Keep it REAL!

A new blog.....

2009-02-03T20:14:00.000-08:00

2006-01-08T11:27:00.000-08:00

I have been BAD...I have to admit...Apart from uploading a pic here and a pic there...havent done jackshit!
The reason for my escape from blogspot is that I have been busy with my applications for an MBA in the US. Just finished sending out half my applications, 3 colleges still left.
Aah..forgive me for digressing...the main object of this post is to wish everyone a very happy and prosperous year ahead!

Ding! I know its pretty late...better late than never :)

Cheers

Let the party begin :-)

2005-12-14T10:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Jim!

2005-12-08T11:45:00.000-08:00

JIM MORRISON

Born December 8, 1943 - Died July 3, 1971

R I P

You're a legend Jim! Thanks for all the good times.

Rains.

2005-11-06T11:17:00.000-08:00

Arguably the heaviest rainfall I have seen in Madras in the 22 years of my existence.
It has been raining incessantly today.
What does rain bring to Madras?? Cheer?? Yes I suppose so...but when it becomes too much..then everyone starts complaining..a classic example of how capricious the human mind can be :) Reminds me of a certain philosophy my cousin told me about. We all desperately want something. And the happiness that comes with achieving/owning that ends the moment you get it done.
Actually the downside to heavy rainfall is ...no going out, a wonderful weather that makes you want to sleep for that extra half an hour ( and its a x+15 mins clock, x=1,2,3...infinity) and finally on a more personal note plays foul with the study schedule since it brings with it a weather that will make you go anywhere but close to the books. No tennis.
This better take care of all the water problems next summer.
Exams are round the corner and the path is full of rain.

Cheers

Who is an intellectual ?

2005-10-13T21:43:00.000-07:00

Almost all of us think we have an intellectual bent of mind :)
There is absolutely no problem with that...to each his own school of thought.

There are organisations that claim that they can certify you as an intellectual like Mensa. They have an exam that tests your IQ and cerify you if you clear that. It should look good on your CV and perhaps the interested parties can use this link here. You are allowed to take the test only twice. I havent taken the test yet, but am thinking about taking it sometime.

Is an intellectual the one that has his own way of doing things and does not care about the society...usually turns out to be a social misfit..( Ayn Rand type) ? or

Is he an influential thinker who combines his ideas with pragmatism and helps the society move forward ( Albert Einstein type) ? or

Is he the one with radical ideas that go far beyond his time and is denounced by the society as a heretic ( Copernicus type) ? or

Is he the saint, the philosopher, the inventor, the spiritual guru or the leader?

Or is he just a nondescript member of a society like the dhobi who washes your clothes or the plumber who fixes your tap or the programmer who writes stunning codes?

Or All the above ?

But what defines intellect? Has it just to do with numbers...a high IQ score perhaps? Can a person who doesn't actually tip the scales in an IQ test not be a intellect? Some questions are better left unanswered. :)

In this regard, Prospect magazine has come out with a poll that determines the worlds leading public intellectuals in contemporary society. The list has people like Noam Chomsky, The Pope, Yusuf al-Qaradawi and others. The Hindu report here.
The actual story and the list on Prospect here.
Noam Chomsky of whom I first heard of while studying a paper called 'Principles of programming languages' during my under-grad years seems to be the early favourite. The results will be announced in November and voting has closed. I just missed it by a couple of days. :)

Namma ooru gumbal!

2005-10-10T23:40:00.000-07:00

The holiday season has kicked in :) The newbie in the blogging world that I am, I got to meet lot of gurus and thalais from the blogging world over the past few days.

Barista's Besant Nagar on Sunday and the one on G.N.Chetty Road on Monday!

Sunday was the turn of the younger junta. The meet was made possible thanks to the enterprising and persevering Jagan :P. Barista's followed by bajjis at the beach!

L-R: Dada, Jaggu, me, Virdi, Priya

Virdi: The 'mama' of the group. Oringinally from Punjab, but dont get fooled by his accent. He can say 'Bainjoo' with a Bengali accent and confuse you. Looks and speaks like a true IITian that he is. Currently at Frost & Sullivan. ' Harbhajan Mann'

Vatsan: Also another 'mama' of the group, not in terms of age but size :P. Has a Bullet to go with his macho look and a dhadi to boot. Also has critical and radical views on everything... Was one of the three guys with a 100 % attendance. ( Jagan and myself brought up the rest of the vetti gumbal). Enga 'area dada'.

Priya : Chinna ponnu...rowsu..also the lil sis of one of my batchmates at college...:P Chk out the snap. Jokes apart, she was a funny girl ( I mean, to laugh at) and thanks to her, all of us had a nice time! 'Monalisa'

Jagan: Hasnt changed one bit since his college days. A cool, nice guy and a super timepass! 'Morpheous' ( For obvious reasons)

Vee-jay: Moderator Aunty..better not say anything bad about her. Kept the conversation going and was mainly responsible for all of us having a great time! The modern house-wife..had to rush back home to get ready for the poojai. 'Avvai Shanmugi'

Samy: Ivuru Samy illa...asaamy. Throughout the evening, I was sitting and wondering where I had seen this guy before...has a really familiar face...Claims he can drive from Adyar to Ashok Nagar in 10 minutes..konjam over dhaan...adjust maadi :P 'Then Indiya Schumacher'

Jayanthi akka : Last but not the least,adhigama aasa padra aambalayum,adhigama kova padra pombalayum ozhunga vaarzhndhadha sarithrame illa. Going by thalai's dialogue, she is going to live for a long while. Silent party...sweet smile. Chance kedaicha udane office laendhu escape aagi vandhutaantga! ' Silent Sornakka'

L-R: Dada, innocent man, Jagan, Schumey, Shanmugi and Sornakka!

A filmi kinda trivia!

2005-10-06T12:01:00.000-07:00

Well....this is my space! And I have the license to try out whatever I want right?? :))

My first trivia post...:)
What movies do these dialogues come in ?

1. (i) With insomnia, nothing is real. Everything is far away. Everything is
a copy of a copy of a copy.
(ii)Guys packing into the gyms, all trying to look like what Calvin Klein
says. ( Couldnt resist the 2nd one...I love that dialogue)

2. Are you trying to convince me that the reason you're not doing the job that I am paying you to do....is because there is no job to do ??

3. When you love someone, you've gotta
trust them. There's no other way.
You've got to give them the key to
everything that's yours. Otherwise,
what's the point? And, for a while...
I believed that's the kind of love I
had.

4. * Would you tell us the nature of your relationship with Mr. Boz?
* I had sex with him for about a year and a half. I liked having
sex with him.He wasn't afraid of experimenting. I like men like that. I like men who give me pleasure. He gave me a lot of pleasure.
* Did you ever engage in sado-masochistic activity with him?
* Exactly what do you have in mind, Mr. Corrigan.
* Did you ever tie him up?
* Johnny liked to use his hands too much. I like hands and fingers.

Clue: In the midst of all this, one of the all-time greatest scenes in Hollywood also sneaks in ;-)

5. BARTENDER (shouting over music) How's the game going?!!
Hero : It's been the longest hour of my life.
BARTENDER What?!
Hero: (at the same volume) I'm running away with your wife.
The Bartender, not able to hear him, smiles and flashes
a thumbs-up before moving away.
Cool, man!

Tamil Section :)

6. Driver: Thambi, vandi pinnala sevura idikardha paaru pa...
Hero : Seri anne...(later) idikala vaanga...aan idikala vaanga...innum vaanga
Driver: Innuma ?
Hero : Innum idikala vaanga...( car rams into the wall)...aan ippo idichiduthunga!

7. Telephone rings...
Caller : Hello...yaaru pa pesaradhu..
Hero : neenga dhaan sir pesinadhu...
Caller : Velayaadaadha pa...yaaru ya pesaradhu ?
Hero : Yo venna...call pannittu yaar pesardhu nu nee kaekkara?

Questions 8, 9 and 10 are a special dedication!!

8. (i) V : Kannu...nee indha thozhilukku pudhusu...na nenaicha innum enni eyezhe nimishathula un uyira edukka mudiyum...( points somewhere)
Hero: Hahahahaha...enakku eyezhe second porum...konjam angey paaru kanna!!
(ii) : Ulle po....( No response)....ULLLEY PO!!

9. Hero :( Over spilt coffee) Anger is the cause of all miseries.
One must learn how to control that. Otherwise, life will
become miserable. Last...but not the least....

10. Hero : Nee innum enna nanbana dhaan pathurka...INDHA NAAAAAL
...unnoda calendar la kurichikko...epdi enga veeta idichi ennayum yen kudumbathayum nadu theruvukku kondu vandhiyo...adhe maari
unna vida panam, paeru, pugazh, andharsthu adhigama sambadhichi...
unnayum un kudumbathayum nadu theruvukku konda varala...yaen paeru...:)) illa

Bonus question : just comes in the movie....I like the hero as well as this movie..where his wit stands out!!

Anne....Rasagulla....rasagulla dhaan!!! :))

Guess that should do for now! :) Most of it is pretty easy...all modern flicks that have done well at the box office and are really popular ( English section )
Tamil Section is pretty simple too...if you are a thalaivar fan...and also like sarcastic humour heroes :P

What is love ?

2005-10-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

No offense to people who are in love...just my shot at a short tale!!

At a restaurant, two blind dates break the ice...and finally get to the point..

M: So...what is your take on love?
W: Oh...love is like a dream...a fantasy that turns into reality...
M: Oh really?
W: You can never explain with words what love actually is...Its like finding what you want...a taste of heaven on earth...sheer bliss. You would want to wake up everyday, and hope that the day never ends when you are with the person you love...You should actually experience it to know what it really is...
M: Hmmm..Interesting...Have you ever been in love ?
W: Oh yeah. Five times. And three relationships. They were a roller-coaster ride till they lasted. Have you ever been in love ?
M: Never mind! I have to go now....Nice meeting you!
( Signals to the waiter) Bill please!!

Mad-ras!

2005-09-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

A few days back, Dinamalar splashed pictures of a couple passionately kissing each other, causing an uproar here in Singara Chennai. Another picture was of a girl with a bottle of beer in her hand. And honestly, I dont see anything wrong in that. This is invasion of privacy, in its most ugliest form. Apparently the Commissioner has issued a notice ordering a three-month closure of the hotel. The police claim that the hotel was not licensed to serve liquor in the first place. And for a fact, I know that the hotel has a pub ( Leather Bar) as well as a disco ( Pasha) both of which have been in the business for longer than I can remember. I guess their response has more to do with containing the voices condemning such obscene incidents than anything else. And just a few days back, The Deccan Chronicle came out with a photo of the Commissioner of Police, Chennai's son happily partying away late in the night. That pic was titled something like "One rule for Policemen, one rule for the rest"

I have tried to get some news links on all these, and have been searching on the net for quite a while now...with no luck. Will add them on soon.

Back to the story. Coming in the wake of recent comments by actress Khushboo, ( about pre-marital sex) this prompts us to think along the lines of invasion of privacy, misuse of the freedom of the press and what next ? Khushboo was just just expressing her views on 'pre-marital sex in Chennai'. She said that all the taboo about pre-marital sex was a thing of the past, and people wouldnt mind marrying even if they know that their partner was not a virgin. As expected, public activists and politicians blew the issue out of proportion and made some 'news grabbing' out of it.

I have to admit, Chennai is still conservative. But we could do without such uninspired and unimaginative journalism.

Kaapi...

2005-09-19T01:42:00.000-07:00

One thing that I look forward to every morning, is my daily dose of Kaapi.
And I love it dark and strong. As most South Indians, I am addicted to caffeine.
Turning the pages of The Hindu , allowing time for that small sip from my coffee mug ( and yes I make that sssslurping sound) is sheer bliss. Add to it, we have a thinnai in front of our house constructed especially for this.

As far as I can remember, I've never liked Horlicks, Complan...the lot. They were good only to eat and not to drink. I used to read contradictory articles from the Reader's Digest, one stating coffee will give you heart problems, the other claiming it will increase your lifespan. They never stopped me though. For some strange reason, Amma never used to give me strong coffee when I was a kid. But I always used to sneak into the kitchen and add that extra bit of dicaction give it that perfect taste and colour. It has now become a part of my daily life.
Apart from the most obvious of uses :P, a morning coffee gives you a mental stimulation that keeps you going for the rest of the day.
Times at which you can have coffee during the day:
1. Breakfast
2. Before lunch
3. After a sumptuous lunch
4. Evening ( Cannot miss)
5. Sometimes, after a tiffin dinner

And for people working in offices that have a coffee vending machine, that number will most probably go up. I have had coffee from vending machines. Everytime I swear " This tastes like shit, nothing compares to a hot mug of filter coffee". But I still drink from the machine.
Call it caffeine addiction or whatever you want, but give me my daily dose :)

MBA theme!

2005-09-16T11:27:00.000-07:00

I have finally decided to add a bit more MBA-flavour to my blog. My preparations for this year's CAT have just started. I am also writing GMAT and applying for fall'06.
If you can can link me up with a person doing an MBA in the US, please let me know. I owe you a beer ;) I need to talk to a lot of people before I decide where to apply.
Back to the books for now I guess :P
And anyone with a shout...please shout and make yourself heard!

Cheers

On yer bikes maite!!

2005-09-12T10:10:00.000-07:00

As I write, the last few nails are being hammered into the Aussies coffin. England regain the Ashes after 17 years. The English press as expected will shower profound but unexpected ways to praise the current England team which ran away deserved winners. After every match, one would be left with the feeling..."What more can one expect from a test match ?", and in just a week's time the questions would be answered. I cannot resist but round up this epic series.
The first test was just another day in the office for the Aussies. That led to thoughts of 4-0....a whitewash.....the bookies were a busy lot. The next 3 tests were nerve-janglers, arguably the most exciting test matches played in the same series between any two test-playing nations. ( Of the ones that I have watched of course) If the first test was all about Mcgrath, Warne and the Aussie batting lineup, the second test was all about one man. Andrew Flintoff. A superb all-round display from arguably the best all-rounder in world cricket today.
The third test, though a drawn match was a thriller. Lee and Mcgrath hung on, hoping against hope to clinch a draw, that epitomised the Aussie-never-say-die attitude. Steve Waugh would have been pleased as punch. The highlights of the match were brilliant hundreds from Vaughan, Ponting and Strauss, an entertaining 90 from the cameo-man Warne and a six-wicket haul by Simon whatshisnameagain Jones. The fourth test was (gosh I cant come up with another word for pulsating) a nerve-wracking (hyuk hyuk)adventure from which the Poms emerged victorious by three wickets. A century from Flintoff and his partnership with the English version of Parthiv Patel, Geraint drop-it-like-its-hot ;) Jones in the first innings proved to be decisive in the end.

That set up a grand finale at The Oval. The Aussies would take home the Ashes if it was a drawn series, and the Englishmen needed to win to clinch the Ashes after 17 long years. Centuries from Strauss and Langer, Hayden doing a VVS, a timely century to pacify the selectors until the next rubber and that man Pietersen. A bulky bloke with a blond streak of hair that dispatched the leather to all parts of the ground, stands included. Butterfingers or not, he was the man. As they say, Cometh the hour, cometh the man. England scampered through the home-stretch, unscathed and victorious.
For a more comprehensive report on the Ashes, who else but cricinfo.

And in retrospect, there were far too many party jokes even before it all started.

The Daily Telegraph, Sydney
"What's worse than a whingeing Englishman? Gloating Pommies. One day we'll lose the Ashes and it will be as horrific as waking up after a night on the drink in a room full of images of Camilla Parker Bowles."
Glenn McGrath
"I think I was saying 3-0 or 4-0 about 12 months ago, thinking there might be a bit of rain around. But with the weather as it is at the moment, I have to say 5-0."
Terry Alderman
"I definitely believe if any of our batsmen get out to Giles in the Tests they should go and hang themselves. But I'm confident that won't happen."
Jeff Thomson
"England will lose the five-Test series 3-0 and the margin will be worse for them if it doesn't rain. If you put the players from Australia and England up against each other it is embarrassing. There is no contest between them on an individual or team basis." and if this wasnt enough, "Hoggard's like a net bowler when you compare him to McGrath and Kasprowicz."

Laughter-the best medicene.

My bet for player of the series, Andrew Flintoff. But you cannot simply forget Shane the legend Warne. He was at em all the time.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. If Lillee dont get em, Thommo must" Well I guess thats got to be rewritten after all. An epic series that will linger in the memory of all those who watched the drama unfold.
Cheers!

Tagged!

2005-09-08T07:39:00.000-07:00

Before my first tag-post...many thanks to Preethi, not only for tagging me..but also
teaching me what this whole hype is about :) So here goes...

Seven things I would like to do before I die:

* Be able to do things that I want to do..anytime..anywhere.
* Create a huge business empire ( Yeah okok...over dhaan..adangu )
* To be able to look back at my life at some point and say Hmmm..thats some good shit man!
* Stay fit and healthy :)
* Make my folks hear this Thirukural, which goes like
" Eendrapozhudhum peridhuvakkum than maganai
Saandron yena kaetta thaai"
( There is nothing that compares to a Mom hearing very very nice things said about her son by the society)
* Go on a trip to Europe and New Zealand with my friends and esp to catch a game at OT, The Theater of Dreams :)
* Watch my kid grow up to be better than me...its kinda tough though!

Seven things that I can do:

* Make tag-posts :)
* Make others laugh ( I hope they are laughing with me )
* Grow a very nice beer belly in a short span of time :)
* Play tennis ( hehehe..thanks for not tagging me a week earlier Preethy)
* Shout at my Mom
* Drive back home after getting drunk. ( I take the responsibility most of the times)
* Rant and rave about doing something, and after doing it the first few weeks..feel like..God..What made me do this??

Seven things that I can't do:

* Sustain a long-standing interest in the opposite sex.
* Say no to people.
* Cant play basketball ( How I wish...:( )
* Lie at home. ( Have lied sometimes about trivial things....breaking that trust barrier is something that plays on mind..and I end up blurting out the truth. Makes me look like a jackass though)
* Cant keep an expensive commodity for a long time without losing it.
* Work hard and study for more than half an hour at a stretch. More particularly I cannot keep up with my study-schedule, for which I take hours to plan.
* Dance!!!

Seven things that attract me to the opposite sex:

* Intellect
* Athleticism
* A woman that doesnt act like a snob and throw a fit on trivial and unimportant things.
* Wit and beauty.
* A woman that doesnt cry unnecessarily. Stays cool. Mentally strong.
* One that strikes the right balance between partying and being traditional.
* I also get easily attracted to people with wheatish complexion. ( Good looking ofcourse :P)

Seven things you say the most:

* Otha
* Bitch
* The f word
* Sorry :)
* One more beer please ::)
* Good on ya mate!
* OK...I gtg now...catchya later!

Seven celebrity crushes:
This is quite difficult...Cant call em crushes..but I think they are HOT.

* Jennifer Aniston
* Sania Mirza
* Simran
* Steffi Graf
* Julia Roberts
* Aparna Popat
* Anju Bobby Gerorge / Asin. ( Well I guess that makes it 8! )

Seven people I would like to tag:

* Arun
* Akshay
* Loki
* Viji
* Sandy
* Deepthi
* Rakesh

A weekend of celebrations!

2005-09-05T11:43:00.000-07:00

Early September is always a period full of celebrations.
September 3rd was my sister's birthday.....
Happy Birthday Sandy!

September 5th was my parents silver jubilee wedding annivesary!
We hosted an informal party at Carnival Rooftop ( a nearby restaurant)
Hmmmm....25 not out and going strong :)

Is Democracy pulling India down?

2005-09-03T11:08:00.000-07:00

A debate on NDTV which I thought would be interesting to have on my blog :)

What do you think?

London Bomber video

2005-09-03T05:33:00.000-07:00

Mohammad Sidique Khan, one of the bombers in the much publicised and oft heard about London bombing attacks was on TV today. This is the transcript of the video (where he justifies his actions) that created an outrage in the UK.
The authenticity of the tape is still unknown. This link has the story as reported by BBC and there is also a link on the same page where you can watch the video .

And continuing in the same vein...
How many bombings...how many terrorists...how many murdered innocent men, women and children...how many more??
Though there is no doubt that the entire world feels for the innocent men and women who lost their lives in the bombings, as an Indian, I felt...Hmmm...just another day...just another bomb.This happens everyday in Kashmir. The world takes no notice. Kashmir..Baghdad..the story is the same. Is this how much we value human life? There has to be a way....
May the dead souls rest in peace!

I'm on my way........

2005-08-31T20:49:00.000-07:00

Task for the day: Rearrange the pictures in the correct order....My HTML sux!

And yeah...I forgot to mention...I have just signed up for tennis classes ;)

The other side of the coin....

2005-08-29T13:33:00.000-07:00

I am mildy buzzed with some Long Islands...and I feel deeply moved by this......
I got it from Cogito's page....and thought I would do my bit.....
Cheers!

My good ol' gang!

2005-08-04T12:08:00.000-07:00

From left - Psycho(TAMU), Been(TAMU), Baba(Wisconsin), Loki(Bangalore), Bah(Charlotte), Su-gas(Stanford), Beka(Lousiana),ME(In front, Chennai:)) Barry(Toledo), Magadeth(Always @ work)!
Missing: Loose(Wisconsin), Dada(Tuebingen), Coach(CMU), Ajay(Sureshot IIMA this year)

Train travel.....

2005-08-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

Was using the Public Transport system in Chennai after a really long time. I took the train from Mambalam to Tambaram. I used the bus more often than the train..but have had a fair share of train travel when I was younger. I had no newspaper...nothing to read..and no calls on my cellphone.
So I did what struck me as the best time pass activity...observing people..:)
And I had a jolly good time doing that!

The ones that you notice first are the late-boarders or LIFO's( Last in first out)
Usually dressed in very tight bell bottomed pants and try to get as much of their body outside the train as possible. They comb their hair every 5 minutes only for it to get tousled in 5 seconds..and the vicious circle goes on. I guess most of them are wannabe athletes. They usually compete with the train once it leaves the station, give it a headstart of 5 secs. An age-old tactic of impressing the girls....but hey who's looking ?

Another common feature in the trains are the public activists. Whenever someone has a problem..be it a "dont push me outta my seat" or "Why are you ogling at me?" or "I got here first", before you can even blink...our hero is there. Tries to mediate and often ends up making matters even worse - The Vijaykanth of the trains!

And there are the the usual suspects - seat grabbers and LOUD-speakers .

The magazine freak - Reads either Kumudham or Anandha Vigadan. Spends a lot of time looking at pictures of fat women in tight and minimal clothing. Usually has Mr.Askance for company. For those who havent done word lists previously....Mr.Askance is a miser who doesnt pay for his own magazine but loves to peep into his neighbour's (usually when the photo pages come by).

Mr.Nothing is right in this train is also a common feature in most trains. They usually start complaining given the tiniest hint of an oppurtunity. Be it loud, lousy youngsters or fans that dont work or the Chennai heat...off they go! Usually 2-3 people around listen for the first few minutes and then get back to their work. But our man never gets the hint. He never stops. A real fighter.

The man with the vethala paak and the red naak - Usually spotted in pairs or groups. Take out their Vethala pottis just before the station master waves his green flag and continue chewing till they get out of the train....sometimes the loud speakers can also be part of this gang.
BEWARE: Watch it when they spit because you might get hit with lotsa shit.

And bringing up the rear, my personal favourite...The swaying sleeper. Give him 5 mins and he can doze off into slumberland. Always sways from side to side...jerks when he reaches the "Stop or you'll fall" threshhold. Eyes flicker open for a brief instant....Everything seems ok! Off I go again.....Routine repeats itself every now and then.The funniest of the lot. They stand testimony to the power of the sub-conscious mind...knows when the threshhold is about to come by.

I got off the train with a heavy heart when my station arrived, thinking "When am I going to travel by train again ?"
- End of story -

Wow...that easily beats the record for my longest post by a mile :)
Cheers!

What do YOU want to do?

2005-07-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

A rather uncomfortable question for anybody. Forget about "Introduce yourself....". You can weave your own web of imagination at the interviews....but this is one self interview question to which I have always failed to come up with a convincng enough answer.
One easy answer would be...making lots of money, finding happiness in life, marrying a REAl hottie ;) and most of the other things which you would have heard of.
But what is your real purpose in life?
Like for instance...as far as I am concerned right now..crackin CAT this year would be my first priority. Fast forward a few years....gettin a job with a fat paycheck....a few more years down the line...expanding the family business, make loads of money..live life happily. I guess this is what I want to do. But does it answer my question? What am I here for? What will make me happy?
I guess I am thinking too much too early in my life. Cant seem to help it when I am in one of those What? Why? When? moods.....I think its high time I got myself a coupla beers :)
Meanwhile, you can try answering my question...WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO IN LIFE?

The Soul of India - Part One

2005-07-26T11:23:00.000-07:00

Some images that capture the essence of India!
I felt a strange-cant be described feeling when I saw these for the first time.
More to follow later!

Bored of routine?

2005-07-23T13:49:00.000-07:00

Boring...that is one way I can describe my life in the past few weeks. True, the 'usual suspects' would put their hands up and say I get bored of things too easily...but whatever man...the fact remains. There are times when I would be craving to do something, but more often than not end up getting bored of it after a couple of go's. I am impatient. I want things to happen fast.( I am a slouch though!)
Well, right now I am bored of this topic....
News from Chennai...two of my best buddies left for the US today, adding two more to an already lengthy list.
I am planning to give CAT a shot this year. Have signed up for Mock tests with TIME. And am attending another free test with Career Forum tomorrow.Am desperately hoping to start preparing for CAT, which I guess can relieve a bit of my boredom.
Just got back from Speed ( a pub in Chennai). I consider going there every Saturday boring too. Well, I havent got bored of alcohol yet ;)
Highlight of the day: Watching the Pink Floyd Pulse DVD at home with Loki, Cash and Loose. Loki me and Coming Back to Life share an amazing bond. \m/

Movies anyone?

2005-07-21T11:51:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Burma Bazar and piracy, I have averaged a movie every night for the past few weeks! You can get awesome 5 in 1 DVDs for 75 bucks!
Some of the movies I got to see are:
1. Scarface - Al Pacino
2. Heat - Al Pacino & DeNiro ( 4 in 1 :) )
3. Hitchcock Classics - Rope and Rear Window
4. Munna Bhai MBBS
5. Godfather 1,2 and 3.
6. Classics like Bridge on the..,Great Escape and Guns of Navaronne.
And lots more!
Movie buffs please suggest some nice movies. You will be amazed by the collection available at Burma Bazar. They have almost EVERYTHING!

Business as usual....

2005-07-04T11:26:00.000-07:00

Time mismanagement is an art....and its the only art am good at!
Took years of practice and toil....to be where I am now. Infact, I should have been there yesterday!
I am really pathetic at keeping time. That is one sentence Ive got used to now. Glimpses of the genius in me started showing by the time I was in 9th or 10th. Actually it is pretty embarrassing if I think about it now. I was late to get ready and my dad missed out on the group snap on his 25th year College reunion. It still hurts :(
Over the years, however hard I tried, I was always late. ALWAYS.
There have been rare occassions where I have been on time and trust me...its such a good high:)
All my friends would have had rather fond memories of the movies where we walk in some 10 mins late....and its a point I still would love to debate. They always blame it on me!
And nowadays, I am late to work everyday! The story never ends. The saga continues.
Yours ever latefully,
Ram

Too tired to do anything!

2005-06-23T11:38:00.000-07:00

Ever been there?
When it requires a huge effort to get to the comp and get online?
This June-July, work is really hectic...12-14 hrs a day, 6.5 days a week is the norm I go by these days...
We have a printing/publishing firm and our main egment is college text books..and since all colleges reopen around this time, there is a mad mad rush to get all our titles out in time...
Let this period get over and hopefully I should be able to increse my posts/week count :-)
Cheers!

When I was a kid....

2005-06-11T09:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was reminiscing about the things that I used to do when I was a kid...

When I was a kid, I used to.....
play a lot of games.....until it was too dark to see anything;
return home late from school everyday in a dirty, ink stained shirt;
used to be a lot more close to my parents and family;
fight a lot ( esp with my sis);
go any lengths to be in the centre of attention, and I used to love it everytime I got there;
sulk often at home and throw a fit about not eating dinner...but would be secretly waiting for my Mom to come and feed me;
loudly mimic the vegetable vendor everytime he passes by our street;
pose with a funny (what I thought was cool) look everytime for the cameras;
break everything from a TV to a radio to a telephone, and pray silently that my Dad was going to be in one of his good moods;( never was the case though)
travel with my family every summer to someplace or the other;
go to the beach every Saturday(with my family of course), play on the sand, stand on the seashore, rush back everytime the waves came by;
and I couldnt wait for sunday to arrive, for that was the day of assembling at grandma's house and non-stop cricket with Cogito and co;
go crazy about Sachin, Ayrton Senna, Stefan Edberg, Agassi and Mike Tyson;
play cricket inside my house with the walls acting as bowlers and furnitures as fielders....it was always India vs some other team and Sachin got a big score and lot of wickets everytime;
guard a 10 rupee note as if it were my life;
never wanted to cut my hair;
wanted to grow old really fast;
and a lot more.....
and now that I am 22.....I want to be a kid who wants to do all these things again;

Money Money Money...Is it a rich man's world?

2005-06-09T11:12:00.000-07:00

I care a damn! :P As long as I make enough myself!
"I hate money." Usually this, comin from one of the younger ones in any family, would be generally followed by a generous patting on the back with a "Romba nalla payyan" tag from the entire family.
I am no rebel, but have never had any qualms about the fact that I wanna make money, and yeah you can add...loads of em. :) I have nothing against people who think otherwise. I mean..everyone is entitled to a opinion rite? ;)
However, I am tempted to add..my personal take on people who claim they do not go after money...is plain and simple.Most of em are lying...It is probably true that they dont wanna portray themselves as the greedy, miserly big monster that craves money. I have lived all my life in South India, and here, the hep thing to say is.."I dont care about makin money...as long as I am happy its fine." But, from what I have seen...this usually comes from the ones that already have enough money. Ask the poor ones the value of money.....ask the person who's worked his ass off to become rich...ask someone who has been starving for days....

But I do have to agree, there are some very rare people who belong to the elite class that are happy...money or no money. I guess, ultimately, all of us love money or to state it better, materialistice possessions. It is the intensity that varies. And I am one who loves making money. I cant think to the levels of the usual advice " Dont let money rule your life".....Dude lemme first make some..then we'll see who gets to be king.

And due thanks to Manoj, who inspired this post!

TNPCEE - Ctrl+Alt+Del

2005-06-07T10:59:00.000-07:00

Got up groggy eyed and stared scanned today's Hindu with my usual cup of extra strong coffee...
Engineers from UMAS, Beach Harbour (Our very own University of Madras) would be really stunned to read this...( Ok I consider myself to be an engineer too since I was stunned)). Amma's aatchi unsurprisingly dished out yet another surprise..there will be no more TNPCEE from next year...No more classes at IIPE, ICE and some of the others I forgot..no more ogling at other batch figures..no more trying to get the answer out first to impress the girls...no more gyaans from other wannabe studs....no more a lot more. Anna University students will get admitted into Engineering Colleges based on the scores of their school-leaving exams alone.
This decision struck me as being rather odd...as I've felt over the past few years that the B.E degree has lost its charm and value, thanks to all the Andal Alagar Engg College, Dumming Kuppam Gounder College of Higher Technology and the other hi-tech institutions that have sprung up in and around the city. Save for the ones who cannot afford one..I guess everyone will be an engineer in a few years time...
And to highlight the fact, today we had an electronics and communication engineer who had applied for the post of office boy...The name of the college is better left undisclosed to avoid trouble...but I can surely drops some hints...
1)It is close to Tambaram
2)Its name is 3 letters long
3)And hey..it has a fax machine too!!
Ans) GKM College of Engineering.
Looks like everyone in Chennai is waiting eagerly to try the next set of Amma's surprises!
And here's the actual link from The Hindu.

Gone are the days........but not the memories

2005-05-31T10:57:00.000-07:00

Was clearing up my email inbox when I found this rare gem..
A really wonderful e-mail...Now I know what nostalgia means.And for the record..I studied in PS Senior, Chennai considered to be a thayirsadham school.Let me stop blabbering and allow you to relive the old memories...Here it goes..

Gone are the days
When the school reopened in June,
And we settled in our new desks and benches.

Gone are the days
When we queued up in book depot,
And got our new books and notes.

Gone are the days
When we wanted two Sundays and no Mondays, yet
Managed to line up daily for the morning prayers.

Gone are the days
When we chased one another in the corridors in Intervals,
And returned to the classrooms drenched in sweat.

Gone are the days
When we had lunch in classrooms, corridors,
Playgrounds, under the trees and even in cycle sheds.

Gone are the days
When a single P.T. period in the week's Time Table, Was awaited more
eagerly than the monsoons.

Gone are the days
Of fights but no conspiracies,
Of Competitions but seldom jealousy.

Gone are the days
When we used to watch Live Cricket telecast,
In the opposite house in Intervals and Lunch breaks.

Gone are the days
When few rushed at 5:30 to
"Conquer" window seats in our School bus.

Gone are the days
Of Sports Day, and the annual School Day,
And the one-month long preparations for them.

Gone are the days
Of the stressful Quarterly, Half Yearly and Annual Exams,
And the most enjoyed holidays after them.

Gone are the days
We learnt, we enjoyed, we played, we won, we lost, We laughed, we cried,
we fought, we thought.

Gone are the days
With so much fun in them, so many friends,
So much experience, all this and more.

Gone are the days
But not the memories, which will be
Lingering in our hearts for ever and ever and
Ever and ever and Ever.

Rape laws - Part Two

2005-05-31T10:45:00.000-07:00

For those of you who want to imprison the rapist for life..
Here's the link...
http://www.petitiononline.com/norapes1/petition.html

Cheers

Good ol' Mylapore!

2005-05-31T09:59:00.000-07:00

Mylapore never ceases to amaze me! I just got back from one of the finest treats Mylapore has to offer....a sumptuous meal at one of the many Kayendhibhavan's that you can find at every nook and corner of Mylapore.
Many thanks to my Amma who decided to accompany my sister on her dance trip, giving my Appa and myself the chance to relive old memories. No insults...amma's cooking is truly wonderful( most of the times, save for the extra uppu/karam in the sambar nights).
My tryst with the kayendhibhavan's ( KB ;) started when I was in my early teens, thanks to another of Mylapore's identities; Kutcheries! I used to accompany my family on their fairly regular visits to the Sabhas....sneak out as soon as the kutcheri starts, jog to the nearest KB and gorge myself on the parathas ( barota if you're at a KB), dosais, idlis, bajjis, bondas and amazing pongal vadais.(Ok I'm no Jughead Jones..one variety a day!).Perfect timing was my forte...always got back for the last applause.
Today, I filled myself with barotas and rava dosais. Was almost tempted to go for thayirsadham oorga combo to top it off...but decided to call it quits while at the maximum elasticity limit of an ever burping tummy.
My personal favourite is Vinayagha mess, so conveniently located equi-distant from Bharati Vidya Bhavan, RR Sabha and Kapali koyil. And for the not so koyil cum kutcheri inclined..its behind the Mylapore Tank!

Mylapore...namma Mylapore dhaan!

Deja vu-Been there done that!

2005-05-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

Another deja vu....happening quite frequently over the past few months!
The term deja vu is French and its literal translation is " Already seen". I was pretty worried and did some Googling followed by howstuffworksing ;).
Happened to read that the phenomenon is quite common for 15-25 year olds and almost 70% of the world's population have experienced this feeling sometime or the other. Over the years, people have attributed deja vu to temporal-lobe epilepsy.(Which led to another round of googling and howstuffworsing) More on that
here. Sounds rather scary...so I will leave it to you to form your own conclusions.

However, the phenomenon itself is rather complex and nothing firm has been established.Everyone has his view. Psychoanalysts attribute it to a simple fantasy while the psychiatrists think some goof up in the brain makes us mistake the present for the past. Parapsychologists( Whoa!!toughie...god knows who they are) think it is some past life experience.

Something interesting...food for thought perhaps!

My last dream was about being a billionaire and sailing on a yacht with plenty of hot chicks for company ;) And hey...day dreams do count dont they? :P

Homerisms-A few jewels

2005-05-09T10:53:00.000-07:00

Lifted straight out from Reader's Digest. Really nice stuff...couldn't resist :P
Here goes Homer Simpson from the TV cartoon The Simpsons...

"The answer's to life's problems aren't at the bottom of a bottle. They're on TV"

"What's the point of going out? We're just going to end up back here anyway"

"Trying is the first step towards failure"

" You can't keep blaming yourself. Just blame yourself once and move on"

OK...my personal favourite...
" The three little sentences that will get you through life.
No.1: Cover for me
No.2: Oh, good idea, Boss
No.3: It was like that when I got here"

Indian Rape Laws-Skewed or screwed?

2005-05-05T04:34:00.000-07:00

A news item in The Hindu that caught my attention. A man accused of rape was given the maximum punishment-life imprisonment, one of the rare occassions such a verdict was delivered. A very good friend of mine who lives in Bangalore, has recently started a campaign to crusade against what she calls mild punishment for a person guilty of rape. She wants life-term imprisonment for all convicted rapists.This made me think...Do the Indian rape laws provide appropriate punishment to rapists?

According to the Indian Penal Code, a man is said to have committed `rape’ when he has had sexual intercourse with a woman under these conditions:
* Against her will
* With her consent when her consent has been obtained by putting her or any person in whom she is interested in, in fear of death or hurt.
* With her consent, when the man knows that he is not her husband and that her consent is given because she believes that he is another man to whom she is or believes herself to be lawfully married.
* With her consent, when at the time of giving such a consent, by reason of unsoundness of mind or intoxication on the administration by him personally or through another of any stupefying or unwholesome substance, she is unable to understand the nature of the consequences of that of which she gives consent.
* With or without her consent, when she is under 16 years of age.

Where rape is proved, the minimum punishment is ten years for custodial rape, gang rape, rape of pregnant women and minor girls under the age of 12 and seven years in other cases.

A woman who has undergone the physical and mental trauma of rape, has to cope up with a lot of things; if not for the rest of her life, for a rather long period of time. More often than not, she is shunned by the society and in certain cases, ultimately ends up taking her own life. On a more positive note, there are some victims who have rebuilt their life from scratch and have come up in the society- something definetely worth being proud of.

Modern laws however are lenient to an extent that they allow a convict to be released( good behaviour also plays a major role) once he/she realises the gravity of his/her actions. Yet again, is the perpetrator of a crime of such magnitude pardonable?

Chandramukhi-Back with a BANG

2005-05-03T01:38:00.000-07:00

The success of the recently released Chandramukhi is a real short in the arm not only for all thalaivar fans but also for the Tamil filmdom. On a more personal notewhat makes the sucess even more sweeter is the fact that both Mumbai Express and Sachien are fading away at the box office. ( Thalayoda modhina enna nadakkum nu purinjidha chinna pasangala?). A die-hard thalaivar fan all my life, I was pretty sad that I got to watch the movie only on the first day matinee show at Udhayam. But the sadness was replaced by euphoria once the words SUPERSTAR flashed on the screen. Deva - maybe a plagiarist, but all Rajini fans will never forget him for this awesome music bit which started from Annamalai. The next 3 hours were a roller-coaster ride of thrill,comedy and the occasional super star stunts which set the pulse racing. As thalaivar rightly said, " Na oru yaana illa, na gudhura" ( I am not an elephant, I am a horse. I will bounce back instantly).
We also got to meet Latha Rajinikanth and his daughters, Soundarya and Aishwarya alongwith his son-in-law * tea kada kaaran* Dhanush who had come to watch the movie at Udhayam.
Recently heard somewhere that "Jaggubhai" is going to get the go-ahead finally. And Rajini is himself going to announce it once he is back from Rishikesh. Waiting with bated breath and eager expectation for that!

The Red Devils-The end of an era?

2005-05-03T01:30:00.000-07:00

As this Premiership season meanders to an end, this question seems to be troubling the minds of most Manchester United fans. The richest club in the world and the one with the biggest fanbase throughout the world, Manchester United was a dominant force in English football in the 90's. The treble winning season of 1999 ( FA cup, English Premier league, European cup) announced their arrival on the world stage.
However, a third place finish in 2004 and another likely 3rd place finish this season is a bit hard to swallow. For a club which has never finished below second spot save for once in 199, two consecutive third place finishes is difficult to fathom. Our defence is solid, we have midfielders and strikers that any team in the world can only dream of having, and yet the end result is not quite there as expected.
In my personal opinion, the things that pulled us down this season in the same order are:
1. Shoddy goalkeeping for most part of the season.
2. The poorest start ever made to a season.( 6 pts after 5 games)
3. Absence of bench strength as well as a lack of creativity in the midfield.

Whether or not our 2nd or 3rd place finish this season can be attributed to Abrahamovi's millions is another debate. But one thing all fans have to accept is that we played below par this season at times when it mattered the most. As a loyal MUFC fan, I have nothing to do except hope for a few quality signings and a improved show next season.
www.manutd.com

2005-05-02T22:13:00.000-07:00

Thats me!

How to be a world-class CEO?

2005-05-02T15:21:00.000-07:00

An interesting article that I happened to chance upon at Rediff. I never knew Rediff had such interesting posts!
http://in.rediff.com/money/2005/apr/28spec.htm

Guess this will be my last post at work for today! Have a meeting at 15:30 which will decide my permanenent image at Real Image.

The Wright void and the BCCI inactivity

2005-05-02T14:31:00.000-07:00

Well, my first post is on something I am really passionate about. Indian cricket!
John Wright was the best thing to happen to India cricket post-match fixing allegations. Sadly all good things must come to an end. The void left by John Wright is massive and our bungling board BCCI is yet to take any action. My personal favourite to take over next would be Greg Chappell. But yet again he might be snapped up by Sri Lanka unless the board unless the BCCI wakes up from its slumber and says something concrete.
It brings us to the age old debate - The richest board in the world, a bunch of the world's best cricketing talents and yet no professionalism. Unless the board realises this, Indian cricket is doomed. Perhaps they should hire a coupla guys from IIM or Harvard!