Ever since Sabeer sold himself (Thats arguable...Ed! You mean 'sold out' ) to MSN, I'd lost interest in my Hotmail email id.

ARR Rocks, we all know that. Lucky blokes like Harish GET to meet him and take his autograph! How lucky is that, I ask you. I mean, HOW LUCKY can he be. I mean, I mean....why wasn't it me? Waaaaaaahhhh!!!!!

Crying is good, I tell you. Sniff, sniff!

Ok, down to business. Rather, more on the topic. No, not crying, I meant MUSIC!!!!! 

Lately, I've been listening to Illayaraja's songs, the simplicity and melody of which keeps going on and on in my head, like a stuck record.....ok, CD, if you wish! This song in particular from Kaadhal Meengal, is driving me crazy:

Thalattudhe vaanam, thalladudhe megam,
thaalaamal thalai meedhu kaar mega kalyanam,
idhu kaar kaala sandosham".

Contextually, the first few lines in this number, from the film Nanda ( 3 CHEERS FOR SURYA ) by his son & protege Yuvan are equally mind-blowing:

Munpani-ya
Mudhal mallai-ya
En manadhil edho villigiridhe
Villigiridhe
Uyire nanigiridhe....

I'm telling you guys...music really hath charms to soothe the beast. You better believe it coz the beauty..er, my better half keeps saying so. So, there!!!  

;)

PS: Something tells me that PC is going to vow us all with his budget today. Either that or I'm not visiting his heartland - Chettinad  - later this week!

Hey I'm back!!! Work had me stumped for a little while. A little breather from blogging - now and then - is good. Rejuvenative, even! ;)

As you would have read in my earlier posts, I'm pretty vocal when it comes to my reviews on tourism spots that I've visited. The general apathy and the lack of maintenence really gets my goat, apart from the fact that such sites do not make any attempt to create an awareness with the visiting public the need to protect the monument for future generations. As I have often said, we have inherited such a fantastic heritage; yet we squander it away so easily.

If I despair with the little that I've seen, I dread to think of the umpteen more that I have yet to see. But good things seem to be happening; at least, with the monuments of heritage value.

In a recent, landmark decision, the oh-so-somnolent ASI has stepped in to protect fragile sites from high tourist inflow by employing 'crowd management' techniques. (Perhaps we ought to take tips from them Brits who employ the same during their football matches....Ed)While this will regulate the flow to some extent, this is what I feel. Hmm...feel free to tell me your ideas.

a) Send in tourists in batches of 30-40
b) Cordon off the monument, preferably in a circular fashion; if not practical, away from the monument
c) Let the tourists complete a walk around the monument within a prescribed time
d) On completion, let them assemble in one place where a well-mannered, experienced guide explain to the tourists the background to the monument, its history, architectural features etc. For the price that is paid, they should each receive a small pamphlet of the monument & including therein, the collective need for all Indians to protect monuments of heritage and value
e) Invite questions from the audience
f) Corral them out ;)
g) Invite the next batch in
h) Repeat process a - f

Ok, next stop on my travel calendar - a 2 day trip to Karaikudi, next week! This should be fun!

:)

At the risk of trivialising the Kancheepuram mutt episode and the subsequent arrests / FIR's / court orders / offer-of-payoffs /  soul-searching & hand-wringing et al, I'm not sure if there is any parallel in history or literature that even comes close to this charade.

I'm 100% sure, though, that quotes by / from Sheakespeare - normally suitable for a variety of situations ranging from intrigue to failed love to deceit to murder to incest to what have you - can be invoked to justify this tamasha.

Perhaps I ought to take refuge in this cartoon from the one & only Calvin. Here goes:

I don't have to tell you who Suzie is representative of! Momma Mia...i better get outta here!

:)

Why do I still devour comics of my favourite superheroes - Batman & Spiderman? I don't know.



What I do know is that the next generation - mine - and all of 3 years old like them as much as I do.

If ever I were stranded on an island, all I'd ever ask for (You sure.....Ed?) would be issue after issue of the 2 caped crusaders.

Besides, why analyse when I can wait for this?

:)

Years ago, when it seemed like I had all the time in the world (i.e as a student) I received a reply from a radio host at the Voice of America. A line in it left me baffled. He said and I quote "The only thing permanent in life is change."

Some years later (& this was before getting a job) a girlfriend  (who was already working) commented "Too much month at the end of the money! " As you would have already sensed, it had me baffled again.

Today, I realise how true were those statements: My bank balance is already approaching zero; and the only permanent change I see is the one tinkling in my pockets for a bus ride home!

Broke is me! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

;)

Ahhhhh...Life is beautiful. The good times continue.

Life is good. Specially when the most unexpected & nice things happen.

I got to see a film yday. On the big screen. AND during office hours!! Bunking, was I? Naah....actually, I did get permission! (Technically, its still bunking - being away during work hours.....Ed!)

I've been wanting to see Black since I read Suderman's rave-view and subsequent recommendations by friends, well-wishers, neighbours, fellow-MTC passengers, my doodh-wallah, the postman, my office security guy, chai-wallah...er, you get the picture? Seems like many of us still have a heart, methinks, that can be touched by films. Usually, one is detouched..er, detached from all the tamasha and the umpteen song & dance routines. Item numbers, these days. 

Anyway. Out of the blue, y'day afternoon, I get to see the film - Page 3. I could write reams about it but hey, its already written about. So why add to the overload? :) Suffice to say it does a good job at revealing the sham, the hypocrisy, the double standards (not to mention 'entendres') et al in the world of the rich & famous. Perhaps the air-kissing, swish set will see red; the wannabe's will go green seeing the gloss; many a socialite will blanch and turn a shade white on identifying a particular character in the party life that is well potrayed. The only grey area in the film, I think, was that the camera work seemed more TV'ish than big-screenish. Maybe I'm wrong....after all, its been ages since I last saw a movie on the big screen! Certainly, there must have been a disclaimer stating fictionality in the story & characters potrayed. (Popcorn kha raha tha, thats why!) There were too many startling references to well known people & their idiosyncrasies.

Journalism and how it reports, fully or partly, on facts & truth; the tug of war between editorial and advertising was the other interesting aspects of the film. One can only sympathise with editors caught in real-life situations.

All in all, a good film. In my opinion, that is. I'm glad I got to see it. While I may not have seen Konkona Sen in Mr. & Mrs. Iyer and Boman Irani in Lets Talk, I'm certainly glad I got to see them both in this film. Terrific actors!

Now to continue writing my resolution - I will see Black, I will see Black, I will see Black......

:)

I have prayed not to be swayed (Eh? That rhymes!) by the rash of new mobile phones ('hand phones' they call it in Singapore - how "downmarket" is that?!!)  that hit the market almost every single day! Looks like my prayers are being answered. Considering its price - +25k - here's a Nokia to aspire for! Maybe a year or two down the line, who knows? 15k? 10k?

And I swear Nokia has read my mind and taken away this particular idea from me - the feature is called SMS Soft reject and it enables the 6630 user to send a pre-programmed message to a cellphone caller - pronto - whenever a call is rejected. Useful when one is in a meeting/seminar or just plain coochie-cooing and don't want to be disturbed by pesky callers - send them a 'will-call-u-can't be disturbed-now' message. To assuage their feelings, maybe an MMS with Ash in it, eh?

My only rant about this phone is that it doesn't have FM radio receiving capability - something that my beloved 2300 has! ( Puhleeze - how downmarket could your wish be, in a phone so high-end? Ed!)

Ok. Which model do you recommend should I get a chance to upgrade tomorrow?

:)

0500 Hrs. Chennai Central. Seems like the Southern Railway top brass are getting a mental makeover. The exterior of the building is getting a fresh look - muted two-tone colours, very understated and aesthetic. Unlike the previous craving-for-attention, look-at-me garish red colour.

Wish they'd similarly do something about the chaotic platforms and the messy tracks!

On the way home, its raining! Yup, a light rain that feels cool and gives the roads a fresh, clean look. Oh, how I love this.

0530 hrs. Home Sweet Home!

0535 hrs. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Hmmmmm..its good to be back in Chennai. No traffic pile-ups here like in Bangalore, for one!

:)