Merry Christmas and very happy new year 2009

Wish you in the next year 2009 good health , good appetite, if you are single, wish you find your lover, and get married soon; If you are married, wish you love each other more, and have smart little baby.

Merry Christmas and very happy new year 2009

Aero show from my office window.

It so happened that today was Hindustan Aeronautics Limited decided to treat us to a aero show. Right out of my window I could see the choppers and the planes doing what they do best. Was an amazing free show that we got.

Below snaps are courtesy Ponnapa K.

Bangalore in 1946 - Rare Photographs

BRIGADE ROAD .
The left hand side building is still standing, and housed the Ashok Electricals,
the Post Office, now it is the LEE and Luis Phillips showroom.
The road hasn't got any bigger, but the traffic and the crowd definitely has

town hall

Hosur road










This is the Mayo hall. It sure looks much more regal than what it does today. It houses the Courts and was apparently also one of the main Police Station jails









Observe something?? The licence plate shows BAN565 suggests that there were under 1000 cars in Bangalore in 1946 or in the entire state ( then known as the state of Mysore )














This strong stone building is now only known as the Oriental Building( presently houses the LIC)
and is at the intersection of MG Road ( then called as, South Parade) and St. Marks Road.
There apparently was a large circle at this juncture as can be seen in the photograph.
The road you are looking at is St. Marks Road

Misconception about Goans

I have lived in Goa for more than 20 years but never really knew what people from other parts of the world thought about us until one fine day I landed up in Bangalore. Here is one of the many conversations I have had with people and they the start and end pretty much the same way.

Someone: Hi, where are you from?

Me: Hi, Goa.

Someone: Wow!!! That's a great place to be born in. You are a very lucky man.

Me: Yup thats there, though I never really thought about it that way. Just realised it now.

Someone: Are you from proper Goa?

Me: What do mean by proper Goa? Is there improper Goa? Do you live improper place?

Someone: So tell me do people start drinking from the morning it self?

Me: That's true. There are so many people from all over who come to visit. We need to provide them with alcohol when they want right. After all they come for the cheap booze and the other cheap pleasures.

Someone: No I mean the Goans do they drink from morning.

Me: Well you know what, that is one of the biggest misconception people have about Goa. People from Goa are very good social drinkers and are very responsible ones. The stupid bollywood movies have really given Goa and Goans a very bad name. All people can think of Goa is beaches and drunkards.There is also a huge population that does not drink at all. Tea-totlers. You might wonder how is this possible. But thats the way it is. We however do encourage people to come and drink. That's one of the main sources of income for many. Apart from tourism, ofcourse.

Someone: Oh! Ok. So can you play the guitar?

Me: Another misconception. Not everyone from Goa can play the guitar and dance beautifully. There are many talentless people like me.

Someone: Ha Ha Ha...

Mekedatu and Chinchu falls

Date of visit: 21 Dec 2008
Country: India
Major Places visited: Mekedatu, Chinchu falls - Karnataka
Pictures: chinchu & mekedatu

At 11:30 pm on 20th Dec 2008 Nachu a friend from my previous employer calls and suggests going to Mekedatu. What else will an avid biker in me say, 'Go go go you fool' and so at 7:00 am on 21st Dec 2008 I am up and ready to go.

Breakfast of Idli's and tea at one of the sagar's on the way and we hit the beautiful roads. The roads have been newly laid, makes me think for me. I got a powerful bike in India standards. Pulling the throttle to the max was pure ecstasy. And then Nachu says I want to ride. I have hardly been a pillion rider, that too on my own bike, has not happened many times. I can count it on my fingers I think. And so my dear friend pulled the throttle and scared the wits out of me. I was actually holding on to the back seat. He got his shot at the esctasy for 15 minutes. Then it was me all the way.

To reach Mekedatu,you need to take the Kanakpura road. Travel all the way to Kanakpura town. Just after you leave Kanakpura town, there is a road on the left which leads to Mekedatu and chinchu falls. Make sure to ask the locals for directions. The first place you will get is Chinchu falls.

Chinchu falls is kind of hidden away from the main attraction Mekedatu. We just happend to see the sign board and decided to take a shot at it. It was worth a shot. The water level at the falls was very less so we were able to swin and dive in the small pond the waterfall had made. The climb down to the pond is quite steep and slippery. You need to be careful. The pond is deep and the water is very pleasant to swim in.

At Mekedaatu, the Kaveri runs through a deep, narrow ravine of hard
granite rock. The river which is more than 150 meters wide at the
confluence (at Sangama) flows through the hardly 10 meters wide gorge
at Mekedatu. It is said that a goat could leap over it, giving the falls the name Goat's Leap. You need to walk across the Kaveri river. The water is very shallow. On the other side is a bus waiting to take you to the ravine. The scenic beauty at the ravine is mesmerising. Dont forget to take your camera.

Amazing ride.

Things to remember

1. Ride a powerful bike/car
2. Carry a change of clothes if you intent to swim.

What Rs. 500 means to people of different strata

Khushwant Singh's recipe for happiness

1. Good bank account
2. Good company
3. Good digestion

ASSICONS

We all know those cute little computer symbols called "emoticons," where:
:) means a smile and
:( is a frown.
Sometimes these are represented by
:-)
:-(
Well, how about some "ASSICONS?"
Here goes:
(_!_) a regular ass
(__!__) a fat ass
(!) a tight ass
(_*_) a sore ass
{_!_} a swishy ass
(_o_) an ass that's been around
(_x_) kiss my ass
(_X_) leave my ass alone
(_zzz_) a tired ass
(_E=mc2_) a smart ass
(_$_) Money coming out of his ass
(_?_) Dumb Ass

New year resolutions for 2009

Here I am yet again making my resolution wishlish

1. Travel more
2. Blog on what I travel.
3. Avoid getting married.

This list will be closed at the end of the year.

5 fabulous things that happened in 2008

Life has been good to me this year, as usual, getting better with age I guess. Let me summarise the 5 best things that have happened in the year 2008

1. Now @ AOL - managed to get out of a great company, Honeywell and get into even greater company AOL. The workplace and the environment is a drastic change from Honeywell. This place is much more fun and people are much more friendlier. Wonderful team and a manager and I got myself a great window desk :)
2. Found out what love means - Pain in one word. Not that I am against love, its the thought of being/being out of it that causes the pain.
   
3. Hero Honda Hunk - after a lot heartbreak sold my Bullet and got a new bike.
   
4. New house.
   
5. Avioded getting married - yet again.
   

Things I can die without

I have seen a lot of lists detailing things people cannot live without, here I am with a list of things I can die without

1. Homosexual relationship - not that I have anything against gay people, but I am not cut out for it. I do however support gay rights and even advocate same rights and recognition as people of heterogeneous orientation.
   
2. Drugs and cigarettes - these two are a strict no. I only do alcohol and passive smoking, cant help that, can I?
   
3. Sleep with my best friends wife/girlfriend- :) seriously no
4. Vijay super scooter - caused too much grief
   
5. Learn non-linear control theory,abstract algebra or Calculus
   
6. Ditch a girl
   
7. Goa university MCA entrance exam
   
8. Sleep with the author - didnt know I was that bad :(
9. Cheat somebody badly and see the suffer for food. - well software engineers are already doing this to some Americans..
10. Get involved in terrorist activities.
11. Eat live cockroaches or worms
    
12. Be a quintessential Indian bahu
13. Spread negative energy.
    

more to come....

Thanks to Ramesh V.B, Alreich Nachu, Divya and anonymous for contributing to this list.

Team at AOL

Here is my team at AOL. From left to right is Ravi, Niranjan, Sunil, and moi, ya I am looking like a chinki :(..i should hit the gym again, just waiting for my damn finger to fix. Ya I could run, but I am getting lazy. New year resolution - beat John Abraham. Yup wishful thinking. :) Here's to the new year. Cheers.