Friday, February 28, 2003

Pak
Tomorrow we play Pakistan. My blog�s still sporting the official Pak colors. Does not bode too well for my patriotic credentials!

The highs and the lows
So this day had something good about it? Yes! I never thought I could grasp javascripting, but today I decided to get at its concepts by hook or by crook. I managed to understand a few concepts. I hope that�s a good start. At least I figured out that it�s not that far out!

More
Sticking with indi�s shenanigans, he made a big fuss about Okaying our documentary project. So what�s with him? Of course studying under him for some months now, we�ve not come to expect anything better, but today made me a little too irritated.

Sanity where art thou?
Just the other day indi had agreed to back us all the way through when it came to things like hosting the department site, getting server space etc. but today we get news through the students� coordinator that he wants us to host it at RCC. I dunno if it�s the cost factor or something else, but Ari and me are so pissed about this. A whole week�s work has had cold water thrown on it.

Tuesday, February 25, 2003

All day I dream about shoes
This should�ve gone in yesterday, but hey! Absentmindedness is the hallmark of the intelligent (Now that�s a neat excuse).
So, over the weekend, I had cleaned my nice adidas gazelles. Monday morning, neat in their cleanest black and white, they made me very proud. I got into a 5E to get to the univ and lo behold this big lady stepped right on them. My lotus feet sullied, the day was spent ruing my decision to board that particular bus.

I�m the boss! I�m the boss! I�m the boss! Huhuhuhuhuhuhuhuh!
Check this out.That makes me a proud blogger. Thank you Kribs!

Monday, February 24, 2003

11G express
I usually have a torrid time getting back home from Mount Road during the peak hours. Today I decided to avoid the afternoon sun and so left late for the library. As a result I could not spend a long time there, but I got a nice empty 11G express back home.

Those f*cking bastards
I hate people who tear pages off library books. Worse still, the wonderfully illustrated book on Art Deco at the British Council Library had little windows in it; made by some tasteless son of a bitch who wanted the pictures. My only question is: if someone has the sensibility to appreciate beauty and art, then how does he have the heart to vandalize it?

Public Relations
We had our first class in public relations today. The department decided to use the opportunity to test a prospective buy, a nice little LCD projector. Sometimes life springs some neat surprises.

Motormouthywhackytalkyjabberjaw
Sudhangan of Jaya TV spoke to us. A pucca showman. By his own admission and as a lesson for us, he kept us enthralled for two hours without ever giving us any sensible knowledge. The only thing we got to learn from him was how to gab without losing your audience. Of course, he threw in little anecdotes about the dirtiest tricks a journalist could use to get a story.

Saturday, February 22, 2003

Sinusoidal Sinuses
First it was my throat, and then it was my head, then my eyes. Boy! This meant I was turning into a Blog Beethoven; loosing one sensory faculty after another. But eventually I triumphed! A good deal of rest means that I�m steadily returning to being my good old self. Bad for you!

The Human Canary
I just discovered that I am a fairly good indicator of changing climactic conditions. Do you think it getting warmer? Have a look at Anand; if he looks run down, you�re right.

Sabbath bloody Sabbath
I skipped classes today as well. Took another day off to convalesce and meet the doc again. More pills, more advice! This daylong sabbatical has had its share of oddities. The first thing is that today started at 3:00PM. I had slept all day. Then I got up with a bad temper.
My ill health has also meant that the updation of my blog had to be put off. Add to that the problems from my internet connection. So here I am, bombarding you with 3 days worth of stuff.

<--current stuff-->

<--those three blogs were to go in 2 days ago-->

The way the web is woven
Annamalai told me yesterday that his friend was very interested in designing the department web pages. We would be meeting on Saturday. (the meeting did not happen today) I just hope that our thoughts collude, else I�m going to have serious problems because of all the people I�ve spoken to, only Rohini understands my concepts about simplicity and minimalism. The rest of them thought that either I was being lazy or I was bereft of or reticent to ideas that are snazzy and bold (in my language, gaudy and lewd).

Cheap excuse
I finally had a chance to check out my marks today (obviously this post was supposed to go online two days ago). I had gotten an A or an S in all subjects, except Television Production where I got a B. Now here�s the deal. Being the aspiring filmmaker I am, this does not bode well. Of all subjects TVP: that which is supposed to be my forte.

Mumble Mumble
I�ve always thought I liked being like Don Corleone. Thanks to my affliction, I even have an opportunity to sound like him.

Thursday, February 20, 2003

Silence s�il vous plait. Mercy!
My throat hurts badly and every time I open my mouth, it gets dry. This means I have to keep drinking lukewarm water all the time. This also means that I have to talk less. That�s horrific for someone like me who has to keep talking. I realized something else as well. The less I talk, the more I listen and the better I understand situations. A sore throat had to teach me that.

Poor baby
Only one nice thing about being unwell is the amount of adoration you get. Everybody fusses over you. I�m enjoying every moment of it.

Doc Holliday
When I went to the clinic to be diagnosed, the doctor told me that I was just a little too sensitive to the weather change. Yeah! I�m sensitive about something at least.

Wednesday, February 19, 2003

Rest
I skipped classes today! Went to the doc, Got 3 days worth of pills to pop. Damn... Tendulkar just got out!

Tuesday, February 18, 2003

Grumpy old man
I am becoming more and more irritable of late. My tolerance level is going down and as a result, I know I�m doing no good for myself. Work just keeps piling up and I am unable to help it. I just hope that this is just a phase, and it goes off fast.

Bottom of the ocean
I don�t know if it is possible to swim at the bottom of the ocean, but my head is. Been feeling a little groggy for the past few days. Is it I or is it the weather? As a result, I�ve been forced to make a lot of changes to my schedule

On top of the world
I topped my class. Feels great! 9.333 GPA

Monday, February 17, 2003

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
Beside the million things I am doing, I have one other idea. Kribs came up with some reality check revelations last Saturday. So I propose we develop a Portfolio Development cell in the department. I guess in this field, placement cells have little meaning. The only persons who would get us jobs are ourselves. Plus, are we only to look at �Jobs� as the end of education. I guess to be able to make a career for ourselves as media professionals; we need to first identify our strengths and work towards developing them. In that sense, a wholly student run Portfolio Cell could prove important. Please leave your suggestions here.

From the truth files
Sometimes life stinks! So go get some deo!

Addition
As you can see, I�ve added a couple of more sections to my nav bar. I hope you find the links interesting.

Divinity, history and Tranqillity
I�ve redone the script for our documentary on the Armenian Church. Not just the voice over script, but also in terms of the sound design map. Yesterday I even tried a rough cut of how the final M&E premix track would be. Not bad, something coming along. Even the schedule has been proposed: The last week of February and the first few days of March. By that time, as my dreams last night so eloquently put forth, we should be ready with another award winner. :)

Saturday, February 15, 2003

Cannes do it
Ponnuchami screened the Cannes ads today. Inspiring!

Pull up your matching dark socks
Kribs had some tough words for us. Denim day started off with some great tips on formal business practice and ended on an ominous note of caution for us. Our business profiles and CV�s (to use Kribs� own words) Suck!

Beavis and Butthead
That�s what we called our lean mean business etiquette quiz team. Just four of us, and we managed to score the most points for the answers. But alas the plainly named team �B� had 24 people in it. They came first for being the most overpopulated business enterprise. C�mon, give me a break. This is the age of VRS and Indian Railways never makes anything for their HR practices.

The Blogsters
Today, the blog seminar preparations got underway. We met immediately after Krib�s class and discussed a few things. Here again I have to introduce a team. Rohini, Ari, Maria, Ranjith, Alagappan, Alex and I are going to work with Kribs. We have decided on a date: 29th of March and we also have a small list of people to invite. Lots of things need to be taken care of. Check out The Department Blog

Yo! Yo! Yo! Yo! Check this out!
Chandru called me last night to deliver the news. Our very first documentary �Scribbles� has been accepted for transmission in the UGC slot on National Network without any alterations and with commendation as well. Indi�s very proud of this and we�re as well. We�re practically over the moon. The team: Nithil, Chandru, Kavitha, Irvin, Srijothi, Vellaichamy, Ramesh, Premand & yours truly.

11 Monkeys
125 all out! I guess our players play well only in the television commercials. But there is one ad that stands out of the pack. Seen the new Pepsi advertisement? The one with the lion? Silly ad. Our chaps look like fools in it and they validate it with their cricket. Talk about consistency. At least Harbhajan acted well.

Friday, February 14, 2003

Special message
To all you people accessing from RCC. Netscape's a secure browser. But for my site, it sucks! Let's all IE and pay our dues to Mr. Gates.!@#$&^!

Rip van Hoodwinkled
That�s how I feel. Zapped! The computer monitor�s on contra zoom; Television�s got cricket on all channels; Pink Floyd seems too heavy now; I gotta return the book I borrowed from the British Council Library. Been reading it for the past few weeks and I still am not able to finish it. Not exactly looking forward to a jam-packed weekend. I feel I�ve cheated myself of my sleep to atone for my OCL (Obsessive compulsive laziness)
Miles to go before I sleep and miles to go before I sssssssszzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

Huh! wha..?

The feast of St. Valentine
Not a very good day especially considering the build-up to it. Heart of hearts, it would�ve been super if a PYT came up to me and did the day proud. Alas it did not happen. But then, sour-grape �ng, thank god that such a thing didn�t happen. Could you even imagine the consequences? A life (or at least a considerable amount of time) wasted in the harrowing company of a woman who had the bad sense to fall for me.
Hmmm� I�ve gotten you thinking, probably even arguing with me� write back, fight back, commiserate, or congratulate.

Viewership
I am so glad that so many of you have been reading my blog. I just hope that I'll be good in returning the favour.

Wednesday, February 12, 2003

Missing images
I have to work them out! I have to get myself my own domain name and web space and soon.

Anbe Sivam
My parents finally decided to watch the film after much persuasion and they liked it. All I said was, �I told you so�

Two days nothing
So� what�s been happening at the University? Quite a bit! All of us are very busy with something or the other. Keeping ourselves busy at-the-least. The meeting of the Magazine committee went off fine. Decided on a lot of things. There�s gonna be an e-zine plus a regularly updated blog for the department. Apart from all this we have to make a department web site. These should be done to coincide with the National Seminar on Blogging. For Montage we have to create a printed souvenir. An annual printed digest of the best of the e-zine is also in the offing. Anybody from A.U. who�s interested, please get involved.

Tom Sawyer paints another fence
Cleaned my shelf today. Been a long time coming. Sometimes you find interesting things when you dig up old stuff like this. Today I found some of the design assignments I had done as an undergraduate. I must say, I�m not too disappointed with myself.

Disastrous
The Indian batting that is. The average age of the Dutch team is around 40 and theydive around like 10 year olds while Saurav Ganguly� well, no comments. So many people have spoken about cricket. So this cricket comment is only customary: to be in with the season.

Revelation
I've just realised that Yahoo geocities where my images are kept does not like linking to stuff on it. So I dont know what to do with the images. Again, suggestions are welcome.

Updation & Other things
I've Just updated the "look" of my blog. But I dont know why the images don't appear. Anybody with ideas? Leave a comment here.

Monday, February 10, 2003

Delays & changes
The service has got the script core group thinking again. Nithil hit the nail on the head: more delays meant more time to refine the script. So as long we�re not causing the delays it�s OK. The interaction with a lot of Armenians meant some small, but significant changes in the script.
Talking about changes, I have decided to junk a sound mix I had spent hours on, simply because, after the service, I realized that putting it in the documentary would be a big mistake. I have already spoken about this, and this is another example of Moving on because of a better understating. I know what The Buddha meant when he talked about letting go of �material attachments�. It was actually meant for filmmakers who want to grow in their works.

Jennifer
Let me be frank, I�ve always thought Jennifer Arul of NDTV would be some kind of snobbish person. In fact we were gladly surprised as she started the conversation with us. Asked us where we were from and had a very genuine friendly air about her. After the coverage was completed she even had a nice chat with us and we hoped to take some tips from a highly successful and experienced media person.

Nuismedia
The service was covered by NDTV as well as by Sun news. Consequently both Vijay and Sun aired the news report. And if any of you noticed a bright yellow shirt in the 8th pew on the right, then that was I! We were there with our video and audio equipment at the spot before both the bigwigs turned up hoping that, as we would be competing with them for coverage, we would have the advantage of being discreet and early. But discretion and timeliness as we realized then, are concepts that news cameramen don�t follow, nor can understand. We contributed to our share of distracting techno-paraphernalia and related clicks, slams, flashes, snaps, slides, shoves, blocks, drops and the like, but at least we appeared guilty for them.

The service
Yesterday we attended service at the Armenian Church. I was extremely thrilled. I did not understand a word of Armenian nor did I have a clue about the rituals involved. Yet I realized that we were not there to gape at an exotic happening. It was a religious service and it deserved all the respect and adoration it got.

One thing about the fact that I did not understand the words and the actions meant that I was trying to look at the proceedings as impassively as I could. But even if I tried my best I couldn�t help drawing parallels with Hindu temple rituals and sounds. The whole service had an uncanny resemblance to the Thirumanjanam performed at Vaishnavite temples: chants, incense, curtains drawn etc. The hymns and songs sounded like they were out of Samavedha. In fact when I brought home the recordings, my mother identified a couple of carnatic ragas. Even though this sounds fantastic, fascinating and intriguing. I think we should leave it at that and not draw any other conclusions from it. Else we would be slipping into the same ethnocentric banality that seems to be at the core of today�s �politico-historic� theses.

Sunday, February 09, 2003

Update
So, yesterday was filled with classes. Kribs was rather peeved about the fact that some of the chaps were not taking his classes seriously. I don�t blame him. It�s kinda annoying to see 25% of the class turn up on time. Selvakumar was most upset by this.
Next sat, would be denim day. Got to get mine ready. It is 5 in the morning and today we attend service at the Armenian Church. Will write about it once I return.

Saturday, February 08, 2003

National Geographic Specials
Teachers being the endangered species at the savannahs of CEMT, yesterday we finally were able to get a glimpse of the elusive Rathish Babu Teacherous Veryrarreus Advertisus. He was promptly anaesthetized, measured, tagged and let loose. We wont be seeing him for a while now.

Friday, February 07, 2003

Why I blog?
I even have a �to blog about� section in my to-do list. In fact, even this is from one such list. Why do I keep blogging? Is it because this is a new thing � a fad or is it because of some newly discovered sense of exhibitionism? Rohini wants to elucidate at this point and I�m again only paraphrasing, Blogging has no point. Pornography on the net has more meaning. To an extent she is true. Why on earth should anybody know and who cares what side of the bed I got up from this morning?
Lets just say I�m using this as an outlet for a day�s worth of pent up ideas. This keyboard unquestioningly listens to whatever I have to say.

Bloggerwockyjabberjaw
One fine thing about a blog is that you are writing to no one in particular; mostly to yourself. I constantly keep referring to you as �you�. Who�s �you�? There is an undercurrent of presupposed familiarity in the way I use people�s names and talk about certain events. Yet �you� may be a total stranger.
Unlike in a traditional story, Mdeii life unfolds from a position of comfortable unfamiliarity. Spend a few weeks with my words. By the end of the time you certainly would know exactly who and what I�m talking about when I say something like �the indi knows very little about Photo Adobeshop.�

More work
Today I got one more responsibility. Arranging guest lectures. Plus the mag thing is going pretty slow.

Work, away putting
I have lotsa work to do but I don�t know why I�m typing this while I could do a lot else? I�m listening to some lovely music by Bj�rk. Tomorrow I�ve promised Nithil that I�d be ready with the V.O. script for the documentary. Well that�s one thing I can remember and the only thing that I can read of my own handwriting from my notes.

Thank you
Sangeetha, Maria and Kribs. Thanks a lot for going through my blog and promptly getting back to me. It feels so good.

Sumaal thing
One more thing I remembered. Tomorrow we have to submit the synopses. Rushed through it early. Just in case I don�t have time now and I was bloody right. Saari it is a raeng annataesun.

Thursday, February 06, 2003

And so they were engaged
Vino�s engagement to Deepak went off very well. We traveled as a class, en mass all the way to Thennangur. It is said that it is the journey that�s interesting, but the destination here was in no way inferior. The food was great, the people were friendly and Vino looked absolutely lovely. I had taken my camera along and once the pictures are ready, I�d put them up on the net.

My throat is sore. Partied all through the long trip to and fro. We had an entire bus to ourselves and did not let that thought slip us even for an instant. We sang songs and that explains the throat thing. Vino just called me from her home and says she got info through her �spies� that I danced on the bus as well. Hmmm. Here�s to Vino�s spies!

Noses to the grindstone
Back in AU! No it�s not the classes. So many other things are keeping us busy. Everybody�s enthused about �Montage 2003�. Yeah! That�s what we�re calling it. I don�t think I�ll be playing a big part in organizing anything, but I sure will be doing my best whatever little I�m asked to do.

Before I come across as a sly work dodger, I have to tell you that I�ve decided to take care of the departmental magazine. We have to be ready with the first issue in time for it to be released on the first day of Montage. I was speaking to Hema today and she gave me some very good ideas about the magazine. There�s a meeting tomorrow when we need to discuss these issues.

There is always this thing about being a student doing a professional course and this small but significant chasm to leap across to become a thorough professional. If the magazine were to be run like how the real things are run, then it sure would help us all make that leap. So I guess it should be decided in the days to come that there be a proper framework and management structure formed to do so. God willing!

Another excuse I give for �chickening� out of Montage is that I guess Kribs needs some �unburdened� chaps to help him organize the web-publishing seminar. Plus, I�ve already told you about the documentary.

Mdeii who?
Many guys who see my e-mail ID want to know what �Mdeii� means. Well here goes.
T.S. Elliot said, (and I�m paraphrasing) �Poetry is what that is untranslatable.� Well, �Mdeii� sure does not translate even from the written language to the spoken.
Who does not want to have a poetic name?

Tuesday, February 04, 2003

And who is Shridar?

Of bureaucracy and other baloney
Ah! Another thing. All those familiar with the situation in AU would know: we still haven�t got our semester exam results. You might ask, �like, who wants to know?� Good question. Anybody with the right answer? Please let me know.

At AVRC we�ve had our office bearers selection today. Sangeetha, our President was nice enough to call me and tell me about it. Yours truly is gonna be a general secretary. Or so I have heard. Hope to do well with the responsibility.
All those familiar with AVRC also know of all the other top-level upheavals. One other thing irks me. With all the turmoil happening at the official level, I just hope that we now get enough departmental backing for our documentary project. Lots at stake here.

The way the ink flows
The expressions probably not perfect for use here, but I have written quite a bit today. It�s probably one of those days when you have a lot to say and also the mood to be able to type them down. I can assure you that there will be times when I take to silence for days on end.

Bless the betrothed
Vino�s gonna be engaged tomorrow. We�re pretty busy getting things arranged.

Blessed art us?
Nithil delivered some really great news last night. 16 Armenians will be visiting Chennai and service is to be held at the Church on Sunday. This gives us a very good opportunity to make our script even better. This brings me to a very important discussion about the changes you have to make sometimes.
In our early discussions about the script in the team, we were harping on the very romantic idea of a church and a community that is almost forgotten. But now with the service happening, however pleasant the news maybe, the dramatic value of our first idea has had cold water thrown on it.

Getting a move on
This kind of thing gets you thinking, forces you out of reticence. In fact a fantastic untruth was so comfortably ingrained that reality almost seemed unwanted. But now, I guess new challenges have opened up new avenues. Probably our message in the documentary was meant to be different.

This strange mixture of fatalism and high technology has had another offspring. A couple of weeks ago, I was able to download some music samples for use on the soundtrack, they sounded perfect. Perfect to the level of being irreplaceable. They continue to be, but unfortunately I was not able to locate a usable copy of the very sounds. The replacement sounds I have are not bad; in fact, they are good in their own right. I don�t know if I am making a compromise, but I sure like to believe that my final sound design using these new sound would, would, in no way be worse off: in fact I would like it to sound the best and complement the script well. This dual change in the script as well as in the sound design means a lot more work, but all this should be good practice for me.

Tom sawyer paints his fence
I was finally cajoled into cleaning my room and my computer table. That probably explains why a couple of days worth of blogs are now on all at the same time.

Red eyes and good music
This week should be busy. Mihir has helped me locate some really good music I could use for my documentary sound track. Btw, I have to tell you, we have a team that's in the process of making a documentary on the Armenian Church in Parry's corner. If we are blessed enough and all goes well, then we should do good.

Saturday, February 01, 2003

This is my first blog. Kribs kinda made us all create blogs. Why on earth am I doing this? After a lot of soul searching, figured out that I'd give it a shot. I know I gotta lot to tell, so will tell well... ciao!