Ford Fusion - To buy or not to buy?

Well so we have been taking a vareity of cars for test drives.

The Ford Fiesta - like it
Hyundai Accent - but since its in phase out we'll have to check out the new one if at all we want to buy that one
Honda City - drove it but didnt like it for whatever reason
Ford Ikon - like it but also in phase out
And finally the Ford Fusion. Like this one quite a bit. And they are offering a massive discount for this month. About a lakh and a half on the Cost Price. Which made me wonder why they would do something like that.
The dealer claims the car gives 10 kmpl. The others say it can give about 6 at the max.

So now I want a verdict on this one.. whether or not to go in for this car.
Lemme know. Thanks in Advance.

I have been singing for as long as I can remember. But the past two weeks have seen me go through a metamorphosis. I always knew I could never be without music. And active performance.

Some people thought that I sing because mom tells me to and I wouldnt do it otherwise. Becos she always had to remind me to practise. And I did it. And I didnt several times. After a point mom let go. Knowing I would come round eventually.

And now I know what it is all about. Mom has given me a foundation in music few can dream of and has chosen to be the candle for me to be the light. I have met people who have wanted to sing in the middle of the night, in the middle of the road. Just because the ambience was perfect. I almost used to die of embarassment. Now I know how that feels. To want to sing not because you are playing to an audience. But because you really want to. And after a point in time you cant survive if you dont. Its not that I have not wanted to sing in these many years. I thrived in it. But now I feel as if I have shifted to a different level. Where I am longing to seek. To search and to look for God in it. And that after a while I am not the one singing, its HE who makes me. He who makes it all happen. And now I realize that actually being a part of music is very humbling. When you meet different people, hear them sing, perform, talk.... you know where you actually stand. And somewhere the shift to a true sadhaka happens. I have read several times, heard several times, people talking about music being an ocean, and great masters saying that they are not even a drop. Though I understood the grammar then, its taken me this long to understand the essence. Sometimes tears just start flowing when I listen to music. Sometimes when I sing. And usually when I listen to someone else. I cant stop them from happening... its like a dam burst open. And when that happens I feel as if that is when I want to be engulfed in light and become nothing. I feel fluid .. and thereafter you just want to stay... dont wanna eat .. dont wanna drink dont wanna move. Even batting your eyelids is laborious. .... actually I dont know... when people say music is a spiritual experience its bang on. There was a time when I didnt wanna practise. Because then it was a task. And for the past two weeks, I am in a tearing hurry to sing... other times I am singing in my mind. meditating on it. I crave to learn more... to fill this empty vessel. Now seeking out is almost an obsession.'obsession' as such is a scary word to use but for now I cant think of a better expression.

I am like anyone else. Laughing, being crazy, doing the usual stuff. But my insides have shifted. My vision has changed. My outlook to music is different. And now I sing for the sake of singing. I feel as if my journey towards sadhana has started. Its taken this long. I have tried mom's patience. All that. And now, mom sees the change in me. I have been wondering, for ages as to what I am looking for. What is missing. And I realize now that it is this.

I look, I search, I seek, I run after. And God willing, I shall find.

Jab seene mein dard ho aansoon ko roken kaise?
Jab dhuan uthe, aag ko chupaayen kaise?

One great weekend

Had some kinda extended weekend, restarted my dance classes and had a great jamming session with Vodka, Shyam, Mac, GNR, Vicky and Rocky. One great group.
Some 3 hours of singing late into the night and waddda time that was. Wont ever forget it.
I have almost never had a band of friends as such. It was good to meet one. They all come together on weekends to make music or jam as I understand. And I bet it must be some great time!
We drove down to Bangalore. and one the way the car heated up so much it started smoking and of course it wouldnt start. All this after we had given it for service the previous day to get them to check if everything was in order. And when this happened, we called this guy at the service and he asked to pour water in the radiator. That did it. The car was in a bigger mess and finally had to be towed to the nearest service station where they had to service the radiator, change the engine oil which the ABT guy claimed to do, but when they drained the oil, it was like pitch. No coolant as well. That guy had drained it and forgot to fill. But we got billed anyway. And finally after some 6 hours of staying in the service station and watch them dismantle the car, we finally hit the road. And in the history of road travel to Bangalore this would be a strong contender for the longest at about 14 hours. Of course counting the stranded time. Finally reached Bangalore. Went into our friend's place, watched Super Singer. And there was an unoffical 'shooting' on one of the handycams where I had to act like myself in Super Singer. It was great fun. Took a shower, the 8 of us had pizza, checked mail and later we started jamming. And that was the best part.

Resumed my dance classes the next morning and knew what people mean when they say that the legs are on fire. But I eventually improved and am glad am on the road to achieving my goals in dance as well. We also met some classical musicians and had some singing sessions as well.
In total, it was music all the way, and have never felt better in my life.

My own Laptop

The Macbook Pro. After much deliberation and months of reading through articles and asking people for opinions, I decided to zero in on this silver thing. It feels great that I could finally get it and though I got it about a week back, thanks to a couple of friends who decided to bring it down for me. Thanks a lot. I will never, ever forget it.

Shooting has been mad, and life has been very busy. But as has been clear from previous posts, I like being busy round the clock. I see that I am a workaholic. Though sometimes I might grumble about not having enough sleep and having dark circles, which doesnt really do any good to a girl's face, or anyone's faces for that matter, but then, hey, whats make up for? If it cant conceal dark circles that is? Make-up for the lost sleep ;)

I am yet to figure out some things and am gonna start with learning something new soon. The way it has gone, it wont be possible for me to finish my masters this year. The next it will be. By which time I plan to submit my project and the research work. Hope I'll do my PhD as well. But then, if I become so super busy with music, I guess I will have to postpone my PhD to when I retire from active performances. :) Am pretty sure that I wont be a megalomaniac, something that mom has coached me more than music itself. Retire when I am at my peak.

Airtel Super Singer has taught me several lessons already. What I see that several people are supra confident, and have spunk. Which I guess I will never have. Even those who were eliminated in the first few rounds believed they sang brilliantly. I am really amazed with that quality. And that confidence showed in their performance. And they werent scared to try out new things on stage. And by the way, that is not sarcasm. Just dont want to be misread here. I have met several different types of people, those who were well past their prime and believed that they could give a go at the contest, and win as well, physically disabled people, but the spirit they have was amazing. People who stood for a long time to get in. Makes me thank God. I am incredibly lucky. And some zillion thanks to Rahman Sir. If maybe, he hadnt believed that I could have sung KMI, I would have been nowhere. If there are two people for whom I ll carry my indebtedness forever, that would be to Mom and Rahman sir.

And the shooting schedules at Vijay TV. Wow. Actually I have it very easy. I just have to report at the venue do my bit and come back when the shoot is over. They, on the other hand have to be there before me, leave after me, do some truckloads of editing and this that, coordinate with the participants. And they are also humans. Most of the crew haven't slept in days. They have been working round the clock.

Watching Unnikrishnan Anna judge was a wonderful experience. He was crystal clear in what he did. And he had a nice way of giving his decree. The way he made some contestants sing, and each contestant had something like a mini class with him. Anuradha ma'am was damn cool. Mom has always said that she was a brilliant person and a super brain. I saw all that. And heard her sing a lot of stuff. She was a fun person out and out. Srinivas sir. My First judge in Saptaswarangal. And who was instrumental in taking me to Rahman Anna. Brought back nostalgic memories, and reminded me of the time that I was in front of him, shivering in my shoes and singing. And now I was hosting the show. Felt happy in the growth. And I know that he feels happy that I have grown as well.

The preliminary rounds with Mahati, Malaysia Vasudevan Sir, S P Shailaja Ma'am, Imman Sir, Malathi ma'am, Seerkazhi sir and Jency Ma'am. Was great. Shailaja ma'am has a great sense of humour. And I only came to realize that Seerkazhi sir is a practising doctor. And we mostly spoke about how the participants sang. And times when most of the judges at some point in time or the other, that if they had to participate now, they'd have lost. More than anything else, Vijay TV has given me a chance to interact with people I would have taken much longer to meet and interact with for such a long time. Jency Ma'am. I never expected to meet. She was highly soft spoken and she was highly sweet. I even tried to speak to her in my broken Malayalam, and she was sportive to continue a conversation. And also said that I sing well :)

The participants, I have met several of them, have made some friends, been ragged, had fun, enjoyed out and out.

More than anything else, the Vijay TV crew, they have been extremely encouraging, and made me look good on screen. My thanks to them go out from here. And they make us feel at home. I have sometimes done some 10 takes. Just because my brain stopped working. And all they would tell me is to cool and relax. Great times. And I have a ball each time. I will miss being around them when the shoot is over.....

And hope this fulfills the wishes of those people who have mailed me to write about my experiences with the show.

Looping in my player 'I'll Be Right there' - Bryan Adams, after ages. Had totally forgotten this song. There is something about BA, eventhough he doesnt have the greatest voices in history. It can almost be defined as hoarse. I was introduced to his music when I was in my 10th std by a neighbour. And the first song I had heard was Please forgive me or maybe it was Everything I do. And that was the day I fell in love with his music. I couldnt make it to his first couple of concerts and when I did go this year, it was a dream come true. Another wish, some day I should perform alongside him. That'll be THE day.
As this song is repeating in my player, feel like dancing a ballet. Soft lights. In an empty auditorium. Built in the way the Opera House is built, in Modena, Italy.. where I performed for Ilayaraja Sir's concert. A wispy costume maybe. Nothing but the song and me. I cant dance ballet for nuts. But I can visualize myself.... Right there.
Or maybe a starry night and a full moon, a stream gushing away nearby, the air smelling of dew in a grassy meadow. And a silver beam from the skies right in the middle of the meadow, to be enveloped in and be transported to the realms of the pure. And be purified. To feel like nothing. To be fluid. And to have a beatific smile and reach higher and higher .. the unknown. To know the unknown.
If there was a gift I wish I had, that would be to have the gift to heal.

Rang De Basanti

Mom and I watched Rang de after ages of planning and going to the theatre twice and returning without tickets.
And waddddda movie. Super acting. Have never seen an actor cry for real before. Today on, me a super fan of Aamir Khan.
And the music. Super duper. No words to describe. Rahman sir is super too cool.

Something that we always knew, no use blaming India for the way it is. And one dialogue which will go down history "No country is perfect. usko perfect banana padtha hai"
People here have too much time, dont wanna do anything, just sit around and gossip. Evident in small things. When the electricity goes, the first thing that anyone will say, is to find out whether there is electricity in the next house, instead of looking for a candle and finding your own light. More than a cold blooded criminal, an idle man is the biggest hazard of any nation. Why the nation, lets talk small. An apartment complex, a street, an area.

People can actually create work, if they dont have anything to do instead of just crapping. Wonder when we will finally grow up.

Your Opinion

We have started looking into Mid Segment cars and have been wondering which one is DA One.
We like the Accent as of now, but seems like its gonna be upgraded and would be best to wait until that version is released.
Would really appreciate some guidance on this. TIA

Airtel Super Singer
Telecast on Fridays and Saturdays 8 pm IST
Starting today :-)

Talking of Wifi, I went to Barista and to a food sone on GN Chetty road to find both were WiFi enabled. Seems there are more than I expected in the city. And as I see chennai station is also supposed to have WiFi but our laptop didnt detect it.

Wonder how many places in Chennai has Wifi not including IIT

I usually crib about the airlines we travel on.
And Paramount airways is an exception. Great flight, great travel and more than anything else the plane landed like a dream. No plonking on the runway this time. Came to know that the pilot was firang. And apparently Paramount had trouble taking off because Indian food didnt agree with the pilots. Poor things. There must be some way of getting them used the food here. Inflight food was great too. The flight was delayed by 2 hours or so from Madurai and during which time I tried to clear some of my backlogue. Thanks to WiFi. Wish all cities will be WiFi enabled and we can pay internet bills as we do now for dial up or broad band accounts. That will be the day!
Another interesting thing was that when we were exiting Madurai Railway station there was a board saying that area was WiFi enabled. Chennai railway station has no WiFi but Madurai does?? I was totally stunned.. now can someone tell me whether that is true?
Three days in Madurai .. great time. Did I mention the super fun I am having hosting this show???

Also got in touch with a couple of classmates from 6th standard I had lost touch with. Must say Orkut is a great place. It felt good to be back in touch and catching up on lost times. And also realized how time flies. I think by the time I realize what happened, I will be 48.
Also talking of time whooshing by, its sad how several people waste it. I used to do it once, and when mom used to tell me that this leisure will never come and that I should make use of it to learn as much as I can, the truth rings too loudly in my ears now. The youth have so much energy to harness and so much time. A lot dont attend college. But my classmate for the Msc program, who is also teacher told me that the students were supra burdened with education that when they reach college they couldnt care less. Also she said there is not much difference in the syllabus of the first two years in Physics and Maths bachelor programs. And they dont want to take classes. SO much can be learnt. Perfecting small skills. And once the youth empower themselves the country can prosper. No use saying India is the way it is because of this and that. And people who dont know what to do with their time are interested in disrupting others'. Thats the main problem around here. People want to be jobless enough to degrade themselves. When will we learn?

In Madurai for the Airtel Super Singer Zonals. Day 1 is done. Day 2 will start in a few hours from now. Had a whale of a time. When we landed in Madurai, there was a slight hitch in the internet connection in the Hotel and we went across to the internet kiosk on the opposite side. And strangely enough the manager of the kiosk refused to take money for my internet usage and took my autograph instead. Cant really describe that feeling. Its definitely not super elation like wowwwww I got something free coz someone recognized me...actually dunno. I am just plain confused. The internet connection at our hotel was later restored. Thank God for huge mercies. Nowadays I almost feel handicapped without an active internet connection. Phew we are all slaves of technology.
Went to Meenakshi Temple, the Theppa Kulam, the Naicker Mahal though I didnt go inside, I was too busy blowing bubbles, and wherever our car went, you could find a string of bubbles trailing behind. I found that I still have a fascination for that soap liquid and the weird shaped tube or pipe or whatever-you-cal- it which I have grown used to seeing over the years. Small joys at Rs. 5. Of course, if you buy the same outside Odyssey in Gandhi Nagar, Chennai, its 50 bucks.

We also checked out the Yanai Kal and Kal Palam. And then we returned to the hotel. By the way, this was all part of the work for which we had come here. The talent so far in all three cities has been great and am looking forward to see how the zeroing down will happen.
Got a deadline to meet. Gotta go.
Lots more to come. Stay tuned :)

The Chennai Auditions went by succesfully and I cant imagine the amount of fun I am having. Have been meeting a lot of people, and I have ended up asking the same girl her name thrice. And its amazing how people still have the patience to reply. And then I remember I already asked them and then tell them I have short term memory loss. Somehow, as far as my memory is concerned a lot of data that is stored in Short Term Memory and its travel to Long Term Memory, there seems to be a slip somewhere... the travel just fails to happen. I am amazed as to how some people can remember several things, names, birthdays, addresses, clothes they wore... whoah that is something. Wish I get that ... at least will lead less ppl to think that I am the 'celeb' types not remembering names. Now that I am on this side, I see really how tough it is for people to recall and next time someone doesnt remember who I am, I know what it is like... and in most cases they are not faking it.
The one thing about the auditions is that I have never done so much walking and running about in my life and I am usually dead on my legs. Have woken up after about 11 hours of sleep. I really wonder how people in Vijay TV manage. And how they manage to keep their head cool after all this. And I fly off the lid if a translator doesnt deliver on time.....
Looking forward to the Madurai Auditions of Airtel Super Singer.

Those of you who havent made it to Coimbatore and Chennai, catch the train to Madurai and watch Vijay TV for important info!

My First Item Number

In Pachai Guthirai. I have been excited about it right from when I recorded the song one month ago for Sabesh-Murali sirs. I share the space with Pop Shalini And Suchitra in that song.
I had a great time singing the song, one because I hadn't done something exactly like this before and must give a BIG thank you to the Music Directors and Parthiban Sir.

Whoever has been following up on my songs, please listen to it and lemme know how it sounds!

Chennai Auditions - Airtel Super Singer

16th April
Chennai Convention Centre
Nandambakkam.

Be there by 7:00 am and start rocking!

Airtel Super Singer

Have received a few mails regarding the experience of anchoring Super Singer. It was absolutely amazing, Vijay TV was extremely patient with me, and I learnt how to talk nineteen to a dozen in Tamil. Of course, I was tongue tied sometimes, the words just didnt come out, and there were times, when they got to recognise a certain blank look on my face to see that nothing is working around my gray cells. As of now, I will not be able to write about what happened Behind the scenes until they telecast the show.

But as far as I am concerned its a ride!

Marakka Mudiyuma

I have finally got hold of the title song from this serial for which I have received several mails and requests

For all those who have asked me, you can now listen to it here

Yet to edit my post on the Coimbatore experience which was rollicking.
Cary and the SS Music team came home to shoot 'I, Me, Myself' and it was good talking to him. And after ages I was talking in English on TV. :) Got to speak about a lot other than music which was also nice, since I didnt have to answer the routine questions. And then the best part was when Cary was talking about how he Got Mr Amitabh Bacchan to record the voice mail message "Hi you have called Cary, please leave a message and I will make sure that he calls you back". Super smart. If I had known his number then, I would have called his mobile and wished he wouldnt answer it .. hee hee.
The interview was good and guess it will be shown sometime on SS Music. Also recording the promo for the show was fun, as I was instructed to 'hit' Cary's head with a cushion each time he was half way through a sentence. It took me a couple of takes to get the right, cos by the time I thought it was time to get the cushion come into contact with his head, it was too late. Got to know a lot of things about anchoring a show in English on TV, first was when I met Craig from SS and now Cary.

Have sung in Kalaba Kadhalan, Amirtham, Thunicchal and Nee venumda Chellam. The songs are on my audio blog. Have also uploaded a title song of a serial which is currently being aired, "Vamsa Vriksham".
Check them out :)

First Round of Airtel Super Singer

In Coimbatore. 1st and 2nd April.
I might be posting updates from there or might not. Depends on how it will go. Am frankly looking forward to it.
Went to Besant Nagar beach after ages. I grew up in Adyar and I really miss that place. Nothing like Adyar and nothing like being close to the beach. Cycling down most of the times. Mom and I went and ate at Planet Yumm, bought some spiced boiled peanuts, which I buy from one particular lady. Its super. Sometimes, I have driven almost 18 kilometers to get that one pack of peanuts.
Anyway work has been great as usual. And its been great on the music side also. Life is good and me is joyful :)

Change in Plans

Instead of judging the competition, I am now hosting the show.

And now I wil be brandishing the mic in Coimbatore, Madurai and Chennai.

Something I have not done before and seems to be good fun, and I learn another skill. How cool is that? :D

Aahista Aahista.....

Snatching some time to blog. This song has been looping in my player and in my brain for about 4-5 days now. Actually its been looping subconsciously from the day I heard it. This song has made me smile, put me in retrospective mode, made me weep..... Its wonderful to listen to Mr Udit Narayan's not to mention the soft strains of Ms. Sadhna Sargam's voice. BTW its the song from Swades.
I really marvel at Mr Udit Narayan's capacity as a singer. He can sing total 'gaana' songs and songs like this. And its taken me quite a long time for my pea brain to understand that though this song seems to be slow, its actually not. It has a quite a pace.

Most of the times, I cant work or do anything else when I am listening to music, contrary to what most people. Cant concentrate on anything else. .....It would have been something to listen to Rahman sir weave his magic in the song. I had the chance to listen to him play for the first time, when he played in En Uyir thozhiye in Kangalal Kaidhu Sei. It was as if the Raag Durga just flowed through to his keyboard. Fluid. Total bliss for about... how long I dont remember.. but it was one of the best Durga-s I have ever heard. More than singing for him, I wish I could be the fly on the wall and hear him play. I have heard it a couple of times, but as a rasika, I really long to hear more of that.............................. if only words could translate music..

Wish sometimes, I could have had the talent of a poet, for none other than he who is talented in poetry could find the right words to describe music. As for me, whatever I say with describing music is concerned falls way too short of what I want to express. Thats where some words help.. spellbound. speechless.