Mozart of Madras

Rahman roars!!

Be it a movie starring a superstar or newbie, Rahman sprays magic on it with his sheer diversity and freshness. Right from the Roja days, the aura of freshness has been prevalent in almost all of his albums. His righteous mix of instruments, flair for innovation and creativity makes me feel that he is among the best ever.

To say that his recent compositions (Ghajini, Yuvraaj, Jaanu Tu) were good would be a gross understatement, I can only see his music getting better with fresh voices. His handling of budding singers is commendable and he brings the best out of them. Karthik and Benny to name a few. While we don't often get to see his magic in Tamil nowadays, one has to accept the fact that this man's powers is not confined or to be enjoyed in one particular part of the country restricted by language. Of late, he has been spreading his wings across the world, and with another feather in the cap, this one being the biggest so far, A Golden Globe nomination for his work in 'Slumdog Millionaire', he is at an all-time high. Awards have not eluded him since Roja (Winning a National Award in his first ever movie itself proves his class) but this one if he wins could see a huge celebration back home. While we wait for the results to be announced for this, the Oscar dream is not far-fetched. He may soon conquer that as well and we simply hope for that to happen.

And coming a little off-track, the last thing we would like from him is to see his songs being mouthed in some sunnambu clad heroes' movies. The sight of SJ Surya dancing to his tunes was so painful and a glorious heartbreak. Believe me, there are thousands of folks who stopped watching the 'Mayilirage' song where Mr.X dances in the backdrop of Thiruvalluvar Statue. God, I had my heart in my mouth. Rahman has some history of movies where the songs vanished into thin air as the movies turn damp squibs. We hope that doesnt happen often from now on. Let the man of class be associated with something he deserves to.

Hail the 'Mozart of Madras' and wish him more success!!!

Filter kaapi..

It got me six years to realise the importance of a cup of 'filter kaapi'!!!

Yes. My definition of 'filter kaapi' is not about its taste. Its underlying significance lies in the perception. Till when I was in school, a cup of coffee mom gives me was just another energy drink. The importance I gave to coffee was minimal, considering it was the only drink I had known and held monopoly for many years. I am pretty sure it is the same in many of the 'Tam Brahm' families. I have even seen people who welcome their guests with a cup pf 'kaapi' even if they bang the door at midnight. Thats how it was. It was a life saver and mandatory elixir more than water.

And when I descended to hostel, where only twenty minutes is left between your wake-up and startup (I meant the classes start time), the last thing you do is your breakfast. Still, kaapi remained my soul saver. But it lay somewhere between the truth of hot water and lies of milk, biased towards the former. This also marked the sad demise of the beverage's existence in my taste buds. Though it resurfaced whenever I go home, the delicacy was short-lived and I had to live with it. Nothing much changed after college for one and half years. Until I packed my Mom with me to Bengaluru. The place she lived for sometime before getting married.

True. I am a Day Scholar(???) now. After six years. After years of unorganised lifestyle and filthy clothing. Mellifluous tunes of the milk cooker coupled with my mom's wise trick of luring me with the same old 'filter kaapi' wakes me up as early as 6.30 in the morning. And then on, the day starts real soon where you have everything ready from hot water to well pressed clothes. And importantly, I reach office in time. Many people in my team believe that the magic is because of my mom.. In a way, thats true. The secret behind that is the filter coffee with its tempting aroma and undying taste made by her. It has rehabilitated and recharged my senses. I realize its importance now after these years of ignorance.

I still have no idea on how long this revitalized lifestyle would stay. But, last two weeks felt good than the past few years in many aspects. And one of them is 'filter kaapi'. And I now believe Cafe coffee day's slogan "A Lot can happen over a coffee".

P.S: I hope that 'kaapi' lovers can relate well to this blog..

Alma mater.. Few nibbles..

46 days 23 hours 33 minutes..
Number of days since i had posted.. well.. i am not getting bored of blogging (That still has some time left).. There were a combination of factors that prevented me from donning the blogger's cap ( work commitments, frequent hometown visits, My ISP Tata Indicom's generosity and atlast somberithanam to top it all..)

15 months 6 days..
Number of days since i had been to coimbatore last.. Last time i was in CBE, i was a just now certified engineer.. eager to join corporate world and earn money.. and most importantly had more hair and some brain in my head.. (Ok.. Let me stop my andha naal nyabagam..)
I happened to be at Coimbatore to visit my college PSG Tech last weekend.. Infact 8 of us went for a jaunt (GRE!$!%%@^(@), which was good and a welcome relief for all of us.. We roamed around and managed to take a peek at all places we spent most of our times.. Aryaas, Arunachalas, Cinemaplexes (?!!!), IM, Hostel, Snack bar, NM Bakery.. Darshan remained the same old dhum kadai.. Nothing has changed much except for the prices in all the eateries.. Imagine 10 rupess for a coffee in Aryaas.. Is IT virus slowly catching up with Coimbatore??

The bridge constructed to connect college and hostel campus was infact the high point.. It is a true marvel and nice place for photo freaks.. You could very well see lot of PSGians have their orkut profile pics clicked on the bridge..

And one more glaring difference is the absence of trees along the Avinashi Road stretch.. the roads were naked without those breezer trees.. The coconut shop near sarvajana school too has gone missing..

Apart from this, the department looked the same.. The assembly hall building is now five storeys big.. All the grasses were shaved off the Quadrangle auditorium.. PSG university has now become a commercial hub with lots of companies coming up in the E block..

Well.. At the outset, Coimbatore is still the same old serene atmosphere kinda place which may shed that image anytime.. Coimbatore still rocks.. (Non-PSGians.. kindly Excuse.. This blog may sound a bit irrelevant..)

Now, Then and the Day before..

Late nights are really dangerous.. They kindle your mind and heart with obnoxious (Hayden inspired vocab) thoughts.. True.. And tonight was one such day.. Nostalgia was at its heights with my mind strolling back in reverse gear.. I call this particular thought obnoxious because its 'harmful' to both mind and body.. They wont let you sleep and make you stand in front of your manager the next morning showing him fake smiles and farce excuses for being late.. (Power cuts and water shortages being the latest excuse premiered.. )

What other way to prevent your nostalgia from eating you.. Blog.. Hmmm.. So started scribbling something to show how infectious this nostalgia could be..


I started revisiting every stone around me and picked them to see how they have changed last few years.. I have mentioned every aspect and its effects in three different eras .. (sounds historical.. ;-))

i) School days.. ii) College times.. iii) And Present..

Myself
i) Studious schoolboy having a notorious inner-self but a timid outlook..
ii) Average college student who was a big-time talkie yet still had those traces of that good old timidity..
iii) Now, a so-called software engineer minus that notoriety and timidity and someone who does nothing to feed his brain or brawn,

My Phone..
i) STD/ISD booth owners were the richest i thought..
ii) Nokia 3315 and 1108, where Snake Game and SMS were a rage..
iii) Sony Ericsson w580i.. Sits sadly in my pocket working only as a music player to me also wanting to talk to me more..

City..
i) Chennai.. Ambattur, a suburb in chennai.. one place where urbanisation of chennai could never reach.. You shall infact call me a villager..
ii) Coimbatore.. Calm and composed.. A place wanting to be a full-time city and on the brink of it..
iii) A place where vehicles are nothing but leeches.. yes.. your guess is right.. Its Namma Bengaluru..


Home and my room..
i) Though they were three big enough rooms at my home, i didnt have one to say for myself..
ii) I had one small room to my name which had space only for my legs.. yet, I could call that MY room..
iii) Huge room where my PC lies in the corner of the room like an age old newspaper on the floor, and staring at its master to take care of the dust on it..
A.T: This PC is lucky enough to survive with me in all these places..

I wear..
i) Two options.. School uniform or torn shorts.. I had to go for option one..
ii) Neat formals (or) Stinking t-shirts and W(T)orn out jean.. As all college romeos do, option two..
iii) i am not given options here.. Even if i am asked to come in a beggar's costume everyday, I am bound to come..
Food..
i)No money, but blessed with good food.. This happens to everyone at home..
ii)Very few money and lucky enough to find a parota kadai outside your hostel to get some reprieve from hostel food..
iii) Enough money and what.. Frenetic search for food ends in burning your pocket and miraculously, college hostel food becomes an elixir..

Fun..
i) Motta maadi cricket, in distant memory yet fresh..
ii) Cricket reaching its next level in big grounds accompanied by late-night vetti maangas and night show cinema..
iii) Pool tables in corporate cafeterias..

Wallet..
i) Wallets are a big show off especially if you are among the firsts in your group to have one..
Unfortunately, there was nothing in it except for its bill when i had my first..
ii) The same stinking leather wallet which stumps everyone around with its smell was my saviour to get me out of trouble whenever somwbone asks for money..
iii) A new one now.. Still runnning short of cash but full of ABCD credit cards which i promise i would never use and which was never used before..

What next..
i) Chemistry and its necessity to mug up those equations drove me to think of pouring those acids on my chemistry master's water bottle.. Such was my enmity towards that subject and desperation for that MPC cutoff to get into a good college..
ii) Placements help you start your path.. But there are chances that it may end where it started as in my case.. That filled my 'what next' in a rather careless college life..
iii)Barrons and TIME materials filled my bed with no specific path defined now.. Even thought of speaking to Rajnikant to find out a way to Himalayas and settle there.. 'What next' column had to be filled blank now..


Phew.. Huge post isn't it.. Kudos to all those who had patience to read through this blog..

Looks like this post has a tad negative shade.. Well, thats what memories does. They make you yearn for the past, showcasing the negatives of today..

Getting blog-istic..

Past few weeks i have been reading blogs like i would read for my semester exams.. I dont mean the level of interest (or the lack of it.. :)), but the hours i get myself engrossed in reading blogs. Blogs have become a great time-pass for me. Browsing them, my geeky mind took note of all these..

Blogs (No offence meant)
1) can be of any genre.
2) They can be Personal experiences( My first day in college, office , central jail, whatever.. )3) They shall reflect one's interests ( I love reading, jogging, barking, etc, etc.. )
4) They may involve reviews, take whatever, movies, books, restaurants..
5) They may include tips, teachings, preachings.. ( Do's and Donts while preparing exams, preparing dosa.. )

In many ways, these blogs are a true reflection of one's own self, one's thoughts and their experiences. It lets you talk to the outer world. I have been ignorant all these days. Never knew so many people write blogs, express their opinions through them. I could remember my TL showing a blog to decide on a place for his weekend getaway. Its absolutely amazing and blogs are the 'mouthpiece' of this internet-savvy generation.

For me, Blogs are a way to tell something to the world, atleast to a few, which would possibly include all of the above.

PS: After proof-reading this blog, I feel that this must have been my intro one..

Thank God.. Its Friday!!!

TGIF!!

This is certainly not an advertisement to any of the money making chain of restaurants.. This would possibly be the cry of a number of people in this 9 AM to 6 PM world filled with deadlines, bluffs and fake smiles.. Yes.. This definitely implies the software-industry and the so-called Technical Analysts/Programmers/System Analysts or whatever big time designation we have..

I am not trying to undermine the worth of this huge industry which has given lives and money for many of us or toiling to deny its effect on the Indian economy.. This blog is just to share my feelings on how this work has changed the way I look at a day which had been normal to me all these years and looks like afestival for me the past eight months.. A FRIDAY was just another day until the nuances of work made me feel an anxiety of a die-hard Rajni fan who waits for the release of his thalaivar's next movie..

Each Friday has so far given me a sense of happiness that knew no bounds..

One of my friend said, "Friday comes after four frying days".. I found this true in my case..

I am not gonna list you what all I do on or after Friday.. But Friday itself has had a positive effect on me.. Atleast in the way i feel..

Below are some of the Moments/Instances where i could feel the beauty of the day..

1) My work is typically BAU where I need to be at office at 8 AM sharp{ True!!:((( } to work with my Australian counterparts.. This virtually means i should wake up at 6.45 AM everyday and hurry to office.. I do this painfully everyday seeing my roomies sleep like as if they are enjoying a holiday .. So, waking up like this on a Friday morning gives me a huge sense of relief that I need not do this for another two days..

2) Next comes my attire.. I am the only one out of the five in my house who needs to wear business casuals (nothing but formals) everyday and its truly a pain to check everyday whether you have everything ready, your trousers and shirts, neat, pressed and ready.. But FRIDAY gives me a cushion to wear t-shirts and jeans which wont give you not more than a minute to get yourself ready. The feel of completeness an unpressed 150 Rs. Tshirt gives is more than seeing me looking good at the mirror wearing a Van Huesen that costs more than 6 times the T-shirt.. just because its a FRIDAY..

3) Friday is one day where you could see a lot of empty cubicles or people leave early sending out emails of "Leaving early as i need to catch my train" kind. This gives me more breathing space as my work is more dependant on others', so more people are absent, more vetti time for me.. It would help me feel as if i am the only responsible soul in the company.. So, one more Friday factor to add to my list..

4) Birthday treats and farewell parties have become a lifeline for us these days.. We don't know whether these people( read Colleagues) give money to their family, but this has become a routine, a doctrine to give treats to those whom you never knew few months back or who may move out few months down the line. That doesnt matter. Treats are always there..

Birthday?? "Where is the treat??"

Leaving the company?? "Where is the treat?? "

Joined the company?? "Give me welcome treat??"

Got a new mobile phone?? "Treat !!!" You buy a mobile phone for 4k and end up giving treat for 2k.. "Enna koduma sir idhu?? "

I am no saint either.. Even I am one of those treat-wishers and thats one specific reason my love for Friday never falls.. Fridays have been traditionally been the treat-giving day where I spend hours in posh restaurants that I have never dreamt of I would get into.. My treat places have so far been chilli-gobi, kaalan stalls or tea kadais.. But these places were new to me.. On the positive side, I got to know some good people around me in my team just because of the treats.. So, treats aren't that bad.. Moreover, physically it helps you put on weight ;-).. They are the principle reason in s/w engineers putting on tummy providing stiff competition to our police mamas.. While i am writing this blog, the thought running in the back of my mind is the treat my colleague is about to give us this friday.. A huge motivation infact!!!

Now, i have listed the points.. I needed to complete my first blog in a typical GRE AWA way.. With a conclusion..

Well.. There are many more reasons like this.. Corporate world means a lot to me.. It had impacted my views on variegated stuff.. and FRIDAY is one among them..

My experience might not be the same as many of yours.. Pls key in your comments if you have any or wat u feel about this..

PS: It took three hours to complete my first blog.. I wonder how some of my friends (Vignesh, Sri, umesh, etc.. ) manage to post too often.. Hats off to them..

Taking off..

Well guys.. This shall be counted as my first attempt to spoil web space in a way best known to me.. And i am not really good in writing introductions.. I have been struggling throughout my life in doing this particular stuff.. Just tried to write something here to inform that 'Me too started writing blogs'.. My very own way of introducing myself to the world of blogging..