One plate Masala Dosai please!!

During our childhood days we will be obsessed with so many things. One such thing that I was obsessed with was “Hotel Masala Dosai” ( this is just one of those many things I am obsessed with.. don’t think I am a “saapaatu raami”). Anyway whenever I used to go to a hotel my standard order would be Masala Dosai. Most of the time my parents won’t even ask me what I want. This is because they have tried a million times to make me order something different but I just couldn’t resist Masala Dosai. So they realized that it is a waste of time convincing me and so whenever we go to a hotel they’d order Masala Dosai for me by default. My mom also tried to make such masala dosais at home noticing my “craze” over it but hotel Masala Dosai maadhiri varave varaadhu!!!!! This continued throughout my school days. The side dishes for it(saambhar, three types of chutneys-white,green and orange) and the masala stuffed inside the “moru moru” dosai…mmmmmmm…delicious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The reason for me writing a blog about masala dosai today is that today morning I had masala dosai for breakfast. Generally I bring breakfast and lunch from my house. Today for a change I wanted to have it at office and by default I bought Masala Dosai without checking the menu for other items. It was tooooooo good and reminded me of my childhood days. After joining college I started trying out different things at the hotels but to this day Masala Dosai still remains my favourite.
However I would not recommend anyone to have it at Bangalore. They smear some “podi” on top of it and it tastes sweet. It totally spoils the taste of masala dosai. Hence, though I was in Bangalore for almost two months eating outside most of the time, I never ordered for Masala Dosai. Instead I took a liking towards “Gobi Manchurian” and “Onion Oothappam”. Back here at Chennai, I continue to experiment various dishes but Masala dosai always top my favourites list.

My only ragging experience!!

Our college is one of the well-known “strict” colleges in Chennai. And so a big NO to ragging( mind you.. only if u are a day scholar u escape). However u get caught the moment u step out of the college to participate in culturals or sports. That is the only way the seniors get to meet and converse with the first year students. During one such sports meet(TIES-2000 at Crescent Engineering college), my friend and I went to a stall there to have something for lunch. Unfortunately two of our seniors were having lunch there. Their faces lit up with a mischievous grin when they saw us. As expected they called us and we dutifully went near them. One of them started firing questions at me.

Senior : Which year?
Me: First year
Senior: Which Branch?
Me: ECE
Senior: Do u know Naveen? He is also from ECE
Me: Yes. He is in my class
Senior: I heard most of the first yr gals are behind him. So u are also one of them, right?
Me(was taken aback at this question but answered innocently and truthfully): No, I don’t like him at all.
Senior: I know that u are lying.
Me(in a haste to defend myself I gave a “vaaku moolam”): Not at all. I actually hate him. He comes by the same bus as me and from my bus stop. He smokes everyday before boarding the bus. And he is part of a rowdy gang traveling by the same bus. I hate them all.
Senior(taking a minute to digest what I had just said..): Well.. this guy is also part of that gang. Do u hate him?
He was pointing to another fresher with whom I had spoken a couple of times. Anyway it was not a good tactic to ask my opinion about a member of that gang when he is also present there.
Me: No ( The mono syllable sounded better than lengthy answers which put me into tight spots like this one)
Senior: Then u like him!!
Me: uh..oh…ummmm… (was feeling very embarrassed)

To add to my misgiving the senior called him and asked him if he liked me. He was also blinking not knowing what to answer. I didn’t know why this senior was bent on asking such embarrassing questions (side business edhaavadhu panraara nu therila!!). Just when I was praying for the ordeal to end, our PD came to inform us about our event timings. We were so relieved that the next moment we vanished from that place.
As luck would have it, I later learnt that the senior was actually from the same school as Naveen and his gang and that he was also PART OF THAT GANG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well.. that led to “unwanted” popularity because the gang started commenting and “ottifying” whenever they saw me after the incident.

Isai Sangamam

Yesterday night, at 9 pm, as usual I was switching between channels and the programme on vijay tv caught my attention. It was the “Sangamam” programme. In this programme, each week, a Tamil playback singer would sing his or her favourite numbers( either sung by him/her or his/her idols). Yesterday night was a repeat of last Sunday’s programme. Still I wanted to watch it the second time. This was because of the singer chosen for the week. It was none other than “Chinnakuil” Chithra. Wow!! Her voice, the collection of songs she sang, the dedication and the interest with with each song was rendered, her sweet Malayalam-accented speech in between, all of these together had me locked to my seat that I didn’t even change channels during the break(fear of missing even a single song). Here is the list of songs she sang during the programme(captured everything except one or two).

Chinna Kuil paadum paatu ( Poove Poochudava)
Enge Enathu Kavithai (Kandukondaen Kandukondaen)
Kalyana Thennila (Mounam Sammadham)
Un paarvail oraayiram (Amman Koil Kizhakaale)
kanna varuvaaya (Manadhil uruthi vendum)
Ninnukori (Agni Natchathiram)
Andha Nelaavathaan naan (Mudhal Mariyaadhai)
Oru jeevan azhaithadhu (Which film??)
Othayila ninnadhenna (Vanaja Girija)-Couldn’t believe she sang the song with all those gimmicks. She felt so shy to sing it in the show. A similar kind, she also sang Maarugo Maarugo (Sathi Leelavathi).
kolavizhi amma Rajakaaliamma ( The Breathless song from Purusha Latchanam)
Kaalam Kaalam aga vaazhum (Punnagai Mannan)
Anjali Anjali (Duet)
Guruvaayurappa (Pdhu Pudhu Arthangal)
unakenna mele nindraai (Simla Special)
Paadu Nilaave then kavidhai (Udhaya Geetham??)
Sundari Kannal oru seidhi (Dhalapathi)
Edhedho ennam valarthen (Punnagai Mannan)
Poove poochudava
Athaan Ennathaan ( Sung by P.Susheela-Film??)
Megame Megame Paal Nila (sung by Vani Jayaram-Film??)
Ezhu swarangalukkul (Aboorva Raagangal)
Kaadhodu thaan naan paaduven (sung by LR Eswari-Film??)
Karupu nila nee thaan kalanguvathen (Karupu nila??)
Idhudhaana (Saami)
vandhadhe (Kizhaku vaasal)
Thooliyile (Chinna Thambi)
Uyire Uyire (Bombay)

All through the programme, it was a real delight to listen to her. No wonder she is a favourite among many people and an idol among most play back singers. Her songs made me feel so light and calm that the songs were still haunting me till I fell asleep, long after the programme ended.

Last week, it was the turn of Harish Raghavendra who rocked the show. I had a great time listening to his collection of songs, all of them being melodies which served as a feast to my ears. Melodies always stand out at any point of time. I am looking forward to more such wonderful shows.

Chumma oru time pass - behind the scenes

when two victims of this 'time pass' activity get to talk ... (of course, outside college ! )

He: Hi
She: Hi ...
He: nee enga inga (ennamo ivaruku andha edathuku patta pottu kudutha maadhiri )
She: mmm... pakathule en friend veetuku vandhen ... nee ?
He: oh... en veedu inge dhaan pakathule iruku ...
She: oh ok...
He: hey aprom ..... nee onnum thappa eduthukalaye ?
She: edhuku ???
He: illa, anniki class le pasanga romba over a ottitaangale adhuku ...
She: cha cha ... idhule enna iruku ?! chumma velayatuku dhaane ....

after few months ... over phone ....

He: enna madam, romba busy o ?
She: yen ya ? enna call pannirundheya ?
He: aamam. veliye poyirke nu unga amma sonnaanga
She: Yep, had gone out with my school friends . semma fun !
He: oho .... eh un friends -ponnunga yaarukaachum intro kudu ya ....
She: edhuku ??? (aamam , appadiye kuduthuttalum .... ; ) )
He: adhellam edhuku unaku .... intro mattum kudu.... aprom naanga paathupom ..... ; )
She: enaku enna vera velai illaya ? :-/
He: enna ya ... un best friend kaaga idhu kooda panna maatteya ?!
She: maatten .... en best friend ketta payyan aagardhuku naan kaaranama iruka maatten :-)
(saamarthiyamana reply nu nenapu)

meanwhile , the 'time pass' @ college intensifies ....

She: vara vara indha ottal ku oru alave illama pochu ....
He: enna ya , yen tension aagare ?
She: pinna enna ya .... edhuku eduthalum otraanga :-( erichala varudhu ....
He: free a vidu .... nee "illa illa... " nu sonna dhaan over a ottuvaanga ya .... (experience speaks?!) "aamam apdi dhaan" nu sollu .... avangale niruthiduvaanga ..
She: mmmm ....

sila naatkaluku piragu ..... tholaipaesiyil ....

He: enna ya call pannitu onnum paesama irundha enna artham ?
She: onnum illa
He: Hello .....
She: (mounam paesiyadhu ;-) )
He: Hello .... illa ya vandha odane yen anna sonnaan , nee phone pannenu .... appove panniruppen, vera velaya irundhen .... adhaan pannale ....
She: (mounam innum paesudhu......)
He: sorry pa, adhaan velaya irundhennu solren le .... helloooooooooo ???
She: mmm
He: enna "mmm" ?!
She: sollunga Mr.Busy Bee ...
(aaaha ...... konja nerathuku munnadi inge yaaro 'angry' a irundha maadhiri irundhudhu ??!!)

few months later ....

She: Hello sir epdi irukeenga ?! epdi irukaanga unga 'gf' ??!!
He: enna ippo unaku prachanai ? :-/
(enaku oru unma therijaganum ... prachanai ippo yaaruku ? sir ka madam ka ???? )
She: hey y tension .... cool ...
He: indha pasanga dhaan vevasthaye illama avaloda otraanga na .... neeyum kadupetharae ...
She: eh relax .... enna ippo ... summa velayatuku dhaane .... ???
(hmmm..... engeyo kaetta dialogue maadhiri iruke ....)
He: (murmers) ellam velayatukam ....

thai pirandhal vazhi pirakum ?! .... abt a month after wishing each other pongal & maattu pongal , on Feb 13th .....

He: aprom, naalaiku enna madam enna plan ?!
She: yen enna naalaiku ?!!!
(milk vazhiyum face.... )
He: enna ya ipdi kekarae ? naalaiku valentine's day .... nyabagam illaya ?!
She: oh adha ... adhuku naan edhuku plan pannanum ?
He: ei poi solladhe .... yaarayachum propose panradha plan illa ??
(enna oru villathanam )
She: hello .... naangellam nalla ponnunga ...
He: idhu enna kadhaya iruku ... appo propose panravanga ellam kettavangala ?
She: iyyoooooo naan edhuvum sollalai po .
He: seri naaliku yaarachum vandhu un kitte propose pannaanga na , enna pannuve ?!
She: ha ha ... enna kelvi idhu ...
He: sollu enna pannuve
She: eh loosa nee ... adhellam yaarum panna maattaanga ...
He: adhellam illa ... suppose panna ??????????

few years later ......

He: enna ma iniki enna samayal ???
She: for a change, iniki vegetables ellam potte noodles panniruken !!!! :-)
(aaha .... what an achievement ! )
He: iyyo kadavule ... en naake tharkolai pannikum pola iruke .... ivala katti mekka vechiteye !
She: paesu nee paesu .... ellam namma friends a sollanum .... otradhule aarambichi, ippo un kitte naan paechu vaanga vendiyadha iruku !

..... continues (no no ... not this blog-post, such 'behind the scenes' dialogues and of course our favourite 'time pass')

_/\_

Education is Divine!!

Alternate saturdays some of us from our company go to a school to make the students comfortable in the listening,speaking,reading and writing skills of English. The children studying in the school are mostly from a poor background. They don't have any idea about what they can achieve through proper education. If we ask the children what they want to be in life, their answers would amuse us. Some would say "I want to be a lorry driver(his father's occupation)","I want to be a fisherman" and most of the girls would blink at us not knowing what to answer.However the Headmistress of the school wants them to be very confident enough to face the outside world and get well-settled in a decent job. She feels that if the students are well-versed in English they can confidently face the world. That's why she sought our help.

Though there'd be teachers teaching them English, we are not like them.. being strict,scolding or beating them if they make mistakes and making them write impositions. Each of us were alotted a few kids so that they would receive individual attention. Those kids are very attached to us as they crave for individual attention. Even if one of us don't turn up during a week, the kids would never go to another person unless pressurized. The interest they show in learning the material that we provide is just amazing. That encourages us to give them more. The usual routine would be two hours of studying followed by games wherein they'll have some peculiar games and they will not leave us until we play with them.But all this will be fun only if two or three kids are associated with each of us else there will be so much chaos and confusion that we'll end up teaching nothing. This is because if we try to give individual attention to each kid, the others will lose interest by the time we attend to the last kid.

I really find this volunteering job very interesting and I enjoy teaching the kids. I look forward to the alternate saturdays to be of some help in achieving the school headmistress's vision.Well.. waiting for the day when such children would become well-educated,confident and self-sufficient and in turn make our country a self-sufficient one with a drastically reduced poverty level.

Jai Anjaneya

Once when I was in my friend’s house, I saw a pile of audio cassettes on the table. One was kept separate from the rest. I went near the table to look at that cassette which seemed to be the most often used one. I saw the title on the cover and I was surprised!!
Me: G, U listen to ‘Anjaneya’ songs that often?
G: Yaa of course, the songs are very nice and have been rendered very well
Me(even more surprised): What? You like these kind of songs? What a weird taste u have?
G: Why? What is wrong with my taste?
Me: Hearing such stupid songs and that too often.. I can’t believe that u have such a bad taste.
G: Everyone at home hears these songs and we all like it. Anyway why are u associating my taste with hearing these songs?
Me(all the more confused): Whaat? Ur parents also like these kind of songs? I seriously don’t believe this. How often do u hear these songs?
G: Every morning and evening my mom plays the cassette
Me: You sound as if it is ur daily “suprabaadham”
G: Since I have office I listen to it only during the weekends. Rest of the days my mom only hears it.
Me: There are so many other songs which are really good. What the hell do u find in those songs??
G: My mom only selected the cassette.
Me: Aaaahaaa!!! Is ur Mom Ajith’s fan? Even if she is one, she needn’t have selected this film, there are so many of his films which have really good songs. The songs in this film are nothing but crap.
G(Started to laugh real hard): Hey loosu, this is not a film cassette. It is a devotional song cassette!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bhool Jaa..

In ansoonon se kisko kya hua hansil
Mana kehna hai asan nibhana hai mushkil
Phir bhi ae yaar mere
Sunle meri intezaaa
Bhool ja Jo hua use bhool ja hai kasam tujhe muskura
khud ko yun na de tu saza

Un yadon ko bhool ja Wo to nahin tha teri wafaon ke kabhil
Jane kya soch kar tune de diya apna dil
Is baar dil ka sauda karna na yun bewajhah
Bhool ja Jo hua use bhool ja
Hai kasam tujhe muskura
khud ko yun na de tu saza un yadon ko tu bhool ja

Teri zindagi teri hai kisi ki amanat nahin
Jab chahe tod de aese ek imarat nahin
Is baar dil ka sauda karna na yun bewahja
Bhool ja Jo hua use bhool ja hai kasam tujhe muskura
khud ko yun na de tu saza un yadon ko tu bhool ja
Jo hua use bhool ja hai kasam tujhe muskura
khud ko yun na de tu saza un yadon ko tu bhool ja...
na nana bhool ja....
Khud ko yun na de tu saza
Un yadon ko tu bhool ja...

For the benefit of those who doesn't know Hindi... (For those who know Hindi, if I've made any mistakes in the translation do suggest me changes)

Who is going to benefit by these tears
I know that it is easy to say but difficult to follow
But my friend
Do listen to my words
Forget whatever happened,I swear,do smile
Don't punish urself

Forget those memories,(s)he doesn't deserve ur loyalty
You haven’t thought well before giving ur heart
Be more careful about ur heart this time
Forget whatever happened
I swear, do smile
Don't punish urself

Ur life is urs and not someone else' property
It is not a thing to be broken when wished by anyone and everyone
Be more careful about ur heart this time
Forget whatever happened,I swear,do smile
Don't punish urself, forget those memories
Forget whatever happened,I swear,do smile
Don't punish urself, forget those memories
Do Forget..
Don't punish yourself
Forget those memories..

This is a song by Shaan and has a great influence on me. Though the crux of the song is to recover from love failures, I get cheered up when I hear this song after having passed through a difficult phase, be it a terrible day at office or betrayal by a friend to cite some examples.

3rd place, Butterfly Stroke

Here is one of the stories from my favourite story book, “The Adventures of Dennis”.

I was feeling fine as I walked home from the swimming pool. Everything seemed great; the trolleybuses, because they were transparent and you could see who was riding in them through the windows, the ladies who were selling ice cream, because they looked so happy, and the day wasn’t too hot, and breezes that cooled my wet head.
Bust best of all, that day I’d taken third place in butterfly stroke and I was going to tell Daddy all about it. He’d always wanted me to learn to swim. He says everybody should know how to swim, and especially boys, because they’re men, and you can’t really call a man a man if he goes and drowns in the sea during shipwreck, or in a pond if a rowboat turns over.
So today I took third place and was going to tell Daddy all about it. I hurried home as fast as I could.
“What’re you so happy about?” Mommy said as she let me it.
“We had a swimming race today.”
“What kind of a race?”
“A twenty-five-meter race doing the butterfly stroke.”
“How’d you make out?”
“I took third place!”
Daddy smiled. “You don’t say? Good for you! Isn’t that something!”
I’d known he’d be real happy. Looking at him now, I felt still better than before.
“Who took first place?”
“Vova. He’s been swimming a long time, so it was a cinch.”
“Good for Vova! And who took the second place?”
“A red-headed body. I don’t know his name. He looks like a frog, especially when he is in the water.”
“And you took third.” Daddy smiled again. I was feeling great. “Well, third place isn’t bad, either. Third place gets the bronze medal. Who took fourth?”
“Nobody.”
“What d’you mean?”
“We all took third place: me and Misha, and Tolya, and Kim, and everybody. Vova took first place, the red-headed froggy body took second, and all the rest of us eighteen kids took third. The swimming coach said so.”
“Oh. So that’s it. I see.” And he went back to his paper.
Somehow, I didn’t feel as good as I had up till then.

An Uncomfortable situation

While we were laying the table for dinner,
Mom: How was office today?
Me(After my first experience..was a bit careful):Yaa it was great!!
Mom:Good!! I can see that u are doing well as u are coming very early from office. You must have finished the work well within time.
Me(only fools will stay at office when in freepool):Yes, you are right mom.
We settled down to eat and as usual I started switching between channels on TV
Mom:First, u start eating and then u can change channels.

To obey my mom's order the next moment(mainly to avoid scolding), I kept my remote down and started eating. Suddenly my parents became very restless and started talking at the same time without actually listening to what the other person was saying. They were totally avoiding even a glance at the TV screen. I could hear some music and commentary kind of thing on tv.I immediately turned to look at what was on the screen.

Any guesses????????????

Actually I was just switching the channels at random and in my haste to avoid my mom's scolding I hadn't noticed the channel that was finally selected!!!
It was FTV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My all-time favourite books

I was a voracious reader till I was in college after which, thanks to cable connection, I was almost addicted to T.V. However, even now, when I feel bored, I do re-read a few books again and again. I have read a quite a lot of books including Enid Blyton, Famous Five, Secret Seven, Sweet Valley(Kids and Twins), Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Charles Dickens, Sidney Sheldon, Jeffrey Archer and John Grisham. I generally prefer crime-thrillers. Though I have read so many books two of them are my cherished possession.

One is a book called “The Adventures of Dennis” by Victor Dragunsky (not related to Dennis the menace in any way). It is a collection of short stories about a seven year old boy’s misgivings, mischief, achievements and feelings. All the stories are very cute as it is told throughout as a first person’s account (from Dennis’s point of view). It was exactly how a sever year old would narrate the incidents in his life, very immature, very vibrant and enthusiastic at one time and very meek and frightened at the other. Each story is very funny and sometimes reminds me of my childhood days. I will post a story from the book in the next blog. Though I’ve read it some hundred times I still love to read it again with the same enthusiasm I had when I read it for the first time. I am transformed into a seven year old during the moments I spend reading the book.

The second book is called “The Count of Monte Cristo”. It was my Non-Detail book when I was in sixth standard. The story is about how a guy named “Edmund Dantes” who is betrayed by his so-called friends and lover, takes revenge on them after he excapes from jail(he goes there as a result of their betrayal). Though the story might sound like our tamil masala movie stuff, the way it is handled and the way the revenge is executed is just too good. That was the first time I was exposed to such stories which fascinated me a lot. I vividly remember each and every character in the story and their role. The plot by his friends, the pain faced by him in the jail, his escape, his transformation after getting hold of a treasure and his well-planned and clever plot in bringing the downfall of his enemies were narrated so well that I was deeply impacted by the story.

Now, posting this blog has again rekindled my interest in reading books. Moreover it has been quite sometime since I read those two books. So I’m off to engross myself in the fantasies of Dennis!!!

Stage fear!!

In the second year of my college life, ”the paper presentation fever” caught up. Almost everyone I knew would bunk college in the pretext of going to other colleges for paper presentations(whether they really participated..that is another matter). However since everyone was so hyper about these presentations including the staffs and HOD, I also decided to give it a shot along with my friend. We had submitted a paper on 3G Wireless Communications(just ctrl+c and ctrl+v from the net) to a college in Trichy. We submitted the paper there because I knew a person in the selection committee who would surely get us through!!! Actually our paper was also good enough and got great stuff in it..just that it was a pity that we didn’t get to learn it till now. I don’t make sense right? How could we present the paper without actually learning the contents. There is a much easier way…to mug up the contents(whether it really gets into the mind is another issue). However we didn’t have much option. That is because we are always the last-minute learners, be it university exams or such paper presentations we always waste time till the last minute and put up “Herculean” efforts during the last one or two days. This time it was just one night during the bus journey!!!Well.. I did my best to stay awake and mug up but I couldn’t fight with sleep for long. I lost the battle and fell into a peaceful sleep though it was an uncomfortable bus journey. However my friend did a better job both in learning her part and presenting it too!!! Actually I can do a better job if I am asked to give a dance performance on stage. However presenting in front of a huge crowd makes me shudder even at the mere thought. Hence my performance, as predicatable, was terrible. I forgot most of my part and had to finally settle with reading from the slides(thank god that unlike exams, they legally allow the use of “mega-sized bits” in the form of powerpoint slides). Though I made a fool of myself on stage I never cared about it for long. The food was very good and had a nice time relishing it. The person I knew there dragged us into giving names for an event called Tech ‘n’ Talk!!! Again a presentation in front of a big crowd.Oh my god!!!!That too I don’t get to prepare for more than two minutes, as I get to choose the topic only when the person before me starts to blah..blah!! I need to talk about a word they give me technically for a minute and non-technically for a minute.My friend got the word “net”. She did an excellent job speaking about networks for the first minute and fishing nets for the next minute and ended beautifully with the song “oh Maria oh Maria” from “Kaadhalar dhinam”. She sang that song to fill up the space till that one minute was over because it contained words like “kadaluku fishing net,kaadhaluku internet” which brought a huge round of applause from the crowd. Since I was watching her perform, I forgot to prepare and I was the next one to go.My word was “Sim”. Thank god!! The first one minute was going to be easy as I talked abt the sim in mobile phones about which I got some exposure to, the previous night. Mugging does have its advantages sometimes!! “Tring” !!Oh my god!! The second minute started and I need to talk non technically on “Sim”.uh.oh….oh yaa!!! The beautiful actress simran!!I went on about what was her first film(made a mistake in that too..) and how well she acts and dances in films. Then I also wanted to follow the technique of my friend and was about to sing a song when I heard the bell ring for the second time and I knew the ordeal was over. But I was a bit disappointed because I wanted to sing a song too!!! But that won me the second place in the end. My friend was supposed to have gotten the prize because she had done so well but she was disqualified as she sang and the event allowed people to only talk. Well.. that’s what happens most of the time.. the well-deserved gets to lose sometimes. However at the end the well-deserved always get the best making their wait worthwhile. Anyway what I narrated above was one of my most memorable events. Though I did make a fool of myself while presenting, it was a great experience which made me take it up as a challenge to get rid of my stage fear and I was successful in eliminating it.

Heroes and Zeros of Tamil Cinema

My comments about a few actors of our Tamil Cinema. These are my opinions and surely need not be facts about these people. Opinions differ and all of u are welcome to pour out ur opinions which will be answered by me open-mindedly.

"Anbu selvan" Surya:From a chocolate-faced,sherwani-clad,innocent boy he has become a versatile,matured and well-behaved veteran actor excelling in different roles.

"Chiyaan" Vikram:After a bad start for a quite a long time,with Sethu came his big break in which he proved his expertise in acting and then there is no looking back for him, doing extremely well in a variety of roles.

"Gilli" Vijay:Initially started off with masala films demanding justice(typical of his father's films),moved on to roles proving himself to be a good character artiste as well as a great comedian and an excellent dancer,however now back to square1 with masala movies.

"Vaali" Ajith:Though smart-looking,after initial hiccups, Vaali was a big break,after which a row of good films with a variety of roles proving himself well along the way,took a break for racing which has proven costly now when he's trying to make a comeback.

“Jeans” Prashanth: If u think,Jeans went on well because of ur “drop-dead gorgeous” looks,sorry u are mistaken, please do not have such a wrong idea abt urself(but I should say that u look far better than ur dad),also stop projecting urself in “goody-goody” roles in films, try for variety or quit!!

"Manmadhan" Simbu:Started as a child artiste,with a lot of overactions(with dialogues too much for his age),still continuing to overact as he still looks like a kid,too young for a full-fledged hero.

"Kaadhal Kondaen" Dhanush:Did extremely well in Kaadhal Kondaen and should stop with similar kind of roles instead of acting like a rowdy "hero" killing goondas thrice his size which is too hard to digest.

"Alaipaayuthey" Madhavan:Made a lot of gals crazy about him through his first film,but the charm has deteriorated,more of good acting skills and tummy reduction is demanded of him.

"12B" Shaam:"Ey nee romba azhaga iruka" but with similar kind of soft roles in film after film makes u look very dull and ur films less preferred.

"April Maadhathil" Srikanth:Had an excellent film to start with,should stick to softer roles instead of trying for action hero roles as he overdoes it due to over-enthusiasm(films like Joot and varnajaalam!!!!!!!!!!!!)

"Captain" Vijayakanth:Sir,please stop acting,do not kalanga paduthify tamil cinema with ur "punch" dialogues and do not try to disprove theories set by great scientists through ur "James Bond" type fight scenes(which is too much for ur age)

"Umma umma" Sathyaraj:Trying to dance like Dhanush in manmadha raasa for ur age and that too with a girl of 18-20yrs of age as a heroine is too much..sorry countless much,Imitating people like MGR or Sivaji will only be apt for u and do stick to that,also please stop helping out ur son to act in the fims and spare us from the dhandanai of seeing him on screen

"Gundu Kathirikaai" Prabhu:With such a "figure" why do u have to still act in films and spoil ur father's name,if u still want to act please take a promotion to the role of a father(still u'll face great competition in the form of Raj Kiran)!!

"Tharuviyaa tharamaatiyaa" Sarath Kumar:I think ur children themselves would have reached their late teens or come out of it,u still have to dress up like a school kid and spoil school children demanding indecent stuff from the heroine in ur duets,if u need to satisfy ur desires,do it privately and not through ur films.

There are some actors who have acted in very less films to comment about their talent,for example,Prasanna and Jayam Ravi.There are some actors about whom if I start commenting I will end in thittifying them in bad words.So to maintain decency I refrain from commenting about them,for example,S.J Suryah!!!!!!!!!

Vandhutaanyaa Vandhutaanyaa!!!!

One small karpanai..Actor Parthiban Team Lead aavum,Actor Vadivelu Parthiban keezha velai seyyara Programmer aavum irundha eppdi irukum..

Parthiban goes near the cubicle of Vadivelu
P:Enna panra
V(aahaaa vandhutaanya vandhutaanyaa!!!):Neenga thaana testu cases piriparu(prepare) panna sonneenga naa panna codu ku adhaan panren
P:Nee ezhudhina code a neeye test pannuviyaa
V:Aamaam, Enaku thaana adhoda funcsanality theriyum.Vera yaarkum theriyaadhe
P:Appo enna solla vara..naangalaam muttaalgalaa..
V(Aooooooooouuuuuuuuunnnnn..avaroda usual sound):Naa appdi sollave illaye
P:Pinna,enaku mattum thaan code oda functionality theriyum naa enna artham
V:Naan thaana developu pannen,adhanaala enaku thaan theriyum nu sonnenga
P:Appo nee thaan ellaam therinja budhisaali,naangalaam onnukum udhavaadha odhavaakarainga appdi dhaana solla vara
V(aaahhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaa maatikitome):Saar neenga naalum therinja vanga saar
P:Adhenna "naalum therinja vanga"..appdi naa enaku naalu vishayam thaan theriyuma..onaku enna vida neriyaa vishayam theriyumaa?
V:Appdi illa saar..ongaluku ella vishayamum theriyum nu solla vandhen
P:Appo "katradhu kai mannalavu kallaadhadhu ulagalavu" sonna avvaiyaar mela kuttram solla variyaa..
V:illa illa..ongaluku indha codu pathi ellaam theriyum nu solla vandhen
P:Appo enna test cases prepare panna sollriyaa.. nee enna order panriyaa
V:Ippdi ellaathayum thappa purinjukuneenga naa enna sollradhu
P:Appo naa ennoda sub-ordinates a purinjikaadha raakshasan,adhigamaa vela vaangara kodumaikaaran appdidhaana..
V(On the verge of crying):Saar naa edhuvume sollala.. neenga enna sollreengalo kekaren
P:On system a crash panna sollren pannuviyaa..
V:Adhu eppdi..en sysutemu la imbordandu inpurmasion(important information) laam irukungale
P:"Neenga enna sollreengalo kekaren" nu nee thaanayaa sonna
V:Manichikonga saar, onga vazhila naa kurukidave maaten.. enna vitrunga!!!
P:Ozhunga velaiya paaruyaa..ivlo neram en time a waste pannita..naa urpadiyaa solitaire aadikitu irundhurpen.
V:!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Work and Home : Parallel tracks - Part II

8.30 pm .. Tring Tring ... my mobile phone rings ...
the caller id says ... Anand :) my project manager ...

we had shifted our work location from within the city to the outskirts! ..around 10 km from Sholingnalur !!! ... thtz the background for the phone call ......

he was asking if we (me and my pals) faced any problems in commuting ... about the network connectivity there ... about working hours ... etc .. etc ... the conversation went on for 20 min ... hmmmmm ...

me back to living room .. my dad , mom and sis watching TV ..

after 15 min or so ...
my thoughts were still on my work location and scope and how me and my collegues toiled hard to get there ... and then about the network connectivity ...(damn it .. how slow that was ...) and then my timesheets ... etc etc ... and then, Anand's call ... hmmm ... I could hear no damn thing that was happening on the TV ... it was KOLANGAL .. one of the greatest MEGA SERIAL of times ;-pppp (definitely kidding ...........) ..

my dad called me and asked something ... and i was like .... "No Anand ....." Oooooopps!!!!
"Err...Dad did u ask me something?"
My dad got a real shock !!!!!!!!

Andha 7 nimidangal

It was lunch time......... our classroom, that semester, was in the block nearest to the mess hall.
We got held up with some work and when v were done with it, we had just abt 7-8 minutes for the lunch break to get over. Most of the days we had to wait in the mess hall to get a seat in the "pandhi" .... we were trying to decide if v should eat or not ... v had to be back in time for the next hour (v were only in first year then & couldnt dare to rough up with the really rough ones!)

two of us decided to starve .... i was among the other two who were still double-minded ....
we finally made up our minds to go & have a quick lunch. we decided, "we ARE having lunch & will be in class on time" !

we rushed to the mess hall , after a "formal- hand-wash" , v settled down to eat .... when a person began to serve in the usual speed & order of dishes ... v stopped him & enquired wat was on the menu ...... after listening to him , v realized there were just 2 things edible .... Chicken & Curd rice (v had had bad experience with the rest of the items on the menu) .... neither of us liked curd rice .... the very thought of eating curd rice along with chicken made us feel guilty, v felt like v were doing injustice to the poor hen by giving it such a bad company !!! ; )

but something really unexpected happenned ....... the 'CC' combo worked out too good ! Its tasted sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo damn gud that day !!!!
It was quick lunch indeed & we rushed back to class just before the bell rang .

But it so happenned that the prof was late to class that day !
waste of energy ?! nope , not at all ! we enjoyed every single millisecond of those few mins (classroom -> mess hall -> classroom) ...
The two of us still wonder what was so spl abt those minutes ..... may b it was not really the food that tasted that good .... may b it was jus that silly feeling of trying out a wierd combination of food..... or the silly challenge to reach class on time, that v won or what ?!

I would say "whatever it was, v were in sync" & that made it special !!! I am not sure how others would percieve this blog, but this is one of the 'sweet nothing' memories my friend & I cherish till date :-)

Chumma oru time pass..

"Dei Dei,ava iniki orange colour salwar pottu varuva nu therinji thaana neeyum inniki Ramarajan style la orange colour shirt pottu vandhuruke!!!!"
"Endi on aaluku ivlo kevalamaana taste.. orange colour shirt ellaam too much!!!!"
Ivanga rendu perum life la pesirka kooda maataanga aana otra range a paatha rendu perkum nadula oru kaadhal kaaviyame create panniduvaangapaa..vilaivugal..avanga rendu perum kadaisi varaikum pesikave maataanga..avan avala cross panrapo thalaiya kuninji pordhum..ava avana paathu edho peiya paatha maadhiri opposite side about turn adichi vegama nadakardhum idhellaam thevaiyaa?????????
Idhula best part ennanaa oru ponna oru payyanoda tease panna aarambikara kaaranangal:
1. Ava avan kitta "excuse me,onga pen thareengala en pen la ink illa" appdi nu avan friend ku edhurkiyo illa ava friend ku edhurkiyo sollita podhum
2. Avalum avanum ore colour dress coincidental aa thodarndhu oru rendu naal pottu vandhuta podhum
3.Attendance edukum bothu ava avaloda pera koopdum bothu "Present sir" nu sollaama adutha roll no aana avan pera sollum bothu thavari sollita naa mudinjidhu kadhai
4.Ore class la lecturer avalayum avanayum thittinaangana(for different reasons at different time naa kooda)
5.Ore time la class la rendu perum enter pannita avlathaan
6.Avaloda initial avanoda peroda starting letter a irundhuta podhum
7.class test liyo exam liyo ore mark vaangita avlathaan
8.Lab practicals bothu "onaku enna reading vandhudhu" nu keta avlathaan(avaluku enna on mela thani akkarai.... idhula enna akkarai vendiruku,avan reading correct aa irundha appdiye copy adikalaam nu oru suyanalatha mathavanga "podhunalam" aakidraanga!!!!)
9.ava desk la edho kirukirpa(exam la bit adika vasadhiyaa iruka)... adhuku oru super imagination panni artham kuduthu..avana pathi thaan ezhudhirka nu alasi aaraainji oru mathematical theory e potruvaanga namma brilliant students
10.Rendu perum "thayir saadham" aa irundha podhum
Indha maadhiri tease panna kandupudikara kaaranangal eraalam.Appdi tease panradhunaala enna laabam naa time-pass aam la.. Idhellaam romba thevaiyaa?
Ennada iva ivlo scene podra iva lifela yaarayum otnadhe illayaa nu nenacheenga naa adhu romba thappu...enna u see ellaarum ore kuttai la oorina mattainga only!!!!

Sir,Salaam Gulaamu-the complete (pic of the) man

Lemme introduce u 2 1 of our fav profs @ college. Regarding his appearance... Trust Me ! .... the picture above is as good as a photo of him, taken during his lecture !!!

He always used the OHP(Over Head Projector) for his lectures, which created a gloomy atmosphere, 'cos stating reasons of clarity, we would close all possible inlets for sunlight - even if that needed our notebooks to block light thro some broken window panes !

This stick that he is holding in his hand, is what he uses to point to at the OHP sheet & also occassionally to threaten us to do one of the following during class :
1. Stop talking loudly (definition of loud- when the noise level becomes so high that he feels a threat of getting deafened and begins to doubt his existence in the room! )
2. Stop munching chocolates & snacks
3. Stay awake ?! - NO I wont lie, he really does not bother about the quite ones fast asleep !

Apart from his BIG stick, he also carries a small pen which he seldom uses. Yeah he always carries a hand kerchief which automatically keeps visiting his protruding nose @ the end of every two sentences of his speech. Other significant features are his low voice, his sweat glands working over-time, his tie-pin which does a more sincere job compared to his belt, which most of the time loses its tug-of-war with his pants that believe in "Cleanliness (of the floor @ the cost of the pant) is next to Godliness" !!!!

hmmm .... enuf of story line .... lets break for a remix- song .
Song Tune : Salaam Gulaamu - prashanth's song (Remix - Sir, Tuje Salaam)
(Song composed with live inspiration - during one of his lectures)

Salaam gulaamu , gulamu Salaam gulaamu...
nee ulle varum style ku dhaan salaam gulaamu

un pantu ku solven , shirt ku solven ... salaam gulaamu,
un kai ku solven , kuchi ku solven ... salaam gulaamu.

expert a naan irundhen salaam gulaamu...
enna dabba va aakiputte salaam gulaamu !

OHP le kuchi dhaan beauty beauty ...
un face le varum smile dhaan cutee cutee !!

pantu mele shoes dhaan, shirtu mele tie dhaan..
hollow-wood style le ne chanci chanci !

class le dhaan nee oru dummy dummy...
andha time le naanga adikarom lootee lootee !!!

hmmmm .... back to the story line .....
for some reasons , which i do not remember now, we named him as "Dabba"....
so, for the naming ceremony , we composed this song, again in his class ....

Song Tune : "O" podu from Gemini

Varudhu varudhu varudhu varudhu ... dabba onnu varudhu .......

Kuchi illa dabba va ..
Dabbavoda notes a ..
notes illadha lecture a
notes a edappa !

uppu illa upmaa va
ID illama naangala
Mike illama neengala
Mike a vaangappa !!

naapathanji(45) nimishathila thookkaathukku panjam illa ...
vaarthayile thaalatta unna minja yaarum illa !!!

ennatha ennatha edutha edupu ennatha ?
pannadha pannadha torture edhuvum pannadha...
ucchanthalai kaayudhaiya Projector ayum niruthi vidu...
kuchiyin munaiyile engalayum ezhupi vidu !!!!!

kuchi podu, keezha podu ...
vaaya moodu, iruki moodu .

... thats was the Baptism "gaana" rhyme ! aahhhh .. i'm trying hard to recollect the theory behind the name "Dabba" ..... but whatever crap it meant, he never ever gave us a chance to disprove our theory behind the name, as he continued to put on the same shoe & show throughout the semester. But the worst part was that this show's timings were inappropriate .... it would mostly be the 45 mins just before the lunch break, instead of the f o r t y f i v e minutes after lunch.

Here r a few lines of another song-remix composed @ abt the 30th minute of a typical '45 mins' show...

Song Tune : "Padhinettu vayadhu ... " from the movie "suriyan"

padhinanji (15) nimisham kaathirukkanum ivaru veliya poga .........

pasikkudhu vayiru, katharaaru ivaru, naanga enna seiya ????

Thats abt it ..... our 'salaam gulaamu Sir' - the "Yagi-Uda" Sir .... 'yagi-uda' , thats one word I still remember from his lectures .... that seemed to be his favourite word in the subject. So we also ensured he saw it several times on every page in our answer sheets !!! hmmm .... but he somehow never really appreciated this extra effort of ours - highly possessive about the word, huh ??!!!

Narrow Escape!!

Everyone would cherish their college life for the fun-filled moments because for the first time we are let free to do what we like without much of intervention from our staffs unlike our disciplined school life.We build strong friendships most of which last till the end.Anyway I wanted to narrate one interesting incident that happened during my first year in college.We were so bored in class that my friend and I decided to cut the class and roam around.It was the Mechanical Engg Class.The subject by itself is very dry and to top it all we had the best of prof.His language proficiency is soooooo bad that we have to listen very hard to understand what he is trying to convey(He pronounces Benz as "Benju car").
We just walked out and were roaming in the campus discussing our own sondha kadhai and soga kadhai.Appappo to avoid the questioning stares of our department staffs we would act as if we were discussing something related to studies and would pass them in a hurry as if we were late for some lab class.Soon it was time for the bell.So we went back to the class. We made sure we reached the class 10min after the bell.However,our bad luck, we came face to face with our Mech prof. Just as we were about to enter the class he came out.We were staring blankly at him for a minute. Then I said "Sir, actually she is very ill and hence we had gone to get her some tablets."Then I realized we needn't take 40min to go and get some tablets.Before he could ask anything I put up a very solemn face and said "She had fainted on the way and I had to take her to the doctor where she was taking rest for sometime."Meanwhile my friend played her part very well by producing false coughs and displaying a very tired and dull face expression.He believed it and let us go.As soon as we went inside the class, we were laughing sooo hard and were busy explaining how we fooled our Mech sir to our friends that we didn't notice him standing at the entrance of our class.He had come back to make some announcement.We meekly waited for him to pour out his anger.He just made the announcement and left without another word.From then on we made sure that...........................if we cut his class we would make sure he's left before entering the class so that we need not waste our energy in thinking of good reasons and explaining to him(avare kandukala so why bother!!!).

All thotta bhoopathy - english version

All Touched Bhoopathy ..... english aakkam !

Song Tune: All thotta bhoopathi - vijay-simran song

Aangilam version (tamil version follows for reference ):

Hey man-touched bhoopathy I da,
That Amaran-touched bhoopathy... I da.
One song I will sing...., listen da,
That song telling matter.. hear da.

Her kisses & all, one kutralam a?
Is she a closed drum a ?!
Love marriage .........
That God........ doing da
God....., which God ?
That God...... kandha God !

Touching Touching talking creeper...
I..... lost sleep dhaanadi.
Inside....blood .... absorbing,
due to you, desire crossing limit ...

Hook il uncatchable fish one .....
jumping jumping see .... da
dancing dance a , saw thats why ....
lifetime prisoner.... I became da !

Her figure is one.... college da
To study there..., I have come here da !!

Come come female child ...
no one has touched me ....
side look ale .. u gave me one tight slap !!!

Chik buk chik train da,
she is a saree wearing peacock da

out of desire, heart cooking ...
like a forest, heart drying ....

Like a silk saree .. you ....
round round tie me di ....
with a half eye if u... c ...,
town man also kovalan only !

you are kanni luck, I am kannan luck...
In our horoscope, from now on good.... luck !!!

Come come female child ...
no one has touched me ....
side look aale .. u gave me one tight slap !!!


Tamil version

Ada aal thotta bhoopathy naanada,
Andha amaran thotta bhoopathy naanada.
Oru paattu naan paada poren keluda,
Andha paattu sollum sangadhiya kelu da.

Ava mutham ellam oru kuthaalam a?
Ava moodi vecha oru mathaalama ?!
Kaadhal kalyanatha ...
Andha saami.... senjanada
Saami ....endha saami ?
Andha saami kandha saami !

Thottu thottu paesum poongodi..
Thookam kettu ponen naanadi.
Ullukulle ratham oorudhe...
unnal aasai ellai meerudhe ...

Thoondilil sikkadha meenu onnu...
thulli kudhippadha paathukada.
aadum aattathai kandadhaale ...
aayul kaidhi aanenada !

Ava kattazhagu, oru kalloori da
Adhil kalvi karka.... naan vandhen ada !!

va di potta pulla ....... enna yaarum thottadhilla !
ora paarvai aale , enna ongi aranjavale !!!

chik buk chik rail da,
ava selai katti vandha mayil da !
mogathaale ullam vegudhe..
moongil kaadai nenjam kaayudhe .

Pattu selai pol enna neeyum,
suthi suthi kattiko di
ora kannale neeyum paartha,
pattinaathum kovalan dhaan !

nee kanni raasi, naan kannan raasi...
namma jaadhagathil, ini nalla raasi !!!

va di potta pulla ....... enna yaarum thottadhilla !
ora paarvai aale , enna ongi aranjavale !!!

Shock @ Savera

We were in Bangalore for IV. Last day of the trip, it was a day for shopping……….
From morning shopping, ahem .... actually window shopping - with no money in hand……….hehehehe but had a hell lot of fun….
Appadiyae suthitu irundhom…..later we were informed that @ around 7 we have to assemble @ a place called Bombay Mall (it is a shopping complex in MG road)
But as we were very tired after a gr8 day of shopping :-p we reached that place @ around 5- 5.30 itself. Then we realized that once we start it will be difficult to find a restroom during the journey so better try here itself……..(bcoz we were traveling by bus)
So naanga thedalam’nu start pannom, 3 of us……….
Appo konjam thooram we were walking and suddenly we realized that one guy and a gal were following us……….sudden’a oru bayam…..although purse’la onnum illanalum romba pisthu vitutu thirinjomaenu tension ayitom……
Then enna panradhu theriyala…….although velliya pisthu vitalum ullukula bayam……..v tried to pretend as calm as possible whispering to each other - "hey, careful with ur handbag!" …..at a short distance, v saw our a big gang of our classmates standing by the road ...... but by the time, we finished doing our "hi-hi" stuff & turned back to check where those followers were, avanga rendu perum kaanum ! semma relief…..uff !!
Then again enga mission thedi poitu irundhom…..then v came to a hotel. yes , i was 200% sure v read the nameboard as "Hotel Savera" , until the men standing at the entrance stared at us as though v were aliens jus stepped down from the UFO ! yeah, v got a doubt that it was a BAR & not a hotel .... so jus stepped back to verify the name board once more "H..O..T..E..L " ! Thank God, v werent where v shouldnt be :-) ....
but eppadi restroom’nu mattum kaekardhunu oru confusion…….appo parthu one of our frnds came down from the hotel…..chance’a illa en friend’ku presence of mind……”hi da unnai parka dhan vandhom’”nu poi avakita enga pbm sonnom.
Then she asked the hotel ppl. They told us it is upstairs……….
Serinu porom…….vazhila andha wall’la “WAY TO GARDEN” appadinu potirndhudhu
Way to garden’anu oru doubt!!!!! But naanga enga kulla pesikala………….konjam tension ayitom……..bcoz seri dark’a irundhuchu and only we 3………….
Cha ippadi thaniya vandirkomae’nu konjam tension..……veena indha lollu and dhayiriyam thevaiyanu
Mela poi partha it was actually a roof garden but basically a BAR!!!! Tension peak’ku poiduchu…….2 guys were thr and the server who guided us the way showed us the way to the restroom and left down.......
we dint want to create a big scene by leaving the place without answering nature's call ...... serinu in turns we went in ….. meanwhile we started expressing(IN TAMIL - remember v are in bangalore) our fear & the sick feeling that we were actually in a BAR ! we made sure v used no English words as those two men there might get a clue what a pathetic situation we were in !!!
Konja neram poruthu when we were abt to leave, one of those two men there got up to wash his hands, singing the TAMIL song "andha vaanatha pola manam padacha mannavaneeee ........"

we got the shock of our lives ! actualla engalala siripum control panna mudiyala at the same time bayam vera .................
Ingendhu pona podhumnu ayitom.......then we left.........and u shld have seen our faces after we came out of the hotel..........
Semma super’a irundhuchu…..then we had the greatest of laughs……….pinna control panna mudiyala…….
Oru periya adventure madiri oru effect kuduthukitom……hehehe
Naanga anga irukom’nu vera yaarkum theriyadhu and moreover none of us had a mobile too……………edhavadhu nadandha yaarkum theriyadhu…..
Adhan romba tension ayitom…..

That was an incident we laugh at even now….whenever we recollect those moments…….

Keep smiling as u r worth it!!!

The "SHOCK" effect!!

"oooooooooooooooooo""sssssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhh" "jal jal jal"(salangai satham)well..I was trying to reproduce some of the sound effects usually found in some tamil horror movies.I used to make fun of them.I never used to get frightened by those movies....until I watched "SHOCK"!!!!!!! I watched it in Sathyam theatre with Dolby Digital sound effects. That made the difference.Even the sound of a door bell was eerie!!There is one scene where meena sits in a sofa watching T.V and suddenly she sees a ghost in the mirror adjacent to the t.v!!Oh my god!!To create the effect in that situation there was a very strange,mysterious,wierd and frightening sound.My heart skipped a beat for a moment.Lots of such similar situations-meena seeing the ghost at the beach and at the theatre and killing the watchman.. Thoughout the movie I was holding my friend's hand so firmly that her hands became numb!!! Though, except meena, all the others were acting in the movie so unnaturally, the sound effects frightened me soooooooo much and made me sooooo uneasy that when I closed my eyes in the night to get some sleep,I saw meena in different kind of "pei" getups in front of me!!!!! I got up immediately and looked around like a child lost in a crowd!!I took the Bhagavad Gita book,kept it near my pillow and tried to close my eyes..I felt I could still hear those eerie sounds and was very restless changing my posture every now and then.For the first time in my life I felt frightened to stay and sleep alone. Quietly I went to my parents room and lied down beside my mom hugging her tightly.Lo and behold!!! When I woke up it was 6.30 A.M...time to get up and get ready for my college..I was so relieved!!After that I've not watched a single horror movie, not even the "Jaganmohini" kind of films on TV.

Some of the best lines...

Standing for what you believe in,
Regardless of the odds against you,
And the pressure that tears at your resistance,
......means COURAGE!!!

Keeping a smile on your face,
When inside you feel like dying,
For the sake of supporting others,
......means STRENGTH!!!

Stopping at nothing,
And doing what's in your heart,
You know is right,
......means DETERMINATION!!!

Doing more than is expected,
To make another's life a little more bearable,
Without uttering a single complaint,
......means COMPASSION!!!

Helping a friend in need,
No matter the time or effort,
To the best of your ability,
......means LOYALTY!!!

Giving more than you have,
And expecting nothing,
But nothing in return,
.....means SELFLESSNESS!!!

Holding your head high,
And being the best
you know you can be
When life seems to fall apart at your feet,
Facing each difficulty with the confidence
That time will bring you better tomorrow's,
And never giving up,
.......means CONFIDENCE!!!

To the question of your life,
you are the only ANSWER...
To the problems of your life,
you are the only SOLUTION...

Though simple these small things r what we forget to remember.....
holds good with me too at times....but trying to keep in mind these words to make each day worthwhile!!!
Keep smiling as u r worth it!!!

Dr Kalam,tujhe salaam!!

Few excerpts from our respectable President's inspirational speech

"Why is the media here so negative?

Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them.

We are the first in milk production.
We are number one in Remote sensing satellites.
We are the second largest producer of wheat.
We are the second largest producer of rice.

There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters. I was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert into an orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of killings,bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried among other news.

In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime. Why are we so NEGATIVE?"

"YOU say that our government is inefficient.
YOU say that our laws are too old.
YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.
YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke, The
Airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.
YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits.
YOU say, say and say. What do YOU do about it?

In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores.
YOU are as proud of their Underground links as they are. You pay $5 (approx. Rs. 60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM.
YOU come back to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status identity. .
In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU?

YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai.
YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah.
YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds (Rs. 650) a month to, "see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else."
YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, "Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost."
YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand.

Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo?
Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in
Boston??? We are still talking of the same YOU.

YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the same here in India?"

"I am echoing J.F. Kennedy's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians.....

"ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA
WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY"

Lets do what India needs from us."

I read his speech through a forwarded mail and on the same day I saw an article in the newspaper which made me respect him to such a great extent that I made sure to throw waste materials only in the dustbin even if it meant carrying the waste material all the way till a dustbin is encountered on the way.I mailed him(presidentofindia@rb.nic.in) as below after reading the article in the paper.

Respected Sir,
(After introducing myself)
I received a forward that contained your speech at Hyderabad which inspired me very much. The crux of the speech is that we should not simply criticize the shortcomings in the country and just sit back expecting somebody else to clean up everything.In this context I read the news(New Indian Express dated 26th June'04) in which you had helped a CBSE student (Akhil Gupta) of Class XII who was wrongly awarded only 13% in physics,a subject in which he had done well.Noting that this will have a bearing on the youth's future, you personally took up the matter with the concerned officials and his marks were corrected to 85. This small incident proves that you are not a man of mere words but "A MAN OF ACTION".Sir,I am very much influenced by you and will follow your example in my future life.
Thanking you.

Well, hope to see our President's dream come true soon!!

Work and Home:Parallel Tracks

Knock Knock!!
Mom opens the door and smiles at me..
I just walk past her preoccupied with my own thoughts without noticing her smile.
Mom: What happened?U look dull?
Me: Nothing
Mom: No!! Something is wrong. Are u not feeling well?
Me: No Mom, I am fine
Mom(softly):C'mmon tell me what happened?
Me: Its just that there are some unresolved issues in the code I developed. As it was late I left it unresolved. I am just preoccupied with that.
Saying this I went off to change my clothes,wash my hands and was ready to have my dinner.While laying down the table..
Mom:Will ur boss scold u?
Me:Mom, he is not a school teacher!!
Mom:But u haven't completed ur work right?Won't he get angry?
Me:I have lot of time to finish the work assignmed to me. I can resolve the issues tommorrow also.
Mom:Then why were u so preoccupied that u didn't even smile back in response to my smile?
Me(Smile at my mom): Happy?
Mom:No.U are trying to convince me but I know that something wrong has happened at the office and u are not telling me. Otherwise u wouldn't have been so preoccupied enough not to have noticed my smile.
Me:Mom, there is nothing wrong with me. I am perfectly fine.I am not holding anything from u.I was just trying to resolve an issue that was constantly running at the back of my mind even after I started from the office.That's why I didn't notice anything.
Mom:Is it so difficult?
Me:Yep, a bit.
Mom:Can't u take the help of other staffs working with u to resolve the issue?
Me:I will try first and then ask them if I cannot solve it.
Mom:Don't waste much time thinking about it. You will spoil ur health. Today in Sun T.V news they showed the ill-effects of working in a software concern. Continuous strain to eyes lead to poor eyesight or even blindness,
Continuous strain to ur brain will lead to mental illness or brain damage
Wrong posture will cause crack in spinal cord...
She went on and on while I yawned as I was so tired..I looked at her skeptically..
Me:Mom, u know about Sun News, how they blow up things. Why do u believe in these things?
Mom:If u had been in a normal govt job I wouldn't be this worried. Why don't u apply for the JAO post in BSNL?
Me(Bewildered!!!):NO WAY!! I hate the normal 10-5 kind of routine jobs.It is damn boring.
Mom(Disappointed!!):U will spoil ur health if it goes on like this.
Me:Don't worry mom. I like this job and I will be fine.
Saying this I went off to wash my hands after eating. Mom wasn't convinced but I couldn't let her go on like this.
Me: Mom, please do not worry about me.Don't believe whatever sun t.v "sirappu paarvai" says.They exaggerate everything.I love the work that I am doing and so there will be no such problems that u are fearing.
Saying this I went off to sleep.Next day morning I went to brush my teeth.
Mom:Are u sure that u are fine in the current job?
Me:Mommmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That day I decided that I will neither bring office work to my home nor will I discuss any issues I face at office with my parents!!! I don't blame them for worrying but it is not a healthy practice to carry over office problems to our home as it will spoil the happy atmosphere at our home.

Thaalaatum Kaatre Vaa(Poovellaam un vaasam)

thaalaatum kaatre vaa
thalaikodhum virale vaa
tholaidhoora nilame vaa
thodavendum maane vaa

un chinna idhazhl mutham thinnaamal en janmam veenendru poveno
un vanna thirumeni seraamal en vayadhu paazhendru aaveno
un azhagu raajaangam aazhaamal en aavi siridhaagi poveno

en uyire neethaano(2)
thaalaatum...

kannukkul kan vaithu kan imaiyaal kan thadavi chinnadhoru shringaaram seyyaamal poveno
pechizhandha velaiyile penazhagu en maarbil moochu vidum vaasanaiyai mugaraamal poveno
un pattu koondhal kaatril nanayaamal poveno
adhil kalla thenai koncham parugaamal poveno
nee paadhi thookathil pulambuvadhai olipadhivu naan seyya maateno(2)
nee oodal kondaadum pozhudhugalil enai unaku oliparapa maateno

en uyire neethaano(2)
thaalaatum..

oru naal oru pozhudhu un madiyil naan irundhu thirunaal kaanaamal sethozhindhu poveno tharai ellam pookal pookum thallaadum maram eri kilaiellaam un peyarai ezhudhaamal poveno un paadham vaangi nenjil padhiyaamal poveno
un kannir echal rusiyai ariyaamal poveno
un udalai uyir vittu ponaalum en uyirai unnodu paaicheno(2)
un angam engengum uyiraagi nee vaazhum varai naanum vaazheno

en urimai neethaano(2)
thaalaatum..

Beautiful song...Beautiful lyrics.. Lucky is the girl who gets a guy so passionate and caring towards her!!!

Tribute to my friends

Lots of feelings expressed,
lots of incidents remembered,
lots of views and jokes that were shared,
lots of pranks that were played,
lots of arguments that helped us understand(about each other)
lots and lots of fun we had,
Now when I think of all these, I get the satisfaction of having passed through one of the best phases of my life, of which, you were as precious to me just as ..hey I can't think of anything in this world as precious as you!!!!!!!
here's to my special friend..

Girlfriend from Boys remixed

loose pole kilpauk il
enakkoru girlfriend venum !!
indru pudhidhaaga piditha mental pol
enakkoru girlfriend venum !!

elliot's beachil kadalin karaiyil
sundalai vaayil podanume !!
mannu parandhaal sundalil vizhundhaal
adhaiyum kalandhu thinnanume !!

enakkoru gf venumada
enakkoru gf venumada
gfs dhaane boys in boost allava
gfs illa vaazhkai waste allava

loose pole......

friends oda girlfriendsa vaangi
ennoda aal endru solli
kannathil arai ondru vaanga thaan !!!

odadha bike ondril eri
mount road signalil niruthi
seruppale adi vaangi kolla thaan !!!

hotel bill yera plate ai naan kazhuva
maavai saerndhaatta
thevai girlfriend dhaan !!!

theruvoram vadai poda
enakkoru gf venum !!
kovil kovilai pichai naan eduka
enakkoru gf venum !!

enakkoru gf venumada
gfs dhaane boys in boost allava
gfs illa vaazhkai waste allava

girls oda oor sutha chella
appa paartha vittu vittu oda
munukunnu escape naan aaga thaan !!!

pisthendru scene naanga poda
buss endru adhu poga poga
nachendru aapondru vaanga thaan !!!

creditil amount iranga
bondi naan aaga
thalayil thundu poda
thevai gf dhaan !!!

gf dhaane boys in boost allava
gfs illa vaazhkai waste allava
enakkoru gf venumada

One of my passions

Lots of bloggers have inspired me to start blogging. I have a great passion to write. I love composing long mails to my friends which would invite all sorts of groans and moans from them having to read such a lengthy mail. This reaction from them is not because my mails are boring to read but I expect the same type of response from them (ie) a very long mail. I have been excited many a time when I see a 10Kb mail response to my mail from my friends. However when I open the mail I find 75% of it being my mail and a two line reply from them.Though it annoys me to some extent, I cannot blame them as they might find typing such long mails boring.
Now, through this blogging I am free to pour out my thoughts,feelings,opinions, facts,fiction and what not..Am really excited about this!!