So Tired!

The wedding is over, and I for some reason am still up researching Bollywood! I watched the ''making of" Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. It was about half and half Hindi/English w/ no subtitles! Gosh. Anyway, it was way fun. The item number had five themes centered around famous Bollywood heroes which of course I'll now have to research. I met a lady at the wedding who says she's friends with a Bollywood actress and we were going to see about getting me an "in", but we didn't follow through. At the beginning of the week I watched the Filmfare Awards (Indian Oscars) for the 2008 year on YouTube. No subtitles, but I got about 20% of it, and actually laughed at some of the jokes. I haven't watched Jodhaa Akbar yet, but we'll see if it deserved all the awards it got. I'm totally biased towards SRK, but I'll try to watch Hrithik objectively.

The wedding was great! I looked cute in the skirt I made, and Caitlin's (which I cut the pattern for and everything) also turned out fantastic. I've got to spend the week w/ my family, minus Jer's fam, and have gotten to meet new fun people from Dave's side. I've made some new besties.

BW: Swades, RNBDJ

I've been busy busy busy w/ the fam 'cause of Whit's wedding on Saturday (we didn't even have Bollywood night!), but never fear, I will update you on recent Bollywood-ness.

I can't believe I didn't mention yet that I saw Swades: We, the People on Saturday night. It was AMAZING!!! one of SRK's best performances, no doubt, b/c of the subtleness. It was just phenomenal. And he looked so good in all his plaid shirts and wife beaters. My favorite scene: when he takes a drink of the Indian water on the train and the subsequent look of despair that is so marvelously displayed on SRK's face. That's hard core micro acting (I don't know if that's a term, but I'd imagine that it would be a descriptor for very finely tuned, detail oriented, tip of your head to your toes acting). It was just amazing!

I did get Bollywood goodness in this week. Marth and I watched Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi!! It was, needless to say, AMAZING. I can't think of very many more descriptors. SRK was fantastic, leading me to my next point; that I believe Shah Rukh Kahn to be the best actor now living. The sheer volume of performances he puts out, coupled with his ability to play many different characters, connect with the audience and have a new way of crying every time he cries (at least 3 times per film) is astounding. And let's not forget his ability to turn his, let's face it, pretty goofy, big nosed face into the most attractive thing this side of sliced bread, and at 43 no less! Watch RNBDJ, a lot of micro acting, a lot of crazy emotional paradoxes that I couldn't even imagine beginning to act. Good gravy, what an actor.

UPDATE: After having watched more SRK films I still accept his awesomeness as and actor, but have realized that unless he's given a script and director like Swades or Chak De! his performances can be v. similar. And RNBDJ has many plot holes, and Anushka Sharma is NOT my cup of tea in the acting or personality department (watch the extras). Basically SRK's Suri carried the film, and when Suri leaked out of Raj.

If I haven't said, I want to go to India during my masters program and research and write my thesis on the disparities and similarities between Bollywood costuming and folk, religious, and everyday Indian dress, while examining Bollywood's influence on these and vice versa. I also want to PA (production assist (gopher)) a major Bollywood production (pref. a Yash Chopra or Farah Kahn film)

Shelby out.

Some stuff about my actual, not Bollywood life

I got my new Bollywood DVDs today in the mail! Jodhaa Akbar and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. Jodhaa Akbar's Hrithik Roshan's newest and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is SRK's newest. JA won all the 2009 Filmfare awards. I promised Martha to watch RNBDJ w/ her, but she's in CA until Monday night. I promised my Bollywood Posse to watch JA w/ them, and it's looking like w/ the wedding coming up the fam probs won't let me induldge in Bollywood this week, unless they really are as cool as I think they are and want to come along to Bollywood night!!
The BP (Bollywood Posse) watched Main Hoon Na this week. Oh SRK, how do you do everything? I'm EXTREMELY tempted to intern or something in Mumbai and just be a gopher on a Bollywood set. It'd be intense b/c of the language and height barriers, but everyone mostly speaks English anyway, and I guess my neck does bend down :) I could totally rock Bollywood. I've done so many random things for jobs that I'm sure I would be just fine.
I spent the whole day (10.30-2; 3.30-8) sewing the three skirts I'm making for the wedding. I just had to sew the facing on Caitlin's today, the center back seam, the zipper and I've pinned the hem. I sewed the back seam on mine, set the zipper and put it on a form for the weekend to set the bias. I had to do everything w/ Ashley's. I cut the pattern awhile ago and had to alter it for her, but it was wrong to begin w/. For some reason I made each half the total circumfrence. I eventually figured out that it was way too big. I have Ash's all done except for the hand work. I'm a little shot.
Whit comes in tomorrow night! We're going to have a sleepover at whichever of Dave's friends Whit's staying w/ before she goes down to Payson.
I'm doing really well in my sewing class. I just dropped $40 on a pattern and wool (mostly the wool b/c the Vogues were $4!) for my lined jacket. Of course I'm making a vintage pattern w/ plaid trim! Work's good. I'm a little sad b/c since I work on the collection I'm in the classroom and don't get to talk w/ Martha. And now we're done on campus and will be working off site. Poop. This week at least the collection bosses are at a costume convention or something.
I checked w/ the Elms' office. I'm just moving across the way for Fall so I'll be in the same ward and will basically still be living w/ the awesome babes I live w/ now, only Genevieve will be w/ me too!
I'm listening to an awesome techno remix of The Black Pearl Cake's told me about. It's pretty Bollywood :P

Shelby out.

BW: Veer-Zaara

Shout out to Anjali, who now reads my blog for the Bollywood entries, so there!!

Ok, Veer-Zaara, so good! Veer Pratap Singh, played by Shahrukh Khan, is an Indian Airforce squadron leader and rescue pilot. Zaara Hayaat Khan (Preity Zinta) is a very privilaged Pakistani girl that goes to India to scatter her Bebe's (nanny?) ashes b/c Bebe was Indian and left in '47 to take care of Zaara's family. Of course her bus has an accident and Veer has to save her and they fall in love. The story is being told by Veer to his lawyer (Rani Mukherjee) 22 years later as he rots away in a Pakistani prison. Why he's in prison and all that is what you have to watch it to find out. Needless to say you kind of figure out that Veer and Zaara are seperated at some point.

I REALLY liked this one for the Pakistani/Indian relationship and the contrasts, but similarities between the two cultures that are composed of essentially the same people. Of course Shah Rukh Kahn is a Muslim Indian who always plays Hindu Indians which made the Muslim scenes v. cool to think about. Preity Zinta plays a Muslim Pakistani, but is I'd guess in reality a Hindu Indian. As far as I know Indians played all the roles. There is an AMAZING monologue by Veer at the end about how his country and Pakistan are so similar and how Pakistanis and Indians look the same. This is what I told my high school pals all the time!! But the politics were great! Another treat was Amitabh Bachchan playing Veer's bauji.

I really liked trying to pick out the differences between the Pakistanis and the Indians. For one the Pakistani women had very dark, severe eye make-up and I think they were even darker. Of course Preity and Rani are Bollywood heroines because they're fair, but I do think they had them be a little darker in this one, esp in Pakistan. There weren't really saris in Pakistan, but the costuming was similar. The wedding had similar jewelry and costumes, but was not so extravagant. Mad props to Karan Johar, who's usually a screenwriter and director, for costuming SRK (Manish Malhotra did the other costumes, he does a lot of films I watch). I was a little worred when he was in a horrible powder blue suit at the beginning, but SRK was actually really appropriately casual and studly throughout, and he had this wicked outfit w/ jeans and a denim jacket that actually worked! Mad props Karan, mad props.

I wasn't a fan of Lata Mangeshkar doing Zaara's playback. I'm not a fan of the voice, I think she sounds like she always has a frog, but I also only ever think of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham when I hear her voice. I just think she's better for older women. I was a fan of SRK's singers, I think Udit Narayan works best for him (and Abhijeet too, but he doesn't sing in V-Z).

Anyway, I was very pleased to find out that of course SRK was nominated for the Filmfare for best actor in 2004. He didn't win for Veer-Zaara, which I was peeved about b/c I'm totally biased and think he should win if he's nominated, but all was put at right when I discovered that at least V-Z won best film. And what do you know!! SRK was also nominated for Main Hoon Na and Swades: We, the People (for which he won). Good thing I unwittingly check out those two this week as well! I can't even think of a Western actor that produces three movies a year, let alone gets nominated for three!

So yeah, I probably forgot to mention some stuff, but v. good movie. I liked the past/present acting, it had a Hindu holiday w/ mad dancing, and no Western-ish songs, I liked that. I really like Yash/Raj films. Main Hoon Na at Bollywood night, love Farah Khan!

Shelby out.

BW: Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, Koi...Mil Gaya, Shakti: The Power

Nobody's been posting, so I'll have to come up with something, as usual (name that movie!). Too bad for you guys, because it's going to be about Bollywood!
Here's a list of the movies I've seen


Krrish ****
Om Shanti Om *****
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai *****
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... ****1/2
Kal Ho Naa Ho ****1/2
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge ****
Shakthi: The Power ***
Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani **1/2
Deewana ***
Koi... Mil Gaya ***1/2


Here's a video of my favorite dance number so far: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSRKIVMq2nk
Here's my second favorite dance number: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE2rjfZvcmw
Here are just some other good songs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INTJN6NAQvs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qdxryQB0nU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVuftkREQ54


This week I watched Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, Koi...Mil Gaya, and Shakti: The Power. PBDHH was pretty lame. Starring Shah Rukh Kahn and Juhi Chawla, it was about dueling news reporters. The romance was paltry at best, and SRK had an earring, but the political corruption story that develops was pretty great. Very riveting by the end, but again, lame, unlikable romance.
Koi...Mil Gaya is the prequel to Krrish. Hrithik Roshan plays Rohit Mehra, Krishna's father. It is the alien story that's hinted at in Krrish. It was made before Krrish, so is it really a prequel? or just the first of the two? Anyway, it was cute, and Hrithik Roshan did very well, but he beat out SRK in Kal Ho Naa Ho for this performance and in my opinion he maybe shouldn't have. But I get the feeling that the 2004 Filmfare awards with Koi...Mil Gaya was like the year the last Lord of the Rings came out (what do you know, 2004!) and totally gyped a lot of other good movies at the Oscars (Master and Commander, cough cough). So yeah, it was good though. Preity Zinta was the love interest so she did double duty that year, actually triple. She was nominated for K...MG and Kal Ho Naa Ho, but won for KHNH.
Shakti: The Power was intense! s'bout an Indian couple in Canada that gets married and has a kid, then you find out the supposedly alone in the world husband has a parents and sibs in a remote village in India. When the mom might have gotten hurt by a bomb they go over to check on them. Turns out the dad's a crime lord and there's a huge rivalry. The husband gets brutally murdered and the rest of the movie is about the wife trying to escape w/ their son b/c her father-in-law wants to keep him and turn him into a crime boss as well. It was nuts! Really violent actually. I ended up fast forwarding through a lot of the car bombs and murders. Karisma Kapoor played the wife, Sanjay Kapoor (not related) is the husband. SRK plays a drifter that helps the wife escape. It was a very dramatic movie that wasn't really the Bollywood I'm used to, but it seems like there are more and more violent, not so happy go lucky films coming out. There were only like 3 songs, one of which was a dream SRK's character had where he danced w/ Aishwarya Rai. It was just a really draining movie.


So yeah, last night Marth and I watched Om Shanti Om b/c she hadn't seen it. I forget how totally extraordinarily awesome that movie is!

I bought Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Jodhaa Akbar b/c I'm dying to see them. Well, I bought RNBDJ b/c Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani disappointed me and it was 1 am. I bought JA b/c if I spent $9 more I got free shipping :). I'm excited for them to come. RNBDJ is SRK's newest movie.

So there. If you don't want another Bollywood entry you should post yourself. Well, I'll post more Bollywood anyway, but you should post.

Shelby out.

Look how long my hair is!

Mother's Day

"A mother is someone who loves us so much, that we sometimes can’t understand it. A mother is someone who makes us realize how good we are, there is no one better than us. Her happiness is in our laughter and sorrow in our sorrow. She is someone we can’t live without, she is everything." -Rahul Khanna (from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, haha BOLLYWOOD!)

THINGS MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME:
-How to tie my shoes
-how to make chocolate chip cookies
-how to make pumpkin cookies
-how to make snickerdoodles
-how to make creamcicle jello
-how to cut out a pattern
-how to knit
-how to embroider
-how to quilt
-how to clip the grass around the grow boxes
-that if a baby fusses take off their socks
-change a baby's diaper halfway through feedings to keep them awake
-how to change a diaper
-how to burp a baby on the shoulder
-how to burp a baby on your lap
-how to work out a baby's bubbles
-countless nursey things that have kept me alive
-how to flour a pan
-how to make the perfect bed (including hospital corners)
-follow through with children
-kids can understand and comprehend a lot
-if you don't know something, look it up
-keep encyclopedias close
-how to wrap an ace bandage
-countless things about pop culture before I was born
-how to talk to adults
-the Dewey Decimal system
-how to write my name
-how to curl my Cabbage Patch doll's hair using a pen
-you need to wipe the milk out of baby necks so it does't get stinky
-how to put my hair in curlers
-how to braid my hair
-how to put eye drops in my eyes
-how to study the scriptures
-how to do laundry
-which way a boy's belf v. a girl's belt goes
-a lot of big words

and A LOT of other stuff I can't think of right now. Love you mom!

Life update minus Bollywood, plus a little actually

Ok, so my life (besides Bollywood, even though they're kind of inseparable). I'm taking Advanced Sewing MWF 8-noon. It's super great! I love the professor, I had her for pattern making (which I got an A in, holler!). We get along great and the class is small and wonderful. We're working on fitting right now so I just got done making a skirt that fits me perfectly. Consequently, I now know that I am very angular and asymmetrical.

I work MWF afternoons, after class, and TTh during the day. Work's been great! I'm not stitching at all. We're organizing our hat collection and as wardrobe supervisor it's my job to put the 1000+ hats into our museum/cataloguing software. So far I've done 112 hats since last Friday, but I've streamlined the process and get about 25 in every 3 hours. It's fun!! Besides hats, which in reality drives me nuts after about 3 days straight, I'm helping a grad student, and Mary, our costume historian professor, go through our antique collection for Mary's research collection. That's right! They pay me to sit next to Jane Anne, open up antique garments, date them, look at the seams, the details, figure out what alterations have been done, what they're made out of, then I guess the reason they need me is to roll up the garments again and label them "study" or "collection" and take them to the appropriate pile. But really it's just Jane Anne and I having gobs of fun and Mary imparting fashion wisdom. It's really amazing and an awesome opportunity to learn. I'm so glad I stayed Spring!!!

My roommates are super awesome and we are totally comfortable together and have lots of fun. The ward seems great so far. The roommies think they have two boys I should date, one based on dressing and grooming standards, and one on height. I won't say them nay, but I'm really into work and my major right now and am totally stoked for grad school, who needs a boy?

But yeah, so, Bollywood. haha. My friends from Wyview and a couple others meet every Wednesday at Susan's because she has a big TV and watch a new movie. I check them out from the library fur frei! It's awesome. Then I normally get one for myself, which is what Kal Ho Naa Ho was. Last night when I was watching it the DVD player skipped back 2 hours at one of the climaxes. The first thing I said was "What happened?!" only in Hindi (something like "Kya Wah?"). It was pretty hilarious. I should devote a whole entry to the Hindi words I know. They're sentence structure still baffles me, but it won't after I take Hindi 101 sometime around my senior year.

So that's my life. The weather is beautiful, I have great friends and love living in Provo!

BW: Kal Ho Naa Ho (Not a real review)

Kal Ho Naa Ho?!!!!!!!!! Are you kidding me? I haven't cried so much since Cole and I broke up, no jokes. Granted there was more prolonged crying after the break-up, but holy moley, are you joking? PS Shah Rukh Kahn deserves every award ever.


I'll update you on my non-Bollywood life later, oh wait, I don't have one ;)
Shelby out.

funtimes weekend

So yesterday I spent the whole day with Haleh and various and sundry other people. I went in at noon to get my hair and make up done for the 1 o'clock foto shoot. It was so great! I got airbrushed and the costumes were great. I modeled 2 and M'Lisa modeled another one. The second one I modeled was a black suit and we put me in an amazing black 'fro wig and it was so Vogue, like no jokes, the pictures looked really good from what I saw, totally pro.

After, Haleh took us out to a new Mexican resteraunt and it was delicious. Then, after an hour break I went over to Haleh's to watch what I thought would be Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, but I couldn't resist watching Kuch Kuch Hota Hai again! I brought my uni remote because she had a big TV, but her DVD player didn't have a remote and we needed subtitles. Turns out though that the DVD player didn't have a code in any of our sources. So we did a code search, which programmed the remote, but all the buttons were wrong, like 3 was down and down was stop etc. We figured out most of them, but it turned out there was no enter button, so we couldn't get the subtitles to work. In the end we got cozy and watched it on Haleh's computer. Martha came over near the end of the remote fiasco so she was there too. I just love these girls! Some of my favorite ever.

Since we didn't watch K3G last night we're going to watch it sometime today.
Church was good, we meet in the SWKT, that's fun, fond memories of Om Shanti Om of course. People are nice, hopefully I'll meet and get to know more laters.

freitag macht spass!

First: for all you Bollywood haters, Bollywood's a huge industry that's recognized internationally for its excellence in cinema. At least I don't obsess over and research slasher movies.



That being said, Haleh at school, who's an amazing grad student, and I just got done w/ an hour of henna-ing and Bollywood talk in her office. She burned me a copy of the Om Shanti Om soundtrack and I love her for it, among other things. Man I love college.



Tomorrow I have an opening social for the ward, then at noon I'm doing a foto shoot for Haleh. She has some costumes she needs modeled and a foto student friend that's going to shoot them. I get to wear her lovely creations and she's going to do my hair and make-up and it'll be so artsy and great!!



I actually had class today. It's going to be a lot of fun I think. I also starting catalogueing the first of 1000+ hats into our computer at work. I actually really like this kind of stuff.



After the foto shoot tomorrow Haleh, Martha and maybe others are going to watch Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...(K3G) which has HRITHIK ROSHAN AND SHAH RUKH KAHN!!! I'm more than a little excited for 3 1/2 hours with these men together.