Book: Life of Pi

A brilliant book by Yann Martel. This is a story of a 16 y/o boy, Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi) who, after a shipwreak, spends 227 days on a lifeboat with a Royal Bengal tiger. From the very beginning, the author eliminates the question of whether or not Pi survives...Pi is the one who narrates the story. No, this isn't a story about survival or about religion. This isn't another Robinson Crusoe or Castaway. It isn't about how...it's about why.

Pi is the son of a zookeeper in Pondicherry, India, and likes zoology as much as he likes religion. He practices three religions - Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity - secretly. Pi's father decides to close the zoo and emigrate to Canada with his family, and so starts finding home for zoo's animals. Some are to be transported to Canada, so Pi's family sets out on a Japanese freighter with animals on board. But when the shipwreak happens, Pi is the only human survivor with an orangutan, a zebra, a hyena, and a tiger on board with him on a lifeboat. A gory conflict later, it's down to Pi and Richard Parker. That's where it becomes difficult to put down the book!

Martel is an excellent storyteller who knows a lot about religion, botany, and zoology. If you're expecting a unique story of how the tiger and the teenager become friends, go watch Disney movies. Everything you read in here is possible, and Martel makes you wonder if it could really happen...! Unfortunately for Pi, his story seems so wild to others that he is requested to revise it....and that's where we understand the depth of our beliefs. Each reader will interpret the ending differently, depending upon his or her own beliefs and values.

In the book, Martel says that this story will make you believe in God, and though it didn't happen for me, it at least helped me believe in humanity and Pi. This book is both humane and savage, fantastic and realistic. It is about our beliefs and how we use them to protect ourselves...to use everything in our "locker" to survive...physically as much as mentally. I highly recommend this book for anyone and everyone. 5/5

Show: Pushing Daisies season 1 & 2

4.5/5 for a completely unique theme (and narration)!! I'm tired of cop, hospital, workplace, and gangster shows..... it seems like that's all there is on TV these days (and will continue for a very long time). Fortunately, Pushing Daisies is different (was different...aarrggghhhh). This is a show about a piemaker, Ned, who has a special gift of bringing people back to life. But this gift is also a bane because if he brings dead to life for more than 60 seconds, someone else has to die in its place! How do they die? "One touch they're alive, another touch and they're dead again" You might think that's absurd, but wait until you watch it!!

QUIRKY, bizarre, unique, funny, joyful.....that's this show. Jim Dale, the narrator (from Harry Potter audio books in US) does a perfect job, as always, particularly with the frequent alliterations. Even the visual design is quirky....like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Bright colors and costumes, geometrical set design, and obvious (and purposeful) CGI help in conveying the series' theme.

Thanks to the dumb audience of crappy reality shows, Pushing Daisies is now pushing daisies.....I'm gonna miss the Darling Mermaid Darlings....

Broadway: Mamma Mia!

Who doesn't like the 70's Swedish group? I love ABBA songs, and all of them at a Broadway musical...I could barely sit in my seat!!! You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life.....

Okay, I'll stop there, I promise!! I loved the show for its music, its energy, the lighting, for the actors, and a touch of craziness. If you haven't seen the show or the movie, here's how the story goes:

Donna's (Carolee Carmello in this show) daughter, Sophie (Brandi Burkhardt) is getting married and wants her father to walk her down the aisle. Unfortunately, she doesn't know who her father is and narrows it down to 3 potential dads after reading her mother's diary. She invites all three, Harry (Ben Livingston), Bill (Pearce Bunting), and Sam (Timothy Booth for this show), to the wedding without telling her mother....and can you imagine the drama? The show's other characters include Sophie's fiance, Sky (Chris Peluso), Dynamos from the band Donna and the Dynamos, Rosie (Gina Ferrall) and Tanya (Judy McLane), Pepper (Gerard Salvador for this show), and the ensemble.

Both Ferrall and McLane are hilarious and adorable, as is Salvador. Carmello's performance, namely her singing, is brilliant, particularly in The Winner Takes It All. Unlike other Broadway musicals, this one doesn't have an extravagant set. Everything about the show exudes happiness and energy, including costumes, which are very Boho-chic.....love them!!

My favorite scene/song is the one between Sophie and Donna, when Donna helps her get ready for the wedding (Slipping Through My Fingers). It does a fabulous job at capturing the emotions...Perhaps the best musical I've seen thus far....even better than Chicago IMO. So if you want to see a Broadway musical and haven't seen this one, go for it!!! If you're going to go for only one musical in your lifetime, this is it. If it's your first musical, this is it! If you're looking for something to cheer you up, this is definitely it!! Just one look and I can hear a bell ring, one more look and I forget everything....

Store: Strand Bookstore

If you love books and you love good deals, Strand is the way to go!! They have well over "18 miles of books"!! Located at 12th and Broadway in New York, the Strand sells books for less, sometimes as much as 85% off!! Strand also boasts of sellings rare books, which is located on the 3rd floor. For my love of books, I give it a 4.5/5

Everytime I'm in Manhattan, I make sure to put aside a couple of hours from my schedule to visit the store. The used bookstores in Philly, like The Book Trader and Last Word Bookshop, probably have only about 10-20% of the books available at Strand, and therefore, I love that store. Strand is a booklover's paradise, so don't think about entering it unless you know what you're looking for or at least have an idea, otherwise you'll just end up being frustrated. That, of course, is true for any book store but more so for Strand because the staff isn't particularly helpful, the books aren't alphabetized (for the most part, and the sections are a bit off), and it's simply overwhelming because of the number of books!!

If you're going to visit the store in summer, make sure you bring water with you because the store doesn't have airconditioning, and the lower level gets especially hot!! Despite these minor drawbacks, every time I visit the store, I always come out with at least a couple of books. The other day, I saw the hardcover edition of The Lovely Bones, which retails for $21.95 on sale for $5.95!! I bought it just to add it to my library! At Strand, you can get new releases for 50% off the retail, so why go to Borders?

All books under one roof, Strand is the place to go. Booklovers, get your fix at the Strand if you're in NYC. The $1 books outside the store are as tempting as the rare ones inside. And if you cannot wait, grab a sandwich from WholeFoods, park yourself at Union Square, and start reading!!

TIP: If you want to save time and avoid disappointment, check out their website and see the books they have in stock. Place an order online and pick it up in store.

Place: Atlantic City

I was in AC this past weekend and I thought I should review it!! It has to be noted that I won some at the slots so the review could be biased, but I'll try my best!

AC isn't as glitzy and....loud as Vegas, and misses out on a lot of things. But for people on the East coast, especially in the 100-mile radius of AC, this is the best place to be for a short, sweet, summer trip to the shore. AC has everything you need for entertainment - shows, shopping, amusement park, beach, restaurants, and of course, gambling! You can always find something to do in AC, and although it doesn't have other attractions around it, like Hoover Dam or Grand Canyon, or shows like Cirque du Soleil's, it's still pretty darn entertaining!!

Have kids with you? No worries....give them $100 and set them free at Trump Taj Mahal. Okay....relax....give them a 50! For kids, you have the amusement park and lots of other things at the Boardwalk to keep them engaged. If you have elderly with you, no problemo.....slots to the rescue!! Fine dining? Check. Designer labels? Check. No snob-factor? Check!

All in all, Atlantic City is a perfect summer weekend getaway. If you've never done it, you've got to, especially if you're in the 100-mile radius (ocean excluded). I give it a fat, juicy, 4/5. Oh, and watch out for gambling...intermittent reinforcement is powerful!

Movie: Heaven on Earth

Yet another movie about an Indian woman being abused after coming to the West (Canada in this case). I'd give it a 2.5/5, only because of Zinta's acting.

This isn't a regular Deepa Mehta movies. I have loved most of her other movies, including Fire, Earth, Bollywood/Hollywood, and Water. Mehta is a great director, and all the above-mentioned movies were intense and rich with passion. Unfortunately, same cannot be said for Heaven on Earth.

HoE is a story about an Indian woman (Chand) who gets married to an Indian-Canadian man (Rocky) and comes to Canada to live with his family. The family consists of Rocky's parents, his sister, brother-in-law and their 2 children, and himself. They all live under one roof, in a house with 3 rooms. In addition to looking after this huge family, Rocky is also given the responsibility of bringing his 2 brothers to Canada. This has made Rocky very aggressive, and the only person he can take his anger out on his is new bride, Chand. After being beaten black and blue, Chand develops a coping mechanism to help her get through the abuse. And that mechanism, as shown by Mehta, is the biggest glitch in the movie.

The movie was building up to a climax that was rather stupid and annoying. I was expecting something much more sensible and typical of Mehta.....alas!! It was like finishing off a gourmet dinner with a cube of sugar for dessert...bland and unsatisfying. Zinta's impeccable acting carries the whole movie. If you want to watch a movie with similar content and with some meat, go for Provoked.

Movie: Bruno

If only there were more people like Bruno, I wouldn't be unemployed. 2.5/5, mostly because he reminds me of a 3 y/o who needs his mommy.

I watched this movie twice, once with a straight guy and once with a gay friend....don't ask me why twice! I didn't find it half as hilarious as Borat, and my gay friend found it offensive to his community. According to him, Bruno is an embarrassement to the gay community. As for me, I think that shock was the only factor that made the movie hilarious. So, if you aren't easily shocked or offended, you're probably not going to find it entertaining.

I had watched the trailers before going for the movie, and unfortunately, these are the best parts, seriously! Penis-in-my-face wasn't funny (nor was it offensive, surprisingly!), Swingers' party was boring, and African baby wasn't offensive enough. As for BDSM, all I could say is shit happens. Also, Cohen could have done a lot more with those "gay converters" in Alabama. He could've applied his tactics here and made the situation funnier....if Bill Maher could do it in Religulous, I'm pretty sure Baron Cohen would've been able to do it too!

I was expecting a lot more from this movie.....