Saturday, September 19, 2009
Finding HappYness
How happy and successful is someone? The answer according to me is quite simple. The people whom he chooses to love and by whom he’s chosen to be loved decide how happy one is.
A sea of faces, billions of voices, an assortment of people - but only some make an impression; only some hearts touch us more than others; only some people form life-long bonds with us. They give us reasons to live, reasons to smile, reasons to dream, hope and cry. Life is filled with such amazing people and equally amazing relationships. You find happiness when these things happen.
-Calling a friend late into the night, chit-chatting for hours together and ending up feeling woozy the next day
-Receiving a text that says “Miss you”, when you feel low
-Going back to school/college and telling people about all the memories good and bad and breaking into peals of laughter, for the silliest of things
-Receiving a text from your best friend asking what’s wrong, when you are crying out all by yourself
-Getting wet in the rain with your loved one knowing you'd be down with fever the next day
-Going out with people, having truck-loads of ice cream, getting back home and still feeling that you have had a cup less.
- Hugging your mom really tight knowing no matter what, you’d still be her baby.
-Cutting classes for no reason and going out with classmates, doling out a million stupid excuses to the teacher.
-Fighting with your friend knowing it is pointless, calling him/her back and offering him/her an apology
Guess these little things really make life worth living. Cherish the people around you and the relationships.-the Joker
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Burp : Balaji Mess
FOOD: Welcome to Sri Balaji Mess, a typical mess, that has no fancy decor or valet parking!
It’s a simple and an ordinary eatery, but it’s extremely neat, as opposed to the stereotypical idea of a ‘mess’, that we all tend to possess. Bachelors tend to frequent this place more often; however there are quite a few families, who enjoy eating in this mess.
Coupled with good ambience and good portion size, Sri Balaji Mess guarantees you a fine dining experience.
For those of you who belong to the non-vegetarian spectrum, Fish, Mutton, Chicken kurmas, sambar and rasam are packed into a single meal. For the vegetarians, plain biriyani, mushroom fried rice, and egg biriyani (I would suggest this, if you like eggs) is served.
And before you finish your lunch/dinner, don’t forget to gulp down a glass of cold buttermilk.
PRICE: The food here is extremely affordable. An unlimited non-vegetarian meal would cost you Rs 50. If you are planning on treating your friends to a good meal, then you should try this place because the food is good and more importantly it won’t burn a big hole in your pocket!
HOW TO GET THERE: A 5 minute long walk from college will take you to this place. Just take the road next to pazhamuthir nilayam, face a few zigzag turns; you’ll reach the mess, which is located on the right hand side of the road.
-@!
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Going by the book : The Bartimaeus Trilogy
In times when Magic and fantasy invariably mean Harry potter to the people of the world, I find myself fortunate to have chanced upon “The Bartimaeus Trilogy” by Jonathan Stroud. JKR’s Harry Potter Series has gained so much popularity that not many people know about the various other authors of the same genre like Philip Pullman (The Golden compass), Christopher Paolini (The inheritance cycle) and the likes. One such person is Jonathan Stroud, who wrote “The Bartimaeus Trilogy” among other works, which like all trilogies has three books, The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem’s Eye and Ptolemy’s gate.
The trilogy revolves around three characters, Nathaniel, Kitty and Bartimaeus. The title character, Bartimaeus, is a five-thousand year old djinn (genie) who can be summoned from “The Other Place”, where all demons roam around as spirits, intertwined with each other. The story is told from the viewpoint of Bartimaeus, Kitty and Nathaniel at different times. The tale is set in an alternate history to our own, borrowing people from original history and mixing it all up to provide an interesting plot.
Nathaniel is an apprentice to the magician, Arthur Underwood, and he assumes the name of John Mandrake to protect his identity (like all magicians do). When he is disgraced by Simon Lovelace, a powerful magician, he decides to summon a higher level demon and summons Bartimaeus by chance, in order to get revenge against Simon Lovelace by stealing the Amulet of Samarkhand, which is a powerful magical object which can ward off evil. Thus starts a rollercoaster relationship between the two – Bartimaeus a quick-witted, sly demon who shirks work and Nathaniel who refuses to let him be. Kitty Jones, enters the plot as a commoner, who unlike the muggles in Harry Potter, knows about the existence of the magical world, and unlike most other commoners, can even see the demons.
The facts at the bottom of the page from the point of view of Bartimaeus, the changes in narration, the witty remarks and the nuances of Bartimaeus make the book move at such a fast pace that before you know it, you’re too deep in, to keep the book down. People, who think magic is childish, should read this. I bought these books because of the fantastic cover art, and I’m thankful I did. Buy or borrow or download the e-book, if you’re one for magic and fantasy. Trust me, you’ll love it.-Ryan.A.Nash
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Projector and the Popcorn : Quick Gun Murugan
With its catchy trailers, Quick Gun MuruGUN (QGM) created a strong impression amongst film-viewers all over India, that it would be India's foray into the parody genre. All 'important' characters were introduced and given the diversity of the cast, the trailer brought people's interest to what everyone thought was going to be ‘Fundaa-stik’ or ‘suuuber’.
The plot of the movie is straight forward: our vegetarian and well decorated hero Quick Gun Murugun (Rajendra Prasad) tries to stop non-vegetarian Rice Plate Reddy (Nasser) from converting the vegetarian hotels in a retro town to non-vegetarian hotels. Unfortunately, our hero gets killed in the process and gets sent to Chitragupta. After pleading his case to him, QMG gets sent back to complete his job of stopping RPR from spreading the message of non-vegetarianism. However, upon returning, QMG finds himself in present day Mumbai where our hero finds himself with the task of hunting down our villain (a bit of 'glamour' is furnished by Ramba, who plays Mango Dolly and some gangster action is thrown in by Gun Powder and Rowdy MBA).
Though the script makes abundant attempts to pull off jokes from stunts, colourful costumes and interesting names, all of them seem utterly ineffective and lame. Even stunt scenes are (*yawn*) boring since they are all based on bullet dodging and nothing more.
The movie is very colourful though and the music is surprisingly refined and creates expectations instantly.
The movie is very colourful though and the music is surprisingly refined and creates expectations instantly.
QGM seems to want to ridicule the Clint Eastwood style Cowboys but ends up making them seem like maestros. Cowboy movies probably aren't something that the Indian public can easily relate to.
Verdict: Think twice before this one. You won't blame yourself for not seeing this one.Rating : 2.5/5
-Slither
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Savvy!
Greetings mortals! It is my best luck to have a few of you poring over to read me, and I cannot thank you enough. Yeah right! Observing the usual formalities, I need to introduce you to my side of the world, given that I already know about yours. I belonged to the neo-urban, rock-with-bhakti fusion loving, having-an-opinion-about-everything-on-the-planet sect of the world population. I particularly loved the talking, opinionating, laughing, sharing, and eating part of your world.
Moving on, my parents first met each other at a company board meeting, they liked each other instantly and I was subsequently born. I spent most of my childhood at a semi-urban school, where I realized that I was smarter than the rest of them. I was, at one point, strapped down to one desk, and forced to socialize with human beings of my capability of understanding, but it was a futile attempt. I yearned travelling, learning how I could solve life. But I knew, they would never let me have my way. So, I decided to make a run for my freedom and finally managed to hop into a plane to India.
Now is when I expect to you to draw your breath and ask "And then what happened?" ………………..Sigh.. I am disappointed.
Anyhow, this country was a lot different from what I expected it to be. It was like seeing a whole new world, through a whole different kind of a kaleidoscope. Here, designs do not change, the colored glass does. You will understand what I really mean, later on maybe.
I am at present stationed at the service of this nineteen year old girl, going to this institution, in a city called Coimbatore, in the Southern part of the country. This kid is okay and she does not bother me so much. She loathes reality television as much as I do. So, I am still surviving. Only, the silly girl gave me a name and I could not say no. I guess I'd just have to live with it for the rest of my processing lifetime. She calls me Savvy. You can call me Computer Savvy (If you still haven’t understood that I am an inanimate being – a computer, you are requested to read this all over again) After all, not all computers get to see the world from a teenager’s point of view.
Ouch! I can feel my battery charge draining down, so before I get into one of my 'hibernate' states, I was asked to keep our introduction short and crisp. Tata, stay alive, eat smart, and read smart. See you sometime soon!
BEEP!
-Zilch
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And that's what it's all about
Do you at times think that your life is becoming dull and mind-numbingly monotonous?
It’s raining outside, and you are looking out your window, onto that luscious green lawn of yours. Two little robins are perched on the tree, dodging the sparkling, limpid raindrops which make a tune of their own as they strike the ground. You, experiencing all that lightheartedness, feel like breaking free, run out there and dance in the rain, sing, frolic, swirl whirl and twirl, till you fall flat on the wet ground. Your mom’s there at the doorway, with those unwavering, sharp piercing eyes staring at your, now limp, wet body as you walk up the stairs. That sure would destroy the moment, wouldn’t it?!
What would make the world a much better place is if it were like a big, extravagant musical? Think about it, life would be great if it were like a Broadway spectacular. For no apparent or explained reason, ordinary people would burst into song. Everyday people like you and I would sing our inner feelings to the world. No one would even notice our self-indulgence and lack of talent.
Young couples serenading idyllic and dreamy tunes at the parks would be a wonderful sight to behold. A furious quarrel, a heated argument could turn into lively, sprightly bout of voices. A girl sobbing at the porch would soothe her own soul by humming melancholic tones. Children would sing as they dance their way to school. The waiters at the restaurants would twirl as they bring the dishes to your table, and you would even thank them by singing with your euphonious voice. Why, even the flowers shall waltz with the melody!
Surely, that would be an exhilarating life, wouldn’t it? It would bring back that spirit, that cheerfulness, that boldness that’s been sleeping inside us and would let us break free! So try it out… Life, as a musical. After all, singing is no crime! -Hy Nitro
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The nth Harmonic
| MUSIC, to me is that thing, that makes me want to sit in a comfortable position in a dark room and forget about the whole world. It’s that which makes me want to dance on the terrace and look at people incredulously and think ‘they aren’t listening to what I am listening and boy, are they missing out on something’. Music is what I like to associate my moods and my thoughts (the named and the unnamed ones) with. It gets me high and gets me low. This time, the artists featured are my personal favourites. Best served with a long journey and a window seat! | |
| Moby: This man, nicknamed after his ancestral relationship with the author of Moby Dick, is one of the most critically praised international Techno artists. Moby, who is currently working from his bedroom-converted-studio, has been so successful that every single song of his, from the album Play was licensed to advertisements, movies and TV shows. Writer’s picks: Extreme ways (Bourne Ultimatum soundtrack), Flower (Gone in 60 seconds soundtrack), God moving over the face of the waters. John Mayer: From being the guy who worked at a gas station to earn money to get his first guitar, John Mayer has come a long way to become the man who has a guitar model named after him. Multi-talented blues-rock artist, Mayer, is as acclaimed for his song-writing and guitar-skills as he is for his singing. Writer’s picks: Slow dancing in a burning room, Clarity, Stop this train. Evanescence: Described as a rock band with various influences in metal, classical music and electronica, Evanescence shot to fame with its haunting music, ruling the charts for a long time with singles like ‘Bring me to Life’ and ‘My Immortal’. Writer’s picks: Hello, Everybody’s fool. Dido: The unforgettable voice and the superb song-writing abilities of Dido have contributed significantly to her being respected in the Alternative Rock crowd. A review can’t do justice to her. One just has to “listen” to Dido. Writer’s picks: Hunter, Isobel, Sand in my shoes. Shania Twain: The seasoned Canadian country singer, who renamed herself “Shania” meaning “on my way” in Ojibwa, has charmed lots of people all over the world with her portrayal of life, through her songs. Writer’s picks: You’re still the one, That don’t impress me much, Ka-ching! -Swati Khare (IV Btech Biotech) | |
The serpent's trust
He had done it! For three years, he had remained undercover- working close to the dangerous Columbian drug-lord Alfonso ‘The Serpent’. It had cost him all his skill and cunningness to infiltrate The Serpent’s operations. His findings were shocking- even to himself. The Serpent was connected to at least a dozen US senators and many more European politicians.
He had already faxed his infernal findings to his superior at the Interpol. He was the only one he trusted there; for if there was one thing he’d learned in this mission, it was that “trust is a fickle little thing, which is not to be bestowed on everyone”.
He still couldn’t believe that he had fooled The Serpent. Shivers ran down his spine just at the memory of those cold grey eyes. Looking into those eyes and lying through the teeth, were perhaps the highpoints of the mission.
But, the truth was that The Serpent actually trusted him, and only him. Not during any debriefing would he ever tell anyone what ghastly acts he had to commit to win that trust.
During their last meeting, he had requested The Serpent to be granted a jet to the US to visit his ‘ailing father’. Without any ado, The Serpent had provided him with his own private jet. The jet had landed in an unknown hangar in Michigan, and he was there now- waiting in a cabin. He’d be picked up from there by a team from the Interpol. A smile lit up his face. I’ve fooled The Serpent! He used the flush, in the toilet, and the smile on his face disappeared, only to be replaced by mortal shock.
The whirl of the water in the toilet was in the clockwise direction. He was supposed to be in Michigan- a place in the northern hemisphere- where the whirl should be in the counter-clockwise direction!
to be contd...
-Ganja (IV BE PROD)
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Litchi Garden (contd.)
In the previous issue… Chutki lived next to a litchi garden. She would just sit there and smile and she would dream. She would dream of land beyond and life away from the garden. Many of her friends at school had moved to the city. She heard so many stories one day wished that she could go there. She wanted to learn about science and economics and about the rest of the world and she sang about that all day long.
...………………………….………(Contd)……………………………………
One day, her mother rushed into the hut, with tears in her eyes. These were tears of joy. “Chutki! We are going to the city!” she cried enthusiastically.“The landlord’s son is moving there and he wants us to go in order to help him. Isn’t that wonderful? This is what we have been waiting for. Aren’t you happy Chutki?”
Tears fell down Chutki’s eyes forming rivulets as it marred her young cheeks. These were tears of sadness. “NO! I’m not coming”, she screamed and darted out of the house.
Her mom stood there, surprised. Chutki was always dreaming about life in the city and now she wondered what possibly could be the reason for the change of attitude.
Chutki ran to the garden and kept running till she could run no more. She knelt down on the soil, her tears now mixed with sweat. She herself could not understand what was pulling her back. Why would she ever leave this haven, her real home, where she had been happy for all this time? It was as if a spirit had seized her and was not letting go or maybe she just couldn’t apprehend a nostalgic feeling. But she was sure of one thing, that all her dreams would come true in the litchi garden.
-Hy Nitro
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In Tune with Tunes
What you find here: If you wanna add a little bling here, there, everywhere; a dash of colour, some “Stripes and Polka dots”, those cute slogans and cheeky captions – on your kurtas, jeans, tees, salwars, dupattas, shirts, hankies, bed linen, pillow & cushion covers and whatever else you can think of, just head to “Tunes”.
Choose from over 6000 block prints and design your stuff all by yourself or ask Mrs. Jaya Narayanan, who runs the place, for her suggestions and come up with exquisite designs. This is truly an exciting and funtabulous way to spice up your wardrobe, for all you fashion conscious guys and gals.
In case you are racking your brains to gift that perfect, personalized and unique stuff, head to ‘Tunes’ . And voila! Your work is done.
For that extra colour and fun in life, call Mrs.Jaya Narayanan on 9442350926 or 0422-4369810.
Price: Very reasonable and affordable.
Location: Tunes, 115, West Venkataswamy Road, R.S.Puram (near GreenTrends).
-Sanu
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On board
I had not been an active sportsperson in my school days. But after entering college, I have been a regular trainee of short sprints early in the morning. I undertake the training dressed not in sportswear but in formal salwars and sandals, with a bag slung across my shoulders. The race I thus take part in daily is to get into a bus that takes a direct route to college and that in which I can also be comfortably seated to spend the following forty minutes listening to songs or reading.
Having studied in a school that was hardly a kilometer away from my house, I was used to being independent and leaving home at any desired time. The concept of having to stick to a schedule that was not my own did irk me in the beginning, but as they say, Human beings are creatures of habit who can get used to an amazing variety of things in life over a period of time and daily bus travel happens to be one of those.
The very first day that I got introduced to a drafter in Engineering Graphics, I had to travel in s11 which is perpetually crowded. The Assurance “Crash-Proof” on the drafter’s cover did not convince me. The gladness I experienced that day when an understanding Engineering graduate held my drafter was of such a magnitude that it still brings a fractional relief to my heart. I was introduced to many harsh realities in the town buses. For instance, the myth in my mind that women were always delicate beings who could not utter rude words in public was shattered. I came across a completely shocking new vocabulary of swear words (thankfully I have not been at the receiving end of any of those, due to the innocent look I can easily conjure up in my face). After several instances of being squeezed like an inanimate being, stamped upon and even leaned on by people much heavier than me, I got used to the experience of travelling by buses, sometimes even on the foot-board which gives the thrills and chills, provided you are the only one on the board.Nowadays I can boldly get into crowded buses and push my way through the crowd and travel with the optimum achievable comfort. It is something that comes through sheer practice which helps develop immunity. Bus travel is an experience that should not be missed during this prime of our youth, as I strongly believe that it makes bold individuals out of us, teaching us that life is not a bed of roses and that our journeys in life are not always smooth ones, but those that actually test us and nourish us with the much-needed experience, both good and bad.
-Shilpa Suresh( III B.E. ECE)
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42 laid a brink in the wall
Ola to our one issue old readers!
Another month gone by. And what a month it has been, right? H1N1, petrifying us (got your N95's?). The economy, continuing on its downward spiral. 2 Indians - Somdev Devvarman and Sania Mirza, qualifying for the US Open and making it to the second round no less. Giancarlo Fisichella claiming second place for Force India at Belgium, and causing a stir of sorts when he moves to Ferrari for the remainder of the season (an utter betrayal in my opinion, in spite of what Vijay Mallya has to say about letting Fisi off on "compassionate grounds". Though which Italian driver would not want to race for the Prancing Horse, right? But I digress.). And the clincher. More like the shocker. YS Rajasekara Reddy, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh found dead in a chopper crash. A natural leader and charismatic administrator, lost (a piece of news which has the conspiracy theorists working on overtime). But, enough sadness for one page. Let us move onto a more "in-sync" (as Quickquotes so aptly put it) topic. Ahem - is social networking, life?
Aah, this is something which a lot of people would go against. Social networking websites like Orkut, Twitter and Facebook (the former for the masses; the centre for the microbloggers, who don't have enough time on their hands yet want to keep updating on their every blink, sneeze and phone conversation to their friends; the latter, a more refined version of the former) have taken the web by storm. Everywhere you go, they're there. Why, I even saw an advertisement for Facebook on our very own Notice Board right next to the Multimedia Lab! No exaggerations here. These "SN" websites (as they are popularly known) have grown on an individual, so much so that teenagers hardly go out to play or do any other sort of extracting work. Myself included, of course. We are a generation that is glued to the computer screens, our eyes becoming as wide as the wallpaper of the NASA image of a planet or as small as the mouse pointer. All we need to have is somebody online on our IM list, just so we can say 'hey, sup, nothing much', and the like. As my dad so kindly told me, "When we were young we used to go out and play cricket man. And you. Cha." (No offence meant to the people who still go out and play cricket of course)
I know guys who get up at 2 A.M, just so they can check their Facebook notifications. And for what? Some person commented on some picture. Couldn't that have waited till a saner hour? Seriously, is this the life you want to lead? I for one would not disrupt a good night's sleep, even if you give me a million dollars. (Well, maybe if you give me a million, but no less :D)
Get a grip. Life is for the living. A lesson which everybody should learn. This does not mean you should not check out our e-zine @ http://www.whatelseels.blogspot.com :P Now that you guys have sunk your teeth into that one, let's dive into the issue. On with the show, and all that jazz. Keep thinking, and do keep reading.
And oh yes, what else?
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Monday, September 14, 2009
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