I saw an Interview of Kunal Nayyar when i was at the Slutzker Center. I wondered what’s this Indian Guy doing in American Television and asked Abhijeet. Abhijeet Bhanoori, one of my colleague cum friend at the Slutzker Center, told me that he is an Actor in the famous SitCom “The Big bang Theory”! He said that it is really good. I have been hearing about many TV series like 24, HIMYM, Scribs, etc etc for a long time now but I haven’t had any time to watch any of that – until now. As I write, I have finished watching all of season 1 and am going through the season 2 of  TBBT.

For the benefit of those who have not seen or heard of “The Big Bang Theory”, the show focuses on the life of two geek roommates, Leonard and Sheldon. Their IQs add up to 360 combined but they have no clue as to how to interact with people beyond their circle. Penny is a hot blonde who moves into the apartment across their hall. Leonard is immediately interested in her (saying “our babies will be smart and beautiful”), but Sheldon feels his friend is chasing a dream he’ll never catch (adding “not to mention imaginary”). I have to say, these Hilarious dialogs and Kaley Cuoco(Penny) got me hooked to the Series!

Leonard Hofstadter, Sheldon Cooper, Howard Wolowitz, Rajesh Koothrapalli, Penny are the main characters in the Series. Jim Parsons who plays Sheldon has been nominated for the Emmy Award. All the Cast, the dialogs and everything in the series is really good. Though i can’t understand the Physics part, it is still hilarious how they interact with each other. The Third Season is going to begin this September, and I can’t wait to see if that’s as good – or better – than the first two!

There are times when all of a sudden, scenes from my life flash in my mind. Right from my childhood to the present, everything! It feels like a movie fast forwarded from the first scene and exactly stopping at whatever i am doing at that time. And at that moment I feel like why am i doing this? Why am i attending school? Studying? For whom am i doing this? Why does my dad earn for the family? Why me and my brother go to school? Why does everyone in the world do the same? What next? What is the purpose of this all? Knowledge? Money? Love? Pleasure? When all the scenes come to an end, i feel my head whirling for a few seconds and after that i come back to my senses! I have never really thought in detail about all this. I just forget it and get back to whatever i was doing.

Today i thought of writing about it and put my thoughts down in paper… er… Blog. I would like to quote this verse from the Bhagavad Gita, ‘You came empty handed, you will leave empty handed.’ This is what i come to realize after some thinking. Happiness is what we live for. It is what our hearts and entire being craves for! Virtually everything we do, every activity we engage in, is geared towards making us or the others around us happy. The Pursuit of Happyness!

The Name is R. Vivek Shanmugam. To know more about my name, go ahead and read the entire post (at your own risk)!

Before we go into all this, let us first see what is the naming convention in Tamil Nadu (the State in India where i hail from). Many Tamils use a “Vilasam”. That gives the initials (a syllable in Tamil) of the person’s paternal ancestors up to, say, seven generations. This keeps every one readily identifiable. For example, in a reasonably sized community Mu. Ko. Ka. Mu. Tha. Er. Ganesh would be the cousin of Mu. Ko. Ka. Mu. Tha. Ka. Ganesh. This form of naming is not used anymore. We just have one initial and that is of the Father. But, when we are at a traditional celebration or function in our Ancestral Temples, they still use this format followed by Chettiar (the Caste Name) to officially call out the Person.

When the initial is expanded it refers to the name of the father, and not the person bearing the name. So the final name in the sequence is the actual given name of the individual and first name stands for the father. For example, C. V. Raman (who won the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the scattering of light and for the discovery of the Raman effect) was from Tiruchirappalli, a town in South India. His full name is Chandrashekhara Venkata Raman (C. V. Raman); Raman is the given name of the nobel laureate, and Chandrashekharan is his father’s name. Raman is not the family name of the nobel laureate, as many in Europe and the US mistakenly believe.

Usually the father’s initial is used with the given name. This Initial is expanded and used only in legal documents such as passports, court proceedings and wills. For more details, check this wiki article.

In some parts of Tamil Nadu, we have the habit of naming the first two male children after the Grandfathers and the female children after the Grandmother. So, i am named after my Grandfather. And as you have read about the concept of initials, i was also given the initial of my Dad i.e. R. And so my official name is R. Shanmugam. This is what they entered while registering me in the School. My mom named me Vivek and everyone in the family, the relatives and those who know me in any way other than School call me Vivek.

Now, what does my name mean? The Name Vivek is quite common all over India. It has its origin in Sanskrit and it means  Wisdom or the Power to discern between Right and Wrong. I could also have been named after Swami Vivekananda. Shanmugam is one of the many Names of Lord Murugan, in South India. This name is common only to the Tamil Speaking population of India. Many Tamils will have the name or the variations of the name of this God, like for example Karthik, Saravan, etc.

So two common names make a unique name! I know it must have been too confusing to understand this post. I apologize! The Conclusion here is that I prefer my name to be “R. Vivek Shanmugam” and that is the reason for naming my website this way. You can call me by whatever name you feel comfortable with.

Yes! That’s right. Enough of Social Networking. I have decided to quit Orkut n FaceBook. I thought of deleting both my Orkut and FaceBook Profiles. But, then again, creating a new profile will be a pain in the back, just in case i change my decision!

I am not Politically or Morally against Orkut or FaceBook like Tom Hodgkinson or Techno Llama (But I completely agree with both of them) nor I would say i am not interested in social networking at all. It has been Good for certain things. I might even come back after a few months. But as of now, i am just going to stay away from it.

I estimate that for me Orkut/Facebook easily eats up at least half an hour a day. That’s more than 180 hours a year. Quite some time! I have lots and lots of other stuff that need my attention. My time is so valuable you know. Therefore, I am just downsizing!!!

Why I joined Orkut?

• Helped me Connect with a few of my old buddies
• Everyone else in the World joined.

Why i am quitting Orkut?

• It is Eating my Precious Precious Time
• Too much Hype
• Groucho 2.0 Rule
• I just feel it is a Public Popularity Contest
• I Got Bored with it

That’s it for now. I would like to hear from others who also have quit or decided to quit Orkut/FaceBook.

PS: You can always follow me in less Intrusive and Unnerving Social Media, such as this Blog.

This weekend me and all my roommates went to the 30th Edition of the Syracuse Balloon Fest at the Jamesville Beach Park which is nearly 9 miles from our place.  I didn’t fly on the Hot Air Balloon though. A ride on the Balloon would cost you $150, not much if you earn full time. For a student, it is quite costly. But, it was a great opportunity to get up close to the balloons and see how they fly it. It was awesome! And there was a Music Show by the Night Rangers. Thoroughly enjoyed the festivities. And lucky for us, what seemed to be a no show due to rain turned into an amazing display of colorful balloons, when the clouds suddenly disappeared to let the bright evening sun out.

Yatish Hegde has posted more Pictures and stuff about the Ballon Fest! Check that Out!

I watched this Movie yesterday after hearing that my brother and parents are going to the Movie. I wanted to see a Trailer of the Movie at least and searched for it in You Tube. Surprisingly, i found the entire movie in You Tube. Here is a Review of the Movie…

The stroy is about two families who live opposite each other in a small town called Virachalai in  Pudukottai District. The narration of the story is based on the Children’s Point of View, where one kid is a Good Guy (Anbukarasu IAS) and the other kid is the Baddie(Jeeva)… Not a Baddie exactly, but a little less Good Guy than the other.

The story starts with a Cinematic entry of the Kids, with the Children imitating Kaakha Kaakha and Vettaiyadu Vilayadu in many scenes. It then shows the enmity between the two kids which later becomes a feud between both the families. In parallel, runs a sweet love story between Anbu’s uncle (MeenakshiSundaram) and Jeeva’s elder sister (Sobikannu). Then there is a fight between the parents of Anbu which affects the Children. Jeeva’s Dad who is also a Teacher in the School and is portrayed as a villain in some parts before, then advises Anbu’s Dad and everything is resolved. “Naama thaan uyiroda irukuravangala paaraatamaatome“. The love story gets a nod from both families. And finally the two kids get together in the Climax. Though, the Climax is cinematic and we have seen numerous other climaxes like this before, this Movie right from the beginning till the Climax is very interesting and nice.

I would also commend the director for staying focused on the kids throughout the Movie. Even though he handles the love between Anbu’s Uncle and Jeeva’s Sister, he makes sure that the movie does not lose track.  The Scene between the two with the dialog “Avan Pitchai eduka koodathu nu nee ninaikira, Avan Thirudanaida koodathu nu naan ninaikiren” was the best of all. Sometimes, the Scenes between the two gets boring, but still it is fun to watch the subtle Village based love story. When the parents are first informed about the love affair by the kids, they individually discuss the issue with their respective family and then without much hue and cry they agree on each other’s choice. No Screaming, No beating up the Couple, No locking them away… They analyze the pros and cons of this relationship as adults and decide to let the couple marry. And the way the two kids act at home, when the parents discuss the issue is funny. This part of the movie shows the maturity that the current generation expects from its parents.

I loved the Songs Anbaale Azagaagum Veedu and Mazhai Indru Varuma Varuma. Nice Lyrics and Music. The Back Ground Music Score is wonderful. Very good work by James Vasanthan.

On the whole, Pasanga is Refreshingly New and a Must Watch Movie for Tamil Movie Fans.

Why do i need something New? Why does our mind always keeps asking for a Change? Why does everything gets boring after sometime? Why Am I Posting This?! I haven’t posted for a long time… I am right now bored of routine… I need something New… Give me something Challenging!

The much awaited Summer is here… Except for a week of Bright Sun, it is still cold. But, people are expecting the temperature to go as high as 90F. Let’s see…

I am staying back in the University this Summer. I have taken 1 Maymester Course and 1 Summer Combined Session Course during this Summer. The Maymester Course was a Heavy Duty One and is Done. Now, waiting for the Grades. The other Course Starts in a week, but that will be only during Thursday Evenings. And regarding Summer Jobs… I am allowed to work for 40hrs, but No Internships because i haven’t completed 2 Semesters yet. Though i want to work for 40hrs, i might end up working around 30hrs a week because of my laziness.

We have planned to go to some nearby places every now and then. But, until that actually happens, plans will remain plans. Have to search for a New House as well.

A few things i am looking forward to… this Summer are…

A Short Trip to Chicago!

“Strawberry Festival” at the Quad on the 12th of June from 11.30am to 1.30pm!

“Syracuse Balloon Fest” between the 12th of June to the 14th of June at Jamesville(South of Syracuse)!

And lots and lots of Sleep and Relaxation!

I Guess Most of you might have come to know about this Fake IPL Player by now. If you haven’t, i suggest you to visit his blog soon… Its so damn funny and mysterious. He is covering the IPL better than any of the News Channels, bringing us the inside scoop on the IPL Players and Teams.

Thanks to him I know how Sourav Ganguly feels after being ditched as captain, and who hangs out with who, etc etc.

The Sheikh of Tweak. Pedophile Priest. Vinnie Dildo. Lord Almighty. Calypso King. And so on. Very amusing takes on players and happenings

It has become clear that this is perhaps upsetting an already upset team. The Knight Riders’ CEO Joy Bhattacharya denied the blog was coming from a player within the team, claiming it was “sick and perverted”. Which it hilariously is.

Who is the Fake IPL Player then? Everyone wants to know, everyone’s speculating, and it’s damn near impossible to figure this one out. He has even given a little disclaimer: All characters appearing in this work (blog) are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and unintentional.

He seems intelligent and has very Good Imagination, and much of the writing suggests this. Is definitely Indian, can speak English well, and must be an insider of some sort. There are slip ups in spelling at times but it’s got a well educated feel to it. When it became clear that the writer had a considerable idea of what was going on in the team, it seemed it could be a journo doing the honors. But they’ve denied this too. Rumors say that it could be SRK, Ganguly or even Shoaib Akthar. You never know!

Whoever he is, the Blog is so Hilarious, is Mysterious and has lots of Ironic(sometimes Lewd) Remarks. The Number of Followers and Hits he is getting is Increasing in Hundreds every other minute. Bring it On… Mr. Anonymous.

The last three days have been the laziest days since a long time. Not that i am active otherwise! It’s jus’ that, I have been thinking of doing a lot of things but then, i don’t feel like doing them! Here are a Few Things that i have been Thinking Of Doing, But Haven’t Done Yet!

I have been Thinking of studying for APICS… even though that needs a lot of self-motivation.

I have been Thinking of doin’ my DBMS Assignment… even though i have to go search for the A4 Sheets.

I have been Thinking of Shaving… even though i would feel like a Skinned Chicken for a week.

I have been Thinking of getting a Hair Cut… even though i have to walk down to the Salon in Marshall Street.

I have been Thinking of Washing My Clothes…even though i have to carry all of them to the Basement, where the Washing Machine and Dryer is located.

I have been Thinking of Cutting My Nails… even though i have to search for my Nail Cutter among all the Mess.

I have been Thinking of Eating something… but even for that, i have to get out of bed and walk to kitchen!

Now i know… Even Thinking can be Tiring! I Guess all this Thinking has Exhausted Me! Somebody Help!

Yes. Really… Do You Want to Talk to GoD?! You Can. Here is an Internet Site, where you can Chat with GoD!

Funny Artificial Intelligence Chat in a Flash interface. Repenting made easy.

Once you click the link at the end of this post, the internet page will open up and you have to hit “Enter”. You will be asked to choose a skin for the Chat Window… Brushed metal. Cadillac Pink. Heavenly blue. And then, you can Start Chatting with God.

To Start Chatting… Click on iGod!

Yesterday, I came across this Advertisement in Youtube… It is really a Nice Ad Against Smoking… When the video started, i was like Yuck… wtf is this… And at the End, understood the Message!

A Very Effective Message and Nice Use of Satire to help Deliver. The Girl starts picking her nose and then other people start doing the same… That is how everyone starts Smoking and Drinking… Peer Pressure… Many of my friends told me, they do it just because it makes you look Cool… What’s so cool about a Filthy Habit?! Not only Smoking, the same applies to Drinking as well…
Here is that Advertisement…

Comments Invited to Discuss the Issue!