twilight chronicles

2005-12-03T21:51:00.000-08:00

Finally Fantastic.

Final Fantasy VII.Three words.A myriad of memories.It all started ,like all good console game stories do,with the purchase of the game.i had just recently purchased a PSOne and was bored of Tekken 3 and Brian Lara Cricket 99.During those days of '99,i never had access to uber cool sites like Gamespot or Game Revolution.However i had Joshua.An awesome buddy of mine ,who was the connoisseur of gaming.He suggested it to me.

Without a second thought i was hell bent on finding it. Being the newb i was then,i scoured the lamest software haunts such as Continent and GeeKay HiFi( which was kind of lame back then). My search was fruitless.Till i decided to check out my local TOYS "R" US. A quick search soon yeilded me a copy of the game i was waiting for.

A greatest hits platinum edition of Final Fantasy VII.The first thing that struck me was the cover.White background ,sharp black font and an awesome green meteor design.Pure drool worthiness.

It took me a good four years to actually finish the game.Four years checkered with school work,memory card erases and a subsequent switch to the PC version of the game.

More often than not ,you hear someone say that its not the destination that counts,but the journey that makes it worthwhile.The game epitomizes this concept.From the classic opening sequence to the very last spectacular boss battle,you faced an experience worth a thousand lives.Gaming nirvana at its best.

It made me laugh (a section where you're to dress your hero like a floozy to enter a whore house.It gets funnier the moment the guys want you to gratify them),made me cry (death of Aeris at the end of disc 1),made me introspect (when Cloud Strife finds out that he was a failed clone of Sephiroth,the game's villain) and made me stare awestruck of the marvellous cutscenes(such as AVALANCHE's escape from Midgar).

Most of all,it had a story that would put all the works of Shakespeare, JK Rowling,Terry Prachett and Tolkien to shame.Extremely well written and executed.Not to mention that the characters are so memorable that i know their names and tend to forget those of the people around me.Characters i actually cared about.

Those were some of my favorite gaming years ever. There were days where i would hardly get sleep and not realize.It had me hooked.

All said and done,it lacked something.A concrete ending,a scenario that would tie up all the loose ends of this epic story of love,life,solitude,death,peace and war was lacking.To say the least,the ending was by all means,ambiguous.Does life continue on the Planet or doesn't it?

Nevertheless,all those questions and much more have been answered,in stunningly brilliant detail.It's now 30th November 2005,i've stumbled upon Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.The CGI film sequel to the game that left me spellbound.i was sceptical,could an hour and a half worth of fancy images be able to portray the essence of a masterpiece?It was a tough act to follow.

Oh my it followed well.The fight scenes were jaw droppingly good,the graphics made me wet my keyboard several times over and the story proceeded with ease.Infact it was a solid sequel,worthy of the game.

Plotwise it progressed decently,helped by some of the most subconsious stickable music ever.Heck,it's everything an FF Fanboy could hope for and want.

However the icing on the cake ,is the juxtaposition of themes.Cloud's inner conflict,his battle with the dreaded geo stigma,his feelings for Aeris and Tifa,his inability to save the world.His need for friendship,love,solitude and his success over all odds come together in this rivetting tale of Advent Children.

Though some more screen time of the other characters would've been nice,it ended the series on an impressive note.No more would you worry if Cloud and gang have a happy ending.Neither will you worry if Shinra Corporation go back to their evil ways nor will you even dream of Aeris making a comeback (though i know most of you would anyway).Everything ends as it should.In happiness.

Like always,the journey getting there was outstanding.The insanely well choreographed fight scenes would make Kung-fu Hustle and the Matrix trilogy sit in a corner and cry like hormonal teenage girls who were told that Harry Potter is a faggot.

Graphically,it looks as realistic as it would be if done with actors.My mom was under the impression i was watching a movie with real live actors when she walked in.No scene in movie history could beat Cloud and gang defeat Bahamut,the baddest summon monster in ANY Final Fantasy game or movie.My eyes are still stuck to the screen ,wading in my drool next to my tongue.

All in all a must watch.It puts an end to all doubts.And unfortunately ,brings this series to a close.Unless Square-Enix decides to make a game for the PS3 (if you're working in Square-Enix and read this,DO SOMETHING!!!).

Excuse me,while i hunt out my copy of the game...this is one bit of nostalgia worth reliving.

Now Listening To: Foo Fighters-Come Back

2005-11-15T21:52:00.000-08:00

College Trip Part 2

Welcome back to this 2 part special.i'm your host for the show,Rishi Alwani and accompanying me this time around is coke&whisky( irish cream has gone for a holiday down my digestive system).

Day 4,November 9th 2005

Things just got weirder with a craptacular schedule.From the Qutub Minar to the Bahai Temple to the Hotel for lunch,followed by BAG studios and the Red Fort sound and lights show.

Yes we packed all that in a day.15 minutes at the Bahai Temple were nondescript,apart from a theory that it housed an underground belly dancing academy.

BAG was wasteful.It apparently stands for Bhagwan Allah God.The visit proved otherwise.God would've wished a better waste of time.We didn't go all the way to Noida to hear garbage that we've been hearing for the last two years.

As for the Red Fort show,its amazing how the words "common slut" and "juicy watermelons" do much to bring the attention of a bunch of ADD teens to an archaic ,falsetto brit voiced wannabe commentary.

After all the rubbish,the 10.30 pm train to Rishikesh beckoned.It was an uneventfully cold and dull ride barring the entertainment kudos a Raddy and Maddy rendition of 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall.

Quotes of the Day: My USP is my underwear-GnK

I'll name my children target audience and positioning-GnK
(both of the above after the BAG presentation)

Here's a rare snap you'll get,Varun Shah and an empty plate-Harshil(at
breakfast in reference to a well rounded Varun)

Day 5,November 10th 2005

Rishikesh was breathtaking.White water rafting,cliff jumps,isolation and peace of mind.It doesn't get any better than this.All the diabolicalness of Delhi and travelling disappeared.Tranquility is an understatement.

Metallica+Cold winds+isolation=fun.Ironically such an equation was borne out ire over a certain "dream team" composition.As usual,the need to have fun surpasses all other obstacles.

Quote of the Day: Is my eyeliner smudged?-Shaista (after getting soaked in the Ganges,headfirst).

Day 6,November 11th 2005

11.30 pm to 11.30 am.12 hours of sleep owns.After a lazy night an even lazier morning awakes.Metrosexual mermaid makeovers on Harshil,random couple manipulation games and a hunt for water made sure it was the laziest morning of the trip.Ever.

The afternoon was anything but.i experienced the pains of Atlas.Which wouldn't have been the case if my asshatted peers decided to travel light.It appears that literacy takes a backseat to designer clothes,dumb blonde attitudes and wannabe accents.Looks like the future of media is in very bad,page 3 metrosexual hands.

A trip to the town center did much to calm my nerves.Accompanied by Raddy i undertook a whirlwind gastronomic tour,indulging in cold coffee,dosas ,grapefruit and extremely awesome fresh lime soda.It was a stomach filling tour of indulgence.And about time too.

Quote of the Day: Fuck you fucking fuck-a sign on Kunal's t-shirt

Day 7 and 8 ,November 12th and 13th 2005

The recipe got worse.We reached Delhi station safe and sound alright.FOUR HOURS before the 26 hour ride back home.This was going to be a long night.It's 1.30am,luckily,Wimpys Burgers is open 24/7.

On pigging out to my hearts content i proceeded to the waiting room to charge my phone.In a while i found myself outside the waiting room.Staring at random Delhi guys.

Yes you read right.Random Delhi guys.

These mofos are so frelling desperate,they stare at anything that looks remotely femine.Which explains why An0 and Raddy were getting bugged.So Rojo and i decided to stare back.

Worked flawlessly.

Getting on board the train was easy,retaining our seats was like trying to ask the UN to pardon Saddam Hussein.Though it was anything but boring,getting into a scuffle with some army guy,bonding with my peers and star wars with An0 made the 26 hours fly by.

Before i knew it i was home.And happy.The ordeal was over.Till next year or whenever.i'll be waiting.As long as a majority of the trip isn't spent in aimless travelling,i'll be happy.

Quotes of the Days: Ghar pe Maa Bhen nahi hain kya?-Rishi to weird army lecher.

Luke i am your father!-An0 on pointing at my belt wallet on my stomach
that resembled a pregnant tummy,during our game of Star Wars.

*End credits*

Now Listening to: Audio Slave- Shadows of the Sun

2005-11-14T22:54:00.000-08:00

College Trip Part 1

Welcome to the world of Post College Trip hangover.i'm your host for today's show a slightly tipsy Rishi,with me is Irish coffee.

We departed expecting a blast,all we got was lameness unsurpassed.However Rishikesh was our saviour,but the remainder of the trip suffered from dysfunctional behaviour.

Wow,i can rhyme.Glory be. *Basks in his 15 nano-seconds of fame*

Now where was i...

Oh yes,the college trip.It was so great,stellar,awesome,spectacular,uber cool that...

Day One November 6th,2005

Was spent in Gandhiji Ki Dhoti Mein .Literally. Get your head out of the gutter.Due to lack of entertainment Chets resorted to such lameness.Which soon got the better of us all.

Some of us had the stomach for the ride.Mom's cooking owns(paneer masala and palak parathas).Even ad slogans weren't spared from the curse of this wannabe guy.

"Gandhiji ki dhoti mein live wirefree"
"Gandhiji ki dhoti mein piyo sur uthake"
"Gandhiji ki dhoti mein Kya Swaad Hai Zindagi Ka"

If passengers were listening,there would be pandemonium,destruction and chaos.To say the least

Quote of the day: Gandhiji ki dhoti mein a few good men-Chets

Day Two November 7th,2005

Did i mention the best way to keep people's minds of violent things (like speculating of over marks) is to give them something tough to think about?Like this conversation:

"Raddy whats the capital of Serbia"
"Don't ask questions to which you don't have answers!"

The night ended on a dour note.Our trip to the Red Fort was NOT cancelled.Just postponed for later.Adding to our woes,our NDTV trip was shafted and we were to visit IGNOU.A government funded correspondence course college.It seems as if our organisers didn't realise that they were taking media students,not two year old toddlers on a trip.

Fried.Tired.Angry.

i cussed my way to the room.GnK and An0 made unusually good company.Add Gayatri and Namrata to the mix (their TV conked off) added to the fun.The night which apparently ended in dourness,had a sweet aftertaste.

Quote of the Day:IGNOU is a fabulous place-Explorer guide.

Day 3,November 8th 2005:

Distance education is as important as using a blunt axe to chop wood.

Absolutely pointless.

After a boring tour,it took us barely 7 minutes to pinpoint IGNOU's most vital flaws,lack of presentation skills,non-commercialisation and overall beaurocracy.Then again what could we expect from an organisation run by the government more interested in pumping the defence budget?A budget so pumped up that it would make the need of steroids on the Incredible Hulk seem like a pimple.Enough of my political and superhero ramblings...

The evening was spent in Janpath.A glorified,supersized version of Fashion Street and Colaba Causeway.Infact everything in Delhi seems expanded.My world economy discussion walk with GnK from Janpath to Connaught Place resulted in a belief that it was a magnified version of Phoenix Mills.Spread over several lanes,streets and alleys.It looks like they're putting Mumbai tax money to good use.Dumb asses.

Cold Coffee at De Paul's was literally the high point of the evening.Having three glasses of the stuff definitely made sure of that.

Our organisers decided to give us use of the night club for dancing and fun.After the mandatory 15 minutes of making a fool of myself with my Prabhudeva-esque moves,i decided make my exit.

Quote of the Day:none worth quoting

*end credits*

Part 2 tomorrow

Now Listening To: Doesn't Remind Me-Audioslave

2005-11-06T10:16:00.000-08:00

O.o: Geek on the Road!

You have been warned.Yeah,i'm talking to you North India.For 7 days,i will be terrorizing the streets of Delhi and the forests of Rishikesh.Be afraid,be very afraid.

7 days,
168 hours,
10080 minutes,
604800 seconds...

With a eclectic band of buddies. Too band the master entertainer and all round fun guy Patki isn't showing up.

i should be back on the 13th early AM.What a coincidence,the next day is children's day and we've college beginning on the same day.

Now if you'll excuse me,i've some waffles to grab.Tis a morning breakfast at Cafe Mondegar.So till next week kiddos,have fun and don't miss me too much!

Now Listening To: Iron Maiden-Wrathchild