:-D :-D :-D

Hu Hu Hu Hu HOOO...!!!



No.5 takes the cake!

Fear Factor

Hey...who is that guy... standing outside the shop...moustache and all...looks like a police...

Er... I don't know... I haven't seen him before...

Ha..ha..don't worry sir...that is my cousin... ex-military man...

Oh..thank god... we got scared... what to do..we are in that kind of business... it happens every now and then...if your brother along with 3 more guys with similar moustaches goes down the stairs to the basement..all the guys would shut shop and run for cover...hahaha...

...it happens often?

...sometimes... mostly on fridays...that way they can ensure we stay in the jail for 2 days... court holidays you see...

...in spite of the bribes?

...yeah..in spite of everything... if they decide...then we had it...nothing would stop them... till date I have been paying the monthly dues...last month there was an arrest... we had no X-rated content...no new Tamil movies... only some English movies..but the arrest was made...

...oh..the motive?

...happens...new officer on the block... political pressure...all that...usually it is done to increase the rate we pay them on monthly basis...

...once arrested how much does it cost you to come out?

...minimum of 10...

..thousands?

...haha..of course... what did you think?

...Oh...okay...fine...this movie is of good print?

Of course... don't I know about you...Sruthilayam print sir... 

...ok...and the other one I asked...

...thats regular one...not for you...shall inform once the stuff arrives...

...ok..see you...

...fine sir...are you leaving now...its raining outside...

...no problem I have my raincoat...

T Nagaril Oru Mazhaikaalam...

The daylight was fading and dusk was starting to settle in. All day I had kept myself within the confines of my home and the mere thought of jostling through the crowds of T-Nagar, soaking in the sights and sounds it had to offer felt like the perfect outing.

Once on the street outside my home, I could sense the unborn rains. The skies concurred with my thoughts by letting out a deep and drawn rumble. A mild breeze blew down the streets and the dry leaves lying uncared for rolled along in the same direction.

I was busy dodging vehicles, jumping left and right, avoiding the water puddles from last night’s rain, when the showers that I had anticipated descended on us. I rushed towards the tea-stall in the corner, joined by a few passers-by. The strong smell of bread bajjis and onion pakodas teased our senses.  But I felt it was a bad idea to add oily items to a tummy that already seemed bloated from the afternoon’s chicken.  To resist any temptation, I leapt out into the rains and headed towards the shelter of Doraiswamy subway.

Standing there, waiting for the rains to let up, I was addressed by an old woman. She wanted to know the way to the textile showroom – Pothys. I told her it was straight down the road and continued to vigorously rumple my hair in an effort to dry it when she asked if I could accompany her to Pothys. I pointed to the large emblem with a giant ‘P’ on it surrounded by a greenish halo and said that was Pothys and all she needed to do was just walk straight. Was there a bus stop in front of it, she wanted to know. I replied that indeed there was a bus stop there. Then it was the bus stop that she wanted to go, and again asked me to take her there. She further added that an auto driver had taken her to some other place and she had walked back enquiring people all the way. I felt sorry for her and asked her to wait for a few minutes till the rains stopped.

A gang of boys, in their teens stood next to me and chatted and laughed boisterously. A single cigarette passed hands as they kept pulling puffs. From the very appearance and their language I knew they were from the lower rungs of the social ladder. A pretty girl walked towards us, umbrella in hand when one of the boys, with an unruly mop of hair blew the smoke right on her face. She walked past me muttering under her breath. I tensed. I landed a left handed blow on the guy’s face and caught a clump of his hair and started assaulting him severely. I kicked one of his friends who came to his aid in the crotch and pulled him over the railing and he toppled over and landed on an auto passing on the road below.  The other two boys terrified, shouted obscenities at me from a distance.

‘The rains have stopped, shall we go’ I came out of my reverie. The girl was gone and so were the boys and I had just the old lady for company. Heaving a sigh, I climbed the stairs and she followed me.

Leaving her at the bus-stop, I proceeded further when the small soup stall caught my attention. The rains started again and I lodged myself under the very small canopy that the soup stall guy had put over his head. There was just enough space for the two of us. I ordered a cup of piping hot mushroom soup. I kept watching people as they ran helter-shelter. Many were relieved at the arrival of a bus and they climbed up with all vigor to escape the wrath of the rain gods. A few people seated near the windows saw longingly at the soup stall and a few more gazed at me relishing the soup, unmindful of the stream of water that was pouring on my shoulders from the canopy above.  I paid the guy and continued walking. The rains had withered and I was enjoying the drizzle.

If you are a pedestrian who always felt powerless on the roads of Chennai; always waiting for the powerful automobiles to give you a little time to cross the roads; to show you a little respect or at least a little concern which they never did – then T-nagar is the place you got to be to have your revenge. It is the only place in Chennai, where the major traffic on the roads is pedestrians. They are stopped every now and then to let a few vehicles pass by. It is a nice feeling as you saunter down the road, looking at the guy inside the car in the eye and letting him know; down here you are the KING. Even if a guy owns a Ferrari, in T-nagar he is bound to be overtaken even by an old man with a severe limp.

The traffic constables had a tough time controlling the overflowing crowds and adding to the chaos were the people who had taken shelter beneath the newly constructed flyover due to the rains. But I had long decided to be unmindful of the rains and hence continued to walk watching the usual suspects occupying the pavements. There was the flower-seller with her array of jasmines, the guy who had neatly stacked slices of cut-mangoes, pineapples and papayas on his push-cart, the boy who glided his plastic helicopters in the air hopeful of catching the fancy of a tiny tot, shopkeepers who sold ear-rings and studs, the man who embedded your name on metal key-chains for a small charge of twenty rupees.

The list became endless once you took the left turn near Panagal park and headed towards Pondy Bazaar.

To be continued…

Thozhiya...

I love this song from 'Kadalil Vizhunthen" . Have been humming/singing it for close to a week now!

For the Tamil challenged - here is my own translation or rather interpretation of the song.

Mind you, it does not carry the exact meaning but it is almost there. I think so.

And for folks who understand Tamil, you better listen to the song. Don't you ever read my interpretation.  And now, stop laughing, I told you not to read it.

Are you my friend? Are you my lover? Who are you my dear?

Are you my friend? Are you my lover? Who are you my dear?

You ask me to sleep on your lap

And you slump on my shoulders for support

And yet when I get closer to you; you push me aside saying I am just your friend

Oh My Girl…

Why do you kill me? Why do you feast on my life?

I melt here like a stick of wax

Oh poetry of mine, will you ever love me?

You stay in my heart and yet touch my eyelids and depart

I die a thousand deaths in my sleep

Oh my dear!

What’s your answer for me?

Are you my friend? Are you my lover? Who are you my dear?

Are you my friend? Are you my lover? Who are you my dear?

…Super Rap in English, so no translation….

I had prayed for a drop of water, you brought a downpour and made me float

I was crushed under the weight of the crucifix, you lifted me up with all your charms

By giving me happiness you ensured my tears were evaporated

By planting flowers in my desert, you brought heaven within my eyesight

My dreams were in black and I saw darkness even in the mornings

Oh my pristine angel color my life and stand by me

Are you my friend? Are you my lover? Who are you my dear?

Are you my friend? Are you my lover? Who are you my dear?

chananam chananam chananam chananam chaa na na nam chaa na na na nam

chananam chananam chananam chananam chaa na na nam chaa na na na nam

chananam chananam chananam chananam chaa na na nam chaa na na na nam

chananam chananam chananam chananam chaa na na nam chaa na na na nam

I stood alone and aloof in darkness, and you let in hoards of fireflies to light up my night

I locked myself up in a cage but you gave me wings and made me fly

I was trapped like an island getting lost amidst the monstrous waves

I got trampled like the flower petals en route a man’s funeral path

God never appears on earth, but he sent mothers to take his place

But neither do I have a mother but you replaced her with all your grace!

Are you my friend? Are you my lover? Who are you my dear?

Are you my friend? Are you my lover? Who are you my dear?

You ask me to sleep on your lap

And you slump on my shoulders for support

And yet when I get closer to you; you push me aside saying I am just your friend

Oh My Girl…

Why do you kill me? Why do you feast on my life?

I melt here like a stick of wax

Oh poetry of mine, will you ever love me?

You stay in my heart and yet touch my eyelids and depart

I die a thousand deaths in my sleep

Oh my dear!

What’s your answer for me?

Are you my friend? Are you my lover? Who are you my dear?

Are you my friend? Are you my lover? Who are you my dear?

Nakulan (a) Nakul - The movie's hero and kid brother of actress Devayani. This rolly polly guy of 'Boys' fame must have really worked hard to shed all those extra pounds and attain this new look of his.  He has now got ripping muscles!

My guess is, he must have lost a lot just by dancing for 'Nakku Mukka'!.

Special Thanks: Tamil Lyrics

My Mini Library...

So, there you go. For the first time in the history of the world wide web, presenting to you - MY MINI LIBRARY!

Wokay! Don't be bewildered if the picture looks very odd. Your eyes are perfectly fine. It is just that what you see is not a single photograph, but four photographs shot individually and strung together to replicate the actual setup of my book stand. This was the maximum I could do to get a decent picture with the camera at my disposal. A single long shot covering the entire stand could never reach half this clarity.

Of course I could have done a far better job, but with my patience running out I thought this was good enough.

Bikes, Back-pain, Ajith kumar and some general rant...

I have almost decided not to buy the bean bag that I was so much looking forward to buy. A few well-wishers advised me against it saying that it would affect the body posture as it provides no solid support to any part of the body. 

I am not afraid of getting a back-pain. I already have one. Thank you. 

And the last thing I want to do is to aggravate it. This back pain resulted from too much of bike riding in too little of road. If you did not understand, let me explain. When most people residing in areas that have good road facilities ride on the left of the road, living in T-Nagar, I get to ride what is left off the road. And unfortunately I have got this tendency to over-speed irrespective of the condition of the road and this has pretty much ruined my spinal cord.  

I seriously have to control this urge to open up the throttle. No, please don't image I have one of those 150 + speed machines. All I have is an innocuous Hero Honda Splendor. But it is in pretty bad shape and on top of that I drive it pretty rashly. How else do you think I would have managed to ram into an auto at full speed from behind, wheels screeching and all, on Duraisamy subway last week? 

I was on my way to collect my mobile phone from the service centre and I had shifted lane and was zipping on the other side of the road leaving centimeters of gap between myself and the oncoming traffic. An auto driver in front of me was doing the same thing but he suddenly braked. 

His auto-rickshaw brakes were in good condition and they obeyed. But that doesn't mean mine has to as well, does it?. I almost stood on the brake pedal and fully pressed the front brake and all my bike did was emit an ear-piercing screeching sound. A lady in an auto nearby matched it with her shriek of terror. But the bike showed no traces of stopping. In fact I got a serious doubt if it was the front-brake or the clutch that I had pressed! There was so much of play. But it did stop; after banging into the bumper of the auto and jolting all the 4 occupants including the driver.  

Luckily for me, I had missed the tail lamp by a whisker and hence there was no shattering of glass. Add to it, the traffic was at its peak and the driver had no other option than to shout swear words at me and keep moving on. I did try to convince him through sign language that there was no damage but his face had the expression that made me feel he might jump out of the auto any time and bang my helmet in a particular way that it stayed stuck for the rest of my life. So I overtook him and raced again before I narrowly missed banging into yet another auto. Phew! 

OK, that was enough ranting about my misadventures in my wonder bike.  

And talking of bikes, I remembered something. Today evening had been to crossword store to choose a gift for my colleague. He celebrates his b'day today. Now, like most guys, he too is crazy about 2 things in life. Pretty girls and Super bikes.

After much hesitation and dilemma I bought a toy for the 23-year old! :) 

It was a scaled down, dismantled model of the KAWASAKI NINJA ZX-10R in a stunning florescent green. I was hesitant to buy it as it might look very childish. But I was sold when the shop assistant told me two things. 

1. Children can't assemble such a complicated bike.

2. Actor Ajith kumar (a crossword member and a well known bike fanatic) purchased one recently. 

Though the credibility of the information is extremely debatable it at least helped me make up my mind.  

Okay, dinner ready. Seeya.