The Pacific Ocean at its best

Its awesome to have a date with pacific ocean on a warm sunny day...This is what we ended up doing recently.

Pacific ocean is a thing of beauty to watch especially with the sunset. This is one occassion when you feel you were a good photographer capable enough to freeze what is in front of your eyes:-)

An unwanted break!!!

Its been a looong while since i last updated this blog now. Lots n lots of things seem to have gone by and it would have been wonderful had i continued to jot them down... I guess , these are some actions from people like me which are better not explained!

Life hasn't been the same any more....Sooo many changes, all so wonderful. The pen is out now and with all floating things in my mind, these pages should reflect a lot more stuff going forward, or atleast i hope to.:-)

Obama Presidential Campaign - Vote for a Change!

Some Good One Liners

A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small package.

A smart man covers his ass, a wise man leaves his pants on.

After all is said and done, more is said than done.

Alcohol is not the answer, it just makes you forget the question.

Anything good in life is either illegal, immoral or fattening.

Anything you lose automatically doubles in value.

Children in the dark make accidents, but accidents in the dark make children.

If everything seems to be going right, you obviously don't know what the hell is going on.

Awesome Tamil Rap 'Madai Thiranthu'

This is one of the best Tamil Rap songs i have heard till date...Two Thumbs up!!!

The way this video has been shot is also quite interesting, starts of in a barber shop with four people talking about the Illayaraja's song 'Madai Thiranthu' from Nizhalgal and ends with an Kalaignar like voice saying 'Kalai - Manithanaaga pirantha ovvoruvanum alli alli parugavendiya amirthamadaa athu'. The album is called Vallavan and is surely going to be a chartbuster.

My curiosity grew by leaps and bounds to listen to the original sound track 'Madai Thiranthu' after falling for this Remix song...I am now glued onto the original as well!

Short Span Attention Theater...

It took me a while to recognize him...Guess what, tats Jon Stewart 15 years ago hosting a show called Short Span Attention Theater on Comedy Channel...Jon has steadily climbed up the popularity charts and is considered to be the best among current breed of anchors.

Here's the Crossfire episode video below in which Jon appeared...Rather than cracking jokes for what he is known for, he criticized Crossfire and similar shows for partisan hackery and sensationalism.

Part of the transcript from this show...

STEWART: You're doing theater, when you should be doing debate. ... It's not honest. What you do is not honest. What you do is partisan hackery. ... You have a responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably.

CARLSON: You need to get a job at a journalism school, I think.

STEWART: You need to go to one. ... I'm here to confront you, because we need help from the media and they're hurting us. ... I watch your show every day. And it kills me. It's so -- oh, it's so painful to watch, because we need what you do. This is such a great opportunity you have here to actually get politicians off of their marketing and strategy.

CARLSON: Is this really Jon Stewart? What is this, anyway?

STEWART: Yes, it's someone who watches your show and cannot take it anymore.

CARLSON: What's it like to have dinner with you? It must be excruciating. Do you like lecture people like this or do you come over to their house and sit and lecture them they're not doing the right thing, that they're missing their opportunities, evading their responsibilities?

STEWART: If I think they are.


Few weeks later, CNN axed Carlson as well as canceled the show Crossfire.

9066 Internment : Let History better not Repeat itself!

If given a chance to erase some of the doings from US History, Executive Order 9066 would probably be one of them (or)
I am at least inclined to believe it to be this way!

This internment was approved on 19'th Feb, 1942 by Franklin Roosevelt allowing Military commanders to exclude people of Japanese ancestry from California, Washington and Oregon. Its scary to even think of what these Japanese Americans who were citizens had to undergo on this land. More than 120,000 men, women and children were evacuated, confined in isolated, fenced and guarded internment camps!

The only solace to this incident was when Ronald Reagan apologized for this internment on behalf of US Government in 1988. Reagan agreed to the fact that these actions were based on racial prejudice and war hysteria.

My question being, what is the guarantee that History DOES NOT Repeat itself? After all this is the same country that reelected a president who went on war for fuel and had a vice president who almost hunted down his own friend!!!

Madurai Uppu Kandam Chicken kootu...

You know what...Some of the finest dishes have the most simple and basic ingredients is what i seem to realize more and more:-)
I got to have this awesome Chicken dish at Nanda's place and it just blew me off! Hats off to this recipe style and some great cooking by Nanda!

Now to mix n match, this dish can be treated as an spiced version of Mexican 'Sizzling Chicken Fajita' or even the Ethiopian 'Ye Doro Tibs'. Each of these dishes are in a class of its own. Trust me, If you haven't relished on these dishes yet, you don't know how good Chicken can taste!!!

An Old Lal'etan Scene...

Not sure which movie this is from...This is what Lal'etan tells Jagathi in response to Srinivasan to prove he is from states - Funny stuff!

"How many kilometers from washington DC to Miami beach..?"
"ha!ha!ha! I am the answer...Kilometres and Kilometres.. in these days of degenerating decency of Miami beach to Washington DC when diplomacy and duplicity become interchangeable from complicated America to America!!"
"You talk too much...I kick your face and get out...You talking nonsense in the house of my wife mother and father!! Uncle him send out..outhouse..go..go away.."
"Go away stupid....In this house of my wife and daughter, you will not see any minute of the today....
get out house...Erangippodaaa"

Launching Comedy Time!!!

Here is a collection of few good Comedies from Tamil Cinema...Sit back, Relax, Have Fun and Let me know your Inputs on this site!

http://CineComedy.blogspot.com/

Is Ignorance Really a Bliss?

We had a little debate if Ignorance is really a Bliss as we move forward in life... I continue to look at this with amazement.

There have been lot of instances where i wish i could have been a little more ignorant... I would have felt more like a child than like a man and i guess, it helps being a child at times lookin at things in awe and not with words that substantiate every stance!

There are umpteen other instances where i wish i had been a lot less ignorant that could have done a world of good... or does this stem from the belief in my mind tat experiences make a man which in other words mean, exposing yourself to a learning process that makes you more infallible!

Gautham'n Kili SappuChaaram!

Does Kollywood feed the press or Does the press feed Kollywood...I guess its the symbiosis of Press and Kollywood that ends up making you the prey!

Lets Look at the scenario...There is a beautiful movie made in Hollywood called 'Derailed'. Not many get to know of this movie including me and i don't spend a dime to watch it. On my way to India, I do end up watching this movie on Singapore Airlines flight while i casually browse thru' different channels and get completely engrossed in one of the first scenes of this movie. A few years later, a hotshot director from Kollywood gets inspired by this script and makes an Tamil version of this movie. To my surprise, the press is gung ho about this movie and this is what one of the leading cine review websites wrote:

"A seasoned stylist director has come out with an emotional thriller drama that is path breaking and gutsy within the commercial format... This is one of the best films that Kollywood has dished out in recent times. What makes the film so interestingly relevant is the fact that such a tragedy could strike anyone in the pulsating day to day city life."

Inspite of the n different failed attempts to break my mindset tat Kollywood cannot raise above the low standards they have set for themselves, i decide to take a chance once again to be a critic. May be, its not appropriate on my part to expect sooo much from a Kollywood movie. May be, it wasn't appropriate to watch the Original version and then watch the Kollywood version. May be, its just not right to expect Kollywood to change!

My 2 cents, Its a great thing that Kollywood is open enough to experimenting unusual story lines...but to do full justice to such a script, Kollywood needs to Cut -The-Crap as well.

The Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates death battle

This is a real funny animation...You have to ignore the occasional hard language though!

Just Another Day...

This Valentine's Day was supposed to be very very special...After all, I found my soul mate and officially, this is our first V Day together!
However, circumstances haven't been kind enough... I will be spending this day like just another day as i continue to hold my breath for the day my soul mate will b rite next to me!


I don't understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine's Day. When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon.
~Author Unknown

Zeni & Bowling

This Friday nite out was good fun...Zeni seems to be steadily rising on the popularity charts. The wait time today was about 20 odd minutes or more, but it was well worth the wait. We all relished upon the Ye Doro Tibs, Sambusa, Yemisir Wot and everything that was dropped onto our plate:-)

It was bowling time after dinner as we opted out of it last weekend. We managed to get a lane on Homestead bowling alley this time. I managed to score my career best 181 in our second game...It felt nice and it would have been even more interesting had Satish been a spectator to this great game!

Funny dig @ Microsoft

I wonder if Microsoft can ever build one tenth brand equity of Apple...Mind you, Apple isn't a small niche company anymore.
Going by numbers, Apple has one fourth market capitalization as compared to Microsoft!!!

This New Year was Special...

What can i say... The word 'New' will continue to resonate in my mind in the days to come. A new life(with a partner:-), A new home, A new client, A new city and lots of new responsibilities:-):-)

This New Year was a total family event...Its been 7 years since i got to be with my parents on this day. The plan was to watch a new Mammooty movie 'Palunku' just released at the old renovated Carnatic theatre near Townhall. The movie, screenplay etc was engrossing all the way but for the last 30 mins i would say. As my dad was not to keen on staying outside home late at night, the plan was to grab dinner and get home early enough before the crowd goes berserk in new year celebration. After some research, me and my brother had finalized a buffet restaurant at Hotel City Tower for our dinner plan. More than the food, it was a family outing together and i wanted to ensure that my parents feel special at the end of the day/year.

How i get to know of MullaPeriyar Dam!!!

Life is full of surprises... You get to deal with the best of them in the most unexpected fashion!

"Where should we head to", was a hot topic of discussion among all from our wedding planning group. Heading back home in Kovai seemed to be the first choice as per democracy, though me and my love were more inclined to stay back in a Resort on the backwaters to make it a little more special. As with most other things on the wedding, me and her eventually decide to go with the tide on the plan to reach Kovai on the same day.

Thanks to Rahukalam, the time established for us to commence our journey from Cherthala was 03:01pm. This was kind of in sync with our schedule, with the total journey time being ~5 hrs. We hit the highway by 03:15pm and i couldn't wait to reach home and unwind myself (the last few days have been really tiring).

I don't realize time fly by sitting in the car with my love right next to me. My dad gets a phone call at about 05:15pm. A few minutes later, Dad reveals that there is a temporary roadblock at the Kerala - Tamil Nadu border. Not willing to devote any attention to anything other than my love, i am least concerned about the proceedings on the roadblock. About an hour later, my dad gets another call and this is when i realize that the roadblock isn't all that temporary.
I am so glad thinking about the recent Cellphone revolution in India. There isn't a 511 Traffic update or internet site that could have given me this information. You will get the full picture of what i mean as you read more.

By now, I can sense the growing tension and ask for an explanation... As a result of the inconclusive talks on issues related to MullaPeriyar Dam, some of the local politicians are causing a stir on the border and not letting vehicles pass by. Of all the 20 odd years of my stay in Kovai, there has never been such an incident or roadblock. As time progresses, it becomes evident that we aren't going to make it. There is a gloominess in the car by now as to why such an unfortunate incident would happen today... I try to cheer up everyone and look at one of the lodging options in the small town we were in<there are no Google Maps>.

We end up staying in a place called Kairali Towers. About 20 hours later, I get to know that the roadblock was still growing and people who had taken a chance being on the road were indefinitely struck in their cars for a good 30 hours and more!!!

An Awesome Wedding!!!

I must admit... Dad n Mom are absolutely fabulous the way they executed everything to perfection!!! I couldn't have asked for more... The beautiful wedding that it was, I wish the wonderful event had never come to an end.

The wedding resort, settings, dais decor and all was nothing but spectacular. It was different, it was creative and it was all i could imagine and want it to be.

Count Down - 3 days to go!!!

This is one good thing about keeping yourself busy... you don't get a chance to realize the enormity of the situation. It took me a few years to get convinced on the idea of getting married and here i am, left with 3 more days for the big day.

The n different tasks to be completed keep me occupied till i board the flight. The excitement of seeing my love gets me thru' with the long boring flight journey and now, the joy of being rite next to her keeps me ignorant of the upcoming big occasion:-)

All's well that ends well (-:) (:-)

It could very well fit in as a scene from an Indian movie... All set to make the trip of my life in a week's time, Life hasn't been more hectic than now. Got to complete important shopping for her, clean and vacate my apartment, wrap up the entire work i have been doing for my client, finish all needed paper work and more!

With so many different things juggling in my thoughts, the accident and the mess from it was another blow to dampen my spirits. Adding onto it was my mistake of not getting a police report filed nor getting a written evidence from other party accepting their fault. Will i be in trouble? What if the other party insurance doesn't agree? What if this isn't resolved in the next 5 days before i board the flight? Though i tried hard not to think of all this, these questions continued to flash by a few times everyday.

Sometimes things just happen as they are destined to happen! How else can i explain as to why the vehicle inspector coming all the way to my doorstep few minutes prior to my leaving for the airport (or) the fat cheque i get for my old car that is ready to be in trash yard?

I am so glad all of this was sorted out prior to my trip. It does feel good to get all things sorted out in time... vacating my apartment, moving stuff to Uday's place, transitioning work at client site, persuading my employer for an extended vacation and all!!!

One Split Second...

I seem to be goin thru' a realization phase off late...though in a costly and reactive way:-) Another usual day at work, but for the fact that i am leaving on a vacation for the rest of the year exactly one week from today... Looks like my poor Honda Civic wasn't too happy with me going away from him for such a looong time!!!

I get off work at around 05:15 and plan on doing some shopping for my trip later in the evening. I was approaching 92 intersection on 280 when this lady on the right lane decides it's time for her to move onto the left lane...the only issue being she wants to displace me from the same lane and not giving me even few seconds to react. The end result- my honda civic is barely drivable, needs body shop work, needs me to be on the phone and argue with insurance agents, etc etc.

Its kind of demoralizing to see this happen...my car has been so loyal to me during the last 30 odd months while i have driven it all around bay area averaging ~100 miles a day. Not sure what the fate of my car is, it depends on if the lady will change her statement by tomorrow morning when my insurance agent gives her a call!

Looking on the positive side, I was really really lucky...
It was just last saturday that i dropped by my agent to realize that my insurance had actually expired. I am glad this happened this week rather than next week right on the dot when i would have been counting hours to board the flight:-) Had it not been for my good luck, there could have been cars pounding on me from the left and back while i had this incident let me waiting on the middle lane on the freeway! I am hoping that my lucky streak continues and the lady obliges her mistake tomorrow and makes the rest of my job easier...keeping my fingers crossed for now!