A new chapter

The move is done. Physically to speak. We still have countless boxes to open, cupboards to fill, walls to paint and art to display. It can wait for now. A new routine, a new outlook and a new schedule. Getting used to it all. Weekly visits to see Sri Venkateshwara and eat some yummy prasadam. New places to discover. Would be exciting, if not for the blasted bout of cold.

I feel disconnected to everything, a feeling that it is a vacation, that we are going back to our old home. There is also a feeling that this is not going to be permanent. Is this what it is to be uprooted? Even though the roots were only a decade or so old?

I will have to wait and see how I feel in a month or 2.

My story

I am a widower. Are you curious? You want to know how my wife died? I don't know if I even qualify to be called so. Now you are more intrigued, I can see. My marriage was a joke. In fact, my life so far has been a joke. Played at my expense.

I was quite popular in college, and I say that without any arrogance or conceit. Naturally, fell in love with a pretty girl in class. We carried on for almost 4 years. We broached the topic of marriage to our respective parents. That is where trouble #1 started. I was (am) brahmin-born. She was a Syrian Christian. My parents prevailed. As did hers. Like in the movies, I was forced into a marriage. To a girl I barely knew. And that was trouble #2. Why, you ask? I had apparently married an emotionally unstable woman. In short, a crazy one. She was certifiable. The family thought she would be ok after marriage. Yeah, right! The wedding night turned into a wedding nightmare. No sooner did they leave us alone, she started her act. When I tried to calm her, she turned her crazy claws on me. The kith and kin helped drag her out, leaving me in tatters, literally.

I told them to take her away and get her institutionalized. They didn't. Are you surprised? I was stuck. Not that I cared. I was kind of relieved to be single again. If not Rosie, then I didn't care. When people asked me if I was married, I was not really sure what to say. So, sometimes I said yes and sometimes no. Depending on where I was. My mom was on a guilt trip. It was her brilliant idea to get me married, wasn't it? I had no sympathy.

Then one day, out of the blue, I heard that my wife fell off the overhead water tank and died instantly. At least, she was freed from her suffering. And I am still in the thick of it.

My mom has started pestering me gently about another marriage. She is even willing to overlook religion, language and/or caste. A few years too late, I say.

Inspired by a couple of things - one, someone I know. Two, this.

Caffinity and a question

Not the burning question of the moment. But I got to thinking about my dependence on tea. On to people's dependence/addiction to caffeine. Then wondered how and when it started. Do you remember when you started drinking it? I don't. I remember sitting on my daddy's lap, waiting for the coffee to be "aathufied" so that there was a thick layer of foam on top. Slurping it up so that I had a foamy moustache. I did not want it given little by little, it had to be foamed to the top.

I could not drink anyone else' coffee except my mom's. Peaberry A and Peaberry B with a touch of chicory, well roasted was how she made it. 2 and 1/2 heaped spoons in the filter. First decoction. Not bitter at all. While in college (out of rather, since we cut classes quite a bit then), I tasted woodland's tiffin room's coffee and I loved it. Cafe du monde's coffee made it to the charts too. Until I graduated to flavored coffees at the local bagel store.

A decade ago, I switched my allegiance to tea and have been going strong on that. Especially Trader Joe's chai tea bags, if there is no assam tea handy. Strangely, I have developed an intolerance for coffee. I do like the aroma, and even tolerate it in tiramisu and such. But I am a total tea drinker now. Of late, I have been thinking of may be giving it up. May be. Or Not.

So the question is this.
When did you first start drinking coffee/tea?

(note: this will not kill any cats)

close encounter of a moushy kind

During my last trip to homebase, as usual, trudged along to the alphabet cloth store for the customary shopping mania. "Pall"avan, our rented car's driver, dropped us off at the corner, and went off to park. Pallavan, if I were to describe him, was a couple of teeth, sticking to a reed, with a mop of curls attached. May be he lacked some fat in the cranium too. We come back after a few hours (more or less), look for him outside the store, in the busiest section of Chennai. The kids are hungry and so are we. Finally spot him, or rather he spots us and we follow him with our 2 huge alphabetized bags. We go to this underground parking, which unbeknownst to us, belongs to the brahmandamana store, owned by the veshti clad country fella. We walk towards the car. We are stopped. At first, all I see is this humongous "meesai". Attached to the meesai is a hefty with a baton. He won't let us go. I am told to go the brahmandamana store and buy something for at least 100 Rs. As it is, I am not impressed with the wares sold here, and on top of that, I am being forced to buy. I might even have thought about it, except that the kids were starving. It would have meant at least 1/2 hour to finish the purchase. So I tell meesai, no way dood. Babies are starving, senti mummy stuff. Meesai is tough. Pallavan decides to play hero. He didn't know we were going to the 'wrong' store Probably true, ding bat that he was. We manage to get in the car. Meesai brings 2 adiyaals. Pallavan's rattham boils. Words traded. Strong ones. I had to intervene and play the women alone with kids angle, strongly. Quite strongly. My mind was running headlines - women accosted in underground parking. Finally, they decide to let us go. Relieved to have averted that scuffle.

After that day, I preferred using the friendly neighborhood autokarans.

Alphabet clothing store needs to provide parking.

Recent Books

A mini-vacation (as in not the usual work) gave me a chance to read a couple of interesting books. Both were by 2nd generation Asian immigrants and part of the reason I was drawn to them. Of late I have been getting into this subject, probably because I am nodding my head a lot while reading them.

Hindi-Bindi Club by Monica Pradhan

There was so much I could relate to in this book. It was a quick and engrossing read. The recipes that were woven into the story made it a little more real. Each chapter had some kind of food thrown in, with the recipe(s) added after that chapter. The story itself was so believable. Having a few close friends like the protagonists made it more real for me. Not exactly chick-lit, but close.

Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas

Another 2nd generation memoir, that is mildly funny. Made me think that they are not much different. She writes about the different types of uncles and aunts and I could so relate to that.

Some more books that I hope to read in the near future:
Desirable Daughters by Bharati Mukherjee (No, haven't read it yet!)
I might also give Amulya Malladi's books a chance, starting with the Mango season.
Monsoon Diary by Shoba Narayan

Then there is Khalid Hosseini's thousand splendid suns, a must read.

As usual, so many books and so little time.

Regarding Harry - Almost Closure

JKR's chat transcript is on mugglenet here. Answers a lot of open issues.

Victory??

Churidar clad women can visit the temple @ Guruvayoor. First reaction - Yaay! The last time I visited, I sweated tons in a silk saree, having to wait while a special closed doors pooja was going on. In December.

But then, I think. As long as you respect the premises for what it is, are they right in barring the way for non-Hindus? The land of Sankaracharya should show more tolerance, right? I have heard horror tales of the power play that happens in such big temples. Living in the service of God, some people feel so close to Him, that they start feeling/acting like one too. Who decides what is right and what is wrong?

Are the guys still supposed to attend in mundus/veshtis? When are shorts going to be in the allowed list?

I have never been barred from churches and durgahs, so isn't it right that we reciprocate? It is a place of worship for us, but it can be a place of peace for others. I enjoy visiting churches for that calm that washes over me, just like the smell of camphor and basil. Good things need to be shared, right?

YES! More HP to come

I knew it. She is giving in and giving us what we need! An HP encyclopedia.

Read it here.

iyarkkai

pookal
ethanai ethanai
manjal pachai
sivappu ootha
nirangal
ethanai ethanai
iyarkkai annai
magizhchiyil
vaanavil bhoomiyil


bhoomi
manappen kolathil
pachai pattuduthi
poocharangal aval koonthalil
kathirukkiral
vaanadevanukkaga


bhoomi vellai porvai
porthikondu urangugiraL
vaanam avalmel
mayyal kondathu
aval porvai vilaga
panithuliyai
thoothu anuppugiraan
karummegangalai
thoothu anuppugiraan
idi minnalaithoothu anuppugiraan
bhoomiyum naanathil sivanthu
vasanthamaga
magizhgiraL
antha naaLai
ethirpathirukkiraL
bhoomiyum vaanamam seruma?

Note: updated it as visitor has transliterated in tamil in the comment section.

A Magical Weekend

I did manage to attend the midnight mela at a books-a-million store to pick up my pre-ordered HP finale. I managed to read around 35 pages right away (I wish I had taken my book light with me). Most of the weekend was spent with Harry and was it wonderful!

The book didn't disappoint me. Almost! Some of my guesses turned out alright. JKR managed to tie up a lot of loose ends. Considering it was no trifling task, she did a wonderful job. This was the only way it could have ended. I will have to read it again soon to absorb it completely. One thing though, the series started out as a children's tale, but this last one is definitely PG-13, to say the least. Some of the expletives used are not appropriate for the young 'uns.

---

SPOILER ALERT: Don't read further if you haven't read the book.

---

The book gets into the battle quick enough with the airstrike. That polyjuice episode was a stroke of genius. The death that happens is unexpected but not nearly gut-wrenching as others. There is a lot of movement in the story. The pedantic three hunt for the horcruxes and in the course, we learn the stories behind the story. Kreacher's redemption was created nicely. One of my favorite parts in the book. Pettigrew's death, which we all anticipated, lacked a bit of drama. The Malfoys acted true to character to the very end. Neville grows into his character, turning from a scar(r)ed young boy into a confident leader. We never learn anything about Potter's paternal ancestors. Petunia's sour grapes was also something I had guessed. Prof Trelawney's little part in the battle was great. The battle was well choregraphed and it was gripping.

The real hero, of course, was Snape, as I had guessed and hoped. But got to say, that the end didn't fit the hero. Ultimately, those who loved, triumphed. Dumbledore's shades of grey, was surprising, but explained a lot.

If there was one thing that was disappointing in the book, it was the epilogue. There is nothing about what they end up doing after such an exciting teenage life. I would have liked to know more about Luna, the rest of the Weasleys, and the house-elves. Prof McG didn't show up much. Did she become the head of Hogwarts?

Was the crying baby voldemort?

Wasn't there someone who would do magic late in life?

I am hoping that in subsequent interviews and FAQs she will answer the few remaining questions.

aavi amudha's mystery revealed

For a few days, I had been noticing that peeps have been led to my blog when searching for 'aavi amudha'. I was wondering what the heck it was. Then I found this old treasure. Pliss to note the comments section there.

Harry Potter and The Wait for the Last One

Another day and night from now, I could be reading it. The spoilsports are out with the spoilers, but in a nation that can selectively close eyes and ears to the outside world, I am not going to find it difficult to hide from them.

But once I start it, I know I will not put it down until I finish it. And then what? There is this emptiness I have to look forward to. Can I survive in a muggle world for the rest of my life?

I don't think any other book, movie or sitcom has affected me in quite this way. It probably applies to thousands of other folks waiting for the stroke of midnight. I remember eagerly waiting for fauji's next episode or the weekly magazine for the next part in a story, but nothing was close to this. I have heard of people waiting for Sherlock Holmes or Les Miserables. But we are living through this one. It is a kind of temporary monomania. Borderline OCD. Imagine a decade or two later, we can tell people we lived through this phenomenon. The anticipation for the next book is something only we will feel. The future generations will read them like we do Tolkien. All at one time. Where is the fun in that!

I haven't yet decided whether I will do the midnight queue or the early morning one. If I am back from the party early, it is going to be morning. If the party turns wild till 11ish, I might as well get the book on the way back. My kids will have to fend for themselves this weekend.

This is it. The grand finale. Denouement. Will it be, is the question? Will she tie all the knots? Or would we need a glossary or an appendix kind of book to answer unanswered questions?

Once I finish the book, I am going to go back read everything once more. Carefully. To make sure it all ties together. She is good at that. Connecting point A in book 1 to point B in book 3 or point C in book 5.

Can you tell I am excited?

I saw it, I did, I did! (aka kanden kanden)

I wanted to catch it the first day, but for some reason didn't think of advance purchase. Hubby went to get the tickets and they were sold out, so he bought them for the next day - yesterday's evening show. We were in the hall 40 minutes before the show since someone had warned us the first day was crowded and good seats were hard to find. My older girl counted 9 people in the hall. But the hall did fill up eventually. So anyways, we waited it out and got to see one of the most awaited movies of the year - HP and OP. Was it good!

I have to say this. Considering the length of the book, the movie was a decent adaptation. There were some places that I felt could have been done better. One especially was Harry's hearing at the ministry. The book's version was more tension-filled and had more drama.

I really wanted to see the puddle that the weasley twins left, but they didn't show it. The final confrontation was very well done. The toad's character missed a few 'ahems'. Am I the only one who finds Emma W. lacking in the histrionics department? There was so much depth to the characters in the book, which was, not surprisingly, lacking in the movie.

But the special effects were worth it! Grawp was done well, as were the thestrals, although the kids' fear of the unseen should have been seen by us. There was a bit of license taken since Chang's friend didn't figure in the movie. The one who rats - can't remember her name. 12, Grimmault Place was not alive as depicted in the book. A little disappointing there.

It was more like a gist of the book. If you want the real deal, you have to read it! (And the rest of the real deal is a week away, yay!) See it for the visual effects and because it is a phenomenon not to be missed.

Beam me up, scotty!

Not so easy! supposedly the third most traumatic event(after death and divorce)!
I am a middling pack rat, but hubby beats me hands down. Nothing is disposed, even t-shirts belonging to the last decade. I have to resort to underhanded techniques. Once they are bagged, they are irretrievable. Although he seems to have this antenna about such things. One throw-away is replaced by 5 newbies. We don't realize how much we end up collecting over 10 years. So most of my time nowadays is spent in load reduction.

Then there is the 4-year old who loves digging into packed boxes and scattering them around the house. Almost funny, but not!

The emotional quotient has not hit me yet. 9 years in 1 house, laying down roots, making friends, learning to feel at home, learning to start afresh, traumatic yes, but I am not feeling anything yet. I hope it doesn't hit me all at once. Sometimes I think that my feeling got numbed down from past events. Or may be I am too busy to stop and smell the roses. Which could be a good thing in this instance.

Exciting nontheless!

There is now an association for this? It is called the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers. Hmmm!

The bond, a mute, a rat, mumbai and intrigue

Finally caught up with some good movies.

Daniel Craig, contrary to my reservations, was a good bond. Not Sean Connery good, but close. Considering how unbondish he was.

I go with the majority and aver that mozhi is one great movie to watch. Prakash Raj seemed to shine stronger than the rest. And that prof ("athimber") did good too. RadhaMohan has this knack of treating simple stories with elan.

Watched Ratatouille yesterday at the movies. It was an okay movie, animation was great.

Jhoom Barabar Jhoom was a good idea that went wrong at execution. Aby Jr does a great job of a Southall punju, (apparently that is very real life acc. to someone familiar with that place). Lara Dutta cussing away to glory, was impressive. Didn't realize she had it in her. Preity Z was the only one that I found not endearing. Even Bobby D (Shudder) has done a good job as Sateeve. Liked the humor, although the Sutradhar didn't seem to really thread them that well. That j-b-j song sticks to your brain like a leech, it is good though.

Read Baldacci's Simple Genius. A lot of "human treatment" for a thriller, made it better. It is in his usual turf, which he writes best. Political controversies or policies, as he puts it, mixed with murders, spies and codes makes an interesting read.

Sometime back, got a chance to read Vikram Chandra's Sacred Games when it was featured on my library's quick pick list. This was my first V.C. novel and I am very much impressed with this book. It reads like a underworld movie (a la Company), and for a few days, there was a weird hangover from the book. I kept remembering all the cuss words used in that book. Quite liberally used by Gaitonde and crew. Inspector Sartaj was one of my favorite characters. Highly recommended. I have put down V.C. as one of my favorite writers and will catch up with his earlier works soon. He seems to be one tech-savvy guy, read somewhere that he uses an elaborate project management software to keep his characters and threads in the right perspective.

Right after finishing that one, read the Sepia Mutiny sponsored Maximum City by Suketu Mehta. It was a well researched book, but the writing style was not as impressive. It seemed to not flow that well, jumping all over mumbai.

Now all I have to do is wait for THE movie and THE book (HP).

All this, while trying to pack up and move to a colder zone. Not fun, I tell you!

Me times 8

Rads has tagged me to do a self-exploratory blog. Just a few days back, I heard someone say that your one true love is yourself. In a way, that is right. How well you know yourself makes relationships easier.


Here are the rules:

1. Players start with 8 random facts about themselves.
2. Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 8 random facts.
3. Players should tag 8 other people and notify them they have been tagged.

Random fact 1: I am a sloth. Truly. All I want is to sit in my papasan with a good book and a hot tea, unless I am catching a few winks.

Random fact 2: I love to dance. My friends tease me about it. But I can dance all day long and the night too, if there is good music to be heard. Starting from Bharatham to jazz, I love to do 'em all. By extension, I love to choreograph, although I hate to teach :-) One of my pseudo fantasies, is to teach dancercise classes based on these various styles all mixed up. It would be called the avial workout.

Random fact 3: I have a short-temper. Quick to anger, I have trouble hiding it. Although, I must say, I am getting better at it. Slightly.

Random fact 4: I love to bake and eat them too. I have the mother of all sweet teeth and indulge quite frequently.

Random fact 5: A typical scorpio - loyal to a fault and no slight is small to be forgotten.

Random fact 6: I have a constant tug of war with the pounds. Me, my running, yoga and dance vs the junk food and the achy ligaments on the other. I win every few months or so. Refer Random fact 1.

Random fact 7: Short attention span. I thrive on change. Easily bored except when I am dancing or reading.

Random fact 8: Books, books and books. Have to read at least a page a day. Love 'em.


I am breaking rule 3. Anyone who wants to take this trip inwards is tagged.

another year goes by and the distance widens...

All I can remember now is his concern and caring. Teaching me chess, playing with me, cutting my nails, untangling my thick and impossible hair. Visual flashes that last lesser than a second. There were also times when his hand imprinted on my shoulder or cheek, trying to control my runaway tongue. Once when my friends and I played "house", I was the dad and pretended to smoke a rolled up paper. Then I decided to make it more real, and took a cigarette from his pack and placed it in my mouth and felt a sting on my cheek. I couldn't understand why it was so wrong for me to do it when he did it. I guess he must have felt a bit guilty.

He would take me on golu rounds, visiting friends and family, even though I hated it. I am thankful for that now. He had become the breadwinner at an early age for a large family, taking care of 3 sisters and 3 brothers, in addition to a mentally-not-all-there-mother. He had a strong sense of family, and made sure he passed it on to me. Taking me on all those trips to visit relatives I barely knew or didn't want to know. The time when I had an infection on my foot and couldn't walk, taking me to school, all the way to the porch.

Teaching me to bike, running behind me even though he was not very fit. Feeling proud when I negotiated some minor traffic. Following me on my first bike ride to school, giving me that freedom and at the same time making sure I got there safe.

Reading those Amar chitra katha comics, opening up the world of PGW for me. Teaching me to enjoy books. Letting me help when he cooked. Helping me with hindi, learning french because I did. He loved learning new languages - he could easily converse in tamil, english, hindi, bengali and telugu. I think he knew Malayalam too, I vaguely remember him talking to some mallu friends.

It couldn't last though. I watched him literally lose heart in the last year of his life, even though he tried to not let it affect me. Mourning his dead son, even though he hid it from me. That last argument we had, even though I ended up listening to him, but he didn't know that. I wish I could apologize. I have done it so many times in my dreams. But he is not coming back, going further and further away from me. There is pain, but not the gut-wrenching, throat-closing variety any more.

He was not perfect, but that was what made him what he was. My dad.

super girl

Here is one more reason to watch Heroes, one of my favorite shows on TV. News found on this is bollywood

Bollywood actress and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai has signed up to star in top US sci-fi serial Heroes.

The Indian babe, who recently married fellow actor Abhishek Bachchan, will appear in 8 episodes of the coming series of the NBC show revolving around a batch of super-enhanced human beings.

It has been reported that Aishwarya Rai will play the role of Dr. Mohinder Suresh’s elder sister Shanti Suresh, and will have a super-power of her own, something which has not yet been disclosed.

Aishwarya will begin shooting in Los Angeles later this month, and is expected to be seen on-screen as early as October of this year.

Happy B'day to a living legend!

One of his latest hits

He still has that golden voice that weaves a magic spell. I had the good fortune of watching one of his shows. Man, is he amazing!

Summer Silver (Sequel) Screen

Couldn't pass on that alliteration! :-)

This summer promises a spectacular array of movies to watch out for, with Harry P's next adventure on the top of my list followed by Shrek 3 and Pirates. I have already planned a girls' night out to ogle drool over watch Clooney and gang in ocean's 13. There is Fantastic four and die hard coming back. Penguins apparently still make interesting subjects - Surf's up is sure to appeal to kids, although I am not sure if it is a sequel. Then there is the Almighty sequel, Evan Almighty. It is surely a good time for faith based movies.

Browsing through yahoo movies, I came across an interesting one Nancy Drew. Yes the same teenage detective we all idolized. Well, at least I did. I am excited about it, but at the same time, I don't want it to spoil my time warp. If you know what I mean. I cannot imagine a modern, hip/cool, teenage Nancy Drew, as seen in clueless or Princess diaries.

I read somewhere that TinTin was tagged for the near future. That would be good! I think!

Tips for Handling Telemarketers

Usually when I get forwards, I either read them or toss them, but rarely forward them. This one was too good and pretty close to home, so thought of posting it here.


Three Little Words That Work !!

(1)The three little words are: "Hold On, Please..."

Saying this, while putting down your phone and walking off (instead of hanging-up immediately) would make each telemarketing call so much more time-consuming that boiler room sales would grind to a halt.

Then when you eventually hear the phone company's "beep-beep-beep" tone, you know it's time to go back and hang up your handset, which has efficiently completed its task.

These three little words will help eliminate telephone soliciting.


(2) Do you ever get those annoying phone calls with no one on the other end?

This is a telemarketing technique where a machine makes phone calls and records the time of day when a person answers the phone.


This technique is used to determine the best time of day for a "real" sales person to call back and get someone at home.

What you can do after answering, if you notice there is no one there, is to immediately start hitting your # button on the phone, 6 or 7 times, as quickly as possible This confuses the machine that dialed the call and it kicks your number out of their system. Gosh, what a shame not to have your name in their system any longer !!!

(3) Junk Mail Help:
When you get "ads" enclosed with your phone or utility bill, return these "ads" with your payment. Let the sending companies throw their own junk mail away.

When you get those "pre-approved" letters in the mail for everything from credit cards to 2nd mortgages and similar type junk, do not throw away the return envelope.

Most of these come with postage-paid return envelopes, right? It costs them more than the regular 39 cents postage "IF" and when they receive them back.

It costs them nothing if you throw them away! The postage was around 50 cents before the last increase and it is according to the weight. In that case, why not get rid of some of your other junk mail and put it in these cool little, postage-paid return envelopes.

One of Andy Rooney's (60 minutes) ideas.
Send an ad for your local chimney cleaner to American Express. Send a pizza coupon to Citibank. If you didn't get anything else that day, then just send them their blank application back!
If you want to remain anonymous, just make sure your name isn't on anything you send them.

You can even send the envelope back empty if you want to just to keep them guessing! It still costs them 39 cents.

The banks and credit card companies are currently getting a lot of their own junk back in the mail, but folks, we need to OVERWHELM them. Let's let them know what it's like to get lots of junk mail, and best of all they're paying for it...Twice!

Let's help keep our postal service busy since they are saying that e-mail is cutting into their business profits, and that's why they need to increase postage costs again You get the idea !

If enough people follow these tips, it will work ---- I have been doing this for years, and I get very little junk mail anymore.

What's the good word?

I vaguely remember this show on doordarshan. I can't recollect anything much about it though. But words have always fascinated me. Reader's digest was one of my favorites in school days, mainly for that section.

Looking for something, I came across this website - http://www.word-detective.com. Interesting site!

Then there is http://www.wordorigins.org/ that is similar, with interesting anecdotes about word origins.

The mother lode seems to be here, although not spiced up like the other two.

While you are at it, check out this one, about words that originated in India.

A fun game too!

Funny Woman

I rarely watch Anbudan on suntv. Yesterday was one such time and I thoroughly enjoyed Urvashi's banter. She is such a fun and lively person. It felt like I was with my friends.

I remember seeing her at the airport on one of my trips, she had lost a lot of weight then. I now wish I had gone up to her and started a conversation. It would have been really interesting, not because she is an actress, but because she is such an animated talker.

People like her make watching interviews very interesting.

overboard

Ivangalukke ithu konjam overa theriyala?

no.1 no.1

Sunday, a rare vetti afternoon, I was watching the inthiya thollaikatchiyil 13456avathu muraiyaga movie. My little one was watching parts of it with me. She loves the ads. She has always loved them - I remember a 4 month old stop nursing to turn towards the metti oli title song.

So she is watching the dinakaran no.1 no.1 ad. It ends with a question to her (i.e, the viewers), ...thamizhil dinakaran no.1, appo neenga? She promptly says no. 4. It took me a second to realize why. She meant her age.

pok-ri

After Gilli, I enjoyed watching Vijay in Pokkiri. A good masala entertainer. Now what I hear is Shirtless Sallu is planning to do it in Hindi. Last week, I was thinking that Abi Jr or Saif Ali would suit that role. Man, what a waste!

Life specks

Some time back I was talking to an expectant father and another mother. The mother wanted to go thru childbirth without medications. If her mother and grandmother went through it, so could she. Smacked of Amish mentality to me. When you can have it easy, why would you want to do that! A lot of us are scared of childbirth and some more are scared of medications. I was worried about the epidural causing pain or further complications, but decided that there was no way I wanted to go through it the unmedicated way. That is of course my opinion.

It is awful how these people are waiting to see Mills' leg fly!

Planning a trip is sometimes more enjoyable than the actual trip.

It is hard to believe that something that is so beautiful could be harmful too. Spring is here with pretty cherry blossoms, bradford pears and the rest of the colorful panorama. And so is the bout of allergies!

Warning: never approach a young kid practising her golf swing. And keep the other kids a few miles away!

Godavari was a great movie, albeit with subtitles! Manasa vacha is my current favorite song.

Caught a few episodes of kaapi with Anu. She is a good host and I loved the Maddy episode.

Got to wait until end of April for my next dose of Heroes. I was getting addicted. But who has heard of a tamil named Mohinder?

Chivalry

Reading Witchu's post reminded me of something that happened in my childhood. I had just started my 4th std, probably around 8 years or so. I had to travel by Pallavan to school and we had only one bus that took me to school on time. The next bus was at least 30 minutes later and I would be seriously late if I took that one.

The walk from home to the bus stop was around 10 -15 minutes. On that day, I had almost reached the stop when the bus started pulling out. I ran towards it, tears in my eyes, but it gathered speed. One of the footboard guys (collegiate), took pity on me, got down and gathered me and carried me to the bus and deposited me in to the departing vehicle. It was a small gesture and he probably has forgotten about it, but I was very grateful to him. How many of us would think of doing the same?

If not for that gesture, I would have equated Pallavan to pawing men!

Uncanny and "unfunny"

Ever been hit by a wayward stone while driving on the interstate? While driving to work yesterday morning, a stone pellet from nowhere hit the front windshield and drilled a tiny whole. Nothing special about that. What is uncanny is that, a few years back, it happened to me the same way. Same spot on the windshield, same location on the interstate and a similar hole drilled in my windshield. It was a good thing that stone was small. But then, if it were any bigger, it wouldn't have flown out at me. Wonder what poltergeist resides in that vicinity!

Today's gym workout ended with a big bang. Literally. Well, at least a big thud. I am sure I will laugh when I think about it in a few days time, but right now, my tail bone has been highly traumatized. I have been doing the fit ball abs for quite sometime now and I don't put much thought into it. My earphone came loose and while plugging it back, the ball slipped from under me. I am not even sure what happened. One minute I was on top, the next I am on the floor, blanked out for a couple of seconds. patta edathuliye padumnu sonnathu seriya pochu. The current count is 5.

Not so funny right now, although my friend laughed in my face when I told her. I will excuse her, since she always looks at the bright side of things.

Baa Baa brown sheep

Back in grad school, I used to ride my bicycle to school most days, and my husband (then fiance)would pick me up somedays. That day was our international festival. I parked my bike, chained and locked it and went and had my share of the fun. Came out later in the evening, hunted for my bicycle and couldn't find it. We searched everywhere and finally concluded that it had been stolen. My husband went to the university police station to file a complaint.

Towards lunch time, a few circuits connected and the bulb flashed in my head. I told my husband where I had actually left the bike. Sure enough, there it was, untouched and lonely. So he trudged up to the coppers to get the complaint back. Back to me sitting with the sheepish grin! A definite start to the duh moments of my life!

History definitely repeats itself! During my trip to India, my mother in law gave me some important documents and also an important letter to be mailed to her friend's daughter. The trip passed in a flurry of activities. I got back home, woke up (very) early the next morning and unpacked all my bags. Searched for the documents and couldn't find it. My husband also searched all the bags, couldn't find it and sent them up to the attic. For the next 2 weeks, I had to listen to mother and son fret over my forgetfulness. I called up my mom to search for the documents at home. She turned the whole house upside down and reported that she couldn't locate them.

2 weeks later after the jet lag fluff had cleared up from my brain, I went up to the attic and opened the bag's suit compartment. This is the compartment that is kind of the upper berth in the bag, but below the side panels. Both of us had failed to search that. There they were, exactly where I had put it, to make sure I didn't forget them and also to keep them from getting smushed up.

Duh moments continue!

Happy Valentine's day

Govinda sort of spoiled it for me, by saying everyday is a valentine's day for him in his own corny, cheesy style. But still, I won't say no to a bunch of beautiful red roses now and then.

Having being fed on romance, both in movies and books, it is a day for remembering the best romances I have come across.

Tamil movies:
Mouna Ragam: I have seen this movie umpteen times and still love it. Revathy in one of her best roles, as was Karthik, with his "Chandramouli". To me, the best that Manirathnam gave us.

RajaParvai: The romance of a blind man, although borrowed its climax from Dustin Hoffman's, was a beautiful movie.

Alaipayuthey: This was about the happily ever after part, and of course, there was Maddy.

Missiyamma: A nice and soft romantic tale.

Then nilavu: Great songs, that we enjoy even to this day.

English movies:
Pretty Woman, My girl, An affair to remember, French Kiss, Sleepless in Seattle, Ghost, When Harry met Sally, Roman Holiday

Books:
Gone with the wind: Scarlet O'Hara is a household name. That was probably the longest book I read at one go. What I liked best about her was her indefatigable attitude.

Pride and Prejudice: Elizabeth and Darcy's romance that still fascinates us after all these years. In fact, I love most of Jane Austen's books

Jane Eyre: This was a book in school and we got the opportunity to thoroughly enjoy the book and it remains one of my faves.

Georgette Heyer: I can't really whittle down to one single favorite.

Then there are the regular authors I read, Nora Roberts, Catherine Coulter, Kay Hooper, Susan Elizabeth Phillips who can churn some good romance.

A day to curl up and read/watch a good romance.

Back to your mathematical roots

Over the weekend, someone posed this problem to me and wanted my help in solving it. It didn't take me too long to figure it all out. It was fun solving and reminded me how much I love solving such problems.

Here is the problem:

There are 400 students in a school. 180 take Spanish, 160 take Chinese and 160 take Latin. 60 take Spanish and Latin, 70 take Latin and Chinese and 60 take Chinese and Spanish. 50 take none. How many take all three?

Murphy's law goes wireless?

Why is it that the cell phone always rings when you step out of your office? To the point where coworkers start complaining? And when you try to call back, you always miss the other person.
Is this a mobile murphy law or something?

Cauvery's son

Two years back, during my trip to Chennai, LandMark didn't have the 1st volume of Ponniyin Selvan's English Translation. So I had 2 choices. Wait for the book to be back in circ. or try to read the tamil one. As a self-taught-tamil-reader, reading the old style tamil doesn't come easy. And when you cannot read well, the beauty of the novel is lost. So I decided to wait. Note that the option of reading the online translation did not appeal to me.

So on the last trip, I found book 1 and promptly started reading it. I am being redundant many times over, by saying it is a wonderful masterpiece. I am in the throes of it now, but afraid to hurry, coz I don't want it to end quickly. I have read Parthiban kanavu and half of Sivakamiyin sabatham at Pavithra's blog. I am still waiting to read the rest of it. I came across the tamil ones at the museum book store (good place for book lovers). I didn't it buy it though, knowing I won't be able to do it. So that is another wait for me.

The translation has been well done and most of the time, I didn't feel like I was reading a translated work. It does take a lot of passion, energy, creativity and time to do it.

It made me wonder what would have happened if Arulmozhi varmar had accepted the throne of Lanka. Less violence now in that part of the world, may be?

Sundry

Sad news that OP Nayyar, the creator of such gems like Naya Daur and Kashmir ki kali passes on. I should attribute my appreciation of Hindi music mainly to this one great composer. His Asha tunes are unforgettable!

Heard a cousin of mine passed away recently. Such a wasted life!

Ms. Shetty is all over the news, having earned a lot of sympathy votes and emerging the winner.

How is younger bro Karthi going to fare?

A cold with a never say die attitude! It seems to attack during the weekends!

I am being blocked from some comments. Oh Well!

Cow Car!

My young one was understandably excited when she saw her first one!

bollywood, what a hoot!

Even if I had not read the reviews, as soon as I saw Hrithik Roshan land oh-so-accurately on top of the moving train, I would have guessed the tone of the movie. Modern day Fantasy! Hrithik did good though, especially when he was dressed as the old guy. AB Jr, comes flying from underwater, don't ask how he managed to keep the scooter underwater for that long, or even how he was breathin under water. I like him, but he needs some serious toning, at least to correct his posture. His dances would look better, if only he had a better posture. Uday Chopra, was too cheesy, to say the least. And enough said! The second Bips looks good, awesome toning, and that is the extent of her role. Aish, thinner and still beautiful, falls flat on her face in that first confrontation with A. She can't talk sultry, wrong role. All in all, it felt like a well packaged vignette of what Bollywood was and has become. Movie is a hoot, keep your thinking cells at home and just enjoy the visuals!

The trailers were interesting. Babul, a regular mush masala, Kabul express sounds good with 2 of my favorites (Arshad 'circuit' warsi and John Abraham) acting in it and Salaam-e-ishq promises to be exciting, except for the Shirtless Khan factor. Bhagam baag, Priyadarshan with another of his remakes, this time with Govinda featuring with the other regulars, promises to be a fun watch. Can't remember the original mallu movie, though!

Came across this article about suave Clooney wanting to dance around the tress lip-syncing to Hindi lyrics. I think I will like that! Now imagine Garfield with his big grin waiting for his pizza!

really random

The review (rediff) for the new bond movie says it is good. So is it James Bond or James Blond? Or James Bland?

Talking about bland, costco has a new cal style veggie burger out (Dr.Praegger's I think) that is pretty good, unlike the usual suspects. I just add a healthy dose of chaat masala and a healthier dose of red hot chutney or sambal olek to appeal to my taste buds.

SJS and Meera J? Who would have thunk?

George Clooney is back at no.1 acc. to people mag. No surprise there. Just give him a permanent post I say!

Emmitt won. Not really surprised, he seems such a likeable guy! Mario is a great dancer and so was Joey L. Will that erase that saved by the bell scar off his forehead?
I have started hearing carols everywhere. Seems a bit early to me. Is it that time already?

Ants are having a freaking fun season chez moi! Baited breath gets a whole new meaning!

Now when people start talking about sahana and durbar, I actually (sort of) know what they are talking about (an inkling, really). I think.

One more day, by 5 people .. in heaven's author, is one more good read.

For once, I haven't started shopping for the big trip. Yet. Do they still sell those handcuffs or whatchamaycallits for kids? I see it as the only solution.

Next post will be at random.

poll - voting

Under a sage friend's advice, walked up to the poll booth at 6:48AM, and finished my civic duty by 7:05 AM. Was 6th in line and one of the first to come out, since all I did was a straight party vote. That would have been called a breeze, except it was a yucky mucky morning. It still is. Coming out from that place, there was 1 thought uppermost - Hope is what makes the world go around!

Then on to the dental drill for a tiny filling. Why does a "simple filling" take so much effort and pain!

verbosa ponderosa

Political leanings aside, what makes one buy a humv? I was behind one this morn, and gosh, is it ugly! I am sure someone behind me was thinking similar thoughts about my LS400.

Why can't fall colors last the whole of fall? All that magnificence is ephemeral, barely 2 weeks of brilliance and it has already started to die out.
Isn't there something about the bright colors combined with cumulonimbus (courtesy, my daughter) clouds above?

Did I really hear that loud pop early this morning? I was rudely (but luckily) woken up at around 5 by a loud bang. Was it a real noise, a dream or my internal alarm?

You would think that the daylight saving hour would help us get up earlier. But seems to have worked the other way in my household! I think I have finally lost that jetlag! Will have to soon get ready for the real one though!

Last, but the most important, do we have to grow up?

Child labor law

So, Indian govt. finally came around to ban child labor. High time, for sure.

What good does it do, though? So those few kids who could manage to feed themselves will be out on the streets, as the concept of foster care or social services is almost non-existent. A well-meant action falls flat if it is not practical.

How many people are going to heed the law? In a nation where monogamy is the law, but widely ignored, where most politicians are corrupt and where red tapes are millions of miles long, how is this going to change the state of things?

I might seem quite cynical, but without providing some means of support to these kids, there is no point in removing whatever self-support they might have.

Book reco - Arthurian legend

My friend recommended these books to me sometime back. They are about Merlin the magician. They are supposedly some of the best on the topic. I have to agree. The first one, Crystal Cave, is about Merlin's younger years and his growth to become the high king's prophet. The second one, Hollow Hills, is about his helping Arthur to be crowned the high king. Fascinating reading, to say the least. I have yet to read the third in this trilogy, The Last Enchantment, as soon as I can lay my hands on it.

Her tales are very descriptive, and in this trilogy, it helps in bringing these stories to life for the reader. Anyone interested in magic tales, fantasy or just well written fiction, would enjoy this book.

recycling gifts

I came across this article today, about re-gifting.

Sometimes we end up getting duplicate gifts or end up with gifts that are not suited to us at all. I don't see anything wrong in recycling them. The survey says about 78% of pollers have done it.

And then there are the gag gifts which do the rounds, because their usefulness ends right there.

Now, what are the chances you get the same gift that you gave away? Would the same concept as 7 degrees of separation work here?

LRMB

It was a pleasure to watch Munna Bhai and Circuit go at it again. I think sending this movie to the oscars is fully justified. The message conveyed is definitely the need of the day. This is of course too much idealism, impractical for today's world. But, may be this saturation will help a little bit at least.

Arshad Warsi's comic timing is great, as witnessed in some of his recent movies too. To me, he was the best thing in the movie. If I can enjoy a movie inspite of a dopey faced hero, it is all because of this sidekick.

Vidya Balan is beautiful and acts well too. Her "Goodmo...rning Mumbai" has become a rage at home, with my kids trying it out at the top of their voices, every chance they get.

Another important part of the movie is Boman Irani. What an actor! He gets better with every movie, if that's possible.

The songs were enjoyable too. I liked the way they had treated vandemataram.

And no half-baked characters here!

I have always had a soft spot for clean comedies in Hindi, this one is no exception, although I did feel that it was a tad more serious than MB1. Who knows, decades from now, this movie might be as popular as Hrishi da's movies are today!

Gandhigiri zindabad!

Ghajini aunty

A few years back, I met this lady at a party, her husband works with mine. She asked my name and talked to me for some time. Some time later, at another party, she says, "I don't think I have met you before". I didn't think much of it and re-introduced myself. But this repeated everytime I saw her. And she would always, always, walk up to me and say the same thing, ask my name and details. We were invited to her son's wedding reception, and yes, she asked me again. She apologized that her memory was not all that great. Tell me about it! :-)

The weird thing, the conversation was always the same. Asked my name, who was my husband and about my kids, and then, you don't look old enough to have kids, blah blah blah. A sense of deja vu, without really, in her case.

I later, found out that she had this medical condition that made her forget recent events. She remembers other things, older stuff, but not much in her recent past. I wonder how terrible that would be. Then again, may be not.

I met her again a few weeks back and the routine repeated. Since I was more aware of her condition, I indulged her, but didn't engage in a lengthy conversation this time. What's the point?

At the rate that I am losing my memory, I wonder how long will I take to get to her stage.

The dancer moves on

I have long admired Padmini's grace as a dancer. Madurai veeran (Nadagam ellam kanden) still stays fresh in my mind. Marainthirunthu paarkum was one of her best. She recently moved to Chennai, only to move on to better things. It is sad when such a bundle of talent passes away.

pilimpare awards

Missed the beginning half of the show yesterday. But caught last year's comedy man getting his pillim pare award.

Kamal's little girl, Akshara is so beautiful.

Lizzy on screen after a looong time, still looks the same. mostly.

Vikram talked quite a bit. That guy likes to hear his own voice, eh!

Thanga mudiyallai - Namitha's tharuviya tharamattiya, Cheran's new hairstyle.

puriya villai - What was with some of these dancing actresses wearing a long kovanam over their pants?

The kannada actor's (Prem?) tamil, kadichu thuppinaalum, paravayillai, kekka nalla irunthichi. At the other end, Trisha and Asin were pretty, but didn't speak much in the local lingo.

Chimp without moush!

Was there a tremor in Rekha's voice? Still gorgeous though.

Shreya can dance.

Discovered

(Source: Yahoo)

This one has been brought out of hiding! How many more are out there?

Rajini thaatha?

Going thru some spectacular shots of the big wedding on behindwoods.com, came across one that piqued my curiosity.



Is it true?

Remembering them

As a kid, I was heavily influenced by Mrs. Alamelu. She was a strong woman, who inculcated a lot of values and beliefs in me. Her lessons were very interesting, though she mainly taught Hindi, I have had her for Science lessons too, but the best ones were those where she digressed to examples in Hindu mythology or other such. She could sing beautifully, could yell at us if we misbehaved or say a kind word when needed and always motivated her students. She took care of cultural activities too and was a lady of multiple talents. When she decided to move to her village, we felt a keen sense of loss and even though she visited the school once more, we lost her then. A few years later, there was a rumor that she passed away. I hope that was indeed a rumor and she is still spreading sunshine around her.

Mr. A was one of my favorites. He taught French and English and for some reason we had a strong rapport. I kept in touch with him for some time after school years and I do hope to meet him again soon.

Mrs. L was such a sweet lady. Never a harsh word, the strongest reprimand we got was a gentle word to act properly. I owe her my love for English classics, whatever little I have. One more person, I have lost under the wheels of time.

There were the funny ones who (unintentionally) made us enjoy their lectures, the every-angry ones who turned their disappointments on their students and the shy ones who kept to themselves pretty much. Some who inspired and motivated, as they were meant to do.

Today is their day and I salute them.

Book(s) watch

As usual, there are a bunch of books I need to catch up on. Kite Runner is languishing on my nightstand while I try to finish Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson. She is one of my lately discovered writers. Read her which witch? recently. I had bought it for my daughter, but haven't ever heard about it or her, wanted to read it first to see if it was appropriate. Loved it. What's more, I see that she is a contemporary of JKR and shares quite a bit with her (Read here).
Another favorite, Mitch Albom is also out with his latest, for one more day. I have loved his other 2 books and so looking forward to this one too.

Then there is Elizabeth Aston who writes books based on the Darcy's (Jane Austen). Her latest is out, The True Darcy Spirit: A Novel.

Then the master thriller spinner, Baldacci is out (soon to be, rather) with The Collectors, part of the camel club series. A few from my favorite, Nora Roberts, to catch up to.

And then, I feel a distance from Harry Potter that needs to be closed, so got to re-re-read 1/2 blood.

between dance classes, music lessons and soccer practices, I got to squeeze in some soul time.

So little time, so much to do!

Maggie cuts her hair

Anyone who has read "Mill on the Floss" would know what I am refering to.

Tom followed Maggie upstairs into her mother's room, and saw her go at once to a drawer, from which she took out a large pair of scissors.

"What are they for, Maggie?" said Tom, feeling his curiosity awakened.

Maggie answered by seizing her front locks and cutting them straight across the middle of her forehead.

One delicious grinding snip, and then another and another, and the hinder-locks fell heavily on the floor, and Maggie stood cropped in a jagged, uneven
manner

My youngest one has lost her bangs! What can I say!

Ramayana as a history lesson?

Came across this article - NASA Images Find 1,750,000 Year Old Man-Made Bridge.

To believe or not to believe?

There are those who find similarities between the dasavatharam and Darwin's origin of species.

Violence is never the answer

Violence begets violence. Are their problems going to be solved by decimating a few hundred human beings? How many more people need to die in the name of religion?

A possible witness?

Helpline

Words

Came across 2 articles today on one of my favorite topics. Don't ask me why, but words (etymology, usage, etc) have always fascinated me.

One was about new words that were added to the dictionary. Do you know what Mouse potato and soul patch mean? The first one is obvious and the second one denotes the fuzz under the lips that some men wear. (Kind of non-sequitur - Any of you remember that PGW story where Wooster sports a fungal fuzz that Jeeves is so disdainful of? Hilarious, that one!)

The other was about simplying spelling. This one, I don't know if it is a good idea. Learning a new thing is good as long as you don't have to "unlearn" something that is so automatic.

NaRukkunu 4 vaarthai

I came across this post through Ravi's blog

That is a very well written article and true to the last word. A must read for all Indians, especially the bureaucrats!

One of the points, discrimination against the foreign tourist, is a shame to the country. We are known as the land of hospitality, but are we really?

And for day-to-day life, the worst are the powercuts and potholes, to say nothing about potable water, traffic or clean living standards. Such simple things are a big deal for the common man.

I know a lot of people would consider this India-bashing. But these are the things that are glaringly obvious to a visitor. Something that each of us needs to consider.
In order to appreciate something or to get the bigger picture, you need to step out.
Living outside my birth nation, I have to grown to appreciate its finer points as well as to look at it objectively.

How many of us have no problems cleaning the house and throwing the garbage out on the road?

Lost friendships

Ever lose touch with friends and wonder where they are now? We live in such hurried times that we walk away from friends without a glance back. I have been thankful many a times when I have found some of them through the internet or through another mutual friend.

Drifting apart is sad, but a reality of life. Sometimes, we take the effort to reconnect, sometimes easier said than done. There are some friends we can always call after a hiatus and still have that special camaraderie. Friends who don't expect much from you. Who doesn't like them!

Countless times have I tried to find out about this girl I went to school with, but haven't been able to find out what happened to her. Another one, we drifted apart after meeting up again.

My husband seems to be better at keeping in touch with old friends than I am. Is it just a personality trait or plain laziness? I wish I could make that extra bit of effort, but it is oh so easy to drift away.

Out of the blue today, I remembered Sho and her sister Dee. Sho must be around 28 or so, her sister a year or 2 younger. I helped them with homeworks and projects, they moved out of the locality and we lost touch, although I saw them in school occasionally. Wonder what they are up to now?

Super(b)man!

He flies, zooms and rocks! A great movie with awesome special effects! Lois Lane was so-so. Routh as Superman is perfect! I feel a bit disloyal to say this, but he fits the role better than others(incl. the TV ones!). The little kid is cute! Kevin Spacey, needless to say, shines as Lex Luthor. And then our desi dood, Kal Penn as one of his side kicks. And he goes the way that all evil sidekicks go! And while on this topic, check this out. Also, a lil bit of trivia about the forelock of justice.

The trailer for Spidey was intriguing, to say the least! MY

Eeyore, etc

How many of us share his personality? Just wondering.

caught up on some movies over the weekend. Fanaa - could have been better, Phir Hera Pheri - laugh riot, keep your grey cells at home though, Chithiram pesudadi - Good one, Narain's body language needs improvement and there was a lot of needless yelling in the movie.

Krrish - yyess!

Superhero Krrish is out on the streets and the reviews are good. The movie is kid-friendly, which is definitely a rare thing in Indian filmdom. It promises to be cheesier and cornier than koi mil gaya, its prequel. How about that!

Soccer fever

(Yahoo!)

A view from the outside

Came across this website , a log of an American's journey through India. Interesting, to say the least! I haven't read all of it or watched the videos, but will get to them soon.

Back to the blo(g/ck)

Some training and some conferencing and now back to the daily grind.

Family vacation - a short trip away from the family - nice, but 10 more pounds to worry about!

Current read - Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie - Good so far!

A new favorite - Moe's

Cars - A must see movie, esp for the pseudo realistic locales!
Over the Hedge - Another good one, some risque dialogs that swishes over the little bitties' heads. Thankfully :-)

Time to watch something more on my level.

PS: 10 pounds is a lot on the way (hopefully) down.

oppression or democracy

Da Vinci code is banned in TN. Why? It offends some people. Didn't Boys "offend" more people? Doesn't SJS offend more people? Anything for a vote!

All these politicians need a crash course on democracy! Better yet, just a crash! :-)

They need to take care, if this goes on, some higher power might decide that the country needs to be "relieved" of such oppressors and deliver "freedom".

Would that be good or bad? hmm!

Reservation row

I got an email forward of the interview on Devil's Advocate between Karan Thappar and Arjun Singh (You can read it here).

Dumb politicians! They have no vision, only caste based politics is in play. To me, reservation should not be caste based. In fact, there should need be none. There is this quote by Nehru, that Thappar mentions in the interview -

dislike any kind of reservations. If we go in for any kind of reservations on communal and caste basis, we will swamp the bright and able people and remain second-rate or third-rate. The moment we encourage the second-rate, we are lost. This way lies not only folly, but also disaster.

This was after his idea of reservations failed to help the people who needed it most.

Would I want a barely-passed physician/surgeon doing a surgery on me? How many politicians would be willing to do that? If they need to help, they should help the brilliant but economically backward students. A rich sc/st guy's spoilt brat doesn't deserve it!

Would you drive on a bridge knowing that the engineer who built it was not qualified to do so?

I rant on this because I failed to get a seat in maths undergrad even though I had 91% in the subject whereas, my friend who got 70% had no such problems!!! I was lucky to have other options. But how many others lack that advantage!

Let the deserved get it. If we want to eradicate casteism, this is definitely not the right way to go about it.

Provide educational facilities to economically backward kids, provide them a good education until high school. Once they are out of school, it should be each to his/her own, if he/she is smart enough and DESERVES it, provide financial assistance for higher studies. This way, we not only help the ones who deserve it, but we make sure that jobs go to qualified people, improving the whole society eventually. And need I say, no quotas on job postings anywhere. Period!

Happy times are here again?

Seems to be the season for comedies in Tamil. Crazy's Jerry is on its way, while Shankar's house will be coming out with Imsai. I hope this signals a new trend for kollywood. They are any day better than sappy melodramas!

Visitation

I had to go to a visitation yesterday, a close friend's mom passed away. It was only when I saw the body, did I realize that the last time I had seen one at close quarters was my dad's. Till now, I hadn't had the nerve to attend a funeral/visitation - a fear of re-visitation.

There is a smell you can associate with death. And it came back yesterday. I still haven't been able to get rid of it. Time heals, but the scars never go away!

How valid are these exit polls?

IBN live posts the possibility of DMK achieving power (the right word).

Do these exit polls mean anything? Some say not.

I can't believe there are people who think he would be any better. They both belong to the same category, he is more seasoned in corruption, she is more seasoned in arrogance.

As long as the common folks keep running in circles, nothing will be achieved, except more corruption. We need to think out of the box, er, circle!

Disgustedly ranting...

Naushad

One of Hindi cinema's greatest composers passed away. I have grown up listening to and enjoying his songs. He gave some of the best classical numbers in movie music.

His biography

Some of my favorites:

my most absolute favorite of his - madhuban mein radhika naache re and Rafi was superb here.

O Duniya ke rakhwale

Pyar kiya to darna kya

Suhaani raat

mohe bhool gaye saanwariya

aaj ki raat mere

gaaye ja geet milan

Almost all songs in Pakeezah, Ganga Jamuna, and countless others.

Aptronym

What is that, you ask?

Refer here.

Now check this out.

polygraphing campaign promises

I think we need a new rule that all campaign promises should go thru polygraph testing. Where are the color tvs and 2 acre land going to come from? sonnatha thaan seivaara? Enge pochu intha concept last reign timela? Vanthutaangapa!

Thaanga mudiyala! Oru saathaarana clerk postukkey retirement age limit irrukkum bothu, oru oora katti meikkarathukku vendaama? nadakkave rendu aalu help vendirukku!

inge ittaanga antha manchaa colora (RDB)!

ellarum mosam thaan, aana ivanunga worsht of the worshtu!!!

Ithaiyum nambaraanga paaru, athungala sollanum! democracy is not for them. ivanga servilelaavey irunthaachu, maara maataanga!

propaganda vent! :-)

Spring fever

What I like about Spring:

Driving up a just rained road on a hill, surrounded by lush green, roads carpeted with mowed grass.

Driving up through this dense cluster of green, green trees, a moment's vacation during a busy work day.

A carpet of red and green beside the interstate - wild flowers at their best.

The warmth, oh yes, balmy, not too hot and not too cold. I can spend the whole day out there.

Being able to jog outside, listening to birds, and if I am lucky, meet a bunny or two sneaking into someone's garden.

Sighting a crane in the creek. (haven't seen this one yet this year)


What I don't like:

Tornado weather

sneezes, itches and headaches.

Car covered in yellow (thick pollen)

Not exactly Dickensish, as in best of times and worst of times, but close.

Jane Austen

I love Jane Austen novels. I love their spinoffs as much. I have been reading a series by Carrie Bebris, who writes mysteries solved by Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy. There have been 3 so far in this series. All the three were good mysteries. This last one, North By Northanger is based on Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. We see a return of quite a few Austen characters. It has a good flow and is a quick read. If the locale was shifted to modern times, I am sure it would be as good.

Her first 2 were Pride and Prescience and Suspense and Sensibility. I am not sure how many would be in this series as there were only 6 novels written (published) by Jane Austen.

If you like Jane Austen, you might also enjoy the Jane Austen mystery series by Stephanie Barron. What is interesting in her books is that she introduces an historical figure in each of those books. I have seen Kipling, Churchill, Jack London and others featured as characters in her books. And they are good mysteries.

Then there is the Darcy's daughters book series by Elizabeth Aston. I have read 2 of those, and I think the third is out now.


Some interesting links:
Jane Austen: A Love Story


A review of Barron's first mystery

A list of other spinoffs

An austen blog


Who knows, in another 50 years or so, we will have Potter spinoffs!

Amirtham

When I saw a trailer of this movie on Sun TV, I was intrigued by what I saw and was curious enough to rent it over the weekend. There was the Brahmin background and good music.

The direction was shoddy at best. It could have been done better, much better. Navya Nair can act, and can also dance, I discovered. I loved the songs and the rich classical aura in the movie. If the thought is what counts, then yeah, they got that one right.

So, this was Bhavatharini's music, I hear? Loved a lot of it. Especially that small piece on kurai ondrum illai followed by the little alapanai. nice.

A good social message but the chaos was overwhelming. The hero was pathetic. I think I would have been better off watching just the songs (actually just the one where Navya dances) and buying the audio cd. Not that any of this was a surprise when I rented it!

Comeuppance?

Mugglenet.com has this little news blurb today:

Warner Bros. charges Bajaj with copyright violation

Warner Brothers has charged Bajaj Auto Ltd., a motor company located in India, with copyright violations. Jadoo, an Indian television show, has been running ads with a character that bears striking resemblance to our favorite boy wizard. A spokesman for Bajaj had the following to say:

The West feels that anyone in a red bikini is Baywatch and any flying boy is Harry Potter. Our concept of Jadoo is unique and we don't believe it's copied from Harry Potter....We feel the claim is exaggerated.

More here

I have seen this ad on SunTV, and it is very very , I mean very similar. But then these people (WB) need to look at all the movies that are released in the country. It is a way of life, copyright as in right to copy.

...that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet

speed bump

Anybody follow this regularly?



This might come true soon ;-)

A chimp named cheeta

On my morning drive, heard about the chimp that acted in the 30's Tarzan movies celebrating its 74th birthday with a sugar free cake (diabetic). Apparently, he is the oldest known chimp. What caught my attention was its name. Why would they name him so? More here

Need of the hour

Came across this website - http://www.lokparitran.org/

This is definitely something to be encouraged and supported. I don't know how far they have gotten in TN, but every positive step counts. Let's do out bit and get the word out.

An article in the Hindu

frustration of the day

You wait to take a left turn, bearing the barely-healed scar(e)s of a '(left) turn accident', waiting to get in between the bevy of cars on a surprisingly-busy-usually-quiet street and you get honked from behind. That definitely warranted a digit signal that I was not rude enough to demonstrate.

who is he?

Yesterday, while working out at the gym, caught a bit of My name is Earl, the titles mentioned a Vali Chandrasekaran as the writer. Curious, googled the name and found this blog. Same guy, looks like?

The other Chandrasekhar in Hollywood being Jay, the Dukes of Hazzard guy.

Height of a mismatch?

Sims with Chimps!

Ram wins for Jeeva

It is indeed an honor that a newcomer gets an international award. Jeeva won the Best Actor award at the Cyprus International film fest. The movie also won for music (YSR). Read in Tamil here.

The official website has only 2 awards listed, for Jeeva and YSR. Looks like tamilcinema stretched it a bit and gave 2 more to the movie.

That is something really!

Feels good!

A bit of this and that

Watched Sandakkozhi yesterday. Though there were shades of Run here, it was a good entertainer. This is the first Vishal movie I watched and he seems to have what it needs. Fights well, dances well, tall and muscular (not overly so), and seems to be ok with acting too. Meera Jasmine is cute and naughty, very few heroines seem to do well with comedy. This one does. Rajkiran seems to be gaining back a bit of importance in recent films, he gets a good role here. Was Lal the villain or a wannabe comedian?

May be I have learnt to pick good movies, but of late, most of the Tamil movies I have watched have been tolerably good.

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The bitter half will be talking about all the hard labor of the last few days, when we decided to redo the little one's room. It did come out good, inspite of his complaints of curvy lines. I did what is called color blocking, using purples and pinks to complement Dora stick ons. I love doing up rooms, provided I don't get to do much of the labor ;-)

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The older one had her annual party, and for once I decided not to bake the cake. That was a good idea considering all that work and exhaustion from painting. And for once, not much leftovers to clean up.

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Watched sun tv's Friday review of kalabha kaathalan. Arya looks good, no doubt about it. But his voice needs some help. Definitely.

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If you get a chance to see Bollywood Dreams, do so. They have captured the essence of Bollywood very nicely. And the guys will surely enjoy watching the 2 female leads.

Jeopardy try out

Want to try for Jeopardy?

Now is your chance to try it out. I have been a long time fan of this game show. There have been other game shows, their craze haven't lasted as long as it has been for Jeopardy!

Who knows? May be one of us would get to participate!

ARR on CNN

Yep, this weekend on Talk Asia show.

Talking to Lorraine Hahn of CNN, Rahman said: 'You have like 18 hydraulics moving on stage...in three and a half hours... it's amazing stuff.' The interview will be showcased repeatedly Saturday, Sunday and Monday on CNN's 'Talk Asia' show.

Can we see it here?

Che G's Bro wannabe

Inspite of those warnings about scary eyes, watched Maddy in Thambi yesterday.
Edutha eduppiliye, comedy padamnu therinju pochu. T'ai chi Maddy style was oh so funny! Then those eyes - reminded me of Halloween, when we can buy those plastic eyes to scare people. Direction was quite lacking. Dialogs were so 70s-80s style.
The worst was Pooja trying to be a great dancer. Man, she butchered that wonderful thillana. Thankfully she doesn't exhibit her 'skills' too much, but enough to make real dancers barf! Biju Menon seems to have gained a few pounds since I last saw him.
To cap it all, ending credits are again accompanied by Maddy style T'ai chi! And oh, were they being sponsored by a Shampoo company or what? Sometimes, I felt like I was watching a very looong shampoo ad, what with Maddy flaunting his glorious mane!

Three things to keep you off this movie - Maddy's eyes, his T'ai chi, Pooja's excuse for B'natyam.

Tamil Razzies

Where ever you see, people are giving away movie awards like the candies on I-day. I think we badly need a Tamil equivalent of Razzies. Now, that would have a healthy competition.

Worst actor nomination:
1. SJ Surya (tops my list)
2. Chimpu
3. Dhanush
4. Gabtonne
5. Ravikrishna
6. Sibiraj

Worst actress nomination:
1. Namitha
2. Sonia Agarwal
3. Sa(a)da
4. Ankitha

Worst Movie nomination:
Hard to pick just one here. Suggestions invited.

Pi day

Today is Pi day. Why? 3.14, that's the date. So a good day to celebrate your love for Math. If we can have boss day, secretary's day, even a dog day, we can surely have one math day.

Check the braingle web site or go eat a pi(e)!

The clown and ten

I rented out Shalimar the clown from the library recently.
Don't ask me why I picked this. Probably because there was a part of India in it. And also because it was Rushdie's. I read it through in a very disinterested way. The only thing that I liked about this book was the description of Kashmir, the beauty that was. Rushdie likes to ramble quite a bit. He starts talking about one thing and goes off on a tangent. The book is full of such tangents. I don't think I am going to read any more Rushdie novels unless it comes highly (very highly indeed) reco'd.

Saw Dus on Sony yesterday. It was not a bad movie. Some parts of it were even interesting. I watched it mainly because Abhishek B was in it. 2 things that would have put me off this movie - Drugged Dutt and Eeesha Deol. Could have been better of course. And now I hear, there is going to be a sequel named, guess what, 11. Natural progression!

Seems like the creative heads in Bollywood have stopped adapting from the west and recycling their old stuff. Kabhie Kabhie is probably heading for a remake. Then of course, there is Sholay, Guide and Don.

oru kutti kadi

Jurassic park thamizhla edutha enna paer veppanga?

mahap(b)allipuram

kids and their mother tongue

This post has been inspired by Vikrum's. Ever since I came to this country and observed how parents here try to instill some thing of their roots in their offsprings, I have been affected by this side of parenting. Teaching your kids to speak your language.

To me, it is more to help them be at home when visiting with family and friends. It is also a bit about passing on what (little) I know of my culture. I try to have writing sessions every Saturday in Tamil. It is not too hard to learn to write the alphabets and to read fluently. My problem has always been writing. I cannot write as well as I do in English. So teaching my kids write, in a way helps me too.

I have always encouraged them to learn languages. Both my husband and I are polyglots and would like that for our kids too. It is not just about the mother/father tongue. And learning a new language before they turn 5 helps them speak better in that language.

I remember being shocked at this dad who would not speak to his son if he didn't speak in Bangla. Now, I do that too. May be not at that strict a level. When we lived in Florida, we had quite a few hispanics in our neighborhood. All the kids spoke fluent Spanish. For that matter, most Gujarati kids speak their language quite fluently.

Is it because they hear it more? We try that too. We make it a point to speak only tamil at home. The kids understand quite well, if they have to speak, they stumble, but they try. I am glad for that. In order to learn, you have to be receptive. So, we let them struggle and help if necessary, but I have hope that they will be fluent soon.

Most parents don't want to try. Nothing is easy. Everything takes effort. I remember the early years of struggling to learn Hindi. What does help is to hear it spoken often. They don't have to become scholars in that language, but enough to be comfortable with it. We have boundaries, while at home and with other tamils, speak it. I don't force it, but say that this is the only way they can learn.

When we have the grandparents visiting, their tamil seems to come easier. Watching tamil on TV helps too, unfortunately, there are very few age appropriate programs/movies for them. They might never read and enjoy Ponniyin Selvan in the original form, but if they can share a joke from anantha vikatan with you, that in itself is something. And who knows, may be someday they will want to read Ponniyin Selvan all by themselves.

Dishyoom

Got to see this yesterday night. Jeeva looks promising inspite of his juvenile looks (meesai kooda seriya molaikkalai) and Sandhya seems to have gained a few since Kaathal. Movie is not bad with the shortie Amitabh providing some good laughs. There is only one thing wrong with this movie. Climax - sothapittaanga. It was too funny to see Sandhya's responses using her tears. BTW, when you are lying down, do the tears flow from the center of your eyes or from the outer edges?

Sandhya's mom was too young for that role. She looks prettier too :-)
A nice story, about women using friendship as a shield against falling in love with unsuitable(?) men. Camera was handled well. The best thing about the movie was there were no heavy scenes really, which is quite amazing for a tamil movie.

"Will" Ash star in Hollywood?

Ash is back again in the media, this time with the possibility of a role in a Will Smith starrer sometime end of this year or so. She is one of the few that travelled the distance from B to H. There have been Indians in H and there have been Indians in B who have been known in H, but this will probably be the first(?) time that someone who has established herself in B, moves on to H while managing to have a foot in each wood.

There is talk of AB Jr. linked to her which, I would say, is not a bad choice. Then there is talk of Samyuktha (Prithviraj) in the making, Umrao Jaan, Jodha Akbar with Hrithik. All of them, roles that should make her shine.

Not long ago, when an actress reached 30, she was delegated to sister or (widowed) mother roles. Nice turn, indeed. Talking about 30s, Mrs Nene is promising a return. Going by her performance in the Filmfare awards show, she hasn't lost her touch.

Blank Noise

Came across this blogathon against street harrassment.

Any girl who grew up in India most probably faced it at least once in her lifetime. Did she ask for it? Not everyone is a sado-masochist, thank you.

Can we do anything about it? Not much. Other than wearing protective steel or titanium armor.

A crowded bus needs a big bag, sharp heels and strong elbows if you are a girl. Law of the land.

A thousand Bharathiyaars cannot buy us emancipation.

Altruism, purely human?

Read this study this morning.

Would 3- and 4-year-old chimpanzees find and hand over objects that a familiar human "lost"? The chimps frequently did help out if all that was required was reaching for a dropped object — but not nearly as readily as the toddlers had helped, and not if the aid was more complicated, such as if it required reaching inside a box.

Is that proof that some of us are turning into apes? :-)

Alma's matter

Courtesy: Kaps

more on that.

Avala iva?

Indiaglitz says this one is back in action. She will be on the Natyanjali stage this year. Unfortunately, I can't forget her in kaathal oviyam.

Out of my cocoon

I have been hibernating. Not sure why.
Call me temperamental :-)

Spidey 3 is all black. Is that good or bad? Pink Panther was fun, even though it is not the same as watching Peter Sellers do his magic. My current fascination happens to be Stephen Chow (Chiao) after watching his Kungfu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer. But why do his heroines have some kind of disability?

Caught some of Filmfare awards on Saturday. But unfortunately missed out the Will Smith part. No surprises for Best actor, when AB had taken up two slots in the nominations. Would have liked to see Javed Jaffrey get best comedy instead of Akshay Kumar. That guy was funny and did a good job presenting. Why was Tabu looking a little lost (but gorgeous). Rekha was all decked up as usual. Vidya Balan was the best debutante, and she looked good. Aish danced to Kajra re, which won quite a few awards - Gulzar, ShankarEhsanLoy, Alisha. She has lost weight again- Aish not Alisha who has found some. What is this rumor floating around about Ash hitching up with AB Jr?

IMHO, Hemachandra deserved to win SRGMP!

RDB was good, but Aamir needs to act his age! Kunal Kapoor looks cho chweet, tho he too is in his 40s!

For those missing out watching live performances from this year's Natyanjali, check out Kutcheribuzz's site. Wonderful!

Ada kadavule!

For those who can't get enough of the gab-tonne, there is good news. For the rest of us, a few more future movies to avoid.
Be afraid! Be very afraid!