My Creations....

Finally, I am doing something what I have been looking to do after long time.
Somehow everytime I wanted to do it, there would be a slackening at my
end. But, then I decided that it was time I do it.

Well, this is got to do with my hobby of SKETCHING. I have always liked to
sketch throughout my life. Infact, I have participated in number of
competitions and won quite a few prices during my school days. Thought of
publish a few of them on my blog -














(1) BRIDGE SCENERY
This sketch is that of a scenery of a sunset by the sea seen from a bridge.
This one happens to be special coz its a CHARCOAL sketching. And I found
that using charcoal on special drawing sheet gives good effects. This one
was done I guess 4-5 months back (June'08)














(2) CA MOUNTAIN RANGES
This sketch is a mountain-range that I had seen while driving to Santa Cruz
from San Jose. Again, this also was done 4-5 months back. I hope you are
able to make out the gradients in the mountains. This was during my initial
visit to US.














(3) SAINTS WITH MAGICAL LIQUID
This one is one of my favorites that did a couple of yrs back probably when I
started working or something. But, then this one was done completely in
6B pencil and it came out quite good :)



















(4) JUST NATURAL
Well, the sketch was done while I was just sitting at my home with a blue-ball
pen. But then it came out quite good, may be the power of Reynold Pen Ink.
But, its a very sweet pic that I really love.














(5) VILLAGE SCENE
I saw this pic in the newspaper where they were telling about the way village
are getting changed. Thought I should sketch the scene with a BLACK BALL
PEN. Turned out that it would be a good option as I was still able to get the
shades. I was quite happy to see the way branches of the tree came out :)



















(6) BUTTERFLY EFFECTS
One of my favorite scenes to paint is the still life. Its not that it then becomes
easier to sketch. Sometimes when things are still, they look quite nice. I did
imagine a Butterfly as well in the still pic :)



















(7) OH ! THE KING
Wonder if there can be any other animal that can be called a king other than
the LION. The animal is so majestic and awesome to look at. This sketch was
from a real life pic seen on National Geographic using 6B, 4B pencils.














(8) MARKET THOUGHTS
I sketched this sometime back in my previous job, an office scene, not sure
from where I found it. But, decided to sketch it. The present economic
conditions is very much like the graph in the background :)



















(9) GARFIELD - DIFFERENT MOODS
This cartoon sure is a favorite of many kids and elders as well. Thought
capturing a few moods of Garfield. This one I did recently during my recent
visit to Chennai for Diwali'08. Almost forgot, this sketch was done using a
Faber Caster black pen and it on the pen that it was a Permanent Marker :)



















(10) MOSQUITO EFFECTS
How did like the title ? Another sketch that i did in a stretch after finishing the
Garfield sketch. It depicts an irate person who is trying to hit the mosquito
that just whizzzzz past him :)

Well, there are quite a few I did like to post. Will keep doing that in the
coming days. But, then i would really appreciate your comments to these.
You can rate all of them, tell how you felt/any thoughts.

Financial Institutions Sudden...

Lehman Brothers is not more. Merrill Lynch has gone down the Bank of America maw. AIG too could go belly up. With a doubt, these developments in America are the most shocking events to have hit global financial markets. So where did it all begin? And what does it mean for the Indian stock markets? Find out. . .

What is (or was) Lehman Brothers?

America's fourth-largest investment bank Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc has filed the biggest bankruptcy petition known to mankind.
The 158-year-old firm was founded by brothers Henry, Emanuel and Mayer Lehman, Jewish immigrants to the US from Germany, in 1850. Henry set up a general store in Alabama in 1844 and was later joined by his brothers. In 1850 they set up the merchant bank in New York after having made money in railway bonds. So what went wrong?
Lehman Bros, which till June 2008 had not reported a quarterly loss even once, had earlier survived many an economic crises, like railroad bankruptcies of the 1800s, the Great Depression in the 1930s, and the collapse of Long-Term Capital Management in the 1990s.
Thus the collapse of the giant investment bank came as a major shock for the entire world markets that plunged after Lehman filed a Chapter 11 petition with US Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan.
The $613 billion (some estimates put the size at $639 billion) bankruptcy thus throws up the question: why did the Wall Street giant go bust? Here's why. . .

Why did Lehman Brothers go bankrupt?

The giant investment bank succumbed to the sub-prime mortgage crisis that has rocked the United States and the global economy. Lehman was strangled by a massive credit crisis and fast plummeting real estate prices.
The gargantuan $60 billion loss in bad real estate loans forced the bank to file for bankruptcy.
However, the fall of the 158-year-year institution that started cotton trade in US before the American Civil War and financed the railroad that built a nation, got hit by a large dose of bad luck, pride, arrogance and greed. Primarily, the pride of its chief executive office Richard Fuld.
But there were more reason. Check out what they were. . .
Lehman's collapse was also triggered by the refusal of other banks to do business with it because of its complex and, at times, opaque ways of trading. Housing loans made by the bank to people with little support made these loans very risky, and when interest rates rose, these borrowers could no more repay Lehman. This led to huge losses, the extent of which is not yet clear.
Thus other banks stopped trading with Lehman. This led to it losing almost all business and triggered its fall.
The final straw for Lehman was the fact that both Barclays Plc of the United Kingdom and Bank of America Corp pulled out of takeover talks. BofA bought out Merrill Lynch for $50 billion.
However, Barclays has now said that it is in discussions with Lehman Brothers about buying certain assets of the stricken US investment bank.
"Barclays confirms that it is discussing with Lehman Brothers the possible acquisition of certain Lehman Brothers assets on terms that would be attractive to Barclay's shareholders," Britain's third largest bank said in a statement.

When other banks do not want to buy Lehman, why is Barclays interested?

Barclays wanted to buy Lehman out at a discount, so to speak. But when Lehman CEO Fuld decided that his bank was worth much more than what Barclays had apparently offered, Barclays stepped back.
Now that Lehman has filed for bankruptcy, its assets are available fairly cheap. However, the biggest problem is to take on Lehman's enormous liabilities.

How far is the CEO of the company responsible for Lehman's fall?

Wall Street analysts believe that it was the 'hubris' of Richard Fuld, the 62-year-old CEO of Lehman, who did not take the telltale signs of impending doom very seriously. Fuld, nicknamed The Gorilla for his foul temper, intimidating presence and tough talk, rejected many bids to save Lehman because he thought that the sinking giant was much bigger than Wall Street was giving it credit for, and wanted to get more price for the sale of the company.
Analysts say if the bank was sold just a week before it went kaput, it could have been saved the ignominy of a bankruptcy, but Fuld was far too adamant to see reason. Result: the end of a 158-year-old financial giant.

Could the United States government helped, like it helped Bear Stearns in May this year, and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac earlier this month?

The US government could have helped, but US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said that it would not use up any more taxpayer dollars to bail out Lehman Brothers as it would lead to investment banks getting away with their gambling ways. Paulson had bailed out Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Bear Stearns, saying that if the government had not done so, the US housing loan market would have collapsed leading to gigantic losses for hundreds of banks all over the globe that have invested in US property.
Paulson, however, believes that a brokerage major like Lehman, which does not have a direct connection with ordinary people who have taken on home loans, need not be bailed out as it would not cause any systemic damage to the US economy.

Some Lehman Brothers' employees leaving the bank's Canary Wharf office in London Will everyone in Lehman lose their jobs?

The bankruptcy administrators, PricewaterhouseCoopers, feels that as Lehman's operations were essentially centralized at New York, the folding up of the investment banker in the US will have a telling impact on all its operations globally.
Over 5,000 employees in the UK have already lost their jobs, while about 20,000 in the US might as well forget going back to their work stations. About 2,500 Lehman employees in India too face the axe.

Will the whole bank be liquidated?

Unlikely, at least for now. The US Chapter 11 that deals with bankruptcy says that PwC, the administrators, can go about taking its time to find good offers and buyers for Lehman's 'least affected businesses.'
The entire exercise can take months before all of Lehman's assets are sold, given the complexities linked to the bankruptcy.

What about the Bank of America and Merrill Lynch deal?

Merrill Lynch's buy out by Bank of America is also a shocking development. ML, saw the writing on the wall once it guessed that Lehman was going bust, and decided to sell out before it actually has to file a bankruptcy petition..

What about the insurance giant AIG?

The world's largest insurer, American International Group, has been downgraded by credit rating agencies and is racing against time to find a multi billion dollar infusion to stay afloat. US Federal Reserve officials and two leading banks, JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs, were negotiating to put together $75 billion package to save the insurance giant to stave off crisis.
AIG has sought $40 billion in bridge loan to stave off the crisis. But the Fed rebuffed the request. AIG's ills came to fore, when three leading credit rating agencies - Standard and Poor's Moody's and Fitch - lowered the company's credit scores.

Who could be the next to fall?

Some Wall Street analysts, reports The Guardian, name Washington Mutual as the next financial major to 'find itself in serious trouble.'
However, the even bigger worry is whether the world's largest securities firms, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, would be able to survive this brutal financial crisis. But many say that these two gaints will not melt down as they have 'done a better job of spreading their bets across world markets and are also more diversified, less leveraged and have managed such risks much better.'

What do Indian markets fear?

The fall of two global financial behemoths -- Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch -- is expected to dent India Inc's ability to raise resources via the equity route.
Experts feel that such events significantly increase the risk perception, which in turn will put all future investments by institutional investors such as pension or endowment funds, on the back burner.
While the public issue market has already dried up, the private equity funds are also becoming conservative in terms of pricing. This is resulting in either inordinate delays in concluding deals or transactions being called off.
There are many instances of private equity fund managers refusing to go ahead with deals after signing the term sheet. Sources said that a leading fund conducted due diligence on two companies in the last fortnight but did not close either deal primarily because of the developments in the US, their home country.
The crisis faced by Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers is expected to have a cascading effect on PE firms too.

Will it hit the Indian growth story?

The ongoing financial sector crisis in the United States and its repercussions on developed markets worldwide will result in lower capital inflows into emerging markets like India, economists and government officials said today.
At the same time, they called for the government to make it easier for Indian companies to borrow overseas by easing the restrictions that have been imposed in the past to reduce excessive liquidity in the system and control inflation.
This will, in turn, lead to a slowing in investment growth in the months ahead. As lending gets tighter and investment flows dry, corporate India will find it more difficult to raise both equity and debt.

Technology firms are shivering

Lehman Brothers' bankruptcy filing may well prove to be the last straw for Indian IT firms, which were expecting the second half of FY09 to be better. As a result of the US financial market crisis, analysts do not expect Indian IT firms to sign any significant contracts in the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) space in the months to come.
While IT firms do not disclose client-specific details, it's estimated that Lehman Brothers has outsourced deals amounting to anywhere between Rs 550 crore and Rs 700 crore (annually) to numerous IT firms, including majors like Tata Consultancy Services, Satyam Computer Services and Wipro. Lehman Brothers, say sources, works with 14 services providers in India - Wipro and TCS being the largest. It also has investments in a few IT firms. It's not clear if these holdings will be liquidated to raise funds.
Moreover, the sources add that Lehman Brothers' unit in India has issued termination letters to a majority of its 2,500 employees.

Speed...Precision...Championship...

Seems like im starting to really enjoying on writing blogs. The only concern that I seem to have as of now is that the formatting as seen on my blog appears pretty bad. Infact, sometimes I wonder it is showing up like this and not put it across neatly after doing all the formatting. Don't we thing many time when we actually are doc and that we would like to click a single button that would do the complete - alignment, borders, settingthe font for text and headers, blah blah. Thats like the real laziness. We think, why think can't just happen with a click of a button :)

Ahaa, now I seem to have got a good start to this blog. Coz this one is about speeds and thrills and skills and strategy and what not. I am speaking about “FORMULA-1". Well, in the current generation of youth if someone say that he/she is not a "Formula-1" fan, then he/she might be looked down upon. And
like the way the people may call it hindi, the person lacks the "TASHAN":)

Of course, there is no fun forcing yourself to like something like that. It has be liked from within, which is what happened with me. I used to wonder when the CABLE-TV channels came when I was probably in my 7-8th grade or something. And in the sports channel, they used to show cars driving at high speeds.
Its like who doesn't like Speeds and Thrills. And then, understand the way things work in the sports becomes easy to learn. After learning the rules (may be not the 100%). The reason why I am writing is that many people stop watching sport or dislike it when the sports has a loads of rule. We all equate most of it to "CRICKET". We keep wondering why it isn’t as easy as cricket. Throw the ball, hit some runs, and field the ball, the run-outs, the wides, no-balls. But hey, have you every stopped and wondered, even in that sports how many times we make mistakes with regards to the LBW decisions.

Infact, I just seem to have gone away from "Formula1". The point I tried to make there was try to make is that, its hard to know it all. The latest incident when Hamilton overtook Raikonnen in one of the left-turns but cutting across a shortcut. Basically he dint take the normal marked route, but cut across the road. Well, its more like the way we drive around here in Bangalore to ahead of the vehicle in front. Anyways, Hamilton was rightfully punished by giving a 25secs penalty which let him lose the Belgian Grand-Prix.

Apart from the fundas of rules, its the sheer speed that attracts us. Well, now that the rules and understanding of sport does set in. Its time to choose a TEAM that you would like to cheer and route to win. Isn't as easy as it seems. But, then the natural choice quite a few might have is FERRARI. But, then that dint come so easily to me. Coz I have always seen McLaren as the stronger of the two. But, then the COLOR OF LOVE (RED) does attract. And why not, at
that time MICHAEL SCHUMACHER was around. I don't think there was any drive during that period who would DARE to drive like SCHUMI did.

The craze finally did set in and I started watching all of the Grand-Prix events across the world. Now, the point to note is that F1 is not just about the speed, its about the strategy. Coz its also about the TYPRE-CHANGE strategy, traffic after change, fuel-levels and others. Tyre change comes to thought most
importantly coz many time drivers are pretty poor driving in wet conditions and they end up SKIDDING & SLIDING.

Another important point to note is the TRACK. I mean, it’s spectacular. Especially my favorite tracks include - SAN MARINO, BELGIAN & ITALIAN GPs. It also seems like every country in the world want to have a Formula-1 circuit. I mean, this year the latest addition in MIDDLE-EAST (BAHARAIN), CHINA, SINGAPORE are all examples. I guess it is being planned in India as well. I guess the HYDERABAD is the place,lets see.

But surely, only all the above things are sorted out the F1. Its purely about supporting the driver and hope would win. F1 is so thrilling that, things could turn in the flash of moment. I mean some of the things that does happen –

-> tyre getting punctured in the penultimate lap (incident where Raikonnen was driving for McLaren and was leading throughout the race, but then coz of the
puncture he couldn't continue)
-> the last incident involving Hamilton, Raikonnen lead through-out the raceand I guess there only 2-3 laps remaining
-> you are being a safety car and the driver tries to take a lead of the car ahead and you get black-flagged
-> or the driver goes to pits while safety car is still running. This happened with loads of drivers speeding at more than prescribed speed while reading the pit-stop

Ferrari sure does stand-out among the rest of the team coz they somehow lack the fan-following. I have been a Ferrari fan since more than a decade, thats the craze im speaking about. It was always pleasure watching Schumarcher win the races. And other fun part was the way he used to celebrate victory. I mean, that used to show the PASSION he had for the sport.

In the present generation we do have a driver similar to him, Luis Hamilton.
He sure is a driver who has got the passion and most importantly a desire to
win. Some of the history of MS
includes -

Nationality German
Formula One World Championship career
Active years 1991–2006
Teams Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari
Races 250 (248 starts)
Championships 7 (1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)
Wins 91
Podium finishes 154
Career points 1,369
Pole positions 68
Fastest laps 76
First race 1991 Belgian Grand Prix
First win 1992 Belgian Grand Prix
Last win 2006 Chinese Grand Prix
Last race 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix
2006 position 2nd (121 pts)

One of my dreams would be drive a Ferrari-car. The Ferrari cars sure due have the best of looks. And I have also head peoplesay that the cars are made on basis of demand and there isn't an actual production unit. Coz the price of the car surely isn't reachable for many of us. Schumi gifted a Ferrari car to Sachin Tendulkar and that became such a big issue coz it was imported here to India. And Sachin was suppose to pay tax of 80%. Instead, after of discussion the craze of cricket stayed ROCK-ON and Sachin was allowed to get the car and
not pay tax. I wish I would get a similar gift from Schumi :)

Apart from Schumi being part of FERRARI, the 2 drivers, who currently drive for FERRARI include - Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikonnen :)

Well on that note, I did like to stop this blog as its already late in the night. Let me think of adding something more to this blog later.

Wait wait, I just forgot to mention about the other most eye-catching thing about the F1. Wondering what it is, well,undoubtedly its the glamour quotient. You can see quite a few pretty model standing next to the drivers-cars and some holding the umbrellas. I guess speed and passion does attract girls attention. Adding a few pics that I grabbed from f1.com.

Until my next blog, hope you had a nice time reading the same. As usual, your comments are awaited :)

Best tennis player ever...Andre Agassi

I am writing this blog after a request from one of my friend. Many times it happens that we have
thoughts in our mind which we are not able to put it across. But, then when someone gives an
idea, its more like the dormant interest sparks :)

As the title to this blog says, its about tennis. What do I say about tennis. It been one of my
favorite sports right from my childhood. I have been watching this sport and understood the same from my very young age. It was when I was 10 years or so when my dad got me my first racket. And like the old-timers, I started with a wooden-racket. But since the then, I have
progressed in terms of the rackets - the steel racket from Jonex (to) the graphite racket of
Wilson (to) the graphite racket of Dunlop (to) the latest addition to my kitty, N-PRO racket
which is used by the present generation star-players like Fed-Ex.

But, then more than the rackets, its the way the game is played which makes it very interesting.
And as I started watching, among all the players, one player that attracted my attention was
Andre Agassi. I sure did think that this is just like any other sport where people think of winning
and play professionally. But, then when I saw Agassi it was a different kind of tennis-player.
I mean, he sure used to play good but then the way he used to keep the crowd entertained
impressed me a lot more. There sure was a certain charisma in this guy.

Again, you might wonder the reason why I am talking about charisma and not about the game.
Absolutely right, that's another uniqueness of Agassi. The players around that time like -
Sampras, Edberg, Becker, etc etc used to be more like serve-and-volley players. I used to
always wonder that it is the easiest way to get points by playing at the nets. But, then when I
saw Agassi, I noticed how a baseline player can also win points by placing the balls at the right
spots.

Agassi, sure did have the skill-set. And some of his best shots were the - Inside-Out forehand,
Double-handed backhand and most importantly the Early-pick of servers. It seemed to quite
easy for Agassi to over-power his opponents with his forehand. But surely, its not as easy as it
sounds as the person needs immense Stamina combined with Power. And if you really want to
enjoy the game being played all around the court, you should watch the all around play thats
done by the base-line players. I have also disliked people with the boom-boom service, the
likes of Sampras, Ivanasevic, Rusedski, etc.

I have been a big fan of Agassi right from a young age. And I still remember the times when I -
- used sit right next to the TV while Agassi was playing
- switch-off the TV when Agassi was playing because of the tension
- used to avoid watching his match lest he would lose, as that used to ruin my entire day
- read the sports-section of the paper to read the way they describe his shot making style
- would watch the replay of a match that he would have already won
- would avoiding watching matches thinking that he might lose if I watch

Many of the thoughts that I mentioned might sound silly but then many of us feel the same. I
have heard many people say that they switch off TV when Sachin Tendulkar is playing, thinking
that it would be a bad-luck for him. And whenever he would get out, we would blame ourselves.
All of these are signs of the love we have for the players. Most importantly we desire that they
perform good and nothing should hamper them :)

Many time my relatives would pull my leg telling that he might lose the match when they would
have their favorite players playing against him. In spite of all that, he has been my favorite
star.

Well, the first and formost thing that used to come into the mind when you speak of Agassi is his
long-hair and the colorful dresses (remember all those floroscent t-shirts and colorful shoes).
I am sure he would had gals drooling over him. I guess he distracted everyone to :

* Win the WIMBLEDON Grand Slam in 1992 being an unseeded in the tournment

Andre Agassi defeated Goran Ivanišević 6-7(8-10) 6-4 6-4 1-6 6-4

* And then followed it up with his 1st US Open Grand Slam in 1994

Andre Agassi (USA) def. Michael Stich (GER), 6-1, 7-6, 7-5

* Taking the moment straight ahead to win the AUSTRALIAN Open Grand Slam in 1995

Andre Agassi (USA) def. Pete Sampras (USA), 4-6, 6-1, 7-6, 6-4

And ofcourse, the most MEMORABLE of all the FRENCH OPEN Grand Slam in 1999. I mean,
from being 2 sets down he comes to beat Andre Medvedev, gosh man. Infact, I was watching
this match late in the evening and thought that he was down and out. But, then he suuch good
fighting spirit to bounce back to win the next 3 sets to win the match.

Andre Agassi ¹ (USA) def. Andrei Medvedev (UKR), 1-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4

I mean, is there a single player in the present era who has won all the 4 Grand Slams. NONE is
the answer. Many people say that Sampras is the best player ever but then he too couldn't win the Frenchie. Ofcourse, the latest sensations Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have also not
won all the 4 slams :)

Thats not all, Agassi has won the OLYMPIC GOLD as well in 1998. What more can you ask
of a player

Andre Agassi (USA) def. Sergi Bruguera (ESP), 6-2, 6-3,6-1

Oops, seems like I got into too much of details. But, then all those details are very much
required. Infact, all of this happened during the decade when I was growing up :)

And to add to his crown he married the beautiful Steffi Graf who herself is a CHAMPION.
There is also a special term in tennis called CAREER GOLDEN SLAM which is given to player
who has won all the four slams and also the Olympic Gold.

Steffi Graf is that special special who did it all in 1998 (Australian Open, French Open,
Wimbledon, US Open and the US Open)
Agassis stretched it to couple of years but sure did do it all - 1992-94-95-98-99

Seems like its been too much of tennis. Well, I guess this sport itself is so interesting that you
can keep writing on and on.

Now that these stars are reitred, its about the young generation we expect from. When I mean
younger generation I mean, Agassi-Steffis kids - Jaden Gil (boy) and Jaz Elle (gal). I hope to
cheer these kids on into glories similar to their parents.


Well, this sure was a emotionally written msg and requested by one of my good friends. If you
think that I should be writing on any topic then let me konw I will surely write some in my
freetime.

Logo Quizzzzzz.....

Time for a quiz. Its not just a quiz but something more like a quick-sand. A quick-sand where you
generally like to get drowned in and then come out of it after having achieved the ultimate desire
of finishing it all up.

The reason why I thought putting this on my blog is to bring across a very unique point. Have you
ever thought when you get a question that you cannot answer it. I mean, not when you can atleast
figure out 50% of the clues easily. But, then the fun starts just after reach that very mark. Coz
you start wondering, it would be so nice if you get that remaining 50%. And then as you keep
inching forward, you keep thinking to yourself, -
"waaw, how did I forget that"
"hmmm, wat was that"
"yes, i know that one, seen it somewhere, but where ???"
"this one, gosh man, how could i forget it"

But then its not just about those expressions to complete the quiz. Its more about the craze to
complete it. Infact, these are all the feeling that I felt when I got the puzzle. I mean, it makes
you get sucked into it. Should I say like a magnet. And its not just myself, I mean to the people
I send it as well. There is this craze or madness about completing this one. And many time, it
also happens that you know something and want to write it but are not confident and you dont
write it. Or you think that it might be wrong and it happens to be right later :)

This time around, I had a good run at it. The initial attempt, I got around 90-100 and then
slowly steadily reached the required number ie., 130. Well well, not sure you felt the same
when you saw this puzzle, like many others.

I would encourage you to share the same with rest of your friends and let them also get glued.
Remember, its no use stopping in the mid-way when you know the design is just half-way more:)

That sure did seem seem like a philosophy or a thought for the day. But, then it was just
something to eg you. So, happy solving the puzzle. And yes, once you are done or progressing,
I would like to hear all your thoughts in the comments section to this blog. Come on guys,
lemme see some discussion on this :)

Oops, blogspot doesn't allow me to add the excel-sheet to my mail. Well, I will send the mail
as attachment with the detail to this site. And enjoy finding solutions :)