Check out all the lyrics of Hindi songs at the URL listed below :)
http://www.lyricsmasti.com/song/4972/get_lyrics_of_Jab-Se-Tere-Naina-Mere.html
Cheers!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
Mumbai Blasts
Its been a very frustrating and helpless time for the past 2 days with the terrorist activity in Mumbai, i am not really sure what one is going to achieve by killing innocent civilians - this article really talks on how i feel right now and i have become a fan of Sambit Bal for writing this.
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/379988.html
He is a cricket journalist, but this has come more from a human side of Sambit - thanks man for the wonderful article.
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/379988.html
He is a cricket journalist, but this has come more from a human side of Sambit - thanks man for the wonderful article.
Monday, November 17, 2008
House Warming
Moved into my new house last week and things have been pretty hectic, still trying to get used to the new place and the commute, bought a new car too... Innova :)
Things have been very exciting till now, lets see what the future holds!
Things have been very exciting till now, lets see what the future holds!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Happy Deepavali!!!
Its been one hell of a time from the last Deepavali to this one, from a sensex stand point, it was looking like we are going to touch 30K but we are back at 8K, life is a big leveler with surprises all the time.
I am hoping that this year would be more realistic and the economy of the world will struggle and get back to to the growth path, all the wishful thinking in the world, gives me enough ammunition to comment on this for the next Deepavali.
Meanwhile, just enjoy and have loads of fun this Deepavali and spend more money on lights vs sounds......a very Happy Deepavali to all :)
Cheers, Kalyan!
I am hoping that this year would be more realistic and the economy of the world will struggle and get back to to the growth path, all the wishful thinking in the world, gives me enough ammunition to comment on this for the next Deepavali.
Meanwhile, just enjoy and have loads of fun this Deepavali and spend more money on lights vs sounds......a very Happy Deepavali to all :)
Cheers, Kalyan!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Visitors from US
Lot of visitors from the US at work this week and its kind of keeping me very busy, but i enjoy these meetings, apart from the work stuff i enjoy interacting with folks from different countries :)
Missed out on watching the Bangalore test though, have to catch up on my cricket!
Missed out on watching the Bangalore test though, have to catch up on my cricket!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Home Sweet home
Back in India and trying to get out of the jet lag, but for some reason this time around i am not able to get over it as fast as i usually do.
The trip was pretty good though and as always its a great feeling once you are back home!
The trip was pretty good though and as always its a great feeling once you are back home!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Bay area - too hot
This is the first time i am experiencing the bay area heat, the 33 degrees centigrade is appearing to be much hotter that it actually is.
I have lived here for a couple of years in 2000 and 2001 but the weather through the year used to be great, maybe the global warming is taking its effect.
I was last here in January and for most part of my stay it rained, it was cold and chilly but i really enjoyed that weather - i would prefer it to be cold than hot, being in Bangalore for more than 4 years now i am more used to the cold weather than the hot one.
I have lived here for a couple of years in 2000 and 2001 but the weather through the year used to be great, maybe the global warming is taking its effect.
I was last here in January and for most part of my stay it rained, it was cold and chilly but i really enjoyed that weather - i would prefer it to be cold than hot, being in Bangalore for more than 4 years now i am more used to the cold weather than the hot one.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Travel to US
Got the chance to check out the new Bangalore International airport and it was pretty good. The travel from Richmond town to BIAL was not so bad, during a little off peak hour (9ish) it took 75 minutes to reach and frankly thats fine.
One mistake that i have done this time after the check in is forgot to see the boarding passes for my onward journey and the Lufthansa folks goofed up, gave me a boarding pass from Frankfurt to Boston instead of SFO, i saw this once i reached Frankfurt and it took some running around and fortunately i landed with my luggage in SFO :)
Lesson: Always check the boarding passes of your complete journey and never assume anything, airport staff are as smarter or as foolish as you are :)
One mistake that i have done this time after the check in is forgot to see the boarding passes for my onward journey and the Lufthansa folks goofed up, gave me a boarding pass from Frankfurt to Boston instead of SFO, i saw this once i reached Frankfurt and it took some running around and fortunately i landed with my luggage in SFO :)
Lesson: Always check the boarding passes of your complete journey and never assume anything, airport staff are as smarter or as foolish as you are :)
Monday, August 11, 2008
Kapalbhati Yoga Pranayama for Health & Healing
This article and the video is a very good demonstration of Kapalbhati pranayam, for my NRI friends/relatives :) Please click here
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Gold @ Olympics
Bindra got the elusive Gold for India in the Mens 10m Air Rifle, this is simply great!!!
India has never really been a great sports nation and for a country as big as India 1 Gold medal may not be a cause for great celebration, but considering that we only got Gold while playing hockey and this year hockey team not even qualifying for the Olympics makes this Gold great.
As a country i guess we need to beyond 1 or 2 sports and make an impact in Olympics, hoping for lot more Golds in future, for now would like to enjoy this one :)
More news at http://www.rediff.com/sports/2008/aug/11bindra.htm
& http://www.nbcolympics.com/countries/country=ind/medals/medalists/index.html
India has never really been a great sports nation and for a country as big as India 1 Gold medal may not be a cause for great celebration, but considering that we only got Gold while playing hockey and this year hockey team not even qualifying for the Olympics makes this Gold great.
As a country i guess we need to beyond 1 or 2 sports and make an impact in Olympics, hoping for lot more Golds in future, for now would like to enjoy this one :)
More news at http://www.rediff.com/sports/2008/aug/11bindra.htm
& http://www.nbcolympics.com/countries/country=ind/medals/medalists/index.html
Friday, August 8, 2008
Sun Convergence
Sun Convergence is a cool new AJAX based web client from Sun, well i have vested interest in it, after all i work for this product :)
Check out some of the cool features here.
This is a brand new client so it does have some hiccups, but overall its a wonderful experience :)
Check out some of the cool features here.
This is a brand new client so it does have some hiccups, but overall its a wonderful experience :)
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Mudras and their health benefits
This is pretty good info on Mudras, but my disclaimer is that this is just the info that i have collected and putting it up here, you should consult a yoga expert before using these mudras and not try it on your own.
Mudras are very powerful. If you practice these mudras regularly you can see the wonderful health benefits.
1. Gyan Mudra (Mudra of Knowledge):
Method:
Touch the tip of the thumb to the tip of the index finger, with the other three fingers stretched out.
Specialty:
As it is a mudra of knowledge, it enhances the knowledge. The tip of thumb has centers of pituitary and endocrine glands. When we press these centers by index finger the two glands work actively.
Time duration:
There is no particular time duration for this mudra. You can practice by sitting, standing or lying on bed whenever and wherever you have time.
Benefits:
O Increases memory power and sharpens the brain
O Enhances concentration and prevents Insomnia
O If we practice it regularly, it will cure all psychological disorders like Mental, Hysteria, Anger and Depression
2. Prithvi Mudra (Mudra of Earth):
Method:
Tip of the ring finger touches the tip of the thumb, with the other three fingers stretched out.
Specialty:
It reduces all physical weaknesses.
Time Duration:
It has no particular time duration. You can practice it any time you want.
Benefits:
O It helps to increase the weight for weak people
O It improves the complexion of skin and makes the skin to glow
O It makes the body active by keeping it healthy
3. Varuna Mudra (Mudra of Water):
Method:
Tip of little finger touches the tip of thumb, with the other three fingers stretched out.
Specialty:
It balances the water content and prevents all diseases which come due to lack of water.
Time Duration:
It has no specific time duration and one can practice it according to their time.
Benefits:
O It retains clarity in blood by balancing water content in the body
O Prevents the pains of Gastroenteritis and Muscle Shrinkage
4. Vayu Mudra (Mudra of Air):
Method:
Keep the index finger on the base of the thumb and press with thumb keeping the other three fingers straight.
Specialty:
It prevents all the diseases that occur due to the imbalance of the air.
Time Duration:
The practice of this mudra for 45 minutes reduces the severity of the disease in 12 to 24 hours. For better results practice it for two months.
Benefits:
O It cures Rheumatism, Arthritis, Gout, Parkinson's disease and paralysis without any medicine
O It is useful for Cervical Spondilytis, paralysis to face and catching of nerve in neck
O It corrects the disorder of gas in the stomach
5. Shunya Mudra (Mudra of Emptiness):
Method:
Keep the middle finger at the mount of Venus and press it with thumb.
Specialty:
It reduces the dullness in our body.
Time Duration:
One can practice it for 40 to 60 minutes daily until to be cured from the disease.
Benefits:
O It relieves an earache within 4 or 5 minutes
O It is useful for the deaf and mentally challenged, but not for inborn ones.
6. Surya Mudra (Mudra of Sun):
Method:
Bend the ring finger and press it with thumb.
Specialty:
It sharpens the center in thyroid gland.
Time Duration:
Practice it daily twice for 5 to 15 minutes.
Benefits:
O It reduces cholesterol in body and helps in reducing weight
O It reduces anxiety
O It corrects indigestion problems
7. Prana Mudra (Mudra of Life):
Method:
Bend ring finger and little finger and touch the tip of thumb with their tips keeping the remaining two fingers stretched.
Specialty:
As it is the mudra of life, it improves the power of life. Weak people become strong. It reduces the clamps in blood vessels. If we practice it regularly, we will become active.
Time Duration:
No specific time duration. One can practice it any time.
Benefits:
O It improves immunity
O Improves the power of eyes and reduces eye related diseases
O It removes the vitamin deficiency and fatigue
8. Apana Mudra (Mudra of Digestion):
Method:
The tips of middle finger and ring finger touch the tip of thumb while the other two fingers are stretched out.
Specialty:
It plays an important role in our health as it regulates the excretory system.
Time Duration:
Practice it daily for 45 minutes, but practice for longer time yields more benefits.
Benefits:
O It regulates diabetes
o It cures constipation and piles
o It helps excreting the normal waste regularly
9. Apana Vayu Mudra (Mudra of Heart):
Method:
The tips of the middle finger and ring finger touch the tip of thumb, while the index finger touches the base of thumb and little finger stretched out.
Specialty:
It benefits the heart. It works like injection in the reduction of heart attack. It is as powerful as sorbitate tablet. It reduces the gas content in body.
Time Duration:
Practice it as many times as you can. Heart patients and BP patients can practice it for 15 minutes daily twice for better results.
Benefits:
o It strengthens the heart and regularizes palpitation
o It regulates excretory system
o It redeems gastric trouble
10. Linga Mudra (Mudra of Heat):
Method:
Interlock the fingers of both the hands and keep the thumb of the left hand vertically straight and encircle it with the thumb and the index finger of the right hand..
Specialty:
It generates heat in our body. Take milk, ghee, more water and fruit juices in addition to practice of this mudra for much benefits.
Time Duration:
Practice it any time you want. But don't practice it a lot as it produces heat in the body.. It can cause sweating even in winter if you practice it longer.
Benefits:
o It stops production of phlegm and gives power to lungs
o It cures severe cold and bronchial infection
o It invigorates the body
Mudras are very powerful. If you practice these mudras regularly you can see the wonderful health benefits.
1. Gyan Mudra (Mudra of Knowledge):
Method:
Touch the tip of the thumb to the tip of the index finger, with the other three fingers stretched out.
Specialty:
As it is a mudra of knowledge, it enhances the knowledge. The tip of thumb has centers of pituitary and endocrine glands. When we press these centers by index finger the two glands work actively.
Time duration:
There is no particular time duration for this mudra. You can practice by sitting, standing or lying on bed whenever and wherever you have time.
Benefits:
O Increases memory power and sharpens the brain
O Enhances concentration and prevents Insomnia
O If we practice it regularly, it will cure all psychological disorders like Mental, Hysteria, Anger and Depression
2. Prithvi Mudra (Mudra of Earth):
Method:
Tip of the ring finger touches the tip of the thumb, with the other three fingers stretched out.
Specialty:
It reduces all physical weaknesses.
Time Duration:
It has no particular time duration. You can practice it any time you want.
Benefits:
O It helps to increase the weight for weak people
O It improves the complexion of skin and makes the skin to glow
O It makes the body active by keeping it healthy
3. Varuna Mudra (Mudra of Water):
Method:
Tip of little finger touches the tip of thumb, with the other three fingers stretched out.
Specialty:
It balances the water content and prevents all diseases which come due to lack of water.
Time Duration:
It has no specific time duration and one can practice it according to their time.
Benefits:
O It retains clarity in blood by balancing water content in the body
O Prevents the pains of Gastroenteritis and Muscle Shrinkage
4. Vayu Mudra (Mudra of Air):
Method:
Keep the index finger on the base of the thumb and press with thumb keeping the other three fingers straight.
Specialty:
It prevents all the diseases that occur due to the imbalance of the air.
Time Duration:
The practice of this mudra for 45 minutes reduces the severity of the disease in 12 to 24 hours. For better results practice it for two months.
Benefits:
O It cures Rheumatism, Arthritis, Gout, Parkinson's disease and paralysis without any medicine
O It is useful for Cervical Spondilytis, paralysis to face and catching of nerve in neck
O It corrects the disorder of gas in the stomach
5. Shunya Mudra (Mudra of Emptiness):
Method:
Keep the middle finger at the mount of Venus and press it with thumb.
Specialty:
It reduces the dullness in our body.
Time Duration:
One can practice it for 40 to 60 minutes daily until to be cured from the disease.
Benefits:
O It relieves an earache within 4 or 5 minutes
O It is useful for the deaf and mentally challenged, but not for inborn ones.
6. Surya Mudra (Mudra of Sun):
Method:
Bend the ring finger and press it with thumb.
Specialty:
It sharpens the center in thyroid gland.
Time Duration:
Practice it daily twice for 5 to 15 minutes.
Benefits:
O It reduces cholesterol in body and helps in reducing weight
O It reduces anxiety
O It corrects indigestion problems
7. Prana Mudra (Mudra of Life):
Method:
Bend ring finger and little finger and touch the tip of thumb with their tips keeping the remaining two fingers stretched.
Specialty:
As it is the mudra of life, it improves the power of life. Weak people become strong. It reduces the clamps in blood vessels. If we practice it regularly, we will become active.
Time Duration:
No specific time duration. One can practice it any time.
Benefits:
O It improves immunity
O Improves the power of eyes and reduces eye related diseases
O It removes the vitamin deficiency and fatigue
8. Apana Mudra (Mudra of Digestion):
Method:
The tips of middle finger and ring finger touch the tip of thumb while the other two fingers are stretched out.
Specialty:
It plays an important role in our health as it regulates the excretory system.
Time Duration:
Practice it daily for 45 minutes, but practice for longer time yields more benefits.
Benefits:
O It regulates diabetes
o It cures constipation and piles
o It helps excreting the normal waste regularly
9. Apana Vayu Mudra (Mudra of Heart):
Method:
The tips of the middle finger and ring finger touch the tip of thumb, while the index finger touches the base of thumb and little finger stretched out.
Specialty:
It benefits the heart. It works like injection in the reduction of heart attack. It is as powerful as sorbitate tablet. It reduces the gas content in body.
Time Duration:
Practice it as many times as you can. Heart patients and BP patients can practice it for 15 minutes daily twice for better results.
Benefits:
o It strengthens the heart and regularizes palpitation
o It regulates excretory system
o It redeems gastric trouble
10. Linga Mudra (Mudra of Heat):
Method:
Interlock the fingers of both the hands and keep the thumb of the left hand vertically straight and encircle it with the thumb and the index finger of the right hand..
Specialty:
It generates heat in our body. Take milk, ghee, more water and fruit juices in addition to practice of this mudra for much benefits.
Time Duration:
Practice it any time you want. But don't practice it a lot as it produces heat in the body.. It can cause sweating even in winter if you practice it longer.
Benefits:
o It stops production of phlegm and gives power to lungs
o It cures severe cold and bronchial infection
o It invigorates the body
Yoga
Good things take a long time to spread whereas the bad ones spread way too fast. It was very refreshing to see lot of folks following yoga and Ramdev and trying to get back to fitness.
I am no fitness freak myself but have started going to yoga and its a great feeling once you are able to do things the way they need to be done.
Kapalbatti and pranayama are really a very good breathing exercises and something i would recommend for everyone. There is lot of information available on the net, I am going to start collecting all of them and will share it in my blogs...so stay tuned!
I am no fitness freak myself but have started going to yoga and its a great feeling once you are able to do things the way they need to be done.
Kapalbatti and pranayama are really a very good breathing exercises and something i would recommend for everyone. There is lot of information available on the net, I am going to start collecting all of them and will share it in my blogs...so stay tuned!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Terrible Weekend
It all started with the blasts in Bangalore on friday (25th July), totally about 8 of them - 3 of them about half a kilometer from where i stay, while we were relieved that the intensity of the blasts was low, it also puts in a fear if this was what it was meant to be or something else is coming?
Saturday was very bad with Ahmadabad being rocked with 16 blasts and the security folks able to retrieve 3 live blasts also, the folks in Ahmadabad were not as lucky as the Bangalore folks there were huge casualties, more than 50 people dead.
It is so unfortunate that folks who are doing this do not understand what they are doing and why they are doing, they are causing damage to innocent people and their property, if they have the guts they should voice their opinion in more non violent way - violence and hurting someone is the most easiest way and i dont think they have the heart or the guts to do it the hard way.
All they can do is put bombs in crowded place and rejoice about their victory when see some innocent folks die, this is nothing but a cowardly way of doing this and whoever is behind this is just that...a coward.
Saturday was very bad with Ahmadabad being rocked with 16 blasts and the security folks able to retrieve 3 live blasts also, the folks in Ahmadabad were not as lucky as the Bangalore folks there were huge casualties, more than 50 people dead.
It is so unfortunate that folks who are doing this do not understand what they are doing and why they are doing, they are causing damage to innocent people and their property, if they have the guts they should voice their opinion in more non violent way - violence and hurting someone is the most easiest way and i dont think they have the heart or the guts to do it the hard way.
All they can do is put bombs in crowded place and rejoice about their victory when see some innocent folks die, this is nothing but a cowardly way of doing this and whoever is behind this is just that...a coward.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Love to hate
Here is the collection of some 50 office phrases published on the bbc website, they are interesting :)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7457287.stm
Some more interesting ones contributed by my colleagues!
http://www.cs.purdue.edu/homes/dec/essay.topic.generator.html
http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/developer/corporateipsum.html
Thanks Eshwar & Sai.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7457287.stm
Some more interesting ones contributed by my colleagues!
http://www.cs.purdue.edu/homes/dec/essay.topic.generator.html
http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/developer/corporateipsum.html
Thanks Eshwar & Sai.
Good roads are sometimes bad!
In the last few weeks most of the roads around Bangalore have been getting some make up and the roads are looking good now. I stay in Richmond town and most of it also got some make over of the roads, the roads look very decent and good, but unfortunately the roads do not look safer any more with folks really zooming in and out on these roads.
There were couple of incidents that happened around these places and we need to be more careful while crossing the roads. I am not criticizing the good quality of the roads right now as bad roads can cause more accidents, but its about vehicle owners using these more responsibly.
So sometimes good roads can be bad!
There were couple of incidents that happened around these places and we need to be more careful while crossing the roads. I am not criticizing the good quality of the roads right now as bad roads can cause more accidents, but its about vehicle owners using these more responsibly.
So sometimes good roads can be bad!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Team Outing - Wayanad
Another quarter and another team outing, this time we wanted to go to Wayanad, booked the Orchid resorts at Wayanad and planned to leave the office at 6AM on a thursday morning.
We all assembled at 6AM and had to wait for couple of team members, anywise we could start at 6:30AM, its always good to start early towards Mysore to beat the morning traffic and we did exactly that. Stopped at the Kamat Lokurachi for a good breakfast buffet. The buffet breakfast was really worth every rupee, he gives you idli, vada, dosa, pongal, kesari bath, fruit...a welcome drink and coffee/tea at Rs 60.
We reached the kerala border by 12:30 and went on a ride to the wild life sanctuary, couldnt really find a lot of animals apart from herds of deers, they were a pretty site and some of them posed for the cameras.
Once done with the sanctuary we proceeded towards our initial destination - Sultan Battery . The name may sound funny, but it is an English name and apparently Tipu Sultan kept all his ammunition at this place and hence the name. We had lunch at a place called Jubilee restaurant and the food there was good, some of the folks in the team had difficulty with the coconut oil cooking and the kerala rice, but for a change i liked it and enjoyed it. We slowly proceeded towards our resort which was about 15 kms from Sultan Battery and checked in and had some tea.
We quickly changed into some casual wear and went to a nearby ground to play some cricket, it was a wonderful atmosphere, green ground, good looking pitch all for ourselves and some spectators, the weather was also ideal for cricket, we played couple of matches and they really tired everyone. In the evening we had a campfire and our Director Sunil started the audition for the new movie he was planning :) The day ended with some great dance from our own Hrithik Roshan - Shylesh ...err...his new name actually is doodh peda!
The next day lot of our team mates where majorly into taking snaps...a lot of them...and we went to Edakkal caves and from there to Meenmutty falls. The Meenmuttu falls experience was very scary and unduly dangerous adventure, my suggestion to anyone reading this blog is not to go there. Someone can get seriously hurt there and there is no help anywhere near.
One thing that came out of the scary trekking of Meemutty falls was the team work and how the team took the responsibility of other team members who were not as agile (myself) and made sure that everyone came back safely. This experience has brought the team together very well and I have no second thoughts in saying this is the best team i have worked with till date!
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Earlier blogs - Whats in a name?
Whats in a name?
Some strange things happen and continue to happen no one questions them i dont know why they are not as important as some other things which become the most important things:We have West Bengal, there is nothing called an East Bengal, it has become Bangladesh long time back, so isnt there more merit in calling West Bengal as Bengal before you wanna change Calcutta to Kolkata?
Now the Karnataka govt wants to change Bangalore to Bengaluru, it sounds almost the same but is spelled lot differently, the interesting fact would be how they will handle all the English names that they have all over the city - Frazer Town, Richmond Town, Cox Town, Whitefield etc etc.
Would it be ok with the culture part if you just change the name of the city and not its streets?
Bombay became Mumbai, Madras became Chennai, Calcutta became Kolkata....the only remaining Metropolitan city is New Delhi, now not sure why no name change there, maybe the Delhi state govt and the central govt at the centre would have been different and they couldnt finalise on the name :)
Tamil movies these days get some tax exemption if you use tamil names, phrases or sentences....and I always thought that the name of the movie has to do with the plot of the movie, not in this state. Maybe one guy who would really benefited with something like this and thats Karan Johar - Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna all hindi names, i would say Karan make friends with some tamil politicians and decision makers, you are gonna save a lot of money on tax.
Anywise folks I am sure we cannot contest the "whats in a name" sentence as lot of public money is involved in and around lot of names :)
Jokes apart folks lot of public money goes into drain with this obsession of changing names, we should schedule these once we have money to spare, weve had deficit budget every single year from the time i was born and that was quite sometime back and hopefully i wouldnt be saying the same when i am 60 :)
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Mysore-Ooty-Kodai-Kanyakumari
This was something i would have never dared to plan, but my niece's and nephews enthu made this possible. A trip of 6 days planned in 4 hours, booked hotels on phone and set out for the trip.....we wanted to go somewhere on friday morning and ended up on a 6 day trip starting saturday morning!!!
Day 1
The first stop was Mysore - went to Chamundi temple and checked out the Mysore palace, the good thing was we packed the food from home, so it meant less wastage of time for food, we were done with the palace at 2:30PM and had food in the car itself.
We managed to reach Masina gudi a small village about 30 kms before Ooty in a resort owned by Mithun - called Monarch Safari. The place was ok with good food, but the ambiance of the rooms and the maintenance was not really of great standard. We really did not plan ahead of time and that meant you had to compromise and this for me was a compromise. To be fair to the place, the resorts surrounding is good, just that the rooms are bad. One more mistake was this is about 30 kms before Ooty and you have to pass thru the ghat road to reach Ooty and the ghat road is not very friendly.
Day2:
The Monarch served very good breakfast and we set out for Ooty, started off with the Botanical gardens then went to Doddabetta peak - had lunch at Amaravathi restaurant - leaving aside the confusion on whats a buffet (i always knew about veg or non-veg, but here there is Veg meals, Veg Buffet, Non Veg meals, Biryani Buffet etc) the food was great. Once done with the food we started off for the boating, looking at the rush and the number of people there i could convince my family that lets do it the next day and went to Pykara - nice place climbed the peak and back had some fun with the winds too :) All of us were tired by end of the day so decided to head back to the hotel.
This was one of the major inconveniences of taking hotel away from Ooty and that too in Masina gudi, the check post police initially did not allow us to take the ghat road as they felt it was dangerous, then it required some convincing and they told us to go just on the second gear - by the way we were in an Innova.
Day 3
We thought lets do the boating in Kodai and not spend more time in Ooty, so we went out on our journey towards Kodai - the route was Coimbatore - Pollachi - Palani - Kodai about 270 kms in all but the traffic and the ghat road made sure it takes us about 7 hours to reach Kodai. Once in Kodai searching for our hotel was a major pain and when we found it (btw this is called J's residency) we felt Monarch hotel at Masina gudi was heaven. We were given very spacious duplex places in resort but the rooms were horrible and just not maintained - this is one place i dont want to go ever...
Day4
Started off early morning and looked around Kodaikanal, the weather was great and we spent some quality time in boating ( The boating starts at 9AM and we were the first to get into one) - kids enjoyed the horse ride and we hired a guide called Prem who is a 9th class kid who earns money to study by being a guide. The kid was amazing and was way matured for his age. It was 2PM and we thought we should start on our journey to Kanyakumari so that we can atleast reach by 10PM. The route we took was Madurai - Tirunelveli - Kanyakumari : the distance is about 400 kms and our journey was at good pace once we hit the NH7 - the four lane road is still under construction but the road on one side or the other is kinda done so that made our journey smoother, we reached Kodai by 9:30PM - this was a very tiring journey and i really felt we should have turned back from Kodai. Stayed at Singaar International - for a change the hotel was very good and their service was pretty good.
Day5
Sunrise - it was fabulous, in the afternoon we went to the Vivekananda rock and it was a great feeling, did not really spend any time with Thiruvallur as it was already very tiring. We came back to the hotel and spent the remaining day at the room playing dumb charades. Missed out on the sunset as it was cloudy in the second part of the day. Now the challenge was getting back to Bangalore, there were plans of going to Madurai and spend some time there, but some of us were so tired we wanted to head home.
Day 6
This was an amazing day, we traveled 700kms at a stretch, started at 4:30AM in the morning and reached Hosur by 5PM, got caught in the regular electronic city traffic and reached home by 7PM. Huh.....one tiresome journey but the great thing was there were 6 adults and 4 kids in a Innova and the greatest challenge was managing the kids and making sure nothing untoward happened and we all were happy we had a good trip. Clicked about 400 photos, will upload them once i have little more time...
Day 1
The first stop was Mysore - went to Chamundi temple and checked out the Mysore palace, the good thing was we packed the food from home, so it meant less wastage of time for food, we were done with the palace at 2:30PM and had food in the car itself.
We managed to reach Masina gudi a small village about 30 kms before Ooty in a resort owned by Mithun - called Monarch Safari. The place was ok with good food, but the ambiance of the rooms and the maintenance was not really of great standard. We really did not plan ahead of time and that meant you had to compromise and this for me was a compromise. To be fair to the place, the resorts surrounding is good, just that the rooms are bad. One more mistake was this is about 30 kms before Ooty and you have to pass thru the ghat road to reach Ooty and the ghat road is not very friendly.
Day2:
The Monarch served very good breakfast and we set out for Ooty, started off with the Botanical gardens then went to Doddabetta peak - had lunch at Amaravathi restaurant - leaving aside the confusion on whats a buffet (i always knew about veg or non-veg, but here there is Veg meals, Veg Buffet, Non Veg meals, Biryani Buffet etc) the food was great. Once done with the food we started off for the boating, looking at the rush and the number of people there i could convince my family that lets do it the next day and went to Pykara - nice place climbed the peak and back had some fun with the winds too :) All of us were tired by end of the day so decided to head back to the hotel.
This was one of the major inconveniences of taking hotel away from Ooty and that too in Masina gudi, the check post police initially did not allow us to take the ghat road as they felt it was dangerous, then it required some convincing and they told us to go just on the second gear - by the way we were in an Innova.
Day 3
We thought lets do the boating in Kodai and not spend more time in Ooty, so we went out on our journey towards Kodai - the route was Coimbatore - Pollachi - Palani - Kodai about 270 kms in all but the traffic and the ghat road made sure it takes us about 7 hours to reach Kodai. Once in Kodai searching for our hotel was a major pain and when we found it (btw this is called J's residency) we felt Monarch hotel at Masina gudi was heaven. We were given very spacious duplex places in resort but the rooms were horrible and just not maintained - this is one place i dont want to go ever...
Day4
Started off early morning and looked around Kodaikanal, the weather was great and we spent some quality time in boating ( The boating starts at 9AM and we were the first to get into one) - kids enjoyed the horse ride and we hired a guide called Prem who is a 9th class kid who earns money to study by being a guide. The kid was amazing and was way matured for his age. It was 2PM and we thought we should start on our journey to Kanyakumari so that we can atleast reach by 10PM. The route we took was Madurai - Tirunelveli - Kanyakumari : the distance is about 400 kms and our journey was at good pace once we hit the NH7 - the four lane road is still under construction but the road on one side or the other is kinda done so that made our journey smoother, we reached Kodai by 9:30PM - this was a very tiring journey and i really felt we should have turned back from Kodai. Stayed at Singaar International - for a change the hotel was very good and their service was pretty good.
Day5
Sunrise - it was fabulous, in the afternoon we went to the Vivekananda rock and it was a great feeling, did not really spend any time with Thiruvallur as it was already very tiring. We came back to the hotel and spent the remaining day at the room playing dumb charades. Missed out on the sunset as it was cloudy in the second part of the day. Now the challenge was getting back to Bangalore, there were plans of going to Madurai and spend some time there, but some of us were so tired we wanted to head home.
Day 6
This was an amazing day, we traveled 700kms at a stretch, started at 4:30AM in the morning and reached Hosur by 5PM, got caught in the regular electronic city traffic and reached home by 7PM. Huh.....one tiresome journey but the great thing was there were 6 adults and 4 kids in a Innova and the greatest challenge was managing the kids and making sure nothing untoward happened and we all were happy we had a good trip. Clicked about 400 photos, will upload them once i have little more time...
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Inspirations leaders & cricket management
Leaders and leaders whatever be the field and they can inspire an ordinary person to become a great one!
I have always felt cricket has lot of management aspects to the game, not sure if this is just my perspective but there are quite a few things that i can attribute to the way cricket is played vs lot of things that are needed in management.
So here i go...
When the IPL started off everyone thought Deccan Chargers was a great team and Rajasthan Royals did not have a chance, with 70% of the matches done with Rajasthan Royals are right on the top and Deccan at the bottom.
My management lesson from this is any number of Great individual contributors are not good enough to make a team and that kind of team cannot execute and win (Deccan Chargers). Whereas a very ordinary team if gels well and has an inspirational leader who can get the best out of an individual would make a great team (Rajasthan Royals).
Shane Warne is the major reason for the success of Rajasthan Royals. Gilly is equally great leader but may not be the same in Shane's league. Also, to be fair to Gilly if he was told he will be the captain and gave some time with the team he can definitely be the one who can change his team's fortunes.
Chennai Superkings are also a good example of a great leadership - my favorite - Mahendar Singh Dhoni. I think for any team to win a major tournament you need a great leader and once you have him he can turn around an ordinary looking team to a great one.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Garib Rath express
Wondering what the title means, it means a poor mans chariot. Yes, thats what a new completely A/C train between Hyderabad and Bangalore is called.
Some may wonder why call it a poor man's train when it is a centrally air conditioned train and the price is also at a premium. There is a lot of traffic between Hyd & Blr and usually everything is booked, and we folks are charged a lot of money by the Govt and Non Govt transport companies.
For ex: the KSRTC volvo regular fair is Rs 600, but during the weekends the fair is Rs 1000, thats an astonishing 65% more and is being charged by a Govt transport company, the non Govt one would be even more. The flights are expensive and with the new international airport the time advantage is lost too..
So looking at all these things, Lalu may have named this train the poor souls train - so poor may not just mean w.r.t money : here it means w.r.t the higher fares we poor people are charged - apt name i would say!
Some may wonder why call it a poor man's train when it is a centrally air conditioned train and the price is also at a premium. There is a lot of traffic between Hyd & Blr and usually everything is booked, and we folks are charged a lot of money by the Govt and Non Govt transport companies.
For ex: the KSRTC volvo regular fair is Rs 600, but during the weekends the fair is Rs 1000, thats an astonishing 65% more and is being charged by a Govt transport company, the non Govt one would be even more. The flights are expensive and with the new international airport the time advantage is lost too..
So looking at all these things, Lalu may have named this train the poor souls train - so poor may not just mean w.r.t money : here it means w.r.t the higher fares we poor people are charged - apt name i would say!
Friday, April 18, 2008
IPL begins...
I havent seen the first match completely, but looked pretty good. Hope all the hype means something and we will see some good cricket.
The good thing was even though Bangalore lost, the crowd was cheering for the Kolkata folks and thats something i really liked, we usually do not appreciate what our opponents do, but a knowledgeable crowd would always do that and it was a pleasant surprise.
The good thing was even though Bangalore lost, the crowd was cheering for the Kolkata folks and thats something i really liked, we usually do not appreciate what our opponents do, but a knowledgeable crowd would always do that and it was a pleasant surprise.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Medical Shops everywhere
Not sure if this is the byproduct of development or something else but i see there is an exponential increase in the number of Medical shops in Hyderabad. I havent seen so many of them in Bangalore though, so maybe the folks in Hyd are more sick these days?? dont know...
There are a host of Med Plus, Apollo etc everywhere...in some areas there are 6-7 medical shops in the same place, a classic example in Punjagutta road, you have close to 8 medical shops in close vicinity.
There are a host of Med Plus, Apollo etc everywhere...in some areas there are 6-7 medical shops in the same place, a classic example in Punjagutta road, you have close to 8 medical shops in close vicinity.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Hyderabad International Airport
I have mixed feelings about this, its great to have a good International airport but with connectivity not really great i think the domestic travel is going to become a nightmare.
It takes me an hour from Blore to Hyd and it may take me 2-3 hours to reach home and the cost of reaching home from Hyd airport may well be more than reaching Hyd from Blore.
Blore airport is scheduled to open on March 28th and i think I will need to look at alternative mode of travel :(
Check out the Hyd International airport at http://www.hyderabad.aero/
It takes me an hour from Blore to Hyd and it may take me 2-3 hours to reach home and the cost of reaching home from Hyd airport may well be more than reaching Hyd from Blore.
Blore airport is scheduled to open on March 28th and i think I will need to look at alternative mode of travel :(
Check out the Hyd International airport at http://www.hyderabad.aero/
Do we need a coach?
Team India has won the T20 World Cup, series win against England, Pakistan. Test win in Australia and a first time Tri series win in Australia ever. So do we require a coach??
We did have a bowling coach and a fielding coach in Venkatesh prasad and Robin Singh and they have done an amazing job, maybe we should just ask Kirsten to go back to South Africa.
Wonder why Kirsten wanted to join after the Australia tour, did he not back himself doing a better job against the Aussies??
We did have a bowling coach and a fielding coach in Venkatesh prasad and Robin Singh and they have done an amazing job, maybe we should just ask Kirsten to go back to South Africa.
Wonder why Kirsten wanted to join after the Australia tour, did he not back himself doing a better job against the Aussies??
March 4th - 2008
A day to reckon for Indian cricket team :)
What an amazing win, beating the Aussies in their own backyard is a great achievement. Beating them in Perth test was a dream by itself and coming to the CB series finals and beating them in two straight games is a great effort.
The Under 19 team was not far behind, they were paraded around Bangalore for the ICC Under 19 World cup!
The hockey time isnt far behind, they have beaten Russia and Austria with a huge goal difference.
Good time for a Jr to debut too!!!
What an amazing win, beating the Aussies in their own backyard is a great achievement. Beating them in Perth test was a dream by itself and coming to the CB series finals and beating them in two straight games is a great effort.
The Under 19 team was not far behind, they were paraded around Bangalore for the ICC Under 19 World cup!
The hockey time isnt far behind, they have beaten Russia and Austria with a huge goal difference.
Good time for a Jr to debut too!!!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Back from the US
Really did not get any time for write a blog, the going was pretty hectic and lot of good work done during the time. I enjoyed the work as there were all the decision making folks around and we could move fast on anything that requires a decision to be made.
Check out some snaps at http://picasaweb.google.com/kalyan.moharla/SantaClara
In the photos you can see John Morrison, he is my colleague and friend, the trip was lot of fun thanks to John's company. He writes very good blogs and his blogs can be accessed at http://blogs.sun.com/johnmorrison/entry/quality_forum
Check out some snaps at http://picasaweb.google.com/kalyan.moharla/SantaClara
In the photos you can see John Morrison, he is my colleague and friend, the trip was lot of fun thanks to John's company. He writes very good blogs and his blogs can be accessed at http://blogs.sun.com/johnmorrison/entry/quality_forum
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Monday, January 7, 2008
Ricky Ponting - The Mahatma of cricket
Atleast thats what Ricky wants all of us to believe. I am not sure if there are "TV's" in Australia and if the Aussie cricketers watch TV???
Ricky Ponting appealed for a catch that had touched the ground and later Michael Clark did the same and they have the audacity to come on camera and say that they are fair players and no one should question their integrity??
Punter has got this very wrong and he has lost lot more than what he is gaining with all this publicity, for me I wont watch him bat one more time ( I am one of those guys who watches every cricket match that Aussies play and have been a great fan of Australian cricket) - I feel he is nothing but a headstrong guy who just wants to win at any cost, maybe he should have spent more time looking and understanding Harbhajan's doosra :)
But for now dont say anything to Mr.Ponting as he is the Mahatma of cricket and can do nothing wrong and ya he is also a sadhu....Jai Ponting Maharaj ki !!!!
Ricky Ponting appealed for a catch that had touched the ground and later Michael Clark did the same and they have the audacity to come on camera and say that they are fair players and no one should question their integrity??
Punter has got this very wrong and he has lost lot more than what he is gaining with all this publicity, for me I wont watch him bat one more time ( I am one of those guys who watches every cricket match that Aussies play and have been a great fan of Australian cricket) - I feel he is nothing but a headstrong guy who just wants to win at any cost, maybe he should have spent more time looking and understanding Harbhajan's doosra :)
But for now dont say anything to Mr.Ponting as he is the Mahatma of cricket and can do nothing wrong and ya he is also a sadhu....Jai Ponting Maharaj ki !!!!
Taara Zameen Par
What a wonderful movie!!! India needed a movie of this kind at this time.
The whole gambit of competition and how the competition is producing folks who can do a job vs some geniuses who can think differently and can be innovative.
A kid who cannot cope with some weak points and a teacher who magnifies his strong points and gets rid of the weak points - i have been really enlightened and I am so proud of Aamir khan to have directed and produced such a wonderful movie.
I give a lot of credit to Aamir because he forgot that he is a major actor and gave weightage to the script and the real hero is the kid. Aamir thanks a lot for giving us such a wonderful masterpiece.
A must watch!!!
The whole gambit of competition and how the competition is producing folks who can do a job vs some geniuses who can think differently and can be innovative.
A kid who cannot cope with some weak points and a teacher who magnifies his strong points and gets rid of the weak points - i have been really enlightened and I am so proud of Aamir khan to have directed and produced such a wonderful movie.
I give a lot of credit to Aamir because he forgot that he is a major actor and gave weightage to the script and the real hero is the kid. Aamir thanks a lot for giving us such a wonderful masterpiece.
A must watch!!!
Sunday, January 6, 2008
A disgraceful Aussie win
I have been a great Aussie fan for a long time with Adam Gilchrist being my favourite and one of the greatest things I like about Gilly is he believes and plays fair cricket. Ricky ponting is a punter not really my kind and his accusation of racism against Harbhajan smacks of his uneasiness in playing Harbhajan.
Aussies for me meant agressive bunch of cricketers but now I will be sceptical on the way they have won all their matches as you look back at the Sydney game it cannot be a mere coincidence or a mistake that all the nicks Aussies make are not heard and no nicks from Indians are heard clearly.
This game for me was clearly with 11 Indians and 17-18 Aussies, included in them are Steve Bucknor, Mark Benson and ya the third umpire is an Australian. Now look at some of the things I have noticed ( I dint watch all the 5 days )
- Ricky ponting was out caught when he was on 17 given not out
- Ricky was not out on 55 but he was given out
- Aussies were 134/6 and Symonds himself was surprised he was not given out
- Symonds was clearly out stumped when the score was 180 or so
- Mike Hussey was clearly taken down the legside and given not out when he was 30
Now all these look clearly set out for saving Australia and now to make sure they make it
- Rahul Dravid was judged out caught behind and Rahul is someone who was very important for India to save the test match
- Michael Clark took a catch that was very suspicious when Ganguly edged him and our smart umpire doesnt ask his colleague upstairs but ask Ricky ponting of all the people in the world Ricky and he says Clark has taken it. Isnt it simple common sense for the umpire to ask the third umpire about it??
I had seen so many times Bucknor giving Tendulkar out many times when he was not and the beneficary has been Aussies.....For me Bucknor is a staunch Aussie :))
I have lost my respect for Australian team for their on field and out of the field tactics, they are a great team and I am sure can win without these unethical practices.
Aussies for me meant agressive bunch of cricketers but now I will be sceptical on the way they have won all their matches as you look back at the Sydney game it cannot be a mere coincidence or a mistake that all the nicks Aussies make are not heard and no nicks from Indians are heard clearly.
This game for me was clearly with 11 Indians and 17-18 Aussies, included in them are Steve Bucknor, Mark Benson and ya the third umpire is an Australian. Now look at some of the things I have noticed ( I dint watch all the 5 days )
- Ricky ponting was out caught when he was on 17 given not out
- Ricky was not out on 55 but he was given out
- Aussies were 134/6 and Symonds himself was surprised he was not given out
- Symonds was clearly out stumped when the score was 180 or so
- Mike Hussey was clearly taken down the legside and given not out when he was 30
Now all these look clearly set out for saving Australia and now to make sure they make it
- Rahul Dravid was judged out caught behind and Rahul is someone who was very important for India to save the test match
- Michael Clark took a catch that was very suspicious when Ganguly edged him and our smart umpire doesnt ask his colleague upstairs but ask Ricky ponting of all the people in the world Ricky and he says Clark has taken it. Isnt it simple common sense for the umpire to ask the third umpire about it??
I had seen so many times Bucknor giving Tendulkar out many times when he was not and the beneficary has been Aussies.....For me Bucknor is a staunch Aussie :))
I have lost my respect for Australian team for their on field and out of the field tactics, they are a great team and I am sure can win without these unethical practices.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Symonds you cant be out today - Steve Bucknor & Co
Its that kind of day. I was so excited switching the TV on and looking at a score of 134/6 and double checked to see if it was the Aussies batting or was it the Indians, for a pleasant surprise it was Aussies.
The smile on my face vanished after an hour with the turn of events - Symonds was clearly out caught behind and Steve Bucknor felt otherwise and as if it wasnt enough he was out Stumped, 3rd umpire dint think so - a clear LBW shout turned down....it was just Symonds day and looked like he wont get out today and he dint.
Its just a little too much of co-incidence in cricket that Australia gets a lot of benefit of doubt from the umpires - they are a great talented team but i would like to see how it turns out if an opposing team gets the kind of favour Aussie team gets. If this would have happened in the sub-continent Aussies would have been knocking the doors of ICC.
The smile on my face vanished after an hour with the turn of events - Symonds was clearly out caught behind and Steve Bucknor felt otherwise and as if it wasnt enough he was out Stumped, 3rd umpire dint think so - a clear LBW shout turned down....it was just Symonds day and looked like he wont get out today and he dint.
Its just a little too much of co-incidence in cricket that Australia gets a lot of benefit of doubt from the umpires - they are a great talented team but i would like to see how it turns out if an opposing team gets the kind of favour Aussie team gets. If this would have happened in the sub-continent Aussies would have been knocking the doors of ICC.
Happy New Year!!!
My heartfelt new year wishes and hopefully we will have a year of peace and harmony :)
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