It's a biiiiiiiiig world !

Bad and Beautiful !

2010-05-20T10:58:00.022+05:30

Beautiful Bengaluru :)

Bangalore is a beautiful city indeed ! Be it the cool climate or the neatly maintained parks that one finds in every street, this city rocks.People seem honest and friendly, young chaps dress up like they are walking the ramp everyday and you get tasty food everywhere !

Bad/Bongu Bengaluru :/

When I was just about to make up my mind that Bangalore is the best city in India(second only to my dear Chennai) , I started boarding the city buses and that changed my entire opinion about the city.

Reason 1:
People living here seem to have misunderstood the "We two.Ours One" slogan. I see that every family proudly maintains a car . By "family", I mean husband and wife. This means the son/daughter gets to contribute his/her own share to the exponentially increasing pollution. So how does this affect a poor girl who travels by bus everyday ? Traffic !! Grrr... Especially on Friday nights when you have a train to catch in half an hour . Thank God.I am not Kareena Kapoor of Jab We Met .I dint miss any train yet ;)

Reason 2:
Another thing that makes my bus travel memorable is the funny and cunning attitude of bus conductors here !! They are so generous ... They give you a small concession of Rs.2 or 3 per ticket and when you are just wondering whether he is Kuberan-II, he gives a sheepish smile and walks away without giving you the ticket !! My friends and I did not understand what's happening for two days. The third day we found out ... he is making money and we are the ones taking all the risk in the world by travelling ticketless !!

There is one particular conductor whom we fought with .We refused to give money without receiving the ticket. Alas, we lost the well fought battle. He dodged us well , so when we gave the money,he gave the familiar sheepish smile and walked away !!! Since that day, whenever we board his bus, we throw an angry glance and he returns it with a "I dont care" smile. However, nowadays, we make sure we receive the ticket and only then do we open our purses !

P.S: None of the women conductors we saw so far were mysterious/funny like these men conductors.

Food

2009-11-19T21:32:00.008+05:30

"Belly rules the mind !" says a Spanish proverb. I do not know if this applies to everyone but it sure suits me ! Indecisiveness seems to be my problem in every aspect of life...I never know whether to choose plan A or plan B and end up choosing an entirely different plan C...However, when it comes to food, my taste buds know what they want at the right time ! I am never confused with deciding whether or not I want to taste something :) That is because I am ready to taste anything that is vegetarian.

Listed below are a few of my favorite dishes.
1) Pani poori
Who can say no to the tempting taste of small round pooris stuffed with potato,onions,channa served together with the spicy "pani" ? I love the way we eat pani poori...How many nations have innovative eating methods like ours ? If you have never eaten a pani poori before, you are not fit to be an Indian !

2) Chole Batura
Mouth watering ?? Aint it ? Though all of us know it is full of fat and oil, we can never resist the temptation to munch away alteast one half of the batura...

3) Gobi-Manchurian
Perfect thing to eat on a rainy day . Also, Gobi 65 makes an awesome starter !

4)Vegetable Pulao

A perfectly healthy and tasty dish and tastes best when served with onion raitha :) My mom's an expert in this !! Is there anyone who can hate peas pulao ?

5) Rasam rice with lady's finger poriyal
Nothing comes like home made rasam mixed with those delicate boiled rice grains. Add some lady's finger poriyal for taste ....and wow ! It's a bliss :)

6) Aapam
I do not know if many people like this particular dish...It tastes best at Hotel Saravana Bhavan. It looks like a "U" shaped dosa :) The taste is different and can be served with coconut milk. It looks like a dosa, but is made like an idli !! So it is completely fat free and healthy too !

7) Sandwich
The easiest to make and healthiest stuff I have ever known...No matter how many times I eat it, I never get bored. I do not think my taste buds will ever say no to a sandwich as long as I live.

8) Curd Rice with mango pickle
Yummy !! My all time favorite :)

9) Strawberry/ Sappota(Chiku) Shakes
Shake Shake Shake !!

10) ICE CREAM !!!!!!
Ice Cream?? Where is it served ?? Am I allowed extra scoops??

P.S : I listed only ten of my favorites because one blog will not suffice to even mention everything !! If you are a food lover too, please mention your favorite dishes as well :)

Famous Failures

2009-10-23T14:59:00.000+05:30

Aadhavan !

2009-10-20T18:31:00.006+05:30

What a movie ! There are two things you cannot resist while watching it....The first one is blaming yourself for wasting money and the next is waiting for the movie to get over ! The story (if you are able to search and find) spins around an assassin hero, who was misunderstood by his dad during his childhood and shows how he gets back to his family. It looks like the director K.S.Ravikumar spent all his energy directing his previous film that he decided to do this movie to take a break from thinking.It is true that a film with proper logic can impress the audience..However, this film tries to bring in logic only in places where it is absolutely unnecessary and ends up testing our patience !

Surya has done his best, yet again , at some places he has done more than what is necessary ... May be their policy was "Do more ! " . The usage of morphing to show Surya as a 10 year old kid is a good attempt. Vadivelu helps you chuckle in some scenes. Nayanthara is portrayed as a pretty lady. Saroja Devi (Nayanthara's grandmom) delivers her dialog in the same old fashion. The late actor Murali who plays the role of a father has done a neat job. "Hasile fisile" is pleasing to the ear. However, the picturisation of the songs could have been made in a better way. The BGM is good to hear, but does not go well with the movie.

On the whole, Aadhavan is a signature K.S.Ravikumar movie. But somehow, the magic that many of his previous films created, seems to have vanished here ! The producer Udhayanidhi Stalin shows up at the last scene. You know friends, it sometimes helps to know the man who took pains to sponsor two and a half hours of "we are trying to impress you ? got it ?" trials.

Give India ! (Sep 27 - Oct 3)

2009-09-25T16:26:00.017+05:30

Hey ! So you have been seeing me for quite sometime in newspapers,blogs,TV and posters ? You are still not sure how I am able to spread smiles across the country ? Alright, Let me introduce myself...I am the product of a non-profit organization GiveIndia.They have named me "Joy".I will hang around here for a week.I act like an interface between individuals and Non-profit organizations.You can help me spread cheer and change lives by doing any of the following:

Eat !

Five top slot hotels and speciality restaurants are coming together to partner with Oriental Cusines . All you need to do is buy coupons that cost Rs.5000 and choose one out of 80 NGOs.The delicious food is all yours and the money you spent on it goes to the NGO that you chose ! Prepare to be taken away by the voices of Sudha Raghunathan and Karthick as you eat !
Place : Chennai Trade Center
Date : October 1
In the kitchen :Copper Chimney, China Town, Kokum, Kaaraikudi and Kebab Court

Run !

Participate in a marathon ! A small amount of participation fee will be collected.

What: Idea- Chennai Marathon in aid of Givelife Charity
Where: Chennai
When: Sunday, September 27, 2009 from 6:00am - 9:00am

Give your wage

Let your Corporate know how employees of top organizations pledge a small amount of their monthly income towards an NGO or a cause of their choice.

Example Corporates : CII, Group M, HDFC Bank, HP, ICICI Group, IMRB, Samtel

Give Online

Donate money online to a cause of your choice in http://www.giveindia.org/

7 days 7 gifts

Sign up for the7 days 7 gifts challenge. All that will be asked of you is an act of kindness, say, giving a gift to, your maid, driver, bus conductor, colleague, in-laws.

Give your skills

Organise a fundraiser in your office, school or college. Be creative

Give your time

Spend time at an elderly home or orphanage. Or just spend time with your family for a change.

Spread the word

Make people aware of me....."Joy" .......tell them how they can feel my presence by participating in the Joy of giving week !

Let us experience the joy of giving !

Unnai Pol Oruvan

2009-09-23T15:10:00.009+05:30

Most of our films live up to two key words...Stardom and Entertainment ! However, in our singara Chennai, very few of the films seem to come with the sole purpose of letting the masses know the reality !

Such being the magical world of cinema , "Unnai Pol Oruvan" strikes the screen with one good power ..na its not our all time favorite Kamal ...and nope...I am not talking about the nice man Mohal Lal either...The film shows the power of a single common man ! You,me...Each of us is bigger than what we think !

Though it is the remake (rather, improvised version) of "A Wednesday" , viewers feel the presence of mind of the Kollywood stars has taken the film to a different level. It is nice to see Kamal dressed like a simple man, washing away all the glitter he was left with after Dasavatharam. Mohal Lal has done a good job with his Malayali accent. Audience enjoy it when he says "Tamil Nadu is also my state only...not jus Kerala" . Kamal obviously receives clapping thunders and whistle winds for every word he utters. The aged Lakshmi sure has not lost her passion for cinema. When you are trying to make out where you saw that actor dressed up in an inspector's clothes, lazily munching ground nuts, the audience screams "Sir...neenga yenga yo poiteenga sir !" :)

Ganesh Venkatram must have enjoyed playing his action role after playing the Singh bridegroom in "Abhiyum Naanum". The reporter girl with a cigar , the ethical hacker who says he is an IIT drop out, the way Kamal carries his bag filled with vegetables, the "Bush-Mush" jokes...all get registered in your mind !

Film Critics would have to search a lot to find a flaw...But come on..The movie strikes us with a strong message in a powerful way ! Why worry about flaws ? "Chakri Toleti" must be proud to have had his name as the director of this film. The BGM reminds us that Kamal's blood is mixed with creativity. Watch it friends :) It is definitely worth 2 hours of your life !

After thought !

2009-08-10T20:03:00.000+05:30

Never can I forget that dark winter night;
“It is me, you filthy blood!” rang a voice
I thought I heard a clinking sound,
Followed by a cry so shill and a faint wail;

My heart pumped out, more sweat, than blood;
“Is she here? No, It can’t be!” I thought
“Oh God, Save me!” uttered I, touching the switch;
The lights went on and I sat up still…..

Deep in my mind, there, she stood;
She seemed to have shifted in, all for good;
Red was her saree and scarlet were her eyes,
Torn were her robes and broken was her voice!

Her pale-dry lips opened and closed,
From her mouth, strange sounds echoed!
I caught a few words as they flew past;
Ringing in my ears, they burnt my soul!

“Not fair!” she cried…I saw her so close to me
“You think you are god?” …. all went dark..
I thought I died…a red round bindi was all I could see,
She gave a final screech and then she left….

That winter evening, when I walked down the lane,
I came across this lady crying with pain;
She begged for money and saw me refuse,
She pleaded again and a coin I threw..

I watched the coin roll, down the streets,
I saw the lady run with bare feet…
Her baby on her arms, she ran till the end,
She bent with haste to grab the coin near the bend…

Smile -Charlie Chaplin

2009-01-14T22:59:00.002+05:30

Small wonder :)

2009-01-13T19:01:00.012+05:30

Meet the world's smallest dog !!!

Want to hug the world's smallest teddy bear ?

What will you say when you talk using Modu, the world's smallest phone ?

Dont you face your enemy with this !!

Pls get yourself a magnifying glass if you want to use this one !

Yummy yummy !

I showed you enough of small things.......Take a look at the cutest hot dog ever :)

P.S : I am not sure if they are really the smallest things in their respective categories.....So dont blame me if you find someone showing you a smaller wonder !!

Enjoy some Englipish :)

2009-01-07T20:40:00.004+05:30

English in Non-English Speaking Countries!

In a Tokyo Hotel: Is forbitten to steal hotel towels please. If you are not person to do such thing is please not to read notis.

In another Japanese hotel room: Please to bathe inside the tub.

In a Bucharest hotel lobby: The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that you will be unbearable.

Outside a Hong Kong tailor shop: Ladies may have a fit upstairs.

Advertisement for donkey rides in Thailand: Would you like to ride on your ass?

In a classroom in India : "Students....open the windows.....Let the atmosphere come in !"

In most of the countries : "Stand in a straight circle !"

The most famous one : "I have two daughters...Both of them are girls !"

Wow ! What a lovely language :)

TICK TICK THOUGHTS !

2008-12-26T17:24:00.009+05:30

Read the poem till the end if you want to find out why I wrote it !

Two thin hands move towards the future
While the big one leads, the little one follows;

Where one hand goes, the other not knows,
Still once in a while, they meet for sure.

Twelve little men spread out in a circle,
Mere Bystanders are they? “No no”, they say;
They seem to work all night and day,
With a message to pass, no man an obstacle.

One round face at me, to blink,

Transparent enough to express all it has;
One tiny fellow not to be seen alas!
Though hidden behind, he makes them all tick!

My precious dear watch, where did u go?
Not only the slipping time did you faithfully show,
Each of your inmates had something in life to teach;

I pray with hope you are nowhere beyond reach !

Laugh aloud !

2008-12-19T22:14:00.007+05:30

The Inner Eye

2008-12-18T19:45:00.009+05:30

It was just another day for me, just another usual ordinary long day. A calm twilight had neatly unfolded itself before me as I stood in the bus stop waiting for a bus.Voila ! There arrived a bus that could take me home and I got into it without giving it a second thought.The bus was a bit crowded.The seats were all occupied and a few people were standing here and there, trying to keep themselves from twisting and turning along with the bus .I stood next to a Ladies two seater,next to a young girl who I thought was asleep,for her face was inclined downward and her eyes were closed.

You ask any Desi person about the roller-coasters....I mean the buses.....and they will have tales to tell you...tales about how they ended up with broken bones after losing balance when the 29C took a turn or about how they could not get down at thier destination because the jantha in the 23C did not budge ! Well, my journey towards home was one such typical Indian bus experience.People around me started grumbling and groaning as the bus took an unexpected turn or as someone stamped a dozen feet in the panic of successfully getting out of the bus in the correct place.However I noticed, the girl near whom i stood was not like the rest of the crowd. She had nothing to say ,nor did she seem to show the slightest signs of throwing an angry glance at the bus driver.She still had her face looking at her feet and there she was, quietly seated in a corner of the two seater.

My destination was nearing . So, I moved forward and stood ready to get out of the bus. The girl I had been watching so far went past me and she stood there grasping the rod nearest to her,very tight.It was then that I got to look at her face...and the first thing I noticed then was.....She was blind ! Her eyes were a light gray...there was no white or black ...plain gray.She spoke facing me "Are you going to get down here? If yes....Please help me cross the main road and reach the shop opposite to this street." I could not speak.After getting down,I held her hand and helped her cross the road.I learnt that her name was Gracy." Oh ! ", I thought...Life could have been more gracious to her.On asking what she did,she said she was undergoing a training on tailoring and handworks.When I questioned her why she had come out alone at this hour to such a busy place ,she immediately shooted the following words..."Its Christmas next week...aint it ? I managed to borrow Rs.50 and who else will buy my sister her favorite sweet?" I did not utter a word after that.We had reached the sweet shop she wished to go to.I asked her if she needed any more help...She only replied......"No thanks.Sorry for the trouble"

The night that followed was no longer an ordinary night.It made me realize that many of us who have big wide eyes fail to accept and live our life to the fullest.Gracy appears blind to others but deep within she sees her own world full of colors and her days begin and end with the phrase "It is my life...I have to live it.....who else will live it for me ?"

Chick here ....Chick there......Chick Chick everywhere !!!!

2008-12-12T13:20:00.004+05:30

Mosquitoes are strange beings ! They have contributed to man's imagination quotient ! It was a tiny mosquito that gave Michael Crichton a logical start for his story "Jurassic Park".. and another such tiny mosquito that stands behind the question of why this post on mosquitoes came into my blog ......However, that seems to be the only good contribution they have made so far.....Otherwise, these blimey creatures seem to love to suck human blood and also enjoy the liberty of spreading sickness all over the world.... Well, in a tropical country like our dear India, these disease vectors (specially the females !) seem to celebrate the widespread suffering of man kind through diseases like malaria, Dengue , Chickungunya and many other infectious and sometimes deathly sicknesses.

Of all the infections these mosquito chics pass on,the "Chick" spell (cast all over my city) ,is what I have decided to write about now.Chickungunya also known as Chickun Guinea is derived from the Makonde word meaning "that which bends up" in reference to the stooped posture developed as a result of the arthritic symptoms of the disease.Here are a few facts about this dreaded disease !

Symptoms

Fever which can reach 102.2 °F (mostly only in the night time accompanied with shivering )
a petechial or maculopapular rash
arthralgia or arthritis affecting multiple joints
Other symptoms include headache and fatigue

Remedy

There is no specific treatment for Chikungunya. Vaccine trials were carried out in 2000, but funding for the project was discontinued and there is no vaccine currently available.So I thought i will give some effective (hopefully) remedies

Visit the doctor as soon as possible
Take the medicines prescribed regularly
To relive your joint pain.....all you need is rest....rest....rest......If you are too tired of resting ...start a blog and write a post on the disease and spread awareness :)
NO ASPIRIN PLEASE !
Infected persons should limit further exposure to mosquito bites, stay indoors and under a mosquito net
Movement and mild exercise (NO HEAVY EXERCISE)

As for those lucky ones who have not been bitten by those blood suckers....take precautions to see to that mosquitoes do not win over you !

Take Care !!

The "Black" Addiction

2008-12-05T13:50:00.011+05:30

"Sorry, Mr. President. Please surrender your BlackBerry."

Those are seven words President-elect Barack Obama is dreading but expecting to hear, friends and advisers say, when he takes office in a few more days from now.For years, like legions of other professionals, Mr. Obama has been all but addicted to his BlackBerry. The device has rarely been far from his side — on most days, it was fastened to his belt — to provide a singular conduit to the outside world as the bubble around him grew tighter and tighter throughout his campaign..

“His BlackBerry was constantly crackling with e-mails,” said David Axelrod, the campaign’s chief strategist. “People were generous with their advice — much of it conflicting.” His messages to advisers and friends, they say, are generally crisp, properly spelled and free of symbols or emoticons. The time stamps provided a window into how much he was sleeping on a given night, with messages often being sent to staff members at 1 a.m. or as late as 3 a.m. if he was working on an important speech.

But before he arrives at the White House, he will probably be forced to sign off. In addition to concerns about e-mail security, he faces the Presidential Records Act, which puts his correspondence in the official record and ultimately up for public review. A decision has not been made on whether he could become the first e-mailing president, but aides said that seemed doubtful.

So will the Black President say good bye to his BlackBerry ? May be his unique ways of thinking and acting will bring him a new means of communciation :)

Source : New York Times

F FOR FRIENDSHIP !

2008-12-03T16:04:00.010+05:30

Look who's talking about friendship !!! :)

"Without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods."- Artistotle

"Friendship? Yes Please." -Charles Dickens

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." - Martin Luther King Jr.

"I count myself in nothing else so happy as in a soul rememb'ring my good friends."- William Shakespeare

"Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light."- Helen Keller

"No matter how many friends you have..There is
always room for another"- Mr.X

So what do you ve to say ?

SHINING BEAUTY

2008-11-30T20:22:00.008+05:30

The moon has always remained an object of fascination ! It stands as a symbol for purity, love and wonder. Am one among the countless fans who are attracted to this awesome heavenly body. So,being an amateur poet, i tried to compare the moon with humans and found that man has a lot to learn from this shining beauty hanging around planet earth !

Moon, Oh Moon ! You shine so bright ,
In the darkness of the night.
Are you beside this wonderful earth,
Since the day of your birth ?

Who taught you to fly without a wing?
And to change your round into a ring?
All on earth that is beautiful and nice,
You are always there to symbolize !

The silent night you slowly steal;
To return it by day break for a deal?
You shine so well with all your might,
To lighten a planet twice your size !

Oh ! Altar of heaven, ruling the sky !
To show your darker face, are you shy?
Fly down once so as to witness,
The mask of man to hide his dirty darkness !

Dont worry Mumbai....

2008-11-30T19:44:00.006+05:30

November 26 was an ordinary day for all Indians till last year...This year ,however, every Indian has marked it red....blood red... forever. The financial capital of India was attacked . Of course,Mumbai is not a new target for terrorists ,but, such an "urban" war as this one, has not been witnessed anywhere in the world before.Though the army,navy,NSG and others did a great job,our dear mumbai could have been saved with "pro"active measures, better than the "react"ive ones carried out.Well, whatever it is, the loss is not for Mumbai alone...it is for our India and other nations as well.May the world wake up at this incident to realize the want for a single weapon.....PEACE (make it bold,underline,double underline and mark it white.....not red ! )

LAZY LUCK !

2008-11-26T21:10:00.015+05:30

It's only four letters....LUCK ! Still, a little bit of this tiny four letter fellow can bring you everything else in the dictionary ....fame,money,relations,property.......the list is endless. You really think there is something like good luck and bad luck ? If you do, give it a second thought,please ! I am not here to put out a banner that reads "Mr.Luck doesn't exist !" Some people are bestowed with luck at times....It's all part of life and a teeny meeny ingredient for success (though not a mandatory ingredient) What is not fair is grading things, places and sometimes even human beings and animals to be unlucky just because someone found that things are not going fine with that "unlucky" stuff around. Not alone that, people who do nothing and depend on sheer luck are making one big mistake.....they do not believe in themselves !

What's with the black cat crossing your door step ? You think he is a spy from the income tax department ? Man oh man ! Leave alone things and people.......what do numbers have to do with luck ? What is the big difference between 13 and 7 ??? (if there was anybody out there who giggled out a "6"....you get a punch !) Well.....for me the only unlucky number in the cyber world is 404 ! the poor fellow....Error 404 always makes people grumble ;) It's high time people who grade things "unlucky" gave it a thought and changed their presumptions.

To be fortunate is indeed a blessed thing ! All of us are lucky in some way or the other. But, if everybody in this world waited for that "lucky" minute and sat idle the rest of the time, absolutely nothing will happen ! I know mr.luck...he is a nice fellow...he knocks at your doorstep when he finds that you truly deserve him !! And beware ! if he finds you doing only part of your work and waiting for him to finish the rest....he might play a nasty trick on you !!

As for those who read the above passages you are sure to be lucky :) You got to read a few golden words ;)

So...next time you see someone blaming the poor black cat please give him/her my blog address !

WOW !!!

2008-11-26T19:33:00.001+05:30

Isn't this cool ? I am a part of this biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig cyber world now ! Alright, so this is MY blog and i will use it to do something cool and useful * [*conditions apply ;) ] This blog has been started for two main reasons

Curiosity

Honestly....no idea !

Whatever it is, I am happy that am able to use this powerful medium to share my thoughts with fellow humans on this planet. I shall see to that i do not disappoint readers (if any).

Looking forward to happy days then !!