When I am caught in a reverie of wacky thoughts...

SOK music - The return of the King

2006-08-04T16:02:00.000-04:00

ARR is back with a bang with his latest album in Tamil, “Sillendru Oru Kadhal”. Though he was constantly coming up with good songs in Bollywood, it’s been long since he came up with a wholesome album in Tamil. And this was definitely a cause of disappointment for fans like me. But he has not let us down and his SOK album is a proof of that. The album is an outright entertainer with each song portraying a different aura. And I definitely have to mention Vaali here. He has come up with some beautiful lyrics that makes you appreciate the songs completely. In short, this album is a great relief from the mediocre “mass” albums that have been released lately. The songs,

Newyork Nagaram – Easily my favourite one of the album. I am a great fan of Rahman’s voice and to be frank, I definitely picked this one for ARR’s voice rather than his music. I especially loved the humming part. It’s very catchy. I truly admire Rahman’s choice of the songs for his voice (Unlike Yuvan...someone please tell him, his voice sucks). “Kannire” from Uyire, “Vellai pookal” from Kannathil Muthamittal and recent “Lukka Chuppi” from RDB are best examples of that. Another thing to watch out for in this song is the excellent guitar piece at the beginning.

Kummi Adi – A folk number sung by Seerkazhi Siva Chidambaram & Swarnalatha. The way the song starts is very impulsive. The pace of the song is so good, that you tap your feet automatically when u hear to it. The “Kummi Adi” chorus is very captivating.

Munbe Vaa – This is a melodious song rendered by Shreya Ghoshal & Naresh Iyer. The music is very light & soothing and the lead singers perfectly compliment each other. I am just hooked on to the “Rangoli” chorus. Its just amazing.

Jillendru Oru Kadhal – This looks like the title song. It’s based on Jazz music that gives a very different feel to the song. The singer Tanvi has given a very stylish rendition and seems to have thoroughly enjoyed singing it which is very evident in the song.

Majaa Majaa – Sounds like a very sensuous song. Shreya Ghoshal is brilliant as usual. What can I say, her voice is pure magic. But I was a little let down by the male voice, SPB Charan. I felt it did not blend in well with the mood of the song. I really wish SPB had sung this instead. It would have been another “Thanga Thamarai Magale”.

Machakari –This is a typical Vasundhra Das song and Shankar Mahadevan has tried to keep up the same tone here. The beats in the song are good. The song has a very western feel to it.

Maaricham – Not an instantly catchy song. It reminds me of the “Chandralekha” song from Thiruda Thiruda. The music is very slow and the lyrics are good.

Overall, a soft & romantic album from ARR, that truly ROCKS!

“Shivaji” Ganesan – The Legend

2006-07-24T23:14:00.000-04:00

“Shivaji” Ganesan is one of my favourite actors of all times. He has done versatile roles in his career and has received accolades for almost all of them. He had the greatest talent of slipping into any kind of role with ease. He also had an amazing sense of dialogue delivery, which was very evident right from his first movie. Recently, the Tamilnadu government unveiled his statue to honor his contribution to the film industry. The least I could do to honor such a legend is to dedicate a post to him and list out my favourite 10 movies from among the ones he acted in. Here they are:

10. Gauravam

9. Navarathiri

8. Vasantha Maligai

7. Thiruvilayadal

6. Parasakthi

5. Pasa Malar

4. Thillana Mohanambal

3. Devar Magan

2. Mudhal Mariyadhai

1. Karnan

Never Again plz GOD

2006-07-11T22:53:00.000-04:00

Today, Mumbai witnessed the same plight as London did about the same time last year.

Series of blasts, many bodies of civilians scattered in the pool of blood, hundreds of innocent people hurt, thousands of near & dear ones across the world worried, analysts debating on who were responsible, Leaders from every country condemning it, a few days of mourning…

Nothing changed. Neither has my prayer. Let’s hope my prayers are answered atleast this time. I sincerely hope!

A trip to the WEST

2006-07-09T23:19:00.000-04:00

During the July 4^th weekend, I went on my first trip to the West Coast – San Francisco. It was a beautiful city. The weather was just amazing. I visited all the usual tourist spots in San Francisco city like Golden Gate, Fisherman’s wharf, Crooked Street and of course our “Saravana Bhavan” too. (How could I miss that? ;) Yummy!). I also went to Yosemite National Park. It was a wonderful place. The drive from San Francisco to there was breathtaking. On the whole, I had a good time with my friends. Here are few pictures:

Krrish

2006-06-25T22:37:00.000-04:00

I did not have big expectations when I went to watch this movie. Mainly because this movie is a sequel to “Koi Mil Gaya” and though I appreciate the fact that a movie like “Koi Mil Gaya” was a novel effort for Indian cinema, I felt the movie was too amateurish. But “Krrish” was a pleasant surprise.

The movie starts off with Rekha realizing that her grandson Krishna (Hrithik) has inherited the super powers from his father Rohit (Hrithik in “Koi Mil Gaya”) which was given to him by the alien “Jadoo”. Papa Hrithik and his wife Preity are no more now and Rekha not wanting to lose Krishna too decides to hide Krishna from the rest of the world. Krishna, being very talented & powerful, is not normal like other kids and hence he has no friends. As he grows up, he becomes more powerful that he can run faster than a horse, climb trees & mountains like monkeys, catch fish from the pond with just his hands, etc. One day, Krishna saves a Singapore based Indian girl, Priya (Priyanka Chopra), who is on a tour to the place where Krishna lives. While Priya is amazed by Krishna’s extraordinary skills; Krishna, on the other hand, falls in love with Priya. After Priya goes back to Singapore, she wants to reveal Krishna’s talents to the world and make him a celebrity (ofcourse, she also wants to do it to save her job). So in order to make Krishna come to Singapore, she lies to him about being in love with him. Before leaving for Singapore, Rekha tells Krishna the story behind the death of his father and also makes him promise that he’ll hide his talents from the world. In Singapore, Krishna had to use his skills to save some children from a fire accident and in order to keep his identity secret, he uses a mask. From then on, Mask man, “Krrish” becomes a very famous super hero. While in Singapore, Krishna learns the truth about his father and how he tackles the villain forms the rest of the story.

The major success of the movie is that Hrithik is believable in the role of a super hero. He does complete justice to his role. Priyanka has also delivered what is expected of her. The first half of the movie is shot in a mountainous place that has wonderful scenic locations which are a treat to the eye. The second half on the other hand captures the beauty of Singapore. The technical aspects, which was a major let down in "Koi Mil Gaya", was top class in this movie, almost on par with the hollywood movies. Most of the songs in the movie are melodious but not catchy. On the whole, this movie is the first step into the world of super hero movies in Indian cinema and it is definitely a step in the “right” direction.

Orkut

2006-06-14T21:46:00.000-04:00

I was introduced to Orkut only a couple of weeks before. From the day I registered, it’s been loads of fun. I found quite a lot of friends with whom I have lost touch over time. So each time I found an old friend through the search or thru someone else’s friend’s list, its very exciting and lots of memories come rushing to my mind. Overall, it’s a fun-filled ride so far and I think I am gonna have an interesting time with it until the excitement dies down.

While on the subject, I also came across some interesting information about Orkut. According to Wiki, Orkut was developed by Orkut Büyükkökten, a Turkish software engineer working at Google. This was an independent project. Though it was designed to be based on invitation only between two people, it looks like the invitations can be bought on eBay. Surprisingly, Orkut is more popular in Brazil than in US. And of course, India is third on the list. Also, in Turkish, Orkut means "the holy meeting place".

While the above were some known facts, there are also some “unknown facts” about Orkut. I am not sure how far they are true, but some of them were really interesting to know. So here they are:

1) Orkut Buyukkokten gets $12 when every person registers to this website.
2) He also gets $10 when you add somebody as a friend.
3) He gets $8 when your friend’s friend adds you as a friend, $6 if anybody adds you as a friend in the resulting chain.
4) He gets $5 when you scrap somebody, $4 when somebody scraps you.
5) He also gets $200 for each photograph you upload on Orkut.
6) He gets $2.5 when you add your friend in the crush-list or in the hot-list.
7) He gets $2 when you become somebody’s fan.
8) He gets $1.5 when somebody else becomes your fan.
9) He even gets $1 every time you logout of Orkut.
10) He gets $0.5 every time you just change your profile-photograph.
11) He also gets $0.5 every time you read your friend’s scrap-book, $0.5 every time you view your friend’s friend-list.
12) Many Global Financial Consultants think this person might become the richest-person in the world by the end of 2009.

Well, assuming the above stats are true, point 12 is definitely possible considering the fact that there are 20,658,025 members currently registered in Orkut.

A small feat - 12 Books in a year

2006-05-31T23:05:00.000-04:00

To be frank, I won’t call myself a voracious reader. I do read books once in a while, but I am never a regular reader. But this past year has been a gr8 one, as I have read 12 books, averaging 1 book a month. That’s definitely an achievement for me. The following are the list of books that I read in the last 12 months, in that order.

1) Angels & Demons – Dan Brown

2) The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown

3) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s stone – J K Rowling

4) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – J K Rowling

5) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – J K Rowling

6) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – J K Rowling

7) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – J K Rowling

8) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – J K Rowling

9) The Time Keeper – Kevin Cropp

10) The Rule of Four – Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason

11) Are you afraid of the dark? – Sidney Sheldon

12) Sons of Fortune – Jeffrey Archer

Thru’ these books, I was introduced to few new authors. First, Dan Brown is a talented author who can successfully deliver a racy thriller. His strong point is that he weaves the story around places that are well known. Also the puzzles and symbols keep the reader glued to the book till the last page. Next, JK Rowling has a unique gift of imagination and she presents the story & events in such a way that we are made to believe that there really exists a world filled with witches & wizards. And there can’t be one person who does not love her main character, Harry & his 2 wonderful friends, Ron & Hermoine.

The 3^rd author, Kevin Cropp is a budding writer and also my colleague. This is his first book and he has well brought out the emotions between a teen age son and a dying mother. This is an awesome effort for a first time writer. “The Rule of Four” is a combined effort of 2 authors, Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason. This is also a racy thriller and generally people who like “The Da Vinci Code” will also like this one.

Lastly, I have read most of the books of Sidney Sheldon before and it came as a total surprise to me that I felt “Are you afraid of the dark” was very lame. I am not sure if it is Sidney Sheldon who lost his charm or it’s me who has grown too old for such books. On the other hand, “Sons of Fortune” was an interesting read, it was pretty much the same class of other Jeffrey Archer books that I have read before.

It’s been a year...

2006-05-25T09:49:00.000-04:00

Today is the 1^st Anniversary of this blog and this is my 55^th post. So far, my bloging experience has been a fun filled ride. Through this blog, I have not only kept in touch with some old friends but also found some new friends. I would like to thank everybody for your support & encouragement.

I have been very irregular in updating this blog for the past few months. There are other important things that require my complete attention at the moment. But I promise I’ll try my best to keep this blog alive. Do keep visiting!

The Da Vinci Code

2006-05-24T21:37:00.000-04:00

'The Da Vinci Code' is definitely one of the most expected movies of this year and the box office collection of this past weekend proves that. Before I start to write about the movie, let me make one thing clear, I am one of those biased viewers, who loved the book and went into the movie hall with a preconceived notion that a movie can never do justice to the book. All the Harry Potter movies so far have taught me this lesson.

First things first, my favorite actor Tom Hanks plays the role of ‘Robert Langdon’, the protagonist of the book. To be honest, I definitely had few doubts whether he’ll suit the role. But he has once again proved that any role is just a piece of cake for him. I read a few reviews that mentioned Tom Hanks looked completely lost in this character. I agree, this role is not really a challenging one and it definitely did not require an actor of Tom Hank’s genre to perform this. But I completely disagree that he was a misfit for the role. Even though there was not much scope to perform, he definitely did full justice to the role given to him.

Coming to the movie itself, it definitely succeeded in capturing the key aspects of the book. But what it lacked most was a racy screenplay. I guess the director just focused on how to plug in major events of the book and failed completely in adapting the style with which the various events were linked. This definitely made the movie seem like a drag for sometime. The biggest success of the book was that it never lost its vivacious narration, not even for a little while. On the other hand, the churches, the museum and some beautiful locations were well pictured and was a treat to the eyes. Also, contrary to popular opinion, I felt Audrey Tautou was cute and was a perfect fit for the role.

As I have mentioned in one of my previous posts, though ‘The Da Vinci Code’ is the most popular book of Dan Brown, his ‘Angels & Demons’ is my favorite book till date. It was far more superior in terms of story narration and turn of events. There is already news that it may soon be made as a movie and released as a sequel to ‘The Da Vinci Code’. That’ll definitely be something to look forward too.

Happy B'day Sachu!!!

2006-04-24T10:05:00.000-04:00

A conclusion to all confusion

2006-03-28T10:57:00.000-05:00

Looks like there is an answer finally for a question that was haunting all the +2 students’ minds for many months now. I think the current batch is the most unlucky batch in recent times. First, their syllabus was updated to include advanced topics (college level portions) inadditon to what was already there. They received their books just a couple of months before they started their academic year. I think the usual trend is students start preparing for +2 right from the mid of their +1 year. The blueprint for the question paper was revised umpteen number of times and they finally got it only in the month of December, just 2 months before the actual exam. While +2 students usually start going to entrance coaching classes from December, this batch students were forced to drop out from coaching classes they already enrolled since the government announced that there will be no entrance exams this year. And usually, the state entrance exams are conducted within a month after the board exams so the students can finally get it over with and concentrate on other national level entrance tests. This time they have sit with it for another month and not to mention how many other entrance test dates are going to be around or overlap with these dates. All the Tamilnadu government has achieved is putting the students to so much turmoil. I seriously pity them. I can only wish they overcome all this and come out with flying colors.

F1 - a new season begins

2006-03-12T21:00:00.000-05:00

Start of yet another exciting season…and looks like Alonso is still riding on the 2005 victory horse. After clinching last year’s championship, Fernando Alonso started the new season with style at Bahrain today. Schumi might be a little disappointed for finishing second especially after a favourable start from number one position at the pole. But the Ferrari team will be sure rejoicing now as their car seems more stable than it was in the 2005 season. It sure looks like Schumi is all set to target his eight world title.

And coming to my favourite Kimi Raikkonen, though he had a bad day during the qualifying race which forced him to start at No:22 at the pole, he fought back well today and secured himself a place at the podium. I wish him all the luck and really hope he clinches the title this year. All The Best KIMI!!!

Iqbal

2006-03-07T13:58:00.000-05:00

After hearing a lot of good reviews about this one, I finally got to watch "Iqbal" yesterday. It was a simple movie with a powerful subject. Set in a backdrop of a small village, the movie focuses on how a physically challenged guy (deaf & dumb) works towards his dream of becoming a Cricket player and play for his country. The role of Iqbal was well played by Shreyas Talpade, who did a commendable job. He has wonderfully expressed the protagonist’s passion for cricket. All the characters in the movie were well etched especially the roles of the younger sister of Iqbal who helps him in all his efforts and his mother, who encourages him to achieve his dreams. Naseeruddin Shah plays the pivotal character of a drunkard guy who trains Iqbal to improve his skills and helps him to attain his goals. Kapil Dev also has a brief appearance in the climax of the movie. On the whole, “Iqbal” is a fantastic effort by Nagesh Kukunoor. Kudos to him!

What prompted me more to write this post was not just the movie itself but also the Filmfare awards of this year. There was no award for this movie. Not even the “Critics Award”. While “Black”, which has the same base story line of “Iqbal”, a physically challenged person trying to achieve something big in life, won 11 awards…there was not even a single award for “Iqbal”. I have nothing against “Black”; in fact I thought the movie was a brilliant effort. But in my opinion, “Iqbal” definitely deserves equal recognition. In a country like India, where Cricket is considered a “Religion” than just a sport, how many movies are made based on it? Leave alone Cricket, any other sports for that matter. There are so many sports based movies in Hollywood that are just amazing. “Remember the Titans”, “Coach Carter”, “Rudy” to name a few. So finally, when someone does take an effort to present a good movie with a sports subject, they don’t get recognized at all?

This news in Sify says that all young hero’s in Kollywood are not able to do new films as they are out of scripts. Why can’t they just get out of the whole “masala” stuff and do a movie based on a sports subject. Now, I am not talking about movies like “Ghilli” where “Kabadi” was just a miniscule part of the movie hardly having anything to do with the actual story. I am talking about movies like “Iqbal” here. Will any top hero be bold enough to do something like this in Kollywood? I can just hope!

I'm RED...my least favourite color of all !

2006-02-28T13:46:00.000-05:00

You are the color red. You are the most controversial of all the colors. You are often easily angered, but as easily as you got excited, you come down. When angered, do you have the tendency to be malicious? Afterwards, do you end up begging for forgiveness? Maybe. But you're incredibly generous, and, odd enough, needy. You love to hate, and sometimes, you hate to love. This color describes you as generally edgy. When in a bad situation, you're pessimistic, and when you're in a good situation, you're extremely optimistic. You're painfully tempermental, and sometimes it hurts the ones you love. But with an exciting and stimulating attitude, you enjoy talking to people and being social. But aside from your bold and outgoing attitude, you're attention-needing and attention-getting. This color is associated with lust and desire--and you are both lust and desirous. You're a protective person when it comes to the people you love. You're incredibly sharp-witted and powerful (not to mention intelligent!).

What color are you? (Amazingly detailed & accurate--with pics!)
brought to you by Quizilla

Tamilnadu Elections - 2006

2006-02-27T22:41:00.000-05:00

So it’s that time of the year again...

Where friends become foes, where the other party is always responsible for anything detrimental, where promises are made with the sole purpose to be broken, where every actor’s words are carefully scrutinized, where yesterday’s allies becomes today’s enemies, where the literates don’t give a damn, where a "nobody" becomes "somebody".

It’s always the same…So who is it gonna be this time? Let’s wait & watch.

Finally BACK

2006-02-09T11:39:00.000-05:00

Before you think I had such a long vacation in India, please STOP…I ‘literally’ came back more than a month ago. It just took me some more time to settle down to the routine again. India trip was fabulous. As I said before….HOME IS HOME (Period). Had great food (Smack!….Amma samayal na summa va?), did lots of shopping, visited many friends, got my Visa stamped, also caught up with some Mega serials,etc. It was loads of fun.

I went to India after about 2 yrs. This was the longest period I was away from home. I don’t know if it was because of the long gap or I have got used to the system here, but I found one thing very weird - Lack of Courtesy.

Thanks to the Multiplexes and hi-fi shopping malls, we now have glass doors for most of the entrances in India. You approach a door, you see someone entering in, and you hope they will keep it open for few seconds so that u can hold it, but BANG – reality slaps at U fast. You walk into the store awestruck, looking at all the colorful & shining dresses and OUCH – somebody just stamped on your leg with boots. You turn around and wait for an apology. But it ends up you are the only one who is standing there in pain & vain. You select an amazing “short kurta” and want to try it on. So you stand in a line in front of the fitting room. After about 15 mins, when it is finally your turn to enter, someone just comes out of nowhere and gets inside ahead of you. You just stand there wondering if finally you have found that “Invisible coat” that you were long hoping for.

You finally get done with your shopping and head home. Now comes the most frustrating part…the traffic. The day I landed in India, I was so thrilled to see multiple lanes on the roads. But my happiness was short lived; those lines don’t mean a thing to people. A road ‘technically’ just had 2-3 lanes. But there are atleast 6-7 buses, cars, auto-rickshaws, bikes, cycles that ride side by side. When a signal turns green, everybody starts rushing to cross it, create a commotion there, as a result of which, hardly a handful get to move forward before the signal turns red again. So after you complete 8 kms of drive in 1.5 hrs, you reach home. You get into the elevator along with 5-6 people. You say, “9 please” and see that no one moves a muscle. So you say it again, this time louder, “9 PLEASE” and still no response. Man...you just have to wait until a couple of people get down at 3^rd floor, so that you can reach for the button and press 9.

All these incidents just made me wonder, does a thing called ‘Courtesy’ even exists in our country? Are people even aware that we have to show some concern to the people around us? And these did not happen on just one day. Things like these happened wherever I went. And not just one city; Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Coimbatore – everywhere. May be not the same incidents, but similar.

Though our country is improving a lot in terms of Economy, the way of living, Education, etc, I think people in India still need to take a major STEP in terms of Courtesy towards others. And I sincerely hope they do it soon.

Home Sweet Home

2005-12-07T23:19:00.000-05:00

I am leaving to India for vacation t'rrow. I'll be back after New year. Until then, "HAPPY HOLIDAYS" and Wish U all a very HAPPY & PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!!!

See you all after a BREAK!

A9 maps with BlockView images

2005-12-05T23:18:00.000-05:00

When my friend Sesh told me about the A9 maps, I just thought, "Well, how different can it be?". I realized I was so wrong when I visited the site. This beta version provides users with not only the driving directions but also images with the street level information. The website lists the following features:

See street-level images of the addresses they enter.
Virtually walk up and down the street to see different photo angles of restaurants, offices, shops, public parks and landmarks.
Virtually jump to the opposite side of the street.
Click anywhere on the map to see images of places nearby.
Zoom in and out and see an overlay of all streets for which A9.com currently has BlockView images.
Create driving directions, and then click on points along the way (intersections, street corners, etc.) to see how they look in the real world.
Click on a point in the map to get the corresponding address.

Right now, it only has a few major cities covered. But I am sure "Amazon" has big plans with this cool tool. For starters, just enter "233 South Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL" and U'll land right in front of the famous "Sears Towers". Kewl, ain't it?

Harry Potter delivers and “Shivaji” gets rolling

2005-12-01T23:06:00.000-05:00

I’m back after a loooong silence. Have been a little busy with some important things. Anyways, I watched the much awaited Potter movie, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of fire” last week. It was a well made movie but as always did not do enough justice to the book. Well, I should agree that it is impossible to concise a book with about 700 pages into a 2.5 hrs movie keeping intact its flavor. But the director has rushed through the script in such a hurry that people who have not read the book will have a tough time making sense of what’s going on. But for people from the HP world, though a few details here and there have been changed, this movie is the BEST when compared to the other 3 released so far. To mention the credits, few scenes like the Yule Ball, the first task with the Dragon, the rise of Voldermort, etc are very well made. All in all, a worthwhile watch for the fans!

The wait is over…Thalaivar’s “Shivaji” finally gets rolling. The pooja held on a very small scale put an end to all the speculation about when the film will start. Notable absentee from the crew was ARR. I hope Shankar does not shoot this movie for long as he does his other films. I am eagerly waiting for “The Boss” to grace the silver screens soon.

Majaa & Sivakasi

2005-11-14T02:22:00.000-05:00

“Majaa” would have been a huge success if it was taken way back in the 80’s. A typical village subject with the hero standing up against the mean & wicked village head. Not to mention the heroine is none other than the daughter of the villain and under some “circumstances”, the hero ties the “thali” to the heroine in the temple. *Sigh*, I guess even if I don’t mention the rest of the story, people can easily figure out what happens in the end. I seriously wonder why a versatile actor like Vikram could choose such a petty storyline for his film. Asin has nothing much to do except to come in a couple of duets. The only consolation in the movie was Pasupathy. The guy has a very good timing for comedy and has done an amazing job in the romance scenes between him and the other heroine, who by the way looks cute and is a very good pick.

The music by Vidyasagar is mentionable though not very exceptional. A couple of songs like “Thai Masam” & “Che che” are good after repeated hearing. The other thing which is very irritating in the movie is that everybody says “Majaa” atleast once in every 5 mins. All together, a not so great movie which can be tolerated once just for the star cast.

“Sivakasi” – Supposed to be the latest blockbuster in Tamilnadu. I really don’t know what to say about that. A usual masala film, with a couple of action scenes, a couple of duets, mother sentiment, sister sentiment, blah blah. The first half of the movie has absolutely no story except for the romance (???) between Vijay & Asin. It was literally a drag in few places. In the second half, the hero goes back to his parents after 15 yrs, fights against his villainous brother and everything is set straight in the end. Some scenes like Vijay telling his sister that her husband is dead just to win the election are disagreeable.

Vijay does well in stunt scenes and dances incredibly. Other than that, there is nothing else for an ordinary person like me. Well, Vijay fans will have a different story to say. Every aspect of his portrayal reveals that he is willing to claim the post of the next “Super Star” of Tamilnadu. But there is something that is visibly missing in him - The natural Charisma. I mean people can see Rajni in the mass hero role for umpteen number of times. I doubt if that would be the case for long with Vijay. Asin is better utilized here than in “Majaa”. Other than that there is nothing worth mentioning. Prakash Raj has been totally wasted. Music by Srikanth Deva is very ordinary except for the Intro song. Well, a blockbuster if you are a Vijay fan and a total disaster for others.

Interesting Facts - Elephants

2005-11-09T00:32:00.000-05:00

Yet another "Interesting Facts" post - this time it is about one of my favourite animal, Elephants. Read on:

An elephant´s trunk, a union of the nose and upper lip, is a highly sensitive organ with over 100,000 muscle units.
They may live seventy years or possibly more...
An elephant's brain is about four times the size of a human's brain.
Elephants can weigh about 10,000 pounds.
Elephants can eat upto 350 pounds of food daily.
Their main sources of food are grass and bark.
They drink about 18 gallons of water a day.
Elephants spend about ¾ of their time day and night, selecting, picking and eating food.
Elephants have large ears but their hearing is not exceptionally good. An elephant will gently wave its large ears so that the blood in them will cool them down. The cool blood circulates around the body, helping to keep the elephant cool in very hot weather.
They can run 24mph for short distances.
Elephants can sleep standing up.
They poop 80 pounds in one day. :)

Happy Deepavali

2005-11-01T01:06:00.000-05:00

Wish you all a very

"HAPPY DEEPAVALI"

May the year ahead be filled with joy & success!

Have fun!!!

The “Badhshah” is BACK!!!

2005-10-26T01:24:00.000-04:00

After nearly 6 months, millions of fans like me are sure rejoicing today. Sachin Tendulkar is finally back after his recovery from the elbow injury. He is not only back, but back with a bang. 93 runs in 96 balls, 9 boundaries and 2 sixes. No one could have asked for more in the very first match after 6 months. And he was also instrumental in moving Pathan up the order which proved to be a very good move for the match.

I am very happy for Rahul Dravid too. His first victory after being appointed as captain and also for being named “Man of the match”. I hope good times continue for him.

Well, coming back to the title of this post, the peerless Emperor of Indian cricket is BACK and my BEST wishes to him for many more wonderful matches ahead. I am really very happy & excited. I may sound a bit wacky today...well, tell me one reason why I shouldn’t be? ;)

'Sania Mirza will change the world' - ???

2005-10-18T02:39:00.000-04:00

According to the London's New Statesman, Sania Mirza is listed as one of the ten people capable of changing the world. Some excerpts from the article,

She is the first female Indian tennis player to be ranked in the world's top 40, indeed, she is the first significant female athlete of any kind, in a country where women have been typically discouraged from taking up sport.

She evidently enjoys the attention and delights in confounding expectations of exactly how a young Muslim woman from the subcontinent should behave. At Wimbledon, she wore a T-shirt bearing the slogan: "Well-behaved women rarely make history"; at the US Open in September, where she lost in the quarter-final to the Russian sensation Maria Sharapova, her T-shirt read: "You can either agree with me, or be wrong".

All this means that Mirza is in ceaseless demand - for interviews, billboard advertising, endorsements (her fee is reported to be second only to the great batsman Sachin Tendulkar's) and television appearances.

Though, I am not exactly sure whether Sania will change the world, I know one thing for sure, she has captured the hearts of millions of sports fans…well, to think about it, non-sports fans as well…;)

Shreya – the lucky one?

2005-10-13T02:04:00.000-04:00

It seems like Shreya is going to be Rajni’s heroine in “Shivaji”. She was cute looking in “Enaku 20 Unaku 18”. I have not seen her latest “Mazhai” yet. But I have seen a couple of her Telugu movies though. She seems to be pretty & talented. It is rumored that Rajni & Shankar saw the preview of “Mazhai” and were very impressed with her performance. I hope she makes a good pair for "Thalaivar". And there still seems to be some hope that Aishwarya Rai may also be in “Shivaji”. Until things get confirmed, let’s keep guessing.

PS: Somebody seems to have promptly followed one of the famous Tamil blessing, “Padhinarum petru, peru vazhvu vazhge”. A couple in Arkansas had their 16th child recently and they are apparently thinking of more. God Bless them!

"Ghajini"

2005-10-09T04:14:00.000-04:00

Saw "Ghajini" yesterday. First things first, the movie is definitely a good effort though not a great one. The director has taken an exquisite story line from “Memento” and added the right amount of spice to make it lucid for the ordinary tamil movie buff. I should say that he has succeeded to a great extent at it. But in his efforts to spice up the story, he loses track in the second half and the movie becomes an intolerable drag.

The movie starts well by portraying how a “short term memory loss” patient, who loses his memory every 15 mins, handles his life with no ones help. The flash back scenes in the first half with the charming Surya and exuberant Asin are such a delight to watch. Especially, the scenes when Surya goes to meet the girl who claims to be his girlfriend and she goes on & on to him and where Asin takes Surya to the new year party as fake Sanjay Ramasamy are top notch.

Surya, as Sanjay Ramasamy, a successful business magnet and a multi millionaire and as a short term memory loss patient, has done complete justice to the role. He sizzles in the romantic scenes and excels in the action scenes. He is completely believeable both as a business tycoon and as a patient. His body language in both these roles are laudable. I have one question for Surya’s costume designer, why the hell did he come with an idea of red, orange and violet pants for him? Though his costumes were best in the scenes, it was very irritating in the song sequences. But even for a Surya fan like me, a few scenes where he reminds us of the surya in “Nandha” are very disturbing and which could have been easily avoided.

Asin is a pleasant surprise. She was cute in “Ullam Ketkume” and I immediately liked her. In this movie she is not only adorable but is also full of energy. She is a perfect fit for the role and carries it out remarkably well till the end. This movie will be a very good break for her and I am sure she must have captured millions of hearts, already.

Now coming to the few glitches in the movie; Nayanthara was a complete disaster. To put it in simple words, she is fat and also very artificial in acting. The less said about her, the better. The double role of the villain is totally unnecessary and irrelevant to the storyline of the movie. Asin not knowing who Surya is till the end, is little disappointing.

Music by Harris Jeyaraj was very mediocre except for only 2 songs, “Suttum vizhi sudare” and “Oru maalai ilaveyil”. Both these melodies are addictive. Background score was very jarring in the action scenes. It’s high time he stops using those people signing in foreign language chorus in the background. It’s plain irritating.

If only the director would have avoided the double role of the villain and also reduced the length of the movie in the second half, the film would have been a slick thriller. Setting aside the few mess ups, “Ghajini” is definitely worth a watch for Director Murugadoss’s daring attempt, Asin’s lovable bubbly acting and of course, Surya’s incredible performance.

Smile Plz

2005-10-06T02:37:00.000-04:00

Smile, laugh, enjoy, jump around...its official now. Indians are the 4^th happiest people in the world according to a recently conducted survey. This survey was conducted in 30 nations and surprisingly, it is not the people of US but Australia who are the most happiest. The most miserable are the Hungarians.

And guess what, a Katrina Evacuee wins a million dollar jackpot. It is no surprise that she wants to get a house with the money. I think this is one classic example to the proverb, “If God closes one door, He’ll open the other”. Ah, what a spiritual thought!

I am officially a "Harry Potter" buff, fanatic, freak...whatever. I finished all the 6 books and I thoroughly enjoyed them. It was an amazing experience. And like every other fan, I'm eagerly waiting for the next one. Hurry up, Rowling ma'am...I can't wait!

A thing of beauty!

2005-09-28T02:12:00.000-04:00

There are numerous controversies as to when it was built, who built it, whom it belonged to, etc. But whatever the truth may be...one thing is definitely certain...it will forever remain as India's most treasured monument and a joy for every eye that catches a glimpse of it!

Sudoku, HP 4 & “Shivaji”

2005-09-17T01:40:00.000-04:00

I wanted to try my hand at the Sudoku puzzle ever since I first heard about it, but never really did it. I tried it for the first time yesterday and yup…it is interesting. It’s always interesting to play with “numbers” and this one’s no exception. The target is straightforward and the rules are simple. I seem to be enjoying them very much. The website says, “Its fun. It's challenging. It's addictive!”. I can’t agree with them better.

I am now finished with the 4^th book of Harry Potter. Needless to say, it was gr8! I am now eagerly waiting for the movie to be released. Just now checked the film’s trailer. It’s getting ready to be released on Nov 18^th of this year. I just can’t wait for it. Though the first movie was a very bad presentation of the book, the quality of the movies definitely increased in the 2^nd and the 3^rd. The trailer of the 4^th one was quite impressive too. Hope it’s as good as it looks.

And the Dream Combo indeed seems to be getting even better. It’s almost certain that ARR will be handling the music for “Shivaji”. The Shankar-ARR charm was visibly missing in “Anniyan” and was also one of the factors for the film’s let down. Recently, I saw the video clip of “Aa Aah” audio release function, where ARR mentioned that Shankar will not spare anybody until he gets the best. I really hope they work their magic yet again for “Thalaivar” too.

Agassi vs Federer

2005-09-12T18:27:00.000-04:00

Yup, it's about the US open championship 2005 - Men's singles finals. Though it was not a thrilling match with a nail biting finish or anything, it was still worth watching. I am a Federer fan myself and Federer was no doubt the best player yesterday but it was Agassi who stole the show. It was amazing to see how this guy, even at the age of 35, could be so good. He played some outstanding shots that kept Federer under great pressure during the second and third set. At one point of time, during the third set, he got Federer really upset that the tension & pressure was clearly visible on his face. And after that Federer came fighting back really well and really hard on Agassi. After winning the tie-breaker in the third set, the fourth set was just a cake walk for him.

According to me, Agassi should definitely be a contended man in the end b’coz he fought really well. He played some extraordinary tennis and considering his age, he was really at his BEST yesterday. It was just that his opponent turned out to be even BETTER. Pete Sampras is my all-time favourite and when comparing Pete & Roger, Agassi said “Pete was great, I mean, no question. But there was a place to get to with Pete. You knew what you had to do. If you do it, it could be on your terms. There's no such place like that with Roger.” He also added, “He's the best I've ever played against”. Now that’s something Federer would have been more happy than even winning the title, I guess. Federer also mentioned that "For me this is probably the most special grand slam final in my career. To play against Andre here in New York, it's a dream.”

All said and done, it was just a great match that I saw in recent times and one of the matches I’ll remember for a long time. At the end of the day, that’s what matters to a fan like me. Right?

The tiny Ipod Nano and New Itunes phone

2005-09-09T01:38:00.000-04:00

Apple’s latest introduction to the mp3 player series is Ipod Nano. It is 1/3 of the size of Mini and comes with a color display. It’s Flash drive based and weighs just 1.5 ounces. I am sure it is going to be another sleek & amazing gadget from Apple.

The next introduction is the Itunes phone that Apple has come up, which is built by Motorola. You can listen to music when sending text messages, taking pictures, etc and when you receive a call, you can even pause the music. The phone is called ROKR and is available thru’ Cingular Wireless in US. I believe you can transfer the music using Itunes by connecting the phone to a PC or Mac, just like an Ipod. Hmm…sounds interesting!

Way to go, Apple!

A walk down memory lane!

2005-08-31T14:20:00.000-04:00

I have not updated the blog in quite sometime. I think I am having some kind of a blogger’s block or something. (Ah! I finally get to say that…;) ) Anyways, I got this very interesting questionnaire thru’ email today. When I tried to answer these questions, I had a wonderful trip down my memory lane to my school days. I should say it was really gr8. Most often, if we sit back and think of friends and teachers, I am sure many of us would be reminded of college days only. But these questions made me think of my school days and all those wonderful memories came gushing out from deep within. It was really fun to think of those days again. I wish I could re-live those days again…..*sigh*

Ok….so after I answered these questions, I thought why not start a tag on this? I am sure many of you would be really happy like me when you think of those days too…..so here it comes!

1) Do you remember the name of your very first school?

Chinmaya Vidayalaya, Hindupur, AP

2) How about the name of the first friend at school?

Aishwarya

3) Who was your favourite teacher?

Hmmm….I think her name was Nandhini…

4) Which house did you belong to in school?

Pansies

5) Which subject did you dread the most?

Botany…..wait a minute….its Geography…….I guess, its both

6) Did you participate in co-curricular activities?

Yup, Elocution, debate, dumb charades

7) Which was your favourite sport?

Kho kho, Kabadi, Basketball

8) Which places did you visit on a school trip?

Madurai, Kodaikanal, Trichy, Kanyakumari, Chennai, Hyderabad, Puri, Konark,…

9) Now, there must a boy/girl whom you hated the most and never wanted to see again in your life, who was it?

Well, I definitely had so many names on that list…but honestly can’t think of anyone now

10) You must have had a close friend, without whom you thought you could never live and then you both moved on, lost touch and now only wonder in which part of the word he/she must be in…who is it?

Subhashini…

So now is the time to nominate people for the tag….

Have fun guys!

PS: If you find this stuff childish, you are welcome to ignore it!

Interesting Facts – Dogs

2005-08-25T01:50:00.000-04:00

Its time to come with a new post in the “Interesting facts” series and this time I chose to know more about my favourite pet animal. I had a liking towards dogs from when I was young and I also had a pet dog for almost 10 yrs. So here are a few interesting facts about them,

Dogs were the first animals domesticated by people.
There are 701 types of pure breed dogs.
The fastest dog, the greyhound, can reach speeds of upto 41.7 miles per hour. The breed was known to exist in ancient Egypt 6,000 years ago
The average dog lives to around 15 years of age.
The smartest dogs are the Jack Russell Terrier and Scottish Border collie. Dumbest: Afgan hound.
Dogs hearing is very acute. They can register sounds of 35,000 vibrations a second (compared to our 20,000)
Dogs usually have 42 teeth.
Dogs have three eyelids - They have an upper and lower eyelid and a third one inside of the other two. It helps protect the eye from dirt and dust. It is also called a "haw".
Dogs can learn up to 50 words of any human language.
Dogs are not color blind. They can see color but it is not as vivid a color scheme as we see. It is much like our vision at twilight.
Dogs naturally have a wonderful sense of smell. They have many more sensory "smelling" cells than a man's 5,000,000. An Alsation (often used as a 'sniffer" dog) has 220,000,000.
Dogs, like humans, are either right or left handed... or is that paws?!

A Dream combo!

2005-08-21T21:44:00.000-04:00

This definitely is a dream come true for every “Thalaivar” fan. To me, my favourite Rajni movie till date is “Thalapathi”. It’s mainly b’coz Manirathnam introduced us to a new side of Rajni. The only other director who could even think close to that is Shankar. Just like every other Rajni fan, I was very disappointed that he missed Shankar’s “Mudhalvan”. Though Arjun did a great job, I think its b’coz the story was formed with Rajni in mind that the character had Rajni written all over it. I hope Shankar comes out with a even better script this time for him and introduce us to yet another interesting aspect of Rajni. After all, the movie would be crucial to both after the mega success of “Chandramukhi” & “Anniyan”. And with the famous AVM banner, I am sure the film will be a guaranteed entertainer.

Check this out - A die-hard cricket fanatic took everyone by surprise and forced officials to conduct an enquiry. Truly, A devoted cricket fan!

Caught in the Harry Potter Trap!

2005-08-18T01:25:00.000-04:00

Yup, it’s official now. I am finally caught in the Harry Potter trap. As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I decided to check out Harry Potter as I was very much provoked by the hype created by the 6th book. And I am so glad, I did. According to me, there is nothing fascinating about the story of Harry Potter. It is just like some black & white “mayajalam” movie. But what is great about it, is the imagination of the author. J.K. Rowling has etched every scene with wonderful creativity. It is b’coz of that you instantly get acquainted with the story and the characters. The narration is also very racy that you hardly know when you got hooked on to the story. I can only say that you have to just experience the fun!

Once I finished reading the book, I wanted to see the movie immediately. But I was very disappointed when I saw it. It was not even half as interesting as the book. When I saw “Lord of the Rings”, I became a great fan of it. But people who read the book told me that the book was amazing and the movie was not even close. I completely agree with them now. Some stories are best READ than seen.

I have heard Harry Potter fans say, “The world is made up of just two kinds of people: One, who have read the book and are fans of Harry Potter and the other, who have not read it yet”. Now I truly understand the meaning. And I am so happy to have moved to the other side of the world.

I have already ordered the next book…Chamber of secrets! Again, some people reading this may say, “What?? Next book, already?? You have gone mad.” While, there may be others, who would just have a smile on their face and say, “Welcome to our world!”.

Proud owner of an Ipod!

2005-08-16T04:49:00.000-04:00

I fell in love with it, the moment I saw it for the first time. From then on I have been longing to get one. Finally, I got it as a gift for my B’day. Yup, I am now a proud owner of an Ipod Shuffle. The first thing that attracted me towards the shuffle was its sleek design. It is such a cute little thing. Not to mention, the quality is awesome. I have to admit, the best quality I have heard so far. And finally, the lanyard. A cool accessory to carry the gadget with ease. Like the caption of the "Hero Honda" ad, "Load it with songs, fix it to the lanyard and forget it!". I am sure I am going to have great fun with my new buddy!

PS: Currently listening to “Oh Vennila” from Kadhal Desam...a wonderful melody from ARR...totally mesmerizing!!!

Niagara Falls, Harry Potter & Technology

2005-08-11T01:35:00.000-04:00

The title does sound really weird. But I promise, this post is definitely related to all the three.

I went to Niagara Falls this past weekend. I had been there 2 years before and yet I was very excited this time too. It’s an amazing natural wonder. The gushing water, the mist, the rainbow…there is something special about it which makes heart lighter. I think its going to be a new experience, every time you see it.

Right now, I am reading the first book of the Harry Potter series, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s stone”. I am sure some would say, “Just starting the first one? Which world were U in so long?” and there may be others saying, “U too?? What is so good about it? It’s just a children’s book”. To tell the truth, I have never heard of Harry Potter until I came to the US. But even after I heard about it from some friends, I was never really interested in it b’coz magic and wizardry sounded too childish to me. But after all the hype over the 6th book that released recently, I was definitely provoked. So at last, I decided to try the first one and to be honest “Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry” is really fun and interesting. It’s going on good and I’ll post an update once I am fully done with it.

And finally, this new technology sounds really interesting and wonderful. A wrist band has been developed by a London based design graduate, that stores information about the medication requirements of patients. It communicates with the chip on the medicine packaging to verify if it is the right medicine for the patient. This device is expected to put a stop to the drug errors. Definitely an amazing invention!

A Blog every second!

2005-08-03T02:19:00.000-04:00

Isn’t it amazing??? This statistics was collected by the blog tracking site Technorati's latest research. They have found that 80,000 new blogs are created every single day. That’s definitely a figure I never imagined. A Blog consultant has said, “you meet the person's mind through their blog". Now, that’s scary. So far, I thought Blogs were just a hobby. But someone judging you based on your blogs, is something that I have never thought about. Anyways, it makes me happy that I am also a part of this fast growing community. Read the complete article here.

PS: I am done with “The Da Vinci Code”. Though it was great, I feel “Angels & Demons” was far better. I am not sure if it is b’coz I read that one first, totally new to Dan Brown and now kind of know his approach. Comparisons apart, “The Da Vinci Code” was definitely impressive and well written. Some of the facts revealed in the book totally took me by surprise. Another example to prove that there are so many things in our history for which we still can’t find answers.

Back after a week

2005-07-28T01:16:00.000-04:00

Its been a week since I updated my blog...a little busy at work (ok…ok...I can see people raising their eyebrows…"arasiyal le idhu ellam sagajam appa"). More than the work, I guess the actual reason is I was lazy. I have finally started “The Da Vinci Code” and its going great. I think I started the book at a wrong time as I am not able to spend much time on it. But will definitely dedicate a couple of hours of my precious sleep for it.

Also, listened to songs from “Ah Aah” by ARR. Though the album is not great, 2 songs are good. “Anbe Aaruyire” sung by ARR himself is the pick of the album. The music is just ok kind, but ARR's voice is mesmerizing. The next best is “Mayilirage” by Madhusree and Naresh Iyer. It’s a beautiful melody and Naresh Iyer’s voice is awesome. As always Madhushree tortures “Tamizh” a lot.

And I watched “War of the Worlds” last weekend. It was disappointing. Steven Spielberg could have definitely done better. By the way, Tom Cruise was cute…as usual..;)

My Car!

2005-07-21T02:15:00.000-04:00

After looking out for nearly 2 months, I finally bought my car today. Its a 1998 Nissan Sentra. All my friends used to say how good it feels when you get a car. Today I can u'stand fully well what they meant. Its definitely a great feeling. One of my favourite past time is "driving". When I was in India, my car was one of my BEST friends. I used to miss it a lot after I came to US. After nearly 3 yrs, I am back on wheels again. I really hope to enjoy every moment of it.

Interesting facts – Coffee

2005-07-19T00:57:00.000-04:00

This post is the result of the “gamma gamma” filter coffee that I am having for the last couple of days. Thanks to my friend Priya’s Mom, I am enjoying every sip of my coffee these days. So as always, I just wanted to know more about the refreshing coffee that I enjoy every day. So here it comes,

Coffee is the world's second most popular drink after water.
It is consumed at the rate of 1400 million cups per day.
We say coffee beans although they are really berries.
A coffee tree has a lifespan of about 50 to 70 years.
It takes five years for a coffee tree to reach maturity. The average yield from one tree is the equivalent of one roasted pound of coffee.
The first coffee house in Europe opened in Venice in 1683, while coffee was available in Europe as early as 1608.
In December 2001 Brazil produced a scented postage stamp to promote its coffee - the smell should last between 3 and 5 years.
The second most widely used product in the world after oil.
Goats actually discovered the coffee plant. Their shepherd noticed that they were getting very hyper; therefore, one day, he followed their every move, and found out that they were eating a strange berry that was keeping them awake all day and night.
Turkish bridegrooms were once required to make a promise during their wedding ceremonies to always provide their new wives with coffee. If they failed to do so, it was grounds for divorce!

Update:

Largest producers of coffee in the world: Brazil followed by Colombia and Vietnam make up the top 3 bracket, with Brazil's coffee production contributing 35% of the world's coffee production. (Thanks Filby)

I am sure there are many ill effects of having coffee too. But why would I want to know about that. As long as I just have 2 cups of coffee a day. Right Mummy? ;)

Top 5 songs of the year (Jan to June)

2005-07-15T02:48:00.000-04:00

My friend, Filbert came up with the mid year review of top 5 songs in his blog and also tagged me to come up with my Top 5 so far in this year. According to me, none of the albums released so far was a wholesome entertainer. There were just a couple of songs in each album that were good to hear. I was even beginning to worry whether those good old days have come to an end when it was very difficult to pick just 1 song from an album. Anyways, I begin my list hoping that the second part of the year is not as bad as this one.

1) Andha nal nyabagam ~ (Adhu oru kana kalam)
Music Director: Ilayaraja
Singers: Shreya Ghosal, Vijay Yesudas

This one is a neat melody from the “Maestro”. Very few songs sound appealing the first time we hear it. This one’s definitely from that category. Especially, Shreya and Vijay’s voice are mesmerizing. Vijay has done a very good job and he seems to have inherited the greatest gift from his father. Lucky him!

2) Iyengaru veetu azhage ~ (Anniyan)
Music Director: Harris Jeyaraj
Singers: Hariharan, Harini

I used to love this song before I saw the movie. “used to”?? yes, after I saw the picturization, I was greatly disappointed. That’s a different story all together. Coming back to the song, this one is a wonderful melody from HJ. The classical touch in the song along with the voices of Hariharan & Harini makes it even more enchanting. Easily the best pick of the album.

3) Athinthom ~ (Chandramukhi)
Music Director: Vidyasagar
Singer: SPB

This song is my favorite only because of SPB. The music was a good try by Vidyasagar, a classical/melody mixture. Though the music was not very great, SPB’s voice was awesome. I started liking the song from the moment I heard the first word in the song “Athinthom” in SPB’s voice. Its still ringing in my ears.

4) Konjam Konjam ~ (Arindhum Ariyamalum)
Music Director: Yuvan Shakar Raja
Singers: Kammt, Maheeva

This one is a great piece of music from YSR which was badly sung (Never heard of the singer before). I don’t know why people think it’s a style to mispronounce the words. I am not sure if it is sung that way deliberately or they just can't pronounce the words correctly. Either ways, I am sorry, it sucks. But the music was amazing. The album had a couple of other good numbers too.

5) Khajraho ~ ( Oru naal oru kanavu)
Music Director: Ilayaraja
Singers: Hariharan, Shreya Ghosal

Another good one from the “Maestro”. Though this album has several other good numbers, this one is my personal favorite. I like such little fast melodies (???). Though it was not very great at first, I started liking it on repeated hearing.

Before I end this post, I have to mention about one song. Though it is nothing great, this song is the one that I am hearing too the most these days. Its “Andankaka” from Anniyan. Sometimes I like such fast folk songs. Something to lift your spirits when you are down.

Firefly - Emergency cellphone for kids

2005-07-12T02:19:00.000-04:00

Yup, this Firefly phone has all features like an ordinary cellphone; the only difference being, kids can call only the numbers "stored" in the phone. Upto 20 numbers can be stored in the phone (pin protected by parents), in addition to a number for MOM, a number for DAD and an emergency button to call the emergency services. Parents can also restrict the calls received on the phone to the numbers stored in the phonebook. The phone is also aesthetically designed to resemble a toy. The sounds, lights and the look & feel of the phone is sure to attract kids. Woh, a cool looking gadget with a very useful purpose.

KB - The living legend

2005-07-10T02:41:00.000-04:00

Today is K. Balachander's 75th B'day (source) and also the first day shoot of his 101st film, "Poi". Tamil film industry is very indebted to him for introducing many great actors including “Thalaivar”. Also, how can we forget his exceptional films like “Aval oru thodarkadhai”, “Ek thuje keliye”, “Thillu Mullu”, “Pudhu Pudhu Arthangal”, “Sindu Bhairavi”, “Punngai Mannan”, “Azhagan”, “Kalki”…the list is never ending. I just feel that most of his characters were not appreciated much because they were ahead of time. If only some of his old films were released now, they would have been accepted widely. I have always admired his different approach in his films. Of course, he has also given a few disappointing movies. But as we all know, nobody is perfect.

In addition to movies, he has also directed some wonderful serials like “Kaialavu manasu”, “Anni” & “Sahana”. While most of the serials are just meant to be a total melodrama, his serials were definitely of different genre and interesting. Now, even at the age of 75, he is all set to direct his next movie. I really wish he provides us with one more of his finest movies.

My heartiest wishes to the living legend. Happy Birthday KB sir!

Yet Another “Black Day” in History

2005-07-08T02:05:00.000-04:00

Series of blasts, many bodies of civilians scattered in the pool of blood, hundreds of innocent people hurt, thousands of near & dear ones across the world worried, analysts debating on who were responsible, Leaders from every country condemning it, a few days of mourning…

It is said that today is the "worst day" in the history of London after World War II. Every time such an act occurs, I only pray that it never happens again. As always, “Oh Lord, let this be the last inhumane act mankind has ever seen”. PEACE!

Tahquamenon Falls

2005-07-06T02:09:00.000-04:00

Though not huge nor famous like "Niagara Falls", this one was beautiful & enchanting in its own way. One of the few places that left an everlasting image in my heart.

Anniyan – He who comes from Hell!

2005-07-01T03:45:00.000-04:00

Yes, I finally saw the most awaited movie of the year. After so many delays in release dates, after so much hype b’coz of the money spent, after lot of speculations about the story…the one question that came to my mind immediately after seeing the movie - was Shankar’s “Anniyan” worth all that???

Well, to begin with, my only expectation from the movie was, “Will Director Shankar be able to bring out the BEST from an amazing actor like Vikram?” And I have to say that my expectation was fulfilled beyond words. Though Vikram got a “National Award” for Pithamagan, I somehow felt, that movie was not his best. Nobody could actually relate to the character of Vikram in that movie. I could see more of Bala than Vikram in that character. Well, that’s a totally a different topic of discussion.

Coming back to “Anniyan”, the story, though interesting, is not convincing. The main reason being, it is inspired from several other movies. To mention a few, the style of killing and writing a note from “Seven”, Time Slicing fight sequence from “Matrix”, MPD (Multiple Personality Disorder) from “Tell me your dreams” by Sidney Sheldon and not to forget, punishing people who do not do their duty from his own “Indian”. It is very difficult to appreciate the story ignoring these inspirations.

The star cast in the movie was well chosen by the director except the female lead. I felt Sada was a total misfit in the movie. May be I am just being partial here b’coz I personally don’t like her, but I could not come up with even one scene where she did a commendable job. Vivek’s comedy was awesome and it was good to see him after a long time. Prakash Raj, as usual, delivered his job well. I felt Nasser was wasted in such a small role. Anybody cud have given the explanation for MPD, we definitely don’t need a versatile actor like Nasser for that. Another major let down was music by HJ. The songs itself were mediocre and the background score was also not worth mentioning. I definitely missed ARR-Shankar combo.

So coming back to my first question, “Anniyan” is definitely worth a watch for one factor - VIKRAM. It was Vikram all the way in the movie; from start to end, frame by frame. He has done a wonderful job as a person affected by MPD. The hospital scene and the fight sequence between him & Prakash Raj were the best of the lot. He has beautifully enacted three totally different characters, "Ambi, Remo & Anniyan", with ease. His facial expressions and voice modulation for the characters was awesome. As always, he has done his homework well for this film also. My full credits to him. To put it in simple words, “Anniyan” sans Vikram, would have been a total disaster.

Good One...

2005-06-30T01:57:00.000-04:00

One of my friend forwarded this to me. It is simple yet interesting...try ur hand at it. (Answers in the comments section)

Lateral Thinking... Just Check This Out!!!!

1.    man
     -------
      board

2.    stand
     --------
      i

3. /r/e/a/d/i/n/g/

4.    r
     road
      a
      d

5. cycle cycle cycle

6.    0
     -------
      M.D.
      Ph.D.

7.    knee
     -------
      light

8.    ground
     -----------------------------
      feet feet feet feet feet feet

9. he's / himself

10. ecnalg

11. death ..... life

12. THINK

And the last one is real goooooood ..

13. ababaaabbbbaaaabbbbababaabbaaabbbb....

`Thiruvasagam' - Ilaiyaraja's Symphony style

2005-06-28T01:37:00.000-04:00

After almost 5 yrs, Ilaiyaraja's `Thiruvasagam' is finally ready for release this June 30th. Ilaiyaraja describes it as his 'life's purpose' in The Hindu. His expertise in music is beyond what words can describe. Though he has already made many devotional albums, this one is totally different because of the use of 'Symphony Orchestra'. During his interview he has said "Do you agree that as a musician I can make you laugh or cry with my music? Then `Thiruvachagam' will sway you." Woh, I just can't imagine how good its gonna be. The 'Maestro' is truly a genius in the world of music. He has also requested his listeners not to download it. He added: "If they feel that my music has given them at least a little pleasure, they should buy authentic audios." I am sure his fans will definitely agree with this. One of my friend has already given the link of where to order the original version. I am all set to drench in the divinity of 'Thiruvasagam'. Are you?

Angels & Demons – Dan Brown

2005-06-24T13:20:00.000-04:00

I have heard a lot about Dan Brown and his famous book, “The Da Vinci Code”. Many people recommended this book to me, but somehow I never got a chance to read it. So finally when I was about to start reading it, one of my friend suggested me to read “Angels & Demons”, its prequel, first. So that’s how I started reading this book and I’m glad I did. From page 1, this book has kept me glued to it. The story itself seems so true and the narration is just amazing. It felt like I was physically present in the Vatican City and everything was happening in front of my eyes. The thrill in the story was so aptly presented, that I could feel my heart pounding sometimes when I was reading. May be I am just over excited at the moment, but it was definitely a great book that I read, in a long long time. Well, I am all set to check out “The Da Vinci Code” now…I hope its worth the wait!

PS: I have been very unpunctual with my posts this week and this post explains it all…;)

First points of "The Fastest Indian"

2005-06-21T01:54:00.000-04:00

And finally, the "Fastest Indian", Narain Karthikeyan has scored his first Formula 1 points. Though just 6 drivers drove in the US Grand Prix, it was still an important race for Narain. He has elevated from "The First Indian to take part in F1", to "The First Indian to score a point in F1". Though he has a long way to go, this is definitely an additional feather to his cap. Way to go buddy!!

Interesting facts – North Carolina

2005-06-17T02:29:00.000-04:00

It’s been long since my previous “Interesting facts” post, so I thought its time I come up with the next. When I got to thinking about what should I pick this time, the first thing that struck me was the place I am living in. Well, it’s been almost 4 months since I moved to this place and I hardly know anything about it. So I rolled up my sleeves and got to work and this is what I found.

State Motto - "Esse Quam Videri" - To Be, Rather Than To Seem
In 1903 the Wright Brothers made the first successful powered flight by man at Kill Devil Hill near Kitty Hawk.
The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill is the oldest State University in the United States.
Pepsi Cola was invented in New Bern, almost 107 years ago in 1898
Krispy Kreme Doughnut was founded in Winston-Salem.
North Carolina has the largest state-maintained highway system in the United States.
The first miniature golf course was built in Fayetteville.
The largest, privately owned house in America is the Biltmore Estate in Ashville. It includes a 255-room chateau, an award-winning winery and extensive gardens.
North Carolina has 1,500 lakes of 10 acres or more in size and 37,000 miles of fresh water streams

I'll be back with more Interesting facts... soon (???)

Rahman's musical extravaganza

2005-06-15T01:22:00.000-04:00

I came across this article at The Hindu. It was really exciting. Maniratnam directing the leading stars for Rahman's musical, sets created by Sabu Cyril and lit up by Rajiv Menon...I just can't imagine how good its gonna be. Especially the theme 'Netru Indru Naalai' is expected to bring out a few memorable songs of yesteryears back to life. Maniratnam has also said, "As a part of the audience, I would be more interested in how the stars of today interpret what the stars of yesterday did." Well, that sure sounds interesting to me. More than anything, the cause for which this program is being organized is the most appreciable. Looking forward to see atleast a recorded version of this extravaganza...

Movies, this weekend

2005-06-13T02:06:00.000-04:00

I saw three new movies this weekend. Just wanted to share my thoughts on them. So here it is, my first movie REVIEW (???)

Mr & Mrs Smith

One of the most awaited movies of this year, especially due to the fact that this movie paved way for a relationship between Brad & Angelina. Well, rumors apart, they definitely make a wonderful couple on-screen as John & Jane Smith. They story is a one-liner. Both of them are professional assassins but they keep their career a secret from the other. But one day they learn about each other and the worst is that they have to kill the other within 48 hrs. But finally, they realize their love for each other and everything ends well. The main problem with the movie is that, they tried to combine all genres together; romantic, comedy, action, etc and everything feels incomplete. Especially, the last 20 mins of the movie is an unnecessary drag. Anyways, it’s definitely worth a watch for the star cast.

Ullam Ketkume

Yes, this movie has finally released after 2 yrs. Read somewhere that it is based on college life and hence decided to watch it. The story was nothing new, Kuch Kuch Hota hai style. Shyam and the tomboy Laila are very close friends. Laila is secretly in love with Shyam but he is attracted towards the homely Iyengar girl Asin. But she rejects him for her family. There is another pair, Arya & Pooja who are in love but separate due to some misunderstandings. The heartbroken Laila leaves for USA and has no contacts with Shyam. They all meet again after a few years at Arya’s wedding (who is now a famous cricket star) and then Shyam & Laila reunite. Though the story is old wine, it is presented well in a new bottle. Jeeva has done a commendable job as a director. Shyam is a perfect fit for the role. He has definitely shown maturity in his acting. I hope this movie gives him the break that he is long awaiting for. Music by HJ is also refreshing. Overall, if you are looking for a youthful movie to remind you of the fun of your college days, this is a good pick.

Bunty aur Babli

Well, this movie is a trademark masala movie. I guess it was aimed to be a total comedy movie, with no logic involved. I should say that director has definitely failed in his task. Abishek and Rani are two youths who are bored with their village life and want to achieve something big in life. So they set out from home with high dreams only to realize that it is not their cup of tea. So they start to loot people as Bunty & Babli and make a lot of money. Here comes the entry of Amitabh as the police inspector who vows to trace down Bunty & Babli. Finally, when he gets a hold of them, he is convinced that they have realized their mistake and let them free. The story, though a new approach, is a total let down. Also, the movie is very slow in the second half. The only refreshing thing is Ash’s appearance for a song. On the whole, the first half of the movie is tolerable while the second half is totally disappointing.

Few Quickies

2005-06-10T02:20:00.000-04:00

I came across few interesting facts...some of them are fun, some are surprising and some are really scary.

12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents daily. (This is the most scariest one)
A cockroach can live several weeks with its head cut off. (hmm, doesn’t give up that easy..)
A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why. (what if we say "quack", does that echo?)
A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds. (Always tell ur secrets to Goldfishes ;))
A hummingbird weighs less than a penny. (This one’s very surprising)
A sneeze travels out your mouth at over 100 mph. (I knew it was fast, but never imagined this speed…)
An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain. (Funny,eh?)
Babies are born without knee caps. They don't appear until the child reaches 2-6 years of age. (Never heard of this before…)
Dolphins sleep with one eye open. (Pretty cautious!)
"I am." is the shortest complete sentence in the English language. (short & sweet)
It takes a lobster approximately seven years to grow to be one pound. (It takes less than a minute for people to gobble it…sad)
Penguins can jump as high as 6 feet in the air. (Wow…they are also the only bird that can swim but not fly)
Research indicates that mosquitoes are attracted to people who have recently eaten bananas. (An important hint for people in India. Watch out!)
The Earth weighs around 6,588,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 tons. (Phew, can't even count the number of zeros...)
Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks otherwise it will digest itself. (Another scary one!!!)

A light drizzle on a summer day

2005-06-07T02:32:00.000-04:00

There is nothing more enchanting than a little drizzle on a hot summer day. The temperature today was very high and humid. I looked at my desktop weather and it showed me 91F. Just then, when I passed by the window, I looked outside and it was drizzling quietly. There is a small lake behind my office with lots of trees around. The wonderful rain on a sunny day and that quiet lake surrounded with beautiful trees was such an amazing sight to watch. I just stood there for sometime...totally lost, when I suddenly remembered that I was at work and had 3 more hrs to go for the day. With a ‘sigh’ I went back to my seat. Someone has rightly said; Nature is not only all that is visible to the eye -- it also includes that which touches the inner soul. How true!

Maniratnam – a victim of being overrated?

2005-06-04T17:37:00.000-04:00

The inspiration for this post is not only due to the discussion going on about him in various blogs (especially, lazygeek) but also because he is my favorite director. The source of these discussions is ‘Nayagan’ being selected in the All-Time top 100 movies by Time’s movie critics. My perception is that he is being a victim of being overrated.

Right from ‘Mouna Ragam’, the one thing that I greatly admire about him is the way he portrays his characters. His characters are so close to real life people that you can actually relate to them. To name a few, the happy-go-lucky Karthik is ‘Mouna Ragam’, smuggler velu bhai Kamal in ‘Nayagan’, craving for his mother’s love Rajni in ‘Thalapathi’, mentally disabled kid Shamily in ‘Anjali’, innocent village girl Madhubala in ‘Roja’, the naïve married couple Madhavan & Shalini in ‘Alaipayuthey’…the list is never ending. Some people say that he starts with a good concept but compromises it a lot for commercial aspects. I totally accept it, but we have to realize that he is not an art film director. He makes commercial movies and his producers have to make some profit out of it. The other accusation is he repeats the same actors like Arvindsamy & Madhavan in his movies. Again, I have never seen them being a misfit for any of his characters. Arvindsamy as a computer geek in ‘Roja’ and Madhavan as a goonda in ‘Ayutha Ezhuthu’ definitely did justice to their roles. There are also others who say that most of his movies are inspired from many foreign language movies that are not so popular. Well, what is wrong if he wants to introduce a good classic taken in Spanish or French to an ordinary tamil movie lover?

My point is, though Maniratnam is not THE best director Indian cinema has ever seen, he is definitely one among the BESTS. He has a unique style of film making and he has definitely strived hard to attract attention towards Indian cinema. The main reason why he is always a target for accusations is because people overrate him and expect his movies to be flawless. So if we go to his movies without any preconceived notion then we would definitely be able to applaud his efforts. I personally feel that one day he’ll definitely take Indian cinema to unimaginable heights.

Making a film, they can't see

2005-06-02T00:01:00.000-04:00

When I came across this post in Times of India, I felt very happy. Such a move is very welcoming. There were many movies in the past that portray how blind people achieve great things in life in spite of their disability. But involving visually impaired people in most of the aspects of film making like actors, actresses, music director, etc is just amazing. There may be films like these made in other countries where people with disabilities do everything just as others without any hesitation. But such a film being made in India, will definitely pave way for more people to prove their talents in future. Just as the Director of the movie mentioned, “It is not a typical 'film for the disabled', but a mainstream cinema subtly structured to educate the masses about issues involving the disabled and drive home the message that they do not need anybody's sympathy”, I hope this movie not only changes the attitude of people towards the visually impaired but also inspire more people with disabilities to shed their fear and come out to light and reveal their talents to the world.

Long weekend...Indian style

2005-06-01T01:37:00.000-04:00

Just back to normal after the ‘long’ weekend. People in US would definitely know about the hype created by these long weekends. People start planning couple of months ahead, deciding on places, ticket prices shoot up, the excitement of the trip creeps in a week before...everybody wants to go some place & have fun. All these ‘hungama’ got me thinking about what I used to do on a typical Indian ‘long’ weekend...

Well, as most of the holidays in India are associated with religious festival of some kind, my most treasured ‘thing’ usually gets compromised...’My Sleep’. So as soon as I get up, I start cribbing over my lost sleep for sometime and then get ready to go to some temple. The one thing that I never understood was, even if it was not a religious holiday, the best place that we could come up with to visit for the day would be ‘some temple’. And to my surprise, the long queues at the temples would prove that there are many people out there who seem to concur.

So after some waiting & pushing at the long lines, the ‘darshan’ would finally be over and we would then go to a restaurant for a good lunch. Then after we head back home, I would run to my bed for a ‘short’ nap (aah, finally) and my dad would wake me up in no time. By evening, I will freshen up and sit glued to the 'idiot box' for the rest of the day to watch some recent crappy movie which is being telecasted for the first time (Indhiye tholaikatchigalil mudhal muraiage, thiraiku vandhu sile madhangale ana, putham pudhiye thirai padam….blah blah!)

When I try to recollect, most of my holidays were spent in the same manner. No planning months before, no visiting new places, no 'hungama'. Even though the holidays in India sound less exciting & fun than in US, a corner of my heart still craves for those memorable days……anybody agreeing with me?

Interesting Facts - The Butterfly

2005-05-26T22:36:00.000-04:00

Before starting my own blog, I decided that I am gonna learn something new, as I write (hmm, its a little too much to expect from me). Though it is definitely not possible in all my posts, the point is, I just wanted to know more about the things that I relish a lot.....little things that are left unnoticed of. Like for example, "The Butterfly".

Whenever I see a butterfly, I get so excited that I almost feel like a small kid again. So today when I saw one, I immediately decided to read more about it....and these are some interesting facts that I came across....

There are between ten and twenty thousand species of butterflies in the world.
The largest butterfly in the world is the Queen Alexandra Birdwing, with a wingspan of about 28 cm. One of the smallest is the Western Pigmy Blue that has a wingspan of about one centimeter.
The fastest butterfly may travel at 80 km per hour. The slower ones flutter about at only a few km per hour.
The longest recorded flight of a monarch butterfly is more than 3,000 miles. The monarch can cover 80 miles a day when migrating.
Butterflies taste with their feet.
If their body temperature is less than 86 degrees butterflies cannot fly, so often butterflies absorb heat by basking in the sun.
Butterflies prefer flowers that are pink, yellow, red, or purple and have single petals.

Pretty cool, huh?

Why today?

2005-05-26T02:05:00.000-04:00

Though the idea of starting my own blog was in my mind for a long time, I just never got started.....But when I read my daily 'personalized' horoscope from yahoo today, I decided this is THE day. Here's what it said,

"You've been juggling creative interests for the past year, Preethi, and you might find yourself inclined towards a new interest, which involves writing. "

It may sound crazy to some (it does for me now) ;)....but anyways, that's how my blogging interest rolled out finally....

My First Blog

2005-05-26T00:48:00.000-04:00

After being an avid reader of many interesting blogs for a loooong time, I finally decided to try my hand at it..So here it is..."My First Blog"