RUMBUM - Is it English?

Please correct me if I am wrong. Is RUMBUM an English word? Aren't there better words to express this in a sentence?

I can't believe what I read in THE HINDU these days.

I wrote a few days back about the mistakes in a report. A lot of you commented on how THE HINDU used to be the benchmark for English those days. I have a feeling that those days are gone !

This is what I read today:

The burglars climbed atop the famous temple and gained entry into the first corridor after cutting open a ventilator with `rumbum' and axes. The intruders, with the help of a rope, scaled down to the second corridor where the main hundi is kept opposite the sanctum sanctorum.

Today !

It's been a while since I experienced this. The last month or so has been interesting indeed.

These is what I hear around me these days:

----------------------------

Its like, the code like will fail if the user like enters a bad name like !

He said 'ki' it's like good!

Most sentences become a question with the word 'right' as suffix.
Example - He said it , right?

Another way it to add a 'No'.
Example - I said, NO? I gave it to you NO?

How about substituting 'NAH' ( Hindi ) for a NO !

And to top it all the 'YAARS' inbetween!

000()000

Weight Loss secrets

Photo courtesy: Vikatan

**

அது எப்புடீங்க..!

நடிக நடிகையர் மட்டும் டப்பு டிப்புன்னு இளைச்சுடுறாங்க?

**
நம்மளால் முக்கினால் கூட முடியவில்லையே !

Proof Readers wanted at 'THE HINDU'

This is great news no doubt. Drinking water at 6 paise per liter ! This is the best solution for a water starved Chennai.

I wish they built more such desalination plants all around the coastline of India, wherever there is a shortage of water.

Now to the story in 'THE HINDU', a reputed newspaper from my hometown Chennai that I read everyday. I was shocked at the mistakes ( spelling, grammar, punctuation) in this article.

Here is a sample:

• For instance, the level of total dissolved solid, which was a major parametre, was found to be less than 10 parts per million (ppm), as against the international standard of 500 ppm. ( spelling )

• Describing it as a global first, he said though the system was based on the well known principle of flash evaporation, ( Punctuation !)

• While this was advantageous while taking it to the barge, the issue ( How many whiles? )

• It was expected that the price of the fresh water could get halved to three paise a litre. ( Grammar)

COULD THIS BE THE REASON !

Divya, JO & Munbe Vaa

Divya, Jo and Me

Breakfast with Jo and Divya

Dec-2006, Trissur, India

I got an opportunity to meet Jo and Divya Menon during my trip to India in Dec-2006.

I can't forget the wonderful breakfast at their homes. Typical Kerala style breakfast with 'Aappam','Kadalai','Idli','Nendram pazham', 'Dosa','Chutneys' and 'Tea'.

I've known Jo the last few years and am always mesmerized by his voice and singing style. Divya became a friend after her wonderful song 'Ente Manassilum' in Blogswara-II.

When I went to Divya's home I requested her to sing a song. She sang a couple of songs and I thought "This girl will become a great playback singer one day".

I've always felt the same about JO.

During the last few days Divya has been posting some wonderful songs but today, I was stunned by 'Munbe Vaa' - duet with JO. Both of them have sung that song so nicely! Great Vishu treat indeed.

Please listen and let them know your thoughts.

PS - One of my ambitions is to write and compose a Tamil song and have JO and Divya sing it. God willing, that will happen in 2007.

இனிய புத்தாண்டு நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள்

இதோ கண் சிமிட்டும் நேரத்தில் -

இன்னும் ஒரு வருடம் ஒடிவிட்டது!

மொத்தத்தில் சுகமான வருடம் தான்!

நன்றி இறைவா!

--**--

சென்ற வருட சந்தோஷங்கள்:

இந்தியா சென்றது

தாய் தந்தை பாட்டியுடன் 3 வாரம் இருந்தது

உறவினர்களை சந்தித்தது

அன்பு நண்பர்களை சந்தித்தது, அளவளாவியது

மலேசியா KL விமான நிலையத்திலிருந்து - விசித்ராவிடம் தொலைபேசியில் பேசியது!

BLOGGER நண்பர்களை சந்தித்து பேசி மகிழ்ந்தது:

பிரபு கார்த்திக் அவரது தாயார், கீர்த்தி, ஸ்ரீவத்சன், மோனு, தென்னவன் மற்றும் அவரது தாய் தந்தை, ராம் விஸ்வநாதன்,

DON

கேரளா சென்று 4 நாள் தங்கி,

BLOGSWARA நண்பர்களை சந்தித்தது:

JO, ANIL, PRADIP, MURALI, KALLARA GOPAN, DIVYA, ACHINTHYA

பிரபல பிண்ணணி பாடகி சின்மயி இல்லம் சென்று அவரை மற்றும் அவரது தாயாரை சந்தித்தது!

===
இந்த வருடமும் சுகமாக இருக்க இறைவனை வேண்டுகிறேன்!

அனைவருக்கும் எனது

'இனிய புத்தாண்டு நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள்'

Sungai - Cutie

(Photo Courtesy: SF Gate)
**

I am planning to go to San Francisco Zoo this weekend to see this cutie.

Sungai is only 7 months old, but she's already had enough rejection to qualify for a lifetime of therapy. Born in Albuquerque, she was instantly cast aside by her mother. Sent to Houston, she fared no better. Now she's in San Francisco, clinging to three foster parents who tend to her needs 24 hours a day.

You too Mr. Vidyasagar?

I was listening to some Malayalam songs today when I stumbled upon this interlude. Rang a bell..sounded exactly like the interlude in the 'Konja Neram' song from the Tamil film Chandramukhi!

I know that Mr.Vidyasagar was the Music Director for the Tamil film. I have a feeling it must be Mr.Vidyasagar in Malayalam too.

My question...Why did Vidyasagar use the same interlude? I thought that the Chandramukhi song was a totally new/fresh song !

Here are the interludes:

From the Malayalam song ( Don't know the Movie Name)

From the Tamil film Chandramukhi ( Konja Neram - Asha Bhonsle, Madhu Balakrishnan)

Mr. Narayana Murthy for President - No - No - No

The President of India ! The title might look very big on paper...but the truth is...( IMHO ) The President is a dummy in the Indian Government.

A few months back I saw this shameful act on TV. Several prominent politicians were caught napping when President Dr. Abdul Kalam was speaking.

I read this today and also heard the same on NDTV this morning. Dr. Kalam welcomed the idea of Narayana Murthy becoming the next President.

If you think about this for a second you'll notice why the politicians will love this idea.

Mr. Murthy has been very vocal about corruption and bad politics. He is one of the top people in the powerful IT sector which is the bread and butter of the Indian Economy.

Now, by making him the President it is easy to shut his mouth. Sounds like a great idea..doesn't it?

And that's the precise reason why I do not want Mr.Murthy to be the President of India. I'll be happy if somehow ( will never happen ) the top brass of Indian thinktanks come to power and Mr. Narayana Murthy becomes the Prime Minister.

I know I am dreaming here. But I hope and pray for that to happen !

Photo courtesy: The Web

My team for 2011 World Cup

Considering the ages of Indian cricketers who still like to play inspite of their pathetic form, age and related fitness issues, why not choose a super eleven (super senior) for the 2011 world cup? Here is my Super Senior Eleven:

1. Sachin Tendulkar (Captain)
2. Kris Srikkanth
3. Sunil Gavaskar
4. Gundappa Viswanath
5. Sandeep Patil
6. Syed Kirmani (WK)
   
7. Venkatraghavan S
8. Chandrasekhar BS
9. Prasanna EAS
10. Kapil Dev
11. Karsan Ghavri

PS - Sachin fans, I know you'll yell at me if I leave him out. So, I've named him the captain of my team.

Balaji's free hugs in Chennai

Please don't miss Balaji's Free Hugs !
Very Interesting indeed

The Sachin and Team India - BS

Mr.Sachin, please tell us on behalf of all those players whom you are leading:

• What were you guys doing all these days ?
• How come there is so much of talk just now after losing badly to Bangladesh?
• How many of you came out of your closet and attacked Chappel when Ganguly was sacked ?
• How many of you came out to support VVS Laxman when he was axed for not being agile in the field ?
• How come Sehwag and you got so many chances to play (inpite of your pathetic form and just with your old glories! ) when poor VVS always lost out? Did you atleast think about it.

Don't play all these stupid mind games. Shame on you and all those stupid cricketers behind you.

My honest opinion - All you jokers please retire. Indian Cricket will improve.

It's better we lose a few World cups / Test series / One day series going with younger squads, than losing with these so called Seniors who are totally unfit to play International cricket.

After all, how long can Piyush Chawla or Badrinath wait on the lines and still be young.

"Tell me, the world has gone on talking about all this (our defeat and exit) but has anybody spared a thought for us? Did they try to find out what we have been going through?" a shaken Sachin Tendulkar wondered in an interview with the Times of India.

கெழப் பசங்களா!

டேய் கெழப் பசங்களா!

கேவலமா விளையாடி பங்களாதேஷ் இடம்
தோத்து விட்டு !

இப்போ செருப்படிக்கு பயந்து தப்பிக்க வழி தேடி!

கோச்சை..கேவலமா பேசரீங்களே!

உங்களுக்கெல்லாம்..திமிரு ரொம்ப அதிகம் தான்!

San Francisco bans plastic bags

Photo courtesy : The New York Times

San Francisco and it's neighborhoods take the lead in passing interesting laws and resolutions. The latest one that was passed on March-27-2007 bans plastic grocery bags. I welcome it and hope that the other states / countries will also pass similar laws.

One a lighter side, I was reading about the researchers and wellwishers who are trying to save the eggs of a falcon pair.

I was thrilled to see the webcam videos of George and Gracie the Mom/Dad falcons!

But, this is the most alarming news that I read this week. It's about the e-waste and its alarming growth in India.

"We're sitting on an e-waste time bomb," said Shetty Sreenath, who built Asia's first eco-friendly e-waste disposal facility in 1995 in Bangalore, a southern city known as India's Silicon Valley.