Home Sweet Home..

This is the longest period of time i have been continuously away from home..Its about 2

My Eli tale...

I dunno if this is the rite time to pen down a post..Especially wen i am having other pressing jobs calling me..Felt the writer's inspiration sparking in me after a long time..So i simply logged into blogosphere..

What to do if u have a rat in ur kitchen???Isnt it a horrible feel..U feel that whatever u eat has something contaminated with rat..Yuck!!!But we r living with it in our apt..Some how i feel that there is only one rat in our kitchen..Lets name it jerry..It lives in a comfortable wooden hole below the rack of empty plastic bags..
Jerry used to be here b4 i came to this flat..But a week b4 it developed the impudence of running through the kitchen shelves even when we r in the kitchen..So after long time we finally decided to look into the rat menace..
I asked our grocery deliverer to get us a mouse trap..Hmm...on Saturday nite we were in full offensive mode with a piece of coconut as bait in the trap...Jerry being the self proclaimed ruler of our kitchen in full royal splendor surrendered into our trap tempted by the juicy piece of coconut...
We would have released Sir Jerry immediately somewhere else outside the area had any one of us had the guts of carrying his royal highness outside..But whenever we neared the cage he will come scrambling pleading us his release..So continued his confinement 4 2 days..All his vibranz was gone..He rolled himself into a ball in a corner refusing to take even the food that we generously offered...
Then we did a mistake..We thought that he was dead and decided to give him a befitting burial in the end of the third day as there was no movement at all..Cook slightly opened the trap to put him into a plastic cover..Then in a dash he rushed into his freedom to his royal abode taking us completely in surprise...
So what about us..We r in phase 2 planning..But the confusion remains who is going to bell the cat...Sorry to catch the rat!!!

Chinese art

Chinese art always enchants me..It is full of symbolism and deeper meaning..I had a chance of getting to know it in the long break after i finished my under graduation when I was going through a book that was bought by my mom few years back..To confess the truth am a very bad artist with a patience in the size of a pea pod.This book however made me sit down and try.Chinese painting involves in lot of technique and brushstrokes..Luckily Ram has a full set of paint brushes and enuf paint that i could at least give a try..
The first painting i tried was a bamboo..Bamboo signifies an up rite gentleman..Tat was the easiest one ..Then i proceeded to trying orchids and chrysanthemums..Tat was fun..
Then other commitments sprung up..So Chinese painting has taken a back seat..Given a chance..Would like to try it again..

A journey with no ends..

Isnt life like this a labyrinth with lot of cross roads and choices..We move forward without knowing the destination..Some tell that we have to enjoy the journey of life by living each moment and enjoying the walk itself..But i wonder what is the destination is?So wats the destination..I keep on asking..Yet to get a convincing answer..

Love..A game???

Last week i watched a korean movie "Seducing Mr.Perfect" in which i found one particular conversation very interesting.
She :Why have i been dumped thrice in my life??
He :Because u donot know the rules of the game..
She :Rules???Love isnt like playing starcraft u know??
He :Yes..It is..It is actually a game which needs even more planning and precision..
She :!!!!!
He :A game of power..Manipulation of emotions to control the mind..

Pretty interesting na??Somehow i cant put falling in love to be a game..May seducing somebody is a game!!Whatsoever..Isnt this life one big game??

Ponderings..

We always want to be happy...Y is that so???We always wanted everything perfect??Y is that so??Again and again we make the same mistakes and unfortunately we forget that happiness and pleasure unfortunately is like opium...U then long for more..The greater the pleasure there is a pain behind which is equally intense..But this law of balance is the law of the universe..The sooner we come in terms with it the wiser we become..

Perfect recipies for a cold rainy day..

Pav Bajee at university canteen

Hot vada and chutney at road side shop


A cup of coffee with rusk or biscuit

Chennaiyil oru malai kaalam!!!

The best thing to put up in a blog is ur ramble :-P Intially i wanted to put up some sensible article and put some effort in creating them!!Unfortunately there are 2 to 3 articles still in drafts..Here at chennai the north east monsoon has come i guess..The days are becoming colder and we keep worrying if the clothes that we wash wil ever dry!!

And in such days the perfect snack is hot spicy noodles..Top Ramen curry smoodles is my fav in the noodles list..Some how since the first day i came to che i couldnt spot it in any one of the leading retail outlets here..Today while returning from coll i dropped into MORE accidently and there found 2 family packs of smoodles!!Wow..emptying my pocket i grabbed the entire store stock(the 2 packs)and returned home to treat myself with hot hot noodles!!!

Happy days..

Doing my ME in anna univ I am in the pitiable position of envying those fresh faced UG first yrs and hopelessly wishing for time to rewind 4 yrs back ..This article is inspired after seeing gracy's latest post.."Memories of those lovely days"..When i joined coll 4 yrs back my aim was doing well in academics bah..blah..blah..And i did well for may be a couple of semesters..Then the fun began with my final yr being the mst memorable one..I have already put up a post on this topic..This is its continuation..Certain events tat can never be forgotten..
*Final yr class 2nd bench la enga signature..fav song lines eluthunathu..
*Oru nonstop radio maari gnaans class la personal stories discussion..
*Thirutu birthday party with drinks..;-)
*NIT calicut la malaila nananchu OAT la dance aadunathu..

Chaos Chaos everywhere!!!!

Disclaimer:This article is done dispassionately and the author does not bear any personal grudge against the party which is being criticized..

Wat happens when a jewellery shop at a metro tries to open its a textile shop in a big town???Big guy from metro thinks tat it is cake walk..But wat eventually happens??Read over to get an overview..

This shop was opened in madurai 3 weeks before diwali.It was opened with gr8 hype and top notch politicians gracing the opening..With gr8 expectations we went there on the second day after opening..Unfortunately what we saw was complete lack of organisation..People from near by villages have come for a sort of mini picnic..There were a few squatting on the floor and having their lunch!!!The security was NIL at the gates and the owners will never know how much stock had left the shop unaccounted..The rest of the observations..let my pictures speak for itself
Clothes worth 1000+ heaped in disgrace..

Crowd at the lift lobby..Are the lifts functioning???

Cash Counter understaffed but jammed with customers!!!!

A kid playing with hangers ripped of from the clothes and thrown on the floor..

Happy teachers day!!!

Teachers are those wonderful ppl who have been the most abused and most praised by the student community..Inspite of such high risk factor they slog all day for a meager pay in India..Hence teaching is being eyed as the least rewarding occupation and we can find only few really inspiring great teachers..Whoever they are each and every teacher rite from our kg till college have guided us from ignorance to knowledge and we have to be grateful to them na?Teachers day is something spl if u have a spl teacher who has a gr8 influence in ur life..Other than tat it is simply putting up school plays and fun programs..

I had a gr8 teacher who taught me in school..She still holds me in awe..Even if i do something great in life..She will still hold me in awe and wat she taught me early in life is the reason for wat i am now...Thank u for all u have done 4 me..Wishin u HAPPY TEACHERS DAY!!!!

Ships are safe in the harbor but...

Do they serve their purpose there???In life there always is a temptation to slip into laziness and to the so called SAFE places.Many times we feel tat we will be happier if we are in our own protective shell seldom knowing that we are doing the greatest harm to ourselves by stunting our growth.Even a cage is a prison however comfartable and protective.

The law of life is to always grow to better levels and heights in all dimensions.For a wholesome life sometimes we have to pass through big obstacles and face lot of hardship..A piece of gold should be put in fire to attain its lustre and a diamond has to be cut into a thousand facets to obtain its unparalled sparkle.We must always venture out to trying new avenues for developing into a successful indiviudual...



Many a times when i feel dejected when i have only problems but no solutions and when i feel that the road never ends am atleast happy that i have decided to grow instead of being complacent.It might be tough in the beginning but the courage and guts always pays.

If the seed had refusesd to break the tough top soil and put up shoots would there have been a beautiful tree???Tats life and GOD teaches us lessons through his beautiful creation..

Spurts of patriotism

Am putting up this post as i desperately want to do something in memory of independence day..though it is a bit late and other duties called me.Travelling 12 hrs to chennai on a rickety old bus on D-day finally & ploppin into the bed all tired and visiting all dear relatives the next day prevented me from putting up this article on independence day..
Independence day by this generation is frankly just another holiday...and my brother deeply regrets tat next yr its gonna fall on the weekend..But present day youth are not totally responsible for this.There is lack of inspiration around us..Patriotism for indians come alive sadly only during cricket matches..

I basically hail from small town hearing stories about independence struggles from one of my grannies..May be i was one of the very few interested so much in history tat i will eagerly listen to the antha kaalathu kadhais..In reward of one such listening sessions granny gave me a khadhi flag which they hoisted on 1947 though it is one of the chota versions.I was really really pleased in getting my own flag as each independence day my opposite door neighbours used to hoist the triranga.Tat year that is 5 yrs back..On THE day ram and i marched to the terrace taking with us an old curtain rod..We fitted it within the pipes and whoa..we finally raised our flag..The only glitch tat year was that we didnt bring down the flag on sunset..The flag was comfortably forgotten and recovered after 2 days by a fellow neighbour.
Next year we improvised the system..We made sweets called neighbours and our chief guest hoisting the flag tat yr was my maternal grandmother who dropped in 4 a visit.

Then we moved to our apts and then i moved to coll..We have a regularised system 4 flag hoisting with the apt elders taking care of it.So we dont interfere..So life goes on with mere spurt display of patriotism though deep inside there is a fierce pride of being born in this blessed land of mine..JAI HIND.

The schooling never ends...

I well remember one of my seniors telling in our freshers introduction meeting in one of the numerous clubs of our coll..."In school when the tenth board exams approach we would be advised to learn 4 the particular exam and then we will be well settled for the rest of our lives.. Then will come the 12th board exam....Same dialogue will be repeated.Still BEWARE this dialogue will be oft repeated"
I thought that guy was kidding and talking nonsense.Today finishing my BE i realize how many times i have heard the words.."Do this exam and u will be WELL SETTLED".Coll final exams.The whole lot of entrance exams tat i have written and have been advised to write by well wishers of my future.......

Pondering today the truth hit on me..This life of ours is a big school and the learning never ends...One can never GET SETTLED in life..Life is one endless search but am no longer weary of learning..Because if one sees the world through this perspective life is a song and learning is fun...We are simply kids in a treasure hunt searching for our destiny..Some of my frnds tell me that i have a gr8 passion for learning...Actually the reality am a big lazy idiot and what i know is a millionth fraction in the ocean of knowledge...If we look at the world with wonder then everything becomes surprisingly interesting..and all we WANT is MORE experience,knowledge,life and beauty in the world..Dazzled with the world for the millionth time and still in wonder...........Sudha.

Swine flu in Madurai..

There is wide spread panic in our apts as one child has been diagnosed swine flu and another has been suspected..Leave has been declared in most of the major schools..All this made me click the google search button and do a bit of searchin abt this disease which being feared about...

Firstly wat makes this strain of flu different from other seasonal flu..
*This strain is a new one.So human beings have little resistance to it.
*It causes more infection than usual flu.
*It spreads soon within the age group of 10-45
*Most ppl recover from the milder form of virus without any antiviral treatment.
*Ppl who have poor immune system and chronic illness like asthma diabetes heart disease,young children,pregnant women and senior citizens are high risk category.

The symptoms are put up in pictorial form.



















Preventive Measures:

*Swine flu spreads as normal influenza through droplets expelled by coughin and sneezing.So keep a distance of atleast 1 meter from ppl who exibit symptoms.
*Avoid touchin ear or nose.
*Stay away from crowded places.

If u think that u have the illness:
*Stay at home.
*Take plenty of fluids and rest
*Cover ur nose and mouth while sneezing with tissue and dispose it carefully.
*Wash hands properly with soap.
*Use the mask properly.
*Seek medical care.

Medical care should be sought when:
*Fever continues for more than three days.
*Shortness of breath and labored breathing continuing fever and convulsions.
*Complications can be bronchitis,sinus infection,ear infection and death.

Diagnosis and Treatment:
*a respiratory sample collected will be given for analysis in CDC lab.
*Tamiflu and Zanamivir are used for treatment.

Medicines are available only in government outlets to prevent self administration or hoarding of drugs.Now the government is working with certain private hospitals to provide effective care.
Tamil nadu SWINE FLU help line number is 044-24321569.

Public need not panic just as media ppl are hyping about this outbreak but one has to be careful..Take Care... :-)

Bon voyage dear cousin...

Dear cuz..Bon voyage to chicago de...U r the gr8test cousin i ever had...
Keer and i have almost been opposites..She is sauce while i am jam..The main difference is her mom listens to wat she tells and i listen to wat my Dad tells :-(..Strange ironies nah..How could my Aunt and Dad be siblings???Whatsoever..She is tough outside and soft inside...Am the opposite..Seemingly pliable but a tough nut inside..We used to share most things when we were kids..I feel really bad tat i could not send u off or help u with last min packin de..But my dad wanted me to be at home..Yeah its the same reason i give u umpteen times..But tats the holy truth nah..Will miss u loads..Lotsa Luv...
Your cuz......... Sudha.

Friendship

There are few topics in which how much ever we write and talk about we will never get tired of talking about..One such topic is friendship..Friendship is a really beautiful feel...The beauty,the trust and the confidences..One cant put that it words..I am glad i have few ppl whom i can call as spl frnds.. :-)



Sometimes in life, you find a special friend;
Someone who changes your life
just by being part of it.
Someone who makes you laugh
until you can't stop;
Someone who makes you believe
that there really is good in the world.
Someone who convinces you
that there really is an unlocked door
just waiting for you to open it.

Thanks ma frnds for giving a spl meaning to my life...

Children of heaven

Today i watched the Iranian movie nominated 4 the academy awards under the foreign film category in 1998.Children of Heaven.The movie has almost no plot.I took the synopsis from wiki as i am too lazy to type.

Ali takes his little sister Zahra's shoes to the shoemaker to be repaired, but loses them on the way home. The siblings decide to keep the predicament a secret from their parents, knowing that there is no money to buy a replacement pair and fearing that they will be punished. They devise a scheme to share Ali's sneakers: Zahra will wear them to school in the morning and hand them off to Ali at midday so he can attend afternoon classes. This uncomfortable arrangement leads to one adventure after another as they attempt to hide the plan from their parents and teachers, attend to their schoolwork and errands, and acquire a new pair of shoes for Zahra. Zahra sees the lost shoes on a schoolmate's feet, and follows her home, but the two soon become friends.

Ali enters a high-profile children's footrace in the hope of receiving the third prize of a new pair of sneakers. He accidentally places first and wins another prize instead. The film ends with Zahra finding out that she will not get a new pair of shoes, but there is a quick shot of their father's bicycle at the end of the movie that shows what appears to be the red shoes Zahra had been focusing on earlier and another pair of white sneakers, presumably for Ali, whose old sneakers were torn from so much use. The film ends with the final shot showing blisters on Ali's feet. Some versions include an epilogue revealing that Ali eventually achieves the larger-scale success of having a racing career.

This movie has showed me a side of Iran that one cannot learn about in history books. The movie portrayed life in Iran through the eyes of a little kid and the struggles he faces.The movie also showed showed different aspects of Iranian culture such as family structure and relations. The father was seen as the one responsible for providing food for the family. The little girl would help the mother with preparing food and taking care of the baby. I was also able to see the Ta'arof in Iranian culture through offering food to the old and sick neighbors, and even "pretending" to refuse money after the gardening services were offered. The father took the money only after the old man insisted on it.The wide gap between the haves and the have nots have been very beautifully potrayed..

And again the entire story revolves around one pair of lost pink colour worn out shoes..It makes us realize that each and and every one of us in the world is responsible when a kid suffers to get basic necessities of life..Many a times we throw money frivolously seldom realizing that there are million children dying from hunger with one set of clothes battling and surviving through life.Am not taking a pessimistic view of life.We have to be aware of ground realities and try contribute towards the betterment of the world.

Shantaram

"It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured."These are some memorable lines of the novel penned by a convict who escaped from and Australian jail to Bombay..Life is sometimes queer..Society labels few ppl as bad and chain them behind bars..But seldom do we realize that "Prisons are the temples where the devils prey.Every time we turn the key we twist the knife of fate..Because every time we cage a man we close him with fate"


I have heard about people who come out of prison insane..However the author Shantaram alias David Gregory Roberts comes out with his soul intact as he is a master of survival."In his own words.."It is not just the body that must survive a jail term,the spirit and the heart has to make it through as well.And it is for those small victories of the heart the spirit and the will we sometimes risk the body that cradles them."

Shantaram is narrated by Lin, an escaped convict with a false passport who flees maximum security prison in Australia for the teeming streets of a city where he can disappear. As a hunted man without a home, family, or identity, Lin searches for love and meaning while running a clinic in one of the city's poorest slums, and serving his apprenticeship in the dark arts of the Bombay mafia. The search leads him to war, prison torture, murder, and a series of enigmatic and bloody betrayals.

Lin's journey in Bombay starts with his taxiwallah Prabakar..and amazingly he starts understanding the meaning and love of life through simple people.We get a beautiful perspective of the poor in India and the happy life they live with trust and simplicity inspite of not having much money.Are not they they the richest people in the world with lots of happiness and fulfillment???

Lin falls in love with the beautiful and enigmatic Karla a lady who wished that she had trusted him but couldnot.And in love he writes.."At first when u truly love some one our greatest fear is that the loved one will stop loving us.What we should fear and dread of course is that you cannot stop loving them even after they are dead and gone."Here love transcends lust and selfish cravings..This is real pure love..

And thus the novel passes from this moment to the other capturing the beauty in the world that we have taken for granted and realizing us the significance of it.In some of his concluding pages he writes "Nothing in life how well or poorly lived is wiser than failure or clearer than sorrow.And in the tiny precious wisdom that they give us even those dreaded and hated enemies sufferings and failures have their own reason and right to be"

Since my childhood i was often haunted with a question."What is the purpose of life?"Reading this book written by a man with such a vivid and wide range of experience, I finally realized with neither science nor philosophy that what the world wants is nothing but our love and the ability to forgive others as we can forgive ourselves .."The only kingdom that makes any man a king is the kingdom of his soul.The only power that has any real meaning is the power to better the world"..

This book is the product of his blood and sweat..grit and determination..Twice it has been destroyed in prison..and again with his ever enduring spirit the author had penned this 936 pages of semi fiction cum auto biography..With almost lyrical and musical quality..with lines from the depth of realization..the novel is a fantastic read..I read this book within 2 and a half days at NBRC like a maniac..Spl thanks to Richa didi who recommended it for me..

King of Pop...I feel sorry for u..

Michael Joseph Jackson is one larger than life figure in Music history..No one contributed more to the pop scenario than he did..He completely revolutionized the music industry by writing his own songs,composing music,playing it and dancing with it..

But when the news of his death hit the headlines on june 25th 2009 the world sees him as a fallen star and sympathize with him..The stark reality of the lonely life and the mounting debts he died with is really pathetic.Now arises a question was Jackson a successful person in the society???Wat do u measure success with?The way u please ppl or the amount of inner peace and happiness in life..Am not criticizing Jackson.He was a musical legend..and few ppl in world are blessed to have his amount of talent and grit.Unfortunately Jackson abused his own body for the public sake and sacrificed his soul for temporary euphoria by turning to drugs..
Whoever he was and whatever he did to himself..He gave beautiful music to the world..And whenever i hear the haunting voice of Jackson in "Heal the world" my deepest tribute to him..the one who could handle music but couldnt handle himself.

Coll memories...

One beautiful chapter of life is UG coll days..IT has its own measures of really really happy moments and traumatizing memories...I will just put up few sweet memories at coll...



* First yr room mates in hostel are the most unforgettable gals in my life..I would never have met a more jolly happy go lucky foursome..All computer science gals..Mani,Madhu,Vetri and Vidhu..Mani eventually our comp sc rowdi gang leader..How much naughtiness we managed in one yr..I still wonder...Really memorable was the birthday tr8 they gave me inspite of birthday parties being unofficial and heavily punishable offence...(Lol!!!)

*Looking into my heart and searching for few moments which cannot be recaptured in life surprisingly i found the days spent at second floor ganga hostel durin the beginning of third yr some of the most memorable..Singing Eng pop songs in our creaky hoarse voices..Having an ice cream and cool drink daily..Then non stop story book reading coupled with tellin tall tales to fellow room mates...

*The gr8test surprise is personally those with whom we have been close have hurt us the most..We might have been spending all the time with them..But the small fleeting moments spent with others have left greater impression..

*Next proj has to have a spl mention..How much alumbu we did with tat??The amount of reference and work we did..And the scene we put was as though we were doing Phd in Harvard university...Proj BOSS requires spl mention here;-)

*Talkin abt my coll life..The last sem as a day scholar was the most memorable..I found few frnds who will last for a life time and am grateful to God 4 tat..Rising phone bill..late nite internet chats..mutual understandings in exams,classes bunked at will..Hmm finally i was a typical coll gal at the tail end of my study in MEPCO.

*The last most cherishin memory at coll is my final birthday party on final day coll after exams and al.We had it out in Thai restaurant till eleven at nite and no heart to depart..Wish those moments will linger forever..

Fate/Stay Night

I got hooked up to this animax cartoon series recently..All episodes are over..Hopefully they re telecast it from the beginning again..Especially the opening song Disillusion charmed me the most..



As i liked the song so much i checked out the transliteration and translation..Both are simply awe some.

Transliteration:

Yume ni mite ita
Ano hi no kage ni
Todokanai sakebi

Asu no jibun ha
Nante egaite mo
Kienai negai ni nureru

Kobore ochiru kakera wo
Tsukamu sono te de
Yureru kokoro kakaete
Tobi konde ike yoru he

Dareka wo ate ni shite mo
Motomeru mono ja nai no dakara
Hontou no jibun ha koko ni irutte
Me wo tojite inaide

Kaze ni makarete garakuta jimita
Natsukashii egao
Asu no jibun nara
Nante inotte mo
Toozakaru kotae ha kasumu

Kogoesou na karada to
Hitohira no omoi
Kuchihateru sono maeni
Tobi koete ike yoru wo

Dareka wo ate ni shite mo
Motomeru mono ja nai no dakara
Hontou no jibun ha koko ni irutte
Me wo tojite inaide

Dare ka no tame ni ikite
Kono toki ga subete de ii deshou
Misekake no jibun ha sotto sutete
Tada ari no mama de

Translation:

My cry cannot reach the shadows I dreamt of on that day
No matter how I depict myself tomorrow,
I am drenched in wishes that cannot disappear.

Catch the fallen scattered fragments with those hands
Hold my swaying heart, and leap towards the night.

Because even if I am depending on someone,
there is nothing else that I wish for
“My true self is right here”, don’t close your eyes.

Spread things which look like junk into the wind,
things such as that nostalgic smile
“No matter how much I pray for myself tomorrow”,
those answers going towards the distance will still fade.

Before I completely decay
And become a frozen body and a flake of my feelings,
lets leap past the night.

Because even if I am depending on someone,
there is nothing else that I wish for
“My true self is right here”, don’t close your eyes.

To live for the sake of someone,
wouldn’t it be nice if we let this moment count for everything?
Lets gently throw our fake selves away, and just be who we are.

In a first time read one will not understand the meaning of the song..
Even after reading it many times u wont understand i bet..Then wat to do?
Just watch the series..the beauty of the song will come out

Wanna cuppa Coffee!!!!!!

Nothin can beat coffee in the world..Am a die hard coffee lover..Some times when u feel nuts or when u are down nothing can refresh u better than a cup of coffee..Experience speaks!!!:-)My experience wid coffee started with the humble instant coffee BRU..Now wen it comes to instant coffee..I take only Nescafe..Filter coffee is an occasional delight i get when i go to my aunts place..(We dont have a filter at home :-(..Will buy it soon)My romance with coffee continued in coffee days and other coffee shops in and around the city..and wherever i go..
Here i have put up a small guide 4 beginners to the coffee world to comprehend the various terminologies that are used to address coffee in coffee shops.
First lemme clear wat Espresso is..Espresso is prepared by forcing pressurized steam through finely ground dark roast beans.ITs concentrated coffee...U can add extra shots of espresso to make ur coffee stronger..The rest the diagrams will speak themselves


.This first picture is the composition of Espresso..Then it is Espresso Machiatto,Espresso con panna,Caffee latte,Flat white,Cafe Breve,Americano,Caffe Mocha and last my fav Cappuccino.If u guys are further interested in coffee do chk out this link..http://www.coffeeclues.com/coffee-basics/introduction_to_coffee.php

The gr8 Indian tamashma!!

Its the Loksabha polls time!!!And this yr joins another new voter..Tats me!!!Wen i was a kid my friends and i we will be talking as though we are the ministers of the nation..Now wen i am of the age to talk abt it..am simply not interested!!
It started with the ruling party first!!!Then comes no 2..then 3...it just goes on!!Wow and this is the most pleasant feature of this summer..No power cuts..Lesser bus fares..IT would be really good if the election comission decides to conduct elections for a whole yr for the common man :-)

And election is extra masala in Madurai due to powerful candidates playing the tug of war..The tactics tat ppl are using to attain power is real gross..IT SUCKS!!Only money and muscle power speaks!!Vetu kuthu here and there..Saree distribution..Rampant Bribery(ITs more than 1000 they give per house hold.Where do those guys get so much money??)!!We are eye witness to it..Watever we cant blame any party..Coz all are equally bad...So wat to do???

Mystery of life...

Is it the law of life i dunno..That we often end up hurting the people whom the like the most,the most...Am pondering over this today..It always happens with me..Whatever it is..I lead life with the philosophy.."If u wish upon a star..It doesnt matter who u are..All ur heart desires will be yours"..

Okie BOSS I ill do it!!!

This article is dedicated to my project BOSS.. :-) UG project is one memorable part of these final days at coll for a special reason..We have sweated a lot.. sacrificed a lot..strained our self to the utmost.. made maximum use of the facilities available in college..And we have done all this coz of the mere passion for doing well and giving our best shot..Towards the end with a bad cold and mounting stress sometimes i do wonder if it is worth all the effort..Whatever it is the binding force in tough times and constant source of courage was our BOSS...She will plead cajole and cry so that i kick out the laziness me and start working..She has great optimism ,patience and persistence..That kept us going inspite of the various mental blocks,obstacles and situational constraints..Many a times i have gone to the verge of giving up or taking things easy..As we were working on something new with little guidance things can be really frustrating..But we have almost made through it..Its coz of BOSS tat i used to do references and homework..Its coz of BOSS tat i did the distasteful wrk of preparing the tiresome report..All through my UG life i had been successful in delegating my practicals record wrk to frnds and batch mates..Doing one report had been the last straw for a lazy creature like me..All the nites that i have stayed up ...for learning..for putting up ppt, for the poster, for the report was partially coz i was half afraid that BOSS will cry if things go wrong.. :-)Any how the outcome is ok..( I will never be satisfied)Its almost over..Hope all that ends will end well..

Realization..

At the end of final yr every engineering grad realizes the follows
1)What ur senior tells u is always true.
2)Computer lab sessions are only meant 4 mailing and chatting.
3)Library block is a place tat u visit only B4 study hols
4)Class sessions are meant to be opethyfied.
5)Project even when started with much ado is a big vethu.
6)If tomo is internals open ur bk at eleven prev day nite or l8r.
7)Copy in internals or fail.
8)Copy ur program in the system HDD b4 univ practical exams.
9)Even if the canteen food is not good visit it every brk every day.
10)Weekends are meant 4 non stop fun hanging out with frnds.
11)Make use of all available leaves in coll.
12)Get suspended atleast once if possible.
13)Study only at the end of study hols to secure a decent pass
14)Paper presentation can be done by cut copy paste of prof or other students wrk.
15)Foul mouth the coll management,higher authorities of ur department and coll rules.
16)ALWAYS LAST MINUTE WORK.BUT PLAY AND HAVE FUN TILL THE END.
17)Pass this precious advice to ur juniors.

Warning :Any arva kolaaru first yr wont believe this crap when he first enters coll..Etho vithivelakku pol irupaan endru scena poduvaan...But final yr vanthu avanae unaruvaan senior sollil irukkum unmaiya...

Justice delayed is justice denied..

Life is always pretty funny and wierdo..Sometimes u get punished for something tat u dont do and tats really unfair..Anyways tats the irony of life..Life will never be fair..Whatever perfect judicial system u create in the country or whatever best governance is there life will forever remain unfair..I cant give real world instances..But there are certain parallels in fiction..Take the case of Sirius Black of the Harry Potter series..Sirius is Harry's godfather and my favorite character in the book..This is the jist of his story..Sirius is born in the noble house of Black.It is a very pure blood line in JKR s lingo.He is handsome talented faithful to friendship and a real daredevil..Look how fate treats him..He sides with the good following his heart.Sirius revolts against his family who are in the wrong side of justice and lives for his friends..However he is accused of killing his best friend and his wife and put up in a wizard prison with the happiness sucked away from his soul.When he languishes for 14 years in prison none of his friends care to bring him to justice..They misunderstand him and think tat he is the betrayer.Sirius manages to escape and meet Harry in the third book.However his happiness is short lived and he always have to be a fugitive from justice and on the run..In the fifth book again he is shown living in his maternal house all alone and forced not to see the daylight..He is a member of the squad to fight against evil but is unable to contribute his best in spite of being talented as he had to lay low and not be found out.Isnt this a case of justice denied( delayed ??)Wat more punishment can a man have with his spirit crushed and having himself caged within four walls for no wrong of his??Sirius finally dies in the end of the fifth bk..The dark lord misleads Harry into thinking that Sirius is in trouble..Harry comes to save Sirius..However the case is vice versa..Sirius dies a hero's death saving Harry..Had there been in a mild twist of fate (or the story line) Sirius might be saved..If one reads the fifth book properly one might understand that..A story is a writers fantasy..But stories are very close to real life..and though Harry potter is pure fiction JKR accurately portrays the ironies of life..

P.S: I cant put up the picture of Sirius in the movie.Coz i imagined him to be much more handsome and well am a horrible artist and cant put up my drawing.

Beautiful lines

Hi..Am back to blogging after quite a long break..Today i read this lines in a forwarded mail..It really touched me a lot..So am putting it down here too..
"It hurts to love someone and not be loved in return.But what is more painful is to never have the courage to let that person know how you feel.Don't go for looks;they can deceive.Don't go for wealth;Even that fades away..Go for someone who makes you smile because it only takes a smile to brighten a dark day.It only takes a minute to get a crush on someone,and a day to love someone.But it takes a lifetime to forgot someone."

Faith

There is a saying.."Faith can move mountains"..I am still trying to realize the truth of these lines..Many a times in life we are faced with self doubt and in those times..I think abt these lines.."If faith can move mountains cant i face chota chota problems"..Am a self confessed pessimist..This ppl close to me will know...Another thing i heavily under rate my self..Some times i muse..Sometimes i rant..In this instance faith is a magic mantra..Searchin for self faith and answers from within??Am in a moody mood..Signing of..
Sudha.

An evening at Heritance

Having a mom who is one of the very few architects in the city gives her children some advantage..My mom is a very traditional person in spite of being a working woman. She seldom goes out to the professional meets and dinners. Even if she goes to a meet she will never stay for dinner.A couple of days back Sleek international kitchen invited mom 4 dinner in Heritance to showcase their latest product a kitchen cabinet which opens by touch and with no handles..As we have not had an eat out for quite a long time..Mom took us out.. Tat was indeed one memorable evening having dinner in one of the choicest luxury hotels of the temple city with the artistic and enlightening company..

HERITANCE Madurai-Where tradition is alive is a heritage hotel spread over 17 acres of greenery. It was a British club in the Raj era open to very select few( Madura coats high officials and very few outsiders like the owners of Hajeemosa).After years of neglect the Heritance group of hotels, Srilanka have now restored it to its original grandeur by converting it into a luxury resort with its distinct heritage feel and colonial era antiques and opened to public. There are about 81 rooms with 35 villas. Each villa has a private swimming pool. Some of the rooms have columns taken out of Chettinad homes and restored. I had a chance of being in the restaurant which was once the club house. The place where we were served the buffet was the ballroom of the yore. A French window opens out to a mini courtyard where drinks were served..(Naturally i didnt go).There was a big banyan tree which ram was so enthusiastic about which i later found out was the bar. :-) B4 entering the restaurant there a gigantic pool tat give a feel of a temple tank. The feel the ambience the food and the service were pretty excellent..I was not very happy with the non veg items in the menu..But the vegetarian fare and the desert was sumptuous.

Another highlight of our visit is tat the hotel is very recently opened .The opening was scheduled to be on March 3rd..But we were there on March 1st..Any visitor in Madurai who can afford to pay 8000 Rs for two per night and at least 2000 Rs per meal should not miss to stay in this hotel.

Science day special

National Science day is celebrated every year on 28th Feb. - the day when Raman effect was invented by Prof C.V.Raman.The true spirit of science and innovation was observed both by Ram and I today..Coz Ram had his science exhibition today and I had my review..Review can be taken as secondary..But Rams proj made me stay up all nite for the last two days..(Arey bagwan my proj seemed to be damn easy after handling his)Not tat my proj is easy and his tough..Rather i didnt have the patience with his.Ram's proj theme was Automatic closing of a railway gate using a simple principle-The wheels of the train act as a switch closing the circuit to the motor which controls the gate.Conceptwise really simple and ingenious.The problem was making the circuit work reliably without loose contacts by winding copper properly in the wheels and track..
Stayin up till 2 day b4 yest nite and all even yesterday didnt give us any solution.Tinkering,tryin this method and tat..i got really conky..Ram who was intially cool tat i will do it and didnt get involved much in the beginning also started to try his hand as the clock hand drew towards ten yesterday nite..Mom was suggesting even to try other ideas..It was finally at eleven the final breakthrough came when mom suggested to replace copper coils with tablet foils.Presto by eleven fifteen the circuit started working.Ram and I danced a jig in relief.Ram's proj was a moderate success today.Most of his fellow class mates have bought projects or dismantled toys..Not much tried thier own hand.Ram improvised the model further and the one tat he brought back home was really good..Bhaiya..U r becoming a budding scientist..Am so proud of u... :-)
Reg my review..I just went through the slides at coll last even..And today morning with a brush up we ran the show and it went good.

Two korean Movies...

Am penning down this on subbu's request for a movie review.Two korean movies tat i saw last wk..The movies are a bit of craze in coll for quite a few days..Source..Nan.. :-)Movies and I are poles apart coz i always consider the time spent watchin a movie equivalent to time wasted..But ok..Millionaire's first love can be watched once..with certain scenes lingering in ur mind..The reason tat i liked the movie is tat it subtly brings out the fulfillment one gets in life by holding on to love and friendship instead of money and materialism..I liked the particular scene in which the protoganist wonders "How could these ppl be happy with a mere 10 $ note??" There is beatiful picturisation throughout the film and being the first korean movie tat i watched i could get an insight on korean culture..

Next comes My little bride..I j enjoyed every moment of this movie..There is fun innocence and comedy..The little heroine was really really cute...See the picture :-)The story is abt how the hero wins the heart of his 15 yr old bride who had married him in accordance to the last wish of her grandpa..The ending was really emotional..I liked the way the hero conveyed his emotions in a brusque and yet touching way in typical guy fashion..

One poem tat inspires me forever..

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream and not make dreams your master;
If you can think and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings---nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering..

Today i had my GATE..urrghh..The technical exam for doing post graduate in India.Am not a really reluctant scholar..I like being nerdy..But GATE is too much for me as it demands too much hardwork sloggin stuff..I wrote GATE as my dad , a caring dad like the one in vaaranam aayiram wants his daughters life to reach great heights..Totally reluctant to learn till the end i played the truant game..But unfortunately as it always happens in life i came to know the truth of dad's words when i saw the question ppr.
Feb 1..I finished MAT and was returnin home..Gracy's mssg.."Chk out sun news..All colls indefinitely closed in TN".Then there is a continuous stream of mssgs...Dad calls.."Sudha..this is time 4 u to prep..Come on..U can get into IIT"
Sudha.."Arghhhh..Dad.. IIT is not Raja engineering college"
We had coll leave till feb8..Exactly one week leave..For all GATE aspirants of TN..government had been sooo generous..Yeah but a gift given should be taken na...
First few days of the wk was pretty hectic with proj worries..then bookin tickets 4 going to hyderabad next week..Then well i did have time in the end..I learnt..But learnt selectively..GATE aspirants who happen to come across this blog..One week crash prep at the end even if done dedicated is not enough for GATE.I learnt it from experience.
I didnot revise maths and tat turned out to be a blunder..Left out power systems, power electronics and machines completely!!These subjects are pretty easy..But i didnt have time i the end..And too much of stuffin in facts in one day can make brains wooly..So final day b4 the test i threw out all the bks listened to music and watched TV.
And wat happened in the test hall??I finished the three hr test in one and a half hrs.There is negative markin..So attended only half..Then was lookin around..tappin the desk..Makin the invigilator get suspicious of me!!!!Believe it or not..I found the test highly mentally stimulating..Here are ppl testin wat i have understood learning the past 4 yrs...And tat was interesting inspite of my limited knowledge....

So moral of the story is tat...Non GATE ppl..take GATE as it is worth the challenge.GATE aspirants prepare well and go..U can crack it if u had prepared.

No more regrets..Signin off..Sudha.

Just popping in!!

While starting this blog a month back my first resolution was never to have blogging as weak as new yr resolutions...Am a bit busy the previous week this one and the forth coming week too..There are quite a few entries tat i have thought to put down..But those can wait.... :-)

Oops i forgot the password!!!

Tat happens in the end of the never endin fight between 12 and 20 for the single PC at home..I got a younger bro aged 12..But he has a computer poweress equal to tat of me.. :-( and day in and out we fight for the only system at home..Being above 18 and havin the advantage of being the elder one has parental support in my side..But with ram u can never expect a thing..He wants the 700 unlimited plan..I want the 500 plan tat gives me 175 freee calls..and the fight goes on who gettin the system on sunday afternoon..Ram has a habit of settin very looong passwords for his user account..And the comedy is after a couple of days he himself will forget tat..And today he came up with a pretty exasperatin situation 4 him...His frnd has sent him a couple of torrents game link 4 to his yahoo id and he has forgot the pass wd!!I told him..tell ur frnd to send it 2 ur gmail account my boy!!and u know wat he said..I am not sure abt my passwd..So it goes in round and round..Everytime ram sees me lingerin around while he types his passwd..We end up in a fight and he setting a tougher passwd and the story repeats it self..HeHe.:-)

Wats life holdin 4 me??

Here i am on a three day brk from regular coll..Life seems to be like chewin the same cud??Nah..not exactly..I got my proj..There are a host of entrance exams and stuff awaitin me nxt month..And well it is all the same rut??Nah tats not the case..I just hate the very stuff i eagerly await 4..Proj gets stuck up with problems in the middle.There r apprehensions on the feasiblity and deliverablity within time..Then the very idea of studyin 4 competitve exams is really repellent..Tat model question pprs and the old bks seem to be really disgusting..Yeah i keep grumblin like an old lady day in and day out waitin for another day of precious youth run away..Hmp..Am in a foul mood now..Hey wats life holdin 4 me??This alone i ask myself now and then..Crazy and mad with dumb existence.............sudha.

Music-An enthralling experience...

Music..tats one magical word tat can transport man from his mundane to mystical..I have been a music mania rite from my childhood..Crazy enough tat i have either the music system on all time at home or the ipod plugged in ears when fellow inmates of household get bugged by constant music..Am the sort of creature who can hear the same record upteem number of times till i get tired of it..And it goes on like tat my life long romance with music..

BBkulum Reliance Super...

I have been thinkin of penning down this article for quite a few days..Reliance super at madurai..Reliance has been opening its outlets in this small town for quite sometime b4..Reliance fresh made its entry first and then a medicals..(Vasan medical hall is competing for its space rite now)And yeah now is the ultimate Reliance super..It has a dashin combination of good quality products,buyer enticing offers and prices..While u are thinking tat u are savin money u actually end up spending more..Whatever it is..It is a WIN WIN situation.The shop floor has not been fully established..Rite now they have a clothes section..T shirts,tops, kurthis and stuff..Buy 2 get 2 free!!!I cant rate them really good..But it is worth the buy..U can shop dress for a family of 4 within 1000Rs.This indeed goes well with thrifty maduraities..Then there is the usual grocery section,fresh fruits and veg,household items,knicknacks,mobile store,mini watch show room..My visit here was purely for window shopping however in the the end even i was tempted to buy...So ppl of மதுரை ..Dont miss this shop..:-)

Life is transient...

This article is dedicated in memoir of a class mate of ours who passed away last year...Actually i have not even talked to him once..Yet he was also a fellow class mate of mine..and reflecting the feelings of my fellow class mates my mournings for him..When u lose some one close to u only u will feel the impact of death..I experienced the feeling when my uncle passed away some yrs ago on jan 11..It pains in the corner of the heart..The memoirs haunt..But we gotto live a life and for that we have to gain strength from the past and bravely venture into the future.