BLACK

What comes to your mind when I whisper the title of this blog in your ears? An artist and a fashion designer might tell about the color black. An old man, whose hair is graying, might think about a dye; A teacher might think about the black board. An entomologist might think of the spider “Black widow”; A racist might think about a Negro; A common man might think of darkness, night or perhaps even fear. "Black", reminds me of something new - something that I did not mention in the list above.

To Michelle, black meant her graduation gown and hat. When she was a child, it meant frustration, irritation and perhaps even life to her. She was the most adamant, unruly daughter of a rich couple, who also happened to be blind and deaf. Sounds familiar? - Well you must be an admirer of Helen Keller. She was the first blind deaf woman to obtain graduation in the world. Perhaps the source of hope to many many people across the globe.

It was Michelle’s teacher who taught her light, optimism, hope and above all – Of life. Michelle calls him "Tee" - the first syllable of the word teacher. Michelle gradually learns to read and write and after many an attempt, obtains graduation. Like Helen, Michelle's first word to learn was water. Michelle's vacant eyes were shining with the discovery of learning something new - she was thrilled and excited by something that never happened to her - she started to gain knowledge.

On her graduation day, Michelle explains her dear friends of what BLACK meant to her. It meant her, her graduation gown and hat. It meant life, ambition and undeterred will power. It meant an infinite strength and a synonym for life. Rani Mukerjee and Big B portrayed themselves as the blind student and her teacher in a wonderful movie named BLACK. This movie is what comes to my mind whenever I hear the word BLACK after I watched it with my dear cousins at my aunt’s place.

If you look for optimism in the movies and tear jerking dramas - Black is a wonderful choice. With more thoughts…

An aggregate Of the Past

So, how about giving a one word representation to a group of meaningful words as given in the title of this blog? Well, if you really are into one words and synonyms, I was referring to “History”. I was a little reluctant to keep the title as History, as I was not sure if that would entice even the bookworms. I was and still am a lover of History.

Thanks to my history teacher way back in my fourth grade, I just loved History. She made the class extremely interesting that you would expect that class eagerly. Now how many of you could say that? I was matter of fact lucky to get a person who taught history as if it were achievements of someone whom I knew well throughout my life.

Had it not been for History, we would be reinventing the wheel each day. Wouldn't we? We do need to know who gave us the comforts with which we are all living now. We need to know who ruled us, how people fought and how horrible were the aftermaths of such wars, so as to think twice before even dreaming of committing such horrid deeds.

So it was in this history class, our history teacher opened the doors to learn about some of my favorite personalities like Joan of Arc, Captain Roald Amundsen etcetera. In the years that went by, I learnt more about the rich history of South India and the wonderful kings who ruled it. Still further, I learnt some international history and I was intrigued by the happenings that lead to the world wars.

Some of my friends still consider history a boring subject and is fit to be studied if you want a good night's sleep! Perhaps they all did not start off with a wonderful teacher like the one I had! See, if it weren't for history I could not have made out this blog and you could not have read about a small aggregation of the Past!

With more thoughts...

Variety

In anything and almost everything it is the nature of man to crave for variety. Variety is the spice of life and there is no fun without this mirch masala! Right from the common middle class man to the ultra rich business tycoon dreams, thinks and wishes for varieties.

Let’s start with my blog itself. Had it contained the writings about the same topic, I wonder if it would be more interesting that the variety I try to provide. Fashion is the epitome of variety. Perhaps it is the mother of all varieties. We expect variety in films, variety in food, variety in amusements, entertainments etc. Food - my favorite subject is so interesting and it proves to be even more exciting when there is a new variety demonstrated. I used to ask my mom to prepare something new and she would try to recollect any least recently prepared dish and try to make me happy!

Well, we do expect more from films – don’t we? Even if it is a normal love story, we want that to be told in a different manner - a new variety. Though unaffordable by many people, men crave for variety in cars, bikes and the like, while women look out for a variety in vogue, home furnishing and likewise.

Kids too look out for variety. From Cartoons to toys, from chocolates to games, kids today expect a lot! There is variety in cats food and dogs food as well! Using the word "variety" throughout this blog itself is kind of boring. It would be interesting and efficient, if we used synonyms for varieties like multifarious and potpourri!

So much for variety, but ofcourse a wise man once said, "Necessity is the mother of all inventions" (A beautiful adage) and variety is an absolute necessity.

With more thoughts...

The American Roadways

If I were ever asked to give my "Top 10 that you like in the US of A", then, most definitely I will include the American Roadways in the top 3. “I like it”, is an understatement. "I admire it", is perhaps a better word. Whatever; the American Roadways are something that one should check it out! Transportation is a backbone for a country's economy. It is even its pride. There is always a healthy competition between communication and transportation - the net result; we get all that we want sooner and sooner!

Some of the best things about the American Roadways are the broad roads having a number of lanes, the traffic signs, the freeways and what not! There were so many "Roadway jargons" that I was not aware of, and I started to learn them and thereby got accustomed to them after coming to the US of A. My awe and wonder all increased when we went on a road trip from Salt Lake City to the Sin City - Las Vegas. About 650Km - rather a great deal of distance was covered comfortably in 5 hours. And my, my, the entire stretch of road was awesome.

Travel by roads is something that you will love it in the US of A, especially if you are neither the driver nor the navigator! There are specific rules for roadway construction and the rules for overlapping freeways are way too complex. That is perhaps the reason they are both confusing and frightening besides making you wonder, how on earth could they build something as planned as this one?

Being a very vast nation and the resources and manpower spread across it, the US is very well aware of the fact that connecting people is “the” most important thing. Both air and road transportation are so very advanced and long distances are common in both these modes. This is one area that I feel rather jealous about the US, as back home in India; the roadways are not as good as the US. Well, we are improving extremely fast and comparing with a giant is definitely a healthy way to grow and move forward. I hope to see equally good roads in my home country too – sooner though.

With more thoughts...

Reliving April

It is April again - And its the beginning of spring in Salt Lake. And I am reliving those good old "Not a long saunter" blog days. If there is one season of the year, spring is definitely the best. And you can give innumerable reasons to support the above statement! The birth of spring has brought agility back to my cells, which were refusing to budge during snowy winter.

Well, I was delighted to see a very early blossomed tulip. A lovely rosy tulip with strands of white is out there deciding when to fully blossom. It is looking for an auspicious day, perhaps. Its just not the flowers: the leaves of many tress have sprouted and there is a tinge of green on them - Well these are the colorful signs of spring.

Its just not me who welcomes spring - the entire country of China welcomes it with grandeur. The spring festival is celebrated in China and is as important as Christmas in the West. There is the St Patrick’s Day, celebrated in Ireland, welcoming the spring season. Even though spring is not so well marked or felt in my home country India, it is those few days where the climate is good enough to roam around. For Chennai's hot tropical climate, winter is more or less a spring!

Counting my days to go back to my mother land, this April is a month of expectations. A month in which we have a major release at work. A month to do a loooot of shopping. A month to sit and countdown for the day to travel back. Well these are the non reliving parts of April, that has provided more enthusiasm to an already bright April!

With more thoughts...

To Sir, With Love

After a long time, I happened to watch a movie which made me feel so glad that I had watched it. It was the same way I felt after watching “Erin Brockovich”. This time it was a movie from the UK and rather an old one. To Sir, With Love is definitely a movie worth watching. It is a heart warming drama that makes your heart filled with emotions.

It is the story of a young black man, who is an engineer, happens to join a school to teach, when he does not get a job in his stream of study. The school he joins is the school that is run for the kids who are not so privileged. They are kids who work in the evenings and come to school in the mornings despite many financial and personal problems. They definitely do not lead a life of luxury. In short, the school is run for such unattended kids, who are rough, indecent and unruly.

Sidney Poitier, the teacher, takes a new approach of giving and taking respect to these kids while teaching. He calls his male students by their surnames and the girls are addressed by "Miss". He gives them respect and self importance that are so very new to them. He talks to them about not geography or arts, but about real life. What is marriage? How should a man behave to gain respect? Who decides whom to give respect? His class is filled with questions and answers. Questions on how to lead a better life. And the answer brings in light to these kids.

Poitier also takes them to outings - museums etc, where the kids learn about art, history and also have their break from their routine life. He moves more personally with each student and wins their heart. During their last day in the school, the kids plan for a dance where Poitier and his favorite girl student have a fast dance and win an ovation. As an icing to the cake, one other girl student sings a song in praise of their "Sir". This song was a hit in those yester years and the lyrics are so powerful that you can make out from it, how wonderful a teacher was Sidney Poitier.

The Song:
The time has come for closing books and long last looks must end
And as I leave I know that I am leaving my best friend
A friend who taught me right from wrong and weak from strong
That's a lot to learn, but what can I give you in return?

If you wanted the moon
I would try to make a start
But I would rather you let me give my heart
`To Sir, With Love'

Well, I had such wonderful teachers too, who are indeed the ladders, making each of their students to climb up in life.

With more thoughts…

Home Beautiful Home!

There are times when we tidy up our sweet little homes. Times when guest comes by or when friends drop in. Better still, when your in-laws come in! There are some of these times when you land up cleaning, when you have had enough of dirt lying down, or when you have become wise to realize that your search for the most needful item of the minute will turn out not to be a search if you have kept it orderly - a little more to add, shall I say spick-and-span?

Besides the benefit of living in a house that is pleasant in appearance, that is clean and tidy and above all orderly, a clean house is considered to be a beauty in its simplest form! Oh! You need not be a decorator, an artist or a fashion pundit to keep your home the most beautiful and appreciated one. You ought to be however, a person who loves to admire beauty.

Innate talents are not needed to decorate or beautify. I am no pro and I fall under the admirers’ category and I land up in keeping a house clean. Atleast the portion of my bedroom and my bath is definitely clean and I really boast about it! When it comes to your own house, your responsibility and the tendency to beautify it, comes naturally. I have seen folks keeping their rented houses worse than dungeons. Ughh…

Having been checked into a new home back in Chennai, my interest to choose space saving multi-purpose furniture, mild, simple, yet fabulous curtains and sheets, vases, showcase items have topped my google search. The hair salon in Salt Lake that I go monthly provides me the time to browse the Beautiful Home magazines, which are my source of international interior decorations.

If you happen to be an admirer with a strict budget, get on to the local shops and look out for unique designs or items that will attract your guests. Right from bonsai to table top Zen fountains, miniature and affordable decorative pieces are lying down everywhere. It is up to us to choose the best ones and embellish our sweet homes!

With more thoughts…

Shopping Spree

It’s been more than a month and a half, since I have blogged. Its UAT time - ie. testing time here for our projects and I am way too busy to think about anything but issues! It's a lazy sunday evening and here I am watching Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, admiring Harry's courage, Hermoine's skills and Ron's altruistic nature. What a wonderful bunch of kids!

Well, we were not so lazy yesterday, as we did a non stop 5 hour shopping. It so happened that we went to this famous factory outlet store in Park City. Perhaps every Indian in Salt Lake goes to these outlets before their trip to India! Hmm, it has an array of shopping malls, from jewellery to watches, from clothes to cosmetics, from kitchen wares to what not.

Some of the shops that interested me and proved to be well within budget were the toy shop and the paper shop. The toy shop brought my age down atleast by 15 to 20 years and I got a car and a bike! It’s not for me to play, however for my showcase back home. So I went off in a shopping spree, trying to get many gifts and articles to decorate my home.

We had ceaser's salad for lunch and oh my! It left no space in my tummy after eating it. With more energy we shopped, shopped and shopped till we were tired. The drive back to Salt Lake from Park City is one of the picturesque drives, with mountains filled with snow, cute little house standing on those mountains and the roads that curve around them giving us all those delightful views.

So that was quite some initial level shopping done yesterday and it proved to be exciting and tiring!

With more thoughts…

Made in America?

Very recently I had been to a place called as "Valley Fair Mall" situated very near my home in Salt Lake City. Probably for my friends back home, if I say Valley Fair is something like a very mini Spensers Plaza, they will come to know that it is a "Many shops Shop"! So it was here, I was doing a good deal of window shopping while my friends seriously emptied their wallets depriving it of a few dollars and cents.

Well, I happened to go to a popular fashion mall and was casually going thru some t-shirts. One of my friends pointed out a t-shirt and said "Hey this is Made in India!" and Lo and Behold, in this popular trendy outlet was a dress made from my mother land. Out of interest and curiosity I went and checked about thirty and odd shirts and found them to be made from a variety of countries across earth - China, Columbia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia and so on. Much to my surprise, none was from America!

I then entered a gift shop which had a motley of items displayed for sale. Over here again I noticed that there were things brought in from places and lands near and far alike. It was so heartening to see the articles made by people belonging to various countries under one roof - Globalization perhaps? Yes - that is it. There is always a craze for imported goods. Seeing them make us feel as if we have come closer to that place.

I came back home and sat on my couch with no potatoes, nevertheless switched on the television. There was this Spanish Channel, Italian cuisine, a Korean soap besides the films made in Australia, England and America! Yet another Globalization? Whatever you call it or where ever you make and label it, here I am sitting in one corner in Salt Lake City and enjoying this global togetherness!

With more thoughts...

Helen Keller

As it has happened the previous times, the idea to write this blog came up accidentally, when I was googling about "Joan Of Arc". I was rather looking for some accomplishments in general, when the name Helen Keller popped up both out of google and out of my little brain at the same time!

It was my fourth grade where my English syllabus had a lesson about Helen Keller under the title "The story of My Life" - The autobiography by Helen Keller herself. The lesson starts with the plight and helplessness of a young girl who is blind and deaf in the late 19th century. Just like a savior angel, came Miss Anne Sullivan into Helen Keller’s life, a teacher who taught her the words of wisdom.

The very first word which Helen learned, understanding its meaning was the word “Water”. The way in which Miss Sullivan taught her blind and deaf student was extremely innovative. She opened a tap and placed Helen's hand under the water and in the other hand she wrote the word "water" with her fingers. Thrilled by this new method of teaching, Helen, who by this time was revealed the mystery of the language, showed eagerness and enthusiasm in learning. This made her feel better and she garnered skills strong enough to write her own biography.

Just imagine the period in which Helen lived - where technology was perhaps not even a bud (forget being a full bloom flower!), where a child who was differently-abled, (This is one of the very positive word in English language. You know what - we no longer use words like disabled!) became a role model.

Helens accolades were some of the most astounding ones - She became the first deaf blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. Helen was also awarded the "Presidential Medal Of Freedom", the nation's highest civilian award.

So if you are woebegone and so run-down - go, get yourself a copy of "The story of My Life" and you will find yourself brimming with optimism.

With more thoughts...

Everybody Loves Raymond

Well, as I mentioned in one of my earlier blogs, soaps being my cuppa tea, the first and perhaps the most frequently watched soap in the US by me, is "Everybody Loves Raymond" - And I am no exception to it! With the base story line that is so very similar to our Indian family and comedy soaps, this daily serial brings in some nostalgia. It is somewhat similar to my most favorite serial back home in India - "Tu Tu Main Main" - the tug of war between the daughter in law and the mother in law. ELR is quite similar to it, only difference being the hero has a brother who provides us an equally fair amount of laughs.

ELR is ordinary comedy soap, and the key thing that would make a normal show, a lively and a hit show is based on the characters you choose to act - to a major extent. In ELR, the characters do not act - they rather live. This key difference is what makes this show a hearty family soap.

Penned around Raymond and Debra, the lead couple, the story is all about the differences they have and their love for each other and how they put up with Ray's parents who happens to live just across the street, nevertheless are always in Ray's home! With 3 kids, Debra has a tough time and tries her best to control her tempers when her sweet old mom in law (Marie) interferes!

Aired at 10:00pm every night, this show is comfortable for onsite bachelors to watch while having dinner! Either before the offshore call or after the offshore call, ELR comes as a welcome break! Well folks, it is time for ELR and I am off to fall in love with a program that makes me laugh heartily!

With more thoughts...

Hoogle Zoo

When my dear friend Muthu suggested this option for a Sunday afternoon outing, I just ridiculed him by saying, "Who would go to a ZOOOOO???" Finally, as usual losing a majority, I decided to (rather reluctantly) visit the Animal Kingdom. I went out with my dear friends and found myself thoroughly enjoying the drive. It was fall in Salt Lake City and those colorful leaves were one of the most pleasant sights to the eyes.

We arrived at the entrance of the zoo and I found myself saying - "It was not bad after all". But it so happened that by the time I came out of the zoo, I was telling "My my, it was such a worthy spot to visit and enjoy an afternoon". So what made that boring option turn out to be an incredibly dulcet visit? It was the way the zoo itself was maintained and the close encounters with those fellow animals, (I was a bio student, and I consider Homo sapiens as part of the Animal Kingdom!) that changed my perception of zoos.
The rhinos feed so close, such that you almost touch their horns - except that there is a thick mirror that separates you from its horn! You can see the giraffe that comes close to you and eat, thereby giving you all the time in this world to admire its beauty at close encounters. A cabin filled with butterflies, some scenic wooden bridges over a stream, wilderness in fall all made the zoo a very admiring place.

Last, but certainly not the least, there was this toy train ride that shows the important spots of the zoo. It so happened that I was collecting various colored leaves and I was about to board the toy train. The train driver saw me holding the leaves and voluntarily got me a plastic cover to save my botanical masterpieces! His thoughtfulness and altruistic nature (come on - it was a help without even asking for - shouldn't I not use the word altruism?) made me feel so emotionally filled with happiness.

The wonderful way the animals were treated in the zoo, made me feel proud to belong to a race which tries to protect God's other creations. Hoogle zoo is one of the great places in SLC to spend a worthwhile afternoon.

With more thoughts…

Made for each Other...

Oh! We know a lot of couples in this world who are so made for each other! I really am not going to talk about the perfect Mrs and Mr. However, I am going to talk about things that turns out to be Made for each Other.

Let’s start with something, or someone who is quite familiar. Sandra Bullock. Sandra the absolute star of the movie “Speed” proved her action skills in the other hit “Miss Congeniality”. So what is the "other” that will make Sandra and this "other", Made for each Other? (Gosh! how many "others" in a sentence!). Well it is that tomboyish character that I am referring to. Sandra perfectly blends into a wild and boisterous character and this combination becomes an instant hit. With Miss Congeniality 2 proving her tomboyish worthiness again, Sandra and her tomboyish characters are so made for each other and becomes an object of admiration and liveliness.

Is it just love that should make a great combination? Worst enemies can also be Made for each Other. Take for example Tom and Jerry (I used to have a Math prof who looked like Jerry mouse and we nicknamed him "Jerry"), one of the most famous enemies in the world. It is their animosity that had made them a classic example for Made for each Other

The cold morning hours and sleep! There is absolutely nothing compared to covering yourself with a heavy blanket during the cold morning hours and switching of the alarm clock and going back to sleep. My my, they are so made for each other!

A cup of hot chai and pakoras on a wintry evening; A novel and a packet of potato chips; A movie with a box of popcorn to munch and watch; Curd rice and pickle; Babies and innocence; kids and naughtiness; Man and Wife - All are Made for Each Other!

Autism

It was not "The Godfather" that ranked first in my list of Mario Puzo's books. Rather it was "The Last Don" – A wonderful novel about the life and the heir of the great Don "Don Domenico Clericuzio". It was not the hero, "Pippi De Lena" that attracted me so much to that book. It was the character of "Athena Aquitane", the lead heroine that made this book so special.

As would any powerful woman character be, Athena was also equally brave, courageous and victorious. The only difference was that this special character had a very special child. A child who had a syndrome named "Autism". So what is autism? – An abnormal absorption with the self; marked by communication disorders and short attention span and inability to treat others as people. OK, in more layman terms – Autism is a psychiatric condition, where the affected people know nothing – Happiness, Pain, Sorrow, Recognition, I repeat - they know nothing. Perhaps the stereotypical view of autism is portrayed by Dustin Hoffman in the movie “Rainman”. If you had watched that movie you will know the vacuous nature of these individuals.

The web hosts a whole lot of information about autism – “http://www.autism-society.org“, is one of the links where you can learn about this syndrome and the support group for the same. I was under the naive impression that this syndrome is extremely uncommon, until I happened to read a local weekly in my home town Chennai. I am not sure if it was "Anandha Vikatan" or "Kumudham" (the 2 lead weekly magazines in my mother tongue “Tamil”) – there was an article about "Autism" and the support group for parents and children alike in Chennai! It was then I realized how not uncommon any syndrome could be and I was also mentioning to my folks about "Athena Aquitane". Perhaps the sheer and the unavoidable truth that broke my innocence, made "The Last Don" as one of the books I love.

Many people feel that fiction is just a waste of precious time. However I totally tend to disagree with that common mistake, as it has its share of advantages – Improving the language, giving ideas, knowledge about many areas that we could perhaps never come across. Spreading awareness with the knowledge gained from any book is noteworthy.

Subramanya Bharathi

One of the greatest poet and reformist who played a crucial role in Indian independence and also in women's liberation was Subramanya Bharathi. Though his life was filled mostly with poverty and mockery, his poems are sung till this date by some of the most famous carnatic musicians, spread all around the world.

A multifarious personality - Bharathi was a teacher, journal editor, translator (as he knew about 6 to 7 languages fluently) besides being a reformist poet! So many avatars in such a short life span of 39 years! His work was classified based on various themes like Hymns, Nature, God, Lord Krishna, "Kuyil" songs and Women's liberation songs.

Some of his most famous works are "Kaakai Chiraginele Nandhalaala", "Manadhil Urudhi Vendum" and "Suttum Vizhi Chudar". Rich and overflowing in optimism, patriotism and positive thinking, his poems is tonic for the sore heart and soul.

One of the most farsighted songs from Bharathi was "Sindhu Nadhiyin..." - happens to be my favorite. It tells how united the people of India stand despite the diverse and rich culture, tradition and language. This song happened to be part of a Tamil film, in which the veteran actor of Tamil Cine Industry - Sivaji Ganesan, acted as Bharathi, depicting Bharathi's wishes in a manner that he himself would have adored. The song was an instant hit and was apt for the patriotic days like the Independence Day and the Republic Day of India.

Having talked this much about patriotism, I am posting this blog a day after the Republic Day of India - Jan 26th, with a bunch of love and affection for the country that had given me so much, the best being my parents!

Jai Hind...

Culinary Evolution

One of my small wishes when I was a kid was to get into the kitchen and prepare a yummy dish. However my loving and most caring mom never allowed me to do an iota of work in her kitchen! Back home my mom, dad and I used to watch the cookery program by one of the most famous cook of Tamil Nadu - Mallika Badhrinath. This was probably the beginning of my cuisine knowledge gathering - in very small theoretical dosage!

To add water to the growing sprout inside me, that I named "Learn Cooking", came the cookery show by the celebrity Indian cook - Tarla Dalal. The downside was that the program was in Hindi and the brighter part was that it had the ingredients mentioned in English sub titles and I was smart enough to know how to prepare the recipe by the end of the program! Thanks to Tarla, I gained more theoretical knowledge in a specialization that needed only practical!

Well well well, it so happened that I had to come for my onsite assignment and have a kitchen all for me, myself and my own self! With the bare minimum recipes from my mom (As I never knew the basic day to day cooking!), I flied all the way to the US of A and started to cook. From the making of the daily needs like rice, rasam and a vegetable, my practical cooking was trying to survive. Then came my sweet old ex roomie Deepak, who was a master cook and taught me "All about practical cooking" and as the saying goes, practice made my cooking – well: more or less perfect!

Now that I have started to cook a variety of side dishes, main dishes, snacks and a couple of sweets and savories, I tend to try more varieties. With my new roomie Anshuman, the whole north indian cooking is what I am trying to master. That is it! My evolution of cooking - both in theory and practice, from the novice good old days of pure theory to the experienced chef. Last but not the least; I continue to watch some wonderful culinary programs here, in Salt Lake City. This blog would be incomplete if I do not mention my favorite programs - Barefoot Contessa with Ina, Jana's Italian cooking and Emeril's lively cooking had opened Italian, Mexican, American and other area specific cooking!

It is kitchen time buddies - I am off to soak Daal for my ducky Spinach Daal...

With more thoughts...

Winter in Salt Lake City

What does the color "white" remind you of? Does that remind you of Peace? Or Purity? Or Pallidity? Perhaps, if you are in the north or the south poles you will be saying "Snow"! Yep! What is there in SLC for winter? You have that beautiful snow, possibly the most natural phenomenon that makes you shiver! I am not sure if Robert Frost was from the UK or the US, however I know that he was in a place similar to SLC when he "Stopped by the woods on a snowy evening"!

Hmmm - For people living in the tropical climate, snowfall may be something seen only in pictures or movies. It is truly an enticing natural phenomenon to watch and feel. That too when the snow-fall is very sporadic, occurring once in 2 weeks, it’s a welcome weather to watch and enjoy. This is how it is in SLC this 2006.

Snow on the other hand provides its own variety of entertainments. On a wonderful wintry morning in 2005, I happened to go to the mountains here in SLC where we happened to snow mobile. It is one of the adventure sports where you drive a vehicle in snow up in the hills. You reach a plain in the hills that is filled with snow, where you can have fun filled smashing races. By the way, I came third in that race that I happened to participate. For your information 3 people participated in that race! Nevertheless it is a wonderful sport for a day.

The next winter plan would be to go to a place called Snow Bird, where thru the cable cars, you can reach the hill tops and from there you can have a great snow white view of the places in and around you! This half day to 1 day trip can turn a lazy saturday or sunday to a memorable day. Ofcourse you then have skiing. What is winter without skiing? One of the greatest entertainments for sports lovers in winter is skiing. Though I have not the guts to go for an adventurous skiing, I have seen videos of my friend doing the same.

Last but definitely not the least - For the child artist/sculptor that lays hidden deep inside me, snow gives an opportunity to build my sweet snow man. My snow men are miniature ones and they have an attractive black eyes, nose and lips made out of black pepper! Sometimes, his shirt buttons are made of pepper too.

And you have all those wonderful indoor games like snow bowling, snookers and billiards and what not to wile away your precious weekends!

Its wintry winter this week, with the small pond in our office being completely frozen - well almost. Perhaps the best way to pass this evening would be with a hot cup of chai and spicy bhajjis. Thanks to my wonderful roommates - each one is a specialist in one of the above mentioned menu!

The aroma of tea and the bhajjis is overwhelming. I am off to grab my share...

With more thoughts...

Multilingual Entertainments

The idea of writing this blog came to me when I was coming back from our favorite Indian restaurant named "India House" after a sumptuous dinner. My dear friend Muthu was playing this CD in his Toyota Corolla. It so happened that he had recorded songs from multiple languages. Not that we were polyglot: coming from a country that is very rich in culture and languages gives us an opportunity to listen to a potpourri of songs.

From being narrow minded in coming up with arguments about each persons' native language, perhaps we have come a very long way in enjoying the beauty of each language and the joy that each can provide us. It is like finding "goodness" in everything rather than trying to find the "faults".

Overlook point apartments – the place where I live currently, had provided me some of the best friends of my life. It is very interesting that each of them were from different states of India, where they speak different languages. My ex-roomie was from Karnataka and the friends in another apartment belonged to Goa, Andhra and Uttar Pradhesh. One of my roomie is from Orissa, whose best friend is from West Bengal. Ofcourse we then have the folks from Kerela! As you can see it gives me a prospect of hearing conversations in a plenty of languages besides watching movies in those languages too. (Thanks to the first rated translators or the English sub titles, a wide arena of movies can be looked forward to!)

United States is equally famous for the immigrants from various parts of the world, giving them the chance to know about European, Asian and African cultures. As I have mentioned in my previous blog, learning languages bring us closer to the natives. Even feelings can be more accurately expressed in native languages! Such is the power of languages.

Enjoying entertainment needs no language, that too when it comes to music. The idea of recording songs from multiple languages is such an innovative one that can satisfy and reach a wide range of people.

For parties and small events where you can expect such an assortment of folks, try to adapt ideas from an orbit of cultures. This would make it an instant success and you will have the warmth of satisfying men, women and children more personally!

With more thoughts…

Code to Zero

Perhaps being an ex-book fanatic (now I hardly read novels!) the want of taking up a bulky book and drowning in it becomes ineluctable, sometimes. Thanks to some definite page turners, thriller seekers like me get a day off from sitting in front of the idiot box or planning about the project or worrying about timelines! A Suspense and thrill filled, fast paced book could simply not be put down, until you know who the bad guy (OK - sometimes bad gal) is!

Code to zero is infact a thriller where the bad guy is known from the very beginning. So how come it's a thriller? I can hear you screaming at the top of your voice. Hold on for a couple of more lines – It’s my sapless attempt to keep you filled with suspense. Despite the fact that the villain is known in the beginning, the novel happened to be an extremely fast moving and enticing one. Written by the acknowledged writer Ken Follet (Perhaps more famous for his "Key to Rebecca"), this novel is super logical and is full of a thought flow.

The plot is thus - A scientist is made to have amnesia and is left with a drunkard in a men's room far from his home. The way the scientist tries to know who he is and his approach to find who he is, is explained with a wonderful step by step procedure. It is this extreme lucidity with which the plot is written, that makes this novel to keep its readers on their toes. Besides the way the scientist finds his own self, he tries to put a full stop to one of the rocket explosions. All these and a little romance, in about 500 and odd pages.

Making people read your works and making them read your works again and again, is a challenging task. When you deliver such a wonderful book, the expectations for the next wonder goes sky rocketing. (Do we need more than the Harry Potter series as an example for this?). There are many such good books and equally many story writers, who happen to give the world a totally different way of enjoying and passing the time.

Its time to sleep here now - the natural and heavenly way of time pass!

With more thoughts...

Julia Roberts

Action speaks louder than words. Hmmm - what to do? Though I write blogs, I know that actions are more powerful than words. (I really am satisfied with the saying "The pen is mightier than the sword" though!!!). Coming back to action, we all know that the major entertaining media that is part of our life is films. There is no industry like the film industry. It capitalizes on captivating men and women around the world by both its fantasy and reality dosages of quality cinema.

There are a great many men and women who have been and who are and who will be part of this mega entertaining media. Of those many people, few stands out and make their presence very strong. Of such people Julia Roberts is one person, who has always made me to awe in wonder. She may not be the most beautiful woman for many men, but she has such an energetic face that is so full of life (unlike some beauties who have eyes that never sparkle nor speak of life) and ebullience. An ebullience which would pass on to you when you see her in action!

What movies should I talk about here? As, there are many that I really love. Perhaps the Oscar winning Erin Brockovichis so very apt to being with? Or should I talk about her signature film which brought her to stardom - Pretty woman? Who can forget the brown dress with white dots or the red dress which she wears and goes to the opera? Or should I talk about her charming presence in MonaLisa Smile? Or about her fleet in Runaway Bride? I really cannot decide on this!

Let me try a poem for my favorite actress...Here we go!

I call her Julia
This lady from Georgia.
Oh! She is a "Pretty women"
Who has a "MonaLisa Smile"
She is indeed "America's Sweetheart"
And "Everyone says I love You" Julia!
Oh! Julia...

After all shouldn't a fan be doing atleast this?

With more thoughts...

Summer In Salt Lake City

If you are so adamant in not extending your geography of the US, you did probably know only cities like Los Angeles, New York, Chicago or Washington. You would most likely not know (perhaps not bother to know) the existence of smaller metros like Salt Lake City! Being the capital city of the state of Utah, Salt Lake (and the entire state of Utah) is indeed rich in culture, events and entertainment.

If you think only metros like New York or Los Angeles can provide all the entertainment in the world, then plausibly you are mistaken. Here is the list of great entertainment places in and around Salt Lake City that is both affordable and adorable. It has every thing from mountain ranges to lakes to gardens.

One of the greatest places that always fascinated me in Salt Lake City is the Wasatch Mountains. The ride to the mountains in summer, spring or fall is bewitching. This mountain range has its share of greenery besides the numerous lakes it carries. Almost half the way in the top of the mountain, you have picnic spots that can be booked in advance. Utahans come with their family and spend the weekend there. Each picnic spot contains a place to put your tents, a place to cook and sit and have your food together. If you need a weekend to spend amidst nature and that too by not going very far and also enjoy the togetherness of your family, Wasatch is the place to check it out!

With the whole city in a valley, there is no inadequacy of mountains! Which means there is one more mountain adventure to plan for. Its Timpanogos Caves located in Mount Timpanogos. With a drive that is as usual captivating, you reach a place from where you start hiking up the hill. After a hike for about 45 minutes, you are given a guided tour inside those living caves. If you are looking for an adventurous, drill filled day, Timpanogos is the right choice.

If you like lakes, rivers and seas, Salt Lake City has its share of lakes too. Salt Lake and Bear Lake are 2 lakes in and around Salt Lake City, where boating and other water sports are popular and entertaining. To make a normal weekend interesting and to get some scratch of knowledge, you can visit the museum and the Hoogle zoo - 2 notable places in Salt Lake City.

Of course there is always the downtown with all its glitz and glamour, however mingling with Mother Nature and enjoying her beauty is incomparable!

Quite a 5 hr drive from Salt Lake, we have some of the wonderful places to visit - Yellow Stone national park that is famous for its natural geysers and the Bryce Canyons that is famous for the architectural feats of Mother Nature herself. If you plan to go to a place per month, the “summer fun planner” in Salt Lake is easy and exciting to execute!

What's there in winter in Salt Lake? - You gotta wait for a few more blogs...

Cartoon Cartoon

If it were not for Walt Disney, kids today (and many adults too!) would have been deprived of a major arena of entertainment. Cartoon - The etymology of this word is from the French word "carton" and from the Italian word “cartone”. Be it a snippet in the corners of a daily newspaper or a graphical and engaging full fledged motion picture, cartoon comes in a variety of flavors - from political to mockery to mystery to fun.

There were times when my patience was tested by my young cousins who used to watch The Cartoon Network for the whole day long, preventing me from watching soap operas! (I know for many of them cartoon is a better alternative, however there were few soaps that I was mad about!). Nevertheless I still have my share of good time pass by sitting in front of the idiot box and watching my favorite cartoon programs.

When I extend cartoon to comics, I get an equally engaging domain of yet another time killer. From Archies to Tintins to Asterix, comics also have its share of assortment. I do not know about the others - for me, it all started with Mickey & Donald. The ever green Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Daisy can still be seen in Disneyland, even when Disney is celebrating its 50th anniversary! Equally popular cartoons are Tom and Jerry, Scooby, Dennis the Menace, Casper, Richie Rich & the men (Bat/Super/Spider)! Many of these characters have their share of motion pictures, captivating the audience - young and old alike.

Here are some cartoon facts that I googled and got -

The earliest cartoon strip, named "The Yellow Kid," was shown in the New York Journal in 1896.

The longest running newspaper comic strip is "The Katzenjammer Kids," which was first published in 1897. It is still in publication.

The most filmed cartoon character - Zorro has been shown in 69 films. Created by Johnston McCully, he was the first comic strip character to be the subject shown in a major film, The Mark of Zorro (USA 1920).

With more thoughts...

MonaLisa Smile

One of the costliest painting and perhaps the most famous painting in the world is "MonaLisa" at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Painted by Leonardo Da Vinci, this blog ain't going to talk about the painting or about the painter! There is something similar to this painting that I am going to talk about and it’s a movie which shares the paintings' name - MonaLisa Smile.

Set in middle of the 20th century, the story begins when an art teacher joins a very famous all-female Wellesly College. Julia Roberts learn that Wellesly is a college that boasts of "creating" the perfect wives for men! It aims at teaching the nuances of being a good housewife! In a place where people refuse to believe in individuality, Roberts asks her students to aim for stars. She asks her students to be more creative, to give more importance to their thoughts and lands up getting a name as a reformist in a conservative college.

With a beautiful cast involving Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhall & many ebullient young ladies, the film is a treat to both heart and soul.(should I mention eyes too???) There are so many poetic scenes in this film. One of my favorites being, when Julia asks her students to just admire an inspiring piece of art rather than writing an assignment about it or even considering it.

When I watch this highly optimistic film, one of the famous quotes that my college chum used to often utter comes to my mind. He used to say - "Always aim for the stars. Only then you will reach the tree top. If you aim for the tree top, you will grab the mud!" Roberts asks her students to do the same thing and wins the heart of her students and the institute. The maximum number of enrollments in Wellesley College was for Roberts course the very next year.

It was my dear friend Vidhya who mailed me once about this film. She was my onsite co-ordinator and she was telling me about this movie and she was all "oohs" and "aahs" for this film. I saw this film when I came for my onsite assignment and fell in love with it. Its a very positive, optimistic , heartwarming drama. You can watch this with you dear and near ones with a hot cup of chai and a plate filled with Pakoras...

Oxymoron!

This is one of the words in English language that has always fascinated me. There is so much said about "Opposites attract each other" - Right from the physics Magnetism class where we were taught "Opposite poles attract each other" to "People tend to select their partners who are quite their opposite". Be it technical or psychological, we have come across such statements in our life. Literature is also a place where you find opposites being attracted each other. Atleast, they sometimes come close to each other. Well, if I tell the meaning of the word Oxymoron, this might throw more light!

An oxymoron consists of two words that seem to contradict each other, or actually do contradict each other.

Let’s start this oxymoron with a contradicting word pair! “Legal Murder”. Uggh! Murder by itself, as we all know is definitely not legal, however the above 2 words are valid enough sometimes. We all know many cases where murder is legal (Lets thank our film industry for this!)

OK. If you are not so convinced with the above example, let’s go for more convincing and pleasant ones! “Awfully Nice”. Don’t we use this? He was awfully nice to the kids. There are so many interesting oxymorons...Here are few of them for a few categories.

How can such a wonderful aspect of the English language be left aside by Hollywood? Hmmm. Can you guess a few oxymoronish Hollywood titles??? Here they are
True Lies
Eyes Wide Shut

Perhaps there are more to the short list above! If you are a compute geek, here are a few oxymorons for you
Text Image
Click the 'Start' button to Shut Down the computer.

There are very famous quotes from many celebrated people that are oxymoronic.
He has all of the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire. -- Winston Churchill
The scene is dull. Tell him to put more life into his dying. -- Samuel Goldwyn

Some ever time popular oxymorons:
Christ was born in year 4 B.C.
Change is the only Constant.

Before we end, here is the last and my favorite oxymoron. It’s the word "Oxymoron" itself. Yes, oxymoron itself is an oxymoron. Oxy means "sharp" or "wise". Moron (we use this more frequently!) means "fool" or "dull"!!!

With more thoughts...

Poetry

Poetry writing is such a great talent. There are so much of great poems written by such great endowed poets and here I will be musing over 3 of my all time favorites

The first is perhaps the top in my list of most influential poems. It’s written by Alfred Lord Tennyson. And its "Home they brought her warrior dead". It’s a touching poem about a warrior who was dead in a war and they would have brought his body to his home. His young wife, who was overcome with so much sorrow, would refuse to move or even cry. All her friends and maidens worried that if she does not burst out, she will die. So they come out with plans to make her cry out and help her burst out emotionally. They start by praising her husband, his noble deeds, how true friend was he and so on and so forth. The wife refuses to move. Then a lady removes the face cloth from her dead husband's body, thinking that seeing her dead husband face, she may break down. Even then the wife's eyes ejected no water. It was then an old experienced nurse by the name Rose, takes her child and places her baby on her knees. Like summer tempest comes tears in her eyes and she cries, "Sweet my child I live for thee"...It is such a sorrowful poem which shows an admirable couple. A couple, who were deeply in love and who were living solely for each other. An experienced nurse who knew to read peoples’ heart. A fatherless baby. These characters are built so strong in a mere 16 line poem. This was in my fourth grade syllabus and was part of my recitation exams! The complete poem is over here - "http://quotations.about.com/cs/poemlyrics/a/HomeTheyBrought.htm"

It’s time for some nature admiration. Poets admire nature just like painters. It is perhaps their favorite subject! Now it’s time to talk about the world famous poem "The Daffodils", written by the nature poet "William Wordsworth". Wordsworth explains in this poem that he was wandering lonely when he saw a field of daffodils. The sight of these yellow colored flowers fills him with pleasure when he lies down in a vacant or pensive mood and thinks about these daffodils.
The lyrics are so rhythmic that you can sing a lively song out of this poem. Do check it out at "http://www.love-poems.me.uk/wordsworth_daffodils.htm"

The other poem that this blog is going to talk about is "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost. Perhaps you will know this poem when I tell its last 2 lines
"And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep. "
These were Jawaharlal Nehru's favorite lines. The poet was perhaps returning from some work back home and he stops by woods that were filled with snow. He stops his horse and starts admiring the woods. He then realizes he has chores to do and has miles to go before he reaches his destination.

There is so much in poetry and in the poet's thoughts. This is only a drop in the ocean of poetry.