Shifted to wordpress !!!

Oh, I didn’t mention that in my previous post, did I ??? Gulp !!!!

Ok, guys, Im really sorry for that prank; I really am.. I am neither going anywhere nor am I quitting from blogs because of some silly reason. Its just that I decided to move to wordpress and from on, you all are going to see me there :

vlokam.wordpress.com
I request you all to replace your readers, feeds and all those stuffs with this new blog url.

Well, you all deserve an explanation from me and it is waiting for you people in the new place. See ya !!!

(You can throw all those eggs, rotten tomatoes, stones and chappals over there at wordpress. And with chappals, make sure you throw both of them so that I can make a pair! )

Current Favs : June 10 - July 10

Though Bollywood (I seriously don’t have an issue using this word) witnessed a number of music releases in the last one month, it was just Jashnn and Kaminey that stood out. Kambakkt Ishq had just one decent number (the RDB version of the title song), but again it was just the interludes that made it exciting; the song was soo bland ! and please, don’t even make me write about the movie ! If you love yourself, please don’t go watch it! It doesnt even deserve to be watched in a pirated CD ! Barring Shruti Haasans version of 'Luck Aazma' from Luck, the rest of the soundtrack is a disaster; then again, even that song is passable. The other major disappointing albums were Love Aaj Kal and Shortkut; the former because of the expectation from the Imtiaz Ali-Pritam combination and the latter for the undisputable track record of Shankar Ehsaan Loy. Again, to each their own; I am aware of people who are in love with the songs of Love Aaj Kal. Jashnn has some real good songs, 'Tere Bin', 'Aaye Re' and the two pakistani band songs, 'Dard-E-Tanhai' and 'Main Chala' are my favourites; try listening to them if you havnt yet. And whaaat an album Kaminey is !!!! 'Daan Ta Naan' is soon going to be an anthem !!! 'Fatak', 'Pehli Baar Mohabbat', 'Raat Ki Dhai Baje' and the title track; all are equally good !

I had to place 'Oh Divya' from Maasilamani (Tamil) in this list though the album released somewhere in May. This song is surprisingly good, considering the fact that it came out from D.Imman and I simply loved the way Shaan rendered it.

Now, if you are a real music lover, who would go beyond the boundaries of language, do listen to the songs of Aayirathil Oruvan (Tamil) and Kalavaramaaye Madhilo (Telugu). The songs of Ayirathil Oruvan simply grow on you, especially the one mentioned here and the semi classical ones (Thaai Thindra Mannu). and the title song of Kalavaramaaye Madhilo is easily one of the best melodies I have ever listened to. Take a bow Chitra; now I know how an angel sounds like !!!


1. All the songs of Kaminey (Hindi) – Music : Vishal Bharadwaj

2. Indha Paadai – Aayirathil Oruvan (Tamil) – Music : G.V. Prakash Kumar

3. Kalavaramaaye Madhilo – Kalavaramaaye Madhilo (Telugu) – Music : Sharreth Vasudevan (Asianets Idea Star Singer judge and Keralas most under rated music director)

4. Sehari – Oy (Telugu) – Music : Yuvan Shankar Raja

5. Tere Bin – Jashnn (Hindi) – Music : Toshi Sharib

6. Kannil Theriyum – Angaadi Theru (Tamil) – Music : G.V. Prakash Kumar

7. Chor Bazaari – Love Aaj Kal (Hindi) – Music : Pritam

8. Tu Ne Jo Na Kahaa – New York (Hindi) – Music : Pritam

9. O Divya – Maasilamani (Tamil) – Music : D. Imman

10. Kuzhaloothum Poonthennale – Brahmaram (Malayalam) – Music : Mohan Sithara

Phew !!!!!

Thanks you guys !!!!

It was just one of those lousy days and I somehow wanted to bring out the frustration in me. Im really sorry to have made you guys go through all that torture in the name of a post, but I am glad that there a lot of them out there whom I havnt even met to bank on. That post was so not me; atleast I don’t reveal my real problems to even the closest of my friends that easily. There were quite a few reasons for all those outburts, but then again, I prefer keeping it to myself rather than ranting about it here and making this space even more depressing. And I had already received comments from various corners that I wear my heart on my sleeve, so zipping my mouth. LOL. Yesterday, somehow I couldn’t control any longer and some of the issues just came out; more like a volcanic eruption and guess what, I felt a lot relieved the moment I hit the publish button for that post. Now thanks to you guys, I am feeling much much better now. And frankly speaking, some of those statements in that post don’t make sense to me also now. LOL.

I am using this forum to reply to all your comments. I might not do justice in replying to your comments in depth and that’s only because I really don’t want to go through all those ‘atyachaars’ of mine once again.

Badz : Awwwwww, thank you !!!!

Solilo : LOL, it is ! I hope I won’t do this atyachaar again !

Pixie : Thanks a lot !!!

OG : Nothing happened aliyaaa. Reasons…hmmm….there are so many, but don’t worry, Im all ok now.

Bhargavi : Exactly, one of those stupid days !

Rakesh 2 : Yeah, you are right ! I guess I just started taking Mr. Life seriously. LOL.

Sakhi : No one likes to admit it, but it’s a fact !

Soneeta : The world is surely going to end. Look at the length of your comment, and that too two !!! LOL. And yes, its time you started your own blog ! C’mon, it will be fun.

Aaarti : Yup, one of ‘those’ days .

Swaram : LOL, moral support, huh? That’s a good one. I should try that !!

EISI : Im glad that I made you think. LOL, jus kidding !

Nautankey : You are accusing me of stealing your thoughts, how dare you !!LOL ! Is it the similar phase that we are going through that’s making us think on the same lines???? Dude, I can sleep to forget things easily, why should I give up myself to addictions?? Hehehe.

Ashwathy : You were expecting a 'Why-me' post from ME ??? But then again, Why me???? LOL.
“that happens when u let ur heart rule ur head” – some of them say I don’t have a brain (remember Smitas previous post?) and some of them claim that I am heartless. Now, which category do I fall under !!! LOL
“we do that all the time by coming to ur blog :D today is no different!!!! Hehehe” – finally someones telling the truth. LOL.

Dhiren : Yeah, whats happening to everyone ! I guess too much of spare time that’s making everyone think a lot ! :D

Rakesh : With you around, I wouldn’t be surprised if people had such status messages. You know you are a big pain when it comes to chatting, right? LOL.

I guess you didn’t understand the logic behind the curry leaves. LOL. Use and throw, buddy !

Varunavi : Bloody Bedsheets, aren’t they ???

Varun : LOL @ the recharge card. That is smart ! and yeah, you are right, we should ping the ones who have DND. LOL. Disgusting roomies you have ! LOL. And what made me write this? Im curious too !! LOL

Veena chechi : Yeah, just those days when we feel all dejected ! Eeeeeeeeeeeeee ( see? Im smiling now !!! )

Verbivorehere : Too many reasons, but now I am ok.

Anonymous : If I always made sense, this post wouldn’t have come up. LOL. Anyway, I don’t like taking U-turns because I always preferred listening to my head instead of mind.

Shraddha : Yeah, all of us and at most of the times.

Nikhil : Welcome back after a long time. I guess, now that the work on your book is over, you have a lot of spare time in visiting other blogs. LOL. And dude seriously, something happened to me yesterday! :D

Smitha : Yeah, it doesn’t have that trademark, you are right !

Vee: You are right Oxy boyy. We should start thinking about ourselves first ! People might call us self centred, but these days, that’s the only way to find happiness ! unfortunately, its not happening that way. LOL.

Badz : LOL, you devil !!!! Shhhhhhh….will ya ???? :D :D

Deeps : Exactly, just go with flow. We shouldn’t be thinking too much, isn’t it ?

Reema : Yup, everything is getting better now !

Indyeah : I loved the optimism that you brought in to each of the pessimistic statement that I made. But how is life being fair to a person who is handicapped/crippled since birth ? Most of them end up at the streets ! When would such a person get a turn around in life ?
And Eeeeeeeeeeeeee (Im smiling, see?)

Amit : Hmmmm…In a way yes, but quite not what I meant.

Crafty : I second Ashwathy here. You deserve the best comment award for this post !!! and you have made your points clear in just a few words. LOL.
Vimmuuu sheepishly admits that it was him and no imposter ! but thanks for breaking into my house that way! I need to mend my door and get new furnitures now! Sigh !!

Emotional Atyachaars !!!

Sometimes life gives us all kinds of happiness; a perfect home and job, an understanding partner, great parents, the best of friends, and everything that would make an outsider go green with envy. And then suddenly, one fine morning, it gives us one huge blow right on the face bringing in an ever lasting depression and making us forget all those good times that we once enjoyed. Even when we try to move on, the scar remains somewhere deep inside; the fear of a relapse creeps in every now and then. Life as they say is all about ups and downs; but when we never ask for an up, why does it have to give us the downs? They also say that one would realize the importance of happiness only when one goes through a real tough time. How can we realize the importance of happiness later on if we lose something important or someone special during those tough times? Would we remain happy during the rest of our lives at all? Aren’t those haunting thoughts enough for us to be miserable for the rest of our lives? Life treats everyone the same way, doesn’t it? It doesn’t care if you are a person who hasn’t done or meant any harm to anyone or if you have literally raped everyone on earth with your eyes; everyone goes through those ups and downs similarly, don’t they ? why is life this unfair then ?
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Sometimes we go out of our way and help those people to whom we are very close. But then at times we end up being taken advantage of also! There are people who use us and then walk out of our lives as if we weren’t anyone to them. They just need us as a solution for their temporary problem and once it is solved, they don’t even care to look around for us. More often than not, many of us have lived the life of a Curry Leaf. We add the flavor to a person’s life like a curry leaf and then get literally thrown away just like one. Why do we even let people treat us like one of those leaves when we are very much aware of this fact ?
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Sometimes we stare at our own life and realize how helpless we have been at various situations. In our attempts to please others, we just nod our heads and go with the flow. We do not think of our preferences; we stop giving importance to our own priorities and would be more than happy to see if people around us are happier. Gradually, we write a script and screenplay for our own life and then become a part of it. We get used to something that we never liked once and in the long run, become content with our life. Arent we just existing then, instead of living ?
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I once joked to one of my real close friend that my friendship with him/her was nearing the expiry date. I felt bad for making that statement because my friend took it in a different sense altogether and kept taunting me with that for a while. But I was just thinking about a few days back and though I was blabbering on that particular day, I was right in some way! All relationships do have an expiration date, doesn’t it? I lose the relationship with my dear ones once either of us are no more; the moment a misunderstanding creeps in, my relationship with my friend dies; my boss is no longer my boss when either of us quit our job, etc.
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Why do people write ‘Do not Disturb’ status messages in I.M.s ? If they really didn’t want anyone to disturb them, why even log in?
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I stare at my boss with a straight face when he says ‘Best of Luck’ after assigning targets at month beginnings! Is he saying that out of concern or is he trying to scare me?
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It really confuses me when a person tells his/her lover - ‘I don’t deserve your love’. Now is that a statement from the heart or from the brain ???
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I become totally speechless when a stranger out of nowhere asks me, “ Who are you?” Seriously guys, what would you all answer?
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Why is it difficult for certain people to clean their own under garments? Isn’t it simply disgusting to let your mom/spouse or your maid to even lay their hands on your under garments? (I was recently ridiculed for making this opinion in office and I still cant understand why they found it funny !)
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Now, did any of these make sense or did you guys just waste your time ?????

The MOBStory !!! – Korangante kayyil poomaalagal.

I had this post saved and all ready to publish which unfortunately got stuck in my pc when I gave it for replacing the speakers. Honestly, the title was inspired from MJ’s HIStory and I had written this way before what had happened to him. Infact, I even mentioned the title of this post in one of my earlier post.

Warning : My longest post !
Edited to add after Sakhis comment : This isnt a technical post in any angle. Its very much my usual non-sense. Expecting a technical post from me would be like expecting Salman Khan to do a good film !!

Mobiles, I would say is one of the wonders of modern science. Imagine a world today without those devices! Taking away my mobile from me would be like literally tearing apart my arms. I am so addicted to them that if given a choice to save my life or my mobile, I would choose the latter. Its like, why do I even need this life without my mobile !!! and yes, if my mobiles had a voice of its own, it would have cried everyday; if it had a life, it would have tried killing me several times; if it had legs, it would have crossed the seven seas and would have never appeared in front of me.

Every time I get a new mobile, my folks at home would ask me as to when I would be buying the next one. My mom even compares my mobile usage to that old proverb of monkeys and garlands. Well, you cant blame anyone; 7 mobiles in 9 years, that’s one helluva record, isn’t it?

((going into flashback mode))

Nokia 3210 (Dec 2000 – Apr 2002)

My first mobile, got it way back in dec 2000 when I went to meet my dad who was in the ‘gelf’. I was doing my graduation then and was this kind of person who never bothered to inform my mom when late and so my dad got it for me so that I could be easily traced. I was so excited carrying a mobile because those days, having one was more like a status symbol; I was a total show off and carried it even to the roadside shops !

The handset was heavy, but sturdy and with the amount of times it fell from my hand, I could easily call it indestructible. Easily, one of the best handsets from Nokia and also one of the best handsets I ever had.

Nokia 9210 Communicator(May 2002 – Nov 2003)

My soooper dad had received this handset as a gift from his work place and passed it to me. Usually, my bro enjoys such privileges, but didn’t want to ‘carry’ this brick replica and was happy with his 8210. (But I now wonder what I did to that 3210?? Where or whom did I leave it with ???)

I began using this piece in 2002, it costed 50k during those days and I was easily the center of attraction during my post graduation. No one called it a communicator though, they were happy referring it as a ‘senkal’ (brick). It was so heavy and huge that while having in it my shirt pocket, my shirt used to look like one of those over crowded public buses slanting to a particular side. It had all the features of a notebook and this was probably one of the very few color phones those days. The applications in it were awesome, and it also had programs like word, excel and power point. And guess what, some of my classmates used the word application for cheating in the exams (psst psst… my brother would be reading this, so I cant mention my name). The brick was notoriously famous for one more reason. It had a game named Bounce (a game with a small ball that you are supposed to guide through to different levels) and most of them in my class were addicted to that. The best part is that they would want to play with it only during the lectures and each time, they asked me for the mobile they would say, “ Vimal, pass your mobile; we want to play with your balls”. I am not kidding, EVEN THE GIRLS !!!

Theres another incident that I can never forget. In 2003, the cricket world cup was going on, and I was in this hotel room trying to make my final check out when an attendant came in to help. I left the phone on the bed and just when I was about to leave the room, he said, “ Sir, you forgot your transistor !!! ” I looked at him not knowing if I should go through the pains of explaining him what it actually was.

The mobile started acting crazy after a while and in my attempts to make it work during crisis situations, I managed to break it into two. Though my dad got it repaired later on, it was never the same old brick…errr…communicator.

Nokia 8210 (Oct 2003 – Feb 2004)

This was my bros handset and I got it from him when he had to leave for one of his onsite. Used it for a few months and one fine day, while fiddling with the mobile inside a toilet, fell from my hands into a bucket (which was obviously filled). It did work after that, but in a few days time, it had issues with its display and later on the handset decided not to work anymore !

To be honest, I never liked this handset for the simple reason that it was too small for me to handle ( it was smaller than my palm) and I used it only for like 4 months or so.

Sony Ericsson T630 (Feb 2004 – Nov 2005)

Dad was still abroad and in Jan 2004, I had asked him to get a Nokia 6600, which was a craze back then or any other Nokia phone that had a large display. But my dad got me this handset of Sony Ericsson after a lot of research and you cant imagine how mad I was at him!! Sony mobiles didn’t have a good reputation then and no one even carried one. Moreover, I badly wanted that 6600 !

But to my surprise, this has remained my favourite handset till date. The sound output was too good, wonderful picture quality and I started composing songs with the Music DJ software that it had. It was handy, light and was a perfect entertainer in all sense. The only issue I had was with the backup of the battery. Sony Ericsson phones till date have this issue and I wonder why their engineers never rectified it. Anyway, I am still glad to have got introduced to the Sony Ericsson family; Thank you dad. You always knew whats best for me!! It was a forever bye bye to the Nokia and the other handsets. Its going to be only Sony Ericsson from now on.

Every good thing needs to end; Chennai received one of the heaviest rainfalls in Nov 2005 and my T630 got drenched completely on my way back home from office. It did work, but showed signs of discomfort. I had to get another mobile before I lose all my compositions and so……

Sony Ericsson W550 (Nov 2005 – Aug 2007)

I happened to witness the launch of this handset when I had been to Singapore for a short visit and ever since that I wanted to catch hold of it. My issues with S.E. T630 and the launch of this phone in India happened almost at the same time. Exchanged my older one and bought this which apparently is the first mobile that I had used my own wallet for. I still remember the excitement that I had while using this phone though a lot of my friends (and as usual family) commented on how much I spent on it. No other Sony phone till date has matched the sound clarity and output of this phone; the best ever in the Walkman series! Stayed with me for a very long period and I am indebted to this mobile for being the only source of relief during the worst phase of my life.

This phone too got wet and went haywire; the stupid that I am, picked up a call while taking a shower! Thaaaats right !! However, it was just a few keys that weren’t working and also the mobile would get charged only when it was switched off. I so loved this phone that I kept using it with the issues it had for nearly 6 months until I realized it was time to move on!

Sony Ericsson W610 (Aug 2007 – April 2009)

The silliest and the worst mobile I ever had. I admit, purchasing this was one of the biggest electronic mistake I ever did. Well, all those ‘Charging Alien Battery’ and automatic headset mode were from this phone! And this time, all that trouble it gave me was for no ‘wet’ fault of mine. The handset was an insult to the Walkman series as it had the worst sound output ! Theres nothing good to talk about this phone. Oh yeah, it was thin and that’s it !

((to the present scenario))

Sony Ericsson W595 (June 2009 )

Got this one just a few days back. The sound output is good and so are the features. The new version of the Walkman is cool and much more user friendly. So far so good and now lets see how long this garland is gonna last with the monkey :D. Also I hope to continue this series in a year or two. LOL!

PS : Literal translation of the title tagline – Garlands in the hand of a monkey !