Koh Samui - Thailand

Koh Samui is an island located in southern Thailand tailor made for tourists around the world. I had heard a lot about this place from our friends asking me how I had missed this place in Thailand. I love Thailand and I have travelled through out; this place had always been at the back of my mind. This time around I decided to venture out to this considering its complexity in reaching to this island.

I had never wished to combine northern and southern Thailand in one trip. This time I flew to Kuala Lumpur by Air Asia and then to Penang by road. Few days at Penang was refreshing and not to forget the drive to Bahtufirrangi.

Penang to Hat Yai (Southern Thailand) by road was around 4 hours. The roads in Malaysia are one of the best in the world,absolute bliss to drive in those speedways. The Malaysian immigration is cleared and then enters the Thailand immigration; should admit the first goof up I have seen in Thailand out of all my experiences. If you hold an Indian passport, it is not easy to get through without 10,20 Ringgits depending on the immigration officers’ mood.

Hat Yai is a small city with an abundant Muslim population considering its proximity to Malaysia. The visitors are mostly Malaysian travelers who are hunting for some night life and not to forget the Thai massages. It is indeed a very peaceful place if you just want to get lost for some time.

Few Muslim restaurants helped me get some vegetarian food around there and yes, this was my second trip to this place in Thailand. Few days of stay here. Later, travelled to Koh Samui from Hat Yai. The drive was for around 7 hours which was a bit tiring.

Donask is the pier to the God gifted island called by Thais as Samui. A one and half hour cruise should I call it? Unforgettable. There are plenty of shared taxi’s running for 60-80 bahths from the Samui dock to the beaches. Hat Chaweng and Hat Lamai are Ko Samui’s most beautiful and most popular beaches. Both have a huge selection of accommodations suitable for every budget. Please note that room rates increase during the peak season i.e., from December to July, when Samui sparkles. The nightlife of each beach is different: Hat Chaweng is good for couples, women and families; while single men are drawn to the beer bar culture of Hat Lamai.

If you are looking for a private moonlight beach party, then what are you waiting for ? Go to Samui and yes, I would highly recommend this place for newly married couples for their honeymoon. ;-)

There are several ways to reach Koi Samui depending on the type of traveler you are.

By Air
Bangkok Airways flies from Bangkok to Ko Samui 13 times a day. The flight takes about an hour and 10 minutes. It also offers daily flights between Phuket and Samui.
For more information, call
Bangkok office, 0 2229 3456, 0 2229 3434,
Samui office, 0 7742 2512¬9
Samui Airport office 0 7724 5601-¬8.

By Bus

Air-conditioned and non air-conditioned buses leave Bangkok's Southern Bus Terminal for Surat Thani several times daily. The trip takes about 11 hours. For further information, call 0 2435 1199, 0 2435 1200 (air-con), 0 2434 5557 - 8 (non- air-con).

By Car

From Bangkok, take Highway 4 (Buddha Monthon Road) through Phetchaburi and Chumphon provinces and then drive on to Highways 41 and 401 to Surat Thani Province. From Surat Thani, visitors can take their cars to Koh Samui by a vehicle ferry at Donsak Pier. The trip takes 1.30 hours.

By Rail

Several trains leave Bangkok's Hualamphong Station for Surat Thani daily. The trip takes about 12 hours. Train / bus / ferry combination tickets are also available. For more information, call Hualamphong Railway Station, 0 2223 7010, 0 2223 7020.

For some pictures on Ko Samui visit
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sharus100/sets/72157625274317232/

Written by Sharad Srineevas.R
Editor : Pooja M Kudva

Jhoota hi Sahi an A.R.Rahman weapon

Pam Para : Instantaneous feel of an ARR track from the 90’s. Full of energy with some of his trade mark sounds, beats and tune. The first interlude proves the presence of Sivamani in ARR troupe, classy and very foot taping. The feel in this song is very similar to the Ooolaala song especially the rhythm, tune play and the entire song structure. It was Chitra in Oolala and its Shreya who took it away completely in this song. ARR is in the modern 2010s era but still he has pulled out one number from his vintage collection. Try this song when you are working out or in a social gathering at your place (Girls Meet) lol, I can envision them dancing around with lot of soft toys and pink colour.
Do Nishaniyan : I wait for this song in the album, what an piece of music , I firstly want to bow down to ARR. This song alone proves that ARR has been keeping his soul touching tunes in the box since nobody has been giving him the right opportunity to utilize them. The opening stands tall and it’s a ride to the heaven. Sonu Nigam has one more track which will rank among his best of best. The Charanam, Interludes is at top notch throughout the song. Heart melting tune and anybody would fall for it on the go. Real feel good when you are travelling and on the go (Foreign locales, with nature)
Call me Dil : A simple tune, however the overall presentation makes it creative and instantly likeable. The guitar sound is crystal clear like Rashids Ali’s voice. A beautiful evergreen song with amazing lyrics and orchestration. This album has a more a western feel to it is because of this song and off course I have been waiting for the moonlight.
Hello Hello : My beloved in the album cause it just my kind of ARR song. The opening beats will drop you down and leave you astonished when the guitar strings follows up. Karthiks voice is well suited here because the track falls under the category of virus. ARR virus songs include Hey Ennachu, Khoyee Khoyee Aankhein , Kya kare ya na kare etc. Majority of these songs are rendered in a subtle and lower scale accompanied by violins at the bg. The phone sounds are totally new and the interludes blow your mind completely out. This song will grow on you immensely and is well suited for driving on a freeway, workouts and an early morning jog.
I have been waiting for the moonlight: In and out western track and you will feel it. Bollywood is very lucky to get a jazz track of immense quality for this film. Vijay has over performed in this track and will be credited rightly by all. The interludes give you pure bliss if you are on a candle light dinner with your loved one. Even a non Jazz lover will get hooked on to it that’s my challenge. Best suited for a candle light dinner, relaxing at home with a cup of coffee at your drawing room enjoying the nature.
Maaya Yoshoda : Fun loving, groovy festive track. Majority of the people will just love this track for the beats and the tune. Chinmayee man she is crazy what a voice phew. You will never recognize her voice here until you read on the CD cover. The sitar interlude leaves you with goose pumps wow wow wow. I just wish ARR uses sitar a lot more in his future albums. There is also a remix version which is neatly done and will go well with the dance floors. This song is for the festive time baby and dusara and diwali knocking doors.
Cry Cry : Here comes Kabhi kabhi aditi -2 . I just do not have anything to say about this song. How many times has a song become an hit with just seconds of its trailer or even before the audio releases, examples are kabhi kabhi aditi and cry cry. Cute, funny, crazy, maddening song for the young crowd so listen to it and ash karo.
Abbas Tyrewalla has proved that he falls in the category of Mani Ratnam, Shankar, Shyam Benegal, Shubash Ghai and Rakesh Omprakash Mehra in terms of his rapport with ARR. All the above greats have consistently extracted quality and creative music from ARR. Abbas is super successfully in extracting something different which is his style for the second time. The best album this year in Bollywood so far bearing in mind Rockstar is yet to come.

Thoughts from my FrIENd.... Once my boss ..

Yesterday, I was driving and the FM radio went off for a few seconds. I thought I should have had an iPod. Then suddenly I realized that I had not used my iPod in the last six months. And then … more things-- handy cam in the last two years, digital camera in the last two months, DVD player for a month and many more gadgets . Now, I can say that I bought that handy cam out of impulse as I had used it only twice in the last four years.

So, what’s wrong and where? When I look at myself or my friends, I can see it everywhere. We are not happy with what we have but all are stressed and not happy for the things we don’t have. You have a Santro, but want a City. You have a City, but want a Skoda. Just after buying a new phone, we need another one. Better laptop, bigger TV, faster car, bigger house, more money… I mean, these examples are endless. The point is, is it actually worth? Do we ever think if we actually need those things before we buy them?

After this, I was forced to think what I need and what I don’t. May be I didn’t need the handycam, the iPod or the DVD player. When I see my father back at home, he has a simple BPL colour TV. He doesn’t need a 32″ Sony LCD wall mount. He has a cell phone worth Rs 2,500. Whenever I ask him to change the phone, he always says … “It’s a phone, I need this just for calls.” And believe me, he is much happier in life than I am with those limited resources and simple gadgets. The very basic reason why he is happy with so little is that he doesn’t want things to make life luxurious, but wants themonly to make his life easier. There’s a very fine line between these two, and after looking at my father’s lifestyle closely, I got the point. He needs a cell phone but not the iPhone. He needs a TV but not the 32″ plasma. He needs a car but not an expensive one.

Initially, I had a lot of questions.

I am earning good, still I am not happy …why?

I have all luxuries, still I am stressed ... why?

I had a great weekend, still I feel tired … why?

I met a lot of people. I thought over it again and again, I still don’t know if I got the answers, but certainly figured out a few things. I realised the one thing which is keeping me stressed is the “stay connected” syndrome. I also realised that at home too I am logged in on messengers, checking mails, using social networks, and on top of that, the Windows mobile does not let me get disconnected. During weekends itself, trying to avoid unwanted calls keeps my mind stressed. I realized that I am spending far lesser money than what I earn, even then I am always worried about money and more money. Also, I am saving enough money I would ever need, whenever needed. Still I am worried about job, salary and expenditure.

May be, many people will call this approach “not progressive attitude”, but I want my life back. Ultimately it’s a single life, a day gone is a day gone. I believe if I am not happy tonight, I’ll never be happy tomorrow morning. I finally realized that meeting friends, spending quality time with your loved ones and spending time with yourself are the most important things. If on a Sunday you are alone and you don’t have anybody to talk to, then all the luxuries of life and money are wasted. May be cutting down your requirements and recalculating your future goal in the light of today’s happiness are worthwhile things to do. May be selling off your Santro and buying a Honda City on EMIs is not a good idea. I believe putting your happiness ahead of money is the choice we need to make.

I think a lot can be said and done but what we need to do is re-evaluate the value of happiness and time we are giving to our life and people associated with it.

Komram Pulli – A Commercial Brilliance

Success is an equation which is a combination of experimentation and expertise. This album is one example of that equation. It takes a lot to experiment with new sounds and fit in a catchy and commercially viable tune. Every bit of music in Pulli is a commercial brilliance. This album gives you the feeling of the 90s when we used to listen to ARR songs on a cassette. S. J. Surya is a guy who has a lot of commitment towards film making and I like his genuine style of film making. He has extracted the right music from ARR.

Maham Maye: Instant hit is the USP of this track. Oh Chako Muke Oh Shishi Muke is ARR naughtiness filled with beats which just holds on to your ears for hours. Javed Ali kicks off the tune in a style that gives you a new vocalist feel. Suchithra is welcomed to the ARR unit with this very sweet song. Trendy interludes containing heavy pads and keyboard sounds should imprint the future for young talents to follow. The techno riff at the beginning of the song is captivating and the first interlude is lost in heavenly stuff. A very catchy and an instantly likeable tune.

Amma Thale: Typical ARRish opening followed by a tongue-twisting tune. This song has the flavours of Theekurvil, Naadeshwaram Pollavandal, Moondrilvarthekethavarthe, Sakakra, Jack n Jill and Maarkandhiya. The orchestration is grand with traditional modernised beats. Singers have exceeded their expectations and will fall under the category for its permanence and will make it to the evergreen ARR playlist. The only corn here would be the recording level which reached its peak resulting in cracking the sound towards the second part of the song.

Power Star: Tailor made for heroism that has shades of Blue theme. Powerful beats and sounds backed up by powerful rendition by the singers.

Dochey: This one easily falls under his best-programmed song. Each and every sound is fresh and exciting. It has an international appeal and will be the anthem for the youth. The Arabic beats and sounds is an outshine effort by the composer and will stun his peers. Clever utilisation of singers gives an erotic feel and a killing instinct throughout. You would just want it played 24/7 in cars, pubs, etc.

Maaralente: Patriotic songs are a cup of coffee for ARR and he has succeeded again with this song which is heavily and strikingly orchestrated. ARR himself rendered this highpitch track making it the most favourite track for all his fans. The song would go very well with visuals and stun the audience when they experience cinema.

Namakame: In the lines of Oh Palanhare from Laagan and Amma song from New.It is bliss just because it’s a journey of vintage ARR and we will never get bored of this genre of songs from him. The choice of instruments is class and the tune ever rings in your ears giving you peace.

Overall, a very satisfying album meeting all expectations of various tastes. Enjoy the music instead of comparing it with other albums or composers. Thanks to S. J. Surya that we get to hear some foot-tapping numbers from ARR. I would like this combo to continue and give surprise packages every time.

Editing - Pooja M Kudva

Raavan - A Rustic look on the music

Bhera Bhera : Starts of with African voices and chants. You will feel the excitement that a Mani- Rahman film usual has when the songs flows in. Totally fresh and catchy, rustic tune which suits the character Bheera. Very good percussion arrangement's throughout and this song gives you the feel the genre Raavan belongs too. This song can be really power full when seen with good visuals.

Ranjha Ranjha : My favourite. The song starts of with Anuradha’s Sriram’s voice flanged followed by a guitar riff. Amazing vocals and fantastic rhytm patterns. It is got variations through out including the interludes which are masterpiece's. The bass holds on to the beats overall perfectly programmed song. This is one of Rahmans raunchiest tracks ever till now and the best number in Raavan

Khili Re : A classical number in shades of Zubeida, Legend of Bhagat singh & Laagan. Not so rich as there were, but still it is creative and fresh. Very neat vocals by Reena Bharadwaj. The highlight is the first interlude which has class written all over and only Rahman in this generation can produce something like that.Its creative because the blend of Arabic beats to a classical song is again mind blowing stuff.

Thok De Killi : More of a Jai Ho type. Catchy ,energetic and fast beats sets the song to be one sung by Sukwinder singh who has sung it beautifully. The first interlude is masterclass and reminds me of old days when Ilairaja used to compose something similar for a Mani film. Variation in tunes is a roller coaster ride. Overall an highly emotional song pulled off very well by the whole team.

Kata Kata : Composed on similar lines with a Veeraphandi Kotayle or Azeem-O-Shaan Shahenshah from Jodha Akbar. Rahman cannot be beaten in heavy orchestration and he has done it again with this song. The song will very much deepen on its picturisation to make it popular.

Behene De : Everybody is waiting for this song to be played on the radio. Belongs to category of Rahman songs which is completely new and pulled out from the earth. The first time I heard the song I had no clue what was I listening too. The song takes a century for it to grow on you and once it does it’s a virus and you can never get rid of it. You just cannot predict what is next in the song because the tune and musical arrangement's are highly complex ed creatively . kartick is done a magnificent job on the vocals front. This song will stand out for a long time and will fall under Rahman’s best songs.

On the whole Raavan cannot be compared to any of their previous albums because every time they came out with an album it has been a new package. Just enjoy the package and appreciate the efforts.

Chiang Mai - Walking street

This is one of world’s largest markets the Chiang mai walking street. This market is on the Saturday and Sunday every week where you find localities from Chiang mai and near by towns assemble here with their goods. Must say that the goods sold here is off amazing quality, unique to its own kind and you find what not here. Fashionable, ethnic and present lifestyle displayed here in class and creative. This market defines Thai people the hardworking they are and humble to the earth. Priced standardized which doesn’t give a room to cheating. Not only shopping you find some entertainment along this shopping time. Blind, handicapped have their opportunity to display their talents and earn some for the same. This is one market the world should be proud off.

Composed on a sony erricson c903

Sankhampang Hot Spring

This is located around 40 km from Chaing Mai north of Thailand. Maintained by government ensured spic and span. The water is drawn from the mountain which is steaming hot.
Why take bath here? It relieves body, muscle, joint ache; skin patches clear making the skin smooth and give a fair skin texture
How to get their?
Just rent a car or bike get there. It’s a marvellous drive all way. You would want to keep going again and yet again.

Composed on Sony Erricson C903

Fish Spa

Heard about spa right? Fish spa? Humans eat fish and now it’s their turn to eat us.
They clean the legs and eat the dead skin off our legs which results in a super soft skin and clean feet. The experience is just super cool. I tried this out yesterday and must say it was astounding. At the first instance it was creepy when I put the legs into the water. But few minutes later you get used to it. I am feeling a lot healthier after this. Plenty found in Thai, in and around south East Asia. These fishes are imported from the Middle East and its worth giving this spa a try. :-)


Composed on Sony Erricson C903

Vinnaithandi Vaaruvaya

I waited for hour’s day’s nights to write this review. Why? Is it just because this is an A.R.R album? We had to wait for more than year for a Tamil album. This is equal to a ten year wait from him. Today I am writing this after the movie is out and after watching it three times. I didn’t write the music review cause I knew it will take time for all to get along with these diamonds. Today everybody accepts that they are. Every song has its uniqueness. I can imagine the hard work he has put into every bit of sound in the songs and the BGM. I watched the movie three times just because of the film itself the style class presentation blend genre wow. I was sitting one day in Bangkok and wondering if ARR would ever create an vintage sound track again like he used to a decade back.
The BGM is his best I am not mentioning about his previous but right now it is the best. Gowtham is class. He has just carved this melancholy to the minute best. The movie is like the train and wheels are the music. Without wheels the train won’t run, the same is the case here. I meant both are hand in hand making it a million perfect. I respect the feelings of people who didn’t like the music or the film. All I can say is wait for the next. I always felt my mom would not like this so much as I did. I asked her when we got into the car after minutes of silence how was movie ma? She said awesome. VTV broke generation’s barrier.

Composed on a Sony Erricson C903