A twirl and a swirl

A twirl and a swirl,
Then a swirl and a twirl
Tell me Alice, at the end
Does the twirl become a swirl
And a swirl a twirl?

Last Thanksgiving Trip

As I was digging through some old mails, I came across mails sent before last thanksgiving holiday. Some of us friends did a 4 day trip through the following loop. It was tiring but loads of fun. I don't know if we'd all get to do it together again! Here's to all past trips and fun times!
PS: I'm staying back in Never Land this year - Enjoying home for a while! What are your thanksgiving plans?

Collective power

Still among the best ads I've seen - shows what collective power can do.

It clearly portrays how the different factions of the society act. Small things like the sleeping policemen, the politician who only worries about himself, the girl in the auto complaining about the state of affairs, the guy in the car going out to help after admonishing looks from his wife all lend a subtle touch of realism. And, the expressions of the small boy to each of this - chanceless!

But the use of the rains, though appropriate, is a bit over the top. Maybe, we've gotten so used to this technique that it has become a cliche and hence is not giving the full intended effect. They're surely beating it to death!

Election Time

It's election time in US for the senate and house. We've been inundated with ads and informercials about the candidate and party. I couldn't help comparing it with the election propaganda in India. But that is another story for another day! 

Here's a cool site that helps voters decide whom to vote for: Vote Smart. This site lets people see which candidate most aligns with their opinions and political stances. I wish we had something similar in India too. That would help people decide based on the representatives and not go by just the party. Do you think this idea would succeed in India?

Finally, fall!

Fall is here finally!

The leaves are turning golden yellow with some turning deep red while others turn a Hokie orange. The combined effort is worth the chilly mornings and dewy cars that I have to clean up before I start to work. How I wish I had my camera (I lost it at Dubai while in transit from here to home) to capture the glory of it all! Every day drive is a pleasure now (more than at other times) and I've started taking a round about route to work just to see the trees there. My campus is very pretty with trees arching in yellows and reds and getting to work early means you have the road all to yourself. Also, there is a set of hedges in the parking lot that have turned a deep red while all others remain green. I catch myself imagining how the entire mosaic would look like when seen from the sky. It sure would be pretty!

However, the nights come early too and by the time I reach home, the lights have faded. My roommates and I have stopped our evening walks (we did it during summer time when we had sunlight till 8 pm) and have resorted to watching movies instead. We watch a mix of Hindi and English movies. That, with cooking and cleaning up and general chatting, fills evenings and nights! Not that I'm complaining but I do miss the sun and walk part of it! We are thinking of morning walks (which never work because of our varied schedules) but the chilly mornings tempt one to snuggle into the comforter instead of braving the cold. 

This is my fourth fall season and though I've seen it many times, it still does take my breath away to see a tree perfectly red on one half and totally green on the other side. I have a favorite tree that I compare every day to its previous day shade and it never fails to amaze me how much changes over a few days. Also, if you are in US and are thinking about a special place for seeing fall colors, the Blueridge Parkway is the place to go. I've not seen a more colorful place in fall, in all its glory and splendor! Every time you drive by, Nature shows a different visage and you feel as if you've never been at that place before. And, that is what I call a cure to eternal boredom!! :) 

Perceptions

Perceptions change at the most unexpected of events; today was one such day. I had a normal day with work and got back home after discussions. Then came K's call: that one call changed priorities and made me appreciate life and think about what-if scenarios which were all less-than-good than what is happening now. Truly, God knows to give what we need rather than what we want.  Though sometimes the medicine is bitter, swallowing it is the best thing we can do.

For the past few months, I've gotten into a ok-now-then-what mood which, by itself, is not too bad but combined with elements like impatience, is dangerous to handle. This has been a great time to figure things out and I'm glad for it(had you asked me a few hours back, I'd have totally cribbed! And now I'm grateful for life and its choices!). Life throws so many curve balls and I saw a teeny-tiny one today that has led to subtle shifts.

On a different note, looking back at my blog, I don't seem to be writing a lot nowadays. I'm not promising to belt out posts but lets see if I can capture daily life onto these pages. Should be interesting!

Yaarellam varanga?

[Disclaimer: Ulagathula Aarayiram kodi makkal irukaanga... avangala, rendu per ivanga. So, reel real ellam kalandhu vandhadhu idhu. So, reelaa realaanellam overaa yosichu time waste pannama olunga comment panni idhu epdi irukunu sollunga!]

Pattu and Kittu were friends in Cheppur. They did most things together. Here is a leaf out of their life book.
[A few years back]
Kittu: Pattu, namma naalaikku hike porom.
Pattu: Oh ok! Yaarellam varanga?
Kittu: X vara, Y varaan, blah blah blah blah...
Pattu: Seri seri ok! Namma polaam.

[A week later]
Pattu: Kittu, namma movie polaama?
Kittu: Ok!
Pattu: I'll call X,Y, blah blah....
Kittu: Ok!

[A year later]
Kittu: Pattu! Padam porom
Pattu: Oh ok! yaarellam varanga?
Kittu: Enna padam theriya vendaama? yaarellam varanganu therinja porumaa?
Pattu: Nee epdiyum nalla movie thaan choose pannuva! And naan epdiyum unnoda thaan vara poren. Eppo naalum, enga naalum. Athaan asking other questions.
Kittu: Eppovum adhe kelviyaa?

[A week after that]
Pattu: Kittu! Namma theme park polaam
Kittu: Ok!
Pattu: We are going on ... and other details blah blah blah
Kittu: Ok!
Pattu: Acho! Yaarellam varanganu ketka maatiyaa? X vara, Y varaan, blah blah...
Kittu: Questionum neeyae kettu answerum neeye panra. Very good!
Pattu: Worshtu po! Unakku lifela idhae question thaan vara porathu. Neeyum appo ellam enna nenaika thaan pora!
Kittu: Ha ha ha.No way! (Chitti V 2.0 rangela oru villathanamaana sirippu)

[A few years later]
Kittu: Namma innaiku padam porom
Kittu's wife: Seri... yaarellam varanga?
Kittu: En ellarum idhe ketkareenga?? [and thunks himself]

[A few years after that]
Kittu: Namma innaiku park pogalaam
Chintu (Kittu's kid): Ok pa! yaarellam pa varanga?
Kittu: !!!

[In the end, we see Kittu singing "Andha naal nyabagam vandhadhe nenjilae... "]

Eggshell walk

Pretty are the eggshells

But they are still eggshells

Be careful when you walk around them

Coz you might break some and wish you hadn't

It all requires an intricate dance
To keep the world intact

It takes a hop and halt
For the sunny yellow egg
A quick ballet
For the gorgeous green one
A twist and turn
For the pretty pink one
But what move do you use
For the ruby red one?

That is a hard one
For it requires not only
A twist, a turn and a ballet
But also a triple point shoot
To make sure you go right thru
The basket called life!

Finally, some Indian cities!

I'm always interested in comparing how the costs would be for regular items and activities in different cities. So far, I've only come across apps that are US-centric. Finally, I found a website that includes pretty much all the big cities in India with reasonably accurate data. Check out Expatistan. This lead to some interesting discoveries. For example, did you know that Chennai was cheaper than Coimbatore and Bangalore cheaper than Chennai? It was funny to see that Big Mac meal (I'm assuming they mean the happy meals that you get in McDonalds) was costlier in India than in US. Talk about following the west at any cost, ha ha!

Quarter cutting and Boss A Baskaran

Recently I came across two movie trailers that had me expecting the movies themselves: Adhuvum, tamil movie... been a long time since that happened for comedy movies!

First, Quarter Cutting - looks interesting. I've already seen the Tamil Padam by the same team. And it was really good. So waiting for this one eagerly.
En favorite was "Naan Sura da" :D :D


Second, Boss (A) Baskaran - Most of Arya's movies that I've seen are serious ones. This is his first attempt at proper comedy (or atleast that is what the trailer shows).


Paapom epdi porathunu!

The Road Not Taken!

She plodded on,
Onward and Upward
Creating a new path
Despite the tumbles

"This hard work would help
The Voice would become better
There'd be a new path
That'd be my work"

She thought hard
She thought long
And took this path
The new, hard path.

She failed to realize
The Voice was failing
That this work sapped
Its remaining strength

For now, the Voice needed
Not tough love but touch love
Not needles but nourishment
Not revolutions but recuperation

A rejuvenation to its former self
A restoration to its former glory
A replenishment of its former strength
The strength that was the Voice's and its alone

She realized it midway,
And looked frantically to the elixir
She looked with disappointment
At the uncompleted new way

Though she was sure
About the new way's need
She wasn't sure (if)
Her work was to satisfy that need

Her loyalties to the Voice,
She searched for another path
That took her to the elixir
In time to save the Voice

She wandered about
Dragging the Voice along
In the deep dark jungle
That obscured all the paths

She stumbled upon a path
That pointed to the elixir
It strangely looked similar
To a forgotten erstwhile one

"Tis the same, take this one"
The Voice breathed a small whisper
Drew a sharp short breath
And fainted on her bare shoulders

With the weight on her thin shoulders
She thought hard but fast
Decided to take the familiar path
And leave the new one for another day

She wasn't sure if she'd return
Return to finish this work
But she knew she needed new tools
For the game of this path is different

She wasn't even sure (if)
This path took to the elixir
But knew this one (was)
Better than the new one.

What surprises Fate has
She has no idea
Nor does she understand
Why she had to create the new path

All she knows is
To keep the Voice alive
She needs to be here and now
And move onward and upward.

Lets wish her good luck
And Godspeed in her work
To reach the elixir soon
To get the Voice again!

August already!!

Phew! Time seems to have flown this summer with the last two months just whizzing by. On the first day of August, I was lying on my bed that morning when I thought "Today is Aug 1... and that means just 5 more months for 2010 to be OVER, like INFINITELY over". And that scared me because that means we have lesser time to make more memories this year. Does that ring a bell with any of you??

Now that we are in August, its time to do a resolution look back post on my book reading resolution that I set for myself. I should say that the librarian has become my new best friend. Also, starting now, I'm thinking of doing a point system for the books I read (something like IMDB). I have my personal rating system there as well (more on that in a later post) and thought it would be better to have a similar one for the books too, based on how likely I am to read that book again. Other factors in that rating would be how likely I'd recommend it, who would I recommend it to (just my friends, or my age group, or everyone in this world!) and how likely I'll own it (I have a stringent system for buying books. I don't buy a book unless I think I'll read and reread and reread and ....  you get the idea! This is the result of moving three times and I don't care about lugging books unless I really care about them. I'd rather have five books that I read and reread and depend on library for the rest to lugging a thousand books and not reading them - your idea of buying books might be different. So feel free to take this part of the rating with a pinch of salt). Here goes the rating system:

10 - This book would be with me always, in every place I live and would definitely own it. (Eg: Naintha Ullam, Anne of Green Gables)
9 - I would totally recommend this and would love to curl up with this one. Probably would own a copy. (Eg: Harry Potter books, Ponniyin Selvan)
8 - Really good, I'd recommend it for most people but not good enough for me to own it (Eg: Da Vinci Code)
7 - Good with a different perspective. Recommend it for certain people who I think can handle such perspectives. (Eg: Push)
6 - Ok for a one-time good read. Please don't buy it until you read it once and like that genre/author/story. (Eg: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
5 - Ok... read it if you are looking for some book to read. Don't buy unless you really like the author/story (Eg: Plum books)
4 - Ok... if you are really wanting to read one and can't find a better one. I don't think people would own these books; they are more library-ish or lending library-ish.
3 - I wouldn't suggest it to anyone, but you can read it if you want to. You've been fairly warned!
2 - I'm thunking myself for wasting time reading this book. (Eg: some of the trash books I've read)
1 - Why, oh why, did the author waste his time, the publisher's time and countless readers' time in making this book? (Eg: frankly, I've not read any that hits this low... but I might surprise myself sometime!! So, this is the catch all bucket!!)

From my experience, most of the books would fall between 4 to 7 and I think it would take months for a book to join 9 and 10. I hope I don't ever hit 1 or 2 - might be because I read books that are recommended by family/friends or by popular sites. Lets see!

Disclaimer: I do realize that, unlike movies where you can get a common consensus about a movie, books are more personal and the reader's imagination and previous experiences play a huge part in making a book likable or not. But with the books list exploding, it's getting harder for me to remember the story line and the exact emotion the book stirred in me. For them to happen, I should give more time between two books to let a book settle on me. For, again unlike movies where you can immediately get an emotional response, books need to settle into daily lives to bring out an impact. With reading so many books, I don't let enough time go by between books to do full justice to them to settle down. But that said, with so much information bombarding us every day, it would be hard for anyone to give days to ponder on each and every book they read. Taking all these into account, this rating is very personalized to my views. Take this rating as a general review if you are thinking to read one of the books on the list but don't expect it to be the 'be all and end all' of book review ratings.

PS: I wish there was one stop shop for rating books. I do know that there are different services like GoodReads (this is by far the best I've liked), Shelfari, LibraryThing, etc. but I prefer something like the IMDB that combines books, the author infos, reviews and other interesting titbits. I'm sure people would switch to it, pronto! Is anyone out there listening?

தேவைகள் தேவைப்படுகின்றன

தேவையற்றது தேவையாகும் போது
தேவையானது தேவையற்றதாகி விடுகிறது
தேவைகள் தேவைபடுபவயாகவே இருத்தல் வேண்டும்
இல்லையெனில்
வாழ்க்கை தேவையற்றதாகி விடும்

Home - really good!

One of the best and most disturbing videos I've seen in recent past. I'd strongly recommend everyone to click through this link. Though embedding is disabled and the video is long, its well worth our time to even become aware of the extent of this issue.

I'm sure everyone knows about this issue (one of the most popular topics ever since I was in grade school) but the extent of impact, that is where this video scores. Lets do our bit to spreading it! Do share it with your friends and family as well to increase awareness.

Happy bday Daddy!

Dear Dad,

             I wrote about you three years ago and each word of it is still so true. You've proved it even more. Though I'm thousands of miles away from you and we get to talk only a few minutes every week, you still stand tall as my hero, the one person who I wish to imitate in every single thing, the one person for whom I want the world to be perfect. You still remain the "better than the best" dad in the whole universe. As I travel further in this world, meet more people and get more experiences, I see how well that title suits you :)  From being a parent to being a friend and confidante, I'm yet to see anyone who handles all with so much ease, so much elan as you do. Though miles away, I still imagine that I hold your hand when I cross some place difficult and the world again becomes easy to navigate.

           As A and I cross into adulthood, it becomes more apparent as to how difficult your job was and how well you've done it. We are lucky to stand on the shoulders of a giant, cradled by the love that still beats strong as it arcs across the entire world and soothed by the knowledge that wherever we are, we are still your daughters, your princesses for whom you made a magic world come true, a world that had the right amount of everything that a person can ask for. When the world turns dark and gloomy at times, I remember to take a leaf from your experiences and wisdom and hey presto! the world becomes fair and square, sunny and bright immediately. The support and faith you've shown in us, its mind blowing and hope we live up to your expectations and dreams. When I get treated as your daughter even thousands of miles away, I am humbled by the number of lives you've changed by your thoughts and deeds over these years.

            In the past three years, I've moved from the world I knew to a totally new one with completely different experiences. Through all that, one of the few things that has remained constant is the surety of your love and belief in my abilities even when I have doubted them, through all the trying and turbulent times. For all that and many more, thanks a ton! The journey so far has been beyond words and I'm sure Lady Future has more fun experiences in stock for you. And you, with your usual way of handling things, would add life and laughter to each of those experiences and show the world how they should be lived, making both the traditionalists and the modernists happy at the same time. Here's raising glasses to you and a happy year, a year filled with all your wishes coming true! And more memorable times together!! 

Happy bday Daddy! 

கண்ணும் காட்சியும்

கண்ணில் காட்சி தோன்றி விட்டால்
கற்பனை தீர்ந்து விடும்
கண்ணில் தோன்றா காட்சியில் தான்
கற்பனை வளர்ந்து விடும்

A sad day for speed-driving!

The first thing I see today morning is a link to an article that one of my friends forwarded. It was titled "As sure as night follows day, you are going to get a traffic ticket soon". Uh-oh! Not a good start at all... It looked like something B would say! But the mail was not from him. And I digged in. Before we go on, here is some background on my driving. I'm generally a safe but fast driver. I tend to think that if the driver and the car can handle it, then going faster is not wrong as long as you follow all the rules (excepting the speed limit rule of course!). Though I do drive fast, I always always follow the rules (especially the ones that are necessary/important). Never would you see me jumping a red light or do violent/crazy driving. Sure, I sometimes hit the pedal and do some zip zap zooming but all in such a way that the car is under my complete control. Almost all of my friends know it and I get teased for the fast driving now and then. 

Ever since one of my friends got his ticket, I've been tagged as "The next person in the group to get a ticket". Its even been predicted that I'll just surpass the officer's expectations and go to jail for speeding instead of getting measly tickets (oh God! no!!). And, as days went by, I kept hearing more and more stories of how someone got a ticket. Just the last weekend (yup! Memorial day weekend), a total of ten people that I knew got tickets (one of it was my friend's brother who was visiting - for not wearing seat belts in the back seat! Heights!!). And most were surprised that I hadn't gotten one. 

Now, me, wanting to hold on to non-ticketed state and not wanting the hassles of being ticketed (read: being a lazy bum), started following all the rules religiously (including doing a full stop before turning a right on red, B). Though this has toned down my driving considerably, it has also taken the fun out of driving. I miss the zip zap zooming and am afraid to actually take the highways for long drives for fear of just pressing on (and getting tickets).

According to me, the one thing that differentiates good drivers from great drivers is being able to drive safe AND fast. As far as I know, only a few people go on to become great drivers. Even among my friends, I am not comfortable with everyone's driving. Sure, I trust their driving. But not enough to sleep off in the car! I'm ever on alert mode to make sure things are fine. Sadly, that makes me a very light sleeper during car travels (either very short periods of sleep or longer periods of very very light sleep). So, naturally, I want to be one of the great drivers I know. I know I drive safely (read: don't do anything stupid, take calculated risks, handle situations without any issues, etc) but as for driving fast, I guess I'll have to stop that soon. And be stuck in the good drivers list for some time! Ugh! 

PS: I'm seriously considering not doing long drives/not using my car much AND/OR a trip to Germany (just for beloved Autobahn).

PPS: I'm also thinking of getting a GPS with the speed option on and training myself to drive looking at the GPS instead of the speedometer of my car. We should rather have the GPS speed-check in place of the speedometer. Oh bother!

வானவில் பெண்

வானவில்லின் துண்டொன்று மண்ணில் வந்து 
யாருக்கும்
சொல்லாமல்
பெண்ணானதோ?

The Middle path

Undecided she was
Under an Alpine tree
Dreams or Trust?
Doth the question

She stood a long time
Deep in thought
She wanted both
Dreams and Trust

Yes! She was selfish
In wanting both
Yet she was ready
In giving up other stuff
To get the path she wanted
To realize the dream
To rejuvenate herself
To reclaim the prize!

She started walking in the middle
With the Voice looking on
She forged a way through the middle
With the Voice cheering on

She was treading the road not created
She was creating that read
She was making something live
Sheer will power, I should say!

She came across a chasm on her path,
In dire need of a bridge
A bridge of sweat, honor and phoenix feathers,
Cemented by solitude
This bridge was needed for all
To cross the chasm and claim the prize
This bridge was her dedication to Voice
To gain the elixir for her Voice!

Is middle class going into a crisis?

I strongly believe that to improve something, the first step is to analyze it. And what is the easier than analyzing numbers, through finance and economics? It might have come from my mom, a Commerce prof herself. But I think numbers tell a magic story, for those that are ready to hear it. I don't claim to hear all of what numbers say, but sometimes try to listen to swatches of it every now and then. The following video does a comparison of middle class in US, then and now. And the facts are quite scary! Not that we can do much about it but we can try to do our best - for if not for that, what else is life?

P.S.: I'd love to see some similar studies on classes in India. Do we have any?