Feel liberated,
and break all barriers.

Take charge,
and be on top of this world.

Shelve your worries,
and pamper yourself with all you desire.

Dream your dreams,
and chase them to its fulfillment.

Embrace happiness,
and have a joyous celebration.

Feel special,
and special you are to all of us.

For, in every sense and every way,
EVERYDAY IS YOUR DAY !
Year-end pressures, escalations, backlogs and lotsa other things are eating into my time of late. Amidst all the chaos, I was given a task that I love doing – Write a motivating caption for the team circling around knowledge acquisition and make a poster out of it. After lot of discussions with the concerned, what you see here was the one that was finally approved.

Besides work, plan for the New year’s eve is going on in full swing. While we have our official party in Mayajaal tomorrow, we still haven’t planned on what we wanna do the next day. Just like everyone else, am hoping to start the year with a bang too.

Before I finish, here’s a New Year trivia.

How does a Chemistry professor wish everyone?

Wish you a Happy and Phosperous New Year.
What was once a child's glee,
is now a parent's wail.
What was once a tourist spot,
is now a terror site.
What was once a thatched home,
is now barren space.
What were once peaceful waves,
are now horrific tsunamis.
What was once a soul with life,
is now a body dead.
What was once a lovely beach,
is now a burial ground.

You may have washed away lives,
of our near and dear,
our kith and kin,
you may have swept away our
homes and belonging.
But our hope is not dampened,
our determination not drenched,
our strength of mind not soaked,
we have pulled on,and survived.

Remember, you could only rise high to demolish storeys,
but not high enough to hit the stars,
THE REAL STARS, the SURVIVORS.


Written on 30th Dec, 2004
Pic courtesy
No racy tracks, no lousy dapaankuthus, no power packed lyrics, no solo Shankar Mahadeven intro, and no anything that Vijay is associated with. Surprising.

I don’t pen down reviews, for I feel that it ain’t my cup of tea. But was prompted to write this as there was an element that I have always been crazy about – VIJAY. Not meeting up with expectations normally lead to disappointments, but I was pleasantly surprised to see the usual Vijay ingredients missing in Aathi songs. While I would not debate the fact that he has given super hit songs, I personally feel that they do not appeal to all sections of the society. Would Aathi paint a different picture is to be waited and watched.

The prelude in "Olli Olli Udambae" sounds more like the one in "Ale ale" (boys), Karthik's voice reinforces it, and the words "Ale ale" in-between the song confirms it. Anuradha's voice that seemed irritating initially caught on me finally. A definitely inspired duet and a nice one to listen to.

"Lealakku Lealakku Leala" is an out and out folk song with the inclusion of english lyrics adding spice to it. I had an instant liking to this song sung by Kay Kay (Wow ! Wonderful diction for someone who does not speak Tamil) and Sujatha. Packed with subtle philosophies the song seems more situational than intentional.

"Thadakku Thadakku" is currently the song running on loop on my PC. A definite foot tapper where the pace of the beat (not a fast one though) is consistently maintained throughout the song. Sung by Hariharen and Sujatha

The voice that best fits melody is sadly the one that's least utilized these days."Athi Athikka" takes one back to good old days of SPB. I personally feel Sadhana Sargam is only adding blemish to the perfect rendering of the song by her male counterpart. Surprised to see a slow track in a Vijay album. My favourite among the lot.

I have nothing to talk about "Yeai Durra" sung by Tippu and Syndhavi. Just a cliched romantic dapaankuthu.


I sincerely feel this is a genuine attempt on Vijay's part to break free from his stereotyped portrayal on screen. Or at least that's how it seems for the time being. If his fans have been expecting a "Appadi podu" or a "Kodambakkam area", they are in for a big disappointment. Personally I like four of the five songs which is good for any album (that's my standard). Vidyasagar needs to be given all the credit.
The secret communion finally took place after several days of precision planning. Having members from diverse fields was unintentional, but that’s how it turned out when the famous five had their rendezvous. The man who calls himself “Who am I”, the economist, the cricketer and the graphics designer had already finished their coffee, when the protagonist made his entry. He always likes to make an entry.

When “Who am I” left the conclave citing reasons, the cricketer took the lead. His craving for sundal and mulagai bajji are unparalleled. And so the five, who were now reduced to four, followed suit and had their share of everything possible in the sands of the expansive beach. Rain may try to play spoil sport, but it can never dampen the spirits of four young and charming men, right? The meeting took it’s own turn and conversations on movies, Ilayaraja, marriage, cricket, higher studies could have been overheard had there been a bystander.

The sun had already descended down the faraway horizon and the rains didn’t seem like bidding farewell. And so the four moved in to the protagonist’s knight rider to take shelter and to carry on with their conversations. With hunger striking, they finally decided to taste Punjabi delicacies before they parted their own ways. The only agenda was to have a good time, and it sure did turn out to be 4 hours of matchless fun.


And so ended the story of the famous five (Naanyaar, Prabhu Karthik, Vatsan, Bharath, and Somu) who had a small yet a very memorable bloggers meet.
When I had to take an exam yesterday where I had to answer questions that were purely theoretical for 2 long hours, I felt a little weird. Having finished my paper much before the stipulated 2 hours, I spent the rest of the time in the hall wondering how different an experience writing is when it comes to blogging and taking an exam.

Here (read it as blogging) it’s a mere 15-minute affair. I sit down, decide what to write, and then write. There (Read it as an examination), it’s an over night affair. I first decide what to read and what not to, and then sit down to write.

Here I write what I want to write. There I write what I am required to write.

Here, I have a self-imposed word restriction. There, I always believe the marks are proportional to the length of the answer.

Here, originality is a principle for me. I never plagiarize. There, copying is an accepted act, though getting caught is never recommended.

Here, writing is more of a natural process. There, I need to attend classes for the same.

Here, when am stuck I call it the writer’s block. There, I call it out of syllabus or lack of preparation.


There are more such differences, but thought they were not significant enough. Can you think of anything more? :o)
Started our team meeting today with recitation of this poem which was later circulated to all teams on mail.

I’ve faked a marriage that’s in news,
I have made four proposals, with no use,
now, am even completing my third dare,
but, about my gift you don’t seem to care.

Boring and dull, the dares you devise,
try being creative, and that would be nice.
As long as you are good, and not hostile,

I would do the dare in my own style.

Every child is so happy and gay,
with gifts they receive day on day.
Gift me a gift, stingy Chris mom,
before I plant, in your desk, a hydrogen bomb.

I ain’t sure if you are he or she,
in this wonderful X-mas game,
but I know, people with unknown genders,
have a totally different name.
Having left with no options to fake a real marriage, I decided to fake a marriage that never happened... And so, here's how I got married in style (A Mail that was forwarded to just about every team that's playing the game)

Breaking News - Special news report

In a shocking turn of event that broke the heart of millions of fans across the nation, malabar mermaid entered into nuptial bond yesterday in Thiruneermalai. Reports say that a secret affair that had bloomed and blossomed in the life of this upcoming actress finally ended in marriage. Whether it would end her career in movies is still a big question.

The identity of the groom is still a well-kept secret. However, inside information reveals that she first met him during her visit to his workplace. He (An IT Professional) , it is believed, was one among the crazy fans who thronged her as she was answering queries to other fans on chat. What led to this fast paced marriage was an interesting piece of information that our special correspondent managed to unearth.

A weird dare that was entrusted to the still unknown groom as part of an X-mas game is said to be the reason behind this wedding ceremony. He wanted to complete the dare, and she wanted to ensure that he does not fail in his mission. May we wish the bride and the groom a happy wedded life.

Note from the mail sender: Certain information has to be well guarded for reasons of security. At least now that it is all in news, my Chris mom should know that I have completed my task, and that is to “find a girl and get married”. I am still awaiting the gift – FYI.


P.S: My dare for tomorrow is probably the easiest one can ever give me. And that is to write a poem about my Chris-Mom and recite it during our team meeting. Now that's one dare my CM is gonna repent having given me.
I need to get married. Not that I am desperate, but I am under certain pressure at work to complete this task. Considering the fact that finding a girl by itself is a mammoth effort, I need to get into the nuptial bond ASAP… and that is by today. And even if I find a girl, I need to print the invites, book a hall, invite all my friends, get permission from folks at home and there is lots more.

And one day is too short a time.

Before you jump into any conclusion, here’s the background. We are playing Chris Ma-Chris Child at work and my dare for the day is to “Find a girl and get married” – One heck of a dare that’s gonna deny me my right to earn a gift.


I was reminded yesterday of an incident that happened in my friend’s life 5 years back.

He was climbing the stairs when there was this girl who passed him in the opposite direction.

HE : Hey, Today is my Birthday.
SHE : ** Turns back and says ** “Oh!” ** and walks off like she heard nothing **

Till date, it happens to be the most laughed at situation and we still tease him for being so shameless about advertising his Birthday. I feel just the same about my post yesterday.

Nevertheless, I had a wonderful day and I thank each and every one of you for having sent their wishes either through an sms, or a call or a comment or a blog post. While I did manage to send a personal note to whoever I can, I take this moment to let you know that I really appreciate your being party to making my day. THANKS A LOT :o)
I don’t remember since when, but seems like I have been crazy over Rajinikanth ever since. Be it his hair ruffling style, or his flicks with the cigarette, or his “ithu yeppadi irukku”, or even his mere appearance on screen, my tongue automatically rolls for my fingers to let out the loudest possible shrill.

I have never missed a movie of his, I have his entire collection of audio cassettes (CDs of late), and I simply go bonkers over this most charismatic actor of South India who had a very humble beginning in life.

While the reasons above are only secondary, there is one prime reason why I love this guy.


I share my Birthday with him
129600 seconds of selfless struggle.
2160 minutes of mammoth effort.
36 hours of unparalleled proficiency.
1 1/2 days of diligent display.


Well, for someone who enjoys sleeping, staying awake for such long hours battling a professional problem can only lead to such unthinkable exaggerations. After being in conscious state for an extended period, I was only glad to finally go crashing yesterday night. And to compensate for the lost siesta, I managed to sleep for close to half the number of hours of being wakeful. For now, just waiting for time to crawl so that I can start enjoying my weekend.
F below expands to Friend

Me: Did you check out my latest post?
F1 : Do you have anything better to talk about?
Me: I mean, I think it is a nice one.
F2 : And who says so?
Me: But then, did you read it in the first place?
F3 : Really not in my priority list.
Me: Did YOU (@ F4) at least read it?
F4 : I did dude. I think it was a good one.
Me: Guys, that’s what am trying to say.
F5 : Machan, this guy is so jobless.

This happens because none except one (F4) from my circle of friends is into blogging. While I do ensure they read my blog, there exists no common ground amongst us in terms of blogging as a hobby by itself. Today, am glad one more joins this bandwagon.

Kannan (Cannon as he is lovingly called) is a movie buff, an ardent Kamal fan, and a hater of my-kinda-movies (The Vijay types). He wins just about every movie argument we have and can literally go on and on about movies during our lunch, break and out of office conversations. Click here to check him out.

P.S. This poem found a translator in Vignesh and his tamil version landed up in Thinamalar publication. Ain’t that cool?
Authored by Akshay Natarajan.
Date : Dec 3, 2005

Stormy, cloudy and rainy is how I would have described yesterday. Bright and sunny is how it was today. All in all, a good day to go to work innit? One would think so… After an uneventful journey to Somu’s place, both of us set out on the same water logged path that flooded the roads yesterday. Quite surprisingly the roads had cleared for Somu’s raging red Corsa to zip through. We were coasting along! Until we reached the entrance to tidel park that is..

We were joined by three other colleagues who car-‘pool’ed at the entrance (ofcourse by car pool I meant a bunch of guys jumping into the back seat). What lay ahead was a sea of water. There were waves too (reverse osmosis probably). Knee-deep water, a stalled car, a floating bike and some frustrated guards were among some of the obstacles that were between us and the building.



After a slightly turbulent but successful voyage, we made it thro’ to the makeshift car park at film city (the outskirts of the tidel building). Here, fortunately the water levels were restricted to 4-5 inches. The journey ahead was to be completed on foot (and I mean literally foot. ‘Cause nobody in their right mind would subject their footwear to this). We sported a new look (which is now catching on at Tidel) - rolled up pants, laptop slung over the shoulder, shoes in one hand and phones out in the other hand to take snaps. With all that baggage we waded thro’ the water and finally made it to the main car park (which was immaculately dry btw).



There were some unfortunate souls who had attempted to drive through the full way and were in the process of bailing out water with tea cups borrowed from the kitchen. Good luck to them! They’re prolly still at it. The journey culminates in us reaching our respective desks trying to figure out how we’re gonna blog this. What resulted.. is what you’re reading…
Mail responses get delayed.

Work keeps piling up.

Technologies remain unexplored.

Coffee time with friends is missed.

Project submissions remain pending.

Time spent with the team is minimal.

Am going late for meetings.

And so, I have decided.

No more blogging / blog hopping from work.

P.S. Other posts on blog addiction
Blogging - Boon or a bane?
Blog Addict


Pic Courtesy

Update : Vignesh has done a tamil translation of this poem here.

The needle pricks him once.
The virus is injected into his blood stream once.
The syndrome spreads once.
And the disease eventually kills once.
But you alienate him,
you upset him every second.
You ignore him,
you hurt him every minute.
You hate him,
you kill him every day.

Now tell me, who is deadlier? YOU or the HIV?

Now tell me, who is a stigma? YOU or HE?

I have never come face to face with a HIV positive individual. Nor am I sure how I am gonna react when I meet up with one. But what I know for sure is that I should treat him with compassion and see him as no different from the rest. I "think" am in no position to spead this disease. The least I can do is spread the message.

Cartoon courtesy : Offthemarkcartoons

7.00 AM : Tring tring (the alarm goes off)
I hit the snooze and go back to sleep.
7.30 AM : Tring tring (the alarm beeps yet again)
I hit the snooze and cuddle inside my blanket.
8.00 AM : Tring tring (urgh the damn alarm strikes again)
I hit the snooze and keep rolling on my bed.
8.30 AM : Tring tring (the stupid alarm just gets nagging)
I hit the snooze and try to enjoy my siesta.
9.30 AM : Tring tring (This time it is my mobile)
And no snooze comes to my rescue.
The voice on the other side : “Can you come over to my cabin”.

“Eh ! Can you give me 15 mins, am just on my way? “

God made lazy bums. Man invented the snooze to make them even lazier. And am not sure who invented the concept of “Office” to make the lazier ones repent for their laziness.
Another meet and another opportunity to be with the blogging fraternity. So, would I wanna miss out on that ? While I would have loved to walk across and meet up with everyone, I did manage to interact with most who had turned up. The meet by itself cannot be as interesting as everyone makes it sound if not for the interesting people who convene. And here’s a snippet of those interesting lot that I managed to meet (in no particular order).

Jaggy : His posts literally swear at his service provider. Knowing that am from the same organization, he was surprisingly nice to me.

Prabhu Karthik : When an elderly gentleman while leaving, told him, best wishes, god bless you, good luck… et al… he was kind enough to say, “Same to you” :o)

Swaminathan : A technical writer by profession… and I hope his blog is not an extension of his profession. He is back into blogging after the meet.

Jaideep : “My blog is about e-learning, not too many people read it, I write it for keeping track of technologies, you might not find it interesting” – He said them all in one go :o)

Muthu : We have met once in a training program way back in I don’t really remember. Was surprised that he could still place me. Good ‘ol ex-colleagues always have lots in common to talk about.

Satya Prabhakar : We had this small discussion on whether the top management can really find time for it’s employees. I was for it, and he had his views against it. Coming from someone up there, I had to buy his argument.

Sophie : Was in her usual chirpy self. Was more than willing every time I shamelessly asked her to take a picture of mine.

Kiruba : I was reminded of cricket matches, a word a day mails, and a truck load of enthusiasm when I saw him. He has promised to organize a cricket match between Sulekha and Sify ;o))) Please don't tell him that I have not paid for the coffee I had on Sunday.

Akshay : A harrypotter fan (who isn't, right?), a quiz freak, CAT aspirant, my junior in college, my colleague quite obviously at work and most important of them all, my dum pal.

Ravi : I have promised him a car two years from now… And he has promised me something that’s much more filling. He was one of the other good souls who called up just a while back showing deep concerns over my having gone down.

Balaji : Nanganallur party. Poor chap. Every time he said he was from Wipro, someone or the other asked him do you know her or him. Considering the company he had, I forgot to figure out if he reached home safe.

Viji : It might interest you to know that she effectively uses the “Thiruttu” 10 minute internet access that she gets at work to cook up wonderful poems. Very well-versed in Chennai Baashai. And the reason why her stay in chennai is getting extended was a major point of discussion.

Jammy : When I said I always envied his wife’s function that enabled her to interact with celebrities, he was quick to retort, “That’s how she bumped into me”. And I realized he does not work hard at humor.

Sheky : He is always in his reticent self when with people from the corporate world (read it as old men) like me, or that’s what he claims. Speak a lot with him and you would realize how sweet and interesting a chap he is. Always obsessed with my skills at puffing.

Sunil : Another colleague of mine. Had a real tough time trying to get his daughter’s attention. She did not even tell me her name. Girl’s ain’t my cup of tea, neither am I theirs. She would be around 5 years old by the way.

Vishnu : Kanni Samy. Hope he finds his first ever trip to Shabarimalai a good experience.

Jaleel : Joined us in the conversation a little late and was quick to leave for the day. The next time around we need to spend a lil while talking :o)

Ramesh : I remembered him from good ‘ol maverick days… And am seeing him after a long time. While I could place him with ease, he did the same with me too :o))

Hari : Again, did not get much time to interact with him. This is the second time I am meeting him and am sure there would be a third time to catch up with stuffs.

And the most important guy I was randomly chosen to meet was from Indian Express. Am sure he would have been taken aback by my major peters of India. He has his say on what I had to say here.

If I did leave out anyone that’s purely out of senility and is not in anyway done intentionally.
It is but natural for romance to follow romance !

Without your smile,
I would feel overcast.
Without your touch,
I would feel weak.
Without your kiss,
I would feel crestfallen.
Without your hug,
I would feel unwanted.
Without your presence,
I would feel lonely.
Without your friendship,
I would feel marooned.
Without your love,
I would feel lost.
Without you,
I would feel lifeless.

- SOM' '
Without 'U' even my name is incomplete,
How would I be any different?


Disclaimer : The disclaimer of the previous post holds good for this one too :o)
** This had to be based on a true story owing to official implications **

It is almost about a month and a half since his manager moved into the same locality as his. Yesterday, when he was in his Manager’s cabin, he was having a very casual conversation with him.

MGR : Dude, looks like someone else also has a red Corsa with sun roof.
HIM : Really ?
MGR : When I look through my drawing room window, I see it parked in the next door apartment.
HIM : Where is this ?
MGR : Indira Nagar, 1st Avenue
HIM : Oh really ? Which apartment are you in ?
MGR : Dwaraka.
HIM : Ha ha ! Then in all likeliness you are looking at my car. Looks like we are neighbors, coz I live in Jamaal’s, which is next door to Dwaraka.

Now his problem. Next time when there is a call asking him to go to office for an emergency on a weekend, he just cannot say, “Sorry, am in Kilpauk now. It would take me ages before I reach office”. His manager just has to peep out of his drawing room window to understand the stated lie.

** Trust me. This is really based on a true story **

He has always lived his life like a prince in his private lair. The freshness of liberated air was always there for him to breathe. But on Wednesday, he was arrested and kept in custody, in his own house. The same solitude he had enjoyed turned evil with every lonely passing moment seeming like eternity. He was cut off from the external world.

He was taking mindful efforts to fall asleep. To eschew pain. But, in vain. Even the VIP treatment that was bestowed on him didn’t come as a consolation. The only crimes that he committed – Catch a common cold, allow unwarranted entry of bodily pain, permit temperature to rise to premier levels and finally go breathless (intermittently of course) due to mild wheezing.

Today, he is acquitted. Absolved. Exonerated. From all his crimes. Freedom never sounded sweeter.

Tomorrow is a new day. Monday. And for once, he was not reminded of blues.

P.S. Just curious. How can one catch a cold and yet have high temperature? Aren't opposing forces supposed to be nullifying each other?

I don’t make promises, at least not to everyone. And if I do make one, that person definitely carries a lot of significance in my life. It was about a year back that I promised a very close friend of mine that I would renounce certain habits in life. I did bring in the requisite control in me to live up to the promise. The damned visit to the US saw the rebirth of the same habit that I promised to give up.

So far, this has been a well-kept secret from my friend. Yesterday, during a very casual conversation, when she asked me, “So, Somu… Do you still have that habit?”… I was caught between the devil and the deep sea. I had two options at my disposal. Lie about it and feel guilty or be honest and win the wrath of a good friend. And I did what I felt was the right thing to do. Be honest.

Now, I have a question for myself. Does being honest nullify the effect of breaking a promise? After all, there is no proverbial reference to breaking promises being the worst of policies. Am I absolved from the sin I committed by being honest?

Only one can answer that question.
** Inspired by a true incident **

The other day he was raving about how much of a flirt he had been in his younger days, and how much he continues to be. Of course, we have seen his flirtatious skills with our own eyes. You can now imagine why he was given the middle name of “Casanova”.

Every time he says he is not coming out with us for the weekend, we know the reason behind it.

Two days back, he came out after just being appraised and was so happy to inform us of the feedback he received.
“Guys, I am told that I have a go-getter attitude”.

To this there was an amusing remark from his friend, which made even him laugh at that factual statement. “Dude, in a way your boss is right. You sure have a go-get-her attitude”.

P.S. For a change, the HE in this post is definitely not me. FYI.

Pic courtesy : show.me.uk

On my first day in school I remember how much I cried and how much I never stopped crying until I saw my brother who had come to pick me up.

When in second standard, I remember how much I was excited to wear my new color dress to school on my birthday.

“Big fun” bubble gum was such a craze during my 4th, 5th and 6th standard. I remember how my mom made me apologize in the pooja room for stealing 50 paise to buy one.

I was such a lazy bum and I still cannot forget the fact that I had to get a sign from my mom everyday as a proof to my class teacher that I woke up early.

I remember how I went around flaunting my first ever 1st rank in 5th standard to just about everyone I came across. It was during this phase that I developed my first crush on Yezhilmalar, the one I beat to the top.

When they changed the seating pattern in my 6th standard, I remember how much I was thrilled to be seated between two girls.

On my first day in 9th standard, I remember how much I refused to go to school because my trouser was yet not ready at the tailors. I was feeling shy to wear shorts to school.


And I still remember lots and lots...

Days of childhood to everyone are always memorable. Given all the time and space, am sure I can pen down just about every good / bad incident that happened in my life. Quite naturally I miss those wonderful moments in my life when I shouldered no responsibility, when I had no penchant for money, and when I was so damn innocent.

For the kid that I have been, for the little bit of kid that I still have in me and to every kid in this whole wide world, here’s me wishing a Happy Children’s Day !


P.S. My other post on kids
The one I hold dear to,
are the memories,
of our strolls, and tiffs,
of our laughs, and tears,
of our togetherness
and many more eventful times
that elapsed.

The one I long for now,
are the moments,
of your glance, and smile,
of your love, and care,
of your intimacy,
and many more adorables,
that I enjoy.

The one I dream of,
is our future,
our family, and home,
our children, their future,
our posterity,
and many more probables,
in store.

No wonder !
You, my dear,
are my past, present and future.

Picture Courtesy : Soultime-travel
Last Saturday our class at the college campus was postponed due to heavy rains. And so, we received a mail with the subject, “Business Ethics – Class cancelled”. And so we promptly booked tickets for Sivakasi.

The postponed class was scheduled for yesterday. And again, we received a mail early in the morning with the subject,”Business Ethics – Class cancelled”. Few of us were so excited that we wanted to recreate the movie magic of Saturday night. So, we planned Maja yesterday evening.

At around 4.00 PM I got a call from my colleague,”When are you leaving for the class?”. I said,”Machi, read your mails and let me know when we can leave for Mayajaal”. All that he had to say was,”I suggest you read your mails”, and promptly hung up the phone.

Only then did we go back to the mail to read it’s contents. ”Dear participants, Just to remind you that there will be class today at 5.30 PM as scheduled”.


When people respond to old messages, can’t they not change the subject accordingly? At least we wouldn’t have had to suffer from short term elation.
Ever since I bought a vehicle for myself, I have been going home for lunch. Sambhar/Rasam saadham, Thaiyir saadham and a grand finale of dairy milk is a regular affair for over a month now. 15 mins of ananthasainam after all the food does give one a heavenly feeling, right ?

Despite all this, there is something that tries nullifying the effect of the heavenly feeling – something that I loathe and completely despise. This hatred was developed over a period of time watching things similar to it especially during the evenings. And startlingly this karumam pudicha Mega Serial’s title literally means Heaven. Yeah, am talking about SORGAM here :o((((


Luckily, in the battle between heavenly feeling and the effect of HEAVEN, am glad the former overpowers the outcome of the latter. Which is why I still keep going home for lunch.

P.S. If you have read this, maybe you should also check out this.
Inspired by a true story, though the last part of it is pure imagination

He gets a call at 9.30 AM waking him up from sleep. “Dude, have you reached office? I need to know the water level inside Tidel”. He says, “Am still asleep. If you reach office do let me know how it is”.

In about 10 minutes, he sends the caller an sms that read, “I have reached office. There is no water in the Tidel entrance. But towards the parking lot, the level is quite high. However, it should not be a problem to drive through.”

At 9.50 AM he gets another call from the same guy,”Dei, how did you manage to reach so early? I thought you were sleeping”. “Dei pannadai, I forwarded someone else’s message. Now allow me to sleep”, and he continued zzing.
Finally feels good to be back to days of normal blogging. So much has happened that went unwritten on this page… The blogger’s meet to start with. For few of us Diwali started as early as on Sunday when we burst crackers in the beach as part of the meet’s agenda. Then there was Diwali itself that was so uneventful for me. The only event was the question the day raised as to whether I was getting old.

My midyear appraisal happened this week and I have loads to catch up with for the next six months. This period is very critical to my moving to the next level. Two new releases are in my must see list which I hopefully intend to cover this weekend. My best friend's birthday was on the 2nd. I have this tradition of gifting him a card with a hand written poem every year. Will pass it on when I meet him tomorrow.

On the whole, apart from the love story that left me with a feeling of reminiscence and gloominess, it has been quite an interesting week. Oh yeah I forgot to mention the long 5 minute heavenly walk from the parking lot to the main entrance with the Rain God sprinkling teeny weeny droplets on me.

And I hope everyone has started having a wonderful weekend while am sitting here at work and slogging.


P.S. Forgot the two flattering posts from fellow bloggers that completely floored me. You can read it here and here. Thank you pals :o)
Two isolated incidents that happened within a span of two weeks

1. Six of us met at GRT Grand Days (Coffee shop) for a friend’s birthday treat. During the course of the dinner, I passed a casual comment. “I love this place. Peaceful and serene. Just creates opportunities for people to converse. Quite a contrast to the noisy pubs and loud coffee days”. And two of them in synchrony retorted, “That’s where fun lovers hangout. That’s where party goers spend time. And that’s where young and energetic minds meet. Dude ! You are getting old”

2. I was at Tidel yesterday at around 11.00 PM when one of my colleagues asked, “So, how was Diwali” ? “It was normal. Saw Padayappa. Visited couple of my cousins. And then it was Vassol Raja MBBS. Home delivered Pizza for dinner and that’s about it.” “How about crackers?” , he asked again. “Nah ! Not much of enthu for it this time, I guess”. And so came the quick response, “Is it a sign of you getting old?”

Now the big question is… Am I getting old at heart ? Boohoo !!!

I should have probably told them what the Americans think of me.


Oh mermaid sans the fins,
you stir up joy within.

Oh malabar mannequin,
my heart goes for a spin.

Oh angel's identic twin,
you are just so enchantin'.

Oh Juliet's distant kin,
I confess my fondness herein.

With fanfare and energetic din,
here's me wishing you
a Happy Birthday ASIN


I had to read this to realize the significance of today.

Other Asin posts
1. Aiyoda
2. Gajini
Amid thousand faces, I keep searching hers,
my eyes assiduously indulging in the hunt,
deftly shifting their gaze when they find her face.
Concentration dwindles, with work piling up,
nothing seems more significant,than a little chat with her.
All through the day, she invokes a pleasant thought,
and am dancing in a far away wonderland,
with all my worries and troubles shed.

I keep staring at my mobile, waiting to hear from her,
and at the least expected moment,
my mobile sings the special tone I saved exclusively for her.
The prolonged wait proves worthy.
My sleep has become a dream, missing from my life lately,
still no nightly moment passes without she occupying my mind.

I find these actions of mine inexplicable.

She is like the rainbow, colorful and beautiful,
adorning the entire expanse of the sky,
bringing in joy and happiness to everyone around.
How I wish I were the sky, I have no means to convey !

A dreadful sense of melancholy is evoked in me,
I go through a volley of emotions,
I suddenly see myself reliving my past,
the one I had consciously managed to put behind me.

I call up my pal, to keep myself occupied,
but the feelings return at the end of the banter.
My mind is misplaced in thoughts, she being the subject matter.
The night turns gruelling with every stretched second,
time makes unhurried progress extending my anguish.
I wait eternally for the torment to end.

At a snail's pace, the sun finally rises.
It dawns. And it dawns on me too.
I suddenly find the reason behind my actions.
The punishing emotions I suffered seem sensible.
I realize I AM IN LOVE,
for the second time in my life.
And I wish with all earnestness, there is no third time.
It all started with a Yawn.
And so I fell horizontal.
Quite naturally began to doze off.
The zzzz slowly changed into a snore.
I went into a deep slumber.
Saw wood and dead log I became.

By the time I woke up, I could only manage to grumble.
“Sigh ! There goes another wasted weekend”

Pic Courtesy : Fredcat.net
Like the sands of Sahara, arid and
Missing the monsoons,

Like the hours of darkness, murky and
Missing the crack of dawn,

Like a withering rose, wilting and
Missing a glance of sun’s beam,

Like the deprived lot, famished and
Missing a morsel of rice,

Like a desolate soul, abandoned and
Missing a devoted friend,

Like a dying man, downhearted and
Missing a miraculous cure,

Am here, forsaken and forlorn,
Missing you.


Pic courtesy
“All mornings are like paintings – You need little inspiration to get going, a smile to brighten it and a message from someone who cares to color your day… GOOD MORNING”

Is it not nice to wake up to such a nice sms in the morning? Really does make your day. And of course it did make mine today. But, when I looked around me, what I saw – dresses strewn all over, chaos and confusion from the office going folks in drawing room, couple of missed calls from office, and nine on the clock – only prompted me to respond with this message.

"All mornings are like reality – You have to brush your teeth, have coffee, take a shower, get ready for work and head towards office… GOOD MORNING”

Hope everyone is having a wonderful day !

More Morning sms :)

In an attempt to keep it short,
here's me wishing you from my heart.
In an attempt to keep it simple,
here's me wishing you peace and good will.
In an attempt to keep it sweet,
here's me sending you a message so neat.
In effect, in an attempt to KISSS,
here's me sending you a good morning wish.

The sun woke up and thought of rising.
The birds woke up and thought of chirping.
The buds woke up and thought of blooming.
So, it’s only natural I woke up and thought of you.
GOOD MORNING.

Start your day with
Wonderful thoughts, and
Beautiful people.
So here I am, starting mine with
A wish for you.
Have a wonderful day.


P.S. On Sophie's request, giving a link to my other auto posts
Talking talking cabbie
Me ? Eve teasing?
While talking about an incident that happened to me once, Ravi suggested that I should probably post it in my blog… And so, here goes…

I am bugged of bargaining with auto wallahs every time I take a rick from Tidel to my home. Invariably this is how it would seem…

Day 1
Auto wallah : Sir, 30 Rs.
Me : Illa pa. 25 Rs.

Day 2
Auto wallah : Sir, 30 Rs.
Me : Illa pa. 25 Rs.

Day 3
Auto wallah: Sir, 30 Rs.
Me : Illa pa 25 Rs.

So, on day 4 I decided to move away from the usual auto stand to catch a running auto. This is how the conversation went

Auto wallah : Sir, 20 Rs.
Me : (instinctively) Illa pa, 25 Rs.
Auto Wallah : Ok sir.
Me : * Blink blink blink *

Others who were party to my recalling this incident when we met at Chennai Trade Center were Sophie, Hari, Vee-jay and Shekys. It was a pleasant evening yesterday on the lawns of CTC when we met, munched corns, discussed, laughed and pulled legs. Yet again, it was a wonderful opportunity for me to identify blogs I have been reading with a human face. I also did go back with two new blogs, the faces behind which (Shekar and Hari) I got introduced to yesterday.
Some quotes from here:

"Amongst all nations of the world perhaps the maximum abuse of democracy by individuals (rich/famous/politicians) takes place in India. When a senior Labour Party leader in UK is caught in a sex scandal, he accepts, apologises and resigns. No one in the US, UK or Japan who is caught red handed in some case of corruption ever denies it. The assumption of course is that the public is intelligent enough to see the truth behind, say, a Tarun Tejpal’s Tehelka or a Rajat Sharma’s India TV sting operation. In India of course we are shameless. Shamelessly, they came the very next day after the Tehelka episode, with ludicrous and shameless claims of falsely doctored tapes, assuming I guess that the public remains perpetually drunk and can’t see the most evident truth. Surprisingly the media (which often gives an impression of being perpetually drunk) did give these statements enough coverage to make the entire episode look confusing for the masses. In days to come the shameless were seen giving interviews in celebrity chat shows and were given high visibility through the peep show pages (read page 3) of leading dailies. But of course the matter didn’t end at that. The shameless went further shamelessly behind Tehelka, and rest as they say, is history. And history has a habit of repeating itself."

Is history not repeating itself yet again ? And look who is talking about abuse of democracy in India. Who is the shameless and who is Tehelka in the current context?

"Final analysis: I read the Tehelka newspaper regularly. It is as bold and as revealing as ever. Every issue has some revelations that leave me shocked. India TV might also mature up to more serious issues in times to come, once the eyeballs have settled down. But does it matter? Can they change India? No. Not until they have betrayers in their own community. Not until journalists from other media houses take up the issues they bring forward and take it forcefully to the public. Till then I only hope that many more Tehelka’s and many more India Tv’s come up and make hell out of the lives of the shameless creeps who occupy public space. It was supposed to be the job of the newspaper that you are reading right now. Sad that the market forces don’t allow them to mess up with the rich (their advertisers) and the politicians (who can mess up their basic existence). Till the time they do their jobs properly... Long live Tehelka! Long Live India TV!"

Going by the same viewpoint, should we/he/and everyone else not be saying, long live Gaurav ! Long live Rashmi? After all, just like how the author hoped, did they not come up and make hell out of the lives of the creeps? Preachers don't practise eh ?

Tag : IIPM
Better late than never:

I don't have anything against IIPM, nor do I have anything for Gaurav / Rashmi. However, what I do have is a common link between two of those three... and that is I blog as part of my everyday activity. While my knowledge on both the institute and these two bloggers at the start of the war was very limited, here's what I could assimilate after the haze cleared.

While I shall refrain from making any comments on the institute, I have developed lot of respect for these bloggers who have been righteous by standing up for what they believed is the truth and for being bold in not succumbing to pressure in their fight for free will.

The decision to speak out and the discretion to express is one's own birthright... And when that is questioned, is it not natural for all those directly and indirectly affected to join hands... And here I am extending my little hands for this movement :o)))

The whole of Tamil Nadu chanted "Sentamizh naadenum pothiniley" in their protest against English invasion here.

The whole of India shouted "Vande Maatharam" to show their solidarity.

And so, when I thought what I can possibly frame to show my fellowship to this movement, this is what I came out with :o)

Maybe you're wrong, just makin big noise,
playin with our rights, gonna go busted some day,
You are low on your ways,
that's disgrace,
we're kickin your name all over the place.

We will we will blog you
we will we will blog you.

Buddy, we are big team, strong team,
waging with our words, gonna give you some sense some day,
we got lead on the race,
just in case,
you didn't know you'd lose in few days.

We will we will blog you
we will we will blog you.

P.S. You may replace the word "Blog" in the above lines with whatever you think that deems fit.
Unleashing the child within,
by letting my energy reign,
with glee and naive delight,
I wanna dance in the rain.

Reviving my truest self,
by letting my spirits soar,
dripping, sopping and soaked,
I wanna dance in the downpour,

Shedding my coyness,
for minutes and maybe hours,
jumping, playing and singing,
I wanna dance in these showers.

Opposing the popular rhyme,
I am wishing it never stops.
Like no one is watching,
I wanna dance under the raindrops.


It’s raining cats and dogs here every evening…
And for that Chennai,
à®®ிகவுà®®் விà®°ுà®®்புகிà®±ேன் உன்னை.
(Migavum virumbugi"rain" unnai)

Picture Courtesy
When he reached 90, he got a little jittery. A failure would mean nothing, but he was keen on reaching the milestone. One by one, slowly, carefully and with utmost caution he moved until he reached 99.

He had a select few crowd who have always been cheering him and encouraging him with written/unwritten words . At 99, he looked back at all of them with gratitude, for he knows reaching his personal landmark would not be possible without them.

He is still at 99. Did he hit his century?

He did. And you just read that landmark post of his.
Two families gather, a guy and a girl meet, lot of discussions take place and finally everyone disperses. Few more days are spent in horoscopes, taking concurrence from other members of the family and whole lot of other decision-making processes. Finally, the guy says yes and the girl is all the more happy (or at least she seems so).

A day before the guy’s parents are to leave to fix the engagement date, a stranger meets up with the prospective groom (PG) just to tell him, “Sir, am in love with the girl. Please help me”. A little chat with the prospective bride gives no indication to negate the stranger’s words. What can the PG possibly do under such a circumstance?

I can understand that confronting parents might not be an easy task. But, why drag an innocent guy and the family behind him into your story. You are not only putting a blameless guy into lot of emotional stress, but also an entire close knit family under tremendous pressure.

When you meet the guy/girl in private for 5 mins, you need not try to understand the other person completely. The least you can do is at least come out with any grievance you might have against going ahead with the proposal.

P.S. This is a true incident as old as just a week in my friend’s life.
My suggestion to Nayantara
Aerobics in the morning, acting classes in the evening and a proper diet in between, just in case you are keen on not joining the league of Mumtaj or Namita.

My word of appreciation for Surya
Keep it up. You are now one more rare addition to my list of favorite actors.

My request to Harris Jayaraj
It’s difficult to listen to dialogues with both ears closed. So, if you can increase the level of harmony in your BGM and reduce the decibel intensities, I would be lot happier. You don’t need a Goutham Menon to compose good music. So, let us get to hear more such “Oru maalais” and “Sutum vizhis”.

My question to AR Murugadoss
You had a star cast. You had a gripping storyline. You had two super hit songs. You had given the movie necessary hype. You had a riveting first half in the movie. But, why did you have to let me down in the subsequent half?

My thoughts about the story
I did not write it down and I pretty much forgot everything 15 mins after I walked out of the theatre.

My assessment of the movie
There are negatives. But the positives definitely outshine them.

Saving the best for the last…
My admiration for the phenomenon called ASIN













Can’t you figure out? Am mesmerized. Am enthralled. Am bowled over. And so am speechless (or should I say wordless?)
I want to do something nice this weekend.

But am not sure how I would be placed.

And now, going crazy over the thought of a dull Sunday.

True am game for a fun filled mid-week.

Thotti jeya, Mazhai and Gajini. Everything’s unexplored.


Can you guess my program tonight?


Here's a clue.

x word in x line,
arranged in one line,
will lead you to the sign.
** Based on a true story **

He is always used to giving instructions to the Auto wallahs. “Inga left”. “Inga right”. “Inga U-turn”. “Inga stop”. His instructions were always followed diligently. And it ensured he reached his destination.

Today, for a change, he was being given instructions. “Inga left”. Inga right”. “Inga U-turn”. "Inga reverse”. “Inga stop”. He followed the instructions diligently. And it ensured he got his four-wheeler driving license.

P.S. "Inga" in Tamil means "Here"
As soon as I read this couple of days back, I have been way too excited The last time I had such a crush on a heroine was after “Poovey Poo chooda va”. I remember, as a teenager, how shy I was to walk across to Nadhiya for an autograph when I saw her in Anna University.

Incidentally, this time around, the crush is on Nadhiya’s costar ASIN.

I have seen just one movie of hers and I simply fell for the “Aiyoda” girl. For a change, Gajini, Maja, Sivakasi, and Godfather are in my list of must see movies not for the heroes, but for the strikingly beautiful and remarkably vivacious ASIN.

Today, I had my list of questions to ask her on chat. However, knowing that my chances of getting a response were bleak, I changed my plan. I paced across all the blocks to peep into the conference room from where she was chatting. I have never done this to anyone else before. I could realize my teenage timidity making a comeback. I just had a glimpse of her. My day was made.

I came back to my desk humming, “Aiyo Aiyo un kangal aiaiyo, un kangal kanda neyrathil yelaamey aiaioo”.

Picture courtesy : That's telugu
Dear Father,

“If they want to know real freedom, they have got to come to India. I am not arrogant. I am not a proud man. I know the distinction between pride, arrogance, insolence and so on”.
In your words, we see the true spirit of Indian independence that you dreamt of and always strived for. Today, we are liberated, 'only' from the clutches of Englishmen and from the monstrous acts they inflicted upon us.

58 years have passed and we are still grappling in darkness. We are still waiting for the dawn that will see this nation rise from ashes. Englishmen have been ousted, instead self-made moral policemen and narrow-minded ethical lawmakers have mushroomed all across this Republic. “Taking long strides towards future without begetting trouble to fellow mortals”, is what we have heard freedom is all about. But today, we are running back into the past, chased away by hooligans donning the mask of reformers.

Millions from India’s vast population are below poverty line today, the country has serious public health challenge with AIDS, communal riots take our lives into the dangerous lane, rape and discrimination of women are still posing a threat. Should these not be in our radar?

They are forgetting the millions who struggle to make their ends meet. And they focus on select few self-reliant, modern day partygoers. They overlook those who still don’t have that bit of clothing to hide their essentials. And they target the innocent, fashionable students in their comfortable wears. Rapists go unharmed for their act of desperation. And their spotlight is on undisruptive valentines expressing love in its purest form.

Weeds and wild flowers are no more amidst us. Today, they have taken over the entire plantation, throwing their weight around on simple flora and gentle saplings. When this country is seeing rebirth of prehistoric morons with minds so narrow and thoughts so backward, we await your reincarnation to save this country from the dogs and weed out the unfairness shown towards us.

While we wish you Happy Birthday, we wish for your comeback.

Yours sincerely,
Somu

Picture Courtesy

** This is not a poem. So, read on **

Assault on personal life,
Attack on freedom of speech,
Backstabbing on free will to express,
Invasion into privacy,
Onslaught of independence,
Exploitation of someone being oneself.

I have listed down your shameful sins.
Now tell me, what virtue do YOU have
to act the moral police?

How can YOU take an ethical stance,
when gate crashing and trespassing by themselves are unethical.

Do you need to stir a controversy to sell your daily?
Did Tsunami wash away all your creativity?
Tell me how is life there underground?
Can you stoop down any further?


Only one set of people are happy about your grimy act.

The voyeurs feel that you beat them to the top in indecency and profanity.

Know why Chennai never moves ahead?
While the Nokias and BMWs and Hyundais push it forward,
your myopic views and opinionated acts provide the friction.

Do you see the Chennai around you as being dark –
Immoral, dishonorable, and unprincipled ?
You fool ! That's because your head is stuck in an ass,

and your eyes are closed.

Open your eyes to the beautiful Chennai around you,
And the wonderful people scattered all across it’s geography.


If you still want to be in the conventional past,
here's my suggestion.
Take a bite of "Arali vethai" or jump from "Malai Uchi" -
The tamil traditional ways of committing suicide.

Well, I had other dirty things in mind for them, but then I didn't want to bend down to their levels. While this has incensed people who read the article, I cannot imagine how the one's directly involved would feel. They needed to stir this to sell their daily right ? A simple boycott of the daily by you, me and everyone else we know can probably help prove they were grossly mistaken.

Read more about this in blogosphere
Chenthil
Nilu
Kaps
Uma
Visithra

** Special report by our special correspondent **

“Owing to debacles in recent finals, and the controversies that ensued, we have unanimously decided to enter into a totally new venture.”, the Indian captain said during the release of their new music album.

“While I would take the seat of a composer, Ganguly would get into the shoes of the lead singer”, the Indian coach announced at the press meet today.

Naming their album “PEACE, TRUCE and FOOTLOOSE” only seemed symbolic to the fact that the cease-fire between the two was not a forced one.

At the event, while Shewag’s prelude gave the tracks a swashbuckling opening, Bhajji’s spinning-the-discs bowled the maidens over.

The following numbers are expected to top the Indian Chart.

“We’ll quit playing games with our bat,
we should have known from the start”.

“Show us the meaning of being losers.
Is this the feeling ? We seem to want it.”

Let’s hope and wish they churn out good music to all our ears. And let us continue to give all our support to the new team India band, BACK STAB BOYS.

Picture Courtesy : An E-mail forward
Being in support for the last 4 years, I completely empathize with any customer-interfacing executive especially when it comes to dealing with customers on the phone. While everything, be it good or bad, happens at the back end, it is these executives who have to face the brunt of the customers. And the sad part – For no fault of theirs.

While I save all my anger for the guy who is directly involved in delaying my request, I try to be as nice as possible to the one picking up my call. Not just because it is invariably a girl, but for the fact that I know she is not responsible for my problem.

But today, I lost my cool. My call was received with a “HELLO”, something unheard of in the service industry and it’s been almost 25 days and I still haven’t got my Debit / ATM card. What they don’t understand is that I cannot be surviving on begging, borrowing and stealing any longer.

They don’t even realize that such small incidents can make me think twice about my 7 year loyalty towards them. And I am sure they have very little clue about my wanting to talk to someone here, if there is no progress in the next two days.
Today one of my friends celebrates 5 year tenure at work. We had a small bouquet giving ceremony after barging into the conference room. In a way I was reminded of my 5 year completion a year and a half back.

In memory of all my days at work, I wrote a poem summarizing my experience and my growth ever since I started my professional life. The poem, which was forwarded to few close friends, somehow reached the hands of senior management. Surprisingly my CTO responded with a 4 line poem himself and both our works adorned the technology notice board for more than a month.

This was a poem that won me monetary reward for the first time. I still cherish those two 500 Rupee notes given to me by my Vice President. I was happy that someone at that level could appreciate talent outside the purview of work. Quite a long one it is, though I should accept it took me just 15 mins to write and for once, flow of thoughts was never a problem.

5 years, the time seems long,
a reason for me to sing this happy song,
As a trainee, started my life,
now married to work, she’s my wife.

Materials piled, all worth crores,
I started off managing that dingy store.
Looking forward to a bright career,
I kicked off dispatching and sending couriers.

Just when I was looking for a drift,
I turned technical, got into shifts,
Muthu, Madhu,Nag, Raj, Vinu my mentors,
who helped me work in the data center.

Wires, exchanges, UPS and cables,
with all of them I could write fables.
Memories of my time in Velechery,
I still cherish and will indefinitely carry.

Where I was heading I had no hint,
In 2 years I completed my NCG stint.
And one day came an organizational advice,
a change that was pleasant and extremely nice.

Just when it was time to make a mark,
I was moved to this skyscraping Tidel park,
I knew what was gonna be my work,
And that was to provide support to the network.

The one that helped me stand tall,
Was this Cisco thing called Firewall.
Then there was this implementation on PPTP,
That won me accolades, made me happy.

In what I did,I put my soul and heart,
But mistakes I made, they were my work’s part.
The NOC in Sant nagar, I isolated,
I shut Iways in Fort, glad I wasn’t hated.

Another two years just whisked past,
And my tenure in netsup didn’t last.
Then came my way that was more fun,
which was handling and managing tier1.

More now the number of problems,
And customers,too tough to pacify them.
Slowly lost my technical side,
but customers,I took them for a wonderful ride.

Too many things, too less space,
But true, there were more memorable days,
I just wish I could capture them all,
But am getting emotional,sentimental, et al.

5 years, the time seems long,
still married to work, still a happy song.
Feels overwhelming and amazingly great,
To be finally deemed a Penta-Associate.


- Writtten on 1st June, 2004
** Based on a true story **

He does not remember his tricycle days, but he sure knows how he learnt riding the bicycle paying a rent of 50 paise per hour. He practiced thereafter borrowing his neighbors Champ.

Being just a stone’s throw away from school, his primary school days were spent in walking between school and home. When he changed school, he was completely reliant on PTC.

He was excited when his cousin left to the UK for settling down. This was more so because he now had a BSA SLR to use to school. He never learnt to ride a motorcycle as he never owned one.

During college days, he was glad he had his college bus to carry him. He was back to depending on good old PTC when he started working.

Close to seven years have passed since he started his professional life. Time seems to have moved so fast. Waiting for the bus, or bargaining with the auto wallahs, or expecting one of his friends to drop him have been a daily affair.

Today was different. He was a happy man. He realizes days of true mobility are ahead of him. He acknowledges how much his life has changed in each of it's phase.

Today, he was reminded of the past as he, for the first time in his life, claimed ownership to his own vehicle.

In all the excitement he was in, he just managed to mutter, “Here I come Besi beach, here I come ECR, here I come Chennai”. And after a little thought, he added, “Here I come Kerala, here I come Bangalore”
Finally the day has arrived.
Moments of anxiety have ceased to exist.
The need to follow up is no more.
I can stop sounding so angry on the phone.

Just few minutes back I heard the news. But, as they say, seeing is believing, and so I am gonna wait till I see things with my own eyes. Until then (which is more likely to be tomorrow) I am gonna hold on to my excitement.

To be continued…
This is in response to Arathi's tag. It says I have to write a short story in 55 words. So here goes.

He did not expect it from her despite her knowing his aversion towards it. Now that he himself is part of the whole thing, he was a little frustrated. He wanted to take revenge. He wanted it to be similar, sweet and painful. And so he sat down, opened his blog and tagged her back.

P.S. Art, I am deviating from my usual "Based on a true story". So, I hope you understand that this is just a story and not a true story. And does not in anyway indicate I hate tags :o))
We have fallen in love with the same girl.

We popularized a concept called “Dono Act” in School

We went on stage for the teacher’s day function and gave a 45 minute entertainment show. The entire talent program was for only an hour and every other program had to be cancelled.

We have discussed just about “everything under the sky” under the starlit sky in Besi beach.

We have seen close to 150 movies together in the theatre. Satyam complex is where we used to be every Saturday night.

Though both of us never understood the language, saw an entire Telugu movie in the theatre.

We have been there for each other anytime and everytime. And I can go on and on.

His is the longest standing friendship of mine.

Today, he got married. And am so happy for him.

The least I could do for my friend was to gift him something that am “best” (in relation to my other talents and not in relation to other people) at. Here’s what I gave him.

P.S.
My other posts on Best Friend
- My Best Friend
- A Reunion
** Based yet again on a true story **

He always follows a checklist while starting the car.

Switch on the cabin light, insert the key, turn on the car, switch on the headlights and go on his usual practice drives in the night.

He has been instructed to use the rear view mirror as it aids in keeping track of what follows. For some reason he could only see glaring headlights. And when there is no vehicle behind, he only caught a glimpse of darkness.

He peeped out of the window just to confirm if it was dark. The streets were well lit and visibility clear. So, why the heck do we have a rear view mirror, he thought. Is it just for daytime driving?

After about an hour and a half of roaming around, he carefully parks the vehicle in his apartment parking lot. He took one final look at the bright premises through the rear view mirror. Darkness everywhere. And as always, followed the checklist in the reverse order. Switched off the headlights, turned off the car and took out the key.

Something was amiss. The cabin light was on. And so he switched it off. The world around him brightened through the rear view mirror.

And that’s how he learnt why it is important to have the cabin lights off while driving.

P.S. Click here for lesson 1 on driving for beginners
** Based on a true story **

As he was walking through the crisscrossing aisles towards the exit he cast his eyes on her. Standing nearly about 25 feet from him, she was making tiny movements that caught his attention. Its not so often that women end up staying back till 10.00 PM at work which aroused his curiosity.

Under the dim lights, only her silhouette was perceptible, and he had already lost his heart to her long and wavy hair. She was tying her hair into a ponytail and was on her mobile which was conspicuous from her actions.

He managed a smile. The usual before-leaving-home face wash and grooming are going to come in handy for the first time, he thought. “Hi, What’s you up to at this time?”, “Long day eh?”… and many such monologues flashed past his mind. As he approached her taking a detour from his usual path, he was not sure which one of those he would unleash to start a conversation.

He started closing in on her. His heart was racing. And just when he was within earshot distance, he realized the longhaired, pony tailed stud was talking to his girl friend on the mobile.

Our man manages a “Good night dude” and walks off silently like nothing had happened.
My blog life is a secret well protected from the knowledge of my folks at home. Sometimes I write things that most guys would not want anyone from home to be aware of. For example, a picture like this will ensure that I am not allowed inside home for few days. So, just imagine what happens if someone reads about my buying a pack of cigarette, or visiting a night club from here.

I can argue that I am a grown up and I have all the discretion to make my own choices. But definitely, there are few choices that no parent or even siblings would ever encourage.

My desktop at home was recently cleaned of all the virus problems that it was suffering from. And so, my browsing and blogging (or should I say the lack of it) experience migrated from the privacy of my room to the company of everyone else in the drawing room.

Its not lack of interest or dearth of time or absence of ideas or a self-imposed ban. The reason for delayed posts is just this. Am sure it would continue for a while till I find a way out :o)

P.S. My Obsession on wallpapers has still not died. Today was Mary-Kate and Ashley day and am still working on more downloads. Looks like am developing a new crush. Am so confused as to who between the two should I pick.

Instant poems to me are elusive. Time and effort invested in writing a verse is always huge in my case. And so, when I wrote some lines instantaneously, I thought I should thank those posts that prompted me to write.

Broken Promises
In response to Smyta’s THE LOOK

To pamper me with smiles,
was your vow.
To shower me with happiness,
was your pledge.
To overwhelm me with joy,
was your word of honor.
To delight me with bliss,
was your assurance.
To indulge me in ecstasy,
was your oath.

Rescue me, my love,
before the next drop of tear trickles down.

Flowers
In response to Sophie’s SMILING BLOSSOM

They wither in a day.
Droop within 24 hours.
Wilt before it is tomorrow.
Yet they smile,
telling us in unspoken words,
to live life,
like it was our last day.

Vaseegara Weather
In response to Viji’s VASEEGARA WEATHER

Even scorching summers,
threatening thunderstorms,
damaging downpours,
barbaric blizzards,
are signs of pleasant weather,
when am locked in your arms.

Having been used to thanking folks for commenting on my posts, feels a little strange to thank those for making me comment on theirs. LOL !

P.S. Have made minor changes to the original lines.
** Based on a true story **

Taking his brother’s car out all by himself for the first time, he felt a surge of liberty running through him. He wanted to paint the entire Indira Nagar locale red. The time, 2230 hrs, was right for this novice driver as the roads / streets were deserted.

However, struggling to get the car going on the reverse gear, he saw his excitement slowly dampening. It was in his 21st attempt that he could move the car on the first gear. From then on every attempt to change gears stopped the vehicle. Embarrassed and demotivated, he wondered if he was ever capable of driving alone. His earlier practice sessions with his brother were without glitches.

It’s been an hour now, and he had moved only 500 meters away from where he started. Another gear change force stops the car in a shady corner of the road. He wakes his brother up from his sleep. “Anna, can you come over? Looks like am stuck here”. His brother comes to his rescue and teaches him his first major lesson as a driver.

From that moment on, he takes care to release the handbrake before starting the car.
With three of them being bit by leeches, we thought we had invited new inhabitants into our rooms. However, the 3rd day morning had a different story to tell. We had an uninvited guest in my bag. And that’s how the day started.



After breakfast, we started our return journey to Chennai. Being the adjusting types that I am, I volunteered to sit at the rear throughout the trip.



Our first destination while back home was Surli falls. However, halfway through we chanced upon this wonderful waterfalls. I was reminded of Vairamuthu’s lines on the Niagara, “ Your proverb has been proven wrong. Behold! It is smoking without fire”. We did land up at Surli, however decided to return without taking a shower considering crowd and hygiene factors.



En route we came across a grape yard. Stopped by to relish the grapes directly. Some interesting conversations on wine, compost, and Theni district emerged during out short stay at the farm.





Rest of the trip revealed new talent in just about everyone. Viji entertained us with her delivery of dialogues from Thillumullu, Madhu could churn out unknown songs from yesteryears that started with “LA”, Susanth was focused more on keeping the driver alive and kicking, Srivathsan was all the time wanting to change the rules of the game for want of songs, Kannan and I remained the undefeated emperors of Anthakshri.

And finally at about midnight we entered the city and it was almost 01:30 hrs by the time everyone was dropped home. And there ends the story of six friends who went on an Independence day trip to Thekadi.

Ovvoru pookalumey solkirathey
Vaazhvendraal poaraadum poarkalamey
Ovvoru vidiyalumey solkirathey
Iravaanaal paghal ondru vandhidumey
Nambikkai enbathu vaendum num vaazhvil
Latchiyam nichchayam vellum oru naalil
Maname oh maname nee maarividu
Malayoa athu paniyoa nee moadhi vidu

Ullam endrum eppoadhum
Udainthu poaghe koodaathu
Enne indhe vaazhkayendre
Ennam thoandre koodaathu
Endhe manithan nenjukkul
Kaayam illai sollungal
Kaalapoakil kaayamellaam
Marandhu poaghum maayangal

Uli thaangum karkal thaaney
Mun meethu silayaaghum
Vali thaangum ullam thaaney
Nilayaane sugham kaanum
Yaarukillai poaraatam
Kannil enne neeroatam
Oru kanavu kandaal
Athai thinamum endaal
Oru naalil nijamaaghum

Maname oh maname nee maarividu
Malayoa athu paniyoa nee moadhi vidu

Vaazhkai kavithai vaasippoam
Vaanamalavu yoasippoam
Muyarchi endrai ondrai mattum
Moochu poale swaasippoam
Latcham kanavu kannoadu
Latchiyangal nenjoadu
Unnai velle yaarumillai
Uruthiyoadu poaraadu
Manitha un manathai keeri vithai poadu maramaaghum
Avamaanam thaduthaal neeyum ellaame uravaaghum
Thoalviyindri varalaaraa?
Thukkam enne en thoazha?
Oru mudivirunthaal athil thelivirunthaal
Andhe vaanam vasamaaghum

Maname oh maname nee maarividu
Malayoa athu paniyoa nee moadhi vidu