Kooky Quiz

Haha haha. This is one of the funniest kookiest quizzes i've taken.

I am p Everyone loves pi _

what number are you?

this quiz by orsa

I'm sick. In a *ahchoo* x 27/hour kinda way. I've got the cough, the sniffles. Walking talking germ machine. And i'm terribly sleep deprived. I had something to say about F1. And how Williams and McLaren have dropped out of our sight screens. I'm glad renault did decently. Peppy little team. But later, now i need sleep. :)

Operation Screw Iraq

We've seen the mass hypnotisation of US's claim of WMD in Iraq
We've seen the excuse for the fourth estate that swallowed the press releases, hook line and sinker
We've seen the protests and rotten tomatoes being thrown
We've seen the carnage at Fallujah
We've seen the abysmal disregard for Human rights and decency

When American POW's were lined up, the whole of america exploded! Yet here we see dead bodies being disgraced, others facing fates worse than death. And Bush is Sorry?? excuse me, did i miss something. Get the HELL OUT Mr.Bush

All he's achieved is the creationg of newer, stronger, more virulent terrorists. Newer reasons for hatred. Newer cloaks for hypocrisy and newer excuses for world dominance

America is not the world's policeman. It is not the world's saviour. The world does not need saving. Thank you very much. just pack your bags, your dysfuntional mercenaries and get the hell out.

Laissez nouse faire

Another political quiz at politopia
This one has economic and personal freedoms as the axes. Which results in me being a libertarian..
That's personal and economic freedom. Right next to Ayn Rand :D

Another Day, Another Test

found this at Maverick's blog.

Well whaddya know, i'm a waterfall.


Waterfall


?? Which Natural Wonder Or Disaster Are You ??
brought to you by Quizilla

Political Compass and 4 digits

I read this at guhan's blog and proceeded to take the test at political compass.

I'd have put me down as a free markets loving capitalist, but at twenty i guess i'm still a bit of a flower power lover. :)



Whaddya know, i'm a left - liberal. Which brings me to what i actually believe in :

      Capitalism
      Women's rights
      Gay marriages
      Abortion rights
      Good accounting standards
      Globalization with concern for human safeguards
      Social Security (as opposed to charity)
      Euthanasia

And my pet peeves

      Communism
      Facism
      Homophobia
      Male chauvinism
      Large Corporations that exploit people in the name of profits
      Videocon

Quite a few people are surprised by my avid dislike for this co. I won't let anyone at home buy anything from them. Mostly due to the chuavinistic, medieval attitude of it's CEO (venugopal dhoot). He believes that women belong in the household and can't run a business empire.

He employs some 4000 women in the factory and oh about ZILCH in management.

I believe that if enough people boycott videocon, he'll have to change his ruddy attitude.

---

On another note, my blog hits has crossed 1000. Yay!

And i've kept it up for longer than i would have thought.
As the great Cato wouldn've said : Nunc est bibendum ( and now we drink )

Ayitha Ezhuthu

This movie was brill. I won't repeat everything i said about the hindi version, will just highlight the differences
            Rani has done a much better job at being the low middle class wife. Her emotions, their chemistry is awesome
            The character justification for Surya is beautifully done. This is something i complained about in the hindi version. It's handled excellently here.

On the whole, yuva gets five stars, ayitha ezhuthu six. I wish the plot had been less commercial though. It didn't touch me the way a nayakan, or roja or even an anbe sivam did. It didn't make me think for hours after the movie. Even with something as simple as alaipayuthey, i carried away a lot from the movie. But Mani sir, does NOT dissapoint. If you're tired of commercial cinema, go watch these movies. :D

YUVA

Ah the pains i go through for you folks. Had to drag myself to see yuva. Ah *sigh* First Day First Show.
Who am i kidding. I had a blast..
Read on for my review. I promise not to ruin the plot for you.
(Please skip the part marked with spolier alert, if you haven't seen the movie yet! don't blame me later)

Yuva starts with the premise of three young men. Three classes of society. And explores their lives and their problems. It does this to a certain extent. I wish it had done more.

Abhishek and Rani are both beautiful characters. I've always thought Aby baby couldn't act. But he does an awesome job. Rani is a perfect fit. You could watch the film for these two alone. Or you could watch it for Ajay and Esha . Granted Ajay's a little old to be playing a brilliant physics student. I think a teacher would have been better, maybe too many shades of mona lisa smile? But he's still good. And the chemistry between him and Esha is surprisingly great. Esha looks (i know ppl might disagree with me.. but my blog) like Hema Malini a LOT. And they talk about live in relationships and love in today's world. One of the few directors who's actually in touch with the youth today.


Which brings me to Vivek and Kareena. Vivek plays a *dude* who's *chill* (directors words) Which means he's a US bound cultureless casanova. As expected he turns new leaves (hell! he turns a whole new tree) halfway through. The only real cliches are Vivek and Kareena. While Vivek pulls off a great job of looking good and emoting, Kareena bugs me. But then again, she usually does. Seems like her role in the movie is to laugh. Like an airhead. She excels in her brief. There is an uncomfortable lack of chemistry between these two.

[ Spoiler alert ]

I love the first half of the movie. Typical mani ratnam. Small spaces, intricate stories that hint at a larger canvas. Beautiful, rich and tasteful. The second half, it becomes an above average hindi film. Not upto the standards of Madras Talkies. Tying up ends seems to be a problem. Ajay, Vivek reach cliched conclusions while Abhishek is granted no redemption. His initially deeper character is tarred as a *bad guy* in the latter part. Things were hinted on but not expanded upon. And it promised lots without delivering on all of them.

[ Spoiler done! ]

That said, it is still a more than above average film. It's a good entertainer, it makes you think (especially in today's politically charged scenario). Most of it is typical Mani and it's well worth watch.

Other great characters in the movie include the big bad politician (Om Puri) , the bengali neighobours of Abhishek and Rani and namma madras' Karthik Kumar who plays Vishnu, Ajay's friend and co conspirator. We've seen him grow from alaipayuthey to yuva. great job. And i'm not just saying that cos he's an alumnus of svce :)

To sum it up. Go watch the movie. It's not Nayakan. But it's better than Dil Se :)

By the looks of it, Ayitha Ezhuthu promises to outdo Yuva, Surya's definitely younger. More on Monday! Watch this space!

The True Indian

I used to respect the BJP (rather the NDA) for the progressive reforms they brought about and the way the country improved during it's tenure. Needless to say, that respect is gone now. Sushma Swaraj, Uma Bharti, Praveen Togadia and other Hindu hardliners have been trying to earnestly define Sonia Gandhi as "not indian".

So Messrs Hindu Brigade and Co. what defines a true indian? One who is Hindu. Aryan, fair, brahmin? Or maybe Mrs Gandhi is more Indian than you.. Unlike you, she had a choice in the matter. She's an Indian who wanted to be an Indian.. How's that for starters. ??

And we have a constitution. That decrees all citizens be treated equally. This fierce charade of becoming widows and sanyasins to protest what is being done to India is stupid. The thing about India that is great is that it is inclusive. There is no Hindu/Muslim/Parsi/Jew/Christian divisions. To encourage them is meaningless, futile and somewhat dangerous. We're an inclusive society. And this is the secret of our resilience through a countless invasions. This secularism is our national identity. And we must protect it from the vicious attacks of those claiming to be true hindus and true indians.

Which brings me to another question. With what right do these people hijack the Hindu Agenda and call themselves true hindus. What makes me them a true and me untrue? I think the secular all inclusive nature is another trade mark of the Hindu religion. The Sanatana Dharma is one of the few (the only??) faiths in the world that does not claim that it is the only true path to god As good true Hindus these folks should have the secularism built in. It's NOT about sacred Ram Temples, God is in fact inside you. A strength in times of trouble. A force to push you to higher good.

I'm not sure there is a God. I'd like to think there is. I am sure there's no Hindu/Muslim/Sikh/Christian God. I believe in an all pervasive all knowing God. I also am sure that He would most definitely NOT approve of all that is being done in His name.

Let it go Ms Swaraj. Don't bring God and being Indian into this election. You lost. Fair and Square. Live with it.

Another Test

You are an Evan Williams.

You deserve much praise for empowering millions to annoy others in a way previously only imagined.
Take the What Blogging Archetype Are You test at GAZM.org

The Good Bad and Ugly

Act 1 : By the People

The Congress scores a somewhat decisive victory over the BJP. Blame the anti - incumbency factor or blame Local politics. We seem all set to have Sonia Gandhi as a PM

---

Act 2 : Of the People
Hitting below the belt

Sushma Swaraj, Uma Bharti launch campaigns against Sonia as PM. Sore losers. She won fair and square!!. We'll celebrate a Lord Swaraj Paul but denigrate a PM born in Italy?? C'mon folks, we're bigger than that. It's not national dishonour. It IS dishonourable that some of our foremost leaders cannot follow the dictates of the democratic process

I personally think she's too incompetent to do the job. It has nothing to do with italy, i also think lot's of Indian born politicians are incompetent

---

Act 3 : For the People

Sonia refuses the post, comes out of the sordid mess smelling like roses. Congress workers threaten suicide with a sword and a gun. now it looks like Manmohan Singh is going to be PM. Not a bad thing, but the question remains.. can he do the job?

He comes across as soft spoken, honest but academic. Can he handle the mud wrestling involved in Indian Politics?

Wait and watch :)

Being for the benefit of Mr. Kite...

This is an article i wrote for my coll. mag a while back. Why is it here? cos my miserable peer group refuses to shell out Rs 5 ($0.1667) to read it in print.

And in case you didn't notice/realise/care, all of today's topic titles are Beatles songs. The Beatles ROCK!!

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ashes to ashes, phoenix to dust

How many of us stepped into these hallowed portals with dreams of finding ourselves? How many stepped in with dreams of finding a girlfriend? How many dreams were crushed when we realized the rather abysmal sex ratio of one is to six? However that's not the point of this discussion. Actually it's a rather pointless discussion but hang in there. It gets worse.

Are you an engineering student

1. Did you begin the first semester of college by borrowing Erwin Kreysig from the college library?
2. Have you now "graduated" to Bakshi and Charulatha?
3. Can you define OD, Kadalai, Biscuit,Mokkai?
4. Name Oolon Colluphid's trilogy

More importatnly, do you know who David Bradley is? Do you know what Kumbakonam Degree Coffee is? What does success mean to you? How will you write a statement of purpose?

In the words of Will Durant in the words of Aristotle "Gnoiea Theou". Seen that above the Oracle's Kitchen have you? Well it's Greek not Latin and it simply means Know yourself

Ladies and Gentlemen, this then is the point of my discussion. The crux, the heart, the thing DK hounded me for a week for (taaliyan.. taaliyan).

Find yourself.

You'll never get another opportunity. This age, this point of time is all you have for experimentation. Well, do it. Whatever does it for you. From tongue piercing to streaking your hair to helping at a shelter to reading a new author. Do it. Experiment. Let your imagination run wild. Go bungee jumping. Join a billion clubs. Find 12 new friends. Do something outside your realm of comfort.

As a wise man once said "The only normal people are the ones you don't know very well". Actually, Joe Ancis said that. The wise man said "Don't play leapfrog with a unicorn"

Scared of making a fool of yourself? Scared of what people might say? To (mis)quote Rhett Butler "Frankly my dear, no one, gives a damn"

If you want softy, senti inspiration, go read chicken soup or something. The bare truth is simply that at the end of four years, you're no different from the other 120 students in your class. Or the other 50000 students that Anna University churns out each year. You need to be unique, different, stand out.

From the moment you step out of this campus you need to sell yourself. To an admissions officer, to an interviewer, to your mom in law. And what is to be your USP?
(That's unique selling point to the uninitiated, and while we aren't on the subject, six by nine is fifty four not fourty two)

Whether you're a perfectionist, a bibliophile, good with numbers or a hidden tapdancer, go out and find yourself.

Read the Fountainhead. The point of objectivist existentialism is the realisation of the self. The culmination of everything in reason. And if you thought I was making this stuff up as I go along you'd only be half wrong.

These four years will define who you are and what you will become. Not just in terms of your education. But in terms of your personality and interests. What excites you, whether it's philosophy or football

You are the person you will spend most of your life with. You owe it to yourself to become as interesting as possible.

So get out of the loo. Switch off the idiot box. (that there's nothing on it is a different issue.. who are we to CASt the first stone?) Don't read wordlists, they don't help. Read a newspaper. Read Gone with the wind. (No it's NOT a chick book).

And Remember Growing Old is mandatory but Growing Up is an option

Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat

A Day in the Life

Now that i'm staying (well sort of..for two more weeks) with grandmom for a while, I get a HUGE caffeine fix in the morning. My mom makes coffee in a cup, frothing with two teaspoons of sugar. My grandmom makes coffe by the yard. High fat milk and one of the reasons why everyone in my family has high sugar levels. In one word, yum :-)

Then we sit at the old dining table that's been around since i was born. And we talk for a little while each morning. Just general gossip about who's doing what and where. I try to explain BPO's and rankings of various MS schools. And she's tries to explain exactly how Mrs ABC is related to me on my dad's side. Who's Mrs ABC? the one who's son studies at that Austin place.. etc

I first tried to convert numbers and concepts into tamil. Rather difficult considering the state of my tamil :). Then she realised i was struggling. And i realised she was convent educated, so we just switch to English.

I'm thinking of summers of long ago. Spent in Mylapore, sitting on the Thinna drinking Lassi or Rose Milk, listening to my parents, uncles, aunts all talking. And us kids listening sleepily in the drowsy heat of the summer. Till one day, the house is locked up and i'm 20 years old. And it seems like yesterday but it was ages ago. Makes you feel kind of old. Maybe because i've always associated memories with growing old. Growing old and growing up. :)

The Grand Old Duke of York

And so India voted the Congress to power. The Grand Ol Party of India. The Grand Ol Gandhi dynasty. I feel like we're reliving a soap opera. Disappointed? You bet i am. The BJP's tactics clearly failed. India Shining failed to convert anyone. It just struck a chord with the succesfull. The media, politicians everyone seems to have been divorced from the ground realities of the Indian voter.

And the Indian voter.. how did she vote? Well, for one, she's voted locally. This is especially evinced in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The BJP was terribly out of touch in TN and chose to truck with JJ. Now which misguided fool took that decision I'd like to know.

Secondly, the Indian voter has voted for the young. From Milind Deora who's all of 27, to Sachin Pilot, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Rahul Gandhi.. India has voted in a new fresh breed of politicians. Quite a few of them are riding on papa's coat-tails but young blood nonetheless.

Established politicians, safe bets etc have all been ousted. Ram Naik, Yashwant Sinha, MMJ (thank god!!) all have been given the pink slips. Ram Naik interestingly lost to Govinda! :) Film stars ruled the roost with Sunil Dutt, Govinda winning. Television however lost, with Tulsi losing to a very worthy Kapil Sibal.

On the whole, a disappointing but interesting vote. And now we have the pleasure of being ruled (there is no other word for the dynasty) by another Mrs Gandhi. It's not about her foreign origin anymore. It's about her ability to do the job. I don't think she can. She's always been an insipid flavorless uncharismatic leader. She's riding on the last dregs of the Gandhi wave. And she stands for nothing. Apart from being Rajiv's widow, she's an absolute zero in politics. Let's see how she proves her mettle in the days to come

Ramblings

I feel divorced. From reality and mundane conversation. From brownies that were baked in a moment of insufferable optimism. I'm caught in verse. In Turgenev and Dylan Thomas. In Kafka and jazz. I'm drowning in strong hot rich coffee and passionate writing. Do you see a billion stars and sometimes it's just so vast you want to cry. Cry at outer space.
I'm thinking of memories of long ago. Of black and white houses on a black and white street 30 years before i was born. And yet i remember. Other people's memories in other people's worlds and they are as real to me as these words on this screen and all my life. In a black and white movie at 16 frames a second.

Shobha De and the Art of being very very stupid

Shobha De writes a column in The Week where she touches on various topics from the deep to the mindless and converts them all to equally frivolous trash. This week's column involves the sordid Beckham saga. For those who've been living under a rock, here are the facts:

      Beckham cheated on Posh while she was pregnant
      He sent some stupid sms's
      He got caught
      They're paying the femme fatale (Rebecca Loos) 80,000$ to spill the beans
      She's spilling vividly

Done? okay.. Now Ms De blames Victoria for this sad turn of events. She accuses her of becoming too thin and sexless. This drove her husband into the arms of another women. She links this with women's problems with body image and emerges a victorious Pg 3 feminist. Well, I obviously disagree.

First of all a couple's private problems are just that : private. If you insist on discussing it in the name of feminism, atleast get a brain transplant before you do so. Women have problems with body image, agreed. Too thin is bad, agreed. But NONE of this is an excuse for cheating on your very pregnant wife.

For too long we Indians have had this concept of "driving your husband into another woman's arms". Reinforced by numerous mundane articles in the so called "womens' magazines". But it places the blame at the wrong door. A man cheats.. and the only person who's responsible for this is ... tada.. the man. If he cannot take responsibility for *his* actions, then he should just be denounced as an irrational animal. Or forgiven if his wife is so inclined. But nowhere inthe script does it say she is responsible for it. We need to let go of the archaic soap opera mentality where the female is responsible for everything and anything.. and accepts it.

I'm sure if your husband was cocking a snook at the secretary you'd feel a lot differently Ms De. Or are you just too woman to let that happen? And to the editors of The Week - Please don't invade my mindspace with such drivel.

Pink Slip

If ever there was a *decisive* mandate, then Andhra Pradesh is it. Election Results were out yesterday and the TDP has been thrashed. They've managed to secure about one fourth of the seats they won last time. The INC haswon 188 seats. So YSR is most likely to be CM and Mr Naidu is without a job.

Most people are surprised at the mandate. He brought in IT, development, laptops, buzzwords to Andhra Pradesh. He was responsible for some of the most futuristic reforms in the country. He thought of himself as the CEO of AP. And maybe that was the problem. Hyderabad developed, the educated classes became prosperous. But the coastal regions, the farmers all suffered. The worst droughts, farmers commiting suicide.. these horrors went by largely unnoticed. And there lay Naidu's failing. He worked for rich, the educated, the ambitious. He worked for the future. while the present languished. Hyderabad Shined for only a few. And the majority has spoken.

It's sad that he failed, but maybe our politicians will learn from both his successes and failures.. Here's to you Mr Naidu.. One of our few honest, futuristic, intelligent, modern politicians... We need more men like you!

I got this from World 66. This is a map of places of I've visited!



And this is how i want the map to look in ten years :)



create your own visited country map
or write about it on the open travel guide

I love travelling. It energizes me, enlivens me. I love seeing all the places i've read about in novels and books. I love sitting and absorbing the culture. I also hate south east asian food. Thai Malaysian etc. But what the heck, there's always McDonald's! :)

My favorite place(s) in the world are Paris, Geneve and Phuket . Paris, because it's simply Paris. Immortal and beautiful and full of life and beauty and spirit. And Geneve because you can walk by the lakeside forever and not get bored. The green lush gardens, the beautiful old architecture and all things swiss. Phuket, because it's paradise.. You can waterski, jetski, snorkel, scuba, paraglide, parasail, jump off a plane.. whatever suits your fancy!

My job was outsourced to India

We've all read both sides of the outsourcing argument and argued it to death. My take is simply that Capital and Labour find their own levels. And it's all in good economic sense. Once we're done with the political grandstanding on an election year, we can get back to common sense and productive business practice.

I promise to actually blog here and not just link to other interesting articles etc. But this column is unmissable : check out dave barry's take on outsourcing

Blogchalk and The Truth laid bear

Tweaking and indexing my blog. cos I'm bored :)
This is my new blogchalk:
India, Tamil Nadu, Chennai, English, Suze, Female, 21-25, Writing, Books. :)

F.R.I.E.N.D.S

Took a quiz online to see what friend I am.
Well tell me something i don't already know. Just because i color code notes and clean my room three times a day, doesn't mean i'm obsessive :)





I'm Monica Gellar-Bing from Friends!

Take the Friends Quiz here.

created by stomps.

Main Hoo Na

Speaking of movies, (yes scroll down and check.. we ARE speaking of movies) I love the recent explosion of non-mainstream films. The whole emotional exploration of the psyche. Meaningful character and well fleshed out stories. Breathtaking and strikingly stark visuals. Crisp crackling dialogues. Like the Pianist. And Kandukondain Kandukondain, Monsoon Wedding. Even Anbe Sivam and Pithamagan. I love the way a new breed of writers and directors are crediting the audience as a discerning and intelligent group. I love how our cinema is being slowly revolutionized.

I also loved Main Hoo Na. For absolutely NONE of the above reasons. I stocked up on popcorn and cold coffee and laughed for three hours straight hours. Farah Khan has packed every bollywood cliché and every Hollywood action move into the silver screen. You have a friendly Pakistan (I'm glad we finally stopped the Pak-bashing), a funky terrorist ( a superb Sunil Shetty), an army Major and one *sizzling* chemistry teacher.

You have Kabir Bedi playing Shylock (Hath not a Pakistani feelings, Hath not a Pakistani fears..) and you have a college that looks like it's out of the sets of Grease (one or two). Boman Irani plays the forgetful principal in one of his best performances and surprisingly, in a Homer Simpson tie.

You have Ram, Lakshman, and Ra(gha)van. There's no Mugambo but there IS a fluorescent qawwali. And a cycle rickshaw chase.

Watch it for the sexy sushmita sen or the barely covered Amrita Rao. Watch it for Shah Rukh in a role where he cries only for 1/7th of the movie. Watch it for the still hot as hell Kabir Bedi. Watch it for old Hindi songs and reminisce about the good old days. Watch it for Farah Khan who's done one helluva job. It's definitely worth the fifty bucks at Satyam.

Matrices and Determinants (aka. I Love an Action Movie)

I love action movies. They are the simplest genre that exist. Don't believe me? Check it out :

   * The bad guys look bad.
   * The bad guys' girls look good.
   * The good guys look good
   * The good guys' girl get kidnapped.
   * Everybody gets guns
   * The good guys' save the world.
   * They kiss
   * End credits

Tommy Lee Jones, Harrison Ford. I loved em all. The big black cars and Flying stunts. Everything

That is until the Whatwereyouthinking brothers. They introduced drilling robots and eastern mysticism. Effectively took away the *fun* part.

So we use three dimensional offset subsampling in the spatio-temporal domain to achieve optimization of the karma in the world They had me (asleep) at hello.

To misquote hollywood - "The movie is like deep. It's like so deep that it is like light. It's lightness itself in effect causing it to be deep. It's like deep in it's lightness and like light in it's deepness"

A Few Good Men

   
   You want answers?
   I want the truth!
   You can't handle the truth!
   
   
man this movie does it for me every single time! I know almost every word of dialogue by heart. Seen it atleast 23 times :)
I re-read Jhumpa Lahiri's The namesake and half of The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera.

   It doesn't matter what i believe
   It only matters what i can prove
   So don't tell me what i know and do not know
   I know the Law