Faster than Ray of Light

2010-01-11T18:57:00.000-08:00

New Beginning (Yet Another)

2008-06-11T02:07:00.000-07:00

Click me

2008-03-29T03:24:00.000-07:00

La vita è bella

This indeed is one of the best movies I've seen. Its a story about a father who uses his wits to save his son in a Nazi concentration camp and making the kid think the whole ordeal is a game. Its a touching take of humor, romance and fertile imagination. If you are expecting a review of this movie then I assure you you'd be disappointed reading further. If you are wondering then why the name as heading, let me tell you that’s how I feel about life right now. The Italian phrase in English means Life is beautiful. That’s what I keep telling myself nowadays. It gives me new energy... a fresh outlook towards everything I see and experience.

I felt my job was boring doing the same thing over and over again. Until I heard the cleaner boy (also my new Hindi speaking companion) tells his routine at work. He works 14 hrs a day almost 7 days a week. His job is to vacuum the floor before people come to work, refill the vending machine and make sure the washroom has enough tissue paper. He has been doing this for the last 2 years and yet I see him happily joke around with his fellow mates. The same is case with the restaurant boy who takes orders. He runs from table to table taking people's food orders and delivering them. He does this the whole day. I don’t see what excitement this job brings yet he does it with a smiling face. Life makes me realize its benevolence in form of these people.

Before I could sink myself in this thought I hear a voice from within asking "Why do you want to satisfy yourself with what you have? Why don't you want to put your potential to do something better?" I'm an insatiable person. I'm a victim of desire. I've grown up that way. To many this maybe a negative characteristic but to me this is driving force of life and the fuel to go the extra mile. I guess I'm too young to be satisfied with what I have. Theory of Karma in the thoughts of Dhirubai Ambani also reflects this. Everybody is born in a certain orbit. We may choose to live and die in the orbit we are born. But that would be a criminal waste of potential. It’s up to the self to push himself harder to next orbit. This would not only benefit us but everyone connected with us. Since the first time I read this I've started believing in these words unconditionally. As they say "A ship is safer on the shore but thats not whats its made for". Just like the ship, in life we too are made to encounter the roughness on our trail to reach the destination. Some sailors break away half way but some hold on and cash in on the right climatic condition. They pass the test of endurance.

Mind was caught between these two conflicting thoughts. When I was unable to find answers I decided to accept both. You need to strive hard to achieve more at the same time be thankful to life for what it has given me so far. I've been luckier than many people in getting a decent education. I wasn't the best of the lot in school or college. I think the purpose of education is to train the mind to think and I can safely say my education has given me that. Beauty of life is in the way we see it. Winners are those who are able to spot opportunities in adversities. It has been a wonderful journey from a kid playing on the streets to an engineer working for world famous brands. Looking at all those times gone by I realize how beautiful life has been and I believe theres much more life owes me!!

2008-03-19T22:02:00.000-07:00

Marriage Invitation

I've always known it had to come some day and I guess it has come at the right time. It gives me great joy as I invite you to be a part of the biggest celebration of my life. I know it's a little sudden, but I think I've taken the right decision. I might not be able to invite you personally. This is straight from the heart, and I wish you come and grace the ceremony with your presence as I begin a new phase in life. We are giving a new name to the friendship we've shared. Shes the one I laugh with, dream with and live for. The invitation card and venue details are below.

2008-01-30T07:16:00.000-08:00

Travelogue - Singapore

Last year I traveled to many places within Malaysia but none of it have been recorded. This year I'm making it a point to write down a memoir of the places I visit and would like to call it a Travelogue.

Singapore 25th, 26th, 27th Jan 08

This trip was purely a weekend break. I'm saying this because for many, a Singapore visit is most probably for attending an interview. It wasn't the case for me and I did this trip to break the monotony in life. Going to Singapore has been a plan that was missed many times. I decided to make this trip alone from KL this time.

On 25th morning 8:10 I boarded the train. The journey from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore took about 7hrs with rusty and not so clean coaches. The Malaysian Immigration Check happened at Johur Baru and the Singapore Immigration Check happened at New Woodlands. Both these places are separated by a river channel called the Strait of Johur which is about 20 min in train. During this time I met three people whom I would like to call my first Singaporean friends. They were single elderly Chinese people all in their 70s. It was nice to be around with them as they were friendly. They addressed me as "Son.."! It was only in fiction books have I read something like this. One of the ladies there was kind enough to travel with me and showed me the direction to the place I booked for stay. The place was called Inn Crowd.. a dorm for backpackers who were mostly traveling alone. I was the only one with brown skin there. I realized that the concept of backpacking is still not that popular in my part of the world as it is in the West. It was a mixed dorm with long rectangular room with layered beds. People from Australia, Germany, Netherlands, UK, Korea wake up in the same room. Friendly people greet you and ask about your day or share their travel ideas and tips in the evening. Karen Brown, who slept on the bed above mine, was from UK who was doing a trip around Asia. I found most of them there were doing round trips for months together at a stretch... I wonder where they get the time from! People become easily friendly at places like these. Late at night long conversations happens at the in house pub over pints of beer. Since I dont drink I didnt have the opportunity to know many of the inmates.

In the evening I roamed around Little India. This place has some lovely Indian restaurants, Indian temples and Indian shops. The famous Mustafa Shopping complex is situated here. If you plan to buy cheap souvenirs this is the place. There are a lot of sign boards that say 3 for S$10. I got my Merlion fitted with a watch at one of the shops there. Later in the evening met up with an old friend Praveen and had a sumptuous dinner. At 11:00 pm I went back to my dorm. It was quite common to see 4 legs in one bed in the night. The funniest part was that on the first night there, on a bed across me, I saw 2 legs but as I woke up in the morning I saw it multiplied to 4. The guy tells me that it was his girl friend.. whatever!!

The morning breakfast consisted of slices of bread and egg. In the kitchen we were to make our own breakfast. I enjoyed frying the eggs and toasting the bread. My friend called me and we decided to go to Sentosa Islands.

This is the only spot I know of in Singapore that can be called an entertainment spot. It's an Island that has beaches and many other attractions like underwater aquarium and colorful dancing fountains. Getting there was through a cable car.

It was a nice ride that gives an ariel view of the city and the harbour. Spent almost the entire day there listlessly walking around. It was very hot.

The best attraction according to me was the dolphin show. We couldnt make it to the dancing fountains which I heard later from an inmate that it shouldn't have been missed. In the night we had Chappathi, dal and Kabab for dinner at a hawker place to save money. It was a very hot day and I was completly drained out of my energy. Took a shower and went to the lobby to access the free internet fitted time sharing PCs. Went back to my room at 2 am after reading some travel magazines.

Next morning after breakfast I called my friend to take me around the city. We went to the Orchard road, spent time window shopping at a few popular malls. Then we took the tube to Esplanade and walked along the road around the riverside and Supreme Court. In the afternoon we went to the museum. There was a special display of Buddha's relics and artifacts found in his age. As I was hard pressed for time I had to leave the place within an hour. But there was much more to be seen there. We later went to the riverside and took some snaps of the city skyline. After that I had to head back to my Inn and collect my bag. I finally found an hours time to squeeze in to visit Chinatown. Chinese New Year is round the corner and I was sure the place would be colorful. The guard in the MRT station told me that it wasn't a good idea to do this as the the place would be jam packed when I asked him for directions. Nevertheless I decided to take the risk. I was quite certain that I wouldnt spend more than an hour there. Just as expected I found a human traffic jam there. People had to squeeze each other to move ahead. It was no different from the Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur.

I somehow managed to come out within an hour but had a tough time locating the bus stop to catch a bus to the railway station. By now I was starting to become tired and the bag on my back was slowly becoming a pain. It was now I met an interesting person named Priya. Priya was a Singaporean (roots back in Kerala, India) in her mid 20s with a boy-cut, glasses and an Economics book in her hand waiting for the same bus number as I did. I asked for directions to the railway station and a conversation quickly developed. We started talking about various topics from Singapore Law to Indian Economy and later started having a friendly banter on the kind of profession we were in. It turned out to be quite interesting as we found both of us were of the same wavelength when it came to humour. Her mannerism was something I liked as it reminded me of friend I had in Chennai. While I was about to get down.. she said "it was great to meet you" and the expressions on her face truly meant it. I thought to myself "well.. she just stole the words from my mouth". All this happened within a span of 20min. As I got off the bus and crossed the road I realized we hadn't exchanged our contact details. As I turned around and saw I could see her waving back by the window of the moving bus. Well somethings in life are meant to be like this.

Now for the final words on Singapore. Its a very small country (city) but very well planned. Infrastructure is very well organised and only a few countries in the world have been able to achieve this. There is a central system that controls everything and that makes it easier to manage without having too many cooks to spoil the broth. Their rule is democratic (British style). Its more like Kuala Lumpur except that it is more orderly there. Both places are concrete jungles except that in that part of the jungle there is law and that is strictly followed. Tall buildings are common here and this is to make up for the less ground space in the country.
My friend was asking if I didnt find any difference between KL and Singapore and my answer was NO! It would have probably been an YES if I had come to visit from India and things like these would have been new. The city lacks entertainment facilities. There are no natural resources like mountain ranges, forest or a river. Ofcourse there is a beach and a harbour. Most (not all) people are very friendly and helpful. Public transport can be a menace at times as more than 60% of the population is dependent on it. There is now an inflow of immigrants into that country and in my opinion it can spoil the existing law and order. It will also lead to deficit of resources. The prices of property and cost of living has sky rocketed recently. The place looks OK to live in now but if there is no check on the people entering the country then it will loose it glamour.

2008-01-25T08:21:00.000-08:00

Singapore - Day One

At last I'm in the city which is claimed to be in one of the cleanest cities in the world. Eventually this happens to be the second county I've set foot on. Three elderly Chinese people (two women and one man) whom I met on the train would be my first Singaporean friends. One lady (aged 71) helped me get to the hostel as she thought I'd find it hard to look for it being new to their country. One thing I found here are that people are very friendly and helpful. There are lots I'd like to talk about my first day experience but I'm currently using a free time-sharing PC. But I'll make sure I'll fill my travel experience when I reach Kuala Lumpur.

Being here gives me a great feel as I was in love with the city long before I even saw it. After seeing I'm definitly not disappointed. I've lots more to see so will comment on it after that.

2008-01-19T20:11:00.000-08:00

Looking Back..

Too many memories but too dont have the right words to articulate...

2008-01-02T07:07:00.000-08:00

The midnight oil burns..

New Year has brought a new challenge... With lot of hope and bit of out of the box thinking I'm happy I brought it to a step closer to reality. Now to kick something like this out would be foolish. This is something I have been waiting for about a couple of months but yet I'm quite unprepared to face it. It has hit me now when I didn't really realise it would come through. To face it this way is truly challenging. To me this is an indication that the year ahead is going to be filled with lot more hurdles and crossing each of them without mistakes will make the journey one of the best I have had so far. Odds suggest 3rd Jan could prove lucky for me. I just wish that my calculation on numbers don't go wrong this time too.

I'm quite optimistic that this year like all year will begin with a great start! Succeeding in tomorrow's challenge is the key to all of that. Its 11:20 pm and I'm trying all possibilities to make this a reality as tomorrow dawns.. no time to write more.. gotta go!

2007-12-17T13:37:00.000-08:00

I'm Safe.. Dont Worry

This post is in response to the concerned hearts that wants to know how I'm doing in the wake of the latest protests in Malaysia. You have probably heard about the issue by now… Something that has, for the last 150 years, been a domestic issue is now gaining International audience. I'm talking about the fight for rights by ethinic Indian Community in Malaysia. Good friends have been so far calling or emailing to know if I'm OK amidst this chaos. Yes I am indeed!! There is nothing to worry for me (atleast for now) as the protests are for Malaysian Indians and not Indian expats like me. I'm keeping my fingers crossed as I fear the situation would get worse.

I thought it makes sense to talk about the history of this issue now. It dates back to Pre Independence days of Malaysia when the British rulers brought people from India to Malaysia as plantation workers. Malaysia is a multi racial country consisting of three major communities: the Malays (also called as Bumiputras), Chinese and Indians. After Independence many of the policies and quotas of the Government were designed to help the Malays improve their chances economically. Chinese dominated in trade as they were technically far ahead of the Malays and Indians. Indians became an oppressed community. The present protest by HINDRAF is for an amendment in policies and against the British Imperial rulers who ruled them earlier. They are demanding a whooping US $ 4 trillion. Unbelievable but true. Incase, like me, if you didnt know how many 0s this figure would have a simple calculation reveals that if this sum is paid then every single Malaysian Indian would become millionaires!! Whether the Indians would get this amount or not one thing for sure is that HINDRAF has made a mark. Looking at the time and manner in which the protest is made it looks to me like there is a political motive to it. On the other hand the ruling Government is trying its part to paint a picture that would make HINDRAF an exremist group. According to Government sources the HINDRAF group is believed to have terror links with LTTE another banned tamil extremist group in Sri Lanka. Last week the top 5 HINDRAF members were arrested under ISA. Untill the elections next year the situation will remain tense and I'm getting prepared for the worst if I may have to stay here till then.

Closing quote: Indians maybe a minority group but that does not make them a weak group. Lot needs to be done to change this mind set. A self change is required before seeking International court of Justice.

2007-12-02T01:35:00.000-08:00

Road to Recovery

Its been a week since the blow and I'm 80% successful in restoring normality! The face is shaping up well as the swelling has almost reduced. The black bruise below te eye is changing color and there is very little pain now. But new side effects have started. Within two days after the blow my eyes started turning red. On Sunday night people started seeing a blood red spot on the left side of my left eye. Next morning it increased little more. It became quite evident as it was spreading on the white layer of the eye. It was the purest form of red I have seen. It was like blood stains on a white cloth. After not being convinced seeing a few general doctors I decided to see an eye specialist in one of the famous and sophesticated hospitals in KL named Pantai Medical Center. Unfortunately I was told that I cant use my Insurance card and that I had to pay and claim it later from ING. After a series of test the Optholmologist told me that there was no problem and only now I was convinced. My vision was good, no eye irritation, no double vision and no headache of any kind... but why the redness increased day by day? It was because of the rupture of blood vessels in the eye that was caused due to the impact of the blow which resulted in hemoragge. In medical terms it is called Subretinal Hemorrhage and in simple terms it is superficial bleeding in the eye. I was also asked to take X-Rays to make sure there wasn't any cracks on the cheek bone that would cause the fluid from the nose to pass through. I think I have this one quality that Julius Ceaser wanted his army men to have... LUCK. I narrowly escaped being hit on the nose or the eye. I was extremely fortunate to have no cracks on the bone.

I became an uncommon site on the the train or road. People stared at me and I didnt like their look. For this reason I started wearing shades. Again I was attracting unwanted attention as I was "cool..!!" wearing black shades at the desk while working. Every familiar Indian guy had a story to tell about his cricket injury! The worst was that of the guy at the local Punjabi Dhabha who had two of his front teeth broken half. I thought I was not the only one and why do I make a big fuss?!

Now I have been contemplating on leaving the sport I love the most to play. Not that I'm scared of another blow but the effect it will have. I have spent a lot on medications and tests. Two days of medical leave. Unwanted mental agony for both me and folks back home. Neverthless sports will be an integral part in my life. I have been thinking of taking up a less dangerous sport like Badminton which eventually is quite a popular sport in South East Asian countries.

2007-11-24T06:25:00.000-08:00

Ouucchh.. it pains!!

A friend's SMS last night brought in a great surprise. It was about a net practice session in Kinrara grounds, one of the best International Cricket Grounds in Malaysia. It was the ground where India, West Indies and Australia played DLF Cup a Tri Series in Sept 06. I was unaware of the real surprise that was in store for me. I was told a great deal of effort had gone in booking the nets which was reserved for the Under 19 Malaysian Team. Since I didn't have the right attire for the game the first thing I did was to go and purchase cricket spikes and white T shirt from Carrefoure, not far from my place. A cab was arranged to pick us up at 11:30am. It happened as expected that half the team were not present even after the cab had arrived. Being on time had a different meaning to those guys. Since I was new to this cricketing group I was being told about the how the team was wacked in previous encounters with a company in Singapore. The opponent team had feasted long before the official banquet!!

When I stepped in the ground I was awe stuck by the way the ground was maintained. The picture above explains it all. I'm playing real cricket after a gap of over 7 years and getting cramps and muscle pull all over my body was understandable. Since my forte was bowling I was happy with the ball. I didn't want to try batting as I had the fear of the ball. I wasn't mentally prepared but I had to when guys asked me to pad up. I miss timed most of the shots but I enjoyed playing. Then came the dreaded delivery!! Good Length.. pitched on the off side.. good pace... hit the bat.. top edged and straight ON TO THE FACE.. Yes my face!!

For 2 or 3 seconds everything blacked out. I could see the guys coming towards me but I couldn't hear anything. When I was gaining consciousness the first thing I checked was that my teeth was all in place. I could feel them wholly with my tongue. Relieved I thought at least its not as bad as it could have been. I could feel the swelling on the left cheek just below the eye. It pained when touched. I feared a fracture on the cheek bone. Guys around told me there was a small cut and it was slightly bleeding. I went to the wash room to have it washed with running water. The cold water in the freezer was a great help. As I looked at my face in the mirror.. it felt like seeing a boxer who has just finished a bloody bout.... swollen face with a cut that's bleeding. In the silence I came to realise what went wrong.. Before stepping into the nets I made sure every sensitive part of the body was protected but I didn't realise my face and head was uncovered. I didn't wear the helmet! It was lack of precaution. If I had the helmet this could have been completely avoided. I must say I'm a bit lucky this time. The ball hit right at the spot where it is an inch below the eye and left side of the nose. If it happened on either of them it could have been a totally different story now. As I was resting I understood things are different now than in school or college. If something serious happens and I'm medically grounded it could affect not only me but people around me. I have responsibities. I had to be safe than sorry. Its a wake up call and I learnt a lesson today.

Things are OK now after taking the medicine the doctor had given. The swelling has reduced a little and not much of pain too. The ice bag and anti inflammatory ointment has helped in reducing the swelling but there is a heavy black spot on the place where the ball hit... something like in cartoons when a person is hit in the eye! The doctor tells it will become normal in 2 weeks. I feel very tired and doing all the medication by myself is irritating. I wish there was someone to help me. I'm missing home now!!

2007-11-09T07:55:00.000-08:00

Diwali in Kuala Lumpur

Needless to stay this is first Diwali away from family. But the hospitality of good friends and their family made me feel at home. My Diwali started with a soft voice calling me by full name.. "Jayakrishna.." followed by load banging on the door. It was the voice of my house owner I realised and as I gained consciousness from sleep I dragged myself to the door. I opened and there was none. I found no one in the hall and her room was also locked. I thought this was yet another weird dream. I went back to bed and I heard the banging again. Irritated this time I opened the door and there was my house owner.. in traditional South Indian festive attire with a big box of Ferro Rochers! She gave them wishing me for Diwali and told me I should take "oil bath" before the sun came out as that was the custom. It may have been rather demanding but I felt it more of a motherly command. I obliged. In the morning exchange of wishes through SMSs were no different from what I used to have back home. Then breakfast was at Rudra's place with his roommates watching a so called comedy movie "BORAT" (Not my kinda comedy!). I had to leave in half of the movie as Naga and his mother had invited me for lunch.. a full course South Indian meal.. which I really enjoyed. Pankaj and his wife Nishi arranged for evening get together along with some lovely home made sweets and savories. I was touched by all of their warmth and love. For someone one who is away from his home and home country in search of some unclear dream this is how it is. I'm away.. but not alone I realised.

In Malaysia Diwali is a celebrated grandly and its a National holiday. Brickfields has a ten day market with evening stage shows. It is a place to "check out" the Romeos and Juliet's of Malaysian Tamils. Open houses are held at various places. According to Wikipedia " 'Open houses' are held where Hindu Malaysians welcome fellow Malaysians of different races and religions to their house for a sumptuous meal. 'Open house' or 'rumah terbuka' is a practice very much unique to Malaysia that shows the goodwill and friendly ties practised by all Malaysians during any festive occasion." It was the most silent Diwali for me so far. Very few sounds of crackers were heard. Bursting crackers are banned by Govt here. Fireworks are only during Govt functions and New Year. I was born in a place called Sivakasi.. which boasts of the highest number of cracker manufacturing units in India. I have close relatives there and every year they would send us the best crackers for free. During school days on Diwali friends would wait for me and my elder brother in the ground as we would have the best variety of crackers. I still get these back home but now its my cousin who enjoys the pride with his friends. To me Diwali is always a time to get back with street friends and have some cheap fun trying out innovative ways to explode a coconut shell or cracking the wall around the ground using the "Atom Bombs"!!

Diwali brings back many such memories that will always remain close to my heart. Now that is history and I can only think of them with a feeling that I'm glad that it happened. To me Diwali will always be festival of light and love.

2007-11-05T02:34:00.000-08:00

Unexplained Dreams

Strange things happen to me when I sleep. Vivid pictures of totally unrelated incidents pass my mind as I sleep. I can remember them just as I get up but they slowly fade away from my memory as I move along the madness of the passing day. Its been the case with me for many years. when I sleep the body rests but the mind remains still wandering searching for answers to the questions that trouble me in the day. The result of this is disturbed sleep and I do not feel fresh as I wake up next morning. But quite interestingly I have found solution to many problems. Like for example the blog description.. "Faster than Ray of Light". I got this name when I got up from a sleep after I went to bed thinking what to name my blog the previous night. The reason it "light" was deliberate I think as my mind keeps thinking about something that it relates to light and happiness knowingly or unknowingly. I know why my mind thinks of light and happiness but it is irrelevant here. I believe in the power of the mind and I want to know what these strange dreams want to tell me. I have decided to write down these dreams and see if I can relate it to something.

THE DREAM - 5th Nov 2007

BEGIN

I was leaning against a red sedan and watching a kid near a school gate. The kid was about 7 yrs old and was wearing a white and white school uniform, with a big shoulder bag behind him and a water bottle on his side. He was cute and had glasses with black frame. He was active and was a big hit among the other parents who came to pick up their children. He didnt have any worries in his mind and I wished I was as happy as he was. So I went up to him and started talking. He casually answered me as he was playing with his other friends. I asked him where's his house and I would leave him in his house. He said its only 5 min walk and he can walk on his own. I told him that I will come along and he didnt refuse. So we started to talk and walk. On the way he was kicking the stones. I saw an innocence in him that I had rarely seen before. As we walked I felt I was walking down a familiar street. The houses, play ground and road was known to me before though I dont remember when I'd been here. He pointed to a banglow that was painted white and maroon and said that was his house. I asked the kid who is his father and he told me his name. And I quickly asked him who is his mother and he told me the name.. I knew it had to be this!!

END

I shuddered as I got up. I took the mobile that was besides the bed. The time was 12:37 AM. Three missed calls and one SMS. I vaguely ran through the list of callers and the message. The name pf the kid's mother was still on my head as it was a very different name and I thought I had come across this name when I was in school but just couldnt remember who it was. I wanted to store it so quickly typed it in my message box and then slept. As today at work there was an important client audit we were quite busy right from the time I stepped in. Without knowing I had typed something in my message box I replied to a friends sms that came along asking "What time Lunch?". It was only in the afternoon I realised I had stored this name in it. Now it was gone as it was replaced with my reply to my friend. The name starts with "A" and some thing like Arth... and ends in "i"... no not Arthi! I just couldnt figure it after thinking the whole day but nevertheless I thought I will write it down and see if it will relate to any of my other dreams. In the meanwhile you guys can think of a name with this combination let me know..

2007-11-02T02:07:00.000-07:00

Hairy Tale

I woke up in the morning scratching my head. It was so itchy and the scratching was soothing. It was only after a while I noticed white tiny flakes on my dark blue T shirt.. Dandruff!! It was just like in those shampoo ads which so far I thought was just an exaggeration. I had to see it to believe it. I was big headed that all along I was thinking that, unlike many other people I knew, I never had this and will never ever have it but I was wrong. Hair falling has been a concern for a long time and to add to this now.. another problem Dandruff. The long hours of working with computers, compromising health, is slowly taking its toll on me. Now that its in.. I'm gonna have big trouble for the rest of my life.

I'm going to start a home medication that my mom has told me. To start off with I went to the barber in the morning to have a real close hair cut. Well choice to have a close hair cut was of my own as I think a big burden is taken off your head and you can concentrate more on the goal you wish to pursue. I'm influenced by the Buddhist and Army men. Infact the kind of hair cut I had today was one like that of a Buddhist Monk... An electric clipper with 3 Inch blade was used. Visibly all part of the head now has equal hair length. It was agonizing to see flocks of hair fall on the floor. As the barber was doing my hair I could imagine a strange similarity to a gardener mowing his field!! With the hair gone I decided to remove my one month old well grown beard too. It took me one full hour to have it removed. And the result.. a new look. Now I only hope people don't have trouble recognizing me at the Immigration Office as I'm going to Singapore next week :)

Listen to this audio.. it was sent to me by a friend in one his usual forwards. I found this interesting. Amazing Virtual Experience in Sound. Its Binaural recording… Use Stereo Headphones only.

Statutory Warning: DO NOT LISTEN UNLESS YOU HAVE HEAD PHONES!!

2007-10-29T19:01:00.000-07:00

Photography Field Trip - Sekinchan

It’s time again for us to leave our office cubicle, pack your camera and gears…let’s head to the “Rice Bowl” of Selangor.

These were the words that brightened my day as today I received the second and final communication email for the photography field trip to Sekinchan popularly known as the "Rice Bowl" of Selangor. This is part of the HP Photography Club's monthly activity and my first with this group. Its also an initiative to help photographers who are willing to take part in HP's Q3 Photography Contest "Green & Blue". I have recently joined this club and was one of the first ones to register for this trip as it was limited to just 25 people. Now I'm really excited and looking forward to this trip on Saturday 3rd Nov 2007.

Sekinchan is a small town located up North of Selangor, about 1 and a half hours drive from KL. It is one of the major rice producing area in Malaysia and hence known as the "Rice Bowl" of Selangor. Selangor is one of the 13 states of Malaysia and Sekinchan is a must see for people visiting Selangor.

I have been told that going there in the month of Oct/Nov is best because you can watch the Golden colour of the paddy field amidst the blue sky. The town itself has a unique dual character. Apart from paddy field, it is also a fishing village by itself.

The agenda is to meet at 7:00 am at office premises and have some light breakfast that would be served. Then get on the cab and head straight to the spot. As soon as we reach Sekinchan we would go around the village and explore its scenic beauty of vast green land. Then we would feast ourself with some delicious seafood thats all going to come for free. Ssslurrpp!! There are a lot of seafood restaurants in Sekinchan offering various fresh seafood. When we were asked for the choice of food I was quite surprised to find that of the total 25 people only me and another Indian guy had opted for 'Pork-Free' Food!! Rest of the choice was unanimously 'Any Food' but yeh there was one Chinese who had opted for 'vejeetirian'. The last part of the trip is to watch the sunset at the fishing village before heading back to KL.

Its been a while I went travelling now and this would be a nice trip I hope. Good food, good scenery and good company, what more do I need?

2007-10-28T03:48:00.000-07:00

On the run..!!

Today morning marked the third day of my jogging on the streets on Kuala Lumpur. The reason to do it was the clear visibility of the extra fat around waistline and abdomen. There has been no physical activity for a long time and the sedentary working habits has only added up to the sloppy belly. Before things can go worse I've decided to take steps. Hopefully this time it wouldn't be like the other times where I gave up as fast as I started.

The longest distance I was able to make it in these 3 days was 4km which I covered both walking and running on Friday. I start at about 6:20 in the morning and I run for about 30 min just when the twilight illuminates the city. Of course there would be some strange stares I'd get but I'm quite used to these things now. The only place in KL you can encounter stray dogs is Brickfields the place I stay. This is the only thing I'm scared of while starting my run in the morning. Legs have become lazy nowadays that it can't move as it used to before. So I start to walk initially and then slowly run. It is at this time I think of the activities that I wish to complete for the day. Finally at the end of the run I'd do a bit of stretching and abdomen exercise. Then have a cold shower. Trust me it feels great through out the day after this. I get this extra freshness and activeness that I don't remember having before.

When in college I always liked to run in the morning at the Anna Nagar Tower Park, Chennai. One thing thats still on mind is meeting a person who comes walking there. He was 89 then and a regular morning walker. I was amazed by his fitness at that age. There were many other people like him and who have been an inspiration to me. Jogging is one of my first attempts to revive old passions. I'm running... away from the confusion thats going on in my head.. the darkness thats looming over me... I'm running to find the person I once was...

... And I cleaned my room

2007-10-19T14:02:00.001-07:00

It was a beautiful room when I walked in on 1st April 2007. Though it wasn't posh it was big and had all the necessary things needed for living comfortably. The thing I liked the most about this room was the way it had been maintained. It was super clean and everything was neatly arranged. Looking at it after 6 months I see a different picture. The room is cluttered. Books and papers on the bed that had no bed cover. Clothes and food stuffs (mostly spoilt and rotten) strewn around on the ground and sofa. CDs and bills scattered disorderly on the table. A big cushion one seater right in the middle of this mess making it difficult to move around. And worst of all there is no light. For the last 4 months I was living amidst all this. Two months ago things got worse when the light fused. I'm living in darkness since then as I didn't want anyone to enter my room even if it has to be the electrician or the cleaning lady. Necessasity leads to innovation. I started using my laptop as a source of light. As soon as I come back from work I switch on the laptop and there was light!! Many including my house owner asked me how am I managing with the darkness in room.. I just told them "..well my life has been in darkness for more than 2 years now.. this is only in the room!" I'm sure you don't understand what I meant just like the people who heard it before.. but its meant to be that way.

I didn't sleep last night and was watching a couple of movies as today was an off day. In the wee hours of the morning I saw something moving around on the floor.. strained my eyes to see it better and it was a cockroach running underneath my bed. I knew I was having many more uninvited guests like this one in my room. So thinking it was high time I do something about it.. I picked the broom at 7 AM. Started something that was put off for more than 4 months. When I started I didn't know how I was going to clean the mess. It was similar to the mess in my life. But somehow when I started I came to realise ways to dispose the waste and place to arrange my things. It also led me to discover many good things that I once had which was hidden in the mess. It has a strange but striking similarity in my life. This has made me understand that if you want to change something you need to start. I think chancing oneself is the first step in changing the world. Finally I finished it around 3 PM. The whole room was given a face lift. Have a feeling of accomplishment now. I didn't think anyone else would have been more happy to hear except my mom so I called her to say this. Lit some incense sticks that I got from the Buddha temple in Penang and played Balamurali Krishna and E Gayatri on my laptop. It was heaven in my room with the fragrance, smoke and sound. Listening to sound of Veena I lay on the bed. The next thing I remember is the phone ringing and the time was 9:37 PM. I don't know what happened in between.. but I just presume I may have slept!

2007-09-24T13:12:00.001-07:00

An absolute thriller.. fitting climax!!

I'm writing this just a few minutes after watching India lift the Twenty20 Cup

India beating Pakistan at the finals of Cricket's first ever big game of the shorter version. None can ask for a better climax to the hugely entertaining tournament. A dream final with twists and turns and that ending in India's favor. It was a edge of the seat thriller till the finish with either team having the chances to snatch the Cup. Ultimately it was a billion hope that prevailed over a hundred million in the first ever Twenty20 World Cup .

I watched this match amidst a crowd of over 100 people at a packed Indian restaurant late in the night here in Kuala Lumpur. I have personally not felt this kind of excitement watching Cricket in the last 8 years. A sudden sharp feeling of excitement ran over my nerves when Sreeshant shattered the stumps. I got up the chair and started moving around frantically during the last over of the match. I got goose bumps watching the Indian team go around the ground with the tri-color after winning. The crowd of Indian supporters started shouting for all the dot balls India bowled. A few Pakistanis present there never attempted to make the slightest noise even when their country batsmen smacked over the ropes in the final overs as a frenzy Indian mob totally outnumbered them. A Malay-Indian friend of mine told me that he read somewhere that India's patriotism feeling is at its best during an India-Pakistan match than even on its Independence Day. I think thats absolutely true. Matches like these get the true patriotism out of Indians. I think I didn't get lucky like those who were sitting on the sands of Marina watching this match in Chennai. The crowd makes the difference.

The newer version of the game has taken the major teams by surprise. Proteas unexpected exit from the tournament; Kiwis and Oz surprise losses; The Tigers shaking the confidence of many top class teams; All South Asian final. The uncertainty in the game is what has made Twenty20 so popular. The match can swing any side within a few balls. Twenty20 has all the elements to make it entertaining like football. Who said Cricket is long and boring?

This is India's most successful performance since the 1983 World Cup final. Dhoni has made the Dev-il act in his first ever assignment as a Captain. Our neighbours didn't get a chance to relive the 1992 World Cup moment. Being an ardent cricket fan since 1992 my greatest moment in cricket is to watch India lift the world cup. I think I got to see it in this life time. Not sure when again I would get to see this. Who knows maybe after 20 years I might mutter "when are we going to see another Dhoni's marvel.. why don't you guys learn from mistakes?"

For me this was the first time I got so involved in a match after Azharudhin left the game. My interest in the game was completely lost when Azhar was convicted for match fixing. This tournament has only revived it after seeing many promising talents rising to the occasion. But I have always felt Indian team and consistency is synonymous with peace and Kashmir. I think this present team can prove it all wrong. Hopefully the perks that they are now going to get, back home, shouldn't spoil their burning spirit to win. Dhoni has already been named for one of the most prestigious award in Jharkhand. Quoting MSN "The Board has announced USD 3 million for the team and Rs 15 lakh each for the support staff while Yuvraj Singh will get Rs 1 crore for hitting six sixes in one over." Another important thing to watch out for is the transformation from window breaking mob to cheering supporters.. that's Indian cricket crowd for you!

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2007-09-18T03:44:00.001-07:00

DSC02332-1
Originally uploaded by Jay Krishna

Trial

2007-09-17T18:57:00.000-07:00

I'm back... Unsuccessfully

The mission was unaccomplished. I have decided to give up (for a while) owing to various social factors. When I decided going into seclusion I never thought of the repocations it would have. First of all it was a complete self destruction physically. Most of the time I spent the whole day without food or with just one meal a day. Try in vain to sleep until 4am and then somehow dose off only to wake up late in the morning. And because of this I continuously came up with a new lie everyday at work with teammates for going late. Room was dirty overall and sometimes I slept on the floor amidst the dirt and filth. Light had fused and I didn't bother to replace it. Wore unwashed and unpressed clothes. I know I looked sick with unshaven or untrimmed beard for over 3 weeks!! Mom and dad starting worrying as I stopped calling them. Same as the case with friends. I started to realize that it was just not me who's affected but also many others around me. So finally I decided to get into what others call it a 'normal life'.

Some of the things that crossed my thoughts were

Expectations: Man's greatest weapon and weakness. "Blessed is the man who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed". Maybe that's true. But this is what I believe when the expectation is high the target to achieve is also high which yields higher reward. With all the failures and disappointment along the way I still like to dream.. and that too big. Vision without action becomes illusion. This is what I have understood.

Women: Symbol of pleasure. Pleasure seems a strong word and to cut your imagination short let me tell you what I tried to mean: 'Amusement'; 'Diversion; 'The gratification of the mind'; 'Something good and delightful that brings happiness'. All this can also be the biggest source of diversion from the usual work you are required to perform day in and day out. There can be no women in your life who can been a source of unrelenting love and affection except for your mom for she is the symbol of sacrifice.

If success has a percentage equal to 100 then 80 - 85% of it is your effort. The remaining 15 - 20% depends on external influences. Some like to call it GOD... some call it FATE/DESTINY... and some call it LUCK. Whatever name you give it you cannot change that part of it as in most cases you will have no or very little control over them. All that can be done is to improvise on 85%.. simply maximize your effort towards succeeding you goal. As long as you have faith in our own cause and an unshakable will to win, victory will not be denied.

In life we get burdens only strong enough to handle. When they fall on you its test for you to understand that this is a symbol that life knows you have the strength to endure them. Its a test of limits.

Maybe the first attempt was a partial failure. Nevertheless, I consider this as an eye opener. I think I'm just waking up to the truth.. the truth of where I am in this rat race for love, fame and money.

2007-09-09T04:26:00.000-07:00

Out on a Mission.. Soul Searching

I'm sorry again for this silence.. I've moved away from the world and people. This time I'm out on a mission and its something I wont be able to discuss or talk about. Recent happenings in life has led me to a doubt if life will ever have a brighter side. I have not realised the beauty of what I had until I've started losing it now.. every day by day. I failed to keep it with me when I could have. Life is teaching me lessons the hard way now. I need some time to spend with myself to question and examine my own beliefs and motives. I need to understand what I want in life. All emails and scraps will be replied soon..

2007-08-28T13:48:00.001-07:00

Crystal pillars - Man made marvel!!

Last Saturday evening I decided to try a bit of photography with my new FujiFilm S5700. I have always found KLCC gardens that has Petronas twin towers in the backdrop to be the perfect training ground for any amateur photographer. I chose to go there in the evening because of the lighting. As my house owner and her daughter were busy shopping at KLCC I slipped away to the gardens. It was the first time I used a tripod. To set it and get the right angle and elevation took a lot of time. I need a lot of practice on that. I havent used any softwares to retouch the pictures. This is just the raw output from my camera.

2007_0825Petronas0022
Originally uploaded by Jay Krishna target="_blank"

2007_0825Petronas0018
Originally uploaded by Jay Krishna

2007-08-23T11:28:00.000-07:00

182 days completed!

Is it only me that's feeling this or do you feel the same too.. time flies! I feel like every phase in life passes very quickly, often so quickly that I'm surprised. It seems to me like it was only a few days back I packed my clothes and left Chennai though now its 6 months already. I have completed 182 days of stay in Malaysia... without family.. without friends with who I grew up.. without the very essence of Chennai.

For many who thought I cant be away from the above three this is definitely a jaw dropper! I was one of them to think like that initially when I accepted the job offer. Living has definitely not been easy since then and I have come to realise thats how life is going to be henceforth.

For me completing this 182 days within Malaysia means a lot. I'm now a tax-resident in Malaysia. This is not to be confused with a Permanent Resident. The status gives me the eligibility to claim the excess tax money I have paid, which is 25% of my monthly earnings, so far. Now I have to go through a long and tiring process of claiming it back. Also I do not owe anything to my employer incase I quit now.. A sigh of relief.. hehe! Home is always on my mind. This is the first time I have stayed so long away from home. The last time I did it was 25 days. In March 2006 I decided to rent a place somewhere in Chennai and stay away from home for sometime. Took a place at Valasaravakam and as each day passed staying there alone was literally getting me mad. The street dogs too were totally unfriendly. On the 25th day I said enough of this garbage and left the place for good. This time I made up mind of not planning to run away like that. I have learnt a few things that my mom always wished I knew.. washing my clothes and keeping my place tidy... Though cooking is still a challenge. Whatever I get here can never match the comfort I had in Chennai!

2007-08-20T06:06:00.000-07:00

Back to work after vacations..

It just seemed like it started but now its all over. The 10 day vacation leave is now over and I'm back to work unwillingly. The vacation was like a beautiful rainbow that seemed to have disappeared within the blink of an eye.

I tagged along with the group of 3 guys and 2 girls who came from India. A few in the group came to squander the bonus money the company has paid them. Ofcourse those lucky ones work at top notch IT MNCs. Off the lot I just knew Arun who went to college with me and the rest came together through like a link leading to another. Arun and Divya work together. Divya's roomie is Sangeetha. Sangeetha's ex-colleagues and friends were Shobin and Sriram. Thats how we all met at Kuala Lumpur. I came across quite a few interesting characters about whom I will detail in this blog later.

Not everything went as per the plan. Unfortunately I was not able to make it to Singapore because of time constraints. In the next few blogs I Will write a detailed summary of my travel experience. I'm also consolidating the pictures that we took and will update them on this blog by Wednesday or Thursday. Before that there are a lot of pending work at office which I need to complete atleast by this week.

2007-08-08T04:29:00.000-07:00

Tour De Malaysia et Singapore!!

I'm now all set for this tour. We have been planning this for the last 45 days and I can't wait to see it unfold tomorrow morning! I'm going on a 10 day vacation to tour Malaysia and Singapore. I'll be joining a group from India in which I have a friend with whom I went to college. Though I have been to many cities and states in Malaysia this one is a major outing for me in Malaysia in one strech and that has gone through a lot of planning. The plan is 3 days at Taman Negara, a virgin tropical forest, 3 days at Langkawi one of the world famous Island and Beach & the place where they shot DON, Sharukh Khan starrer, and for 2 days at Singapore. Will also be spending a couple of days at Kuala Lumpur to experience the Asian cosmopolitan life style.

Theres a lot of work at office thats pending which I thought I will complete before the vacation but couldnt complete it now. Will take care of the consequences on 19th when I'm back to work!! Time to leave... bye bye

2007-08-06T03:32:00.000-07:00

Ice.. Coffee and Me

You would hardly call me a coffee drinker untill the beginning of this year. Though I was haunted by the smell and flavour of coffee I had resisted the temptation for 24yrs. Not after the beginnening of this year. My affair with coffee started when I started taking frequent breaks after I put in my papers in the previous company. From milk my liking drifted to coffee. On seeing me the guy at the pantry would instantly know I'd ask for 'Coffee... with extra sugar!!' The affair is only getting more intimate in Kuala Lumpur. I started tasting different blends of coffee here. Having tried almost everything from Cappuccino to Espresso on the office vending machine list, I'm experimenting my own coffee making for the last few weeks. In addition to the vending machine, which gives instant coffee of different flavours, we have separate containers or tins of creamer, sugar and coffee for people to make their own coffee to suit their taste. So far I have been thinking it was heat that was needed to transfer the flavour of coffee to water. I think it is a wrong assumption. I found that when I tried preparing cold coffee at office. I just loved what I made today. First I made a normal hot coffee with my usuall recipe. I think it was just about perfect!! I decided to try something more with this. A cold Coffee!! It was geniunly the best coffee I have ever had so far! I'm sharing the recipe.

1. Add 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of dark-roasted ground coffee. Anything more in my opinion would make the coffee to taste bitter.
2. Add 5 tablespoons of creamer (milk powder). This is a substituion to milk. The amount of creamer determines taste. This is not recommended for black coffee drinkers.
3. Add 4 to 5 tablespoons of sugar (Unfortunately I like all things sweeter and coffee is no exception to this. If you find it too sweet to handle then you can add sugar according to your preference)
4. Stir the mixture well. This will make all the three ingredients to mix well.
5. Add water of extremly high temperature (90 - 95 c) to this mixture.
6. The mixture would dissolve well in hot water. You might find lumps of creamer and coffee floating. Use a stirrer dissolve them.
5. Finally add 3 tablespoons of liquid creamer (eg. Nestle MilkMaid).
6. Fill another plastic/ paper cup with ice cubes and pour the hot coffee over them. I found adding ice cubes will dilute the coffee so refrigeration for 30 min would be a better choice.

Cold coffee can be enjoyed especially if the climate is hot. Coffee in general helps in keeping you alert and overcome fatigue instantly. Its heady flavour can easily get you addicted to it. A cup a day wouldn't do much harm I guess.

2007-08-05T02:34:00.000-07:00

First Sunday in August.. Whats so special?!

Most Indians would say 'Friendship Day'. Yes in India the first Sunday in August is celebrated as a day for friendship. Interestingly in Malaysia its on the 1st of Aug. For the last one week you might have recieved ecards and forwarded emails with some touching wordings on it to say that you are their best friends. Some mails end with a terrible note If you dont send that card to 10 people you would loose all the good friends you have. What the &*$%@##!! Blindly sending e-mails that have been heavily forwarded, and worse, stating benifits and consequenses is infuriating!! By following the leader as a "mindless forwarder", one may lose friends!

The most popular among the younger generations are Friendship day and Valentines day. If I may ask a question "Do you know when is mothers day?" The number of 'No's will out number 'Yes's. I remember when I studied in 8th Std we were so excited about Valentines Day. It was an age where we knew nothing about having and maintaining a girl friend in real would mean. There was another strange thing I noticed. The boys and girls exchanged roses and cards on Valentines Day. The same group would exchange Friendship cards on Friendship Day. The worst comes when the same group celebrates Raksha Bandhan a day for brother sister love. In my opinion all these are three different relationship and it cannot be shared with the same person. I never understood what was the kind of relationship they had. All these were the effect of rampant consumerism by consumer market bigwigs targeted at youngsters urging them to spend. Gift marketers run an extensive campaign to lure people to buy cards and gifts for their friends. You dont need a special day to say appreciation for their friendship to good friends.. and sometimes somethings are nicer when unsaid!!

2007-07-29T14:22:00.001-07:00

27th July 07 - MCDBA... 2 Yrs dream now a reality

This was one of the things I wanted to achieve professionally when I joined Sify. It has taken me two years to finish it. The exam was zapper. Aced thro 45 questions in about 90 min where in the total time for the exam was 240min. As I finished each question I knew the effort and money was not going to go waste. I knew I was inching towards the reality which had been so far only been a dream. As clicked End Exam the screen went blank.. it was completely white. Wild thoughts started to cross my mind.. has the system hung??!! That was the last thing I would have wanted here. I couldnt sustain the anxiety. I stormed out to call the lady incharge for the exams. She said this was normal and came to have a look... She was right. When I saw the screen now the image had changed. Only two words caught my sight.

Successfully......................... 928.

I didnt have to bother about the rest of words. I'm now an MCDBA!

Since then I've been having fun.. had an office dinner party and bowling session on Friday night.. (just after my exam) On Saturday couple of friends had come down from Singapore so spent the whole weekend with them.. was totally tied up as I was trying to show them around KL almost everything thats possible to be covered in 1 and a half days. Just had time to breath!!

There are reason for choosing this date for the exam. It was on this day three years back that I made my first constructive step towards making a career in IT. Cant forget that date as it also happens to be my only bro's birthday! I registered for the exam with Informatics. It was what that taught me to operate a mouse back in 1997. A group of guys were invited from our school to experiment with the new multimedia PCs that they then had.

Though Microsoft support for SQL Server 2000 might end in April next year I wanted to get this done. To me its a personal achievement. This was the first thing that was asked of me by my manager when I started working in databases as a novice. Now its time to market this certificate in greener pastures!

2007-07-24T14:46:00.000-07:00

Preparing for the Final Assault

Its almost near and I cant wait to accomplish it. Its just two days away. On Friday I'd be giving my final exam for MCDBA. Its on Win 2003 Server. The two years wait will come to an end. The last three weeks I have been busy craming for this exam... browsing pdf, dumps, test simulators.. anything I can get my hands on to make sure things go my way on the exam day. I joined forums for quick help but they only fill my inbox with junk. No quality content!!

I have been through these kind of International Ceritifications for 5 times for 2 different brands, Microsoft and Oralce, in two years before this one. But each time I have always felt like taking the exam for the first time. Theres always this uneasiness and apprehension, as about future uncertainties. The money, rewards and peer attention are the driving forces for me to prepare well. So far no hiccups and I wanna get through this one too!! 27th July date was primarily choosen because of the sentiment factor I have with numbers and combinations. The history of this dates back to 3 years. Forget it.. no time to talk about it.

This has been the primary reason for me not replying to your emails, scraps or offlines. I will catch up on these after 27th July 2007. Got to go..

2007-07-24T09:27:00.000-07:00

Free International Calls - Phone to Phone

I haven't used Skype before but found this ones cool. Its a Phone to Phone calling service. Tokiva is the service that enables you to make inexpensive international long distance calls on your mobile phone immaterial of where in the world you are. After you sign up with your mobile number you get a credit balance of 50 free.. With this I called my home (To India From Malaysia) and was able to speak for 5 min and 10 sec for free. The voice clarity is not that good the time I called but for a few friends of mine who used it say it was quite clear. I shouldn't be asking more for the free service! Tokiva also have schemes where you buy credit and use it to call. Use the link below to sign up.

Click Here to Register

2007-07-14T19:31:00.000-07:00

An Inspiring Message

Looks like the Presidential Election in India is just around the corner and President Abdul Kalam has opted out of the race. The message below is claimed by many websites and email forwards that its by President Abdul Kalam but when I did a quick search in Kalam's official website I didn't find anything like this. I do not have proof to say that this was his message nevertheless its a worthy read for every Indian. Indians who have stepped foreign land will easily be able to relate to this message. I remember reading this sometime last year as an Email forward and it was truly inspiring. This is a very long message so read only when you are free. The bottom line is don't crib but act!

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam's Speech: A Must Read

I have three visions for India. In 3000 years of our history people from all over the world have come and invaded us, captured our lands, conquered our minds. From Alexander onwards. The Greeks, the Turks, the Moguls, the Portuguese, the British, the French, the Dutch, all of them came and looted us, took over what was ours. Yet we have not done this to any other nation. We have not conquered anyone. We have not grabbed their land, their culture, their history and tried to enforce our way of life on them. Why? Because we respect the freedom of others. That is why my first vision is that of FREEDOM. I believe that India got its first vision of this in 1857, when we started the war of independence. It is this freedom that we must protect and nurture and build on. If we are not free, no one will respect us.

My second vision for India is DEVELOPMENT. For fifty years we have been a developing nation. It is time we see ourselves as a developed nation. We are among top 5 nations of the world in terms of GDP. We have 10 percent growth rate in most areas. Our poverty levels are falling. Our achievements are being globally recognized today. Yet we lack the self-confidence to see ourselves as a developed nation, self-reliant and self-assured. Isn't this incorrect?
I have a THIRD vision. India must stand up to the world. Because I believe that unless India stands up to the world, no one will respect us. Only strength respects strength. We must be strong not only as a military power but also as an economic power. Both must go hand-in-hand. My good fortune was to have worked with three great minds. Dr. Vikram Sarabhai of the Dept. of space, Professor Satish Dhawan, who succeeded him and Dr. Brahm Prakash, father of nuclear material. I was lucky to have worked with all three of them closely and consider this the great opportunity of my life.

I see four milestones in my career: ONE: Twenty years I spent in ISRO. I was given the opportunity to be the project director for India's first satellite launch vehicle, SLV3. The one that launched Rohini. These years played a very important role in my life of Scientist.
TWO: After my ISRO years, I joined DRDO and got a chance to be the part of India's missile program. It was my second bliss when Agni met its mission requirements in 1994.
THREE: The Dept. of Atomic Energy and DRDO had this tremendous partnership in the recent nuclear tests, on May 11 and 13. This was the third bliss. The joy of participating with my team in these nuclear tests and proving to the world that India can make it, that we are no longer a developing nation but one of them. It made me feel very proud as an Indian. The fact that we have now developed for Agni a re-entry structure, for which we have developed this new material. A Very light material called carbon-carbon.
FOUR: One day an orthopedic surgeon from Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences visited my laboratory. He lifted the material and found it so light that he took me to his hospital and showed me his patients. There were these little girls and boys with heavy metallic calipers weighing over three kg. each, dragging their feet around. He said to me: Please remove the pain of my patients. In three weeks, we made these Floor reaction Orthosis 300 gram calipers and took them to the orthopedic centre. The children didn't believe their eyes. From dragging around a three kg. load on their legs, they could now move around! Their parents had tears in their eyes. That was my fourth bliss!

Why is the media here so negative? Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why? We are the first in milk production. We are number one in Remote sensing satellites. We are the second largest producer of wheat. We are the second largest producer of rice. Look at Dr. Sudarshan, he has transferred the tribal village into a self-sustaining, self-driving unit. There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters.
I was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert land into an orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried among other news. In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime. Why are we so NEGATIVE? Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things? We want foreign TVs, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology. Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that self-respect comes with self-reliance?

I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is: She replied: I want to live in a developed India. For her, you and I will have to build this developed India. You must proclaim. India is not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed nation.

Allow me to come back with vengeance. Got 10 minutes for your country?
YOU say that our government is inefficient. YOU say that our laws are too old. YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage. YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke, the airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination. YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits. YOU say, say and say.
What do YOU do about it? Take a person on his way to Singapore. Give him a name - YOURS. Give him a face - YOURS. YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground Links as they are. You pay $5 (approx. Rs. 60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM.
YOU comeback to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status identity. In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU? YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai. YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah. YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds (Rs. 650) a month to, "see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else." YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 kph) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, "Jaanta hai sala main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost." YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand. Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo? Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston? We are still talking of the same YOU. YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country why cannot you be the same here in India. Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal commissioner of Bombay Mr.Tinaikar had a point to make. "Rich people's dogs are walked on the streets to leave their affluent droppings all over the place," he said. "And then the same people turn around to criticize and blame the authorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements. What do they expect the officers to do? Go down with a broom every time their dog feels the pressure in his bowels? In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan. Will the Indian citizen do that here?" He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility. We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick a up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms. We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity. This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on the service to the public. When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child and others, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? "It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights to a dowry." So who's going to change the system? What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbors, other households, other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not me and YOU. When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr. Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand. Or we leave the country and run away. Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to England. When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government. Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to money.

Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too....I am echoing J.F. Kennedy's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians.....

"ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY"

Lets do what India needs from us.

2007-07-10T04:35:00.000-07:00

The story so far...

Let me first thank all those who had a chance to visit this page. Special thanks to those who managed to write an email with compliments. I'd be glad if you could give some suggestions too.

Living in Malaysia has been a challenge for me in many ways. For the last 25 yrs I had never stayed away from my family. Life seemed so easy in Chennai. I had been "spoilt with comfort" back home. There was always someone to do things for me. I didn't worry or think about the efforts that go behind a wonderful meal or clean washed shirt. Not until I started washing them myself. The first time I did it I was thrilled to see the collar with no sweat marks... wow its magic I thought!! It looked like an achievement. Thanks to the intelligence of the Panasonic fully automatic washing machine because I didn't have to bother too much about the washing powder quantity or the water level. Nothing can beat home food.. unfortunately I cant have it now. But being a meat eater I could cope up with the cooking of the local night joints. Cleaning the room is still a pain in the neck as the cleaning lady comes only once a week. Room would look wrecked by the time she comes the next time to clean. Security is another matter of concern. All kinds of illegal activities happen here though the law calls for capital punishment for drug crimes. Bike snatchers and robbing at knife point are common. Prostitution is two streets away from the place I stay. You name it you have it at Brickfeilds.

But Malaysia is a beautiful place. Most of the cities are well planned with natural beauty. Kuala Lumpur especially has state of art infrastructure keeping intact the natural beauty of the country. You see big roads with green rocky slopes on the sides while going to work. I wonder if those slopes were drilled to lay roads. All kinds of popular cars are seen here. Nissan, Merc and BMW are a common site. In India I have seen only bikes being modified but here its cars... wheels brought out on the sides... the body lifted up.. flashy neon lights.. high sound engines. These vehicles command respect on the road! The temperature here is almost like India.. swings between 29 to 32. Interestingly it rains almost daily and of course no water logging. In a day you can see almost all the climate. Morning its cold after snowing as the Sun comes out only by 7:15am. It gets warmer as the day progresses and then rains during late afternoon or evening. The night is pleasant and that's when most Malays get active. KL Tower and Petronas Twin Tower are the unique standing structures of Kuala Lumpur which is visible from almost any part of the city. Interestingly when it rains the clouds cover the tall structures making them to go hidden... its a great sight. The pretty city is well connected with transport services like Monorail (unmanned elevated tube trains), KTM Komuter and Rapid KL (Bus Services). Taxi's are also cheap compared to the comfort you get. All the above are air conditioned. The place where I stay (KL Sentral) is the center point for all of these where people switch trains or buses.

When I first came here I stayed at one of the posh Condominiums at Brickfields sharing a room with a colleague. It had high profile Gym and Swimming pool, a mini theatre hall where every weekends there are movie screening, library and a Squash Court. Villa Scott also happens to be the guest house for many corporates. But I was rigid in my preference of not sharing a room with someone for many reasons. I decided to come out of that place in a month and now I'm staying at a not so clean localities nearby called Palm Court. I came here because most of the Indian office mates stay here. I feel like being in Chennai because anytime I come out I see a familiar face smiling and waiting to talk. I'm currently sharing the apartment with a South Indian mami and another Indian-Malay lady. Being the only male in the house I find it quite uncomfortable to move around. No cooking and no TV so Laptop, flood lit badminton matches and after dinner talks are the ways to spend time. But the apartment is quite clean and silent unlike other guys room. I realised that everything has their own advantages and disadvantages.

Other than the weekend window shopping at popular malls the places I have been here so far are

1. Malaysian Grand Prix 2007 at Sepang
2. Malacca (claimed to be a historical city)
3. Penang Islands
4. Kanching Falls
5. Port Dickson (Beach)
6. Genting Highlands (Theme Park & World class Casino)

There are more places to see here which I'm scheduled to visit in August. An old college buddy is coming from Bangalore with his gang of friends for vacation to Malaysia. Malaysia is celebrating its 50th year of Independence this year.

2007-07-07T07:07:00.001-07:00

07 - 07 - 07 Grand Opening... Everyone's Invited!!

Yes its officially public now. It was just a while ago I messaged friends to let them know I too have a blog. I've always wanted to have one for myself after being inspired by a lot of people. Writing has always been a passion for me but I don't know what took me so long to say this to the world. Maybe sheer laziness.. in spite of having almost the entire day with high speed Internet and unlimited access to information I was not regular to blogging. Over the last 15 days I had used most my office time... I mean my free time... to change the appearance of the default page to make it looks like this. In the course of time I learned a bit of HTML and CSS styling also. Blogger's new design is a lot better than the old one. Its easy to edit and customize. I have taken a lot of help from other regular bloggers to redesign my existing template. I will be featuring their blogs on this page in the course of time. It has been a tiring but interesting experience.

So far what has been written is experimental. Now after making it public I'm committed to a regular and good content posting. Man lives on hopes and I have mine too.. I started this blog with a dream of making myself widely read and linked and this is the first step towards that. Laziness and complacency are some of the many factors that is going to affect my writing.. but with enthusiasm and ambition I hope to curb it. In fact it started bad... internet connection was cut off from my apartment by the Condo management for some stupid reason since today morning. Tried for the last 2 hrs fixing the broken line. A boy next door helped me a lot but those efforts didn't bear fruit. Finally decided to walk down to the near by Internet Cafe. This blog will contain ideas, views, memoirs, my musical compositions or anything interesting thats worth sharing, reading, listening or viewing.

I'm obsessed with numbers and their combinations and that is the reason for choosing this day to say post my first public post. 07-07-07 is numerically perfect date with triple appearance of the number 7. 7 hills of the Roman Empire, 7 wonders of the world, 7 lives, 7 notes in Music, 7 seas of the world, 7 days in the week, 7 dwarves, 7 sins... the list can go on to say 7 is magical. No.. I'm not superstitious. Just that this combination looks fancy!

The next few blogs will contain my experiences in Malaysia so far and about my life in general... Things that interested me and things I enjoyed in Malaysia, places I visited here, the reason for me sporting a beard, the only girl/lady who made me cry in life and more. Now none will deny that my life is an open book. Well for sometime this space will be mine and only mine. And till I figure out ways to refine comments I'm disabling the comment section. If you have anything to say you may mail me for the time being.

2007-06-05T10:19:00.000-07:00

This is a trail to see if audio files can be added to blogger.

2007-04-24T15:27:00.000-07:00

Cricket - An Explanation

This was from one of those junk(forwarded) mail that I received from a friend of mine... some one has really thought to write a crap like this...!!

You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that's in the side that's in goes out, and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out. When they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side that's been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out.

When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out, and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in. There are two men called umpires who stay out all the time and they decide when the men who are in are out. When both sides have been in and all the men have been out, and both sides have been out twice after all the men have been in, including those who are not out, that is the end of the game.

2007-04-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

Astrology in Cricket

Fusion is common in todays lifestyle. Kurthas go with Jeans.. Dosa and Pizza for dinner... my new find in Malaysia.. Chindans (born to an Indian and Chinese)!! Then why not Cricket and Astrology? Thats perfectly what one of the popular astrology site has thought and did. It has combined astrology with cricket. The site has an interesting analysis of all the World Cup matches based on planetary position on the match day and their effects on playing countries and their players.

The site quotes "The GaneshaSpeaks Team presents a multidimensional analysis of the Cricket World Cup 2007. Considering the depth of the analysis, we can safely claim that this has never been attempted before." I'm quite sure that most of us may have never come across something like this before! It gives predictions from the toss to match result along with the crucial overs of the game. The site also claims that so far its match predictions are 77.6% accurate.

But as browsing through the site it will be amusing to see certain predictions. For example these ones..

India's Fate for Super Eight Matches
India's fate will heavily depend on the 4th game of the super eight matches. Toss will become very important and to chose bating/ balling will have strong impact over the game's outcome.
West Indies might be the Dark Horse to win World Cup 2007.

This is the best one..!!

If Australia reaches final they might not able to win.

With the way Australia is currently playing it might seem funny to read a prediction like that about the cricketing genuine.

2007-03-29T03:21:00.000-07:00

All in the game

What can be more shameful to team that was contended to win the cup, than being knocked out on first round of the game's most prestigious tournament.

Men is Blue (MIB).. Beaten Black and Blue.. Wow.. it rhymes too!!

Indian cricket team is out of World Cup 2007 after terrible performances against SriLanka and dark horse Bangladesh. In their first match India put up just 191 to which Bangladesh responded with grit and went on to cause the first major upset. India then produced a record breaking win over Bermuda building hopes of many. India had to beat Sri Lanka, one other favoured contenders for the World Cup, to move to the next round of the tournament. The Indian bowling began well with quick wickets, but soon lost steam and the Sri Lankan batsmen reached a total of 254 steadily. The Indian chase was lackluster. Except for the stand between Sehwag and Dravid, the Indian side failed to reach even 200 runs. With this defeat the Indian team was out of the tournament. The team that was hyped so much to repeat Kapil Dev-il's feat in 1983 is now back home after loosing two matches out of the three qualifying matches. In more than two decades this must be India's worst World Cup performance.

In India when it comes to Cricket everybody has an opinion. We are all good at numbers. We like to see analysis, head to heads and all new graphical statistics to make a projection that India is the favorite of the game. Numbers and analysis projected many things but now they are proved hypothetical. When it comes to actual game all that matters is sheer performance on that day. Experiences of many senior players couldn’t rescue the team from the disaster. All those ex/senior players jabber on news channels about strategies and game plans. Why can’t they form a committee to discuss and do something about the fateful state of Indian cricket?

Cricket is taken very seriously in India. No other sport is given so much importance. Players are treated as celebrities on par with top movie stars, paid big money to endorse major commercial brands. Some even get a chance to act in movies. Its a religion in India with the cricketers enjoying a demi-god status. There have been innovative marketing strategies with top-notch corporate houses making a beeline to be associated with the Indian cricket team, the players laughing all the way to the bank. I happen to read in websites that hundreds of angry cricket fans took to the streets burning effigies, defacing posters and held mock funeral processions of the national team after the defeat. Maybe that’s acceptable means to vent supporters anger. They even went on to attack houses of many cricketers. What wrong did the inmates of the houses do? How can one hold the relatives of cricketers responsible for teams bad performance? The best way to repay the team that has sinked a billion hopes is to stop giving them all this importance. Do not waste your time at office looking at desktop score boards. Stop watching them on TV with the hope that they work magic. Then they will have no major brands to endorse and maybe more time to devote for practice. We are in need of fresh genuine talents. Its time to bid farewell to players who once performed and have made their mark in the annals of the game. It’s their time to go and make room for freshmen. Australia has done it and when we compare ourselves to them on the game I think we need a change. There are many Tendulkars and Dhonis whos talents have gone unnoticed because they do not get the right kind of platform to showcase it. In Nov 2006 two 13 yr olds from Hyderabad created history when they made a world-record 721 runs in 40 overs to break the 664-run stand between Tendulkar and Kambli set in 1988. I personally know of a few people who have given up their primary education in order to prove a point in the game. BCCI must take steps to look for these people and train them.

I remember what my Grandmother told me when I was a school kid watching cricket. There was this ad where a top cricketer takes an unrealistic diving catch near the boundary. She said.. "Intha pasanga ithula matum thaan pudipanga" (These boys will take catches only in ads).

In a country of a billion people are we not able to choose a combination of just 14 players who can perform at times when it needs the most?? Only the BCCI selection committee will have an answer.

2007-03-13T03:11:00.001-07:00

After a long time..

I thought its time I dust my scribbling pad to start blogging again. Its almost 3 months since the last blog and lots of things happened within a blinker. I have no idea what I'm going to write now.. I wanted to do this to beat the boredom at work place. I'm just typing whatever that comes to my mind and I'm sorry if it does not have coherence. In case you guys didn't know I'm right now at Kuala Lumpur. Its almost an usuall thing for an Indian now to end up in some Country overseas after 2 - 3 yrs starting to work for an IT company. Kuala Lumpur is really a beautiful place. This is Malaysia's 50th Year of Independence.. so lots of celebrations going on all around the year. Tourism is being promoted in a big way. I think its a good time to be here. Wish I had a camera to show you how nice are things here. I stay on the 17th floor overlooking the main road connecting main parts of KL. With Road so clean and traffic so regulated the view outside reminds me of those 'Hot Wheels' days!

A couple of days back early in the morning today I was woken up by a very unusual sound.. no not the snoring of my roomie!! Its was the sound of a bird standing next to the window. On the way to work its a scenic view that I get can see from the glassed windows of the bus. Sometimes life is so fast that we don't seem to notice the splendor that lies our way in the most simplest form of Nature's creation.

I've been trying to keep myself occupied to avoid missing Family and Friends at Chennai. Yesterday after so many plans we guys here decided to go and watch a Tamil movie called 'Mozhi'. It was a very different movie with no unwanted elements attached. The whole movie has comedy that was light hearted unlike many other movies that has obscenity just in the name of comedy. There are three things I enjoyed the most.. Vairamuthu's lyrics, Directors way of explaining music to deaf and the model houses that comes in the backdrop. If you guys enjoyed 'Kanda Naal Mudhal' (One of my favorite) I'm sure you will enjoy this.

2006-11-13T14:37:00.000-08:00

An Evening with Signum Quartett

What can be the best way to relax after a hard week at work? For me its... of course Music! And when its Mozart played live.. nothing can beat it. It gets even better when you get a free ticket (Courtesy: Arun\Geojit Financial Services) to such rare events in Chennai. Chennai is celebrating the 250th birth anniversary of Mozart and I think this is the second live event this year. I'm glad I have witnessed both of them.. (first one happened at Museum Theatre in August).

The second event was a part of November Fest organised by Friday Review, THE HINDU at Music Academy. Signum Quartett, from Germany, came all the way to Chennai to recreate the magic of Mozart on the second day of this Fest. The 4 member group consists of Kerstin Dill (Violin) Annette Walther (Violin) Valentin Eichler (Viola) and Thomas Schmitz (Cello). The group played the String Quartet in F major (K 168) and String Quartet in D minor (K 421), during the first half. Then there was a 15 interval where people visted the stalls of the sponsors of the show... highlight was Kingfisher airlines. That was when I happen to spot some of the prominent figures in tamil music industry like Sreenivas, Anuradha and Sriram, Chinmayee and many classical singers. The final part of the show was the String Quartet in C major (K 465) popularly known as "Dissonance". Its said the final piece is perhaps the most famous and critically acclaimed of all Mozart's string quartets. Its extraordinary opening proves Mozart's a genius. The show didn't without an Encore !!

Its not the number of instruments used for a composition but the way the instrument is played that makes good music. It had me wondering that just three intruments had kept the audience alive for nearly 90 min. There was a standing ovation for the performers at the end of the show. Well they sure deserved it. Adding to the flavour of the event was P.C. Ramakrishna who was the emcee. Well for people who had been to the previous Mozart show at Museum Theatre it was like hearing him repeat the same words/examples to describe Mozart's brillainace!

2006-11-11T13:23:00.000-08:00

November 11th - A Special Day

Nov 11 - Eleven is usually a lucky number for me and this ones 11/11. A very special day for me. Especially because of something that happened exactly 2 yrs back. Not only that it was Diwali but also the day I first spoke to that special person. I knew little that something that started on 11/11/2004 would end in 4/4/2006. Yeah it seems to have ended but its still very special.

The first time I saw her I couldn't help admiring. She apparently had that quality I looked for in a girl... innocence! I thought she was beautiful and her name every Indian would associate with Beauty.... No I'm not saying the name :) I was quite restless to talk to her. No matter how hard I tried to draw her attention towards me she wouldn't care to look. I had a feeling she never even looked. A week later I made up a plan to talk to her and she feel for it. I was lucky to get her phone number and it was on this day we first spoke!!

What started like a casual thing turned to become something serious. I wont deny the fact that she started gaining importance in my life. Usually a person who's early to bed will wait till late in the night just to see her online and tease her. I knew she liked it when she said 'Jack.. you amuse me' , 'I enjoy talking to you' ... so on and so forth. We regularly started communicating with each other through SMSs. It was because of her I started using SMSs as that became the way we communed. Slowly as months passed we started discovering that there were lot of differences of opinions between us. We fought but patched up very soon. It was a beautiful time in life's journey.

As every good thing will come to an end how can this be an exception?? After a year and a half for some unexplainable reasons I decided to call it quits because she was something different than what I imagined. Our beliefs or sentiments were different. I felt she lacked many things I expected in a girl. The best part is till date we had never met in person. It all started with me and ended with me 'coz I hardly ever understood what she was thinking.

The memories of our first speaking is fresh in my mind and today they disturb me. Thats when I thought I will share it with you. I have purposefully not revealed her name and if you think you know her please keep it yourself and if you don't I leave it your imagination. Theres one another special person in my life... will talk about it when time comes.

2006-10-19T17:29:00.000-07:00

Seasons Dont Lie

Just three days left for Diwali but no rains?? Strange I thought.. not knowing I was going to be proved wrong the next day. Every year Diwali is welcomed by a shower. Last year the city was submerged in floods and the year before last it rained quite heavily before Diwali. This has been the case for all Diwalis and this year is no different. Its really amazing that almost every year it rains during Diwali. Now dont tell me its because its monsoon... Infact after a gap of four years, Tamil Nadu experienced a deficit southwest monsoon this year. When there was no sign of rain so far.. today it was truly a bolt from blue!

I was thrilled to see the rain today morning. NewsPaper came home wet with mud. Water was cold in the shower. I had to carefully step on the stones laid over the dirty water to get out of my appartment. School children walk back home with joy when they heard schools were shut. More holidays for Diwali!!I decided to stand near the door of the train.. the sight outside was amazing. Rains added more beauty to the usually busy Chennai. Mylapore mamis in the train had a reason to jabber. As someone said.. it rains for everyone!

Rain in the West has a sad and negative connotation. This is reflected in the rhyme Rain Rain Go Away. The funniest thing is even in dry places like India and Africa kids are made to sing this rhyme!!

2006-10-18T20:02:00.000-07:00

My First Blog

Its neither the day America has ended its war on terror nor is it the day when Pakistan has come to terms with India on Kashmir but what might make it to history is that its the day my first weblog got published!!

After months of contemplation and exploration I finally found Blogger to be the right place to pen down random thoughts and ideas that cross my mind. Writing has always been the best form of human expressions and Internet is helping in propagating it to a wider audience.

On an average everyday a person's mind comes across 50000 thoughts and the most astounding fact is that nearly 90% of these are new. Thoughts are the blue print of action and its important to be aware of what we think. In my opinion blogs help in doing just that. It becomes a digest of ideas or memoirs or anything interesting thats worth sharing and reading... provided they don’t shut down these sites because of some protests!