India in much better shape - Thanks Dr. Y. V. Reddy

"It is time to send a bouquet of roses to Dr. Y. V. Reddy. A really large one." says Ajit Dayal. Ajit is a Director at Quantum Advisors Pvt Ltd.

Here he continues...
It is time to send a bouquet of roses to Dr. Y. V. Reddy. A really large one.
As a gesture of "Thank You" from all of us for keeping India afloat at a time when the world is reeling under the weight of a scary global financial crises.

Dr. Reddy retired as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India on September 5th, 2008 but his acts - and actions - while at the helm of the RBI has, in my opinion, saved India from a total meltdown. The meltdown that we are witnessing in the US and Europe and in countries like Iceland which got carried away with access to low-cost easy money.

Dr. Reddy’s caution was typified by the old-fashioned suits that central bankers wear. His old-cut and boring grey and dark suits were reminiscent of a visit to the house of a disapproving uncle. An uncle who always wanted to know why the child’s hands were dirty and the clothes stained with mud.

The never-ready Dr. Reddy was constantly criticised for not allowing India to dance with the winds of change that had overtaken the global financial markets. The policies of the RBI were often at loggerheads with what the new-age economists wanted. Free markets - they urged - free up banking - free up everything.

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India has been witness to many crises in the past. And some pretty big ones after we began on our own economic reforms in 1991.

There was the Tequila crisis when Mexico went bust in 1994.

There was the Asian Crisis when the magical Asian Tigers went bust in 1997.

There was the LTCM collapse which led to South Korea and Russia going bust in 1998.

In each of these crises, the central bankers of these countries had set themselves up for the fall. They had allowed the companies and banks under their jurisdiction to borrow excessively and rely on foreign capital. While the world was greedy and no one priced risk correctly, all these countries enjoyed boom years. When risk got re-priced – as is being done now – and capital was in short supply, all the Salsa dancers and Tigers sunk into disaster.

But, during those crises, India was still a relatively closed economy. Our total trade with the free world was less than 10% of GDP for a long time. Today it is over 25% of GDP. India is now a more open economy.

The RBI has allowed Indian individuals to invest overseas; they have allowed us to use Indian credit cards anywhere in the world; they have allowed Indian companies to buy companies overseas.

The uncle has had no problem letting the child play in the mud – but he has first used a stick to ensure that the mud is not quicksand.

But that did not make our finance companies happy. Like the finance companies monitored by Mr. Gordon Brown during his tenure, our “Made in India” finance companies wanted India to have access to any and all capital. The colour of money is green, they said, why should the RBI care where it came from.

Thank god, the RBI did care.

Thank god, Dr. Reddy did care.

Unlike the central bankers in Iceland, who must have been so enthralled by that classic line from "Gone with the Wind": "Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn"

The top 3 banks in Iceland borrowed US$ 60 billion from the global financial markets. The value of their liabilities is 12x the size of Iceland’s GDP. Their foreign currency reserves are only US$ 3.7 billion.

Now the top 3 banks in Iceland are bust.

And so is Iceland.

It is seeking US$ 8 billion from the IMF, Russia, and some Nordic countries.

If Dr. Reddy had not done what central bankers are supposed to do – the Indian banks would have all been in an Icelandic mess.

To read his full report, click here

Chicago in a Bean!!

Chicago is a spectacular city...
Here are some sights from this awesome place...

My Chicago Marathon....

Finally, I did run the Chicago marathon... though I had no chance of finishing it with my ITB/knee pain. Still... I did run for running. And it was great!

I just wanted to do some 10 miles so I can meet my target mileage as I am preparing to run the SV Half marathon in 2 weeks. I was in a decently good shape for someone who has not run much (on land, though I have been running in the water/pool) for the last couple of months. So, I thought I will let my shoe hit the road. And anyway, I was ready to get out (of the marathon) as and when needed.

So, I reached the start line on Oct 12, 2008 at 8am local time. There was a huge crowd - of course, about 45,000 runners had registered. I started in the last few corrals - with the group with the pace of 5hr 45 min. I used the ITB band on my right knee, but unfortunately only one was in stock at the store the other day and I did not have the band for my left knee.

After about a mile, my right knee felt ok, but my left one started to pain. So, I stopped, stretched and restarted. Likewise it went on for about five miles, then I had to walk to complete the rest of the course. I just took one mile at a time. I completed (almost) 12 miles (19.some kms) and then, I stopped.

Well.. I am happy to have done my first 12 miles... my first marathon experience and that I did it at the Chicago Marathon. Nobody can take that away from me.. I have tasted blood and "I will be back"!!!

Here are some times.. subtract 20mins to account for the time my corral actually crossed the start line...



The crowd support was just amazing... almost a million must have been there on the streets cheering us - of which two were my mom and dad :-)

And of course, there have been so many of you who have made the journey to the start line so worth it - you who believed in my cause and supported me with your enthu, time, and money. You coaches, mentors - especially Chakri, Gar'G'i, buddies - especially Reena, Ramya... And the entire Asha family - You Rock!


Cross-posted on my running blog

His story of greed?

I just finished watching the movie/documentary "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room"... and I cannot but feel that history is repeating again... multiple fold...

Enron was not the result of misplaced ambition fueled by greed.. It was the embodiment of misplaced ambition fueled by greed.

Though I am sure not everyone who worked there (some 20000 employees) knew what was happening, I am absolutely sure 10% of them - at the least - knew about the wrong, unethical practices. And the remaining 90% would have had some inkling.. some sense of "things are not right here". After all, these were some very smart people.

And then, there was this bunch load of guys who went along with these fraudsters... all those analysts at investment banks, bankers from JP Morgan, Merill Lynch, Citibank, CSFB... the whole lot... the legal firms... Arthur Anderson, of course (the oldest accounting firm in the country that disappeared after Enron collapse)... THEY JUST JOINED IN THE FUN and made their bucks, as long as it lasted.

And now this mortgage crisis in tens of thousand times bigger a scale....History repeats... There is a whole army of crooks... and then some... who, in any sane mind, would have known - had they just stepped back for a moment... But they did not.... the stock market did not.... And now we have companies biting the dust....

Makes me think - that this whole economy is being fueled by this greed. Capitalism sounds like an euphemism. The air seems grained with this whole misplaced sense of accomplishment...

And I, a member of this economy, am an integral part of this corporate greed. And at the disadvantageous end of it... No golden parachutes... or silver... forget it - not even a parachute.... When will it be my turn to bite the dust?
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I see this guy who comes to my office in a Porsche 911... well.. I am sure he is not the only one... But when the company is in a bad shape... this guy comes around in a minimum $80,000 car...

Should I commend him for making his bucks before the market/company got hit... Or should I commend him for coming to work even after he made his money??!

Doggy...

I brought home my first doggy... well, doggy-like.... it is my new vacuum cleaner, Roomba. It is a robot.. it is small and round and circles my legs... I need to train it to go charge itself, but it does a pretty good job of cleaning the floors. And it is fun!
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My parents are here.. Time to learn some new recipes... And visit some new places... going to Chicago next weekend. Should be fun...

Financial Tsunami

After the Lehman meltdown, the financial tsunami is threatening various parts of the globe... But more so, in the American corners...

At a very high level, beyond the Geo-stationary satellites ;-), I think this is the effect of osmotic pressure in a 'flat world'. When things (prices/wages) are not in equilibrium, but are maintained artificially in a steady state and trying to retain the differences as they stand.... the pressure differences can and will lead to more such tsunamis. (The pressure on the firms to perform and generate ever greater profits, in this case...)

The best way to escape the impact of the Tsunami is by staying afloat... or mobile - that's what I think I will be doing, though by my own preference.. Work in US for a while.. then, move to Asia.. then, the Europe and so on!

Anyways.. I came across this nice article that explains all the jargon behind the Lehman collapse and how these guys lost their own game. Check this out....Losing your own game

If you thought that was a bit too technical, here is another 'simple worded' version... Worst Crisis since the 30's; With no end yet in sight (Thanks Jam!)


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Investment analyst and entrepreneur Dr. Marc Faber concluded his monthly bulletin (June 2008) with the Following:


''The federal government is sending each of us a $600 rebate. If we spend that money at Wal-Mart, the money goes to China . If we spend it on gasoline it goes to the Arabs. If we buy a computer it will go to India .

If we purchase fruit and vegetables it will go to Mexico , Honduras and Guatemala . If we purchase a good car it will go to Germany . If we purchase useless crap it will go to Taiwan and none of it will help the American economy. The only way to keep that money here at home is to spend it on prostitutes and beer, since these are the only products still produced in US. I've been doing my part.'

(Thanks Neeraj for sending this!)

Force, Freedom and French Fries...

This is in response to my friend, Jam's post about the recently back-in-force Kashmir agitations..

I choose the 'simple yet straight-forward' reasoning.. "anything that is forced will give away, sooner or later.... ".. And after a point, people just forget the good things... they only have the lingering bad taste of 'force'.

Even though my (our) ego would not agree so easily, we should give away J&K to its own people. After all, every sane individual has a right to self-determination. And if that is what they (the entire state) wants, let them have it. (Well, the truth is that we did not deal with things the past 20 years - so, we are responsible if Kashmiri public opinion turned against India)

Ten days of curfew straight out.. what a waste!! There is so much of money spent on Siachen and in maintaining 'law & order' in J&K.. not to forget the huge amounts of military presence and resources burnt every day.

All in all, let us not waste our energy, prode, fervor, armed forces, resources and money on people that are thankless...

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To quote Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar of Swaminomics fame, "India has sought integration with Kashmir, not colonial rule. But Kashmiris nevertheless demand azaadi. And ruling over those who resent it so strongly for so long is quasi-colonialism, regardless of our intentions.

We promised Kashmiris a plebiscite six decades ago. Let us hold one now, and give them three choices: independence, union with Pakistan, and union with India. Almost certainly the Valley will opt for independence. Jammu will opt to stay with India, and probably Ladakh too. Let Kashmiris decide the outcome, not the politicians and armies of India and Pakistan."

Set them free, if they really want - let them win their way back to being Indians.

Bhaskar

PS: Read the rest of Swami's article here

PPS: Read the Vir Sanghvi's article too to understand how Kashmir is taking advantage of its special status and over the rest of India.

PPPS: Oh.. the french fries? do you remember how US forcefully changed the name of french fries to freedom fries?? well.. that has nothin' to do with the topic... anyway... I just added the fries 'cos it seemed to get the zing into the title ;-)

Bolt from the Yellow and Green!

This guy Usain was just another guy from Jamaica... and then, he was spotted as a blip in the global radar early this year.. when he ran the 100m in 9.72sec at the Reebok Grand Prix.

Until just over a year ago, Bolt had not run in a senior 100 metres race. A few days earlier at Beijing, Bolt set the world record in 100m - running it in a 'more gas to burn' 9.69sec. (You could see this guy celebrating some 15m from the finish line).

And then, yesterday, he broke the world record in 200m sprint as well.

Watch him run the 200m in 19.30sec!!!!


Here is his 'zero to hero' story, in the words of the Sports Illustrated.... "On a sweltering August night 12 years ago, Michael Johnson lashed the 200-meter world record to his back and seemed to drag it deep into the future. He ran 19.32 seconds, so fast that young men accepted that they would not see the record broken again in their lifetimes.

Usain Bolt was 9 years old on that night, growing up tall and skinny -- "I was tall when I was little,'' says Bolt -- in Trelawny Parish on the north shore of Jamaica, an hour's drive from the vacation resorts of Montego Bay and Ocho Rios. He loved to play cricket with his friends, and if he was talented, he was also a little lazy.

But one afternoon two years later, he ran too fast at a school field day and found himself on the track team, because Jamaica will compel a sprinter to sprint. Somewhere a clock began ticking, counting down the life of Johnson's record, unseen and unknown, but inexorable.

At the age of 12, Bolt ran 52 seconds flat for 400 meters on a grass track in Manchester, Jamaica. He won the world junior 400-meter title at age 16, beating athletes who were four years older. He was impossibly precocious. "We knew what was coming,'' said Bert Cameron, a Jamaican national coach who was also the 400-meter world champion in 1983.

On Wednesday night in the Olympic Stadium called the Bird's Nest, Bolt ran 19.30 seconds to take down Johnson's world record. (In 1996 Johnson broke the previous record by .34.) Four days after celebrating 15 meters from the finish while winning the 100-meter gold medal in a world record 9.69 seconds, Bolt tore all the way through the line -- even dipping his chest slightly -- to win his second gold medal. He became the eighth man in history to complete the Olympic 100/200 double and the first to do it with two world records; not since Don Quarrie (also a Jamaican) in 1976 has one man simultaneously held both sprint records."

To catch the rest of the story.... click here!

The Indian Conundrum

Thanks to Rajeev for this poem on Olympics and the Indian Conundrum

The Indian Conundrum

E pluribus unum
That ought to be OUR motto say some.
A billion plus people we are,
Yet we have but one Olympic star.

Brimming with pride we get excited,
Make oaths and promises unrequited.
Every four years repeated, it is a disease,
A swear, a promise then back into deep freeze.

A committee will certainly be formed,
Of which a sub-committee will deform.
Money apportioned will surely go astray,
Ah! Satyameva Jayate.

Easy fix we have, on cricket let's put the blame,
In Europe, isn't soccer just the same?
They make Olympic gold in spite or despite it,
While we lay blame, shake our heads and sit.

Infrastructure will come once perceptions change,
When sports and academics are in the same range…
Your young ones, when inspired by your running feat,
Out of one will rise many with glory replete.

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A saying goes that you have to be the change, not just want it...by running you inspire and when you inspire your bring change...so keep at it - in our own small way we do what we have to.

Rajeev

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cross-posted on my running blog

Gold dream....!!

India wins its first Gold medal in an individual event at the Olympics....!!!!

Finally, after 60 years of her existence, Abhinav Bindra won her the first gold in 10 metres air rifle event in the ongoing Beijing olympics. Read more...

Been a long wait... Still, its a great achievement by this young lad.. Time to shine!!!


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I am gonna kill my downstairs' neighbor... His snores are keeping me awake.... Anyways, I took some time to blog.... Pray for me guys...

High Fidelity

I saw this John Cusack movie a couple of days ago.... It was highly recommended by a like-minded friend... And it did live up to the name...

Its a movie on the music scene... romance in the times of Bruce Springsteen... If you appreciate music (new-age) or appreciate those that appreciate music, you should definitely watch the movie... (If you know it all, stay away... ;-) I have been exposed to quite some music through my colleagues and friends... I enjoyed the peek into the vast sonic world....

And I found a post that echoed some of my after-thoughts.... And he has penned it long and interesting... So, here you are...
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From this other blog

When I first saw the film High Fidelity I knew of the book and I knew it was about music, but I didn't know what it was actually about. I spent much of the preceeding day singing the chorus from The Kids From Fame song under my breath 'High Fidelity ... high ... ha ... high .. ha ha .. high high ... ' (I do this sometimes when I'm working up to see a film - Jane Campion's masterpiece was reduced to 'La, la, la, la Piano, Piano ...'). But once it was over it went straight into my all time top five films about people like me.

I immediately went out and read the book, loved everything about it despite being incredibly difficult to follow at times because the film characters were in my head and some of them are wildly different on the printed page. Then somewhere along the line the two experiences merged and I imagined that some of the scenes from the book had actually been in the film and vice-versa. Marie De Salle didn't sing at Championship Vinyl in the film any more than that version of Sarah Kendrew appeared in the novel. So buying the DVD the day it came out was something of a culture shock as the gates of filmic reality came crashing down.

As always, DVD solidifies all the reasons I loved the film at the cinema but also offers the chance to see all the details that I'd missed then. So we come to the top five list of things I missed when seeing High Fidelity at the cinema and which make me love the film even more. In ascending order ...

Number five ... lip liner. In the scene were Rob gets Laura to admit to a full 9% chance that they could get back together, I spend a lot of the scene looking at Laura's lips and the fragments of liner at the edges. In a film which is filled with unrealistic elements it feels like a moment of realism. I'm not sure if it's a mistake or a really attentive make up artist creating character details. If it is the latter it ties into comfortably into the speech with Rob gives at the end of the film about how he's sick of fantasy women and he wants to settle for the realism. Laura doesn't have perfect make up and that's why he loves her.

Number four. It's the editing, or rather the editing of the to-camera narration. If all this was edited into chronological order it would make less sense than 21 Grams. Taking the Marie De Salle incident, having found out Laura hasn't slept with Ray, he turns to the camera and says 'I feel good ... I feel great ... I feel like a new man ... I feel so much better in fact ... that I go straight out ... and sleep with Marie De Salle.' Cut to a post coital De Salle, and Rob pointing to camera from the bed 'How could this have happened you ask?' He's giving a voice over straight to camera like someone relating a story around a camp fire or over a beer in the past tense while the action is happening. He's telling the story to us while its happening to him, showing us what happened. It should be confusing but it really works. It's an unbelievably trixy thing to be doing in a Touchstone film and one of the early signs that mainstream film was wising up to the indie ethic.

Number three ... it's about film. Actually it's about anything that people have an obsession about. It's equally about stamp collecting, football and trainspotting. When I saw the movie, I thought I was getting bums rush because I didn't understand many of the music references. Then I tried substituting them for film references and realized that I was in the same bracket of these people. There aren't many regular people who can make a stab at putting Woody Allen's films in order by year, or the films which John Cusack and his mate Jeremy Priven haven't been in together (of which High Fidelity is one). It's about storing useless facts about nothing them looking down on people who don't know this stuff.

Number two, the track listing of the Marie De Salle album. Pause your DVD as Rob places the disc in his hifi and glory at the woman's musical range.

(1) Baby I Love Your Way [which is a given because its in the film and she sings it really well.]
(2) Patsy Cline Times Two [which later in the film she refers to as Eartha Kitt Times Two. But I'm not nitpicking in that way. There there is the rest ...]

(3) Ghostbusters
(4) Beat It
(5) Baby Got Back
(6) 911 Is A Joke
(7) I Will Survive
(8) Mmm Bop
(9) My Heart Will Go On
(10) You Can't Have It
(11) The Time Is Now

Now who wouldn't want to see her version of some of those songs. Such range. Is the joke that if she can make Peter Frampton sound good, Hanson are a walk in the park? These tracks were picked for a reason but since the DVD lacks a commentary we'll never know whose joke it was. And now for ...

... number one in the top five and the deleted scene which is the point of this new series of articles.

High Fidelity: Records For Sale

It's one of the great scenes in the book and was shocked when I read it because they hadn't included it in the film. Rob is invited around to an expensive house where a rich woman bent on revenge tries to castrate her husband musically by selling his singles collection off for peanuts. When Rob starts to delve in he realizes it's a collectors dream, a hundred items which he thought he would never see in his life. Rare pressings on original labels, that kind of thing. To buy or not to buy. It's about honour amongst collectors (even if they're shits) and fits in with one of the book's themes about how music has little to do with what you are its who you are.

So it was a revelation to see it on the dvd and its just the lovely funny thing which really does the book pages justice. It even has the well known face of Beverly D'Angelo as the scorned woman. And when you see it the first time you wonder why it wasn't included in the film - it would be one of the scenes people would be talking about when they left the cinema or years later at the pub because its one of those stories any collector has about the one that got away.

There problem is its four minutes long and to include it in the film would have slowed it to a standstill at just the wrong moment - I think it should gave gone in just after Joan Cusack calls him a 'fucking asshole'. And that would be wrong because the transition from that to Rob's revelations about why Laura broke up with him are perfect. Also it doesn't feel like the rest of the film, which takes place in roughly the one neighbourhood and for the tone of the film it's important to maintain that mood. Also it doesn't make any sense - right the way through we hear that Rob has no money and suddenly he can pull £1100 out to buy the singles - it's a capital investment but were are you getting it from? Laura's loan? Isn't that spent already?

All of which said it does have a delicious ending. He talks D'Angelo into selling him an Otis Reading for $50. She asks him if he saw The Sex Pistols (original pressing of God Save The Queen). He says he did. 'It's free ...' She says and we cut away. We never find out how scrupulous Rob actually is ... What would you do?

Pat comes the reply!

If you have been following the US presidential nominations... you might have know about the McCain campaign using the picture of Paris Hilton in an Ad - to showcase that Obama is a celebrity and that celebrities cannot run a nation... in this case, the world's only superpower (well!)

Well... that was a poorly executed campaign ad... And as with all bad marketing, this also backfired...

check out this awesomely funny retort from Paris on the 'world's oldest celebrity'!!!
If not anything, she has a great PR guy!!

"Meet you at the debate, bitches!!!"

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

SF Marathon

Some 'public' pics from the SF Marathon this Sunday, Aug 3, 2008. I did not run.. I just went to cheer my friends that did!





And for those that think I missed their picture, here is yours as a group!!! ;-)



Cross-posted on my running blog

Explosive Growth?

While the economists in India have been predicting year over year growth rate of 8-10%, the past few days we have been seeing an explosive growth rate in a totally different dimension. I am talking of the series of bomb explosions first in Bangalore and now at Ahmedabad. I mean, what the hell is happening?

It is a wake-up call to the police and intelligence bureaus in the country. Enough of the pot-bellied, uniform-trotting facade. It is time to realize that 'security' in the country is a joke. Should we allow the country to dissipate into the state of Pakistan or Israel? ... Where everyday is greeted with an explosion at some part of the country... and communal forces tearing the country apart like a pack of rogue dogs shredding a piece of shirt apart?

Also read, "Security in India is a joke"

Wanted?

Man... this is one hell of a movie... well... ok... another hell of a movie.... I 'L'oved this one.... Angelina is as fingerlickin' great as ever... and the photography and direction are just amazing... Jim is pretty good fit for the role too...

On the whole.. an awesome... 'must watch in the theatre' movie....

Like my friend was saying... "We should watch this movie in 3D!!!!"

The Pick-up Game!

It has now become a common occurrence... Every time we go shopping at one of the nearby Indian or any supermarket, one or another Indian couple with a big smile on the guy's face and a glib pick-up line approaches us..!

Let me tell you what happened the last time.. Me and my friend (roomie) were at India Cash & Carry buying some stuff.. our bi-weekly routine. This guy with his wife approached us (the wife seemed pretty young and enthusiastic.. she must be new at this game! ;-) And as soon as he opened his mouth, I knew what was coming "Hi.. you resemble one of my friends..."!!!!
Mez: yeah?!?!? [##$%^%*&*&^($#]
Hiz: Hi.. I am Rakesh [holding out his hand]..
Mez took one look at his face and another at her face... I did not want to disappoint the eager look in her's :P.. "Hi.. I am Bhaskar"
I think I saw a glow in her face ;-)
Hiz: Bashar? nice name....
Mez: [#@^#&*^**()@ ]... [nice name, it seems....at least pronounce my name properly!!!!]
Hiz: Where do you work?
Mez: [thinking to myself..."in the road-side gas station here"] blah blah blah...
Hiz: yada yada yada yada
Mez: blah blah blah blah
Hiz: yada yada..... can I have your phone number?
Mez: [thinking again... haan, aagayaa naaa... tu Amway/Quixtar waloon] [translated as... 'yeah, there you go... ya Amway/Quixtar guys']
I give them my cell number. And internally, I am laughing out aloud.... 'cos I have already become a member of this Quixtar thingy... (for a totally different reason... I will tell ya some other time!!)
More blah blahs and yada yadas... and we part amicably...

I go home and promptly, the next day evening, I get a call from this guy.... But, I did not pick up his call.... why? 'Cos I don't pick calls from guys who cannot pronounce my name right...!

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Question of the day: How do you differentiate between cabbage and lettuce??!

Redwoods and the Pacific

Me and a couple of my friends recently went to the Muir Woods National Park and some beaches around - Muir beach and Stinson beach. It was good (but not so good on my knees. I need to check with a doctor now :( )

The thing about redwoods is that they grow really straight and tall. And their barks look like somebody twisted the whole tree. Also, we noticed an inverted 'V' hole on almost all trees. Any idea why redwoods are the way they are?

The big apple and its charms..

I gotta say this - New York is dirty, at least most parts of the regular city.

I got to see the big apple this time like never before - Up close and personal. For one, I stayed there for almost 10 days. For another, I commuted like any other NewYorker - in the subways and NJ transits. For one more, I saw the NY of the wee hours (May be I should add that I did not get to visit the SOHO as I had planned earlier).

Our Jersey city office by the Hudson was great. It had a spectacular view of Manhattan and there were ample light reflecting from the waters. Central park was great too - got to explore some more parts of it this time. But, the surrounding areas or the areas leading to it were pretty dirty. Some of these areas had garbage and dirt piled up in the mornings - I guess they were waiting for the garbage trucks to pick them up. Others like the Harrison station along the NJ transit route looked downright ugly (I thought it was an un-used station since my trains did not stop there. Later on, one of the trains did and I was shocked!)

If you walk around the regular city at a time when the regular guys are not around, you will get to see a lot more dirt and folks that live in the dirt. But, I think - what is amazing is that the city is so old and yet, has moulded itself with the times. Like the numerous subways/trains developed and connecting almost every part of this humongous city.

Many people over the decades must have thought like Annie Hall in the Woody Allen movie by the same name - Annie: "What's so great about New York? I mean, it's a dying city...". But, the charm of the big apple probably lies in its undying spirit - that it has thrived beyond its age. With and without its WTCs.

And it is so different and levelling.. you see executives (well, may be not the top honchos) wearing blazers traveling in the transits/subways.
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The NJ transits are another animal altogether. Once I got onto a train only to know that it was not going to stop at my station. What worse, the first stop in that train was an hour ahead, much after the station I was to get down. Another time, I got into the wrong train because my train was late and this train came to my platform (also late by itself) at the time it was supposed to come. (They don't even mention the destination on the sides of some trains) [Lessons - you gotta carry a schedule with you and find out the exact time of the train you need to catch - after looking at the stops listed on the schedule for each train. And confirm with the ticket checkers/staff before you board, especially if the train is delayed]
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On the subject of Annie Hall and Woody Allen,

this is what he says about California!
Alvy Singer (Woody Allen): I don't want to move to a city where the only cultural advantage is being able to make a right turn on a red light.

And here is a classic dialogue from the movie:

Alvy Singer :[addressing the camera] There's an old joke - um... two elderly women are at a Catskill mountain resort, and one of 'em says, "Boy, the food at this place is really terrible." The other one says, "Yeah, I know; and such small portions." Well, that's essentially how I feel about life - full of loneliness, and misery, and suffering, and unhappiness, and it's all over much too quickly. The... the other important joke, for me, is one that's usually attributed to Groucho Marx; but, I think it appears originally in Freud's "Wit and Its Relation to the Unconscious," and it goes like this - I'm paraphrasing - um, "I would never want to belong to any club that would have someone like me for a member." That's the key joke of my adult life, in terms of my relationships with women.

My first above-5 miler...!

Yesterday, I ran my first 7-miler! (well, almost seven miles ;-)

I knew I had a target of 7 miles as a part of my training here. But, just the previous week (as I had wrote earlier), I had this bad knee pain and I had to stop at 3 miles. So, I was quite unsure. I did do some cycling over the week. And I did ice my knee multiple times.. like, wrapping a frozen water bottle around the different sides of my knee and then, once the area goes numb, I rub the area (it seems, the cold helps control the inflammation and the friction improves the blood flow)

So, I reach the Oracle trail (near Foster City) at 7am on the Saturday and it was a great cloudy day. The temperature must have been in the late 70s or early 80s and there was no wind - just the ideal day for a long run. I was all happy and excited (I was excited already - I woke at 6am and ate a protein snack bar!).

And I started my run comfortably with my jerkin on. Reach 1.5 miler and I was getting really warmed up.. rather hot and I left my jerkin at the water station. I then reached the 3 miler and had a couple of gulps of Gatarode and I could feel a li'l pain in the knee area. But, I was happy because I had already crossed my previous limit!

I was also happy because I was only 0.5 miles from the turn-back point!! Man, these small joys... So, I reached the 3.5 miles, kissed the line and was on my way back.. and the pains started getting bigger - not so much as to stop my run, but still it was getting to me. But the view was nice and scenery was good and of course, the weather was great, so I kept on. Oracle trail or Bay trail, as it is also called, I think runs all the way to the bay.



And beyond 4.5 miles, I had to stop running and start walking because the pain was considerable and I was afraid I will make it worse. But, I saw that the pain subsided as I was walking (this was contrary to last week - when the pain increased and remained even after I stopped running) So, I started running again at 5 miles. I took a few small breaks in between my runs (either walk instead of run or run slower) and I managed to finish the 7 miles in (approx.) 2 hours.

I am happy for my first six/seven miler.. this is at least 2 miles more than what I had run in a single shot earlier! :-)

Cross-posted on my Sun Runs blog
Check it out here

Omar and the Niagara!

And, as the Cock crew, those who stood before
The Tavern shouted - "Open then the Door!
You know how little time we have to stay,
And once departed, may return no more."

Alike for those who for TO-DAY prepare,
And that after a TO-MORROW stare,
A Muezzin from the Tower of Darkness cries
"Fools! your reward is neither Here nor There!"

That is Omar Khayyam for ya...

But time comes to a standstill at the Niagara... Majestic, as it is - where does all the water go?!

Here are some pics (and some Patel shots!; no! not the typical staring into the camera ones)..






Don't you feel like jumping into the water and stoping the flow....??

For the full album, check this link!

A Visit to NY

Sun Runs and Baby Steps!!

I started a new blog today... Sun Runs!!! It is going to be my chronicle for the next few months as I train with Team Asha for the Chicago/Silicon Valley Marathon.

Follow me there....!

---------------------------
Here is my first post on Sun Runs.. {cross-posted here}
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In the world of Iron Men (refer Iron Man Triathlon), I am just a toddler taking my baby steps... and I just want to chronicle my first steps and my experiences as I train for the Marathon!!

I am sure I have not run 26.2miles in my entire lifetime put together so far. I am now going to run it in a single day... and multiple times over as I practise the next few months. And with my coaches and mentors @ Team Asha, I am pretty sure I am in good hands!!

So, here is to Iron Men and Women of the world(read coach Char's blog!!) and the toddlers!!! :-)

The Well-Read!!

I "Read" @ Stanford!!! ;-) :P

Off-beat Math & A Short Story

12 + 144 + 20 + (3 * 4^(1/2))) / 7) + (5 * 11) = 9^2 +0

If you are not gifted enough to decipher these simple codes, I will give you a clue: It is a poem!! Now, try looking at it from that angle...

...and if you are still having trouble with the poem, here you go:

A Dozen, a Gross and a Score,
plus three times the square root of four,
divided by seven,
plus five times eleven,
equals nine squared and not a bit more.

!! ;-)
-----------------------------

10**12 Microphones = 1 Megaphone
10**6 bicycles = 2 megacycles

2000 mockingbirds = two kilomockingbirds

1/2 lavatory = 1 demijohn

10**-6 fish = 1 microfiche

1 unit of suspense in a mystery novel = 1 whod unit

10 millipedes = 1 centipede

5 holocausts = 1 Pentacost

10 monologues = 5 dialogues = 1 decalogue

8 nickles = 2 paradigms
2 snake eyes = 1 paradise
2 wharves = 1 paradox

1 milli-Helen (of Troy) = amount of face that can launch one ship
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In a literature class, the students were given an assignment to write a short story involving all the important ingredients - nobility, emotion, sex, religion and mystery. One student allegedly handed in the following story:
"My god!" cried the duchess. "I'm pregnant. Who did it?"
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Thanks Venky (MP)!

Team Asha & Asha for Education

TEAM ASHA is a premier endurance sports program that trains people for half and full marathons. Team Asha gives one the chance to discover not only the magical benefits of running but also the supreme joy of affecting the life of a child with every progressive step.

Since 2000, they have trained more than 750 marathoners from different walks of life. 99% of them successfully completed a full or a half marathon. Train. Run. Educate.

Asha for Education is a non-profit organization on a mission to catalyze socio-economic change in India through education of under-privileged children. Of the 68 Asha chapters worldwide, three are right here in the San Francisco Bay Area: Asha Berkeley, Asha Stanford and Asha Silicon Valley.

Over the years, Asha has succeeded in touching the lives of thousands of children through its various educational initiatives and projects. Although the primary focus is on education, Asha also addresses issues affecting human life such as health care, environmental concerns and women's issues. Asha will continue to evolve in keeping with the needs of the hour and the needs of our country (India).

Asha for education is run by a diverse group of committed volunteers who take personal interest in researching and identifying worthy projects in India. We mobilize the needed funds and also work closely with the projects right from inception to realization.
-------------------------------------------------

My grandmom used to say "Whenever you get a chance to share your knowledge or better still, help somebody learn - do that. That is the best gift you can give to not just him but his entire family. And it is equivalent to feeding 100 hungry persons." I think Asha embodies that spirit.

One of my school friends, who later went on to BITS Pilani and then to Univ of Wisconsin - Madison for her MS - she was one such volunteers who came back to India and was handling some of their educational initiatives in South India. (I am trying to reach her.. Lets see if I can find out what she is upto now.)

That is how I had heard about Asha. And now, in the bay area, I heard of Asha again and I took this opportunity to be a drop in the ocean. I am a part of Team Asha 2008 - training for the Silicon Valley marathon and also championing the cause of educating the under-privileged in India.

I have no idea how I am going to run 26.2 miles.. I have zilch idea how I am going to raise 2400 odd dollars for the cause. But, I am doing it. Whatever support you can give in showing the way to a kid in India - please let me know.

Madras isShtyle!!!

The first time I saw it on a JC Penney's catalogue, I thought it was a coincidence... But, it did remind me immediately of the lungis I saw in my childhood...

I checked the next catalogue I got (yeah, we are getting a lotta spam in our postal box!) and there it was, with more colors and types.... Then, I was sure the city I grew up has inspired a whole new style... the Madras style.... !!!!

I did some research online... check these out for yourself!!!!
www.capemadras.com

Check this one out especially... they even show an authentic Madras lungi... the guy on a cycle with the girl behind!! Click on the "India" section at the last...

More Madras ishtyle!

And a lot more here...

WB!!

I can give you hundreds of reasons why I am not writing here as often... but then, when they have given a good, encompassing reason called Writer's Block, why should I worry about those hundreds?? :P

Anyways, it is a self-attributing reason... What I mean to say is - the same reason also prevents one from even writing about it!! So, I guess I have broken through it now!!!!! ;-)

Lovin' it!

Am loving my S10 experience!!

The other day I was coming by the CalTrain and took a picture...


But, what is that grass like things hanging from the speakers??



It sure looks like grass.. Let me zoom some more..



Wow! why would they keep thin wire-like things protruding from a speaker?!

Here.. are some other snapshots

SF Giants game at AT&T Park by the bay
http://good-times.webshots.com/album/563136421pmlCKA

a soothing 'zen' weekend!
http://good-times.webshots.com/album/563085000SwNgPR

Ensoi!!
Bhaskar

Here There!!

Here is not so much fun anymore
Let me get there for more!

And I can be this life-long wanderer
With no one 'dear', till my feet get sore!!
-------------------------------------------

I at least bought a new camera... so, I can capture the sights on the way!! It is a Nikon Coolpix S10.. pretty conventional looks.. let me check how it performs and tell ya..

Scenes

A Quiz!!

What is the best place for the sun on earth?!? (pun intended!!)

Answer:
Sunnyvale!!

I moved to this place last week... And fell in love with it!! More later....

And you know the best part?

Saravanaa Bhavan is only 2.4miles from my apartment!!!!

Buds!

Some of my buddies are budding bloggers now!!! I am happy for them and happy that I could play a small part in their exploring their own hidden facets and expanding their horizons :-)

The Truth!

I came across this wonderful clip on the Modern Doomsday(Thanks to Erin!).

The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard

It's terrific! Like my friend Arun says, the best part of this story is that it is so catchy and so true!! truth - simple yet flabbergasting!!!

Quoting Cris B., "Annie Leonard does a brilliant job of distilling 10 years of research about STUFF into a fast-paced 20 minute presentation..." ...
"With the support of pen & ink sketch-like animations, Annie demonstrates how our materials economy is completely dysfunctional, how our linear production-consumption system is using up our limited resources. Smart, witty and factual, Annie explains in language school kids can understand that our finite planet is in crisis...it's being trashed by what we the people, our government and powerful corporations are doing to create, use and dispose of stuff...lots and lots of stuff, every day."

When the going gets tough...

Everyone (at least quite a lot of folks) are looking towards the possible fed rate cut on tuesday. There are tell-tale signs that the recession is already underway in some sectors of the industry and affecting the vulnerable sections of the economy.

There are talks of more lay-offs in the mortgage and financial sector... Other sectors (notably IT/software) too have started cutting the costs and tightening the budget. There is growing unemployment in the economy - supposed to be at the levels of 2003!

etc etc...

But, you know - When the going gets tough, the tough gets going!!

Detroit, nalla Detroit!!

Well, I am in Detroit now. Come here for a few days, on work. I don't know where work is going to take me in the coming weeks, but I do know that I will not continue in Los Angeles for long.

Detroit is so coool!!! well.... literally cold... with snow around and flurries falling... but is nice (to visit, don't know about staying though ;-)

The best part is that the snow and all-encompassing whiteness gives it a surreal feeling.. more like in those fantasy lands... of Santa & Snow white!!!

As I was driving to my friend's place, I was reminded of my time in the Netherlands some years ago. Bare leaf-less (but not life-less) trees and cold winds... amazing! And then, the shock on my friend's face (I had not told her about my visit) when I knocked their door in the middle of the night... Man, priceless!!

But then, as Govar says, living here could be an altogether different deal... But I am not going to worry about it... I am just a happy visitor now!!
----------------------------

Downtown Detroit is supposed to be so crime-ridden... I went to a Tacos place... They had security cameras all over.... And even the counter was like a safe-deposit with thick glass panels... you deposit your money and close the door... only then, would the cashier's door open on the other side... he will keep the food packet and close the door again... And then you can pick it up your side....
----------------------------

I almost drove to Canada... We were on our way to the MGM Grand casino downtown... we went past the ambassador bridge (that links to Canada)... There were a lot of construction work happening on the highway and many ramps were closed... We tried navigating our way and ended at a toll plaza. When enquired, she said that it was the toll leading to Canada... Well, imagine if I had not asked the question!!

Serial Entrepreneur...

Over the weekend, I came across someone who was supposed to be a serial entrepreneur... 'serial entrepreneur' - I thought what a funny title... in the lines of serial killers and such... Is this guy supposed to be a killer of startup ventures?! (On the contrary, this term refers to guys starting one business followed by another and often another...)

Why would somebody become a 'entrepreneur'?

Quoting Linda Pinson, creator of business plan software (business-plan.com)

First (of all), many entrepreneurs want to be masters of their own fate and they can't find this outside of entrepreneurship. While studies have shown that people derive tremendous satisfaction from their work, how many people are really doing exactly what they want to be doing? Entrepreneurs like to be in control of their future. They like to set their own course.

Many entrepreneurs feel that running a business offers far more security than being an employee. Entrepreneurs often argue that you can acquire wealth much faster if you own a business and you can build a buffer of personal financial security. Further, an entrepreneur's continued paycheck isn't dependent upon a single employer whose faulty business decisions could lead to being laid off. So, while some people see starting a business as more risky than conventional employment, other people see it as less risky.

Why would somebody become a 'serial entrepreneur'?

Well... I would say, if you know how to start a new venture and if you enjoy the process of establishing and building a structure 'built to last' - you should become a 'serial entrepreneur'!
------------------------------------------------

One of the best aspects of this society is that there is a big tolerance for failure. It is "OK" to be a failure. If you fail at something, you just brush the dust off yourself and then, start working on the next.

If you fail in your venture, collect the learnings and then, start off with your next venture.

If you fail at your married life, just take some time to collect yourself and then, look afresh at life.

Just that, you should not jump into something just because 'failure is ok'!!

After the Jazz...

After being temporarily distracted by romance(;-) and work, I am back here! Hope to see more of you around...
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Well, that video link below never got updated. The problem with You Tube is that it could not encode the .mov format video file into a flash-based video that it uses to upload.

And then I checked this other video uploading site, Viddler... And have updated the links to the video... check it out!!

I have some suggestions for You Tube, apart from support for .mov files.. Even though they work good otherwise and are simple and easy to use, view, upload... I am sure they can give a better user experience...
--------------------------------------

I came across this quote... (Thanks Pads!) I just love it...

"This is no time to make new enemies." - Voltaire, when asked on his deathbed to forswear Satan.

Man, Voltaire, you are too much!!!

Happy Birthday, Sweetie!!

Wish you many more happy returns of the day and a great, happy married life with me!!.. Yeah, come over right now ;-)

Watch out for the video here...!!
http://www.viddler.com/sbhaskar77/videos/1/


PS: Thanks to Pads for the pic & M for the moments!!!!!

At some level...

I am waiting on edge....

for my niece/nephew to come out in to this world and call me out loud and crying 'mama' (uncle)!!!

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

I was watching the 'Super Tuesday' - the primaries and Caucuses for selecting the party candidates for the Elections to be the President of United States. Hillary is good... she knows how to touch the chords of the masses. But Obama is quite amazing in his power to reach out to youngsters and move them beyond their own awareness.

No doubt, it is going to be a close call.... But something tells me it is going to a Black President for us!!

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

Why is my (blog) popularity increasing again?! Well.. I have nothing to complain... Thank you, folks!!

Oh, BTW, this is my 300th post here!! I am happy I came this far... Thanks again :-)

A week in recap....

It rained cats 'n dogs in California last week...
And I did not know what hit me...

But something shifted
And the impact is going to be ever-lasting!!

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

I am discovering the pleasures (visual, spiritual & ... :) of Malibu... Walking the fine balance between high expectations and being open to life... That is not just nature at work!!

Shall post some pics soon!!

Here comes the Jump!!

Here is the first part...


And here is the second... Excuse the bad quality of this video. I shall get a better version of this part soon!


Can you suggest me a good free dvd ripper? Thanks in advance!

Is Sky the Limit?!

It seemed like a nice sunny day when I started my car and keyed-in the address of the destination for the Perris Valley Airport in my GPS. I was quite excited just by the thought that I am going to jump off an aeroplane (my first :-) that day..

I had earlier made some enquiries at Thrill Planet (LA Skydiving online website) and the Perris Valley Skydiving school for the sunday noon seemed a good option. After some thoughts, I chose to go for a tandem jump (in which I would be strapped tight to an instructor during the free fall) and not the solo or Accelerated Free Fall (in which a couple of other instructors would also jump together with me but I would not be held tight to them - though they would give some 6hrs training before the free fall). At $340 - together with the video, it did seem a li'l costly, but then I could not lose the opportunity of jumping off an aeroplane, could I?!

Thus, I arrived at the Perris Valley Aviation at noon and was surprised to see the parking lot full!!! I did not imagine there were so many sky diving enthusiasts here.. Anyways, when I went inside to the office, I found out that a group of 100 professional sky divers were doing some formations in the sky that day and that I had to wait for another couple of hours before I would get a chance to go up in the sky.

After all the wait (watching the planes take off and the hundred odd guys land in multicolored parachutes again and again and a burger to fill my stomach in the time, I was assigned an instructor, Luke. (Of course, I should have asked for a female instructor... but then, I did not want any distraction this day ;-). He gave me some training and told me what to expect and all that. Finally, after getting dressed for the occasion, we made our way to the small aeroplane that was waiting to take us. (It felt like I was one of those astronauts in that jump suit...just the all-cover helmet was missing!)

The plane took off and started gaining altitude.. It must have been a couple of minutes and I was seeing 'ants' down below through the window. I checked the altimeter strapped on to my left hand and saw that it was only 4000 feet yet. We were to go thrice that height!! The burger in my stomach started churning a bit and I decided not to look out the window again...:-)

Luke again told me what to do - how we should slide to the edge of the door at the appointed time, how I should sit with my left foot just off the door and the right knee bent to the floor next to it, how I should look up with my chin protruding and all that, how I should arch my back just after we jump, how I should hold my legs bent and hold tight to the shoulder straps....etc etc. And then, he checked my gear and tightened the straps one final time, before letting me chat on video and himself playing some pranks with the co-instructors...

The final minute came and we were all set... and then, came the jump. That was the best part!!! The first few seconds felt so blissful... falling freely, throwing caution to the winds... and then, as we gained velocity, the winds literally caught up and were hitting me on the face and everything...! The difference in pressure started hurting my ears, but then, soon enough, Luke opened the trail (you would see the single rope like thing trailing us) and we stabilized.

It was time to give some poses and show the thumbs up and give a message from the batman... The video/photo guy was just beside us (This is an interesting fact of Physics.. remember the experiment from the top of Leaning tower of Pisa?! whatever be your weight, you will always hit the ground at the same time... as long as you time the jump, and start at the same time).

I tried opening my mouth and the wind was getting into my mouth and even otherwise, it was pulling my face in all directions...!!! Anyways, after about a minute of jumping off the plane, Luke engaged the parachute and the rest was a smooth landing.....

The next time, I want to do the solo jump.... Let me know if you wanna join.. :-)

Check my pics at
http://good-times.webshots.com/album/562218381OLTZiv

Videos galore!!

I have a lot of videos to post here... For one, a couple of my girl fans have got together to make a video on me.. And, as you can imagine, it is so flattering to have their time and attention!!

And then, there's gonna be a video of me sky-diving... :-)

But all those would come later...


Here's the video/lyrics of a rock song I like these days....


Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood Lyrics

I ain't happy, I'm feeling glad
I got sunshine, in a bag
I'm useless,but not for long
The future is coming on
I ain't happy, I'm feeling glad
I got sunshine, in a bag
I'm useless, but not for long
The future is coming on
It's coming on
It's coming on
It's coming on

Yeah... Ha Ha!
Finally someone let me out of my cage
Now, time for me is nothing cos I'm counting no age
Now I couldn't be there
Now you shouldn't be scared
I'm good at repairs
And I'm under each snare
Intangible
Bet you didn't think so I command you to
Panoramic view
Look I'll make it all manageable
Pick and choose
Sit and lose
All you different crews
Chicks and dudes
Who you think is really kickin' tunes?
Picture you gettin' down in a picture tube
Like you lit the fuse
You think it's fictional
Mystical? Maybe
Spiritual
Hearable
What appears in you is a clearer view cos you're too crazy
Lifeless
To know the definition for what life is
Priceless
For you because I put you on the hype shit
You like it?
Gunsmokin' righteous with one token
Psychic among those
Possess you with one go

I ain't happy, I'm feeling glad
I got sunshine, in a bag
I'm useless,but not for long
The future is coming on
I ain't happy, I'm feeling glad
I got sunshine, in a bag
I'm useless, but not for long
The future is coming on
It's coming on
It's coming on
It's coming on

The essence the basics
Without it you make it
Allow me to make this
Child, like in nature
Rhythm
You have it or you don't that's a fallacy
I'm in them
Every sprouting tree
Every child and beast
Every cloud you see
You see with your eyes
I see destruction and demise
Corruption in disguise
From this fuckin' enterprise
Now I'm sucking to your lies
Through Russ, though not his muscles but the percussion he provides
with me as a guide
But y'all can see me now cos you don't see with your eye
You perceive with your mind
That's the inner
So I'm gonna stick around with Russ and be a mentor
With a few rhymes so m****r f****rs
Remember where the thought is
I brought all this
So you can survive when law is lawless
Feelings, sensations that you thought were dead
No squealing, remember
(that it's all in your head)

I ain't happy, I'm feeling glad
I got sunshine, in a bag
...........

Crazy Kia Re!

How crazy can you get??!

Today was just one of those days.... imagine, I paid 2000 rupees to get a eye checkup done... ok, I also got a chottu 3 ml eye drops for that money.... No, the whole thing cost about 10,000 bucks, of which 2K was my part.... You need to convert that into dollars, but the cost of medication in this country is ridiculously high... World is flat, right? Then, how do such inequalities exist in two parts of the same world??!

There were other things in the day... let me not get to that here....

But, to top it all, I spent the last two hours on Orkut, reconnecting with my old engg batchmates....ogling at the babes, in general... May be, it is not so bad... but, it sure is crazy!!

PS: It is only 2.45am here...!

PPS: Dont you start now... how many can I give my attention to??!

Welcome, 2008!

Hey! 2008

Hope you are going to be good to me.... and have loads of fun in store. You better...!!

Let yourself shower greatness on my friends visiting here too :-)

Bhaskar

Political...?

There are some things that something is designed for. If that thing is put to use in anything that is beyond the design, then, that thing would not serve its purpose.

Well... for example, telephone was designed to be an instrument that enables communication. But, when the same telephone is being used like a measures of one's popularity (like, the more the calls I get, the more popular I am!)... that leads to trouble.

Well.. take the other example, which is kinda the point here - the procreational organs in the body have been designed (fine-tuned over millions of years) for a specific function and purpose. And there are other parts (like the arse and the hole!) that are designed for waste management. Now, if these two things get mixed up, they (do not) lead to issues! (pun intended). They, basically, do not serve the purpose they were designed for!!

This is in no way saying how this is supposed to be.. or that I am not in support of gay movement... or that I am a republican supporter... or that I am a prude - people who know me would vouch for it! I think One (or Many) cannot dictate how someone else got to be behaving/doing. And certainly not about one's personal choices - as long as the person does not inflict pain, loss, misery on another - they should be allowed to live free and die hard!!

-----------------------------
Bernard Shaw must've been a gay!

He said "Some look at things that are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were and ask why not?" !!!!

Unn Sirippinil....

Beautiful song... I wanna watch this movie tomorrow...!! (Pachai Kili Muthucharam)
Andrea looks cute..


Un Sirippinil Un Sirippinil

un sirippinil un sirippinil
en manadhin paadhiyum poaga
un imaigalin kan imaigalin
min paarvaiyil meedhiyum thaeya

hmm indru naetru endru illai
yaen indha nilai
hmm unnai kanda naalirundhae
naan seyyum pizhai

un sirippinil un sirippinil
en manadhin paadhiyum poaga
un imaigalin kan imaigalin
min paarvaiyil meedhiyum thaeya

unakkul irukkum mayakkam
andha uyarathu nilavai azhaikkum
idhazhin vilimbu thulirkkum
en iravinai paniyinil nanaikkum
edhirinil naan erigira naan
udhirndhidum mazhaicharam neeyae
oru murai alla mudhal murai alla
dhinam dhinam ennai soozhum thee

un sirippinil un sirippinil
en manadhin paadhiyum poaga
un imaigalin kan imaigalin
min paarvaiyil meedhiyum thaeya

mudhal naal paartha vanappu
thuli kuraiyavum illai unakku
urakkam vizhiipil kanavaai
unai kaanbadhae vazhakkam enakku
aruginilae varugaiyilae
thudippadhai niruthudhu nenjam
mudhal mudhal indru nigazgiradhendru
nadippadhu konjam vanjamae

un sirippinil un sirippinil
en manadhin paadhiyum poaga

un imaigalin kan imaigalin
min paarvaiyil meedhiyum thaeya

hmm indru naetru endru illai
yaen indha nilai
aha hmm unnai kanda naalirundhae
naan seyyum pizhai


But I think Kamalini looked hotter in Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu..

Black or White?

Lotsa thoughts floating around
but no time to pen
newfangled stimulants abound
that it is beyond my ken

color lies in the perception
but it is never seen (for what it is)
'cos grey is a misconception
white or black more one way (than the other) in its gene!!

Some fun stuff!

Aatha, naan 'settle' aayittaen!!

Wheeef!! I am finally getting settled here... In 24 hrs, my status in this country has changed from a hitchhiker to a networked resident!!

I got to know my Social Security Number yesterday (I had to visit the SSA office to know it in person; the card is in the mail!). Next, I went to the Department of Motor Vehicles (popularly known as the DMV) and armed with my SSN number, I could apply for a California State Driver License. They gave me some tests, notably the written test in which I had to score more than 83.33% to 'pass'. I aced the test scoring 94.44% and they gave me a temporary driver license that allows me to drive a car on my own here. I still have to appear for a driving test next week to get my driver license though.

Anyway, now that that was done.. I went and hired a car and also moved into my own accomodation today. And then, I had to spend another couple of hours to get my post-paid mobile connection from Verizon. (Man, how much of a fuss these mobile companies make... they need an SSN... a good credit history (which needs that I own some credit cards and may be, some loans and to be paying them off on time for some months)... security deposit, in lieu of bad or non-existent credit history... and so on....)

After all that, I can finally claim I am settling down here...

Still to come are the credit cards, bank checking accounts, ....

Harleys in Vegas and another Video

Kinda taking a break from all the travel... Nowhere this weekend..
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Here is a video I shot of the Harleys in Vegas... I had to cut it due to upload restrictions, still you get to hear it loud!



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This video is sad yet stunning at the same time... It shows an LTTE woman ona suicide mission detonating a bra bomb...