YEEE!!! it new years eve and i am gonna sleep right through

hello all

As i am tired answering queries on phone/orkut about my new year plans, I am writing this piece to shout it out....Had a very exciting 250 km bike ride and a 4 km trek yesterday...lots and lotso pics on my new camera...a very refreshing bath under a waterfall in the middle of a reserve forest...so to sum it up 2006 is a year that started with a whimper and as far as i am concerned has almost ended in a bang...
Will start a photo blog soon.... any cute ladies who want to get shot by a future cartier- bresson just get in touch with me ;-)...and considering my frequent travels, thinking of a travel blog too...trying to keep the essence of this blog as such...Zimble and boring...:-)
I better get going now...got to call up a whole lot of friends before the telephone networks get clogged..and FYI i am going to sleep through the new years eve...so please dont call me up at midnight...and if u r having a party in chennai and want a photogrpaher.....u know were to find one who will work for free

Wishin you all a new beginning with the new year...

lotso luv, camaraderie, not many fights, tons of gud laughs..at urs' and others' expense...

Goodspeed and God bless...

Adios 2006

Cheers

Kiran

I SPLURGED...

PeNtAx K100D
I splurged on myself...and went out and got the thing in the pic ...a long dream come true... feeling a lot richer inside...poorer in my pocket..a lil guilty sometimes...Had to show it off...
Male ego.. please adjust

The Mallu and the Oil bath

This is a very personal experience that every marunaadan mallu will identify with i guess...and even others who have mallus as friends will identify
It was another one of those sick sundays when you were supposed to work as the client had dozed off the whole week and was reminded of deadlines on friday...After my usual sunday routine of the elaborate 45 minute bath, i manage to get to office only to be stared upon, scorned upon and a lot of hushed opinions flying behind my back...And thankfully a "friend" broke the suspense to me...how the hell do u walk around with oil on u..Yuck
Mallus everywhere are stereotyped with lotso oil , not that i am complaining...but then we take pride in our oil baths, an amost well laid out ritual...something that i had neglected during my hectic college years:-)... If you are reading this and are surprised that me of all people is writing this, then u definitely must be one of my unfortunate classmates, aware of my tendency to abhor contact with water during the 4 years in college..FYI... I have changed, as i have realised the magic that is the oil bath...The next paragraph is my tribute to this..
A normal sunday...sleep late...coffee and the hindu magazine...breakfast...and then trimming of the stubble and the nails and then..nice kaachciya velichenna ( heated cocunut oil for the uninitiated)....apply until it starts dripping on to ur forhead...a very liberal amount on the face..and then imagining a nice thai massage with some cute ladies applying oil on ur back...as u struggle to reach all the unreachable places, especially on the back...arms and then legs...walk around with arms spread (more like a weight lifter with a very prominent wing) as oiled skin on oiled skin is too "squishy"...hang around TV until someone shouts at u to stop making the floor slippery... Water ..lots of it...preferably a bit warm... then go into a long and laborious, process to remove all the oil that was painstakingly applied in the first place...an almost equally long period to dry up and the LUNCH....properly cooked in cocunut oil and then....hit the bed watching a sunday rerun and doze off...BLISS i tell u....
Any converts people???? :-)

Cut throat marketing !!!

- Had been to Palakkad a week ago where still life seems to be chuggin along at a slightly faster pace than when i last left the place..This was one incident that made me realise that...A day at the Barber Shop (still not a saloon or a gent's beauty parlour)..Balan Brothers' Barber shop...Has been the same hole in the wall for as long as i can remember...and my memory of the place...a quick ushering in...radio/squeaky tape blaring...no questions asked...one size fits all cut that looks like a pot...5 rs...Done

I enter the shop all shabby and dishevelled..making eye contact with the barber and then taking my seat.."welcome sir"..i turn and look back at him....in a state of suspended disbelief...ok sir...so enthu venam??..i reply with "short, slightly mushroomish, no step"...he looks at me, my head from different angles and then feels the hair ....and an "mmmm" that sounded more like contemplation..."You have very nice thick hair"....on the mirror in front i can see a grin breaking out on my face...

the man gets on with the job....with the usual deft use of the scissors, precious bits of my mane tumbling down the "clean" cloth around my neck..." nannayittu nokkunnindu alle mudiye?"...again a small grin of acceptance on my face...He was now waxing eloquent on how thick it is...it can grow long without breakage and stuff...oil will help it grow....i am slightly on cloud nine and i am begining to lower my defences....and then ....he did it...."You will not become bald at all sar...."..working hard to suppress my smile...with a small blade on my hair, he starts "but u could actually use a good head massage"...got me thinking...an oil massage...it is only 250 rs...actually it is 300...but for you it is 250....and suddenly am brought back to earth with a crash....there isn't a hint of emotion in his eyes as he goes about his job...
all i can manage is a "anhaaaan"....quickly collecting my wits i evade that with a sneeze and a sniffle..."I had cold u know"...

A defeated look on his eyes....and that of a victor in my eye..he suddenly starts scratching my head....what is this...OMG u have dandrufff.....i am bewildered...u have lots of it...we will cure it once and for all..witha treatment...cold is not a problem....i am at wits end now...and suddenly start smiling....no money anna ....and that look on his face said it alll..

It kindo wanted to say "ethu alavalathikkum Flying machine jean idam...kali kaalam"...and in a jiffy after that i was done....only to realise that my head was looking like what else...a POT...
and did he push me out of the chair...??? it is a blur now....25 rs and Done...

i guess this is what they call cut throat marketing...

Another Chapter in the Life of a Software engineer

UAT, deadlines, release, Timelines are all the stuff of nightmares for us unfortunate people..It was yet another of those damn nights...when nothing seemed to go right and the whole floor in the office was empty...the lone tubelight shining on me and my hapless neighbour as we slogged away to deliver...fixing... testing...fixing..Delivery done...QA testing begins....Time 11.00 in the night...Already 12.30 in the US....Onsite screaming...QA testing...nothing much else to do...ORKUT ............
Preparing for the Long haul and the night ahead...GO buy an instant cup noodle and a bottle of cold "Vennilla" flavoured milk from the canteen...Settle down into my chair..I log into the communities and start looking....in plain mallu speak...Vaay nottam....some interesting things people have got going in orkut...I am not speaking normal stuff....a "Jayalalitha profile"...a Karuananidhi profile...Karunanidhi asking for amma's friendship...but strangely both seem to have queer preferences..check out for urself..cant say more...without putting u off this blog for ever....
Religious communities..a lot of really flirtatious ladies....some too much for my liking...and slowly started looking up friends...friends of friendds...and so on and so forth and started leaving scraps....clearing the night was getting to me...left a lot of scraps in a short while and started getting responses ranging from "Hey sexy", "get lost" to "get a life"..and the response kept coming thru the next day...so had to be online all day....and a normal response from one of the addressees, had me pleasantly surprised....only short lived as after a couple of scraps the next day...she stopped altogethor...Zilch...no more...maybe i am not as suave and sophisticated as i try to be sometimes ...Sigh
The clock flies to 2.15 AM and QA has all but wound up and we decide to call it a day....A slight problem... my feet suddenly seem to be wavy....and the floor seems to be uneven...i steady myself with a cold splash to my face...and get on the bike....the cold breeze from the sea refreshes and i am cruising on the road...1 km from my house..and the desolate mile... I continue down the road and pass a couple of stray dogs who start chasing....A smile appears on my face as i imagine lissome babes not dogs chasing me...only for the slightest trace of the smile to be wiped off in a flash...
A good 100 metres ahead all i could see were lotso gleaming eyes glistening in my headlight beam....and i slow down and the mass orgy of Dogs on the road reveals itself.....i guess it is that time of the year that a dog doesnt need a calendar to tell (a mallu proverb).....The orgy is interupted and the canines r not clearly amused....i stop and survey...a mexican stand off if u can say so...I turn around only to have the chasers staring from afar.......The lesser of the evils....My brain cells firing left right and center....
Will I be able to turn the bike before the dogs get to me...will i be able to accelerate faster than the dogs.....where do i keep my legs...Dogs like to eat bones...i am bony...no I am slightly fat now...ok.....Who gets my personal fortune in case I dont survive.....Who will respond to my emails...What do i tell all my disappointed blog readers...and what is thaaat smellll.....What is that sound..........IT is suddenly so much more brighter......and what is that sound...I see the morbid fear that has over come the menace in the canine eyes...Maybe it is god coming to get me...Give me a painlesss death....but god's vehicle doesnt sound like a corporation garbage truck ....
I turn back and there i see, barely 100 meters behind me a beautiful garbage truck...fully loaded and stinking...in all its rusted glory...with the driver gesticulating at me....i move aside and let the chariot pass......The enemy rank is in disarray and using my slightly superior brain I mange to ride away to glory alongside the garbage truck...Not complaining about the stink one bit...
But those few minutes had given me one hell of an adrenaline rush, one that ensured that i was fresh as a daisy...not a hint of sleep...and thinking clearly ...clearer than in along time...A small incident that put things in perspective....

"Cleanliness is sometimes next only to godliness"

JARGON!!!

A chapter in a software engineers life

A two month sabbatical was to have cured me from a lot of ailments, and i guess it did too....I am not hating my work.....Maybe i was not doing any.....My depression is more or less gone...In fact, I am on a high most of the time...No, I do not use pot...But there is one thing that seems to have gotten worse and that is my abhorrence of Management speak...JARGON!!!!

It is a phenomenon that you get to see more in the software industry...People trying to reinvent the wheel...Why use catchy phrases, when a simple word can do the same in a much more understated way..
In my managers words "It is all about perception matching".
"You mean satisfying...rite?"
"No....Perception matching..."
"oh ok!!" and a vigorous nod of the head.

The higher you go up the corporate ladder the amount of well dressed crap that goes around is humongous...sample this...
The best practices awards are coming up, why dont we pitch process evolution as a paradigm that has helped redefine the way offshoring has helped the client get more baing fozh the buck...open quotes in the air " Pezzh se" close quotes in air..vis-ahhh-veeee the competition.....and so on and so forth...Bewilderment...Brain cranking to decode....a smirk as the realisation dawns..."Bang for the buck","Per se", "Vis- a-vis"...all in a texan twang...and the speaker (originally from Madras) lost me...

This was one of the first things I heard as i was settling in to my seat on the first day after my vacation. And all I could manage to mutter was..
"mmm..can be done"....

Though felt like standing up and apploading the seamless way in which seemingly disconnected words formed apparently meaningful sentences...More of the same for a couple of more days and I decide to rate my tormentors on a scale of 1 to 5. This but then had to be based on a few normalized parameters that also took into consideration the innovation and the Out-of-box thinking that they brought to the job.

I set about formulating a methodology and the standardised unit that I arrived at was "Jar-in-Hundreds"...(subtle Pun intended)... Jarring Hundreds ...Get it?...No???...better stay away from the IT industry then..It measures the number of Jargons in every hundred words..(will patent this soon...so forget it)...
And i think i hear my manager calling me for a Re-org meeting to discuss specific niche' sets....so as i try and figure out what it all means and perfect my scoring system, let me leave you pondering on your career paths....

Ode to Madraaas....

As I stood there in the dimly lit platform at K.R.Puram, at the fag end of a ligthning quick visit to Bangalore, I was left ruminating on something that came up once too often during my casual banter with friends - Chennai. It inevitably started with a comparison between the traffic in Chennai and Bangalore.....and quickly veered to the topic of weather, which everyone seems to hold against Chennai. Standing there, on that windy cold night, wearing a wind cheater and still shivering as the cold bit into my bones, through the non existent layers of fat, I couldnt help dreaming of sweating away to glory in Chennai.

And as the announcer blared that the special to Chennai was going to be further delayed, and with nothing much else to gawk at, I decide to look for some fodder for thought. I realised that every time Chennai came up for chat, I was prompt in its defence. This, despite me complaining all the while I was in Chennai. What was it that made Chennai. Especially for a person from outside like me, who had spent just 4 years of his life there...

My initial thoughts suggested that it had a lot to do with my small town upbringing in Palakkad. A place which hardly qualifies as a town. A meltpot of communities - Nairs, Menons, Christians and muslims, Chettiars and Nadars and of course the Pattars(the tam bram community), from which I hail. Contrary to expectation, the place is a picture of harmony and every stroll out of your house will be met with a gentle tilt of the head and sometimes the half uttered "Oo". A greeting, which when coupled with a few winks of the eye and the appropriate facial expression can convey a thousand thoughts. The whole place generally feels like your home.

This being the case, me accepting Bangalore in the remotest ways was out of the question. People often question my "stupidity" sometimes..Bangalore is "Hot" and "Happening" you know...My career could really take off too...but then it misses that one ingredient that i would luv to have in a place (irrespective of whether it is a city or a town)...an underlying rhythm. All I hear is the daily grind of a human mass racing against itself....

The rude fact that the train was slowly chugging in to the Majestic Chennai central, struck home fast....first through my nostrils, and then the excruciating pain as i tried to extricate my face from the rexin and sweat on my berth even at the ungodly hour of 4 in the morning. Chennai is a lot more in your face i tell u..an experience for all the senses. The smell/stench of the cooum, the brash auto drivers, the majestic buildings from an era bygone,the extra large cut outs, the strong scent of Filter coffee in the morning, the very feeble sound of a carnatic compostion that u seem to hear no matter where you are. Have had people telling me that it is because i am comfortable with tamil...but then I am more comfy with malayalam but never did like Kochi much. Even had a sense of vulnerability while I was there..so language never was the problem I guess.

Despite being one of the biggest cities in India, there is something here that appeals to me ...the rhythm of this city...This is something that is very dicey to put in words. There are days when I get out of home while on my way to work, and there are times when i instinctively tilt my head to the right to the guy supplying drinking water to our house. To the retd. Collector of 80+ years who doesnt even know my name, despite staying above his house for more than a year, a gr8 man who unfailingly returns the complement with a generous "Good morning, young man". The kolams in front of houses, though sometimes right next to a big pile of garbage. An underlying serenity that is very unlike a big city...

The people here seem to have a sense of belonging which is largely amiss in Bangalore. Does it belong to the North indian, the kannadiga, the madrasi or the mallu...The city seems to be perpetually struggling to sort this out....Chennai unquestionably belongs to the Tamilian, but then it has been magnanimous enough to accomodate people from all walks in its fold. This has meant that every race has left its mark on the face of the city and continues to do so..

So what exactly is the rhythm of Chennai or is it madraass...for me It is characterised by a lot of vibrant notes, but set to the tune of people who at the end of day are happy going back home to catch the serial on SunTV, the Thayir saatham, looking forward to the next day - filter coffee, The hindu.. a partying scene that is conspicous by its absence, the vibrant cultural scene that sets many a wintery night alive, and a society that places the intellect above all..

Now, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else would I?

updates on updates!!!!

- CAT is Done...now the long wait for the results...no more nails to bite..so moved on to better things

- Reported back for duty at work...but this being the festive season in the US of A ..not much work either...so relaxed...BTW blogs are enabled in office...so hoping to keep the creative juices flowing

- Enjoying my new found freedom by planning trips out of chennai every weekend...mmmm...

- Just back from a ligthning visit to blore..called up all my friends there...forgot to wish a friend at blore on her birthday....I AM THE SORRRRRRRRY........but still managed to get 4 scoops of icecream out of her..something inside seems to be stinging me now...i think it is indigestion :-)

- Have extracted promises from friends to keep reading my blog and LEAVE COMMENTS..
However boring and trivial the post might be...someone suggested that i write a program to automatically pile on the hits...which will save me from checking out the site every few minutes

- GYAN FYI - Only one hit from an IP is recorded every fifteen minutes, how many ever times u may login....trying to prove it wrong now

- Working overtime to revive my comatose creative cells and come up with fodder for thought...
suggestions are welcome...the trickier the better...subjects of social relevance and national importance will be given a miss......

- And the small matter of the missing Computer is still not recolved...looks like i might have to go to court after all...thinking of being my own lawyer.....(smirk on my face)

- Your truly also contibutes to a new and more slanderous blog called PAASHAANAM. Check it out at
http://paashaanam.blogspot.com

P.S:- Over the past two days something did strike me as blog worthy..so will put my thoughts online soon...Bloreans relax...no gossip will find its way here...."Hitler" are u happy now????

P.S. S :- For people tracking this blog for over a year, the roads in K.R.Puram have been improved and now look a bit like the Autobahn. Slush is nowhere to be seen, though the stink remains. Claims of speeds upto 60 KMPH were heard from residents around the area..

September october

A general update on life.....

- A break from work and chennai since sept 22.

- Sept 16 - send my computer by courier to Kerala

- Landed in kerala on sept 23..Rains...mmm..so refreshing...2 days goofed away to glory..doing nothing..realisation dawns that i have to set out to tame the CAT..so pack my bags and push off to my grandparents' place..Comp not yet arrived

- 2 Hour bus journey-over potholes seperated by islands of TAR...leaky government bus...not so comfy seats..2 fat asses to my right on a seat for 3...sit on half an ass for half of the journey....Rains....and drinking a bottle of water before the journey was not such a good idea after all....Rains ...ouch....not comfortable at all.....end result...shoulder and neck pain..Courier guy causing a big pain in the ass...Comp not yet here

-prep starts off in earnest..no comp..no TV (my grandma chases me off from the TV room)..and my young cousin for some company...Rains...so good...go all the way to the GM of the courier company...verdict..Comp has been stolen....F#$K

- journey another 2 hours over smaller pieces of TAR ....a full blown sprained neck..doctor.. medications...allergic reactions...mouth ulcers...cant speak.... cant eat..only kanji vellam :-(

- 3 more days to go ...run out of dry clothes...Rains suck big time...Still cant eat..no power..so no studies :-)....MGR singing on my dad's transistor
"Nanmai undu nermai undu poru raja.."
"Neram varum kaalam varum poru raja.."
so uplifting.......

- Back in chennai....no rains all sticky...if only it rained in chennai...

P.S:- joined work...so nothing much else happening these days

What the organisation did to me..mmm..scary

It was just another normal sunday...until now that is...a meeting over coffee with a friend from college, Divya, after 2 years can be such a refreshing thing..yes..but it can also leave u reflecting on what u were and what u have become ..can be scary too, as you are slowly realise that you are becoming something that u never thought u will and yet not even aware of these changes creeping in.
We were meeting after a good 2 years after college, and as conversations with friends go, this one too got off without any intros. Being one between me and a girl, it was sans the obscenities that are a given in guy talk... How i had become chubbier (finally :-)) ..what others were upto..and when it is clubbed with the cup of filter coffee, it does manage to create that illusion of a carefree world..only just so..
We talked about how we missed college, how we never seemed to hate mondays as much then. How the only couple we had in class were faring, who were getting married...and the little bloopers that happened with her/ with me..
The conversation freewheeled..After college she had managed to stick on to academics for 2 more years , but as fate would have it, she was destined to join the same software company(no names here people) that i was working for..and now that she has joined, it was my turn to ingrain the corporate culture into her. ..and i launched my by now well-rehearsed, monotone on work, pressure, boss, politics, promotion, CAT etc..
Having spent a year in Bangalore (P.S:- engineers from kerala went to chennai or bangalore) with other friends, she was echoing similar feelings that they had too..and a simple incident about one of our friends, rung home the simple truth..people have changed and i have too..This friend has always had to suffer people wishing her Bday on fools day though she was born the day before..In keeping with tradition, divya and others did the same, only to be taken aback by a really angry and upset voice at the other end of the phone, who abruptly cut the call...and come to think of it, the voice at the other end was one of the most carelessly carefree souls while in college..Things returned to normalcy as they always do, but then ...as divya sighed at the end of that story....How people change..sigh
True..very true....i reflected as i looked into my coffee cup. Everyone now had their own pressures, priorities...and now that i think of it, i had begun to sense this change in others last december during our annual getto at blore...only that i had failed to realise that i had changed too..and how??
well..my irreverence to life in general has all but gone..i am worried about where i will be ten years from now...how i have begun to analyse everyone around me, even my friends...how i have lost contact with all but a few of my friends..citing work as the excuse :-((..How i have not completed a single game on my comp after leaving college..this from a person who can drive a 911 in reverse all the way around monte carlo in NFS...Heck, i cant even remember where i put the AoE 3 DVD that i bought..and as i write this blog, how seriously i have begun to take myself..shit that is bad!!!
Whoa!!..and the organisation managed to do this to me in a mere 2 years..I already feel like the french fries that u get at pizza hut...exactly similar to one another, undistinguishable :-(
and as i sit contemplating my rapidly deteriorating sunday afternoon, the "Gods must be crazy" DVD gleams from my DVD collection..maybe it is divine intervention telling me that i rather try and rescue my Sunday while i wait for Arsenal to kick some Man U ass...
People enjoy ur sunday, movie and football..lemme go check out how crazy the gods can get after all..or may be the gods are not crazy after all...what say people??

Super Super Sunday - Mighty gunners will prevail

Start spreading the news, we're playing today
We'll always be a part of it - Arsenal, Arsenal
These red and white shoes, are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it - through Arsenal
We always wake up in an Arsenal wonderland
And find we're king of the hill, top of the heap, A number one!

These second-rate teams, are melting away
They just ain't got the heart for it, at Arsenal
If we can win it there, we'll win it anywhere

Chickflicks have cometh to Kollywood..SIGH

A perfectly good start to a weekend..lazing around in the bed till 9 and then getting up to a steaming cuppa...lounging around till noon and then head off to catch the matinee at sathyam...ahh the good life..
The movie as with all movies these days was HYPED up a good 2 months before its release and with ARR lending credentials, things did look promising.If you are one of the few poor souls reading my blog, then you will do well to read through this one...This is my firt attempt at a Movie review and it is sad that i have to RIP it apart. ..Jillunu oru kaadhal (or is it Sillunu oru....nah!!! who cares)
The movie starts with ample promise with the beauty of amba samudram captured with almost as much finesse as in Roja and sadly , that was the last we saw of the promise..a point to be noted was that you liking/disliking, rather loving/hating this movie is largely based on your gender. A song and dance routine, a wedding and the story(LMAO) fasttracks to mumbai 6 years hence..a happy family Surya, Jyothika and the lil girl you see in all those ads...i remember her from that asian paints ..cutting, shutting ad with 2 kids. Life in the movie goes on amid all the oohs and aahs from the females sitting in front...with the typical "oh, Surya looks so cute noo?"...ada ththu..and our hero gets a chance to fly to newyork..the camera in the meanwhile seems to be afflicted with a mix of parkison's and dyslexia..totally inappropriate wide angle shots and shaky, blurred images of Surya more reminiscent of him in Gajini.
Jyothika peeps into his old diary and finds out that there is a dark secret behind him...INTERVAL..and thank god for that...and that will be the last you see of a hoarse and loud vadivelu in the movie...thank god for that too
Flashbaaaak....and now the movie gets into Chick flick mode big time....hero is a big shot in college...bashes up bhoomika "simply so cute" :-) chawla's boy friend .she enters the scene and keeps looking longigly at surya as she drags the good for nothing BF away.
Surya looks at her..she looks at him...sigh...the girls next to me were at the edge of their seats..wow soo romantic (LMAO..).the looking phase goes on for a while as they manage to advertise TVS star City, TVS apache and a green coloured beer ..
the guy rips the girls clothes as he tries to save her from a speeding truck and she runs away crying...more ads for the beer and star city...and finally the hero manages to confront her..and yes it is raining in the background.amid shivering and some superb dialogue delivery hero manages to explain and finally ask her if she is angry...and hang on ..if ever there was an award for the corniest dialogue this had to be it.."Yes, i am angry at you 'cause the body that only u were supposed to see, you showed to the world.."..WHOA...that was a whack right between the legs..the guys behind me took this as sign of things to come and started off on their wisecracks...absolutely hilarious..couldnt thank them as they left before the movie finished...your work is appreciated guys.
Hero romances girl, more ads, a song and they decided to get married...the heroine's father, the MP (he had to be a big shot guys)...is not able to stop the marriage but separates them and packs off the heroine to god knows where and hero to the hospital....Hero recovers..hero's uncle becomes crippled and on his deathbed asks him to marry jyothika..What ye story ma....cut to present day
hero comes back..hero puzzled?? jyothika totally avoids him...and after some more ads for maruthi swift..the little girl asks daddy..for effect read as a 5 year old would "Daddy, daddy..do u luv us...mummy wants to know.."..puzzled look on heros face.."mummykku neenga luv pannarengala nu doubt ..yenakku neenga yevalo luv panareenga nu doubt" and i felt like hero was going to whip out a packet of horlicks..and say.."naan ongale romba luv pannaren ..athunaaala than naan horlicks vaangi tharen.."..thank fully he doesnt. he whips out his diary, one he has started writing again in new york after 6 years...penned a poem .."newyork nagaram..."..lovely song...beautiful europe (i thoought it was supposed to be in new york..oh shoot)..and more of parkinsons on screen.
jo goes in search of ishu (yes i just remembered that name) and jo is kundavi folks..what a timing ishu is coming back from australia to see her almost dead mom the next day...WHOA..ishu is now not meek and demure...she is hot and aggressive...kundavi meets ishu and introduces as gautham's wife...and ishu retorts back with then who am I..aboslutely nail biting stuff...SIC
jo arranges for ishu to spend one day with gautham (oh yeah i forgot to tell u y...it was 'cause hero had written in his diary that one day with ishu would be like one yugam for him...WTF)..ishu in mumbai...hero's apartment...hero stunned ...i think at the sexy chick standing outside his door and then blabbers for a few minutes and has an intense emotional dialogue with jill(ah yes that was how the hero calls kundhavi)..and jill says..i didnt marry you..i married u, ur hopes, ur desires...again WTF...a collective groan in the theatre..and jill leaves the place ..leaving it all open for the ex-lovers...twinkling in my eye now as i expect some action...and sadly nothing...jill dreams about the possibilities , but before they get interesting...she rushes back home..only to see hubby staring out of the balcony...jill reads letter from ishu...saying how much gautham spoke of kundavi..etc etc...and finally signs off with she wanting to be kundavi in next genmam...yes end of story.. what no???...jill wants to meet ishu...asks hero for the same..and hero points at the flight taking off in the night sky...what ye timing ma..now it is end of story..yes..thank u very much..
and the girl next to me is crying...lady please move your ass...i am crying tooo and i want to get away from here...go home and have a bath....i managed to crack one secret though..girls and guys, who had come with their GFs seemed to luv the movie...i am sure these guys are acting up to appease their GFs..people lemme tell u..i am not an MCP..atleast i do not consider myself as one..and i do like the occasional ones...like notting hill..all said and done, the chick flick effect that these graduate directors are bringing in to kolly wood is definitely not my cup of tea.....i am writing this a good one day later and hence the toned down language..and if you are still reading this...i consider this my responsibility as an indian citizen to strongly advice u to approach at your own risk...thank u..jai hind..vande maataram...

SPEED!!!

What is it with man and his need to go fast? the fastest mile, the fastest car, the fastest whatever..I've been trying to figure this out for a long time. What possibly could speed offer that man is willing to pay the ultimate prize for it. As for me, it has been a fascinating journey thus far. Well, Don't u take me for a hardcore racer. This piece of writing, to put it in a Gandhian way, is the beginning of "My Experiments with speed".
It all started with my first bicycle. A BSA champ, blue in frame, with ample chrome glinting, it could set any child's heart on fire. A lot of stunts, a broken toe-nail, a stitch in the head, a broken frame and a near-death experience later, it was time to move onto better things. My BSA-SLR ;-)
A really sad state of affairs for the next few years until i moved to chennai and then the top gear. I rediscovered speed so to speak.A desolate 1 kilometer stretch of open tarmac meant i touched max speeds that my legs could support. The highlight
undoubtedly was me learning to drift a cycle sideways. Making it a point to always screetch to a halt. A really burnt rear tyre was my proud trophy at the end of two years. Oh, i almost forgot to mention, i managed to bang into an auto on my sister's TVS champ.Yes, back then the moped was the fastest thing on two wheels that i could lay my hands on. Guess, the seeds were sown way back then
A long 4 years in college without my own set of wheels meant, i was cooling my heels. But then it was a good time to get my basics right and fall in love with the Yam and that technological wonder called the two stroke engine. Four strokes can get u from A to B, But 2 strokes, now that is what u call a real piece of work. They could sieze up if the oil was not right. U had to choke it, kick it till
ur legs hurt - to start it up. and they drank petrol by the gallons. It was like the machine had a personality of its own. Mind u no two machines were similar, each had its quirks and the acquaintance was a gradual process. But when a 2S gets going, boy does it get going.That wonderful rush from ur feet up as u rapidly shift gears, leaving a huge pail of smoke on all the 4 strokes trailing behind.
Back to chennai and i still did not have my own set of wheels. But the fact that my friend bought a Yam albeit a 4S, was consolation enough.A refreshing trip to Pondy on the bike had really rekindled that spirit in me.
I had made a promise to myself, that my first bike would be an RX preferably a 5 speed. A painfully long 1 and a half year long wait, and i found my prefect machine a black RX135. After the initial touch up and the getting-to-know-each other phase, it was time to let myself go. It was back to the proving grounds for me...the same desolate mile..
That 1 minute run on a cold night on the yam will forever be etched in me. Just to get my blood running i started off raising the throttle till the whining engine became a pain on the ear. Pulled back on the clutch and into first gear and i let go...Exhileration....back off to avoid a wheelie and then into second...and my heart was pumping blood into my brain like there was no tomorrow..and onto third...and i was already doing 50. my hands began gripping the handles tighter for dear life. the whiplash was tremendous and i was already pushed a few good inches behind in my seat 70..75....the noise was ear splitting. People were pointing and shouting at me i think, but it was all a mere blur for me..and into 4th...the engine now calming down to a steadier drone which was slowly being smothered by the gushing wind in my ears. 80..85..90..92..95...98....i could feel the machine itching to go faster,but the distant streetlight on the corner rushing up on me faster than ever, and, with the exhileration being taken over by a morbid fear, my actions
ceased to be wholly mine. I began noticing strange things around me now. It was like the bike was on cruise control and i had all the time in the world to enjoy
the world around. Strangely though, at these speeds, with your eyes watering, there seems to be no motion happening around. people standing still while in motion.
My heart was pulling hard on the throttle, while my brain was taking my hands off it...a flash in the corner of my eye, a headlight or a flickering street lamp, maybe and i was out of the trance. Hard on the brakes, wheels locking up, Brakes let go...hard on the brakes again..burning rubber and the vehicle is now sideways. Hard on the front brakes let go of the back and the vehicle corrects itself.down shift to 3rd and a semblance of control. Both the brakes again and i go sideways into the corner. Throttle and the vehicle straightens up. ...PHEW..Sweating on a cold night in chennai.
i still wonder why i did that on that day..Maybe i will never do it again..Maybe..but then one thing is for sure..I have begun to understand the machinations of SPEED.....

Falling in love all over again

With all the forwards wishing me onam and the photos of celebrations in infy, celebrations at TVM etc etc..it was time to take a walk down nostalgia road.
Sitting here in hot and sweltering Chennai, it is easy to figure out the things that ive been missing...Things that were taken for granted while i was back home in God's own country

You had something to look forward to everyday as u woke up...The possibilty that the newspapers could be screaming with news of a flash bandh/Strike/Hartal was high. A strike which transalated into another day of gaming/loitering/just aout anything. It was followed with the usual comments of this being Dog's own country rather. Chennai sucks i tell you when it comes to striking...Even Barath Bandh's don't seem to have an effect :-(
Every event being celebrated around you with a copious amount of booze...people by copious i mean realllllly copious..It was fun to see friends, people familiar and not so familiar, getting philosophical or making complete fools of themselves, while u stood by as a good friend/ innocent bystander :-)
The women all dressed up in "set-um Mundum"...mulla poo in their oiled hairs..dressing up the nadumuttam with huge pookalams...mmmm
The comfort of a double mundu...worn fully as a sign of respect...folded at the knees (this is the best i could conjure up for madakki kettal) for that added comfort/ thara effect ;-)
The land covered in one large swathe of green...a sign of the hidden fertility brought forth by the all cleansing monsoon...
The pot holed roads and the leaking government buses literally flying over them...
The manorama..the yellowest of all papers..and the mathrubhumi...competing for that spot time and again
The red that punctuates all that greenery...
Life which seems to be going nowhere in a hurry...mmmmm...Kerala you are missed...
Happy Onam people...let the festive spirit flow (Pun intended) ;-)

The lady at the beach

I have made this more of a habit lately....play (cricket) my heart out over saturday...catcha movie or something...crash at home late in the night and carry the mood over onto sunday...and then get panicky by the time it is 3...so get on my bike go over to a friend's place pull him out of bed and drag him for a cuppa at murugan's idli kadai..and then go gawking at beasant nagar beach nearby..the satisfaction of wasting a good one hour and then onto another friends' place...one who is on the same path to glory as me....and then onto thiruvanmiyur beach :-)..for some more gawking...and generally cursing some people in our lives....and then push off home for some good home made rasam chaadam and vazhakka mazhukkupuratti...CRASH!!
This week was no different..for the fourth consecutive week...but then some thing interesting happened on the beach..not beasant nagar, there was the usual hip hop crowd at barista's the families on the beach, lotso cops, and of course couples cosying around without a care in the world. It was Thiruvanmiyur were the action was.
The movie Garden state was on star in the afternoon...a movie that glorifies slacking off..one that questions the basic purpose of achievement....the central theme being "lemme be...what is the rush people"...it was like manna from heaven ...but only as long as the movie lasted..
The titles were hardly on ...and my mind already started playing the usual tricks...tricks which have become agonisingly more frequent...I have managed to find solace in the beach..when alone even with company around...It is mostly yakking that goes on between the 3 of us..nobody even remembers what anyone says...everyone talking as though on some sort of auto cruise mode..all the while lost in their own worlds...i was deeply into one...as the movie went ...exploring the infinite abyss..with the hauting sounds from Simon and Garfunkel chiming away in the background..
Dusk had given way to the night, but the beach was well lit by the tall neon lamps..the waterfront was dark though..only the reflection from the lights from afar...i was sitting with my legs folded..knees upward..and my hands holding them tight...my whole body in some sort of a shell...like u subconciously do when u feel sad/ when u r in deep thought/ or just for the heck of it...
i was scanning the waves to my left for some time and then slowly turned to look straight ahead...the waves were lapping rhythmically to the sounds of laughter from a happy family ...the scent of camphor burning near a clay ganesha...and to gently shake me out of my stupor a silhouette appeared...i couldnt see her face...only a slim pavadai and dhaavani... flutterng in the breeze...of all the open spaces in the beach, i will never know why she chose to stay right in front of me...gently letting the water catch up to her toes....the crimson pavadai getting wet all the time ...a lil shift to the right and the added light shows the golden mango coloured blouse and the matching paavadai neatly tucked up in the tummy.
As she ran back to wherever she came from...i feel a strange surrealism around me...a smile on my face even.. i don't know if my friends even noticed it..
she comes right back in front of my as i am back to staring at the water...her back turned to me still...here torso a mere silhouette but the paavadai lifted up gently till the knees..the reflections from the water revealing the most beautiful pair of legs that i have laid eyes upon...outside of monica bellucci that is..
a lil more into the water this time and the added mystery of the water covering her legs fully and then revealing those baby soft calves as it went back..i don't really know for how long i was staring....or was it just staring???
she just stood there for what was an eternity and i could feel the sand being pulled away from under her feet..sand slowly covering here toes as she sunk in one little step at a time....the time and the light adding up to create the perfect moment...a fleeting moment that ended with my friend running up closer to the water front to catch better look..
I do not know how long the moment was..a minute...fifteen maybe....but that was arguably one of the most profound moments that i can remember in a long time...compares closely with the funeral in american beauty...
i never managed to see her face...only those perfect legs...i do not regret it though...probably she never realised what she had just been part of...was it surrealism or a plane sensual moment..i do not know...maybe it is just my horny mallu mindset that has been seasoned by the craft of a few great artistic filmmakers..i do not care...my only regret though..if only i had my digital SLR that i had planned to buy long ago

Me, Myself and the dumbbell -Part 1

Well, i know this is gonna be a big surprise to the few people who still do not know this...in one cold wintery morning in chennai, i along with Anil and vimal, decided to enroll into a gym....(continue once u have stopped laughing)
It has been a roller coaster ride so far..and for people who want to know whether it did me any good, u will have to read thru this blog :-)
The heady feeling from a couple of months salary in the bank meant that the neighbourhood gym was just not good enough for us. It had to be mmm..i might be sued for this...on second thoughts let it stay as a gym that gets promoted by the software company where i work....It is a swanky place..with sauna, steam, massage, a gym floor ,mean machines, sculpted instructors(yes there were lady instructors too)..
I was on a more rigourous weight gain program (more pricey) and day one meant with my instructor measuring and then setting targets for me..giving me a motivational speech..and then taking the wind out of me with two huge pats on my back...cough..cough..."we start tomorrow ..buddy"..GULP..
i sneak into the gym the next day..getting up early(it was wierd)..and into thru the doors to heaven i walked...I sense a sudden calm over the gym floor...the music is still blaring but when you are standing in the middle of a hall and you have atleast 20 people stare at you ...u do feel a strange silence..ur brain is frozen..u do not hear anything...a fleeting moment during which the gym stops..
and then ..."Kiran, Kiran...whack...cough sputter!!!" that was my gym instructor giving his intro...with what else a pat in the back.
Now a brief intro with the machines...and it went like "half seated bench press..full seated thigh curl (sounded painful)...full chested shoulder stretch.."...these were duly written into my regimen card (cool,,i have a gym card now)..
I was already sweating now..a few intros more and my tounge would have popped out...and i jokingly mention the same to the instructor...And am frowned upon with a real cold nosed stare .."ok!!! wont joke in the gym sir!!!"
It drags on for i dont know how much more time. But i manage to sleep walk thru it all, just the same...
and the end of the beginning is signalled with a whack on my back (hence forth referred to as (W.O.M.B) )...
the instructor growls "Kiran!!!U r now a body builder"...W.T.F..i bet the bugger would have had the best laugh in years on me...dont worry people he who laughs last has the best laugh...
let us c what the morrow holds..GULP

Eureka!!!!

Having taken a day off work for reasons unknown to me even, i sit and struggle to kill time. opening every folder in my comp i come across a whole lot of photos all taking me down wonderful times...but then one picture, a series rather caught my attention among the rest..
It had been there all long, but seeing it now, gave it a whole new meaning..
It was taken during Vishu...
We were enjoying it with crackers - me, my family, my cousins includin my lil cousin sister - all of five years old..The initial snaps had her clapping in glee to all the sparklers, the flower pots et all...and then i offered her a lit sparkler..
and the transformation was instant. The next snap showed her covering behind her mom, screaming away at the nearest sight of me
This lasted for a couple of snaps...a few more later and seeing her brother do the crackers with ease, she now wanted to try some, albeit from a small corner of her mind . Jealousy a.k.a sibling rivalry can sometimes be such a motivating thing :-)
The next few shots had her still covering behind her mom, but looking at me thru the corner of her eye, with longing, with anticipation...expecting maybe that i will offer it to her again...but then, i was too immersed in the sound and light around me, to notice all this. Unbeknown to me, unbeknown to her ...every lil iota of emotion floating around was getting stored in a bit somewhere in the depths of the digital camera.
the show was almost nearing its end. I was lighting the final set of cracklers and then she did it, she came rushing at me and took hold my hand, the hand that was hodling the sparkler. Surprised by the suddenness of the move i drop the unlit crackler on the floor.
And now it all comes flooding back to me. I still remember turning swiftly with the sole purpose of admonishing her..and there she stood, head bowed, hand stretched out and uttered 2 words "anna, enakku"..having seen her for 5 years, i do know fully well, how much of a drama queen she can be, but then i am too surprised by the sudden turn of events that i barely squeal.
Picking up the sparkler i proceed to light it, all the while making sure that my pose was just right for the camera. In all the earlier snaps, the subject of this blog was never in the frame. It was always someone else lighting a flower pot, or setting of a cracker. But this time around, i made sure that was not the case, and the difference was there to see. Me lighting a candle. me turning sround in style. Me handing it over to my cousin. All the while grinning like a page 3 glitterati high on something.
But there she was, totally cut off from it all. Concentrating only on the sparkler in my hand. Slowly stretching her right hand out, with the left hand on her ear and head tilted to the left. i let go of the sprakler and the next few seconds/snaps made me realise why pictures do speak a thousand words.
The sparkler was long and was chattering away gloriously and her face showed fear. Fear of the unknown. Trepidation even.
And as the sparks inched closer it grew more visible with the deepening furrows on her face. Halfway through, she realised that she might win the battle after all, and relaxed her face a bit. We are providing running commentary in the background, but are pretty much sure that she heard none of it.
The sparklers are into the home stretch now and the hints of a killer smile appear. The smile grows wilder and wider every nano second. The final embers in the sparkler see her looking around at all of us with that triumphant look in her face and as the sparkler dies she throws it in one casual fling, right back over her shoulder. Signalling victory in battle. She turns around and then rushes back into the house feet thumping on the ground, imitating a horse all the way. Running to tell her mom.
I wondered why this was such a big thing to the kid. Why the entire gamut of emotions had rushed through her in that brief period. She was doing something for the first time in her life. She was conquering her fear of long..fear that she has carried for the brief period she has been on this earth. And then proving to herself and all others that she was no less than her brother.....

P.S:- Stopping here as i dont want this to be a lesson with a moral at the end of the story, another to be added to that irritating chicken book series

The experience!!

The morning dawned and in true Indian spirit the people assembled by the poolside for the trek at 8.00. a good hour and a half late...the next 2 hours was to some the best experiences in their life (atleast that is what they told me). For me it was a rekindling of the spirit that my forester grandpa had instilled in me.
The forest and the orange county estate were not that different in the morning dew, only the fencing demarcating the boundary of the dubare forest. We made our way to the forest and was the estate slowly stirring into life, with ladies under plastic sheets picking their way thru the coffee plants.
The trek threw up something new at every turn, a gnarled tree that resembled a python wapped around a man, a spooky bamboo grove, a steep ravine thru which we were to climb down and then climb up on the other side, leeches that sucked the blood of a few lucky people. and then the most majestic of all..the kaveri
This is what surrealism is all about, u walk down a jungle not knowing what lay ahead, and then out of nowhere u see the mighty kaveri in spate, roaring thru the jungle, the morning sun shining on it. It does make one philosophical. and u realise the insignificance of human existence, your troubles, egos, ur desires..how they all pale when compared with the underlying rhythm that nature seems to have, u r but a mere spec on this earth, millions of which have come and gone before..
Everybody was silent on the walk back, maybe too overawed by nature or then by the hunger pangs in their stomachs. The rain was giving us company all along, as was our guide ganesan's singing. Rajkumar numbers and kodagan tribal songs...never made head or tail of it, but nonetheless they fitted the mood to a T.
The sigh of breakfast laid out by the poolside, all 8 different varities of it meant that people set aside their civility, and attacked the food with the dirt from the jungle all over them. As for me, the thayir saatham guy that i was, it was idli and sambhar for me.. Soft idlies, vada and hot onion sambhar...never realised that these could ever be so tasty..
A little rest and then it was lunch, Leeches still popping up from people after they had had their fill.
The journey back began and with the rain splashin on the windows, everyone gently drifted into sleep, the rocking bus more like a cradle this time around. The return journey was more sedate, people receding into the comfort of their friends circles. But then chatting away still like there was no tomorrow. made me realise how u could be sitting next to someone for a whole year and still manage to share in a day what you couldnt in a year. and as the chatter in the train continues, i managed to hit the bed to get some shut eye. Too tired to think of the drudgery ahead
Awawken next day, groggy headed and my face sticking to the rexin of the railway birth, hitting home the fact that chennai was here.. "Chennai central...parrrr...aaapka swagat hain :-(( "

The journey!!

The train left Chennai and everyone seemed to be a different person on it...sans their emotional baggages, gleeful and without a care in the world. and for a change i myself felt a lot lighter in a long time (not physically i mean).
There seemed to be unbounded energy and no one was in any hurry to hit the bed, though authorities wanted them to.. Railway police can be bought off with a bribe, but then what do u do with..mm well let me stop at that..people slept for hardly a couple of hours, and yet were fresh as daisies in the morning, the morning chill doing a refreshing job. a quick breakfast and a brief interlude in mysore as we switched modes of transport..we were off again. ...Not a sign of the rain that was promised.
The vehicles tottered over the roads and were making slow progress when the rain suddenly came down in a delightful roar setting the mood for the day ahead. Winding through a big carpet of greenery we managed to reach the resort a good hour late. The journey had not taken its toll on anyone. The sight of a small cottage which was the reception was definitely not what we expected for a resort that had 5 stars going for it. all we could see from there being a small forest that was oozing the scent of the monsoon all over.
The small buggies which were there to cart the guests to their lodgings, gave a small hint of the vastness of the place. stepping out of the reception we walked down to the "cottage". And the only thought that was going thru me was "if this is the cottage then what would the presidential villa be like..."open mouthed anticipation".."
a quick, hot spicy lunch and we were off on a tour of the resorts coffee plantations...basically just a walk everybody huddling under umbrellas or their windcheaters and chatting away to glory with their friends and then somebody said it.."already i think this is worth the 2000 rs that i gave, and gave me a pat on the back"... too much on a high to think straight, the weight of the expectation when u do something to please 60 people was now gone.
the rain was now pouring in the forest and yet no one was complaining and something told me no one will. eveyone was drenched from head to toe, but were eagerly looking for more, as we had a hot cuppa of coorgi coffee by the pool side restaurant.
The beauty of the trip lay in the lack of itinerary, which actually was a gaffe on my part. People were free to do what they wanted for the evening.. cycling, games, or just plain old loitering. a cricket bat and ball materialised out of nowhere and we were off to the banks of the kaveri as the guide led us to a meadow where we could play.
I was a bit behind and was forutnate enough to see that sight. as we turned a corner there it lay, spread out in all its lushness and greenery the meadow that i am sure everyone dreams of just lying on with their loved ones by their side, gazing at the stars with a gentle gurgling of water by the side. As i stood there dazed, the guys in front of me broke ranks and just ran....like children rush out of their classed to the play ground during recess , some just running with no real purpose, someone thjrowing the ball high in the air and running behind another waving the bat around his headand prancing like a horse..that image for me was the defining moment of the trip by far..a thrilling cricket match in the meadow till it grew real dark, a few of the ladies strolling by with the odd comments and the day was done. Darkness and the stage was set for a different kind of fun..Everyone strolled in to the poolside for the 7.30 bonfire by 8.30, the usual intros and the light hearted ragging later, people tucked in to their dinners and were off, into their rooms for the long night ahead. Though everybody was tired, from what i gathered, nobody really slept that night too. Every room had its share of stories to tell. Sadly not mine cause all i remember was dozing within seconds of switching on the TV to watch formula 1. and then shouting at someone in my sleep over the phone, this particular person wanting me to arrange shoes at 12.00 in the night for the trekking that was scheduled the next day...DUH!!!

Orange county!!!

P.S:- This is intended as an update on the past few months in life...with too much of the focus being on work (cause that is all that has been happening)...also for the benefit of the wonderful friends that i have made in the small period that i have been here.. Names have been dropped to prevent future blood-letting..
This was a trip that was to have happened a good month ago, when the summer was at its peak in chennai....all the browsing and the online reviews had created visions in my mind of that perfect happy place of my dreams....I was to have organised it too, as it was my suggestion in the first place, but then my disappointments at work meant that i was to spend a good amount of time sulking and eventually backing out..so May came and went and then june seemed set to do the same.
Chennai was reeling under the sun and "PF-ians" under work. The signs of a burnout where everywhere..people who took some responsibility to their work were all stressed out and no respite was in sight...and the people who were supposed to take note were tucked away in their cabins and their dawn to dusk routine.."SULK"...
And then it happened ..the rain in chennai which rekindled that spirit in me..the travel junkie that i was..initially thinking of making a private trip with a few friends, only to be stopped by the prohibitive cost of the resort..for the uninitiated a cottage costs RS.9000 for a day and night...this was were the economies of scale reared its head...I had promised myself that i will never organise a massive trip again, least of it for this project...but then again, Orange county was too good a place to let my cut-out sized ego come in the way...and so here i was trying to get the thing started again...After some heavy selling of the idea, a decent number managed to turn up a good 57 out of 120. Very poor compared to the previous trip to Munnar....the team wanted to send a message and in the few conversations that i had can assure that it did find the person and touch a real raw nerve (a sadistic grin on the face)...the days moved quickly and there we were a motley bunch at Chennai central on the night of the 1st of July

Red earth and pouring rain!!!

Life has been meandering along for the past month and a half.desperately trying to bring a semblance of routine into my life, circumstances not letting me succeed (a.k.a worldcup football) ...June thus aptly summed up as one long sleepless month.
Nothing much happening at work either...moved to a god forsaken location within chennai,with a totally indifferent "You know who" to report to, it was beginning to look like i was staring at a deep dark bottomless pit.
My body and soul were crying out for a break..and as i sat in the balcony of my house counting recent dissapointments and hammering away for a way out....it happened....a cold little drop on my brow..do i dare hope ...Rain???...Nah!!!!
In chennai ..Nahh!!! a cool breeze then brought with it first the scent of the cooum and then that magical scent of pouring rain on red hot earth....reigniting a passion that i thought was long gone...buried deep under the baggage from the past two years..a job, responsibilities..living disciplined
It has never ceased to amaze me ..how despite being from kerala i manage to get so worked up about the rains. I don't remember being like this when i was in school..rather i was more like johny in that stupid old rhyme..hating every bit of it..
Peer pressure, the expectations that i had created for myself and my pursuit of what i thought would be best for me took me out of palakkad and onto one of the blue blooded schools in chennai. Dust, grime and the heat had become second nature. The only good that ever came out of it being my partially neutralised mallu accent and outlook..
Luckily for me i never did make it in the big city, dejected and sitting at home..my only company being the monsoon raging away in all its glory...that was to be the defining period in my life..if there ever has been one.
There is the kiran before and after...a snobby,serious, back stabbing go-getter to a self deprecating, friendly, slacker...family thinks otherwise though. and still has very high plans for me...if only they realise what i planned to do with my life (smirk on the face)
These and a flood of other thoughts came and then blurred away as i drifted into sleep...beautiful images of coorg that was going to clear the clutter in my brain

Arsenal !!!! - Read if u wanna go ahead and ruin ur day

This is for the die hard football fanatic..an arsenal fan..and definitely not recommended for people who even remotely like barca. This piece is a pure let out for my frustration and agony..agony that began with that stinking victory for barca, a personal tragedy and a system for rewarding merit at work, that resembles a govt job more and more.
The setting was just perfect. Middle of the Week, middle of the month. and going by past record should have been able to get out of office by midnight. Hoping against hope i had gotten a brand new set-top box(which by the way managed to make me a cool 4000 bucks lighter) at home. and I did manage to surprise my mom by coming home at 10.00. all ready set and go..
There can only be one clear favourite..Arsenal. But i had nothing against barcelona..not until that fateful 18th minute. The game had begun in right earnest and things were looking good with a few thumping srikes on the barca post. The catalans were looking shabby and with the gunners blazing, my 4000 rupees seemed to be well spent. Eto'o was no where to be seen and neither was ronaldinho. little did i know what the wily eto'o was scheming for..a pass that bounced off as in a pin ball machine, etoo racing forward ...lehmann... and etoo dives, the ball slotted in by Guily.
A goal..quickly regaining composure what is a goal for arsenal a ball at the feet of henry???..but it was not meant to be ..an imbecile for a referee and the goal is disallowed i rejoice a bit more..but what the ref does next, stunned the daylight out of the contest...as the commentator in his lovable Irish twang spat out "It is ruuubbish..this guuy doesnt know what e is doing".
The spectacle, that a hundred thousand fans at the stadium and millions worlwide had come to expect, was dead. Destiny didn't have even a decent fare well for Pires. and that set the tone for things to come. Barca, u expected us to turn over and play dead, aye???
The contest dragged on and never did arsenal show the lack of a man..after all Henry is like two. A few volleys later, a set piece and the gentlest of a goal from Sol campbell. the stadium was going bonkers, the "under dogs",the "david"..u can call them whatever were winning after all. again the commentator "they are voolnurable". yeah my friend u r right barca is vulnerable.
The first half seemed to be just another day in the park for the gunners, even a man down. The second half and status quid pro quo. The spaniards were looking edgy and the substitutions began. and somewhere down the line they managed to get it right with larssen who managed to induce A semblance of order into the catalan gameplay.
Minute 70. The fatigue began to show on the heroes of the day, but were not going down yet. The gut wrencing feel of the inevitable however was omnipotent though. the gunners fabled defence was now withering ever so slightly. Reminding me of the Old man and the sea. The catalan sharks were attacking in waves and it was not football anymore. But it all broke down one wretched moment, when etoo was on the right side of the ball and the linesman was sleeping. An offside goal which the "champions" celebrated. In the words of the commentator " there is a sense of injustice in the air". Arsenal had hope till then. But that pin prick through the heart brought it all down and the inevitable happened.
But in a way it all was for a little good. Henry stays back at arsenal, I no longer like barca or ronaldinho. and we won more fans than them. Hope!!!!

The last day!!!!

A hectic month in the office. Chennai scorching more than ever. Sleep deprivation. Nothing much to write home about. Amidst all this , somewhere down the line, i hit "Z" on my keyboard and it appeared in the browser adress box. Purely unintentional. And then something happened, a really trivial thing on a normal day,. but not today. the toolbar prompts http;\\Zimblyboring.blogspot.com...
with work taking up my mind space and orkut taking up my freetime, my lil blog had slowly started gathering moss in some god forsaken place in some google server somewhere. I look back on the posts that i had written so sincerely and it all came flooding back. The Pondy trip and the way i had left it hanging in the balance. come to think of it, i really had a lot to write home about, but then anything new would require closure to the past and so here goes the final chapter in the Pondy saga.
I still remember clearly the glaring light that shone through the window, but me blinking in the bed wondering why i was still feeling cold. I gather myself and the chores pass of in a haze. the climb down to the reception quickly brings me back to my senses. We check out of the hotel and on our way ask for the restaurant, only to be shown to a hole in the wall behind the reception. Nevertheless, we settle down and ask for the menu. Everyone really hungry now. Time 10.00 - and i was thinking "so much for sunrises". We open the menu only to be greeted by illustrious names like "Black label", "Johny Walker" etc etc..NAh!!not the time ..not the place.
Out on the road, under the glaring sun, on empty stomach. we ride around for a while before stumbling upon a eatery. As the ad goes "Thodi si pet pooja..kahin bhi kabhi bhi". Breakfast done. i chart the route for the day. Nothing too demanding, a trip to the Chunnambar river on the cuddalore road. With me playing navigator, it is not long before we find out that we have overshot the resort by a good kilometer. Beating a quick retreat, we locate the resort.
And to say the truth, the first impression was not good. A shack made from concrete, a ticket counter for a boat ride and a boat that could seat 10 maybe?? now that we had come this far, we only had one option - take the boat ride. the "leisure" boat was packed with ppl like a PTC bus in chennai, the water too close to the edge of the boat for comfort. But the sight of a man standing in water that was neck deep right in the middle of the river was comforting. A silent sweaty ride later we arrive at an island. Cut of on the sides by branches of the river and the sea forming the beach. Something out of a picture postcard. We wanted to dive in, but then logistics and the thought of the ride back to chennai held us back. A gentle stroll through the beach, and a few refreshing sights and some blind point-and-shoot snaps later we slowly made our way back to the boat. only to see that there was none. It sank in slowly that a boat doesnt wait for ever we had to wait for the next "trip". Too dazed to keep track of time, the only thing that was crystal clear was the growing rumbling from within. A sleepy boat ride back and a quick ride to pondy we were just in time to get in to "Rendezvous" before they downed shutters for the noon. A not so relaxed lunch later. We began the agonising journey back home. Time 4.00
Next stop alambra fort. A breezy 40 kms from pondy. this was for me one of the highlights of the drive. The fort as such is non existent. All that remains are whatever that nature and man have deemed fit for nothing. The fort was one of Tipu's strongholds..or so said the rusted plaque near the fort. The britishers had part destroyed it and whatever was left was taken by time. and the killer blow came from the tsunami. A few enterprising villagers swarmed with some fresh toddy and a boat ride on the sea. The fading light forcing us to decline. It was already 6.00 and we were not even half way thru.
I switch places and get my shot at the road. Immediately flooring it, i start riding like there is no morrow. i realised that i was going berserk and i did not care. the dusk brought with it, an irritating amount of flies, which seemd to have this knack of getting into my eyes thru the helmet. And the glaring headlights did not help either. I watch painfully as the traffic increases as we reach mahabalipuram and the the kms go down. The final halt at the road side inn. A quick bite later, we join the long caravan of vehicles making a beeline to the city. I sink into my own thoughts. and anil into his. This time at the thought of the city. And as the city lights grow bigger and brighter all i can do is take a deep breath and sigh!!!!

auroville...and the night ahead

La terasse beckoned us through the slighlty hidden archway..a cool place built aesthetically using sutmps of cocunut trees for pillars and a tatched roof...cool and windy..we were expecting a menu where prices started in 3 digits, but to our surprise the prices were nominal compared to what even a sangeetha in chennai charges. and we dug in for the long haul.
but the start was not good..."soups and frite"..i ordered..the waiter blinked "sprite????".."no no frite" i said pointing to the menu.."oh!!!u mean freets"
yeah!! yeah!! i replied; in a tone which was meant to convey that in my part of the country that thing was pronounced the way i just did it..
the waiter just smiled..i smiled back in the realisation that ordering veg dishes from a menu written in french/english was going to be fun(for all practical purposes the menu could have even been in greek or latin)
The fried potatos, with the hot soup set the taste buds yearning for more. We were out for a ball and we were going to have it. But then rarely did it strike us that these would later form an explosive combination once inside the body. But then again, first things first. starters done with, it was maincourse time..Italian wood fire pizzza for me ...and steaks for the others..The jouney began in all earnesty and providing respite to the mouth from all the chewing and swallowing was the harmless gossip and banter. oops i almost forgot. we also had mashed potato to go with this round.
Main course done..icecreams and frites for desserts:-))
stepping out into the early evening sun, we were brought back from the hallowed confines of a meditteranean setting to the hot early summer climes of Pondy..more specifically to the loud world of dravidian politics..Amma was going to have a rally in Pondy...yes, we were blessed to the see her in person and experience first hand the best in the world of sycophancy.
Managing to get out of pondy a good hour before the rally the drive to auroville was largely uneventful..except for the final 2 Kms. Bad roads, lush trees mango guava and jack fruit, lots and lotso white skin and life just ambling along ..no one in any particular hurry. Welcome to Auroville..The reception center was like an arts gallery and to shed the fatigue from the ride we loitered around in the A/C rooms for a while. Refreshed, we were all set to go to the maitri mandir only to be told that it was a good 15 minute walk. And the thought brought the fatigue right back. No walking business for us today. A lime soda from the canteen and we were off on our main pursuit..the Auroville beach ;-)
A lot of stories about the beach do the rounds in Chennai and we were going to get a few of our own to tell. Parking our bikes at the gates, we try and pass for regulars only to be shooed away by the security guards. Standing there perplexed, i had this feeling that we were going to be fodder for laughter for the few auto drivers there..only to have the thought cut short by sreejith leading the way..through a clearing beside the gate..smelly and shady we were wondering were we were headed.Only to be assured a few steps later by the lashing waves of the Bay of bengal. We felt like explorers and with the anticipation mounting by the minute, what resulted was one of the biggest anti climaxes of recent times. the clearing led us to the beach, only to be greeted by hundreds of "Onlookers" if u know what i mean, separated from the main beach by a fence and a few security guards..and a board that requested us to respect others' privacy ..Phuuu
Not to be undone and making the best use of the situation we quickly changed and dove right into the sea...real shallow and real gentle. we walk almost a 100 meters in. enjoi the waves, the occasional swimmer who has moved on to the wrong side inadvertently and then startled by some prick, moves back again. it went on for a while. Sunset and we were out of the water. All sandy we slowly ride back to Pondy only to be greeted by huge crowds waiting for amma. The rally was late.
a quick wash later we were back on the road, this time no bikes, we were going to explore the night life on foot. First pitstop - Hot and cold for Dinner. Take a turn on the road and there it was..The tempo carrying Amma a spot light on her face and the loud speaker blaring ..and I think i heard free rice????
The rooftop restaurant at H&C was quite a setting, and under the influence of a little bit of inhibition reducing substances the conversation grew more interesting as the night grew older.. A good 3 hrs and we were out on the empty roads...11.PM we decide to walk to the marina only to be surprised to see a good family crowd at that time of the night. i once again wonder when Kerala is going to be like this..
A few party animals coming out of the pub were to be our eye candy. And once we were sure that there were no more left where they came from we pushed on ..Only to have the night spiced up by a PYT totally lost in her world,drunk??? drugged??? riding a scooter all over the lonely road and us three standing right in the middle. She halts..We halt ..??????again anti climax..she comes close and then takes the turn on the road just ahead of us ..we walk on, only to have her zip past on the parallel roads a few times. Enough to have a few of us imagining a few things...the cool sea breeze, tired legs an A/C room ..we doze of with promises of catching the sunrise...Promises????

la pondy

time 7.30 distance covered 40kms. Not a great way to go if we wanted to beat the early summer sun to Pondicherry. And with every passing kilometer the road began twisting and turning more. And with every passing kilometer i was getting more and more comfy with the bike. Fear melting away and the deeply held craze for racing -NFS style took over. 10 mins into the drive and anil bellowed 10 mins-8 kms...and that did it..

I bent my head and crouched on the fuel tank, putting on the profile of a race biker, and exposing anil's huge frame to the wind. the tacho was steadily climbing.. 6000rpm...7k.....7.5k...8k... and i could now feel the engine straining. But i was not one to let go now. The spirit had taken over. tilting gently thru the banked curves. devouring the kilometers. And anil behind me was getting slightly uncomfortable and with a gentle tap on the shoulder pointed to the tacho..and i gently let go..a few kms on and the game was back on..immediate target - catch up with the guys in the front. and we did that soon after anil cried out 12 mins 15 kms..and we passed them...Riding was now a breeze with the vegetation providing
cover against the wind. With trees on both sides and lush green paddy fields the scene could been straight out of kerala. the road now punctuated with the odd signpost declaring dangerous curves. We were pushing ahead in the hope that the series of dangerous curves would continue even in Pondy.
After what felt like 5 minutes, we stopped. Time 8.30 distancve covered 55 kms.. And the guys couldnt have stopped at a better place. A road side flatform built long ago, under a huge banyan tree, for the travellers of yore. A small navagraha temple nearby and a couple of locals peering at us curiously. Kind of felt like a step back in time, as though, in the next second a huge caravan of bullock carts could come right out of the end of the road. Or a battalion of soldiers gallop by to the alambra fort that we just passed.
A few memorable snaps later we were off again, me and anil switching roles. We passed the memorial marking pondicherry soon and were slowed down to a crawl by the narrow roads and the traffic.
Upto me to play the role of the navigator. The countless traveller magazines that i had read came in handy. Pondy is reputed to have a very efficient tourism department and what better place to look for help than on the fabled marina. And there it was tucked away, in one of the buildings in the french quarter.
The sun was bearing down heavily on us and the reflection from the clear sea was blinding to say the least. The air conditioned confines of the tourism office was a welcome reprieve. We were asked to make ourselves comfortable, handed out a couple of brouchres and a map of pondy that was to become our guiding beacon from then on. Asking around for a couple of decent stay options we move out. A little bit of desperation creeping in with the rumblings from within growing bigger. And with nature calling a couple of us really badly, we needed to act fast. The sun was
sapping us pretty fast and a couple of hotels later (all of which were costly) we were dehydrated to the core. Finally finding a baragain at Hotel Aruna. Draggin up our tired asses upto 4th floor, and the A/C room felt like heaven. All of us dozed off almost instantaneously, waking up a good 2 hrs later at 12.30. A refreshing shower and all of us were raring to go. Lunch time!!!

Daybreak

The watch read 06.30 as we breezed past the toll way and the ECR stretched out ahead. But we were not confident about pushing the fazer to its limit. The past year had shown that the fazer leaves a lot to be desired on the buid quality. As a precaution the bike was just out of a full paid serive a week back and as of a couple of days back was singing like a nightingale. But then just before we were leaving for pondy we noticed that the speedo and the odo were broken - yet again.

A sign of things to come, maybe??? fingers crossed



Anil was cruising at around 60 kmph (had to count the miles and the time and then calculate the speed the good old fashioned way) on the ECR and by now the traffic had really thinned out to the odd moped or bike and the qualises that seemed to appear out of nowhere and then zoom past. We had also left behind the clutter of buildings on ECR which were obstructing the beach. The monstrosities that have been buuilt in the name of farmhouses were truly an eye sore. The rising sun was now peeking through the vegetation on our left more frequently. But then nothing
prepared us for the splendour of a sunrise over the wast bay of bengal as we approached the lake at Muthukad. The ECR bridges over the lake and provides a unhindered view of the sea to the left.That period of the dawn, was ideal too, with the haze and the smog gently lifting away and a cool wind blowing into the sea. Only thing i could mutter to myself was

"so, this is what sunrises look like!!".

I had by now, with my 2 years in the city, begun to associate day break with the changing hue at the horizon as seen from my 3rd floor bedroom window.
Bike rides with Anil regardless of who is riding is generally not a silent affair, what with everything ranging from movies, society , religion and ladies being discussed. But this was different. I was too engrossed in the life erupting around me at day break, trying to capture whatever i could with a digital camera, the size of a match box. Anil meanwhile, was fulfilling his hearts desire for a cruise at dawn. We hardly spoke and whatever little i said was answered with a nod of the helmet.
We were now truely out on the open road and to our left were the wind breakers - a series of trees that buffeted the space between the road and the sea. These were planted to protect the coast from the murderous winds that lash this coast, year after year, with unflinching resolve. If there ever was anything surreal then this was it. And we didnt notice the bike slowing down as we took in the magic of the moment.
After a few snaps, I had begun to lose faith in the camera and had begun hating the Japs for their obsession with size (small is beautiful seems to be their motto) and not functionality. The LCD monitor was getting blurred as the ambient light brightened and i had a hard time trying to figure out whether i was even pointing
in the right direction, let alone focus.
The semi trance that we were in broke suddenly, with what else, my mobile phone ringing. The guys ahead had already reached Mamallapuram (mahabalipuram of yore) and had been waiting for us for some time now. And this brought our attention back to more pressing things at hand. Revving up we raced ahead and met up with the guys in a few minutes.

Getting down from the bike i could sense the excitement that everyone shared. My whole body a sense of vibrations going up and down, as i stood on the ground. And was glad to note that this was not happening with me alone. A few interesting tit bits on the ride thus far and we were off again. Only to stop 500 meters later for breakfast. A quick bite and a sip of coffee later we were off again with me riding the fazer. Everyone a little apprehensive about the state of our bowels though.
I generally dont use helmets, as i am more of an instinctive driver. I sense vehicles coming up from behind with the corner of my eye rather than the rear view. But that short ride upto mamalla inn and the sight of an aveo, camry and an esteem slipstreaming one behind the other at what was deifnitely way over the speed limit, convinced me to put one on today....and i was not going to regret that today.

The pondy saga!!! - a prelude

The scene had not changed much from the time i hit the bed..all the lights in all the rooms were on..the comp was on...so i guessed i had not slept much and try and fall asleep again..
Vimal had other plans though. Already up and having finished his bath he was looking for a person to wake up. and with my timing sense being immaculate as ever, my gentle stirrings manage to catch his eye...quick to oblige, he does manage to get me out of bed..Groggy-eyed, slurred speech and a head that was weighin a million tonnes..
Everything begins to come back to me slowly....why i woke up, pondy, the bike, the ride and ECR!!! With an ego that is larger than me, backing out of the trip is not an option. I am already cursing myself for sort of having let the cat out of the bag..My fear of ECR..
I hurriedly rush through the chores (brushing my teeth) more as a ritual and with a deep breath decide not to have a bath..Logically speaking i would be accumulating dirt all along the way and so makes sense to wash at the end.. and another not so logical reason being.....like my mentor calvin i hate to take bath..(not apologetic)
And after a lot of pushing, cajoling and name calling, the door to our flat is finally shut at 5.45. Rushing down from the 3rd flr making quite a racket, the old mami staying in the ground floor would surely have been wondering at that sight...And the machines come to life.. Pulsar and a Fazer
First stop the petrol pump..and the realisation dawns that we dont have a helmet..That would mean us going back while vimal and sreejith Waited..Not a good sign...As grandma says " once u start a journey u r not supposed to turn back until u reach ur destination" , turning back is meant to bring MISFORTUNE..
Grandmas and their superstitions, "huh!! really silly!!!"...and brush aside my suspiscions...a nagging doubt though "r they really silly"...eeey!!!!!
And as we turn back from the house...we see a horde of buffalos......buffalos..Yaman's vehicle..at 6.00 in the morning..and every bloody superstition that has somehow been fed into my subconscious through a tradtional upbringing explode into the open...Never would have realised that i even knew these things..
Spooked i was..Spooked as in hell...but then when u have an overpowering ego coupled with a insatiable desire for travel, ur decisions and actions are not really yours and Fear invariably takes the back seat..we turn from Thiruvanmiyur and the ECR beckons...Vimal and sreejith Race ahead in the pulsar, through the sparse morning traffic while we strain to keep pace in the fazer...a good 5 kms out and my cap flies off...and now i am thinking of that stupid e-mail forward that i recd...about how god talks to u through his agents - helmet, Buffalo and now wind??? Weird when I begin to realise the amount of crap that is residing in my brain...

We give up on the Pulsar and steady the pace.
And as we approached the Toll, the sign post read.....

ECR Scenic roadway begins

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This was a trip that has been one of the most memorable ive ever made..and i have made quite a few..as i look at the photos and the events now...feel as though i have just experienced what can maybe run as a mega serial blog..giving me enough substance to write about for a couple of weeks and keep me engaged for the period.
All i can say is, however hard i try and blog, the trip will come alive in the images only...so keep the comments coming as u enjoy this attempt at a travelogue ( I hope)

Pondicherry!!!!

April begins tomorrow - The last month for the 4 of us at 3/10, Mayur apts, Indiranagar. We have given our landlord the notice and the four of us - Vimal - the investment banker, Sreejith - management guru, Anil - "_____" guru (really dont know what to put there) and me the travel journalist, all wannabes though...are set to part ways after 6 long years..and what better way to mark it than with a trip to pondy ...
This was a trip that was planned in December 04.. when we stepped into this house for the first time..but then due to the inborn tendency for procrastination that all of us seemed to have, the trip never ever happened and the farthest that we got towards pondicherry was T.C.O..
But now the issue picked up some real urgency, and April 1st was decided...easier part done with..but with our motto being "never do today, what u can do tomorrow"..the plan has not moved an inch off the ground...that is go to pondy..stay the night there and come back on sunday evening
planning to do this trip by car, my uncle's maruti 800, I make a couple of sorties to his house to try and lend me the car...but then...he has this nose to pick up shit coming from me how ever sugar coated it might be..so i get the car but only if i take the driver along...definitely not an interesting proposition..so plan ditched
After a lot of deliberation we decide to bike to Pondy..120 kms on ECR...and my meek mutterings against it are voted out 3 to 1...ECR is probably one of the most scenic of coastal highways in India..but one of the most dangerous too...and for me taming the ECR has been the stuff of nightmares...
I ride fast but carefully and rarely use the brake until i really need to. But that can often mean that the person sitting behind me often has his heart in his mouth, which i recognise by their thighs tightening against me....and to put it in the words of my bro/sis i ride like a madman...i simply luv riding for the fun of it..but then ECR it is a different ball game..
The guys are all excited...me too but to a lesser extent...excitement tinged with a little trepidation
I hear voices in the other room....and out comes an audacious plan..."the time is now 1.30am so let us get ready and leave now...we will reach pondy at 6.00 in the morning"...my heart just skipped a beat..quickly go on the offensive and manage to shoot down the plan....the guys pull back and settle down for a departure at 5.30 am...
My mind a little at ease..but not yet fully settled...planning to hit the bed now...dont know whether ill be able to sleep...looking ahead for what a brand new day beholds..cause all said and done...i will never want to back out of this trip cause the travel bug that has bitten me..sure did one hell of a job..fingers crossed

Yo!! - ism

It all started with an inoccous question while i was being ragged during my first year at college.
"Ninakku odukkaththe JADA- anallo ...pakshe nee onnnum oru Ma....-um ondakilla JADA
kanichchal...JADA de spelling ariyavo??..." it went on for some time then...and the only ex-pression that i could manage on my face was one of total blankness and bewilderment...my mind was meanwhile racing away to figure out what or who exactly this JADA thing was...and my friends who were more educated in worldly matters opened my eyes that night...and in i stepped into the wonderful world of JADA..
I picked up the tricks of the trade fast, identifying JADA in its different forms..The info that i gained then was to prove valuable..i would soon be using it on my Juniors ....The HUNTED had just become the HUNTER..
And from then on it was a saga of tolerating JADA for 2 years...JADA that ppl put on in front of chicks...The "Echchuse me" kindo JADA...JADA that has been programmed into the brains from child hood..and then the most irritating kind of JADA...DEMO..JADA just for the sake of JADA....
Shifting the scene of action back to Chennai, I was mentally prepared for JADA now..after all how much could a place have changed in 4 years...As it turned out..a lot indeed..
Beasant Nagar beach, saturday evening..a few of us were staring at the Elliots memorial and cracking a few onliners...For ppl who are not familiar with chennai...Remember the small memorial on the beach in Naadodikkaatu...(saadhanam Kayyil indo..:-) )
A couple of bikes screetchingly pull up near the beach...the "dudes" and their "Chicks" get off the bike...and then out of nowhere comes a baritone "YO!!!"..and i was like YO???
For all i know these ppl could have popped straight off a 50 cents video...but then YO is not what u associate with these types..
"YO" is how an Auto driver begins to address u when u piss him off..usually followed by carefully handpicked expletives in chaste tamil...enough to ruin a week for u..
But this YO was different..The dudes remove their helmets and with a deep baritone the first YO was followed by a "YO!!!! maynnnnnn"...i guess that was man in a Texan accent...
"People ..Welcome to the world of Yo!!ism"
For people who have not been introduced to this phenom...u might tend to mistake this as JADA..this is not JADA...JADA is more like show off...
"Yo!ism" is more about being "YO"..sorry people cant find a better definition..with experience u will learn to differentiate..
YO!ism has now permeated into every level of society ...

traditional Mamis wearing Nike sneakers and going jogging...
dudes wearing pants thrice their size and tying it up with a long "Naada" at the waist
Dudettes wearing pants half their size ...T shirts 1 quarter their size ...BTW..i am not complaining bout that though..and then pulling the pants up and the Ts down...this i do dissapprove of
Guys wearing socks and sandals...yes have seen this a few times around
asking for coke for lunch at Andhra mess
Kids, barely heads popping out of the windows of the Scorpios and safaris..rolling down the windows at signals...just so that we can hear EMINEM foul mouth in the car...make eye contact..convey that u r useless and then roll up the shutters...this is one thing that really pisses me off
the list goes on....

The peer pressure too can be amazing...friends u knew in college are no longer recognizable.."Aliya" replaced by "Hey dude"...
a cotton shirt now replaced by Leather jackets....
may be this is what they teach u at those cross-cultural adaptability classes which i have been lucky enough not to attend..

But Yo!!ism does have its advantages..ppl who have already gone yo in a secretive way want borderline cases like me to join their ranks..and they sometimes do end up doing the most wild of things ..like getting me my new mobile..yes i got an L7...
and to top it my company inches me even closer with a video ipod....

But then even as i fight a losing war, It is comforting to see that there r ppl who even in times of extreme pressure, despite earning the right to go YO!!...have managed to hold their dignity...even when lesser mortals, some of whom r called sanoop have gone berserk...a simple unwashed pant, a reusable shirt and a RS.160 saandak...
I would like to call them the Anti-YO club..
PPl who r balancing out all the YO in the world so that the Entropy in the world remains constant!!!

I dont think people realise that we are at a turning point in the history of this country...
A war is being waged out in the open as well as in your brains..the battle between YO and Anti YO...
Let us wait and see how the story unfolds...