First Volleyball Game after 6 months

I was trying hard to register a team in the Scranton YMCA volleyball league but did not have luck for quite sometime. Through some contact we heard that they play volleyball on Saturday Evenings in Dunmore Community Center , me and my friend krishna went to check out things. I wasnt prepared to play on saturday.Infact i was already cramped up after my workout for lower body on saturday morning.But i played since people who played there invited me to join for a game, the decision which i am regretting till now. It was easily one of out the worst games i have ever played, i play in as a setter in volleyball( guy who sets the ball for attackers to hit), i did not have any control over the ball. I should be blamed for the whole thing for entering directly for playing without warming up. Hope I play well the next time i play there.

Baby Shower Function

Two of my colleagues are expecting a baby soon, so we decided to throw a surprise baby shower function for their family. I was bit late for the function, but was there before the food got over (another instance to prove that I will be always on time for the food), the actual celebrations started after the food. We had some cute games for the couples expecting baby, thanks to Ramesh (my project mate) for thinking about the innovative games. Games started with the couples having a paper plate on their head and drawing a baby figure with a pencil, we got figures of everything execpt a baby. It set the tone for the next game, one of the couple is going to have their first baby, the game being changing the diaper for a baby doll and time clocked between husband and wife. The guy was turning the baby doll over for changing the diaper, it was so much fun seeing him doing that. The diaper change was followed by a quality testing session in which a mother of a gal evaluated the diaper changes, the guy diaper change for the baby doll will be leaky( we thought it was intentional since he did not change diapers for the baby later on). The same game was played for the other couple expecting a second baby, since they already have a baby and would have experience in changing diaper, rules were changed to change the diaper in single handJ. Wow the guy did that in less than 25 seconds. Quality testing session followed and the guy’s diaper change was evaluated to be too good. We then decided to play dumb chards with English movie names. One of my colleague got the movie name “Final Destination”, the way he emoted that was an ROFL, and he started with the numbers 1, 2 and was expecting his team mates to go to the word finalJ. We had some really complex movie names like “Carlitos Way” (starred by ALPacino), Escape from Alcarataz etc…, but we had so much fun for 2 ½ hrs. Finally winded up the party at 1 in the niteJ..The most funny part was watching the recorded events the next day with everyone around….We had whole lotta fun for 2 days..

LolluSabha 200 Episodes…

Cheers to LolluSabha crew and fans, they have reached a mile stone in the number of episodes. I am die-hard fan of Lollu Sabha, watching lollu sabha makes me to forget work pressure and laugh like anything. My favourite episode is Mudhal Mariyadhai and favourite scene is the introduction scene in which everyone will speak some unrelated stuff for e.g. “7 mani bus 7 maniku vanducham 8 mani bus pinnadiyaai vanudcham” and call it as an adage or palamoli, it is definitely a must watch ROFL stuff. I have watched few of lollu-sabha shootings taken in Mudichur near my house in India. There was such a laughter among the crew and the ppl who were watching the shooting, when Lollu Manohar dressed as “Kushboo” for Chinna Thambi came out for his shot, we knew for sure this episode is going to be a great hit. The credit should go to the director Ram Bala, he has more humour sense and timing among all in there crew , definitely showing as result on screen. not sure Y he hasn’t directed a movie with the kind of crap directors like Perarasu around, he will definitely be a hit.

Action Replay

I was browsing through Hindu Website for news few days back and came across this link. On reading this I remember my first Tamil debate stage speech when I was in school, I was so nervous and I started all over again since there was a mike interruption.Hail the official who gave the speech..

Pongala Pongal

After being down for 2 ½ days with the food poison I was up on Jan 15th Tuesday.
I decided that I am going to make Chakkara Pongal (Sweet Pongal) and Sundal in the evening. Left home at 5 P.M from work and started with my pongal and sundal preparation at around 6 P.M (had to clean to the house also for pongal celebration :) ).

Woke up my mom in India at 5 A.M (there time) to ask on how to prepare pongal. Armed with the preparation technique from my mom I kept rice in the rice cooker and set up about breaking the jaggery( vellam). It took for me and my room mate 30 mins to break a piece of out of the jaggery bar. We virtually tried all possible combinations except jumping on the jaggery bar to break it. As usual when there is issue in production ( my samayal) called the production support( my mom) in India to ask on how to break the jaggery bar, experience speaks…she asked me to put the jaggery bar in hot water and boil it in low flames for 15 -20 mins. Wowww it started melting and I got the watery jaggery mix in correct stage( kambi pakuvam). In the mean time I finished my sundal preparation too , mixed jaggery ,rice and cashew fried in ghee and here I gooooo Pongala Pongal……….Pongal turned up ok for eating...the pics below looks yummy for eating rite……

Getting Back to Realization..

Saturday started pretty well, woke up at 7(early for weekend) in the morning.
As usual browsed for some vetti news and was off to YMCA for work out. I was happy at the way my workout went in YMCA, ran for 5 miles and weight training too. I felt very very hungry so went to the only indian restaruant in scranton, the decision what i am regretting for the past 2 days. Effect of eating in the Indian Restaruant started around 6 in the evening with a stomach trouble and started puking. I dint have much health trouble as such since i came to US ( Dec 2005). Whenever I use to throw up, my mom use to hold my head and my dad will be around with water in a jug. For the first time when i threw up, i forgot that i was in US and was expecting my dad to give me water to wash my face and gogle it. I took me a while to get back to the realization that they are in India i got to fend for myself here.......

Driving in Hazadrous snow storm

I dont know how to start writing abt the trip (unmayaa sollanunaa this is my first blog so dont know how to write).... ok let me start like thiswhat made me to drive for 9 hours in the hazadrous snow storm? I am guy who is risk taking and adventrous coupled with the motivation for making to my sweet frnd's b'day made me to drive in the snow storm.

It was a 450 miles journey from Scranton,PA to Blacksburg,VA usually through the woods of Pennslvania , through the capital state (MaryLand), West Virginia and Virginia. I made the trip in my trusted Nissan Sentra, though it is a two wheel drive was very very stable in the snow storm. I started around 1.00 P.M from Scranton on March 16th and had no second thoughts of driving in the snow. I was prepared with all the essentials for the trip - cookies, water, and books (incase I got stuck in the road due to snow). I have driven the entire stretch 5 times before, usually it takes 6 hours 15 mins to drive the entire stretch with an average speed of 75 miles per hour. In this drive i was driving in 35-40 miles per hour for the first 4 hours, i drove behind big 18 wheel trucks since they clear the snow when they go on the road. As a young driver who is willing to take risks Intially I was trying to change lanes but found it pretty difficult due to the snow accumulation in the middle of the road.There were lot of vehicles skidded of the road and i had a close call when i was 100 miles away from scranton, my car skidded and i try to pull it back then again it skidded then i applied the brake and the hand brake at the same time to stop it. I later on realised that the car had stopped perpendicular to the road with inches from the state trooper(cop) car , infact that state trooper was trying to pull another skidded car from the side of the road. I remember the look the state trooper gave me after lowering his car window and he just said "drive carefully", my confidence was shattered for a while and i was feelin nervous , i have never felt like this since i started driving my dads Bajaj M-80, thanks to my planning i had a bottle of water i drank one full bottle of water to calm my nerves( infact till date i did not say to my frnd that i had a close call). Then i did something (i myself would call it insane) i took out my camera whi le driving and took some snaps of the road conditions. I took a break after 4 hours and had crossed only 150 miles(in good road conditions i cover the distance in 2 hours). I stretched my legs a bit( i had 300 more miles left in the journey) and then when i saw the car i realised the road condition i was really driving in, the front part of the car was completly covered with thick ice(probally 5-10 inches), i removed the ice with the ice scraper and started again. The road conditions started improving as i was driving south and i started picking up speed after some time. I stopped for gas after i crossed into virginia after 6 hours of driving(180 miles still remaining), i grabbed a french vanilla in the gas station. I have a peculiar habit when i do a long drive alone, i listen to SV sekhar comedy plays, the plays are so witty and humorous it will keep you occupied when you are driving. I listened to 6 sv sekhar comedy plays during the drive for close to 7 hours. I reached Blacksburg after 9 hours of driving. It is a drive to remember and cherish forever