Yes it’s old news I know, but I was looking for this video actually. Even Ncell missed out on posting the video in their news, so I didn’t cover it then. I so wanted to see how the flash mob went @City Center. Last time I saw a Nepalese flash mob video was by the “Brick Clean Network” about which I posted in my personal blog too and it was a pretty entertaining one if you see it and was for a good cause too.

“A flash mob (or flashmob) is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and pointless act for a brief time, and then quickly disperse. The term flash mob is generally applied only to gatherings organized via telecommunications, social media, or viral emails.” – Wiki

Luckily some guy must have caught the Ncell flash mob @City Center that happened at Jan 25^th at around 5:00 pm in his mobile or something and uploaded it in the Youtube. As you can see in the video all of a sudden people come out of nowhere, all dressed in flashy dresses and start singing and dancing the new Ncell jingle “I am Ncell”. The mob of around 30 people performed for around 3-4 minutes, surprising the shoppers and then dispersed after the performance. At the end they gave away gift hampers to the crowd who were there. It was pretty cool.

One thing I’d like to clear though to the Ncell folks is that this is not the first flash mob in Nepal as they’ve stated wrongly in their news. I’ve already mentioned that Brick Clean Network has already done one in Basantapur ages ago and there’s this one organisation called Flashmob Kathmandu who has also done few flashmobs.

Nepal Oil Corporation has increased fuel prices (except for gas cylinders) have increased by NRs 4. That goes for petrol, diesel, kerosene and airplane fuels. Now the price of a liter of petrol is NRs 116, diesel and kerosene is NRs 85, and airplane fuel is NRs 109. The new prices will be implemented starting from today i.e. Saturday, February 25, 2012.

I’m sure the strikes are on their way by different student unions to give pressure to the government but that isn’t going to change anything, is it? For a time being, the government might be say pressurizes and decreases the price by a rupee or two; then there will be shortage for fuel again (not that the fuels are going to be widely available even after the price hike) and that will follow another price hike.

Anyways, let’s see how long does this new price list lasts? For now, I feel pretty lucky that I filled my bike’s tank just a couple of days ago.

I always wanted to add Facebook comment box in StuffsForAll.com and today I thought of giving it a shot without thinking of anything else just because I was in a good mood. So, I knew there will be many wordpress plugin to do that (just an info. that StuffsForAll.com is a self hosted wordpress blog with a magazine theme); I just had to choose the right one (the one that matches the version of my wordpress 3.3.1 which is the latest one and the easiest one to implement). I tried a couple of plugins, “Fat Panda Facebook Comment” and “Facebook comments” and both of them successfully added Facebook comment box ready but then there was a slight problem. Actually, there were a number of problems due to which I had to look for other suitable plugins and make few changes here and there.

1. First of all, I was not quite sure what to do with the comment in my previous posts; either display them or hide them? Same with the traditional comment box too because those were needed for the people who don’t use Facebook like I do and if I choose to display both the comment boxes, then I don’t think it won’t look that good on the design part.
2. Now suppose I display all the previous comments, the number of comments to display below the title has to show the count of the Facebook comments plus the traditional comment box comments which I think could be possible with few lines of coding.

So, here I was all jammed up and I had to make a decision real quick coz I so hate to be stuck in anything. Finally after thinking for a while, consulting few friends and going through many plugins, I decided to start fresh with the new Facebook Comments boxes only. I’m now using SEO Facebook Comments plugin which has this cool facility to automatically add your Facebook comment to WordPress so that later even if you de-activate this plugin, the comments are right there. Also, I have hidden the traditional comment box for a time being. This is just a test for now and if needed, I’ll get it back again later on. For those of my readers, who want to comment in the posts but don’t use Facebook, all I can say is that I am terribly sorry. I hope you guys understand and support me. Any kind of feedback is much appreciated.

The story is simple; George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), is a kind-heated, charming, incredibly talented but arrogant and vain silent Hollywood movie superstar of late 1920s who has everything going for him. He loves his life and everyone in it but is sometimes a bit more self-indulgent then he should be. He meets and mentors a young, budding and talented actress Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), who’s young, charming and filled with enthusiasm. After the early break, given to her by George, the arrival of 1930’s sees the arrival of talking movies, and also marks the rise of Peppy and concurrently the demise of George. The movies thus marks the struggle of a silent movie star to come to grasp that he either have to reinvent himself or be washed into history. It also marks the struggle of the Peppy, who with all the respect for her idol must be the one who replaces him. Add to the set-up a very adorable little dog with lots of colorful character, a very loyal butler and a somewhat good-natured but business minded producer and we got the story of the The Artist.

The movie takes the colors, the widescreen cinematic frame and the voice (except music) out of the equation and thus adds something that has been long lost in Hollywood movies. The emphatic acting, the precision dancing, the acting through facial expressions and magnified body languages, shadow dancing, physical comedy and the romance of the eyes. It’s a shame that when the characters are given voices they are constrained from displaying the expressions that makes the golden silent movies such great assets. You just sit in awe, while watching a 5 second pan of the actress’ face while she convoy’s the character’s emotions without talking, the everlasting glair at infinity of the leading actor or the sudden signature perky smile to shower the audience with his charisma. You just feel the jubilation to watch the characters tap-dance to jazz music, while the heroin blows kisses at you and the extra emphasized wink. The little sketches that convey exactly what the characters are feeling and the romance and euphoria in them. The movie is excellent in giving attentions to minute details. When you almost empty the box of tools you have, you have to use the tools you do have with exquisite cleverness, care and wisdom, and  Michel Hazanavicius and the crew of the movie pulls that off marvelously.

Jean Dujardin gives a performance of his lifetime. His George Valentin looks, seems and feels as larger than life, filled with class and warmth as a great 1930’s Hollywood superstar would. Even in the scenes when George is in his rags and have lost everything, Dujardin carries him with infinite class and poise. He embodies the golden generation, with perfectly expressive face, hairstyle and clothing fashion and even without having a single dialogue, he speaks right to the audience and charms them.

Bérénice Bejo looks normal when she has to, and when its needed to have a diva like persona she delivers that too. She, as her character’s name suggest, is peppy and electric, her signature whistle and blowing kiss move, in the movie always gets a smile onto your face, but whenever the movie demands of her to show emotions torn up between being a professional talking movie actress and loving a man who has lost everything he had due to the arrival of talking movie, she looks exactly that.

The music by Ludovic Bource is cleverly created from classic Hollywood movie scores. Some of it is original but most of it is a tribute to classic Hollywood romantic and noir era.

In the 65th British Academy Film Awards, the movie won seven awards including Best Film and Best Actor. At the 69th Golden Globe Awards, the movie won three, Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Dujardin and Best Musical Score for Bource. At the 84th Academy Awards, The Artist has received 10 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director for Hazanavicius, Best Actor for Dujardin, Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Score.

The movie works, because it’s a pleasant change to the type of movie we are accustomed to see. Well, at least in a technical term. Most of us have forgotten the golden black and white era; we have kept snapshots of it in our memory, with some signature shots of our favorite silent movies, but they are all inside the vault. This movie makes us want to open that vault and look at those pictures again, those glairs, that smile, those Charlie Chaplin movie scenes, the Dracula frights, Frankenstein, the monsters, that romance, that pain, those tears, tap dancing, physical comedy gags, the battering of the eyes and the gestures of the body and and wave of the hands; it’s a pleasant set things, to remember and smile.

The funny thing was that under those bridges, there were a bunch of people fenced with those black and white traffic fences and few traffic polices were giving them lectures or recording their names or stuffs like that. The sight was really funny. All of a sudden somehow I imagined like sheep were being surrounded by fences and were guarded by dogs (no offense to the traffic police though). I stopped by to check what was going on and came to know that the traffic has started a campaign where they will act upon (contain them for some time in the fence, give them lectures and also fine NRs 50) the people who are crossing the road without using the overhead bridges.

I think this campaign started from today because I didn’t saw it yesterday or day before yesterday. I checked out the Traffic Police website and they’ve only mentioned that they are penalizing the pedestrians who are not using the overhead bridges.  The checking starts from 7 am to 6 pm and I’ve seen the traffic polices in the overhead bridges of Ratna Park, Bothahity and Sundhara for now (didn’t see them in the bridge of Jamal though).

Well, this is a very good effort by the metropolitan traffic and even though many people aren’t going to like it, I’m sure the numbers of accidents are going to decrease with the start of this campaign and then probably people might realize that this is for their own benefit.

Image source: ekantipur.com

After Khagendra Thapa Magar, seems like we got another short guy in Nepal trying to make his way to Guinness World Records. 72-year-old man Chandra Bahadur Dangi from a small village called Rhimkholi (about 250 miles west of Katmandu) has claimed to be the shortest man alive in the world and arrived to Kathmandu.

Dangi claims to be only 56 centimetres (22 inches) tall which will make him 3.93 cms shorter that the current holder of the world’s shortest man Junrey Balawing (Philippines, born 12 June 1993) who measures 59.93 cms (23.5 in) tall. If the claim holds up, Dangi will not only be the shortest living man but will also be the shortest adult human to ever have their age and height verified by Guinness World Records (current record is of Gul Mohammed of India, who at 22.5 inches was considered the shortest adult human to ever have their age and height verified before he died in 1997 at the age of 40).

It seems strange though that someone as short as Dangi has been unnoticed for such a long time. Probably, it was because he was living in a remote village where there were no proper means of communication. Anyways, officials from Guinness World Records are on their way to verify the claim. Hope the claim is successful and he makes the history. All we can say is good luck and cross our fingers.

This is the same JP Gupta against whom CIAA (Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority) has filed a case at the Special Court in 2003 for accumulation of massive properties (worth NRs 2.8 million) exploiting his position and power (of course not matching his income), but was freed in 2007 because of insufficient evidences. Back then he was a Nepali congress leader.

Today wasn’t his lucky day though. After a long hearing, the apex court (a division bench of Justices Sushila Karki and Tarka Raj Bhatta looking after the 9 yrs old verdict of the Special Court to give Gupta a clean chit) found Minister JP Gupta guilty on the disproportionate property accumulation case and sentenced him to 18 months in jail and a fine of NRs 8.4 million. Gupta was also present at the court when the verdict was made. He has surrendered to the Supreme Court authorities following the verdict.

Gupta talking to the press cried out that the Supreme Court’s verdict was politically motivated and was an attempt to supress Madesh and the struggles he launched for Madhesi people. In my view, it was a lame excuse to bring forth Madeshi people in between and slip out of the case (all the politicians do that). We all know Gupta ji how much struggles you did for Madesh or any people very well. Land in Kathmandu, Duwakot of Bhaktapur, Dharampur of Saptari and millions of rupees in banks; seems like you did quite a struggle.

Well, I heard my mom talking to an aunt this morning about the fire at Ason and since my Mama’s house is at Ason, I thought that might have been the place. My mom was saying that it’s very difficult to control the fire that such a crowded place because the Fire Brigades can’t reach the corners properly.

According to sources, at around 7 am today the fire broke out in the joint house of Arun and Upendra Joshi due to gas leakage at “Paltan Restaurant” and the traditional 4 storied building was completely damaged. Police said that since the house was all made of wood, plus the road were very narrow to reach for the fire brigade; it was very difficult to put off the fire. But eventually, after 6 hrs of continuous efforts from the police, army and the locals; the fire was controlled.

No human casualties are yet to be reported in media but I overheard when my mom was talking over the phone with my aunt that 2 children died in the fire (could be wrong).

The character Sanjh (Barun SJB Rana), Sakshyam (Dilip Rayamajhi) and Namrata Shrestha (Jasmine) dwells in Malaysia and are students. However, we could only see them roaming and partying that too in limited pair of clothes. They never looked like BFF coz each of them seemed falling for each other. There was no friendship-friendship-friendship type of smells. Like every other story, the girl gets the guys diary and they fall in love and the triangle is created because she makes out with the other one during the unconscious state.

It has tried to copy everything from the hindi movies. The moment where all three of them drinks in a sea shore is shot in the same way like John-Priyanka-Abhisekh in dostana. The drunken beach walk is so much like Saif-Rani in Hum Tum.

The friendship is never witnessed, the love never blossoms and when the actress dies due to post delivery complications, the movie ends. Barun looks good but he only smiles and lacks complete expression. Namrata is beautiful as always but this time it looks like if she did this movie just for the sake of come back after the alleged controversy. My expectation was a lot from her because of her earlier movies. Dilip Rayamajhi looks too old for this role, an uncle type friend who lacks proper dressing sense. Not to forget is the way the two male actor delivers their dialogue in English (weird but true, that was so unexpected, the way they pronounced was so uncomfortable). The foreign locations are not explored to the core. The dialogue horrifies you to the extreme level (Yini haru pakkai pani Sanjh ra Saksham hunuparchha. Wow what a Friendship!!!). Overall the movie is worth NOT a watch. Don’t watch it, U won’t miss it.

An hour later it’s MahaShivratri; which I actually though till data was the birthday of Lord Shiva but after some searching found out that it isn’t. I don’t remember what I did last year on that day. Actually, I was too “Jhyaap” to remember anything. I don’t know where I am going to land tomorrow. Some of my friends are planning to go to Pashupati but I don’t like crowd that much and tomorrow there’s going to be a hell lot of people for sure.

Festival of Mahashivaratri has tremendous significance in Hinduism. According to sacred scriptures, ritual worship of Lord Shiva on Shivratri festival that falls on the 14th day of the dark fortnight in the month of Phalgun pleases Lord Shiva the most. This fact is said to have been declared by Lord Shiva himself, when his consort Parvati asked him as to which ritual performed by his devotees pleases him the most.
Even till date, devotees of Lord Shiva perform the ritual worship of Shivratri with care and devotion. They observe day and nigh fast and give sacred bath to Shiva Linga with honey, milk, water etc. Hindus consider it extremely auspicious to worship Lord Shiva on a Shivaratri as it is believed that worship of Lord Shiva with devotion and sincerity absolves a devotee of past sins. The devotee reaches the abode of Lord Shanker and lives there happily. He is also liberated from the cycle of birth and death and attains moksha or salvation. – MahaShivratri.org

The Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) has confirmed that all the necessary arrangements are finished for MahaShivratri but we’ll find that out tomorrow. News has confirmed that around 800,000 devotees including those visiting from India will be worshipping at the Pashupatinath temple tomorrow and that’s a big number. On top of that the government will be deploying 5,000 police personnel and 10,000 volunteers to manage security. So, you can imagine how much crowd there’s going to be.