1.618 - Divine Proportion

Skoda-india down the drain?

2009-03-29T21:57:00.003+05:30

for further action,
read here
*** Customer is the king! if you can't respect your customer, you are not worthy to be in the business!

Ridiculous...

2008-08-20T11:46:00.002+05:30

The much awaited iPhone is finally launched in India.

I just received an SMS from Vodafone which reads:

"Your wait is about to end! iPhone 3G arrives on Aug 22. 8GB model is for Rs 31,000 and 16GBRs 36,100.To get your iPhone before others, visit one of the select Vodafone Stores & confirm your booking by paying Rs 10000 on August 20 or 21. You'll get an appointment to collect your iPhone after paying the balance amount. For list of the select Vodafone Stores,go to www.vodafone.in/iPhone. Save this SMS-you need to show it at Vodafone Store".

Original Cost of 8GB model - $199 which roughly works out to be 8,600 INR. I am not getting mine for such outrageous pricing! Have to explore different options...

Summary of my Life!!!

2008-05-20T16:59:00.002+05:30

How true...

2008-04-29T12:10:00.001+05:30

Beowulf

2007-11-26T19:36:00.000+05:30

Beowulf - in IMAX 3D.
Sunday night well spent!

There's nothing great about the film except for the amazing experience of watching it on 3D... (Angelina Jolie too!)

Moral of the story - Watch this video!!!

So, if you need to avoid a monster, control your temptations! :)

SYNOPSIS: In a legendary time of heroes, the mighty warrior Beowulf battles the demon Grendel and incurs the hellish wrath of the beast’s ruthlessly seductive mother. Their epic clash forges the timeless legend of Beowulf.

WTF??

2007-11-22T23:34:00.000+05:30

I've been sending regular mails so that I can be in contact with my friend and it so happens that none have been delivered till now!
Just to be sure, I sent one to myself from my GMail Id to my work Id & Yahoo Id and the mail got delivered to my Yahoo Id immediately but not to my work Id!
This is so f*%*in' great!
Now I hate Microsoft Exchange server!

Update - www.bvbalumni.org

2007-11-20T20:18:00.000+05:30

Updates on www.bvbalumni.org

Moved to a new & faster server.
Implemented a new template with more AJAX features.
Spruced up the forums, gallery, etc.
Added new features - Groups & Individual blogs for the users.
And, we are now a registered non-profit organization in the USA by the name - BVB ALUMNI ASSOCIATION.

Finally, I can take some rest and spend some time on my own site which will be a showcase for designs by me & senthil. We are in the process of selecting a nice domain name for the site.

Om Shanti Om - All (not) Wells.

2007-11-12T15:55:00.000+05:30

I was (un)lucky enough to get a ticket for Friday evening show of the movie!

This is just another typical SRK movie with the usual romance, masala, etc. There's nothing great to talk about except for the cute Deepika Padukune even though she hasn't got much on-screen presence.
The first half of the movie is based in the '70s where, SRK is a struggling actor who is madly in love with Shanti to an extent that he is seen chatting with a poster of the 'Dreamy Girl'. SRK's portrayal as a Tamil actor where he is imitating Rajnikanth had the whole audience enjoying the scene. It was hilarious to listen to the Tamil pronunciation - "Daaii... Yenna Raascalla...!!!" Tragedy strikes, when SRK learns that his dream girl is already married and finally, both die before the interval.
Overall, the first half is watchable compared to the second half of the movie which is set in the recent times.
The second half is predictable as it is based on reincarnation and how SRK learns about his past life and wants to take revenge on the person responsible for killing Shanti. SRK is the super star in this new life and Deepika is a mediocre girl who is his fan and faints every time she sees him up-close!
The last song of the movie had everyone on the edge of their seats literally. There was so much impatience among the audience as everyone had this when-will-this-movie-get-over look! Well, I was among the first few rushing to the doors even before the movie got over.

Overall Rating - Avoidable (2.5 out of 5).

Well, this long weekend turned out to be more frustrating for me than I had imagined. I got myself locked out of the car at Jubilee Hills on Thursday night(10:00 PM) with no one around to help and followed by the torture of watching Om Shanti Om on Friday. So, I stayed indoors for the next two days playing Culpa Innata :)

Incidentally this post is the 200th on this blog and I am not very excited about it!

A brilliant Ad for Sony VAIO

2007-11-07T17:35:00.000+05:30

Agency: Ignited Minds
Client: Sony
Product: Vaio TX
Creative Director: Mike Wolfsohn
Art Director: Tim Washburn
Copywriter: Jason Carter
Production Company: Brasilera Filmes
Director: Bia Flecha
Photography director: Zé Bob Eliezer
Post production / 3D: PIX POST
Executive Producer: Magda Barbieri / Diego España
Producer: Pedro Araujo
Sound : Estudio Angels

Link from Creative Criminal.

BVB Alumni

2007-11-07T16:02:00.001+05:30

Lot of things/discussions happening again among the team members which is a good thing. :)

I am in the process of redesigning the site and we are also moving the site to a new server. Hoping to have a smooth transition. More updates soon...

Records Broken!

2007-11-06T00:29:00.000+05:30

Saturday Morning - 5:05 AM - Whitefields, Kondapur - 5:17 AM Airport, Begumpet (12 minutes is the best I have managed so far!)

Successfully dodged a Tata Indica a few minutes back on Jubilee Hills Road No. 45 at 100KMPH on my bike. The a**h**e changed his lane suddenly and he too was at the same speed! (If I had been unsuccessful, this post would never have been written!). I have never shouted at someone on the road... well, that record too stands broken as of today.

My next aim - Drive a Bugatti Veyron at Autobahn. :)

And, The these two weeks of silence (& still continuing) is pretty hard on me... What did I do wrong this time? (This has also set a new record!)

you can't do what comes naturally?

2007-11-02T00:43:00.000+05:30

Wow!

This is some news worth following up!

Really, natural things should not banned! :P

Google Notebook

2007-11-02T00:39:00.000+05:30

Another cool feature by Google and the firefox extension is just great!

Just have to select a text on any web page and right click to add it to a notebook which is an elixir for someone like me who is always online and information savvy! :)

Why not get it implemented?

2007-10-25T18:55:00.000+05:30

"If these people feel so threatened they should not come out in public places."

A great observation by the Delhi High Court.

tolmolbol

2007-10-23T20:18:00.000+05:30

Tolmolbol is your friendly neighborhood web guide.

Tolmolbol is a place to:

search for trusted local businesses;
voice out your opinions;
meet interesting people in your community;
communicate interesting events and advertise local classifieds;
share experiences, tips and insights; and
get FREE SMS with information regarding businesses, events and classifieds

Tolmolbol is all about you and your neighbourhood.

Click on the tolmolbol Logo on this page to join and share your experiences.

No longer Anonymous :)

2007-10-22T16:10:00.000+05:30

Something funny happened on my blog last week - I get a mail in my GMail Id saying that someone has left a comment on 'Last Day Mail...'.

Since it was an anonymous comment, I tracked down the origin of the incoming link. The search term was "Director at Intelligroup" and it had originated from WIPRO TECHNOLOGIES, Bangalore, Karnataka from the IP - 203.91.207.# on Oct 17 2007 2:56:30 pm.

Mr. Anonymous was curious to know about the details regarding my experience with my previous employer. I happened to give some of the details as you can see in the comments part of the said post.

I had asked a question in the last comment to anonymous - May I know the reason you did a search on "Director at Intelligroup" and landed on my blog?
For which I never got a reply till now!

Today I got the information from my sources that Mr. Anonymous, who is currently a Manager at Wipro has been offered a position with Intelligroup in the senior management and was doing a small research on the net which led to my blog!

Ha ha!

P.S: My blog will not allow anonymous commenting from now on!
I speak and express what I feel is right. And I am not afraid of anyone!

Kimi is Champion

2007-10-21T23:16:00.000+05:30

As expecetd, Kimi wins!

Hats off to ferrari and Hamilton knows where he belongs now...

Fish have boons?

2007-10-09T00:22:00.000+05:30

Clicked at Tolichowki, Hyderabad.

Last day mail at Intelligroup!

2007-10-05T01:20:00.000+05:30

Original Version:

Hi,

The day has finally arrived. Most of you, sometime or the other have asked me when I would be leaving Intelligroup and as it happens, Friday, the 5th of October, 2007 turns out to be my last day here at Intelligroup.

I wish I could mail "It was great being with Intelligroup" kind of mail like everyone else does. But, Alas, this is not the case with me.

My decision to quit was taken the day I got my confirmation as I was given an average rating to my Employee Manager by the Person who did not have any idea about the work I was handling and which put me in the least salary band in my batch. Hours and hours of slogging and staying late to complete the work was never recognized and appreciated during my tenure with my project. The reward I had received for all the hard work I put in was by being intentionally left out of the Appreciation mails, for instance, Salary Survey, JAT & AR Sub-Projects, etc. Every time I spoke up in protest, I was branded with an "Attitude Problem". Even though I had to go through such hardship, I have never let my deliverables get affected as the satisfaction I got from the work was more important rather than being recognized or not.

But, As of now. however, I don't want to look backwards for very long.

I just want to "Keep moving forward", opening up new doors, and doing new things...

I would like to thank everyone who have supported and stood by me during these past two years.

This is a small world and If we are destined to meet, let our destiny decide on that... 'till then, GOOD BYE...

I wish you all luck for your future endeavors.

---------------

Thanks and Best Rgds,

*****

"The Crazy one! A Misfit. Rebel. Troublemaker. A Round peg in the square hole. The one who sees things differently. I am not fond of rules. No respect for the status quo either. You can praise me, disagree with me, quote me, disbelieve me, glorify or vilify me. About the only thing you can't do is ignore me. Because I change things. I invent. I imagine. I heal. I explore. I create. I inspire. Maybe I have to be crazy. How else can I stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that's never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels? The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."

------------------------------------------
Sent Version:

Hi,

I wish I could mail "It was great being with Intelligroup" kind of mail like everyone else does. But, Alas, this is not the case with me.

But, As of now. however, I don't want to look backwards for very long.

I just want to "Keep moving forward", opening up new doors, and doing new things...

I would like to thank everyone who have supported and stood by me during these past two years.

This is a small world and If we are destined to meet, let our destiny decide on that... 'till then, GOOD BYE...

I wish you all luck for your future endeavors.

---------------

Thanks and Best Rgds,

*****

The original version which I was supposed to send was modified as per my friend's request! But, still I am posting it here for my satisfaction :)

I'd like to thank the TI guy for the text written after 'Thanks & Best Rgds" as I got it as a forward & the description completely applies to me!

For you...My Friend!

2007-10-04T04:21:00.000+05:30

15 mins past 5 and she was still not there,
Why do “I” have to wait; now that’s not fair,
“Don’t wait, you zombie”, my ego yelled out,
“Hold on, jobless hero” was my heart’s shout!

So I closed my eyes to try and look occupied,
Was she going to come or had she just lied,
She was popular so she probably had “airs”,
Time to curse something, the park, “NO CHAIRS”!!!

From the words she had written, I had in my mind,
Painted a picture of hers, just one of its kind,
Short hair, spectacled, probably carrying a book,
Was how, I had convinced myself, she would probably look!

Just when I had decided “Move on dude, its time”,
I saw a distant figure approaching draped in yellow lime,
Long hair, graceful and a face so bright,
“Dumbo, I told myself”, you got nothing right!!!

We met; we spoke, for a brief little while,
Not a word I remember, I blame it on the smile,
Our meeting ended with many things unsaid
And made me write this, with many thoughts unread!!!

BITSian Memories again!

2007-10-04T01:57:00.000+05:30

I was just going through my mail archives in Yahoo and GMail...

I really miss those wonderful days...

The above drawing is of Nagarji's Redi and I completed a dare handed out to me by one of my friends here in my third year!

The dare was to paint "I AM SEXY" on a white T-Shirt and spend half an hour at the Redi wearing it. I did look like a fool for sure... but, when you are doing something for a friend, does it really matter? The joy on her face seeing me there in that T-Shirt is all that is important! :)

I know I have been out of contact with most of you and I might not meet you all again for a long time... but I still cherish those "Days of our Lives".

Keep moving forward!

2007-09-26T02:57:00.000+05:30

The ending scene of Walt Disney's "Meet the Robinson's" has the following words:

Around here, However, we don't
look backwards for very long.

We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and
doing new things, because we are curious...
And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.

Well, to cut the long story short, I am moving out of Intelligroup soon. More to follow...

Inside Google...

2007-08-04T15:59:00.000+05:30

Link from kiruba.

25

2007-07-30T23:49:00.000+05:30

The one & only entry for July - I turn 25 by the stroke of midnight today! :P

Just one thing to say

And miles to go before I sleep...
And miles to go before I sleep...

An Amazing weekend!

2007-06-25T12:42:00.000+05:30

It's been raining like crazy on Friday & Saturday and we decided to hit the road and visit the places we haven't till now for the past two years! So, first thing after I woke up at 1:00 PM on Saturday, we visited the Gandipet Lake (Osman Sagar) and then Hima Sagar followed by a very expensive dinner at Zafraan Laguna at Lumbini Mall on Banjara Rd No. 2.

Sunday's plans were to visit NagarjunaSagar Dam. We roamed around the city to find an exit which would lead us to NagarjunaSagar and we got lost for almost two hours... but, now I can say that I have seen old Hyderabad completely :)

The road leading to NagarjunaSagar is amazing and i made the Maruti 800 reach 130 Kmph.

Check out some of the photos we took on my Nokia N72 in the slideshow above.

बीतें लम्हें...

2007-06-22T13:18:00.000+05:30

Beautiful Lyrics from the track - Beete Lamhein (Movie: The Train)

दर्द में भी यह लब मुस्कुरा जाते हैं
बीतें लम्हे हमें जब याद आते हैं।

चंद लम्हात के वास्ते ही सही
मुस्कुरार मिली थी मुझे जिन्दगी।
तेरी आगोश में दि न थे मेरे कटे
तेरी बाहों में थी मेरी रातें कटी।

आज भी जब वोह पल मुझको याद आते हैं,
दिल से सारे घमों को भुला जाते हैं।

(मेरे काँधे पे सर को झुकाना तेरा
मेरे सीने में खुद को छुपाना तेरा )
आके मेरी पनाहों में शामों सेहर
कांच की तरह वोह टूट जान तेरा।
आज भी जब वोह मंजर नज़र आते हैं
दिल कि वीरानियों को मिटा जाते हैं।

Technorati a Chat site?

2007-06-22T01:19:00.000+05:30

Sigh! I'd like to meet the fool who has categorized technorati as a chat site in the firewall!

'nuff said!

2007-06-20T17:15:00.000+05:30

As you must be aware from the previous post - I was on vacation from 26th May to 11th June. Few interesting things happened during my four days stay at Yercaud and believe me, it was the best time of my life! :)

The characters involved in this - My Mom, her elder sis, younger sis and my aunt. plus lotsa kids in the age group of 8 to 15. I was cautious enough to leave out the male members of the family out of this discussion for my well-being!

So, here is how it all started. Had a boring waiting period at the Hyderabad Airport as the Air Deccan flight was as usual late. (I hereby exclude the time I was on phone from this boring period!). Then it was a long journey from Coimbatore to Erode to Salem to Yercaud. It was 11:00 PM by the time I reached home in Yercaud and the watchman was already preparing the camp fire. First things first, I hogged the meal as I had eaten only on the previous day and was dangerously(!) hungry :)

Then the camp fire happened with the family splitting into teams and playing games, antakshri, etc... It's not that I am interested in such games, but when you are meeting your family after almost an year, you don't mind playing silly games... (as a kid, I used to enjoy them though!). It was at 1:30 am when everyone was about to go to bed, I got this idea! Why not play a prank? It has to be so shocking that everyone stays wide awake for the whole night! (The fact that I stay in the office 'till most people start their morning walk is hidden here as I did not want another bashing for that). And, with these thoughts, I enter the room where are the female members of the family were getting ready to sleep.

As said earlier, I was meeting everyone after a very long time and after all customary talks like how is food in Hyderabad, how are your friends, how far is your office, etc, the talk finally shifts to marriage... (Few of my cousins sisters just got married and it was as an after-effect to that this topic came into the picture...) Aha... this is my chance and this is what I was waiting for!

Before we proceed further, lets have some names defined so that you could follow up with the discussion :D
M - Mom
A1 - Mom's Elder Sis.
A2 - Mom's younger sis.
A3 - Aunt
C1 - A1's Daughter
C2 - A1's Son
C3 - A2's Daughter
C4 - A2's Son
C5 - A3's Son
C6 - A3's Daughter
S - My own sisters

Hmmm... I can hear you bashing me for such a long list... So, lets begin.

A3: So, two of your close sisters are married, what about you?
C1 - C6: (Chorus) Yes, you are next!
Me: Oh... is it? You people want me to marry again? What will I say to my first wife?
M: (Sigh! what is this fool talking about.)
Me: Actually, I am married and we both are living separately just like Alaipayuthey. I was thinking of telling you later... but since the cat is out of the bag now, I don't have much choice!
(Me howlingwith pain as I am pinched hard on my hand by A1.)
Me: (continuing in pain) Actually, I met her in Hyderabad. She lives in her home. But we meet almost everyday.
C1: (with shock...) what are you saying? How can you do this to your mom? See how worried she is!
M: He is a fool! He'll be doing such things only... thats y he did not come home for a long time... (sad look!)
A3: who is she?
Me: I already told... I met her in Hyderabad. Then it all just happened!
S: And when did this happen? How long?
C1: Hey wait... what does she do? Is she working?
Me: Yes... She is a Software Professional. Since we both will be earning, it will not be difficult to manage!
A3: Yes, yes... It's really difficult these days to manage when only a single person earns in the family!
M: (with almost tears in her eyes) You make a shift soon and come to Bangalore!
Me: I have to ask her too... What if she's not willing to shift out of Hyderabad. She has been brought up there. And I have to respect her decision too...
A1: (Another pinch on my hand followed by a kick which missed... Since she was trying agin to kick me, I had to escape and moved to another corner of the room!)
C5: Can I see her? How does she look?
C6: Yes, even I want to see her!
A3: yeah, since you say that you are already married now, tell us how does she look.
Me: (Whispering to A3) Will show your her photograph as soon as I get find a PC with Internet access.
A3: oh! how did the marriage take place? who were all there?
M: Very Important! I am getting a headache now and my sleep is gone!
C3: Ha..ha... aunty is worried!
C4: (She too did not have much to say due to shock)
C5: So what... we can have a reception with all the family here!
C6: I suggest Yercaud... I am loving this place!
C3: Yes... The lake is the perfect place for your reception! We will all book boats and celebrate your reception while boating! (Now, I am shocked!)
C5: Yes, first thing tomorrow, we will ask and get the place booked!
Me: wait.. wait.. she is in Hyderabad now and how can she come? moreover as I told you, her family still doesn't know about this!
A2: we can then speak to them...
C1: what are you saying aunty? how can we do that? one important thing? Is she a Muslim?
A3: yes, you haven't told us about that.
Me: How Does it matter?
C1: It does matter 'coz you are one!
Me: I don't believe in that...
C1: But we all do... She should atleast change her name... It's written in the Quran.
Me: Yeah.. is it? Who wrote the Quran? It's all manipulated...
A2: Don't get into all that... tell us, is she a muslim or not?
Me: No.. she is not! She is a telugu and not a muslim!
A3: WHAT!
Me: A3, I didn't expect such a reaction from you!
M: (Pretends to be asleep but listening to everything)
C6: let's all plan for the reception...
C5: yes... why are you ppl talking all this... I want to attend the reception and it has to be during my holidays!
A3: (whispers...) tell me how she looks... I really want to know.
Me: Hmm... Now, how can I compare? (Whispering...) She looks like Genelia.
A3: Wow, really? First thing you do after leaving Yercaud is to show her photograph to me. You have it rite?
Me: Yes A3, I do have it. And only you have the permission to see the photograph and you will get to know her name too but promise me you will not tell anyone!
A3: fine with me!
S: Our brother has gone mad!
C4, C5, C6: what about the plans for the reception?
C3: yes, yes... I am trying to decide on the dress to wear... let's plan for a grand recption!
A2: I was feeling very sleepy and now all my sleep is gone... Thanks to you...
(meanwhile A1 tries to kick me again!)
A3: whatever happened is happened... Now, we have to think about the future plans... what say M?
M: I am not awake... I am not listening all this! This idiot... (murmers...)
Me: why don't you ppl come to Hyderabad so that you can meet her?
C1 - c6: We are ready! Can we come with you when you leave on 11th?
C1: I will handle the digicam!
S: Our college will start, We can't come! and don't want to come either!
Me: ok... (mission accomplished) let's all go to sleep! it's 5:00 AM now!

Next morning, everyone wakes up red-eyed! No one had slept properly! (Including me!) A3 took my mobile from me during the next camp-fire and found out her name from the address book and she guessed it right! :0
Most part of the conversation has been edited out due to obvious reasons... and this discussion was more enjoyable in the original language - Urdu. ;)

Alas, I wish this were true! But I don't think it will happen with me... no femme in her right senses will be making such a foolish choice i.e to select me! :P

One thing I concluded from this discussion I had is - All females who do not belong to my religion are safe! So, go ahead and celebrate! :D

Life is full of fun... if we know how to and where to look for it! Enjoy the rains! (It's raining here as I am writing this!)

And yes, the photograph below has everyone who lost their sleep that night!

Mozhi & Unnale Unnale

2007-06-16T14:56:00.000+05:30

I did not know that these movies were released long back and were really good until I went out of Hyderabad for my vacation. :)

So, the first thing I did was grab the DVDs and watch them.

Mozhi
An Amazing movie. It's been a long time I had watched a good movie in Tamil. Mozhi deserves a special place in my DVD Collection and I have already watched it lot number of times :)

Unnale Unnale
Padam parka pona logic pathi yellam yosikka koodathu. Appadi oru mind-set oda pona thaan padam pudikkum. Sadha ivlo nalla iruppa nu yenakku theriyathu :)

Ungalukku mixture pudikkuma? appo intha padamum ungalukku pudikkum.

Yeppadi na, intha padathula konjam 'Hum Tum', 'Dil Chahta Hai', 'Kal ho na Ho' and intha mathiri neraiya hindi padathula irunthu anga anga scenes suttu irukkaru director. :)
perfect time pass pannalam with Unnale... Unnale...

Very true....

2007-06-14T17:14:00.000+05:30

Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up.

You build up all these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armor, suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life...You give them a piece of you. They didn't ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore.

Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase like 'maybe we should be just friends' turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart. It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It's a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. I hate love.

-by someone.

Hurrah!

2007-05-23T00:31:00.000+05:30

My inbox had this mail when I got to office this morning!

"The leave request submitted by you from 29-May-2007 to 08-Jun-2007 has been approved by Mr...."

And I am taking off from Hyd on Saturday! :)

A much needed break.

faux pas?

2007-05-16T02:04:00.000+05:30

Did I make a big blunder in choosing??

I guess, Yes! Or Maybe not...

F**k this misconstrued life...

ब्लॉगर हिंदी में!

2007-04-26T12:18:00.000+05:30

ब्लॉगर अब हिंदी में।
यह तो कमाल की बात है।

Google never stops to fascinate me :)

Nothing is permanent...

2007-04-26T11:53:00.000+05:30

You often wish for something and if you achieve it, you are on top of the world. But, it happens in most of the cases that whatever we achieve is short-lived and we are back to square one sooner or later.

Be it success, friends, relations, family, or whatever you can think of... you have some, you lose some. We do not realize the importance of the good things around us unless you have lost some or all of it. We are always careless and of the notion that whatever we have now is going to be there forever. Hardly do we expect things to take the unexpected turn.

It's happened most of the times with me and even though I try to protect & care, the unexpected turn of events always occur. Memories - It's what is left of the past and will remain of the present when whoever or whatever I know or have is lost forever.

Yeah, Nothing is Permanent... and I have learned to live with this fact!

First time...

2007-04-25T09:21:00.000+05:30

Lotsa first time incidents this time. Some were memorable and some of them are better to be forgotten.

First time I flew 'Indian'. I owe not to fly 'Indian' again! (needs a separate post!)
First time I forgot to tank up my bike and had to push it to the filling station. :(
First time I had a chat with 'her'.
Bought my first Guitar and joined classes for the same.
First time my PC's Motherboard developed a problem and had to visit the service center.
First time I was not able to meet the deadlines set for my personal work.
Initiated everyone to speak up during the project party for the first time or else which would have been a boring one for me! :)
First time attended one of my cousin sister's marriage. (I have lots...) and I don't think I'll be attending any more marriages... not even mine :)
Almost met with an accident for the first time on my Pulsar.

Celebrate or Regret?

2007-04-04T20:45:00.000+05:30

Fortunately or maybe unfortunately, I am planning to celebrate the first anniversary with my girl friend today! Yes, there's a party tonight!

'nywayz, She has maintained her virginity till date. And I am not sure if I should be proud of this fact or should be penitent about it!

Whatever it is, life goes on.

President's speech at BITS, Pilani

2007-04-03T18:44:00.000+05:30

“I am delighted to address and interact with the students and the faculty of Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS). I greet the Vice-Chancellor, Faculty members, Students, Parents and other distinguished guests. I take this opportunity to congratulate all the Faculty members, Students and staff of this Institute and all those who have contributed in promoting good educational standards in this institute, during the last four decades and transformed BITS, Pilani as a world class institution. BITS Pilani with its linkages with premier educational institutions and industries has the right ambience for the creation of Global Human Resource Cadre. While I am with you today, I recall my visit to Dubai Campus of BITS, Pilani at Dubai Knowledge Village on 20th October 2003. I had a beautiful experience of addressing and interacting with the Students and Faculty members. Since I am in the midst of prospective scientists and technologists, I would like to share with you few thoughts on the topic ‘convergence of technologies’.

more...

Awaiting a break!

2007-04-03T11:50:00.000+05:30

I am suffering from inability to sleep for a considerable period these days! Not able to rest my mind these days... Either there are lots of things happening inside... most of the time it's about some code... :( or my mind simply goes blank without any thoughts... ! My well-known short-temper is coming back... I had controlled myself for a long time now and don't want it back again!

I usually sleep at 4:00 am and wake up by 8:00 am in the morning followed by gym, reading, browsing, mailing, chatting, etc!

Need a break from this routine! Need a break from computers! Need a break from the usual office work! Need a break from this lack of sleep routine! Need a break from the hotel & canteen food!

And, I will be taking one from May 26th to June 11th for a period of fifteen days... :) and am planning to be out of reach during this time!

Weekend Blues...

2007-04-01T23:16:00.000+05:30

Rather bizarre...
but, this is what I did this weekend!

1. Back from office at 2:00 am Saturday just to find that my PC has crashed :( Worse still, Ubuntu was not detecting the Windows drives...
2. Sleep early (around 3:00 am) and wake up in the morning at 12:00 noon :)
3. Time for breakfast!
4. Reinstall WinXP with the pirated CD first, get the CD key of my Original XP, then again reinstall... (2 hours almost gone!)
5. Discussions on Site development with my friend in Chennai.
6. Bored... land up in office at 5:30 pm to learn something new!
7. Bored again! reach home at 7:30 pm and go out for chat!
8. No Dinner - as the king of good times gives me company!
9. 6 failed attempts to install SAP Netweaver04 SP16 Sneak Preview! F*^&! It is not at all a user-friendly installation!
10. Sleep at 12:00 AM (I myself am astonished by this fact!)

It's already Sunday...
1. No more pages left out in ET & TOI.
2. Roam around Hyd looking for an apartment for a friend!
3. Exhausted by Hyderabad's heat, reach home and crash on bed to wake up at 6:30 pm.
4. Make the mandatory phone call to grandparents!
5. Window shopping + Bird watching at City Center Mall. Crossword is the only place I actually buy something here!
6. Dinner at McD's. (We have a huge collection of Happy Meal Toys at home now!)
7. Enjoy the ride back home on my 'speeding' beauty who will be one year old on 4th April!
8. BVBAlumni site moderation time!
9. Monday has almost arrived :( Back to the same old SAP Screen!
10. Back to the book I am reading... & yeah... music time too!

A truly active weekend! :)

Scary SMS...

2007-04-01T10:29:00.000+05:30

If I had a camera,
I'll capture your
every moment,
every smile,
every memory
n keep...
in my...
kitchen to scare
cockraches & rats!

The walk of Life?

2007-03-26T18:59:00.000+05:30

The road of life has many twists and turns but you always have a little confidence that alteast some part of it will be straight and lead you to your destiny faster.

What is one supposed to do if one finds out that there is no straight patch on this road and the only option you have is to choose a new one? How long will it take to find the one which has its equal share of joy and sorrow & flowers and thorns?

Twists and turns are fine... They help you to slow down a little bit and also teach you the intricacies of how to tread along the path! But, it is being made worse for me in the form of the fellow travellers on the same road, who are pretty satisfied with the one they are travelling on! Not to leave out the signs which are always misleading with false promises like, "You are now travelling on the finest road in the country."! Another sign that is more shocking/astonishing is - "Have a co-traveller with you... you will be rewarded!".

Thorns... Thorns.... Thorns... everywhere... even in the hands of the fellow travellers who are always on the look out for an opportunity to sting you! Only one thing that is reassuring is that you have few friends here who are supportive towards you and also there are the ones who are in the same league as you!

But who knows, Frost might be right...

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Currently I'd like to modify it a little to fit this context!

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one more traveled by,
And that hasn't made any difference.

300 - Prepare for Glory

2007-03-26T17:05:00.000+05:30

I had earlier mentioned here that I am not going to miss this movie. Amazingly, it got released in Hyderabad last week. My attempt to book the tickets for last saturday were futile as the tickets got full by the time I confirmed who & how many will be joining!

This time, didn't want to commit the same mistake and I went ahead and booked the available tickets without asking any of my friends and informed them on sunday morning that there is a booking! :)

In the Battle of Thermopylae of 480 BC an alliance of Greek city-states fought the invading Persian army in the mountain pass of Thermopylae. Vastly outnumbered, the Greeks held back the enemy in one of the most famous last stands of history. Persian King Xerxes lead a Army of well over 100,000 (Persian king Xerxes before war has about 170,000 army) men to Greece and was confronted by 300 Spartans, 700 Thespians and other Slave soldiers. Xerxes waited for 10 days for King Leonidas to surrender or withdraw left with no options he moved. The battle lasted for about 3 days and after which all 300 Spartans were killed. The Spartan defeat was not the one expected as a local shepherd named Ephialtes defected to the Persians and informed Xerxes of a separate path through Thermopylae, which the Persians could use to outflank the Greeks.

A must watch if you have a THIRST FOR BLOOD :)

CEL-BITSAA Hyderabad

2007-03-25T12:08:00.000+05:30

As part of the CEL BITSAA initiative, there was a video conference hosted at Sierra Atlantic in Hyderabad today.

Topic: Early Stage Offshore R&D: benefits and pitfalls

The panelists for the conference were:
Raju Reddy, Founder and CEO - Sierra Atlantic
Amar Kapadia, Sr. Director Marketing - Emulex, Founder - Aarohi Communications

It was a nice experience to know about the strategies & ideas used by the BITSian entrepreneurs which will be of immense help to the budding entrepreneurs.

Alas, not many people are aware of these initiatives by the CEL-BITSAA chapter which was obvious by the number of people who turned up here in India. (maybe 'coz it was on a sunday morning?)

In the future, CEL-BITSAA Hyderabad will be hosting local speaker series and also participating in some of the CEL-BITSAA-SVC events through live audio/video sessions. We are also in the process of developing a portal for CEL-BITSAA. Once we get the servers sorted out, the site will be live soon!

For those who are not aware of CEL-BITSAA -
CEL-BITSAA is an initiative for fostering entrepreneurship through educational and networking events. Its mission is to provide a forum for building relationships between aspiring and successful BITSian entrepreneurs and stimulate entrepreneurial thinking amongst BITSians.

Office 2007 Rocks...

2007-03-23T15:12:00.000+05:30

Since yesterday, my home PC is running Microsoft Office 2007.

I was having problems installing it as it was always giving an error that I must remove the earlier versions of Microsoft Office from the PC even after uninstalling it!

The interface is cool and the features are great! Haven't found time to explore yet but one thing for sure is, I am going to stay with this...

Next - Michael Crichton

2007-03-23T14:47:00.000+05:30

Just completed Next by Michael Crichton.

There was a time I used to have interest in Biology & Genetics. What else could I do when I was forced to take up Biology after my 10th? :) (U have a choice of entering either Medicine or Computers...)

Life takes many twists and turns and so it happened with me too. I got a BDS seat and MSc.(Hons) Biological Sciences in BITS and decided to pursue the latter. It changed to MSc.(Physics) on the day I landed up in Pilani and I got it changed to MSc.(Hons) Economics after another year :)

Now, I am in Information Technology, cribbin' & coding on ABAP/4...

This novel has several sub-stories happening at the same time. Small chapters document the happenings of several characters across the globe while the biogenentics field explodes with talking apes, stolen bones, and "cross-polinated" DNA. The book references several actual biogen companies and events occuring in the biogenetics field in a variety of chapters...so there is some truth to fiction!

Next challenges our sense of reality and notions of morality. Balancing the comic and the bizarre with the genuinely frightening and disturbing, Next shatters our assumptions and reveals shocking new choices where we least expect.

Bommarillu

2007-03-18T16:30:00.000+05:30

Now... I find myself at loss of words to describe the effect Hasini had on me ;)

I had never wanted to stay in AP. (No offense to anyone but that was the first impression I had on meeting most of the people from here...)

I have become so lazy these days that all I do is read books and watch movies... I haven't been working much too... If I had to explain the story behind all this, it would consume the whole night which I do not want to happen as Kimi is all set to ceate history for Ferrari at 8:30 AM, Sunday, the 18th March.

Well, coming to the actual point of this post... Hmm... wait... I have received some complaints saying that 1.618 has become more of a movie review/information blog rather than my personal ramblings... so, to honor the people who had warned/threatened/requested me to stop posting about the movies I have watched, I oblige and am not going to write a review about this movie here! #$&^

"Sorry chepte naaku kommulu raava?"
"Kadha naaa....."
"Nannu sariga penchaledhu."
"Veelayithe naalgu maatalu kudiruthe ek cup coffee"
"Mei sarle sorry cheppu..."

Find me one who can speak Telugu so cutely as ha..ha..Hasini (looks too matter :p) and I am ready to learn Telugu and settle in Hyderabad or as a matter of fact anywhere in AP :)

Hmph.... can't resist anymore - This movie is a must watch.

Green kaisa hota hai?

2007-03-18T16:17:00.000+05:30

Thanks to Archie for sending me the link.

This video is for the Eye Bank Association of India and it does have a greater impact than Aishwarya Rai's Ad.

Kimi Wins....

2007-03-18T15:17:00.000+05:30

Kimi Raikkonen makes his presence felt in the Ferrari today!

Few records in the Australian race - Kimi becomes the first after Nigel Mansell (1989) to win for Ferrari in his debut race with the team!
Lewis Hamilton steps on the podium for McLaren in his debut race.

Nevertheless, it was an uneventful race. Not much of action except for a stunning fly-off by David Coulthard while trying to overtake Alex Wurz. Felipe Massa did a commendable job of bring home his Ferrari 6th after having to start from the last grid due to an engine change penalty.

This being the first race of the season, I had missed a conference today which was scheduled for 8:00 AM. :)

Black Friday

2007-03-18T00:40:00.000+05:30

Black Friday is a film about the investigations following the 1993 serial Bombay bomb blasts, told through the different stories of the people involved –police, conspirators, victims, middlemen. The movie, based on journalist S. Hussain Zaidis book, is not a documentary. But it compellingly documents the build-up to the blast and the ensuing investigation by the police. It goes into the lives of key players like Tiger Memon (played by Pawan Malhotra ), his henchman Badshah Khan (Aditya Srivastava) and ACP Rakesh Maria ( Kay Kay Menon ), who investigated the case.

It took 13 years for the court to give it's judgment on this case. But, the main accused behind the blasts are still Scott-free.

This movie presents both sides of the story and it's up to the audience to decide which side was at fault!

A must watch for every Indian... It's high time we leave behind all religious feuds and live in harmony.

I'm up to it again :)

2007-03-14T12:40:00.000+05:30

A new list again...
I know... This is not at all worth reading. But, sitting in front of the comp pretending to be busy needs to have some outcome rite?

Total Control - David Baldacci -
David Baldacci lives up to my expectations again :) This book is about a Software Professional(!) - Jason Archer who wants to make more money to keep his family happier. An honest person, he falls prey to a trap set up by his own company since he gets access to information he was not supposed to have. Sidney Archer, Jason's wife has to fight these goons while living with a humiliation that her husband had bombed a plane. It's all up to the FBI detective handling the case to solve the mystery involving Jason and the plane crash and a lot of other events which seem to have no connection at all... An Amazing page-turner...

Freakonomics - Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner
From an economist point of view - This how I should have been taught economics instead of those boring theories made in the 17th and 18th Centuries. But still, Mr. Avasthi was a great professor. Not sure if he is still teaching in BITS!

The Fist of God - Frederick Forsyth.
I was too young to follow the Iraq war of the 90s. Though it's a fiction, you get to know about a lot of happenings of the war! Forsyth had used the same characters - Terry Martin & Mike Martin in 'The Afghan'.

Forsyth doesn't spend a lot of time on characterisation - this story is about detailed plotting with fascinating insights into how the Army, SAS and Intelligence communities work (at least fictionally). There's also some politics but it's not too overt. It's hard to tell how much of the story is fact and fiction, many of the characters are real historical figures, but it's a brilliantly crafted and engaging story which is one to enjoy again and again. (... from amazon.)

Blood Diamond
Leonardo's performance in Blood Diamond nominated him for the OSCAR as Best Actor. I haven't seen 'The Last King of Scotland' yet, so, I cannot comment on the actual winner. Blood Diamond is a movie I would like to watch any number of times. And guess what, It got released in Hyderabad which is more of a surprise! - I'd give the movie 10/10 - A must Watch!

The Pursuit of Happyness
It's not Happiness but 'Happyness'. This movie is based on the real life of 'Chris Gardner', who as a caring husband and a wonderful father wants to provide happiness to his family. Alas, he doesn't have a supporting wife and she leaves him in the midst of his struggle. Will Smith has done an amazing job in the movie and the cute little 'Smith Jr.' - Jaden Christopher Syre Smith
stands up to his father in acting. - Another must watch.

The Good Shepherd
The good shepherd is an excellent film. The reason this film was dubbed the "Godfather of spy movies" is because ala the "Godfather" De Niro uses real life situations involving the CIA and blends them together creating a story around the lead character played by Matt Damon. In addition,several great performances in character parts complement Damon's performance, notably Michael Gambon and John Turturro were both superb. You shouldn't view this film expecting to be blown out of your seats, it is deep, and requires strict attention to detail. I am not saying you need to be of great intellect to enjoy this film, but one of the things De Niro manages to do is bring back a thinking man's drama that is often not seen in today's attention deficit, shoot them up, bang – bang movies. (Extracted from IMDB...)

Happy Feet
One of my recent favorites. No wonder the movie won the OSCAR for the Best Animated film.
One has to watch the movie to find out the brilliance of it! It will make you tap your feet and dance happily all the time :)

Pan's Labyrinth a.k.a. Laberinto del fauno, El
Another OSCAR winner from the movies I had watched :) (link)
You have to watch this Movie in Spanish. But, the acting and the characterization in the movie is so great that you don't even need the sub-titles to understand the movie!
Another 10/10.

The Queen
OSCAR winner for best actress - Helen Mirren.
The Queen is an intimate behind the scenes glimpse at the interaction between HM Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Tony Blair during their struggle, following the death of Diana, to reach a compromise between what was a private tragedy for the Royal family and the public's demand for an overt display of mourning.

The Shawshank Redemption - Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.

Andy Dufresne, is sent to Shawshank Prison for the murder of his wife and secret lover. He is very isolated and lonely at first, but realises there is something deep inside your body, that people can't touch and get to....'HOPE'. Andy becomes friends with prison 'fixer' Red (Morgan Freeman), and Andy epitomises why it is crucial to have dreams. His spirit and determination, leads us into a world full of imagination, filled with courage and desire.

I had missed this movie all these years - But, finally watched it [though I took a day off from work to watch it :)]

Movies I still have to watch - Volver, Water, Rocky Balboa, Stranger than Fiction, Deja Vu, Night at the Museum, American History X, Apocalypto.

Something Wrong!

2007-03-13T20:30:00.000+05:30

Not able to concentrate on the learning part of my life!

Haven't taken the tutorials on Ruby on Rails since past one month! Not having much work to do at workplace, but still going very slow on Web DynPros...

Have not replied to most of the mails...

Have been in high spirits most of the time...

Expecting a speedy recovery soon.

F1 starts on Sunday

2007-03-13T20:09:00.000+05:30

The wait is over for me :)

Ever since I had known F1, this is going to be the first year without the Master - Michael Schumacher.

But I pin my hopes on the Kimi Raikkonen to win the season. Massa being the second favourite! :)

Maula Mere...

2007-03-12T11:49:00.000+05:30

Happened to listen to this song on RadioCity last night...
It's from a movie called ANWAR!

Beautiful lyrics...

maula mere, maula mere maula mere, maula mere….

aankhein teri, kitni haseen
ki inka aashiq, mein ban gaya hoon
mujhko basa le, inme tu

ishq hai…
maula mere, maula mere maula mere, maula mere…..

ishq hai…
maula mere, maula mere maula mere, maula mere…..

ishq hai…
maula mere, maula mere maula mere, maula mere…..

ki inka aashiq, mein ban gaya hoon
mujhko basa le, inme tu

mujhse yeh har ghadi, mera dil kahe
tum hi ho uski aarzoo,

mujhse yeh har ghadi, mere lab kahe
teri hi ho sab guftagoo

baatein teri itni haseen, mein yaad inko jab karta hoon
phoolon si aaye, khusboo

Rakh loon chhupa ke mein kahin tujhko
saaya bhi tera na main doon
rakh loon bana ke kahin ghar, mein tujhe
saath tere, mein hi rahoon

julfen teri, itni ghani
dekh ke inko, yeh sochta hoon
saaye me, inke mein jiyoon

ishq hai…
maula mere, maula mere maula mere, maula mere…..

ishq hai…
maula mere, maula mere maula mere, maula mere…..

ishq hai…
maula mere, maula mere maula mere, maula mere…..

mera dil yahi bola, mera dil yahi bola,
yaara raaj yeh usne hai mujh par khola
ki hai ishq mohabbat, jiske dil main
usko pasand karta hai maula

mera dil yahi bola, mera dil yahi bola,
yaara raaj yeh usne hai mujh par khola
ki hai ishq mohabbat, jiske dil main
usko pasand karta hai maula

300

2007-03-12T01:45:00.000+05:30

I am not going to miss this one for sure!

'The Departed' wins!!!

2007-02-26T17:06:00.000+05:30

So, the much awaited results are here... The best part is I have watched most of the winning movies :)

Here's the list of movies which I have watched in the recent days and have won...

Best Movie: The Departed... (Babel and Blood Diamond were equally worthy)
Best Direction: The Departed (Martin Scorsese)
Best Writing(Adapted): The Departed
Best Editing: The Departed

Best Animation: Happy Feet... (one of my my favourites!)
Best Original Screenplay : Little Miss Sunshine
Best Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine
Best Original score: Babel
Best Visual Effects: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Best Cinematograpgy: Pan's Labyrinth
Best Art Direction: Pan's Labyrinth
Best Make-up: Pan's Labyrinth

S...................................

2007-02-25T00:54:00.000+05:30

Hamare Khayalo mein Khwabaon mein yadhaon mein Bathaon mein rehthe ho tum,Badaake mein yeh haath chuna jo chahuin tho pal bar mein hothe ho Gum.

Mere haath ki in Lakeeron mein likhe abhi aur kithne... sitam,Khafaa Ho gayein hain kushi waqt sey ho rahein hain meherbaan Gam,

A not so sober post!

2007-02-25T00:50:00.000+05:30

SINGLE AND NEVER READY TO MINGLE!

Whatever it takes...

Tryin'...

2007-02-23T15:59:00.000+05:30

This is a message I got from my PL, in an attempt to communicate in Tamil...

She said, "onnalu velai irika... na wait panna mathingra"

I am still trying to decipher it...

If you succeed, leave me a comment :)

Zoom Player

2007-02-23T12:04:00.000+05:30

I have been using this player since it's first launh. There was a time we were fed up with the Windows Media Player and wanted a player that would play all kinds of files and also take up less system resources. Zoom Player served as the most welcome alternative.

You will be deceived by the most simple user interface. This player packs in a lot of features that have to be explored by the user when he has almost an hour to spare and go through the options it has to offer. There is also VLC Media player which is available for free but it lags behind in terms of user interface and customizable options.

How many players do you have in the world that pop-up within seconds of clicking on a file? WMP 11 still shows the 'connecting...' even for a local file...

With the new version v5.0 released, Zoom player still rulz...

Download from here.

Beleieve me, once you try this one, you will be hooked to it.

BITSAA Hyderabad Meet

2007-02-22T20:33:00.000+05:30

Time for all the BITSians in Hyderabad to meet up.

I had missed the last BITSAA meet 'coz I had one of my tooth extracted a day before the meet. This time, I am volunteering as part of the organizing team.

Date: 24th February 2007 (Saturday).
Venue: Chiran Fort Club, Begumpet, Hyderabad.

We have a list of events planned up for the day and promise to make it a memorable one.

Here's the agenda:
6:30 PM - Registration (Rs. 150/- per head and free for life-time members)
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM - Networking.
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM - Tambola
9:00 PM - 11:00 PM - Dinner and DJ.

DJ Shrikanth from Sundowner Pub will be there for the event and there are BITSian T-Shirts, Caps, Keychains, etc too for sale...

If you want to register for the event, please contact Amit fd97299[@]yahoo[dot]com.

An Eye for an Eye...

2007-02-16T17:42:00.000+05:30

Yes, An eye for an eye might leave the whole world almost blind. But, in the case where one takes away the life of someone else for no reason? Go ahead and punish those bas***ds.

The Indian Justice system has given out a perfect verdict on this case. But, only the 'soldiers' are getting punished here. What about their high-command?

Link

This is what we do...

2007-02-15T16:22:00.000+05:30

Absoulte Power - David Baldacci

2007-01-30T16:12:00.000+05:30

My first book of the author and apparently his first one too... :)

I wanted to try a different author this time and purchased an 'Omnibus' edition of 'Absolute Power' and 'Total Control' from Crossword.

An amazing page-turner. You don't feel like putting the book down and that literally happened to me. I was reading it wherever possible... except when I was sleeping and working(!)

ABSOLUTE POWER, quite simply, delivers the goods. It's an extremely well-written suspense story, and kept me turning the pages. It is also a suprisingly well-done crime procedural. Baldacci clearly did his research on forensics and crime scene investigation.

I was late in getting hold of this book. It was first published in 1996.

'EUENYMROIA'

2007-01-29T18:41:00.002+05:30

NOTE: THIS IS A SPOILER!

This is with reference to my earlier post .

The answer is 'YOU ARE MINE'.

I hope all the singles who visit my blog through google, searching for the answer will be happy now! :)

The Innocent Man - John Grisham

2007-01-25T18:30:00.000+05:30

A non-fiction which beats all the fictious novels by John Grisham.

I had a slow start with the book as the descriptions of the charaters takes too long. Once the investigation of the murder starts and the police try to nail down on Ron Williamson, the book gains momentum and you don't feel like putting it down.

The book reveals the fact how the legal system is easily manipulated by corrupt officials and led to the conviction of a mentally challenged, innocent man. Though the story is based in the USA, it applies to almost any part of the world. - A MUST READ.

Read this link to know about the case profile maintained by the Innocence Project.

Can't forget you!

2007-01-14T00:56:00.000+05:30

There's a part of me that's dying
Ev'ry time I hear your name
There's a part of me that's trying
To bring back your love again
There are times when I just want to run
But there's no place to hide
Even though my heart is breaking
In a million bits inside
I can make believe that none of this is true

But I can't forget you
Can't break free
I've only got myself to blame
Nothing feels the same
Without you
Can't you see?
We can find tomorrow
What we lost yesterday... What we lost yesterday...

There are nights when I lay wide awake
Thinking how good it could be
Other nights, I don't feel worthy
Of the love you gave to me
I remember not too long ago
We were both here to stay
But it seems it happened overnight
When I threw it all away
I can walk away and find somebody new

Hope that I can make you love me once again

'Cause I can't forget you
Can't break free
I've only got myself to blame
Nothing feels the same
Without you
Can't you see?
We can find tomorrow
What we lost yesterday...What we lost yesterday

But I can't forget you
Can't forget you... !!!

Fearless

2007-01-14T00:33:00.000+05:30

This one's running on a loop continuously on my office PC!

Fearless by Bryan Adams.

i ain't holdin' back - i know where i stand
i just want to be with you
ya gotta face the fact - baby i'm your man
i've gotta get it through to you
i'm fearless.

BVB Alumni Site Launch

2007-01-11T12:10:00.000+05:30

Finally!

We have completed our work on our school alumni site - http://www.bvbalumni.org
This site will be moderated and registration will be available only for Bharathians.

It's been really long since I started working on this. It got delayed due to innumerable reasons but now, I am happy to finish the job.

As always, change is the only constant. New features will be added in the future...

Apple's iPhone

2007-01-10T12:41:00.000+05:30

Wow!

After the iPod revolutionized the world, Apple is gonna battle with Nokia, Motorola, Blackberry, with the launch of iPhone and revolutionize the mobile phone industry. :)

Check it out here.

Also, watch Steve Jobs' speech during the launch. It definitely is worth the time spent as you can see the phone's demo.

Would like to own one as soon as it's available on the market.

(It's still awaiting clearance from Federal Communications Commission.)

UPDATE: 4GB - $499, 8GB - $599.

Will be available in the USA from june 2007 and 2008 in Asia .

Another Long list...

2007-01-04T16:56:00.000+05:30

Might be a little(!) boring... But, this is the list of the movies & books(?) I had watched/read in the past couple of months.

I remember someone telling me once that my blog looks more of a review site. Hmm... I Don't care...

BOOKS:

Who moved my cheese?
I hope almost everyone is aware of this mass-seller book and it takes just an hour to complete it. I recognized after reading this that my cheese is/was not moved by Intelligroup. It is being eaten in front of me, held as a victim of a two-year bond.
The Kite Runner
The Kite Runner is the story of Amir, an Afghani boy whose life is defined by an act of cowardice that leads to an even more insidious betrayal. Years later he is given the opportunity to atone for his sins - to be good again. Amir's actions (and inactions) are despicable, but he remains a sympathetic character. His selfish and cowardly acts are the actions of a child, one desperately seeking the approval of a father whose love is elusive. I appreciated that Hosseni didn't `water-down' the extent of Amir's betrayal in an effort to make his actions seem less reprehensible.

MOVIES:
This is a very long list :)

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
This is not a movie to be watched with your family. Phew! what an effect Pamela Anderson creates on single (innocent) males... A seriously funny movie :) This will not get released in India so, grab yourselves a copy from the nearest store.
Babel - 7.9/10.00
One of the best movies I have seen so far. The way the different stories are connected to each other and the turmoils the characters face cannot be depicted more realistically.
Each story is complete, but a series of snapshots that leave as many questions as answers. As the stories unfold, the backstories and the futures of the characters are chock full of possibility and pain. Each storyline deals with family and conflict from the inability to communicate or to understand.
Crank
A full fledged Action movie for those who enjoy this brand of wholly mindless entertainment. That said, you cannot expect anything more.
Open Season
I am a huge fan of animated movies. It has a rating of 5.7 in IMDB but, the movie is still funny and lived up to my expectations.
The Ant Bully
Another animation movie. Beautiful animation & colors. It's another feel-good movie where a little boy 'peanuts' learns about the fascinating world of Ants and becomes one eventually...
Children of Men - 8.0/10.00
In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of humankind. (Clive Owen should have been the new Bond!)
The Dead Girl
Another amazing movie but I had to watch it twice to understand...
Flushed Away
Animation again - Not so great but watchable.
Little Miss Sunshine 8.1/10.00
It was worth staying awake late in the night to watch it. The story revolves around a family who is determined to take their daughter to the beauty pageant. A series of events are unavoidable as the family takes a trip in their bus to California and how the family faces them.
Now, the movies, you can avoid:
> Behind Enemy Lines 2 - **CRAP**
> National Lampoon's Pledge This! - **CRAP**
> Altered - **CRAP**
> American Pie 5 - The naked mile - **CRAP**
Tamil -
> Sillunu Oru Kaadhal - Not good, Not Bad.
> Varalaaru - Finally, Ajith portraying his real self :)
> Thiruvilayadal aarambam - Usual tamil movie but a perfect time-pass one.
Hindi -
> DHOOM2 - **CRAP** - Aishwarya rai was pathetic. (Coming from a fan of Aish, you gotta be believing that! )
> Pyar Ke Side Effects - **CRAP**
> DOR - A typical Nagesh Kukunoor movie. Ayesha Takia's first time - completely covered.
> DON - I liked the movie though it has received lotsa bad reviews.
> Khosla Ka Ghosla - A perfect time-pass comedy movie.
> Woh Lamhe - Can be avoided.

Whew...! That sure is a long list... There are lots more left for the coming months... What a task to write this post... considering the laziness that is dominating in me :)

That's really fast

2007-01-04T16:23:00.000+05:30

A message I just received on my mobile:

Hi! As per your request dated 21-DEC-06, the roaming services for your Hutch number 988** ***** has been activated.

Time: 16:12
Date: 04/01/2007

Service Anniversary...

2007-01-04T11:31:00.000+05:30

Finally,

I am completing one year with my employer today. (according to them!)

“Hearty Congratulations on completing 1 year(s) in Intelligroup”

But, who accounts for the six months from July to December 2005???

Happy New Year

2007-01-01T13:23:00.000+05:30

Another new year in Hyderabad. (Maybe this is the last here...)

Hitting the dance floor without knowing how to dance is real enjoyment coupled with unlimited spirits! :)

Hope 2007 brings more joy to everyone.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

BVB Alumni

2006-12-20T19:23:00.000+05:30

Site: www.bvbalumni.org
Blog: www.blog.bvbalumni.org

Platform: Joomla & Wordpress.

here's a sneak preview of the site.

Off to Goa!

2006-12-20T19:08:00.000+05:30

Will be reaching Goa on Friday(22nd Dec)...

16 of us are on our way to check out if the Al-Qaeda threat is real or not :)

A travelogue awaits if I return.

The Afghan - Frederick Forsyth

2006-12-20T18:57:00.000+05:30

So, I am back to my favourite hobby - Reading.

It's been really long since I had read anything other than the SAP documentations :)

The story revolves around the 9/11 attacks and the London bombings. A foolish phone call made by a guard on a "wanted" cell phobe triggers a series of events which lead to a discovery of some files which belong to the Al-Qaeda. The mention of a Quranic phrase - 'Al Isra' in one of the recovered documents alarms the western intelligence agencies. It's found that that the AQ is planning a massive attack on the west and no one knows about the details.

A British soldier who looks like an Afghan is assigned the task of impersonating a Taliban leader - Izmat Khan and discover about the attack planned by the AQ.

Forsyth weaves a tapestry of events spanning almost all the countries in the world. You almost feel like you are reading a real story and not a fictious novel. - Recommended.

Songs from GURU

2006-11-24T00:23:00.000+05:30

Got hold of the songs from the movie 'Guru'. Music by A R Rahman & Directed by Mani Ratnam.

Here's what I felt about the songs:

Barso Re (Shreya Ghosal & Uday Mazumdar) - My favourite song from the movie though it has beats similar to other songs by AR Rahman. The starting is similar to the song 'Sil Sil Mazhaiye' from the movie Arindhum Ariyamalum. The song captivates you into its soothing music though... I first thought it was a gult song. :)
Tere Bina (AR Rahman & Chinmayee) - Another of my favourites from the movie. A R Rahman keeps the best songs for himself and he is really good at slow numbers :)
Ek Lo Ek Muft - (Bappi Lahiri & Chitra) - I hate Bappi Lahari and haven't lied this one yet... Maybe later.
Mayya (Maryem Toller, Chinmayee & Keerthi) - Good one but might take some time for someone to like it.
Ay Hairathe (Hariharan & Alka Yagnik) - A melody that will make you listen again & again!
Baazi Laga (Udit Narayan, Madhushree & Swetha Bargavee) - I haven't liked this song and is on the last priority to be played.
Jaage Hain (Chitra, AR Rahman & Madras Chorale Group) - A R Rahman sings this again. Sounds similar though...

Didn't know that Chinmayee had a blog. Got the link from on a vetti day while blog-hopping! Don't remember from which blog ;)

Review - The Departed

2006-11-23T22:59:00.000+05:30

Thanks to Hyderabad, I can't watch English movies in theaters. I have a feeling that either people can't understand english or the theater owners are happy with the revenues from telugu movies so that they don't give a damn about releasing movies from other languages.

Casino Royale is one such movie released recently in Telugu. No english version has been released yet. Well, it would be fascinating to watch James Bond shouting - "Babu, nuvvu..."
WHATEVER!

Ultimately, I have to depend on the other sources to get movies from other languages. One such movie I got recently was 'The Departed'.

It definitely is the best movie I had seen this year.

The cast: Leonardo DiCaprio , Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, et all...

The Story:
Years ago, a powerful Irish mafia figure placed a small selection of his youngest, brightest men into the Massachusetts Police Academy as cadets. Their purpose is to eventually rise within the prestigious ranks of the city's police department, to serve as the eyes and ears of their boss. While somewhere else, a young cadet was assigned with an equally dangerous task: infiltrate the Irish syndicate headed by the man sending in his own to the Boston Police. Now, one cadet is an up and coming police official with a torn allegiance to his job and to the criminal mastermind that put him there. While the other cadet is the trusted number two of that man, only finding his professional duties are becoming blurred with his current state. But new clues have lead to unfortunate discoveries, when both sides realize they're being watched by the enemy. It's now all just a matter of time before the men assigned to find out whose the infiltrator, could come to a bloody end when someone's identity may be revealed. - Courtesy: imdb.com

(I was lazy to type the story myself... )

Here are some really good dialogues I liked from the movie:
I don't want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me.

When you're facing a loaded gun, what's the difference?

There's guys you can hit and guys you can't hit. Now he's not a guy you can't hit, but he's pretty close to a guy you can't hit.

This is one movie you cannot afford to miss...

Answer this...

2006-11-21T15:16:00.000+05:30

It took almost 2 days for me and my friends to solve this:

Try your IQ(!)

If U love someone, U can arrange these letters in 3 words
'EUENYMROIA'.

If you cannot solve this, you dunno how to luv.

I got this from a mobile. I am happy that I didn't solve it fast proving that I am not into any of this Sh*t called 'Love'. :)

Looking for a Reliable Host?

2006-10-23T23:52:00.000+05:30

I came across a really good web hosting service provider - www.marblehost.com

It's got some really cool plans for both business people and corporates with free domain registrations. Well, I hope the stats speak for themselves as I found out on

1) http://www.jubileestallions.org/reviews/marblehost.com and

2) http://www.webhostingstuff.com/uptime/MarbleHost.html

So, the next time you are planning for a website, you know where to go!

SDN.... What's the point?

2006-10-17T23:38:00.000+05:30

To the comman man, SDN means SAP Developer Network.

It's good to have a community where you get to share your knowledge and also to gain some in the areas you are lacking in. You are currently workin on a module and if you find yourself stuck in the middle of something, you always tend to look into the help documents, peers, communities, forums, etc. Point proved.

You visit some forum to get an answer for your query and you get it. And along with it, you find someone stuck up at something for which you know the answer. You answer that person's query and he is thankful to you. How does he thank you? He rewards you points. What for? To prove that your knowledge was helpful to someone else.

The employers realize that their names are popping up suddenly in the top-contributing companies which they find as an unpaid publicity to attract clients.

Fine... Now, coming to the reason for this post (or rather cribbing), what if someone just sits there all the day to hunt for these useless points? Isn't there another hidden fact that the person who just sits there and hunts for these stupid points actually doesn't have any work to do?

Let's hope (Well, I am hoping) that the corporates realize that there is more towards developing the company by increasing the employee satisfaction so that the company gains the trust of the clients by the quality of work and not the quantity of SDN Points.

Thought provoking?

2006-10-13T02:37:00.000+05:30

U luv someone

U marry someone else.

The one u marry becomes ur wife or husband.

And the one u loved becomes the password of ur E-mail id

2006-10-07T15:22:00.000+05:30

Hyderabad Traffic... Good one

Schumi Wins...

2006-10-02T00:08:00.000+05:30

Alonso... I really don't now why I hate this guy. I simply don't like to see him on the podium. When Schumacher overtook Alonso, I was jumping around the house.

Then, as they say, the rest is history.

Lage Raho Munnabhai

2006-09-29T03:14:00.000+05:30

I have always been against Gandhi and the way he has been portrayed in Indian History. I guess my previous post where I have given an extract from Richard Grenier's work on the movie 'Gandhi' which was released way back in the '80s.

But, after watching the movie, Lage Raho Munnabhai... Well, I don't completely agree with his 'Vichar's but they are worth a try in the modern-corrupt-fast-developing(!) India.
'Gandhigiri wins over dadagiri' on screen. Hope someday it might work out in real life too.

Few movies are being made these days that make you forget all other things that keep you always occupied. Lage Raho... actually does that. You will have a feeling that the two hours you spent were not wasted afterall.

Jhanvi aka Vidya Balan sizzles in the movie when she says 'Gooooooodddddd Moooorrrnniinngg MuuummmBbbaaii' - woh kya hai ki apun ki life mein bhi full sunlight aa jaya.

'Jab tak suraj chaan rahega... Munna aur circuit ka naam roshan rahega.'

Kya mamu... itharich poora story nahi milega... apun bolta hai... paison ki thodi si vaat laga le aur koi mast multiplex mein picture dekh le...

Yeh baat apun 'Vinamra' se bolta hai.

Gandhi... The truth?

2006-09-14T17:45:00.000+05:30

... ANYONE who wants to wade through Gandhi's endless ruminations about himsa and ahimsa (violence and nonviolence) is welcome to do so, but it is impossible for the skeptical reader to avoid the conclusion--let us say in 1920, when swaraj (home rule) was all the rage and Gandhi's inner voice started telling him that ahimsa was the thing--that this inner voice knew what it was talking about. Bythis I mean that, though Gandhi talked with the tongue of Hindu gods and sacred scriptures, his inner voice had a strong sense of expediency. Britain, if only comparatively speaking, was a moral nation, and nonviolent civil disobedience was plainly the best and most effective way of achieving Indian independence. Skeptics might also not be surprised to learn that as independence approached, Gandhi's inner voice began to change its tune. It has been reported that Gandhi "half-welcomed" the civil war that broke out in the last days. Even a fratricidal "bloodbath" (Gandhi's word) would be preferable to the British.

And suddenly Gandhi began endorsing violence left, right, and center. During the fearsome rioting in Calcutta he gave his approval to men "using violence in a moral cause." How could he tell them that violence was wrong, he asked, "unless I demonstrate that nonviolence is more effective?" He blessed the Nawab of Maler Kotla when he gave orders to shoot ten Muslims for every Hindu killed in his state. He sang the praises of Subhas Chandra Bose, who, sponsored by first the Nazis and then the Japanese, organized in Singapore an Indian National Army with which he hoped to conquer India with Japanese support, establishing a totalitarian dictatorship. Meanwhile, after independence in 1947, the armies ofthe India that Gandhi had created immediately marched into battle, incorporating the state of Hyderabad by force and making war in Kashmir on secessionist Pakistan. When Gandhi was assassinated by a Hindu extremist in January 1948 hewas honored by the new state with a vast military funeral--in my view by nomeans inapposite...

Read more on this topic at http://history.eserver.org/ghandi-nobody-knows.txt

This article has been written by Richard Grenier
[From the magazine, "Commentary," March 1983, published monthly by the AmericanJewish Committee, New York, NY.]

On a lighter note....

2006-08-22T00:27:00.000+05:30

Frankly speaking... I had not written this. This is one of the mails sent by Najeed to our group.

Thought of sharing it here. (Yes, I am kinda back from my laziness.)

During the Cold War, if USA launched a nuke-loaded missile, Soviet satellites would inform the Soviet army in 3 seconds and in less than 5 seconds Soviet counter-missiles would be on their way.This was their scenario.................

But if there is a nuclear war between India and Pakistan. The Pakistan army decides to launch a nuke-missile towards India. They don't need any permission from their government, and promptly order the countdowns. Indian technology is highly advanced. In less than 8 seconds, Indian army detects the Pak Countdown and decides to launch a missile in retribution.But they need permission from the Government of India. They submit their request to the Indian President. The President forwards it to the Cabinet. The Prime Minister calls an emergency Lok Sabha session. The LS meets, but due to several walkouts and severe protests by the opposition, it gets adjourned and adjourned indefinitely.

The President asks for a quick decision.

In the mean time, the Pak missile failed to take off due to technical failure. Their attempts for a relaunch are still on.

Just then the Indian ruling party is reduced to a minority because a party that was giving outside support withdraws it.

The President asks the PM to prove his majority within a week.
As the ruling party fails to win the confidence vote, a caretaker government is installed.

The caretaker PM decides to permit the armed forces to launch a nuclear missile. But the Election Commission says that a caretaker government can not take such a decision because elections are at hand.

A Public Interest Litigation is filed in the Supreme Court alleging misuse of power by the Election Commission.The Supreme Court comes to the rescue of the PM, and says the acting PM is authorized to take this decision in view of the emergency facing the nation.

Just then one of the Pak missiles successfully took off, but it fell 367 miles away from the target, on its own government building at 11.00AM.

Fortunately there were no casualties as no employee had reached the office that early.In any case, the nuclear core of the missile had detached somewhere in flight. The Pakistan army is now trying to get better technologies from China and USA. The Indian Government, taking no chances, decides to launch a nuclear missile of its own, after convening an all-party meeting.

This time all the parties agree.
Its three months since the army had sought permission. But as preparations begin, "pro-humanity", "anti-nuclear" activists come out against the Government's decision. Human chains are formed and Rasta rokos organised. In California and Washington endless e-mails are sent to Indians condemning the government and mentioning "Please forward it to as many Indians as possible".

On the Pakistan side, the missiles kept malfunctioning. Some missiles deviate from target due to technical failures or high-speed wind blowing over Rajasthan. Many of them land in the Indian Ocean killing some fishes.
A missile (smuggled from USA) is pressed into service. Since the Pakistan army is unable to understand its software, it hits its original destination: Russia .

Russia successfully intercepts the missile and in retaliation launches a nuclear missile towards Islamabad. The missile hits the target and creates havoc. Pakistan cries for help.
India expresses deep regrets for what has happened and sends in a million dollars worth of Parle-G biscuits.

Thus India never gets to launch the missile. Pakistan never gets it right.

And We live happily ever after!!!!

1.618 is two years old

2006-08-19T01:52:00.000+05:30

18th August.

Can't think of anything to write as of now! :)

2006-07-29T13:22:00.000+05:30

2006-07-17T18:34:00.000+05:30

2006-07-14T02:41:00.000+05:30

Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna

2006-06-14T16:06:00.000+05:30

Back after a long time!

I got a download link for the upcoming movie ‘Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna’. The music CDs and cassettes haven’t been released yet but thanks to piracy, it is available on the Net.

Seriously, it was not worth keeping the PC on in the night to download the 100MB. Karan Johar has thought that the Kal Ho Na Ho type music will work again. The songs sound similar and the first thing I did was to delete them. Now I know how the movie will be… just another Sentimental tragedy which the ‘Saas-Bahu-serial-viewers’ will like.

Karan Johar, I am with you to stop Piracy of your movie’s songs. I myself deleted them. (

Request to fellow Internet users – Please don’t waste your time on this Shit!

Quotas... Reservations...

2006-05-19T03:07:00.000+05:30

A lot's been happening around the Quota issue in India.

Before I go on about this, here's what I found about the current HRD Minister on Wikipedia.

But, who do we blame for all these issues? Simple... Our ancestors. People divided themselves based on their occupations and then these developed into castes. All for the Ego of few who felt that they were higher in the strata. (more).

After independence, the government oficially documented castes & sub-castes as an affirmative action just like in the US. The difference between the Indian reservation system and American affirmative action is that India relies entirely on quotas where the US does not.

The reservation system has been implemented, but who are the actual beneficiaries? I have seen people submitting certificates that they belong to OBC or SC/ST and their parent's annual income as 1.2 lacs per annum whereas both of them would be employed. Just imagine... 60,000 per year i.e. 5000/- per month? It doesn't matter 'coz they get everything from the government free of cost!

How many people really belonging to these SC/ST or OBC category have benefited? A negligent proportion.

The quota system sets aside a fraction of all possible positions for members of a specific social group. Those not belonging to the designated communites can compete only for the remaining positions, while members of the designated communities can compete for all positions (reserved and open). Even if no qualified SC/ST applicants are available, the reserved positions may not be released for general population but have to be kept vacant or carried over to the future.

Members of National Parliament: 22% of the seats are reserved for SC/ST.
Central government-funded higher education institutions: 22.5% for scheduled caste (dalit) and scheduled tribe (adivasi) students. HRD Minister Arjun Singh has proposed raising this to 49.5%, by including reservation for OBCs also.
IITs: SC/ST students with scores down to two third of the last admitted general cateogry candidate are admitted. Some more candidates not meeting this cutoff are offered admission to a one year preparatory course; upon successful completion of the preparatory coruse, they are admitted into the regular degree program. No tution or room rent is charged.
Andhra educational institutes and government jobs: 25% for BCs, 15% for SCs, 6% for STs and 5% to Muslims, total: 51% (proposed)
Medical schools:
AIIMS: 14% reserved for SC, 8% for ST. In adition, SC/ST students with only 50% scores are eligible.
Government jobs: In general; in the states the reservations are approximately proportional to percentage population of SC/ST groups.
Kerala: Kerala Public Service Commission Muslim quota: 12%
Public Sector Corporations: Recruitment and promotion requirements are relaxed and residances are reserved.

But again, how did this person, Arjun Singh become a HRD Minister? Had it been possible for him to win the elections if people had voted sensibly (or voted at all) by not giving-in to freebies and fake promises but considering the future of the country?

The politicians we elect as our leaders are determined to take our country back to 1500 B.C.

Here are some links:

"Voice Against Reservation" - http://voiceagainstreservation.blogspot.com
"Reservation Vs. Communism Vs. Racism" -
http://balajiviswanathan.blogspot.com/2006/04/reservation-vs-communism-vs-racism.html
Reservation is a crime against humanity -
http://balajiviswanathan.blogspot.com/2006/04/reservation-is-crime-against-humanity.html
Economic Times -
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1499633.cms
Youth for Equality - http://youthforequality.blogspot.com/

I feel that the Indian democracy is nothing but a sham!

Courtesy: CNN IBN site & Wikipedia.

I am gonna expose a lot about the MNC I work for soon!

Touched...

2006-05-11T01:02:00.001+05:30

Got this as a forward! Thought of posting it here...

Credits to the person whoever has written it.

What is LOVE ?

Sometimes we are blind to see the goodness of our spouses and deaf to hear their kind words for us.

A nice story to share......

My husband is an Engineer by profession, I love him for his steady nature, and I love the warm feeling when I lean against his broad shoulders. Three years of courtship and now, two years into marriage, I would have to admit, that I am getting tired of it. The reasons of me loving him before has now transformed into the cause of all my restlessness. I am a sentimental woman and extremely sensitive when it comes to a relationship and my feelings, I yearn for the romantic moments, like a little girl yearning for candy. My husband is my complete opposite, his lack of sensitivity, and the inability of bringing romantic moments into our marriage has disheartened me about love.

One day, I finally decided to tell him my decision, that I wanted a divorce.
"Why?" he asked, shocked.

"I am tired, there are no reasons for everything in the world!" I answered.

He kept silent the whole night, seems to be in deep thought with a lighted cigarette at all times. My feeling of disappointment only increased, here was a man who can't even express his predicament, what else can I hope from him?
And finally he asked me:" What can I do to change your mind?"

Somebody said it right, it's hard to change a person's personality, and I guess, I have started losing faith in him.

Looking deep into his eyes I slowly answered : "Here is the question, if you can answer and convince my heart, I will change my mind, Let's say, I want a flower located on the face of a mountain cliff, and we both are sure that picking the flower will cause your death, will you do it for me?"

He said: " I will give you your answer tomorrow...."

My hopes just sank by listening to his response. I woke up the next morning to find him gone, and saw a piece of paper with his scratchy handwriting, underneath a milk glass, on the dining table near the front door, that goes....

My dear, "I would not pick that flower for you, but please allow me to explain the reasons further.." This first line was already breaking my heart. I continued reading..... "When you use the computer you always mess up the Software programs, and you cry in front of the screen, I have to save my fingers so that I can help to restore the programs. You always leave the house keys behind, thus I have to save my legs to rush home to open the door for you. You love traveling but always lose your way in a new city, I have to save my eyes to show you the way. You always have the cramps whenever your "good friend" approaches every month, I have to save my palms so that I can calm the cramps in your Tummy. You like to stay indoors, and I worry that you will be infected by infantile autism. I have to save my mouth to tell you jokes and stories to cure your boredom. You always stare at the computer, and that will do nothing good for your eyes, I have to save my eyes so that when we grow old, I can help to clip your nails, and help to remove those annoying white hairs. So I can also hold your hand while strolling down the beach, as you enjoy the sunshine and the beautiful sand... and tell you the color of flowers, just like the color of the glow on your young face...

Thus, my dear, unless I am sure that there is someone who loves you more than I do... I could not pick that flower yet, and die.."

My tears fell on the letter, and blurred the ink of his handwriting... and as I continue on reading...

"Now, that you have finished reading my answer, if you are satisfied, please open the front door for I am standing outside bringing your favorite bread and fresh milk..."

I rush to pull open the door, and saw his anxious face, clutching tightly with his hands, the milk bottle and loaf of bread.... Now I am very sure that no one will ever love me as much as he does, and I have decided to leave the flower alone... That's life, and love. When one is surrounded by love, the feeling of excitement fades away, and one tends to ignore the true love that lies in between the peace and dullness.

Love shows up in all forms, even very small and cheeky forms, it has never been a model, it could be the dullest and boring form... Flowers, and romantic moments are only used and appear on the surface of the relationship. Under all this, the pillar of true love stands... and that's our life... Love, not words win arguments...

"A soul mate is the one with whom you could sit with without saying a word and walk away feeling like that was the best conversation you have ever had."

Wishing all my married friends and the to be married ones, a Wonderful & lovely life ahead.

How civilized are we?

2006-04-13T22:42:00.000+05:30

Note:

These are just my views and they are not to be taken as a disrespect to any community, religion or person...

A danish paper publishes cartoons of Prophet Mohammed and people in India who have not even seen what has been published go on a rampage & damage public property.

The crowd coming out of a mosque in Hyderabad turns violent & pelts stones at shops and vehicles... reason - anyone not part of the mob was Danish.

Some MP in the north announces a hefty sum for the cartoonist's head. Is this the duty of the MPs?

The famous actor from Karnataka - Dr. rajkumar dies. The state sees violence in all parts as a tribute to his death.

I AM ASHAMED.

Following is the extract of a blog on CNNIBN site. The comments section is worth spending time to read.

The author writes:

... I was one of the three or four lucky journalists who met him immediately after his release from the clutches of Veerappan. Rajkumar was brought to a farm house on the foothills of nilgiri mountains in erode district before he was flown to Bangalore. As I entered his heavily guarded room, to my horror he greeted me in Tamil. His wife Parvathamma whispered into his ears ivru nammavaru Kannadalli maathnaadi (He is our man. talk to him in Kannada). The frail looking icon apologetically said 'after 108 days in Veerappan's captivity, everybody looks like a Tamilian to me. I can't even recognize my own people'. That meeting left an indelible impression in my mind... (Read the blog).

I really wonder how efficient this guy can be in reporting NEWS from anywhere outside Karnataka.

Here are extracts from some of the comments posted for the above blog.

' I havenot seen much movies of Dr.Rajkumar but i will admire him for his singing abilities,he has a sweet voice and his songs are so nice and better than any other singer.Couple of movies that i saw made me to realise that kannada is a great language to speak.'

'i fail to understand what the connection between trashign the city and a noble man's death. you folks have made him out to be like veerapan. as if veerapan died and his goons are out totake revenge on the city.'

'I dont understand why the author should be horrified by Rajkumar talking in Tamil. Rajkumar was from Tamil Nadu. Most of his classic movies were made when he lived in Tamil Nadu. His career in filmdom was launched by A V Meyyappa Chettiar. May Rajkumar's soul rest in Peace. Kannada and Tamil are sister languages. The anti-Tamil feelings that some Kannadigas nurture in their subconscience is not good for Kannada.'

'I take this occassion to mourn the death of an icon RAJKUMAR..I never watched his movies or seen him or ever known anything abt him, but all the comments that have been posted shows the love of kannadigas for this legend.. Iam not a kannadiga, but if he is as great as Gandhiji of Karnataka..then it would have been better for his fans to condemn violence to show the greatness of rajkumar era . I hope such sad incidents never occur again. I mourn the death of the two people who died in this violence more than sir rajkumar's death. Nobody seems to care them.'

Is India Really Shining? I'd say yes.
Just look at the burning public properties like buses, trains, etc... which make India shine...

My new addiction :)

2006-04-07T01:41:00.000+05:30

Thanks to my P.L, Thilak for spending a sleepless day(!) accompanying me to acquire it...

WHAT IS LOVE?

2006-04-05T23:48:00.000+05:30

Children can answer better than most adults when it comes to love.The question was "What is love"?

The answers they gave were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."
"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."
"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss"
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."
"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,"
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."
"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."
"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."
"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."

And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.

The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbour was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbour, the little boy said,

"Nothing, I just helped him cry"

S.P.E.E.D

2006-03-25T04:35:00.000+05:30

'Hello... Hi mom...'

'Where are you?'

'I am going to Nanded to attend my PL's marriage reception'.

'Oh! How are you going?'

'In a friend's car...'

'Who is driving?'

(changing the gears) 'Not me.. :)'

IT SURE IS A THRILLING EXPERIENCE TO DRIVE AT 130 KMPH!!! & that too on Indian roads!

BTW, Had a gala time with all the obvious plans :))

've been workin' on a new development & cdn't be online for some time... Hope to be back soon!

Marriage etiquettes...

2006-03-08T00:12:00.000+05:30

Host: "Vaanga.. Vaanga"
Guest: "Vaanga.. Vaanga..." (or is it Varen... Varen...)
H: Appuram, veetula yaarum varaliya?
G: Vanthu irukkanga... wife antha pakkam irukkanga.
H: Kozhanthaingala koopittutu varaliya?

Flashback : [ Kozhanthai (Actually oru kaluthai) - Naan kalyanathuku yellam varala. Bore adikkum. Neenga poittu vaanga, Naan veetula irukken. (anga site adikka figures irukkathu.. appadiye irunthaalum yellam full make-up la irukkum. athuku naan AXN & [V] parthukuren!!! :) )]

G: Illainga... Avanuku naalaiku yetho test irukkam, padikkanum nu sonnan. athaan varala.
H: Oh! Irunthu saaptuttu ponga.
G: Seri... (athuku thaana vanthu irukken)
H: (Appada... Oru aalu saapadu micham)... he..hee... ukkarunga... Naan poi mathavangala kavanuchutu varen!
G: Hmm... Yethavuthu help venumna sollunga...

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Well, The above converstion is not directed to any specific religion or a specific person. Its just what I have observed happening in most of the marriages.

Last week, I had gone home & also had plans to attend one of my friend's brother's marriage. But thanks to APSRTC, I missed the Bangalore - Coimbatore Intercity express and reached my hometown after the marriage! I guess its becoming a habit for me to miss marriages. ( I had missed my sister's marriage ). Well, atleast I don't have to go through the above dialogues personally... :))

Masti Ki Paathshaala...

2006-03-08T00:11:00.000+05:30

Finally, I found time to write about one of the Best Hindi Movies I have seen...

Movies are supposed to entertain you but if the entertainment comes along with a bundled message, it is worth spending time & money to watch it.

Lots has been written about the movie & I am not going to waste your time or rather mine by writing about the story or what happens in it. My overall verdict - A MUST WATCH FOR EVERY INDIAN.

Awaiting some action from all those awakened Indians... (to start off, click here).

I had watched the movie in PVR Cinemas, Hyderabad and I would like to write about something I had noticed...

There was lots of News about the government not issuing permission to PVR, Hyderabad 'coz of safety features. It was evident the moment I entered the auditorium. What is the use of frisking everyone before entering the complex if you don't have enough safety inside the auditorium?

The auditorium has only one entry and one exit.
In case of a fire, one has to be prepared to be roasted alive due to the lack of exits.
Even a small theatre which collects Rs. 15/- per ticket has 10 doors... I really wonder how such a thing can be allowed in this case!