Naukri.com Ad rocks...

There's a new ad on television for Naukri.com. It goes like this. There's this arrogant boss who troubles his employees' lives, finds fault with their work, hurls things at them. An employee (A)hands over some documents to him only to find himself at the receiving end of this boss's scoldings. There's another employee(B) who is taking some quick notes. This boss gets a call and looks like he had asked his secretary to connect to a restaurant where he wants to book a table for 2. When the restaurant manager asks for his name, the boss says "Hari Sadu". The restaurant manager does not get this and asks the boss for his name again. Now A offers to help and picks up the phone and spells the boss's name as follows:-

"H as in Hitler, A as in Arrogant, R as in Rascal and I as in Idiot..." The boss could not believe what he hears and he is about to say something when B suggests "S as in Shameless"...The ad goes...Guess who's heard from us...Naukri.com

Good one !

Periyar and Item Number

For Pete's sake why does a movie on Periyar need an item number? I dont know nor do care a damn about Periyar's life. That guy was a racist and a brahmin hater. All he did was talk ill about this sect and condemned the various customs and rituals. Anyways this post is not about him or his life...

One gets to read in papers that our kodai vallal CM M Karunanidhi has granted 95 lakhs towards the making of the movie.(Ask this self-proclaimed atheist to shelve out an equal amount on making a movie on Rajaji...he wont...)Ofcourse this is just a very negligible portion of his just started loot of the Government Treasury this term. They seem to have roped in Sathyaraj (haven't you got any other better actor???) and Ragasya (the lass who shook her leg in the song cheena thaana in Vasool Raja MBBS) for the movie. What has an item number got to do with a Periyar movie? I am sure this will be a kuththu song featuring Periyar oops Sathyaraj and Ragasya...

How I wish the song would be on the following lines...

"Tamil Nattai Kedudhadhu Periyaarum dhaane doi! Tamil makkalin otrummaiyai udaithadhu periyar dhaane doi!!"

(if you have heard or seen the cheena dhaana song, you would understand the above !)

Harry Potter - Hogwarts's Dining Hall...Where the inspiration came from?

I am sure there are millions of Harry Potter fans out there like me and each of those would have loved to have studied in a school like Hogwarts. I have been awestruck many times with the beautiful sets which Warnes Bros had made for the Harry Potter movies especially the one they made for Hogwarts School. Wow...Its a feast to the eye. Especially the bewitched ceiling and the dining room. How often have we been tempted to taste the delicacies placed on the long dining table once Dumbledore finishes his speech at the beginning of each term. I have wondered many times as to where the inspiration to the dining hall came from? Especially a long central table with flags of the 4 houses hung from both sides of the wall and hence adding beauty to the hall.

A couple of months back, Sarathy and I visited "The Hearst Castle" located at central california. It belongs to the Hearst family. Mr William Randolph Hearst, a publishing legend built it. The castle's splendour, architecture, the posh interiors, the castle's location (ovelooking the bay) was simply superb. The Neptune pool in the castle, one of the biggest and grandestpools I have ever seen simply rocks. One look at the dining hall and I knew where Harry Potter's dining hall inspiration came from. The guide confirmed my conjecture. He said that the art director of Harry Potter movies visited the hearst castle long time back and he is said to have designed the hogwarts hall based on the hearst castle dining room.

Look at the pics:


Tis how Hearst Castle looks...





This is Neptune Pool...




Another view of the Neptune Pool...



















A look at Hearst Castle's Dining Hall (Can you see the semblance to Hogwarts Hall?)Look at the long table, flags on the wall...











For those of you visiting CA this year or have plans in the near future, Hearst Castle is one of the places you should visit. Its located at San Simeon, CA (central CA). There's a website too to know the history, timings etc http://www.hearstcastle.com


Pictures Courtesty: Sarathy and Yours Truly :)

Orkut...

Orkut is so damn addictive...I seem to be spending hours with it of late...Its been really nice getting in touch with old friends, school friends, friends of friends etc, but you know once you get into it, it just goes on...Nonetheless I do enjoy! Its just that I dont want to get stuck with it all the time...Probably should check it once a week :)Lets see whether I can stick to this resolve...The last time I made a resolution was some 4 years back and the last time I stuck to a resolution was 8 years back :) Naan thirundhavey maatten :p

Babies everywhere...

It feels good to write my 100th post...wow...I was thinking that I should write something special to commemorate that. But I cant think of anything now...The impending assignment and schedule is taking most of my time and priority...Hmm...So I decided to write on something or someone I like the most :) Babies...

Its been an "baby everywhere" year so far. All my friends delivered babies beginning of the year until now. So every now and then I get cute baby snaps, especially snaps taken at their birth, with parents, grandparents etc. Its really nice to see those pics. It reminds me so much of my past when I used to play and pamper the babies in my neighbourhood. There used to one boy baby I was very much attached to during my college days. He was called "Shrivatsan". I had my own name for him. I used to call him "Arisimoottai" (ricebag). He was a cute chubby boy. At just 4 months he used to clap for his hands for the song "Katta katta naattu kattai..."(from the Vikram starrer Gemini). Boy, we were all surprised or shell shocked...:) Then there is this kid Appu (short for Apoorva) who lives in the same apartment complex as my parents. She is just too awesome...She is the heart and soul of people in the apartment complex. Very cute and bubbly kid. I should post these kid's pictures sometimes...



Of all created things, the loveliest and most divine are children. --William Canton

Zidane meets President Chirac...

I am innocent...koi toh maan jao...

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star...

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
U should Know What U R...
& Once U Know What U R...
Mental Hospital is not So Far !!!

Got this as a fwd!

I am Roger Federer II, I cant play with you...

Its been 2 months since we moved in to the new apartment. Lot of Indians around but not friendly ones. Well thats not exactly the subject of this write-up. Once when we were busy with our usual laundry chore, we met one of the Indian lot. Sarathy spoke to him introducing himself and I joined in. Since I make friends easily and I wanted to befriend some of the Indian lot in the neighbourhood, joined Sarathy in the conversation. The guy literally was on his heels and tried to run away and after much persuasion uttered his name or should I say mumbled? He was like "My name is cham"? We were like what? He went on again "Chame" faking an american accent which sucked big time and Sarathy was like "Sorry, we did not get ur name, Is it C H A M Y". He continued his mumbling "Chamee", "Palanichamy". Oh my god! Idhukku ivvalo build-upaa?

We got his number and gave him a call few days later and invited him home with his family to which he mumbled something as usual. Seri, ivanukku friends aaga ishtham illaiyonnu vittutum(Looks like this fellow does not want to be friends with us). All this happened a month back.

Sarathy and I wanted to play some outdoor sports. I am more of a badminton player having learnt it professionally in chennai and Sarathy likes to play basketball. We reached a consensus and decided to play Tennis as there were 2 nice tennis courts in our apartment complex. So we went ahead and bought rackets and handful of tennis balls and ventured out last monday evening. We were in the midst of a ralley when this Mokkachamy oops Palanichamy with his better-half made his entry. His wife walked towards me and introduced herself and while we were exchanging pleasantries, this guy went and stood in the middle of the court with hands on his hips a la (Balarama pose). This gal told me "Why dont we play doubles? You and your husband on one side and Me and my husband on the other!". I said "I have no problem. Lets play!". To everyone's surprise or shock, this guy made a BIG FUSS for 10 mins refusing to play and uttered "You are all beginners. I cant play with a beginner!" loudly.

Man...I got royally pissed off! What the hell does he think of himself? How can anyone say like that especially since we were already playing at the court. Whats funny is this guy has been playing just for the past 10 days.I dont know what his wife said to him, he yielded in. By then I asked Sarathy to ask him to leave and come back after 10-15 mins as we would be done playing by then. Sarathy told him the same profusely but he relented to his wife's decision...And we played for 15 - 30 mins. Hmm...Wonder what made me write this...but I then read Srini's account of his cricket match with some Infy guys at Newyork and crazy attitude of one of them when they were on the verge of losing.http://imsaiiyer.blogspot.com/2006/07/cricket-sandai.html

Dont know why such specimens are around. This bugger irked me so much. He was like "I am roger federer II". You are "no-one". Wonder whether this pain of a guy knew who Roger Federer or Marcos or Nadal were.

I guess that there's a bane or curse as far as tamilians socialising is concerned. We cant let anyone join our already formed group a la wolf-club but would mock or ridicule when fellow Gujjus, Mallus, Bongs, Gults co-exist in harmony or socialise.

Osama Bin laden and 23rd Pulikesi plot against George Bush!!!

Osama : ' America'va intha map-la irunthae alichidanum

Pulikesi: Antha poruppa enkitta vittudu...
Amaicharoda anchaavathu ponnu
'school bag'la irunth u thiruduna
rubber innum enkitta thaan irukku.

Osama : ...!!!

PS: Got this as a fwd!

Israel and India

Israel
POPULATION: 7 million (less than half of Mumbai)
SIZE: Less than that of Kerala
ACT OF VIOLENCE AGAINST IT: 2 soldiers kidnapped by Hezbolla, 1 by Hamas
RETALIATORY ACTION: war on Lebanon and Gaza

India
POPULATION: 1 billion+
SIZE: 6th largest in the world
ACT OF VIOLENCE AGAINST IT: 200+ dead in Mumbai blast, 8 in Kashmir
RETALIATORY ACTION: a speech by PM, clean chit for SIMI by UP CM

Long live Mahatma Gandhi

Got it as a forward!

What's the point of taking the picture?

Casting Asin or A sin? A Movie Star's Tantrums...

Actresses throwing tantrums is not something new. Right FROM demanding to and fro frequent business class flight tickets for mommy, daddy, sibling, relative, 2nd cousin, 3rd cousin, 4th cousin's friend, a seperate caravan which seems to be a luxury spot for mommy than the actress herself TO coming late to a function, we have seen it all...

I was very surprised to read in a news site that Asin who catapulted to fame with her histrionics in Ghajini, MKSM has become an integral part of the tantrum bandwagon. Her demands are just too many...Looks like she will act with actors of her generation and not with yesteryear actors. Hmm, this implies that she wont act with the likes of namma Gabtun'Vijayakanth', Coimbatore Lollu'Sathyaraj', SJ Surya's Annan in obscenity'Parthiban' etc. Hmm...this seems to be a good decision of hers for there's a good chance that she might die if she acts with Gabtun as that was the fate of his past actresses. Unfortunately she cant dance a kuththu song "Umma ummamma..." which showcased Sathyaraj who was at his foottapping best and at the same time managing not to let his wig fall down. Likewise she cant act with the likes of SJ Suryah or Parthiban for that movie would be called a PORNO movie by all and she would feel sick and puke the rest of the day for acting with either of them...So her decision seems to be wise.

But what seems perplexing is that she is ready to leverage this and is keen on acting with Superstar, Kamal etc...I hate to say this but Superstar has become very old and cant romance/dance/act. Ofcourse the director can use graphics. How about Kamal? Parthiban has once said that Kamal Haasan is an inspiration to him as far as movie making is concerned...If acting with SJ Suryah will lead to a ugly call from Censor Board which will brand the movie "Adult", then think about acting with Kamal Haasan who does not seem to be tired of the KISS or SMOOCH routine inspite of having it done for the past 2 decades...Uff...

Also A sin oops Asin wont act with newcomers it seems. I think Asin Madam has forgotten that couple of years back she was a newcomer too. Had the director and actor who cast her in her 1st movie thought like that, she would not be an actress today...Hmm...

I guess once these actresses get fame and fortune, simplicity, generosity, sense of obligation are bygone words...

So Asin madam, please dont do movies. Please continue acting in Ads right from Fairever, Mirinda, Spinz, Colgate, Parachute, etc, etc....to Harpic as these are not newcomers and you would be the Hero/Heroine/Clap boy and EVERYTHING!!!

Ad world or Mad world?

Thanks to Sun TV, I am catching up with the ads in apna desh...There's one which irritates me to the core - HP Turbo Jet in which a petrol refill guy sings "Mileageeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"...Uff, I turned almost deaf thanks to the loud vocals...There's another stupid one - 3 Roses, I guess where a kid asks her mom "Innum oru vaarathukku yaar en mela anbu seluthuvaanga". Trust a 4 year old to talk like this...This is the bloody problem/shit we need to put up with when ads in hindi are translated to tamil. Come on folks, aren't there good dialogue writers who can understand the gist of non-tamil ads and translate the words appropriately?

There's a new reliance ad in which they show a guy giving missed calls to people incase he wants to speak to them and waits for the person to call him up. Hmm...good ad. It reminded me of a guy in Bangalore who used to do that. He used to give missed calls to our cellphone and we used to call him up. When teased about how stingy he was, he used to give us a crap that his Hutch Cellphone Connection feature is like that and it is prepaid for a year etc. When checked with Hutch, there was nothing like that...This guy is rich enough to afford calling up...I guess he wanted to continue being rich...I wish this guy sees this Ad and goes in for Reliance...Atleast it will save his friends money...

Back to back movies...

Hmm...Wanted to watch Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest over the weekend but did not get any tickets...So treated myself with 2 super movies..."The Devil Wears Prada" and "Superman Returns". Meryll Streep rocks in TDWP...Anne Hathaway was too good...I had seen her princess diaries and she puts up a good show in this movie too...

Superman Returns was awesome...Brandon Routh looks so so good...

Hmm...lets hope that I get to watch Pirates atleast next weekend...YO HO!!!

Yo ho a pirate's film for the weekend...

Religion...

I feel...

Religion is a way to god
it is not a way of life...

Do you agree?

Wow...aren't they so cute???

Tinky Winky, Po, Dipsy and Laa...

First Indian to land on the moon...

Whom should I mourn for?

Should I mourn for Andre Agassi, my dream idol for the past 15 years losing to Rafael Nadal in Wimbledon,

Or

Should I mourn for Spain and England who lost in the FIFA world cup?

I guess I got to pull myself and keep my hopes pinned on Federer to win the Wimbledon. As for the FIFA worldcup goes, now that my favourites r ousted, I care a damn for the Winner...