What's new?

Its been some time since I posted something new here. I was working on changing layouts and designs and the only thing that was constant during this activity was 'losing patience' - Either the designs on the web world did not entice me or those that made me feel OK were missing few technicalities that I prefer. It was hard to focus on creativity, features, design that appeals to the eyes, a layout that shows the important things etc., - all at the same time and I ended up losing my old template and those things attached to it. Blah...blah...I can go on and on for not blogging for a while. But I am back with a new inbuilt template for now and a fresh look in terms of blogging.

Moved on to...
http://reflectionsraji.wordpress.com/

Please mark the new link and do continue to visit, comment and follow me on this blogging arena. Cheers!!!

An Award

Raji.U, my fellow blogger friend has honored me with a blogger award. Thanks Raji!

Gone with the wind...:)

School days...Humor...Teachers...Labs...Assembly Prayer...PT Classes...Board exams...Bus stops...It's been a decade since I left school. I was surfing through orkut and clicked my school community and the essence is this post.

There used to be a TV serial in DD those days which was titled something like 'School days'...I loved to watch that serial because it used to pottray what happens in school those days. Does anyone remember that?

And in the orkut community of my school, there was a discussion on who is considered to be the best teacher of our school. There were different answers like Balu Sir, Surya mam, Julie mam, Prabhakar sir etc., There was only one who has told that he likes Ramesh Sir. Ramesh Sir is very strict in his own ways and almost everyone in the school disliked him. So, for this person who told he liked him...has been replied with a comment from another one saying 'Enna Ramesh Sirnu solra...romba nallavana iruppa pole'...I was laughing when I read it but the crux of the post comes next :) And most of them has voted for Balu sir and konetti mam. And whenever I saw konetti mam, it was bolded. I thought there was some anglo Indian lady by name Konetti (sounded like Kalki Koechlin of DevD fame) who took the class before I joined. And in the later pages, someone has asked who Konetti is? Thats when I realised it was a tamil colloquial word used in my part of Tamilnadu for a person who shows off..no that's not the exact english version...some other words which can be used in replacement of 'konetti' is alumbals, alapparai, alattals etc., I could not control my laughter until I realised that was a word and not a person :):)

And there was a post on the quotes from teachers...I think we had lots of Jeppiars in school...Some of them which made me laugh :)
keep quiet,the principal jus now passed away [meaning he just passed by the class]
Get sorry and sit...
Yesterday, I met one of your parents...
all of you form a round circle...........run........rotate the ground......:):)

It was so surprising to see my classmates - most of them have changed a lot...married, have kids...it looks like some inter/intra class marriages happened too :) Was fun looking at all that and whenever I looked at a particular person, it reminded me of few anecdotes and the enjoyment of those days...Gone are those school days...but this has brought back memories.

L(p)ast week...

It was a bit different from the normal with indulgence in various things. Birthday was very normal which is different in my case...I always had a blast in almost all the birthdays since those college days. As age increases, birthday fun decreases :) You can call this as Raji's law of birthday action....Jus kidding!!! I made a sweet for myself but did not feel like having it since it did not come out well :( Friends came over late in the evening and there was a formal cake cutting although I did not enjoy it to the fullest except having the delicious 'Tiramisu' which is my favourite. I was invited to a friend's place for dinner on that day. And the day got over...September looks full on my calendar with the markings on most of the dates...Wedding Anniversaries, B'days, Baby showers...Need to wish people for those which I remember atleast...

Dance practise for the diwali show is shaping out well and I am glad that I am picking it up fast than I expected. Although it is a very new experience of trying out a classical number, I like it :)

Picked out 3 books from the library and in the verge of completing one which is 'Being in love' by Osho. This being the first book of Osho's that I am reading, I have had lot of thoughts that I felt like contradicting as I read. Now, I am curious to read the next one of Osho's that I have put on hold - 'Emotional wellness'. And the other two - 'Tipping Point' and 'Talent Overrated' is yet to be touched...Have a pile of magazines that remains unread and the other gifted books too. Have to get back to the speed, I guess...

Long weekend went off very quick with travel and spending time watching movies, cooking and chatting with Sis. Movie part now...
Malaikottai - With a so called comedy grip of Urvasi and Ashish Vidyarthi's, there's nothing significant to talk about the movie. Priyamani was very homely and Vishal was as usual trying to prove his choreographic abilities by doing so much extensively...
Sakkarakatti - Lokesh, hero's friend is better in dancing than acting. I used to be a fan of him when I was watching MM in Kalaignar TV. Saanthanu - I wondered sometimes why is he trying to speak unnecessarily with a different accent sometimes? Dipali - A dolly :) Vedhika - Wat to say? No idea....The whole movie itself tried to convey something but came out as an utter failure...except the songs...Although Taxi Taxi may be a humongous hit, and 'I miss you da' might have won accolades for the singers, my favourite is 'Marudhaani....'
The Proposal - Watched during the flight journey. Ryan Reynolds as Andy and Sandra Bullock as Maggy...watching two opposite poles like them in the whole movie was a good timepass. I thought that only namma oor movies has the family sentimental in a certain way and this particular movie had something similar when Maggy/Andy's marriage is arranged and Andy's grandma gets the necklace and the wedding gown from the family clan...looked like 'Idhu enga amma kalyanathukku potathu...Andy-a kalyanam paanika poravalukkaga naanga bathirama edhuthu vachirukom...Idhu enga kudumba sothu...Kudumba vizhakkaga vara pora unakke' types....And when Sandy...sorry Maggy runs away from the wedding ceremony justifying her act, the drama played by the Grandma after that...marks a closing act :)

And surprisingly met a college junior in Boston...Couldn't recognize her until she came and told me 'my rapport with juniors' in college. She was excited to talk to me and kept talking for few mins in a flow...:)

Its been years since I played with kids...Sis's friends visited her place and got a chance to play with one of them :) Also, had a great dinner time with them - After having great food in India, this is the best so far, I would say - Sambar, Rasam, Aviyal, Potato Chops, Beans poriyal, Curd rice, Veg Pulav and raitha made a 'wholesome' dinner and ending it with a home made 'Tiramisu' made by my sis...I wish I had hibernated there itself :):)

I was reading Murali's blog on 'Quietitude weighs heavy' and now I could feel that :( Whatever, life goes on...

Sep 3 - Wat it says?

Although I don't believe completely in astrology, I like to read it to see what's been predicted. Predictions don't turn out true always...If it happens to be, then it's a coincidence - That's my belief :)
What does it say for tomorrow?

Virgos, born on September 3 are ambitious and may achieve their goals early in life. If they do, they cannot be satisfied until they also have an equally successful personal life. They have a great capacity for spirituality, which may not surface until later in life.

Virgo Information for September 3
You should embrace: Family values, good times, domesticity
You should avoid: Loneliness, predictability, boredom

Friends and Lovers
People born on September 3 like having people around them yet have difficulty making close friends. Their strong level of competition sometimes creates animosity. They have a great need to show that they can attract the most eligible partners when what they really want is to find the person of their dreams and settle down. Once they do, they have a capacity for true happiness and contentment.

Children and Family
September 3 individuals have a somewhat grandiose view of what family life should be. Their growing years may have been less than idyllic. It may be difficult for them to generate the level of commitment they believe is necessary to be a good parent.

Health
September 3 people love good food and may have to adopt an active lifestyle to stay slim. Because of their positive attitude, they seldom experience nervous ailments. Though they may smoke or drink in moderation, they should supplement their diet with vegetables and vitamins.

Career and Finances
People born on September 3 are sufficiently talented to find success in many fields. They like to strike a balance between handling details and seeing the larger picture. They enjoy making money and not just to buy themselves a good life. They're willing to gamble but never get used to losing.

Dreams and Goals
September 3 natives are goal-oriented. They will pursue their dreams with every bit of energy and vitality they possess. One goal common to many September 3 folks is to start their own business; they have a strong entrepreneurial spirit.

Source: Howstuffworks.com
P.S: If you want to check yours, google it on ' birthday astrology' and you are there!

----NY----

I happen to watch this movie yesterday. I did not read reviews before I watched and I think that's one reason that I liked the movie. There are 3 other things that adds flavor to it - The smart hunk John Abraham, the
gorgoeus looking Katrina Kaif and the story plot. This is the first movie of Katrina that I am watching and I should admit that she is amazingly beautiful! Neil as Omar has done his part well except for some weird
emoticons that he shows at times. When it comes to a police officer role and someone has to pick up from Bollywood, the choice obviously goes to Irfan and he did not make people regret for the choice that was made. I am not sure how much validity lies in the brutality shown to the 9/11 suspects, but John Abraham scores high when he is ill treated in prison. Everytime he was beaten, I was closing my face not to see it and giving a noise as if someone is beating me :) When Katrina says to Neil that she knows what John is doing, When Neil drops down knowing Katrina loves John, When John takes his daugher Dhaanya upstairs not to hear what they talk, all that shown was love. The story plot is good in terms of the inability to guess what would be the next move. On the whole, the movie was good to watch when compared to all other masala, commercial or the usual evergreen love stories. The facts shown at the climax is good as an ending. On the whole, I liked it and my verdict is good!

1...2...3...

I was tagged by my blogger friend 'Raji' as usual and here goes the 'number' tag:

1 Sister - A Guide, A Scholar
2 Countries - I have lived so far - India, USA
3 Best friends - My idea of best friend was different till I came to US but I am glad I have 3 now - Saranya, Mohan and Naren
4 languages - I can understand - Tamil, English, Hindi and Telugu
5 celebrities who I look upon - Steve Jobs, Sachin Tendulkar, Indra Nooyi, Robin Sharma, Sharath Babu
6 places that I love to visit before I die - Italy, Singapore, Bahamas, TajMahal, London, Moon :)
7 TV shows that I like to watch - Airtel Super Singer, American Idol, Who dares wins, Are you smarter than a 5th grader?, CSI Miami, F.R.I.E.N.D.S, Neeya Naana?
8 media personalities who I like - Abhishek Bachan, Rajat Kapoor, Rahul Bose, Konkana Sen Sharma, Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, Matt Damon, Christopher Nolan
9 things that I do frequently - Blogging, Listening to Music, Cleaning, Reading, Web surfing, Driving, Drinking Coffee, Cutting nails, Making to do lists
10 movies of my lifetime - Anbae Sivam, Dil Chahta Hai, Jab we met, Cast Away, Alaipayudhey, Varusham 16, Ratatouille, Taare Zameen Par, Morning Raaga, Pursuit of happyness

And I leave the tag to whoever wants to take it (not many blogger friends, u know? ;))