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Showing posts from April, 2005

Why am I not updating??

Wondering why am I not updating the blog regularly.... Well, as the title of the blog says, am having Peak Day Blues!! PS: This is the last day of my "hectic" (read: 16+ hours) work schedule and will be back with more updates very soon.

Busy @ work, heh?

After a hard day's work...

@ 02:00 AM and @ 02:01 AM

Wasim Akram backs Ganguly!!

Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram has backed Sourav Ganguly and advised the Indian cricket selectors to be "extremely careful" before sealing the fate of the embattled captain. "There is no doubt that Sourav Ganguly is passing through the worst batting form which leaves his career in doldrums. I also fear that his career might be reaching dead-end but I would still back him and advice the Indian selectors to be extremely careful and watchful while deciding his future." "If I were a selector, I would have definitely given him one more chance before really thinking about his future as an Indian cricketer." PS: Ganguly has scored 9,945 runs, including 22 centuries, in 270 one-day internationals and 4,949 runs for an average of about 41 in 82 Tests. But in the recent three-match Test series against Pakistan, the Indian skipper scored only 48 runs in six innings while his ODI score was 0, 9, 4 and 18 before he was slapped with a six-match ODI ban by

Airbus A380 kicks off its maiden flight!

The world's largest passenger plane, the Airbus double-decker A380, is on its maiden flight in Toulouse, France. It is expected to land in another 1hr (according to news channels) after testing for the first time with a six member crew. The delivery of the Airbus A380 which can carry up to 800 passengers will start early next year with Singapore Airlines being the lucky ones. It is widely expected that the maiden commercial flight will be to Heathrow Airport, the home of erstwhile Concorde. Emirates Airlines has ordered 50 Airbus A380 and the Co. has already received 150 orders. According to reports, it will take 250 planes for Airbus to be breakeven. Some passenger planes also will have cocktail bars, double beds and massage parlors. Airbus also says some jets may have jacuzzis and mini-casinos.

Learn to look busy

Want to master the art of looking busy when you actually aren't? Read on ...

Rasdaq!

We've all heard of NASDAQ, but has anyone heard of RASDAQ??? Rasdaq is the name of the Romanian electronic stock exchange. Its name resembles that of its US equivalent, Nasdaq. PS: How about IASDAQ?? :-)

Boeing Boeing!!

Air India announced plans Tuesday to order 50 new Boeing jetliners -- a deal worth $6.8 billion. The announcement came one day after Air Canada said it made firm orders for 32 Boeing jets at a list price of $6 billion. State-owned Air India said its board had approved the purchase of eight 777-200 long-haul jetliners, 15 777-300 medium range aircraft and 27 787s -- Chicago-based Boeing's newest jet, the Dreamliner. According to Indian regulations, the decision requires the approval of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Cabinet. It was not immediately clear when that would happen. Air India spokesman Jeetendra Bhargava said the board reached its decision after reviewing purchase proposals from both Boeing and rival Airbus SAS. The total cost of the planes is estimated to be about $6.8 billion (300 billion rupees), the company said. The delivery schedule would be decided only after government approvals were obtained. Boeing Dreamliner:

An MBA or an experienced pro??

Companies that attempt to cut costs through restructuring and downsizing should beware, for they run the risk of losing employees who promote growth, a top business school teacher warned on Monday. "A lot of companies offer pre-pension schemes (voluntary retirement) to employees. Sadly, these offers pave the way for letting go many 'growth sponsors'," said Peter Lorange, president of IMD, one of the world's leading business schools. "This is a dilemma," he said, giving a lecture here on "Leadership for Tomorrow". Lorange, who has served on the board of many multinational organisations including Citibank, said it was unwise to let go of people with experience for fresh candidates armed with an MBA degree. "Bright entrepreneurs need not necessarily be young or straight out of college," he said, quoting findings of his own research that covered 3,500 companies across the world. MBA-holders, Lorange said, were often arr

Ash @ Oprah Winfrey Show

It's not a secret anymore, Ash is setting Hollywood on fire with her charming looks and oozing...well, confidence! After her Hollywood debut Bride & Prejudice, Ash has become the talk of the town in America... She's featured every now and then in talk shows and broadcasters do bits and pieces of her profile in their prime time newscasts... But appearing in Oprah Winfrey show is all that special... Ash was interviewed by Oprah for her upcoming series called "Women Across the Globe" (which is set to air at a later date) and needless to say Oprah was blown over by Ash's diplomacy.... Read the sneak preview of this show here ... PS: Eagerly waiting to see this interview!!!

Train Collision in Japan!

A commuter train rammed into a building in Amagasaki, western Japan today. Around 50 plus people are feared dead. PS: Laloo Prasad, the Indian Railway Minister can take heart, at least such accidents don't occur only in India.

PM's house for sale on website!!

As the saying goes, "It happens only in India", a person tried to sell Prime Minister's residence to an American businessman over the Internet. The businessman forked out 35 million rupees ($802,600) for the house that was up for sale on a Web site as a "huge sprawling mansion in the heart of Lutyen's Delhi with 24x7 running water and electricity. He soon received the title deed for the house and arrived in the Indian capital late in March to take possession of the house for an office he planned to set up only to discover he had been cheated. PS: A few years back, a Gujarati judge filed a case against the President of India by accepting some 50k as bribe!! Where are we going?????

Am Tired!

The "calls" are lovely, dark and deep but I've "TATs" to meet and miles to "type" before I sleep and miles to "type" before I sleep

Random ramblings of my notes....

Note to self - please check for the following parts of your body before leaving office... Not to self again - Not found. Please try later.

Suffering from Buffering?

Help Me!!

A good "liquid" investment!

Whisky may be risky from the health point of view, but it is slowly becoming a good deal for investment. For those looking beyond real estate and art, here is the latest: A rare whisky collection! Their prices appreciate pretty fast: from £250 (Rs 20,720) to £1,000 (Rs 82,000) in a couple of years. Thanks to disposable incomes that have helped Indian Buying Power go up by more than a few pegs, spending Rs 82,000 for a bottle of rare whisky is no big deal. In fact, whisky worth Rs 8 lakh too has found buyers in the sura land. India is fast becoming a market for vintage whisky brands ranging between £300-10,000 a bottle (Rs 24,865-Rs 8,28,836) — brands that are found in the cellars of the Queen of England and the Prince of Denmark. Via: KTJ

My dream car!

Now, here's one car that defies all odds and is pitched against the Mercs and BMWs of the world.... Recently at the North American International Auto Show, the Lexus Group introduced its new 2006 Lexus GS... Check out this cool car here .... Via: KTJ

The Pencil!

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box. There are 5 things you need to know, he told the pencil, before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be. One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone's hand. Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil. Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make. Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside. Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write. You might break many times , but you cannot stop leaving your mark with what you are inside. Via: Renju

Have a hearty laugh to keep fit!

It used to be an apple a day which kept the doctor away. Now scientists at University College London have found that being happy might be equally beneficial. In the first study to measure happiness and link it to the biochemistry of the body, researchers found that the more moments of joy and happiness people experience, the healthier they will be. According to the researchers, banishing a gloomy state of mind can lead to a healthier heart and lower levels of stress-inducing chemicals. The most significant chemical difference in those who were happy was the amount of the chemical plasma fibrinogen in the bloodstream, which is a major predictor of cardiovascular disease risk, and they also had lower levels of cortisol, a stress hormone related to conditions such as type II diabetes and hypertension. Happy men also had lower heart rates throughout the day and evening, suggesting good cardiovascular health. Professor Andrew Steptoe of the British Heart Foundation says the study

Sardesai Quits NDTV!

Rajdeep Sardesai of NDTV has joined hands with TV18 (CNBC's indian broadcaster) to form a new news channel called Broadcast News. He has been long associated with NDTV and was a close aid of Pranoy Roy, head of NDTV. He has been missing from NDTV's news broadcasts for the past one week and speculations were rife that he might have quit. I am an avid fan of NDTV and it's a huge loss for Pranoy Roy. It's also rumored that other news editors from NDTV will soon join Sardesai in his new venture. Pranoy Roy who is the kingpin of news channels in India shot to fame with his famed show called "World This Week" in Doordarshan a decade ago. PS: I own shares of NDTV and the views expressed here are solely mine! :-) Have ur say! Do you think NDTV will remain competitive?

Oye Bubbly!

Taking a cue from the now infamous* Oye Bubbly campaign of Pepsi, Amul has come up with this new ad.... [click pic 4 bigger image] *After Pepsi found out that it's Khoofiya ad campaign was annoying the customers by turning up a blue screen after every over of a cricket match and in between soaps, they immediately withdrew it and came up with a new campaign called "Oye Bubbly" featuring Sharukh Khan. It ran into trouble as it mocked Virender Sehwag's voice in the ad and Sehwag went out to lash the cola company for it.

Whose house is it anyway?

A Japanese policeman returning from an evening's drinking has landed in hot water after climbing into a relaxing hot bath in someone else's house. The 21-year-old officer from Nara, western Japan, was arrested and charged with unlawful entry after being discovered late Friday night in the bath tub of a house about 50 yards from his own, police said. 'I can't believe it wasn't my bath,' NHK television quoted the policeman, who was off duty on the day of the incident. Via: sangeetha

Breaking News - New Pope elected!

Joseph Ratzinger of Germany was elected the 265th pontiff today by the College of Cardinals. He was announced as tens of thousands of people cheered in St. Peter's Square. Cardinal Ratzinger has chosen the name Benedict XVI, the Vatican announced. The announcement came shortly after white smoke rose from the Vatican chimney and bells rang to announce that a new pope had been selected.

Women, beware!!

A man who killed his wife and hid her body in a refrigerator for three years was given a suspended death sentence by a Beijing court. Zhao Qingsong told that he strangled his wife in the Chinese capital during a heated row in 2001, suspecting her of having an affair. After realising he had killed her, he hid the body in a fridge and burned incense for her every day. He moved house three times but took the refrigerator with him. He even took her body out on three occassions to clean it.

Dying is...

There are blogs of all kinds, from plain diary formats to the very complexed website like ones... and people literally write anything or everything in the blog, maybe that's why Blogs are so successfull today... But here's a blog with a difference... Grace Chow from Rotterdam, Netherlands "was" diagnosed with a rare illness, a tumor at the base of her skull (chordoma)... and she'd been blogging about the pain and suffering she has been through in her blog for two months.... and finally she gave vent to her illness on Dec. 06, 2004... Read her blog here .... Link via: MSK

Adobe buys Macromedia!

Wow! I didn't c this coming. Adobe agreed to buy Macromedia for $3.4 billion in stock, in a deal that would create a software company with broad ability to distribute media to PCs and hand-held devices. Read more ... PS: Now every1 can fidget with an acrobat and a flash 2gether! :-)

I am a Compaq Man!

Yes, after months of hardcore deliberations and budgetary blues, I finally made the choice - a Compaq Presario Desktop. Man, it was so hard to decide whether to opt for a Assembled PC or go in for a branded one. Even in the branded PC market, there's the MNC and the MNC Quality, Indian priced ones.... Though assembled PCs costs much lower and comes with a lot of goodies, my instinct and common sense pushed me towards a branded one. For those teck geeks, here's the spec of the system: Intel P IV 2.93 Ghz 256 MB RAM 40 GB HDD DVD/CD-ROM Combo Original Windox XP Home OS 56-K Internal Modem !JBL Speakers 17" Monitor.. 1.44 MB Floppy drive All these for a whoppy 37,500/-!! And what am I doing with this new found wisdom? Play play and harder play!! Already finished NFS 6, F1 '99-02 Season, James Bond 007, Splinter Cell, Spider Man etc. etc... Any suggestions or CDs are welcome! Did I choose the right PC?

A new look for The Hindu

Am an avid fan of The Hindu and have been reading for so many years... When I got the newspaper on April 14th after bursting crackers (celebrating Vishu), I was taken for a pleasant surprise.... It wears a new look!! If you have noticed, they've been running a campaign called "always classical, always contemporary" for the last few days, displaying some of the older newspaper clips (that of Sept. 11, MS Subbulakhsmi's death etc.)... I personally liked the new look, but heard people saying that didn't like! It was redesigned by Dr. Mario Garcia of Garcia Media.

Typos!

"Education: College, August 1880-May 1984." "Work Experience: Dealing with customers' conflicts that arouse." "Develop and recommend an annual operating expense fudget." "I'm a rabid typist." "Instrumental in ruining entire operation for a Midwest chain operation." via: sangeetha

News 4 Use!

We all know that Chimpanzees are good at imitating humans... But ever heard of a smoking chimpanzee?? Read on ... The first reviews of thalaivar movie Chandramukhi is out... Read on ... Pakistani President Musharaff upset over Veer-Zara story... Read on ... It started off as a home based business by a few housewives and now it's a Rs. 301 crore business... and the product? Pappadam (crispy bread).... Read this rags to riches story here ...

Killing an Icon! Justified?

[pic via: Antony] Should Ganguly return to the team or not?

New Commenting System!

Recently I had put up a poll in this blog asking you guyz whether I should re-enable the comments section or not. The reason behind it was that I wanted this site to be more interactive, not just you visiting it and leaving it.... I personally have gained a lot through this blog, mainly in the area of my writing skills and my overall GK.... and it's always nice to hear others views on different subjects and discussing it... It was one of the toughest decisions for me to stop the "comments" sections because of a few "graffiti artists" in this world who use this medium to spread wrong messages... I've come up with a new idea where I will put up some topics each day and you can write your views on it... You can see a new title bar in the right hand side of this page titled "express urself"... click on the link and feel free to comment on the topic given... Am I sounding too nerd?? Well folks just try it out... For your convenience, am giving a link of

I better start exercising!

An obese man is massaged by a nurse in China. China now has some 18 million obese adults, and 64 million adults may be at risk of cardiovascular disease because of poor dietary habits and lack of exercise, a study published this Saturday in The Lancet says

Wow!

Check out this cool site straight away... never seen such great flash and animation combined together!! Put on your headsets also... HIGHLY RECMNDED! Via: MSK Tip: Move your mouse near the man... Check out this link from the same website too

Ways to Improve Your Sleep!

Agree it, we all are having trouble sleeping! Especially those of us who are working night shifts (3.5 years and still kicking for me personally).... But is there a way to improve your sleep habits? Can you sleep effectively even after doing night shifts?? Is sleep related to any diseases?? Check out this link for all the answers you will ever need to know about sleep disorders and remedies.....

Bush Jeopardy!

An artwork containing mock 37-cent stamps showing President Bush with a revolver pointed at his head is part of an exhibit at Columbia College's Glass Curtain Gallery titled 'Axis of Evil, the Secret History of Sin' The exhibit captured the attention of the Secret Service who sent agents to inspect the works last week according to gallery officials.

Streak of vanity!

The geeks and the nerds, it would seem, want it all. First, they got to travel. Then, they inherited the earth (ok, they got stock options). Now, they are burning money (God knows, they have enough of that commodity) in an effort to look good and keep fit. Rakesh Pandey, for one, is not complaining. As CEO of Kaya Skin Clinic, a chain of skincare salons promoted by Marico, he is all for men spending money in his outlets, especially when the amount involved is, on an average, Rs 5,000 for a four- to six-session package. Sometime back, Pandey noticed that almost 40 per cent of the customers in Kaya's Bangalore outlet were men (the national average, across eight cities and 30 outlets, is close to 20 per cent). The corresponding figure for Chennai is 30 per cent; Pandey further claims that in some months, over half the customers at Kaya clinics in tony boroughs such as Koramangala in Bangalore and Anna Nagar in Chennai are men, and that some 60 per cent of this is it pros. The ane

A blessing in disguise?

Came across a nice article in Hindu about Ganguly's current match ban and whether it will effect his future or not.... the bottom line is, it came as a blessing in disguise for him and he can see some light at the end of the tunnel after all.... read the article here .... Link via: Sangeetha

Mohanlal teams with Sania Mirza!

Mohanlal is the brand ambassador for maximum number of products and shops in Kerala. He has been the mouth piece for “Malabar Gold”, a jewellery shop for its pure gold. And now the superstar of Malayalam will be joining hands with Sania Mirza, the tennis icon for an advertisement which will be shot soon. The new showroom of the jewellery shop was opened by Mohanlal and Sania in Bangalore on April 12. And as a part of the campaign the two superstars will appear in a catchy ad. PS: Malabar Gold is owned by the same guy who owns Popular Automobiles (Maruti Suzuki dealer throughout kerala)

Superstar yaar ennu kettal??

The D-day has come and gone! Chandramukhi released today and it was celebration time for everyone in TamilNadu. I could hear only Chandramukhi speak everywhere, from wall posters to people mocking Rajni's new style... After a long lull, all the movie theaters were running out of capacity throughout TamilNadu today according to the buzz... though the reviews have not come so far about the movie, it is widely believed to be another mega hit because of its "good package" overall... [chandramukhi haircut]

There is someone who means so much to you.....

There was once this guy who is very much in love with his girl. This romantic guy folded 1,000 pieces of paper cranes as a gift to his girl. Although, at that time he was just a small fry in his company, his future didn't seem too bright, they were very happy together. Until one day, his girl told him she was going to Paris and will never come back. She also told him that she cannot visualize any future for the both of them, so they went their own ways there and then... Heartbroken, the guy agreed. But when he regained his confidence, he worked hard day and night, slogging his body and mind just to make something out of himself. Finally with all the hard work and the help of friends, this guy had set up his own company .. You never fail until you stop trying. One rainy day, while this guy was driving, he saw an elderly couple sharing an umbrella in the rain walking to some destination. Even with the umbrella, they were still drenched. It didn't take him long to

Vishu Greetings!

Thanda Matlab!

Aamir Khan is the Kamal Hassan of Bollywood!! He is a perfectionist and retakes a shot x number of times till he is happy with it! He also is a sensible actor without any hooplas or strings attached.... and also has taken a vow to act in one movie at a time (very rare in these days)... He had for a long time kept himself away from the blitzering ad world and man he did come to the big bad ad world in a big way!! Coca Cola had to offer him some big dollars to get this guy in their way.... Now, who can forget his famous thanda mathlab coca cola ads... Here's a sneak preview of his stint with Coca Cola... Link via: Sumi

Significance of April 14 !

We all know what's significant for us on April 14th (2005)... it's Vishu (harvest festival in kerala) and Tamil New Year's Day... but wat else?? Here's a list of what happened on this day!! 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum. Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in Mutina, defeats the forces of the consul Pansa, who is killed. AD 69 - Vitellius, commander of the Rhine armies, defeats Emperor Otho in the Battle of Bedriacum and seizes the throne. 1205 - Battle of Adrianople between Bulgars and Crusaders. 1450 - Battle of Formigny. French attack and nearly annihilate English, ending English domination in northern France. 1632 - Battle of Rain, Swedes under Gustavus Adolphus defeat the Holy Roman Empire during the Thirty Years' War. 1828 - Noah Webster copyrights the first edition of his dictionary 1860 - The first Pony Express rider reaches Sacramento, California 1864 - Battle at the 'Düppeler Schanzen'. T

Travel the world without leaving home!!

"Travel the world without leaving home".... have you ever imagined about such a concept?? This unique concept was a vision of a luxury residential ship that would continually sail around the world. Its residents would be an international community of active and accomplished individuals with a continuing desire to travel, participate and learn. This vision became a reality October 30th 2003 when the Residents took ownership of The World making it, in effect, the world's largest private yacht. Check out the features of this interesting cruiser here or you can get a 3D tour of the ship <a href="http://www.aboardtheworld.com/defaultpage121bc0.aspx?pageID=136" target="_blank>here</a> <br />

I am Bond, Daniel Craig Bond!!

British Star Daniel Craig, who acted in Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth, has been chosen for the coveted James Bond role replacing Pierce Brosnan. Daniel Craig is 37 years old. He was named British actor of the year by the London Film Critics Circle in early 2005. Daniel Craig earnd this honour for his role in the movie Enduring Love. PS: Shaken and stirred! Might be old news for some folks....

Reuters - Bangloored into trouble!

Bangalore boys beware! Those journos who took the first bus to Bangalore last year when Reuters set up its India centre in the southern city may be in for some heartburn, if their American colleagues have their way. A US arbitrator will soon hear the Newspaper Guild of New York's charge that offshoring US-based editorial jobs violates its contract with Reuters. The arbitrator's decision will be legally binding. The case could take months to complete. Reuters journalists in US, represented by the Newspaper Guild of New York are waging a battle to keep their jobs and prevent the Reuters management from shifting jobs out of their country. The Guild claims that the Reuters management's move to shift editorial jobs out of US violates an agreement signed between them and the Reuters management six years back. The employees union claims that Reuters America LLC got several tax sops when it set up its swanky US headquarters in 2000. These sops, they claim, were given in exchan

Will he come back?

Sourav Ganguly, India's most successful cricket captain has been banned for 6 ODIs by the match referee for slow over rates....!! Though the news is shocking, most people believe that he needs a break at this point. His form has been pathetic to say the least for the past so many months... But I believe that Indian cricket is so powerful that it can overturn this decision by the right applying pressure at the right places (read: Jagmohan Dalmiya and ICC)....

Silence is CRIME!

Just have a look at following incidents: 1) Spouses feel that they understand each other and having been together for so many years, they don’t need to speak out, and they don’t need to express themselves. RESULT: So many divorces? 2) Employer assumes that all his employees are aware of, as what is expected out of them, no need to communicate, no need to prepare a Job Profile. RESULT: High Attrition rate. 3) I assume that all my friends understand me, my way of thinking, no need to tell everything and anything. RESULT: Conflicts. 4) I love XYZ, and assume that she is aware of my love, by way of my expressions, my actions and behavior and there is no need to express it. RESULT: Misunderstandings. 5) All parent love their children and assume that children are also aware of it, no need to express it. RESULT: Broken Families. 6) I am frustrated; I am in pain and I am depressed and assume that all people around me, are aware of it, by way of my beha

Bad day @ work!

A thief who stole 25 shoes got a little less than he or she bargained for after realizing they were all for left feet. The robber threw away the haul in disgust after breaking into a car in the Norwegian city of Bergen and finding a case full of women's shoes -- but no pairs. It belonged to a salesman who traveled with only one shoe of each type. Via: Sangeetha

Bravo Sachin!

A genius! Yes, you have to give it to Sachin Tendulkar!!! Okay, India lost the match even after Saching Tendulkar got a ton, but am not discussing about who won or lost.... Was watching the last few overs of the match in the office and when Ganguly & Co decided that Sachin should bowl the last over, it's a recognition to this little master! He had done it in the past so many matches and all Indians hoped that he will do his magic again. Though, it was no magic this time around, he had all of us sit on the threshold of excitement until the last bowl!! I adore you Mr. Sachin!!

Google! Maps

Have you ever wished you could see what someplace looked like before you got there? A house? A hotel? A freeway exit? Google has incorporated Keyhole technology into Google Maps . Now when you type an address into Google Maps, you can click the 'Satellite' link and see a view of the area. You can zoom, move the view by dragging, and even resize the window just like the normal 'Maps' view. Looking for a new apartment or house? Type in an address you're considering, get a view from the air and, with a quick local search, find out if you can walk to your favorite Saturday morning cup of coffee.

Mr. Telgi, watch out!

In a case that will make Bihar gundas and Mr. Telgi (the guy behind the stamp paper scam) go meek, a few American students have counterfeited American dollar and paid them for buying cafeteria food....... Read more via: sangeetha

Jai Kali!

The pic above shows Chinese dancers performing the dance 'thousand-handed Goddess of Mercy'. The dance was presented by 21 deaf and mute dancers from China's Disabled People's Performing Arts Troupe. The troupe, established in 1987, is an amateur mass art troupe composed of visually impaired, audibly impaired and physically and mentally challenged people.

BackRub!

Now, we all know that Larry and Sergey were two graduates from Stanford who wrote a research thesis that later became Google... Just imagine if you get to read that original thesis of theirs... Here's presenting to you, the original Google... Click here

YaGoohoo!gle

YaGoohoo!gle???? No, no it's not a typo error and Yahoo and Google has not mergered also :-) A fellow has come up with a unique idea of showcasing Google search results and Yahoo search results in a single page... I tried it out and it's really good... Try it out for yourself at yagoohoogle.com Via: Shijo!

The King of good times!

Kingfisher Airlines, India’s first private airline launching with a brand new fleet of aircraft, unveiled a designer line of uniforms and accessories for its flight attendants recently. In keeping with its philosophy of partnering and working with only the best-in-class, Kingfisher Airlines commissioned leading fashion designer Manoviraj Khosla to create the attire for its flight attendants. Check out the picture here PS: Kingfisher Airlines is India’s first private airline to commence operations with a brand new fleet of aircraft. Kingfisher Airlines will be a value-based passenger airline and will provide an unparalleled experience in the domestic civil aviation market in India. Among other things, Kingfisher Airlines will have personal video screens for every seat with a choice of up to five video and ten audio channels for in-flight entertainment, the largest comparable seat amongst domestic airlines in India, highly skilled and trained pilots and crew and a host of passe

Thalaivaaaaaa!!

I am sure you all would have watched the latest Brittania 50:50 biscuit ad where our great superstar Rajnikanth is mocked! The story lines goes like this... "two" villains chasing the heroine - rajni comes to the rescue with a gun which has only one "bullet" - he has a razor blade hanging in his shirt - throws the blade at the two villains who are standing some 10 feet away - fires the bullet - bullet touches the blade, splits into two and hits the two villains!! Well, we can't blame the ad maker, it's the way our film industry works, showing gimmicks like these... Here's one more to the kitty, I got this photo thru a friend of mine recently... Somebody has taken the pain to understand mathematically whether such gimmicks from our superstar will work out!! Here's the picture

Google Quiz!

We all love Google, no doubt! But let me see how many of you really know google... Okay, what was Google called intially when it was a Stanford University research project? It's..... BackRub - because the technology checks backlinks to determine a site's importance Kudos to those who guessed it right! PS: You will come up with such crazy posts when you have nothing to do!! :-)

Uhmmmm!!

Are you a right minded or a left minded?? they say right brain captures images and stores and left brain does something... Ahw, forgot it and I might be wrong what the right brain does also... Try this to find whether you are right brained or left brained... Highly Recommended! Via: Abhilash!

50 First Dates!!

Just imagine trying to win over a girl who has a short memory syndrome (after an accident) and reboots herself to the same day (the day of the accident) everyday!! Confusing?? Well, that's the plot of this superb movie aptly titled 50 First Dates.... Adam Sandler who as Henry Roth tries to win over Drew Barrymore (character name Lucy Whitmore) every single day in this romantic comedy... I watched it in the office today as part of the Friday Fun and really liked it a lot, though the main plot (she having short memory lapses each single day) forces you to think along our Bollywood lines, it's really a family entertainer... I have never written a review about any movie, but felt I should write one for this.... Everyone should watch this one!! Check out the movie website

Van Gogh's Relatives

After much careful research it has been discovered that the artist Vincent Van Gogh had many relatives. Among them were: His obnoxious brother, Please Gogh His dizzy aunt,Verti Gogh The brother who ate prunes, Gotta Gogh The brother who worked at a convenience store, Stop'n Gogh The grandfather from Yugoslavia, U. Gogh The brother who bleached his clothes white, Hue Gogh The cousin from Illinois, Chica Gogh His magician uncle, Wherediddy Gogh His Mexican cousin, Amee Gogh The Mexican cousin's American half-brother, Grin Gogh The nephew who drove a stagecoach, Wellsfar Gogh The constipated uncle, Cant Gogh The ballroom dancing aunt, Tan Gogh The bird lover uncle, Flamin Gogh His nephew, psychoanalyst E. Gogh The fruit loving cousin, Man Gogh An aunt who taught positive thinking, Wayto Gogh The little bouncy nephew, Poe Gogh A sister who loved disco, Go Gogh His Italian uncle, Day Gogh And his niece who travels the country in a van, Winnie Bay Gogh. Via: "Mark" Gogh! :

Matrix Reloaded!

The Japanese entertainment giant Sony has patented an idea for transmitting data directly into the brain, with the goal of enabling a person to see movies and play video games in which they smell, taste and perhaps even feel things The patent "based only on a theory, not on any invention" marks the first step towards a "real-life Matrix" In the sci-fi film of that name, cyber-reality is projected into the brains of people via an electrode feed at the back of their necks. In Sony’s patent, the technique would be entirely non-invasive -- it would not use brain implants or other surgery to manipulate the brain. Sony Electronics spokeswoman Elizabeth Boukis said the work was a "prophetic invention" and no experiments at all had been done on it. "It was based on an inspiration that this may someday be the direction that technology will take us," she said.

Lecturer Jokes!

The professor was not great in English. There was a mischevious student in the class whom he had to say GET OUT... Instead he said "Follow me" and walked out of the class and then said "Now Dont Follow me" and came back in to the class... Lecturer: Hello u there stand up.... Myself: Me madam??? Lecturer: "Not me Next to me." "Open the doors of the window and let the atmosphere come in" "Open the doors of the window and let the air force come in" After seeing the principal crossing his class room, the Lecturer said to the noisy class, "Don't make noise... Principal just passed away" On a similar vein, "Don't make noise, the Principal is revolving around the school". What a smart-alec in my class said when this professor asked him, "Why the late??" "Sir, Bus the late" Somebody asked for some additional internal marks and he said "Once I have put, it is put. No more extra put&q

To be or not to be!

I believe there are many bachelors out there having doubts as to get married or not..... Well, to make it easier for you to decide, just see these two comparison photos, like the ones we see in weight loss program ads... Click here to see "before marriage" and here to see "after marriage" Via: Hari V

BPO Crime!

A bunch of ex-call center employees who worked for Mphasis in pune allegedly stole Rs. 1.5 crore from Citibank US by using their customers secret pin codes..... Read more .... Via: Sangeetha

Welcome to Tamil Nadu, have a nice stay!!

Welcome Nokia!! As reported by me a few days ago, Nokia has decided to start its manufacturing plant at Sriperumbudur industrial area, around 80 kilometers away from Chennai. Nokia will be employing around 2000 people in this facility. The phones made in India will be of international quality and export ready, though initial market will be India. PS: Others governments, take notice! Kudos to TN Government for its initiative in setting up this plant.

Earthquake!

Well, it's earthquake time in earth these days... happening mostly in Indonesia and neighboring places... now here's a cool link where you can experience it in your place.... check it out Via: Suresh

Huge Traffic!!

I was checking my website stats today and was amazed that there were 115 unique hits today to my website (the average traffic per day is around 60). Thanks to google indexing, a considerable chunk of the hits come from Google searches everyday. When I dwelled into the details, it became apparent that I got so many hits because of one incident that took place today, an ad that appeared in Hindu Opportunities... wondering which one?? the one of HealthScribe.... When you put "HealthScribe AND Coimbatore" in google, one of the articles I had posted on my blog a long time back comes up in the first page itself..... PS: The second time I checked, my posting appeared in the second page...

Innova-zed!

Toyota has sold 4,000 Innova's, the new three-row seater which competes with Ford Fusion, in the month of March. This is a major achievement by the car maker in that it is the first time that a newly launched car has sold so much.... The buzzword is that one has to wait for more than 2 months to get hold of a new one. As I've blogged before , Toyota phased out its Qualis last December and has placed the Innova as its replacement model though there is no similarity between the two.

Godrej buys US BPO company

Godrej Global Solutions, the wholly owned subsidiary of Godrej Industries, has acquired US-based Outsource Offshore Inc for an undisclosed sum. Outsource Offshore specialises in health care transaction processing, data capture solutions and IT-enabled offshoring services. It has over 300 employees on its rolls.

Warren Buffett!

Warren Buffet is oft referred to as the Oracle of Omaha, the world's second richest man, the man who set the stock market on fire, the man who beat S&P average and the man who is worth more than $36 billion..... Well, there's more to him than meets the eye... Found an interesting article which has written more about him... An interesting read !!

Answers please!

Search engines give you links to sift through, one by one. But Answers.com provides quick, integrated reference answers instead of just search engine links. According to Forbes, it is the most useful, smartest, coolest, easiest-to-use Web innovation to come around in years. Ever since the early search engines emerged in the mid-1990s, Web users have been trained to accept a single search paradigm. A query for a word or phrase returns a long list of links to other Web pages--drawn from the vast, unstructured Internet--that contain the search term. These results are often overwhelming or even inappropriate. In contrast, Answers.com delivers snapshot, multi-faceted definitions and explanations from credible, attributable reference sources on over one million topics in its database. PS: Recently google changed its default dictionary search from dictionary.com to answers.com. When you type in an english word in google, a definition link comes up in the right hand side of the page

Coming?

If you are a dreamer, Come follow me. There’s a magical place, That I want you to see. I’ll show you the way, If you’ll open your heart. Now come take my hand, And we can depart. A flight of fancy, Is the road there, And when we arrive, We can stay if you dare. Over a rainbow, Past the North Star. Only your soul, Can take you this far. Your mind is the door, Your heart is the key, To a magical realm, Where dreams can run free.

Dazzling Dhoni!

Wow! What a match and what an innings by Mahendra Singh Dhoni!! I usually don't comment about cricket, though am a hardcore fan, but such an innings by Dhoni made me sit and watch the match till the end.... And the most amazing thing is that this is only his 6th ODI. Way to go Dhoni! Have you noticed that Ganguly always sticks around the ground event after he is given out by the umpire? Do you know why?? The grapevine has it that he is sticking around so that his sponsors logo (Hero Honda) can be made visible for some more time... hee hee hee....

Cricket Explained!

During my recent conversations with some friends of mine, I came to know that they know nothing of cricket. So, I decided to do a write-up so as to simplify the cricket rules and how the game is played... So here it is, Cricket 4 Dummies! You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that's in the side that's in goes out, and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out. When they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side thats been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out. When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out, and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in. There are two men called umpires who stay all out all the time and they decide when the men who are in are out. When both sides have been in and all the men have out, and both sides have been out twice after all the men have been in, including tho

Customer is king!

I learned a lesson or two today when I was out shopping with my mom.... We went to two shops, one a grocery shop and the other a vegetable shop... The vegetable shop that we went into is a huge one (read: Pazhamudir Cholai), but the sales guyz were really "customer unfriendly"..... but in the grocery store, though it was small in size vs. the vegetable shop, the sales people over there were begging for our attention... So, why this difference? When I asked mom about this, she said a simple thing differentiates the two, i.e., the first shop's owner was not present in the shop, but the grocery store owner was running here and there and giving orders to the sales guyz to get things done!! Noticed the difference? I believe that makes a business tick! And by the way, I've decided not to go to that vegetable shop anymore since there are 100s of other shops providing the same thing with much better customer satisfaction!

I hate Vivek Oberoi!

Well, why do I hate Vivek Oberoi?? Is it because of his poor acting skills? Is it because he is on the most over-rated actor in the Indian cinema today?? Is it because I am a die-hard fan of Salman Khan?? Is it because of his alleged romance with Aishwarya Rai?? The truth is because of all the above reasons, I never really had any opinion on this guy.... but now, after learning that how mean he is to get some publicity, i really hate that guy! Read more .....

News of importance!

Bush administration says it will bring trade cases against China to determine whether textile quotas should be re-imposed. ChevronTexaco agreed to buy Unocal in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $16.8 billion, plus $1.6 billion in debt, beating out Italian oil company Eni and China National Offshore Oil. Pope John Paul II's funeral will be Friday, the Vatican said, and his remains will be interred in the grotto of St. Peter's Basilica where popes throughout the ages have been laid to rest. LG Electronics and Matsushita, the maker of Panasonic products, settled a patent dispute over plasma display panels and signed a cross-licensing deal.

April Fool Dhamaka!!

We flagged off our bakra making dhamaka at FRM KGiSL at 12:00 AM on this auspicious day! Our co-conspirator Rachael fainted in the module and people rushed in to see what happened to her... people poured water on her face, our operations manager called up the ambulance (was about to) and it was all anxiety-stricken people across.... and then I broke the silence with a loud cheer and April Fool's message!! Then came the evening of April 1 where we played so many pranks including spreading rumors, faking about job allotments, etc. etc. And the biggest scapegoat came about at the end of the day when we flicked Prametha's bag and fooled with it!! I would like to thank each and everyone for taking it in the right sportive manner... and would like to apologize if we have harmed your feelings...(geeee, did I just said that??) Co-conspirators: Rachael, Renju, Sangeetha, Rajiv, Vishwanath etc etc..... and last but not the least - Hari V

Pranking all the way!

Google is always famous for coming up with pranks during April Fool's day. This time it's no different. Google is happy to launch a new range of energy drinks for all lazy techies out there. It comes in four flavours and is still in the beta stage. The product by the way is named Google Gulp ! Event Yahoo on the other hand has come up with a new service for the couch potato students and youngsters called Yahoo Slacker ! The more bizzare thing is that Linux is officially dropping its mascot penguin and is replacing it with Paris Hilton !!

Happy April Fools Day!

First of all, Happy April Fools Day everyone!! Hope you all got fooled by your friends and family today.... and by me tooo.... Thanks for all your support when you heard that am going to close down the blog!! It really meant a lot... By the way, I've no intention of closing it down!! So cheer up guyz... PS: No hard feelings to those whom I fooled, hota hai yaar (it happens) :-) I would especially like to thank the followin people who got fooled by me Kalidas Hari R Rachael Sriram Sumi JVK I will post an update of all those who got fooled by me later!! Until then, keep clicking!

Adieu

All good things must come to an end.... The management of the co. where I work (KGiSL) communicated to me yesterday that they have a strict policy against Internet usage and that blogging comes under this purview... They have asked me to shut this site with immediate effect.... Will miss you guyz.... Bye Bye!