Keep Walking!

“Appa, can we go home?” Vishnu asked me when we were at the International Exhibit at Queensland Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA).  Somehow, I thought a 6-year old would be interested in seeing the fine 15-th century Mediterranean artworks on porcelain bowls, plates and cutleries. Well, we need to introduce children to some quality artwork at an young age, shouldn’t we?  After I explained him that those paintings were made by world-renowned artists, to which he replied, ‘They are boring. I can make better artwork than these. Will they exhibit my artwork too?’ I laughed out loud and said, “well, they would, one day!”  Whenever I stopped at a art shop to admire(?!) at a Modern Artwork/Painting, Devi used to say, “Who will pay $$$ for this piece of crap? I will rather ask Vishnu to paint something for me and frame it for my wall!”  Mm..guess what? Vishnu sells his artwork from* $10 a piece :-p  By the way, if you are looking to take your children to Art...

Marriage does more good to you. Trust me. Go and get married if you are single. If you are married, stop wasting your time reading this and start a conversation with your life partner to improve your relationship. Marriage is your lifeline. OK, I can only speak from my own experience. Having a loving life partner beside you reduces your burden at least by half. Be it work or worries, they get halved where as the happiness and wellness get doubled. After marriage, I discovered my own strengths which I can use to the maximum and shortcomings which I needed to eliminate. This is the one of the biggest positives that I can take after one year of marriage. When I was single, life seemed easy. I was free to what I wanted to do. I could go out anytime and come home anytime. There was no need to inform anyone. I had many things to do and goals to achieve and I had all the time in the world. When you have "all the time" in the world, you know what happens. Yes, we can relax a wh...

When I moved from Melbourne to this new town called Gympie in Queensland, I knew no one. I had known only few of my office colleagues whom I met during the interview. Having just returned from a crowded family holiday in India, no wonder I felt alone. I was undergoing a dilemma whether I had made the 'right move' to come to the 'right place'. I found a small unit house, locked myself and spent my time either watching movies or browsing the Internet until my neighbour knocked my door one day. My neighbour was standing at the door with a basket of goodies that had tea, sugar, noodles and rice. I thought he was delivering it to a wrong address. He smiled and said, "This is my way of welcoming you to the neighbourhood, mate. Enjoy yourself". Whenever I returned from office, he would catch hold of me for a few small talks on what he did on that day and ask me few questions on what I did at work. After those chats, after a few days, things started improving. I st...

In The Autobiography of a Yogi , Swami Yogananda says, "Of all the relationship, the highest order is Friendship. Because, all other relations develop or come out of some expectations / commitment etc. Like Father / Daughter, Husband / Wife, Relative etc .. they demand some commitment in return.. But only Friendship asks for nothing and provides you everything!" Have you ever had that feeling, 'Ah, I swear that I said something similar to someone!' when you read something? I did write in an email a nearly similar quote as you read above and found that now in my gmail archive. I save chats, emails and everything (long live Gmail!) and I could easily search what I said, wrote in the last few years. me : do u know all other relationships expect something from the other person... except friendship ..which is unconditional , doesnt demand anything Great people think alike, huh?

Here is another self-boasting blog post. Well, it is my personal blog, what else would you expect people? Since my childhood, I thought (still I think) I was different. I see things differently. When given a problem, most probably I would think of some stupid solutions, but they will be quick and easy to work with. I believe there is nothing in the world you can not do. Anything can be done. No limits. Some of these statements will annoy my friends, but that's how I am. If I am into something, I will do a pretty good job or I would get out of it asap if I can't make a difference. I think I am good at creating a 'good boy' image. I wish I can match the image. I wouldn't buy a thing just because others have bought it. I will buy only if I think it is necessary. Even if it means I have to stand alone in a crowd. I care less about everything. But, I give more importance to people than materials. What will you do when you see a long lost friend in a market? I...

If you are a shy person like me, you would understand this. I never ask anyone about anything. I assume things (partly because I am an egoistic Engineer). Sometimes I am right but most of the times I would be wrong. I will list some of the common misunderstandings I had as a child. I forgot many of those stupid assumptions. As a kid, I thought the moon was following me wherever I go. Even when I started running, it would follow me. When people were electorlocuted (touched a live electric wire), I thought their blood will boil, evaporate and then they woudl die eventually. I thought God would be watching all my activities and listening to all my words (lies). My parents told me so and I believed. I thought the elevators / lifts are for disabled and old people who couldn't climb up the stairs. I thought if you hurt an ant, in your next life, you will become an ant. That ant will become a human and it will hurt you. Same pinch. After seeing some hoardings showing "Contact: 834...

First things first. I wish a happy, healthy and wealthy new year to you, your friends and your family. May you get all the things that you wish (be careful though) for in 2009. Here is a challenge for myself. I wish to do the following 108 things before 31st December, 2009. Let us see how many I complete. I am planning to update this list as I progress through each of these things. I have never tried many of these things before (for eg. marriage) and I am excited and thrilled. I dont tell what I wish to do even to my close friends (except with the one friend). I think 2009 is going to be a big year for me in more than few ways. I will add more details to each and write blog posts how I am doing / not doing with each of these at later dates. The status as per 31.Jan.2009 is within brackets. Blue - Not yet started. Orange - Doing something about it. Green - Done, Yay! Watch F1 race in Melbourne (Yay, Done!). Remember to wish people on their birthdays (Marked all the birthdays ...

Neither I dislike pets nor do I hate them. We have never had pets at home in India. My grandma didn’t like it and my mom didn’t like it, so we didn’t have a pet at home. It is an old saying that ‘Soldiers like Dogs and Artists like Cats’. I am not sure if I fit into either of those categories but, I like kittens and puppies more than their adult versions. Pets have always seen me as a friendly person, I am fortunate that way not to receive any bites from any of the pets I have encountered with. When I moved to the current house, my housemate asked if it is OK for him to have pets. I replied affirmative as long as I don’t encounter a big, fiery dog. But, the pet turned to out to be a black cat. Neither he was a cat nor was he black. I would rather call him a kitten and brownish black. I asked if the kitten has a pet name but, my housemate said he had forgotten to think of a name. He called it simply ‘Kittie’. My housemate’s way of taking care of pets is just ignoring them 90% of the ti...

Nearly 90, my Grandma is going strong. She is my mom's mom. I am already feeling sad because, I may lose her one day. Many of my values, habits were hard-coded in me by my grandma. Nowadays, I wonder how many young kids have the opportunity to listen to grandma's stories every night. I have learnt so much from her and here are the tips that she has told us from time-to-time and I try to practise every day. 1. Travel and see new places because that is the only way you will learn about others. The bonus is  that you will discover more about yourself. 2. Keep faith in God, but prepare well for school exams. You won't probably get good grades because of prayers, but you might not fall sick on the exam day. 3. When you go in a group (cinema/hotel), always pay for yourself. This will avoid conflicts/heartbreaks later. 4. Read something every day, choose any subject and read. 5. Do not eat junk food (you know the ones, the biscuits, fried etc). Don't. 6. When some...

How are you? Sorry long time no blog posts. Here’s the good news that I have been waiting to tell you. I take pleasure in inviting YOU, your friends and family to my Sister Jayalakshmi’s marriage with Vijayakumar. My Sister graduated with a Diploma in Education and will continue her career in teaching and her would-be is also a teacher. Apart from this bit of information about the groom, I don’t know much (Sorry, that’s me!) and I believe my parents and sister have made the right choice. Some important stuff, down below. For anyone living AWAY: I understand that you cannot book flights to India at a short(!) notice. If you send me your wishes, I will deliver them. For anyone who can attend: Don’t worry. If you reach Kallakurichi, I would take care of you from there. Don't forget the phone numbers like me. By the way, here are some other fun things you can do if you are not able to attend the marriage. Think and write an e-wish for the bride-groom spending just a few characters ( Ho...

Sometimes I think we should not be given a choice to postpone things. Especially, for me. I seem to work well under pressure with a deadline hanging on my head. I should have got my driving license 6 months ago. My company offered me a job which had a requirement of an Australian Driving License. Then, I asked them if I can join and learn to drive and get a license ' as soon as possible'. They gave me 6 months. Then it got extended to another 6 months. Almost 8 months after, I am still 'trying to get the license'. Only if they had told me I won't get the job if I don't get the license. I would have got my license in 3 months time. Sometimes, people should not give choices. I found that at least, choices do not work for me.

I have been tagged by Ranjani to answer some random 38 questions . So, here they are. 1. Name one person who made you laugh last night? I am watching a movie every night. So, chances are that some characters in the movie would have made me laugh. Yesterday, it was Matt Damon from 'The Bourne Ultimatum' during the following conversation. Noah Vosen (the bad guy who chases Jason Bourne): [in car, on cell phone] Perhaps we can arrange a meet. Jason Bourne: Where are you now? Noah Vosen: I'm sitting in my office. Jason Bourne: I doubt that. Noah Vosen: Why would you doubt that? Jason Bourne: If you were in your office right now we'd be having this conversation face-to-face. [Bourne hangs up] 2. What were you doing at 0800? I was waiting in my office to go to a nearest City for an office meeting. I had to get up at 6.30 am. 3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Enjoying a spectacular ride on a firetruck. Yes, I chose to travel with my office colleague on a firetruck from m...

I saw the wonderful gesture of Meg at her BlogPond about showing Christmas link love (Nice idea!). Thanks Meg, we are honoured. Well, I was thinking of a similar thing and I have already made the arrangements (bought stuff) to reward my readers. There are no conditions or strings attached to this offer. How sweet..! So, what's the offer? I am going to mail you a real, signed Christmas & New Year postcard to your home. There are 24 cards in total, 12 for Australian readers and 12 for readers outside Australia (All taken) . What do you need to do? Just send me your postal address to my email-id tmurugan @ gmail dot com. That's pretty much it. For the convenience of other readers (to avoid disappointments), you may leave a comment below saying 'One card taken, 11 to go' with your Name (nickname is OK, too) and your Country. When the comment count reaches 12 + 12, people will know all the cards are booked. When is the last date? I want to post it by 12th December, 20...

I am thankful to God for guiding me in a good path to appreciate everything I come across. I am thankful to my mother who taught me to see this world with new eyes. I am thankful to my father who let me to make my decisions that shaped my life. I am thankful to my sister who showed what love mean and how we can enrich life with love. I am thankful to my best friend who brought faith when I was in dark and inspired me to look beyond failures. I am thankful to all my friends who showered care and affection in my path. Above all, I am thankful to you, my blog-friends, who showed limitless love and appreciation which inspires me everyday. with love and compassion, we can build a better world. Happy Thanksgiving! Courtesy: Me, I wrote this poem! -Thiru ;o) What You are Thankful For?

I had to catch a plane for Hamilton from Melbourne, Essendon airport. I travelled by a taxi and reached the Essendon airport thinking that I will have my lunch and browse (wireless) internet for a while before catching my plane in 3 hours. But, Essendon airport looked like a ghost aerodrome. There was no one at sight and the only café at the airport was closed for Sunday (duh). I was hungry. I looked around and asked a passer-by if there is a café nearby. He said, 'Nope, you have to travel to the nearest suburb to find one'. Since I had enough time, I thought I would go by a Taxi and get something to eat. I called for a cab and it came in few minutes. 'Hey! You called for a cab?' asked the Chinese cab driver. I said, 'yes'. "Where do you want to go?" "To the nearest café. May be McDonalds or something." "Oh, I see you are hungry. After having lunch, where do you want to go?" "I want to come to this place (same airport) again. ...

According to Myers-Briggs , I am INFP - that is The Myers-Briggs system measures people in four areas...subdivided by two functions How a person relates to others (either by Extraversion or Introversion) How a person takes in information (either by Sensing or iNtuition) How a person makes decisions (either by Thinking or Feeling) How a person orders their life (either by Judging or Perceiving) Visit Myers-Briggs Introduction page to know which type you belong to. So, by this classification - I worked out (roughly) - INFP and what does that signify? And then visit the Sixteen Types of Myers-Brigg page to know more about yourself. I am a Dreamer - an Idealist . Well, I do not agree to that completely.

(Photo courtesy: Ksionic ) As per Chinese Astrology, I am Snake . Very specifically, a Fire Snake. To find out who you are - visit Chinese astrology and check against your birth year. There are only 12 animals - you may belong to one of them. So, as per Chinese Astrology, year of Pig commences in few days. So, how this year is going to be for me. ProAstro tells this , " This Year of the Pig is a revolutionary one for the Snake. There is a chance for exceptionally good fortune this year. Snakes, overall, need to practice caution this year. However, there are some Snakes that need to be more careful than others". You can check the "Year of Pig" predictions for you at this page . A brief overview is FREE. More from this site which analyzes the positives and negatives of the zodiac. For Snake, "Positive : The Snake can be amiable, compromising, fun-loving, altruistic, honorable, sympathetic, philosophical, charitable, a paragon of fashion, intuitive, discreet,...

I do not believe in it, but I am curious like you. The horoscope. What makes them interesting. It is a mix of good things so it makes you feel good. For example, see this. I am a Scorpio. A man with a foggy clouds over him. (true as of now) He is sensitive and easily hurt and always feels lonely. (not true) He does not trust anyone but himself. (partially true) Sounding so negative, but he has an amazingly charisma. (is it so?) He is a compassionate man. (I think so) He absorbs other people sentimental feeling and pain. (Yes) He is a good psychiatrist and he could understand complex and confused feeling. (Yeah) He has a hidden power that he could use it to make things happen and do things well. (I hope so) He does not like people who never try to help themselves before asking other people for favors. - (Damn right) He is the type of guy who mostly achieved his goal in life. (Agree) Once he sets his mind for something, he will put all his energy and efforts in it , whether or not ...

This is a critical update to the Perfect Lover story . Contrary to the belief that the service is one-off affair, I continue to get some messages like , 'you do not have insufficient balance to receive messages from this service'. Thankfully, my mobile balance is zero. After littlefaeriegirl pointed out, I went in again to the site and read their "terms and conditions". What a miss! They say, under Description of Service: "The user is charged $6.60 for the love reading , $6.60 for the horoscope club joining fee and $6.60 for the horoscope . The horoscope is sent out twice a week at $6.60/message. " What the...? My bad, from now on, I should read the "T&C". Now, when I recharge my prepaid account, the first thing I should do is to send an SMS saying "STOP" to 19776656 to stop all these menaces and financial losses. The moral of the story, everyone is this: You can do something wrong, then learn the right thing. or Watch someone doing...

You would've noticed this " Perfect Lover " - Find your soulmate's details with name etc. It appears in Google Ads. I was curious. I do not believe in these type of astrologies / fortune telling. Because, I was thinking of developing such a site - for fun. I wanted to see what they do and how they do. It costed me $5 (Australian Dollars). You need to provide your gender, name and your mobile number at the site. After that, you will receive a confirmation code. You need to type it in the website. After few minutes, you will receive a message describing the characteristics of your perfect mate. Mm..want to know what I got? Eye Colour: Brown, Blue or Green (sounds good) Birth Year: Year of the Dragon and Rat (Ok, I'll remember these!) Starsign: Cancer, Pisces , Taurus (Mm..something fishy!) Name: Starts with U, H, T or G (Cool) Probably, I should write a software to check every girl I meet to give their starsign, name, chinese year and eye colour ..to see if they...