LOL that one recording from college 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂

Read More

Hostel Life at CEG - The 5 Year Story

Me joining in Anna University happened suddenly and unexpectedly; I have always considered it lucky and the hostel life spent here is one of the best part of my life. I have not spent it luxuriously but definitely leisurely.

Year I

I had to fight to get accomodation in hostel because the intake of the college was increasing every year and the college administration was giving priority hostel admission to B.E students.

Temporarily I was dumped as the 5th person in a small room where there were already 4 people staying later was shifted to a dormitory room of around 50 students.

The first year was like a trial to learn the ways 

- when to wakeup so that you don't have to wait in queue to take bath and go to class

- what food to have in mess and what food to have in canteen

- what to do after the classes are over

Those who were over enthusiastic involved in NCC/ NSS/ NSO or other club activities. For me time was spent with playing cricket and browsing in the internet center. Weekends were mostly spent by long sleeps and when the monsoon hit we almost went to COMA.

We had the first glimpse of the cultural extravaganzas - Agni, Kalakrithi, Techofes, Hostelday and Kurukshetra. We were ragged by our seniors during our department symposium and they made me cry.

I bought mobile and went crazy with it - sending ringtones, picture messages, SMS. Few of my friends got committed and they got busy with the long phone conversations. Watched IPL matches, shouting and supporting for CSK.

In the academics side, I became very lazy and ended in backlogs.

Year II

The 2nd year I shared my room with 2 of my classmates and one of them discontinued the course & left the college. We started mingling with our seniors who were staying close to us. Started celebrating birthdays with bumps and cakes and started roaming out - Beasant nagar, Tnagar, Marina, Mahablipuram, night movie shows(Ganaptathi ram theatre, Adyar).

Attended symposiums inside and outside the college.

I bought a cycle and was roaming with it. We used to walk to kotturpuram for having tea, snacks and dinner. 

Year III

I bought laptop and it became all my world. The free WiFi made us spend lots of time watching videos and movies. Sometimes I missed classes the next day after sleeping late. My sister got job in Chennai and I went out spending times with her.

Year IV

My cycle got stolen and I had to buy a new one. The first half was project semester and we had so much of vetti times - so had so much of chatter, watched as much movies and played games on LAN. Playing cards was our new time pass. I got much interested with web designing and designed websites for department symposiums.

Year V

It was the placement year. Luckily I secured a job though I had a backlog and had less CGPA. The final project sem got busy with internship as web developer and less time was spent in hostel.

+ves learnt from roomies

How to dress cool.

Why not to settle for the second best.

When to be punctual.

How to be economical.

Why I shouldn’t lie again.

-ves

The freedom we had was not potentially used.

I ended up with this attitude - “Don’t ask me anything, I too won’t ask you anything”.

Read More

‘Ammonia’, ‘Maaikyan’, ‘Madappayan’, ‘Portuguesa karaya’….

Primary School:

• Going to school by rickshaw.
• Running race under hot sun and in the sandy ground.
• Lunch provided in school, mess in the underground of the school and going for lunch in queue.
• Gang fights during lunch break.
• Playing cricket with pad and paper.
• Pen fights.
• Race for copying the contents from board.
• Merit cards.
• Circus, movies, circus, excursions, fun fair and annual day.
• Ponvandu, Gola ice, Elantha vadai(jujube bar) in shops near the school. 

Middle School:

• Going to school by bus, 
• First row in class and during prayers.
• “I shall not be…”, “We shall over come…”, “Hey Parameshwar…” prayers and the auditorium.
• Favourite  principal  'Ramiah'.
• Playing throw and catch with cashew nut.
• Swimming classes and fear to get into the pool for the first times.
• Very eager games periods and cricket.
• Arrogant teachers for computer subjects and frightful lab periods.
• Fun with teasing teachers.
• Playful yoga, karate and extra-curricular activities.
• Evening snacks and having lunch under trees.
• Freaks about tazos, tattoos, stamp collections.
• Class cuts during preparations for science exhibition.
• Parade and sports day rehersals in hot sun.
• ‘House spirit’ in sports events.
• Searching for 18+ content in library books.
• Friday’s casual dress.
• Virtual classes, personality development classes, foreigner’s visiting schools.
• Milos, Noodles sponsored. Mobile library and circus in school setup.
• Prefects swearing in ceremony, teacher’s day, thiruvalluvar day, art-craft competition.
• Science Exhibition, Sports day, Annual day.
• Quarterly, Half yearly, Annual Exams and the most expected Holidays.

High School: 

• Last seat chatters in bus.
• Boring and sleepy classes.
• Joint classes for common subjects.
• Strict teachers and scolding from them; frightful physics and chemistry lab periods.
• Chats and teasing by friends about crushes.
• Groups and gang egos and clashes.
• Rumored talks and gossips about relations between teachers.
• Tuition with other school boys and girls.
• Rushing for lunch provided in school(esp for NV).
• Special classes and Night studies.
• Snacks given during night studies(especially mini idlis, bread bajjis) Mosquito, Coils plays.
• Orkut freaks.
• Scrap books & farewell day.

Read More

The good old 2K's Cartoon Network

It was between 1998 and 2006, my school days when Cartoon Network was our favourite TV channel and our TV keeps running this channel for almost the whole day when its on. We will be fighting for the remote with our cousins and aunts who want to watch other channels.

In the late 90's the channel was not 24 hour and changes to 'TNT' after 9PM and between 5AM and telecasts classic english movies. The end of the last show of the day - the road runner show marks our bed time.

The Road Runner show

Below are few nostalgic shows which were our all time favourites and almost everyone at home used to watch these shows

Tom & Jerry

Looney Tunes 

The Scooby Doo

Popeye the sailorman

Then came the nostalgic tamil dubbed shows between 2-5pm 'TOON TAMASHA' with made even the unpopular shows interesting 

Swat Kats

Captain Planet

The Mask

The Flintstones

Few shows were never watched but they made the ad jingles and theme songs so interesting to hear or watch that we were addicted to it

Ed, Edd & Eddy

Adam's Family

The power puff girls

Read More

Nokia 1108 & its gimmicks

I assume the first mobile for most of the people in my age would have been a nokia basic handset. I had a Nokia 1108 and it's a very memorable one for reasons. My dad was first using it and later passed on to me when I went to college. Later when feature phones evolved I changed mobiles often but they never lasted long and I always had to switch back to this handset.

Below features in the mobile are those which I liked the most

• The mobile has a feathery touch keypad which makes is easy for composing SMS
• The 2 games Snake and the Space Impact in it were too addictive
• I could compose a ringtone myself with the same keynotes of a piano - 112143 112154 1186432 776454 112143 112154 1186432 776454 : guess what this note refers to ?
• The mobile has a good battery backup. When it switches off after battery down and after I allow it to cool down it still switches on for an emergency call
• I have dropped it multiple times but it never gave me a mini heart attack by breaking.

SMS during my college days were very popular and I used it mostly for sending SMS. I used to completely utilize the network's SMS limit per day by forwarding ascii art, quotes, jokes, trivia to friends. If someone who was receiving my SMS everyday didn't receive any sms some day then it meant that it was utilized for some personal chat :p

Other amusing things were rintones and picture messages that could be sent through sms. You should have seen the SMS counter in that mobile that will speak about the utilization factor.

The mobile currently is in COMA, but can be revived with a battery change. I will dust it and start using it again the day when I could get a replacement battery !

Read More

விருதுநகர் to திண்டுக்கல்

Trainla எத்தனையோ தடவ travel பன்னிருப்போம், but school days la Quarterly, Half-Yearly and Annual Exam லீவுக்கு போனது தான் எப்பவுமே ஞாபகமா இருக்கு.

Below is a recap of our train travels between Virudhunagar to Dindigul.

Amma : "7.45 ஆச்சே இன்னுமா auto வரல. ஐயா cycle ah உள்ள ஏத்திட்டாரா.."

Naan : "ஏத்திட்டாரு மா"

Ayya : "ஆட்டோ வந்துருச்சு கதவை பூட்டிட்டு சாவி எடு"

Mind la ellarukkum : Train la koottama irukka koodathu, utkaarrathukku idam kidaikkanum.

"டிரைவர் நிறுத்துங்க கொஞ்சம் , வட வாங்கிக்குறோம்".

ஸ்டேஷன் உள்ள போகும் போதே பாதி announcement கேட்கும்  "...aane ki sampaavana hai ...". டிக்கெட் எடுத்துட்டு உள்ள போய் பாத்தா ஐயோ என்ன இது இன்னைக்கு இவ்வளவு கூட்டமா இருக்கு.

Train announcmenta fulla கேட்டா train 1/2 hour late.

Akka : "மா பசிக்குது" Indha 1/2 hour kullaye akkavukku pasichirum.

"இந்தா இப்ப வட எடுத்து சாப்பிடு, train la ஏறிட்டு சாப்பிடலாம் ". அம்மா எப்பவுமே இட்லி இல்ல பால் சோறு pack பண்ணி எதுத்துட்டு வந்துருவாங்க.

கொஞ்ச நேரத்துல train வந்தோனே, seatல இடம் பிடிக்க அய்யா first ஏரிருவாரு, நாங்க பின்னாலயே போய் occupy பண்ணிக்குவோம். இடம் இருந்தும் சிலர் இடம் கொடுக்க மாட்டாங்க, அவங்கள்ட தான் அய்யா கறாரா பேசி பாத்துருக்கேன்.

ஒரு 45 mins la madurai வந்திரும். Train stationகு உள்ள வரும்போதே பாத்துட்டு இருப்போம் first platforma இல்ல  second platforma nu. அது ஒரு calculated எதிர்பார்ப்பு.

First platform na Meenakshi Bhavan second platform na Murugan இட்லி கடை. கண்டிப்பா ஏதாவது வாங்கிருவோம் , இட்லியோ, பூரியோ, பொங்கலோ, தோசையோ.

Ok, train கிளம்பிடுச்சு, breakfast ah முடிச்சுக்குவோம். Then starts all the stranger talks "நீங்க எங்க போறீங்க...நீங்க எங்க ஏறுனீங்க...அங்க யாரு வீட்டுக்கு போறீங்க..". அடுத்த கொஞ்ச நேரத்துல "எது எடுத்தாலும் 10 Rs" ஜடத்தோட பொழுது போயிட்டு இருக்கும் .

Train crossing போட்ட உடனே நான் comparment கதவோரம் போய் இந்த பக்கமும் அந்த பக்கமும் வேடிக்கை பாத்துட்டு இருப்பேன். "என்ன train இவ்வளவு நேரம் நிக்குது ஐயாவை தண்ணி பிடிச்சிட்டு வர சொல்லு ,train கிளம்புறதுக்குள்ள".

Add caption

Ah train கிளம்பிடுச்சு , அய்யா இன்னும் தண்ணி பிடிச்சிட்டு இருக்காரு. "ஐயோ வாங்க தண்ணி எல்லாம் வேணாம்." Train cross panni போகுது. நான் அம்மாட்ட ஓடி வந்து பதட்டமா சொல்றேன் "அய்யா வண்டில ஏறல". அம்மா சிரிப்பாங்க, திரும்பி பாத்தா அய்யா அடுத்த  compartmentல ஏறிட்டு வந்து surprise கொடுப்பாரு, அப்ப ஒரு  பெரு மூச்சு வரும்.

அடுத்த கொஞ்ச நேரத்துல Pineapple, வெள்ளரி பிஞ்சு, கல்லை பருப்பு, மணப்பாறை முறுக்கு nu வர்ற எல்லாத்தையும் வாங்கி சாப்டுட்டே வருவோம். ஒரு பக்கம் எனக்கு ஜன்னல் வழியா பாக்குறது full வேடிக்கை - train மலைக்குள்ள போகும், இருட்டாகும் , roadla போற  காரோட ரேஸ் போகும், மழை வரும், பச்சை பசேலுன்னு வயல் வரும், திராட்சை தோட்டம் வரும், பலாப்பழம் மரம்  இருக்குற ஸ்டேஷன் வரும்.

"அம்மா  இன்னும் திண்டுக்கல் வர எவ்வளவு நேரம் மா இருக்கு ".

"Kodai road போயிருச்சுல innum 15 mins la வந்துரும்".

Add caption

ஐ ஆச்சி வீடு, ஆச்சி அப்பா வெளில நின்னு டாடா காமிச்சாங்க. வந்துட்டோம் !

Read More

Most memorable spot in college

These benches opposite to Vivek audi is where our college gang attrocities happen. Ella department பசங்களும் உட்கார்ந்து sight அடிச்சு பொழுது போக்குற ஒரே இடம் இது தான். One day when I was here with my class guys, they were shouting the name of a girl they came to know from other department guys, when they saw her coming from a distance. 

When I noticed I paused in surprise and gave an expression 'Wait I know her’ and said them that she is my relative. Immediately they asked யாரு டா, எப்படி உனக்கு relative. I said cousin and next question from them was மாமா பொண்ணா ? Even before I did nod my head she was already walking very near to us and passing by and these guys started shouting 'Arun, Arun, Arun….'. She turned and gave a frowning(morachify) look. cha அசிங்கமா போச்சே. I have least known or talked to her before and it was startling that I saw her that day and came to know that she too had joined Anna University. I tried to shut them up, 'dei சும்மா இருங்க டா', but they continued shouting till she rushed away. Then this teasing continued whenever these guys saw her somewhere in the campus 😜

Read More