Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Transition

2007-07-24T19:07:00.000+05:30

The Inane Isis has gotten a transfer.....from blogger to wordpress....
She leaves blogosphere with a heavy heart....
Henceforth, you can find her posts here
(She says she has relocated her residence, because she finds wordpress templates to be more attractive and eye-catching :D)
Please do call in regularly :)

ROFL

2007-07-20T18:02:00.001+05:30

The funniest thing, I've ever come across =))

Click the image, to crease up :D

This and That

2007-07-17T19:25:00.000+05:30

Joblessness is being missed.A computer is suffering from negligence and indifference.A purple Scooty pep+ is craving for a jaunt. Waking up at 5 30 causes exasperation. Waiting in the bus stop, unaccompanied, hunting for someone to talk to drives someone mad. Bus conductors (90% of them) are the rudest people that that someone has ever met. Once, that someone gets into the bus, she finds some senior/junior/batchmate to talk to and she is so relieved (that helps her stay awake for about half an hour, during the bus journey). She loves Microbiology, Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry classes. She adores those three teachers. She wouldn't mind listening to their lectures for hours together. She loathes Math classes. She finds the Math Sir pretty good though. She has so much fun laughing out loudly in the Chemical Engineering class. She waits for that particular hour, when she can laugh her intestines out, without that poor little (!) teacher noticing her or any other classmate of hers, jeering at him. Currently, that girl is mumbling under her breath. Oh ! wait wait... she is taking a vow, not to make fun of him henceforth. But she laughs at the very thought of it and concentrates on blogging. She is so thankful that people like Swati exist(the two of them blink, whenever the words 'assignment' or 'tests' are mentioned and they utter the same old cliched statement "We are new admissions Sir/M'am"). She loves the new-found independence in the lab. She loves her new labcoat (that looks so totally different from the old one, that her mother mistook for a curtain :| ). She loves walking around the campus after lunch with Swati and meeting up with her old friends and seniors and spending a lot of time with them. She is looking forward to filling up her ELS(English Literary Society) recruitment form. She thanks god, every evening, for having created people like Vasuki, for giving her company during her boring evening bus rides. Now she looks at her watch. Lets out a loud "Oh My God ! It's 7 45 already !" .She realizes what being in a college is all about :)

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Ohkay ! Me is wissing someone a very very appy budday in advance :D That someone is An Idle Mind !!

Hey Idle Mind,
*croons Happy budday to you...happy budday to you...*
~ Music fades~
There you go, a l'il something for you :D
You are one year old now..Be a good baby...Eat well...Ask your master to feed you well and ask him not to let you putrefy, by keeping you idle for a long time (he would never do that I know...I wouldn't let him do that !). Noorandukaalam noi-nodi illamal vaazhga !! (Thanks a ton for this statement Amma ;))

Yours Inanely,
Isis :)

Heights !!!

2007-07-13T19:40:00.001+05:30

7:40 P.M
I was having my usual round of fun, joining communities on Orkut today, after a very long time :D I belong to this 'community crazy' category of people :D I love joining communities more than scrapping people on Orkut :D...I came across this Community "I love Music"....When I scrolled down to the 'Vote on this poll' section, I came across this :

"Wil she cum bak....?
loved ma frnd natu.....nd she also luvd me too....bt one day she left me coz her frndz dont like me.....bt i'm stil w8ing 4 her.....i'm luvin her so much even more dan ma life......wil she cum bak......?????"

And a polling box, that offers the options Yes and No :|

What crap !!

P.S : You can find another post, if you scroll down a little :)

P.P.S : If at all, I click the option 'Yes', is this girl going to hitch up with him ??

Silence - the sequel

2007-07-13T18:14:00.001+05:30

A few people felt that my previous post had an abrupt ending...Well, if you feel that way, then here is your chance to complete the story...Please do leave your versions of the story in the comment box or post in it your blog and let me know about it :) Would love to read your versions....There you go the last chunk of 'Silence'

Namrata, clad in a turquoise blue sari, entered into the hall. As always, she was attracting people's attention. Every Tom, Dick and Harry turned to have a look at her. She looked stunningly beautiful, that day. Namrata's features usually revealed her confidence. Whenever she stood in front of the mirror, she saw a smart, young, modern woman looking back at her. But on that particular evening Namrata wore the look of apprehension. She was anxious. She had been dreading this moment. She knew she would meet him there. She did not want to confront him. For the first time in her life, she was scared on meeting Him, of all people. He stood there, smiling at her, radiating innocence, acting as though nothing ever happened between them. She stood there, perplexed, her face shorn off its essence, thinking about everything that ever happened between them.

Silence

2007-07-10T11:02:00.000+05:30

Namrata, clad in a turquoise blue sari, entered into the hall. As always, she was attracting people's attention. Every Tom, Dick and Harry turned to have a look at her. She looked stunningly beautiful, that day. Namrata's features usually revealed her confidence. Whenever she stood in front of the mirror, she saw a smart, young, modern woman looking back at her. But on that particular evening Namrata wore the look of apprehension. She was anxious. She had been dreading this moment. She knew she would meet him there. She did not want to confront him. For the first time in her life, she was scared on meeting Him, of all people.

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Namrata was like any other Mumbai girl in the nineties. Namrata possessed both beauty and brains. The word 'extrovert' summed up her character in total. She radiated confidence and buoyancy, wherever she went.
Namrata's family, unlike many other Hindu families was very broad-minded. People at her place weren't conservative at all. All her other Tambrahm friends were envious of her as their parents never encouraged inter-gender friendship. Namrata's family did not have any problems with her socializing with people belonging to the opposite sex. But they ensured that they knew, who her friends were. Namrata was a clear-headed girl, with definite aims in life. She had always wanted to become a news reader.
Namrata belonged to the prestigious St Xavier's College, Mumbai. On the very first day of college, she noticed, that she knew absolutely nobody in her class. But securing friends had never been her problem. As months passed, she had formed her own small group in class. It comprised of 3 people - Namrata, Dhiraj and Bhavya. The 3 of them were inseparable. They were one among the finest students that St Xavier's could produce. All 3 of them ensured that they secured the top 3 positions in class. They attended every single inter-collegiate competition that came their way. They had always been there for each other. They created ruckus together, played pranks on people together, pulled each other's legs and bunked classes together. They met up on weekends, at each others' residences, watched a movie together, scribbled down assignments and played some board games. Namrata's parents and Bhavya's parents accepted Dhiraj as their own family member. Dhiraj, being an only child, considered Namrata and Bhavya his confidantes.

During their final year of education, Bhavya had fallen in love, with their classmate Vaibhav. But she never had the guts to let the cat out of the bag. It was then, that Namrata and Dhiraj became close to each other. Bhavya couldn't devote much of her time for her other 2 friends, as she had to entertain Vaibhav day in and day out. Namrata and Dhiraj pored over lessons together, discussed politics, poltergeists and payasam together. They, more or less spent a lot of time each other's company. They talked to each other over the phone, while not attending college. Once, when Namrata's sister had met with an accident and required blood transfusion, Dhiraj, willingly agreed to donate blood for her at 3 in the morning. The Brahmin neighbourhood gossiped incessantly about their relationship but Dhiraj and Namrata knew that the two of them did not share anything beyond friendship. Dhiraj knew Namrata's darkest secrets, her deepest fears and her untold worries. Namrata knew the names of Dhiraj's crushes, which were never constant. Every time he saw any pretty looking girl on the road, in a mall or in the train, he ensured that he discussed about her with Namrata. He offered her his shoulder, when she was despondent. The two of them knew, that they were there for each other, no matter what. Many a time, Dhiraj's parents asked him to ask Namrata's hand in marriage. He blatantly refused stating clearly that they were only friends and that they did not want to taint their relationship with any such thoughts.

The two of them went on to secure a masters degree in Mass Communication from the same college and they ended up working together for the same news channel. Their friendship blossomed, as days passed by. They fought a lot, whenever they were together. They abused each other verbally and buried the hatchet on the same day. They did not share the same interests at all. They proved Plato's "Friends have all things in common" proverb wrong. He was a hard-core rock enthusiast, while she preferred soothing bollywood oldies. She belonged to the talkative category, while he was an ambivert. She chided him for not keeping his room clean, for letting the music system blare 24*7, for not making an attempt to shave his goatee, for clandestinely eating non-vegetarian food, without informing a soul at home, for racing past people thoughtlessly on a motorbike, that John Abraham might have traded his Dhoom bike for and for chewing gum ceaselessly. While a lot of people were flirting with Namrata, Dhiraj went around saying that he had met many women, who looked more beautiful when compared to her and that Namrata wasn't worth falling for.

Everything happened so suddenly that Namrata and Dhiraj never realized that Namrata had gotten engaged to Murli and that she was about to be wedded in a month's time. The two of them unlike the other close friends, did not turn emotional on the day before Namrata's marriage. They were pragmatic. They knew that they would be able to stay in touch with each other after her marriage via telephone and the internet (Namrata was to get settled in Chennai after marriage). On the day of her marriage, Dhiraj ensured that he helped her cope with the pre-marital blues. In the evening, Dhiraj had arranged for a huge wedding cake, as a gift to Namrata and Murli. As soon as the couple cut a slice of cake, Dhiraj, as per their usual rule (that said : Smear the cream on 'the scapegoat's' face on 'the scapegoat's' birthday, wedding day or any other special day) smeared chocolate(Namrata's favourite flavour) cake on Namrata's face and it was only then Namrata turned very emotional. She broke down, but not in front of everybody. Dhiraj came to see her off at the airport. They exchanged parting gifts and bade goodbye to each other. Either of the two did not realize, that that would be the last time, they actually saw and spoke to each other.

After marriage, Namrata's life changed totally. She never knew much about her in-laws, as it was an arranged marriage. She loved Murli and her family with all her heart. She made sure that they stayed happy, whenever she was around. Her in-laws turned out to be very conservative. Her darkest fears manifested in the form of their behaviour towards her. She was not allowed to work after marriage. Murli, being a very passive person, did not have the guts to retaliate. Namrata tried persuading him to talk his mother into allowing her to work. But he wasn't willing to upset his mother. The worst blow struck her on the day, she, along with her family members, sat to watch the videotape of her marriage. Her mother-in-law made a spiteful remark about Dhiraj smearing cake on Namrata's face. Her mother-in-law loathed Dhiraj. She ensured that Namrata never spoke to him, after marriage. Murli became extremely sensitive, when the word "Dhiraj" was mentioned. Namrata loved everything else about her husband and her in-laws. They were the most helpful people on the earth, she felt. Her mother-in-law was very kind to her (as long as the word "Dhiraj" wasn't mentioned in the household). The thing that she couldn't bear was their conservativeness and their narrow-mindedness. Dhiraj tried contacting her for a long time, but all his attempts went down the drain. Once or twice, they got to speak to each other. Namrata did not have the nerve to tell him about her in-laws. Dhiraj felt neglected. He felt that Namrata was more inclined towards her family and that she did not have even a few minutes to spare for him. As days passed by the distance between the two grew wider, but that never alleviated their worries. It was at that time, the two of them, Dhiraj in Mumbai and Namrata in Chennai, received the news, that Bhavya was getting engaged to Vaibhav. Namrata and Murli left for Mumbai, to attend her engagement. Namrata was flanked by Murli (it was his mother's instructions to be by her side, always), wherever she went.The D-day dawned and the couple arrived at the venue together. Namrata, clad in a turquoise blue sari, entered into the hall. As always, she was attracting people's attention. Every Tom, Dick and Harry turned to have a look at her. She looked stunningly beautiful, that day. Namrata's features usually revealed her confidence. Whenever she stood in front of the mirror, she saw a smart, young, modern woman looking back at her. But on that particular evening Namrata wore the look of apprehension. She was anxious. She had been dreading this moment. She knew she would meet him there. She did not want to confront him. For the first time in her life, she was scared on meeting Him, of all people. He stood there, smiling at her, radiating innocence, acting as though nothing ever happened between them. She stood there, perplexed, her face shorn off its essence, thinking about everything that ever happened between them.

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P.S : Don't ask me why I called this piece of writing "Silence". I myself don't know why. A result of impulsiveness

Word play

2007-07-07T08:47:00.000+05:30

"Have a great friend ? Write a testimonial about them"

This is the message I used to find in my Orkut homepage earlier. My dictionary says that the word testimonial stands for "a favorable report on the qualities and virtues of somebody or something" . But on orkut, the word testimonial bears a very different meaning. Why this post all on a sudden, you might ask. The answer for this , is in the form of a conversation that existed between Poornima (Pooch) and me on Wednesday.

P : Hey Nith ! Can you do a small favour for me di please ??
N : Sure thing...As long as it is not watching "Aap Ka Suroor" with you
P : Shut up di...Do you remember the times, when you used to fill people's slam books on behalf of me in school ? (umm well..Pooch is a very sluggish person, as far as writing things down are concerned. I used to love filling slam books and I still do :D..Whenever people approached Pooch, with a slam book in hand asking her to pen down her thoughts about them, this girl used to directly come to me, thrust that book in my hand and ask me to write some stuff, any stuff under the sun, for them, about them :D I used to readily accept that offer ;))
N : Yes I do..Do you want me to fill your senior's slam books for you now ?? Come over...Temme about your seniors and the slam book will be filled from top to bottom..10 minutes time max :D
P : Listen to me you Idiot..You know my so-called friend X na from college ? She was from our school too ?
N : Erm..That X who had sleepy eyes ??
P : Exactly...She wants me to write a testimonial for her yaar !
N : Copy and paste the 'plagiarized' testimonial, that you 'wrote' down for me, last week
P : No di..That didn't work out :( She wants me to write down stuff about our friendship
N : Are you close to her ? Is she your good friend ? I thought you people were just on smiling terms !
P : Umm..We aren't close or anything...I talk to her chumma for time-pass...I don't want to write a testimonial for her
N : Pooch, if you aren't close to her...if you don't exactly know what sort of a person she is, then why the hell do you have to write a testimonial for her ? Tell her, that you don't know her all that well and that writing a testimonial would be difficult...Also tell her that you definitely will write a good one, when you get to actually 'know' her
P : No re..she doesn't agree only...Can you please write down a testimonial for her on my behalf ? Chumma 5 lines or six lines will do...
N : What crap ! I don't even know her... She is way too sleepy to be my friend...
P : Please Nith....Blabber some stuff...She'll accept any damn thing that says "you are sweet...you are cute"...Please please...
N : Fine...This is going to be the very first time I am writing down a testimonial for someone, who is barely known by someone :| Tell me more about her...I'll jot down the points..Wait up..I'll bring a sheet of paper and a pen !

Firstly why do we write a testimonial ?
We write a testimonial for a 'good friend', inorder to show them, how special they are to us and how much they mean to us. We ensure that we make a person smile, by letting them know how important they are to us. At some point in time, a person has to be narcissistic. These sort of testimonials written down by friends gives the ego, the much required boost, that increases the self-esteem.

What should a testimonial contain ?
In a nutshell, testimonials should contain words, directly spoken from the heart, words that convey the truth about the person and words that can beautify the moments spent in that person's company. Testimonials should definitely not sound exaggerated. People tend to make a mountain out of a molehill, when they sit down to write a testimonial. There are a few other people, who on the contrary, use understatements, in testimonials.

I don't believe in the policy of penning down or rather pasting down adapted testimonials, that have a message in them already. Those sort of testimonials can be found, in every third profile. Testimonials are meant to be unique. They should be written down in such a way, that the person reading it, can never find an opportunity to associate it with some other testimonial in somebody else's profile. These computer-generated testimonials are so synthetic. There is no humane feel about it

I agree, every possible person, cannot write an effective testimonial. But he/she can make sure that atleast something delightful about that person, is mentioned. After all, you don't get to write testimonials often !

To whom should the testimonial be addressed ?
Obviously, somebody, whom you personally are close to. Everybody on Orkut expects a testimonial from their friends and foes alike, to ensure that the other people get to see, what sort of a friend he is and what sort of sibling he makes. I, while visiting people's profiles, make it a point to read their testimonial section. I have come across a lot of testimonials, that clearly indicate, that the 2 people involved, aren't close to each other/do not know each other too very well. I keep wondering how a person could write a testimonial for someone, whom he doesn't even know. On considering the case, that involves two friends, who link up together, on Orkut:
Day 1 : These 2 people A and B would've met on Orkut, through a common friend/by joining in the same community
Day 2 : Their scrapbooks will be saturated with details, involving them, their favourite food, their pet's name, their great grandmother's death date etc
Day 3 : A message on B's scrapbook : "Hey B ! Write a testimonial for me, will you? "
Day 3 (eve) : A message on A's scrapbook : "yes I will, only if you ensure that you will reciprocate the favour"

A testimonial is to be addressed to people, who occupy a special place in your heart, who are worth your friendship and whose friendship you cherish

Is it necessary to write down a testimonial for somebody, who has written one for you ?
Absolutely not ! Friendship or any other relationship becomes pure only when expectations vanish. Any relationship, involving expectations, cannot stay alive for long. These 'you write a testimonial for me, only then will I write one for you" dialogues are evidences of feeble relationships. You write a testimonial for a person, that person accepts it, you ensure that the person is happy for a short period of time because of that, then that's about it ! Your job is done. Waiting impatiently for a testimonial from the other side, sending 1000 scraps, asking "where is my testimonial ? I wrote one for you yesterday ! ", complaining to a third party about not receiving a testimonial, accusing the person of not taking active participation in the friendship involved are signs of an immature mind

To encapsulate things, IMHO, words (written and spoken ones) are unadulterated manifestations of a person's feelings. Words are meant to convey things that are pure. They aren't meant to be polluted by a person's feelings.

A Tag...

2007-07-01T20:45:00.000+05:30

Uttara tagged me. This one's on books :)

1. Books that Changed Your Life
# Life's little book of Inspirations Part 1 and 2. I read these books, when I was in 7th standard.
# Wise and Otherwise - Sudha Murty
# Like the flowing river - Paulo Coelho
# Stray Birds - Rabindranath Tagore

2.A Book that I have read more than once
A Walk to Remember :D (Upasssssssssss :D .... Upas and I used to make it a point to go the school library once every week, to read a few lines out of this book :D....Our common favourite mushy-mushy-but-no-so-mushy-mushy-book :))

3. A Book You'd Take onto a Desert Island
Undoubtedly The great works of Rabindranath Tagore

4. Books That Made You Laugh
# Every single Archie comic book :)
These books made me smile :)
# How Opal Mehta got kissed,got wild and got a life - Kavya Vishwanathan
# Five Point Someone - Chetan Bhagat :)
# Enid Blyton's everything :)
# R K Narayan's selected books
# All those lovely children's classics, that I read or rather 'learnt' (non-de-tail) in primary school :)

5. Books That Made You Cry
# The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
# A Walk to Remember- Nicholas Sparks
# The Rescue - Nicholas Sparks (Made me emotional...Didn't cry though :))

6. A Book You Wish Had Been Written
Kite Runner - The sequel/prequel anything.... :)

7. Books You Wish Had Never Been Written
# Sidney Sheldon's Bloodline :|
# Mister God, This is Anna - the crappiest book I've ever come across
# Love Story - Erich Segal (A lot of people go ga-ga over this book. I don't )
# Any book that contains nothing but mushy-mushy stuff is a strict no-no. Bits and pieces of mushy-mushy stuff is welcome.

8. Books You're Currently Reading
# Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban -JKR
# No onions nor garlic -Srividya Natrajan

9. Books You've Been Meaning To Read
# Daddy Long Legs - Jean Webster
# Hp 4,5,6 (will have to finish reading these books before the 7th one arrives :D)
# A Thousand Splendid Suns
# The Bartimeaus Trilogy
# The Curious Incident of the dog in the night-time
# A Suitable Boy
# The Hitchhikers Guide to the galaxy
# Memoirs of a Geisha
# Selected Poems of Vikram Seth
# Life of Pi
# O Henry's works
# Nikolai Gogol's works :)
and loads more....

I hereby tag the first time tag-takers :|
~ Iyer
~ Sathej
~ Aparna

I also tag
~ The Script writer ;)
~ Sandhya
~ Sangeetha Akka
~ Priya
and ~ Upasana (Are you alive ? )

Vaishnava Janato

2007-06-30T10:01:00.000+05:30

This song is one among the most blissful, divine Bhajans that I've ever come across...My eyes were brimming with tears, when I watched this song (the ARR version) being used as a BGM in the movie "Water". The movie is a must-watch...
After having watched the movie, my mind was clouded with so many thoughts....Wanted to pen them down somewhere.....But, on ruminating further, I realized, that the virginity of these thoughts would be lost, when recorded.... At times, thoughts are better left unexpressed.
An excerpt from the movie - The climax, when Vaishnava Janato plays in the background.

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Another song, that I loved in the movie :) I found the following description of this song in this site. Nobody could've used better words, to write down a review like this :)

The sanctimonious affinity of pious love co-relating with eternal bond are delivered through pathos and sufferings of the distressed beloved in soulfully pristine soundtrack "Naina Neer Bahai". Sadhna Sargam's soft and touching vocals narrate the immortal devotion of Meerabai and eternal love of Radha towards Lord Krishna in finely rendered lyrics. Rehman comes with negligible musical impact where the sorrowful emotions are conveyed with vocal finesse.

New Arrival !!

2007-06-28T21:30:00.000+05:30

Update : Reflections updated !!

Me is now a proud owner of........

KODAK V803 Easy Share Digital Camera

The last 3 pics, that were taken using my outmoded faithful 10-yr old camera :

Thanks for the wonderful Dolphin thingum Ami :) A budday present from Amitha :)

Apartment entrance...Gateway to the entrance ;)

Erm..Can you spot two l'il guys playing there ? :D

Am just hoping, the arrival of the new digicam helps me improve my pathetic photography skills :D

Fleetingly Free....

2007-06-26T11:30:00.000+05:30

People here call me Harry. I was called Fluffy, back there, at my place atop the Guava tree in a place, the humans call "Pollachi". When I was about 3 months old, I was abducted by a burly fellow and was handed over to a small boy (He was called 'Abi' and he looked very cute, with 2 broken teeth in the front)..... I vividly remember, the day, I was seized.. ....I could hear my mother wail...I didn't know how to react....I expected them to bring me back to my place...Unfortunately, that remained an expectation....Those 3 months, with my parents were lovely....I fed on guava seeds...My mother ensured that I ate well periodically...She used to repeatedly say "Guava seeds are very nutritious for us, squirrels....You should never miss out on eating these seeds...Why do you think I collect the seeds at the end of the Guava-ripening season ?? " .... My father and I used to climb trees, to visit our relatives and friends...My father was the person, who introduced me to the world of humans...He was the one, who told me stories of Rama, a divine human being, who gave us, the squirrels, a special status, by placing the first three fingers of his hand on our backs....No wonder, we look pretty, with those three lines, adorning our backs :)
Right now, I am uncomfortably resting in my so-called home - A Cage :( Saturday was a very eventful day in my life...It was around 5 in the evening, when I was woken awake, by Abi, who carelessly, jumped from one step to another, three floors down, with me in hand. It was definitely one among the numerous bumpy rides, that this fella has taken me along with....That was the second time, Abi ever brought me down (He lives in an apartment). His sister treats me better, I must say. She can sort of communicate well with me..Abi is still a novice, as far as handling pets (I hate this term..Pets ! We animals, aren't willingly surrendering ourselves as pets to our masters, are we ? We become theirs, under coercion...Sigh ! Nobody is going to listen to my 'give-me-my-rights' talks...) is concerned. When I came down, I could see four people (adolescents rather) standing and talking to each other. There were 2 guys and 2 girls. I could recognize one girl and another guy. Ceaseless rumination, told me that these people, lived in the same apartment and that they had allowed me to run up and down, in their hands,many a time. I saw another girl and something told me, I had seen her before. She never came near me. She felt I was replusive, I presume ! I am not bad-looking, am I ? There was another bespectacled guy, along with them. He was a stranger to me. Abi kept flaunting me off to the 4 of them. He kept exaggerating about the rapport that we shared (Bah ! They were white lies...his sister and I make better companions, than he and I do)...The girl, I knew and the guy, I knew allowed me to walk on their arms...The guy whom I didn't know, touched me in a harmless manner first and allowed me to wriggle in his forearm for a little time. The other girl, was very hesitant, to even touch me. The bespectacled guy, pulled her arm and made her touch me. I could sense the fear in her, when she placed her palm on my back. Poor girl !
When the bespectacled guy, stretched his right arm forward, to allow me take my steps forward, Abi lost eye contact with me. I felt like fleeing, all on a sudden, don't know why. Somehow, the entire concept of freedom, had been ambiguous, till then. But, at that moment, all I wanted to do was to run away, to go back to my parents, to leave Abi, his sister and his parents behind. I decided to just let go. I lunged forward, from the boy's hand. I could sense the fragrance of the trees behind, in the backyard. I decided to climb up a tree. But the wall was a stumbling block, for me. I was forced to run around the apartment, for quite sometime. The four adolescents were frantically searching for me. I was too quick for them. Thank Heavens ! Abi kept bouncing up and down, talking about me and my relationship with him and his sister in an exaggerated manner, stating that he would be in a soup, once his sister comes to know about my escapade. The girl, who belonged to my apartment, looked uncomfortable. She felt a little queasy about my running away. Nobody knew, where I was. I was hiding behind a sewage pipe, watching the 5 anxious humans, communicating with each other. The bespectacled guy was telling the others, that he could get Abi another squirrel from some pet shop or the other. He kept asking people, if squirrels were available in pet shops. I desperately wanted to talk to the bespectacled boy, wanted to convey a big thanks to him, for not having stopped me, from running around, for having shown me the path to freedom. The boy, who belonged to the apartment, tried searching for me, under the red car, that always stood in my apartment. The 5 of them vanished for sometime. I loitered around the apartment, during their absence. After a few minutes, I saw Abi's parents coming down with them. Again, the small search party began hunting for me. I could see them bringing down, my usual meal of synthetic tutty-fruity pieces and a bowl of milk. I was tempted to consume them. But the sweetness of freedom, tasted better than the saccharine tutty-fruity pieces.
I tried climbing the wall, inorder to jump onto the other side, but in vain. I gave in easily. Without my knowledge, I somehow, revisited the area, where the humans were standing. Stupidity...Heights of Insaneness...I shouldn't have done that...Am still cursing myself for having done that.... They spotted me......I was free for a few minutes and that gave me so much gratification..Perpetual freedom is all I pine for...

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Based on a true life incident

The characters :
The girl, who belonged to the apartment - My friend Lakshmi
The guy, who belonged to the apartment - Her brother Haran
The bespectacled guy - Sharan
The other girl, who was a little scared of the squirrel - Yours truly

Rain = Bliss

2007-06-23T08:46:00.000+05:30

Click the picture, for a larger (read better) view :)
I love the rains, don't you ? :) The perfect season, that makes you want to visit Utopia, over and over again...Nothing like
* A walk in the rain with a good friend/ anybody else for that matter
* Some divine melodious music, to soothe the Inner You
* Board games with close friends, when its pouring outside
* Hot tea/coffee and some crunchy-munchy home-made snacks (yummmmmmm)
* Riding a bike in the rain (sans a raincoat. I loathe raincoats) , with the water droplets, splashing onto your face, while riding
* Curling up with a good book on a comfy, soft bed in the night-time :)
* Curling up with a good book, by the window sill/ on a swing in the balcony, watching the rain droplets outside and concentrating on your book as well :)
* Dancing in the rain....That seriously is bliss...Would love to do that, provided, people don't look at me :D
* A cup brimming with hot chocolate/Cocoa....Slurrrrrrrrrrrrrp...
* Sleeping like a cherub, fully swathed in blankets, on a comfy, soft bed....I feel like going back to sleep..zzzzzzzz :D
* Swinging in the rain (Reminds me of a comedy scene in which Vadivelu goes around humming this song, ceaselessly !)
* Chocolates...dark chocolates....plenty of dark chocolates....consuming plenty of dark chocolates....Ecstasy !
* Playing with little kids on the roads, near the water puddles on a rainy day, during rains/after rains....
* Ogling at Mother Nature, who unmasks her prettiness, in the form of rain droplets on flowers, after a heavy downpour
* A drive, with a loved one, during rains, washing rain droplets off the car window...Good music and good company is a must !
* Paper Boats....

Rain = Bliss....Definitely !

World Music Day

2007-06-22T07:45:00.000+05:30

Hey people ! Belated World Music Day wishes...Was a little busy yesterday..Couldn't come up with a post...

Bollywood Music is an integral part of my life...Well, here goes, my list of favourite singers and songs, for the year 2006-07

5 Creme de la creme Male singers :

Zubeen Garg - Ya Ali (It is a not-to-be-missed number !!) from Gangster

Naresh Iyer - Roobaroo, Tu Bin Bataye (One among my most favourite romantic numbers :) Divinity !) from RDB
Vishal Bharadwaj - O Saathi Re from Omkara (What a beautiful number...Vishal Bharadwaj is multi-talented...man ! What can he not do ? Direction, Music, Singing, Screenplay...And do not for Pete's sake, compare him with our local chimp-TR please :D)
ARR ! - Tere Bina from Guru (Do I even have to comment on this ? )
Hariharan - Ay Hairathe from Guru (,,)

5 creme de la creme Female singers :

Sunidhi Chauhan - Beedi Jalaile from Omkara (One masth Item number :P...The song is seductive, so is Bipasha, so is Sunidhi's voice...Mesmerizing !)
Shreya Ghoshal - O Saathi Re, Pal Pal (Lage Raho Munnabhai) and Barso Re (Her voice is one of its kind...I love the way she croons Tamil numbers, sans the Hindi accent :) )

Madhushree - Tu Bin Bataye
Anushka Manchandani - Golmaal (Whatya song ! Whatya voice ! What beats ! Groovy number)
Rekha Bharadwaj - Namak from Omkara

Top 5 Music Directors :

You-Know-Who - Guru and RDB (~standing ovation~)
Vishal Bharadwaj - Omkara
Shankar - Ehsaan- Loy - Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (Mitwa is simply wunnerful to listen to !) and Don

Pritam - Gangster (What an album...Beeautiful !..Do listen to Bheegi Bheegi Si..Its an amazing number !)
Vishal- Shekhar - Taxi No 9211 (Shola Hai..ya hai bijuriya...:P)

Top 5 Albums :

Rang De Basanti
Gangster
Taxi No 9211
Omkara
Guru

Top 15 songs :D :
(In no particular order)

Bheegi Bheegi Si - Gangster

Ya Ali - Gangster
Tu Bin Bataye - RDB
O Saathi Re - Omkara
Mumbai Nagariya - Taxi no 9211
Firtha Rahoon - The Killer
Pyaar Karke Pachtaya - Pyaar Ke Side Effects
Mitwa - KANK
Golmaal - Golmaal
Ay Hairathe -Guru
Pal Pal - Lage Raho Munnabhai
Tere Bin - Bas Ek Pal
Chak De Phatte - Khosla Ka Ghosla
Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai - Woh Lamhe
Maula Mere - Anwar

A few quotes on Music :

"Music is what feelings sound like" - Anonymous

“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything” - Plato

"Music takes us out of the actual and whispers to us dim secrets that startle our wonder as to who we are, and for what, whence, and whereto.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for Music " - Sergei Rachmaninov

"Music expresses, that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent" - Victor Hugo

"Music fills the infinite between two souls" - Rabindranath Tagore

"Music and silence combine strongly because music is done with silence and silence is full of music" - Marcel Marceau

For more quotes on Music , click here

Au Revoir

2007-06-18T12:00:00.000+05:30

Where do I start from ? Or do I even have to start formally ? Ok, if formality is the word, then so be it. My name is K.Srinivasan and I am an auditor by profession. I have spent about 54 years on this earth. I am currently leading a relaxed life, with my parents (Thank Heavens, they are still with me. I don't know, as to what I would do, if it weren't for them, moving around in the house chattering, advising, watching Kolangal and Anandam, yelling at me in high-pitched voice, their characteristic call being "Cheenu....Cheenu" :) ), my 50 year old wife Vanaja (Our relationship is not exactly like the ones, that they show in Tamil soaps or movies. We do love each other, yes, but adhering to the strict Brahman customs, we do not display our affection to the public. Our love,is something, that remains expressed, yet, unstated) and my one and only 24 year old daughter, Anjali (I guess the words "Daddy's girl" would do :) ). The formal introduction ends here.

22nd January

It is 4:30 AM right now and I am standing in the terrace of my 70-year old two-storeyed house in Mylapore.I will get to brass tacks straight away. Anjali is getting married today, to Rishi, a lawyer by profession. Did I tell you, that Anjali is a lawyer herself ? Now, don't jump into any conclusions. It isn't a love marriage, of any sorts. Rishi is the seventh boy, who came to look at Anjali. The two of them spent quite sometime together, that evening, talking a lot over filter coffee, Onion Bajjis and Maida Bondas. That evening, after the 3 hour long conversation, between Anju and Rishi ended, the two of them agreed to spend the rest of their lives, in each other's company. My joy knew no bounds.

As a father, I will wrap my duties up today. I have already ensured that Anju, will be safe in the hands of Rishi. We had the Mappilai-Azhaippu / Jaanvasam, yesterday. The 800 and odd people, who turned up yesterday, appreciated the arrangements, especially Mani Iyer's food. (Ah ! I knew I would be right ! Vanaja said we could go in for Puroshathaman Mama's food. I, with my usual obstinateness stated that Mani Iyer would be the cordon bleu.Mani Iyer turned out to be better !). Today is the D-Day, the day, when Rishi will tie the sacred thread, around my Anju's neck. I will stop for now. I have to make sure, the people in the Mandapam, have started doing their respective jobs.

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7:45 AM

Owww...I can't stand the smoke, coming out of this sacred fire. I encountered the same problem, on my wedding day, on Anju's Punyajanam and her first birthday and during Appa's Sadabhishegam. Anju is currently in the company of her would-be Naathanar, in the dressing room. My doll, is getting embellished with Onbathugajam Podavai and all those glittery (read costly) Nathella Sampathu Chetty jewellery. When Anju was sitting on the swing, during the Oonjal ceremony, sipping milk, from her cupped hands, given by her Athais, Maamis, Chithis and Periammas, I was reminded of the times, when she used to avoid drinking milk, during our yearly trips to Ooty via Coimbatore, by bus. Anju had and still has nausea. She doesn't usually consume anything during road travel. My daughter has taken after me, as far as sensitive stomach is concerned :) Poor girl had to undergo an appendicitis operation, when she was in her eleventh standard (I never went inside the hospital room. I couldn't bear to see her wailing. The words "Appa...Appa..Valikardhu", still ring in my ears). The Oonjal also reminded me of the innumerable number of trips to the Mylapore Nageshwara Rao Park, with Vanaja and Anju, when Anju was a primary school kid. I used to plead, on behalf of her, to the remaining kids, asking them to spare the swing for a few minutes, so that Anju could have a ball. A few kids used to politely move away, while a few kids turned out to be very boisterous (Anju and I used to return home disappointed, during those times).

8:00 AM

Anju is here. She is walking down the aisle, escorted by Vanaja and her few nieces. Anju is all smiles. She looks like goddess Mahalakshmi, in the yellow Madissaru. How can I fail to compare this moment, with the moment, that involved her wearing her first purple coloured Pattu Pavadai, when she was about a year old or the moment, that involved her wearing the orange coloured Paavadai- dhaavani for the first time, for a school function or the moment, that involved her wearing the beige coloured sari of Vanaja's for the first time, for her school farewell ! She is now here, beside me, chanting the mantras, along with Rishi and me, like an obedient girl. Anju, has always been an obedient girl (I've openly, never accepted that though ;) ). She has never gone out of the way, to get things done, her way. That was because, I used to make certain she stayed happy . People, call her Appa Chellam (true to the word). On the contrary, there have been instances, when the dad and the daughter have had their share of fights. Our fights never used to involve verbal exchange. I would call them emotional feuds. We would take sometime to pacify, probably an hour or two, not more than that. After that, Anju would come running to me, tears welling in her says, crooning "Sooooorrrry pa".

8:10 AM

Anju is seated on my lap, like any other Brahmin bride, during her marriage. She gives a dimpled smile and asks me "Appa...Unglukku Valikaliye, naan okkararche ? ". I shake my head, to convey a negative answer. The images of Anju bobbing up and down on my lap, when she was about 4 years old and those of Anju sleeping like a cherub on my lap, when she was a toddler, appear in a flash. I can hear Padmanabha Vadhyar, chant the sacred "Mangalyam Thanthunanena". I find it very difficult to control my mind from wandering. It meanders to those times, when Anju was in college, those times, when Anju used to keep playing the songs of Alaipayuthey, every morning, over and over again, just to irritate me, during Sandhyavandanam, those times when Anju used to warble "Alaipayuthey Kanna" beautifully, those times when I used to drop Anju and pick her up, from her Paatu class, three times every week, till ninth standard....
My darling Anju, now belongs to Rishi. I see the two of them walk around the Agni, Anju, dutifully, walking behind Rishi, her eyes, meeting the ground. My mind meanders again. Anju was 15 years old then. She was waiting for her tenth class results (Did you know that Anju secured a State rank in Hindi, in tenth standard ?) We were taking our usual stroll in the Luz corner, on one fine May evening, when, a reckless biker, ran into me, causing a fracture in my right leg. Anju stayed by my side, during the period of recuperation. She fed me porridge every morning and ensured that I ate my medicines regularly. And later, when I could walk a little, she made sure that I went for a walk every morning for about 15 minutes.

1:00 PM

Anju is exhausted, after performing all the rites. She is seated in between me and Rishi, eating her first meal, after marriage. She exchanges words with Rishi and me, giving us the much required company. While I relish Mani Iyer's Pal Adai Pradhaman, my memory takes me back to the day I celebrated (or supposedly celebrated) my 50th birthday. That was the time, Anju was inheriting her mother's culinary skills. She surprised me, that evening, with a saccharine Pal Adai Pradhaman. It tasted divine. The taste still lingers somewhere, in my tongue.

27th January

5 days have passed by, since Anju's marriage. Anju just returned back from her tour, with her in-laws and Rishi, to their Kaavu. Vanaja is helping Anju, pack her bags. This process is similar to the infinite packing-sessions, that the mother and daughter used to indulge in, with the dad going "How many items, will you try to stuff into a single suitcase ? Are you going to wear every single dress, that you have kept inside this suitcase ? ". I sigh heavily. The packing session is done. Anju is leaving for Mumbai. That is the place, where Rishi works. Anju comes near me, gives me a hug and says "Appa...I am not going to say anything. It might evoke tears in our eyes.... Bye Pa...I will call you once every week...I've installed Gtalk in our computer...We'll chat with each other every night from 10 - 11 pm. ..Do not forget to eat your Diabetes medicines, after food....Go for a walk every morning..Do not jog..Have a regular Oil Bath, every Wednesday and Saturday Pa..Only then won't you become balder (Anju always had the habit of laughing at my receding hair)......Come home, everyday before 8 'o clock Pa..Amma constantly worries about you...She never tells you, about that though...Amma told me you aren't coming to the airport...I can understand Pa...I don't want you to come to the airport...All of us will get emotional...See you Pa....I will try coming down to Chennai in May...I want amma and you to come over to Mumbai for Rishi's nephew Saket's Upanayam, in March..."

I smile at her. As she goes near the porch, I remember something, that Anju and I never failed to do - utter two French phrases, everytime, the two of us, parted ways. These phrases were used, ever since the time, she studied simple French phrases in ninth class...Sigh 10 years down the lane... She walks out of the gate. As she gets into Rishi's car, I holler "Anju...Au Revoir...Bonne Chance Kanna". She doesn't reply. My daughter is teary-eyed and so am I.

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Dearest Dad,
Happy Happy Happy Father's Day....Nope, am not saying anything more.....I somehow feel the English language might not have enough adjectives to describe, what sort of a father you are to me...
Love you loads
Nithya :)

Here's wishing every single father in the world, a very Happy Father's Day :)

Oven Fresh

2007-06-12T14:30:00.000+05:30

Red Alert :P : P oetry Blog and Reflections Updated :)

Sorry for the brief hiatus. My cerebellum did not function properly for the past one week and my cranium wasn't porous enough, to allow the entry of any thoughts, that could be of any use to this page.

I am currently relishing a mixed fruit granita in seventh heaven ;) ...That's because my dad recently divulged the fact that I could do journalism after I am done with my under-graduation...I am ecstatic...My future looks bright now :) I don't regret for having chosen engineering...My dad just wanted me to have a professional degree, as far as under-graduation was concerned...Once I wrap up the 4 year course, I am planning on giving the Asian School of Journalism (Chennai) entrance exam a try...I keep sitting on the fence often, don't I ? Geminis...Sigh :D

I have always been obsessed with visiting book stores, the most prominent ones being Landmark and Higginbothams in Chennai. I make it a point to meander through the store, aimlessly, even when I don't have the idea of purchasing any book. The very thought of me, being inside a book store, surrounded by a lot of books, that breathe life into the store , inhaling the scent, that these aromatic books , radiate delights me. I spend quite some time in book stores. I love browsing through all sorts of books - Fiction to those involving the improvement of a person's culinary skills. Any person taking me to the book-store, will have to be patient and put up with me.

Last Friday, I came to know, through an ad in the newspaper, that there was this new book store (Oxford) in town. My town did not offer shelter to any decent book-store, until recently. Landmark had a branch out here. Due to the dearth of bibliomaniacs, they had to shut the shop down. The inauguration of Oxford was a welcome change. I had been to this store yesterday and it was definitely one among the very good book-stores, that I have come across. Agreed, that I cannot compare Oxford with the likes of Landmark and Higginbothams.

Oxford is situated in a not-so-quiet-but-not-so-noisy environment. It is an ideal location, according to me. I felt that the plaque, indicating the name of the store, could've been a little brighter. The interiors of this book-store are amazing. The walls are splattered with vibrant hues. Once you enter the store, there is this area, consisting of all the bestsellers, a la Landmark. The arrangement of the books is different though. The place is just sufficient, to contain the most popular books in the country. The books are pigeonholed under different sections in alphabetical order. There are separate sections for books, written in Tamil, books, written by Indian authors and books, written for pre-teens(Famous Five, Secret Seven and all those lovely Enid Blyton books), teens (all those swanky, glittery Meg Cabot's girly-girly books) and young adults (Kite Runner, Bartimaeus Trilogy, Artemis Fowl etc). There is a section in which are present an amalgamation of books, everything right from Calvin and Hobbes collection (the ones priced at Rs 225 and Rs 445 :D) to PG Wodehouse's omnibuses. There are sections, entirely devoted to Art and Architecture, Cookery, Reference, Academics and Non-Fiction, like any other book-store.

Coalescing gift shops and book-stores has become a trend. Oxford too treads, along the same path. There are a lot of giftware available - Music CDs, DVDs, key chains, coffee mugs etc. Oxford also allows people to browse the internet for Rs 25/- per hour :D .

Cha bar :
This is an offshoot of Oxford. As the name suggests, this is an expensive bistro. A lot of exquisite teas from Nilgiris, Assam, Nepal and a few other places, are available (I tried noting down the names of the teas there, for the sake of my blog. The attender caught hold of me doing that and politely flicked the menu card away from my hand :( ) . Among the very few names that I had noted down, were Punjab truck drivers' "100 meel ki" cha , Khobong (a raspberry flavoured milk-tea), Passion Fruit flavoured Iced Tea etc :). I sampled Khobong, but I didn't get to pick up that dash of raspberry flavour in it. The attenders are so courteous, that they irritate you at some point in time. I got to take home a pair of cookies for free, just because I told the attender, that I didn't get to savour the raspberry flavour in the tea :D He ended up giving the cookies, because he felt guilty and that, he wanted to give a complimentary gift (a compensation sort of thing) to make up for it :D

Bottom line : Cha Bar is sure to leave a hole in your pocket. Beware !!

I am so glad , that there is finally a satisfactory book-store (albeit the signs that say "Buy me before you read me". "Do not browse through the books, feel free to buy them"..These signs, make me feel guilty :|) out here. The person-in-charge is definitely not going to make profits out of this place, at present. But in future, when this town will brim with IT professionals and voracious readers, I am sure he's going to make good money :)

P.S : I purchased Ruskin Bond's Omnibus...haven't started reading the book, as yet...Looks yummy :P

Dopplegangers !!

2007-06-04T19:17:00.000+05:30

After having read this, I felt like taking up the My heritage Face recognition test too...So there you go, the results...Frankly speaking, these people don't look like me in any way....Not even a teensy-weensy part of them, reminds me of me :(
Anyways, this test helped me widen my knowledge of famed celebrities in the global arena...Made me look up Wiki for info on them :)

* Katie Holmes - 73 % (What say Tom Cruise ?? :P Do I look like your lady-love ??)
* Song Hye- kyo - 61 % (umm..No comments..She looks pretty pretty though :D)
* Paz Vega - 59% (She is smiling a little too much like me....That's the similarity..She doesn't look good at all :|)
* Isabella Rossellini - 55% (She and I are Geminis....If that counts, then that is the only semblance between the two of us)
* Jennifer Aniston - 54 % (What crap :| Probably she and I share the same type of earlobes :P Her ears are covered in the picture displayed though :D )
* Kavya Madhavan - 52% (Typical Kudumba Kuthuvilakku material...In Priya's terms 'adarsh Bhartiya Naari types :P..The only thing that we both have in common is that the two of us are South Indians)
* Franz Boas - 50% (This nerdy-looking Father Of American Anthropology is almost bald headed..Did this stupid computer think I was bald, because of my forehead ?? My hair is not receding, for heaven's sake !!..And yeah, talking about anthropology, I wanted to be an anthropologist, when I was in my eighth class :D)
* Marion Jones - 49% (Sports ?? Athletics ?? Atheletes ?? Nithya ?? uh..huh..This Olympics-Gold winner had tied her hair up in a very tight manner, making her forehead look broad...Probably that's what made the computer think we share the like forehead-type)
* Jericho Rosales - 49% (He looks like one Chinky Chinese/Japanese/Korean fellow...I hardly look like a Chinky...I think we share the same kind of nose...Am not too sure about it though..)
* Kimberley Williams - 49% (I know the reason why....The two of us have broad foreheads :) No wonder...)

People, take this test up....It's fun :P Do not forget to let me know your results :P

An Ode to yet another Gemini

2007-06-03T22:40:00.000+05:30

Here's wishing the virtuoso - Mr S P Balasubramaniam a very very Happy Birthday :)
This post will contain all my favourite SPB- ARR Combination songs, that have touched my heart in some way or the other...This post might be on the same lines as that of this post

Thoda Thoda - Indra :
One of the most amazing romantic numbers that I've ever listened to. SPB and Chitra have serenaded this number in a very beautiful manner. The love that exists between Arvind Swamy and Anu in the movie (right from childhood), has been expressed in a very honeyed manner

THODA THODA.mp3

Thanga Thamarai- Minsara Kanavu:
One seductive number this is ! I totally love the way SPBs voice permeates the entire song with seduction and magnetization...Whatya voice !! Arvind Swamy looks stupid in the video though...

Thanga Thamarai.mp...

Anjali Anjali - Duet :
What can I possibly say ? No words can possibly express the emotions that run through my mind, when I listen to this number...It's such a beautiful quixotic number....SPB and Chitra have been used perfectly well by ARR...The bhavam, shruthi and layam, everything about this song is so perfect...Somehow, other singers trying to imitate the voice of SPB/Chitra (in this particular song) in reality shows, fills my heart with disgust...Nobody can possibly do justice to this particular song, other than the original singers...The saxophone refrains in this particular song and in the other songs in this movie rock...I love Prabhu and Meenakshi Seshadri in the video :) She is such an ammmmmmazing dancer

Anjali Anjali - S....

En Kaadhaley - Duet :
Only SPB and ARR can make a pathos-laden number sound so divine...A marvellous number this ! I love the parts, that involve high-pitch notes in the Anupallavi and Charanam...SPBs voice is totally flawless, as far as the ascending and descending portions in the high-pitched areas are concerned

EN KAADHALAE _ DUE...

Kadhal Rojave - Duet :
Need I say a thing ? The song that marked the naissance of the SPB-ARR combination...The song that conveys so much love....The song that is filled with emotions...The song that floods your heart with emotions as well...The portions involving Sujatha's voice sound so heavenly...

20 Kadhal Rojave.m...

Ennai Kaanavillaye - Kadhal Desam :
A sojourn number again...The beats that serve as the background music in this song are lovely

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Track details

Kaadhalikkum Pennin - Kaadhalan :
This is a jazzy number by SPB and Udit Narayan...Udit Narayan sounds so pathetic in this song though..But however ARRs music and SPBs voice (and his acting skills too !) shine prominently in this song......I love this song !!

KADHALIKKUM PENNIN...

Velli Malare - Jodi :
I guess this song is based on Dharbari Kaanada. Am not too sure about it...It is a wonderful number by SPB and Mahalakshmi Iyer...The interlude that a Hindustani singer croons in the middle reminds me of Ghanan Ghanan from Lagaan

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Track details

Minnale - May Maadham :
Yet another bleakness filled number.. Trust me, I am running out of words to describe SPB's voice and ARR's music...

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Track details

Theendai - En Swasa Kaatre :
Based on one of my very favourite raagams - Sri raagam, this song is a typical classical number filled with a lot of gamakams and bhavam . SPB and Chitra's combination again...No wonder the song sounds so euphonious to the ear...

THEENDAI.mp3

And the rest....
E-snips could not provide me with the widgets for the following splendid SPB-ARR numbers :(
I love the below mentioned songs as well - a lottttttttttttttttt

# Pennala Pennala Oodhapoo - Uzhavan
# Swasame - Thenali
# En Veettu Thottathil and Ottagaththai Kattikko - Gentleman
# Kadhalenum - Kadhalar Dinam
# July Maadham - Pudhiya Mugam
# Kappal yeri poyachu - Indian
# Mettupodu, Kulicha Kuttralam and Naan Padum Sandham - Duet

P.S : I am not much for, these SPB-ARR-Rajni combination songs; everything right from Oruvan Oruvan Mudhraali (Muthu) to Suriyanum Chandiranum (Shivaji)..The lyrics are so Rajni-centred :|

This and That

2007-06-02T09:37:00.000+05:30

Hey people !! It's been really long since I actually blathered on this page- 10 days to be precise........How are you all doing ??? 'Tis nice to be back to this virtual world. I really did miss blogging.. Well this is not any frustration post/ story/ regret/ anything else...Just another ramble post...A Diary entry sorta thing..Had been to Chennai last week..Surfed the heat wave....Spent quality time with my little cousins...Man ! They are fun to be with (But only for a short span of time, Mind you !).....Listened to a lot of music (I can't thank my uncle enough for the one-year old mp3 player) Had my ears plugged 24*7..Chennai radio channels are splendid...(So are Mumbai radio channels..I miss them though :( )...Read one and a half books...Watched Chennai 600028.....Watched loadsa lovely cartoons (Thanks to my cousins)...Had fun watching that crappy Chutti TV :D (It's fun watching cartoons in Tamil and its funnier watching Chutti TV hosts pretending to be cool like those in Pogo/Disney/any other sane channel :P)..Attended my first unofficial bloggers meet...A detailed report ensues :D

Chennai 600 028 :

A must-watch movie...Neat movie sans histroinics and Vijaykanth( You could also replace this word with words like Rajni, Vijay, Simbu, Dhanush et al )-like-antics...The skimpily clad girl was an avoidable element actually and so was the other heroine...Neways a little bit of Masala here and there, doesn't hurt, does it ? The songs are nice to listen to :D ...."Jalsa" is a common favourite, as far as my 7-9 year old cousins and I are concerned.....But the songs, I felt, were misplaced enitities in the movie...The movie would have been better if it were not for the girls and songs....

The Namesake :

A must-read book...I could go on and on about this book...Jhumpa Lahiri is a very talented and impressive and gifted story teller...I didn't like her "Interpreter of Maladies and the other Stories" very much...But this book is so very refreshing and nice to read...Nobody can beat her, when it comes to describing the most trivial and insignificant detail in a very delightful and charming manner...The Bengali customs mentioned, the American tradition that Gogol takes a fancy to, Gogol's birth, Ashima's love towards Calcutta and Indian'ness', Ashoke's subtle and mature approach to anything and everything, his fondness for Nikolai Gogol, the typical Indian parties thrown in the course of the story, Gogol's temporary infatuations, his 'incontrovertible' (Thanks Jhumpa, for this word...I love it :) ) transformation into an adult, his detachment at the same time attachment towards his kinfolk, the name-change from Gogol to Nikhil, the regret, that he feels towards the end, when he realizes there is absolutely nobody around to call him Gogol, everything almost every single thing in this book is so marvellously written...Please do read this book...If you don't lay your hands on this book, then you are missing out on something...Do not watch the movie, for heaven's sake (i haven't watched the movie as yet...Would love to watch..but if you are planning on watching the movie, watch it only after you read the book..) The movie might not have liberal doses of gratifying adjectives/descriptions in it...Read this book asap. Period.

Radio Channels in Chennai :

What do you do, when you are not in your home-town, with your kith and kin, snoring loudly in another room, with your cousins yelling their throats out, fighting in an unmanageable way, on a broiler ?? Listen to sooper programmes, that the boom box has to offer..I listened to every single programme on every radio channel possible :D...Just like I surf the Internet and the television channels, I surfed the radio channels as well... I recharged my batteries once in every 12 hours :D (For the remaining 12 hours, the player would be functioning non-stop)....I thought I could rate the radio channels on a scale from one to seven...

No 7 : Suryan FM (Cheapy is the word...The RJs suck bigtime.....They giggle throuought the show, ceaselessly..Now and then, they croak and snort too...You want Kuthu songs, you SHOULD definitely tune into 93.5)

No 6 : Big FM (Nothing Big in it to rave about..The selection of songs is pretty good actually..You can tune into 92.7, if the other channels sound muffled to your ears)

No 5 : Hello FM and Aaha FM (Nothing much to comment on...That 9-10 programme on Aaha FM sucks bigtime...I don't know, what it is called though..It involves a lot of characters, talking asininely..)

The fourth spot is vacant, cauz there are 2 radio channels occupying the 5th position

No 3 : Radio City (Neat channel....Sooper RJs, who talk wunnerful English...The only FM channel, that plays Hindi, English and Tamil songs 24 *7...All the English songs, that they play on this channel are lovely to listen to...So are the Hindi and Tamil songs...Love their selection of songs)

No 2 : Radio One (90% of the programmes are good...Heard Mirchi Suchi is going to come into their firm as an RJ...That Neela lady, who does some teleshopping gap-filler programme in this channel is irritating and funny at the same time..)

No 1 : Radio Mirchi (obviously !! Am not biased in any way...It's a fantastic channel, with sooper-cool RJs like Ajay, Shiva and Deva...Love all of 'em...I never fail to listen to Radio Rettaivaals in the morning...That Rettaivaals song is damn funny, especially the part in which a guy says "Yen ma..5 rooba ku paada sonna 50 rooba ku padituirukkiye...porum porum"...Humour, dynamism, zing and zeal are something that these RJs are inherently gifted with..this channel is definitely as hot as the brand emblem molagai :P)

The Unofficial Blogger's meet :

Met Sangeetha Akka there in Chennai....Spent an entire half-day with her...We walked all the way from my relative's place to her place...On the way, we messily devoured a Chocobar each...I never knew virtual world could be of great help in finding friends in total strangers....She is such a sweet-heart...Came to realize that she is a distant relative of one of my very close friends :) Her parents and grandparents are sweet as well...And yeah, that Ganapati bommai near the television at her place is sweet as well...We were supposed to go out together to a CRY (Child Rights and You, not Child Relief and You) meeting and to the British Council Library...But Poor Akka, lost her mobile phone :( ....An easy camaraderie existed between the two of us...In Harish's terms, we had this 'haven't-we-met-before' feeling in our hearts... Thanks Akka for having spent a substantial amount of time with me, for putting up with me...Thanks for everything :) Hoping to meet you soon, either here at my place or there in Chennai...Thanks Blogger !!

And the Rest......
The vocabulary of my 2 insane,cute little male cousins has increased, after their trip to Chennai...They call each other Machan now...They shout Saroja Samanikalo at passers-by, from the terrace (One man, walking on the road, after listening to the little one shouting 'Saroja...' , came home and blasted my uncle :D).....They say "Naanga Jalsa Panninom", when you ask them "yenna da panninel Chennai la? "...

And Happy Happy Budday Mani Ratnam :D and belated birthday wishes Maddy :P

Well that's all from my end....Am baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaakkkkkkkkkk !!

Shall We Dance ???

2007-05-22T15:11:00.000+05:30

Done with my exams finally !! No comments, no rants, no posts on what I did during the last week, no oaths, no rules, no nothing :|

One year of college is over and I am soooooooooooooooooooo glad...God, am on cloud nine, not because I fared really well in all my exams (and i did not fare well either :| ), but, just because 2 whole loathsome semesters are over...

Somethings beforehand :

People, see this first....Khaled Hosseini's "A Thousand Splendid Sun's" Budday today..Yabba Dabba Doo !! Am waiting to lay my hands on that book...Keeping my Fingers crossed..Hope this book turns out to be as good as The Kite Runner

And then see this...:D

One of my most favourite indi-pop numbers...Stumbled upon this video after a reeeeeeeeeeely long time...OST : Padosan..The original track is amazing as well :) In fact all the songs in this movie (Ek Chatur Naar and Mere Saamne waali Khidki mein) are wonderful :) Kishore Da aache, kekava venum :P

And then listen to this :D

Pehla Nasha.mp3

Another melodious romantic number...My favouritest of all the romantic, euphonious numbers, I've ever heard (non-ARR songs that is !)...Sadhana and Udit have sung this song amazingly well...The prelude that comes at 0.45 seconds is soooooooooooooo pleasant and lovely and dreamy :)

My Actual Post :

I've actually tried exploring the anfractuosities of M and A in M.A.D (as in Music, Arts and Dance) and I have successfully found my way, through a few (among the innumerable) labyrinthine mazes, as far as Music and Art is concerned. Art is still an alien province for me. just because, I have seen some Picasso, Da Vinci and Braque works, doesn't mean I know the whole enchilada !

Coming to dance, Nithya and dance :| People, who know me would probably laugh their hearts out, if these two words are mentioned. Dance and me, actually are like chalk and cheese. The first time I ever danced, was during my 1st standard, when my parents enrolled me into a dance school. I went for about a week and came back home yelling "Amma, yenna eppapaaru kaala madichinde, fold panna maari vekka solra..Enakku pidikalai..Evlo naal thaan naan apdi pannuven..Seekrama paatuku ellam dance sollithara na naan poven..Illati maaten". That was it..A big full stop to dancing..After a few years, when I was in ninth class, during my cousin's marriage, when all my other cousins, aunties, uncles and Thathas (yeah My maternal Thatha had a ball, dancing :D He was too good on the floor, let me tell you and so was my then 8 year old cousin. She rocked totally and yeah so did my then 20 year old cousin :D) were bouncing happily, in the name of dance, I was running around, in the Mandapam, doing odd jobs like serving food, baby-sitting, panneer thalichifying :P, in the form of welcoming people, serving coffees to all those gossip-maamis etc etc, just because I wanted to avoid my entry into the dance floor. I somehow managed to succeed in that.And after that, when I was in 10th standard, during our yearly school excursions, I was forced to dance along with 2 friends of mine, just because I was some crappy team captain, in the campfire. I made a big fool of myself, by doing sporadic jigs, whilst none of my teachers were watching. 11th standard was worse. I was forced to dance twice. Once on stage (Aaaaaaaaaah), during our school pupil leader elections and another time, during a personality development camp, that I attended (RYLA). That on-stage dance was so pathetic. "Apdi Podu" and "Yakkai thiri" were the ditties, that were being played. I tried to turn away from this behemoth, but I actually couldn't. I was literally pulled on stage, to dance. I did a few "Bhangra" (!!) steps with my senior Prabneeth (It was fun though :D). During the RYLA 'talent night' session, after all my co-Rylarians, finished exhibiting their talents, there was this dance-e-thon sorta thingy. Full of music, a pub sort of atmosphere, dim lighting and No alcohol, mind you ! People, young'ies' and oldies were swaying their bodies to all sorts of funky tunes. Upas (THE True friend - She and I never make it a point to dance :D Dancing is the only thing, that we haven't done together, or have we ? Oh yeah we have..That Kaho Na Pyaar Hai prancing thing in the bus :D ) and me stood there like two zombies, JUST clapping our hands violently. We didn't even bother to shake our heads a bit :D
Actually I don't dance, even when nobody is watching
Sigh..So much for the clumsy me and my two left feet :(

Now, all on a sudden, after this trip to Chennai (for Saarang, that is) and after seeing Dr Padma Subramaniam's ammmmmmmmmaing performance in a local temple, here, last week, I've re-developed this fascination for Bharatnatyam and other forms of Western dancing (Salsa, Rumba and Ballet in particular). Saarang had these sooper dance workshop sessions (for free :D), that included Salsa, Rumba, Lambada and some other Western dance sessions. The pathetic part was you needed a guy-partner :|

I would have attended the workshop, if I had a proper partner*wink* Whenever I listen to amazing soft dance-worthy numbers or some groovy numbers, I feel like shedding all my inhibitions away and dancing. But I really don't know as to why I can't possibly do that. I seriously envy all those people, who can atleast swing to music. Dance is a marvellous way to show that you appreciate music and that you are unleashing all your emotions, in a very relaxed manner. Next time, I go to Saarang, I'll definitely make it a point to enroll myself in that worshop (Partner condition to be satisfied, yes). People, watch out, the clumsy oaf is back into action, this time in an even gawkier fashion :|

P.S : No blogging for another week :( Am leaving for Chennai...Will not be able to comment on your posts either..So people, will be back next week, with tons and tons of posts :D
And Sharan advance Congo on 75 and Iyer, advance Congo on 50 :)
Will miss my blog and all your blogs too :((

P.P.S : Some day, I hope, I will be able to dance in a not-so-awkward-not-so-uncomfortable manner to the songs, the widgets, of which, I have included here in this post :)

Booooring !

2007-05-21T11:50:00.000+05:30

Am Bored...Am supposed to be 'consuming' this horrendous hodge-podge of JFETs, MOSFETs, AND gate, OR gate, Registers, Counters and all that crap. It is so bugging to figure out, what they all mean (Sigh...that's what you have to do, if you are a teacher-less engineering student, in 'one of the so-called most prestigious, most-sought after institution in the state')...Thank God for blogthings...There you go, another set of personality quizzes :D

Nithya Sivashankar 's Aliases

Your movie star name: Donuts Radhakrishnan

Your fashion designer name is Nithya Paris

Your socialite name is Nothya Las Vegas

Your fly girl / guy name is N

Your detective name is I Hate Animals Avila Convent

Your barfly name is Chocolates None

Your soap opera name is Sivashankar Ramalinga Nagar

Your rock star name is Gems My Brain

Your Star Wars name is Niti d cal

Your punk rock band name is The Excited Logic Gates

The Amazing Meganame Generator

The funniest thing I have ever come across, seriously !! "Excited Logic Gates", shows how interested I am, as far as EEE is concerned :D

You Are a Ring Finger

You are romantic, expressive, and hopeful. You see the best in everything.
You are very artistic, and you see the world as your canvas. You are also drawn to the written word.
Inventive and unique, you are often away in your own inner world.

You get along well with: The Pinky

Stay away from: The Index Finger

What Finger Are You?

People, take this test please and Mr/Ms/Mrs Index Finger, please do reveal your identity, so that I can stay away from you :D
All you Little Fingered Pinkies, reveal your identities too... We gel well :D or so this test says

You Are 50% Addicted to Blogthings

You're a Blogthings fiend - addicted but not totally dependent.
So what if you know your personality type by heart?
And while you may feel like Blogthings is crack...

There are people much worse off than you!

How Addicted To Blogthings Are You?

Your Reputation Is: Sweet Girl

While you're well known, there's nothing to worry about.
You're reputation is mostly good - as good as any rep can be.

Do You Have A Bad Girl Reputation?

Awwww...That was damn sweet..yay to me :D
*smug*

Your EQ is 100

50 or less: Thanks for answering honestly. Now get yourself a shrink, quick!
51-70: When it comes to understanding human emotions, you'd have better luck understanding Chinese.
71-90: You've got more emotional intelligence than the average frat boy. Barely.
91-110: You're average. It's easy to predict how you'll react to things. But anyone could have guessed that.
111-130: You usually have it going on emotionally, but roadblocks tend to land you on your butt.
131-150: You are remarkable when it comes to relating with others. Only the biggest losers get under your skin.
150+: Two possibilities - you've either out "Dr. Phil-ed" Dr. Phil... or you're a dirty liar.

What's Your EQ (Emotional Intelligence Quotient)?

Pretty O.K ...Worth the time that I spent answering 30 questions :D

What You Really Think Of Your Friends

Lakshmi is your soulmate.

You truly love Ashwathi.

You consider My Mom your true friend.

You know that Poornima is always thinking of you.

You'll remember Sneha for the rest of your life.

You secretly think Sharan is creative, charming, and a bit too dramatic at times.

You secretly think that Shiv is colorful, impulsive, and a total risk taker.

You secretly think that Upas is loyal and trustworthy to you. And that Upas changes lovers faster than underwear.

You secretly think Shrey is shy and nonconfrontational. And that Shrey has a hidden internet romance.

What Do You Think of Your Friends?

ROFL...Shrey has a hidden internet romance =)) Upas changes lovers faster than underwear =)) =)) Take this test up too, please (my friends atleast :D), would love to know as to who else has a hidden internet romance and changes lovers faster than underwear =))

And whats this secret thinking and stuff....You either think/you keep a secret, there's no secret thinking involved :| (or atleast here, that scenario prevails :P)

Chance You'll Live to 100: 64%

100 is looking pretty likely for you right now. You've made your health a priority.
So kick back, keep doing what you're doing, and enjoy the great life you've made for yourself.
And you might get to see what the world is like 70, 80, or even 90 years from now.

Will You Live to 100?

No Comments

Your Learning Style: Energetic and Inspired

You always find the words to express yourself, and there's hardly a class or subject you don't enjoy.

You Should Study:

Advertising
Art
Classics
Counseling
Journalism
Political Science
Sales
Teaching

What Should You Study?

Waaaaaaah...Don't get me started on this...Journalism, Political Science, Literature and Linguistics is what I've always wanted to do :((

You Are

A Scary Pumpkin Face

You would make a good pumpkin and liver sandwich.

What's Your Pumpkin Face?

What ??

Your Blog Should Be Purple

You're an expressive, offbeat blogger who tends to write about anything and everything.
You tend to set blogging trends, and you're the most likely to write your own meme or survey.
You are a bit distant though. Your blog is all about you - not what anyone else has to say.

What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be?

Ogay..So me is off..On the Pursuit of a Purple coloured template for my blog....Kapwwwwiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnggggggggg

P.s : Exams are getting over tomorrow Yay !!

Pandora's Box

2007-05-17T12:09:00.000+05:30

Aim :
To saturate Nithya's life with weariness and frustration (and to make her breach her rule, which says she isn't supposed to be sitting in front of her computer,blogging)

Ingredients :
2 big big cups of "stale" betrayal
2 tablespoons of indistinct pretentiousness
1 small cup of meaningless conservativeness
large quantities of egotism
a pinch of 'cold war '
Oodles of qualm
a teaspoon of misapprehension
and a teeny-weeny bit of residual love (THAT perfect, enchanting ingredient for this scrumptious recipe)

Preparation Time :
One year to be precise

Recipe :
Just mix everything concurrently and wait for some sort of magic to conjure up right in front of you. Takes some time, yes, but it is worth the wait. The recipe satisfies its purpose, exactly at the right moment(At least, in my case it did). Works very well, especially, when doled out amidst loved ones.

Sorry for this frustrating post. Curbed emotions. Wanted to drain them somewhere, before I go ahead with Scintillation counter and Photomultiplier tube.
Want to let the cat out of the bag. But I just can't. Taking the wraps off, can lead to strained relationships.
For once,
I am forced to remain quiet- silent, amidst loved ones
I am forced to lock my mouth up
I am forced to stay noiseless, when my heart is brimming with words
I am forced to feign, feign in front of my loved-ones, who themselves feign in front of me

Hopes, unfulfilled
Dreams, unattained
Words, unspoken
Verses, unwritten
Trust (the very 'foundation' for any relationship), unstable
Targets, unfocused
Truth, unexposed
Misgivings, unfaded
Relationships, unsound
Days, unpleasant
Vex me....

This, unfortunately/ fortunately turns out to be my 75th post.

Yours Inanely, 'bottled-up' ly, 'mentally-wiped-out' ly,
Isis

The Eternal Triangle

2007-05-12T11:34:00.000+05:30

The usually reckless Advait was at the steering wheel, driving rather unemotionally, that fine Saturday morning. Kshama, his wife, was sitting beside him, engaging herself in wiping the rain-droplets off their Santro Xing's windows. Advait, an auditor by profession, was contented with his life, until that morning. He had married the woman he had loved, he was satisfied with the amount of money Kshama and he earned. Kshama worked as a freelance journalist for a couple of news channels. She ensured that she disconnected professional life and personal life. Advait and Kshama had been happily married for about 3 years. Their relationship strengthened over trivial spats involving the amount of time each person spent in his/her office, Advait's scattiness, Kshama's shopaholic nature et al. These insignificant tiffs usually lasted for only an hour or two. In short, Advait and Kshama wallowed in bliss, as far as their marital life was concerned.

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Tejaswini was an orphan by birth. She never knew who her parents were. She had been brought up in a residential shelter, under the benevolent care of her guardian. Tejaswini, had the looks of yesteryear actoresses. She had just finished her Masters in English Literature. She had always been very attached to the home, where she had lived for more than over 23 years. She was attached to the little orphaned kids, the attenders, the gardeners and the cooks, who shared the same roof, along with her. Tejaswini had no plans of marrying. She preferred to live all by herself, dedicating her entire self to philanthropy and altruism. On a particular December night, Tejaswini decided to adopt social-service as her line of work. She settled on working for the welfare of the children in her home, as well as for the cancer and AIDS patients, who lived in a residential shelter, in the same area.

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Advait, Kshama and Tejaswini did not know, that on the following Sunday, their destinies would become irrevocably intertwined

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The Eternal Triangle

Saturday, the 4th of April :

The usually reckless Advait was at the steering wheel, driving rather unemotionally, that fine Saturday morning. Kshama, his wife, was sitting beside him, engaging herself in wiping the rain-droplets off their Santro Xing's windows. The words of the gynaecologist ran over and over again, through Kshama's mind

"Mrs Advait, I know, this is going to be hard on you and your husband, but, reality is harsh. You have to accept the fact, that you are sterile, incapable of becoming pregnant. You are facing a few problems concerned with chronic anovulation. Don't you worry. There are a lot of methods, these days, by which you could carry a child in your arms, if not in your uterus. Mrs Advait, do come and meet me tomorrow morning. I have a solution for you"

These words butchered her psyche. Advait and Kshama had always dreamt of having a child of their own. They had even decided on their kid's name. They decided that they would call their infant 'Manasa', if it were a girl and 'Tanmay', if it were a boy. Kshama didn't want to upset Advait by crying out loud in front of him. She sniffled, she did not blub. When they reached home, Kshama, couldn't help violating her own rules. She could bear no more. She wept uncontrollably in Advait's arms. Advait couldn't rein his tears in either. The two of them lay there on their couch, comforting one other. Their hearts spoke, not their lips. They could not ingest any food. They decided not to let any family member of theirs, know about Kshama's infertility problems. They hoped that the following Sunday morning would reinstate brightness, in their gloomy hearts.

Tejaswini, had been called on Saturday morning, by her guardian's sister, who was a gynaecologist, to discuss about a few issues related to treating destitute women, in the shelter-home. Tejaswini, with all her chirpiness, went to Dr. Malini's (or rather Malini Aunty's) place, only to find two low-spirited people leaving the hospital, with a melancholic look on their faces. Tejaswini, was very inquisitive by nature. She wanted to know as to what had gone wrong with the couple. Upon questioning, she got to know that, they had come to know that the lady's womb could not give refuge to an unborn offspring. Tejaswini and Malini Aunty, after having discussed the brass tacks, came back to the infertility topic. Tejaswini wanted to know as to what plans Malini Aunty had in her mind. Malini just uttered two words "Surrogate pregnancy"

Sunday, the 5th of April :

The fateful day dawned. Advait hadn't slept, the previous night. Kshama, had slept in a very fidgety manner, subconciously uttering "Manasa...Manasa" in her sleep. Advait couldn't bear to see his wife in that condition. He held her close to his bosom and comforted her, whilst she was restlessly dozing. On that Sunday morning, the couple skipped their breakfast and rushed to Dr. Malini's clinic, to find out, what she had in store for them. In Dr Malini's room, they saw a very pretty girl, sitting on the chair, next to Dr Malini, animatedly conversing about some arbitrary issue. Dr Malini, welcomed them inside and introduced Tejaswini to Advait and Kshama. After a few minutes, Dr Malini revealed the plans that she had for Advait and Kshama. She spoke about surrogacy and In Vitro Fertilization. She said "Mr Advait, I presume you had an idea of adopting a kid from an orphanage, which I believe Mrs Advait doesn't prefer. She told me that, in our conversation, over the phone, yesterday. The only option that is left behind is this. You should be ready to be a donor, Mr Advait. Both of you should be mentally prepared to let Tejaswini carry your child, to let her be a 'Surrogate Mother' "

After much contemplation, it was decided. Tejaswini was going to carry Advait and Kshama's child.Tejaswini had plunged into the noble task of carrying an infertile couple's infant in her womb. She had never given any thought to motherhood or infancy. She was very anxious about the whole issue.

Thursday, the 9th of April :

The reports declared that Tejaswini was fit enough to carry Advait's offspring. It was a momentous day in the life of the threesome. Advait was going to be the donor and Tejaswini, was going to be the host. All the genetic proceedings were done by the end of the day. Advait and Kshama, were reasonably satisfied, with the way things were going. The three of them, signed a contract in which "Ms Tejaswini, the surrogate mother will have to hand over the newborn to Mr and Mrs Advait Venkatraman, one month, after parturition" was written. Tejaswini was beginning to get nervous. The fact that she was going to carry a child in her uterus for the next nine months was involuntarily sinking in.

Gestation :

Tejaswini continued to live in her residential shelter, taking care of the kids, simultaneously ensuring that she took care of 'her own kid' as well. She was well taken care of, by the people in her home. She read books on pregnancy and motherhood. She made sure, that she listened to soulful carnatic numbers, every morning and evening, inorder to imbue religious thoughts into the child's mind. She consumed medicines regularly and took care of herself and the child well. Without anybody's knowledge, she conversed with the child, in her womb, every morning, noon and night. She spent quality mother-child time, with her unborn infant. She was an ardent fan of Tagore's poetry. She read and re-read his poems on naissance. She was ecstatic.

Advait and Kshama, periodically paid a visit to Tejaswini and took care of her. Every Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday, they visited the orphanage, with a lot of supplies in hand, both for Tejaswini as well as for the deprived people. Tejaswini shared her feelings, the mood-swings, issues related to the development of the kid, that only women could relate to, the pleasureful pain, the periodic cramps and spasms etc with Kshama. Kshama would usually return home, teary-eyed. She felt hard to face facts. But she had to.

Wednesday, the 15th of January : 4:30 A.M

Advait and Kshama, were getting more and more impatient, as time ticked by. Tejaswini had been contracting, for the past 3 hours. She was suffering from 'the birth pang'. Kshama and Advait were eagerly waiting for the arrival of the baby. They had bought an ethnic cradle for the baby. They had refurbished their entire household, in order to welcome the new addition, in their family, with open arms.

6:20 A.M

That was the moment, Advait, Kshama and Tejaswini could never forget. In Tejaswini's arms, lay a tiny boy, a neonate, that couldn't open its eyes. The three of them were in tears. Advait and Kshama hugged Tejaswini. They couldn't thank her more. She had refused to accept money from them, as she felt she was doing a very noble and divine task of procreating. Tejaswini showered the baby with kisses. She wept uncontrollably. Advait and Kshama, too sobbed. All the three of them were exultant.

Sunday, the 15th of February :

For the past one month, Tejaswini had been spending most of her time with Advait, Kshama and the little one. The four of them shared some special moments together. Most of their talks involved topics related to the baby. They were very excited. Tejaswini couldn't refrain herself from talking about her gestation and the moments involving her birth pang.

It was yet another Sunday. Tejaswini, was crooning softly, the lullaby "Omanathingal Kidavo" by Swati Thirunal , inorder to induce sleep into the little kid's eyes. She called the little kid Pavan. She never told anybody about the name Pavan, not even to Kshama. Advait and Kshama, entered into Tejaswini's room, with a perambulator and a paper in hand. Realization crossed its threshold, only then, in Tejaswini's mind. She had to part with "Advait and Kshama's baby". She had to relinquish Pavan. Pavan wasn't her property. She had just been his temporary host, his temporary shelter, his temporary nourisher. She had been 'the acting mother'. Advait and Kshama promised Tejaswini, that every Sunday, they would bring 'Tanmay' to see her and that he could spend the whole day with 'his second mother'. Tejaswini, handed the child over to them, with a fake smile on her lips. Her heart bled. She could not bear the separation. She turned to her only solace - Tagore. She read her favourite poem, The Beginning and began weeping.

The Beginning

"Where have I come from, where did you pick me up ?", the baby asked its mother.
She answered, half crying, half laughing, and clasping the baby to her breast -
"You were hidden in my heart, as its desire, my darling.
You were in the dolls of my childhood's games ; and when with clay I made the image of my god every morning, I made and unmade you then.
You were enshrined with our household's deity, in his worship I worshipped you.
In all my hopes and my loves, in my life, in the life of my mother you have lived.
In the lap of the deathless spirit who rules our home you have been nursed for ages
When in girlhood my heart was opening its petals, you hovered as a fragrance about it.
Your tender softness bloomed in my youthful limbs, like a glow in the sky before the sunrise.
Heaven's first darling, twin-born with the morning light, you have floated down the stream of the world's life, and at last you have stranded on my heart.
As I gaze on your face, mystery overwhelms me; you who belong to all have become mine.
For fear of losing you I hold you tight to my breast. What magic has snared the world's treasure in these slender arms of mine?"

- Rabindranath Tagore

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Dearest Amma,

Here's wishing you a Happy Mother's Day. This story isn't new, in any way, to you. Yesterday night, when this thought creeped into my mind, you were the one, who said "Ayyo...Paithyam pudichudthu unakku. Why are you wasting your time penning down stupid stories, when you have a lot of subjects to learn for your exams ? "

I know you hate all this senti-venti stuff. You are the best mother, in the whole wide world Amma. I could talk to you, about anything under the sun. Thank you for making me comfortable. Thank you for showing me the way to the outside world. Thank you for putting up with me. Thank you for nourishing me and for taking care of me, so very well. Thank you for sculpting me into what I am today. Thanks Amma *my usual sheepish grin*
And yeah, Sorry for wasting time on this :D I didn't study from 10:00A.M to 12:00 noon :D
I promise, I will not blog for another week during the examination time. I won't sit in front of the computer either :D

Here's Wishing all the Mothers (and the to-be mothers and surrogate mothers as well) in the entire world a very Happy Mother's Day (In advance)

Jodi kamaal ki !

2007-05-07T11:03:00.000+05:30

Update 8/5/07 : Poetry Blog updated !

:D
Long time since I actually penned down something related to music, here in my blog page. I had plans of writing down a post on my favourite Mani Ratnam(a co-Gemini yay !!!) movies, but Suchi raced me to the finish line at that. So me is right now, writing a totally musically-inclined post.

Well Mani Ratnam. The name, of late (of late = since the nineties) has become synonymous with that of the virtuoso ARR. The two of them, have given music afficianados like me, some exceptionally great songs. I don't think I will be 'writing' down much in this post. Just the widgets of my favourite ARR-Mani songs, with a small description, will do.

The very first movie which witnessed the amalgamation of the two prodigies - Roja. My favourite song from that movie is Pudhu Vellai Mazhai, by Sujatha and Unni Menon. What an amazing number it is. This buoyant number, with a soothing prelude, has this lilting feel about it. The cinematography, man! , its a treat to any nature-lover's eyes. Kashmir snow at its best I would say. And that scene in which the Dal lake is picturised, beautiful ! This song, when listened to, with eyes shut, will transport you to some different world, where there is nothing but just you and soulful music.

PUDHU VELLAI MAZHA...

Bombay - Another poignant work, with the communal riots in Mumbai, providing the framework for a typical Mani-style movie. My favourite number in this movie is obviously Uyire Uyire by my all-time favourite singers Hariharan and Chitra. The flute, the guitar and the Tabla, are the only instruments that hog the limelight in this song. The refrains that the flute creates, the interlude with the violin and the tunes crooned by the chorus group are heavenly. Talk about giving breath to your song, by adding emotions to it, this is the song that comes into my mind. Hariharan and Chitra couldn't have sung in a better manner.

UYIRE UYIRE.mp3

Iruvar - Set against an archaic Tamil background, with politics, playing the role of the fulcrum, the music, also has an antiquated feel about it. My favourite number is undoubtedly, the classical number - Narumugaiye, by Bombay Jayshree and Unnikrishnan. This song belongs to the ragam Nattai (Mahaganapathim Manasa Smarami's ragam), though some traces of Gambheera Nattai can be found here and there. Superb number. The husky voice of Bombay Jayashree is elating. Every Bhavam has been beautifully brought out by ARR, Bombay Jayashree and Unni Krishnan. The portions involving the Veena, perfect bliss, is the word !

NARUMUGAIYE _ IRUV...

Dil Se - Udit Narayan's unsurpassed performance - Ay Ajnabi. One of my favourite numbers of all times. Right from the beginning, when Mahalakshmi Iyer goes "Paaki Paaki" till the end when the music of the keyboard (I guess!) slowly dwindles, everything about the song is so moving. I love the Anupallavi and the Charanam parts, especially the ones involving high-pitched notes. The tamil version of this song (Poongantrile) by Unni Menon is also flawless.

Aye Ajnabi.mp3

Alaipayuthey - My favouri'test' Madhavan movie (he looks adorable in that movie, doesn't he?). I personally felt, this movie, witnessed a change in the particular style of music, that ARR usually sticks to. It was obviously a welcome change. Everything from the traditional Mangalyam to the sojourn Evano Oruvan proves that this movie is one of ARR's best ventures. My pick of the lot would be Kaadhal Sadugudu, atleast for the parts involving the guitar, be it the prelude or the interlude, or the background tune. SPB Charan's voice is so refreshing in this song.

KADAL SADUGUDU.mp3

Kannathil Muthamittal - If you want soulful music, Kannathil Muthamittal's numbers are those you OUGHT to listen too. All the songs are brilliant. The album opens with the totally lively number, Sundari and the music progresses along with the pace of the movie, with songs playing the perfect foil to the essence of each and every scene, be it the title number (Chinmayi's first and best song) to portray the love between the child and the mother or the song that conveys patriotism in its untainted form (Vidai Kodu Engal Naade) or the spirited Sri Lankan ditty (Signore) or the kittenish number, that serves as the BGM, during the flashback scenes (Sattena nanaindhadhu nenjam) or the male version of the title track or (my favourite number) the meaningful, splendidly crafted number Vellai Pookal (sung so very very very beautifully by ARR himself), it's a hit-album all the way.

Vellai_Pokkal.mp3

Ayutha Ezhuthu - An atypical venture by Mani Ratnam, which did not set the box office bells ringing. This movie has a youthful feel about it, so does the music of ARR. Every track (except those involving Maddy and Meera), that was recorded, was fashioned in a manner, that every youngster of today could relate to. I love Nenjam Ellam by Adnan Sami and Sujatha. Adnan's accent is the only black-mark, that I could find as far as this song is concerned. But his 'affected-by-alcohol' type voice is splendid in this song and Sujatha's way of permeating the feeling of love throuought the song, is so unique and laudable. I don't know as to why many of my friends, don't prefer this song much !

NENJAM ELLAM....mp...

Guru - This movie too, had that unique ARR touch. Every number was so different from the other. The rustic Barso Re and the East-flavoured Mayya Mayya are like chalk and cheese. The ghazal Ay Hairat-E-Aashiqui and the Sufi style Tere Bina are totally different from the orchestrated Jaage Hain and the brand (Bhang-induced-intoxication-made-me-croon-this-number ) Bappi Da's Ek Lo Ek Muft. My favourite number is Hariharan and Alka Yagnik's Ay Hairat-E- Aashiqui. This Ghazhal number begins on the same lines of Tere Bina, but leaves a totally different impression in the end. Love the way, the instruments begin to perform their magic, in the beginning, one by one.The song is wonderful, when listened to, with lights set out :D

Guru - Ay Hairate....

Apart from this list, I also love the below-mentioned ARR-Mani combo numbers. They will forever keep warming the cockles of my heart.

# Kadhal Rojave, Chinna Chinna Aasai - Roja
# Kannalane, The Instrumental theme Music - Bombay
# Aayirathil Naan Oruvan, Pookodiyin Punnagai (Update 8/2/07 :D...Thanks Suchi) - Iruvar
# Satrangi Re, Dil Se Re - Dil Se
# Snehidhane, Mangalyam, Endrendrum Punnagai - Alaipayuthey
# Every single number - Kannathil Muthamittal
# Yakkai Thiri, Sandai Kozhi, Hey Goodbye Nanba, Dol Dol - Ayutha Ezhuthu
# Jaage Hain, Mayya Mayya, Baazi Laga, Tere Bina and the background tune (that comes when Maddy and Vidya Balan appear on screen) Roshni - Guru

Waiting eagerly for Lajjo to release :D

Adios !!

P. S : I did 'write' quite a lot, didn't I ? :D

Stray birds

2007-05-03T13:22:00.000+05:30

Update 4/5/07 : Reflections Updated :)

Some books are divine. They force you to eulogize about them to the skies. They compel you to quote lines from them, talk about them in general discussions with friends, carry them everywhere, rave about them, whenever given a chance. I can’t be more grateful to my Mechanical Department seniors for having presented me with one such amazing book ( It’s a paper-back edition. But who cares!), which forever I will treasure. It was something more than what I could ask for. The very first time I opened the glossy green colored wrapper around the book, I expected some sort of ‘ok-ok’ book inside. But my eyes glistened at the sight of this book. My eyeballs were almost out of my socket when the words “Great Works of Rabindranath Tagore” were read. My joy knew no bounds. The only work of Tagore’s that I had read till then was the ever-enticing Cabulliwalah. I simply love the content and my lachrymal glands never fail to secrete a droplet of tear, whenever I read that story. I did not want to satisfy my hunger (to read this book) immediately. I wanted to slowly inject myself with liberal doses of Tagore’s works. I wanted to contemplate, to muse over whatever I had read.I read a few poems every now and then. I read and re-read the Cabulliwalah. I glimpsed through the English version of the original Kabir ke Dohe, translated by Tagore. My bag shelters this book permanently.

I Digress. Somehow I have been always fascinated by Bengalis. Don’t know why. Their rituals, traditions, the Durga Puja, the yummy Sondesh (Bengali sweets) their ‘Thakuraani’ saris, the habit of hanging the house key in their pallus, the customs revolving around Bengali marriages- the Maach (fish) exchanging customs, the girl wiping the Maach clean, making known her love for the boy, the wedding ceremony in the night, the application of vermillion on the girl’s maathe (forehead) with a small coconut have never failed to enchant me. The movies Devdas and Parineeta have influenced me a lot. And so have Tagore’s works. I love the way the Bengalis pronounce names that contain the letter ‘a’. Pratik is pronounced Protik, Anurag-Onurag, Aparna- Oporna,Lalita-Lolita.

Coming back to the great works of Tagore, these are a few lines (from his one of his works “Stray Birds”) that exerted a pull on me. These lines are worth pondering over. I haven’t written them down in any particular order.

#Stray birds of summer come to my window to sing and fly away. And yellow leaves of autumn, which have no songs, flutter and fall away there with a sigh.

# Night’s Darkness is a bag that bursts with the gold of dawn

# Maiden, your simplicity, like the blueness of the lake, reveals your depth of truth

# The bow whispers to the arrow before it speeds forth – “Your freedom is in my hands”

#” I have lost my dewdrop”, cries the flower to the morning sky that has lost all its stars

#The moon has her light all over the sky, her dark spots to herself

#MEN are cruel, but MAN is kind

#The raindrop whispered to the jasmine, “Keep me in your heart for ever”. The jasmine sighed, “Alas”, and dropped to the ground

#The silent night has the beauty of the mother and the clamorous day of the child

#I came to your shore as a stranger, I lived in your house as a guest, I leave your door as a friend, my earth.

#I do not ask thee into the house. Come into my infinite loneliness, my Lover

#While the glass lamp rebukes the earthen for calling it cousin, the moon rises, and the glass lamp with a bland smile, calls her, - “My dear, dear sister”.

#I thank thee that I am none of the wheels of power but I am one with the living creatures that are crushed by it.

I could keep going on and on and on. This book is a pearl necklace, with the words (crafted by the bard), playing the role of the pearls. I am in a trance.

Let life be beautiful like summer flowers and death like autumn leaves.

To Trust or not to Trust

2007-04-30T20:57:00.000+05:30

I was sitting on my Purple Pep+ on Saturday night, outside, in the parking area of a popular restaurant in my colony,thinking about some arbitrary issue, whilst waiting for my mother, who had gone to a shop nearby to purchase a few things. Comfortably seated on my vehicle, I was staring at the skies, when the fragrance of incense sticks intoxicated me. When I looked around, I found a boy( probably a 9 or a 10 year old ), standing next to my vehicle with a bag in hand. The boy had an air of innocency. He stood still and quiet. He let me observe him for a few seconds and I saw his forehead streaked with the traditional Vibhoothi. He sported a faded shirt and a black pair of trousers, with an occasional white patch of cloth here and there, concealing the portions that were torn. He bore the weight of a big black bag sans a zip fastener, on his shoulder, something that looked like the shopping bags, available in malls. He held the bag close to his arm-pit, in an imaginary fear of losing his valuable possessions to somebody. He spoke hesitantly and repeatedly. By way of stammering he uttered "Akka..Oothubaththi vaangikonga...Oru Box Rs 25 thaan..Nalla vasanaya irukkum ka..Naan guarantee ka..100 oothubaththi 25 ka..vaangunga ka..". I dismissed the idea of buying any incense sticks from him and I decided to talk to him, until my mother came. I asked him questions about his schooling, for which, with so much difficulty, he uttered " Velandipalayam school poren...Exam time ka..Note book, pen vaanga kaasu illa..Oothubaththi adhukku thaan vikkaren". I have seen a lot of young children selling items inorder to help their family members financially, but I don't know why I developed a liking for this boy immediately.His eyes conveyed disenchantment.He couldn't answer my questions in less than 5 minutes. Such was his speech impediment. He kept uttering "Note vaanganum..Note vaanganum". My mother, came to me and asked me what was going on. When I explained the boy's situation to her, she immediately purchased a pack of incense sticks from him. I smiled at him and expected him to smile back at me. But he did not.He said "Kaasu kudunga..Note vanganum". I unreservedly replied "Unakku venumna note books, pen ellam naan tharen..". He was bent upon getting money from us. I, in a mellifluous yet firm tone, kept stressing my point. He finally yielded to my request. The two of us (the boy and I) fixed up an 'appointment' to meet each other the next day at 10 in the morning in the same place. I told him, that I would buy notebooks and a few other stationery items necessary for his schooling. He agreed and went back with an expressionless face.

On Sunday morning, I went to the same place to meet that 'Agarbaththi Boy' at 10, with Rs 100, 2 unused diaries, a pack of unused Natraj pencil set and a fountain pen, inside a pencil-box. I was resting on my vehicle, in the same way as I was the previous day. I was looking at the people around- house-brokers, chewing paan and gossiping, a few wannabe bodybuilders, rushing into the hotel to grab a cup of coffee and a plate of Masala Dosa, policemen busily chit-chatting with passers-by. I greedily waited for the fragrance of the Agarbaththis to intoxicate me, but I could only sense the stench of cigaratte smoke, that polluted the air, that was filled with the gratifying aroma of incense sticks, just about 13 hours back. I began to mull over a story, that my grandfather, narrated to me, that morning, when I had approached him for the money.

A few years ago, my grandfather too had come across a similar person in his life in the local railway station. He had met a boy, who went to the extent of falling at my grandpa's feet in the process of pleading him to buy a ticket to Trichy. My grandpa, without ado, bought a ticket for the boy and left the station premises, heart brimming with gratification. After a few minutes, my grandpa realized, that he had left something valuable behind, in the resting room. While he was on his way back, with the valuable thing in his hand, he noticed the same boy, standing in the ticket counter-This time to return the ticket, in exchange for money.

11 :00 a.m- I was still there, waiting for him, waiting to see that smile, that he was to have gifted me with, the previous day itself. I did trust him, with all my heart.He never came. I went back to my house, heart congested with a lot of questions. I couldn't decipher as to why the boy did not come. Did he not trust me ? Was he under the misconception that I wouldn't turn up, as per the deal, that was struck, the previous night? Had he been deceived by a few people, who had promised him something similar, but had failed to keep up their promises ?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

April 30 - Child Labour Day

Announcing in my blog, about chanting the 'Say no to Child Labour' mantra is not going to help. Individuals should change. The parents are to be blamed wholly. When evening classes are available, for the children to study and become wise and intelligent citizens of the country, why are the parents asking them to work for about 18 hours in a day in a shop, that has a huge meaningless signboard saying "Ingu Kozhandhai Thozhilalargal Illai", and has about 6-7 kids working near the same signboard ?

It pains to see a 5 year old boy, taking orders in a tea shop. It pains to see a 6 year old boy sorting out stale oranges from the good ones, inorder to make sure YOU get to eat the good one. It pains to see a 7 year old GIRL, working in a construction site, carrying bricks from the basement all the way up to the third floor. It pains to see an 8 year old GIRL, coming to you and uttering "Akka..Poo vangikko..Malli ka..Mozham 10 thaan..Thangachchi ku paal vanganum".

Such things can happen only HERE

My Gateway to Utopia

2007-04-23T11:19:00.000+05:30

Update again (Indicates how Vetti I am today :D) : Reflections Updated !!

My life would have been filled with emptiness if it weren't for the 'world in black and white', the world filled with nothing but books - my gateway to Utopia. Books give me the license to fantasize, to explore the unexplored, to spawn my own sphere sans worries and apprehensions. They serve as my passport to paradise.Every time I sit on my comfortable bed with a book in hand (like the little girl on the right side of this page, in the picture), I become oblivious to my surroundings, to the people around me. I act deaf to the people who shout into my ear and dumb to the people who want me to communicate, whenever I have a whole new illusionary orb in front of me. I cannot call myself a voracious reader, even though I spend most of my time reading fiction. My journey into this world of make-believe began when I was about a year old, with my parents and grand-parents sitting beside me, trying to make me understand the diagrammatic difference between a cup and a cap with the help of a few picture books. I began embarking on journeys to woodlands with elves, trolls, pixies, imps, fairies and gnomes and to castles with royal princes and pretty princesses. I galloped on horses like the Prince Charming, climbed the beanstalk like Jack, unfurled my golden hair like Rapunzel, tiptoed through small doors like Alice, confronted the Big Bad Wolf like Little Red Riding Hood, made a trail of breadcrumbs like Hansel and Gretel and consumed red apples like Snow White. Fairy tales were my breakfast, Enid Blyton's Malory Towers and Famous Five, my lunch while children's magazines like Gokulam, Chandamama, Champak, Tinkle and Chacha Chaudary served as my dinner.

I grew up a little more. That was when I began to realize that there was a whole new domain, that was left uninvestigated by me- the world of crime, murder and private eyes. I became obsessed with the Nancy Drew and the Three Investigators series. My outlook towards things changed, after having consumed an overdose of these kind of books. I donned the coat of a detective and began 'hunting' for mystery along with one of my cousins.
Once during our annual holidays, the season during which most of the tambrahms' terraces can be seen, giving shelter to cots and sheets containing different types of yummy vadams, my cousin and I came to realize that our first 'case' was right there, laid in front of us. We called it 'The Mystery of the Missing Vadams'. The two of us, after about 4 days of snooping around, successfully caught the culprit - Our maid servant. Those were our first and last days of spying around :(
I grew up a little more. I reached yet another destination - Malgudi, a place I could relate to and people I could call my kith and kin. I had an insatiable hunger for R.K.Narayan's books, but unfortunately my library couldn't nourish me with many of his books. I am still malnourished, craving for more of his books.

This was also that time when I got myself acquainted with Archie, Betty, Ron, Juggie, Reggie, Moose (D'uh :D), Chuck, Mr. Lodge, Dilton, Pop, Mr Weatherbee and the others. This again, was a mania. I became an Archie-o-maniac and I still am one. I make sure I have a Betty and Veronica Double Digest with me in hand, whenever I travel :)
I have grown up a little more and the last two years saw me reading a few very very very good, inspirational, poignant and lovely books like :

* A Walk to Remember and The Rescue - Nicholas Sparks
* Wise and Otherwise - Sudha Murty
* Like the Flowing River -Paulo Coelho
* The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
* A Place Called Freedom - Ken Follett
* Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
* Five Point Someone - Chetan Bhagat and loads more

And how can I conclude my post without talking about my all-time favourite book(book/comic/call it whatever) Calvin and Hobbes !!
I will forever be indebted to Sharan, for having done this amazing job of having introduced me to C&H (idhu over thaan nu theriyum..aanalum oru build-up thaan :P). I am waiting to lay my hands on the 'Entire Collection of Calvin and Hobbes' - The Book. But currently, I am satisfied with the virtual 1985-95 collection :)

Update 24/04/07 : I took this particular C&H Personality test today and there you go - The Results !!

You scored as Hobbes. You are Hobbes! Resourceful, laid back, optimistic, understanding, and able to put up with Calvin on a day-to-day basis. You are the best type of friend, someone who you can get in fights with and look at comic books with, someone who will send prank letter to you through the amil and someone who leds over cliffs with you. What more could anyone ask for?

Calvin

71%

Hobbes

71%

Susie

64%

Mom and Dad

64%

Mrs. Wormwood

46%

What Calvin &amp; Hobbes character are you?
created with QuizFarm.com

This journey with books and works of fiction, to Utopia has been fabulous and I am looking forward to more - more encounters with loads of famous and infamous authors , more stop-overs at stations similar to Malgudi and The Yukon and passengers similar to Amir, Hassan, Swami(nathan),Pete,Bob, Jupe, Darrell Rivers, Julian, Anne and the others.

"We read to know we are not alone "
~ C.S.Lewis

"Reading is a discount ticket to everywhere"
~ Mary Schmich

Today is World Book (and Copyright) Day. So here's wishing all the readers and non-readers a very happy 'World book Day'

Deep in thought

2007-04-20T18:14:00.000+05:30

Alone yet accompanied
Bound yet liberated
Chaotic* yet unruffled
Darksome** yet dazzling
Embellished yet unadorned
Fathomless*** yet shallow

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Patent yet opaque
Quiescent yet noisy
Riotous yet restrained
Steady yet insecure
Turbulent yet settled
Unyielding yet supple

I can't possibly figure out as to why some nice thoughts, worth contemplating and ruminating crops up in your mind, when you are standing there all alone on a beach, feet soaked in the divine waters, on a moonlit light. The beach is jam-packed, yet you feel as though you are the only person exploring the infiniteness of your soul.One such nice thought that emerged in my mind is this. This thought crossed my mind, when I pestered my dad to buy my very first kite(white in colour with some multicoloured paper attached to it and the letters C.I.D printed on it, glued to a thin, white, long thread, rolled around an icecream stick !) on the shores of Marina Beach and flew it (or atleast pretended as though I was flying it) against the humid April winds.

When the kite was unreservedly gliding in the air, I began to compare every aspect of the kite, to that of the human mind.

* Chaotic - with reference to the movement of the kite during rough weather
** Darksome - with reference to the time, when the kite loses its way in the air, when it loses the grip of the scaffold, that it is clinging on to
*** Fathomless - with reference to the altitude, the limitless height at which the kite flies

The Pursuit of Freedom

2007-04-12T18:59:00.000+05:30

Update 18/4/07 : Reflections updated !

12th April 1757 - 6:45 p.m

He scurried through the woods on that rainy evening, with the Virginian regiment trailing behind him. The forest was totally dark. He did not know where he was heading. All he knew was that somewhere yonder, lay a place where he could eat when he liked, sleep when he liked and work when he liked. Out there, a couple of miles away lay a place, where he could call himself a 'free man'. He was called Pip, by his fellowmen, Philip Mackenzie being his name.

A week ago, Pip was a slave, drudging in the sugar plantations of Virginia. He, being in his mid-twenties, was employed to carry out the most arduous and grueling tasks in the extensive estate. He was one among the indentured black labourers, who were brought to Virginia from Europe, to work in the sugar and tobacco plantations of a wealthy Englishman named James Hawthorne. Although he was underfed, aneamic and impoverished, he managed to work fifteen hours a day under the callous supervision of his overseers. He never knew how to read or write. As a child, he had wanted to study English and Literature. He had to give up his ambitions of setting up a school in his ghetto and educating the other black children and work as a blue-collared employee under a white-collared employer. His diet consisted of dried corn and oatmeal gruel, every morning and night. Occasionally, his taste-buds got to experience the tang of liquor and maple syrup. Pip had never seen his mother or father. He never got to experience the love of a parent or a sibling or any other kin for that matter. He had always been a recluse, solitude giving him all the company, that he needed. Silence had always been his communication tool. Even though he was tacit, Pip was one among those youthful slaves who had an 'I-don't-give-a-damn' attitude and who had been creating some trivial problem or the other in the fields, now and then, with 'we want freedom' being their parrot cry.

He had abandoned his hopes of being free, long time ago, but all on a sudden, one night, when the news of yet another slave, Andy's escape, created a stir amidst the other slaves, his fantasy resurrected from his mind's grave.

He had covered five hundred miles by foot in a week's time, without taking frequent intervals in between. He realized that he could have covered a little more, if not for the iron collar kissing his pint-sized neck. His getaway too had caused an agitation amidst James Hawthorne and his associates. Pip dashed past pines, junipers, cedars and cypresses. He was armed with a musket. He shot two stags in the forest on one unclouded afternoon and that provided him nourishment, in the form of a square meal. He swam across a shallow river and crossed the treacherous ridge. The sun, moon and the stars guided him on his path to sovereignity. All he knew was that, there was a gorge nearby, beyond which lay A Place Called Freedom.

That evening, after a while, when Pip was resting under the shade of a redwood tree, he heard the clank of horse hooves. He perceived danger. The gorge was only three miles away from the place where Hawthorne's squad, frantically searched for a slave. He, as silent as a lamb, walked on tiptoe, ensuring that he did not crush the sodden leaves under his heels. Darkness began to engulf the vast expanse. Droplets of rain were still falling on the ground. The moon, his guide, too had betrayed him that night. It was no where to be seen.He could not see the trail ahead of him. Leaving his entire hope on the supreme being, he walked on noiselessly. He felt strain on his legs. He could walk no more. Yet with absolute determination and grit, he walked hurriedly.

With the cracking of the dawn, he could see the clouds being painted yellow, red and orange by the hands of The Artist. He looked behind to witness the spectacle. When he looked behind, along with the sun, his hopes also rose. He had left the gorge behind. He had made it. He had reached his destination. Philip Mackenzie was now a free man.

Inspiration : A Place Called Freedom - Ken Follett

Ah..the cloud-cuckoo-land !!

2007-04-04T11:54:00.000+05:30

Update 10/4/2007 : "Reflections" updated !

After having read this, I badly wanted to pen this post down.

There are things that you've left behind that you wish you didn't...

~ like climbing up the compound wall to pluck gooseberries, clutching a handful of them, relishing them with a pinch of salt, fighting over the last fruit with your cousins and pelting the seeds at them or at the passers- by :D
~ like shabbily writing with those brightly coloured pencils with erasers jutting from the top till 4th standard..like fighting with your dad for having bought the 'green' pencil, when you wanted the 'blue' one...like chewing the rubber at the back of the pencil :D
~ like playing teacher-teacher with your cousins,friends and grandparents ...like scribbling your history notes on the black coloured foldaway board, that used to permanently hang on the wall in your room...like correcting your used notes with a red-ink pen and giving a 10 on 10 and writing down positive comments like 'Keep up the good job', 'Very good', 'V.V.V.V.Good' etc...
~ like wondering what Compact Discs and Floppy Drives were, when your dad used to bring them home, when you were aged 7 or 8
~ like cycling your way back home from school with all your pals, after school, talking, singing loudly, gossiping and cursing teachers....like trying to ride the cycle without holding the handle bar and ending up losing balance...like going to school by auto, with 15 other kids sitting inside the auto, beside,behind and beneath you...like fighting with your friend from your arch-rival school for the 'window-seat'....like punching him right on his tummy and getting one tight slap on your face and coming back home teary-eyed, vowing never to talk to him again..
~ like school excursions with friends and teachers....like eating "Avomin" tablets, just to ensure that you don't spew out..like singing aloud in the school bus, sharing a packet of Lays or butter-popcorn or Chiclets or kadalai-urundais with your friends..like watching some cracked-up movie in the bus on the way back....like exerting yourself to the max and getting all tired and bunking the next day..
~ like carrying out stupid experiments in a 'mini-laboratory', that consisted of almost- empty tooth-paste tubes, lacto-calamine lotion, extract obtained from hibiscus flowers,powdered Marie biscuits, plastic containers, used ice-cream spoons etc....like injecting some gooey, gelatinous solution into a fragile, moving insect's body, with your cousin and waiting for something to happen to that insect
~ like licking lollipops noisily...like chewing gums without the teacher's knowledge in the class....like dividing a small Cadbury Diary milk bar into 12 pieces and sharing it with your friends
~ like building sand castles on Marina/Juhu beach sand...like crying out all aloud when your big burly cousin obliterates the beautifully-made castle....like eating kili-mooku maangai in the beach...like getting yourself fully drenched, with your mom yelling her throat out, asking you to come back to the shore..like mumbling about the amount of sand present in your cut-shoes, after you are all done, getting yourself dry..
~ like studying real hard when there is no current, in candle-light, the night before your geography public examination
~ like doing the 'pookalam' with 9 other classmates of yours in school, for the annual Onam competitions...like eagerly waiting to know whether your pookalam was adjudged the best/not...like mimicking 'Onam Vannalo' with your friends and bursting into laughter fits..
~ like playing with the balloons, that your grandpa secretly buys for you infront of kalyana mandapams or parks or exhibitions..like hiding it from your mother...like stifling your tears, when the balloon pops loudly and breaks....like letting it go in the air....
~ like attending your friends' birthday parties and hosting birthday parties..like playing party-games...
~ like waiting for the summer vacations, just to go to your Paati-thatha's place by train...like getting pampered by all your uncles and aunts....like getting woken up at 10 in the morning by your 4 yr old cousin...like steathily indulging in 'Rasna-ice' in the afternoon with the same 4 yr old cousin, whilst the other family members are busy having their siesta...like going in the evenings with your thatha to the railway station just to eat Double-roti and gulp down glasses and glasses of Ganne ka ras (Sugarcane Juice, Mumbaiyya ishtyle, with a dash of ginger and lime..yumm..)
~ like scaring the wits out of your friends, by talking about ghosts, ghouls and spirits on a rainy day, during free-hours in class....
~ like playing pandi,lock and key,den,crocodile crocodile :D,Red letter,badminton,hide and seek on the road with loads of other colony kids in the afternoon sun...like running around like crazy, falling down and hurting yourself badly
~ like blowing soap bubbles, whilst sitting inside the car, through the car window, with the policeman flashing one of his best smiles at you, when you blow a bubble towards him near the traffic signal (Yeah...those were the times when policemen used to smile and wave back at me...but now...Humph !..Curse the license rule..)
~ like playing 'mock-holi' with your cousins in the month of (uh..huh) December...like preparing a coloured solution with colour tablets(that is present inside paint-boxes) and water and pouring a mugful at them, inside the bathroom, without your parents' knowledge
~ like attending the Independence day and Republic day functions at school and pinning the paper version of the tiranga jhanda on your uniform...like eagerly waiting to get that 'orange-mittai' from your principal after the function is over
~ like going out with your friends to an ice-cream parlour or a movie on the last day of your exams
~ like praying hard in the school chapel every morning...like lighting candles inside the church during examinations...like getting blessed by the nuns, who pray day and night for the welfare of the people around...like singing carols during christmas and 13-hour adorations along with the other members of the school choire
~ like staying awake till 12:30 in the morning, just to catch up with the episode of "The New Scooby Doo Movies" that you missed...like pretending to act like those super-heroes in 'Captain Planet' and 'Fantastic Four', along with your cousins at 12 in the afternoon, before you go to school(the days when you have Annual exams in the afternoons) and uttering the dialogues, that you know by heart and swishing and swooshing your hands this way and that way and jumping from the couch
~ like buying a packet of "Lays", just to collect the "Looney toons" tazos...like comparing the amount of tazos that you have collected with that of your cousin's...like begging for Rs 5/- from your mother, just to buy that single packet, to find out whether the least-available tazo is present inside the pack or not..
~ like acting in school plays..like bunking classes and attending those practice sessions....like playing the role of a cobbler/an Indian Idol contestant/ a Miss India contest winner (:P)/a politician/ anything else for that matter...

'An ode to my cousins Akshaya and Aishwarya, who were my play-mates during my childhood..And yeah this also goes out to that foolish arch nemesis of mine 'Chintu', with whom I used to fight more than play and to all those people, who played along with me in the roads of Maniam Kaliappa Street....Wish I could relive the fourth,fifth and sixth standard years..Missing my childhood friends a lot especially Akshu and Aishu :(( '

Collage courtesy : Picasa. Picasa rocks !!

Music : Pudhu Vellai Mazhai - Roja

Ha Ha Hamlet

2007-04-01T12:10:00.000+05:30

Saturday Morning 9 :00 A.M :
Early Bird Nithya wakes up and walks to her balcony with a tea cup and the day's newspaper in hand and she stumbles upon this ad that says the spoof of the famous Shakespearian tragedy- The Hamlet is going to be performed live, by none other than EVAM, that evening. She calls the "G.V.Centre for Performing Arts" and enquires about the ticket-wicket stuff. They say its 250 bucks and Nithya's parents are cool with it (Yess :D :D). She immediately calls her best friend Lakshmi and asks her to tag along, to watch the play, only to get disappointed by her words "Sorry di, monday model practicals. Workshop record mudikanum. Can't make it". She makes another call to Vaishnavi and Vaish, with all her heart wants to make it, but her mother is a little apprehensive about the amount of money that was being invested. But later, much to the relief of her mother, the guy from G.V. Centre calls up to inform that the prices were being slashed down to Rs 100. Vaish immediatly agrees and the program is fixed. 5:30, Vaish's place, Nithya's scooty pep - well dressed (Yes. 'Twas a Shakespearian play after all and all the people coming out there would be that elite crowd, who never literally walked, but as per Vaish's terms, glided across the floor in elegant clothes)

Saturday Evening :
Vaish was punctual(Thank God!). My purple pep soon gathered momentum and we whooshed past a few vehicles and reached the venue (my dad's school auditorium :) ) in no time (Thank God there was this Bandh and there were no policemen on the road :D). We were the first people to buy the ticket. We were loitering around the school campus for about half an hour, when the crowd started gathering.This was the first time Vaish and I were to witness an Evam play. We had always been wanting to catch up on an Evam play, but unfortunately couldn't because most of their plays were staged only in Chennai. But this was one golden opportunity, that Vaish and I couldn't afford to miss (for the kind of English play-lovers that we are :) ).

I was astonished to find two of MY college seniors present out there, just to watch AN ENGLISH PLAY (something fishy...hmm..). We sat in our seats (4th row in the middle :P) at around 6:45. Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" welcomed us in. The red 8 character display watch displayed 7:03, when a man clad in red kurta and white pyjamas appeared on the stage and gave a brief introduction on Evam and the G.V Center for performing arts. He spoke for about 5 minutes, after which, our ears were treated to two cute songs, one : Flintstones theme song, modified and two : "Always look at the bright side of life".

When the music of "Always look at the bright side of life" faded away, the 'three musketeers' made their imperial entry on the stage. With absolutely no collar microphones or any other form of electronic device (that aided in amplifying the human voice), they made clear, what their schedule was for the evening ( in a whacky and funny manner of course. Evam = Humour). The three people (Karthik Kumar, Karthik Srinivasan-fondly known as T.M.K and Sunil) started off with "Monty Python", a preliminary prelude-but-not-exactly-a-prelude play, as I would like to call it :P. This play was a humorous take on three small stories or rather three day-to-day situations that exist in the world. All the three plays within a play within a play(no this is not a typo error),were simply superb. The setting for the first one was a customs office with Sunil(S) playing the role of a Customs officer, who mistakes TMK (a priest) for a thief, whilst Karthik (KK), who actually is the thief is allowed to go free, with KK going "I am a smuggler. Believe me.Believe me". The second one was the best. The play(It was about a talk show on a famous person and an interview with that famous person's last heir to the family) did not need any dialogues at all, because the name of the person, on whom the show was based itself, was that long, that the heir, who is being interviewed himself (who is a septuagenirian i guess), dies, whilst spelling out his uncle's name ! The third one was awesome again. With KK playing the role of Michaelangelo(the one who drew the 'last but one supper' with 28 people, including a kangaroo and 3 Christs in it) and S playing the role of the "Powpey" (that's how KK mispronounces 'Pope'), it was humour all the way.

There were a few girls from the same Evam troop, who came on and of, on the stage and danced to a few foot-tapping numbers elegantly. Gap-filler sort of thing. That gave the three actors, some time to change their costumes.

Hamlet - The famous tragedy of Shakespeare, abridged followed suit. KK was playing the role of Hamlet, S, the roles of Horatio, Polonius and Laertes and an unwilling TMK (who, in fact ran out of the auditorium. KK had to bring him back, whilst S kept entertaining us with a few quips) was playing the roles of Ophelia, Lady Gertrude and the ghost. Enter Hamlet, with a sword in hand, fully clad in black (BGM : Muthu's "oruvan oruvan mudharaali" overture). The 'original spoof' (note the oxymoron !) was so brilliantly presented.It was hilarious to the core. The three players performed their roles with elan. They managed to make even the grumpiest man laugh. At one point in time, they called a lady on stage to play the role of Ophelia and a burly man(who, much to my annoyance was chewing a gum lackadaisically on the stage) to play her ego (he had to run across the stage, because Ophelia's mind was 'running'). The lead actors divided the entire audience into three sections and made us 'the other ego' 'Hamlet' and 'the super ego'. We were made to shout out dialogues like "May be, may be not""Get thee to the nunnery" "Paint it an inch thick" " Cut the crap out Hamlet.My biological clock is ticking. I want babies now". It was total fun. The play was staged for about 45 minutes. In the end, when we thought everything was over, we were surprised to find out that there was a "fast" and a "faster" version of the Hamlet. Man ! I am running out of adjectives now. After the faster version was over, we witnessed the 'reverse' version of Hamlet. Fantabulous is the word. They uttered dialogues like "off piss", "pleh", "be to not or be to" and the ghost, in fact uttered "oob" (ROFL). Rip- roaring, adrenaline- fueled, sidesplitting performances by Evam. Vaish and I were literally off our seats. It was tooooooooooooo good. Vaish and I personally liked TMK, who performed the role of Ophelia and Lady Gertrude, amazingly well. Nah ! I don't want to be biased. I like KK and S too. :D
And yeah Mrs KK (Suchi of Radio Mirchi fame) was also present there to provide encouragement to her husband and his group members. Kudos to Evam.

Vaish and I came back home at around 9:45 p.m, after having greedily gobbled up spicy Bhel Puris in Adyar Ananda Bhavan. What an end to a fun-filled evening !

Pic : S, playing the role of Polonius on the left and TMK, playing the role of Ophelia on the right

P.S : I haven't read Hamlet till date. I am not planning on reading it either. But I made it a point to read the review in wiki. And a knowledge of Hamlet is absolutely not necessary to watch this play. Familiarization with the names of the characters is a must though !

Title Courtesy : Metro Plus, The Hindu :D

Music : Desert Rose - Sting

Why did the chicken cross the road ?

2007-03-26T22:45:00.000+05:30

"Why did the chicken cross the road?" - this is one among the unsolved riddles of all times. I googled "Why did the chicken cross the road? "(WDTCCTR) and I received about 1,480,000 results ! Wiki could probably provide you with more info on this.

Now this post is not going to deal with my view on WDTCCTR. It's all about the hypothetical replies that my friends would possibly give, when this question is posed. (Dear friends of mine, no offence meant. Just a time-pass thingy ok ?)

So here goes the million dollar question - Why did the chicken cross the road ?

Lakshmi:
"Hmm probably because there was an awesome boutique out there on the other side, selling polka-dotted salwars at a cheaper price. Up for grabs you see ! "

Upasana:
"Simple ! T.N.Seshagopalan's Cutcheri accompanied by Ghatam Karthik and Akkarai Subbulakshmi. Now that's alluring enough to induce the chicken to cross the road"

Sharanyan:
"Hmm..Hmm..umm..umm..yeah, to explore the area, on the other side of the road and to write a long post on it and display it on its blog page. Yeah, the chicken has with it, its digicam right ? "

Shiv:
Whatya simple question ! Obviously burning out its calories

Amitha :
"prandhu (with a typical mallu accent) Why do you have to waste your time asking such questions huh ? Firstly answer my question "How many molecules of ATP are generated as a result of glycolysis and citric acid cycle? "

Shrey:
"Heh ! the chicken got carried away by a mirage. The chicken 'saw' Kurt Cobain sawing away the guitar and it got misled by the pipe dream and ended up crossing the road...Or is it still standing in the middle of the road ? "

Vasanth:
"Hawt chick alert. The chicken, that was following another chick, caught sight of that chick crossing the road. So he was forced to cross the road to keep track of the chick's activities"

Vaishnavi :
"Erm..Can you please get back to me next year ? "

Uttara:
"Yes i know this answer ! I know this answer ! The chicken was participating in the "On the go" Quiz and it had to answer a question before the others did. It had to press the buzzer, that was present on the other side of the road. So, it crossed the road"

Bharat:
"Quantum Physics ? No Angular momentum or umm..I have to mull over it. Or probably Heisenburg's Uncertainty principle"

Dan-dana-done !!

My dear friends (people, whose names I have addressed), I am damn sorry, if this offended you in some way or the other. Please do let me know if you felt offended. I wouldn't mind writing another Apology letter :P

Comments Section ---> What would Nithya's reply be ? :P

Cheers and Kluck Kluck Kluck !!
Nithya

Question Time

2007-03-22T21:20:00.000+05:30

Update 26/3/07

An apology letter sans the letter 'e'

To You-Know-Who
For You-know-what (i don't wanna divulj d info out to odr ppl :D)

Ok
First and 4most, moi is
Silly n stupid, cauz i nvr ryalizd d fact dat i didn't divulj dat "so-calld-sicrit" out to u of all ppl :D and also i was
Obstinat and snsibl 'nuff to say "I'd radr ryt this lttr than munch 'cauliflwr'/wtvr foodstuff in *shuddr* ARC of all chaat shops.
I am
Ryally, ryally sorry for not having told u this stuff
Ryally, I miin it. Pardon moi pilllzzzz :D
Yay !! Dunnit :D Sorry :)

P.S : Thank God, Sorry dosn't hav d not- to-b-mntiond-lttr

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yet another update ! Reflections updated

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Why the hell are some women left high and dry on platforms ?
* Why doesn't any passer-by show any sympathy towards her ? (By sympathy, I mean the feeling that comes from the heart, not something that can be delivered in the form of pennies)
* Why doesn't she have any decent clothes to put on, whilst other women of her age are roaming around like some ramp-walk models in the same area ?
* Why is she being offered as a bait to filthy people, whilst other women of her age, are very defensive and protective when it comes to their chastity ?
* What do a handful of cheap men (a few idiotic bastards) gain by provoking this outcast ?
* Why am I sitting here typing these questions and venting my anger out this way, without doing ANYTHING (at all) about this ?

Music : Hum hai iss pal yahaan - Kisna

Calling all gourmets !

2007-03-12T11:11:00.000+05:30

Update 17/03/07 : Inauguration of my new blog - Reflections

Update 15/03/07 8:15 P.M : Poetry Blog Updated

This weekend was pleasant and enjoyable. Had fun on Saturday with Uttara and Sharan, with Uttara and me sandal-hunting for a while and the three of us eating away wintry foodstuff for lunch. Did the honours of introducing my all-time favourite frosty fare(alliteration after a long time !!) - 'Gola Ganda' (Ice lolly) to the other two. For those of you, who don't know what Gola is, here goes :

In three words, Gola is nothing but Ice on stick. It's the unparalleled pick (as far as sacharine frozen food is concerned) of all North Indians. You are bound to find a red, yellow, blue and green(read flashy) gaadi, in every nook and corner of Mumbai/Delhi, with a busy golawaala, crushing ice and pouring slurpalicious syrup over the ice and serving the 'in-demand' item to the young and old alike. I've inserted pictures of how Gola Ganda is basically prepared in this post, because sometimes pictures speak more than words :)

Aim :
To Prepare Gola Ganda

Items Required :
A block of ice, a stick and a syrup of your choice (And Chaat powder too, if you like the taste of chaat powder. Personally, I am not for it)

Procedure :

Step 1 : Crush the block of ice, using a crushing machine and collect it in a vessel and then compress that crushed ice into a disposable tumbler. Insert a stick, right in the middle of that condensed mass of ice.

The product, formed as a result of the 1st step will look like this
(Hygiene Check : Disposable tumblers are preferred over glass tumblers)

Step 2 : Pour the syrup of your choice over that squashed mass of ice. The flavours available are gulaab (red rose), Orange, Mango, Kala Khatta(It's dark purple in colour), Kachcha Aam (Raw mango) and Khuskhus.

Step 3 : Serve cold. Eat it, with a handkerchief in your hand. Only experienced people, can eat Gola without droplets of syrup falling on those new, white tees/salwar kameezes. Have fun licking succulent gola-gandas. This icy preparation with 'gooey' stuff all over it will surely tickle your taste-buds. That's Gola for you !

Pic courtesy : Google Images

Music : Aaj ki raat - Don

Blogthings...

2007-03-09T21:20:00.000+05:30

I love this site. It can possibly keep you occupied for hours and hours together with its quizzes and personality tests. Here are the results of a few quizzes that I took up.

You Have A Type A- Personality

You are one of the most balanced people around
Motivated and focused, you are good at getting what you want
You rule at success, but success doesn't rule you.

When it's playtime, you really know how to kick back
Whether it's hanging out with friends or doing something you love!
You live life to the fullest - encorporating the best of both worlds

Do You Have a Type A Personality?

Balanced ? ahem me ?

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion:

You have high extroversion.
You are outgoing and engaging, with both strangers and friends.
You truly enjoy being with people and bring energy into any situation.
Enthusiastic and fun, you're the first to say "let's go!"

Conscientiousness:

You have medium conscientiousness.
You're generally good at balancing work and play.
When you need to buckle down, you can usually get tasks done.
But you've been known to goof off when you know you can get away with it.

Agreeableness:

You have medium agreeableness.
You're generally a friendly and trusting person.
But you also have a healthy dose of cynicism.
You get along well with others, as long as they play fair.

Neuroticism:

You have medium neuroticism.
You're generally cool and collected, but sometimes you do panic.
Little worries or problems can consume you, draining your energy.
Your life is pretty smooth, but there's a few emotional bumps you'd like to get rid of.

Openness to experience:

Your openness to new experiences is high.
In life, you tend to be an early adopter of all new things and ideas.
You'll try almost anything interesting, and you're constantly pushing your own limits.
A great connoisseir of art and beauty, you can find the positive side of almost anything.

The Five Factor Personality Test

hmm..

You Are Pretty Happy

You generally have a happy, fulfilling life.
But things could be a little better, and deep down, you know it.
Maybe you need more supportive friends or a more challenging career.
Something is preventing you from being totally happy. You just need to figure out what it is!

How Happy Are You, Really?

70% true :P

Your Blogging Type is Confident and Insightful

You've got a ton of brain power, and you leverage it into brilliant blog.
Both creative and logical, you come up with amazing ideas and insights.
A total perfectionist, you find yourself revising and rewriting posts a lot of the time.
You blog for yourself - and you don't care how popular (or unpopular) your blog is!

What's Your Blogging Personality?

My readers ought to know better !!

You Are 11 Years Old

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe.

13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world.

20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences.

30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more!

40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

Ahem..I know 'Am a kid trapped in the body of an adult' :P. Yeah, I know at times I can act like a 60+ too :)

Your Personality is Very Rare (ENTP)

Your personality type is optimistic, curious, enthusiastic, and open.

Only about 4% of all people have your personality, including 3% of all women and 5% of all men.
You are Extroverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

I thought loads of people were like me !! Hmm...I don't think this thing is true...

Have a great weekend !!

Music : Koi Aisa Aalam - Karam

Special Women in my life

2007-03-08T18:37:00.000+05:30

First and foremost a very 'Happy women's day' (to all the female readers of Supercali..... and to the female kith and kin of the male readers of this blog).

On account of the International Women's day, I pay my tribute and respect to a few women, who have had a considerable role to play in my life. Some of them are my own family members and friends and some of them, people, about whom I have read and re-read, whose very stories have stirred and inspired me. So here goes, Accolades to the 4 special women in my life

~ Amma

For just being Amma. For having done a lot of things and for not having expected anything in return. My first and best critic, my confidante,my 'arch nemesis' (as per Calvin's terms :P) at times, my co-stroller, my chauffeur (at times I do return the favour by being a chaffeur myself) and the cordon-bleu ;)

~ Sr Patrick - My ex-Principal

'Vitality' incarnate. A devout nun, a spirited woman, a stalwart and a dedicated teacher. A go-getter in short. A sculptor who did an excellent job in moulding wet clay into beautiful statuettes and sculptures. I miss her terribly :(

~ Sudha Murty

Mr.Narayan Murty's better half. The spearhead of "Infosys Foundation", a Foundation that is involved in philanthrophic activities. I personally haven't attended any of her lectures/speeches. All that I know of her is that she is a wonderful altruist, who in this avaricious world, promulgates the value of selflessness. Her book "Wise and Otherwise" - A collection of incidents, both happy and sad, that occured in her life - is a must -read. One of my biggest inspirations as far as humanity and altruism is concerned.

~ Mrs Sharadha Rajan

An individual, many of them wouldn't have heard of and wouldn't hear (of) either, in the future. She is the director of "Raksha" a local old-age home. Being in her late sixties, does not deter her from working for people, who are left stranded on the streets by their own kith and kin. Her commitment towards the well-being of the inmates of Raksha is just amazing. A humanitarian, who never seeks recognition, who is happy being behind the scenes

Apart from the above mentioned people, a few other women have played significant roles in my life. They are

# My Paternal and Maternal Grandmoms - No Comments at all. For just being 'them' again :)
# Amma's Chitthi - The noblest and the most selfless soul in my family :)
# Ms.Nagalakshmi - My English teacher at school. More of a friend than a teacher. A person, whom I used to look up to for advice during school days
# Enid Blyton - :D For having injected me with an overdose of splendid fiction, for having introduced me to the wonderful world of 'fantasy' and 'reading'
#My 'pazhaya aathu' servant maid Lakshmi :)

“There is in every true woman's heart, a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity, but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity.”

- Washington Irving

Music : Schnappi the Krokodil (This is the umpteenth time I am listening to this song today. Thanks Priya :P ..The kid's voice is damn cute :) )

To Bhaiyya with love

2007-03-05T12:29:00.000+05:30

Dearest Dhruv Bhaiyya,

On this auspicious day of colours, shades and paints, here I am sitting in our garret, heart teeming with a lot of emotions, writing my 25^th letter out to you. Before I forget ‘Happy Holi Bhaiyya’. Papa, Mama and I are doing fine. How are you Bhaiyya ? This Holi, we are having a welcome addition in our family – Vikram, Sahil uncle’s son who used to be your playmate during childhood. That meanie sidekick of yours (You people used to be so bad to me. I remember your “Chi! We don’t want any dumb girl in our group. Now Shoo..Go and play ‘Barbie and Ken’ with that Mithali friend of yours” I can never ever forgive you both, for having marooned me on one Amavas in that so-called Bhooth Bungalow) is now my betrothed. I am getting engaged to Vikram next month formally. Your little sister is all grown up now, isn’t she?

Bhaiyya, Vikram looks so different now. He is 6 feet 3 inches tall (Very tall na? But I am 5’11’’ myself) and does not sport a moustache or a beard. I and he are so very different – as different as chalk and cheese. He talks a lot, one big extrovert he is. He makes everybody around him happy. Do you know something? The last time he paid a visit to our place, he made our Langda (Oops! I shouldn’t be calling him that. Pardon me!) Arpit play cricket along with the other boys in our apartment. He held his hand and helped him deliver 45 runs. Isn’t that awesome? Vikram is now a professional psychiatrist. He has done his Masters in Clinical Psychology in some University in London and is now working as a psychiatrist in a hospital in Massachussets.

You so very well know, Bhaiyya that I was never for this arranged marriage thing. In fact I had never thought about marrying anybody. Everything happened all on a sudden – Vikram’s return from London, Sahil Uncle and Seema Aunty’s ‘formal’ visit home, the traditional ‘boy-meets-girl’ ceremony etc. Bhaiyya, Vikram talks to literally everybody in our household. He knows the names of our servant-maid Radha Bhai’s 7 children (I admit *Sheepish look*, I really haven’t made that move to go and ask her the details of her family members.) Vikram and I went out to Barista twice. I think he likes strong Espressos a la you. He bought 5 kurtas for me Bhaiyya. I don’t really know why. I refused to accept them. The next day, I found them being delivered by our laundress, rigidly stating that we had given these kurtas to her for ironing !

I am getting engaged on the 2^nd of April at Deep Jyoti Mahal in Borivali. A lot of people are expected to attend this function Bhaiyya. I hate crowd. You know that I am demophobic, don’t you? I really don’t want my engagement to take place in this sort of an ostentatious fashion. I want it to be simple. But nobody (except Vikram) is agreeing Bhaiyya. Papa says its his ‘only beti ki shaadi’ and that it has to be done in this time-honoured and flamboyant manner. Sahil uncle too feels the same.

I am feeling very jittery about this whole marriage issue. The pupae in my stomach are metamorphosing. Am suffering from insomnia! All on a sudden I am being burdened with a huge responsibility – spawning my own family. I don’t have that self- confidence Bhaiyya. Vikram’s “You will make a good wife” dialogues do not sound convincing at all to my ear. I am not able to blend with the crowd these days. Most of the time, I mull over this marriage thing. Why did I grow up Bhaiyya? And Papa and Mama…..The very thought of leaving them behind in Mumbai, makes me shudder. 24 years Bhaiyya….24 years…I will miss Mama’s ‘Aloo Paranthas and Boondi ki Raita’, my long walks with her to the market, the trivial arguments with her, her niggling advices, the girl-to-girl exchanges…Papa’s morning jogs with me, the conversations packed with fun, knowledge and sense in a perfect proportion, the car drives, the gola and the Bhel puri eatery visits….

I can sense Papa and Mama feeling the same, though they don’t display that emotional revolution taking placing inside their hearts. The whole notion of staying in an ‘outlandish’ area with a stranger (not exactly a stranger, Vikram is sweet, yes! But still…) gives me the creeps. I will miss this locale terribly.

How I wish you had been here with me now, today, this moment Bhaiyya. I could have whimpered to you, shared all my fears, worries and my deepest apprehensions with you, found solace in your words… Why did you have to go away Bhaiyya? Why did you have to leave us all here, yearning and pining for your affection, and go to cloud nine? What made you join the army? Why did you not listen to Papa and become a Chartered Accountant? If you had done just that, you would have been here with me now. You wouldn’t have had to die that excruciating and agonizing death. Was your country more important to you, than Mama, Papa and me? (I am sorry Bhaiyya. I remember you having advised me not to ask this question to you. But I really can’t control my emotions) Why did you have to fight out a battle on that fateful 12^th of June 1999, your birthday, the day when all the Gods, who supposedly were to bless you, took you to their abode? Why Bhaiyya why?

Wish you were here.

Missing you terribly

Your sister,

Dhravya

Wordless

2007-02-26T12:11:00.000+05:30

The past 5-6 years have witnessed a lot of movies with an off-the-wall theme in Bollywood. Movies that speak of schizophrenics, the glitzy and ritzy Page-3 people and the parties that they attend and some proscribed activities that they carry out, a simpleton's vindictive plan against a business tycoon for' abducting' his own land away from that biz-wiz, a goon-turned-doctor's adventures in a hospital and in the radio station, Indian journos reporting the events in the rugged terrains of the 'post Civil-war' Afghanistan etc. These sort of movies albeit their sinking in the filmic ocean without trace, touch a chord in people's psyche, inspire them and make them aware of what is actually happening around them. People's predeliction these days is also undergoing a makeover. They want something new, something different, something unusual, something barring the conventional saas-bahu emotional saga, run of the mill love story or worst come worst some desi version of a superhero movie.

Offbeat themes have their own pros and cons. Certain directors misuse this freedom (of taking these avant-garde movies) and end up fabricating movies with lewd content. Bollywood has given birth to certain movies, whose themes fall under the following categories :
# A Sixteen year old boy falling in love with a girl in her mid-twenties
# A married man falling in love with another married woman
# A married man falling in love with an unmarried young girl
# And (uh..huh..) a girl falling in love(?) with her own 'girl-friend'

Now Bollywood presents to you yet another such creation- Nishabd starring Amitabh Bachchan and new-face Jiah Khan, a 'mature' (!) love story involving two hearts (erm..No..One young heart and another worn out heart, soon to be replaced with a pace-maker).

The following 'preview' is an excerpt from here.

"Amitabh Bachchan plays a wild life photographer in the film. He spots Jiah for the first time when he is watering the plants in a garden. The lensman with an artistic vision starts clicking her pictures of this Jiah playing in the water getting all wet. And from this point their love story begins."

What the hell !! Now that's what I call a bizarre attempt. Agreed such movies 'might' be common in the West and they might set the box-office bells ringing, but what about the mind-set of the Indian audience ? We were a bunch of conformist individuals, who didn't wish to think differently. We were satisfied with our typical Indian ways. So were we, with the trends in the ever-changing field of Cinema. These days, out of the blue, the Western influence is so very prominent. If it is for the good, then I would probably show a thumbs-up sign. For instance, 15 Park Avenue, the movie with Konkana Sen Sharma in it, was on the similar lines as that of A Beautiful Mind. This movie had the Western flavour in it and it did appeal to the sensible audience.

Now coming back to Nishabd, I really don't know as to why Ram Gopal Varma (the guy who, so brilliantly crafted movies like Satya, Company, Sarkar and Ab Tak Chappan) had to take up such a substandard script and work on it and rope in Big B for that role. These kind of movies create a deleterious effect in the minds of today's youngsters and the old alike (NOT ALL). A handful of individuals look up to the heroes in the movies and ape their antics in real life. These illiterates (and at times a few literate people included) do not have a mind of their own. Such sort of movies should be banned or atleast censored to filter the sleaze element in them. But who watches meaningful movies with Samaritans in them ? I think the word 'unconventional' now takes up a new meaning - 'vulgarity'.

Music : Woh Hai Zara - Rahul Vaidya (OST : Shagird)

It's raining 'tags'

2007-02-24T09:20:00.000+05:30

Upas' turn this time :|

1. were u named after anyone?
umm..No

2.do u wish on stars?
Yes I do...I really don't know if it comes true or not..

3.when did u last cry?
umm..Day before yesterday..After having read a beautiful story in Anupama's blog page

4.do u like ur handwriting?
Nah..I scribble..It's never steady either..

5.what is ur favourite meat?
Vegetarians do not have any favorite meat, do they ? (there are exceptions of course..But me not under the 'exceptions' category)

6.what is the most embarrassing CD on ur shelf?
Erm..Only My dad's official CDs are present in my shelf..There's nothing to be embarassed about that

7. if u were another person, would U be friends with u?
Hmm..Tricky question :D

8. are u a daredevil?
Nah..Am not a risk-management committee member :|

9.how do u realease anger?
By remaining quiet

10. where is ur second home?
Utopia..'Dreamland' in layman's terms. I dwell there.

11. do u trust others easily?
Yes I do..One of my biggest drawbacks

12. what was ur favourite toy as a child?
Ladles, cups, saucers, tumblers and frying pans :| Not that Kitchen-set sorts. The real items from the kitchen. I used to love making noise :D. I used to take those utensils near my grandpa's ear and bang out, just to make him go wild. He never used to get berserk. Patient Thatha (I love him :) )

13. wat class in school/college do u think is useless?
Rephrase the question this way : wat class in school/college do u think is useful ?
That answers it :|

14.do u use sarcasm a lot?
Erm..I don't know..Am a bad judge

15. have u ever been in a mosh pit?
Nah..I wouldn't want to

16.wat do u look for in a gal/guy?
Should be sane, humourous, talkative and candid...Should be beautiful, with reference to the 'inside'..

17. would u bungee jump?
Nah..Am not that dare-devil sorts

18. do u untie ur shoes when u take them off?
My shoes don't have laces :|

19.whats ur fav ice cream?
Anything that is Chocolate flavoured, contains chocolate chips, chocolate syrup, nuts and anything else related to chocolate

20. ur fav colours?
The various 'shades' of human-kind :P
(That was an asinine reply :D)

21.what are ur least fav. things?
I can't think of any right now..

22. how many ppl do u have a crush on right now?
2 people :)
# That little 5 year old who I met yesterday, who waved at me in a very cute manner. He was adorable
# Calvin :D

23.who do u miss the most right now?
A Sibling

24.what are u listening to right now?
Noor Un Ala Noor from Meenaxi

25.if u were a crayon, wat colour would u be?
umm..Blue..I would love to be eaten up by some little kid, so that I can explore a human digestive system :D

26. what is the weather like right now?
It's morning..So its bound to be pleasant

27.last person u talked to on the phone?
Lakshmi's mother :D

28. the first thing u notice about the opposite sex?
I don't know :|

29. do u like the person who sent u this?
Upasana ? NO :D
What a question...She's my best friend...How can I not like her :|

30. how are u today?
Mixed Emotions as always...

31. favourite non-alcoholic drink?
Water ! ...I love fruit juices too

32. favourite alcoholic drink?
ALcoholic drink is something that intoxicates you right ??
If it is that way, then I like..umm..Iced Tea :D

33. natural hair colour?
black

34. eye colour
black

35. wear contacts?
Nope

36.siblings?
Lone Wolf

37. favourite month?
umm..Any month that comes with truck-loads of holidays, get togethers involving family members and friends...

38.favourite food?
Loads...Amma's and both grandma's 'kayyala' panna authentic South-Indian 'Iyer' aathu saapadu...Amma's and Thathi's North Indian food, Thathi's porulvalanga urundai, avial, oorgai (Yummmm), molagootal,bakshanam sorts..
And I love Fried Rice and Pizzas and Chocolates (erm..Chocolate comes under the category of 'foods', don't they ? :P) and...lots more

39. favourite day of the year?
31st of February

40. have u ever been too shy to ask someone out?
Nope...It hasn't happened as of now..

41.scary movies or happy endings?
Anything is fine..The movie has to have a sensible story line though..Else it will be difficult to stay till the end in the theatre

42. summer or winter?
Both..I am never biased..
Philosophy behind this answer : One can never experience summer(Happy days)/winter(sober sojourn days) always..Too much of anything is bad..Life is full of ups and downs

:D :D :D :D

43. holi or diwali?
Both..Even though, I haven't had the opportunity of 'pichkaariying' at any person till now :(

44. do u like ur name?
I like the meaning of my name..'Nithya' - Eternal, Unchanging..I love it
BUT I hate people calling me Nithu/Nithi/Nithiya :|
yuck

45. what book/magazine are u reading?
Erich Segal's "Only Love"
(Phew..This book's pretty good, unlike 'The Love Story'..No mushy mushy stuff..Titles can be deceptive :P)

46. what's on ur mouse pad?
Optical Mouse use me..How me have mouse pad..

47. what did u watch on tv last night?
Nothing at all..Long time since I actually sat in front of TV

48. favourite smell?
Loads..
~ A Baby from the bath, as Upas sez
~ The smell of the earth, after a downpour as Sharan sez
~ Hot hot vethakozhambu smell
~ The fragrance of jasmine, rose and some other flowers in a beautiful garden
~ The smell you get when a water-fall / any water body is around you
(I don't know what I meant by that :D)
~ Dimethyl amine ?? nah..It stinks :|
~ Johnson's baby powder :D
~ That Vitamin syrup's smell..I don't know the brand-name..It is usually given to little kids..It tastes yumm :D

49. have u ever regretted breaking up with someone?
Nope...Don't want it to happen either

50. most tiresome thing u've experienced/done?
~ That YW Quiz Day in 12th standard..A looooong walk...Ugh..(Upas you remember ?? :P)
~ Sitting in my class, every Thursday..Theory hours from 9 30 - 4 30. Pathetic
~ Sitting through an entire 3 and a half hour in a theatre to watch 'Parijatham'. It tires you out mentally
~ Typing C programs in the lab :|
~ Having a 'monologuish' conversation with "I-won't-open-my-mouth-even-if-you-insert- a-screw-driver-into-it" sorta reserved people

Phew Done !
Me no tagging anybody this time.
I have finally realized how bad it is to get tagged. I can empathize with Sharan and Shrey better now :D

Moral of the story (or rather the post) : Vetti people can take up tags. That indicates THEY are vetti. They shouldn't get the wrong end of the stick and imagine that the other people are as vetti as they are. So 'tags' are meant only for vetti people :|

My (Visual) DNA !!

2007-02-21T16:49:00.000+05:30

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

I was feeling bored..So I took this test up..Well do read the post scribbled below :)

Saroja

2007-02-20T20:30:00.000+05:30

Saroja was a middle aged woman in her late forties, living a pitiful life in Rajaji Nagar, Vilivakkam. She was a flower vendor, who made a meagre earning of about hundred rupees per day. Her husband Gunashekhar was more of a wastrel, than a coolie. His prodigal attitude made him exhaust his entire salary in alcohol, just like any other normal man in the lanes and pavements of Chennai.Saroja had a 13 year old daughter, Neelaveni, who aided her mother in selling flowers,in the evenings, whilst she wasn't at school. Neelaveni attended the local government school, in the morning, where she was provided with a meal, consisting of a par-boiled egg and some rice. Neelaveni was the sole reason for Saroja's existence on the earth. Saroja never grumbled about her life or her living conditions. She always bore a smile on her face, because she felt that that single curved line on her face could set things straight, atleast temporarily.

Saroja's day began at 4. She swept and cleaned her one-room thatched hut, washed her and her family members' clothes, prepared her usual meal (Rice gruel with curd), interlaced flowers and set off to work, after having sent her daughter away to the school and after having shooed her husband away to the 'mill'. Saroja's only confidante was Dhanalakshmi, an unwed mother. Their relationship was born due to the compassion that Saroja had showered on Dhanam. Saroja could empathize with Dhanam, when she was in troubled waters.

One late afternoon, when Dhanam and Saroja were sharing their daily dose of conversation, Saroja mentioned to Dhanam about Neelaveni's forthcoming board examinations. She also revealed that she did not have enough money in hand to pay her examination fees. Saroja wept till her heart's content. Dhanam never uttered a word. This was a daily phenomenon. Saroja wept out solely only to Dhanam. Though Dhanam could not support her financially, she listened to Saroja and her problems. As a proverb ("Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force. When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand") suggests, many a time, just listening to people helps. On this particular broiler, Saroja could not control her emotions. She let her feelings surge. She deperately wanted money to settle her house rent with her landlord, to pay Neelaveni's examination fee, to settle the petty debts that her husbanc had borrowed from some lenders.

It was only at that time Dhanam mentioned about Rangaraj, the local 'blood broker' as they all called him. She told that if Saroja donated a little of her blood, she would earn some money, that could be used up for some purpose. Saroja was at the end of her tether. She had no other go but to accept this 'God-sent' offer. She agreed to meet Rangaraj along with Dhanam the next day. "After all a few droplets of blood would only be lost", she thought.

The 'rosy' day dawned. Saroja and her soul mate set out to meet the blood broker. After striking a deal, Saroja consoled herself that a copious rupees three thousand could serve as the miracle drug to all her problems. All she had to do was to donate that red fluid circulating in her body. She, being an untaught, left behind her thumb print in many a sheet, without even knowing as to what exactly was written there in the white documents. She entered the operating room. The doctors had finished doing their duties. Enervated Saroja walked her way back home with a smile on her face and three thousand rupees in hand.

Saroja was comatose the entire week. She was not able to move an inch. She couldn't carry out her daily duties. She felt wiped out, drowsy and drained. Dhanam periodically paid visits to her place and helped her out with her chores. On one fine afternoon, when Saroja was lying down in her frayed piece of carpet, Dhanam noticed that there was a scar on Saroja's hip, in the left side. That looked like a burnt umber colooured mark. When she went closer, she observed that the skin was joined with a number of stitches. She came to realize that a surgery had been carried out and the doctors had sewed the skin up.

Immediatly Dhanam rushed to Rangaraj to find out the veracity of the incident. Silence was the only reply that he could offer her. After persuasion finally Rangaraj gave in. Saroja had actually 'donated' her kidney, instead of blood.

I came across an article in the newspaper about this kidney thieving business. Innocent people are made prey to such activities and are made to donate their organs for a very cheap price. Please do make it a point to educate the illiterates about this, so that they don't become quarries in this shoddy game, played by bamboozlers.

Tagged again.....

2007-02-17T15:28:00.000+05:30

Update 20/2/2007 - 7:30 A.M : God ! Grant us a holiday pleeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaassssssssseeeeeeee
he he he :D

Now this time Uttara has taken her revenge.It's her turn to tag people..

Now it's ten things you hate about your college
(Awesome tag, seriously)

1) First and foremost the nomadic biotech department. We don't have a single fixed classroom. One day we are in the Administrative block, the next day we are in the ECE seminar hall, the third day we are in the Science block.

2) The egomaniac teachers. Teachers who do nothing but dissuade you from everything. Teachers who don't grant you enough ODs (On Duty[s]), teachers who do nothing but make you approach each and every person (everybody right from the peon to the principal), who make you run miles and miles around the same old campus just to get your leave letter approved

3) My class girls (Not all of 'em. There are exceptions). Kittenish girls. People who can teach actresses how to act. Mercenary girls, who have never had this feeling of compassion towards the day-scholars

4) The stupid OHP apparatus. The screen is absent during most of the biochemistry classes. My teacher focusses the instrument towards the cracked walls and takes classes with the help of that. And what the hell can a last-but-one-bencher understand when such obscure stuff is being displayed.

5) The sleepy clubs (Exception : The Literary and Debating Society. It rocks. The weekly sessions are something that I look forward to.Probably that's the only society that consists of sane people, doing sanely things every week. The LDS is the prime reason as to why I am still studying in this college and why I still haven't sent my application to some other college). The Orchestra (or rather the room that contains Drums, varnished with a layer of dust, guitars housing spiders and lizards and a keyboard containing only black coloured keys) never does function I guess.

6) The computer science department. Ugh. I have no words to describe the ogres present out there. Their only target - 'Ms. Nithya Sivashankar, I yr, IBT'. People who misconstrue every single statement of yours.

7) The biochemistry lab. I actually like the place. But I hate the way things are being done out there. No life seriously. People work like mechanized robots, without even knowing 'why 2 drops of dimethyl amine is being added to the bovine serum'. And I also hate this place because they is just a single spectrometer and literally 50 of us will be c rowding around that instrument trying to take readings down.

8) My biotech department building. Its basically a narrow corridor consisting of 3 rooms, in which rabbits and rats are locked up (or so people say). That stinks real bad. So everytime we pay a visit to our department we make it a point to roam around like some mafia gang with a handkerchief around our noses. The only thing that is good about this department is that there is a fairly good internet connection available.

9) The DOGS. AAAARRRGGHHH how I hate them. Our campus is almost like some blue cross society building. It shelters all breeds of dogs. These dogs make it a point to sleep right at the centre of the corridor, thereby making people (like me) go berserk whenever we spot them at the 'nub'. The worst part is that the teachers in my college feed these dogs everyday (No wonder these dogs are in the pink of their health). And yeah..These dogs also enter the classroom (through one door) whenever the lecturer is inside and they roam around, inside the classroom for sometime and then gracefully walk out of the classroom (through the other door).

10) This post would be incomplete if I fail to mention about my class blokes. Guys, whose only ambition( in college) is to cause nuisance to the girls, who gain pleasure by taunting people with their cheapy profane words. These nosy parkers stick their noses around in people's scrapbooks and then make it a point to annoy people verbally.

Moaning and Groaning was never this much fun :D

Now I tag umm..Bhar (bar the 'h' :P) and Vasanth.

Caged...

2007-02-11T19:16:00.000+05:30

A petite 18 year old Aryana was rushing her way through the crowd.She kept shouting 'Hatiye janaab,Hatiye janaab' (Please move Sir). She was in high spirits.She wanted to just holler out loud and clear "Paapa..Mamma..I secured a state rank...I am a topper, in my class, in my school, in the whole state...I can now get into a medical college and become a doctor"
She had struggled,toiled,slogged and worked real hard for achieving this. She had just one aim.One focussed individual she was. She kept repeating this mantra over and over again,during her school days : "Aryana...Dr.Aryana..I want to enter into a good medical school...I want to make Paapa and Mamma proud..I want to secure a scholarship, so that I don't need to depend on poor Paapa for my fees..(Paapa, the man who is suffering from chronic lung cancer...Paapa, the man who strained day and night to make ends meet...Paapa a man of few words, a man of actions..)..After having procured the title that most people are vying for, I want to enter into a very good University and do my Masters in Paediatrics...After completing my education, I want to work in a recognized hospital and treat ill children, spend some time with them, speak to them, admire the innocence and naivete that they exude, treat and cure them...After that I want to set up my own hospital and treat people for free...Heal all those people, who suffer like Paapa..Heal all those people, who don't own a single penny....I will also take Munni to the orthopedic and I will make her walk and run like just another girl.I would definitely release her from the shackles of her wheel-chair...I want to see a smile on Munni's face ...I want to make Paapa and Mamma proud"

The passers-by gawked at this beautiful girl, who was wading her way through people with a big wide smile on her face.Aryana finally reached her 'Chawk'.She let out a strident shrill. "Oye...Chandu kaaka, Shanta ben, Pappu, Golu, Saaghar Bhaiya..Suniyo..Suniyo..Aryana pooooooore ke pooooore shaher mein pratham aayi hai..Woh ab doctor banegi aur aap longon ki sab samasya door karegi..." (Hark one..Hark all..Aryana is a state-topper..She will become a doctor now and will make your problems vanish in thin air).

Aryana was the centre of attraction.Every Tom,Dick and Harry, Emma,Anne and Sally congratulated her and blessed her.Aryana was beaming with joy.Her face was overflowing with euphoria and ecstacy.She had achieved her goal.She interrupted her well-wishers abruptly and with a 'Besan ki laddoo' filled mouth, she rushed to share her jubilation with her parents and her sister.

"Paapa..Mamma..Bathaiye..Bathaiye..Aapki beti aapke liye kya bent laayi hai ??..Arey Munni tu bhi tho batha na.."(Dad..mom..tell me..tell me..Can you guess what gift your daughter has brought for you ?..Hey Munni why don't you tell huh ? ).She looked into her mother's face and realized that she was anxious.Aryana misinterpreted the bamboozled look. She thought that her parents were eager to know her results.She conveyed the news to her parents and her sister.Her mother started weeping immediatly after having listened to her proud daughter's words.Her dad made his entry into the room with a "Oye Saraswati..Jaa jaa, beti ko andhar leke jaa aur use ek gudiya ki tharah thayyar karke leke aa" (Hey Saraswati..Go go..Take your daughter inside and bedeck her like a doll). Aryana was confused.She did not realize what was actually going on in her household.Her eyes were brimming with droplets of tears.Her eyes could hold no more.The tears started cascading down her cheeks,down those cheeks, that had been painted with red and pink shades, when people adorned her with compliments and words of praise.She could stand no more.She asked her mother what was actually going on.Her mother, whose eyes sheltered more amount of tears,than her daughter's, replied 'Beti..Tere baapu ki haalath bahuth buri hothi jaa rahi hai..Hamere paas ek bhi rupayya nahin hain dawayee mein karch karne ke liye..Isiliye..umm..Isiliye..(Daughter..Your father's health condition is bad.Deteriorating by the day.We don't have a single pie to spend on his medicines.Hence..umm..hence)'. Aryana's temperature was rising. She did not want her mother to drag her heels.'Isliye kya maa ? Bathaiye na ?' (So what Mother ? Reply won't you ? ). Her mother stuttered.She shifted her gaze,looked away from the newspaper, in which her daughter's marks were displayed,in which her daughter's name appeared in BOLD and turned towards the window. She replied "Paapa tumhari Shaadi karva rahen hain.Bete log Mumbai ke hain.Mumbai mein sooyi ke dhandha kar rahen hain.Beta 33 saal ka hai.Bete log tujhe dekhne aa rahen hain.Unhone kaha hai ki woh log tujhe bahu banaayenge aur hamari sab kasht ko door karenge.Unhone yeh bhi kaha hai ki woh Paapa aur Munni ke bhimaariyon ki karch-varch sab sambhal lenge.Isliye..beti..Haan keh dena..Hamari sab kasht bas ek hi kshan mein dhoor ho jayegi" (Father is getting you married off.The boy is from Mumbai.He is an entrepreneur, dealing in cotton business.The boy is 33 years old.People from the boy's side are coming to have a look at you.They have told us that they would welcome you with open arms as their daughter-in-law.They have also promised that they would take care of Father's and Munni's recuperative amounts).Aryana was a cagebird henceforth.

Reason why I penned this post down : My schoolmate is getting married in March.She is getting married off to a guy about twice as old as her.She is going to put a big full stop to her education.

Music : Temperature (Dunno the band's/artist's name)
Mood : Irritated (Partly due to 'The Properties of Analytic Functions' and partly due to these customs revolving around adolescent marriage)

Saarang 2007 Pics

2007-02-05T11:30:00.000+05:30

Update 06/02/07 : Poetry Blog Updated

Something beforehand : My Photography skills are pathetic. So no comments on that please :D

SAARANG - The simplest banner one could find in the IIT-M campus

The Board says it all. The place where we spent 5 days.

The Hostel again
Room No : 450

The messy room. Things strewn around : Laksh's suitcase,that served as a table for me, two Aquafina water bottles, The Alchemist (the book that i am currently reading), A Thesaurus (Don't ask me why I took my thesaurus there), Vaish's bag, MY JHOLNA (:D) and a few papers.
Out of focus : The digicam pouch

The most depressing part of the trip. MONKEYS. Tons and tons of them. They kept appearing from absolutely nowhere. Intelligent monkeys they were. They knew how to 'flush' after cleaning their bowels (ugh !). Kudos to Vaish for having had the guts to go and confront these primates !!
(For more info on How to tackle monkeys, Monkey Trouble and for more Monkey Pics contact me :|)

What creature is that supposed to be ? That was crawling its way through the campus.

Five Point Someone - The First and the best play that I have ever witnessed (Review coming up !!). Hats off to the Madras Players !!

THE Madras Players. We weren't allowed to take pics, when the play was going on,but then somehow we managed to click at least this pic, when the 'Credits' were being listed out. That's Hari Kumar (Abhijeet 'Monty' Mohanty) waving his hands. The sole female soul present there on stage is Nikila Kesavan, the captain of the ship.

Artsy-Craftsy stuff from Vaish(The one on the left) and Laksh(Obviously the other one). Decoupatching.

The place where we literally lived. Tifanys - The mess. yummmmmy food !!

I loved this. Charcoal Sketch. One among the many pics, that were put on display in the Fine Arts stall.

From the 'Insti Roof'

Courtesy : Vaish's Digicam. Thanks a ton Vaish :P
Pranams to your feet :P

Tagged

2007-01-31T19:06:00.001+05:30

Update 2/2/2007

Dearest Upas.....
Happy Happy Happy Birthday to you...Hope you have a great day. Missing you like crazy :(
Love
Nithya

For the first time ever, Nithya has been tagged....tagged by The Wood Fairy !

Ten Things That Define my Style :
(ahem...style ? me ? what ? )

My attire : Am usually clad in Kurtas and a pair of jeans. That gives me the typical authentic journo look :P (or so i feel). Infact my yahoo avtar sports a tunic and pants. Kurtas rock !!
My eyes : I don't need Kaajal to highlight my already (as Sharan sez) bulging eyes. That round ball present inside the socket just pops out at the sight of anything that interests me.
My flat feet...erm..I have had and I still have loads of trouble finding the right pair of slippers that fit my flat feet.Well the length of my feet is pretty normal, but then the width is umm abnormal..Inshort I have a peculiar pair of feet
My nails !! THAT make me unique (and stylish :P , If teensy-weensy short nails are considered THE in thing :P !). The shortest nail in my hand measures 0.2 cm in length.
My mouth : The upper lip and the lower lip never meet (atleast during most of the time). I can never be silent. Probably I was born to make the world believe that there can be a person who can constantly keep chattering, no matter what. What I talk can probably never make sense, but then my talking sense would make people go "Why the heck are you being too very philosophical". No comments on that
My hands : I can never sit still. Let me put it this way my hands can never stay still. My hands keep moving 'whoosh and whoosh' when I talk. I keep swirling my fingers and turning my palms 360 back and forth, while talking to people
My wacky brain : This mass of nerve tissues and nerve-supporting tissues, present somewhere in the nook and corner of my big bada head (My forehead occupies more space, when compared to my brain), can do a wonderful job accomodating crazy thoughts like "Replacement of conveyor belts instead of roads everywhere for effective Traffic management" (I can never ever forget this idea that cropped up all on a sudden :|)

(Darn...This is tough...I am at-times narcissistic, but the narcissist is me is asking me to shut up. How dumber can this get :|)

My Jholna (This is crazy I know...But I got to write 10 things) : I always make it a point to carry my jholna with me,brimming with all sortsa stuff-everything right from tic-tac to my Vaseline chapstick. This gives me a journo look too :)
And yeah my hand has this zany habit of forcefully hitting my poor little broad forehead,whenever somebody says something downright stupid.
Fill in the blanks _________________________________________. People who know me please do this favour of helping me out with this. Do write (in the comments section), whatever you feel like writing (No sthupith sthuff pileeesssssss)

DONE !!!

Now my turn to tag people......
Bhargavi
Uttara (Hey THIS is what is meant by a tag !! There you go your first tag)
Sharan(obvious :D)
Shrey (obvious again)
Mr. Yamadharmaraj :D
Upas
And no Vaish this time am fed up of doing this thing over and over again. I am always at the receiving end as far as empty 'un'updated blog pages are concerned :|

But Why ?

2007-01-19T17:15:00.000+05:30

Update 30/1/07 : Poetry Blog Updated - 2 posts !

I try hard to avoid these kind of delicate issues and discussions in my blog, but I really can't help breaching this resolution of mine.

Having read a lot of posts (that includes posts by Smrithi and Bhargavi too) on THIS, I too felt that such stuff ought to be discussed, solutions need to be formulated inorder to wind down THIS.

First and Foremost before proceeding I would like to apologize to all my readers as certain awkward and sensitive issue is being dealt with, out here in this post. It's just that I wanted to read the riot act and this is the only way to do so.

This made me pen this post down.

Childhood - That time of life when innocence, naivete, virtuosness and purity are at its peak; that age when all that matters to kids are their toys, their family and friends and their surroundings.Children are those innocent souls that are free from anxiety, worries and apprehension. A child can be compared to an unripe fruit. A child is tenderness incarnate.

Today this world is brimming with uncorrupted vices. It is super-satiated with vile souls ; souls that crave for power,money and materialistic pleasures; souls that don't bother about the ingenousness and the undemanding attitude of those little innocent souls; souls that can do anything to quench their carnal desires....anything. That includes sexual abuse of kids as well. Almost every newspaper, each day carries the news of this git Subhash of Noida, who driven by his thoughtless instincts ended up sexually abusing and murdering little kids ; kids who (and whose families too) didn't have anything to do with him. It wasn't a vindictive act. He isn't psychologically affected either. He is mentally stable and sound. But then WHY did he do this - Why did he have to mess around with the lives of young children ?

There are a lot of Subhashes around here in India- lot of people who abduct callow individuals and play a dirty game with their life. Tons and tons of stories are left unheard. Only a few factual narratives have been unmasked. What about the rest ? What about those poor families ( the prey's kith and kin), who are suffering in supreme darkness ? Why the hell do people have to have such predatory and animalistic attitude ? Why do their malevolence reach great heights thereby inducing them to cause harm to poor little kids ? Why do they have to go to the extent of abducting the juvenile beings and raze their whole life down ?

Alas ! Reality is harsh. Curse such people. As Smrithi says in her post " Let these bastards rot in hell"

Music : Three Days Grace - Animal I have become (Courtesy : Sharan) (Coincidence Shoud I say ? )
Mood : Confused

Golden Jubilee

2007-01-16T08:25:00.000+05:30

50 posts young.

I have absolutely no clue as to what to pen down here (now this isn't new, is it ?). I've already done the job of acknowledging all those esteemed mahatmas (that's a hyperbole now !) who read my blog. I can't possibly put the lyrics of Aadat (the song that I am listening to right now) in writing. Nor can I write an excerpt from Like the Flowing River* (That would be plagiarism !!).

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[I think...I think...I think...15 mts pass by. I stare at the Calvin and Hobbes screensaver being displayed on my monitor. I try switching the music system off (that's because I am driven by this stupid misconception that it might lead to distraction). My hands go near the switch but No I don't switch it off. Instead I end up enqueueing a few more songs. I walk to my balcony, stare at those 2 synthetic storks looking at the almost mulchy pond, with two beautiful purple lilies projecting out. I squeeze my thalamus,hypothalamus and what-notus. I literally order my mind to think of something different and unique and nice and interesting to write on. Afterall my 50th post should be profound right ?. I scribble 'Nithya, Inane Isis, 50, Labcoat, Rs 265 on a piece of paper (Don't ask me why). I force my brain to think of something. I find an old file, containing all my written endeavours - everything right from my first poem to the poem on 'Harmony', that I had written during the intra-school poetry-writing competition. I think "Why don't I write on my writings and how much writing means to me ?"]

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English Language - I have always had a penchant for this language. One of the reasons why I became a little obsessed with writing and journalism and English is because I used to be so darn bad at English in middle school. The fascination for this language matured gradually. I began to love writing (I guess I became passionate about writing only in my 12th standard).I had decided to embrace journalism as my line of work during the later part of my 12th standard. But then fate had different plans for me. It was then, that I stumbled upon this thing ( or paragon should I say. umm no..that's an overstatement as well) known as blogging. This helped my evaporating writing skills solidify (Now now that is an overdose of chemistry). I had absolutely no clue as to how to make my posts readable and interesting (I still am confused). But I still write. That's because I have this feeling that I write for myself ( Insolent me ? Yes :P). I write just because writing gives me so much pleasure. I gain so much pleasure by interlacing words and presenting them to people in an almost-O.K form, be it in the form of prose or poetry.

'To write' according to the dictionary is ' to put words, letters, numbers, or musical notation on a surface using a pen, pencil, or similar instrument' . 'To write' according to me and according to every other blogger (almost all bloggers think this way. That's evident from the way they write) is 'to put THOUGHTS - inane or intellectual, spontaneous or planned, sane or insane, erroneous or impeccable ; thoughts in their unalloyed form ; into words'.

I began to write at the age of 2 - Yes Trust me ! - I wrote the alphabets down in a piece of paper at that tender age. Fine let me come back to sensible stuff. I wrote my first poem (Anacoluthon and Amphigory at its acme ! seriously !), when I was in my fourth class. There you go My First Poem, unedited :

//You are assured of a good laugh//

Hobbies

Books ! Books ! Books !
It does not have looks
But it has wisdom

Stamps ! Stamps ! Stamps !
Don't think those are rags
But they can be collected

Coins ! Coins ! Coins !
They are the result of our toils
So we can preserve them

Flowers ! Flowers ! Flowers !
Trees, plants and herbs
They too are useful

Thus hobbies are.
Something to be innculcated
For a very happy living.

The End

That was the unabridged (that includes the spelling, grammatical and punctuation errors as well !) version of my first poem.

I wrote many such embarrasing poems and articles in my school magazine. All these helped me in one way or the other. It helped me learn new words. It aided me in exploring the vast ocean named 'English'. [I have just set my foot into the waters. I still have a long way to go. ('Miles to go before I sleep') ]

Writing helps me pour my feelings out in its unfiltered form. Poetry especially. I really don't know when I started writing meaningful poetry (uh..huh..Meaningful Poetry ? by me ? nah.. I couldn't find any other word. That's the reason for having introduced these 2 words here. And yeah I am not being very modest either !). I write verses, when some philosophical thought makes its imperial entry into my mind's territory. I get crazy when I get philosophical and I make the others go crazy as well. I write poems, meaningless ones during class hours. I have become obsessed with writing (thanks to blogger !). I experience a profound sense of happiness when I type alphabets,characters and numbers on my keyboard, when I revise the written part and when my post gets published - joy that is almost similar to that a student experiences when he/she comes out of the examination hall after having written his/her exams successfully. Writing helps me contemplate, ponder, think, reflect and ruminate. Writing serves as an elixir to my enervated soul.

I don't want to make this post too very long. More infantile poems coming up in the 100,150 and 200th posts :P

Comments Section ---> People please do leave your comments (those that are constructive, those that might help me improve my style of writing, both prose and poetry) behind.

50 inane posts and still strong :P

More inane posts coming up

Yours inanely,
Isis

Music : Jiya Dhadak Dhadak - Kalyug
Mood : Complacent

* I am stuck on Paulo Coelho's Like The Flowing River. It makes me go 'crazy kiya re' :P. Do make it a point to read it people !

Up There

2007-01-13T09:16:00.000+05:30

This post is a prosaic ode :

To the place, where I spend a part of my day

To the place, that is situated 4 floors above my abode and infinite floors below His abode

To the place, that has no roof at all

To the place, that raises my spirits when I feel low, that shares my happiness, that lets me sink in ecstasy during sunrise and sunset, that lets me feel the very breath of Mother Nature in its uncontaminated form, that lets me have that 'I-am-on-top-of-the-world' feeling.

To the place, where I spend long hours chit-chatting with my close friends, where I have tried acting like the desi-superwomen trying my hand at this 'letting-my-duppatta -fly' antics, where I have made faces at passers-by.

To the place, that lets me remain silent, even when the whole world around me talks, that lets me experience solitude in its most blissful form, that lets me act deaf, when the people around me are busy bombarding their opinions at me, in matters related to MY life, that lets me act blind, when the most gruesome things happen around me, that lets me act mute, when I have lots of things to say, but am enshrouded in fear, fear of opening-up.

To the place, where I get to experience the beauty of Mother Nature at its apogee, where I get to feel the wind without even making an attempt to look at that figure, that touches me, without assuming a humane form, where I get to hear the tweet and twitter of birds in its most symphonic form, where I get to see elephants, boys,girls, dogs, horses and everything under the sun, in its pure, white,fleecy, fluffy and progressive form, where I get to witness the vibrant hues- orange, red and yellow- blending into a single shade, hues that converge during sunrise, hues that diverge during sunset.

To the place, where I listen to soulful music, where I get to extract the actual essence of music, where I read books, where I study during examination times, where I dawdle with pleasure, where I spend time during broilers under that shady platform that protects me from the scorching sun, in the evenings watching the beautiful sunset, in the nights with starry skies and music giving me the much-needed company, in the early mornings watching the magnificient sun, rise with all its grandeur.

To that place up there - My terrace and that area above the tank, that I fondly address as 'tank-top'.

Music : Dreams - The Corrs
Mood : Serene

Chennai and the Battle Field

2007-01-09T15:56:00.000+05:30

Update 10/1/07 : Poetry blog updated

I solemnly pledge to make this post short and sweet :|

My four day visit to good ol' Chennaipattinam for Kurukshetra (a technical symposium) turned out to be really momentous and eventful.

Anna University was the zone or rather the battle ground where titans (!) like Vaish, me and a lot other inter - collegiate competition aficianados integrated . Kurukshetra was instrumental in drawing a few first years like me to the Anna Univ grounds. That was the first time I set my foot into the College of Engineering Guindy. Anna Univ is pretty beautiful with a lot of trees, buildings and empty grounds. But it isn't exactly one of the places where you would like to get lost. Everything is so very confusing out there. Leave me inside the campus right now, I might probably aid you in finding your way to the canteen, Vivekananda Auditorium, Women's hostel, Mechanical Engg block and the ECE department. That's about it. No map could probably guide you through this labrynthine zone.

Some moments in Chennai worth remembering :

~ The Marketing Challenge Prelims 2 - That embarassing moment when Vaish and I didn't know what to do when we were asked to lip-sync for the Lynx perfume ad. We uttered "I Stink" 10 times in 10 different tones
~ Candid Camera - I hardly did realize that I was the chump for the Indian version of Just for Laughs - Gags show that was being covered by the SS music crew, who had come out there to the Anna grounds for doing the video coverage part of the 4 day tech-fest. I caved in when I bumped into a drunkard by chance. I fossilized for sometime. I came to know that this was yet another version of the shaggy dog story the next day.
~ Lost ! - No not in the Univ campus but in the tangled Adyar roads. Vaish and I were staring at the almost- empty wide roads that lay in front, at the back, to the right and to the left of us at around 10 p.m. with absolutely no clue as to how to proceed further to reach Vaish's grandma's place.

We never felt jaded at any point of time. Loved every moment that we spent out there.

The best pic that I ever took with my outmoded camera there in Anna Univ : The one below. That's the picture of a thirsty monkey that craved for water, that (I hypothesize) possibly searched for water in Vaish's bag.

This 4 day trip is sure to carve a niche for itself in the arterial walls of my heart.

Music : Aap ki Nazron ne Samjha
Mood : Nostalgic

Life is NOT a bed of roses

2007-01-02T10:12:00.000+05:30

Today is the last day I get to experience sovereignity, independence and freedom. The last and final day of my 3 week long holidays.This post contains all the stuff that I learnt during these holidays,things that I did during these holidays (Both good and bad :P) and a few laments (as usual !)

Blogged a lot. 7 posts i guess (Now that was expected). Read a lot of blogs.
Wrote ONLY ONE poem...Pathetic..Wanted to write 3 more..But unfortunately didn't have the time to do that
Hogged like hell . Thanks a ton Vaish for having indulged me in all these things. Curse you I've put on weight :| .... 2 Cappuchinos, 1 Cafe Messicano, 1 Lime mint cooler, 1 Chocolate Fantasy cake, 2 plates of Bhel puri, 1 plate Dahi Puri, gola ganda, Choco Chips Crunchy Caramel icecream, my usual quota of chewing gums and chocolates (Ulta Perks this time)
Watched 3 meaningful hindi movies
Listened to a lot of English Music (Thanks to Vaish and Limewire). Bowled a few people over with my teensy-weensy chunk of English music knowledge :P . Vaish and I were over the moon when we could actually identify, what songs (and by which artist) were being played in Odyssey and Barista. We felt so proud of ourselves (Me a braggart...I know :|)
Completed a paper that we are yet to present
Met up with my school friends...Had loads of fun. Infact had a happenstance with a girl called Josephine, my classmate, when I was in 6th and 7th. One pleasant surprise that !!!
Celebrated Poornima's and Laksh's birthday by smearing chocolate and black forest cakes respectively on their faces. Ended up taking a few cracked up pics with Santa hats on our heads, cream on our faces,hands and hair (Infact Aksh had to have a hairwash at Laksh's place thanks to that Black forest cake and that "APPY BUDDAY LAKSH JG" ) and a silly grin on our faces
Walked a lot around my colony. Love these long walks with my friends.
Attended a New year getto at Laksh's place. Played a few games like three legged race, housie, balancing a book and the Four places game (I don't know what it is called exactly ) And yeah I won Rs 15/- (you read it right) for having completed the second row in the housie game :P

THE HINDU dated Jan 1 2007 brought a big wide smile (that extended from the left ear to the right ear :P) on my face with this news : "BSNL has enhanced the downloading limits in Home 250 and Business 700 tariff plans to 1 GB and 4 GB from 400 MB and 2 GB respectively. BSNL has also decided to bring down downloading rates from 1.40 per MB to Rs 0.90 per MB in Home 250 plan."

Wow...Me on cloud nine !! A great start that was..Life seems to be so good, that's because I don't or rather didn't have to go college. But then All Good things MUST come to an end.waaaahhhh My holidays are coming to an end. I have to go the college from tomorrow (Agreed that I will be bunking college on Thursday and Friday and Monday too probably - yet to receive my mother's reply am expecting a No :|). I have to meet a bunch of crackbrained crazy people, listen to their sob stories, entertain them with my non-stop nuisance talks, snarl at the nerd sitting in the first row, pour scorn on that unruly and raucous group in my class, shudder at the prospect of receiving my results in hand (Oh God please please please do me a favour : Change the controller's (of examinations) mind and make him post that result page on the notice board on Monday please please please :D).

Make that college :|

Music : Khoya Khoya Chand - Babul Supriyo and Alka Yagnik
Mood : Cranky

Let the countdown begin......

2006-12-30T19:26:00.000+05:30

The Year of Pig-2007 is round the corner. 2006 was yet another eventful year for me.Tonnes and tonnes of exciting stuff. I got to live 365 days more, with each and every day packed with some pleasant stuff or the other. Every New Year injects a fresh dose of hopefulness, brightness, sanguinity, confidence, courage and faith in me. I've heard a lot of people say "It's yet another day, another cracking of dawn". But to me "It's the time to rejuvenate, revivify and revitalize" . You might probably give me a contradicting reply " Why Jan 1st and why not any other day? ". I might think for sometime and reply "umm...I dunno" :P

Down the good ol' memory lane

January :
Another New Year, started off with Upas, Laksh and me celebrating Laksh's b'day at 12:00 A.M in my apartment with crackers and chocolate cake and gifts.

Tuitions and classes and school and group study (er.. :D) and discussions about the forthcoming cataclysm

February :
Board practical exams.

March :
Judgement Days (or Judgement Month rather)

April :
Vacations.Heaven. Met "my euphoria personified" - Atharv, my nephew for the first time, one and a half years after his naissance.

May :
Attended entrance coaching classes for about 5 days, while the others (my peers) had been attending the classes for 25 - 30 days. Entrance examinations. Public examination results.

June :
Holidays.Learnt car driving and attended C coaching classes (Yawn ...). Got hooked to the Internet.

July :
Old Father Time a.k.a Saturn waved his scythe so fastly that days just passed by with me filling up counselling forms, getting them attested from people, attending counselling sessions.
Got to know in which college I had to spend the forthcoming 4 years of my life. A myriad of emotions gushed into my heart, once i came to know that I was going to get into the college that I chose - Disappointment, Expectation, Hope, Frustration....

August :
First month of college. Got to realize how much school and school friends meant to me. Adieus and farewells and valedictions to a few of my friends with a smile on the face and a droplet of tear at the corner of my eye.

September :
"My Experiments with absolutely nothing" (For people, those who don't know, my blog id was My Experiments with absolutely nothing first and then it turned out to be er..yankee doodle went to town and then now it is Inane Isis. Me a TYPICAL GEMINI !!) was born . Realized that blogging was one of the best things that could happen to me.

October :
My first inter- collegiate and inter-town competition or rather paper presentation. Madurai trip.

November :
Got introduced to something that I chose to be deprived of - English Music. And the second best thing that could happen to me - Calvin and Hobbes.

December :
My first semester exams. And my first set of holidays (but it turned out to be a(n) (E) Waste of holidays actually)

2006 was a perfect blend of both happiness and sadness. Met a lot of new people. Made a lot of good friends. Learnt a lot of lessons - both good and bad. I metamorphosised a little more last year and will metamorphosise a little more this year, to successfully come out of the pupal coat that is enshrouding me.

My last post for this year. Goodbye 2006.Salutations 2007
So here's wishing all my co-bloggers, comment-posters, non comment-posters, friends, family,relatives, people who read my blog, people who don't read my blog, pakathu aathu mama, pazhaya aathu Abinaya, theru monai annachikadai annachi and my school teachers :D a very very very very Happy and Prosperous New Year

"What a wonderful life I've had! I only wish I'd realized it sooner"
- Colette

Live your life to the fullest.

Birthday wishes :
This goes out to a girl, who means SO SO SO much to me - Lakshmi. The girl, who supposedly is my reflection, my shadow and my replica. I can't possibly write more. Laksh wish you a very very Happy Budday di. Love you loads

And Shweta will miss you loads. Bon Voyage. Don't forget me please (I know I am pretty selfish). Wish we had gotten to know each other earlier.

So people...C ya in the next year.....

What if ?

2006-12-30T14:48:00.000+05:30

What do you exactly do when things don't go your way ?

Do you ?

a) Gape at the open sky or the scorching sun on a broiler
b) Sit and write down useless crap
c) Shout at people and bring the roof down with your antics
d) Cry out to some jobless person over the phone
e) Cry out to some person, who, you know, would not have any solution to your problem
f) Read optimistic quotes
g) Write/Read poems
h) Listen to some soothing song
i) Eat till your stomach reaches the super-saturation point
j) Talk to little kids (thinking that they might possibly perk up things) and end up getting replies like "We are talking secret stuff..We don't want you poking your nose in our affairs"
k) Read bloggers' posts over and over again
l) Read your own posts over and over again
m) Try being over optimistic
n) Bite your nails
o) Brood
p) Read Robert Frost's The Road not taken
q) Try to stuff your brain with weird words like aggry,braggry, conyngry, igry, meagry, nangry, podagry, puggry !
r) Unfold and fold the neatly ironed duppatas
s) Sit and watch Govinda dancing like crazy in the cracked up Bhagam Bhag trailer
t) Bury your head in the pillow and cry
u) Shut the bathroom door and look at yourself in the mirror, curse yourself and end up dabbing your eyes with your kerchief and admire your red, swollen eyes
v) Go to the library, grab a book from the Chicken Soup series and start reading, vowing that you would be a little more easy going henceforth
w) Gawk at a poster that says "This Will Also Pass"
x) Read C&H comic strips :|
y) Sleep peacefully
z)Write these kind of "What will you do" posts

Picture(s) Perfect

2006-12-28T14:34:00.000+05:30

"When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs . When images become inadequate, I shall become silent"

Didn't know where to start...So there goes my fav C & H picture...

This picture induces the dreamer, thinker, truth-seeker and philosopher in me..Dunno why . I'm reminded of Robert frost's "Miles to go before i sleep" whenever I gaze at this picture.

Detached....That's the first word, that comes into my mind, whenever I look at this picture..."Aery"

Ambigrams...Love 'em. This is one exceptional piece of art....

Water your dreams with fiery fervor :P

Rang De Basanti ??

Calm before the storm should I say ?

Hot ya Cold ?

I have no words to say . "Foetus" by Leonardo Da Vinci

Insouciance

Cheers !!

Very Merry Christmas !

2006-12-25T09:13:00.000+05:30

First and Foremost, this goes out to all those vetti people who read my blogs -->ho..ho...ho.... wish you all a very very happy Christmas ho..ho..ho

Now that imitation of Santa Claus was silly :D

"Christmas...This word and this festival used to hold so much prominence till last year. That is probably due to the fact that I studied in a Catholic Institution for 14 years. At school, we used to have so much fun organizing things for the Christmas celebrations. But today, christmas seems to me like just another day."

This is how I started writing this post this morning at around 10:00 A.M. I imagined my day to be monotonous and uneventful.Turned out to be pretty eventful :)

Before I get into today's "what-did-I-do" schedule, I plan on elaborating the 3rd line in the above mentioned passage in italics . :|

Down memory lane.......Back to my school days *Sigh*
Christmas....The festivities used to commence right from the beginning of December, with the familiar ritual of suspending the Guiding Star in the portico and in the arch, near the gate. All of us (the members of the school choire) used to wait for some senior or the other to come and call us for the usual carol practice. We used to have fun bunking classes and singing carols (like Silent Night, We three kings of Orient are, Hark the Herald Angels sing, Felisnavidad, Jingle Bells, Joy to the world and lots more..). The D-Day used to be the "enjoyablest" (I dunno why i am so much into using silly degrees of comparison for these kinda words). We used to get Oranges and Cup cakes from our Principal.We used to have so much fun sqeezing the juice out of the orange peel on the other person's eye. It used to be so nice donning the typical "Christian" robes and singing carols loudly with the accompaniments. We used to have this standard "Mary and Jesus in the manger" setting and a nice backdrop. Loads of angels ( the cute little Kindergarden students) used to flutter their wings and spread the message of peace and joy.

Right now..today...Christmas seems nothing to me.At school, it was totally different. These kind of functions taught us religious secularism. We used to sing "Onam Vannalo" and "Pongalo Pongal" and "Diwali Artis" and "Joy to the world" with equal vigour and enthusiasm. At college, nothing seems to be happening. All the principles, that were taught at school is slowly beginning to dwindle. College seems to be sort of forcing me to be an unruly and riotus person. Is this God's way of indirectly telling me "Nithya you are growing up..You got to be more independent and principled" ? Christmas musings :|

Back to today's schedule :D
I didn't do anything much in the morning but for the usual christmas greetings, some orkut messages like "Happy Christmas", some blog reads et al. And then Vaish and I got back to our Herculean venture. As usual we ended up bungling things and confusing ourselves as well as Sharan, who turned out to be quite helpful :) . That paranoic in me came alive after a considerable period of dormancy. But she stayed only for about an hour or so. Things came back to normal at around 3 p.m, when Vaish and I set out to meet Latha and Sanutha (our school friends) at CCD. My post on CCD stirred the modern girl in Vaish. She became even more conscious. She kept telling people "I wore this dress, just because Nith had written Salwar kameezes earn scorns". :O

We had fun there.We spoke lots of stuff, over Chocochino,Cappuchino,Chocolate Fantasy and Brownie (yyuuuummmm). Latha wanted to have fun. So all of us walked towards Nilgris, when the fateful event cropped up . We were like yapping and walking, when Latha (thanks to her black heeled slipper, which her mother asked her not to wear) lost her footing and landed up in a pothole ( a small one though). She couldn't move a bit. Chaos. One girl falls down (Note this point : Any girl, Paravai Muniamma range/Priyanka Chopra range) and you find a swarm of guys rushing out to help her :| . I am beginning to wonder if Latha heard the tweet tweet of the birds around her head or the "naan help pannatuma" "thanni venuma" "naan vaidhyam pannuven" . We had lots of trouble shooing the guys or rather men away. Thank Heavens, a Punjabi family staying nearby called us in and offered help. We met this sweet girl called Adithi (who later mentioned that she had a boyfriend who was a DJ in Bangalore and that his name started with K. She also mentioned that she preferred B'lore to this place, because B'lore was her home-town and she had come out here to her aunt's place. She found company in us. She asked us to drop by her place, whenever we felt bored, inorder to entertain her :| ). And yeah the worst part. Our confrontation with "ZELA" - the DOG. .. When Latha stumbled, Sanu and Vaish were like taking care of her and I was asked to go and talk to the Punjabi people. I went near the gate and the dog was like pouncing. I backed away . Adithi tied the dog and only when she gave the "All's Well" signal, we moved into their lawn. After sometime, Zela emancipated herself from the chains of bondage. She came towards Sanu and me and we yelled our throats out. Pedastrians stared at the two cracked up girls, hiding behind the Brave Vaish (or Minerva should I say ?) , bawling and going on a crying jag :| . After a lot of trouble, Adithi's aunt succeeded in arresting Zela *Phew*. Latha's mother came to the venue after sometime and then Vaish and I came back home (with me driving her good ol' Sunny for the first time). Came to know that Latha is having a ligament tear and has to take bed-rest for 3 weeks. Poor girl. She was to have left for college tonight (at this time !!).

After having successfully figured out solutions to our problems, Vaish and I decided to finish things up tonight. But unfortunately some derisible thoughts creeped into our minds and we ended up talking on that. This is a chat (or rather scrap) excerpt of the conversation on "Shall we delete our orkut accounts" , between Nith and Vaish :

Nith in Vaish's scrapbook :

Nithya :
Hey dere...watyu upto ?

Nithya:
u dere or not ?

Nithya:
yeah we'll do it shall v or shall v not ?

Nithya :
nor can i...waaah...wat the hell yaar ! che

Nithya :
NO

Nithya :
lol..BAK TO WORK

Nithya :
puhleezz..stop that let's get bak to work

Nithya :
nah..let's not..get bak to work..we gotto complete it

Nithya :
Buddha why ? Saint a ..thaangale

Nithya :
sanyasi aaga vendam..atleast nalla manushigala irukalaame

Nithya:
k..get bak to work ...E waste is importanter..Kick my brain for having meandered aimlessly :|

Nithya :
darn...me neither

Nithya:
dependance..on loadsa things..

Nithya :
we r becoming way too materialistic

Vaish in Nith's scrapbook :

VAISHNAVI:
:(( we cant do this......here goes the first.....edho last day on earth irrukara maadri irruku :( ......i cant do it :( .....but i will....iff u do :D

VAISHNAVI:
noway.....i am not gonna delete my account:((

VAISHNAVI:
yeah....i know...

VAISHNAVI:
namballaam sanyasi aaga laykae kadayathu

VAISHNAVI:
Buddha will hate us

VAISHNAVI:
shall we delete it??

VAISHNAVI:
desire is the cause of misery

VAISHNAVI:
so our last scraps over??

VAISHNAVI:
shall we do it??

Done !! Whatya day !! Good Night !

Know me inside out

2006-12-22T09:21:00.000+05:30

Friday morning doldrums.Another one long hour to go before I meet Vaish . Random blog-hops. Am bored. So I am bored + I have no job to do = Tagging :D

Got this from Aishwarya's blog.

5 Things YOU (the reader) don't know about me ( Some people might know a few things written out here already :| )

~ I actually like playing these car-car, bus-bus, train-train, teacher-teacher games with little kids.But I like donning the role of a teacher(You see after all I am the eldest and the most impractical person in that lot) . An 18 year old girl plays regularly with 2,3,4,5,6,7 and 8 year olds :|

~ Like the rest of the under-18 Indian citizens, I do not own a license. But what's the big deal, you might ask. *I DO NOT want anybody, especially 2 people to have a stupid silly grin on your face while reading this* . I , once ended up giving my vehicle license plate number to the policeman, after having been caught by him. The worst part is he did not ask me what the reg no was. I ended up babbling it to him .

~ I like trying out all sorts of weird combinations, when it comes to food - A gourmet should I say ? ;) . I love eating Paruppu podi with Thayir Saadham, green piquant pepper with lemon,Vepelai Katti with Dhal , cracker biscuits soaked in Mosambi juice, Happydent chewing gum with wheat grains etc..etc..Eccentric,ain't I ?

~ I simply can't stand animals - dogs and cats to be particular. I have started hating dogs since ezhan class, when a silly-billy dog, chased me ( I was actually riding my cycle). That was the first time in my life I took my cycle out in the main road and I ended up reaching home with a flat-tyre, thanks to the perfect white set of dog-choppers :|

~ I have got this stupid habit of chasing flies. My sole aim in life : To swat a fly successfully

Pineesh.Now :D :D :D :D , you know what will follow suit :D. And yeah DO NOT forget to read my KE review,written below. You might tend to overlook that. That's more sensible, when compared to this one .

Cliche

2006-12-21T22:27:00.001+05:30

If eloquent cinema is what your heart,mind and soul craves for, then DO NOT waste your time reading this trite review of Kabul Express (KE) . 'Go to the theatres and watch Kabir Khan's Kabul Express' . This is a sincere counsel from a damsel, who badly wanted to become a reporter/journalist .

Warning Spoiler ahead

Kabul Express is an expressive expedition of five individuals - 2 indian journalists, an American woman from the Reuters, an Afghan guide and a Pakistani (or Taliban should I say)

The curtain unfolds and the movie begins with Jai (Arshad Warsi) , Suhel (John Abraham) and Khyber blindfolded and abducted in a jeep . There begins the 2 day journey of Jai and Suhel , the journos, who come to the rocky terrains of Afghanistan with an urge to interview a Taliban and making it big in the Indian reporting realm.Their confrontation with the "sensible" American (who doesn't drink Coke/Pepsi and who condemns her own countrymen) Jessica and the Talib Imran Khan follows suit. The Talib's ulterior motive is to reach the Afghan - Pak border and how he makes use of KE , the chauffeur and his co-passengers in KE forms the crux of the story.

KE is a perfect melange - with poignancy, subtle humour and well-scripted dialogues,being the ingredients for this recipe.Some scenes in KE leave you contemplating,while some leave you contented. Some leave you in awe,while some leave you teary-eyed. Some moving scenes in the movie,worth mentioning are :

* The very second scene , when Suhel is out in Hotel Kabul, flexing his muscles, while a boy,with an ethereal smile looks at him and Suhel asks "Tum bhi karna chahoge? ", when the boy comes out with crutches in hand and the same placid smile on his face.

* The scene, that breaks the ice between the Talib and the others - the one in which the radio plays "Good ol' Mohammad Rafi's Mein Zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya".

* The reunion of the father and daughter (is it a real reunion ?) with total silence conveying truck loads of emotion - guilt , distress , happiness and apprehension . The Talib places 300 $ (that he had actually 'pilfered' from Jessica) , on a rock, whilst his grand-daughter hides behind his daughter (wearing a purdah) , at the sight of 'a bearded man with a gun'. The cascade of transparent salty droplets from the eyes of the red-eyed father and the daughter,who removes her purdah only to find the jeep taking her father away from her is sure to make your iris twitch.

* The penultimate scene - The scene in which the Talib gets shot by his own people, the way he hands the gun over to John , the way Arshad bestows his precious pack of Indian cigarettes to the talib, the way the talib tries to convince his OWN people, that he is a frontier guard, the way he is bombarded by a torrent of bullets, the way he falls 'splosh' in the stream , the way an identity card floats away from the hand of a person-who-did-nothing-but-his-duty - Everything,absolutely everything about this scene is outstanding.

Humour is something, that a serious documentary like KE has to offer in mild and appropriate doses. Scenes like the one in which Jai and the Talib fight over , which cricketer (Kapil/Imran) is the best, the one involving the dinner,comprising of Kababs, the scenes that force Jai and Suhel to take money out from their 'almost empty' pockets and the scenes involving the donkey are admirable.

The Cast and Crew :

Arshad Warsi is at his usual best yet again. This guy proves his mettle in each and every scene in KE. He is sure to bring a smile on your face, whilst some circumstances in the movie force you to frown.

John Abraham is just sufficient . There is nothing much in him to go ga-ga over. In my personal opinion, he should've cropped his hair short and avoided that leather jacket in that hot Afghan environment.

The American lady and the Afghan chaffeur play their parts with elan.

But its Salman Shahid's show all the way, be it as the fiery,elusive Talib or as a culpable father or a soldier who does his 'farz' , he is absolutely brilliant and stunning. His body language suits the character perfectly - Cigar,in between the ring and middle finger, a long pagri,using which he constantly dabs his eyes and his shrivelled left eye are sure to bag your notice.

The cinematography is breath-taking. You must watch the movie, in the theatre, atleast for the sake of the beautifully captured rugged belts of the post 9/11 Afghanistan.

All in all an allusive, sensitive and sensible venture by Kabir Khan, that might not set the box-office bells ringing, but that is sure to carve a niche in your hearts (IF you are a person who likes movies with offbeat themes)

"yeh safar yeh imthihaan
bezubaan meri dastaaan
jeene ka yeh hai fhalsafa
gum mein bhi khushiyon ki sada
hai yahan
jane khuda na jaane kuda
yeh jo hua kya jane khuda
khoi si hai yahan sab ki dua
lamhoo mein jeene ka nishaan
khwaabo mein dundhe ashiyaan
har ek nazaar har ek dil tanhaan
soii hui aakhoon ka sapna
haai yahaan
jane khuda na jaane kuda
yeh jo hua kya jane khuda
ummm haa khuda ke bande hum
khuda ke sajde mein gum
khuda ki rehmat ki gun
gatee hai hum aur tum
ohh khuda ki mehfil mein aa
khuda ko apna bana
dekh kaise khuda banaye tujhko
aakhir se insaan
khoya kahan
teri zameeen tera jahaan"

The lyrics of the only song that appears during the recess.

P.S : This review was "written" using pen and paper, by me after a very very long time. It was fun writing things out. So that was the uncensored version of the written work by Ms Nithya Sivashankar !

WHAT THE HELL !! THE MOVIE IS OUT OF THE THEATRE ALREADY !! - *Phew* Lucky us , didn't get to miss it :D . *Sigh* People hardly watch such movies.

The Third Gender

2006-12-19T08:24:00.000+05:30

Well I am touching delicate issues right now in my blog.I really don't know what made me go the extra mile to post my views on "Eunuchs".Probably this ? . I have always felt that these people have always been devoid of a lot of things - everything right from an equal standing in the society to silver medals in Asiads.The rest of the society always feel that eunuchs aren't worth a tinker's damn.The commoners refuse to accept them as a part of their guild.But Why ? Aren't eunuchs homo sapiens too ? All that is wrong with them is an unbalanced set of chromosomes . Well chromosomes don't decide as to whether a person is good or bad,right or wrong,humane or inhumane,vile or virtuous, do they ?

Many at times I have confronted the local Indian 'hijras' in my home-town. They are ubiquitous - you can find them in the markets,shopping malls and at your doorstep too . The hijras usually pay a visit to your place,once they come to know a little infant is present at your residence. Elders usually say that 'a kid blessed by a hijra will lead a prosperous life' . This is the positive side to the hijras' lifestyle. The dark side - truck loads of sensitive stuff,that I really don't want to mention, sexual exploitation to name just one.

People literally balk at these eunuchs.They lead a very pathetic life,without anybody's care or love or affection. One of my friends' cousin sister presented a chronicle on the life of these eunuchs . It was doleful,listening to the plights faced by these people. Now coming to this Santhi's issue - Why do people at Doha have to be this callous ? Stripping Santhi's medal of her,denying her equal rank, et al . If people were so very particular about gender,then why didn't they ask every single participant to undergo the gender test,even before the events were to be held ?And why the hell do some people in the media have to address Santhi as "IT" . That's so very atrocious. I mean just because you belong to the third gender doesn't mean you can't take part in atheletics and you can't win a medal for your country. What sort of biased behaviour is this ?

People aren't looking at the other side of the coin - the hard work and the effort,that she has put in, inspite of her poor financial background. People are looking at the pictures being displayed in the Dec 17th version of "The Hindu".Look at the picture in which Santhi's dad (with a mobile phone,placed close to his ear) breaks into a smile with his wife complementing him - that ought to make the coldest heart melt. I just hope people at the sports council or rather the Indian sports council take some constructive steps to patch up the so-called irretrievable loss , faced by Santhi and her kinfolk.

This scenario is almost similar to that in which the Dalits are present. Rejection, negligence, nonchalance, indifference, unconcern, ruthlessness, disappointment and wretchedness is all that these 'social outcasts' get as a reward from the 'ideal lot'.

One....two....three....and FOUR !!!!!

2006-12-16T12:27:00.000+05:30

What the hell ! Today is supposed to be the fourth day of my precious precious holz...Sigh... "Time does fly like an arrow and fruit flies do like a banana" (Love this quote by Grouncho Marx).What did I exactly do these 3 days ?

Watched 2 girr888 movies with offbeat themes :

#Khosla Ka Ghosla : Man ! Do I love this movie ! It's supposed to be this feel-good movie.The story is pretty simple and the actors are all those unfamiliar faces (or rather unfamiliar faces in the tinsel town,but familiar faces in soap operas).But the way the movie has been executed is splendid.Kudos to the new director (dunno his name :D).All you hindi movie buffs out there watch this movie. you'll like it...(If you don't then don't blame Nithya :P).And yeah while watching the movie,notice the way Boman Irani (THE man !) walks.........It's soooooooooooooooooooo nice or rather pretty funny. (now now...I'm too much into using'or rather' , ain't i ?)

#Yun Hota to Kya Hota : I created a hullabaloo at home,for watching this movie.Actually I read about this Naseerudin-Shah-directed venture in Sandhya's blog. Amma was like "You want me to get the CD for you,just because you read a good review about this movie in somebody's BLOG ? " I couldn't exactly give a firm reply.I shut my mouth and then after sometime with that 'ethical Calvin' looks,went up to my mother and told her "Amma,see did I go out the other day with my college friends to that movie Veyil? did I go out to have lunch with them ? did I go shopping with them ? No i didn't......but why ? just because you told me not to go.Can you not do this small favour of letting me get the CD ?" And then tadaaaaaaaaaaaaa Amma was like "Fine ok..ok...I'll get it for you !" And then Amma and I began watching the movie..The content in the first CD was mundane.4 stories,truck loads of characters,totally new ones (except a few like 'my fav' Paresh Rawal,Jimmy Shergill,'my fav again' Konkana Sen,Irrfan Khan & Ayesha Takia..and yeah THE man appears in just one scene..adhulayum he's Birilliantu)...And then towards the climax,the movie gains momentum and only then you begin to realize "Wow..what a good movie ! " . It's better if you don't read any reviews before watching the movie !!

Blogged :

Yeah this is apparent...Proof : the increase in my post count.I got to spend sometime (or rather a lot of time) reading blogs.I was deprived of this for the past one month.It was nice to go around blog-jumping.I came across this really cool blog called Coffee and Stories.Lovely lovely stories by the author,who calls himself 'The Dream vendor'.Shrey I guess this guy is also a caffeine junkie like you ! All his posts have 'Cafe lattes and Cool blues and Espressos and Mochas and the backdrop is a pub called 'Coffee and Stories Coffee pub'.Make it a point to visit this pub people.And yeah...Tried writing a poem on foeticide.Wasted attempt ! PEOPLE DO PAY A VISIT TO MY POETRY BLOG - Anacoluthon and Amphigory.Sigh..This is the third time I am informing you all ! Please do check out that asinine ad,to the right of this page(below the'about me' section).Anjan has left bloggerapettai.Will miss his posts.

A few chotu-chotu things I tried doing :

Reading 'The Whiteout' by Ken Follett.
Rendezvoused with Laksh....Tried persuading her to start a blog..Another futile attempt...This girl is really pigheaded,let me tell you.
Collected information on 'Entropy and Second law of thermodynamics' . (Freaky me !)
Ate GOLA GANDA........wow..I was deprived of this too..Appa stealthily got Gola ganda,Sev gola falooda and Seethaphal stick (sluuuuuuurrrrrrrrrp) for me..
The Gluttunous girl gobbled up 8 giant bars of Ulta Perk because she was a little too greedier than usual.

Oh yeah...another blah-blah post that was..Now the post doesn't end here.Got to thank,congratulate and wish some persons.Here goes

Thank you :

Dearest Akshaya...Thanks a lot for that C & H cd....Well I never did ask you,but you passed it over to me through Laksh..Thanks a ton 'torpid girl'.

Congratulations :

Oye Hindi Pundit ! Congrats for you-know-what...

Birthday Wish :

Now..This little 11 year old girl was the person who taught me "Friendship counts no age, place, color, time, big, small, good, or bad, front or back, he or she, you or I, mother or father, daugther or son, rich or poor for anybody"..I never favoured her friendship much previously.But then as days passed by,I came to realize how lonely she felt (as she was being teased due to her dark appearance,by some other people...), how much trust she had in ME, how much she confided in me,how much she missed a sibling and how frank she was.Many at times,this girl used to get onto my nerves by complaining on every single person under the sun.I used to bark at her "hey ! all you keep doing is complain..complain..complain..See I do have a saturation point ok ? Don't complain like this,when I am buzy with some work got that ? " and the next moment,when I see those transparent droplets of tears flowing down,I used to feel so very guilty and then shower her with sorries.I came to know how much this girl liked me only during Friendship day.She tied a red-coloured band around my wrist,wished me Happy Friendship Day and stood there silently.When I asked her "Why are you so silent? ",she replied "I have a small gift for you" . I was like "A gift ? for me ? what for ?" She answered"Here you go" .She handed over a small bit of paper,which was torn out shabbily from a note pad,in which was scrawled shabbily (I haven't censored anything.This was exactly the way she wrote the letter,grammatical and spelling errors included) :

"Happy Friendship day to my best friend
My Dear Nitya,
You are my best friend-forever.Eventhough you are in higher studied,you are my best friend.you are only one,who can understand me.i don't no How to thank you.but you are my best friend"
Signed Jayashri

I had tears in my eyes,when I read this.Since then,I've never felt like ignoring this little pipsqueak.So here's wishing Jayashri (the-girl-who-got-a-brand-new-acer brand computer-at-home) A HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BUDDAY !!!!! Love you loads jeechi !!

So well people...Gotto wind up now..More sensible and senseless posts coming up !

Kapwwwwwwwwwwiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggg

Tag again !

2006-12-15T09:20:00.000+05:30

Found this one from Contented 's blog. T'was pretty different..So well here goes another tag !

The mission:

1. Grab the book closest to you.
2. Open to page 123, go down to the fifth sentence.
3. Post the text of next 3 sentences on your blog.
4. Name of the book and the author.
5. Tag three people.

"She might change her father's attitudes,turn his affections in new directions.She might bear him children,half-brothers,and half-sisters."

'The Whiteout by Ken Follett'

Tagging just 3 people would be unfair.I hereby tag 5 people.Just take this tag up people.It's after all going to take up about 5 mts of your time. :)

The New kids on the block (both 1 and 2)
The 2 regular decriers
the lazy goose,who is currently trying to catch up with some sleep after having successfully worked hard for solid 48 hours,without even grabbing a teensy-weensy catnap.

A Lot can happen over Coffee

2006-12-14T08:53:00.001+05:30

I am writing this post out of exasperation.It's just that I am totally vexed with people's attitude,in today's world.Well what served as a starting point for this post is Uttara's Fair and Lovely post.umm.This post is not going to be on how the outward manifestation of a person sells in today's world etc..etc...It's just that I wanted to have a say on coffee shops and the people hanging out at such places.
I would first like to classify the people coming to such places under 2 heads

"We are all friends dude" troupe :
Now they are probably the most sensible and sane people,that you can find in such coffee shops.They come out there,sit and yak (loudly...that too..It's their way to show off to people that they are having fun !) for long long hours,smear pineapple cake on the birthday boy/girl's face,lick the remaining cream (not from their hand,but from the neighbour's),spill coffee on the ground and table,bawl at the attenders (for having served Cappuchino,instead of Chocochino/for the delay in bringing the smoothie ),create a ruckus over the programme being telecasted/song,being played (You can never ever listen to these songs/watch the programme in peace,when such people are around.Infact these people themselves,end up cutting the breeze,while Cyrus Sahukar keeps doing 'oye oye' on MTV),and then finally leave the coffee shop and stand outside the place,chat for about an hour again , blocking the traffic with their Scooties,Activas,Novas and what not.Fine I accept youngsters need to have freedom to shout,scream,yell and roar,but that shouldn't be done at the expense of the others' present.

"Cuddly-wuddly twosome" type :
Look at their visages and you realize straightaway (unless you are one of those nerdy types,who,at the sight of such people comes to a conclusion that they are married !) that they have come to this place just to flaunt and display the amount of fondness that they have for each other.The following is an excerpt of a conversation that I heard between two lovesick lollygagers at CCD,the last time I had been there:

He (H) (choking her throat with a huge piece of Chocolate cake) : Kitne din ke baad........
She (S) (trying to toss down that big piece into her 'please-supply me-with-good-food-don't starve me' stomach ,with difficulty) : haan haan...tumhe patha hai us din jab ham yahaan aaye the,thab log goor-goor ke dekh rahe the(If you people display your affection like this in a 'i-want-people-to-look-at us' fashion,then what do you expect from us ? Eyes blindfolded like Gandhari ? )
H (after having truimphantly pushed that piece,down her throat) :Kya karen yaar? Park bhi koi place hai ? Hamein in longon ke saath kya lena-dena ? Chod dhe (takes his ginormous well-built arm and puts it around her pint-sized neck)
S (who just escapes,being buried in the ground,thanks to his huge brachium) :Sigh...In logon ko tho hamari plight nazar mein hi nahin aathi.Hamesha aliens ki tharah dekhte rahten hai...Kya pyaar karna ithni bhi koi buri cheez hai ? (Bura nahin hai mademoiselle,Pyaar to karo,lekin coffee shops mein nahin...Dekhne waalon ko to glaucoma nahin aana chahiye !)
H : Chal mein jaakar bill settle karke aatha hoon
S : Math jaao...Main pay karoongi (She never touches her purse..It's safely placed somewhere at the corner of the couch...She never holds him back either..Just verbal persuasion or rather so-called persuasion)
H : Pyaar me kya tum ? kya mein jaanam...Yeh to hamaari money hain...Aaj main pay karoonga to kal tum..simple
S : smiles kittenishly and blows a flying kiss in the air,out to him

Sigh..These people...Can't comment further folks !!

Certain people coming out there (not all..Certain....Certain...) have the worst attitude-problem.They come out there,dressed in the best manner possible (that wasn't a sarcastic comment).They talk decent stuff,act decently and so on,but then their attitude towards the other people,outside their friends' clique,is so very different.'Mockery',mockery at all those people,who aren't as well dressed as they are,or who don't order coffees as expensive as theirs are,who don't talk proper English as they do........Today's society is so damn outward-appearance driven.Attitude is the feeling of the 'Mind',not the outward facade.People tend to misconstrue this.They tend to judge the person by their external looks.Go to such places donning a Salwar Kameez,with braided hair,people will stare at you,as though you are an alien from 'Xena' (Personal Experience people !!) . And the company-the people with whom you go to such coffee shops,matter (matters to the cool and hep bunch).Go there with your friends,who are equally cool, you are safe.Go with your parents,you definitely become the stooge.Are these coffee shops meant solely for the youth ? Aren't the 30 + people allowed to drink Cappuchinos,espressos,granitas,slushes and mochas in such places ?

Society....Sigh !!!

And by the way folks...I've started a new poetry blog - Anacoluthon and Amphigory
Please do drop in and leave your comments behind.

Bilageeng

2006-12-13T08:05:00.000+05:30

8:00 a.m.
A cup,brimming with brewing hot tea is placed here,near the monitor.The aroma of Vethakozhambu is hypnotic.I am finally able to hear each sound-everything right from the "gutrugooooonnnnn" of the pigeons in my apt,to the "Aditya Hrudya Sthothram" to "My mum's yell (of course)" to the "squeals of my neighbour (apparently for no reason) " with intent,gape and gawk at everything from my terrace (unlike those times,when I was forced to rubberneck at my books alone)- everything right from "the apt security circulating the rush-hour traffic" :P to "the little kids in my apt cycling their way to school",to "pakathathu maama doing Sandhyavandham".I feel as though I have a lot of time to observe these little things,that I have been eschewing for the past umm..well..1 month or so. Here I am sitting in front of my PC,trying to stick to my pledge (4-5 posts per day :D).And yeah do check out the blogs mentioned under the caption "New kids on the block",to the left of this page,cauz 2 of my frnds are now proud citizens of bloggerapettai.Another one of my 'adapted' posts.Got this from Divya's blog.

What according to you, is a blog?
My space...My world...The arena,where I can be myself,where I can vent out frustration and happiness,voice my views without asking anybody's opinions and just BLAH-BLAH...

How did you come to know about blogging?

Sharan and Shrey
Young World's 'Techie Taffy'
Orkut profiles,that have a .blogspot address in the space ,meant for 'your website'

How far it has changed your perception?
umm..well It hasn't exactly changed my perception.It's just that I look at things from a different point of view,you know probably look at it from all angles possible.

Are you true to yourself while blogging ?
Of course...YES YES YES !

Any blog you wish to be the author of and why?
Nope....I admire people's blogs,their style of writing,the words they use,the ideas that they have et al..

What it has preached you?
No preaching vreaching....As I mentioned earlier,I look at things from a totally different view-point

Two of your fav. Blogs? And why?
You know that :D Of coure In Retrospect and An Idle Mind :)
And why ?
umm well..First and Foremost the authors of these 2 blogs are the people,who introduced me to this world of blogging and these blogs are the places,where I pay a visit to,almost every single day.And then the next reason......well i'll divide this into 2 sections

Shrey's blog : Language is really really good....Content is excellent...Never ever deviates from his particular style of writing posts....Doesn't cram his blogpage with unnecessary stuff (so very unlike supercali....)

Sharan's blog : Real-life incidents,woven into beautiful posts,with the right usage of words in the right order (I am sounding like that guy,who wrote the 4th lesson in the 12th std English text book !).You are assured of a smile on your face,when you read such posts.

One of your fav. Post by a fellow blogger?
Loads...
Past Two Days - Sharan
My Tryst with the Democratic process - Shrey
All the touching,poignant posts by Smrithi
That Abi and Aish post by Harish
The Horse Whisperer - Annette
All the funny posts by Uttara
I could go on and on and on.......
And yeah...Sharan's Two Extremities oda comments page (Lovely Debating arena,that was !)

One of your fav. Post by yourself?
"Adapted" - That post on Friendship by Smrithi Ramesh :D

Any Blog friends ! Who are they and why?
Just made 2,cauz I am pretty new to this place myself - Uttara and Smrithi.
I love their blogs..So obviously I commented on their posts and we eventually became friends.

If provided opportunity would you like to meet a fellow blogger? Who? and why?
Sharan - Long time since I met this 'fellow blogger'

Name a blogger, who comments regularly in each post of yours?
:D 2 people -------> Shrey,Sharan

A blog, where you comment regularly?
Do I have to keep mentioning the blog addresses always..Now now my answers are becoming way too predictable

How does it feel to be called as a blogger?
I feel pirovud to be called a bilogger

Kapppwwwwwwwwwwwwwinnnnnnnnnng !