A completely 'satisfactory' post!

Me: "Lets go get some chinese, I'm starving"
Friend: "hmmmm... ok"

it was 0 deg F (-18 deg C) outside and we went in our PJs to get it - there were 2 jackets worn but I forgot the gloves! Hands and everything else was frozen! Glad I was not driving.

20 minutes and 2 stops later, the food was in the house.

Friend: "Man, when the fealla said 'large', he really meant large! The quantity of this food is amazing"
Me: "No kidding. And the food is heaped into this large container. This reminds me of college days. Loads of junk Chinese food at night with Pepsi. The only thing missing is...."

Friend: "A glass of daaru"
Me: "Not just any daaru, it has to be Old Monk rum. Say, we have not had OM right?"

Friend: " No. I didn't think we get it here"
Me: "We should ask someone to get it from India"

Friend: "In this economy, everyone is going back"
Me (laughing and opening a 2nd can of Pepsi): "You are right"

Friend: "The quantity of this food is enough for 2 people or 3 meals!"
Me: "I have complete faith in ur appetite. Am sure u can polish this off urself"

Friend (laughing): "No way. But it will suffice for lunch and breakfast tomorrow". (Yep, Chinese for breakfast - that's him!)
Me: "If you 'ration' the food, it can even last for dinner"

Friend: "Naa... I think making it stretch till lunch is enough"
Me: Laughing heartily and thinking to self (Didn't the bugger say the quantity was not huge)

Friend opens up his fortune cookie: "My fortune is great. it says 'enjoy and relax'. Its the perfect thing to do after this heavy meal"
Me: "yep.... u do that. I'm off to play the game for an hour or so"

Friend: "You had 2 cans of Pepsi?"
Me: "Yep. I thought about it for a minute - and could not decide if I want to have it or not. The I thought, if I die in the middle of the night, my aspiration of having the 2nd can of Pepsi will be left unfulfilled. So I decided to go for it"

Friend (laughs heartily): "Its the right thing to do"
Me (opening up the fortune cookie and laughing like a hyena): "I know it was right.... guess what my fortune cookie says"

Friend: "What?"
Me (pointing to the can of Pepsi) : "It says 'The majority of the word can't is can!' "

Friend: "No way!"
Me (hands him the paper): "I know now I did the right thing by opening up the 2nd can of Pepsi!"

(Both laugh hysterically)

Me: "You know the food was delicious. I'm feeling like I was craving this food since a long time. It hit the spot!"

Friend (packing his lunch): "Oh yes. The food was delicious indeed! Aren't you packing ur lunch?"
Me (with an evil gluttony smile): "What lunch? Unlike you, I finished off all my food"

;-)

Btw, just listened to "Nothing else matters", Metallica, "You Give Love A Bad Name", Bon Jovi.... Ah! What a perfect way to culminate the evening with some Nirvana and Prodigy....!

They still got it!

Once I found out they were playing in town, it was almost certain I'd go. This was the band who I grew up listening to. This was my first taste of Metal and boy oh boy, did I savour it! The name "Metallica" brought back memories of late nights spent solving derivative and integration problems at 2 am in the night, trying to break the neighbour's window with miniature 'rockets' made out of ballpoint pen tips, listening to "Enter Sandman" blaring from the stereo while sipping Old Monk.... Good times!

The concert comprised of 3 bands

Sword - The youngest band of the trio, they played first for about 30 minutes. It was clear this band was there just to warm up the crowd - there was no way they could sell out a concert by themselves. They were just about OK and they knew it from the lukewarm response of the crowd. I went out to grab a few beers while they were performing :-)

Down - With 2 of its 5 members from the erstwhile band "Pantera", they were certainly not new to a live show (they are as old as Metallica)! Their show started with words like Motherfuckers and Cocksuckers - it was clear this was a serious heavy metal band with loads of in-your-face attitude! "Get off the seats, you fat ass motherfuckers" said Phil Anselmo to the crowd - A few fans responded with chants of "Pantera!" and almost everyone was on their feet. Their music and performance was much much better than Sword's and I admit, at one time I thought with skepticism "Can Metallica better this?". These guys were good and they knew it. By the time they left the stage, 50 minutes after getting on it, I was all pumped up and completely into the concert.

Time for the last Beer break!

Everyone knew it was time for the main performance - This is what the crowd had come to see - the covers came off the biggest drum set on the stage while simultaneously, ladders dropped down from the top and a few operators climbed up on them to take control of the coffin shaped lights symbolizing the Band's recently released album Death Magnetic (September 12, 2008)

I had a light buzz going on - I was ready for Metallica!

The crowd went wild as Kirk, Ulrich, James and Robert took stage! Knowing they don't need any intro, the band did not waste any time and immediately started belting out the first of many songs... During the next hour and a half, I was in a trance-like state at least 3 times and could not believe I was actually headbanging to a Metallica performance, LIVE! I had never thought I'd get a chance to witness this band perform live from so close! For those who are wondering whats the big deal... Watch this and you'll know the power this band exudes on its fans.

At one point, James tells the crowd - "Answer honestly and raise your hand if this is your 1st live Metallica concert." Quite a few hands go up. Then he asks "Who has been to a live Metallica concert more than once?" About 70% of the hands go up. "We have to teach the new fans how we do it Metallica style. We all sing the songs together even if we don't know the lyrics to them. And yes, welcome to the family". Such modesty from the World's most influential Metal band was refreshing - they know it is the fans that have made them what they are! No wonder the band is a favourite of other Rockers and has inspired and influenced multitude of rock bands around the world.

The crowd was so pumped up and loud - at times their singing drowned out the band and that is no small feat in a Metal concert. This was the complete experience with Strobes, lights on Metal Coffins, Lasers, multi-coloured Pyrotechnics - the works! Ulrich even managed to break one of the drums that he quickly replaced while the show was still going on! It was in one of those moments that I had to pinch myself to believe I was there too and this was not on MTV! The concert was certainly one of life's unexpected pleasant surprises!

27 years since inception, with songs like "Whiplash" · "Jump in the Fire" · "Seek & Destroy" · "Fade to Black" · "For Whom the Bell Tolls" · "Master of Puppets" · "Battery" · "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" · "Harvester of Sorrow" · "…And Justice for All" · "One" · "Enter Sandman" · "Don't Tread on Me" · "The Unforgiven" · "Nothing Else Matters" · "Wherever I May Roam" · "Sad but True" · "The Memory Remains" · "The Unforgiven II" · "Fuel" · "Cyanide" under their belt, the band sure knows how to pack a punch - With people coming from neighbouring states to see them perform, the youngest fan at the concert was only 10/11 years old and he was standing upfront, right next to the stage - Metallica still seems to be doing everything right - THEY SIMPLY ROCK!!!!!

The concert got over at 11:30 pm - I was back home by 12 - so pumped up that I could not sleep till 4 am coz the concert was still playing in my head!

Thank you Metallica! I had a BLAST!!