Sri Rambles...

What's it like being Sachin

2012-01-23T23:58:00.000+10:00

I got hold of Greg Chappell's autobiography, Fierce Focus, the other day. I skipped straight to the chapter that interested me the most - "Sourav and I". Ganguly-Chappell is easily the most talked about player-coach relationship in the game, so the chapter was an engrossing read and Chappell's account was frank and to the point. However, when I finished the chapter, one paragraph, no, one line, kept ringing in my head. It was a comment made by Sachin Tendulkar (marked below).

Friends. He can probably count them on one hand. They say it's always lonely and cold on the top...how true! It's a curse of being the elite of the elitist. On one hand, he has a billion people who adore him; some name their kid after him; few even tattoo his autograph; he's the best in his field of work and probably has enough moolah for another 99 lifetime, but in reality what the man may actually yearn for is a normal life and a few more true friends.

Sigh. Such is life!

Aside:

I hope he gets that 100x100 monkey off his back in tomorrow's test at Bradman's hometown. He scored a ton last time India played a test at Adelaide. How fitting would it be if he does it again!

Go Sachin! :)

Alone in the cauldron. I took this pic when Sachin walked out to a standing ovation at the MCG on Day 2, Boxing Day Test 2011

Sliver of Green Glass

2012-01-21T22:30:00.000+10:00

Pizza stone - Heard of it? No? Me too. This, until my good friend, James, called me at work on a Friday afternoon and asked if I want to come over for dinner as he's gonna inaugurate his partner's latest inspired purchase - pizza stone.

If you're still wondering what a pizza stone is - it's a hot plate that heats the pizza base, just like an oven. It's a neat replacement for an oven. Don't have an oven, still want to make pizzas? This is your tool.

I reached James's place. After chatting a bit, we rolled our sleeves and entered the kitchen. James's partner, Sarah, was happy that the boys were in the kitchen for a change and she was in the lounge watching TV with a glass of Shiraz. It was my first time making pizzas. Having flipped the odd Dosai at home with grace and panache, I thought making pizzas should be as easy as eating them. And it wasn't hard. James did most of the work by topping the pizza, all I had to do was take the pizza off the oven with the enormous spatula when the edges turned brown.

"Ah this must be the best bit...", I told myself as I slid the big spatula under the crusty brown base, expertly lifted it off the plate, turned towards the kitchen benchtop and....thwwap. I watched in disbelief as the friggin pizza landed face down on the kitchen floor!

Now.

When two men are at work in the kitchen, sudden silence means trouble. And women can somehow hear this loud silence very well.

"Howssit going?", Sarah enquired from the lounge.

"Er. Yea almost done. mm..lemme top up your glass", James said in a calm tone but a bit louder than normal and quickly walked out with bottle of Shiraz, his eyes still fixed on the bums-up pizza.

I immediately rescued the pizza. Removed chunks of pineapple, tomato paste, jalapeños, onions from the floor. I had to use the knife to remove the cheese as it stuck to the floor like a bubble gum. I redressed the pizza again but it still looked messed up. James and I made an echicootive decision to convert the vegetarian pizza into a Pepperoni Pizza so we can cover the messed up parts with Salami.

"All done. Ready!", James beamed as he walked into the lounge with two plates. One Pepperoni, and another Vegetarian pizza.

"Mmmm...yummm!", she said taking a bite.

Phew.

Later that evening, James and I were in the kitchen as he was doing the dishes. He picked up a green crystal bowl, held it, and just like that, it leapt from his hand and crashed onto the floor into several thousand pieces. He was holding it one moment, the next moment I watched the slow motion disaster unfold with my ever widening eyes.

Sarah was asleep upstairs. We thought she might've have heard it, but nope, no sign of her.

"Man. That bowl looked expensive. She's gonna be mad at you", I said.

"yea. We'll clean it up right. She wouldn't know"

"She'll know", I said grimly.

"Okay. Just dont say anything in the morning okay.."

We swept, re-swept the floor to remove any vestige of evidence. We ruled out vacuuming as the noise may wake up Sarah.

Next day morning.

Brunch over. I was solid, didn't say anything when the topic of pizza came up.

Then after a while, Sarah cornered James in the kitchen. "Okay. What happened here yesterday? "

"er..what?"

"Did you have an accident in kitchen?", she said giving him the look.

"We may have...why?", James said, his gaze shifted to me quickly and back to Sarah. I had the "I told you so" look.

"How did you know?", pleaded James.

"Well, you see that tiny shard of crystal at the corner of the pantry...that thing has been reflecting light from the kitchen".

"Ugh! You're good!", James said as he left the kitchen shaking his head.

Sarah will never find out about the pizza...um, until now.

2012

2012-01-03T11:06:00.000+10:00

The perfect December sunset. Bye, 2011.

Happy New year everyone :)

Hope 2012 turns out to be as beautiful and brilliant as this song.

Puttham puthu boomi vaeNdum
Nittham oru vaanam vaeNdum
Thanga mazhai peiya veNdum
Thamizhil kuyil paada veNdum (3)

Sondha aagayam vendum
Jodi nilavondru vendum
Netri vaeRkindra pothu antha nilavil mazhai peiya vendum

VaNNa viN meengaL vaeNdum
MalargaL vaai paesa vaeNdum
Vandu utkaarum poo maelae
naan vanthu utkaarum varam vendum
kadavule konjum vazhi vidu un arugilae oar idam kodu
punnagai engaL thaimozhi endru varam kodu
boomiyil sila maaRuthal thanai vara vidu

(puttham puthu boomi...)

yuttham illatha boomi oru satham illaamal vaeNdum
maraNam kaaNadha manidha inam
indha mannil nilai koLLum varam vaeNdum

panja pasi poakka vaeNdum
paalaivanam pookka vaeNdum
shanthi shanthi endra sangeetham
sugam yaenthi yaenthi vandhu vizha vaeNdum

poanavai avai poagattum
vanthavai ini vaazhattum
dhesathin ellai kodugal avai theerattum
theivangaL indha maNNile vandhu vaazhatum

(puttham puthu boomi...)

Lyrics copied from here.

Great Barrier Reef

2011-11-30T22:13:00.000+10:00

It's meee. Naandhean :D

Having lived in Queensland for a little over 3 years, and to say, I haven't been to the Great Barrier Reef is akin to living in Tirupathi and not trekking up to see Venky even once. I exaggerate, obviously :-) But you get my point. So last Friday, I landed at Cairns to spend the weekend Scuba Diving and Snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef. It was arguably the best weekend of 2011.

I booked with these guys. Their rates are a tad expensive, but they had excellent reviews and my colleague - a certified Scuba diver, recommended them.

They took us to six coral reefs over the weekend. I scuba dived in four reefs and snorkeled the remaining.

On Saturday, we sailed into the Coral Sea from Port Douglas at 8AM to the location shown below.

On Saturday

On Sunday

The reef was ~50kms from the shore and it took 2.5 hours to get there. There were about 30 people onboard - an eclectic mix of Aussies and foreigners.

We visited three coral reefs (Nursery Bommie, Barracuda Bommie and Helm's Deep) on Saturday, spent roughly 2 hours diving or snorkeling at each reef. Each scuba dive lasted 30 to 40 minutes or as long it took to use up 80% of the air tank.

The first dive at the Nursery Bommie was an introductory dive where we were taught and told to demonstrate three important skills of scuba diving.

To keep breathing through the mouth piece when under water. More importantly, to keep breathing and not hold the breath...even if those beautiful corals and colourful fishes are a breathtaking sight.
To equalise the ears regularly by pinching and blowing the nose.
To know how to use the emergency breathing apparatus.

I was in a group of four, which comprised of 3 divers and a diving instructor. I initially had difficulty equalising my ears as we went deeper, but I got it sorted soon, and rest of the dive went smooth. Usually in the first 5-10 minutes of the dive, if the instructor is happy with your basics, he/she lets you wander on your own as long you stay close to the dive group. About half way into my first dive, I was my own.

The stuff I saw in the dives will remain etched in my mind for a long time. Our earth is so bloody beautiful. At first, it felt like I was inside the world's most exquisitely decorated aquarium. I was surrounded by plethora of colours in the form of intricately shaped corals and thousands of fishes. Thinking about it now, I feel the fishes fascinated me more than the corals. The size of the fishes ranged from the length of the little finger to an arm's length. They moved around me, with me, in complete freedom, unrestricted, their world not constrained between glass walls, they swum around casually with such nonchalance that they didn't bother to give me a second look. It was as if the moment we plunged under water they accepted us as one of their own. It was their domain and it's a different world down there.

In all my dives we reached a maximum depth of 11 metres. The dives were done either late morning or early noon. Even at that depth - 11 meters in scuba diving isn't very deep anyway - still, there was a lot of light. To look at the sun from that depth, through the surface ripples, was a beautiful sight.

The dive at Helm's Deep was the most exciting dive. The reef teemed with marine life, way more compared to Nursery or Barracuda Bommie.I saw a Stingray for the first time. The Stingray was lying on the sea bed, well camouflaged. When I came near it, it quickly took off. Its amazing how fast and gracefully it can move without disturbing the sand under it. Its barb was about a meter long. For a second, I thought of Steve Irwin. This bastard killed him. Pch. We saw a big green sea turtle soon after.

The main highlight of the dive was the close encounter with the Reef Shark. Our instructor gave the shark signal (by placing his fingers vertical against his forehead) and signalled us to come close to him. In a few seconds, the reef shark, about 1.5m long, appeared just 6-7 metres from us. I've read the Reef sharks are harmless and normally don't attack divers unless provoked. But when you see the monster face to face, you forget all that. Oh. Ffff. I hope he doesn't go for us. The shark slowly glided past us. We stayed still. It was a thrilling experience to come so close to one of nature's greatest predators. Phew.

I am holding a Sea cucumber. And it is not a vegetable.

In my fourth dive on Sunday, we forayed over the amazing coral gardens and almost went to the edge of the reef. As we went closer to the edge, it looked as though we were approaching a dark blue wall. I moved into the "wall", I looked down to see the seabed, and it felt as if I was looking down a cliff. My instructor signalled not to go any further. When I got back to the ferry, I learnt that the depth at that spot went from 16 metres to 1500 metres!

Of the three things I did, snorkelling was fun; free-diving was even more fun; Scuba diving was the best.

Things I want do next:

Complete a open-water certification course - which means I'll be officially qualified to dive without an instructor next time :D
Scuba dive at night. I didn't know they do this till I got onboard. Damn. Apparently they dive with UV glow sticks and dive torches. Crazzzy!
Watch Finding Nemo. Everybody was going gaga about this small fish called "Nemo" which hides inside corals. I haven't watched Finding Nemo so was wondering what's the fuss is about :-/

The Great Barrier Reef - truly one of nature's gifts. You gotta see it! :-)

The EpiLASIK experience

2011-10-11T23:00:00.001+10:00

I had EpiLASIK surgery done to my eyes couple of months back. This post is a recollection of events and moments leading upto, during and post surgery written in the form of a timeline. Hope some of this info is useful if you're considering laser surgery and wondering what it's like.

T - 9 years: Frank C, my calculus class buddy at high school, suggested (almost pleaded) to get my eyes checked after I asked him one too many times what Mrs Webster wrote on the board. I became four-eyed the same evening. OPSM; oval shaped glasses; looking oh-so-fresh; plus, $450 damage to Amma's purse.

T - 8 years: Squash game with my good friend, Kumanan. Thwacck! Squash ball from a full-blooded forehand screamed into my right eye. I roamed around with a black eye for a week and a bit. The plastic lens dislodged on impact and hit my right eyelid. The lens probably did more than damage than the squash ball. Playing squash with prescription glasses is a nuisance.

T - 5 years: 1st year of professional work. I went on numerous substation/site visits that meant wearing PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) all day. Wearing safety glasses over prescription glasses is the next worst thing to pain in the ass.

T - 2 years: Eye check up time. The ophthalmologist confirmed my eye power has stabilized, however, she recommended I should wait for another year before going for LASIK.

T - 4 days: Had the pre-operative eye check up at Madras. It included numerous tests to check the nuts and bolts of the eye.

The most uncomfortable test was the testing of tear ducts. The ophthalmologist poked a tiny needle-like thing in the corner of the eye and she left it hanging there for a minute. If it isn't there already, I recommend this test to Lord Yama to be included in the list of punishments in Garuda Puranam.

The doctor said my corneas were normal - though slightly on the thinner side of normal. We decided to go for Epi-LASIK.

T - 0: The day of the surgery.

It felt as if I was appearing for an Electromagnetics exam. A subject I loathed. On the way to the hospital, we somehow happened to tune in to Mr Suki Sivam on the radio, he was firing on both barrels about fate and death. Sivam is a great orator and infuses a lot of energy, but fate and death wasn't the topic I wanted to listen that morning. So, not the best-est of starts, but good thing was we reached the hospital on time despite driving at centipede's pace.

I had a quick peek at the surgery order and I found myself slotted in at No. 4 - just like the Big Man. Ah. God :)

After 1 hour wait, the Pre-op technician took me in. He cleaned the area around my eyes and applied numbing drops. He checked my details, confirmed the type of procedure I was gonna have and asked if I had any questions or concerns before I go in. I had none. It was only few minutes to 10AM, just about time for Tamil Nadu Electricity Board to flick the switch off for the suburb. And, just like that, the lights flickered and the generators/UPS kicked in.

"Adada. Nalla sagunam sir. Na ready."

"Haha. Worry panrathuku onnu illa. Maydam irukaanga. Instructionsa stricta follow pannuga. Okay'nglaa?"

I was under the laser. They started with my right eye. Eyelashes were taped. Eyelids were held apart by a suction thing. The surgeon checked my details again. There were 4 people around me and one on the far side of the room presumably before a computer. All set to go.

There was lot of pressure exerted on the eye by the gadgets. It was bearable. I did not feel pain at any stage. The surgeon was a gem. Before each manoeuvre, she explained what is being done, what I should do (or shouldn't do), and what I may feel/expect.

I did have an anxious moment. When the keratome (blade) was set to move across the cornea to remove the epithelium, the surgeon alerted me there would be a brief loss of vision and it was important I keep looking at the green light straight above. As the blade went across my eye, it was as if a dark grey curtain slid across.

I lost vision.

It was slightly unnerving to be honest. And, when you lose something, whatever it is, you look for it. That's what I did.

Surgeon: Oh my...you're moving your eyes everywhere Sriram! Look at the green light!

Me: Um...I can't see.

Surgeon: Yea I know. Just look straight.

Me: I cant see which way straight is.

Surgeon: Huh! okay. Just don't move your eyeballs. Can you do that?

Me: Yea.

Clearly, some people screw up no matter how much you prep them.

Now that the epithelium was taken out, it was time for Laser. The doc repeated that I should focus on the red light and not look anywhere else. The vision came back...slowly. Now that I could *see* where the blimming red light was, things became a lot easier :P

So, blinking red light, slight burning smell, five seconds for each eye and it was all done. A "bandage" contact lens was placed on the both eyes to help the epithelium regenerate.

T + 25 minutes: I saw the difference straightaway. I could read the sign on the other end of the operation theatre. The surgeon checked my eye. She said the procedure went as expected. I was given a LASIK kit that had eye drops and instructions to follow for the next 3 weeks. I was also given dark glasses to wear. It was a horrible piece of eyewear. It did a decent job covering the eyes on all sides but was uncomfortable to wear and kinda made me look like Moo Ka's younger brother.

T + 1 day: I couldn't open my eyes for the rest of the day. It felt heavy and drowsy. One of blogs I read in my LASIK research said the feeling is akin to the burning/drowsy sensation you feel when you peel onions. Spot on. Just multiply that feeling by 10 times. There was no pain or itchiness - although my eyes looked horribly bloodshot. I was told to stay indoors for rest of the week, apply eye drops every 2 hours and strictly keep away from dust and bright light.

T + 2 days: The drowsiness was still there but not as bad as the first day. I still couldn't keep my eyes open for any longer than 10 seconds. Went to the hospital for check up. Everything is okay. Come back after 3 days, they said.

As per prescription, my eyes were flooded with eye drops every 2 hours. Everytime I (or Amma) instilled eye drops, there was a bitter, metallic taste at the back of my mouth. It was yuck! The first few times it happened, I was concerned and the idiot voice in me wailed, aiyayooo kannu karaiyidhuraaa. But, as always, wise Google came to the rescue. Apparently some of the eye drops flow through the tear ducts, which is connected to the nasal passage, which in turn drains into the throat. So nothing is wrong, all is well. I am used to the bitter taste now :P

T + 5 days: Got the bandage lens removed. No more drowsiness. Eyes were very sensitive to sunlight and I had my sunglasses (Oakley, not Moo Ka's) on all the time. I could watch TV and work on the computer comfortably (with sunglasses on) for half an hour or so, then had to rest a bit. I slept a lot in the first week.

Doctors say EpiLASIK patients should be fit to go back to work after the second day post procedure. I am not sure about that. Maybe its me, but I feel one needs to rest atleast for a week before you can really work your eyes. Some of my friends who've had LASIK (not EpiLASIK) say their eyes were normal and fit for work the next day. I think they have magic eyes.

T + 2 weeks: Eyes felt almost normal BUT I was experiencing ghosting/double vision. My vision was a perfect 20/20. The doctor said it is normal to experience double vision in the first 6-8 weeks, and it should go away as the eye cures itself. I felt like our old Solidaire TV. It was robust, stood the test of time, and always showed the spirits of characters it displayed.

T + 3 weeks: Still experienced double vision. A week back, it was on both eyes. Now it was only on one eye and it alternated between eyes. Some improvement. It was weird and frustrating. And, three weeks of limited/restricted activity and staying mostly indoors was getting to me.

T + 5 weeks: First month check (i.e. 1 month after removing the bandage lens). The Ophthalmologist gave a clean chit of health. I told them again about double vision, and they gave the same answer as two weeks back. The double vision was there and the occurrences were coming down...slowly. I could feel the improvement. It takes time. Patience!

Now: There is improvement every week. Little by little, one step at a time, eye-am getting there.

Life, without prescription glasses or contact lens, is great! Super glad I had EpiLASIK done.

Jumping crocs at Top End

2011-09-03T23:21:00.000+10:00

"Watch out for the crocs man. They are blimmin everywhere"

...my good friend, Rossco, emailed me when I wrote him my work is sending me to Darwin for few months. True to his word, after a couple of hours of landing here, many warned me to stay away from the beach and other waterways. Apparently, if the Box Jelly fish doesn't get (sting) you, the Salt water crocs will. If crocs dont get you, the sharks will. Watta pity! Darwin has got lovely beaches - white sand, clear blue water and all that, sunny warm weather...but no one dares to take a dip.

Anyway, back to crocs. I went on a Jumping Crocodile cruise today. It is a one hour cruise on the Adelaide River which is home to about 9000 fresh water and salt water crocs. Trained personnel hook a large chunk of meat (Pig head chops. Oua!) at end of a cloth string, and tempt the crocodile to leap out of the water to grab the meat. We fed about 10 crocs. It was fantastic to watch one of nature's beasts in their natural habitat at such a close range. One of the crocs, nicknamed Bogart, was a BIG one - he was the King of the river stretch, a 5.5m monster, weighing about 650kgs, almost 70 years old, and was missing a leg. When Bogart leapt out, almost 60% of his body was out of the water. It was a spectacular sight.

Worth the $38.

Here are some pics:

All aboard The Adelaide River Queen

Even the eagles wanted a bit of Pig's head.

Come on ya Bast..ket!

Treats bucket. Pig head chops.

Aaa kaatu!

Croc "Bugger"

Croc "sweetheart" going to its nest for an afternoon nap

Chocolate Krishna - the 400th show

2011-07-28T12:14:00.007+10:00

I attended Crazy Mohan's Chocolate Krishna drama few days back at Narada Gana Sabha. It was the drama's 400th show. The Crazy Creations team made it a special event by inviting several dignitaries like K Balachandar, Kamal Hassan, Prof. Nyanasambandham, S Ve Shekar, P B Srinivas etc. Pretty much the cross-belt of persons involved in Tamil drama were present. We made a last minute decision to watch the drama and somehow got tickets. It was my first time at a Crazy Mohan drama and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story is based on a God-Man interaction. Though this concept is not new, the approach feels different as Crazy Mohan adeptly balances comedy and Godliness. There were simply too many hilarious punchlines and lol moments to remember. Mohan's wit, clever word play and sharp humour had us in awe. During the interval, Kamal feted the troupe members by giving out silk shawls (ponn aadais). The core group of Crazy Creations had been together for 32 years now. K Balachandar in his speech lauded the troupe's contribution to Tamil drama and Prof Nyanasambhandam had us in splits as he recollected his interactions with Crazy Mohan and Kamal. All in all, an awesome evening!

Wishing the Crazy Creations team many more successful and LOLful years in Tamil drama!

Here are some photos:

The troupe honoured Crazy Mohan with a monstrosity of a maalai.

Kamal felicitating 'Appa' Ramesh

The hero. Maadhu Balaji.

Kamal felicitating the actor who played 'Varadhukutti' in Micheal Madana Kamarajan.

K Balachander in his speech.

Arranged Barriage

2011-04-24T20:18:00.006+10:00

Once upon a time
there lived a young lad
Happy, carefree and full of beans
a free bird, by all means.

One day he turned twenty-six
his parents got into the mix
Life is a long long journey, they said
So Kanna its time you get ready to wed.

We'll find a nice girl,
Smartha, someone from Vadama
But please for Perumal's sake,
don't bring home a vellakaara kuttyma!

My son is 26 and 6-feet tall
he's well-educated, brainy and all.
They said it to one, two, many...
Jee..they wrote it even in Tamil Matrimony.

They received a dozen requests
and sent as many,
in the hope of finding their dear
a cute adorable Kanmani.

We like your son's profile,
lakshanama irukaar!
but sorry our daughter doesn't want
a faarin aathukaar.

Still, Jadagams came in
the Josiyer checked for a match.
Nothing much happened
but for the occasional catch.

Inga paarungo, indha varan nanna iruku
This girl is just right!
A chat was quickly organised
via the blimming Skype.

They looked at each other,
one thing was certain.
An invisible wall was between them
with an infinite dielectric constant.

There was, you know,
no freakin spark!
It was obvious
and the reality was quite stark.

So once again for every prospective girl
they got the horoscope data.
And every time they visited the Josiyer
he told them to bid the girl ta-ta.

One day, The Site spitted out a 10/10 match
it said "from the Matchmaking Pro".
But, oh golly molly,
that girl looked more like a bro!

Oh!, he wondered,
Is that God's subliminal message of the day?
That the young lad might as well,
be of the gay?

Tongariro Alpine Crossing

2011-03-23T21:27:00.015+10:00

Tongariro Crossing - This was one of the highlights from my recent stay in New Zealand. Tongariro Crossing is rated one of best one-day treks in the world. The trek basically cuts across two active volcanoes - Mt Ngaurohoe and Mt Tongariro, located in central north island of New Zealand. The trek is 19.4kms long (one way), it took us a little over 6 hours to complete it. I've done a few treks in Queensland's rainforests but Tongariro Crossing easily beats them in all aspects like scenery, terrain, weather conditions and difficulty. It is the most scenic walk I've done so far.

The best parts of the trek for me are:

a. The breathtaking view from Red Crater. The Red crater is reached by climbing a steep section of Volcanic ridge aptly named Devil's staircase. It took us about 90 arduous minutes to reach the top. Hard work. But boy, wattey view!

b. Sliding, falling...sliding, falling on scoria and damp pebble-filled sand. Sore bums...but it was fun!

c. Emerald Lakes and Blue Lake - stunning colour of the lakes! The lakes, we were told, are small volcanic craters. The lake water is obviously unsuitable for drinking due to high mineral content.

d. Soda Springs

Also,

e. Opportunity to take great photographs. Mum Nature overwhelms you with her beauty. The camera, even if its a DSLR, does not do full justice.

f. Hot spa and a cold drink after a hard days work :D Ahh.

Here are some photos of my photos:


The zero km mark.


The green of Mangatepopo Valley


Are you sure? Signboard at the start of Devil's staircase. They did warn us! :) Photo Credit: Lars

Couple. The gentleman had a Canon 7D.

Track to the base of Mt Ngauruhoe

Mt Ngauruhoe. That's a neat cloud cover, isn't it? :)

Some hikers planned to stay overnight. Look, they even brought their kettle!

Green lake. Check out the steam coming from the vents. It smelled soo....sulphury.

I didn't do the Tongariro Summit climb. It's a 1hr and 20mins of 45-50 degree climbing and back. Too much for this slugger. Next time, may be.

It was great. Tongariro Crossing is a must-do if you like hiking and are visiting NZ.

Luckkage

2010-12-30T22:10:00.008+10:00

It's one of the loneliest feelings the world - the sense of abandonment that envelops you as you stand beside an empty luggage carousal. Half hour back, I was surrounded by my fellow passengers, watching expectantly at the mouth of the luggage carousal but standing well back to avoid being knocked down from those who believe if they miss to pick the luggage when it first appears it will be passed through the incinerator and set to fire. When their luggage does appear, they quickly haul it off the carousal with such a force and momentum enough to fell anyone on its way like a pin in a bowling alley.

So. I waited.

The carousal had spat out the suitcase of the lady who was in front of me in the check-in queue, I was hoping my bags would turn up any moment. However a familiar voice from the tiny recess of my mind said "Mmhmm. Avlodhaan. You ain't getting it today. They've sodhapified. Lodge a complaint and go home, boy". This voice, his name is Parattai, is almost always right.

There is a TV programme - Airport - it shows angry passengers who've been bumped off or had their flights cancelled or luggage lost having a real go at airline staff. Sitting on the couch, one may wonder: "Take it eazzy, you morons. What can the airline chick do? Not her fault!". Try telling to yourself as you stand in the luggage hall - a solitary, pathetic figure staring at the closed mouth of luggage carousal with open mouthed anticipation. There is always, however, one unclaimed bag, which goes round and round and its owner is probably waiting for it beside an empty carousal in Honolulu.

I woke up from the denial and went to the Airline Helpdesk. An irritatingly cheerful Customer Rep assured me that my bags would be on the next flight.

"But why wasn't it on my flight?"

"Sorry about that. Sometimes they're a bit slack in Wellington.", she said, beaming as if she's so proud of it.

"Yea. I see that. So I'll have my bags delivered home this evening then?"

"Um. No. You'd be getting it tomorrow, 10AM", she smiled. "At the latest", she added and did a quick flutter with her eye-lids and smiled even broadly.

"Look. I wouldn't be home then. I've got an appointment in the morning. I want my bag tonight. Please, do something about this. Help me out here!"

"Sorry..", she smiled, again, some of the fluorescent light bouncing off her teeth like a sunlight of a glacier. "we don't deliver after 7PM". I fought the urge to say Un moonjila yen peechan kaiya vekka.

I reached home and was awoken late in the night by a bang outside the door. It was my bag. "Yo. They said twas coming in the mor...". The delivery guy cut me off and grunted "I dunno mate. Sign here!". He quickly disappeared into the darkness after getting my autograph.

Ahhh. The good old Kiwi incompetence and rudeness. How nice it was to be back home :)

The Unseen Sea

2010-09-22T10:05:00.003+10:00

The Unseen Sea from Simon Christen.

This is a collection of time lapses Simon took around the San Francisco Bay Area roughly shot over a period of one year.

Sweat

2010-08-29T18:45:00.000+10:00

pic courtesy MamaMandolin

An alarming sign has popped up at the entrance of my local gym. At first read, I broke into cold sweat. People - from boxers, rowers to weight lifters - are refused entry if they don't carry a sweat towel. Heh. So it is no longer appropriate to leave sweat in a place where you go to, well, raise a sweat. I would've shared my piece of mind with the burly receptionist if I hadn't been mopping my sweaty face with a kerchief for the fear of being marched out of the gym. Be gone, you sweaty man! This isn't to say I am a gym junkie. I am not. This was my first visit in the last 3 weeks. I usually visit the gym to do a few laps in the swimming pool or if it's not very humid, maybe a few kms on the treadmill. I usually prefer to hit the pool. You can't dog paddle on the running machine, you see :)

Coming back to the towel issue, I feel slighted on behalf of my fellow blokes. We are fast becoming extinct, allowing the actions of over-zealous sanitary types to erode our natural environment. If we don't act soon, real men will be wiped off the planet by 2030, replaced by gormless, porcelain-like Robin Pattinson-types. Is that the kind of a 'man' the world wants? Some chicks may scream Yessss. But you see, less is not always more. I agree, sweat can be disgusting. No one would wants to see Miranda Kerr walking down the catwalk with a wet underarm patch. No one wants to have their bowl of soup dripped on or have their sandwich sogged up by a sweaty waiter. No one wants to be leaked on by a overheated commuter. On a hot humid day, our Kashkam can pose lots of kashtam for us.

But people and perspiration can live together. In harmony. In some case, it's a privilege. Try telling a ball kid that they are not to hold Rafeal Nadal's towel during a particularly tight 5-setter. I am sure they don't wanna be rushed off to be disinfected in a chemical bath. They wouldn't want to be washed for a week! I've always dreamed of being an Australian Open ball boy.

Take cinema. Sweat is an icon. Who else would pan slowly and purposefully on a worried actor's furrowed brow in a tense scene. Ask Ethan Hunt - sweat contributed to the suspense in that scene in Mission Impossible-1 where he dangled from the ceiling. Rocky, John McLain, why even our own Padayappa owes part of his good fortune to sweat. Thamizh makkal have paid him oru poun thanga kaasu for every thuli of his vervai. So why ban it from gyms? A wise man once said, If you cant handle the heat, you should get out of the kitchen. That may explain why there are many women-only gyms. Hm. Fair enough.

But now, the situation is dire. A species is at risk. Sweaty blokes belong to the gym. It's their jungle. If you don't like it, head to the swimming pool. One request: Make sure you take a leak before you take the plunge. Thank you :)

Momentos - Kaatchipizhai

2010-08-13T23:46:00.004+10:00

Momentos - Life's good

I got this video as a forward. It's only 7 mins long. There is no narrative, still it manages induce a myraid of emotions. I was touched. Check it out.

காட்சிபிழை - Parallax

A short film by Karthik Subbaraj.

Tagged: Gender Bender

2010-07-16T21:04:00.001+10:00

Ashwin has tagged me. The tag asks me to list "my sins against gender stereotypes". Interesting. Well, here I go:

#1 I cannot cook if there are unwashed dishes in the kitchen sink. I have to do the dishes first before I start any cooking. The sight of unwashed dishes makes me uneasy. I live with 3 flatmates - one flatmate (a girl) is like me and the other two (both guys) think doing dishes more than once a week is a waste of time. Ever heard of kitchen wars? No? Come to my place to witness it live :-)

#2 When I was a kid I used to love having Mehndi applied on my hands. My mum was brilliant in Mehndi decorations that during wedding season we used to have Kalyana ponnus (brides) visiting our place to get Mehndi done. I used to patiently watch Amma do wonders with the Mehndi cone and occasionally help out by topping up the lemon solution (the soln enhances Mehndi colour on the skin). The last time I had Marudhani - not Mehndi cos there were no intricate shapes or patterns, only a circular mehndi patch on the centre of the palm - was during my poonal in 1997. I still have the temptation of having a kutti flower/pattern drawn on my palm whenever I see someone applying Mehndi.

#3 I like cats. Cats are cute but can be a beyatch sometimes. I hate it when people kick cats.

#4 Okay, I am not a soccer fan. The game doesn't excite me like Cricket, Tennis or Rugby Union. Till date I haven't sat through an entire soccer game. The teeny weeny interest I had in WC vanished when Maradona's team crashed out. Post Argentina's exit, I couldn't wait for WC to finish. I really need to watch some cricket to reset my system.

#5 Like #1, I need to have a CLEAN and ORGANISED desk before I start studying. Nothing goes into the brain when there is clutter before me.

#6 I don't watch horror movies. I don't like Sci-Fi either (with the exception of Matrix trilogy). But I lost count how many times I've watched Alaipayuthey, Forrest Gump, Kanda Naal Mudhal, One Fine Day, Hitch... yea, romantic comedies. I like'em.

#7 I hate cigarette smoke and smoker's shaakadai (stench of sewage) breath.

I've written 7 "sins". I'd like to pass this tag to 7 bloggers.

Archana
Nirmal
Pearls of Life
Foreign Desi
Venkatesh
Anjana
Gans

Thanks for the tag Ashwin :-)

Ayers Rock

2010-07-07T23:25:00.008+10:00

Uluru (Ayers Rock)

I visited Uluru (also called Ayers Rock) with my parents last week. Uluru is a huge sandstone formation in the middle of Australia. It is one of Australia's popular and most recognisable tourist destinations. Uluru is a UNESCO world heritage site and it is of immense cultural significance to the Aboriginal people. Below are some pictures I took during the trip.

Uluru at sunset.

This picture was taken ~10 minutes before sunset. Uluru is famous for changing colour at different times of the day due to changing lighting conditions. It offers a spectular sight at sunset and sunrise. I saw the rock change colour from rusty brown ->bright orange -> bright red -> pink (just before sundown).

~5 minutes before sunset. Uluru in a beautiful pink-orang-reddish glow.

~2 minutes to sunset. Pink.

My parents.

Uluru at sunrise.

It was unfortunately a cloudy morning so we couldn't see the sunrise. There aren't many cloudy days at Uluru. Thankfully the clouds were only sparsely scattered, so we could see the skies lit up in the early morning light.

...and it was a COLD morning. REALLY cold. The guide told us it was 4 deg C when we reached sunrise viewing area - a secluded sand dune. I did dress accordingly, but did not bring any gloves. I couldn't feel my fingers.

Sunrise viewing area. Desert awakening.

The desert road.
The Aussie outback is known for its Red soil. No wonder Northern Territory is called the The Red Centre.

Ayers Rock
Strong winds. Shucks! I badly wanted to climb the rock. Next time!

Kata Tjuta (The Olgas)

The other attraction near Uluru is Kata Tjuta (known as The Olgas). Kata Tjuta is a collection of dome-like rock formations. Kata Tjuta means "many heads". It is 50kms to the west of Uluru. Kata Tjuta is also very sacred to the local aboriginal people. Some rock formations were out of bounds because they aren't supposed to be viewed or photographed by the public.

Walpa Gorge walk

Kata Tjuta

Sound of Silence - Stargazing

We did a tour called Sound of Silence. The tour started out with viewing the Uluru and Kata Tjuta at sunset from a great viewing spot, then we walked to the dinner area in the middle of the desert for a candle-lit three-course buffet (the main items were Kangaroo burgers, Crocodile meat, Barramundi Fish fry and Lamb Chops. Being vejjitarians, we had to settle for a onju pona pasta and salad. Hmph. The outback is not a good place to be a vegetarian). While we were getting ready to have desserts, suddenly all the lights were turned off. We were in the middle of nowhere and it was pitch dark. Just then, an astronomer introduced himself and gave us a tour of the southern night sky. In the darkness, the night sky was a breathtaking sight. Just...wow! We could see so many stars, I could clearly see the Milky way spread across the wide horizon.

The astronomer showed us the following:

a. Zodiac signs. Signs like Capricorn, Scorpio, Aries were easy to recognise. Certain zodiac signs required us to use extensive imagination to recognise them from cluster of stars.

b. Southern Cross. The astronomer told us how ancient explorers and native Aboriginal people used Southern Cross for navigation. He showed us how to determine which direction is south by applying simple trigonometry on Southern Cross. Very neat!

c. There were two telescopes from which we could see Saturn and the Butterfly cluster. I've never seen Butterfly cluster before. It was a beauty!

d. Nebulae, Venus & Mars.

It was a fantastic night. I'd do Sound of Silence again just to gaze at the stars in pitch darkness.

World Press Photo '10

2010-06-25T12:40:00.006+10:00

I went to World Press Photo '10 - the annual exhibition of photojournalism presenting the best press photos of 2009. It is the leading international competition in press photography receiving over 100,000 photos from more than 5000 professional photographers around the world.

This is my first time attending World Press Photo. It's a unique exhibition solely dedicated to excellence in photo journalism. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Stunning photos! The images of certain photos are still etched in my mind. Almost all the photos struck a chord, some were emotionally engaging. Some photos touched me, some leapt out of the wall and grabbed me by the throat. It was intense!

On the whole, the essence of the photos was more than just a story or message. They made me think and I guess that is one of photojournalist's intentions.

While going through the exhibition gallery, I struck a conversation with a gentleman. Before I spoke to him I noticed he had a Canon 5D. Canon 5D *drool*. It is a beast of a camera. So when Robert introduced himself I wasn't surprised to hear he was a professional photographer based in UK. Robert is an experienced fashion photographer. His work has appeared in some of leading magazines/Ads. We looked at some photos together and he shared his thoughts on them. I was fascinated with the way he analysed and critiqued photos. Robert's opinion was different to mine. Any photo is open to variety of interpretation and perceptions but Robert saw aspects of photo which I never knew existed. I have no knowledge on press-photography or photojournalism, so I listened, taking in what I can and asked him questions. From his comments, I learnt and was able to appreciate the difference between conventional photography & press photography and what makes a photojournalist what he is.

Robert made several valid points on photojournalism. In conventional photography, when you strip away the tech side of things, it boils down to 2 things: subject and timing. Timing, he said, like most things in life, is paramount and probably the hardest to get right. It involves a bit of luck. In photojournalism, where "visual" reporting is the primary focus, timing is just one of the aspects. Here almost anything can be the subject as long it befits the story the journalist is covering. The aspect where a journalist differentiates from others is his ability to add a context, a nuance, which creates another voice, another layer to the story, another parallel the viewer can relate to, a visual justification providing testament to power of a moment. Creme da la creme photojournalists explore the depth of visual reporting by doing the above consistently. It's their photos we get to see in events like World Press Photo.

I am glad I took the initiative to talk to Rob. You can never go wrong talking to a Pro. Can you? An afternoon well spent :-)

Below are some of the winning photos for different categories.

From the rooftops of Tehran - World Press Photo of the year 2009

At first look, I didn't think much of this photo. This isn't the most stunning picture in the gallery. But it won. After reading the caption, I realised this was not just another photo of the Iranian post-election protest. It shows many things simultaneously - like, the kind of people protesting, they way they protest, even the time of the day. Women shouting from rooftops literally! All in one shot. Its a good picture but I wouldn't have voted it for the top prize.

Trott, run out. 5th Test. Ashes '09. Ahh!

Moments before Oath taking ceremony.

A jewish man throws wine at Palestine women, Hebron

Shelling at Gaza

Check out 2010 Winners gallery here.

Thunnnk!

2010-05-04T22:17:00.002+10:00

August 1996. Srivilliputhur, Thamizh Nadu.

Srivilliputhur Andal Kovil was one of the pit stops en route in our annual visit to Kutralam. While the rest of the folks (parents, athai & cousins) were in the temple, I was with Athimber observing him as he tweaked a few things under the bonnet of his most beloved white Ambassador car. We took the car to a mechanic shop in the outskirts of Srivilliputhur for a precautionary check. The mechanic was away and the fierce sun drove us to the tree shade right beside the highway. It was a typical rural highway - narrow and rutted. There was no traffic in the highway apart from 2 yellow trucks coming from opposite directions. Both truck drivers would've watched each other approach and would soon manoeuvre to pass, or so we thought. CRASH! They drove into each other. I couldn't believe my eyes. How could they do it? I thought.

May 2010. Sunshine State, Australia.

The above incident was far removed from my mind as I clipped my helmet and set forth on the long overdue ride in my mountain bike. Having pigged out a LOT in the recent India trip, a few kilograms need to be shed.

So there I was riding along in quiet backstreets of my suburb. I settled into a neat rhythm, legs pumped steadily, I took breaths in regular intervals, eyes transfixed on the road...all motions reached equilibrium as I peddled in a lively speed.

After a brief ride in the main roads, I reached one of the posh suburbs of the city. The best way to explore a suburb is to do so on a bike. I pedaled along in one of quiet backstreets checking out the real estate. It was an interesting suburb and I had my own running commentary inside my head...

"some people's taste is really in their bum. I mean, wad is this! " as I went past a bungalow hideously painted in purple. Purple!

"and look at that", I muttered gazing at a monstrosity which looked like a cross between a mausoleum and The White House.

"Indha kezhavikku yedhuku singaaram (Why beautify an old lady)", I quipped (to myself) at a few dudes painting an old house.

Feeling smug about the cosy Queenslander I live in, I pedalled along hearing the soothing rrrrr sound of the tyre as it rolled on the rubberised road, checking out the periodic reflection of sunlight on the chrome spokes and then suddenly there was a "Thunnnnk". I was lying on the road.

It was a long straight road. There was only one car parked on it. Only one car. Lost in my trance, I had pedalled straight into it.

I stood up, gathered myself. My mind/conscience was laughing out loud at me "Kadavul kuduthaar paar! Hahahah!" (God gave you that. Hahaha!)

A thought struck me. Perhaps the lady of the purple house or the grandma living in the Mausoleum-WhiteHouse watching me would've thought: Any moment he is gonna change course and go around that car. Any moment. No he is not. No! The idiot rode straight into it!

I did.

--

I've been away for a while. Thanks to those who keep checking this blog occasionally. I hope to post more often. Thanks for visiting :)

Tiger is not out of the woods yet

2010-03-17T23:55:00.003+10:00

So, he is back eh.

Tiger is out of the cage. He racked up a dozen porn stars and waitresses. But he will be received as a hero when he returns to the fairway next month. All is either have been, or will be, forgotten and forgiven. Tiger's personal life is none of my business. It should neither be yours or the media. The thought that irk me is: is it not unfair that celebrities especially sportstars are given a little bit more leeway than the common man? Just because they play professional sport should not mean they are not expected to uphold the same standards and abide by laws of general society. Tiger apologises and says something like "The only clubs I know from now on are the ones I used to hit the golf balls with. Even if I cheat, it'll only be in golf. Golf is after all only a game. Family life is not, like I found out in the last few months. Thank you very much.". We croon and cringe hearing the apology and forgive too easily. If a common man, Joe Bloggs, had done what Tiger did, would you expect his partner to take him back? Would you take back a partner who has had extra-marital affair with a dozen people?

Recently, Michael Clarke has been blasted from pillar to post for leaving the Australian cricket team during their New Zealand tour to support his girlfriend. He has been criticised by many for having his priorities out of order. But there is no doubt, if Clarkey comes out on Friday and blasts a century in the first test against the Kiwis, all will be forgotten & forgiven. Had Joe Nallathambi - our common man - abandoned his mates on a trip for a girlfriend who is clearly not dying or remotely sick, wouldn't he cop it big time?

I am all for forgiving. I believe in giving people a second chance. But I do not understand the disparity between treatment meted out to celebrities and the rest of us. Hell, they are not that special!

The days without her

2010-03-10T00:45:00.011+10:00

The last time it happened, I was a final-year University student. It was during exams - the time I needed her the most. But I lost her. She slipped out somehow. I felt handicapped in her absence. Maybe she was fed up with me. Probably pissed off with my incessant requests and favours. I dunno. I was looking for her everywhere like Moondram Pirai Kamal searching for the mentally-challenged Sridevi. Remember that scene? Balu Mahendra was a legend. Like that scene in Moondram Pirai, my search for her had a happy ending. I got her back when I heard the librarian read out her name over the PA system asking her to be collected. The librarian added in her usual grumpy tone that her owner has kept THE most annoying ringtone she has ever heard. My cell-phone. My darling. I got her back then.

Fast forward 3 years...

This time I left her in the cab. I perhaps didn't search for her like Moondram Pirai Kamal...but it was more like Nagarjuna in Idhayathai Thirudathey. I hopped from one place (read: cab office) to another in a Jeep till late in the night searching for my 97-gram chellam. The only thing that lifted my spirits after going through buckets of ownerless phones was the realisation that I wasn't the only idiot to leave a mobile phone in a taxi. There are bucket loads of us!

The next day I decided to punish myself by not rushing out and buying another handset. Suddenly phoneless I wondered how I'd cope. I felt uneasy to step out of the house. It felt like going out without any pants on. Still, I ventured out. Every now and then, I'd tap my pant pocket to check for the non-existing phone. oh yes. no phone. yea, fantastic!

The following day, I felt slightly liberated. I slowly found out why. Firstly, I didn't have to worry about answering calls when I was in the Mens room. I strongly I believe I share a toilepathic connection with most people who have my mobile number. The blimming thing, yes my mobile, would stay quiet for hours on my desk and ring the moment I step into echo chamber that is the office loo. "Hi! yes. I am good thanks. Hey, listen, umm...can I call you right back? I may sound as if I am speaking sitting inside a big empty drum or something, but I'm actually in the toilet". The caller would pause momentarily, then mumble an apology while my mind will go into overdrive imagining the caller rushing off to wash their hands. Ahh..personal hygiene. I likey!

The urge to check for txts and missed calls every 3.12 minutes remained, but with no mobile, it was slowly but surely fading.

While travelling to work next day, I couldn't help but to observe the mobile in everyone. I saw people in the streets, in the train, with their hands clasped to their ears. I experienced a feeling of disconnection. It felt like I was living in a bubble. A strange sense of freedom enveloped me. I floated like a butterfly basking in this glorious isolation. It was a curiously gratifying sensation!

On a serious note, I got my mobile back the next day. Thanks to the gentleman who returned it. Mate, you are a gem!

--

Aside:

After linking the clip from Moondram Pirai in the first para, I watched the whole movie again. I am glad I did. Watta masterpiece by Balu Mahendra. I heard Kamal Hassan won a National award for it but Sridevi didn't. Even the Kamal fan in me reckons Sridevi deserved the award more than Kamal. She was simply brilliant as Viji. Perhaps people were bowled over by Kamal's performance in the climax scene. Honestly, I cant think of any current Indian actress who could match or better Sridevi's performance. Ms Mukharjee? or Mrs Saravanan? Hmm...I doubt it.

Like every blue-blooded Kannadasan fan, I love Kanne Kalaimaaney song for its lyrics. However, I like Poongatru Pudhidhanadhu song better both for its music & visuals. It does not have profound lyrics like Kanne Kalaimaane. But there is something about this song - is it Ilaiyaraja's music or Yesudas's voice or Balu Mahendra's photography or cute moments like where Sridevi tries to listen to the train sound from thandavaalam (railway track) through Kamal's ears...I dont know. The whole package...it's just beautiful.

Madras return

2010-02-23T23:10:00.009+10:00

I am back. I want to write on many things about the India trip but I am not sure where to start. I'll use this post to write a follow-up to the wishlist I wrote almost a year back.

Life is a journey that takes you to places. But, when it takes you to the same place again where you took that all important first step, there is a certain magic to it. It is a special feeling. I felt that during this trip.

Going through the wishlist...

---

Hindu & Filter Coffee - check

I must admit I found Times of India more interesting and informative than Hindu. Reading Hindu of today was like having filter coffee with very little dicoction. Not strong enough!

Also, the newspaper delivery guy gave me a weird look when I asked him for Gokulam. Wonder what happened to that lovely magazine.

Madras Music Season

Didn't attend any kacheris. I reached Madras after the music season got over. There were few Kacheri held at random places. I wanted to attend concerts by top artists (Sanjay Subramanian, Aruna Sairam, Nithyashree etc). And I neither had the time nor the patience to sit through any thenga moodi kacheris.

Talk to the old kids - check

I spent quality time with my grandparents. I have the coolest Paati in the world and we spent a lot of time together. Whether it was accompanying her in morning walk to the Theosophical Society, or helping her (err...read mostly talking and doing nothing) in the kitchen, or learning to make the perfect kashayam...we had an awesome time.

There were a few old kids whom I found it very difficult to say bye to. They are in the late evening of their life.

Theosophical Society & Adyar Broken Bridge - check check

Adyar Broken Bridge

I visited TS numerous times with Paati in our morning walks. One morning we walked till Adyar Broken bridge to watch the sunrise. It was a cloudy morning unfortunately. We sat on the bridge admiring the views. The Broken bridge is an idyllic place to see the confluence of three elements: the urban nature, the city's past and its present. The Adyar river estuary was dotted with heaps of white storks and other native birds. It was beautiful.

Being an alumnus of Chettinad Vidyashram, I was a bit sad to see Chettinad palace being dwarfed by all those huge buildings beside it (in MRC Nagar). The palace used to look majestic on the banks of Adyar river. She was quite a sight when seen from Thiru Vi Ka bridge. As a kid, I used to point at the palace and proudly tell my visiting cousins "anga dhaan da yen school iruku. Madras-liye enga school dhaan perusu!"

Taken from the broken bridge. The Adyar river estuary was dotted with heaps of white storks.

Gangothree - check.

Archana, you were right about Gangothree.

Riding in Chennai - check

It took me one ride from Adyar to Mylapore to adjust to Chennai traffic. I was given a crash course by my cousin on how to handle Maama, just in case if I get caught for riding without a driver license. I was reminded that Driver license doesn't necessarily be the ones issued by RTO office. Other handoverable license exist particularly those thin leaves from RBI which has Gandhi thatha's megawatt smile printed on it.

It was fun not to follow any rules and ride with gay abandon. Chennai traffic is lot more tolerable than Mumbai traffic. Unlike Bombay, most motorcyclists in Chennai wear helmets. And boy some helmets look real flashy and cool.

(Very very) busy roads like Arcot Road need to be studied by Road Engineers on how all types of motorists, pedestrians and other creatures can share a small, pathetic strip of thar and still manage to move about.

Some cyclists - mainly thundu pasanga (teenage boys) - punch above their weight. This incident happened at Greams Rd (near Iyyapan kovil at RA puram). A thundu paiyan (one of the dangerous species on the road) was simply cycling along. Upon seeing a girl riding an Activa, he suddenly started to peddle away like crazy to reach the same speed as her. Once he was cycling beside the girl, thala gives this paathiyaa-na-cycle-liye-un-speed-la-ottaren look at the girl. She kept going at the same speed. After 75-100 metres of this madness, traffic came in from RK Mutt-Greams Rd intersection (near Govt. Music college). Thundu paiyan's brakes weren't in top condition I think. He narrowly missed colliding into an Auto rickshaw. Thundu deservingly got Archanai'd by the Auto driver. The Auto driver exercised his sweacabulary to the max by questioning/doubting Thundu paiyan's family tree.

Thundu paiyan, with his rickety bicycle, did everything he could to die that day.

Drink goli soda - check.

I couldn't get Goli soda in Chennai. I tried in a few potti kadai's and grocery shops at Adyar, Mandaveli & KK Nagar. Finally managed to get Paneer Soda at Swamimalai, Kumbakonam.

Manga & cholam at Besant Nagar Beach - check

My younger brother claims he should be credited for this pic because it was his idea . I dont agree with him, but I accept his claim. So there!

Pattam vidardhu (Flying kites)

The only pattam people were talking about is MBA at top B-schools.

Kalyana sapaadu (Lunch at weddings) - check

Attended my cousin's wedding and vettu-vettufied the lunch. Apart from the usual items, speciality items like Coconut poli and Avul payasam (Avul = Poha) were served. The taste was divine. By the time more (buttermilk) was served, cousin and I weren't able to sit erect. Cook Jagadeesan Iyer simbly rocks!.

The South Indian community here could do with people like Jagadeesan Iyer. Usually, food for weddings/poonals is catered by an Indian restaurant or a random chef who doesn't know the difference between appam and adhirsam (or between badushah and basandi). So the food ends up tasting a bit better than Raj Takeaways down the road.

After reading Kavi's post, I re-realised there is something about having food served on a vaazha yela (plantain leaf). It may be a bit slippy-sloppy but it beats having lunch served on a small plastic plate with Raita served on top of Channa masala due to space constraints.

--

I visited most of the famous temples in TN - Meenakshi Amman Kovil at Madurai, Brihadeeswara Kovil at Thanjavur, Chidambaram, Srirangam, Swamimalai, Gunaseelam, Samayapuram....and other lesser known temples which are vishesham for Pithrus (for my late Grandma)

Taken at Madurai Meenakshi Kovil

At Trichy, I visited a Shiva temple at Thiruvanaikaval (near Srirangam). Outside the temple, there were shops selling various items for the deity. One of them was the flower shown below. Do you know the name of this flower? It seems this flower is sacred because it has a shape of a serpent and legend has it that they once found a Shiva lingam inside the flower!

Do you know the name of this flower?

So, it was a great trip. I am glad I went with my parents. Had I gone alone (or with friends), I doubt I would've visited so many wonderful places in mainland TN. Looking forward to the next trip :-)

Madras

2010-01-08T01:50:00.002+10:00

pic courtesy - Indian Backpacker

Happy New year! :D

2010. This is a big year for me. There are lots of things set to happen on many fronts. One of the 'happenings' is the India trip. I fly out to India next week. I am visiting Madras after seven years. 7 years. Long time. Over the past few days, memories from my childhood & early teenage, images of Coimbatore and Madras of 1990s have been swirling in my mind. A quiet excitement is bubbling within me. When I booked the flight tickets in May I told myself not to daydream about the India trip as the trip is far away. Now, with the D-day only a few days away, it is yet to sink in that I am actually going back home. The trip seems so surreal.

The 4 week trip is packed with events, rituals (for my late Grandma) and meetings with rellies/friends over many cups of filter coffee, lunches and dinners. I am really looking forward to it. However, I am also a bit nervous, a little anxious as to what to expect. 7 years may not be a very long time to be away from a place. However, with Madras, it seems like an eternity to me. "Lots of things have changed", they say. "Dei. This place is not as you knew it. Neeye vandhu paaru". Time changes many things. From the look of the place to the outlook of people. The question is to what extent I can identify & relate the present Madras to the Madras I knew from 1999. Once I do that, the extent of changes my friends were talking about will start to hit me.

Yea, whatever. As long Saravana Bhavan serves crispy Masala Dosai, the waves still foam up the shores of Elliots beach, North Mada Street is still as crowded as it used to be, Grand Snacks still makes kick-ass poli, we are able to play Street cricket without Visu Mama growling at us, and I do all the things that I planned to do, I am a happy chappie!

Madras, here I come :D

Stradbroke Island

2009-12-25T23:47:00.005+10:00

Last weekend, I visited Stradbroke Island with my friends. Stradbroke Island (or Straddie, colloquially) is 40kms SE of Brisbane. Straddie is known for its rugged landscape and spectacular white sand beaches. There are numerous scenic walk tracks and picnic spots. However people visit Stradbroke Island for its main attraction - beaches.

We decided to reach Stradbroke Island by 9AM. We drove to Cleveland Bay to catch the 8AM ferry. The ferry ride takes ~45mins to reach Straddie. The weather god wasn't in his best mood at the start of the day. The skies were cloudy and there was the odd drizzle too. By afternoon, good-old Queensland weather was back! It was hot and humid. We didn't feel the 32 degrees heat though. We were in the water - swimming, body-boarding, surfing, playing beach cricket (with yours truly half destroying a kid's sandcastle with his signature cover drive)....yea. Awesome fun! :D

This was a one day trip. We had time only to visit two of the four popular beaches in Stradbroke Island.

Main Beach: The best beach at Straddie. There were strangely not many people in the beach that day. The big swells and strong waves were perfect for surfing and body boarding. We spent most of our time here.

Main Beach

Cylinder Beach: A very picturesque beach. This beach is relatively shallow hence the waves were small. Compared to main beach, there were lots of people around. Kids playing in the water/sand, people sunbathing, barbecuing etc. The music was on...the beers flowed freely. It was very lively. Cylinder beach must be the most family-friendly beach I've ever been to.

Cylinder beach

There were many lifeguards on patrol at Cylinder Beach. I had a chat with couple of them. I learnt that most lifeguards at Stradbroke Island are volunteers. The majority of them are school/uni students. They love the beach, the surf, and working as a lifeguard is way to be out there and help people. Good on you guys!

Lifeguard patrol

We spotted this famous guy (carrying the surf in the pic below) at Cylinder beach. He's one of Queensland's favourite sons. Recognise him?

Bheem boy

We did the scenic coastal track before we left the island. The ocean view from the lookout points and the headland were simply breathtaking. Here are some pics.

friend_1 admiring the view

Scenic walk

friend_1 & friend_2 taking in the view

Point Lookout

"Take me away" - at the edge of the cliff. Wattey view.

Overall, an awesome weekend! :D

God's Debris

2009-12-19T15:32:00.021+10:00

My colleague forwarded the e-book of Scott Adam's God Debris with a note which read: "A mother of a thought experiment mate! Do read this one." He seldom 'praises' anything like this. When I finished reading God's Debris, I could understand why.

God's Debris stands out from the list of books I've read. It is a thought experiment. A delivery man goes to an address in San Francisco to deliver a package. He meets an old man in the house. The whole book is based on the conversation between them. The author states the old man literally knows everything. He has radical and non-traditional views on God, universe, evolution, science, humanity etc. His theories arise from 'sceptic's creed' - the simplest explanation is usually right. Philosophy and simplicity don't always go together. Philosophy is known for its complex sentences and incomprehensible words. I adore simplicity. Even though some of the old man's theories/views were flawed, I found the simplicity and clarity in his explanation very refreshing.

The crux of the old man's philosophy is that God is omnipotent and He knows everything. So what would actually challenge God? God knows answers to every question except one: What would happen if he ceases to exist. The old man say this is the one & only challenge that would interest God i.e. to destroy Himself. The result of this challenge is the reason for everything there is - all matter in this universe - that exists in its current form. Everything. Everything including us is the result of God's effort to maintain his omniscience. This notion also gives the book its title. We are God's Debris.

Using the above philosophy, the old man makes interesting correlations to many things. Natural phenomena like gravity he says is nothing more than simplified illusion created by human brain since it cannot comprehend the actual description of reality. Scientific terms such as infinity, electromagnetic field and words like dimension, horizon are conveniences created by scientists to mask holes in their understanding. I was tempted to know what he thought of zero. Let's say if God does not exist, we have nothing. Our fancy word for 'nothing' is zero. The old man may have explained that with yet another audacious theory that would've made Aryabhata turn in his grave. The engineer in me was mildly taken aback with his explanations. But I liked it. The book is a thought experiment and there was feast for thought. Even though most of explanations appeared logical, some seemed obvious, there was nagging feeling of something amiss. There is little bit of bull excreta in the old man's exquisite gourmet meal. The tricky bit is to differentiate between the two.

The old man bases explanation of the concept of probability. Every other question has an answer to why. Only probability is inexplicable. STAT101 taught us that probability works on the law of averages. The probability of heads or tails when tossing a coin is 1/2. That does not mean when we toss the coin, we are guaranteed to get head once and tail once. If we toss the coin 100 times, we are likely to get head 50 times and tails 50 times. Toss it 1000 times, we are very likely to get heads 500 times and tails 500 times. Probability tends to become eventuality in the average case. Life, too, is like that. It is a probability distribution. We can make efforts to maximize the expectation of an event, but we can never assure the outcome of any sporadic event. Probability, like God, is omnipotent and omnipresent. The old man refers to probability and normal distribution curves to explain creation. He weaves a transitive relation between creation, luck, probability and God. Based on this philosophy, he puts a interesting explanation that there is an equivalence relation between God and probability.

The old man discusses many topics - Relationships, intelligence, quantum physics, will power, extra sensory perception etc. Even if you don't agree or fully understand the old fella's views his explanations makes a compelling read. He bullies your thoughts and your grounded understanding. In the book's introduction, Scott Adams specifies his target audience as those people who enjoy having their brain spun around inside their skulls. Well, after reading the old man I begin to wonder what spun what in reality. Hmm.

Awesome read. Do check it out.

Thanks for this, Marcus :-)

Out and about

2009-12-06T23:22:00.006+10:00

I've been playing around with my new SLR camera (Canon 450D) for the past one week taking pics of random things around the house. This weekend I visited some of the pretty locales in the city to take photos and apply whatever I've learnt from the camera manual and some digital photography sites.

Here are some pics.

The Story Bridge - one of my fav places in Brisbane

Story Bridge climb - gotta do this!

Friendship

Do you know the name of this flower? She looks like Sunflower's cousin. Beautiful isn't?

It had just rained. The sun finally broke free.

I remember looking at light trail photographs during those library periods at school. Light trail photography always fascinated me and I've wondered how such pics were taken. I managed to shoot light trails, took pics at different shutter speeds with varying results.

The museum

The Big wheel at night

City museum again

I love my new camera. So,

oops. missed the dot for the ' i ', here again...

None of these pics are post-processed. It's hot off the camera. I am still learning about digital post processing. Hope you like these pics! :-)

--

Update (9th Dec 2009):

Few people have asked me how I did the 'I Love You' photo. That pic, obviously, is another attempt at light trail photography. The camera was perched on the tripod. I selected Manual mode (M), set an f-stop of 11 or 16 or could be even lower aperture and set an exposure of 10 seconds. The ISO was set to 100. I used a torch to write " I 'heart' you ". You can probably guess how I managed to place the dot above the ' i '. Cheers :)

The trauma of see-through shorts

2009-11-28T19:00:00.008+10:00

I had a lazy weekend last week. After a three straight weeks of hectic work (incl weekends), I was letting my hair down. It was nice to relax and not to keep pace with the clock. Time sometimes runs too fast for me.

Thanks to the lazy weekend I didn't get any of the regular household stuff done (e.g. ironing clothes). At the dawn of Monday, I was hunched over the Ironing board wrestling with a business shirt which I had to excavate from the bottom of a big pile of washed, yet-to-be ironed clothes. The shirt I was ironing had a tag which read "wrinkle free". The shirt looked as if it had been rolled in a ball and been sat on by a Hippopotamus. I flattened the sleeves, straighted the collars, bssked bssked some water to subdue the material...and the brain did its thing as usual by going back to my school days when Kalai akka, our housemaid when I was in Madras (her name was Kalaiarasi), used to iron my school uniforms. I never had to worry about the clothes side of things. She took care of it. Akka, you are a legend!

So, the shirt was ironed. Pant was ironed. Someone was winning! I still had time to do couple more shirts so I don't have to endure this torment for the next two days. Just then, my flatmate popped in, his nickname is Tubs, and said in a stressed tone "O thank God. You are ironing. I am in a rush eh. Could you Iron this for me man, please?". "Of course. Give me.", I said, feeling happy that I could help someone in their Monday morning rush. Tubs gave me a black Adidas shorts to iron. Shorts are easy peesy compared to the beast of a shirt I ironed just now.

I laid the shorts on the ironing board. As I began to iron, I realised the Iron wasn't moving smoothly. "enna aachu?" (what's happening?), I thought, pressing the Iron a little harder. The Iron was stuck to the cloth. The blimming thing wouldn't move. I could sense a burning smell as well. I lifted the Iron, it had a black patch on the hot plate. Wisps of black smoke spiralled from its base. Sure enough, it had left a triangular shaped hole on the shorts. In a very short period of time, my brain went from horror, denial to plain blankness. So much for a Monday morning!

I walked towards Tubs's room holding up the shorts. I could look through it. It looked funny and I was almost about to laugh. I bumped into Nellie, my other flatmate. Nellie saw the shorts, laughed, and said "it's synthetic, Sriiii! you never iron them!".

"Oh. Is that right?"

I reached Tubs's room. Standing on the doorway holding the shorts aloft, I said "Man. I am really sorry. I burnt the arse out of your shorts". Tubs looked at the shorts in disbelief. He gave me a pained look. Oh the trauma of the burnt shorts.

As a guilt-stricken flatmate, I shouted him a few beers this weekend. It's the best therapy for this type of trauma.

Moral of the story:

1. Never, never iron synthetics.
2. Iron your own clothes. If you do burn/ruin them, atleast you'll have satisfaction that you killed it and not the other person.

Tagged

2009-11-20T22:29:00.010+10:00

Tagged by Archana

Tag #1

1.What is your current obsession?

Photography. I am buying a DSLR camera soon. I've been doing a lot of reading lately on SLR cameras and digital photography in general.

2. What are you wearing today?

I am home and dressed for comfort. I'll leave it at that.

3. What’s the last thing you bought?

Lunch - Vegetable Frittata.

4. What are you listening to right now?

Crazy - Gnarls Barkley

5. Which language do you want to learn?

Sanskrit and French (to deal better with the Canadians)

6. Favourite quotes?

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind - Dr Seuss

I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals - W Churchill

7. What do you consider a fashion faux pas?

Socks with sandals. Shoes without socks.

8. What are you going to do after this?

Hmm. Dunno.

9. What inspires you?

Our ability to make a difference. In us and in others. No matter how small or big.

10. What do you do when you are feeling low or terribly depressed?

Take a long drive/walk. Disconnect from everything. Silence. Regain perspective.

11. What is the meaning of your name?

Sriram is the name of a Hindu God. The great Wiki says "Rama is referred to within Hinduism as Maryada Purushottamaliterally the Perfect Man or Lord of Self-Control or Lord of Virtue.". Cha. *grass itching* :D

12. What do you love most about yourself?

I can laugh at myself and take myself seriously at the same time.

13.Why did you do this tag?

I was tagged.

--

Tag #2

Dig down your archives and list posts on five keywords:

Tchichiks of brizzy, beautiful Kondalilla...more posts like this after I buy my thing.

These people are special. I love them.

He is the pride of Kodambakkam. Words dance for him. We dance for his words.

Some posts on life in general. Other than that, I am just rambling away.

--

I'd like to tag:

Witsy (where are you mate?!)
Dot (yea, where are you?)
Viji
Foreign Desi
Vijay Ganesh
Nirmal

Thanks for the tag, Archana :)

Sri Rambles

2009-11-18T20:46:00.000+10:00

I've been away for a while. My apologies.

Thanks to those who mailed/txted "kannaa, no blog updates. what happened?", or commanded "dai...blog ezhudhu da!", or threatened "Update, or else!" in the last 2-3 weeks. It is, you know, nice to be missed :D With most of my commitments over for this year, I hope to post regularly from now on.

As of yesterday, its been one year since I started blogging. Time flies! I’ve enjoyed the journey. I like writing. It’s fun. Writing helps me in interpreting things better and enhances perspective. Having a blog has given me more reasons to write, to write more and to write better. Apart from the desire to write, the fact that people will read and comment on it adds a thrill to the whole process. It makes me come back again, and again...

Over the last one year, I’ve come across some excellent blogs and met people whom I don't think I would've connected with if not for blogging. Most of my blog friends are in India. I hope to meet you guys when I visit India early next year.

So, I thank you, dear reader, for visiting this blog and special thanks to those who always leave a comment :D Pretty much everything in this world runs on feedback. It’s a great feeling when someone has read my post and bothered to leave a comment.

Cheers!

This = rand(thots, 1)

2009-10-05T23:11:00.005+10:00

Watched Unnai Pol Oruvan last weekend. A great movie. Unlike the friends I went with, I haven't seen the original, A Wednesday. I think having not seen the original helped me to appreciate movie on its own context without the inevitable comparison. While watching UPO, it took me a while to see Kamal as a common man. As the movie progressed, Kamal - the character - grew in me. Except for dialogues (only at some instances), every aspect of the movie was almost perfect. And no, I didn't find MohanLal's accent irritating. I actually liked it.

Kamal proves, yet again, he is one of the few people to take Tamil Cinema to the next level. I really admire the brilliance and versatility of the man - not only as an actor - but as a movie maker. He is one of the few persons who really understands the medium called cinema. Legend!

A friend sent me this clip. Chakri Toleti, director of Unnai Pol Oruvan, is in it. Funny clip.

Things have been busy in work front. The last month has been a huge learning curve and greatly rewarding. Along with other stuff I've got running in parallel, I am happy that I've accomplished what I set to do.

Weddings. Kalyanams. Engagement parties. Nichiyatharthams...September was full on!

Later this month, one of my best friends, is getting married in Auckland. At last, I am attending a TamBram wedding after god-knows-how-many years. I cant wait for Oct 23rd. Ganesaaa!

I hate time zones. Why do all my good friends have to live in different timezones. Hmph!

I was at IKEA this weekend. I don't know what's with that place, it's my second visit there and I am writing about it again. Two things: I saw the biggest bathtub I've ever seen in my life. It was a size of a small lake. Massive. I also saw a slam-proof toilet seat. I tilted the toilet lid, and watched it slowly and noiselessly descend and close with faint click. The saleswomen pitching for the product looked very pleased. I asked her "do you have one that lifts automatically when someone approaches?", and immediately added "...and lowers when they depart?". The saleswoman gave a blank look and said "ahhh. no. sorry." Men can sometimes forget to lift the seat. This can cause a degree of domestic disharmony. I am sure IKEA will fully expound on the sales potential of the automatic seat lifting toilet. I wonder what's next?

NZ playing Australia today in Champions Trophy final now. Go the Black Caps! Underdogs vaazhgha!

I have not had Rasam for more than three weeks now. I am craving for hot thakaali rasam with poricha appalam.

This weekend is gonna be a cookfest.

I am brushing up my MATLAB skills. It's been 3 years since I've worked on MATLAB/Simulink. Hence the title of the post.

It's a guy thing

2009-09-23T23:22:00.006+10:00

The above video is running hot on TV at the moment. It's an ad on blokes. It celebrates typical blokey moments and achievements. The ad glorifies different kind of blokes there are, namely:

a. Blokes who punch above their weight
b. Blokes who peaked at high school
c. Blokes built like a brick house
d. Blokes who've had their arm in a cow
e. Men who wont eat their quiche
f. Men who should have read the instructions

and many others. Very funny!

After my experience with my friends last week, I feel the ad missed one group. Guys who are part of this group - you know who you are - will be gutted that such hard-done by blokes have not been recognised. I am talking about the blokes who've been invited (in some cases dragged along) to a September weekend wedding. You may chuckle and say what's the big deal? Why is this category important? Let me explain.

The month of September is special. If you are girl and living in the southern hemisphere, you may say September means it is the spring season. That means flowers. Freshness. All bloom. Romance is in the air. September brings with it new life and new beginnings. Basically, the month of Sep has all ingredients for a perfect wedding.

If you are guy, September is special too. Unlike Ms CuddlyWink's exhaustive list, it's only for a handful of things. The list reads: four weekends, NRL finals and AFL Grand finals. All finals spread out in those four glorious September weekends. HE would either in front of the idiot box or in the battleground (the stadium). There is nowhere else he would want to be. The place is Holy Grail.

Last weekend, it was NRL's preliminary finals night. Along with the-colour-of-my-blood-is-rugby mates, I was at our friend's wedding (groom) on the game night. The wedding was great. I was very happy for the couple and everyone had a great time. A true bloke doesn't miss his friend's wedding. Full stop. Gazza, a common friend, recollected with a serious face, looking down at his shuffling feet, that even last year he missed the NRL final. All because "there were so many bleeeeping weddings in September man. Bleep". Along with the wedding gift, Gazza had planned to give the groom (our mate) a wedgie for choosing this particular time for the wedding ceremony. He spared him because the groom secretly confessed that he had the same feelings too. Instead of a wedgie, the groom received a bear hug from Gazza. Aww...the brotherhood!

During the pre-ceremony drinks, people were standing around in clusters chatting away, it was hard to miss the constant undercurrent footy talk in the conversations. Anything about anything was somehow related to footy. We did try our earnest for a work around to get the live scores. The problem was we were in a church at a small town in the outskirts of the city. The church was on a hill (awesome views of the city!) and we had to drive through dense rain forest to get there. Expectedly, the church didn't have AM radio reception, it had a GSM connection that would load live updates in time for my sashtiapdhapoorthi*, and a 3G network which wasn't strong enough to load the web page. Guys were squirming on their seats. If there were no one was watching us, we would've all yelled in unison "pichukhooo" and sprinted towards the nearest place showing the live telecast.

...and that's actually what we did, but only after the wedding ceremony (no we didn't yell. jees.). We made our way into a local run-down pub showing the game. The regulars in the pub said we were the most well-dressed men to ever set foot in the pub's long history. We watched the last few minutes of the game. Gazza shed a few tears. It was...hmm...a special moment for him. His team won. Nothing melts a true Aussie bloke faster than to see his team in the spoils of victory.

Like any wedding, everyone was decked in their finery's. We looked sharp. The ladies were gorgeous. It's amazing the amount of prep ladies put into weddings. So much that one girl told me that wedding is all about the bride. Considering the state we were in, I couldn't disagree with her more. I was about to say something (not about the trivial matter of footy finals), then stopped. But then...

Weddings have their own rules. We all know rules can always be bent, if not broken. You see, we have a problem here. We have to attend the wedding but we are also deprived of the Rugby. Perhaps we can find a way to incorporate both football and wedding in an innovative way. Maybe the priest can probably do a score update during the ceremony like, "Do you Joe Bloggs, take Mary Jones, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, like a football which the New Zealand Warriors just landed over the try line to take the score to 16-14?"

Or, how about showing the live telecast (volume muted ofcourse) on a big LCD behind the bride at the reception. 100% attention guaranteed.

Or, how about this in a South Indian wedding. Imagine there is a ODI going LIVE between India and Australia. The sastrigal defies conventions and recites this informative Mangalayam Thanthuna nena

getti melam! getti melam!

(in ARR's tune for Mangalyam Thathuna nena)

Manglayam thanthuna nena

Australiaaa two eighty nine
Indha game-a nambha jeyikkhaa,
Tendulllkar adikanum sadham.

I am just saying...

:D

--

* Sashtiapdhapoorthi - celebration of 60th birthday

Riverfire

2009-09-12T21:29:00.009+10:00

Thanks DF

The annual Brisbane Festival started this week with last night's Riverfire. Riverfire is an extravagant firework display show from three major Brisbane bridges, a select few skyscrapers in the CBD and few boats on Brisbane River.

This is my first time at the show and I have to say the fireworks display were absolutely stunning. For 30 minutes, over 600,000 people (yes, you read it right) who thronged the banks of the Brisbane River were treated to some breathtaking display of fireworks. The night sky was lit up in plethora of colours. Some firework burst into patterns/symbols like smiley face, heart symbol, two hearts merging etc, some fireworks were choreographed to burst with beats of popular songs by AC/DC, Lenny Kravitz and A R Rahman's Jai Ho (Pussycat Dolls version). The timing of beats and bursts was almost perfect. Fantastic work!

The OMG-this-is-too-good moment was the show's finale - dump and burn by F-111 fighter jets. The fighter jets zoomed over the CBD, flying fast and low, with the bright yellow trail of burning jet fuel. The F-111s were flying low enough I could feel the heat of the burnt fuel and the ground shake. The noise was just unbelievable.

Below is the video I managed take from my good old Powershot as I watched the F-111s in an open-mouthed wonder.

Note to self for next year's Riverfire: Don't trust Tiffanys Bar table booking. Arrive early. Secure a vantage point. Get the bloody SLR and take pics!

He is there

2009-08-31T23:09:00.012+10:00

Thanks Traces

I started the day solemnly. My mind was restlessly skipping between that day and this day.

I was walking to the train station on my way to work this morning. I had an eerie feeling that someone was walking beside me. I slowed down and looked. There was no one. I knew it was him.

It's been a while since I've seen him. It's actually been a long time. So, I deliberately walk a little slower feeling he is lagging behind me. Maybe he'd catch up? I turn back. Again, no one.

I snuck in at work. I am in my cubicle, typing away. Suddenly, I look around as if someone called my name. Did someone call me? I don't know. I look around wondering where the voice came from. No one, again. Where is he?

Deciding to take a break, I come out. For a very brief moment, I saw him everywhere. I saw him in everyone. I saw his gentle smile splashed over people's faces. My colleague greeted me, I saw him and felt his warmth and cheerfulness. I re-lived his humour in the joke cracked at smoko, I heard his laughter when people laughed heartily. People seemed to be like a prism. They appear to disperse a particular quality, trait, gesture which were one of the many reasons I love him so much. I keep looking out for him, I don't see him though. He is on the other side shining brightly, too bright for lesser souls like me to see.

I ask myself, what's happening? I dunno. The mind does funny things on days like this. Certain moments and memories are poignant in ones life. This is probably his way of saying I am here. I am with you. I am watching ya! (the way Robert De Niro says it with that hand gesture in Meet the Fockers :D )

I sent an email to certain somebodys. It was a very short mail, just two words: 10 years.

I know you are there. I saw you today. I know you are watching me as I write this. I reach out to you all the time. The void that was created when you waved goodbye to us was never filled, it will never be filled. The memories and the lessons of love you inculcated in us helped us to get by. We miss you. You keep reminding us that you never left us. You appear to me in flashes - in the transience between happiness and tears, in the moment of transition from thinking wrong to thinking wise; you appear whenever we see ourselves the way you dreamed of seeing us. We see you when we look at life in your vision. I want to meet you again. It may be a while before I make the permanent shift from soul to spirit. Until then, I'll live with a renewed assurance that you are with me, with us. Always. In every little step, in every big leap - you'll be watching over us. You are, you definitely are.

Thatha, in memory of you with deepest gratitude, love and affection.

Tagged

2009-08-22T23:06:00.004+10:00

Nirmal has tagged me. Thanks mate! :)

The rules for this tag are as follows:

1. Link the person who tagged you

2. The display of award on your blog with these rules

3. Reply to the questions below

4. Tag 7 people deserving the award according to you

5. Come back to BLoGGiSTa iNFo CoRNeR (PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE THIS LINK) at http://bloggistame.blogspot.com/ and leave the URL of your Post in order for you/your Blog to be added to the Master List.

Answers:

1. The Person who tagged you : Nirmal

2. His site’s url: realnirmal.blogspot.com

3. Date when you were tagged: 16 Aug 2009

4. Seven people I choose to tag are

My first award asked me to list 7 fav blogs. 7 obviously isn't enough because there are many fav blogs. I'll use this tag to add seven more blogs to the fav list.

Kavi's musings

I've been a quiet follower of Kavi's blog for sometime. I admire the way he puts his thoughts across. Kavi continually fascinates me with his observations and sightings . He has the uncanny ability to capture instances of daily life and eloquently put it in a wonderful perspective. His writings are very creative, it almost has a poetic touch to them. Kavi's blog is a pleasure to read. Way to go Sir!

Kokonad's Mostly Pointless

Witty and very entertaining. To a good writer, we say "you've gotta a way with words". To Kokonad, I say "you've gotta way with words, graphs and cartoons". Check out his photo blog. It's awesome too.

Foreign Desi

FD's blog is a potpourri of happenings in her daily life, her observations, posts on East v West divide, her thoughts & opinions (followed by probing questions) which reflect thinking of a confident and rational individual. FD is my first blog friend. Her blog tag line reads "Story of an Indian brought up in the West" - this, to a certain degree, applies to me so I relate well to her posts. FD always has an underlying sense of humour (with a tinge of sarcasm) in her writing. Interesting read, always.

The Mukund Perspective

Mukund is a newcomer to blogsphere. He has a strong command of the language which is quite evident with the seamless flow in his writing. His posts are honest and has the on-yer-face bluntness which I absolutely love. Mukund has written good reviews on movies & novels and has penned interesting posts on other aspects of life. I am looking forward to more great posts from the young fella.

Wits nNuts

This blog is funny. Witsy posts a funny picture series under the title "Bloopers and Sightings". He seems to be at the right place and right time! I haven't fully read the Singam Simmakanth series yet. Great blog.

Sriram's TRACES

This is the best photoblog I've seen. Sriram is a genius with the camera. Full stop.

Catherine's Cat in India

Catherine is a US-based English teacher on an assignment to teach written and spoken English at a high school in Kadod, Gujarat. Catherine accounts her experience living in Kadod, her views on Indian education and life in general in India.

Everything

2009-08-16T00:03:00.004+10:00

...

S: Whatever you think is everything becomes everything.
K: So how is anything different from that which is in reality everything.
S: It is different because that which is in reality everything thinks that you are everything.
K: How do I know that is infact the case?
S: By becoming that.

...

Everything.

En boss ooruku poitaaan!

2009-08-09T18:05:00.004+10:00

This weekend was action packed. It was spent entirely at work. The boss is going on a long holiday. He decided the weekend will be used for knowledge transfer, getting me familiarised with certain procedures and protocols, list of meetings to attend, the importance of keeping the mouth shut, how to do the weekly crap and the monthly vomit...

By the end of today (Sunday), both of us had had enough. When I bid goodbye to him, the feeling could be best described by the clip below.

En boss oorukku poittaaan! :D

Bleeping Ban

2009-08-01T21:59:00.003+10:00

This post is a result of this news item and all the brouhaha it caused.

For the benefit of the lazy souls who cant be bothered reading the news item, let me summarise it for you: A political party leader enforced a ban on swearing on the party (in cabinet, committee meetings, offices etc.) in an attempt to improve the party image and to better place it for the next election.

The swearing ban became the big juicy topic for the media this week. They analysed, supported, critiqued, mocked the ban...basically blew the topic to smithereens.

I initially supported the ban, later questioned the practicality of it. I mean, common on. It's Australia. It is, as a caller to the local FM put it "the land of free bleeping speech. For bleep sakes, where the bloody hell are we?". I lol in approval, however, the laughter was just a transience into re-realising that swearing is ingrained in the fabric of our society. From prime-time TV, chat shows (e.g. a clip of Australia's PM slipping a few words), cook shows (Gordon Ramsey being the hero)...the ripe and fruitful "language" has rubbed off everywhere. I am not complaining btw. Just stating...

I swear too. I have a rich sweacabulary in Tamil and English. The usage is limited only when in company with good friends. At work, I wear the garb of a consulting engineer. My work involves dealing with people at both ends of the organisational ladder on a regular basis. Whether it is the posh office of Edward The Echecootive or the cluttered bench in a dingy little workshop of Doug i-climb-power-poles Faultman, the "language" is there at both ends. It's the style and frequency of the "language" that varies. It comes as no surprise. No one is a saint.

Coming back to the swearing ban enforced by political party leader, the issue has polarised people. The PC group has congratulated the leader for her hard-act while others feel it is bull excreta and it's a bleeping cheap shot at restricting the freedom of expression. In short, they say "bleep that".

Two different opinions. Many questions.

The PC (Politically Correct) group says:

These are politicians. They represent us. It is - though you may not agree - an honourable job. They have a prefix which reads "Honourable". The use of swear words maligns and denigrates their position and title. Weren't our predecessors able to persuade/make a point with their admirable imagination and correct selection of words? Or wade through tricky/tough situations with dexterous use of the language? If they can, why cant us?

Swearing has no place here. Swearing is the fungus of speech. We want to clean up the foul. So, please, cut the crap and get back to work.

No offence was intended!

The Bleepers say:

As representative of people, what's the big deal in using swear words? It is the language of the common man? We repeat, the language of the common man. Even if the language does offend a few jokers, who bleeping cares? Does it really matter? After all, aren't the bloody politicians, the part of the society? You freaks pass this ban in party offices...soon we'll have a group of redheads and greenies lobbying for the swear ban in Govt. offices, workplaces, theatres, bars...everywhere. A Department of Scowl on Foul (DoSF) will be formed, slapping an instant fine on every syllable of the guilty swear word. If we allow this, there'll come a stage where we wouldn't even be able to yawn or fart without offending somebody. Bleep this!

Yea, full offence intended!

So, what do I think about this?

Well, we are what we speak. Swear words portrays an awful impression of oneself. It is great when conveying quick emotion and can be powerful when we are trying to express oneself. Nothing can replace the power of a correct word, even if it happens to be a foul one. Most comedians use it support or source their humour. They use it tactfully so not offend anybody. Swear words have their own place in speech. They are the yuckiness of speech. As long it isn't overused, used in the appropriate context, and people reflect on the real intent of the before saying it, it should be OK. I swear.

--

Related post:
Nirmal's Dash Phenomenon

Home delivery. Yeah right.

2009-07-25T20:15:00.024+10:00

I have many things to get done this weekend. One of them is to buy a bookshelf. I decided to drive down to IKEA. My friend tagged along as well.

It's the weekend, so we weren't surprised to see heaps of people milling around in the store. From previous experience I knew that in IKEA if you are looking for something specific there's a good chance you are not going to find it straight away. They have the knack of making you walk through aisles of retail forest with stuff that scream out 'I am on sale! Buy me!'. You are forced to drift around with the tide of people turning left and right until the sense of direction is lost and you feel like you are in a maze. People around me (mostly ladies and ara-tickets (kids)) were just ambling along, scanning displays/stuff - they didn't appear to be looking for anything particular. Just checking out stuff, anything and everything which was labelled 'On Sale' or 'Buy me!'.

However, we were men on a mission. We are here to buy a bookshelf and we are not looking for other stuff. We reached the aisle of bookshelves. We found a display of the model that I wanted. I had a huge decision to make on the choice of colour - woody brown, charcoal, blue or white. That's a lot of colour options for a bookshelf. I was pondering a bit. My mate was shocked that I am *actually* spending a few seconds to decide on the colour. "Sriramaa, its just a freakin bookshelf!". "Alright, Alright". I took a pick. This achieved, we had to find our way to the warehouse end of the maze to find the pre-packed bookshelf. The warehouse had racks that almost touched the clouds. We somehow managed to track down the rack which had the pre-packed bookshelf. I also realised the package was big enough to carry home if we are driving a Ute or a trailer. Our Mazda6 wont do it. So, home delivery it is!

With the bookshelf model number in hand, we gouged our way to the counter with the big sign saying 'Home Delivery'. There was a Middle-Eastern looking, middle-aged guy at the counter.

"Hi. I'd like buy this bookshelf and I want it home-delivered. This is the model #". I handed out the model # chit.

He looked behind us as if searching for something. "Where is it?"

"What?"

"Whatever you want to buy"

"Um..its in the back. At the warehouse."

He gave a muted laugh, waving his hand and nodding his head "No no no. It doesn't work like that. You have to bring to us"

"Err. It's here...in your warehouse. It's in your store"

"That is right. You have to bring it from the warehouse to there". He pointed in the direction of checkout counter.

"...and what do you do?"

"We home deliver". He said with a beaming smile.

I paused. My friend chuckled.

"you see, all you gotta do is to transfer the bookshelf from the warehouse and put it on a truck. After all, that's what home delivery is for. Right?"

In a stern, matter-of-fact tone, "For delivery, you have to bring your item to the front counter. That's the company policy" he said, pointing at a poster on the wall.

I am glad my Uncle or my colleague wasn't there with me. They would've lashed out the "you can shove it..." phrase and stormed out of the door. This convo tested my usually-calm temperament as well. This is like going to a restaurant and the chef says if you bring all the raw materials, I'll cook a meal for you. It doesn't make sense to me.

I took the pragmatic approach and decided, for now, to accept the harsh truth. There's no point throwing a tantrum. Like I said before, I am on a mission. I want to get things done.

So, we re-enter the maze with a trolley making our way past hordes of people. We located the towering rack again and loaded the ~80kg package on the rickety trolley. The pack was kinda big. The wheels of the trolley made a 'queeek queeek' noise as we careered along the aisles. My friend was in the front waving people to make way. Thank God he came along. I crashed into the steel storage rack once (no damage to anything) and narrowly missed piles of merchandise.

We reached the loooooong queue. It was almost the peak-hour of the day. The line we were standing in had women in varying stages of pregnancy. With the glacial rate at which the queue was moving, at least few of them would've delivered before they had a chance to pay for their purchases.

I also observed the idea of making people walk through almost always works. Most people in the queue had trolleys loaded big, bulky, brassy stuff - most of them were 'on sale' items. Some of things in their trolley were useful, most things they probably would not need or never use. At one stage, it almost looked like a competition of who arrives at the checkout with the biggest pile of stuff.

I paid for the bookshelf. The bookshelf was delivered in the evening. Armed with a screw driver and a craft knife, I rip opened the packaging. It's the wrong colour bookshelf. I chose charcoal, they've given me the woody colour. Hmph :)

No. I don't wanna go back. It's just not worth it. I am happy at least they delivered the correct-model-wrong-colour bookshelf instead of a sparkling white wash basin or something.

Kashtam! No wonder we are called Kashtamers. IKEA - Indha Kadaiya Ezhuthu Ada ! :D

Kondalilla falls

2009-07-21T11:05:00.021+10:00

I went hiking at Kondalilla National Park (KNP) last week. KNP is named after Kondalilla falls (the Aboriginal meaning of Kondalilla is rushing waters). It is 100kms north of Brisbane near a beautiful little town called Montville. KNP and Montville is in the Blackall Range. It is always a few degrees cooler than Brisbane making it a popular mountain retreat.

This was my second time hiking at KNP. I met someone special in my first visit. I was hoping for another meeting. It wasn't to be - much to the relief of my mates.

It was a crisp winter morning. The sun was out in its full glory. The track wasn't wet - just damp enough to keep the sticky leaches, fat earthworms and the odd reptile interested. Overall, a great hike.

Here are some pics.

I am still in the transition from the old Powershot A95 to the new SLR. This hike was a good chance to test out all the bells and whistles.

Integrity

2009-07-19T20:06:00.019+10:00

I watched the 3rd State of Origin rugby league match few days back between the Maroons (QLD) and Blues (NSW). It was a great match, played with real fervour and intensity. The game ended in a sour note with a fight between players from the Blues and Maroon team. Fights are common in Rugby league games. It is a brute of a game, sometimes, few blows needs to be exchanged to balance things out. I have no problems with that. The incident which shocked many was the behaviour and actions of a Blues player after he had knocked out his opponent. The player kept punching, shouting obscenities at the unconscious player lying on the ground. The Blues player is guilty of a conduct charge and will face the consequences soon.

People have reacted to this incident saying things like -

"His actions were not in the spirit of the game" (!!)

"It was passion that went a bit too far"

"Sport is being treated like a war"...

All of the above statements may be right. However, I feel the Blues player lost something a bit more fundamental in that incident. He lost his integrity as a player. People may admire these players. Kids may or may not look up to them as role models. But, when you are playing at the highest level, you owe the game a sense of respect and integrity in your actions. Adherence to moral principles and ethical values should not be forced nor should it be a noble aspiration. It should come from within. Sportsmanship and the soundness of moral character form the fabric of the game. Without it, the term 'spirit of the game' is just a joke.

Integrity is an essential component of a respectable sportsman. When it is lost, the 'sportsman' in the player ceases to exist. Tom Peters, a management guru, once said "There is no such thing as minor lapse of integrity." So goddamn right!

State of Origin is a celebration of the game of Rubgy League. The game may be alive and kicking. With incidents like this, it loses its soul.

Plugged in

2009-07-19T00:14:00.008+10:00

Yep. It's back!

My flatmates think the above pic doesn't accurately capture our Internet addiction because we use wireless.

Dry! :)

Life without Internet

2009-07-06T11:43:00.011+10:00

I moved to a new place last week. I am flatting with four people. I like the look & feel of my room. It is spacious and there is enough free space for me to practise my cover drive with the full flourish or to bowl with a shortened run-up.

"Heyy...hows it? Oh BTW, no internet for next 3 weeks". I laughed it off thinking it was a joke. I bumped into another flatmate. He told me the same with a look of a child lost in a big trade fair. "Freakin Telstra". He was pissed off. The Internet connection was under the name of my room's previous occupant. When she moved, the Internet moved with her. When you snatch a candy of a kid, the kid cries. When you unplug a group on internet junkies, they fume. The world cease to make sense to them. They feel lost in their own homes. They feel lonely even in the arms of their loved ones. Everything is a blur. Our new ISP has advised us it'll take between 10-14 working days to get plugged in again. :

This weekend - like any other weekend - was for two days. But it was a one of looongest weekends I've had. It was pouring outside. With no Internet, I had so much time to do other stuff. I finished reading two books - RK Narayan's Horse and 2 goats & Malcolm Gladwell's Blink. Both books were fantastic read. I am planning to write a post on Blink sometime. I played Solitaire and Minesweeper after a long time. I cleared the sent items which had mails I sent during my first week at work (~2.5 years back). I defragged my HD, I have the cleanest desktop on the planet and all my music is fully backed up. My notebook feels light and is smiling at me.

Since I just moved in and I was running out of things to do, I decided to rearrange my furniture (read as: I am very bored and I'll do anything to break this state of mind). I wanted a different layout. So, I moved stuff around. Arranged. Re-arranged. Meddled. Almost broke one leg of the dining table chair. "Oh no...I'll google the fix for this... Crap, No internet". I then used a trick I applied in my 1st year engineering design project and managed fix/tighten the leg. Felt really good. Re-re-arranged. I realised I've come a full circle that I ended with a layout similar to the initial layout. There are only n amount layouts one can try in this room. Felt stupid and carried on. The power of boredom continues to amaze me.

Just like last weekend, the weekday evenings were quite slow as well. One weekday evening went like this: I come back after work, I walk into my room. I make myself a cuppa tea. Switch on my notebook to break the deafening silence. As I switch the notebook on , I realise there is no Internet. I lean back in my chair and look out of the window. For the next few minutes, I keep staring. Nothing in particular really. Just staring. I am neither happy or sad. A state where everything is perfectly neutral and blank. I keep staring. The staring is interspersed with sips of Earl grey. After a few minutes, I realise I am not doing anything . I look around and move on. This may look really weird to some of you. Perhaps this is the brain's way of adjusting to the absense of something which is a part of daily life, something it probably took for granted, something which it thought was critical to our digtalised existance. Perhaps the brain was trying to fill a void within itself while in the right-wad-do-we-do-now mode.

2 more weeks to go. Internet, I miss you. *sigh*

Monday morning

2009-06-29T13:29:00.017+10:00

7.47AM. Monday morning. Physically awake - but mentally asleep - I stroll into a cafe near my work place for the much needed dose of caffeine. It was an unusually long queue. Waiting in the tail of the queue, I hear this. It looks like some people did not have a pleasant weekend after all!

Attendant: Who's waiting?
Mr Happy: We all are!
The attendant frowns.
A: Can I take your order?
MH: What's the muffin of the day?
A: Fruits of the forest.
MH: *sniggers* Which forest?
A gives him a cold look. MH likes trouble more than Muffins I think. :)
A: Sorry?
MH: *smiles* Ah..dont worry about it. Any others?
A: We have Choc chip cookie.
MH: *with a smirk on his face* Can I have a lookiee?
A: *frowns again. with a cold look on the face, she points at the muffin basket* it's in there.
MH: um hmm. I'll grab that.
A: Anything else?
MH: Cappucino, to go please.
after 2 seconds
MH: Oh. Can I have an extra shot with that please?
after 3 seconds
MH: Can you please use extra hot milk as well, please?
MH: If you can, please use less fat milk.
after 2 seconds
MH: Can you double cup it. Sorry miss. *gives a big smile*
* Attendant steps back. Puts her hands on her hips. Takes a deep breath*
A: * in a flat and raised tone* anything else?
MH: No. *pauses. looks her in the eye* Thank you.
MH: *quietly muttering* Thanks for being snappy.
A: *in a flat out intimidating tone* I beg your PARDON!
MH: I said thaanks for doing my co-f-f-eee! *sporting a plastic smile*
A: Is that right?
MH: yeah...

MH's Cappucino may have tasted like cardboard. It was high voltage start to a Monday morning. I was fully awake by the time I arrived to the counter. Screw the caffeine!

Here's to an exciting- but, trouble free - week! :)

RIP: Micheal Jackson

2009-06-26T12:02:00.012+10:00

MJ will be sorely missed.

An icon of our generation. His music influenced and brought together people all over the world. MJ's music, style, dance was an identity to a generation of children and adults. He was part of the fabric of life for anyone who grew in the last 20 (?) years.

A music genius, his beats will groove us for years to come. MJ raised the bar and through his music & image he seeked peace and understanding. Most people mis-understood him, some realised his value. He treaded a path which many could've never imagined possible. But, he did it with grace and style. Love him or loathe him. Call him a victim or a paedophile. Make of the butt of countless stupid jokes. Nothing will never ever remove the musical genius that was Micheal Jackson.

This is a sad day. It's a huge loss to music, pop culture and humankind. He left us too soon.

MJ - the King of Pop. The one, the one there will ever be. RIP.

Awards

2009-06-24T14:58:00.008+10:00

Foreigndesi and Wits 'n' Nuts gave me the above awards. It was a pleasant surprise and I was really happy see my name on their list. So, thanks guys! The rules state that I have to list seven loves and pass it on to seven bloggers. So here I go,

7 Loves:

(I'll leave the family out of this)

Best friends - Without ma bros & niggas, life aint much fun.

Music

Sunshine - Light. Warmth. Vibrance. I love spring/summer! It is good to like sunshine when you are Vitamin-D deficient.

Photography - It's a great joy when you've clicked the perfect photograph capturing the right moment. It is an art to observe and capture something special out of something which many may see as ordinary. I've been clicking here and there. Some good ones, some OK ones. I am looking to attend a few classes to get the basics right and to polish off a few rough edges.

Cricket - It's in the blood. From Book Cricket, to playing Street cricket, to opening the innings for Woodleigh CC at New Plymouth Boys High, nowadays Indoor Cricket...I cant get enough of it. Cricket, sometimes, is my opium.

Blogging - My new lauve since last November...

Work - Some aspects of it. :D

I'd like to pass this award to seven bloggers below:

Praveen's Prav Unplugged

Viji's Paper n Pencil

Sujatha's Blogpourri

Nirmal's C' EST MA VIE

Dot Says

Coconut Chutney

Anjana's The Impossible Joy of Suspended Leap

Pets

2009-06-16T21:26:00.004+10:00

I like pets.

I prefer dogs. I am okay with cats. I can accept rabbits, parrots, budgies, goldfish etc. I'll reserve #sneeze# my comments on #cough#sneeze#... pigs. Having worms, mouse, snakes, other members of the cat family as pets always draw a blank look from me. I guess it all boils down to (weird) personal liking/preference.

My friend has two dogs - a German shepherd (Bruno) and a Fox terrier (Pinto). Of the two, Bruno is my fav. He is, to put in typical Aussie way, a "naughty bastard". My friend tells me having pet(s) is not cheap. From vaccinations, flea powders, tick preventatives, supplements, electrolytes(!), leashes, collars, brushes, combs, and yeah pet food...it makes a dent in the purse. Some people would consider pet related expenses a waste of money, whereas some wouldn't mind. I believe with pets, it's horses for courses (echoos me for the pun!). It boils down to a matter of priority.

One fine day, my friend woke up to find Pinto limping. The vet pronounced Pinto needs surgery on two of his legs, followed by few weeks (if not months) of physiotherapy. Even though Pinto is not my fav pet, it's still a dog. A pet. It's not mine, but no one is/will be happy to see him suffer and limp for rest of his life. The medical costs rack up to a gruesome four figure amount. My mate was in a real predicament.

Medical costs could easily spiral if Pinto doesn't respond well to surgery or after care. But, it was an easy decision to make. The constant wailing and sheer tear power from his little daughters made him put his hand up and say "DO IT". The kids absolutely love Pinto. There is no choice but to see Pinto right. If not for Pinto, atleast for his daughters. In the end, all went well. Pinto is back. Pinto still hobbles a bit. We are told he'll be normal in time. It's funny the way he runs. He runs like chappaani from the Tamil movie 'at the age of 16'. The daughters are happy. So my friend is happy.

The Pinto episode was an eye-opener into how big a business the Pet industry was. Pinto had a MRI scan, a specialist vet examined Pinto, an extensive physiotherapy...the saying "naai paadu patten (like a dog, I struggled)" sounded ironic. My friend exclaimed even he hadnt had a MRI scan yet. Ofcourse, he touched wood straightaway! It's a world of dog whispereres and horse whisperers. As Bill Lawry often says, "its all happening out there". By the end of it, he and Pinto had had enough!

Prior to Pinto episode, my perception of a vet was not entirely correct. To me, a Vet was a random-hard-to-find doctor who usually attends to cows, horses...basically all farm animals. For a change, he treats cats, dogs of rich people. The more accomplished vet is in the zoo treating an injured Gibbon, or monitoring the birth of a Giraffe or shooting at a sleeping lion from a distance with an anaesthetising gun. By listing out my prior perception of vets, I obviously don't mean any disrespect. I admire these people for their career choice. Not everyone can do their job or can have the undying passion for animals. They are doctors for animals.

The Pinto saga reminded me of the good old days. My grandparents had a dog - Johnny. I cant recall what breed it was. She was black scrawny little thing. Please don't ask me why she was given a male name - I don't know! :) Johnny had a proud history being the most harmless dog in our colony. Johnny never bite anyone. She never really showed much aggression. The sight of a stranger scared her. You can see it in her eyes. The tail would between her rear legs. She'd run to the corner and bark. And bark she did. She compensated the lack of aggression by barking her lungs out. This managed to keep burglers' at bay. Johhny's world was circumscribed by the boundaries of our house. She wasn't really brave to venture out. She slept in the veranda, milled around in the big backyard, ate from the black plate near the small corner beside the well. As simple as that.

I don't think Johnny cost my grandparents anything. She wasn't fed anything special. Johhny ate the food that was cooked in the house. There was one difference though. In a big household like ours, there's always leftovers (pazham pathu) from the previous day. Johhny always had pazham pathu. Johhny may have Dosa with Rasam today; the next day it'll be Adai or Idli with sambhar; on a good day, rice with hot milk. Johhny had good dining habits too. She'll lick the plate clean till she sees her reflection on the black plate. Being a TamBram family, we were - still are - strict vegetarians. Johhny, I believe, was one too.

Comparing Johnny and Pinto, I don't think back in the days a dog could survive or have hope for a free feed without making itself useful - let alone a surgery on its legs. Pets had a utility value. If it's no use, it'll be gotten rid off. There was no secret or shame in it because it was the common approach. Does this mean people didn't love pets? Probably not. They did love their pets. But, there seemed to a weird detachment in love which made this approach a fact of life.

Pinto can thank his lucky stars now!

Liz's Birthday

2009-06-08T21:00:00.009+10:00

I love long weekends. Who doesn't? A glorious Monday here capped off a nice Queen's birthday weekend. The Queen's actual birthday is April 21st. But no one gives a hoot. We seem to celebrate it in June. Another reason to take a day off from work I guess. The strange thing is England doesn't have a holiday for Queen's birthday. I wonder why.

It was a incredible winter day today. I woke up and felt like a long run. I ran, jogged, then ambled - all in equal proportions. I took a few pictures on the way.

Admiring the Story Bridge from coffee table point of view. Sorry about the sun, Canon!

Yea...that's mine.

Good cafe this

Just married!
A spur of the moment thing. The photographer told the couple to get on the road quickly before the traffic came in. If you remove the dudes in front, I think I took a perfect shot :D

A walkway to the Botanical Gardens.

The pursuit

2009-06-06T20:46:00.010+10:00

A poem by me.

in the dawn
in the dusk,
in the light
in the shade,
in the quick laugh
in the careless snigger,
in the utopian dream
in the pang of reality,
in the extended silence
in the fleeting rhapsody,
in the vivacious adventure
in the hollowness of loneliness,
in the understanding smile
in the quiet tear,
in the quick blink of eye
in the meaning of untold words,
in every big leap
in every missed beat,
in every glowing success
in every stumble,
with the radiance of hope
and with faith,
I am searching,
but where?
in society, in people,
in culture, in traditions,
in us, in it,
in here, in there,
in you, in me!
Will I find it?
Have you found it?
I don't know.
I am searching,
I will keep searching,
for this pursuit never ends!

Happy Birthday Ilaiyaraja

2009-06-02T20:16:00.017+10:00

Ilaiyaraja turns 66 today. When I learnt it was his birthday, I felt compelled to write something about him. It is impossible to write a post which does justice to his contribution to music. So I wont even go there.

IR has been composing since '70s. He would've done almost every genre of music that can be applied to Indian Cinema. Picking best of his works would be like trying to pick rain drops from the ocean.

I play Violin and I am very fond of my mother tongue, Thamizh. Violin and Thamizh form an integral part in most of IR works. From my collection of IR's work, these are the instrumental scores where IR mesmerizes me with the use of Violin. These three albums are very special to me.

How to name it? - An instrumental fusion album. Pure violin bliss.

Violin Concerto and this BGM in Rajaparvai.

Thiruvasagam - Thiruvasagathuku urugaar, oru vasagathukum orugaar (one who does not get moved by Thiruvasagam will not be moved by anything else)

...the plethora of BGMs like this, this, this, this, this and interludes.

--

Picked up a tag from Mahesh's blog.

a. The moment you got introduced to IR's music?

"Raja...rajadhi rajan indha raja" from Agni Nakshathram. I was probably 5 -6 year old then. I was hooked to that song.

b. Name one occasion where IR music directly/indirectly influenced your life.

IR's scores made me realise the power of music. There is a saying 'Music is the food for the soul'. I firmly believe in that.

c. Name 4 fav tamil songs that immediately comes to your mind

Andhi mazhai from Raja Paarvai
Poongathave from Nizhalghal
Thendral Vandhu from Avatharam
Rakamma from Dhalapathi

d. One song of IR that you consider rare and think a song many people should have known but don't.

I don't see many people talking about Paravayin kootil from Katradhu Thamizh. This song is sung by IR, the music is by Yuvan. Along with the great lyrics by Thamarai, the way IR renders this song makes it quite special.

e. IR's number you are hearing now or recently heard?

Listening to En Iniya pon nilave from Moodupani.

--
Raja rules! Happy birthday Isaignaani!

Spell Bee

2009-05-30T21:32:00.009+10:00

Kavya Shivashankar - Winner of 2009 National Spelling Bee

Malarghal-idhathey ulla malarndha podigalai araaindhu kondu irukum
kumbi-inathai serndha uyarndha jaadhi vandey,

nee kanda malarghalil,
im-mangaiyin vida adhiga ezhuthu-kootum aatral
veroru malarukku undo?!

(translation)

Oh honey bee, breeding on the nectar of flowers,
Is there a flower you know of,
which could spell better than our girl?! *

I am sure there won't be a Nakeeran style disagreement for the poem. Or, is there?

Some words which Kavya spelt easily: antonomasia, bouquiniste, oriflamme, guayabera, isagoge, sophrosynephoresy, hydrargyrum, blancmange, baignoire, laodicean (winning word). Phew...

Kavya, go girl!

--

* Ofcourse, the poem is the spoofed version from this famous movie.

Can I put you on hold thank you

2009-05-23T16:44:00.011+10:00

Around 8PM yesterday, I got a call from my mobile company's customer services centre (a call centre in Manila) regarding a new add-on I signed up in my cell phone account. A lady with a friendly voice opened the phone call by asking me to confirm my name, current address, mother's maiden name, secret question 1, secret question 2, previous residential address, blood group...the only personal details remaining was my nakshthram, gothram and undraayer size.

Thanks to her heavy accent and the poor reception of international phone line, we both had to repeat ourselves a few times. For every answer I gave, she'd go "Can I put you on hold thank you". It was really funny the way she said it. It was more of a statement than a question/request. Ofcourse, it didn't matter if I wanted to say yes or no. Ms CustomerFriendly put me on me hold anyway.

Initially I was happy that she was committed to the concept of person verification and customer privacy. 5 minutes into the call and we were still in the identity-check stage - I felt she took the concept a little too seriously. Thinking about it now, I am sure most customers would lose their cool in her sloooow and lengthy identity check.

Having established my bona fides, Ms CustomerFriendly finally came to the purpose of the call. It seems the 'system' had validated the add-on without checking the service charge payment. The service fee was overdue and I had to pay it immediately. I assured her I'll transfer the money ASAP and we ended the call. Half hour later (I made the payment straightaway), when I tried to make a call, I hear an automated message saying that I don't have enough credit. I checked my cell-phone account online, sure enough my credit was gone it displayed nil balance.

Clearly annoyed, I tried to call Ms CustomerFriendly through the customer service hotline.

The great part about customers calling call centres is that if you are a new customer looking to sign up for something, you get straight through. You dial the number, press 1, one ring...tadaaa the operator picks up. It's as if they've been waiting for this particular call all day and the operator has your account information on the screen before you finish saying "2-year contract". No verification is asked(!!). As long you pay the monthly fee, agree to T&C, no one cares whether you live or die.

Try lodging a complaint, however.

"Thank you. Please select from the following 23 options. Press 2 if you are this customer. Press 3 if you are that customer. Press 4 if you are this and that customer. Press 5 if you are totally screwed...".

Out of desperation, you press a wretched number. No matter what number you press, "Thank you. Your call has been placed on queue. We apologise for the long delay, please consider making a hot cuppa coffee, catch a snooze or learn Swahili or bang your head on the wall before you get the hint we just don't want to know!"

I am not trying to be critical on call centres. I have never worked in a call centre and I don't have anything against them. From outside, their job appears to be mundane and most-boring. But they play a key role. They are the front line staff and the link between the public and the company. The outsourcing movement in the last decade has made all major telcos, banks etc to invest in overseas call centres. Rather than improving/maintaining high standards of customer service, companies seem to have cost cutting as their number one priority.

Instead of making underpaid staff work long hours on a regimented customer service protocol in south of Yengiyonesia* or east of Kalavaramistan**, they could invest in quality customer service staff both local and offshore. Perhaps the CEO and other officials, who rake up huge six figure or even seven-figure salaries (plus bonuses) could shed a few thousands from their pay packets for customer service benefit. Hell no. They would rather use it for their next cruise holiday in a tropical island or the impending round of redundancy pay outs.

Another feature in call centre calls nowadays is the voice recognition system. Voice apps works well for me. You say the key words or phrases to the system. It picks it up and provides relevant info or directs the call to the correct operator. Some people, especially old people, have tough time with it. They go on a long narrative about their problem ("Hello. I don't get Internet in my computer. Nothing is working. Bla bla bla...") and end up getting frustrated that the 'machine' doesn't understand them. One elderly person got offended when the Voice app played a message saying that it didn't understand him and asked him to repeat more than a few times. When voice app gave up and transferred him to an operator, he flared up "Why are you people you doing this? Bloody computers in everything. Everywhere. Am I fool to talk to a machine? What telecoms are you running? You idiots are trying to replace everything with technology. Your customer service is pathetic and your system is absolutely useless!". I had a good laugh and I also felt sorry for the operator.

To all of us who have suffered interminably frustrating waits with banks/insurance co/telcos trying to rectify faults, billing mistakes etc don't call the complaints or fault line number. Just call the number or select the option for new accounts and pour your grief to the soul who may be in the other side of the world and/or in the other hemisphere. Do it politely. He/she may have some pity on you and help out. This method worked for me, this time.

I doubt this method will work next time. Ms DontComplaint2Me may pick up and say with a friendly but stern tone "Can I transfer you to Faults thank you".

--

* yengiyo means somewhere
** kalavaram means a state of agitation, confusion, distress.

Flight Plight

2009-05-21T22:44:00.012+10:00

This video reminded me of Pacific Blue.

A clip from Carol Burnett Show. A slightly exaggerated version of the above video.

Foreigndesi found a clip where a flight attendant raps before take off. Check it out.

Hope and Loneliness

2009-05-16T21:06:00.003+10:00

I read this today:

Loneliness is the human condition. Cultivate it. The way it tunnels into you allows your soul room to grow. Never expect to outgrow loneliness. Never hope to find people who will understand you, someone to fill that space. An intelligent, sensitive person is the exception, the very great exception. If you expect to find people who will understand you, you will grow murderous with disappointment. The best you’ll ever do is to understand yourself, know what it is that you want, and not let the cattle stand in your way.

Janet Fitch

I have conflicting thoughts on the sentence "Never hope to find people who will understand you, someone to fill that space". Yes, it is very hard to find such person - someone who is in sync with you. Even good, close friends, don't necessarily understand you. They may just accept you. It's just that we can not afford to lose hope in finding that person. Hope can drive you crazy. But, in Andy Dufresne's words "Hope is a good thing, may be the best of things, no good thing ever dies".

I strongly agree with the last sentence "The best you’ll ever do is to understand yourself...". It echoes my views in the last para of this post.

My Orchid

2009-05-10T21:26:00.031+10:00

Of all the posts I've written so far, I find this post the hardest to write. The toughest tributes have got to be the ones written for people you've known the longest and loved the best. Nothing I say can be enough.

In life we form relationships with many people. Some relationships are strong bonds with people who mean a lot to us (e.g. parents, siblings, close friends etc.), some are in the middle ground - neither this nor that, and some relationships exist because both individuals are alive and kicking and/or because the path of individuals intersect somewhere in time (e.g. hi-bye friends or relatives whom we meet sporadically).

Of all the relationships that exist in this world, the one between grandmother and grandson is THE most special. It is a special bond that is very difficult to put in words.

My Paati (Paati is the tamil word for grandmother) is an influential figure in my life. She is everything to me. After my mum, she is the first person to see me. From paaladai to ooti-vittufy, she has fed me. She has told me stories. She introduced God to me. She taught me how to pray. She taught me the value of having values, the importance of doing one's duty, to love unconditionally. From her, I learnt how to be soft and yet strong, how to be innocuous and still be assertive...Most importantly, I learnt who I am and who I can be.

My Paati is not a run-of-the-mill Paati. When I say 'Paati', if you picturize an old lady, frail, wearing a white sari, lips silently chanting a sloka with prayer beads on fingers - you are greatly mistaken. My Paati is very enterprising and dynamic. She is a businesswoman and entrepreneur. Born in the generation where women from orthodox Tamil Brahmin community were married before they finished high school, she also got married in her early teens and was determined enough to finish her Masters degree in Cosmetology. In the era where most married women with more than 2 kids were content being a housewife or at most work in the safe haven of a Government job, she established a herbal beauty clinic, expanded it and ran it successfully for 20+ years and along the way did a splendid job of raising three successful kids. In the age where people settled with decent income wouldn't consider upgrading themselves professionally by studying further, she ran the family and studied to specialise in Aroma therapy. Finally, when she is physically old and the body seem to dish out the vagaries of old age, the last thing you would expect her to do is a gruelling trek in the Himalayas. My Paati did a 1-month trip to Mt Kailash and Manasarovar Lake in the Nepal-China border. She did extensive preparation for the trip to be physically and mentally fit. She did it!

My Paati is a lady with strong sense of style and class (No wonder she is a beautician!). A class that you will feel with the way she speaks, carries herself and her immaculate dress sense. She moves with great poise and dignity. Her generosity of spirit and her unselfish capacity to care has touched many people. In more ways than ever, she is a source of inspiration to me and to everyone around her. She always tells me "Sriramaaa, saadhikanum! Namma unnum yenna pannalaam-nu paakanum. Seiyara kaariyatha, innum eppdi nanna seiyalaam paakanum!. Nambaloda kadamai thavaraama seiyanum". Words that'll always hold true.

People dream. They aspire to do lots of things. Many aspire, but only few steadfastly work towards it and realise the dream. My Paati is one of the few. I believe she has achieved her dreams. Her life is punctuated with many challenges which she has overcome with grit, hardwork, determination and sense of faith. To me, my Paati is a real achiever and a true all rounder.

Today is Mothers day. My Paati turned 66 last Friday. Whatever I've written is a humble attempt to say thank you to my Paati. Paati, I love you.

My Paati. My inspiration.

Labour Day

2009-05-04T20:17:00.013+10:00

'Triumph of Labour' - Statue of Labour at Marina Beach, Madras

Brisbane staged the Labour Day march today. Workers representing unions from cross section of industries participated in this march.

Due to the troubled economic times, some people/groups were quite vociferous in their slogans and chants.

The moment of blankness

2009-05-03T19:11:00.026+10:00

The moment of blankness? Let me explain.

This is the state your brain momentarily goes in when:

a. you are asked a question or an opinion. You give a monosyllable answer. "xyz is like that. Don't you think so?" "ya". Silence. The other person waits for you to elaborate but quite simply you don't have anything else to add. Sometimes, you know what to say. You have lot more to add. But, suddenly, in that particular instant of time, you blank out. If I can put a picture to this moment of 'thinking', it'll be a bright white image. 2-minutes after that, all the ideas/thoughts come flooding in. Arghh!

b. you've been chatting with a complete stranger. All common conversational topics are dealt with. The conversation is now interspersed with long awkward pauses and it finally comes to grinding halt. You both experience a loud silence. You try to conjure up a question/topic but nothing comes in mind. Not a zilch! A quick blank look and an artificial smile are exchanged...both parties desperate to bail out of tete a tete. (I don't experience this anymore. My friend does! If need be, I tactfully wriggle myself out.)

Social butterflies don't seem to experience this at all. They seamlessly move from person to person. One conversation to next. Being masters of small talk, they can keep going on and on without communicating anything significant. Certain traits are in-born I guess.

It is interesting this 'blankness' rarely happen when in company with a close friend or family. Is it because there is an inclination to communicate? A willingness to open up? We tend to listen more and we actually care?

c. you are hard-pressed to make a nothing-to-say-but-u-better-say-something-to prove-u-mentally-exist-in-this-room statement in a group discussion.

d. learning a new subject (you read the theory and go um-humm...then? and go back reading)

e. writing - a blog post or a letter - esp. writing philosophical, arts topics. God!

Have you experienced this?

Speech seems to be idiosyncratic to the level of person's thinking 'processes' at a given time.

Pronouncing zha, sha, lha

2009-04-25T22:34:00.033+10:00

A pet peeve I have on native Tamizh speakers is their mispronunciation of 'zha' ழ. Along with 'sha' and 'lha', it is one of the things that riles me up when heard on a repeated basis (like in a movie, speech etc). My brain just ignores what the person is saying. I just keep their observing the speaker's (mis) pronunciation.

I remember my Tamizh teacher telling our class us how to pronounce 'zha'. "zha ucharippu-ku, naakai suzhata vendum. naakai madikaama vaai mozhi varuvadhu migha kadinam.". Point!

Today, I watched the trailer of Cheran's next movie Pokkisham. An interesting trailer. It looks to be another heartfelt love story from the Cheran factory. The trailer has Cheran reading out a letter sent to his lover. It's a beautiful narration, has good Thamizh, perfect selection of words & comparisons to convey the exact feeling/emotion...the only sour point being Cheran's pronunciation of the word azhagu as alagu. He goes,

"alagu ennum solluku ottu motra artham needhan Nadira!"

"mothathil nee thamilin alagu" (this was too much)

"sandhosamaai irukiradhu"

Other e.g. :

tamil valga
stiram valapalam saptaan.
summa palagunga, palagi paarunga
Amma kolambu vechirkaanga
kolandhaiku bajji romba pidikikum
magesum bathmaavum plight-la kamalagaasan pichhar paathanga

olunga ucharikira palakam ennaku illa

I am sure you can think of many.

I can understand when non-Tamil speakers like wrecker-in-chief Udit Narayan, Yesudas, Adnan Sami mispronounce (read kill) some or all Tamil words. When our own people can't get it right, it is sad.

This post can be best summarised by the famous Thillu mullu interview scene (of Subramania Bharathy) shown below. Thalaivar and Thengai at their best!

Yellaan eye wassss! :D

Twenty Five

2009-04-23T21:11:00.023+10:00

A birthday poem by me.

*in the tune of the birthday song *

Happy Birthday to Sri
who lives in the Valley
he kinda feels lonely
cos of the birthday glee.

His Mother may shed a tear
that he's not very near
he will make a phone call
to get her blessings and all

The pub is beckoning
his mates are reckoning
he'll sure get smothered
but he's least bothered

His friends aren't many many
they are there for any
coupla them are techs
the rest are paramadicks

Sri is the Son of Gun
he'll have you on the run
he may show lil clement
if you leave a big comment

He's turning 25
His old man is 55
Sri may look cool blue
he really doesn't have a clue!

Whatever said and done
there is lots to be done
the joy is really rife
here's to a good life!

--

I was born on April 24th.

Yes, I share birthday with my Idol, Sachin Tendulkar. Happy Birthday Sachin!

Pranav Mistry's Sixth Sense

2009-04-20T22:20:00.009+10:00

Pranav Mistry, from MIT, has developed a device named Sixth Sense. It is a wearable device that enables new interactions between the real world and the world of data.

Here is the demo video.

I first read about this here.

Random thoughts

2009-04-18T20:05:00.043+10:00

I saw these clips of a show by the great Kunnakudi Vaidhyanathan hosted by Vijay TV for Deepavali 200#. Sri Kunnakudi, wearing a coat-suit, plays popular movie songs to the delight of the audience. The ease and elan with which he plays the subtleties in the songs just left me spellbound. Legendary stuff! It's sad the Violin Maestro is not with us any more. His music will live with us forever.

Kaadhal Yaanai (Anniyan)

Mannil Indha Kadhal (don't miss the part where Sri Kunnakudi mimics SPB by playing the charanam without lifting the bow)

He also played: Devuda Devuda , Malarndhu malaradha, MKT's Manmadha leelai

Is he the Tamil Russell Peters? Badava Gopi! I hope they get rid of the annoying background music for every joke. Good laugh though!

Ross Taylor said in relief at IPL being shifted from India to SA "If you're dead you cant earn any money..." - *Tonge in cheek* Honest!

I went hiking this week at Kondalilla National Park. It rained the previous day, the circuit was damp as we walked through the cool, lush green surroundings. The vegetation was thick (as you would expect in a rainforest) and the croaks of frogs and chirps of birds and insects were soothing to the ears compared to the monotonous server hum. The hike was going smoothly until my friend (walking first in the pack) spotted this fella on the track.

We spotted him when he was approx 2-feet away from us. Since all of us were sh*t scared of anything belonging to his species, we stood there for a moment staring at him blankly and wondering what to do. We shooed and stomped our feet to make him move. To our horror, he initially moved towards us and slithered away to his left and just disappeared into the bush. Phew...all of us needed a new set of pants!

I found a way to make Rasam taste even better. Instead of mashing the paruppu (lentils) with karandi (spatula), mash it with your hands. Paruppu mixes well as a result Rasam tastes better. Previously, paruppu used to stand out like a distant cousin. Now it is a part of the Rasam family. If you are saying "Jee...what a genius Sriram. Tell me something new!" Well, using hands to mash the paruppu may be the proper, regular way. But that doesn't matter!. For a guy who ventured into making Rasam just few months back, this is a big leap. I can never forget my first attempt at making Rasam. I ended up making what looked like a glorified manja thanni than Rasam. I've come a long way from that.

IPL: I am from Chennai. I support Mumbai Indians. Why? Here is the answer in the first few paras of this post.

I watched Sigappu Rojakkal yesterday. A typical 70s movie. Kudos on Bharathiraja for making a psycho thriller in that era. Kamal, as usual, acted well. I wonder how this movie will be if Kamal and Bharathiraja remake this movie today. Sigappu Rojakkal II. That'll be good!

Saw Ayan. A decent masala movie. Unlike other masala movie directors, I appreciate K V Anand for making the assumption the Tamil Cinema viewers have some IQ in them. You can watch the movie once in theatre for two reasons: one, picturisation of Nenje Nenje song; two, (for chics) after hearing the oohs and aahs in the theatre - Surya and his abs, (for guys) Tamanna.

A question from my friend. What is the Tamil word for 'swipe'? (as in, swipe your credit card).

Passion, profession, both or neither?

2009-04-07T23:45:00.008+10:00

A wise man once said "Make your profession your passion. Half your time in this planet will be spent at the workplace". When I first heard this, I felt it was an obvious statement to make. You work in a field that you are passionate about. Otherwise, what's the point in working? Right? Is it not important, at least for everyday contentment that you work in a field you are passionate about?

Before I decided to wear the garb of an Electrical Engineer, I was told by many to “Pursue your passion”, “Follow your passion and get paid for it”, “Turn your passion into profession” etc. Before I started BE, I was not completely sure whether EEE was my passion. I certainly did like EEE. While at Uni, the mere act of engineering something and seeing it work excited me. ‘Liking’ started to develop into passion. When I entered the workforce, the dynamics changed. The bird that was free, independent, doing all acrobatics in the academic world was now caged as it entered the big bad professional/corporate world - the real world. Hold that thought~

It is interesting the wise man (quoted in 1st para) did not say “Make your passion your profession…” This leads to the inevitable question. I ask you, dear reader, have you made your passion your profession? If you ask, “Well have you?” – I have observed most passions follow the theory of natural frequency and damping. They start out with a big surge, slowly dwindle and eventually die out over time. Some passions (e.g. cricket, violin) are reignited occasionally, but they are merely bright flashes than raging flames. I am slowly realising the damping theory seems to apply with my ‘passion’ for my current specific field of work (not Electrical Engineering as a whole, please. I don’t want that to happen!). The passion is ‘damped’ because of some reasons which I don't want go into. ~The bird wants to fly again. I like Obama’s campaign tag line (with a minor modification): The change that I need.

I’ll cut the crap and go to my questions:

Profession is to make a living. Why is that when you turn or attempt to turn, your passion into profession you don’t seem to enjoy it anymore?

Is it because - Passion is synonymous to art. Art doesn't come out well when forced. Art, like passion, comes from ones heart. Passion/Art does not flow if you force or pressurise (due to professional needs)? (What about pro artists then? Oh God. LOL). Profession is like science. Science adheres to logic. Science, like profession, whether forced/unforced can be done regardless. Passion/Art almost always can only take its natural course. When you force it, you lose it. Do you agree?

So, does it mean that passion can remain ONLY as passion and not as profession?

If you say “NO. Passion can also be as profession. I see a Tendulkar, a Rahman, a Jordan follow their passion. Don’t you think they are enjoying their profession...sorry passion? Both?” Tendulkar, ARR, Jordan et al are geniuses. They are products of Providence to show Man how good he can be. They can not be used as examples. They are glorious exceptions. To put it rudely, they are freaks. I am just an extraordinarily ordinary person. I am neither a genius nor a freak. There are many people like me. This thought/question is ubiquitous in our minds.

Why?

Feel free to post your thoughts, opinion, questions, kindal, nakkal, thuppal...

FW: How to be creative

2009-04-04T19:47:00.007+10:00

I got this as a forward yesterday. Thanks Vandana!

Lots of wisdom in this. Very insightful. We know most of this, but we have this need to be reminded of life's lessons and have some facts reconfirmed. I wonder who compiled this list.

1. Ignore Everybody!
2. The idea doesn't have to be big. It just has to be yours.

3. Put the hours in.

4. If your biz plan depends on you suddenly being "discovered" by some big shot, your plan will probably fail.

5. You are responsible for your own experience.

6. Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten.

7. Keep your day job.

8. Companies that squelch creativity can no longer compete with companies that champion creativity.

9. Everybody has their own private Mount Everest they were put on this earth to climb.

10. The more talented somebody is, the less they need the props.

11. Don't try to stand out from the crowd; avoid crowds altogether.

12. If you accept the pain, it cannot hurt you.

13. Never compare your inside with somebody else's outside.

14. Dying young is overrated.

15. The most important thing a creative person can learn professionally is where to draw the red line that separates what you are willing to do, and what you are not.

16. The world is changing.

17. Merit can be bought. Passion can't.

18. Avoid the Watercooler Gang.

19. Sing in your own voice.

20. The choice of media is irrelevant.

21. Selling out is harder than it looks.

22. Nobody cares. Do it for yourself.

23. Worrying about "Commercial vs. Artistic" is a complete waste of time.

24. Don't worry about finding inspiration. It comes eventually.

25. You have to find your own schtick.

26. Write from the heart.

27. The best way to get approval is not to need it.

28. Power is never given. Power is taken.

29. Whatever choice you make, The Devil gets his due eventually.

30. The hardest part of being creative is getting used to it.

31. Remain frugal.

32. Allow your work to age with you.

33. Being Poor Sucks.

34. Beware of turning hobbies into jobs.

35. Savor obscurity while it lasts.

36. Start blogging.

37. Meaning Scales, People Don't.

37. When your dreams become reality, they are no longer your dreams.

Why?

2009-04-02T21:40:00.037+10:00

For the past few days, I've been wondering what to write about. I didn't experience or couldn't come up with anything interesting or worthy enough to write here. I faced a blogging block which made me wonder the reason why I blog. This post examines that.

Some of my friends and relatives have asked me for the reason behind blogging. A few of them can't understand how people can post such personal thoughts in a public domain. My neighbour, known for his outspokenness, has revulsion towards blogging. He told me "You are wasting time writing these blogs mate. You blogging buggers better off doing something else. You guys write and read rubbish". I retorted "well it is very easy to rubbish other's opinion and thoughts. Sometimes, you are what you think of other people". It was pointless talk and we couldn't disagree with each other enough.

So, why do I/people blog?

People write blogs because something has affected them. The effect of it is a post in their blog. The post is result of the emotion (good or bad) which they feel compelled to let out.

They experience/meet/see an event, person, place, thing - get terribly excited by it and share their $0.02 thoughts for the few dedicated readers who skim through the blog during their coffee break at work and hope for the (non)pointless comment(s) if they care to write one.

I started to blog after moving to Australia. I am still developing my friends' network here. I have made numerous acquaintances ranging from hi-bye friends to few persons I consider to be genuine friends. I miss my social circle back home. Blogging fills the void created by the absence of my family & friends. I find blogging an ideal way to let out. When you lose/miss something, you attempt to replace it with something else. I blog.

When I blog, the content of the post - to a certain extent - is determined by the state of my mind. The way I write reflects a part of me at the particular moment of time. Being an introvert, I particularly enjoy blogging since I feel I, sometimes, express myself better through writing. Blog is a place where I collect and focus my mind, rather than a plea for attention.

Writing, I believe, enlarges the perception of oneself (self perception - the way we see ourselves). The more I write (remembering it is the quality of writing not quantity), the more I learn about me. The more you know/learn about yourself, the way your see yourself gradually changes. Knowing thy self is a deep concept. You can only, ever, know about yourself from your own perspective. It is packed with profound insights and understanding no person will be privy to, or even comprehend. But, it is important that we study ourselves. Even though understanding oneself is only a part of our being, it is important that we make that pursuit within us.

Writing, I believe, is one of the tools for that pursuit. Blogging is the vehicle I use for it.

--

On further thought, why do I consider 'knowing yourself' a big deal after all?

I believe most people don't know themselves enough. If you self examine or observe people - people think of themselves in a certain way, but behave in certain way, as a result things take shape in certain way. Sometimes people act in ways that are unbeknownst to us. You see what I mean? I initially found this quite puzzling. It appeared as if they seemed to be confused and quite vague about what they think/feel about themselves. If you extrapolate this 'confusion' and 'vagueness' to a larger level, it doesn't give you a good picture. To me, it presents a picture of the world we live in. If we look at ourselves - humans, we are constantly confronting and fighting with each other across racial, ethnic, political divisions. We are hardly ever at peace. Collectively we are always at unrest. Peace and happiness doesn't seem to be omnipresent. Global peace, so far, seems to be a fictitious idea. The real conflict is actually within us - with our soul and spirit. Unless we know who we really are and we take the journey within ourselves, it is impossible to resolve this conflict. Writing/blogging may not solve world's problems and bring peace around you; it might create peace within you. Enough rambling I guess. :D

Google Voice

2009-03-23T20:42:00.011+10:00

Google has surprised me again. When it acquired GrandCentral last year, the 'googlised' version of GrandCentral was awaited with bated breath. Though Google took its time to launch its own voice service - Google Voice, the wait has been well worth it. Like any other service offered by Google, Google Voice is free!

What is Google Voice?

Google Voice (GV) is a voice service from Google which provides you with a phone number. When people call that number, it will forward the call to any number of your phones thereby allowing you to provide ONE phone number which you can access from anywhere (work, home, away, anywhere etc). The GV number doesn't correspond to only one particular phone. Hence, GV liberates phone numbers from phones. It considers them as separate entities.

Google Voice will record your voice mails like emails, once again for free, and store them for you to access online or via phone(s).

Using GV you can make calls for real cheap rates (cheaper than Skype).

One of the many cool things about GV

Voicemail can be converted into text using speech recognition software. Voice messages can now be both read and heard! The accuracy of transcription is, obviously, not hundred percent (it is approx 80% accurate it seems). It does the job.

You can 'switch' handsets midway during a call. For e.g. you are speaking to someone at home in your landline and are about to head out. You can press * and switch the call to your cell phone.

When you receive a call in GV, you can opt to have the following options: Press 1 to receive a call, Press 2 to send it to Voice mail, Press 3 to listen on voice mail, Press 4 to accept and record a call. I like option 3. While you are listening to caller leaving a voice message, if you change your mind and decide to talk to the caller, you can pick up the call by pressing *. Option 4 is kind of scary. You can record whole call or a part of a call and record it in GV Inbox. I realise you can do this in a normal cell phone perhaps not with the ease and in a frequent basis (and without worrying about the size of recording) as in GV. You can't talk sh*t from now on. Every single convo will be recorded! :D I love this. On other thought, is it legal to record a conversation? Privacy?

GV collects voice messages, text messages, recorded conversations (remember!) and stores them like email in GV Inbox. It is easier for you to find/store in a single repository. Plus, you can store them forever!

References: I heard this from a mate who knows someone with a GV#. I also read this from here, here and here.

The Google revolution

GV is Google's answer to Skype's domination. However Google has taken the interface from PC-only based interface to connecting via phone. GV is a competition not just for Skype, but to telephone companies worldwide.

In GMail, Google innovatively combined email, Instant Messaging and VoIP. With GV, it takes the next step to integrate email, VoIP, IM, SMS and phone communication. The 'integration' concept has been quite active for some time - thanks to IT. The great aspect of this is Google's unique ability to offer the niche products/solutions to the average consumer at no cost. I think we are in the threshold of something big here. This could change radically change the way we view telephony.

I badly want to give this a try. We'll be having it "in a matter of weeks".

Return to motherland

2009-03-19T21:25:00.097+10:00

Besant Avenue, Madras
(Thanks Traces)

In the last ten years of living outside India, I've returned to motherland only once. The 3-week India visit in 2003 involved helter-skelter trips to Trichy and other places, purchasing random things for random people, handing over trivial things to relatives so distant that they had to be reminded how I am supposedly related to them (yes! this person actually asked me to explain it again) and the remaining minuscule time I had was spent recovering from fever and catching up with few of my school mates. The trip, to put it very mildly, was a waste.

We have decided our next India trip is going to be in Jan '10. I am excited about this. I am resolute in making this trip memorable. While going to work today, daydreaming went into overdrive as I thought of things I want to do in Singara Chennai next January.

This list comprises of variety of things which reflects and relives my time in Madras. They are mostly chinna chinna aasaigal. I want to do all of them, time permitting. Most of the things in the list are obvious, some of them are...um err, yeah - you decide.

a. The Hindu & Filter Coffee - The Hindu was the first thing that arrives at our house everyday. The moment I hear the 'dupp' - the sound of the newspaper hitting our door step (the paper guy chucks the newspaper you see), coffee is prepared and the morning paper-reading ritual starts. My Dad, being an early riser, has the honour of reading it first. The Hindu played an inseparable part in my life while growing up. My dad has a strong allegiance to this venerable newspaper. Sitting on vaasa padi (door steps), sipping hot coffee and reading Hindu so satisfying compared to reading online Hindu over a bowl of cold corn flakes. Plan: Read Hindu and drink lots of filter coffee.

b. Madras music season - Dec to Jan is the Margazhi maasam music season. I learnt Carnatic music (vocal) briefly when I was a kid. I was stupid, foolish and naive to discontinue the music classes. Learning Carnatic music did not appeal to me then. I sang for a while till people appreciated me, persisted with attending the classes for almost a year due to constant goading from my mum and finally due to the pressure of CBSE syllabus combined with the eagerness to play street cricket after school - I stopped attending music lessons. Had I been a bit more assiduous and listened to my mum (underline), I would've been able to pick out raagas and would be able to contribute when conversation veer into realm of Carnatic music. Hmm...its never too late to begin any thing in life.

Over the last few years, I've developed a renewed penchant for Carnatic music. I hope to catch a Sudha Ragunathan/Unnikrishnan/Sanjay Subramanian/Nithyashree concert at the Music Academy. I've been to the concerts of the above mentioned artistes when I was a kid. But neither I had the interest nor did I have the true appreciation for Carnatic music then. This time I am ready to immerse myself fully in Carnatic music bliss. I really want to see Kadri Gopalnath perform. A much better deal would be a jugalbandhi with Mandolin Srinivas, Sivamani and other percussionists. Ideal Plan: Attend kacheri at Music Academy with mum, have lunch at New Woodlands and back for kacheri again.

c. Talk to the old kids - Time is flying. Years seem to race past us quicker than ever before. Old people are getting... older. Last year was quite bad for our family. The head count of septuagenarians and octogenarians took a hit. 2009 barely started, two seniors of our family received the ultimate ticket. Being away from India, I never got the chance to have talk at length to most of the elder group. I intend to engage in good conversation with elder group in the family (basically mum's parents, my parent's mamas/mamis/chithapas/peripas etc). I enjoy talking to old people. They are insightful, witty, have an awesome sense of humour and are surprisingly very enthusiastic. I had a great time talking to my mum's uncle and his wife in 2003.

IMHO, from my observation in few families, I believe the current generation don't really listen to older people. They perceive them to be always out of touch or sometimes even immature in their views and opinion. I believe old people, if you actually listen to them closely, say lot of sensible things which are timeless in their application. At least it'll help you not to repeat the time-old mistakes which have committed repeatedly by every generation. I plan to write more about this sometime. Plan: Talk to the perusus. I am considering a interview sort-a thing with a mixture of fun and probing questions (e.g. marriage, love, profession, attitude, ethics, society, first crush etc). Perhaps even video tape it. That'll be fun. What would be your questions? Give me three questions...you will be credited for it.

d. Street cricket. Look here.

e. Theosophical society - Take a early morning walk in the Theosophical society. Ts is the haven for early morning walkers/joggers. The serene surrounding of Ts gives you solitude feeling. Lush green surroundings, away from the hustle and bustle of city - its a perfect start to the day. I think we can go to the old Adyar broken bridge from Ts (this is location of the first fight scene between Madhavan and Surya in Aaiydha Ezhuthu).

f. Gangotree and Karpagambal Mess - Have breakfast at Karpagambal Mess (Idli-Sambhar, badham Halwa and degree Coffee) and evening tiffin at Gangotree (near Chola Shereton). Full stop.

g. Bike with/in Splendor.

h. Celebrate Pongal - How to do it my way? I've covered it here.

i.

It was my first time ever
And I'll never forget
I'd do it again
Without a single regret.
The sky was dark
The moon was high
We were all alone
Just She and I
Her hair was soft
Her eyes was blue
I knew just what
She wanted to do
Her skin was so soft
Her eyes was blue
I just knew what
She wanted to do
Her skin was so soft
Her legs was so fine
I ran my fingers
Down her spine
I didnt know how
But I tried my best
I started by placing
My hands on her breast
I remember my fear
My fast beating heart
But slowly she spread
Her legs apart
And when I did it
I felt no shame
All at once
The white stuff came
At last it finished
It's all over now
My first time ever
At milking a cow...

Author: unknown

Karandhufy - Children and young adults hear lots of advice from elders. The most popular advice is to study well. It'll go along lines of "padikalena appram maadu dhaan meikanum. So mariyadhaiya utkaarndhu padi". I can say I've fared reasonably well in studies. However, whenever I heard the previous quote, I've always wondered how maadu meikardhu feels like. Parents threaten us but they never give us the opportunity to have a shot at this. Before you thuppify and say unnaku vera edhuvumey thonaliyaa, no I dont want to maadu mechufy. But I always wanted karandhufy a maadu (milk a cow). Back in the days, my great-grandparents had a cow; my grand parents - both in dad & mom's side - had a cow before they migrated to city. So this is not a new thing in the family. It, LOL, runs in the blood. I want to have a go at it.

Also, karundhufying is not an easy task. It is a knack it seems. Some people call it an art - I am not sure about that. Well, one of our distant relatives (whom we may visit) has a maadu, I guess the paalkaran in me will be unleashed there. We live in interesting times.

To be continued...

Life goes on...

2009-03-11T21:00:00.023+10:00

This post is for a friend who is experiencing that drowning feeling and having a torrid time. I have not experienced my friend's situation before - I shudder about the prospect of it. This is an attempt to give some advice, guidance (which my friend asked for) and to put things in perspective. This is free advice. If you think whatever I've written below is rubbish, you may be right!

Falling in love...no, IMHO the L-word is too early and premature to use here. Its actually the wrong word.

Start again, when a person you (strongly) like rejects you it is depressing. You feel hollow, helpless and the rejection rankle you and it takes a while to get over it. Agreed. When the Significant Someone (SS) rejects you, it hits the sensitive corner present in every human called feelings. It hits you hard. Lot harder than you imagined. Ego takes a big hit. Rejection is an emotional blow which floors any person. Few people get up straightaway, most people take some time and the remaining gets identified as direct descendants of Devdas (Is there a female version of Devdas?).

People who are into this lauve business will get rejected or will reject a few before they find their real SS. Not all people are lucky to live happily-ever-after with the first person they like . Its like hitting bulls eye in your first shot without any practise (amazing skill or fluke).

We face rejection all the time in different forms and from various sources. From your best friend - to your boss- to your milkman- to your cat, everybody rejects you at some point. Yeah Yeah these 'rejections' are not the same as SS rejecting you. Its vastly different. But what to do? You cannot change or influence a person's mind. You never know what is going on in a person's mind. Human mind is fickle hence completely unpredictable. Love is complex. When you put these two elements (mysterious working of the mind & Love) together, you have an equation the solution for which is best determined by someone a bit higher than us. In Aaitha Ezhuthu (Yuva), Surya defines this equation very simply- its all hormonal based. I agree with that.

Look, I understand the 'attraction' that I think you have developed is something more than just 'looks'. I respect that. It happens. Remember, just because the other person rejected you doesn't mean you are bad or inferior. Please do not feel that way. It is dangerous as it'll have serious impact on your psyche, and most importantly, your self esteem. Its just that their expectations that he/she has for their ideal SS is different, or worse, they probably don't know what they want/expect; in your case, its probably continually changing as your SS walks through experiences in his/her life.

My friend, you have to move on from this. I know it'll be hard. Repeating your words: its like a scar on the body, it may heal but its still there. True! Take your time. Time is a healer. Life, they say, is a great teacher. I am sure you have learnt/are learning valuable lessons and this has helped you to better understand yourself. It'll be very unfair - both on yourself and for people close to you - if you don't come out of this because you deserve to be better. Liking/loving/crush is all part of life. Only a part. We land into problems when we think it is life. I know you understand this. You are smart enough not keep brooding about this. I am confident you will move on. You have to. You will. You will emerge as a better and stronger person.

Life teaches many things. This aspect of life is definitely not 'one-hit, you miss' kinda thing. There will be lots of 'meetings' later on. You know that. Forrest Gump said "Life is a box of chocolates, you never know what you are gonna get" - so god-damn right. [However later in the same movie, he said "I am not a smart man, but I know what love is". What can I say?! (I included this because I know you'll counter argue the previous quote. Shut up! Don't say anything :D)]

Who knows, years down the line when you are happily married and have four kids, you sit back and introspect you may feel it was good that this was not meant to be.

Life moves on, I am sure you will too.

Hope this helps. All the best!

Moments in NYC

2009-03-04T11:43:00.013+10:00

**yaaawwwn**

Wadya looking at?!

I couldn't find the name of the photographer to give credit.

---

Did you yawn when you saw the first pic?

Sachinesh

2009-03-02T00:37:00.057+10:00

Ganesh's tattoo

It is common knowledge that Sachin Tendulkar has a huge fan following all over the world. There are different types of ST-fans. I quantify the continuum of ST fan to:

just another fan -> 'i-like-Sachin-of-the-old-nowadays-he's-not-that-aggressive-yaaar' fan -> dedicated 'haan-i-remember-all-his-innings' fan -> a serious & passionate fan -> Tendulkar zealot -> Fanatic (e.g. ones who like to use their blood to write letters to ST)

Except the Fanatic, I know people who fit into the other mentioned categories.

I belong to the 4th category. Anyone who have followed ST's career closely, understands - to a certain extent - the evolution of ST's batsmanship over the years and admires the way ST plays the game will fall into that category. The defining characteristics of a 'serious & passionate fan' are:

Watches every ST innings. If there is no live telecast in cable, resorts to live video streaming. No live video streaming as well? Cricinfo to the rescue. He will be glued to the text commentary and would squirm in his seat whenever there is long pauses between updates. (God Bless all those souls who stream India matches live online for free...you guys rock!).
When Sachin plays, nobody says a word in the house. No one should ask the score. No questions about Sachin. "Yenna, Sachin out-aaa?" (Is Sachin out?) is the most provocative question to this ST fan. Once a friend asked me that, I followed up with a barrage of words that would make some sailors feel shy.
Superstitions: When Sachin is batting: person A (if present) has to sit on the blue stool, person B always sits on the ground, the blinds are half shut, cell phone is in silent mode and the irritating kid from the neighbours is not let into the house.
Some of us have the 'intellectual' ability to predict how ST will do on the day. From the colour of his gloves, the stripes in his shoes, colour of the grip, the way he looks (i.e. shaven/unshaven, haircut (it's stupid I know!) )...the intuitive mind of this ST fan observes everything and passes a prediction. It is right, most of the times.
The heart rate is high during these crucial moments of ST's innings: the first ten deliveries of innings, the first few deliveries after lunch/tea/drinks break, vulnerable sixties and nervous nineties.
Strongly believes that LBW should removed from the rule book. ST has had more than his share of shocking decisions esp the LBW's. It makes sense that it should be banned.
The least favourite last name is Bucknor. Cricket's Morgan Freeman is a good umpire. Unfortunately his decision making seems to err whenever he umpires ST. The name Steve Bucknor has appeared in the black books of any ST fan numerous times. Thank God he is retiring. Good bye Steve!

Over the last few days, a good friend of mine, Ganesh, has made a transition from a serious & passionate ST fan to a Tendulkar Zealot. How? Why? You may ask. Here is the story.

26th February 2009. It was the eve of Twenty20 game between India and NZ. G was walking past the hotel where the Indian cricket team was staying in Wellington. By sheer coincidence he met Sachin Tendulkar in the lobby entrance of the hotel car park. G could not believe his luck. He got Sachin's autograph. He wanted a pic with Sachin but his wretched camera wouldn't work. G requested Sachin to sign his arm and told him that he'll get it tattooed. Sachin gave a quizzical look, smiled and signed his arm. Having Sachin Tendulkar's autograph tattooed had been G's long-time dream.

Ganesh after meeting ST

1st March 2009. Basin Reserve, Wellington. The Indian cricket team is due to arrive at 1330hrs for the practice session. G was among the hoard of fans waiting for the Indian team bus. ST stepped out of the bus. "Sachhiiiiiiinnnn", fans roared. Sachin, with a smile on his face, recognised G in the crowd. G was over the moon. He was initially speechless for two reasons. Firstly, Sachin r-e- m-e-m-b-e- r- e-d him. Sachin, a huge celebrity, meets so many fans everyday. To him G is just another fan. Still, Sachin recalled. Secondly, G got Tendulkar's autograph tattooed the previous day.

"Yes I did". G proudly flashed his tattoo. Sachin gave a hearty laugh and proceeded on. G was overjoyed. Not just because Sachin recognised him and saw his tattoo, but he believed he had done something very special. He believed that the tattoo is the symbol for the admiration he has on Sachin Tendulkar. With the tattoo, he felt he'd made a transformation into the next level in the continuum of Sachin Tendulkar fan.

G's tatoo attracted attention from many people. During the practise session, G was interviewed by Times Now. You may see him on TV or his story published in the papers. G met Sachin later and took few photos with him.

Ganesh with Sachin

Today, G transformed from a true ST fan to something very special - a Tendulkar Zealot. For a very brief moment, Ganesh became Sachinesh.

Good on you mate!

--

Update 1: Feel free to leave a comment/message to G. He checks my blog regularly. Cheers!

Update 2: Press photo of G and the tattoo. Look at him...he's beaming with pride. LOL.

A R Rahman, take a bow!

2009-02-23T21:17:00.004+10:00

"All my life I had two choices - between love and hate and I chose love"

He did it. My heart swelled in admiration and love when he said "ella pugazhum iraivanukkey". A true legend. Hats off to you Sir!

oscARR!

2009-02-21T21:41:00.020+10:00

A R Rahman has three nominations in this year's Oscar awards. This moment has been long reckoning in the illustrious career of ARR. From 'Chinna China Aasai' to 'Masakali' (Dilli-6), ARR has mesmerised us with his music.

It has been 18 years since his first movie, Mani Ratnam's Roja. Looking back, songs from ARR's oeuvre amaze us with the consistency and the abundance of hits. His music is the perfect unison of three traits every composer strives for: creativity, the undying spirit and the glorious uniqueness. With Rahman, you don't just hear the music, you feel it. You feel the soul of the song. Long after listening to the song, the rhythm and melody lingers within us in the background. Whether it is a fanaa or hamma hamma or thaiya thaiya...the music just reverberates.

I grew up listening to ARR's music. I was 7 years old when Roja was released. Having listened to many '80s Thamizh & Hindi cine songs, it is no doubt ARR has radically transformed the spectrum of Indian cine music. Music directors of pre-Rahman era (e.g. a Ilaiyaraja or a Lakshmikanth-Pyarelal or MS Viswanathan) had strict boundaries and dimensions in their music. IMHO, they were just, better, variants of their predecessors. No doubt they were geniuses in their own kind and did churn out numerous hits but majority of their songs were monotonic. Their approach appeared to be the same, and over the years people were sick of the crummy old tabla beats. I realise it is unfair to compare composers of different generations, but I feel ARR - when compared to other music directors - is more willing to experiment and expand his horizon. Some people look ahead but geniuses, like ARR, look far ahead than anyone can see.

ARR has ventured and adapted himself into different genres of music. Whether it is Carnatic music (Sangamam, Duet - saxophone combo with Kadri Gopalnath), or Hindustani music - ghazals, quwwali, or fusion or lately major Hollywood movies like LOTR sequel and Elizabeth, ARR embraces the genre. He is compulsively creative and his renditions traversed the across the music sub-sections of the country. Through music, I believe, he has united the musical-consciousness of India. Ravi Shastri once remarked that Sachin Tendulkar is sent from 'upstairs' to play cricket. In the same vein, I believe ARR is the 'ambassador of Providence' sent to reveal the unknown music within us. He is well and truly the symbol of modern Indian cine music.

I feel very lucky to have been born in the era of A R Rahman. He is a perfect role model. 2009 is packed with so many mega projects for Rahman. As a Rahmaniac, I couldn't be more happier.

Tomorrow is the Oscars Award ceremony. I am sure he'll win it. The Oscar deserves Rahman!

Anbu Thalaivaa
Vetri Nammake
Azhagiya Thamizh Magan Neethaney!

Happy Valentines Day

2009-02-14T23:38:00.008+10:00

Valentines Day. Mmm...I thought of uploading a song from a movie aptly titled Kadhalar Dinam (Lovers' Day). I have chosen Mundinam song from Vaaranam Ayiram. It is a beautiful song. Simple lyrics, lyricist Thamarai's choice of words and play with words, make this song sensuous, poetic and befits the occasion - Valentines Day.

Raju has done a great job in translating the song. This is a direct copy paste from his blog.

Another quick and unjustifiably crude translation of a recent song which has captivated my heart.

M: ஹாய் மாலினி!
I'm கிருஷ்ணன்.
நான் இதை சொல்லியே ஆகணும்;
நீ அவ்ளோ அழகு!
எவனும் இவ்ளோ அழகா ஒரு ......
இவ்ளோ அழகைப் பார்த்திருக்க மாட்டாங்க
and I am in love with you....

After introducing himself, he says that no one would have seen such a beautiful.... (pause and a chuckle) such a beauty. What a way to say that she is the most beautiful (not just woman, but in the) whole world. Considering that this is their first meeting, that is a very powerful statement (albeit praising her external beauty) to flatter her.

முன்தினம் பார்த்தேனே பார்த்ததும் தோற்றேனே
சல்லடைக் கண்ணாக நெஞ்சமும் புண்ணானதே
I saw you yesterday and as soon as I saw, I lost (to you).
My heart was wounded like the eyes of a sieve.

Traditionally, the sight of a woman is compared to the arrow; so, it is as if so many of such arrows attacked his heart and wounded him, that his heart has thousands of such tiny holes.

இத்தனை நாளாக உன்னை நான் பாராமல்
எங்குதான் போனேனோ நாட்களும் வீணானதே

All these days, without seeing you
where (the hell) did I go? Oh, all (my) days have been a waste..

When a person meets someone and falls in love, he/she wishes that they spent all their goneby days with that person. It is not only the happiness of the present, and a dream for the future, but a frustration for the past too.

வானத்தில் நீ வெண்ணிலா ஏக்கத்தில் நான் தேய்வதா
இப்போழ்தே என்னோடு வந்தாலென்ன
ஊர் பார்க்க ஒன்றாக சென்றாலென்ன

(முன்தினம்)

You are like a moon on the sky; I wane due to longing (for you)
What if you come with me now?
What if we go out, with the world watching (or what if we go sight-seeing)?

Yeah, the last line can be taken in both the ways. The first one is about the Hindu tradition of going on a procession after the marriage, so that the neighborhood can see who has got married. The latter is about the wish of a person to roam around the world with his lover.

துலாத்தட்டில் உன்னை வைத்து
நிகர் செய்யப் பொன்னை வைத்தால்
துலாபாரம் தோற்காதோ பேரழகே?

After placing you on a weighing balance,
if gold is placed to equalize with you,
wont the balance lose, my beauty?

He is not talking about the shape of his girl (pun unintended); he compares the beauty of her with the beauty of gold. He says that she is so beautiful that, a balance designed to weigh human-like fairly large objects will still be too small to accomodate the enormous gold required to compensate for her beauty. Considering the density differences between gold and human, this is a huge claim indeed.. ;), and his girl is such a beauty.

F: முகம் பார்த்துப் பேசும் உன்னை
முதல் காதல் சிந்தும் கண்ணை
அணைக்காமல் போவேனோ ஆருயிரே

How will I not hug you, who looks at my face and talks
and from whose eyes the first love is oozing out?

Women respect and like men who look at their face and talk, bcos a large chunk of the men have been notorious in that aspect. Also, the girl's instant appeal with someone who is giving his heart for the first time to a woman is given importance. Also, this is the first response of the woman after hearing what the man has said. She just reciprocates to his feelins saying that she likes to hug him.

M: ஓ... நிழல் போல விடாமல் உன்னைத் தொடர்வேனடி
புகை போலப் படாமல் பட்டு நகர்வேனடி
வினா நூறு கனாவும் நூறு.. விடை சொல்லடி
I will follow you like (your) shadow; I will touch you delicately and move away from you as how the smoke does. (I have) hundreds of questions, and hundreds of dreams; pl. give (me) an answer.
The desperation of the hero is very much evident from these lines. He is already dreaming of her and a life with her. All he wants is the answer.. Of course he wants 'yes' to be that answer. One can compare this Q&A to the western culture of the woman answering the man 'yes' when he proposes, and during the wedding when she says 'yes, I do!'.
(முன்தினம்)
F: கடல் நீலம் மங்கும் நேரம்
அலை வந்து தீண்டும் தூரம்
மனம் சென்று மூழ்காதோ ஈரத்திலே
When the blueness of the sea dims,
the waves touch the far end (of the shore).
Wont the heart immerse (itself) in the wetness (of love)?

M:தலை சாய்க்கத் தோளும் தந்தாய்
விரல் கோர்த்துப் பக்கம் வந்தாய்
இதழ் மட்டும் இன்னும் ஏன் தூரத்திலே

You gave (me your) shoulder (for me) to put (my) head on..
You came near me holding my hands..
why are your lips still far away?

F:பகல் நேரம் கனாக்கள் கண்டேன் உறங்காமலே
உயிர் ரெண்டு உராயக் கண்டேன் நெருங்காமலே
உனை அன்றி எனக்கு ஏது எதிர்காலமே

I had day-dreams without sleeping
I saw two souls frictioning (against each other), without coming closeby
What is my future without you?
Only in the ultimate line of the charanam, she opens out her heart and gives the real answer that he wants to hear. By saying that there is no future for her without him, all the ambiguities of dating and courting relationship are removed and the love now reaches the mutually agreed state.
(முன்தினம்)

25 random things about me

2009-02-14T11:01:00.031+10:00

I was tagged by Vaiji in Facebook to write 25 random things, facts, habits about me.

As I write this, I can only think of 8 things/facts about me. Let's see how I conjure up the rest (without sneek-peeking into Vaiji's list too much).

I absolutely love the typical South Indian Filter coffee. I don't like Instant coffee. I am not a coffee addict, I am a kaapi-addict. Being away from home, I yearn for the magical cup (or davara-tumbler) of goodness. (pic courtesy Archana)
KFC was my first job. Making Potato Gravy was my first task. It was yum!
I blog. Writing for entertainment is a good time pass. Blogging is a great way to share/vent the observations/frustrations in life.
I am a proud TamBram. I love the culture, tradition, literature, music....all the things that makes us, us.
Having a crush or even liking a person whom you've never met or spoken to sounds crazy, but it is possible. When it happens, oh boy!
I have three moles in my body.
My Grandma, who left the earth last week, is one of the most determined person I've ever met.
Good friends are hard to find. Best friends are much rarer.
Lately, I've been having a lot of appreciation for the old adage "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence".
My favourite part of the day is early morning.
The next, say, five years of my life are going to be very exciting.
Queenstown and Milford Sound are the most beautiful places I have visited.
The sexiest and most attractive part of women's body? Hmm...I've finally decided it's her brain.
Yellow is my favourite colour.
When I say #14, I hate it when people giggle and say "Yellow Yellow dirty fellow".
I love the smell of Jasmine and Petrol. Sunflower is my favourite flower.
I can't stand the smell of ripe/rotten bananas.
I am a creature of impulse.
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar and I share the same birthday.
I am an introvert.
I had a wonderful childhood. Sometimes I wish I could relive those years again. I am very grateful to my parents for my upbringing.
5 movies I would like watch again: Iruvar, Fight Club, Memento, Aval Appadithan and Forrest Gump.
5 people, who are no more, I would like to meet: Winston Churchill, Subramanya Bharathi, my great grand-father, Akbar-the-Great and Adolf Hitler.
I h8 it whn ppl ryte lyk tis.
I believe A R Rahman is the best thing that has happened for Tamil cinema. ARR for Oscars. Jai Ho!

I see, but you 'no' see

2009-02-07T07:41:00.012+10:00

We see strangers everyday. Some strangers are not absolute strangers because we tend to see them everyday e.g. in the bus/train while going to work, in the street, random person at work etc. There is no conversation apart from the odd 'Hello' when the eyes accidentally meet. You acknowledge that the other person exists. No one says a word. Not because they are bad or horrible, they may actually be genuinely nice people, but they are strangers.

When you happen to meet the same person again in a different place, what do you do?

Some people, like me, smile and say 'Hello'. They know the other person. According to them, their relationship with the person has changed from a stranger to 'this guy/girl from...' i.e. an acquaintance.

Other people just plainly ignore. They struggle, but still succeed, in avoiding eye-contact. Some people are adept in avoiding eye-contact. From their body language and facial expressions, you know that they 'know' but they still pretend that they don't 'know'. They recognise you and immediately pretend that they haven't.

Why? I do not understand this.

Is it:

a. fear
b. reluctance to talk until introduced
c. they just don't give a sh*t

Or am I missing a point altogether?

RIP: Nagesh

2009-02-01T02:52:00.008+10:00

Nagesh, one of my favourite actors, passed away today.

Nagesh was one of Thamizh cinema's finest comedian and character artist. He is one of the few actors who can make you laugh and cry at the same time. His movies with K Balachander (Edhir Neechal, Server Sundaram, Bama Vijayam etc) and Kamal Hassan (Aboorva Sagodharargal, Avvai Shanmugi, the unforgettable MMKR) and several other performances showed his versatility and sheer talent.

Nagesh, one of the gems of Indian Cinema. We will miss you!