TGIF & TGIA

Thank God Its Friday & Thank God Its August.

Lets welcome August. This is the start of Indian festivals season. As we round off with aadi we can look forward to all popular festivals one behind the other.

Actually I can't believe that 7 months are over since 2007 started.

Right now I am happy with the way this week has treated me. Be it my work, or friends, or my spirits, everything has been good.

Another week well spent... another reason to thank God :)

Weekend Jottings

Last weekend, I spent the first half of Saturday with my dad and mom. Second half saw me battling mosquitoes, as I sat for the movie Chennai - 600 028 in the outdoor theatre.

The movie had good music, youthful concept, it traced the trials and tribulations faced by a group of youngsters.

Sunday was really worth waiting for. My granny, uncle, cousin and myself went to visit a few temples. We went upto Thiruvallur. Each and every temple we visited, was unique its own aspects.

The first temple we saw was, dedicated to guardian god Muneeshwaran. The temple was small yet well maintained, protective, yet scary.. phew I was it felt creepy to see a black goat and a rooster toed to a tree.

Then we proceeded to the famous ancient temple "Veer Raghav Perumal Temple". The presiding deity was majestic and was in full glory. But I had my share of fun when I went to the 'goshala' or the cow shed... Three cute little calves were lying down in the shed. They were so soft to touch and I was pleading to my granny that she should get me one sooner or later.

We then went to 'Pancha Mukha Anjeyenar Temple". The journey wasn't easy cos we were driving around for a pretty long time and getting lost repeatedly. Then we finally spotted him - A majestic 30 plus feet of black stone sculpted with five different heads.

Our next stop was another Anjeyenar temple at Kakkalur. This tiny little temple was flooded with people and peppy bhajan music greeted us as we neared the temple gates. We were curious to know what was going on. Men of assorted age groups clad in saffron coloured dhotis took turns to brush themselves with what looked like a thick stick spitting out fire, as they tranced to the bhajan like music.

Our last stop was the "Angala Parameshwari temple" . OH GOSH ! I went through a mixed bag of emotions throughtout our 3 hours spent inside the temple.

Since it was the month of AADI and this is an AMMAN temple in the heart of a village, and it was a Sunday... in addition it was a full moon day. So needless to say, it was crowded. I am actually quite tired to narrate all that happened there (or maybe even lazy :P)

On the whole... yeah it was a jam packed outing. I reached home for hot coffee and snacks , courtesy, mom.

And I winded up my day by getting back in touch with a very dear friend. My day was made :)

TGIF - last weekend of july

This week has been quite hectic. But I have a few reasons to cheer up

• Neo got his call at last!
• I have started a new weight loss plan (Hope it works :-|)
• I have been waking up pretty early this week
• A very dear friend will get to proceed with his PG (A very good news indeed)

And something to expect this weekend...

• This weekend I get two days off... yipee no work this Saturday. Will catch up with all those pending work
• Will positively watch Chennai- 600 028 this Saturday (Ok ... I know that it is an old movie according to the average-movie-goer's standards.. you can consider me as several negative degrees below such a standard)
• I guess these two plans will be enough for now... If any other plan crops up, I'll update that in my next post.

Cya

Have a great weekend

A 'Light' Dinner

Yesterday I was pretty concerned about my weightloss plans. More concerned than usual. I was already pissed off that I had missed my evening workout due to change in some plans. So I decided to cheer up by making dinner. My lil bro wanted something which tasted like Chinese ... a Manchurian if possible.

I used a weird combination of ingredients.

• sprouts
• tofu
• soya chunks
• cottage cheese
• onion
• tomato
• ginger
• garlic
• chillies
• chilli powder
• salt
• cornflour
• soya sauce (????? what not on earth !!!!)

And all these 'collaborated' to yield a reddish brown gravy with these chunks of soya, tofu and cottage cheese in between and tasted like... well ummmmm.... indianised version of the Chinese Manchurian???? (Yeah , thats what it tasted like.. and yeah my brother liked it, but he still hates sprouts) Maybe I should name this - The ultimate protein manchurian :P

My mom was making chapathis. We finally settled down for dinner. I took out my mobile and sent a quick SMS (I told you SMS is an addiction for me) to Neo.

“Hi da. We are having Candlelight dinner “

“oh”

“Yeah because of powercut”

“ha ha ha”

I laughed to myself looking at his reply and continued with my dinner in the middle of a powercut thanks to the candlelight. Post dinner, I went to the balcony for some fresh air. I was overwhelmed by what I saw.

Soft Moonlight from the half-full moon.. And a gentle breeze was blowing. Wooow, what a treat for the senses.

And then I took a good view of the city from the balcony of our 8^th floor apartment. Suddenly I felt so good. I had forgotten about the power cut which is usually irritating. Probably it was the after effects of my 'light' dinner :P

I deserve a treat

Yesterday evening, I was winding up for the day.. when I got a call.

*"SanNeo" calling*

"Hi da sollu... "

"Akka.. guess what... I got mail from Wipro"



Yipeee.... that calls for a celebration I thought. But my face slightly dropped when he said he is leaving for training on Aug 24th :(

I was looking forward that he'll be in station until the end of August.. for some reason.. but it's ok, I am happy that his mail had finally arrived. Anyways he'll be back 3 months later. Good news to rejoice. That guy better treat me before he leaves.

Catch him at Metamorphosis . Splendid collection of short stories that he had written. All the best to you da.

You will deliver what you have promised me.

TGIF .. He is coming

This was probably the most boring week in July(except for that funny Wednesday birthday dinner). So what if it's Friday today. But its Saturday tomorrow (and I am working.. sigh !).

The final installment from the quills of Ms. J.K. Rowling... did I overdo it?... ok.. the seventh book of the Harry Potter series is due for a worldwide release tomorrow. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the much awaited book of the year which has kept fans guessing over, whats going to happen to the boy-wizard. Who's gonna take charge of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? Is Harry going to survive? Will Harry and Ginny get back? What's gonna happen to Snape?

Well this book is going to answer all these magical questions that maybe running inside millions of 'muggle' heads.

I started reading Harry Potter pretty late after it became famous. Maybe three years back ! But I am now, a fan of Ms. Rowling who has kindled the imagination of millions.. probably billions and billions of people world over. I didn't get a chance to attend any of the previous mega book releases held in the various book stores. I had been waiting to attend the last and final release, which is gonna happen tomorrow, July 21st, 2007. Wow ! It's going to be a magical moment.

Major bookstores are going to look like Mini Hogwarts with kids and adults masquerading like characters from 'the magical world'. Celebrations are going to start from 5 am. Wish I can be a part of it. I am still keeping my fingers crossed. I have been nagging my mom about this release for the past ten.. no.. twenty..umm no... for many days.

But as my luck could have it, tomorrow I am working, and in the evening I have to attend an important family gathering. Maybe if lucky, my dad might drive me straight into a bookstore before we attend the gathering.

*Taking a deep breath* Things can certainly brighten up. Hoping for that.

Have a great weekend !

Girls' day out can be a dangerous affair

I am not kidding !

I am damn serious about this statement. Yesterday I met up with my buddies for a birthday dinner and we nearly got killed.

Who's the culprit? It's we ourselves. Right from the time we met at the restaurant gates till we bid each other bye , we had laughed continuously. Hey.. no.. don't jump to conclusions. There's nothing wrong with us, nor are we prospective inmates of KMH. We were meeting after a couple of months, and every sentence spoken, to even the tiniest of gestures, had some funny connotation behind it that could be understood only by people with funny bones the size of a woolly mammoth.

Well there are some reasonably funny situations where the birthday girl says: "AG.. come on lets order soup"

And she waves to the steward who comes upto take the order. My other friend and myself were quite ready to place the order as we had already seen the menu. The steward comes to our table and is poised to jot down the order on his notepad... and the birthday gal says: "Can I have the Menu Card please"

My other friend and myself would have burst out laughing immediately.. but the steward ... (oh bless the sweet guy) he smiled and calmly pointed down to the table... to the placemat. Yeah the extensive menu was there right under our nose on the paper placemat.

The steward calmly walked away. Thanks God he did so. As soon as he turned his back, we laughed till the birthday girl pleaded to stop. The reason was, she had laughed too much till eyes started watering and messing her eyeliner.

Similarly a lot of funny instances filled the evening. Of course I gotta maintain some censorship here at this juncture, since its too personal to be put on a blog. (Actually I wanna save my skin, incase the girls read this !)

Well... ok... stop frowning... if you are really curious about what we girls might have discussed during the dinner.. hmm .... logistics, HR policies, manuals, presentations, demergers, acquisitions, inductions, high tea, shifts, editing, events, travelling, shuttling, content management, workplace politics.. oh yes, God promise we discussed all these in between a sprinkling of intellectual talk on people we knew (yeah .. u read that right intellectual !!)

At the end of the day, we were a quite tired of laughing too much and our cheeks were hurting. Not only the cheeks. But it was paining from head to toe. We had got a secluded table at the retaurant, so we had all the freedom to be ourselves, to be kids again :-)

I was a very happy person when I came home. I came back home with a smile on my face, and the day's events still running in my mind, and I began to smile to myself again... and there started my trouble ... My mom... she thought I had gone nuts. She still feels something is gone wrong with her daughter. Believe me I am beginning to grin as I put down all this, praying hard that she doesnt notice me :D

Okies, let me cut this here, hope you had a nice time reading this. Next time if you come across a gang of girls laughing mad, take a closer look, it might be us !

TGIF is back

Sorry for the lag in posting a TGIF last week. I was not in my right state of mind. But now, I am trying to iron out and clarify a few misunderstandings.... I am trying to rebuild .

Yeah, now looking back on how this week has treated me, there has been a lot of highs and lows. I have been making good progress at work. enjoying myself and forgetting my worries while I had my hands full with assignments that need my attention.

Yesterday, there was a ray of hope, and I was trying to make it shine nice and bright (fingers crossed)

But there is something very annoying me right now. I lost a close relative yesterday morning. Though I got the news only in the late afternoon. There is so much of doubts surrounding her death. The hospital where she was operated upon reported to us through an early morning phone call that she is no more.

But when my dad and her son landed up at the hospital, the doctors were staging a drama that they were doing their best to keep her alive. They reeled out a list of medical treatments they had given her this morning. They said that they have no hope that she will survive. A till then deserted ICU suddenly became a beehive of activity with doctors and nurses who SWITCHED ON the medical equipments and STAGING their treatment. We got a call from the hospital saying that she was dead. And two hours later they say they are trying their level best.

What the heck are you saying to us !

Now this is not a generalized statement that I am making against Doctors. But if you are a Doctor, please take this as an appeal. Kindly ostracize such people from your community. They only bring a shame to your divine profession.

When we are shocked and bereaved of losing a loved one, how can you take advantage of us?

I leave you with this thought for today.

Have a great weekend !

What do I do when I feel shattered

Breaking-up with a close friend is not my cup of tea. I have spent an entire week brooding over the fact that I can never talk with that friend normally again.

Its hard for me to get over it (I never will). I have been maintaining a very brave face in front of my family. Not giving away a hint of what I am going through.

But at the same time, I must thank a few souls who have been my moral support and a pillar of strength. Thank you so much . I am not going to mention any names here. I want to maintain anonymity. They have been with me, and will be with me till....

Calling All Sivaji Fans

Have you

• Seen Sivaji first day first show/ first day/ next day/ any other day for that matter
• Waiting to see it in the following days
• Keeping track of the performance of the movie
• Big fan of any of the stars/ director/ technicians/cast crew

Then please do the following:

• Kindly contribute your valuable inputs by means of - links for songs/ stills/ updates/ news/statistics and whatever data you may have.

Pls note, this is an attempt to record the trend for the movie "SIVAJI" undertaken by a fan of the movie. I am looking forward to contribution from like minded people. If you are a fan of any of the cast and crew who contributed towards the movie, you are welcome to contribute here.

TGIF .... 2

Thank God It's Friday

Phew this is one of the fastest weeks that I have ever experienced. Last week I was excited about Sivaji the movie. This week, I feel I am going to start lamenting if I don't get my dad to agree to take us out for the movie.

Everywhere I turn, people ask me one question - "Saw Sivaji ?"

There are people who have seen the movie already 3 or 4 times, and still can't get enough. Well, if I am brooding over the fact that I can't get to watch the movie.... oh damn, leave it !!

Yesterday I was seeing the pictures that I took on my last day of college. I was missing all the fun that I had with my closest bunch of gals. We had our share of hiccups, grunts and growls. But the giggles that we shared can be never forgotten. I am waiting for my next chance to catch up with them.

Well, what's up with you people? What have you planned for the weekend?

Lock Your Keypad

"have done... Check under the pillow..."

"not there na"

"But that's where I put it"

???????????????

* Cut the call *


"Uncle.... oru sambar rice (amidst the background sound of a noisy college canteen)"

????????????????

* Cut the call*


----------------------------------------------------


Your mobile rings, with your friend's name flashing on the screen... you pick up the call and say "hello". But your friend doesn't respond. Instead, you hear anonymous sounds and voices. Ooops... she did it again.

Yet another instance where your friend hasn't locked the keypad of her mobile phone, and mysteriously, at the mysterious push of a mysterious button, a mysterious call comes to you. You answer it and find yourself listening to a mysterious conversation. *cut that call*

Well getting such phone calls maybe entertaining... It solely depends upon whats happening on the other end. Sometimes it makes your imagination soar. It could be your friend talking to a special someone (hey I am not eavesdropping, trust me !) Or what if her mobile phone was stolen/ lost/misplaced, and whoever has found its, is unable to handle it (That's a reasonable concern worth imagining)

My concern is - you burn a hole in your mobile phone bills, by failing to lock your keypad !!!

And also, do be warned... you may be talking about someone or something and you accidentally press the call button, and your phone connects to somebody else. It leaves you in a situation where someone is listening to your private conversation.

You are not going to lose anything by consciously locking your keypad every time after you use your phone. If you are so absent minded, consider using your phone settings to set to an automatic lock after... say..10 secs ??? I hope that serves the purpose.

If you find yourself reading this post and nodding your head at the same time, acknowledging the fact that you do receive such phone calls.... Then please for heaven sake talk to your friend and ask him/ her to do the needful - "LOCK THE KEYPAD"


*Trrriiinngggggggggg*

oh nooooooo..... not again !

Monday Madness

"Hmmm, a little more... just a little bit more... keep it steady... yeah.. just a feet more... keep going... you are almost there.... just an inch more... YOU DID IT !"

Well that was the motivating feedback my mom was giving me as I practiced my asanas in the late evening hours. I was practising "halasana" - the plow posture. Today I performed this asana with absolutely no assistance from my mom. This particular asana gave me the creeps when I attempted it for the first time. (Well the picture illustrates the posture, and the gal in the pic is......... definitely not me :P)

"One wrong move, and you can fracture your neck. Some even end up in coma" -was the word of caution given to me by my yoga instructor a month ago. We literally had to struggle everytime I practised it, most of the time I would end up coughing and gasping for air, and look like a chicken which has just escaped a butcher's strangling grasp.

Today, I dunno from where I got that magic push, I successfully lifted my legs and hips above the ground, supporting myself on my neck and shoulders and lowered it over my head, with my feet touching the ground. And then I slowly straightened my knees, and took deep breaths... enjoying the victorious move. I did it atlast !

Looks like no more Monday Blues for me. Thank You God for this wonderful gift of Yoga !

TGIF series... 1

Thank God It's Friday

Today we had a pleasant weather. I wanted to go on a loooooooooooong stroll. Or maybe a long drive. But i had something to jitter about...

Sivaji - The BOSS, starring Super Star Rajinikanth released exactly a week back on 15th June. It was the most awaited releases of the year, I consider it as one of the most awaited releases of the Tamil film industry.

Worldwide releases on the same day
Staggering Box office figures
Fans going crazy

Oh this Man is a sensation.

Sivaji is one of the movies that I have wanted to watch very badly. And I am unlucky in that matter. I havent got a chance yet. Everywhere its running housefull shows. The reviews say that the story lacks logic. But I am waitng to see the movie just for the crazy humour filled dialogues and the amazing songs.

I had lot of expectations for "Adhiradee" " Oru Koodai Sunlight" and " Sahana Saaral". I managed to get glimpses of "Adhiradee" and " Sahana Saaral". I am very much impressed with the picturization. I am still wondering about the " Oru Koodai Sunlight" song.

Ohh I hope I get to see the movie pretty soon. Wish me good luck.

Well tomorrow is an off for me, and hence I can say TGIF. Looking forward to spend my weekend with my folks. I missed a classmate's wedding today. And I asm sure my friends are cursing me for that. Will have to pacify them when we meet.

Okies. its dinner time now, GTG

Ssshhh.. I am working

Well my lil bro maggi had commented on my previous blog saying that my productivity at work is low.

What to do maggi... Well you see, today I woke up early morning to witness Chennai getting drenched in beautiful pouring rain. I reached office at 35 minutes past 10 am, thanks to extreme traffic jam(You know right, rains worsen the traffic conditions). My dad was unable to take the car out of our apartment and get on to the main road for nearly 15 mins !

And as I work on my assignments, I can hear constant honking of the vehicles on the main road. I have been glancing out of the window every now and then to see if the situation has improved... No way. Everybody are buying a vehicle left and right. So the traffic is bound to increase.

With all this noise, how can a small girl like me (ahem.. you told me to grow up maggi) do my work properly and increase my productivity??

So help this small girl. Consider putting off your vehicle purchase. Carpool.. use public transport, hitchhike.. walk... all this will not only help me increase my productivity, but will also help worsen universal concern like global warming, pollution. bla bla bla

Any comments??? ;)

Am I becoming an addict ??

CoFFee.. inTerNet.. tV.. bOOks.. GaMiNg.....

There is no end to the list of things that people can get addicted to . My list includes

• Surfing
• Orkutting
  
• SMSing
• YM, Gtalk...
  
• Thinking ???
• ....... and it goes on
  

Yeah I do think a lot.. often mistaken to be dreaming. Well whatever. What I wanted to say is, ohh God I really feel guilty that I missed my morning yoga routine :(

Its a usual one hour routine (initially I used to feel, how on earth I am going to endure it). Today I nearly missed it. As soon as I reached home from work, all that was on my mind was to do yoga. do yoga..do yoga...

Becoming an addict isn't bad after all . I just finished my day's session, and trust me, it feels absolutely great. My appeal to anyone who has been considering learning yoga for a while, please do join a course asap. Find a good instructor. Learn the positions for the asanas well. It's worth the effort you take.

Well.. we were talking about addictions, weren't we?
Yeah.. I think someone pinged me on YM....

I met IT

From Commerce to Communication.. throughout my educational journey, I never had the need to try my hand at the so called industry called Information Technology... but i guess I have landed atlast.

B'cos here I am trying to Digg and techcrunch all those Bits and Bytes about ERM and CRP...
Err... Forgive me. I meant to say ERP and CRM.. I wiki and google away most of my free time to read upon the basics of IT, the movers and the shakers.

As I retrospect some of my childhood memories, maybe I shouldn't have cursed my aunt who INSTRUCTED me to learn computers.

Now into the Corp Comm dept. of an IT company(which I chose myself wholeheartedly), I cant afford to remain ignorant anymore.

Ok then, in case I ping any of you with queries.... kindly clarify my doubts.. I will be grateful to you. Gotta go now. Will update you more on my trials and errors. TaTa....

Good Morning Rain

This is my 5th day at work... And my first ever experience in commuting to office on a rainy day. Thank God.... my workplace is quite OK with regards to timings... I battle the rain and somehow reach my destination , decently dry, and sans splashes of slush... splash of slush???? is this a tongue twister??


Well.. here I am , starting my work.. and I cant help looking out of the window.. I can see my school just on the opposite site of the road, from my seat... One day I will peep in.. just to see how my good ol' school has changed.