To Ricky Ponting...

When the names Symmonds, Sledging and Monkey Business have become a part of newsmaking, here comes the latest one - 'The obnoxious little weed'. Sources claim that those are the words Hayden used against Bhajji. I don't know why the Oz always target on Bhajji and indulge him into controversies? Are they afraid of Bhajji's spin action? It's not good on Oz management to sit and look at all these. What's the team captain and management doing? Ricky, you have to do something about this, man (atleast after reading the below letter from an Indian cricket fan).

This is an interesting letter from an Indian cricket fan and I am sure all Indian cricket fans will love it. Whatever the Indian cricket fans would have thought, this letter captures all that. This is a good read which is written in a very decent manner.

Do read it here:
http://www.cricketndtv.com/cricket/ndtvcricket/cricketstory.aspx?id=SPOEN20080042445

Hmmm...

I am not the usual me today. No excitement, No enthusiasm, No energy, No big smile...Something is obstructing my mind...Not only my mind...my whole body...I could feel a sense of discomfort in me...I did not feel like eating...I did not like taking my daily energy booster...the aroma filled coffee...I did not read the news properly even after seeing the headlines sparkling with an Indian win in the cricket...Where has the cricket passion in me gone??? I did not sing my favourite 'Idhu enna mayam' song while it was playing in my itunes; I did not go for work out today...I did not sleep properly...I did not read my personal emails in detail...I didn't feel like talking to anyone...But I am lying down thinking about all this. What is this all about? Am I targetted by the cupid??? Am I suffering from the love syndrome? Hee...hee... I am targetted by the 'cold' cupid and am suffering from the 'cough' syndrome and the sore throat makes me speechless giving me all sort of weariness, making me feel different today. And, nothing else... :):):)

Hurrah!!!

Siglo...Eeuwse...Siecle...Jahrhundert...Secolo...Beka...

Ha..ha...Sounds Greek & Latin to you? Yeah..to me too....Reached my hundredth blog post and all the above words signify 100 in different languages :) This is an initiation phase for my blog posts and I know that I need to focus/work on certain aspects for which I received constructive feedback. But, to be honest, I can say in one line - My Blog is my best companion!!! Thanks to all who supported and criticized my writings.

My Blackberry...

Here comes my blackberry mobile phone - The slim and stylish phone I ever had :)
I got this one recently after researching for the kind of phone that I would like. Although I am not a gadget freak or a gadget guru, I did a good analysis on the phone after I received it. The mobile phone sites and other sites have lot of details on this blackberry but this is what I know about it:
Includes

• Camera
• Built in music player
• Voice activated Dialing
• Email/Web access
• Push to talk feature - You can reach an active talk group at a button press and no longer need to make several calls to coordinate with a group. It's like a walkie talkie.
• Voice mail access - You can access your voice mail from any phone, which I think could be of best use.
• Built in messenger - Yahoo and Google Talk
• PC Synchronization - You can synchronize address book, calendar from BB to your PC
• Bluetooth technology

Although these features can be seen in most of the mobile phones nowadays, I love Blackberry for its look and usability.

Perfect Launch - The Fusion

After a stint, I have got something/someone to write in this column. I have written about Music and now it's the time for dance. Most of my friends like Ruturaj Mahalim, a kid who is a great dancer. I too liked him after watching his performance in Boogie Woogie. When I watched the show, I thought, C'mon, how can a small kid perform like this with great expressions, confidence, energy and of course, an excellent choreography. But, if I have to talk about someone for this perfect launch in the dance category, I would say it's the perfomance by Saumya Srivatsav. This Ranchi star who is 11 years old, did a fusion dance in Boogie Woogie. I was not only amazed by her performance but also by her attitude and the way she showed maturity for her age when she said 'I don't think that all other kids are competitors; They are my friends and I am happy that I have come till this level'. If you watch the youtube video of her performance, you will agree to what I say. It's a flawless performance by her - To be clear, the tempo she maintained and I din't see any gap when she changes from classical to western. It was a perfect transition. Hats off Saumya!!! This is what I call PASSION!

Enjoy Saumya's performance by clicking here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waWj4a3aeiE

IPL - A Sneak Peek

• IPL - Indian Premier League - A Twenty20 cricket tournament created by BCCI and sanctioned by ICC
• Commences on April 18, 2008
• Spans for 44 days involving 59 matches
• Pool of 16 players in each team
• Max of 8 foreign players, 4 under 22 players, 4 players from the particular state team they represent/are based
• The Biggies to watch (for more # of big hits) - MS Dhoni, Symmonds, Gayle, Afridi, Styris, Yuvraj, Gibbs and Gilchrist
• The Leads - Dravid, Sachin, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Sehwag, Laxman, Ganguly, Kaif
• The Coaches - Prasad, Robin Singh, John Buchanan, Greg Chapell, Tom Moody
• The team that won the highest bid - Kolkata
• The player who won the highest bid - Our Jharkand star 'Dhoni'
• The Franchise Owners - Vijay Mallya, Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, Ness Wadia, Priety Zinta, Mukesh Ambani

Twenty 20 matches are always fun and interesting...When Yuvi's 6's are still lingering in most of our minds, this is another set of matches filled with thrill, fun, frustratation and mixed feelings. But this is going to be different as most of our Indian players compete each other under different teams. Will IPL make a big impact in the cricket arena? We'll see what happens...

Buzz.....

For a change, here is a Q&A part to chillax!

1. Name Three Most Valuable Assets?
Dance, Friends and Books.

2. If you have the chance, what would you probably say to your beloved one?
Enna paaka vara ivlo naalacha???(in Alaipayudhey style)

3. If you were to be stranded on a desert island, who are the 3 bloggers you would take with you?
I would take these 3
Murali - To listen him singing
Paddu - To talkabout MBA
Saranya - To discuss about the above two :)

4. Where is the place that you want to go the most?
Whites Road Office

5. If you can have 1 dream to come true, what would it be?
To become the No.1 Entrepreneur

6. Till now, what is the moment/date that you have regretted the most?
No regrets...

7. What are you afraid to lose the most?
Enthusiasm in doing anything

8. What would you do if you found a briefcase full of money?
I will just walk away without it

9. If you meet someone that you love, would you confess to him/her?
Yes, If I know what his reaction would be

10. List out 3 good points of the person whom you consider your role model
Honesty. Attitude. Clarity in thoughts

11. What are the requirements that you wish from your other half?
Although I don't have an other half, I would require him to be a person of ethics, enthusiasm and maturity

12. Which type of person do you hate the most?
Egocentric and selfish

13. What is your ambition?
To achieve what I dream :P

14. What is the thing that will make you think someone is a bad person?
A calculative mind

15. Tamil New Year is coming, who do you like to celebrate with?
Friends

16. If you could do one thing different in life, what would it be?
To adopt a child

17. Are you a shopaholic or no?
Not at all

18. What is your stress buster?
Music

19. In 50 years time, what will family relations become?
It would be the same

20. What is your intimate way of expressing love towards your beloved?
A smile and a hug

I got this from Jo, although he didn't tag me. And I am not going to tag this to anyone either. Feel free to take it and post it the way you want! Cheers...

Beyond Borders - The Innovation!

I was just skimming through GK's blog and to my interest, there was this - The Entrepreneurship week @ Stanford. It's commencing on this Friday (Feb 22) and spans over a week. Although the collection of events, the hosts and the jury panel makes you feel like 'Wow, I wish I were there'...it is one thing that made me feel it - 'The Innovation tournament'.

Innovation tournament is an apprentice style student competition wherein the team of students will be given an everyday object and challenged to create more value out of it. It may sound generic when you read it and think that you have had such competitions in your school/college. But it's not what we think. It's the mode of creating true values. I realized it when I saw the Innovative tournament called 'Imagine it!' which was held during last year's Entrepreneurship week. The daily object was a post it note wherein teams from various countries like US, Ecuador, Thailand, Australia, India etc., participated and created core values of Political statements, Educating children, Helping Charity Organizations, a collabarative music project and a comedy show with those post it notes.

If you are interested to watch it, try this link
http://www.imagineitproject.com/events/downloads/imit_downloads.htm

I was curious to watch people giving crispy details on Entrepreneurship with topics ranging from Micro financing, lending, venture capitalism, tolerance of failure, risk management, rapid prototyping and much more. It's been a very long time since I have taken notes like this :)

Overall I liked the video theme 'Promote Creative thinking!'.This is what 'Innovation @ it's best' means to me :)

I am waiting to see what this year's daily object is going to be. I have to keep an eye on the related websites to see the creative juices flowing out of people's minds.

My Caricature!

Caricatures are intentionally skewed portraits of someone or something drawn in a cartoon style. It's a deliberately exaggerated portrait giving a comic or grotesque effect. Caricature is an art!

When it comes to the chance of getting my own caricature, I'll not miss it. I did get a chance yesterday when I saw this old man making caricatures in just 2 mins. I din't mind standing in the line for my turn to get my portrait by his nice sketches. When he asked me what should he write in my caricature, this is what came to my mind 'Raji's Reflections!'. I thought that would be the best fit for my portrait. When he finished his artistic touch, he gave me the caricature in a cover saying, 'You have a big smile!' and here you go...:)))

An Entrpreneur's learning

Have you ever thought an Entrpreneur could learn from Obstetrician/Gynaecologist? I've never thought of it. But this blog post of Guy Kawasaki's, has details on it.
http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2008/02/everything-you.html

Without FSJ, I would not have gotten into Guy Kawasaki's blog. The new version of his blog is great. And I am going to add him in my blog roll.
Check it out: http://egos.alltop.com/

Thinking Cap - What to/did u name it?

I totally forgot about publishing the answer to this post 'Thinking Cap'. Thanks to two of my friends who reminded me. I am glad that few people have tried finding their own caption for the above image. I would say the caption for an image like this, it depends on one's perspective and the way they look at things. When I saw this image, I was totally surprised that how a simple image can leave a great message. Although I came across a lot of images like this, I did choose this one in particular because I always talk about 'Standing out from the crowd!'

In my words, it means 'Being unique'. The image actually portrays that but the wordings are different - 'Don't be afraid to be different'. When you closely look at the caption and the image, the relation is obvious. Three pencils are facing up and the other one is unique which is facing down. When someone looks at this image, the unique one will get a special attention. Isn't it? Although being unique is difficult in practical sense, one should not be afraid to be different - This is what it conveys.

For those who came close in finding it out, Kudos! And for those who tried finding it out, pat yourselves since it's a good attempt!

Writer's Digest...

PPLD - Pikes Peak Library District (the local library) has always been doing different things like volunteer reading, teaching, Adult Literacy, E-pick ups, Community database and much more. I was grazing through the books that I have kept on hold in PPLD and this thing caught my attention.

Competitions and events always gives a sense of excitement to me, even though some of them might not be related to my interests. But this particular one is not under that category. There are plenty of writer's contests being held and I am glad to see that almost all kinds ranging from Mystery, Fiction, Horror, Fantasy, Inspirational, Religious to Poetry have been included. I clicked on the 'Writer's Digest' page and found the criteria to publish, entry fee and all 'how-to' details. I have chosen a category which I am comfortable with and I believe that I can do a decent job. But I need some time and idea to make it a good one! It's a matter of 'start' but I guess it will flow when I start writing it. Wat say??? Just a try!!! ;)

Check it out @
Contests: http://www.writersdigest.com/contests/annual/77th/
Library: http://ppld.org

Ha..Ha...Halwa :)

1. Pronounced as 'Hull-va'
2. Also known as Halua
3. Alternate spelling - 'Halva'
4. Common misspelling - 'Hulwa'
5. The desert that is a well-known product of South Indian place called 'Tirunelveli'
6. A competent for Palgova
7. Comes with different varieties such as Carrot Halwa, Banana Halwa, Mango Halwa, Pumpkin Halwa, Badam Halwa
8. Gets the top position in my favourite sweets list
9. A pack which normally goes into my big bag during my return from hometown to workplace :)
10. Reminds me of my recent failure in trying my hands with it during the auspiscious New Year eve
11. Shown in Tamil movies with a different perspective
12. Has been the main reason for my visits to T'veli during the childhood days
13. Featured in the opening song of the movie 'Saamy'
14. If your tongue twists, you may end up saying 'Hawala'
15. Etymology is from Arabic which means 'sweet' and Halwa lives up to its namesake

Overall, I came up with this post since I am eating Halwa (a recent import from India) after a very long time, with such an excitement :P

For all Halluva lovers, hope you read this post with aplomb!

The 'Voice'

I was eagerly waiting for 'Paadum Office' solo finals. Particularly to watch MKBalaji's performance :) But it was a flop show by him. He tried one of my most fav song which, once upon a time was my mobile's caller tune - 'Endrendrum Punnagai' from Alaipayudhey. He gave a good try but could have chosen a song that suits him better. When he is considered as the one who has the voice of 'SPB', he could have chosen a song of this singing legend.

I was totally engrossed when I heard these two infoscian's voices - Divya and Venkat. Venkat being the last year and this year's winner was the right choice for the award. I am not a fan of Ghazals (bcoz I don't know much about it :)) and hence din't show interest when he sang that. But when he sang Hariharan's 'Kandukonden Kandukonden', as like anybody else, I thought Hariharan himself is singing on stage. I couldn't find a difference between Venkat's and Hariharan's voice. Krish (One of the judges and the 'June pona' fame singer) rightly said 'You have a great voice and you know what? You sound like Hariharan, man!' Hmm..Ahem!!!

The most outstanding performance of the day was by Divya. Taking an Ilayaraja song and performing it with perfection is not that easy, but Divya did it! I dint know the song before but I liked it a lot even though I heard it for the first time (which is kinda unusual in my case). I researched the song later. It's a simply superb song - an usual musical delite from Maestro. What song is that? 'Isaiyil Thodangudhamma' from Hey Ram- a slow song but a great one!

It was a particular performance that made me to talk about all these people. But there is one person whose voice I personally liked a lot - It's the voice of Benny. He has got versatility in his voice - He can sing melody, fast beat and songs of all sorts from 'Pramadhavanam', 'Kanmunne ethanai nilavu' to 'Dil se'.

When I quote about Benny, I should say that 'Pramadhavanam' is one of the best songs that I have ever heard. It's a master piece by Yesudas. I have already heard this from Murali's (a blogger) voice but I should admit that both Murali and Benny have given their best. I can hear it anytime and any no. of times (heard it 7 times between my start and finish of this post :) You should definitely listen to Pramadhavanam and I am sure most of you will love it! Try to bend your ears towards this great rendition! Oru maadhiri dheiveegama irukkum indha Pramadhavanam song - Kaetudhaan paarungalen :) And don't miss 'isaiyil thodangudhamma' too :)