24 short films will be screened over 4 hours across the world simultaneously. There will be live music and some speakers too.

For our area, the date and time are May 10, 11 a.m. In addition to 6 live venues, Internet and television, we can also watch it locally. Here are some locations, one of which might be close to you.

San Jose: JJ’s Blues
Stanford: Stanford University Memorial Auditorium
Berkeley: Wheeler, 2600 Ridge Rd.
Santa Cruz: McHenry Library
Monterey: MPC / Punky Lil Kid Independent Film Festival

You can browse for more venues or even search using a map. There are some “private events” too; but I’m not sure whether we can go there.

In addition to the noble cause and watching movies, I am looking forward to a unique worldwide event. How about you?

We checked it out on a cloudy Saturday. Many of the buildings retain their Victorian past. The shops, mainly catering to the wealthy residents, include a whole lot of boutiques, “home stuff” places and a good variety of restaurants. There is an Apple store and even a Lamborghini showroom!

Parking is free. You could park on either end of Santa Cruz Avenue and walk the stretch. Thankfully for us, a soon-to-be-closed Sharper Image store gave us the opportunity of a free massage to relax, after hanging around for a few hours there.

If you want to spend a day in leisure, away from the regular fast-paced life, check out Los Gatos Downtown.

I can really speak to only those who haven’t witnessed Cirque before. The show was spectacular, grand and extreme. The sounds, music and lighting were very well coordinated. With every act, they pushed limits. Our favorites were Balancing on Chairs, Contortion, Juggling and Unicycle Duo. That’s definitely not to say that the other acts were lacking.

While the high pricing for tickets was justified, the almost-outrageous costs of food / drinks and $10 for parking were not. When we shell out almost $100 each for the show, can’t we at least have free parking? Maybe, it’s just me.

If you’re interested, hunt for Kooza tickets on one of its last few days in San Jose.

PS: The music is mildly inspired by ‘Bollywood’. More on misconceptions and misuse of that term in some other post later…

[Picture Courtesy: Cirque du Soleil]

Saturday night at Cinequest was busy as expected. I went along with my wife to California Theater. After some trouble navigating our way through Downtown, we reached the end of a long line waiting outside.

We made our entry just 10 minutes before the screening and were blown away by the grandeur of California Theater. It was reminiscent of a different age.

The surprises for the day were still not over. There was a small change introduced to the program — 2 ‘Bollywood’ dance items preceding the movie. The audience heartily cheered the amateurish performances.

Coming to the movie finally, it was a wonderful drama with a dose of philosophy and some suspense too thrown in. Wonderfully acted and directed, it featured some leading arthouse names in key supporting roles. Amal also opens the 26th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, March 21-23 in San Jose. So, catch it there if you missed it at Cinequest.

The screening was followed by a nice Q&A session with the young filmmaker, Richie Mehta.

[Picture Courtesy: Cinequest]

So, I did have better luck at Cinequest the second time. I watched Superheroes by Alan Brown, a drama which to me threw light on the effects of (the Iraq) war on individuals. It helped that the movie had a couple of known faces in the lead roles.

The description on the Cinequest site was true to its word this time. The movie was indeed “a rare film that speaks to both the mind and the heart”. While the thread of bonding between the two men moves the story forward, various situations involving Ben bring out the (mental / physical / social) damage caused by war.

The movie was realistically shot, allowing the viewer to empathize with the ‘victims’. Dash Mihok and Spencer Treat Clark simply became the characters they played. Another aspect that stood out for me was the melodious background score

In all, it was a powerful and meaningful movie, if you can bear with the slightly slow pace.

Parking Tip: When you go to Cinequest, park in one of the lots which allows movie validation. Then, when you are out of a screening, remember to get a movie validation ticket from Cinequest volunteers. Sponsored by the City of San Jose, this will save you quite a bit of money.

[Picture Courtesy: Cinequest]

Ten minutes into La Antena (The Aerial), I realized that I had also not chosen a good movie. Rather, let me just say that it was not of my taste. Technically, this Argentinian movie was pretty neat; I have no complaints about that. The subject and treatment were just too wacky — fantasy-cum-satire, with a noir feel, in black and white and set in early 20th century Europe kind of environment. You get the idea. I had a few laughs too, but the movie was plain disappointing for me. Of course, Cinequest is about ‘maverick’ — I should have expected this.

I should have gone to watch Una Vida Mejor instead. Anyway, I’ll be back at Cinequest soon, with better luck hopefully.

Tail-piece: I learned about the 26th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, which will spend 3 of its 11 days in San Jose (March 21-23).

[Picture Courtesy: Cinequest]

On the day we went, we had no option but to go for their special meal. So, our experience is limited in that sense.

The soups started it off satisfactorily, while the salads and appetizers were interesting. Tandoori Game Hen with Naan / Roti was a weird combination. The vegetarian dish went well with the bread though. The pulao was light, with a tasty raita on the side. But by the time we reached the Goat Biryani, we were too full. The delicious desserts rounded it off very nicely. Champagne / soda was part of the deal.

We enjoyed the food thoroughly. Sadly though, there seemed to be a case of food-poisoning for my wife. She threw up the entire dinner that night, back at home.

The ambience was adequate. It was probably a little busy that day. While the regular prices aren’t steep, the Valentine’s Day special was priced at $55 for non-vegetarian and $45 for vegetarian.

Feels like something you want to check out? Head to one end of San Jose, near Campbell and Cupertino — to be more specific: 5210 Prospect Road, San Jose, CA 95129.

Take a look at their basic Web-site. Their Sunday Brunch seems to be a very good deal. We might get there again soon.

Series: Part I | Amber

Did the name of the mill strike a bell? Yes, this forest is also the site of the epicenter of the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989. You can check that out too. Day use will cost you $6 per vehicle. But I’m not sure how much you’ll have to shell out for camping.

I went there just a couple of weeks ago — not an ideal time, with the super-tall trees concealing the already hide-and-seek-playing sun. Also, some portions of the park are closed for vehicles during this time.

Maybe in the summer, when you head out to Santa Cruz or the Mystery Spot, take a peep into the Forest of Nisene Marks. There lies some hope for the wounded earth.

Info: State Park Web-site | More details from Advocates

Tickets start at $55. But you’re probably better of buying the $90 ones for a good view. If you would like to check out a review first, read this piece on San Jose Mercury News.

Apart from transporation being affected by accidents and route closures, the common problem has been widespread power outages. If you want to report an outage or get information, call 1-800-PGE-5002. Some more tips to handle power outages:

• If you see a downed power line, assume it is “live” or carrying electric current. Do not touch or try to move it – and keep children and animals away.
• Keep warm by wearing loose layers of clothing to trap body heat. Wear a hat, even while sleeping. Keep moving to generate heat.
• Fill used liter-size plastic soda bottles with water and place them in the freezer. During an extended outage, transfer them to the refrigerator to prevent food from spoiling. Open the refrigerator only when necessary, keeping warm air out and cooler air in.

Read more here and there.

Also, you can check out Cold Weather Shelters and sandbag locations.

While we understand that many of us do not have power or Internet connections, we are just attempting to get word around and be of help. Be safe and help others too. If you have some useful information, pass it on in the Comments section.

[With inputs from Joann Landers]