Two young brothers, one of them still in college, have put Kolkata on the world?s Internet map by building the hottest online game on social networking phenomenon Facebook.

Jayant and Rajat Agarwalla have built a free online scrabble game that has 800,000 registered users on Facebook… [Hindustan Times]

The Agarwalla Brothers

Yes, it’s the the Scrabulous App on Facebook that I’m sure every user has seen, if not used. I’ve expressed my views on the whole social networking thing (and Facebook, in particular), in the past. But this is pretty cool.

There’s more:

The Agarwalla brothers run Scrabulous from the offices of their home-grown software company in an office in Calcutta.

Of the 30 software developers the company employs, a few work on the online game, “fixing bugs and improving the systems,” as the brothers describe it.

The Calcutta-born brothers are scrabble buffs in a city which is Scrabble-crazy. [BBC]

It sounds expensive, and it is – but it’s a labor of love for them, so it doesn’t bother them much.

Rajat Agarwalla said he had tried all the Facebook advertising networks and found that none earned much money. Now he is using Google AdSense to put text advertising links on the Scrabulous canvas page, and he said he is barely recouping his swelling bandwidth costs.

But that is fine with him, because developing for Facebook is only a hobby for the Agarwalla brothers.

?We see it as a project and as a community, where people are actually having fun with each other, rather than paying to have fun or thinking someone is running this as a professional enterprise,? Mr. Agarwalla said. [NYT]

Nice.

And from the ad below, it looks like our desi brethren back home are still doing some excellent work. Kudos to them, I say!

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I just saw The Departed. A few months late and a few dollars short (thanks to Netflix) but it was on purpose, because I wanted to watch Infernal Affairs first. I’m glad I waited. It?s unfortunate that Martin Scorsese has resorted to making big budget blockbusters in the last few years, because it has diluted his body of work.

This is not to say that there?s anything wrong with big budget blockbusters; it?s just that the ones that Scorcese has been making in the last few years are pretty flat compared with his earlier stuff. While it was tightly shot, with decent cinematography, The Departed seemed shallow and unreal overall. More importantly, it did not fare well against its elder twin Infernal Affairs for three main reasons.

First of all, the plot for the latter was completely original ? something that very few moviegoers had ever had the chance to see. Secondly, the actors brought out an incredible level of depth and complexity in their characters, which was not seen with The Departed. And third, and most importantly, the concept of loyalty ? on which the entire plot hinges ? seemed so much more culturally believable in Hong Kong, than it was in Boston. As a bonus, audiences for Infernal Affairs had no soft landing in the end – the finale was more powerful, more realistic and consequently, more cynical than The Departed‘s. When comparing the two, Infernal Affairs comes out head and shoulders above The Departed, all of its Oscars notwithstanding.

While Infernal Affairs has had the privilege of being remade by Martin Scorsese, not all films coming out of East and Southeast Asia share this honor. Over the last ten years or so, especially since the economies there have started to pick up, the film industries have been booming. As a result, there have been some real gems that have been created on that side of the Pacific. Too many other films deserve the exposure that Infernal Affairs received, and quite frankly, almost all of them are not going to get it.

Most likely, several of you reading this will miss out on some examples of excellent cinema only because you never get the chance to hear of a particular film. Readers in the Bay Area however, need not despair. An excellent opportunity is only a few days away. I?m talking, of course, about the Asian American Film Festival that?s showing in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose, from March 15th through the 25th. Some of the finest films shot in the last decade are going to be previewed there, including some which have never received any prior western exposure, either in the form of widespread DVD availability or in the form of theatrical release.

The Day A Pig Fell Into The Well

One of the striking features of the festival is a Hong Sang-soo retrospective. Sang-soo is a South Korean filmmaker who received critical recognition with his debut directorial feature The Day A Pig Fell Into The Well released in 1996. His latest feature is Woman on the Beach which was released last year. The Festival is featuring a complete screening of all his films.

A recurrent theme in all of Sang-soo?s films is the alienation and stunted emotional growth experienced by his characters. They all relate to others in a unique and particular way, which clearly shows how they can be members of society but yet remain completely detached from it. These people are sociopaths on some level, creating a world for themselves which is completely isolated from the real world. What is interesting is to see how they react to each other, and to their own handicap especially since they themselves are unaware of it.

What is disturbing is that if their detachment were not so extreme and their emotional void not quite so empty, they might just be people like you or me. If you believe in accidents, then it is a small twist of fate that has made these characters the way they are and it is just as likely they could have gone another way, in which case, ended up quite normal. This fragility is what makes Hong?s movies so enticingly repulsive. If you are interested in the complexities of human nature, Hong?s films are for you.

Blackout

But we need not delve into the seamy underbelly of the human unconscious to enjoy a good movie. The Festival is also showcasing some of the best action thrillers. Of note is the Filipino film, Blackout about an alcoholic, single father who wakes up to see his rear bumper bloodied after one of his blackouts. Directed by whiz kid Ato Bautista, the movie blurs the line between reality and unreality as we unravel the mystery.

Also showing is Chris Chan Lee?s Undoing, a neo-noir film based in (where else?) LA, about crooked cops, blackmail and a fugitive who returns home for some revenge. It stars Sung Kang of The Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift fame, in a strikingly different role.

And finally, the Canadian drama Dragon Boys tells the story of a Chinese Canadian cop who wants to take on the Vancouver triad. Directed by Jerry Ciccoritti, it showcases talent from the US, Canada and Hong Kong, and has been compared with The Sopranos and The Wire.

The Year of the Fish

For the more romantic types, we have David Kaplan?s The Year of the Fish, a rotoscoped fantasy film about a young Chinese immigrant, showcasing New York City like you?ve never seen it before. There?s also the racy and sexually charged Summer Palace which has director Lou Ye tell the story of two Beijing University students over the period of ten years. Noteworthy documentaries like Duc Nguyen?s Bolinao 52 showcase the story of a boat of ill-fated Vietnamese refugees who leave the country in the hopes of escaping persecution in 1980 Vietnam. There are even shorts from South Asia like the striking chapters from Sita Sings the Blues which takes stories from the Indian epic, The Ramayana, and retells them in short, animation form.

It?s impossible to highlight every good movie showing at the festival. This is just a handful of noticeable films and for each one mentioned here, there are about three or four films which are just as good. My only advice is: If you?re in the Bay Area, check it out. You won?t want to miss it.

I’d show some of the photos here, but they are all copyright-protected and cannot be reproduced under any circumstances. My suggestion is go there and take a look. You’ll be amazed at what some journalists have shot.

Good morning (Pacific), folks. It is that time of the month again. “What time of month?” you ask innocently. My sweet, sweet cherub, how I wish I could share your naivete. It’s the time of month when a new issue of Thirsty magazine is out on the virtual newstands. “Ohhh! That time of month!” you say, with an exclamation point at the end of the sentence. Yes. That time of month. What the hell were you thinking? You have one dirty mind for a sweet, innocent cherub, I’ll tell you that much!

Anyhow, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by going there, since Thirsty is free to read, and you get to see my more “journalistic” (shall we say?) writings. This time, I’ve reviewed six movies which I consider to be the best movies of 2006. Just a caveat: I didn’t watch every 2006 movie, and I know that there were a couple which should rightly have been on there, had I seen them. But you do what you can, with what you’ve got. As Kenny Rogers said,

You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.

“What the hell has that got to do with movie reviews?” I can feel you asking. Well, you’re just going to have to find out for yourself, aren’t you? Click here for The Best Movies of 2006.

Picture Source: Yahoo!/Reuters

Taken a few minutes ago…

The hardboiled hero is cynical but sensitive, philosophical but wordly. He might bend the law, but he rarely breaks it. He has a mangled personal life and likes a drink, but not to excess.
[link]

They also go on to say that this model of the detective in detective fiction has survived, more or less unchanged, since the fifties. That is true enough, to some extent. Several good, modern fictional detectives are some variation of Marlowe. At least for guys, there is always some sort of appeal to this kind of persona. Marlowe and his kind are almost like urban alpha-males. Existing on the fringes of society, doing what they want, when they want, without having to worry about what their office-mates will think. This is a fantasy for many men because it’s something that they all want but can’t have because of, well, responsibilities. And it’s probably for good reason that all men aren’t like him. I mean, it’s great to read about Phillip Marlowe and his ilk, but to actually be him is a whole different story. I’ve got cholesterol problems and a family history of diabetes, for christ’s sake. And think about the STDs that he could contract sleeping around with all those prostitutes.

Anyhow, getting back to the article, they suggest four books that have been released recently. Among them is A Case of Two Cities (St. Martin’s Minotaur) by Qiu Xiaolong. I read Death of a Red Heroine (Soho Crime), also by Xiaolong, and found it interesting. What I most liked about it is that it takes you into a China that you would never know about otherwise, like the little details about the food rations, the dorm-style accomodations and other pains that the common man has to endure on a day-to-day level. Also, it treats Beijing as a character unto itself. The city is bustling with energy and businesses are thriving because of China’s booming economy. Xiaolong makes every attempt to bring out the nature of the city. The plot was somewhat intricate and evolved slowly, which suited the pace of the novel. The Economist says this about the detective-protagonist, Chen Cao, who is also a published poet:

Chen is an engaging figure: he quotes poetry, loves food and the descriptions of feasts of dumplings and snacks are mouth-watering. … [And] even though Chen sees the faults and contradictions of China’s political system, he remains a patriot and is immensely proud of his country’s history and culture. [link]

Cao is not like Marlowe in a typically Western way, but he does share some characteristics, like a personal life fraught with issues. Also, he doesn’t drink too much, but he visits his mother (not as often as he’d like, though) and he’s a poet. So, he’s definitely sensitive. Since I’ve only read the one book, I’m sure there are plenty more facets to his personality that I’ve yet to learn about.

This newer book is going on my wish list and if you’re into detective fiction, I recommend you to do the same.

From the magazine’s Manifesto, in the words of the auteurs themselves,

Operating from a truly virtual platform, Thirsty’s grasp starts at street level and continues underneath, where the most deserving art resides. Propelled by the philosophy espoused by Ryan Licht Sang, Thirsty’s pull will draw upon the insights, impressions, opinions and expertise of its artists without regard for convention. [link]

To go to the magazine, click here. Or go to www.staythirstymedia.com.

My first article for them is posted here. Enjoy.

Even though I’m a pretty big foodie, I don’t usually write restaurant reviews. I guess I’m one of those people who’d rather eat the food than write about it while pretending that I’m an expert on the subject. I’m much better at doing that kind of pretending with movies. But I’m a huge fan of Szechuan food, with its hot and spicy take on Chinese cooking.

So when we were driving around town the other day, it was with great excitement that we noticed a Szechuan place that didn’t look like your average Chinese joint with a picture of “Buddhist Delight” above the counter (read: boiled vegetables). Of course, we had to go. The place was called Spices II. Started by two sisters from Taiwan, it’s a Taiwanese take on Szechuan. Now I prefer the real thing myself, but until I find a good place, this one definitely does the job. It is excellent. The “II” is in there because it was the second one that they’ve opened. The first one called (of course) Spices is two blocks away. Both places are in the Inner Richmond district and the sisters have their own website where you can go for more info.

We were hungry when we walked in, which is good for the restaurateur, but bad for our wallets. The menu was replete with pork intestine, pork blood, pork kidney and pork stomach. We definitely wanted to pig out, but we weren’t in the mood for pork. Also, all tofu dishes had an additional prefix of ‘stinky’ tacked on to the name of the dish. I found this a little strange, since I don’t find tofu that appealing anyhow, and if you add a ‘stinky’ to the tofu, I’m definitely not going to order it! We ended up ordering the eels that you see above, lamb with scallions, chili cucumber, chili beef and wantons in hot oil.

The food did not have the “anaesthetic pepper” that is usually found in Szechuan cuisine. But the menu did say that it’s a Taiwanese take on the whole thing. Which is fine. The lamb was just soft enough, the beef was delicious, the eels were spectacular and the cucumber was a perfect side dish. The wantons however, were a little wanting.

Yes, I had to drink a fair amount of water. Yes, we had to order steamed rice (only the daring would eat that stuff plain). But I’m telling you – overall the food was excellent. By the time the check came around, we were expecting the worst. No fear though, it was under $40 for three of us, and we all got leftovers to take back home. Amazing. Great food, great price. If you’re in the area, I highly recommend it.

Spices II
291 – 6th Avenue & Clement, San Francisco, CA 94118
Tel: (415) 752-8885