2012 - In a Nutshell

I usually end up having a lot of things to say about what happened during the year. I do have many things this time as well, but will limit it so that I don’t end up ranting.

• Learnt that hardships in life do occur. They maybe prolonged, but you’ll find a way out of it somehow. It is all about hanging in there. And I think I still am hanging only. :P
• No India trip, yet again. And this year (2013) I am making a trip, no matter what. And have pani puri daily. And also masale-dose. 
• Learnt it the hard way that people aren’t required to survive/keep myself occupied in a new city. It’s only ‘me’ that’s required. (Yes, I copy-pasted it from the 2011 post). 
• Contributed greatly to the increase in revenue of AMC theaters. This meant sitting through Ek Mein Aur Ek Tu as the only member in the audience for over 45 minutes. And watching movies like Players.
• Attended concerts by Salim-Sulaiman, Sonu Nigam and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, and realized that this town has a major Bollywood-crazy crowd. A pretty late realization, that. And I got to wish Salim Merchant on his birthday :-)

PS: 2012 was the laziest year for this blog. 3 posts?? Really? Well, I had this other ‘sicrit’ blog (that I need to revive too) that had over 60 posts. Hopefully this is a better year for this blog.

PPS: I was really hoping for the world to end on Dec 21, 2012. Well whatever that means. One of the reasons was that I did not want to write this post.

In search of myself

(Impulsive post. I am sure I'll be embarrassed when I read it after a few days/weeks/years) :-)

We change. In many ways. We change as a friend, as a son/daughter, as a significant other and in many other ways. Whether the change is for good or not, is something that’s unknown. There’s this thing, I miss the old me. How this change occurred is something that’s unknown to me. Was it me, the place, the people, or life as such? I am unable to pinpoint at one thing.

It’s interesting how you can relate to a song, especially with its lyrics, even though the meaning of the lyrics and the reason for you to relate to it needn’t necessarily have a connection or a common premise. I miss the old me, or rather an old part of me. And I don’t think I could have summarized it better than a few lines in this song. However narcissistic this might sound, considering the old me was a part of me, in fact my better half, is what I’ve come to believe. Running away from myself is something that’s probably happened.

thalaivaa sugama sugama? un thanimai sugama sugama?
How is your solitude doing?

sirumai kandu thavitthen en siragail ondrai muritthen, ottrai chiragil oona paravai etthanai dhooram parappen?
I ended up breaking one of my wings, and how far can I fly with just one wing?

anbae unnai veruththen, en arivai naane eriththen, uravin perumai pirivil kandu uyiril paadhi kuraindhen
I absolutely hated you and in the process burnt my intelligence, I realized the importance of relationships and lost half of my soul.

After all, vaazhkkai or vattam pol mudindha idatthil thodangadha, is surely what one wants, right? :-) (can life not start at an ending point like how a circle does?)

And nothing better than this to ask myself: Unn poigal ellaam sugamaa-aaa?  (Are your lies all fine?)

And does ‘Kuraigal ullathu manitha uravugal puriyadha?’ (aren’t human relationships allowed to be flawed?) answers it all. With respect to I, Me and Myself.

(These lines from Azhage Sugamaa and Anbe Sugamaa, two absolutely wonderful songs from the movie Paarthaale Paravasam. Sung by Sadhana Sargam and Srinivas and composed by A.R.Rahman)

Thoughts on Ek Mein Aur Ekk Tu

Though largely incomplete, Ek Mein Aur Ekk Tu (EMAET) was definitely enjoyable for the most part. Having gone in with a ‘is this going to be a What Happens in Vegas rehash,’ I was pleasantly surprised. And more, when it instantly struck a chord, especially in its final moments. 

Borrowing its premise from multiple movies including Wake Up Sid, Udaan, 3 Idiots, Bommarillu and the likes, it sure would have been a bad decision if it retained its original title 'Short Term Shaadi'. The shaadi is the last thing in/from the movie that you'll probably remember. Not going into the wafer-thin premise, one can just say that the debutant director Shakun Batra follows his end message 'Live every moment, don't bother about the future' throughout the movie.

Kareena's Ri act closely follows her Geet character from Jab We Met and probably borderlines Konkana's Ayesha from Wake Up Sid. And no size-zero-ness (Thank god for that!) Imran’s Rahul Kapoor character is almost a replica of Madhavan's role in 3 Idiots. And what's with the obsession of every third movie's male lead character with the camera? It's not that photography is the only hobby for the metrosexual male.

Ratna Pathak Shah is in a completely different role from what she portrayed on Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na where she played Imran's mother too. Boman Irani (Imran's father) has been in very similar roles and I so wish the filmmakers gave this immensely talented actor more diverse roles.

Amit Trivedi's tracks are quite lively, even though they closely resemble the types of tracks that Shankar Ehsaan Loy or Vishal Shekar usually provide for Karan Johar's productions. Aahatein by Shilpa Rao and Karthik, who makes his debut in an Amit Trivedi's soundtrack, is my pick.

If only Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions could get over their obsession of filming in a city in the US. Didn’t their own Wake Up Sid work very well being set in Bombay, oops Mumbai?

Image courtesy: http://media1.santabanta.com/full4/bollywood%20movies/ek%20main%20aur%20ekk%20tu/ek-main-aur-ekk-tu-2v.jpg

The Priceless Red Liquid

Many a time, on Twitter, I’ve retweeted (RT-ed) that someone needs a specific group of blood in a particular city/hospital. While I am not aware of the difference, if any, that tweet might have made, it still gives me a hope that there’s someone somewhere donating blood to that patient. The fear of needles, thanks to a 4-day stint at a hospital as a teenager with non-stop drips, had prevented me from having thoughts of donating blood. Okay, you’re allowed to laugh if you want to. The (heartless) teenager that I was in college would ignore requests for blood donation at the hospital adjoining my engineering college.

During grad school at ASU, I’d regularly notice a United Blood Services truck on campus, seeking blood donation. Once, gathering some courage, I went to the volunteers only to be informed that I was ineligible to donate as an international student.

The move to the new city for a position at the hospital exposed me to frequent blood donation camps. The fear of needles still continued to haunt me. They haunted me to the extent that I refused to take a mandatory flu shot, till I was informed of dire consequences. (Okay, laugh some more!)

Yesterday, the American Red Cross was in the hospital for a blood donation camp. An enthusiastic me (I don’t know where he came from) inquired about the prospect of donating, and I was eligible to donate this time. Certain impulsive decisions never go wrong. This was such an instance. Barring the slight pain associated with the prick of a relatively large needle to draw blood, this is something I’d recommend everyone to experience in life. I am not too sure if I will continue donating regularly. But the thought of the donated blood being used to help a person, or even give him/her a new lease of life, makes me want to do so regularly. I hope I keep up with it.

And that said, too much of Greys Anatomy did no harm to anyone. I am sure @aishu_s will agree with that. :-)

Image Courtesy: http://www.yale.edu/redcross/img/blood%20drop.jpg

2011 - In a nutshell

To keep up with the 2 year tradition, here's my 2011 in a nutshell.

Professionally

• Successfully defended my dissertation and got my PhD. A sentiment speech has to be given no? 'This was my family’s dream (and mine too, okay), and I am glad that blah blah blah...'. (And not too sure how I feel about it still, even after 5+ months.)
• The Teaching Excellence Award finally, after being nominated for the third time. I’d almost resigned my fate to that of Meryl Streep’s.
• A paper in this prestigious journal, something that I should have had 2-3 years ago. Better late than never.

Personally

• Had to say goodbye to my pseudo thai-mann (motherland -  word courtesy @palavertalk) Tempe after 6 years of stay there. Miss the food, some of the people, and the heat!
• Got ATL-ed (word courtesy @krtgrphr), and am not too sure if I like it here, yet!
• Not having stayed in the same city as relatives/family thus far, I learnt staying in such a city is not hard after all (and is surely helpful too!)
• Learnt it the hard way that people aren’t required to survive/keep myself occupied in a new city. It’s only ‘me’ that’s required.
• Surprised myself with a 2 month Twitter break. 
• Also, got back onto Facebook after a 14 month break, and I think I am done with that form of social networking. (I think I should write a post about it soon.)
• Realized the 42-inch TV is my 42, for now. (My dream for a long time, ala Asin’s ambassador car dream in Ghajini.)

PS: I am alive to see my blogs slip into coma and have a near-death experience. Blame it on my over-indulgence in TV shows. And the thought that I lacked thoughts to blog about. I still think so!

PPS: I was to write something in a nutshell. Apologies for making it a coconut shell.

Of Distances...

I am sure everyone has had this moment in life. The ‘so near, yet so far’ one. As the cliched statement goes, ‘life’s uncertainties are indeed baffling, but that’s what life is all about.’ However, something that’s more annoying than the uncertainty is the fact that they are mostly controlled by others, and we let them do that. The only respite in this: I am not alone...

And, that light at the end of the tunnel should come with a caution: ‘Objects in front of you appear closer than they actually are,’ however with the exception of deadlines.




 







(Photo Courtesy: http://www.impactlab.net/2010/11/21/top-10-photos-of-the-week-155/)

Of hearts, the weak ones

Remember those childhood days when all it took to cheer you up was a long drive in Appa's car or a cycle ride along an unexplored path? The weak hearted me had one of those days today. Some aspects of life are definitely worth reliving. :-)

#WhyRaajaIsGod

In the past decade, A.R.Rahman has been my music idol. But nonetheless there is another greater legend who single-handedly changed the face of Tamil music in the late seventies and the eighties and still continues to do so. His works still remain one of the best forms of music from Tamil industry, and there is no denial that his musical arrangements specifically the violins and the percussion are the best in the country. He was the man who put raagam (melody) into the mounam (silence), and vice versa. And this is #WhyRaajaIsGod

Raaja sir, wishing you many many more happy returns of this day. Your discography is a wonderful lesson in music for many of us. Thank you for all the music.

A few of Ilayaraaja's films/songs that will find a place in my list of all-time favorite songs are listed below:

- Mouna Raagam: It is hard to single out a favorite from this soundtrack. I oscillate between Mandram Vantha, Nilave Vaa and Pani Vizhum Iravu.

- Poo Maalaye - Pagal Nilavu

- Chinna Thayaval and Sundari Kannal - Dhalapathy

- Thoongatha Vizhigal and Ninnukori Varnam - Agni Natchatiram

- Naguva Nayana - Pallavi Anu Pallavi

- Anjali - Anjali

- Yedhedho Ennam Valarthen - Punnagai Mannan

- Katril Varum Geethame - Oru Naal Oru Kanavu

- Enakku Piditha - Julie Ganapathy

- Ilangathu Veesudhey - Pithamagan

- Poo Maalai Vaangivandaan - Sindhu Bhairavi

It's no surprise that his association with Mani Ratnam has yielded some of the best soundtracks in the late 80s and early 90s. As much as I like A.R.Rahman's association with Mani Ratnam, I yearn for a Mani Ratnam-Ilayaraaja soundtrack. I wish that happens sometime in the near future! :-)

And I definitely want to attend a live concert of this great legend!


Pic Courtesy: http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/article75875.ece