2006 in review

2006 is coming to an end. It's that time of the year to reflect upon how this year has been and how I fared in my goals/resolutions. 1) I made a very important change in my job. Although it's not a drastic career move, I can feel the effects that this change has brought in. The move from one company to another has been very good so far. 2) Attended Yoga classes (again!) in Jan and Feb this year....

முதல் மாற்றம்

எனக்குள் பிறந்ததுகாதல்இதயக்கதவின்சாவி துவாரத்தில்எட்டி பார்த்தேன்உன்னை !கதவை தூள்தூளாக்கிஎன் மனதில்நுழைந்த கள்வனே !நீ யாரோ என்றுசிந்தித்து கொண்டவேளையில் ,ஒரு புன்சிரிப்புஎன்னை அறியாமல்என் கண்கள்உன்னை நோக்கினஇது நான் தானா?கேள்விக்கணைகள்என்னை துரத்தினமருபுறம் திரும்பினேன்உன்னை மறக்கநீ என்னுள் நிரம்பிவிட்டதை மறந்துஇதயப்பாறையில்பூத்து விட்டதுசிறு காதல் பூஎன் கண்களில்தெரிகின்றதுமுதல் மாற்றம்.A rough translation...

Mysore - a nice getaway

This post has been in the draft mode since 13th Oct 2006. I managed to complete it today.My hubby and I finally made a one-day trip to Mysore. I had been to Mysore thrice before with other family members but this is the first time hubby got to visit Mysore. We wanted to see what's so special during Dussehra. We booked a cab and started our journey at 7 AM on a chilly Sunday morning. There was absolutely...

Anticipation

My contribution to Sunday Scribblings #38 - Anticipation"Papa, I want that icecream", said little Mannu, staring longingly towards his dad Babu. "How can I reject my only kid's request?", Babu thought while his hands were reaching for his pockets of a torn shirt that he was wearing. All he could find was a one rupee. Meanwhile, Mannu's mom Savitri called them for dinner. "Mannu dear, I will buy you...

Stop cribbing and complaining

This statement is to all those selfish, complaining, irresponsible people in the country, cribbing about the country's state of affairs, corruption, poverty, bad infrastructure, poor performance in sports etc etc. All these morons know is to complain and do nothing else. I know their typical characteristics :-They eat a chewing gum and throw the wrapper on the road.They throw the garbage bags wherever...

Punishment & Reward

My contribution to Sunday scribblings #37 - Punishment & RewardThis topic has brought a little smile on my "monday-morning-blues" face. Now I have a good reason to relive my school memories yet again.I was in my 9th grade when this incident took place. We had our morning break and waiting for the third session of the day to begin. Our Maths teacher was no where to be seen in the vicinity of our...

In the last hour....

This is my contribution to Sunday Scribblings #36 - "In the last hour..."It was a typical summer. The scorching heat and the frequent power cuts were the norm. The sun was shining bright and the rays had already entered Ravi's room. Ravi was in deep slumber after a night of continuous studies. This had been the case ever since the study holidays began. Today was the first exam and the one he dreaded...

கிளிஞ்சல் விடு தூது

ஆயிரம் ஆயிரம்உயிரினங்கள்கடலுக்குள்மனிதனுடன் பேசஆவலாய்!தன் கூட்டத்தைவிட்டு வெளியேவர இயலாமை,புது சூழ் நிலையைதட்ப வெட்பத்தை தாங்கசக்தி இல்லாமை.எனவே விடுகின்றனகிளிஞ்சல் விடு தூது.பல நிறம்பல வகைபல வடிவம்ஆயினும் ஒவ்வொன்றுக்கும்உள்ளது தனித்துவம்.கடல் அலை கொண்டுவ ந்து சேர்த்ததுஎன் காலடியில்.சிலவற்றை எடுத்தேன்என் கைகளில்பலவற்றை பார்த்தேன்கால் சுவடுகளில்அழகின் உதாரணம் இவைஎளிமையின் இலக்கணம் இவைபரந்து விரிந்தபாற்கடலின்...

Daily visit

It was a sultry summer evening. My classes got over and I was returning home, holding the soft hands of my 70 year old grandma. My school was about 500 metres from my house and my grandma used to pick me up from school everyday. There was no concept of autos or cycle rickshaws in my little village. I was in the 3rd grade and loved the trip back home. My grandma and I used to walk slowly and we stop...

A scary dream

I had this really scary dream a couple of days back. It was a series of events. Though I don't remember all of them, this one is crystal clear in my mind.My team is researching about the mysteries happening in an ancient temple in a village. The newspapers are filled with articles about these mysteries everyday. People's lives are in jeopardy. My team is visiting the village after collecting all the...

Long wait is over!!

I have been waiting for this movie ever since it's launch. I'm talking about my favourite director's and my favourite music director's combo Guru. I got to listen to the songs this afternoon and needless to say, am mesmerized by most, not all of them."Barso re megha" sung by Shreya Ghoshal is a perfect rain song that reminds me of Mouna Raagam's "Oh oh megam vandhadho". I feel like dancing in rain...

30 minutes

I'm referring to my morning commute time. When I started taking my office cab in the mornings, I would just look out through the window, observe the bustling traffic, sometimes get irritated by the sudden brakes that my cab driver casually exercise every 100 metres or so, get angry at the overspeeding vehicles and continuous honking of two wheelers. As a result, by the time I reach office, my mood...

I met KB :-)

One of my favorite directors of Tamil cinema, K.Balachandar had come to my cousin's wedding. Ofcourse, to whom he is related to is totally irrelevant. I went upto him and said that I'm a fan of his movies and I liked "pudhu pudhu arththangaL" a lot. He just nodded and smiled. I admire the simplicity of this man who introduced stalwarts like Rajni and Kamal.My favorite black and white movie is "edhir...

Four special Saturdays!

I can finally put a tick mark in my goals list for this year. Yes, I volunteered for Dream a Dream's Computer programme. Being a person who likes to teach (it's in my genes, I suppose), I wanted to volunteer for this programme the first time I heard about it. But due to time constraints and unavailability on certain Saturdays, it could never happen. When I came across Shashank's email a month back,...

Remembering RKN

Today is the birth centenary of a man who can spin interesting stories with simple words. He is none other than my favourite writer R.K.Narayan. My reading habit was reinstated because of his novel 'Swami and Friends'. Though I have read many of his novels, this one holds a special place. He is definitely one of my inspirational writers. I wish Malgudi is not a fictional town. There are quite a number...

Finally, I watched....

Yes, I'm talking about Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu. A well-made action packed thriller. The director deserves a big round of applause for making such a good movie and managing to release the film after the financial hassles. The music was amazing and I started to like the songs even before the movie got released especially Vennilave and Paartha mudhal naaLe. The heroine, the one who comes in the first...

ஒரு மாலை பொழுது

கருமேக கூட்டம்சூழ்ந்திருக்கசெடி கொடி எல்லாம்நின்றிருக்கவந்ததேதென்றல் காற்றும்வந்ததே !தந்ததேபுதுமண் வாசனையும்தந்ததே !சில்லென்றமழைத்துளி ஒன்றுகையில் வ ந்ததே !பளிர் என்றமின்னல் ஒளியும்கண்ணில் தெரிந்ததே !கதிரவனின்செங்கதிர்கள் மெல்லமறைந்ததே !வெண்ணிலவும்மேகத்திரையில்முகத்தை ஒளித்ததே !இது ஒருபகலின் முடிவா?இல்லை, இருள்படர்இரவின் தொடக்கமா?இல்லை, வானிலையில்புது மாற்றமா?இந்த நொடிப்பொழுதைகையில் அடக்கவா?இல்லை,...

KANK and Crosswords

Sometimes I get this irresistible urge to eat bhel puri, to listen to a Rahman song or to watch a movie. A couple of weekends back, I had the urge to watch a movie. My hubby and I went to PVR in the morning to check out the availability of tickets for Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu or KANK. Unfortunately most of the tickets were booked and a few tickets were available for the front row. I hate sitting in...

Yogarungym - my experiments!

I see myself as a healthy, active and a young granny 40 years from now. I want to keep myself as fit as possible with no major health ailments. To achieve this goal, I need to maintain my physical well being on a day-to-day basis. The sedentary life style that I lead as a software engineer staring at the computer for hours together does not juxtapose well with my goal. So what do I do?I've been trying...

தெளிவு தந்த நிமிடம்

இனிய மாலை பொழுதுஅழகிய அலங்கார திருவடிவம்மங்கலம் பொங்கும் மணிவிளக்குதெய்வீக மணங்கமிழும் குங்குமம்நெஞ்சை குளிரச்செய்யும் தீர்த்தம்சிரித்து மலர்ந்திருக்கும் மல்லிகைஅமைதியை உணரும் மனம்திருக்கோயிலை சுற்றும் கால்கள்அடி பணியச்செய்யும் பக்திபுதுத்தெம்போடு திரும்பி வ ந்தேன் நான்...

சுதந்திர நினைவுகள்

Scribbled this one on our Independence day evening....இன்றைய தினம்சிறப்பு வாய்ந்த நன்னாள்நினைவுகள் பலபலகொடியேற்றும் தலைவர்கள்மிட்டை கொடுக்கும் ஆசிரியைகள்தேச பக்தி பாடல்கள்அரை நாள் விடுமுறைகாந்தி தாத்தா வாங்கியசுதந்திரத்தை இன்ற்றுநினைவு கூர்கிறார்கள்நமிதாவும் சினேகாவும்முழு சுதந்திரம் அடை ந்துவிட்டோம் நாம்24 மணி நேரமும்தொல்லைக்காட்சி முன் தவமிருக்கவேண்டும் சுதந்திரம்யாவருக்கும்பசி பஞ்சத்திலிருந்துவேலை...

The beginning at the end

Change - How important is this factor in one's life? Without change, do human beings ever grow? I wanted to experience this feeling of change for the past six months - change in environment, change in the route I travel everyday, change in the kind of work I do, change in meeting new people, change in everything. I felt that my life was becoming very monotonous. I wanted to explore the options available...

Who else might I have been - Part 2

Read the first part here yahooooo.....I got 96% in my exams and have scored very good marks in all subjects including the language papers. My joy knew no bounds and I was jumping happily. My grandma couldn't understand my sudden strange behaviour, though she understood that my score was good. I quickly took a calculator and started calculating my total score for medical admission. The calculator replied...

Who else might I have been - Part 1

My stint with Sunday Scribblings begins here.... This thought actually started burgeoning in me when I was in class 9. I knew I was just 2 years away from the crucial decision which I had to take-"What do I want to do in life?". Science and Maths have always fascinated me since my childhood. I wasn't too keen on Arts or Commerce. So I had to be in the Science field.Science is such a vast subject....

Interruptions everywhere !

It's been a long time since I sat down (or on a chair) for a couple of hours and focussed on one single task at hand. Any task for that matter ! I'm getting or allowing myself to get interrupted in all possible directions and at all possible places. These interruptions need not be external ones alone. Even when I'm alone and I think about some concrete plan of action or I'm just relaxing, varied thoughts...

My cute, little garden

After writing about my garden in my grandpa's house, I feel I should write about my little pot garden in my terrace. Thanks to my hubby's interest, we have been into gardening as a hobby for a while now. Since we are not the professionals, we really don't know how to take good care of our plants. My sincere hubby pours water everyday and spreads manure soil once in a while. But that doesn't seem to...

I want to...

I want to writesomething interesting,something worthwhile,something to cherish.Words, reflectionsof my feelings,of my thoughts,of my life.I ponder,I wonder,I crib,I laugh.This is my space,free to expressfree to writefree to ch...

Sorting hat puts me into......

Ravenclaw....Not Gryffindor, at the same time not Slytherin as well. It was an interesting way to figure out my house. I'm intelligent (yeah, yeah...no more a Tuby!), capable (God didn't know which particular talent to bestow upon me, so he gave me everything) and witty. Looking at the scores, I'm pretty...

FRIENDS - wow !

It might come as a surprise or a shock to a few people if I say that I haven't watched Friends serial until last Saturday. I got a chance to watch a few of them in DVDs and I enjoyed so much that I laughed continuously for 3 hours. The expressions were just amazing. Being a passionate toastmaster, I could easily relate to the importance of body language and how it can impact the audience. I especially...

Delhi is not far

The title intrigued me, and noting that the author is Ruskin Bond made me pick this title from a local library. I haven't read his novels before but have read his short stories and I thorougly enjoyed them. This novel is about the protogonist who moves from a small town to the capital in pursuit of his dreams of becoming a writer. How he becomes friends with the young boy,Suraj and the barber is another...

A garden, no more

A small house in the far end of the plot, with a nice, little garden in it's front, showcasing flowering plants like jasmine, december, kanakambaram (what's the English word?), huge fruit bearing trees like banana, mango and guava (white and pink varieties) etc. The whole street could smell the fragrance of curry leaves and eucalyptus. No one bought curry leaves from the shops. They plucked it from...

Few coins everyday !

One strange act I keep observing among the bus conductors these days is adding a few coins everyday to their pockets (Yes, I mean it). My home is very close to my office and I use the public transportation to travel this short distance. Many a times, the bus conductor asks for 3 or 4 rupees and never gives a ticket. When I ask him/her (there is no gender bias here !) to give me a ticket, they claim...

Unexpectedly good

There are many movies where you expect good songs but they turn out to be disappointed (Did I mention about God Father before?). There are few movies where you don't expect anything (you are not even aware such movies actually got released) but the songs turn out to be mind blowing. Few such songs from the new Tamil releases below. Let me know if you agree (or disagree) :-)Unnai Kandene in Paarijaatham...

The first difficult step !

A huge verandah it was, open to the sky ! Green grass was spread on the floor like a bed. Little Tinu had come home early from school. The headmaster had agreed to let the kinder garden kids leave soon, fearing it might rain heavily. Tinu was pretty excited to see the dark clouds, threatening to pour down. He sat on the grass bed, observing them. He could recognize the different faces the clouds depicted....

A 'sweet' restart

Gulab Jamuns, Rasgullas, Soan Papdis, Gajar Ka Halwa - Is your mouth watering reading these delicious desserts? I got this craving for Indian desserts. Craving might be a lighter word, perhaps. I love them and I simply adore these delicacies. Whoever invented these, God bless their souls. From my childhood, I always preferred Indian sweets to any other kind of desserts. Even now, when I had to choose...

வருக வருக !

Wrote this poem while returning home from work last night and heavy rains lashing the cityவிரைந்து வருகிறாய் பூமித்தாய்க்கு முத்தமிடதிரண்டு ஓடுகிறாய் வெள்ளாற்றில் கலக்க நீ தொடும் வேளையில்மண்ணிற்கு புது வாசனை எனக்குள் பொங்கும்மங்காத ரசனைமேகக்கூட்டங்கள்உன்னை வரவேற்கும்கதிர் வீசும் சூரியனும்வெட்கத்தில் மறையும்மின்னல் சிரிப்பில்நீ பிரகாசிப்பாய்இடி முழக்கத்தில்நீ எதிரொலிப்பாய்உன்னால் குளிரும்உயிர்கள் உள்ளம்உன்னால்...

And my vote goes to.....

No, this post is not about the elections that had come and gone. As kids, many would have fond memories of chocolates or icecreams. My memories are mostly based on bikis or biscuits. I love them in different shapes and tastes. The taste has evolved as I grew up. I still remember the Farex box where my grandma used to store bommai bikis (biscuits shaped like dolls, fish, duck etc). Every evening, I...

The essential change

"Wake up, Tina. It's already 7. You got to get ready for college", Tina's mom was shouting from the kitchen. A bright Monday morning. But Tina woke up with a dull face. Ever since she joined college, her enthusiasm was completely lost. She was expecting more from college life, not just in terms of fun and frolic but also in terms of knowledge and career growth. But like any other college, her's too...

Thrilled !

What a week it was ! My blog suffered due to angels and daemons. Now don't have any vague imaginations. I'm talking about Dan Brown's Angels and Daemons. I borrowed it from the library and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. What a thriller ! I was reading a few pages every weekday evening and completed it over the weekend. I had read the Davinci Code by the same author a year ago and was very impressed....

Arranged or Love?

The thoughts are my own and not meant to oppose or hurt anyone else's views. So I don't expect a counter argument as a comment :-) If you wish to oppose, please write an article in your blog. Here goes my take on Arranged v/s Love marriages. Arranged marriage query :-SELECT *FROMlist_of_eligible_bachelorsWHEREage > :bride_age -- the bride's age should always be less than the bridegroomAND bank_balance...

பகல் நேர உளறல்கள் - பாகம் 2

இரவு வரும் வரைநிலவு காத்திருப்பதில்லைகால்தடம் வரும் வரைகடல் அலை காத்திருப்பதில்லைவண்டு வரும் வரைபூக்கள் காத்திருப்பதில்லைகாதல் வரும் வரைகனவு காத்திருப்பதில்லைஆதவன் வரும் வரைபறவை காத்திருப்பதில்லைஆசை வரும் வரைகடிகாரம் காத்திருப்பதில்லைவார்த்தை வரும் வரைபேனா காத்திருப்பதில்லைவடிவம் வரும் வரைசிற்பம் காத்திருப்பதில்லைA rough translation in EnglishAfternoon ramblings - Part 2The moon doesn't wait for the...

பகல் நேர உளறல்கள் - பாகம் 1

கறை இல்லாத நிலவு உண்டாகுறை இல்லாத மனிதன் உண்டாசிறகு இல்லாத பறவை உண்டாசிரிப்பு இல்லாத குழந்தை உண்டாமுள் இல்லாத பாதை உண்டா'செல்' இல்லாத உயிர் உண்டாகனவு இல்லாத வாழ்க்கை உண்டாவிடியல் இல்லாத இரவு உண்டாஅனுபவம் இல்லாத கவிதை உண்டாஅபிநயம் இல்லாத பரதம் உண்டாபுதுமை இல்லாத புரட்சி உண்டாபசுமை இல்லாத நாட்கள் உண்டாA rough translation in EnglishAfternoon ramblings - Part 1Is there a moonwithout a shade?Is there a...

Narayan's Days

RK Narayan's autobiography "My Days" sounds very similar to his novels; touch, feel, words - everything similar. He is no way less naughtier than Swami. His college life is no way less happening than Chandran's. His love for his wife is no way less special than Krishna's. The roads of Madras with trams and jutka carts, temples of Mylapore, less crowded beach where he takes a stroll engrossed in thoughts,...

Being Cyrus - An unworthy hype

I learnt that I should never believe in the ratings given by the leading newspapers. A marketing gimmick, it is.I learnt that I should never really ask for opinion from others before I decide to watch a movie. Opinions differ from person to person.I learnt that I should never watch such gloomy movies on a weekday evening. My rest of the week gets spoilt.Nothing much to write about this very hyped...

A daemon to our kids

You : Madam, are you aware of Child Sexual Abuse and how this can affect your child? Parent1 : It may not happen to my kid. He is brought up in such a good environment. CSA happens only with kids from poor socio-economic background. Parent2 : To my kid? He is a boy. CSA will not affect him in any way. Parent3 : My kid is just 3 months old. Are you kidding? These are the possible replies you might...

By the river Piedra, I sat down and wept

Another gem of a book by Paulo Coelho. I have read his "Alchemist" and "Veronica decides to die" and was very impressed with the way he puts down his thoughts. This one "By the river...." is a story about Pilar, a young girl who meets his childhood friend and embark on her life changing journey together. There are not many characters in this story which makes the flow simple to understand. Typical...

The making of "Poli - an experiment blended with creativity "

Decided to make Poli (Obbattu in Kannada) on the occasion of Ugadi. I placed the recipe book on top of the microwave and started the process. The first line in the recipe said "Soak the bengal gram dhal for some time". I've been cooking for the past three years but I can never remember that Bengal gram...