Photography, my latest passion

Well, Photography is yet to be classified (parallel with shopping or traveling or even my love for books) as a passion or favorite pastime in my profile, but it is going be one very soon.

I always had an inclination towards fine arts, read it as paintings and sketches, music had never been my cup of tea, leave a few occasions or a some particular mood sets. But paintings and sketches had always appealed my senses. And since my school days, I adored the paintings of my friends (who had pretty good hands at it) with a tinge of envy in my eyes. I just could not make those movements with my hands, how much ever hard I tried. They say artists are gifted, gifted with good hands. Even my little sister sketched better than me.

I came across Photography quite some time back. There was a phase when I wanted to be photographed only; I hated to take snaps as my image won’t be there in the photograph. Then a phase came when I liked to take photographs of others, with just a sense of having been grown up. I loved taking photographs, doing little experiments, well not some very unconventional ones. And there was not much scope of experimentation, as I was using my dad’s film camera. Then during beginning of this year, I managed to buy a digital camera. It is a 5 Mega Pixel, 3x Optical zoom, Olympus camera. And I started taking photographs with it, only then I realized the potential photography had within itself.

I started learning the few tips and tricks that can make a lot of difference on the image one takes. I got to know the effect of light (brightness/ angle of it’s incidence on the object), the time of exposure, the composition of land and sky can make a big difference on the quality of photograph. But the best part is my realization that Photography can be just another form of art, one can just unleash his/her imagination, and it gives ample scope for creativity. So finally that adoration mixed with envy turns into a hearty smile of satisfaction. Even I can be an artist. Though today I am just a novice in this vast field, with immense possibilities, someday may be I can make my mark.

What's next!!

So there is no Pondicherry Trip - II...

It had been quite some time I had put down some thing here. First few weeks after the previous post, I was busy with some exam preparation... and then my indolence. So now I can cut it short in just few lines...

We come to the bus stop, wait there among the dust and smoke for good few hours. Reason...not the number of busses...but the number of tourists in Pondicherry during new year. We could not get into any of those buses. The funniest part being, even few of us got into the bus fighting the rush and sqeezing crowd and manage to find seats for themselves, they had to give up those hard owned seats just because all of us could not get in.

Finally we give up, hired a taxi and come back to Chennai.

Pondicherry Trip

Pondicherry!Yeah this is where we celebrated our new year this time.For most of us this was the first new year away from home.Planned for it quite some time back,booked the rooms, made a list of "to do's"(most of which couldnot get materialised).

Started on early morning of 31st Dec,as per our plan we were supposed sleep real early the previous day,so that we can get up and get going.But it was friday night.So inspite of all our efforts,the late dinner,the late night phone calls,what to pack(and what not to pack)!?when to start?!which places to visit!?what to do in 31st night?!(Gals will be gals)...we could manage to go to bed past midnight.But somehow we managed to get up n get to the bus-stop by 7am(which i would say was real early).Got an bus pretty soon,and managed to get seats for all of us.and the best of all we managed to avoid the traffic of the rush hour.Packed some food to have it on the way,but all were so sleepy that sleep was the only thing came to our mind then.I was just leaning on the seat,this bus journey was one after quite some time,almost a year or so.There were these lush green fields....rippling sunshine on small ponds...even on the sea (can say the it was a kind of marine drive)... occassional small towns and even more number of villages...and not to mention a few speedy passing twowheelers (ECR road is heaven for bike riders).

We reached in the Pondicherry bus-stop at 9:30 am and in some 20 more minutes,we were in the hotel.Got freshened up,had our breakfast n what next!Could not resist the temptation of the soft white beds.So,again we were off to sleep,our second slot for that day.We wake up,took our bath,get dressed...and then we realise,our stomach is grumbling for some food.We come down,discussing 'I will have this.I will have that'....sit in the restaurant,but Oops!It's 4pm.No lunch available.Bad luck!Had to eat the same thing that we had for breakfast.Planned we will have something on our way.

And we start for the beach,everyone votes for walk,ofcourse except me(Nobody listens to me :-( ).Some of our friends join us on the way,they are arranging for the New Year Party,any place that is within our budget and moreover safe for girls.We could not make our mind to a single place,we reached the beach discussing the same.Took some snaps,sat on the rocks(Its a rocky beach).One of my friends was quite disappointed with that rocky beach,as she could not get wet in water.There was a carnival going on in the beach side,and seeing that we remember we need to eat something.For me the rides in the carnival were more appealing.Some of our friends were a bit scared of those rides,but convinced them somehow.But we go there the man at the counter says,they are running short of tickets (what an excuse!).Fine,we go hunt for some food stuff (say panipuri).But alas!Panipuri was over,i mean puri and masala was there but pani was not.Ok lets check out somewhere else,huh! we had to walk the whole way back to find a panipuri-walah with stock of both puri and pani.But wait! That was not the end of it.The panipuri was sweet.eeehhh!!!We have that come back,hoping atleast we will get tickets for those rides in carnival,but no!they had some mechanical problem.Bad day, Man!Well there was something good,we found out the place for out new year party,a French restaurant,Randevous.

So finally,good things happening in our lives.It was 7:30pm and we headed for the restaurant.One of our friends,who is a resident of Pondicherry joined us.We reach there and first thing comes to our mind is food.We were a bit excited as well as nervous thinking about the French food,for obvious reasons.But to our relief (and disappointment also) the food was indian,and so were the people.All that was French was the interior decor.After food we could not wait to go the dance floor.We went there n the guys bought some drinks for themselves.And on the dance floor we were the only ones present,but that could not bring our enthusiasm down.After some 2 hours,we realised that we need to get back,another of our friends was supposed to join us in the hotel.And against everyone's wish we had to push off from there.We reached hotel,freshened up and then only realised how tired we were,well most of us.Then started the series of phone calls,sms's and cursing the jammed networks.Clock struck 12,and it was the new year 2006.Wished each other and went to sleep.

Next day morning,1st Jan 2006.It was a beautiful morning.We were all fresh,recovered from exhaustion after a good night's sleep.Then started the series of video recording,blabbering about 'How was the party?'..'Hate these jammed networks...my phone is almost dead'...'what next?Where to go?'...Then we got an invitation to a friend's place,and an assurance that he will take care of our "What next?!".So we checked out,ahd breakfast and headed for his place.One of my friends was very excited to meet Sachin,his dog.It was his ancestral house,if not few hundred years old,it was a cozy one with giant wooden pillars(that we liked the most),old heavily ornated furnitures with and neatly maintained.These guys played with Sachin (not me!),and we watched some tamil songs coming on TV.Then all of us went to roam around the place,main purpose was to see our friends 100 year old school and a nearby church,both of which were closed unfortunately.We just roamed around the market,and came back.Had a sumptuous lunch,and our next plan was Chhunambar,a small park and holiday resort,but its main attraction was boating.Boating was really good,and so was the beautiful scenery around it.We were all quiet...some were busy taking snaps...or video recording...playing with water..or just admiring the beauty.And there was I,doing what i love to do at such times,watching eah of them...the changing expressions on their faces...trying to apprehend what could be going on their mind.This is what they say,studying people :-).

It was evening and time to go back.We boarded a bus and headed towards the main bus-junction to go back to Chennai.Here starts the most interesting part of the journey...

To be continued....

Out in the midnight...in a Metro

The metro I am talking about is,as i always say.... a not so metro,Chennai.And Chennai at midnight!!Is same as any other small city in India.Not much of night life...just quiet and beautiful in it's own way.It so happened that I had to go to office at around 10.00 pm, that too on a holiday...well the reason was quite unavoidable.Well while going got a lift from a friend. But while coming back,it was just past midnight,didnt want to wait for a cab for another hour...And had to come back home walking(its a 20 minutes walk,from office to my home).

So that was it....Out in the Metro,one fine night (midnight) ...in a city so peaceful...a city so quiet.Just a few autos,or a office cab,police petrol vans,and few people at work on the road People who work in the night,when the city is asleep, whole night may be to keep this city clean n tidy.Huh man!this silence was a bliss..for i had walked on the same road a hundred times during day and in the evenings.There will always be a mad rush of vehicles and people.The MTC and ECR buses,autorickshaws,honking two wheelers and four wheelers and moreover the padestrians.and how am i forgetting the roadside vendors,fortune tellers...sometimes u just dont need to walk...u just move along with the crowd...it takes u in its flow..a flow so inevitable...

And it was the same city...so quiet and peaceful.i had to see it to believe it.

Just a book or two?!

Books are my passion.Books are my love.I like them in all forms,all types,all kinds.So here is a voracious reader,can devour anything to everything...call it Science fiction... Literatue...Biography...Philosophy...Nonfiction...or anything else for that matter.Can get my hands off anything as light as comics (read webcomics,dont get to read the printed ones these days)...or as serious a book as dealing with 'What is the meaning of life?!'(How about 'God of small things' or 'Monk who sold his farrari').So here i will be writing about the books i read ...those i love ...those i love not ...those i appriciate...or those i could hardly bear with.

Presently reading 3 books parallely.Well i would say i am pretty capable of parallel processing.
1.Mediocre but Arrogant
2.Inscrutible Americans
3.Lord of the Rings

First book deals with life and love at a B-School.Second one is full of sarcasm n humour for American society in a very palatable way.Third one needs no introduction neither does JRR Tolkein.So here goes pure fiction stuff.
Will shortly be writing about Chetan Bhagat's 'One night @ call centre' and his previous one which i liked more 'Five point someone'.

Oh so dreamy eyes..

So where do i start!!My work!My life!My passions!My Hobbies!My love!My dreams!

Well lets start with my dreams.Let me tell u,its not the 'dream' as in aspiration...what i want to be after some 10-15 years...or what i want to do with my life... or all those stuff.
Its simply means "a series of mental images and emotions occurring during sleep".
Well what's the big deal about that,everyoone has his own dreams.Hmmm...let them have their.But my dreams are mine,and isn't that a reason enough for them to become special.
I love my dreams....and i have all kind of those...good ones...bad ones...scary ones....naughty,pranky ones...

But the most interesting part of it is few of them do come true.Some good ones and some bad ones too...
One thing I would say,the people i meet in a day,the things i do or atleast think of doing always have a higher probability of coming in my dreams.

These days i had been dreaming about RPG's(Role Playing Game) quite a lot.Started playing it a week back,courtsey a friend of mine who is crazy about them.Previously,computer games n me!!It's kid's stuff buddy!I have lot more interesting things to do.But then again one fine evening....well..ok..lets give it a try.A3,huh!!that's the name of the game.And then, as they say rest all is history.I started playing as a mage named Chandrika,teamed with with some other characters....n started....yes killing monsters..lots of them..Memoras...Lessy's....Epulooas...Hammerds...to name a few.And acquiring skills...gaining experience.That day if i would have seen myself in that gamedrome, would have had laughed my guts out.For a kind of person i am,or i had been....killing monsters was just funny and immature stuff.I was meant for much serious stuff in life.Actually i can say i never gave it a try.

Now the most intriguing part of it,when that night in my dreams i started playing A3,infact i was the character Chandrika, hunting down the monsters to acquire some skills that i could not take on during the real game.And this continued for quite a few nights together.Oh Man!It almost became an addiction in such a short span of time.

So there goes my dreams about RPG's.Let's see,how long i stay hooked on to this new found passion of mine.

Here I go again.

Lost the other blog due to unfaithful memory.
So, got about creating another one.

Pray to all gods of all direction that I do not loose this one too.
Wo-hoo!