Trichy, my trichy!!!

Its hard to believe that, 6 months has passed since I came from Trichy (of course, I was there at home for about 20 days in December ). The place where I live now (Raleigh) is nice and comfortable. I have to admit that the standard of living is pretty high here. But, as my friend Sriram says, there’s a difference between happiness and comfort. This doesnt mean that, I am not happy now. But, the long term prospects of staying in the US doenst seem to be so luring for me. Cmon man, there are multi-storeys here, but very little temples. There are great restuarants here, but I miss the IYER KADAI, where I eat idly for Rs 2/-. There is almost everything you can have in life except your family and happiness. I don’t see any point in running behind money without peace of mind.

Hope God makes me stay contended and let me return to India in few years…

MUMBAI DREAMS

This post is special for me in two ways – One, this post is about my book (debut!) MUMBAI DREAMS and Two – this is the 50th post in Shakys chronicle!

Mumbai Dreams is very very close to my heart in many ways. It is a collection of 16 short stories and I ve tried hard to make each story as different as possible.

I would like each one of you to get my book (costs Rs 85) and read it I would post (withi the name of bookstores wherein this would be available. Till then, have a great time!

Interesting Facts!!!

Here are some interesting info, I read in a website… hope u enjoy em’

1. If you are right handed, you will tend to chew your food on your right side. If you are left handed, you will tend to chew your food on your left side.

2. If you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink more water. For when a human body is dehydrated, its thirst mechanism shuts off.

3. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.

4. Your tongue is germ free only if it is pink. If it is white there is a thin film of bacteria on it.

5. The Mercedes-Benz motto is “Das Beste oder Nichts” meaning “the best or nothing”.

 6. The Titanic was the first ship to use the SOS signal.

7. The pupil of the eye expands as much as 45 percent when a person looks at something pleasing.

8. The average person who stops smoking requires one hour less sleep a night.

9. Laughing lowers levels of stress hormones and strengthens the immune system. Six-year-olds laugh an average of 300 times a day. Adults only laugh 15 to 100 times a day.

10. The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear.

11. Dalmatians are born without spots.

12. Bats always turn left when exiting a cave.

13. The ‘v’ in the name of a court case does not stand for ‘versus’, but for ‘and’ (in civil proceedings) or ‘against’ (in criminal proceedings).

14. Men’s shirts have the buttons on the right, but women’s shirts have the buttons on the left.

15. The owl is the only bird to drop its upper eyelid to wink. All other birds raise their lower eyelids.

16. The reason honey is so easy to digest is that it’s already been digested by a bee.

17. Roosters cannot crow if they cannot extend their necks.

18. The color blue has a calming effect. It causes the brain to release calming hormones.

19. Every time you sneeze some of your brain cells die.

20. Your left lung is smaller than your right lung to make room for your heart.

21. The verb “cleave” is the only English word with two synonyms which are antonyms of each other: adhere and separate.

22. When you blush, the lining of your stomach also turns red.

23. When hippos are upset, their sweat turns red.

24. The first Harley Davidson motorcycle was built in 1903, and used a tomato can for a carburetor.

25. The lion that roars in the MGM logo is named Volney.

26. Google is actually the common name for a number with a million zeros.

27. Switching letters is called spoonerism. For example, saying jag of Flapan, instead of flag of Japan.

28. It cost 7 million dollars to build the Titanic and 200 million to make a film about it.

29. The attachment of the human skin to muscles is what causes dimples.

30. There are 1,792 steps to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

31. The sound you hear when you crack your knuckles is actually the sound of nitrogen gas bubbles bursting.

32. Human hair and fingernails continue to grow after death.

33. It takes about 20 seconds for a red blood cell to circle the whole body.

34. The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets.

35. Most soccer players run 7 miles in a game.

36. The only part of the body that has no blood supply is the cornea in the eye. It takes in oxygen directly from the air.

37. Every day 200 million couples make love, 400,000 babies are born, and 140,000 people die.

38. In most watch advertisements the time displayed on the watch is 10:10 because then the arms frame the brand of the watch (and make it look like it
is smiling).

39. Colgate faced big obstacle marketing toothpaste in Spanish speaking countries. Colgate translates into the command “go hang yourself.”

40. The only 2 animals that can see behind itself without turning its head are the rabbit and the parrot.

41. Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

42. The average person laughs 13 times a day.

43. Do you know the names of the three wise monkeys? They are:Mizaru(See no evil), Mikazaru(Hear no evil), and Mazaru(Speak no evil)

44. Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

45. German Shepherds bite humans more than any other breed of dog.

46. Large kangaroos cover more than 30 feet with each jump.

47. Whip makes a cracking sound because its tip moves faster than the speed of sound.

48. Two animal rights protesters were protesting at the cruelty of sending pigs to a slaughterhouse in Bonn. Suddenly the pigs, all two thousand of them, escaped through a broken fence and stampeded, trampling the two hapless protesters to death.

49. If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle; if the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle; if the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural cause.

50. The human heart creates enough pressure while pumping to squirt blood 30 feet!!

Titbits…

I am back!!! Life s really cool, after 4 months of wear and tear (Yes, Am an Mechanical Engineer ) in the US, relaxing in my hometown, in the warmth of my family and my mother’s food is truly awesome!!!

Wogey, lets start the music…

• As I was waiting in Chennai airport to collect my luggage, I was engulfed with mixed emotions (it happens when u come back to ur motherland ). After a loooooooooong delay at the conveyer, I finally managed to collect my luggages (thank God!). As the wheels of the trolley rolled, I was thinkin as to how my dad would react on seeing me – huggin and cryin etc etc  (idhellam romba over ). Not to my surprise, there was not much of a reaction from my dad. He was like, how was the journey, come lets go… I was like, ivalavu thana PS: though he was really happy, he never lets out his emotions… my appa’s trademark
• I reached hotel at around 2am and slept at 3am and got up at 4am (haiyo haiyo). Jet lag lam onnum illa, had to go to railway station to pick my sister. Right from station, we went to Marina beach. We were amazed on seeing the sincerity of a couple (they were chattin at 6am – Oh GOD!!!, ivalo vettiya ). I think they must have stayed there itself thru night
• After njoyin the breeze and calmness of the beach, went straight to…. yes , u r right – HSB – Saravana bhavan and ordered my favourite Mini-tiffin. It is really mini for me Though the quantity was little more than what we keep for crows, it was really yummy!!
• By the way, I attended a stamp release function in Chennai yesterday, wherein our CM was the chief guest. Though I completely differ from his ideologies (I know, he doesnt have any , but still I have right ), I admire his eloquence and his hard work (primarily for his family, though!). He spoke for about 10-15 mins, seriously, so much humour man! Now, I know how he s been able to survive over 45 years in the politics
• Do u know??? Matter theriyuma??? A new writer from the city of trichy has written a book of short stories and is gonna be released in january. The author personally requested me to advertise in my blog, thats y… bdw, no prizes for guessing that the author is me DD Yes, my child (ayo apadi illa) i.e. dream child: MUMBAI DREAMS – a book of short stories, is gonna release in January – Atlantic publishers. Please BUY the book and read
• Hail Sachin for the Chennai test victory!!! those who doubt the masters performance – heres the reply!!!

US Jokes 4 U – J4U !!!

Here are some American jokes for you… I dont know how far we (see, I ve included me too ) get the essence of these jokes, but still, let’s give it a try…

What is the most common educational degree in New Mexico?

Kindergarten dropout. 

 How do you recognize a Virginian staying in a fancy hotel?

He’s the one trying to slam the revolving door.

Did you hear about the Texas bride who cancelled the wedding when she heard her friends were planning to give her a shower?

——-

A Bangor resident went to the airport and asked for a roundtrip ticket.

The ticket agent asked, “Where to?”

The Mainer said, “Well, back here, of course.”

Why is Otto the most common name in Minnesota?

There’s only two letters to remember.

—–

 A Toledo man was admitted to the city hospital last night with severe burns after dunking for “Freedom Fries” at a Halloween party.

——–

“They caught Hughie last night burglarizin’ a house in Birmingham ’cause he broke two windows.”

“Why’d he do that?”

“One to get in, and one to get out.”

——–

What can most Alabama kids do by the age of twelve?

Wave bye-bye.

How can you tell when a North Dakotan has class?

When the words on his tattoo are spelled correctly.

——

Did you hear about the Omaha mother who got tired of putting name tags on her son’s shirts, so she had his name legally changed to “Machine Washable”?

—–

Did you hear about the New Yorker who was killed in a pie-eating contest?

The cow sat on him.

Did you hear about the Texan who moved to Oklahoma and raised the IQ level of both states?

How many South Dakotans does it take to go ice fishing?

Four. One to cut the hole in the ice, and three to push the boat through.

——–

A woman walked into a South Carolina country store and said, “Do you keep brown sugar?”

“No, ma’am,” replied the owner. “When it gets dirty we throw it away.”

Hope you enjoyed this post…

PS : if you had noticed that the American touch still rules the content of my posts, well done

The American touch!

Hey its been about 2 weeks since I reached Raleigh. This is my first official post from the US (:D)… As I was thinking as to what to write about, I got reminded of my observations about people of US for the past 2 weeks and here we go, vroom…

Aug 4th: As I landed in Brussels airport for flight change, I was engulfed by mixed emotions, happiness of travelling to a new continent, pain of leaving India etc. In that mixed state of emotions, I wanted to make a call home and poor me, I didnt have a mobile with me. I went upto a counter where an European was seated and the conversation was like:

Me: I wish to make a… (I was interrupted by that guy)

He: Good morning, sir…

Me: I wish to make a …. (interrupted once more)

He: Good morning sir… (it took me 2 good mornings to realize that he was demanding one from me!!!)

This was the starting point of the ‘welcome’ culture. You may have noticed that I ve started with Brussels (an European nation), having mentioned US in  the intro. Without giving this prologue, the post would not be complete, thats why…

After reaching the Newark (its not New york, its newark only…) airport, I found that the ‘greeting culture’ was even more out there. After a few hours of wait, I boarded the flight to Raleigh and was received (!) by seniors, at the Raliegh airport. The first thing that I noticed while I traveled in the car was the clean ambience. Beleive me I couldnt spot a single police man in the signals or other places! All of them are disciplined, right from car drivers to motor cyclists (its difficult to spot bikes, almost every one has a car!) to PEDs (Pedestrians). I got reminded of my friend Rajesh who would call me ‘Ambi’ for adhering to signals and rules even when a police was not there…

I was roaming around the University campus and went to almost all buildings (for on-campus jobs ). Initially I had a doubt as to whether the people at office and desks would be grumpy like their Indian counterparts (I never had got a smile from any office guy at College…), but beleive me, every single soul present here would greet you in the best possible manner and would even go to the extent of asking ‘How do you do? How was your day?’ etc. Thank God, I didnt feel the pain when they said ‘no vacancies’ , coz they were so sweet in replying and had the knack of communicating pleasantly. The fantastic thing was that you never feel out of place. Also, I had improved myself in terms of greeting people, being courteous etc.

Here, all the buildings have swing doors (which automatically close). While people open the door and enter the building, they dont just leave it like that and move ahead, they hold the door until the person behind them catches hold of it!!!

It took me a day or two to realise that you can ask for help from any stranger you see in they campus, they would be patient enough to explain to you in the most nice manner.

Hey I forgot to mention one point, PEDs(Pedestrians) are Kings!! (as rightly said by my senior and buddy Arun Prakash). Over here, pedestrians are given first class treatment by drivers. I was standing at one corner of the road, in pursuit of crossing it, while a car was passing by. The car guy could have easily passed by, as he was the one who came first, but he stopped the car and signalled me to go ahead! Such is the respect given to PEDs here.

There are dozens of such qualities to be learnt by us (or atleast me!) from these people and I wont post all of them at the same time (c’mon I need stuff for future posts too ).

Hope you enjoyed this post! Have fun…

AdManiac!!!

Following are some Ads which I like. I ve done a critical appreciation of these ADs.

HIDE & SEEK – http://youtube.com/watch?v=3Fm019G0Ttk

• “Wanna Dance? – I can’t…” Who can forget the Hide and Seek Ad, featuring Hrithik Roshan? Dance and Hrithik are inseparable and this Ad is a feast for us, owing to the splendid performance of Hrithik. This Ad is less of words and more of music and dance.
• Star-Value: Since, this Ad featured one of the nation’s popular actors, it succeeded in attracting the attention of the viewers.
• Balance: One has to be very careful while using Stars for promoting their product, as it may turn out to be more Star-centric rather than being Product-Centric. One of the most important reasons for the success of this Ad is that though Hrithik’s dance is used a prominent tool, the focus is always on the Biscuit from the beginning, till the end.
• Concept: The concept is that Hrithik makes that girl dance with him, by luring her with Hide and Seek choco-chips. The Director’s touch is evident from the way in which even the biscuit has been made to dance along with them.
• Synchronization: The synchronization between the background music and the dance steps are excellent.

AIRTEL – EXPRESS YOURSELF – http://youtube.com/watch?v=kg47SNWvu0g

• Expression: This AD is truly expressive, in the sense that it has conveyed the entire message, without any dialogues. Non-verbose Ads are challenging to make, compared to the normal Ads, where you can convey the point straight. Also, they have the capacity to attract more viewers and keep the stuck to the screens.
• Background scores: For the success of such Ads, background scores have to strike a chord and in this case, the music has been well to such an extent that, it is very touching.
• Social concern: Seldom do Ads express Social Concern. But, in this Ad, the Director has done an exceedingly good job by addressing the Social issues like Violence and Domestic issues like Marriage and associating that with their product. Also, there is much sense in attributing the causes of all such issues to ‘Lack of Expression’. By this, the Ad succeeds not only in kindling our spirits but also has made an impeccable mark in our minds.
• Inspiring: Not only does this Ad address social issues. It also proves to be an inspiring one in terms of Integrity, National Unity etc. The idea of bringing our Indian Sporting Hero ‘Sachin Tendulkar’ also proves to be a feather in the cap for the Ad. The Director’s acumen is displayed in the way in which the Sachin footage in inserted at the right point, where the music beats go up.   
• Emotional: The Ad covers a motley set of human emotions. Such close-to-heart Ads would make a permanent impression in the minds of the viewers.

RESPECT THE NATIONAL ANTHEM – http://youtube.com/watch?v=7sn40JvmglE

• ‘An Ad for our Nation’ – This term best describes the Ad.  This Ad serves a noble purpose by stressing on the need to respect our National Anthem. ’ By respecting our Anthem, we respect our country’ – This is the message conveyed by the Ad.
• Aam Aadmi ka Ad – The success of the Ad can mainly be attributed to the natural scenes, with which any Aam Aadmi can associate himself or herself with.
• Picturization  - One of the important features is the Picturization. This plays a pivotal role in the success of any Ad. The initial mood-creation and the scenes depicting symptoms of rains have been exceptionally picturized.
• No excuses – While the handicap old man is standing up for the National Anthem, amidst heavy rains, the youngsters run around to escape being drenched in rain. This stresses on the fact that there should be NO EXCUSES whatsoever for not respecting our National Anthem.
• The Paragon – The Old person serves as a paragon to the children and others. Instead of advising, he has just inspired others by his act.

The Ad has succeeded, not just in terms of awards, but by creating awareness for the importance of respect for our National Anthem

 

LEAD INDIA – http://youtube.com/watch?v=FAe_bZGqU1g

• Tum chalo to Hindustan chale! – Once again, an inspiring Ad for the Times of India – Lead India searches.
• Self-discipline – This Ad stresses on the importance of Self-discipline. Instead of blaming others, we have to take charge of our lives and our society. It is the responsibility of each and every citizen of the country, not just the government. This Ad points out that, we have to treat our country as we treat our home; after all, our home is just a miniscule in our Mother India.
• Leadership – The Ad stresses the importance of Leadership and pro-activeness. Since the TOI – Lead India drive is a leadership drive,  the Ad indirectly stresses the need and importance of good leadership.
• Responsibility – While the youngsters and others are not bothered about the society, the child volunteers himself for the task, even though it is beyond his capacity.
• A slap on the Current affairs – This Ad is sure to prick the conscience of all Policemen and other Government officials who don’t do justice to their posts. The Ad has portrayed the current affairs exactly.

CAMLIN – REAL PERMANENT MARKERS – http://youtube.com/watch?v=CKthceSGlyM

·         ‘A really funny Ad’ – This is how critics commented on this Ad. Anything conveyed along with humour will succeed in reaching the audience and making an ever-lasting impression.

·         Sarcasm – The Director has sarcastically mocked at the Indian superstition/custom of breaking bangles etc. The eagerness displayed by the professional mourners tickles the viewer.

·         Concept – The concept overpowers all other elements of the Ad. The way in which the Indian tradition of having a vermillion mark is linked with Permanent markers is simply amazing. Also, the Ad stresses upon the life of the pen, by comparing it with the life of the husband.

·         Creativity – Till the Ad reaches the climax, there is no clue about the product. But still, the Ad has conveyed the idea effectively. The viewers are held in rapt attention till the last minute, as they are held by suspense and this is one of the pros of the Ad.

·         Humour – Humour is the essence of this Ad. The disappointment and awe in the faces of the professional mourners, when they are unable to erase the vermillion mark are noteworthy.

On the whole, this Camlin Permanent markers Ad has made a permanent mark in our minds.

SANIA MANIA!!!

People say Sania has brought a refreshment and attention to the world of Indian Tennis. I would say ‘IT WAS TRUE’.

Sania did shine by becoming the first Indian women to reach the 4th round of US open, reaching the top 30 in world rankings etc. For kids in India, Sania is their role model. But, if you have been observing her game for the past one or two years, it is obvious that she has failed to improve herself.

Also, the media is not doing justice to the other Tennis stars (and other players too) by giving undue attention to her. I feel that Sania doesnt completely deserve such HYPE. In a press conference athlete P.T. Usha said, “Sania is not receiving such attention JUST for her game” True… For instance, players like Saina nehwal, Joshna chinnappa, Prakash Amirtaraj or Anju Bobby George etc have also acheived in their respective fields, but seldom do you get to read some article on them. Media should stop giving excessive HYPE to Sania Mirza, lest she blames the media for her poor performance too! (It will happen in the near future)

I am sick of hearing or reading Sania’s post-match / pre-match comments. If you have read or heard some of these, you would get irritated for sure. It would go like this:

“I had a broken arm/wrist/ blah blah blah… It is a great miracle (!) that I am standing in front of you and playing. I would be more than astonished if I win this game/ for winning this game. Though my body doesnt co-operate, my spirits are in high energy…”

I do understand that she is injury-prone. But, it is not at all fair to blame your health for each and every defeat. I would say, if she is so not well, let her take a break from tennis for 6 months or one year or till she completely recovers from all this injury crap.

Also, fitness is vital for any sport and it is her responsibility to keep herself fit.

Note: If you had got a chance to see Sania’s games in Wimbledon, you would have noticed her SERVE. Unless Sania works on her fitness, SERVE and Unforced errors, she cannot achieve more. All that she could do is that, blame her health or tennis racket or media or the fans or even the stars for her failure…

Now, the latest comedy is that SANIA IS KEEN TO WIN A GOLD IN THE OLYMPICS. Though, my heart wants her to win, my head says that, it is not even possible in her wildest dreams. It is obvious that, after her loss, she ll blame either her fitness or the people of INDIA (for having high expectations on her!!!)

Read the article http://www.ptinews.com/pti%5Cptisite.nsf/0/4DC7FCBF8BE746C265257485004E3DC6?OpenDocument

PS: If you had correctly spotted that the picture I had added conveys that she is facing a downfall now, KUDOS to you…

Jokes for you – J4U !!!

This particular joke won an award for the best joke in a
competition organized in Britain and this joke was sent by an
Indian……

A M.Sc E.Media and a MBA go on a camping trip, set up their tent,and fell asleep.

Some hours later, the M.Sc E.Media wakes his MBA friend. ” look up at the sky and tell me what you see.”

The MBA replies, “I see millions of stars.”

“What does that tell you?”

The MBA ponders for a minute.

“Astronomically speaking, it tells me that there are
millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets.

Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo.

Time wise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three.

Theologically, it’s evident the Lord is all-powerful and
we are small and insignificant.

Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow.

What does it tell you?”

The M.Sc E.Media is silent for a moment, then speaks.

“Practically…Someone has stolen our tent”.

 

Harmful Acts !!!

Don’t put your mobile closer to your ears until the recipient answers, because directly after dialing, the mobile phone would use it’s maximum signaling power, which is: 2watts = 33dbi. Please Be Careful. Please use left ear while using cell (mobile), because if you use the right one it may affect brain directly. This is a true fact from Apollo medical team.

Do not drink APPY FIZZ . It contains cancer causing agent.

Don’t eat mentos before or after drinking coke or pepsi bcoz the person will die as it creates cyanide.

Please forward to all your well wishers..!