Friday, December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas from Terminal 2

Yay!!! India bound again!! Really looking forward to it. This is and will be my longest continuous stay in India. The year 2009 has been a year of patience, perseverence and decent amount of fun and has brought about new opportunities. Year 2010 am hopeful is a year of positive changes and hope to have greater amount of fun!!

A quick snapshot before I sign-off.
Recent Books I have read
The Appeal- John Grisham - Gripping and full of strategy. Decent read.
Two States - Chetan Bhagat - Hilarious. Must read.

Recent Movies
Bef0re Sunrise , Before Sunset - Two Brilliant Romantic comedies. Very conversational. (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy).
Vettaikaaran - Good laugh and a decent masala movie. Good to watch with friends.
Anushka is smokin hot!! (Loved the songs Kairgalan and En Ucchi mandai la gir!!! )

Recent Sports
Resumed tennis for the past 3-4 weeks. Game still not to the level as before. Need to improve!!

Highlights of the Month
Really glad that I completed the Standard Chartered Half Marathon (21 Km) on December 6th. This is my second half-marathon and I completed it in around 2hrs 58 min (about the same time as last year).
Signing off now to board AI 447. Until then Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Now playing : Sol Sol avalidam sol (Paiyaa)

Friday, October 16, 2009

Happy Deepavali 2009

Standard Fireworks, Peacock Brand, 100 Wala Lar Grand, Snake, Stone, Sparklers, Vishnu Chakram, Thara Chakram, Buswanam, Aerial color-out, Morning Idlis, Patti-Mandram, Deepavali Release.

These are the only faint memories that I have of celebrating Deepavali at home. It has been around 10 years, since I set forth out of home for college and work thereafter. In these 10 years I have been at home for Deepavali only a couple of times. I know for a fact that in the coming few years, there are very less chances of me being at home for Diwali. So here I am at the airport on the Diwali eve, taking a flight to Chennai. This was a very impulsive booking on my part, and a last minute decision. But I dont repent it. I am sure I will cherish this weekend for ever!!

So all you guys out there spending your Diwali with your loved ones and family, you should feel very special and lucky!! And those who are far away from their loved ones, gather with your friends and have fun, for this is a season of lights and you should brighten your lives with this light, wherever you are in this world!!!

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Snapshot

Quote of the Month
மூச்சு விட்டு கொண்டிருப்பவன் எல்லாம் மனிதனல்ல.
கிடைசி மூச்சு வரை முயற்சி செய்து கொண்டிருப்பவனே மனிதன்!
A man is not defined by the fact that he is constantly breathing. One who persistently keeps trying until his last breath maketh a MAN!
(Heard this on Vijay TV rendered by a Tamil Poet and lyricist called Pa. Vijay).
----------------
Book Recommendations:
1. Unaccustomed earth - Jhumpa Lahiri
Very moving stories, but most of the stories have a sad undertone.

2. My Days - A Memoir - RK Narayan
My Guru, My role model, my God, my constant companion. His life is as interesting as his books.
--------------------------------------
Recent Good Movies :
1. Unnai Pol Oruvan - Kamal Haasan - Need I say more.
2. Kaminey
---------------------------------------
Recent Board Game discovery:
Discovered an awesome game called RISK. The objective of this game is to conquer the world. A board game with skills similar to Age of Empires.
----------------------------------------
Restaurants :
Chutney Mary (East Coast Road)
---------------------------------------
NEWS of the Month
* Sensex kicking some ass now.
* 1 year anniversary of Lehman brothers collapse and world economies showing some signs that the recession is coming to an end (touch wood, in fact touch an entire forest ).
* Signs of water on the moon discovered as part of the Chandraayan moon mission.
----------------------------------------
Highlights of the Month
Looking forward to the Singapore F1 night race this weekend!!!

Thursday, July 30, 2009

The Writer's Block

My fingers are dancing over the qwerty
I really want write something from the bottom of my heart
I want to get my hands dirty
And make yet another start!

There is either a famine or a flood of ideas in my cerebrum
There are times I cannot write a single word
And times where I disgorge incoherent ideas in cryptic conundrum
That are worth only to be interred!

My fingers flop down on the keyboard due to lack of work in shame
They do what they usually do in such times without fail
I end up googling my own name, how lame,
And set forth on my usual meaningless web trail.

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Dead-ends - Where New life begins

I was on the highway sooner than I had realized
You are part of the race whether or not you want to be
I set forth at full gear with
The wind on my face
The music on my lips
The feel of absolute power in my hands
I knew know fear
There were no strings attached.

I braved many distractions
It was important to keep driving on
I ignored the exits and short-cuts
They were only for quitters and losers
I ignored the warnings and the signals
They were only for the faint-hearted and weaklings
There were many obstructions
But it was important to keep driving on!

I started this journey with a dream
A dream that when I reach the end of my journey
Where there are no more roads
Where no man has driven to before
I shall erect my flag of success on virgin grounds
And bask in the glory of my achievements

But the roads never come to an end
Roads will never come to an end
It is for you to find that happy nook that others call the "Dead-end"
Where you need to carve a niche for yourself
That happy place where only your car can go through the gates
Where other cars can come, but they have to leave.

Life is funny in that sense
The journey does not come to an end
Because your destination has arrived
Rather it comes because you can no longer drive
Or make a conscious choice to end the journey

I am still driving
But wisely so now
For I am aware that I need to find my dead-end
Where a happy new life awaits!

Saturday, May 09, 2009

Mi Primer Poema Espanol

La señora es mucho bonita.
A mi me gusta la señora.
Algún día voy a hablar con ella
ese día voy a cantar la la la

That girl she is really beautiful
I like that girl a lot
Some day I will talk to that girl
That day I will sing la la la

My Day in Brands

Colgate
Listrine
Garnier
Pears
Nivea
Johnson & Johnson
Kenneth Cole
Alain Delon
Woodlands
Seven Eleven
Magnolia
HP
NEC
MS Windows
Redoxon
Google
Java
Samsung
Starhub
Akira
Acer
Ikea
Listrine
Himalaya
LG

Friday, April 03, 2009

The Tiger Awaits

Keeping with the tradition of my airport blogging, this is yet another 1-hour-before-flight blog. (first time from the Budget terminal @ Singapore though).


I expected something really bad at the Budget terminal. I should say that it is not that bad, except that I really miss the free leg-massagers in terminal 1 and 2.


Enough banter. Let us talk about something intellectual. How about the third-law of thermodynamics: that the entropy in the universe is ever increasing. (hopefully I still remember it correct from Thermo-D 101)

If I am part of the universe (or maybe the universe is part of me :D ) then I am certainly a good contributor to the increase in entropy.
Some of my actions recently definitely fall into the distribution of entropy contributing activities from the set : {weird, abnormal, eccentric , crazy)

Some of the really "entropic" things that I did recently:



  • Last night at 2 AM I had a strong craving for hot spicy noodles and a keen desire to watch Michael Madana Kamarajan. Thanks to the Gracious God and Myself I had both accessible at home. And BOY I did really enjoy both at that Ghastly, ghostly hour!!!
  • I suffer from a chronic disease called "IMPATIENCE" and the doctors have given up on me. Recently at the LRT Station (light rail transit) I really got impatient waiting for the lrt and I started walking round and round the platform ("the Pentathol" scene from Gunaa). A concerned SMRT Railway employee stopped me and asked if all was OK. I retorted saying that this is my way of exercising since I don't get time to exercise after work. (which was partly true btw.) He went away chuckling to himself.
  • I actually made a "Check-list" before this trip for my packing and the list of items I had to do before departing. Now is that a sign of AGEING or really a Curious Case of my extraordinary Project management skills applied to daily living. Weird!!!











Now playing: Confusion confusion (Kotha Bangaru Lokam)

Sunday, February 01, 2009

Snapshot

The following two books are my recent good reads.
The Gifted - Nikita Lalwani
The story is about an Indian immigrant family in Cardiff (Wales). The head of the family is an Indian mathematics professor and the main character in the story is his "gifted" daughter who is a maths prodigee. The family's aspirations are centred around the girl and the whole plot is about how this affects the normal living of the girl. I really enjoyed reading this book,especially understanding the psyche of the girl. For example there is an instance where the girl prays to God to get her out of a problem by counting to 30th digit of "Pi", the transcendental number.


Show Business - Shashi Tharoor
Excellent parody of the Bollywood industry and closely resembles the life of Amitabh Bachchan. Shashi Tharoor has devised an intelligent structure to the book, with chapters resembling film-shooting takes. I really enjoyed the monologues of each character.



Other reads
Introduction to Freud - comic series
This was quite an eye-opening read. Came across some shocking theories like the Oedipus complex. Overall the book was a good introduction to Sigmund Freud's theories some of which are quite relevant. Freud says that reason is not an obvious outcome of the mind but an outcome of a struggle between the ideal and raw-inconscious mind and the practical conscious mind.

Now playing:
Kangal Irandal - Subramaniyapuram
Dreams on Fire - Slumdog Millionare

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

X-Ray of a Confused Mind

The scariest place in the world at times is within your head!





Friday, January 16, 2009

The Climb Resumes...

For years I have been climbing steep mountains
I have never feared hanging off steep ledges
The sharp rocks have seldom hurt me
I was undeterred by the pain my arms
And the ache in my legs
I was steady in my resolve
To keep climbing higher and higher
Until I reached the ultimate summit!

Everything was fine until my recent fall
The fear of failure has crept into me like poison ivy
Self infliction is nothing but an easy solution
I seek pleasure in pain
I seek solace in my solitude
I seek refuge in my goblet
Hoping to drown in the rednesss of the wine
That liberates my inner spirit!

A faint voice within me frantically calls out
Begging me to just hang in there
And that the tide will turn
I hear the voice of reason calling out loudly to
Pull myself out of this abyss
For I have been at greater heights
The climb now should be faster and easier
The perils are not strangers anymore.

I may now hold on to my rope tighter
Every step of mine might take longer
I may rest after each exertion and my breath may be heavier
But at least I have resumed my climb!
And I vow that I shall keep climbing
As after every fall the only way is UP!

Sunday, January 04, 2009

Contentment

I stare out of my window at the grey night sky
And see a lone faint star in the distance.
The clouds annoy me for this reason.
Why do they want to deny me the simple pleasure
Of gazing at the bright stars and counting them?
A finite entity attempting to grasp the infinite.
It is not that I want the stars all for myself.
I do not wish to roll up the sky
And hang it in my living room to adorn my wall.

But this is just a momentary lapse

For I am filled with brimming gratitude
For it is the clouds that bear the rain
that paints the earth in hues of green
that ensures my thirst is quenched.
I quietly close the window making a vow to myself

That I shall consciously try to be content with what I have!