Memories from yesteryears

My friend from college called..... That explains the Euphoria i'm in at the moment.

What is it about friends from college or school that makes conversations so special?

The fact that we can bridge the years we havent spoken with just a call... The ease and comfortable silences which you dont care to fill with cluttering talk... The way you can share everything you want to and not ask for anything back...

My days in BITS have been days of my wonder life. We have had some serious moments but mostly it has been just fun. I have some great friends who i dont talk to on a daily basis and i wont say that we are always there for each other but we can call each other in the dead of the night and on crazy mornings and feel the spirit rising. We have a couple of laughs and some wild chatter and suddenly i feel right at pace with life.

Thats the magic of having friends. To share, to care and to have fun with. You dont need too many of them but a couple of them would make a world of a difference and it does to me!!!

For me, my friends are just a call away :-)

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MOZHI

Mozhi brings out a gentle dignified love story while tacking the insecurities of differently abled people with enough sensitivity that you dont sympathize but challenge their courage.

The hero is a newcomer to Tamil but his portrayal evokes a genuine appreciation of a job well done. Prakashraj and Prithviraj bring out some quick and light moments with straight jokes.

The movie is full of moments which make u smile when you think back. Prakashraj caught off-guard, his proposal to Swarnamallya(who is quite bearable for a change) and celebration of Beethovan's birthday.

I sat back to think during the last few scenes when the hero lashes at the heroine asking her to give life a chance and how at certain points we just have to trust and have faith and not question the future.

Mozhi is a must see for all tamil movie goers. Its three hours of fun, love and joy and not mindless entertainment.

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Take the first bus and quit waiting?

Today morning, when i boarded the office shuttle(early in the morning) a very amusing incident happenend. I'm sure many of you might wonder why i even chose to blog about this but well its my blog so to hell with your thinking :-)

My friend was listening to her iPod and the minute i landed next to her she burst out laughing. Now it makes me wonder if i forgot to wear a very essential piece of my clothing but i felt reassured when she apologised for her inappropriate laughter. Apparently she was listening to 'The Namesake' book in her iPod.

This is the era of the electronics. God took one look at us and decided its time to pamper these parched souls with madness personified.
Disclaimer: I have nothing against technological advancements.

This made me think. Is listening to a book in the iPod as good as comfortably settling in a couch and reading through a book(where u can feel it). Am i a fool to think that its not just reading a book but the myriad feelings attached to it. The smell of paper, the focused attention of the five senses, the balancing act of tea in one hand and trying to turn the page in the other... Doesn't all this count?

But then again, who really has the time to experience these feelings when weekends are spent trying to catch the left-over hours of sleep and hip hopping trains. Trust me, am not a person who uses "No time at all" as an excuse. But then There is no time at all.

This brings me to an important conclusion.
There are some people who adapt themselves to the changing needs like my friend who probably agrees that reading a book(not virutally) is always the best but she settles for something she can do more often than just dream about.

And then..
There are some people like me waiting for the right time and the right oppurtunity that we miss what we can have right here right now completely.

The big-thought bug: Is it always important to take a step back and arbitrate whether there are avenues in getting what you want, even if you cant travel the entire trip?

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Postcards from Hampi

Lakshmi got me all scared when i went to feed her a banana. But she blessed me with her trunk and i was gleefully smiling like a child.


Grannies indulged in their work, idle banter and jokes exchanged. The pace of their life is slow and yet i wanted to be there where i dint have to worry about everything under the sun, where i dint have to plan every minute of my day and wait for sunshine days to come by.

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Hampi

Last weekend i went on a trip to Hampi - Temple town of Karnataka and a world heritage center.

Kannadasan said
Kallile kalai vannam kanden
verum kan paavai maraindhaalum
kaanum padi thandhaan




Further details on the upcoming post.

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Blood Diamond

'I wonder.. Would God ever forgive us for what we are doing to each other?
I realise.. God left this place a long time ago!!' - Danny Archer, Blood Diamond.

Di Caprio is nominated for Best Actor in Leading Role for the Academy Awards and this drew my attention to watch the movie.

A Blood Diamond (also called a conflict diamond or a war diamond) is a diamond mined in a war zone and sold, usually clandestinely, in order to finance an insurgent or invading army's war efforts.

The movie mainly captures an african man estranged from his family due to the civil war. How his son turns into a rebel and is forced to be a part of R.U.F is a story that shocks the very soul. Di Caprio plays a smuggler alongside Jennifer Connelly(from Beautiful Mind), a journalist.

This is Caprio's best performance ever and he has played the role to perfection. Its horrifying to realise how different the world is in Africa. The horror, the violence, the beauty, children and deprivation is quite unthinkable. Blood Diamond is a must-watch especially for women who dream of story book weddings and a 24 carot diamond for their engagement.

* The World Diamond Council set out to draft a new process, whereby all diamond roughly could be certified as coming from a non-conflict source.
* Conflict-free diamonds are diamonds of certified origin which are guaranteed not to be tainted by violence, human rights abuses, child labor, or environmental destruction.
* The Antwerp resolution called for an international certification system on the export and import of diamonds, legislation in all countries to accept only officially sealed packages of diamonds, for countries to impose criminal charges on anyone trafficking in conflict diamonds, and instituted a ban on any individual found trading in conflict diamonds

A Diamond is Forever - there is a shocking story behind this gliterring stone.

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Mega Serials and Mindless Entertainment

For all those, who have seen or heard about the mega serials that run in Sun TV and the likes, this might not come as a shock. For the rest, the good news is that you dont miss much even if you miss an entire week's episodes, the bad news is that it never ends.

I remember in Selvi or Annamalai, the entire episode was about Radhika climbing down a set of stairs and there are memories from the past which come as flashes.

For me, this is mindless entertainment and a cluttering nonsense in the idiot box. The quality is down to cheap entertainment and by and large the silver screen actors are paving way to the small screen.

If mega serial amounted to water supply, India would never run short of water ever.

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I wonder

I wonder
A Gentle breeze titilates you,
And i wonder,
Do you bend down feeling shy or out of shame?

Was it because you sway to life's pressures
Or was it because you were too ecstasic in its touch!!

A few words that entered my mind while walking thro the fields in Walldorf, Germany.

While in Germany, i used to walk from my hotel to office, to watch these fields, hear the church bell ring and see people cycling by. Old men & women sit on park benches unmindful of the clock ticking and a myriad of thoughts and emotions cross my mind. A perfect world it is!!

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2006 - A year that was and not!!

Today is probably the time i look back at the year that whizzed past. The funny thing is i cant remember most of 2006. It just went past in a jiffy. Probably 2006 was in more hurry than i was.

Nevertheless, this year has been good. I travelled to a part in the globe which i never though i would be in. I learned to eat with Chopsticks, speak mandarin and realized that the globe was bigger and more diverse.

Germany - WorldCup FIFA 2006.
To be there in the land where the world's greatest football event was hosted was definetly an eye-opener. I learnt more about the legends Zidane, Pele and Maradonna.
Following every match, every minute of the game was exciting and FIFA 2006 was worth the effort. A memory to relish and remember for years to come :-)

Hoganekkal - Giant falls and a coracle ride. Friends to have fun with and talk and giggle. This trip was memorable and i spent a good deal of my time wading in the water.

The trips that were made and some i dint make. To Mangalore, Calcutta and Amsterdam.
I read good books and watched some excellent movies.

I wanted to make new beginnings, end old ones that wasnt meant to be. Some dreams came true while others are lignering around. I came a full circle with myself and 2006 was a milestone in my life.

I leanrt that life sometimes can be very mean on you. When your going through tough times, you simply have to keep going. This is a new beginning and am sure 2007 has lot of surprises to be unveiled and am making a positive start. Bye bye 06, Come on in 07.

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I Do..

We live in the 21st century and yet Weddings are the culmination of a woman's life.A conversation with a close friend in my terrace sipping tea led to the unravelling of this mystery.

Why does the life of every woman encircle the concept of a wedding? Why are we dreaming about the perfect man to spend the rest of our lives with, from the day skirts turn into salwars?Why is the wedding day the most special and treasured day of our lives?

Yes it is true, you can oppose it or you can ignore it but Marriage is the line every woman has to cross to be on the other side of the bridge.
It is still a bridge over troubled waters and there is little calm beyond the line, neverthless you need to cross it.

I have often noticed friends of mine, metamorphise into brides-to-be and then settled comfortably into the shoes of home-maker, mother and a partner.
There are always things to worry about and the lines on the forehead hardly ever crease out but maybe its the idea of a couple that makes us run faster to the line.
The pact of love and hate, to lean on and to fight. To love and to be loved is probably worth the entire cosmos.

Woman today are crossing all boundaries and manning space shuttles. Some are governing countries but there are still those sides to them longing to get home into the strong arms of their partners.

Two of my friends are getting married by the ring of the new year and am really excited for both of them. Ah!!! The metamorphosis again. Does marriage kill the adventurous spirit in you? Well when you chain one the other gets unleashed :)

A toast to a life of fun, laughter, tears and love. To be together till death do you apart!!May the insanity and pleasures never end!

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Tantalizing Twenties

Some call it Quarter-life crisis. A phase where everything and nothing meets your approval, where you always seem to be in search for that quintessential something which is called the call of your life. A point in time when nothing you do at work gives you sense of accomplishment and you keep going. Life characterised by giant see-saws swinging back and forth between intimacy and isolation.
A very interesting definition for this is given by Wikipedia. This article examines the emotional, financial aspects of this crisis situation.

This is the point in you life where you want to travel from the Himlayas, to the Amazon, from the Artic to the Oriental. I still have 78 places to visit before i die.PHEW! There are always more things to do in life and i find myself in constant dilema of whether i should or shouldn't. The million dollar question of To be or not to be. Fortunately, am flanked with people who give me their unconditional support in letting me grow so quarter-life crisis seems more like growing up for me :-)
While am still figuring out the way to untangle myself from this web,life goes on!

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Postcard from FIJI

I felt like adding some color to my blog. So here goes.

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Google - The creation and the creators

I cant remember the last time i picked up a book which talked about the history of a corporate. The Google Story which talks about the creation of the Google empire is one fascinating read. The determination and the passion two Stanford graduates had to create a multi-million dollar worth empire truly amazes me.
Grab your copy today.

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Food Fetish

Uptill now i always thought i was hardly adventurous when it came to trying out different cuisines. The easy excuse was being a vegetarian.
But in Hong Kong, although the choices are limited for a vegetarian, i have learnt to try my hand at different cuisines. So here goes the experience.


Itadakimasu - Japan
SUSHI is a packing of fish with rice.As the fish ferments, the rice produced a lactic acid which in turn caused the pickling of the pressed fish. Ofcourse there are vegetarian alternatives to this ancient culinary art. What we had in a Jap restaurant, is an egg sushi and a cucumber sushi.Apparently these days Sushi is customised and vinegar is added to the sushi rice to produce a pleasant flavour of tartness. Along with Sushi one gets a WASABI Sauce. I say simply beware of this. Extremely pungent, this is the Japanese horseraddish. Unmindful of its flavour i simply ate a chopstick full and in a second my nose was hanging free of my face. It took me a full minute to recover.

Bon appetit THAI.
We walked into a Thai restaurant the other day and was simply taken aback by the ambience. It was pleasant, most restaurants in Hong Kong are noisy and cluttery.
We first explained to the proprietor that we were vegetarians. He was eager to please.The first dish that arrived was scrambled eggs with bitter gourd. One mustn't think of this as a weird combination. Its sinfully delicious.
The main course had the THAI GREEN CURRY and steamed rice. Although many of you would have had this in India, what we had was exquisite. The blend of the coconut milk with the vegetables was just perfect. We almost licked the bowl of the curry.
I was simply bowled over by Thai cuisine.

Sihk Faahn - CHINA
This is the what i eat most of the time. There are some specialites in Chinese cuisine too.
I will start with MOON CAKE. This is a special chinese dessert made during the mid-autumn festival.They are round or rectangular shaped pastries.The egg yolk in the center signifies the moon.(Its a full moon day during which the autumn festival is celebrated.)Traditional mooncakes have an imprint on top consisting of the Chinese characters for "longevity" or "harmony" as well as the name of the bakery and filling in the moon cake. Imprints of a moon, a woman on the moon, flowers, vines, or a rabbit may surround the characters for additional decoration.
As part of the chinese cuisine we get many rice paste dishes similar to idiappam in india. Except that they have a samosa kind of shape and are filled with sauteed vegetables and spring onion. Delicious.

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East meets West - Welcome to Hong Kong

When i stepped foot in Hong Kong, i dint quite expect to see what i saw.
Yes Hong Kong reminds me so much of Bangalore - Concrete Jungles, mind-blowing traffic, N+1 Shopping malls and an almost oblivious crowd.

When we were on the way to the hotel from the airport in the express we saw a few apartments that would have put Indian Puravankaras and Brigade Groups to shame.


For the first few days everything around me was moving in a fast forward pace. People here walk, eat, work and talk at an amazingly rapid pace. Am not speaking relatively mind it.

We even got lost one day while trying to get out of their metros and a kind lady helped us with a map 45 minutes later since we couldn't stop anyone to ask for directions.

The people here dress similar to the Europeans but the streets are crowded and noisy and makes you feel right at home.


Dal fry and rice in Hong Kong. Yeah you can have it anywhere in the world these days so why not in the dragon country? We found a Kashmir Curry place although i tasted Thai, Japanese and Chinese Cuisine first.

Tommorrow is the Autumn Festival a kind of a family reunion day - Thanksgiving. They have a dragon show and a lantern festival from morning to midnight. This is the Discover Hong Kong 2006 special.

Am all set to party so let the show begin.

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A Great Way To Fly

People who have travelled through Singapore Airlines would definetly agree with me that it is a great way to fly.

The staff are amiable and dont frown on you when you ask for an extra glass of water.
I had some bitter experiences flying Lufthansa and i wasnt cashing on all the free beer mind it!! Just one cup of water.

Anyways, singapore airlines had me enthralled from start to finsh.

They have more leg space in their aircrafts. They even give you a vanity pouch with socks and a tooth kit.

You have menu cards for supper and lunch and the food is good. Its not like dining in Sahibs sindh sultans but what more do you want when your amidst clouds.
They screen some really good movies on air. I managed to watch Break-up and The devil wears Prada on air.

All in all am totally looking forward to flying Singapore Airlines on my way back.

Thumbs up to them!!

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Raindrops on Roses..

What is it about rain that cheers me up?
Being in Bangalore, Rain, is an everyday phenomena. But that doesnt diminish the enthusiasm that raindrops bring.

People always picture a rainy evening with Bajjis or pakodas and a steamy cup of coffee. Imagine a rocking chair and a book to read. That makes the picture complete doesnt it. The smell of the earth, the trees and plants all smiling and clean, people oblivious to the rain and walking around, children jumping into puddles.
It brings joy, a sense of overwhelming joy in my heart.

But not everyday i have the time to stand and stare at these simple yet pleasurable scenaries. Sometimes i rush home in the rain because dinner needs to be done or i dash to my stop otherwise i would miss the shuttle.

Yesterday it rained in Chennai(my hometown). My mom and i had all the time in the world to simply stand and stare. It was then i realised all the money, the hardwork would mean nothing if life isn't filled with simple moments of joy like this. Even if i worked my whole life i wouldn't get the satisfaction if i dont appreciate the beauty in front of my eyes. Maybe life is not so complicated after all, maybe we have complicated it somewhere along the way.

"Raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens,
.. these are a few of my favourite things."

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Star Wedding

Tinsel Town Weddings always carry a lot of glamour and a star showdown.
Surya and Jyotika tied the knot on September 11, 2006.

This wedding was happy to most fans of Surya and Jyotika. Their love story was known for many years now.
Happy couples, happy fans and one big happy wedding.

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Who Am I?

I took this personality test to pass time on a monday morning.
The first one with 9 questions had me as JFK

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

and the second..

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

It also tries to find your personality match with a movie.

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

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Clutters in my mind!!!

I am thinking about...
why the world isn't flat..

I said...
Leave me alone!!

I want to...
be able to disappear when i want too and also get into people's mind to know what they are thinking.

I wish...
we could rewind or fast forward life..

I hear…
noise from inside my mind all the time, constantly..which doesnt make sense.

I wonder...
how and why?

I regret...
that i have something to regret!!

I am...
what i am.

I dance...
to the rain and the songs which can make me to tap a leg!!

I sing...
pretty well ;-))

I cry...
Consider anything, only dont cry.

I am not always...
this beautiful

I make with my hands...
BEEP!!BEEP!!

I write...
to empty the dust collecting in my mind and to throw the anger out. Mostly because i like to write.

I confuse...
hmm...am slightly confused now.

I need...
what you cant give me.PEACE as of now.

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