World No Tobacco Day!

Veggie Tales

"We love Vegetarians
More Beef for us"

said an Ad in a magazine. Surrrr.... climbed anger on top of my nose but then gotta agree with the Ad. guy's kurumbu!!

A few years back a friend and her husband visited us. My friend's husband's work involves a lot travelling abroad, entertaining clients etc. He told us about the many awkward situations he had faced being a Vegetarian. He even seemed to be upset with his parents for having brought him up a Vegetarian!!! As if they would've known he would be living abroad, entertaining foreign guests!!

During my school days, most of my friends were NVs though they hardly brought it to school lunch(not sure if it was not allowed). But I was never the fussy(nose-shutting!), complaining(aiyo!) Vegetarian like some others. Even used to go so far as to boast that I was not afraid to eat it if I got a chance. Even argued with everyone about how plants have life and how we, vegetarians are killing life too!!

Once during our Sports day function which was held outside of the school campus, a friend brought some NV food and said, 'I got it especially for you. You always wanted to try it, isn't it?'. It sure was a great chance but I just couldn't bring myself to eat it! Was it fear of going against my parents? my religion? or Mohandas Gandhi's lesson? I don't know!

As a child, many a statistics had taken me by surprise. Like Christianity, the largest followed religion in the world(I used to think, only 'MV' is a Christian in my class then how come??') or Chinese the most spoken language in the world. Similarly, the statistics about Vegetarians.

Setting foot outside of mother-land, began a whole new challenge. Reading the miniscule sized ingredients list in every can/container, missing parties b'cos they have to order 'special' food for our sake, amusing others etc. As always, I don't have a problem with NVs as long as they respect mine. Many a times I have wondered how if not for those people who can survive on anything and everything that I am able to sit comfortably & read, learn about the many things that I wouldn't dare to travel to/experiment.

As it is, flight journeys are tiresome and a nerve-wreck for me. Once while flying BA, we were stranded in London due to bad weather and had loitered in the Airport nearly 10 hours. My husband, the ever calm and super-understanding personality that he is, had been 'sorry for interrupting' to find seats for us the whole time. Suddenly, just 20 mins before the flight departure, they called us to board the flight. In all the confusion, we forgot to mention about our Vegetarian preferance at the time of the check-in. In flight, when we asked for Vegetarian meals, the way they created a fuss about us not informing at the time of check-in!! OMG!

Anyway, the idea to this post was born when I was pleasantly surprised to learn about the many Vegetarian restaurants(not just Indian cuisine) in the Atlanta area. I like to try new cuisines, new dishes and if it is fully Vegetarian, I can experiment without fear and drag my husband along too!!

FM - 'Nenjam'

"Nenjangootil" - Dishoom

"Nenjamellaam" - Ayudha Ezhuthu

"Nenjukulle" - Ponnumani

"Nenjathai alli" - Kadhalikka Neramillai

Ca.. ca... ca.... cockroach!!!

I am next only to 'Thenali' Thenali with my numerous phobias but at the top of the list is my insects phobia. I have always wondered if smaller things scared me more(During Deepavali, I could get myself to light many a 'damaal dumeels' but never hold a cape Gun!) though I have not(touch wood!) encoutered T-Rex or KK kinds!

Anyway, coming to the topic, for quite some years now, I have not had to face the daunting task of dealing with 'karapps'. In the NE, the only uninvited guests during summer were ants or some tiny wriggleys! The ahimsawadhi I am, especially after I became a big fan of Kratt brothers and their lemur-friend, 'zooboomafoo' and to not reveal the scare-d-cat that I am to my daughter, I dare enough to guide them outside shivering & holding them in a long sheets. But now, am having to go against my virundhombal traditions (Valluvare mannichidunga!), having to show faces (and brooms!) to my uninvited guests who crawl from outside.

One evening last week, I was 'dheme-nnu' checking mails, when my husband commented, 'oh, so you've got company!' and that was when I saw Mr. Brown coat big moustache-walla after many years!! With my daughter sleeping in the other room, couldn't let out a scream too. That's when I realised along with good weather comes these free bonus too.

As far as I can remember, I don't have many memories of roach encounters in Chennai(Guess, it is Lizz(ard)y amma pettai!). But boy, did my Mumbai life compensate for it!! The nice big wardrobes in our Mumbai flat was a big attraction to us bare-shelf Madrasis. But soon I realised how it housed numerous Brown-coat-wallas too.

There used to be regular Pest control exercise in our Apartment community involving huge efforts almost equalling a mini-move! Almost the whole day we would spend at neighbours and return home only in the evening to see a battle-ground scene with hundreds of dead roaches. For the next few weeks, the house would be free of bugs but then those smart ones which moved to the floors down/up to other apartments during the extermination would start to return when the effect starts waning!

During close encounters, my mother used to be my only saviour! The Maha-ahimsawaadhi my father is, would just walk past it and at the most announce it to my mother if she was not aware of my 'cornered mouse' status! To my brother, it used to be the perfect situation. He would get all 'vaakurudhis'/ promises from me before the rescue mission! Ofcourse, these days, it is my 'Ennavar-Knight' who comes to save this damsel in distress!

Meesai aaNNmaiyin chinnamenbadhu
migaipaduthapatta uvamai!
Karapanpoochi yenna
aaNNmaiyin chinnama?

-unknown

***************Warning - not for delicate hearted souls*****************
Nobody needs reason for the gross feeling for roaches but I have a horrible story. During the late eighties, one of my neighbour, an avid Junior Vikatan reader, used to scare us with the stories she read on 'Ju Vi'. One such was about how kids were kidnapped and made invalid to make them beggars.
Please, last warning to those you who think they can handle #$$#%# things to not read further. I have not been able to erase it from my mind.
Anyway, what I heard was that the kidnappers blind-folded the children's eyes with roaches in them to make them blind!!! I am not sure how true this was but rips my heart everytime it comes to mind.

FM - 'Uyir'

Uyirin uyire - Kakka kakka
The opening song and sequence were so impressive that the movie, the hero, the director and the music director entered my favourites list(note: this was a movie I saw after almost a 2 year hibernation!) in a click!

Uyire - Bombay
When a friend declared how boring a song this was when it was the rage at the time of its release, I was shocked beyond belief and thought she was the most unromantic person in the whole world!

Uyire en uyire - Thotti Jaya
Haven't seen the movie or the song. Nice melody from HJ. Quite impressed with singer Karthik after 'oru maalai' from Gajini.

Uyire uyire urugadhey - Oruvar Vaazhum Aalayam
Could not find a link to this song anywhere on the net. The movie had some nice songs.

Movie Comments!

King Kong

Anybody not yet watched Titanic, Jurassic Park (what else? fill in the blanks) etc.? Catch this 3 hour 'all in one' movie and save time & energy!
IMO, no other movie has the title character with this late an entry(Malayalam Superstar thothaar!). I even doubted if I was watching the right DVD!
Naomi Watts, the heroine reminded me of our yester year bollywood actress Tina Munim(remember her?).
Indha compooter graphics vandaalum vandhudhu, summa buy 1 get 100 free maadhiri, yekka chakka creatures and fights! Thangale da, saami!
People who complain about the length of 'Lagaan' and 'Thavamaai thavamirundhu', should watch this. No songs to fast forward also!!
The big plus watching this has been that 'King Kong' has come to my rescue when I had exhausted almost all creatures to scare & get things done from my daughter. Vaazhga King Kong!


Parineeta

Somehow I had an impression that this was a tragic melodrama. The movie was like watching a 70s era Hindi movie in non-geva(what is 'geva', btw?) colour. Guess, Bollywood is bitten by the remake bug. Where can I catch the Bimal Roy original now?
Shekar and Lolitha made me kind-of forget Saif Ali and Vidya Balan, only nagging thought was the news I read about Vidhu Vinod Chopra not thinking Aamir suitable for the role(of Shekhar, I had presumed)! But since it was Sanjay's role, I forgive VVC!
VVC sure is improving(from 1942 - a love story to 1962 - Parineeta. So which 1982 story next?)

Like I commented in another blog, some years back learning of an Indian movie as a copy from some foreign language movie used to bring a shocked response. These days it has become a game as to who guesses the original first!!! :) So, after watching an English movie, the only thought that comes to my mind is, will it be remade by our Bolly/Kolly wooders?

So, in a language near you... soon....

Pay Check - In the line of Memento-Gajini, this has great potential too to enter 'namma pettai'. Any suggestion as to who can act in the role of Ben Affleck, Uma Thurman?

Just like Heaven - A sure winner, bolly/kolly wooders! Romance, mystery, emotional drama, you name it. I cannot wait to see who is going to replace bubbly Reese Witherspoon!

Red Eye - An interesting thriller! Who is the Vijay Shanti of the 2000s? Cos' this is a heroine oriented film. Can try getting the Blue eyed guy himself to do it in Hindi/Tamil/Telugu and can try to convince big eyed Jothika to do the Hotel Receptionist role!!

Special Friday Melody!

"Ennavar's" birthday special melody!

Ennai thalatta - Kadhalukku Mariyadhai

Sattham illadha - Amarkalam

Krishna Kripa - Sargam


And Mother's day special,

Arariraro - Raam

Fwd:

Got this email forward recently.

I think we should have job reservations in all the fields. I completely support the PM and all the politicians for promoting this. Let's start the reservation with our cricket team. We should have 10 percent reservation for Muslims. 30 percent for OBC , SC /ST like that. Cricket rules should be modified accordingly. The boundary circle should be reduced for an SC/ST player. The four hit by an OBC player should be considered as a six and a six hit by a OBC player should becounted as 8 runs. An OBC player scoring 60 runs should be declared as a century. We should influence ICC and make rules so that the pace bowlers like Shoaib akhtar should not bowl fast balls to our OBC player. Bowlers should bowl maximum speed of 80 kilometer per hour to an OBC player. Any delivery above this speed should be made illegal. Also we should have reservation in Olympics. In the 100 meters race, an OBC player should be given a gold medal if he runs 80 meters.

There can be reservation in Government jobs also. Let's recruit SC/ST and OBC pilots for aircrafts which are carrying the ministers and politicians (that can really help the country.. )Ensure that only SC/ST and OBC doctors do the operations for the ministers and other politicians. (Another way of saving thecountry..) Let's be creative and think of ways and means to guide INDIA forward... Let's show the world that INDIA is a GREAT country. Let's be proud of being an INDIAN..May the good breed of politicans like ARJUN SINGH long live...

Villadhi Villains & Silly Villis!!

A couple of movies that I watched recently, "Arindhum Ariyamalum" and "Sanda Kozhi", had a nice twist about the Villains. Our ooru 'dishoom dishooms' are getting too gory(How enjoyable were the MGR era 'dishoom, dishooms'!)! Thankfully, I only get to see movies on the small screen with the 'FF' button of the remote on hand!

What is with (silly) Villis & Rajni movies? (Starting from?) 'Mapillai', 'Mannan', 'Padayappa' & even 'Chandramukhi'(that Villi invented to make up for the real life defeat, eh? The original doesn't have that (silly) villi character!). No more Villis, huh, 'Sivaji' Sarr(Villain-kku semma hunt-a?)!!

FM - 'KaNN'

Kanne kalaimaane - Moondram Pirai

Kannale kaadhal kavidhai - Aatma

Kannai katti kolladhey - Iruvar

Kannai vittu - Pattiyal

Kanne unnaal - Ambigapathy
(listen to this classic eve-teasing song by NSK!)


There are scores of other songs starting with 'kaNN', so recollect, hum, sing out loud, comment & ensoy!

Chinna Chinna Aasai Tag!

Has to be me tagged me(too)! (Oru tag-a choice-le vittuten, manchikonga Madam!)


1. Kaalaiyil dhinamum kann vizhithaal Amma-vin filter kaapi kudikka aasai.

2. Eppavum temperature 70s F(20s C) irukka aasai.

3. Thappu panravangala kandukama irukkum kadavula naalu vartha narukkunu kekka aasai.

4. Oru pushpaka vimanam/parakkum kambalam kedaichu India-kku takknu parakka aasai!

5. Vaanga pona item sale-laiyum irundhu coupon-um kuduthu vaanga aasai!

6. (Eppavum) Paduthadhum posukkunu thoonga aasai.

7. Alattal aatkalukku nalla nose cut kudukka aasai.

8. Chennai-le maadhiri inge lane-less roads-le 2 wheeler otti signal-le 4 & more wheelers-ai criss-cross panni mundhiadikka aasai.

9. Astronaut dhaan aaga mudhiyale(!), space tourist-aavadhu aaga aasai!

10. Ella blog post-laiyum super comment adikka aasai!

:)