As said by Frank Zappa... “You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline - it helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer” ... and me just leaving for a country that oozes with it :) ... Last/Late (IN) Goodbyes to nears/dears... take good care of thyself ...Keep in touch ...Smile on!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Monday, September 8, 2008
The Little Things
Walk along the road of life… accepting the spreading smiles and flowing tears
Swing through all the ups ‘n’ the downs and fight those battling fears
Expecting what one cannot and trying not to expect what one can
Strange as it may seem, the little things do matter in each and every plan
Break those conundrums; it gets easier to solve… piece by piece
Justify each step taken and in the end, there will be a deserved peace
Take time out and analyze the atoms of everything in your existence
Evolve the better way and it sure will add to the illustrious experience
Most of the important statements require just three words or less
Amidst busy schedules, don’t forget those phrases, to express
These little things can turn lives around… make someone’s day
Be it to thy folks or pals or someone… doesn’t matter how far away
‘I Love U’, ‘I Miss U’, ‘Here for U’ and many more… we fear to say
At least one Smile a day… it could keep the other’s demons at bay
Heartfelt wishes can sometimes work wonders and miracles
A sweet 'Good Morning' or a peace-filled 'Good Night' can break shackles
It is never too late to say or to articulate, the way that one feels
‘Express it all… never Regret, if it’s a fall’ – a motto for all that life deals
Tear down the walls of ego and anxiety that insecurity brings
Always appreciate and make rightful use of the "little" things
Swing through all the ups ‘n’ the downs and fight those battling fears
Expecting what one cannot and trying not to expect what one can
Strange as it may seem, the little things do matter in each and every plan
Break those conundrums; it gets easier to solve… piece by piece
Justify each step taken and in the end, there will be a deserved peace
Take time out and analyze the atoms of everything in your existence
Evolve the better way and it sure will add to the illustrious experience
Most of the important statements require just three words or less
Amidst busy schedules, don’t forget those phrases, to express
These little things can turn lives around… make someone’s day
Be it to thy folks or pals or someone… doesn’t matter how far away
‘I Love U’, ‘I Miss U’, ‘Here for U’ and many more… we fear to say
At least one Smile a day… it could keep the other’s demons at bay
Heartfelt wishes can sometimes work wonders and miracles
A sweet 'Good Morning' or a peace-filled 'Good Night' can break shackles
It is never too late to say or to articulate, the way that one feels
‘Express it all… never Regret, if it’s a fall’ – a motto for all that life deals
Tear down the walls of ego and anxiety that insecurity brings
Always appreciate and make rightful use of the "little" things
;DJohny
27 June 2008
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Back… Again
There it is, is it back…? Back again
That hurting foresight, a past foreseen
Maybe the impossible might just happen…
The lightening may just strike… a second time
Giving rise to wounds that would never heal
Tried to stare down into the barrel of Future
Hoped for a cure… to overcome the past
Dreamt of a life, filled with that care
Looked at a heavenly bond to share
At the end of the unending dark tunnel
Thought… I saw a shimmer of heavenly blissful light
Pulled myself along, trying to get myself closer to it
Felt my energy… replenishing itself
Basking in the glory of that shine
Don’t know if that light is the true healer
Or is it just an oncoming train,
on whose tracks… I’ve tread for so long
Bearing the unevenness thrown at me…
The future is unknown… Hope still and will remain
Efforts shall try to strengthen itself
The Devil grins on one side and the Angel glares on the other
Decisions to be taken, to be made or just forced upon
To stay above or below the horizon
That hurting foresight, a past foreseen
Maybe the impossible might just happen…
The lightening may just strike… a second time
Giving rise to wounds that would never heal
Tried to stare down into the barrel of Future
Hoped for a cure… to overcome the past
Dreamt of a life, filled with that care
Looked at a heavenly bond to share
At the end of the unending dark tunnel
Thought… I saw a shimmer of heavenly blissful light
Pulled myself along, trying to get myself closer to it
Felt my energy… replenishing itself
Basking in the glory of that shine
Don’t know if that light is the true healer
Or is it just an oncoming train,
on whose tracks… I’ve tread for so long
Bearing the unevenness thrown at me…
The future is unknown… Hope still and will remain
Efforts shall try to strengthen itself
The Devil grins on one side and the Angel glares on the other
Decisions to be taken, to be made or just forced upon
To stay above or below the horizon
Still Loving You
You’re gone… but your memories remain
In thy thoughts… I’ve become insane
Never will things become the same
That they were… in the presence of your name
I’ve turned completely into a fiend
The one, you promised to ever remain a friend
But you left… for reasons mystery bound
I will never be able to return to stable ground
The Love still remains, as long as this breath
But this mind’s domain… craving for death
As it has only caused trouble to other’s health
You were the one… the only one, a true wealth
Cherishing thy thoughts… am still loving you
Hopes of a future… just a faintly few
You achieved thy goal… that of eternal bliss
In the queue and still loving you… waiting for death’s kiss
In thy thoughts… I’ve become insane
Never will things become the same
That they were… in the presence of your name
I’ve turned completely into a fiend
The one, you promised to ever remain a friend
But you left… for reasons mystery bound
I will never be able to return to stable ground
The Love still remains, as long as this breath
But this mind’s domain… craving for death
As it has only caused trouble to other’s health
You were the one… the only one, a true wealth
Cherishing thy thoughts… am still loving you
Hopes of a future… just a faintly few
You achieved thy goal… that of eternal bliss
In the queue and still loving you… waiting for death’s kiss
The Johny
Ain’t no Song
Just sitting amidst this flickering light
Wondering how am I gonna spend the night
Will I have to again put up a fight?
Why can’t things always go on right?
Thinking of my existence… is there a reason
Is my relationship with others a treason?
Will this go on… for every season
In the horizon… Is it rising or setting, the sun?
Have been living so long, like a leech
It seems nothing’s left… no sensible speech
Every bond of life… seems to be nearing a breach
Feelings within are all out of reach
Have pulled these things… far too long
It seems to be ending, like a faint song
Times been swinging, on a ping pong
Striving to come through and remain strong
Enough of clinging… like a vine
Put an end to it and strengthen the spine
Life ain’t gonna be a straight line
Have a future to build… be it fine
Wondering how am I gonna spend the night
Will I have to again put up a fight?
Why can’t things always go on right?
Thinking of my existence… is there a reason
Is my relationship with others a treason?
Will this go on… for every season
In the horizon… Is it rising or setting, the sun?
Have been living so long, like a leech
It seems nothing’s left… no sensible speech
Every bond of life… seems to be nearing a breach
Feelings within are all out of reach
Have pulled these things… far too long
It seems to be ending, like a faint song
Times been swinging, on a ping pong
Striving to come through and remain strong
Enough of clinging… like a vine
Put an end to it and strengthen the spine
Life ain’t gonna be a straight line
Have a future to build… be it fine
The Johny
Monday, August 20, 2007
In thy absence...
Barren lands, bald trees, murky waters… is all that is seen
You left and along with you… went all the glee, wiped out clean
Things have turned gloomy and troubles are running free
Without you, I am unable to be the one I used to be
Up in the sky… the stars don’t seem so bright
The moon is in hiding… there’s darkness all night
The sun… in your absence, feels shining is not right
Trees bow down to a breeze with no vigor left to fight
The chirping of birds does not feel so sweet
The smiles of children, seems to be incomplete
Looking around, a distinct emptiness fills the air
Weird thoughts creep up, cornered in a haunting lair
Tears flow down the cheek, reminiscing the past
The ship of life seems to have a broken mast
The spirits that keep things lively, have lost their essence
Reality seems to have lost its grandeur … in thy absence
The Johny
17 August 2007
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
IRON MAIDEN Concert (17.03.2007)
-- As scripted by Vivian Nitin Lobo
Saturday, 17th March'07 was one of the biggest days of my life so far. It was the day when the Heavy Metal Gods, Iron Maiden came to India as a part of the Iron Maiden - A Matter Of Life And Death tour, 2007. Excuse my French, but I gotta say IT WAS FUCKING AWESOME!!! It just blew me off!
Me and my mates left home by 9:30, had to drop mom to her workplace and reached the venue by 10 AM. There were already some people camping there since a long time. At about 10:30 AM, we happened to meet Sam Dunn, the director of the documentary movie, Metal: A Head bangers Journey. Apparently he was filming his next documentary on Metal scene around the world.
Sam Dunn
It was round about 1 PM when we queued up and what a terrible experience it was! Scorching Indian summers and Heavy Metal concerts... not a good combination at all! People were constantly pushing and jostling each other. I was almost first to the gates and I looked back and saw an infinite crowd of screaming angry fans all clad in the Black Iron Maiden Tees. I had to persevere until 3:30 PM in that riot before I was let in and I could make it to the second row!!! I was upfront in the dead center, just 25 feet away from the mighty stage... now what more could I ask for in my life! Soon crowd was pouring in and I could catch a glimpse until half the arena not beyond it. When the ground was almost filled, the horrible crowd avalanches started. The back rows were pushing the front rows at rib-cracking force. Since I was in the center of 4th row, it was like a mosh pit ALL THE TIME! It was a lot of fun in the beginning but soon I was getting elbowed. And guys in front row were getting horribly squished against the barricade. Some passed out, some got brutally injured I think and many were craving for water!At this point I couldn't take it anymore...and just walked back and had a plan to get in front by the time Maiden performed...and might I add it worked....OK I had my good cousins around to buy me some soda...I so badly wanted to at the kebabs..but it was bloody expensive...The unfortunate thing was the phone lines were jammed...and so could not contact my other cousins and friends...in the venue...
At about 5:30 PM, F.T.N, a pansy band who were winners of MTV Campus Rock Idols Contest took the stage. Their set list consisted of about 4 songs I guess, two of which were covers of Korn, Rage Against the Machine. Come on, they were fuckin opening for Iron Maiden! This is a serious blasphemy. And sure enough, they were booed off the stage with everyone shouting "Fuck off" and raising the middle fingers. That must have been a kick in the crotch to those guys!
Parikrama
After 6:15 PM, another so-called Indian "rock" band, Parikrama came on to the stage for the second opening act. Honestly they failed to impress me. But they appealed to a handful of fans by performing their original numbers. Adding Violin instrument to almost all their songs was just sissy! But I kinda liked one of their songs Parikrama - Am I Dreaming, which was inspired by Frodo and Sam's exploits in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.
Lauren Harris
Next, it was cute Lauren Harris on stage. That was one of the privileges of being a daughter of Iron Maiden's Bassist Steve Harris! Hers is a punk rock band... you know kinda like Avril Lavigne. Lauren was welcomed much better than the previous two bands. When she finished performing 4 songs, the crowd was getting highly impatient... people were continuously screaming "Maiden, Maiden, Maiden...". She finished her 5th song somehow and left the stage.
It was close to 8 PM. The big time has finally come. The crowd was screaming at the top of their lungs for Maiden to come on to the stage. The painful right and left crowd avalanches started too, creating a huge moshpit in the front rows but I was out of it....
Then the stage was darkened momentarily and "Bruce Dickinson", the Iron Maiden's vocalist sprang onto the stage explosively by singing Iron Maiden – Different World followed by "Nicko McBrian" on Drums, "Dave Murray" and "Adrian Smith" on Lead Guitars, "Steve Harris" on Bass Guitar and finally "Janick Gers" on Rhythm Guitar. The crowd just went out of control. It is one of the most amazing moments of my life. I felt resurrected and got a surge of energy from no where seeing Maiden on stage! There I was standing, just humble 20 feet away from the Heavy Metal Gods and around me tens of thousands of fans screaming, head banging and moshing violently! It was simply jaw-dropping!!! Maiden then went onto perform the other two songs from their new album, Iron Maiden – These colors Don't Run, and Iron Maiden – Brighter Than A Thousand Suns. Then the next song, Iron Maiden – Wrathchild, from their second album, Iron Maiden - Killers was dedicated in "Leon Ireland's" memory who passed away last December - he was the lead singer of the famous Indian Rock band, "Moksha", which is credited to be the only Asian group to perform for the Iron Maiden tribute album Children of the Damned.
After Wrathchild, the crowd was shouting for the encore, Iron Maiden – The Trooper. As soon as Bruce heard that, he went in and came out in the the old British Trooper red uniform and British Flag and started performing The Trooper song with unparalleled energy. This was the best performance in my opinion. People went insanely wild too... singing along. It just felt like I was riding a wildly galloping horse!on heaven I absolutely loved it!
The Trooper was followed by another 2 songs from the new album, Iron Maiden – The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg and Iron Maiden – For The Greater Good of God. Next line-up was their classic songs, all my favorite ones:
Iron Maiden – Number of the Beast
Iron Maiden – Fear of the Dark
Iron Maiden – Run to the Hills
Iron Maiden – Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden – 2 Minutes to Midnight
Iron Maiden – The Evil That Men Do
and finally,
Iron Maiden – Hallowed Be Thy Name.
I totally loved these set of tracks as I must have listened to them at least a million times! While performing Fear of the Dark, Bruce climbed up the truss up to 30 feet high! It is simply mind blowing to watch the awesome stagemanship of Bruce; even though he is close to 50 years of age, he is amazingly energetic! And Iron Maiden's Mascot, Eddie The Head appeared in a Battle Tank in Iron Maiden song and then came onto the stage in soldier's uniform and with a rifle, during The Evil that Men Do song, in a signature style of the band!
During their last song, Hallowed Be Thy Name, I was almost on the verge of passing out. I was fully exhausted and I was mustering all the energy to pull through somehow. Ever since Maiden took the stage, I was in heaven all the time! At the end of the show, many fans just sat on the ground unwilling to leave the arena and relishing every moment of the spectacular show!
I've listened to Maiden's discography umpteen number of times, watched all their music videos, watched videos of their live performances like Rock in Rio, Donington Live 1992, Live at the Rainbow, Death on the Road etc. and I thought they were awesome. But believe me, watching Maiden live beats them all!!! It is simply mind-blowing and if I could make up a superlative degree of the word Awesome as Awesomest then that describes it!
Good news is that Bruce promised his Indian fans that Maiden would return again in another 17 months!!!
And I almost forgot...my cousin [John Brian] touched the drum heads when Bruce threw it into the crowd..but couldn't catch it..I so wish he did..cause I would have framed it.... All the moments were captured in a cellphone but I'm a complete novice in capturing videos and I guess all of you would have known the quality...but I should thank my friend for giving me his phone...for that one brilliant day....
Hail Iron Maiden!
UP THE IRONS \m/
Here are some of the pictures of the concert! FEAST YOUR EYES!!!
Saturday, 17th March'07 was one of the biggest days of my life so far. It was the day when the Heavy Metal Gods, Iron Maiden came to India as a part of the Iron Maiden - A Matter Of Life And Death tour, 2007. Excuse my French, but I gotta say IT WAS FUCKING AWESOME!!! It just blew me off!
Me and my mates left home by 9:30, had to drop mom to her workplace and reached the venue by 10 AM. There were already some people camping there since a long time. At about 10:30 AM, we happened to meet Sam Dunn, the director of the documentary movie, Metal: A Head bangers Journey. Apparently he was filming his next documentary on Metal scene around the world.
Sam Dunn
It was round about 1 PM when we queued up and what a terrible experience it was! Scorching Indian summers and Heavy Metal concerts... not a good combination at all! People were constantly pushing and jostling each other. I was almost first to the gates and I looked back and saw an infinite crowd of screaming angry fans all clad in the Black Iron Maiden Tees. I had to persevere until 3:30 PM in that riot before I was let in and I could make it to the second row!!! I was upfront in the dead center, just 25 feet away from the mighty stage... now what more could I ask for in my life! Soon crowd was pouring in and I could catch a glimpse until half the arena not beyond it. When the ground was almost filled, the horrible crowd avalanches started. The back rows were pushing the front rows at rib-cracking force. Since I was in the center of 4th row, it was like a mosh pit ALL THE TIME! It was a lot of fun in the beginning but soon I was getting elbowed. And guys in front row were getting horribly squished against the barricade. Some passed out, some got brutally injured I think and many were craving for water!At this point I couldn't take it anymore...and just walked back and had a plan to get in front by the time Maiden performed...and might I add it worked....OK I had my good cousins around to buy me some soda...I so badly wanted to at the kebabs..but it was bloody expensive...The unfortunate thing was the phone lines were jammed...and so could not contact my other cousins and friends...in the venue...
At about 5:30 PM, F.T.N, a pansy band who were winners of MTV Campus Rock Idols Contest took the stage. Their set list consisted of about 4 songs I guess, two of which were covers of Korn, Rage Against the Machine. Come on, they were fuckin opening for Iron Maiden! This is a serious blasphemy. And sure enough, they were booed off the stage with everyone shouting "Fuck off" and raising the middle fingers. That must have been a kick in the crotch to those guys!
Parikrama
After 6:15 PM, another so-called Indian "rock" band, Parikrama came on to the stage for the second opening act. Honestly they failed to impress me. But they appealed to a handful of fans by performing their original numbers. Adding Violin instrument to almost all their songs was just sissy! But I kinda liked one of their songs Parikrama - Am I Dreaming, which was inspired by Frodo and Sam's exploits in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.
Lauren Harris
Next, it was cute Lauren Harris on stage. That was one of the privileges of being a daughter of Iron Maiden's Bassist Steve Harris! Hers is a punk rock band... you know kinda like Avril Lavigne. Lauren was welcomed much better than the previous two bands. When she finished performing 4 songs, the crowd was getting highly impatient... people were continuously screaming "Maiden, Maiden, Maiden...". She finished her 5th song somehow and left the stage.
It was close to 8 PM. The big time has finally come. The crowd was screaming at the top of their lungs for Maiden to come on to the stage. The painful right and left crowd avalanches started too, creating a huge moshpit in the front rows but I was out of it....
Then the stage was darkened momentarily and "Bruce Dickinson", the Iron Maiden's vocalist sprang onto the stage explosively by singing Iron Maiden – Different World followed by "Nicko McBrian" on Drums, "Dave Murray" and "Adrian Smith" on Lead Guitars, "Steve Harris" on Bass Guitar and finally "Janick Gers" on Rhythm Guitar. The crowd just went out of control. It is one of the most amazing moments of my life. I felt resurrected and got a surge of energy from no where seeing Maiden on stage! There I was standing, just humble 20 feet away from the Heavy Metal Gods and around me tens of thousands of fans screaming, head banging and moshing violently! It was simply jaw-dropping!!! Maiden then went onto perform the other two songs from their new album, Iron Maiden – These colors Don't Run, and Iron Maiden – Brighter Than A Thousand Suns. Then the next song, Iron Maiden – Wrathchild, from their second album, Iron Maiden - Killers was dedicated in "Leon Ireland's" memory who passed away last December - he was the lead singer of the famous Indian Rock band, "Moksha", which is credited to be the only Asian group to perform for the Iron Maiden tribute album Children of the Damned.
After Wrathchild, the crowd was shouting for the encore, Iron Maiden – The Trooper. As soon as Bruce heard that, he went in and came out in the the old British Trooper red uniform and British Flag and started performing The Trooper song with unparalleled energy. This was the best performance in my opinion. People went insanely wild too... singing along. It just felt like I was riding a wildly galloping horse!on heaven I absolutely loved it!
The Trooper was followed by another 2 songs from the new album, Iron Maiden – The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg and Iron Maiden – For The Greater Good of God. Next line-up was their classic songs, all my favorite ones:
Iron Maiden – Number of the Beast
Iron Maiden – Fear of the Dark
Iron Maiden – Run to the Hills
Iron Maiden – Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden – 2 Minutes to Midnight
Iron Maiden – The Evil That Men Do
and finally,
Iron Maiden – Hallowed Be Thy Name.
I totally loved these set of tracks as I must have listened to them at least a million times! While performing Fear of the Dark, Bruce climbed up the truss up to 30 feet high! It is simply mind blowing to watch the awesome stagemanship of Bruce; even though he is close to 50 years of age, he is amazingly energetic! And Iron Maiden's Mascot, Eddie The Head appeared in a Battle Tank in Iron Maiden song and then came onto the stage in soldier's uniform and with a rifle, during The Evil that Men Do song, in a signature style of the band!
During their last song, Hallowed Be Thy Name, I was almost on the verge of passing out. I was fully exhausted and I was mustering all the energy to pull through somehow. Ever since Maiden took the stage, I was in heaven all the time! At the end of the show, many fans just sat on the ground unwilling to leave the arena and relishing every moment of the spectacular show!
I've listened to Maiden's discography umpteen number of times, watched all their music videos, watched videos of their live performances like Rock in Rio, Donington Live 1992, Live at the Rainbow, Death on the Road etc. and I thought they were awesome. But believe me, watching Maiden live beats them all!!! It is simply mind-blowing and if I could make up a superlative degree of the word Awesome as Awesomest then that describes it!
Good news is that Bruce promised his Indian fans that Maiden would return again in another 17 months!!!
And I almost forgot...my cousin [John Brian] touched the drum heads when Bruce threw it into the crowd..but couldn't catch it..I so wish he did..cause I would have framed it.... All the moments were captured in a cellphone but I'm a complete novice in capturing videos and I guess all of you would have known the quality...but I should thank my friend for giving me his phone...for that one brilliant day....
Hail Iron Maiden!
UP THE IRONS \m/
Here are some of the pictures of the concert! FEAST YOUR EYES!!!
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