Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.

- Mother Teresa

A very pleasant song, has that surrealistic / neo-romantic feel about it.

Pretty neat :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTYiEkQYhWY

कुछ ऊँचे रिश्तों की खातिर
कुछ ज्यादा खुशियों की खातिर
कुछ ज्यादा पैसों की खातिर
कुछ हंसते लम्हों की खातिर,

मैं छोड़ चला था दुनिया को,
मैं छोड़ चला था उस आँचल को,
और घर के प्यारे आँगन को,
और बहन की हंसती आँखों को,
राखी से सजी उस थाली को,
और छोडा अपने यारों को,
गम में तडपते प्यारों को,
मुड के भी ना मैने देखा था,
दर्द भरी उन आँखों को,

जिस दुनिया को मैने पाया,
वो दुनिया नहीं एक धोखा था,
एक गरम हवा का छोंका था,
आया और आ कर चला गया,
फिर भी पैसा खूब कमाया,
और कुछ सम्मान भी पाया,
पर सच नहीं वो धोखा था,
जब आज जोड़ने मैं बैठा
देखा कुछ तो न पाया था,

जिस राखी को मैने तोडा,
जिस आँचल को मैने छोडा,
naa मिलेंगे वो राखी, आँचल,
मैं छोडूँ चाहे दुनिया को,
सब छोड़ चला था मैं जैसे,
उसमे तो कुछ तो मुझे दे दो,
मुझको तो "आप" से 'तुम' कर दो,
मैं छोड़ चला था दुनिया को,

'मुझको मेरी दुनिया दे दो'

-शांडिल्य

Thanks Shandily :)

Will provide a translation shortly.

Woke up very early today, and was going through a walk down the memory lane … came across this song sent to me by an old friend … such a beautiful song, great lyrics, nice choreography, smoothing music and rain yea rain! …  Whenever I see rain I remember the home days when me and bro used to pay no heed to mom’s warnings and get going out for enjoying the rain, really worth the cold and fever that follows for the next few days

miss you!

Parijatham – Unnai Kandena

By the way, an update to my Downloading YouTube videos as mp4 post, there is an easier way to do this. For any YouTube video that you would like to download just add “kick” to the YouTube.com part of the url, for example the above video is located at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Iz5_Xgw35A and so you can download this video by going to url http://kickyoutube.com/watch?v=4Iz5_Xgw35A and from the top after selecting your needed file format press “GO”.

Have a nice weekend :)

Every sentence is a gem…

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

It was long over due recognition :)

Best Original Song: A.R.Rahman for Jai…Ho

Best Original Score: A.R.Rahman

எல்லா புகழும் இறைவனுக்கே! (All the praises / credits to God)

Been long since the last post, had been busy but also was not in the mood for blogging. It seems all bloggers get into this phase once in a while, something like a writers block. Anyways, let get the post started

Below are few of interesting stuff that I came across recently:

No 'one villa, one family' rule in Dubai

There is no "one villa, one family" rule in Dubai and the campaign against overcrowded villas has been misunderstood, a top civil official said on Sunday.

"The municipality has started a campaign against overcrowding in villas to ensure the safety and security of residents," clarified Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director General of the Dubai Municipality.

He said the campaign was targeted against high numbers of people living in villas meant for smaller numbers

Abu Dhabi to Debut Personal Rapid Transit “Podcars” Later This Year

The designers of Masdar City, Abu Dhabi's new post-petroleum city, are not bound by the usual set of rules and constraints. Money is not really an issue, and the political leadership is always willing to try out innovative ideas that the rest of the world regards as unproven, unorthodox or just plain fantasy.

One of them is PRT, personal rapid transit, a system of transportation featuring compact, driver-less “podcars.” In Masdar, where the streets will be entirely free of automobiles, a network of these compact electric taxis will provide clean and quiet transportation to the city’s residents, as well as commuters. The first PRT cars are set to begin running later this year. Admittedly intrigued, TreeHugger sat down with one of the system's designers recently at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi to hear more about the project.

Go Abu Dhabi Go!!

UAE (Dubai?) had denied visa for entry for Israeli player Shahar Peer for the Women’s Tennis Championship that's about to start in Dubai, because of this Wallstreet Journal Europe had revoked its sponsorship for the game and Tennis Channel had opted out of broadcasting the event, after that everybody was eagerly awaiting if Andy Ram would get his visa. It happens that he has been allowed entry.

News Items From: The UAE Community Blog

One of the thought provoking gems from Seth’s recent blog post:

Having goals is a pain in the neck.

If you don't have a goal (a corporate goal, a market share goal, a personal career goal, an athletic goal...) then you can just do your best. You can take what comes. You can reprioritize on a regular basis. If you don't have a goal, you never have to worry about missing it. If you don't have a goal you don't need nearly as many excuses, either.

Not having a goal lets you make a ruckus, or have more fun, or spend time doing what matters right now, which is, after all, the moment in which you are living.

The thing about goals is that living without them is a lot more fun, in the short run.

It seems to me, though, that the people who get things done, who lead, who grow and who make an impact... those people have goals.

The formula for happiness is to find the right balance between the two perspectives :)

Happy Weekend Everybody!

There are things in life that makes you feel warm and cozy; like the memories of your childhood, feeling you get when with mom, hugs from friends, photographs from way past, time you spend learning stuff from dad and so on. You tend to experience joy and sorrow randomly and you deal with them according to the current situation, there simply is no “Happily ever after” in real life. Its hard to make others experience your feelings the same way you have gone through them, maybe the best anybody can do is relate to similar incidents and try to relate.

Very few films comes closer to getting you relate to similar feelings as the characters have gone through. We love those films and that’s makes them special, without considering the fact that if they are a hit or miss in the box office.

My interest in Gautham Menon’s other movies were quite mixed, though I liked Minnale and loved Kaaka Kaaka, I totally hated Vettaiyadu Villaiyadu. Then after I came across the news that Vaarnam Aayiram was inspired by Forest Gump, which is one of my favorite movies of all times, I was more skeptical about the whole thing. As such if anything my recent experience has thought, that is to not expect anything from anywhere . But I wanted to watch the movie very badly for 2 reasons, firstly the effort put in by Surya in shaping up for the film; Its quite an inspiration to have such dedicated visual professionals and to know the work they put in for getting up in their respective fields. secondly, Music! yes! It’s been quite a long time that I have repeatedly heard the same songs again and again after Roja, Pink Floyd’s - Coming back to life, and few other favorites close to the heart. And this time Harris Jayaraj has hit the right spot and has done a fantastic job.

It is really painful to know that this movie would be the last one made in the partnership of Harris Jayaraj and Gautham Menon. Common guys! You should think over it again.

Vaarnam Aayiram, has two possible meanings in Tamil. First, if literally translated would mean 1000 elephants. Secondly, it may also refer to one of the 143 verses of Nachiar Tirumozhi. In her restlessness and eagerness to join with Kannan, Sri Andal attempts various methods by which she can attain union with Kannan which forms the major part of Nachiyar Thirumozhi. Among the Thirumozhis, Vaaranamaiyiram is very well known and has a special significance. It details Andal's Narration of her dream of being married with kannan to her thozhi's(friends). I for sure don’t know which of this two meanings is implied for the movie, though the second meaning maybe more apt as it depicts “what we see at display is the intensity with which this effort should be undertaken, and the impatience that the jIva should feel in achieving this objective at all costs, until the objective is realized”.

The movie on a general level deals with the life of Surya, and about how various persons in his life including his parents, friends and all play a vital role in in various stages of his life. Maybe this is the part that others refer to as “inspiration” from Forest Gump, but for me that doesn’t make a sound argument. I liked the pace the movie has selected, I for one think that it very well suits the atmosphere the movie is trying to create. The speed actually allows you to go through the characters thought process, perspective and emerge out attached to their feelings which makes relating to them a lot easier. But at the same time the second half of the movies tempo could have been hiked a bit. Surya does a wonderful job of portraying the character of Father and Son in his various stages of life. Sameera Reddy as usual is very beautiful and has done a toned down role which suits her character a lot. Simran was smart and talented, I for sure thought that the make-up didn't suit her for the old aged role, and also her voice was too young for a character she was portraying, other than that she was very comfy and doing great. Divya was fantastic, though not much of a screen presence, she was pleasant.

The visuals were really great, if I could meet Rathnavelu personally I would sure thank him for the wonderful treat! He is the man handling Rajinikanth’s Endiran, and I am very pleased to know that news. Kudos sir!

No need to talk about the music, I am in love with the music. One of the inspirations to continue the Guitar classes, I can easily say that this years best music is from this movie. The lyrics were really done very well. I loved Nenjukul Paithidum song mainly for the lyrics

All said, I liked the way the movie was handled. Gautham has done a nice job and I had a wonderful evening with friends watching and sharing the movie. Would I recommend the movie to others? Sure, I guess if not for anything you should see the movie for the music and cinematography.It sure is a winning movie for the whole team. Worth the time spent.

As Arun would like to repeat:

Whatever happens, Life always goes on!

Cheers everyone!

Quite an interesting video

I was quite surprised to come across the movie Jungle Book, it's been at least 19 years since I saw the adventure of Mowgli reaching the man village and the effort it took Bagheera and Baloo (or the lack of :) ) to get him over there. I felt so nostalgic about the whole thing, it immediately brought back the days of my school life; the weekends when a VCR was a great way to spend time as the only channel we used to get on TV was DD (I guess they changed to regional broadcast after a specific time in the evening).

All said and done, watching the movie after a long time helped me to view it in a totally new perspective. Sure, I have adored the movie when I was small and have seen it umpteen number of times, but I was able to see the intricacies that was put into the movie only when I saw the movie this time. The way the story was developed, the character development and the music, ah the music :) it was such a pleasant one to hear. Especially the "Bare Necessities" song, which I give it to you for your listening pleasure:

Anyway's I think it was a wonderful experience watching this movie again, like meeting a good old friend again and going through the good old times :)

Cheers!

It's been more than 5 years since I got my first pay check, I just took the time to think though the experience I have gone through, the people I have met and the totally unexpected twists that have popped in my life over this past years. To the most part it has been very useful and interesting journey, if not anything just for the amount of knowledge that has been acquired is still worth it. I guess I am contempt and thankful in the way I had chosen and what the life has offered.

But, walking through the old memory lane and revisiting all the question that I had before 5 years, I think I have a very definitive answer for one question:

What will make me continue in a company of my work? Is it the company name / package / location or job title?

I thought I would get an answer for that within maybe 1 or 2 years, but I guess as usual my schedule estimate was bit off :). Well, about the question; in my personal opinion it is neither the company name or package or location or even the job title, but it the one person who represent the company to you. It maybe your immediate supervisor / manager, your department head, or technical advisor or the CEO. The only difference it makes to me if I continue in a company is determined by if I have a person who represents my company to me in a admirable way.

Tell me about your criteria to continue in a company?

I came across this poem somewhere online and it was quite clean and simple in its message. I liked it and so posting it for future reference:

"There Is No Indispensable Man"
by Saxon N. White Kessinger, Copyright 1959

Sometime when you're feeling important;
Sometime when your ego's in bloom
Sometime when you take it for granted
You're the best qualified in the room,

Sometime when you feel that your going
Would leave an unfillable hole,
Just follow these simple instructions
And see how they humble your soul;

Take a bucket and fill it with water,
Put your hand in it up to the wrist,
Pull it out and the hole that's remaining
Is a measure of how you will be missed.

You can splash all you wish when you enter,
You may stir up the water galore,
But stop and you'll find that in no time
It looks quite the same as before.

The moral of this quaint example
Is do just the best that you can,
Be proud of yourself but remember,
There's no indispensable man.

Stars above, cannot see any, cos of the street lights
Traffic still alive, couldn't resist the wandering mind
So many thoughts, creeping without stopping
Lying there staring at the ceiling and hoping
In another few minutes I will be asleep

Pretty nice day, said the optimist
It was also crap, argued the pessimist
I was wondering how it could have been changed
Maybe on average, it was better together
In another few minutes I will be asleep

Far far away I think of the blood lines
Hopefully all are sleeping calm and fine
It would be nice to make a trip
Even if short, worthy thought to dip
In another few minutes I will be asleep

The hotter it gets when fully covered
The colder it gets, doing the opposite
Don't think about them, said the mind
Just close the eyes, stop thinking tomorrows grind
In another few minutes I will be asleep

Lonely and cruel, how else to put
Home sick and heart ache as part of the gift
Should really stop thinking
About all the stuff that's blinking
In another few minutes I will be asleep

dedicated to fellow souls away from home - Vijay