Proved beyond doubt...

Sab keeps repeating it till he runs out of breath, and J seconds it, BK thirds it and Vatsa fourths it. There are people to even tenth it...

But today I myself proclaim Mahesh Balaji to be 'Maccha Kammanaati'!!!

Within two hours of landing in Mumbai and wondering about the sweltering heat and passion around me I ran into a goddess. Before I say anything... do Lo and Behold!

So here goes... I was walking out of the third mall near Sab's place here in Andheri, after picking up tickets for 'Taare Zameen Par'. I saw a pair of amazing legs [drool quotient high red!] and thought it must be foreigner. I passed her and turned to look!! and you know what i saw!

Then I followed her across the busy Mumbai traffic as she crossed from the mall to the opposite building. I waited till she was alone and then gingerly excused myself to ask her if she was an actress. She replied in the affirmative while she was talking on the phone to her friend.

She - 'Mera koi fan aaya hai yahaan pe'
Me - 'Tell him I'm 'Thulluvado Ilamai' fan'
She - 'Mera pehla film ka fan hai'
Me -'Ek photo ley loon?'
She - 'Sure, of course!'

The watchman of the building obliged to take the snap and took a good 5 minuted to do so! Did i love it or what?!! In the sandu gap...

Me - 'Wont you give me a smile'
She - 'Haha..yeah sure!'


And that proves it beyond doubt that Mahesh Balaji is a ...


Here are some more Festive season snaps of 'Mumbai meri jaan'



Happy Holidays! :)

That time of the year...

Yes it is! Travel time... if you guessed it right. J knows a thing or two about the travel treasure trove that is Karnataka, with both Ghats flanking either side providing numerous 'locations' for backpacking!

This time eight of us from office headed to Kodachadri, a hill top where 'Sri Adhi Shankara' himself did penance, and also Agasthiya prayed. Then we went westward to cool our heels in the Arabian Sea, at the Maravanthe beach south of Mangalore. The mountains were snake infested and a tiring trek but the beach took care of the physical rehab we wanted!

A fun trip! And here are some photos for you to see what we saw...

Eloquent

After a hiatus copy-paste is here again.

This is something that I read and was touched.

http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/dec/12bhatt.htm


When grief weighs us down...

There are many instances of grief in family life, such as the death of a partner or a family member or a friend. When we experience something that causes us shock and sadness, we may feel the urge to withdraw. We may feel remaining withdrawn will keep us protected from the world.
During these times, it is important to reach out to those trusted and precious people who care about us the most. Such people can console us, give us proper advice and the confidence to deal with our problems. Despite our best efforts to go on with life, we never know when someone else's experience or perspective can give us additional information or the consolation we need.
To solve our problems, the universe speaks to us through many channels; when we open ourselves to others to receive its messages, we also receive nurturing care from a loving partner, other family members and close friends.
Grief is part of the human experience; sharing our vulnerability is what creates truly close bonds in relationships. Opening ourselves up to our family members and close friends gets to the core of our being, past all of our defenses and prejudices.
When life seems to crack the outer shell of our world, we are both raw and fresh at the same time. It is then that we discover who is truly willing to walk with us. We also see that some of those sent to us might not be the persons we expected. Regardless, we learn to trust in the universe, in others, in our own strength and resilience, and in the wisdom of life. This is the time when we can judge who our people are.
Sharing grief allows us to ease our burden, as someone else helps us carry it. This helps us process our inner thoughts and feelings through the filter of a trusted and beloved partner. Remember, not sharing your feelings denies your loved ones the opportunity to feel for you and console you. By sharing our hopes and fears, joys and pains with another person -- like a family member or a friend -- we accept the universe's gifts of wisdom, loving care, consolation and moral support.

[More in the link...]

J to the Oz

question: 'naa illama romba bore adikkuda?'

answer: 'amaam, nee illama Madras feels like Chennai !'



kavidhai... kavidhai....

Askance...

Manmadanin anda oar koor paarvai

Udaintha valayal kutthiyadupol,

Kannvazhi kondu, uyir varai sendru keeriyadu !!

Yenn seivaal maathu ?!




a moment of inspiration! pizhai irundaal yeduthu kooravum....

How are you Sir? How's life?

My life is as it should be. Chaotic this moment. Blissful the next! Thank You.

Another reason why I love my i-pod

I walked into a glass door with Maddy by my side. I will remember the stunned internal silence, for sometime.

The beauty was, I put on the pod afterwards, and on cue it started to play 'Oho Maddy' from Minnale!

Quirky smile on lips.


update:
http://www.hindu.com/mp/2007/11/28/stories/2007112850400100.htm

both books were good. i love reading.

learning: peace is temporary myth, war is permanent inevitability. jihad - inside or outside.

is this me?!

after wanting to do it for almost 15years i did it today. i walked into the library across my street and registered.

on impulse, i brought back two books .

Shalimar the Clown - Rushdie
Waiting for the Mahatma - RK Narayan


ps:
my mind was talking to me when i walked home with the books. it told me in a decided voice -'i can live without a girl for sometime, but not a book'. rather i guess its about the book, the author talking to me... keeping me intellectual company. Whatever!

the contrast

two friends, gods on thier own accord, walked dissimilar paths to reach similar upper echleons of the indian educational system, as students.

today both travelled to the city of thier alma mater. one made a thumping home-coming, the other decided time was not yet ripe to step in ...

such is life....

maybe, maybe not

the dream
i am in the lift of a scyscraper. i am on the 3rd floor and with a hydrolic-buzz the lift's going towards the terrace. a constant far away din starts to get 'closer' as the lift passes the 5th floor. i seem to think the bulding has only 6 floors. but there is a 7th floor. When the lift emerges from the closed walls of the 6th floor onto a 'morning light' lit terrace i realise it houses a 'Venkatachalapthy' shrine and there is a big crowd on the terrace. its an auspicious Vaishnavite day... and i step out of the lift to see many familiar people [i guess most of us do this in our dreams] .. my bro... a friend... a few mami's in 9-yards et all [mind somehow tells me its a 'porattaasi sanikizhamai' kind of day; might have been]. i step out of the lift, breathe in the ambience and step up in deference to accept the most amazing 'chakkarai pongal' i have ever had in my life.

the fact
i was trying to sleep hard to catch up on sleep lost due to changing shifts. in the next few hours, i had to take up my gmat. but i was in a quasi-concious state when i got up from the sleep and i remembered these vivid details. in my prep tests i wasn't scoring my best scores, but always held onto the belief i will come good in the final one. i considered the dream as a blessing i dint seek. anyway i came out with a decent score in the real exam.

my decelration: the One is Omnipotent. Yelaam Avan Seyal.

the muse: what i dreamt had anything to do with my performance? maybe, maybe not....

Expanding horizons....

I am entering unchartered terriroty with regards to the belts I use.

I have a slight paunch.

'God's Debris'

I dont exactly remmeber how i got into this site, and got reading this, but I wonder how my good cousin Bala has never mentioned this till now. I am sure he must have read or least heard about this.

'God's Debris' is one of the best 'afternoon' books I have read till now. On one of the most boring afternoons in office, I bumped into this book and finished it in 2 hours flat. And did i love it or what!!!

I recommend this book highly - especially for the Matrix fans, the self-thinkers and anyone and everyone who would have read and liked Ayn Rand, Shantaram or Richard Bach. Go on enjoy!

My salutes to Scott Adams. I am looking forward to read more books of his. I might go to the bookstore now to buy original copies of his writings!

a quarter...

As my bro put it, the situation was my life in a nutshell. Speak of a metaphor!


for my 25th birthday, i saw a movie... ALONE in the theater. I sat in 8 different seats through the movie for want of a good view [albeit the movie being awesome]


{so this time, celebrated with Mel Gibson -- thanks for stunning me and turning my insides out}

Looking ahead

The past few months have posed veritable challenges and the most recent is living alone in the hometown with pregnant ambitions creating a mild rumble inside.

As of yesterday, parents are on holiday to the US to be with Arun - a long needed break for him, and much needed relief from the humdrum for them too.

All should go well.

'kadavul mela baratthai potuttu, yelaam nalla padiya nadakkum nu nambaren!'

Chennai ahoy...!

a new month - may
a new place - chennai

:) hoping for the best.
laying past 4 years in blr to rest. :)

not so happy....

a step towards heaven...

anbin paadai serndavarukku mudive illayadaa....

manadin neelamyeduvo aduvey vaazhvin neelamadaa..


These were the exact words my heart was humming as I lay on the bed looking into the cieling high bulbs in the large room.

I had just donated my first sachet of blood! What a feeling!

I have wondered many a times why I never ended up on a bed with a tube taking out the cherry-red liquid from me into a sachet. But that chink is now off the corner of my brain and I am happy.

I was literally grinning throughout the process. people who know me well know me to be a movie freak. But nothing could have soothed me better than Kamal's voice gently whispering those lines in my ears! :)

Happy!

Me...a travellin soldier...

Guess what… same old story. I have been traveling like nuts for the past couple of weekends. The Jan 20-21 weekend was a ‘History channel’- visit to the ruins of Hampi and surrounding places combining the visit to Kavitha’s wedding in Bellary. The next long-weekend was celebration time for Saro’s birthday at Tuticorin and the house-warming ceremony of Sri’s new home at Coimbatore.

That I believe a picture speaks a thousand words will be evident with this entry. Enjoy [forgive the bad arrangement ]…


Viroopaksha Temple, Hampi



The ruins of Hampi...

YogaNrisimha and Queen's Bath [approach]

Pillar Mandapam Monolith Vinayaka Temple [outside]
Lotus Mahal and The Stables


Raga-Pillars
Stone Chariot







At the wedding...

Now for some snaps at Tuty and Padmanabha Palace

At the Grihapravesam...

She lied to me. Again.