Reproduced verbatim:

I don’t write to our whole community often, but this week is
special because it’s the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and many
people don’t know that Meetup is a 9/11 baby.

Let me tell you the Meetup story. I was living a couple miles
from the Twin Towers, and I was the kind of person who thought
local community doesn’t matter much if we’ve got the internet
and tv. The only time I thought about my neighbors was when I
hoped they wouldn’t bother me.

When the towers fell, I found myself talking to more neighbors
in the days after 9/11 than ever before. People said hello to
neighbors (next-door and across the city) who they’d normally
ignore. People were looking after each other, helping each
other, and meeting up with each other. You know, being
neighborly.

A lot of people were thinking that maybe 9/11 could bring
people together in a lasting way. So the idea for Meetup was
born: Could we use the internet to get off the internet — and
grow local communities?

We didn’t know if it would work. Most people thought it was a
crazy idea — especially because terrorism is designed to make
people distrust one another.

A small team came together, and we launched Meetup 9 months
after 9/11.

Today, almost 10 years and 10 million Meetuppers later, it’s
working. Every day, thousands of Meetups happen. Moms Meetups,
Small Business Meetups, Fitness Meetups… a wild variety of
100,000 Meetup Groups with not much in common — except one
thing.

Every Meetup starts with people simply saying hello to
neighbors. And what often happens next is still amazing to me.
They grow businesses and bands together, they teach and
motivate each other, they babysit each other’s kids and find
other ways to work together. They have fun and find solace
together. They make friends and form powerful community. It’s
powerful stuff.

It’s a wonderful revolution in local community, and it’s thanks
to everyone who shows up.

Meetups aren’t about 9/11, but they may not be happening if it
weren’t for 9/11.

9/11 didn’t make us too scared to go outside or talk to
strangers. 9/11 didn’t rip us apart. No, we’re building new
community together!!!!

The towers fell, but we rise up. And we’re just getting started
with these Meetups.

Scott Heiferman (on behalf of 80 people at Meetup HQ)
Co-Founder & CEO, Meetup
New York City
September 2011

P.S. #peace

And, why the review? The transformers visuals always mesmerized me, and it is from #scifi genre. I didn’t want to watch it in movie hall, and I missed it an umpteen, umpteen number of times on TV screen, always switching it on midway. But last week, in the middle of afternoon, I had to finish the uncompleted.

The story is kinda wafer thin. The movie starts at a slow pace, a tack on the life of earthlings, centering around Shia LaBeouf aka Sam Witwicky and his day-to-day nothings. It appears as though planet Earth is under alien invasion as evinced by disruptions and attacks on military battalions and control centers world-wide. The aliens go by names bots, trons, and cons, and it is made quite clear that, they ve far superior processing powers, hacking skills and trans-formative functionality.

Midway, we realize that two races from Transformer clan are battling it out on planet Earth, one of them, the -tron clan is earth friendly and does not want to harm the humans, but the other clan -cons whose ancestor visited Earth, and was held hostage is hell bent on avenging and colonizing Earth. Sam Witwicky is linked to this battle, as it was his grandfather who made contact with past alien. And, Megan Fox aka Mikaela Banes is obviously, the love interest of Sam.

As for the critique, the movie sucks bigtime as a science-fiction narrative. There’s nothing deep, no questions raised, no thinking involved. Even in terms of movie-making the script is cliched, the dialogues scrappy, and the story a drag. With that said, the big winners are the transformers themselves, the way they transform on screen. The visual effects are stunning and flawless, wants you own them, they are so cooool!  As for the cast, it’s amazing who Shia LaBeouf, manages to enact his roles convincingly in most of his movies ( Indiana Jones, Wall Street etc) , even though you wouldn’t give him a chance at the outset. He does not have a great physique (Arnold schwarzenegger, Stallone), nor good-looking by Hollywood standards (Brad Pitt, Leonardo De Caprio)  looks mismatched with his heroines (Megan Fox), but saves the day in his own way. Megan Fox alone, hot on screen, is more than enough to provide all the oomph and eye-candy throughout the movie. No wonder, she’s labeled Angelina-Jolie-in-the-making! Sigh!

Didn’t like the movie, but would love to have one those transformers! If you ‘ve whale of time, a once-playable video game.

Meta (from rottentomates)-

Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 2 hr. 20 min.
Genre: Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Directed By: Michael Bay
Release Date: Jul 3, 2007

The club inter(val)net, rocks n rolls everyday /
so, the web lounge just turned twice ten, in the fray /
east or west, north or south, swooped on a few twists and moves, on way /
Oh! baby, now, you wanna cha-cha-cha, tap, tango, swing away…

#pK ance #dance #trance

Abhi toh aarambh yatra ki, #Antarjaal se #Antarajaal tak -

Yeh! Club antar(a)jaal, bajne lagi, ab har din /
jaal nihaal, paar kar gayi dus ke do, pyaas ke bin /
uchchle, lekey lehren, jo miley, purab, paschim, uttar, dakshin /
O baby, toh chale holle holle, kare balle balle, ek do teen…

#pK #trans #trans #form

P.S. Spins, Keep it moving

Location: Bangalore, India
Timeline: August, 2011

Why the review? – ‘Cos a decent #musical #comedy from 1998 slipped my list and scheme of things…a party prowlers delight, all the way…

The first frame grasps you with the catchy song by Haddaway “What is love? Baby, don’t hurt me” introducing the two comic butabi brothers Steve (Will Farell) and Chris Cattan (Doug Butabi). As the song rolls, the party mood sets in, and names scroll on the screen, can’t stop laughing, until Doug’s side window hits a crash yet again..cut frame 1. Steve and Doug are dreamers, not the get-go kind, but the lazy-fallen-by-the-wayside ones, even when their father runs a retail store successfully. But, there’s is one thing that stands out, the #passion and craze for party-hopping, their eyes, their heart and mind set on the club “Roxbury”.  As unsuccessful hitchhikers they are always cut short of getting into the club, due to lack of money, or misunderstanding with hefty bouncers, or gaudy, loathsome mannerisms…

Scores!

Their thirst and craze for partying fuels their dream to own their own “Roxbury”, or da club to beat all other clubs… The club scene pervades all through the movie, as the dance floor guffaws fade in and fade out, as the party scenes raise in fever, as the music tracks thump your heart beats, some gorgeous songs are the movie’s own tracks, rest 80′s and 90′s chart-busters.

Against this backdrop, the rest of the movie is the story of how losers turn out to be winners at the end, with some lady luck and a whole lot of phony party babes along the way. The family scenes between Steve, Doug and their mom, who is all lady cool, is showered with cloyness, joy to behold. On the other hand, its the exact opposite with their father, always ending in threats and loud shouts. Highlights are the guys innocent, funny, naughty pranks, and dumb interactions with the fairer sex, brings you a chuckle, at least a laugh, or sets you in splits of laughter.

Meta- 

Rating: PG-13
Duration: 1 hr. 21 min
Genre: Comedy
Directed By: John Fortenberry
Release Date: Oct 2, 1998 Wide
Studio: Paramount Pictures

P.S: A decent musical comedy for friday night, home watch.

#sunday #morn #reflections

#pK

a moist punch, is in the airs /
afore thine eyes, turn frothy to fierce /
even, time expresses a pause /
whilst vacillates, my heart’s pierce

#pK #trans

#pK

drowned in love, downed a few /
oh my oh! engulfed in your memories, gulped a slew /
enthralled and danced, that love did brew /
can’t break off from the tavern, kicking anew

#pK #trans

#pK  #trance

#antarjaal toh, bun gayi hai /
lagta nahi aasaan, ab, hona juda juda /
yeh jo, jhulne aur mudne se hai /
thami si, kal ki bunai pe, hum fida fida

#pK #trans #hindi

#pK #hindi

in my nights, in my words, in my memories /
the smell of your face, flurries /
feels like, my wretched insecurities are tiding over fiery seas

#pK #trans