Biggerhalf

25 years!!!

2007-10-05T11:40:00.001-04:00

In exactly a week I'll turn 25.. wow thts a significant part of ur life where ur supposed to have a 1/4 life crisis & give a hard think abt where you want to be in life after say 15years. If you are being realistic enough you might find an answer taht u'll be driving to work each week day pick up kids from school may be groceries for ur wife . At that time I'll start having a receding hairline & a growing paunch.. Anything I missed?? I don't think so..

Then why we think abt the future @ 25. I guess that's because we want to know which office i drive to in which car , which school to send d kids & which grocery store to buy grocery( Bye bye walmart??? ) Thats why we plan for future to answer the big question WHICH?

Anyways question apart next week I'm officially completing 25 years which makes the fact that I'm getting old true.. Definitely I'm not getting any younger tho i'm in grad school hanging out with young ppl :)..

Herione!!!

2007-08-12T01:24:00.001-04:00

I was seeing some old movies, mid 80's movies to be precise. I found that the heroines had a significant role to play like a female reporter or some role where they have some worth not like some college student like shown today. Their roles carried some importance there were some catfights between the heroine & a gal in the villan group(Silk mostly....) But nowadays most heroines role is limited to dance for some item numbers & come as glamor dolls..

Even glamor gals of the old films had some roles like gangster gals etc..

Where are we going?
Why don't we portray women properly in movies nowadays?
Will a movie like Erin Brokovitch ever made in Tamil film industry?

Chennai to Kovai.. Bus

2006-11-08T19:09:00.003-05:00

Just an ordinary night trip in Tamil Nadu State mofussil bus.. Pollam riteeee

I usually go to Kovai from Chennai by Train( Mostly Blue mountain or Cheran) Tickets ellam high demand especially weekend timela so next option Omni bus.. Naangellam romba surusurupu Will go on Thursday night to travel agents( who are in Adayarla thaan Koyembedu remba distance)

Thursday evening:

Me: Coimbatore ku ticket iruka..
Agent: Eppo sir ( enna ellam Sir nu Koopru Mariyadhai oda maanathe vaangitaanga.. Its alright no harm for me )
Me: Hmmm Naalaiku night?
Agent: Ippo vanthu kekareengele sir?
Me: Appo naalaiku Vantha kedikuma?
Agent: Adhilla Sir .. Ellam Book aayirikum.. Irunga Paakaren...
Sees the computer n says Illai Sir all Seats Full
Me: Seringa.. na

Modhalle ellam Phone pannuvaanga vera vera office ku .. Would be a time pass to listen.. Approm Tensiona irukum Ticket kedaikuma kediakaatha nu.. Omni bus ticket ellam engineering college Seat illai udane kedaikarathuku.. its a lot tougher like getting first day first show ticket..

After the Omni bus veetuku varuven..

Roomie: Dei nee naalaiku ooruku poriya?
Me: Aaama da
R: Eppadi pore.. Ticket iruka?
M: Illai..
R: Ada paavi .. 2 vaarthuku munnadiye sonniye da. Tatkal try panni irukalaam illai..
M:Miss pannitenda
R: Podaanga.. Seri approm eppadi poga pore
M: Bus
R: KPN?
M: illai
R: Conti?
M: illa da
R: Approm???
M:Tamil nadu State corporation!!!
R: Dei alinjiduve da nee.. eppadi da bus le ellam pore??
M: He he ..

Friday
I leave office early.. Since i didn't take my bike to office.. Govt bus ku wait panninen.. It didn't come So adutha bus stop ku walk.. ange bus illai aana konjam Share Auto irundichu.. So i took one share auto n came till thiruvaanmayur thru ECR.. Ange irundhu innoru town bus Finnala reached adayar..

Changed grabbed a bag dumped some clothes & went out to catch a bus again.. This time to koyambedu.. Evening rush so plan panni I took a mahabs bus to koyambedu.. Kootam thaan aanana nikka mudinjadhu.. Time taken to reach Koyambedu 1.5 hrs.. GST la ithu pona traffic Construction vera.. sollave thevala

Round about 8 maniku in Koyambedu terminal.. velila oru hotel la idly n chutney dinner. & filter kaapi for finishing tuchu.. Got 1 water bottle.. enna thanniyo yaarku theriyum no particulate matter inside bottle so thappichen

8.30 Ku bus erinen .. Direct coimbatore tickets kedaikaathu nu enaku theriyum ( insider info ) so I plan like chennai -salem-erode- kovai ( Proper planning is important).. So waited for the bus to come adichu pudichu eri jannal seat potaachu,But there is a ismall problem the jannal is a slinding window.. so pinnadi irukara aaal can close my part of the kaathu n vice versa..

Bus 8.45 Ku kelambitaan proper timing u see... Approm athe ithu pona road la athe ithu pona traffic jam aaan this time it ithupoified in the opposite direction... Kattipara vara mani 9.45.. kathipara thaadinathu approm thaan therinjathu busa ottrathu bus driver la auto driver nu!! Semma cuttings.. Oru 90 Cuttings koyambedu la ulla uttaoro nu yosichutu irundhappo damaal nu oru sound.. Vela paatha we were near airport cargo area in GST.. Driver red na polaam nu nenachaar pola aana munnadi rundha tempo appadi nenaikale traffic rule follow pannaidaala accident..

All ppl got down.. no1 hurt in the bus or the tempo..This was sitnessed by a Traffic PC.. Udane avar vanthu law va protect panna vandiya oran katta sonnar.. Since govt bus paper work iruku la so police seargent came ( 20 mins it took for them to come.. he has a driver for the bike ) romba neram pesinaanaga pesinaha vida drivera ketta vaarthala thitnaanga nu solrathu than nyaayam.. Collection is nil for govt bus priv na duddu paathu irukalaam.. paperwork ellam mudiya 2 Hrs aachu.. Phone panni roomate koopdalaam nu yosanai vanduchu aana naanga covering maan parambarai Koopta maanatha vaangiduvaan nu koopdale

kadasiya 11.45 pakkam bus kelambichu approm the battle for window started.. Pinnadi irundavan kannadiya munnnadi thallinaan.. naan pinnadi thallinen.. avan munnasi thallinan ippadiye romba neram pannitu irundom kadaisila avan veruthu poi uttutaan.. For entertainment Freinds padam pottu irudaanga bus la.. Aaaniye pududing iruka venaamo nu oru ennaam thonichu Free uttuten

Nalla thookam.. Salethutku arnd 4.30-5 vanthuchu bus... exact time nyabagam illai aaana Onnu mattum gyabaam iruku.. antha time la tea kadai irundichu n tea pottutu irundanaga n the tea master was saying paal ippo thana vanthichu nu.. Tea was really decent n thick for the bus stop tea kadai standards

tea saaptititu next connecting bus I caught.. Erode polaam nu thaan plan aaana to my luck there was a salem-kovai bus so i took that bus, intha time no sandai as bus was kaali.. again a jannal seat.. nalla kaathu appadiye thoongiten.. Early morning nice melodies in suryan FM.. sooper thookam.. Finalla kanan thotandu paatha Avinaasi road n KMCH.. time paatha 9.00 mani pakkam .. got down @ Kuppusamy Hospital got a town bus to Railway station.. Semma pasi so Aryaas la sambar idly & dosa oru full kattu.. Saapdratha paathu waiters bayanthutaanga Finalla bus pidichu veedu poi senthappo mani 11.00 ...veetuku poi flat out till 4.00... innum thoongi irupen aana ennoda chennai rooamte called me

Roomie: Dei vanthu senthutiya ( avanum cbe payyan thaan he took a train)
Me: aama da.. 11 maniku vanthen nee?
R: naan 7.00 manike vanthuten. athaan train munnadiye book pannanum enna maatiri..sonnen la
M: Adviceu?? en ippadi ellam
R: Sayanthram enna plan?
M: Race Course cofee day
R: Hmmm OK.. En veetuku vaa approm senthu polaam
M: 1/2 hr la kelambaren
R: Ok bye

Local bus @ chennai: Rs30
Dinener : Rs 20
Chennai to salem: Rs 115
Salem to Kovai: Rs 80
Breakfast - Rs25
Local bus @ Kovai - Rs 5

Total expense... Rs 275

Priceless moments:

*Disappointment on PC's face
* Window fights
* Early morning Tea
* Nanban's naan sonnen la feeling

Chumma Padam

2006-10-28T23:12:00.000-04:00

Been a long time i blogged.. Usual excuse Laziness... dis is a pic blog taken from my mobile phone ( Sony Ericson K750i )

Shoeflower( Chemparuthi) @ my bacyard.. I love this pic

Ramprasad Hotel Junction - Adayar to Besant Nagar ... Where i did my first wheeling;) no accidents though I'm a new rider

Intentionally left Blank??

2006-09-19T01:59:00.000-04:00

Come across pages that have the following Line printed across the center

"This page is left Intentionally Blank"

Now thats what's a Catch-22 situation.

I've heard lots of the catch-22 situation. I got the boo from a platform vendor who had set his shop on the backside of the Adayar Gandhinagar Bus depot more than 2 years ago on the intention of reading it . . I didn't read it yet

In between these 2 years the book & the owner of the book has travelled to various places but didn't get a chance to get to know each other. The book was flicked by my freind who meted out the same treatment to it.. He didn't read it either but refused to give it back to me. Ultimatley I had to steal my own book from him.

Hoping to read the book sometime in the near or distant future

Freedom!!

2006-09-18T02:02:00.000-04:00

Thanks to my Roomie I now know How it feels to be free.

On saturday I dozed off listening to songs in my Ipod as the power went off. My roomie was planning to go out somewhere, I sleepily told him to lock the door & go & then went to sleep. My house can be opened from inside. I woke up after an hour or so & tried opening the door. The door was locked & LATCHED from the outside. I called up one of my neighbour only to know that he's on his way home & would take 45 minutes for him to reach home. In Short i was under House Arrest!!

55 Minutesd passed.. There was the Sound of my neighbour opening the Latch.. I felt some kind of happiness that can't be described in words. I Stepped outside & saw out. Its the same thing I see each day, but at that moment I felt different. Then the thought Struck me was how people feel to be Free..

Inspite of me having all the necessites when i was latched in ( TV, Mobile ,Comp, some Mysurpa & boondhi,water, bed etc) i did not feel comfortable at all. Just wondering how it would be for thousands of people under a opressed rule being a prisoners in their own soil or even my grandfather when he was my age to live in a his own country under a foriegn rule!!

There are lot of things we take for granted, but we realise the importance of these only when something happens. Happy to realise that I'm Free in this great Country

Mokkai Set 1

2006-09-06T04:05:00.000-04:00

Following are some of the Mokkais from me & my friends.. So read @ your own Risk....

Mokkai 1 :
Pizza Corner in the corner opposite to Forum @ B'lore
Me: Dei Pizza naam piecea sapudrathale athae Pizaa nu koopudurom. Fulla saapta athe Mulusa nu Kooptitu irupom!!

Mokkai 2:
N & S were coming home after having dinner. The water pump was running.. N says "Dei Motor paaru da nalla thoongudhu.. Korattai Vera uduthu"

Mokkai 3:
In Office walking to cube..

R- Intha Poo en Whitea iruku?
S- Therla
R- En na athu Vidhi

R- Intha sedi en Pachaiya iruku?
S- Therla
R- En na athu Vidhi.

R- Intha Lamp shade en Pachaiya iruku?
S - En na athu Vidhi.
R - Illai . En na tahuku Pachai Paint Adichu irukaanga

ID card !

2006-09-05T08:06:00.000-04:00

Last week I went to Spencer's daily ( Erstwhile Food world) in Spencer's & was lookin for somethin. Ther was a gal there wearing a blue coloured tag. I just walked to her & asked he "Could you let me know where the Soaps Section is?" She gave me a look that I could not understand & being the tamil magan I asked" Soap section enge irukudhu?" She glared at me & thats when it struck me that she's come for Shoppin. I apologised & made a move on to search for the soap section.I didn't mean to offend the gal, but when I asked her for the first time she could atleast have said I don't work here rather than glaring at me.

Nowadays IDs is a must in every place. I've got ID card @ home that says Arun- 2nd Son Age-23 In Case of Emergency: Shout or go look in the fridge. I don't understand why people wear their ID cards outside thier work place. The first thing I do is remove the thing & put it in my bag. More often people wear their ID cards outside the work place which creates confusions for laymen like me.

Next time u look @ the card with ur name & pic on it make sure you are @ the place where it is supposed to be & not end up being embarassed by ignorant folks like me :-)

Pertol Bunk??

2006-09-01T04:48:00.000-04:00

A week ago I drained the petrol from my bike thinking that I'll be sending it to my native, but things didn't go as planned it had to stay in Chennai.

A yamaha RX135 with a full tank has amazing mileage ;) Since mine had an empty tank I went to a petrol bunk in adayar( incedentally this happenes to be one of the better localites in the city) to get petrol in a bottle & to fill up my bike. Me & my friend were dicsussing about some bunks where they do malpractises like not ensuting zero , filling wrong quanties ( its always less quantity never more) ,mixing kerosene etc

When I came home & emptied the bottle into my bike I smelt the empty bottle. It smelled of KEROSENE!! I was quite surprised by it as the bunk is in an area where lots of people fuel their vehicles. I did not do anything like lodging a complaint or something. I'm just an average techie . We Indians have amazing tolerance for all the wrong things :(

Just puttin in here & wondering how much money would the bunk make by this kind of malpractices.. Needless to say my bike gave a pathetic mileage..

Long time no type

2006-08-21T08:48:00.000-04:00

Long time Since I blogged Guess I'll start again.. Laziness is always been my friend & this time also he'll be there with me..

Wehen I opened my blog lots of dust came, Looks like its lying unused for ages. I had to cover my nose with a cloth before dusting off.. Still ended up in messing up the floor. I'll try to blog if my laziness permits me to do so ;)

CIAO around

Write up

2006-04-25T21:12:00.000-04:00

The Following is something I did when I was waiting for my connecting flight in Chicago.. Idle mind Sure is my workshop ;)

Never imagined that I'd be doing this, 'Writing' something to pass away time. Just wondering how all of these happened... Could it be due to blogsphere where I hava a couple of friend who read whatever I type (including typos) ? or could it be due to the one hour flight delay that made me pick up a pen & paper (print out of the the e-ticket) & write something off?

I'd rather say that this piece of writing is to test how much can I write extemporaneously. I'm not sure that I will type this & put in the blog & if you are reding this in my blog, you can be sure of what I was unsure of.

A similar test was administered to me by myself more than a year ago. That was the time people said Da Vinci Code was the great novel. I was testing myself whether I can read a novel becasuse I have never read one till then. I used to read magazines, comics etx but not full novels. I must admit Da Vinci code was sure a captivating book. I knew the entire story but still was a good read.

Today ( Apr 21) I happened to complete the latest Reader's digest & also the Time magazine's cover story story about Opus Dei. This was about the movie Da Vinci Code & its impact on Opus Dei. Full text of the story can be obtained from the time magazine website .. Coincidentally I'm testing my writing ability.

Finally decided to stop writing (1.5 pages). Happy to know that indeed I can write & also my handwriting is still pathetic.

Footnotes:
* The most used word in this write up is I ( Am i an egoist?)
* There are no Smileys & Tanglish words!!

Untitled

2006-04-17T19:14:00.000-04:00

"Machhaan Inaiku enna da plan" asked Shyam to his sleepy roomie Sid AKA Sridharan. Sid say "What a question man? As usual da". Usual meant eat, roam & see movies. Shyam & Sid were typical youth of this era. Slog on weekends & sleep on weekends like logs.
Sid started his bike at 3.30 planing for 4.00 show. No sooner they travelled 1 Km the bike stopped with a flat tyre. Sid was like "Oh man!!". Silently he parked his bike in a corner. Shyam was like "No Bad words!!! Enna da aachu unaku". Sid sheepily grins & looks at the other side of the road. There he sees Pooja thier neighbour. Sid had a HUGE crush on Pooja which always caused him to behave awkwardly in front of her. Unlike Sid, Shyam was a friendly neighbor.
Pooja sees them & waves at them. She comes across & asks them " Enna aachu?". Sid nod Sheepishly & says "Puncture Bike aayidichu" Shyam was like Thelivaa irukaan da.. he then says to her "Enga usual plan thaan Padam polaam nu kelambinom Vandi Flat tyre athaan"
Pooja " Oh appadiya.. Pakkathula enaku therinja puncture shop iruku. Phone panni koopita varuvaar" She then gives the number & shyam calls up the Shop. As usual he walks 10 feet when talking, which left Sid & Pooja alone. Pooja was trying to start a conversion, which was never fruitful as Sid was like blabbering as usual. Pooja gives up when she sees Shyam finishing up the conversion.

Shyam - Innum 10 mins la varen nu sonnage.. Inge nee enna panre.
Pooja - Friend veetuku vanthen. Ava veetla velia kelambetaanga. So return. Neenga enna as usual theater thane?
Sid & Shyam grin ..

The chit chat continues for some time. The mechanic arrives & fixes the tyre, gets the money & leaves.

Pooja - Ippo thaane vandi fix aayidichu enna plan?
Shyam - Too late for movie.. So veedu thaan..
Pooja - Enaku oru place theriyum. Will u guys come with me?
Shyam looks at Sid. Sid was looking like him like if you say No then you will not Live.
Shyam - Seri pogalaam. Petrol theendu vandiya thallama irundha seri

The follow pooja to beach. There instead of heading to the sea Pooja walks to the shop keepers there & what was surprising for Sid & Shyam was that all of them seem to know her. They were talking as if she was a family member.

Pooja finally settles in a spot in the beach only to be surrounded by many kids with note books in thier hands. Kids of all ages form pre-school to High School. Sid & Shyam couldn't do anything but stare.

Pooja - Enna paakareenga? This is how I spend my sundays
Sid & Shyam stare silently..
Pooja - Ennaomo thonichu ungalukum intresta irukum nu. Basic lessons thaan.. Padichu irukeengilla?
Shyam - naan 8 pass. Ivan SSLC fail..

All laugh & they start enlighting the lives of the kids...

P.S:
I thought of writing a short story & this turned this way. Its not some advice or that kind , but something I have in mind & can't do. Hopefully I start when I reach Chennai...

Vending machine woes !!!

2006-04-11T22:33:00.000-04:00

It always happens to me!!! Whenever I put some money in the darn vending machine. It steals my money & says you loser you just lost 1.25 bucks to me. Want to try again ??

I went to the Mall this sunday( If i don't go to the Mall on a Sunday then day is not complete). There i roamed about shoppin furiously ( Ahem Window shoppping that is) Finally it was time to leave. I was thirsty....

There it was in a corner. Quiet, calm & looking inviting. I went up & inseted a Dollar & a quarter in the slots & pressed the Knob for a Dasani.. It made some sound as if it was vending, but nothing came out... It was when I realised that the sound actually meant I have your money... Now get outta here ...

This is not the first time a vending machine has robbed me!!! Once I put a dollar & Pushed "Press for change" Nothing came out.. I kept on pusing but NO Finally i decided that atleast i will not lose my money so i put in a quarter & tried to get a drink.. It took the quarter too!!!

Its not only the cold drinks machine. The snack vending machine is also equally satanic. It has stolen many times. The arrangement is like a screw to push the candy bar ets. The irony is that it screws all the time & steals the money..

So folks next time if you go to the vending machine Be Aware & Beware. Better still go to a shop & buy the thing. They give you a bill @least.

P.S: So damn bored thats the reason for this post..

Got tagged

2006-04-11T22:07:00.000-04:00

Got tagged by precious. Been a long time tht i blogged & was bored as hell.. 25 Q .. Here goes nothing..... Jiraneemoooo...

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn on page 18 and find line 4.

Found the 4th line ..

Cancer, only he never let me know

2.Stretch your left arm out as far as you can.

No matter how far I Strech it doesn't leave me. I guess its 'attached' to me.

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?

Dust particles. Thodaichu naala achu

4.Without looking, guess what time it is?

10.00 pm

5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?

10.03 pm.. I guess good !!!

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?

Ipods shouting.. mine in tamil & my roomie's in Hindi

7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?

Morining. Started to run to catch the bus...

8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at?

Whether the ipod is charged...

9. What are you wearing?

Shorts & banian

10. Did you dream last night?

Nope

11. When did you last laugh?

Yesterday.. saw a old pic of a friend.

12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?

Some cobwebs

13. Seen anything weird lately?

Oh yea.. ME!!!

14. What do u think of this quiz?

Absolutley useless.. I did not have anything to so.. If u r readin this, it xplaina a lot as to what u do Welcome to the world of vetti velai

15. What is the Last film u saw?

Twister.. Saw in a DVD. I was blown away :p

16. If you became a multimillionaire overnight, what would you buy?

A counting machine ;)

17. Tell me something about you that I dunno.

My feet size is 10 (US) 9 (indian).. I'm sure u won't know.. Just in case you decide to get me a pair of new Nikes you know

18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
Greed

19. Do you like to dance?

Oh ya.. I can't dance tho :D

20. George Bush...

President of USA

21. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?

:-)

22. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?

Same as 21.

23. Would you ever consider living abroad?

Right now am living Abroad.. Wanan be where home is INDIA

24.What do you want GOD to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?

Hello Mister/Miss. So You DO exist huh ?

25. People who may do this memo in their journal.
No one..

Visibly Invisible !!!

2006-03-01T22:56:00.000-05:00

I generally don't use the status message in yahoo messenger( been using it for about 6 yrs or so), my only two status messages would be either available or Invisible.Some weeks back I started using some staus messages to the surprise of a few.

4 days ago I was totally jobless ( know an Ideal oops Idle mind is a devil's workshop), I went and typed Invisible in the new staus message. I was never buzzed by any who would normally buzz when they see me online.. Talk about usage of brains.. After 2 days I got a message from my friend "There?" I replied back "Yes". So far 3 persons have found out that I'm visible though the staus says Invisible!!!

As for the others ... Makkale Grow up!!!!

Happy Annniversary

2006-01-21T18:59:00.000-05:00

Today is my parents Anniversary. I called up my home & my dad answered the call. I wished "Happy Anniversary:. My dad replied "Thanks. Wish you ". I literally scremed over the phone. "Dad!! I'm not married yet". The reason is that whenever i call up home its an occasion for wishing. I made a note to myself to call up home without any occasions too.

Every year we used to go out to the Bananri Amman Temple near Satyamangalam(It is a forested area & this temple was occasionally visited by the notorious forest birgand Veerappan). It was a family trip by bus me , my bro, mom , dad & granpa. Leave after having beakfast. Reach there about lunch time. Then do swami puja folowed by puja to the stomach. Return home around 7.00 pm or so Have dinner in a Hotel. The day is completed.

This has been the routine each ever ever since I remember. I've been missing it for the past few years. Last year I was caught at work in Chennai so missed. This year I'm in Indy. Looks like I've grown up. I wish I never grew up for this thing atleast.

One More Long Weekend

2005-12-26T23:21:00.000-05:00

Usually my long weekends are spent on trips to various places. Of late I feel all the places are same. I mean that.. Wherever we go we go by a car ( I don't drive my friends do the Honors of driving). Highways are all quite same.. So is the various stops for fuelling the automobile & the immobile humans. Invaraibly you fuel in a Taco Bell ,McD or Subway(Personally I never fuel here People say its Healthy. That is the reason why I don't) & there is a Rare Pizaa Hut too

This weekend was kind of differnt for me. We did not travel because we did not book a car. When we tried on Thursday it was as costly as renting a ferrari.. Man we asked for a Midsize Pontiac or a Nissan.. So I had three days & I decided it to use these wisely(Sleep).

Day 1 - Woke @ 4.00 .. Sun was up I was surprised because in Winter it is never up. Then there was a rumbling somewhere & I tried to duck under a table. But there was no table around. I thought the end was here... But hey the rumbling was not from outside but it was from inside. I was hungry ;) Then my friend said to me.. "Dei. How can a person sleep for 20 hours straight?" I felt day1 gone.. Ate Food Read a Book called "Ender's Game" A Sci-Fi Recommended by a friend of mine. The Book was good. The idea of using children in warfare was novel(Novel ideas is that why its called a Novel? I don't Know) . Some military strategies & some other ideas like telephathic communication was there, But lot was concentrated on the Game Ender Wiggin played. 5 Hrs on the trot & finished off the book. More on ender sometime later..

Sleep took over again.. I don't understand why we don't get tired of sleeping ??

Day 2 : Merry Xmas. I woke at noon.. Took bath.. Lunch in my friends place. Saw Constantine. Horror movie but it had some fundaes.. It had some advice about smoking & stuff... & oh it had a lot of Biblical refernce. I could some semblance to Matrix. Dinner time & my turn to cook. Got a shock opening the fridge. Not the 110V 60Hz one. There was nothin in the fridge except for some potatoes. Note made - Shop groceries tommorow. I had said before coming to US that I know to make chapattis & that was interpreted as I'm a chapatti making expert. I'm an expert in procastination thats my Forte. Anways I had no choice I need to make the chappatis. When i started with the dough the guys started "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam". By the time i finished making chappatis the movie was almost over. It took 2.5 hrs to make for 4 guys. Mom you are great!!! Oh Yes. My chappatis were good & the ravaneous guys finished them off real fast. Seems am not that bad a cook when it comes to specific dishes.

Day3:
1.00 pm Wakey wakey Mr Arun.. after 2.5 days of house arrest we decided to go to an auto show. Catch Indigo( Bus name. Not to confused with Tata Indigo) & go downtown. I was under the impression that the entry was free but they had a fee. 6 $ / person. The racing capital of USA - Indianapolis hosting an aouto show. There was no Ferrari I saw the website so hear breaks. There were others like BMW, Audi , Merc & Porshe ( My Favorite! I don't know why But I love the car) We spent the 6 bucks wisely bu taking pics in all cars.. We did so till the camera cried & went on a strike. The battery died. By that time we had finished a glorious round of photo shoot out. Back to the Bus stop. Kroger - purchased groceries. Came Home.

Hey Weekend is gone. Indy is not as bad as I thought. Guess I till now I did not know how to hang out.

Need to start a differnt routine tomorow. Can't wake in a PM time though :(

Its not Just Coffee

2005-11-16T20:17:00.000-05:00

Coffee... Legend has it that it came from Ethiopia. But for me I don't mind where it comes from as long as I get a good coffee.

For me the ultimate coffee would be the one my mom makes. The events associated with the coffee makes it more pleasant than the actual thing.. Hmm I still remember the 8.00 am rule.. No coffee if u wakes up after 8.00 am (8.00 am is like middle of night for me).

If you are from Coimbatore then if you say Annapurna it’s synonymous with is coffee ( Of course I'm not denying the sambar).Served in small tumblers & dawaras ( pardon my spelling ) It’s a common site in hotels all over South India.

Travel in trains.. You could unmistakably hear “Coffee Hot Coffee”. The only time it tastes like coffee would be when the guy serving filled the container with 2 cups. But alas we don’t get to taste that as it is filled with more hot sugary water. If you don’t believe me, try taking coffee from the vendor each time he passes you. You could notice that the coffee gets thinner after each visit. ( Don’t ask for reimbursement for your coffee expenses.. It’s not the coffee you are checking, but it is your belief system J )

There are machines which vends coffee in my company.. I have tried all the machines but what it makes is not coffee... It doesn't look like coffee, nor smells like it & did I say tastes like coffee???? I keep wondering why they call it coffee machines when it doesn't make a decent coffee ( Asking for a good coffee from a vending machine is like asking Kamal Hassan not to kiss a heroine - Movies/real life Choice is yours )

7 months back I landed in US for my job related assignment.. There were no coffee machines in here!! Now that’s sacrilegious.. Fortunately for me though there was a Starbucks right across. Man they have different kind of coffees. It reminded me of the movie ' You've got mail' where Tom Hanks says " Starbucks.. A place where people who don't know to make a decision are forced to take one"

Wow I’m now in coffee heaven... but the trouble is... I don't drink black coffee. My perfect coffee is a south Indian filter coffee. Well then came my experimentations.. I tried all types.. Regular , Decaf , Lattes, Frappes & what not. In all sizes Tall, Large , Venti (This size would be enough for a mid size Indian wedding)

Finally I found that I don't go to starbucks for the coffee, but for the nice baristas there. There is a Mexican guy & a Nepali guy. I could not answer the Mexican guy's question " You don't speak Hindi. Are u Indian? " That’s a bit difficult question to answer. I know Hindi but can't speak as I'm not totally confident of it.

When I was a kid there was a Lipton ad where a model would say "Kaadu malai ellam thedi paathuten Oru nalla tea kedailaa" ( I searched over forests & mountains I did not get a good tea) Now if you remembered that ad... You'd very well remember the gag " Poi Nair kadaila Kelu" (Ask in Nair's tea shop. Never knew why Nair's are always associated with tea shops in TN)

Well.. Still I have not found a good coffee... The best which is accessible to me is my own preparation & as for Starbucks their coffee still remains the best as it is served with lots of smile & loads of warmth...