October 1, 2009 at 1:02 pm · Filed under memories, music
I listened to this song first on some FM radio station while driving. It sure had an immediate effect and i loved the song as it was a breath of fresh air from the usual remixes which just murders the original song. The song in question is the ‘Alliyambal Kadavil’ remix song from the movie LoudSpeaker.
I had listened to it a few times and a couple of days back, i saw the picturization of the song from my brother’s new home. And it brought back a truck load of childhood memories. Something no words can explain, but anyone who has a small link to growing up in a village, might be able to relate. Not spoiling the feeling with words and just leaving the video below:
i’m quitting my job on 20th march.. it’s been a tough decision to make.. and mangalore is really an awesome place to let go.. i dont want to leave mangalore. It’s been a home away from home.. new people, trips, experiences, feelings, fun.. it’s given me everything.. but i guess its time now, to move on.. n i want to sign off by reminiscing my stay at mangalore.. including the last 6 months when i never blogged.. i want to keep the feelings alive. it might get mushy, but here goes…
the love for mangalore was not at first sight.. it was gradual.. the starting days at my old place at kottara chowki.. the sri ganesh shipping agency, which was my first home when corporate threw me to mangalore with no friend or batch mate to share a place with.. and then one day the polished bullshit guy, who was supposed to be the person who would get me out of mangalore by getting me a swap – smiled his way in from the food court queue.. by then gundu, my fellow dreamer reached mangalore after her corporate suppli exam.. and so with the only two people i know in mangalore, life started.. new faces and new characters kept on getting added… a new house near the beach at ashok nagar.. and life goes on well!!
jan 6th - the happiest day of my life.. when my sister gave birth to my niece – the first girl child in my family.. and i rushed home taking a day off from work to see and hold her for the first time.. it felt like something i’ve never felt before.. she’s 2 months old now and was named ayisha, my mother’s name.. leaving my job will mean i can spend a lot more time with her and manu..
jan 24th.. when 4 crazy dreamers set off on a weekend to explore.. the places did not matter much, but the feeling mattered.. the feeling of the wind on our hair when we cruised on our bikes.. the feeling of togetherness, when our footprints touched the sea… the feeling of freedom when we fell freely and just let go.. it was the best weekend in mangalore.. here’s the travelogue by my fellow dreamer…
loads of trips before and after that.. anandka falls, panambur, suratkal, jamalabad, sulthan bathery, calicut – mangalore drive.. all memories now.. i bought paathu (Bullet Electra) in december.. the sheer joy of riding it is out of the world.. then came the DSLR camera, which i wish to master in the near future.. the new year at chechi’s rooftop, late night drives, the walks, the train journeys, shubham.. everything happened when i was at mangalore.. everything is still fresh..
will i miss everything once i leave?.. i will certainly miss my office.. the people i meet only at office, the discussions, pulling everyone’s leg, breaking the silence, breaking the silence – gundu style, the journey to and from office, listening to my radio, birthday parties, chain mails, treats… other than that, everything will stay the same.. has to stay the same.. time flies… and it has gone by really fast.. i had blogged a few times after reaching mangalore.. and all those posts projected this deep-rooted desire to do crazy things!! and with time, being crazy has reached to such an extent that i’m quitting my steady job and breaking free.. will it make any difference?.. cant things be just the same even after i quit?.. i see all the answers in a future post.. and till then, i’m just letting time fly again…
Posting Happened and i’m off from Mysore!! i’ve been posted to Mangalore by my company.. After around 4 months of training, me and my friend Divya Ramesh have been posted to Mangalore.. Just the two of us from our class.. Dasan got into Chennai, a place where you throw a stone to the air, it lands on one of our friends..
Mangalore is a place where not even one of our Batchmates or friends work or live.. And like an icing on the cake, on the day we got our posting, Divya’s father who is working in a bank in Mangalore got his Transfer!! Since we are a group of people who operate in a group, we tried a lot for a SWAP.. it is a procedure using which we can get into another location that we want, if some other person is ready to take our location.. but ours being a BIG class of around 45 people, we found out quite easily, that it was impossible so i had to join Mangalore and that was that
still makes me wonder why they dont give the posting of choice for everyone in the company.. according to me, it contributes a lot to a friendly work environment, but it seems the BIG management gurus tend to differ.. and in the end, policies will be followed.. but i enjoyed the days we tried for the SWAP especially something – the whole Bitch n Jimmy affair.. Even though life has given me lots of surprises, those days i was introduced to the Bitchiest female i’ve ever came across in life.. a person who needs Confidence to present her parents in front of others!! a person who is a lot of things, which i dont want to elaborate
so i moved to Mangalore on the 23rd.. Next day was my first day at office as an actual Software Engineer.. Mangalore is a happening place in terms of food!! i’ve been here only one day n whatever i have eaten was awesome.. maybe i’m exagerrating too much, but its really good when compared to the food at Mysore.. so it’ll be a lot difficult to have a CONTROLLLED diet here.. lets see, lets hope i liked the place and people i came across on my first day, though they were only 2 or 3.. n then i got leave for friday to go home!!
spend most of the days in calicut with Rahul and Thadiyan.. now i’m writing this on my return in the navayug express.. i know its a bit OVER to use the laptop in a train.. but the day has been so cruel to me that i wanted to jot this down.. another reason i’ve turned on the laptop is that, i’ve fallen in love with the song judaai from the movie jannat.. i Woke up today morning to find that my mobile was not working.. then had a BIG fight at home.. after that i found out from the railway station that my train is about 4 hours late.. so i sat there in the station at 2pm, and thought of listening to some music, but the iPod didnt have any charge.. after all this frustration the train came at 6.30pm and now here i am – still sitting here in the train, at Kannur Railway Station.. waiting for some stupid train to cross so that we can go.. another big thing that happened was i shaved my hair.. the metamorphosis.. adios amigos
Strange situation i’m writing this in.. Will come to that later on.. I had planned on writing the part two of my singapore trip a lot earlier.. But as usual, i dint sit down to write..
Anyone who cares enough to read this boring blog might know that i was planning to go to Malaysia.. To get my Visa extension and to see the new country.. But guess what, only the former happened.. We went to the nearest Malaysian city of Johor Bahru.. Its like, we cross a bridge n we’re in another country.. As simple as that.. But, believe me, there’s nothing to see there.. At Johor Bahru..
We went to a Beach Resort called the Danga Bay.. Even the people working in the nearby shops didnt know english.. (njan vann Malay aayathondu rakshappettu).. The only things that place is good for is shopping and eating out.. Food is so cheap that people from Singapore near the border go there to eat.. We absolutely owned the Pizza Hut at the Kotaraya Plaza that night..
After that long eating session, we walked toward the malaysian immigrations and checked out of the country.. At that moment, i was wondering which country i was in!! Cos i had checked out of Malaysia and didnt get into Singapore..
With that thought, i boarded a bus to the Singapore Check Point n from there, they refused to let me in.. N i was like Wat the?! The little girl sittin at the counter gave me ghastly glance and asked me why i wanted to stay thirty more days in Singapore.. I was supposed to leave singapore before oct 10th at that time, but i said i wanted to spend Hari Raya (Eid) with my brother n family in Singapore.. Then this cute lookin girl asked me to sit in the seat next to her n wait.. Obviously, I didnt mind..
I was sittin there like a VVIP when suddenly a heavy built officer in uniform came near me n said ‘this way!’.. I did not have any idea wat was happening, but soon i was in a room filled with lots of seemingly grumpy old officers.. But in that same room, my bro, sis n ehan were sitting.. N then one of those officers went thru my passport and called me to ask the same thing that silly girl had asked me few minutes before.. I told him the exact answer i had told the girl, only this time, i pointed at my bro n family while saying it.. Must’ve been the smile on Ehan’s face, he gave me an extension straight away.. That too for a month.. Hihi..
After reaching back to Singapore that night, i could hardly feel my hands n feet.. Hihi.. (Over aakkaling ~ Exaggeration).. Slept long that night n the most part of the next day.. On monday i went to the Indian Airlines office to change my return ticket date to the 17th..
Deepak Benny has been in Singapore for quite some days now.. I’ve not been able to meet him cos of all these n nombu.. He joined the Worley Parsons office in Somerset.. Decided to meet him after Eid.. Eid was pretty ordinary.. With no usual friends n things like that.. But the Foodings were extra ordinary.. Spent the evening at the east coast park with lots of malayali families.. I was watchin people skating there, most of the time.. Met a small girl who had sung with ‘kavi’ at singapore.. For those who doesnt know, The last years Idea Star Singer Kavi was my classmate!!
Toward the end of the trip, i had ran out of things to do!! So it was either shopping at mustafa or sitting online.. Bought a lot of stuff.. Including an ipod classic.. But in between all this, i’d not yet seen the famous Singapore Zoo and the Jurong Bird Park.. So the day i finally met Benny.. We decided to go to the zoo..
But i forgot to take the cam that day.. So had to take snaps using my good old mobile.. The zoo at Singapore is the best i’ve seen.. So far that is.. Because in all the zoo’s that i’ve visited till now, the animals never looked happy.. But this place is different.. Most of the animals r not caged.. N those that are, dont seem to mind.. Hehe..
The white tiger was the best thing we saw in there.. A big chunk of muscle and sheer power.. The best way to explore the zoo is to get the free zoo map which has all the details n the feeding times of different animals.. N go to those animals when they are being fed.. Only then do you get to see the animals doing wat they do best..
The whole day in the zoo was very tiring n after that, benny went to his hotel at Clarke Quay.. N i went to mustafa for a final shopping session.. We got back that day n i planned to go to the Bird Park the next day morning..
I’ve seen only very few mornings in Singapore.. Most of my days there started just before noon.. So it was after noon by the time me n bro got to the Jurong Bird Park.. N i loved it from my very first sight.. So many colorful n rare birds moving freely in there..
But my joy was short lived as it began raining heavily.. N we sat there in the balcony of a closed restaurant watchin a group of Flamingos below us.. We lost about 2hrs due to that bloody rain.. So we had to rush through the park to finish seeing every section..
There was a show in the Pools Amphitheatre with two parrots showing off their talking and singing talents.. One of the birds even sang songs in the 4 national laguages of Singapore.. But they had to cut short the show because of the heavy rains..
Then we walked into an Australian Coffee Shop without knowing the great surprise that was in store inside.. A big enclosed area filled with hundreds of extremely colorful birds called the Loris.. They were flying around coming near the visitors and making hell of a lot of noise.. N boy did i love feeding them?!! One of them even jumped onto my shoulder.. I fell in love with the park.. Hihi..
I’ve been spending loads of time finding music n other stuff on the net.. Most of the days at home i’d sit hours on end on Youtube searchin and listening to random songs.. Found a great malayalam ghazal ‘Neeyum Nilavum’ by Shahabaas and fell in love with the song.. Its a great song to check out for hindustani lovers..
N finally the next day, the 16th of october was to be the last day of my Singapore trip.. Was just sittin at home n packing all the stuff most of the time.. Its been more than 45 days here.. N i’ve experienced almost all feelings during this trip.. There have been times i’ve felt ecstatic, desperate, content, numb and also very lonely.. But when it comes down to it, i loved the whole trip.. As the sun sets now, on yet another journey, all i can think of, is my home, n the feeling of home..
i blog less often these days, been wanting to write for really long now.. so finally i’m sitting down today to blog again.. i’ve noticed countless things in life happening all of a sudden.. My second big trip is just one of those things.. And for me, it actually is very BIG.. i’m going abroad for the first time, to Singapore.. To visit the place and also to stay with my brother and family for a few days or maybe more..
after a few weeks of running away from the joining date and the sudden change in life after college, i hope it’ll be a welcome break.. before maybe, going into the fast life lead by most friends working in big companies now.. i always use the word ‘maybe’ when i’m talking about life ahead.. cos there’s still a lot of uncertainty about that.. hehe..
so i started from home on the morning of the 30th of august.. from calicut, i reached chennai at 10 o’clock.. the newly wed film star Narein and his wife were in the same flight.. nan mind aakkiyilla, but eventually talked to them from the chennai airport.. boarded the singapore flight from chennai n landed here at about 8.30 in the night.. my nephew ehan had come to pick me up.. said goodbye to a few fellow passengers and went home.. ehan had grown up a bit more n was very lively..
i had lots of doubts about what it’d feel like in some other country.. on a first note, it felt just like home – mainly because the climate at Singapore is very similar to that of kerala.. but when u start going out and visiting places, the feeling changes a lot, just cos the whole setup here is so advanced and sophisticated here.. believe me, this is an absolutely filthy rich country.. till u get used to it, ur mind keeps asking – “choodu vellathil kulikkamo??” [to those of u who understand wat i mean.. ]
singapore is so small that its smaller than calicut.. its just 45 kilometres from one end to the other.. bah!! for a regular guy like me, everything here is a new experience.. all the buses and trains are AC metro trains called MRTs are there connecting important places of singapore.. three routes in all – red line, blue line n the green line.. interlinked at many places and after a few days of travelling, i realized how easy it is to get around Singapore.. so i was out exploring the place the very next day.. went to a nearby park called Bishan Park.. a biiiiiiiig park – some 130 acres!! nice quiet place right in the centre of the busy traffic.. i ended up vaaya nokkaling the many young people who had come to skate..
Merlion is a statue with the head of a lionand the body of a fish and is the icon of Singapore Tourism.. the Merlion near the fullerton hotel is one of the attractions.. but when i went there, i found out what a waste it was.. hihi.. its just a statue spitting water into the singapore river.. the night skyline on the other side of the singapore river looked exotic..
there is this building among them on the other side of the singapore river called the Esplanade.. it looks just like a biig CHAKKA!! jack fruit that is.. haha.. its some theatre sort of thing where arts performances n stuff occur.. also on the other side of the Fullerton Hotel, there are a few statues.. one of them with a few kids trying to jump to the river.. it looks absolutely fantastic.. the place is one of the busiest in Singapore with tourists flock in all the time..
another great place i liked very much is the East Coast Park.. its a very long park parallel to the calm sea.. people go there to ride bicycles along the beach or skate there.. its fun watching small kids skate wish i could skate too.. gotta learn.. hihi.. stayed in the ECP late that day.. food has never been a problem here.. sis in law is an expert cook and i’m eating away to glory.. there is a veg restaurant in the East Coast Park called the Komala Vilas.. de kidakkunnu nan pinnem flat..
took a break the next day.. and after that my cousin from Malaysia arrived.. he finished his MBA there n was gonna go back home the next week.. so he came to see few places.. i was his guide at first and i took him to few places that i had been to few days before.. after seeing the Merlion again.. we went to Sentosa, a small island just off the southern part of Singapore, connected to it by a biig bridge.. the Sentosa has so many attractions and shows inside it.. We went straight to the UnderWater World.. its a whole new world out there.. i’ve always been fascinated by fishes.. n inside it there is a big tunnel with sharks and other massive fishes swimming all around just above us..
We walked outside to the nearby beach.. its called the SILOSO beach.. wanted to stay there a bit longer.. but my cousin had to leave.. so we rushed in for the Dolphin Lagoon show.. i absolutely love dolphins!! they showed few dolphins doing acrobatics.. for a moment, i wanted to be the dolphin instructor there.. we couldnt stay longer.. n rushed back home.. hoping to go to sentosa once more..
the next few days were spent at home mostly.. and with shopping.. cos sis had to study for an exam.. only a few more places left to visit here.. so i’m taking it slow.. doing a bit of web designing.. and looking after ehan.. and a lot of time online.. bits and pieces of shopping going on in between too.. went to Mustafa Center – one of the largest shopping centres in Singapore.. if its something buyable that u are looking for, u’re sure to find it there.. Ramzan started in between.. so again, the going out reduced for except small walks and small shopping trips.. fasting going on strong.. also music.. i was thinking wat all to buy.. ororo aagrahangal!!
so after a few weeks of lazing around, we decided to go to East Coast Park one day to break fast and sit there in the beach.. it was great fun.. sat there on the beach in the breeze till it was night.. and i went to check out a skate shop in the park and ended up buying one!! right now i’ve no idea wat i’m gonna do with it.. gotta learn skating now.. hehe..
and once again it was time to go to Sentosa once more.. and this time, we went for the show called ‘Songs of the Sea’.. believe me, it was by far the best water, laser and what not show i’ve ever seen in my life!! i mean it had everything.. pyrotechnics, water jets, lasers, special computer imaging, fire bursts, captivating music and stunning flame bursts.. some 25 minutes of excitment.. after the show we went to the Siloso beach once again n sat there some time..
as of now, i’ve got an extension of visa till oct 10th.. and am planning to come bak on 9th.. but if i get extension once more, i’ll come only after eid.. around 20th most probably.. i’m going to malaysia tomorrow.. so thought this’d be the best time to blog about the previous days.. i’ve missed a lot of things.. which will come in the coming posts.. i’ve been listening to a lot of music lately and i’ve become a big fan of Yanni and Karunesh.. Yanni’s Nostalgia brings back the memories.. i dont wanna move on…. i dont wanna go to that busy life… hmmm..
My brothers course gets over tomorrow.. Sittin outside the SCTIMST.. Waitin for him.. I wont have my home at trivandrum from tomorrow.. Its going home.. Hehe.. Feelin blank..
While i was sittin in car and we were passing various places.. One place grabbed my attention.. I’ve known every inch of this place over the years.. Got nostalgic for a moment.. The grounds i used to come to play cricket, football…. The streams.. Used to play n catch fish in these streams with my friend n schoolmate jiju.. Met him in orkut some days back.. He’s changed a lot like me.. Wonder if he even remembers those days we had so much fun.. But now there r no much streams or water-bodies as there used to be in those days.. No kids around making noise.. Or playing in those places.. Hmmm.. I heard that nobody actually plays nowadays in those grounds.. Guess everyone became grown up n too busy.. Guess me too.. Caught in the stream which we call life.. But i remember.. I once used to stop here.. And i will remember..
September 4, 2006 at 5:25 pm · Filed under memories, musings
This is the place where i went for tuition first time in life.. Actually its a house.. Jose sir’s house.. Just 5 minutes walk from my home.. I used to go there for math tuition in tenth.. Don remember much of those classes.. Hehe
My name is Abdul Hameed. I'm 23 and I live in Calicut, Kerala and finished my education in Trivandrum, i am now working in a Software Firm at Mangalore.
This is just a simple blog. If all goes well I will post photos and junk once in a while and you can see what I'm up to.
the starting days at my old place at kottara chowki.. the sri ganesh shipping agency, which was my first home when corporate threw me to mangalore with no friend or batch mate to share a place with.. and then one day the polished bullshit guy, who was supposed to be the person who would get me out of mangalore by getting me a swap – smiled his way in from the food court queue.. by then gundu, my fellow dreamer reached mangalore after her corporate suppli exam.. and so with the only two people i know in mangalore, life started.. 
and i rushed home taking a day off from work to see and hold her for the first time.. it felt like something i’ve never felt before.. she’s 2 months old now and was named ayisha, my mother’s name.. leaving my job will mean i can spend a lot more time with her and manu..
My name is Abdul Hameed. I'm 23 and I live in Calicut, Kerala and finished my education in Trivandrum, i am now working in a Software Firm at Mangalore.
