Dont let the bed bugs bite!

IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS ARTICLE MAY SEEM BORING, BUT PLEASE READ IT FULLY. IF YOU HAVE EVER USED A SUITCASE EVEN ONCE IN THE PAST YEAR, THE INFORMATION IN THIS ARTICLE IS ABSOLUTELY RELEVANT FOR YOU

Snug as a bug in a rug. This phrase has lost all its cuteness for me. I read an article today in the New York Times about the rampant spread of bed bug infestation.

I was a victim too, in April this year. Here is the story.

For a period of over three weeks, I kept waking up in the morning with a swollen eye, swollen cheek, reddish bumps on my hands, neck etc. I spent days cleaning my apartment, and laundering my bed clothes, and still, there was no use. I even saw a dermatologist who promised me that I did not have any mysterious skin ailment.

Then finally, I had a breakthrough. I woke up in the middle of one night, as I could feel this intense irritating pain on my elbow. I immediately turned on the light, and there it was!!!! This big horrendously fat bed bug happily sucking the life out of my hand! Bed bugs are tiny little creatures, almost invisible normally. But when they feed, they bloat up to many times their original size, and are like these little balloons. I squashed the little son of a %^&$!!@ and from then on, it was an all out war.

I am a vegetarian, and I try not to kill insects, but the bed bugs were a different story altogether. I checked out a number of articles online and even called a few pest extermination specialists. They scared the living daylights out of me, by making it sound as though the only way I could be bed bug free was to move out of my apartment and BURN all my worldly belongings (really, no exaggeration. Apparently you cannot get away with just using baygon spray)

Well, to cut a long story short, I decided to take matters in my own hands and did the following:
1) Threw out my mattress, box springs, and all the bed clothes
2) Sprayed a bug repellant spray (specially for bed bugs on the mattress frame)
3) Sprayed the replacement mattress and box springs thoroughly with the repellant spray, and then covered the entire mattress and box springs with plastic mattress bags (so that if the replacement mattress had any bugs, they could not crawl out of the plastic bag)
4) Bought brand new pillows, sheets, comforters etc
5) Wiped the surface of all the furniture in my bed room with the bug spray (WARNING: i dont have children or pets, if you do, do not do this)
6) Vaccum cleaned the floor EVERY DAY (to get rid of eggs)
7) PRAYED
8) PRAYED
...100) PRAYED

Thankfully, the above steps eliminated the problem for me. I was really shocked to have had this problem, as I am very good with cleaning my apartment, and I launder the bed clothes almost every other week. Apparently, the bed bugs have nothing to do with cleanliness. Even the most spotless bedrooms could be infested. Bed bugs were eradicated a few decades back in the USA. However, over the past few years, most of the insecticide sprays have become pretty mild, and DDT has been banned in the USA. International travellers brought the bed bugs with them (via suitcases etc) and the bugs immediately made their way back into American homes, with no threat from the weak insecticides.

So, how do you protect yourself?
1) When you travel, keep your suitcase away from your bed in the hotel. When you return home and unpack your suitcase, DO NOT keep the suitcase on the bed. Better still, try not to bring your suitcases into the bedroom

2) Do not buy used mattresses or box springs.

3) When you buy new mattresses, there is the danger of them being placed along with old mattresses (that the delivery guy picked up) in the delivery vehicle. Make sure you vacuum all the surfaces of your new mattress and box springs before you make your bed

4) Check your mattress and box springs for tears, holes etc. If you see any, immediately cover them very tightly with tape

5) PRAY

Weekend TV/movie watch

* I started watching Bambara Kannaaley. I could not make it past the first 10 minutes

* Attention Surya - Please read this post: DO NOT DANCE. REPEAT. DO NOT DANCE. EVER.
(Case in point - Suttum vizhi sudare)

* Try not to watch sun tv on sunday night. There is a new series - Veppalaikari!!! (and you thought Raja Rajeshwari was bad enough). Luckily, the little kid in Veppalaikari is not as scary as the big baby in Raja Rajeshwari/Velan (dont remember which)

* Still cant stop laughing - The top ten songs' take on Sindhu Bhairavi and Sivakumar was hilarious!

Time flies and everybody grows up

When I was a kid, I would get really bugged when my aunts would visit once a year, and then go on and on about how much I had grown! Well, I've become exactly like them now. While away from Madras, things have changed so much, and all the little kids in my family have now grown into young adults! Prime example is my cousin's cousin. I always thought he was this little kid, but now, he has his own blog, and sounds totally grown up. I've added Bhargav to my links. He expresses the angst of a private engineering college student pretty well!! (havent we all been there!)

PS: Theres another cousin of mine. A totally happening Chennai girl now, and ofcourse, always the little baby to me! Check out Parvathi's blog too (gosh, i even remember the day her parents named her that!)

I'm really stuck in a time warp.

A good movie, a good song and good food

The good movie -

I watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and I loved the movie. Do drop everything you are doing, and watch it ASAP (even if you are a sworn muggle). I do not need to write about the story ofcourse, everybody has read the book, which is the most significant in the series. After three books that darkly proclaim the return of he-who-must-not-be-named, the Dark Lord makes his first full appearance in the thrilling climax.

The super long book has been condensed into a 2.5 hour movie. Although the movie tends to drag in the middle (especially the much-written-about ballroom sequence), the action sequences more than make up for this. The intial Quidditch world cup is thankfully brief. Especially thrilling are the various Tri wizard tournament contests. Daniel Radcliffe finally settles into his role, and may I say, could turn out to be the next heart throb by the time we see the cinematic version of Harry Potter and the half blood prince!

Speaking of heart throbs, Cedric Diggory is hot!

A good song

Ok.. This song is quite old now, but I finally got around to listening to it. Miss Independent by Kelly Clarkson.



Good Food


I made this greek(?) dessert called Baklava. My husband once bought this from an authentic Greek restaurant in Arizona and its taste was unforgettable. I watched Emeril Lagasse make the same dish on food tv a few months later. I am not a big fan of making sweets at home, but this recipe seemed simple enough. I finally got around to trying it, and it came out great! You really cannot go wrong with this dish. Its just the perfect combination of flaky layers of puff pastry, lots of butter, honey and nuts.

Try the recipe below, or head to your nearest ethnic Greek food store/restaurant
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_30271,00.html

Thanksgiving again

Imagine being in Madras on Diwali morning. The whole city is celebrating, but you have nowhere to go and no family to meet. You are still in your night clothes, and you spend the day cleaning the house, cooking etc. Sounds like fun right?

Its that time of the year again here in the US of A. Only thing, its Thanksgiving. and the equivalent of the same scenario (as described above) happens every year for me.

As you can tell, I am not a big fan of the holidays. I have another two days to tide over (Christmas and New Year) and then, thankfully, we will not have anymore holidays till the end of may. Yeaa!!!! I love my routine - going to work, seeing people around me, being able to shop whenever i need to etc. Its really awkward when everything shuts down for a day, its freezing cold outside, dark by 4:00 pm, and then ghostly quiet.

Forgive my grumpy post.

As for the pressure to do lots of shopping on the friday after thanksgiving...dont even get me started!

Rasam and Chips

You have got to try this recipe, its the perfect comfort food for the winter.

1) Pressure cook 1/2 cup toor dhal with water and a pinch turmeric powder. When done, churn until smooth using a hand blender
2) Pour 300 ml water into a saucepan
3) Add 1 pinch hing, salt to taste, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 5 curry leaves chopped up, 1/4 cup tomato puree, 1/2 tsp tamarind paste (if using the dark variety) and 1 chopped tomato
4) Add 2 tsps store bought rasam powder (priya or MTR brand).
5) Cover the pan and heat
6) When the rasam starts to boil, and you no longer get the raw rasam powder smell, add the dhal
7) Add 1/2 tsp jaggery and boil the rasam till it "pongufies"
8) Remove from the heat and immediately cover
9) In another pan, heat 1 tbsp ghee, add mustard and jeera seeds and splutter. Add 2 curry leaves and pour over the rasam, and cover immediately
10) Serve garnished with a handful of chopped cilantro

Basmathi rice and Lays potato chips go really well with this. The tomato puree makes up for the lack of flavor in the real tomato. Also, rasam is a great diet food. You can eat as much as you want guilt free, as it is all water anyway!

MovieReview - Sivakasi... What the &*?!!?

I heard Sivakasi is a big hit and that Vijay is the next Superstar, beating even Vikram. I tried to watch the movie as objectively as possible. But really, the movie is sooooo full of bull^&%$%, its not even funny.

I am really worried about two things right now - the state of Thamizh cinema, and worse, the attitude of the people of Thamizhnadu. Really, is Sivakasi acceptable cinema? And, is Vijay's behavior acceptable any way you look at it? Are we really going to have an entire generation of young Thamizh guys trying to hero worship and emulate his actions in the movie?

Vijay harasses Asin, and also promises her that if she "izhuthu pothified", all men would fall at her feet. What crap! Try telling this to the millions of Tamil women getting harassed in PTC buses every day, even when they are totally wrapped up and wear dresses resembling tents? So, what does Asin do? She falls in love with him!!!!!!!!!So much for women's empowerment.

Vijay breaks EVERY single rule in the election commission guidebook, trying to get his sister elected. I agree the Indian electoral system has its flaws, but, impersonating the opposition candidate (Prakashraj's voice) and allowing his sister to think that her husband is dead because of Prakashraj....does it make any sense really? Is it morally acceptable?

There was a time when the hero used to always be a good guy, and somehow successfully fight the villain. But now, anything goes huh? The hero can be an even bigger sleazeball than the villain? And what about the podhu makkal? They seemed perfectly ok with Vijay's election rigging?

And the worst is yet to come - the last scene of the movie. Prakashraj's wife throws away her thali, and gives the green signal to her mom (Mooli mungari!!!) to kill him. Cut to the next scene. There are a bunch of fights, and Ms.Mooli is ready to kill Prakashraj, then Vijay saves him, and then everyone shakes hands and acts like they are the Hum aapke hain kaun family!!!

Is this really where Thamizh cinema, Thamizh kalaachaaram and Thamizh panpaadu are heading?

The first day of winter

Feels like it was just yesterday when I wrote my blog about spring. How did the past nine months go by that fast? Its winter again in Chicagoland, with the first snow of the season falling yesterday. I always get sentimental when I see the seasons change and the snow makes me remember where I was last year and how far I have come.

A lot has changed, and I should say for the better (touch/knock wood). Nearly five long years ago, I was on my way back to Texas after a harrowing 36 hour journey from India that included four flight transfers. I had lived in the USA for over a year, and I still had mixed feelings. However, when I finally went through immigration and picked up my baggage at Chicago Ohare, I thought to myself "Thank God! I'm home". I was pretty surprised at myself, I had not expected to feel that way.

My career brought me back to the midwest from Texas, and after two years here, I'm finally living the American dream- buying a house. Its really overwhelming, and I cannot wait to move in. I'm dreaming up my living room - light birch colored floors, creamy yellow walls, little pretty plants everywhere, deep red, brown and gold accents etc etc.

I love the brilliant midwestern summers, the beautiful fall colors, and I think I can almost survive the dreadful winter. All through the year, the howling wind keeps me company.

I am finally home in the windy city!

I have been tagged

I have been tagged by Sunanda! I couldnt think of 7 things for each category though.

Seven Things I plan to do:

Spend two blissful weeks in my fav city London
Decorate my new house beautifully
Learn carnatic music someday
Be surrounded by babies

Seven Things That I Can Do:

Make the best more kozhambu and paruppu usili
Learn the lyrics for a song and then remember it for life
Come across as "paavum" even without trying
Stay at 100 pounds even with 2 muffins a day
Sing
Survive

Seven Things I Can't Do:

Not cry during a chick flick
Be streetsmart
Negotiate
Watch/play sports
Dance
Get my ass out of the sofa to exercise

Seven Things I Say Most Often:

What "concerns" me the most is .... (my fav line at work)
Is it time to go drinking yet?
Awww
Man...
Helllloooo

Seven (Untagged) People I Want To Tag:

Meera
My Mom
Karthik
Raji
Sangee
Hamsi
Neeru

Sun tv career opportunities

Never worry about your future again. Check out the job postings and business opportunities below! Thanks to Sun tv you can be well on your way to financial freedom!

Out-of-work older movie stars/former starlets:

Never made it in the big bad world of Thamizh cinema? Did not graduate from item numbers? Get ready for a fresh new career. Take a dabba of ponds dream flower talc, shake it all over your head, grab your mom's old sungudi saree, paint your face gray and you are all set! You can be the next famous on screen mom/mother-in-law.

Looking for job satisfaction? You can act in three different roles simultaneously! Act as the long suffering mother in law in the popular 12:00 pm prime-time-for-retired-ladies serial. Then, wear some makeup, rush over to the next set, and act as the bitchy mother-in-law in the popular 7:00 pm prime-time-for-working-women-just-back-home serial. Finally, untie your hair, look a little mysterious, and play the best role of your career in one of the many supernatural serials. Religious type? Find yourself a role in Raja rajeshwari!!

Look no further for job security. All these serials will continue for the next 40 years of your life!

In your early twenties? Want to enter the entertainment world?

But worried you can never compete with the Trishas or Asins? Know too much Thamizh to ever act in Thamizh cinema? No worries! You can now grab yourself big roles in mega serials. Excellent benefits! No need to worry about creating your signature personality or looks. Just wake up in the morning, take a center parting in your hair, wear a slick one-plait and a simple cotton saree, grab your handbag, and you are ready to go! Act in one serial in the morning as the long suffering sister, then, rush off to the next set to act as the catty sister in law. Finally, finish your day by crying copiously in your career-defining role as Radhika's 8th cousin sister! You do not need to worry about costume changes, nobody cares! You can get by with looking exactly the same in all the serials you star in!

Warning: If your body mass index is in the healthy range for your height, you could seriously be jeopardizing your career chances. Add 20 pounds, as unnaturally as possible, and apply soon for your dream supporting-sister/bitchy-in-law role! (sorry, the leading lady roles are reserved for out-of-work actresses)

Handbag manufacturers - Empower women! Make the kolangal handbag!

Are you suffering from a failing export business due to stiff competition from Gucci and Prada? Worried you can never make a bag that can even remotely compete with Fendi? Rest easy, you just found your dream market. Make the popular Devyani handbag!
Design specifications: Strap long enough to touch the floor. Should make the user keep clutching on to it for dear life. Body of the handbag needs to be big, black and as shapeless as possible. Dusty just-got-out-of-ptc-bus finish preferred.
Target market: Millions of loyal Kolangal fans and Devyani wannabes

Cloth bag(Thuni pai manufacturers)- Brand new market space! Target all harried Dads!

Potential business oppurtunity to make thuni pais. Target market will be elderly Gentleman who have a minimum of 6 daughters. Will help them carry fruits and other gifts as they make their rounds from one daughter's pugundha veedu to another. Need special compartment inside for storing youngest daughter's jaadhagam as dads make the kalyana tharagar rounds
Warning: You might face stiff competition from retailers such as Nalli who give away this classy bag for free. Differentiate your bag by giving it unique personality. Print pictures of the metti oli dad on all bags! First 1000 buyers will get their bags personally autographed by him

Celebrating Ambi mama!!!

DISCLAIMER:
I am posting this, totally unaware of any copyright violations I might be guilty of!I truly do not know who wrote this originally. I got this as an email forward and spent 10 minutes rolling on the floor laughing!

Ambi Mama is leading Brahmin relative" - Survey

A survey has revealed that 'Ambi Mama' is the leading relative among Tamil Brahmin families worldwide, with six in ten families having one of their own (a 60% repsesentation. Apparently, Ambi Mama held off stiff competition from Mani Mama (with 55% representation) and Baby Chitti (39%) for a well-deserved win.

"It's a great day for all Ambi Mamas. All the years of hard work – drinking coffee, criticizing the Indian team selection and complaining about blood-pressure – have finally paid off. Yay!", said Ambi Mama, a spokesman for the Ambi Mamas Association of Dear Old Rascals (AMBASSADOR), a division of the Hardcore Brahmin Organisation (HBO). [Editor's note – The previous sentence has been roundly condemned by the Society for Prevention of Abbreviations that are Needless, Dumb and Execrable (SPANDEX)]

Some of the stalwarts of the Ambi Mama team pose for a photographer, after blading him with outdated advice on the best cameras, film, and lighting.

Mani Mamas all over the world watched in anguish as the final results were announced, plunging them into gloom. "It's no fun being a Mani Mama anymore", said Mani Mama. " Maybe if I change my name to 'Ramesh Anna', I will have a brighter future", he pondered pointlessly.

The survey also said that a respectable number of families (or a number of respectable families, as the case may be), have a Vaidhi Thatha, Bangalore Anna, and at least one random guy named 'Chandroo' who is at all functions, but no-one can really place (and may not be related at all).

Predictably, bringing up the rear were non-entities like Driscoll Periappa, Jessica Alba Anni and Darth Vader Mama, which had zero representation. "Brahmins are way too conservative, dude!", complained Cleveland Shankar, one of the more modern Iyer boys (or boyz, if you prefer. We offer multiple-choice reading. You're welcome.). "When are they going to drop old duds like Venkatakrishnan, Suresh and Balaji, and start using hipper names like Jason, Beyonce and The Human Torch?", he asked, to wide applause from a group of people watching cricket on a nearby television.

Not all are happy with progress, however. "These youngsters are ruining everything by naming their children Archish, Dhruv and Plaha.", thundered Badri Athimber. " Can you imagine how it will sound? Dhruv Mama, Anamika Athai, Archish Chittappa – Ugh! Phooey! That is so not cool!!", he growled, using expressions of disgust picked up from his states-based co-brother.

When asked for their response, several Brahmins living in Adyar merely arched their eyebrows, pursed their lips, and continued waiting for the December music season.

The best south indian food!

The awful thing about traveling is the lack of good food and sub zero temperatures inside airplanes (no amount of layers keeps me warm). I woke up this morning dreaming about my favorite comfort foods. I'll try and post recipes for these. If you are feeling blue, nothing cheers you up like these dishes!

1) Paruppu saadham with nei and plain keerai masiyal (not the keerai with paruppu) - Mom, could you post the plain keerai masiyal recipe?

2) Thick thayir saadham with maavadu oorgai (maavadu deserves its own blog, so more on that coming up later)

3) Poori and choley (made iyer aathu style)

4) Pulao and thengai paal kootu

5) Rasam saadham and chips!

6) Puli saadham - temple prasadham type (Paati will bring dhonnais of this from the Krishna kovil in gopalapuram! Who needs to go to heaven when you can eat divine puli saadham right in mylapore!)

7) Hotel idli and thengai chutney

8) Fat oily punjabi samosas

Watch this space for recipes!

Sun tv ads

The much-hated but always-watched sun tv has made a big entry back into our house. Heres what I noticed:

- The pattu pudavais are getting more spectacular year after year. The best I have seen this year is the kolam sarees (i dont know which saree company makes this)
- The most irritating ad is for Thamizh Murasu - especially the song Summa nachunu irukku - whats with everyone using "nachunu" and "adhu" in every sentence now?
- Previously, women alone were targeted by the regressive fairness cream ads. Now, men cannot escape too- I just saw an ad for a "fair and handsome" cream!!!
- I started watching kolangal and vikramadhithya after a gap of over 10 months. I have not missed a thing!
- I swear I saw some guys with colored hair!
- Radhika's araajagam on suntv continues (now with full support from Saritha!)
- The only qualification for becoming a model for thamizh ads is to be a fair north indian
- The guy who acts as the Vedhalam in Vikramadhithya still appears in EVERY other program, especially the irritating one where he says "break" in every annoying tone possible (he insults every single poor soul that appears on the program and they give him weak embarassed smiles!)
- It looks like the salwar is slowly replacing the saree (not just favored by college girls anymore). I still think that salwars can never beat the saree when it comes to gracefulness, especially for thamizh women
- People are getting more and more verbally abusive in the mega serials; men, women alike!

Immortal comics

Reading Chinmayi's post on Amar chitra katha comics, I immediately checked out their website - www.amarchitrakatha.com. The site is extremely well designed. Also, every comic's catalog listing is accompanied by a detailed introduction, which is very informational. Their Festival Focus section is a must-read too.

If you grew up in India, you do not need an introduction to Amar Chitra Katha comics. Their beautifully illustrated series cover a wide variety of subjects, right from Hindu mythology, Puranas and Jataka tales to stories about India's freedom struggle and great personalities (I even saw an issue on Kalpana Chawla's life)!

Every month, my parents would take me and my sister to Eshwari lending library in Gopalapuram. An elderly gentleman that works there is one of the greatest librarians in the world for sure (if you know his name, could you post it in the comment please). You can ask for any title, and he will know exactly where the book can be found! The library had bound copies, with 5 or 10 comics. I would borrow 4 of these bound comics and three Enid Blyton books. I read and re-read the 4 comics, till I could recite the entire stories perfectly (and ofcourse, my proud mom would then make me recite all these stories to my bored(!) but polite relatives). The comics even gave me an edge over my classmates in history class.

Here are some of the memorable Amar Chitra Kathas:

1) The one about how European discoverers tried to find India; It starts from Columbus sailing west, to Vascodagama finally landing in the shores of Kerala, and the events that leads to the birth of the East India trading company

2) Dasa avathar - We used this as reference, when we arranged our Dasa avathar dolls for golu!

3) The full mahabaratha series


I cannot remember the others for now, please do post your favorite titles!

When I think about the future, and where I would like to bring up my children, one of the big things in favor of Madras is the fact that I can take my kids to Eshwari lending library and they can spend their summer holidays reading all the Amar Chitra Kathas in print!

Open message to A.R Rahman - please stop the Thamizh kolai

I've never really liked A.R Rahman. I used to wonder if this was just some mindless prejudice, or because i like Illayaraja way too much (but I love Harris Jayraj too, so i'm not really partial right?)

Finally, after listening to three songs from Anbe Aaruyire, i know the reason. A.R Rahman is pseudo! What do I mean by that? Well, he is a regular Chennai dude, and he does have to earn his bread and butter by composing for Thamizh movies (Bombay dreams not withstanding). However, he tries to distance himself as much as possible from Thamizh (maybe he thinks this elevates him in some way?)Instead of simply letting his music speak for itself, he brings in singers who do not understand a single word Thamizh.

I am ok with the concept of singers singing in a different language. A lot of famous carnatic singers dont know Telugu. However, they make an effort to learn, understand, and pronounce every word perfectly. If Rahman wants to promote national integration by bringing in hindi singers, sure, thats great! But, is it too much to ask for him to make sure they dont mess words up?

Here are the songs at fault-

Mayilirage -
Music wise, A.R Rahman is FANTASTIC. This could have undoubtedly been called the song of the year. The lyrics are beautiful, beginning with the first line (Mayilirage varudugirai yennai). S.J Surya's favorite instrument is the thavil (remember Vaali's super cute sequence where Ajith sight adichufies Simran and you have a thavil-naadhaswaram combo playing the april maadhathil tune?). In this song, the thavil beats play in the background, almost throughout. A nadaswaram like instrument is also used. The male singer (Naresh Iyer) is soulful. With everything going perfectly, Rahman screws up big time by bringing in Madhushree.

She is a mediocre singer, and her thamizh is inexcusably bad. She thinks she is Alka Yagnik, and tries to sound like her. You can ignore the accent, but how can you forgive her pronouncing "kaadhal dhaan kal ezhuthu" as "kaadhal dhaan kal adithu" in the pallavi? She changes the meaning from "love is like words written in stone" to "love is only throwing stones"!!!! Also, mayil becomes "maaayil". "Iragey" becomes "irahey" and "Vaigai" becomes "Vaihai". Madhushree, did you know that there is no "h" alphabet in Thamizh.

If A.R Rahman is so anti-thamizh-singers, then he could have atleast used Shreya Goshal or Sadhana Sargam?

Thala Thala-

Sadhana does a great job, but the guy (and nobody seems to know who this singer is) does an even better job at thamizh kolai than Madhushree (if that were even possible). Heres what he does:
- Anai (as in water dam/hug) is pronounced as Aaanaaa (as in the hindi word for "come"). Was this intentional?
- Then kulam (big La) is pronounced then kulam (small la) - so "a pool of honey" becomes "a honey caste"!!!!!!!!!!

Rahman, did you lose your address book? You really couldnt find a single Thamizh singer? Or are they too fed up with your Thamizh kolai to take your phone calls? S.J Surya, neengalumaa?

Kushboo is condemned for trying to destroy Thamizh panpaadu. Why are we perfectly ok with A.R Rahman killing Thamizh itself? He need not apologize, he need not take residence up in some other state - maybe he could just rerecord the Ah Aah album using Thamizh singers? Or redeem himself in his next album atleast?

Movie Review - Ghajini

(image source: www.ghajini.com)

Story in a line:
Asin is killed by a dada because she exposes his lucrative illegal business. The dada hits Surya on the head, causing him to have short term memory loss (couldnt understand why the dada didnt think of killing him too). Surya takes revenge.

The verdict:
I loved the first half of the movie. The look of the movie is really fresh. There is no village hero seeking to reform Chennai. The hero is sauve and stylish (no catering to the masses here) and the heroine thankfully is dressed in clothes other than Saravana stores salwar kameezes. The movie is fast paced too.

But ofcourse, good things do not last. More on that later.

Surya underplays his role, and is super cute as Sanjay Ramaswamy. Asin's looks are a far cry from her debut movie, and she is sure to be the next number one in Tamizh cinema. She is chirpy (reminded me of Revathi) and certainly has more soul than the Trishas of the world. About Nayanthara...the less said, the better. Her clothes are all wrong, and her character is totally let down by the script writers.

As the movie progresses, the sodhapal factor sky rockets.

There are a bunch of unanswered questions. What happens to Riyaz Khan (the police inspector)? If Surya has attacked/killed him, why is the entire police force not searching for him? The script offers no explanation for how Surya traces all the people that he kills. Asin gets killed after a long, noisy, violent fight sequence inside and outside a posh flat in Besantnagar. When all this happens, there is not a soul around. No neighbours, no watchman, nothing! In Madras? Logic anyone?

Asin makes a big dialogue about how dadas destroy the morale of women and kill the progress they have made by exploiting them. In the end, when the villains beat Nayanthara up in a girl's hostel, a 100 girls watch, without a single girl budging. Can't a 100 girls take 5 goons out? How regressive is that?

And here is the biggest question of all...why is the movie called Ghajini?

Movie Review: Ah Aah...Aargghh...

(image source: www.indiaglitz.com)
When the director makes a Bharathiraaja style appearance in the beginning of the movie and gives a tuition lesson explaining the story, you already know you are in for some painful movie watching.

The basic concept is kinda cute. Surya and Nila are a live-in couple (wow! Thamizh panpaadu anyone?) and they break up. When apart, their memories keep them from forgetting each other and they finally get back together again. The novelty comes from the way Surya gives shape and form to the lovers' memories (its a fairly simple concept, we dont really need a lecture from the director to get it)

So, it could have been an ok movie. But then, Surya has this knack for overdoing things. He has a weird way of speaking (it suited his child-man character in New, he sounds plain retarded here). Surya also has a creepy Simran obsession, trying to make Nila look, act and talk like her (and seeming pale in comparison).

There are tons of songs, an irrelevant side plot and with Surya gabbing non stop, you cannot reach for the mute button on your remote fast enough.

Maybe Surya should have retired after Vaali?

Weekdays just got spicier

The brightest spot of every week day used to be watching the 200th rerun of Friends episodes. Things are now even better. WB is now playing Sex and the City every weekday at 10:00 central (sorry TBS, tuesday and wednesday wasnt enough).

Here are some of the best quotes from the most fabulous serial ever.

Bake? I use my oven for storage

Can a relationship still be a relationship without the zsa zsa zsu?

My marriage is a fake Fendi

When i had to choose between dinner and Vogue, I chose Vogue. It was more fulfilling

She is fashion road kill...

I was emotionally slutty. I revealed too much too soon..

I am someone who is looking for love. Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can't-live-without-each-other love.

...The most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you you love, well, that's just fabulous....

Love you Harris

Dhoorathil nee vandhaley en nenjil mazhai adikkum...
Miga piditha paadal onnai udhadugalum munumunukkum....

I know I know, I am the last person in Madras to discover Kaakha Kaakha songs. Better late then never though!

Vande Mataram in the clouds

Every year, I get terribly homesick come August 15th. Its malarum ninaivugal all the time. We had these grand independence day celebrations in the school quadrangle (and I was among the few that would faint regularly because we would stand in the hot sun waiting for the chief guest for over two hours). Finally, the chief guest would arrive, and after singing Janda ooncha, they would finally let us go into the auditorium for the cultural programs (including the mandatory bhangra and speech about national integration). Those were the days.....

I was in BE second year during India's 50th independence day. Even the biggest cynic could not have stayed immune to the all pervasive patriotic fervour that day. My friends and I wore salwars matching the tri-color, and everyone was singing A.R Rahman's Vande mataram (maa tujhe salam).

(image source: www.amazon.com)

I'm not a big Rahman fan, but he truly outdid himself with this song. The lyrics are fantastic -

Tere paas hi main aaraha hoon, apni baahen khol de,
Zor se mujhko gale lagale,mujko phir woh pyar de,
Tuhi zindagi hai, tuhi mere mohabbat hai, tere hi pair mein jannat hai,
tuhi dil, tu jaan, mamaa...

The background music is cleverly understated. Mainly dominated by percussion instruments and Rahman singing "maa", the song conveys the majesty of India and the profoundness of the phrase "Vande Maataram". The song picturization was innovative. The camera captured India's earthy tones and the colors of the flag beautifully. My favorite shot was that of a little baby girl (wearing a rajasthani outfit) and staring into the camera with her big beautiful eyes.

Seven years later, flying back to Chicago on friday morning after a lot of delays and cancelled flights (American airlines), I experienced one of those classic moments.. The sun was shining brilliantly through my window, the clouds were far below, and closing my eyes and listening to Maa tujhe salam on my mp3 player, I was transported...Who needs wings to fly, when music can make your soul soar?

PS: In the same album, check out the track titled "Revival". It is the original Vande Mataram sung by Anuradha Sriram. I do not have any words to describe this composition