Me Thinks

34 going on 43

2009-03-08T09:39:00.002-04:00

I thought I had lost interest in cricket or anything else that doesn't add value to my everyday life. Cricket, movies, music everything has taken a backseat these days. I am so busy being busy that I haven't been devoting any time to follow whats going on in Indian cricket or more specifically Sachin's cricket. I have come to the sad realization that he is the sole thread that ties me to the world of cricket. My Iam-a-cricket-fan days are numbered. Yesterday I watched the master at play. Thank you God for creating Sachin!! I will talk about Sachin and his exploits to my kids some day just like my parents talked about GRVishwanath and say cricket would never be the same without the hero.

ARR it is

2009-02-22T23:01:00.003-05:00

ARRehman just received 2 Oscars. Thank God for him!! Kudos to you Sir. Loved seeing you there, loved your mention of Chennai and loved the Tamil end-of-speech but hated your speechwriter. Maybe there wasn't one and that is why you said what you said.:-)
Why did you use "Mere paas Maa hain"? It didn't fit in at all!!!!
Anyway, Jai Ho. We are proud of you.

Planned Marriage

2009-01-30T10:57:00.005-05:00

My cousin is getting married. She is my first cousin's brother-in-law's sister's 2nd cousin but you know how it works - if you know them & you have some common relatives, they become your cousins. She is having an arranged marriage. I think everybody knows how arranged marriages work these days. At least most of the arranged marriages. The parents fix you up. You chat over the phone, meet a couple of times, talk about likes & dislikes and then you get married. Basically, you date with your parents' permission.

But, you know, love marriage sounds too cool. If she told everyone that she was having an arranged marriage, people would think she was getting married to a complete stranger or so she thinks. The girl and the boy seeing each other for the first time at their own wedding is passe (in 99% of the cases). But tell that to my cousin.

So she tells everyone she is having a "love cum arranged" marriage. She emails all of us and talks about how they had stealthily exchanged looks when he had come home to see her and how they held hands and enjoyed the sweet sounds of the birds chirping, autos honking, kids burping etc. The intention of the email is to tell one and all that they know each other so well and are having fun as "dating" couple. I am sure she is not alone. I wish all such couples the best this world can give. But please face it, you are having an arranged marriage. The more you try to conceal that, the more you look like a "wannabe". I know you get a kick when you refer to your fiance as your hubby. Its all part of that dreamy phase but please be careful when you pick your audience. Not everybody thinks that is cho chweet.

That being said, you and your fiance are sweet and Good Luck to both of you.

P.S - Its not you, its the economy

DD Days

2008-10-15T10:31:00.003-04:00

I often use the words "DD days" to refer to days when "I don't have time" was not part of my vocab. There was enough time to do everything. DD had shows that, today, would be considered a drab...a sub standard program. The one hour dramas on Tuesdays, Chitrahaar on Wednesdays were watched with such enthusiasm that are reserved only for Word Cup finals and Super Bowl these days. I even watched programs like Ulavarum Olikkadhir, which showed clips of various functions, rituals held in temples around the city. And the king of all programs was Oliyum Oliyum on Fridays. Even Sunday evening movie came a distant second if there was a popularity contest between the programs.

Sunday would occasionally win the race if there was a "Malarum Ninaivugal" that afternoon. Otherwise, Friday was the clear winner. Even though most of us didn't know any Hindi then, we still watched the Saturday evening movie. Of course, the announcer would announce the story in Tamil before the start of the movie. Talking about announcers, VSRaghavan and Gemini Ganesan did the same before "Hum Log" began. Thus one more Hindi program was added to our list of "must see" programs. Chitramala was watched on Mondays with the hope that at least one Tamil song would be aired. In spite of all these programs, we were able to do homework, go outside to play, listen to the neighbors' gossip etc. And we never used the words I-don't-have-time.

Now there is no dearth of channels and there are many good programs but there is no time to follow any of them faithfully like I followed DD. Today as I sat on the couch rocking my 7-week old daughter, I was listening to PooMalaye by Ilayaraaja. Enjoying the song without my mind working in the background making a to-do list was new. And it felt good...took me back to DD days. When the next song played, I closed my eyes and was picturing Murali doing that ugly dance in front of Kuyili and singing "Aatthaadi paavadai..". It was like watching Oliyum Oliyum on DD. And then it was Karthik's turn to do an ugly dance in the song "Pani vizhum malar vanam". The steps had a certain amount of humor. All this was before Prabhu Deva broke into the scene with "Dol dappi ma" and raised the bar. Now even Surya is dancing decently. Next it was Nizhalgal Ravi with "Poongadhavey" followed by Chandrasekar's "Madai Thirandhu". Oliyum Oliyum with all your favorite songs!!! Aha, blissful.

Nandri, Thank You, Shukriya

2008-09-14T19:17:00.003-04:00

I would like to thank my family, friends, neighbors and most importantly my friend Blogeswari for bestowing this great honor upon me. (I am trying hard to ignore the lump in my throat and fanning my dark-circled eyes with fingers. But the efforts fail) She not only gave this award but also liberally exaggerated by using words like "fan-following" to refer to people who visit this space because I plead, threaten or cajole them to do so.

Hail our friendship B. I owe you one.:-)

Kudos to our PM

2008-07-23T10:31:00.003-04:00

When NDA lost in the last elections, I was sad. I thought the party that India needed most, the one with guts, was defeated by a party that keeps changing its agenda. From Pokhran, kargil war, the bus trip to the POTA, Congress opposed everything that the BJP did. It was clear that UPA would be ruling India, but the thought of Sonia Gandhi as the PM saddened me even more. I was praying it would be Manmohan Singh. His name came out of the blue. He was not a contender but it happened like magic. A highly qualified man finally became our PM.

As years went by, we all realized that the concept of Left and Right wing doesn't apply to India. Congress, which blamed BJP of cozying up to America, actually took steps that would strengthen the relationship between India and the sole super power. And BJP opposed every single action and called the PM a puppet at every possible occasion. The hypocrisy of the current opposition party is very apparent. They oppose without giving an alternative - so typical. Reminds me of John Kerry who kept saying "I have a plan" but never told anyone what it was and eventually snatched defeat from the jaws of victory and made G.W.Bush the President again. I am quoting a few lines from our PM's speech here and they sound very sincere. One can never tell who would win the election next time but lets hope that at least the ideas of our PM survive after the election.

The moral of the story is that political parties should be judged not by what they say while in opposition but by what they do when entrusted with the responsibilities of power.

Every day that I have been Prime Minister of India I have tried to remember that the first 10 years of my life were spent in a village with no drinking water supply, no electricity, no hospital, no roads and nothing that we today associate with modern living. I had to walk miles to school, I had to study in the dim light of a kerosene oil lamp. This nation gave me the opportunity to ensure that such would not be the life of our children in the foreseeable future.

Sir, my conscience is clear that on every day that I have occupied this high office, I have tried to fulfil the dream of that young boy from that distant village.

The greatness of democracy is that we are all birds of passage! We are here today, gone tomorrow! But in the brief time that the people of India entrust us with this responsibility, it is our duty to be honest and sincere in the discharge of these responsibilities. As it is said in our sacred texts, we are responsible for our actions and we must act without coveting the rewards of such action. Whatever I have done in this high office I have done so with a clear conscience and the best interests of my country and our people at heart. I have no other claims to make.

Dasavatharam

2008-07-04T19:58:00.003-04:00

Kamal is a narcissist; he is doing 10 roles for the heck of it - I heard this a million times and over and over from everyone around. When I heard that he was writing the dialogs too, I was disappointed. He is no crazy Mohan, can't be funny. I was wondering why he was becoming a T.Rajendar donning all the hats. Having K.S.Ravi Kumar as the Director means only one thing - that Kamal would be the main go-to-guy in the making of the movie. Remember Avvai Shanmugi?

But still the ardent Kamal fan in me couldn't wait to watch the movie and I did. Its true that some roles are very redundant. I still don't understand why he had to become Bush. Why not Manmoham Singh and Karunanidhi too? And what were the 3 heads doing sitting together after Tsunami? I didn't get it. One of the roles (Muslim role) was inspired by Bheem-boy from MMKR I think. The makeup was sad. He could have as well worn a venetian mask.

All that being said, its still a treat for people who are looking for some class act. Kamal is brilliant with the dialogs, especially the conversation between Napoleon and Kamal in the period drama shows how brilliant this main is. Kudos Thalaiva!! Asin plays a typical heroine - no brains, a lot of immaturity and finally falls in love with the hero. I am glad I watched this movie.

He might be a narcissist but he is a complete artist, people!! Acknowledge that. I heard this movie is a hit in Tamil Nadu. God indeed is present... to reward talent and hard work.

Santhosh Subramanyam

2008-06-16T15:55:00.004-04:00

This is not a review. I've been catching up with Hindi & Tamil movies and this is the last one I watched. I am a closet Jayam Ravi fan. I've seen his "M.Kumaran..." and "Something something...". So I wanted to watch this movie as well. He brings certain life to such characters. I wish I had enough enthusiasm to watch Telugu movies so I can actually see Siddharth in the corresponding roles. My limited Telugu understanding and lack of company keep me from doing it.

Anyway, it was a SURPRISE to see Sadagopan Ramesh make a debut in this movie. For the sake of a long lost friend of mine (B, what is our friend M up to these days?), I will refrain from commenting on this character. And what is Kousalya doing in this movie?! She is married to an American Maaplai and is on the phone through out the movie. Why was she selected for the role and why was she a married 'akka'? And why the character itself?! Has no relevance to the movie. I used to like her. Never watched any of her movies but liked her looks in songs like "Akila Akila' and "oru mani aditthaal". Like all heroines that have lost "market share", she is here doing the akka role.

Jayam Ravi is good as usual. And Prakash raj has to be the dad because he can't do the hero's role and there is no villain in the movie. VijayKumar, of course, is there as well. But how come he is not dying in this movie like he does in most movies? Geetha is the hero's Mom. The most annoying character was of course Genelia's. Sadly, she is in all 3 versions (Tamil, Telugu and Hindi). I think the Hindi version has Aamir Khan's nephew or somebody as the hero. And the songs are big hits if I have to go by the local Hindi channel.

I don't know if Genelia is annoying or its the Director who should be blamed for this annoying character. Her sole aim in life is to head-butt people, in this movie. The hero might find it cute but normal men (and women) definitely won't. There are million ways to show that a girl is outgoing, extroverted, social etc but the Director chose to portray this character as someone thats messed up in the head. And to think its "cute"!!!!!! But the movie's storyline is good and its definitely worth a watch.

Please suggest some good Tamil/Hindi movies for me. Everybody around is doing summer "reading", I wanna do summer "watching" and catch up.

Oscar

2008-06-03T15:16:00.003-04:00

I can't wait for Dasavatharam's release. Since I watched Sivaji first day first show, I am duty bound to watch Dasavatharam on the first day itself. But looks like there are many hurdles as is expected of a Kamal movie. But the one controversy that interests me the most is the one that relates to the name of the producer.

He not only gave himself a new firstname, Oscar (and removed Venu), but also used a symbol that resembles the Oscar trophy, for his movies. If he hadn't used the symbol, he wouldn't have been in trouble. The use of the name and the symbol peeved the actual Oscar people. I am sure Venu Oscar is pretty grouchy now. Last I heard, Oscar Ravichandran changed his name to "Ascar" Ravichandran. Is that true?

Out of Coma

2008-05-27T16:53:00.002-04:00

This blog is out of coma. I was biting more than I could chew and hence blog-hopping and blogging came to a standstill. I've decided to change the status quo and see if I can manage. A big Thank You to some of you who inquired about my well-being. You helped breathe life into this. Thanks again. Will see you all in this space soon.

Hindi Music in TamilNadu

2008-02-25T08:45:00.003-05:00

Actor Parthiban once during some award ceremony or something talked about how Tamil girls in the 70s were enamored by anything Hindi. "They even sneezed in Hindi", he said. And then came Ilayaraaja with a bang with Annakkili and the interests and the faith of people in Tamil music were restored.

I love researching on subjects that are extremely insignificant and inconsequential. So I wanted to see if there was any truth in what Parthiban had said and if so, find out the reasons. An extremely reliable source told me that around late 60s and 70s, MSV wasn't giving as many hits as he used to before. He was on the decline. He did compose a few gems but they were very infrequent. At the same time RDBurman was on a roll. And after Rajesh Khanna broke into the scene around '69 with Aradhana (MD - SDBurman), whatever song he starred in became a hit. Amitabh's "Tere bindiyan re" and "Kaike paan banaraswala" only helped the situation. And people suddenly paid more attention to hindi music. I have to agree with this because even people who don't understand hindi or listen to hindi music know at least 2 songs from that period - Mere Sapnon ki Rani kab and Pyaar kiya to darna kya. And once they found that hindi music was better than current tamil ones, they rewound a little bit to early 60s and started listening to music from that time. Kishore Kumar and Mohammed Rafi became popular in a state like TamilNadu suddenly. This was probably a phenomenon restricted to Chennai, I am not sure. So the unofficial starting decade of "Old Hindi" is the 60s. It stretches till late 70s or early 80s because of movies like Bobby and all. So anyone that says "I love old hindi songs" is probably talking about music that were made in these years. 80s and early 90s, forget it. IR's golden period made sure Tamil music stayed superior. With SPB, Yesudas, Janaki and Chitra, music lovers of TamilNadu stayed loyal to Tamil music industry.

Then came programs like Super Hit Muqabla that helped sustain some interest in hindi music among college goers. With the death of DD and evolution of regional channels the divide is now complete. We have no clue whats going on. Unless of course ARR comes up with some breathtaking numbers like he did in Dil Se, Taal, Lagaan etc. When you listen to songs like "You are my mind-lowing maahiya", you know why you don't listen to latest hits in hindi and you go back and reminisce the old songs and leave yourself open to sobriquets like "Perusu", "older generation", and suddenly these terms make you happy.

Thats my personal experience dear friends. I still listen to old numbers in both hindi and tamil. I've always been a big fan of Mohammed Rafi and sadly, I've never found a partner. Anybody that listens to old hindi worships Kishore. Although there is no comparison between the two, I still feel Rafi's voice had more magic than Kishore's. Even Sachin Tendulkar, a big fan of old hindi music, loves Kishore the most. No doubt Kishore was more versatile. Whenever I am cornered in a situation where majority of the people around are Kishore fans, I think about a Rafi song and feel happy about my choice. "Abhi Na Jao" from Hum Dono is one such song. Rafi is scintillating in this. If you've never heard this song, do yourself a favor, and click on the video below.

Class

2008-02-05T13:58:00.000-05:00

I've always loved movies. And I used to be a big fan of KB. KB, Kamal Hassan and Ilayaraaja combination, I feel, is God's gift to mankind.

Even today when I watch good acting or good execution, I get tears. The scene might be a funny one but I think I shed tears in appreciation of the talent. "Silly Feelings". Maybe its a sickness I have. Every time I watch Enna Samayalo song my eyes well up. Great acting, great music, great direction and great rendition of the song. Ilayaraaja apparently wrote the song and one can see his brilliance. The swarams Sa-Da-Ma-Ga become Sadhamaga brilliantly. Please watch the song and indulge your soul.

School Bus

2008-01-16T13:21:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, I got a big compliment from one of our family members - a 12 year old, that I was a "cool" adult. She said that because of an observation I had made the previous day. I had said "Adults always under-estimate the pressure kids feel at school or even school bus". The "school bus" was not added unintentionally. I have had the school bus experience and was actually reflecting on that more than saying something to empathize with a wanna-be teenager. But I am perfectly happy with the compliment.

As usual I have a story to narrate. After completing my first standard (or grade if you will), my parents switched me to a new school. And I was to travel to school by the school bus. Every school that has a bus has a school bus gang. Even if they belong to different age groups, kids who've been "bus students" stick up for one another and a new entrant is always viewed with suspicion/contempt. The new ones are not given seats, which would be reserved by way of placing school bag, lunch bag etc for people who'd never come to occupy. New school and new bus-gang kind of scared me. But since it was my brother's first school experience, I often pretended to be very confident.

A few months later, the hole in my right ear had to be fixed. It wasn't at the center as is the norm. So after a small medical procedure, I had a center hole and thus two holes in my ear. When my mother tried to put earring, she couldn't do it the usual way as the new hole was too tiny. So she put the earring from behind and screwed it tight from the front. So my earrings were on the inside while the screws were the ones anyone could see. I thought it was strange and told my parents tat people at school would make fun of me. They came up with a brilliant solution and said "If anyone asks you, tell them this way of wearing it is in fashion". They probably thought they gave me a smart idea and I was too dumb to revolt too.

The next morning school bus arrived, I got in and some annoying kid (who happens to be my father's friend's daughter) noticed my ear and said I was wearing it wrong. Being the kid that does what parents say, I gave the practised reply. She laughed so loud that her laughter invited 10 more kids who laughed along with her without knowing what had happened. After she stopped laughing, she mustered enough energy to tell the crowd what I had told. And the laughter was even louder. Even though the time between our boarding and the bus reaching school was less than half hour, it seemed very very long. And the taunting continued promptly that evening when the bus left school. It continued for many weeks and months. And I was desperately hoping that another kid would do or say something silly that would make these kids forget what I had said. I don't exactly remember how long it continued but I think that was my first experience of "peer pressure". And to date I hold my parents responsible for not preparing me well (in other words making me a fool) and their reaction has been the same in all these years - they laugh.

I definitely know about the pressure, dear niece. Maybe I am a cool adult.:-)

Social conditioning

2007-12-30T07:02:00.000-05:00

Years before I even knew of the term philately, whenever someone asked me what my hobby was, I'd proudly say "Stamp collection". My brother and I kind of inherited the stamp album that my cousin possessed because he had outgrown that hobby. And not once did I actually seek stamps although my brother would trade Sultanate of Oman for rare stamps like Uganda and thus pretend, I think, to be more serious about the hobby. Whoever I mentioned this hobby to, would carefully collect and hand over the stamps to me and thus our collection grew big till one fine day, we forgot about the album and consequently lost it. I've often wondered why I mentioned that as a hobby when my actual hobby was watching TV. Cooler friends of mine said things like photography and gardening. I couldn't use photography because I thought there was absolutely no fun in pressing a button in a camera (obviously I didn't think of the pictures) and gardening would be a sham since we lived in a flat and the only plant we had was a money(or is it mani?) plant that grew in a pickle or Boost bottle. So I came up with stamp collection to be accepted into the cool-people world.

When I was 13 or 14, we were asked to write an essay on our favorite characters in epics. I wrote a long essay on why Yudhishtra, the personification of truth and justice, was my favorite character when the truth was I liked Sahadeva. I liked Sahadeva in Mahabharata and Shatrugna in Ramayana. But I could never have written more than half a line on these characters.

A digression - Sahadeva (one of the Pandavas) and Shatrugna (one of Rama's brothers) have a lot in common the least of which is the starting letter of their names. They are the invisibles. Maybe I should add that based on my knowledge of the epics, thats what they are. Even Nakula gets a mention for being the most handsome of the Pandavas. But Sahadeva just makes up the number. Ditto with Shatrugna. He is merely one of the sons. So when Ramanand Sagar and Chopra made Ramayana and Mahabharata serials, they picked the most morose-looking characters to play these roles.

Its funny how even as a school kid, people like me innocently said and did things that were totally untrue only to be appreciated and accepted. Over the years we realize it and laugh at it like I do now. And hence I've come to appreciate kids that actually say what they feel. Its got something to do with confidence - confidence that the world will still be the same even if they are not accepted as elite or normal. I saw an 8-year old boy tell Santa that he wasn't a good boy but he'll be next year and that he still wanted a gift this year. I would never have said that as a kid. (I also defend that it can't be termed hypocrisy if the age is taken into consideration.)

BO

2007-12-07T08:34:00.000-05:00

During my summer holidays after the 12th exams, a friend asked me what my favorite deodorant was. At an age, where I didn't know the difference between a deo, cologne and perfume, I said with brimming pride in my voice that I didn't use any "such" products. She had an imported Fa then and like most people I thought these products were for people that didn't take a bath regularly.

One of the things I'd credit NCC with, it taught early on in life to people like me the importance of such products. We all Indians know we sweat a lot but still assume we don't stink. BO (body dour) can be very very repulsive and people laugh at us from behind. We are not only not aware of it but we also feel proud of the fact that we live an "organic" life.

All this build-up obviously leads to a story or a predicament I have to deal with. A girl I am friends with is someone I met recently. I look out for her. She is smart and serious about what she wants to do. Landed in this country a few months ago and takes me way too seriously. Her BO makes people around make faces or gestures that are not very nice. How does one tell a person that one has BO without offending them? There is no way. I feel bad not telling her but I can't tell her that she has BO. I can't even tell if she were my close friend and I am guessing even if she were my sister. It's very offensive and embarrassing to the person. What does one do in such a situation?

Hello Miss Pompous

2007-11-15T15:54:00.000-05:00

Thanks to you a strange thought occured to me - that running a sharp knife through a cushiony bed must be exciting and that might assuage a person in times like these. I am guessing that I feel this way because I am really mad at YOU. yes, I AM really mad at you and REALLY mad at you.
I genuinely hope I don't become like (one of) you someday. Everytime you talk to me condescendingly I thought it was just your personality because you "must" be nice as someone in your position ought to be. But when I see you sucking upto non-Indians, I find it hard to convince myself that you are normal. I know you act like this to me because I am also an Indian. This is the worst form of racism. I bet you wouldn't dare show this attitude to some white woman. And thanks to you, I said something I promised I'd never even feel leave alone say - that I dread dealing with Indians. And thanks to you Tendulkar's innings is the last thing in my mind. And I hope this post serves as some sort of catharsis.

My Blog

2007-11-02T17:07:00.000-04:00

Somebody told me (after reading my previous post) that my blog "ini mella chaagum". That kind of upset me, I don't want it too. The frequency of my posts indicates how much I am able to do things that I really like. Recently, I had an argument with a friend about people doing the things they like. She said its a luxury. Its not that I have a strong opinion on the topic but I love playing devil's advocate. So I said "If you really (make that capital) want to do something, you'll always find time for it". And that friend easily agreed. Now I think thats not true. I don't blog regularly and I want to slouch on the couch doing nothing but I never have time for that. Does that mean one is bad in time management or is doing the things you like really a luxury? Please give me your opinion.

Vat-a-song!

2007-10-25T23:49:00.001-04:00

I am supposed to be working on assignments now. But I couldn't help and had to do this. The song I am listening to right now is worth a post.

I am a big fan of old tamil hits. The song Naanamo from Ayiratthil Oruvan is a classic. Now Pallikkoodam has a song that has Naanamo tune and the lyrics go like this...

M - RoseMary, nee oru juice maari.....
F - Robert-u, potten bracket-u.....

Listen to that scintillating song here.

Kamal Saar rightly quotes in "Per sollum pillai" - "Thamizh ini mellachaagum".

School scene - 1

2007-09-28T21:40:00.000-04:00

It was 9PM and my stomach was making strange noises. I was speed walking out of the class so I could go home quick and have my extremely delicious dinner made by myself. (sandhula sindhu)

There was a big crowd near the elevator. Couldn't take the stairs as I was too hungry and I was on the 13th floor. Somehow managed to squeeze into the elevator that was actually going up. I didn't care. I just wanted to get in. There were some 40 people in the elevator and there was an Indian guy.

In New Jersey and New York, you shouldn't smile or say "Hi" if you see other Indians because even if you do, they are going to look away like it has happened to me many times before. I don't now why and I wasn't ready for any "bulb" at that time. I tried to act like a local and didn't look his way. He kept staring at me and he probably thought "Lemme see how long you can avoid looking this way, Missy". I conceded defeat, looked and smiled (not too much) and before even I could finish that perfunctory smile, he went "Which part of India are you from?" Instead of saying "Whats your problem and why do you care", I unintentionally sounded decent and the words "Are you asking me?" came out. Before I could finish the sentence with "me", pat came his reply. "I am from Ranchi. Do you know Ranchi?" I nodded as I said "I've heard of it". And as usual, he wasn't interested in what I was saying or going to say, he went "Dhoni is from there. Do you know cricketer Dhoni?" I said "yes" but why did I even bother answering, I don't know. Not that he paid attention. He was most surprised by my yes and he asked "You know Dhoni?!" He could've as well said "Hey woman!! You know cricket and even know cricketers' names!! Thats very surprising." And I don't think he believed that I'd heard of Dhoni. Ranchi pasangala, too much I say. To add to all this pride, he captained and the team won the world cup. I think the guy's mission that day was to tell any Indian looking person that he was from Ranchi. Pasila potruppen. But common sense prevailed. I think of Dhoni, the Ranchi-ite, as a "kaattaan" and one should never mess with him (them).

Irony

2007-09-24T21:30:00.000-04:00

Indian cricket team wins the 20-20 World Cup. The Big 3 - Sachin, Dravid and Ganguly weren't part of the team. The only chance of ever holding a cup thats anywhere close to the actual world cup just passed by. You are good err.. great, the 3 of you, just not "lucky".

Dear Bluetooth freak

2007-09-06T16:17:00.000-04:00

Its funny how you assume people are at awe because you wear that cool widget over your ear. You are lucky if some of us don't think thats a hearing aid because its impossible to spot you without that thing. And you seem to be talking (loudly) all the time to someone. Don't you have real friends whom you can meet in person and chat? Have you wondered why people gawk at you when you walk by? Please remove that thing from your ear and ask someone on the road to wear it on their left ear. Stand on their right side and let them use your phone. Observe them for 5 minutes - laughing, screaming, hitting their head, gesturing etc. All this, while they are walking normally with both their hands swinging by their side. I promise you'd think that person is crazy. And thats exactly how you look everytime you pass us. Isn't it funny that you think a few desperate housewives are ogling at you? Maybe someday you'll land in this space and realize what exactly is happening. So long.

Student

2007-08-28T22:36:00.000-04:00

Why haven't I updated my blog in the last 2 weeks? I am a student now. Officially. Started classes and all. Business school would be fun for me, I was told. Soon I'll discover. Being a full-time student is so different from how I had imagined it. Almost all the Indians I've met in class have come here from India. I mean, there is no have-been-here-for-a-few-years types a la myself. Only when I talk to them I realize that I've acquired an accent by virtue of living in this country for so long. Oh no, not because they sound different. Sometimes I think I can sense the expression - "Oh, she has an accent". Or maybe its "Are you displaying your artifical accent to me?" Whatever it is, it'd be sometime before I'd be accepted in that group. And all of them are orkuters and hence know one another. One more reason why I am out of the loop, I don't orkut. More "namma ooru singari business school ponaalaam" experiences would find vent here in the coming days.

Older sibling

2007-08-16T14:02:00.000-04:00

Older siblings are fun. Well, no. Being an older sibling is fun. No matter what authority or power you actually acquire in life, your first taste of power is had when you have a younger sibling. An occasional "You have to study well, so your siblings learn from you" from parents and others is not that bad considering the amount of power thats entrusted. I've known so many older brothers who set ridiculous rules for their younger sisters. There is dress code and thats a given. Phone rules are still popular - no talking to guys after 8pm. When confronted with "Hey., you talked to other girls", they go "I know exactly what and how guys talk and hence the rule". Can't blame them. Girls with younger sisters still have the same rule. And the excuse is "I dont want her to commit the same mistakes that I did". Logical! Older siblings, inadvertently, become parents in the above cases.

With two brothers the power a.k.a domination is not that bad, at least comparatively. Maybe because there is no woman involved there.;-) With older sister and younger brother, things are slightly different. The power equation doesn't remain the same through out. I think thats because brothers grow taller and stronger at some point. I have only myself to look as an example. I still reminisce my heydays. Those days I ruled my brother with an iron fist. Flash back some 20+ years.......

It was a summer afternoon. We were visitng our aunt's place. No sane soul would do as much as peep out at that time of the day. But I wanted to go out and my brother had no option but to follow. We went to the nearby park to go on the slide. I decided to slide on the slide while my brother decided to stand at the end of the slide. Once I reached the top, I changed my mind. Instead of going down sitting like its done traditionally, I wanted to lie and fly down with my head leading and my body and feet following. Once I started that, I kept my hand on the slide to balance but it was way too hot. When I reached the bottom, I couldnt stop with my hand as it was too hot, I lost control and did a somersault. No bodily hurt but my pride and ego were severely bruised when I saw the suppresed laughter on my bother's face. He knew better than to laugh out loud then. I looked at him and he apologised. The sorry was so muffled and it was interspersed with laughter. There was laughter, sympathy, fear - you name the expression and he had it on his face. I had to think fast and think of an apt punishment for this gross disrespect. The sorrys came out quickly. I concluded "You slide and fall down in a similar fashion". He was pleading "I am wearing knickers and its too hot". Between every word he uttered, there was a pause and he closed his mouth to control the grin. I would have nothing of it. "You do it or I am not going to play with you from tomorrow. You have no friends, remember?" 10 minutes of pleading and negotiating went on and we were going nowhere. I had to discipline my brother, who else would do it, I thought. You dont laugh when someone falls down, do you? I was telling my own self and was satisfied with my judgment. Someone yelled out my name. It was my aunt's son, my cousin. "You take your your brother and go home right now". My cousin was like my elder brother. I heard it loud and clear. I had to follow it in letter and spirit. I held my brother's hand, got an approval nod from my cousin and headed home directly, no questions asked. And never talked about what had happened in the park. Hmmmm, those were the days........

The 82

2007-08-11T10:01:00.000-04:00

I think people like me will support Sachin even if he scores 10 ducks in a row. He got 91 in the last test and now 82. Statistics would suggest that he sored big in back-to-back matches. But one should have seen that innings. The only thing worse than watching that 82 innings would have to be watching "Vayalum Vaazhvum" on DD1. Sachin remind yourself "I am Sachin Tendulkar, India's greatest batsman" and do justice to that title.

Hindi - Indian

2007-08-01T16:39:00.000-04:00

When I was in school I used to think being a North Indian is cool. I used to think North Indians were very "forward" thinking. My N.Indian friends' moms wore salwars and had lipstick on most of the time. That was my idea of being "forward" at that age. When I saw my neighbour aunty cover her head with her "ghoonghat" everytime she went past her mother-in-law, I thought they were not as cool as I had assumed. But the girls from N.Indian families never had bindi/pottu and sang "Ek do teen" songs, which was way too cool. My impression of them wavered between cool and uncool. And yes, eventually I realized that the enthusiasm for dressing up isn't in anyway related to "progressiveness".

The cousins or friends visiting from N.India too acted like North Indians. They sang hindi songs, girls never donned pottu, used "accha" frequently (I am thinking of Sowcar Janaki from Iru kodugal now) and definitely seemed cool. Being able to talk in hindi gave them some sort of a superiority complex I guess. And whenever I could, I tried to prove that my spoken hindi was good. So I am one up - I thought. Chaste Chennai tamil and good "shuddh" hindi. But heart of hearts, over the years, I have developed intolerance for one group of people - non-hindi speaking ones settled in North India, who assume knowing hindi is as important as knowing the letters of the alphabet. Run for life if you come across such characters. Its easy to identify them in a group.

- They keep saying, even if its out of context, that their tamil or telugu is not that good. They have a proud smile if you point it out to them.
- Even though they had lived in some South Indian city for a few years, they disown it with a vengeance.
- They talk proudly about how all their friends are hindi-speaking ones. They claim they listen only to hindi songs and talk only in hindi at home (so unlike N.Indians settled in the south. They dont disown their mother-tongue definitely.)

No matter how much of a hindi-peter they pretend to be, they will always be classified as "Madrasis" by their peers.

Disclaimer - A rule can be prroved only if there are exceptions. And I've seen enough exceptions. Some of them are my close friends too. But people, you know I dont include you in that group, dont you?

A post for my son

2007-07-23T21:07:00.000-04:00

My friend's idea kind of triggered this post. So this one is for you Varun on your Second Birthday.

I hope you enjoyed the day. We didn't throw a party like most parents do. Soon you are gonna be dictating what the party theme should be, how the cake should look like, who should be invited and what goes inside the goody-bag. And we'll be all ears to that. Yes, last year we celebrated because that was the first anniversary of our parenthood.;-)

You are a great kid. I get a high everytime I say I am a Mom and I thank you for that. Someday I might brag or tell codescendingly that I quit my job to take care of you. But that would be a lie. I quit because I wanted to be with you. I don't think you needed me as much as I need(ed) you. So quitting was the only option. You are two today and in a few months' time you would head to school (albeit for a couple of hours) So I decide to go to a business school myself just around that time. You, in a very indirect way, helped me make that decision. Thanks again. I am a hyper-parent I agree. I need to be around for every milestone of yours but I am not that proud-parent-of bumper-sticker types. I haven't uploaded any picture of yours, never talked about any of your "achievements" proudly in this space but I hope at the end of the day you get to feel our "Unconditional love". Thats what matters. Now that I think of that post, I wonder if parent-child love is unconditional. If loving unconditionally gives the parents utmost pleasure, that cant be deemed a selfless act for sure. Varun, this post has turned out to be a little too sentimental than I had imagined. Moral is, be a good boy and be nice to me. After all, I quit my well-paying job to take care of you.:-)

IR and my heartbreak

2007-07-17T15:12:00.000-04:00

My liking for Ilayaraaja borders on devotion. Although he is past his prime now, I feel some of the music he created can only be created by a genius. And if you take the quality of music, the quantity of hits, originality into account, I don't think he has any successor. I was upset when he re-cycled, a la Rehman, his own music for the hindi movie, Cheeni Kum. But my heart really broke when I discovered that one of my favourite songs that he composed music for was actually a copy. I would've used the word "inspiration" at the slightest of excuse to defend my idol. But after hearing this, I just couldn't. Deva can do this, infact he is supposed to do this. Vidyasaagar can do this, even ARR can. But how could Ilayaraaja? I am still recovering.......

Equal pay

2007-07-08T10:02:00.000-04:00

From this year onwards Wimbledon, like the US open, pays both the men and women players equally. As a woman, I am supposed to feel happy about the development and all. Venus Williams thanked Billie Jean King during the award ceremony for pushing this rule. But if women cant play 5 sets like the men, why should they get the same pay? Wouldn't no one have asked this question? After watching the women's finals, the one-sided, easy and boring game, I am sure the men playing the game at Wimbledon would've thought its gross injustice. I feel that way while I am watching the men's finals' fist set (7-6). 75 minutes!

A link

2007-07-06T15:23:00.000-04:00

Almost exactly (is that an oxymoron?) ten years ago, I was working in an IT firm in Chennai. I was having tea with 2 other people, One and Two. The conversation went thus.

One - I applied to TCS. I would have to take their test soon. Do you have their question paper?
Two - No, I have Infosys'.
One - I might apply there too. Give me the question paper anyway.
Two - I have it in my bag. Will give you.
One - Do you have the answers?
Two - Yes, but just the answers. You'll have to figure out the method to arrive at the answer though.
One - I don't think I have time for that. Lets see if I get lucky.

One and Two were/are very smart people. They are real go-getters and are doing really well now but still the conversation doesn't reflect that. And I think the question papers of Infosys and TCS remained the same for years.

What one learns in college/school is different from what the companies expect from graduates. Can analytical thinking be taught? I wonder. Maybe, if this website is to be believed. I loved this site. Its aptly named as gymnasium. Its developed by someone I know. And I thought for once I'd give a productive link.:-) If you do visit, leave a comment if you have the time and enthusiasm.

This is not a post

2007-07-01T21:34:00.000-04:00

Yes. This is just an expression of happiness - result of excitement. I saw the Ind-SA match today. Sachin was the Man of the series and my devotion is restored.:-)

Sivaji experience by a Rajini fan

2007-06-21T14:49:00.001-04:00

My friend Bubby is a hardcore Rajini fan. And I think its appropriate to post her review here. Although we disagree with a few things, I enjoy reading her review. here it goes.......

Right from the first frame till the last SIVAJI is total paisa vasool.

STORYLINE

Sivaji, the software professional or something like that comes to India to set up a project worth 200 Crore and build colleges, hospitals etc. Adiseshan (Suman) is his rival who goes all out to stop Sivaji from building this empire. He succeeds in doing so and Sivaji is left with just one rupee in hand… And this is the interval block. Does Sivaji succeed in building his 200 Crore empire ? (what a suspense…nailbiting I say) .. There you have your 3 hour extravaganza!

Sivaji has all the ingredients of a Rajni movie.. for the pucca Rajni fan.. right from your mill thozilaali [the kaamedy in the first part] to your Manhattan tam guy [Thalaivar englipees la pinraar]. The first half comedy especially the first one hour is mainly aimed at rows # T-Z but let me tell you honestly. I enjoy slapstick comedy immensely and I laughed out loud everytime thalaivar went "ooohh.. haa" after biting those red chillies in the kaamedy scene.

Talking about kaamedy, Vivek is at his best. We have seen him in Anniyan giving those "Thala-muthu natarasaan maligai-la application podara madiri love letter irukkaee…."lines. He is at his peak when he gives those punch lines.. aamam… this time it is not thalaivar but china-k-kalaivanar who gives all those punch dialaaks, but only after taking a dig at all the china-p-pasanga who have started lifting their fingers giving punch dialaaks. Simbu, Vijay , kekkudha?

Thailavar does a Sivaji, M G R and yes, Kamal in one of the sequences. Deepavali annikku pongal saapadalam, aana pongal annikku deepavali saapida mudiyuma? Wondering why I am doing a Ganthimathi here? Thailavar-Superstar can imitate Ulaga nayagan but can Ulaga Nayagan do a Superstar? Adhu....

The Adhiradi second half is for rows #A-Z. Thalaivar has kalakkufyed like never before. The action sequences are by Peter Hain.. and uff.. is Thalaivar really 57? Hard to believe!! Matrix in its umpteenth avadaram in tamizh cinema. The Tamizhised Matrix has its own charm thanks only to Superstar.

The first half has more romantic interludes with Shriya and less of Rajni-Suman modhal. May be it was aimed at the aam junta wanting to look at a typical daavani-poaata tamizh kudumba ponnu again and again with Thalaivar. As a big Shankar fan, I was looking for the Rajni-Suman modhal scenes in the first half which were missing quite a bit. But the director makes up for it by giving an action virundu in the second half.

MOOJIK

The music.. A R R !! What more can I say? Like most Rahman albums, the songs didn't get me hooked the first few times I listened. But now, 'Oru koodai sunlight a.k.a Style', 'Adhiradee..' are on repeattt-u mode...forever! Now take a break and ensoy this ..

The Athiradee song is a perfect combination of best music, best singers – my favourites Karthik, Naresh Iyer are the supporting vocals, best costumes- Thailavar's adiradee look- blonde hair etc, Sooper choreography – Lawrence or Raju?

Choreography

In 'Oru koodai sunlight' , I could not take my eyes off thalaivar's difference avtars. Ufff! This man spells magic and is awesome awesome awesome. Shot in Spain, Prabhudeva has choreographed the moves. Pa.Vijay's lyrics are cool! Blaaze, Rags, Suresh Peters have sung this song.

There are actors and actors who do 10 odd avadaraams in one movie. (Deepa's note - Ellam poramai Padmashree kedakkala nu) Our thalaivar does that in one shot.. sorry one frame.. check out the last sequence of 'Oru koodai'. Naa enda thailavana paapennnu tindadiponeen, saamiyoov!

Raju sundaram, Lawrence and Brinda have choreographed the other songs and have given thalaivar innovative kai-kaal mattum aatara steps.

You blow a thousand whistles when Thalaivar makes an entry in Athiradee on the bike… and the scene where he takes the guitar in his hand and does a jig.. *whistle* *whistle* [ ok ok .. I agree this sequence has been urufyed..adappongappa]

ART

Thotta Tharani, last seen in Nimmadhi, Sorgam, Narakam and other AVM serials, please take a bow. His 3 crore set for 'Vaaji Vaaji' is replete with intricate details and is a maha treat for the eyes. He has transformed locations like never before . 'Athiradee' was shot in Binny mills, I heard. The opening 'Balelakka' was shot in Wai, Maharashtra and is colourful with rajni's face painted bellys and dancers with tigers painted on their bellys.

Thalaivar's look

He looks absolutely fresh, the styling, the makeup and the costumes are completely out of the world. No wonder Manish Malhotra is considered the God of film stylists in Bollywood. Stylist for Shahrukh khan, karishma kapoor, Urmila, Shilpa etc he has given some ultimate suits, jackets, capris etc for thalaivar. Neeta Lulla, too has done her job very well for Shriya. In ' Vaaji Vaaji' the colour coordinated costumes are superb. Thalaivar' s bearded look suits him the best. Manish, don't let the Sais and Bais of the tamil costume world go anywhere near thalaivar.. please ensure that you are with him for all his movies from now on.

THE MOTTAI BOSS : I am going to watch the movie again and again only for this. The mottai, the beard, the contacts.. adra sakkai, adra sakkai, adra sakkai.... Drool Drool.. Thalaivaaaaa......... you are God! Superstar looks stunning in this look and looks the best here. The Mottai boss is called.. well, watch the film, people!

Action
Peter Hain : You saw him in Kaakha Kaakha, Anniyan etc. In Sivaji he tells you once again why he really is BOSS of action. Anda King kong action sequence, the action in the mills sequence, music store etc are Adiradee.. adidadi !!

Cinematography
K V Anand the magician who gave us stunning frames in Mudhalvan, Khakhee (Hindi),Kaadhal Desam etc is one of the many proofs we have to say how superior South Indian cameraman are compared to their North Indian counterparts. The unassuming cameraman's lighting and framing is of superior quality.

Dialaaks

Sujatha does a good job, like always. The punch dialaaks (by Vivek ) are like 10000 vaala paattasu. Dont be surprised if your driver / domestic help says "Cool" more often. "Cool" is the new "Idhu eppadi irukku"... the new "Ippudu choodu".
Ofcourse there are these mandatory statistics that are in Sujatha's viral nuni (Tamizh-natula Rs.xyz crore black money, india-vula Rs.ABC crore black money etc) which he collects only to use in such films. One thing missing was a brahmin character (read: Iyengar.. no entry for Iyers) which is a part of every Sujatha-written film. Now that Sivaji is out, you can expect his boring Katradum-Petradum in Vikatan to run for yet another year till another Maniratnam film takes over and you will have Katradum filled with "Shankar sneeze pannar.. Maniratnam-kku moottu vali , Rajni Rasagulla saaptar" kinda nonsense.

Eyesore
Trust me to look for such things. Vadivukkarasi's plastic kadamba poo on her head in the scene when the family leaves their home. he he he

Earsore
One thing that I have never figured out in these umpteen years of tamizh film watching. Why do heroines of tamizh cinema recite wonly the "Kaakha Kaakha kanagavel kaaka" line to save them whenever their taali is in trouble.. Why ? Yean? endukku?
[ Deepz, you are my inspiration in asking such important kelvis]

Actors

Suman as Adi seshan is the villian. We saw him last in the disastrous tamil remake of Deewar, Thee with a squeaky voice. For some reason.. sorry for one and only reason the name Suman reminds me of my college, Ethiraj. Adu oru periya chinna kadaiyyaa! Honestly, may be because of his scenes or the characterisation you dont hate him as much as you hated Raghuvaran in Baadshah or Mudhalvan... In those films you hated the moment the baddie appeared on scene. May be Shankar intention was not that . He did not want us to hate Adiseshan so much. But let me admit, Suman has done a decent job... special mention for his dubbing artiste Subbu a.k.a Subramaniam. For once it is not Sairavi, Sai, Rajendran , Murali kumar and the umpteen regular villian dubbers who float around screaming "Deeeeeei" from their throat, giving the same modulation for every villian from Tellywood, Bollywood..[Ashish Vidhyarthi, Sonu Sood, Kotta Srinivasa rao etc]

Shriya Saran in the lead does her part very well. A total thaavani pota tamizh penn in the scenes and 'thaarala' maana penn in the song sequences. Honestly, a Trisha or an Asin could not have looked so good in the song sequences. Again special mention for Kaniha, who has dubbed for Shriya. Kaniha has a thin voice, modulation is not over the top or filmy . For once it is not the same Savitha reddy or Renuka or for that matter the awful Jayageetha doing the arrghs and ummms for the heroine.

Vivek, like I mentioned before is ultimate. Thalaivar and Chinna-k-kalaivanar make a perfect pair and their kaamedy timing is kalakkal.

Nayanthara makes a special appearance in Balelakka and looks hot .

There is Patti mandram raja as Shriya's father trying to act , Solomon Papaiiyya in his inimitable style saying 'Pazhaga vaanga', Uma Padmanabhan with that Velakkennai expression (you have seen the same one a zillion times in that serial Veetukku veedu). Thank God , madam does away with that awful strand of hair that comes on her face in her tele shows. Manivannan, Vadivukkarasi, Naa-inga-yenna-pandren Raghuvaran ,the ever-irritating-mallu-accented V M C Haneefa, 'Policeman' Shanmugaraja, 'Bose' Venkat [ I like him ] are all there. Oh ya, you have Shankar, K V Anand and Thotta Tarani doing a guest appeance in Balelakka .

SIVAJI THE ULTIMATE

Over all, Sivaji is an enjoyable experience. Dont enter the theatre if you are looking for logic, and are going to ask stupid questions like "how can some one who is dead come back alive?" " how can THE BOSS get away after beating all the politicians, bureaucrats? etc" .. If you are going to ask such silly koshtans, I suggest you donate your tickets to a Rajni rasigan / rasigai like me and go home to watch Kolangal and Arasi.

I had paid a whopping 180 bucks for a single ticket for the First Day first housefull show. But let me tell you, SIVAJI THE BOSS was worth every penny. I am going again, this time spending double, for my purusan too who is all enthu to accompany me tomorrow to the multiplex. I am waiting for that one friend to come back from Madras so that I can go again to watch it for the third time, next week .

SIVAJI - THE BOSS .. Ultimate.. Cool!!
----

Who's who:
1. Manish Malhotra – Transformed Karishma kapoor from a badly made up Nadigan (I said Nadigan, I know) to a decent looking actress in Raja Hindustani. Urmila Matondkar who? said many, before Manish transformed her into a sexy siren in Rangeela. Ditto for Rani mukherji, Kajol and the likes.

2. Banu – A well acclaimed make up artiste in South Indian advertising, she had to struggle for many many years to get a membership into the Makeup Men's Union of the South Indian Film association [FEFSI] . The Union heads feared that a woman entering the Union, (paving the way for many more women to enter the field )would take away their livelihood.adakkongakka makka!

3. Subbu - Son of veteran producer Panchu arunachalam, he has (co?)produced Cheran's mayyakkanadi. He is one of the villians on the teleserial Arasi. Some 10 odd people were auditioned to dub for Suman before Subbu was finalized.

4. Kaniha - This former Miss. Madras made her debut in Madras Talkies' Five star and went on to play the lead in a few films including Ajith's Varalaaru. She had earlier dubbed for Sadhaa in Anniyan. Her sister is also a dubbing artiste and she had dubbed for Mallika in Autograph

Sivaji experience by a Kamal fan

2007-06-17T11:29:00.000-04:00

I am a big Kamal Hassan fan. I was definitely not planning on watching Sivaji first day first show. As "destiny" would have it, I ended up watching it. I watched Chandramukhi too in theatres and I didn't like the movie, liked only parts of it such as Rajini's laka laka scenes, ra ra song. People were actually looking at the camera and talking just like we used to in 4th standard school plays only instead of the camera, we always faced the microphone even while talking to people standing behind us or beside us. So when it became a super hit, I knew why I was always at odds with Rajini fans.

Just before entering the theatre I had made up my mind to look for faults in the movie. The theatre was only 20% full. Point 1 - noted. Movie not that great, hence so many empty seats even on the first day. (The show was actually added in the last minute and not many people knew about it as it was a weekday afternoon) 5 minutes into the movie came the SPB tongue twister song. It was totally out of place. It was supposed to be on tamil culture. Tamil culture says you can wear tight blouses without a veil and just a small skirt but if you have a pottu in place and a kondai, its OK. But its wrong to wear a spaghetti strap top and a tight jean. Point 2 - noted. The song's setting reminded me of Shankar's Azhagaana rakshasiye song from Mudhalvan.

Vivek-rajini combo is a laugh-fest. You begin to wonder why people even thought Vadivelu-Rajini combo was funny in ChandraMukhi. Rajini's make up is very good. His Raja Chinna Roja hairstyle is back. I can't remember who did the cotume designing for Rajni and Shreya. They've done a fabulous job. I think Shreya is very lucky. All her costumes accentuate her great figure. Thotta Tharani's sets are wonderful. Looks like they spent a ton of money on this movie. Shankar's brilliance comes through in every scene. And I think Shankar is the only director who gets the pulse of the audience these days. One hour into the movie and I knew this movie was going to be a superhit. Its been directed really well. Shankar has maximised everyone's talent.

Since when did Sun TV's Uma, Raja, Salamon Papaya started acting in movies? Uma I think has a daughter Shreya's age in real life. But still she looks too young to be Shreya's Mom. And she has done a decent job. Vadivukkarasi and Mani Vannan are sadly under-utilized. I had a big smile when I saw Raghuvaran on the screen. I've been his fan since his "Idhu oru manidhanin kadhai" (DD soap) days. It was refreshing to see MayilSaami, Chinni Jayanth too. Livingstone was very funny even though he came for only a couple of minutes. The last time I enjoyed a Rajini movie so much was when I saw Thillu Mullu (and I still feel that movie was Rajini's best) Hats off to Shankar and team. Rajini's star power would've definitely carried the movie like it happened to ChandraMukhi but this movie has been made brilliantly.

The ending is lame. And tamil movies still believe that changing the hairstyle gives a person different identity and they expect us to go with that. Other than that, the movie is really good. As Shankar claims interview after interview, the message in the movie is not great. He is trying very hard to convey the message. Whats wrong with making a commercial movie without any message? Someone's gotta tell Shankar that. Unless the movie is a Unnal Mudiyum thambi or Indian or Mudhalvan, the message doesn't really get through. But this is a well-made commercial movie.

Fair Rajini really looked fair to me. But mottai rajini was the best. Rajini acting like a conductor for Vivek's auto was awesome. And Vivek is back with a bang, baby.

Radio Memories

2007-06-05T16:50:00.000-04:00

For years the devotional songs on the radio was my alarm clock in the morning. My mother always switched the radio on first thing in the morning. I don't know if it was Madras A or Vivitha Bharti. My mother still insists the program in the radio always told her the time and made her stay organized during busy mornings of the week.
7:30 AM - Sangeet Sarita. This program was about "Shastriya Sangeet". For the longest time, I didn't know what the term meant and I always thought "raag yaman" sounded funny. Imagine a raagam named yaman, I thought. Just when this pogram began, Appa used to leave for work.
7:40 AM - Rangavali. They played nice old hindi songs. I guess that kind of programmed our system to listen to old hindi melodies to day.
8:00 AM - Bhakti paadalgal. Nagoor Hanifa songs were very good. We listened to assorted hindu, christian and muslim religious songs then for 10 minutes. When the second song played, my mother left for work. It was always 8:10. 5 minutes of commericials/ads and then our favourite program started.
8:15 AM - Ungal viruppam. I have a feeling no program has ever had a following as big as this one had in Madras. Not even today's radio mirchi.

A brief introduction to Ungal Viruppam wouldn't be out of place now. Readers write to the station asking for a specific song. If many readers ask for a particular song, they play the song. Just before playing, the announcer reads a big list of names - the names of the people who had requested that song. There were no e-mails and even phones were rare then. So interested parties buy a postcard, write a request and mail it. My brother and I always paid close attention to that name list. The name "ICF Aasai Thambi" was the oft-repeated one. "Wow!" we always exclaimed, "He must be the most popular guy in the city. His name is on every song". We were kids then. I wonder where Aasai thambi is now!

Dear ICF Aasai Thambi,

I don't know if the program "Ungal Viruppam" is still alive. But I sincerely hope you are. You probably moved out of ICF colony and bought a house in Anna Nagar or Perambur or Avadi. Thats because I can't imagine you living anywhere outside Chennai. Was writing requests to the station your full-time job then? If not, I salute your enthusiasm. I am sure you are net savvy now. Do you mail all your friends, acquaitances with such alacrity? Sometimes I wish you had a blog. And maybe you'd make a post on the number of songs you had requested, the number played and such statistics for followers like my brother and me. When I come across sites such as this where you request a song and they'd play it for you, I often think of you.

I digressed. Radio was always blaring in the mornings in every flat in the colony we lived in. Wonder if people even listen to anything other than FM radio these days. I listen to talk radio while driving. And everytime I switch on the radio, the memories of the AM radio mornings "flash upon that inward eye, which is a bliss of solitude".

Time pass

2007-05-29T16:58:00.000-04:00

How much should a man have achieved if he could say "I am very talented. And thats why I am very popular". Who can actually make such tall claims - I was thinking. Maybe Don Bradman, Federer. But if they had said that, we wouldn't have respected them as much I guess. But this man re-christened Vijaya T. Rajendar, doesn't really care much for political correctness or modesty. Watch him play with english words in a movie clip. I don't remember the name of the movie though. Thanks Bubby for the link. And you are welcome people.:-)

O Mothers

2007-05-15T08:02:00.001-04:00

I hear you when you say Mother's Day, Father's Day are all stupid. Everyday should be mother's day. Everyday should be father's day. And everyday, of course, should be your Valentine's Day. People are stupid I agree. The commercialization of these days and the hype surrounding them is becoming unbearable by the year. I am with you. But this anger is aggravated even more when you don't receive even a card on such a day. Yes, I don't believe in these "special" days either. More so now.

PS - Waited 2 extra days just to make sure there is no scope for some delayed package delivery. That happens when you order something online, you know.

Soliloquy

2007-05-08T09:51:00.000-04:00

If you have a cellphone and you keep it on a counter in a shop and leave without taking the cellphone, its carelessness. But if you put it in your pocket without realizing that its a "hole-y" pocket, its bad luck.

If you wear a ring in your finger and misplace it somewhere inside some public bathroom's wash-basin, its carelessness. But if you wear one with 4 or 5 stones and one of the stones disappear one day, its bad luck.

If you ask one of your friends to keep your expensive watch in his/her pocket because you can't have that watch at that moment and then forget about it, its carelessness. But if you call her a couple of hours later only to hear how her wallet, along with your watch got stolen, its bad luck.

Wondering why I am talking like "Arattai Arangam" Visu? All the aforementioned things happened to me. So I am labelled a careless person. I beg to differ.

Time

2007-05-01T22:17:00.000-04:00

I thought my blogging days were over....even blog-hopping days. (That would be a nightmare) "I am so busy, I don't have time right now" has been my answer to a lot of things. I think my plate is so full that I am just overwhelmed and I haven't even started working on anything. Is there a thing called "Time Management" and is it a learnable art? Does anyone know of any online tutorial? My Birthday is far away. Diwali, Pongal, New Year etc are all over. But I shall gladly accept the online link as a Mother's Day gift.

Some of the things I wanted to write about were.....
Removal of idlis from Railways menu
Rani not being invited to Ash-Abhi's wedding (yes, naattukku thevai)
Gonzales' "I don't recall" mantra
Cricket's pathetic advertisement and 2 annoying nations qualifying for the finals
A right wing commentator's "Its silly of people to talk about gun control at this juncture" as a reaction to Virginia Tech massacre
My ill-luck

Indian blood

2007-04-05T10:01:00.000-04:00

Chetan Sharma, at one point of time, was the only guy who had a hat-trick in the World Cup. But no one remembers him for that. The name Chetan Sharma can be associated only to the last-ball six by Miandad in Sharjah. Yesterday I got to watch the last few overs of the SL-Eng match. Ravi Bopara hit the ball well, scored a good half century at a good strike rate. The equation came down to 3 runs from 1 ball. And he was clean bowled. And unfortunately people would remember him for losing his wicket at a crucial time. He has traces of Indian blood in him after all, I guess. He fumbled at the finish.

Ti' bits

2007-04-01T07:34:00.000-04:00

A guy, I know, said, he voted for Sanjaya in the American Idol because he thought Sanjaya's sister looked cute. Maybe there are many more guys (even non-Indians) like him and maybe thats why he is still there in the race. Why hate Sanjaya? Poor kid!

A friend of mine actually thought "well-built man" in Indian matrinomial lingo means a man with a 6-pack body. How naive! She later discovered, to her dismay, that it refers to a fat man.

I read a lot but I definitely don't fall under the "voracious" category. And I go a lot by the recommendations from other readers. And most of the time, I end up hating those recommended books (Eg - Bridges of the Madison County, We the Living, Hitch-hiker's guide to the Galazy etc) But I still pay heed and read those books anyway because I don't want to be the one hearing "Oh My God, you haven't read THAT book?" :-) Namesake is what I have in my hands right now. YAWN! Next time, I'd think twice before making a statement like "Movies are always the bad versions of their books".

I am disappointed that one doesn't get a day off on Good Friday in the US. I once bragged to a collegue that in India it was a public holiday. I wasn't prepared for a "Why?" from him. Just blurted "Because India is not a hindu country, its secular. The snetiments of all religions are appreciated". That answer seems so dumb and lame now that I think back.:-) And I grew up.

This is the latest

2007-03-31T12:33:00.000-04:00

Who started this? And is it true? :-) I got this in mail.

Not sure if you've heard this. But India chances have opened for India to advance to the Super 8 stage as four Bangla Deshi players tested positive for performance enhancing drugs and the team may be banned from the tournament. If they are banned, then the next team in the Group B (India) will advance. Read the NDTV exclusive bulletin.

Update: I made this post as I was watching Australia-Bangladesh match. And even if someone took drugs, we know what happened to Shane Warne and to the Australian team last world cup. So I didnt actually mean that question. But thanks anyway, AP.:-)

Time to smile

2007-03-28T21:43:00.000-04:00

The SL-SA match was a thriller today. When 4 wickets fell in a row, suddenly SL was in with a chance. It was hard not to think about our team or our performance. Watched the final overs of that match wistfully. I gotta agree with Oracle. SA was done in by stupid rules in the '92 edition. I can't forget the sight of Pringle pinching his jaw and having a sad face then. I hope they go on to with this world cup.

While the games go on, its time for us to do what we do best - laugh at ourselves. I try not to paste FWDs or chain mails here but this one is too funny. Check this out.

1979 - India was out from the world cup in the first round!
1983 - India won the World Cup.

2007 - India is out from the world cup in the first round!
2011 - India Will win the world cup

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Adra Adra Adra Adra
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We are like this wonly.:-)

Et Cetera

2007-03-27T10:25:00.000-04:00

After watching Bermuda-Bangladesh match and Australia-South Africa, one got the feeling, India was probably the only team that didn't want to fight. (Pakistan is probably the other one) People who paid money to watch Indian matches didn't get their money's worth even for a single match. Anyway, we lost and end of story.

The best thing to do when everything around you is going wrong is to keep your mouth shut. Try telling this to Sharad Pawar. Next time, Ponting pushes him aside and snaps his finger to call him, I don't think anybody would run to support Pawar or condemn Ponting if one goes by the comments section of this report.

Wanted....

2007-03-23T06:40:00.000-04:00

A few more hours to go for the Ind-SL match. All I am praying for is a Taunton innings (remember 1999 World Cup?) Since Ganguly is in form, thats not asking for too much. Play it agaian, Sourav.

Update: OK, bye bye India. Hope you qualify for the next version and go to the 2nd round. Ponting is having the last laugh I guess.

Sachin scored a duck. What can I say!?

Poor Kumble

2007-03-19T09:08:00.001-04:00

We lost the game against Bangladesh and the Inidan players would've been shocked if there was no backlash, effigy-burning, donkey-naming etc back home. Thats no surprise for any of us, I am sure.

Yeah, but in their enthusiasm to insult the players, people in Patna did something funny.

Fans took out a procession on a donkey to vent their ire against Team India. Organised under the aegis of ‘Cricket Fans Club’, the donkeys named Sehwag, Tendulakar, Harbhajan and Kumble were made to move around Kadamkuan and Patna College with slogan shouting youth following them. It was the same group of people who had performed a ‘Mahayagna’ to ensure a victory for the team.

Yes, Kumble didn't even play the game. He is one unlucky man.

Read the city by city reaction here.

What do you suggest the Karnataka Govt. do now?

a. Declare a state-wide bandh to protest against this unforgivable action.
b. Extend unconditional apology to Kumble and his family and gift a house and/or car and/or land.
c. Prevent Patna people from working in B'lore.
d. All of the above.
e. None of the above.

PS - R.I.P Woolmer. May God give your friends and family a lot of strength.

So much for prediction...

2007-03-18T08:25:00.000-04:00

Sehwag's "maravetti" shot kind of gave a hint as to how serious the rest of the team would be about the match. Ideally, a good cricket fan would want a good team to win and India didn't deserve to win the match yesterday and Ireland didn't deserve to lose. Since Ind-Bang match was a no-brainer, I got to watch Ireland-Pakistan match. The luck factor played no role. Thank God the rains stopped and the Irish were able to continue the game. A win by D/L method wouldn't have done justice. And people would say "Its because of the rains....". Go Ireland! It'd be interesting to see how Ireland play the rest of their matches. And India? Well, they have crazy fans to contend with. Would we deliver once again in a do-or-die situation?

World Cup Prediction

2007-03-15T09:13:00.000-04:00

World Cup has started and West Indies, Australia and kenya have won their matches. 2 more days to go for India's first match and there are creative forwards already doing the rounds. Predicting the winner is the in-thing to do now. I got the following as a forward.

Year 1981
1. Prince Charles got married
2. Liverpool crowned Champions of Europe
3. Australia lost the Ashes
4. Pope Died
2 years later India won the world Cup!!!

Year 2005
1. Prince Charles got married
2. Liverpool crowned Champions of Europe
3. Australia lost the Ashes
4. Pope Died

2 years later will India win the world Cup???? .........

Trivia -2

1982 Football World Cup won by Italy

1983 Cricket World Cup won by India

2006 Football World Cup won by Italy

2007 Cricket World Cup: INDIA ???

K(r)aapi with Karan

2007-03-08T22:46:00.000-05:00

I recently discovered that Koffee with Karan is being aired on one of the channels during weekends over here. I couldn't wait. Isn't Karan a unique character - an out-of-the-closet guy (I mean gay) from our land? I watched one episode. It was so superficial that I couldn't get enough of it. Last weekend, got to watch so many interviews thanks to youtube. The conversation is only in english. And most of the time one's body, one's sex-appeal or one's crush, love, ex-love is whats discussed. If the producers ask Karan not to use the word "sex" or "sexy", he'd probably resign. I don't think he is capable of talking in english without using those words. The star guests are very forthright or frank or open. Thats why Preity Zinta talked about "grabbing" Abhishek's butt. Even the King Khan and KJ gave subtle hints about their "relationship". And Abhishek said Mallika Sherawat represents Indian women of 2005 and that he'd like to see her run in slow motion.

Unfortunate are those who never got to watch this show. The guy who directed 3 movies (one of them was a flop) is actually a guy the stars suck upto. Everytime he has guests, those guests fight over the coffee hamper that K hands out. I am pretty sure those people might toss it the second they get out of the set. But they are magnanimous enough to provide us entertainment with such funny tiffs and competition peppered with humour that I promise I would "do anything" to watch this show.

PS - The "do anything" was pun intended. You'd undertsnad if you watch this clip.

Update - The post reflects what I feel about the show but that doesn't mean I wouldn't watch it. I love the entertainment. Go KJ! (OMG, Am I inadvertently sucking up to him now?:-))

Manam oru kurangu

2007-02-26T15:15:00.000-05:00

About 2 years ago, one of my friends was visiting me. I was so excited that I told my husband that I was going to take him to all the nice places here and everything would be our treat. Friend came and we had fun. "If he tries to pay for any of these, he would have it from me", I thought. My friend came and went and didn't even ask if he should pay for anything. Strangely, I felt a little weird. Why didn't he even ask me if he should pay? I felt like a hypocrite. Why did I feel bad when I was going to say no to the offer anyway? I was whining to one of my friends (a blogger) and she acted like a shrink and made me feel slightly better. She said "Not offering is like not thanking someone after a good meal because they are going to say 'Dont mention' anyway." Its funny how our minds work. Or at least my mind.

Last week, a man was visiting us. The usual introduction happened. He asked my husband what he did, where he worked etc. Said hi to me. Asked how old our son was. Thats it. He didn't ask what I did. Not even "Do you take care of him full-time?" Well, I don't work now, I stay home. Thats the truth. But why didn't he even ask what I did. When he talked about business news or some IT advancement, he wouldn't even look my side. Its possible that he has the habit of looking at only one person and talking but I felt weird. Why doesn't he even think its necessary to ask me what I did? I remember asking a woman once "Do you work?" Pat came the answer from that stay-at-home Mom - "I work but I just don't get paid". I was very impressed. Probably, I wanted to use it with that guy but he never gave me a chance.;-) Just kidding. But why did he "assume" I wasn't working even though the fact is that. If I am actually blogging about it, it means only one thing - (My) Manam oru kurangu.

On the phone...

2007-02-20T15:48:00.000-05:00

This post is funny. Especially now - when I am holding the phone.

Wise and old

2007-02-17T16:51:00.000-05:00

A wise old bird lived on an oak.
The more he saw the less he spoke.
The less he spoke the more he heard.
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?

I read the above rhyme to my 18 month old almost everyday and when I read it y'day, for some strange reason, I was reminded of Ganguly. He sure does speak a lot less these days. Right? After his ouster from the team, I thought his days were over. I am sure the jury is still out on his performance on "neutral" grounds but this is a god starter. Welcome back Ganguly and Good Luck for the world Cup.

The Dilemma

2007-02-09T14:12:00.001-05:00

I used to think one of the hardest things to do for most women post-marriage or post-child is deciding whether to work or stay home. Now I've realized that the hardest thing is taking that decision, sticking to it and not thinking about the road not taken. It is hard.

TV lingo

2007-02-05T17:01:00.000-05:00

Got to watch some tamil TV channels on the internet during the weekend. The bad tamil is no surprise. But I am trying to figure out which one is more annoying. Someone saying "Neenga idha buy pannina nalla sleep varum" or someone saying "We predicted ki this would happen" (heard somewhere in the context of Ash-Abhi hook-up).

Smiling ear to ear

2007-01-31T10:19:00.000-05:00

No points for guessing why. Sachin scores a century AND India wins. Thank you superstitious Me. And we Sachin fans have the right to remain crazy about this great player.:-)

Sachin Sachin - II

2007-01-28T10:45:00.000-05:00

I am as superstitious as the cricketers I admire. The last time I wrote a post hoping for Sachin's century, he actually hit one and this time I decided to do the same and hence the last post. And he hit a half-century. It worked! :-)

I didn't watch the match but got the score online. 60 off 66 balls and I thought it should silence critics temporarily. But people who watched the game live in the stadium and the ones who watched it on the internet said it was painful to watch Sachin score a 60 with just 2 fours. And ofcourse there would be others who'd continue to say "India loses whenever Sachin scores". I think the reason behind so much criticism is that Sachin is not another cricketer, he is SACHIN.

hmmm, I think thats enough suck-up for the day. Sachin, you'd better score big next time and pray to God that the team wins too. Would I be third time lucky?

Sachin Sachin

2007-01-26T15:27:00.000-05:00

Anybody that knows me decently knows I am a crazy Sacin fan. I have refrained from talking cricket for the fear of hearing "You still support Sachin? He is pathetic. He should retire". I have been waiting for that one elusive knock that would save him and me (or all such crazy fans) When this current series started, he scored 35 in the first match. Even 'Gone'guly hit 98. When I spotted an eyelash on my nose, like a teenager, I placed it on my knuckles and wished for a century or at least a half century or at least a match-saving 20 in the next match and blew it. And he scored 0. Zero, Zero!! How much it hurt!!

The next match is tomorrow and I can't believe I am tensed. There is no method or reason behind this madness. I have to admit. As usual, I am just hoping he'd score big. Good Luck Sachin.

Guru - Why not?

2007-01-17T10:19:00.000-05:00

As a protest against the thundu beedi role thats been thrusted on one of the finest actors of tamil cinema today (I am talking about Madhavan), I've decided not to watch Guru...in theaters. The only hero, in recent times, I can think of who did a good job in his very first movie is Madhavan. Maniratnam did it to Arvind Swami first (though I am not a great fan of Swami's acting) and now its Madhavan. Sad! My friend, Bubby, has written a prompt review as usual and I thought I'd also join the review-Guru gang. And here it goes.

I saw Guru last weekend. Its a very very well made film .Its a bio pic of Dhirubhai ..saari Gurubhai a.k.a Gurukant desai played by Abhishek bachchan. Abhishek bachchan is fantastic. Though the reviews have gone ga-ga over his fiance Aishwarya rai's performance as Sujata, Gurubhai's wife, I felt that her acting was nothing great.. the same plastickey expressions. Her 'kezhadu' tattufying shows badly in close-up shots. Looks like abhishek's akka..

Loved Mithun-da as Abhishek's mentor turned enemy . Madhavan plays a tundu beedi in the film.. paavam!Vidya balan has been wasted. Vidya is a very talented actress [parineeta, lage raho munnabhai].Would have been better if she had played Sujatha. I guess casting Aishwarya rai has its own advantages at the box office. The Vidya-Madhavan liplock is sad...

The screenplay is very good. Cinematography [rajiv menon] and the production design [sameer chandra] are of excellent quality. Sameer-da has recreated th e1950s ka mumbai very well. FYI,All the old Mumbai scenes have been shot in Binny mills, Madras on a set erected in 20 days.

The special effects are very well done. Watch out for Mithun-da's entry scene. That was shot in Pondicherry and the old Mumbai marine drive recreated as special effects in the background. Unless told, one cannot make out.

A R R's music is super. I wish they had picturized the Mast-Mast and the Yeh hai rathen .. songs better. Aishwarya's entry song is so typically Maniratnam... heroine dancing in the rain n 'chalakkudi' falls [Aaathadi ammadi in Idhayathai tirudade, Ohoo megam vandado in Mouna ragam, Chinna Chinna aasai in Roja].
Mallika sherawat sizzles in the opening number [box-office zindabad!]
The songs have been placed arbidly, esp the Mast-Mast song..The ek-lo song sung by Bappi-da is a real waste.

Maniratnam's casting is bang on... be it Aishwarya's brother [Arya babbar -raj babbar's son], Abhishek & Aishwarya rai's parents, the mallu IAS officer, - watch out for Pratap Pothen [yes, the same songi pothen..one of radika's ex- husbands] , the Gujju Mottu bhai [Manoj Desai] and ofcourse Mithun-da.

Song picturization as I mentioned earlier is a big let down... The mast-mast song shot in Madurai in the aayirangkaal mantapam- the same place where "Kannalane" (bombay) was shot... ditto for the climax court scene. A bigger let down!

But over all, Guru is worth a watch despite a sagging second half.Abhishek's body language, dialogue delivery - it shows that he has put in his best and mani ratnam has extracted the best out of him.

Prior to the release of the film, I am told that Amitabh bachchan saw the film and arranged a special preview for the Chopras, Johars and the likes just to show them that his son can act and he should not be cast in tundu beedi roles in KANK, Dhoom 2 etc.
[info courtesy: Guru team Line producer]

Guru - An interesting life story of a village, visionary and winner!

Food and me

2007-01-09T14:08:00.000-05:00

I can say with certainity that I must have been a dog in my last birth. Not just because I am scary or loyal or whatever but because I keep eating as long as food is available. I realized this only a few years ago. During my school/college days, my close friend kept saying that my size misled people. Thats true, anybody who willingly included me for a special-occasion-treat was always in for a big shock. So I knew I had a "good" appetite but I didn't know I was actually eating food till there is nothing left.

I feel full only after I have over-eaten. I think eating has 2 parts or volumes. In the first part, you eat to drive away the hunger, in the 2nd part, you actually relish or complain about the food. I have a 3rd part. Thats when I am stuffing food in till I am unable to move. Saying "I overate today" is a ritual for me just like washing your hands after eating. I refrain from buying snacks and stocking them up in the kitchen because I finish them single-handedly. The man in the house has no choice, sadly. And for my son, I deliberatly buy snacks like Goldfish which are yucky for adults but delicious for kids. I would definitely be interested in knowing more about this phenomenon. What makes a person overeat? (don't say greed) I want to overcome this syndrome soon. So I am looking for input and any well-meaning suggestion is welcome.

Sad tale of Amerikka maaplai

2006-12-29T18:18:00.000-05:00

I think all the current American maaplais and to-be-American maaplais should form an association and protest against the Indian film industry in general and tamil film industry in particular. Protesting against a movie, or a director or an actor is anyway in vogue, so why not do it before it goes out of fashion?

The character that comes as an America maaplai in movies is generally getting married to a girl who has had a love failure or has been divorced or raped or something. In most movies, the girl ends up dumping the American maaplai for her ex-love or anybody thats not from America. It could be an auto driver too. I am not saying that the reality is completely different from whats being shown. Why are the America maaplais always the "last resort"? Is that the case? You must be wondering why I am suddenly talking about American grooms. As a follow-up to the Dhanush interview, I watched his movie, Thiruvilayadal.

The guy that acts as an America maaplai(AM) in that movie could well have been replaced with a stone. The girl is all set to get married to the AM when the hero walks in. The surprised girl walks out of her sitting position in the "mandapam" and walks towards the hero. After a wordy dual between the girl's brother and the hero, the latter gets convinced that the hero is the best bet for his sister. Now, the girl refuses to agree with her brother and goes back to the mandapam to marry the AM. All the while the AM just sits in the same position without even moving his head to wonder whats happening. She is marrying you to spite her ex-love and her brother, pray do something, at least stand up and we'll assume you are reacting- I screamed from my cofortable position on the couch. No, absolutely no reaction there. He is ready to tie the thali when the girl sees the hero trying to flirt with another girl at the wedding and runs back to him literally and figuratively. Even then he just sits there.

The director knew this character was going to be a dummy one, so he decided to call that character an "Amerikka maaplai". What grave injustice! Come on maaplais, do something.

DhanAish

2006-12-19T12:49:00.000-05:00

Last weekend was really nice. Visited some favourite relatives and because they have Sun Tv connection at home, we decided to stay up late and watch the Dhanush interview. I am so glad we did that.

The guy who interviewed Dhanush was Ananda kannan. You just have to listen to him for a few seconds and you'd know he is from Singapore. "Engaendhu azhaikkareenga?" is as agmark Singapore as it gets. Thats what he asked whenever someone called. Ananda Kannan, we chennai-ites make fun of everything even when we know we are not perfect. Azhaikkareenga means inviting, pesareenga means talking and koopdareenga means calling. You can ask someone where they are calling or talking from and when you asked where they are inviting from, we chennai-ites (and non-chennai-ites) couldn't help but laugh. As funny as it sounded, your "azhaikkareenga" and Dhanush's "gum-nu irunga" went together really well. Thats how we talk. But Ananda Kanna, you did do a good job 'la', especially while tackling some of the callers.

I've seen only one movie of Dhanush - Kadhal Konden. I think he did a pretty good job and ever since Dhanush has been one actor I like. He can dance (Manmada raasa) and he can act, 2 good ingredients. A lot of people talk about his looks (read bad looks). And once he married Aishwarya, there were even more talks and discussions. Poor guy. Its so easy to be a Rajini suck-up, ask Vijay. Once you become his son-in-law, you have the license to do that but Dhanush handled questions related to Rajini very maturely. When asked whether he would act with Rajini, he said there wouldn't be any visibility for others in a Rajini movie. I was impressed. A lot of callers asked questions on whether he was introverted, whether his wife would act with him, why he was so skinny etc. Ananda Kannan was losing his patience but Dhanush seemed unperturbed. It was like he expected all those questions.

When one caller asked why he got maried so early, he said "I've always wanted to get married soon. And immediately...(kalyanam pannittu tuck-nu...)", I am still wondering how he wanted to finish that sentence. He didn't complete it. His new movie Thiruvilayadal was discussed. One caller asked what the difference was between this Thiruvilayadal and the old one. If a person thinks, this movie is another "saami-padam" (in the true sense) like the old one, he or she needs some help. And I was most impressed with Dhanush for handling this lady, who was too excited to ask any proper question and ended up asking "Neenga unga wife kooda epdi pazhaaguveenga?"(How do you move with your wife?) Dhanush said "Husband maari pazhuguven". He has a good sense of humour too. I definitely like him now. I hope his latest movie becomes a hit.

Friend and Good Friend

2006-12-13T17:24:00.000-05:00

This is my definition/discovery. A good friend is someone to whom you can say "I have to go now" and hang up the phone. A friend is someone to whom you say "What? I can't hear you, you are breaking up, you wanna call me later?" or "Someone is ringing the doorbell" or some other lie and you hang up the phone. I just hung up the phone after talking to a friend. And one of my voices is making me feel guilty. So what do I do? Resort to blogging. Now you be the judge.

This friend of mine is very sweet, nice and all but she has this weird habit of calling me up everytime she comes across anything thats related to India or Indians. When you are a new Mom and especially a stay-at-home one, you can easily spend more phone time with other new moms, whom you meet at the park or mall or wherever and some of them become your good friends eventually, well at least friends. Thats how I met Ms.Chitly-chatly more than a year ago. We've gone out for lunches together etc. The first time we went out for lunch, she was talking about how much she liked Indian food and went on and on and didn't stop till I said "You gotta come home sometime to try some Indian food". I didn't know about her habit then.

Another time she talked about bumping into an Indian at a salon. And then she called me once to say that a few years ago she had tasted pan at some place in New Jersey and asked if I had tasted one. Another time she called me to say she heard a few people talk about a good Indian movie called "Monsoon Wedding" and what my opinion was on that. Another time she called to ask if New Jersey had more Indians than Pennsylvania. All these phone calls are apart from the usual phone-chat sessions we have every month or week. She is having 2 Indian friends over for a dinner or lunch and you can imagine the number of times she'd call this time. "They are from the north.", "They would eat fish right coming from that city?", "Their names are X and Y, what do you think, typical regional names?", "So its alright to say Mr.Firstname actually? Thats how they call us", "I am sure it'd be a lot of fun to have them over, what do you think?" Yes, I've been chased by this friend of mine for the past 3 days and I can't talk on this topic for more than 10-15 minutes. And I am not a non-talkative person, just so you know. So I keep hanging up giving some excuse and man, she wouldn't quit. I feel bad, after all, I like her. Does he think I am intellecually incapable of talking about anything else? No, I should't accuse her of that. She does talk to me about other things - our kids, diapers, baby food etc. (Well, what else do you think Moms who are friends-because-of-our-kids talk about?)

And thats why I keep giving some excuse to hang up the phone. I rest my case.

Needed: A Miracle

2006-12-08T13:00:00.000-05:00

How many times is one allowed to think or say "Everything happens for a good reason"? When bad things happen to good people or only bad things happen to good people, what is the motivation for them to believe in that adage? The most hurtful thing in the world is when you see a person you love go through agony and torture. And the only weapon one has during this time is what is called a Prayer. Now I am praying for a miracle to happen. A miracle, that would reinstate the faith one has in God. A Real Miracle. Please, please.....
Here comes the tear. hmmm, it feels a little better.

Peter

2006-12-05T11:41:00.000-05:00

Some relatives of mine, for some reason, have always thought of me as "Peter" or "range-u". (For non-madrasis, peter is someone who speaks in English and range roughly translates to "hep") But anybody who has known me reasonably well would swear by my local-ness. I am as "local" as it gets. Wonder why some people have this opinion. Maybe because I went to a peter college in M'ras or maybe I used words like elevator, frisbee or Carribean cruise while talking in tamil, I don't know. Probably these relatives tell their relatives about me and these non-relatives tell theirs. Obviously, the last person in this chain doesn't hear anything good about me. Otherwise, why would they talk about me in the first place. All of what I've said is just my guess. Its possible no one talks about me and I am just assuming/showing a little self-importance. Now I digress. Let me get back on track. Why am I suddenly talking about peter-ness? This is why.

I established contacts with a non-relative a few weeks ago. (Non-relative = family friend or friend's 2nd cousin or cousin's nephew's cousin or anybody) I am generally very enthusiastic about inviting people over for lunch or dinner or at least a cup of chai. What are the chances of someone coming over for food and saying you are a bad cook? You invariably hear "Food is awesome". (Cheap me, I know) And I feel proud about my culinary skills. So I was trying to invite this girl home. I was on the phone giving directions etc. For every question I ask in tamil, I get an answer in english. She even said " I am exhilarated to meet you". Does anyone say that? I gave her benefit of doubt. She is probably used to speaking to people in english all the time.

Once the guests arrived, we were chatting. And again it was mostly english. More specifically, if I ask any question, the answer was always in English. I heard things like "I was admonished about the bad weather". I started to feel a little weird. I wondered "Is this person trying to impress me with GRE english or does she talk like this even under normal circumstances?" I was hoping, someone would call her on the cellphone, so I could see how she talks to her friends. Just as I had hoped, someone called and the conversation was in english and then she politely excused herself and went to a corner and spoke. Our place is not too big nor is it sound-proofed and I could hear full local tamil. OMG, what a peter act - I thought. Or maybe she thinks I am a peter and acts like this in front of me.

During the rest of her stay, I tried my level best to make her feel comfortable so she'd talk in that "local" tamil to me but my efforts failed. I kind of felt bad that she didn't feel comfortable enough. Well, at least she said I was a good cook and asked for a few recipes. Mission Accomplished.:-)

Thirty Plus, 30+

2006-11-30T09:32:00.000-05:00

Can one not think of Jeetendra in that white suit coming down the stairs while people sing 30+ in the background? Well, this post is not about Jitendra.

When Aishwarya Rai became Miss World, I was in college. I loved her. I still haven't found anybody more beautiful than her. Loved her when she said "Hi, I am Sanjna, got another pepsi?" That was pre-Miss-World Aishwarya and she looked stunning. Like any other college-goer, I had her posters and pictures and kept collecting them. Watched every movie. She is a graceful dancer (don't miss Iruvar and jeans) and I loved her clothes, her walk etc. People always say she is a bad actor, I thought she did a good job in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. I remember getting impressed with the scene where she lies down on a swing and cries to her Mom. To date, I've always defended Aishwarya rai (and I think I will, she is so beautiful) but I think she has the usual 30+ syndrome. The insecurity that all female actors get once they get "over the hill".

For all her beauty, she never used to wear Mallika-Sherawat-ish type of clothes and never said anything controversial to the media. She was always politically correct, never denied any rumour, never accepted 'em or whatever. But 30+ Ash seems different. I saw Dhoom2 posters and THAT seems like a different Aishwarya. Ash and skimpy clothes?! Why, oh why? Her face is her biggest asset but she sure doesn't think so. Or does she think this is the only way to compete with the new faces of hindi cinema or the item queens? I am disappointed Ash. yeah right, like she cares.

Thanksgiving

2006-11-23T15:00:00.000-05:00

I love Thanksgiving - not because of the turkey or visiting familes but because its the longest weekend in the US. After many years we are just staying home during a Thanksgiving weekend. Only when you sit back on your couch flipping channels or have a computer on your lap and do bloghopping or have a nice cup of tea and watch a bad weather through your window with a smile on your face, you can say you are actually vacationing. I am happily vacationing now. I have a lot to thank for. I am happy
- for not sitting through the Ind vs SA match like a lunatic
- to see Sachin (still) be the top scorer in that stupid match

More importantly I am happy that I am mentally strong enough to not attempt suicide after watching the Arjun starrer "Vaatthiyar" movie. I like Arjun and thats why I decided to watch this movie during a nice weekend but this movie sucks. Some assistant Director called Rajkumar claims this was his story. Arjun can happily disown and give that guy credit if he really wants to keep his fans in good humour.

Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving everybody.

Bossy Aussie

2006-11-13T10:26:00.000-05:00

I don't know how many got to watch this. This is unbelievable. Would someone teach the Australian cricketers some manners?

Man Feet

2006-11-03T08:05:00.000-05:00

After watching the "Man Hands" episode of Seinfeld for the umpteenth time, something prompted me to look down and I noticed my feet. And a tangent thought took off from there. Could there be anyone in this world who'd make fun of my feet calling it "Man feet"? Its possible.

I've always had big feet. I am not gonna tell my shoe size but you'll get the picture when I say my husband and I have the same shoe size. (No, he doesn't have small feet) I could swear my feet grew some more after I got married but no one believes me. During college days, I never could find the right size. Fortunately, I had 2 friends who shared the same pligt. So it didnt seem that bad then. And I always wore closed shoes. Infact, when the shopkeepers said they didn't have my size, I used to feel proud. :-)

In some weddings, there is a custom when the guy puts the toe-ring on the girl's toes. So when my husband bent down to put that, he looked up, smiled and then did the ritual. He got up and whispered "For a second, I thought I was holding the priest's feet". "ha ha funny" I laughed. Was it? I had painted my nails, had done mehndi meticulously. What are the chances of the priest having such drawings on his feet? And he actually meant I had man feet?!?! I noted this incident down in my mental diary of complaints and planned to attack after 90 days. (Don't they say in Tamil that aasai aruvadhu naal mogam muppadhu naal? So totally 90.)

After that day, the whole world seems to notice my feet and definitely not in awe. In winter, when everybody wears similar kind of bulky boots, I am reluctant to remove my shoes to enter some place. So many times I've heard the hosts say "Whose shoes are these? Can't be yours, its too big. Must be some guy's shoes." A few weeks ago, a guy was almost trying to sell me men's shoes because women's secition didn't have my size. Why are my feet suddenly getting noticed everywhere I don't know. Its not that they are abnormally large. A voice inside me says "Its OK. Man feet - you can live with it". Yes, I can.

The Move

2006-10-26T11:18:00.000-04:00

Moving is no fun. Leaving the familiar area, familiar people, familiar mall etc can be pretty frustrating. Currently I live in an area where you could wait at a light with 10 cars behind you, your car could get stalled just when the light turns green and by the time you start your car and get set to go, the light could turn red again but still people behind you wouldn't honk. That, my friends, is Allentown. When a plane crashed in Pennsylvania on 9/11, no one we knew worried about our safety because they knew the terrorists won't find this place in the map. Years ago when I couldn't appreciate the patience and the politeness of the people here, I used to think people here are too slow and sluggish. Well, coming from Chennai can you blame me for that? I enjoyed this kind of "village" life to the fullest for a while and now we move to a "city" in another state. A city, where cars are redundant, where you'd even get curry leaves (karuveppilai) in the grocery stores (Indian), where you'd get alcohol in normal stores, where people should actually pay to park their cars if they visit you. Its a big change but I am actually looking forward to it. Bye Allentown, Hello Jersey City.

Happy Deepavali

2006-10-17T14:38:00.000-04:00

Advanced Deepavali wishes to you all. Its been a few years since anyone asked me "Deepa, do you get vali(pain) on this day?" Either I am too old to be hearing such (poor) jokes from them or there are less number of "kadi" people around me now. Either way, its a good sign.

By the way, I would like to know why Deepavali is also called Diwali. (Tamil nazis stay away. There has to be some other answer other than N.Indian conspiracy)

There it goes....

2006-10-07T13:11:00.000-04:00

Jay has tagged me. I always wondered what this tag thing is all about. Lot of people write stuff about themselves. Frankly, its kind of flattering to know some people do actually exist who'd want to know 9 things about you.:-)

Things I love - Food, music, cricket and books (well, any reading material)
Things I hate - Artificiality, Confrontations
Favourite cuisine (Only top 2) - Indian Chinese, Thai
I am lucky because - I am always surrounded by good...no great people (I wish my husband read my blog regularly)
I am unlucky because - The cars on the other lanes move faster and I've never won a lottery
I wish I were - a little less emotional and mentally stronger
I am very unforgiving when it comes to - Tamil pronunciations, English/Tamil/Hindi grammar and singing on a proper note. (More on the grammar part - someone who claims they are good at something can't take grammar lightly. Its OK if Vairamuthu makes a grammatical error in english or hindi but not in tamil. As an aside, I can't forgive him for penning the line "Kaalam kanindhadhu kadhavugal thirandhadhu". It has to be "thirandhana" in the song "Madai Thirandhu" from Nizhalgal)
Zodiac - Leo
Confessions - I am very religious. I lie and suck upto people if it means avoiding a confrontation. I feel very proud about some of my values. I deal better with men than I do with women and hence have more men friends than women and these women are more like men, so things are always at its best between my friends and me.

Now its my turn to tag. I hope the following bloggers haven't been tagged already.
Ammani
Karthik
I
TamilPonnu
Sreeni
Arnie

God is a He

2006-09-25T12:48:00.001-04:00

I am pretty sure God is masculine. I am so used to using He and Him when I refer to Him and wondered whether I am being a sexist. But now I've come to the conclusion that He is He (masculine). How else do you explain the bias in his creation?

He created men with a few emotions and only one surfaces at a time. And women with tens of thousands of them and almost all of them come to the fore at the same time. And there are a million inner voices talking to the woman simultaneously.

This happened some years ago when I was a new bride. Mr. Me and I were having the badly cooked lunch that I had made. I was talking over the phone while eating. Both of us were done eating and I was still on the phone. So my husband took his plate and my plate and washed them both while I was still chatting with some friend. I exclaimed "Wow, what a man!" a la Abbas in Padayappa. I was surprised that he did the whole thing very matter-of-factly and didn't have that I-washed-your-plate-you-know look. All the voices inside me smiled generously.

A few months ago, we were having dinner, a good one, also by me.;-) I cooked, set the table, infact even served food for everyone at the table like a good wife of old tamil movies. Just as we were finishing dinner and I got up to wash my plate, my husband got a call. He was talking and was the last one to get up. By then I had even cleared the table. He finished his dinner and got up while talking. I said "Hello, your plate?" He took it and washed it as he was talking. Then all the voices in me woke up with a renewed vigour.

One of them said "Thats nice of you gentleman".
Then another said "Whats wrong with you? Washing his plate won't cost you much". Another said "well, you would've if he had asked".
And then another "Its not that you did something bad. You just said 'your plate'. Stop feeling guilty. Its not that you've never washed his plate before, you are tired today".
Another said "hello, the plate is washed now, whats this argument about?"
And another asked "He seems OK with it, why are you worried?".
Another one said "Maybe you can make it up tomorrow by washing his plate without him asking".
Then another one said "I am pretty sure the only voice in his head is thinking about the new laptop configuration and not this stupid plate" and finally my favourite voice said "Just SHUT UP and get a life."

God! Its nice being a woman but not easy.:-)

Dear Ashwin

2006-09-11T20:06:00.000-04:00

Wherever you are, I hope you are reading this. I am 200% better now and you know why? I met your wife. My God! What a great influence you've had on her. I see you in her now. She is so strong and practical...just like you. I am so proud of her and I am sure you would be too. Ever second, every milli-second she proves how much she loves you. Not by crying or uttering "I miss him" but by remaining strong and going through this tough period like you would've wanted her to. I want to think you are still around. Everytime I say this aloud, I hear your voice "hey romba senti podadha" inside my head. You wouldn't want anyone to stay sad. Sure, everyone is gonna miss you and its not gonna be easy but all of us love you a lot and we are going to get through this in your style. But you help us through, Mister.

Oh God

2006-09-06T08:38:00.000-04:00

I cried when you got this new job and moved out of the area in May. I obviously didn't want you to know. You would've made fun of me, like you have always, for being a chicken. Please do something, stop my tears. I just can't digest that you are gone forever! Give me the strength to see your wife, my best friend. Give me the strength to see her without you being around. If you are reading this from up there, get this. I MISS YOU ASHWIN. I am so scared to get back home now. I can't remember the days in the US before you got introduced in our lives. I can't delete your number from my cellphone. I want to cry but everyone is as devastated as I am, so I resort to writing this. I miss you.......

Mega-serial - III

2006-08-28T01:58:00.000-04:00

...you watch some hindi mega-serial. Almost all the male characters in all the serials are businessmen. And the ladies are the wives of such rich businessmen. They have no other identity. The ladies are always dressed like they are ready to attend a wedding. They wake up in the morning and lo, you see properly made-up face. The sarees are designer wear. All of them are home, taking care of the family. They are either
a. nice bahus (daughter-in-law) who suffer at the hands of the bad saas (mother-in-law) or
b. bad bahus scheming to destroy the good saas
And there is probably a rule that all these in-laws are supposed to sit in the living room all the time. They sit comfortably on the sofa/couch and once in a while get up saying "Kya?" or "nahiiiiiin" or "bilkul nahin".
(Whatever happened to the people that gave us Dekh Bhai Dekh or Tu Tu Mein mein?!!)
There is not much role for men in these tamil or hindi mega-serials. And the ones that act as fathers, uncles or fathers-in-law are the ones that have the most insignificant of roles.
I am so ready to pen a mega-serial. There is a template. Make the lead woman cry every alternate day. Introduce new characters every other day. Make sure the main family and these side families don't meet. The more you postpone this, the longer the serial gets. A few good characters that are close to the lead woman should die. Finally, somehow link all the characters/families and the lead woman wins (whatever).

THE END.

Mega-serial - II

2006-08-24T01:51:00.001-04:00

that I have time, I decided to blog about it. Yes, sometime ago he had wanted to write about this. But he got busy with his life. So I am on this mission now.

There is nothing wrong with the concept of mega-serial. I am a big fan of some of them "Chitthi", "Everybody Loves Raymond", "Seinfeld" to name a few. The indoctrination happened when I saw a mega-serial called Junoon. It was dubbed in tamil as well. Entire Chennai started talking that way - "Naan sonnen aamaam nu", "Naan panna maatten allow". All the words in a sentence were jumbled somehow. The writers of that serial introduced so many characters that they didn't know where the story was going. So it ended abruptly with the cast saying "We'd be back" a la Arnold. And the rest is history. I think tamil producers saw an opportunity there and then came "Vizhudhugal" in DD. I think it met with the same fate. I am not sure if it ended properly. (Input please)

As cable TV became more popular, mega-serial industry started booming. The writers take the viewers for granted. Dialogues like "Ponna petthuttomey pa..", "oru ponnu nenaccha...", "Ellatthayum kuduttha Aandavan..." come in all the serials. The cast is also almost the same. So its very difficult to keep track of the storyline. It takes a lot of intelligence, concentration and observation skills to tell them apart. All the out-of-market heroines like Meena, Sukanya, Devayani et al make a comeback on small screen. And some even give interviews like "I find satisfaction in doing that character", "She is more like me. I see myself in her", "I am a household name now. People actually call me by that character's name" etc.

If you watch any of these tamil mega-serials and think it can't get any worse. Wait till.....
To be continued.....

Mega-serials - I

2006-08-23T02:01:00.000-04:00

This is a hot topic I am sure. I've been wanting to write about this for a long time. Now.....

To be continued......

KANK review

2006-08-15T09:11:00.000-04:00

My friend Bubby a.k.a Chinna Ammani is the kind of friend one prays for. She goes out of the way to do stuff for you. She'd be willing to suffer if that would make your life better. Yes, my friends, I asked her to watch KANK (she would disown me if I say Kabhi Alvida na Kehna) and send a review. She did go out of the way literally to watch it and here is her review. (I guess most of the readers of this blog can understand tamil.)

KANK - kazhutaruppu , aruvai n kadi!
- Oru paarvai

1)karan-ji : We all love our parents - We love mummy, miss daddy etc but do we go about writing this on every piece of paper we see? I miss you daddy.. I love you mummy.. idellam pada title kku munnadi tevayaaa? I thought i went for an english padam called "I miss you daddy" when i came for ur film.. paatungga! padam aarambikaradukku munnadiyee neraya per tappaana padatukku vandutooamnu ezhundu poitaangaa..kodutthu vaithavargal
Theatre la irunda 10 perla 5 per ezhundu poittanga.. 5 peroda kaali theatre la unga padam paatengaana.. adu enna annaachi! ticket book pannumbodu.. "this seat is not available, that seat is not available" nnu theatre ticket counter la oree rouse udaraanga.. theatre la irunda 10 perukku ippadi altaappu vendaam . ippadi film kaata solli instructions aa from ur end?

And before you start shooting for your films do you Soodam yetthi sathiyam pannufy infront of saami photo that your film will be 3 hours long ? [minimum duration] ... en vaazhkaila 3 hours 10 minutes waste-u saar! ungalukum Ekta kapoor kkum bayangara poattti-a? ava serial- a izhukkara.. neenga padatha ippadi javvvvvvvvvvvu muttai madiri izukkareenga

And saar.. We have heard this "pyaar kab mohabbat hota hein... mohabbat aur dosti kab ishq hotee hein... pyaar dosti nahin..." pondra international dialogues a billion times before in your movies wonly.. dialaak-a maathuda deei

2 Congrajulasions costume director manish-ji for inventing a new type of saree - the saree which rani mugarjee wears in the film, the POONAL SAREE.. you must have heard of a gujju type saree, south indian saree, bihari style saree etc.. this is different. this is a POONAL SAREE.. how else would you call a saree worn like a Poonal? ennamo pongappa! manish -saar.. unga ooru 30,000 rooba saaree enga oorla Poonal-aa 30 roobakku 2 kedaikkudu saar!

3) In the 70s and early 80 s it was Nirupa roy, then came Reema Lagoo in late 80s and 90s.. Presenting Kiran kher, the hindi movie mummy of the new millennium..Now there is major competition on screen between Kiran kher and preeti jinta [who play maamiyar and marumagal] on who opens their bajji vaai bigger. Neeya Naana..Both with their bajji vaais and the same pulicchu pona ishq, wafaadaar, mohabbat, khatir etc kinda dialaaks..Tirundungadaa deeei

4) saaruk kaan-ji : inda oru film la mattundaan you have the look perfect and you look your age.
ofcourse, ur acting is the same. i have a sincere suggestion. Why do you waste ur time and energy running from one location to another giving those shots? let ur co-artistes be filmed as per script.Your shots from ur earlier films can be cut and paste.. ade kai-virippu [ungallukku pana patraakuraiyaa? en rendu kaiyayum ivvalavu virichi pichai edukareenga?] , ade mukki mukki azhugai [ ungalluku constipation aa?]..
My friend who had accompanied me for the film , throughout, was telling me that Shahrukh's look in the film reminded her of something and towards the end she said "Gnabagam vandaachchu! Saaruk resembles an azhugina vadumaangaaaaaa" Right! take a closer look! saaruk really resembles an azhugina vadumaangaa!

5) ranee mugarjee-ji: If preeti jinta wears those tight dress etc thats coz she is a high profile fashion magazine editor blah blah.. But did you really have to show off your gundu kaai with those sleevless salwars and off-shoulder gowns where ur sadhai pidungi vazhinjifyes? sad! We want the Rani from Paheli, Black, bunty aur babli.. And ur watch ur makeup ma'am! Neenga Newyork la poatta makeup inga Mumbai varikkum varudu!

6) Abhisek annachi : paavam ungala jaalra poda vittututaanga!! paravalla.. konjam nallave nadichirukkenga.. please change ur stylist! ade 'bluff master' look.. ungalluku role-e kammi.. adanala ungala pathi inda post-um kammidaan

7) pretti madam : neenga toongumbodu kooda high heels la daan toonguveengala padathulla?
seri anda disco paatula, avvalavu kuttai skirt, high heels pottundu kaala tooki aadalainnu yaaravadu azhudaangala? romba kashtappattu dance aada try pannirukka vendam.. and madam, 'Salaam namaste' padathula konjam slim aa irundeenga.. adukkunnu adula potta maadiriye dress idulayumaa? Sadai pidungi vazhiyidu.. paatukunga!

8) TK: Free! Ilavasam! muft! Oru payyan cast pannaal appa ilavasam!! udane mundungal! Offer available still stock lasts ! Inda amitabh bachchanukku enna aachu? he plays sexy sam who @ thondu kezham [TK)vayasu is gilpaansing with women.. and flirts with kiran kher, who is saaruk's mother in the film.. and even passes remarks about kiran kher's body and kiran medam is like "Uffoo! sam! tu hamesha aisa hai" They are NRI punjus you see.. very 'broad minded'.. kashta kaalam! Everytime TK comes on screen, you want to just slap him.. He is terribly artificial, as always and trying to be cool.. yo man types.. and ofcourse he does utter his "mohabbat ki khaatir ki ishq ki zulfon ki bahon mein " kinda dialaaks before mandaya pottufying ! taangalada saami..
http://lordlabak.blogspot.com/2006/06/total-trash.html la comments section la naa sonna madiriye nadandadu with respect to TK.. karan jogar en idea va copy adichutaanee.. adappavee

9)Shankar - ehsaan -Loy : Did ur brief to the songs composition go like this from karan jogar?
" A song with fast beats and some balle balle beats for aam junta /NRI s to play during their shaadis.. A party song for Mumbai/Delhi kids to dance during their birthday parties, A title track with Sonu nigam where he mukki mukki sings [Sonu-ji ungallukum vayitru koLaraa?]and yes, the title track should be an hour long , one duet song sounding similar to the title track , one song for saaruk kaan where he can virichify his kai.."
Unga paatellam bayangara repetitive.. boring

10) cameraman anil mehata avargale : neenga padam panna shots ellam paata NY ore kuppaya irukkum pola irukkeee? eppa parthalaum Dry leaves parandu poramadiri .. last-a count pannapodu oru 20 times ade kamichaanga..

11) Tundu beedis : how despo can people get to be part of a Karan jogar filim? Arjun rampal is on screen for egggjactly 30 seconds , john abragam for 11 seconds and kajol for 2 seconds.. I say, even the guy who says "Saar post!" in all Doordarshan Tuesday dramas has a better role.
Dei.. alpangada neenga!

Anbaanaa Blog vaasargale :- If you want to pazhivaangify someone , do buy a ticket for kabhi alvida naa kehna and gift it to them.. ada vida pazhivaangara method vera eduvumee kedayadu.

And finally, Deepa avargale , unnoda guest blog ezhudaa i spent Rs 362.50 [ticket selavu dandam-180 + petrol kaasu- 62.50+ popcorn -20 + dinner -60 + driver batta / overtime -40 ]
naa kashtapattu sambaadichaa kaasa kari aakitten.. neenga inda pannata marakkama wire pannidunga ;-)

Angrily, Anonymous

2006-08-07T17:38:00.000-04:00

There are many reasons why a person blogs. Some have interesting tales, some want to become popular, some act like journalists through their blog, some write funny stuff and some write "well". And there are a million more reasons why one blogs. Apparently, a ranking system exists as well to see who's the best. But why do I blog? I use this space as a personal online diary. I don't have a pattern to what I write here. When you write in a public domain, you are bound to be noticed and commented upon.

The real fun in every blog is in the comments section. This section provides very good entertainment for blog-hoppers. The arguments, the mud-slinging, lets face it, its fun to sit back and read all that when your mind craves for something to escape from durdgery. Comments like "Good Post", "I agree" might mean well for the blogger but thats not fun for the readers. So, to do my bit, I never moderate (whatever little) comments that appear in my blog. But in all the blogs, you often come across these Anonymous-es that are most of the time angry and rude. Remember, not all of them but most of them. Why would a person stay anonymous while commenting? I don't understand.

These angry anon-s have a one point agenda - trash what you write. Sometimes they call you names without understanding what you meant. For example, after the soccer world cup, I wrote a post that didn't say anything good about Chirac or Zidane. It was sarcastic. But an anon didn't understand and called me a fool for supporting Chirac. Supporting chirac...ha ha funny. Countering these anons is a big task and for someone like me who can't even write long posts (well, this one is the first exception I think) its out of the question. So I have a request to all these angry anons. When you do name-calling and disagree, please make your comments more credible by explaining your stance. You don't have enough time or are too much of a wimp to leave your name (by the way, what will happen if your name is known?), so make your stance clear or let your point of view be known, if not for the blogger's sake, at least for the blog-hopper's sake. That way, the readers know that angry anons actually mean something and have an opinion, right or wrong.

When jill becomes chill

2006-08-04T17:15:00.000-04:00

Karunanidhi came up with this brilliant idea of giving tax-break to movies that have "thamizh" names. We have come to a point where tax benefits need to be given to make tamil directors name their tamil movies in tamil. Our CM must be one heart-broken person. If he decides to give tax benefits to people who give tamil names to their kids, our dear CM won't qualify. And even his father wouldn't qualify.

I'll leave him alone. I am sure he has good intentions. But the producers of the movie Jillendru oru kadhal changed the name of their movie to Chill nu oru kadhal to avail the tax benefits. But whoever told them chill is tamil? I am reminded of a drama by S.Ve.Sekhar where a politician refuses to say "satthiyamaaga" because its not a tamil word. He claims its a "vada mozhi chol". When asked how he'd say that in tamil, he goes "Promise aaga..". S.Ve is clairvoyant. Guess he knew this was coming.

Tamil is the only language whose spoken form is entirely different from its pure form. Sure, every language has slangs and words that are not "pure" but not every word would be different. Someone (a non-tamil) who learns tamil from some University wouldn't understand a word if you speak to him like you speak everyday. The tamilians born in the last 100 years are the ones to be blamed, I would think. There is no going back from here. Thats why you see jill get tamil-ised to chill.

The Great Poet Bharathi would've sung "Nenju porukkudhillaye..." in this context.

Queer party

2006-07-31T14:04:00.000-04:00

There was a man who wanted to possess a pair of shoes and was envying someone who had those. That feeling lasted till he saw another man with no legs. I am sure we have all heard of this story in its many forms while growing up. I am reminded of that story after reading a news item in a magazine.

If you think our politicians can't get any worse, all you need to do is look at some politicians in some other country who are worse. A 3-member pedophile political party is all set to run in the November elections in The Netherlands. They are running on a platform of lowering the age of consent (for sex) and legalising sex with animals. Unbelievable!

One Year

2006-07-23T18:23:00.000-04:00

The object of my unconditional love turns ONE today. Happy Birth day Varun. I guess its been a year since I became emotion-driven from rationale-driven. No wonder people use that cliche so often. Time Flies, indeed.

Chain Mail

2006-07-16T17:38:00.000-04:00

By now, most of the surfers know about the chain mail thats going on. Its a letter written by Ashok Chavda that was published in rediff (I didn't read the original. I just got the chain mail).

My friend, Anonymous, decided to present the point of view of the terrorist and here he goes.

Response from a Terrorist:

You cowards of the Gandhian ideoology keep proving that you are the most vulnerable targets in the world. We attacked New york once, London once but we have attacked you repeatedly not once or twice but eleven times and got away with it. Your leaders can only bark after such an attack but do not have any nerve to take on us. You will see your own death, you will see destruction around. You will never feel safe. Don't take pride in a shameless act of getting back to normal business within hours of attack and call that as an act of bravery. You have to do it because you cannot surivive without working for a single day. It is the poverty and desperation that is making you get back to business and not your valor.

A man who is sleeping can be woken up but not the one who feigns.You guys know what we want but you will never accept it or deal with it because your flawed secularism will be proved wrong. Till that feeling prevails ,victory is ours. We fear Israel, we fear US but we laugh at India.

Your forwarded message sucks.

Not the one to take things lying down, my cousin decided to take the terrorist head on. And here he goes.....

Dear Terrorist,
Thank you for your response. I am not the OP of this
thread (who btw is Ashok Chavda), but I wanted to present u my thoughts on this issue.

I agree with what you had to say about the pointless statements of our politicians. But what I fail to understand is why do you wanna bomb a place where ppl dont care about life or death. If you had bombed New York or London twice, people would have been afraid to venture out to work and you would have managed to accomplish the motive of the bombings - i.e to create terror. But repeatedly bombing a place like Bombay only reminds me of a quote - Insanity is defined as doing the same thing and expecting different results.

We do get back to normal life not bcoz of mumbai spirit, but bcoz we need to work to survive in this city. While this whole drama brings out the hypocrites in us, it also brings out the lack of purpose in your motives and a lack of intelligence in implementation.

You dont attack the US or London bcoz it is very difficult to penetrate a country with naturally protected borders and friendly neighbours. Its too much for your peanut sized brains and naturally you dont wanna waste the little that is left.

This whole feeling of euphism on your part reminds me of the sense of accomplishment that India feels when our cricket team beats Zimbabwe on home grounds.

You can continue to bomb us and we will continue to return to our normal lives.
the question is .. we have 14 million people and more coming.. do you have the time and patience???

Mumbai blast

2006-07-11T10:34:00.000-04:00

How many more blasts should occur in Mumbai before the people can feel "We are reasonably safe"? I checked many websites for more information but I guess its too early or maybe the sites are waiting for something more sensational to occur. If any of you have more information, please post.

Update

Have people started talking about Mumbai spirit yet? Or have they stopped yet? I was talking to my good friend in Mumbai and she made a good point. Be it, NYC or London or Mumbai, life would go on even after bombs attack the trains, towers and what not. And you know why? If people don't go about their lives, they won't get their day's moolah. No moolah -> starvation-> death. Simple as that. So every time some attack happens, people should stop talking about the spirit. Even the victims might get annoyed.

And here are some sites that might provide more information.

http://india.wikia.com/wiki/Mumbai_Blasts_07-06
http://mumbaihelp.blogspot.com/
Netsuffering also blogs about it.

Zidane and Chirac

2006-07-09T19:20:00.000-04:00

A soccer player by name Zinedine Zidane, in 1998, kicked a Saudi player on his back and got suspended for 2 matches. He captains the French team and in the world cup finals against Italy today, attacks an Italian like a bull and gets a RED card. And the proud President of France, applauds him and his beautiful sporting values. I would like to applaud Chirac.

Smart woman

2006-07-09T09:59:00.000-04:00

For too long many (muslim) men have gotten away very easily ater saying "Talaaq" three times. One smart woman in Ghaziabad has tamed her dumb husband. I came across the following news item in a website.

A woman has refused to accept her husband’s decision to divorce her by sending a letter with the word “talaq” written thrice.

Farzana, who has been living with her parents here for the past four months, said she has not read the letter sent by her husband Siraj. “So talaq cannot be accepted.”

Superintendent of police Ashfaq Ahmad, who is also chairman of the family disputes settlement committee where the case is being heard, said if Farzana had read the letter, the marriage would have been annulled.

But if any other member of the family saw the letter and told her about its contents, it would have no effect.

Siraj had reportedly sent Rs 2,250 as the meher or alimony for Farzana along with the letter on June 2.

Observation

2006-07-07T20:16:00.000-04:00

Many single people who are not thinking of marriage, ask this question - "Why do people want to get married?" The ones around do research, think of personal experiences etc and come up with a few answers. And all these answers are analyzed and synthesized and they come to the conclusion that the reasons seem silly and that there is no good reason to get married. This is pretty standard.

And couples who are not thinking of having a baby ask - "Why do people want to have children?" "they are cute", "No, they are brats", "they are a delight", "No, they are trouble" and they go back and forth and the former dismiss all the reasons the latter gives as silly and they conclude there is no good reason to have a baby. This is standard too. Of all the reasons they give to support their theory of babies are redundant, the one I find funniest is that the world is already over-populated. Definitely funny.

Looks like it is still a fad for some to-be-married/just-married people to say "I am going to adopt a kid". Its a noble deed but the number of people who actually do it is so low that its negligible. I mean, the ones who do it are the ones who hadn't advertised thus.

This is definitely not what I had planned to post after India won the test series in West Indies but couldn't stop thinking about this after I read about kids, adoption etc.

Total trash

2006-06-29T10:16:00.000-04:00

There is a movie called American Desi in which the guy and the girl watch a hindi movie together. The guy is an ABCD and gets frustrated after watching the movie and tells the girl "I've seen porn movies with a better storyline". Since then I've been keeping track of such worse-than-porn movies. And looks like Kabhi Alvida na kehna qualifies as one. I got the following as a FWD and its funny.

CHARACTERS: BOY1, BOY2, GIRL1, GIRL2, PARENTS

BOY 1 loves GIRL 1.
BOY 2 loves GIRL 2.
PARENTS MAKE THE DECISION.
BOY 1 MARRIES GIRL 2.
BOY 2 MARRIES GIRL 1.
BOY 1 ? GIRL 2 ? UNHAPPY
BOY 2 ? GIRL 1 ? UNHAPPY
BOY 1 still loves GIRL 1
BOY 2 still loves GIRL 2
PARENTS COME TO KNOW AGAIN. DECISION MADE.
BOY 1 MARRIES GIRL 1.
BOY 2 MARRIES GIRL 2.
HAPPY ENDING!!!
...
..
..
..
..
..
..

..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..

NAME OF THE STORY: KABHI ALVIDA NA KEHNA.
BOY 1: SHAHRUKH KHAN
BOY 2: ABHISHEK BACCHAN
GIRL 1: PRIETY ZINTA
GIRL 2: RANI MUKHERJEE
Rs 150/ saved.

Mummy

2006-06-19T11:48:00.000-04:00

Some of the side-effects of growing up in a joint family are not reversible. I know it because I grew up in one. When my e(o)ldest cousin was born, he saw all the elders calling my grandmother "Amma", so he started calling her "Amma" instead of "paatti". Then his siblings were born and they called her the same way. Wonder how they differentiated between their own mother and our grand-mother! And they all called my parents "Mama" and "Mami". When I was born, all the kids were calling my parents mama-mami and I started calling my mother mami. "Mama" was not called as often as Mami, so I stuck to Mami and Appa to address my parents, much to the disappointment of my mother. Why Appa? Well, who can ever understand kids' logic!Then one of our uncles visited us and to assuage my mother, apparently, told me that Mami is actually pronounced as Mummy and that was the right way to call my mother. And that was the day I started calling her "Mummy". My brother, as expected, followed suit.
How can a thayirsadham-eating, middle-class, all-the-time-tamil-speaking tamilian kids call their mother Mummy? Or so the people who inhabited my world thought. My world then consisted of classmates and neighbours (apart from relatives) Most people called me a "show-off" or a "bandha" type. I would never forget what one of my classmates said. She showed me a girl who was getting down from her car. The girl waved bye to the driver and her Mom, who was wearing sunglasses. This classmate told me "She is so rich, even she doesn't call her mother Mummy". From that day on, I was so ashamed to call my mother in public but I couldn't call her Amma either. Amma is my grandmother. I would scream Appa when I saw parents coming home but would say Mummy so quietly that no one would hear. I would even call my parents Ammi-Abba or Thaye-Thandhaye or Aattha-Naina and pretend I was jesting while in reality I just wanted to avoid calling Mummy in public. When I had to, it was just "Mee". Most North Indians call their parents Mummy-Papa, so they never found anything strange with the way I called my parents. Nor was I made fun of during college days.
Recently, one of my friends asked me how I would want my son to call me. "Is it gonna be Mommy as the kids here call or Amma?" she asked with a mischievous smile. The smile seemed to convey "How can you ask him to call you Amma when you don't call your mother that way?" To avoid falling into her obvious trap, I told her. "He is going to call me Aattha. After all, I am quintessential Madras". I bet she was disappointed that she couldn't finish her thought.;-)
And yesterday my son kept repeating the word Aattha and that warmed the cockles of my heart. Maybe Naina is next....

Kannagi

2006-06-07T12:44:00.000-04:00

Kannagi is one of the "paavam" characters of Tamil. She was so nice that she even readily accepted a husband who cheated on her. All in the name of being a "patthini". Some soul must've said "A patthini always forgives her husband, no matter how grave his mistake is". The true patthini she was, she did the same. There ends her greatness, if you ask me. After all the turn of events, she was angry with the king who killed her husband on false charges and to avenge him, she burnt the whole of Madurai with her curse. Madurai is the capital of "true" Tamil. And she burnt THAT city. This is a story.

But what exactly did Kannagi do to deserve the respect of all tamilians born anywhere in the world I don't know. She is a charcter you may or may not like. But how is that like or dislike connected to your love for tamil or tamilians? Say this loud and you'd be termed an anti-tamil person. How is her statue more important than any other statue in Marina? After Jayalalithaa decided to remove her statue, suddenly, her statue became more important than the rest. Apparently, when TN's current CM saw her statue covered with dust-bunnies, he cried.

Dear CM, there are thousands of people in TN who are dying without proper medical care, dying because of riots in the name of (political)parties and all, please spare a thought/tear for them. These people are alive unlike this statue.

Is that me that typed all this? Whats with me?

Voice message

2006-05-23T16:15:00.000-04:00

I seldom change my greeting in my voice mail box. I think its a lot of work. But even after months I got my new cellphone, I kept getting calls for Bloomingdale. And all the wrong calls were eating up my day-time minutes. So I decided to change my voice message. It said "hi, this is Deepa not Bloomingdale. Please leave a message". But many people probably thought I was related to Allan Knot or something. I guess they heard "Hi, Deepa Knot, Bloomingdale". English demands, I say "Deepa's cellphone" but I didn't care much and paid the price when people still left messages for me in my answering machine. So I reverted to my old message, the default one.

More than a year ago, I called a person and the message was "Hi, you have reached XYZ. I am currently busy on the other line or I am away from my phone. In any case, your call is very important to me and I don't want to miss it. So please go ahead and leave a brief message, your name and your phone number after you hear the beep and I promise I would get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you very much for your call and I hope you have a nice day". Have a nice day? By the time one gets to hear the beep, the day is over. Somehow after hearing that message, I decided to change mine. Now mine says "This is Deepa's cellphone. You know what to do after the beep". Incidentally, nobody seemed or seems to mind this greeting of mine. Not even the people I have to deal with "officially". As Karma would have it, that person with the longest greeting on cellphone called me and left a message asking me to change my greeting so as not to annoy people. This is life!

Verdict

2006-05-12T09:23:00.000-04:00

I never thought this day would come but I am actually sad that the ADMK Govt. is down and out. I am not a fan of Jayalalithaa. Last time when she was the CM, she did everything wrong, starting from the great dip at Mahaamaham, to the extravagant wedding and the we-are-not-lesbians-though relationship she had with Sasikala. This time even though she started on a wrong foot by making the loser of losers Panneerselvam as the CM, she didn't do anything real bad. She handled the tsunami disaster well, laid good roads (at least in Chennai), brought in some MNCs, handled last year's flood reief realy well. I can't believe laying-off those arrogant state government employees would have this much effect. Now Karunanidhi, the racist, is going to assume that the people love him and hate Jayalalithaa. Ever since MGR's death, TN has always been an anti-incumbent state. So the verdict shouldn't be a big surprise. Lets hope the new CM does good things.
As an aside, I think all women politicians have to be arrogant. After all, in a male-dominated "profession" like politics, one has to be arrogant and its impossible to have a "nice lady" image but arrogance becomes the standing-out quality in most of them, at least in India. Think of Indra Gandhi, Jayalalithaa, Uma Bharti. I can't think of Rabri Devi as a politician though.

Dear Departed

2006-05-03T16:30:00.000-04:00

The death of Pramod Mahajan is shocking. He remained a would-have-been-good-leader till the end. I wish he had a chance to prove that before this whole drama happened. I thought, he, along with Arun Jaitley and company, made a good team of future BJP. Alas! This had to happen. May his soul rest in peace.
But, when I read this report on The Hindu that said, he was "critical & stable", I hoped and thought he was fine. The Hindu actually made a joke out of this episode with that great headline. Didn't they?

K Suryanarayana

2006-04-30T22:36:00.000-04:00

The killing of this engineer by the Taliban is brutal. The family is udnerstandably inconsolable but there goes the rediff media, takes a picture of his wailing wife and publishes it as "First Look". You are supposed to feel great that you actually got a glimpse of the crying family. We need the news about his killing alright but do media men need to go to his house, take a picture and post it on the net? I find this disgusting. The picture of his wife and the wailing daughter would probably make you skip a meal. My heart goes for the family, who not only have to bear with the loss of life of their beloved but have to put up with the our immature media also. God help this family through this phase.

Update: This blogger talks about this too, in a better way. (Thanks for the link Bubby)

Thats me

2006-04-26T10:44:00.000-04:00

I have a kind of memory that I am definitely not proud of. I won't remember, especially while leaving the house, where I kept my cellphone, house key, car key etc but I would remember every detail of a brain-dead conversation I had with some stranger a decade ago. Even details like the stranger's date of birth, nickname etc would be tattooed in my mind. Ditto for movies' details. I just have to spot a scene in a movie in some channel while flipping and all the redundant details of the movie are registered in my mind inadvertently.
Long ago, I met a guy who happened to be waiting for the same bus as I was. We smiled at each other and started some totally uninteresting conversation. Infact he was talking more. One of his friends passed by and wished him "Happy Birthday". It was December 1st, World AIDS Day. Years later, one of my acquaintances was engaged to this guy. When I met him, I was surprised and asked the couple if they had any special plans for his Birthday, which was a few weeks since then. I was not irritated that he didn't recognize me but he actually thought I was one of those girls that was so floored after just one interaction with him that I even remembered his Birthday. Ewww!
That was just one incident. So many times I have spelt out so many details of a person that some were even embarassed and some were flattered and some were confused and some, found it funny. They probably thought I was a weirdo. So I consciously decided to suppress all the details and hold my tongue. I succeed sometimes.
Recently, when I was at a temple, a woman patted me from behind and started yelling "Hi, remember me?" I nodded. She wasn't convinced that I remembered her and started saying "We met at the party. You had brought your baby. We watched tennis and both of us suported the same guy". I continued nodding. I didn't want to say "Yes XYZ, I remember you. You were talking with someone loudly in your cellphone and said you were in a bad mood and didn't want to attend that party. But then you actually had fun, you told me later. BTW, did you find that black ear-ring which had fallen down somewhere?". I just continued to nod and when she asked "Sorry, I forgot your name". I reminded her and asked her the same question. I am sure she felt I was just a normal person and I felt good even after lying.:-)

Naked truth

2006-04-23T17:34:00.000-04:00

I've never been a big fan of taking pictures of babies when they are not wearing anything. Thats because most of the times the subject is embarassed when he/she looks at such pictures after years. This report seems actually funny. I agree the reaction has been a little extreme but when you are hi-tech enough to have your baby's picture on cellphone, you need to at least dress your kid up a la Gandhiji. Right? People need to understand the plight of the babies. Poor them.

Mother

2006-04-19T15:29:00.000-04:00

Signs that would tell you, you are around a new Mom.

1. You ask "how is your baby" and the answer goes on for the next 10 minutes.
2. A person that says "your baby is cute" or gives any compliment to the baby is automatically a "very nice person" and is friendly.
3. Its an effort for a Mom to have a conversation with someone for 30 minutes without mentioning the baby even once.
4. The phrases "Spending quality time", "very fulfilling" etc come up every now and then in all sorts of conversation.
5. If she hangs up the phone mid-way through the conversation, the excuse is always the baby (and she thanks the baby).
6. She agrees with all the above and laughs at herself (and blogs too).

P.S - As a caveat, I gotta add that there are exceptions for everything in life.

Tamil New Year

2006-04-13T10:48:00.000-04:00

Happy Tamil New Year to all Tamilians of the world. Sorry Putthaandu Nal Vaazhtthukkal. Resolutions are not just for English New Year right? So I decided to take some reslutions for Tamil New Year. Could think of two. No, its not that I am going to stop doing something or start doing something. I am gonna ask people to stop doing something. Thats always the easiest.;-)
If someone starts a sentence with "Sollareney nu thappa edutthukkadha..." (don't get me wrong but...), its guaranteed that the words that follow would be offensive, annoying or at the least disagreeable to the person who is actually at the receiving end. From tomorrow, I am gonna stop that person mid-sentence and say "Its OK, naan thappa edutthuppen" and I want to see if they actually stop or continue. Too many times people say things like "Sollareney thappa edutthukkadha but you sound stupid" and get away with it. Would their heads explode if you prevent them from stating what they think? I want to check that out.
Have you ever asked the age of someone and got this reply? "I am running 30 but I am actually 29". Who wants to hear their running, sitting, walking age? I am not gonna ask anybody's age anymore. I am only going to ask their year of birth.
If you can think of any more of such "good" resolutions, let me know before tomorrow. (My dear friend Bubby, I am counting on you.)

Sigh!

2006-04-07T13:05:00.000-04:00

IITs and IIMs have been captured as well by the Mandal Army. Read this. Whats next?

Would anyone be surprised if this happens - American Embassy has been advised to give visas according to the caste of a person. OBCs and SC/STs have to be given earlier interview dates and 49.5% of the visas have to be reserved for them.

Everytime this caste discussion comes up, someone raises up to say how the upper caste ill-treated the MBCs, OBCs, SCs and STs and that Mandal type of reservation would serve them better and they can participate in the community with dignity. But don't you think its an insult if someone says "You need to get only 50% because you are an ST and you won't be able to compete with those forward castes, who have to get 99%". I am not saying all these reservations are always bad. They had their purpose those days. You need a walker only when you are learning to walk. Once you start running, if someone gives you the walker, for God's sake, reject it. These stupid reservations further divide our already-in-shambles society. Well, these rants mean nothing to anybody but just to feel good I wanna say "Arjun Singh, you are a lunatic".

Matrimonial...

2006-04-04T15:14:00.000-04:00

I think 80% of the people who advertise in the matrimonial section of newspapers and magazines sound funny and I don't think they even realize it. I am thinking thats because the ones who give an ad there are not the ones who are actually in the market but some well-wisher does that job for them. So they don't sound honest most of the times and they end up sounding funny. (Remember I said 80%?)

If a guy says "Wanted - a girl who looks like Aishwarya Rai and can do some good cooking in the house for a fat guy", that sounds honest. Fair enough. Hey, no one has the right to find fault with this as its upto the individual to say what they expect of a life-partner and one needn't be politically correct though this guy would probably get married when pigs start flying. Instead, what you see is something like this. "Wanted - a slim homely girl for a slightly plump, good-looking guy". If you look at the actual meaning of homely, the dictionary would say "plain or unattractive in appearance" but in matromonial lingo, it means a girl who puts the home first or a girl who does good house-keeping or a girl who has a neatly oiled, combed and plaited hair with no lipstick or a girl who doesn't have a boy-cut/short-hair/bob-cut or one who doesn't wear a sleeveless top and a tight jean. It could mean any of the above and slightly plump most probably means fat. And if someone can't be categorised as "fair", he/she is automatically "wheatish".

And you also find - "Wanted - a girl who is traditional yet modern for a teetotaller earning Rs....". I don't get what traditional yet modern means. Very subjective indeed.

Coming back to "wheatish", the equation "fair skin = beauty" is so ingrained in our Indian minds that it would take at least 2 centuries for people to think otherwise. Why blame the person who advertises thus, can anyone realistically think they'd get married if they specify they are dark? Thats sad but true. In fact, guys at least have a repreive sometimes. (If you get a fat pay check or have inherited some property) But girls have to be fair-skinned. Wonder how this fair-skin obsession started!!

When the parents of yet-to-be-married-but-in-the-market people meet, they discuss how difficult it is to get their kids married these days. After all, they say, this generation expects a lot. But how many of them would agree to a love marriage without fights or tears? We, 20 somethings and 30 somethings, are the ones that are sandwiched between arranged-marriage-only and love-marriage-only generations. We gotta be traditional yet modern I guess.

Lata

2006-03-29T07:11:00.000-05:00

I am one of those people that used to like Lata of yesteryears but can't stand her anymore. Not just her voice, the person called Lata irritates me to no end. By now everyone knows about the fly-over drama that involves her. Read uptown-girl's article on that. Its very interesting.
Some people think its a rule in India to like, adore and worship Lata Mangeshkar and such souls have also berated this girl in her comments section. Read that too to have more fun.

Gift Registry

2006-03-26T18:00:00.000-05:00

Years ago, when I went to a big shop in the nearby mall, I saw a couple standing next to a computer and doing something in that, selecting an item in the shop and doing something again in the computer. When I asked my friend what it was she said they were probably creating a wedding registry. She told me how people go to a popular shop, select items that they need, add them in a registry and in their wedding invite tell the invitees that their registry is open in so and so shop and people could get gifts for them from the registry. I found it very strange and funny. I also thought it was silly of someone to tell people what they should gift. Its like saying "Your gift might probably be useless, so why don't you get me something that I need and you'll get it in this shop." Was I naive (or parochial)?

In my recent trip to India, we had a big family function. I was helping my relatives unpack the gifts. And quite expectedly there were many wall-clocks. People still think some families don't have any clock on their walls and help them by getting wall-clocks. And some people are scared that the gift-receivers might re-gift that precious wall-clock, so they print their name and the dial says "With Best Compliments from XYZ to ABC". To save space on the dial, they could've said "Sponsored by XYZ". Suddenly there is this omnipresent "gopuram" that seems to be at the No.1 position in the gift items list these days. Its a black gopuram on top of a wooden base and there is something embossed in silver on the black piece and a glass kind of acts as a shield to the silver piece. Its amazing how many people think this is a cool gift. When my enemy accidentally invites me for his/her family function, I am going for this gopuram. If you receive 5 of them or even 7, you can somehow arrange them in your living room and explain to guests that you are not selling them but what do you do when you get about 15 to 20 of them? I know its the thought that matters and any gift should be accepted with grace blah blah blah... but these wallclocks and gopurams really test the patience of the hosts. If my host wasn't aggravated, I was.:-) And I was thinking of gift registries. I guess I was naive AND parochial. Being the one that takes a middle ground on every issue, I know what I'd do. I am going for "No gifts please" henceforth. And I sympathise and empathise with Ammani's girl.