Weekend At Home ?

"Is it a Sunday today? It feels like... Maybe coz we
dint go on any trip today"
Sand's words on Saturday morning.
We were going for breakfast early morning(10AM)
to Home Treat. Just the previous day, we had been
to Innovative Multiplex with the intention to watch
a phirangi movie. The name of which I thought was
Dick N Jane. At the ticket counter, Sand corrected
me "Its not just Dick n Jane. Its 'Fun with Dick n
Jane'. And don bother to by-heart it. The film has
changed".
:-S

So KK,Sand,Kir and me took tix for another movie.
A Hindi new release - Taxi No 9211. Good movie.
Classy performance from Nana Patekar. John seems
to be improving with every movie. A fast paced film.
Slept at autobahn that night..

After the breakfast, had a length-reduction of hair for
25 bucks (well, Sand paid for it, so its a FREE cut)
:-)
(Hope Sand doesnt read this one) :-S


I was back home for lunch. Spent that day in front of
TV. Sunday too was fully in front of TV.
In the eve, bro said, "Lets go to Sankey Tank"
Ok.. Lemme not make it a tripless weekend..
Bro,bhaabhi n me left at 5PM. I had a quick bath also..
Its MahaShivrathri !
(Not that I bath only on that day) :-S

Sankey Tank is beautiful.. Nice n calm place..
Lotsa water - clean water..
Nice breeze too.. Felt like being carried away by the
breeze, when i sat on the water bund...
Work is still in progress there.. maybe, to build some
walk-way, erect some concrete benches, ....
This place, like any other open-air, free-to-enter places
is a lover's paradise.. Every entrant to the place was
paired.. And a few families too.. And obviously, quite
some bird-watchers (which category am i in?) Haha..

Quit the place after an hour's time..
Headed to a temple.
First temple visit for the year !

Later, did some shopping, enjoyed a softy(my fav vanilla flavor)
n started the walk back home...

Find some pix in the canvas below:
































And how can i let that place go just like that..
I mean..
Without a Panoramic View of it !!
So here it is.. (click for a full view)

Travelogue - Po Pondi Day4

I had been flooded with queries like "Dint you come back from Pondi?",
"Where is the last of the Po Pondi series travelogue?"...

So I sat down and recollected all the fun incidents and pinned up some
pix to go with the narration. Here it is..
BTW, the previous posts in this series are here:
Po Pondi Day 1
Po Pondi Day 2
Po Pondi Day 3

To add to the funkiness, decided to do the return trip in a funky
costume.. Geo n me got into bermudas.
Breakfast from Anand Bhavan - Ordered that rocket stuff.. Was
very heavy..

Took the snap of the kid, who found the cam too fancy


By 9.47 we started the trip.
Sand driving, Geo navigating, Jins n Rat in the back seat..
Sharp at 10, took a left turn to get to the road taking us to
Thindivanam. Went further left a bit too much, and had to come
back to the parent road by taking a road. Found a police in pondi
uniform - white n white - who got us back on road after a 15 min
delay and 150 bucks loot.. The money was entered in the common
fund under the title "Police man's Grandma's wedding fund"


No further trouble after that.. Traversed through the clean plain road
with lush green fields n trees on both sides..


The first Pit Stop was at 12.44PM.
The milestone tells the details in km..
(This is one thing that has always put in dilemma.. The numbers on
the milestones.. do they tell distance in km or in miles???)


A peep thru the left boundary of the milestone will show you what
we were upto ;-)

This ws followed by some stupid idea of Geo
The intention is to get the map, the car, the road and the compas,
all in one pic.. May be his idea was to get all the things that played
a major role in our trip, the navigation, into one screen..
Look at the pic and see if you get that feeling....


IMG_6301 is given below

This was taken when we were stopped temporarily from proceeding
on the road, to give way for a passing train. Geo jumped out of
the car and found some peace below the shades..

Not long did we go..
The next image is very interesting.
It is IMG_6302

Yup.. It couldnt get any flatter than this !
If we were to believe what the lorry driver tried to convey while
we stopped at the railway level cross, we had travelled at least
6 km on a flat tyre !

Every one was shocked.. And Sand couldnt believe his eyes..


It was just 'coz we drove into a puncture shop to get the air
checked, that we saw the flat left rear tyre..
1 hour gone there.. with the experienced-looking guy trying
to fix the issue. It took him 2 takes before the tyre could be
declared fit.
Well, that makes a good sequence.
The "CULPRIT" is given resting on Geo's hand in one of the
pix

















In the meantime, Energy drinks stock was replenished..
Had a quick look at the score from a neighboring shop.
India was in a not-so-good situation in the match against Pak.
So dint waste more time in front of the idiot box.

Back on track.
Had another stop after some time, just to check that the air
in the four co-ordinates of the car are good enough.

Yes its fine. Nothing to worry

Now, is the time for an interesting question.
If you get into a hotel at 4 in the evening, what would you
call that meal? Lunch ?
Well, can give 7 points for that answer.. since we dint hav
any lunch that day.. Yup, its lunch for the day at 4PM.


The next stretch is a treat to anyone's eyes..
In Geo's own words "The sun pouring magical colors, this
stretch is a dream drive"
Here is some proof:






Touched ground zero at 6.12 Sharp!


Keep aside the "GM wedding fund" and the flat-tyre episode,
a trouble-free trip.. Well, I don wanna keep 'em aside.. Its part
of the trip. We like it adventorous.. And this is the right recipe!

Until the next trip, This is your friendly online writer Rat signing
off...

Tea Vada Murder : The Court Verdict

The court verdict on the sensational high profile Tea-Vada waiter
murder case is out..
The old man is sentenced to death.

According to the police, the incident took place in this manner.

On the 23rd of January, the old man got into the hotel for his favorite
menu. He had been going to the same hotel for the past few days, but
was mentally tortured by the waiter, by not giving him the right kind of
dish.. He would say either of these:
"No tea sir, only vada" or
"No vada sir, only tea today" or
"Sunday Holiday" or
"How are you" or
"Today no vada , no tea"

The desperate old man went to PVR to watch the film Rang De Basanti.
He allegedly, got his inspiration from the movie, went straight to the
waiter and shot him from point blank.

After days of investigation, and trial, the court came out with its verdict.
The execution was carried out at 5PM IST at the Stebara Jail, near
Steppasaandra.

There was a huge gathering of the fans and followers of the instant-famous
old man. The great man will be remembered for his addiction to tea and vada.

The state Tea Vada association has decided to mourn the death by not serving
tea and vada for one week from today.
(Hospitals and barbershops have been excluded from this mourning)

Reporting from Storamangala
Stock News Keliye
Stump Kumar

Terms n Conditions

The much awaited terms n conditions of the tour campaign (code named MUA) is formally released. This is a joint venture of Sand, and .. Sand.. Nobody else :-)
Here it is
All kicks, hits, bullets, bull-dozers, cock-roaches, bed-bugs, flu-affected-chickens please be sent to the below given address..
Sand
Autobahn
Opposite to the parked WagonR
Near the Main Road
India

MUA : Terms n Conditions

DEFINITION OF TERMS

This End-User License Agreement ("EULA") is a legal agreement between you ("The member")
and the Mair-Uth-Anne Team ("MUA" or "The company"). By reading, writing or deleting this EULA, you agree to be bound by the terms of this.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Rule #1: Cancellation Policy

Section-1a

Most important and basic rule is "If you plan anything on Monday, you have to cancel it by Friday". It may or may not be carried out on Saturday. We call it by the name PIM-CIF(DIS), which expands to Plan It on Monday-Cancel It on Friday (Do It on Saturday). The 3rd action is optional and depends on the geopolitical situation and interference by trusted external allies of the group.

Section-2b

If in case, tickets are booked in advance of more than 3 days to the scheduled starting of the trip, it has to be cancelled no matter how costly it was. There will be no refund provided by the company to any of the member if he has booked the tickets.

Section-3d

If you are unsure that you will be able to come for a trip, you have to express the probability of coming in percentages. It has to be accurate up to 2 decimal points.

Rule #2: Clarification of doubts

Section 1-c

Ariyillengil chodikkaruthu.(If you don't know it, please don't ask)

Section 2-z

Wh- questions chodikkaruthu.(Don't ask wh-questions. e.g. who did that? who was that?) And in case if you ask, the answer from the company will be always the default answer. You know it.

Rule #3: Common fund and settling the accounts

Section 1-q

Every expense will come under a common pool. It doesn't matter if you are eating/not eating or drinking/not drinking. All the members are advised by the company to utilize this to the max. No complaints will be entertained later.

Section 2-k

The accounts are to be settled within 5 mins of completion of the trip. On failure, the accounts are considered settled and the members who donated to the common fund are told "thanks for everything". Its the responsibility of the maximum contributor to settle the accounts.(Provided he's good in complex mathematical functions like addition and multiplication)

Section 3-t

While settling the accounts, ultra complex mathematical functions like division are not encouraged. In the unavoidable scenarios like calculating per head expenditure, members are permitted to use division, on a condition that a number should only be divided by 10.

Rule #4: Disagreement Clause

Members are advised not to discuss anything if you disagree with others. You simply have to shout. Physical measures like man-handling are allowed but within the jurisdiction of the concerned laws.

(Choodayal pore chodikkunnathenthina?)

Rule #5: Digital Rights management

Section 1-p

If none of the members have a camera, there is no point in going for the trip.

Section 2-s

Every member is encouraged to take as many photos as he can, including that of every tree, every milestone, every sign board and every chick on the road. Talented members are advised not to go for these kinds of cheap photos but to go for NAT-GEO (National Geographic) photos like empty ground, close up flowers etc. It need not be taken from a standing posture. You can try taking photos lying down on the beach, bending down to the floor etc.

Section 3-w

Photos are to be copied and uploaded to blogs or online photo galleries. This is identified to be a task of our full time member "Rat". Failing to do so will result in serious mental tortures like visiting his house on a Saturday morning and enjoying the homely food and homely accommodation till Monday morning.

WARRANTY

The company gives absolutely no warranty for any of the trips and it’s the sole responsibility of the member to find something interesting in a tour destination. Sometimes it may be also happen that there is nothing interesting in the destination. We are not responsible for such an event.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS.

Copy right Mair-Uth-Anne (NR) group Ink, 2006.

All rights reserved.

All trademarks used are the property of MUA.

PIMCIF is able to rule in contractual and other disputes (arising from contracts for the transportation, settlement of bills, joint ventures, MNC acquirements, etc.) provided a clause to this effect has been agreed between the parties. In certain cases, it may also be preferable to agree on arbitration in a third country. All disputes in this regard will be settled in the Uganda Court for Scientific Studies.

Travelogue - Yo! Yercaud Day2

If you've read the Day1 adventures in Yercaud, continue with day2..

Dint expect to get up at this time.
Its just 6.30.
And it was a cozy sleep under the thick black blanket..

Nagged up KK n went out for tea.
It was sooooooooo cold!


Back in room and geared up for the days adventure by 7.47


Went to hotel Malar for a multi-course breakfast.
Plain dosa, masala dosa, puri, vada (with tea of course).
The delay in getting the food items at the table was not
tolerable. Sand at one instant almost slapped a waiter..


While the order was gettin delayed, Den started pouring in
his ideas.. "As per human psychology, seeing so many waiters
one would imagine that there are an equal number of cooks in
the kitchen. But that is not the case, hence the confusion"
All 3 nodded in agreement (just to keep his mouth shut)
:-)
Den unleashed some more ideas after this..
KK said "I need an idea for my project, Dennis. But to get a
good one, you have to tell at least 1400 ideas.."
:-S
Den preferred to keep quite for some time (just to finish off the
plain dosa that found its way to our table)

The first destination for the day is the Kizhiyur falls.
At the hotel, the receptionist said, 3km in car; last 1km walk.
Well n good.. Parked the car. Walked about 50m.
Sand "Where is the road?"
Thats the same qn every one had.. The road ended abruptly,
giving way to a narrow one-foot wide path.. one side thick bush,
the other side, a trench! One misplaced step, and its good bye

A careful look at the pic will reveal a nice cozy armrest, which u
can 'hold' in case you slip :-S

It dint take long before we aborted the mission.
We had other better things to do.


Next up, is Shervarayan temple. This is where the highest point in
Yercaud is - at an altitude of 5326 feet!


Parked the car n had a good bird's eye view of the places down under.
Sand did some trix with his indi..
Its a video (Cant be accessed after Feb27)
Caution : It is 9.67MB

Found an abandoned TV Relay Station there..


Having spent some quality time at the highest point, v started the
down-hill trip. Halted at a point for checking out some perfume..
The salesboy displayed many different fragrances..
But Den wasnt happy..
"Dont u have some sexual pheromone content perfumes"
We took him back, before he got kicked out.. Bought 2 perfumes
n backed off, for a photo sesssion.
It took 3 takes, before the director called it out 'OK'






Pagoda Point is next. Well, dint see any Pagoda's there..
But the place is good again.. Nice view.
Had a sweet corn from there.

There is a school in Yercaud, a famous one - Montfort.
It is open to public on weekends. Went there..
Sand " Dint get into the school campus during good ol' days..
So at least now . . . "


KK seemed to be practising for a change in career path..
Check what he is up to..


Its food time again.
Back to Shevaroy Hotel..
(Den pronounces Shevaroy in all sorts of weird ways.. Now he
says Sheravoy, later he'll say Shovery...)
We got into Silver Oak y'day for dinner.
Today we opted for Red Dragon - its Chinese.
Had a chicken-free lunch :-)
But made sure, that the bill came to more than 650.


Back to room, packup n time to go!
Rat wrote

Back
to
Bangalore!

on the dust-laid back glass.
KK corrected it to

The Back
The to
The Bangalore!

:)

The return trip was as fun-filled as the onward journey..
KK was sleeping for a major part of the trip.
I offered him the back seat. But sleeping in the front seat
and making the driver feel jealous seemed to amuse him..

Dennis was continuously offering new n new ideas..
All of them were "pre-approved" - no body wanted a discussion
on those ideas :-S

Just before entering the toll road, spotted a red Swift.
Had a good race with the Swift - Swift in front, indi catching up.
At one point came at a pen-distance to the rear bumper of the swift.
Proclaimed the mission to be a success (coz cudnt come any closer
to that during the rest of the race..)

Sand took up the next mission.. ;-)


Back to ground zero by 8PM

For the full set of photos, check here