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First post of the year on the first day of the year - hence the title. And for those of us that partied together last night, tn1 rocks! :).

Here's to a great year ahead with lots of laughter, love and happiness to all!

Happy New Year 2012!

Happy Holidays!

It’s 5.45 in the morning. I’m surrounded by so much noise, action and drama that it feels like it’s mid-day. People checking their seats, trying to get their bags up in the storage space, haggling with coolies, buying magazines in a rush, rushing for a quick coffee/tea…a typical morning at the railway station. Me? I just about made it into the right compartment, hauled my bag up and got my kids seated before the train puffed out of the station!

There are some sights and sounds that amaze me every single time – the Indian family living abroad explaining (at the top of their voices) to their kids why they should speak quietly, the family of 4 that has about 15 smallish bags struggling to squeeze them into the storage bins, the person with one humungous bag bargaining with the coolie at the last minute, small kids wailing, my kids wanting chocolate or any other kind of junk….oh, the list is endless.

What makes me repeat this journey time and time again? The destination, of course – Madras, nalla Madras. I love everything about it. But in addition to this, it’s the joy of the journey itself. The Shatabdi Express’ lovely coaches that make you forget that you’re actually traveling Indian Railways! The clean bathrooms, excellent service and the invariable friends I make on the train thanks to the kids antics…all this and more is what I love.

Happy Holidays everyone!

:S (emoticon for being confused)

I wonder...

I wonder what you're thinking right now...

I wonder if you can understand why I'm saying what I'm saying...

I wonder if you can remember anything at all after the moment passes...

I wonder if you will wake up and smile at me...

I wonder what next...

I wonder if you will forgive me...

And most of all, I wonder if you will forget.

Halloween for dummies

About 10-15 years ago, the term Halloween was probably unknown in India. Then, the tech-outsourcing revolution happened and it all changed. No, technology and Halloween are not connected in any way, thank God! Else we'll be seeing virtual reality zombie characters flying all over the place! No, tech-outsourcing exposed many Indians to America and vice-versa. Traditions, festivals, recipes and clothing were shared and thus, Halloween was born in India.

To be fair, there are many that still have no idea Halloween is. So here's the gist. In short, kids dress up in different costumes, go by houses and say trick or treat (signifying you either treat me or else I'll play a trick on you), get loads of candy and come back home on a sugar-high!

Bangalore has a vast ex-pat community and many US returns too. Since they like to keep the tradition going for their children, Halloween is now a part of many large communities. I took my kids out trick or treating for the first time ever.

A funny bunny and an evil devil - both fit their parts quite well! It was a lot of fun and I pinched some of their candy, too! Happy Halloween everyone!

Ra-One - the review

I have to put in many disclaimers before I start writing this post.

• I don't watch too many movies, especially Hindi ones.
• I am a big fan of Superhero movies (apparently, in any language).
• I don't like the usual song, dance and crying kind of movies.
• I'm not a geek but I find certain aspects of technology really cool.
• OK, that's it. Now read on if you're still interested.

Met my expectations

Story line, music, acting - There was just enough of emotion and drama. No one overdid the death scene, there was no bawling etc. Music rocked! Acting - Ra-One's and G-One's expressions were naturally robotic and machine-like :)

Exceeded my expectations

Effects - The picturization of nano particles coming together to form Ra-One was awesome! Also the whole virtual environment that was created for the game was very neat.

Below my expectations

Shakrukh's South Indian imitation was terrible. The accent, the 'curly hair' and the AYYO - really bad. I'm glad that he was killed early on in the film.

The Voila factor
Roping in the big B for his voice and the Superstar for his style was really cool - a great marketing tactic. Showing a little respect to these two definitely doesn't hurt!

An out and out entertainer with great music and effects, Ra-One is a total time-pass movie. Throw your logical mind out and don't try to reason with the going-ons. You'll have a great time!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Just hearing the word 'snow' brings back so many memories...good, bad and ugly :).

When I was a kid, I longed to see it and play in it. When I had the chance to experience it, I loved it, grew tired of it and eventually hated it (thanks to all the shoveling). And now, that I'm so far removed from it, I wish I could experience it just one more time.

Funny how the grass is greener, the lights are brighter and the snow is flakier...

The girl who didn't like to dance

Once upon a time, there was a girl. She loved to do many things - read, sing, play, chat and so on....but there was one thing that she didn't like to do...and that was to dance. Try as she might, she just didn't get the hang of it, didn't like to watch when others danced and just never wanted to try it at all.

When she was in college, she got involved in it a bit. No, she didn't perform but helped organize things around the main performance. That, she was good at. But she began to like watching. Still later, when she got a little older, she began to dance. Not all the time. In fact, usually only 'under the influence' and after much persuasion from her friends. She even began to create her own signature steps, as funny as they might be...steps that others began to copy, although only briefly!

And then, it all stopped...due to many reasons. Explaining those would take away from the randomness of this story. But recently, it seems like the madness might have started up again. All thanks, again, to friends. The girl who didn't like to dance has put on her dancing shoes again...be warned, everyone!

For a story as random as this one, could there be a moral? Yes! Make sure your friends are crazy and goofy! They will make you do silly things. Things that you wouldn't try on your own, things that make you go WTH, things that you can think back of and laugh about.

In keeping with the spirit of the festive season, here's a big loud cheer to good friends and good times! Long may they last!

Deepavali 2011

I wrote this last Deepavali. This year, I'm not going cracker shopping...husby and friends will do the honors.

I'm curious to see what kind of discounts they will come back with. I'm looking at it as a socio-psychology experiment to understand why some people get more discounts than others. Some of the reasons I can think of are a person's

• gender
• ability to bargain well
• fluency with the local language
• ability to smooth talk
• attitude (bordering on being brash)
• knowledge of the product

Get ready....this is a guys versus girls test. Who is really the better bargainer? I can't wait to see who wins although I think I know the answer already :).

A happy and safe Deepavali everyone!

Of gopurams and towers

I'm sitting in the balcony at our hotel in Pasumalai (Madurai). The view is breathtaking; dotted with houses in different colors and sizes, the five outer gopurams of the Meenakshi Amman temple....and innumerable cell phone towers! I don't think I've seen this many towers in such a small radius! Obviously, the reception here is far better than any that I've had in Madras or Bangalore.

I wonder what the Kings who built this temple (Pandya dynasty?) think of that. :)

Magician, artist...but a faltering God?

It feels like eons ago that I wrote this. It's only 2 years almost to the date, really. Federer's semi-final loss to Djokovic has left me and others in a sort of daze...did it really happen that way? It feels similar to when the Red Sox came back to beat the Yankees after being down 0 - 3...not that I like the Sox...or baseball, even. But you get the drift.

Yeah, weird things happen. It could be the law of averages...things have to even out at some point. It could be Murphy's law...a double fault at a crucial time?! It could be plain nerves for one and a 'go for broke' attitude for the other. Whatever it is, you can't really figure it out. It's one of those inexplicable things where all you can do is wonder 'what if'.

What if...I hate that thought.