Malappuram, (that is my my district in Kerala) is known mainly for the low education rates, for being the only district in south india to have major muslim population and for gulf money. But i tell you what it should be known for. For warm and kind natured people, for smart business minds and their craze in football. Especially football. Yesterday I was watching a music channel show where people had difficulty telling who scored the maximum worldcup goals, and which country did Messi belonged to. Someone should come here and ask that to five year olds, and girls, and grandmas. There is average hulchal for premiere league and euro cup like tourneys, there is roony and beckham fans. There is local clubs which play seven's (which I am not sure is approved by fifa) in which players from africa comes to play. Yup. I see african guys walk in streets all the time and they look homely. And then comes worldcup. And its like a festival, which is going on here. There are posters and banners, of course, of every team, of course, EVERYWHERE. When I say everywhere, I mean it. At every nook, every junction, every turn, on bus' and autos, cars and bikes have ribbons of team colours hanging on them, houses gets painted in blue and white, and yellow and green, theatres show matches live, and then there are the bets. Oh there are the bets. From haircuts and facial hair removal to big money and gadgets. I've seen guy with ronaldo's hair cut. Brazil's ronaldo. Oh yes, worst haircut ever! If that does not prove my point I dont know what will. The speculations, match analysis.. Dunga and maradona writes for a regional daily. Together. I dont know another place they are likely to coexist. Of course everyone watches the games, every single one too. Since the majority supports brazil and argentina, brazil's lose and subsequent exit was received with mixed reactions. But the next day, when argentina lost, there were fireworks, processions, guys dancing on streets, angry revolts... This is pretty much the tale of whole malabar, mostly whole kerala. Till the festival lasts, there will be emotions, late nights, colourful ribbons, wagers, excitement... Till then.. Its the football times :-)
It was really disconcerting to find that for a hard core Harry Potter fan, i haven't wrote even one post about my favorite book series. And when i say hardcore, i mean obsessed, too much into it with too much info, every web forum, orkut communities, fanfictions(only reading), wallpapers, DPs.... I was really really a Harry Potter series fan. More importantly, a Ronald Weasley fan.
So how it all began? [ i am getting a feeling that i have written all about this before, but i cant find it.]
I was not a fan at first. I remember watching the first Harry Potter film joking about the Troll and complaining the film is too dark and irritating Sruti. She was too into it, had all the books, read it all more than once.. I never got her. Thus, passing my days, i once happened upon a malayalam translation of the Philosopher's Stone in a local library. I took the book and went back to hostel. Why? To make fun of Sruti. Since i do read an awful lot, i decided to spare a few moments for the book. And i fell violently in fascination. With the whole world, with hogwarts and with Ron Weasley. [From first book onwards i liked Ron the best. He brings the life in to it. Harry is rather self involved prig, i feel. :P] Anyway, I finished all the books in record time, from 1-6, not in the right order(1,3,6,2,4,5) since the deathly hallows was not released then. By then I was obsessed. I reread all the books, saw the movies, and hated them :p I tell ya, only diehard potter fans can hate the films. They are as such wonderful entertainments, but you wont be satisfied, as in your mind, the full potter universal is so much bigger. I even read quiddich though the ages. Well, partly anyway. By then I was becoming an online person. I joined many orkut communities, moderated a few, became known in some circles as a faithful pottermaniac. There were forums, discussions, fanfictions [amongst them were some really nice ones and really twisty weird psycho ones (Seriously, Harry and Draco? You gotta be shitting me!)]
And in my friends circle, I became the somewhat eccentric one who wont shut up about Potter, Ron. To a point where Sruti became a very normal person who only read HP books.
When the deathly hallows came, i insisted on buying the original book, not the sidewalk 150Rs one. Di got it for me as a gift. And i think me crying on her shoulder when i read in an online forum that Ron died in the HP7 (on the previous date of release of book) prompted her to do that. And not even crying. I was sobbing. And against popular opinion, i loved Deathly Hallows. I used to read it when ever i got upset. (If anyone doubting this as my teenage antics, i was 24 then. :| )
And then slowly, it started to die. I stopped checking for updates, i started reading other books(I even read twilight, but i am not that crazy i guess :P), my HP7 book started gathering dust, my HP gyan began to diminish. The Half Blood Prince movie came and went, i didn't went crazy when i saw it. And i started forgetting an age in my life where i used to doodle Ron on my class desk and have only HP related display pics in orkut.
Then i saw the Deathly Hallows trailer in Utoobe. It is so great! Looks better than any HP movie ever..
And it all came rushing back! The excitement, the madness, the love... It was like meeting an old friend again... So Nostalgic..
Yesterday i took out my Deathly Hallows book.. Took it to work to read.. And i laughed and smiled through pages.. Yes, the POTTERMANIA is back! Even thought the movie sucks, i wont regret this preview that opened to me a window from my past, which i thought was dead and gone.
Elmo is my nickname for my new phone SE Elm. Cool huh? [My bro Aqqui says i use the term COOL! too much. Humph!]
So i thought i would list the cool stuff and a few disadvantages.. you know, to prove that i am actually an average techie.
So off with the list:
Cool stuff aka adv.elmo(its Wimbledon :P)
[I am only stating the non obvious like wifi 3g etc]
The inbox appears as conversations. which is very cute. and reading it is rather like (google) buzz.
The phone looks handy, easy to hold, feels a bit mouse-like. Very easy on hand.
The twitter app is really good. Then again, its facebook app totally kick you in the nuts, but thats in lame stuff list.
Its made of recycled plastics and is totally recyclable, which somehow pleases me extremely. The green heart initiative phone also comes with loads of greener ideas. Eg: the users manual is in the phone.
You can play the music in background when on call. Works good on people in long distance relationships i hope.
The sound clarity is something to be desired. Music and talk. Awe-quiteabit.
The phone is apparently water resistant. I have not tested it yet.
The picture quality is good when in Macro, close shots and landscapes.
All the online reviews says the usual sony adapters and data cable cant be used on elmo. Its NOT true.
They also say you cant watch YouTube stream videos when in wifi. You CAN.
Email to inbox, uploading to web albums or blog etc are as good as every above average Sony phone.
The MediaGo is quite something according to buzz. I haven't bothered to find out. Yet.
The track ID(TM) is awesome. You switch it on, record 5 secs of any media thats playing and it will tell you the album, singer etc :D works when listening to radio or a familiar tune you cant place :)
Bad stuff aka Adv.other phones
The camera is NOT state of the art. Even though the macro landscape awesomeness happens, it also takes bad pics in dim lights and you have to get used to steadying your hand as it can get shaky. But you get used to it soon :) Eg: 12 3. i took these.
Obviously its not a smartphone. I guess me being smart counts for something :P But this does generate a lot of difficulties.
The flash is not even xenon. Come on sony!
The facebook app is delete worthy. But sad thing is, you cant even delete it. i hope they upgrade it soon.
I cant find where to switch off the cell info display, but thats my problem :P
The light decrease and increase according to the light in surroundings, but you cant switch this facility off.
When a java app is running in the background, the phone will never go to full sleep mode. it will lighten up occasionally. So you are just compelled switch off what ever app that is running.
When in video ringtone mode, the phone does not play video when the call is from someone whose photo you have saved with number. It just plays sony tone or the ringtone you have assigned to them.
The menu doesn't feature File manager. And has calender. Why sony, why?
Hmm. These are all i could manage. I am berry berry happy with elmo as of now, especially since skyfire is being banned in India. :D If anyone asks, i would recommend elmo only because its easy on pocket. Value for money is the essence of elmo. And GreenHeart.
Since i was all "AM-BACK!!", i decided to change my blog template. As i associate it with change and moving on and all. And because its plain fun. :P
So when i was going about it with old template saving and searching for new template adding, i missed the template designer at first. Then when i looked, yay!!!, blogger's own 3 column template! that too in new designs. Which can be made 4 or 2 column! With footer if u want! Isn't that awesome!!
Since it was limited designs, i went back to googling new ones. It was very much late when i spotted the background editor in the template designer! Double YAY!! It has SO much new backgrounds and in so many categories and they are all so so awesome! And this means your choice is unlimited! So i picked this one which reminds me of rain and monsoon :). And.. and.. its so editable! I feel like changing the background every day! It will be tad much na? So i wont. :P But all of you go and check it out! And change yours for the better! (I am such a google PR, they should pay me. :D)
Times were bad. Really bad. Its all over now. Hopefully. :-) And yo! Your friendly neighborhood smalltown_girl is back :-) Wait for the usual me. See you then!
This is for those who commute in public transport, since its boring and lonely most of the time. Those who drive themselves to work avoid these, since they can cause serious accidents and might even result in loss of your life, or skin, or both.
1. In which situation will i be caught in THAT dress game:
This is basically simple. You observe the clothes of fellow travelers. Or those on side walks. And make up situations in which you will be wearing that. Try to be original and self amusing. And take care not to giggle loudly and make others think that you are nuts. Especially guys. Giggling is not cute on you.
Some inspiring dresses gave rise to the following ideas:
At my funeral, where i am dead and my relatives really really hate me for some reason and wants to make me look hideous.
A very action filled detective dream, in which i am in a hurry to get dressed and i also happened to be color blind and wears that junk piece. And later it might save my CSI ass, as the criminal sees the bright coloured combo and goes momentarily blind and we secure him at that.
One of my favorite people got me the dress in a hurried shopping and then passes away quickly, so i have to wear it to honor their memory, so i undergo that torture.
Like that.
2. Why those people are together game:
This is more funny when you have a commute mate.
Make stories of people whom you see together. Fellow commuters who talk daily. Or random ones on street.
This has produced some pretty amazing stories so far.
There was a guy and girl about 14-16 years whom we(me and H) used to see daily. The dark guy and fair girl who used to walk to the bus stop. We made up so many stories about them. The one that made the most sense and got approval was that they were childhood buddies, who go to same school, and are slowly falling in love. Later we came to know that they were estranged cousins as his mom ran away and married a low caste guy. :| and this is the only way they see each other.
The bus i travel now, has a handsome driver. Ruggedly. He drives fast, sharp and still not discomfort us. I even doubted i was crushing on him. Then i observed the girl who sat opposite the driver's seat. They talk a lot, laugh even. If she sleeps, he wakes her up. She says bye before getting off. I thought, wow, nice! LOVE! Then what happens? One day i see the guy's hand. He has 2 rings. One is a big silver one with a pink stone. BIG stone. The other is plastic. PINK. Which has Love written across. :| I don't know what to assume. Is he gay or straight? Love or fraanship? God knows.
And mind you, a friend makes fabrications better.
Actually i don't know any other. If you know any, kindly contribute and make my comments page lively. And my commute too.
One day, i was chatting with her in kitchen when she was fussing with lunch and i was playing lazy.
Me: Mom, you have known me a lot of time na? Saw me in all my looks, all my moods, all my make overs.
Mom: Yeah. Every ugly look included.
Me: So, which one do you remember the most? Think hard and answer.
Mom: *Thinking* Hmm, The best one i remember is the time i just gave birth to you and they showed you to me right after. Squiggly and small and dirty :)
Me: Aww!
I can script this dialogue. But honestly, i didn't. Even though we two fight more than anyone else in the world, we also share moments to true love.
Happy Mothers Day Amma. Have a long life. Be with me always. Seriously, a life without you scares the crap out of me. And i wont swear again. :P
Summer this year was excruciating. The heat.. the sweat.. the thirst.. the distress.. It was a season from hell. It usually is. But this year summer outdid itself. I could actually see the steam coming off road and the layers of air.. I am not exaggerating. It was wild. In african terms. Thank god its almost over. Almost. Sigh.
This is Ayshu's baby. At AJ's wedding 2 weeks ago. She is usually bouncy, laughing, playful and serene. But not in a summer midday at a busy place. She was disturbed, restless and near to tears. She didn't came on to me and sat bewildered with her mom. With reddish face and hot skin. That too after 5 minutes of exiting the car.
