Shoot the Breeze

What a Cheap Shot

2011-11-29T20:50:00.000-08:00

I always liked reading in my laptop a Tamil daily, Dinamalar, for their news and analysis. I am aware that this daily is anti DMK and anti Karunanidhi. Is this the reason I liked this daily? I don’t know. May be. That is another post for some other day.

A few hours ago, I saw a breaking news in Dinamalar. It said:

Stalin Magal Maranam (Stalin’s daughter died)

When we mention “Stalin” in Tamilnadu (or in India), we immediately associate the name with Mr. Karunanidhi’s son Mr. Stalin, who was the Deputy Chief Minister of Tamilnadu. He is 58 years old and has a daughter, Senthamarai.

I was shocked to read the news. I thought Stalin’s daughter, young Senthamarai died. My thought process goes like this:

Senthamarai is young. She had an accident? Was she sick? So many other questions and concern as a human being.

Two hours later, after many reader comments/complaints, the daily Dinamalar, changed their caption to:

Rushya Munnal Adhibar Magal Americavil Maranam (Former Russian President’s Daughter died in USA)

No mention of “Stalin”.

What a cheap shot. Newspapers and televisions will do anything to get a rating. MF.

Just FYI. Former Russian President Joseph Stalin’s daughter, Svetlana, died in USA, at the age of 85.

Steve Jobs Passes Away

2011-10-05T19:31:00.000-07:00

It is very sad Steve Jobs passed away today at the age of 56. A legend is gone.

A message from Apple said he was a visionary and a creative genius. There is no doubt about that. He cofounded Apple in 1976. Products like Mac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad will be there to testify his ability to develop revolutionary technology.,

Last month, on August 9, 2011, Apple became the world's largest company in market value replacing Exxon Mobile.

Thank you Steve. Thank you for Apple.

May he rest in peace.

Laptop Repair Story

2010-12-04T19:30:00.000-08:00

There is a computer repair store (Tracy Computers, Tracy, California) in our area. About 2 months ago, I bought a software online and downloaded in my laptop. But I could not install it. After trying unsuccessfully for 3 or 4 times, I took my laptop to this store. One of the owners, Yuri, attended on me. The charge was $30 and he said he will call me in a few hours after finishing the job. He did not call me in a few hours. He called me at 8 pm. He said he is having problem with installing this software and 2 technicians are working on it. He said he would call me when the job is done.

He called me the next day at 6 pm and said he has installed it and I can pick up the laptop. I went there. He said that this one was a complicated software and it took him 2 technicians for 2 days to do the job. He gave me the bill. It was just $30. Knowing 2 guys worked for 2 days, I offered to pay him more. He refused stating that his advertised store price for an installation is $30 and he will accept only that much amount. I was impressed by his sincerity.

Four weeks ago we returned from our Southern California vacation. I downloaded all our pictures and video clips in Picasa and uploaded to a web album. The video clips had sound in Picasa but no sound in the web album. So I called Yuri and explained. He asked me to bring the laptop. I dropped off the laptop in his store. He called me after a few hours and informed everything has been taken care off.

I go there. I pick up the laptop. Started to leave. Yuri asked me to test if everything is OK. I said that is not necessary because you (Yuri) did this yourself. But he insisted me to test. I was about to test. He said he would clean the laptop before I test. He took it inside and came back after a few minutes with a very sad face. I asked him what happened. He said: I was cleaning your keyboard and I must have done something wrong. Your keyboard is damaged and it is my fault. I will get another keyboard and install it. I am sorry it will take about 2 or 3 days. I am not going to charge you for the keyboard because it is my fault and I am not going to charge for the services because you are inconvenienced because of me.

I returned home and told my wife what happened. She said Yuri has been burned 2 times. The next time you go to his shop he is going to tell you to go to some other repair shop and he will bear the repair expenses. That way he can save lot of money because every time you to go his shop he loses money.

I picked up the laptop with the new keyboard. Couple of days later, Yuri called me to inquire if everything is OK with my laptop. I told him what my wife told me. Yuri laughed and laughed. He then said he would consider that option next time.

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A personal note unrelated to this post. Since I am involved with couple of special projects, I will temporarily stop writing posts and visiting other blogs. Will try to be back soon. Stay tuned.

Friends

2010-12-01T19:30:00.000-08:00

I got the idea to write this post after reading a post (Single Serve) written by NRIGirl.

We all know the famous saying. “Make new friends, but keep the old”. We do have a problem with that. Both making new friends and keeping the old are just about impossible for us.

We meet new friends. We get closer to them. It is exciting to talk to them and associate with them. Exchange of information with new friends makes us happy. We get a thrill out of it.

Once we have new friends, what do we do with the old friends? We think we have outgrown the friendship. We tend to ignore them. It is not as exciting any more to be in touch with them. The thought of them irritates us. Some of us even go out of the way to cut off the relationship.

And then there are friends who take advantage of your kindness and use you to the fullest. You give everything to that friend. But they just escape when they come to know you need some help. Recently I heard an incident like that. Brought tears in my eyes.

There is a saying in Tamil. It is called “rail snehidham”. Translation: Train friendship. It means it is a temporary friendship as long as we travel together between Point A and Point B. It will be the most entertaining and exciting time for us. But when the train reaches Point B, it is just bye bye and never to see them again. New friendship is something similar to the “rail snehidham”. Of course, in some few cases this will become a true genuine friendship. But very rarely.

Old friendships are the ones that did not start in a train journey. It is a genuine friendship. Genuine friendship involves a shared sense of caring and concern, a desire to see one another grow and develop, and a hope for each other to succeed in all aspects of life.

Just like the train journey, new friends are gone after a certain time. Then we get ourselves into loneliness that makes us really depressed. Then we start to miss our old friends, especially at hard times. We wish they were here. We wish we could see them. We wish we could do the same old things together. We fondly remember the help and assistance we gave and received.

One day we get enough strength and courage to call the forgotten old friend. As soon as he hears our voice, he immediately says “Hi (name) How are you. Haven’t heard from you for quite sometime. You must have been very busy”.

That is old friendship. It withstood the test of time.

I Won (again)

2010-11-25T19:20:00.000-08:00

All of you may remember that I entered a contest by writing a post titled “By the Water Cooler” and I was declared one of the 5 winners. I wrote another post, I Won, announcing that winning. The story did not end here. Many of you may not be aware of further developments. Here it is.

Another blogger, YaadaYaada, claimed that a golu picture shown in one of my previous posts belongs to her. I took that picture from my wife’s golu picture collections. Therefore, I thought it was ours. I then checked with my wife and she said it is not ours. I immediately apologized to YaadaYaada and removed that post. YaadaYaada graciously accepted my apology and said: No Problem. I thought that was the end of the matter.

Ms. Parul Sharma, who organized the “By the Water Cooler” contest, and who is in no way connected with the YaadaYaada blog incident, decided to take it upon herself to punish me and teach me a lesson. In other words, she appointed herself as the Judge, Jury and the Executioner. She wrote a post and announced that she is removing my name as one of the five winners.

Ms. Parul Sharma may have thought that she was doing the right thing. But we also have to think if that is legal or not or acceptable in a civilized society. There are some people in this world think that “honor killing” is the right thing to do. Do we agree with that?

I could not believe what she did. She laid down the contest rules. I complied with all the rules. And then she declared me as a winner. What happened in another post with another blogger is none of her concern. I would have let the whole thing go if she had not insulted my integrity. Not only that. She questioned my sincerity when I apologized to YaadaYaada for an honest mistake.

Then I remembered an idiom made famous by Late Robert Kennedy. “Don’t get mad. Get even.”

I contacted a very capable lawyer in Mumbai. Explained her the whole situation as I saw. She agreed to represent me and sent a legal notice to Ms. Parul Sharma, requiring her to reinstate me as one of the five original winners. And, she got the message. On November 21, Ms. Sharma wrote another post, A very important announcement, declaring me as a winner (again).

Ms. Parul Sharma wrote in her post the following:

“SG, you are hereby reinstated as the winner of my contest. Please let me have your address in the next two days so that the book can be sent to you failing which I will send it to your lawyer”

I wrote a comment that I do not wish to receive her book.

I am sure she is not happy with this episode. But who cares?

I wish Ms. Parul Sharma success in winning The Man Booker Prize. The Booker Prize Foundation, its advisory committee, and the panel of judges will not change the “rules” after they announce the winner.

As Paul Harvey (Radio broadcaster for the ABC Radio Networks) would always say “And now you know…the rest of the story”.

I want to thank all those who supported me on this.

Turn Out the Lights

2010-11-21T19:30:00.000-08:00

I was tagged by Insignia. Very interesting tag. Not the usual stuff. So I thought I would give it a try. Here are the rules:

1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, IPOD etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS...
....

1. If someone asks you, “are you okay ? ?” you say:
I like you just the way you are

2. How would you describe yourself
I left my heart in San Francisco

3. What do you like in a guy/girl ?
Naan aanai ittaal adhu nadandhuvittal

4. How do you feel today ?
Sunshine on my shoulders

5. What is your life’s purpose ?
Unnai kaanaadha kannum kannalla

6. What’s your motto ?
That Old Black Magic

7. What do your friends think of you ?
Marinedhirundhay Paarkum marumam enna

8. What do your parents think of you?
Oh, her eyes, her eyes make the stars look like they're not shining

9. What do you think of often ?
Memries, Like the corners of my mind

10. What is 2 + 2 ?
Malligai en mannan mayangum Ponnaane malarallavoa

11. What do you think of your best friend ?
I want you to love me, like I'm a hot pie

12. What is your life story ?
Kilimanjaro – malai kanimanjaro - kanna

13. What do you want to be when you grow up ?
Yane enakku mayakkam yane enakku nadukkam

14. What do you think when you see the person you like ?
June ponaa july kaatray

15. What will you dance to at your wedding 4th anniversary?
I need another story

16. What will they play at your funeral ?
I was thinking about her

17. What is your hobby/interest ?
Enakku piditha paadal adhu unakkum pidikkumay

18. What is your biggest fear ?
Who can take a sunrise

19. What is your biggest secret ?
You think I'm pretty without any make-up on

20. What do you want right now ?
You were in college working part time waiting tables

21. What do you think of your friends?
Right right turn off the lights

22. When you want to rush to the toilet, what do you think ?
So we back in the club

23. Person you hate the most is in front of you, what will you tell the person ?
Keep drinking cofee, stare me down across the table

24. You have just won a lottery. What will you sing ?
Vaseegaraa en nenjinikka un pon madiyil thoonginaal poadhum

25. What will you post this as?
Turn out the lights, The party’s over

I enjoyed very much writing this post. I want to tag Aparna, Raji, and Stranger.

Interesting Times

2010-11-18T19:30:00.000-08:00

May You Live in Interesting Times. This is a Chinese curse. It means “may you experience much hardship and trouble in your life”. (Uninteresting time is calm, quiet, and peaceful.) Chinese curses are very interesting.

Having said that, I would like to wish “interesting times” to the following:

Managers for not treating all subordinates equally.

Doctors who order unnecessary tests.

Politicians who do not serve the people.

Doctors who refuse to treat poor patients in an emergency.

Restaurant owners who make employees work even when they are sick. (I don’t care that much about them. I am worried about their transmitting their sickness to the customers.)

Airline pilots who violate the 8 hour rule between drinking and flying. (FAA regulation is 8 hours. Some airlines enforce 12 hour rule.)

Shop keepers who demand a minimum purchase to accept credit cards.

Customers who abuse the liberal "no questions asked” return policy.

Teachers who go out of the way to give lower grades.

Airline stewards and stewardesses who go out of the way to give worst service.

Insurance companies who refuse insurance to those who need it most.

Banks who charge a fee for keeping a checking account.

Credit card companies who change the interest rates and the revolving credit limits at their will.

People who deliberately want to bring down Apple’s stock price. (I guarantee they won’t succeed.) (Little bit of Joe Namath here.)

People who are unhappy because I am happy.

If you want to add some more people to this list, please be my guest.

So.Cal Vacation (Part 3 of 3)

2010-11-16T19:30:00.000-08:00

This was the final day of our vacation before returning home. We went to the Sea World in San Diego. It is mainly an oceanarium. We drove to San Diego the previous evening. Since we were planning to see only for one day, we chose 4 attractions to see.

Blue Horizons. This is a spectacular show with dolphins, the whales, and the acrobats. We enjoyed very much. This is the best attraction in the whole Sea World in San Diego. They warn before hand that if you sit in the first 14 rows, you will get wet when the dolphins splash water on the audience. We were sitting on the 10th row. You can imagine how we looked like after the show ended.

Please view the video clips of the show.

http://picasaweb.google.com/rajang716/SeaWorldVideoBlog#

Learned from the MC (Master of Ceremonies) some information on Dolphins. They weigh approximately 500 lbs. They can swim at a speed of 22 miles per hour. They can jump 17 feet. They can dive 1200 feet.

Cirque de la Mer: Their description says: "Creatures from the fantasy world of Amphibia entertain you with their extreme acrobatics". But it looks somewhat like the other Cirque show. Only difference is this one is done over water.

4-D show with Sesame Street characters. It is a cool 4-D show. Not the best. But a decent one. Entertainment only for small kids. Does not entertain teenagers and adults.

World of the Sea Aquarium. It has warm water fish from many places in this world like Caribbean, South Pacific, Indian Ocean, and Gulf of Mexico. It also has fish display that simulates what we would see if we snorkel or scuba dive.

Of course, there are other attractions we did not have time to attend. May be next time. They are:

Pets Rule
Sea Lions LIVE
Shamu Show
Nightly Fireworks

Returned home to the Bay Area after driving for 7 hours from San Diego. Our next vacation (outside USA) is planned during February/March of next year.

Megamind

2010-11-12T19:00:00.000-08:00

(Note: So.Cal vacation Part 3 has to wait. My Picasa album did not have sound. Gave the lap top to the repair shop. They by mistake broke my keypad. They are replacing it. Will take a few days. That will be another post.)

We just saw the movie Megamind.. It is in 3D. It is an animated comedy movie produced by DreamWorks Animation and Red Hour Productions. I am not giving a review. I am just giving my impressions.

This is supposed to be a kid’s movie. What were we doing there? We are known to do crazier things. That would be a post by itself. But sometimes a movie made for kids can appeal to adults also. I think this is one of them. (In the theater we saw so many adults viewing this movie.)

Storyline? I was very comfortable with the story. Typical Tamil movie story. Megamind (super villain) and Metro Man (superhero) grew up together from childhood. In a battle, Megamind kills Metro Man. Now Megamind has everything in this world. Having everything is boring for him. So he takes an ordinary guy Tighten and creates him into a hero so that he can fight him. Now, the new hero Tighten turns bad and the original villain Megamind and the people want to destroy him.

We have to have a heroine. There is a newspaper reporter, Roxanne Ritchie, who always covers the antics of these 3 guys. All 3 guys are after her love and affection.

Now we come to know Metro Man is not dead. He is alive. Megamind and Roxanne begs Metro Man to destroy Tighten. Metro Man refuses by saying that he is now a Musicman. So, Megamind fights Tighten. Did Megamind destroy Tighten? Who won Roxanne’s heart? For answers, you have to see the movie. But I assure you it is a typical Tamil movie ending.

The Voice-Over cast was superb:

Will Ferrell – Megamind
Brad Pitt – Metro Man
Tina Fey – Roxanne Ritchie
Jonah Hill – Tighten

They did not overdo the 3D. The 3D was really impressive.

The only fault I would find is that the storyline is too difficult for kids to follow. But again, nowadays with kids writing complicated programs, this story may not be that difficult to follow.

At home I was analyzing the movie in my mind. (I analyze everything to death.) A bad guy need not be bad always. He can change. Megamind did change.

So.Cal Vacation (Part 2 of 3)

2010-11-07T08:17:00.000-08:00

We decided to go to a town called Newport Beach. We heard it was a pretty little town. But we did not know it is exclusively a rich area. According to Wikipidia, more than a quarter households have an income greater than $200,000, and the median value for homes exceeds $1 million. Newport Beach is famous for its Gondola ride. But we did not take the Gondola ride. We have been to Venice, Italy, and went on Gondola ride. Compared to Venice, this city’s Gondola ride did not impress us.

The streets are beautiful. You can look at them all day.

Many TV serials are based on characters (people) living in Newport Beach.

In the evening we went to Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament. While having dinner, you can watch medieval style games and sword fighting. Six knights wearing full armor clash in a combat tournament for the title of King’s Champion.

Audiences are seated in 6 different section of the arena. People in each section are to root for their own knight. They are given the matching color hat for their knight. People take this fighting seriously and shout at the top of their voices. We were in the Green section. But that night, the Green knight did not win.

Inside the stadium everything is medieval. There are no forks and knives to eat. We have to eat with hands, just like the medieval times. Even the soup is to be drunk like you would drink a cup of coffee. All the employees (bartenders, sales people at the shops, waiters, bus boys, people who greet you at the door) address all customers in a royal fashion. All men are addressed “My Lord”. All women are addressed either ‘My Lady” or “My Princess”. I could not digest this. I don’t like it even when someone calls me ‘Sir’. But many Americans seem to love this.

Here is something funny. During the show, they would announce over the microphone any important occasion that day for people like birthdays, anniversaries, etc. This announcement was funny, I thought: “Mr. and Mrs. Xxxx are spending their honeymoon. But what the heck are you two doing here?”

Here is a picture of a hash brown from McDonald’s. Goes well with coffee. Nothing like, as they say in Tamil Oru Kadi Oru Kudi (one bite one sip).

Please enjoy these video clips fom the Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament.

http://picasaweb.google.com/rajang716/MedievalVideoBlog2#

So.Cal Vacation (Part 1 of 3)

2010-11-04T21:40:00.000-07:00

Last week we went on a short vacation to Southern California. We did not want to see the same Disneyland and Universal Studios for the umpteenth time. This time we wanted to see those places we have not been to so far. Therefore, we visited Disney’s California Adventure, a city named New Port Beach, Medieval Times Entertainment and Dinner, and the Sea World in San Diego.

Disney’s California Adventure is located next to the famous Disneyland. It opened in February 2001. This theme park is a tribute to the people of California and celebrates the richness and diversity of California. Since we planned to spend only one day there, we were not able to see all the attractions. We saw only the following:

Soarin’ Over California

This is their best attraction. This is a simulator attraction which lasts about 5 minutes. We are taken on a simulated hang glider attraction of California, flying over Golden Gate Bridge, Redwood Creek, Napa Valley, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite National Park, San Diego, Malibu, Los Angeles, and finally Disneyland itself. (Some of the other I saw I do not remember now). Imagine parasailing at 500 feet above ground at 100 miles per hour all over California. It was very exciting and at the same time very scary. We felt as if our foot is going to hit on top of the Golden Gate Bridge or on top a big tree. A must see. Since I could not take pictures, here is a youtube video.. But this does not do justice for the real experience. (This youtube video clip is almost 10 minutes. Please be patient. If you want, you can skip the first 2 minutes of pre-show.)

Grizzly River Run

We embarked on a white water rafting adventure along the foaming torrents of the Grizzly River. We went through the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains culminated in a thrilling, spinning plunge down a runaway river. We loved it.

Redwood Creek Challenge Trail

This is recommended for kids up to pre-teen age. But what the heck. We went. It is a kids make believe climbing fire lookout towers, slide down cable runs, slip through hollow redwoods, and navigate suspension bridges. We could not enter some of them because it was so tiny built for the kids. We enjoyed on the whole.

Hollywood Backlot

This is a replica of Hollywood backlot. Movie studio style gateway and other stuff give a Hollywood backlot atmosphere. Since we have seen the real Hollywood, we were not impressed. But something funny happened and we still laugh at our home.

We went to a thing called Animation Academy. I thought they were going to show how the animation movies are made. We stood in line for 30 minutes and entered. I was disappointed. It is a show teaching the visitors how to draw animation characters. There was an animation character professional taught us how to draw. In our family and friend circle, I am famous for my expertise in drawing. Even a 2 year old kid is better than me in drawing. When we came to know it was a drawing class, my wife could not stop laughing until we got out of the class. I have to hand it to you. The professional taught very well. Given below is that professional’s drawing of Mickey Mouse and my drawing after her teaching. Even my wife commented “not bad”. If you also think it is not bad, the whole credit goes to that professional for being such an effective teacher and not me.

Professional instructor's drawing:

My drawing:

World of Color

This is a night time water, color, light, and fire show. If I say this show is spectacular, it is an understatement. I thought the water shows in Las Vegas and Akshardham in Delhi were very good. But this one is far better. Please enjoy my amateur video clip.

http://picasaweb.google.com/rajang716/WorldOfColorBlog#

I Won

2010-11-02T12:22:00.000-07:00

Remember, I recently wrote a post titled “By the Water Cooler” as an entry for a contest organized by the popular writer, Parul Sharma. She was going to select 5 winners and send each one of them a free autographed copy of her latest book, By the Water Cooler.

The 5 winners have been selected and the results were published in her blog, Radio Parul.

I am one of those 5 winners. I am humbled. Oops. I am honored.

I want to thank all my readers for their best wishes and encouraging words.

Here are the other 4 winners:

Vini of And Then

Aarti of Aarti Writes

Mom of RS from Mothering Multiples

SP Menon of The fragments of my thoughts

As suggested by Neha, I have posted here cover page of Ms. Parul Sharma's book, By the Water Cooler. This is her second shot at the coveted The Man Booker Prize award.

Humbled

2010-11-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

People say they are “humbled” when they receive some honor. Is it because they don’t want others to know how proud (arrogant) they are to receive the honor? Is it because they really think they don’t deserve this honor? Is it because they never want to be rewarded in front of others? What message they are trying to convey? I think the word choice is a little weird.

On the flip side, if the person says “I am honored”, then he/she is stating the obvious. A friend of mine told me “I am humbled” is a little more intimate than “I am honored”. He also said by referring to your humility, you are expressing an emotion or an internal condition.

It is a graceful gesture of accepting the honor with humility, rather than displaying vanity. It is a quid pro quo reciprocation of respect to the honor itself, and the person / institution bestowing the honor. This is socially appreciated, and often expected.

Me being me, I looked in the dictionary for the meaning of this word.

Humbled as a verb means:

a) to lower in condition, importance
b) to destroy the independence, power, or will of.
c) to make meek
d) to be overly submissive or compliant

If I use the above meanings I can translate like this:

I am "lowered in condition" by this honor.
I am ""destroying the will of something" by this honor.
I am now compliant by this honor.
I am now submissive by this honor.

I am lost. What do you think?

Short Vacation

2010-10-27T00:02:00.000-07:00

We are going to Southern California for a short vacation. Will be back by Monday. Will try to write a post on our vacation.

Meantime, after the huge success of Endhiran, the studio has leaked the opening scene/trailer of Rajnikanth's next film. Enjoy!

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Latest News:
Paul the Octopus, World Cup Soccer Guru, has died. He was 2 ½ years old. May his soul rest in peace.

By the Water Cooler

2010-10-24T11:02:00.000-07:00

Popular writer, Parul Sharma, has a contest. Any one can write a post telling a story/anecdote based in an office. The winner will get a free autographed copy of her latest book, By the Water Cooler. (Last date to enter the contest is October 31, 2010.)

So, here is my entry to that contest.

I work for a multi national corporation which has more than 275,000 employees. I work in California. Our headquarters is in New York. This happened couple of years ago. On a Friday, two minutes before 5 PM, I got a call. The caller said he is from the CEO’s office and the CEO wants some information about a particular client and that too within 15 minutes. (I thought this guy is using CEO’s name to get the information in the last minute.) I was irritated. My employees have already closed their desk and ready to go home. I told the caller that if the CEO wants it very badly he can call me and please give him my number.

After 10 minutes, my phone rang. I could see in the called ID, our CEO’s name CB. I picked up the phone and said hello. The caller said: I am CB. I am very sorry to bother you this late on a Friday evening. A dinner meeting with the President of this client company has been arranged in the last minute. I am meeting him for dinner in another one hour. I need to get some background about this Company so I can have some intelligent conversation with him. Can you please help me?

I was stunned. The CEO of one of the largest companies in the world calling me and politely requesting some information and apologizing for the last minute request. I told him not to worry and the requested information will be faxed to him within the next 20 minutes. I faxed the information within 15 minutes.

Again the phone rang. Our CEO himself on the line. He thanked me profusely for faxing the necessary information.

When the annual bonus was given out at the end of that year, I was very well taken care of. I then learnt that the CEO had called my VP and told him to “take care” of me during bonus time.

Frozen Memories

2010-10-20T20:10:00.000-07:00

(As a comment, I wrote a few words about frozen memories in another blog. Our blogger friend A asked me to write a post on frozen memories. So, here it is.)

Before I started to write my own blog, I wrote this post as a “guest” in Insignia’s blog. I am reproducing that post (with Insignia’s permission).

We immigrated to USA long time ago. Even though we visit India frequently, our memories of India are frozen at that time we left. Since then every time we visit India, the changes, good and bad, give us shock. For example, an ordinary Kancheepuram silk Saree now costs Rs.7000.00. Even though we can very well afford, my wife says “my marriage saree” was less than that. When we go to a restaurant in India, our mind automatically think about the price we paid before leaving India for the dish we are ordering . But it is not shocking to the people who live in India because they grow every day with that change.

This frozen memory happens to all of us. Say we had a friend in school. We have not seen him/her in the past 15 years. Our memory of that friend is still the same as we saw him/her the last time. If we see him/her now, we will be shocked. In school, he had a nice thick curly hair and now he is bald-headed. She was a cute little beautiful girl next door and now she has 2 kids and weighs 185 lbs.

Going back to the place we visited long time ago is also the same. The last time we visited Delhi was in 1997. We visited again one year ago. I was pleasantly shocked to see the Los Angeles style freeways. The toll plaza at Gurgaon looks more or less the same as the toll plaza at the San Francisco Bay Bridge. In 1997, the Ring Road from Moti Bagh to Safdarjang Hospital to AIIMS to Defence Colony to Lajpat Nagar was crowded and congested. Now there is a smooth freeway.

In the past 300 years, lot of Indians have migrated to Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Fiji Islands, and West Indies. Their memories are also frozen at the time their forefathers left India. In those places, those Indian origin kids learn about Indian traditions and customs from their parents and grand parents. They, in turn, learnt from their parents and grand parents. Therefore, those Indian origin kids think as Indian traditions and customs what was practiced 150 years ago in India.

This happened last month. We were invited to a cocktail reception in a friend’s home. The host and hostess are from Malaysia and speak Tamil at home. They have never visited India. As soon as we entered their home, the host shook hands with me. The hostess started to fall on my feet (to get my blessings) and half way through I stopped her. She said she is delighted to receive me because her grand parents told her that it is auspicious and good luck if a “Brahman” comes to the house. I smiled and said I am not that kind (old, pious, learned, knows 4 Vedas) of Brahman. In fact I have come for a cocktail reception. She said “I do not care. All I know from my grand father that it is auspicious and good luck if a Brahman comes to the house. Therefore, I need your blessings”. (I was thinking in my mind that after few more drinks, I would start blessing everybody. Hahaha.)

Memories are not only frozen but passed on to the next generation also.

Latest Office Buzz Words

2010-10-18T09:29:00.000-07:00

There are new office buzz words coming out every day. Here are some new ones I came across recently. (May be you have heard them before. I am the one who gets the news always late.)

Space = Industry or Field. Example: I am in the manufacturing space.

Brand = Put a good face on. Example: OK, we did a terrible mistake in our manufacturing process. How should we brand it?

In Transition = Change from one state to another. Example: Since the downsizing, I have been in transition.

End of the Day = Uncertain point in the future but everything magically works out well. Example: At the end of the day, the CWG is a grand success.

Go Offline = Don’t bother me now, preferably never. Example: Could we go offline to discuss this irregularity?

Transparent = Open about the facts. Example: We have been transparent about the tax increase.

Bandwidth = Money, staff, computing capacity or other resources. Example: "She lacks the bandwidth to compute compound interest.

Human Capital = Human Resources, previously known as Personnel: Example: Human Capital is on the third floor.

Footprint = Impact, formerly ecological, now applicable to anything. Example: Uncle John’s rear end had a significant footprint on our sofa.

Throughput = Not your conclusions, but the mind-numbing numbers and facts you chewed over to get there; information generally demanded by a micro-manager who won't believe that you did the work. Example: Don't tell me what you've decided about this problem; I just want your throughput.

If you have know some latest buzz words, please let me know. Thanks.

Latest Popular Ads

2010-10-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

Latest popular advertisements have a few things in common.

They are unique.
They are funny.
They look home made amateur video (to the casual eyes).

Please take a look at the latest Samsung advertisement. It has become very popular. Nothing special. A young kid dancing solo on a mat joined by her teachers, and then the entire town.

Other advertisement that has the same formula is the popular Levi’s “Walk Across America”.

And then this Dodge commercial starring a monkey dressed like daredevil Evel Knieval.

Hope you enjoy these three ads.

Columbus Day

2010-10-11T00:02:00.000-07:00

Columbus Day is being celebrated today in the United States. This day commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the New World on October 12, 1492. USA celebrates this day each year on the second Monday in October. This day became a national holiday here in 1937.

The Italian-born explorer had set sail on August 3, 1492,* backed by the Spanish monarchs King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. He intended to chart a western sea route to China, India and the fabled gold and spice islands of Asia; instead, he landed in the USA.

In my opinion, Columbus was a politician. Here are my reasons:

When Columbus started out he did not know where he was going. When he got there he did not know where he was. When he got back he did not know where he had been. And he did it all on other people's money.

Agree with me?

* I had a typo. I had typed 1942 instead of 1492. "A" was kind enough to point out this. I have made the correction. Thanks A.

What is next in the Airline Industry?

2010-10-09T18:00:00.000-07:00

Continental Airlines has decided to test a “self boarding” plan. This plan will be tested at the Houston Intercontinental Airport. When the passengers swipe their boarding pass, a turnstile door will open to allow the passenger entry into the airplane. This automated boarding does not require the human touch. But there will be an attendant on hand to deal with any customer service problems.

Continental Boarding Pass

Looks like they are going to test an anarchy rule. Right now the passengers are called by row to board the plane. With this “Do It Yourself” boarding plan, all passengers will make a dash through the turnstile.

A Transportation Security Administration spokesman said that they are "determined it does not impact the security of the traveling public." Thanks for the encouraging words. Thanks a lot Ms. Janet Napolitano.

Self-boarding has been around at foreign airports for a few years. As of 2009, 14 airlines worldwide were using self-boarding gates.

What is next in the Airline Industry? As usual, while doing nothing most of the day every day, I came up with the following rhetoric questions:

We serve our own drinks in the plane?

Self load our luggage?

Vending machines replacing flight attendants?

Pilot-less planes like the Air Force? Or

Self Flying Flights? Passengers will take turns flying the plane to its destination?

Bring our own toilet paper?

Should Steve Jobs and Apple sell the airline an iAgent?

I was talking to a friend of mine about this new procedure. He wisecracked: Don't know about you, but I have always self-boarded. They never carried me to the plane.

Romantic Engagement Proposals

2010-10-06T11:00:00.000-07:00

Passengers on a Delta flight were treated to live entertainment, when a man in love managed to convince the pilot to pop the question for him.

When she went to the airport to pick up her boyfriend, a Navy Officer returning from a tour of duty, she didn't expect to leave with so much baggage. Her future husband was the last to come of the plane. But every other passenger greeted her as they exited, with a bouquet of roses.

Forget flowers. Say it with dolphins. For their four-year anniversary the couple treated themselves to a day with the good-natured mammals. This surprise proposal was sweet in part because it really was a surprise. Also, dolphins kiss.

Paul McCartney concert in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. In the audience, a man proposed to his girl friend. Paul saw that. He immediately sang the famous Beatles’ romantic song “My Love” to the delight of the couple. How many music personalities in this world would do such a thing impromptu.

Endhiran

2010-10-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

We saw Endhiran movie last Friday. I don’t want to give a review here. Lot of people have already given their reviews. I want to write here what went through my mind while watching the movie:

Rajni started his movie career as a villain. If this is his last film, he will end his career as a villain.

This is a regular Tamil masala movie with comedy, songs, dance, romance, and fights. While I am enjoying this for entertainment, suddenly I see this super quality special effects which are certainly better than any Hollywood films.

The reverse is also true. While I am enjoying this super quality special effects which are certainly better than any Hollywood films, I am brought back to the real world with comedy and songs.

A. R. Rahman music? I think he has done a better job in other films. One stand out song is Kilimanjaro.

Cinematography by R. Ratnavelu is excellent.

Director Shankar failed in the second half. The whole movie is focused on special effects and Rajni only. No good story. The good turns bad and the bad turns good. The good gets trashed in the end. I did not feel so connected in the second half with the story.

Last 45 minutes will give hard core Rajni fans a thrill of a lifetime.

We saw this movie in San Jose, California. Rajni fans are Rajni fans wherever they live. When his name was shown on the screen and whenever Rajni walks (in his own unique style) the whole theater went bonkers - shouts, claps, whistles, and more shouting of “thalaivaaaa” (Oh my leader).

The movie was disconnected for 4 times in the first 15 minutes. I think the theater’s projector did not work well.

There was English subtitle on the screen. But the English lines were delayed by about 6 minutes. Therefore, non Tamil speaking audience could not follow the screen and the dialogue.

Good to see quite a few Japanese in the audience and a lone white woman.

Sunday morning read the following in the web and other magazines:

A song-and-dance sequence (Kilimanjaro) was filmed in Machu Picchu (A very favorite place of a friend of mine.)

Special effects were done by Stan Winston Studio which provided the animatrics for films like Jurassic Park and Avatar.

All the stunts have been choreographed by Yuen Woo Ping, the Hong Kong based action director who created the high-adrenalin stunts of classics like Kill Bill and Matrix.

Slate, an American magazine wrote about this movie and Rajni, on September 27, 2010. The following is the title and the beginning paragraph:

SUPERSTAR Rajinikanth!

The biggest movie star you've probably never heard of.

Jackie Chan is the highest-paid actor in Asia, and that makes sense. But the No. 2 spot goes to someone who doesn't make any sense at all. The second-highest-paid actor in Asia is a balding, middle-aged man with a paunch, hailing from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and sporting the kind of moustache that went out of style in 1986. This is Rajinikanth, and he is no mere actor—he is a force of nature. If a tiger had sex with a tornado and then their tiger-nado baby got married to an earthquake, their offspring would be Rajinikanth. Or, as his films are contractually obligated to credit him, "SUPERSTAR Rajinikanth!

I agree.

The Games Begin

2010-10-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today, October 3. The Commonwealth Games Begin - At the cost of many, many billions of dollars.

But this lady does not care. She is concerned about feeding her hungry, crying child.

(We saw Endhiran movie this Friday. Wanted to write my view on Endhiran. But I thought this is more important than that movie. Will write on Endhiran in a couple of days.)

A Page from History

2010-09-29T21:00:00.000-07:00

West Indies cricket team arrived in Bombay in November 1974. Captain was Clive Lloyd. Shortly after arrival, he was taken to the “ground” where the test match will be played. In this particular ground, this was to be the first test match. The Bombay test was scheduled on the last week of January 1975.

Lloyd was terribly disappointed. It was just a bare empty land with children playing cricket. No stadium. No construction activity. When he expressed his displeasure, he was assured everything will be done before the test match.

After playing other test matches, Lloyd and his team arrived in Bombay at the end of January. He was taken to the stadium to inspect. He was totally surprised. The once bare ground was covered with grass and the stadium had the seating capacity of 40,000. That too in just 3 months. (Please see the match score at the end.)

On one of the match days, the spectators became unruly and police had to use force to maintain law and order. There was considerable damage to the stadium. By next morning the whole stadium was repaired.

How they were able to build a nice stadium within 3 months and correct the damage overnight? The cricket in Maharashtra was run by a guy named S. K. Wankhede. Incidentally, he also happened to be Maharashtra’s Finance Minister. All he had to do was to contact a few builders and executives of some cement companies and tell them in no unmistakable terms what he wanted them to do. Can they refuse this man? Bingo. The job was done.

His name is immortalized in the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Why don’t they have people like Wankhede organizing the 2010 Commonwealth Games?

Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
***************************************************************************
West Indies won. Here is the final test score.

West Indies First Innings: 604 for 6 declared. (Lloyd not out 242, Fredericks 104, Gavri 4 wickets)
India First Innings: 406 all out (Solkar 102, Viswanath 95, Gavaskar 86, Gibbs 7 wickets)
West Indies Second Innings: 205 for 3 declared (Greenidge 54, Gavri 2 wickets)
India Second Innings: 202 all out (Patel 73 not out, Holder 6 wickets)

Boss Engira Baskaran

2010-09-28T00:31:00.000-07:00

Have you done anything on impulse? That is what we did today. We decided to go to a newly released Tamil movie, Boss Engira Baskaran. For no reason we decided to go for the 4:30 PM show. Today is Monday (working day) and how many Tamil speaking people you would expect for a 4:30 PM show? You are correct. We were the only two people in the whole theater. We were expecting at least a few others to show up. No way. When the movie started, we looked around. We were the only two people. Anyhow, we enjoyed it. Felt like watching a movie in our own huge private theater.

There was supposed to be a 15 minute interval. There was no line. We bought the soft drinks. Only 5 minutes were gone. Still 10 minutes left. The operator came to me and said if I wanted to, he could start the movie right now. I asked him to go ahead. We really felt like watching in our own huge private theater.

Bottom line is we liked the movie. It is a romantic comedy. Actors were Arya, Nayantara, and Santhanam. Rajesh is the Director. Yuvan Shankar Raja composed the musical score. Santhanam (the comedian) stole the entire movie. It is a regular Tamil movie masala. One thing I liked is there was no fight in the movie. I am tired of watching one guy fighting with bare hands 100 people with guns and knives.

The story is about an ever obliging guy Baskaran (Arya) who is always busy doing odd jobs for other people. In the process he misses a lot of his personal life and doesn’t seem to embark on a useful career. When things almost go out of hand, a no-nonsense young girl Chandrika (Nayantara) enters his life and puts him on right track. A middle class love also blooms on the way.

I enjoyed one conversation very much. Santhanam has a barbershop. The name is Thala Thalapathi Barbershop. {For non-Tamil readers: There is a rivalry going on between two Tamil actors. Ajit is nicknamed Thala (Leader) and Vijay is nicknamed Thalapathi (General)}. In a scene, supporters of these two actors wanted to know why Santhanam named his barbershop like this. Santhanam gave a long philosophical explanation. One guy told him: You are giving a long explanation which no one understands, just like the way Kamal Hasan speaks.

My opinion: Comedy is the boss. Perfect for a weekend in which you decide not to give your brain much work.

For Animal Lovers

2010-09-26T06:30:00.000-07:00

Please be patient. Few seconds of advertisement before the start of each video clip.

Excercise Anyone?

Dynamic Duo (Pig and Monkey)

Seal Steals

Dancing Parrots

College Major

2010-09-23T09:18:00.000-07:00

Many readers of this blog have already completed their education and have started their career. But if any young student ask for advice, they can give something along the following lines.

They should not select a major in any subject that involves dealing with real facts. These include math, chemistry, physics or biology.

Let us say you choose math as a major. The professor may ask the following question: A goat is tied to the outside corner of 4 yards by 4 yards pen on a 16 yard leash. How many square yards of grass can he eat? If you do not come up with an answer that the professor has in his/her mind, he/she will flunk you.

Same goes for chemistry major. Calculate the pH of the solution that results from mixing the following four aqueous solutions together. You don’t come with a correct answer you fail.

Same is true for physics or biology major and subjects like that.

My advice is to select a major in subjects like English, psychology, philosophy or sociology. These are the subjects no one understands what others are talking about and there are no real facts.

Take for example Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. If you have to write an essay on Pip, you can write about Process Industry Practices. The professor who reads hundreds of similar boring papers on Pip will think you are very different and creative. He will also view you as an “out of the box” thinker.

It is easy to major in philosophy. All you have to do is sit in a room and do nothing all day. Wear a t-shirt that says “Sh*t Happens” and take some drugs like MDMA.

It is easy to major in psychology also. In later years, when you become a psychologist, all you have to say is only one sentence. For example:

Patient: I hate my mother
Psychologist: Thank you for sharing that with me

Patient: I am depressed
Psychologist: Thank you for sharing that with me

Patient: I want to kill you, you fat slob
Psychologist: Thank you for sharing that with me

Finally, seriously, nowadays they don’t want any “expert” as a CEO. The multi national corporations are looking for liberal arts majors to be their leaders. (I am talking about U.S. companies only.) They are considered “out of the box” thinkers and having leadership qualities. They will be supervising the “experts”.

Olympics in India?

2010-09-21T12:50:00.000-07:00

Collapsed bridge near the Commonwealth Games

How about Olympics in India? A dream come true?

Statement by Randhir Singh, IOA General Secretary, on July 8, 2004:

“The infrastructure required for hosting the Games would almost be ready during the Commonwealth Games (in 2010) and it would be the right roadmap for holding the Olympic Games (in India) in 2016.”

Farsighted or Far-fetched?

Canadian Ingenuity

2010-09-18T18:00:00.000-07:00

Authorities in West Vancouver, Canada, were concerned with drivers not slowing down for traditional speed bumps. They were particularly worried about speed bumps near schools. They immediately put the Canadian ingenuity to work. Bingo. The town unveiled a new way for drivers to slow down near an elementary school. It is a 2-D image of a child playing, creating the illusion that approaching driver will soon hit a child.

According to officials, the pavement painting appears to rise up as the driver gets closer to it, reaching full 3-D realism at around 100 feet.

I have the following thoughts:

The drivers may think it is actually a child and slow down one or two times. Once they are used to it, they won’t slow down because they know it is not a real child. What happens if a real child was crossing the street and a driver thought it is another 2-D image and hit the child?

Here are some comments from other readers:

That is the most DUMB idea us Canadians have had!!!!!!!

Yeah, great. I would see this, slam on my brakes, and possibly swerve. This will not end well.

Did Bush come up with this? I blame Bush.

Isn't it winter in Canada for part of the school year? How is it going to work if she is covered in snow or slush? Not to mention normal daily road grime.

I can see a drunk driver swerving to avoid this and running down the real people on the sidewalk after losing control of the vehicle.

What are you guys complaining about? I love this idea.

So that's a ball? I thought it was a skateboard. And really, who would think this was a real child with those huge feet?

This is remarkably creepy.

All governments are run by educated idiots without the education.

Why fix what ain't broken?

Kids' Questions

2010-09-15T20:45:00.000-07:00

Kids ask some of the cutest, toughest, and silliest questions that adults don’t have answer or unable to give a satisfactory answer. Here are some:

1. Where did I come from?

2. Why Do You and Mommy Fight?

3. What is God?

4. How Much Money Do We Have?

5. Why Do People Die?

6. Why are we moving?

7. Why wasn’t I invited to that party?

8. What is Heaven?

9. How does a man get inside a TV?

10. Can I marry mommy when I grow up?

11. If I am not tired, why should I go to sleep?

12. Will a shot hurt?

13. How do thunder and lightning work?

14. Is this a boy chicken or a girl chicken?

15. Why do we eat animals?

16. Why do I have to go to school?

17. Can I get a cell phone?

18. Who will take care of me if you die?

19. Why can’t I stay home alone?

20. Why do I have to say thank you?

If you know or heard of a “cute” or “tough” or “silly” question from a kid, please let me know. Thanks.

And, finally a cute question from a grown-up kid:

When a doctor doctors a doctor, does the doctor doing the doctoring doctor as the doctor being doctored wants to be doctored or does the doctor doing the doctoring doctor as he wants to doctor?

Answer: That’s a good question. (Translation: I don’t know the answer.)

Alcatraz Island

2010-09-13T16:15:00.000-07:00

Recently we took an out of town guest to visit Alcatraz Island. This is located in the San Francisco Bay. Until 1963, this island served as a Federal Prison. This was considered the maximum security prison. No one can escape from here because the prison is in the middle of the bay. If any one wants to escape, they have to swim about 2 miles to the shore. The water is very cold and there are sharks. You have to be a special person to be sent here. Please see this announcement.

Most notorious crooks in the country spent time in this prison. It has 336 main line cells and 42 solitary confinement rooms. Alcatraz tour is certainly one of the most famous. Whether you prefer to experience part of the history of the island or you just want to see one of the most well-known prisons on the earth, this is a getaway you will not forget.

The prison was in operation for 29 years and there were 14 escape attempts. There was only one successful escape. Remember the Clint Eastwood movie, Escape from Alcatraz.

Here are some pictures:

Houseguests

2010-09-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

We all want to treat our houseguests as best as possible. Sometimes, we overlook small things and it will create discomfort to our guests. But they will never tell us because they don’t want to embarrass us. Here is a list of items our houseguests will never tell us:

(Later addition: I am not saying the guests are demanding and finding so many faults with the hosts. In fact, it is opposite. They don't want to hurt the hosts. Therefore, if there is something lacking, they will not tell us. It is for the hosts to make sure the guests have a nice stay. This is my personal opinion.)

Our houseguests will NOT tell us the following:

I'm hungry. (Leave some fruits and cookies in the bedroom.)

After turning out the lights, I bruised my knee climbing into bed. (Place a bedside lamp or make sure the bed’s edges are not sharp.)

I woke up at the crack of dawn. (Blackout shades should be considered.)

I am really cold or uncomfortably hot. (Make sure the room has the right temperature according to the guest’s liking.)

I can’t find a place to charge my cell phone. (Point out where the power outlet is, if not easily visible.)

I find the bedroom is not clean. (Make sure the guest room is clean and spotlessly clean bathroom.)

I don’t like this food or I have this food allergy. (Ask them in advance what food they like and if they have any food allergy.)

I cannot have internet access. (Volunteer to provide them with your wireless network security key code.)

I find the bathroom inadequate. (Make sure to have enough towels, shampoo, conditioner, body wash and a nice clean shower curtain.)

Your car is dirty. (Keep your car clean in and out and do not have any “garbage” in the car.)

CL

2010-09-09T18:00:00.000-07:00

Please be patient and read the entire post. Please do not jump to the last line immediately. Thanks.

What am I going to write about? Is it about:

CL - Internet country code top-level domain for Chile. No.

CL - New York Stock Exchange symbol for Colgate-Palmolive. No.

CL - The Champagne Lodge. No.

CL - French Company specializes in corporate multilingual publishing. No.

CL - Chronic Liar. No.

CL - Chat Life. No.

CL - Casual Leave. No.

CL - Center for Limnology. No

CL - Central Luzon, Philippines. No.

CL - Cathedral of Learning at University of Pittsburg. No.

CL – Cecile Licad, a classical pianist. No.

CL – Clear Lake, California. No.

CL – Combinator Logic. No.

CL – Current Loop. No.

CL – Roman numeral for 150. Yes.

This is my 150th post. Thanks for all your support.

My New Template

2010-09-07T13:16:00.000-07:00

Lyrics:

The loveliness of Paris seems somehow sadly gay
The glory that was Rome is of another day
I've been terribly alone and forgotten in Manhattan
I'm going home to my city by the Bay

I left my heart in San Francisco
High on a hill, it calls to me
To be where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars
The morning fog may chill the air, I don't care

My love waits there in San Francisco
Above the blue and windy sea
When I come home to you, San Francisco
Your golden sun will shine for me

Shrek the Fish?

2010-09-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

We always thought that Shrek, the green ogre, lived peacefully in a swamp. No way. He is adventurous.

Now he has gone swimming off the coast of Japan. This particular fish, almost 30 years old, bears a remarkable resemblance to Shrek. The head, the chin, the beady eyes — it's all there. Were they separated at birth?

But no sign of Donkey or Fiona.

Did I misspell? Is it Fiorina?

College Football Season Begins

2010-09-04T00:30:00.000-07:00

Today, in USA, football season in all the universities begins. That is American College Football Season. There are lot of interests and enthusiasm with the Americans on College football games. Sometimes more than the professional games.

(Blue Uniform is Berkeley and White Uniform is Stanford)

I have already written that professional football in USA requires people to graduate from college before they are eligible to become professional. Therefore people start to watch college players with keen interest. Also, there are many die hard college alumni.

Tickets for these college games are not cheap. The stadiums can accommodate anywhere between 40,000 to 100,000 people. The average cost of a ticket is $80. They play 12 games. 6 at home and 6 away from home.

There is always the big rivalry between two teams. I will mention a few of them:

University of California, Berkeley vs Stanford University

Army (United States Military Academy at West Point) vs Navy (United States Naval Academy at Annapolis)

University of Texas at Austin vs University of Oklahoma

University of Alabama vs Auburn University

University of Michigan vs The Ohio State University

What do these universities do with the huge amount of money collected from football games? They use this money to award scholarship (full and partial) to deserving other students.

Next time, you or your relative or a friend get a scholarship at a U.S. university, please remember these college football players.

A Day At The Movie

2010-09-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

A popular movie theater in Chennai. Famous movie. House Full. Ashok and his wife Akila had already purchased a first class ticket at a cost of Rs.300 each. Saket Raman and his wife Sangeetha stood in the long line and purchased lower level tickets at Rs.70 each.

Intermission. These two couples meet in the coffee counter. Akila and Sangeetha were college mates. They introduced their husbands. Ashok bought the coffee for all four. They go back to their seats.

Movie ends. The couples say good bye to each other with a promise of meeting for lunch sometime.

Ashok and Akila are walking towards the bus stop. Akila tells Ashok: At last we were able to save some money and see a movie just like rich people. I am so happy today.

Saket and Sangeetha are walking towards their Mercedes Benz. Their driver was waiting to open the car door. Sangeetha tells Saket: At last we were able to see a movie just like ordinary folks. I am tired of this high society rich people stuff. I am so happy today.

Tiger Woods "Trick"

2010-08-30T17:27:00.000-07:00

You mention Tiger Woods and his “trick”, people immediately think it is something of a juicy and raunchy news. They would make sure kids are not around to hear what is going to be said.

Believe me there is one “trick” by Tiger Woods that is completely innocent and cool. People can talk about it in friends circle with kids present. Please take a look at it.

Mark Ingram is 21 years old and a Junior (3rd year) at the University of Alabama. He is a famous College level (American) football star in USA. Last year, he won the Heisman Trophy. Heisman Trophy is awarded to the best college football star in USA. Once he graduates, he will certainly become a professional with a multi million dollar contract.

(Yes, professional football in USA requires people to graduate from college before they are eligible to become professional. Some people have successfully challenged that rule. If that rule in applied for cricket, at least 50% of the current players would not have become professionals.)

Mark Ingram can imitate the Tiger Woods “trick”. Please view this.

What do you think?

The Traffic Jam

2010-08-23T17:41:00.000-07:00

You thought the worst traffic jams in this world are in countries like India, Egypt, Japan, and Russia. If you see what is happening in China, traffic is a breeze in these countries.

Thousands of vehicles were bogged down in a more than 100-kilometre (62-mile) traffic jam leading to Beijing that has lasted nine days. It does not mean it takes 9 days to get through the jam. It means the jam has been there for nine days. This highlights China's growing road congestion woes. Take a look at these pictures.

The traffic jam between Beijing and Jining City has created a new economy. Merchants are selling water and food items at inflated prices. Capitalism strikes again in this communist country.

All of a sudden too many cars and poor infrastructure. You have to crawl before you walk and walk before you run. The Chinese took off running before they could crawl.

If you want the fastest growing economy in the world too fast, you will end up with these kinds of problems. Beware India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa. You can be proud of being invited to attend the G-8 Summit. But you will end up like China (another invitee to the G-8 Summit) in traffic jam.

Opus

2010-08-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

Famous Los Angeles Architect, Steve Hermann, has built a home in Montecito, California. The home is called the “Glass Pavilion”. All walls are glass. Mr. Hermann calls this as his “opus”.

The lot is 3.5 acres. Built in area is 13,875 square feet. 5 bedrooms. 5 ½ bathrooms. Kitchen. Wine Room. Art Gallery. It took him 6 years to build this home.

He originally built this for himself and his family. But now changed his mind. It is for sale now. The price: $35 million. Anyone interested to buy?

Front

Front (another view)

Living Room

Dining Room

Car Park

Leadership

2010-08-20T21:37:00.000-07:00

More than 2200 beaches from Louisiana to Florida were closed because of BP’s oil leak. Since then clean up operations have been undertaken and these beaches were declared safe.

Businesses that are dependent on tourism were hurt. President Obama is visiting that region to jump start the tourism industry. What did he do for the tourists to come back?

Did he visit that area in a helicopter and declared the beaches are clean and safe? No. Did he stay in a mansion surrounded by secret service agents and declare the beaches are safe? No.

Obama said his family planned to "enjoy the beach and the water — to let our fellow Americans know that they should come on down here.” To reinforce this message, he and his daughter swam in the Gulf’s waters on Saturday. Please see this picture.

Some people might say it is a publicity stunt. Yes, it is a publicity stunt to bring back the tourists to this region. How many leaders in other countries will go for swimming with his family to prove the beaches are safe after the oil spill? That is called leadership by example. Not just Obama. Any U.S. President would have done this.

Funny Quotations

2010-08-17T16:10:00.000-07:00

We often read funny quotations. We just smile and move on. Some is so funny we remember them. Here are a few funny quotations I remember:

Albert Einstein: Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.

Franklin P. Jones: The trouble with being punctual is that nobody's there to appreciate it.

John Peers: Never stand between a dog and the hydrant.

Oscar Wilde: Bigamy is having one wife too many. Monogamy is the same.

Whitney Brown: I am not a vegetarian because I love animals; I am a vegetarian because I hate plants.

Will Rogers: Be thankful we’re not getting all the government we’re paying for.

Samuel Goldwyn: Coffee isn’t my cup of tea.

Robert Benchley: Drawing on my fine command of the language, I said nothing.

G. K. Chesterton: Art, like morality, consists in drawing the line somewhere.

Katherine Hepburn: I don’t care what is written about me as long as it isn’t true.

Homer Simpson: You tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is 'never try'.

Mae West: Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere.

Groucho Marx: I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception.

George W. Bush: Rarely is the question asked: is our children learning?

Jeanne-Marie Roland: The more I see of men, the more I like dogs.

Revolutionary Freedom Fighters from South India

2010-08-15T00:02:00.000-07:00

Many Indian history books forget to mention the contributions made by South Indian Revolutionary Freedom Fighters. When we read any history book about Indians who fought the British, we see only the names of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar, Shiv Ram Hari Rajguru, Subash Chandra Bose, and a few others from North India.

There is a long list of South Indian revolutionaries who fought the British. I will mention a few of them here.

Vanchinathan (1886 to 1911)

Vanchinathan was born in Shenkottai, Tamilnadu. He obtained his masters degree from Thiruvananthapuram. As a youth, he participated in the freedom movement of India. He could not tolerate the atrocities committed by the British. He wanted to take revenge on them. On June 17, 1911, he assassinated Ashe, the District Collector of Tirunelveli. He shot Ashe at point blank range when Ashe’s train stopped at the Maniychi Junction on the way to Madras. The British response was brutal. He committed suicide to avoid capture by the British.

Tiruppur Kumaran (1904 to 1932)

Kumaran was a revolutionary who participated in the Indian freedom movement. He was born in Erode district of Tamilnadu. One day he participated in a freedom march in Tiruppur. He was holding the Congress flag. The police ordered him to drop the flag on the floor. Kumaran refused. The police beat him to death in the street in front of hundreds of people. Finally he died unable to withstand the beatings from the police. His body fell down on the street. His hand was still holding the flag high.

Alluri Sita Rama Raju (1897 to 1924)

Alluri Sita Rama Raju still remains an inspiring model of people who fought oppression. He led the Ramba Rebellion. Raju raided many police stations in and around Chintapalli and killed many British officers. Despite having fewer weapon and men, he exacted tremendous damage to the British. The British campaign to arrest him lasted more than one year. He was finally captured in the forests of Chintapalli. He was tied to a tree and short dead with a rifle. British were proud of their justice system but followed the law of the jungle.

Rani Channamma and Sangolli Royanna

Rani Channamma, the Queen of Kittur, refused a surrender offer by the British and instead attacked the enemy surrounding her fort. The Queen and her small army put up a heroic fight but was eventually defeated. She was imprisoned.

Sangolli Royanna, an employee of Kittur State, gathered a considerable band and carried forward the fight. He was later overpowered, arrested, and hanged in 1830.

Pazhassi Raja (1753 to 1805)

Pazhassi Raja was known as the Lion of Kerala. He was a prince from the royal dynasty of Pazhassi Kottayam. Pazhassi Raja resisted British imperialism from 1793 onwards till his death in 1805. He fought two wars to resist English intervention in domestic affairs of his kingdom. On November 30, 1805, the Raja and his assistants were camping near the stream named Mavila. Raja and party were caught by surprise and an intense but short fight followed. Six rebels were killed. One of the earliest rebels to be killed was Pazhassi Raja.

Captain Lakshmi (Born October 24, 1914)

Captain Lakshmi participated in the Indian Independence Movement. She is a doctor by profession. At the end of World War II, she joined Indian National Army, an armed force formed by Subash Chandra Bose. Captain Lakshmi served as the Commander of the Rani of Jhansi Regiment of the INA. She was also a Minister in Subash Chandra Bose’s Azad Hind Government. She was taken as a prisoner in Burma. (Even though she became a Lt.Col., at the time of her arrest she was a Captain. Therefore, this title for her became popular.)

On this Independence Day, let us salute these revolutionary freedom fighters.

Another Reason to Split

2010-08-12T16:06:00.000-07:00

Bo Wyble and his girl friend Sara Saco-Vertiz went to a professional baseball game. Their favorite team Houston Astros was playing that day. A ball hit by the batter came their way. Bo ducked. The ball hit Sara in the right elbow. Please see this video.

They took it jovially. They went home. Sara started to think about the incident. She thought if her boy friend could not protect her from the oncoming ball how is he going to protect her in life if they get married.

She told a reporter that her pain was a 6 out of 10.

Bo said he would do things differently if allowed the chance. If the ball again came their way, he'd let the ball hit him "probably in the back."

Many people feel Bo was a real wimp for not protecting her. If the guy bails over a foul ball, just imagine what he'd be like in a real crisis. She's better off without him.

Therefore Sara told Bo she is splitting from him. Now they are separated.

What do you think? Did she do the right thing?

Soccer-Tennis

2010-08-12T00:02:00.000-07:00

Looks like there is a new game being developed internationally. It is called Soccer-Tennis. You play on a tennis court with a tennis ball but no rackets. You play with your feet and head ala soccer style.

This week, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic played an impromptu tennis game with their feet. (This video looks nice if you watch on full screen.)

These two players put their footwork, dexterity and quickness on display with the quick game, which appears to have been won by the team led by Djokovic (on the left).

I am impressed with the heading abilities of Rafael. He could have strengthened the Spanish Soccer Team in this year’s world championship. On the other hand, they did not need any help this year.

Funniest Small-Town Names

2010-08-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

I have come across some small towns in USA whose names are very funny. Here are some of them.

Truth or Consequences, New Mexico

This town is located half-way between El Paso and Albuquerque. It is well known for its geothermal springs.

Boring, Oregon

This town is located half an hour from Portland. There are lot of activities here and you will never be bored.

Cool, California

This town is located in the foothills of Sierras and about one hour from Sacramento. It is famous for its annual bicycle race.

Uncertain, Texas

This town is located along the Texas Louisiana border. Caddo Lake, Texas’ only naturally formed lake is the main attraction.

Carefree, Arizona

This town is located just north of Phoenix. This resort town is famouse for golf, spas, and other outdoor activities.

Last Chance, Idaho

This town is located about 30 miles south of West Yellowstone. It is a nature-lover’s paradise. Fishing and hiking are popular pastimes.

Accident, Maryland

This town is located 2 hours from Pittsburg. This town’s biggest attraction is the historical Drane House.

Normal, Illinois

This town is located about 120 miles from Chicago. Children’s Discovery Museum is the main attraction here.

Like Dad Like Son

2010-08-08T15:40:00.000-07:00

Dan Quayle was Vice President of United States. While he was a VP, he did and said some stupid things and became the laughing stock of the entire world. These are not made up stories. For example:

He went to an elementary school. Asked a student to spell potato. The student spelled it P-O-T-A-T-O. Dan disagreed with the student and taught him the "correct" spelling P-O-T-A-T-O-E.

In a speech to the official delegation from El Salvador, Dan said: We expect them (Salvadoran officials) to work toward the elimination of human rights.

His famous speech in California: I love California. I practically grew up in Phoenix.

Now, Dan’s son, Ben Quayle is now running as a Republican candidate for U.S. Congress from Arizona. American voters like a candidate who is a family man. That is a wife, two kids and a dog. Therefore, Ben sent a mass mail to all the voters in his constituency along with a picture of himself, his wife, and two daughters.

The only problem is Ben and his wife have no children. Therefore, he borrowed two kids from his relatives and asked them to pose as his children.

Now the story is out. Originally they said the two kids are relatives of a staff member in his campaign. Later we are told these two kids are Ben’s nieces. Ben claims these two kids are part of his extended family.

OK Ben. Now the picture is sort of misleading than totally weird.

Unreasonable

2010-08-06T00:05:00.000-07:00

Sometime ago Apple computer company came out with a famous advertisement called “Think Different”.

I will transcribe the voice-over for you:

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do”.

These people are also called unreasonable people. The human race would not have progressed this well without these unreasonable people willing to push forward.

Some of the unreasonable people come to my mind are:

Albert Einstein

Mahatma Gandhi

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Valentina Tereshkova (first woman in space)

Pablo Piccaso

Maria Callas (greatest opera singer of the 20th century)

Dr. Joseph E. Murray (performed the first successful kidney transplant operation)

Amelia Earhart (aviation pioneer)

Yuri Gagarin (first human in space)

Roger Bannister (first human to run a mile under 4 minutes)

Muhammad Ali

John Lennon

If you want to add any unreasonable person, please include his/her name in your comment.

Amazing Catch (Spiderman Style)

2010-08-04T21:15:00.000-07:00

Many people outside the United States and Japan do not follow Baseball. It is somewhat similar to cricket. Therefore, I would like our friends to see this amazing catch by a fielder.

In a match in Japan today, the batsman hit the ball. The ball was about to go through the fence for a home run (Cricket term: sixer). The fielder climbed over the fence (Spiderman style) and caught the ball. The batsman is out. Here it is. Enjoy. The commentary is in Japanese.

EMBED-Spiderman Style Baseball Catch

Act Young

2010-08-02T20:30:00.000-07:00

Michelle Pfeiffer (52) - Always young and beautiful

You think you are getting older? Don’t worry. Help is on the way. I can give you a list of ways for you “not to act old”.

1. Do not wear shorts and socks together.

2. Do not take pictures of your flowers.

3. Do not be a racist or tell racist jokes.

4. Do not be afraid of porn.

5. Do not listen to the sorry old songs.

6. Do not try to be so chic.

7. Do not say the words “web”, “surfing”, “chatting”, “cyberspace”. Say “I am using Twitter”.

8. Only one pair of glasses at a time.

9. Wear tattered or sagging jeans. (Suggested by a friend)

10. Listen to hip-hop and R&B. (Suggesed by a friend)

11. Use words like 'cool', 'yo', 'dude' more often. (Suggested by a friend)

12. Sleep late and wake up late. (Suggested by a friend)

13. Do not fear the F word.

14. Learn to text with your thumbs.

15. Don’t put your car in cruise control while driving long distance.

16. Quit bossing everybody around.

17. Don’t give advice to others unless you are asked.

18. Don’t talk about the same subject again and again.

19. Don’t count exact change when paying.

20. Stop using EMail.

If you have any more suggestion for “not acting old”, please let me know.

Con Game

2010-07-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

I received an email last night at 8 pm from a relative in Chennai. He is doing export business and travels all over the world very often. I have reproduced his email to me (without changing anything):

“How are you?Am in a hurry writing you this note,Just wanted to seek your help on something very important, you are the only person i could reach at this point, and i hope you come to my aid because something very terrible is happening to me now,i need a favor from you now, I had a trip here in London (UK) . Unfortunately for me I got mugged at gun point on my way to the hotel where i lodged.They went away with all i have got on me including my wallet where i have all my cash and credit card and also my cell phone.I wasn't injured because I quickly complied.Since then i have been without any money, I am even owing the hotel bills here and I don't have a return ticket back home becaues I bought a one-way ticket.Presently, my documents are been held down by the hotel management pending the time i am able to clear bills.I contacted the police here and they only asked me to write a statement about the incident and I also contacted my embassy but they could only help me replace my missing passport.I have limited access to emails for now, please i need you to lend me about 1350 British Pounds so i can make arrangements and return back please,i have spoken to the embassy here but they are not responding to the matter effectively, I will return the money back to you as soon as i get home, I am so confused right now.

I will be waiting to hear from you.”

(signed)

From the very beginning, I knew this is a con game from a con artist. There are many reasons for me to think like that:

1. English writing is very poor. My relative writes good English.

2. India does not have an Embassy in London. India has a High Commission in London.

3. A businessman visiting from Chennai to London for a few days will always buy a "return ticket" and not a one way ticket.

4. Only an hour before the receipt of this email, I was talking to this relative of mine in Chennai over the phone.

Jack Tatum

2010-07-28T15:15:00.000-07:00

(Note: This note is for those who are not familiar with the American Football. This is a very rough sport. That is why the players are paid very well. Each game is played for one hour and only 16 regular games are played in a year. Even the new players who are making their debut are paid millions of dollars each year.)

He was called “The Assassin”.

Jack Tatum, one of the greatest defensive players in American Football died on Tuesday, July 27, of a heart attack.

He was one of the hardest hitters in the NFL (National Football League). As a defensive player, his job is to stop the offensive player from advancing. He intimidated the opposing players with his ferocious tackles. This helped his team, The Oakland Raiders, become the toughest.

Unfortunately, he was also associated with one of the most tragic moments in American Football’s history. In a game (Oakland Raiders vs. New England Patriots) a hit from Tatum left a Patriots player, Darryl Stingley, paralyzed from the neck down. Tatum was not the same person after the hit. Tatum tried to visit Stingley in an Oakland Hospital but was turned away by his family. It affected him very much. For years, he was almost reclusive.

Experts, including many football coaches, who watched the video clip of the hit were of the opinion that it was a “clean hit” and no foul was committed by Tatum.

Even though Tatum felt sorry for Stingley, he had no remorse for his head hunting ways. He wrote a book titled “They Call Me Assassin”. He mentioned about the Stingley hit as follows:

“There's no way to change yesterday. I was paid to hit, the harder the better. And I hit, and I knocked people down and knocked people out. But sooner or later they would always get back up. Yes, they got up every time except one.”

Jack Tatum, one of Football’s great is no more. May his soul rest in peace.

Other Tourist Attractions in USA

2010-07-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

When visitors come to America, they go to the usual touristy places like Niagara Falls, Grand Canyon, Golden Gate Bridge, Las Vegas, Disney Land, Universal Studios, etc.

I have come across some weird and wacky places to visit in the USA. Remember these places when you plan to visit USA next time. If you live in USA, remember to take your guests to these places instead of a cruise. Cruise is a fashion nowadays.

Carhenge in Alliance, Nebraska

This is a thoroughly modern automobile themed take on England’s mysterious Stonehenge.

Desert of Maine, Freeport, Maine

Desert in Maine? Yes. That is correct. Besides the lush pine trees, there is an intriguing sand anomaly in Maine. It has all the trappings of the Sahara.

Lucy the Elephant, Margate, New Jersey

Real Estate Developer James Lafferty, Jr. built this colossal structure in 1881 to bring attention for his real estate business. This is a 90 ton 65 foot tall wooden elephant.

Oregon Vortex, Gold Hill, Oregon

A weird sight since 1930, the Oregon Vortex and its “house of mystery”. What causes the disarming slant in the house? Why do brooms stand up on their own. This is a fun house of physics-defying experiments.

We Need More Apps

2010-07-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

Apple’s IPhone has more than 220,000 apps and Google’s Android has 60,000 apps. But did they cover everything? No way. They missed out a lot. Here are some of them collected from Twitter and Yahoo. And, some of them are my originals. I demand:

An app that puts my children to bed every night.

An app that gives my wife the “right answer”.

An app that teleports me to a spot with a good cell signal.

A “to do” list program that would remind me of things to do when I am in the right place to do them. For example, pick up medicine when I am near a pharmacy.

An app that converts a Web site containing Flash video on the fly to HTML5, or whatever format Apple will allow.

An on-screen pop up that would remind me that I am holding my IPhone 4 in the wrong way. (This app should be personally written by Steve Jobs.)

An app to put a little smile on my face.

An app containing 100 stupid quotes from politicians.

An app to tell me what to cook today.

An app to tell me what to wear today.

An app that tells me the correct parking rules for the spot where I’m currently standing.

An app, which uses public friends lists across multiple social sites to determine how I may be tied to someone I just met.

Mall/Department store GPS. Say goodbye to mall directory maps.

An app that tells me what there isn’t an app for.

If you know an app is ought to be there (but is not), then please tell me. I will write to Steve Jobs.

Great Love

2010-07-21T00:02:00.000-07:00

It happened exactly 66 years ago today. Yes, the date was July 21, 1944. The place was Hitler’s concentration camp for jews in Auschwitz.

Jerzy Bielecki was walking along with his Jewish sweetheart, Cyla Cybulska, towards the exit gate. Jerzy was wearing a stolen German Nazi SS uniform. They nervously approached the German guards at the gate. The guards looked suspiciously at Jerzy’s forged pass and eyed the two for a long time. Finally the guard said the sweetest words: Ja Danke (Yes, Thank You) and let Jerzy and Cyla out of the death camp and into freedom.

Prisoners at the Auschwitz concentration camp used to say that the only way out was through crematorium chimneys. Jerzy and Cyla were one of the very few to escape from here.

The 23 year old Jerzy was a German speaking Catholic from Poland. In 1940, the Germans falsely suspected him as a resistance fighter and arrested and brought him to Auschwitz. From 1942, large number of jews were arrested and brought to this concentration camp. One of them was Cyla. Most of the jews were sent to gas chambers. Some were kept (to be sent to gas chambers later) to do hard work. Cyla was one of them.

While doing hard work at the concentration camp, Jerzy met Cyla. Their friendship grew into love. As their love blossomed, Jerzy started to work on a daring escape plan.

From another prisoner who was working in the “uniform department”, he got a German Nazi SS Uniform and a forged pass. He told Cyla “Tomorrow an SS-man will come to take you for interrogation and that SS-man will be me”.

The next day, July 21, 1944, Jerzy wore his stolen German Nazi SS uniform and arrived at the yard where Cyla was working. He demanded the German supervisor to release this woman for interrogation. Jerzy led her out of the barrack and onto a long path leading to a side gate where the guards finally let them go through.

They walked out with fear that any minute a bullet would hit their head. They stayed in hiding during the day and walked through fields for 9 nights before they reached Jerzy’s uncle’s house. At one time, Cyla was too tired to walk. She told Jerzy to abandon her and go to his uncle’s house by himself. And, he said:

“Cyla, we fled together. We will walk on together. I am not going to abandon you”. He sometimes carried her. Jerzy’s mother who was living with his uncle was overjoyed to see his son.

They were going to marry. But fate intervened. In 1945, Soviet Army entered Poland and in the confusion Jerzy and Cyla were separated. Cyla thought Jerzy was killed and eventually immigrated to New York. Jerzy settled in Poland.

They both wanted to see other in case both of them were alive. Their wish came true one day. In 1982, Cyla was telling her Auschwitz escape story to a polish woman. She said she heard the same story from a man in the Polish television.

She tracked down his phone number and one day in May 1983, she called him on the phone. When the phone was answered she said: Jerzy, this is me, your little Cyla.

After a few weeks they met at the Krakow Airport. He brought 39 Red Roses, one for each year they spent apart. Cyla died in New York in 2002.

Jerzy, now 89, said in an interview: It was great love.

Extrovert

2010-07-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

Recently I wrote a post on introverts. One of my blogging friend, Chitra, asked me to write a post on extroverts. Therefore, he it is:

People think an extrovert is one who is very friendly and outgoing. That may be true. But a real extrovert is the one who is energized by being around other people. (An introvert is energized by being alone.) They are also called gregarious and unreserved persons.

Extroverts don’t want to be alone. They want to be with other people. They enjoy social situations and even seek them out. They are very good at small talk. They are quite comfortable approaching a total stranger and having conversation. Extroverts tend to think as they speak. (But an introvert will think thoroughly before they speak.) For an extrovert, concept doesn’t seem real unless they talk about it.

They are good at managing people. In a work environment, they will be very popular managers. Employees would love to work for them. And, if they are transferred to another department, employees want to follow them.

In summary, extroverts are interested in what is happening around them. They are very open and talkative. They often compare their opinions with the opinion of others. They like action. Easily make friends. They say what they think. This may land them in trouble sometimes. They can easily break unwanted relationship or friendship with no regret. Some famous extroverts are:

Alexander the Great
Sir Walter Raleigh
Thomas Edison
Eddie Murphy
Robin Williams
Anthony Robbins
Weird Al Yankovick
Tom Hanks
Almost all politicians
Most industrialists

Apple Story (continues)

2010-07-16T16:30:00.000-07:00

In a special press conference a short while ago, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the following:

“We are not perfect. Phones are not perfect. If you don’t like IPhone 4, don’t buy it. If you bought IPhone 4 and don’t like it, bring it back. You will get a full refund.

In order to solve this problem, all those who bought IPhone 4 will be issued a free protective case. (Writer's Note: This will solve the antenna problem)

We care about every customer.”

Protective Case for IPhone 4

Finally, Apple came out and acknowledged the problem and provided a solution. And they stopped giving wishy washy answers.

I was also imagining how previous Apple style answers can be given for other problems in this world. Some of them are:

Problem: Tamil Nadu is facing shortage of electricity and the electricity board is not doing anything.

Apple style answer: A software error falsely indicated we have surplus electricity.

Problem: Fuel price hike throws life out of gear.

Apple style answer: We'll be holding an invitation-only "press conference" to discuss how we purchase crude oil.

Problem: Sony’s VAIO laptops catch fire.

Apple style answer: The problem is with Microsoft Windows Vista.

Problem: Toyota has sticky gas pedals.

Apple style answer: Drivers are pressing their foot down wrong.

Problem: Too much traffic in the street and there is heavy traffic jam.

Apply style answer: Stay indoor during day time. Go out between midnight and 3 am.

Problem: Double sided electric tooth brush looks ugly and weird.

Apple style answer: Our CEO likes the way this tooth brush looks slick and slim.

An Apple Story

2010-07-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

Insignia wrote a post on apple. From that post, I got an idea to write a post on apple too. Thanks Insignia. You are always my inspiration. But this is different apple. The Apple Company.

Apple, Inc. has been in the news a lot for the past 3 months. Their IPad and IPhone 4 have suddenly become attractive products all over the world. Apple’s profit has skyrocketed. They have become the largest technology company in the world (replacing Microsoft) through market capitalization. The stock is at $253 now and estimated to go over $390 in a year.

Now comes the problem. From day one IPhone 4 has antenna problem. When the phone is held in a certain way the signal drops. At first Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, brushed aside telling that the customers are holding the phone in a wrong way. Then they came out and said there is a problem with software algorithm used to define the signal bars on the phone.

Immediately, the stock plummeted from $279 to $242. Apple still has not fixed the software problem.

Since announcing the sale in late June, they have so far sold approximately 2 million Iphone 4. Now experts are suggesting different solutions. Some experts suggest that users buy a case ($30) to eliminate the issue. Some others suggest that Apple should issue a free case to those who bought their IPhone4. Apple is sitting on a cash of $42 billion (that is billion) in their checking account with no debt. The cost of giving away free case will amount to $60 million only. This is nothing for Apple.

Some people have suggested that Apple should refurbish all the phones that were sold. This would cost Apple about $200 million. No big deal for Apple.

Then why they are not doing it? If they do anything like this (issue case or refurbish) it would mean admitting that they made a mistake.

Some people are demanding total recall. This is not likely. This is about how you hold the phone and not whether this phone will blow up or not. Experts on crisis management and public relations say that Apple handled the situation very badly. Even if there is nothing wrong, acknowledging the problem is key. Steven Job’s flip remark (holding the phone the wrong way) did not help. Apple had a chance to dictate how this story will be developed. But by ignoring and giving unsatisfactory response to the customers, they have a potential recall on their hands.

PS: I am long on Apple with heavy investment. Hope Apple handles the situation well and come out of this.

The Tag

2010-07-12T07:55:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Renu more than a month ago. Thanks for tagging me Renu. I wrote this post immediately. But just now found time to publish it.

8 TV shows/News Channels I like to watch:

1. CNN
2. CNBC
3. Outsourced (Saw preview. Coming this fall)
4. M.A.S.H. (rerun)
5. Rookie Blue
6. The Mentalist (rerun)
7. Metti Oli (rerun)
8. Nadhaswaram

8 Places to eat and dine:

1. My Home (My wife is a great cook.)
2. Washington Square Bar and Grill, San Francisco (Excellent Bar)
3. Sahn Eddar in Burj Al Arab Hotel, Dubai (For Afternoon Tea)
4. Max Brenner, New York (Best Chocolate Pizza)
5. Olive Garden (Italian Restaurant Chain)
6. Lizza’s Pizza in Salt Lake City, Utah
7. Dhaba Indian Cuisine, Tracy, California
8. Sankara Vilas Hotel, Trichy, India (The Best Rava Dosa)

8 Things I Look Forward To:

1. My visit to Vancouver next month (which did not happen)
2. My visit to India next year.
3. Watching the movie Toy Story (Part 3).
4. Successful launch of my new project.

8 Things That Happened Yesterday:

1. Wrote a post for my blog
2. Watched Obama rip apart BP for Gulf oil spill
3. Finished reading a book (The Book of Questions)
4. Bought tickets online for the March 20, 2011 cricket match India vs. West Indies in Chennai
5. Went to an Indian grocery store
6. Had a fight with a friend of mine (When you make-up it feels good. So want to fight frequently.)
7. Had a long distance call with a relative in India
8. Washed my car, finally (and then it rained here).

8 Things I love about Winter

1. Welcomes a new year
2. Ice (I love to ski)
3. Bright cold sunny days
4. Mulled wine
5. Everything is lovely and green
6. Sitting near the fire place in the family room

8 Things on my Wish-list

1. Good health for me and my family and our friends
2. Apple share should go to $400 (now at $260)
3. Buy a Mercedes-Benz CL-Class
4. Take a cruise vacation on the ship MS Oasis of the Seas. (It is the largest cruise ship. 6,300 passengers and 2,200 crew)
5. Buy a house in Dublin, California, with a bedroom downstairs (That is the trend now.)

(Since I cannot come up with more than 5, I will add World Peace, Solve World Hunger Problem, and Permanent seat for India at the United Nations, as additional 3 items.)

8 Things I am Passionate about

1. My family
2. Helping those I dearly love
3. Watching TV (especially news and sports)
4. Visiting restaurants of different cuisine
5. Helping (anonymously) people who are in need
6. Do things my own way
7. Never take “no” for an answer
8. Cooking (my new hobby) (learning from my wife)

8 Words/Phrases I often use

1. Bingo (means: “that is correct”)
2. Inshallah
3. The whole enchilada (a group of related things taken in totality)
4. Aruvai (most boring) (when I watch any Tamil serial)
5. Mucho Dinero (lots of money)
6. Guruvayoorappa
7. The difficult will be done now and the impossible will take some time.
8. May God show mercy on my enemies because I won’t (I like this phrase but I rarely use it.)

8 Things I learnt from the past

1. It may appear some people are buddy buddy with you. Beware. Most of them are here only to pass time. They sense you have a problem? They will just take off and disappear.
2. Those who stand by you and support you during tough times are your real friends. Rest are just train friendship (friends only until they reach their destination.)
3. If you want something to be done on time then do it yourself.
4. If people around you are not happy then you will not be happy. Therefore, make them also happy.
5. If you keep quiet, people think you don’t know anything.
6. Favorable public opinion does not happen. It is manually created.
7. Except those who you really trust, never discuss your ideas or future plans with anyone else. They will steal your ideas.
8. If you don’t do anything, most of the times problems will be solved by itself.

8 Places I would like to go/visit

1. Hawaii (again)
2. Niagara Falls (again)
3. Penang (again)
4. Akshardham Temple in New Delhi (again)
5. Bangalore & Mysore
6. Golden Temple at Amritsar and Wagah Border
7. Venice, Italy (for the umpteenth time)
8. Tirupathi (for the umpteenth time)

8 Things I currently need/want.....

None

8 Blogging Buddies I want to Tag

1. Chitra
2. Lostworld
3. NRIGirl

Introvert

2010-07-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine is an excellent writer. But on the phone or in person, no words will come. Never talks that much and listens only with a smile. Lot of people will mistake these people as “stuck up”. Actually they are introverts.

An introvert is not just a shy person. He/She is a person who is energized by being alone. Their energy is drained by being around other people.

They are concerned with their inner mind. They enjoy thinking, exploring their thoughts and feelings. Even if they have good social skills, they avoid being around people. These social situations drain their energy. After being with people, they want to be alone to “recharge”.

They also have a hard time being goofy in front of the camera. They cannot tell a joke to more than a couple of people at a time. But they can be extremely witty. Introverts’ personality traits are definitely not neurotic.

Some people mistake them as depressed. They simply want time to be with their own thoughts. 70% of the introverts are gifted people. Gifted people are the ones whose IQ is 130 or above. Introverts' contributions to society far exceed their numbers. Many of these people have changed our lives incalculably. Some of the famous introverts are:

Albert Einstein
Steven Spielberg
Charles Darwin
Warren Buffett
Michael Jordan
Isaac Newton
Friedrich Nietzsche
Hans Christian Anderson
Others (They Got Brains)

One Nil

2010-07-07T13:36:00.000-07:00

Today will be an enthusiastic day for American sports announcers in television and radio stations. Here is the reason.

The meaning for the word “nil” is zero or nothing. In sports, it is used in soccer very commonly. However, in USA, when there is no score the term “nothing” is used. Never have they used the word “nil”. Also, soccer is not that popular in USA yet.

But there is lot of enthusiasm here during the soccer world cup. It is given very high priority in news. World cup matches are televised live.

Sports announcers get a kick out of saying the word “nil”. Actually, they love saying it. They enjoy saying it. If the score is something like 2 to 1, they don’t show that much enthusiasm. There is some enthusiasm when the score is “2 nil” or “3 nil” or “nil nil”. But their biggest pleasure is when they announce the score “one nil”. Their pronunciation is more pronounced. A few minutes ago, Spain beat Germany one nil. They will be very happily saying throughout the day:

Today Spain beat Germany onnneeennniiilll.

Happy Independence Day

2010-07-04T00:05:00.000-07:00

Today is 4th of July. America’s Independence Day. Happy Independence Day to all.

Just like India, America got her independence from the British. But they did not get through non-violence. British did not grant them independence. Americans just beat the crap out of the British, made the British Army surrender, and declared their own independence.

Today, there will be a lot of fireworks, parades, and cookouts throughout USA. Fortunately this is a 3-day weekend also.

There are a couple of similarities between India and USA.

They both do not celebrate Queen’s birthday. USA is not a member of the Commonwealth Realms. Most Commonwealth members (former British colonies) still recognize the Queen as their monarch. Some of them are Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Fortunately, even though India is a member of the Commonwealth, it does not celebrate the Queen’s birthday. Thank God.

Another similarity is both countries chose their own Independence (USA) and Republic (India) dates.

In USA, the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress was signed on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Even after this date, the British were fighting the Americans. They finally surrendered to the Americans in 1781.

(Latest trivia published only yesterday. Thomas Jefferson, one of the people who wrote the Declaration of Independence, wrote “subjects” when he referred to the American public. He then erased that word and replaced it with “citizens”. Only the British are subjects. Americans and Indians are proud citizens of their country.)

(As I wrote in a previous post, the British Army surrendered to the Americans in Yorktown, Virginia. The surrender ceremony took place on October 19, 1781. The commander of the British Army, General Cornwallis did not attend the surrender ceremony saying he was not feeling well. He sent his deputy, General O’Hara, to officially surrender. Yes, he is the same Cornwallis who became the Governor General of India from 1786 to 1793.)

The Purna Swaraj declaration or Declaration of the Independence of India was promulgated by the Indian National Congress, on January 26, 1930. It was declared in LAHORE. (Nice twist to this post.) Therefore, India selected January 26 in 1950 as the Republic Day.

I am an American Citizen. And, I am of Indian Origin. I am proud of both. Especially for kicking the British out of these 2 countries. Thank God we don’t have to curtsy to anyone. We bend our knees only to God and our elders.

Example for Indo American Friendship. NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has a huge flight facility at the Wallops Island. In the main reception hall of that flight facility, there is a huge painting depicting soldiers trying to rocket launch against the enemy. You know who those soldiers are? They are Tipu Sultan’s soldiers trying to rocket launch against the British troops.

Dr. Abdul Kalam wrote: "It turned out to be Tipu Sultan's army fighting the British. The painting depicted a fact forgotten in Tipu's own country but commemorated here on the other side of the planet. I was happy to see an Indian glorified by NASA as a hero of warfare rocketry".

German Goal Keeper

2010-06-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

Has anyone watched the soccer game Germany vs. England?

This is what happened in that game.

On the 38th minute, England’s Frank Lampard’s lob bounced over the German goal line and appeared to give England a clear goal.

What did the German goal keeper Manuel Neuer do? He grabbed the ball and swiftly kicked it upfield as England’s disbelieving players rounded upon the Referee Jorge Larrionda and begged him to reconsider his decision.

Referee Larrionda decided it was not a goal.

After the match was over, German goal keeper Neuer said:

“After the game I was in doping control and saw it on the television. And yes, of course it was over and should have been a goal for England. It was lucky for us and unlucky for them.

Neuer insisted, though, that the Lampard no-goal made no difference to the eventual outcome Sunday, 4-1, claiming Germany would have won the match in any case.

Neuer is wrong. A goal on them would have devastated them mentally and the outcome would have been different.

We got lucky? That is all? No remorse?

Now it is time to quote from one of my previous posts written long time ago.

Wimbledon. The year 1960. Semi Final Match. India’s Ramanathan Krishnan vs. Australia’s Neale Fraser. A shot from Fraser was called “out” in favor of Krishnan. Krishnan interceded and told the umpire that it was “in”. Krishnan, instead of gaining a point lost a point. Eventually that call was instrumental in Krishnan losing the match to Fraser. First ever Indian going to the Wimbledon finals was denied.

Next week, a Tamil weekly, Kalki, put the picture of Krishnan on the cover and put a caption from (Lord Krishna) Bhagvat Gita: "Paritranaya Sadhunaam vinashaya cha dushkritamDharma sansthapnarthaya sambhavami yugay yugay" (Whenever there is downfall of Dharma (righteousness), I incarnate to re-establish the Dharma.)

Not So Funny

2010-06-27T20:30:00.000-07:00

Queen Elizabeth II of England visited the All England Club, for the first time since 1977, on Thursday, June 25, to watch a Wimbledon tennis match. She was introduced to some tennis players, past and present. She was introduced to Martina Navratilova. Martina was asked by the Queen if she played at Wimbledon often. Ever humble Martina politely answered yes. Martina has won 9 Wimbledon Championship in her career. Obviously the queen does not follow tennis.

I thought that question to Martina was very funny. Again it is not funny. Here is why:

These kinds of meetings do not happen by chance. Believe me. I have been there. When a queen or king or president or prime minister of a country meets a group of sportsmen (or anyone), their aides would have prepped the VIPs who they are going to meet and shake hands and their accomplishments. The sportsmen would also have been informed in advance that the VIP will shake hands with him/her and there will be an exchange of pleasantries. At such a high level of dignitaries, everything is pre-arranged and nothing is spontaneous. It may look spontaneous to us watching on television.

Have you seen American Presidents get out of their bullet proof limousine and shake hands with the public in a crowd? Do you think it is spontaneous? The Secret Service Agents who guard the life of the U.S. President will never allow that to happen. It is all pre-arranged.

In this incident, the person who arranged the Queen to go to the Wimbledon tennis match failed. I would fire that person immediately. Now my imagination goes wild:

Indian President Pratibha Patil asking Sachin Tendulkar if he plays cricket regularly.

President Barack Obama asking Muhammad Ali if he ever taken boxing lessons.

Again, President Barack Obama asking Michael Phelps (winner of 14 Olympic gold medals in swimming) whether he knows how to swim.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva asking Pele if he ever played soccer.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper asking Wayne Gretsky (the greatest ice hockey player ever born) if he has ever seen ice.

I think Patil, Obama, da Silva, and Harper are not that stupid. Nor their aides.

Graduation Ceremony

2010-06-24T07:30:00.000-07:00

We happened to go to a graduation ceremony recently. No this is not a university or college graduation. This is not even a high school graduation. This is a graduation ceremony for the kids passing their kindergarten and going to first grade.

The auditorium was filled to capacity. The students came in procession to the accompaniment of music and took their seats on the stage. The program started with the usual “Flag Salute”. All the people present in the auditorium loudly said the following:

“I pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.”

(Foreign nationals and atheists are exempted from saying the Pledge of Allegiance.)

Then all three kindergarten teachers read a few lines on “Everything I ever needed to know I learned in Kindergarten”.

Then graduation ceremony for students of Ms. Brown. Each student came to the mike and said his/her name. Ms. Brown gave the graduation certificate and hugged the student. When the student said his/her name the relatives and friends in the audience gave a loud applause.

Then came the graduation ceremony for students of Miss. Hill.

Finally, the graduation ceremony for students of Mrs. Lundy.

In between the students sang three songs.

After the graduation ceremony, there were lot of cookies, candies, cakes and punch for all the students, teachers, parents and other guests.

One of the parents, sitting in the auditorium, was Ms. Shanice Wilson. She is a famous pop singer in USA. Her son was graduating from kindergarten this year. People smiled at her. She smiled back. Couple of guests took her picture. But no one bothered her.

In USA, there is usually graduation ceremony at the end of pre-school, kindergarten, sixth grade, and high school (12th grade). Some schools use graduation caps and gowns. Some don’t. The kindergarten graduation ceremony we attended did not use caps and gowns.

We enjoyed the occasion very much.

Expensive "Stuff"

2010-06-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

If you are extremely rich, money is no object. You can buy anything at any price. Don’t we all want to have a life like that! At least some of us want. Until that day comes to us, we can read this post and get ready. Here is a list:

Most Expensive Television:

PrestigeHD Supreme Rose Edition by Stuart Hughes
Price: $2.3 million Made with 18 carat gold with 72 diamonds.

Most Expensive Hotel Room:

Royal Penthouse Suite, Hotel President Wilson in Geneva
Price: $65,000 per night. This suite has 18,083 square feet. 10 rooms and 7 bathrooms.

Most Expensive Cell Phone:

iPhone 3GS Supreme Rose by Stuart Hughes
Price: $2.97 million. It has 18-carat rose gold with hundreds of diamonds, including a single-cut, 7.1-carat diamond for the main navigation button.

Most Expensive Car:

1954-55 Mercedes-Benz W196
Price: $24 million. This car won a Grand Prix race in 1954 and 1955. (A friend of mine goes “ga ga” over used BMWs. This friend should go for this car.)

Most Expensive House:

Antilla
Price: $1 billion. Owned by Mukesh Ambani in Mumbai. 27 floors. 6 floors for parking 168 cars. This house is maintained by 600 people. Some say this house costs $2 billion.

Most Expensive Yacht:

Eclipse
Price: £1.2 billion. 560 foot long. 2 helipads. 11 guest cabins. 2 swimming pools.

Enjoy Life. Be Happy.

Grotesque

2010-06-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

When I read this news item, I could not believe my eyes. Here is the news item. What do you think?

We all know that in Saudi Arabia men and women cannot mingle. There are strict Islamic laws banning a meeting between a man and a woman who are not related. But there are many circumstances when women come into contact with unrelated men.

In order to tackle this problem, the Saudis have issued a fatwa forcing these women to breastfeed these men so that they are considered “relatives” and not lovers. The real problem is not this. The real problem is how do these men get the milk.

According to the Gulf News, Sheikh Al Obeikan, an adviser to the royal court stated, “the man should take the milk, but not directly from the breast of the woman. He should drink it and then becomes a relative of the family, a fact that allows him to come in contact with the woman”. The woman has to pump her breast milk in a glass and give it to the man. Not very palatable, I think.

Not all agree with this solution. A prominent sheikh, Abi Ishaq Al Huwaini, argues that men should drink the milk directly from the source. With strict laws in that county on these matters, how this can be possible?

In 2009, a 75 year old woman was thrown in jail for six months and given 40 lashes after the religious police found out that 2 men, not her relatives, were in her house. In fact, they were delivery boys delivering breads. One of the boys told the court that this old lady breast-fed him when he was infant and therefore he was allowed to be there. But the judge decided that it could not be proved that he was her “breast milk son”. They were given 6 months in jail and 60 lashes.

This clearly shows how clueless men are. All these arguments between government officials, mullahs, and the sheiks and no one bother to ask a woman if it is logical. It is also logistically impossible to implement. First of all, in order to breast feed you have to have just had a baby to do that. And, some women are not capable of producing breast milk. Also, many women do not want to share this sacred moment between a mother and child with a random grown man.

The thought of a huge hairy face at a woman’s breast is grotesque.

Another Award

2010-06-10T07:10:00.000-07:00

I have been presented with this Cherry on Top award by Insignia. Thank you very much Insignia and it is an honor to receive an award from you.

There is a ground rule for accepting this award. I have to say 3 good things about me.

Usually when describing about themselves, people are critical …..unless they are in an interview situation. Most of us think saying good things about us are considered as self-praise. Still, since this post calls for saying 3 good things about me, here they are:

1. We have been living in the United States for a long time and still converse only in Tamil at home.

2. I will give anything, including my own life, for those people who I love and who are dear and near to me. I consider their happiness is my happiness. Every day I pray God for their health and happiness. As the Tamil saying goes, even if they need Tiger’s milk I will get it for them. Incidentally, they are the same people I engage in petty arguments and fights.

3. Whenever I help someone (like a sick person unable to afford a doctor or operation), only me and my wife will know about it. Sometimes, even the patient will not know who helped.

Now, I would like to present this award to the following:

Chitra

NumeroUnity

Sulagna

Please accept this award. Thanks.

Spellbound

2010-06-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

Once again an Indian-American won the Scripps National Spelling Bee contest and took the Championship Trophy and $40,000 in cash and prizes. She is Anamika Veeramani, a 14 year old girl from Ohio State. In the finals, she spelled the word “stromuhr” correctly. The meaning: It is a tool that measures the speed of blood through artery.

Congratulations to Anamika. Well done. Her parents Alagaiya and Malar immigrated from Chennai, India.

Incidentally, this year’s runner up also is an Indian-American, Shantanu Srivatsa, a 13 year old from North Dakota. Shantanu could not spell the word “ochidore” correctly. (I have no idea what “ochidore” means.) Congratulations to Shantanu also for winning the second prize.

Anamika became the third consecutive Indian-American spelling bee champion. In 2009, the winner was Kavya Shivshankar. The winner in 2008 was Sameer Mishra.

This is the 83rd annual spelling bee contest. Indian-Americans took the trophy in the last eight out of twelve years.

1999 - Nupur Lala

2000 – George Abraham Thampy

2002 – Pratyush Buddiga

2003 – Sai Gunturi

2005 – Anurag Kashyap

2008 – Sameer Mishra

2009 – Kavya Shivshankar

2010 – Anamika Veeramani

When asked by the reporters, Anamika’s father, Alagaiya Veeramani said he had no clue why Indian-Americans seem to do so well at the competition. He guessed it has something to do with hard-work ethic.

Munchausen Syndrome?

2010-06-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

"I learned a very important lesson that night. People believe whatever they read. Something magical happens once it’s put down on paper. They figure no one would have gone through the trouble if it wasn't the truth.”
Eugene Morris Jerome in the Neil Simon movie, Biloxi Blues

It amazes me quite a lot how people believe, without question, what they read. Taking advantage of this, some writers write sensational journalism. Some others have the chutzpah to write anything in order to get attention, sympathy, and pity. Recently I came across one like this.

Here is this writer. He is a real jerk and a joker. He recently put up a "stunt" for getting sympathy from his readers and behaved like an idiot. In a particular post, he wrote that this was his last post and he is quitting blogging. And, the innocent readers believed that and pleaded with him not to quit. Next week he said “gotcha”. He said he wanted to lighten up, could not find anything to write, and therefore performed this stunt. Looks like a guy who writes his own obituary, publishes it, and reads it for the fun of it.

We don’t know what kind of other stunts he is capable of performing to gain sympathy and pity from others.

And then, there are a few people suffer from Munchausen Syndrome. Munchausen syndrome is a disorder wherein those affected would do anything to draw attention or sympathy. These people tend to seek sympathy to feel cared for, and understood. They use their writing as an attention seeking device. They are desperate. I feel sorry for those few.

My Vacation (Part 4 of 4)

2010-05-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

On May 6, our ship arrived at our third and final sightseeing town, Puerto Vallarta (Pronounced: Porta Vayaartha).

I don’t have to tell that this a tourist town. Tourism is the only source of income here. There were several “tours” available for the ship passengers. But we decided to take a tour that is less frequented by the tourists. We took a Mexican jungle ride.

One of the best features of Puerto Vallarta is the vast jungle that surrounds it. Exploring this vast wilderness is an unforgettable experience.

After travelling for about an hour inside the jungle, we came to a place where Arnold Schwarzenegger’s movie Predator was filmed. That set has been converted into a restaurant. We had lunch there.

Here are a couple of video clips from Puerto Vallarta.

http://picasaweb.google.com/rajang716/PuertoVallartaVideo#

We were at sea on May 7 and 8. We arrived in Los Angeles on the morning of May 9.

We were sorry that the cruise vacation came to an end. Wanted it to go on for ever. But all good things must come to an end.

We disembarked from the ship. Came to the Immigration Counter and handed our passports. Even before taking our passports, the Immigration Officer said with a smile:

“Welcome Home Sir. Welcome Home Madam. How was your vacation?”

That particular moment made us so happy that we live in U S of A. More happy than our cruise vacation.

My Vacation (Part 3 of 4)

2010-05-26T20:30:00.000-07:00

Our ship arrived at Mazatlan on the morning of May 5. We were very happy that we were in Mexico on May 5. That day is a national holiday. It is Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for May 5th) celebration.

Cinco de Mayo holiday commemorates the Mexican army’s upset and unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. It is the most important national patriotic day in Mexico. Many people in USA (who celebrate Cinco de Mayo) wrongly think it is Mexico’s Independence Day.

City of Mazatlan was founded in 1531. It is a thriving commercial seaport. It is a popular vacation and retirement destination for Europeans, Canadians, and Americans. It has 10 miles of stunning Pacific beachfront.

The city of Mazatlan arranged a special musical program for the passengers to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. (Please see the video clip.)

http://picasaweb.google.com/rajang716/MazatlanVideoClip#

My Vacation (Part 2 of 4)

2010-05-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

Our ship stopped in 3 ports for us to go on sightseeing. The first stop was Cabo San Lucas.

This city is known for its white sandy beaches and several scuba diving locations. This city has the perfect combination of great weather, exotic and spectacular scenery. It was once a base for pirate vessels waiting to pounce on Spanish treasure ships. It's more like an enclave of the US than part of Mexico.

We had a choice of several group tours. We chose the one that included a visit to a glass blowing factory, a village named San Jose and its church that was built in 1697, and the world’s biggest cactus farm. San Jose village has the old Mexico charm. Here is a slide show of our visit to Cabo San Lucas.

Here are a couple of video clips.

http://picasaweb.google.com/rajang716/CaboSanLucasVideo#

My Vacation (Part 1 of 4)

2010-05-18T06:30:00.000-07:00

We went on a 7 night Mexican Riviera cruise from May 2 to May 9. The ship’s name is Mariner of the Seas owned by Royal Caribbean. She (here I remember Insignia’s post on ships) is 1020 feet long and weighs 138,000 tons. She can take 3114 passengers. The ship has 1185 crew. There are 15 decks (floors). Our cabin was on the 10th deck.

This is our second cruise. Our first one was two years ago but only for 4 nights. We enjoyed it so much we decided to go again this year. On our first cruise, our friends advised us to take an outside cabin. They cost some extra money. But will have natural lighting and we can see the ocean from the cabin.

For this second cruise, we did not take an outside cabin. In our opinion, it is a waste of money. After all the activities, we come to the room only in the night to sleep. So, there is no need for natural light. At the same time, we are not going to be looking at the dark ocean all night. Here is a slide show of the ship.

There are plenty of foods available 24 hours. Everything is included in the ticket price except for alcohol. There is a main formal dining hall and an informal dining hall. You can choose where you want to eat. Formal dining hall does not mean you have to wear formal attire all the time. Formal attire required only on 2 nights. Waiters will serve food in the formal dining hall. There are 12 main courses to choose from each night. This includes 3 vegetarian courses including an Indian dish.

Informal dining hall has buffet system only. The cuisine includes American, Mexican, Italian, Chinese, and Indian dishes. There is a separate pizza parlor and a hamburger joint. Lots and lots of fruits, desserts, pastries, yogurt, and ice cream. If you are on a diet or a weight watcher, cruise vacation is not for you.

The ship has a swimming pool, a shopping mall, a gym, an auditorium (capacity 1200), a figure skating rink, video arcade, baby sitting facilities, children play station, a small hospital, and a chapel.

There are at least 6 professional entertainments each day and we can choose to attend any or some or all. They include music, dance, figure skating dance, and stand-up comedy.

As I said before everything is included in the ticket price. (Ticket price is also not that costly.) We have to pay onboard only for alcohol. If you don’t drink alcohol you won’t have to spend anything onboard.

Everyone should experience a cruise vacation on a luxury liner at least once in a lifetime. It is an unforgettable experience. With more than 4200 people on board, the ship looks like a small ultra modern town surrounded by water on all sides. Everybody is smiling and happy. Everyone leaves their worldly worries on the land before boarding the ship.

It used to be when relatives visit from India, they were taken to places like Disneyland, Universal Studios, and Niagara Falls. But the trend nowadays is to take the visitors on a cruise. Therefore, we saw lots of sarees and salwar kameez on board.

I have a few video clips about this ship. The quality of the video is not that good since it was taken in a digital camera (not meant for videos).

http://picasaweb.google.com/rajang716/OnTheShipVideoClip#

Stay tuned for the continuation.

Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla

2010-05-15T00:30:00.000-07:00

(I will write some posts regarding my vacation beginning this coming Wednesday. In my opinion, today's post is more important than my vacation posts.)

Today is Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla’s birthday. He was born on May 15, 1926 in Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. If he was alive today, he would be celebrating his 84th birthday.

He was commissioned in the Indian Navy in 1948. During the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War (or as someone might call “Bangladesh Liberation War”) he was Commander of INS Khukri. The ship had 18 officers and 176 sailors. His responsibility was to locate and destroy a Pakistani submarine in the Arabian Sea. On the December 9, 1971 night, INS Khukri was hit by torpedoes fired by a Pakistani submarine and sank.

Captain Mulla was calm and quiet. He asked his crew to abandon the ship. He organized the evacuation of the ship’s crew in an orderly manner. There was no confusion and no panic due to the Captain's calm transmitting itself to his men.
All the crew members were evacuated from the ship.

Finally his turn to leave the ship. There is an old tradition. Captains don’t abandon their ships. The ship was about to fully go under the water. The evacuated crew begged and cried for him to abandon the ship. He smiled at them. But refused to abandon his ship. He waved at them. Lighted a cigarette. Took a chair and sat on the ship’s bridge. Within a few minutes, Captain Mulla is gone under the water along with his ship, INS Khukri.

His action and behavior and the example he set have been in keeping with highest tradition of the Indian Military.

He was awarded Maha Vir Chakra posthumously for displaying conspicuous gallantry and dedication to duty.

Let us remember Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla today.

A Tutorial for Mr. Tharoor

2010-04-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

We all know about Shashi Tharoor and IPL. Now he lost his minister job. I read in the web he stated he is devastated at the charges made against him. He also said that he has requested the Prime Minister to investigate the complaints against him. In addition, he said he has done nothing unlawful or illegal.

This guy Tharoor has spent too many years away from India and at the United Nations. I have been at the United Nations’ cocktail reception couple of times. The diplomatic niceties observed there will not work in India. He is unfit to be an Indian politician. He is not going to win the support of people of Kerala with these kinds of statements. He is yet to learn how to maneuver in Indian politics.

Since my job is to give advice to others, I am requesting Mr. Tharoor that he make a statement something like the following:

“I want to do something worthwhile for Kerala. But those people who don’t want Kerala to prosper have conspired against me. The cricket establishment in India has a step mother attitude toward Kerala. Is it wrong for me to try and have an IPL team in Kerala?

All these years, the Indian cricket establishment was dominated by Maharashtrians, Kannadigas, and Bengalis. Kerala has only one “test” level cricket player. Even he was slapped on the cheeks by a “not so good” player from Punjab. Are we to tolerate this kind of injustice?

I want Kerala’s backward community and minority community people to participate in cricket activities and dethrone the domination of Maharashtrians, Kannadigas, and Bengalis. And, the upper class people in India do not want backward community and minority community people of Kerala to excel in cricket. They are afraid of us.

Therefore, I am quitting from the Congress Party. I am going to start my own political party in Kerala. It will be named as the Kerala Cricket Purogamana Sanghadana. I will be the President of the party. Mathaji Sunanda Pushkar will be the General Secretary.

Our party’s goal is to have at least 3 IPL teams in Kerala. One in Kochi, another one in Trivandrum, and the third one in Guruvayoor. (ende Guruvayoorappan rakshikkattum) (Translation: May Lord Guruvayoorappan protect me.)

Our muslim brothers in Malappuram District should wait until next year. We will have the 4th IPL team there. I assure you that all the players in that team will be muslims. Inshallah.

If all the cricket lovers in Kerala join my party and support me, I will be the next Chief Minister of Kerala. I will defeat all the political parties in Kerala. Since I have lived in foreign countries only and came to India because I could not get the U.N. Secretary General job, I am not familiar with all the political parties in Kerala. They have so many parties with similar sounding names and I get confused. For example:

4 parties with the word “communist”.
8 parties with the word “congress”.
3 parties with the word “janata”.
4 parties with the word “revolutionary”.

I will bring the next T20 Cricket World Cup to Kerala. They will be played in 5 important towns: Kollam, Kannur, Kozhikode, Kottayam and Kasaragod. There is an important reason to select these 5 towns. They all start with the letter K as in Kerala.

I will try to recruit Shantakumaran Sreesanth as the Vice President of our Party. If he agrees for that, I will make sure the next T20 Cricket World Cup Final is played in his home town, Kothamangalam.

My fellow Keralites, whether you live in Kerala or in Gulf countries, please support me and my cause. Long Live Kerala Cricket Purogamana Sanghadana. Thank you.”

(SG's Note: We are going on cruise holiday. Will be back after May 11.)

Lights Show

2010-04-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

Stunning Northern Lights show above Iceland’s volcano. Picture courtesy: Reuters.

Unsung Hero

2010-04-22T21:30:00.000-07:00

Saraswati Rajamani’s family is from Trichy, Tamilnadu. Her father was involved in the Indian freedom movement. The British were looking for him. In order to escape from the British, he ran away to Burma with his wife.

Saraswati and her sister were born in Burma. Her father started a business and it flourished very well. He became one of the richest person in Burma.

In the meantime, Netaji Subash Chandra Bose organized the Indian National Army and started to fight the British. He came to Burma and spoke in a meeting. He mesmerized the audience with his narration of the sufferings of Indians and his plans to drive the British out of India. Young Saraswati was moved by his speech. Since she was a very rich girl, she had diamond jewelries from head to toe. She removed all the diamonds and gave to Netaji to be used by the Indian National Army.

Saraswati joined the Indian National Army and rose to the rank of Captain in the INA’s Burma regiment. She became chief of the espionage operations for the INA.

Saraswati and her family lost all the money for the cause of India’s independence. While rescuing some INA soldiers during a bombing raid, 3 bullets went into her right leg. The doctors removed these 3 bullets. Since then she is unable to walk properly.

After independence, she came back to India and settled in Chennai. During the struggle for independence, there was acute shortage of clothes. So, Saraswati knows the importance of clothes. Even at this old age, she goes to tailor shops and collects fabrics that are rejected by them. She makes clothes from them and donates to orphanages.

She gets a meager pension as a freedom fighter. During the tsunami time, she donated her one month pension and lived by drinking tea only for a month.

She is a real unsung hero.

Yogi Berra

2010-04-20T20:45:00.000-07:00

Lawrence Peter Berra was a professional baseball player in USA. His nick name is “Yogi”. He later became manager of New York Yankees, a professional baseball team.

He is credited with this nickname by one of his school friends. This friend said that he resembled a Hindu holy man (yogi) they had seen in a movie.

Yogi is also one of the most quoted figures in the world. He is credited with coining the deceptively simplistic observation. He is also known for his botching and bungling. Here are some examples:

"It ain't over till it's over."

"This is like deja vu all over again."

"You can observe a lot just by watching."

"He must have made that before he died." -- Referring to a Steve McQueen movie.

"I knew I was going to take the wrong train, so I left early."

"If you can't imitate him, don't copy him."

"Baseball is 90% mental -- the other half is physical."

"A nickel isn't worth a dime today."

"Nobody goes there anymore; it's too crowded."

"Do you mean now?" -- When asked for the time.

"I take a two hour nap, from one o'clock to four."

"I made a wrong mistake."

"Thanks, you don't look so hot yourself." -- After being told he looked cool.

"Why buy good luggage? You only use it when you travel."

"The other teams could make trouble for us if they win."

"It ain't the heat; it's the humility."

"You should always go to other people's funerals; otherwise, they won't come to yours."

"I didn't really say everything I said."

"If the fans don't come out to the ball park, you can't stop them."

"It was impossible to get a conversation going; everybody was talking too much."

Cats and Dogs

2010-04-18T08:12:00.000-07:00

Saw these video clips. Liked them. Wanted to share with you all.

The Really Dancing Chihuahua!!

My turn to go

Cat Fights Trash Can Reflection

The Standing Cat

Trololo Cat

Hong Kong Dance Dog

My Favorite Annoying People

2010-04-15T06:30:00.000-07:00

Everyday we come across people who annoy us. They rub us the wrong way. The moment we see them, we want to slap them. But we don’t do that. They may be anybody. Our relatives, friends, neighbors, bosses, coworkers, lawyers, doctors, or just plain strangers. Following is a list of my favorite annoying people.

People with annoying voices.

Telemarketers

People who are so totally perfect that you would love to hate them, if only they weren't so nice to you all the time.

Fashion designers.

Mothers who let their children run around screaming in stores.

People who don't realize that it's rude to pick your nose in public.

People who answer rhetorical questions incorrectly.

Tall people who sit right in front of you in theatres.

People who arbitrarily turn nouns into verbs.

People with poor personal hygiene.

People who repeat themselves.

People who whistle tunelessly.

Unfunny people who really believe that they have wonderful senses of humor.

People who correct your grammar and pronunciation.

People who call you on the phone and greet them by saying "Hi, who's this?" as though they you called them.

Bill O’Reilly of Fox Network (He thinks he is the smartest person in the world and he thinks he is always right.)

Ross Perot, Billionaire (He says he has plans to solve America’s problems but will reveal that plan only if he is elected as President of USA.)

Rush Limbaugh (Hates democrats, Mexicans, blacks, Portaricans, Asians, and for that matter anyone who is a human being.)

Susan Sarandon, Actress (Her liberal propaganda is the most annoying.)

Heidi and Spencer Pratt, Reality Show Contestants (They will do anything to be in the spotlight and also to keep showing their faces on TV)

If you have any favorite annoying person, please share with us.

Job Offer? No Thanks.

2010-04-10T21:30:00.000-07:00

Recently a friend of mine applied for a job in a company. He went for the usual 3 or 4 rounds of interviews. Finally, the HR called and said that they are taking a risk in him and offering a job. My friend was stunned. He never expected that the HR would make such a stupid statement while making a job offer.

When I heard about this, I asked two people known to me. One is a CEO of a medium sized Company. He is a U.S. born Indo-American. Another one is a well known HR specialist in USA. She has written a book and also writes her own blog. In order to protect the identity of my friend, I told both of them I received a job offer with this statement from HR. Here is what they have to say:

The CEO told me over the phone that it is a negotiation tactic to reduce the compensation package. It is also a tactic to put the prospective employee on guard for the next 2 or 3 years. You will work hard to prove you are not a risk and won’t ask for any salary increase. He also said: Actually, you should tell the HR person that they need not take a risk on you. And, you should also tell them that you have 3 other job offers and if they want you, they should “sell” their company to you”

The HR specialist wrote me an email. I was surprised she responded to my email within one hour. Here is what she wrote:

“It's one of two things. Either it's a negotiation tactic, like you suspect, designed to make you not ask for more money, or it's an awkward attempt at a compliment. I can think of a couple of times when I've said to a candidate who knew her experience was on the light side, "We had candidates with more experience than you, but ultimately we were really impressed with your ____ and think you would excel in the job." It's possible that the HR person was going for something like that and screwed up the delivery.

On the other hand, do you think you're a risk? If it's clear that you're not the traditional ideal candidate for the role but you pushed for them to take a risk on a new approach, then maybe she was just acknowledging that. But if that were the case, you probably wouldn't be asking me.

And frankly, the reality is that every hire is a risk to one degree or another. People can blow you away in an interview and then crash and burn once on the job. But hiring managers don't normally feel the need to remind candidates of that when making an offer.”

Yes, hiring managers will not say this to a prospective employee. But the HR makes stupid statements. (If there are any readers who read my posts regularly and happen to be an HR person, you are an exception. Hey, I don't want to lose my readers.)

My friend politely declined the job offer. Good for him.

What do you think? Looking forward to reading your views.

100th Post

2010-04-06T16:00:00.000-07:00

I started to write my own blog last June and the time passed very quickly. Here I am writing my 100th post.

I would like to thank 2 people for this.

First is my wife. She is my number one fan and my number one criticizer. I am not saying this just for the sake of saying. It is true. I can write a long post about which of my posts she ROFL and which ones she criticized vehemently.

The next one is my blog guru, Insignia. After reading her posts only, I got inspiration to write my own blog. She not only encouraged that but also initially “set up” my blog (technicalities). I always try to copy her writing style. Copying is the best form of flattery. Isn’t it!

I have some followers to my blog. Just 2 sentences about this group. I don’t have the biggest group. But I have the best group.

I came "this close" to announcing this post as my last one because I thought I had lost interest. I certainly do not have a writer's block. My well wishers persuaded me to continue. I will continue to write. Thanks for supporting me, my friends.

I hit a century. Don't I have to celebrate that in a big way? Yes, of course. We have booked a 7 night cruise to Mexico leaving from Los Angeles on May 2. The ship will stop at 3 ports for sightseeing. Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. This is our second cruise vacation. Looking forward to this cruise.

Southern Accent and Sayings

2010-04-03T21:30:00.000-07:00

Even though every one speaks English in the United States, each region has its own accent. Of all the regions, the Southern region accent or drawl is very famous. When a woman from Southern region speaks with that southern drawl, it is considered very charming and sexy. Most of the Americans are fascinated by southern accent.

There is always this joke that when Henry Kissinger and President Jimmy Carter met, they had to bring their own translators. Henry Kissinger with his thick German accent and Jimmy Carter with his Southern drawl.

Southern drawl can be described as a gliding diphthongization of stressed vowel. For example, they pronounce “yae-yis” for “yes”. “ti-ahm” for “time”. “ah” for “i”. "Ah'm dyoo home at fahv o'clock” means “I am due home at five o’clock”. “dyuty” for “duty”.

Short i is pronounced for short e. Therefore, Memphis is mimphis and Tennessee is Tinnissi.

Final consonants are often weakened. “mo” for “more”. “bes” for “best”. “flo” for “floor”

I can go on and on and on.

President Bill Clinton is from South. His wife Hillary Clinton is not from South. When she was campaigning for the Democratic Party’s nomination as a candidate for the President of USA (against Obama), she used fake Southern accent to woo the Southern voters. Take a look at it.

In addition, Southerners have their own sayings and special meanings for words. Here are some of them:

Ain't that the berries! (that is great!)

Caught with your pants down. (surprised and unprepared)

Do go on. (you must be joking)

Don't let your mouth overload your tail. (talking too much)

Don't bite off more than you can chew. (attempt what you can accomplish)

Go hog wild. (have a good time)

Go to bed with the chickens. (in bed early)

In high cotton. (rising up in society)

Every dog should have a few feas. (no one is perfect)

Like two peas in a pod. (act and think alike)

That takes the cake. (surprised)

Well, shut my mouth. (shocked and speechless)

AIRISH- cold

CHUNK- throw, toss

DIXIE- Southern States of the U.S.A

HOLD YOUR HORSES- (be patient)

MUCH OBLIGED- thank you; hope to return the favor

PIDDLE- waste time, doing nothing

RECKON- think or supose so.

SHINDIG- dance or celebration

SOUTHERN BELLE- Southern lady

SPRING CHICKEN- young thing

SWEET TALKING THING- has a good line

WORRY-WART- one who is annoying

YOSELF – yourself

CO’COLA – coca cola

You Think You Are Unlucky?

2010-03-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

You Think You Are Unlucky?

Please read these incidents. They will make you feel better. I am not saying these are the unluckiest people in history. I am aware and realize there are starving children and cancer victims in this world.

World Trade Center was previously bombed in 1993. FBI was investigating the case. They found that the criminals used a rented van in New Jersey for transportation. They found the car rental agency. Several FBI and police officers were in that area including in front of the car rental agency. Who walks in there? One of the criminals who rented the van. Why did he come? To collect his deposit for the van. The FBI arrested him.

Evelyn Adams won the New Jersey lottery twice, in 1984 and 1986. He won almost $6 million. He squandered all the money. Today he is homeless.

Richard Nixon. In June 1972, five men were arrested for attempting to burglarize the Democratic Party Headquarters. No big deal. No one complained. They were considered ordinary simple thieves. Police searched the hotel room they were staying. They found a check written by E. Howard Hunt for $6.36 to a local country club. He apparently forgot to mail that check.

E. Howard Hunt was a Consultant to the White House. Now police and the newspaper reporters are wondering about the connection between a White House Consultant and these 5 burglars.

The burglars were not allowed to make any phone calls. Just like our Tamil movies, 2 lawyers appeared at the police station claiming to represent these 5 burglars. Now the police and newspaper reporters are puzzled as to how these 2 lawyers knew about these arrests.

We all know the rest of the story.

In Atlanta, a guy went to rob a bank. The bank manager pressed the silent alarm to let the police know about it. The police car came and was waiting outside the bank to catch the robber. The robber’s get away car was in front of the police car. This robber came outside running with his loot and directly got inside the car. Inside the police car.

On October 7 of last year, Somali pirates thought that they were storming and attacking a cargo vessel. They could not see the ship in the darkness of the night. The ship they really try to attack was French Navy’s 18,000 tonne flagship. It was there in the Indian Ocean to oversee other French naval ships involved in anti-piracy mission.

Next time you think you are unlucky, remember this post.

If you have similar stories, please tell us.

(In my humble opinion, lucky people are more relaxed and open. They produce good fortune through 3 ways. They are very good at noticing chance opportunities. They make the lucky decisions through intuition. They develop an attitude that coverts bad luck into good luck. I consider myself very lucky.)

Belief

2010-03-28T20:30:00.000-07:00

What do we really believe? These can be categorized into 3 different convictions.

Public Convictions – It is what we say we believe in. The most perfect example is a politician’s statements and promises. Even we ourselves tell others what we believe in even though we really don’t. For example some of us say we believe in helping our friends when they have a need. But how many of us help when a friend really needs our help. Public convictions can be a lip service.

One company boasts “we believe we are successful when our clients are successful”. May be true. I don’t know. Public Relations people are expert in this field.

Private Convictions – It is what we think we believe in. We seriously think we believe in something but when the situation comes we change our mind. I know an elderly couple who encouraged inter-caste marriage when it happened in their friends circle. But when their own son married a girl outside their caste, they were furious. Our emotions can change our private convictions.

When someone is ill, most of us pray God for a quick recovery. But, still, we go and see a doctor. Same goes for exams. We go to the temple the previous day and pray God. At the same time, we study hard.

Core Convictions – What we reveal by our actions. Our daily actions will tell a lot about our core convictions. It really tells us who we are and what we believe in. Take for example the following actions:

When crossing a street, someone helps a blind person cross the street. Giving up a seat in the bus so that a pregnant woman can sit. Helping a friend even before he/she asks for it (or even better when helping a complete stranger something like whodunit).

While writing this. I am reminded of this story/incident.

Aadi Shankaracharya (I am not talking about modern day Shankaracharyas) once visited Banaras. He wanted to test people’s belief that a dip in the sacred river Ganges wipes off the sins. He fell down near the river and pretended to have fits. Lot of people who were returning after taking a dip in Ganges came forward to help him. But Aadi Shankaracharya said only those people who have no sin should help him. If someone with sin touches him, that person’s head will break into thousand pieces. No one wanted to go near Aadi Shankaracharya.

Then came a low caste cobbler. He offered to help Aadi Shankaracharya. Aadi Shankaracharya reminded him about how his head would break into thousand pieces if he has any sins. The cobbler told him not to worry and he has no sins. Aadi Shankaracharya was surprised. He asked the cobbler how come he was so sure. The cobbler replied: I just took a dip in river Ganges so all my sins have been wiped out.

Then he touched Aadi Shankaracharya and helped him.

It would be nice if we all have many core convictions.

To Lie Or Not To Lie

2010-03-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

Our parents always taught us not to lie. Then they started to lie to us about anything and everything. We then learnt sometimes lying is acceptable. Sometimes it is not acceptable.

Lying is a good thing. But lawyers and politicians gave lying a bad name because they are professional liars (Except of course our Neha and Sanand).

Thirukural says: Telling a lie is not good but one can do so if it is going to be beneficial for the good of all.

It is acceptable to lie when someone asks you “How are you doing?”. You lie and say “I am alright or fine”. You don’t want to say what things have gone wrong for you. And, the person who asked you in the first place is not interested in any of these details.

Lying is recommended when someone asks you if he/she looks old or looks fat. It is highly recommended when someone asks you if someone can see his bald spot. It will make them happy.

Lying is a MUST if someone’s wife or girl friend asks “How do I look in this dress”. Go ahead. Lie. She is an important person in your life. Make her happy.

Exaggeration is also a form of lying. If you tell someone something for 5 times and then say I told you a thousand time, it is a lie. Another form of lying is withholding information. You might tell a loved one that you were out meeting a friend, but in reality, after meeting the friend, you went to a bar.

But perjury is a crime. Perjury is lying under oath.

Adolf Hitler’s Minister for Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels believed if you tell the same lie for a thousand times it automatically becomes a fact.

However, it is easy to find out if someone is lying. When they lie, they don’t look you in the eye. They smile or have a strange laugh if you ask them whether they are lying.

But we should never lie to a doctor. I can tell you two real incidents that happened to people known to us.

A friend of ours went to see a doctor. The doctor asked how is his blood sugar level. He said it is under control. The doctor then asked what is his fasting blood sugar level. My friend did not know. So he wanted to lie. He got confused with the numbers of cholesterol and blood sugar level. So he said his fasting blood sugar level is 180. The doctor was stunned. Fasting blood sugar level should be below 120. If it is more than that, you are diabetic. (It is good if your cholesterol level is below 200.)

Another friend of ours went to see a doctor. The doctor asked “have you ever had a colonoscopy”. He had no idea what the doctor was asking. Therefore, my friend said “yes I have had”. The doctor asked when he had colonoscopy. My friend said “I do not remember”. The doctor immediately knew my friend was lying. The doctor told him “if you ever had a colonoscopy, it is an experience you will never forget that easily in your lifetime”.

Therefore, my friends, it is OK to lie in certain places and to certain people. But please lie in moderation.

Want to Save Money?

2010-03-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

Because of bad economic time, people are trying to spend less and save money. We all try very hard at this. But some people have no clue how to save money.

As usual, since my job is to advice others, here are some suggestions:

When you go out with friends, forget your wallet every time so your friends have to pay for everything.

All your family members should stuff their pockets with free ketchup, salt, and other condiment packets every time they are in a fast food restaurant.

Want an umbrella? Go to the lost and found department of a store or library. Tell them you lost a large black umbrella. There have several of them. Pick one and take it home.

Want to make a long distance call? Call them when they are not home. Leave a message. They have to call back. (This is something similar to “missed call”).

Train your dog to beg for food from others. You don’t have to buy the dog food.

Turn off the TV and all the lights to save electricity.

Learn speed-reading and read books for free while in the aisle at the book store.

Push your car to work. You will save on gas (petrol). Plus, you will get a good exercise.

Marry and stay married to a frugal spouse. (Personal note: Unfortunately, neither I nor my wife is frugal.)

Marry a man who can fix things. It can save thousands each year.

Look for and pick up every coin you see on the street. You will become rich very quickly.

Instead of buying toilet paper, use yesterday’s newspaper.

Don’t buy anything. It is the best money saving tip.

And, finally, read my blog instead of buying newspapers and magazines.

If you know of some funny money saving ideas, please let us know. And, we will learn from that.

Women in Non-Traditional Jobs

2010-03-19T20:30:00.000-07:00

Many women are taking non-traditional jobs usually associated with men only. A non-traditional occupation for women is one in which women comprise 25 percent or less of total employment. But again this could change from country to country. For example it is common to have women bus drivers in USA. In India, women bus drivers are very rare. In USA, it is very rare to find a male secretary whereas in India it is not that rare. I do not know the current situation in India.

Some examples of non-traditional jobs for women are: detectives, architects, chefs, barbers, clergy, computer and office machine repairers, construction and building inspectors, railway engine driver, machinists, truck drivers, fire fighters, airline pilots, construction occupations, and small engine mechanics.

Existing expectations that women are more verbal, more eager to please, and easier to talk to than men…..make them prime candidates for jobs that combine technical expertise with sales.

Some of the benefits are higher salary, advancement opportunity, more job availability, and job satisfaction.

They have to face some disadvantages also. There are work place harassment, lack of family support, and problems in taking care of children.

Here are some of the women who were “first” to take non-traditional jobs.

Lt.Col. Sharon Preszler of the United States became the first woman fighter pilot in 1993.

In July 2008, Capt. Jammie Jamieson became the first female operational and combat-ready pilot of the world’s most advanced fighter aircraft, the F-22 A Raptor.

In a male dominated world of global shipping, Capt. Karin Stahre Janson of Sweden became the first in charge of a cruise ship. She has taken command of Royal Caribbean’s 2,400 passenger ship Monarch of the Seas in May 2007. We were in her ship and met her last year when we took a cruise from Los Angeles to Mexico.

Capt. Emily Howell Warner became the first female commercial airline pilot when Frontier Airlines hired her in 1973. (Note: Many other names are also floating as the first female commercial airline pilot.)

Carly Fiorina became the first female CEO of a large corporation. In 1999, she became President and CEO of Hewlett-Packard Company.

In 1997, Violet Palmer became the first female referee in the NBA (National Basketball Association).

Women continue to progress in taking many “non-traditional” jobs. As more women take jobs that were once dominated by men, many jobs that were considered non-traditional will no longer be in that category. Let us hope, some day, there is no job that would come under non-traditional category.

3 Out Of Top 5 Is Not Bad

2010-03-18T07:31:00.000-07:00

Whenever a non resident Indian or a person of Indian origin becomes famous, we all celebrate his/her achievements. Indian media go overboard and start interviewing any one remotely connected with that person. There will be a huge celebration in the town/village that person was born. If that person was never born in India, there will be a huge celebration in the town/village where his/her ancestors lived.

I am tired of the whole thing. We should celebrate our own achievements. I was browsing through the web and this news caught my attention.

According to Yahoo Travel, the following airports were selected in this year’s list. The top 5 are ranked as follows:

1. Indira Gandhi International Airport (Delhi, India)
2. Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (Mumbai, India)
3. Istanbul Ataturk International Airport (Turkey)
4. Anna International Airport (Chennai, India)
5. LA-Ontario International Airport (USA)

These are the top 5 “Most Delayed” airports in the world. And, three airports from India are included.

A flight is considered "on time" if it arrives or departs less than 15 minutes after its scheduled landing or take-off time. At the Indira Gandhi International Airport, only 45 percent of the flights arrive on time. The article relied on FlightStats, a service that tracks historical and real-time flight information around the globe.

We should either be famous or notorious. 3 spots in the top-5 in any category calls for a big celebration. The following are some suggestions:

A three day holiday should be declared by the Delhi, Maharashtra, and Tamilnadu Governments. Set off firecrackers in the middle of the runways at these 3 airports. The Director General of Civil Aviation be awarded the Padma Vibushan. We should resolve that we sweep all the top 5 spots in the next year’s list. The Government should announce extra bonus for the employees involved to make this happen.

Airlines should do their part also. They should tell the truth to the passengers why the plane is being delayed. For example: “We apologize for the delay. Unfortunately, the machine that rips the handles of your bags is not working properly and our employees are doing it by hand”.

Delay due to pilot shortage? Delay due to staff shortage? Delay due to not loading the luggage on time? Or any other reason? Please announce the only truth, which is “delay due to weather conditions”. When you call it a weather delay, you are off the hook. No passenger will complain.

Another way we can sweep the top 5 in this category is never listen to the passengers. Look at surveys. Fill the planes through computers. Measure success totally on the basis of load factors and revenue per passenger mile.

On the flip side, Osaka’s Itami Airport arrived and departed on time 94 percent of the time in 2009. Seoul’s Gimpo International Airport had 91 percent on time arrival and 93 percent on time departure.

We read the following incident in “dumb.com”. We both laughed and laughed and laughed. I want to share that with you.

“During the "rush hour" at Houston's Hobby Airport, a flight was delayed due to a mechanical problem.

Since they needed the gate for another flight, the aircraft was backed away from the gate while the maintenance crew worked on it. The passengers were then told the new gate number, which was some distance away. Everyone moved to the new gate, only to find a third gate had been designated for them.

After some further shuffling, everyone got on board, and as they were settling in, the flight attendant made the standard announcement, "We apologize for the inconvenience of this last-minute gate change. This flight is going to Washington, D.C. If your destination is not Washington, D.C., then you should 'deplane' at this time."

A very confused-looking and red-faced pilot emerged from the cockpit, carrying his bags. "Sorry," he said, “wrong plane." He then deplaned.

Neologist

2010-03-12T19:30:00.000-08:00

Neologist is a person who creates new word. We are all neologists. May be accidental neologists. We always add suffixes like ism to someone’s name and become neologists.

New words need not be public and/or popular. We create new words at home, at work place, and among our friends. It includes all the languages in the world. All babies are natural born neologists. When we talk to babies, new words known only to them come out constantly. And, we love them and those words stay permanently. A child we know called “medicine” as “badhadha”. That child has grown up now. Even today, within his family, “badhadha” means “medicine”.

See how many neologists among us bloggers! Look at their blog names. I would even consider extension of a name is also coming under neologism. Guria is a neologist for coming up with the name Nehatrix Blogstrange. I am also a neologist for coming up with the name Insigniacharya.

I am in favor of neology. It is one of the ways vocabulary in a language will grow. Even adopting a foreign word is also most desirable. For example, even in Tamil, a spoon is a spoon. A bus is a bus (and very rarely people call it “peyrundhu”).

This is very much true for technical and scientific words. We should adopt them into our language as it is and not try to translate. When someone said “madi kanini”, it took me several days and several inquiries to find out it is the Tamil translation for “laptop”.

If an individual uses a new word and it is adopted by several people, it will be included in the dictionary. Rachael Ray (famous chef) coined the phrase EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) and it has been included in the dictionary now.

U.S. Presidents are famous for being neologists. Jefferson is known for creating the words “lengthily” and “belittle”. Theodore Roosevelt is known for “lunatic fringe”. And, our own George W. Bush created “misunderestimate” and “embetterment”. Even former U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle is a sort of neologist. When he was visiting a sixth grade class, he asked a student to spell "potato". The student spelled it correctly. But the Vice President insisted on adding an "e" at the end (potatoe).

Are you a neologist? Then say something. Do you have any words that are popularly used within your family or friends circle? Please share with us.

Awesome Music Video (and an award)

2010-03-10T20:00:00.000-08:00

There is a band group named OK Go. They are more known for their videos than their music. When you see any of their music video, you will certainly nod your head in astonishment. Your reaction will be: Wow.

Recently they have released a music video titled “This Too Shall Pass”. They used a complex Rube Goldberg machine that sparks chain reactions. Please view and listen here:

(A Rube Goldberg machine is designed deliberately to perform a very simple task in a very complex fashion. I am remembering a Tamil saying here. Mookkai nera thodaradhukku padhila, thalaya suthi thottanaam. (Instead of touching the nose straight, a guy took his hand around his head and touched the nose.)

The band members said they tried 60 times in 2 days to shoot the entire video in a single-shot. But succeeded only 3 times.

Creativity is missing in today’s musical world. Congratulations to these guys. What do you think of this music video?
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And now, the award ceremony.

Anyone who has visited Gautam’s blog would have noticed on the right side a caption “My Photos in Picasa”. If you had seen those pictures, you would know that he is a very talented photographer. Insignia also wrote a post about his pictures on his birthday. I wanted to recognize Gautam’s talents. So, I proudly present this award to Gautam.

Gautam

Patty Hearst Syndrome

2010-03-09T00:15:00.000-08:00

Patty Hearst is the grand daughter of publishing magnet, William Randolph Hearst. He was one of the richest people in USA. He built the Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California. It is a palatial estate, which is known as America’s “Taj Mahal”.

Patty Hearst was a student at the University of California at Berkeley. On February 4, 1974, she was kidnapped from her apartment. The whole country was in shock. After a few days, a guerrilla organization called Symbionese Liberation Army took responsibility for the kidnapping.

At first SLA demanded that they swap Patty Hearst for their jailed SLA members. That negotiation failed. Then they demanded that Patty’s father, Randolph Hearst distribute seventy dollars worth of food for every needy Californian. This would cost a little over $400 million. Randolph Hearst made arrangements to distribute food throughout the entire San Francisco Bay Area, as a starter. SLA then reneged on their promise to release Patty Hearst. They said the distributed food was of poor quality.

Here comes the twist. Patty Hearst was hit with what is known as “Stockholm Syndrome”. It is a strange psychological occurrence where the hostages start to show slavish admiration of their captors and have positive feelings toward them. This happens even after the hostages are mentally, physically, and sexually abused by their captors. At the same time, they begin to hate people who genuinely like them.

She started to participate with the SLA on some bank robberies. She issued statements that she is committed to SLA’s goals. She changed her name to Tania. She was arrested in September 1975 along with other SLA members.

(Picture taken by Hibernia Bank's Security Camera)

Famous attorney, F. Lee Bailey defended her in court. He argued that the SLA brain washed her and was forced to participate in bank robberies. The judge found Patty guilty and sentenced her for 7 years in prison. President Jimmy Carter commuted the sentence after 22 months in prison. She was granted full pardon by President Bill Clinton.

Patty Hearst is now married and lives a quiet life with her husband and two daughters. After this episode, the “Stockholm Syndrome” is now being referred to as “Patty Hearst Syndrome”.

Prime candidates for Patty Hearst Syndrome are:

1. People who suffer from severe isolation.
2. People who get depressed a lot
3. People who have had emotional and physical abuse like a battered spouse, incest victim, abused child, prisoner of war, cult victim, kidnapped victim, or a hostage victim.

The earlier they realize (or people close to them realize) they have this syndrome the easier the treatment will be by a psychiatrist.

Child Air Traffic Controller

2010-03-06T04:30:00.000-08:00

There is a news item that on February 16 an Air Traffic Controller at the JFK Airport in New York took his child to the Control Tower and let him direct the departure of a flight.

The Air Traffic Controller and his Supervisor were suspended. Investigation is pending. This is against FAA’s (Federal Aviation Administration) rule. Many people are outraged at this because it endangers the plane and the passengers. But some people, including the pilot who received the take off instruction from the child, think it is no big deal. That pilot is finding it as amusing.

In light of this, I have some suggestions:

We should let a surgeon’s child operate a patient.

I won’t say we should let a gynecologist’s child deliver a baby via cesarian section. That has already been done in India.

We should let a commercial pilot’s child fly a passenger plane.

We should let an investment banker’s child make a multi million dollar deal.

We should let a soldier’s child guard our borders.

We should let a politician’s child run the country. Come to think of it, in some countries, it is happening.

We should let a college professor’s child teach a course.

We should let a nurse’s child pass on the medication and inject medicines on patients.

We should let an engineer’s child build a dam or a bridge.

We should let a general’s child prepare a war strategy.

We should let a police inspector’s child go after a criminal.

We should let a bus driver’s child drive a bus.

We should let a lawyer’s child defend a person accused of murder.

May be these kids would do a better job than their dads. Who knows!

Week End Visit to Los Angeles

2010-03-02T19:30:00.000-08:00

We spent a long week end in Los Angeles. Friday and Saturday can be described in 6 words:

Torrential Rain, Gusty Winds, Tsunami Warning

Sunday attended a Valaikappu-Seemandham ceremony of a Tamil couple. This religious ceremony is performed during the 6th or 8th month of pregnancy of a first child.

This family has been living in USA for more than 25 years. I was very pleased that they follow these customs and perform these ceremonies.

Valaikappu is a bangle ceremony. All women put bangles in the hands of the pregnant woman.

Seemandham is a religious ceremony done for the well being of the mother-to-be and the fetus. The sastrigal (priest) chants the mantras. At the end of the ceremony, the husband drops the banyan tree essence into the pregnant wife’s nose. It is supposed to go all the way to the mother’s womb and becomes like a protective mask for the stem cell.

(Sanjay and Mathruka)

An important part of the seemandham ceremony is that the function should end with a veena recital. The people in Los Angeles followed this tradition also.

No Indian function ends without yummy yummy food.

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Heard this conversation in our host’s house in Los Angeles.

(Patti in Tamil means grandmother. Thatha means grandfather. The child’s name is Lucas. He is 3 years old. Even though he does not speak Tamil, he calls his parents “amma” and “appa” and grand parents “patti” and “thatha”.)

Living Room
Child: Patti, I want milk.
Patti: Go tell your thatha you want milk. He will give you.

The child comes to the Family Room.
Child: Thatha you want milk
Thatha: No

The child goes to the Living Room.
Child: Patti, thatha says no
Patti: Go tell your thatha I want milk. Then he will give you.

The child comes to the Family Room.
Child: Thatha, patti wants milk
Thatha: Ask patti to get it herself

The child goes to the Living Room.
Child: Patti, thatha wants you to get it yourself
Patti: Thatha did not understand you. Go tell him Lucas wants milk

The child goes to the Family Room
Child: Thatha, Lucas wants milk
Thatha: Come with me to the kitchen. I will get it for you.

“Experienced” Lawyer

2010-02-27T00:05:00.000-08:00

Shon Hopwood was an ordinary bank robber. In 1997 he robbed 5 banks in Nebraska and stole almost $200,000. He was caught by the police and sentenced for 13 years in prison.

Shon told the sentencing judge that he would change his lifestyle and pleaded for an easier sentence. The judge did not believe his promise. The judge said: We will know in 13 years if you mean what you say.

He was locked in the federal prison in Perkin, Illinois.

The prison’s law library changed his life. He spent much of the time there. He suddenly realized he was able to understand the laws very quickly and very clearly. He turned himself into a Supreme Court practitioner.

In 2002, Shon prepared his first petition for certiorari. This is a formal request to the Supreme Court to hear a case. He did this on behalf of his friend in jail, John Fellers. John was sentenced on a drug related case. Since Shon was not a lawyer, his name did not appear on the brief. That year, more than 7,200 such requests were received by the U.S. Supreme Court. It agreed to hear only 8 of them. One was Fellers v. United States.

Seth Waxman, a former U.S. Solicitor General, agreed to argue this case in the Supreme Court. He said this certiorari was one of the best he has ever read. He had one condition to Fellers. Shon should be involved in this case and decide how to frame the arguments, decide on strategy, and anticipate questions from the justices.

The Supreme Court unanimously (9-0) decided in favor of John Fellers.

Shon helped several prisoners in many states and got their sentences reduced from lower courts. He was released from prison in 2008. He is now working on many Supreme Court petitions. He recently wrote a petition for a prisoner, who says his Miranda Rights were violated.

What is a “Miranda Right”? In 1966, the U.S. Supreme Court mandated (Miranda vs Arizona) that arresting police officer must tell the criminal suspect his/her fundamental rights at the time of arrest. The police officer should inform the suspect with the following words:

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you”.

If the suspect does not know English, the above statement must be told to him/her in his/her mother tongue.

If the arresting police officer fails to tell the suspect his Miranda Rights, the judge will dismiss the case even if the arrest was made for premeditated murder committed in front 100 witnesses.

Shon is interested to go to law school and get a law degree. A law professor at the University of Michigan, who is working with Shon on various cases, has already secured a seat for him.

I know couple of lawyers (one in Mumbai and another one in Delhi) is looking for a talented assistant.

Don't Visit

2010-02-24T19:30:00.000-08:00

Recently I read an article about a guy who was struggling in his mind how to tell a friend not to visit him. He could not come up with a believable excuse.

Since my full time job is to assist people in distress, here are some of the excuses I could think of on his behalf.

“Oh you are coming during the third week of April? I am sorry we have already made reservations and bought plane tickets to visit Peru that week”.

“Oh you are coming during the third week of May? I have to go out of town for a wedding that week. I am the Best Man for the groom. I cannot avoid it”.

“Oh you are coming during the third week of June? I am scheduled for a surgery for my back problem during that week”.

“Oh you are coming during the third week of July? I have a major relicensing/certification exam that week. I must spend all my free time studying for it”.

“Oh you are coming during the third week of August? Due to my emotional problems and chemical dependencies, I don’t think I can be a good host”.

“Oh you are coming during the third week of September? We are having some serious issues in the town and thus all the new comers to the city are being investigated. So please postpone your trip. I am telling you this secret as I don’t want you to face any problem”.

“Oh you are coming during the third week of October? I'd love to have you over. I need an alibi anyway. You can vouch for me right?”

“Oh you are coming during the third week of November? We are having a huge fund raising event that week for world peace. I hope you will be able to contribute generously and also volunteer to work”.

You can go more bizarre with the excuses. If someone wants to visit you in San Francisco, then you can say:

“Oh you are coming during the third week of December? Actually, there is nothing to see in San Francisco. The Golden Gate Bridge has been moved to Nevada for security reasons. The Bay Bridge, which was broken during the 1989 earthquake, is still not repaired. Because of the bad weather, this year’s harvest of grapes is destroyed. Therefore, Napa Valley is closed. The Cable Car employees are on strike. They have actually transferred prisoners from Guantanamo Bay to the Alcatraz Prison. Therefore, tourists are not allowed there. On top of it, severe snow is expected that week”.

If you know of any other excuses, believable like the above, please let me know.

Rachael Ray

2010-02-21T19:30:00.000-08:00

Rachael Ray is a famous chef in USA. She has her own TV show called “30 Minute Meals”. For those who have little time to cook, she shows how to cook full meals under 30 minutes from scratch to finish. She has a huge audience. But she never had a formal education or training to become a chef.

Rachael is famous for making up words. One of her invention, EVOO, has been included in the Oxford American College Dictionary. Here are some of her words:

EVOO = Extra Virgin Olive Oil

G.B = Garbage Bowl

DELISH = Delicious

ENTREETIZER = Entrée-sized Appetizer

STOUP = Cross between a Stew and Soup

EVERYBODY NEEDS A LITTLE R AND R. = Every one should watch Rachael Ray Show

Yum-o = Yummy

YUMMILICIOUS = Yummy

YUMMERIFIC = Yummy

SAMMIES = Sandwiches

BBLD Dish = This dish can be prepared for any time of the day – Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch or Dinner

S and P action = Need to add some more Salt and Pepper

SPOONULA = A kitchen tool that can be used as a Spoon and a Spatula at the same time

CHOP AND DROP = Place the cutting board near the stove and you can chop and drop in the pan

SHIMMY SHAKE = Seal the bag and give it a good shimmy shake to coat the chicken.

MOPPIE = Dish towel

GH = Grownup helper

There is a Rachael Ray Drinking Game in USA. When you watch her 30 minute TV show, you must have a drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) in your hand. Each of her famous word has number of sips against it. Whenever she uses any of her famous word during the show, you have to take the number of sips allotted for that word. For example: If she says EVOO, you have to take one sip. If she says Spoonula, you have to take two sips.

In addition, some of her other actions or sentences call for sips. For example, whenever she drops something on the floor, you have to take 3 sips.

If she comes with a new word, you have to gulp and finish the whole drink immediately.

One person who does not like the word “EVOO” wrote the following recently:

“What's going to be next for Rachael Ray? Is she going to start referring to her employer as TVFN (TV Food Network)? We should just tell her to STHU (Shut the heck up!)”.

Curling

2010-02-19T00:05:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: Yahoo

I am not talking vector calculus here, where the curl is a vector operator. I am not also talking about curling hair or curling iron. The guy in this picture is an excellent example to vouch for me.

Curling is a sports event in the Winter Olympics. I did not know this until this morning when I was watching the 2010 Winter Olympics now being held in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

It is a team sport. Two teams compete against each other. Each team has four players. Each player slides heavy polished granite stones down the ice. There is a circle marked at the far end called the house.

The purpose for each team is to slide 16 stones. Whichever team’s stones are closer to the center of the house is the winner. When the stones are sliding in the ice, there are 2 players broom or brushes the ice to direct the movement of these stones.

This has some similarities to lawn bowling or shuffleboard. The commentator was telling that this game was invented in Scotland. It became an official sport in the Winter Olympic games since 1998. Canada won the Gold in the 2006 Olympics.

My impression of this sport? It was as thrilling and exciting as watching grass grow or watching paint dry.

I think Figure Skating and Slalom are very exciting and interesting to watch in Winter Olympics. What do you think? Please don't say the Opening Ceremony and the Closing Ceremony. They are always very exciting and interesting to watch in any Olympics.

Whodunit

2010-02-16T07:43:00.000-08:00

Four months ago, one day I was going on Interstate-80 Freeway to San Francisco. I have to cross the Bay Bridge. There was a long line of cars waiting to pay for the toll charge. Very slowly the cars moved toward the toll booths. The drivers paid the toll charge and drove in the Bay Bridge.

When my turn came to pay the toll charge, the guy who was taking the money in the booth said that the driver in front of me paid for my car also. I was stunned. I had no idea why a complete stranger would pay for my toll charge.

This was on my mind for couple of days. I was talking to some friends. They said some people surprise fellow human beings like this. They think giving a surprise gift to an unknown person is therapeutic. It is one of the best things we can do. It is the thought that counts. Money value does not. The toll charge was only $4.00. I would remember this incident until the day I die.

I am not talking here about helping poor people or handicapped people. I am also not talking about a passenger in train sharing whatever he bought at the station with fellow passengers. I am talking here about surprising an unknown fellow human being and making that person happy. The recipient will not know he received this gift until the giver has gone.

I learned something new that day.

Last week we were having dinner in a restaurant. There was an elderly couple dining in that restaurant. They were two tables away from our table. When our bill came we paid our bill and also that couple’s bill. This included their drinks, dinner, and tips. We quietly left the restaurant. We were very happy.

We all have read stories about how Elvis Presley liked to surprise his friends and strangers by presenting them with brand new cars. I am sure it will be a wonderful feeling for me if I am also able to leave a brand new BMW (with keys and ownership documents) in front of someone’s house and quietly leave.

We can start with doing something good to someone when they are least expecting. At least we can start with a friend before moving on to strangers.

If you have any similar incident, please share.