Yahoo...Holland in S/F of Euro..Really god news for me...i've always liked their soccer and they were under-achievers of some sort for sure, though not as much as Spain..
Looks like Czech republic is playing with a vengeance..Lets c..it has to be either Holland or Czech Rep. i guess..Very sad tht am not able to watch any of the matches..Newsya, hv got DVD's of matches from a friend..Esp waitingf to watvh Sweden-Denmark match..Lets c if the fairness of the game was really lost, as the Azzuris so proclaim.!
Among other things, swam for a long time y'day..around 1.5 hrs..Got really drousy..Swimming is seriously refreshing .esp'ly underwater..
Got a DVD of superstar's movies..Mannan, Rajathi Raja and Uzhaipali. Superstar was my favorite at 1 point of time but then switched to Kamal after Heyram i think..

This interview was nice...
Kamal never, never ceases to be refreshing in whatever he does..Read the first part also using the link in it..The confidence that he exudes is wrongly interpreted as arrogance by many .. When a man has stuff, he can afford to have tht brash confidence..Whereas i would get pissed if Shahrukh or any other actor were to sound in the same way...Kamal is eons ahead of all these ppl seriously..I remember once an interview in which kamal's asked " Do u think, with ur versatility and talent, u'd have been better off born in USA and working in hollywood" ..To whcih pat comes the reply "Why do u always consider Hollywood to be the reference".. Whcih more than sums up whtever can bve answered for tht question..And in another, he's asked abt the fact that politician Krishnaswamy(who caused problems with sandiyar a.k.a Virumaandi) and tht he'd told tht kamal's movie idea was pathetic, Kamal subtly and aptly replied -"Krishnaswamy knows as much about movies as I know about Politics"..Gosh..Can a reply get better than that..

Anbe Sivam,
Ravi

Y'day was horrible w.r.t transportation..Utterly forgettable..Missed my regular morning bus..i mean, the drivers here look for certain movement in the passsengers at stops if they r to stop..Otherwise, if they dont see any passengers moving or making an attempt to move to board the bus even as it is only approaching the stop, they simply Dont stop..As simple as that! Tuf luck for me..i wanted to act like one of those cool dudes out there who stays calm until the bus stops and then moves only when the door opens..Atleast thts what i used to do back in Tennessee..Y'day was different though..also dint hv any of those normal passengers who board the bus with me, strangely !Normally, they move abt as the bus is approaching...Anyways, got 3 connecting buses and reached office at 10, 2.5 hrs of bus travel...Could've travelled from Knoxville to Nashville in that time!
Again in teh evening, missed the bus..got caught in some conversation with boss here and time was flying..Boss dropped me though, some 40 miles..nice of him..nice boss..

Seri vidu joot..
ex-Mandaveli Kabali

Saw Perazhagan y'day...Nice movie..Surya was again amazing which we've come 2 expect of him nowadays i guess..
Then, saw Batcha today "Ulaga tholaikatchigalil pathaavadhu muraiyaaga Sun TV yil "paarthen.. Superstar was super.
Okay, cya then..
Ravi

Was in Hibernation... Too much stress, too much work, hence no time...wish i could say all this ..Just that I lost my appetite a bit and wanted to reload and reboot this blog afresh!
Quite a bit happened..My pop had come down and we'd been to the city of Sin 'Vegas' ..T'was fun..could've been real fun with friends. Pop was here in LA for just 2 days..made me a bit homesick for sure..Vegas was breathtaking..esp the strip..gosh..hv never seen so many lights and so many shows..Andre Agassi the showman of tennis..hez from Vegas..! Each hotel there has its own conceptual stuff..we were in Sahara while there was Mirage(which I liked most), then there was Treasure IsLAND, Riviera et al...Just too many to pen..
Gambled and gambled zealously, sincerely thinking i was not going to b a loser unlike others..was too good to b true whne i made a quick buck eventually squandering everything n more..In the heat of the moment, even the most conservative person would think twice abt not letting his money go(after hes made some)
Had been to Ayudha Ezuthu when it was released in LA..I liked the movie though it was anythign but Manirathnam style movie..More like a Shankar movie..and i like shankar's movie a lot..hence, this appealed to me..esp Surya i think was awesome..he must b having a cult folowing with the new generation of youngsters i gez as he realy looks realistic and likeable..Maddy was bad..twas not a great sight , he dint know how to speak in chaste Kuppam tamizh..some1 else would've done better, maybe even ajith!! Maddy is a real god actor thouhg( as was seen amply in Anbe Sivam) but he needs rite roles.I 've started liking sidarth and also liked trisha...she did well, i thot..overall a movie i enjoyed and even made me think what am doing here in US when i could've done so mcuh in india..(ofcourse, all that a Rushof Blood when watching)..Surya rejects a scholarship in a US univ .. Only surya in the current crop could underplay in such scenes i think.others would've dramatized the whole stuff.
Then, among otehr things, Lakers let me down suddenly..Hv become so used to last minte and even last second miracles tht many ppl incl me thot the series would come to LA for game 6..Very poor play by Kobe..hes the guy i used to like most but his play stunk..I felt really really sorry for Shaq , atleast who made an effort in game 4 with 30+ pt and 20 rebounds..Kobe,Shaq and derek fisher r critical to Lakers..they r the ppl who really matter now..I dont wanna see the day when Deavan george is hte lakers #1 player..mite happen soon..here,anythign can happen..
Internship going on anything but ok wht with my programming skills(or the lack of it) tested to the limit..Lets c.Seriusly htinking of getting alaptop..I dunno y i think i'll b better off with one..Lets c.
Theres 1 good blog http://instapundit.com ..real nice 1 by Glenn Reynolds, a prof at UTK.
Untl later
Adios Amigos.
Ravi aka Calif dude

LA's just too much and too big ..i always thot madras was too big until i saw bombay .. and now LA..Hv not got lost until now..hope i dont..! o, am suddenly reminded of morpheus' words "I do not believe its a matter of hope, general; It simply is a matter of time"..Maybe relevant context for my situation!
Had just 20 hrs sleep this whole week..! Not tht am working too hard, in fact i return home at 5:30 in the evening..the problem is tht i get up at around 4 in the morning everyday..and b'coz theres all this sun tv and stuff here, i sleep late! Watched some megaserial..as usual, funny!some kolangal i think..
Rooting for lakers took some time away this week..As usual Kobe, the entertainer,my fav was in full flow in 3r qtr..I dunno if my analogy is right but i find somehting similar b/w Kobe and Lara..Both r genius' and at times they seem uninterested in what they r doing..But both of them entertain like none other in their sport..Hack-a-Shaq was not a complete failure but has not been good enuf to win a game..lets c..
Other things, internship going on ok..not bad..boss' russian; looks like tht typical brilliant russian guy..Paavam, inime avar pozhappu kashtam dhaan! Daily 6:15 am to 3:30 at office..Never used to sleep anywhere less than 9 solid hrs in Knoxville and now this !
But anyways, thoongi thoongi idhu varaikum onnum kazhatala..Idhu epdi irukku nu paarpom..!
Hv to watch ayudha ezhuthu some time here in the theaters..atleast for maddy and surya.!
Was reading Anandha Vikatan after long time..saw tht Chimbus next heroine is ...any wild guess...boy, this' wilder than u think..Mandira bedi..! Bayangaramaana jodi dhaan..!
Summer special tamil movies la koothu kaathurukku nanikaren!
Varta

The last 1 week has been exacting actually..Spent long hours on the microscope and the lab in general..Thot of wrapping up all academic work by thursday..Alas! I dint save my microscopy images !! I almost went mad..Then, decided tht enuf was enuf and thot of doing something constructive and suddenly thot of getting the driver license friday morning first thing..On hari's insistence, i got a seniors car to practice (tho i thot i was good enuf to get pass the exam w/o any practise)...How wrong i was!!! My thursday nite practise was horrible, to say the least..The worst part was a cop caught me for speeding!! Only after he saw tht i had only a learner's only and was practising to get a proper one, did he advise me and let me go...I was real tense...Braked when i had to accelerate..over-braked when i had to brake..Did both extremes..Tht senior friend Kalyan deserves some kinda Peace prize for putting up with my practice and sitting thru all of it..I went to bed tht nite almost sure i was going to screw it up..Next morning, kalyan took me to the exam center and told me to practice..Again, was driving pretty rash, sudden brakes et al..A li'l better than previous nite but still pretty difficult to pass was a foregone conclusion..Enter the d-time...i dunno what got over me, atleast for most of the first half, i was driving real smooth..I'd never driven like tht b4 and am not sure if i'd drive like tht hereafter..Then got a little carried away and screwed up the 2nd part a li'l bit but yeah finally, GOT THE LICENSE ! Then, went to college, met my prof and was discussing a few things abt my internship plans..A few courtesy calls and after tht, headed home..Hari made some good sambar, was pretty hungry..downed the sambar rice with tea!!! Then, spending time with hari a bit as another 3 more months without him hereafter..My internship in LA is for 3 months until mid-aug..
Reached LA today..as always, the city is alive and kicking..nothing like madras though!
Hv to get some arrangement for vanpool fixed up soon as i need to get started form monday onwards for this summer internship..Boy, lots of work 2 do..Feel like sleeping..Jetlag! - 3 timezones maan -- from Charlotte to LA is no easy task..!!Will catch up soon..Until then, zzzzzzzzzzzz

This is as stupid as an article can get..Writing with no inside information...more informed articles appear in the Mylapore Times..!

Manmohan as PM would be a good thing..But then, the choice of FM is now tricky..Pranab Mukherjee vs P.Chidambaram vs J.Ramesh, the last considering that he can get an RS seat....Whoever it is, they should be well-guided as Dr.Singh is the PM ..

Other things, India-Pak cricket teams awarded best teams for promoting goodwill was real good news..Schumi again world sportsman of the year..I mite stop watching F-1 is he's going to continue like this..Its boring..Better to watch golf !!

I think Sonia, apart form all tht sacrifice stuff written all over, thinks she doesnt have it in her what it demands to b PM! She has not proven her intellect as yet but has revived the party thru her stature and her emotional intellect only.Atleast, thts wat i think..

Guess the future should be interesting....

Guess i've given my bloggie too well-deserved a rest!
Time's just flying (as if its not obvious!)..I would be leaving for LA in a week and b4 that, I need to work a lot for a conference presentation - My prof is suddenly evincing gr8 interest in me sending abstracts and preparing posters, just when my summer hols have begun ! Hmm..Cant complain abt that..If it gets selected, should be gr8..
I think the Lakers can make their die-hard fans a hearT patient..I almost switched off the TV when Duncan slotted tht 2-pointer in the dying seconds..Out came Derek Fisher with that miracle..It was incredible - the support for Fisher in the next Lakers home game..PPl's tishirt read "Fish for Pres" Heehee...I think they now have a good chance of winning the title..I wud want them to meet Kings next..
Amma washed out in TN...!!But gez this was a blessing in disguise for her..I think she'll get her act pretty soon in order to win the Assembly elections..Felt bad for Rajni as none of his influence really worked..Gez he would not enter politics for quite sometime hereafter..
Have to get driving license sometime this week..Pretty important..Cant delay any more..Got the learners..

Varta

Ctrl-Alt-Del for Chandrababu Naidu - goes the headline in rediff ..Sensex fall of abt 250 points is attributed in part to his defeat !! Nasscom issues a press release saying his defeat wont affect IT .. I think he's achieved something going by all this headliners! May b a bit hyped though..I felt he'd traded the crux of rural livelihood -agriculture for IT a tad too much !
I think if the Rajini factor works this time and helps influence voting patterns in PMK strongholds, and he does make a difference, its only a matter of time b4 Thalaivar jumps into the bandwagon..I guess hes kinda being real careful abt what he does and is studying general mass psychology w.r.t politics b4 coming in .... He's pretty wary of what happened to Shivaji though i think rajini's mass popularity and appeal far outweighs Shivaji's....Thalaiva..seekaram pa..Cant wait!

Saw ThirudaThirudi y'day -- 1 heckuva horrible movie..Only nice part was Manmatha Raasa (was waiting for tht song all along!) and the fact tht i got to see tiruchi which reminded college times..Otherwise totally stupid movie..Mebbe ran well coz of the Dhanush feelgood factor!! So much for feel-good factors and luck!

Exams got over friday n was jus out for the most part of last 2 days..Had been to a place which's supposed to b the most hip kinda spot here on friday nite... It wasnt bad tho..i had a headache which got worsened with all tht Heave hip-hop number tht were played there..Head almost split tht nite!
Watched a tamil movie y'day after a long time...Mounam Pesiyadhe..I kinda liked the movie but dint understand how it was a hit in madras..Considering the pysche of the avg movie-goer, i thot it wud've been an average if not a flop movie..
Today, hv 2 more in store..1of which is thiruda thirudi..Jus going to hv a summer blast with all these tamil movies which i've missed for a long time..English and Masala-less logic(!!)can take a backseat for some time i think !!heehee..
Went to a movie today..some 'eternal sunshine..' stuff..forgot the full name in fact..Was a drag at times, though my friends liked it..I guess it was an attempt at making a different kindof mvie ..dint like it much tho..Then saw the Lakers get into their own against the Spurs though at 75-61, i was a little scared in the 4th quarter as lakers started giving me a feeling of insecurity..

I think Ashwin's blog is getting interesting nowadays..am very much know nothing in all this philosophical stuff n looking fwd to all his forthcoming blogs which he's told me would b in this regard..

Elections in TN..shud b fun i gez..Lotsof drama, intense at that ..missing out on all tht superfun!

Ravi

Well, those photos of Iraqi prisoners was very gruesome..
But, y wud US soldiers want to take snaps of something like that when they know there is a lot of attention on iraq. When some1 knows he/she is being watched, no 1 would resort to such stuff normally and have documentary evidence of the same..Am a little confused by this..Beats me !

J.Lo was real fun y'day in Will n Grace..The best part was she started out on giving some marriage advise to the new couple and then said "O..who am i kidding" - poking fun at herself
Friends gonna get over..all these nice sitcoms coming to an end i guess... hmm..
Currently humming to Jenny from the block tune ....long since i heard this 1..got hold of it 2day !

cya

My friend was telling me he saw autograph and it was pretty good..Its quite a while since i saw any tamil movies..Was also thinking of my favorites till now..lemme list 10 in that order..
1. Anbe Sivam
2. Agni Nakshathiram
3. Kadalora Kavidhaigal
4. Thalapathi
5. Iruvar
6. Thillu Mullu
7. Unnaal Mudium Thambi
8. Oru Kaidhiyin Dairy
9. Amaidhipadai
10 MichaelMadhanaKamaRajan

Done with all the shifting..Was a li'l tiring..The new apt is pretty good, well furnished etc but its more like a hotel when i compare it with my earlier place..Cant crib 2 much though..Hv to get along..
Was talking to my friend Ashwin abt how ppl fake stuff and how both of us wished every1 or atleast most ppl were a li'l more less pretentious....Kinda interesting stuff 2 talk to..i like to especially talk on such stuff..as they say, enakku vambu nalla vendi irukku !
Vetti vambu!
Nothing much going on except for an assignment and a project..As regards the assignment, BRUTAL's the word ! 2 much !!!

Was wondering on 1 more thing today..dunno y i thot abt it..Was thinking of the indian rupee appreciating a lot against the USD..This could prove bad for the exporters in india i thot..Am not sure if they would hence bring pressure on the central financial agency in india to stem any further rise of the rupee ! Hope my economics doesnt stink !!!

Tata

Will b shifting 2 another apt this weekend, which's closer to school..Shud b useful i guess, being close to school, atleast coz of the fact that i wont miss as many classes hereafter(certainly no blaming the bus service if i'm late to class hereafter)...
Some of my friends hv got the F-1 ticket for the indianapolis GP in June..I gotta c what i can do..As of now, my summer plans look like a blur ! Hv to check on that..
Besides, jus following lotsa election stuff..I think its evenly matched b/w bush n kerry here..As for india, i think lotsa masala happening..Dharmendra - feel sorry for him..his election stuff is in tatters..! TamilNadu - again, is highly unpredictable as usual i gez...Hv to c what Cho's opinions r on this regard..He influences in a small way, quite a few middleclass urban ppl in their voting, i wud tend to think...
Nothing elz besides..Another sem coming to an end, another week of pressure( i gez am hyping MS a tad too much !)....
Cheerz !

For those who havent read this already..

This particular para personifies Ganguly
"Ganguly is that kind of man - when it comes to opinions about the Indian captain, about what he means to the team, about his strengths and weaknesses both as a batsman and as a leader of men, we find that the middle ground is so thinly populated as to be almost irrelevant. We love to inhabit extremes when making judgements on Ganguly. "

This' so very true..I, for one, have got into heated arguments with friends on this topic..the best part being that the number of ppl were almost always equally divided on this issue..
I think Ganguly is the best thing that has happened to Indian cricket for a long time...True, Sachin was a great thing to happen but that was an individual thing ..Look at the number of players Ganguly has brought out - Viru, Yuvi, Kaif, Nehra and now Balaji..He backs them to the hilt and tries to make sure that they are in the best frame of mind - And mind u, each 1 of the above mentioned has at some point helped India win ... When India was in Australia, Ganguly did not ask the selectors - 'Can i have murali karthi'..He said 'I want Murali Karthik'..! Now, thats the sorta person u need at the helm..(The fact tht karthik did not meet expectations is another matter altogether)..
Ganguly's act of tossing the ball to Sachin to get the last wicket in the third test made me like the 'Prince' all the more....
Iam hoping tht ganguly will be consistent with his batting hereafter..He's a player who can unsettle the opposition (we saw tht in ample measure in SouthAfrica..god, tht was gorgeous)..Afterall, when he hits sixers off spinners, thats one of the better sights in cricket rite now ..!

He's done it ...!! The Prince..

My favorite player is back to form, AND IN STYLE ! There arent many other ways u could stamp ur authority better !! Way to go, LARA ! Go, sink 'em..

If salim malik were really not guilty, i feel real bad for him ! Azhar on the other hand, is having a good life i guess..hez started some event management consultancy in hydrebad..Malik cant dream of such things though in his place..!!
Longish weekend this..playing cricket n sleep take over in such times....
Another interesting tidbit is tht Gates is losing his richness ranking positions to other europeans etc 'coz the dollar is falling...hehee..
For those who dont read hindu, this article was xcellent..Nirmal shekar's writeups make gr8 reading....
Nothing elz much going on..Chal..cya

Whew..! not had enuf of sleep 'coz lost 1 hr due to standard time being restored..(!)..
Saw Virumaandi in the weekend..Pretty ok movie i thot..The villain was pretty impressive..Where was he all this while?
Apart from that, ..F-1 is turning out 2 b a bore..I am a loyal f-1 fan but my interest's waning partly 'coz ferrari keeps on winning and also 'coz my fav team McLaren dont seem 2 really race this yr..Jenson button is taking a dig at McLaren technology.Now this is as bad as things can get..They r missing Mika sorely now..The point is if they develop such a car, wud montoya really join them?..
Following the match 2 an extent..Dont hv any idea as to wat Sadagoppan ramesh's doing rite now....I cant think of another player who's been time n again traumatized by the selection committee..Feel real bad 4 him !