As the new year is dawning upon me..
I am sitting here ; staring at the big monitor . Not the typical work day today , half the office is empty. My mind races;
Another year is coming to an end . A new year is just around the corner , my mind is bogged down with thoughts; not the usual merry cheer that I was used to , Well this new year is suddenly different . What is it ? Is it that I am so far away from my family that is causing this questions to linger on in my mind ..?
I hear noises , Something a coffee machine maybe ? . God this place is real quiet today; almost like a .. grave..
I stare at the PC clock on the bottom ;it shows 10:50 .Governed by time are we ? Well things are different now , you know the world of email and sms, long gone are the days when you got a letter writtten by hand in paper; and your heart jumps in joy when opening that letter , anticipating who it is from ;and then you read it and fold and keep away safely often picking it up and reading it again and again and again. Time is changing.....
Some machine nearby has started to buzz .. Is some one terminaling in from home... That noise . it is driving me crazy ..
Do you remember a night of 2000 ?. The singing and the dancing , we were the happiest bunch I have ever known .I thought it wil last forever ;nothing lasts forever; Does it ? Does it ? Oh the promises; we will keep in touch , we will never
be out of touch .Will remain friends forever . Hollow were they; or did time crush the faith from us ? time.. ah ! Leave alone keeping it touch many of us dont even want to write in .. I have not written a letter is months. who has time these days or is that a pretext that we hide under..
That machine buzzing has stopped; Ah!
I got a new mouse an IR one , the guy at the store told me it will last forever . Does anything last forever . I wonder if anyone believes that any more . Not promises .. Not even memories . or do they ? Skipping classes , hanging out in the canteen , copying assignments , stting in the CP with Bashku(Our Principal/Dean) as a Damocles Sword hangin above . getting those recoerds in order, organizing protests against bees , the roses , the chocolate treaties, the letters and love letters . sessionals and internals, the secret codes and treaties . the cofees shop and the tea-stall .Memories....Are they fading away ;are they..?
The phone rings.. who can it be ..?
It is an old friend of mine . He wishes me a Happy year ahead . He is getting married .I wish him with all my heart . I am jolted out of my trance . I check my email I get a new mail it is Sanoop ,Wonderful card . Yes! Memories do last , some people still keep the faith , Thank you San . I gaze down at the clock it is 11:20 , Time to go for lunch . Bini should be calling anytime soon .
I guess I better send this email and not throw it away and hide under the pretext of lack of time. Let me wish all my friends and family a Very Happy new year.
Ah .. that feels good. !
Write in friends let us know you are all there...
keep the faith.....
love
Abhi
Friday, December 30, 2005
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
The Begining...
In the Beginning God created heaven and the earth. Quickly he was faced with a class action suit for failure to file an environmental impact statement. He was granted a temporary permit for the project, but was stymied with the cease and desist order for the earthly part.
Appearing at the hearing, God was asked why he began his earthly project in the first place. He replied that he just liked to be creative. Then God said, "Let there be light", and immediately the officials demanded to know how the light would be made. Would there be strip mining?
What about thermal pollution? God explained that the light would come from a huge ball of fire. God was granted provisional permission to make light, assuming that no smoke would result from the ball of fire: that he would obtain a building permit; and to conserve energy, would have the light out half the time. God agreed and said he would call the light "Day" and the darkness "Night". Officials replied that they were not interested in semantics.
God said, "Let the earth bring forth green herb and such as many seed". The EPA agreed so long as native seed was used. Then God said, "Let waters bring forth creeping creatures having life; and the fowl that may fly over the earth".
Officials pointed out this would require approval from the Department of Game coordinated with the Heavenly Wildlife Federation and the Audubongelic Society.
Everything was fine until God said he wanted to complete the project in Six days. Officials said it would take at least 200 days to review the application and impact statement. After that there would be a public hearing. Then there would be 10-12 months before...
At this point God created Hell.
PS: Dont remember who forwarded me this one but I really smiled a lot as i had a heck of day
In the Beginning God created heaven and the earth. Quickly he was faced with a class action suit for failure to file an environmental impact statement. He was granted a temporary permit for the project, but was stymied with the cease and desist order for the earthly part.
Appearing at the hearing, God was asked why he began his earthly project in the first place. He replied that he just liked to be creative. Then God said, "Let there be light", and immediately the officials demanded to know how the light would be made. Would there be strip mining?
What about thermal pollution? God explained that the light would come from a huge ball of fire. God was granted provisional permission to make light, assuming that no smoke would result from the ball of fire: that he would obtain a building permit; and to conserve energy, would have the light out half the time. God agreed and said he would call the light "Day" and the darkness "Night". Officials replied that they were not interested in semantics.
God said, "Let the earth bring forth green herb and such as many seed". The EPA agreed so long as native seed was used. Then God said, "Let waters bring forth creeping creatures having life; and the fowl that may fly over the earth".
Officials pointed out this would require approval from the Department of Game coordinated with the Heavenly Wildlife Federation and the Audubongelic Society.
Everything was fine until God said he wanted to complete the project in Six days. Officials said it would take at least 200 days to review the application and impact statement. After that there would be a public hearing. Then there would be 10-12 months before...
At this point God created Hell.
PS: Dont remember who forwarded me this one but I really smiled a lot as i had a heck of day
Friday, October 14, 2005
Me and Rosh
I did once promis that I will write about my cousins , and I did not know who to write about , each and every one is a a true gem himself but I wante dto start off with some one and I guess Rosh is a good start . Now Rosh is not her full name , It's Roshni .. Roshni as you know stands for light.. She is this bubbly character talks a lot.. and frequently goes eeeeeeeemmmmm..... whenever she is not able to control herself or is in a fit of joy anger or desperation ..
One of the things that Rosh had a profound impact on me was her sense of humour..
and I especailly remember a cute little song that she tought me ..
Canttenil samosa nokki nokki thinnumbol
endinenate kochetta enane nokanu...
manja manja bulbukal..
minni minni kathumbol endinenate kochetta enane nokanu
You need to know malayalam to appreciate that song.. but it's kida cute if you can picturize the whole scene in your mind of a girl sitting in a college canteen eating a samosa... under a dim yellow bulbs which are usually hall marks of college canteens and she sings that at a guy who is looking at her through the corner of her eyes.. I was in college and I liked a girl but I could relate to that song so much . I used to go to the cafeteria with my buddies and I used to look over my shoulder at this girl who used to sit with her own little group of friends.. Now 6 years later we are married .. but the memories.. remain .. of those place... the library and the canteen . .. and of course the samosaas....
I did once promis that I will write about my cousins , and I did not know who to write about , each and every one is a a true gem himself but I wante dto start off with some one and I guess Rosh is a good start . Now Rosh is not her full name , It's Roshni .. Roshni as you know stands for light.. She is this bubbly character talks a lot.. and frequently goes eeeeeeeemmmmm..... whenever she is not able to control herself or is in a fit of joy anger or desperation ..
One of the things that Rosh had a profound impact on me was her sense of humour..
and I especailly remember a cute little song that she tought me ..
Canttenil samosa nokki nokki thinnumbol
endinenate kochetta enane nokanu...
manja manja bulbukal..
minni minni kathumbol endinenate kochetta enane nokanu
You need to know malayalam to appreciate that song.. but it's kida cute if you can picturize the whole scene in your mind of a girl sitting in a college canteen eating a samosa... under a dim yellow bulbs which are usually hall marks of college canteens and she sings that at a guy who is looking at her through the corner of her eyes.. I was in college and I liked a girl but I could relate to that song so much . I used to go to the cafeteria with my buddies and I used to look over my shoulder at this girl who used to sit with her own little group of friends.. Now 6 years later we are married .. but the memories.. remain .. of those place... the library and the canteen . .. and of course the samosaas....
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
On Chain Letters...
Most of you would have got chain letters , In the west it is mostly about some Nigerian scam or something to do with some sick girl dying and needing your help and you forward it along or Yahoo will give you 1$ for each IM you send or about they making the IM paid.. Well you know.. But in India this chain letters borders on paranoid at times and if you have been on some friends forward list . You will understand the humor in the below email which once again I got forwarded...
---SNIP----
I wanted to thank all my friends and family who have forwarded chain letters to me
Because of your kindness:
* I stopped drinking Coca Cola after I found out that it's good for removing toilet stains.
* I stopped going to the movies for fear of sitting on a needle infected with AIDS.
* I smell like a wet dog since I stopped using deodorants because they cause cancer.
* I don't leave my car in the parking lot or any other place and sometimes I even have to walk about 7 blocks for fear that someone will drug me with a perfume sample and! try to rob me.
* I also stopped answering the phone for fear that they may ask me to dial a stupid number and then I get a phone bill from hell with calls to Uganda, Singapore and Tokyo.
* I also stopped drinking anything out of a can for fear that I will get
sick from the rat feces and urine.
* When I go to parties, I don't look at any girl, no matter how hot she is, for fear that she will take me to a hotel, drug me then take my kidneys and leave me taking a nap in a bathtub full of ice.
* I also donated all my savings to the Amy Bruce account. A sick girl that was about to die in the hospital about 7,000 times. (Poor girl! she's been
7 since 1993...)
* I went bankrupt from bounced checks that I made expecting the $15,000 that Microsoft and AOL were supposed to send me when I participated in their special e-mail program would arrive soon.
* My free Nokia phone never arrived and neither did the free passes for a paid vacation to Disneyland.
* Still open to help some from Bulgaria who wants to use my account to transfer his uncle property of some hundred millions $.
* Made some Hundred wishes before forwarding those Ganesh Vandana ,Tirupathi Balaji pics etc.. now most of those 'Wishes' are already married(to someone else)
---SNIP----
Most of you would have got chain letters , In the west it is mostly about some Nigerian scam or something to do with some sick girl dying and needing your help and you forward it along or Yahoo will give you 1$ for each IM you send or about they making the IM paid.. Well you know.. But in India this chain letters borders on paranoid at times and if you have been on some friends forward list . You will understand the humor in the below email which once again I got forwarded...
---SNIP----
I wanted to thank all my friends and family who have forwarded chain letters to me
Because of your kindness:
* I stopped drinking Coca Cola after I found out that it's good for removing toilet stains.
* I stopped going to the movies for fear of sitting on a needle infected with AIDS.
* I smell like a wet dog since I stopped using deodorants because they cause cancer.
* I don't leave my car in the parking lot or any other place and sometimes I even have to walk about 7 blocks for fear that someone will drug me with a perfume sample and! try to rob me.
* I also stopped answering the phone for fear that they may ask me to dial a stupid number and then I get a phone bill from hell with calls to Uganda, Singapore and Tokyo.
* I also stopped drinking anything out of a can for fear that I will get
sick from the rat feces and urine.
* When I go to parties, I don't look at any girl, no matter how hot she is, for fear that she will take me to a hotel, drug me then take my kidneys and leave me taking a nap in a bathtub full of ice.
* I also donated all my savings to the Amy Bruce account. A sick girl that was about to die in the hospital about 7,000 times. (Poor girl! she's been
7 since 1993...)
* I went bankrupt from bounced checks that I made expecting the $15,000 that Microsoft and AOL were supposed to send me when I participated in their special e-mail program would arrive soon.
* My free Nokia phone never arrived and neither did the free passes for a paid vacation to Disneyland.
* Still open to help some from Bulgaria who wants to use my account to transfer his uncle property of some hundred millions $.
* Made some Hundred wishes before forwarding those Ganesh Vandana ,Tirupathi Balaji pics etc.. now most of those 'Wishes' are already married(to someone else)
---SNIP----
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
The Gems Of Spellings and Misspellings
I often in my haste have noticed a lot of typos in my blogs which I painstakingly correct these days after certain new meanings to the text I worte whihc was pointed out by some of my readers. In case you did not notice I spelt WHICH as WHIHC , but the point just illustrtes my case .
On a similar note I recently read an intersting article on a new english speaking breed who primarily mastered the language the way they heard it and that brings about some interesting words and phrased
Phrase ACTUAL Phrase
alot a lot
ignorance is blitz ignorance is bliss
no holes barred no holds barred
Read more of these interesting stuff at Slacker
I often in my haste have noticed a lot of typos in my blogs which I painstakingly correct these days after certain new meanings to the text I worte whihc was pointed out by some of my readers. In case you did not notice I spelt WHICH as WHIHC , but the point just illustrtes my case .
On a similar note I recently read an intersting article on a new english speaking breed who primarily mastered the language the way they heard it and that brings about some interesting words and phrased
Phrase ACTUAL Phrase
alot a lot
ignorance is blitz ignorance is bliss
no holes barred no holds barred
Read more of these interesting stuff at Slacker
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Saturday, August 06, 2005
Corning Libra Picninc
The picninc was at Watkins Glen state park and me and Sanjeev started out around afternoon , we reached corning HQ where there was a bus picking all of us up , A good amount of people decided to drive up . We started out around 1 and reached Watkins Glen picnic site by around 2 , BY now everyone was hungry and without waiting we all decided to have food . The food was excellent ,
<
There was lobster as the main menu , I had neve eaten steamed lobster so it was an experience eating a lobster ...cracking out its shells and legs .( I had a food posinoning the same night but then that is a tale I rather not write about , trust me I had a hard time ) .
Well after a good food adventure we decided to play wiffleballl ,it is different version of baseball and if you are good at cricket you can pick up this game real well. It is really a fun game and I recommmend it as game which you can play in alleys and school hallways :D , I remember playing hallway cricket in school especially in the last day of school and the summer vaction starts .. WE used to play cricket with question papers tied with rubber ball , Everyone would be going off to their native places next day and you know you are not gonna see your buddies for another 2 months. SO you play like anything.. ah .. those good old childhood days . well getting back to picinc we played two rounds of wiffleball and we won one game and lost one and then the last game was a tie.
We later moved on indoors as the sun was scorching upon us and we had this really cool game called Marshmallow Engineers , (I dont knwo what the game was really called , Marshamllow engineers loks like a cool name ) . SO the game is about builiding the talles Marshamallo towers. THe tallest tower whihc stands stable for 30 secs atleast after the final whistle blows is decided the winner
Well strategies started pouring in and we decided to move with a pyramid structure a s building block . We had lot of fun building the tower , Although we were the runners up it was a lot of fun..
The winning marshmallow tower
After that the whole Librs project team was dedicated and although my contribution to Libra was limited to getting the Libra production system . It was a great feeling to be assosociated with such an intiative
The Gang
As we came down watkins glen in the evening; the evening sun had come out bathing the whole place in crimson .The glen had us enchanted . It was all in all a memorable day
The picninc was at Watkins Glen state park and me and Sanjeev started out around afternoon , we reached corning HQ where there was a bus picking all of us up , A good amount of people decided to drive up . We started out around 1 and reached Watkins Glen picnic site by around 2 , BY now everyone was hungry and without waiting we all decided to have food . The food was excellent ,
<There was lobster as the main menu , I had neve eaten steamed lobster so it was an experience eating a lobster ...cracking out its shells and legs .( I had a food posinoning the same night but then that is a tale I rather not write about , trust me I had a hard time ) .
Well after a good food adventure we decided to play wiffleballl ,it is different version of baseball and if you are good at cricket you can pick up this game real well. It is really a fun game and I recommmend it as game which you can play in alleys and school hallways :D , I remember playing hallway cricket in school especially in the last day of school and the summer vaction starts .. WE used to play cricket with question papers tied with rubber ball , Everyone would be going off to their native places next day and you know you are not gonna see your buddies for another 2 months. SO you play like anything.. ah .. those good old childhood days . well getting back to picinc we played two rounds of wiffleball and we won one game and lost one and then the last game was a tie.
We later moved on indoors as the sun was scorching upon us and we had this really cool game called Marshmallow Engineers , (I dont knwo what the game was really called , Marshamllow engineers loks like a cool name ) . SO the game is about builiding the talles Marshamallo towers. THe tallest tower whihc stands stable for 30 secs atleast after the final whistle blows is decided the winner
Well strategies started pouring in and we decided to move with a pyramid structure a s building block . We had lot of fun building the tower , Although we were the runners up it was a lot of fun..
The winning marshmallow tower
After that the whole Librs project team was dedicated and although my contribution to Libra was limited to getting the Libra production system . It was a great feeling to be assosociated with such an intiative
The Gang
As we came down watkins glen in the evening; the evening sun had come out bathing the whole place in crimson .The glen had us enchanted . It was all in all a memorable day
Friday, June 17, 2005
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
24 Hours , 24 Kids , One Big Family
Most of my friends who know me always say that I am a People Guy , well its true but then I have to thank all my cousins for that , 24 in all , This is just from my mothers side . I guess in this era when you have just one brother /sister and 2 or 3 cousins ,I must say we have been pampered with numbers .
Some say Size does not matter but then when it comes to the strength of your kith and kin numbers does matter . As they say about Wolves
The strength of the Wolf is in the pack
and the strength of the Pack is in the Wolf
One thing is that when you have so big a number there is always activity going on . May be it is going for a movie or having our own home cricket/shuttle /football team . We are there.
And we come in all sizes , ages and talents. We have Racing fanatics to computer geeks to Doctors , Engineers , Teachers , Hotel Managers.. let me just say we cover a lot of sectors he he .
and here I chronicle the whole pack. Amrith, Jugunu , Bimal , Binny, Dungu , Abhi(Your truly ) ,Archana, Unni , Cinu, Anu ,Laskshmi, Ullas, Doodi , Roshni, Ajit ,Chitra, Kuttu,Achu, Divya, Shreyas, Hari,Gautham ,Deepthi, Gopika
Well telling about each and everyone will take pages , but I will write in the coming posts.. keep reading this space
Most of my friends who know me always say that I am a People Guy , well its true but then I have to thank all my cousins for that , 24 in all , This is just from my mothers side . I guess in this era when you have just one brother /sister and 2 or 3 cousins ,I must say we have been pampered with numbers .
Some say Size does not matter but then when it comes to the strength of your kith and kin numbers does matter . As they say about Wolves
The strength of the Wolf is in the pack
and the strength of the Pack is in the Wolf
One thing is that when you have so big a number there is always activity going on . May be it is going for a movie or having our own home cricket/shuttle /football team . We are there.
And we come in all sizes , ages and talents. We have Racing fanatics to computer geeks to Doctors , Engineers , Teachers , Hotel Managers.. let me just say we cover a lot of sectors he he .
and here I chronicle the whole pack. Amrith, Jugunu , Bimal , Binny, Dungu , Abhi(Your truly ) ,Archana, Unni , Cinu, Anu ,Laskshmi, Ullas, Doodi , Roshni, Ajit ,Chitra, Kuttu,Achu, Divya, Shreyas, Hari,Gautham ,Deepthi, Gopika
Well telling about each and everyone will take pages , but I will write in the coming posts.. keep reading this space
A nice Article on COM
I have programmed in COM for a good part of my early career . I am sure there are a lot of COM programmers still out there , In case you are one or are diving into te world of COM , This is a great link
COM Tips
I have programmed in COM for a good part of my early career . I am sure there are a lot of COM programmers still out there , In case you are one or are diving into te world of COM , This is a great link
COM Tips
Saturday, April 30, 2005
First Anniversary Jitters
Well it is here , My first Marriage anniversary , Time has flown so fast I am still not able to believe it has been 1 year since I got married , looks like yesterday to me hm.. Now being the first anniversary I am not sure what to gift my dearest . To be frank I am little bit out of ideas now , I can see that expectations are high. For lack of original ideas for now it is a nice movie and a dinner at a cozy restuarant. MY wife being a vegetarian finding a good restuarant is always a problem
Well it is here , My first Marriage anniversary , Time has flown so fast I am still not able to believe it has been 1 year since I got married , looks like yesterday to me hm.. Now being the first anniversary I am not sure what to gift my dearest . To be frank I am little bit out of ideas now , I can see that expectations are high. For lack of original ideas for now it is a nice movie and a dinner at a cozy restuarant. MY wife being a vegetarian finding a good restuarant is always a problem
Friday, April 22, 2005
Oh Krishna
Well it all started on the day of Vishu .
It was the Festival of Vishu as I said and I wanted a photo of lord Krishna so that I can see him in the morning( Vishukani ) . I went to the neighborhood Asian Store ( 22 Miles away ) not exactly neighborhood , to find a photo of my deity. There was none there and I was a bit disappointed . Coming back home an idea struck me , I should be able to get a photo from the net and get it printed in walmart where they have a 24 hour photo centre with 1 hour processing. Right ! hm... I was soon to find out how wrong I was
Armed with this knowledge . I first got a photo of the lord from some temple site and I uploaded it to walmart online photo store. Searched my zipcode and scheduled a local pickup at the nearest walmart store.
Feeling too good about my extra-ordinary idea I went home and drove with my wife to the shopping centre . On the way I gave a big lecture about how man should adapt to his environment and get what he wants from the resources available to us. I could see that she was half bored but I kept yakking anyway .
Half an hour later at the store ..Photo Centre
Abhi : Hi
Lady at the counter : Hi
Abhi : I have a photo pickup
Lady at the counter : Uh . What's your last name ?
Abhi : Shanmugan ( Thinks.. what is it with this country in last names? Doesn't nobody want to know my Name ! )
Lady at the counter : I am not able to find it
Abhi: It was an one hour processing
Lady at the counter : Oh! I was checking in the wrong draw
Abhi: Itsalrite (grins)
Lady at the counter : Is it a small or a large photo
Abhi : Large 8 x 10
Lady at the counter : ok .. No Cant find it
Abhi : I uploaded it from the net
Lady at the counter :( checks the computer) gets the picture of Krishna . Sir is this your picture
Abhi : (Nods ) Yeah
Lady at the counter : Sir, We cant print this , This is a digital picture
Abhi : What , Aren't they all digital I mean
Lady at the counter : No sir this is a graphic and we need permission form the owner of this photograph
Abhi : Well it is a god's photograph
Lady at the counter :Sir We cant .It is against our policy
Abhi : What I am telling you that is a photo of GOD
Lady at the counter : Well
Abhi: Do you mean to say I need to get a copyright from God , I am sure god wont mind Walmart printing a photo of him
Lady at the counter : Well sir let me talk to my Manager
Abhi : Sure
Tall Man : Sir may I help you ?
Abhi : Yes you may , please ( explains the whole problem)
Tall Man : (nods his head ) Sir this picture is a digital picture
Abhi : Yeah I know So ?
Tall Man : We cant print it , We need permission from whoever owns copyright of this picture
Abhi : This is for my personal use and not for sale , And look I have this important festival coming up and I need to have this picture
Tall Man : Sir I understand but It is against our policy
Abhi : Are you telling me that if I have a photo of Lord Jesus here I cant print it in Walmart.
Tall Man : Yes that is correct sir
Abhi : Well what if I declare that I won copyright for that picture
Tall Man : Sir you have to be a licensed artist or a studio
Abhi : What ? Cant a normal human being work on paintbrush and get a picture
Tall Man : No
Abhi : Damn
(Abhi Throws his hand up in the Air , Stands near the counter , No budging , apparently Abhi has decided the Non -Violent protest is the way to go )
Tall Man : Sir , I can talk to Senor Store Manager of some other store
Abhi : Sure
Tall Man : Talks on the phone
( Abhi cant hear what is being said , long conversation, Abhi is not impressed , This is an old trick , he talks to his some buddy and you think it is some big shot on the other end when the joke is on you )
Tall Man : Sir we can't print it
Abhi : Why am I not surprised ?
Tall Man: We cant help you
Abhi : Ok
(Gives up walks a few paces dejected and then suddenly turns around comes back . One notices a sparkle in Abhi's eyes)
Abhi; Where is your printer Section ?
Tall Man : Over there
Abhi : Suppose I buy a printer , I can always return it If i am not satisfied with it within 14 days right ? I guess that is ok in Store policy
Tall Man : yeah ,That is correct
Abhi : I would like to buy a photo printer
Tall Man : which Model
Abhi : Oh the costliest and the best
Tall Man : Well that would be .... ( Groans as it strikes him and you can see a smile spreading across Abhi's Face :-)
PS: Abhi and Bini ultimately saw lord Krishna on Abhi's new laptop,
Happy Vishu to all
Well it all started on the day of Vishu .
It was the Festival of Vishu as I said and I wanted a photo of lord Krishna so that I can see him in the morning( Vishukani ) . I went to the neighborhood Asian Store ( 22 Miles away ) not exactly neighborhood , to find a photo of my deity. There was none there and I was a bit disappointed . Coming back home an idea struck me , I should be able to get a photo from the net and get it printed in walmart where they have a 24 hour photo centre with 1 hour processing. Right ! hm... I was soon to find out how wrong I was
Armed with this knowledge . I first got a photo of the lord from some temple site and I uploaded it to walmart online photo store. Searched my zipcode and scheduled a local pickup at the nearest walmart store.
Feeling too good about my extra-ordinary idea I went home and drove with my wife to the shopping centre . On the way I gave a big lecture about how man should adapt to his environment and get what he wants from the resources available to us. I could see that she was half bored but I kept yakking anyway .
Half an hour later at the store ..Photo Centre
Abhi : Hi
Lady at the counter : Hi
Abhi : I have a photo pickup
Lady at the counter : Uh . What's your last name ?
Abhi : Shanmugan ( Thinks.. what is it with this country in last names? Doesn't nobody want to know my Name ! )
Lady at the counter : I am not able to find it
Abhi: It was an one hour processing
Lady at the counter : Oh! I was checking in the wrong draw
Abhi: Itsalrite (grins)
Lady at the counter : Is it a small or a large photo
Abhi : Large 8 x 10
Lady at the counter : ok .. No Cant find it
Abhi : I uploaded it from the net
Lady at the counter :( checks the computer) gets the picture of Krishna . Sir is this your picture
Abhi : (Nods ) Yeah
Lady at the counter : Sir, We cant print this , This is a digital picture
Abhi : What , Aren't they all digital I mean
Lady at the counter : No sir this is a graphic and we need permission form the owner of this photograph
Abhi : Well it is a god's photograph
Lady at the counter :Sir We cant .It is against our policy
Abhi : What I am telling you that is a photo of GOD
Lady at the counter : Well
Abhi: Do you mean to say I need to get a copyright from God , I am sure god wont mind Walmart printing a photo of him
Lady at the counter : Well sir let me talk to my Manager
Abhi : Sure
Tall Man : Sir may I help you ?
Abhi : Yes you may , please ( explains the whole problem)
Tall Man : (nods his head ) Sir this picture is a digital picture
Abhi : Yeah I know So ?
Tall Man : We cant print it , We need permission from whoever owns copyright of this picture
Abhi : This is for my personal use and not for sale , And look I have this important festival coming up and I need to have this picture
Tall Man : Sir I understand but It is against our policy
Abhi : Are you telling me that if I have a photo of Lord Jesus here I cant print it in Walmart.
Tall Man : Yes that is correct sir
Abhi : Well what if I declare that I won copyright for that picture
Tall Man : Sir you have to be a licensed artist or a studio
Abhi : What ? Cant a normal human being work on paintbrush and get a picture
Tall Man : No
Abhi : Damn
(Abhi Throws his hand up in the Air , Stands near the counter , No budging , apparently Abhi has decided the Non -Violent protest is the way to go )
Tall Man : Sir , I can talk to Senor Store Manager of some other store
Abhi : Sure
Tall Man : Talks on the phone
( Abhi cant hear what is being said , long conversation, Abhi is not impressed , This is an old trick , he talks to his some buddy and you think it is some big shot on the other end when the joke is on you )
Tall Man : Sir we can't print it
Abhi : Why am I not surprised ?
Tall Man: We cant help you
Abhi : Ok
(Gives up walks a few paces dejected and then suddenly turns around comes back . One notices a sparkle in Abhi's eyes)
Abhi; Where is your printer Section ?
Tall Man : Over there
Abhi : Suppose I buy a printer , I can always return it If i am not satisfied with it within 14 days right ? I guess that is ok in Store policy
Tall Man : yeah ,That is correct
Abhi : I would like to buy a photo printer
Tall Man : which Model
Abhi : Oh the costliest and the best
Tall Man : Well that would be .... ( Groans as it strikes him and you can see a smile spreading across Abhi's Face :-)
PS: Abhi and Bini ultimately saw lord Krishna on Abhi's new laptop,
Happy Vishu to all
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Tring.. Tring.. Mobile Phone.. and me..
Well I have got a new post paid mobile phone last week , well to most of you that is not anyting new but for me it is kind of a different situation . Some years ago I was one of those staunch believers that advocated , I can live without a mobile phone and I had a whole lot of reasons for it.
Camera rolls back to 3 years to TNHB , Chennai where I was staying as a bachelor with some of my college friends ,Whilst almost everybody in the house and peolpe around me had a mobile phone , I did not have one. Though there has been many a advice from people on the convenience of this little gadget , I remain unconvinced.
I saw this little gizmo as an intrusion into my private time .
My top reasons against mobiles included some of these ,It is an annoyance to people , especially to those without one; It is not good for the heart , cause Impotency.. and i Had tons of links in google to prove , It kinds of brings work into your home ,It costs me time and Money for somebody else problems, worse I spend money to attend some sales call;
Well I never did buy a phone for a long time back in 2000 when something unexpected happened , This was my friend /Roommate Sanju going to the US on a short trip , Now sanju had a phone which he had to leave behind. and this phone has a prepaid card which needs to be recharged so that the number does not get expired .
Me being the staunch believer against the mobile revoloution kind of resisted but then I decided to give it a try. Well boy was I hooked , by the time Sanju came back , I had been addicted to SMS and eventually I ended up with Sanju's original SIM because the number had been more widesread amioong my firends than his.
After that I did buy a couple of phones all of them Nokia and I ended up gifting phone to my MOm , Dad brothers and my girlfriend ( She was one of the primary reasons for mobile phone believer conversion in me , Thank god for Free SMS ) .And suddenly travelling on a train with my battery charge running out it hit me ,How much i had got addicted to the gadget.
But it was too late , rather i enjoyed the conversion I believe , later I moved on to USA and here is when I became De-Mobile once again . having landed in US with no prior credit history . I once agin started to subscribe to my old philosophy of
I dont need a cell phone , but unliek in India in the states I was almost an alien.
Soon my answers to What is you cell phone number changed from
" I dont have one "
to
"I am looking around for one"
to
"Let me give you a ring to store it "
Guess that conversion was long time in the making . I seriously wonder if i ever had a chance of a Mobile -free life .
But having became Mobile I love it. It is a Motorola V551 , Camera phone . Polyphonic, bluetooth , WAP , MMS, Quad band , color display and what not..
So here I am back in the Wireless world
Well I have got a new post paid mobile phone last week , well to most of you that is not anyting new but for me it is kind of a different situation . Some years ago I was one of those staunch believers that advocated , I can live without a mobile phone and I had a whole lot of reasons for it.
Camera rolls back to 3 years to TNHB , Chennai where I was staying as a bachelor with some of my college friends ,Whilst almost everybody in the house and peolpe around me had a mobile phone , I did not have one. Though there has been many a advice from people on the convenience of this little gadget , I remain unconvinced.
I saw this little gizmo as an intrusion into my private time .
My top reasons against mobiles included some of these ,It is an annoyance to people , especially to those without one; It is not good for the heart , cause Impotency.. and i Had tons of links in google to prove , It kinds of brings work into your home ,It costs me time and Money for somebody else problems, worse I spend money to attend some sales call;
Well I never did buy a phone for a long time back in 2000 when something unexpected happened , This was my friend /Roommate Sanju going to the US on a short trip , Now sanju had a phone which he had to leave behind. and this phone has a prepaid card which needs to be recharged so that the number does not get expired .
Me being the staunch believer against the mobile revoloution kind of resisted but then I decided to give it a try. Well boy was I hooked , by the time Sanju came back , I had been addicted to SMS and eventually I ended up with Sanju's original SIM because the number had been more widesread amioong my firends than his.
After that I did buy a couple of phones all of them Nokia and I ended up gifting phone to my MOm , Dad brothers and my girlfriend ( She was one of the primary reasons for mobile phone believer conversion in me , Thank god for Free SMS ) .And suddenly travelling on a train with my battery charge running out it hit me ,How much i had got addicted to the gadget.
But it was too late , rather i enjoyed the conversion I believe , later I moved on to USA and here is when I became De-Mobile once again . having landed in US with no prior credit history . I once agin started to subscribe to my old philosophy of
I dont need a cell phone , but unliek in India in the states I was almost an alien.
Soon my answers to What is you cell phone number changed from
" I dont have one "
to
"I am looking around for one"
to
"Let me give you a ring to store it "
Guess that conversion was long time in the making . I seriously wonder if i ever had a chance of a Mobile -free life .
But having became Mobile I love it. It is a Motorola V551 , Camera phone . Polyphonic, bluetooth , WAP , MMS, Quad band , color display and what not..
So here I am back in the Wireless world
Monday, April 04, 2005
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Fiddler on the Roof By Corning West High School Kids
Went annd saw a broadway musical enacted by Corning West high School Kids . When I went for the show I did not really have too much expectaion from the children . But the performence was brilliant and I was really impressed at their talent .
The Musical itself is a based on the stories of Sholom Aleichem. Tevye the Milkman is a Jewish peasant in pre-Revolutionary Russia, coping with the day-to-day problems of `shtetl' life, his Jewish traditions, his family (wife and daughters), and state-sanctioned pogroms.
The Songs are beutiful especially "If I Was a Rich Man" and "MatchMaker Matchmaker" the rest are quite ok
All in all it was a wonderful evening .
Went annd saw a broadway musical enacted by Corning West high School Kids . When I went for the show I did not really have too much expectaion from the children . But the performence was brilliant and I was really impressed at their talent .
The Musical itself is a based on the stories of Sholom Aleichem. Tevye the Milkman is a Jewish peasant in pre-Revolutionary Russia, coping with the day-to-day problems of `shtetl' life, his Jewish traditions, his family (wife and daughters), and state-sanctioned pogroms.
The Songs are beutiful especially "If I Was a Rich Man" and "MatchMaker Matchmaker" the rest are quite ok
All in all it was a wonderful evening .
Security Scan Tools for your PC
Dont have expensive Antivirus software Installed ,You can still get your PC scanned online for security vulnerabilities. Its a good way to test for spyware, virii, or open ports. Here are a list of sites you can check out for this:
http://hackerwhacker.com/
http://scan.sygatetech.com/
http://www.testmyfirewall.com/
http://www.auditmypc.com/
http://www.iggyz.com/Test.html
PS : Try using a firewall , In this era it is worth the investment
Dont have expensive Antivirus software Installed ,You can still get your PC scanned online for security vulnerabilities. Its a good way to test for spyware, virii, or open ports. Here are a list of sites you can check out for this:
http://hackerwhacker.com/
http://scan.sygatetech.com/
http://www.testmyfirewall.com/
http://www.auditmypc.com/
http://www.iggyz.com/Test.html
PS : Try using a firewall , In this era it is worth the investment
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Current Affairs
Vineeth V , Well what can I write about vineeth . Well we used to call him "Current"... the name came becasue of the the speed in which Current went about anything ..:)
I was his hostel neighbour , My room was next to his and I never really met vineeth for more than 5 months since I came to the hostel and when we met we became thick friends . We have spent tons of nights listening to Jim Reeves and discussing about things varying from Politics to sports cars to what not . One of the most memorable moments in the life at Modern(thats the hostel Name ) was how we all Shyam , Jerry ,Anup , me, sanoop ,Hahu and vineeth used to practice for a group song that we never sang but , it was all fun now when i reflect back to it
Vineeth V , Well what can I write about vineeth . Well we used to call him "Current"... the name came becasue of the the speed in which Current went about anything ..:)
I was his hostel neighbour , My room was next to his and I never really met vineeth for more than 5 months since I came to the hostel and when we met we became thick friends . We have spent tons of nights listening to Jim Reeves and discussing about things varying from Politics to sports cars to what not . One of the most memorable moments in the life at Modern(thats the hostel Name ) was how we all Shyam , Jerry ,Anup , me, sanoop ,Hahu and vineeth used to practice for a group song that we never sang but , it was all fun now when i reflect back to it
Non Classified Vegetarians
Well what do you know about Vegetarians o Vegans . Well I personally have known different kind of mystic vegetarians in my life. Notice the use of the word Mystic in the previous line .. well I dont think I can find a better word to replace it . well soe of you atleast who is reading this blog might be vegetarians and you have a picture of what a vegetarian is ..
So close your eyes and think about a vegetarian you know ..
Have you thought about it , you havent haven't you .. well do that ..
ok .. so cool you thought about a person.. now think of his food habits and then ponder some thoughts over what i have to say below..
A Vegan is one who eats plant and plant products alone . These are pure Vegans
Now if you drink mile you are not exactly a Vegan but a LACTO- Vegetarian , meaning you drink Milk you are one of this
I have another set of friends who eat egg they are classified as OVO Vegetarian
If you eat fish you are a vegetarian too :0 , Who would have believed they are callled PESO vegetarian
and if you eat fish and milk , you are termend Lacto-Peso Vegetarian ..
well so you see the word vegetarian has so many scientific classifications
Now let me introduce you to another set of vegetarians whom i broadly classify as
:) well Non Classified vegetarians
Proxo Female vegetarian
This particular set of people turn vegetarian in love . That sound complicated did it not . well No what it really means is these gentlemen turn vegetarian if the girl they love/like is a vegetarian and somehow the benefits of these vegetarian tendencies largely depend on the females approval in particular
Proxo Male Vegetarian
I dont think this needs any explanation , but statistics shows that this section of vegetarians are a far lesser breed than the one above
Location Based Vegetarians
These are again vegetarians at say one particular place . This could include being vegetarian at home and Non vegetarian outside . A lot of my friends from highly religious family lie here and this vegetarians carry some amount of risk of becoming pure vegetarians once they get married
Seasonal Vegetarians
These vegetarians are something of a fad . I am also a subsriber to this category myself when important challenges in life are faced there is a sudden subscription to this category of vegetarianisms. FAST, Noyambu , SAbarimala season are all examples of seasonal vegetarians . This group go on a pure fast for a period of time and then once the time slot is over turn back to even more aggressive non vegetarians with renewed vigour , although there are certain incidents in which these guys get stuck as permenant vegetarians.
Diet Vegetarians
These are folks who belogn to hte weight watchers club and goes by the looks and kill themselves with lettuce and cabbage ,to get into hour glass shapes . A large number of diet vegetarians fall out of this regime sooner rather than later
If you have anymore intersting classification of vegetarians that you think I shoudl add here email me are Abhilashms2--AT--GMAIL-DOT--COM
Well what do you know about Vegetarians o Vegans . Well I personally have known different kind of mystic vegetarians in my life. Notice the use of the word Mystic in the previous line .. well I dont think I can find a better word to replace it . well soe of you atleast who is reading this blog might be vegetarians and you have a picture of what a vegetarian is ..
So close your eyes and think about a vegetarian you know ..
Have you thought about it , you havent haven't you .. well do that ..
ok .. so cool you thought about a person.. now think of his food habits and then ponder some thoughts over what i have to say below..
A Vegan is one who eats plant and plant products alone . These are pure Vegans
Now if you drink mile you are not exactly a Vegan but a LACTO- Vegetarian , meaning you drink Milk you are one of this
I have another set of friends who eat egg they are classified as OVO Vegetarian
If you eat fish you are a vegetarian too :0 , Who would have believed they are callled PESO vegetarian
and if you eat fish and milk , you are termend Lacto-Peso Vegetarian ..
well so you see the word vegetarian has so many scientific classifications
Now let me introduce you to another set of vegetarians whom i broadly classify as
:) well Non Classified vegetarians
Proxo Female vegetarian
This particular set of people turn vegetarian in love . That sound complicated did it not . well No what it really means is these gentlemen turn vegetarian if the girl they love/like is a vegetarian and somehow the benefits of these vegetarian tendencies largely depend on the females approval in particular
Proxo Male Vegetarian
I dont think this needs any explanation , but statistics shows that this section of vegetarians are a far lesser breed than the one above
Location Based Vegetarians
These are again vegetarians at say one particular place . This could include being vegetarian at home and Non vegetarian outside . A lot of my friends from highly religious family lie here and this vegetarians carry some amount of risk of becoming pure vegetarians once they get married
Seasonal Vegetarians
These vegetarians are something of a fad . I am also a subsriber to this category myself when important challenges in life are faced there is a sudden subscription to this category of vegetarianisms. FAST, Noyambu , SAbarimala season are all examples of seasonal vegetarians . This group go on a pure fast for a period of time and then once the time slot is over turn back to even more aggressive non vegetarians with renewed vigour , although there are certain incidents in which these guys get stuck as permenant vegetarians.
Diet Vegetarians
These are folks who belogn to hte weight watchers club and goes by the looks and kill themselves with lettuce and cabbage ,to get into hour glass shapes . A large number of diet vegetarians fall out of this regime sooner rather than later
If you have anymore intersting classification of vegetarians that you think I shoudl add here email me are Abhilashms2--AT--GMAIL-DOT--COM
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Monday, February 21, 2005
Money ,Money..Oh Money
Have you ever wondered looking closely at a currency held in your had , where all this currency has been , How many places it has traveled , What is its story , if they had a voice of their own , I am sure they will have a story to tell . To be frank I have wondered the same , more than once at different occasions for different reasons. So it instantly aroused the curiosity in me when I got a recent bill which has a message , Currency tracking study . Now there was a website which went along with it . This was a George Washington 5$ bill and I landed up in this cool website wheresgeorge.com . This website is started by a personal hobbyist and so far he has send out tons of notes into circulation. He has notes which have traveled internationally far and wide. It is fun to browse the site. There is an equivalent site called www.whereswilly.com for Canadian money . Maybe I should start one too.
www.WheresBapu.com / www.wheresGandhi.com /www.wheresMahatma.com
Wow that sopunds cool , I am all excited ,I am in high spirits, I go and tell my wife about this idea. And then suddenly she tell me it is a now against the law to write on Notes in India ..
So down I come crashing down . Now that idea did not last too long.. Did it ?
Well just when I thought I had an idea to float a website... Ah.. Merci..
Have you ever wondered looking closely at a currency held in your had , where all this currency has been , How many places it has traveled , What is its story , if they had a voice of their own , I am sure they will have a story to tell . To be frank I have wondered the same , more than once at different occasions for different reasons. So it instantly aroused the curiosity in me when I got a recent bill which has a message , Currency tracking study . Now there was a website which went along with it . This was a George Washington 5$ bill and I landed up in this cool website wheresgeorge.com . This website is started by a personal hobbyist and so far he has send out tons of notes into circulation. He has notes which have traveled internationally far and wide. It is fun to browse the site. There is an equivalent site called www.whereswilly.com for Canadian money . Maybe I should start one too.
www.WheresBapu.com / www.wheresGandhi.com /www.wheresMahatma.com
Wow that sopunds cool , I am all excited ,I am in high spirits, I go and tell my wife about this idea. And then suddenly she tell me it is a now against the law to write on Notes in India ..
So down I come crashing down . Now that idea did not last too long.. Did it ?
Well just when I thought I had an idea to float a website... Ah.. Merci..
Friday, February 18, 2005
In the Bowling Lane and guide to Mexican Food
We went bowling yesterday , This was a informal meet up the company had arranged for all the folks . I must say it was fun . I am bowling after a long time and One thing I realized is I am so much out of shape . My arm is practically gone . So plan is to get back in shape . So soon I guess I will be joining the weight watchers squad is a YMCA nearby , They have a nice pool . Swimming was one of my favorite.. past time /exercise .
After that we had some nice Mexican food at Gracias , Some Fajitas and enchiladas.. If you are quite New to Mexican food . Here is a handy guide
Guacamole
=========
A great entrée, guacamole is an avocado-based dip that is green, fairly rich and is made with some onions, lemon, lime juice, and chopped garlic. Complementary dips are salsa and sour cream.
Tacos
=====
A taco is a large, crisp, edible corn tortilla shell that usually contains minced beef, shredded lettuce, grated cheese, and is commonly topped off with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.
Tacos comes in different types
Original Taco -- a crisp corn tortilla filled with seasoned beef, shredded lettuce and shredded cheddar cheese. This is also called Hard Shell
Soft Taco -- a warm soft flour tortilla filled with seasoned shredded lettuce and shredded cheddar cheese.
You can choose roasted chicken, steak or beef as your filling.
Chicken/Beef/Veg FAJITAS
========================
Fajitas are a grilled marinated chicken/Beef/Vegetables, roasted onions and peppers, tomatoes, cheddar and pepper jack cheeses with seasoned rice and fajita sauce, in a warm soft flour tortilla.
Fajitas : Spanish word for Beef Strips!!
Bean/Chicken/Beef BURRITO
==========================
A burrito consists of an edible soft flour tortilla "envelope," wrapped around and stuffed with minced beef, lettuce, cheese, refried beans, sauce, sour cream? you get the idea.
Chimichanga
===========
A chimichanga is basically a burrito that is deep-fried and very, very succulent -- if you don't mind greasy food that is
Enchilada
=========
Enchiladas are quite similar to burritos, yet differ in content and flavor.
While a tortilla is folded in order to make an envelope that completely encloses its contents, an enchilada has the tortilla wrapped around the substance, so as to make a cylinder with much the same shape as cannelloni, uncut maki, or sushi rolls.
That ends the Mexican food tutorial and I am off to bed..
We went bowling yesterday , This was a informal meet up the company had arranged for all the folks . I must say it was fun . I am bowling after a long time and One thing I realized is I am so much out of shape . My arm is practically gone . So plan is to get back in shape . So soon I guess I will be joining the weight watchers squad is a YMCA nearby , They have a nice pool . Swimming was one of my favorite.. past time /exercise .
After that we had some nice Mexican food at Gracias , Some Fajitas and enchiladas.. If you are quite New to Mexican food . Here is a handy guide
Guacamole
=========
A great entrée, guacamole is an avocado-based dip that is green, fairly rich and is made with some onions, lemon, lime juice, and chopped garlic. Complementary dips are salsa and sour cream.
Tacos
=====
A taco is a large, crisp, edible corn tortilla shell that usually contains minced beef, shredded lettuce, grated cheese, and is commonly topped off with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.
Tacos comes in different types
Original Taco -- a crisp corn tortilla filled with seasoned beef, shredded lettuce and shredded cheddar cheese. This is also called Hard Shell
Soft Taco -- a warm soft flour tortilla filled with seasoned shredded lettuce and shredded cheddar cheese.
You can choose roasted chicken, steak or beef as your filling.
Chicken/Beef/Veg FAJITAS
========================
Fajitas are a grilled marinated chicken/Beef/Vegetables, roasted onions and peppers, tomatoes, cheddar and pepper jack cheeses with seasoned rice and fajita sauce, in a warm soft flour tortilla.
Fajitas : Spanish word for Beef Strips!!
Bean/Chicken/Beef BURRITO
==========================
A burrito consists of an edible soft flour tortilla "envelope," wrapped around and stuffed with minced beef, lettuce, cheese, refried beans, sauce, sour cream? you get the idea.
Chimichanga
===========
A chimichanga is basically a burrito that is deep-fried and very, very succulent -- if you don't mind greasy food that is
Enchilada
=========
Enchiladas are quite similar to burritos, yet differ in content and flavor.
While a tortilla is folded in order to make an envelope that completely encloses its contents, an enchilada has the tortilla wrapped around the substance, so as to make a cylinder with much the same shape as cannelloni, uncut maki, or sushi rolls.
That ends the Mexican food tutorial and I am off to bed..
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Cable and Dish
I am in a DISH JAM . To explain further it has been some time since I bought my New Super Dish and started receiving some Malayalam Channels straight to my home and I was getting to enjoy that .Now suddenly I have moved from New Jersey to Corning New York .This as such is a small town and after moving here I found out that there is not a single Indian restaurant in this city , not an Indian grocery shop . Now now.. You might be wondering why I am making such a hue and cry of not finding a shop in a small city in US .IF you are then you my friend has a thing or two to learn about Indians . Well for starters Every 2 out of 7 people in the world are Indians for that matter 2 are Chinese too.. Home.. kind of funny right more than half the population of the world live in 2 countries in Asia. Ya so the point I was saying is I was surprised to not find an Indian Shop. Well it is in this context that the next tragic incident takes place , the dish technicians who came to my house to install the Dish told me that they cant have the dish installed properly . I almost got a shock , What no more Sunday Malayalam movie for me.. No Surya /Kairali . Apparently the story is when I took this apartment they have some policy of not letting you keep the Dish Outside ur apartment . And Dish folks cant get it to install inside. Catch 22. I guess the whole thing is a nexus between apartment folks and cable companies. I tried to analyze my option but to no avail. I looked up FCC regulations the best I can get from my apartment is that they cant prohibit you from installing it on your balcony . Well for now my research has not yielded anything concrete on those lines
Just in case you are having a similar issue read this
http://www.sbca.com/site_files/child.asp?page=Faq&sec=industry#q2
Well anyway I succumbed to Cable television subscription after being close to two years cable free and being a proponent of DISH.
I am in a DISH JAM . To explain further it has been some time since I bought my New Super Dish and started receiving some Malayalam Channels straight to my home and I was getting to enjoy that .Now suddenly I have moved from New Jersey to Corning New York .This as such is a small town and after moving here I found out that there is not a single Indian restaurant in this city , not an Indian grocery shop . Now now.. You might be wondering why I am making such a hue and cry of not finding a shop in a small city in US .IF you are then you my friend has a thing or two to learn about Indians . Well for starters Every 2 out of 7 people in the world are Indians for that matter 2 are Chinese too.. Home.. kind of funny right more than half the population of the world live in 2 countries in Asia. Ya so the point I was saying is I was surprised to not find an Indian Shop. Well it is in this context that the next tragic incident takes place , the dish technicians who came to my house to install the Dish told me that they cant have the dish installed properly . I almost got a shock , What no more Sunday Malayalam movie for me.. No Surya /Kairali . Apparently the story is when I took this apartment they have some policy of not letting you keep the Dish Outside ur apartment . And Dish folks cant get it to install inside. Catch 22. I guess the whole thing is a nexus between apartment folks and cable companies. I tried to analyze my option but to no avail. I looked up FCC regulations the best I can get from my apartment is that they cant prohibit you from installing it on your balcony . Well for now my research has not yielded anything concrete on those lines
Just in case you are having a similar issue read this
http://www.sbca.com/site_files/child.asp?page=Faq&sec=industry#q2
Well anyway I succumbed to Cable television subscription after being close to two years cable free and being a proponent of DISH.
Sunday, February 13, 2005
Valentine Confusion
With yet another Valentine's Day is on the cards
I am confronted with the usual problem , what to buy for my wife for valentine's Day . I did run and scan the usual list in my mind.. Chocolates , candy perfumes , cards .. No No it did not seem like what I wanted. Diamonds.. hm... they are too expensive.. and frankly I never got it what is it with a rock.. They have the same structure as graphite you know But they sure as hell is different
Well I was looking for a reasonable ( price ) but innovative. How about pets
Say cats ... No No not cats they kind of behave as if they own the house if you know what I mean . They lay there on your favorite armchair or sofa and when you get home tired as hell they give you that look .. You lowly mortal .. I decided No cats .. Definitely No cats . Maybe Dogs.. hm.. Dogs , I like dogs but then most of the apartments now have no pet policy , I believe our apartment people do . And I think I signed up saying I don't have any pets oh Boy . Who was to know that I would be soon having a pet . It is kind of annoying you need to sign up for this tons of paperwork before you actually get the house; and you end up signing lot of stuff.. like say for example The DISH policy . well oh boy .. I can really get started on that one.. wont I .. but then I will have another post on that .
ah coming back to my pet hunt .. Dogs are also out . How about Birds.. No not birds. I have to cage them up and I don't like that. Something else.. Fish YES ,Thats It ..fish an Aquarium , that would be perfect for her . She would love that and I too like aquariums , I always wanted one as a a kid never got one though . Well off I go.. to Petco ..
Ok Back . No No . not from petco . There was no Petco nearby but walmart had one and I ended up buying a 10 gallon tank and I filled it with water , Dechlorinated the water . phew.. There are tons of things that you need to do to have fish as a pet .. you need to have heater to keep water warm .. you should have a filter so that they call clear all the gooey stuff out.. and then .. woah underwater gravel cleaner.. well I am armed with all that . Spent $ 40 and no fish yet..
After another trip to walmart and another 15 $ on fish . Now I have 4 goldfish gliding along in my new fish pond.. my wife loved it.. Already she has named them .. Ah.... it was worth.. it..
Now she has some one else for company..
With yet another Valentine's Day is on the cards
I am confronted with the usual problem , what to buy for my wife for valentine's Day . I did run and scan the usual list in my mind.. Chocolates , candy perfumes , cards .. No No it did not seem like what I wanted. Diamonds.. hm... they are too expensive.. and frankly I never got it what is it with a rock.. They have the same structure as graphite you know But they sure as hell is different
Well I was looking for a reasonable ( price ) but innovative. How about pets
Say cats ... No No not cats they kind of behave as if they own the house if you know what I mean . They lay there on your favorite armchair or sofa and when you get home tired as hell they give you that look .. You lowly mortal .. I decided No cats .. Definitely No cats . Maybe Dogs.. hm.. Dogs , I like dogs but then most of the apartments now have no pet policy , I believe our apartment people do . And I think I signed up saying I don't have any pets oh Boy . Who was to know that I would be soon having a pet . It is kind of annoying you need to sign up for this tons of paperwork before you actually get the house; and you end up signing lot of stuff.. like say for example The DISH policy . well oh boy .. I can really get started on that one.. wont I .. but then I will have another post on that .
ah coming back to my pet hunt .. Dogs are also out . How about Birds.. No not birds. I have to cage them up and I don't like that. Something else.. Fish YES ,Thats It ..fish an Aquarium , that would be perfect for her . She would love that and I too like aquariums , I always wanted one as a a kid never got one though . Well off I go.. to Petco ..
Ok Back . No No . not from petco . There was no Petco nearby but walmart had one and I ended up buying a 10 gallon tank and I filled it with water , Dechlorinated the water . phew.. There are tons of things that you need to do to have fish as a pet .. you need to have heater to keep water warm .. you should have a filter so that they call clear all the gooey stuff out.. and then .. woah underwater gravel cleaner.. well I am armed with all that . Spent $ 40 and no fish yet..
After another trip to walmart and another 15 $ on fish . Now I have 4 goldfish gliding along in my new fish pond.. my wife loved it.. Already she has named them .. Ah.... it was worth.. it..
Now she has some one else for company..
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