The Fountainhead! And Frank Lloyd Wright.

I have finished the job which I had taken earlier this month to beat time. So, am back to surf away all my vetti time!! I have finished reading "The Fountainhead". I wasn't impressed with the book, especially after the exalted expectations with which I started it, thanks to heavy recommendations from Sindhu and Dhivya. I'm only left thinking if the author has done a 'Gallant Gallstone' act on us- you know, Fountainhead is a book that people in intellectual circles talk much about and hence when you don't want to fall out of march, you end up reading it AND, even if the book doesn't impress you, you claim it did, because you have heard that it appeals only to the intellectual!! I couldn't care less! But as always, I did like a few quotes, pages and incidents in the book. Gail Wynand does leave an impression on one...
Anyway, the book did me some good- the book, an article in the Young World and a little research later, I stumbled across information on Frank Lloyd Wright, the real-life architect who inspired the character of Howard Roark- he was chucked out of his university without a degree,designed some of the best buildings in the world, he had an affair with the wife of one of his clients and was arrogant- it all matches!
The FallingWater, a residence in Pennsylvania left a lasting impression on me. It's a house on a waterfall, can you believe that?!!!

Discovering Madras and the MMC!

It's been an embarrassing day today altogether-
I tripped over a stone jutting out of nowhere in the K.K.Nagar bus terminus in the morning!
I was denied entry into the Armenian Church next- the khaki clad watchman there spoke better English than you and me! Do i look like a terrorist or something???? :(
I walked all the way to the Evening Bazaar Road through the Fraser Bridge Road which happens to house the MMC Men's hostel. And I was shocked that such a prestigious institution provides such a seedy, smelly, dirty and altogether revolting place to its students! The stench, grime and dirt will make the Cooum banks smell like a meadow!
Is this the scant regard we give the most promising brains in the city?!
Did you know these facts about the MMC-

• The MMC is the second oldest medical college in India. Established in 1835!
  
• It is ranked fifth in the list of best medical colleges in India!
• It has the distinction of being the alma mater of the first lady doctor in the English speaking world.

And this is what they offer students in the name of a hostel!

While I was surfing, I was extremely proud to note that 4 out of the top ten medical colleges in India are from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Here's the list-
1. All India Institute Of Medical Sciences(AIIMS), New Delhi (Central Govt.)
2. Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore (Pvt.)
3. Armed Forces Medical College(AFMC), Pune (Ministry of Defence)
4. JIPMER, Pondicherry (Central Govt.)
5. Madras Medical College (MMC), Chennai (State Govt.)
6. St. John's Medical College, Bangalore (Pvt.)
7. Kasturba Gandhi Medical College, Manipal (Pvt.)
8. Moulana Azad Medical College (MAMC), Delhi (State Govt.)
9. Stanley Medical College, Chennai (State Govt.)
10.Grant Medical College, Mumbai.

Yes, we are indeed proving to be the educational capital of the country!!!

Snippets!

It's been quite a while since I have posted! Well, even if it sounds stunning, time is scarce now because I have found a temporary job to keep me occupied! Someday,maybe after a month I might want to post on Madras... Am beginning to love the loooong bus ride from K.K.Nagar terminus to Broadway! I can almost see that queer look on your face when you think I should be nuts to claim that I enjoy a bus ride at 8 in the morning in 17D or 11G! But I tell you it's worth it. I see a fair cross section of people from all walks of life-from young employees talking non stop over their cell phones,Dental and Medical students of MMC to the downtrodden who take the same bus to the G.H; an evolution in lifestyles and architecture from old-old British buildings in North Madras to the swanky offices and well-to-do houses in Nungambakkam, tenements jotting all over the banks of the Cooum* river(or whatever is left of it); the commercial hub in Parrys that's always abuzz with activity to the sleepy housing board flats in K.K.Nagar; a gleaming black Benz parked unobtrusively in a corner of Armenian Street; a flurry of black blazers and gowns and the intimidating red structure that is the Chennai High Court. However, there's only one stretch that never fails to draw attention to itself- the Marina Beach that's visible if I choose to take 11H! The exhaustion after a day's work, the crowd, the perspiration stench thats hangs in the bus... nothing seems to bother the commuters when they look at the distant waves!
A ride to Broadway takes you back in time-you see more of Madras than Chennai!

*I remember my cousin's grandfather saying that when he was young, Cooum was clean enough that he had taken a boat ride across it!!!!

Harry Potter and the order of the Phoenix

Watched the much awaited movie yesterday. This is the worst in the series!!! I agree it's a long book but they have cut most of the vital parts...

• The Protean Charm finds no mention.
• And why twist the story so much as to portray Cho Chang under Veritaserum to reveal Dumbledore's Army??
• Rita Skeeter has also been missed altogether.
• Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood is a good choice but they have missed Harry's interview in ' The Quibbler'-her dad's paper.
• The fun parts in the book are also omitted-like the one in which a swamp created by Fred and George's escape attempt considering it a monument to be preserved at Hogwarts; Umbridge being sent out of Hogwarts; Snape's worst memory, I remember, is one whole chapter in the book. The scene appers for a few seconds and there is no sign of Lily Potter there!
• By the way, who is Nigel, who appears in the D.A?
• Sirius dies in a flash! Such an important episode!!!
• Where is Firenze??

A neighbour of mine suggested I hear this song. Awesome... 'Megame megame' from 'Paalaivana cholai'.

My favourite off-beat film songs!

My friends never really want to borrow my ipod except when it's too boring and they have got nothing else to do. That's because it hardly has any popular songs. Maybe they'd be aware of those songs but I guess noone would want to load their ipods with them!

Here's the list-

• "Uravugal thodarkadhai, unarvugal sirukathai" from 'Aval Appaditthaan'. This song just stands out! I listen to as often as I can. Amazingly simple lyrics!! AWESOME! Lyrics take the upper hand; not that the music is anything less. Just the song to listen to when you are in a melancholic mood. Sung by K.J.Yesudoss!

• "Kanaa kaanum kanngal mella urangaadho paadal solla" from 'Agnisakshi'. Another song that's got good lyrics. The picturisation shows a hysterical Saritha and Sivakumar as the caring husband. Slow and soul-stirring... Sung by S.P.B!
  

• Sangeetha SwarangalEzhae kadakka,innum irukka" from 'Azhagan'. Anyone with good taste would like this song. I especially like the DD theme music that gels beautifully with this song!;)
  

• "Poo pootthadhu, thottam yaar pottadhu" from 'Mumbai Express'. Probably the only memorable thing in that movie was this song!
  

• "Kamban Engu Ponan,shelley enna aanaan"from 'Jaathimalli'. The lyrics are different and I love the screams in between!
  

• "Maanida sevai dhrogamaa, kalaivaani neeyae soll" from 'Unnaal mudiyum thambi'. Awesome lyrics!! And Maami says the ragam is Poorna Chandrika! The whole film is a musical treat and this one, is unarguably the best!
  

• "Sattena nenaidhadhu nenjam, sarkkarai aanadhu kanneer"- the BGM piece from 'Kannatthil Mutthamittaal'. I'd like to watch the visualisation too! Typical Mani style...
  

• "Enakku pidittha paadal" from 'Julie Ganapathi'. It's quite an experience to listen to this. I can almost feel the rain, the drive and the Ooty atmosphere when I listen to it!

Even youtube has only 2 of these songs! Looks like am the only one who ever listens to these!

My second innings with Music!

Like any other Brahmin girl, I was also sent to 'Paattu class' when I was in school. What with every one in the family taking up carnatic music damn seriously!! Somehow, I never stuck to a single teacher. We shifted pretty often. And I ended up learning the same 'Sarali varisai' and 'Jantai varisai' again and again and again! For years together! Finally, I just got bored with the ordeal and quit at the age of 12 or 13 after learning a few varnams and keerthanais. The decision was met with stiff resistance from most of my family; to them,it was strange not to learn music!!!
Days went by... Maths tuitions during high school began eating up my free time. So, I couldn't spend much time thinking of music except when my paatti and aunts would brood over my 'hasty decision'. Every vacation when I went to my paatti's with my cousins, she'd make every cousin sing in the evenings. And I'd watch the kutcheri silently!
Entered college and somehow Shantha maami made me listen to some music and this time, I found some kind of a passion in me. I badly wanted to get back to it but I had taken too long a break and my vocal chords refused to coordinate with my desire. I now wish I had not discontinued those music classes! I did try to learn from Maami but it wouldn't work. Anyway, am now content listening to it rather than singing; and trying to learn and identify ragams!!!

Roadside Romeos! Pay heed to this!

With lots of time to kill today, I went out for a walk today. I had just crossed our street and there was this group of young men coming the opposite way. And before you jump to conclusions that am this self-conscious, vain female, drop such accusations! Am usually the least bothered about wayward comments from these pests or their antics. Like any sensible woman, I just walk as though they are invisible and that their comments never reach my ears. But for some reason, I start smiling to myself incurably after witnessing such attempts. And smile i do, IDIOTICALLY, for a long time after the incident! Today was yet another such day when this gang of brash men started nudging each other in front of me. One fellow came forward and shouted 'I love you' on top of his voice for the whole street to hear! And went back with a speed that'd have surprised a lightning. And damn it, I started smiling to myself! For quite a few minutes after that!!! And damn Murphy's Law- I bumped into several familiar faces who saw me smiling like crazy for no apparent reason at all! Guess they thought I was heading straight to Kilpauk! One lady gave me such a confused stare that I can't forget, for the life of me! Men who wanna behave strangely,please choose your victim more carefully!
Classmates right from school to college would not scoff at this and would rather sympathize with me, because they know what I go through! Whenever I get caught by the teacher I just start giving them one of my idiotic smiles!!! I have frustrated my high school Physics teacher so much with my vacant smile that she quit sermonizing with me after as soon as a term with me! And as expected, I ended up becoming more lethargic with my school work!

Thanks to Ajay, stumbled upon this poem... And I found it great!

A Dream Lies Dead

A dream lies dead here. May you softly go
Before this place, and turn away your eyes,
Nor seek to know the look of that which dies
Importuning Life for life. Walk not in woe,
But, for a little, let your step be slow.
And, of your mercy, be not sweetly wise
With words of hope and Spring and tenderer skies.
A dream lies dead; and this all mourners know:

Whenever one drifted petal leaves the tree-
Though white of bloom as it had been before
And proudly waitful of fecundity-
One little loveliness can be no more;
And so must Beauty bow her imperfect head
Because a dream has joined the wistful dead!

Dorothy Parker

Last night, I watched 'Vettayadu Vilayaadu' for the third time. I do like the movie; think it's novel and brave attempt in Tamil filmdom. The story's great, fast-paced, it's got awesome music, an impressive cast and of course, KAMAL HASAN! Watching the movie is an experience.
Yes, i think the movie's great. But do I ever want to watch it again, I ask myself. And I answer with a definite note- NO! I don't want to watch it again. In fact, I have a list of movies which I love but I'd never ever want to watch them another time... for various reasons.

1) Vettayadu Vilayadu- I admit I don't have the stomach for gore and blood. I remember watching it the first time. In a seedy theatre somewhere in Kerala. En route to Munnar. Watched it with the whole C.S dept in our final year tour. The movie got over at 1 '0' clock in the morning -serial killing+ungodly hours+strange place!!! I can vividly recount the fright when we came out of the theatre!!! The film is probably the goriest Tamil movie I have ever watched!

2) Mahanadhi- This is one film that can make me go to a state of deep depression! Certain scenes and dialogues echo in my mind for days after and I simply can't shut it out of my mind.

3) Guna- Should i even state the reason?!

4)Arangettram- There are some issues you wish you had never known; or that you had never stumbled upon. Watching this film is one such experience. Prameela haunts your thoughts ever after.

Now, I'll go and catch Chennai-28 or Michael Madana Kamarajan as an antidote to last night's movie and this post!

SUPERSTAR!!

Watched Sivaji last Wednesday... The film rocked,no doubt! 3 hrs- not a moment that was dull or boring! Superstar has proved himself yet again! Yes, it's the same old poor guy-rich guy-poor guy-finally rich guy again-story! Same old indifferent heroine... same old rich,influential villain!
But he's the only one who manages to rake crores of Rupees with each film! Here re my observations-

1)Yes, Shriya does look drop-dead gorgeous! But she could have given atleast half a thought to acting and her lip sync! They have gone horribly wrong!

2)VIVEK is simply AWESOME! He just does everything right.

3)Like many friends of mine, I went to the theatre with high expectations about Manish Malhotra's work. Another sore point!
- Shriya never really wore anything. Jus a few hankies draped around. So, we can't blame Malhotra about that!
- Thalaivar's costumes would have looked good on Shah Rukh and the likes, but didn't go well with Rajnikanth.
-Surprisingly, Vivek's costumes were awesome!

4)Adhiradi n Sahana are good to listen to. The picturisation of Sahana is a li'l too psychedelic.

5)Suman has done a decent job! A neat portrayal.

And despite the sore points, like millions of other die-hard Rajni fans, i wanna catch the movie AGAIN! And AGAIN!!!!!!!!

Achievement of the day!

Restarted 'The Alchemist' last night;third try,I think. Burnt midnight oil over the book. Read and finished the book with a determination that I'll get back into the groove this time... I did finish the book. Perhaps I was not in the mood to take in that kind of a book. The supposed classic failed to make an impression on me;not that I have always been fond of such philosophical fables.
Trying to get back to Howard Roark and 'The Fountainhead'. Guess I'll eventually get to the last page, but doubt I'll enjoy the experience. Maybe I have lost the ability to take in the essence of the book! Have i lost part of my identity with this, I wonder... Reading glasses, a backpack full of books and my head bent over a book under the desk was what defined me most. Strange and distant, it now sounds... I recount those moments with a sense of wistful nostalgia! Whew, hope I really do get back into the groove!

A forgotten love...

There was once a time when i went to bed with a book and woke up with the first thought being what I'd read that day! EVERYDAY! Throughout my school days, I was always in the bad books of my teachers because most class hours of mine were devoted not to the blackboard but to the book under my desk! I still remember my class teacher complaining to my dad that I was flouting school rules!! Dad was not too happy about it and refused to lend me money for the library... Not to be put down by this, I'd borrow the library cards of classmates and use them. I'd finish my lunch in the morning break and use the whole lunch hour to read in the library! It continued in college... I was convinced that I had a severe problem with this excessive reading... and would brag to friends that I might possibly develop withdrawal symptoms if I keep away from books for more than two days... Then came my third year of college and somehow, something somewhere went wrong and suddenly I found that I could not take in more!! I lost the inclination, COMPLETELY! Letters swim around the pages when I try to read something these days...
List(!) of books I have read from Jan 06:
Archer's 'As the crow flies'
Follett's 'Night over water'
Segal's 'Love Story'
Some reader's attempt at writing his own version of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'
60 and odd pages of 'The Alchemist'
2(yes, i swear) pages of Ayn Rand's 'Fountainhead'
THAT'S THE WHOLE LIST!
Whatever happened...

Potter, whr art thou, Potter?!

Am reading a fake copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows! Guess it's doing its rounds among die hard Potter maniacs... I like the part about Dudley being a wizard! Jus cruised a li'l over 100 pgs... lemme see!!!! The mush overdose is affecting the pace though!!!

an hour and 59 minutes wasted!!! when i could have been vetti....

i saw "the color of money" recently. and am still thinking what the story could have been!!!! a couple of trips to wikipedia later... am still left wondering! no question bout following de dialogue- the dvd came with subtitles too!:) why don't i just stop watching englipees movies and stick to tamil masala?! beats me...

whatever joy do you acquire by making yourself believe that you mean something to someone... that you are significant to someone in this world... when your practical brain knows it ain't true? if i jump down from the fiftieth floor of a building, i know very well that it is going to be flaunted to the world as a successful attempt in a some blog page n later forgotten...

vettiness at it's worst!

have any of u been thro this- sitting in front of de comp, trying to come up with some idea to fill your blog... stare,stare n keep staring at de screen..type something,erase de typed lines, type again, erase again... that's exactly what am doing now!!
this actually reminds me of sms-ing! how many of u carry out this exercise- frame a few phrases in ur mind, type out something, edit it a good 7-8 times, pick tht spl someone's number... then,go back to de msg, read it again... n finally erase it all again!!!
my 61 yr old aunt does something similar too- write out long letters,addressed to close family members or friends n put them into her draw!! to read them again a decade later!

fine, i kno it's a poor excuse for a blog post! but, i did give it a shot! ;)

i woke up with nithyasree screaming on the radio-yeah ,mom knows that surely wakes me up . that or worse, aatthify her steaming morning kaapi next to a sound asleep me! she was listening to the maid's lengthy petition for an evening off. like every other maid, she has an alcoholic husband. she wanted to go to this self declared god-man at the temple who promised to cure the problem for a few hundred rupees( be assured these notes are also going to find their way to the bottle). and mom, was fighting a losing battle, asking her not to waste her hard earned money on such stupid endeavors- "naa sollraennu thappa nenaikkadha, indha madhri kuri sollradhu, parihaaram pannradhhu idhellaam poi, pitthalattam. summa josiyamnu kaasa kariyaakkadha".

it's not uncommon a scene, considering that the alcoholic hasn't changed a bit in the last ten years. and our maid missed no god man all these years! i went to the kitchen and switched off the radio, knowing that mom's not going to realize it at all... the maid left in a few minutes and mom was yet to realize the absence of the blare.

i was having breakfast when mom came out of the bedroom, all dressed and said she was taking my horoscope to the astrologer to ask him if it was advisable for me to take up the G.R.E!! i gave her a look that said it all... and sang "naal en seiyum, vinaidhaan en seiyyum, naadi vandha kol en seiyyum, kodum koottren seiyum..." on top of my voice, behind the morning paper. another failed effort... even the alcoholic had greater chances of quitting but try talking to mom about forgetting josiyam n jadakam- you'll then know the meaning of the word impossible!

i locked the doors after mom left, came back to the table and was thinking of these hopeless people! cha, nenju porukkudhillaiyae indha nilai ketta manidharai kandu... was the next song in line! sigh, forget it, i told myself and came back to the newspaper to finish reading my star forecast for the day!

Consumed by insanity

depressed, suicidal, paranoid... for no apparent reason... ever been thro that kind of a phase?!
here i am, all consumed by insanity!
there was this friend who commented bout the infrequency of updating my blog,so here i am...
i started this blog inspired by this chronic blogger of my brother and well ... looks i can't keep pace!!!

murphy--the yaman!!

final year of college...yeah, i have survived 3 yrs of ee-adicchaan-copy assignments, gossip lab sessions, countless o.d's for chatting senselessly in de library under de pretext of proof-reading newsletters,writing or reviewing articles ...
and now, am left with nothing to do!!!first, we don't bother doing assignments,take down or pretend to take down notes, don't need o.d to bunk classes....hmmm, we ve finally grown up indeed!
come to think of it, de only activity i engage myself with that's worth mentioning is kadalai varutthufying...n murphy decides to play yaman there!!read on to find out how...
it was one of those days...when i happened to spot this guy i'd been lookin at for quite sometime. i had just alighted de bus n he was walking right in front of me..a few yards between us. i could almost smell his cologne..aaaaaaaah,heady!!!!!de ecstacy lasted just a second ...n i realized that i was lookin my worst(4 those who think i'm no different,be it a look-good-day or a bad-hair-day, u re courteously requested to leave de pg ).
it was one of those crazy sleep-over nights with my lowes, we were up all night chatting bout guy after guy after this friend's sister's boyfriend's cousin's fizzled romance...n de like...u know wat conversation goes on in an all girls party!!and finally when we hit de sack, it was perhaps 3 or 4 a.m. . after mom's frantic wak-up calls and with bout 15 minutes,8 seconds to spare...i rushed to de bus stop...that'd give u a fine impression of my appearance that day!
as if this wasn't enough, i caught up with my lost sleep in de bus...
and sigh, this guy was right there... i couldn't even hazard a hi or a wave at him :(
why does it so happen that i spot such a guy only on a bad-hair-day??damn murphy!
anyway, neither could i muster enough courage to wave at him nor could i just let him glance at me in that kolam...
i trudged behind him,making myself as inconspicuous as possible...tough task actually,given my height.i didn't ve de heart to lose sight of him either...n hence i jus followed him, took a circuitous route to class...thanks to de melee, i'd lost a few calories more...
and finally entered my class...am still lamenting over de loss of that fine chance!!