Stand Proud And Be Counted Too

KUALA LUMPUR: Indians in the country are being urged to come out and get themselves accounted for in the government’s 2010 census.
MIC’s Yayasan Strategik Sosial (YSS) executive director Datuk Randhir Singh said many were still unaware of the importance of the census and were afraid of giving out information about themselves and their families.
“Some might feel that census may be intrusion to privacy but this is not the case. The reason we need the details on families and others is strictly for planning matter and national policies,” he said when contacted.
He said there were also concerns that certain segments of the society may be left out in the process due to hard to access location and inaccurate information gathered due to language barrier.
He urged Indians who face problems in getting counted because of barriers like language to contact the YSS.
“There is nothing to be feared. We must help ourselves by helping the government and giving the most accurate information,” he said.
Randhir said the more accurate the figures are, the better is will be for the government to plan its development and planing policies.
“For example, the government needs to know the level of hardcore poverty and how many people are from the hardcore poor category. It is also important in giving out subsidies or plans to reduce it,” he added.
He said the numbers are important in the coming elections especially on the allocation of state and parliamentary seats.
He suggested that Malaysia carries out more promotion and advertisement to educate the people as there were many who were still unaware.
He said it was estimated that the United States spent some USD 15 billion for its census, out of which USD 450 million was for advertising in 28 languages in main newspapers on the importance of the census.
“We want all Malaysians to stand proud and be counted,” he added.
Randhir also stressed the importance of registering as voters and urged all Malaysians to do so as soon as possible.
The Department of Statistics’s nationwide population and household census from July 6 to Aug 22 would involve 29 million people, including about 7.3 per cent foreigners.

my new Canon 550D

Bought my first DSLR :)
and this are some of the pics taken of my first model, my friend Santhy Muthalu.

vinnai thaandi varuvaya

the first movie, i watched in theater with my other half....
enjoyed it, trisha looked amazing in it. her clothes, her style, her make up, simply superb.
both simbu and trisha are not my fave cine people, but this movie, both looked good and performed well. could feel the chemistry.
a bit draggy at times, but worth ur time. and money.

Swami Nithyananda scandal

Had a shock when I saw the front pages of all the three Tamil dailies in the country. The hot news was Swami Nithyananda’s sex video scandal with a South Indian actress, said to be Ranjeetha.
The footage showing the Swamiji in compromising position with Ranjeetha was released by Sun News on Tuesday, Mar 2, leading to violence at the Swamiji's ashrams.
The video, which came as a massive shock to the Swamiji’s followers, led to widespread protests.
People from Bidadi village and surroundings, near Bangalore, attacked the ashram belonging to Nithananda, smashed the front office and tore down his portrait and burnt them.
According to Devaraj, the Deputy Superintendent of Police of Ramanagaram district, Nithyananda has gone missing.
The ashram manager had also filed a complaint with police, saying he had received calls from Chennai, threatening to expose the alleged sleazy activities of the Swami, who is in his early thirties and from Tiruvanamalai in Tamil Nadu.
In the complaint, the manager said the caller had threatened to provide the “footage” to the media and had demanded money not to release it. He said the clippings showed Swami in poor light and morphed.
There is also another theory that the actress had set up the whole thing to frame or blackmail the Swami.
Hmmmm, hard to trust anyone now..... wonder how his devotees must’ve felt.

Helpline for SPM,STPM leavers

Putera MIC have started a helpline for students who have completed their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Tinggi Pendidikan Malaysia (STPM), to help them pursue their education at universities.
Putera MIC coordinator P. Kamalanathan said the students can seek their help, which is free of charge, to get a guidance on applying to universities.
“We are not assuring the students that they will definitely get a place in an university. We are just giving them guidelines,” he said adding that this is the third year the wing is organising the helpline.
Kamalanathan said they will assist the students on suitable courses and universities they could apply for based on their results.
He said last year, 454 students sought help via the PuteraMic helpline, out of which 75 per cent managed to secure places in universities.
He said those who wish to seek the service could send a text message to 012-6711634, or e-mail spm.puteramic@gmail.com or
stpm.puteramic@gmail.com.
“We will get back to them within 24 hours,” he assured.

(ends)

mehendi designs

After my aunty's wedding registration last week and listening to my sister's ideas for her engagement in June, I did some search online, looking for mehendi designs.
Check out some of the interesting designs I saw on indianbridaldesigns.blogspot.com

Back to KL

Just came back from a four days trip in Kluang, Johor. My hometown. My mum’s youngest sister’s marriage registration and a small dinner for family and friends. It was fun, gathering of family members, cousins and friends after so long.
But the amount of work was exhausting.. My legs still ache after the amount of running around I did. I don’t know how the older generation manage to do it, my mum and her sisters, all in their late forties and early fifties seemed fitter than me and my sister, Thilaga. They don’t complain of leg ache or seem as tired as we were. Maybe it was the way they were brought up. Or maybe they are used to hardwork, better than me and my sister.
After seeing the amount of work that involves in a simple marriage registration ceremony, I shudder to think of my sister’s engagement ceremony in June. She is already planning on the decorations, food, her accessories, sarees....sigh.
Well, I have more than three months to get back on my feet.

by Suganthi Suparmaniam