Thumbi !

De Ultimate !

Please watch the Max Size for the 7.2 MP detail

Camera: Sony DSC-H5
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/2000)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 72 mm
ISO Speed: 125

Engaththu Arali Poo !

Camera: Sony DSC-H5
Exposure: 0.05 sec (1/20)
Aperture: f/3.7
Focal Length: 72 mm
ISO Speed: 80

Top Election Pose

With the most hyped-up "Ullaatchi Therdhal" around the corner, I found a similar poster in almost all the compound walls of Chennai. Surprised to see Puratchikalaingar like this and this.

Then I understood what he is trying to say.

"தமில்நாட்டை ஆளுறது அஞ்சு பேர்.."

பின்னால் இருப்பவர்.. "தலைவா ! ஒருத்தர்தான்..."

"ம்ம்.. சும்மா இரு.. பன்ச்ச கவனி.. தமில்நாட்டை ஆளுறது அஞ்சு பேர்.. ஒருத்தர் கலைஞ்சர்.. அப்புறம் தயானிதி... அப்புறம் ஸ்ட்டாலின்... ஆகமொத்தம் அஞ்சு பேர்.."

"தலைவா... மூணு பேர்தான் சொன்னீங்க.."

"இப்பொ நீ சும்மா இருக்கப் போறியா.. இல்லே பேரரசு படத்துக்கு அம்பது Free டிக்கெட் வாங்கிக்கறியா.. ?"

பின்னால் இருப்பவர் பதறி அடித்து ஓடுகிறார்...

விஜயகாந்த் மக்களிடம் திரும்பி... "டமிளக மக்களே... நான் உங்களுக்கு கலர் டீவி தரப்போறதில்லை... ஆனால் கலர் கலரா சொக்கா மாட்டிக்கினு உங்களை குஷிப்படுத்தப் போறேன்.. இந்த உள்ளாட்சி தேர்தலிலே நாங்க ஜெயிச்சா... தர்மபுரி டிக்கெட் எல்லாருக்கும் Free... அந்த படத்துல இந்த Sceneதான் Action Sequence... வில்லனை பயமுறுத்தத்தான் இந்த போஸ்.. என்னை இப்படி பார்த்த உடனே.. நான் ஏதோ Statistics சொல்லப்போறேன்னு பயந்து ஓடிடுவான்.. . எப்பிடி... ஆங்ய்ய்"

Of Hospitals in Chennai

Since when did you start seeing advertisement hoardings meant for Hospitals in Chennai ? I havent seen them until very recently.

One biiiig awkwardly close-up shot of a monkey smiling for Apollo Hospitals for whatever reason.

The Aunty climbing the stairs, and suggesting us the Key Hole surgery at the MIOT Hospitals.

And now there is LifeLine. Lifeline is a Multi-speciality hospital, and I see it everyday on my way to work. It is on the OMR. A very huge facility. Initially I thought who might want to come all the way from inside the city to this remote place. But the parking lot is full, and I also hear the hospital is doing quality business.

There is a Weightloss Surgery they have mentioned, and thats something Im studying now. Hospitals are now taking turns, and they are no longer the way they used to be. I visited three websites today morning and looking at them you'd feel something has changed. The modern managers inside the hospitals are redefining the health-care sector.

Have a look

Lifeline Hospitals

MIOT Hospital

Apollo Group

Just dont go through the tarriff part. Apollo's room rent starts from Rs. 900 appx. Well, this should definitely attract ICICI and GE.

Low interest Key Hole Surgeries at attractive EMIs. Operate now. And pay when you suffer. Hurry ! Diwali Offer.

:)

Code Search - Developer's Side Kick

No Software developer likes to work on a PC without Internet. 'Coz, whenever there's some error code or some bizzare trouble, the crazy mind searches for consolation from the fellow community. Google is their soul-mate.

And as usual, Google Labs comes out with another flavour of its search. This time only the Software benefits out.

Google Code Search helps you find function definitions and sample code by giving you one place to search publicly accessible source code hosted on the Internet.

With various Language options available, you could restrict your search to one particular language, say C++ and get the function signatures or declarations from that language alone. Not of much interest to Mainframe Developers. My darling, COBOL, isnt listed in. However if you are a cross platform expert, you could peek into the outer world and steal logic from anywhere.

Warning : The code search has a delicate licensing policy. You might want to read it before using a piece of code that you searched for, and found out.

On Similar lines, to those who didnt know, there's already a guy searching codes. Here.

No Explanations Required

Ajith, Vijay and Kamal in a Single Movie

How would it be if Ultimatestar, Ilaya Thalapathi and Kalaignyani act in a movie ? We are missing such powerful casting in a movie, may be because Tamil heroes are burning with Egos. We cant expect too much out of Tamil Cinema anyway.

Di-Caprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson are casted together in THE DEPARTED. Not an intriguing story, but the reviews call it a "grandiose masterpiece". Thats something. But i smell this story already in tamil. Someone can prompt the name, if you remember well.

I'd imagine a similar story for Vijay Ajith and Kamalhaasan like this.

Baddy Kamalhaasan is Velu Naicker. Dheena Ajith is a loyal thug under him. Velu Naicker does a lot of good things for the public, and murders the corrupted officers. Dheena does most of the murders under Naickers command.

Entry to New ACP Thiruppachi. Thiruppachi as soon as taking charge, goes undercover and joins the Naicker gang and starts gaining good-name. Meanwhile, Dheena is sent on a undercover operation to join the police department. Dheena smells someone from the police department has gone to the Naicker gang. And Thiruppachi smells someone informing the Naciker of the happenings in the police department.

The Hunt is on. And Naicker moves the strings of both Dheena and Thiruppachi smartly, and puts them both at gun points against each other. Who stays and Who gets departed ? Thats the climax of "Nayagan & Sons".

The March of the Gunyans !

No, Not the March of the Penguins.. its the March of the Chikungunyans.

Had been to the Doc two days back. I was the odd man out, there. Everyone else were the Chikungunyans. Only the name of this disease is funny. But the effects are horrible, and sometimes fatal. I wonder how, within a short period of time, this has spread to a greater extent that the whole of Chennai is screaming this word.

I was confirmed negative for Chikungunya. Thank heavens. But the doctor was telling something that we should take a note of. If you have Chikungunya, or know someone who has.. Please avoid taking painkillers, as they directly hurt the kidneys and thats what has been the cause of the deaths so far. Please adhere to what the doc prescribes.

I know some people, with a little knowledge of medicines, start behaving like a home doctor. Little do they realize that it could cost a life.

People, please do not advice others on medicine. Thats what the MBBS people are there for.

The End of Navarathri

My mom's friend had this Kolu at her home. She is a veteran Kolu keeper. Its been her passion since childhood, and she spends about Rs. 5000 every year for new Bommais. Most of her toys were new to me, and were excellently crafted. A lot of them were purchased at Kuralagam.

It was a room full of Kolu, and it took me close to twenty minutes to look at everything. The first three were cool. The Kalyana set. Then people cooking for the wedding, and then people eating in the wedding.

She has won awards at various Kolu competitions. Arranging all those 500+ Bommais patiently deserves a lot more than that. Most of the toys are 1980 bought. They look new till now. Thats how they are maintained. The end of Navarathiri should be a disappointment to her, besides the kids that enjoyed this vacation.

VGP Universal Kingdom

I had been to VGP yesterday, after nearly twelve years or more. I felt VGP is much better than MGM, atleast for a reason that it has a beach. Pretty economical Rs. 100 tickets are packed with some Ten free rides (of which only three are enjoyable). The Roller Coaster is Wow ! What an adrenaline !! It does not have the up-side down turn like the MGM, but it has more than two free falls.. Everyone Must be on a rollercoaster atleast once in their lifetime. You'd know how it would feel to die by falling from the Suicide point.

And there's a MIXER, that takes people on a ride and goes in all possible directions. There are more than just Three Axis. Mixer is a special addition to VGP and a "must go" or atleast a "must watch" ride. I was bold enough to say NO to that ride, and videographed the whole event. There were a lot of Bengalis, Hindhis and Telugus besides my tamil friends. But once the Start button was pressed, they all spoke a same language. Fear.

Do not settle with that old restaurant in the front in VGP. I had a big fight with those guys, for lack of service. Then realized, there was a much better restaurant inside. MGM has standards in this. VGP sucks there.

It was a great day after all, and what was more amazing was that we were able to easily get there. Yester years, our family would plan for this VGP day and arrange some travels car and start by early morning. It was a very long journey out of the city. But now, it is very much closer. As close as going to my office :)

Gurudatchanai !

I used to carry my school fees in my Geometry box, below that plastic holders of the compass and divider.

I joined my school with Rs. 30 as a monthly fees. And ended with somewhere around Rs. 650 per month. Now its way higher still.

Old people talk - "Education has become very expensive.. They have made Education, a business".

Well, thats debatable. Lets talk about that when we get old. For now, lets get the news from the picture shown. Three words. PSBB. Online payment. Wow.

This is a list of Online Bill payments from ICICI Bank. And who is the interesting name in the list ?

May be it was there since long, but only now I was looking into the Bill payment section of ICICI. Its a great feature for the parents (of PSBB). Neednt stand in the pathetic queue and neednt give their children and ask them to pay and sit and worry about it.

But tell me something. It doesnt feel satisfying when we realize we have paid something at the click of a button. It feels good to stand in the queue and get a dirty receipt. How do you feel about that ?

Guntrol Yourself guys !

What do you think ?

I think it is funny.. especially the last one.. chinnapullathanama...

Tamil Heroes think too much of themselves.. Chumma, every movie they pick up a weapon and give a nice still, as if they have a secret affair with the weapon. Aruvaa is another theme. I mean, look at Vijayakanth. What the hell is he doing with the gun on his forehead ? Thinking about "The enemy is in my mind.. Im going to kill him" ?

Im not too impressed, when some movie comes with a grand promo, with the hero doing some macho stuffs.. Just that its going to be damn funny. Im waiting to watch Perarasu. I want to know what Vijayakanth does with the gun.

BTW, You are welcome to give any caption to the Collage. I couldnt get the Aadhi still with Vijay pointing two guns in two different directions riing a bike. If someone has it, mail it to me.

Passwords make me Insecure

Wonder how it will be if every Blog that you visit has its own User ID/ Passwords, and you have to Log in everytime you want to view content. Every God Damn Good for Nothing site enables a User ID / Password mechanism. Why ? Just because they know how to code it. It is silly, when nothing really matters even if the User Logon is not in place. Why would an MP3 download site or a free Subscription of Dinamalar ePaper require logon IDs ?

Not just that. Workplace has nearly a Worksheet full of User IDs and funny passwords to remember. My previous workplace, I had nearly 24 user IDs at work, apart from my personal logons. Bank Passwords. Card PINs. eMail accounts. And Many Many More.

I've noticed a few people have a centralized Password Management. How ? They write down everything in a Excel Sheet and Password protect that one. In my opinion, thats not being wise.

Firefox helps me remember passwords, and i trust that at home. Most of the sites just keep coming without asking for a passwords, for Im so very sentimental.. that I click on "Remember Me" or "Please dont forget me, please !" button, everywhere I see. But these Mainframe Passwords and Bank passwords drive me crazy.

Banks have another torture in the name of additional security. Its called the Transaction password, and this password cannot be the same as your Logon password. I completely understand the purpose of this. Infact HSBC goes one step further, and gives its users a RSA SecurID, and thats a third level of security.

But beyond all the protection, the Memory Capability is what irks me. We are so very creative while choosing a password. We make it extremely complex or extermely simple, that we forget it very soon. Well, some people keep the same password everywhere. I once did that. But the moment I gave someone the password to check something on my email, I got insecure. So, I then re-passworded all my accounts with different passwords each, and had some memory capsules with one glass of water.

Thank god there is a "Forgot Password ?" link everywhere. Actually, I feel it says "You forgot your password again, you Amnesia M**** ? ". But the problem with Banks and other Very Secure units is that, it gets reset in a course of days and not immediately.

So, you type your password wrongly, and then wrong again.. and then one last time when you think it is correct, and still it is wrong ... You are done for the day. Forget your bank transaction on the net for one week. I know it is a security measure, and thats good. But it sucks out the purpose..

I'd suggest we pull the future sooner and faster. Thumbs. Programmers please start writing programs that verify identity through Thumb Prints. That should be a very good solution. No more funny passwords.

Mamma Mia !

You are looking at a product that makes you drop your jaws for various reasons.

DSLR with a 39 Mega pixel Sensor. Thats 5412x7212 pixels.

The Worlds First 48 mm Camera.

The feature that amuses me - waist-level viewfinder.

Its gonna cost 35,000. Not INR makkale, USD. You do the math.

Each picture occupies 110 MB on your Hard Disk !

Not much of features described anywhere on the net, but they all say it is the ultimate flexible camera ever.

Oh The name of the company is Hasselblad.. some name I've never heard of. Looks like theirs was the first camera that made it to the moon. Here's a Wiki on Hasselblad.

Need a Break !

Karaigal Thoonga Virumbinaalum Alaigal Viduvadhillai
Marangal Oyvai Virumbinaalum Kaatru Viduvadhillai !

Odi Odi Olindhabodhum, Vaazhkkai Viduvadhillai !! Viduvadhillai !

----

Programmer Oyvai Virumbinaalum, Velai Viduvadhillai !

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

Moganaangi !

கை நடுங்கி கண் மறைந்து காலம் வந்து சேரும்
காணாத தூக்கம் எல்லாம் தானாக சேரும் !

...
தானாக சேரும் !
...

காலமிது காலமிது கண்ணுறங்கு மகளே !

Pic Ctsy : Bollywood501

Click the Pic

Camera: Sony DSC-H5
Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/400)
Aperture: f/4
Focal Length: 37.8 mm
ISO Speed: 125

Suzhi

Keyboard Sathyanarayana

The Video above is taken in a concert by K. Sathyanarayana, a young chap who performed a wonderful Ballet Dance on a Korg Keyboard. I was photographing the event and thought I'd make a short video clip of the ending part of Vaathapi Ganapathim. Awesome music. Great job, Sathyanarayana.

This kid is 11 years old, and seems to be famous from his 9th age, for his this talent. He plays Carnatic songs on keyboard with extreme accuracy and poise. He makes carnatic music enjoyable, for even an illeterate guy like me. I havent known about him until yesterday, and after this concert, i went to this Website of his, and found great testimonials. Hmm..

In the video you see, you'd se four hands. Two hands that achieve, and two hands that support. The supporting hands is what was the talk of the day. His dad (i forgot to ask his name) was clearly instrumental in this success of Sathyanarayana.

Two things are important for a dad. One to support his son to chase his dream. And Two, make him dream good. Im sure this kid can grow to great heights. A lot of people spoke about Child Prodigy yesterday, and you all know that Im not very comfortable with that word (may be because i wasnt one, when I was a child).

But my advice to all these guys with Child Prodigy is that, Innovation without Insanity is the key. We've read about kids who do all that genius stuff at a very early stage, and get noted on Aananda Vikatan or Hindu. But, they dont really meet the prediction of the news article, when the future arrives. Why ?

Because, when these guys grow up, every one is capable of doing what was so great to the kid at his age. If the kid fails to groom up the talent and gets saturated at a particular level of fame, then growth stops there. That is why Innovation needs to get in. Note this. Note this. Mind you, Innovation without Insanity.

:) Sounds like my KRA... Im not able to do that, even at my age. Heck !

Guess the Song

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What song ? What movie.. ? Should be an easy guess !

I havent heard the song completely, because I dont like the lyrics. But I was forced to listen to this song that was playing in my company bus. This interlude was interesting. Came back home and wow ! It suited the 5.1 :)

Secularism

Camera: Sony DSC-H5
Exposure: 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture: f/3.5
Focal Length: 28.4 mm
ISO Speed: 320

Only on Marina.. You'll find all the Coke and Pepsi brands aligned on the same racks.

Otherwise, elsewhere,
you'd ask for Coke and the reply would be "Saar, Pepsi dhaan irukku ! paravaayillaya ?"
you'd ask for Fanta and the reply would be "Saar, Mirinda dhaan irukku ! kodukkattuma ?"
you'd ask for 7up and the reply would be "Saar, Sprite dhaan irukku ! rendum onnudhaan, odaikkava ?"

They arent exactly the equivalent drinks, but the shops equate them. Is there a match for Gold Spot ! :)

Oh yeah.. the pesticide flavours ! There's too much fuss about the 0.01 % pesticide inside these bottles. It went to the extent of Banning these drinks in many states. Thank heavens, Not Tamilnadu.

Are you a health concious "Oh no ! No carbonated drinks" guy ? Whats your take on states banning these drinks, when they permit alcohol !

Cho Chweet !

"Today is Mysorepa Day" says an Ad for Sri Krishna Sweets in The Hindu. Today, in their outlets, 1 KG Mysorepa would cost just Rs. 99, instead of Rs. 195. That certainly is a great deal. A lip-smacking deal, that is going to invite huge queues to the outlets.

But.

I guess we all got bored with the Mysorepa (even though I wouldnt mind an occasional bite). Relatives and Friends have, for each of their visit, bought home the Mysorepa. And when I used to buy the same, my friends or relatives would say.. "Idhellam romba bore adichu poyiduththu !". Though it sounded uncultured to comment like this, it was true.

Romba thigatti pochchu. Now the trend is slowly moving on to the Kaju Kathlis. I WILL NOT ACCEPT KAJU KATHLI AS A SWEET. Edho.. chumma oppukku vechchukkalaam. I know many of us dont like Over-sweet. I prefer sweets that are a little too sweet. All these Dry fruit items costing too-much and taste with a mild-sweet are huge hits. People buy them to show status. Wonder why people like those. We could eat chappathi-maavu for that. (Have you tasted Arisi Appala Maavu.. ?)

Jhangiri, Soanpapdi, Paalgova, Badhusha, Halwa, Rasagulla, Champakali - if these are called sweets, then you can call all the dry-fruit varieties as Kaaram. :p Talking of Soanpapdi, there are new varieties of Soanpapdi appearing in the shops. Horlicks Soanpapdi, Chocolate Soanpapdi and Banaras Soanpapdi. Full marks to Banaras Soanpapdi from Krishna sweets. Top Class.

Aavin Paalgova, Brijwasi Rasagullah, Agarwal Bhavan Halwa, Paarvathy Bhavan Jhangiri, Shri Mittai Badhusha.. aaha ! (உள்ளம்தான் கள்வெறி கொள்ளுதடி)

Dachchu - Thaathukudi Juse !

Camera: DSC-H5
Exposure: 0.05 sec (1/20)
Aperture: f/4
Focal Length: 21.8 mm
ISO Speed: 80

You should be blessed to be in the neighborhood of an active kid !

War of the Ad worlds

Whaaw ! now, thats what I call "Being Modest".

காலை எழுந்தவுடன் நல்ல திரைப்படம் (Today's movie - The Bicycle Thief )
பின்பு நல்ல Beat உள்ள Super பாடல் (Today's Song - Loose Control - Rang De Basanti)
மாலை முழுவதும் Travel (Today's Route, just like everyday - Old Mahabaliburam Road to Villiwakkam)
என பழக்கப்படுத்திக் கொள்ளு பாப்பா !

:)

Nother Quality Wallpaper - My Photos

This was taken from the Marina again. As I told you, whenever I go to the beach, I get some very good pictures. Click here for Full Size.

Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1000)
Aperture: f/3.2
Focal Length: 8.9 mm
ISO Speed: 125

POGO !

POGO is not anymore within the TV. It is in Dachu's hands. I guess the name is Tele Tubbies, and wonder how these names alone enter the kiddos mouth, when he still calls me keeythy !

I find these stuffed toys in a lot of homes, and a lot of kids are now citizens of the POGO kingdom. I never thought, when POGO entered, it would replace Cartoon Network. But clearly in CAS Chennai POGO is next only to the SUN TV mega serials.

Even adults are amused by Just for Laugh GAGS. Mr. Bean is invariably a favourite show among all ages. Although I dont watch all these, I get regular updates from every kid I meet.

I dont think Disney made a huge impact as expected. By the way, is Toon Disney a free channel ?

Character Slaves / Stranger than Fiction

I wrote this story way back, last year.

This Story.

And now, there's a movie very similar to this (of course an improved version !).

This movie.

Any chances that i can fight for Royalty, like the Dasavathaaram issue ? :P

KK - VV - HJ

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Post No. 700

pic ctsy - Hindu ePaper

I Agree with this. COMPLETELY. Morning is the time !

Creativity is one word I like to add as an attribute to my name, all the time. But unfortunately, Im not creative. I've struggled to become a creative person.

You cant become creative. You have to be creative.
Appdiya ?

Machchan Enge Da irukke !

Meeting point - The most time consuming place.

When people ask me to meet at some public place, I convince them to turn down that plan. Instead I offer a pick up at his home, and journey forward to the place together, rather than meeting at a place. Why ?

Thats because, I've wasted a lot of time waiting for others. I'm too very punctual, that I'm atleast 10 to 15 minutes earlier than the mentioned time. And then, the other person comes nearly 10 to 15 minutes later than the mentioned time. Thats close to half an hour wasted. Well, I have no use for 30 minutes of a day. But yet, it is a pain to move your neck around and look for people on the road, to identify our Late Man.

Especially Movies. When people dont turn up and you have their tickets, you turn restless. You almost walk like walking outside a Surgery hall. I've seen Cellphones in maximum use, only outside the theatres. Even terrible is Train Stations and Bus stops.

The photo on top, is another bad example of a meeting point. They are in the middle of the beach sand. They didnt have cell phones, and they were waiting for some more of their friends. Obviously, they couldnt meet and left the place after some 40 minutes. ( I was sitting close with my friends having a great chat ).

Sandhippoma ! Iruvarum Sandhippomaa ?
July Kaatril, Jupiteril iruvarum Sandhippoma !

Ketka nalladhaan irukku. But Wait panni paarunga, kashtam puriyum !

----- Photo Details -----
Camera : Sony DSC-H5
Exposure : 0.025 sec (1/40)
Aperture : f/3.2
Focal Length: 6.9 mm

Hmmmmmmmmmm ! aka Perumoochu !

Engirunthaalum Vaazhga !

Sorry, I cant comment anymore on that. I'm emotionally @$***@D up. I know many of us are. Lets join the Varuththapadadhor Vaalibar Sangam and start up with something.

Alright. The picture you see here, on the left, is from the Digital Version of the Hindu. Thats right. Looks like The Hindu is forced into this game, after Dinamalar and many other dailies started offering ePaper on the net.

It is free for the first three months and might require a payment after that period. You can register here, and access it here.

This is particularly of great interest to me, because the Advertisements can be archived from the ePaper version. I collect Print Ads that are interesting.

It is a small cultural change, that has already evolved. Home internet users, waking up and sitting in front of their Computers and read morning news, sipping a cup of hot filter coffee.

Unfortunately, reading today's ePapers - both Hindu and Dinamalar made me upset. You know why !

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm !

Yesterday @ Marina Beach

ஊதி ஊதியே இளைத்தவன் !
சுவாசத்தையே மூலதனமாக்கி
வண்ணங்கள் விற்க்கும் இவன்
வாழ்வில் நிறங்கள் இன்னும் நுழையவில்லை !

வறுமையின் நிறம் சிவப்பென்று
யார் சொன்னது ?
காற்றாடிகள் முன் சுழல
பலூன்கள் பின் பறக்க
நடுவில் பெடல் மிதிக்கும்
பலூன்காரனைச் சுற்றித் தெரியும்
அனைத்து வண்ணங்களும்
வறுமையின் நிறங்களே !


Sony DSC H5 - Aperture - f/3.5 Exposure - 0.017(1/60) sec

Some photos on the Photoblog !

You've Got to See this !

Check this out

I'd like to see Bush's reaction to this compilation. There are a lot of such compilations on YouTube with a tag Dubya. Our Dubya - George Bush is adored and celebrated with so much glory, that I laughed out loud and woke up my sleeping dad. Not so many times you laugh loud on humour. Only good humour does that, and this makes George Bush a natural comedian.

Why couldnt we make some of these with our politicians ?

A Quality Wallpaper from Avyukta

I've felt most of the movies from 90's deserved a very good Wallpaper. So, here's a hunt for making some good wallpapers from those movies. To start with, Aandavar's classic - Kuruthippunal.

Which other movie had a classic Logo like this one ? Very few. Alaipayuthey is one. Any others ?

Appaada !

After Five days of continuous Activa rides on the Old Mahabalipuram Road, Saturday looks like heaven.

Ippadi oru pozhappu thevaya ?

Its taking time to get a Bus Pass for the Company pick-up and drop. Until then, I need to vroom with my Honda. It is an advantage on one hand, and a disadvantage on the other hand and the other two legs and even the whole body. Pain on the ***, you know ! Literally !

This is why, the blog isnt getting too much of updates,... and even the story is dangling. Ill complete it before the weekend.

You know what Im doing ? Playing a full-throttle AR Rahman, from Jeans

"Vaaram Aindhu Naal, Viyarvayil Uzhaikka..." :)

Bakki lyrics naane pottu paaditu irukken !

Fireworks - RKV

Fireworks like these used to be my wallpaper, way back in 1997. It used to be a fantasy, something that can never be seen in our country. I wanted to go to US, dip my feet into the water and watch July 4th ceremonies. Then one fine day, I saw it on a distant sky. Should have been Triplicane Sky (I was seeing from Villiwakkam !). Adn after that occassionally, I've been seeing such fireworks on some Temple Celebrations.

But since last year, this kinda fireworks is exhibitted in the sky above every home! Guess this firework has gone cheaper. My friend got one last year, for Rs. 5000. It displays spectacular fireworks for 30 minutes and after that you can start cleaning the ashes. Deepavali Over.

Since then, a lot of fireworks like these are seen. A lot of them, actually. And this Pillayar Chathurthi was another instance where almost all the Pillayars going to the sea, had someone ignite the sky.

Anybody know, how much this thing costs ?

Vande Matharam ! Celebrate ? or Not ?

கல்வி

சமயபுரம் போவதென்றால் எனக்கு கொள்ளை இன்பம். முழு ஆண்டுத் தேர்வு விடுமுறைகளில் மட்டும் போகக் கூடிய இடம். வேறு நாட்களில் அம்மா அல்லது அப்பா மட்டும் போய் வருவர். சில சமயம் ராமன் சித்தப்பா அங்கிருந்து வருவார். சித்தப்பா பெரும் செல்வந்தர். வரும்போது நிச்சயம் ஏதாவது விளையாட்டுப் பொருள் வாங்கி வருவார். கடைசியாக கயிற்றில் தொங்கவிட்டால் பறக்கும் பறவை பொம்மை வாங்கித் தந்தார். சித்தப்பா பொம்மை வாங்கும் போதெல்லாம் இரண்டாக வாங்குவார். ஒன்று எனக்கு. இன்னொன்று சாமிக்கு.

-----

நாளை தொடரும்/முடியும் !

Andra Mess Strategy

On the Old Mahabalipuram Road me and my friends went out to lunch in a nameless Andhra Mess. Fairly decent food considering the location. Me and my friends, each of them from each IT company located contiguously met at a point and searched for a eat-out place.

Lots and Lots of Andhra Mess were found. Why were all of them Andhra Mess ?

By default, any IT company here has more than a lot of people from Andhra. And most of these guys prefer to eat outside. This is not a guess. The proof is inside these messes. Full house. Gongura Packed (not jam-packed). You will find these places just outside CTS, TCS, Accenture/Wipro/Sathyam. These are not regular hotels. They are small houses converted into Messes. Naalu chair oru table potta hotel. Avvlodhaan.

But not all of htem are authentic Andhra messes. They just give it that name. It is all Tamilnadu taste. Sambhar Rasam and Poriyal arent as Kaaram as a Andhra mess has. Been to Supriya ? In T-Nagar, close to the Power house bus-stop. Thats one authentic Andhra mess.

What we went yesterday was a 2 bedroom house. We were in the Second bedroom having lunch ! Anyone with an idea of making easy money, can buy a small house and start cooking. No big deal. You will meet your ROI in months.

Approximately Rs. 30 per lunch. 30 is too much for it. It is worth the money, but it would cost very lesser inside the city. Aththuvaana Kaattukulle idhu kidaikkaradhe periya vishayam !

AD On !

This is a Johnson and Johnson Ad for the Digital Glucose level checker ! Can you read it ? Without trouble ?

Cool Ad !

Opening an Account was never this easier !

I was inside a room, very similar to the one that I was in three years back. A room full of strangers carrying mildly archive-smelling papers (aka certificates). Lotsa paperworks. I wish my address was something like "1600 Pensylvania Avenue". My biiiig home address made me feel bad. Every form had a comunication address and permanent address (places where I couldnt say "Same as above").

Certificate Verification / Forms verification / Relieving Order verification and so on. After that, three guys came in. Stancha (Thats how they pronounce Standard Charted !), HDFC and ICICI banks made a presentation on their products, and canvassed to capture our salaries into their banks. People inside that room, made varied choices, and in a matter of 20 minutes we all had our Debit Cards in our hands.

Instant Kits with Debit Cards , PIN for the bank , PIN for Netbanking , Cheque book and what not. Debit cards wont have your names embossed over it. We can do it at a later point of time (which in most cases would be Never).

I was given a Kit, and I struggled to open it. The Bank guy came to my assistance. I told him, "Opening an Account was much easier than this" (Again, any ad company using this tag line must pay me Royalty!).

They asked me to apply for a Credit Card and I told them I already had one from the same bank. They suggested me to convert that into the corporate account. Mine was alerady a HPCL card, and had most of the normal card benefit.

"Whats the benefit ? ", I asked him.

"Well, Sir.. When you show this credit card, you will be allowed into the Airport free of cost, No entry fee !".

Adappaavi makkka ! I came into this company to go into the Airport as a passenger. But this guy is giving me a Platform ticket, in the name of a Credit Card ! I associated it with Libi.

You guys know what a Libi is ?

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

- some JRR Tolkien

Image of the week is back after a break !

Categories and More

New Blogger Beta had been on the web-roads for sometime now, but I was a little reluctant to loose the existing template style of Avyukta. I had to compromise with a lot of Pixels to choose the new Template style. So, I waited for the Raw-HTML Edit feature to be on. And today I find the HTML editable. Here's Avyukta, back in the same template style with the new Blogger Beta template.

The only added advantage I find is being able to Add categories. But then, after writing this post, I should think about what Category I have to put this into ! Makes blogging more professional.

Yikes ! I dont like it that way !

Sathyam Vs The Universal Set

Sathyam is showing Vettaiyadu Vilaiyadu on a special 7:30 Show (Also in Shantham). Doubtless, it was a full house, and mostly it housed Pattu Pudavais and Veshtis. People came wtih their families early in the morning to see Rape and Murder. Well, I'd been there to watch Kamalhaasan one more time, and to listen to the dialogues that did not make it to Abirami Speakers.

It isnt a good habit to compare between theatres. But who cares about habits.

Most of the background score and some minute-atomic-cute dialogues in the movie, never came out of Abirami Speakers. I had watched "Manjal Veyyil" song in Sathyam during the Audio Release function. It rocked the very minute. But after nearly 5 months watching it on Abirami proved disappointing. The song didnt have the effect, it had in Sathyam. The very moment, we decided to watch it again in Sathyam. And Janma Sabhalyam today !

The Second time didnt alter the first opinion, however. But Ravivarman and Harris Jayaraj showed up. There is a difference in Color. Subltle difference in Sound.

What is the point in having a technically superior movie run in ordinary theatres, when the effect which it means is not felt ? Why should The Sound Engineer and the Cameraman toil ? For screening on Sathyam alone ?

I wish the theatre owners put a part of the money they earn, back into the theatre.

Solitary !

Used to be my workplace !

Don't be dismayed at goodbyes, a farewell is necessary before you can meet again and meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends.

- Richard Bach

Richard Bach is my dubbing artist. He speaks behind my ears, at important moments of my life. Although I quit reading anymore spiritual / philosophy, I consider Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Illusions as books that have something for me in every page. I keep those books in my front and read random pages, occassionally.

I strongly reccomend you read these books. Warning : Im not an authentic book-reader. I have a very little knowledge on books. But whatever be it, these books are worth a read and remembrance.

Few more quotes from Bach:

The simplest questions are the most profound.

Where were you born?
Where is your home?
Where are you going?
What are you doing?

Think about these once in awhile, and watch your answers change.
- from "Illusions, The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah"

You are never given a wish without being given
the power to make it true.

You may have to work for it, however.
- from "Illusions, The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah"

Every person, all the events of your life, are there because you have drawn them there.

What you choose to do with them is up to you.
- from "Illusions, The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah"

Your friends will know you better in the first minute you meet than your acquaintances will know you in a thousand years.
- from "Illusions, The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah"

A cloud does not know why it moves in just such a direction and at such a speed, it feels an impulsion....this is the place to go now.

But the sky knows the reason and the patterns behind all clouds, and you will know, too, when you lift yourself high enough to see beyond horizons..
- from "Illusions, The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah"

The gulls who scorn perfection for the sake of travel go nowhere, slowly.
Those who put aside travel for the sake of perfection go anywhere, instantly.
- from "Jonathan Livingston Seagull"

For most gulls, it is not flying that matters, but eating.
For this gull, though, it was not eating that mattered, but flight.
- from "Jonathan Livingston Seagull"

If our friendship depends on things like space and time, then when we finally overcome space and time, we've destroyed our own brotherhood! But overcome space, and all we have left is Here. Overcome time, and all we have left is Now. And in the middle of Here and Now, don't you think that we might see each other once or twice?
- from "Jonathan Livingston Seagull"

The gulls who scorn perfection for the sake of travel go nowhere, slowly. Those who put aside travel for the sake of perfection go anywhere, instantly.
- from "Jonathan Livingston Seagull"

That's what learning is, after all; not whether we lose the game, but how we lose and how we've changed because of it and what we take away from it that we never had before, to apply to other games. Losing, in a curious way, is winning.
- from "The Bridge Across Forever"

We're the bridge across forever, arching above the sea, adventuring for our pleasure, living mysteries for the fun of it, choosing disasters triumphs challenges impossible odds, testing ourselves over and again, learning love and love and LOVE!
- from "The Bridge Across Forever"


If it's never our fault, we can't take responsibility for it.
If we can't take responsibility for it, we'll always be its victim.
- from "Running From Safety"


Can miles truly separate us from friends?
If you want to be with Rae, aren't you already there?
- from "There' No Such Place As Far Away"


You have no birthday because you have always lived; you were never born, and never will die. You are not the child of the people you call mother and father, but their fellow-adventurer on a bright journey to understand the things that are.
- from "There' No Such Place As Far Away"


Fly free and happy beyond birthdays and across forever, and we'll meet now and then when we wish, in the midst of the one celebration that never can end.
- from "There' No Such Place As Far Away"


Nothing happens by chance, my friend... No such thing as luck. A meaning behind every little thing, and such a meaning behind this. Part for you, part for me, may not see it all real clear right now, but we will, before long.
- from "Nothing By Chance"

Check this out !

Kakka Kakka - The Crow

Who said Only Gautham Menon can only take Kakka Kakka !
Here's my version of Kaakkaa Kakkaa (taken on my DSC H5)!

Esaipaattu for "Oru Oooril Azhage Uruvaai Oruththi Irundhaale !"
would be "Kakka ! Kaakka ! Nee romba Azhagaaa Ikke ! Oyu Paattu Paadu !"

Sparkles *

Many were disappointed reading my post on VV. Many thought I was harsh about the Title. Please understand it isnt a review, and is not neutral. It is a perception of a Hardcore Kamalhaasan fan.

Alrighty.. Dont even think for a moment that the movie is a piece of trash.. It is not upto the expectation level, and its only a mistake on the expectation level. Simple.

Here are a few sparkling dialogues, that I loved in the movie !

Aaradhana : "Are you some sort of Nostradamus ?"

Raghavan : "Much wiser.. Policeman !"

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

As Raghavan is about to break into the suspects house
Anderson : "You cant break into a house without a proper warrant."

Raghavan : "Mhmm.. We do it all the time in India.."

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


Aaradhana : "What are you doing in New York. ? Software ?"

Raghavan : "Illa Hardware.. Deputy Commissioner of Police. Crime Branch"

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

Thanks to Arun J for commenting the following dialogue.. this got a huge applause, not for the meaning.. but for the dialogue delivery.

Raghavan : I hate crime against women, even if it is not my jurisdiction!

Change Skin !

Have a rare mobile ? Or a mobile thats out of production ? Or a local brand mobile ? Then you must face the problem, that I do.

I got this Samsung C100 last year, after being impressed with the Key pad. Still i believe, this is the most beautiful keypads of all mobile phones.

Unfortunately, I used my mobile extensively, and the key pad decomposed like the way you see it on the photo. Then I went searching for a panel for the phone.. and Nobody had it.

All Nokia model panels ar available everywhere. But what about others. Sony Ericsson and Samsung and LG ?

Burma Bazaar is a solution.

They got all possible mobile phone panels, duplicate ones, all for under a 100 bucks. But they dont change the panel for you. For few models it is simple. But for models like mine, Its really difficult. I spent one afternoon doing this work, and atlast my mobile looks new again.

Try Burma Bazaar. They got a whole lot of important things for real cheap. Just check your Sani position in your horoscope before going there. :)

Ganpati Bappa !

Pic ctsy - Times of India.

I was in Mumbai when the festival aroma was out in the streets. Places were being reserved for huge Idols of Lord Shri Ganesha to be placed on the day of Vinakaya Chathurthi.

I've already seen this earlier, the way Mumbai celebrates Pillayar. I had also felt it in Chennai, few years back. It was a joyous occasion to go to the market to buy Pillayar made of clay. But Chennai doesnt seem to have the spirit Mumbai does, in terms of celebrating this festival.

WHY ?

VV - Vendaadha Velai !

Thanks to Shankar, My neighbor (better known to you as Dachchu's dad), who got me the tickets for the very first day show. I wanted to review the movie, and go ga-ga about it. But certain things prevent me from doing that. Read on.

What is the fate of Sequel movies ? Except Terminator II and a very few exceptions, most of them failed. Not even Spielberg was successful with a sequel to Jurassic Park. Why ? May be because the expectations are accumulated and eventually hyped up. People are sure, the director or the actor would have done a lot of hard work to come up with an excellent movie, that would be more than exciting than the first one.

I belong to that category of people. What did Gautham Menon do ?

He begins the movie with a Caption "Another Episode in the Life of a Police Officer". I say "Wow ! That is Isshtyle !". But little did I realize at that point, it was completely a rework of his latest Blockbuster - Kakka Kakka. Gautham had tried Reusability in terms of Story line, Actors and even Character Names. But he may not be able to duplicate the appreciations.. atleast this time. Especially from a Kamal fan, like me.

Sorry Mr. Gautham. You should have realized how big an actor Kamal is, and should have taken extra care in the story-line. We all understand this movie had taken wild and unfortunate turns. Yet, if the project had began with this story, then I guess the bad luck was planted right there.

After a Super-cool introduction fight and a song, Kamalhaasan - Raghavan DCP flies to Madurai to investigate a murder, on Special request from his Ex-Boss Prakashraj. Raghavan is treated with more shocks as more and more killings happen, which take him to New York for investigation. There he uncovers a string which has a Serial-killer on the other end. The killer gets personal, and decides to take revenge on Raghavan. Raghavan's chase to catch the killer and the Killer's plight to smash Raghavan is what Vettaiyadu Vilaiyadu is all about.

Jyothika has a very difficult name - Aaradhana. Something doesn't gel, everytime Raghavan says this name. Aaradhana is just another girl in New York who incidentally meets Raghavan, and eventually both of them fall in love. Jyothika scores when she cries. Professional acting. She doesn't overact like how she does in other movies. Kamaline Mukherjee - Kayalvizhi appears for a very short duration, as Raghavan's wife in a very short flashback and to me the pair looked like Father-Daughter. However Kamaline Mukherjee wins a lot of hearts with a beautiful smile.

New techniques in Editing, and technically advanced cinematography don't really help. Fast moving scenes dont make a fast movie. You need to add tempo to it. First half was too elongated. And the entire theatre, however, enjoyed the second part. It was furious. Lots of Sex and Violence sprinkled across, and some Gross Language.

Kamalhaasan - is an actor with so many years of experience in acting. You cannot run an Acting factory with just a spike buster. You need more power points. Depth. It is different in the case of Vasool Raja MBBS or Panchathanthiram. They are meant to be comedies, and hence a story line is not important. It expects Kamal's spontaneous comic sense to play. Mind you, it is difficult to act comedy. Plus - Kamal interferes in the directors job and gives more inputs to it. We have heard C. Sundar and Singeetham Srinivasa Rao are just shadow-directors. But Vettayadu Vilayadu was a Gautham movie, and it clearly shows up that Kamal hadnt interfered.

Vettayadu Vilayadu requires a small hero like Surya. In fact, that would have added strength if this movie was completely explicit as Kakka Kakka - 2. If the movie continued on that story, it would have added value to the Director.

Think whatever, but here's what I commented on Lazygeek's Blog, when the movie was announced, way back in 2005 April.

But Gautham needs an Obidient Actor, and Kamal needs a Silent Director. Lets see if the Polarities match.

Here's what Gautham said in his interview (Uncut version) to Sudhish Kamath.

lots of stuff happened between me and him because of the production. He was pissed off with change in producer, the film was not taking off, his time was getting delayed all. He was very unhappy and hesitant initially. He was like "Bunch of kids, what are they gonna make" and stuff like that.

Yes. A lot of places in the movie were childish. And you could guess till the end, what would happen next. Kakka Kakka wasnt like that entirely. It had a composure. If Tamilnadu had not seen Kakka Kakka earlier, they would rejoice this movie.

I thought I would write a review about this movie, but ended in a post like this. I forgot to mention Harris Jeyaraj. Thats because he never showed up, anywhere. Songs are all good, but none of them well picturised. May be because of Production sodhappals. We can excuse that.

Uyirile Enadhu Uyirile - My favourite song of the movie, thankfully has come out well.

Anyways, dont take my word. Dont trust me. Watch this movie. It is good to watch. Only dont expect too much out of it. I may like Gautham's next movie, because I will not be expecting anything new in it.

But the good thing about it is, the movie is released in So Many theatres so that they get back the money faster. They will. No Doubt. There is one innocent man by name - Mr. Manickam Narayanan. By my instincts, never in his lifetime will he decide to take up projects like this. I sincerely wish him good luck.. and can help him by watching it a coupla times more. I wanna see if I missed something in it, amidst huge whistles and applauses.

However, I dont expect any thrill or happiness in it.

Allright... Dasavathaaram guys.. Lets start the worship !

The most biased review of Vettaiyadu Vilaiyaadu..Coming soon on Avyukta.

Dont expect a Neutral one from me :)

GURU

Guru was/is rumoured to be a story of a successful man who came from point zero. More rumours that it is Dhirubhai Ambani's story. And the Official web-site has this picture on it. And a intriguing music played by Rahman, for the movie -website. Only this team can make things like this ?

Iruvar had a similar shot. Mohanlal's hands wave to a bigger wave of people. What a scene.. You will taste the power. Guru follows !

As the web-page says, Guru is up for December.

Identify ! Can you ?

ேஹ................ ! தந்தன தந்தன தன்னா ! !!

What a World Class (?) song !

Get Ready !

My friend in Mumbai buys Kungumam.. and he came to my room and gave me the book. He knew how important a news about Kamal is, to me.



One line said it all. "Pori Parakkudhu !". This movie has created a lot of expectations, and disappointments in my case. Songs and Promos and everything else raised the expectations, but the delay in release is something that pulled down the movie, even before it came out. Not for a Kamal movie.

Alright..get ready .. book tickets. Invite me. Im ready to watch it N times.

UPDATE : Happy and Disappointed at the same time.

Madras Day - Aug 22

Im missing it.

Im tired. Why ? Narayanamurthy Retired. Thats why !

Forget all the corporate rules. Why would a man get out of the Fort that he built ? Too much of ethics in here. Does this put Asim Premji in an embarassed situation. Ah.. heck i dont care about them all.

What pissed me off is the media. News channels yesterday screamed about Infosys Saga. Probably I would have expected the News channels to talk about it, had they not. Well, now they have. So, Im taking the other side. They took a mic to an employee and asked an age-old stupid question.. "How do you feel !". The poor employee, working on a Sunday, wasnt sure how to react. People think they are super genius, when they say "well, Im happy and sad". :) well, the reporter just got a scoop.

---------

Just as i left the news channels, I saw the Pakistan dressing room at Lords. And ESPN did not change the feed. Soemthing was fishy.. and actually it was catastrophic as time went by. Even the kids who come to play in the ground next to my house, will never have a cheap fight. Umpire Darrell Hair penalised the Pakistan team for Five runs. Pakistan team reacted by not coming out of the dressing room to play. So, the umpires called the match off and awarded the victory to England. But someone convinced the Pak team, and after quite some time, Pak wazlked into the field. I could imagine how bad it would have felt within Inzamaam, when the crowd went Boooo ! as they walked into the ground. To make things worse, the umpire adds a big Booo ! and stated that the match was already awarded to England and Inzi had to walk back with a nasty insult.

What a game ! Dont tell me you missed it. If you had, read it here.

Being : Ram Gopal Varma

Having lost touch with HBO and Star Movies, I wasnt even browsing through these channels in Mumbai, where there is no CAS.

Past week, besides work and sleep, I hardly found time for other things. Luckily I didnt miss this program on CNN-IBN. This channel is doing good. Though all the National news Channels do the same things, I feel IBNLive is doing it with flair.

Being : Ram Gopal Varma was a program that ripped RGV. He was damn good and sharp with his answers. Right or wrong, you need guts to answer like that.

For instance,

Anuradha Sengupta: What was the best film that came out of that phase?

Ram Gopal Varma: If you ask from my productions? Nothing.

Anuradha Sengupta: Not even a single one?

Ram Gopal Varma: No. See some might have worked like Ab Tak Chappan but I think it could have been done in a far better way. I wasn’t happy with that project either.

Anuradha Sengupta: Do the people who have got their first break by you, get annoyed when they hear statements like this?

Ram Gopal Varma: By making these statements I am only being critical of their work.

I am critical of myself as well. Eventually if I’m making the film, endorsing it and taking responsibility for it not doing well, I have every right to say what I think about the film.

Please read the interview here (you can actually see it as well)

This guy is really being straight forward, and looks like we may not get movies of other generes from him. But yet, he is right. He lives his life for himself.

I loved the following part of the interview, though it is debatable.

Anuradha Sengupta: You have said that when you look at strong, powerful men the way they are, you feel attracted and inspired. Today as the filmmaker, director and producer that you are, do you feel powerful?

Ram Gopal Varma: I am very strong and powerful. Being strong and powerful to me is to be able to get up in the morning and doing what you want to do.

As long as I can remember I have always done what I have wanted to do in life. No one including myself can stop me from doing what I have wanted to do. What more can I ask for?

Yeah.. What more can anyone ask for ?

BTW, Anuradha Sengupta - the interviewer was terrific, in terms of spontaneous and sensible questions. Keep the show rolling.

Koyil illadha Ooril...

My saturday habit gets ruined if im in Mumbai. Very hard to find a temple in Colaba. Atleast not as easy as you can find a Family Restaurant and Bar.

Indha makkalukku Bhakthiye varaadha ?

10 A starts with 100 Es

Dasavatharam shooting beginsd with 100 Elephants. This would be the introduction scene for Kamal. And they are spending 8 crores for this scene that runs for 3 minutes. Another Kalaippuli Dhaanu in the making. :)

Adangokka makka ! Idhellam remba over !

BTW, can you guess what Kamal is holding in his hand ?

Dasavatharam is spotted in the city and all Kamal fans are rejoicing the poster.

Vettaiyadu Vilaiyaadu is up for August 25th. Im not believing this one.

There are news leaks about Kamalhaasan and Charan making a new movie (is that titled Marma Yogi ?).

Avyukta Bundle

There are two PCs that I have intimate relationships with. 73DJC1s at office and Avyukta at home. Both these PCs are loaded with applications that are of comfort to me. But, whenever Iam out on someone else's PC, I get lost in the uncomfort zone. I get a feeling that I couldnt do something without the software that I use, and my mind refuses to use the Alternative Software available. For instance, Firefox(infact along with some of the extensions). Having used to it for long, I hate when I see multiple windows getting open. So, If my work on the PC is more than a few hours, I just download and install it before I do anything else.

Similarly I cant digest when i play music on Windows Media player. I need Winamp to survive. So thats another application I download and use. In specific, I also download the MMD3 skin.

I am not used to Notepad. I use Key Note. This is a neat notepad like scrapbook that gets autosaved. So, whenever I press Ctrl+C, I miss Key Note very much if it is not there. So, thats another download.

Google Talk is more comfortable than the GMail Talk. I somehow prefer that. So, Adi oru download.

And there are more comfort-applications that I wish to download, each time I sit on a Alien system. I wish I have my own setup file, which on download and install, would install all my applications of my desire on a single click.

Is there a way I can make a setup of setups ? Installshield or something ? Let me know if you know how you can do it.

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Happy Birthday Avyukta ! (Happy Janmashtami !)

Independance Day

Dear Media and People,

From this Independance Day, stop thinking innovatively about ways to celebrate this day. Too much of artificial patrotism isnt looking good.

Podhum ! Nothing to get emotional about it. Watch what our President has to say. Watch the Parade. And just dont get too much in, and watch Vijay and Thrisha.

Another day - Madras Day coming up and Chennai people are getting crazy about it.

Ennamo Ponga !

Have they succeeded ? There's fear here in Mumbai !

Fly Kingfisher !

Back in Mumbai, and how happy am I to see Mumbai on Al Qaeda targetting this city. Cops and Guns everywhere, and Security checks in my office entrance has increased to a greater extent.

Iam not really bothered. I am eagerly waiting for next Sunday to fly back on the Kingfisher. My company, for a change booked Kingfisher on my current Mumbai trip, and I thought I would miss the Jet Airways care and affection. NO !

Kingfisher services (may be a marketting strategy for a limited time.. but this one's good) include picking up your baggage from the entrance. Bell boys take your luggages, the moment you show a Kingfisher ticket, and take you to the Check-In. Not many Kingfisher counters, and so Indian Airline counters had been invaded.

Get into the neat plane, welcomed by RED-Airhostesses with a bright smile. This part of Kingfisher, most people would feel the difference. All seats have a TV at the back. I thought this was just another gimmick.. but it was really useful, when they gave a welcome kit, with a ear-phone (A very poor quality earphone.. loose contacts). No torturing Abhinayams in the name of Secrity exercises. Instead, Yana Gupta flashes on the screen, and gives Safety Instructions. Novel Idea.

Having used to Taj food with Jet Airways, Kingfisher food was very inferior comparatively. For a small Chennai Mumbai trip, i really wouldnt mind it. The television comes with 15 channels, including NDTV, Sahara One, TEN Sports and few other video and Music channels. Most importantly, there's a facility to track the planes directions and speed. Well, we got absolutely nothing to do with that data.. but you can show a mild shock when you see the plane zzzwwwing into 180 KMPH from 30 KMPH in a matter of seconds.

On the whole, Kingfisher can be a very strong competitor to Jet Airways if they could sustain the care and increase the food quality.. (Did I tell you, the leg space was very good on the economy class even) !