Welcome to Nameesh Blog-Spot

My Creations....

2008-11-06T19:27:00.013+05:30

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...

2008-10-06T01:02:00.003+05:30

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...

2008-10-06T00:47:00.006+05:30

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

2008-09-24T01:54:00.010+05:30

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.....

2008-09-21T05:03:00.004+05:30

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 :)

Position or Performance?

2008-09-15T16:08:00.000+05:30

A Priest dies & is awaiting his turn in line at the Heaven's Gates.
Ahead of him is a guy, nattily dressed, in dark sun glasses, a loud shirt, leather jacket & jeans.

God asks him: Please tell me who are you, so that I may know whether to admit you into the kingdom of Heaven or not?

The guy replies: I am Pandi, Auto driver from Chennai !

God consults his ledger, smiles & says to Pandi: Please take this silken robe & gold scarf & enter the Kingdom of Heaven ..

Now it is the priest's turn. He stands erect and speaks out in a booming voice: I am Pope's Assistant so & so, Head Priest of the so & so Church for the last 40 years.

God consults his ledger & says to the Priest: Please take this cotton robe & enter the Kingdom of Heaven ...

'Just a minute,' says the agonized Priest. 'How is it that a foul mouthed, rash driving Auto Driver is given a Silken robe & a Golden scarf and me, a Priest, who's spent his whole life preaching your Name & goodness has to make do with a Cotton robe?'

'Results my friend, results,' shrugs God.

'While you preached, people SLEPT; but when he drove his Auto, people PRAYED'

Moral of the story: It's PERFORMANCE & not POSITION that ultimately counts.

Moment to remember...

2008-09-13T17:41:00.006+05:30

Its amazing sometimes you come across few things in life that bring you so much of peace. Most
commonly its the color of nature that bring us this kind of effect. It happens that we come
across many such during our day-to-day but then the enjoyment is momentary. And if we want
to relieve the moment then we will either have to visit the place. By capturing the same in the
camera as a photo, the moment stay still. The moment you have a look it, seems like you are right
there.

Seems like the last para became abit more philosophical. Well, just think over what I said, may
be it may strike you as well :)
The pic that are part of this blog are also part of one such experience of mine. I came across
these nice looking flower and grass near to the office. And just imagine, how beautifully god has
created this word with so much of colors and variety. I am not sure of the variety of these
flowers. If you do get to know of the name, send it across. But then why would you want to
search for the names. These names are anyway given by humans :-)

Wondering where these pics were taken. Well, these were taken infront of the NetApp office
at Raleigh, NC.

A visit to Jordon Lake with Sea-View....

2008-09-13T15:39:00.010+05:30

Its been nearly a week or more since I wrote my last blog and I was already missing on it :)
Well, I guess that the glue that blogs can keep you into. Anyways, I am back again. Seems
like there are loads and loads of things that I can write on. Infact, the info shared part of
the blog is more of an actual experience. And what better way to convey it.

This one is about a place in North Carolina that I visited. Its hard to say whether its a BEACH
or a LAKE. Did that surprise you abit. Well, read on and you would come know more about
this amazing place.

It was nearly 2-3 weeks into my recent visit at Raleigh-Durham, NC (USA). People around
us started telling us to visit this place, and that place, and also the other one, and also the one
next to it, blah blah blah ! Gosh, sometimes mind stops compiling things as there is much.
Infact, its not about so much, its more about how much you can see. One such place mentioned
quite a few time by people was JORDON LAKE. I have seen this name on the boards while
driving across Durham but then I wondered what could be so special about this place.

It was then that I decided with one of my friend that we should visit this place. We heard that
it was just around an hours drive or something to reach to that place. So, I got off from the office
abit early on friday around 4.30-5'ish. We set off thinking that we would reach that place.
Though we were not aware of the directions. All we knw was the address and I had the very
much RELIABLE, GPS in my car :)

As I started driving, somehow I felt that we could not make it as it was alittle late. Though the
sun sets at 8.30pm or NC during this time of year, somehow was not convinced. My thought
led me to drive also in similar fashion. Pretty slowly on some I40 EAST at speed of 45MPH.
We decided to visit a CHINESE restaurant called PANDA on the way. It took us nearly an
hour to complete our meal, so we cancelled the plans :(
But then we made firm plans of going to the lake the next day.

So, we got ready early, had the brunch and started off at around 12 noon. Actually, this time
around I did not feed the address. Will not believe it we got completely lost as we were driving
to go on our own. All that we knew was that JORDON lake was on I64 WEST. It was an
unbelieve drive coz I was driving in many of the American communities where there were many
of the row house as we see in the YEST-YEAR serials like WONDER YEARS or like in the
movie THE GIRL NEXT DOOR :)

After 2 hours just driving round and round the Raleigh, Durham, Morrisville, Cary and other
counties we finaly hit the I64 WEST. And finally by the time we reached there it was nearly
3.30pm or so. 1 hour journey became nearly 3-1/2 hours. But then driving around in US is
nice coz as no one seems in a hurry there. You can drive at your own pace (bare minimum
speed) for the particular road.

Oops, seems like I forgot to the feeling as we were reaching. How could I do that !! Anyways,
nearly after 3hrs 15 mts of drive on I64 WEST, we approached a section that we could see right
in the front was more like a big bride or something like that. And as we started driving closer
to that the excitement was unsurmountable. And there it was the JORDON SEA. Did I say,
SEA, yes ofcourse I did coz it felt just like that. It was such a long drive on the bridge and the
view on the LEFT & RIGHT was SPECTACULAR. I mean, the amount of WATER was so much
that it would not be wrong in calling as JORDON RIVER instead. The amount of water was
really large. I mean, I have reach lakes in India or say in Bangalore, THE YEDYUR KERE, THE
HEBBAL LAKE and others which don't look so big, small ones.

That is the speciality of this lake. Seems like I am still stuck in the bridge driving. Let me drive
abit faster and reaching the PIT-STOP. We had to take a LEFT-TURN after that to enter the
JORDON PARK area. It was unbelievable site as it seemed like we were driving amidst a
FOREST with HUGE trees. After paying the $5 entry fee we kept driving until the CAR parking
lot.

And then I remember what people had told us before. They told that, "there is a BEACH on the
JORDON LAKE". We were wondering what this is beach is all about. As we were parking our
car we could some sand there in 200-300 mts from us and ofcourse, BIG CROWD as it was
a weeekend and lots of people had come with their families.

As we walked near to the sand area, I was shocked to see that it looked just like A BEACH.
I mean, the SAND was spread across nearly 1 km or so along side the LAKE. And there are
people place VOLLEY-BALL, taking SUN-BATH, playing in the WATER, private JET-SKIERS,
SMALL BOATS. It was not as if SEA water was hitting the shores but just the LAKE WATER
hitting the BEACH AREA. It surely was not like a BIG TIDE or something, just a gentle wave of
waters hitting the shores coz of the winds. It made such a spectacular site. I was like, WAH !
WHAT A SUPER IDEA :)

And it never seemed to be like a small lake, it was such big expensive water body. Best part
was the trees surrounding it. It gave a specular site. You could see that in the pic I have posted
in the blog. We spent about 2 hours sitting on the sand, enjoying the AMAZING SCENERY,
COOL BREEZE and ofcourse the CROWD :)
This is one place which you can keep visiting often and still enjoy yourself being there.
We also heard that Morrisville is closer to beach (to be precise WILMINGTON beach or
something) and it was just around 2 hours drive. But, after goint to JORDON LAKE I felt like I
made up for not going to the actual beach ;o)

guess this blog was abit too long and too much of detail but I hope it was fun reading :)

What about Staybridge....

2008-09-05T02:55:00.000+05:30

Guys....I never thought that I will put this 4rth post in this week but then here it is. Seems like
writing blog is a unavoidable feeling of freedom. Its like expressing yourself in the most open
manner. And for the folks who read the blogs would get a sense of the bloggers inner self.
Gosh, the last few sentences seemed to be totally philosophical which sure is true :)

I am putting this post on request from one of my friend. Its about this mystical named place
called "Staybridge". Place, yes it sure is a place. A place where people come in and go out. Where
u can get pretty decent facilities, a make-shit tennis cum basket-ball court, an evening babeque
at time (though that is meant strictly for non-veg eaters), an Indian receptionist who tries
to show off with his english skills and makes people believe how much Americanised he is ;)
Apart this this hotel boasts itself to be one of the few hotels affiliated to Holiday Inn. Yes yes, you
heard it right, its a hotel where I stayed during my last visit to Raleigh-Durham, NC (USA).

A nice hotel that was pretty close to the airport (around 3-5 miles away). Though it was abit
far from our office, it was good, in that way while driving to-fro office, we would see quite a
bit of Morrisville, Raleigh and Durham.

There are quite a few places to visit around by a 10 min walk. Most important of all happens to
be the OUTLET mall which was pretty decent for shopping as well as a pretty good food-court,
where the unforgettable visit to Subway (refer Mustang post) happene :)

Some of the eat outs around include - Quiznnos, Baby Moon Cafe, Subway, Greek Fiesta (both inside Outlet Mall food-court), ofcourse the HOOTERS and others :)
Other than these, there some authentication Indian food places like - Udipi Cafe, Kandas, Tower
Indian Restaurant, Saffron, Cool Breeze and others.

Gosh, seems like I am straying from what I started writing about. Anyways, that hotel surely
dint have much to comment aobut. But, for the Indian receptionist who became a good friend,
who told us about the best Indian places around. And the best part of the hotel was that they
would provide pick and drop to office everyday at no cost (dont forget the tips ;)).
And ofcourse, Tuesday-Thursday they used to give us the evenings snacks with complimentary
drinks. Breakfast used to be pretty normal continental stuff. Ofcourse, the best choice of
veg food for breakfast included - 3 types of Corn flakes (Strawberry, Dry Grapes, Frosties),
bread, muffins, fruits and cranberry juice.

Well, I hope you got abit of the brief on the hotel where we stayed. It time for me to take rest.
Do enjoy watching the pictures of the hotel :)
Don't to add some comments on the blog. And most importantly, if you want to search for
something you can use the search link that I have added below :)

Gowri Ganesha Festival...

2008-09-04T02:03:00.000+05:30

Gowri Ganesha Festival, also known as Swarna Gowri Vratam, is an important festival that coincides with the famous Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Karnataka and in some parts of Andhra Pradesh. It is observed 3^rd and third and fourth day in the Kannada Bhadrapada month and the festival is also known as Gowri Habba. The first day of the festival is Gouri Habba and the second day is Vinayaka Chaturthi. In 2008, the date of Gowri Ganesha Festival is September 2 and September 3. Gowri Habba is on September 2 and Ganesh Chaturthi is on September 3.

An idol of Goddess Gowri (Goddess Parvati) is worshipped on the Gowri Habba day. Usually the idol is prepared using Turmeric or a clay idol of Goddess Gowri is also procured from the market. There are several regional variations in the observance. In some places, a clay idol of Ganesha is also worshipped. The main legend is associated with a creation of Ganesha from her own body Goddess Gowri.

Nature @ its best....

2008-09-02T20:39:00.001+05:30

In continuation to my earlier blog. Well, I am doing that coz I donot want to repeat the same
sentences :)...But, still alittle bit of intro is required, otherwise you will start wondering that
its a cut+paste from somewhere.

These are pics taken @Raleigh-Durham-Morrisville, North Carolina (USA) recently, couple of
months back I guess. Wondering what this R-D is, it happens to be the capital for North Carolina.
Thought these are 2 places, the official capital is Durham. But, since these both places, or I should
call them as COUNTY in the US sense. Whatever they call it, to tell in clear Indian terms, they
are just like BANASHANKARI, JAYANAGAR, KORAMANGALA and ofcourse INDRANAGAR.

The first thing that strikes to you about this place is it that its picturesque. It full of greenery
all around and has loads of lakes. And the best part was the weather, which was almost like
in Bangalore, though not like in Bangalore :)

While driving in and around the places, there were number of time when I felt I had to stop
by and take pics. But the problem is that you cannot just stop-over like in India and do that.
I had to take pics while driving. It surely was an amazing experience. As you look through
these pics, you will realize what I am speaking about.

But, in comparison....Oops, why do I need to do that. There is no comparison to this place for
that matter any other place, as every place has its own specialties. Gosh, was that a politicially
correct statement, well I thought I should write it that way so that it did be fun while reading :)

Ford Mustang Pics....

2008-09-02T20:06:00.000+05:30

This is an experience from my recent trip to Raleigh-Durham @North Carolina (USA). I was
making this routine visit to the OUTLET MALL which was just 5 mts drive the hotel where
i stayed ie., STAYBRIDGE SUITES (Holiday Inn).

I was my usual self on saturday, getting up letting and managed to get some breakfast at the
hotel. Afternoon, I drove down to the mall and searched for SUBWAY which was in the
food-court. As I ordered for my sub and settled down on a seat close to the exit, this happened.

It was as if I was right there and the moment just froze. There I was eating my subway sub and
my eyes were amazed to look at these beauties. At first they seemed to be just kind of gang
fight or some kind of problem that seemed to cause a pile up. I realized that there was nothing
like I thought, it was a car-show. And I could not believe my eyes when I saw these beautiful
cars :)

Infact, I took atleast 5-10mts to grab my first bite of the sub as I was stunned to see the looks
of the Mustang. There were many many types of those to my amazement.

I did manage gulping the entire sub amidst these distractions and then headed to see these
master-pieces just exiting the scene. Out of sheer excitement, did take a few pics of these
cars while they were heading out.

But, there were some that were still parked in the Parking Lot. It was actually some kind of
MUSTANG SHOW i guess. I strolled across the parking lot and was simply amazed at the
site of these cars. Well, was it all, na !!! I realized that this moment needed to be captured.
So, I did with just a 4MP camera of mine. But just have a look at these cars, aint they looking
cool.

Seems like there were lots of adjective used in this short note. But, then I could not control
the excitement. Infact, I am writing this msg with the same thrill that I felt when I watched
these cars live :)

Worst iPhone in India..

2008-09-01T16:20:00.000+05:30

Worst iPhone in ...

Check What the iPhone DOES NOT HAS IN

Friends .....those of you in India planning for iPhone... THINK TWICE BEFORE MAKING A DECISION... The short comings of Phone are endless...

Few of them are as follows....

No video calling

no AD2P on the Bluetooth

CAN'T share ANY (mp3, images,videos....) files via Bluetooth, can't use as a wireless modem, (you pay ridiculous data charges to activate internet on your phone, but cannot connect it to your PC and browse when you are at home)

No copy and paste,(cannot copy a part of a.... say.... email & send it....have to type it out yourself)

No 3.2 or 5 MegaPixel camera, (the 2MP camera it carries is worst camera ever seen..... photos look like they have come out of a VGA camera)

No video recording with camera

No front camera

No flash

No JAVA support

No physical keyboard (BELIEVE me! this alone is a dealbreaker...touch keyboard as good as it looks...once you use it then only you come to know about the importance of having a hard keypad)

No 3G network yet in India..so why pay for expensive 3G phone if you cant use its 3G services ... so, for India, iPhone 2.0 is no better than its first version

No removable battery. (You cannot change battery. Have to send it to apple outlet.. Come on now!!!!...This is not an iPod. Its a bloody phone. You cannot live without phone for 2-3 days)

Cannot send MMS
Cannot forward SMS

Can't use as external storage device (16 GB of utter waste..next time you go to your friend's house & find some interesting

No FM radio, can't use your mp3 files as ringtones,(This is heights man!!!)

Cannot insert any other SIM card

Completelly tied to iTunes. Connect to your friend's iTunes & you risk erasing everything on your phone

Apple are trying to IMPOSE THEIR MODEL ON US riding on the hype iPhone has created in the US (yes it was a flop in Europe .thats why Apple never talks about its sales in Europe)

Dont fall for the subsidized price of iPhone... CHECKOUT THE DATA PLAN ATTACHED TO ITS SIM ..they will recover the cost through ridiculous data plans. Bill might come to around Rs 2500/month.(ATLEAST AMERICANS PAY THAT MUCH)

Liverpool FC - My Favorite

2007-04-17T18:33:00.000+05:30

When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high.
And don't be afraid of the dark.
At the end of the Storm there's a golden sky.
And the sweet, silver song of a lark.
Walk on through the wind,
Walk on through the rain,
Though your dreams be tossed and blown.
Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart,
And you'll never walk alone.
You'll never walk alone.

The most decorated club in the english club football history - LIVERPOOL FC.

League titles: 18
1900-01, 1905-06, 1921-22, 1922-23, 1946-47, 1963-64,

1965-66, 1972-73, 1975-76, 1976-77, 1978-79, 1979-80,

1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84, 1985-86, 1987-88, 1989-90

European Cups and UEFA Champions League titles: 5

1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, 2005

UEFA Cups: 3
1973, 1976, 2001

FA Cups: 7
1965, 1974, 1986, 1989, 1992, 2001, 2006

League Cups: 7
1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1995

I am Hercules : The Greek God

2006-04-04T14:17:00.000+05:30

Hercules 68125 other people got this result!This quiz has been taken 616966 times.11% of people had this result.

Take the quizz on http://quizilla.com/users/truly-dippy/quizzes/%3F%3F%20Which%20Of%20The%20Greek%20Gods%20Are%20You%20%3F%3F/ to know about urself :)

Inspiring Quotes from Alchemist....

2006-02-06T15:04:00.002+05:30

Some of the quotes from my all-time favorite book, "The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho". A very engrossing and truely inspiring movie. The movie is so riveting that, it would be hard to take break until you actually complete it.

I surely had a nice time reading this book which was presented to me by one of my friend. Here are some of my favorite quotes from one of the best-sellers -

* Everything that happens once can never happen again. But every thing that happens twice will surely happen a third time.

* When you are loved, there's no need at all to understand what's happening, because everything happens within you, and even men can turn themselves into the wind.

* There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve : the fear of failure.

* Your eyes show the strength of your soul.

* The darkest hour of the night came just before the dawn.

* They were seeking the treasure of their destiny, without wanting actually to live out the destiny.

* If what one finds is a made of pure matter, it will never spoil. And one can always come back. If what you had found was only a moment of light, like the explosion of a star, you would find nothing on your return.

* One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.

* Love never keeps a man from pursuing his destiny. If he abandons that pursuit, it's because it wasn't true love...the love that speaks the Language of the World.

* It's not what enters men's mounths that's evil. It's what comes out of their mounths that is.

* Courage is the quality most essential to understanding the Language of the World.

* Sometimes there is no way to hold back the river.

Visit to Jog Falls

2005-12-27T11:00:00.000+05:30

A place that longed to go since quite some time. Been hearing
so much from friends. And finally finally finally, I reached
at Jog Falls :)

One of the most spectacular falls that I have ever seen live.
It was a wonderful experience and I was overwehlmed evethough
the water there was very little.

Who bothers about water, the location mattered the most. The
view is truely mind-blowing.

Surely, wanna visit the falls when it gushes with water :)

My Baby....Maruti Suzuki Swift

2005-11-17T12:00:00.000+05:30

A car that I dreamed of having since a long time. And finally, the

dream did come true. Had to wait 5 long months after booking

to get my Sweetheart : MARUTI SWIFT -VXI.

Obviously, it is very costly for a Small-Car. But, somehow the looks

and the feel impressed me alot.

Saw it first a year and half back when it was first released by
SUZUKI in the Geneva Car show in Europe. And it sure became
an instant hit.

And the time it was released in India ie., 1st week of June'05. When
I first went for the test-drive, man, there was such a big queue.
The waiting list for test-drive was 210 :)

When I booked the car, initially was told that it would come by next
year. But then, for my luck, it came earlier.

Surely, it beats all the competition from GETZ-HYUNDAI in terms
of Power, Speed, Mileage, Pickup and most importantly, LOOKS.

Now for the color, its an obvious choice.......REEEDDDDD :)

Snow clad - Gulmarg

2005-07-03T14:00:00.000+05:30

If you read my blog on Pehelgham, I am sure you would have got
a picture of what the "Heaven of India" is all about.

The place we visited the day after Pehelgham trip was Gulmarg.
We were assured that we would get to see snow. We were quite
excited about the fact. When I say "we", its my mum, dad and
bro-Nikhil. The journey to the snow-land was much much more
beautiful than the journey to Pehelgham. There were many local
farmer on the roads, trying to sell the red-cherry boxes. Must
say, I felt like taking each and every box that was being solt :)

Anyway, we reach the destination in about 2-1/2 hours jouney from
Srinagar on our favorite JKSRTC bus :)
I was shocked to see green-grass there. Where did the snow go :(
People told that since it as off-season July'05, there would be now
snow at the base. To see the snow, we would have to take the
cable-car to the peak mountain there. I sure does cost alot but it
sure is worth it. It takes nearly 5-10 to reach the middle-point of
the mountain where there is good view of the valley, horse-riding,
garden and sledge-riding :)

But, that is not what we came to see @ Gulmarg. I/We wanted to see
the SNOW. So, we immediately took the next cable car that took us
to the peak ie., around 14000ft above sea-level. This time around the
journey in the cable-car was for around 15 minutes. And finally finally
finally, we reach the peak that has SNOW SNOW SNOW and only
SNOW all around. Every mountain around the peak were snow-clad.
And the best part is that, we were standing in the place where
generally all hindi-movie-songs are shot. And the JOY of seeing the
SNOW and be able to HOLD-IT, was some kind of experience. We
were given just 10 mts as that is the time allocated for everyone at
the peak.

I tried my hand with a bit of ICE-SKIEING. So, did my bro-Nikhil. We
enjoy every bit of it. And just when we about to stop skieing, it
started snowing. And my bro started shivering while his
skieing-shoes were being removed. It was so cold that my hands just
became NUMB. And the skieing instructor immediately rushed us to
the cable-car-station. He us to warm ourself by keeping the hands
under the armpit. My hands sure did freeze there. It took around
5 mts to get back to senses :)

Then we had some coffee to warm our body. While drinking coffee I
was just thanking god for giving me this excellent opprotunity of
being able to see the SNOW-CLAD-ground, enjoy playing with
SNOW and most of all- SEE THE SNOW fall for the first-time :))

Well, that was about the snow-clad peak at Gulmarg. And yes, while
we were getting back to ground, we got an announcement that no
more cable-cars would ply to the peak for the day since it start
snowing. I felt so lucky :)

On our way back to the base-level @Gulmarg we did try out SLEDGE
ride and also HORSE-RIDING. It was an amazing experience of riding
on a SLEDGE for nearly 2kms from the peak to a base-point :)
Surely , it wasn't all that thrilling compared to SKIEING :)

We were all so involved with seeing the new place that we forgot to
have lunch. But, then on our way back to our bus, we packed some
superb parathas which we joyfully had.

Sometimes we see so many of these places on TV and Movies. But,
seeing it for real is something totally different. I surely will
encourage everyone that I know and also those I don't, to visit
Kashmir. You would know why I call it the "HEAVEN ON EARTH" :)

Pictures :
1> My Bro Nikhil ENJOYING himself
2> Thats me doing a bit of SKIEING :)
3> Cable-Car view
4> View of the Valley

Trip to Pehelgham (near Srinagar

2005-07-02T13:00:00.000+05:30

I visit to one of the most beautiful places in India ie., JnK. It was
a decision on my parents to visit the Heaven Of India. Many times,
things are seen on TV give us lasting impression about the place.
But, then when you see these places for real, it feels like you are
living a dream.

That is how I felt when I visited the first hill-station near Srinagar.
Though the journey wasn't all that comfortable since it was a JnK
Road Transport bus. Did not realize the strain during the journey
coz the beauty in front of eyes cancels everything. Throughout the
journey, my expression varied from …..
Waww ... Superb ... Amazing ...
Spectacular ... Full Posh .... Breathtaking... and many more.

The place Pehelgham is very famous in its own way. It is supposed
to be the traditional starting point for Amarnath Yatra. The yatra
to Amarnath Caves of about 35-40kms lasting 2-3 days for a normal
person itself :)

Anyway, the place itself is very picturous and you feel like taking
snaps at every location you see. We did go on a horse-ride to see
around some of the places there. We saw some old-temples,
valley-view point, golf-courses, forest area and a river.

To water in the river was so chill that the moment I put my hands,
I felt like my hands froze. I mean, literally it was cold. And the water
was flowing at high speeds.

And all through the ride on the horse back we were wearing some
kinda coats or should I say "RAINCOAT" to protect us from the
drizzle. Eventhough, the coats were heavy we enjoyed having it
on us. I guess the description of my journey to Pehelgham would be
incomplete if I did not mention about the crowd there. I am not
sure if the gals came to look at me. But, then there were some 100
odd gals dressed in Purple-White chudidhar. My gosh, they were
looking so pretty. Infact, my mum went a step ahead in telling
that, their features are so good. Must say, Kashmiri gals looks
very pretty. Surely, dream for many guyz to marry one :)))