Friday, June 20, 2008

Escapade with a really fat lady at Apt Gym

Wondering what they try to accomplish. Wanted to write this before bath.

7AM went to the Apt Gym, which is half broken. Hopefully will not brake with my weight.

Wondered who that figure was, who was on the Exercycle - one row - talk something on cell (handsfree). Then another row. Talk something. This continued for sometime, for about 15 minutes, till she let loose.... (gas) and moved out. I ran screaming out...

My wife saw me, pai aranjifyd... didn't explain anything to her - hopefully she would understand reading the blog one day.

Well, the point of this blog was, why at all someone should go to the gym, knowingly they would not loose weight and cause gaseous trouble to others?

அம்மா அப்பா தaத்தa எல்லோர்uம் எப்படி வாழ்ந்து வாழுறாங்க?

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Do you want funds?

In my mind and in my dealings with Angel Investors, Investment banks, and Venture Capital professionals, most entrepreneurs hear about VCs only first, so they start hammering out their made-up business plan and they start sending it to VCs, who roll their eyes and hit the big red X in their inbox. It doesn't work! Been there done that. http://www.bifidium.com. I was so sick, I decided to work for others again, when all the funds dried up.

I feel it has nothing to do with the idea. They are fantastic all the time and boring most of the time. People come up with great ideas but they dont do research into what is entailed to bring it to life, in a better way! VCs and Angels are excited about new technology and new ideas. They see things before everyone else even knows that it's there, sometimes years before it's available. And they will help you.

Who, What, When, and Where and how much and How you plan to spend it, must be answered. But to be honest with you.


The first line of the email that you send to that investor, better be intriguing and concise and paint a picture of excitement to the point. Because if you cant be excited about your project, then no one else will either. Another way to get their immediate attention is to have coerced amazing talents to work for your cause in startup mode. And don't say it can't be done, because it can...I have 7 people working with me right now that aren't getting paid a dime and we haven't even worked out the equity arrangements, but they are excited about what we are doing and what it's going to do and the tech challenges involved. So, if you are the CEO, you are the last ball six hitter in the defensive huddle and you better get em fired up buddy and put on your selling shoes, especially in the market that you are trying to penetrate...WOW...You better have some amazingly innovative and creative introduction methods and GUI never seen before...or you will just be another fish in the pond buddy.

So, get you some architect/developer types on board who can do this work and bootstrap it, start anything, guerrilla marketing campaign and go from there...It works quite well for a lot of the others. Social site. I wrote about in another blog earlier. They simply post ads as if they are girls/guys looking for love and link them to their site. So, I hope what I told you helps. I feel your pain, I do, but seriously you will meet some jerks and you will meet some nice guys in the VC/Angel world, but keep your head up, as you will probably hear a 1000 NO's before you get one maybe. People simply do not see things the same. So be prepared for that.

I would like to know what is different about your business than all the others?

Nettil suttathu - Wikinomics

The answer is YES. Atleast thats what Anthony D. Williams, co-author of the new book, Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything told his audience at Wharton.

You can read the article here .

Leadership/CEO Blogs

Here is the link for Leadership/CEO Blogs. Enjoy.

http://www.hrworld.com/features/top-100-management-blogs-061008/

Peter Drucker Quote

"Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work."

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Kala Sarpa Dosha/Yoga

Knowledge is unlimited!

Some call Dosha and some Yoga. I have seen this in the Vedic Astrology group. Let us call it X. A Senior Astrologer in KP System group, has given a fun explanation - if it troubles, its a Dosha, else a Yoga. Also called as Naga Dosha.

Here is a brief explanation, that I know off. Please correct, since you talk about so many things. Astrology is an Ocean.

The planets in the houses of a Natal chart (occupied), if are in between the presence of Rahu and Ketu (Head & Tail of Snake, vice versa), then this is Kala Sarpha X.

Now there is Mars Dosha in Tamilnadu/South and Manglik Yoga in North. Same thing isnt it? (Houses 2, 7 & 11)

This is big biz for Astrologers. Both combined, there are some special parihara's done at Thirunallaru, Bhavani, Kodumudi, Hospet and Kalahasti, I am told.

Example chart with Kala Sarpha X (note the planets on one side of Rahu, Ketu line). Also I am told such folks, if they marry without a Parihara - tying a knot to a Plantain tree and chopping it off - would loose their spouse.

       *************************************************************

       *VIII     29 46*IX       29 58*Sun      22 14*X         0 10*

       *Saturn   29  4*              *Venus    18 23*XI       29 58*

       *Rahu     22 15*              *Mars     26 29*Mercu(R)  8 37*

       *              *              *              *              *

       *              *              *              *              *

       *              *              *              *              *

       *************************************************************

       *VII      29 34*                             *XII      29 46*

       *              *                             *              *

       *              *                             *              *

       *              *                             *              *

       *              *                             *              *

       *              *                             *              *

       ****************    RASI CHART WITH BHAVA    ****************

       *VI       29 46*                             *Lagna    29 34*

       *              *                             *Jupiter   5 21*

       *              *                             *              *

       *              *                             *              *

       *              *                             *              *

       *              *                             *              *

       *************************************************************

       *IV        0 10*              *III      29 58*II       29 46*

       *V        29 58*              *              *Moon     19  8*

       *              *              *              *Ketu     22 15*

       *              *              *              *              *

       *              *              *              *              *

       *              *              *              *              *

       *************************************************************



Example chart without Kala Sarpha X (note planets on both sides of Rahu, Ketu line). Also I am told such folks would most likely be in the profession of savings lives like Doctors, Army, Police etc. (Sanjeevani Yoga?)

       *************************************************************

       *IX       19 34*X        20  3*XI       19 34*XII      19  4*

       *Moon      6 21*              *Jupit(R) 17  6*Rahu     26  7*

       *              *              *Satur(R)  6 22*              *

       *              *              *              *              *

       *              *              *              *              *

       *              *              *              *              *

       *************************************************************

       *VIII     19  4*                             *Lagna    18 34*

       *              *                             *              *

       *              *                             *              *

       *              *                             *              *

       *              *                             *              *

       *              *                             *              *

       ****************    RASI CHART WITH BHAVA    ****************

       *VII      18 34*                             *II       19  4*

       *              *                             *Mars     21 44*

       *              *                             *              *

       *              *                             *              *

       *              *                             *              *

       *              *                             *              *

       *************************************************************

       *VI       19  4*V        19 34*IV       20  3*III      19 34*

       *Ketu     26  7*              *Mercury  19 29*Sun      24 58*

       *              *              *Venus    27  8*              *

       *              *              *              *              *

       *              *              *              *              *

       *              *              *              *              *

       *************************************************************

(I have sent this to a friend/student of mine, who would have posted in many groups)         

Airlines business is so stupid in India

The so called Low Cost Carriers LCC as they are called in short...

Looking thru the Chaos theory angle (a single moment is enough to cause flutter)

First of all they have to look at controlled market share

How?

- rationalize the available seats based on usage.
- 10% of seats are used by foreigners, as I gather info - they dont mind hig cost
- 90% of seats have to filled based on the filling factor, book early get a discount - starting at 50%...

Cost per Mile - big factor to run a biz - so the cost should be adjusted based on the ATF price - inspite of sales tax cut by states.

Air Deccan had quoted Rs 88,000/- for 64 people charted in a Turbo Prop one way from Coimbatore to Bangalore - for a wedding party. I am not quoting the time, year - but it is withing recent times. So a one way cost for a 30 minutes flight is, Rs 1375. OK even assuming
a 50% price over the year, the cost shoudl not exceed Rs 2000 per head. I see that they are charing Rs 2500 or so, with about 80% load factor. So somewhere (Mumbai - Delhi?) route is getting subsidized by the off route feeds.

I have developed a fuzzy logic algorithm, during 2001 on pricing (including weather patterns and connections). For a few million dollars I can sell out a decent booking system. You can contact me.

Some Peace of Mind

That peace of mind is important to our lives is a truth that need not be overemphasized. People crave it, ask how it might be achieved; go after gurus and preceptors, return enthusiastic and then get disappointed when peace eludes them like the fish they tried to catch in the picnic stream with their bare hands. In this hectic manner of modern living , attainment of peace of mind remains illusory like the Eldorado's of the Romances which refused to turn into reality.

Peace of mind is like LOVE and HAPPINESS that you have to build for yourselves and not seek like detectives hunting for clues in the mud. The best way to find love is to love; the best way to find happiness is to be first happy. Similarly the best way to have peace of mind is to fill your mind with peaceful thoughts.

Our thoughts influence our words and our words influence the thoughts of others with whom we commune and converse. Our words create pictures in our minds and in the minds of others; so whether we disturb others and ourselves with our words or fill them and ourselves with peace will depend on our choice of words.

Yet, we go about searching for peace, laboring after it and even ironically wage wars to obtain peace. We have peace keeping forces comprising soldiers who are experts in war manoeuvres. The irony is too obvious to be stressed.

It has to be borne in mind that you cannot have peace unless you bring God into your lives and derive from Him the peace that He gifted to you and meant you to have. All good things spring from God and so does peace. If you do not appropriate it for yourself, you will go through life tense, full of anxiety and irritation and be a source of pain and a trial to those around you. If you have this virtue, you will be patient, calm and tranquil, and your mind will be at "rest" in the midst of chaotic conditions outside.

Only a peaceful mind can generate power necessary to create things and concepts. As a lecturer, I realized this a long time ago; therefore I know the necessity of peace of mind to ideate. Your scholarship, ability, knowledge and eloquence will require a peaceful mind for their conversion into an effective lecture. If your mind is troubled and full of care you cannot give an effective lecture and your audience will definitely realize that there is something bugging you.

How do you create a peaceful mind? It is not very difficult if you are ready to do a few things which I am now going to suggest

1. If you are going to build a house, you have to first gather all the material necessary for construction plus the workmen who will have to put in months of toil to build a strong house for you. Once your house is ready nothing from outside can enter your house unless you leave the doors open. Your mind should be similar to your house. You have to strengthen it. As you would like to live in your house in peace and harmony, make sure that your mind is full of peaceful thoughts and in harmony with Nature.

2. I remember Psalm no. 23 from the Old Testament which was prescribed as a poem for study at school 45 years ago. It is full of passages relating to peace. It would be a good idea to saturate your mind with such passages and sayings from great scriptures of all religions. For example: "He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul". Recite these lines from Psalm No. 23, a number of times, with your eyes closed, visualizing the scenes that the lines connote. Allow those pictures to sink into your mind slowly. Whatever sinks into your mind slowly will remain there etched for a long time and take control of your mind gradually. Visualize that God is restoring your soul. This means that restoration was necessary and whatever had to be done is being done by God Himself! The Master builder and Master Craftsman who gave you your soul initially is Himself effecting the restoration that is necessary as a result of the tempests of life that have wrought havoc to your soul! How charged must you feel when your soul is restored by God's peace as a result of His leading you "beside still waters" and making you "lie down in green pastures!"

3.. In a task that is difficult to perform you generally ask experts their help and suggestions. Since your mind was given you by God, it is appropriate that you ask Him for help in its development. For a moment compare your mind to a computer which is yet to be programmed. The hard disk of the computer has to be formatted with data that you feed through floppies, software C.Ds and material downloaded from the Internet. It is generally noticed that no matter how much you load on to the hard disk there is still a lot of room for a lot of data. Your brain too is similar. It is capable of storing copious information, thoughts, feelings and facts. Using your sense of judgment and discernment you are able to put them all in order in a systematic manner.

When your computer is loaded with some matter which you realize is useless at a later date, what do you do? You press the delete button with your mouse and the unwanted matter is erased from the hard disk.

You should do something similar with your mind if you want to have maximum peace of mind and happiness. Your mind is like a computer hard disk having all kinds of data, information, emotions and thoughts etched on it. Good emotions, thoughts and feelings jostle with their bad cousins for attention and quite often it is these bad emotions like hate, anger, envy, ill-will and so on that ruin your peace of mind. Like a surgeon, who has to be "cruel only to be kind", you should excise these negative elements out of your mind. They really have had no business to be there in the first place in the mind of a positive thinker. Do this deliberately, consciously, deeply desiring their exit from your life saying, "I am going to put you all out of my mind. Go away and don't come back." Then tell God what you have done and seek His help in keeping them out. They will never return. Some of the things you have expelled might be loads you have carried for decades. They were the dead weights which you could have discarded long ago but you didn't because you didn't know how to. It does not matter. There is always a first time and making an attempt, no matter at whatever time in your life, is most important. Once you take the first step, it becomes a habit, because man is a creature of habit. It is like clearing all the rubbish from your house. If you allow rubbish to accumulate in your house and don't clean up, rubbish assumes gargantuan dimensions and discourages you from making efforts to clean up. But if you make up your mind to clean your house and put it in order, a small beginning becomes a major campaign and it becomes a habitual routine and your house will be spic and span before long. A similar thing has to be done with your mind. Vacuum clean your mind. Get rid of all the unpleasant, unkind elements and before long only happy, positive, peaceable and healthy thoughts and feelings will reside in your mind. Soon an indescribable peace will fill your mind and will be your companion for life.

Will not these just discarded uncomfortable, negative thoughts make an onslaught on your mind again? Will not gloom and depression ever return? Surely they will. As this world is full of negative forces; they are sure to return. However you will be better prepared to combat them. Now that you are a positive thinker, count on God as your senior partner in every venture of life. You are going to draw on His strength against every onslaught. Great generals say that you have to battle for peace in your land. Similarly you have to battle for maintaining peace of mind. When you have cleaned up your house, you are surely not going to leave it unsecured by leaving the doors open to unwelcome strangers! Likewise, do not leave the doors of your mind open to unwelcome negative forces. Keep them out by force; after sometime they will not assail you. Make a conscious effort of keeping them at bay. Turn this effort into a habit. After a while these negative forces will not torment you at all for your mind will have mastered the technique of barricading these unwelcome elements. Mind, like the rest of your body needs the right kind of exercising in this venture. Once your mind is fortified, it will keep you in a state of peaceful equilibrium.

It has to be borne in mind that of all kinds of peace, the greatest is God's peace which He has given us so generously to keep. Seek His peace through prayer and dialogs with Him. You need not go through a rigorous regimen of penance to obtain it. If you just ask Him for it, He will gift it to you We are the vessel in which God has mixed all the ingredients necessary for good and purpose-filled living. The peace that he has bequeathed to us is real, tangible and enormous. Let us put it to good use in furtherance of our own purposes, listening to His message of love that He demonstrated in ample measure.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Scooter versus 4 wheeler

A friend owns a scooter and doesnt like it that much. Waiting for Tata Nano, or Maruti 600 (yes friends for Rs1.2 lakhs).

The reasons are as follows

- Tough to drive a two wheeler, the balance has to be there on hands
- If you have a fat rider on the back (like me) it wobbles
- pain of carrying 2 helmets
- Mileage is OK
- What about Rain or Sun problems
- I dont think there is an air cooled scooter
- 4 cannot travel (but Ratan Tata has seen 5 travelling, so Nano came into being)
- Lifters/Robbers get away with Scooters/Bikes very fast.

A scooter joke ---- http://www.billabongvalley.com/website/index.php?id=104

Love and you!

Don't cheat, If you are honest, this tells the truth. It's pretty good. Write
your answers on a piece of paper,
and NO cheating!! The
answers are at the bottom.

1. Which is your favourite color out of:
red , black , blue , green , or yellow ?

2. Your first initial?

3. Your month of birth?

4. Which color do you like more, black
or white?

5. Name of a person of the same sex as yours.

6. Your
favourite number?

7. Do you like Flying or Driving more?

8. Do
you like a lake or the ocean more?

9. Write down a wish (a realistic
one).


When you're done, scroll down. (Don't
cheat!)

Answers

1. If you choose:
Red - You are alert and your life is full of love.
Black - You are conservative and aggressive.
Green - Your soul is
relaxed and you are laid back.
Blue - You are spontaneous and love kisses
and affection from the ones you love.
Yellow - You are a very happy person
and give good advice to those who are down.

2. If your initial is:
A-K You have a lot of love and friendships in your life.
L-R You try to
enjoy your life to the maximum & your love life is soon to blossom.
S-Z
You like to help others and your future love life looks very good.

3. If
you were born in:
Jan-Mar: The year will go very well for you and you will
discover that you fall in love with someone totally unexpected.
April-June:
You will have a strong love relationship that will not last long but the
memories will last forever.
July-Sep: You will have a great year and will
experience a major life-changing experience for the good.
Oct-Dec: Your love
life will not be great, but eventually you will find your soul mate.

4.
If you chose:
Black: Your life will take on a different direction, it will
seem hard at the time but will be the best thing for you, and you will be glad
for the change.
White: You will have a friend who completely confides in you
and would do anything for you, but you may not realize it.

5. This
person is your best friend.

6. This is how many close friends you have
in your lifetime.

7. If you chose:
Flying: You like adventure.
Driving: You are a laid back person.

8.. If you chose:
Lake: You
are loyal to your friends and your lover and are very reserved.
Ocean: You
are spontaneous and like to please people.

Talk your way in life! (found on net)

"Well begun is half done" applies for the topic in question as well. A friendly smile and upright posture, along with a decent and comfortable clothing would not only make the speaker look approachable and pleasant, but would also help him/her to stay casual. How uncool, would it be to keep adjusting your dress while presenting?

Preparedness :
An impromptu session sounds wonderful ! But sadly, not all (incl.me) have the gift of the gab !! Mugging up a speech by-heart wouldn’t help either ! Instead, having a skeleton form of the speach would help. One need not stutter and stammer half way through a session, forgetting the lines. That would only demotivate the person further. Involving the addressees and interacting would also help in making the whole thing lively. The latent advantage being that one could rest assured that no one falls asleep/or atleast waking up the person who has managed a quick nap.

Add Lustre :
Use the opportunity to showcase your technical brilliance. If a PPT is dismissed as too hi-fi for the group your addressing, an OHP would help. There was a lady coming in for an OHP presentation, who used her cigarette lighter as a paper weight on the OHP sheet, which was prompty reflected on the board, and that was enough fodder for us to gossip on the spot. No wonder I hardly remember even the topic that was dealt with ! Hence try fascinating the audience by your techniques which wouldn’t distract the group.

Know your audience :
The age, qualification and thereby the mindset has to be considered before addressing. The audience expect to hear not all that you know, but all that they want to know. Adding humour and illustrating real life examples would bring life to mundane topics. A person who could correctly balance his content with the necessary vigour, would attract audience even in the absence of the mike. While a person speaking at the top of his voice behind the mike with all possible gesticulations on earth, minus content and conviction would only make the audience sleep!

Never suffer a complex :
The initial few minutes are vital. The sneering faces of the audience might not be welcoming, but there lies the challenge ! Once your put off, they win and you succumb ! If your confident enough in the delivery, there is no looking back. Also, a quick collection of audiences’ opinion before starting off would give a clue of what they expect from the session/speech. If there’s absolute silence when you ask for suggestions. be prepared, you are an uninvited guest, and that complicates your task. Modulating the voice would help in beating the monotonous and mundane topics too.

Conquer the impediment :
"Fear" can be extremely distressing. Conquering the turmoil within, would unleash the new you. There’s always someone more intelligent, always someone more attractive and always someone catching more attention. But every other person, is attractive and intelligent in someone’s eye. It all depends on the rapport that you’re able to strike and the reach that your speech could have. The Fear of Fear is the biggest Fear of all times - John F Kennedy, while talking about Cuban Crisis - when Russia was loading tons of arms at Havanna.

Speak your mind :
This is one thing which would defeat the necessity of all other technical requirements. A person could just walk in without any paper to refer back, and still hold the audience in awe if he speaks from the bottom of his heart. Going one step further and pouring one’s heart is frivolous, which would be dismissed as nothing but cribbing. When I’m honest I make an impact, when I fabricate the message, I fail to catch attention. This is true & applicable in the case of writing too (with tweeks of course).

Finally, it is your guts that would win.

A note - in my present co. I conducted many programs for fun and leadership, beyond the call of my duty, being in a Senior level, which was to be done by HR (only if there was one such group). It was very effective, and those guys who gained experience, moved on to a better role, within or outside.

How time Changes (Chennai to Bangalore)

Moving from Chennai to Bangalore was a tough decision. We moved in April after I got a job with a small company, with so called lots of responsibilities.

I wrote down the pro's and con's of the move.

Logix of move
-Location which is cooler than Chennai
-Nice weather
-Job Satisfaction
Money involved
-rent costing 5k more
-maid salary expensive by few hundreds
-Eating out, cost of living a bit more Rs 500 extra
-few trips till the house is found
School
-donation at 20k per kid
-fees at same level of Chennai
Car
-dispose the old one and get a smaller one owing to parking problems
Relatives
-visits are more frequent
-expenses are more, for sight seeing, taxi etc.

Shifting costs were covered by the company to the tune of 50K, covering movers cost and house finders fees plus the flight tix.

Looking back, the total cost involved was Rs 1.5 lakhs extra. That is Rs 2.27 lakhs before tax money.
Judgment now
-was it worth the move?
-money was there, but not there - bonus only on paper (US recession made it 0)
-net savings negligible, as the cost of new car covered it
-lost superannuation and gratuity and continued service from previous company
-only family is happy for Bangalore

Monday, June 16, 2008

The Girl who silenced world for 5 minutes at UN

The girl who silenced the world for 5 minutes. She addressed a UN Meeting on issue of environment

Searching for full Tamil poems தேடுகிறேன் தமிழ் செய்யுளை (காமம்)

தேடுகிறேன் தமிழ் செய்யுளை

(1) ஆழி துரும்பெனவே அங்கும் எங்கும் உன்னடிமை பாழில் திரிவதென பாவம் பராபரமே


(2) கொங்குதேர் வாழ்க்கை அஞ்சிறைத் தும்பி காமம் செப்பாது கண்டது மொழிமோ

கிடைத்தது ஆகஸ்ட் மூன்று, 2008

8.30 to 3.10 new school timing

For all schools in Bangalore (Bengaluru) the new school time is 8.30 to 3.10

Wondering about the first timers carrying lunch. Still my wife feeds my son at home.

His first day at school with lunch all by himself.

(Washing is done with assistance!)

Alphabetical Africa - An experiment by Walter Abish

http://vijayashankar.blogspot.com/2008/06/all-and-alphabetical-africa.html

Did you notice the thing above ( http://charuonline.com/june08/zeroleela1.html ) all the words letters begin with an A.

Not only that, even my post title attempted that with thanks :-)

You can read about Walter Abish here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphabetical_Africa 

There was supposed to be no I in this novel, but there are 6 of them, out of which on the constraint of not using I, is violated only is 2 places. Not bad for a 100000+ words novel. My "Oh My Family!" novel, written in 1995, has in regular A4 formatting of 165 pages at 2000 to 2500 words/pages totaling amazing 400006 words. I am working on the Tamil version as well, and will imprint it once the English version publishes.

My dad an avid reader, found about this from Dr Chari at Kotagiri. (both are no more, and never heard about it till now I read on charuonline.com)

All and A - Alphabetical Africa

Ages ago, Allen and Alva arrived in Antibes, and Alva allowing all, allowing anyone, against Alex's admonition, against Allen's angry assertion:another African amusement . . . anyhow, as all argued, an awesome African army assembled and arduously advanced against an African anthill,assiduously annihilating ant after ant, and afterward, Alex astonishingly accuses Albert as also accepting Africa's antipodal ant annexation. Albert argumentatively answers at another apartment. Answers: ants areameisen. Ants are ameisen?

Just Wondering!

Valuations - it is the keyword.

Say for eg a company comes into being, and they have book of order of 5 crores.

Their employee cost is 40 to 50 lakhs, for the first year.

They go to market.

How do they price it? (think 2001 days)

Profit is heavy. No one bothers to check the books, other than the promoter.

35 times multiple. So based on the capital employed stock price is done with Book Building at Rs 590 per share of Rs 2. (go figure it out yourself, with 6% being the book building bank co's fees). I have not mentioned the capital employed purposely, being an amount just sits in the bank as reserves, and seeing that these banks give loans for other biz, current account OD etc.

I want a bank with such credentials to help me out with 21 crore rs USD 5 mil (plan is ready).

Friday - Robert A. Heinlein - Super Scientific Thriller

If you get a chance to read, Friday by Robert A. Heinlein - Super Scientific Thriller, blows the mind and better than Clarke (Arthur of course) and Isac Asimov.

I never heard Sujatha mention on tis guy.

A quote

Ideology of life is "DON"T THINK ABOUT THE PAST BUT LIVE FOR TODAY BECAUSE TOMORROW IS NEVER PROMISED."

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Fathers Day எங்கு போய் முடியுமோ?

I respect my father to the core. I am even planning to give out an award every year for an young and first time Thamizh writer. There are ways to honor. The times group is so crappy in terms of articles - having stupids write for them, pardon me, where even PC agreed they can unseat an FM. See now the story of Mrs Raghuram Bhat of Udupi & Karnataka MLA. Authenticity on front page, that she is alive etc. What happened? Police party nexus? God help us! (even there is a circular to do it).  எங்கு போய் முடியுமோ? முதலிலே பெங்களூர் விமான நிலயம் சரி செய்யுங்க !

USA is so stupid in monopolizing the days. In between Thanksgiving and July 4th, they ensured there are enough sale days. So you go with days for Mothers, Fathers, Farters, etc. (St Peters for Beer, mind it rascals, read in Tamil way - Dhoni advt.)

Luckily there is only Labor day in between, who get screwed royally working for them.

Go Obama!

2nd gen Indian-Americans

2nd gen Indian-Americans who have made a mark other than Spelling bee's

Rajeev Ram (top 150 - ATP tennis)
Prakash Amrtiraj (top 250)
Neha Uberoi
Shikha Uberoi
Sunitha Rao
Tara Iyer
Mohini Bharadwaj (Olympian)

This is apart from 40% staff who are into high tech jobs, saving USA.

கொசு கடி ஜோக்

தூக்கத்துல கொசு கடிக்காம இருக்கணும்னா என்ன பண்ணனும்?     தெரியலையா? வேற ஒண்ணும் இல்ல, கொசு தூங்கினதுக்கப்புறம் நீங்க தூங்குங்க

Finally India looses to Pakistan in Final!

Loosing by 25 runs was well scripted. Thanks to BCCI and PCB and all the players. Tension till the end.

Viewers couldnt have asked for more.

So it is a real jinx?