Friday, September 29, 2006

FM - "Paattu"

It's this time of year again!!

Paattu paadava - Then nilavu

Paattum naane - Thiruvilaiyadal

Paattu thalaivan - Idhaya kovil

Paattu onnu naa - Pudhu Vasantham

Paattu solli - Azhagi

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Trip Diary Tidbits!

So many parks with slides, swings and walking trails(and wow! so many walkers!!)!!!

Impressive online train ticket booking system. Order online (with a Rs. 40 service charge) and the tickets arrive by courier in 2 days!!

The 'Anju Maadi Kattadams' of Usman road can clothe the entire mankind!! "Oru naal podhuma..." and aadi thallupadi or aaLa thallupadi?? Yemma!!

I know, I said this but watching 2 even 3 at a time isn't a bit too much?!!

NRIs are next only to 'theeviravaadeess' and 'arasiyalvaadhees' in getting bashed. Onga oora, enga oora, namma oora??

Last but not least, a very sad revelation that my system doesn't handle kalyana saapadu anymore!! :(

Friday, September 22, 2006

FM - "Vizhi"

Vizhigalin aruginil - Azhagiya Theeye

Vizhiyil vizhundhu - Alaigal Oivadhillai

Vizhiyorathu kanavu - Rajaparvai

Vizhiyile malarndhadhu - Bhuvana Oru Kelvikuri

Vizhiye kadhai yezhudhu - Urimai Kural

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Malampuzha Dam

Some pictures from the nice trip we made to Malampuzha Dam about 60 kms from Kovai. The timing was perfect with river malampuzha brimming from the never-fail West coast monsoon showers and temperature just right to take a stroll over the dam or see the aerial view from the rope car ride or explore the gardens! With mountains and water and greenery, what more could we ask for!


The beautiful garden view from atop the dam


Another view of the garden but this picture taken from the rope-car ride


The dam!


River Malampuzha with a lakshman joola type bridge across.


A nice 20 mins ride on the rope car is a complete paisa vasool[Rs. 20 (or was it Rs. 30?)]


Kaalinga nardhana Krishnaa!


Many more fountains through out the park


Mountain view from the dam



The bridge to Malampuzha dam!!!

Friday, September 15, 2006

FM - 'Dhisaigal'

Merke merke - Kanda Naal Mudhal

Then merku - Karuthamma

Then kizhakku - Kizhakku Cheemaiyile

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Fly away!

As a kid(like most, I guess!), I had a huge fascination for aeroplanes. Every time I heard one going over my head I used to look at it with awe wondering when I was going to experience flight. That chocolates/candies were offered(only in Indian airliners??) during flight was all the more enticing!!!

When my father got qualified to take family on plane for vacation, we excitedly planned a trip to Delhi from Bombay. With me and my brother fighting about who was going to get the window seat even before arriving at the Airport, my parents were relieved to find all our seats at the middle row!!! It was such a short flight that even before we could meddle with anything, our destination had arrived!

Probably because of the short first flight, I still had the fascination for flight journeys till my first trip abroad, little knowing how I would come to hate it! "ALavukku meerinaal...."!!! Like in those maayajaala kadhai(s), one has to endure the 7 malai thaandi, 6 nadhi thaandi kind-of torture to reach the destination!

The last couple of times I have been flying Lufthansa and it's been terrible. At Frankfurt, after 4+ hours of waiting(to my utter dismay, the flight always gets there earlier than expected making our wait time at the Airport longer!!!), with an already jet-lagged, starved kid wailing in the stroller, the Lufthansa personnel gets us to stand in a queue with the whole waiting area cleared. As most people who travel to Chennai in Lufthansa would know how many people generally are at the waiting area and how most are senior citizens and passengers with kids. Has anybody else experienced this situation in any other Airliner? Both times when I expressed displeasure at their treatment of passengers, all I got in return was a special "Passengers with kids first" entry into the Air craft. This time the lady at the counter went even so far as to tell me that that is Lufthansa policy and if I wanted I could complain!!

All said and done, I would again be flying out to India in the future, probably in the same Air liner cursing the long journey, the policy!

Friday, September 08, 2006

Friday Melody is back!!

Back to pavilion!

Atlast(and atleast) one of my favourite filmy jodi is soon to be real life jodi. So, this second innings of FM starts with Suttum vizhi chudare Mama & Ra-ra Aunty special!!

Churidar - Poovellam Kettupaar

Ennai konjam maatri - Kaaka Kaaka

Munbe vaa - Sillendru oru Kaadhal


Sept 11 also marks Mahakavi Bharathi's 85th death anniversary. In his memory,

Suttum vizhi chudardhaan / suttum vizhi chudardhaan