Modi 's Sizzling Photo Blog!

Channel Islands

2008-11-02T23:18:00.000-06:00

Its been two weeks since I visited channel islands, off the coast of California, with a group of friends, and some of the events that occurred last week, got me thinking.

Something draws us to these pristine natural wonders that haven't been disturbed significantly by the usual human activities. Maybe it is literally the thrill of traveling over water to an unfamiliar land, exploration instincts or maybe it is the yearning for tranquility. It was indeed a pleasure to walk on the deserted beach with the rhythmic wash of the waves, sleeping under the star studded sky and waking up to the birds chirping. Further, the shallow beaches gave us the opportunity to see the marine ecosystem and an interesting evolution of fox that shrunk to the size of a house cat, becoming today's island fox species. A nature lover would love the fact that islands that are isolated from the main land for over thousands of years result in pristine natural land devoid of human activity and the resultant rich biodiversity.

We drove down to Ventura on Friday night and stayed there overnight to catch the morning ferry. Island Packers lead the group to Channel Islands on a two tier boat. We spotted some seals right away and were really amazed to see two huge blue whales on the way to the island. We reached the Santa Cruz island by around 11, after an hour long ride on the ferry. The boat docks in a cove where the currents are lighter. We had to walk almost a mile to reach our camp site and it was almost noon, so we decided to have some food and walked back to beach to kayak in the crystal clear calm turquoise waters of the cove, and explore some spectacular sea caves on the sides of the steep basalt cliffs. Unlike the rich marine ecosystem, the foliage on the islands is dry and yet there is beauty in its simple barren landscape surrounded by the vast blue ocean. Later in the evening and the Sunday morning we walked along the trails that provided the spectacular views around the island, with the sun on the horizon and cool breeze in my hair. The two mile hike along the edge of the cliff reminded us of the “lord of the rings”.

Having pitched our tents before we took the evening trail, we returned back to our campsite, tired and hungry from one of the most beautiful trails I have done thus far. We had food and talked till late night before we retired to our cozy little tents. We awoke to gorgeous Sunday morning and made some tea and breakfast and broke the camp as quickly as we could. Leaving all the camping equipment at the dock, we left for the cavern point to enjoy the breathtaking view of the vast ocean set against the beautiful California coast. Then we returned to the shore and spent some time in the cold pacific waters and shortly after we finished that and had lunch we saw our ferry right on schedule. All the passenger helped the crew load and unload the camping gear and thus ending our mini island camping & kayaking adventure, and we returned to the sin city.

Linux & Google Maps

2008-08-11T22:56:00.004-05:00

You might have heard

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

And I just realized the following:

Give him a computer and then explain the benefits of using Linux...

Give him Google Maps and allow him to plan a Road Trip...

Fifth Avenue Apple store

2006-06-17T21:42:00.000-05:00

New stores open and close in Manhattan every day. Rarely are they of such significance that reporters show up to mark the event. The fifth anniversary of the day that Apple opened its first retail store to heavy criticism was one of those rare exceptions. Apple stores have actually helped the sales and the new stylish store is worth mentioning.

The glass structure with a glass staircase is pretty interesting from a structural engineering point of view and rather trendy for anyone else.

Photo Galleries for your viewing pleasure –
Apple Website
CNet Gallery
CNet video
Business week article

BTW I'm sure you have heard about Bill Gates joining his philanthropy work full time and stepping down from Microsoft

My first...

2005-12-15T12:49:00.000-06:00

My first ever car wreck.
This happened on December 9, 2005 at about 10 PM.

Diwali blasts

2005-10-30T14:33:00.000-06:00

59 people had been killed and 210 injured in the serial blasts in Delhi on saturday 29th.

Fact: Inquilab group, formed in 1996, which has claimed responsibility for the explosions was connected to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyiba.

Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammad are the only two groups capable of carrying out these types of attacks. Both groups are based in Pakistan, although they have been outlawed, and have been listed as terrorist groups by the US State Department.

These explosions have been timed to generate hostility during the festive season when people of all communities are celebrating our national festivals.
I hope that the terrorists shall not succeed in dampening the spirit, will, capacity and the resolution of the people of Indian to live in Harmony.

This is not about any religion. These terrorists don’t have religion or human values.

It is my understanding that the terrorists and politicians are taking the innocent people for a ride. This is only going to lead both the countries to spend billions of dollars on weapons that could be utilized for the welfare of population.

Fact: Pakistan has no plans to cut its defense spending despite needing billions of dollars to rebuild after a catastrophic earthquake devastated the north of the country, President Pervez Musharraf said on Monday.

Google Maps vs Terrorism

2005-10-18T13:53:00.000-05:00

The high-resolution static pictures (except of defense establishments or federal facilities like parliament or senate houses) can provide a means of unobjectionable entertainment to the regular netizens. For example check the swastika shaped building in San Diego.

These are very useful, but could potentially be miused by the one-who-must-not-be-named. Real time pictures can show the position of our tanks or troops and could be a dead giveaway about any strategic warfare. Also the precise location of critical facilities could aid terrorists in successful execution of terror attacks at the intended targets.

Links:
Google earth hacks
Google globe trotting
Google earth game
Google blog
Google earth mania blog

Storms

2005-09-23T18:21:00.000-05:00

This scares the living jesus out of me.

In India, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh have seen heavy downpour this season.

Any clue why there are hurricanes or cyclones and storms in India and right across the globe, in America?

Self

2005-08-29T00:58:00.000-05:00

The Warrior.
Seemingly cold and heartless, your sword is your life. Even though there is a loyalty to those you consider friends and you will fight for them if truely needed,
your cause is your own: be it gold, honour or power.

What is the Dominant Inner being within You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Rains

2005-07-27T19:24:00.000-05:00

Rains usually bring back the joyful and exhilarating memories, but rains like these cannot be enjoyed.

This recent fury of nature yet again disrupted the life of people and is yet another sign that emphasizes the need to have proper disaster mitigation strategies.

Cell Phone

2005-07-18T15:28:00.000-05:00

I just bought this Motorola Razr V3 Phone with a Plantronics M-3000 Wireless Headset.

It might be a dumb phone, but if you only want a cell phone to look great and make calls then this is the one for you.
(I use something else to keep track of my appointments and it works for me.)

The Raindrops

2005-07-03T22:42:00.000-05:00

"eeh ooh... Rains are here... !"

Dark clouds float by... soon the droplets of colorless liquid hit the window panes… and slowly the drizzle becomes the rain.

Whenever the dark clouds move over the sun, inadvertently followed with the weather getting heavier and several lightnings flashing across the sky and the wind clearly confessing about the coming of a heavy rain, I remember screaming with joy and exhilaration as it rained, during my childhood. It typically rains torrentially for a couple of hours and stops. And the weather, outside after that, is almost always absolutely fantastic. I remember sitting by the window, smelling the rain and watching the raindrops cleanse away the parched leaves, making them alive and sparkle. I always had a feeling that the raindrops drench your bodies and cleanse your souls. The steady pitter-patter against the trees and the asbestos roof above the sun-shade of the balcony, the lightning and thunder seem to make a statement that we have arrived and are here to stay .

Fortunately in Hyderabad it used to rain typically at night and sometimes during the lunchtime in the afternoon and I never had to worry about carrying an umbrella or a raincoat with me. I also remember the ecstacy turned into harsh reality when it rains in Bombay (AKA Mumbai) rains and I had to cover myself up in a raincoat and duck on may way to classes during my undergraduate studies lest my shirt and trousers are spoilt by the downpour.

I still enjoy rains, but this season, the moments of bliss came to a resounding halt. Much as I try to enjoy monsoon every year, incidents like these spoil it for me.

One day as I keenly observed the rain droplets hitting onto the windowpane and flowing down from the top to the end of the pane, it suddenly dawned on me that it could be compared to human life. A rain drop that falls onto the window could signify a new life that moves through varied paths of life until death, when
the rain drop hits the end of the window. During the journey down, many obstacles blocked the way and sometimes there are choices that must be made. Some droplets followed other droplets' trail, which brings them to another place, twisted in its way down. Sometimes it helps the droplet to move to the side, making the time to hit the end longer, however, sometimes, the trails bring them faster towards the end.

Life is like the rain drops and trails are like the footsteps of other people. While different people choose different routes, some people chose to be independent and have their life different from others; they don’t follow what others did, but there are people who follow advices, and footsteps of other people. Though it looks like a good choice, it has no guarantee and you never really know what the future is. Following people doesn’t necessarily mean you will lead a good life. Some brings you nearer to death, some bring you to more obstacles and problems, but there also some that helps you succeed in your accomplishing your goal. We never have the right to blame others for bringing us to the situation we are in now as it is our choice in the first place, they just left a choice for us, but didn’t call us to join them. Thus, I would suggest that – please don’t ever blame other people when you meet hardships or problems (although it is nice to say a thank you if they helped you during any part of the journey).

I was just amazed by an intriguing article that I just read about Like a storm that talks about an efficient way to handle the situations in life with a better perspective.

Wynn Las Vegas

2005-04-29T18:19:00.000-05:00

I've been meaning to write a little about Wynn Las Vegas for a while. Many people have been anticipating the arrival of this new mega resort for quite some time.

The wait finally came to an end when the resort opened to public on 28th morning at 12:01 AM to commemorate his wife's birthday and the deal with Desert Inn that was demolished to create this new wonder. Most casino visitors agree that the best place in town to see is a property owned by Steve Wynn, as Wynn is known for his attention to detail. Steve Wynn is indeed an innovator of the highest order and it is even said that he doesn't build hotels, "He builds Las Vegas."

The opening of Wynn Las Vegas marks his return to active casino ownership after a five-year hiatus since the sale of his company to MGM Grand. Wynn, 63, will compete for market share against the three nearby Strip resorts -- the Bellagio, Treasure Island and The Mirage -- he designed and built, as well as other neighboring mega-resorts.

This $2.7 billion resort took five years to evolve into a reality and has 2700 rooms in the elegant 50 story, bronze tower that is artistically-designed with floor to ceiling windows framing views of the Las Vegas Strip. This the 111,000-square-foot casino has the highest per-room cost ever, at $1 million. Steve Wynn has given particular emphasis on his new concept of the property's private mountain and lake and the Wynn Las Vegas golf course in his interviews. He emphasized the fact how he created the new resort "from the inside looking out," with the intention of giving hotel guests, rather than passersby on the Strip, the best view of the features designed into the mountain.

"The mountain is the back of stage," Wynn said. "It's pretty, but it also creates a sense of intrigue." The mountain, decorated with a lush landscaping that includes numerous imported plants and trees and varying elevations, is the property's dominating feature and was designed by engineers at the firm Martin & Peltyn. Several of the property's signature restaurants, the La Bete nightclub and the hotel lobby are accentuated by the mountain, that drops into a three-acre lake with different water levels. Waterfalls, some as high as 100 feet, fountains and other animated highlights hide the sounds of the bustling Strip that is just over the mountain's opposite side. Other Strip resorts can not be seen, giving the guest a feeling of seclusion.

Another signature Wynn Theater, home to "Le Reve," a water-themed production by Franco Dragone, is presented in a 2,087-seat theater-in-the-round where the farthest seat from the 1 million-gallon pool/stage is just 42 feet. I would like to say another marvelous engineering feat has been achieved.

Though it indeed is a beautiful Disneyland, I cannot digest the fact that more than 2,000 guests paid either $7,500 or $1,500 to sample cuisine from the resort's signature restaurants, view the premiere of "Le Reve" and check out the property's unique features before the masses arrived. I guess it could be a result of his shrewd marketing skills as Only in the past few weeks has Wynn begun to give more verbal descriptions about the resort's public amenities, which he often refers to as "experiences" or "moments."

Those that have been in the property are saying it is definitely the new world standard in luxury. I believed the Bellagio, another Steve Wynn creation, was the height of luxury; but those who witnessed this new resort tell that the new place will eclipse everything on the strip by a considerable margin.

You may also read the article that came up in the local newspaper review journal about wynn's success.

Another legend of Las Vegas is the MGM Mirage gaming company.

Silence

2005-03-30T20:09:00.000-06:00

Speak only when it improves the silence

My Philosophy: Engage in speech only when it improves on silence
I am not saying shut-up. I just meant it is good speaking that improves good silence!

There are several reasons why Buddhists tend to be fond of silence.
- One refrains from lying or misleading others by speech.
- One becomes more aware of the inner state of mind.
- It is easier to control one's mind when not talking.
- It's nice and quiet (sorry, just joking).

From my own experience, if one keeps silent one somehow builds up a lot of extra awareness and clarity of mind during a retreat. As soon as you start talking, quite a bit of focus can be lost in just minutes.

Another famous & often quoted english adage is - Eloquence is silver; silence is gold
(Speech is silver. Silence is golden.
Words are silver and silence is gold.
If speech is human, silence is divine.)
In the modern times - "Speech is silver; silence is golden; print is dynamite." Now this being said I shall end with the following note - It is only wise to leave some unwanted words unsaid.!!

Only the human soul can acquire the capacity of such intricate and highly disciplined and balanced speech. No other creature or being has the power of such highly developed speech. So we ought to put it to good use.

Good use of power of speech - If we are not in a position to help those suffering from various causes like diseases, distress, pangs of separation from kith and kin or such other calamities, we could at least heartily console them by soft, soothing, beneficial and pleasing words. Such an excellent and remarkable use of the power of speech can be rightly designated as 'silence', since such a use of speech is not for less important purposes, but for benevolence of everyone concerned.

Abandon pointless talkativeness - It is always wise not to initiate talk that is not conducive to our betterment, or any noble purpose. Criticizing others, using abusive words, indulging in idle or wicked talk, uttering words that offend and hurt others, busying oneself in self praise - all these mean sheer waste of our power of speech. Persons endowed with a sense of discrimination should abandon this with conscious effort.

Remember: loose lips, might sink ships

Grand Canyon

2005-02-25T20:05:00.003-06:00

Don't feel envious when you look at this amazing panorma - (reminds me of – Neighbors Envy, Owners Pride: Onida).

Apart from the ooh's & aah's after looking at the spectacular Grand Canyon, I only managed to take a few snaps before I got back to my senses and realized that there were people all around me.

The ravishing wildness of the Canyon, and the sight of a small river trail among the rocks and the fault line, were getting more and more hold upon me, until my friend said we need to move on.

There was a small path for trekkers, but alas, we didn't plan for it and might try it some other time. But I didn't miss the opportunity to tease, swear and yell at my poor friend for not helping us make this trip a wonderful trek and citing it as a hike that could be life-threatening. Though I was never much of a long-distance hiker from what I heard there is a temperature difference of about 40 degrees at the top & bottom of the trail and perhaps it is the altitude or that gasping at the spectacular views that causes a loss of oxygen to the brain. Not to mention that he was the one who managed to loop me into this trip, as I was the one who against the whole idea of making a trip. But I shall ever be so grateful to him for showing me what I called "just another rocky valley" that turned out to be so wondrously set or framed that no words could begin to intimate its beauty.

Now I am almost sure that Grand Canyon is as rich in modest loveliness as in spectacular grandeur and better than any other valley that I have seen around. Further I am ready to claim that there are countless beauties which I might see coming to light in my future visits that I shall make. Give me the opportunity and I will cheerfully risk all danger of disillusion and start trekking those well-trodden paths and rejoice the beauty without any 'loss of the thrill' due to the earlier visits.

*phew* did I get carried away?!.

Republic Day

2005-01-26T10:18:00.000-06:00

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Technology news in 2004

2004-12-24T19:33:00.000-06:00

Patented craziness
Office products & Browser wars

Miles to go before I sleep...

2004-12-11T21:32:00.000-06:00

... But the clock is ticking by

While I was thinking about what to write for this post, a poem by Robert Frost came to mind . . .

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

~ "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost (1923)

I guess I have been working on Orkut full time

I am one distracted guy - I realized that its high time I get back to work/ career. So I decided to leave Orkutting tonight after I saw The Incredibles.

One of the most rewarding things about Orkut was that I read a lot again after a long time. Lots of these communities had some impressive discussions, and not to mention I made two new friends and got in touch with a lot of old mates and found a medium to route my thought flow. I was more regularly diving deep into my inner world and penning down my thoughts. Then I realized what Benjamin Mays said - "The tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach."

"Young people tell what they are doing, old people what they have done, and fools what they wish to do."

I know I have a lot to do, before I go to sleep and I promise I shall soon take over the world. Now I must get back to work, but I am so afraid to fail. Slowly it dawned unto me that its ok to fail once in a while... but don't let anything bog you down... have high aims - because "If you aim for nothing, you'll hit it every time."

I just read the quote by E. Joseph Cossman – "Obstacles Are Things A Person Sees When He Takes His Eyes Off His Goal." - and finally realized Orkut as a obstacle

I am sure it's not too late... I can achieve what I set out to achieve... remember -- "...it doesn't matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say 'I have finished'. There is a lot of satisfaction in that."

Promises

2004-12-01T02:14:00.000-06:00

I have once been told by one of my friends that "Promises are meant to be broken". It's rather true to an extent. I think that promises are broken when the promisor has forgotten what was initially promised. That's a breach of verbal contract.

Have you ever wondered what made up promises? And what constitute to a promise? Is it the intention of the promisor? Maybe or maybe not. People (especially our generation) nowadays speak without considering the consequences... So, that's the root cause - I think. Speaking without ample considerations!

Speaking without the thoughts passing through the brain... And I think there are tons of people out there who do that. If we were to jail these so-called "innocent" speakers, I think half of the world's population will be thrown behind bars.

You may argue that there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. But I guess that is exactly the reason why we feel heartbroken & crappy sometimes and just think of the long-term effects... As the habit of speaking without thoughts will become an undesirable trait of yours, and thus people around tend to ignore what you are trying to say, or treat them like dust particles in the air, words of not much importance. This is socially unwanted. It's not good for your reputation and your interpersonal life.

Imagine when you are trying to propose to your potential significant other (ahem), your partner doesn't treat this seriously! What can be worse? There is.
The worst scenario is that no one give you a damn, they simply walk away every time you open your mouth. It's just like a goldfish in the bowl. Silent.

So what's my point here? Why the agony? Well, simply from daily observations of conversations on Orkut and chatting loudly away on communities, I guess people think it's "stylo" to talk rubbish loudly. But deep down, I felt "degraded" by the substance of what their brain can store. One word - disgrace.

The simple way? Well, since I can't ignore these people, as some of them are really close to me, the simple way is to pray hard that this bunch of people are only outliers in our population and can be healed. Though I totally understand that they just don’t totally mean what they just said, I still have some hope that they *really* meant what they just said and were not some soothing words for my consolation.

But why I personally find it complicated? The only reason is: we are dealing with human beings here. Humans are the most complicated creatures that have been roaming on the face of the earth for millions of years now. Anyway, I think its life too. No one is perfect. Or rather there is no perfection in this cruel planet, Earth. Maybe aliens are perfect. I will let you know when I happen to meet one :P

Though I personally have a long way to go to achieve that, for some reason, I tend to respect a 'man of few words' more than my innate talkative 'self'. I can't help it, but believe that if your actions spoke louder then you would be a better person. I have always been impressed by the man whose actions and accomplishments spoke volumes about him.

Football at TAMU

2004-11-28T14:49:00.000-06:00

Howdy,
Nothing beats the aggie spirit. Despite all odds, the home team shall always find a stadium full of students dressed in maroon shirts, standing, and cheering until the end of the game. Consequently Kyle field is ranked as the #1 college football stadium in the nation.

The thrill and excitement in the air at each football game is worth mentioning. It just cannot be expressed in words and has to be experienced. Further, to see a world cup sort of match, you need to witness a TAMU Aggies vs. t.u. Longhorns* game.
* "Varsity's horns are sawed off"

At the actual football games, Aggie fans stand throughout to signal their willingness to serve as "12th man" on the team if the coach should need them enthusiastically waiting to barge in when the eleven men on the ground need assistance. That spirit of readiness for service, desire to support, and enthusiasm helped rouse a flame of devotion among the entire student body; a spirit that has grown vigorously throughout the years. The entire student body at A&M is the Twelfth Man, and they stand during the entire game to show their support, and always ready in the stands waiting to be called upon if they are needed.

football

Gig ’Em Aggies.

Aggie Spirit: From the outside in, you can't understand it. From the inside
out, you can't explain it. That is why others do not understand.

Bonfire

2004-11-26T21:51:00.000-06:00

The spirit of Aggieland - Can't say it any better than the these 4 links.

video

Kyle Field

Thunderstorm

2004-11-24T13:55:00.000-06:00

Yesterday when I left for home to take my dinner we had a nice grumbling dark sky and suddenly it was all flashing thunder and few big bangs and hard wet big-drop downpour. It reminded me of my days in Bombay. It was truly impressive. Sitting there on the dry side, listening to the Jagjit singh and recollecting a few old shayaris I spent a few moments at peace with myself. I had a few impromptu feelings that I captured in my diary during those inspiring moments with the rain dancing across the street and the grand flash-and-boom effects in the sky.

Again it was an amazing sight with wispy clouds and clean blue skies, when I returned late in the night after the thunderstorm had subsided, but was too late to call anyone, but I wished I could talk to someone special ;).

Anyways, I hope you enjoy the rain too – though I hate the chilly morning that followed. Its not that cold, but its clouded and windy.

NOT Multiple Personality Syndrome

2004-11-22T11:26:00.000-06:00

Most of the time I am obedient, kind, and more concerned about others than me and usually apathetic, indifferent, laidback to the incidents that transpire around. But sometimes I get this feeling. Or should I say feelings? Angry, mad, upset, hurt, confused, lonely, sad, depressed, all in one, deep inside. Nothing in particular has happened, but it just appears out of no where and I just wanna hide. Seldom out of those unexpected feelings a wrathful manifestation comes out and I get hurt and my heart breaks.

I'm sure my friends & family thinks it’s just me being silly, no one really understands that I hate this feeling. They'll never be able to actually see. I don’t blame them, I only snap, during those situations, when they ask me. I don’t mean to, but I can't help it. Later I feel empty and so sad and guilty for doing that. It's like a circle. I just can't win!

It's like I've lost my old self, the person I knew I was before; someone I liked. Now I'm just someone else and I'm not sure who. It scares me. I don’t know what I'll do or say next. I'm a different person and the old me has just gone, disappeared somewhere. I get so angry sometimes, so full of rage and it comes from nowhere! I don’t understand it. It really scares me. Though it’s not chronic, I am not sure what instigates it. Anyone else get that feeling too?

Is it possible to feel like a different person every so often that sometimes it makes you think who you are?!

Words that cannot be said, stream down the face :(

Telemarketers

2004-11-06T20:45:00.000-06:00

Andy Rooney's tips for telemarketers:
Three Little Words That Work !!

(1)The three little words are: "Hold On, Please..."

Saying this, while putting down your phone and walking off(instead of hanging-up immediately) would make each telemarketing call so much more time-consuming that boiler room sales would grind to a halt.

Then when you eventually hear the phone company's "beep-beep-beep" tone, you know it's time to go back and hang up your handset, which has efficiently completed its task.

These three little words will help eliminate telephone soliciting.

(2) Do you ever get those annoying phone calls with no one on the other end?

This is a telemarketing technique where a machine makes phone calls and records the time of day when a person answers the phone. This technique is used to determine the best time of day for a "real" sales person to call back and get someone at home.

What you can do after answering, if you notice there is no one there,is to immediately start hitting your # button on the phone, 6 or 7 times,as quickly as possible. This confuses the machine that dialed the call and it kicks your number out of their system. Gosh, what a shame not to have your name in their system any longer !!!

(3) Junk Mail Help:

When you get "ads" enclosed with your phone or utility bill, return these "ads" with your payment. Let the sending companies throw their own junk mail away.

When you get those "pre-approved" letters in the mail for everything from credit cards to 2nd mortgages and similar type junk, do not throw away the return envelope.

Most of these come with postage-paid return envelopes, right? It costs them more than the regular 37cents postage "IF" and when they receive them back. It costs them nothing if you throw them away! The postage was around 50 cents before! the last increase and it is according to the weight. In that case, why not get rid of some of your other junk mail and put it in these cool little, postage-paid return envelopes.

One of Andy Rooney's (60 minutes) ideas.

Send an ad for your local chimney cleaner to American Express. Send a pizza coupon to Citibank. If you didn't get anything else that day, then just send them their blank application back!
If you want to remain anonymous, just make sure your name isn't on anything you send them.

You can even send the envelope back empty if you want to just to keep them guessing! It still costs them 37 cents.

The banks and credit card companies are currently getting a lot of their own junk back in the mail, but folks, we need to OVERWHELM them. Let's let them know what it's like to get lots of junk mail, and best of all they're paying for it...Twice!

Let's help keep our postal service busy since they are saying that e-mail is cutting into their business profits, and that's why they need to increase postage costs again. You get the idea ! If enough people follow these tips, it will work---- I have been doing this for years, and I get very little junk mail anymore.

One finger victory salute

2004-10-15T23:28:00.000-05:00

Election Spoof

2004-10-12T16:33:00.000-05:00

::who wants some dishoom? :: Badmash TeeVee Special ::	10.0.04

Chat with GOD

2004-10-02T21:13:00.000-05:00

GOD: Hello. Did you call me?
Me: Called you? No. Who is this?
GOD: This is GOD. I heard your prayers. So I thought I would chat.
Me: I do pray. Just makes me feel good. I am actually busy now. I am in the midst of something.
GOD: What are you busy at? Ants are busy too, you know.
Me: I don't know. But I can't seem to find free time. Life has become so hectic. It's rush hour for me all the time.
GOD: Sure. Activity gets you busy. But productivity gets you results. Activity consumes time.Productivity frees it.
Me: I understand. But I still can't figure a way out. By the way, I was not expecting YOU to buzz me on instant messaging chat.
GOD: Well, I wanted to resolve your fight for time,by giving you some clarity. In this net era, I wanted to reach you through the medium you are comfortable with.
Me: Tell me, why has life become complicated now?
GOD: Stop analyzing life. Just live it. Analysis is what makes it complicated.
Me: Why are we then constantly unhappy?
GOD: Your today is the tomorrow that you worried about yesterday. You are worrying because you are analyzing. Worrying has become your habit. That's why you are not happy.
Me: But how can we not worry when there is so much uncertainty?
GOD: Uncertainty is inevitable, but worrying is optional.
Me: But then again, there is so much pain due to uncertainty...
GOD: Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.
Me: If suffering is optional, why do good people always suffer?
GOD: Diamonds cannot be polished without friction. Gold cannot be purified without fire. Good people go through trials, but don't suffer. With that experience their life become better, not bitter.
Me: You mean to say such experience is useful?
GOD: Yes. In every term, Experience is a hard teacher. She gives the test first and the lessons afterwards.
Me: But still, why should we go through such tests? Why can't we be free from problems?
GOD: Problems are Purposeful Roadblocks Offering Beneficial Lessons to Enhance Mental Strength. Inner strength comes from struggle and endurance,not when you are free from problems.
Me: Frankly in the midst of so many problems, we don't know where we are heading
GOD: If you look outside you will not know where you are heading. Look inside. Looking outside, you dream. Looking inside, you awaken. Eyes provide sight. Heart provides insight.
Me: Sometimes not succeeding fast seems to hurt more than moving in the right direction. What should I do?
GOD: Success is a measure as decided by others. Satisfaction is a measure as decided by you. Knowing the road ahead is more satisfying than knowing you rode ahead. You work with the compass. Let other work with the clock.
Me: In tough times, how do you stay motivated?
GOD: Always look at how far you have come rather than how far you have to go. Always count your blessing, not what you are missing.
Me: What surprises you about people?
GOD: When they suffer they ask, "Why me?" When they prosper, they never ask "Why me?" Everyone wishes to have truth on his or her side, but few want to be on the side of the truth.
Me: Sometimes I ask, who am I, why am I here. I can't get the answer.
GOD: Seek not to find who you are, but to determine who you want to be. Stop looking for a purpose as to why you are here. Create it. Life is not a process of discovery, but a process of creation.
Me: How can I get the best out of life?
GOD: Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear.
Me: One last question. Sometimes I feel my prayers are not answered.
GOD: There are no unanswered prayers. At times the answer is NO.
Me: Thank you for this wonderful chat. I am so happy to start the New Day with a new sense of inspiration.
GOD: Well. Keep the faith and drop the fear. Don't believe your doubts and doubt your beliefs. Life is a mystery to solve not a problem to resolve.Trust me. Life is wonderful if you know how to live.

IIMs tryst with Bollywood

2004-09-20T22:04:00.000-05:00

I guess this is old news but just thought of publishing it. For those who don't know, one of the major reasons for the Bollywood movie HumTum's success(apart from Saif's and Rani's acting and songs) is the marketing strategy. The best part is that the marketing was done by an IIM-Lukhnow passout, 25-year old Tarun Tripathi who now heads Yash Raj Film's marketing cell. The idea of building a brand value e.g. use of cartoon characters, was all his idea and it paid of well. It has been declared a hit. Wish the IIMs keep on diversifying and adding value.

Silence & Solitude

2004-09-19T15:29:00.000-05:00

Last night was I was lying in bed I kept having a wave of silence wash over me. It mainly felt like it was in my brain/head. It was weird.
It was very weird like for a second I didn't exist. For the first time in my life I felt at peace, all is right in the world.

Sometimes its just this dead silence that goes round in my head.There are things that only silence can show you... when I say silence I dont mean an empty sealed room, I mean the silence in your mind, in your eyes. I find silence in an empty street with yellow sodium lamps flickering on the black asphalt at night, I find it in the loneliness of rush-hour traffic-chaos, I find it in eyes of someone beautiful. But there's two sides to it. Sometimes silence hits me like a beautiful dawn, and sometimes I hit the silence like I just realised gravity at 30,000 feet without a parachute. The beautiful dawn I only find in someone elses soul, in someone elses eyes, in someone else's heart, a person more beatiful to me than the dawn itself. But the silence of falling, I find everywhere, when I'm alone in a crowd, or when I'm alone in my head.

I guess I need to explore the Silence & the wonders of Solitude

1. Solitude is something I usually enjoy, I rarely feel lonely when I am alone.
2. Silence is frightening because it strips us as nothing else does, throwing us upon the stark realities of our life.
3. Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
4. In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
5. Do not speak- unless it improves on silence.

Welcome 2 GRAD Life

2004-09-17T21:54:00.000-05:00

A really cool link for Graduate school survival guide... wish I had it before!!

It seems the comic strips are pages out of my own life!.
Phdcomics, also known as Piled Higher and Deeper, was originally created by Jorge Cham, who got his own PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford and is now teaching at Caltech. Here is one strip, even funnier ones are in the archives!.

Back to school

2004-09-16T13:02:00.000-05:00

Memory is a funny thing

2004-09-13T16:07:00.000-05:00

Remembering

9/11

Camera

2004-09-11T13:03:00.000-05:00

My new Canon PowerShot S1 IS Digital Camera (Cost: $335).

Video compression
I realise the movie mode on my Powershot is little more than a toy, but I've taken a couple of clips that have gone down well. Only when a friend asked me to send him one of the files over MSN Messenger did I notice the huge size of the video files: a 150s movie as 320x200 is 37 MB! So, a tip for anyone taking videos: use the free Virtualdub tool to transcode to a better codec. My 37MB file recompressed to 7MB. Or just use the Windows Movie Maker and save it as a movie.wmv file.
For *nix users: The codec mjpeg, is just a series of pictures (15fps or something) and needs to be converted. For unix flavours you can convert the encoding by using FFMPEG or mencoder (part of mplayer)
Some Reviews: 1, 2
Info on Rechargable Batteries

Frances

2004-09-07T13:48:00.000-05:00

This is going to be a wicked hurricane.

My prediction.

In the aftermath of the Hurricane, Bush will go to Florida, give a speech, and offer federal disaster relief. Democrats will complain that it's a political move and then say that the only reason why he’s doing anything is because Florida is a swing state.

Another day to go

2004-08-05T10:20:00.000-05:00

what happens next?!

2004-07-29T11:42:00.000-05:00

Harold & Kumar

2004-07-28T12:55:00.000-05:00

For further details refer to the blog. You might as well like it and laugh your heads off watching these real American Heros and their wacky journey for some munchies.!

Operation Twosome

India Shining

2004-07-19T13:18:00.000-05:00

10 Great Reasons to Invest in India

The 9 Indian Billionaires

The Tata Legacy

Final test: A colony on the moon!

IIT-Bombay, 45th Foundation Day

Cars & Supercars that'll make James Bond drool

Comments on 'Destination China' are invited.

Also see the links at the bottom of these slide shows!

[added on 8-10-2004]
Bangalore: Silicon Valley or Coolie Valley?
Are Indians really dumb?
Can India produce billion-dollar innovations?
[added on 8-16-2004]
The meaning of Freedom
[added on 10-18-2004]
Cadence and Philips ranked best paymaster
Flying High

Terrawiz seems to be a new search engine for India. Its fast and the results pretty accurate.

Las Vegas

2004-07-15T17:42:00.000-05:00

The magic of Las Vegas

Sequel to Sholay

2004-07-14T12:11:00.000-05:00

I loved Sholay. But then, who didn't? I didn't like one thing though: Jai's death.

So in Sholay 2, Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) would make a comeback. No, not as a restless soul vying to make contact with the perpetually muted Radha (Jaya Bachchan). Instead Jai will have a secret twin brother Vijay (Big B again) of whom no one, including Salim-Javed, knew of. Many years later, after he learns of Jai's death, he contacts the happily married Veeru (Dharmendra) and Basanti (Hema Malini), who now are proud owners of Dhanno Racecourse. Where was Vijay all this time? In rehab of course, trying to kick his drinking habit.

Vijay and Veeru click instantly and sing a remix version of Yeh dosti hum nahi chodenge. But Gabbar's dark shadow still lingers. One of his many illegitimate sons, Babbar Singh (Rajpal Yadav), seeks revenge. He attacks Ramgarh, which is now a happening town with multiplexes and malls. Thakur Baldev Singh calls on his mini army of Veeru and Vijay to fight the evil. Vijay and Radha don't waste any time exchanging glances. They sms their feelings to each other and get married. The climax of Sholay 2 is its turning point. Guess who shoots Babbar in the head? Not Vijay. Not Veeru. Not Thakur. It's Chacha Imamsaab(A K Hangal). - Courtesy: Sukanya Verma

The best marriage proposal ever:

(Mausi asks Amitabh about dharmender's earning etc.)
AB: Kamane ka to yeh hai Mausi - ek baar biwi bachchon ki jimmedari sir pe pad gayee - tau kamane bhi lagega.
M: Hain !! to kya abhi kuchh nahin kamata?
AB: Nahin kamata hai kamata hai - par ab roz roz to koi jeetta nahin hai na - kabhi haar bhi jaata hai bechara.
M: Haar jata hai?
AB: Haan mausi ab ye kambakht jua cheez hi iasi hai ab main kya kahun..
M: Hai raam to kya jua khelta hai?
AB: Are nahin mause Verru to bohot hi shareef aur nek insaan hai par ek baar sharaab pee li na - phir kahan achhe bure ka hosh rehta hai - hath pakad kar baitha liya kisine - ab isme bechare Veeru ka kya dosh?
M: Sahi kehta ho beta - juari woh sharabi woh - par isme uske koi dosh nahin.
AB: Mausi aap mere dost ko galat samajh rahi hain - wo is kism ka insaan nahin hai. Ek baar basanti se uski shadi ho jaane dijiye phir wo us gaane wali ke ghar jaana band kar dega - bas- sharaab apne aap chhoot jayegi.
M: Bas ek yahi kamee reh gayee thee - kisi gaane wali ke yahan bhi aana jaana hai?
AB: Are to isme kaun si buri baat hai mausi? Gaane waliyon ke yahan to raja, maharaja aur oonche oonche logon ka aana jaana hota hai.
M: To beta ye bhi bata do ke tumhare ye gunwaan dost kis khandaan ke hain?
AB: Bas mausi Khandaan ka pata chalte hi hum aapko khabar de denge.
M: Ek baat ki daad deti hoon beta - bhale 100 buraiyan hain tumhare dost mein magar tumhare moonh se uske liye achhaiyan hi niqalti hain.
AB: Ab kya kahun mauis mera to dil hi kuchh aisa hai. Tau main ye rishta pakka samjhoon?

Find other typical hindi movie dialogues & Unforgettable Bollywood Characters here.

worst mistake ever

2004-07-13T11:56:00.000-05:00

sad indeed

Life cycle

2004-07-11T19:39:00.000-05:00

MobilePhone

2004-07-11T01:53:00.000-05:00

Do Dragons Exist

2004-07-08T10:31:00.000-05:00

I think they do... may not be in this realm though

I personally feel Dragons are just as real as the Quarks, Neutrons, Protons & Anti-matter . Though never seen them, I rely on my knowledge (superstitions?).

If you ask a D&D fan, like me, I would say - They were a kind of dark ages dinosaur, probably evolving from large turkey-like beast (simply taking the bird's scaly nastiness to it's logical conclusion). Unfortunately their bellies were full of hydrochloric acid so when they died their bones dissolved. So no skeletons. (Though I am not sure what I would do when I might find one and am not sure of its alignment with good or evil? ).

But since humans are the single most "destructive force" (for lack of a better term) on the planet, maybe it would be a good thing if something with intelligence opposed us.

The burden of proof is on the person making a positive claim. So the burden of proof is on all of us who like RPGs.

PS: If you believe in something... you are in trouble

A reply from one of my friends on a message forum: [Of course they exist, they live on the Komodo islands.]

Money-Spinners

2004-07-07T17:38:00.000-05:00

But they also happen to be the lead characters of films that feature among the top five first-day money-spinners. They are the Hollywood films that hold the record for highest first-day collections worldwide.

Education

2004-07-05T18:04:00.000-05:00

The best section of college news

Educational Experience aah...

Get Fuzzy

2004-07-04T14:04:00.000-05:00

Life is like that

2004-07-03T12:15:00.000-05:00

LIFE

Can you relate to it ?!
FACTS: Zits, The National Cartoonists Society's Best Comic Strip of the Year -- two years in a row!

Since its wildly popular debut in the summer of 1997, Zits has become one of America's favorite comic strips! Enter the life of Jeremy Duncan, a 15-year-old aspiring rock musician, riddled with angst, boredom and parents who don't understand anything. Let him show you the wonderfully lousy world of being a 15-year-old. Meet Jeremy's parents Connie and Walt Duncan. Watch as they continue to try to figure out the mysterious science of parenting a teenager... the second time around! Meet Jeremy's brother, Chad, the glowing college student. Jeremy will have to live up to his brother's dreadfully perfect example. Join Jeremy and his best friend Hector as they struggle to solve the mystery of life, aided with advanced hangin' out techniques. Watch Jeremy as he flounders around with his awkward high school love affair with Sara Toomey, his uh... girlfriend. Zits now appears in more than 1,100 newspapers, and is still growing!

Great efforts

2004-06-29T16:46:00.000-05:00

Cannot find Weapons of Mass Destruction today

A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle

2004-06-26T13:02:00.000-05:00

"... LOVE NEVER FAILS ...."

A few years ago, at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win.

All, that is, except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry.

The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back. Then they all turned around and went back......every one of them.

One girl with Down's Syndrome bent down and kissed him and said; "This will make it better." (And they call some of these people "retarded"...)

Then all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line. Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for several minutes. People who were there are still telling the story. Why?

Because deep down we know this one thing:

What matters in this life, is more than winning for ourselves.
What matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

2004-06-26T01:45:00.000-05:00

I recently watched the movie "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."
If you got some time, you should definitely go watch it. View the trailers here.

Bollywhat...?

2004-06-23T10:47:00.000-05:00

This great site has been around for awhile. It's dedicated to spreading th Good News about all that is holy...in Bollywood. If you're still confused about:

Why the characters don't just kiss already? what it means when you tug on your ears? ...or touch someone's feet?...or press your palms together?...or wave your hand over someone's head?...or wear a bindi on your forehead?...or wear red stuff in the part of your hair?...or wag your thumb at someone?...or put kohl on someone's lips or cheek?...or wave a burning lamp on a tray?...or lift only your pinky finger? etc etc etc...

Check out Bollywhat and get ethnographicized...