Being the Versatile One

Thanks to Prakash (http://itsphblog.wordpress.com) for nominating me for the Versatile Blogger Award, the first of its kind for this blog, The Tea Cerebrations 🙂 It is good to be nominated on the Republic Day 😀 (https://itsphblog.wordpress.com/awards/the-versatile-blogger-award)

The Rules:

Show the award on your blog.
Thank the person who nominated you.
Share seven facts about yourself.
Nominate 15 blogs.
Link your nominees’ blogs.

Seven facts about me:

1. I have taken the pledge that Dracula is forever 😀
2. I hope to keep blogging till the end of days.
3. I have felt that cats can be better among the best friends.
4. The number of Masala Dosa that I eat has significantly increased 😀
5. My favourite fruit is the Star Fruit (Carambola).
6. I am mostly vegetarian, even as non-veg will be tried if needed.
7. I wish to see an Indian French Open winner.

Here are my nominations for the same:

Ranjini (http://rangelz.wordpress.com)
Hemu (http://hemendraks.wordpress.com)
Rohit (http://rohitthebest.blogspot.com)
Heera (http://thereadingbud.wordpress.com)
Kim (http://klling.wordpress.com)
Aneesh (http://gangsofedathua.wordpress.com)
Shibu (http://shibumathewn15.wordpress.com)
Mirna (http://mirnamorgan62.wordpress.com)
Jay (http://thoughtburps.wordpress.com)
Shabab (http://vbothransh.wordpress.com)
Vandana (http://vanduchoudhary.blogspot.in)
Shweta (http://www.sunshineandzephyr.com)
Lynn (http://backtowalking.wordpress.com)
Christy (http://poeticparfait.com)
Harsha (http://allresourceupdates.wordpress.com)

Have a wonderful weekend 🙂

The Introvert Opinion

Malayalam movie industry had two inspirational movies in the earlier part both the years 2014 and 2015. But the fact remains that Mili hasn’t got the attention that the movie How Old Are You had, and the reason is mostly the presence of Manju Warrier in that movie, as one of the best and the most popular actresses in the industry had returned to the big screen after such a long time. Some people who had an easy path in life won’t be able to digest the problems of Mili either with their lack of empathy and having no consideration for others. But there are a number of reasons why Mili rises and stands much above How Old Are You.

Mili is more realistic: Among the two movies, Mili is the more realistic one, as our heroine remains the same, and she only does what any person can do. But How Old Are You brings too much into the scene, including the Indian President, a huge vegetable garden and the quick change of the protagonist for almost no real reason. There is even a lady who abuses a security personnel for just doing his job – wonder what is the goodness there. Mili is full of goodness, and has had better and more realistic turning points. Mili thrives on its simplicity, and thanks to the same, almost everyone can relate with her.

Mili has a better protagonist: Another advantage of Mili is the presence of a protagonist with which almost everyone can relate. She is someone who had problems since her childhood while How Old Are You has a heroine who was always super and has lived her married life pretending to be what she is not. She had ability and she was a pretender for which she deserves no applause. She had a good government job and still she had chosen to be not her. Mili Nair is not the same, as she could never find herself, and she had actually struggled a lot – had no job, hope or love.

Mili is straight to the point: As How Old Are You deviates from making its point on too many occasions, Mili is always there and never goes behind in making its point. Mili is a voice for the introverts, children as well as for the women. It can also be used for motivation by most of the subaltern, unlike How Old Are You which is limited in its scope and yet tries too many things just because it has a veteran actress playing the major role. Mili is life, and Mili belongs to the heart and soul.

Mili has to succeed for the introverts and those children who were forced to compete and were considered good for nothing just because they couldn’t live up-to the expectations. It is a voice for hope for the future. It will help to raise a better generation of children who are taught to be good instead of being achievers in one way or the other. This better development of a future generation and the youth is the gift of this movie towards the society. It will help the greedy people to realize that money isn’t everything, and it is more about goodness than anything else.

I have been blessed with many relatives who boast about their sons and daughters just because they are studying in a reputed university or are earning so much with their jobs. The sad thing about the same is that they try to degrade the others along with doing the same. They think that everyone else is useless. It is okay to say good things about people, but why would they want to degrade others? Ask Mili Nair, and ask every other kid who has been forced to be someone else and couldn’t. Mili is one of those children who had to suffer due to the third rate demands of the society. Mili is future, and Mili is hope.

About the relatives, it took me about twenty years to get the evil out of my life and somehow manage to get their violent ways away, deciding on my life. They still bother me at times with their boasting, but I know their true colours now. Mili Nair was actually faster – and she did that so well. May be children who watch Mili can plan their lives better and the new age parents can be better guardians as well as friends to their children. Isn’t that a much needed thing in the current world where relationships begin to make no sense?

As William Wordsworth had mentioned in his poem My Heart Leaps Up or The Rainbow, “The Child is father of the Man”, and it is reiterated in this movie – lets understand our children better and not blame them for their lack of skills, which is why Mili is so significant. ***All the images used in this blog post are from the official Facebook page of Mili the movie (https://www.facebook.com/milimovieofficial). Read my full review: (https://moviesofthesoul.wordpress.com/2015/01/27/mili)

TeNy

Of Knights and Wizards

[The story so far: The wizards join in the grand tower to make sure that the sons and daughters choose nothing other than the Dwarven engineering or the Elven healing. The Wizard of Wind takes another step towards the same as he receives the book “Guide to Destroying the Hopes of Others” and advice from the Dwarven Eldar which he takes to The Wizard of Life. For previous episodes, check https://theteacerebration.wordpress.com/2014/11/22/the-wizards-choice/ and https://theteacerebration.wordpress.com/2014/12/15/choice-of-eternal-dislike/ *The images used in this blog post are screenshots from my time spent in the games, Oblivion and Overlord.]

“Rise, Knight of the Void” said the Wizard of Life as he raised the sword and presented the Wizard of Wind with knighthood. “You are such a gentleman” he said.

The Wizard of Wind had not only returned with the book and advice. He had also captured the Orb of Negativity. It was not really a capture to be exact. He had threatened a little wizard who had created one as part of his assignment for the School of Wizardry, and forced the kid to give it up. He also used his old age to his advantage, as he always did. The book and orb were going to work so fine for them. They could just unleash the negativity with the orb as it could collect as much as possible through a connection to the spirit world.

About the newly acquired title, it was something that had evaded the Wizard of Wind for a very long time. He never practiced what he said, but can we really blame him, as he had almost no idea about all those things he talked about? But he wanted to show everyone that he was so awesome and knew everything. For the same, he had chosen to fill all the voids with meaninglessness, and this doing was actually a positive thing for the wizards.

The Wizard of Wind wanted to keep the hammer instead of the sword to hit random people.

The Wizard of Wind nicely managed what seemed to be an eternal void, as he made it certain that he had that quality. He used to fill all the voids in his life and make it seem awesome, but at the same time make the lives of others seem bad. If he said something, it was knowledge and if someone else said the same, it was ignorance. If his son said a lie, it was smartness, but if someone else said that, it was blasphemy. If his son loved someone, it was because he was too good, but otherwise, it was a dirty thing to do, and the culprit should be quickly married to some random person.

“I am deeply honoured by this title. I would like to thank my uncle’s wife’s cousin brother’s neighbour’s only son who has been an encouragement for me as he was always there listening to my wonderful ideas” said the Wizard of Wind.

“Yes, you are supposed to be honoured, as I am the one giving it. But isn’t that guy dead?” asked the Wizard of Life.

“Yes, that should be why he listens without saying even one word to me. Now, you can advice me whats next. What would that be?” asked the Wizard of Wind.

“You should visit the place. Then you can start advising him. Come when he is not spending time with the hobbits. Just visit when he is studying at home. Destroy his momentum. You are very good at that” advised the Orb of Negativity which had made a connection to the world of evil spirits.

“But I am busy tomorrow. I have to tell twenty five people about the greatness of me and my family along with degrading a few others. Otherwise I will be very unhappy. After all, the wind is blowing in the right direction these days, and this Wizard of the Wind doesn’t have a job”.

“You are the Wizard of Wind. Just use your wind power to spread the tales. Also add the copyright details with special thanks to the spirits from the Ninth Circle of Hell” said the voice from the orb.

The Wizard of Wind had absolutely no idea what kind of terrible evil he was turning into.

“Oh God. I am so much more interested in money these days. I can’t even bear to see these people who don’t earn enough money. I need to destroy his hopes as soon as possible because his happiness will give me blood pressure. Why would he be happy? I mean, I have so much money and I am unhappy, always hoping to make more money” said the Wizard of Wind to himself.

“I don’t know about that, but all non-Engineers and non-Healers shall suffer. By the way, when you come back, do buy some crocodiles for our magic pond. It looks like Mountain Dew without Salman Khan” said the Wizard of Life.

The Wizard of Wind went home with happiness like never before. He had made things possible, those which he thought was not anywhere near happening. He felt that he had grown wings, and those dark wings of maleficence were larger than he thought they were. It had the strength of a Minotaur and the regenerating power of a Hydra. It was also as venomous as the tail of a Manticore. Tough in the skin like the Nemean lion and most of the random Rhinoceros, the two wizards considered themselves so cool that they ended up frozen in the brain by their own magic wands.

[The saga continues…]

TeNy

Why a No to Mili?

I had already provided a review of Mili at my other blog (https://moviesofthesoul.wordpress.com/2015/01/27/mili), but I know that there are people who don’t like the movie, even are they are less in comparison. For them, I am giving a few reasons for not liking the movie, and as a whole, you can say that it is not a problem of the movie, but a tragic situation which exists within these people. Most of them have the disease of being blind fans, but other than that there are a few other reasons too. So, here is why you don’t like Mili. Feel free to choose from these options.

1. You have been a bully: A major reason for disliking this movie should be because you have been a bully, the worst nightmare of one of your introvert friends whom you used to abuse and make fun of. Now, when introverts have a voice, you have a big problem with it. So, you choose to spend your time hating introverts and this movie, but supporting all those movements which are of lesser significance to show that you are extremely cool. You praise something else to bring down this movie. According to them, being introvert is bad, but being an abuser and liar is okay.

The story of Mili should begin and end with everyone having a personality.

2. You have no empathy: You don’t like to think about what others feel, because you are so awesome as yourself. With so much of pride and not ready to feel for others, you try to make sure that the protagonist in this movie doesn’t exist or her problems are not real. You will think that introverts make no sense. So, you support other movies with the same theme, like How Old Are You, Queen and Highway, pretending that you love those movies, even as the truth is that you despised those movies when they were running in the theatres too.

3. You want only rich and successful people: Yes, those who don’t become highly successful and rich in life are big unworthy idiots according to you. You wish to do a holocaust of unsuccessful people. Being good doesn’t matter to you – only money does. Most of you are parents of some successful people who make a lot of money. Some of these so called parents would surely realize that money can’t buy them love when they are older. Some of such younger people will understand from their friends that rich and powerful people needn’t always be the best friends.

4. You are a porcupine judge: You spend your life judging people and sometimes even punishing them in one way or the other. As a rodent with “special skills”, you fight others making sure that they are hurt with your terrible attacks which defy conscience. You have already judged many people like Mili and you can’t see another of such inferior person getting any better. Some subaltern rising from nowhere has always concerned you, and once again you try to degrade such a person, and this time by spreading hatred about this movie.

Mili will always be Mili. If you don’t like it, please go to the Ninth Circle of Hell.

5. You are a blind fan: You are that kind of a blind fan who feels that movies like Mili with no superstar super-character shouldn’t be made. You watch unrealistic movies and your desire is to watch your favourite actor on the screen doing dumb things all the time. Mili happens to be a realistic movie and it hurts you. Therefore, you take movies like How Old Are You which was less realistic only in comparison, and as it had bigger stars and more fans, you would go on to appreciate it even as you never really liked that either.

I have seen the comments from people who didn’t like Mili. Most of them are self-proclaimed cool people, and those who feel that life is for just enjoying, not thinking about the rest of the world. They feel that they are the centre of the world. When most of the critics and the common man has approved of the movie, some of those selfish people would feel otherwise. Don’t introverts deserve a movie? Are they to be hated forever by a new generation freaks who have no concern about the difficulties of others? Are introverts not people?

***This is not for everyone, but for those people who can only say “flop movie”, “worst film”, “very bad to watch”, “waste thing”, “so horrible I walked out of theatre” on different pages and posts of some movies on Facebook, and keep copy posting the same again and again on different flicks. All the images used in this blog post are the from the official Facebook Page of Mili (https://www.facebook.com/milimovieofficial)

TeNy

Harthal: Kerala’s Purge

I don’t know how many of you have watched the movie The Purge, and its sequel The Purge: Anarchy. None of these two movies actually released here, and so it is not possible that it did actually make the point for the audience here. But The Purge is a movie that should be watched, at least by people at this part of the world. This is a movie that needs attention and provides some interesting thoughts.

In the movie, what they call the Purge as an event in the future United States. During the time period of 7:00 PM on March 21st to 7:00 AM on March 22nd, the twelve hours become a different time period. It is the time when all kinds of crime becomes legal. It only says that no government official of a high rank is to be harmed, and big weapons are not to be used. People stay inside their houses. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

The United States is yet to know the Purge outside the movie. But we know a lower level of the same, and it is called Harthal. Yes, Bandh has been banned, and so we have Harthal which we celebrate as Bandh and do the same things. There was a time when Harthal was not much of a big deal, but now it is Bandh. The name changes, and if Harthal is banned, may be we can call it the Purge, I guess.

So the Purge seems to allow getting rid of those negative emotions. Kerala has had a lot of that event, even as it has been less in number in the last few months. But what is more surprising is what it has to do with the common men if a party wants something. Why is it that they trouble the common man and destroy property if the common man is not their enemy? Why do they shut down the common man’s opportunity to live and earn? Why do they bother people from other states and cause trouble to them as well as the foreigners?

If they are protesting against their party members being attacked/arrested or needing the resignation of a minister from the other party, why are they not protesting at the right place where it matters? What did the common man ever do to them other than giving them votes? Is it like give us votes and we will give you Harthal in return? Don’t we have too many holidays already? Does bothering the citizens of India come naturally to them? Why the use of violence? All political parties should think about this.

The harthal against petrol and diesel price hike is even a bigger surprise. By not allowing people to travel on one day, they seems to save the fuel as well as money. Does that change anything? May be it does – there is one more holiday on the calendar. May be they should declare it as a festival and fix a day for it every month so that people can known a lot earlier and prepare much better. After all, there is some protest going on all the time. Yes, people might support if you ask them nicely, and let them make the decision after providing enough reasons, instead of declaring and forcing it yourselves.

The Purge is not so different from the Harthal even as we have not turned that evil yet. We are doing our little Purges with Harthal, as we are not that evil yet. There are stones being thrown at vechicles and tyres being punctured during most of the Harthals. There are worse incidents known to happen, but lets stop this someday and not go in the path of The Purge. After all, we are educated people and lets not waste the cent percent literacy rate that we have gained. Protests are needed, but is the Harthal a necessity? Aren’t political parties responsible to the common man too?

***All the images used on this blog post are from the Official Facebook Page of The Purge. I have recently gone through this website which shows a nice initiative against the social evil which is causing so much of loss to the state as well as the nation: http://www.saynotoharthal.com/

TeNy

Aluvaite Food Memories

After spending about fifteen years as an Aluvaite, there have been a number of hang-out places which have been among our favourites. Here are ten of them at Aluva (Alwaye) which were frequently visited by us. The status remains as of the last year of leaving the place. The choices haven’t changed much, but a number of new locations were added to the list. Here are the Aluvaite food memories 😀

1. Anna Gowri Restaurant: The Vegetarian side of the Mahnami Heritage Hotel has been our favourite choice for Masala Dosa for years, a practice which we started with a cup of tea a few days after its inauguration. It is close to two churches, and therefore it is easier to go for the mass and have food from there. There is also a lot of parking space even as the place is in the centre of the town. The rates are also good, and the location is quite beautiful. (http://www.mahnamihotels.in)

Mahnami and Anna-Gowri Restaurants at Aluva – on a nice rainy day of Masala Dosa.

2. Surya Restaurant: We have always been big fans of this restaurant, and this has been our first choice for non-vegetarian food anyday, and the best place for any kind of treat or random get-together. What we had here was always Chilli Beef though, and the list of people whom I have introduced to that awesome curry are rather uncountable. It is always Ghee Rice/Fried Rice/Porotta/Chappathi with Chilli Beef with Gravy. This might be a little bit expensive for some, but totally worth it due to the taste.

3. Navya Bake Shop: Even as this place came late, it has often made one wonder why this was not at Aluva for such a long time. Aluvaites needed a bakery which made no compromise in taste, and finally it has been delivered (there was already an existence outside the town though). There are some incredibly awesome cakes available here, and this also my first choice for Puffs and Cutlet anywhere near Aluva; as Ceecee is to Angamaly. (http://www.navyabakers.com)

A shot of the less crowded side of town from the top – the building-greenery combination 😉

4. Indian Coffee House: This is a place which needs no introduction. It is the biggest and the most trust-worthy restaurant chain in Kerala, and even as the branch at Aluva has got no car parking, we can always adjust. It is near the railway station as well as the KSRTC bus station which means easy access. Go through Aluva’s Sub Jail Road for this one. The best thing is that Poori Masala an tea are available throughout the day, and the cutlets here are speciality, especially the vegetarian one. (http://indiancoffeehouse.com)

5. Shenoy’s Restaurant: This is my most visited place for food, and I have known this place since school days. Located between the Pulinchode Junction and the Aluva Market, this restaurant has been part of my life, and the one place from where I had more food than most of the other places. It had a major role in improving my interest in Ghee Roast as well as Paneer Butter Masala. The best title should be “my first favourite vegetarian restaurant ever”.

6. Cho-Chote: This is the place where I had my first milk shake, and as far as I can remember, it was Strawberry flavour. It has remained a popular shake destination for years, and especially when we were thinking about some ideas for some random skit, we would have a shake, especially when the quota of tea gets over. There was so much of choice available here, and this one which was opposite the Saint Xavier’s College remained the first option for the same.

Every thought about Aluva town takes you back to the River Periyar for no reason 😀

7 + 8. Annalakshmi Restaurant and Kammath’s Inn: These remain parts of my food extravaganza related to the Union Christian College. Even as the former started later, the extension of the time at the college was there to be taken. Both these vegetarian restaurants had me interested in the Onion Oothappam and the Ghee Roast respectively. The Vegetable Biriyani was strong at both places too.

9 + 10. Annapoorna Restaurant and Grand Restaurant: These are two of the earliest restaurants I have known at Aluva. Here, the first one is vegetarian and the second non-vegetarian. The former has me always choosing Poori Masala an the latter has me going for the Beef Biriyani or Chicken Biriyani both being very good there. These two used to be the typical vegetarian and non-vegetarian restaurants choice for a long time.

A few special mentions are also needed for the special tea and marble cake at Home Bakers, the nice milk shake at Aluva Bake House, fine idiyappam at Al-Falah Restaurant, that Ghee Roast at Swami’s Restaurant, fruit shake time at MKS and the first few days at the KR Bakers. There are also a number of my favourite restaurants and bakeries which did close down, including Taal Restaurant, Thompson Bakery and Surabhi Restaurant. I am writing this blog post when I am very hungry, thank You 😀 All photos used here are mine as usual 😉

TeNy

The Great Overlord Saga

It was one of the coldest and the darkest nights of the season, and there was a small team waiting outside a mansion located on the countryside, surrounded by huge trees. They were all having stylish black capes with red borders and one of them held a lantern which gave out red light.

“Keep your swords ready, my dear soldiers. This is your day of glory” ordered the Vampire Bat.

“Excuse me, sir. Why are we actually here?” asked the Vampire Hamster.

“What? Why is this guy even here? He is not even in the list. Who is he?” asked the Vampire Bat.

“He is a replacement for the Vampire Panda who has gone for his part-time job; to act as the Kung-fu Panda. He is good at being annoying. Hamsters have very short memory and we don’t even have to pay him” murmered the Vampire Owl.

“Okay, my dear vampire apprentice friends. We are here to fight the Legendary Pimple Overlord, defeat him, and save our leader and the best uncle that we ever had, Uncle Dracula from having that terrible pimple infection on his face. This is the day we shall always remember. It is mostly because our life is pretty much boring and we usually waste time sitting at home, but still this is going to be a day of great heroism like never before in the history of the vampire kind. I am kind of like Achilles, and so you can follow me with confidence” shouted the Vampire Bat.

“Yes, exactly as he said” added the Vampire Owl.

“Vampiredom forever” shouted the team together.

“I am bad in Mathematics, but still I am going to count till three. Ready, one, two and three” finished the Vampire Bat, as the team of Vampire Bat, Vampire Owl, Vampire Crocodile, Vampire Penguin, Vampire Alligator and Vampire Hamster kicked open the door and entered the house to come up against the Pimple Overlord, also known as the Man with the Thousands Pimples.

“That broken door will cost a total of 447 gold coins. Thank you. I hope you back through the same way” said the Overlord.

“This is the Pimple Overlord? A thousand pimples? Where are they?” asked the Vampire Crocodile.

“I have been using Garnier Pure Active Neem and all of them have disappeared, and I have even lost my title of the Pimple Overlord due to the same” said the Overlord.

“I have lost the purpose of my life” shouted the Vampire Owl.

“I wanted to fight with my sword before forgetting how to do that. I wanted to be a Musketeer Hamster” said the depressed Vampire Hamster.

“This is not the end, brethren. We shall find another one, at another time, because the story of pimples never end. It causes more problems than any other thing of the same calibre. We shall bring the Garnier Pure Active Neem for our aid and we shall fight and win our battles which will be recorded in golden letters in the history of vampirism” said the Vampire Bat.

“Vampire army, disperse” shouted the Vampire Owl.

The team returned to Uncle Dracula to give him the good news, that Garnier Pure Active Neem has got to the root of the problem, and there was hope for him to get his old face back. Dracula could be the awesome seeker and sucker of blood again, and could lead his pack with confidence.

This blog post is written in relation with the contest organized by Garnier Pure Active Neem (Garnier Skin Naturals) in association with indiblogger website, related to the problems related to pimples that common people have to face in their daily life. Thanks to Garnier India and Indiblogger for this great opportunity. Please check the websites for further details: bit.ly/GPABlogLinkIndiBloggerActivity and bit.ly/GarnierPureActiveNeemWebsite

The pictures used in this blog post are meant only to support this writing, and were taken from the Official Facebook Page of Garnier India at http://www.facebook.com/GarnierIndia.

TeNy

The Question of Choice

I have had a life which had lots of gadgets since my childhood. There might not be that many during these days, but there is always a good number of them which makes way into my wishlist, as I have made a few lists about the same in my laptop as well as in Flipkart. I was one of the first students to have a personal computer at home when I was at school, and undoubtedly the first student in my class to have a desktop computer; it was what started my love for gadgets on another day along with my gaming days and nights which seemed eternal.

As far as gadgets are concerned, Asus is a name that comes to my mind all the time. I am a big fan of that impressive Asus ZenFone 5 with red colour, and hope that it would be my mobile phone on one day. There are also two Asus laptops at my home, both being the smaller and portable ones, and I have had a good time with both of them. I have been a user of ASUS motherboards and graphics cards along with one monitor from the same company for quite a long time. So, lets go straight to the two new computer models from ASUS which easily catches our attention due to many nice and awesome reasons.

When the choice of power and portability comes, I would want to choose both, but my favourite gadget of interest is ASUS All In One PC ET2040, not by a huge margin but by just a small distance. I have never had an all-in-one PC in my life and neither have I used one of these new generation things of style. It has also beem quite some time since I last had a desktop computer. Built-in one hour UPS is a very nice factor which has my interest, as the external UPS never really made me interested.

Along with its gesture control and quickness, what impresses me a lot is the presence of so many USB ports. I see so many options there, as all of my desktops and laptops never had this many USB port options. I was always in the need of a good number of them, with my USB internt device, USB storage devices, printer and mobile needing them regularly. More the number of USB slots, that much better it gets for me. This is also stylish and has awesome looks. It is more like a hybrid, and a special computer.

Then the other choice that we have here, ASUS EeeBook X205TA is so thin, and should suit me whenever I go on those nice little trips. One has to love its curves and compared to it, none of my laptops are enough stylish – the one I am using now is the fifth laptop I have bought and the least stylish of them all. The better looking ones were Asus indeed, as I have had two from the same company and my parents are using them now. The system here looks so light and suitable to pack and take anywhere, and the long duration battery supports the same. The high battery duration has been my weakness when choosing the right laptop.

I love its price too, and I would say that with the low cost, this gadget is something that I would buy when I have a chance. Soon, it will be the time for the next laptop in my life as my present system is huge and bulky, and I am managing with it only because I have been at home these days. I have had a detailed look at both the dark blue and red versions which seemed to be the best, and I was surprised how good they looked – I would choose the red one because it looks more special. I would need both of them, and I shall keep the first one as the common computer for everyone at home.

***The images used in this blog post are from the Asus Happy Hours page at Indiblogger and are only meant to support this work. This blog post at The Tea Cerebrations is for the Happy Hours Campaign from Asus in association with Indiblogger. There are two amazing gadgets from Asus that we have here which are sure to catch your interest. Check the following links for more details about the same: ASUS EeeBook X205TA and ASUS All In One PC ET2040

TeNy

My Halloween Valentine

Even as it has been quite a long time since I had a crush and good times have gone and disappeared too quickly, I would like to use this opportunity provided by Closeup’s Cupid Games to make an attempt on how I would propose to my crush on a Valentine’s day. A certain amount of weirdness is present in this blog post as expected, and I hope my readers can forgive it as they have done for my many other posts 😀

The time would be late afternoon, around seven or seven thirty. It would be on the Badminton court which has been one of my favourite and the luckiest places, and there would be her, waiting for a game. I have always been more impressed by her shuttle skills rather than anything else. Being a jobless person, I should be the first one there, but I am also the lazier one. The others are those with even a lesser amount of punctuality; being usually late and that makes it perfect and clear that I can be there at the right time.

I am not with the strength that I used to be, and the teenage energy was lost some time ago, with only a few things left that bring me forward. But she was different, and so was I – the people of the Badminton court. She was never like the other girls around, and it had nothing to do with the looks. I have been pretty much weird myself, and therefore I thought it was going to be good for me, and my idea also was supposed to be strange.

I am getting older and friends are getting married; the fact is that I am feeling much older than I am due to these wedding invitations. I know that the number of people asking me to get married will keep increasing that I might soon be forced to put my face on a matrimony site, and start drinking tea at many houses with girls who were unlucky enough to have their profiles on the same matrimony sites. Drinking tea might be the only positive thing about that. Meanwhile, this was a girl whom I had known for around fifteen and half years.

So, with not much time to waste before getting even older as the single young man, I would go with my Ghostface mask and ask her to have a cup of tea with me, and offer to drink tea with her forever, like the vampires do with their nicely brushed teeth and fangs calling for eternal life. Halloween is my favourite celebration and it has been a connecting link for us. So I wouldn’t think that she can disagree to that. Neither would she doubt the quality of my mask.

We would go for tea in the Chevrolet Beat or on the Honda Dio to the nearest restaurant, and would have that cup of tea. She would also need a Masala Dosa, and as I shall be well-prepared for the same with the wallet. We were never known to be the more talkative ones, and with another cup of tea, I would ask her to begin drinking tea at my home as soon as possible, as more waiting meant more complications, with both of us not getting any younger.

***The images used in this blog post are from the official Facebook Page of Closeup, only meant to support this work. This blog post at The Tea Cerebrations is for the Happy Hours Campaign from Closeup in association with Indiblogger. It is written as a part of Closeup’s Cupid Games. Check the following link for more details about these interesting games from them as the Valentine’s Day approaches quickly – keep calm and participate in the games of love: http://cupidgames.closeup.in/

TeNy

Inspiration for the Soul

This is my 100th post at Tea Cerebrations, and an interesting fact is that this century was attained on the 200th day of this blog – 100 (200) with one post on every two days : Not bad for a test match hundred, right? 😀

I have got my hat-trick extended with the Very Inspiring Award here 😀 And thanks to Namrata (http://namratakumari.blogspot.in) this happened so fast 😉 There are certain special facts about her being the inspirational one for my blogs: 1. She has been commenting on all my blogs for a very long time; 2: She was the first one to comment on this blog; 3: She was the first blogger friend to be on my Facebook friends list. So, Namrata the inspirational blogger has provided me with this inspirational award (http://namratakumari.blogspot.in/2015/01/very-inspiring-blog-award.html) which inspires me and makes me feel like an inspirational blogger 😀 Thank you 🙂

Seven things about me:
1. I feel that working for Romanian tourism will be nice, especially concentrating on a castle 😀
2. My favourite among the sweet ones are white chocolate and milk peda.
3. The only vouchers I have ever known are from Flipkart.
4. The only district in Kerala where I have not gone on a trip is Kasargod (have just traveled through).
5. I seem to think more than The Thinker 😉
6. I doubt what is easier in this modern world; me getting a job or finding goodness in people.
7. I strongly believe that Vikram is the greatest actor India has ever produced.

Here are the fifteen blogs:
I wanted to mention my friend late Jean‘s blog here first as it is going to be two years since he left us. He was always an inspiration. (http://photoshealingwords.blogspot.in)
Heera (http://thereadingbud.wordpress.com)
Leena (https://fashionokplease.wordpress.com)
Bikramjit (http://mannbikram.wordpress.com)
Mary (http://marythelittlewriter.wordpress.com)
Shibu (http://shibumathewn15.wordpress.com)
Harsha (http://allresourceupdates.wordpress.com)
Aneesh (http://gangsofedathua.wordpress.com)
Mirna (http://mirnamorgan62.wordpress.com)
Simon (http://simonsayswatchthis.wordpress.com)
Avinash (http://avirandom.com)
Ashley (http://ashleyblancospeaks.com)
Charly (http://charlypriest.wordpress.com)
Ada (http://ada2writes.wordpress.com)
Bhaswati (http://adoniszone.blogspot.com)

Remember, tea is forever; and congratulations 🙂

Littering in the Moonlight

The vampires were having a tough discussion just outside the Dracula Castle, as the Vampire Bat, the Vampire Owl and the Vampire Snake were present with Uncle Dracula.

“No, not even in the moonlight, said Uncle Dracula. “You are not even supposed to litter in the sunlight, and then how can you litter in the awesome moonlight which is more precious to us vampires?” asked Dracula.

“But it was the Halloween moonlight with cool vampire people all around, and I was drunk. Really, really drunk” said the Vampire Snake.

“He is a snake with special venomous spit superpower. Even if he doesn’t throw waste around, how can you ask him not to spit?” asked the Vampire Owl.

“Because all of you have taken the pledge to keep the Dracula Castle and its premises clean. Being drunk is not an excuse. Nothing is an excuse” screamed Dracula.

“But the Mummy spat over that tree on the side of the road, and you don’t want to know what the local werewolves do. The ghosts of the living dead did something even worse” said the Vampire Snake.

“They do not belong to the vampire category, and won’t come under me. The Mummy is level three desert catgeory. They don’t even come inside the castle. Our current collaboration is with the zombies. Cleanliness begins at home. This is our vampire ancestral home. Do you understand the highly intellectual and vampirically superior words of unlimited wisdom which come out of my mouth?” yelled Dracula.

“Yes, listen to Uncle Dracula. If he raises his blood pressure too much at this age, we might have no uncle, and I might inherit this castle. I will end up being so rich and may be construct a tennis court on the front right corner and the statue of myself holding a tea cup on the left side” added the Vampire Bat.

“What? Wait, no. I am not raising my blood pressure. I am just asking this new vampire apprentice whom you brought from that local tea shop to behave and be a good citizen rather than being a Great Litterburg” said Dracula.

“But I promise not to litter again” said the Vampire Snake.

“See, he is a good vampire apprentice” added the Vampire Bat.

“Or I shall feed him to the snakes in the pond” threatened Dracula.

“But he is the Vampire Snake. What is the point in putting him with normal snakes?” asked the Vampire Owl.

“Oh, yes. I meant the crocodiles. Those little crocodiles that I have like the early villains of cinema. I will throw him to the crocodile pound and clap once, laughing loudly like an awesome villain. Damn, I am really getting old; my memory is failing me” Dracula made it clear.

“Thank you, great old vampire lord” said the Vampire Snake while taking a bow.

“See, this is why I bite people. Always use the trash can. Littering is bad. By doing such things, you are working against the environment as well as your nation. And for the sake of each and every living vampire, please don’t spit” advised Dracula.

“As if he doesn’t already have enough reasons” murmered the Vampire Owl.

“I have heard that he is going to act in a commerical against drinking and smoking, plus supporting care for stray dogs by making them join the werewolves. He is into social causes now” whispered the Vampire Bat.

“We were never the real villains, right?” asked the Vampire Owl.

“Why? No, never. We are not even remotely evil; just see these litterbugs and the rest of the minions of the real dark world. Uncle Dracula can’t even fly around in the invisible mode these days with people leople littering from their vehicles” added the Vampire Bat.

“We vampires realize this. When will the humans understand the same?” wondered the Vampire Owl.

This blog post at The Tea Cerebrations is for the Happy Hours Campaign from The Times of India in association with Indiblogger. It is written as a part of TOI’s “The Great Indian”, a humorous initiative for a better India; this time on “The Great Indian Litterbug” who considers littering as a birth right – the kind of people that we see almost everywhere in India. Please check the following link for further details of this funny and thought-provoking campaign: http://greatindian.timesofindia.com/

*The images used in this blog post are from the official Facebook Page of The Great Indian, meant to support this work.

TeNy

Romance and the Sea

I had thought that the first movie that I would watch this year was to be Mili of Nivin Pauly-Amala Paul pair, but that didn’t happen. Then I thought that it could still be the first Indian movie and then I hoped for it to be the first Malayalam movie. But no, that is not going to happen soon as it seems. So, I choose another movie to be the first Malayalam flick that I watch in the theatre – it should be Mariyam Mukku as far as things don’t change as of now.

Coming from LJ Films who rarely go wrong, Mariyam Mukku is something that raises the hopes for almost everyone. There are other superstar movies with the same release date, which raises a big challenge for January the twenty third. But this movie’s visuals and some of the songs have created a nice feeling which makes one highly inclined towards watching this flick. ***All images used in this blog post are from the Official Facebook Page of the movie: https://www.facebook.com/MariyamMukkuOfficial

With sincere hopes and prayers than this wouldn’t be the slowest movie of the year like Annayum Rasoolum managed to be in a terrible January. From what it seems, this movie has got the strength to do another one of such romantic stories, more beautiful and a lot faster, without all the uninteresting things that clouded Annayum Rasoolum. Mariyam Mukku could be the best love story featuring Fahadh Faasil. Romance should be at the core of the movie according to what is known, and there is always something about sea and romance.

Coming back to our main actor, I think that this a character which can fit for him so well, even as he has been doing so many characters to perfection, bringing variety like no other young star in Malayalam cinema. I would say that this is another role which opens up yet another opportunity for him to show his calibre. This should be his movie of the year, just like his last year’s movie of the year Iyobinte Pusthakam was also the best of the year.

Meanwhile, Sana Althaf seems to be a nice choice as she makes her heroine debut here. She was a very interesting anchor in Surya Music; I haven’t been much a follower of music, so what I remember about her is “sadness of not going to Ooty” related to that My Show programme which I have never completely watched. I think I mostly just saw those ads which came in between. I guess I am not that “cool”; and yet that is a lack of title that I shall always be proud about. But the fact remains that she looks very suitable for this character from the teaser and the trailer.

The music is pretty good from what I have heard and visuals of the sea are also captivating. The movies based on sea has a good chance of bringing the best of out actors and making an impression on the viewers, and I am keeping my expectations high with this one. This is also the season Kochi Biennale and therefore the coastal areas are the more attractive things around this time. The force is surely strong here, and the romance should be of a higher level; there is the feeling of high intensity in serenity – as beautiful and as powerful as the sea itself.

The choice of this weekend should therefore be this movie for me, and a possible release of Mili would make me confused between the two. I shall wish these two movies best luck, and I hope Mariyam Mukku is as good as I feel it to be, and turns out to be an interesting movie for the audience. May the love story of Felix and Salomi be remembered forever. I will leave you with a teaser of the movie, as the trailer might only give a mixed feeling:

TeNy

Simona and her World

The adventures of Simona continues as her world remains special. I have recently found two kittens of her same size wandering around in the neighbouring streets and I think that they are her brethren who left her under the canal and saved themselves leaving her to take care of herself. But she did find us, and the other two kittens, one black and white with more black than Simona and the other one being an orange tabby kitten, both hostile to humans.

The two other kitten kept running away, and yes I did give a try there. Those little ones had chosen the option to run away from human contact unlike Simona who apreciated and enjoyed it. May be they hadn’t had a good experience with the humans as Simona did after being dumped by the same evil humans. I hope that they also grow up to be awesome cats and not go under any vehicles, as I do care for Simona’s family 😀

As I am pretty awesome, I expect this orange ball to come to me when I lie down 😀

Yes, it is confirmed that there were three kittens of the canal, and Simona being the lone abandoned one who found us. That day, November 28th changed many things for us as well as Simona the Lionhearted. But the same can’t be said about the other two kittens. But they can only blame themselves for the same, as they had chosen the other path. But that should be what scared kittens do first.

I demand a new ball. This doesn’t even come close to meeting my quality standards 😀

The others were the smarter and the more active ones, and left their poor little sister who was smaller than them in the canal, making their way to their own safe houses – the fact remains that I have found them at the exact opposite sides, and may be we can make a movie later – Amar, Akbar and Antonia (Simona) with them uniting on another day in Bollywood style, after lots of songs and stunts.

I think I jumped into the wrong place. I should stop jumping everywhere 😀

Yes, Simona has her new family now, and the others seem to be the wanderers of the dark world these days. The achievement of Simona is that she waited and waited until she found us. May be she was shocked by her disposal and loneliness and didn’t move from there, but good things come to those who wait, and Simona seems to know things. Nowadays, she is growing fast, with those cat-food with nutrients. She would always love the natural local fish, but she and food has a fine love story.

Let me in! Let me in…I so much want to sleep in that particular room too 😀

Simona’s agility has increased a lot nowadays. She can go through the whole house so fast, and can even push and open those doors which are half-closed. It is not easy to sleep without completely closing the doors these days. Her ability to sense us from even a distance makes sure that we have to keep quite some time for her. She can jump distances, and so she always finds a way to get to us.

I am still open to your suggestions about the future of Simona, and any suggestions about raising the kitten. She is slowly transforming into the big cat that she should be, and any tips about having a cat at home is always welcome. After all, this is the first long time kitten for us, and we hope to have her with us for a long time. May the kitty power thrive and do wonders to the world 😀 *All the photos used in this blog post were taken on my Sony Cybershot DSC-W310 and Samsung Galaxy Duos.

TeNy

A Hat-trick in Inspiration

This is the time for The Very Inspiring Award, for the third time for The Tea Cerebrations, and we should be having a lot of tea on the hat-trick occasion in huge cups 😀

I was nominated by Rekha (http://rekhaaa.wordpress.com) this time, and the fact remains that it was me who was more inspired 😉 Thanks to her for making this three in a row, something that usually needs a penalty in the case of football 😀 (http://rekhaaa.wordpress.com/2015/01/12/1338/)

The rules:
1. Display the award logo
2.  Link back to the person who nominated you
3.  State 7 things about yourself
4.  Nominate 15 other bloggers for this award and link to them.

The seven things about me:
1. I believe that I am living in the wrong time period and require a time machine.
2. I don’t feel that the end of the world is a bad thing, because there is equality in death.
3. I support Asterix for the President of Earth 😀
4. I affirm Honda’s superiority in engine 😀
5. I have bad teeth, and even had awesome root canal.
6. My favourite ice cream is of Blackcurrant flavour, followed by Orange and Pineapple.
7. I hope that one day, I will be the old gamer again 😉

The Fifteen nominated: 
1. Dan (http://dtmmr.com)
2. Pallavi (http://palulife.blogspot.sg)
3. Ananya (http://www.ananyatales.com)
4. Sakshi (http://www.sakshinanda.com)
5. Sandhya (https://indfused.wordpress.com)
6. Kokila (http://sunshineandblueclouds.blogspot.in)
7. Prathi (http://prathi-pat.blogspot.com)
8. Ritesh (http://riteshmokasana.wordpress.com)
9. Kamila (http://spicyroad.com)
10. Rohit (http://www.rohitthebest.blogspot.in)
11. Razia (http://noorsrecipes.com)
12. Mohan (http://advocatemmmohanaksharaalu.wordpress.com)
13. Gaurab (http://www.processingcreativity.com)
14. Saru (http://www.sarusinghal.com)
15. Svetlana (http://maverickbird.com)

Have a great year and drink more tea 😀

What are the Chances?

The Australian Open is fast approaching, and is almost here. On January 19th, the battle for another Grand Slam, the first one of the year and the most unpredictable one begins, and this is that kind of an year which has hopes for all the players in both Men’s and Women’s draw, if you ask me. Yes, the Big Four was broken twice last year with Marin Čilić and Stanislas Wawrinka tunneling their way to the first and the last slams, and in 2015, there is chance of the newer Grand Slam aspirants to bring the fight to Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray. Still, our favourites remain favourites.

1. Novak Djokovic: The world number one, once again has the best chance to win his favourite Grand Slam, and this place where he established himself as a worthy opponent to Federer and Nadal should have a lot more for him, considering that even when he seems a little down, he keeps coming back – this is still his peak time. He also have a simpler draw, with all the challenges on his way seemingly of causing lesser trouble for him. I don’t think that any of those names can challenge this man at his favourite part of the world – the Djoker is the favourite, no doubt. His only worry can be del Potro unleashing himself, but that is not much likely, and the Wawrinka, Nishikori or Ferrer challenge in the semi-finals might be the first big trouble.

And there is always the Djoker looking for his opportunity.

2. Rafael Nadal: Looking at the draw, Nadal does have a better path than Federer, and I would say that it is an easier path for him compared to that of Federer, and therefore, even with his usual injury problems and continuous problems of fitness, should have the next best chance after Djokovic. Yes, there are tough names there on his path, but they are all beyond their best, and has very less chance of beating Nadal as far he can find some of former glory and stay fit. I would not judge him by his terrible performances in the first two tournaments this year, because he has had his amount of luck with Grand Slams. Well, he should be looking for something other than the French Open this time and Berdych, Youzhny and Gascquet shouldn’t be able to stop him.

3. Roger Federer: He can have the troubles like Monaco, and the big Nadal Slayer Kyrgios or the big serving Karlović on his path, with Murray in the quarter finals and Nadal in the semi finals, something which can mean long sets and fatigue for the most elderly of the four. Then the final should be against Djokovic, and this is something that should test him, as he goes through all three of the big four – not really good news for him in the very first slam of the year. The one thing that should work for him should be his form, which has been very good, and one of the best, as he went on to win his first title this year at Brisbane with ease. Fresh from the thousandth win of his career, there is no stopping him if he is at his best, and the question only remains if he will be at his best. Well, this is his resurrection – and sparks are going to fly.

As all good things begin and end with Roger Federer.

4. Andy Murray: Even with his terrible form and the inability to win a Grand Slam for quite a long time now, Murray is still the fourth best player considering the achievements as well as the ability which he has proven until now – to keep him out of the list and considering him not a threat, would be a big mistake. Dimitrov should be his only big challenge on the path, something which he should overcome, considering the fact that there are signs of him coming back to his older self. Well, it is time he shows the rest of the Big Four that he means a lot more than just what he has won now, which seems to pale in comparison to the rest which seems to have made their own Big Three.

5. Stanislas Wawrinka: And then there is our defending champion who grabbed that title from Rafael Nadal who was all set to win the last year’s Australian Open. He has a nice route until meeting Nishikori or Ferrer in the Quarter Finals, and then coming up against the big Djokovic problem. I have always supported him to win a Grand Slam, and considering how nice a sportsperson he has been, I think it will be nice to see him winning another title here, the second one in a row. Well, del Potro can destroy all these calculations, but that is if he is back to that player that he has been. I might have my favourites and likes, but may the best man who plays well win.

Happy days have been returning for Caroline Wozniacki.

In the Women’s draw, I am thinking that the one who wins the Caroline Wozniacki vs Serena Williams match, which should be one of the Quarter Finals, should go on to win the title unless it is too tiring to recover, and the winner of a possible Simona Halep vs Maria Sharapova Semi Final should win it – but with Eugenie Bouchard, Ana Ivanovic and the uncertainty of the Women’s side, I can’t make a big guess about it. But I would personally like to see Simona Halep, Agniezska Radwańska, Caroline Wozniacki or Eugenie Bouchard winning this one 🙂 [All images used in this blog post are from the Official Facebook Pages of the tennis players]

You can also choose to join the Genie Army 😀

TeNy

Never Say No to Cochin

Do you know that the Kochi-Muziris Biennale is going on right now? If you haven’t read about it, please check the information about the same on the website http://kochimuzirisbiennale.org/ – but I am pretty sure that there will be enough information about the same on most of the newspapers of India, and it is abundant on the newspapers of Kerala. For those who are not aware of the same, it will be there till the twenty nineth of March this year. Everybody needs to attend a biennale at least once.

A quote I found interesting during the Kochi Biennale – on death by water 🙂

That would make people wonder if I am writing this from the location, and the answer is no. I haven’t been to this year’s Biennale. But I have been to the last festival which had its times during 2012-2013 and I have to admit that it was so well arranged, and impressively managed. So, is this post about that journey? No, this is more about Fort Cochin in general. I have been to the last Biennale and enjoyed it, and those four journeys to the Biennale were part of my multiple journeys to the place. Fort Cochin is a place which I have visited so many times.

Yes, you can also get captures like this during the Kochi Biennale – notice a jealous crow 😉

A journey to Fort Cochin shouldn’t be limited to one place. It should consist of four places – Fort Cochin, Mattanchery, Thoppumpady and Kumbalanghi, the last one being a tourist village and an island with so much of natural beauty – I certify the same. The second last one is on the way to Fort Cochin, and Saint Sebastian’s Church there, a heritage building and a famous religious structure, is worth your time, and you can also have a nice view of the lake from the back side of the building.

Santa Cruz Basilica – a structure that you wouldn’t want to miss at any cost.

Then, about Fort Cochin and Mattanchery – they can’t be seen separately. The latter has the Dutch Palace which I am yet to visit, and the Jew Street with the Jewish Synagogue which is India’s oldest functioning synagogue. It also has the Holy Cross Church where Church the Coonan Cross Oath took place where an oath was taken by the ancient Christians not to submit to the Portuguese and in the need to continue their culture and traditions. Mattanchery Jain Temple is another much visited destination.

Chinese fishing nets – always part of Cochin and its islands, adding to its glory.

Coming back to Fort Cochin, one has to admit that there is no better place to conduct the Biennale considering how much of history this place has, and how much of colonial as well as some of the traditional Kerala culture can be witnessed on the streets of the town. There are the Chinese fishing nets as well as the buildings of its colonial past which form the major part of this end of the extended Cochin city. Given to the Portuguese by the King of Cochin in return for military aid, this place has been under Portuguese as well as Dutch occupation and finally coming under the British till independence.

A day at the beach – Kerala never forgets its football, and neither does its soul.

Saint Francis Church remains a significant landmark as the oldest European church in India, originally built by the Portuguese, and where Vasco da Gama was buried. It comes under the Archaeological Survey of India and the Church of South India as of now. Santa Cruz Basilica originally built by the Portuguese which was destroyed by the British and was later re-built, remains another symbol of the area’s long history. You would love its Gothic interiors with some beautiful works.

The oldest European church in India; Saint Francis Church – antiquity’s own child.

Then there is the beach, where sometimes the love of football can be seen in full power, and some of the monuments as well as the remains of other few, including that of Fort Emmanuel. You can walk on the paved area or the beach itself and see those ships, boats as well as the Chinese fishing nets. You can also see some more churches, temples and mosques, as well as the Dutch Cemetery. There are some huge trees to add to the beauty and serenity of the already lovable world. When is the best time to visit? Right now, for there is Biennale going on!

The fishing boats of Cochin with the old bridge of the city on the background.

All photos were taken on my Sony Cybershot DSC-W310 during 2010-2012 period.

TeNy

The Great Vampire Pimple

Count Dracula was ready to deliver the much awaited sermons ‘To Drink or Not to Drink Blood from Humans With Cholesterol‘ and ‘How to Drink from Drunk People‘ when he saw the little pimple on the right side of his cheek, and got his attention again on another one on the left of his nose. He waited for twenty four seconds in memory of the twenty four thousand and twenty four people he had drunk blood from, and screamed “Mayday; vampire mayday”.

Vampire Bat, Vampire Owl, Vampire Penguin, Vampire Panda and Vampire Crocodile came in at the same speed, and hit Dracula dropping them all on the floor with the Panda on the top.

“Get off, you fake vampire Panda. We all know that you are just the Kungfu Panda faking to be the Vampire Panda” yelled the Vampire Owl.

“This is all your fault, Vampire Crocodile. My bones are breaking. What have you been eating?” asked the Vampire Penguin.

“I am the one who said mayday. So can I be saved first before arguing, please?” asked Count Dracula.

“Yes, your honour, Lord, legend, and everything else about which neither we or you have no knowledge about. Sir Dracul” greeted the team.

“My dear vampires of the world. I stand before you, weak and unable to control this evil which has forced itself upon me. This has never happened in the past, and as you know that I am very old, there is a chance that such a thing has never happened to a vampire” announced Count Dracula.

“What is it exactly? I don’t see anything” remarked the Vampire Penguin.

“You see my face? This is what happened” said Dracula, pointing to the pimples.

“Holy Vampire Chronicles” screamed the Vampire Crocodile.

“I doubt that this is an evil plot by the humans. May be they have used the genetic research to unleash an evil virus on us which can lead to the end of our kind. They are training special mutant soldiers whom they call the scientists” said the Vampire Panda.

“Can you live with it?” asked the Vampire Bat.

“No, I can’t. It is draining my confidence and feeding on my vampiric abilities. It is a lot like a parasite sucking my energy. I can’t even transform into potato chips now” complained a sad Dracula.

“Holy Vampire Coffins” screamed the Vampire Crocodile.

“May be we can postpone the program and you can use this Garnier Pure Active Neem so that you will get better” the Vampire Bat came up with the opinion.

“Yes, do it please. Tell them that I have been called by the Vampire Secret Service on a mission to save the world from a zombie apocalypse” said Dracula as he kick-started the vampire chariot.

“All vampires disperse and spread the news” proclaimed the Vampire Bat, as the meeting ended.

The Vampire Cat and the Vampire Crow were sent to the members of the community with information about the next possible date of the sermon, and a packet of Garnier Pure Active Neem was also sent to each one of them to make sure that nobody gets pimples anymore. The Vampire Penguin decided to stay and wait for the next occasion.

This blog post is in relation with the contest organized by Garnier Pure Active Neem (Garnier Skin Naturals) in association with indiblogger related to the problems related to pimples that common people face in their daily life. Thanks to Garnier India and Indiblogger for the wonderful opportunity. Please check the websites for further details: bit.ly/GPABlogLinkIndiBloggerActivity and bit.ly/GarnierPureActiveNeemWebsite

For a direct visit, check: http://www.garnier.in/face-care/beauty/garnier/pure-active/neem-face-wash and http://www.nopimplesnomarks.com. The images used in this blog post are from the Official Facebook Page of Garnier India at http://www.facebook.com/GarnierIndia.

TeNy

More than One Label

As Gillette Venus and BlogAdda takes the one-dimensional labels out of women, and brings to light, those multitude of things that make them who they are, I would like to contribute with something about my cousin sister about whom I have always had pride, and who has always deserved more applause and love than anyone else. I have known her since my birth, and I am proud about the choices that she has made in her life.

She has been the good daughter in her family, helping her mother in all ways possible along with studying at the college. Her being a good sister was evident with her elder brother as well as with us cousin-brothers and sisters as she became a great role model to all of us, and her presence as the guiding light was there even when I was going through dark times. Still, there was no random advice, but help.

A very old photo of my cousin-sister and sister 😀 Don’t tell my sis that I didn’t write on her 😛

She has been firm in her decisions, and powerful in her ideas, and the quality of compassion was something that she seemed to have had for a very long along with her time spent in prayers. Being a compassionate human being was never something of lower preference for her. She knew that her prayers had answers, and never hesitated or doubted, unlike a number of her cousins which included us.

So, when we went to Kolkata in 2011, meeting her again was a major reason for that journey, while not denying the everlasting love for the City of Joy. She had joined the congregation of Missionaries of Charity hoping to do something for the poor and the downtrodden. We went to a number of children’s homes, old-age homes and places like Home for the Dying and Mother House. Visiting Kolkata had a lot to do with visiting her, who had spare time now after years of joining the service.

A photo taken during the journey in 2011 – tomb of Mother Teresa at Mother House, Kolkata

When I was a child, I used to wonder why she had joined that Roman Catholic group of religious sisters which needed more sacrifice and a lot more of the vow for poverty than any other group of nuns. Even her relatives had wondered if she could have joined a local congregation of nuns and did well in that community. But now, I know that it was because she was ready for it and this was another role that she wanted to do not for herself or to the taste of the people who knew her, but for the society.

Compassion had been coming naturally to her, and helping people was something that she longed for. Almost each and every place which had children needing help, she was there, and anger was something that never found her. In my whole life, I have never found her angry. Not ready to make a choice, she chose to be educated, and also decided go the way she wanted to, and that was related to social service, no matter what the relatives had said. Salute to her for that decision.

This post is a part of #UseYourAnd activity at BlogAdda in association with Gillette Venus

I thank BlogAdda and Gillette for the opportunity to write on this topic. I also take this opportunity to tag Moon, Najm, Anita  and Sucheta to share their awesome views on the topic. Click on this link to know more about it: http://blog.blogadda.com/2015/01/08/useyourand-break-free-with-gillette-venus-indian-women-bloggers. And please don’t forget to acknowledge me in your posts. Thank you. *All photos used in this blog post are mine only.

TeNy

Life Gets a Lot Quicker

Having its inception in 2008, Quikr has been very useful in the lives of so many people, as I have heard about it from common men – even as I am yet to use their services directly. I have been interested in their advertisements and have thought that this would be a nice and very interesting option if I am ever to shift to another place, quite far away from my home. Such an option is never far away for me, as I haven’t really settled down in my life yet. The choices still seem to be kind of open for me.

There are many places where I would not mind relocating to – the list includes those cities which I have already visited – Kolkata, Calicut, Trivandrum, Chennai, Thanjavur, Kollam, Coimbatore, Erode, Tiruchirappalli, Mangalore and Hyderabad. Among those options, there would also be Bangalore – yes, that is a more possible choice for relocating. There are so many of my relatives and friends there and I have been invited so many times to travel there. Yes, there are so many engineers there, and most of the people that I know, happens to be B.Tech or M.Tech with their qualification.

You can always move with these necessary things, and buy the rest through Quikr 😀

This invitation procedure is something that has been going on for a very long time with no chance to reach an end. My choice have been to do PhD somewhere there, an idea which has been there for a long time. I have been transformed into an old man with a post graduation in English Language and Literature with these times of doing almost nothing of much use. Bangalore has been the first choice for many people I know, and it had to be in my list too.

So, the first idea would be to get a house for rent, and I have already found a nice and small house through the real estate category of Quikr, which seems to be a good option. I also see the part-time job which I can combine with that PhD if I can write and pass the test and interview with that luck which has evaded me in the offline life. Yes, that would be a perfect combination right there, if things work out nicely.

Then there is the need to get a Persian kitten and name her Simona (or even Agnieszka) which should be even easier with Quikr. A few beds and the rest of the furniture can be easily bought through the same place, along with a few electronic appliances, especially refrigerator and washing machine. The car needn’t be there, but there should be that scooter, which can once again be bought, as I see some nice offers already, right now at the website.

Even Simona the Kitty should feel the urgent need to buy a nice vehicle through Quikr 😉

I also see the services for repair, which I can use when needed – and the need will be there, no doubt. May be I will also buy an aquarium which I saw in the website if it is still there, along with those nice little lovebirds there. If things get better, there can be another mobile and laptop through Quikr, who knows? No need to get frantic; no need to wander around. Everything is here and the options are rather endless when you have a look. There will be a lot of small things to take to Bangalore from here too, that is for sure.

All the images used in this blog post are mine only, taken on my own camera, the Sony Cybershot DSC-W310. This blog post was written as part of the Happy Hours Campaign from Quikr in association with Indiblogger. 

TeNy

The Choices of Life

Gillette Venus and BlogAdda want you to write about someone, a woman who made a journey from ‘OR’ to ‘AND’, the one who immediately comes to my mind is my mother. I would think that the same applies to many other people too, and I had always wanted to write something about her, and it is good to be given such an opportunity rather than keep thinking about it.

There are a few things that I have heard about her from her brothers and cousins. Among them, the most prominent one is about her double promotion in the school. It is something that I have not heard much about, but I know that only the best gets that. Another thing that I have known is that my grandparents wanted her to be a doctor as my grandfather himself was one. But yes, my mother always had better ideas.

That old wedding photo – half of it serves as the “mandatory photo of the person” 😀

Her first preference was always to get a job at a firm owned by the government, and for which she attended MA Sociology at Saint Teresa’s College, Cochin. Obviously, getting her married off was the need for her parents, especially as her sister was married off very early. But she made sure that she got a job right after her course making sure that it was not just an OR for her, but an AND – she was going to work and then get married.

It was not really the pattern to follow at that time among her relatives as there were not many working women among her close relatives, and neither would there be among my father’s family whom she was to marry after a few years. But she had chosen to be ahead of the age, and get that job at the Union Bank of India. That was her journey from OR to AND, not without difficulty, but with confidence.

On the day she retired, even the rain never stopped for more than a few minutes 😀

She could follow her heart at that time period, and remains an inspiration for me when I struggle to follow mine. I am surprised at so many so called “achieving aunties” who think only about money twenty four hours a day, and I am glad to have a mother who acknowledges my right to study more, and also my privilege to stay single until I get settled in my way. There are always those relatives who are not ready to agree and pass on the judgments, and there is always one person who knows better; my mother. Now she has just retired after thirty seven years of service at the bank, after balancing her work and family life so well.

And then when it is the time to honour and celebrate the women in my life, there is just one who stands above the rest. Yes, there are not many other women who would let me share their stories and give me permission to put their photos on a blog too 😀 I had my difficulties in getting this photo too, but this was the better option as she didn’t want any of her newer photos to be used. Yes, this is also one of my favourite photos of my parents 😛

This post is a part of #UseYourAnd activity at BlogAdda in association with Gillette Venus

I thank BlogAdda and Gillette for the opportunity to write on this topic. I acknowledge the tag of Ranjini for this blog post from http://rangelz.wordpress.com/2015/01/10/and-is-given-for-a-reason-use-it/. I also take this opportunity to tag Vartika, Tara, Namrata and Sagarika to share their awesome views on the topic. Click on this link to know more about it: http://blog.blogadda.com/2015/01/08/useyourand-break-free-with-gillette-venus-indian-women-bloggers. And don’t forget to acknowledge me in your posts. Thank you. *The photos used in this blog post are mine.

TeNy