With the approaching 35th birthday, I got thinking about what I would truly want for the day. As I pitter-potter-ed around the house, getting some work and house work wrapped up, I jotted down all the items I would want. This morning, I finally ordered them from 10 to 1, where ten is the most simple, yet attainable wants to one more difficult and almost impossible ones.

I want...

10.   to start a new arts/crafts (crochet, knitting) project.
9.    to play a board/card game or two.
8.    to go for a movie or walk.
7.    an email or a comment in this blog.
6.    a call or two with wishes.
5.    to receive a house plant, flowers, balloons or bottle of wine.
4.    to have a visitor or two...er, postman does not count.
3.    to be treated to a coffee/drink... or dinner.
2.    to wake up to celebrate my 30th birthday and not 35th! HA!
1.    ...

At the end of the World War III, the world is controlled by the Tetragrammaton. Tetragrammaton believes that a world without feeling is a world that is at peace. Everyone is forced to take regular doses of Prozium (a drug that hinders all feeling). All those who don't accept this authoritative regime are "Sense Offenders". The Sense Offenders and Tetragrammaton are constantly at war with each other. Tetragrammaton laws are enforced by an elite force called Grammaton Cleric. Clerics look to kill all Sense Offenders and destroy all articles that invoke feelings. John Preston (Christian Bale) is a prodigal Cleric, until the day he skips the Prozium (because the capsule accidentally breaks). For a person who has never felt a feeling, he is slowly exposed to the world and beauty of feeling. He soon starts to sympathize with Sense Offenders and plans to over throw the tyrannical regime.

I have no idea why I had put Equilibrium on my netflix queue, but I am so very glad I did. It is surprisingly fantastic, with exceptional sound track, fight sequences and the cute Christian Bale and Sean Bean (for a short time). I might buy this movie just for the sound track, which is truly amazing.

Some interesting observations:
1. The fight sequences in the movie reminded me of the Matrix movies. But felt so very different. This just seemed a bit more grounded in reality (or possible reality). The fighting techniques in this movie is actually explained in the movie (in a teaching class scene) basing on mathematical calculations. And there is 'automatic-download' of learning; it comes with years of intensive practice.

2. The culture is about banning art and architecture, yet all buildings and interior designs are quite stylishly modern.

3. If emotions/feelings are banned, then how does the concept of family exists? Sounds a tad contradictory to me. More over, if there is no feeling of enmity then why would the Cleric want to destroy the ones who still feel? Would they kill just because they are told to do something? If that is the case, then Prozium is not really suppressing feeling, but channeling to destroy all those who feel. Hmm! Weird!

4. The soundtrack sits so damn well!

{Edit: The way I currently 'feel' I could do with a doze or two of Prozium!}

I spent two hours of my life sitting in a waiting room on a wooden bench surrounded by humanity in an attempt to complete a state mandated task. I am not sure what was more tiresome: a) the two hour wait or b) the wooden bench or c) incessant wasteful chatter of surrounding humanity or d) the nervousness of completing the state mandated task. Taken each individually or even two of the four in combination would have been tolerable. But to be ambushed by all four was a bit too much.

While I sat on the bench, I tried to read Tom Topor's The Codicil. The book is a page turner, but I was too nervous to do the book any justice (the nervousness comes from dealing with all state mandates). I could barely concentrate on the plot and after about three pages, I gave up. The moment I put away the book, people seem to gravitate to me asking a whole bunch of questions. Like I would know the answer. Every few minutes my answer would be "I don't know, please ask the customer service" to some poor smuck who thought that I knew the answer to his/her questions. I even looked around me for signage or an arrow pointing to my location saying "Ask ME!" (Nope, there was none) Normally, I would welcome a chat or two with folks (I am sociable), but not if folks were considering me a customer service for something I have no clue on. Come chat with me about the weather, but no one was asking me about that.  I have noticed that, if someone wants or needs (or think I have the answer) something from me, then they are very sociable with me, but otherwise it is "Who-are-u?". The wooden bench was not helping, it was simply messing with me! Perhaps, it was the nervousness dealing with state combined with the long time sitting around twiddling thumbs was pushing me to the edge.

Two hours very long hours later, I was summoned to pay my respects to a rather kindly looking lady behind an imposing desk. She asked a bunch of questions, made me read some letters and lines, identify some colors and some blinking lights, made me smile at a camera, and pay some money. The whole process took less than two minutes. So, two hour wait for a two minute job!

At the end of it all, I have a pathetic piece of paper that claims that my driver's license has been successfully renewed! I don't have to think about the state mandates on license, the wooden bench, the bustling humanity and the long boring wait for another four years and eleven months.

I am indeed proud of my yard work this year!

I had planted bunch of tomatoes and peppers and they are all doing fantastically!

Some proof of the pudding!

Chili pepper purple-orange		Cherry-Husky Tomatoes (6 plants)
Peppers (should turn red soon!)		Sweet Peppers

And there are eight blooming right now!

My sister (during her travels to the Indian Sub-continent and Scotland) asks me (via email): "So, what would you like from Scotland?"

Me (reply to the above email): "Are you kidding! You are in the home of the Scotch! Get me a bottle! a glass!"
(I send this off without reading her second email that enlightens me on what I could not ask for)

My sister (The second email): "No alcohol!"

Me (reply to the second email): "Hmmm! The only other thing I can think of is..... a castle.... just a small one, any one, along the coast preferably!".

In my recent trip to New York to my sisters place, the get the following!

It is a fridge magnet of the Edinburgh Castle! Did I ever mention that my sister is brilliant, and I wish I had half her brains!

I love Matt Damon! On that gorgeous face is such intelligent eyes. I think that feature simply stole the show in the first two of the Bourne movies (Bourne Identity and Bourne Supremacy). So there was no way I was not going to see the Bourne Ultimatum. Incidently, the Supremacy and Ultimatum were directed by Paul Greengrass and the Identity was by someone else (name escapes me).

I love the actor and loved the first two movies, so I expected to love the last one in the series. I did not expect be blown away! But that is exactly what happened this afternoon/evening. It all started with me not driving down to NY on Sunday. The trip got postponed till tomorrow (Tuesday), and worked was wrapped up, so I found myself at the loose end of doing nothing and not wanting to start something I could not finish this evening. I was in Burlington, so going for the movie sounded most logical. Besides I needed it! I almost bought the ticket to see HP 5. But, all the memories were just too damn fresh, new and painful. So, Bourne it was. I had to wait a while, but it was worth the wait.

Everything in that movie was stellar, every moment, every breath, every word, every note was in a word... Perfect! So speaketh the person who is still relishing every moment and reliving every bit of that movie.

The memorable moments:

1. How about the whole dang movie!

2. The trailers that were aired over TV, does give away one terrific scene: The phone conversation between Jason Bourne and Noah Vosen, with Noah waiting in a car, awaiting Bourne to show up and claiming to be in his office, and of course Jason: "If you were in your office right now we'd be having this conversation face-to-face". Despite having heard and seen that several times on trailer, it was just fantastic to see it in context of the movie.

3. There isn't one spectacular car chase as in Ronin or in any of the movies I have seen, there are multiple fantastic ones. One in Tangier on motor cycles, one in New York. The feel, the sense of the chase is always on. From the first shot till the end the thrill does not stop. Of course, there are some goofs, I caught just one, but they were so well executed. One of the hillarious lines (spoiler) by a agent when he reporting to Noah Vosen, on where Jason is: "He just drove off the roof!" Just for this line, you have got the see the movie.

Always on my 'Must Buy' list, just jumped to 'MUST buy the extended (if-there-is-one)' list. And of course, will see it again with friends!

After what was perhaps an exhausting weekend! I am finally ready for the week!

The plan was to drive down to NY on Sunday, but I was too blooming exhausted, too much going on and I had to clear my head and plate! I finally have it all done or I think I have it all finally done. It feels great, feels free and feels light again.

Tuesday morning, heading for the much needed break and away from this town for a few days!