Make it happen

Make it happen







Thro my eyes







Sunday 31 July 2011

Brand you

Went outlet shopping the other day. Am no fashion fanatic but I do love my clothes and dressing up. If you have bags of energy and are ready to rummage around dozens of shops, yes a great day out for everyone. Although I would suggest not to go with the kids - my son claims it was the worst day ever and he would rather take a nap than ever do that again and that's saying a  lot
Go alone. Cause they are all there to keep you company Prada, DKNY, Jimmy Choo, Roberto Cavalli , Ralph Lauren, Diesel, Missoni et al. Designer Dreamland! I would probably never ever wear most of their stuff - too outrageous and just not me, yeah as if that's the only reason I wouldn't wear them - conveniently ignoring the fact that I can't afford most of the stuff anyway but we are talking rhetorically here so humour me.
But one has to admire the marriage of good quality cloth - mostly Italian I'm told , the working of someones' imagination and the skillful artistry of tailoring and hey ho! people go gaga over them. I can understand why though everyone likes to feel one of a kind and when you wear designer you are precisely that - one of a kind(now what kind exactly is up for grabs!) and it does make you feel special and your husband, well he probably feels not so special but again ignoring reality let's carry on strolling though fashion heaven.
But what these places do really well is introduce you to the latest trends and set your imagination working. You are armed then to mix and match pieces which suit your needs, and your wallet of course, to create a brand that's unique to you. Brand you!
So for just one day let's forget what the critics say or how superficial it is touted to be, every woman deserves a day of shopping where it's just about her. We can save the world tomorrow!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBrbpWwWafQ&feature=fvwrel

The men behind the red noses

Making people laugh....wiping away those frowns and making someone forget themselves for a few minutes.Wow! and to do that for a living. Talk about living the dream. But let me add that can be no easy task.It seems to be that in the world that we live in, it's lot easier to upset or make someone angry then get them to laugh. Put it down to stress or our unforgiving routines or just losing ourselves to trivialities which have no bearing on the bigger picture but that's just who we are now. Not everyone was the class clown but if you were one, you were probably the most popular and best loved in the class.

Over the years many moments on screen have managed to achieve that magic - just simple sequences which after all highlight the humanness and foibles of our kind. At the end of the day laughing at ourselves is the best way to get through the stress of a long day cause believe you me we all have a comedian hidden within us red nose, giant feet and all.We just need to laugh hard enough to wake that part of us up!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3eWKOVrxPo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROjyejgijnM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkNWtaePxa4&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM2FS2pIG8A

Sunday 24 July 2011

Dusk

A comforting melancholy settles in as the shadows creep out,
The birds biding each other adieu,
The trees and flowers closing in for the slumber party,
A firework explosion of crimson, purple, orange and red,
There must be an artist somewhere up there,
Whoosh! With an almost audible whisper it disappears below the horizon,
Taking in it’s wake yet another day.


who better to turn to at moments like this then the maestro of melody himself......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hymujdC0mlw

Cruel to be kind

My mom never ceases to amaze me. Just when I think she can’t know anymore she regales me with another new anecdote. She mentioned about the OSHO spiritual talks to be once and I was sceptical as always about these spiritual groups but curious nonetheless. A quick search on my beloved youtube and presto!, I was listening to some of their stuff, and what I heard really made me think. The concept was simple enough – to truly discover the treasures within oneself and believe me when I say we all have them and to be able to give off ourselves we must first become selfish. Hold on, don’t judge me as yet, I was as taken aback by this as you probably are now. Society and religion have always drilled into us the perception that ‘selflessness’ alone can provide salvation. But the more I thought about this the more I could see the light at the end of the tunnel as it were.

How many times have we all done what we perceived as a “Selfless Act” for a loved one or a friend and then been left feeling disappointed and disillusioned because it was not appreciated let alone reciprocated. Can an act be truly selfless if we expect even a “thanks” at the end of it? Not really and in reality even loving our children should be purely for the security and comfort that it provides them without any expectations at the other end.

Many of us enter our marriages having said the proverbial “I Do “and often find ourselves asking “Do I” later. This often is not a reflection of how happy your marriage is or how much love exists, all it really seems to suggest is how little you know yourself. I went straight from my parent’s house to my husbands and with equal haste was also faced with the daunting prospect of becoming a mother at the age of 24. Looking back now I can see that I was nothing more than a child myself who didn’t have a clue who the hell she was or what she wanted. In hindsight I can see this is why I constantly felt like I was on a runaway rollercoaster not really sure if I should stay on to go wherever fate takes me or risk it and jump.

But now 10 years on, with the very near possibility of my first grey hair, God forbid, I think I have come close to finding the answer – took me long enough! It’s simple really when we take the time out for ourselves and understand who we really are – what we like and what makes us truly happy only then can we even contemplate giving happiness to others. Otherwise every time we give of ourselves we are only left feeling more empty and clueless then when we started.

So the next time you feel betrayed or letdown by someone, ask yourself the question - Why? Is it your fault or the clueless culprit’s?
Let's finish with a flourish by quoting Shakespeare “To thine oneself be true…”




Saturday 23 July 2011

27C

Four years of going on that bus and what amazing days they were. Waking up at 6:30AM, a mad rush to use the bath before everybody else, throw on a cotton churidhar, a quick appraisal in the mirror - hey it was co-educational after all, hassle with amma to get the lunch box packed and I was off. A 15 minute walk to the main road to catch a bus to vadapalani, possibly meet a friend there and decide we were running late and jump into an auto. Get off at the 100 feet road, where the four roads met - very symbolic ain't it? And the place was already filling up with familiar faces - some rearing to go and some couldn't care less. 
How many days I would have stood at that corner, chatting away to glory, panicking about this, that and the other. By 8:00AM in the morning the sun would be beating down with such vengeance sometimes we would be bathed in sweat but did we care about suncream? Never.
And then suddenly it would appear in all its green splendour, often filled to bursting. I often wondered why some boys felt that the foot board was their birthright and refused to move even when space was available. Did the sadistic driver ever stop in front off us? Of course not, that would just make things too easy for us, the standing rule being always drive past and stop 10 metres away. We would somehow bolt, shove, push and grab onto anything we could to make it into that haven. Consider yourself one in a million if you manged to find a seat.One ticket to 'vengaya patti' was it? - somebody correct me if I am wrong.
Possibly the only route in the whole wide world where the bus would be half filled with screaming, boisterous vegetable vendors/pilgrims and the other half by us supposedly more civilized college students.They hated the sight of us and we them I guess. They were always complaining about the size of our bags while the fact that their huge baskets laden with heaving market ware actually occupied coveted floor space, was always conveniently ignored. That was the unique beauty of our college, located in the middle of literally nowhere, sandwiched between a bustling vegetable market at one end and a temple at the other end. 'Pottal kaadu' to be precise.
It was nothing short of a miracle that we managed to reach everyday on time but did we have a choice? No, the only bus that went from TNager, thro vadapalani and straight past our college, Oh pioneering 27C, you were the only one!
For some reason your brain shuts out all those sleepless nights of studying, numerous practical records to complete, the craziness of each lecturer to endure, paving new roads to the Xerox shops and countless exams. Instead I seem to remember only the best about those hot summer days, laughing without a care, giggling over who likes who, making senseless jokes in the lab when none of the experiments ever seemed to do what they were meant to do.
Only the ringing sounds of our laughter and those amusing journeys on that notorious 27C are forever alive in my memory.


This one's for you ICE batch of 1998.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-SVBlZRbWk&NR=1

They walked together......

in silence. The darkness of the cool night cocooned them in its embrace. He looked up at the star studded sky and thought about all the good she had brought into his life. A million emotions spiralled through him and he was left disorientated.The tinkling of her chains comforted his confused delirium and her soft rhythmic footsteps soothed him. They reached the end of the road. He opened the gate to let her in. She walked past and turned around slowly for one last glance. Their eyes met and locked. There was so much they wanted to say to each other but knew not how.....cause


scroll down for the ending.....
































































cause he was the farmer and she the cow.......

Hahaha......gotchya

Click on the below to finish off

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN8nHk_VD04

My Father

I walked into a card shop the other day and felt a sudden sinking feeling. Father's day was upon me again and the knowing that I couldn't buy anything for you.I can only hope  that this message reaches you even as the faintest of whispers.To the world a very normal person with a normal job, a normal middle class life but to us the epicentre of our very being.The strapping yet vulnerable young man, the dignified executive with the greying temples,forever a man of few words.
My ode to you dad, my hero, my inspiration, my appa.
Born the eldest in a family of five to a tamil pandit father in vellore, his early life had little room for any luxuries.But that driving ambition to achieve took him places far removed from his humble surroundings. He finished university with honours and took on the responsibilities of the family as early as that and then amma happened. Brought together in holy arranged matrimony his union with amma had none of the usual trappings. No stolen glances, no fervent proclamations of love,no sweet-
nothings but boy was there magic.I grew up with your love story all around me so don't blame me for being the die hard romantic I am.The way you both argued all the time and then made up in the blink of an eye, the way amma's eyes well up when she talks about your humble past, the way you patiently humored her while she shopped for hours on end - none of my best loved M&B romances have come close to capturing any of that.
Being the eldest with a sister and a brother soon after, there have been so many days when I have regretted being the eldest. First one to make all the mistakes, first to step out into the big bad world and why forever this constant sense of responsibility and protectiveness I feel for my siblings so much so I have been accused of interfering too much. But the one thing I will never regret is having those extra years of knowing you and having you to myself.
For all our materialism its always the little things we remember.The little things, the way you gently patted my hand when I was troubled,the way you said your name when I phoned, the way you insisted on buying just that bit more for us on our weekend trips,the way you used to drag me out of bed when I fell asleep skipping dinner, that unique aftershave that was just you.
Amma often accuses that I love you more. Dear dear amma we challenge each other constantly,we argue like crazy, you drive me to lunacy sometimes but not a single day is complete
without our quick catch ups and packing in an hour's worth of information in 10  minutes,my confidante, my guru, my friend. Of course I love you both equally just differently. Can one ever choose between the searing warmth of the first summer sun and the blessed relief of the first monsoon showers? For that matter can any girl describe what she feels for her father? Every other man is measured against you and found wanting.....
Growing up in suburban chennai in the repressed age I did, I have never been comfortable with displaying affection of any sorts but I have never kicked myself over it it as much as I do now. Did I ever tell you how much you meant to me, did I hug you enough or at least thank you enough?
Why did it have to be you and not some nameless face? Why did your own cells turn against you when you hardly ever hurt a fly? That gut wrenching almost physical pain I felt when you went has all but packed up and gone and left in its wake only a dull persistent ache that I can often set aside. As the cliche goes, time does heal most wounds but do I feel guilty about it, yes, everyday. People often reiterate to me that age old Hindu belief that when loved ones pass over they never go far and are
reborn  as a niece,a son or a daughter.But no that hardly provides any comfort,a thousand times over and I still want you only as my father.
Do I thank that almighty for all those days we shared or curse him for all those lost moments you should have had - your proud face at your son's wedding, growing old with amma,seeing more of your grandchildren and so many many more. I choose to do neither and take fickle solace only in fatalism (sorry i get that from amma) - it was meant to be.Some stars are meant to shine only for a short time but leave an afterglow so profound that it lasts a lifetime and more.

That second pink line

It's funny how some distant moments are forever etched in your mind while on the flip side you can't even remember what you had for breakfast a couple of days past - My hands shaking with excitement and anticipation, that one moment in your life when joy,trepidation,anxiety,bewilderment ricochet in your head in equal measure.And there it was, faint at first but strengthening with each second like my love for you, the second pink line. And I knew my life had changed forever. You gave me the biggest honour ever - motherhood.
Yes 10 years on and it feels like just yesterday, each second vivid in high definition.
Thank you son for making me whole.

Rahman - Breaking the moulds

I don't need to pile any accolades on him. We all know what a treasure he his. But I was not familiar with his work in the movie Delhi 6. The movie did not do too well at the box office and some of the songs never reached the limelight. I stumbled on the Genda Phool number accidentally and  was blown away by the composition. To take a song oozing with nativity and bring it bang up-to-date for today's rap generation, you've done it yet again with panache Rahman. Magic doesn't happen often but has definitely touched this one. Give it a go and I so do love those subtle dance swerves from Abishek.......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgiMhAH2jj8&feature=related

Saiyaan ched dewe,
Nanad chutki leve,
Sasural genda phool,
Saas gaari deve,
Dewar samjha leve,
Sasural genda phool,
Chora babul ka angana,
Bhaave deraa piya ka ho,
Saas gaari deve,
Dewar samjha leve,
Sasural genda phool,
Saiyaan hai vypaari,
Chale hain pardes,
Sooratiyaan niharu, jiyara bhaari howe,
Sasural genda phool…

Friday 22 July 2011

Dhanush in Aadukalam

He doesn't have your stereotypical good looks. He is nowhere close to getting six packs or even half the number of packs - by the way is that even possible, could some one have three packs? Anyway what was I saying, oh yes , he's carved a very unique and niche style of acting. He isn't big on 'punch dialogues' but boy has he left an impression with this one.
I think the hardest thing for an actor must be to shed their upbringing and privileged disposition and place themselves utterly and completely in some one's life and Dhanush has done that with remarkable ease in this one.You can't help but live through the range of emotions he has portrayed as an innocent lad in love with an 'awe-inspiring upper class girl'. In particular I want to highlight his expression in this song when he pretends to ride the horse of success.Wow! No one could have done it better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFEopDtnBwQ&feature=related

Soulmates

Have you ever wondered about this word? I often do.

Is it looking across a room of people and connecting with that one person? Is it that feeling that words are inconsequential when a few stolen glances speak volumes? Is it seeing  a part of you in their eyes and knowing that a strange connection exists beyond the physical? Two souls like a jigsaw fitting together seamlessly to make a whole? A bolt of lightening that leaves you disorientated forever?

Or rather is it the knowing that you are very different from someone but yet loving them despite? Is it that ability to highlight only the good and work at the bad as a team? Brought together by circumstances yet choosing to form an inseparable bond no questions asked? Is it a love that only gets richer and deeper with time like vintage wine?
Not sure. what do you think?

Summer

Blue skies,
Cotton candy puffs of white clouds,
Shimmering lakes scattered with millions of diamonds,
Girls in bright dresses,
The song of the lone bluebird,
what more could the heart yearn for.


On cold winter days this one never fails........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F27ryBUd6Tg

Why and why now?

We all would have had days like that, waking up and feeling a strange disorientation, looking back at life and feeling a sudden disengagement and you realise that you have done so many things to make others happy, been a dutiful daughter, a loving wife and mother, a sincere employee but how many seconds of those millions have you spared doing something for yourself.
Call it a premature mid-life crisis of sorts(35 next year and dreading it) or a sudden self-realisation moment that I often read about in yogic experiences but something has changed in me. I now know I need to give something back to the world not just for myself but by bringing a small smile to your face or a fresh tear to your eyes, I would have shared that tiniest of moments in your life and that's more than I could ever ask for.
Believe me when I say I have had my fair share of craziness, highs and lows, moments when the bleakness over took with no solace, and moments when the joy of life was restored with such passion it can blind like the first rays of the sun after a long dark night. Have you ever experienced the sheer bliss of seeing a sunrise when it feels like the world has just been laundered and rearing to go or have you felt that sudden sadness and retrospection engulf you as the sun disappears with a flash of orange and red at sundown on the beach. Isn't that what life is about though, living through each experience good or bad and living it fully without losing yourself? My dad used to say to me often "I believe in optimism because there is nothing in anything else". He is sadly no longer around but his words live on in me and I can only hope that my words will touch your lives too in someway.
Hey don't get me wrong, my work isn't all about self realisation or a bible for life as it were, it's more about making sense of the world around me with plenty of humour blended in for good measure. As you can see I do love my poetry and romantic metaphors but just humor me on that one. After all what is life without laughter and love?
I know it's probably cliched but I'm going to say it anyway - It's not about where we come from or where we are going, its all about the ride. So join me.