A Chennai Girl's guide to Dating...

Let us start with a Disclaimer, shall we? What all goooood posts start with one... So --> This might apply to dates generally. But hello, I am writing this and I am a Chennai girl. Hence the title. ok? OK!

Venue: 
Chennai as much it is hot, is a beautiful place. If the guy leaves the choice of date to you, think wisely. And don't pick a mall, as much as the idea of spending the day at a Centrally Air-conditioned Mall tempts you to no end.

If it is a simple coffee date, do not pick the same old Cafe Coffee Day. Well hello, you have been sitting at that place almost daily and all the waiters know you and your order. Do yourself a favor and think about Madras Coffee House (T. Nagar), The Madras Kafe (Nungambakkam), Coffee Central (T Nagar), Coffee world (Abhiramapuram), The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (Velachery) and so on. Or if you are really adventurous, ride out to ECR towards Kipling cafe.

Heck if the date sucks, you will at least have a good menu to ponder upon. Why should you be stuck with a bad date and a bad coffee??

Eating out:

umm... Eating at a restaurant, yes...

Starve the previous meal!!! please please, do not go pick on your food. What are you trying to do? Save him some bucks?? Go all out and chomp on that Masala dosa! Murder that plate of vazhapoo vada!! Or if you swing the other way, slurp some of that sauce from the chicken wings like you mean it! Carve out good chunk out of your beef steak. I personally like some good Mughalai biriyani, Syrian Beef fry and a lemon soda. Then may be a large serving of Ice cream. Or if there is a dessert buffet, three of everything and the chef on my plate, pretty please with whipped cream and cherry on top!

Digressing, ouch! My relationship with food is a different story, of well.. But yeah, I have learnt that a girl with a good appetite is a huge turn on for guys as much as anything else. Never got the logic behind it, oh well!

Dressing up: 

Not much of a choice here. Chennai climate makes sure that you can't wear layers. And wearing anything shorter will get you raped and I am not even joking here. I simply don't care and wear what I like. Add my quirky sense and you have a laugh riot. There have been instances when I have worn Sweater in May, White sheer kurta on a rainy August day, matched Yellow kurta with bright pink accessories, carried a red handbag and wore my green sneakers!! I am sure Actor Ramarajan would have been proud of me!

Conversation: 
FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, DO NOT BRING UP BOOKS!! Chances are that his favorite book would be Three mistakes of my life by Chetan Bhagat. One fellow passionately dissected and explained Two states to me. The delicious grilled chicken sandwich was the only thing that held me from running away.

Another topic to avoid is music. I was happily singing along to Bohemian Rhapsody and one fellow said "I JUST LOVE JUSTIN BEIBER". I had to pretend that I went momentarily deaf just to sit there for 20 more minutes.

Stick to weather, the love for Chennai, the latest economic development and anything neutral... If he says, he hates Chennai and its climate, it is time for you run away like a headless chicken. WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH A CHENNAI HATER, ANYWAYS??

Well anyways, Be yourself. He should know what he is in for, shouldn't he??

And even after all these you do graduate to the mythical second date, sit back and relax, he is a keeper!! 

Madras Nalla Madras...

If you are from Chennai, you should know that August 22 is Madras Day. (Yeah ok, this post may be tad bit late... but oh well!) and MADRAS WEEK is celebrated from August 21 to 28, this year. Year before last we (read The Chennai Photowalk club) had a photo exhibition at Mylapore and last year at Odyssey, Adyar. Go take a look, they still have the photographs displayed on the staircase-sidewall. Brownie points to those who recognize my name and my photograph. This year, though we don't have any exhibition, the regular photo walks are on... More details here.

Me being me, thought I would do a post on two things I love the most, apart from photography - Chennai and Food, though not in that order always. Ask any Amit about what comes to his mind if you say Chennai, he would promptly say Idli/Dosa. Ok some may mention the heat and the sweat, but its raining hippos and rhinos now, so IN YOUR FACE AMIT!! :-D

Not to be called an amateur blogger, I talked to couple of old citizens of Chennai to gain a little inside knowledge about the cuisine of Chennai. I got many a dreamy eyed glazed expressions and a mention of a special Madras Curry. Now, I have no clue nor have I never heard of it before. Goaded further, one 60 year old paati made her daughter-in-law make the curry for me while she gave a steady stream of instructions.

Several konjam molaga podi podu - Nalla idichi podu - illa illa ippo illa, Kari vendha apram thaan sekkanum - innum konjam molaga podi podu - Kari vendrucha paaru- molaga podi potiya?? laters, I was served with a steaming bowl of Mutton curry over white rice. Did I mention the several instructions about molaga podi aka Chilli Powder?? Yes, the curry is so hot, that you won't get out of a swimming pool for the rest of the day and not to mention the adventure at the loo the next morning. So no wonder, no one makes this Madras curry anymore or its absence on the Chennai hotel menus.

Anyway, moving on, the other dishes which the paatis told me were our good old Idli, Dosai, Medu Vadai, Masala Vadai, Keerai Vadai, and ofcourse Filter Kaapi. Besh besh, romba nalla irukku.  between, this ad will whoop ass any surya-jothika-bru-coffee combination

Filter Kaapi is best had in a dabara tumbler with one third of the coffee in the tumbler and the rest in dabara. The suuurrr aka slurp sound will cool down any hot kaapi. The darker the kaapi, the better. Give any mama or maami a lighter kaapi, you will be met with scornful eyes and will be put on never-to-invite-to-any-home-functions list.

The best kaapi, I have had is at this maami's house where she served me with a tumbler of kaapi made from  Indian ‘monsoon’ beans. The Indian Monsoon is named thus as the beans are exposed to rains and winds. This makes them pale,swell and gain a unique, strong flavour. It reminds you of earth, rain and that sweet smell when the first rain hits the earth. Mmmmmmmm...

Another coffee memory of mine is a pretty funny one and one which I had often repeated. Appa had the habit of buying ground coffee beans fresh from the then "Coffee day" stores (not the modern Cafe Coffee Days). Every evening after school, it was my job to prepare the dicotion (yeah yeah decoction) and keep it ready for him when he arrives from office. It was a pretty easy job, place the ground coffee powder on the upper part of the coffee strainer, press it down with the sieve disc, pour hot water over it, cover the upper part and wait for the magic to happen. What actually happens is the chicory sort of holds on to the hot water a little longer, letting the water extract more flavour from the coffee powder (straight kaapi paste from Wikipedia)

So anyways we are digressing. That interesting part of making dicotion was my job. I continued this pretty religiously. What I didn't know was that darling Appa had switched to ready made coffee powder which dissolves instantly in water. Please to imagine his thunderstruck face when he came home and found a pretty strong "dicotion" made from 4 tablespoons of instant coffee powder waiting for him. And with that I lost my coffee making job. :-(

on a leaving note, did you know that Srilankan Tamil name for kaapi is "Kottai Vadineer".. No? I didn't either... Go read this...

Food Glorious Food!

I was out with my friends sometime last week. Conversation suddenly turned towards food and I was exclaiming about the mouth watering fares available across Chennai. A friend quipped "Oi, you would eat so less. so don't talk". Another friend countered saying, "Hey you haven't had Ratzzz over at your place, I think. She stayed at my place for a week and I know how much she eats." :-D

Just because I am puny people think I peck on my food and don't realize how much of a foodie I am. For instance, my last trip saw me doing nothing but eating, eating, more eating, sleeping and did I mention eating? :-P When watching TV, playing cheeky bingo, whitewater rafting, whatever activity-- food must be within easy reach! Yummy food! To my joy, few of the best French cafe's were located on the same street as I stayed at.

Morning saw me walking into the Cafe Des Arts which also had an art gallery attached to it. I started with a humble looking Nutella Crepe and Tchai. Me and my friend well in love with that place so much that we ditched the idea of exploring the town and stayed back at the Cafe, eating, drinking, reading and in general relaxing. The Cafe waiter lady smiled each time we asked for the menu and started laughing when i called for the menu umpteenth time saying i am hungry :-P This was after numerous brown breads, scrambled eggs, couple of sunny side ups, crepes and so on :-D

I was so full that I limited myself to a plate of Biriyani and Raitha and slept off. Evening was a different case though. Fish and chips - Steamed Lemon and honey chicken - Rice - Vegetable Stew - Red Cabbage Coleslaw accompanied couple of drinks. My only complaint was there was no mayo to accompany the Fries :( :-D

Next morning was the usual fare. Dosais - Pooris - Sambar - Chutney - Watermelon juice. I may or may not have had French Toast and Sausages after that :-D Lunch was a homely affair of Virundhu Bhojanam - Sura Puttu - Chicken and Fish Curry. (Feast meals - Shark something).

and that was just a weekend. Yesterday I was sleeping over my siblings' place. My brothers decided to take me out for dinner. (it's another issue that I reached late night and none of us 3 were in the mood to cook) Malabar parotta - Chilli Chicken - Egg Burji - Sunny side up later I gobbled down 2 ice creams :-D The expression on my sweet bro's face was priceless when I asked for the second ice cream. I don't suppose he saw that coming :-P

Ok so why all this yapping about food?? I realized there are only few things that get me going and Food tops the list :-D and given I tweet more about food than anything else, why not write about it too...

Expect some more damage in that area very soon :D   

ASSumptions!

Random Old Frayed Lady (ROFL) in bus: Hmm.. So you don't have a boy friend??
Me: I am sorry?
ROFL: No.. need not be sorry..
Me: What? I mean, i didn't get you.
ROFL: I am guessing you don't have a boy friend.
Me: Oh?
ROFL: Yeah.. In past one month, i have seen you quite a few times in this route.. I have never seen you get a message or call from anyone even once.
Me: ugh ugh.
ROFL: I have never seen you check your mobile either. so you don't have a boy friend.
Me: [baffled look]
ROFL: So how long are you dieting?
Me: eh?
ROFL: Yeah.. I notice you are a health freak. You got the most flat stomach, I have ever seen.
Me: Duh.. [mumbles] Thanks
ROFL: Yeah.. I see most guys stare at your stomach. They are fascinated. You look like a model..
Me: oh.
ROFL: Why don't you like Music?
Me: What???
ROFL: Yeah. I have never seen you listen to music in bus. Don't you have an iPod?
Me: ummm
ROFL: Buy one. Music is good for lonely people. It will bring you solace when you see other girls going around with guys and you are single.
Me: eh? [thinking WTF?]
ROFL: Join Facebook or Orkut, you will find many good boys. [smiles] I know you are not in there.
Me: Ugh ugh.
ROFL: and stop working too much. A good girl should be in home by 5 pm.
Me:  Ok bye. i have to get down here.
ROFL: Oi. your office is at Nandanam. Two more stops to go. Sit! Talk to me. You need to learn to make more friends.
Me: [thinking more friends? oh god!] errr
ROFL: Don't you have good boy's in office? Guess they are all married or engaged. No good guys or girls stay single for long.
Me: Huh.
ROFL: yeah... Go out and meet people. You will find interesting guys. You need to find someone and get married soon.
Me: [by now very amused] hmmm which places do you suggest?
ROFL: I dunno... CCD, Barista or  any of the coffee shops.
Me: Oho. Umm Aunty what do you do?
ROFL: [Proudly] I work for *** Dept of TN.
Me: Oho and as what?
ROFL: Oh i am a clerk.
Me: Do you have any kids aunty? Are they Good boys and girls?
ROFL: Oh i never got married..
Me: Err.. So, you, who never got married, are asking me to find a boy friend and get married, though you can visibly see I am still young. Is that right?
ROFL: Err,i have to get down here.. babye..
Me: ROFL!!!

And that my friends, was what happened today morning on the way to Office in 18K bus route! :-D :-D

Gaah!!! i need to repair my mp3 player before such maamis find me a target for their lecture yet again!! :|

The Return of Killer Vadas!

Whenever I move away from a place, more than the place or the people I miss the food there... when I left Chennai few years back, i missed Sambar Sadam/Bisibelabath and Sambar vada more than anything else.. and full meals too.. missed them so much that when I landed back in Chennai a year ago, I promptly hit a Saravana Bhavan and ordered Sambar Sadam, Yummm Slurp!!

So you can see what I would be missing now! Yup the street food of Indore... Indore was the city which made me a glutton... The Chappan Bhog with its 56 shops of different delicacies and the Sarafa market (which is ideally a jewelry mart that transforms into a food bazaar post 9 pm) are dedicated for food and food only...

Dal baati is one heavy food that has to be reserved for Sundays and Holidays...  Made of Dal, I ate this first at a Sai Temple, I had the habit of visiting for my Reiki treatment... it was served with lemon, some chutney, dal, onions and something else..  was so full that I slept in the car by the time i reached home :-|

Ghamandi lassi takes the punjabi lassi to a totally different level... Butte ka kiss is a kiss of a parallel world... This is a part of India which wakes up to Hot Jilebi and soft Poha... Johnny's hot dog at the Chappan dhukan may be just bun and patties but they are so crisp and lovely, you will end up ordering more than enough... trust me i always did...

This was the first place I had "Mitha Samosa" that too by mistake, a sweet mistake nevertheless... Garadu is just yam cut into small pieces, fried and served with lemon and spices... Just pop in a piece and there will be myriad number of tastes popping in your mouth... Mithe Tukade is a fried bread slice served with generous helping of dry fruits and cream, Yumm!!

When I got back from office, I usually took a walk from the main market to my house buying vegetables, stuff and stopping especially for a plate of Paani pathasa (paani poori for you lesser mortals), Aloo kachori and sometimes a bite of Khaman...

If its saturday, my weekly off, I will walk over to Apna sweets for a Lunch Thali...  for 80 bucks you get 5 pooris or rotis, chola, dal tadka, dal makhani, rice, pulao, 2 sabjis, 2 rasgullas, papad, pickle, onions, lassi and dahi.... yumm slurp!!

Sigh... anyhow, this is also the city which showed me Sago/Javvarisi is not just for payasam, payasa or kheer... they make umpteen number of dishes with a handful of Sago... Sabudhana khichdi is to die for and my personal favorite is Sabudhana Vada... So imagine my delight when mom left a pack of Sago during her last visit... :-D

I got into the act of finding the recipe and gathering the ingredients... very simple to make and Ta-DA..

A bowl of soaked Sago, grated potatoes, finely diced onions, rice flour, green chillies and some chaat masala.. mix them all, make them into balls and deep fry them... voila!!

 I can go back to Indore just to eat all day :-D Sigh, how i miss the Dark chocolate pastries of Fantasy and  a nice plate of chat at Khajuri Bazaar!!

A guide to what to gift her and get to her heart...

or something like that...

If you have been even a little bit observant, you would notice that i have added a small icon "Desicritics" to the sidebar among the various badges... yes sire! Yours truly has started writing at DC... It all started with me requesting and eventually Flyinfiddlesticks inviting me to write at DC... Follow the link here and do read my posts, mind you I am just 2 posts old :)

Coming to the title of the post, I shared one of the articles by a fellow writer Mansi, "Gifts Men Should Not Give Women"... Santa promptly commented "then what to gift???" If i remember right, Santa had asked me this question previously in yet another instant too :-D... so here goes the post....

Giving a gift is not a mighty thing... it varies as per the person... as per Mansi's post, flowers and chocolates are a boo-boo... well roses and a box of dark chocolate lifts me up anytime... seriously, anything from "My Man" with love will get me going about it for hours... anyhow, to the list...

Flowers: The secret lies in how you present... make an effort... read about the flowers you are sending... a pointer here, the meaning of the flower always vary as per the country... Dutch believe white rose is for death and Americans believe it denotes innocence and "seeking forgiveness" ahem! anyhow, read about the flower...
and don't send a lack luster bunch... either send her simple bunch of dozen roses or dig out the whole Amazon forest as a floral bouquet... anything else is gonna leave you dangling :-D

White roses waiting to be sold at flower market

 And if you are still in doubt, go for the classic bunch of RED ROSES!!!

Chocolates: Whatever women say, they dig chocolates... they can have a high rigor diet going on, but a simple box of chocolates artfully presented raises their heartbeat.. :-P

Make her drunk on chocolates and your love

Be Creative: Pick up those scissors and glue stick... remember those craft lessons you had to undergo in your middle school (no don't remind me.. mine was a horror)... pick up a clue or two from there...

• cut up hearts of various sizes and stick them on a chart paper... corny, i know.. but hey, if it wins her heart, you are good to go right??
• make something, which she had seen and mentioned to you... at college, a friend once came to me beaming and showing off a red kite... she had mentioned about kids flying kite on the beach when the couple had gone out on a date... the boy promptly prepared all by himself a red kite and gifted it to her... all he needed was some tissue paper, sticks, glue and loads of love! 
• go the Chetan Bhagat way, make her a lipstick case... ok engineering mechanics is not my trough.. so what try something similar..
• instead of buying a greeting card which says "101 reasons why I love you", sit down and write down reasons why you like to be with her.. Even 1 would be great, you don't need 101 reasons to floor her... one Valid reason is enough...

Ok, not this one... bats are no good in love!

  Encourage Her Hobbies:  Sure shot way to reach her heart... she is dabbling in cooking, get her a cooking book or some kitchenware... she is into painting, get her new supplies or a couple of camel hair brushes... she reads a lot, get her a subscription to the local library... Oh come on you got enough options there...

Ok not so old.. But if she is into classics like me, YAY 

Go the classic way: If you don't know what to give, go the classic way... take her out  for a dinner or cook her a meal... even noodles or mac and cheese would be great... book her a day at the spa or give her a lovely massage... or if she is really angry, stay away from her... ok, i am joking :-D

 If none of the above works, just hand over your credit card to her and see her jump up and down in joy... hey it really works :-P

The Mega Hit list!

Long long ago, so long ago, only my blog knows how long ago, i used to do a feature on the search phrases that people used to find my blog... or rather the keywords that lead them to my blog... it usually is funny but it seems it has changed a lot over months... so ta-da!! presenting you the whole new list of phrases...

But before we start, i really want to know who the hell searched for my college roomie's name??? duh, lemme warn you she has a fricking double Ph.D now; one from NUS, Singapore and one from MIT, USA and not a plain Masters in Art as you have searched for.. get your coordinates right next time :-|

Madras nalla Madras: 

 or Chennai as i would prefer it...  when i wrote this post i seriously didn't believe that it would go on to become the most popular post ever on my page... but errr... it did and in what way? take a look below (totally 40 hits on this keyword alone)

"things to do in chennai"  - 23 instances                     

"fun things to do in Chennai" - 5 instances

and some of the variations of the same two keywords, 

best things to do in chennai - let me just say all the 30 deeds i listed are the best
where can i find tom and jerry doll in chennai - seriously i don't have a clue. But you should try Pondy Bazaar or the Parrys Corner
things to buy in chennai - Where should i start??
fun things to do in chennai for couples - Ahem ahem, i hope you got what you searched for
things to do in chennai this weekend - This weekend you can attend the Vinayakar Chahurthi Visarjan
things to do on saturday in chennai - If you mail me, I ll mail you back a whole list :D
streets of parrys,Chennai - Let me assure you i don't have the full list myself :(
pondy - 2 instances
earring paradise,tnagar,Chennai - ummm the whole street of Pondy Bazaar?
pondyb - hmmm
pondy bazaar call girls - now, wait a min!! who let you enter my Blog! eh?

Epic Retold:   

 This is one keyword i am proud of. Not just because i wrote it but also i love this epic and it is linked in Wikipedia itself! yay!

Post: 1, 2,  & the quiz in PS

mahabharata analysis  

mahabharat series

maha                

mahab 

mahabhara 

quiz on mahabharata   

bheeshmar a character in Mahabharata - This 

ethics of bheeshma -  If you ask him, he had zilch ethics... he was "all preach no practice pope"

turok vs arjun in mahabharat - Ummm Turok is a fictional American comic book character, which is set in the future.. and Arjun is a character of past... umm how??

video of karna in mahabharata - You seriously out of your mind... Videography was invented very recently, sweetheart!

danveer karna Mahabharata - that is one thing i ll accept..

who is akaasur - Sadly my friend, since yday nite, this is a question i am asking myself too. 

The Peter Pan effect:

               I am hoping this post here triggered these  

peter pan   -   2 instances      

peter pan - dad photos - err, i don't want to be insensitive but ain't peter pan an orphan.. and a mythical character at it??

a girl called gulliver - SIGH! 

who played the female peter pan? - Duh!!! who are u ppl?? why have you got it all wrong? first a female gulliver and now a female peter pan *facepalms*

Foodie Me:               

motichoor laddu –  2 instances
sambar sadam - oh oh oh. my love for chennai is mainly 'cause of this 

pupil elliots beach - well done my friend!! you can never find a better sandwich joint.. 

                 

Book worm:                                           

book and coffee picture                

mister god,%2                 

mister god t

I am guessing the last two phrases are actually "Mr. God, This is Anna", one of my all time fav pocket books.

Love and me: 

if u wanna be with me   - 2 instances ( breaks into the song "you really gotta be my friend. For me there is no other, for love can never end" ) 

heart                      

pink heart%
unrequited love mahesh sindbandge - Sigh!! Mahesh sindbandge blogs here and not in my blog!!

   
And other sundry:               

i hate my laptop - 4 instances (This one)
tantrumzz of the rat - now seriously... (flattered)   

garfield sleepy                  

wat a fish          

mast/jobless one liners - who are u calling jobless O_o what was the reason saravana bhavan owner to murder his employee?    - if you get to know, let me know too :-D        

paisawala.com  / duspaisa.com - what is the bledy co-relation?
pazhaya poi     - Its a tamil phrase for "Old Lie"

cement rat statue - Err not in chennai i guess

proud of bunking exams - tch tch tch.. Shame on you!

making drawing god ganpati sketches video for orkut - errr

how to get family together - errr.. and u came to my blog to find that?? seriously? O_o
route to nagala hills - You should contact Peter of CTC
antique jewelry typepad - No idea buddy!

advantages of namma metro           

                               
Some p0rn, as we have nothing else to do: 

nudeland -2  instances
Sexy pics of razia sultana pictures   - She was a Moghul princess for heavens sake                               
  
And some phrases where i can't make out the head or tail:
deep% 

hmar ma dre

addres for                          

th                                                           

information o   

this        

kar         

The above phrases were in the top Hundred... the below phrases were in top 150...

how to catch the rats in Chennai - Duh!!! you planning against my relatives no eh??

And thanks to folks who searched for stray factory hitchcock chennai and review of chennai play... Needless to say, i am touched!

So go on... what is your hit list??

Travel Diversions or so they call it...

What do you think of someone who takes a break from his office and takes his family of a wife and three kids for a trip across the country... all this when the kids where aged 9, 6 and 3 respectively and the country being India... and yes that man is my father and i was the middle one, the 6 year old.... Now you know when and where the travel bug bit me...well lets just say, it bit me mighty well...

so Blogadda comes up with a contest again..It is Travel Photography this time and so here is my entry.. Thanks to Biker dude for tipping me on this contest...

 Water, Water, Everywhere:

This was during a road trip to Pondichery and beyond.... Pitchavaram Lake is a famous salt water lake and more famous among the photographers for the sights it hides among its mangrove roots... i was with a bunch of photographer friends.... the best part was the sight of rain approaching us... no words can help me to describe that feeling.. sigh..

In Photo: A Bunch of tourists from North India, who got excited when we started clicking them... Shot at Pitchavaram lake, Tamilnadu

Jewels, little Jewels of Nature:

 We were taking a break en-route to Nagalapuram, a quaint village at the base of Nagala Hills, Andrapradesh... it was early morning at the dew drops had just started to settle down... this beautiful jeweled spider web is one of the bests i have caught till date...

In Photo: A spider web laced with early morning dew drops... Shot at on the way to base camp of Nagala Hills - Nagalapuram, Andrapradesh

Floating away in time:

We were on a bike trip to Mahabalipuram when the Rain god thought otherwise and was lashing at us like it was his only chance... With no chance to click anything, we stopped at Salt lake backwaters at Thiruvidandhai on the way back... the rain had slowed down a bit but the wind was still on our face... so you know why this umbrella is floating somewhere instead of being over our heads :)

In Photo: A red umbrella floating away to oblivion (we rescued it, obviously)... Shot at Salt lake Back waters, Thiruvidandhai, Tamil nadu

The Point is life is Endless:

Lepakshi temple is a trip i won't be forgetting in this life time... not knowing the local language, getting lost, fun and total awesomeness... this is a click of the forgotten corridor which surely needs some support... the magic is the corridor looks unending much like our life..

In Photo: Corridor behind the Lepakshi Temple, Andrapradesh

Play with Colors:

after our brunch at Mysore we came out to resume our bike trip when i spotted this "then unoccupied" home... though the home lacked activity, the wall and the things placed in the window spoke volumes...

In Photo: A plain yellow wall with a orange window.. shot at Old Mysore, Karnataka


There i am done.... oh yeah i forgot something else, the link back rule...

Me and Road to Freedom!!

If someone had told me two years back that i ll transform into an adventure loving chic who takes off and hits the road every weekend, i would have probably given them my worst stare and called up a psychiatrist to fix an appointment for them... Now, my friend's complain "Be in the city for atleast one weekend" :-D

My trekking interest started in the year 2007 when my class guys bet about reaching the top of a random hillock at Yelagiri.. yours truly happily reached there first even before any of the guys could make it...i still trek, atleast once a month...  but the interest in road trips was sparked by a impromptu trip with friends in December 2009...

One fine evening M just called and said "You are joining us on the road trip to Pondicherry, this Thursday".. was cut off before i could argue about office schedule... the trip was fun.. it was just us friends, the car and the road... and yeah pit stops, loads of pit stops... right from finishing of all Parotas of a local road side eatery that the cook had prepared for the whole day to getting lost along the lanes of Pondicherry, the trip was total fun... had the most beautiful experience of watching the rain approach and cross us, as we were seated in a boat floating on the Pitchavaram Lake... its another story that i started shivering and P had to hold me for a long time to keep me warm... i had my first treatise with cigarette and alcohol, and mind you no regrets... that bridge is crossed now :)

2010 had a great start with me starting off with a single backpack to Bangalore, Karnataka and to Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh from there.. Re and me were the partners in companion...  Re knew a bit of the local language compared to me who acted dumb all through the weekend... the Lepakshi temple and the nearby rock hillock which we scaled bare foot were all fun.. but the real fun part was our return trip... we got lost.. yup, you read it rite :) we got into the wrong bus and realized it a good half an hour after the bus was on its way to some other place.. the conductor let us down in the middle of nowhere... did we panic??

 The Naga-devis at Lepakshi temple, found at the base of Nagalingam

Well as Re said, Lets have some tender coconut from that street vendor before we figure out something... so Tender coconut it was... a local came to help and put us on a "van" towards a major bus junction... middle of nowhere, around midnight, two females, dark roads, beaten down vehicle, and i expected him to demand skyrocketing fare from us, if not do something else... we didn't believe our ears when he quoted the fare... "3rs. each madam" bless his soul.. we gave him a ten rupee note and walked away... Reached back Bangalore around 2 in the morning and rest of the weekend was uneventful..

February sent me on a trip to Anaikatti for a Photography + Trek trip (bus trip) and March saw me marching away to Nagercoil (train trip)...

April saw me on the road again... Me and the kiddo S planned a one day bicycling trip from Tambaram to Chengalpet.. a total of 120 kms.. the ride towards Chengalpet was total fun.. first pitstop was at Thailavaram.. we had to click a Hanuman Mandir there... it turned out to be a hole in the wall temple and took us atleast three to and fros on the same road to figure out the temple... but the Curd rice they gave us as Prasadham was total yumm... with breakfast done, we moved on till SRM Lake... took out the camera for the first time...we took several pit stops for water, sugar cane juice, mosambi, tender coconut etc, thanks to the scorching Chennai sun... the next stop was at Singaperumal Temple.. fun again... had a great time by discussing Hindu Mythology (my favourite topic: Captain Obvious) with the kiddo... took a detour through Mahindra City and had the most fun lunch at Wangs, The Cake shop of Taj...

 Our Bicycles at one of the pit stops

After two hours we reached the final destination, The Chengalpet  Lake.. we managed to cross through and get into the lake.. i seriously didn't know that the lake was off limits till we reached back to the city... though i dint have much to click, kiddo had great fun clicking me as a machi-waali and what not :-P

the trip back was okayish, till i got the sun stroke and we took the train back to the City... it was total riot, right from the Tea uncle near Tambaram, giving us a boisterous smile when he heard us taking a bicycle trip early in the morning... on the return journey, when i couldnt take it anymore and went off to sleep it was heartening to see a guy saying his kid "come this side and sleep , don't disturb akka, she is tired"... and it was total awesome to have S kiddo as your partner in crime... psst: he is gonna call me aunty for ages for calling him kiddo in this post :P

May was the icing of all the trips i took... Yuppo, a bike trip... if you are a regular reader and following me for a long time, you might know about my bike accident 8 years back and my fear of bikes... i just took the risk as i was not the one who is going to ride it, i was just a pillion passenger or luggage.. :P i was still wary of the long ride and the speed... i reached Bangalore at around 5 in the morn and we geared up at the railway station itself.. i was really a sight, jacket, yellow helmet, wrist band and all... :D

First stop was at Chennapatna for breakfast.. i lost count of the pit stops after that as we took way too many... not that we were tired but both of us were shutterbugs and we were like "hey that looks nice..stop stop stop we will click" :P our first proper destination was Somnathpura... a temple for Vishnu, with him in three various forms... Several clicks and "Eshtu" later we were off to Mysore... reached pretty late.. i saw the lighted up Mysore Palace.. man wat a sight!!

 The Nagamandala at Somnatpura Temple

Next day we took a tour of Mysore Palace, roamed around the old Mysore part of the city and did things that a regular tourist won't do.. :-D the ride back was awesome and in break neck speed given i had to take an early bus and we were pretty late while starting from Mysore... i wouldn't forget this ride for various reasons...

and my fear of bikes, errmm gone.. or atleast hiding for the time sake...lets hope i just don't get too brave and take on to ride a bike myself...

What next: More of these trips and something new... that parasailing at Pune which Satti suggested sometime back is really tempting me now!!

Random Rat...

The mighty mighty CB tagged me... ahem... :( shylu forgive me but your tag was bit too much revealing to take up.. sorry... will do ur next tag, that is if it aint that complicated. :P

so back to CB.. you should visit her blog, folks.. she is one gem of a writer.. mom of my pal Vinnie, the pooh :P her "The L&M and the brats" posts are a laugh riot... try, you 'll adore her blog..

and yes the tag... apparently i have to reveal some 7 random things about me... err as if i hadn't flashed enough on this blog over the last 2 years, or is it more than that.. god knows... yeah the mighty 7... here we go..

 Monday : While crossing the road, I actually notice the tire of the approaching vehicle than the driver... my brain goes into a frenzied calculation of t = v/a ,  v = u + at and such formulas and calculate the speed of approach to cross the road accordingly... believe me i have faired well so far...

Tuesday :  I order only my regulars at CCD and Fruit shop @ Greams road... i experiment at all places but rarely at these two... eight months of regularity earns me special place at both these places :P *the waiter reminded me of the price fall on my regulars today at CCD.. man i was thrilled when the boy remembered to tell me*


Wednesday :  Dunno why but my life and tastes are closely related to Rat or being a Rat.. i love all things that a Rat would love... Cheese, Vadai, Dingy spaces, small hole in the name of house, sleeping on well padded surface i.e. on freshly washed unfolded clothes etc etc.. you name it, i got it..

Thursday :  i love cooking for others.. but i rarely eat what i cook though i may be hungry like an elephant or ermm a Rat.. may be the smells that rise while cooking kills my appetite.. mind you i cook well, my sister is still alive as a testimony to my cooking skills... :D

Friday : Yippee!! Weekend is here :P I have visited a beauty salon for a total of three times only in my life so far.. 2008, 2009 and 2010... first was a laugh riot.. i was standing at the door contemplating the visit, when the lady in charge of the place invited me in for a lemonade.. i blew my money off over a hair cut, hair straighten, manicure, pedicure and a massage.. heavenly!! Second was on my 23rd birthday and third for a hair cut..

Saturday : I collect Paper Tissues... no not the artsy one's... whenever i go out to a restaurant, i make it a point to take a tissue, write the date, names of people who are present and such details... i have a whole box of such papers...

Sunday :  I love Indian and Greek Mythology... its another story that i don't believe them but it is fun reading them and correlating them.. i can blabber on some obscure story, you probably would have no clue about.. i ll even so you the story source and stuff..

Phew thats it... done.... i am tagging no one.. but if you feel like flashing, go on take UP :P

P.S 1 # To all those who feel that my language is obscene, buzz off, i am not paid to please you...
P.S 2 # Seeta Darling so wanted to take your tag but your profile is unfindable and i don't how to reach your blog... pliss to tell your website name...

Gagged and thrown askew...

Had to be at Bangalore for the past 7 days with Pop being suddenly ill... i shud have realized this is gonna be an one helluva week when i saw the following hoarding somewr along the NH-7 near Hosur...

XYZ - Logistics and Whorehousing 

i was sipping some water and spluttered instantly... this hoarding on the National Highway and no one noticed so far??? WTF!!  the one moment i regretted for not carrying the camera.. #sighs... was staring out at every hoarding after that.. pretty me...

Pop was in ICU that means i had to burn my ass on the Hospital corridor and run around like a headless chicken everytime Pop's name came over the hospital speaker... needless to say, most of the time i took out my ideapad and sat processing some click or doing stuff.. No connectivity inside the hospital :(  This made me a curio item with every security fella passing me every 5 mins just to take a peek into the screen... one fella said "Computer?" everytime he crossed me... mind you i hate the word "computer" now.. You will too have u been subjected to the word like 300 times every day for 7 continuous days :-|

actually the Laptop brought me closer to the security guards, who started allowing me to visit Pop even though no one was allowed into ICU... he he he he.. me and my charm!! #EKSI

and i was rechristened "Sandwich Madam"... there wr these CCD counters at each floor and i would go ask for a sandwich around dinner time daily... dunno abt my luck but they ran out of sandwiches every single day... the final day when i was leaving hospital the counter fella came running "sandwich madam, sandwich madam, we have Chicken Mayo today"... umm *facepalms* this in front of hundreds on patients and visitors :-\

Language barrier was another thing.. u shud have seen me dancing like a "boom-boom maadu" every time someone started off in Kannada.. Pop's Doctor was the best, even after clarifying several times that i understand no Kannada, he insisted speaking in Kannada to me and in English to my Mom... errrmm shud i say Mom understands no English.. #grammargandu :D

One nurse went further, she insisted my mom that i can understand Kannada.. mom was stunned and asked "since when??" *facepalms*

Perhaps the highlight of the whole saga was this interesting Male nurse with an even more interesting name...
Actually me being me was reading through Pop's treatment chart and taking notes to consult Google baba to understand stuff... This nurse came over and started asking stuff about me... ahem the fella was tall, cute and ahem ahem sweet... so i was flirting along.. that was till he took out his name tag from his pocket... i balked and moved away within seconds... You would too had you seen the tag.. who in the world will name his kid as "Dildo Raj"... Duh!! oh wait, will u?? seriously?? :D like how did he survive college?? oh wait he was a Malayali... :D

sighs... i am going back once i am free, the roadside trees and flowers are beautiful, i say...

The Next Aiswarya Rai...

It all started with Pantaloon folks sending me a mailer with a call to send in applications for Femina Miss India 2010.. The fucked up mood or the "shaniyan" in me made me update the Gtalk status as "is it a joke or what??? i get a call from Femina Miss India 2010.. yeah rite!!" What ensued was too beautiful not to post as a blogpost.. so here we go "Tada"

Gmail Ping from Prem Piyush aka P-Square:

Prem: congrats Miss India

me: sahi hai. i am ROFLin over the mail

Prem: arre teri koi photo dekh li hogi unhone./they would have seen a photo of yours/

me: haan haan.aur socha hogay mail gayi neksht Aiswaryaaaaa. /then they wud have thought, "Got the next Aiswarya"/

Prem: tu toh waise bhi size zero hai.aur diet par control karti hai./You are size zero, as such and you are on a perennial diet/

me: size zero teeks, magar height bi zero :D /not only size, height is also zero/

Prem: aur smart toh tu hai hi.. u want World Peace, right? thats abt it. /and you are smart too *ahem ahem*/

me: ha ha ha ha... and the one living person I like is Mother Theresa.. :D

Prem: lol.. yeah.

me: ha ha ha ha

Prem: what would you do if you get $1 million?

me: umm, i ll donate it to charity.. that will help those poor ones in somalia

Prem: correcto.

me: *OMG!! expression*

Prem: if you have to chose a person to date ..out of SRK and Mahatma Gandhi .. who would you chose n why ?

me: Mahatma Gandhi obviously... he is the father of nation, making him my father and evryones father na... he did so many things for nation, didnt even wear clothes and gave hisclothes to poor ones.. look at him, so thin.. i think he didnt even eat and gave all meals to needy

Prem: ok. a tough one. 2 + 2 ?

me: oh wait., i know this one...
       i know
       OMG its so easy...
       umm 2 + 2 =
       umm i got it...

Prem: haha.

me: wait wait....
       1+1+1+1 fingers
       umm yeah 3 oh no 4

Prem: *whispers to fellow judge girl got brains*

me: *smiles like a plastic doll*

Prem: so are you planning to do Bollywood movies ?

me: umm.. as of now my main aim is to work for the betterment of the societal needs... but yeah if the chance comes why leave

Prem: so if you are given a brand promotion offer, which one would you pick?

me: oh no..
       i wanna work for world piece and empower-watever of women
       i wanna help girls learn more
       i wudnt make brand promotion yet

Prem: what if UNICEF asks u ?

me: omg omg omg...
       its different
       if UNICEF asks they always have a purpose.oh UNICEF tho big one
       i ll be fully elated to associate with them..

Prem: what abt PETA?
       Would you like to don Pamela Anderson's shoes ..err.. no shoes..

me: oh i would like to stick to my traditional roots of Indian culture.. i certainly wont go nude, come on thats against women and Indian culture.. but from my side i ll certainly do the best i can..i will wear mink coats with lines saying "lets save tigers"

*psst: lets forget my ultra mini bikini round*

Prem:u have been awarded trophy .. and all formality has been done.

me: laughs hesitantly

Prem: now answer :P

me: OMG OMG OMG, really??

Prem: *presents trophy*

me: _tearful eyes which refuse to leave eyes_
       I am so so oh so happy..
       umm i am lost for words
       i tho cant even talk now
       i tho wants to shout with joy
       i wanna thanks all the folks who helped me do this
       my papa, amma, sister, sister's boyfriend, my brother, brother's ex girl friend..hmmm i at this point wants to thank my papa, amma, uncleji, mousaji, aunty, badiwaali auntyji, aapko bi and my dog puny.. my granpa who was with indian army, my grandma, my lovely rose plant, my teddy bear.. my mama, maamie, mausaji, mausi, the one in Dubai whose name escapes me, but will tel as he may get me dubai chocolates... my doggie, my ex boy friend's kitten..
       aur aap judges ko bi
       without you i cudnt have done today
       omg i cant talk now out of happiness..

*blows kiss at every direction*


 Lolz... So thats it.... Yours Truly the Next Aiswarya Rai... Lets just forget another friend who pinged and said "Go na, we will all be happy here"

Yeah Rite!!

Dates - not just the sweet one...

I really wanted to give it a number but seriously there are way too many to count them... I understand that first dates can be pretty awkward and blind dates even more corny... but few of mine take the cake and have made me go meh!! and few, they just linger in my mind and bring on a smile every time I am reminded of it..

Doctor Boy
..Or so what he was introduced as... his cousin was a good friend of mine.. we were introduced over phone calls and got talky over text msgs.. ok ok don't roll your eyes, we were young and tacky then... so one fine day he asked me out and i accepted... when asked how to recognize him, he said he will be wearing a black and white shirt like a chess board... i really dunno when in the world they made a chess board like this..

Lucky enuf i was a "Tota" of the day and wearing a bling bling green dress and we met.. Marina Beach it was... Let me tell you it is a very bad idea for a first date... I ticked him of my list the moment he opened his mouth.. Mind you guys, give the betel nut a miss when you are meeting a girl for the first time in your life.. then we sat for sometime without talking when i announced i had to leave as i had an early class the next day... on the way, he asked if i wanted to eat something.. Seriously i thought he was being nice as the date was a disaster so far... so i settled for the "Chat" he offered.. then came the bomb, "Hey Listen Ratzzz.. can u finish and pay the bill.. i have to take off as my friends are waiting at the other side of the beach"..

Me - well i just dumped the plate on his shirt by "accident" :D

PwC Guy
coz he calls me the TIL girl... :D It was a chalo-lets-go-on-a-lunch wala date... He was a colleague, well almost he was an on-site support from PwC.. New to Indore and bored to hell, he asked me to take him out... Lunch was normal but the conversion flow was good and we were warming up... Next step which really made me like him was the session at my fav book shop..

It was a saturday and the shop was pretty empty... we duly plonked ourselves on the floor and had a great time; discussing books, recommending books for each other, reading lines out of our favorite books... any guy who talks to me about books ranks high on my list and PwC fella still ranks the highest... Happily enuf he is still a close buddy and i am damn sure he will read this more than anybody else out there...

Me: :D and hey in btw Thanks to Hussain Haidry's Papa for bearing us... It was his book shop.

Started this post to list down worst dates of my life.. but then again wanted to chuck out all those stupid memories so changed it... Now me goes, laterzz... :D

Missing in action, Ratzzz

And Definitely no one missed me this time.... :-\

on the other hand... this break wasn't planned or purposeful.. it just happened.. to all those who felt that, that my last post was a random tantrum.. u wr absolutely right, NOT!!!! my whole diwali weekend was a disaster.. spent the whole diwali on bed, with heavy migraine... cudnt even drink a draught of water without feeling nauseatic.. got up around 10 pm with a client calling to check my work progress.. yeah right!! puked violently at around midnight and went back to sleep blissfully... sad part, i was so sick to even inform The Boy or in that case my parents back home.. :( next day was okies with me dilly-dallying in bed and having a lunch date with the great girl, Me Myself... but i know so many ppl that i get recognized everywr i go...

At a coffee pub, met atleast dozen who wr like "u are Ratzzz? right??" Grinzzz.. ultimately a friend came to the rescue after that we went "coffee-hopping" :-) food hopping and ice-cream hopping has become a regular event thanks to The Boy and the mentioned friend.. Both are big time foodies... :-)

if i am not on a Holy Grail, then the time is spent writing or sleeping or reading, but never in any order... the grail being the Food here.. chennai never had been better than this...

yet have to decorate my "bachelorette" pad.. DV and Soph are playing there part perfectly, reminding me every day :( only i got no motivation.. all the wall paper and paint are staring at me blankly :(

went for the Save Tada - Clean up trek yday.. was shocked to see so much litter in such a remote place... happily plonked into the pool to clean it all up... separate post later.. never realised that it had so many glass bottles before i woke up today morning... both my legs have cuts and scratches at multiple locations :-| and not to mention a tired body...

230 dustbuster, 2 tons of garbage, enuf blood and cuts... later, we were still raring to go... 

not to forget the various new folks i met... from naughty guys to Down to earth photographers Hari and Makka(Karthik Ramalingam) every one made my day... d trek was as usual super fun with all of us jumping into the pool, without even knowing how to paddle o_O ok no comments abt my non swimmer self :P

Nemesis, my cam had a field day though.. as usual forgot to click the people and concentrated on wild flowers and algae... :P thats that.. tired body needs more sleep as of now..

and hey, yesh!!! on other news, i got PUBLISHED!!!! yay...  i toned down version of my last post.. go check out here ... It is an upcoming Mag and this is our first publication... and ahem! u can be nice and demand a print of the mag... this is a demand on print Magazine... now shoo, off u go to Thebanyantrees... :-)

 The Banyan Trees..

P.S # 1 : Gils.. hate u.. wont talk to u or comment on ur post till u make up for making me cancel my evening plans so as to meet u and not turning up at time :-| no chocolates wont help!!! nor will Vadai!!

P.S # 2 : Speeling and Grammr nazis... off u go.. i turned dyslexic for today... but then again, i am like that only :P

Wanted a groom for Slim, Smart, Sexy Bride...

Ok cut that sexy part... the Bride is ultra cute and a Doctor.. a poetess, a photographer and a published writer... the girl is none other than our darling Soph at Che sara sare... now the requirement in the Girl's words..

Wanted groom:
for a beautiful, smart, sweet, cute, intelligent, girl

Expectations:

• the guy should give her a diamond ring on marriage and diamond band on engagement
• the guy is expected to take her to all the countries in the world
• the guys is expected to supply enough pocket money every day to the girl
• the guys is expected to take her to pubs and discs every weekend
• the guy shouldn't get jealous when the gals hangs outs with her friends
• the guy is expected to allow her to wear even skimpy clothes
• the guys should love her unconditionally
• the guy should treat her parents like his own and give them money every month

"evavanavathu elichavayan erukana?"

My Love - Hate Relationship with....

Me and Rain-god have a very strong relationship, a Love-Hate Relationship... I love him, he Hates me.... or otherwise, umm i dunno :-|

Chennai is otherwise scorching hot and sultry.. but let me wash my clothes and wring it out to dry, lo behold, My love-lorn Rain god sends his secret weapon aka the RAIN downwards... this has been going on since i came back to Chennai... its horrible to the extent that when-ever my friends feel very hot, the call-up and ask me to wash clothes... :-(

And when-ever i go out on a Date or hang-out with my friends, lo behold again.... Varuna Bhagwan is surely in love with me...see he can't even bear me going out with other guys or be seen with them... he is in that much love with me... :-P

 It all started when i was in my class 4th... i was very much in love with him but he didnt even spare a look at me.... i was so smitten that i ran from one building to the other without my Coat on... i wanted to get drenched in his love and enjoy his embrace, you see... Poor me, all that love was too much for this silly smitten rat... i got sick... That was when He started to note me.... :-D

Since then he is trying to embrace me thru his Raining love when-ever he can.. he is trying to woo me back when i go out with others and trying to stop me from going out... Hmmmm...

but Pbbbhttt at you, Rain God...  i got over you... as much as i love you, i can't stand your first love.... i get easily sick whenever you shower for the first time.. so leave me alone... i have got over you, you move on too... there are loads of nice girls out there... :-)

30 Things To do in Chennai...

First Things First... Speak Bindas contacted me sometime last week for an interview... Was apprehensive 'coz of the whole anonymity issue... We sorted that out and you have the exclusive Rendezvous with the Rat here...

Saw a similar post in one of the met-blogs of another city.. thought will add my own list for Chennai.. not in any order and is not exhaustive either... add your own in the comments section...

1. Take a walk on the beach from Marina to Elliot's Beach
2. Capture the Sunrise at Broken Bridge
3. Haggle over trinkets at Pondy Bazaar
4. Scourge for a long forgotten book at Moor Market... trust me you'll get it...
5. Click the Moon on Full moon day at Thiruvanmiyur Beach
6. Have a quaint cup of coffee at Rathna Cafe
7. Enjoy the peace at Kapaleeshwarar Temple, Mylapore..
8. Squeeze through the crowd to get vegetables at Koyambedu
9. "Enjoy" the pulling and pushing at Ranganathan Street
10. Pay over Rs.200 for a ten minute Autoride
11. Catch a movie at Broadway Talkies.. scoot over multiplexes...
12. Read some ancient literature at Connemaara Library
13. Attend a Music concert at TTK Salai
14. Pray along the waves at the Sea shore Sai Temple, Injambakkam
15. Party on a hired boat at Muttukaadu Lake
16. Look out for an ancient yet sturdy buildings at Mint Street
17. Climb the Lighthouse at Marina
18. Pick up a handicraft doll at Alwarpet
19. Wait in queue to get a plate of hot Puliyothare at Grand Sweets & Snacks
20. Refrain from feeding the baby crocs at the Crocodile Park
21. Ape the monkeys at Guindy Children's Park
22. Try finding the Adyar Banyan Tree.. No Google is not allowed
23. Spot a Sandalwood Tree at Vandalur Zoo
24. Try gaining an entry into the Guindy National park.. a Reserve forest right at the heart of the city, where else can u find it... 
25. Handle the snakes at 3 pm daily at the Snake Park
26. Munch on a Vada, fresh off the Vada-mala of the 32 feet tall Anjaneyar Statue at Nanganallur
27. Attend a marriage at any of the chthrams at Vadapalani
28. Attend the Vinayak Visarjan at Sowcarpet...
29. Relish a plate of Biriyani at Samco, TTK road
30. Take the MRTS from Velachery to Beach

and as the legend says "you have much more to do at Chennai"... Cheers...

Edited to add:

More things to do in Chennai...

• Go shopping for cheap but good fabric at Fashion/Pantheon Road, Egmore (Aarthi)
• Soak in various cultures at Dakshin Chitra (Aarthi)
• Get yourself scolded by an auto-driver in chaste Madras Thamizh for no fault of yours. (Rammmmm :-P)
• Get drenched in the Madras rains and wade(swim) around after that (Rammmmm)
• Click pics of Armenia in Namma Chennai at Armenian Street (Gils)
  

Tag Vaangaliyo Tag...

1.Grab the book nearest to you, turn on page 18 and find line 4?
Book : "Mister God, This is Anna"
No painted cherub on the church ceiling was this child,but a smiling, giggling, squirming, real live child,her face alight with some inner radiance, her eyes like two blue searchlights. /the block words were in the fourth line...its a pocket book i carry everywr man/

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can & touch air?
Ouch.. hit my hand on the wall... naan corner seat girl pa...

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?
wait a sec.. let me recollect when i watched TV lately... err no, i dont know...

4. Without looking, guess what time it is?
2.30 pm 0_o

5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?
2.29 pm... Yesh!!!!

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
What computer??? dude i don't have this Headphones glued to my ears 24*7 for no reason... Gandhiji said "Hear no evil", so i hear nothing else :-P

7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
one hour back.. Lunch time.. but this is a dumb question.. if u know me, 3/4th of my life is spent outdoors..i return to my place only to catch the customary 40 winks.

8. Before you started this Q&As, what did you look at?
my watch.. waiting for the day end... i have plans for the evening.. har har har

9. What are you wearing?
Romba Mukiyam... this is the second time someone is asking me this question today... :-D

10. When did you last laugh?
another dumb question.. i laugh thru the day baby... and have a perpetual smile etched on my face.. wrong question to the wrong Rat..

11. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
Paint.... Pinkish yellow ermmm yellowish pink, Watever!!

12. Seen anything weird lately?
ha ha ha.. yeah right.. Fancy that you ask me this.. i am so weird that everything else seems so normal to me...

13. What do you think of this quiz?
Surely Gils doesn't have an inkling abt me.. :P

14. What is the last film you saw?
The Bulletproof Monk for the nth time... day before yday i think

15. If you became a multimillionaire overnight, what would you buy?
old question... deposit it in several banks.. get debit cards from all of them and back pack around the world... :-)

16. Tell me something about you that I dunno!
you ll know some day.. but this is not some day

17. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
Why?? why do you want to change the world..its so beautiful as it is...if not for the politics aka politicians, world will lack humor... and if not for the guilt, life would be too rosy...

18. Do you like to Dance?
Dude.. This is the dumbest question you can ask to a professionally trained dancer... ask me what form i like to dance :-P

19. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?
i can think of atleast one person who will beat the hell out of me if i answer this question... Wtf?? the answer is Ragamaalika...

20. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?
aiyo!! now i am sure to be dead tommorrow... tsk tsk tsk the answer is Megharanjan... go ahead make fun of me.. but yesh, i am that addicted to music...

21. Would you ever consider living abroad?
nah buddy.. I am still aiming at a quite corner along the ECR road...

22. What do you want GOD to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?
Oh shit.. that St.Peters is getting really old.... Ratzzz you can go back to the Earth, there must have been a mess up...

Ha ha ha... as usual, i tag no one... But yesh! i kindly request folks not to tag me..plz plz (i ll send u chocolates as a bribe if u refrain in future) :-)

Cheers to Life..

Graffitis and one-liners...

i went to my alma-mater some time last week...  though it was my own college, @Manorath offered to accompany me (no moot points for guessing that he is my junior there :P)

though i wasn't looking forward, i visited my Hostel at the campus...  CEG girls hostel is pretty famous and well known.. but our ACT hostel is secluded and cut off from the rest of the campus... so its pretty peaceful and at times "shady" making it an ideal location :P

i really didnt expect anyone to recognize me... but what to do, i am that famous that the hostel staff squealed (with joy or fright, i don't want to hazard a guess) :D  i went to my final year room just for the sake of it...who am i kidding, it has more memories linked to it than my whole four years in college put together...

During my final year, i was living alone that i had filled up the walls with so many graffiti works... every time i felt bored i'll take out my colored pens and set out to work...i was happy with my work... it is another story that the hostel staff was appalled :-P they were planning to get my room painted so as to erase all that stuff..

so you can imagine my surprise when i found all those works still there on walls... :-) every writing, every single pencil sketch, every word proclaiming that "i am the best"... everything was there... hostel manager said a staff had fought for me to keep it there and said sorry that the following year an inmate had tore of my wardrobe paintings before they could stop her...

it was yet another graffiti done with multicolored spray paints on a white background... it had palm prints and abstract art among other things.... i was bit said that it was gone.. but yet happy that other works were there... lucky i carried my cam with me.. so i happily clicked all my mishaps :P

Dreamvendor and Soph may object to my habit of mine.... but i still love painting Graffiti and murals...ok i am against De-facing our historical places, public buildings and public transport but still Graffiti are great...

well you see, i had my first visual lesson on sex education during one train journey...  i was in my class 7th then, i think... i innocently went to the loo to see a detailed art of what goes where and does what with all the nitty-gritties neatly explained... even my peer group and Zoology teacher failed to explained me so efficiently....

i was attending a national conference at IIT-G during my college where i got my first taste of graphic novels... marked into the desks of these kids  was a complete comic script of such a story... these kids are a genius , i say.. and if not for these engravings how in the world could we recognize their hidden talents, i say...

and you should read the walls of Chennai metro train instead of eavesdropping on what the female sitting next to you is gossiping...  you ll know updated details of who is going out with whom and fresh leads of whom to hit...

Some lines found by your truly:

 "Padithathum Marandhu vitavum" (Forget once you read this) 

 "Jobless!! go goggle at that big breasted woman" (Now, seriously!!) 

 "Raghu, I Love you - Yours only Raji

 Sorry Raghu, your widget is too small.. Surya, you are my hero"

The last one had me flabbergasted and in splits that i wondered if i am really in Chennai....
 

and so.. what graffiti or a public line did u enjoy??