Tuesday, April 25, 2006

STUCK- an evening out in coimbatore

I sometimes feel I am stuck....
Stuck in a spot....
The world is moving so am I...but I am still in the same place.....
Something like the red queen in alice in wonderland....


I still think I have not changed as a person.... I really havent....Beneath all this nose piercing and hair cuts in an effort to atleast look grown up lies a person who hasnt changed at all. My classmates in tiss made fun of me saying i look like a school kid. So much so that people often gift me stuffed toys(which am not exactly fond of)..because they believe I am kiddish...which i dont think I am.....I often argue on a very silly note with people trying to prove the thin line of difference between child like and childish....

Anyways....now back to my main thought.... I am stuck.... and today I found another companion.... My city was also stuck.....!!!

I live in coimbatore....the city is stuck.....

with a name for which humpteen people give umpteen stories of origin.....that is like umpteen*umpteen...

stuck with it s textile mills which are almost obsolete....

stuck with every aspect that was once a pride......

There was new mallu movie in town and my mum wanted to watch it. So thought will take her for an outing and decided to go for the movie.

For starters the movie timings were the same since i have known what movies were....

We reached the movie hall and i got down from the car and there were guys(am sure from some local engg college like mine) who found me and my mum very amusing.....STUCK....

Stuck with "such guys"

We bought the ticket...and entered the theatre.....the place hadnt changed in years...stuck.....
So much so the deaf ticket collector was still there....stuck....

The same carpets...dirtier of course......
Same wobbly seats.....

Me and mum found a place to sit...... and at sharp 5:45, they ran a short film....like the 500000000000 million times earlier on filaria........

so imagine you go out with junta to have a nice time, plan to watch a movie...and what do u see - a movie on filaria...i was half scared I would get filaria in that hall..!!!!!!!!

The theatre was stuck with the concept of educational movie for the masses....good idea..but dont think it really works...still stuck.........

The movie me taught me intricate details about how to clean filaria ridden feet.....worst case scenarios of filaria( just so that i realise that it IS A SERIOUS DISEASE, if i hadnt in the past 10 mins).....

Then a row of ad films....was almost expecting to see....aarthi aarthi...aarthi...(clap clap)...
okie for non- coimby guys...this used to be the high point of our visit to the cinema hall when we were kids... ad films used to be screened before the movie and at that point there used to be a store called aarthi readymades......and it had a very peppy tune for a jingle...that when it came on the whole theatre would sing....'AARTHI AARTHI AARTHI...CLAP CLAP...SUITING SHIRTINGS READYMADE....DESIGNGAL PUDHU PUDHU VIDHAM,...VANNANGAL..PALA PALA RAGAM,,,, AARTHI AARTHI aarthi ...CLAP CLAP"(PHEW;))

but thankfully it was the turn of some other store.....

Then came the movie (very unceremoniously when compared to the ads).....

My mum was all super thrilled because the movie was supposedly shot near her native place in kerala..... (read my earlier blog entries to know how my mum is stuck in a fanatasy mallu land)

It was a mohanlal starrer(i love that guy)......really nice movie,,......but remember the city is stuck.....the current got cut....like good old times..... and like good old times...the hooligans started barking...... the movie resumed and unceremoniously again the movie got cut again....this time for an intermission....no mention...no slides...nothing....ON YOUR FACE!!!

I made a quick call to dad and told him it wasthe break....and my dad very much like his old self asked when the movie would get over(he has hardly seen movies in theatres....the last time he did...he entered in the intermission and was blissfully asleep in 10 mins)....the movie resumed and no points for guessing....unceremoniously....lest anyone buying popcorn, attending to natures call would know it has started !!

awesome movie....me and mum enjoyed it....

It got over...and I and mum walked out...dad was waiting to pick us up...(he was there in a jiffy....that is because of my theory that any place in coimbatore can be reached in 15 mins from any place!)

Me and dad decided to take mum out for dinner and chose...again no points for guessing ...ANNA POORNA....

ask anybody about coimbatore and they will mention three things....
ooty, textiles and annapoorna vadai sambhar!!!!!!!!

we decided to try their north indian cuisine....( coimby guys.....bear with me...i mean cuisine et al....)))
My dad remarked about how his Lion s club meetings used to be held in a small hall next to the restaurant.The place has remained the same as far as i can remember....

my mum and dad very cutely and quintessentially ordered sweet corn soup and cream of tomato soup.....

and we ordered this dish called gobi manchurian....

Okie...now everyone has to know about this gobi manchurian.....everyone in south india/coimby loves gobi manchurian.....
it is neither a chinese dish nor north indian....but any party...any get together...any marriage SHOULD have gobi manchurian..!!!!!!!!!!!! and the hotels across coimby dish it out in various manners and annapoorna makes it in the best possible manner........my mum has even asked in earlier occasions to the waiter...the secret 7X formula behind it.......

and i ordered vegetable do pyasa and the waiter looked at me with a "what the hell was that lady" kind of look....

apparently though it is mentioned in the menu they dont know about it.....so what is available is(no points for guessing again).... malai kofta.... panneer butter masala.....kadai panner/veg...mushroom fry.....STUCK STUCK STUCK!!!

we ordered some naans and kadai veg. and of course GOBI MANCHURIAN....

pop and mum wahed all this down with a glass of horlicks....


Now everyone in coimby/south india in general have a horlicks fetish!!!

I am not even stepping into the coffee area(kaapi....) but horlicks is a must for people who are sick...so when i was young...and having watched horlicks being used in every movie/ real life situation where a person has been admitted to a hospital... (its there...on the side table...near the patient...always....like superman on seinfeld's shelf).... I asked an uncle of mine who was doctor the reason behind the panacea for all illness-HORLICKSSSSSS
he explained to me that the first questions families of patients generally ask him wrt diet of the patient is " can we give him horlicks?" STUCK.....

he went on to say that in fact horlicks is avoidable because it is so heavily malted that patients can sometimes puke because of the malt!!!!!!!!! but no... WE ARE STUCK WITH HORLICKS....AND YA GOBI MANCHURIAN!!!!!!!!!

we took a quite drive back home, the end of an evening out in in coimby at 9:30....the city is almost asleep...!

....I observed...a CCD, a barista on the way back.... hip youngsters hanging out for cuppa.... hmmmm at least somethings have changed..... (or so i think)

I almost felt like being part of the coimbatore algorithm. A perfectly well oiled machine....which churns out millions of protoypes... upgraded every once in a while

.....same school for 14 yrs.... 4 yrs of engg just like every other kovai sarala, kamala, vimala.....

slipped into an mba somewhere (and damned because of that by many a..... not a software engineer after all and not onsite and ya not married!!!!).....

My brother was a step ahead in the code.... he was among the NRIs in my colony just like the guy in the opp house, next door, diagonally opp house, back side house.... and in the colny next to ours.....
like any other kovai mani,pani, shani.....

But behind all this contorted view of coimbatore is a place which is a lovely city(??) to grow up in.... some lovely people....the best climate, the best tasting water.....


No wonder I am stuck....like my city is....the place where i grew up....like the junta around me.....and just like everyone around me I contribute to this program- by being stuck to the same place ...in order to move on.......

no wonder am adorable (:P) in a weird way.....just like coimby is......

Saturday, April 22, 2006

I am back after a small soujourn....

well atleast if i use some words like these I can feel like I have gone on some holiday.

Havent been doing anything useful. Just been myself...

Was watching the grand finale of Indian Idol....The first time i saw an episode was when i was sitting in the studio of Indian idol....so thought might end it in style as well...and hence saw the finals....

While sitting in the studio...I was really impressed by this contestant called Karunya...he sang really well and made all others in the contest sound like kids.
I was almost sure he would win the title...

But today he didnt...another guy called sandeep acharya won...sandeep who sang like a mediocre participant.....

Am sure everyone who voted for sandeep knew that he wasnt the best singer.....

Am sure every soul that saw indian idol knew that karunya deserved to be indian idol....

But he didnt win....and the most loud and obvious reason that came was that he was a south indian....Logically not many south indians watch the programme and hence he lacked the votes...
in spite of this he had made it to the final two....

Now i care little for who is indian idol....neither do i care much if the guy who wins the title is from timbaktu.......

And these thoughts of mine go beyond this silly competition.....

I just couldnt help wonder while everyone waxes eloquent how literacy is the key to bondage of the masses, I felt and not for the first time that, the more educated we are, the more we tie ourselves up.... In shackles which only serves to separate us....

I cried once in tiss,.... to arpita my room mate....

I was astounded at how educated people like us...the so called educated class chose to indulge in behaviour which was akin to people in the krita yuga....

I have been parochial....but you know in a silly way......But I have never let anyone's region of region form the basis of my opinion about him/her.......and i dont think i ever will....

Am sure we all have thoughts that border on these... even our politcal system is structured on this.......

am sure everyday we live with so many things structured around us that we cant break out of it....

and am sure with so many reasons around to fetter us we are comfortable enough not to break them......

as though agreeing to my thoughts MS subba lakshmi sings in the background

"ANTHA NAALUM VANTHU IDA DHO".....(I WISH THOSE DAYS COME")

Gees...i almost feel like an angry 4 yr old who cant find the right words....But i think I feel much better....




DISCLAIMER: for all those souls who are wandering vella......for those who read my blog and make it a point to call me and tell me itz bad....dont bother this time around!!!

Friday, April 07, 2006

kaviya velli;)!

okie for all thos wondering what the hell does my title mean.....let me give you a brief background....
I was completely vellllllaaa......so after lunch as usual while i was flicking the tv remote and irritating my dad a the same time...I happened to chance over this movie called KAVIYA THALAIVI....now i will not be a movie critic and tell you all about the movie....but it is supposed to be a tamil classic....so i refused to put it on.....
after my dad left for the office....i put the channel back on and watched the whole movie from title to credits:)!

so that is the title for the day" historical friday".......btw it was a nice movie....typically balachander...

and gemini ganesh who i loathe and call sambhar actually did a good job.....

hmmmmmm now to go on about my vellllaness.....I chanced upon this questionnaire in vivek's blog.....

now now....i will not pretend that I am being forced to fill it...nobody tagged it....i just willingly ctrl-c ctrl V-ed it......:)

Were you named after anyone?

#### yes my grandmother...who was named after hers...who was named after hers....so on...u get it right?? but my granddaughter will be named akila....;)!

2. Do you wish on stars?


#### I leave that shahrukh and kajol.....actually going to think of it I do!!!!!!
so the logical conclusion should be I am kajol!!!!!!!!!!

3. When did you last cry?

#### Thatz quite easy.....i exercise my tear gland very often......last was on my bday when my dad forgot my bday!!!!!!!!

4. Do you like your handwriting?

####of course i do...even RC Dutta told me it was good....now going to think of i am not sure if he was being sarcastic as the notes that he saw was abt HLL.....(sorry for the pvt joke but tissians will understand)

5. What is your favourite meat?

####hmmmmmmm....should i say chicken....or should i say mutton...oh am a veggie btw....(most ppl would think the above line is for the sake of being funny....(arpita in case ur reading) ....but itz actually because I am vella....

What is your most embarrassing CD on your shelf?


#### hmmmmm cdz.... nah no embarrassing cdz...but tapes...yes a boyzone tape.....ya.ya we all commit mistakes....I even liked the gay guy in the band...steve!!!1

7. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you?

####If i were a gal......NO.....


if i were a guy........... itz a no brainer....NO!!!!!!!!!!(reallly.....i am extremely moody....)

8.Are you a daredevil?

#### well...no... but i can parasail.....but cant do a roller coaster(tried it once)

9. How do you release anger?

Well...I attach a bucket through a tube which goes into my left year and then start shouting RELEASE....RELEASE.......

OR i remember my 7th std yoga teacher and sing RELAXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

10. Where is your second home?

It used to be Mumbai.....now i have none...I have just one...

11. Do you trust others easily?

NO i dont....neither do i trust myself so easily....but i trust myself to put my foot into my mouth anytime...!!!!!

12. What was your favourite toy as a child?

It's weird but true...i never played with toys.....

13. What class in school/college do you think is totally useless?

I thought school was enriching....after school i had four hazy years...i dont remember what i did.....those four years of my life i think are the most ^&*^*%&$%^$%#$#^^*& days...so the answer is pretty much what i did in those four years...it-that must-not-be-named....



14. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

I try.....

15. Have you ever been in a mosh pit?

#### I think the whole idea of sex-drugs and rock and roll sucks... and the mosh pit is an embodiment of the same.....

16. What do you look for in a girl?

#### I think this questionnaire was quintessially like a lot of other things designed with guys in mind:)! but still...like a lot of other things i treat this question like UNISEX....

I like smart gals....independent ones.....with no obbssessive compuslive disorder of affiliation motives.... who like to have their space....

17. Would you bungee jump?
Mebbe yes....
18. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?

thatz a nice question...I just observed this habit of mine yesterday.....I dont.....am so lazy i dont....so lazy that i walk around with my floater without putting the flap on!!!!!!so that it's easy to remove

19. What's your favourite ice cream?

#### chocolate...

20. What are your favourite colours?

#####black.....

21. What are your least favourite things?

#### hmmm public toilets.... liars, hypocrites, ppl with a lot of affiliation motives..... basically all corporates;):)!and no i didnt mean that statement!!!!!!!!!!!


22. How many people do you have a crush on right now?

#### none....likus singulus.....but otherwise.....josh hartnett....joan baez.... the doc on LOST, (i know....!!!!!!!!!!) RAJINI..KANTH....(I just saw dhalapathy....what a movie......rajini rocks...)

23. Who do you miss most right now?

will change that to a what..... I miss pasta...I have been craving for pasta..... some creamy pasta.....!!!!!!!! and ya i miss anu....spent ayear with that gal and look what shez making me do.....i am watching SUN MUSICCCCCCCCCCC!!!!!!!!scary!!!!


24. What are you listening to right now?

#### a whole lot of joan baez and dylan.... and some bruce springsteen....

25. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be?

#### I wouldnt want to be a crayon.....but if i am one i will be only a wax crayon....maybe orange..../black....

26. What is the weather like right now?

#### itz nice....:)

27. Last person you talked to on the phone?

#### dad....told him i watched kaviya thalaivi!!!!!!!!!!!

28. The "first" thing you notice about the opposite sex?

####Thank God for this UNISEX question..... I dont know....

All that i know is the manz got be funny and intelligent.... no brains...no gains;)!

29. Do you like the person who sent you this?

Considering i got it myself.....of course i love myself;)!


30. How are you today?

#### Velllla.....

31. Favourite non alcoholic drink?

#### loads of stuff....Chocolate Milk Shake, dubey dughdhalay butter milk.....mango juice....orange juice....real juice...

32. Favourite alcoholic drink?

#### Like Jai says...I will not drink alcohol until it tastes like orange juice!!!!

33. Natural hair colour?

wish russell peters heard this question.......... helloooooooooo we are indian...we have only black or brown....or maybe grey....! RP rocks....

34. Eye colour?

Black....wish i had hazel..... then i could have auditioned for ANGEL as a demon without make up!!!

35. Wear contacts?

####NOpes....

36. Siblings?

#### yep....one big brother.........

37. Favourite month?

#### march, april may.....

38. Favourite food?

okie boring question with 2 long an answer...

39. Favourite day of the year?

when my summer holidays begin...and i realise i have 2 whole months ahead me....with nothing to dooooooooooo!!and this year it was march 23rd....but DAMNno more summer hoildays after this one...

40. Have you ever been too shy to ask someone out?

#### Ask some1?? I have never asked anyone out:))okie dont get to my throat thinking I am the quintessial female who has to be asked out..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

41. Scary movies or happy endings?

#### Neither...sucker for movies with a roman holiday kind of endings.....!

42. Summer or winter?

####Summer.

43. Holi or Diwali?

#### both rock....had a bucket, mud pit loads of fun playing holi this year!

44. Do you like your name?

#### are u kidding me...with a 14 letter long name.....nobody will!!!!!!!!!!! I love akila.....!!!!!!But i Thank God my parents didnt give me a name that was UNISEX!!!!! (hahaha hope ur reading this 1)

sorry abt the pvt joke,,,... but hell its my blog !!!!!!
45. What book/magazine are you reading?

#### gerald durrell...my family and other animals...apart from the HINDU

46. What's on your mouse pad?

THE MOUSE!!!!!!!!!DUH raised to infinity

47. What did you watch on TV last night?

##### 8 SIMPLE RULES OF DATING MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER... last episode of this season...!!:(((((

48. Favourite Smell?

#### the smell of money...currency notes;)! apart from petrol, kerosene....

49. Have you ever regretted breaking up with someone?

Of course we all do....the very next minute!!!!!!!!!!!

50. Most tiresome thing you’ve ever experienced/done?


##### i would have wanted to say filling up this questionnaire....but i have done lots of other tiring stuff which cant in any remote alternate world be compared to this self afflicted action of mine....!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

my beauty...

I am velllllaaaaaaaaaa(got it right , buddy?) okie okie....my friend writes ,.,....

"the term is 'vella' and not 'vela'...wots in a freaking 'l' u ask?well a lot apparently, as was disclosed to me by my dear north indianfriend(parts deleted to protect identity)u cud normally say 'vela' in a straight flow... but tat is just sooooowrong... u shud say 'velllla' ensuring the tongue touching the upperpalate while enunciating the "l" sound.... it helps embody thecomplete lack of anythin else useful to do in tat time of enunciation:P so u see... how important it is??? :P :))))"



so decided to help my folks with my brother's wedding preparations. Assumed the role of the wedding planner, gave myself enough publicity even before i made an effort to do iota of work for them.

My mum suddenly decided to go saree shopping

shopping??? what..???!shopping???

....I love shopping....of course...i love shopping....who doesnt....???!;)!

There was a sale running (10% off on anything that you pick).....The shop that we chose belongs to a friend of ours and is a very traditional shop run by very modern people. The owner of the store came in sporting a satya paul saree.....and ushered us in.....after all the OH CONGRATULATIONS...!!!!!!!!! IS THIS YOUR DAUGHTER??? OHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHH EHHHHHHHHHHH KHAWUIRY785638YIFHM4I7T6348T73976

We flopped ourselves on the floor to take a look at the sarees........

And for those two hours...I enjoyed myself....but couldnt help remembering tom hanks in You've got mail.....

Short decaf cap," "Tall mocha latte." "Grande lowfat regular.

oh man...the choices we have to make.....burgundy, brown, oh no no black....white....make it off white......yellow...golden brown, peacock blue..!!!!!!!!!!

kanchipuram.....pure kanchipuram.....cotton silk....silk cotton(yep there s a difference)...crepe, chiffon...,

and then they showed me the beauty...........I fell in love with her,......and and like all beauties she was out of reach!!!!!!!
I got the shocker when i saw her price tag.......bid her adieu...wished her well...hated the person who would love her and take her home after me.....held her in my arms...refused to let her go....!!


looking at my lunacy...my mum relented....!!!!!!!!!!!hooorah....!!!!

she is a peachish orangish- whateverish kanchivaram....with a wine red jari.....rich...classy....elegant......my beauty....!!!

for all those who wnat to see her....be there....august 31st....seshadri manadapam....coimbatore...