Last weekend was a nice getaway from work. Chennai's biggest rock show, the 'June Rock Out' (JRO) was kicking off and we had decided to go for the curtain raiser event, at the YMCA grounds. One of my friends, learning Music at the Vineyard school of music, had arranged for the tickets and stuff. Everything was set and we were all looking forward to a nice evening of music on Saturday. We were three of us and we reached the venue as usual, an hour late :-) Well things just dont feel nice if my college friends and I make it to any place on time !! So this trip was no exception to the rule :-)
Now coming to the show, the band on stage was 'AZIZ', a two-member band from the UK. One guy on the electric guitar and the other on a table, oops sorry, I mean tabla (bad joke, I know). By the time we reached there, the show had already begun and just as we were scanning the place for a vantage place to sit, all hell broke loose! God chose to answer the prayers of almost every single resident in Chennai, at that precise moment. It started raining nuts, and frankly, its been a while since I saw it raining so heavily in Chennai. Sad part -> I was not enjoyin the rain from the cozy comfort of my home, but I was stuck right the middle of it, with nowhere to run! As everyone started running helter-skelter ( though I dint understand where these guys were running, cos there was absolutely no place to take shelter!), we just stood there half dissappointed, half wondering 'what next' !
Just when we were about to get fully drenched, someone came up with a cracker of an idea. There was this big advertising hoarding, made to stand on the ground, with supports. What we did, we removed the supports, and all the guys lifted the four corners of the hoarding, such that it was horizontal, and all of us (around 15 of us!) took cover beneath it. That was some fun! Best part, we hardly knew the people beneath the hoarding, but we were all helping each other, knowing that if one person lets go, the whole thing would be on our heads, and of course, not to forget the relentless rain! The sight was hilarious, with all us standing in a 'hands-up' pose, supporting the heavy metal chunk, above our heads. All said and done, the purpose was being served! As we expected, the show was called off, and the best news came a little while later, when the organiser announced that the band had agreed to do a repeat performance on the following day, at the Vineyard Centre. Thankfully, it was indoors this time!
Meanwhile, the rain dint look as though it would stop too soon, and we people could not afford to keep our hands up and hold the hoarding forever! Something had to be done, and the carpark was a good 300 mtrs away. After escaping the rains for so long, none of us were prepared to waste all the hard work, and make a dash for the carpark. So what do we do? Enter next idea! We decided to take the hoarding with us, all the way to the car park, walking in unison or else the whole idea would crash (so would the hoarding). All of us took equally measured, calculated steps and started walking towards the car park ( hands still up). Though we did face some resistance from the ppl in charge of the event ( cos they thought we were taking it home, probably), none of us were in a mood to give in, and finally they did oblige. Thankfully we reached our cars, safe and 'dry' :-) Some experience it was. And when we finally put the hoarding down near the carpark, guess what the haording was actually about? It was an advertisement for a social activities club. And it read, in huge letters 'Acts Of Mercy'. Our minds thought the same thing - 'How Apt' !!!
Well some of u guys might think if it was worth all the trouble, to just avoid getting wet! Well, it was not just about being dry and stuff, it was about a lot of fun! Getting wet would also be fun, true, but this was fun too! The repeat show took place, as promised, on Sunday and we did go for it. The band 'AZIZ' was too good. Just two members and they produced some amazing music, trust me! The guitarist used all the available sounds from his processor, tricks which included plucking the strings with his teeth and stuff. But I liked the tabla the best. He was too good, and trust me, the tabla sounds really amazing. It is an instrument which has really fascinated me. I have always been a big fan of fusion. Love it when there is a small piece of tabla or a flute, in a western song! This performance was just the treat that I had wanted. Lovely music at the Vinyard centre.
All in all, a fun filled weekend, and it left me asking for nothin more!
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
THE ASHES - It Doesnt Get Bigger Than This !
This is gonna be my first post on cricket! Actually speaking, i was not doing justice to my favorite sport. A post on cricket should have been right up there, along with my first few posts! Anyway, thats past tense now. Whats present tense -> Well its the hype surrounding 'The Ashes', which is building up all over England. And i would not be punished if i say, 'all over the cricketing world', too! Its nice to see that atlast, The Ashes is even considered to be a competition, between two teams! Previously, The Ashes was just a formality, where the Australians either invited the English home, or accepted the Englishmens invitation home, in order to remind them that they would be keeping possession of 'The Ashes' for a further 2 years! :) Such was the one sided nature of the competition.
By any chance, if you think that this is the first time that such a hype is created regarding The Ashes, you are badly mistaken. Every time, hype did exist, but the only difference - it was only the Englishmen who created it themselves. The only people who believed that it would even be a competition, were the 11 players who took the field! The way the matches turned out, one was left wondering if even those 11 had harboured any hopes at all ! But this time, refreshingly, the story is different. There is a genuine excitement surrounding the most prestigous series in Cricket. People all over the world realise that this English team could give the Aussies a real run for the trophy! The English tabloids, not to mention, are going crazy with predictions of an English win. The difference here, is that even people outside England, are giving them a decent chance. But if you ask me, i will say that its gonna be Australia with the Ashes, yet again! And this time, with the 'ashes' of a million dreams, and not just 11!
Coming to the cricket part of things, my gut feeling is that this is gonna be a closely fought series, atleast compared to the previous ones. Though my heart wants England to win, my mind shouts 'Australia'. If England are to harbour any thoughts of an upset, their key players - Trescothick, Vaughan, Flintoff and Harmison - have no option but to fire on all cylinders. Of course, there is the ever so charismatic Kevin Pietersen, who could change the game on its head, if he stays at the crease for a good part of the day! I think England have made a good decision by including him in the team. I am pretty sure that the Aussies are wary of him. They realised the potential threat that he is, during the ODIs. Including him, was a step in the right direction.
Trescothick has to fire against the Aussie bowlers if England are to post good totals consistently. He has been a sitting duck in the past, for Mcgrath and Co. Vaughan has been a consistent performer against Australia, and goes without sayin, his contribution is vital. But its in the middle order, where all the difference in this English team, has come from. The top order is pretty much orthodox, but Flintoff and Pietersen, right in the heart of the England batting line up, have the potential to destroy attacks. Their consistency will determine the Ashes scoreline. If both these dynamites decide that this is the right time to explode, the Aussies could well be in store for some ball fetching. Coming to the bowling, Harmison has to be the Man. If he doesnt fire, i am pretty sure Australia will rattle up a huge score. Once that happens, England will be playin catch up! And this, no team on planet Earth, has managed to do, against the champions. Restricting the Aussie batting order, seems to be England's only hope. For the Aussies, Brett Lee looks in menacing form. I have a feeling that Lee (My Fav Bowler) will rip through England atleast twice in this series! Finally, my prediction - its gonna be the Aussies 2-1, or Aussies 3-1.
All said and done, The Ashes is about the begin! All the talking, hype, gossip, media, headlines, predictions etc, can come to a halt. Its time for Action.... Let the games begin!
PS 1: Feel free to include your predictions in your comments... Lets have some fun! General comments are welcome too !!
PS 2: No false assumptions that only ppl with expert cricket knowledge can comment!! All are welcome!
By any chance, if you think that this is the first time that such a hype is created regarding The Ashes, you are badly mistaken. Every time, hype did exist, but the only difference - it was only the Englishmen who created it themselves. The only people who believed that it would even be a competition, were the 11 players who took the field! The way the matches turned out, one was left wondering if even those 11 had harboured any hopes at all ! But this time, refreshingly, the story is different. There is a genuine excitement surrounding the most prestigous series in Cricket. People all over the world realise that this English team could give the Aussies a real run for the trophy! The English tabloids, not to mention, are going crazy with predictions of an English win. The difference here, is that even people outside England, are giving them a decent chance. But if you ask me, i will say that its gonna be Australia with the Ashes, yet again! And this time, with the 'ashes' of a million dreams, and not just 11!
Coming to the cricket part of things, my gut feeling is that this is gonna be a closely fought series, atleast compared to the previous ones. Though my heart wants England to win, my mind shouts 'Australia'. If England are to harbour any thoughts of an upset, their key players - Trescothick, Vaughan, Flintoff and Harmison - have no option but to fire on all cylinders. Of course, there is the ever so charismatic Kevin Pietersen, who could change the game on its head, if he stays at the crease for a good part of the day! I think England have made a good decision by including him in the team. I am pretty sure that the Aussies are wary of him. They realised the potential threat that he is, during the ODIs. Including him, was a step in the right direction.
Trescothick has to fire against the Aussie bowlers if England are to post good totals consistently. He has been a sitting duck in the past, for Mcgrath and Co. Vaughan has been a consistent performer against Australia, and goes without sayin, his contribution is vital. But its in the middle order, where all the difference in this English team, has come from. The top order is pretty much orthodox, but Flintoff and Pietersen, right in the heart of the England batting line up, have the potential to destroy attacks. Their consistency will determine the Ashes scoreline. If both these dynamites decide that this is the right time to explode, the Aussies could well be in store for some ball fetching. Coming to the bowling, Harmison has to be the Man. If he doesnt fire, i am pretty sure Australia will rattle up a huge score. Once that happens, England will be playin catch up! And this, no team on planet Earth, has managed to do, against the champions. Restricting the Aussie batting order, seems to be England's only hope. For the Aussies, Brett Lee looks in menacing form. I have a feeling that Lee (My Fav Bowler) will rip through England atleast twice in this series! Finally, my prediction - its gonna be the Aussies 2-1, or Aussies 3-1.
All said and done, The Ashes is about the begin! All the talking, hype, gossip, media, headlines, predictions etc, can come to a halt. Its time for Action.... Let the games begin!
PS 1: Feel free to include your predictions in your comments... Lets have some fun! General comments are welcome too !!
PS 2: No false assumptions that only ppl with expert cricket knowledge can comment!! All are welcome!
Thursday, July 07, 2005
College FlashBack
This post was triggered by an article on my college-mate, Sathya's blog. He had written about some of his funny experiences in college, and I just could not help thinking about some of my very own 'really funny' memories from college! So here goes..
We had this sir in college, who was addressed as 'T.R'. Before you guys start wondering too much, it was because of the similarity in looks :-) He was the ultimate "comedy-man" anyone could ask for! A crowd puller, in his own sense. Just the thought of attending his class, made us wake up early in the morning with a smile on our faces. His english was next to horrible but the man used to deny that to the core. You know what, when a friend of mine tried talking to him in Tamil (cos he was tamilian), you know what he said, " Actually I am more comfortable speaking in the English, so please avoid Tamil in the" !!! Now that requires guts!! :-) The guy who had tried speaking in Tamil was embarrassed to the core, and yes, true to college life, he got teased all through his college life...
Moving on, another thing that made T.R one of the most popular people in college, was his inclination towards 'articles'. Yes you heard me right, the man just would not be able to sleep if every sentence of his did not contain atleast 3 or 4 articles !! He was one person who could start a sentence with an article, and end the same with an article too :-) Invariably, all his sentences ended with 'the'. How it made sense, dont ask me! I'll quote some examples, cos I know all u guys are pretty confused. "What is the time of the?", " Where is Vinay in the?", " All of u listen of the " lol. You wont believe, a friend of mine and I, used to go late for his class as usual, and guess what my friend used to ask him, standing at the door? " Excuse me sir, in the " ..... Any guesses what our sir's reply would be? " Yes yes, come in the ". :-) The entire class would burst out in a fit of boisterous laughter! Such was the fun we had.
Then there was this incident when a friend, sitting next to me, was caught talking to another guy. At this point of time, T.R was in full flow, deep into a tough part of our syllabus. He noticed that my friend was not paying attention (He probably was not looking at anyone else in class! Cos none of us were listening). And he got so wild that he threw his chalkpiece at him (That it hit some other guy, is a totally different story). T.R just jumped off the dais and came running towards the horrified student and asked him to stand up first. He was sooo angry that he dint know what to say (Otherwise also he doesnt know), and guess what he screamed - "You fool, take it down the board of the chalkpiece in the notebook of the!!!!! " lol. I agree that it was not word by word what he had said, but then, no one knew what he had said exactly either, not even T.R.. :-) This was the closest that we could make out, that too after a great deal of effort!
All said and done, heart of heart, he was a nice man and all of us from Crescent Engineering College were extremely thankful to him, for having added colour, to our already colourful college life!!! :-) Miss those days !!!
We had this sir in college, who was addressed as 'T.R'. Before you guys start wondering too much, it was because of the similarity in looks :-) He was the ultimate "comedy-man" anyone could ask for! A crowd puller, in his own sense. Just the thought of attending his class, made us wake up early in the morning with a smile on our faces. His english was next to horrible but the man used to deny that to the core. You know what, when a friend of mine tried talking to him in Tamil (cos he was tamilian), you know what he said, " Actually I am more comfortable speaking in the English, so please avoid Tamil in the" !!! Now that requires guts!! :-) The guy who had tried speaking in Tamil was embarrassed to the core, and yes, true to college life, he got teased all through his college life...
Moving on, another thing that made T.R one of the most popular people in college, was his inclination towards 'articles'. Yes you heard me right, the man just would not be able to sleep if every sentence of his did not contain atleast 3 or 4 articles !! He was one person who could start a sentence with an article, and end the same with an article too :-) Invariably, all his sentences ended with 'the'. How it made sense, dont ask me! I'll quote some examples, cos I know all u guys are pretty confused. "What is the time of the?", " Where is Vinay in the?", " All of u listen of the " lol. You wont believe, a friend of mine and I, used to go late for his class as usual, and guess what my friend used to ask him, standing at the door? " Excuse me sir, in the " ..... Any guesses what our sir's reply would be? " Yes yes, come in the ". :-) The entire class would burst out in a fit of boisterous laughter! Such was the fun we had.
Then there was this incident when a friend, sitting next to me, was caught talking to another guy. At this point of time, T.R was in full flow, deep into a tough part of our syllabus. He noticed that my friend was not paying attention (He probably was not looking at anyone else in class! Cos none of us were listening). And he got so wild that he threw his chalkpiece at him (That it hit some other guy, is a totally different story). T.R just jumped off the dais and came running towards the horrified student and asked him to stand up first. He was sooo angry that he dint know what to say (Otherwise also he doesnt know), and guess what he screamed - "You fool, take it down the board of the chalkpiece in the notebook of the!!!!! " lol. I agree that it was not word by word what he had said, but then, no one knew what he had said exactly either, not even T.R.. :-) This was the closest that we could make out, that too after a great deal of effort!
All said and done, heart of heart, he was a nice man and all of us from Crescent Engineering College were extremely thankful to him, for having added colour, to our already colourful college life!!! :-) Miss those days !!!
Friday, July 01, 2005
My Weekend Trip !!
Sorry for the delay guys , this post did take some time coming. It can be partly attributed to the fact that I had gone to my native place, Cochin, last weekend. Yes, that is exactly what this post is going to be about ! :) I am a malayalee but I was born and brought up in chennai. Thus we always made it a point to visit our native place atleast once every year. Most of my cousins and their families, are settled in Kerala. I have attached some pics that I took on my phone when i was there. The kids in the second snap, they are my cousins.. Absolutely adorable!!
Kerala is one of the most breath-taking places in our country, no doubt! Everything you see there, is so natural. The place where we stay in kerala, my cousin's house, is in a remote part of town, a typical village. But its fun all the same. Life is so different in those parts. Every house would be separated from its neighbour, by atleast 300 metres ! In chennai, u can expect atleast 3-4 buildings within this area! Each house is surrounded by paddy fields, small canals with 'always on the move' water, lots of trees etc etc. You wont believe, most of the houses grow their own vegetables, and hence rarely do these people goto the markets!
The Lifestyle there is so different from what we are used to, in the cities. By around 8pm, all shops are closed and life almost comes to a halt! Houses are no longer lit up, streetlights are also switched off!! All of a sudden, the whole place just goes silent. Believe me, a walk on the 'roads' at this time can seriously send a few shivers down your spine. But when I say 'quiet', its only the sounds of human habitation that are missing. This is the time when all the insects, frogs, snakes, etc etc in kerala come to life! They are all very much alive and they make it known to every passerby, that they are alive!! Spotting a snake crawling along the road side, is no rare sight in Kerala. People there are pretty used to it, and the snakes are jus allowed to carry on :) Pretty scary isnt it! The very sight of snakes and i'm off like a rocket :) According to the people there, unless you stamp on them unknowingly, they will not bother you. I guess its very true but then, this is not the time for experiments!!
In short, I spent a lovely 3 days at Cochin and it was a much needed break from my daily work routine! If anyone is looking for a holiday spot, to spend quality time, make a trip to Kerala. You'll realise why its called "God's Own Country!". By the way, I do not have any tie-up with the Kerala tourism board or somethin like that!!! :-)
Kerala is one of the most breath-taking places in our country, no doubt! Everything you see there, is so natural. The place where we stay in kerala, my cousin's house, is in a remote part of town, a typical village. But its fun all the same. Life is so different in those parts. Every house would be separated from its neighbour, by atleast 300 metres ! In chennai, u can expect atleast 3-4 buildings within this area! Each house is surrounded by paddy fields, small canals with 'always on the move' water, lots of trees etc etc. You wont believe, most of the houses grow their own vegetables, and hence rarely do these people goto the markets!
The Lifestyle there is so different from what we are used to, in the cities. By around 8pm, all shops are closed and life almost comes to a halt! Houses are no longer lit up, streetlights are also switched off!! All of a sudden, the whole place just goes silent. Believe me, a walk on the 'roads' at this time can seriously send a few shivers down your spine. But when I say 'quiet', its only the sounds of human habitation that are missing. This is the time when all the insects, frogs, snakes, etc etc in kerala come to life! They are all very much alive and they make it known to every passerby, that they are alive!! Spotting a snake crawling along the road side, is no rare sight in Kerala. People there are pretty used to it, and the snakes are jus allowed to carry on :) Pretty scary isnt it! The very sight of snakes and i'm off like a rocket :) According to the people there, unless you stamp on them unknowingly, they will not bother you. I guess its very true but then, this is not the time for experiments!!
In short, I spent a lovely 3 days at Cochin and it was a much needed break from my daily work routine! If anyone is looking for a holiday spot, to spend quality time, make a trip to Kerala. You'll realise why its called "God's Own Country!". By the way, I do not have any tie-up with the Kerala tourism board or somethin like that!!! :-)
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