Sunshine Blogger Award (One Year Later)

Last year, in October 2015, fellow blogger, Akhiz Munawar, nominated me for The Sunshine Blogger Award. I somehow never got to accept the said nomination, and do a post for it. Procrastinating, so far as my Blog is concerned, in general, due to various reasons (added to which haven’t really been feeling full of sunshine lately, in a country clouded with negativity). None the less, since this Blog award, wasn’t “Year” specific, I decided, it’s never too late. Thus, here is my post, accepting, and thanking, my Blog-pal, to FB-pal, and hopefully future real life pals, Akhiz Munawar, for nominating, me, rather “No Nonsense with Nuwan Sen”, for, The Sunshine Award!!

This is my second The Sunshine Award (with a different Logo though). In fact, back in December 2013, this was the very First Award nomination my Blog received.

So Here are The Rules :-

– Thank the person who nominated you. Done!!
– Answer the questions from the person who has nominated you.
– Nominate some other bloggers for this award.
– Write the same amount of questions for the bloggers you have nominated.
– Notify the bloggers you have nominated.

The Questions :-

Q1. Who is your favourite historical personality, your favourite saying by them?
A1. There are so many, hard to choose just one!! From great philosophers like Confucius and Socrates, from the ancient era, to great humanitarians like John Lennon and Princess Diana, from towards the end of the last century; there are many. But if I have to select one, I think I’ll go for Mother Teresa.
Quote of Mother Teresa!! Well, this is something I actually heard, when I was still in school, back in 1980’s. Apparently she had been speaking to, the then American President, Ronald Regan, at The White House, and I remember verbatim, the words she was supposed to have uttered to him, when he had asked about poverty in India; “India might have a lot of poverty, but America has spiritual poverty”!!!

Q2. Hope, Faith or Love? If you are given a choice to choose only one that will stay with you for the rest of your life which will you choose?
A2. LOVE!!! … as in a Lover; ‘cause that is something missing in my LIFE!!

Q3. What’s the biggest problem of your country and what’s the sure shot and effective/fastest way to solve it?
A3. Extremist, narrow-minded, Hitler mentality.
Literally cut open their heads and pour some sense into them (I highly doubt that would have much of an impact either, but that’s last remaining option 😦 )

Q4. Your all-time Favourite Movie and Song?
A4. Roman Holiday (1953).
Imagine by John Lennon

Q5. When you are angry how do you express it?
A5. Silent treatment!!! Unless I’ve lost patience, then it’s BOOM (vocally that is 😀 ).

Q6. Is John Snow Dead?
A6. Who??? Ha!! Don’t know, don’t care!! I haven’t watched Game of Thrones, but am aware of this fictional character from the show!!
Done!!

The Nominees are :-
Now here I shall bend the rules a little (Rules are meant to be broken after all)!! I know how many Bloggers dislike being nominated, as it feels a hassle to continue this chain of Blog Awards. Thus, I nominate all my fellow bloggers. If you, like or comment, on this post, consider you’ve accepted the nomination. Plus, the questions, are the same as above, except for Question number 6!! This is my Q6, for you all!! What’s you favourite Television series, from within the last five years? And Why?    
Done!!

Thanks again, Akhiz!!! ONE Year Late, but – Better Late Than Never!!
Cheers
Nuwan Sen

60 Years of Video Tape Recorders & Videocassette Players (1956 – 2016)

In 1956, the very 1st video tape recorder was invented. And by 1963 videocassette recorders were invented. But since, initially, it was intended only for the professional sector, it was way too expensive for the general public to afford for home use. The first consumer video cassette was introduced by SONY in 1971. The VHS (Video Home System) was released in Japan in late 1976 and in the USA in early 1977. So after being in use for 60 years, and surviving for almost 40 years in homes around the globe, the production of, the Video Cassette player, has finally come to an end. In July 2016, FUNAI Electric, in Osaka, Japan, the last remaining manufacturer of VHS recorders; which had been producing VHS-playing VCR’s for 33 years; announced, it would cease production of videocassette players by the end of the month !!!!!!

Ironically it was 33 years ago, in late 1983, that we got our very 1st videocassette player. I was 8 years old. By the age of 9/10, I was a pro when it came to VCR’s and VHS cassette’s. I use to love recording stuff off the tube (televisions, that existed in another era). By the 1980’s, thanks to the videocassette player, cinema’s saw a major decline in numbers. People preferred to watch movies, in the comfort of their home. In fact, as a kid, it’s only once or twice, we went to the cinema, in the 80’s. But we use to go out on other outing a lot back then. By the mid-90’s thanks to the multiplexes, cinemagoers multiplied. Back in New Delhi, India, during my Delhi University (DU) years, we students went to the Cineplex’s, just to witness the new trend of having many a screens in one theatre. Plus it was a classy experience, unlike the best (one screen) cinema’s in Colombo, Sri Lanka, at the time. Soon Laser Disc’s (LD’s) & Video Compact Disc’s (VCD’s), started entering the market. I remember, how back in the late 90’s, I was talking with my fellow batch mates in DU, and I recall verbatim, that I said “Call me old fashioned, if you like, but I prefer the old videocassette, to these Laser Disc’s and VCD’s”; and they nodded in agreement. In fact I wasn’t a fan of sticky VCD’s at all (but loved the concept of audio CD’s, since I first saw/listened to them in the late 80’s, even though, I was still buying audio cassettes, in the late 90’s, as well).

My Audrey Hepburn collection of Videocassettes (from September 2003)

By the early 2000’s, I was still buying video cassettes, mainly in regard to my Master’s course, in England. In Luton, UK, in September 2003, just after I handed in my final dissertation, titled “Marriage in Hitchcock Films: From Rebecca to Marnie” for my MA in International Cinema, I treated myself to a collection of Audrey Hepburn movies, by buying a box set containing, five videocassettes (four out of the five were movies I had already seen). AND it was thoroughly worth it, being a big Audrey Hepburn fan!!!!!

The Dual System (VHS-deck & DVD player, combo system) I bought in Oslo, in December 2003; we still use!!

Videocassettes on one side …

… DVD’s on the other.

In Oslo, in December 2003, I bought a Dual System (VHS-deck & DVD player, combo system); and still kept recording films/TV-miniseries from television onto video cassettes, until about 2005!!! I saw a Christmas offer, in a catalogue, back then, and I knew it would be perfect for us (our family), for we had so many videocassettes from the 80’s onwards, and a few VCD’s, in our house in SL. Not to forget the few home movies (we had on old video tapes), of what we had filmed, in our childhood to teenage years. Of course, all those (older) cassettes are rotting away in a store cupboard. Hope I can salvage the home movies, at least. It’s only within the last decade, that I haven’t done any kind of video recording at all. Of course, since 2004 onwards, I’ve bought quite a few DVD’s, around the globe, adding to my ever growing private home library of books and movies (also see my post Holidaying in Australia, comes to an end, from November 2014).

My Film Library: My Private DVD collection

My Film Library: My Private collection of Movies (Videocassettes & DVDs)

My Film Library: My Private collection of Movies (Videocassettes & DVDs)

So the video cassette survived, well into the early part of the 21st century. Even VCD’s couldn’t kill the tape. But now, DVD’s, downloading, online viewing, watching movies on your iphone/smart phones, et al, people hardly would look at their old video tape’s, let alone watch them. And finally now the last remaining manufacturer of VHS has ceased production. It’s the end on an era!!! But since some of my old cassettes, from the early noughties, are still in working condition, I’ll still be watching them, once in a while.

Other Movies in our house

Other Videocassettes in our house (most still in working order)

Other Videocassettes in our home (most still in working order)

The 80’s & 90’s: Old Videocassettes, from our childhood/teenage years, in a store cupboard (doubt they work at all)!!!!! The few VCDs, are fine though!!

My Film Library: (Last, but not the least) SIX new DVDs, a recent acquisition of mine (from just last month)!!

To the good old videocassette, that’s been part of my life, since childhood!! We’ll always have fond memories. Thanks to videocassettes, my love for good cinema, survived forever; through an aesthetically depressive society, such as SL, that has no respect or an understanding for the fine arts, especially the fine beauty of cinematic arts. ❤ Love Film!!!!!!!

Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense
#‎NuwanSensFilmSense
nu Sense on FILM

“Death does not Exist” – Édith Piaf

Quoting Édith Piaf

“Death is the beginning of something ”
– Édith Piaf
     (1915 – 1963)

Today happens to be the 53rd death anniversary of the famed French singer, Édith Piaf. She died from cancer, at the age of 47, on the 10th of October 1963. Also see my post Édith Piaf: 50th Death Anniversary, from October 2013.

Nuwan n’ Music
#‎NuwanSensFilmSense
Nuwan Sen (Quoting Quotes)

Nuwan Sen’s Historical Sense

Quoting Quotes of the Brilliantly Famous – Dalton Trumbo

Quoting Dalton Trumbo

“One of the disadvantages of being a patrician is that occasionally you’re obliged to act like one ”
– Dalton Trumbo
     (1905 – 1976)

BOOKISH NUWAN (Bookish Nuwan)

Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense
#‎NuwanSensFilmSense
Nuwan Sen (Quoting Quotes)