CARDCAPTOR

CardCaptor and Pokemon are the modern cartoons strips running very successfully world over in both print and visual media.. Both have their source in the unique Japanese style of cartoons... u can watch both these in Cartoon Network (check local guides for timings)... Pokemon has been such a big hit in India that the Pokemon collectibles can be found in some wafer/chips packets...

Astrology...

It was an interesting piece that rini has shared with us... one thing is that the measurements used to arrive at the supposedly precise date of Lord Ram's birth is based on planetary positions... And this has been the very root of any astrological theory... horoscopes are mainly based on 12 (if I'm not mistaken) objects that constitute the planetory standings... Now my question is how does it really get to affect our lives... if at all it does... How does a saturn moving from a left to a right have an impact on whether I would succeed in an exam or not...

"Mother of all matches today"

That was the headline in today's Deccan Herald. I switched on the TV this morning... MTV was showing the song "Hum ko hai pura yakin..." - a song made for the World Cup '03 to motivate the team.... [V] was showing the latest hit "Jeet Lo Dil.." the official song of the Samsung Cup... NDTV shows y'day's press conference... If u thought that's passion for the game.. then here's more.. Infy is broadcasting today's match Live in the big-screen...!! So much for being passionate... Its amazing to notice how a sporting event raises so much nerves bringing the entire country on its toes.. Lets get to the other side of the whirlwind... there have also been scattered deliberations of the "unnecessary" adulation given to cricket when there are innumerable people just down the street who wouldn't care for who plays or who wins as long as they find enough to satiate their hunger... or sparing a thought for the jawans on the border who are eating bullets for breakfast and dinner... There have been occasions in the past when the fans themselves have gone overboard.. a case being the burning effigies of Indian players when they lost to Australia in a preliminary World Cup match... Where was this "anger" when coach S6 was burning in Godra... where was this "anger" when Fr.Staines was burnt alive... this list would never end... There is a very thin line between just being passionate about a game as an individual and seizing things to the deepest of emotional depths... Being passionate is not wrong... as long as we believe that its just 11 guys playing a sport and trying to give their best... But monitization and politicization by the media and politicians does go a distance in fuelling phony emotions that is far from the margins of "love for the game"... Its the "love" for the game that is important and healthy.. and not an irrational, emtionally inflicted passion...

1000 por kaasu...

I want all the lyrics of ayitha ezhuthu... the one who sends it first will win 1000 por kaasu... and all u people.. make sure u listen to the songs.. haven't heard Yuva yet.. but the tamil version is very good... a really different Rahman... in particular he has outdone himself in Jana gana mana.. I'm eager to see this film...

But what makes u feel urself..

Very interesting question by Rini... "But what makes u feel urself.." let me try to make an exhaustive list.. When I do what "I" like to do.. when I have the freedom to do everything "I" want to do... when I have my dear one(s) near me... when I see that smile on the face of the special someone... when I can express myself with a wide genuine smile... when someone cries for me.. when someone smiles for me… when I know I have one, to do these two for me… when that person is near me.. when someone tells me "I miss u"… I may not be exhaustive.. this is all that I could manage at my level of spontaneity… but this does make me a point... a lot depends on the companion you are with – parent or friend or spouse... depending on what stage of your life you are in... its that companion and that companionship that imbibes a sense of belonging.. to instill an "all is not lost" feeling when all seems lost to you.. to re-instate what you are composed of.. and to make u feel yourself..

missing.../part two...

Hi all, Seeing the last couple of posts by Rini and Kicha people might think that I have given up blogging. They seem to speak in the trend of pre- and post- eras. Hmmm.... I think Kicah has been doing too much reading and Rini too much thinking. As Kicha has pointed out, I may not be able to blog as much as I usually did in the past, you can blame the lack of net access at Manny's company for that. But if you had noticed, I had posted a few posts at QSS in the recent past.

Beginning of Part-2: The post-jax era

Good to see a flurry of activity... I guess jax might not have access to net... so activity is likely to decrease on his part... so its up to the others to make up for that.. I had been to madurai this past weekend... I too have to take up the exam Kavi is referring to.. though at a later date... But considering a few other things coming my way and considering my limits and priorities.. I'm not one bit confident of taking up this exam in the next 2 months or so... still counting my options... But this is mandatory for everyone in our dept... and I become answerable to my heads in this aspect.. lets see...

maybe...

you should try searching for him here.

The saga of blogging...

End of Part-1.

When the eyes start to listen...

the ears begin to see... I reached Bangalore at 9AM today morning... 2 hrs behind schedule.. and reached office just in time for lunch... the bus travel y'day was the best one could ever hope for... I felt I was travelling in a rocket... in fact, even better... even a rocket wouldn't have trembled that much... nor would it have been so noisy.. that bus provided a feel of both... Even though it was an AC Sleeper bus, in theory, it was a typical Govt bus in reality... Sometimes, I wonder if handing over the entire roadways to private players would make more passenger-sense...

From Hyd...

Having a nice time... sleeping in the training... not enough time to roam around the city... just went to see charminar y'day night though couldn't spend much time around that place... will be starting tonite and be in Bangalore tomorrow morning...

Hyderabad...

Am going to Hyderabad tonite on an official visit for a training.. Its a short 2 day trip... and I'll be back on friday...

how u forgot...

Rini, I'll tell u how u forgot... First, u woke in the morning... hoping to get back the feel of the good old days of going office... "old" because ur holidays almost seemed an eternity... then, u started on all ur daily chores thinking to continue as u do normally in any other week day... Then, u came to office... and as u glared at ur anti-glare monitor, thoughts of sharing ur experiences started treading the noble path to ur mind... and u started off with a quoty post and followed that with a posty post.. all the while wondering if the comprehensive mechanism for detecting if any Vital Information Resource Under Siege cases could occur on "Hi"ing at the blog subject... and a gush of the nobly treaded path of ur thoughtwave began to overflow as ur fingers started typing out the frills across those paths... and as u typed them u didn't notice what was present in the otherside of the fence in the middle of the road... As u didn't notice it u didn't put it in ur posty post.. quoty post was not supposed to have it... and posty post missed it.. And this is how u forgot... If I'm wrong.. then I'm wrong.. otherwise I'm not...

A few thoughts

Ranjini, it is good to have you back again after a week long hiatus. Ram, the site you suggested was nice. Did you suggest them for its design or the information in it? It is good to see everyone moving into newer areas in terms of opportunities. For the past one month, I seem to notice a drop in the number of posts and an increase in the number of mails. Is it a sign of the blog outliving its usefulness as a communication tool? People usually have the idea that only women ought to take care of thier skin. But the skin is really an important organ for men also. I came across an article today. Though the products specified may not be available in India, the articles anyhow gives several tips.

Hi all...

And Congrats da sagalai...this is my formal greet to you in front of our group... What else...? Vijay, Sorry da...I was not able to pick ur call...anyhow thanks for calling. And for me its all fun days in my new tasks...really enjoying the environment...But the sad news is that there is nonet access in HTC. and nothing more. Just came to check my mails and thought of saying a Hi to u all... Ok then....Will get back whenever possible...But why is that there are no posts from a majority of the bloggers except a few.... right...take care. Mahendran Jayavel

Music Review: Meenaxi - A tale of 3 cities

Just when one begins to think that the lustre is lost... he comes up with a beaut. Meenaxi - A tale of 3 cities is nothing short of an AR Rahman magnum opus.. MF Husain's (the painter) directorial second with Tabu playing the lead role, Meenaxi is a masterpiece creation of 8 exquisite works of art.. certainly Rahman's best in Hindi.. after Taal and Lagaan. 1. Yeh Rishta (Singer: Reena Bharadwaj) Turning out as another of Rahman's revelation, Reena's debut song would have pleased many a heart. Her opening line, and the opening of her career, is as soothing as running water and just bewilders you.. Her rendition of the entire track is superb, and in particular the feeling with which she sings the title line "Yeh Rishta Kya kehe laata hai" (What does this relation signify?) could not have been more perfect... 2. Chinnamma Chilakkamma (Singer: Sukhwinder Singh) My favorite. Rahman and Sukhwinder team-up again to bring out another foot tapping number... This song is based in Hyderabad and is a blend of Telugu folk with a Punjabi twist... The song opens with a flute rendering coupled with a mild "women folk" chorus of the title line and moves into a rhythmic percussion... 3. Do Kadam aur sahi (Singer: Sonu Nigam ) A melodious melancholy... its beauty lies in it's vocal-musical melding. Rahman doesn’t add a single hard beat, yet he creates an evenly symmetrical rhythm that flows smooth... 4. Dhuan Dhuan (Singer: Asha Bhosle) There is more of Asha than Rahman.. the vocal genius of Asha coupled with the synthesized music gives us another ever-green creation... 5. Cyclist's Rhythm (Instrumental percussion: Shivamani) How do u feel when u hear the sound of 10 distinct bicycle bells going off at the same time... noisy nuisance...?? For Rahman and Shivamani even that rings musical tunes... this is the height of musical creativity... 6. Rang Hai (Singer: Alka Yagnik, Dallinda) A Rajasthani folklore... the most unusual part of the track is the very beginning, opening with a mysterious voice of the Lebanese singer Dallinda.. It is said, Tabu danced with 4 stitches in her leg to this song and on asking how she managed.. she repied "It is the music of the film. It just did something to me. It's almost divine." 7. Potter's Village (Instrumental percussion: Hossam Ramzy) This one carries an Arabic feel to it, most probably because of the extensive use of the guitar throughout the piece. 8. Noor-Un-Ala (Singer: Murtaza Khan, Quadir Khan) A Qawwali composed by MF Husain himself... Rahman continuously provides us with the quick-paced beat of the tabla and the flowing melody of the harmonium, characteristic of most qawwalis.. another catchy composition...

where we should be going?

Kicha, you were spot on when you spoke of certain aspects related to the economic factors. It is true that a political rethink is necessary. The feel good factor has generated such a lot of discussion even before the elections are underway. The growth of a country is to be applauded but the politicisation of the growth is an area that has to be avoided. One party says it is instrumental for the country to achieve great heights. But did the party do it on its own. No, it just ramped up the prevailing growth. For that cause it is to be congratulated. The other party says that the government is a failure and that they would have brought greater laurels to the country. I feel that the development of a nation should not be handed over to a bunch of political parties who change idealogies and partners faster than a formula 1 driver changes gears. Instead, the plans foir the nation's growth have to be decided upon and the government must be able to execute that plan, regardless of thier party manifesto. Such a growth is a true growth of a nation. So what do you think? Should the plans for the growth of the nation (say our five year plans) be constant with each government working towards achieving it or should each government bring out thier own five year plans? P.S. This was to be posted yesterday morning. Due to some problems with Blogger. It is being posted aday late. Manny, congrats. I'll call you tonight without fail.

We stand here...!!

It is not very surprising that we don't have many to speak of in that Forbes list... its just that with the kind of economy that India is, its really hard to produce more such people compared to the likes of European countries and some others... The EU believes in growing up together.. trade barriers are very flexible... travel regulations are tourist-friendly... once u get to some European country, travelling to other European countries is very easy.. remember, sindhuja has already visited Scotland and Wales.. so tourism improves and adds to the economic kitty and now-a-days the EU (except Britain) trades with the same currency too... But in the case of India, the dependency on the developed economies is so large that we seldom get to call the shots... further, the ASEAN exists just for the sake of existing... there is immense unrest between the neighboring ASEAN countries... and most delegate meets are spent languishing over the political instability... While EU has very relaxed and cooperative trade norms... the Asian "giants" China and India are considered to be competitors... in this age, growth is only possible with a cooperative and liberal sharing of selective core competency.. that is the whole raison d'etre of the concept called ECR (Efficient Consumer Response) which is still taking roots.. George Fernandes asked in the '70s, "Why do we need a Unilever to make such measly things as a toothpaste".. Unilever did enter India.. and the rest is history... Georgian socialsm has no place in this era.. the "feel-good factor" in the economy is just a fog veiled over the election atmosphere... India has a long way to go before it could become a force to reckon with... and it would require a revolutionary political re-think..