New year wishes!!

This is a forward sent by one of my friends. She has captured it well in a few words. Here it is:

2007.....a year to cherish.....
2007 was when........
we wrote our last B.E. paper.........
we passed out of college....
we made new amazing friends.....
some of us moved to a new city.....
some of us celebrated our 22nd birthdays.....
we waved good bye to our buddies leaving to the states for higher studies...
some of us fell in love........
some of us got married......
some of us fell out of love....
some of us got hurt...

2007 was when....
we would have made mistakes...
we made life decisions.......
these decisions turned out to be a tragedy...
some of us felt lonely ....
some of us made an amazing friends in a new city...
some of us would have learned to be stronger.....
some of us would have realized that everything happens for a reason.....
some of us let out our anger.....
some of us never opened up to our friends about how we felt....
some of us felt so glad and happy to be the way they are.....
we go out everyday and meet up with our friends...
we had serious talks with our dad about our future.....
we missed each other when we were at hometown....
we missed our mom here...
we cried for each other...
we celebrated our first Christmas with our friends...
we were jobless all the time in office...
we walked around the streets late in the night....
we put budget for the next month (but strictly not following it)

Last year has taken us through all our ups and downs we faced in our life...

2008.......one more year .....a year to....
To find our life partner (might be)... :)
to smile........
to let people know how much u care...
to learn from our mistakes.......
to cry when we are feeling down.....
to follow our dreams.......
to fight against everything for our dreams to come true.....
to be more confident.........
to be more strong at heart and mind.....
to enrich our knowledge.........
to make others happy....

Lets take each day as it comes........
Forget about the downs we came across in the past year........
And remember every lesson we learned through them........
Lets Enjoy Life to The Fullest............
Lets Be thankful for every day.....
All the Very Best For The Year to Come.....

NEW YEAR WISHES!!

Newyork Nagaram, Pittsburgh Payanam

[For english translation, check the post below]
Enna makkalae, nalla irukeengala? Ennada tamizhla elutharaalaenu paakareengala? Ennatha solrathu, ellam en neram! Nunalum than vaayaal kedum apdingara pazhamozhiku naan thaan best example. Oru friend kitta tamil pathiyum tamil blogging pathiyum pesitu irundhen. Appo, he said, sorry sorry... avan sonnan, tamil blogging kashtamnu. Namma thaan oruthar oru vishayatha sonna, totally opposite vishayathukku support(ithukellam enakku tamil vaartha theriyaathu... Article 178 padi, indha vaartha ellam tamil colloquial languagela mix aayiduchu… athanaala, nadu naduvula English vaartha vandha kandukka koodaathu.. naan enna Kamban parambarainna sonnen… sutha tamil blogging(paarunga paarunga! Ithu kooda English vaartha thaan! Aama, bloggingku aptaana tamil vaartha ennanga?? Yaaruchum therinja sollunga) panrathukku? Etho enakku therinja tamilla eluthi irukken... tamil periyavanga periya manasu panni mannikanum!!) panni pesuvomla! Adhula vandha venai... ungalukku micha story sollanumaa? Avan enna oru tamil blog elutha solli challenge panna, naanum atha othukka, adhula vandhadhu thaan indha post(indha thabaal???? Indha postum andha postum vera thaan.. aana, post na thabaal thaana?? Ippadikku Kelvinayagam :D (ellam namma maruthanaayagam effect :) ) En naakula Saturn sutharaar!! Adhula vandha venai idhu!

Ok! Topic ku povom! Aruthathu pothum alpine nu neenga katharathu en kaathula ketkuthu.. Indha vaaram, naan enga oorla irundhu, Newyork pona kathaiyum, anga irundhu pittsburg pona kathaiyum solren. Newyork pora idea rendu maasamaavae irundhadhu... Aana ticket thaan vaangala(yaaravathu kooda car ride pogalaam, illa train/bus try pannalaamnu oru idea... inga vandhu flightla poi poi aluthu pochu.. seri, seri... scene ellam podaratha niruthikaren... aana, adhukku serthu pattuten.. next time, olunga naanga ticket edupomla!)... winter break pakkathula vara vara veetla ore pressure.. epdi newyork pogarenu... naan enna newyork mayoraa? Ellathayum muthalayae plan panni security ellam tharathukku? So, kadaisi naal varaikkum enakku enna date, enna timela poga porennu theriyala. Yaar kooda poga porennum theriyala. Finally, oru friend kooda car ride panni Washington vandhu, anga S kooda oru car chase panni, train(Amtrak) pudichu, ticketa vaangi(adhuvum anga vandhu walk-in ticket thaan vaanginen! Naanga gethulla!!) vandhu trainla utkaandhaa.... Oru seat number kooda ticketla illa! Aana, trainla ellamae seat number padi thaan irundhadhu. Train kelamba innum pathu nimisham thaan irukku! Already car chasela naan oru trainna vittuten.. indha train poi seravae 12.30 am(aamanga, nadu raathri 12.30 thaan!) aagum. Adutha train, 3 am ku thaan poi serum. En uncle enna washingtonlayae kuppa kotta solliduvaar, kaduppula! Enna da ithu vambaa pochunu paatha, en oru carry on bag(adhu plastic bag!) vera piyyara nelama! Aprom, oru vazhiyaa kettu seatla utkaandha, phone mela phone! Ellam namma friends and cousins thaan! NY poitenna illayaanu paaka!! Ovvoru callum return panni konjam kadalai pottu, seri erangalaamnu paartha train half an hour late! Paavam en uncle! Andha kulirla arai mani neram wait pannar. Aprom, veetukku poi, three days, nalla saaptu thoongi games aadi kalichutten(rest edukattumnu auntyum uncleum oru velaiyum panna vidala! Naan onnum vetti murikalanu enakku thaana theriyum!! Aanaalum, nalla thoonga chance kedaichathaala naanum vittuten(oru vaarama, exams, partyingnu daily two three hours thaan thoonginen! So, caught up on sleep))

Aprom, rendu friendsoda, I went to NY city(S & S). Anga, first shopping thaan panninen! Macy’s, H & M’s, Tiffany’s, Saks.... onnum vittu vaikala! Koodavae, Times square, Madison Square, Rockfeller centre, anga summa irukkaama ice skating oru mani neram, Christmas decorations, konjam photos ellam pannen! Aprom, next day, NY pass vaangittu, we went to downtown NY, Greenwich village, SoHo, Little Italy, Chinatown, NY College of Arts, Statue of Liberty(Oru awe-inspiring vishayam adhu.. vera postla atha pathi solren), Ellis Island, Ground Zero(namma World Trade Centre irundhadhae, adhu thaan), Wall Street, sila pala church gal, ellam... aprom, anga oru caricature vaanginen(ennoda caricature thaan). Adhula thaan naanum NY ponenrathukku oru indelible mark nadanthadhu.. perusa onnum illa... en wallet tholanju pochu!! Enga pochu epdi pochu onnum theriyala! Aprom, avasara avasaramaa ella cardum cancel panninen(Wachovia kaaran uyira vaangitaan! Naanae card tholainja tensionla irundha, appo thaan oru vandi promotional message tharaan! Eriyara neruppula ennaiya vitta maathiri!! Avanukku irukku, naan oorukku ponathum!). Aana, en ID cards, en drivers’ licenses(indha oor, andha oor ellam thaan), en pendrive, konjam kaasu, sila pala nyaabakaarthamaana vishayangal, etc etc ellam pochu.. Oru pakkam varutham, innoru pakkam “seri, puthu varushathulla ellam puthusaa aarambikka thaan pola irukku” apdinu oru nenaippu(talk of the eternal optimist!!), innoru pakkam veetla enna solvaangalonnu oru chinna bayam(enna en kitta 10 paisa, sorry sorry, 10 cent kooda illa, oru id card kooda illa… aprom, bayapadaama, ‘vaama Jansi Rani’na solvaanga ?) Nalla vela, en kooda friends irundhaanga ! vandhu train ethi vittu konjam kaasum kuduthu, anuppi vachanga. Enga plan, anaikku, brooklyn porathu... aana, indha kalaebarathula, naan mood out aagi, veetukku pona pothumnu decide panniten! So, second day nalla kolandhaiyaa I came home at 7 pm.

Third day, aunty kita oru puthu walletum uncle kita kaasum vaangitu, again NY ponen (namma, Gajini Mohammedu fan illa! Thirumba thirumba padai yeduppomla!) That day, Madame Tussauds(namma Gandhi thaathaavoda, Lincoln maamaavoda ellam photo eduthen), Ripley’s Believe it or Not!(ellarum poga vendiya edam ithu), American Natural History Museum(sakkaiyaa irukku! Ore oru periya balla vachuttu, oru universayae kann munnadi kondu vandhutaanga! KD, nee paarka vendiya edam ithu!), Central Park, Empire State building(ithu thaan highlight of the NY trip!), ella broadway theatres, avenues, broadway, main streets, ellam paarthen. Ithula, S ku night time NYa empire state buildingla irundhu paarkanum oru aasai! Seri, athayum pannuvomaenu wait panni, paarthuttu vandhom. Weekendkarathaala, train frequency kammi. Ithula oru train vera miss panniten. Veetukku poga 11.30 pm aayiduchu. En uncleum auntyum thaan konjam tension aayitaanga(ennada iva! Oru naal, 12.30ku varaa, innoru naal seekiram vara, aana oru vandi shopping panni irukka, innoru naalum seekiram varaa, aana pursayae tholachutta, seri kadaisi naal endha prachainaiyum illama varuvaanu paartha(en kitta thaan neraya selavu panna kaaso credit cardo illayae!), ivlo lateaa varaa nu nenaichirupaanga!) Aana, romba nallavanga! Onnumae sollala! Romba cool aunty and uncle!! En cousins thaan kindal adichu gaali pannitaanga! :)

Aprom, rendu naal rest eduthuttu, we went to a Christmas party! Anga, night ellam enjoy pannittu(ada, veetla ellarum thaan), morning Pittsburg ponom! Naan vanla thoongitae ponen! Epdi thaan auntyum uncleum thoongaamayae vandhaangalo, theriyala! Naanum, D(ava, Ms.Cornell :) )yum thoongarathula pottiyae potom. Finally, we reached Pittsburg, went to the temples, downtown Pittsburg, incline trip, some sightseeing through the view points, etc. Then there were some dances, introductions, etc.(en uncleoda friends ellarum vandhurundhaanga). We slept at 1 am. Marubadiyum morningla, Phipps observatory (super glass pieces and plants!!), Cathedral of learning, CMU, University of Pittsburg, River Cruise, Heinz stadium, shopping(anga poiyum vittu vaikala!), Celebration of Lights(adha paaka kodi kann venum! Avlo cuteaa irundhadhu), some more dancing, introductions ellam panninom. Next day, one more temple visit, aprom dosa fest(aha! Dosai smell innum kannlaiyae... sorry, sorry, mokklayae irukku) ellam mudichuttu back to NY. Adhuvum thoongiyae thaandinen. Aprom veetukku vandhu, avasara avasaramaa, pack panni, next day flight pidichu, ippo Chicago airportla utkaandhu indha posta thattitu irukken! Ippo, akka veetukku poga poren! Adhu innoru periya kathaiyaa irukkum! Vera postla solren. Adhu varaikkum, ellarum nalla New yeara celebrate panni enjoy pannunga! Puthu varushathula paapom! Vartaaa?????

Newyork Nagaram, Pittsburgh Payanam( Newyork City and Pittsburgh Journey)

[Tanglish version, look up]
Hi, how is everyone? I know most of you would be surprised when you see a post in Tanglish(a mix of Tamil and English). All this is a result of a challenge that I had with a friend of mine who said that blogging in tamil is very difficult. Since I belong to the category of people who is constantly looking for debates and hence always talking for or against a topic, I said that it wasn’t difficult and that loads of people did it anyways. He immediately challenged me to write a tamil post and hence the above experiment. I used to write tamil stories and poems when in school. However, since I took French in high school, I lost touch with tamil and college was no better. So, this came as a refreshing change where I could revive my tamil writing skills. However, I had to mix some English words in my post. Goes to show how much English has permeated other languages’ use. Heck! I’ve used tamil for nearly all my life and still I can’t write a post purely in tamil. Though I could try, I would surely not be able to write one telling about contemporary life. I could try writing a pure-tamil post about some abstract topic. Yeah! Come to think of it, I can. Lets just hope that I do that(among other numerous topics) in the coming year.

Ok! Coming to the topic, this post is mostly about my sojourns in New York and travel to Pittsburg. I’ve been thinking of going to NY for Christmas for the past two months. However, I was thinking of going along with a friend in a car or try out the train/bus options. I was basically too tired of flying(as my trips in US so far have been by flight, simply because I don’t own a car and all the places that I’ve gone to make more sense and save more time if I go by flight. I’m sure I’m going to be totally tired of airports and airplanes when I get back to my home country). As December came closer, my parents were worried about my travel plans(my dad is usually meticulous about his travel plans, both abroad and otherwise. He sometimes even has a Plan B if something goes awry with Plan A. My mom also prefers knowing when things are going to happen. But I wanted to try something different(G, your suggestion!!)) and here I was, without a ticket or any idea as to when and how I’ll reach NY. Finally, I reached Washington with a friend, did a car chase along with S and caught the Amtrak train. But, to my dismay, I couldn’t figure out the seat number from the train ticket(bought through walk-in at the counter!). And I had just 10 minutes to go for the train to start! Already, I had missed a train because of the tomfoolery I did with my friend. And this train that I was about to take would reach by 12.30 am. If I let this one go and take the next one, I would surely reach only by 3 am and my uncle would be damn mad at me. To add to my distress(what a lovely, tragic word!! Distress!! Don’t you imagine a young girl, all dressed up in white with flowing curls, staring pensively at the fire with clasped hands daintily placed on her lap? Gosh!! If I keep dishing out such stuff, I can very well go on to write 18th century romance novels. I guess it’s the effect of “The Lion’s Lady”. Its pure trash but makes for enjoyable reading if you want to read trash :D), the plastic bag in which I was carrying gifts tore out and I had to do alternate arrangements. In the meantime, I got calls from almost all my friends and cousins asking if I’m making the trip to NY(shows how big a chatterbox I’ve been and how concerned everyone is about me! Should I be sad or happy? Ah! That is the question!) The train was half an hour late and my poor uncle had to stand in the cold waiting for the train(and me!). Then, I went home and ate and slept for three full days(rejuvenating myself from all the work I did, according to my aunt and uncle! Catching up with sleep, according to me! It was the effect of all the exams and end-of-semester parties :P )

After that, I explored NY with two of my friends(S & S). The first day, I did shopping. Went to Macy’s, H & M’s, Tiffany’s, Saks, Times square, Madison Square, Rockfeller centre, etc. There I went ice skating for the first time in my life. It was an awesome experience. The next day, we went to downtown NY, Greenwich village, SoHo, Little Italy, Chinatown, NY College of Arts, Statue of Liberty(it was an awe-inspiring experience. I’ll recount it in another post), Ellis Island, Ground Zero(World Trade Centre site), Wall Street, some churches, etc. I also got a caricature of mine done(I’ve always wanted one of mine ever since I saw one of my cousin’s). There came an indelible mark of me having been in NY.... yeah! I lost my wallet. After half an hour of frantic searching and canceling all the cards, I decided to call it a day and go home. But I lost all my ID cards, some money, my pendrive, some memorabilia collected over my college days and so on. Though I was sad on one side, I also consoled myself saying that it was for the best and that fate gave me a clean slate to begin the new year on (talk of the eternal optimist!!). I was also a bit scared of the choicest words that my mother would say when she hears this news(understandable because I was stranded in the big bad city without a cent or an ID card. The NY police could’ve arrested me had they taken that notion into their heads! Thank God they didn’t and with the help of friends, I reached home sound and safe at 7 pm)

Third day, I got a new purse from my aunt and some money from my uncle and went back to NY( I know, Guts with a big G. Still, it was an awesome experience). That day, we went to Madame Tussauds(I took a photo with all the celebrities I wanted to, my favorites being Mahatma Gandhi and Lincoln), Ripley’s Believe it or Not!(A place where the fact is stranger than fiction. A must-see for anyone going to NY), American Natural History Museum(great place. They use one sphere and use the relativity concept to explain the entire universe. KD, you’d fall in love with this place!), Central Park, Empire State building(highlight of the NY trip!), all broadway theatres, avenues, broadway, main streets, etc. S wanted to see the night time NY from Empire state building. So, we waited for that and saw that awesome sight too. It was a satisfying trip in all. However, since it was a weekend, the trains were less frequent and I missed a train( I know, its becoming a habit! :( ). So, by the time I reached home it was 11.30 pm. My uncle and aunt were very concerned about me. However, they knew that I had had loads of fun and hence were very cool about it. But my cousins teased me to the core :D

The next two days, I went into resting mode and then went to a Christmas party with my uncle’s family. It was party time all night and we went to Pittsburgh the next morning. I slept through the whole journey(I just can’t understand how my uncle and aunt didn’t nod off! Guess its because they are adults... Makes the task of being an adult very daunting! When it comes to sleep, I’m still a kid). Finally, we reached Pittsburgh, went to the temples, downtown Pittsburgh, incline trip, some sightseeing through the view points, etc. Then there were some dances, introductions, etc.(met all my uncle’s friends). We slept at 1 am. The next morning, we went to the Phipps observatory (super glass pieces and plants!!), Cathedral of learning, CMU, University of Pittsburgh, River Cruise, Heinz stadium, shopping, Celebration of Lights(one of the simplest yet most elegant sights I’ve seen) and did some more dancing and introductions. Next day, we went to the temple again followed by a dosa(this is a south Indian delicacy! I miss you, Dosa!) fest. Then, we left to NY again. Once I came back home, I started packing and took a flight the next day to my sister’s place. Now, here I am, typing(penning down??) this post sitting at the Chicago airport. My connecting flight is 3 hours late and I have nothing better to do :) I’m sure that the story would unfold more at my sister’s place because of my two lovely nieces who make every second with them enjoyable. I’ll recount them in the next post. Till then, have a safe and happy journey(if you are traveling like me) and a very happy New Year(try celebrating it in a different manner from the past ones! I’m sure you’ll enjoy it). See you in the new year! Ciao!

Update on Ennama Thozhi!!

I got a comment on the earlier post saying that it was part of a new movie called “Kaalai Pani “. I was immediately eager to check out the full song and I checked the net to listen to it. Though I like the full song too, the shorter version had more punch and soul in it compared to the longer one. This might be because of the music from other instruments accompanying the voice or because of the lyrics that weren’t as sweet as the first verse but I really don’t know. But it is not satisfying enough once you’ve heard the original shorter version. Here are the links to both.
Shorter Version
Longer Version(only the audio)
Do hear them and give me your comments.

Home and away!!

She was moving
She was traveling
A wandering soul to say the least

She was tired
She was weary
A wretched life to say the least

The voice worried
The voice counseled
A thoughtful thought to say the least

She saw the SOL
She saw the island
A place with meaning to say the least

She understood the greatness
She understood the wonder
A magnificent monument to say the least

The voice waited
The voice wondered
A curious position to say the least

She paid homage
She paid tribute
An awe inspiring experience to say the least

She was anchored
She was safe
A homecoming of sorts to say the least

The voice was assured
The voice was at peace
A happy interlude to say the least

Threes and twos

It’s strange what sleeplessness can do to a person. I was caught in a challenge when I was at my sleepiest. This post forms the crux of the challenge. I’m supposed to write about three people I like most and two people I hate most. Since I have a general rule of never giving out names of people, I take the liberty of changing the challenge into the writing about three types of people I like most and two types of people I hate most. G, this change is allowed under the Rule of Challenges, Article 9A. :)

Ok, here goes the list of people I like, sorry, types of people I like(since I’m more familiar with the world of novels, I base the types on various characters in different novels. If there is a formal way of classifying people, do let me know):
1)“Vandhiya Thevan” type: I like this type of people most. For those who have read Ponniyin selvan, the great novel by Kalki, please move on to the next point. For others, dig in. Vandhiya Thevan was a character in the novel and he was street-smart, humorous, righteous and knew where his loyalty lay. Some of my friends are like this character and with them around, time just flies :) However it is becoming rarer to find such people.
2)“John Galt” type: This is the second type of people I like. John Galt was a character in the novel “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand. He is the pinnacle of objectivism and gave me a true taste of work ethics. I’ve seen glimpses of that character in some people I’ve met. But living like John Galt is impossible and is not advisable for the Indian society. Now that I’m in the US of A, I get to see more glimpses of John Galtish behavior.
3)“Michael Scofield” type: This, my friends, is from “Prison Break”(to which I’m currently addicted, as AR put it :)). This is the main character in the series. He comes out as a person who can plan things, execute them under stress and pull out at the right time to give a classy finish. I’m sure everyone would’ve encountered such type of people at some point in life or atleast read about them in the novels. A world favorite example is James Bond. But my favorites are Lord Mountbatten(courtesy “Freedom at Midnight”) and the Greek Heroes.

Now, onto the type of people I hate:
1)Hypocrites: I hate these people to the core. The main reason is, they make me laugh by their ways. I just laugh in their face and have a really hard time explaining what I meant by that laugh. Believe me, that is a hard thing to do with anyone and with hypocrites, it is harder still( K, do you remember the restaurant stuff and how hard I tried(and failed!!) to explain why I laughed? God!! That was a nightmare!). There are a few more reasons to why I hate them. For all of that, look up ‘hypocrites’ in any dictionary. To all the hypocrites out there, get a life!!
2)Liars: Back to class two when we learnt “truth alone triumphs”. I’ve seen that most people don’t give out the truth when asked a direct question. Even worse, they dish out lies easily. Dude, the truth is the truth, no matter where you stand (for or against). So, no one can give a partial truth and a partial lie. Though you may be doing good by telling a white lie now, it would surely come back to hurt in the long run. And in the heart of hearts, people do know when others lie to them. Understandably, there are a few situations when you do not want to tell the truth but are asked about it. In such cases, it is always better to say that you don’t want to say it rather than dish out some untruth. I don’t say that I’m a saint and don’t tell lies at all. I’ve said my share of lies too. But eventually, I’ve come to realize that we are way off better telling the truth rather than covering up something with lies. Believe me, the world has more respect on people who say that they cannot give some information due to some reason rather than the people who readily dish out crap to cover their asses. So, stop lying! Or atleast reduce the frequency!!

Ok! It was easier to write the second list than the first. I guess that is because anyone can easily say what they don’t like than they can say what they like. For example, say we go to a restaurant. We can easily say what dish we DON’T want to eat compared to what dish we WANT to eat. The same goes for shopping too. Come to think of it, it goes for anything at all in life where we have a choice. But it was loads of fun compiling that list. Try it if you would like to. You’ll surprise yourselves with the list that turns up.

PS: The last paragraph was not a part of the original post... just a small observation on my part.

Disclaimer: Though I’ve quoted male characters, I’ve seen the aforementioned traits in both men and women equally, actually more so in women than men. So, it is not a way to glorify men and demean women. It just goes to show that the authors are not doing enough to tell more about the women of the world. Again, my observation strictly!