then again, it was Cafe Brazil, and that's probably one of the questions on the application.
'Bunty aur Babli' (Bunty and Babli) - An Indian version of Bonnie and Clyde. Two idealists leave their families, realizing that they don't understand their dreams. The guy, Bunty, believes his ideas are really great and that he could be an excellent businessman if someone gave him an opportunity. The girl, Babli, wants to be a model and tries to sneak into Miss India pageants all over India. The two of them meet at a train station, and after lying to each other about how great they are ("Yeah, I'm a really successful businessman", "Yup, I'm about to become Miss India"), they both finally tell the truth about how they both failed, but still don't want to go back to their families. So, they decide that they'll try to succeed in another city. But first, they'll need some money. This is where the movie really begins, because to get the money, they concoct various schemes and plots to con people. It's great fun. I won't reveal too much more, because I know you'll be rushing out to see it once you finish this post, but I will say that the "world's most beautiful woman" makes a great cameo!
Grade: A
'Parineeta' (One who is married) - This movie is based on a classic 1960's Indian novel based in Calcutta. It's the story of two childhood friends who live next door to each other. The guy is really rich, and the girl is really poor (yeah, I don't get how live next to each other either). The movie starts with the wedding of the guy to a rich girl (who can't cook, and at a bizarre moment confides in someone else that she will kill him), and the rest shows how the relationship between the two has grown over the years. It's a pretty interesting movie, and gives an insight to life in 1960's India. No Aishwariya though (although the rich girl looks like she could be Ash's sis), so that knocks the grade down a letter.
Grade: B
'Batman Begins' - Yes, this is the small independent American movie that started last week. Since it may slip under your radar, here's a brief synopsis: A boy is afraid of bats, primarily because he gets attacked by thousands of bats when he falls into the cave behind his huge mansion. His fear forces his parents to leave the opera when grown men dressed as bats appear on stage. When they're outside, he sees his parents get mugged and murdered, so he decides that crime is bad, and he needs to fight it at every turn possible. He also realizes that he can't really fight crime as a man, so he decides to take the persona of a "Bat man," hence the title. Pretty different from the previous Batman movies, but I saw a lot of similarities with the Spiderman movies. Oh, and Katie Holmes is in it. I'm waiting for the sequel.
Grade: A
I saw the first two movies with my mom, and the last one with 7 other people. I'm surprised that many people came, considering an event I previously organized (my birthday dinner) was at a location that was shut down! Yeah, so I told everyone the movie was at 7:30 pm, but bought tickets for everyone for the 7 pm showing. Ah well, luckliy the theater wasn't crowded and they let us into the 7:30.
After the movie, some of us went to Cafe Brazil and we had a waitress, Jaime, who looked like the long lost sister of Jessica and Ashlee (who are also from Richardson!) . She was kinda crazy, but then again, it was Cafe Brazil, and that's probably one of the questions on the application.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Close Call(s)
Wow. I saw two accidents happen in front of me this past weekend. I'm talking a difference of a couple of minutes, and I could easily have been involved in either of one of them.
The first one was on Friday, at the intersection right in front of my apartment. We were about 1000 ft away, and I couldn't tell exactly what transpired, but it looked like one person was trying to turn left and maybe another was going straight. As soon as the two vehicles collided, the driver who was turning left was completely motionless. My mom and I went grocery shopping, and when we came out, there were at least two fire trucks and a couple of police cars right at the scene, and traffic was backed up in all four directions of the intersection. We had to wait in a line to get out of the parking lot. I had no idea my apartment was at such a dangerous intersection.
The second accident happened today, on 635 East (an incredibly busy highway in Dallas), when we were coming back from the temple. My mom heard a screeching noise, so I looked in my rearview mirror, and saw a car moving perpendicular to traffic (i.e. from one concrete barrier to the other). Needless to say, there was lots of contact, and traffic was probably backed up for at least a couple of miles. My mom also pointed out that there would probably be more accidents further down, since traffic was moving so fast. If we had left the temple a couple of minutes later, or had a red light instead of a green one somewhere earlier, we very easily could have been involved. (I could get all religious, and say that since we went to temple, that's the reason we were ok, but I won't).
I've always said I hate Dallas drivers, and maybe a lot of that was because I was used to the Austin way of driving -- slower, and less aggressive. I've seen firsthand this weekend that they really can't drive, and that if you don't watch your back, this is probably one of the most dangerous places to drive in the United States.
The first one was on Friday, at the intersection right in front of my apartment. We were about 1000 ft away, and I couldn't tell exactly what transpired, but it looked like one person was trying to turn left and maybe another was going straight. As soon as the two vehicles collided, the driver who was turning left was completely motionless. My mom and I went grocery shopping, and when we came out, there were at least two fire trucks and a couple of police cars right at the scene, and traffic was backed up in all four directions of the intersection. We had to wait in a line to get out of the parking lot. I had no idea my apartment was at such a dangerous intersection.
The second accident happened today, on 635 East (an incredibly busy highway in Dallas), when we were coming back from the temple. My mom heard a screeching noise, so I looked in my rearview mirror, and saw a car moving perpendicular to traffic (i.e. from one concrete barrier to the other). Needless to say, there was lots of contact, and traffic was probably backed up for at least a couple of miles. My mom also pointed out that there would probably be more accidents further down, since traffic was moving so fast. If we had left the temple a couple of minutes later, or had a red light instead of a green one somewhere earlier, we very easily could have been involved. (I could get all religious, and say that since we went to temple, that's the reason we were ok, but I won't).
I've always said I hate Dallas drivers, and maybe a lot of that was because I was used to the Austin way of driving -- slower, and less aggressive. I've seen firsthand this weekend that they really can't drive, and that if you don't watch your back, this is probably one of the most dangerous places to drive in the United States.
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
DP
There's been a lot of controversy recently over whether it was appropriate for race-car driver Danica Patrick to pose for FHM magazine.
Some say that she has enough talent (she placed 4th at the Indy 500) and shouldn't have posed, while others say that if she can get money for it, there's no harm in it.
As a heterosexual, American male, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that I belong to the latter group. I think that by posing in the magazine, she has broadened her fan base by reaching out to an audience who otherwise might never have watched race-car driving. For those who say it cheapens the sport by essentially reducing her to a sexual object instead of the skillful driver that she is, are also grossly misinformed.
Her decision to pose is a great marketing move, and has the same effect as being in a commercial for the race. It attracts viewers, and potentially brings in a new audience.
As Dan Wheldon (the winner of the Indy 500) put it, "If there were 32 guys and one hot girl, I would put the hot girl on the cover [of Sports Illustrated] too. You'd be crazy not to."
Danica Patrick is almost the new hotness. She still has tough competition with Britney and Carrie though.
Some say that she has enough talent (she placed 4th at the Indy 500) and shouldn't have posed, while others say that if she can get money for it, there's no harm in it.
As a heterosexual, American male, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that I belong to the latter group. I think that by posing in the magazine, she has broadened her fan base by reaching out to an audience who otherwise might never have watched race-car driving. For those who say it cheapens the sport by essentially reducing her to a sexual object instead of the skillful driver that she is, are also grossly misinformed.
Her decision to pose is a great marketing move, and has the same effect as being in a commercial for the race. It attracts viewers, and potentially brings in a new audience.
As Dan Wheldon (the winner of the Indy 500) put it, "If there were 32 guys and one hot girl, I would put the hot girl on the cover [of Sports Illustrated] too. You'd be crazy not to."
Danica Patrick is almost the new hotness. She still has tough competition with Britney and Carrie though.
Friday, June 03, 2005
Boring!
Apparantly there's this new show starting called "The Scholar" or something where a bunch of high school students try to compete for a "full-ride scholarship" to college.
Is it just me or does that sound like the most boring show ever? Who wants to watch a bunch of people studying? Couldn't I just go to the library if I wanted to see that? I'm a fan of most reality television, but this show just has disaster written all over it.
Is it just me or does that sound like the most boring show ever? Who wants to watch a bunch of people studying? Couldn't I just go to the library if I wanted to see that? I'm a fan of most reality television, but this show just has disaster written all over it.
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