Out of my Mind...

Srilanka

2012-01-18T15:26:00.004+05:30

Ayubowan! That's Welcome in Sinhalese :)
I started my new year with a trip to Srilanka and had to post my experience when it is still fresh in my mind.

Srilanka is a very warm and tourist friendly country .We flew by Srilankan Airlines, the flying time was only 1 hour from Kochi International airport. By the way, the Bandaranaike International Airport is located in Katunayake , which is near Negombo and there is a 1 hour drive to Colombo. ( I always thought the airport was located in Colombo) .

The roads are pretty decent and hence the drive is not tiring at all.For moving around we used the Tuk Tuks ( our autorickshaws :)!!) .Unlike our autos, the tuk tuks come in many colors like pink , green, red , purple etc
You have to bargain with the drivers before the journey as they tend to ask for higher charges. You can find Tata Nanos are used as budget taxis in Srilanka ( by the way our Tata nano costs a whopping 10 laks Srilankan rupees !!) . these taxis have meters on them so you can just give them the meter charge.

The period from November to April is the driest season on the south west coast and up in the hills and this is the best time to see the beach areas and the tea estates and spice gardens.

Food is very similar to Kerala cuisine. Srilankans usually have rice and curry and their curries are usually prepared with coconut milk. Breakfast specialties are Hopper(appams), String hoppers ( Kerala iddiappam), Pittu (similar to Kerala Puttu) etc. These are taken with vegetable or non vegetarian stews.
And about the drinks my husband enjoyed the local Srilankan arrack Old Reserve.And ofcourse tender coconut water for me :), known as King coconut in Srilanka. One should not forget the famous Srilankan tea which is really good .
We visited Colombo , Hikkaduwa , Galle, Nuwara Eliya , Kandy and Negombo.

Colombo:The largest city in Srilanka and indeed it is ! We had airport taxi pick up from the hotel Casa Colombo. This is a boutique hotel with only 12 suit rooms. We stayed in Chatham Street Suite. I must say the room is refreshingly different from the other hotels and a different experience. However their food menu is not vast but if you like to eat and try out different cuisines there are plenty of joints and restaurants nearby the hotel and there is always someone ready to help you in case you have any queries. You must try the local sweet dish Watalappan or Watalappam (something like a coconut custard made of coconut and palm sugar ) . Its really good dessert. We walked along the Galle Face beach in Colombo. You can find many hotels like Taj Samudra , Cinnamon Grand and Hilton . If you like sea facing locality then you can opt to stay there too . For shopping in Colombo you can find few malls. But the one I liked the best was ODEL. A visit to Colombo National Museum is fun too !
We had lunch at a restaurant in Cinnamon Grande hotel. The hotel has few good restaurants and they have a beautiful view and ambience.But since we weren't so hungry we had heavy snacks at the Breeze Bar of the hotel. There is also a shopping mall next to the hotel.
We had dinner at the the Gallery Café, is unlike any other restaurant in Sri Lanka,situated within the former office of Sri Lanka's renowned architect, Geoffrey Bawa.The ambience is very good and the menu does not have much local cuisine and has more international choices but I must tell you that their Double Chocolate Cheesecake is to die for !! One of the best cheesecakes we have ever had!
That was Colombo for us .
Next, we headed to Hikkaduwa and Galle with a local freind of my husband's. He was with us throughout which was a great help. We hired a car for the rest of the journey.

Hikkaduwa-Galle: The drive from Colombo to Galle takes about 3 hours and its a very good drive as you can see the beautiful coastal belt here. This drive also shows the effect of Tsunami in these areas. I must say its amazing how the Srilankans recovered from the disaster.Here we stayed at Chaaya Tranz hotel, Hikkaduwa which has an excellent private beach and very good rooms. All rooms are sea facing and the view is good. Beach is fantastic for swimming as well as snorkling. We took the glass boat ride which gives us a view of the corals and fishes underwater. There is a restaurant named Crab inside the hotel which has only crab dishes in the menu , We tried the Srilankan King Crab Curry which was really good !

We visited the Kosgoda Sea Turtle Hatchery in Galle District .This is also a huge tourist attraction. This was founded to protect the Srilankan turtles from extinction. Visitors can see huge tanks filled with new born turtle hatchlings. After being fed, the baby turtles are taken to the sea and released when they are 2-4 days old, usually during the safer hours of darkness. Although October to April is the main laying season, some eggs can be found at Kosgoda throughout the year. Also saw a 71- year old turtle who lost its limb in the tsunami. Its unable to move now! Then we headed to see the Galle Fort , which was first built by the Portuguese later modified by the Dutch during the 17th century. We saw the sunset up from the fort which was beautiful. A walk along the Galle town is good where you can see the wonderful colonial architecture.

Next up the tea estate at Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya: The drive from Galle to Nuwara Eliya was 6 hours. Nuwara Eliya is a mountain station at 1,868 m (6,128 ft) of altitude, in a splendid landscape, hence it is cold up there. Nuwara Eliya was built entirely during the 19th century and its architecture mimics that of an English country town. The drive is hectic as it is hilly area but the view is breath taking.We stayed in the Grand Hotel which has an excellent architectural structure and is also the former mansion of Sir Edward Barnes who was the Governor of Sri Lanka during 1830-1850. We went up there only to see the tea estates and we visited the Mackbrookes Tea plantation. I feel this place can be avoided unless you are keen on seeing hillstations.

Kandy: The distance from Nuwara Eliya and Kandy is 77 kms. A city in the center of Srilanka, Also known as hill capital of Srilanka. Kandy is famous for the Temple of Tooth, where Buddhas one tooth is being kept.Its a nice experience to visit. Kandy is also good for shopping. We got only one day in Kandy , We got lucky to visit the National Seminary of Kandy. We satyed at Amaya Hills which is located 7 kms away from city on the hill top which gives us a breath taking view from our room.

Last but not the least, on route to Negombo we visited the Pinnwela Elephant orphanage which is a huge tourist attraction. The daily highlight is the walk from the Orphanage down to the river to bathe the elephants. It's amazing to watch an entire herd splashing around and rolling in the river, just a few feet in front of you!

We decided to stay in Negombo in a place close to the airport and just took a stroll along the Negombo beach. Well that was Srilanka for us. My final verdict, a good holiday and Srilankans hospitality is warm and welcoming!

What a crab can do to us humans???

2011-08-30T17:37:00.000+05:30

Today we had crab masala for lunch in the ship . Crab masala is an Indian receipe that cooks the crab in Indian spices. Its yummy !!!. The point I wanted to make is about the whole process of of eating the crab. Its pure joy and fun ..Its one dish that no matter how much you try to eat it in the best way possible you end up getting messy . And that's the fun of eating crabs .It makes group eating fun and enjoyable where everyone is trying bite or lick or chew and even better using both hands to eat like children :). Any dish on crab is one that anyone can enjoy and eat it like no ones watching ..Its just you and the crab !!! yummy!!!

I am a Malayalee!!

2011-07-20T18:54:00.000+05:30

Wow!! It's been more than a year since I have posted something here . Personally it has been a hectic long year for me. Let's get to the post without wasting anymore time :)

I am a Malayalee , I speak Malayalam . I watch Malayalam TV shows and movies too . I was an NRI and I still can speak Malayalam and can read it too!! Should I be ashamed or be proud ? Of course I am very proud of it .I am proud that I am not ashamed to call myself a malayalee and very proud that I can speak my 'mother tongue'. And there is my point mother tongue ...Why are Malayalees ashamed of speaking their own language?? Forget the NRI's for a moment I find it so weird and funny to find TV anchors and new generation actresses who grew up here in Kerala speaking Manglish or trying to talk Malayalam with an English accent .How is is possible that someone who grew up in Kerala to not able to speak their mother tongue properly ? Let me tell these weirdos how I feel ...

Firstly be proud that you know your mother tongue. Let it be any language Hindi , Malayalam, Tamil etc...I am not saying that one should not master anyother language . Learn as many languages as you can . But is knowing any language any good if the receiving end don't understand. What good can any language do when your children can't talk to your parents or their grandparents??.Many parents feel proud that that their kids don't know Malayalam and only know English ( beats me!!!)

About the NRI's I feel Malayalees in the US and UK atleast try to impart some cultural knowledge to their kids for the fear that they would be lost in the western culture by having cultural programs and language classes and attempt to speaking mother tongue at home where as in the Middle east we find kids very detached to the word India itself even though they have more privilege to be closer to home . Well I also was once like that where I was never fond of visiting my homeland , but here I am writing to you as a proud Malayalee. I have to thank my parents for pushing me to attend Malayalam class in school even though it was optional language and even though at that point in time i hated it I thank them for now I can atleast read it and even enjoy the movies :)!!!

I feel so sorry for some grandparents where they can't talk to their grandchildren only because of language barrier. Can you blame the kids? Certainly not,as it is the parents duty to pass on what they know to their kids.Why can't they give their kids a privilege to know their own language , a privilige to know their grandparents or why can't they understand the simple fact that the kids will anyways learn to speak read and write English in schools.

We are so eager to learn English but we forgot to learn the basic thing from them the fact that they are so proud of their own mother tongue and respect it!!!
I believe it is our duty to keep our language and roots alive . I mean its great you know English, French Spanish German inspite of being a Malayalee but its perfectly fine to admit you also know Malayalam as it is not a very easy language to master or learn so be proud that you are naturally born to know it :)!!!

P.S. These are my general opinion on the issue and not intended to hurt anyone's feelings .

From Sea .........With love

2010-03-11T14:27:00.006+05:30

Its been a while since I have blogged lots have happened while I was away..Got married, went sailing and is now learning to cook (which will be an ongoing process) and now decided to get back to blogging..

Sailing is the last thing on earth I thought I would do and that too in an oil tanker . But here I am married to a shippie and sailed happily ever after. :)

It’s a different life in a ship altogether. I had no clue what I was up against until I experienced it myself. I did know about sea sickness. But on the day I arrived, the ship was tied alongside so obviously it wasn’t moving and I was under the impression I wasn’t going to vomit after all (Yippee !!! ), until the ship started moving and unfortunately the engine had to be stopped due to some technical issues. Oh well I thought they just stopped to make sure everything is all right until I found myself moving in see-saw motion (By the way when ship is moving in see-saw motion its called "rolling" ) and I was not able to stand straight in one place . Then I heard sounds from the drawing room and I found things were falling down (Yes I just watched my husband’s laptop fall and break!!!). At that point I had no clue what to do sitting alone in my bedroom just moving along the flow and then I had this funny feeling in my stomach and the next thing I know is I ran to the wash room and found myself experiencing what is called sea sickness. But for the first time I felt good after throwing up because I felt like I could handle the rolling even though my head felt heavy. The first few lessons I learnt here to keep all things in safe locations so they don’t fall off and break due to irregular movements of the ship due to rough weather and in exceptional cases when they have to stop the ship in the middle of the ocean for engine repairs or bad weather.

About the people working here I would like to quote William Petty “Every seaman is not only a navigator,but a merchant and also a soldier.” I had to quote this beacuse I was thinking to myself how many of us working in a bank or restaurants or schools really know how to put off fire or in that case use a fire extinguisher . Are we really aware of safety standards at our work place or schools or home or do we really care how safe the environment is for our collegaues or freinds . I am sure I never thought about it, because we take it for granted that someone is appointed to take care of the emergency situation like fire,theft, accidents etc. But seamen do not have the luxury to take things for granted so they are trained to protect themselves and the lives of their collegues in times of emergency. They are very disciplined and have a clear idea of what is expected of them. Of course they do know how to have fun and enjoy every moment of the time they take off. The chit chats at the dining table is fun, informative and energetic. They think very fondly about their home and family and take every opportunity to be in touch with them because they miss them and do not take life or family for granted.

Many of my friends and family ask me about my experinces so I thought I would share it on my blog as well. These are most common ones.

I had many friends and relatives ask me about how food was stored in the ship especially when the journey lasts for 15 to 20 days . Well there are definitely huge cold storage rooms for meat, vegetables & fruits and dairy products separately and of course its replenished when the ship arrives at a port accordingly.

Some ask me about the places I visited.. I had the opportuniy to visit some beautiful countries in this journey ..NewZealand ,China, Singapore, Gibraltar, Italy and briefly France.. One of my favourite journey was at the time of crossing the Suez Canal where I could see Egypt from my cabin window. It felt great when I could see houses and people on both sides as against in mid sea where there is only water and nothing else.

I'd like to clarify a commom misconception people have (including me before me being aware of shipping life) as regards a shippie that he gets to visit all countries when the ship arrives in port. But the truth is they have more work when arrive on port. They get busy with inspections done by port, disscharging or taking cargo etc . Yes after they are done with their work and if time permits they go out. And also most shipping companies have zero tolerance on alcohol. If an employee is found to have taken alcohol while on contract is sacked without any notice ( This happens in the company where my husband works). Chances of being caught are high because when a person goes out there is alcohol test done when he comes back to the ship.

Some days were really horrible for me like the time we were crossing Somalia. To add to my worry there was news that the pirates hijacked a ship exactly a week before we were crossing. However priacy precautions and watch is done while crossing that area. Well we crossed it without any problems. Thank god for that !!!

To sum up I had a wonderful experience to be able to sail through the Red Sea and Mediterrianian Sea and many other seas and oceans between New Zeland and Europe , to travel through different time zones every two or three days, to travel through different climatic conditions, or to be in a situation where ship stopped a few days mid sea waiting for Typhoon Parma to clear our path is out of the ordinary experience and understand a life offshore was truly a rich and learning exprience I will cherish all my life. Hats off to seamen because its not every persons cup of tea!!!

See you with more post later...

Listen to this ..

2009-03-10T14:49:00.005+05:30

The song is Inconsolable by the Backstreet Boys from the album Unbreakable. Its a beautiful song and I love the lyrics and the soulful voice of Brian and AJ. Enjoy it .

Some random happenings....

2009-02-23T18:37:00.004+05:30

Last week has been stressful with work . But the good thing is I am having today off as a result of which I have got the time for this entry.Some random happenings last week.

Its an amazing feeling that you get when you walk into te shop/store that you frequent and there is this one particular sales person who knows what your regualr purchase items are and you feel comfortable because you know everythings taken care of. Well there is such a shop that I frequent to recharge my cell phone prepaid connection and as usual I walk in give a smile to the sales person and hand over the money and smile and walk out and I know rest is taken care of. But last week I didnt find him and suddenly there was a change in my routine ,this time I had to give instructions as the the person attending to me didnt know me and I asked him where the other person was. Well I heard that he was not keeping well and probably something serious. Boy , that was hard for me to take in beacuse we think some people will always be around and take it for granted . Hope you get back to work soon because your service is needed and appreciated :)....

I bought two pairs of sandals yesterday and the reason I brought it was to make myself feel good. I didn't realise it until I had brought them home. As I was driving back home I was thinking about a particular episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show which revealed what women do when they are upset or depressed. Some hogged and got fat (and I guess got more depressed because they didn't know how to lose all the fat!) and some shopped till they dropped. And at that point I didn't believe that it was true. Well I wasn't depressed but it wasn't the best day of my life but I must say purchasing the sandals did make me happy. So I guess there is some truth to being unhappy and shopping but I definitely don't want to try the hogging technique to make me happy :)

Today of course was a great day . I started my day at 6.30 a.m. to watch the Oscars (of course to support Slumdog and mostly AR Rahman and Resul Pookutty ). It was a great feeling when they won. I was extremely happy that AR Rahman performed at the Oscars . Truly deserving win. I was clapping my hands with excitement when AR Rahman's name was called out. Anna Hathway and Penelope Cruz was looking gorgeous and touchy moment when Heath Ledger's family came to receive his award. And of course Kate Winslet's speech kinda reminded me of ShahRukh's acceptance speech in the movie Om Shanti Om :)...

And if you love to read comics please visit www.gocomics.com . I found my favorite Love is... strip there :)

Back to work tomorrow . Gotta rush ..

What's with the media?

2009-01-25T12:42:00.003+05:30

It’s irritating to the mind with the way the Indian media projecting on the "black" word a lot since Obama became President. I mean is color seriously the only issue India is facing. I am thinking why the media is not talking about real issues India needs to address.

Yes America has come a long way of change and it is evident .But as far as India is concerned we talk, talk and talk and no result. Maybe the Indian media should also work towards that. Why is it even relevant to say that black actors and singers and sports people in US will be more famous since Obama became President. Doesn't the Indian media know the best and the most famous people in the entertainment and sports are black and they were famous way before Obama became President to name a few are Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce Knowles, Koby Byrant, Tiger Woods, Stevie Wonder, Halle Berry,Will Smith etc . Americans are focusing on uniting their states whereas I feel Indian media is trying to create rascist feeling among people within India. C’mon a dark actress in Bollywood is the last thought in the minds of real people. So stop bragging about what Americans have achieved and talk about what we can do to help ourselves. Seriously Indians do have real ground issues than color. Talk about caste, poor infrastructure, improving education, criminal politicians.
Why wait for a “slumdog” movie for the media to give attention to issues affecting children in slums in India, why wait for a terrorist attack to bring out the issues of security in India, or why wait for anything at all. I think the media should be proactive than react to things already said and done.

Off topic

I am enjoying my guitar classes, never thought playing a musical instrument was so difficult, but I guess the pain will be worth it. Looking forward to get my new guitar.

This is for the ladies; I enjoyed my oil massage today at Lakme. I suggest this to all ladies who love to pamper themselves. Lakme beauty parlor has professionals attending to you and it does make the time and money worth it :)

Do people really need a "social lubricant"?

2008-10-12T17:43:00.010+05:30

Ah well ..yes people I am talking about social drinking.. I don't fall in the category of "social drinking" ( I do drink lots of water though :)),however I do have friends who drink at parties or make excuses and situations to drink and label it as social drinking.
Various situations that come to my mind( This situation can be also the other way round you know where she is the drinker and he non drinker )

Situation 1:

He: I am meeting a friend from school ? Haven't seen him in ages?
She : Where you guys meeting ?
He: At the bar? You know lots of catching up to do.
She : Sighs Ok ..Have fun and be safe

*************************************************************************************
Situation 2:

He : Hey my manager called me for a drink, I didn't want to go but had to say yes . You know what if he feels bad and he thought of calling me so I had to oblige.
She: Hmmm ok . You don't really have to drink if you don't want to but you can still give him company...
He: Ya but, thats not how it is ..
She : Ok .. Take care
************************************************************************************
Situation 3

She: Why do people think its important to drink at official parties or why do people think they need to have few shots to have fun at a party?

He: Well firstly at official parties when people drink it kinda breaks the ice between people and it becomes easier to connect and talk about things they couldn't otherwise. And when people take drinks at parties the mood lightens and ya....

She: Are you telling me that you cannot connect with a person or people at a normal dinner or lunch where they are sober and in their senses. Are you telling me that guys and gals need to have few shots to dance at a party? I thought good music and friends were sufficient. Besides what is fun when you cannot rememeber or recall what you said or did or the way you moved or who you danced with.. Beats me ..

He : Its not like that? Are you telling me that drinking is a sin ?

She : No its not a sin .Its not the drinking part thats bothering me . Its the attitude and reasons behind drinking that bothers me. If you want to have few drinks go ahead and drink. Don't make it seem like a necessary 'social lubricant'.
************************************************************************************

Situation 4

She: Hey man!! Saw a pic of yours the other day on FB ? I didn't know you smoke ?
He: Am not a smoker but I smoke when I drink.
She: Ah! I see ...

*************************************************************************************

I meet lots of new people everyday at work and I have also attended few parties where drinks were served so I had this chance to see what really happens at this official social drinking party ..Really nothing happened they had drinks and parted ways :)... Ya I had cola with the bunch of people who drink cola and ya we also talked things and parted ways.
I am not trying to judge drinkers and non drinkers but really one cannot say that social drinking is a must to be part of corporate life and I also feel social drinking is a choice. So if you have made a choice to drink accept it and don't give reasons for why one should drink.
I don't drink and I am not socially handicapped and so are many other people who do drink.

There are situations where people tend to over drink and end up hurting family and friends or how about irresponsible driving after drinking. These are not cases of responsible drinking but how can you know when the thin line to alcoholism is crossed ?. Sometimes innocent people lose life because one person chose to have fun. If you plan on drinking get someone who is not drinking to drive you home. Isn't that a more responsible behavior than hurting people around?.
This can go on and on forever ...And I am not able to type further

So Cheers :) and be safe ......

Here are few links of positive and negative sides to social drinking

http://vaden.stanford.edu/library/alcoholSocialDrinking.html

http://www.memorialhospital.org/Library/general/general-SOCIAL.html

http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=435

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/alcohol/Pages/Socialdrinking.aspx

Love Is...

2008-08-15T11:05:00.010+05:30

No, I am not going to give gyan about what love is..? I am talking about my favorite comicstrip Love Is... which I miss reading since Comicspage stopped updating Love is... and many other comics on its webpage.

This comicstrip makes you realise how simple things in life can make a BIG difference in your life.

Those of you reading this and who were regular vistors to the page to read Love is... and those of you who would want to read Love is... can now visit

( www.gocomics.com ).. (Yiipeee!!!!)

Thanks to the Chinese girl who helped me find the link in Facebook :)...

The story behind Love Is..

Love is... is a comic strip created by New Zealand artist, Kim Grove in the late 1960s, later to be produced by Stefano Casali. The strip is syndicated worldwide by Tribune Media.

Love Is... (the title includes the ellipsis mark), began as a series of little love notes that Kim Grove drew for her future husband, Roberto Casali. The strip was first syndicated in 1970 and one of her most famous drawings, "Love Is...being able to say you are sorry", published on February 9, 1972, was marketed internationally for many years in print, on cards and on souvenirs. (Read more about it on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Is...)

Happy reading ...:)

Life without Limbs- Amazing Nick Vujicic

2008-06-22T21:55:00.004+05:30

Can you imagine a life without limbs? Not being able to walk,to touch, to hug, to run ..Unthinkable isn't ???? Well meet Nick Vujicic and see how amazing this person is..

I am speechless when I see these videos. Makes me feel silly when I fuss over small things thrown at me. The confidence and the way this guy holds his head up and walk inspires me to be more grateful for the life I have been given. Nick has appeared in the Oprah Winfrey show to promote his words and he is also releasing a book by 2009 called No Arms, No Legs, No Worries!
He also has a corporacorporate motivational speaking company "Attitude Is Altitude".te motivational speaking company "Attitude Is Altitude". (http://www.attitudeisaltitude.com/)

Nick Vujicic was born on December 4 ,1982 in Brisbane, Australia, limbless, missing both arms at shoulder level, and having one small foot with two toes protruding from his left thigh. Initially his parents were devastated, however Nick turned out to be otherwise perfectly healthy.

He is now a motivational speaker and the director for Life Without Limbs, an organization that is for the physically disabled. (http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/)

Nick graduated from college at the age of 21 with as a double major in Accounting and Financial Planning. He began his travels as a motivational speaker, focusing on the topics that today's teenagers face. He also speaks in the corporate sector, however his aim is to become an international inspirational speaker, in both Christian and non-Christian venues.

Read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Vujicic

Nobody's Fool- Avril Lavigne

2008-06-07T23:08:00.002+05:30

Enjoy the song!!

Psst!!! Look who's gossiping?

2008-01-27T21:18:00.000+05:30

The best days of my life is definitely the time I spent at ASB and I was very sad to leave college, but life must go on. All of us landed on some jobs and some married off and thanks to e-mails and mobile phones, we still keep in touch. But wedding is one occassion where we meet old friends and just sit around and chit chat like there's no end.:)

I noticed that the guys remebered most of the things that happened back in college and even bitched about people they thought were weird and of course made jokes about each other and blah blah....At the end of it, all I had to say was "Whoever said that men don't gossip obviously never heard a group of men talk!!!" :)......The guys suddenly got all defensive and from there on the next part of the fun began ...girls against guys and somehow the endless debate ended ...

What I can't seem to understand is why women are sterotyped as gossipers when men also do the same...What I think is that people love to gossip irrespective of their sexes. But gossip is not a negative thing as long as it doesn't harm anyones sentiments. Because sometimes gossips do get you some informations that you otherwise never have had access to. On a positive note we can say that, gossiping is a way of networking :).....

Here are two articles that I found interesting about gossip:

http://career-advice.monster.com/office-politics/Can-Gossiping-on-the-Job-Really-Hur/home.aspx

http://www.pdcnet.org/pdf/ijap141-Westacott.pdf

Happy New Year...

2008-01-01T20:46:00.000+05:30

Welcome 2008!!!!

It's true when someone said "Absence makes the heart grow fonder'
It's when family members go different paths to pursue their interests, holidays and festivals seems to have more value.
The past two years I have been looking forward to these festive holidays as my brother comes home from Chennai which means lots of funny movies to watch, lot of rap music, lots more food, in short lots of fun :)... When he leaves, our home suddenly quite down :(... I am already waiting for the next holiday...

I didn't make any resolution this year as I know I am not going to stick to it. But I have added few more items to my secret wish list. I hope they come true this year :) [Chuckles!!!]

Have a great year everybody....

For all the BSB fans out there....

2007-12-29T18:37:00.000+05:30

The Backstreet Boys have released their new album "Unbreakable" on October 30, 2007.The group has only four members now as Kevin Richardson has left the group to pursue other interests outside the group.

I got the cd as my Christmas gift from 'V' (Thankyou!!!). There are people who think that BSB is just another boy band. My answer is that these guys can sing and they make good music. I own all their albums and it has been worth my money.

I didn't have any intention to blog about the latest album but last night when I told my cousin that I have the latest album, she was like "What!!!! I didn't even know that they released a new single?". I was like "Ok!!!".

The first single from the album is "Inconsolable" and the second single "Helpless When she Smiles" has also released. And the next single to come your way is "Everything but mine". The album has pure pop music and the guys sing amazing as ever. My favorite singers from the group is AJ and Brian Littrell.

Some comments from experts on the album:

Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B-, which is the highest grade from EW for a Backstreet Boys album since Millennium.

SputnikMusic.com said, "Pound for pound and song for song, Unbreakable may just be the best pop album of the year so far" and proceeded on to give the album a 4 (Excellent).

A Reviewer from Associated Content, David Nemecek, said "The Backstreet Boys are back with an undeniably strong album" and gave it an 8 out of 10. About.com also gave the album four out of five stars, along with comments such as, "If you are looking for a album of pure pop pleasure, you can not do much better with current releases than Unbreakable."

The album has good music and its worth having it in your music collection. My personal favorites 'Inconsolable', 'Unsuspecting sunday', 'Unmistakeable', and 'Helpless When She Smiles' (love the piano and guitar piece in that )

Click here to see 'Inconsolable' video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhQZBeaxd9M

Click here to see the video of "Helpless when she smiles"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyQroQzbgsI

Enjoy!!!!!! Happy Listening!!!!!!!

Taare Zameen Par (The Stars are on the Earth)

2007-12-24T10:11:00.000+05:30

Taare Zameen Par (The Stars on the Earth) Aamir Khan's directorial debut movie which portarys the problems of a dyslexic child has lived up to the expectations of the people.

A very simple story with a very deep message. It is very entertaining. Each scene makes you smile, laugh, cry and wonder how often we fail to see the small yet beautiful things around us. I am been a big fan of Aamir as an actor and no doubt that now, he is an excellant director.

All credit to the success of the movie also goes to Darsheel Safary as Ishaan Nandkishore Awasthi who plays the character of the dyslexic child. He is superb right from scene one and he has portrayed every emotion without any effort. Another speciality of the movie is the brilliant use of animation to depict the child's imagination.

The songs are excellant and situation specific, my favorite one is Maa sung by Shankar Mahadevan. The song is played when the boy is sent away to the boarding school which is one of the most emotional scene according to me.

It was interesting to realise how many famous people were dyslexic. Some people metioned in the were Thomas Edison, Picasso, Leonardo Da Vince and Abhishek Bachan

Here are few links to see other famous people who were dyslexic http://www.dyslexiaonline.com/famous/famous.htm
http://www.dyslexia-test.com/famous.html
http://www.indiafm.com/news/2007/12/18/10619/index.html

Other important characters in the movie:

Vipin Sharma as Nandkishore Awasthi. Nandkishore Awasthi is Ishaan’s father. He gets very angry when Ishaan’s teachers from school complain. Nandkishore is of the view that only Boarding school can teach discipline to Ishaan.

Tisca Chopra as Maya Awasthi Maya is Ishaan’s mother. She makes good food and looks after Ishaan when he gets hurt. She is very sad that Ishaan has to go to boarding school but she thinks it will be for the best.

Sachet Engineer as Yohaan Awasthi Yohaan is Ishaan’s Dada. Dada is a very good student and also plays tennis and cricket. He also looks after Ishaan and loves him.

Anyways hats off to Aamir and the team for Taaree Zameen Par. Brilliant story, songs and acting.

Some trivia:

The title of the movie was reportedly given by superstar Salman Khan when he and Aamir met at party held at Salman's residence.
Salman Khan is also credited as one of the many for an "inspirational factor to Taare...", in the beginning of the film.
Aamir Khan Productions had first approached music maestro and long time favourite, A.R.Rehman , for the score of the movie, however it was eventually given to Shanka Ehsaan Loy due to reasons unknown.

My 'Art of Living' Experience..

2007-12-11T10:17:00.000+05:30

It all started on a fine day when I mentioned to my Amma that I wanted to go for some yoga class to improve my concentration level. She mentioned to me that there is going to be a one week beginners yoga class few blocks from my apartment. My neighbor and I set out for the first session last Tuesday and I was excited. As I entered the hall I saw people of different ages, the oldest being 65 and we were asked to fill out some forms. After all the formalities we were asked to settle down and the person who is our guruji (teacher) dressed in white jhubba asked us to form a group of four. And I was like 'Ok why do we need to form a group for yoga'. Then we were asked to again settle down and he officially began the session and it was then I realized that I have actually come to attend the Beginners Course Part I of the Art of Living ( I was like 'Duh!!! What do I do?' ).

Then, I realized I had no choice but to continue the course for 3 reasons: I already paid the course fees, I told my friends about my joining the yoga and they already bet I would quit before I began (so no way I am quitting) and I really didn't know what the whole Art of Living thinggy was, so why not give it a shot .

First day went fine we had few warm up sessions and few exercises which was fun. By the end of the session we were asked to take only vegetarian food and drink lots of water before the next session. On the second day I was excited to do the exercises but it was different because he taught us Sudarshan Kriya (http://us.artofliving.org/art-of-living-course/sudarshan-kriya.html). It is a breathing based technique or the healing breath. Sudarshan Kriya incorporates specific natural rhythms of breath to release stress and bring the mind to the present moment. I wanted to quit because the stress of being able to release the stress was too much for me to handle. And all this have to be done with our eyes closed which increases the frustration. And I already made up my mind to quit.

When the kriya got over the guruji asked how we felt and we all shared our experiences and he said that everyone must be present the next class to continue the second part of the kriya ( I was like 'Oh no!'). I attended the next session with lot less or no enthusiasm at all . But to my surprise I found it lot easier to do the kriya and it was relaxing. Anyways we learnt the kriya and lots more other things were in store in the days to come. And there was lots of games and group tasks which seemed very silly to me but I have learnt how so many simple things such as concentrating on one's breath or being aware of oneself can change persons' life.

I have no regrets being there because I have interacted with wonderful people and did things I wouldn't have done otherwise and have a lot more self awarness. But of course all this will come to of real use only if I practice what I have learnt. That's even more tough because today morning, my limbs are aching :(....But the guruji said such experiences are common and will be over in a few days time :).....

I recommend this course to everyone atleast for the sake of an experience because its worth it.

Visit : http://www.artofliving.org/

Om "Save me" Om!!!

2007-11-17T18:04:00.000+05:30

Ya I saw the movie Om Shanti Om :(.....I have no words to describe how pathetic the movie was and the most shocking part, its publicized as the mega hit of the year. Duh!!!!!

Ok the movie started off fine and I was like Oh story about a guy wanting to make it big in life but as it continued I was like ok the guy wants to make it big in life and loves the poster girl then as it continued I was ok he likes the poster girl and she is beyond his reach ...Oh man, as it continued Ok she is not beyond his reach but she has someone else in mind (typical bollywood!!) and this somene else put her on fire and the guy try to get her out of fire (thank god he didn't try to extinguish it ) but was in vain and they both end up dead. Cling cling (Interval time)
Now what both are dead. Don't worry for the sake of entertaining us Farah Khan takes the pain to bring them back to life I really don't have the strength to write further because the genre of the movie then changes from spoof to horror to thriller to what they call "complete entertainment". But I would say, completely confused team of movie makers.

There was a particular song where we could see all the long forgotten bollywood stars and the people were clapping with joy and I think that the team mistook that clapping and declared the movie as hit. But there was no clap at the end of the movie and everyone looked confused just like Farah and team. Deepika Padukone's performance is hyped all over the media. Looks like luck and King Khan is on her side. But something about the movie was ok and most things about the movie was predictable and boring.

Until next post be safe and keep smiling....

Understanding Lightning

2007-11-14T10:12:00.000+05:30

When I was a kid, I used to get nauseous when there was thunder and ligtning. Well now I don't get nauseous but I tend to sit in the middle of room and keep my eyes closed so as to avoid seeing the light that flashes in through the window. Another thing I do is to keep the tubelight switched on when I am trying to sleep while there is lightning. So I guess , I am Astraphobic ( Fear of lightning). But I love rain :)....

There are more serious issues regarding lightning and thunder apart from my phobia like this is the time of the year when the southern districts of Kerala become vulnerable to lightning stikes causing damage to life and property as a result The Hindu newspaper had carried an article on this and to alert the public to the hazards of lightning and educate them on the precautions to be taken, the Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS) [ www.cessind.org ] published a brochure titled 'Lightning:Phenomenon and Precautions'. http://www.cessind.org/images/LIGHTNING-BROCHURE.pdf

Few points I picked up to be observed :

The brochure advices against using telephones and head sets during thunderstorm.

Turn off, unplug and stay away from appliances, computers, power tools and TV sets. Unplugging power cord and antenna will be helpful as ligtning may strike exterior electric, TV cable and phoen lines carrying energy to inside equipment.

Automobiles with coherent metal bodies are considered safe.

The greatest danger is under trees, especially just under low branches extending far sideways. After hitting a tree, lightning energy enters the house through the ground [ I didn't know that until now :(...]

For more read the brochure.

Oprah Winfrey

2007-10-31T14:58:00.000+05:30

"Though I'm grateful for the blessings of wealth, it hasn't changed who I am. My feet are still on the ground. I'm just wearing better shoes." Oprah Winfrey

I totally admire this lady. Her show has influenced me in positive ways and opened my eyes to issues that I never knew existed or issues that exists around me but never took notice of them. Just wanted to share my admiration for her through my blog :)

Forbes named her the world's most powerful celebrity in both 2005 and 2007

Vanity Fair wrote:
"Oprah Winfrey arguably has more influence on the culture than any university president, politician, or religious leader, except perhaps the Pope."

Bill O'Reilly said: " I mean this is a woman that came from nothing to rise up to be the most powerful woman, I think, in the world. I think Oprah Winfrey is the most powerful woman in the world, not just in America. That's — anybody who goes on her program immediately benefits through the roof. I mean, she has a loyal following; she has credibility; she has talent; and she's done it on her own to become fabulously wealthy and fabulously powerful."

Nowadays I frequently visit http://www.oprah.com/ . This page shows clips of her daily shows which is what I get to see now as Star world is not airing her show now :(.....

Click here to know more about Oprah http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah_Winfrey

Click on the links below to view quotes from Oprah

My favorite quote from her "In every aspect of our lives, we are always asking ourselves, How am I of value? What is my worth?. Yet I believe that worthiness is our birthright."

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Oprah_Winfrey/

http://www.allgreatquotes.com/oprah_winfrey_quotes.shtml

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/o/oprah_winfrey.html

Videos

2007-09-28T13:33:00.000+05:30

I am pasting the link of the cover version of the song Nobody Knows by Babyface. The original singer is Tony Rich. Its my all time favorite song. More about Tony Rich http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tony_Rich_Project

About Babyface http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babyface
He is an amazing guitarist and I am also attaching the link of his song When can I see you again from his 1993 album For The Cool In You

Click the link to see " Nobody Knows" by Babyface
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2MCptNzNlg

Click the link to see "When can I see you again" by Babyface
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m4UWZt_ldE&mode=related&search=

About the Malayalam Film Industry

2007-09-21T17:56:00.000+05:30

After watching Alibhai, Lalettan's movie directed by Shaji Kailas . Well like any Shaji Kailas movie, its cliche it had all the fight, violence, father- son misunderstanding and all the larger than life nonsense.

I watch only comedy Malayalam movies at the cinema and deliberately avoid movies of Shaji Kailas and directors of his genre for the main reason being me not wanting to waste my money to see the obvious larger than life goondaism of the heroes.

Today, something struck me as I was watching this movie( a movie full of violence from start to end) that there were families with small kids of different age and size to watch the movie. And I couldn't stop myself from thinking what these kids thought of the movie because I couldn't handle some of the scenes myself and when the crowd cheered such rowdism, did they think it was cool too?!!!.

I really dunno, but I did realise that the movie posters did not mention Parental Guidance to watch the movie. And I also realised that the director and the stars of the movie did not mention it while promoting the movie. I think a little bit of social responsibility can be expected from the Malayalam industry by suggesting some parental guidance for all the movies.

Laletta, I am still your fan.... :)

Its alive again !!!!!!!!

2007-09-20T18:04:00.000+05:30

I was 'disconnected' from the world yesterday. Made a few calls to get it fixed and today I am 'connected' again :)
What we would do without the Internet?

Chuk De India !!!!

2007-08-30T20:08:00.000+05:30

Chuk de India is a classy movie for its naturality and the kind of thrill it brought to its viewers. I am sure more than half the people didn't understand hockey just like me but as I was watching the movie I felt like I have had played hockey all my life.

Before watchign the movie I was kinda wondering how I am going to sit through a hockey movie and that too a Bollywood movie on hockey. But Chuk de India sure got me biting my nails everytime the matches were played. I can't beleive a bollywood movie actually made me clap each time the Indian team made a goal!!!!!!!

Well Shah Rukh did complete justice to his role Kabir Khan as the Indian Hockey team coach. I am glad he chose to do this role. Also the 16 girls did an amazing job. My favorite gal character was the Punjabi gal and Komal (the short girl).

The movie sure got me inspired to read and understand more about the national sport of India...I am talking about HOCKEY :).....(this is for the people who think cricket is the national sport of India)..Seriously, I think the Indian Government should do more to promote Hockey and encourage schools to have more hockey matches to generate interest for hockey among children.
But my favorite sport has always been and will always be Tennis :).....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chak_De_India

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_hockey

Who is guilty?

2007-08-28T13:29:00.000+05:30

Today as I was watching the news on TV I had to see one of the most brutal scene, a chain snatcher being beaten up. Read here http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070024158&ch=8/28/2007%2012:21:00%20PM
What truly disturbed me was the fact that when a cop appeared on the scene, he too joined the people to continue the brutality. Isn't that breaking the law? How can the very person responsible to maintain law and order, take the law in his own hands. The man made a mistake and should be punished according to the law, but the cop and the people who took the law in their hands should be charged as well for attempted murder. And that is justice.....

Check out the video :)...

2007-08-25T19:01:00.000+05:30

Check out this song "Ordinary Day" by Dolores O'Riordan from her album "Are you Listening?". For those who don't know she was the lead singer of the group The Cranberries. This is her first solo album.

I totally love her voice and she is a mother of three kids and I must say she looks absolutely gorgeous :)..
Enjoy the video and song!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxc3O4mQV74

So Confusing!!

2007-07-20T12:54:00.000+05:30

Life is as confusing as a jigsaw puzzle. Its when you start to think that everything is going perfect, you realize things are not what it seems.
Oh well as William Shakespeare put it, "All the world's a stage,And all the men and women merely players,They have their exits and entrances,And one man in his time plays many parts,....."
Hmmm too bad that in this stage we get only one take :(......Ah well!!!! Probably that' s what makes this life interesting.....Looks like I have to make a choice and play my role and that's the only choice I have :).....

Keep your cell phones switched off...

2007-06-04T12:08:00.000+05:30

I went for the funeral of my friend's father. This is the second funeral I have attended and I was deeply disappointed at the fact that some people who came to pay respect to the body did not even have the courtesy to swtich off their cell phones. I found it very disrespectful and annoying when the cell phone rang in such a situation!!! In places where cell phones have to be switched off, I'd say please do it!!

I must tell I am really proud of my friend who has been brave enough to handle the situation in a very dignified manner. Some day if you read this I want you to know that I respect you for the perosn you have become through all the difficulties.

At NISH...

2007-05-16T10:52:00.000+05:30

NISH is an institute that trains children who are speech and hearing impaired. I got an opportunity to do a project for the institute. I went there on a particular day to get some data and on the same day there was some magic show being organised as part of the summer school activities. Lucky me, I got to see some of the ex-students who were trained at NISH and now studying in "normal" schools. Its interesting to see them interacting with each other. They were talking, laughing, gossiping and I was busy trying to figure out what they were talking to each other. It is at that moment I felt like an handicap because in their happy world I didn't follow a single thing, while they understood each other :).....

Please visit the NISH website: http://www.nishindia.org/

Life....

2007-05-14T11:02:00.000+05:30

Its been a long time since I have blogged. Been busy with a lot of things. Life has taken a new turn. I am an MBA now :) ...The two years I spend at ASB is one one of the best times of my educational life. I never thought I would miss college and friends. But hey its not like we are not going to keep in touch. At least now the yahoogroup is active with everyone jotting down their 'f'irst time' job experiences and 'away from home experiences'.
I am also enjoying my role at my office. New office room, new responsibilities and of course along with the package comes the part where mom keeps asking "So shall I look out for you?".
Being a 25 year old girl in India is not that easy. Pressure to get married comes from all sides. Who said I didnt want to marry but I want it with someone who I can relate to and not because he is fair handsome or whatever looking for a fair beautiful bride whatever who is between blah blah age and has blah blah and more blah......Duh!!!

I think the society is very hypocritical because parents teach their children not to talk to strangers or have anything to do with them and then one fine day (BHAM !!! )" Sweetheart which stranger do you wish to marry from this matrimonial?" ( Its exaggerated but I think you know what I mean ). Well, all I know right now is that the time for my battle has begun :)...

A thought

2007-03-31T14:50:00.000+05:30

This quote is really good...thoughI don't know who said it...

" I am always happy; It doesn't mean everything is perfect ...It means I have decided to see beyond the imperfections.."

Plight of the elephants in Kerala

2007-03-15T21:33:00.000+05:30

We read a lot about mahouts being killed by the elephants and find everyone pointing fingers at the elephants. But what we do not realise is why the elephant has to be so violent in the first place?The elephants are poorly managed and painfully exploited. When cruelty towards them becomes unbearable, the elephants retaliate .I started to think of these issues when I saw a TV program called Kannadi on Asianet (malayalam satellite channel) . I was almost in tears when I saw the sad condition of an elephant (I can't recall his name though). His feet was bleeding and was lying down helplessly, unable to walk. Well that elephant died and thats why this issue got attention on the show.
There are many things to be taken care of when dealing with elephants. There are rules and guidelines to adhere to. If they are strictly observed it might be a win win situation for the mahouts as well as for the elephants.
Here are some information I gathered from various sources:

Alarmed by the frequent instances of elephants running amok and goring mahouts to death, the Kerala government came out with a set of rules on management and upkeep of captive elephants which include penal provisions to check maltreatment of the animal.

The rules specify norms to be followed when elephants are paraded during festivals, transported by foot or by vehicles, medical check-up and provision of water,fodder and accommodation and training of mahouts. It also lay down how to handle them at times of 'masth' during when pachyderms mostly turn violent.

The rules would prohibit elephants being made to walk more than three hours or 30 km at a stretch.Those taking them for long treks would have to carry reflectors during night in the front and rear of the animal for road safety.

The rules specify the type of harness to be put on the animal and chains with sharp edges or nylon ropes would not be permitted. Tuskers with festering ankle sores caused by iron chains is a common sight on Kerala roads.

Animal rights activists allege that elephants are made to walk long distances on tarred roads and stand unendingly on concrete surfaces, in violation of Section 12 of a Government Order (No. 12/2003/F&WLD). Result: most of the elephants reportedly have pockets of infection under their feet or toenails. Feet are the gauge of an elephant's overall health.

Animal rights groups also allege unethical treatment of elephants when they are in musth. When a male elephant is in musth, its level of testosterone rises dramatically by a factor of 20 or more. Musth lasts up to 60 days. The temporal gland between the eyes and ears swell and discharge a viscous secretion as the elephant waits for mating. There is continual dribbling of urine too. The elephant shows aggressive behaviour during this period.
Elephants in musth are allegedly made weak through torture and poor feeding.

How much of the rules and regulations laid down are adhered to or how much really the State is doing to improve the situation of elephant is the big question??

Source: www.hindu.com, www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/24/stories/2007022402610200.htm

Stumbled Upon!!

2007-03-03T14:38:00.000+05:30

As I always say, you can never tell what you might find out when you are really bored :). This is what my roomie and the girl next door (chuckles) found out.
Take a look at what I stumbled upon :) http://www.stumbleupon.com/ .
And for the music lovers go to www.musicovery.com

About Debt Diet On Oprah Winfrey Show

2007-03-03T13:45:00.000+05:30

Yesterday I watched The Oprah Winfrey Show. The topic of discussion was "Debt Diet". It was about the spending habits of middle class Americans. Most families have huge amount of debt because they make purchases on their credit card and end up not having enough cash to pay the interest on the credit card. Most individuals have upto 10 credit cards with interest rates upto 30 %. And, there was also other issues attached with this like argument between husband and wife regarding the finance because stay at mother's end up shopping a lot on their husband's credit card. Hmmmmm as I was watching the show I was trying to relate the situation to India beacuse our financial institutions and banks are encouraging people to take loan for housing, purchasing car etc etc..And I was thinking to myself that it won't be long before Indians would be talking about Debt Diet. There is nothing wrong in taking loans or making credit purchases provided we have the income to service the debt. The take away from the show was to prioritize our spending and not to take credit to buy things that we don't require because after paying huge interest every month one might end up having to take debt to meet neccessities.

Check out the video :)...

2007-02-12T11:40:00.000+05:30

Few lines from the song NUMB by LINKIN PARK....One of my favorite bands and today I feel as if I can relate to this song; One of those weird days you go through....[ Check out the video. Clik the link below]

I'm tired of being what you want me to be
Feeling so faithless lost under the surface
Don't know what you're expecting of me
Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes
Every step that I take is another mistake to you
(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)
And every second I waste is more than I can take

I've become so numb I can't feel you there
Become so tired so much more aware
I'm becoming this all I want to do
Is be more like me and be less like you....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZlHOlTXhLs

Dunno what to call this one...

2007-02-06T22:12:00.000+05:30

Life has started to get hectic with the new term and lots of case presenations coming up!! My roomie and my sister has not been in the hostel for few days ( that explains the quietness and also the reason for my boredom). And I also have to tell you all that I have been a frequent visitor of www.bored.com :) ..Its amazing how exciting and creative people get when they are bored ( Thanx to my roomie that she found this;)).

Hmmmm..I mean people do get creative when they have nothing to do, think about Arthur Conan Doyle the Scottish author and creator of Sherlock Holmes,he studied medicine and his medical practice was not successful and he began to write stories while he was waiting for patients. Or I know so many of my friends who turn to draw stuff when they are bored and its amazing the kinda pictures they draw!!!

Oh! I do want to take this opportunity to write that I was one of the unlucky souls who happened to watch Salaam-e-ishq. Thanks to the power of human mind to forget things and move on from such terrible mistakes. However,I am eagarly waiting to see Spiderman 3 . I am very impressed by the promos and that black spidey suit looks sexy ;).........

Just another day ...

2007-01-20T22:11:00.000+05:30

Today I went to visit the MILMA plant at Ambalathara, Trivandrum. The visit was a part of my Supply Chain project. Even though I was exicited to see how I get the milk early morning, I wasn't too happy with the cleanliness of the plant!!!

Other highlights of the day

Found V's shoe sole in our shelf!! ( I am surprised he kept it in there )
Went home with V for lunch after the plant visit.
Had shawarma for dinner :)

Quotes about faith

2007-01-15T21:01:00.000+05:30

That's the thing about faith. If you don't have it you can't understand it. And if you do, no explanation is necessary. -- Major Kira Nerys

Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.--St. Augustine

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.--Bible

Are We Better Off ?

2007-01-08T22:20:00.000+05:30

Sati is banned but still women are burnt for dowry.
Education has improved but we still have communal issues.
We have a very educated Prime minister and a President but we still have 26% percent Indians living below poverty line.
Children are educated but yet they are not allowed to speak their mind.
If you have an opinion you don’t fit in.
Marry who your parents choose only because they think they know better.
Plus many more I just can’t think of right now

I don’t know what progress or development is? If it is what I see around then I only ask myself “Are we better off?”

Thenmala

2006-12-28T20:48:00.000+05:30

After being to Thenmala, I simply have one more reason to love the God's own country,my beautiful Keralam (Kerala). It is located 72 kms from Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala.
Thenmala: "Then+ mala" i.e. in local parlance "Then" means honey and "malla" means hillock i.e. it means honey hills.

I had a wonderful time.We reached there by 10 a.m. and there were lots of monkeys to welcome us. :)...(I must say that the baby monkey looks so cute!!)

The main attractions are the Cultural zone, Leisure zone and Adventure zone. We had time only for Adventure zone and Boating in the Schenduruney Wildlife Sanctuary. The Elevated Walkway in the Adventure zone was my favorite part.

The one hour cruise on a double hull boat was the best part of the trip. The cruise costs 60 bucks but the experience was priceless!!

Click the links below for more :

http://www.thenmalaecotourism.com/thenmala.htm

http://www.thenmalaecotourism.com/attractions3.htm

Finally we are going....

2006-12-22T19:27:00.000+05:30

Finally, the class is going for a one day trip to Thenmala tomorrow. The decision was made yesterday :). It all happened too quickly. I have a bad cold :(. Didn't see that coming with the trip package.

Christmas is just around the corner. Can't wait to go home and eat good food. December is one of my favorite months. Its the month where everyone longs to be with their loved ones. Even though here in India we dont get to see the snow or reindeers, the vision exists in my heart. I don't agree with people who says that christmas is all about the presents. It's much more than that to me. It's the time of togetherness, sharing, singing carols and good food :)..

Colors in the Sky!!

2006-12-13T15:20:00.000+05:30

I saw a RAINBOW today...:)....Thankyou V for showing it to me ..:)
Read the poem I found about the rainbow by Rachel Fogle

The Rainbow & The Sunset

Can you picture a painting of a rainbow beginning to shine.
Can you picture a sunset that's ready but not yet defined. I
can picture the rainbow and the pot of gold at the end,
I can picture the sunset and the many more to begin.
These are the simple things in life,
These at the things that are meant to be.
No one prepares you for the truth.
No one prepares you for the unfair things.
That on the other side of that rainbow dreams don't always come true.
And that you may find a bit of beauty in that sunset by the sea,
Or you may find a hard earned miracle in that rainbow made by we.
But the truth of it all is, is that the rainbow doesn't last.
And that sooner or later the sunset will pass.
And we must realize that life is not a sunset or a rainbow made by we.
That for some reason or another,
Fate is what is and fate is what was meant to be. Rachel Fogle

Few Quotes..

2006-12-09T12:08:00.000+05:30

To have passion, to have a dream, to have a purpose in life. And there are three components to that purpose, one is to find out who you really are, to discover God, the second is to serve other human beings, because we are here to do that and the third is to express your unique talents and when you are expressing your unique talents you lose track of time.Deepak Chopra

What is it that you like doing? If you don’t like it, get out of it, because you’ll be lousy at it. You don’t have to stay with a job for the rest of your life, because if you don’t like it you’ll never be successful in it. Lee Iacocca

Hmmm..

2006-12-07T21:26:00.001+05:30

I haven't had fun in a very long time. My 'tomorrows' are so predictable and so is my breakfast, lunch and dinner menu. Today I was thinking to myself why was this happening? Why doesn't my classmates want to go for a tour. Everyone has some absurd excuses,"lots to study","no time", "oh travelling is so tiring","it's raining in Munnar", aaaahhhhh .....What are you guys waiting for ? I would say get real..beacuse there's always something to study and time is not going to stand still for you to spent time with your friends.
Doesn't the fact that we have only 3 months to be together bother you ? I was watching you guys run around to complete the assignment(which is really good) but what about sunday or when you finish your assignment? If you spent a few hours outside college, life is not going to punish you.
Some might think what is stoping me. Well I'd say one of the 'culprit' is my best friend who I love hanging out with.:)

Oh well ! There are other good stuff happening like my roommate has been hanging out in the city quite a bit and I get to hear less " I am bored today" stories :)...but I am sure it will start again soon.
My sister is finally happy with her dentist.....
V for the first time submitted work on time this term:)
And I am waiting for Christmas ....

Don't take this for granted!!!

2006-12-01T00:43:00.001+05:30

One issue that bothers me is people taking life, things and relationships for granted. I try and tell everyone I know to value and cherish every moment in life. I don't want to go blah blah about this now ...but read the poem I got from the net about taking things for granted.. This poem written by Dean Blehert.

Taking for Granted

Caught myself taking it for granted

that you'd be home when I walked in,

alive, glad to see me and I as glad;

that in the next hour no lightning,

heart attack, terrorist bombing

or unexplained vanishing would shatter

our plans;

caught myself, blamed myself

not for failing to appreciate

the miracles we live, but like

knocking on wood, as if to say, "It's OK,God,

I'm remembering to be scared,

so you don't have to prove anything to me.

"Stupid, because maybe I'd never

taken anything for granted; maybe

I knew we'd be fine for an hour,

for years, for happily ever after,

because I was making it that way,

making the world I want to live in

by the power of my knowing.

Maybe when I caught myself and

apologized to God, I stopped putting

that world there, put there instead

this fear.

Just Added Few Colors!!!

2006-11-28T19:33:00.000+05:30

Yesterday was boring, and so was today :(... I went out and got some pens.. some BLUE, some PINK, some GREENand some BLACK,,,,And added few COLORS to my Life :).....

Talk to Someone...

2006-11-08T11:49:00.000+05:30

“Amma there is something I want to tell you.” When my mom turned around and asked me what I wanted to tell her, I stopped myself and told her, “Oh! Nothing Amma, I forgot what I wanted to tell you. Will tell you when I remember what it was.” I went back to my room and thought to myself why I couldn’t tell her that my friend is turning into an alcoholic and that it is really bothering me. Was I afraid that she would judge my friend and ask me never ever talk to him? I just didn’t have a clue as to where to get help.

The very next morning I happened to watch the Oprah Winfrey show (one of my favorite shows) and it was about communication. The show featured an incident of a 15 year old female who became pregnant and she never mentioned this to anyone and the best part even her mother didn’t know that she was pregnant. After she gave birth to her baby in her bedroom she killed the baby and dumped the body somewhere. The body was later found and she is sentenced to 6 years in jail and now she is 22 years old. It’s amazing how she now realizes that all she had to do was just tell her mother about her pregnancy or talk to someone who could have helped her some way or the other. She is going to regret that moment of her life where she took a wrong decision to not talk to her mother.
And I then decided to talk to my mom about my friend’s problem because I realized that helping my friend out of the situation was more important than me worrying about what my mother would think of him.

Well what I am trying to say is we have to talk no matter what. I am sure all of us have that someone to whom we talk about anything and everything but I am also sure that we keep some issues deep inside of us even from the ones we are close to thinking that we would be judged. But let’s not judge our own emotions and let’s learn to speak our mind. Talking helps relieve tension and in extreme cases from going into depression. And one should realize that depression will lead people to take extreme steps like not eating well, suicides etc.. I also believe that my generation need to understand this and try and make a change. I am sure my parents wont be able to easily digest all stuff that I tell them about college and friends because things have changed and the generation gap that we talk about could be bridged if we are willing to talk to parents about what’s going on in our ‘world’. Oh yeah, let me add that we should make a conscious effort to tell someone how much you appresciate them or tell your brother or sister that you love them or just call up your buddies from scholl and tell them that you miss old times ...Let's learn to not take things or people for granted
Start talking and see the difference.

Check out the link below:
http://blogger.xs4all.nl/marcg/archive/2006/10/14.aspx

Just A Thought

2006-11-01T13:32:00.000+05:30

"When we are dreaming alone it is only a dream. When we are dreaming with others, it is the beginning of reality". Dom Helder Camara