Long Weekend!!!!!

24/12/2009
Towards the end of the year I had an amazing trip to blore. First of all I still don't believe that I made the trip. Out of the blue I decided to go to blore(this I did after finding out that my cousins are going). Basically I didn't want to miss the fun. Starting from booking the tickets everything was chaos. For two days I was making up my mind not to go to blore. But finally I decided to book the tickets in takkal for the trip. On the day of booking three ppl(includes myself too) were trying to book tickets for me. Finally the lucky charm was my bro who called me to deliver the happeist news for the day. I informed my teammates and my project lead that I will not be cuming to office on moday. Well, before this My cousin called me and asked me to cancel the ticket since we were going to make roadtrip along wid my atthimbaer(sis's husband). Awesome that I needn't worry about my return journey.

25/12/2009 & 26/12/2009
This is the first road trip in my lyf and enjoyed it. We made a short stop on our way and reached blore in 6 hrs. My othere cousins were yet to reach, meanwhile we started playing cards. Soon we were joined by my niece and we continued playing cards till midnyt. We didn't plan much for the next day. We went to Forum Mall for shopping(that does not include me though I was so interested in buying a shirt for myself). I suggested the same shirt to my niece. Then we reached home and again played cards for some time. We all went to bed early since we had a big day ahead.

27/12/2009
As planned by my cousins we started our trip to Sivanasamudram and Thalakadu(place where River Cauvery is in the form of falls). We expected to have great fun in the falls (Sivanasamudram) but was disappointed since there was not much water in the falls. From there we headed to Thalakadu. We all decided to have nice bath. Due to aquaphobia I decided not to get into water. My cousin,atthimbaer and myself boarded a parisal and went a round in the river. I stood with my cousin in the shore feraring the large body of water, but one of my cousin pulled me into the water(still that fear is not out of me). I had nice time in the water but always had the fear of drowning. Was holding my cousin's hand all the way till I reached the shore. Then we went to the nearby temple. The temple which is famous for getting buried in the sand. The environment was awesome and it was drizzling. During our journey we had fun playing anthakshari(old vs new). Eventually old won the game. We all reached home and hit the bed directly(Except 4 of us).Next day was my nephew's b'day. We started packing the gifts for him. At this point we found who are all crafty handed and were having a little fun.

28/12/2009
When I woke up I didn't feel like leaving blore. I called my colleague to confirm if I had to return to Chennai. My friend(colleague) informed me that my project lead was expecting me to be there the next. I was totally disappointed. I packed all my things half-heartedly(Guess none of cousins knew this). As planned my atthimaber and myself were returning to chennai. Around 12 in the noon we celebrated our nephew's bday and gave him the gifts. Though it was so simple way of giving gifts it is always good to see smile in the kid's face. He was so enthralled with so many gifts. During our lunch I received a msg from my friend regarding the status @ office and I was officially screwed. After our lunch we hit the road. Without break it took 6 odd hours for us to reach the city limits. I directly hit the bed since I had to go to office the next day.

I cannot forget this trip for many reasons. First I got time to be with my niece,nephew and my cousins(this doesn't happen everyday), the road trip was awesome, the weather was splendid and finally I didn't fall sick(everytym I go to blore I will fall sick and return in bad shape). I did miss one thing in this trip rather one person..exactly ryt thats my bro. I missed him because he is a fun loving person who missed this trip. Sorry Bro!!!!

Murphy's Law

In the recent past I had a good tym wid this book. I revived my life in this book. Had a hearty laugh, thought where is lyf going and many other things. A book which does not corrupt your mind or breaks ur heart, instead it fills your heart with innocence amd more than that you will feel lyt after finishing every page of the book. I got this book from one of my friend @ the correct tym in my life(when i was having crisis in my career). This book taught me a lot of things and more than that to take life lightly than to hold it tightly. Now I am searching for this book to own it(bad luck that I m not able to get it in any of the near by book shop). Any book reader should like this. This book is top in my list of favorites.

My Sister's Keeper

Few weeks ago I watched this movie and was moved to tears. I always prefer to watch quality movie and this one is one of the top in my list. Even before watching this movie I knew that I would be in tears since this is directed by the person who took Notebook(another fav of mine). A small family which is shattered into pieces when they find that their elder daughter has luekemia. With an advice from doctor the parents decide to go for the option of a test tube child, creating a child who can donate organs in future for the sister. Every thing goes normal not until the second daughter refuses to donate organs for her sister and decides to sue her parents. When the elder daughter was struggling against the luekemia parents forget to notice that their son is suffering from dyslexia. By the time they notice the child is around four and is sent to special school. When undergoing Chemo in the hospital the elder sister falls in love with a fellow guy(who is also affected by luekemia). When the guy does not turn up to see the elder daughter in the hospital she learns that he is dead. On the other side in the trail the mother(who is a lawyer) tries to win the case against her daughter. She is sure that her daughter is not in right sense to sue her and soon finds the truth and is shocked by it. The truth is that the elder daughter decides and say her younger sister that she is tired of fighting against the disease and more that that she does not want to tear their family apart. With the support for her sister and brother, the younger daughter files the case(which is the main part of the movie).

When the judge hears everything from the elder daughter she decides to go in favor of the child. The same night all the relatives come and visit the dying child in the hospital and infuse their positive thoughts. The best part is that the parents and children sit and watch everybody around since they are sure that one member from their family would be removed entirely pretty soon. The same night the dying child spends time with her mother alone. She shows her the album that she had prepared for her with all the memories. The same night the child dies peacefully. Every year the family visit the favorite place of that child. The highlight of the movie was the relationship between the daughters and the father and mother. The struggle put forth by the mother to survive her child against the disease. More than that the silence within the family when they realize that the child is not going to survive another day or two.

When I watched this movie the realization that struck me was that how blessed I m with a peaceful family. A thought provoking movie. I recommend any kind of movie goers to watch this.

The BIG Day!!!!!!!

16-12-2009, I can never forget this day in my life. All these years I have celebrated my bday but not like this one. Every year I receive call from my frns @ midnight. This time for a change I put my mobile in silent and went to deep sleep. On the big day day I did all my rituals(every day things). My first wish came from my mom followed by my dad and received blessings from them. When I rearranged my bag for my work I saw a small box gift wrapped inside my bag. I took it out and asked my dad If it was from him. But the answer was no. Then my mom remainded me that my colleagues would have slipped it in my bag for a surprise. But I was sure it wasn't from them. When I opened the box I was in a shock. For a minute I wasn't able to breath. There was a small platinum pendant with three diamond studs. I realised that this should be from my bro. All these years my bro had never gifted me a thing and this was unbelievable.

Then I always wanted to receive first wish(other than my family) from my close friend Jaisree. I went to her home around 7 in the mrng and woke her up to get my wishes (She was the first person to call me @ midnyt and I didn't pick her call).

After reaching office I received wishes from my training friends which was a surprise too. Then I got call from my friend from training(What a big surprise). Then the day @ my office ended with a celebration with my team mates. Got a cake from them with a gift. My guess was a book but they proved it wrong. They gave me formal shirt with a quote mug. I left my office early wid bday as an excuse.

When I reached home I found my bro @ home. I was surprised to see him so soon from his work. We had a small family chit chat and a family dinner. This day is quite unforgettable for one and only reason is that my bro turned to surprise after all these years. Another reason is the time I spent with my family.

Thank you to my family who have been tolerant(and has to be for the years yet to come)... my frns esp.Jaisree who lends her shoulders whenever I m in need and my colleagues for their surprise.

THANK YOU ALL!

The Day Of The Jackal!!!

Of course, the jackal here refers to none other than myself. After a long time I decided to meet my close friend. I called her surprisingly and informed her that I will be coming to her home. Since her mom was in my area she asked me if I can pick her mom also on my way. I called her mom and asked her where to pick her up. She said that she would be making to the picking place in 20 minutes. I went to get gift for my friend(it was her birthday in two days) and fueled my bike and went to spot earlier than I guessed. So I had to wait for some time for her mom. Her mom arrived and we started towards their home. Without realizing it was a holiday I took a wrong route to her home. I picked up one of busiest route to her home. What an idiot I am!!! Usually it will take me 20 minutes for me to reach her place. May be 30 minutes if I have a pillion rider with me. Guess what it took me 2 hours to reach her place. My palm started to ache and some parts of my body started getting numb(I don't want to mention). Then my neck started to pain due to helmet and fingers due to braking. I was totally fed up but was glad to meet her.

Things does n0t go well for some. I guess I am one among that lot. Another friend and her relatives also came the same day. So she was not able to spend lot of time with me. But I was okie with it. Then she got a call from her colleagues asking her to come to a restaurant. My God. I never expected her to be so busy. Myself and her friend played our part and didn't allow her to leave top meet her colleagues. After some 2 hours she started feeling so bad that everyone had come the same day and she was not able to spend the time properly with particular person. Then I decided to leave. On the way I dropped her in the restaurant. I was glad at least I could meet her. While returning, for the first time in my life I violated a traffic signal. I took a U-Turn inspite of a red. Actually when I crossed the stop line it was yellow so I took an U-Turn. I thought I should not stop after the stop line which would not be proper. Guess what??? Traffic police caught me. Right in the middle of the road he yelled at me for violating the signal. The best part is that he was shouting for the sake of pedestrians. I took a good care that I didn't hit anyone. I just stared at him and apologized. After 30 minutes I reached home and was wondering what a day I had.

The thing that was left for me for the was body pain and more than that I was thinking why the hell did I violate the signal. I have seen people doing it and I have even shouted at them. For the first I time was shouted at. I have even seen the police violating the signal. But I guess it was my day to be caught.

Race In The Railway Station (Irresponsible Railways)

Last week my parents left on a pilgrimage trip to Haridwar. It all began with booking of tickets during the starting of the August. Since there is only one train in a week to haridwar the tickets were not available. The tickets were available only as waiting list. I wanted my parents not to take a chance but my dad did take a chance. He asked me to book the ticket since there two more months left. As the days passed we all got worried since the tickets were in the waiting list. Two days before the travel date we found that my cousin knew someone in the railways. We made a request to move the tickets through energency quota(EQ). My parents ticket got confirmed but my other relatives' ticket didn't get confirmed. The day arrived. Two more tickets got confirmed. There were two more left. When we checked the status it gave us a waiting list. So we did took a chance since we didn't have any other choice.

On the day of journey me and my cousin decided to send them off. As soon as we reached the station we left everyone in the corresponding platform and went to check the RAC list(actually double checking). We found four tickets to be confirmed. The ticket which was in the waiting list was no where to be found in the list. We were shocked but we thought they might have missed out in printing. We actually went an hour early. After some time we again checked with the system and it showed the two tickets to be in waiting list but not in the chart. We waited for the TTE to arrive. When TTE arrived my dad,myself and my cousin went to check with him. He said that those tickets are dropped and they are not to travel in this train. My dad got furious and started questioning the TTE. I told my dad that there is not point in arguing with him. I checked with TTE if there was any other way to travel. He asked me get open tickets for them so that they could travel in the train and pay a penalty later. Penalty is for traveling in sleeper class since you can travel only in unreserved with an open ticket.

Here comes the best part. My dad left his wallet with my mom who was in the compartment. The time was 9:10 and the train would be leaving around 9:40. We didn't have much time left. We all raced to get the money. Lucky that we had relative in the compartment which was prior to my parents' we lent some from them and myself and my cousin raced to get the ticket. We didn't know where to get the ticket. I started running but soon was short of breath. I gave the money to my cousin and asked him to run as fast as he can. When we inquired where to get the ticket we found that it is issued in the next building. OMG! We were really tested. My cousin ran as fast as he can. I started jogging. In the next building we went to the first floor and found that the ticket was given in the ground floor. Gosh! By now the time was 9:20. Luckily there was no crowd in the counter. Then we found that there is possibility to get senior citizens ticket. Since the passengers where senior citizens we decided to take it. My cousin asked me if I have the proof and you should have guessed now. I didn't have it. We took chances and the ticket provider didn't ask for any proof. Good, we got the ticket. Now the time for running again.Time was 9:30. My cousin ran ahead of me to give away the tickets. We reached by 9:35 and gave them the tickets. For five minutes we took long breaths. But before that I had a word with the TTE to provide them berths if possible.

IRRESPONSIBLE RAILWAYS:
1. They never sent a mail that the ticket was dropped.
2. If the ticket is dropped why the hell is it shown online as waiting list.
3. There is no way a person can know if the ticket is dropped until 3-4 hours before the travel.
4.When I have a ticket why should I pay for an open ticket and later a penlaty.

The railways should really take proper steps. If myself and my cousin had not gone my dad would have raced and he definitely would have missed the train. There should be at least prior information. At least 2 days before the travel so that proper alternate arrangements can be made. I don't know when the railways are going to learn.

The MOM who FLUSHED the MEADOWS!!!!!

It all started with the come back of Kim Clijsters. After taking a break for two years and raising a family Kim took a wise decision to pick the racquet once more in her life. This was not a turning point since many had made the similar decision. For example Lindsay Davenport came back after giving birth to a child. Though Lindsay didn't shine out Kim made every thing plausible.

When Kim decided to take a break she was in the top rank. She even won the US Open before taking a break. For me she remained as the lady who played yet another game because I never saw her game. I never thought that I would looking again in the courts. I was totally amazed the way she turned the world to her over night.

As soon as she made the come back she had a magic in her hand. She made into the QF in Cincinnati and 3rd round in Montreal\Toronto series. This made the other players to look out for her. Though many didn't care much about her she made a big run in the US Open 2009.

She was given a wild card to enter into the US Open. Earlier she was asked to play an exhibition at the Wimbledon which made her to think about a come back. She felt that instead of playing exhibitions she had more to exhibit lively playing international tennis once more in her life time.

Right from the start of the tournament Kim moved her coins properly. She eased past in the first tw0 rounds. She was faced with difficulties in the fourth round and quarters where she met the William sisters. It was unbelievable when she entered the finals. She said that she never planned for a final in her list but yet she is quiet happy about it.

When she had that championship point in her hand she moved into tears. Her eyes were searching for the two souls of her life,her husband and her daughter. She reached out to her family stand and kissed her husband. Then she brought her daughter to the presentation. She became an icon in over night.

Most of the players are amazed by the way she played. She was mostly calm,composed and felt no pressure. I have seen players breaking their racquets in the court but not her. Even when she missed a point she was so calm and felt like she had more chance to prove. She never made any boastful or a jumpy win. Of course in finals you cannot resist but she didn't jump, rather she cried for it was unbelievable even for her. At one point Serena felt like she too should take a break raise a family and be back so that she could find all energized.

Well I felt that through out the tournament Kim was fully energized. Guess that the two years break has provided her all the necessary lessons for being calm and all.

Kim proved that women can reach out both in family as well as in career. If it had not been her husband she definitely would have ended up in kitchen with million others. She is one lucky women to have good understanding husband. She will always be remembered by me as the MOM WHO FLUSHED THE MEADOWS.

The total fall of the clay king

It all started in Madrid where Roger defeated Rafael. It was the first time Rafael was defeated in his home land. It was just one ATP Series which started as the downfall for the clay king. Roger was able to win the title in straight sets(6-4,6-4). It was a waited victory for Roger.

Then came the Cincinnati/Toronto series. He lost to Djokovic in the semis. HE lost in the straight sets. It was so evident that the other players started taking over the clay king. With a strong determination the players headed for Roland Garros.

The unbeaten Roland Garros king was shaken this year. He met his defeat in the 4th round at the hands of Robin Soderling. Well the Roland Garros became a new one without its king. Roger easily completed his career grand slam by winning the French Open for the first time.

With the upcoming grass tournament the defending champion was expected to retain his title and put an end to all the vibes. But with the knee injury Spaniard decided to back out of the wimbledon. He didn't even make an entry. He took a break for two months or more.

After the rest, Rafael got an opportunity to play the US Open 2009. Since his action was missed the tennis world eyed him to finish his career grand slam by clinching the first US Open title. But he had some stomach problem through out the tournament and was not progressing weel. He lost to Juan Martin Del Potro in the semis. The US Open still remains as the dream for the spaniard. Will he make it as the reality in the next year?

It is not being in top or stopping players from clinching the titles. It all stands on how far you thrive. It is survival of the fittest. I guess Rafael need to check his health and make some progress in the forthcoming tournaments.

US Open 2009 - Women's Draw

It was all different in the women's side.All the action was heated from the first round for there were more shocks and unexpected results.

One time French Open Champion Ana Ivanovic suffered her defeat in the first round itself. Next in her row was the Serbian Jelena Jankovic. Not even winning a single grand slam she was highly in this tournament. But guess she disappointed her fans. The next one was my favourite one,Dinara Safina. Holding on to the first rank without any grand slam titles was difficult for her and was highly expected to win her first ever slam title. But every thing became a dream for her in the hands of an unseeded player.

With most of the seeded players out Maria Sharapova was expected to be in the hot list. But guess she was out of touch in her raquet since she exited in the third round giving a huge company for Dinara. It was another surrender to the unseeded player Oudin. On the other side a silent progress was made by the wild card entry Kim Clijsters.

With most unseeded players in the tournament the action became too weak. It was time for Venus to get her exit. She got her exit in the hands of none other than the Mom, Kim Clijsters. Kim was so happy at the end of the action. With only Serena left from the top seed, she was expected to win the title. The quarter finals had four unseeded players which was so unusual in the tournament.

I was so excited about the semi between Kim and Serena. With everything going out of her hand Serena gave away the first set to Kim. It was not a trouble for Serena since she had always made a lot of comeback. Everything was out of place even in the second set for Serena. Kim was so composed and was a point away from her come back finals. It was at this time Serena was called for a foot fault and she lost her temper. This gave away a penalty point for Kim and she entered the finals. Unbelievable for Kim that she had made to finals.

The other end was so smooth and Wozniacki made to her finals. I was happy about the finals since I was so sure that Kim would make her come back a worth while. The match happened for 1 hour and 30 minutes with the new champion Kim.

Kim became the first mom to win the title after Evonne Goolagong. It was time for all the emotional union with her family. Kim didn't make it easily. She defeated Venus and Serena,the two top most players. After taking break for two years she was so composed and was fully energized. She will never regret coming back in her career.

Well, This years grand slams had different taste and I guess I will catch the readers with the updates next year.

US Open 2009- Men's Draw

This year's US Open was an extra ordinary one in both the men's and women's draw. I didn't miss even a single action and was quite happy about it.

Marat Safin who had the last card in his hand Didn't get a chance to go ahead of the first round. He exited in the first round itself. First time in the history of US Open all top 16 ranked players entered the third round. It was all getting heated up in the men singles. The most expected Scotland romeo exited in the fourth round. I was really shocked since I expected a semis between the Scott and the Spaniard. The unexpected result was that the semi between Rafael Nadal and Juan Matrtin Del Potro.

With the Scott out I thought Rafael would make to his first ever US Open final and finish his career grand slam. But the semi was so stunning that the Argentinian easily defeated Rafael(6-2,6-2,6-2). I was happy at one side but I always wanted the Spaniard to get the defeat in the hands of Roger.

As for Roger, the struggle started in the third round from Lleyton Hewitt followed by Tommy Roberdo in the fourth round. Robin Soderling came as a big challenge in the quarters. The best match was the match between Roger and Djokovic. They met after a long time and it was very interesting. Roger swept the match in straight sets. This match was the best since Roger mad his unbelievable shot between his legs while running to the base line from nets. This is the best shot in the tennis that Roger had played so far.

As usual the final was very interesting since Roger was having a upper hand and was easily expected to win the match. As usual Roger easily broke the first set and swept the match easily. With the start of the second set Roger held the upper hand. I expected him to win the set. When Roger was leading the match, unexpected break happened. Del Potro took over the games from Roger and leveled the games in the second set. With all these came the first tie break of the match. But Roger made a couple of mistakes and the set was in Del Potro's hands.

In the third set as usual Roger held the upper hand and pulled the sets from Del Potro. With the two set lead I hoped he would finish off the match and create a new record of having six consecutive US Open titles in his hands. But Roger gave away the fourth set to Del Potro in the tie break.

With the final set I thought that the match was going some where like Wimbleodn2009. Found that Roger was struggling when Del Potro took 2 breaks and was leading the set by 3-0. It was at this time Roger had some issue with the chair umpire and burst out. I have never seen him so furious in the court. With the two breaks it was very obvious that the Del Potro was nearing his first grand slam title. A forehand mistake by Roger gave the first title to Del Potro.

The first final for Del Potro became a fruitful one. Roger was serenely calm and he was also happy. He didn't feel any thing emotional. I think this was because he already got some records in his hands and is used to not to make new record as like the wimbledon2008. I think becoming a father has changed him a lot too. With him in all the slam finals and winning two of them was a different thing for me(Though I missed two of the finals).

Change Of playing tactics:

I found many changes in Roger's play.
1. First thing is that he struck the ball too hard. It is a welcoming one.
2. The athletic action was new to him. He was running from one end to the other end.
3. He avoided coming to the nets too frequently. This was a drastic change.
4. He had the change of pace in his striking drawing the player form baseline to the nets.
5. Finally he has adopted the angles(like Rafa).

I hope next year he clinches all the titles in a row.

10 Little Indians (1965)- The Movie

This movie is adapted from Agatha Christie's book. 8 people with different background are invited for a party by a wealthy man. Without knowing the behind the plan they all end up in the place which is situated in the hill top. On reaching the place people soon find that the 2 servants were also appointed only 2 days ago for the guests. They also find that the host is delayed in his trip and will reach the place only by the next morning. What they don't know is that they will not survive the night.

After dinner when they play a record they find that the host charge all 10 people with the murder. They share how they are invited for the party and before putting two and two together one of the guest dies. Then one of the servant dies. The only communication with the city, cable car, is also cut off. They find themselves to be left out no choice than to figure out the invisible killer. In the meanwhile engineer(hero) who happens to be not the same person but has come for his friend(dead) tries to figure the killer and at the same time falls in love with secretary(one of the guest). After the servant's death everything goes awry and each one suspects each other. With the next murder it becomes thrilling as to who the invisible killer is. The movie brings us to the tip of our seat when only two people are left. The suspense is so grueling that the survivors are none other than the 2 lovers. The secretary picks the revolver and shoots the engineer and enters the home to discover all the truth. The real murderer and the reason behind it. When every thing is confessed there comes the turning point which no one would expect.

I liked this movie for the screenplay. As a classical piece it consisted of only 10 characters. You don't get confused with the characters and there are no pages of dialogues. Catch this piece if you time.

When will it stop?????

I think watching a movie in a theater is very far for me. Every time I go to watch a movie I have some thing that may not happen to every one. As far as I remember I have put down the list.

The very first time I went to a movie(The matrix) with my cousins we entered the theater after the movie had started. We missed the first 20 minutes and as a result I totally didn't understand the movie. This happened some 10 years, so now I have watched for more than 25 times and even know the dialogs by heart.

The next time I went to the movie(Black) with my cousins I didn't understand anything. I felt ashamed that I didn't know our national language. Later I got a copy with subtitles and watched the movie. Now I can understand Hindi and also can manage to a certain level.

The same year my cousins took me to a Tamil movie(mayavi). I don't like the hero much. watched the movie for the sake my of cousin.

I always wanted to watch my favorite hero's(madhavan) movie on screen. I decided to take my cousins and finally ended getting scoldings from them. The movie(Vazhthukkal) was horrible. Even though my favourite hero had acted I felt the movie to be the worst in my life.

I wanted to watch a harry potter movie on the screens. Me and my friends went for the order of phoenix movie. Firstly, the movie was pathetic. After break me and my friend missed the 10 minutes part since we went to get some refreshments. Anyways I decided that I will never watch harry potter on the screen for the movie made no justice to the book.

Recently I went to Angels & Demons with my friends. Well as I m known for making some non sense mistake. I did something when entering the screen. I missed a step and slipped my slippers and was searching for it without even bothering that the movie had started. I was on knees and searching with my hands. Thank god. It took only 5 minutes for me to locate it. But the best part was that every body around me(even the strangers) came to know what I was doing. Thank God the lights were out.

The final piece is this one. Two days back I watched a movie(Ninaithalaey Inikkum) with my friends. The movie was horrible. The best part was that when we entered the screen the movie had started(as usual) and I forgot to notice the steps. What would have happened,I fell on my knees. My entire body weight rested on my right knee and I have got a sprain. Thank god there was no fracture. Even when typing this post I could feel the pain. More over there was problem with the projector after the break and was a delay for 15 minutes. Already we were ready to get out of the theater and never expected for a delay. We stayed in the theater for the sake of the monet that we paid.

I feel like banging my head whenever I go on with such kinda experiences. Most of the time I felt like running away from the theater begging WHY ME!!!!I hope I watch a worthwhile movie in the near future and more than that I think I should at least make it on time for the movie. Waiting for such movie.

Pavement for pedestrians or two wheelers????

When ever we watch a movie we stare at the stunts and wonder if is it possible in real life. For example in any traffic the hero will try to ride the bike on the pavement to catch the rogue and definitely you should have wondered if it is possible. Well stop there. Stop dreaming. Recently after returning from the training while I was returning from my work in a bus I saw it with my own eyes. I saw first a biker to start to ride in the pavement and then found 10 more people to do the same. I was shocked first and then smiled to myself after all I m living in India where traffic rules are yet to be regulated properly. Then after a couple of days the same thing happened and I was totally shocked coz this time I saw a foreigner riding the bike in the pavement. Guess when they come to our country they change themselves. I think they feel that the rules can be bent as they need it.

As far my school taught me the pavement was for the people who walk but I guess the content has to be changed for the following generations. They have to re-frame the content as the pavement for the bike riders not for the pedestrians.

I think the people are to have to come to their senses. They should realize the purpose and the use of a particular thing. If the bikers take the pavement then where the pedestrians will go. The pavement was found to avoid the accidents caused due to the pedestrians. If the pavement is taken over I guess the pedestrians has to take the median for traveling. This is not a kind of joke but has to be thought seriously by every individual for you will be in the pavement one day and find a biker coming on to you.

Yen Samayal Araiyil - Episode 3

Well, as usual I got another chance to look inside the kitchen and prepare some thing. This time it was not the upma but a rather simple dish, potato fry. I actually have done that properly for many times. But it was only for me. This time I prepared for two people(me & my bro). Since I knew the preparation by heart I didn't require any guidance(I though so). I chopped the potatoes into fine pieces and then put the frying pan on the stove and poured some oil. Then roasted certain items which are required for garnishing. Then I put some sambhar powder as I always do. Initially I put a small quantity and on second thought I put some more. I didn't know why I did that but that was where everything went wrong. I realized I forgot to take some onions. So I kept the stove in simmer and took the onions and chopped into fine pieces. I did this in 5 minutes which is a record time for me. But guess what the dhals got fried more and became a bit dark brown. I just ignored and put the potatoes to roast it. After mixing everything I figured that the sambhar powder was in excess and on an impulse I thought I should add some more potatoes to level the composition. I frantically started searching for potatoes. But there was none left. Thanks to my mom. She didn't want any vegetables to get wasted since she was not home for a week. Then I saw that the dhals became dark black. I had no other go than to taste this potato. It was horrible especially the dhals tasted like hell. But my bro was so kind that he told that only the oil was in excess. I really have to appreciate his tolerance level.

LESSONS LEARNT:
1. I m very bad at cooking.(I don't know when I m going to learn them).
2. I did it whole-heartedly but still somewhere something went wrong.
3. Never in my life give a second thought while cooking(adding anything in excess).
4. I guess in future some one is going to experience the bad cooking at my hands.

Guess I would do something better the next time I enter the kitchen.

The Shadow Of Doubt(1943) - The Movie

After a long time I watched a worthwhile movie. It is an Hitchcock movie.The plot just revolves around two people an uncle and niece who shares the same name(Charlie and Charlotte aka Charlie). The niece has a crush on her uncle. When she felt that her life was too boring she decides to call her uncle. Her uncle pops out suddenly in front of her home and surprises everyone. The entire family was happy about the visit for not so long. The niece identifies some horrific truth about her uncle through newspapers. She finds her uncle to be a serial killer and the investigators are behind him. She did not want her family to be broken on hearing this and so she takes the issue on her hand to sort it out. She is met with an investigator who falls in love with her. Though the investigators was behind two suspects who travels on different direction,this particular investigator was sure about her uncle and persuades her to capture him. Though she denies for the first time she realises the importance sooner and helps him. On the other hand the uncle who comes to know the truth decides to put an end to his niece. At one point when the other suspect gets killed in an accident the uncle feels relieved. But he takes all necessary actions to kill his niece. Everything fails and he becomes frustrated. He decides to leave the town suddenly and niece realises that he is into another plot. During his departure he tries to kill his niece by pushing her from the train and he eventually ends his life. The secrets ends there with him without the family knowing his original background.

The screenplay was interesting and more than that it is a classic piece and I liked it very much. It was interesting to watch the part when the uncle tries to kill his beloved niece. The niece finds difficult to digest that her beloved uncle is a serial killer and the portrayal is awesome. It is better you watch the movie to enjoy it. Any movie buff should watch this movie.

Dwaraka Trip - Part 3

The final place that we visited was Dwarakeshwar Temple. This temple I don't known what was inside but the architecture was amazing. I can't find the words to describe the scriptures and art works. After visiting the temple we made a little shopping. The time was nearing 21:30. We decided to have our dinner and start our return journey. Well, nothing should end well(our journey did not go by the proverb "Well begun is half done") in our case. We found our car to have flat tyre. The drivers had called for some mechanics for replacement. Meanwhile they decided that they would drop us in Scorpio at some place for dinner. That was one good idea. We squeezed ourselves in the car and left to the place where we had our lunch. But before that one of the traveler had a conflict of going back to that restaurant. Since we had not returned the keys of the rooms that we occupied earlier I told her that we definitely had to go to that place.

By the time we finished our dinner the cab was also ready(time was around 22:00). But the worst part was that the drivers didn't have their dinner. it was our fault. My friend started searchuing for a place for their dinner. We found that there is a place near by which would be open at late hours. The drivers had their and we proceeded with our return journey. This time I was in the Indica sitting near the driver side. I decided to be awake this time. But suince I didn't get enough sleep I dozed of at some point. Later around 02:00 in the morning the drivers stopped the cab near a restaurant. I thought that they were only having their tea break. But the drivers spoke to us that they can't drive no more and needed at least two hours. I was screaing in my mind in my own language. We couldn't do much. We all slept in the cab itself. Aroun 04:30 in the morning we started our journey back.

Around 08:00 they stopped somewhere to have their tea. Me and my friends were totally bugged off. Then the journey resumed. After some time our cab driver parked our cab and got out. He was standing in a junction. We were not able to figure out for what hell he stopped. My and my friends were totally pissed off. He wasn't sure of his route. Then after some time we caught up with the scorpio. Before entering into the city again they made a stop. We were so pissed off that we just want to get out anr run to our hostels. Around 12:00 in the noon we reached our hostel. At last we reached safely.

Now it was time to settle the cash. We had certain conflicts. But the driver(who knew Tamil) was present to help us out. We some how settled everything. In the mean time I found that I sprained my ankle and one of my friend got hurt on her waist. But still it was fun hanging around with the people who became close to me in a very few days. I can never forget this trip in my life since it was the trip after I started earning.

Dwaraka Trip- Part 2

Well, as the way we started it definitely gave a different experience for us. Since gals were traveling in lot numbers we decided to keep awake at least in turns so that we don't get kidnapped. Before we went out of the state the driver took a long detour and we were a bit doubtful of what he was doing. Then we figured that he wanted to get his clothes for the travel. Hell No. No more delay. But this can't be avoided since he had to come with us for two nights na. I guess every mind gets tired at one point of time. Me and one of my friend decided to be awake at least till 5 in the morning and then the others can be awake for the rest of the travel. Everything was sorted out and went well till 4 in the morning. I guess me and my friend got tired at the same point and dozed of for just 15 mins. When I woke up I found that the Indica which was going ahead of us was no where to be seen. But I still felt that we were heading in the right direction but not too long. Then we all realised that we have taken the longest route and the other cab took the shortest one. Since we got separated we gals were all on our own. After some time we decided to stop for the breakfast(around 9). You would not believe if I say that we stopped in a highway where the truck drivers would stop in the night for their tea. We just had something to fill our stomach. Then the journey then extended for another 5 hours.

At last we reached Dwaraka by 12 in the noon. We found a place to take bath and then proceed with our journey. We made a short stop for another one and half hour to get ready for the visits. Well the place that we opted was not that good. First of all we opted three rooms so that we could get ready soon. We found out that the rest rooms were in a bit bad condition. To start with we found a leech and one of my companion screamed. Well I took the first place to at least brush my teeth and guess what I became a standing joke. As soon as I took the tap water into my mouth I spat that out. If I keep that water for five minutes in sun I could get two spoons of salt. I warned my friends. I was making some faces to forget the taste and that was how I became a standing joke. All my friends used mineral water to brush their teeth. We got ready very soon and guess what? we were all so hungry. After having lunch(It was manageable. I cannot expect a 5 star cuisine in an unknown place), we listed all the places that we wanted to visit and told to the drivers. From here the journey was excellent. I switched to Indica since the guy was not comfortable sitting in the front(he was so tall that his legs hit the front box). The Interesting part are as follows:

Well,before starting I will be honest. I m too poor in the spiritual things(I called my friend for the names). If I go wrong in the things please forgive me. The First place that we visited was Nageshwar Temple(Lord Shiva Temple). It contains a huge Shiva Idol which was awesome. I was awestruck by the little details that the sculpturer had done. I cannot put that in here since I didn't take it(I was so captivated I forgot to snap it). Two of my friends went for giving some pooja and we were there for 20 minutes. It was around 15:30 and were worried if we could cover all the places.

The next stop was at Gopi Thalab. The place where Lord Krishna was brought up. We saw the river in which the gopiers took bath and krishna stole their saree. Here I found out some thing. The priest of that place was giving some short story about the place which I will never understand since I didn't know our national language properly. He said that some rituals will be carreid for the well being of our family if we pay him 150 bugs. Then we found a small queue being formed and I found that some my friends also joined. The matter was that the priest never asked the name of the person or the details related for the ritual. He took the money and said something to bless them. I was literally laughing in mind how blindly people believe in things. Okie it is getting late lets move on.

The next one was amazing and I was horrified. The place that we went was Bet Dwaraka. For visting this place it is mandatory that we have to cross a river. As soon as I saw the boat I begged my friends to leave me on the shore(Aqua phobia). But they pushed me into the boat. To make me comfortable they started taking snaps and making some chats. Though it was only 10 minutes I was dreadly afraid. We reached the other side around 18:00 and found that the last boat that leaves the shore was around 19:00. We had only 45 minutes to finish our prayers. It was one nice place and here also the priest did a wonderful job of reciting the story. Obviously I was a mere spectator. Since the priest came to know that we were from a different place he took us a tour of the place. The time was ticking. The most important part was that no electronic item was allowed inside the temple. When depositing them we would be given a token which was with one of our freind who left ahead. We realised that was mistake. Then I started walking fast hoping to meet her half-way. Yeah,There she was. Then we made our return trip in the last boat. Then we took snaps on the shore. Thought that the trip would end here. But..

The rest of the journey in my next post...

Dwaraka Trip - Part 1

Well, being away from home town I really wanted to hang out to the places which I may not be able to make in the future. One such unforgettable trip was this one and we had fun. The plan was in our minds for long time(a small group of gals). We asked for more people from our training batch. Surprisingly the list reached to 32 and we were happy that so many are interested. But everything turned the other way around. One by one started withdrawing their name.

Me and my friends were totally annoyed that most people have backed out. I was full of anger even when my close friends started having dilemma. I just told them that I m ready to come even if there are going to be only two people. The matter was out of hands since my friend booked the cab assuming that most people would be coming. She also paid some cash in advance which became a problem to cancel the trip.

Around 9 in the night the problem was sorted out some how and finally 11 people finalized to come to Dwaraka. So we started with 32 and ended with 11 in the end. So everything has to be re-planned. I was so excited that I would be going out without my college mates with whom I always hang out. I informed my parents about my plan and got myself prepared for the trip. I never expected the next thing to happen. Yes, the rain waited for all these days and started its spell on the very same night. It was a heavy blast.

We planned to leave around midnight so that the expense would be bearable and we can also get some sleep. As rained started lashing out the cab driver called us to confirm the trip. We were so lucky that the cab driver was from some part of TamilNadu and was able to talk our mother tongue. So language wasn't a problem(at least for the initial stage). We found out that the other cab driver wasn't ready to drive in the rain and he asked us to wait at least till the next morning. Hearing this we got irritated at first and more than that we had a doubt if we could trust this driver for our journey.

When we people had this doubt, one of our traveller confirmed that she was not coming if the issue was going to be like that. We were so shocked and started settling the problem. After some time the cab driver who refused to drive gave us the money and left us. The other driver who knew our language planned for another cab for the trip. By this time the clock was nearing around 1 in the morning. If the rain had not yet started then we would have gone at least 60 kms in the cab. We all cursed the rain for once. One by one started feeling sleepy and was also exhausted with the change of plans and the chaos. There was so much delay that we thought we could have planned for the next morning itself. At last the cab arrived around 3 in the morning and welcome for the next problem. We found that all 11 people are making the trip and one Scorpio will not be sufficient. Well there was another Indica. So we decided to take the Indica also(at least to be comfortable). The problem was that there was only one guy giving us company and he was confused and also bit scared to leave behind the gals separately in the Indica. So we asked him to go in the Indica since the lot in the Scorpio was more and we thought that we could somehow manage in case anything goes wrong.

At last we started leaving our hostel around 3 in the morning. My roommates bid me good bye and wished me a happy journey. The journey starts in the next post.

WIMBLEDON ODYSSEY

With the completion of this Wimbledon 2009 I wanted to put the Wimbledon sail carried out by Roger Federer. They are as follows:

In 1998, Federer won the junior Wimbledon title. The same year he turned a professional. He was also recognized as the ITF World Junior Tennis champion of the year.

In 1999, he made his first appearance in the Wimbledon men's category, where he got a wild card entry. After a 5-set first round battle, he lost to Czech player Jiri Novak, who was then ranked 59th.

In Wimbledon 2000, Roger Federer crashed out in the very first round after Russia's Yevgeny Kafelnikov beat him 7-5, 7-5, 7-6 (8-6).

Federer started the 2001 Wimbledon campaign seeded 15th, where he reached the quarterfinals defeating four-time defending champion and seven-time Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras 7-6(7), 5-7, 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-5 in the fourth round in an epic five set match.

Mario Ancic stunned Federer 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 in their first-ever meeting back in a 2002 opening-round clash at Wimbledon.

Federer was undefeated on grass in 2003, a victory against Nicolas Kiefer in the final of the tournament in Halle was followed by his first Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon. He defeated Roddick in the semi-finals 6-7, 3-6, 3-6 and Mark Philippoussis in the final 7-6, 6-2, 7-6 and lost only one set during the tournament, to Mardy Fish in the third round.

In 2004, Roger Federer successfully defended his Wimbledon singles title, defeating Roddick in the final 4-6, 7-5, 7-6, 6-4.

In 2005, Federer successfully defended his Wimbledon title, winning for the third consecutive year by defeating Andy Roddick 6-2, 7-6, 6-4 in a rematch of the previous year's final.

In 2006, Federer entered Wimbledon as the top seed and reached the final without dropping a set. There, Federer beat Nadal in four sets 6-0, 7-6, 6-7, 6-3 to win the championship. This was Federer's fourth consecutive Wimbledon title.

In the year 2007, Roger Federer entered Wimbledon for the first time without having played a warm-up grass-court tournament. Despite this, Federer once again defeated Nadal in five sets 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-2 in the final. With the win over Nadal, Federer tied Björn Borg's record of five Wimbledons in a row.


In 2008, at Wimbledon, Federer once again played hitherto World No. 2 Nadal in the final. A victory for Federer would have meant his sixth consecutive Wimbledon singles title, breaking Borg's modern era record and equaling the all-time record held since 1886 by William Renshaw. Federer saved two championship points in the fourth set tiebreak but eventually lost the match 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7. The rain-delayed match ended in near darkness after 4 hours, 48 minutes of play, making it the longest (in terms of elapsed time) men's final in Wimbledon recorded history. It concluded 7 hours, 15 minutes after its scheduled start.

Roger Federer secured a record-breaking 15th grand slam after he finally overcame Andy Roddick in a tense and gruelling five-set men's singles final at Wimbledon. The Swiss player's sixth Wimbledon title takes his overall tally of grand slam wins to 15, putting him ahead of Pete Sampras, who was present on Centre Court to watch Federer's gruelling 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14 victory in what became the longest ever men's singles final at the All England club.

WIMBLEDON 2009

I missed the Wimbledon action this year. But anyways I m going to put some things from the tournament in this post. Guess I will try to cover but not like my last year post.

Even before the start of the tournament I was so disappointed that Rafael Nadal was not in the tournament. Eventually Roger had one hurdle removed very early. But I guess he will be missing since he always wanted to give a reply to the last years loss.

Like French Open it was James Blake to book his return ticket first. Since it was last Wimbledon for Marat Safin he was expected to go till semi's like last year. But this year he bid good bye for the last time in the first round itself. None of the tennis fan expected this to happen since Marat was one strong fighter.

The giant Jo-Wilfred Tsonga exited in the 3rd round itself with Tommy Roberdo in the line. With the top seeds cruising, the tournament got heated up in the 6th day itself. The only missing factor was Nadal. The turn outs started in the quarters. In quarters the Australian Lleyton Hewitt and The Serbian Novak Djokovic got their exit slip.

The semis was a great action. The first action was between Andy and Andy. The support was obviously to the Britain sweetheart Murray. Even I thought that the Britain will make to his first ever Wimbledon Final. But the four setter match gave a big surprise to all the tennis fan. It was the other Andy(Roddick) who made to his yet another finals. In the second match the only hurdle to Roger was Tommy Haas. Everybody expected a five setter but the Swiss King made the match a 3 setter and confirmed his foot in yet another finals.

On the day of finals I remembered the 2007 finals which I didn't watch and the Swiss King kept the title to himself. I was so excited and was also so sure that Roger will win the title. I was lucky enough to watch the final set. Both the players were equal for each other. It was yet another five setter and it was also the longest in the history of Wimbledon. God I missed the whole action.

Finally the Swiss defeated the American and created a new record. He made another step and took away the title from Peter Sampras "The most number of Slams held by an individual". It was in the gentlemen side. Peter Sampras was present in the court to see the action. Roddick was so upset that he was not able to clinch the title(at least for once). I m sure that he has more to display in the US Open.

With the end of Wimbledon Roger became the number 1 player and also the greatest tennis player ever.

Coming to the ladies side. There was clean cruise by the top seeds from the first round to the second round.Everything tumbled for the Russian beauty Maria Sharapova. Though she made good entry in the clay court she was not able to keep the pace in the grass court where she was a champion once. This years French Open champion got her exit ticket in the 3rd round itself. The Serbian Jelena Jankovic who was expected to clinch her first title also exited in the 3rd round.

Yet another time Ana Ivanovic suffered defeat at the hands of the Elder Williams. It was Dinara who made a point that she no longer would be under dog.

It was different semis Where in both the slots the competition was between a Russian and an American. The tennis world expected an all American or all Russian finals. The William sisters didn't let the hope and made entry to another sister finals.

Like previous year the finals was expected to be another epic event. This year the younger sister was too strong and clinched her third Wimbledon title in two sets. She took the turn to console her elder sister this time.

I guess there will be more new events in the next year events.

FRENCH OPEN 2009

This years Roland Garros had many different things. Since I didn't get a chance to watch the live action I kept track of the event online. First shock came from the ladies side when Venus Williams booked her return ticket in the 3rd round itself. The following day Elena Dementiva gave company for Venus. The tennis model Ana Ivanovic also booked her ticket early this time. She exited in the 4th round. The Serbian, Jelena Jankovic who was expected to win this year's French Open follwed suit with all of her top seeds. She also exited on the 4th round. The russian icon Maria Sharapova who picked up her racquet after a long time went upto the quarters. I guess she made a good come back after a long time. I guess she will increase her graph pretty soon. The younger Williams didn't make it to the finals. She got her exit in the quarters.

Unexpected finalist of this year was Svetlana Kuznetsova. As expected(by me) the underdog Dinara Safina made to her second french finals. This year I though she may find the trophy in her hnads. But I guess I was so wrong or she was unlucky. But I guess she has got a lot more ahead and lot more slams. May be it is not yet her time to clinch her first title.

On the other hand the men's side was totally different. It started with James Blake who was out in the first round itself. Marat Safin's last lap in the french round came to an end in the first round itself. He bid good bye to the clay court for the last time. Giles Simon,David Ferrer and Radek Stephanek were out in the 3rd round itself. With them it was the serbian hero Novak Djokovic to book his ticket. He got his exit in the 3rd round itself.

On the other hand, the top four players were cruising past easily. But not until the fourth round where the clay court king Rafael Nadal lost to Robin Soderling. The entire tennis world gasped when Nadal exited the tournament. I was happy on one side and also sad since I will be missing him against Roger in the finals. More top players like Andy Roddick,Tommy haas all exited in the fourth round itself.

The Britain sweetheart Andy Murray was stunned by Fernando Gonzalez in the quarters. Everybody in the tennis world was shocked when the both Nadal and Murray exited early. This gave much more easier path for the Swiss king Roger to clinch his first ever French Open.

The unexpected finalist here was Robin Soderling. Everybody thought that the Swiss king has got a easy path to hold the trophy. But Soderling was an equal match. Though the action between Roger and Nadal was always the expected this was less favourite.

Me being the crazy fan of Roger I was happy that he made into the finals and I was damn sure that the title would be his. I received this sweet news from my mom the same night. Roger completed his career grand slam with this French Open and also equaled the maximum slam record with Peter Sampras.

The surprise in this tournament was the tennis pair Steffi Graff and Andre Agassi who played an exhibition match. It was 10 years ago these two played a winning match together. I think with this match they can make a comeback into the tennis world again. I was so happy to see them in the picture at least.

This year I was not able to give any detailed news about the action since I missed them. But I think I will be able to make it good the next year. If not at least with the next grand slam.

Alive again

Hey pals,
Long since I have posted anything in my blog. The reason is very simple,I m into the big corporate world. After four long months of training I guess I have got a lot of experiences to share in here. First comes first. I missed blogging since I got very addicted to it then I missed the major actions in tennis. Then I guess I missed some movies. I guess people will be wondering if I didn't miss my home or friends. Well, the answer is not a bit, since my friends were with me like a family and my family understood me as a friend. That was a great feeling for me.

Ok. I will keep all the experiences for the later posts and I think I will be keeping the blog as long as I m in my home town and also free. Catch u pals again!!!

The Oscar goes to....

Being a great movie buff I was waiting for the academy awards. Earlier as per my schedule I would not have watched this show. Thanks to my corporate world which made a miracle so that I could watch this great event. I was very much interested for two reason. First for my favorite actress Kate Winslet and second my own favorite legend A.R.Rahman. I watched from the entry to exit of the show. I have seen a couple of academy awards show but this proved to be different from most of them. A glimpse about the show from my point of view.

The opening was done by none other than the most sexiest man alive on the earth. I have seen him as a mighty werewolf, a fierce mutant, a magician etc. But this time he was the host who did dancing, singing and what not. He mesmerized everybody with his talk and his style. I have no words to describe for you have to see yourself to experience it. For first 10 minutes I was not able to take my eyes of him. But they have got to proceed with the ceremony na. It was a very fine show and the much expected Slum dog Millionaire movie started gathering all the awards to their gallery. As an Indian I was eagerly waiting for the Oscars in the music section. Before giving away the winner both the nominees for the song performed on stage. When Rahman performed his score the entire house was awestruck. They were stunned by the way the music was approached by him. They really understood his new dimension in the music world. When his name was announced I was on cloud nine. I am happy coz I m crazy fan of him.

There were few expected winners like Heath Ledger, who got it for his supporting role in Dark Knight. But the joker was unfortunately missing and so the family received his award. The entire house was reminded that a fellow person was missing. Then the other expected winners were the art direction and visual effects for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Best animated movie of the year for WALL-E.

Unexpected but reality, Penelope Cruz had her hand in the Oscars for Vicky Christina Barcelona in spite of fellow tough competitors. Most of the expectation was on Taraji.P.Henson for The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button and Amy Adams for Doubt. But penelope took the stage for herself in a silent manner. Another surprise was the sound editing for Dark Knight. Coming to the important part of the ceremony is that the Jerry Lewis, the leading comedy actor was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. The entire house gave a standing ovation. The ceremony reached to its height when Hugh Jackman and Beyonce Knowles did a piece together and a piece from Mamma Mia. It was awesome to see such a talented actor on the stage.

Kate Winslet who had been nominated for six times and yet to touch the Oscar was the much expected among the fellow tough competitors like Angelina Jolie for Changeling, Merly Streep for Doubt, Anne Hathway for Rachel Getting Married and Melissa Leo for Frozen River. Meryl Streep has been nominated for this award for 15 times and the stage is never new for her whereas Anne Hathway got her first token this time. Yet much was expected from Kate. When I watched Rachel Getting Married I thought that Anne would get her Oscars. But this morning everything was proved wrong because Kate Winslet at last made to the chamber of winners. She is always my favorite but every time she was nominated she was good but not better. But this time I guess she was the best, I say this because I m yet to watch The Reader.

In the Actor category I had no doubt about the winner. Sean Penn deserves the awards for his extra ordinary pick of character in The Milk. He has done one life time character which is flawless. It definitely requires guts to under take a certain subject which may ruin your entire life if taken to the dark side and I think Sean Penn has taken a worthy risk. I am saying this even without watching the movie. When most people's favourite was Brad Pitt I felt that he was a little bit out of frame. The toughest competitors for Sean Penn were Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler and Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon.

Well as the ceremony proceeded the slum dog millionaire became the spot light and got 8 awards in 9 nominated category. Much interesting thing was that the yesteryear nominees introduced this year's nominees and gave away the awards for categories like Actor,Actress,Supporting actor/actress. This was an entirely different thing in this year's Oscars.

This time the Oscars is very different this is because most of the winners are Non-US artists. This means that they were not born in US but few are settled in there for their career. Here is a sample list.

Hugh Jackman - Host(Australia)
Kate Winslet - Best Actress (UK)
Penelope Cruz - Best Actress in supporting role (Spain)
Heath Ledger - Best Actor in supporting Role (Australia)
Danny Boyle - Best Director (UK)
A.R.Rahman - Best song, Original Score (India)
Simon Beaufoy - Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published (UK)
Anthony Dod Mantle - Best Achievement in Cinematography(UK)
Michael O'Connor - Best Achievement in Costume Design(UK)
Resul Pookutty - Best Achievement in Sound (India)

I think the Oscars have started seeing beyond their curtains. They have started exploring other countries' talents and I think that they will soon be out witted by other country artists. Catch you all folks next year with much more diverse exhibition and meanwhile lets not forget to watch some quality movies.