• Home
  • Family Blog
  • What Tommy Eats
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Posts RSS
  • Comments RSS
Blue Orange Green Pink Purple

*

Apr 24

india - part 2

i want to start off by saying handi was amazing last night!  im pretty sure dan and joyce and rob and holly all loved it so we have some new indian eaters!  very exciting!

today we are talking about slumdog millionaire...it is a movie based on the book "Q & A" by vikas swarup...i have read the book and we will talk about that  a little while later...this movie won tons of awards seemingly out of nowhere...its success is pretty unique because it is a low budget foreign film...granted, it is a british film and had a budget of $15 million,  but when compared to the budget of the watchmen (&150 million) it looks like a drop in the bucket.  To date it has grossed somewhere around 328 million worldwide, not a bad return on the investment....if only my 401(k) could give me something like that....

let's check out the trailer and we can move on from there...

    

slumdog millionare is about a guy who is from the slums of Mumbai and somehow gets on the indian version of who wants to be a millionaire...(pay close attention to how they say millionaire...classic).  he does really really well and nobody can figure out how a "slumdog" can know the answers to all these questions...the show's host thinks he has to be cheating so he brings in the police...and the rest of the movie explains how he knows the answer to each question...its pretty cool how it uses scenes from each part of his life to explain his knowledge...from a little boy with his mother, to forced servitude, to scheming with his brother as adolescents, and so on...

he meets a girl along the way and he is hooked...he spends his whole life trying to get with her and the story unfolds from there....

i think the actors did a great job...they have done work before but nothing anywhere close to this scale...the main character jamal(in his adult form) is played by anoop desai, also made famous in this seasons american idol...see below for picture...

okay okay not really...he is played by dev patel who is from Harrow, north-west London...which has a pretty high Indian population, something like 22%...here he is:

he is also a black belt in taekwondo and finished third in the 2004 world championships...not bad...

the main female character ,Latika, was played by Freida Pinto, who is from Mumbai...



I thought they worked well together and i think they are dating now...good work dev!

i think that everyone should go see it and decide for themselves if they like it...i have heard that people love it and people hate it...there have been tons of controversies surrounding it about the welfare of child-actors, misrepresenting indian culture and Hindus, etc.  while it may not perfectly portray the slum culture in india i think it gives us a glimpse into that lifestyle...of course we will never fully understand it but its nice to be exposed to it and know it is a reality for tons of people...

for me this movie is so enjoyable because the main character is so likable...you want to see him make it, see him succeed.  so many characters in media today are unlikeable, think bella from twilight, and the director did a good job of keeping him a good guy.  people want to see the good guy win sometimes.  Even though we have different circumstances, we all can relate to the story...thinking about how our life experiences have made us who we are is a cool exercise.  what questions the host would ask you for you to be successful in Jamal's shoes?

Does he win the money?  you will have to watch and see, but really in the end, that's not what is important...

as far as the book goes, it is pretty different...i actually think the movie is better than the book and that rarely happens...first of all, salim in not jamal's brother, just his friend and i think that makes a huge difference...also, in the book is abandoned my his mother, quite different from the movie....and for me the biggest difference is Latika, the main girl character.  In the movie she is his close childhood friend...in the book she is a prostitute he meets in a brothel at age 17....big, big difference...so i think the movie did a better job with the storyline and im not sure it would have been as successful if it was true to the book...but go buy it and read it for yourself...



if you have seen the movie let me know what you think...and if not you should go see it right now and let me know what you think!

Read More 1 Comment | Posted by JohnnyBighead edit post
Apr 24

Song of the day...with video

in honor of india and slumdog millionaire day, our song today comes from a.r. rahman.  i was lucky enough to find a good copy of the slumdog ending on youtube with the crazy dance routine...very fun.  

the song is Jai Ho and can be found on the movie soundtrack (very good soundtrack by the way).  it turns out that jai ho is hindi and means somthing to the effect of "may victory be yours."  

watch out, it is very catchy and may make you burst out into random bollywood dance and your desk...dont say i didnt warn you...

                 
Read More 0 comments | Posted by JohnnyBighead edit post
Apr 23

Song of the day...with video

in honor of william shakespeare's birth and deathday...we are going to play a song that has to do with him somehow....can anybody see the connection?  it will be easier for some than others....let me know what you think...

                   
Read More 0 comments | Posted by JohnnyBighead edit post
Apr 23

india - part 1

today kids we are talking about india...honestly i knew very little about anything india until fairly recently...i remember seeing the indian engineering students at clemson and seeing them playing cricket behind the baseball stadium....beyond that i didnt know much at all except the obvious...

Gahndi...

The Taj Mahal...
And the red dot...

Dont get me wrong, i had some indian friends in school but they didnt help the stereotype, they all came from hotel owning families and there may have been a service station owner in there as well...

I still know very little about india but i do love a few things about it....

First of all, the food....this is a touchy one...very many people hate it and think it stinks...i think a vast majority of these people have not tried it or given it a chance...it does indeed smell and look different to what us as Americans are used to but is that such a bad thing?  and it should fit in the best in the United States seeing we are a melting pot and a mix of foods from all cultures...


For a long time the only place i had been was india palace in greenville...while delicious, india palace has some problems...first of all, it has the absolute worst service of anywhere ever...the waiters sit around and talk and seem that they could really care less that you are there...i think this comes from them being the only indian place in town for a long time...this could be overlooked because the food was delicious....the part i always had a problem with was the GIANT bug zapper on the back wall...im not usually a squeamish type but this is too much for me...also the door to the kitchen is open from time to time and cook looks like that guy from indiana jones, you know the guy that has the swords that Indy just shoots...see below...

Click here to visit their website for more details...

Then something wonderful happened!  handi opened up in downtown greenville.  handi is a delightful place right on main street.  not that it matters, but it has a nice exposed brick interior that makes it seem like a more upscale place.  

the waiters actually attend to you and sometimes even run to get your order/request....this may be a little much but its nice to know they actually do care about their customers...i am actually going their tonight with my wife and some of our dear friends....Dan and Joyce and Rob and holly...i think it may be some of their first times so we will see how it goes...i am not worried because this place is great! it turns out that a handi is a deep, narrow-mouthed cooking vessel that is used in Indian cooking...i like it for a name!!!
Click here for their website!

Everyone always asks what to get at an indian restaurant...thats a tough question...personally i think everything is great but i usually tend to lean towards something like...

Some kind of Vindaloo...which i just found out is not really that popular at all in india outside of Goa...it was a dish originally brought by the portuguese...hmm who knew...


I also like Saag Paneer...all i can say is that it tastes better than it looks...


i usually dont like spinachy type stuff but this is unbelievable...

another good option is tandoori chicken...it is chicken that is cooked in a big clay oven thing...


and no meal can be complete without some naan...which is just bread, but you can get all kinds of toppings/stuffings....this is garlic naan, which i love!


these are just a few things i like but there is so much more out there...Anybody want to share some of their favorites?

this is getting long so we will continue tomorrow with something else i love about india...slumdog millionaire...
Read More 1 Comment | Posted by JohnnyBighead edit post
Apr 22

Song of the day, without video

Today we have K'naan, who i really like...he does hip hop in a way i would like to see mainstream hip hop go although i know that is impossible...people love pop music like what lil wayne and his sort do way too much...to me, its a crazy world where people will say lil wayne or t.i. or any of current "best rappers alive" are better than actual artists like mos def, common, talib kweli,etc, etc, etc...but i guess thats just person preference....i just like some substance in what i listen too...

anyways, thats my rant for the day....enjoy K'naan in I Come Prepared with Damian Marley...its not his best but its a good intro, for his best check his more raw earlier album the dusty footed philosopher....He's a somali who moved to nyc and then canada...check out his other stuff if you like it...

Read More 0 comments | Posted by JohnnyBighead edit post
Apr 21

Song of the Day with Video - First Edition

Today is the first installment of something i am very excited about...it is my song of the day! I am going to do my best to post a song with video most everyday. These will be songs i like and people will probably hate some of them but its my blog so deal with it...also, i will take requests and maybe have guest song of the day posts...

It was hard to pick the first song since i liek so many but at the end of the day it wasnt that hard...it had to come from one of my favorite bands and it had to include an amazing beard, a singing stand up bass player, some craziness, and a concert lyric change....and with those parameters there was only one choice....

the avett brothers- left on laura, left of lisa



let me know what you guys think!
Read More 0 comments | Posted by JohnnyBighead edit post
Apr 20

Maclaren...What's In a Name?

hello all hope you had a wonderful weekend!  our was great but of course much too short...
Maclaren was dedicated at Earle St on sunday and everything went well....no crying or spitting up on the pastor or anything...

I think today we will clear something up that a ton have people have asked about and im sure he will hear his whole life....where his name came from...

most people thinks upon first hearing it that it is a family name and scottish...also this would mean it would be spelled like McLaren or MacLaren or McClaren  or something similar, although it is a good assumption that isnt the case this time....if it was he would look like this:



and as attractive as that man is in his MacLaren tartan kilt, i dont think its really for our son...

The next thing people ask is if its after the car....i like cars and i drive cars but i wouldnt call myself a car person.   so for this reason Maclaren is not named after the car....it is actually McLaren, very close to our baby boys name but a tad off... i think they make these super expensive super cars and do some work with Mercedes...a little above our price range....see an example below:



while nice and orange its really not my style, so no my son is not named after it, but i can understand the confusion...

and the last thing we have heard only a few times...its goes something like this..."Oh Maclaren, like the stroller company."  Ooo now we are getting somewhere...this is a hard one to explain...we did get his name from the company but he is not named after it...i will explain more about this below...for now we will talk about the stroller company.   Maclaren is a buggy company out of England that makes some pretty cool stuff.  Click Here for their website...We do have a Maclaren stroller in orange and it does have his name on it...


I mean how many kids have a sweet stroller with their name all over it? we are going to be in trouble if child #2 comes along....we will have to name he/she Bugaboo or Graco or something...

So while so so close, Maclaren isnt named for the stroller company....

Lets go to who he is really named after...

He is named after Claren Garrett... a dear dear friend of ours...see below for a photo of me beating him up...


notice the khaki dress sock, very classy Claren...

Claren was driving his family to Columbia on Mother's Day 2007 (wow its almost been two years)  and was involved in a car crash.  His father Rance, also a dear friend of ours, died instatly and Claren hung around for a few days before he decided to go hang out with the big man upstairs....His mom and brother where also in the car and although banged up, they came out physically okay...

most of the time when you hear of car crashes that involve teenagers you think of alcohol or drugs or being stupid behind the wheel...they were on their way to visit family on mothers day, crazy stuff...Dont get me wrong, Claren was not a good driver and not especially responsbile on the road but he was no worse than any other teenager either...

this accident had a profound aeffect on Lucy and i and everyone involved...we were very close to rance and claren as i know so many people were.  Claren was one of the first people Lucy connected with at earle st...see photo from that summer below:





This is the same summer Johnny Bighead came from, i dont think a ton of people know or remember that...we can talk about that story if you guys want...

Lucy and I really wanted to honor claren and rance (they had the same name Clarence and each took a part) with our sons name but we had a really hard time thinking of soemthing. We didnt want to name him claren or rance but wanted to use the name somehow...maybe a middle name or something...but then we found it... We were in NYC for christmas and were in fao schwartz checking out strollers and we saw a display for Maclaren strollers...and it clicked....this would let Maclaren have his own identity and honor them at the same time...this was a good solution for us...it is a little unusual and sounds a little funny with our last name but it really works for us...

we loved claren because he was so beautifully human...he had tons of struggles and faults...if anyone tells you he was perfect please laugh at them...that is what made him great...he wasnt good at sports but tried hard, he wasnt the smartest kid in the class but he got through it...his compassion was great and had a love for people...even when we were painting stupid trees in ecuador he didnt complain all that much...see photo from ecuador below:



we had our difference sometimes and would get in little squabbles sometimes but it was in a brother kind of way and for the time i had with him i am grateful...and through all of the tragedy so many good things happened...they are too numerous to count but one of the biggest for me was getting to experience noah (his younger brother) and grow closer to him. I was able to experience something with noah this weekend that was on the last things i was able to do with Claren....nothing huge but fun for me all the same....see photos...


Prom Photos...it can be awkward for the old people to come take photos but i am glad they let us in for a second so we could take part...

as the weekend came to a close i realized how good it was and how blessed we are.  blessed to have noah and pat in our lives and blessed that we got to know rance and claren for the short time we did.  i still weep but not in sadness for them...i am sad that Maclaren will never know he namesake...Claren was so excited for us to have kids and be a part of their lives and they are going to miss out on that.  i weep selfishly for myself and the times we arent going to have in the future.  Claren and Rance are living it up now and knowing that comforts me more than you can know...Im not quite ready to join them but when that day comes its going to be on!

So as i wrap this up, i want to say Happy Dedication Maclaren!  Happy Prom Noah! and Happy Birthday Claren (April 18th)!  It was a big weekend for the men of our family!

So now you know where Maclaren got his name and a tiny bit about Claren...feel free to add your own bit or ask any questions....I am going to leave you with a few more photos...



Claren, see you soon my friend and know that there is a little boy that will be looking up to you and he wanted me to tell you thanks for his name...
Read More 1 Comment | Posted by JohnnyBighead edit post
Apr 17

My friend Joe, the emcee...

Hello kids, today we are going to talk about my friend joe...joe is a rapper...joe is white...

as a culture, we are hardwired to think of rappers a certain way...what they look like, how they act, how they dress, etc....this is supported by the vast majority of popular acts strictly following that sterotype...lets look at a few...


then it gets even worse when you hear about a white rapper...immediatley you think of this: 

and it gets worse, he is a white rapper that is a christian...and it turns into this...

But joe is much different…he is hard to define and doesn’t fall into any stereotype.  I think this is a major part of his appeal and why people are drawn to him…it makes you want to figure him out and see why he is the way he is…and I think at the end of the day he is just into a lot of stuff…he has a lot of interests and isn’t afraid to explore them…

But enough about all that, lets get to the good stuff!

Joe goes by the name sintax.the.terrific…if you want to know what it means ask him yourself…im sure he would gladly tell you all about it…he does have a day job and do we have any guesses as to what that is?

That’s right he is a lawyer…at first you may be like, “what?  He is a lawyer/rapper?”  But if you think about it for a second it makes sense…both use words to spin their stories, so really, why not a lawyer?

He is part of a crew called Deepspace5 which was signed on Gotee but now they are doing their own thing…they are sort of a big deal…Check out their video for “Talk Music.”

                       

For me, these guys could be big but have taken a more grassroots approach and use this as their creative outlet as well as their ministry…All the guys in Deepspace can kill it so check them all out. Click Here for their MySpace with music.

Now let's compare a few lawyer/rapper photos of him and then listen to some of his music…

Here he is in his lawyer gear with his wife…

And here is in hip hop mode…

                         
This is his video for "Moonlighting."  Its a pretty cool video that shows off a little of personal life...very nice.

                

For more of his music go to sintaxtheterrific.com
or go to his MySpace...

I could keep going on about how awesome he is and tell you all my favorite songs and line and all that but i will let you guys decide for yourselves...

Write me back and let me know what you think...he lives here in greenville and im sure would be glad to do some shows, just let hit him up!

And i leave you with a photo of us in the mud...

Before:

After...
Read More 0 comments | Posted by JohnnyBighead edit post
Apr 15

Pirates...





That's right kids today we are talking about pirates...they have been in the news lately in Somalia and i think they are never far from our hearts as everyones favorite outlaw killers...

What do you think of when you first hear pirate?  I think of a few things right off the bat..
First, 


The Peg Leg...The peg leg is a staple of all awesome pirates...there is nothing like the gait of a one legged pirate chasing you, im sure they are great for sailing the open sea, so much for sea legs!

Next,

The Eye Patch...another staple of a good pirate...this is huge on a number of levels...not only is it terrifying to look at, the empty eye socket it is a convenient place to store that emergency gas money...think one eyed willie in the goonies...

The last is...

A parrot... i have no idea why pirates love parrots beside the fact that they are awesome and can say a few words...I guess you can say they can bring in the ladies like no other bird...see above

This pirate clearly got the memo is doing a lot of things right...take note future pirate and pirate wanna-bes...

Coming in a strong honorable mention is the....



Hook hand...this would have easily made the list if it was a bit more practical...it does make a handy hands free weapon but is not good for steering ships,drinking grog, and picking up your pirate booty so you upward mobility in the pirate world is not good.

The pirate above is clearly a wanna-be, notice that is not a real hook hand, you can clearly see his real hand holding it so i am not impressed...he is probably the worst pirate ever and some captains little brother so everyone just plays along and lets him be...

Contrary to popular belief the pirate in the news recently in Somalia didnt look like regular pirate such as...



I mean really, if you are going to be a pirate at least do it right as Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom have so appropriately done it above...

Lets take a look at one of these "pirates" of today...


while he does have more impressive weaponry than a sword or hook his attire needs an update, at least he could have put on some pants for the big adventure...and what pirate hides his identity? you have to take all the glory for your dashing escapades!

These pirates do have a pretty sweet home base...its seems like this is a big game of tag and base is somalia...they act as if they will be home free if they can only reach the coast...for those of us who dont know where somalia is chck the map below...
it seems to be corupt lawless place that allows these pirates to bully their way into prominance...all these people are are robbers and thugs looking for quick cash...i think now they have gotten some media attention thus getting more military attention their days are numbered so they will have to go back to robbing their own people in mogadishu and continuing their reign of terror in their own streets...do you think the somali government will take a little more notice then?  hmmm i guess we will see...

And really i think they are just sad/mad that they have the most boring flag in the world.. 


Although similar to the beloved bonnie blue, the color is all off and by default not as cool...

So all of you pirates, aspiring pirates, and wanna-be pirates i leave you with this...

buck up little ones, its not that bad...now go find a real job...we are tired of playing with you...and remember, invoking parley only works with other pirates...
Read More 0 comments | Posted by JohnnyBighead edit post
Apr 13

Clemson Saturday Follow-UP

so as all of you faithful readers know the family went to clemson on saturday and soaked in all the orange goodness...im going to give a pretty quick report because i want to go to bed soon...

We got the little man all decked out in his finest clemson gear and headed on down to clemson. the trip down was pretty uneventful but we got there a little later than we hoped so we decided to head to the surplus sale before the letterman's brunch...when we got there people were lined up and ready to get to all the ponchos, jock straps, and sports bras....pretty much like this:

once we fought through the crowd we realized all those people were fighting for spots at about 10 tables of merchandise...but once we got to a table we figured out why....it was actually good stuff...lucy got some stuff from the track team, running shorts and shirts and stuff and she found me some dri-fit shirts and such....also she found some pretty amazing soccer jerseys for the future of the little man...more on that later...

we also went to littlejohn to see lucy's hall of flame plaque...there is a little alcove that has all the hall of fame stuff, very cool


See the little boy hiding his eyes? already getting embarrassed to be out with his mommy and daddy...

cant you see the resemblance? Are lucy's eyes really that crooked? i think not...

we then went to the letterman brunch with shrimp and grits and all kind of goodies. It was held up in the tiger's den boxes, def. somewhere i have never been....

Then on to the game...
it turned out to be pretty boring considering its just a scrimmage...we stayed for about a quarter and then starting heading back to the homestead...


The little boy also got his first picture with the tiger cub, i dont think he was super into it...what do you think?

It was a great day in clemson, pretty low key and it was fun to be back...

And for the little man, we think he should play soccer for clemson, more specifically a keeper...the US is know for its keeper more than anything and its a cool position, think iker casillas...

And here is a picture of Maclaren for the road....not bad for 9 weeks old!!!
Read More 0 comments | Posted by JohnnyBighead edit post
Newer Posts Older Posts Home

  • About
      This blog is by me, about me, and for me...maybe you can join in along the way...
  • Blogs I Like

    • 101 Great Goals
    • Who Ate all the Pies
    • Off The Post
    • ipoet laureate
    • The Wilkinsons
    • Susan Brewer Photography

    Sites I Like

    • Shine MediaHouse
    • Susan Brewer Photography
    • Your Logo Makes Me Barf
    • Threadless
    • Woot

    Blog Archive

    • ►  2011 (7)
      • ►  July (1)
      • ►  June (5)
      • ►  January (1)
    • ▼  2009 (21)
      • ►  May (1)
      • ▼  April (18)
        • india - part 2
        • Song of the day...with video
        • Song of the day...with video
        • india - part 1
        • Song of the day, without video
        • Song of the Day with Video - First Edition
        • Maclaren...What's In a Name?
        • My friend Joe, the emcee...
        • Pirates...
        • Clemson Saturday Follow-UP
        • Clemson Saturday...
        • World Cup in SC?
        • 80s and the Frog
        • My Sunday...
        • Cooper Results...
        • Apparently I am a "demonic pagan deity"
        • Cooper Eve
        • Happy 2 Months Maclaren!
      • ►  March (2)
  • Search






    • Home
    • Family Blog
    • What Tommy Eats
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    © Copyright the best of these. All rights reserved.
    Designed by Shine MediaHouse
    brought to you by Johnny Bighead

    Back to Top