whoosh !

09/01/2004 - 09/30/2004
10/01/2004 - 10/31/2004
11/01/2004 - 11/30/2004
12/01/2004 - 12/31/2004
01/01/2005 - 01/31/2005
02/01/2005 - 02/28/2005
03/01/2005 - 03/31/2005
04/01/2005 - 04/30/2005
05/01/2005 - 05/31/2005
06/01/2005 - 06/30/2005
07/01/2005 - 07/31/2005
08/01/2005 - 08/31/2005
09/01/2005 - 09/30/2005
10/01/2005 - 10/31/2005
11/01/2005 - 11/30/2005
12/01/2005 - 12/31/2005
01/01/2006 - 01/31/2006
02/01/2006 - 02/28/2006
03/01/2006 - 03/31/2006
04/01/2006 - 04/30/2006
05/01/2006 - 05/31/2006
06/01/2006 - 06/30/2006
07/01/2006 - 07/31/2006
08/01/2006 - 08/31/2006

Chinna Chinna Mazhaithuligal !

சிறு பூவினிலே விழுந்தால் ஒரு தேன்துளியாய் வருவாய்
சிறு சிப்புயினில் விழுந்தால் ஒரு முத்தெனவே முதிர்வாய் !
பயிர் வேறினிலே விழுந்்தால் நவதானியமாய் விளைவாய்
என் கண் விழியில் விழுந்ததாலே கவிதையாக மலர்ந்த்தாய் !

- Vairamuthu ! (En Swasa Kaatre - Chinna Chinna Mazhai Thuligal !)

Photo taken during yesterday's inconsistent rain

Though this picture has Jo centered, I find Bhookia's Dominance in this very beautiful site for Sillunu Oru Kadhal (I prefer to call it, Jill Endru Oru Kadhal Kadhai).

If patchi's say that Jo's given lesser importance in the movie, Im boycotting it.

Abaththams

Sorry. It isnt a photo worth anything. But it was just an attempt to shoot pictures, like how the Pro's do. These kind of attempts lead to self-realization. Realize impotency :)

There are some great photos which are shots of moving traffic, and they show just the fast travelling lights. I tried taking the same shot on Mount Road, when the bikes speed-started from the signal. I gave a mild shake and extra exposure. Didnt work much..

Dear Cameramen/women of the world, lend me your suggestions.

Toy Story

Yesterday, Dachchu came out with a Cap. Quite a fascinating one (atleast for me), it had a cap and a sun glass, which can be slided up, if unnecessary. It was cool, and looked good on the kids face (doesnt it ?).

Its refreshing to see the novelty in the toys that Dachchu plays with. Intelligent Cars. Fancy Spiderman Gadgets and many more. The last thing i remember playing with, when I was a kid, was a "Naanai Bommai". And today, my friend tells me there is a Toy Car in Life-Style that costs Rs. 30,000. Holy ****. I wonder if even rich people might buy it.

Dont know if you understand the term Choppu ! We used to bring all the wooden Choppu's from each persons home and assemble at a house and play with the wildest possible imagination. Everything being static toys, that are enamel painted. No battery toys. The greatest skill was to carefully take home back the Choppu's that I took from home. Half the play time was spent in packing and unpacking in that box.

Even my cousin brother's kid days didnt have too much of technology in toys. Just a battery operated toy. Goes forwardf and backward. Thats all. The greatest hype was given to a Remote operated car, which I have seen in most of the houses.. and most of them were broken. A remote car hardly stands a week.

Gone are those days. The new generaion kids have Cellphones of all models. Helicopter toys that really fly. Cars with all possible functions. Cool Sun glasses. Expensive and cool apparels. And oh yeah.. the Foot wear.

Everyone of us wants to be a Kid again.. For many reasons. Be careless.. innocent.. and lots of non-billable hours. :) ... One more reason could be to enjoy the toys of these days. Just too good.

Image of the Week - Yesterday Night at Anna Salai !

Fahrenheit 9/11

People have told me about this movie, and I know it was circling around September 11. But not like this. Oh My ! I'm dumbstruck by the research made in the movie. Adds up to the list of reasons why I like America (now, dont jump out with whats wrong with India.. peace..)

Iam used to corrupt politicians. I am not shocked seeing Bush's being connected to the Binladen's. I wonder if TN politicians and Indian Politicians also might have a connection. Who knows. What Im shocked is to see the movie getting released worldwide without a hinch !

I was an innocent guy, wondering how did the then DMK Government allow Iruvar to get released. Iruvar however was not as punjent as Farenheit 9/11 is, and probably not worth comparing even (in terms of Real Incidents). How could Bush keep silent to such a movie ?

Did Bush react to this movie, at all ?

How does America have so much of freedom of expression ? Why has Indian media taken it the all-wrong way ?

Our Media people are Cowards, who cant dare ask a proper question to some politician. Thay can only talk to Kushbu and make news. The useless Sting operations can be redirected to researches on the Properties of politicians, and find out the inner connnection. Some movies like Fahrenheit 9/11 on Mr. Karunanudhi, Miss Jayalalitha, Mr. Ramadoss can make great stir.

Every single soul in Tamilnadu would rant "Veerappanai arrest panna maattanungada !! Eallarukkum connection irukku !!".... it was almost believed like truth. Not a single media person dared to make a thought on it.

You know whats the top news, the media is all interested in ? Surya Jyothika getting married on September 11 (thats a coincidence). And the media'd say people are interested, thats why we publish.

Damn. Indian Media.. you could do much better than this. Cant you ?

New Pic on Photoblog

Varalakshmi !

Happy Birthday, Mahalakshmi !

Dhaanyam Dhanam Pasum Bahu puthra Laabham Satha samvathsaram - Deergamaayuhu !

Thats the ending of Srisuktham. People those days knew what to ask. (The best request form being the Chamakam). Now, people ask only for mercy ! We need to learn how to pray. We need to learn to ask the right questions.

Be it Google, or be it Mahavishnu.. Ask the right question, and you will get the answer.

Light note : There was a kid, who used to pray every night and request for a bike. He never got a bike. Then he realized God doesnt work that way. So, he stole a bike and asked God for mercy !

T.H.I.N.K

Jillendru - Jillunu - Sillunu

The movie has undergone title changes, and the last one is awkward. Pudalangai Tamil names.. to hell with them. Some tamil activists and hardcore tamil bloggers could explain the funda behind naming movies in Tamil, with all the western culture within.

There was a good satire about this in Pulikesi - where Vadivelu would say, you could do anything in the content, but the name has to be in Tamil. Otherwise my people will insensibly start to fight. Point.

Shoo.. shoo.. wave that out. Infact wave everything out. Tune into Raaga.com and listen to the preview songs from Sillunu Oru Kaadhal. "Munbe Vaa" and "New York Nagaram" are cool songs that we are going to begin to chant on the Anna flyover very soon.

Psss... come here. Give me your ears. Did you see the right hand of Surya ? Doesnt it look very similar to his left ? :) There was a logo on it. Get the point ?

Click Pic for Big

I left my cousin brother walking on the beach, and took this picture

Revamped

I thought this blog was being overloaded with my photos and to predict the future, I guess my photos will need their own space. Hence, I planned to accomodate my photos on the photoshop Blog, and would continue to post photos there.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the All new redesigned Avyukta 2
(Thanks Blogger Templates)

It was a very good exercise Monday morning to change template and struggle.
I begin my mondays by thinking positively. The Worst is yet to come !

Sun Rise

Im sorry for the torture im taking you through, but I couldnt really help bragging about my fast growing photography talents. Appoint someone good to kill me if you want.

Been to Marina, yesterday.. and you know what I did.. dont you ?

After that I tried hitting the sun, inspite of a warning from Sony and my friend Navanee. They both said that the CCD would Damaal if exposed to direct Sun. Infact Navanee's Canon's CCD was completely damaged on exposure to Sun. Luckily the kind Canon people cover the CCD under warranty, and gave him a free replacement. Not knowing if Sony has such a warranty, I tried this picture on Auto mode.



Very disappointed with the quality of the picture, I sat over and turned the knob into Manual Mode. Thats when the fire got ignited. I changed the exposure timings. 1/6th of a sec to 1/1000th of a second. And then it clicked. Or I clicked.



I was so very happy to see the way, this picture came out. After that, the beach, the Sun and my Sony H5 screamed like hell.

So dear GVB, Magic Lens, Kaleidoscope and all the photo gods, Wish me luck ! Im going to take it further.

Announcing a Photoblog ! The Photoshop Blog will serve my photos.

Sondha Padam

Cool video, that I took on my camera today morning at Marina Beach.

More on this - Here.

Camera Classes

Learning photography.

Sony DSC H5 allows a lot of manual intervention, in terms of focus and aperture. But I dont know why and when they should be used. So, am trying to learn them, with the help of my friend. Wikipedia has been very useful to understand terminologies. Feels good to learn Physics. Used to be the first chapters in Sixth Standard. Light !

None of them made sense then, and now they seem to. Most of them asked me the f Number, when I told them I got a new Camera. I was so ignorant, that I knew only the f Word, and not the f Number.

When you realize that you are not aware of something, do you get insecure in a place ? I dont know, you tell me.

I also have a mystic feeling of how people are so brilliant around me. They are new to something and quicker than sooner, they talk hi-end. For every concept or activity, there is a Novice level. Then you progress through various levels to reach Expert level. But, knowing just the techie words and their meanings make people talk like Experts when they are novice. May be they grasp quick. It becomes dangerously shameful to show yourself ignorant. You either talk your way out of the conversation, or do what I do the most. Blink.

Hmm.. forget that. Now,
What is SLR ? What is dSLR ? What is Aperture ? What is Optical Zoom ? What is Focus ?

Learn. Learn. Learn.

Was there at BR Mathsya restaurant for lunch. And Venky and Alamu were there.

Many of us felt it is a mistake. Few of us said this is right !

Whats the mistake ? or Is it right (or left) ?

Yaheeeeey !

Sony Cybershot DSC [Digital Still Camera] - H5 Black

7.2 Million Pixels
12 X Optical Zoom
2 X Digital Zoom
3" LCD / Electronic View Finder
36-432mm Carl - Zeiss Vario Tessar
Super Steadyshot

and more...

Classic Actor - Vadivelu

Had been to Imsai Arasan this saturday. The movie wasnt funny. My friends had already warned me about the sluggish course of the movie. I usually dont take the risk of watching a movie which is reviewed poorly, except for a Kamalhaasan Movie. But this time, the instincts said I've gotta watch this movie. I shouldnt have missed it.

You shoudnt miss it too. Watch it !

The story is plain and simple. The comedy is mediocre. Direction is sloppy. Very lengthy. Irritating songs. And many more.

The Music is very good. I actually started listening to "aasai kanave" frequently after watching the movie. Mind you, the songs are very difficult to be composed like that, and Srikanth Deva has won in his effort. Special Appreciations to him.

And the Hero of the movie - Vadivelu. You guys know that I like Vadivelu next to Kamalhaasan. He is such a potential actor and is capable of acting any role given. Imsai Arasan may be easily overlooked as a movie where Vadivelu performs rib-tickling comedy. Actually, the movie is not a laugh-a-riot movie as most of the online reviews promises, and Vadivelu has not done much comedy. But the acting skill of Vadivelu is overflowing with a professional aroma. Throughout the movie, you will find Vadivelu on the screen, with very difficult dialogues spoken on a high pitch, with varied expressions.

Asathal ! It is impossible for many actors to perform like this.

Mr. Simbhudevan, for your directorial venture, this movie is a peak performance. But remember, you got a great banner to work under. I really admire the satires in the movie. "Akka Mala" and "Gapsi" campaigns.. "Caste War Play Ground".. and many more Nayyandis were very very novel. We need satires like this, and not irritating ones like what Sathyaraj does.

Question : Will the Government dare to give a best Actor award to Vadivelu ? This performance is equivalent to Pithamagan Vikram's. People who fail to see the similarity are blinded by emotions.

Hats off Vadivelu ! You've done a great job, than what you possibly could.

Give him a Benz !

Have you ever Gifted someone something ? Who ? What ? Recollect the events ? Now, these questions are not what interest me. The question i'd like you to answer is How did you choose him that gift ?

To me it has always been a painful task to Gift. You should basically have a heart to Give. I am not sure how much good my heart is. Most of the times, I gift someone out of compulsion. Ideally, when you get an invitation, whether or not you visit the occasion you participate in the Gift Contribution (I dont like this word). It would look close to a punishment.

Also many feel that giving the money collected as it is as a gift would be an Insult. So, people are forced to buy an article for the money collected. This is where the intensity of insanity increases.

There are two types of Gifts - Useful things and Useless Things.

Ethical people tend to buy useful things. Say, a mixer-grinder for a wedding.. a branded formal shirt for a birthday and so on. However, they wouldnt dare to give a Needy Gift. Have you seen the Wallclock Gifts for Grahapravesam. The house wouldnt have that much walls to accomodate one per clock.

There is something these kind of people can do. If they really want their gift to be useful, they could be straigt forward and ask the friend / relative what they want or what might be of great use to them. But there is no charm in it, except that the money is spent properly.

Talking of Useless things, people buy a show case article worth a lot of money. I feel irritated buying them. They are of no use. Yet, they are long remembered. Trust me. Useful things are all perishable. But these Show-piece items keep telling your name. Like a small Venkatachalapathy from Divinity - Gold plated and all that would cost Rs. 900 and more. It would be smaller than the size of a pocket calendar. The Ceramic dolls are now the hot selling gifts. They easily get a "Cho Chweet" comment. Safe choice.

I've seen some people print in their invitations "No Gifts Please". But thats a delicate stand, and it stands very close to an insult. How would you go to a function or celebration with empty hands ?

I think the best solution to this problem is Not to think about it too much. There's always a Landmark Gift voucher.

Telescope Game

May be you've tried this before. If not, you've got to.

Play this first.

Then play this.

Then if you are done with both.. You have to play this.

Let me know how far you can go !!

Sony Cybershot Digital Still Camera - H5/Black

I've almost got this camera. Do you have any comments/ suggestions ?

This one is a 7.2 MP - 12 X Optical - Super Steady Shot - 3" LCD all packed in one camera. Loaded with a 1 GB Duo Pro media, this can take Video for about 1 hour (we could use Optical Zoom when video-recording). More on this when the cam comes on hand.

Untitled Emotions

When Doordarshan has technical problems.. they do a Maru-OLibarappu. We call it REPOST in blogs. Here's a story i attempted, sometime back. Will be back with a post tomorrow. Hopefully, the Blog Block is out, by then.

-------------------------

Mary Elizabeth is crying. She had just come back from the hospital. Her husband is there, in room No. 304. Multiple fracture, day before yesterday. After two days of staying in the hospital, and after Doctors examined the X-Rays after the surgery, she left few of his friends in the hospital, and had come home for packing a few of her dress and make some calls. He will be admitted for 3 more days.

Mary's been married to him for just 8 months. Antony Prakash works for a MNC at a very good position. He must have made very good relationship with his friends. Otherwise 20 people wont turn up on the Accident night, and offer money and blood.

Mary packed a bag. One lungi and a t-shirt, which he might need on the discharge day. Some sarees for her. Some books. She took her cellular phone. It was about to loose charge, and display showed 34 missed calls. She had forgotten to take her cell, when she was rushing to the hospital on hearing the news. Actually, she had forgotten everything.

She was locking the doors. She wont come back for another 3 days. She checked up everything... She felt tired. She's been very much upset, emotionally. She wanted to break free. Thats why she cried. Now, she sat on the sofa, and tried to relieve her mind a bit.

She was staring at the phone. Should she, or should she not. She started dialling a number, which she has not dialled for the past nine months.

"Hello..."

"Hello.. Amma ! naan lalitha paesaren".

"............"

"Hello.. ! hello ! amma !! hello !"

The other end was already cut. She knew this would be the behaviour. Though she was prepared for it, she couldnt control herself. She fell back to crying. She ate a few minutes in that. She then started dialling again. It was a different number this time.

"Hallo !"

"Hello, mama ?"

"Lalli ? epppdimma irukke... Yesunadhar eppadi irukkar..."

Mary felt a little relaxed, now. It was her uncle, the only supporting man on her side of the family.

"mama.. avarukku accident aayiduthhu !"... all the flash cards came on a whiz and showed up in front of her.. her voice broke to crying.

After a few more conversations, she hung up the phone. It is always good to have a listener. Somone who would give you their ears to flush your problems into. Her mind was relaxed.

She went to her room, and took the photo of Ekambareshwarar from under the clothes. Ekambareshwarar was her Ex-family's God. Any problems in the family used to be directly escalated to him, and One Archanai and a Sidharu Thengai will kill the problem forever.

She could only pray now, from inside her bedroom.

--------------------------------

Mary's uncle was then in her parents home. He told them about the accident to Antony Prakash. They were confused, as to how to react. Silence was a better alternative and they chose it. They both have cursed Antony Prakash, for eloping with their daughter. Was this because of their curse.

Mama tried convincing them to go to the hospital, and give him or atleast their daughter a visit.

"Raatchasi.. Ava mugathile naan muzhikkave maatten.. Ava seththalum sari.."

That ignited more words. An avalanche of them, pushed the mama out of the house.

-----------------------------------

Mama was in Room No. 304. After a few words with him, they both came out of the room. Mary whispered...

"Ava varalaya ? "

"varamaattaa... ummela innum kovamathan irukka.. "

--------------------------------------

Mary's mom was in the temple, in Ekambareshwarar Sannidhi.

"Yaar perukku mami, archanai ?" the kurukkal asked.

"Prakash.... Anusha nakshathram".

Ekambareswarar smiled.

---------------------------------------

Dont blog no more !

Indian ISPs block Blogspot sites. Why ? May be blogs spread terror.

Whatever reason.. Wordpress sites are still accessible. Induvidual domains still exist. We can still blog from there. But why would the Govt. think Blogs are harmful. In India, Blogs arent that powerful, as yet.

So, what ? Is this the end of everything ?


BTW, Im here.

Pudhu Pazhakkam

ஒன்னரை மாதமாய் ஒரு புது பழக்கம். சர்க்குலேஷன் லைப்ரரி.

நேற்று.

"என்ன புக் தேடறீங்க ?"

"சாண்டில்யன் - யவன ராணி !"

ஒரு மாதிரி சிரித்தார். அது அவரது இயல்பான சிரிப்பு அல்ல என்று தோன்றியது.

"இப்பொல்லம் யாரு சார் அந்த மாதிரி படிக்கறாங்க ? இதோ ... புரியுதோ புரியலையோ.. இந்த புக்கை எல்லாரும் வாங்கிட்டு போறாங்க..."

அவர் கை காட்டிய இடத்தில் "த டா வின்சி கோட்" இருந்த்தது.

நான் நிறைய புஸ்தகம் படிப்பவனில்லை. இருந்த்தாலும், இதற்குள்ளும் இளையராஜா-ஏ.ஆர்.ரகுமான் சண்டை இருப்பதாகத் தோன்றியது. அவரிடம் ஒரு அசட்டுத்தனமான சிரிப்பை உதிர்த்துவிட்டு அடுத்த ரேக்குக்கு சென்று தேடலைத் தொடர்ந்த்தேன். மறுபடியும் புலம்புவார் என நினைத்தேன்.

"இப்பொல்லாம் சார் ....!" என்று நான் நினைத்தது போலவே ஆரம்பித்து என் பார்வைக்காக Pause விட்டார்.

பார்த்தேன்.

"ஆரம்பிச்ச புதுசுல நிறைய்ய மெம்பர்ஸ்.. ஆன இந்த காலத்தில் யாரும் படிக்கறதே இல்ல. பொழுது போக வசதி இல்லதவங்க மட்டும்தான் லைப்ரரி வராங்க.. வசதி இருக்கரவங்க டிவிடில பொழுதை ஓட்டறாங்க. சில பேர், பெருமைக்காக Landmark போய் புஸ்தகம் வாங்கி ஷோ-கேஸ்ல வெச்சுக்கறாங்க.. ! ஹ்ம்ம்.. என்னமோ.. எல்லாம் மாறிப்போச்சு !"

ஆஹா ! தவறான வேளையில் இவரிடம் மாட்டிக்கொண்டோமே என்று வடிவேலு கணக்காய் மனம் சொன்னது. அவசரமவரசமாய்.. ரிச்சார்ட் பாச் "Running from Safety"யும் பாலகுமாரனின் "அப்பம் வடை தயிர்சாதம்"மும் அகப்பட்டன.

பாலகுமாரனைப் பார்த்து "ரொம்ப ந்ல்ல புக் !" என்றார்.

அடுத்து அவர் ஏதாவது சொல்வதற்கு முன் வெளியேறினேன். வீட்டில் அமர்ந்து யோசித்தேன்.

பல பேர், புஸ்த்தகம் படிப்பதை ஒரு மகோன்னதமான காரியமாக கருதுகிறார்கள். படிப்பவற்கள், படிக்காதவற்கள் அந்த இன்பத்தை இழப்பதாக எண்ணுகிறார்கள். படிப்பவற்களுக்குள்ளே, தி.ஜானகிராமன் ஜாதியினர் ராஜேஷ்குமார் ஜாதியை வெறுக்கின்றனர். "என்னடா ராணிமுத்து மாதிரி படிச்சுண்டிருக்கே ? ரா. கி. ரங்கராஜன் படிச்சிருக்கியோ ? அருமையா இருக்கும்". நான் என்ன ஜாதி என்று யோசித்தேன். போன வாரம் சுஜாதா. அதற்கு முன் ஜான் க்ரிஷாம். அதற்கு முன் அகிலன்.

"போறான் பாருங்க ! படிக்கறானா இல்லையான்னு தெரியலை... ஆனா வாரா வாரம் ரெண்டு புக் எடுத்திட்டு போறான். கொண்டு போய் வெச்சுக்கிட்டு, யார் கிட்டவாவது படம் காமிச்சிட்டு இருப்பான்.. இந்த காலத்து பசங்க எங்கே சார் படிக்கறாங்க !!" என்று என்னைப்பற்றி யாரிடமாவது சொல்லிக்கொண்டுதான் இருப்பார். அவர்.

WorldSpace ad video featuring A.R.Rahman

It used to be Jana Gana Mana beeping always, whenever a Car goes reverse. But now, its been almost replaced by the Airtel tune. Either it is the super-power of Airtel Marketing or it is the magic in the music of the Genius - The Airtel tune is a hilarious hit.

Now, Rahman has become a brand-ambassador for Worldspace. He features its Ad and even more, he has composed a Signature Ad music.

I like what Rahman says in this Ad. Music. There's so much to listen.

Vadivelu kooda solli irukkaar.
"Isai enbadhu - Kaththara Rayilla irukkum.. kuththara kolai kaaran kitteyum irukkum" :)

Veyyil - Mandayai Pilakkuma ?

Veyyil - is Shankar's next production, and thats almost nearing completion. Vasantha Balan is the director. Except for Pasupathy, the pictures look very similar to Balaji Sakthivel's Kadhal. However, I hope the movie is good and successful. If this movie is successful too, we would get a very enthusiastic producer. GV Prakash is the music director. This guy in his childhood sang "Chikku bukku Chikku bukku rayile!" and yesterday sang "Kadhal Yaanai - Remo !" in Anniyan. AR Rahman's vaarisu. Paarkalam.. I mean Kekkalaam.

I've not liked much of Shankar's direction. Romba kozhandhaithanama irukkum. But his productions have some flair.. and maturity. I did not like the movie - Kadhal. And still dont.. But i always wished it to be a hit. We need producers like this guy and Prakash Raj. Prakash Raj did a very good job with Azhagiya Theeye and Kanda Naal Mudhal. Shankar's Imsai Arasan is a very novel effort, and has to be appreciated for trusting Simbhudevan for it.

Shankar has also promised another movie to Balaji Sakthivel, who is currently assisting his boss in making THE BOSS. Adhu enna gadhi aagappogudho !

I have one question hovering.. People who liked Kadhal so much, please answer this question. What was there in that movie ?

Zara Rain me, Zara Train me
Yeh hai Mumbai, mere jaan !

Do you belong to Chennai.. Whats your reaction for this ?

The Death of the Innocence

Does it make any sense to write a post on the internet Condemning the Mumbai Serial Blasts, ? Makes sense or not.. it is important to let out the anger.

Remorseless attitude.. Killing innocent lives for someone's purpose. Seven blasts cannot be overlooked as coincidence. This is a terrorist attack. How brutal is their plan ! Bombs detonated at the peak hour traffic. They want to kill more people. And they have.

There are extremists and there are terrorists. Extremists are the ones that fight for a purpose, and do anything to substantiate their stand. Terrorists are rogues. They dont have a purpose. They are cowards. They kill and fight to show their existance. They dont need anything to be done. They like fear implanted.

It is impossible to have a tight security control on the local trains, but the Railways will be forced to check the bags. Innocent public will have to face this and more. They will now have fear. Fear is a deadly disease. Not that it kills, but it takes off the peace of mind. No Train travellor will have a peace of mind till he gets out of the Killer-machine, which was just a train until yesterday.

What have they achieved by doing this ?

You ASSHOLE, whoever you are, who did this... You will not win.

Metblog Chennai

Chennai Metroblog is screaming at Full Throttle. Im sure you already noticed. If not.. just close this page and go there.

The Blog (as young as five months) has 300 posts already. Great posts at right times from the team. I'm supposed to be on the team, but am not effectively contributing there. (Makes me think, im contributing nowhere... Im in this period of life, where most of the values in life are NULL).

Various flavours of Information and varieties of topics worth discussing..
Looks like Chennai's got one more reason to be proud of.. Bloggers. :)

Two upcoming movies of Jo.

I should get into acting or direction soon, before Surya marries Jo. Somehow.

Any financiers ?

Embarrassment on the fly

On my ride back home, from work, it rained.

I got wet along with the 15 bikes and 30 to 40 people walking on the road. But as I progressed towards home, the rain stopped abruptly as if the valves were closed. As I accelerated heavily so that I can hit home, before the next shower.. the 15 bikes that got wet along with me began to detour. Heck, they were going to their own homes, and I was isolated on a empty road.

Clean road (thanks to the recent election). Trees on either sides of the road (Kilpauk Tank Road). No stopping my Activa that zapped at 75+. Imagine.. you are already wet, and wind against you... heaven is exacltly 2 Kms long.

Signal.

Have you noticed the theory of insane accumulation.. When you are riding on a solitary road with nobody else to share the road, you will be surprised to see so many getting accumulated on a Signal at the end of the road.

It happened. A lot of bikes and cars, came from nowhere and accompanied me on that signal. Invariably, everyone looked at me, and quickly corrected their vision and began to stare.

I was wet, and they were not.

I could understand that.. but could they ? One Old Thatha, removed his spectacle and gazed at me. "whatever happened to this guy ?". I had different expressions to choose, but i wore the ignorant mask and began looking at the Red Signal.

When the color changed to Amber, I got an idea. Why dont i take a U turn, go back to the beginning of the road.. and revisit the heaven !! Another speed run. Another time. Same cool wind. It would be thorough fun.

Green.. !

Nah.. wont be as good as the first time.. I was going home.

Most of us know how to be happy. Only we dont choose to be. Is that to be called Irony ?

Amen !

Aran - quickie

Major Ravi is the guy who appears in Alavandan as Menon ? He direct this movie Aran, casting Jeeva and Mohanlal. The pictures and trailers are promising. Thiru is the Cinematographer (remember Hey Ram).

There is one song, "Poonjolai Kiliye", where Joshua Sridhar stresses his necessity in the field. Sounds like a introduction song for a mega Serial, but very neat. Karthik and Asha have voices like Reynolds 040. Asha Menon has a very bright future in Tamilnadu, if she charges lesser than Sadhana Sargam !

Other songs are simply not worth a mention. Malayala Nedi..

I guess the story should be about a Pleasant Love at the midst of some Army Situation.

Dear Directors, Please think out of the box. There are a lot of youngsters who wont fall in love. They are all fed up with every single movie about a Love story. Think and make different stories. Not Different Love Stories. Different Stories. Please.

Idhu Enna Pudhu Kadhai ?

Marma Yogi is rumoured to be Kamal's next movie before Dasavatharam. Charan's Home Production. Dont know the rest of the Cast and Crew. Will update you, as and when i learn.

Sperm run of Speculation !

How to make a breaking news from a Raw Information ? Here's a first lesson with Illustration.

Mango juice off CM's menu

There is intense speculation as to what kept Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi from attending the meeting organised to thank voters in his constituency, Chepauk, last week.

A glass of cold mango juice was found to be the culprit. He developed mild flu by evening. From now on, there will be no mango juice on his menu till the prolonged summer gets over, it is learnt.

Thanks to Hindu for the news. But this is no way to make news. Lets rephrase.

Karunanidhi Quits Drinking Mango Juice. (You know the long gone Subject Predicate formula !)

Let us go further. Generalize.

The Rising Sun denies Mango. (Udhaya Soorian, Maambazhaththai Niraagarikkiradhu !)

After generalizing, lets get specific.

DMK and PMK friction, rumoured.

Then add the masala flavour, and your Breaking News is ready. Just dont forget to add a question mark before you sell.

DMK - PMK Split ?

If you have this skill, you can start a newspaper by 11:00 AM today. You will be popular over the weekend, and a millionaire by next week. And most of all you will become a political Analyst by month end.

Iam. Already.

Spot the name

My friend got a mail from Renugaparameshwari. Think. How many future kids will get that name ?

Nowadays, names dont go beyond char[10]. Modern, hifi sounding names. You can no more identify the religion of the person from his/her name. (many modern people dont think it is necessary).

Top names i like the most..

Visalaakshi
Ananthapadhmanabhan
Swarnaambal
Vishwanathan / Visuvanathan
Raajam
Seetharaman
Padma* (Top most!)
Amrithavalli
Poonguzhali

I bet the last 10,000 kids that were born in Chennai, would never have had a name similar to these. Atleast 30 to 40 would have been named Aishwarya. Most of the names would end in A. Almost all of them will have a SH sound.

Nothing wrong in naming kids like that.. only we are loosing some good names. But I see 3-Methoxy-1-Propanol kind of names would evolve soon. We are running short of names, and we wouldnt look back at Amirthakatesan.

Why is a track and life closely related ?

Fellow Blogger Gowrishankar's photo is featured on IRFCA's SPOTLIGHT.
Kalaasitteenga Gowri !

Fan of the Match

Did you see the Grand Germany Aaappu ! Today's thaththuvam..

"aaappunnu vechchuttaaa aandavanaala kooda Onniyum Panna mudiyaadhu" - Klose Miroslav (German Team).

Watch Highlights here..

Like i've told you, my interest on sports is very limited, there is something else that caught my attention recently. This.

Enjoy !

Here's Desikan on the lines of Sujatha ! Read it.

Opera - Still developing

Opera 9.0 is cool ! You might wanna try this.
The picture is a screenshot from various Widgets from Opera on the desktop (Out of Browser).

Features include..

• The Usual Tabbed Browsing
• Retrieve Trashed Pages on a click
• Neat Skins
• Customizable Contents (I could kill a lot of bars, and keep the browser clean)
• God Speed (Illusion)
• Widgets

Fun. ?.

Go ahead ! this is wrong.. that is wrong

Sometime back, I certified (Duh !) the Human-species as the ones that dynamically generate complaints that look close to legitimate. I wrote that without an example or illustration. But, ever since I wrote that, I've been witnessing innumerous complaints that look very authentic. Complaints about Kamalhaasan. Complaints about Indian Army. Complaints about eMail senders. Complaints about school teachers (this was by me !).

I was chatting with a friend, who was at peak anger about a social happening... "Avana pudichu Nongu Nongunnu Nonganum !"

I told her "Kamalhaasan baashaila sollanumna, ungalukku Samudhaayak kobham irukku.. illaya !"

She told me.. "aamam.. Kamalhaasanayum pudichu nonganum !"...

Everyone of us have a kind of frustration about many things that are happening around us. Some are irritated by the neighbor who litters.... Some are pissed off by the policies of Condoleeza Rice.. You want to hear the best of complaints ?? Just talk to your friend while reading a newspaper. The All-perfect Mr. Right will being complaining about Esteban Cambiasso of Argentina who was responsible for Germany's win. "PM's decision on Nuke, made me puke !".

Im no different.. and I belong to our gang. The gang who whines at just about any door of opportunity. As i look back at posts of mine, in the last one month I have showed my frustration about Journalists, Topper-kiddos who renounced TV to get good marks and Arjun Singh. Not that I have any reason to complaint, but that I have a lousy blog and a ridiculous assumption that Iam entitled to free-speech.

Makes me think we are developing into a person, who would be very difficult to please.. while the subject isnt trying to please us at all. We assume it is the other person's necessity to please us and not to do things that irritate us. As and when we update our knowledge level, we expect everyone else in the same knowledge level, and criticize the ignorance. We just cant change from here.

Finding fault is an art, only we've got more of such artists. What good is this post ? Finding fault with people who find fault in everything ? Recursive Hypocrisy, huh !!

The Game is on the 5th Gear

My interest on Sports is very limited. You should have guessed it from the picture that I made today morning, to make a post on the MOST-WANTED match of the series. Germany plays Argentina in the First Quarter Finals of the FIFA World Cup 2006. Whoever wins this match has a extra probability of kissing the cup. (What if France was there in the Anti Climax ?)

Im not a great fan of this game. All I know about it is "Few people struggle to reach their Goal.. and few people try and stop them". Sounds like a game of life. :) I havent closely observed any match in the series, but I took a sneak-peak here and there and understood where countries stand in terms of progress towards the Grand-Finale ! I knew this match was coming.

People everywhere are thrilled about this classic football match, with the war of the Titans. I really dont know about both the teams. My friends at work and other friends on Google Talk have been excited, and they cant wait to see this match. Seasonal behaviours, you know.

All of a sudden people talk about "No.. That guy shouldnt have been given a red card... ","2010 South African Fifa will have electronic Refree... ","Crespo Hernan will be on watch today...". While I dont understand most of the techie stuff of the sport, I just enjoy the way the tempo keeps pacing, as the teams progress ahead.

I bet on Argentina ! (an analytical guess..)

Back to TV

After nearly two years, one program has brought me back to television. Vijay TV Grandmaster. Guess you guys are aware of the program. If not, watch it every Monday to Thursday 9.30 PM on Vijay TV.

The show is about the contestant(wrong term) thinking of a famous personality, and the Quizmaster will ask a series of questions to Crack the name in his/her mind. We have done it in schools.. But this one is interesting, as we keep guessing along with the Quiz master.

Konal Vaai Gayathri Jeyaram hosts the show(Too many people on stage, other than the contestant). I dont understand why Gayathri is necessary on the show. I googled and found about the Malayalam speaking guy on the show, who makes the program very very interesting. Pradeep is his name. He anchors a "reverse Quiz" show, which means he asks questions to find out the answers. The name of the original show is Ashwamedham (Kairali TV).

Lazygeek had mentioned about Vijay TV slowly tasting the TRP. But these are just baby steps. They should take Giant leaps like Sun TV. Most of the shows on Vijay TV wraps around the interest of the elite public. More English nedi and a very posh culture. TRP wont buy that.

The bike is zipping 80 KMPH
Beautiful breeze
The wind arouses your hair...
The road is clean without traffic
The weather is so very cool
when Soft rain drops fall on your face

I dont know what feeling it causes to you..
But I will have an itch on my face.

There are many reasons why there is a subtle price difference on a same product in India and USA. But they wouldnt make so much sense, if the difference is so much.

I have only displayed a proper comparison. We could buy 1GB Hi-Speed Duo Pro in some store in the US for $69.99 (Roughly less than Rs. 3500).. and a normal 1GB is costing 32,000 in India. Damn.

All I ask is the chance to prove that money can't make me happy.

VOID

Making friendship, these days is quite easy. Just chat with a person a few more times, and you become pals. But something somewhere is Volatile. What ?

Yahoo Messenger with Voice
------------------------------------------
Raghu : why dont we meet ?
Madhavan : sure.. its better we meet before i get cancer.
Raghu : What if you were a girl ? under a fake name.. what if you were building the entire six month chats for a meeting.. and head it up for something dangerous.. ? You know about my family details.. you know about my richness..
Madhavan : How many times do i have to tell you
Madhavan : Break lines.. and dont type a big sentence.
Madhavan : hold on.. let me read what you typed..
Raghu : leave the reply.. ill grab a coffee.. BRB.
Madhavan : yeah.. Dont get stuck up in that lift on your way back :)
Raghu : LOL

Madhavan and Raghu are AR Rahman fans.. and both of them like Naveen, the lead Flute player with Rahman. They got out of the common forum, where they virtually-met (or clicked each other) and began slow private chats. Eventually they became great pals. Both belonged to Chennai. They havent met each other, but seen each other's homes on Google Earth. They now know each other's details including CTCs.

Raghu : Back...
Raghu : So, What is your real name ? Madhavi ?
Madhavan : Dhoda !! no girl at my position would want a future manager. Girls hate to wait..
Raghu : Hmm.. right.. So when ? Where ? You decide.. Im not working this weekend..
Madhavan : But you are going to that boring birthday party on saturday, arent you ?
Raghu : oh yeah.. Sunday, then.
Madhavan : Baldy is calling me for a meeting.. will be back and tell you where..
Raghu : sure.. say my hi to Mr. Bald
Madhavan : hey... wait.. who's gonna pay ?
Raghu : :D... you are the rich guy ?
Madhavan : Lets call it off.. dont talk to me again !! ever...
Raghu : hmm... Dutch ?
Madhavan : sounds better .. :) BRB

Both were excited about the meeting. They have been chatting like thick pals for the past six months.. and they should have one helluva party, once they meet. Sunday it is.

Raghu had come to the restaurant 15 minutes in advance. He reserved a table and ordered a Pepsi. To Raghu, this meeting was seeming artificial from yesterday night. Madhavan was just coming in. He was all excited about this meeting. He saw Raghu waving hands from the corner table. Yeah.. Raghu.. at last.

"Heeeyy !"...
"Hai..." smiles.. smiles.
"You started already ?" .. Madhavan was pointing at Raghu's Pepsi.
"No.. i came a little early.. adhaan. Quenching my thirst.."
Raghu gave some time for Madhavan to settle down.. place his helmet.. and drink a glass of water.

"So...", Madhavan asked.
Raghu knew this was coming. What are we going to talk about ?

"Lets order first.. these guys take time in preparing stuffs.."
"Sure.. im damn hungry.. Ill order a ....mmm"
They went on and ordered somethings..

"Hmm.. approm.. vera enna visheshangal ?", Madhavan asked.
Raghu smiled.. "Nothing much.. same old things".
"How is mom, anu and hows the Veerabadhrar.. ?" Madhavan knew in detail about Raghu.
"They are all fine.. did i tell you about Veeru's new mannerism ?"...
"ha ha !! yeah.. you did.."
"How is your Neha ?"
"Hmm... dont ask me that.. you know why !!"
Raghu choked.. "alright..."

Food was served. It was quicker than expected.

"Wow.. tastes good. Superaa irukkuda"
"I know.. i love this place.."

They ate in silence. Raghu and Madhavan both didnt understand the silence.

"There is a new Google Spreadsheet application. you should try it.. will be very handy for project managers"
"Oh ! Really ? I havent tried... How do i ..."
"Ill send you an email about it.. sure.. its a good application"
-------------------------------------------------------------
"It is a new rumour.. very funny.. you should read it.. i will forward you tonight..."
-------------------------------------------------------------
"You know how to contact the guy who repaired your laptop.. Mine is giving trouble..."
"Ennachu ?"
"The DC power drains out faster... i even changed the battery. need to check.."
"Ill send him an email copying you.. he will get in touch with you.."
-------------------------------------------------------------
Raghu took photos of the lunch on his cell..
"Hey.. did you know.. people are getting arrested using Camera Phones on public.."
"Yeah.. read that one.. i think its a good move by the city police..."
"Send me these pictures.. You have Bluetooth on that ?"
"No.. Ill send it on a mail.."
"Ok.. send it to my office ID"
--------------------------------------------------------------

A lot of conversations in bits and pieces. Most of them ended in anyone of them promising to send emails. They were living more on mails than vocal cords.

They were waiting for the bill..
"So..."
"Nothing much.. come home one day..."
"Sure.. neeyum vaada..."

In the parking lot....
"Fine.. then... ok... will Buzz you monday morning.."
"Sure.. dont forget those emails.."
"You too..."

Raghu on his way back, thought about the entire course. Madhavan came from nowhere. He isnt my friend, but we began talking like great pals.. we met for no reason... and whats the point ?


Yahoo Messenger with Voice
------------------------------------------
Madhavan : You there pal ?
Raghu : Yep.... saw the pics...
Madhavan : Cool.... thanks for choosing that place.. it was fun meeting you..

Raghu smiled... he thought over for a long time. He then typed back

Raghu : Of course, it was fun... we should keep meeting.. :)

The Future of Avyukta

After being the best blog in the Indian Blogosphere, and rated the most valued Blogger by Google Blog Digest, Avyukta goes further to expand its popularity.

Avyukta Steel Corporation will be inagurated in Chennai by Honble. PM and the Union Minister for Industrial Development and the Tele-Communications Minister. Actually I did not invite the Tele-Communication minister.. But he said that it was his usual Habit to join any inaguration ceremony in Chennai. "How do you think I got this free hair-cut", he smiled :)

Few years down the line, Avyukta Inc will invest and buy out Jet Airways. Iam offended by the way Jet Airways made business. They had miserably failed to take over Air Sahara. I will, after buying Jet Airways, acquire Air Sahara and Kingfisher. This will give birth to Air Avyukta. As the name "Avyukta" means Crystal Clear, there will be some special flights that will be Crystal Clear - Transparent body. People can look down from 35,000 feet, and the Pilots get a clear Visiblity of the runway, while landing. I, as the CEO, will decide the everyday menu.

Avyukta's interest always lies on Softwares. So, a small Software company with 70,000 employees will begin in Srirangam. Srirangam will be called the Software Head Quarters of India. Our Clients will include high-priority customers such as Sriranganathar. Our Shares will do well in the market, and all our employees will get a proper ESOP unlike Infosys. We dont have plans of moving the company elsewhere or opening another office in Chennai. However, Avyukta Softwares, Mountain View, VA will be the Head 0ffice. I will be there alone. I like privacy. If you have more experience in softwares, just send me your resume. I have more influence in my company.. I can arrange an interview :)

After getting bored with all the Industry, Airways and Softwares... Avyukta will think about something else. It will start a Movie Production company. "Avyukta Talkies". So many hit movies that run as much as 250 days.. including Rajinikanth's "Govinda Govinda" and Kamalhasan's "Ada Raama !". We are planning to produce Vijay in "Seerkazhi".. we chose this name because he has by then completed all the town-names in that route. Vijay is a School Peon.. and he is against all the Rowdy teachers. He becomes the Hero among the Ist standard students. The Rowdy teachers get angry and in the name of revenge, they take special classes to the Ist Standard students. How Vijay will fight the Gundas, and save the children is the story. Oh ! I forgot to mention, we have Bipasha Basu as the School Aaya! Needless to say "Avyukta Talkies" will have a big land mass in Vadapalni.. (we have taken over AVM).

Did I tell you about the non-profitable charity body called "Avyukta Trust".. No kidding here.. its my dream.. it is just another Old age home. Thats all.

For best results, you can Invest on Avyukta Mutual Funds.

"Avyukta Pharma" was begun to make research on how to get rid of my pimples. We have invented a Soap called "Rexolux". We have acquired Rexona and Lux... we mixed the Rexona and Lux soap, and tried it on. All pimples were gone. A small burning sensation on the skin, for six months. Thats all you will face. Try it once and you will never have pimples again.

"Avyukta Music", "Avyukta Luxury Club", "Avyukta eGovernance" and so on....

God Damn it... I have to get www.avyukta.net first. Adhukke vazhi illa...
But sure, when Avyukta.net is bought, I will make sure I make some revenue out of it, and start the Steel Company.

End with Style

Few of AR Rahman's Music ends with some more bonus music. Three samples for you.
Ensai.



This is from Pudhiya Mugham... Veenai being my favourite instrument, I love the usage here.. (However the best Veenai appearance on Rahman's music was in "Kadhalikkum Pennin" from Kadhalan)



This is from Love Birds - Unni Menon's best.



This is the Violin Duo - Ganesh Kumaresh for Parthale Paravasam. Aaaha..

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.

True.

Imsai Arasan - Bets ?

வாளும் வேலும் என் இரு கண்கள்..
போர்க்களம் என்பது இந்த புலிகேசியின் பொழுதுபோக்கு !
உறைந்த ரத்தம், நான் உறிஞ்சும் வாசம்
உருண்டோடும் தலைகள் , நான் எத்தி விளையாடும் பந்துகள்.
--------------------------------------------------------------
New trailer of Imsai Arasan on Indiaglitz....

Vadivelu's tamil (except the Zha - La part ) is cute. I always like his voice, especially when he sings some Old MGR songs..

BTW, after watching the trailer, which had very minimal comedy in it, Im doubting that the expectation cloud around this movie will be pricked by disappointment after release. Just as it happens to any other movie.

Expectation is always shipped with Disappointment. (Gawd ! Im a philosopher)

Many movies which claim to be comedy movies, dont have comedy beyond whats there on the trailers. When directors take strenous care for a comedy movie, there are a lot of chances for a Spectacular Sodhappal. I wish Imsai Arasan is good.

Just a wierd question ! What if Imsai Arasan is a huge hit, than Rajini's Sivaji ! How will Shankar feel ?

Kadhayalla - Vidhai !

New Service - Wetpaint - So, New page - http://avyukta.wetpaint.com

Frankly, I did not have a utility for such a service. Wetpaint offers us a sub-domain with space and allows us create multiple pages within it. Its got some good templates and all that.

But the best feature (or just a feature) is that it allows anyone to edit the page and save it. Wikipedia like, you know. But I didnt have anything worth discussing like that. So, after creating a Username and password there, I was thinking of a utility. And ended up with this idea - Open-story Board. Something similar to Open Source codes :)

I have staged one story called "Void" there. It has begun and it needs to progress and end. Why dont you try continuing the story, or even go up to ending it.

Edit the page, Write One line and change the course of the story. Give turning points. Suspenses. Or drive it in any direction your imagination flies. Just drive.

Let us see how collective thoughts collaborate to write a story. I was told that this idea would stink and will vanish in air. I would have to agree after tomorrow.

Try it.

This is Keerthivasan reporting for Avyukta

There are these elders who feel that the movie songs of these dont even match the olden day's quality. Ask them this question, "Do you think movies have spoiled the society ?". They would not only say a yes, but will also take strenuous care to explain you, why they think so. I dont think they are right, atleast they are wrong partially.

Human beings are cool beings that come with self-destructive programs. They dont need an external appliance to spoil themselves. Suicidal. But apart from the Human Beings and movie makers, there is a supreme genere of species called "Journalists" who have been instrumental in cooking the minds of the listening public. I feel the Journalists are the most influencing people. They are entitled to throw Logical questions at anybody. They have the potential to change Governments. They have the magic spell that quickly brings an issue into limelight. They also have a formula called "Public Ignorance" by which they can rollback the issue from the Limelight. They can juggle around with issues which cost life and more.. and make stunts in the name of "Sting Operations" which rarely fascinate me.

The problem is, they make us choose their taste. If parliament is fun for them, they make it funny for us. If Rahul Mahajan is consuming Herbal products (!) and if the news interests NDTV or CNN IBN, we have nothing else to watch. We have to watch Rahul Mahajan walking and crawling in and out of the court room. When they get bored of it, they will remove it from our screens and show Al-Zarqawi. I was pissed off when Al-Zarqawi was dead and CNN IBN was showing the Iraqi President conversing in Iraqi for more than 15 minutes, without even a translation. WTF ? It might be an important news, but what sense does it make to the Indian Public listening to an alien language ?

Journalism is highly acclaimed all over the world and is considered the most powerful form of media. It is paired with the belief of the public. It only looks like they are taking advantage of the belief.

Journalists are the only medium through which we can watch the Parliament. Is there another way ? No. You can know what your MP or MLA is doing only through a Journalist making a document of it, or asking effective-questions about it. I get irritated everytime when someone asks questions to Mr. Karunanidhi, and when they get a irrelevant answer, they dont rephrase. There are people like Karan Thapar who would rephrase questions on the fly to make a program interesting. I dont wish every journalists to be Karan Thapar, but atleast they can show some resistance to BULLSHIT answers. No.. we dont get the resistance. Instead they make fun of the Politicians who give irrelevant answers. Makes us ask a question.. "Why didnt you tell him, its an irrelevant answer and wait for a proper one ?".. Dont tell me they worry about Autos coming to their homes. Gone are the days.

People read newspapers and are unable to keep a thorough follow-up of things because of fluctuating focus. A breaking-news is seen in the First-column, then moves to the firstpage bottom.. then moves to the third page and then eventually forgotten. Keeps the people ignorant of whats happening about what was interesting them for a while.

Everyone in Tamilnadu forgot about Jayendrar's case. Forgot whats happened to Jayalalitha's corruption cases. Is Karunanidhi still on Bail on the charge that he was arrested few years back ? Where are the follow up of those cases ? If there were any, its not my mistake to miss the small box news on the news paper.

I hold high respect for a Journalists and please do not even think for a moment they are doing junk-business.

What I wish to emphasize is, change the assumptions of presenting a news. Do not decide which news is important. Please ask sensible and important questions to my MLAs and MPs. And emphasize on the questions. Get answers. I would like to take an Archive of all the questions from the Journalists asked to DMK and ADMK on the election eve. Very good questions and stupid answers. Why did you take them for an answer ? Why did you publish just the answer without a statement that the Respondent did not completely answer the question ?

Do we not have the right to question the media that we subscribe ?

You know whats spoilt the society ? Unconcern. And you know who's responsible.

A Childs Perspective

Nanganallur. My cousin's daughter.

"கோயிலுக்கு போனியா ? எந்த கோயிலுக்கு போனே ?"

"ந்ம்மள பாத்து ஒரு சாமி கும்ப்பிடுமே... அந்த கோயிலுக்கு !!"

Picasa Web Album

May be because Flickr was taken by Yahoo !, Google wanted a similar tool under its regime. It already had Picasa and Hello, and now it is making Picasa almost equivalent to Flickr.

The New Picasa feature called "Picasa Web Album" lets you have your pictures posted on a Web Album which has a free 250 MB space. The interface and other settings are very primitive and does not have the touch of Google. They will need to work on adding more features and provide a healthy interface.

It has the usual Slideshow and Zoom features, but when compared to Flickr the options are very minimal. Should have been my mistak to have installed the new feature with Flickr in mind.

By the way, the picture you see on my Picasa Web is the most beautiful face i saw in the last 12 days. Eric Bana's daughter in Munich. Cute. So very cute.

Only You Possible ! (Vadivelu style)

Click pic for big

For those who didnt get the kick of the picture, it is Mission Impossible 3 still, with Vettaiyadu Vilaiyadu Kamalhaasan jumping over. Yet another Avyukta Photoshop work.. :) My favourite work, actually..

Mission Impossible 3 belongs to the type of movies that deserve to be watched with Screaming Speakers.. and you need a screaming audience to get on the mood. I feel the audience part is getting more elite, and they dont react for the screen... talk about getting numb, in the name of being well-Cultured.

The movie is fully action packed, yet not as impressive as Part II was. John WOO touch was missing in it, and i learn that Tom Cruise himself did most of the stunts. The techie part was stunning, and dream gadgets were on a free flow. Very similar gadgets that appear on a Vijayakanth movie, and infact very similar scenes resembling a Vijayakanth flick. Close to Narasimha, you would say. But hey, Vijayakanth is Vijayakanth and Tom Cruise is Tom Cruise.

Whatever guys, spend money.. forget Logic.. dont ask questions.. Worship Cruise and YOU WILL ENJOY THIS MOVIE.

Nothing Like Minima !

I tried all the possible templates for Blog-Avyukta, with Black backgrounds. Nothing suited as well as the base minima. So, settled back with the Usual Template.

It is sometimes scary to accept change. However, I need to replace the Horizontal Ruler on the top with a soothing mild "Izhai Kolam !"... somone have one ? Please send across.

One song @ Rs. 12

www.Raaga.com

I've seen many people at work wearing their ear-phones and playing random Music from Raaga.com. I dont like the idea of ear-phones, because (a.) of the itch it causes after sometime, and (b.) I feel the whole body should listen to the music. Not just the ears. If you want explanations, please visit my home-avyukta (he he !! See the picture) with Creative 5.1 :). Also I dont like Raaga.com because of the real media audio format. It is of inferior quality and it shows up clearly on my Creative Soundblaster. So, I always prefer MP3 or a Audio CD.

But since last week, Raaga.com has started of with a service called Digital Downloads. "Indhiya Web-site galil Mudhal Murayaaga" types. It provides Legal MP3 downloads. Thats a move well appreciated. This could possibly bring down piracy to some extent.

For those who get confused with the term "Legal MP3", and those who feel that having MP3 in Hard Disk or CD is fine, News to you - " Possessing an MP3 is NOT LEGAL " .

When is it Legal ?

a. When you own the Original Audio Diskette of the same MP3
b. You represent the Audio Band or the Company
c. When you have the MP3 the Audio Company has officially released

"It's a civil offense, punishable, if you distribute music that you don't own the rights to." - Wiki says so. So, just because you pay for a MP3 disc, it will not be a Legal Copy. It has to be officially sold by the company itself. Only then it becomes legal.

Alrighty then. Where do you get Legal MP3s for Tamil ? Raaga is the only answer as of now. Raaga has tied up with some Audio companies and continues its measure to bring moer Albums under Digital Downloads. The pricing as of now is Rs. 12 for one MP3 song. So, for One movie you could spend somewhere between Rs. 60 to Rs. 90.

Thats roughly the price of the Audio Disc itself. Mind you, and Audio Disc has more quality sound then a MP3. Of course, you guys know MP3 is a Lossy Compression technique, where some quality of the sound is sucked out of the file. The quality loss depends on the compression rate. What Raaga promises are MP3 files with 192K to 320K Compression rate, which is high quality MP3 (Higher the quality, higher the file size).

I dont have the first "Yogyadhai" to talk about piracy and stuffs, and nor Am I advicing you to take this feature from Raaga. This is just a FYI and will become a "FYI & A" if the prices come down. Say, Rs. 30 for one film. That should be fine, i guess.

de-dust !

At times, when I assume responsibility to sweep the floors of my hosue, I will feel satisfied with the work only if I see dust and dirt getting accumulated. "Veettai perukkina kuppai varanum, appo dhaan seyyara velaikku palan kidaicha madhiri irukkum".

Likewise, I cleaned up Avyukta (The computer) yesterday and boy, how happy I was cleaning it. Every Indian Computer, no matter where you keep it, will accumulate a minimum of 50 gms of Dust. The pleasure of cleaning is when you scrub the soft cloth on the mother board, and the shining suface reappears.

In the lines of Murphy's laws, i think "Dust accumulates more in a place not even your thin paintbrush can reach" (Or The amount of Dust is inversely proportional to the reach). There was a colony (actually a civilization) of dust in between the Sound-card and the Internal Modem. I didnt want to remove them separately and clean it.

Guys, clean your computer at regular intervals. It doesnt do any good to the speed or performance. Just feels good to be clean. Thats all.

Dare to Read this !!

Peeyaayuzhalunjirumaname !! PeNaayensol !

- Bharathiyar !

The Hits Just Keep On Coming !

Click for Big.. Trust me, you wanna do this.

New Google Spreadsheet allows Concurrent users to Edit and Save data.
How many small Applications could this replace ?
You could also chat with the person who is currently editing the sheet. N.E.A.T

Varnashrama Dharma - Part II

Forget Mandal II for the time-being. Let us play some modern algebra stuff. Some Imaginary stuff.. that will create no harm to emotions. Simple thoughts. Thats all.

For long, I have heard that the educated society hates the word Caste. Iam a little educated, but I think otherwise. Caste isnt a awkward word, if understood. Caste means "A social class separated from others by distinctions of hereditary rank, profession, or wealth."

Now mark my following words. This is blunt truth.

People categorized under various sections tend to group under a single roof. Once into a single roof, they tend to form groups and categorize themselves back again. People will want to abolish caste, and once when done, they will most certainly form something similar and start discriminating.

Varnashrama Dharma is not of much clarity to me. But as far as I understand, it was a device that cut the people cake into different flavours. "Based on the occupation of people" - isnt it ? I've heard and learnt that Varnashrama Dharma classified and unified people of similar profession into different Castes.

Let us assume that it is meaningless to have such a system, when people of that caste arent doing the same profession. Everyone is everywhere.

Let us now device a Varnashrama Dharma, based on the profession of people and then implement a Reservation on that. Reservation will work damn good then. I suggest Varnashrama Dharma II happens before Mandal II.

Agree ?

What are the castes that come into mind.. ? "Manager" caste. "Auto Rickshaw Driver" caste.

Give your imagination in the comments. Just dont give too much of emotion..

Advertise and Amuse

Click for full-size.

For long, I used to check Creative Criminal for Advertisements, and it wouldnt have too much of frequent updates. Then I began hunting on my own.. too many ad-blogs. And this was an ultimate source with a very helpful Blogroll.

The world of Print Ads is what amuses me much better than Video ads. Like the one shown.. Most of the Buddhisaali Ads dont feature the product at all. It is sometimes good to be taken advantage of.. isnt it !!

TV and Education

Whats the funda behind this ?

Lots of Free-advices today on Dinamalar on how to score good marks. The top-scorers are on a free flow. "Dont watch TV. Slog for late night group studies". And all the things a typical Padipps will say.

Question : Why is the media crazy ? I'd want them to ask sensible questions to the politicians rather.

Coming back to the TV point. It is a bullshit statement that "Watching TV can bring down your marks". That means you are doing that memorizing stuff... Thats not the education you aspire. To me I dont find any difference reading a "Operational Research" and "The Hindu". (May be thats why I didnt get the marks ;) Both are informational sources. You read the data and learn. Once learnt, why should you re-read the Hindu ? Why should you stop watching TV, stop playing Sports ?

Children should be taught to learn, and not memorize. Teachers hide under a "Exam-point-of-view" phrase. And children mug it up and reproduce. Whats the whole point ?

TV is crap. Very true. I quit Watching TV because I have other ways of spending time. But quitting TV would certainly not have given me good marks.

I was a average kid at school, and that was the exact result I got in the final exams. Still I underwent all the "No-TV, No-Games, No-story books" protocol. That was just for the satisfaction of the people. I'd have got the same results if I were watching TV and doing all that.

Im sure even next year, and the years to come.. there will be some girl and boy suggesting Not to watch TV to get good marks. What an Artificial society.

BTW, Congratulations to all the Top-scorers and Good luck to the non-scorers.

Go watch TV.. You have been missing something called "Life".

Tharkurippetra Ani ! (Let me know if you dont undertand the title)

"Thavasuprrabhathamaravindhalochane !" - I said.

"aaaaa aaaa aaa aaa oouuuoooo" - Teja said.

"adi chellame !! very good.. very good.. Bhavathu prasanna..."

"aaaa oooouu.... inga !! aaaaa"

Teja's vocabulary is getting better, day by day.

After nearly 15 minutes of continous struggle to make Teja sleep, I had slept away. But Teja was still awake and staring at her uncle, who was making some non-sense gestures and all of a sudden gone asleep.

"aaauu aaaaooooau" - she said..

Should have been "Good night Mama... !"

Yaano Arasan ? Yaane Kalvan !

Pic ctsy - Dinamalar

Kannagi Statue was removed by Jayalalitha. Good or Bad, Iam not sure. It wasn't something i worried about.

But the now CM, Mr. MK is in full swing to put it back where it was.

KARPUKKARASI KANNAGI SILAYAI KALAINGAR KARUNANIDHI THIRANDHU VAIKKIRAAR (doesnt that ring a bell ? some Oxymoron stuff here).

And Sivaji is also promised with a Statue on the beach road. Thats good news for the crows and Pigeons, and who else ?

Nalappani thittangal thodarattum !

BTW, 1 KG rice for Rs. 2. This scheme is also being launched today in Teynampet (This one is the real scheme... the bread winning scheme for DMK).

How to become a philosopher in 30 days ?

There are certain things I wish to forget in my life, such as....

Ummm...

well, err..... hmm....

like.. .. ummm.....

Whatever !

Post No. 600

- Kamalhaasan, Barathiyar and Keerthivasan :)

Dilbert and India

It is hard to be a victim.. for the past few days, Dilbert has been framing Asok and India. Now i can understand how hard it will be for Sardars to read the Sardarji's Jokes.

Pokkisham - Treasure

What a top-class picture !! kallaaas !

Madras Talkies site is up and running, and its a lot interesting then earlier. Catch them all.

Dielemma ! Dielemma ! Diele Diele Dielemma !

Having in mind the previous post, read the following story. Takes time.

The taxi stopped in the same old clumsy street of Dharavi. Im not a rich guy.. only because my company pays my travel Im on this taxi. I usually keep my car windows closed for the fear of those eunuchs who will "Raasa ! Raasa " and get money. That somehow keeps me embarassed. So, i dont even mind the suffocation inside..

Todays got unusual traffic jam. I mean, just this place.. usually its a free ride here. But not today.

I was sitting cursing the Sun and the traffic. I concentrated a little outside.. This city Mumbai is a little different. The poverty is very obvious here. Both the sides of the road, you will find people on platforms taking bath, eating food, washing clothes and the rest of the things. They are clearly homeless. There are others who have built two story huts. They are capable of living with their so called income in Mumbai. Chennai has poverty, but not this visible. We've gotr sky-scraper huts here in Mumbai.

I was thinking all this, as if I was the Financial Minister who wants to reform all this on a single signature. Thats when I noticed that lady in Red saree watching me for a long time. She should have been watching me ever since the Taxi halted. She had a kid standing close to her. Should be her daughter. Or Son ? I couldnt make out. Should be a son. He was wearing a dirty trouser. His face was showing that he hasnt had good food.. since days. I always feel bad about hungry people. In Iruvar, Karunanidhi will say "Rich people should not come to politics.. Caste system should abolish.. There should be no brutality" and so on.. but MGR will tell him "No one should be Hungry.. there should not be a situation that a family suffers from hunger..".. I liked that scene for that dialogue from MGR. Im probably forcing myself to feel bad about this.. but im usually not a guy who is so kind and donate a lot to charity.. just that now i have time for that.

Now this short guy looked like coming towards me.. I closely watched him. He wasnt coming himself. He was being pushed. By her.

I wasnt sure why.. but i think it was going to be for begging.. what else could be it.. My hand involunteerly made sure the Window lever was fully turned.. and quickly pretended like sleeping. I made sure the transition wasnt deliberat.. but why am i reacting like this.. I can simply say no ! but i hate to do that. I wish no one comes up to me, begging for money.

I slowly watched out of my closed eyes. The boy hadnt progressed. He was reluctant. He has not done this before and looked like he feels bad, as him mom was compelling him to do so. This is cruel, i thought. Forcing a kid to beg.. attrocious. He ran back.. but was caught by his hair. The child should have shouted.. couldnt hear any sound from behind the windows. She slapped him twice.. he broke into tears.. She then pushed towards me.. now the kid came walking fater towards me. My pretention was already over when the kid was beaten.

I wished the traffic cleared and the taxi started. But it did not..

Knock knock..

I was already looking at him. I was staring actually. He made some gestures.. he wanted money.. he was showing his stomach. Boy.. he was hungry. There wasnt a lie in his gesture. Poor fellow. I had already decided to give some money. Only how much was the dielemma. Sometimes i have wanted to be very generous. (Dont be dismayed, its a matter of 2 digit cash.. thats all). I had planned as of now for Rs. 10..

But there was also a parallel thought. This guy will start begging from now. All the more if he was successful on his first attempt he will choose the same gesture.. the bread winning gesture. He will not attempt to get money in a proper way. I dont reccomend education. But not begging. However he is going to be begging.. but why should i inaugurate.

Not listening to my mind... i opened the window.. "sikkudhunna.. anna anna! rendu naala saapidalanna.. pasikkudhunna.." Tamil.. yes. Dharavi is mostly the residence of the Tamil people.. most of them very poor.

Only two things.. I dont give him any money.. that will disappoint him and chances are that he wont beg anymore.. Or I give him money and dont think too much.. I helped him to eat once.. why do i care if he begs further or not. Im least bothered.. i just would get a great feeling about the donation..

Ok i have decided to give the money to the crying kid. The woman who had sent her.. she could not even be his mother.. was about to have a smile with pride..

I was digging the pocket.. thats when it dawned me. I did not have change. Only a few hundred rupee notes.. not even coins.. Damn.

"anna anna.. ! pasikkudhunna.. "

The traffic just cleared..

"Chillarai illappa !! ", i said sadly. The woman was now disappointed..

I watched his face go back through the window, as my taxi progressed. How would I feel ?

Social Concious - Fake it.

I was leaving late from work. As late as 3.30 in the morning.

I saw a few people working on the road.. they were the Poster-stickers. They were glueing the posters and applying it on the walls. They were working in the midnight to provide entertainment information to everyone in the morning.

I felt sad on seeing that scene. How pathetic their situation is.. ?

A few minutes on the drive away, I was having another question. Why did I feel sad ? It is very artificial for me to have worried about the poster-sticker. Im not that too good a person, to worry about some guy who is suffering.

Then I thought, Yeah.. we behave like this much too often. The Artificial person in you awakens and behaves like he is a Mother Teresa. He worries about Afghan killings.. He says "Cho Chweet" to the not-so cute babies. He appreciates people, even if it is junk. He talks and argues about environment and hygeine, which i think is not worth a discussion. And he also shows a worry when he sees poverty. Mighty Artificial.

This artificial person is groomed by the friends and neighbors we take and choose. This person fears comments and forces to think by others wavelength, who also have the same artifical impulse. Because this person fears to be straight-forward, he continues to think the same way.. and it will no longer be a forced thought. It will naturally be artificial. It will feel sad when Salman Khan kills a deer. WTF ?

In reality, I just worry that I should be leaving home early today.. unlike yesterday.

How about you ? You have this artificial impulses ? Or you are naturally good ? ;)

Cartoons and Illustrations

Not that I hate Arjun Singh for the recent policies. But I liked the way the media drew cartoons about the act and the person. They had used a lot of Creativity to destroy a person and his policy. Mandal II wouldnt have come without Hardwork, but the adomance to not take feedback and opinions is what creates trouble.

Forget that. I tried my hands on expressing through pictures. I draw cartoons but people object. So, here's a photoshop illustration.



Vatsan suggested Meera Kumari, who is trying to have a Mandal III for Reservations in Private Sector.

I told him we can do it, when it happens. What else can we do, when the politicians keep doing things which dont interest us ? We can only sit and protest or Draw cartoons or Write a inept post on Chennai Metroblog ;)

No. 61... Present Sir

AIADMK Supremo Ms. J Jayalalitha stated that she will attend the Assembly from Saturday. This decision follows the suspension of the 60 MLAs of AIADMK from the Assembly due to disciplinary reasons.

Guts, you see. Thats what I admire about this person. One Full Assembly against One Woman. POWER !

சிங்கம் ஒன்று புறப்பட்டதே !!

The Blind Date (!)

Sathyam's Blind Date Yesterday was with "The Constant Gardener". As I had said on the Chennai Metroblog (Na.. Not the caste thing), Blind Dates can be devastating if they screen movies like this.

I personally liked the movie, but the entire audience were expecting FANAA ! or someother exciting movie. One Uncle guy got furious and started yelling at the MJ (on similar lines of VJ, DJ).

Talk of "The Constant Gardener". I've hardly heard about this movie. I usually read reviews, synopsis and then the snap-comment raised on RottenTomatoes before leaving for a movie (Did you know, Da Vinci Code is rated ROTTEN ?). But this movie, yesterday, was clueless and kept me concentrate on the story every frame. The Blind Date funda seems to be cool.

I was impressed by the performance of Rachel Weisz. I wasnt surprised to see her name on the Oscars today morning, while reading about this movie. This movie is excellent, although I wouldnt dare to reccomend it to someone I know. They will kill me before the interval.

Its a slow-paced, well-edited Virumandi style movie. Awesome Backround score (for which there is an Oscar Nomination in the bag). Alright, the Story. A low-grade British High Commisioner in Kenya has a over-enthu wife who with the help of a Kenyan Doctor traces the roots of Medical Corporations worldwide, who exploit the African population in the name of Research. The Medical Corporations claim $800 million or more in the name of R&D and patent cover. That will be the reason for the high rates of the drugs. But, they use cheap methods to do their R&D. African people are used for testing their drugs, which causes killings and so on.

Because of this report that might cause inconvenience to the Medical biggies, she is killed. Then the Hero traces and finds out the cause of her death. The most beautiful part is how the hero starts loving his wife after her death. Thats a poetry on this movie. They deserve 4 oscars for this movie.

There are rumours that the next week's Blind Date is TDVC !!

Where are you Rahman ?