THANK YOU GOD

Thank you God ...for caring for me..
...and blessing me with the few people...who TRULY care about me ....who TRULY value me :)...

Thank you...

KANAA KAANGIREN - latest addiction :)

Alright :) This is about another song..which I heard yesterday night..

and its grown on me completely :) and gripped me :) and not letting me go of it :)..

I've been listening insanely to this song over and over again..

It is AWESOME :)

Hats off to G V Prakash for creating a song like this! :)

Well..the song does have its own pitfalls....Without a look at the music credits, I would've easily thought that this song was by AR Rahman (because of the rhythms and percussions and choice of singers :) )....OR..Harris Jayaraj (because of the tune and chords :)...very very "Harris-h" :D )...

Also...he has done a very very very similar song ..called "alibaba thangam" in his earlier film "polladhavan"...this song is more or less like a continuation of that..:)

G V Prakash does seem to have derived a lot of inspiration from both the legends...It is not surprising...considering that he has worked quite a bit for both of them...

BUT...overlooking all this....we have a BRILLIANT song...more or less perfect ..in every sense :)

Feels great to listen to the voices of Shubha Mudgal and Nithyashree after ages :)

...Many people have been disagreeing with me till now...on this....But I still stand by my word :)...when I say Rukmini Vijaykumar looks and dances AWESOME :)...it is an absolute pleasure to watch the graceful beautiful lady all the way :)

Of course...I do agree if people say that the hero is a turn off :D....

But who cares...when we have Rukmini throughout :)

HERE IT IS :) - THE SONG - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pmowntr3yYE

Njoi :)
Cheers :)

Ashwin..

SCREAMING,HOWLING,WHISTLING IN THE CINEMA THEATER......I MISS IT :( :( :(

I felt like writing this post when I saw these videos.

If I were in India, I would've SURELY seen this movie first day first show and howled and screamed, just like anyone else who is doing so...EXACTLY for these 3 videos :)

I am HUGE fan of Surya! I might've even danced ...for video no. 1 :D...

My loudest scream would've been for video no. 3.

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XfOmslOQ-g

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ByfcZ31qf8

3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x79VMRKK6K0

I was not, am not and will never be a fan of watching movies in multiplexes.

I am never a silent person and just cannot stand silence. :)

Multiplexes are full of the so-called "multiplex crowd" which do not ever open their mouths, as if the multiplex is a hospital!

I might sound cheap here, but trust me, I seriously find it a waste to shell out around 100 - 150 Rupees (of course, these days its lesser I guess ) and watch a movie in absolute silence, when I can pay around 30 Rupees and watch the movie in a place where they consider it as a festival and people are in their highest spirits and cheer throughout the movie as if there's a cricket match or a college football game going on!

Back home, in Bangalore, I ALWAYS used to watch movies most of the time in Cauvery, Nataraj, Sampige, Urvashi theaters.

THESE ARE SOME OF THE PLACES I NOW MISS THE MOST !! :(

Those were places, in which, I used to scream and shout and howl at the top of my voice, usually when the following names appeared on the screen. (I SO SO SO miss all this now..I feel like crying :D..seriously! The only way I can cheer myself up is by watching these youtube videos which remind me of ALL THE GOOD TIMES back home :) )

1. "SUPER STAR R.....A.......J.......N......I" ...this one as well :) - super star Rajni

2. I MISS SCREAMING "AANDAVAAAAAAA" when "Universal Hero Padmashree Kamal Hassan / Ulaga Nayagan Kamal Hassan" appears on screen . He's my all time favorite actor.

Just take a look at the following videos :) - this is what I SO long to do :)

1. Unnai Pol Oruvan Kamal intro

2. Dasavatharam Kamal intro and Dasavatharam Fletcher intro

3. Vettaiyadu Vilayadu Kamal intro

4. Indian Kamal intro

AND FINALY THE BIG ONE, WHICH ALMOST MAKES ME CRY :) when I see this

5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r84DeO3WP04&feature=related

I think this is the first thing I'll do, given a chance to come back to India any time :D Hehe!

3. "Music - A R Rahman"

4. "Music - Harris Jayaraj"

5. "Chiyaan Vikram"

Then, for some songs like this I would've sang along, if not danced along :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rdx40rOkZBk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HLXcGxo1N8&feature=related

LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST, I WOULD'VE GONE IN FRONT OF THE SCREEN AND DONE BOWS AND WITHDRAWS FOR THIS ONE :) - THE UNDISPUTED GREATEST INTRO OF ALL TIMES :D :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK49VtIOXJ4

HEHEHE! :D

Will post more of such videos when I find them!

Cheers,

Ashwin

COUPLES RETREAT - BRILLIANT MOVIE !! :)

Okay! I guess I am blogging after a really long time. The past few weeks have been quite hectic. Quite a bit of research work had to be done.. and the quarter has started..which means the chain of assignments and midterms and quizzes and projects has started..

My roomie and I wanted to take it easy today..I was lazing around the whole day..We decided to watch a movie in the evening - Couples Retreat

Both of us being big time Rahmaniac's :), were absolutely spellbound and bereft of words when we heard the soundtracks which released a couple of weeks ago. This is easily if not THE BEST (according to me..it IS the best :) ), one of AR Rahman's best works.

( for those of you who are hearing about AR Rahman for the first time, he is the best musician I've ever known. We won't see someone like him for eternity. If you want to listen to the best of his music, I'd recommend you can google up and listen to these soundtracks - Roja, Kadhalan, Bombay, Lagaan, Swades, Alai Payuthey, Kannathil Muthamittal. I can go on and on because everything that he has done is awesome :). Listen to these first, and I can point you to more, if you are still interested. I am sure you will be :) ).

He is THE inspiration to all musicians hailing from India and other countries too, I am sure.

Anyway, with him in mind, we went to watch the movie. But when we did start watching the movie, the story and the film itself were so good, that we ended up almost forgetting about Rahman. :) Of course, we were awestruck as usual, when we heard our favorite tracks being played in the background.

We were sure - Who cares how awesome or awful the movie is, we're gonna watch it for Rahman!

Every Indian is sure to be proud to see the God of music weaving his charm all over Hollywood. :)

And more so, every Tamizhan is SURE to feel proud when the Tamil song "Kuru kuru" plays in the background. Damn! If only I were in India, I am sure , I along with fellow Rahmaniacs would've whistled and howled and screeched through out the movie. :)

People have slammed it as lame and rubbish and what not..But I loved every bit of it! It was fun and at the same time, made complete sense to me. And btw..the film is full of chicks..and some really good ones ;) what more could a guy want? :P

I came out of the theater, completely satisfied. The movie was worth every dollar we spent on watching it :). I did lose my umbrella though ! :( forgot it in the theater itself. Realized that only after I sat in the bus on the way back. May be I was so mesmerized by the chicks in the movie :P. lol.

I would love to watch the movie again. This was JUST the movie I needed to unwind and de-stress a little. A perfect movie for a Saturday night. A great day it indeed was!

Cheers,

Ashwin

UNNAI POL ORUVAN - the new face of tamil music

This is the first time I am posting a music review of sorts ..I guess..

But yeah...the music of this movie made me do it :)

There have been very few redefining albums in Tamil Cinema..as far as I have known..

Roja was one which changed the very face of music.......and in recent times....it has been Minnale.....which indeed struck like lightning..and made all ears glue to it...

But ever since then.....there have been no PATH-BREAKING albums..according 2 me......until this one..

every album had a pattern ...some romantic songs..some fast songs...some rap songs...

all with a deja-vu feel..........it was a pattern.....I mean...as soon as you hear such songs...you'll be telling to urself - "ohh...seems like I've heard something like this before".....

But this album has FRESHNESS written all over it ......

Tamil music badly needed something like this!

I mean....this might not appeal to all audiences....and may not get the best of reviews......

BUT....I personally love the songs.....simply bcos....I'VE NEVER HEARD SOMETHING LIKE THIS BEFORE...IN TAMIL CINEMA...n i m quite fascinated by it.....

in most albums....we see a lot of importance given to the tune..n lyrics..those 2 often stand out in the song....orchestration more or less takes a back-seat always....

but in this one...its EXACTLY the other way round......the orchestration is prominent and gives you an incredibly different feel....

1. "Nilai Varuma" - Just when you think u've heard this slow kind of soothing melody before from Bombay Jayashree....everyone goes in high pitch......and you see some brilliant instrumentation accompanying the high-pitched vocals....awesome song

2. "Allah Jaane I" - sung by Kamal...it sounds like yet another Kamal-style sadness-filled song....

but again....one with a difference!!

3. "Allah Jaane II" - sung by Shruti...fast-beat songs in Tamil cinema... are usually disco songs or love songs...but this one is like a hollywood OST ...awesome!

4. "Unnai Pol Oruvan" - again....another Hollywood OST-ish track...breath-taking pace and feel in the song.....Shruti Hassan's background in Rock music definitely is widely evident ..in songs like these.....

5. "Vaanam Ellai"......the pick of the album ..for me...though we have had a lot of Blaaze rap in the years...this one seems completely out of the world...for me.....it's as if we've heard Blaaze for the first time....

and Shruti is just brilliant again...in vocals as well as the music direction.....

FINAL VERDICT - ***** ( just for the sheer innovative style of the songs !! )

Shruti has got GOD-LEVEL musical talent!!

She has become like an inspiration to me ..now :).....I will strive to make different music :)...IF someday I happen to do music :)

www.tamilmp3world.com

BICEPS 21" CLASH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ashwin S Kumar HOW MUCH I LOVEDDDD playing the WWF trump cards ...as a kid!! :)

Classic WWF wrestlers of 80s-90s
Ashwin beat 99% of all users who took this quiz!
90,760 people have taken it so far.

A NOSTALGIC ONE AGAIN......

A chat with my friend today....and this facebook quiz......brought back loads of fond memories..:).....

THOSE DAYS WERE LOVELY !!!

Killing free time ...did not => chatting, orkutting, twittering, facebooking, youtubing

it implied socializing face-to-face...and spending quality time..with friends...REALly...as opposed to virtually....

Of course...every single person of my generation, I am sure, would've seen at least one WWF match on TV.....

They say Ignorance is bliss....It's true :)

As innocent ignorant kids, who did not know that the whole thing was a set-up, the sheer charisma and agility with which the wrestlers went about their wrestling brought immense delight and amusement!!

I used to love watching the matches of Bret "the hit man" Hart...I used to be completely in awe of his trait of gifting his sunglasses to one of the spectators...I even used to think "how i wish he put it on my eyes someday!!!" :D....

And of course....I loved, love and will always love...the Undertaker !! He's my all-time favorite!!

His style SIMPLY cannot be matched by any one else !!!

The Hat ...the long curly scary hair covering the face....then the hair suddenly going up...and the eyes with the eye balls gone somewhere...n the tongue sticking out...the gloves.....the jar of ashes.....the french beard/ the goat beard..

the chokeslam, tombstone, the walk on the rope and the jump, the boot to the face, the sudden wake up....after being brought down......

Every bit of him amazed me, amazes me...and will continue to amaze me :)

I was lucky enough to witness him, Bret Hart and other wrestlers like Yokozuna, Doink, Diesel, Goldust, HHH, Tatanka etc etc...live...in Bangalore...when i was in my 4th or 5th grade....It took place at the football stadium on Mcgrath Road...

It was ABSOLUTELY AWESOME !!!!!!!!!! .....Especially when ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE LIGHTS WENT OFF....AND WE COULD HEAR THE SOUND OF THE FUNERAL BELL.....THE SOUND OF DEATH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE BELL OF HELL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

The crowd went ballistic ....There was hysteria !!!!!!!! .

People SCREEEEEEEAMMMMMMMMMED at the top of their voices!!

I was no less...:D.....I still remember how excited myself and other kids of my age group then ....were !!!!!!!!

I am sure it was the LOUDEST reception The Undertaker would've got in his entire life !!!!!!!!

..it was as if Sachin Tendulkar had just hit the longest six in cricket history !!!!

Anyway...coming back to the point......watching WWF was one of the best ways to spend free time...as a kid.......

playing WWF trump cards was one ..too :)...

I am sure every kid of my generation would've pestered his parents to buy him a pack of WWF trump cards :).....

It still amazes me - how much joy ..playing a pack of trump cards brought to us !!!! :)...

Train journeys.....Rainy days where no outdoor sport was possible.....or HOT afternoons were it would be impossible to step out of the house.......SUCH things automatically => WWF trump cards!!! :)....

Immediately, it would start off :D...

Chest 50 clash!!!!!!!! Biceps 21 clash !!!!!!!! :D....

the word "clash" would be used ...to determine who would play next...in case there was a tie ..:)....

Since Chest 50" and Biceps 21" applied to many wrestlers, they always used to be accompanied by a "clash"!! :)

Sometimes, we would mix two packs of the same trump cards...and even have a

Rank 1 clash!!!! :D....that was the heights of thrill and amusement!!!!!! :)

Anyway...I remember quite a few of the measures...in the pack of cards which I had...:)...i do not remember the fights fought and fights won column...:).....

Rank 1 - Hulk Hogan.....Weight 303 pounds...Chest 48" Biceps 20" ...Height...6'3"

Rank 2 - The Undertaker :)...Weight 328 pounds..Chest 47"..Biceps 20"..Height...7'1" :)

Rank 3 - Bret Hart :)....Weight 248 pounds...Chest 46"..Biceps 20"....Height 6'3"

i do not remember the ranks and measures of others :).....but there were many CHARACTERS :)..which I am SURE...every1 who has played trump cards...will SURELY REMEMBER !! :)

Andre the Giant - Height 7'2"...Weight 520 pounds :D

King Kong Bundy - Height 6'11"....Weight 520 pounds :D

Giant Gonzalves - Height 7'11" :)

Yokozuna ..(was an icon)....- Height 6'5" Weight - 430 pounds :)

Bam Bam Bigelow - Weight - 438 pounds :)

Typhoon - 434 pounds...6'6"

Earthquake - 428 pounds

Jake "the snake" Roberts :)

Tatanka

Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiasi

Diesel

Doink

Ultimate Warrior

Macho Man Randy Savage

Butch and Luke

Shawn Michaels ( of course..he's still there )

123 Kid

Razor Ramon

Kamala :D

These were some of the names ..which came off the top of my head.....I am sure there are many many more :)

Ohh man....I now wanna play trump cards with someone again :)......

@cole - hey roomie.....pls buy one pack of trump cards and come here :)....else you are not allowed home!! :P

CEDAR POINT - A HELLish HEAVEN :)

Hey people..

Here I am..back to blogsphere...after what seems like ages....

I had just returned from a trip to the HEAVENly heaven :)...India...:).....

n was still reeling in its hangover...after returning to Columbus....

I found it real difficult to get adjusted to the do-it-urself routine after being spoonfed for one month...

Anyway, Thanks to my friend Arun here...on Saturday....we decided to go to Cedar point....It is one place I had always wanted to see...but not very badly wanted to see....Anyway, the opportunity came yesterday...and there was no way I was going to miss it..:)

We left early in the morning, reached there in about 3 hrs....and much to our dismay, it was pouring cats and dogs...some of the attractive rides like Raptor were closed....We got to experience our first roller coaster ride, the Wicked Twister at around 1 pm or so....

It was brilliant ! Even the bravest person on earth would've felt a little fear...Anyway, that was like an awesome intro...for what was up next :)..

We waited for 2 hrs...on a HUGE unruly queue....for the main attraction of the place - Millenium Force , the world's best roller coaster..:)...at least the best one for me...

My teeth started chattering as soon as the coaster went up...I could see the Lake Erie.....and other HUGE loops...The view was real SCARYYYY!!!

I was not alone when i screamed - "SH*********TTTTTTTT !!!!!!! OMG !!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY SH**" :D

.....It reached the top...and before making the downward surge...I just had a look at Lake Erie...and for a second ....n before I could react, it made the surge at the speed of lightning!

The next thing I knew....I was holding on to dear life :D...and joining the chorus of riders screaming at the top of their voices!! :)....it made the downward surge...and EACH TIME....just before I thought it was over....there were a dozen more ENORMOUS topsy-turvy loops to go!!

I could hear people say along with me - AWWWW NOOOOO NO NO NO NO!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO :D ...

AWWWW COME ON !!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT THE **** :D......WHAT IN THE WORLD !!!

OHHHHHH FISH......HOLY CR*P

and so on :)

I couldn't even wish that some1 took me off from there immediately....because we were TOO DAMN HIGH !!! damn it :)....We got a view of the whole amusement park from this one....BUT NOT A GOOD ONE!! ...A REALLL SCARRRRRY-TO-DEATH VIEW!! :)

THIS WAS SIMPLY BEYOND WORDS TO EXPLAIN...:)..AND UNDOUBTEDLY THE BEST RIDE I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE TILL NOW....

We then had lunch..by then the rain had stopped....they had opened the place's main attraction - The Top-Thrill Dragster ....they were testing the ride...

In the meanwhile, we went for the free fall ride....Power Tower ..this ride is there in Wonder La, Bangalore...but over here..it was a lot higher :)..The view from the top...was again..scary :)....

it was a routine chorus ...saying OMG!! from the top....and when it suddenly began to drop down...every1 screams at the top of their voice!!

Anyways....the last one ...the Top-Thrill Dragster was an experience OUT-OF-THE-WORLD...

You are sitting still in the coaster...waiting for it to take-off.....and it takes-off...AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT!! :).....

The next thing u know....u r holding on for dear life.....It reached the top in about a couple of seconds...REALLY....AROUND 2-3 SECONDS..:)...and when I saw the view....I could see just about the whole world :D :D....it was not a good one...it was SCARY-TO-HELL...YEOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW....MY HEART CAME TO MY MOUTH....

its a safe feeling when u r flying ...but ABSOLUTELY NOT when u r gonna go down in the very next fraction of the second, the same way u came up !!!!!!!!!!!!! :)...

Another chorus started!! :D.....My heart remained in my mouth...until we reached the end :)

Phew!!!! By now, we ABSOLUTELY had our money's worth......the other small roller coasters....( which are similar to the ones in amusement parks in India )....really looked like kids' rides now!! :P....after going in Millenium Force and Top-Thrill Dragster..:)

Finally, we just took a ride on the cable car......the purpose of which was exclusively for photography...:)

The camera came to my hands :P...lol..and as expected...I did not show any mercy :D....Photos were clicked faster than the speed of the top thrill dragster :D :D.....

We returned......whew!!! For the first time...I felt that I had done something WORTHWHILE...after coming to the US.....This is truly the best thing I have seen in the US..so far..:)..

I am ever-ready to go again and again to this place any time :).....

and someday later on in life...I am sure to bring my special someone too...;)...here

( ok that was just to make the post spicy and gossippy or watever :p...so that I get some comments at least :D :D )