Maddy's Rant

Java code - Hello World Test

2010-10-21T23:43:00.000-07:00


public class Trial {
   public static void main(String[] args) {
       System.out.println("Hello World");
   }
}

Results My Friend, Results

2008-11-25T14:04:00.000-08:00

A nice forward from "Balaji"

A Priest dies & is awaiting his turn in line at the Heaven's Gates.

Ahead of him is a guy, nattily dressed, in dark sun glasses, a loud
shirt, leather jacket & jeans.

God asks him: Please tell me who are you, so that I may know whether to
admit you into the kingdom of Heaven or not?

The guy replies: I am Pandi, Auto driver from Chennai !

God consults his ledger, smiles & says to Pandi: Please take this silken

robe & gold scarf & enter the Kingdom of Heaven .

Now it is the priest's turn. He stands erect and speaks out in a booming

voice: I am Pope's Assistant so & so, Head Priest of the so & so Church
for the last 40 years.

God consults his ledger & says to the Priest: Please take this cotton
robe & enter the Kingdom of Heaven .

'Just a minute,' says the agonized Priest. 'How is it that a foul
mouthed, rash driving Auto Driver is given a Silken robe & a Golden
scarf and me, a Priest, who's spent his whole life preaching your Name &

goodness has to make do with a Cotton robe?'

'Results my friend, results,' shrugs God.

'While you preached, people SLEPT; but when he drove his Auto, people
PRAYED'

Moral of the story: It's PERFORMANCE & not POSITION that ultimately
counts.

My trial with random art

2008-05-01T15:09:00.000-07:00

Some more movie reviews

2008-02-17T16:07:00.000-08:00

Premonition - Foreboding evil. Was crappy. It makes me wonder whether it's sandra bullock or the movie.

Dancing with the wolves - Was dogmatic. The version I saw did not have subtitles for redindian language, which was riddled in 1/3 of the movie.

Meet the spartans - Hated it to the core.

Since Orkut Movies Place is OUT.....

2007-11-11T05:16:00.000-08:00

Here is the list of movies I like, and also hate.

1) IRIS (4/10) - I did not like the plot. Acting was ok. Mediocre, tending towards bad.
2) Monsoon Wedding (5/10) - This movie was a time pass. It reflects unfolding of events in
an upper class Indian marriage. Mira Nair at her usual.
3) Just high (2/10) - Methodman and Redman are dumb men who do a poor job in this movie.
4) High fidelity (2/10) - Couldn't stand it. Plot was pathetic.

Humor - Take it for the light side

2007-09-22T07:24:00.000-07:00

The prime Minister of China
called President Bush to console him after the attack on the Pentagon:

" I'm sorry to hear about the attack.
It is a very big tragedy.
But in case you are missing any documents from the Pentagon, we have
copies of everything."

Musharraf calls Bush on 11th sept:

Musharraf: Mr. President, I would like to express my condolences to you.It
is a real tragedy.
So many people, such great bldgs…
I would like to ensure that we had nothin! g in connection with that……..

Bush: What Tragedy ? What buildings? What people??

Musharraf: Oh, and what time is it in America now?

Bush: It's eight in the morning.

Musharraf: Oops…Will call back in an hour!

Vajpayee and Bush are sitting in a bar.

A guy walks in and asks the barman, "Isn't that Bush and Vajpayee?"

The barman says "Yep, that's them." So the guy walks over and
says, "Hello, what are you guys doing?"

Bush says, "We're planning world war 3"

The guy says, "Really? What's going to happen?"

And Vajpayee says, "Well, we're going to kill 14 million Pakistanis
and one bicycle repairman."

And the guy exclaimed, "A bicycle repairman?!! !"

Vajpayee turns to Bush and says, "See, I told you, no-one would worry
about the 14 million Pakistanis!"

Pilot or Photographer

2007-09-22T07:20:00.000-07:00

A photographer for a national magazine was assigned to take pictures of a great forest fire. He was advised that a small plane would be waiting to fly him over the fire.

The photographer arrived at the airstrip just an hour before sundown. Sure enough, a small Cessna airplane was waiting. He jumped in with his equipment and shouted, "Let's go!" The tense man sitting in the pilot's seat swung the plane into the wind and soon they were in the air, though flying erratically.

"Fly over the north side of the fire," said the photographer, "and make several low-level passes." "Why?" asked the nervous pilot. "Because I'm going to take pictures!" yelled the photographer. "I'm a photographer, and photographers take pictures."

The pilot replied, "You mean you're not the flight instructor?"

Now and then you can allow your creativity to take a plunge and ...

2007-09-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

start listening to The Beatles.

Hey, Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

Hey, Jude, don't be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better.

And any time you feel the pain, hey, Jude, refrain
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders
Well don't you know that its a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder

Hey, Jude! Don't let her down
You have found her, now go and get her
Remember, to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better.

So let it out and let it in, hey, Jude, begin
You're waiting for someone to perform with
And don't you know that it's just you, hey, Jude,
You'll do, the movement you need is on your shoulder

Hey, Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

Who packs your parachute today?

2007-09-19T04:39:00.001-07:00

Charles Plum, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, was a jet fighter pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent six years in a Communist prison. He survived that ordeal and now lectures about lessons learned from that experience.

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!"

"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb.

"I packed your parachute," the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!"

Plumb assured him, "It sure did — if your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today."

Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, "I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform — a Dixie cup hat, a bib in the back, and bell bottom trousers. I wondered how many times I might have passed him on the Kitty Hawk. I wondered how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning, how are you,' or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor."

Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent on a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know.

Now, Plumb asks his audience, "Who's packing your parachute? Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day." Plumb also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory — he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety. His experience reminds us all to prepare ourselves to weather whatever storms lie ahead.

SUGGESTION: Recognize and be gracious to people who pack your daily parachutes, and strengthen yourself to prevail through tough times

Funeral Car Driver

2007-09-13T05:22:00.001-07:00

A taxi passenger tapped the driver on the shoulder to ask him a question.

The driver screamed , lost control of the car, nearly hit a bus, went up on the footpath, and stopped centimeters from a shop window.

For a second everything went quiet in the cab, then the driver said, "Look mate, don't ever do that again. You scared the daylights out of me!"

The passenger apologized and said, "I didn't realize that a little tap would scare you so much. "

The driver replied, "Sorry, it's not really your fault. Today is my first day as a cab driver. I've been driving a funeral van for the last 25 years."

Dream on - Aerosmith Lyrics

2007-08-09T04:26:00.000-07:00

I found this song particulary interesting. It has excellent lyrics.
Everytime that I look in the mirror
All these lines on my face gettin clearer
The past is gone
It went by like dust to dawn
Isnt that the way
Everybodys got their dues in life to pay

I know what nobody knows
Where it comes and where it goes
I know its everybodys sin
You got to lose to know how to win

Half my life is in books written pages
Live and learn from fools and from sages
You know its true
All the things come back to you

Sing with me, sing for the years
Sing for the laughter, sing for the tears
Sing with me, if its just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good lord will take you away
(x2)

Dream on, dream on
Dream yourself a dream come true
Dream on, dream on
Dream until your dream come true
Dream on, dream on, dream on...

Sing with me, sing for the years
Sing for the laughter and sing for the tears
Sing with me, if its just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good lord will take you away

Also, I saw Bourne Ultimatum. I feel it is an excellent movie. Worth every penny.

Sequel Summer

2007-05-19T19:17:00.000-07:00

Last week I watched Spiderman 3. It was utter disappointment when compared with its predecessors. Toby Mcguire displayed enough talent just to act in soap operas. Peevishly crying like a lost girl child. On the other hand, Shrek 3, was not complete fiasco. Albeit, I would rate the first version as my personal best, Shrek 3 is not any worse either. Lets see what we can tell about Fantastic four -2, Bourne Ultimatum :)

A trice to impugn apostasy

2007-04-21T07:49:00.001-07:00

What a weird title? Yes, it is framed in an impromptu fashion. I took three words from last dictionary.com's word-of-the-day and made it a working title for this post.

We are creatures of habit. Our actions are manifestations of what we learn and imbibe from working environment. Any diversion, even it is for better, is not usually well digested. This paves way to what we require to quantify Happiness --- a state of mind where we get what we desire, not what's best for us. Needless to say that any schedule designed to take accommodate only one's interest is selfish. One's principle or faith should be tailored towards not himself, but in the interest of others. We feign common cause and usually all our actions and reactions are chained towards satisfying our ego. No self worry has ever been useful. It is hard to acknowledge that we are all ephemeral, and what we feel is of no consequence in the days to come. It reminds me of Gandhiji's talisman.

"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man [woman] whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him [her]. Will he [she] gain anything by it? Will it restore him [her] to a control over his [her] own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj [freedom] for the hungry and spiritually starving millions?
Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away."

Pinky and the Brain

2007-04-19T11:37:00.000-07:00

One's a genius and another is insane; labarotary mice; whose genes are all spiced.....

Pinky and the Brain is one of my favorite cartoons. Directed by Steven Speilberg and featured as a part of Animaniacs series, it is about two white laboratory mice, Pinky and Brain, who escape captivity every night in their attempt to take over the world. Often, Brain's ingenious plot to take over the world is foiled by his jovial and careless sidekick. Each episode ends on an optimistic note -- "tomorrow night is the day". This cartoon has had profound influence on me, for I in my own ways try to truimph my world failing to only realize that for every step I take, the goal has transgressed one step ahead. We, all humans, in our ways try to acheive what is most intriguing and challenging. Be it "taking over the world" or "acheiving a small goal", it is always the unknown path leading to the goal is what drives enthusiasm, giving a reason to live.

Three cheers to "Pinky and the Brain" who in their amicable satire convey the true essence of life.

Never realized the beauty behind it.

2007-03-31T16:35:00.000-07:00

The truth ...

"Whatever happened, it happened for good.
Whatever is happening, is also happening for good.
Whatever will happen, that too will be for good.
What have you lost for which you weep?
What did you bring with you, which you have lost?
What did you produce, which has perished?
You did not bring anything when you were born.
Whatever you have taken, it is taken from Here.
Whatever you have given, it is given Here.
You came empty handed and you will go the same way.
Whatever is yours today, will be somebody else's tomorrow
And it will be some other's later.
This change is the law of the universe

And the theme behind my creation."

-Bhagawan Sri Krishna

Picking events that make a point.

2007-03-23T06:16:00.001-07:00

Year 1981

1. Prince Charles got married
2. Liverpool crowned Champions of Europe
3. Australia lost the Ashes
4. Pope Died
5. After 1 year Italy won soccer world cup (1982)
6. 2 years later, India won the World Cup!!! (Prevented a WI hat-trick)

Year 2005

1. Prince Charles got married
2. Liverpool crowned Champions of Europe
3. Australia lost the Ashes
4. Pope Died
5. After 1 year Italy won soccer world cup (2006 - after 24years)
6. 2 years later, will India win the World Cup??!! (Preventing an Australian Hat-trick?!)

Dandruff solutions - For wives who can't keep cooking to the utensils

2007-03-18T07:03:00.000-07:00

4 out of 10 people are plagued with flaky skin (dandruff). Dandruff, in particular, prefers the darker sex. Here are the treatments what the female counterparts have conjured upon:

Dandruff can be reduced if you rinse your hair with -

A) Aspirin : Mere thought of it makes me swallow one.

B) Mouthwash: Wash the mouth of the person who suggests it

C) Baking Soda: I'm speechless

D) Lemon Juice: Salt or Sweet?

E) Salt: Yes salt it is

F) Vinegar: Preserves your brain.

I already received two of these. I am saving mouthwash for the future.

Source: http://www.rd.com/content/openContent.do?contentId=21972

Australian Post

2007-03-12T10:02:00.000-07:00

Fantastic ad; Gone are the days when people used to snail mail for personal communication. But, still those nostalgic memories linger on. Particulary, I still cherish missives received from my penpals when I was young.

Internet, chatting, IM has made world a smaller place, eventually robbing us from the excitement we used to have from receiving letter from someone we care.

An interesting reflection : Slow Down Culture

2007-02-20T07:24:00.000-08:00

It's been 18 years since I joined Volvo, a Swedish company. Working for them has proven to be an interesting experience. Any project here takes 2 years to be finalized, even if the idea is simple and brilliant. It's a rule.

Globalize processes have caused in us (all over the world) a general sense of searching for immediate results. Therefore, we have come to posses a need to see immediate results. This contrasts greatly with the slow movements of the Swedish. They, on the other hand, debate, debate, debate, hold x quantity of meetings and work with a slowdown scheme. At the end, this always yields better results.

Said in another words:
1. Sweden is about the size of San Pablo, a state in Brazil.
2. Sweden has 2 million inhabitants.
3. Stockholm, has 500,000 people.
4. Volvo, Escania, Ericsson, Electrolux, Nokia are some of its renowned companies. Volvo supplies the NASA.

The first time I was in Sweden, one of my colleagues picked me up at the hotel every morning. It was September, bit cold and snowy. We would arrive early at the company and he would park far away from the entrance (2000 employees drive their car to work). The first day, I didn't say anything, either the second or third. One morning I asked, "Do you have a fixed parking space? I've noticed we park far from the entrance even when there are no other cars in the lot." To which he replied, "Since we're here early we'll have time to walk, and whoever gets in late will be late and need a place closer to the door. Don't you think? Imagine my face.

Nowadays, there's a movement in Europe name Slow Food. This movement establishes that people should eat and drink slowly, with enough time to taste their food, spend time with the family, friends, without rushing. Slow Food is against its counterpart: the spirit of Fast Food and what it stands for as a lifestyle. Slow Food is the basis for a bigger movement called Slow Europe, as mentioned by Business Week.

Basically, the movement questions the sense of "hurry" and "craziness" generated by globalization, fueled by the desire of "having in quantity" (life status) versus "having with quality", "life quality" or the "quality of being". French people, even though they work 35 hours per week, are more productive than Americans or British. Germans have established 28.8 hour workweeks and have seen their productivity been driven up by 20%. This slow attitude has brought forth the US's attention, pupils of the fast and the "do it now!".

This no-rush attitude doesn't represent doing less or having a lower productivity. It means working and doing things with greater quality, productivity, perfection, with attention to detail and less stress. It means reestablishing family values, friends, free and leisure time. Taking the "now", present and concrete, versus the "global", undefined and anonymous. It means taking humans' essential values, the simplicity of living.

It stands for a less coercive work environment, more happy, lighter and more productive where humans enjoy doing what they know best how to do. It's time to stop and think on how companies need to develop serious quality with no-rush that will increase productivity and the quality of products and services, without losing the essence of spirit.

In the movie, Scent of a Woman, there's a scene where Al Pacino asks a girl to dance and she replies, "I can't, my boyfriend will be here any minute now". To which Al responds, "A life is lived in an instant". Then they dance to a tango.

Many of us live our lives running behind time, but we only reach it when we die of a heart attack or in a car accident rushing to be on time. Others are so anxious of living the future that they forget to live the present, which is the only time that truly exists. We all have equal time throughout the world. No one has more or less. The difference lies in how each one of us does with our time. We need to live each moment. As John Lennon said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans".

Congratulations for reading till the end of this message. There are many who will have stopped in the middle so as not to waste time in this globalized world.

Also, thanks to video for forwarding me this.

Deepak Chopra - A cure for mental ailments

2007-02-13T10:42:00.000-08:00

Deepak Chopra, an emminent American resident Indian doctor, has written a list of books on soothing the depressed. I, being a
graduate student bogged with depression planned to get a share of solace through his book. I read a fair bit about the author and about his writings which span mirage of topics spanning from vedanta to quantum physics. After careful perusal of reviews and comments by critics, I convinced by otherwise cynical mind to purchase his book entitled "The Book of Secrets: Unlocking the Hidden Dimensions of Your Life". I am enthusiastic to actually complete reading before I comment on the effectiveness or validity.

Two great poems

2007-02-12T05:39:00.000-08:00

IF by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And—which is more—you'll be a Man, my son!

Where The Mind is Without Fear

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow
domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the
dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought
and action--
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

-- Rabindranath Tagore

In response to my previous post.

2007-01-28T09:23:00.000-08:00

Thinking of fat - I love this video.

Are these guyz talking tamil

2007-01-28T07:21:00.000-08:00

Malayasian tamil rappers

Amma vukum appavukum naan chellam..
mazhai painjal adhu vellam....

Man do I like the fat one?

Youtube

2007-01-28T06:05:00.000-08:00

How long does it take for youtube posts to get posted, and wtf is the blogger captcha 10 characters long.

sexy song....one of my favorite

2006-12-29T06:30:00.000-08:00

Robbie Williams - Feel

Feel

2006-12-28T16:15:00.000-08:00

Come and hold my hand
I wanna contact the living
Not sure I understand
This role I've been given
I sit and talk to God
And he just laughs at my plans
My head speaks a languageI don't understand
I just wanna feel Real love
feel the home that I live in
Cos I got too much life Running through my veins
Going to wasteI don't wanna die
But I ain't keen on living either
Before I fall in love
I'm preparing to leave her
Scare myself to death
That's why I keep on running
Before I've arrived
I can see myself coming
I just wanna feel Real
love feel the home that I live in
Cos I got too much life
Running through my veins Going to waste
And I need to feelReal love and the love ever afterI can not get enough
I just wanna feelReal love feel the home that I live inI got too much loveRunning through my veinsTo go to waste
I just wanna feelReal love and the love ever afterThere's a hole in my soulYou can see it in my faceIt's a real big place
Come and hold my handI wanna contact the livingNot sure I understandThis role I've been givenNot sure I understandNot sure I understandNot sure I understandNot sure I understand

A Long Hiatus

2006-10-01T05:45:00.000-07:00

I was not able to post for a long time due to various reasons. Now, I shall start practising my almost dilapidated skill.

Male Chauvinist

2006-08-03T15:40:00.000-07:00

I was reading this post through feed reader. I am really astonished by Bill Watterson's clarity. No one can depict emotions of a six year old much better. Not only the dialogues are profound, but the picture potrays an even stronger message. Calvin - a true mystery. Surely my hero. B

Fight back

2006-08-02T18:44:00.000-07:00

I am done under, without sign to climb over,
But I am not finished I have the will to fight,
I might be weak by the current jolts,
But I shall resurrect myself cause you can not destroy my determination to fight.

Science and Religion - Dichotomy or Concord

2006-07-24T23:21:00.000-07:00

Humans, ever since inception have acquiesced existence of superior-being primarily to mask their fear of unknown. Natural elements such as wind, water and fire have been respected and still revered due to their sheer force. No matter how science might have advanced, still we are enpowered by these enraged forces of nature. But, as science led to demystification of many of the natural phenomenons, only those few unknowns have still remained in the elated "super-being" podium. An important sociological behavior of humains is to attribute unknown to god. However, this has plethora of implications in varied contexts. Currently answering them is beyond the realms of mortal being. For example, in a mathematican's perspective finding the recurring-sequence of Pi might answer the other alike unanswered questions of the world. From a theoretician's eye, solving P = NP would yield answers to far beyond. A evolutionary biologist, and a astro-physicist working in conjunction would have a totally different hypothesis. I feel evolution can not be charted out as a tree as we can always question who created the root.

Having set some non-sensical tone, I want to wander of into a semi-related issue. Is it just to attribute ignorance to god. I beg to differ as religion should be never be adopted mode of living, but shoud act as substitute envigorating humans to synergize the short-time lived in a much productive way. Also, I would say "chart out the root of the origin, if she is a beautiful blonde who is five feet 10, I would truly believe god exists." Till then I would try to do it myself. Until I succeed I shall refrain from rambling otherwise.

Hey Dude! Where is rest of my blog.

2006-07-24T23:18:00.000-07:00

Huh and Hmm.

My favorite song.

2006-07-20T00:35:00.000-07:00

She can kill with a smile
She can wound with her eyes
She can ruin your faith with her casual lies
And she only reveals what she wants you to see
She hides like a child
But shes always a woman to me

She can lead you to love
She can take you or leave you
She can ask for the truth
But shell never believe you
And shell take what you give her, as long as its free
She steals like a thief
But shes always a woman to me

Oh-she takes care of herself
She can wait if she wants
Shes ahead of her time
Oh-and she never gives out
And she never gives in
She just changes her mind

And shell promise you more
Than the garden of eden
Then shell carelessly cut you
And laugh while youre bleedin
But shell bring out the best
And the worst you can be
Blame it all on yourself
Cause shes always a woman to me

She is frequently kind
And shes suddenly cruel
She can do as she pleases
Shes nobodys fool
But she cant be convicted
Shes earned her degree
And the most she will do
Is throw shadows at you
But shes always a woman to me

Other languages

2006-07-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

I have always been intrigued about "using proverbs, idioms and phrases" from other languages, especially ones from LATIN, HEBREW etc.

Today I came across
1) C'est la vie which means "It's life" in French.
2) "Livina vida Loca" means "it's a crazy life" in Spanish.
3) "Mea Culpa" means my mistake

Watch out for me.

What a wonderful life

2006-07-06T18:15:00.000-07:00

July 4 being American Independence day gave me something to rejoice. I went to Los Angeles, HollyWood, San Dieogo with two ppl whom I love the most. I left San Francisco on Friday, and reached LA by 10 P.M. The next morning, we left for HollyWood and Universal Studios. Following day was spent in SUNNY San Dieogo splashing in the beach. Only let down was San Dieogo zoo, which had more space to animal ratio. The next day we went to Disney Theme and Adventure park. Had fun till late evening.

On monday I caught the plane back to SFO. It was really superb. Beach, Girls and Fun!!!!

Equality for women (Fun)

2006-06-30T13:22:00.000-07:00

I am a strong advocate of rights of women. I feel that in country like India, fair skins are still discriminated from their opposites. Even the basic rights, such as coming home after dark is strictly prohibitten. Female education beyond a certain point is considered baneful. Both at work and at home role of a women is insular; their suggestions are often fragged leave alone thought of.
I have never seen a girl driving geared motorbikes. Even, women are not encouraged driving cars or any form of vehicles.

Sad right? My argument is let them do anything they want to. They would still suck anyways, eh?

Is killing for vengeance in time of war justified?

2006-06-23T17:28:00.000-07:00

When I look at the newspapers murders and slaying are potrayed in various amplitude. These news vary from murder used as a solution to settle petty disputes such as hassles in bar to mass genocide which happen under the pretext of preserving world security.

But, my question remains placid; is all this justified? Why we humans of all creatures, with such complex yet powerful brain, desire to perish our alikes. What really provokes us to permanently abolish our kith and kin. The more I ponder, I realize it is just materialistic attachment.

Never ever an eye for an eye is answer. I do not want to preach peace and proselytize humanity, which I feel our mahatma has done it enough. I feel majority of the world problems can be solved "&" - in background. Great warriors were not powerful, but very rational too. The true achievement to any feud, is to render the opponent weak through brains not by brawn. Craftiness and deception are good at times, if not always.

Hope

2006-06-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite words in english is hope. Not many people truly understand its true meaning. It is one vital word which instills energy into the complete languor. The difference between a total cynical and an optimist is that the former wants to realise his dreams but afraid to pursue it, while the latter is confident that it can be done and pursues it. Positivity irradiates strong vibes across, luring people from far to give you a notice, while negativity is travesty after all.

Diffidence is surly and anti-hope. The difference between hope and wish is that hope wishes for something to its fulfillment. Relentless and hope go hand in hand. Without being hopeful, we can be only resentful; not relentless.

One of my favorite songs

2006-06-10T17:41:00.000-07:00

Oh it seemed forever stopped today
All the lonely hearts in London
Caught a plane and flew away
And all the best women are married
All the handsome men are gay
You feel deprived

Yeah are you questioning your size?
Is there a tumour in your humour,
Are there bags under your eyes?
Do you leave dents where you sit,
Are you getting on a bit?
Will you survive
You must survive

When there's no love in town
This new century keeps bringing you down
All the places you have been
Trying to find a love supreme
A love supreme

Oh what are you really looking for?
Another partner in your life to
abuse and to adore?
Is it lovey dovey stuff,
Do you need a bit of rough?
Get on your knees

Yeah turn down the love songs that you hear
'Cause you can't avoid the sentiment
That echoes in your ear
Saying love will stop the pain
Saying love will kill the fear
Do you believe
You must believe
When there's no love in town
This new century keeps bringing you down
All the places you have been
Trying to find a love supreme
A love supreme

I spy with my little eye
Something beginning with (ah)
Got my back up
And now she's screaming
So I've got to turn the track up
Sit back and watch the royalties stack up
I know this girl she likes to switch teams
And I'm a fiend but I'm living for a love supreme

When there's no love in town
This new century keeps bringing you down
All the places you have been
Trying to find a love supreme
A love supreme

Come and live a love supreme
Don't let it get you down
Everybody lives for love

California - Sunny and Bright

2006-06-09T12:16:00.000-07:00

I am back again at California to do another internship after an year. This time I am staying further away from where I was put up previous year. My work place is 3 miles away; I bike to work everyday. It has been a pleasant experience primarily due to the eventful transit.

As soon as I get down from my aparment, the payment smells of redolent jasmines. Next, I see a lush green park filled with skateboarders and people who like to relax and play with their pets.

Then comes the CalTrain rail tracks where occationally I watch the double-decker electric trains zipping away. There are two roads which have the similar name, except that the second one has "old" in front of it. Being supericial, I did not even notice the difference until I was informed about it by my room

I see lot of people speaking spanish. Also, there is no paucity of beautiful girls who either bike or jog besides you. After that comes the tiresome uphill climb. I mostly conquer it on foot then on wheels. The downhill descent rightfully rewards for the strenous climb. Then at work, I start my day with omlette and nutrious smoothie drink.

Life is bliss. Thank you god for all this.

Neoteric Love

2006-06-02T17:09:00.000-07:00

I am planning actively to acheive thes favorable attributes:
(i) Humbleness
(ii) Perfection
(iii) Clarity
(iv) Chastity
(v) Patience
(viii) Perserverance
(ix) Determination
(x) Altruism
(xi) Truth

Am I Gandhi; No man can have this. After all I am meant to be the way I am exactly.

Blogs - A sad story of pleonasm

2006-05-31T18:33:00.000-07:00

Succint blogs are getting harder to find day by day. Cheap cable costs and fast
Internet connection have paved way to what is called "Over saying" a.k.a pleonasm. Equable blogs are becoming harder to create for these two main reasons: (i) Blogging is used as a medium to vent off emotions which any other human would not put up with; (ii) Use of appropriate words to articulate one's thoughts is a hard proposition. Although I like, I do not neccessarily forfend succint usage because after all grammar is next to conventional elocution. Improper semantics and ambiguity can never be act substitute for bombastic usage.

Movie

2006-05-27T16:15:00.000-07:00

My life is getting drowned in movies. I have to ressurrect it somehow.

(i) Eternal Sunshine and Spotless mind - Nice movie. Jim carrey and Kate Winslet have done a decent job 6.5/10

(ii) Butterfly Effect - Like this movie too. 6/10

(iii) Juon: The Grudge - Okay of a movie 5/10

(iv) You got mail - One boring movie 5/10

Lovely song -- Looking song

2006-05-23T23:41:00.000-07:00

Please read the lyrics. It is more than just fine.

There's a port, on a western bay
And it serves a hundred ships a day
Lonely sailors, pass the time away
And talk about their homes

And there's a girl in this harbor town
And she works layin' whiskey down
They say "Brandy, fetch another round"
She serves them whiskey and wine

The sailors say "Brandy, you're a fine girl" (you're a fine girl)
"What a good wife you would be" (such a fine girl)
"Yeah your eyes could steal a sailor from the sea"

Brandy wears a braided chain
Made of finest silver from the North of Spain
A locket that bears the name
Of the man that Brandy loves

He came on a summer's day
Bringin' gifts from far away
But he made it clear he couldn't stay
No harbor was his home

The sailor said " Brandy, you're a fine girl" (you're a fine girl)
"What a good wife you would be" (such a fine girl)
"But my life, my lover, my lady is the sea"

Yeah, Brandy used to watch his eyes
When he told his sailor stories
She could feel the ocean foam rise
She saw its ragin' glory
But he had always told the truth, lord, he was an honest man
And Brandy does her best to understand

At night when the bars close down
Brandy walks through a silent town
And loves a man who's not around
She still can hear him say

She hears him say " Brandy, you're a fine girl" (you're a fine girl)
"What a good wife you would be" (such a fine girl)
"But my life, my lover, my lady is the sea"

Can Gods be ever propitiated without a sacrifice?

2006-05-22T10:12:00.000-07:00

I, frequently fear the "fear of failure." Having set the tone straight, yesterday I was having a conversation with a good friend of mine. Our casual discussion turned fervid when the topic of success came about. I always believe that life is excruciating and one has to endure all sufferings in his/her truest pride to come out successful. Things that come easy have less value. On the contrary, my friend defended his orgothonal thesis saying that all what matters is to stay happy. He belives that competition, success and failure of life can not be measured by education, money or other material benefits. Agreed. Albeit, I do not completely deny, but how can one be happy without these. I fear that you wouldn't be adjudged happy without these qualities. Human mind would always seek constant intervention from other external forces to support its claim. Comparison and competition has become way of life and it shall remain to be. Does it mean inadequacy in studies or other arena are presages of doom? Yes- I am afaraid so. But I'll never know.

Tagged

2006-05-19T19:05:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged. Here is what I observe and feel.

1.Grab the book nearest to you, turn on page 18 and find line 4.

It's art of computer programming by Donald Knuth. It talks about John von Neumann's collected works.

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can.& catch air?
I am sitting on the love seat with two other people. Do not want to hit their faces.

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?
Southpark

4. Without looking, guess what time it is?
10:00 pm and I am off by 4 mins. Just came home from The Da Vinci Code.

5. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
I hear some banging on my wall. Probably my neighbor is getting naughty and haughty.

6. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
10 mins back. Went to the theatre to see The Da Vinci movie.

7.Before you started this survey, what did you look at?
Blog. Realized I was tagged.

8. What are you wearing?
Cargos and t-shirt on the outside.

9. When did you last laugh?
Boredom coupled with irritation was expressed as laughter.

10. .What is on the walls of the room you are in?
Simposns poster which says "cleanliness is next to Godliness." Mexican hat on the other side.

11. Seen anything weird lately?
Yeah. Do not want to discuss. (something abt tatoos and piercings)

12.What do you think of this quiz?
I am losing my patience

13..What is the last film you saw?
U shud have known by now

14. If you became a multimillionaire overnight, what would you
try to be a multimillonaire for one more night.

15..Tell me something about you that I dunno?
My wisdom tooth is giving me a lot of pain

Jim Morrison - uninhibited clairvoyance

2006-05-17T08:22:00.000-07:00

I am a die-hard fan of late Jim Morrison and his band "The Doors." You can find the fact about the song at http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=233 . For those who do not know, Jim Morrsion a.k.a Lizzard King attended UCLA. He convinced his scandinavian girl friend to pose nude in college magazine. But, these useless titbits apart, he is a true genius. If you have not listened to The Doors, please do and share your thoughts here.

People are strange when youre a stranger
Faces look ugly when youre alone
Women seem wicked when youre unwanted
Streets are uneven when youre down
When youre strange
Faces come out of the rain
When youre strange
No one remembers your name
When youre strange

People are strange when youre a stranger
Faces look ugly when youre alone
Women seem wicked when youre unwanted
Streets are uneven when youre down
When youre strange
Faces come out of the rain
When youre strange
No one remembers your name
When youre strange
When youre strange

Faces come out of the rain
When youre strange
No one remembers your name
When youre strange

Has anybody remembered Vera Lynn

2006-05-16T19:11:00.000-07:00

Today I was listening to Pink Floyd's "Vera Lynn," over the radio. Just as lovely as the melody is the songs' lyrics. Vera Lynn (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vera_Lynn) was one of the cheerful celebrities of WWII, who cheered the departing troups with her "We' will meet again" slogans. If I remember the video of this ironic song correct, Roger Waters' (lead singer) alter-ego 'pink' goes for war and does not show again.

Does anybody here remember Vera Lynn
Remember how she said that
We would meet again
Some sunny day

Having lived in San Fransico, I can boldly claim that I know quite a bit about the now dormant, if not non-existent, Bohemian culture; moreover I still I love to listen, and to do a bit of research about the classic rock of 60s and early 70s. But as the records indicate, this song was filmed in 1979 which is not quite in hippie era. What would have really instigated the group to write this song in a non-war era is beyond clear comprehension. I am sure its succint lyrics and correct tone makes it a star.

Does anybody here remember Vera Lynn
Remember how she said that
We would meet again
Some sunny day
Vera! Vera!
What has become of you
Does anybody else in here
Feel the way I do ?

Murder for a chain

2006-05-16T05:36:00.000-07:00

The recent murder of a 19 year old Chennai student, Anitha Shoran, was atrocious. Anitha was found murdered in her adyar house with slit throat. The culprit, K. Raj Prabhu, who hailed from Sivaganga district had gone to Anitha's house to commit petty thief. In the end, all that was stolen were a gold chain and anitha's life.

I lack capactiy to comprehend human's behavior. Can cupidity lead to such destructiveness or self-destructiveness (in prabhu's case)? Multifarious human brain which amazes me many a times, ceases to function sometimes at the right moment. There were two things that can be taken home from this: (i) Educate your children to function aptly, god forbidden! if such situations arise. We should not think or act like super heros if the situation does not demand one out of us. A few petty things would never complement for a lost life; (ii) Killing a human being is absymal bottom of human virtues. Both avarice and desperateness to survive by destruction should be frowned upon.

Movies

2006-05-13T03:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I saw the movie "Finding Neverland." The first half was drab and dull. It was not the kind of movie which would keep me glued to the set, but au contraire the ending was tolerable. In the end, I felt that the director could have improved the movie a bit. I think he tried to imitate a little too much of "Shakespeare in Love," which has more sound theme.

Although, I am an ardent fan of Johnny Depp, I think he lacks all the qualities of an English gentleman. His mediocre English eloquence can be easily mistaken for buffoonery. Peter Pan is a character known for vanity, and the director reflects it in his movie too.

The movie finale continued with "Guess Who." No comments

Pink Floyd

2006-05-12T10:42:00.000-07:00

I am planning to write a little about my favorite bands. I love Pink Floyd; this is my favorite song.

Hey you, out there in the cold
Getting lonely, getting old
Can you feel me?
Hey you, standing in the aisles
With itchy feet and fading smiles
Can you feel me?
Hey you, don’t help them to bury the light
Don’t give in without a fight.

Hey you, out there on your own
Sitting naked by the phone
Would you touch me?
Hey you, with you ear against the wall
Waiting for someone to call out
Would you touch me?
Hey you, would you help me to carry the stone?
Open your heart, I’m coming home.

But it was only fantasy.
The wall was too high,
As you can see.
No matter how he tried,
He could not break free.
And the worms ate into his brain.

Hey you, standing in the road
Always doing what you’re told,
Can you help me?
Hey you, out there beyond the wall,
Breaking bottles in the hall,
Can you help me?
Hey you, don’t tell me there’s no hope at all
Together we stand, divided we fall.

[click of tv being turned on]
Well, only got an hour of daylight left. better get started
Isnt it unsafe to travel at night?
It’ll be a lot less safe to stay here. you’re father’s gunna pick up our trail before long
Can loca ride?
Yeah, I can ride... magaret, time to go! maigret, thank you for everything
Goodbye chenga
Goodbye miss ...
I’ll be back

Microsoft blooper

2006-05-11T09:10:00.000-07:00

Random keystroke combination disappeared the caption below the icons. Did I press the shortcut key or is this a quirky failure.

One of my favorite songs - We are the champions

2006-05-09T21:08:00.000-07:00

Freddie Mercury is one of my all time favorite singers. He is the first Indian rockstar in true sense. Born in Zanzibar to Indian parents Freddie Mercury sang some true delights. Here is the lyrics of my favorite song - "We are the champions."

I've paid my dues -
Time after time -
I've done my sentence
But committed no crime -
And bad mistakes
I've made a few
I've had my share of sand kicked in my face -
But I've come through

We are the champions - my friends
And we'll keep on fighting - till the end -
We are the champions -
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions - of the world -

I've taken my bows
And my curtain calls -
You brought me fame and fortuen and everything that goes with it
-
I thank you all -

But it's been no bed of roses
No pleasure cruise -
I consider it a challenge before the whole human race -
And I ain't gonna lose -

We are the champions - my friends
And we'll keep on fighting - till the end -
We are the champions -
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions - of the world -

Want to do M.S in Computer Science at Buffalo - Tips and Tricks

2006-05-08T10:04:00.001-07:00

Before you proceed, here is the perfunctory disclaimer.
“The information presented below is entirely my opinion, and is not authoritative by itself. The thoughts expressed here need not concur with views of SUNY Buffaalo. More so, the article is inclined towards candidates aspiring for M.S degree in CSE ".
Pre-admission:
I assume that most of the readers are already aware of the admission criteria. Anyways, here are some guidelines:
1) GRE is mandatory and most of the successful candidates secure more than 1950/2400 in old pattern, and 1250/1600 with 5 in Analytical writing in new pattern.
2) International students from non-English speaking countries like India, China need to write TOEFL.
3) Work experience especially in a good place would help you, especially for getting a Research Assistant position.
4) Academics vary depending upon the quality of the undergraduate institution. Most of the Madras/ Annamalai/ Bharathiyaar/ Bharathidasan university students have scores greater than 75%; Students from Mumbai/ Poona have scores between 60-65%. But a good GRE score can compensate for bad academics and vice versa.
Although satisfying the above listed criteria would improve the chances of admit, getting funded depends on various other factors. Also, note that most of the PhD students get funded, but securing admit into the PhD program is even more difficult. If you do not have a Masters degree, then applying for a direct PhD is not a good option, unless you know what discipline you want to pursue and have done significant work in the same. In any case, if the professor is willing to absorb you in to his/her research group the chances of getting admitted is higher.
Post Admission:
Funding Around 5-10% of the incoming Masters students manage funding after the first semester. Getting TA position is highly competitive and depends upon the performance in the first and sometimes the second semester. In general, students having close to perfect GPA 4/4 get funded; moreover please be fore-warned that it is not easy to secure a perfect GPA, which would at most consist of 2 students.
Getting a RA depends on a variety of factors such as (i) professor’s willingness to work with you; (ii) your prior work experience - establish credibility that you have worked in a professional atmosphere before;(iii) a sound GPA and (iv) familiarity with the subject.
Also, students get GA in other departments for jobs which include website development, programming etc. To get a GA, you have to be in the right place at the right time. TAs get tuition waiver and get paid slightly more than $1300 dollars a month. The salary of RA and GA depends upon on the employer. On an average would fetch $800-$1000 with tuition support.
On-campus jobs :
On-campus jobs are fairly easy to get, provided you do not mind the "manual labor." Food courts employ majority of students. Responsibilities may include making sandwiches, washing utensils, serving food, cleaning tables and mopping the floor. The advantage of working in food courts is that you get free food. Other places to try for on-campus jobs are (i) Tutoring centers – which offer positions for Math, Science, and Engineering tutors, (ii) Office assistants.
On-campus jobs pay around $6.5 - $10.00 an hour. Please be advised that as an international student you can not work for more than 20 hours a week and no legal on-campus job pays by cash.
Internships:
Internship opportunities are also available for CSE students. No matter which university students choose, most of the students fend for themselves by applying directly to the companies. Very few companies participate in the campus employment fair. Also, majority of the companies does not entertain applicants with no permanent residency. Successful candidates have secured internship in companies like (i) Microsoft, (ii) Telcordia, (iii) Google, (iv) GoldSachs, (v) J.P Morgan, (vi) Morgan Stanley, (vii) Bloomberg financial Inc, (viii) IBM, (ix) Amazon. Internship salaries are in the range of $3000-$6000 p.m.
Also, for internship it is necessary to get CPT (Curriculum practical training) approved. Duration of internship is 3 months in summer. You can also do a co-op, which is internship for six months.
Full-time Job:
There is two kinds of places where people whirl up after the master’s degree, (i) Full-time company or (ii) Job through consultancy. Lack of proper campus job fairs leaves the candidates to apply for companies through the career web page. Companies like Microsoft and Google do not physically come to the campus to interview students; instead they have few HRS who also are in charge of SUNY, Buffalo affairs. Furthermore, getting a decent job at present should not be difficult for the talented. Full-time company, it is just like a regular job and the pay package depends on the company and your talent. People who do not make it to the full-time company, near completion of their OPT (Optional Practical Training - you get a period of one year after your graduation to secure a job) join consultancy which sponsors H1-B (work authorization visa.) There are many disadvantage to work for a consultancy which include (i) No job stability; (ii) Project dependent; (iii) Frequent move and (iv) in some cases there has been reports of harassment.
FAQs
(i) How much would I have to pay if I do not get funded?
Typically around $18-20k. Provided you work for living and live a "normal" life.
(ii) Is there a possibility that I do not get funding at all?
Yes. Unfortunately not all students are funded and a fair proportion 50-65% pay out of their pockets.
(iii) Can I get on-campus job before even coming to buffalo?
In short, "No." You need SSN (Social Security Number) for getting an on-campus job. SSN is an essential passport to prove that you can legally work in US. In other words, tax deductions etc., are tracked through SSN.
(iv) How about off-campus jobs? Please do not work "illegally" outside campus as if caught Immigration and Naturalization Service would be prompt in deporting you.

2006-05-04T08:02:00.000-07:00

Or the truth behind zero.

Two great mathematical discoveries of human era are: (i) quantification of zero; and (ii) cognizance over existence of infinity. These things help to accept the fact that everything started out with nothing, and everything does not gaurantee entirety.

Humans, as vulnerable we may seem, we are not rulers of the planet. Say for instance, one school of thought might hypothesize that bacterias and virus rule the planet. To bacterias, we may be what ants are to us. Like ants, we work in swarms and gather food for the winter. By using various tools several things built from nature. As it is far to say, "No synthetic product is truly synthetic." Since if it is, it would certain defy "Law of consveration of energy". If we think that killing an organism would make you superior, micro-organisms has outscored us there too. Uni-cellular creatures have survived in Mars too.

I feel I have started from zero, and moved towards infinity from my discussion here.

Accepting litigation as a norm of life

2006-05-02T21:10:00.000-07:00

As I sit and watch television, two kind of things catch my attention: (i) advertisements by criminal and domestic lawyers advocating about their firm, (ii) reality court room tvs offering sneak view of legal rulings made by various judicial stars like Judge Judy, Judge Joe Brown etc.

An interesting story, which my father forwarded

2006-04-30T20:33:00.000-07:00

Do you think such a scenairo is common? I've always neglected such hypothetical scenairos. Does this take suggestive sentiments over-board or is it something worth pondering about?

ONE BEDROOM FLAT... AN INDIAN SOFTWARE ENGINEER'S LIFE...- A Bitter
Reality

As the dream of most parents I had acquired a degree in Software
Engineer and joined a company based in USA, the land of braves and
opportunity.

When I arrived in the USA, it was as if a dream had come true.

Here at last I was in the place where I want to be. I decided I would be
staying in this country for about Five years in which time I would have
earned enough money to settle down in India.

My father was a government employee and after his retirement, the only
asset he could acquire was a decent one bedroom flat.

I wanted to do some thing more than him. I started feeling homesick and
lonely as the time passed. I used to call home and speak to my parents
every week using cheap international phone cards. Two years passed, two
years of Burgers at McDonald's and pizzas and discos and 2 years
watching the foreign exchange rate getting happy whenever the Rupee value went
down.

Finally I decided to get married. Told my parents that I have only 10
days of holidays and everything must be done within these 10 days. I got my
ticket booked in the cheapest flight. Was jubilant and was actually
enjoying hopping for gifts for all my friends back home. If I miss
anyone then there will be talks. After reaching home I spent home one week
going through all the photographs of girls and as the time was getting shorter
I was forced to select one candidate.

In-laws told me, to my surprise, that I would have to get married in 2-3
days, as I will not get anymore holidays. After the marriage, it was
time to return to USA, after giving some money to my parents and telling the
neighbors to look after them, we returned to USA.

My wife enjoyed this country for about two months and then she started
feeling lonely. The frequency of calling India increased to twice in a
week sometimes 3 times a week. Our savings started diminishing. After two
moreyears we started to have kids. Two lovely kids, a boy and a girl, were
gifted to us by the almighty. Every time I spoke to my parents, they
asked me to come to India so that they can see their grand-children.

Every year I decide to go to India. But part work part monetary
conditions prevented it. Years went by and visiting India was a distant dream. Then
suddenly one day I got a message that my parents were seriously sick. I
tried but I couldn't get any holidays and thus could not go to India.
The next message I got was my parents had passed away and as there was no
one to do the last rites the society members had done whatever they could.
I was depressed. My parents had passed away without seeing their grand
children.

After couple more years passed away, much to my children's dislike and
my wife's joy we returned to India to settle down. I started to look for a
suitable property, but to my dismay my savings were short and the
property prices had gone up during all these years. I had to return to the USA.

My wife refused to come back with me and my children refused to stay in
India. My 2 children and I returned to USA after promising my wife
I would be back for good after two years.

Time passed by, my daughter decided to get married to an American and my
son was happy living in USA. I decided that had enough and wound-up
every thing and returned to India. I had just enough money to buy a decent 02
bedroom flat in a well-developed locality.

Now I am 60 years old and the only time I go out of the flat is for the
routine visit to the nearby temple. My faithful wife has also left me
and gone to the holy abode.

Sometimes I wondered was it worth all this? My father, even after
staying in India, had a house to his name and I too have the same nothing more.

I lost my parents and children for just ONE EXTRA BEDROOM.

Looking out from the window I see a lot of children dancing. This damned
cable TV has spoiled our new generation and these children are losing
their values and culture because of it. I get occasional cards from my
children asking I am alright. Well at least they remember me.

Now perhaps after I die it will be the neighbors again who will be
performing my last rites, God Bless them. But the question still
remains 'was all this worth it?'

I am still searching for an answer................

Kaavya vishwanathan - A series of tipsy turvies

2006-04-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Kaavya vishwanathan was a young Indian writer, who made it into spotlight after being offered half-a-million dollars for her book "How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got wild and Got a life." Little brown publishing company, one of the well-reputed published had signed the contract.

But apparently she was found guilty of lifting excerpts from Megan McCafferty’s work in Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings. What a shame to all the fame. I am sure this girl is highly talented, if you are you have to be even more careful. After all, she is just 19.

Genie in a bottle

2006-04-26T16:34:00.000-07:00

Statutory Warning:
This post might be offensive to parents who want to protect their 10 year olds from the stuff they already know. By the way, if you are browsing this blog together with your children please be warned to send them out of the room. I claim no responsibility to morale, cultural and other forms of ethical offense this blog might result in.

I was reading a news post on rediff.com. http://ia.rediff.com/money/2006/apr/26cola.htm?q=bp&file=.htm ! Ain't it suprising to find a condom in your drink. But I feel this is a major hoax to pull of some el-cheapo law suit. I think the employees of Pepsi who apparently are educated in safe sex, would know about safe practises to dispose safety sheaths. Anyways buddy haste creates waste.

Some years back there was a similar litigation against coke. People in India have found razor blades, (probably used for protection against (forced?) sex), pesticides (I do not know how?) in sealed pepsi bottles.

All this said and done, I want a genie in my bottle. Probably as curvy as 7up ad model or who knows chirstina aguilera.

Political gimmick - Vijay Kanth

2006-04-23T13:48:00.000-07:00

I think this is another political gimmick.

What a family man?

Wild turkey and wild ducks

2006-04-22T14:04:00.000-07:00

I am lucky to have wonderful fauna around my apartment. Spring has returned to Buffalo. Today I saw wild ducks and turkey lingering around my yard. Trivia : Wild turkey can grow upto 25 kilos. They can fly short distances around 1/8 miles and climb trees.

Hope I do not catch bird flu :).Also, I hope they are not migratory birds. I have seen rabbits and squirrels hopping around. More updates to follow.

Analyze this

2006-04-21T08:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a fustrating day all together. Could not get the code of simulated annealing work properly. Could not figure out provisions to plugin my intended code in ASA C code. Damn, I worked hard for it. No way hard word is directly proportional to the output. :(

Use of colon`

2006-04-19T23:09:00.000-07:00

Shamelessly reproduced frm http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/punct/colon.html

The following rules and examples will help you know when and where to use the colon as a punctuation mark.

* Use a colon to signal the reader that a series of words, phrases, or clauses follows a complete sentence.

The baseball coach claimed that the team's success stemmed from four things: consistent hitting, solid pitching, good fielding, and excellent teamwork.

The Greasy Spoon restaurant had several house specialties: a hot turkey sandwich, a roast pork dinner, a walleye platter, and a barbecued chicken wing basket.

* Use a colon to signal the reader that a second complete sentence explains a closely related preceding sentence.

The supervisor's remark was straight to the point: I won't tolerate workers who show up late.

Religion and politics can be sensitive subjects: many people hold opinionated views and are easily offended by other peoples' remarks.

* Use a colon to signal the reader that a name or description follows a complete sentence when you want to put a lot of emphasis on that item.

The local anglers had a nickname for the large muskie that had cruised the lake's shoreline for years without being caught: Old Mossback.

The preoccupied burglar didn't notice who was standing right behind him: a smiling police officer.

* Use a colon to introduce a long quotation after a complete sentence.

In his book, Language is Sermonic, rhetorician Richard Weaver described how language may influence us:

Sophistications of theory cannot obscure the truth that there are but three ways for language to affect us. It can move us toward what is good; it can move us toward what is evil; or it can, in hypothetical third place, fail to move us at all. (60)

* Colons are also used...

...to separate titles and subtitles:

Richard Nixon: The Tarnished President

...to express time:

The accident occurred at approximately 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday.

...to cite a law or Biblical passage:

According to Minnesota statute 1:49:002, it is unlawful to feed licorice or peanut butter to goats.

...to end a salutation:

Dear Rachel:

...to separate the place of publication and the publisher in a bibliographic entry:

West, Gerald. How to Write Best Sellers. New York: Henry

James Publishing, 1973.

Election, Education and Corruption?

2006-04-19T15:52:00.000-07:00

What does these three words have in common? - Ofcourse they end with ion. Other than that these things reflect sorry plight of day to day affairs in Tamil Nadu.

Here is the sequence of events - Spend money before election, win, make money, spend money for the next term again. Between this, I feel it is absurd to see semi-educated, film stars determining the fate of our state. Despite the fact that TN is renowned for educationists and educators, made auspicious with the presence of premier institutions like IITs, RECs and Anna we determine our fate to be decided by bunch of selfish and uneducated buffoons. Although corruption is prevalent (in a small scale comparatatively) in advanced countries like UK and USA, atleast their Presidents and PMs are very well educated.

Although the advantage of having film stars be our leaders is that they are expected to swindle less, considering the money they already made while acting, I am proved wrong in every turn. The greed for more has not become less.

Also, the current regime is characterized by lack of orderliness. Take for examle the confusion in the 12th std state board. Till the very last moment students were left clueless about the presence/absence of enterance test, counselling etc. Even now nobody has a clear idea of what lies ahead. I am sure we can certainly be more than what we are today. But who is to help?

Can I do something about it? Plain and simple nothing. Lets pray that it turns out fine. Also, continue watching Vijay and Asin movies, you never know where they will end up in next 20 years.

Power of positive thinking vs. reality

2006-04-18T20:23:00.000-07:00

I hate those boring books by dale carnegie, shiv kera and others alike. I really think how would these authors take if their books hadn't been a best seller. It is always easy to motivate people in paper, draw wonderful plans yet deceive them. I also never believed in consuelling. Not because I am a cynic, but I do not see the finer point in it. I am a strong believer of no person can be resurrected or redeemed without his complete will, and a person who possess such will never needs to find such cheap motivation.
Given the current day life, hapiness is sought as a product, as a commodity and even as luxury by many people. When I was young no matter what I did, how stupid its consequences were I remained happy. As I reached adulthood, because of cut throat competition and so-called acheivements I am driven to go and do stuff which is really challenging. But is it worth it? time alone shall say. But do I enjoy it? Yes. I am a kind of person without stress would stress out. Positive thinking and high hopes always are important. No matter where you end up with these virtues you surely will be higher than the place you would be without them.
Do not look in yourself within the words of others. You should praise, pamper, motivate and treat yourself. Never except this in the words of anyone else as it is not worth much.

google earth vs. microsoft local live

2006-04-18T20:10:00.000-07:00

Almost a year ago, the whole world was astonished by the wonder of Google earth. Now, it is time to rethink while giving away such laurels. Microsoft live has done an amazing job of micro managing the satellite images that you seem to view the whole stuff from a distance of 20 feet. Though I was not successful to get it work for other countries, even at a higher granularity, I feel it is just a matter of time.

movies

2006-03-25T05:56:00.000-08:00

(i) Primes(7/10) - Excellent movie. Uma Thurman did an excellent job
(ii) Shakepeare in love (6/10) - Overrated movie. I did not enjoy it that well.
(iii) Snatch (7/10) - Brad pitt was awesome in this movie. I liked it.

Some Movies Before I forget

2006-03-06T21:02:00.000-08:00

(i) Rain Man - Excellent Movie, though at times I found Hoffman irritating. 8/10
(ii) Catch Me if You Can - Must watch. Caprio outperformed Hanks. 8.5/10
(iii) Requiem for a drem - Very disturbing movie. 7/10
(iv) Monster Inc - Prixar classic. First of its kind. 7.5/10

Technical Writing

2006-03-03T08:27:00.000-08:00

Here are some gory details to be accounted, while writing a technical paper.

(i) Integers less than 10 have to be written in english, e.g. "six meters." Fractions have to be treated as plural. 5.4 meters not meter

(ii) When a sentence ends with ", it should be after the dot. E.g. "Maddy rocks." This also holds good while using quotations with comma.

(iii) Never use double negatives in your writing. To name a few, not uninteresting, not invalid.
Also use violating for " not satisfying"

(iv) lot of is used for uncountable objects. "lot of stars," "lots of money"

Rescue

2006-02-21T05:29:00.000-08:00

When I have nothing to blog about do you know what comes to my rescue. MOVIES!!!

Had yet an another movies orgy.

1) Firewall - 5.5/10 (I wouldn't recommend any computer savvy person to see this movie.)
2) Pink Panther - 8/10 (Steve Martin has done an excellent job.)
3) L.A Confidential - 9/10 (I simply loved this movie, probably it has 3 of my favorite actors (i) Guy Pearce, (ii) Russel Crowe, and (iii) Kevin Spacey.)
4) Negotiator - 7/10 (Interesting but not adorable.)
5) A few good men - 7/10 (I didn't know that I have seen this movie before.)

Jalapeno Vs halapeno

2006-02-02T05:31:00.000-08:00

As Superstar Rajinikanth says, "English is a very funny language". Jalapeno becomes hala'peno and San Jose becomes San ho' se. But do people lack the basic ability to comprehend is my gripe is the question.

During the first few days of stay in US, a brave visit to subway was made by a newbie (friend of mine). Since making your own lunch is not a well known concept in India, the feeling experienced was that of a lost little toddler in the maze of totally unknown, yet curious objects. I, a YAB (yet another newbie), was standing behind the other newbie like a despondent observer, regretting my very decision of going to this place. My friend was asked what bread he wanted, he answered "White" unpertubed. When it came to the cheese, albeit he was irked by constant nagging, he managed to say said "swiss". Who said watching Tom & Jerry is a complete squander of time, MoM? Then came the vegetables part. Since being headstrong was his nature, he never had paid heed to his parental threat and wheedle to try out all the vegetables. He started questioning about the vegetables like a general who is considering appropriate ammunition for his submarine. But alas, our friend knew Jalapeno before which became his source of embarassment. My cautious friend excercised his intellect, accrued from varied sources like, a book on american vegetables, vegetarian food options in US etc, and said "Yeah little more of JALAPENO (J spelt as in Jail ). The guy in subway said "SAY WHAT". He again, unshaken said Jalapeno. Now the retort was a loud "SAY WHAAAT". Losing his patience, he pointed his fingers towards Jalapeno. Immediately the guy in the sub said "Oh! you mean Halapeno". This really put my friend off-balance. He asked how many things here end with "peno". Damn! his face as red as a fresh-cut subway tomato, he sweared to me that he would never visit this unruly(?) place again.

I was standing behind watching the whole episode as a lame duck, next in line to be canned. When the butcher cast his fiery eyes upon me, I parrotted my friend till we reached the vegetable part. There I went offtrack and chose to say "All". The guy replied All?, I said "Yeah all".

Though I do not prefer "spinach leaves" in a sub, I still managed to make the most of my deal. Cool aint it?

Moral : Be it Jalapeno or Halapeno, OR Jose or Hose, Be cool!

Oh Sachinuuuu

2006-01-28T18:50:00.000-08:00

Our railway minister to rail down rawalpindi express!!!

I tried this but apparently I liked it :-(

2006-01-26T17:36:00.000-08:00

Cent wise dollar foolish

2006-01-26T16:55:00.000-08:00

Want to save your privacy and associated nuisance. Here are my three cents.

(i) *www.donotcall.gov *- You do not have to be Jerry Seinfield to ask for the phone number of the ad company personnel. Probably, as many of you would already know, you could visit the mentioned website and get yourself off the unsolicited callers list.
(ii) *www.optoutprescreen.com* - Tired of receiving plethora of credit card mails. Want to save yourself from identity theft. Here is a way to opt-out formally. On the light vein, see www.nbc4.tv/money/5529720/detail.html . A credit card is issue to Never Waste a Tree :-) .
(iii) *www.annualcreditreport.com *- Free annual credit report! Bingo now you can see how many cc in your name has been issued.

-Madhu

Movies

2006-01-22T08:26:00.000-08:00

Lately, I discovered that I have become a chronic couch potato. In last two days, I saw four movies.

(1) Hostel - Quentin Tarantino movie. It was co-produced by Eli Toth (Cabin fever) (5/10)
(2) Life is beautiful - Roberto Benigini (8/10)
(3) Shrek 2 - Excellent (6/10)
(4) The Chronicles of Narnia: The lion, the witch and the wardrobe. - CS Lewis (6.5/10)

Schizophernia : Moo Vs Maa

2006-01-20T05:29:00.000-08:00

Does the cow say Moo or Maa is the question? I was under the presumption that all Indian cows maawed. But recently I got into a saucy discussion about this with one of my american friends. He said he grew up in a farm and never has heard a cow maaw. It always mooed.
What? That's totally atrocious, I felt. In India where (even) cows are God, regarded in a mother-like stance, I thought all cows maah. Talking about Gods, we Indians were much sophisticated than any other culture in the world. Snake, Cow, Monkey, Tiger, Lion, Rat, Peacock, Hen, Fish were either worshipped or affiliated to atleast one or more Gods. I can start an argument here and say that we, Indians, were always in close quarters with our nature and animals and we even elevated them to God. Based on this pre-condition, Cows Maahs. But how?
Ok Ok time is running out. I got to articulate my findings asap. YES! VERICT: Cows MAAH

but how?

Online webster dictionary says that cows moo. To moo is to make the throat noise of a cow. It also means imitation. Yeah! American cows did not know to moo or maah before; it learned it wrong ly while trying to imitate its Indian peers. Indian cows were taught to maah by their owners who repeatedly called them Amaaah (Mother). Through our thorough simulations, we also found partial results that the Jersey cows were the first to learn to moo or (wrongly maah) (it is a chicken -and-egg problem here), as New Jersey is a popular rendezvous for Indian and Americans cows. So originally with 98.543% confidence level, we can say that Indian cows do not moo. Although, inital experimentation of our proof-of-concept, taken during semi-drunkedness and full-mappu (unconsciousness) suggests that American cows moo. As future work, we would investigate this issue even further.

Moral

What have I done, basically framed idea to write a technical paper. Taken a total incoherent problem. I supported with random arguments and concluded with a out-of-topic statement. The friend scenairo was just to gather the readers attention. It can thought of motivation. Future work again has become the original problem. With this kind of nonsensical, yet iterative looping, it is possible to write tons of papers with no plaigarism.

Usage of semicolon

2006-01-13T08:09:00.000-08:00

I have never used semicolons in any of my technical and non-technical writing so far. Probably, today I felt the urge to know about its importance. After some Internet digging, I found usage of semi-colon can be summarized by three points.

(i) Seperate two independent yet closely related clauses.
My first day in army was nerve-breaking; the colonel seem to observe every move that I make.

(ii) two clauses seperated by a conjunction
It seems I'm running late; perhaps I have to go now.

(iii) Seperate semicolon when items in a series contain commas
She had lived in Mumbai,India; Colombo, Srilanka; and Canberra, Australia.

OEM - A software misnomer

2006-01-01T16:34:00.000-08:00

OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturers. In software lingo, this stands for people who buy computer equipments and customize it for a particular (or many) softwares and then sell it under their brand name.
Recently, I am receiving way too many junk mails from OEM companies. This instigated me to find more about it.

2006-01-01T16:16:00.000-08:00

Wanted to publish atleast one post on Happy New Year's day.

Welcome 2006!

2005-12-31T08:57:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to One and All.

Last year had its share of events in my life. My mood was swining among many scales of agony, hope, ecstasy, sorrow, reconcilation, expectation. Though, it was a well balanced year and like any other human in this planet I have more regrets than self-appraisals.
Retrospection - It is very essential component to one's success. Though post mortem of the past is not a pleasant experience, the valuable lessons learnt from the past serves as a positive feedback in the future. Like any prediction model, past performance is the best beacon to future promises.
Hope - Confidence and hope are two main attributes for success. Expectation increases pressure, which can not be sustained by one and all, especially weak hearted. But the ray of hope should not only glimmer but shine bright for success. Not every successful are high acheivers, they only think that they are one. In this viewpoint, I hope in the following year I have strength to face and take all difficulties in positive stride and balance out all accomplishments without any clout of complacency.

A picture for the asking

2005-12-29T06:52:00.000-08:00

A picture is worth a thousand words

Time comes and Time goes

2005-12-28T06:02:00.000-08:00

When you are a kid, remember the time when you always dream of growing big. Especially, when I was at school, I always was waiting for the only next escapade - college. Now that I have completed my undergrad and in the course of PhD degree, I pray daily that tomorrow the skies should fall on our heads. C'mon what do you expect when everyday seems daily :-). Yeah! everyday does seem daily! What I am doing now, looks like a deja vu. The fact is it ain't an deja vu.
Now I am a solitary devout (not to exclude my schizophernic labmates) who worships "God of time". But you certainly can't wish for more, if columbia applied mechanics Prof. Guy Pearce (Time Machine) can't do it, How could I?

Time plundering

2005-12-24T19:30:00.000-08:00

For the last few days, I have been over indulging myself in watching way too many movies. To make sure, I do not make the mistake of re-watching again in future, I am planning to blog them down.

1) Big Fish - Tim Burton classic. I really enjoyed this movie
2) Beverley Hills Cop II - Another masala movie
3) Cabin Fever - Man! I wasted three valuable hours of my life
4) Pirates of the Carribean, Curse of black pearl
5) Broken Arrow - I vaguely remember seeing it in the distant past. Good one though

You know what I did last summer

2005-12-20T06:18:00.000-08:00

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=13&ItemID=9350

Its in there somewhere.

Father Father....Why did you leave?

2005-12-14T06:11:00.000-08:00

Being an ardent classic rock fan, I restrain from watching girl and boy bands. Yesterday, I happened to see one new video of Lindsay Lohan (who would not?). It was a song Confessions of a broken heart (from daughter to father). It had lyrics which irked me.

Daughter to father, daughter to father
I am broken but I am hoping
Daughter to father, daughter to father
I am crying, a part of me is dying and
These are, these are
The confessions of a broken heart

C'mon there is a limit to thrash you dad in public. He is your dad afterall. She is rich, young(just 17?) and stupid. This sort of fake publicity has negative impact, in an advanced society where people become emotionally emancipated at an early age say 13. Even if her experiences were traumatic she is instigating false ideas in young minds.

I should watch tamil movies.(Arul: Ponnakunu song :))

Yet another random post

2005-12-13T07:19:00.000-08:00

Technical

Linus Trovalds trashed my favorite WM - Gnome, saying they put-off usability giving lame excuses and KDE is the next? best thing. Incidentally, I switched to KDE some days ago. Let me see how KDE serves a true *dumb* end user like me.

News

Some chinese guy broke into a girls house to wash her dishes, clothes, and fix the computers to steal her BRA?. Livin Vida Loca Dude!. Livin Vida Loca !!!!

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/12/13/china.bra.reut/index.html?section=cnn_topstories

Want a cool hit from Google ??

2005-12-10T13:27:00.000-08:00

Are interested for a cool webhit from Google? Here is a way to do it.

(i) Create your own website
(ii) Download Google accelerator
(iii) Visit your website now.

If you have any hit tracker, you would see a hit from Google, Mountain View, California in your log. Cool aint it?.

Is my future in jeopardy?

2005-10-07T05:29:00.000-07:00

I was reading a post on rediff.com which said, Last year alone, India produced around 450k engineers and 35% of them were computer engineers. Though it is happy to see around 4.5 lakhs come out of india but the point of concern is that whether there will be space for all. We do the hitman job here by scrounging on the out-sourced jobs. We have to look for avenues to create an oppurtunity for ourselves. Like how we were self sufficient in agriculture, we have to be self adaptive in software industry too. Albeit companies like microsoft, intel, google, sun micro systems are moving there base to india is a good sign for us, being clairvoyant alone wouldn't help. Rather than producing engineers who can code Java, C, C++ is not enough. We should help our engineers think. Help them develop altogether new products. Develop them to create more avenues. This can be done by emphasizing on knowledge staff population. Unlike china where doing a PhD in china is still preferred by local population, indian PhDs don't have much value. Arguably only the IITs and IISc is worth considering for PhD, whereas in US even the third tier college have enough facilites to do research. We indians were slaves in the past, we should not let this happen atleast in the future.

Blogging and social enginnering

2005-09-30T07:40:00.000-07:00

With identity thefts as one of the biggest and lucrative crime, I was wondering how much information
a fradulent person can assimilate of a blogger. Phishing attacks and related internet scams operate on sheer deceit. With orkut (another google affiliated friends network) and tons of blog sites witness goads of people disclose their personal information. For example, few years back guyz have to try desperately to gather details of a beautiful girl. I remember days where I was really determined about a beautiful girl in my college and her details. Albeit this is an innocuos example, the point I wish to make is same information can be mined by a malicious intruder.It would be great if we follow a norm or rather a procedure/rules exist that warn the novice users about caveats of careless blogging and how one could work towards protecting his/her privacy.

News Vs. Sleaze

2005-09-22T08:04:00.000-07:00

I get my daily share of news from the newspapers. I used to be an ardent "The Hindu" reader back home. Now that I am in a place where I can't get the paper copy of my favorite paper, I resorted reading flashy online newspapers like www.hindustantimes.com www.indiatimes.com and timesofindia.com. I realize they started pulling publicity by sheer sleaze and masala mix. Even my favorite economictimes lost it's flavor. Since online version of Hindu looks drab, there is no other go for a news seeker like me. But on the other hand who would show the acerbity between aish vs. salman. Who is hot bipasha or mallika ??. 10 steamy kisses on cinema....woow...I love this shit. For people who like kollywood crap www.cinesouth,com is always there. :)

Changing impressions

2005-09-17T06:54:00.000-07:00

Lately, I realized that changing the impression you have presented to a particular person is extermely hard. By impression, I am dealing with the nature, behavior, character and trait. I realized, no matter what your efforts are the reverberations of the past still continue to haunt you. Aggravated by the incapacity of the person to accept the changes, your efforts are subdued even futher. But the irony is "You get called a chameleon" and become a 'stigma of hate' in their eyes.

Flush the money.

2005-09-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

I read an interesting article today at rediff.com
http://us.rediff.com/money/2005/sep/15note.htm?q=bp&file=.htm
about currency notes work 1,000 crore rupees were washed out in mumbai flood, which devasted the city on jun 26. Apparently the bank kept the notes in the building basement. You never know which septic tank cleaner is going from rag to riches.

Why Women = Problem??

2005-09-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

Knowledge of elementary math is required to prove this.

Can Maddy Quit.com

2005-09-12T06:41:00.000-07:00

Not so long before there was huge rave about some johnny who wanted to quit smoking and also who told about the associated difficulties in his web journal. He wen't quite a few days without smoking but later realized, "Only way to eliminate a temptation is to yield to it". Loser....
But guyz I am more relentless . After 15 years of eating non-veg, I vow not touch meat anymore. I shall and I won't be a chicken after all

Models Underfed

2005-09-11T21:55:00.000-07:00

Today I was seeing an article in www.rediff.com about the "15 most slimmest and beautiful women". It had entries of Katie moss, Christina Aguilera, Rebecca Gayheart, Victoria Beckham, Mary-Kate Olsen etc. They looked pathetic and starved. My mom would sympathize with them for sure. This made me realize how well I hate pathetic thin girls. Its just they are underfed and I am fed up. Let the world drool over them, I love my steak with meat :).

Abuse of toilet tissue

2005-09-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

One of my friends from chennai, boarded his flight to USA to cherish his M.S dreams. Like majority of us, he wasn't well versed with the concept of cleaning with the tissue before.
At Chicago airport, he used the restroom and when he came out an american who followed him inside, called him immediately and reprimanded him to get rid of the used tissues, which he left on the floor. Embarrassed, Our man politely listened to the american and later told him that he never had used toilet tissues before. Once when the guffaw was over, the american asked him "which country he was from". He cooly replied, "PAKISTAN" and whistled away. Great presence of mind :) I would call.

Aphrodite descended on tennis stars

2005-09-09T06:35:00.000-07:00

I had been to NYC last weekend. Incidentally I was near flushing meadows just before the match between Mirza and Sharapova. I always wanted to check Sharapova in action. For a mediocre grad student like me, the tickets were at exhorbitant rates. One side of told me, "Hey dude! It's a life time oppurtunity!". Just cram yourself in the cheapest row. Where the hell on earth would you see such beautiful girls. Who cares about the tennis anyways. Its like maggie ketchup ad, you have to concentrate on the players than the ball. Two and half hours of drooling over Petrova, Daniela Hantuchova, Sharapova etc etc is worth eternity. It's like going to a fashion show for very little price. Then reality struck in. I have ramen noodles for breakfast everyday. So dejected I came outside. Apparently, It had lots more to offer than the crappy courts. Who said female tennis stars are beautiful ....YUCK. The grapes in my yard are not sour.

Movie Frenzy

2005-08-27T06:26:00.000-07:00

I watched a fair amount of movies this summer. Why not maintain a list and rank them for my personal satisfaction.

1) Scarface (8/10) - Was an excellent movie. Al Pacino couldn't have done any better. The plot was simple, yet powerful. The second half of the movie could have been a little more interesting.

2)Pink Panther (6/10) - I think Mr. Bean series would have originated from the enactments of Inspector Clouseau. For the people who don't know, Pink Panther is a stolen diamond.

3)Four Brothers(5.5/10) - Mindless mayhem.

4) Sideways (7.5/10) - Wine tasting, humor bubbling ....

5)The clock work orange (7.5/10) - Not for the faint hearted. Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece

6) Seven Years in Tibet (8/10) - I just loved this movie

7) Batman Begins(8/10)

8) Fantastic four (6/10)

9) Mr. and Mrs. Smith (6/10)

10) The war of the worlds (7/10)

11) The Star Wars: The revenge of the sith (7/10)

12) Mystic River : One of my all time favorites. It was a great movie under Clint Eastwood's direction. (8.5/10)

13) Hannibal (7.5/10)

14) Eurotrip (4/10)

Google sidebar a great disappointment

2005-08-25T16:22:00.000-07:00

I feel Google sidebar (which is integrated with the Google desktop) is a mega failure. It offers less or absolutely no worth, at the cost of real estate. Frankly, Google desktop search could be better with one or two essential features like...(i) search and remove the index permanently for certain file types. (ii) I dont have to remove the index 10 at a time (One page).

Interesting TODOs

2005-08-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

Bunch of linux projects
-----------------------------------
http://www.cs.tufts.edu/comp/150LNX/project/topics.html

Security Projects
---------------------------------

http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/%7Edaw/teaching/cs261-f00/projs.html

My first blog comment was a blommer

2005-08-19T11:51:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of the name blommer. I also anticipate with anxiety that one day, some random surfer
would visit my blog and write me a comment. Alas! I was unlucky until today. I received a my first ever comment
on my post. But it was from a blommer.

Blog + Spammer = blommer.