Totally lost practice of being a lefty on the mouse...

Well okay it's like cycling (or swimming as I hear), once you know how, you stumble a little when you re-start but in no time are back to the level you were at before you left.

Sanjeev asked me 'So you missing your office computer aren't you?'
And I said 'If yes will make you happy then yes but actually I am missing having a computer of my own. Don't like sharing the machine with a bunch of people'

And it's true. Not that I like sharing to begin with but you know most people like their folders a certain way, like certain types of software, don't like certain types of software, like naming things a certain way, like different sort of wallpapers etc.

Anyway lefty today on the mouse. Tomorrow Mom will be back and so the mouse will go back to the right side.

It was always HILARIOUS when people came to my computer at work and tried to work on it. They would die trying to use the mouse (except Sanjeev and Gautam. Bhavna would stuggle also in spite of having her mouse on her left because she doesn't switch the primary and secondary buttons) . And if they finally managed, they would nearly faint seeing my keyboard. I had at least 10 keys where the lettering had disappeared or were half gone.

To good times :)

It's not my fault...

I can't help it if you are stupid enough not to realize that don't don't have to like me.

You can even detest it and let it show. I wouldn't care. Because people I want should like me, I try really hard to see that they do like me so if you aren't getting that liking feeling towards me, it's probably because I don't want you to like me to begin with.

Please observe 25th November as a Meatless Day.

http://www.sadhuvaswani.org/meatlessday.html

Where should it go?...

Stop thinking. I'm talking about a display/status message/update. Man it's like all IMs allow you to have a display message. Then there is Facebook that now has status updates. And there is Twitter. (And I am sure there are a lot more places to put such messages).

And I keep wondering now days which message should go where. If there should be only one across all (which actually can turn out to be a very bad idea) or whether only some should have updates and others shouldn't etc.

Ah well I guess I am some days going to get bored of all these display messages. And of course that day will be the end of this blog (I guess).

Huh...

Weirdest thing happened yesterday. Like most people, I have more than 1 Google account. You can be logged into only 1 Google Account in 1 browser at any given point in time. But yesterday my Gmail opened with one login and when I tried to get my Google Reader, it was logged in with another account. I was quite surprised and hit refresh on both and neither got logged out. Don't know what happen. All I know is that I wasn't hallucinating.

I was wondering how Google or Firefox fixed it and made it work like this. Also I was happy because I remember the days of having to be logged into at least 2 AdWords accounts at the same time and having to deal with a non-tabbed IE browser (very annoying).

Well of course it didn't work after and I am thinking something might have got cached a certain way or something.

Though today morning something weird happened too. I open the browser, type gmail into the address bar and was logged in automatically - I don't think I was too sleepy to have imagined it happening this way. It didn't happen again and I am wondering if my mind is playing games with me and trying to make me feel that all my wishes are coming true hehe.

Liking the hindi songs that are currently out there...

A huge bunch of nice Bollywood songs doing the rounds.

Dil Kabaddi, Yuvraj, Ghajiji, Sorry Bhai, Rab Ne Banadi Jodi all have a couple of good songs.

Happy Birthday Trig...

So glad we chatted. Cheers to the good old time.

Hoooodeeeeeeeeeee....

Hode is 'damn' (I forgot in which language and I also forgot why I was saying damn....)

:D - all 32 teeth :D

Hugh Jackman named 2008's Sexiest Man Alive (People Magazine).

:D

Liking the ability to customize gmail even though the themes arent that great...

Let's hope we see a lot more themes very soon :)

If I don't believe in love nothing will last for me...

Relax. It's just a line from a song :D

I think I am a fan of Dido. Not a die hard one but I do like a lot of her music.

I don't really understand the lyrics a 100% to be honest but the song sounds great.

Enjoy.




[Am assuming it is the right song - don't have sound on my computer currently]


The Lyrics -

I wanna go to bed
With arms around me
But wake up on my own
Pretend
That I'm still sleeping
Til' you go home

Oh
I can't look at you
This morning
I should probably have a sign
That says
'Leave right now or quicker'
You've overstayed your time

If I don't believe in love
Nothing will last for me
If I don't believe in love
Nothing is safe for me
When I don't believe in love
You're too close to me
And that's why
You have to leave

Maybe I slept peaceful
On your shoulder
Your arm warm around my side
But it's different now
It's morning
And I can't face your smile

The second that I feel
Your safe hands
Reaching out for mine
I slip away and out of sight
You've ovestayed your time

If I don't believe in love
Nothing is good for me
If I don't believe in love
Nothing will last for me
When I don't believe in love
Nothing is new for me
Nothing is wrong for me
And nothing is real for me

When I don't believe in love
Why do you care for me?
When I don't believe in love
Nothing is real for me
If I don't believe in love
You're getting to close to me
And that's why you have to leave
And that's why you have to leave

If I don't believe in love
If I don't believe in love
If I don't believe in love
Nothing is left for me
If I don't believe in love
You're too good for me

Very Audio-Visual

I just realized that when it comes to learning I am a very audio-visual person. I hate learning by reading.

Whatever I need to learn should come to me in an audio-visual manner to be most effective and most easily digestible. I also don't mind learning by doing - you know trial and error.

I guess it is my laziness...

Today doesn't happen...

And tomorrow never comes...

Tagging tagging tagging

I have decided never to carry my camera around or at least not take pictures of people (I know). Everyone wants their pictures up on Facebook.
I'm tired of tagging.

Sensitive teeth...

Got my cavity filled up and now my teeth (or maybe just tooth but it feels like a bigger area than just a tooth) are sensitive around the tooth that got filled. Annoying. Will call up the dentist tomorrow and ask her if this is normal. My sis insists she went through the same thing nearly 2 weeks ago when she got her cavity filled up.

Man I had forgotten what it felt like to have a cavity fixed. It was actually painful. Of course I was an idiot to go in believing it's no big deal. If I would have anticipated a lot of pain it would have been a breeze but I thought it would be nothing at all. Stupid.

Anyway can't really blame myself too much. Didn't remember what the experience was like.

Glad it's over and done with and I am hoping for the next couple of years that I go to my dentist she says - 'oh nothing wrong with your teeth. They're just perfect'.

So lost...

Trying to install wordpress for a domain I bought and am sure I am doing something very wrong cause I keep getting some or the other error.

Man I am so not a self-learner if the learning isn't audio-visual :(

Will have to go back and read everything properly and re-do stuff or I'll just go tomorrow and ask Sanjeev to show me how the needful is done.

Uploading...

Well not really because it is more like trying to upload...

a webpage.

Aghhhh sometimes I feel so challenged (not the contest type but the retarded type)

Oye lucky lucky oye

I can't believe the amount of people who asked me what happened or why I'm lucky.

Hehe actually it's 4 words from a song :)

Enjoyyyyyy

[PS - I don't have my sound card or whatever it is installed so can't really hear if it's the right song but it should be - if you don't hear 'oye lucky lucky oye oh lucky lucky oye' somewhere in the middle then it's the wrong video]

Porridge Girl...

We my mom is thrilled because I now don't mind eating porridge. I was thinking how come it is that I use to hate porridge before and can so readily eat it now and I realized that everyone has their own preference to how porridge should be - how sweet, how hot, what ingredients, etc

I like my porridge lukewarm, super soft, mildly sweet and without eliechi (don't know mother and grandmothers obsessions with the spice).

Whenever I tried porridge before it was too hot with too much elaichi and sometimes black pepper or too sweet.

Different people...different taste buds. Make me sure that vegetables I don't like eating now, I would like if they was made different.

Of course there is a life lesson here - which is that different ingredients and different conditions make up life. Not one set of conditions or ingredients is right for everyone. Most people might manage with some standards but not all. And if people do accept what they are given and don't like it, they won't be happy. They would prefer having no porridge to having distasteful porridge (unless there is no food at all in which case anyone will eat anything). I think I am saying all this quite badly but you get the picture right...

Aghhhh my net sucks...

Had a lot of trouble with my internet yesterday and today having problems with my computer. If there is a God I think he doesn't want me online ;)

Burning Insides...A lot more...

In the previous post where I mentioned home remedies, I was talking about something we call 'kaadah' - its like a spices tea of sorts. I tried 2 variations and it did not help. Variations meaning different spices in the mix.

So anything last night my sister suggests one more remedy when the whole 'take brandy' discussion is happening. She suggests honey and ginger juice (warmed). I don't know why I didn't remember this earlier because I use to hate having this as a kid. Maybe that's why I didn't remember it earlier.

Well fortunately or unfortunately, I had also forgotten to some extent how this tasted. When I had some today, I didn't mind the taste so much as much as how much my insides felt on fire. Jeez this was stronger than brandy honey and black pepper if you can believe me. Anyway I am thinking if I feel like this is killing me, it should be killing all the cold congestion I have.

I'll try this stuff for about 2-3 more days. If it doesn't help at all, I am totally stopping cause this is torture. Of course I think that if I take these things often enough I might just get immune to the sensation.

Anyway time will tell...lets see what happens...

Burning Insides...

Man I am so not a pro-alcohol person. If I have to drink it will be highly diluted or something very mild. But mostly I don't drink at all especially since the last 7-8 months.

Anyway I have this cold congestion and home remedies and steaming aren't really helping (maybe doing them wrong or not enough) so Mom suggested to take some brandy with honey and black pepper. So I did and I so don't like brandy (kept remembering 'cognac sharab nahi hoti' dialogue lol).

Well lets hope I don't have to do this too often.

Haule Haule...

Song really grows on you. I disliked it the first 2 times I heard it (maybe cause of SRK) but it keeps coming on TV and now I actually like it a lot.

Music Directors - Salman - Sulaiman. They make great music.

Enjoyyyy

Monday Morning...

Just like Sunday Morning...

:) :) :)

R.I.P. Mr.Crichton

Michael Crichton passed away on Nov 4th. I didn't even know he had cancer.

Really sad about this because he was my favourite author. Not that his books were so damn brilliant that I kept re-reading them over and over but his style and his topics were like no other. I haven't read any author who even comes close to the skill Michael Crichton displayed in his various books.

1) He wrote about technology
2) He wrote about complex matters
3) He made technology and complex matters simple to understand
4) All his writing seemed so in-depth and at the same time so easy to follow because he would give a lot of details but would put it in such a simple manner that anyone could understand
5) He wrote on varied topics. No two books he wrote were the same (unless you think of Jurassic Park)

He was only 66 years old :(

I think I will always walk into a library and feel bad that there will be no more new Michael Crichton novels :(

If Ellen DeGeneres can sleep at 10 PM

I can manage by mid-night.

Been sleeping before 00.01 Hrs and been waking up a little after 8 A.M.

:)

Of course I didn't have a working computer the last 3 days.

But I am determined. I will sleep by 11:30 P.M. every night and start waking up by 7 A.M.

Sumita I think I'll catch you more in your night than in your day time hehe.

Ghar jaane de...thhod mori baiyaan....

The lines from the 'Fashion' theme song. Totally love the way they are sung.

OMG I have a cavity...

I CANNOT believe it. I actually have a cavity. Haven't had one in at least 8 years.

:*(

Was depressed when the dentist today me and I hate that I went for a check up (not out of the blue but lots of pestering from Mom and sisters appointment to get her cavities filled up).

But she said it was still early which is good cause the cavity isn't deep. And will get it fill up in a week.

This totally sucks. I always prided (the word sounds sooooo wrong but it is in an online dictionary) for having good decay free teeth. I guess I have to be more careful.

Worse news was that the dentist mentioned to my sis that fillings might need repair / touch-up every 5-7 years. Damn I couldn't help but think what a crime it is to have cavities early in life. And someone should scare us about stuff like this because I surely didn't know and I would definitely have been less lazy as a kid if I knew the torture never ends.

Rant Over.

404...

The error I have been getting on my domain :(

I think it's a blogger issue cause everything else seems fine. Will try again in a day or two to redirect my ppc blog to my domain.

Congrats Bhavna...

[Bhavna K not Bhavna S]

She just got engaged :)

ummm half engaged sorta actually.

Best wishes to her.

The Reach Camp

The Reach Camp - our very own Amazing Race in Goa. Actually it was better than the Amazing Race because there was no selection of people who would take part in it. Everyone had to be part of the race. Why? Because this was our last training activity at our Off-site of '08.

The race was quite simple - everyone would get dropped of at a common spot and each team (all Pinstormers were already split into 12 teams, each consisting of between 7 to 9 people) along with the 'Outdoor Expert' (OE) would have to travel from one point to another across Goa. Sounds simple doesn't it. It actually is easy except that there were a few 'catches' -

1) Each team member was given 1 packet of Tiger biscuits
2) Each team member was given 1 litre of water
3) Each team member was given Rs.20
4) Each team was given 1 map.
5) Only 1 mobile phone per team was allowed and this couldn't be used except to call the organizers and find the next destination to get to once we were at our destination.
6) There was a time limit of 19 hours from the drop off to the final destination.
7) At no point in time was any member of the team to be separated from the group.

Think 19 hours is a lot? Well not for 80 kilometers. Yup 80 kms was the distance we had to cover with only a few packets of biscuits and few litres of water. Of course water and biscuits could be purchased as could accommodation but really what can you do with Rs.140 -Rs.160 for 7-8 people? The organizers were a little nice to us and said that we could buy from them water, biscuits and blankets (remember 19 hours) for discounted rates.

So at around 5:30 P.M. we go dropped to our drop off point and were given our first stop of the race which was at least a distance of 8 kms. Obviously most of us thought we had to walk the race and figure out ways to find cheap travel means etc but then our OE very correctly told us that we could decide. We could walk, take a bus, hitch a ride, run or do whatever we liked to get to the spot. Well obviously we decided hitching a ride is the best thing to do. And obviously every other team decided the same. So here we are on this road, some 100 odd people, all pointing their thumbs outs for a ride. Big city people and some foreigners too screaming out to truck drivers the location of where we wanted to go.

Now the post talks about my team specifically and what happened to us. I don't remember the names of all the places we stopped at but it's the journey that counts. My team consisted of Netra, Savita, Jigar, Manish, Jayant, Vinod and myself and not to forget our OE, Rahul. The guy is a hardcore mountaineer. I believe he has led expeditions to the Himalayas.

So the first van that stops for us, is filled with 6 - 7 people already but the driver tells us to get on. Now that van could had taken about 3 people more but guess how many jumped in...yup 8. Crazy ride with Rahul and Vinod standing on the edge of the van and holding on for dear life. Okay that's a little exaggeration but if they did slip, it would be major injuries for sure. Man I have been in cramped cars many times but never like this. The poor people who were already sitting inside couldn't understand what the hell was happening. The were more like village people and couldn't understand what we meant by a race/competition and having no money and only biscuits and a long distance to cover.

Anyway they were great. I bet they were super happy when we got off at our stop. We gave hearty thanks to the driver and he just kept laughing.

We saw another team just in front of us getting into a mini truck and we ran to catch them. While running I was on the phone with Shekhar (organizer) asking him which is the next stop. By the time me and the OE got to the truck, a huge fight was happening amongst some members of my team and the team members who were already in the mini truck. Oh the other team was super nasty but like they say, all if fair in love and war. So they drove off and we started all over again to stick our thumbs out.

We got into this Sumo and it was brilliant cause this guy was going in the same direction that we had to go and therefore ended up dropping us at 4 stops. Yipeee. Of course each time we got to a stop, all of us had to get off and make the man wait till we got the name of the next stop. He was a nice man. An electoral officer if I remember correctly. By the time he dropped us off, I bet he wasn't thinking nice things about us hehe. At hearing what he was doing he expressed the same sentiment that ALL our drivers who understood what we were doing expressed. That of confusion at how a company can set up such a task and how they can let us out loose in Goa with no money and such a long task.

Well we went on like this for quite a while, some times ahead of teams, sometimes behind teams. The few things that everyone in the team did for the first time which we never thought we would do were -
1) Ride inside a truck - with the driver and his assistants
2) Ride on coconuts - yup a truck was transporting coconuts and we just got on top of them
3) Being drive around by a millionaire in his Maruti SX4

Well my team and Balas team finished the whole race and got to the last point. All the other teams did not have that privilege because the cops found a couple of teams hitching ride and were not amused. I mean they were pissed because Goa after 10 can be quite deserted especially some of the roads that were on our course. And hitching rides especially in trucks isn't really safe. So the game had to be stopped and all the team except both that were already at the last spot were gathered at the Hanuman Mandir and were transported back by the organizers cars and some that were being hired. Unfortunately for the 2 teams that finished, they had to start walking back towards the hotel. Trust me having finished the race and sitting on the sidewalk for an hour and a half and seeing nearly no traffic pass by, to be told that we have to walk back to the hotel cause there are problems with the cops and the other teams, was not fun. Both teams figured that finally we would have to do that which we didn't do much of in the whole race - walk for an hour or two. But what can I say, fortune favours the brave. After about 10 - 15 minutes of walking, we found a mini-bus come along our way. And the driver dropped us to our hotel. Of course he got paid for it.

Anyway great learning from the whole activity. For all those who were involved. Some of the most important lessons from the race are those that apply to nearly everything in life.

1) We all go into the race thinking it would be the worse thing on earth and impossible to complete. It wasn't. It was way easier than we expected and a lot more fun that we thought possible. Life is always different from behind the start line. Only once you start running do you see things as they really are. Being uselessly worried about things before you know enough to be worried is foolish and unproductive

2) Our preconceived notions can we things that hold us back. Every single person in the race was amazed at how helpful the people of Goa were. No one entered the race believing that we would get the kind of help we go. I mean most of us as a strategy decided to stop trucks because car owners would say no to us. Or so we wrongly though. I heard of teams that got up to 8 members into Santro's and Maruti 800's.

3) No matter what you do and how you do it, you are creating an experience. A memory. It will stay with you for life (unless you get Amnesia or something). And each of these memories will be cherished when you look back at them (provided of course they are good memories and that nothing horrible happened to you)

4) If you work together and really hard, you can surpass anyones expectations. We had up to 19 hours to finish the race. The teams that did finish the race did it within 7 hours. Not one single person in any group thought about where they would stop and rest for the night. Even at 11 a lot of tired teams decided only to push further rather than stop for the night and start in the morning.

Interesting 2....

From LiveScience.com

Ants Prefer Salt over Sugar

Ants have less of a sweet tooth and more of a preference for salty snacks, at least when they live in salt-poor areas far from the ocean, a new study finds.

All animals — from ants to humans — need salt to maintain their body's nerve and muscle activity and water balance.

Ants, though, typically swarm over sources of sugar because they need it for energy.

But researchers suspected those taste differences might vary with location and tested the salt-versus-sweet preferences of ants at various distances from the ocean, a source of salt.

The study, detailed in the Oct. 27 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was sponsored in part by the National Geographic Society and the Amazon Conservation Association.

The "cafeteria experiment" offered the ants a choice of cotton balls soaked in salt or sugar solution. Ants that lived more than 60 miles (100 kilometers) inland preferred the salt solution (which was less concentrated than the sugar solution).

This preference was mainly true of plant-eating ants, since carnivorous ants get enough salt from their prey. (Similarly herbivorous animals such as cows and deer get their salt from salt licks, while wolves and other predators get it from the bloody meat they eat.)

The researchers want to see if this pattern holds for all insects and even microbes. In particular, study lead author Michael Kaspari plans to see if spraying salt on forest leaf litter cranks up ecosystem activity, just as Gatorade improves the performance of sports teams.

Interesting...

From LiveScience.com

Why we love being scared

When you get scared, your heart rates soars, you breathe faster, your muscles tighten, and your attention focuses — all part of the fight or flight response. But when you know there is no real threat, the adrenaline rush can be enjoyable, scientists say.

One explanation for why we love scary movies is that we're not so much afraid as we are excited. Another is that we are willing to endure the terror in order to enjoy a euphoric sense of relief at the end.

A newer idea, put forth last year in the Journal of Consumer Research, suggests horror movie viewers are happy to be unhappy. People experience both negative and positive emotions simultaneously, the thinking goes. "The most pleasant moments of a particular event may also be the most fearful," wrote Eduardo Andrade of the University of California, Berkeley and Joel B. Cohen at the University of Florida.

The best

Alfred Hitchcock was, of course, the master at teasing all these senses. Konzett: "Even though we actually see only a small amount of blood (chocolate syrup going down the drain) and very little gore, if any, in this short two-minute scene, it has profoundly scared several generations of people, especially women, with many saying they are afraid to take showers for days. Very few horror scenes have had this kind of impact."

Even the low-budget "Texas Chainsaw Massacre," often criticized for gore and violence, "actually has much less blood than people imagine, with many of the killings occurring off camera," notes film reviewer and LiveScience columnist Benjamin Radford.

Steven Spielberg's 1975 "Jaws" left an entire generation afraid to enter the water for fear of shark attacks, Konzett notes. Yet Spielberg sidestepped outright gore for the most part, using thumping music, murky water and the constant threat of attack to terrify viewers.

"Films such as 'Psycho' and 'Jaws' capture the helplessness of people, catching them when they are most vulnerable. This is why many decades later, they are still popular among the younger generation in spite of contemporary horror films that are more sensational and filled with blood and gore," she says.

The Updater...

That's who I have become...

I miss being the troubleshooter but this isn't too bad either :)

The Fashion Theme...

Totally love the remixed version :)

Aaawwwwww

I love 'Deepali Naka'. Thanks Raamesh Lubna Reshma and Bala :) especially for it not being a one day affair ;) hehe

First Day...First Show...First Time...

I caught the first show of Fashion today.

Haha so damn absurd to watch a movie at 10:30 AM - it's usually the time I am asleep. The good thing is I liked the movie so it was worth waking up and traveling for.

My review of Fashion (the Madhur Bhandarkar movie)

Happy Diwali...

:D

Rangoli time...

Since I am totally artistically challenged and my sis isn't that good with rangoli stuff, so we have no choice but to get a little creative...

This years Rangoli is done. Below are pictures of what the outside of our main door looks like :)


On the left



This pictures came out a little blurred because I was trying to make do without a flash (very slight hand shake and blurred image) cause a flash ruins the effect of the candles and diya. The picture where there is a flash is just too dull.




On the right


No good pic with the candles and diya lit will try and take one tomorrow.



On the whole



We even got innovative with the lights on the top - usually it's just the rice lights (with maybe 1 of the flower thingies - can't believe I can't get a name to it right now) but this year we added a lot more of the flower things and it looks totally beautiful. Looks a little christmasy but I like it.

Makeover...

No don't worry...it's for my blog. Not this one though.

Advised some more...

Me: arre yaar you ppl talk like its the simplest thing in the world
Sumita : but it's also not the most difficult thing in the world..

I hear you...and this just isn't my night to win 'discussions' lol.

Advised...

Naman said - when you are cycling na...only the first pedal takes a bit of energy....after that....you are just enjoying the ride.

Well said I say (but only if you know how to cycle ;) hehe)

Sad Smiles...

I had a post earlier about vivid words. Words that when combined draw images. Some how 'Sad Smiles' does that.



The thought came when I was looking at pics of my Nani (she's in Curacao with my Maama) and in none of the pictures is she smiling properly. One place she actually looks exhausted and faking a smile so the term just popped into my mind.

Animals Stressed Out, Too

Came across this interesting article -

The economy, the election, and myriad other problems are really stressing out ... pets.

When humans get stressed, often their pets take on that stress, too.

"Dogs and cats are very good at picking up stress in people, as are birds," said James Morrisey, a veterinarian at the College of Veterinary Medicine of Cornell University in New York. "I've worked with a parrot who lived with a woman who had a seizure disorder, and the parrot could tell when she was about to have a seizure and warn her."

In addition to carrying the burdens of people, animals — especially wild creatures — have plenty of their own to stress about. Animals will even seek out "comfort food" when they're all wigged out. And stress in animals, as with humans, can be a good or a bad thing.

"In general, the more intelligent an animal is, the more psychological stress it can undergo," Morrisey said. "The less you're thinking about things, the less psychological stress you can potentially be under."

Complete article at - LiveScience.com

Seriously whats with everyone wanting me to get drunk???...

Phillip vs Robert

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=2nvmHdTJNyU

Crazy video. Phillip (on the left) seems to dance where as I find Robert creepy and not really dancing but doing some cool moves or whatever.

Anyway Enjoyyyy

Raj Thackeray get arrested..

and half of Mumbai is under house arrest.

Either because they are too scared to go out or because if they go out, they don't have a means of transport or because what they need is shut/closed.

It's ridiculous. I mean where the law and order mechanism. I am glad the police decided to do something about all the violence that has happened due to the MNS but they should have worked a little harder to see that no disruption happens to normal life of the average Mumbaikar.

Ah these bloody politicians...

Few important things I learned at work...

I already spoke about being 'impactful' by working towards 'being a legend' and by being a mentor.

There are a few more things that are important when you work with people. I am not expert on the subject...far from it actually, but I would still like to leave a few thoughts with who ever is interested in reading.


> Don't disrespect people ever. I know it is impossible to respect all people all the time but that's where tolerance comes in. You go around disrespecting people and they will hate you. And then it's going to be quite fun to work towards a goal...


> Always try and be truthful. If you don't know something, then say you don't know it right at the start when you realize the same. It is always better to tell someone that you aren't an expert but will do your best rather than mess things up later on. Similarly people hate if you have a hidden agenda so be upfront right from the start (unless there are very good reasons not to be)


> Accept your limitations. Accept the limitations of people around you. No one has infinite capacity. Have the right expectations from people. You might need a superman around but superman doesn't exist. Some people will come quite close though if given enough resources so try and see who can be the superman around you when you need a superman and give that person what that person needs to do the 'impossible'.


> There is always a wrong way of saying something. Try not to say things in the wrong way.


> Appreciate people. Not uselessly of course but when they deserve it don't hold back. I learned this lesson a little too late.


> Haul up people if they need it. Don't keep forgiving the same mistake over and over. If people need to be told that they aren't doing a good job, they need to be told that. Again something I failed at in many instances.


> Everyone needs some breathing space one in a while.


> Give people credit even if they had a small part to play in a success. Don't blame everything on someone if something failed. The point of being in a team is that responsibility and accountability rests with the team. Personally I think if it has to be a 1 man show, the leader should always take blame for the failure and let someone else get credit for the successes. This is also an effective way to see that everyone is pulling their weight cause after a bunch of failures, the leader would deal with the weakest link correctly (hopefully)


> Never doubt yourself. If there has to be doubting, doubt your choices.


> A lot of people will give you 'feedback'. You should listen to it. If you think it's crap then just forget it but listen to it first.


> There are 3 qualities that I think are a must for success no matter what you do and I believe all 3 can be worked on -
1) Logical thinkings
2) Attitude
3) Communication ability


[TBC]

Go Phillip...Go Phillip...Go Phillip...

Man this guy is too good.




This is Phillip Chbeeb on the show 'So You Think You Can Dance'. Totallyyyy love this style. Not sure what it's called but man if I could dance like that, it would make me happy as hell...

Well now I am just enjoying watching this. Love the wave thing he does.


Another popper you might enjoy - http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=GsyQUwx00vw. I didn't really enjoy his dance so much cause it looked a little toooo creepy. But he does seem like he has no bones AT ALL. The dancer is Robert Muraine (if I am not mistaken).

My personal messages...

I had the opportunity to speak today at my 'farewell gathering' but in my bid to have my speech 'make a difference' I forgot to thank people and say somethings I wanted to say to individual people. So here goes... [Also if I miss someone out in the first round - apologies - will keep adding to the list]. It will always be 'see you soon' and not 'goodbye'.

First for all the lunches I was treated to, major thanks to -
Ratan, Sandesh, Kaushik Monica & Sneha, Vigneswari Sunisha & Archana.


Khushboo - Forever eh? We WILL catch a movie/play some weekend I promise as long as it isn't raining of course. Please don't get us thrown out though ;) Gonna miss all the traveling with you.


Sneha - We did some great work together. Always worked at a team. No functional divide at all :) hehe I'm expecting you to give me a call at least once week and to tell me what happened at home ;)


Yogesh - Man seeing where you are today and who you are today, is a great reality check for me. Keep doing good work. I would have never expected you to perform the way you have. Makes me question my own perceptions :)


Bhavna - Dudeeeeeeee be a little serious in life man. You have the total potential to be right at the top. Just work a little harder. Don't be a Manila girl :P My baby is with you and you better take good care of it. And yes I will miss you.


Mahesh - Can't thank you enough for all the opportunities I have got at work. Also many thanks for helping me understand web usability. Also thanks for the offsite trainings, especially the last two and the management training program. I got to learn a lot not only about other people but also about myself. This company has always been ahead of the curve and I think it will continue to be that way.


Ratan - When you have your 'The Secret' session, please call me hehe I might not believe in it enough for it to do wonders but it will be fun. Thanks for all the encouragement over the years.


Ansoo - Haha I am neither anti-social nor do I suffer from a superiority complex :) One crazy conversation day that way. Appreciate the time and effort you took that day.


Naman - Honestly Naman, every company should have employees like you. You know not only hardworking and doing a good job but also people who have a holistic understanding of what an organisation is all about. Don't get bogged down by stupid things just keep being creative. And stop smoking so much.


Romil - Romil you are the best designer I have worked with. Don't let anyone ever tell you, you do sub-standard work. It will be nothing but a lie. I will miss giving you my small inputs every now and then when you are creating an ad. Also I am hoping I will hear from you a lot more now :)


Beverly - Bev you better be eating your lunch everyday and NOT at dinner time. If I so much as hear you aren't eating, I'll hire people in the company to keep an eye on you. Their job will be to pester you to eat hehe. Good job. 5 estimates in one day is a record btw :) I wouldn't have managed it.


Sanjeev - Your totally a ROCK man. I am very proud that you haven't smoked and had a drink in so long and that in spite of having the freedom and opportunity now, you continue to resist temptation. Also thanks a ton for telling me to stay back so much - no one told me to stay as much as you did.


Sumita - My partner in crime ;) I'm warning you, I better not hear you have been laughing a lot without me. Always remember I am only a ping away ;)


Sudipa, Savita, Mitch - Thanks for getting on a con-call and in chorus saying 'We will miss you Deepali'


Geeta - Thanks for the email. Appreciate it :) Do call me whenever you are in town. Will definitely catch up with you.


Neelofer - Aunty don't bash people up okay. Thoda pyar se baat karo aur logon ko live chat pe bulana band karo :P


Tariq - Pintoo ji I love the name :)


Raamesh - Haha don't go crazy with all the work okay :) Thanks for the 'Deepali Naka'. I love it totally. Also thank for the book :)


Sunisha - Miss Sindy Krawford I will miss all our experiments yaar. To good times...to good times :D Will call you sometime but I doubt we will end up talking for 3 hours at a stretch ;)


Nikhil - Nikhil bhai, kem cho, keep those cool tools coming. Hats off to you for building the number of teams you have :)


Ami - Amiiiiii if I ever do get married (not happening for at least another 2 years if I all) you are definitely invited :) land up even if I forget to send you a card :D


Jayant - Brilliant work at the offsite man. Was glad to have you in my team. You did good. Keep working hard. Keep working smart. Up is the only way for you to go :)


Monica - Monica ben, after so long you came back. Mr.G was missing you so much hehe. Well we didn't work together again unfortunately lol I just kept re-directing your emails to Naman or Bhavna but still, good to have you back before I went on my leave :) Be like your baby - forever smiling and happy :) See I thought I was forgetting something important - going to leave what I originally wrote and add what I had first thought of writing. I don't think anyone changed a perspective of mine as soon as you did. I remember we met at the Christmas party and I had just become a Manager and I was saying how I only got promoted cause it was needed etc etc etc and you said 'Well that's what opportunities are right?'. From being quite negative about a situation I looked at it positively from that day on. Thanks :)


Reshma - Good luck to you Reshma. You have quite a task ahead but I am sure if everyone works as a strong team, you all will not only survive but very soon thrive :)

Jigar - Loved your enthusiasm at the off-site. Stay pump and pump up others also always :)


Viggi - Thanks for the chocolates - reallyyyy nice stuff :) Love how you are focussed on the right things Viggi - stay the way you are. And if you are ever bashing up Amol in the future, one two slaps give him on my behalf :)


Coffey - Please feel free to call me anytime you have any problem and well now you even have Ruiyu for a while to help you out :)


Kavita - Whenever you get super pakofied of lead cleaning, just go down to the team and tell them to stop sending you so many leads hehe ;) kidding. The more cleaning you have to do the happier we all are :)


Mitch - Like the way you think girl. Matured. Lol. Btw go though the AdWords learning center, it will help you tons.


Netra - Netra ji, whenever you need anything on DMI please call me. Also you are one person I will ALWAYS be in touch with cause you know EVERYONE hehe ;)


Bala - Hey Bala, enjoyed the long general discussions we have had on marketing and advertising. Also appreciate always how you will actually come say you like the way I presented something or liked what I said in a speech or training :)


Ruiyu - Ruiyuuuuuuuuuuu you are back and now I am on leave :( but its okay. Glad to have you back :) Do good work. And if I am ever in China you have to take me around all over.


Kavita N - You should stop saying thank you so much. As for help bindas. It's the job of your superiors to help you out and there need not be so much thanking involved ;)

Amit Bharat Vinod- Thank for all the coffee, tea and maggi.


Hetal - Good luck with all the publishers hehe. Please contact me if you are stuck with some invoice, I will come and sort it out. I don't remember if I am actually done with all of those. And if there is anyyyyy jhol whatsoever catch Sneha and Bhavna. Lol kidding.


Sandesh - I created the list you asked for but I don't think you want it ;) It's always interesting to see how much you know on such diverse subjects, especially those relating to traditions and customs. Lol if I can't find an NGO, I'll give you a call. Thanks for sitting through all those sessions where I was giving 'feedback'.


Sunil - Stop getting all those silly fashion magazine clients :P kidding. The offsite was great fun. Especially the Race. I think we wanted to come first really badly cause you guys wanted to come first so badly lol. Drink a little less and goodluck with the studies.


Manik - Thanks for the maska :P Don't worry I will be following your blog for a while. All that information is good for me ;) Btw I am glad you got your own coffee to work - lesser people would have found my habit strange.


Kevin - You're quite naughty aren't you? All that quite boy image is just an image isn't it haha. More and more people are getting to know your secret.


Pradeep - I owe you a crackle. Remind me next time we meet.


Kaushik - Kaushik yaar, bachhon ko Mr.D se bachao. Lol. Man if you get tired of search, think of acting as a career. Totally loved your acting at the off-site. It was absolutely hilarious. My highlight for that evening. Better than Kev in a skirt ;) Sorry Kev.


Few more to go.

The last mile...has been crossed...

I am on sabbatical from tomorrow. Got a couple of gifts and I will still say it again I hate receiving gifts but it's stuff that I would like.

Thanks for the watch and book guys - both are brilliant - 'time and ideas' :)

The World Is Mine...

Love the song.

Hate the video. But whatever. Enjoyyyyy

Lightning Junkie...

That what I am :)


[Not my own picture obviously. Picked it up from the web - I believe from weatherbook.com]

Below is the picture taken by me :( Maybe some day when I have better equipment and technique, I'll take a fabulous picture.


Anyway enjoyed watching the lightning a lot :D

So many nice people :) ...

First it was 'oh what nice people' and I thought people might think I'm being sarcastic.

So I made it 'such nice people :)' and a couple of people still asked me if I was bring sarcy.

Finally I settled on 'so many nice people :)' which is slightly better but can still be sarcastic.

But I am not being sarcastic. I am being honest. I am quite lucky in that way. I have met so many very nice people over the years and the events of the last few months make me realize that people are willing to go out of their way to do things for you, willing to honestly tell you how important you are to them, willing to give you things you want...

Cheers to all the great people I know.

Stop Whining...

I hate when men whine. It really pisses me off.

As if we don't hear enough of whining from women.

I am not being sexist or whatever - it's just that men have a different way of saying things. They don't whine. They might crib but it's more short lived and to the point. Women on the other hand go on and on so I hate when I find men who crib like women. I mean just shut up somebody.

Burning Eyes...

Yesterday I thought it was because of the shampoo but since I had a little burning eyes this morning too, the reason is something else...

Agh the heat and the humidity - I hate this city sometimes...

But most times I totally love it.

And it becomes quite bearable on hot and humid days once I get into an air-conditioned room :)

Thank god though winter will be here soon. I do wish that it isn't like the last winter though - totally not Mumbai style winter, i.e. cold.

Ya I know I crib too much.

A Wednesday...

If you haven't watched 'A Wednesday' yet, you should.

It's a brilliant movie. At least I thought so.

It's All About My Movies - A Wednesday.

Whattttttttttt theeeeeeee...

Saw some 6 minutes of Big Boss today and whattttttttt crap are they showing man.

There was some holi game or whatever. So okay Dettol got some nice promotion etc and I was trying to figure out which team they would declare as winners.

Anyway after this 'game' is over they show that Mahajan guy talked through the glass to that chick (they have a glass separating the rooms) and asking for a kiss (through the glass itself) and I'm like whattttttttttttttttttt theeeeeee????

And she said no for something so he asks should I come into your room and she calls him and then tells him to take her clothes somewhere or something and hes like you called me for work here? and goes upto her and slaps her ass. I mean WTF are they showing on TV these days man? I walked off cause really can't stand such retarded shit on television.

I don't know what they are producing these days and I really don't understand how people are watching all this crap.

Mar Jawaan (I say Mar Jaavaa though)

Totallyyyyyyyyy love the song. It's from the movie Fashion - which I am WAITINGGGG to watch. Love Madhur Bhandarkar films - they are full of filth and dirt that surround us.

Funny incident though - a friend pings me and asks what do you mean 'Mar Jawaan'? Some sarcastic take on the army? Do you mean die martyrs or something?

And then I realized the spelling make it seems like - Die Soldiers lol. So changed it to Mar Jaavaa. Lots of spelling variations for it though - Mar Jaawan, Mar Jawan, Mar Jaavan, Mar Jaawaa, etc...

Also got a couple of people asking me what was up with me...who was I dying over etc.

Anyway enjoyyyyyyyy the song

What is going on in this country???...

Another blast...

:*(

If you think I am so damn smart than take my damn advice...

Should be simple right?

What is this world coming to?????...

Another blast in Delhi today. 

Man I don't even know what to say.

Ashwan's status message said - 'doesn't react to bombs anymore'. And I know exactly what he is saying. 

Can there be a stop to this madness? 

Kyaaaaa resh (Resham i.e.)...there is a wold beyond Bbay...really....

Seriously Resh, you will find more of what you are looking for outside of India. 

Lots more eligibility elsewhere.

Flexibility might ensure more compatibility :P

The Google Store???? When did this happen?

http://www.google-store.com/index.php

I never knew. I swear.

Floppy Disks...

Oh man - had to use a floppy disk today after agesssss. I felt like I was in the dark ages or something.

Sis needed to take some documents to work. She usually burns them on her rewritable CD but today some problem happened either in the burning or the reading of the CD. So I tell her take it on a pen drive. She starts cribbing about how the PC in the office at the school is in some holder where it will be difficult to connect to the USB port since the PC is an older version and the ports are at the back of the PC.

So finally she's like forget it. I have it on the CD if it read it then fine, if it can't then I can't help it. Else I will ask them to move the PC if it is urgent.

And that's when the idea struck me and I said why don't you take the docs on a Floppy. She rolled her eyes and ask where would she find a floppy disk. And I told her where my old bunch were kept and after a little searching we actually found them .

Oh my god it was crazy to push the disk into the slot. I mean I haven't used a floppy in like forever.

Haha When I was in college I was doing research on serial killers (that whole police drama, forensics is so cool, phase) and I found one floppy full of articles I had stored back then.

Crazy I tell you. The good thing is that I found a bunch of my writing assignments that I had done. Not that they mean anything today but those were interesting times and I loved some of the work I did for some of those assignments (even though they were nothing difficult or big).i feel like i was in the middle ages-had to use a floppy disk awhile ago-so outdated.hehe good thing is i found some of my very old doc

What stood out the most about the floppy though was the size of storage - 1 MB. Talk about progress.

Tiring training...

I have taken a bunch of training sessions at work but I have to admit today's session was the most tiring.

Of course one reason was that the session was more on the spur of the moment (training one person and having 4 people say they want to listen also and ending up with over 12 people) and therefore not planned for.

But more so because AdWords has become so complicated. Ad Scheduling, Budgeting Options, Bidding Options, Ad Serving Options, Targeting Options, new features etc.

Just too much of anyone to absorb in 1 sitting and also too much to tell people about in 1 session. Maybe I will have another training session tomorrow and take people through all the stuff that got left out. I am sure it will be another tiring session.

I love the AdWords platform but it is too complex now for newbies.

What sort of a world do we live in?...

Too many retarded people walking around.

I usually don't read the Mumbai Mirror but rushed through all the TOI headlines and still had some tea left so reached out for it.

I see 2 news articles one page after the other and I was furious.

The following is why -

One article talks about how residents of a newly constructed building are being asked to move out by the BMC because there is a building close by that could collapse any day. The BMC isn't willing to pay out 11.2 lakhs to demolish the buildings. Some of the residents are elderly and a lot of the houses have kids. It is crazy to ask them relocate in my opinion.

The very next article I glance upon is that the State Government is going to shell out 5.5 crores to promote Marathi as a language (at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi).

Seriouslyyyyyy why are people so messed up?

P.S. - This is me venting please do not give me a lecture about fund allocation to BMC and State. Also no lecture right now on fund allocation towards certain activities. Maybe some other day when this isn't a touchy topic, you can tell me about the finances that go behind running this country.

Sleep Deprived

Seriously have slept quite badly since Wednesday.

Last night was terrible because of my allergy.

Have plans to go out today in the afternoon otherwise I think I would have taken a nap. I haven't taken a nap in at least 6 months or so (unless I was ill).

It's a weekday routine of my sis to have a siesta. She wakes up early, goes to work. Comes by by 1, eats lunch and then she's off to dreamland. Nice life. Bad salary. Hehe

A cold is coming...

I am quite allergic to dust. And I think I figured I am very allergic to mould too.

I'm going to be very ill tomorrow. Already got a mild cold. I think it will get worse.

A longerrrr day than yesterday :( ...

n it doesn't seem to be coming to an end...

Gonna be a long long day...thank god for short-cuts and the editor...

It was.

Glad it's over.

Unfortunately I know tomorrow will be just like today :(

Sometimes you just got to ride it out.

[I totally love the AdWords Editor - makes life simple]

Tremor Terror...

At around 3:17 am on Wednesday a 4.8 earthquake hit Sangli in Western Maharashtra. It was of mild intensity but apparently lasted for 30 seconds and was also felt in Mumbai.

Why I am providing stale news is because I felt this quake and it was NOT FUN. I actually jumped out of bed. Total adrenaline rush. I was telling my sis (who also woke up) to get up and out of bed and she looked at me and said 'for what' and I was like 'Are you crazy get out of bed and let's head out' (run for the terrace was what I was thinking).

Now I love geological events but I think that love is only when I am watching National Geographic programs. I remember when I was quite young there was this quake that hit Latur and I was actually unhappy that I missed out on feeling a quake (I was a hugeeee deal back then because we didn't have quakes happening all over the place left right and center). And then on the 26th Jan when a quake hit Bhuj, I realize what a retard I was at wanting to feel a quake. It was scary. While I didn't quite react too much to it other than sitting up in bed (with my mom doing back then what I did this time and me doing back then what my sis did this time) but still the movement of the building was unnerving. It was something so alien.

After that quake we felt a few aftershocks and then I felt another very mild quake some time back.

And I DO NOT like the feeling.

Anyway Wednesday morning (after 3:17 am) was terrible. I firstly couldn't fall back asleep. I think I got too much of a rush - the whole fight / flight thing. And then I slept horribly when I did fall asleep.

I know now (through another lesson) you should be careful what you wish for. I didn't when I was that stupid kid sitting upset in bed, woken up by her parents, in case everyone had to make a run for it, and pouting about missing a major event. I take back my wishes of wanted to FEEL a quake. I think I have felt one too many for my liking.

I don't think it's the fear of the building falling down or me being buried under rubble or anything that rattles me. I haven't even gone that far in through. It's just the idea of a structure shaking the way it does in a quake. You know it is JUST NOT RIGHT.

Anyway nature will be nature. And I do desperately hope that these quakes are no man made (this was was quite close to Koyna Dam where a quake had hit a month ago or something).

Anyway rant, vent, whatever over. I should try and get some sleep.

Somebody help me understand...

cause I can't by myself...

Bad Habit...

So use to leaving work after 8 that I am still around even though I don't have any work and nearly everyone has left, I am still hanging around.

Ah well at least I can say I blogged (on my non work blog) while at work this year. 

Pissed off about the blasts...

Seriously what the hell is going on? 

Blasts today in Delhi.

This is becoming a monthly affair or something in India.

I mean how messed up are these terrorists? And what are the authorities doing? 

It's ridiculous that so many innocent people die for reasons that are so bullshit. 

Do we all have to live in fear and confusion? 

I just hope nothing happens in Mumbai tomorrow. It's Visarjan day and it would be terrible if blasts were to happen here tomorrow. It would be worse than terrible...

Too many cranes...

FSI is always a big debate in Mumbai. Mainly because if you want more houses and don't have land, you can always go upward right?

Anyway the only reason I mention FSI limits is because I have grown up with a view from one side of my house and the other side also isn't too bad except see about 40% of the horizon because there are taller buildings (at a little distance) blocking the view. I like the feel of open spaces and seen the sky and stuff.

Now I am sure around my house there will always be a little open space but what is scary is the amount of cranes I see around in the distance. I am not kidding when I say I can see 5 cranes (the ones used on the top of buildings to lift stuff) in the distance. And the fact that I can see them means that these buildings are obviously taller than the ones in front of them.

Change is inevitable but it's kind of sad to be in the middle of it when it is just making things worse and not better (for me and not for the junta who can now have 'better' homes). I know it's very selfish but I will they wouldn't extend the limit of building height.

Happy Onam

:)

Off-site in detail 1

[You might actually find this post boring unless you are Sumita]

Let's start with - laughingggggggggggggg like a mad person.

Sitting in the bus to get to the train station. Thankfully (or the opposite) ended up sitting across Sumita.

Actually glad we sat close together cause we hardly caught up while she was here - just like every trip of hers.

Anyway we sat in the bus for at least 15 minutes before it started and it was soooooooo hot and cramped.

Anyway I don't know how it started but me and Sumita went crazy laughing. Now if you have ever heard Sumita laugh (except herself I don't think anyone who has access to this blog has heard her laugh), well you WILL laugh. She is loud. And has a funny laugh.

So not only are the 2 of us laughing like crazy, Sneha and Kaushik also end up laughing.

And everyone at the back of the bus is wondering what the hell is happening and looking at us strangely.

So some of the funny things were -

• The expression on Tariq's face
  
• 'If you have no trust in the people you work with, then we have a real problem here' (rolling eye YA RIGHT whatevaaaaaaaaa)
  
• Skin aging cream (this should be a post in itself thought it's not funny if you are hearing it from someone else).
  
• Geeta sleeping through everything and Sudipa jumping up to try and hear the gossip
• Talking about Kaushik's trip to the US
• And a bunch of other stuff I can't remember anymore.
  

I think both me and Sumita had an aching stomach by the time we got off the bus.

It was a crazy 30 mins. We must have laughed 85% of the way.

It was a brilliant bus ride. The best I have ever had. Thank Sumita. Let's hope we can do it again some day :)

Get Service...

Totally love this video -

Happy Birthday Reema...

You changed my life in a way...

:)

Thanks.

I love my life...

I have so many luxuries that other people can't even think of.

Today I am grateful that I can do the right thing, irrespective of what I get in return (if anything at all).

Happy Teacher's Day

To all my wonderful (and even some not so wonderful) teachers, a big thank you, for helping me become who I am.

:)

Reading an episode :(....

Missed Bones on Saturday (returned home 2 hours too late from Goa to catch it) so have to read what happened on the show.

Must say I hate doing this.

Hehe

I'm Back...

6 unbelievable days.

Highlights -
Sitting on top of coconuts in a lorry
Coming second
Winning money
Seeing how generous people can be
Riding in a truck
Wondering about luck
Imitating people
Connecting but not connecting
Living with dirty water
Doing non non-confrontational things
Keeping a train waiting
Listening to the truth being distorted
Having 4 cops jump on and asking some of the group to get out
Laughingggggggg like a mad person (whilst sitting next to a mad person - yes Sumita I am talking about you :p)
360 Degree Integration
Realizing how non-competitive I am
Realizing that some people aren't as nice as you think they are

Will write in more details about some of these later.


TBC

Out of town for 5 days

Since I didn't have time before, I am writing this post after I am back in town.

Went to Goa for our company offsite training. This was the fourth off-site training I have attended (even got a small appreciation for this being my fourth as there are only 2 people who have attended all four offsites).

Wasn't too happy with Goa as the destination. I still think we could have had it closer to Mumbai and everyone would have been better off as they wouldn't have had to travel 10 - 12 hours by train.

Learned a lot of things. Will be sharing more stuff later on as and when I get the time.

Tragic...

It so sad that we don't realize the consequences of our actions.


From LiveScience.com

Warming is also forcing some mountain plant species to adapt by moving to higher altitudes as it kills them in their traditional ranges. In Southern California, for example, warming temperatures and longer dry spells have killed thousands of tree and plants, while pushing their habitats an average of 213 feet up the Santa Rosa Mountains over the past 30 years, according to a new study detailed in the Aug. 11 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Previous studies have also catalogued the ways that climate change is knocking the nature out of whack: birds are migrating earlier in the season; reptiles and amphibians are also heading for the hills to reach cooler climes; and the timing of plant blooms is shifting as the Earth heats up.

Whole article at - Plants and Animals Move as Climate Warms

Pretty Funny...

http://yahoorezinr.com/

I love Google...

And I am not saying this because we got free Google sweatshirts, Pen Drives and Pens.

I love the AdWords platform. It's the most brilliant things every. I know we crib and we bitch but seriously it makes PPC advertising such a breeze.

And it's brilliant not only because it's easy to use and efficient to advertise but it's also complex in the sense that they have thought of nearly everything.

And they just keep scaling the system. Adding to it. Modifying it. Plugging into it. Google will not have a competitor when it comes to advertising platform at least for the next couple of years (I would have said decade or so but things changes fast on the internet).

Don't know why they such at their SNS - Orkut use to be the big thing but that was only till people got more options.

Their mail client totally rocks (though I hate how you can't have folders in gmail). As does their chat client. As does nearly everything they do whether it's google docs, google earth, analytics, website optimizer, adsense, froogle. The list goes on.

Tired

Long day....

No Boys...

Only men.





So obviously there is a story here right...

My uncle after a lot of eyes rolling said you should put up 'no boys' as your nick (he couldn't believe that 'lucky boy' and 'khuda jaane' were both song titles I had put up as my nick and couldn't believe I would leave them just like that [I could have put it as 'lucky boy song' or music sign followed by 'lucky boy' or 'lucky boy-bachna ae haseeno', etc] so people are curious as to what I am talking about). I said fine (knowing that lots of people will ask me what 'no boys'). And immediately my sis jumps in and says 'no boys, only men'. And I am like wow that was very creative and very fast. I guess it's the topic hehe. Anyway I liked her line so here it is.

Sorry I will always stay the 'boring person' I am.

Kite Power?

I love the idea of renewable energy. Not only because it is clean and (can be) abundant but there is huge potential for it to be cheap too. Interesting article I came across on Live Science. It talks about using kites instead of traditional wind turbines to generate electricity.

Read on if you are interested. Making a few sections bold for those who are partly interested.

Source - LiveScience.com

Tie one end of a string to a piece of fabric and you have a kite; but tie the other end to a generator and you have a source of electricity.

Although it can only turn a generator during part of its flight, a kite can reach the strong winds at high altitude with less fuss than a traditional wind turbine.

"The main reason to go to kites is that wind turbines require a lot of material," said Moritz Diehl from the Catholic University (K.U.) of Leuven, Belgium. "By saving on parts, kites can be more economical."

Diehl thinks the cost of electricity from kites could be a quarter of what it is from wind turbines.

Trading torque for tension

One factor in making use of the wind is knowing that its force becomes stronger the faster an object moves relative to it.

For this reason, the tips of a wind turbine — which typically move 8 to 10 times faster than the wind speed — experience the most force. This strong tip-force creates a torque that turns the turbine's electric generator.

"The rest of the construction [the inner part of the rotor and the tower] is just there to support the tips," Diehl told LiveScience.

A kite can capture the same wind force without needing the costly support structure. This is because it transmits the force not through a torque but through the tension in the kite line.

However, like a turbine's tip, more force can be had if the kite is moving quickly relative to the wind. Diehl and his colleagues have modeled power-generating kites and shown that it is possible to steer them in a kind of figure-8 pattern that increases the force by a factor of 100 more than remaining still.

Pumping

The researchers have also shown that the optimum way to unfurl the kite line is at one-third the speed of the wind. This allows electricity to be generated from the turning spool, while keeping the kite at a fairly constant altitude of around 1300 feet (400 meters).

Of course, this can only work for a short time before the line runs out and the kite needs to be reeled back in. Diehl realized a few years ago that the amount of energy expended during reeling-in could be reduced by angling the kite's nose down.

By continuously "pumping" the kite out and in, out and in, Diehl's group has shown that 5 megawatts of power — typical of modern wind turbines — can be generated from a 500-square-meter kite (5400-square-foot) with a line 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) long.

In each pumping cycle, there would be 16 seconds of power generation while unfurling and 4 seconds of down-time while reeling-in.

Besides having lower material costs than traditional wind turbines, Diehl said that kites can reach higher altitudes where the wind is stronger and more constant.

Changing tacks

There are other ideas on how to generate energy from kites.

One group at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands has proposed stringing a large number of kites along a circular line that would extend 6 miles (10 kilometers) into the sky. The whole system would turn like a waterwheel, as the kites would change tilt to go up or come down. Called the Laddermill, it could generate 100 megawatts of electricity, the researchers estimate.

An Italian company called Kite Gen has a similar idea, but with the "wheel" laid flat on the ground. The design calls for several kites attached to a kilometer-wide spinning carousel. The tilt of each kite could be controlled so that it only pulls on the carousel at specific points in the rotation.

For now, though, both the Delft group and the Kite Gen engineers have prototypes based on Diehl's pumping that can generate a few kilowatts of electricity.

Diehl also suspects Makani Power, which received $10 million last year from Google, is developing a similar sort of kite technology in relative secrecy.

It is also worth noting that kites are being used to tow cargo ships. In two demonstrations this year, Germany-based SkySails has shown that its kites can reduce fuel usage by 20 percent.

Blowing in the wind

Despite being "a fascinating and exciting idea," many technological hurdles remain for power-generating kites, said Manfred Morari, head of the Automatic Control Laboratory at ETH Zurich in Switzerland.

For one, the kites are inherently unstable. Researchers are developing automatic controls that can use data from sensors on the kite to correct for wind changes that blow the kite off course.

Another problem is scaling up systems so that they can be commercially viable.

"The kites must become bigger and bigger," said Bernhard Hoffschmidt of the Solar-Institute Jülich at Aachen University in Germany. "This will probably create problems on materials and life time."

Still, Hoffschmidt thinks that simple kite systems could be ideal for difficult locations, such as offshore.

"One of the major problems for offshore wind parks today is the needed time of excellent weather to install the units," Hoffschmidt said. Kites, on the other hand, could be installed on anchored buoys, "which can easily be installed and de-installed with a lower environment impact."

CCD definitely

When it comes to coffee, I would choose CCD (Cafe Coffee Day) over Barista (even though I have had limited drinks at both places).

There use to be a time I use to dislike CCD coffee till we started hanging out at JATC and I found the Iced Eskimo (which became a staple at CCD).

Today I had a cappuccino at CCD and couldn't help but compare it to the cappuccino I had at Barista just 2 days ago. Day and night difference. I found the CCD cappuccino way better. It was milder, frothier and lighter.

Next time if I have to choose between meeting at a CCD and a Barista (all things, except coffee, being the same), I'll choose a CCD.

Lucky boy...

Naah don't worry. I am talking about a song .

Enjoy 'lucky boy' from 'bachna ae haseeno'.

[Some how I feel that songs from Bachna Ae Haseeno just grows on you]

Video quality sucks but I don't really care cause it's not the video I like as much as the music.

Happy Independence Day...

Well if you know me, you know I am not big on 'days' - especially I don't like things like Women's Day and Valentine Day etc.

But there are certain days which have a lot of importance because, if for nothing else, they at least make us think about something specific for a while. Independence Day is a day like that (for me).

August 15th is important for me because it reminds me of the Partition. It makes me think of my family that was born and brought up in what is not Pakistan. It makes me think of obviously my luck at not having to flee my house, not having to live in refugee camps, not having to start a new life. But that was thing that some of my family members and their friends went thought. From riches to rags. From having houses as big as palaces, to living in tents. It was a tough time for a lot of people from my community.

While the whole freedom struggle is important to remember. While it is necessary to pay tribute to those who died for this county etc I think when something happens to you personally it has more of an impact. All our freedom fights are just names we (people of my generation) read about in our history books. We will never understand them, their life, their motives, their ideals. It's not wrong cause we obviously didn't live during those times. We might take our freedom for granted but we do that with everything. So for me Independence Day isn't about getting freedom or patriotism or any of that. Independence Day is about the Partition. It has always been (since I thought about the whole thing) and it always will be.


To Be Continued.

Khuda Jaane...

The song can really grow on you :)

I hate confrontations

I do.

I try and see that thing don't get to a point where parties have to 'sit down and talk'.

Why have igo issues man? I always feel that people who have igo issues are people who in their minds don't know their worth. Then I re-think and tell myself I am wrong. That I let things go not because I don't have igo issues but mainly because I have this 'let it go...who cares' attitude. I am not indifferent all the time but I do think that everyone has a right to get angry and everyone does feel frustrated, and everyone will have outbursts, and some people at some point in time will attack you. It's life. Shit happens. You just got to work things out.

I am straying. I hate confrontations and I always try and avoid them. I don't like the idea of yelling at someone (especially someone below me or younger than me). The only people who do hear me scream are my direct family. And that also because I think family forgives and forgets easily and fast enough. I do wish that I had more patience at home, at least half of what I had at work but I guess there is alway a difference in the way you communicate depending on who you are communicating with.

Anyway that's about it....

http://www.unkno.com/toplist/

The link is the 'toplist' of useless knowledge.

Some of the more interesting bits of 'useless knowledge' (I personally think that there is stuff that IS useless knowledge. I am not of the mindset that all knowledge is good and help etc etc etc. It may or it may not. With limited time I think all people need to know only what is most important to them to begin with and can go on to less important things etc. Anyway since this topic was not the intention of the post I am doing a bad job at it so I'll stop. None of the below is technically useless is cause you can either start conversations with the same or look cool for knowing crazy stuff).


- The word “lethologica” describes the state of not being able to remember the word you want.

- An adult giraffe's kick is so powerful that it can decapitate a lion.

- The brain continues sending electrical wave signals for 37 hours after death

- There are 318,979,564,000 possible combinations of the first four moves in Chess.

- American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by taking out an olive from First Class salads.


I wish the site had better usability so that it was easier to find more 'useless knowledge'.

http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/2008/07/nineteen-tips-f.html

Some things don't change.

Check out - http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/2008/07/nineteen-tips-f.html. It about 'Nineteen tips for cheering yourself up -- from two hundred years ago.'

Really funny how some things stay the same no matter what century you are in while so much else changes so quickly.