Every new computer program starts with a Hello World program and here I am starting a new stint with unexplored India ...
Vanakkam Chennai !
I am being sent off to Chennai for about four months to try and sell some stuff. I know apart from all the selling that I would manage, I would also travel extesively in south India. Kanyakumari, Pondicherry, Bangalore aka Bengaluru are on my shortlist.
Travel is one thing, I shall also try to setup a business venture there. I have no clue what would it do but I know I want something of my own. If someone would ask me what exactly would I want and why do I want to have my own setup, I would have no answers. It is like destiny calling. People breathe even though they do not know that they have to, I want to open something without knowing why. Kinda stupid analogy but still its me :D
Lyrics - Tere Bin - Rabbi Shergil
I was listening to FM and there was this track by Rabbi Shergil. I know little punjabi and it was awesome. Googled for the lyrics and found it on Shubhi Gupta. Dedicated to someone very special.
Here is a quick copy-paste job. All credits to Shubhi Gupta. Thanks is all I can say.
After Anubhav commented, I am hereby changing the source of the lyrics to http://rabbism.blogspot.com/2005/07/tere-bin-rabbi-shergill-lyrics.html.
Thanks To Anubhav !
Here is a quick copy-paste job. All credits to Shubhi Gupta. Thanks is all I can say.
tere bin / besides youAwesome track and very very meaningful lyrics. Reminds me of someone very special. (Yes, this is for you, you were right - I didnt get that iPod) and I cant even apologize... :(
sanu sohnia / my love
koi hor nahio labhna / i shan't find another
jo dave / who'll give
ruh nu sakun / peace to my soul
chukke jo nakhra mera / and indulge me
ve main sare ghumm ke vekhia / i have gone and seen it all
amrika , roos, malaysia / america, russia, malaysiana
kittey vi koi fark si / there wasn't any difference
har kise di koi shart si / they all had some condition
koi mangda mera si sama / some asked for my time
koi hunda surat te fida / some were fascinated with my face
koi mangda meri si vafa / some demanded my fidelity
na koi mangda merian bala / none wanted my demons
tere bin / besides you
hor na kise / no one else
mangni merian bala / wanted my demons
tere bin / besides you
hor na kise / no one else
karni dhup vich chhan / shall shade me in the sun
jiven rukia / (the) way you paused
si tun zara / slightly
nahion bhulna / i shan't forget
main sari umar / all my life
jiven akhia si akhan chura / you said, looking away
"rovenga sanu yad kar" / "you shall weep in my memory"
hasia si main hasa ajeeb / i laughed a strange laugh
(par) tu nahi si hasia / but you didn't
dil vich tera jo raaz si / you had a secret in your heart
mainu tu kyon ni dasia / why didn't you tell me
tere bin / besides you
sanu eh raz / none shall tell this
kise hor nahion dasna / secret to me
tere bin / besides you
peerh da ilaaj / what druid
kis vaid kolon labhna / has the cure to my ills
milia si ajj mainu / i found today
tera ik patra / a note of yours
likhia si jis 'te / on which you had scribbeled
tun shayr varey shah da / a varis shah couplet
park ke si osnu / upon reading which
hanjnu ik duliya / a teardrop fell
akhan 'ch band si / what was locked in the eye
seh raaz ajj khulia / was revealed today
ki tere bin / that other than you
eh mere hanjnu / these tears of mine
kise hor / won't be kissed by
nahio chumna / none else
ki tere bin / that other than you
eh mere hanjhu / these tears of mine
mitti vich rulnha / will wither in the dust
After Anubhav commented, I am hereby changing the source of the lyrics to http://rabbism.blogspot.com/2005/07/tere-bin-rabbi-shergill-lyrics.html.
Thanks To Anubhav !
Rajnikant - Stuntman - Cartoon
I got this today and I think it was worthy enough to be posted here ... !
Rajnikanth (with an extra h) here shooting a bad guy in an almost impossible stunt !
septemberthe22nd - Updated !
After I was Tired and almost met a freak accident, I have updated my photolog with pics from my Chandratal trip last september.
Please see and as always put some comments :) Here is a sample ... to show off the hidden photographer in me !
Please see and as always put some comments :) Here is a sample ... to show off the hidden photographer in me !
Chandratal - Revisited - The Lake - Upside Down?
In September last year, I went trekking to Chandratal and it was one helluva trip. Here are some more pics from the forgotten land.
The Chandratal Lake - Upside Down
2005 September: Chandratal Trip
Chandratal - Revisited - The Serpentine Roads !
In September last year, I went trekking to Chandratal and it was one helluva trip. Here are some more pics from the forgotten land.
The Serpentine Roads
2005 September: Chandratal Trip
Chandratal - Revisited - Dusk? Dawn?
In September last year, I went trekking to Chandratal and it was one helluva trip. Here are some more pics from the forgotten land.
Dusk? Dawn?
2005 September: Chandratal Trip
Chandratal - Revisited - Living on the Edge
In September last year, I went trekking to Chandratal and it was one helluva trip. Here are some more pics from the forgotten land.
Living on the Edge !
2005 September: Chandratal Trip
Price Arbitrage at Delhi Metro
Delhi Metro is one of the coolest things to have happened to the Delhi Infrastructure. Traveling is not a hassle anymore. You are saved from the Delhi weather, you save on a lot of time and people don’t spit anywhere and if you can believe, people actually take a bath before boarding Delhi Metro.
I love Delhi and like Delhi Metro not only for the convenience it offers. It also offers a price arbitrage opportunity. Delhi Metro uses an automated magnetic token system for ticketing. You can buy tokens for a single journey or you can buy a travel card valid for longer durations or more number of journeys. These travel cards are available in multiples of 50 bucks and a refundable security deposit of 100 bucks. You can thus pay 150 bucks and get a card that would have a travel allowance of 50 bucks. And yes, Delhi Metro gives a 10% added bonus on the amount you put in. In effect I get 55 bucks worth of travel money if I give them 50 bucks.
And this is where things get interesting. Now if I return this card, I get 100 as the refund and I get whatever amount is left on the card, I get that back too. Basically if I return the card without using at all, I can get 210 for putting 200 upfront. We are talking about a ROI of 5% without doing anything at all.
And if someone has the intent and patience, he can stand there all day long and buy and return and buy and return and so on and so forth. I am not even counting the annualized rate of return that one can make on Delhi Metro.
More details about Delhi Metro are available here.
I love Delhi and like Delhi Metro not only for the convenience it offers. It also offers a price arbitrage opportunity. Delhi Metro uses an automated magnetic token system for ticketing. You can buy tokens for a single journey or you can buy a travel card valid for longer durations or more number of journeys. These travel cards are available in multiples of 50 bucks and a refundable security deposit of 100 bucks. You can thus pay 150 bucks and get a card that would have a travel allowance of 50 bucks. And yes, Delhi Metro gives a 10% added bonus on the amount you put in. In effect I get 55 bucks worth of travel money if I give them 50 bucks.
And this is where things get interesting. Now if I return this card, I get 100 as the refund and I get whatever amount is left on the card, I get that back too. Basically if I return the card without using at all, I can get 210 for putting 200 upfront. We are talking about a ROI of 5% without doing anything at all.
And if someone has the intent and patience, he can stand there all day long and buy and return and buy and return and so on and so forth. I am not even counting the annualized rate of return that one can make on Delhi Metro.
More details about Delhi Metro are available here.
Happy birthday Shahrukh Khan
SRK is one person I have started to idolize recently. If I was asked a reason for this sudden spring in admiration, I would not have any answers. Its just that he is one of those people who have achieved whatever they set out to do.
A friend told me about his life and times right from the time he was a schoolboy in Delhi. He has excelled at anything and everything he has put his hands into. Then in one of the interviews he has said he always wanted to conquer the world one day and hasn’t he realized it already (he has turned 42).
There are more things that I would like to write but as always I aint got no time to spare.
And yeah if anyone is actually reading this, please understand that my preferences in life have not changed. Men can also like (read admire) other men.
A friend told me about his life and times right from the time he was a schoolboy in Delhi. He has excelled at anything and everything he has put his hands into. Then in one of the interviews he has said he always wanted to conquer the world one day and hasn’t he realized it already (he has turned 42).
There are more things that I would like to write but as always I aint got no time to spare.
And yeah if anyone is actually reading this, please understand that my preferences in life have not changed. Men can also like (read admire) other men.
The problems of being jack of all trades
I have always considered myself a jack of all trades. I have been and still am a writer, reader, philosopher, cricketer, politician, strategist, painter, photoshop artist, collector of things, singer, dancer, stock trader, blogger, biker, and a lot many things that I cant recall at this moment.
As I always say there are two sides of a coin - a good one and a not so good one. Good one is easy to see and interesting to know about. To start with I know and get to know a lot of things about lot of subjects (had I been a management consultant, I could have called myself a 360 degrees consultant). Secondly I can stand in a mob and talk about things (and I would be a wrong a lot of times). Thirdly I can move from one thing to other and then another and never get bored of things. Fourth and most importantly I would have good memories of doing these things.
And since there are proverbial two sides, I should also talk about things I think are not good about being a jack of all trades. First and foremost you are not considered an expert or an authority on a subject until or unless you show the world that you have spent all your life in pursuing higher truths in a particular subject. For example I can be a remarkable photographer (which I am not), I would not be considered even an average photographer till I have a huge website with million links to other photography websites and extensive articles talking about merits and demerits of different cameras and tripods and technical details of shutter speeds etc.
Ok so you are not an authority, what next? I think second people (read crowd) would fail to give you credit for some masterpieces that you might have produced. Again the basic assumption is I want credit and second (actually second should be first) I might actually produce some masterpiece. For simplicity (I love it), lets assume that both of the assumptions are true. What happens if you are not given due credit for your masterpiece? Me, I am just a mortal human being with all the feelings that intellectuals talk about, I would get hurt (to put it simply). And second I would not be given more work which I am sure I can do as good as anyone else (or may be better too).
Authority - no, credit - no, whats next? I think third worst thing about being a jack of all trades lies in the later part of maxim … jack of all trades but master of none. This one is more personal than the first two. I would not be very comfortable with a lot of things if I see gray matter. There should be two end to a point. You know it or you don't know it. If you are jack of all trades, there is a higher probability that you won't know it. There is still a chance that you might know it all and this is the place where I am trying to reach ... !
As I always say there are two sides of a coin - a good one and a not so good one. Good one is easy to see and interesting to know about. To start with I know and get to know a lot of things about lot of subjects (had I been a management consultant, I could have called myself a 360 degrees consultant). Secondly I can stand in a mob and talk about things (and I would be a wrong a lot of times). Thirdly I can move from one thing to other and then another and never get bored of things. Fourth and most importantly I would have good memories of doing these things.
And since there are proverbial two sides, I should also talk about things I think are not good about being a jack of all trades. First and foremost you are not considered an expert or an authority on a subject until or unless you show the world that you have spent all your life in pursuing higher truths in a particular subject. For example I can be a remarkable photographer (which I am not), I would not be considered even an average photographer till I have a huge website with million links to other photography websites and extensive articles talking about merits and demerits of different cameras and tripods and technical details of shutter speeds etc.
Ok so you are not an authority, what next? I think second people (read crowd) would fail to give you credit for some masterpieces that you might have produced. Again the basic assumption is I want credit and second (actually second should be first) I might actually produce some masterpiece. For simplicity (I love it), lets assume that both of the assumptions are true. What happens if you are not given due credit for your masterpiece? Me, I am just a mortal human being with all the feelings that intellectuals talk about, I would get hurt (to put it simply). And second I would not be given more work which I am sure I can do as good as anyone else (or may be better too).
Authority - no, credit - no, whats next? I think third worst thing about being a jack of all trades lies in the later part of maxim … jack of all trades but master of none. This one is more personal than the first two. I would not be very comfortable with a lot of things if I see gray matter. There should be two end to a point. You know it or you don't know it. If you are jack of all trades, there is a higher probability that you won't know it. There is still a chance that you might know it all and this is the place where I am trying to reach ... !
Lukka Chuppi - Rang De Basanti
Ths is one of those songs that are too beautiful to be a MOM-SON song ...
Title: Lukka Chippi
Movie: Rang De Basanti
Singer: Lata Mangeshkar, AR Rahman
Title: Lukka Chippi
Movie: Rang De Basanti
Singer: Lata Mangeshkar, AR Rahman
Luka Chuppi bahut huyi saamne aa ja naa
Kahan kahan dhoondha tujhe
thak gayi hai ab teri maa
Aaja saanjh hui mujhe teri fikar
Dhundhla gayi dekh meri nazar aa ja na (2)
Kya bataoon maa kahan hoon main
Yahan udney ko mere khula aasmaan hai
Tere kisson jaisa bhola salona
jahan hain yahan sapno vala
Meri patang ho befikar udd rahi hai maa
Dor koi loote nahin beech se kaate na
Aaja saanjh hui mujhe teri fikar
Dhundhla gayi dekh meri nazar aa ja na
Teri raah takey aankhiyaan
jaane kaisa kaisa hoye jiyaa (2)
Dhire dhire aangan utre andhera, mera deep kahan
Dhalke suraj kare ishara chanda tu hai kahan
Mere chanda tu hai kahan
Luka Chuppi bahut huyi saamne aa ja naa
Kahan kahan dhoondha tujhe thak gayi hai ab teri maa
Aaja saanjh hui mujhe teri fikar
Dhundhla gayi dekh meri nazar aa ja na (2)
kaise tujhko dikhaun yahaan hai kya
Maine jharne se paani maa tod ke piya hai
Guchcha guchcha kai khwabon ka uchal ke chuwa hai
Chaaya liya bhali dhoop yahaan hai
Naya naya sa hai roop yahan
Yahaan sab kuch hai maa phir bhi
lage bin tere mujhko akela
Aaja saanjh hui mujhe teri fikar
Dhundhla gayi dekh meri nazar aa ja na (3)
Numb3rs - Reloaded
I posted Numb3rs on August 26, 2006 and since then (about 51 days) few of them have changed. Here is an updated list...
04p050 - My roll no at MDI (this can't change)
1982 - Year I was born in (neither can this)
22 - My Date of Birth (no luck here too)
24 (26) - My age (ah change !!!!)
22:10 - Time on the clock at the bottom right of my screen (yipeeee)
229 - My hostel room at MDI in first year (nopes)
309 - Mu hostel room at MDI in second year (nah)
364 - My house number in Delhi (still the same home sweet home)
879 - My house number in Gurgaon (no more a gurgaava resident)
5K6231GTSZB - My iPod number (got my ipod replaced and hence the change)
9810840224 (dont use this number anymore) - My cell phone number (and if you want to call me ..;))
P0505***** - My driving license number (nopes, its the same)
And to add things .. I just bought a jeans and my waist size now is 36 inches .... !!!!
Last Updated: 7 Apr 2009
04p050 - My roll no at MDI (this can't change)
1982 - Year I was born in (neither can this)
22 - My Date of Birth (no luck here too)
22:10 - Time on the clock at the bottom right of my screen (yipeeee)
229 - My hostel room at MDI in first year (nopes)
309 - Mu hostel room at MDI in second year (nah)
364 - My house number in Delhi (still the same home sweet home)
879 - My house number in Gurgaon (no more a gurgaava resident)
5K6231GTSZB - My iPod number (got my ipod replaced and hence the change)
P0505***** - My driving license number (nopes, its the same)
And to add things .. I just bought a jeans and my waist size now is 36 inches .... !!!!
Last Updated: 7 Apr 2009
Aaj Tak - Looking into the future !
I always thought headline was something of a paramount importance to the world. It could change the way we live and affect everyone's life. However, Aaj Tak has a different idea or I am too dumb to understand what they are talking about.
Just a few minutes ago, Aaj Tak flashed the following headline. "Poonam Sethi ki bhavishyavani ... kal jeet sakta hai England toss". If I could take liberties in translating it, it means tomorrow in the cricket match England can win the toss. From what ever uncommon common sense I have, I can easily deduce that both England and India have 50 percent chances each of winning the toss. In effect England can actually win the toss. And Poonam Sethi and Aaj Tak may prove to be correct.
I thought everyone found it as idiotic as me but again I realized I was wrong. As I was typing this, someone just called up Aaj Tak and asked them what the probability of someone getting hurt is. And bang came the reply ... no need to worry ... there would not be any major injuries. Wow. People actually think a lady can predict things.
If someone can read what hasn't been written yet, can she please tell me when would I become a millionaire.. :D ?
Just a few minutes ago, Aaj Tak flashed the following headline. "Poonam Sethi ki bhavishyavani ... kal jeet sakta hai England toss". If I could take liberties in translating it, it means tomorrow in the cricket match England can win the toss. From what ever uncommon common sense I have, I can easily deduce that both England and India have 50 percent chances each of winning the toss. In effect England can actually win the toss. And Poonam Sethi and Aaj Tak may prove to be correct.
I thought everyone found it as idiotic as me but again I realized I was wrong. As I was typing this, someone just called up Aaj Tak and asked them what the probability of someone getting hurt is. And bang came the reply ... no need to worry ... there would not be any major injuries. Wow. People actually think a lady can predict things.
If someone can read what hasn't been written yet, can she please tell me when would I become a millionaire.. :D ?
Mumbhai - Bombay Boys - Javed Jaffery
Title: Mumbhai
Singer: Javed Jaffery
Movie: Bombay Boys
Singer: Javed Jaffery
Movie: Bombay Boys
My name is Bhai... Mumbhai.
Mumbhai ekdum danger place
where u survive.. if u got the pace
u gotta be fast.. u gotta be tez
u gotta be Shaana.. to win the race
Chota chota matter bane police case
bada bada lafda gul without trace.
but ghabrane ka nahi..give it in the face
woh kya bolta hai? haan. Jaisa Des waisa bhes.
Dekhe behti Ganga, pocket se nikle Kanga
dekhte rehna panga.. nahi to ho jaayega danga
some people are bhala changa..
some are bheek manga
Cannot judge anybody... sharif or lafanga.
Bhaigiri ko chod sab.. BAKWAAS
Bhai ka under jo rehta.. BINDAAS
Bhai ko denga tras, hoenga woh khallas
bahenga uska blood just like tomato sauce.
(Are baap re...)
Khaane ka peene ka marne ka jeene ka
chalne ka phirne ka uthne ka girne ka
tension nahi lene ka bhai se poochne ka
Kasakai bhara hai I am Mumbhai.
Aane ka Jaane ka naachne ka gaane ka
nahane ka dhone ka hasne ka rone ka
boom nahi maarne ka bhai se poochne ka
Kasakai bhara hai I am Mumbhai.
Hey. Beer bar dance bar... (baar baar lagataar)
ha. note chaapne ke liye... (solid hai karobar)
Bhai ke adda par dikhtha hai jo ek baar
udharich reh jaata hai chodke apna ghar baar.
Petition, election, Telephone connection
construction permission, illegal erection
paisa nu collection, paper nu correction...
everything perfection jabhi le le bhai action.
Court mein agar jaayenga tho bees saal ka thamba
law and order se tho Pandu bhai ka haath hai lamba
Neta, abhineta.. ya ho koi builder
Bhai ko dekar supari karwata hai murder.
Haath mein uska power hai, sab uska aage jhukta
uska khopdi sanak gaya tho pura mumbai rukta.
(Ae... Khatam nahi hua Chootiye...)
Ae Bass Guitar....
Piplee..
Ae Banjo...Chal...
Orchestra.
Comeon baby...ha
Comeon baby...ha
Chorus...
Khaane ka peene ka marne ka jeene ka
chalne ka phirne ka uthne ka girne ka
tension nahi lene ka bhai se poochne ka
Kasakai bhara hai I am Mumbhai.
Aane ka Jaane ka naachne ka gaane ka
nahane ka dhone ka hasne ka rone ka
boom nahi maarne ka bhai se poochne ka
Kasakai bhara hai I am Mumbhai.
Ae.. maarega sar pe haagega ghar pe kya?
zyada shaaning nahi karne ka..
Kasakai bara hai I am Mumbhai.
Are aasmani kabootar...
balcony se nikal kar ishtol mein aa ishtol mein.
Khopche mein leke diyun kya kharcha pani.. huh?
Ae kai re..Shaanpana karta kai jaayela.
ae... e Gheun tak..Gheun tak.
Kasakai bara hai I am Mumbhai.
Kya raapcha hai boss..
Ye raapcha nahi rapchandus hai chote...
rapchandus Kasakai bhara hai I am Mumbhai.
Ae.. yap bugger. dont yap ok?
One bloody kaanpat you'll get
you see you'll stand a day man
ha bloody Granfatherdi aulad.
Chal chal...
hey hey...
andar dekhoo, hagne chala
dekhto re. ye dekh eh.. Ghanta.
Ae.. kya re? Area mein aake jhol nahi karne ka
bola na tere ko?
Bhai hai main bhai idhar ka..
samjha na bhai hai.
Ae kya re? Bhai bhai.. huh?
tu bhai hai to hum bhi behin hai. samjha?
Abhi dhande ka time hai... mere ko jaane ka.
aata kya?.... kahandala.
nahi to jake thanda la . Ja.
Bhai chai mangaun kya?
Advertisements on Orkut
Once upon a time I read somewhere that Orkut would never had any advertisements. Today I just saw "sponsored links" on Orkut...
Paranthe Wali Gali
It was about 9:30 in the evening when all of a sudden me and my friends decided lets eat out. We were in the car and couldn't decide where to go and then I spring up with this idea of going to paranthe wali gali in Chandani Chowk in Old Delhi. Me and both my friends are big big foodies and can eat any amount of food. And on top of everything else, all of us are typical north Indians with a special sweet tooth towards paranthe and lassi and aachar ... mmm (mouth-watering starting already ..:0)
So we were off to Old Delhi, met atleast 4 ramlilas (there could be more smaller but there were 4 major ones), one circus, millions of people jostling about in the city, 3 unmanned police barricades (at Preet Vihar, ITO and Lal Quila), 12 green traffic lights, 2 red traffic lights (we jumped those) on the way. When we finally reached there we for our lives could not locate paranthe wali gali. Everyone kept telling us that it is between Gurudwara Seesganj Sahib and Nai Sarak but we must have circled that road atleast 5 times and we still could not find it. Oh yeah in all this hoopla we could easily locate a McDonalds, a Haldirams and a Sony showroom in the oldest part of Delhi. We are truly globalized ... !
Anyways we asked lot of people and finally reached there to find out that the gali is not a gali ... There are three shops in all and that is all there is to paranthe wali gali. Before I actually went there, I thought it would be a long road with eateries on both sides of the road with chairs and tables scattered along the road. Probably you wouldn't be allowed to take your car in on that road and you could only walk. But as they reality is different from dreams, it was a small alley with only three parantha shops.
Coming to the real issue - the paranthes ... They were GODlike. You could have aalo, paneer, gobhi, cheeni, matar, rabri, plain, zera. lachha, any parantha you want. The choices in paranthas were maddening. Sadly they did not have a pyaz parantha - my personal favorite. And before I forget, three of us ate 16 paranthes and 2 glass (if you can a 2 feet long cylindrical thing a glass) full of lassis. And all for mere 250 odd bucks.
And by the way they stop taking orders after 11 PM... If anyone is plannig to go there, reach there well in time.
So we were off to Old Delhi, met atleast 4 ramlilas (there could be more smaller but there were 4 major ones), one circus, millions of people jostling about in the city, 3 unmanned police barricades (at Preet Vihar, ITO and Lal Quila), 12 green traffic lights, 2 red traffic lights (we jumped those) on the way. When we finally reached there we for our lives could not locate paranthe wali gali. Everyone kept telling us that it is between Gurudwara Seesganj Sahib and Nai Sarak but we must have circled that road atleast 5 times and we still could not find it. Oh yeah in all this hoopla we could easily locate a McDonalds, a Haldirams and a Sony showroom in the oldest part of Delhi. We are truly globalized ... !
Anyways we asked lot of people and finally reached there to find out that the gali is not a gali ... There are three shops in all and that is all there is to paranthe wali gali. Before I actually went there, I thought it would be a long road with eateries on both sides of the road with chairs and tables scattered along the road. Probably you wouldn't be allowed to take your car in on that road and you could only walk. But as they reality is different from dreams, it was a small alley with only three parantha shops.
Coming to the real issue - the paranthes ... They were GODlike. You could have aalo, paneer, gobhi, cheeni, matar, rabri, plain, zera. lachha, any parantha you want. The choices in paranthas were maddening. Sadly they did not have a pyaz parantha - my personal favorite. And before I forget, three of us ate 16 paranthes and 2 glass (if you can a 2 feet long cylindrical thing a glass) full of lassis. And all for mere 250 odd bucks.
And by the way they stop taking orders after 11 PM... If anyone is plannig to go there, reach there well in time.
Aashaayen - Iqbal
Nagesh Kukunoor is one of the few people I like in Bollywood. Rockford still remains my favorite movie, I can watch it umpteen number of times. One of his other movies is Iqbal and there is a track by KK called Aashaayen ...
Singer: KK + others
Lyrics:
And text in bold hold a special significance for me .. !
Singer: KK + others
Lyrics:
aashaayen ...
aashaayen ...
kutch paane ki ho aas aas
kutch armaan ho jo khaas khaas
aashaayen ...
har koshish mein ho waar waar
kare dariyao ko aar paar
aashaayen ...
toofano ko chir ke
manzilo ko chin le
(aashaayen khile dil ki
ummeedein hase dil ki
ab mushkil nahi kutch bhi
nahi kutch bhi) - 2
o ho o...
udd jaaye leke khushi
apne sang tujhko waha
jannat se mulakat ho
puri ho teri har dua
(aashaayen khile dil ki
ummeedein hase dil ki
ab mushkil nahi kutch bhi
nahi kutch bhi) - 2
aashaayen ...
gujre aaisi har raat raat
ho khwaahisho se baat baat
aashaayen ...
lekar suraj se aag aag
gaaye ja apne raag raag
aashaayen ...
kutch aaisa karke dikha
khud khush ho jaaye khuda
(aashaayen khile dil ki
ummeedein hase dil ki
ab mushkil nahi kutch bhi
nahi kutch bhi) - 2
o ho o...
teri woh raftaar ho
roke se bhi tu na ruke
haasil kar aaisa shikhar
parbat ki bhi nazrein uthe
(aashaayen khile dil ki
ummeedein hase dil ki
ab mushkil nahi kutch bhi
nahi kutch bhi) - 2
aashaayen - 3
And text in bold hold a special significance for me .. !
iWant iPod iAgain
I just bought an iPod Nano. Its not even a couple of month, an all new iPod nano is in the market. Needless to say, I want it. I think I would sell the one I have and get the new one.Happens quite often with me. The moment I buy something, there is an announcement about a better deal. If only I would have delayed the purchase by a couple of months, I would have been able to lay my hands onto a new one. Anyways I have been taught by one of my professors that a decision made under available information should not be criticized in view of new information.
Colour Blind
Once upon a time, I went to get my driver's license made. There were a few tests to be taken - including a colour blindness test. I flunked that test. I thought the inspector there was trying to fleece me and get bribe out of me. Anyways I got the license made and thats an old story.
Yesterday I was trying to download some files off rapidshare. Rapidshare uses CAPTCHA to fend off automated downloads. To download the file, I had to look at the following image and key it in. And I wasn't able to read it. I still can't.
I could get the file after refreshing the page and "decoding" another picture but thats not the point. The point remains I am now proven colour blind.. .!
Yesterday I was trying to download some files off rapidshare. Rapidshare uses CAPTCHA to fend off automated downloads. To download the file, I had to look at the following image and key it in. And I wasn't able to read it. I still can't.
I could get the file after refreshing the page and "decoding" another picture but thats not the point. The point remains I am now proven colour blind.. .!
Amazon Mechanical Turk
Amazon Mechanical Turk is the answer to people who thought human intelligence is out and artificial intelligence is here to stay (that reminds me, I used to call myself Artificially Intelligent at one point in time).
The concept is simple. Amazon is trying to create artificial intelligence artificially. Most of the tasks can be performed by machines better than humans and then there are tasks that a machine can't even think of doing and humans are completely at ease with them. mturk uses image recognition as an example. CAPTCHA is designed around the premise that humans can read the images and machines can not. mturk calls these tasks HITs.
mturk helps everyone. People can get their work done at low costs from many people (use crowd-sourcing), people can make money and in turn Amazon can make money from exchange and then they must be hoping that some people end up spending money they earn on Amazon itself ... !!!!
Oh yes, the project is still in BETA and yet to catch up. When it is up and running, may be I can put my blog as a HIT ... ?
The concept is simple. Amazon is trying to create artificial intelligence artificially. Most of the tasks can be performed by machines better than humans and then there are tasks that a machine can't even think of doing and humans are completely at ease with them. mturk uses image recognition as an example. CAPTCHA is designed around the premise that humans can read the images and machines can not. mturk calls these tasks HITs.
A Human Intelligence Task, or HIT, is a question that needs an answer. A HIT represents a single, self-contained task that you can perform to completion and collect a reward. You may do as many HITs as you like, whenever you like, in any order.
mturk helps everyone. People can get their work done at low costs from many people (use crowd-sourcing), people can make money and in turn Amazon can make money from exchange and then they must be hoping that some people end up spending money they earn on Amazon itself ... !!!!
Oh yes, the project is still in BETA and yet to catch up. When it is up and running, may be I can put my blog as a HIT ... ?
Numb3rs
The other day Shankar was telling me about a show called Numb3rs on AXN. I happened to stumble on it today and it exceeded exectations.
Anyways this is not about Shankar or Numb3rs or AXN. This is about numbers. Today I plan to list a few numbers that are important to my life and risk my privacy ;)
04p050 - My roll no at MDI
1982 - Year I was born in
22 - My Date of Birth
23 26 - My age
23:21 - Time on the clock at the bottom right of my screen
229 - My hostel room at MDI in first year
309 - Mu hostel room at MDI in second year
364 - My house number in Delhi
879 - My house number in Gurgaon
7J602483SZB - My iPod number
9810840224 (dont use this number anymore) - My cell phone number (and if you want to call me ..;))
P0505* - My driving license number
And I plan to add more numbers. Just give me some more time ;)
Last Updated: 7 Apr 2009
Anyways this is not about Shankar or Numb3rs or AXN. This is about numbers. Today I plan to list a few numbers that are important to my life and risk my privacy ;)
04p050 - My roll no at MDI
1982 - Year I was born in
22 - My Date of Birth
23:21 - Time on the clock at the bottom right of my screen
229 - My hostel room at MDI in first year
309 - Mu hostel room at MDI in second year
364 - My house number in Delhi
879 - My house number in Gurgaon
7J602483SZB - My iPod number
P0505* - My driving license number
And I plan to add more numbers. Just give me some more time ;)
Last Updated: 7 Apr 2009
Freak Accident
Think ...
You are driving down a dark road on your bike. Enjoying the ride, feeling the wind in your (balding fast) hair, you are rushing down the road with absolutely no regards for anyone. Thinking about events in your life from recent past. Absolute bliss to be alive and on the bike and most importantly to be in control. Suddenly there is a loud noise up ahead the road. You see a couple of globes of light hanging in the air and your head becomes blank. All your thoughts vanish as if they were not there at all. After about a couple of minutes you realize it’s a car coming your way faster than you are going towards it. The road is narrow, there is no way to go, crash is inevitable and all of a sudden something happens and you swerve to your left and find some turf to drive on. You are saved. Saved from an almost crash. Safe from any dangers to your dear life. You take a deep breadth. And as everything, you move on. Move on towards your destination.
You are driving down a dark road on your bike. Enjoying the ride, feeling the wind in your (balding fast) hair, you are rushing down the road with absolutely no regards for anyone. Thinking about events in your life from recent past. Absolute bliss to be alive and on the bike and most importantly to be in control. Suddenly there is a loud noise up ahead the road. You see a couple of globes of light hanging in the air and your head becomes blank. All your thoughts vanish as if they were not there at all. After about a couple of minutes you realize it’s a car coming your way faster than you are going towards it. The road is narrow, there is no way to go, crash is inevitable and all of a sudden something happens and you swerve to your left and find some turf to drive on. You are saved. Saved from an almost crash. Safe from any dangers to your dear life. You take a deep breadth. And as everything, you move on. Move on towards your destination.
Saturday Night Fever
World over, everywhere people do the same thing on a Saturday Night - Party. Some people are different though. They write blogs about ipod batteries, freak accidents and about what people world over do on saturday nights.
W5H - Why, Who, Where, When, What and How
When - Saturday Night
Where - Worldwide
Who - Everyone
What - Party
Why - This needs to be explored further, everyone has a differnet reason. Some think after some work for five days, they deserve a break, for some its a way of life and for some they dont need a reason...
How - Do I need to talk about it?
W5H - Why, Who, Where, When, What and How
When - Saturday Night
Where - Worldwide
Who - Everyone
What - Party
Why - This needs to be explored further, everyone has a differnet reason. Some think after some work for five days, they deserve a break, for some its a way of life and for some they dont need a reason...
How - Do I need to talk about it?
iGot iPod
I finally joined the revolution about three years too late. Ever since I heard about it, I wanted to get on. I could not because of obvious economic reasons. I finally got it from my August salary (June, July). I am talking about iPod.
I bought an iPod Nano 2 GB today. I could have got a 1GB, 4GB, iPod video also but I ended up buying this one. I was told to buy a Creative Zen Nano, an iRiver a Mobiblu and a host of other things. No one realized I did not want to buy an mp3 player. I wanted to buy an iPod. Period. Dot. Full stop.
Ok here is something interesting that happened. I plugged in my iPod to my ThinkPad R51 and woot ... the laptop turned off. And it won't start again. I had to physically reset the battery to get the laptop on. I realized that there was a problem with the USB port I was connecting my iPod to. When I tried connecting the mouse to that port, even the mouse wasn't working. I don't really know if this is a problem with all the laptops or the USB version is old or what. I need to find out. I am handicapped without a mouse and with only two ports on my laptop, it would be hard to charge the iPod and use the computer without a mouse.
Coming back to the iPod, the sound quality rocks. Whoever said the sound quality is not good, they can go and jump off the face of a cliff or something. The sound of an iPod is the next best thing to real sound. I am not saying iPod is the ultimate sound machine. There would be better gizmos and devices but there it no denying the fact that iPod rocks.
And yet another cake smearing on my "techie" face. I bought the iPod, charged it, loaded music on it, had all the fun in the world but when I wanted to finally shut it down, I could not find a turn off button. I got real anxious when I realized there has to be a thing called the help file or the manual. And yes now I know how to turn it off. :)
I bought an iPod Nano 2 GB today. I could have got a 1GB, 4GB, iPod video also but I ended up buying this one. I was told to buy a Creative Zen Nano, an iRiver a Mobiblu and a host of other things. No one realized I did not want to buy an mp3 player. I wanted to buy an iPod. Period. Dot. Full stop.
Ok here is something interesting that happened. I plugged in my iPod to my ThinkPad R51 and woot ... the laptop turned off. And it won't start again. I had to physically reset the battery to get the laptop on. I realized that there was a problem with the USB port I was connecting my iPod to. When I tried connecting the mouse to that port, even the mouse wasn't working. I don't really know if this is a problem with all the laptops or the USB version is old or what. I need to find out. I am handicapped without a mouse and with only two ports on my laptop, it would be hard to charge the iPod and use the computer without a mouse.
Coming back to the iPod, the sound quality rocks. Whoever said the sound quality is not good, they can go and jump off the face of a cliff or something. The sound of an iPod is the next best thing to real sound. I am not saying iPod is the ultimate sound machine. There would be better gizmos and devices but there it no denying the fact that iPod rocks.
And yet another cake smearing on my "techie" face. I bought the iPod, charged it, loaded music on it, had all the fun in the world but when I wanted to finally shut it down, I could not find a turn off button. I got real anxious when I realized there has to be a thing called the help file or the manual. And yes now I know how to turn it off. :)
Tryst with Destiny - India's 59th Independence Day
15th August 1947, Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru made the famous Tryst with Destiny. Its about time we re-read it and gave it a serious thought to it.
Text: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Tryst_with_Destiny
Video: http://www.harappa.com/wall/nehru.html
Happy Independence Day :)
Of Shooting Stars and New Blogs
Yesterday I saw a shooting star. There is a old saying that says if you see a shooting star and make a wish, it is granted. I remembered that and I instantly made a wish. Lets see if it comes true or not. And to see if it is coming true, I will have to wait a few years.
By the way it's Saturday and I was in the office today. My first working Saturday. I am sure there would be more if I want that wish to come true. There is a quote in Sanskrit that says wishes come true if you work for them. And I have all the intention in the world to make sure that the wish comes true.
Anyways after I bought a few books with my first salary and a Kaleidoscope with my second salary, something interesting came to my mind. Each month I shall buy something extravagant. Extravagant not just in terms of money that I spend on it but in terms of its profile and hype around it. And since I am one of those people who are not connected to the world, I want someone from the World Wide Web to help me decide what should I buy for the next month. Sounds like a crazy idea but lets see if there are any takers for the same.
Since I have nothing else left to talk about, I shall talk about Stock Market. As an amateur investor, I have a small portfolio of my own. As every other investor in the world, I assume that I am a good money manager and can spot the winners in time. However as there is a saying that goes like 'You can prove anything with data/numbers ... even the truth" ... I have managed returns of just about 5% in last six months. And this is less than what I would have made in government bonds.
And as soon as I get that new blog on, it shall be posted here.
By the way it's Saturday and I was in the office today. My first working Saturday. I am sure there would be more if I want that wish to come true. There is a quote in Sanskrit that says wishes come true if you work for them. And I have all the intention in the world to make sure that the wish comes true.
Anyways after I bought a few books with my first salary and a Kaleidoscope with my second salary, something interesting came to my mind. Each month I shall buy something extravagant. Extravagant not just in terms of money that I spend on it but in terms of its profile and hype around it. And since I am one of those people who are not connected to the world, I want someone from the World Wide Web to help me decide what should I buy for the next month. Sounds like a crazy idea but lets see if there are any takers for the same.
Since I have nothing else left to talk about, I shall talk about Stock Market. As an amateur investor, I have a small portfolio of my own. As every other investor in the world, I assume that I am a good money manager and can spot the winners in time. However as there is a saying that goes like 'You can prove anything with data/numbers ... even the truth" ... I have managed returns of just about 5% in last six months. And this is less than what I would have made in government bonds.
And as soon as I get that new blog on, it shall be posted here.
Jaane Kya Dhoondta Hai Yeh Mera Dil
Jaane Kya Dhoondta Hai Yeh Mera Dil ...
When Lucky Ali (Wikipedia, ClickLucky) came up with this song, he probably could not guess he was talking about me, my life and my aspirations.
This post is about a couple of years late. I should have been writing this when I the song first came out. But no, I couldn't have possibly written this then. I did not even know myself then. I don't know myself even today but I have made a start and lets see how the search goes and where does it takes me. All I can say right now is STAY TUNED :D.
Title: Jaane Kya Dhoondta Hai
Singer: Lucky Ali
Lyrics: Nida Fazli
Music: M M Kreem
Movie: Sur
Listen Online: Raaga.com
Jaane kya dhoondta hai, yeh mera dil,
Tujhko kya chaahiye zindagi,
Raaste hi raaste hain, kaisa hai yeh safar,
Dhoondti hain jisko nazrein, jaane hai voh kidhar,
Jaane kya dhoondta hai, ae mera dil,
Tujhko kya chaahiye zindagi,
Bechehra sa koi sapna hai voh,
Kahin nahin hai phir bhi apna hai voh,
Aise mere andar shaamil hai voh,
Main hoon behta dariya, saahil ai voh,
Hai kahan voh, voh kidhar hai, raaste kuch to bata,
Kaun sa uska nagar hai, rehguzar kuch to bata,
Dhoondti hain jisko nazrein, jaane hai voh kidhar,
Jaane kya dhoondta hai, ae mera dil,
Tujhko kya chaahiye zindagi...
Soona sa hai mandir, moorat nahin,
Khaali hai aaina, soorat nahin,
Jeene ka jeevan mein kaaran to ho,
Maheke kaise kaliyaan, gulshan to ho,
Shamma hai jo mujh mein roshan, voh viraasat kisko doon,
Door tak koi nahin hai, apni chaahat kisko doon,
Dhoondti hain jisko nazrein, jaane hai voh kidhar,
Jaane kya dhoondta hai, ae mera dil,
Tujhko kya chaahiye zindagi...
When Lucky Ali (Wikipedia, ClickLucky) came up with this song, he probably could not guess he was talking about me, my life and my aspirations.
This post is about a couple of years late. I should have been writing this when I the song first came out. But no, I couldn't have possibly written this then. I did not even know myself then. I don't know myself even today but I have made a start and lets see how the search goes and where does it takes me. All I can say right now is STAY TUNED :D.
Title: Jaane Kya Dhoondta Hai
Singer: Lucky Ali
Lyrics: Nida Fazli
Music: M M Kreem
Movie: Sur
Listen Online: Raaga.com
Jaane kya dhoondta hai, yeh mera dil,
Tujhko kya chaahiye zindagi,
Raaste hi raaste hain, kaisa hai yeh safar,
Dhoondti hain jisko nazrein, jaane hai voh kidhar,
Jaane kya dhoondta hai, ae mera dil,
Tujhko kya chaahiye zindagi,
Bechehra sa koi sapna hai voh,
Kahin nahin hai phir bhi apna hai voh,
Aise mere andar shaamil hai voh,
Main hoon behta dariya, saahil ai voh,
Hai kahan voh, voh kidhar hai, raaste kuch to bata,
Kaun sa uska nagar hai, rehguzar kuch to bata,
Dhoondti hain jisko nazrein, jaane hai voh kidhar,
Jaane kya dhoondta hai, ae mera dil,
Tujhko kya chaahiye zindagi...
Soona sa hai mandir, moorat nahin,
Khaali hai aaina, soorat nahin,
Jeene ka jeevan mein kaaran to ho,
Maheke kaise kaliyaan, gulshan to ho,
Shamma hai jo mujh mein roshan, voh viraasat kisko doon,
Door tak koi nahin hai, apni chaahat kisko doon,
Dhoondti hain jisko nazrein, jaane hai voh kidhar,
Jaane kya dhoondta hai, ae mera dil,
Tujhko kya chaahiye zindagi...
Kaleidoscope - The challenge everyone can solve but no one can conquer
Kaleidoscope - The challenge everyone can solve but no one can conquer. I just bought one for, whom else - myself. I had been thinking for quite some time now. Finally bought it from my second salary (The first salary was spent on books - my first love).The concept of a kaleidoscope is simple. You have eighteen pieces of different shapes and sizes. These pieces are painted in random colors. You are supposed to assemble them into an eight by eight square with the colors on top making a pattern. Like a real like kaleidoscope, the number of combinations and possibilities are endless. For example you could make a chess board in more than a million ways using these eighteen pieces. Then there is a pattern that can only be made in just two ways. This would mean you have to be REAL lucky to crack that one.
If you love symmetry, design, mathematics, logic, intuition, this one is for you. You could get lost in the world of kaleidoscope for not minutes, not hours but years.
I have always been a huge fan of Jigsaw Puzzles and I guess Kaleidoscope is a simple extension of the same. Jigsaw puzzles, you fit the pieces to make one picture, one pattern, one design. Here you have same pieces and you can make innumerable designs.
Years ago there used to be a computer game called Tetris on the old Nintendo systems. Kaleidoscope resembles a game of Tetris in many ways. You have simliar basic building blocks. You can fit them in interesting manner and you end up making a block of lines (and a pattern in this case). It was addictive, this is also addictive. But yeah, this is also a tad frustrating apart from being addictive. You spend two hours on this and you still haven't cracked the puzzle that the people have given two on a difficulty scale of five. You start doubting your own abilities. And yeah when you actually make it, it shall do amazing things to your ego. You know that you have done something no one else was able to.
And after all that rambling, I have a confession to make. For everything I consider myself (intelligent, high IQ, intuitive etc.), except for the basic checkerboard, I haven't been able to crack another challenge.
Details available at funkc.com.
First post MBA salary
My first ever job was when I was in 5th or 6th standard or maybe even younger. Me and a few friends brought together our comic books and started a rent shop. You as a customer could come in and rent our comic books and magazines for 50 paisa a day. I of course don’t remember now how much we made and how we spent that money. But today, I made the first purchases from my first post MBA salary.
Over the years I have worked and made quite a few things include the time I was working for HCL, Babel. I started my full time post MBA work here at my new company and today I spent my first salary. Of course I did not spend the entire amount but I did spend substantial amount. I bought R K Laxman's autobiography - The Tunnel of Time and That Man On The Road. Next on the list is Kaleidoscope.
And of course there would be more things ... This page shall be updated as and when I acquire them or think about acquiring them... !
Over the years I have worked and made quite a few things include the time I was working for HCL, Babel. I started my full time post MBA work here at my new company and today I spent my first salary. Of course I did not spend the entire amount but I did spend substantial amount. I bought R K Laxman's autobiography - The Tunnel of Time and That Man On The Road. Next on the list is Kaleidoscope.
And of course there would be more things ... This page shall be updated as and when I acquire them or think about acquiring them... !
Removing hpmsnt32.exe
After removing se.dll, today I had to remove Srchui.dll and hpmsnt32.exe. This file is also known as HP Compaq Presario driver file or HP Compaq driver or some variant.
I was back on my desktop after a few days and found something malicious has taken over it. A Virus? Trojan? Spyware? Something was bothering my poor desktop because all my anti-virus software were not working, Microsoft AntiSpyware was not working, taskmgr aka Task Manager was not working, regedit aka Registry Editor was not working and the computer was acting funny. Something was wrong.
I copied the file regedit.exe from the windows directory and pasted it on the desktop. Renamed it regedit1.exe. Opened it and realized that this file (hpmsnt32.exe) was there in CurrentVersion > Run. And here is the root of the problem. I thought I would have to wipe the hard disk clean and then install everything but again I thought lets try summoning the lady luck. And for a change, I indeed got lucky.
I copy pasted taskmgr.exe also and renamed it taskmgr1.exe. I executed it and killed the process in the memory. Opened registry using the regedit1.exe and deleted all the instances of the dreaded word. Turned the computer off (did not use the classical Shut Down method, just unplugged it). Restarted to find everything in working condition and it made my day :)
If there are any people reading this and are facing the same issue, please follow the steps of removal I mentioned above. Of course if someone wants a clearer picture and a DIY tutorial, please email me. I work for ipods ;)
I was back on my desktop after a few days and found something malicious has taken over it. A Virus? Trojan? Spyware? Something was bothering my poor desktop because all my anti-virus software were not working, Microsoft AntiSpyware was not working, taskmgr aka Task Manager was not working, regedit aka Registry Editor was not working and the computer was acting funny. Something was wrong.
I copied the file regedit.exe from the windows directory and pasted it on the desktop. Renamed it regedit1.exe. Opened it and realized that this file (hpmsnt32.exe) was there in CurrentVersion > Run. And here is the root of the problem. I thought I would have to wipe the hard disk clean and then install everything but again I thought lets try summoning the lady luck. And for a change, I indeed got lucky.
I copy pasted taskmgr.exe also and renamed it taskmgr1.exe. I executed it and killed the process in the memory. Opened registry using the regedit1.exe and deleted all the instances of the dreaded word. Turned the computer off (did not use the classical Shut Down method, just unplugged it). Restarted to find everything in working condition and it made my day :)
If there are any people reading this and are facing the same issue, please follow the steps of removal I mentioned above. Of course if someone wants a clearer picture and a DIY tutorial, please email me. I work for ipods ;)
Black
No, this is not about the excellent movie by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, but this is about troubles faced by black (or as they have started referring to us as - colored) people. I am one of those who are blessed with black color and there are times when things get interesting.
Every time I go to a barber to get a shave done (which is at least once in a week affair since I don't know how to shave and I just came back after getting a shave), people there assume that I want to look fairer and I am offered free samples of facial bleech, face massages, fairness creams and new hair color that would make me look fair. One question. Why do they think I want to look fairer? Can't I be happy the way I am? I do not want to look fairer. Fullstop. Period. I wonder how many fair people are offered darkness creams, sun lamp treatments etc.
Anyways, the problem is not only limited to a barber, there are other places where we could do with some freedom. If you ever had a dark cousin, you would know that one of the qualities of the suitable match for him/her is fair skin color. The match could be illiterate, dumb as a dodo, but should not be dark. (This could be biased; my family at least, wants to have fair colored members). This is again stupid. The most important decision of your life can not be just based on the color of the skin.
Goto a designer clothes showroom. They would recommend specific type of cloth material, specific colors, different styles all together just to make sure that you look fairer.
Barber - its ok, he is not bothered about you or your well being. He wants to sell more products and services and make money. Same is true for boutiques. Your family wants the best for you. They want you to get good looking (fairness is equal to good looking in India) partner. Did anyone ask me (us) my (our) preferences?
Just wondering if Mr. Charles Darwin was correct about his theory of natural selection and survival of the fittest, a day should come when all the dark colored members of the Homosapient species are ...
Every time I go to a barber to get a shave done (which is at least once in a week affair since I don't know how to shave and I just came back after getting a shave), people there assume that I want to look fairer and I am offered free samples of facial bleech, face massages, fairness creams and new hair color that would make me look fair. One question. Why do they think I want to look fairer? Can't I be happy the way I am? I do not want to look fairer. Fullstop. Period. I wonder how many fair people are offered darkness creams, sun lamp treatments etc.
Anyways, the problem is not only limited to a barber, there are other places where we could do with some freedom. If you ever had a dark cousin, you would know that one of the qualities of the suitable match for him/her is fair skin color. The match could be illiterate, dumb as a dodo, but should not be dark. (This could be biased; my family at least, wants to have fair colored members). This is again stupid. The most important decision of your life can not be just based on the color of the skin.
Goto a designer clothes showroom. They would recommend specific type of cloth material, specific colors, different styles all together just to make sure that you look fairer.
Barber - its ok, he is not bothered about you or your well being. He wants to sell more products and services and make money. Same is true for boutiques. Your family wants the best for you. They want you to get good looking (fairness is equal to good looking in India) partner. Did anyone ask me (us) my (our) preferences?
Just wondering if Mr. Charles Darwin was correct about his theory of natural selection and survival of the fittest, a day should come when all the dark colored members of the Homosapient species are ...
Xtra special song ... Phoolon Ka Taaron Ka
Here is yet another song ...
Title: Phoolon Ka Taaron Ka
Movie: Hare Rama Hare Krishna
Singer: Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar
Music: Rahul Dev Burman
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Lyrics
Phoolon Ka Taaron Ka Sabka Kehna Hai
Ek Hazaron Mein Meri Behna Hai
Sari Umar Hame Sang Rehna Hai
Ye Na Jaana Duniya Ne Tu Hai Kyon Udaas
Teri Pyaari Aankhon Mein Pyar Ki Hai Pyaas
Aa Mere Paas Aa Keh Jo Kehna Hai
Ek Hazaron Mein Meri Behna Hai
Jabse Meri Aankhon Se Ho Gayi Tu Door
Tabse Sare Jeevan Ke Sapne Hain Choor
Aankhon Mein Neend Na Dil Mein Chaina Hai
Ek Hazaron Mein Meri Behna Hai
Dekho Hum Tum Dono Hain Ek Dali Ke Phool
Maein Na Bhoola Tu Kaise Mujhko Gai Bhool
Aa Mere Paas Aa Keh Jo Kehna Hai
Ek Hazaron Mein Meri Behna Hai
Jeevan Kay Dukhon Sey Youn Darte Nahin Hain
Aise Bach Kay Sach Sey Gujarte Nahin Hain
Sukh Ki Hai Chah To Dukh Bhi Sehna Hai
Ek Hazaron Mein Meri Behna Hai
Title: Phoolon Ka Taaron Ka
Movie: Hare Rama Hare Krishna
Singer: Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar
Music: Rahul Dev Burman
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Lyrics
Phoolon Ka Taaron Ka Sabka Kehna Hai
Ek Hazaron Mein Meri Behna Hai
Sari Umar Hame Sang Rehna Hai
Ye Na Jaana Duniya Ne Tu Hai Kyon Udaas
Teri Pyaari Aankhon Mein Pyar Ki Hai Pyaas
Aa Mere Paas Aa Keh Jo Kehna Hai
Ek Hazaron Mein Meri Behna Hai
Jabse Meri Aankhon Se Ho Gayi Tu Door
Tabse Sare Jeevan Ke Sapne Hain Choor
Aankhon Mein Neend Na Dil Mein Chaina Hai
Ek Hazaron Mein Meri Behna Hai
Dekho Hum Tum Dono Hain Ek Dali Ke Phool
Maein Na Bhoola Tu Kaise Mujhko Gai Bhool
Aa Mere Paas Aa Keh Jo Kehna Hai
Ek Hazaron Mein Meri Behna Hai
Jeevan Kay Dukhon Sey Youn Darte Nahin Hain
Aise Bach Kay Sach Sey Gujarte Nahin Hain
Sukh Ki Hai Chah To Dukh Bhi Sehna Hai
Ek Hazaron Mein Meri Behna Hai
Haloscan discontinued
For a long time, comments were powered by 
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Starting today, I would use the comment feature on blogger.com only. I would loose some precious comments but as they say "You win some, you loose some"...
. Starting today, I would use the comment feature on blogger.com only. I would loose some precious comments but as they say "You win some, you loose some"...
Indian - Unity in diversity?
We have always been taught all our lives - India represents Unity in Diversity. Spread over more than 26 states and union territories, we stand united whenever we are in dire straits. Indian Army, Indian Bureaucracy, Indian Sports teams etc. are made up of people from all the places in the country we can think of. We said moving from Kashmir to KanyaKumari we would change language every 500 kilometers and change lifestyle every 1000 kilometers. But in effect everyone "different" was bound by identical spirit of Indianism.
However behind this rosy picture, there is something glaring that probably we all have continued to miss and we maintain a blind eye towards it.
Anywhere in the country, schools, colleges, workplaces, research institutions, even defense forces, it is very easy to spot groups of people moving together. Groups not made out of interest, but groups made on regional basis. All north Indian stick together, all Maharastriyans move as a group, all Tamilians prefer to speak in Tamil even when in company of other people, all Bengalis would prefer to find other Bengalis. Army has a separate Jaat Regiment, Gurkha Rifles, so forth and so on (I don't know much about army though). And with this kind of segregation, where is the "unity in diversity" we always preached?
There was a time when people of the entire nation would stand together and fight for the common cause. Remember the fight for independence? Now people from a particular region would come together and demand their own state because they think that they are a distinct group and their unique problems can only be sorted out by a separate state.
It's a shame but I admit I don't know the exact number of states that we have now, when I was in school there were 25 states and 7 UTs but there have been splits ever since, difficult to keep track. I don't even remember how many splits have we had in last 15 years. There was one in Bihar, one in Madhya Pradesh, one in Uttar Pradesh. That's all I remember as of now. Are we soon approaching time when we have more than 1000 regions because we have that many number of major dialects?
People often ask me "where are you from?" question. If I say I am an Indian, they need further explanations. They just can not digest the fact that a person could just be an Indian. He has to be Marwari, Baniya, Punjabi, Sindhi etc. Can we come out of this silo mentality? What would it take to come out of the silo mentality?
As an Indian - only Indian, not as a Baniya, Marwari, Haryanvi I sincerely feels something ought to be done about this. Of course I don't have a "sensational" issue. There would be no support from Indian media until I throw some allegations of caste discrimination on a prominent leader.
However behind this rosy picture, there is something glaring that probably we all have continued to miss and we maintain a blind eye towards it.
Anywhere in the country, schools, colleges, workplaces, research institutions, even defense forces, it is very easy to spot groups of people moving together. Groups not made out of interest, but groups made on regional basis. All north Indian stick together, all Maharastriyans move as a group, all Tamilians prefer to speak in Tamil even when in company of other people, all Bengalis would prefer to find other Bengalis. Army has a separate Jaat Regiment, Gurkha Rifles, so forth and so on (I don't know much about army though). And with this kind of segregation, where is the "unity in diversity" we always preached?
There was a time when people of the entire nation would stand together and fight for the common cause. Remember the fight for independence? Now people from a particular region would come together and demand their own state because they think that they are a distinct group and their unique problems can only be sorted out by a separate state.
It's a shame but I admit I don't know the exact number of states that we have now, when I was in school there were 25 states and 7 UTs but there have been splits ever since, difficult to keep track. I don't even remember how many splits have we had in last 15 years. There was one in Bihar, one in Madhya Pradesh, one in Uttar Pradesh. That's all I remember as of now. Are we soon approaching time when we have more than 1000 regions because we have that many number of major dialects?
People often ask me "where are you from?" question. If I say I am an Indian, they need further explanations. They just can not digest the fact that a person could just be an Indian. He has to be Marwari, Baniya, Punjabi, Sindhi etc. Can we come out of this silo mentality? What would it take to come out of the silo mentality?
As an Indian - only Indian, not as a Baniya, Marwari, Haryanvi I sincerely feels something ought to be done about this. Of course I don't have a "sensational" issue. There would be no support from Indian media until I throw some allegations of caste discrimination on a prominent leader.
Of chain letters, bad luck and misfortunes
Since I spend a bit too much time on internet, my email address is common knowledge and thus I get a huge number of chain letters. A typical letter asks me to forward the same to 7 guys on average (some even want me to send it to 10,000 people). They further proclaim that if I indeed send it to all those people, I shall be rewarded and if I don't, I shall rot in hell and face the wrath of misfortunes and bad lucks for my next seven lives.
Needless to say, I haven't forwarded a single chain letter ever and may be this is the sole reason for all my miseries? May be it's about time I started forwarding those letters, add my name to I-am-stupid list and wait for the luck gods to shower the blessings ????
Needless to say, I haven't forwarded a single chain letter ever and may be this is the sole reason for all my miseries? May be it's about time I started forwarding those letters, add my name to I-am-stupid list and wait for the luck gods to shower the blessings ????
119 and counting ... !!!!
There is a phenomenon called Orkut. Phenomenon because every internet user I know in India is hooked onto it.
Today I logged in Orkut.com after about 15 days and this is the message I got ...
I dont have 'female' as my gender, nor I have some hot pic and I havent said that I own a ferrai ... Somethings wrong ... :D
Today I logged in Orkut.com after about 15 days and this is the message I got ...
you have more friends to consider, please accept or decline the ones shownWOW... I dint know that apart from 119 friends I have on Orkut, there could be more people interested in knowing me. There are 11 people waiting to add me and as the message says... "there are more people waiting to add me".
I dont have 'female' as my gender, nor I have some hot pic and I havent said that I own a ferrai ... Somethings wrong ... :D
On Public Demand
Today I realized that there indeed are a few people in the world who do read my BLOG. I was asked questions why I wasnt posting things on my BLOG. In my two years of blogging (career?), I have never come across a fan. But I guess things are about to change.
So I have been busy working. Working on what ..? Please do not ask me. I am not at liberties to discuss things. But rest assured I am very very happy working where I am working and I hope everyone enjoys their work as I am.
Apart from work, I realized that there are things that a business school can never never teach. In due course of time, I would like to talk about them (and they are not related to my work in any way).
Next on the agenda is my move to Gurgaon. I would be shifting base to gurgaon sometime this week. Sooner the better. Yet again I am looking forward to the change.
And to everyone who thought Delhi would not see any monsoons, the rains are here. It rained like crazy here and its been two days.
And I guess this should be enough to keep public happy :) (P.S.: I hope I get my ipod soon ;))
So I have been busy working. Working on what ..? Please do not ask me. I am not at liberties to discuss things. But rest assured I am very very happy working where I am working and I hope everyone enjoys their work as I am.
Apart from work, I realized that there are things that a business school can never never teach. In due course of time, I would like to talk about them (and they are not related to my work in any way).
Next on the agenda is my move to Gurgaon. I would be shifting base to gurgaon sometime this week. Sooner the better. Yet again I am looking forward to the change.
And to everyone who thought Delhi would not see any monsoons, the rains are here. It rained like crazy here and its been two days.
And I guess this should be enough to keep public happy :) (P.S.: I hope I get my ipod soon ;))
Something even Google can't find !!!!
For the last 20 years of my life, I have been looking for a girl who would be rich, has just the right looks, got a bit of brain and is the sole heiress of the entire fortune of her dad. Needless to say I have been unsuccessful.
So I though why not try Googling for her? I conjoured up all my techie skills and wrote a query. I wanted a "female" who was still "single" and had a "rich dad". She should be the "sole heiress" of the entire estate. Further I want her to have some kinda "brain". And finally ... this is not that important ... some "good looks".
The query goes like "single" "female" "rich dad" "sole heiress" "brain" "good looks".
I ran a google search hoping to get some help and realizing my life long dream of getting instant money and not having to work a single day again in my entire life ... :)
Google dissapointed me and I could not find a single result :( Guess there are things that even Google can't find ! May be it's time Larry and Serg got back to their research days and authored yet another "back"rub algorithm .. but may be with a human touch this time .. :)
So I though why not try Googling for her? I conjoured up all my techie skills and wrote a query. I wanted a "female" who was still "single" and had a "rich dad". She should be the "sole heiress" of the entire estate. Further I want her to have some kinda "brain". And finally ... this is not that important ... some "good looks".
The query goes like "single" "female" "rich dad" "sole heiress" "brain" "good looks".
I ran a google search hoping to get some help and realizing my life long dream of getting instant money and not having to work a single day again in my entire life ... :)
BUT
Google dissapointed me and I could not find a single result :( Guess there are things that even Google can't find ! May be it's time Larry and Serg got back to their research days and authored yet another "back"rub algorithm .. but may be with a human touch this time .. :)
Wish - List !
Tomorrow I am moving to Gurgaon for a week. I thought I would go to the local market and buy some essential things. I tried to be organized and I actually made a list of things to buy. The list looked like this ...
- A packet of Post-Its
- A box of pencils with eraser on one tip
- A couple of sharpners
- A couple of pens (one blue and one black)
- Lakme Sunscreen lotion
- Brand new shiny toothbursh
- A soap case
- Nivea talcum powder (yes, the list is getting personal)
- A pack of mentos (If you like mentos, watch this video - experiment with mentos and cola)
So I load up my wallet with some cash and a credit card and set off for the market. This ws about a quarter of an hour ago. I am back with nothing from the list, did'nt even take the wallet outta my pocket. I guess I was outta luck. I guess these people do not want me to leave this place and go Gurgaon. May be they have hidden their inventories :)
I wish I could order this list on Amazon or some other site and get them delivered at my doorstop. May be the next business idea... ?
Open Pit Mines and Google Earth
Google Earth is yet another free software that has helped me catch my fancies on the world wide web. I wanted to be a traveller - I have no resaon for it.
You dont live twice and you got to learn as much as possible for everyone.
Coming back to Google Earth, ever since I laid my hands on it, I have been visiting a lot of places, I might have been real close to your home at some point in time. Keep looking out for those peering eyes ;)
Anyways, one of the revelations was the Open Pit Mines. Looks awesome. I plan to go to one of the mines somoneday - physically ... !
You dont live twice and you got to learn as much as possible for everyone.
Coming back to Google Earth, ever since I laid my hands on it, I have been visiting a lot of places, I might have been real close to your home at some point in time. Keep looking out for those peering eyes ;)
Anyways, one of the revelations was the Open Pit Mines. Looks awesome. I plan to go to one of the mines somoneday - physically ... !
Football World Cup in India !
If asked who are Gourmangi Singh, Samir Naik and Habibour Rahman, I am sure 90% people would not know. However if asked who are Van Rooney, Ronaldo and Kahn, people would blurt out names of these players, their clubs, their families and a host of things about these people. By the way the three people talked about earlier are few of the names from the Indian football Team.
Football World Cup is around the corner. In fact it started yesterday. Everyone from Sports Television to Business Channels to Hotels, Clubs and may be the ever essential Kirana Store people are on to cash the worldcup fever. And all that in India. India is ranked 118 in FIFA rankings and have had no chance of reaching the World Cup, however there are people who would love to be seen associated with Football.
Ask them about Hockey, they wont even know that Hockey is the national game of India. Ask them about kabbaddi, they wont know what exactly is the world. And after a few months, ask them about football, they wont know that either. Once every four years, entire nation is engulfed in the football fever. They might not know the history of the game, the rules and other important things but they are watching every game as if it was a matter of life and death for them.
I agree Kolkata crowd is most knowledgeable, educated and sophisticated in India. But having a MahaMritunjaya for Brazil is just out of my comprehension. If things could go right by just a maha mritunjaya, I would have mastered the art long time back. And I want to ask them when was the last time they even thought about problems in India, leave alone having a mahamritunjaya.
Finally I would want to analyze the reasons for the method behind the madness. Why everyone goes crazy about the world cup when it aint affecting their lives in any damn way possible !!!!
Football World Cup is around the corner. In fact it started yesterday. Everyone from Sports Television to Business Channels to Hotels, Clubs and may be the ever essential Kirana Store people are on to cash the worldcup fever. And all that in India. India is ranked 118 in FIFA rankings and have had no chance of reaching the World Cup, however there are people who would love to be seen associated with Football.
Ask them about Hockey, they wont even know that Hockey is the national game of India. Ask them about kabbaddi, they wont know what exactly is the world. And after a few months, ask them about football, they wont know that either. Once every four years, entire nation is engulfed in the football fever. They might not know the history of the game, the rules and other important things but they are watching every game as if it was a matter of life and death for them.
I agree Kolkata crowd is most knowledgeable, educated and sophisticated in India. But having a MahaMritunjaya for Brazil is just out of my comprehension. If things could go right by just a maha mritunjaya, I would have mastered the art long time back. And I want to ask them when was the last time they even thought about problems in India, leave alone having a mahamritunjaya.
Finally I would want to analyze the reasons for the method behind the madness. Why everyone goes crazy about the world cup when it aint affecting their lives in any damn way possible !!!!
Guess What ... !!!!
Guess What ... !!!!
2006 June: Home
This is what my camera would click if you focus it somewhere and click ! I have plans of getting it fixed ...
Guess What ... !!!!
Guess What ... !!!!
2006 June: Home
This is what my camera would click if you focus it somewhere and click ! I have plans of getting it fixed ...
Haasil - The Movie
A long time back, a friend wanted a movie called Haasil. I got the disc for him and when I saw it, I found it WONDERFUL.
Few dialouges worth mentioning ...
- aur moaro saale aur jaan se maar dena..(haan maar denge saale)..kyoki agar hum reh gaye na to hum maarte der na lagayange ..bhagwan kasam
- kya pandit...bol rae the hume zinda naa chodana....hum maaarne mein der naa lagayenge
- Sex-Wex ho gaya..?
- Gaon chale jaayiye....gaon chale jaayein matlab bhaag jaayein.....arey maarein thappad tumhaari khopdi khul jaaye.....kaahe bhaag jaayein be......
- abey wo sarkaari gunde hai.....hum kraantikaari hain....tum sab girilla ho....gorilla vorilla padhe ho ki na padhe ho....
- itnee ghantiyan lagane kee kya jaroorat thee?? lagta hai kee dashare kee jhankee ja rahee hai..
- uncle main ranvijay .... laa phaayinal year
- suno ranvijay singh election tak unibirasty ke aas paas bhi nazar nahi aane chayie warna kam kar diye jayoge!!!
- yahi to dil to hamara bhi accha hai...ye sali ankhe...ankhe hi buri hai
- .....sivji ke bhakt hain... sara jahar to hamein hi pina hai.....
Funny Incident !
Its been long time since I posted a Yahoo conversation ...
And that was what I heard last from him !!!!
I wonder what he/she/it was upto :D and needless to say ... I found this funny !!!!
aligaliali (6/7/2006 12:56:42 AM): hi
Self_1 (6/7/2006 12:56:49 AM): hello
aligaliali (6/7/2006 12:56:57 AM): hi
Self_1 (6/7/2006 12:57:02 AM): hello
aligaliali (6/7/2006 12:57:12 AM): r u male ?
Self_1 (6/7/2006 12:57:17 AM): yes
aligaliali (6/7/2006 12:57:24 AM): oki sory bay
Self_1 (6/7/2006 12:57:28 AM): bye
And that was what I heard last from him !!!!
I wonder what he/she/it was upto :D and needless to say ... I found this funny !!!!
Jhalak Dikhlaja - Bajaj Platnia
Jhalak Dikhlaja, a song from Himmesh Reshammaiya - I admit his music is good, but he can certainly stop singing - has been used in product launch for a new bike by Bajaj Auto.Bajaj Platina launch has used Jhalak Dikhlaja for the campaign. Created by LOWE, this campaign can be viewed online here. MagIndia has a couple of print ads and the TVC.
Coming on to the much awaited review (my review :)), I think the product (Bajaj Platina) sucks. The "jhalak" part would fade away in a couple of months and the selling point of the bike - the shiny new looks would be gone. Further, there are lots of options for people when it comes to buying bikes. Coming on to the song, I think the song sucks big time (more than the BIKE). The lyrics are bad. The word aaja repeats throughout the song for eternity. Coming on to the Singer, the singer sings through the nose and all his songs sound the same. I am sure if you heard a piece of song, you wont be able to tell which song is that.
But ... yes BUT when the two (and product and worse song) are combined together in that ad by a genuis (the copyrighter, creative director and other people for the Bajaj Platina project at LOWE), the ad becomes a piece of art. Amazing picturization and direction. I think I have some kind of liking for the Black n White species.
Bachchans are worth Rs 227 cr
This appeared in Times of India
Lucknow: Her rivals may dismiss her as a political lightweight but her assets would be the envy of most. Jaya Bachchan, who filed nomination papers for Rajya Sabha on Thursday, is from a family worth Rs 227 crore on paper.
According to information in the nomination papers, Amitabh Bachchan's assets are Rs 190 crore while she herself has Rs 37 crore in property and jewels. Jaya claimed that she has Rs 11.41 lakh in bank deposits, while her husband has another Rs 3.27 crore in his name. Bachchans also have an investment of over Rs 137 crore in shares. Of this, Jaya's share is Rs 3.09 crore, the rest is Amitabh's.
Jaya claimed she owns jewellery worth Rs 3.67 crore and her husband's jewellery is worth Rs 2.91 crore. Apart from gold ornaments worth Rs 27.18 lakh and 364 kg silver, Jaya also owns Rs 3.22 crore worth of diamonds.
On the other hand, her papers said Amitabh owns 394.55 kg silver worth Rs 15.78 lakh, Rs 1.88 crore worth of pearls and diamonds and Rs 36.20 lakh worth of other ornaments. He also owns watches worth Rs 7.5 lakh.
The couple also owns more than a dozen cars, including a Land Cruiser and a BMW. Jaya and Amitabh also own other movable properties worth Rs 16.41 crore and Rs 29.56 crore respectively.
Jaya's immovable properties, according to the nomination papers, comprise a plot worth Rs 35 lakh in Noida and a flat worth Rs 25 lakh in Bhopal. She also has a bungalow worth Rs 13.5 crore in Juhu, Mumbai.
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