Field trip!!!!

OMG!!! Am now a final year student!!! Seems only yesterday that I stepped into college!! And here I am..awaiting the opening of my 7th semester of college life..!!!

The last summer vacation as a student is finally at its end.. And fittingly, this was one of my best summers.. the first place still goes to last summer I spent in Trichy..;)The long-overdue field visits in connection with our project finally came into effect this month.. With a lot of doubts and confusions in mind, my friend and I set forth to Dharmapuri on the 19th of June.. The bus travel was definitely an unforgetful one, barring the forgettable Singampuli movie that was screened.. We both had an amazing time chatting late into the night.. girly gossip of course..;) We reached Dharmapuri at 5 the next morn.. and gosh!!! we never thought it would be so cold over there!! I ended up sneezing the entire morn!!! The people at whose place we stayed were very sweet to us.. we felt so much at home.. even better was the fact that they had two kids at their place..!!! and I enjoyed playing with them. The field visit was a success. The officials we met were so warm and helpful.. the staff of IRS definitely need to learn from them. Going from a place where data is denied to their own students (IRS), it definitely was a shocking surprise when we were offered that amount of help!!! Hats off to them!!! Dharmapuri, particularly Pennagaram is a scenic place.. my only regret is that I could not go to Hogenagal, despite it being just half an hour from there.. :( We started back to Chennai the same night.. and oh boy!!! only on that night did I understand the true meaning of the saying- Appearances are deceptive!! The SETC bus, being the only one available to take us back home seemed to be an 'ultra deluxe' bus only from the outside!!! I had a horrible encounter with bed bugs that night.. :(:( I woke up next morning to bites on my arms and legs..:(:(

The very night,21st June, we started for Dindigul, the other place we had to visit as part of our field visit.. and this time, we were clever enough to book tickets in an AC bus.. and we were also lucky enough to watch Singam movie!! Being Suriya fans, it definitely was a treat..:):) We were to stay at a senior's place at Dindigul.. a place called Pattiverampatti..(hope i got the spelling right!!) and the place was an entire world of its own!!! and the hospitality that we were bestowed- complete awesomeness!! we had an entire room, with an awesome dressing room and bathroom, and with our own tv!!! it was completely furnished like a hotel room!!! We were able to enjoy such luxury all thanks to one person!!! We even had a car to take us around!! ;)

Of my visit to Dindigul, the most interesting one would have been to GANDHIGRAM UNIVERSITY!! I was gaping with open mouth at the entire stretch of the pristine campus!! And true to Gandhian ideologies, the men there were dressed in Khadi!!! It really is relieving to know that Gandhian values are still being practised and taught. Awestruck was I when I saw a banner reading "Department of Gandhian thought and Peace science"!!! The sculptures in front of many departments were intriguing and kept one guessing as to what they meant..:):) The next day afternoon, we departed for Sivakasi.. We were at a loss of words to thank our hosts for being so kind on us and treating us as their own family..:):)

And now, SIVAKASI...
No.. I'd need an entire post for that!!!

Fun in the Sun... and Rain...!!!

WARNING: This is gonna be one helluva long post!!!
People with little or no patience are requested to kindly skip reading!!!


Well, I'm back to chennai now... came back yesterday night... this was perhaps the shortest trip of mine to trichy.. :(

So, what inspired me to write this blog?? It was the trip that I had mentioned in the previous post. My friends were planning this for quite sometime.. but things fell into place only now, and we carried out the plan with perfect execution... :):) Of course, when you actually hear about the trip, you won't think it to be something as great as my bragging seems to indicate..:P

This is it- my friends and I had been wanting to go some place that was a day's journey from trichy and come back home the very same night. Since the closest place to home is Madurai, we decided to head for ATHISAYAM theme park in Madurai..:):) And till the eve before the trip, all of us were filled with apprehension and anxiety!!! Why does one have to be anxious about going to Madurai for a day, will be the first thought that comes to anyone's mind. The main thing that all of us were jittery about were that we were going there by car!!!Well, the fact that Anandh is an amazing driver is well known and accepted... but then, to err is human... so, all of us had our fingers crossed... Also, I had something extra to fear about!!! I was going on the trip without my parents' knowledge!!! ;)

So, start we did.. on 1st morn, at 7.30 from Trichy.. I can never forget how much I laughed seeing Hari's attire that day!!! Well, Anandh too was in his casuals.. but Hari, his casuals and his hairstyle are one rare combo!!! And only that morn did I know that, Mani, one of our friends from Coimbatore was also coming directly to Madurai... It was assured that we were in for a gala time!!! It was a comfortable fit in the car.. Anandh and Hari were in the front, and Srinath, Srinithya and myself were at the rear... We had so much fun... none of us slept a wink during our ride.. en route, we stopped to take pics... The photographers in Anandh and Hari, came up with some funny poses for everyone to give... Hari even came loaded with a tripod stand for his camera!!! :D:D

There were a lotta funny incidents throughout.. to quote a few, at the toll plaza, Anandh forgot his car's number and had to get down to check it... and also, none of us knew how exactly to reach the park... It seems the previous night, the guys had been doing some research on the shortest and optimum route (network analysis in real-life!!!) to take using GOOGLE MAPS!!! And during our journey too, we never stopped to ask for directions... all we did was use the moblie!!! ;)TECHNOLOGY PUT TO USE..:):)

And we reached the park at 10.30, and since the time we went in, there was simply no telling how much fun we had!!! The guys were keen on getting us completely wet... Though we girls preferred to sit by the pool, they dragged us in, pushed us from behind and made sure we weren't idle!!! :D Anandh, a pro swimmer was busy taking lessons for the other 3... and Hari and Mani, who can never be without pulling each others legs, whether on land, or in water, were the centre of attraction!!! Whatever they did- pull the float-mats, or dunk each other in water, a few kids tried immitating..:):)

And to add to all this, the weather was awesome that day!!! It started raining and it was so damn chilly that one had to get inside the pool to stay warm- courtesy: the absorption-radiation of the concrete basements..:) Having ice creams when it rains is always a great feeling... and we did that too..:):) We decided to make our money's worth and went a lot of times on a few rides.:) The 'Family raft', 'Dry raft' and ' Aqua bowl doubles' were some of the rides we frequented. The 'Wave Pool' was good too... Whatever ride it was, whether it was the thrilling ones or just lazying around in the shallow pools, we had a great time out there!!!

We went there when the park opened in the morn, and didn't leave until it was after 5 in the eve. And we had to head upto the city of Madurai to drop Mani off, for him to board a bus back home... and it was 6 in the eve when we were back on track to trichy.. The ride back was even more fun with an awesome weather.. we made stops again to take a few snaps..:):) It is always fun to join together and make fun of someone.. and though it usually is Hari who gets caught, this time it was Srinath's turn!!! Solid 3 hours of teasing him!!! The poor guy would've strangled us if given a chance..!! :D


And so it was that our trip to Adhisayam and back home, was safe and sound!!! Thanks to Anandh for his calm, careful and assuring driving skills..:):) We started at 7.30 in the morn and came back when the clock struck 9...:)

A day out with friends is always fun... none can deny that... I'm really glad that I went on this trip... Thanks to the guys for planning the trip, and thanks to srinithya for convincing me to come...:):) Love you all!!!:):):)

Home away form Home...

I had signed off in my last post saying I will pen down my thoughts only after my visit to Trichy... well, surprisingly, I'm writing before that itself..:):)

It is the third day of my visit to my hometown... and the first two days were really packed with memorable and fun-filled moments... I arrived on Sunday afternoon, and I have been occupied since then!!! The first visit I made was to my aunt's place... this year, I had a little niece in addition to my 8-year old nephew waiting for my arrival!!! And OMG!!!! she is such an angel!!! Time really flies by when u are in her company!!! She is just a year old, and has a charm about her that can mesmerize even the most hard-hearted of people... And true to her name, she recognizes music of all sorts and dances to it too!!! A wonderful sight to watch... one will never get bored!!!

Other than my cute niece and my naughty nephew, I had a wonderful time the past two evenings with very special person..:):)Time, somehow seems to fly whenever we get to meet!!!:(:( How I wish I were able to freeze those moments!!!:(:(...sighssss... Well, right now, I am writing this post from my best friend's place... Had a great time with her Grandad too:):) I'll be staying over at her place for the night, or maybe, a couple of nights..:):)We have been talking our heads off since today eve!!! A lotta gossip to catch up to!!! ;) We have planned a trip with a few of our very close buddies for tomorrow... hopefully everything goes according to our plan..:):) Keeping my fingers crossed now..:):) I can never help but feel a sense of satisfaction whenever I'm in Trichy..

Simply put, Trichy is a HOME AWAY FROM HOME!!! :):):)

Summer Siesta...

The world cup got over in all its splendour, and now CSK is making waves in the 4th edition of IPL and I'm yet to write a good blog!!! God... have I been busy?? well, a man is never too busy if he sets his mind to do something... a few other things which had higher priorities prevented me from blogging..!! :P A few responsibilities, like taking part in deciding the ruler of ur state for instance... (cast my first vote!!!) and a few headaches, which were keen on testing my patience, more than my knowledge(psst- am referring to my exams) kept me away.. but now am back..;)

So, what do I blog about?? The summer is here... and so are the long-awaited holidays..The semester that just ended was a damn hectic one(what with saturdays being working days, one never had time for oneself)..I'm having my holidays now.. and I'm enjoying it as much as I can.. enjoying the time I have in a leisurely way.. I spend time with my mom, go online... the routine normal kinda relaxation anyone can have.. but then, peace is short-lived.. one week into the holidays, and I am back in college.. working for a project.. and it demands a lotta work.. my teammate and I have been roaming all over the city in connection with it..!! And what is even more frightening is that we'll be having our first review in less than a week from now..!!!brrr... gives me the creeps just to think of all the sombre faces that'll question us on that day!!

Let me move on to greener pastures.. the one thing that I have been looking forward to all summer is my trip to Trichy!!! And this time, as against the usual tradition of staying over at my aunt's place, I'll be tarrying over at one of my bestest friends place..:):) Its been a year since I last saw some of my friends back there.. can't wait for the 29th of this month when I'll be leaving for Trichy..:)) And know what?? this will be the last summer I visit Trichy as a student.. next I do it, I'll be a B.E. graduate!! YIKES.. that is scary!!!!

Hope to blog about my experiences in Trichy soon... buhbye till then..:):)

CHAK DE INDIA!!! DE DIYA GHUMAKE!!!!!

WOW!!!! What a match!!! 2nd August 2011 will be etched in the minds of the entire nation for generations to come!!! The dreams and hopes and aspirations of a country with a population of 1.2 billion were finally fulfilled!!! I may not be a diehard fan of the game as many in the nation are.. but I am never the less a true patriot of the game.. I did have my doubts though.. not just on one occasion, but on many!!! Right from the word go, I kept biting my nails! The match, from the very beginning was a thriller.. what with the coin being tossed twice??!!! I was also thinking if I am to watch the match or not, fearing the worst to happen, in case I did..;) The Indians were amazing on the field... the bowling was amazing.. though why Sreesanth was chosen still remains a mystery..( was he by any chance considered to be a lucky charm??) I am not going to do any ball-by-ball analysis of the match.. anyone who wishes to witness such an analysis can tune into NDTV, TIMES NOW, CNN IBN and the lot... don’t bother yourself with tuning on to the TAMIL “NEWS” CHANNELS.. all you’ll ever get to see will be the supposedly high octane political drama with each channel trying to show the party they support in the lime light, while shunning the others to the backdrop!! Yesterday night I was truly shocked!!these so called news channels didn’t mention a word about the world cup victory until they highlighted their political party’s election campaigning!!! :o

I’m not gonna talk more on that now!!!

Unity is strength.. this was proved yet again by TEAM INDIA yesterday. Every player performed his job.. both individually, and as a team!! Right from the first ball bowled till the last run scored, the Indians displayed grit and grace. The fielding was stupendous. But after Mahela Jayawardene settled down, I was highly anxious!! There were moments when I swore for every single that the Lankans took!!! ;) and at the end of the Lankan innings, my mind was in a complete turmoil!! Was 275 a chaseable target? Will our batsmen deliver?? And when the opening swashbuckling duo of Sachin and Sehwag walked in, I cheered along with the entire Wankhede stadium. And then, it was as if lighting had struck me!!! Viru was out off the 2nd ball!!! I watched till the wicket of the master blaster fell.. then I could take it no more. I switched off the tv..:( as guests had come home, we had to somehow kill the anticipation building within ourselves, and we decided to rush off to Ascendas. And there!! Wow!! What an atmosphere?? The entire food court was filled with people of all ages sitting glued to the single tv that was over there!! Gautham and Virat were playing sensible cricket!! For every single scored off the bat, there was a cheer, and for every ball that was a fielded, there was an even louder boo!!:):) and when Virat got out, the entire crowd erupted into a frenzy of emotions!!! I was left pondering over my doubts again!!! And then walked in Dhoni!! The epitome of calmness!! Many wondered why he had done so.. he was not in the best of form during the entire tournament, and many were doubtful if he would deliver. And Dhoni proved why he is called CAPTAIN COOL, yet again. What a knock that was!! A true captain’s knock!! After Gautham departed, Yuvi came and joined his captain. And what a way to finish off things!!! Winning runs hit by the captain!!! That too, not a single or a four, but a magnificent SIX!!!! Dhoni, tune zaroor ghumake hi diya!!!INDIA WON THE WORLD CUP!!!!

And it definitely was worth the wait.. 28 years seemed nothing before the tears of joy that ran freely from the eyes of our heroes (and from mine too). The way the younger players carried Sachin on their shoulders was a true display of the love and adoration the entire team has for the Little Master!!! And Virat was truly justified in saying- he has been carrying the burden of the entire nation for 21 years now.. its time that we carried him!! So so so very true!! And the way Man-of-the-Match, Captain Cool, Mahendra Singh Dhoni spoke during the presentations was truly commendable. In all, it was a true team effort. Kudos to our entire team for chasing a respectable target and bringing the CUP THAT COUNTS back to us.

C’mon INDIA, kar lo dhuniya mutthi mein!!!!

2010- A myriad of emotions..

Well, my last blog created quite a stir.. never knew that what I had written would end up in a controversy.. I didn't actually reveal the Da Vinci code..but certain people definitely felt so!!! A lot happened ever since then.. the most important being my 20th birthday!! the best ever b'day I've had so far..(well, I know I said the same about my last b'day..;) but this was truly special!!!) Hmmm..the day wasn't as perfect as I would've wanted it to be.. The beginning of the day after the few initial minutes didn't exactly be to my liking.. but as it was my first b'day to be celebrated in coll, it trully was a bolt outta the blue!!! The day was filled with so much fun!!and the best part was when my wonderful friends took me to the OAT for my 'cake-cutting' act!! As was with all the other b'days of my friends, I had no great expectations about it cause I knew (atleast I thought I knew) what was gonna happen..so, it came as a surprise when I was blindfolded!! even then, I was quite unsure of what was happening.. and finally, when I was allowed to open my eyes, I had the most wonderful surprise of my life..My buddies could not have been more thoughtful!!! First I saw my b'day cake, with the words "HAPPY BIRTHDAY MS. SMILEY", and when I raised my head to thank them, I had a pleasant shock!!! Sitting in front of the cake was a very very very important person of my life!!! I was dumbstruck for a few seconds!! Imagine--me being at a loss for words!!that definitely is a wonder!! I recovered quickly though..;)the gifts that i received that day were damn sweet!! after the party, I had one of my most memorable dinners... ever!! 14-12-2010-u'll stay in my mind forever!!!

The days that followed weren't exactly something I'd like to remember.. except for one occasion, I'd prefer forgetting the remainder of the days in that week..a sorta bad dream they were.. now coming to that one occasion, on 17th, I'd called my buddies home for lunch..it was actually a much-procrastinated affair..after a lot of scheduling and re-scheduling, it was finally decided.. but still, not all of them could make it..:( I had cooked for them all that day..:)can really take pride in blowing my own trumpet that I'm not that bad at cooking..;)my friends loved what I'd cooked..(or atleast they told me so;))..

The remainder of December went away in a jiffy..with a myriad of emotions...there was the usual fun and enjoyment with friends and family..but, there was another side to it..lots of tears..lots of arguments..lots of fights..guilty moments at the words spoken...pain, anger, frustration, and above all-fear..!!

Hmmm...2010 was a myriad of emotions..I expected it to end on a sad note..but it was otherwise!! Just as it had come with a bang, 2010 departed with all its pomp and splendour, on a much happier note...:):):)

And 2011 dawned..fresh and full of promise... with lots of dreams, aspirations and hopes.. hope the year ahead brings joy, success and prosperity to everybody!!!

Happy New Year everyone!!!

P.S.:This post is dedicated to the one person I hurt the most during 2010...I'm really sorry for having done so.. I seriously didn't mean to..

Ode to Ooty..

There..and back again...that was how Bilbo Baggins' book began in The Lord of The Rings... I find it ironic to be using these words as the beginning of my blog.. Life is one big drama so filled with completely unexpected twists and turns. In short, it is one helluva roller coaster ride... The month did begin in a promising way. I had finished writing my semesters and was looking forward to spending some good quality time with my friends at Ooty. We had planned to go there for our survey camp. But, man proposes and God disposes. The first couple of days promised to be full of fun. It seemed as if my entire class had decided to be united during our stay over there. But..that was not to be.. December 4th..one Saturday I will never forget..ever.. The day which resulted in the deepening of the already present chasm.. if the day was bad for others, it was horrible for me.. Right from the minute I opened my eyes on that day, to the minute I finally tried closing them, things went awfully wrong for me. I'd prefer not going into the details. If one would remember 04-12-2010 for all the wrong reasons, I will be one among the few who remember it for the right reasons. My gang of friends in class increased from 5 to 9.. to my "all girls" gang, were added four more guys.. I'll never forget the concern, help and support they showered on us!! I'm actually glad that there was an argument in class as it gave me four new buddies.. and as to the girls in my gang, it only made the bonds between us stronger and firmer.

Moving on to greener and better pastures, the days that followed were definitely something that we'd not forget!!!:):) The games we played on top of the hill with a ball made from aluminium foil, the lunches in the thick mist, the bhajjis by the roadside during the eve and the night walks for dinner..they'll remain etched forever. Also, the maggi made in the middle of the night(with no fire, mind u!!), and then eating them in the corridor at 12 in the night were really amazing!! The trip to Dhoddabetta, the tea factory, the chocolate factory, the pics taken in the Botanical Garden, the toy train ride thru the mountains( it was so like the HOGWARTS express!!!)are definitely worth a mention!! I would not be fair if I don't mention the trip to Tandoor Mahal, atleast for the sake of Santhosh..;).

Days turned to nights..and finally, it was then time to return home..we had to first get to Coimbatore to board a train to Chennai. I am a person who isn't a fan of hairpin bends!!! It was a real challenge for me to control crying out!!! And then, a few of my friends had to part at CBE.. the rest of us had a memorable dinner that night..:):) And in the train back home, about four of us were sitting on the top berth(mine actually) and having a look at all the pics taken during the trip on a laptop..all was well till I rudely fell asleep..and my friends had to vacate!!!:D:D

The train did move on and Chennai we did reach..and we made to our respective homes..with a lot of lessons well learnt and with a silent promise in each others heart that we ten will never part.. Memories live forever..though I had a few bitter experiences, the sweet ones definitely dominate my trip to Ooty.. I may or may not visit Ooty again..but my first visit to the place will definitely be in my heart forever.. New bonds were made and old ones were reforged.. thats it.. THERE ... AND BACK AGAIN!!!

P.S.: forgot to mention about the BONFIRE when the ten of us had an amazing time around the fire, after the rest of the class left..;)