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India vs Pakistan:Hope vs Desire

2011-03-28T23:49:00.000-07:00

First the disclosure, I am a fan of Pakistani cricket team .They are nasty, temperamental, immensely talented and extremely entertaining.Their talent and their colorful history off and on the field, makes a cricket fan inside me watch in bewilderment, excitement and some jealousy.

The frenzy about the impending clash between the two warring nation, on the 22 yards strip is everywhere, my Facebook feeds, news channel, phone conversations at home, with friends, and conversations with desi colleagues at office. Some firang colleagues also know about the game now. There is no escaping it. Otherwise a left wing liberal, i am gradually getting carried away and now a part of this frenzy. And i fear by the time, the game commences i am sure to turn into a blood sucking jingoist or atleast pretend to be one, simply to fit in. But before that, let me pour down some thoughts.

Like an average Indian male, who grew up on staple diet of cricket, worshiping Tendulkars and Gangulys and hating Pakistan cricket team for their unapologetic audacity and unashamed flamboyance, I want India to win. I want Sehwag to blast Akhtar on the short-leg boundary and Sachin to drive Afridi with a picture perfect cover drive, on every ball. I would jump up on my couch and shout when Sachin reaches his century.( And would have stripped my jersey, if Ganguly was still playing.)

But a corner of my heart reaches out to the real underdogs of the world cup. Remember, PCB is rife with problems, lack of finances (no nation wants to play in Pakistan), no sponsorship for the players and wounds of spot fixing still fresh. No one gave Pakistan a chance at the start of the tournament.
BCCI and PCB are at the two spectrum of financial prowess. Same can be said about the two nations too. When Indian is brimming with 10% growth rate, Pakistan's economy is rapidly moving towards bankruptcy. Hit by a major floods last year, they country is still sauntering towards a political stability. Tomorrow's match is truly a contest between the unequals, not talent wise, but opportunity wise.

Perhaps, team India deserves the trophy this year. But a nation that really 'needs' it this time is Pakistan. A world cup trophy, that would do wonders for lifting spirit of an ailing nation. The hope of billion Indian fans outnumbers that of its neighbor's. But the desperate desire of few sometimes outweighs the most glaring barricades.

Buy it or Leave it: Do hell with customer service

2009-08-28T16:12:00.001-07:00

Call it their arrogance or just a umber cool style to differentiate them from the rest of online e-commerce site, but an email from Woot, the one day one deal online portal definitely got me thinking when i ordered an irobot roomba 530 refurbished from their site few days back. These are some of the gems i received from them in their email:

If you receive your item and it doesn't work, contact the manufacturer first. They made the junk. Let them deal with it. If they turn out to be total tools, contact service@woot.com and we'll
grudgingly provide some further assistance.

And if you thought that it was just in a good sense of humor here comes another bolt.

If you receive your item and decide you don't like it, take it to eBay or pawn it off on one of your so-called friends. We don't want it, either

.

Wow,earnestly it took me some time to recover after that hit me, i m now just keeping my finger crossed that i get my Roomba in good enough condition.Amen.

Solve this puzzles!! Test your IQ

2009-07-01T00:10:00.000-07:00

Puzzle no 1
=========================
At a particular school, an enchanted hat assigns each incoming student to one of four residential houses. School lore says that the hat sorts students into houses entirely on the basis of personality and moral character. But this year, a rumor is circulating that the hat actually assigns each student completely randomly.
The Headmaster hopes to disprove the rumor and reasons that if she can show the hat's assignments to be somewhat predictable, it cannot be assigning randomly. Before the students are sorted, she speaks with each student and privately writes down her prediction of which house that student will be assigned to.
If she does not predict accurately every time, what is the smallest number of students (m), and the corresponding number of correct predictions (n, n < m) that would give us a high level of confidence (say, 99% certainty) that the hat is not completely random in its sorting?
If the headmaster's predictions are always wrong, would a sufficient number of wrong predictions (w) disprove the rumor with similarly high confidence?

Puzzle no 2
=========================
You have 5 unmarked bags with 100 beads each. Bags #1-4 contain 4 red beads and 96 black beads; bag #5 contains 7 red beads and 93 black beads. You randomly select one of the five bags and remove three beads without looking inside the bag. One is red, and the other two are black. What is the probability that you drew the beads from bag #5?
Return the three beads to the bag and give it a good shake to mix things up. In the best-case scenario, what is the minimum number of beads you can withdraw, one at a time, to identify this bag as bag #5 with at least 50% certainty?

Delayed: First Day at work

2009-06-17T18:06:00.000-07:00

It wasn't really the anxiety, but more of the soft comfy bed that sinked in perfectly to support the spinal chord and the warm three or four tire bed sheets with beautiful embroidery covering me. It is 4 in morning and i am not able to sleep just before the first day of starting my first job.

After having spent almost 2 years sleeping on the sleeping bed laid on the bare wooden floor with a polyester carpet, the discomfort i felt on the wide bed being guarded by two sentinel lamps each mounted on a beautiful wooden cabinet, was something i was not anticipating. Or perhaps it was the silence that was bothering me. Especially when you spent past one year in an apartment that lies just behind the drive thru of a "jack in the box". Yeah, for sure, they do good business at night. I wasn't suppose to think about sales volume of fast food chain shop at 4:21 in morning just hours before i start to work, i was also feeling fatigue now but the sleep was yet not ready to seep.

I don't remember when i went to sleep but it should be sometime after 4:29 and I don't really remember turning off the 7:15 am alarm i set on my phone to report to office at 8.45 for the orientation scheduled for NCG (New college graduates). However the sleeping NCG, who was still oblivion to the fact that he has graduated a month back, was brought back to worldliness precisely at 8:38 by a phone call. And for the first time i felt the sense of gratitude to that annoying man lady voice from the moving company asking me what address she should move my stuff to. (She has been bothering me for a week now, her voice tone reminds me of my class 4 teacher always rebuking me to about my untidy writing and asking me to tuck my shirt in properly). Freshly out of the bed trying to collect my senses to understand what is going on I budge her away and ask her to call me some other time. yes, the feeling of gratitude is not always convenient to get reflected.

It took me few minutes to realize that i have already made my countrymen proud, by following the Indian timings on my first day of my job in a foreign land, I rushed to the bathroom to find out that i forget to put the toothbrush in my shaving pouch. Generally when faced with the scenario i rub salt on my teeth, but all i had was tea, sugar and milk as part of my kitchen grocery. Yes I only carried the most Essential things.

At 9:33 am before entering the company i checked my phone for the time. I was not at my cheerful best after having to rush to work without a cup of tea or brushing my teeth and almost an hour late. However, i made sure i took a quick shower, perhaps i did not want people to run away from me on the very first day. The recruiter who has always been very nice to me while talking on phone, this time looked perturbed and with a sure bitterness asks "You were suppose to be here at 8:45 for orientation did not you read the letter?". Now there are some moments, when you realize that your tongue is frozen in your mouth due to chills running down ur spine. This was one of those moments. I stare at her for a minute with a stupid grin on my face, making sure i hide my unbrushed teeth at the same time. And then I fabricate an utterly nonsense excuse which if i share here would put the intelligence of NCGs in doubt.

I was later on introduced into the orientation room with three other new employees listening to the presentation. Series of unfortunate events continued throughout the orientation with me not finding a pen to fill up the forms, and not carrying the required documents. As the day ended i had a bleak idea of what am i going to do here. My manager walked me through the team members. The day past in doing errands, getting my id card, acquiring a laptop and desktop, doing some paper work. The day ended at around 6.00 when i decided to walk out of the company. I thought i was leaving earlier than it usually would be. I know as the years pass the first day would fade away from the memory, but i hope the journey is worth cherishing for the life time.

Dinga Dinga Dee: Israel Goes Bhojpuri way

2009-03-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

If you thought that warfare and romance can't go hand in hand, think again as the days of equating war with gloom, destruction,gory blood and hatred are numbered as now its more about wooing a girl by offering your 'commitment' and 'security' and pledge your heart to her and singing an English song in Bhojupuri setup. Sounds interesting? checkout the new AV promotion of Rafael, an Israel based defense company, used during Aero India 2009

Rafael, has supposedly decide to salvage itself, perhaps after supplying weapons to inflict death on harmless Palestine citizens in Gaza, and the path it took is to entertain the world audience by producing a C grade Bhojpuri item number, enacted by the Phoreners, and for maintaining the global appeal they sing it in English.(something kannada cinema knew years before, when they made Rajkumar star in tik tik tik)

Statutory warning: This piece of video can lead to pain in stomach and back due to excessive laughing and rolling on the floor. This might prove weapon of mass hysteria of inflicting pain on rest of us.A MUST WATCH though

Notice the million dollar ambiance raised on one of the far fetched refugee camp, with pictures of Hanumanji(in a romantic song?) and Ambemata on tiger in the background and garland embellished missile on sides. This would put best of the bhojpuri songs to shame. God, Guns and Gori all in one frame. A footage never enacted on celluloid is all set to win hearts and money of Indian Defense system, (which is a metaphor of the girl in song).Hail Rafael! Hail Bhojupuri Cinema!

The reason you dont need to Market Nano in India!!

2009-03-05T22:06:00.000-08:00

25 Random Things About Me.( In no order of relevance or importance)

2009-02-17T02:13:00.000-08:00

1. I am an agnostic, neither do I have faith to accept God's presence nor the courage to deny His existence.

2. I dislike phone talks. I am almost a phone challenged person. I am unable to understand what to say on phone after I am done with basic communication. I am very easily peeved by people who talk lot on phone.

3. I tried playing harmonium and tabla at a very age of 10, but lacked the attention span to learn any of the two.(I think i was a dyslexic child.)

4. I can be hyper impatient in many ways and nonchalant in many others.

5. I want do lot of travelling across the globe. At least visit 20 countries before I die.

6. If I did not have middle-class anxieties about an assured livelihood, I would have gone into the Liberal Arts—Film making, Political Science or English Literature. But I did have anxieties. So I did engineering.
[When I was struggling whether to go to Economics or Engineering, a gentleman of our locality, a very nice man, asked me “What do you want? A beautiful wife, a secure life or satisfaction?” This made my choice easy.](courtesy GreatBong)

7. Overtly public display of affection makes me uncomfortable. Still i think i am very Romantic at heart.

8. I love movies or may i say i love stories told through visual medium. For instance, I can remember many of the dialogues, song lines an character names of a movie, several years after watching it.

9. I find it much easier to make friendships online than in real life.

10. I am not very fond of bathing, especially in "not very hot" weather of California. I avoid taking bath daily. I give excuses like too much water washes away the pigmentation of your skin or exposure to access of water is the reason for 70% of hair loss among Asian men, when asked for an explanation.

11. I wanted to learn Karate when i was a kid. My mom did not allow me, as she was told by a friend of hers that learning Karate can give kids epileptical seizure or convulsions.

12. I could never find a correct answer of a mathematical expression using a Logarithmic Tables. This was the primary reason for me not doing well in Chemistry at board exams. I still have nightmares sometimes of having to solve problems of physical chemistry. I liked organic chemistry.

13. I am a vegetarian, I once decided to cook chicken at home, however was disgusted at the smell and feel of the frozen chickens and have (so far) stayed a vegetarian. My mom often inquires about my dietary preferences and is not entirely convinced when i tell her i m still a vegetarian. I eat eggs.

14. Parag Sharma happens to be one my oldest and best friends. We are two very different individuals, still i feel we make great buddies. Not having able to attend his marriage is one of the regrets i have. I think he is too bossy and hyper discerning and i generally end up disliking such people, but i still like him.

15. I have lived at 13 addresses in 5 cities and 2 countries.I have visited 3 countries( 17 more to go)

16. I wish to gain some weight and have physique of Salman Khan. This is what i wish to achieve before i turn 30 and maintain it since then.

17. I am an avid tea drinker. I sometimes drink more than 3 cups of tea in a day.

18. I was once asked whom would i like to be reincarnated as? I answered AR Rehman. I am happy about the choice i made.

19. I started using foul language in high school. I am trying to get rid of the habit. But i am not very sure if that is required.

20. I don’t wish to grow old and want to stay 25 rest of my life. And i also feel the life cycle should be reverse(like Benjamin Button)

21. I have to buy or borrow new earphones almost every 4 months as i keep breaking them by accidentally stepping on them.

22. My dad traveled more than 400 kms on a bicycle in a single journey. I am very proud of him. I repeated a similar feat on a motorbike. I don't think my kids would be very much proud about that.

23. I sometimes keep things unfinished.
24.
25.

Slumdog millionaire: Desi maal Videshi packaging

2008-11-18T08:13:00.000-08:00

Danny Boyle's Slumdog millionaire was released in selected theaters around United States on 12th of November. It is receiving rave reviews and is considered strong contender for Academy awards.

I have yet to see it, but i read the book it is based on. From trailer it is extremely clear, Slumdog millionaire is based on 'Q & A' by Vikas Swaroop, a story of an illiterate slum dweller called Ram Mohammad Thomas(why such a strange name forms a part of narrative, however movie changes it to Jamal Malik, how can u expect an American audience to grasp the uniquely strange Indian diversity) who is resident to dharavi zoppadpati in Mumbai, he gets chance to play Kaun Banega Crorepati and to everybody's surprise wins crore rupees. How he does that, is what the story is all about. Very interestingly the author unfolds that how all the incidents in the boy’s life has helped him to answer all the questions.It is story about destiny and hope. And like all such stories they make great reading.

I read the book more than a year ago, and no sooner did i realize how brilliant the premise was, i knew it had a potential for a great cinema, especially Bollywood cinema. Search Fox Light and Danny Boyle too realized that and made a Slumdog Millionaire and now they would laughing to the bank and awards ceremony. Soon some Sanjay Gupta or Kunal Kohli from india would grab a cd from church gate and remake slumdog millionare which would fail drastically. That would complete the circle.

Danny Boyle is a smart director, he knows movie based on Q & A cannot be uprooted from India (although when Kunal Kohli remakes it we'll have couple of romantic songs shot in Switzerland and Mauritius). I am skeptical about how Boyle captures the Indian essence. I know technically he is unbeatable but that was true for all his predecessor Hollywood film makers who have ended up making caricature of Indian way of life.However, the promos look amazing and I am awaiting its release.

Movies are only for Fun!

2008-11-09T15:28:00.000-08:00

I have always believed that movies, the medium as we know, is not meant to inspire or change perspective. i feel like scoffing people who say watching lage raho munnabhai changed the way they thought about the mahatma and now they believe in philosophy of non-violence. Not getting much into it, i strongly believe LRM depicted Gandhiji in an extremely shallow light, just to fit him in the premise of the movie and i am totally allergic to the way the actor enacted mahatma. I have similar feelings for Rang De Basanti or Swades . I enjoyed all the three of the movies as a entertaining cinema and had great time watching them but never saw them as a life changing experience.

Call it my callousness or conventionalism, I believe that change in perspective or belief system is an outcome of serious effort put by an individual to cleanse his thought process that can be aided by literature and history books and often demands coming out of the comfort zone of ones belief system challenging the accepted thinking , rather than 2 and half hours of pop corn cinema seen in the comfort of cozy multiplex, whose basic objective is to reach to as large as possible audience by cratering to the accepted beliefs and tastes.

A Dummies Guide: US financial crisis

2008-10-20T17:41:00.000-07:00

An interesting email forward came to my rescue helping me to deal with my financial ineptitude regarding whats this economic slow down all about. It is like answer to one of those Google interview questions(How do u explain economic slow down to a 5th grader?)
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Once there was a little island country. The land of this country was the tiny island itself. The total money in circulation was 2 dollars as there were only two pieces of 1 dollar coins circulating around. 1) There were 3 citizens living on this island country. A owned the land. B and C each owned 1 dollar.

2) B decided to purchase the land from A for 1 dollar. So, now A and C own 1 dollar each while B owned a piece of land that is worth 1 dollar.

* The net asset of the country now = 3 dollars.

3) Now C thought that since there is only one piece of land in the country, and land is non producible asset, its value must definitely go up. So, he borrowed 1 dollar from A, and together with his own 1 dollar, he bought the land from B for 2 dollars.

*A has a loan to C of 1 dollar, so his net asset is 1 dollar.
* B sold his land and got 2 dollars, so his net asset is 2 dollars.
* C owned the piece of land worth 2 dollars but with his 1 dollar debt to A, his net residual asset is 1 dollar.
* Thus, the net asset of the country = 4 dollars.

4) A saw that the land he once owned has risen in value. He regretted having sold it. Luckily, he has a 1 dollar loan to C. He then borrowed 2 dollars from B and acquired the land back from C for 3 dollars. The payment is by 2 dollars cash (which he borrowed) and cancellation of the 1 dollar loan to C.
As a result, A now owned a piece of land that is worth 3 dollars. But since he owed B 2 dollars, his net asset is 1 dollar.
* B loaned 2 dollars to A. So his net asset is 2 dollars.
* C now has the 2 coins. His net asset is also 2 dollars.
* The net asset of the country = 5 dollars. A bubble is building up.

(5) B saw that the value of land kept rising. He also wanted to own the land. So he bought the land from A for 4 dollars. The payment is by borrowing 2 dollars from C, and cancellation of his 2 dollars loan to A.

* As a result, A has got his debt cleared and he got the 2 coins. His net asset is 2 dollars.
* B owned a piece of land that is worth 4 dollars, but since he has a debt of 2 dollars with C, his net asset is 2 dollars.
* C loaned 2 dollars to B, so his net asset is 2 dollars.
* The net asset of the country = 6 dollars; even though, the country has only one piece of land and 2 Dollars in circulation.

(6) Everybody has made money and everybody felt happy and prosperous.

(7) One day an evil wind blew, and an evil thought came to C's mind. "Hey, what if the land price stop going up, how could B repay my loan. There is only 2 dollars in circulation, and, I think after all the land that B owns is worth at most only 1 dollar, and no more."

(8) A also thought the same way.

(9) Nobody wanted to buy land anymore.

* So, in the end, A owns the 2 dollar coins, his net asset is 2 dollars.
* B owed C 2 dollars and the land he owned which he thought worth 4 dollars is now 1 dollar. So his net asset is only 1 dollar.
* C has a loan of 2 dollars to B. But it is a bad debt. Although his net asset is still 2 dollars, his Heart is palpitating.
* The net asset of the country = 3 dollars again.

(10) So, who has stolen the 3 dollars from the country ? Of course, before the bubble burst B thought his land was worth 4 dollars. Actually, right before the collapse, the net asset of the country was 6 dollars on paper.

B's net asset is still 2 dollars, his heart is palpitating.

(11) B had no choice but to declare bankruptcy. C as to relinquish his 2 dollars bad debt to B, but in return he acquired the land which is worth 1 dollar now.

* A owns the 2 coins, his net asset is 2 dollars.
* B is bankrupt, his net asset is 0 dollar. ( he lost everything )
* C got no choice but end up with a land worth only 1 dollar
* The net asset of the country = 3 dollars.

************ **End of the story; BUT ************ ********* ******

There is however a redistribution of wealth.
A is the winner, B is the loser, C is lucky that he is spared.

A few points worth noting -
(1) When a bubble is building up, the debt of individuals to one another in a country is also building up.
(2) This story of the island is a closed system whereby there is no other country and hence no foreign debt. The worth of the asset can only be calculated using the island's own currency. Hence, there is no net loss.
(3) An over-damped system is assumed when the bubble burst, meaning the land's value did not go down to below 1 dollar.
(4) When the bubble burst, the fellow with cash is the winner. The fellows having the land or extending loan to others are the losers. The asset could shrink or in worst case, they go bankrupt.
(5) If there is another citizen D either holding a dollar or another piece of land but refrains from taking part in the game, he will neither win nor lose. But he will see the value of his money or land go up and down like a see saw.
(6) When the bubble was in the growing phase, everybody made money.
(7) If you are smart and know that you are living in a growing bubble, it is worthwhile to borrow money (like A ) and take part in the game. But you must know when you should change everything back to cash.
(8) As in the case of land, the above phenomenon applies to stocks as well.
(9) The actual worth of land or stocks depend largely on psychology..

Beyond The Dark Knight: Why is it not “just another superhero movie”

2008-08-02T15:12:00.000-07:00

Sinking into the seats of cinema watching the dark knight, for the second time and this time in IMAX, brought a kind of revelation I was not expecting. I was among the few fortunate of having watched The Dark Knight for the first time on the preview show of Thursday at 8.15 pm(yes,before the 12.01 am premiere show) , a day before the film was released (and for free).

I loved every bit of it. It is a great summer blockbuster, a bit longer, but it still had enough content to keep the audience interested. I found it more of a Joker film than Batman movie, in the first viewing. Joker commits the biggest robbery in the movie, he steals the show!Little did I know that everything would change when I would dig deeper.

The second viewing made me realize that vision of director is not merely make a superhero summer blockbuster, his vision of Batman is much more realistic and much in line with current times , It’s more like a political drama packaged in superhero format that would make it reach to more audiences. Much like Matrix was a take on Philosophy.

Every pivotal character is a reflection of something more real. Take Joker. Joker is mystical, crazy, his motives has no real justifications and is insanely terrifying, his only known motive is to deface batman, he does not work for money, he keeps appearing on TV from nowhere, giving out his messages and no one knows about his whereabouts. He does not carry any gizmos or gadgets except knives, (this is shown when he is caught). Now tell me what real life character he sounds like. No surprises here, He is obviously a movie avatar of Mr. Bin Laden, an agent of chaos epitomized. Like him, he does not work for money, his only motive is destruction of America and has no solid justifications for it, and he keeps appearing on Al-Jazera TV channel and no one knows where he is? One has to give full marks to Christopher Nolan and Heath Ledger for developing a character of Joker so very well and so much real. It is unlike other joker, which were more funny and dramatic, this Joker is scary and crazy and yet much more real.

Harvey Dent is a symbol of What America has been so far. Pre 9/11 it was a righteous country the world looked up to, it was one of the most successful democracy, the country that was built by people and for the people. It had fought World War 2 for the right reasons and changed the course of history. It stood up against Iraq in the Gulf war. There was little to blemish on American character before 9/11 happened (exclude Vietnam war). Same goes true with Harvey Dent; he was the “White Knight of Gotham” as put by Gordon, who fought against the mob. He was righteous, young, bright, white and successful; he was the symbol of America, as perceived by outsiders. However things have changed post 9/11 , first time ever America has been attacked on its own territory, excluding the Pearl Harbor. It has been distraught and fearful since then and has wiped out two countries since then, in its mere frustration to find out one person, Bin Laden, who might be already dead. In short America does not know whom it is hunting for? America is now viewed by some countries as their "Foe"(which is evident why the Arabs have bloated the fuel prices, when perhaps it was not required). Still for Europeans, America is still is the symbol of “The Friend”. America, today has “two faces”

Harvey Dent follows the same path, he is hopelessly distraught after loss of his girlfriend Rachel Dawes and is hunting for the responsible person. Even his election line is “I believe in Harvey Dent”, this sounds similar to the very popular opening line of the movie The Godfather-“I believe in America”. His emergence to two face, from a mob fighting District Attorney is similar to emergence of America from a progressive, capitalist, democracy (democracy is debatable) to a tyrant and anti-Muslim nation.

Lau, the business man, who takes care of the mob money, is not a Chinese by mere coincidence. He is positioned as successful businessman who has business ties with America and is trying to set up a business with Wayne Enterprise. His actual role is to manage finances for the mob. This is the reflection of what Americans see China as, although they use China made cars to ipods, they have reservation about China and the way they operate.

The last climax scene, where the Joker gives detonator in the hands of the people in two boats asking them to blow the other boat by midnight, has a more religious take, the people in two boats may be perceived as Christians and Muslims, they both have power to blow each other or to make a choice to survive together. Whether this gets on their nerves and they kill each other is for them to decide. In the movie though, they both survive.

Now who is Batman? This is hinted when Gordon says to his son-“he's not a hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector...a dark knight.” Batman according to me is what America has to be…”Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now”...America is richest country, it is powerful, strong and influential just like Bruce Wayne is. It has all the resources to be a watchful protector and guardian to the world which is in midst of anarchy and brisk with problems like global warming and terrorism to name few. It has to make a right choice here a choice only America can make, the choice to be “Two-face” or a choice to be “The Batman”. As said by Bruce Wayne’s butler, Alfred-“Endure, Master Wayne. Take it. They'll hate you for it. But that's the point of Batman, he can be the outcast. He can make the choice that no one else can make, the right choice.”

Reading Rand might Kill you

2008-06-27T01:04:00.000-07:00

"I like Cigarettes; I like to think of fire held in a man’s hand. FIRE, a dangerous force, tamed at his finger tips. I often wonder about the hours when a man sits alone watching the smoke of a cigarette, thinking. I wonder what great things have come out from such hours. When a man thinks there is a spot of fire alive in his mind – and it is proper that he should have the burning point of a cigarette as his one expression."

- Ayn Rand (Atlas Shrugged, 1957)

This quote by Ayn Rand, some few years back, almost compelled me to take up smoking. After few failed attempts when i was finally able to take the puff inside my lungs, i almost choked myself by coughing intermittently, there was a sure heaviness in the head and mouth was foul with bitterness. I decided never to try it again.
Since then i believe.."Reading Ayn Rand can be injurious to health"

Loss of Words: Side effects of Depravity?

2008-06-21T01:30:00.000-07:00

It has, comfortably, been a year since i read the last book. Life has surely changed ever since i have landed to Los Angeles. It’s not that I was unaware all this time that i have stopped reading, it was always there back of my mind, like a splinter caught in the eye.

But i have convinced myself that reading is something you can pursue only in leisure and it requires a luxury of time. And it’s not so that my coursework here does not allow me to read a book or magazine here and now. But perhaps its this very idea that reading is an activity to pursue in your leisure, i have kept myself away from picking up a book. Or perhaps and more likely is that pursuit of reading as a refreshment and 'Enlightenment' has been replaced by a more viable option-YouTube. Am I at the loss of Words?

The second idea not only sounds more convincing but also comforting. i perhaps want to condole myself that my pursuit of enlightenment hasn't stalled since i have stopped reading; it just has shifted to a different source. it has shifted from words to pictures, from white papers and black words to gamut of colors that change at 16 frames per second. From a description to visualization. From a silence of a room to a stream of Stereo sound coming out of ear plugs, going straight into my mind through the ear drums.

I have heard this, I don't know how true it is, that mind becomes passive when you watch television and it is more agile when you read a book. Isn't that one another doctrine being pushed by the torchbearers of traditionalism who still feel that "good old ways" are still the best way to do things? I am perplexed because i do find myself more engrossed when reading than watching videos. But i can not negate the fact that amount of details thrown by a video to me is infinite compared to what i may perceive by reading a book. Should not that make my mind more agile as it has more information to decode? One counter argument to this is that by being engrossed in reading your mind creates pictures and builds information that are far more complex than what is being viewed on videos. But the pictures made by mind would be the one mind would have seen before somewhere and sometime, so it would be presenting the information which already existed. Someone might argue that tons of information is known only to the sub-conscious mind and that reading is a bridge between consciousness and the sub-consciousness by presenting pictures only known to the sub-conscious.

As of now i don't plan to pick a book. I myself was never an ardent book reader until I got into my undergrad school. However, I picked it up well and could comfortably say i was among the "literate" people of my class. Just like people are natural sportsmen, I guess was a natural TV watcher. My passion for TV deserves another post sometime. My Grandpa and i have had serious arguments regarding my TV watching habits, to make long story short my passion was nipped as my family got rid of cable connection. I think me being over hooked to the YouTube is just a side effect of keeping me deprived of the required dosage of TV. At least, thinking so keeps me out of the guilt and blame it all on my family. You know after all, I need to keep a clear conscience;)))

A Dream Deferred...

2008-06-11T00:33:00.000-07:00

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

A poetry by Langston Hughes, inscribed on the glass at Aviation LAX Green line station.

A lonely number like root Three

2008-06-11T00:32:00.001-07:00

I fear that I will always be
A lonely number like root three

The three is all that’s good and right,
Why must my three keep out of sight
Beneath a vicious square root sign,
I wish instead I were a nine

For nine could thwart this evil trick,
with just some quick arithmetic

I know I’ll never see the sun,
As 1.7321

Such is my reality, a sad irrationality
When hark! For what is this I see,
Another square root of a three

As quietly come waltzing by,
Together now we multiply
To form a number we prefer,
Rejoicing as an integer

We break free from our mortal bonds
And with a wave of magic wands
Our square root signs become unglued
Your love for me has been renewed

very interesting poem.....i first heard this when i saw the movie Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay and after a bit of googling i found out that the author of this poem is David Feinberg, a computer science teacher at MIT

Orkut Apps Suck?

2008-05-19T13:27:00.000-07:00

Whats wrong with Orkut? It was simple to use most quintessential social networking website and that was the reason i was hooked up to it, it not only made up for my lack of "socialness", it also allowed me to wish bdays and new years to people I would have not bothered to say "hi" throughout my whole existence. It also has been an excuse and means to peek into some interesting "test cases". And all this I was able to do because it was a simple, fast and easy to use social networking site. And then they decide to put an end to all that simplicity by imitating Facebook. And every time now i log in i find senseless updates from people who think its funny to be "emoting".."i m so confused" and senseless quizzes..."Sudhir has taken a DDLJ quiz...would u like to beat Sudhir" ya i would like to beat him up to death for taking that silly quiz and beat the Orkut guys too for taking the simplicity out of the portal. Not only that, it takes lot of time to load every time i log in, and get back to my home page.

listen Orkut guys, if people wanna use applications they will go to Facebook. U guys need to understand, reason why Orkut picked up well in countries like India and Brazil is coz its simple , Indians in general don't know how to use their fully loaded mobile phones or may i say they are unaware of what to do of 37 buttons on their TV remote control, forget about them using and writing this applications for Orkut. Also large population in India still have very poor Internet connection, all this heavy application is gonna bog down the usage as it no more leaves Orkut a fast portal.

I will miss...

2007-07-26T06:57:00.000-07:00

I will miss drinking oversweetened teas made in a meager milk served in the unwashed glasses at the roadside dhaba....I will miss those 'chai parties' at midnight held under the disguise of exam preparations.... I will not miss the filthy, unventilated public urinals with artistically sketched 'Gents' and 'Ladies' on its rotten, precariously supported doors....I will miss the women who dumped me.... and I will not miss those who did not dump me, as i was too insignificant to be noticed by them....I will not miss kneeling down to my 'elders' on celebration...I will miss the cash that were bestowed every time i knelt down....I will miss the 1 re 'pani ka pouch'.....i will miss the 'auto rickshaw rides', moving like a cruise missile through intricate indian roads...i will not miss the 'dhinchek...dhinchek...' cacophonous music played in them....i will miss himesh...i will miss his howling heard everywhere from mobile phones ringtones to fm radios.....i will miss sleeping late in morning...will miss the 18 minutes of commerical breaks for watching 12 minutes of saas bahu(or is it the other way round)...i will miss watching movies in matinee shows...i will miss rajnikant's anti-newton stunts...i will miss the pirated cds of billion dollars hollwyood block busters sold at Rs 40 a piece...i will miss the pirated books... i will miss the vadapaavs,panipuris and dhokla....i will miss the conversation i get stuck with entire strangers in bus, trains an rickshaws.... i will miss the unsolicited advises from parents, uncle, aunties, friends, neighbors, nephews, Marsians.....i will miss watching late night cricket matches a day before exams....i will not miss my dad shouting at me....i will miss my mom pampering me....i will miss the annoying sms jokes and ‘shayris.’..i will miss hutch ka ‘chhota recharge’...i will not miss the long queues at ATMs ... i i will miss the 'shaadi' food, beautifully dressed women in it and all the 'great indian tamasha' around it....i will not miss my roommate who never used to flush the toilets...i will miss the comfort of performing the morning ritual in Desi style toilets...i will miss the swipe cards of my office and playing with a pulley attached to it...i will not miss the traffic jams... i will miss the sadist pleasure i derived form urinating on walls,corners,bushes or garabage dumps under the open sky....i will miss the crowd that followed me or waiting for me wherever i go, whether i go to book railway tickets, watch movies or eat at a restaurant on weekends....i will miss being grammatically incorrect and getting away with it mos of the time….i will not miss the sweating heat on Indian summer...i will miss eating mangoes in summer time..i will miss forgetting raincoat and getting wet in Indian monsoon...i will not miss the 'kichads' the cars splash on me during rain...i will miss free SMS...i will miss the songs on radio mirchi....i will miss you buddies who read my nonsense... yes its true I will miss you India.....

Thank God Bermuda!!

2007-03-19T12:41:00.001-07:00

The prayers of billions of Indians have been finally heard. After the Gods realising that even Banladesh is too good for our Men in Blue, it granted them a free pass with Bermuda as opponent in the very next match. Truly, Gods are very generous. And our fallen heroes although down and out but are not duds. They know how to clinch opportunities and 'resurrect' their 'glory' by running over the more than modest team of Bermuda. Bermuda is the smallest test playing nation, with a population of 60 thousand, repeat 60 thousand, its smaller than most of the Indian villages, with only their captain I Romanie a real professional cricketer. Rest of the team is those of amateurs. Its like small time cricket club found in the suburbans of Mumbai. The match was like a PHD fellow student writing class 5 mathematics paper and it is not surprising that it passes it with flying colors.

Yet many questions still lay hanging. What is someone like Robin Uttappa doing in team's world cup campaign? He is inexperienced and does not seem to have special talent of giving team India either a flying start or a strong foundation on foreign pitches . He looks confused in the middle, showing no signs of improvement either today. He might be a good batsman but in professional cricket good is just not good enough. Neither is this the right time to experiment with new cricketers. This is world cup and it dose not get bigger than this. Every team wants to play out of their skin and you don’t need someone flustered around to open for you.

So Virubhai finally succeeded in pulling of a century, its hard to remember after how many ODI's . And this assure him a place against Srilanka. There is not much read into his 'flamboyant' century, would he perform well against test playing nations is still questionable. Dhoni's form raise concerns, have we lost a hard hitting, big shot batsman? Dhoni seems undetermined in his footwork and style, will he rise to the occasion and play his natural game will be major decider for India in upcoming matches.

Above all thanks to the team of Bermuda. It wont have been possible for the men in blue to post such a huge score, if not for gully level bowlers and obsessed and unfit filders of Bermuda. Thankyou Barmuda,Long live Barmuda, Barmua ki jai ho!!!

Men in GLUE

2007-03-19T11:17:00.000-07:00

The men in blue were all wilted in glue!u cant expect more when ur opener is someone whos inculsion in the team is due to captain's nepotism. its unfair for robin to come one down, whats his crediblity-zero international exposure.Sachin is old horse, he cant fire big shots, its hard to accept it, like all other truths.dravid is indicisive, not just as a leader but also while selecting his team.dhoni is overburdened with expectations and his long locks.it takes either of two things to help team india reach super 8, either sheer luck or match fixing.it wont go till semifinals!!

Mein ek aam admi hun!!!!

2007-03-19T10:45:00.000-07:00

I am an aam aadmi- a mango man. Mango has always been a never ending love affair for me. I have been relishing Mangoes years after years with same zeal of a teenage boy eager to loose his virginity. Infact the years of my life in which I was unable to devour mangoes are those I dont count in my age, they were'nt useful and moreover, lamentful to remeber.

The thought of juicy, bright yellow colured, tangy slices of heavenly flavoured magoes on a sunny afternoon thrills me to an extent, most women fail to. I am not a big time 'foodie' , I have very modest taste buds granted to my tounge and they have a biased inclination towards the fruit.

Unlike most people I know, I am unable to distinguish among the differnt breed of the fruit. Perhaps, I am so much lost in relishing the flavour and stimulating my senses(not just the taste sense) and my brain is so occupied with it that I am unable to distinguish what Mango I am eating. Its just enough for me to know that what I am eating is Mango, it dosent matter much whether its Alphanso, Rajapuri, Kesar, Badam or Kagdo. Keri as we call it in Gujarati, is something I enjoy in all forms and shapes, and I mean it litreally. I have enjoyed the ripe and unripe fruit with same genuine enthusiam.

Keri, is somone I'll like to spend my whole life with. Of all the women and men I have loved and have been loved by, keri bears a place above. Unlike all the women I had a heart felt crush on, and soon lost my intrest in, my affair with Keri has been long lasting. It has rare quality of being sweet and not cloying. A artistic and sensual shape and colour which is so unique that it should be renamed 'keri color'( not yellow, please).

Keri, hope to see you again this year!!!