India Trip - Week 1

So far:

LAX airport SUCKS. Ground transportation was bad. Check-in staff were very rude.

Will never fly Malaysian Airlines again. They didn't even give us a courtesy toothpaste and toothbrush. Looks like they don't care about Economy Class anymore.

KL Airport was good. Couldn't meet with Visithra.

Surprised to see a new Chennai Arrival area. Immigration was a breeze.

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Traffic in Chennai is really bad. A lot of construction. Hope it will get better in the coming years. A lot of the areas are still dirty (Esp. outside the city limits). Cows and dogs roam even the busy GST road ( forget the country roads).

Drivers don't care about the lines on the roads. They just drive wherever they can, causing jams.
--

Was very happy to meet with fellow bloggers Adengappa Prabhu, Prabhu Kartik, Srivatsan and Keerthi.

Weather is nice. Cooler but humid.

Power cut a hassle still in Perungalathur!

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Everyone talks about Real Estate ! But looks like things are cooling down a little.

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Went to our Grandparents' village ( we moved out several years ago). The name of the village is 'Kadambur' which is near Uttiramerur. The village is so beautiful. Population has gone down thanks to people moving towards city for greener pastures. Met my childhood friends and spent some happy moments together. Time has flown, but everyone of us looked back and shared those wonderful memories.

My Classmate - ViswaMohan,Mother,aunt

( Whatever I am today,I owe it to ViswaMohan)

Krishnamoorthy,me,Mani, Veeraraghavan (at our village)

Me,Prabhu,Keerthi,Vatsan,Prabhu Karthik

The Irula tribes near home

My Grandma, Mother, Preethi and my cousin's wife

My Grandma & Preethi

Kali Amman ( Kadambur)

Do we ignore our School teachers

A few years back, I met one of my High School teachers when I walked into my High School after several years ( 25 Years). I was overwhelmed with emotions when he apologized to me for his spankings.

In fact I am ashamed that I've never been to my Elementary School in the last 30 years.

Now, do we really give more importance to our College and College teachers compared to our Schools and School Teachers? Atleast in my case I felt so.

I've made up my mind to visit as many Elementary / Middle / High School teachers as I can, next month when I visit India.

Elementary School - Christ King Convent, Tambaram,India.

Middle, High School - Corley High School, Tambaram,
India.

I am not sure if they'll remember me, but I can't forget them.

Whatever I am today I owe it to my

SCHOOL TEACHERS

SOCIETY

An arranged marriage

Couple not happy

Parents try hard, give up

Ends in a bitter divorce
Society cries wolf

Man and a Woman fall in love, run away and get married.

Parents throw them out of their homes.

Society cries wolf

Woman and a woman do the same

Same reactions from home and society

COME ON - WE LIVE IN THE 21ST CENTURY AND BOAST ABOUT EVERYTHING.

TIME FOR THE SOCIETY (SIC) TO GET OUT OF OUR LIVES.

TIME FOR EVERYONE TO REALIZE THAT 10TH CENTURY WAS 11 CENTURIES AGO !

விடுதலை

வி

டு

த

லை

ஆண்டவா...!

பிறந்தோம்

தவழ்ந்தோம்

எழுந்தோம்

விழுந்தோம்

நடந்தோம்

வளர்ந்தோம்
படித்தோம்

மணந்தோம்

மகிழ்ந்தோம்

படைத்தோம்

வளர்த்தோம்

கொடுத்தோம்

உணர்ந்தோம்

வியந்தோம்

நொந்தோம் ( மனம்)

நினைத்தோம் ( போதுமென)

படுத்தோம்

மறித்தோம்

ஆண்டவா...என்னடா வாழ்க்கை இது!!

Music and I

The things that have happened to me during the last 2 years since I started to blog are just phenomenal.

For someone with very little dreams and absolutely no training in any form of music , I feel that it is a blessing from God that I could interact with such great people in the Music world as Pradip Somasundaram, Kallara Gopan, Anil, Chinmayi and the entire Blogswara team.

When I went to India last year I met with all the musical greats that I have mentioned above thanks to JO. Here are some photographs :

With Kallara Gopan, Anil, Murali Ramanathan at a restaurant in Trivandrum

With Pradip Somasundaram at Pradip's home, Trissur

With Kallara Gopan and Jo, Trivandrum

With Chinmayi at her home, Chennai

Here is a wonderful song by Kallara Gopan and Chithra

எட்டும் ஏழும்

8% ECONOMY

எட்டு திக்கிலும் நம் மக்கள்

'எப்பப்பா' என வியக்கும் உலகம்
எட்டாத உயரத்தில் இந்தியா!

இருந்தும்...

8 இல் செவ்வாய்

7 இல் சனி

இன்னும் ஒழியலையே?

KJ Yesudas, SPB, Chithra live in Hayward, California

Yesterday's concert by KJ Yesudas, SP Balasubramaniam, Chithra was a blast.

The concert was at Chabot College in Hayward California, an hour from where I live.

Though they started the concert late by an hour, it was a feast. This probably is the best concert that I've been to, in the last decade.

KJ Yesudas was wonderful ( He is 67 years old ), SPB was as amazing as ever and Chithra was superb.

I have to mention the other singer who accompanied them. Her name is Suchithra. She has an amazing voice and she sang really well. Like SPB said, she has a great future.

'Shyam Group' from Chennai did the orchestration and they were good.

The sound system was very nice and the crowd was fantastic ( Full House ).

List of Songs

Song	Singers
Paadariyen	CHI
Vovoru PookaLume	CHI
Maha Ganapathim	KJY
Amma enru azhaikkadha	KJY
Vizhiye kadhai ezhudhu	KJY
Poove Sempoove	KJY
Kanne Kalaimaane	KJY
Deivam Thandha Veedu	KJY
Thenral Vandhu Ennai	KJY CHI
Neepadhi Naanpaadhi	KJY CHI
KaraLin akkare ( Mal)	KJY
Kaatuk kuyilu	KJY SPB
Irandu Kaigal Naankaanaal	KJY SPB
Pramadha Vanam Vendum (Mal)	KJY
Kalyana Then nila	KJY CHI
Sangeetha Jadhi Mullai	SPB
Guruvayoorappa	SPB CHI
Anjali Anjali Pushpaanjali	SPB CHI
Sundari Kannaal Oru	SPB CHI
Kaadhalin Deepam Ondru	SPB CHI
Devuda Devuda	SPB
Ballelakkah	SPB
Chinna Mani kuyile	SPB
Aala pol Vela pol	SPB CHI
Vannam konda vennilave	SPB
Enn vuLLil engo	SUC

NOTE: PLEASE COUNT THE NON-ILAYARAJA SONGS IN THE LIST

NIKKOR 50MM 1.8 D - Great Lens

Nikon D50, F5.6, 1/125

Thanks to fellow blogger Prabu Karthik and some of my friends, I bought the Nikkor 50mm 1.8D lens from Amazon last week.

I am very pleased with the results. The photos are sharp and crisp.

For a price of around 100$, the lens is a great bargain.