Part1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_5raxeeYE8&feature=related
Part2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFmNUyv6D5g&feature=related
Part3:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tteA2rfrVv0&feature=related
Part4:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VE65vIlmiwI&feature=related
Part 5:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xE2PiPnccWM&feature=related
Monday, December 28, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
2 States - Chetan Bhagat
Amazing, Fabulous, marvelous and all the superlatives possible. A novel that made me laugh like a mad man and clap like a kid. Fantastic sense of humor. How the hell did he portray it so well and why the hell did he do it. I am not sure of others but expressing his own feelings for her proved contagious for me as I fell partly in love with Ananya. It fascinated me so much that I was considering an option to do an MBA from IIM eventhough I am working in US of A presently. "I cannot still forget the line: The little mole below her lips occupies 50% of my mindspace".
It had so many things that one can learn presented in a humorous and fun loving way. Yes, every one in this world is a pyscho and I am one amongst them and hence enjoyed your suffering but it was obvious you fought your way through and married the girl you wanted. Forgiveness, humanity (dad talking to Ananya's parents), etc are very well depicted. The equality of different clans and one clan mocking other was superbly pictured.
The only part that makes my heart heavy is the J factor, you have your Ananya but where's mine....
I know your books have fiction in them but they are so close to reality that you cannot make it out. But, I am happy believing the book in entirety is absolutely true.
This is not a novel but a personal diary in which the problems in post love are depicted with humorous analogies. And, I cannot deny the fun in reading others personal diaries is magnanimous.
This novel can definitely be used for a hit bollywood movie. Damn sure, if nobody sneaks in an opportunity, I would try someday in my life.
Please keep writing,
Siva
It had so many things that one can learn presented in a humorous and fun loving way. Yes, every one in this world is a pyscho and I am one amongst them and hence enjoyed your suffering but it was obvious you fought your way through and married the girl you wanted. Forgiveness, humanity (dad talking to Ananya's parents), etc are very well depicted. The equality of different clans and one clan mocking other was superbly pictured.
The only part that makes my heart heavy is the J factor, you have your Ananya but where's mine....
I know your books have fiction in them but they are so close to reality that you cannot make it out. But, I am happy believing the book in entirety is absolutely true.
This is not a novel but a personal diary in which the problems in post love are depicted with humorous analogies. And, I cannot deny the fun in reading others personal diaries is magnanimous.
This novel can definitely be used for a hit bollywood movie. Damn sure, if nobody sneaks in an opportunity, I would try someday in my life.
Please keep writing,
Siva
Thursday, December 10, 2009
One night at a call center
Today it was the turn of One night at a call center. Somehow, I think Chetan was forced to write this book because of the gal he met in the train. Yes, he wrote it in the best possible way, the story had a moral insight and brought shivers down my spine when "GOD" was active in the story but did not have the magic of FPS.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
What not to do at work
So the two things that comes to anyone's mind when they hear about five point someone are:
1) Chetan Bhagat and
2) What not to do in IITs.
I am calling this as version 2 because this is about What not to do at work.
You must be awed that I did not read any of Chetan Bhagat's novels until yesterday. Yes, it is damn true and this guy is the inspiration to all youth writers. All your pals start calling you as the next Chetan if you do a marginally good job writing an article and also call you the same for the wrong reasons if you do a bad job. The reason for not able to read this book was a denial to share the novel with me by some of my friends saying that I may get spoiled after reading it. You might have guessed by now that I belong to the cadre of Venkat (the antagonist) in the book. Even then, I was able to enjoy the book and almost found myself in soup when I was unable to control myself laughing out loud.
So yesterday at work I started reading Five Point Someone to see how good a writer my friend Chetan is? and ofcourse I was so captivated that I read the book in five hours straight at work (That's why I called this "what not to do at work").
One thing that really surprised me in the book was: Ryan enquiring his professor about gym machine which actually increases human effort and so is not a machine according to the definition of Professor Dhubey and the professor unable to answer it.
According to me, Gym machine is still a machine according to Dhubey because the purpose of body building is made easier with lesser human effort than building a body by natural exercise. But, professor Dhubey's definition fails to mention that human body is still a machine and human body reducing human effort is a bit absurd.
One thing that glued me to the book was the romance of Neha and Hari but was kinda sad when I read the prologue that he got married to Anusha Bhagat and not Neha. I should also applaud the guts of Chetan for mentioning all the romance with his HOD's (Cherian's) daughter in a book and publicly sharing it. I could not have done it as my conscience would not have agreed upon.
I also felt that he over-exaggerated at few places but he covered it up saying that it is his own point of view. However, when I started the prologue of "One Night at a Call Center", I am not surprised when the girl said it is an OK-OK book but he definitely is a very very very captivating writer
Lastly, I am dying to watch 3 idiots now which is Five Point Someone and my guess is as good as yours.
Aamir is Ryan
Madhavan is Hari
Sharman is Alok and
Kareena is Neha.
Wowowowowoww.
1) Chetan Bhagat and
2) What not to do in IITs.
I am calling this as version 2 because this is about What not to do at work.
You must be awed that I did not read any of Chetan Bhagat's novels until yesterday. Yes, it is damn true and this guy is the inspiration to all youth writers. All your pals start calling you as the next Chetan if you do a marginally good job writing an article and also call you the same for the wrong reasons if you do a bad job. The reason for not able to read this book was a denial to share the novel with me by some of my friends saying that I may get spoiled after reading it. You might have guessed by now that I belong to the cadre of Venkat (the antagonist) in the book. Even then, I was able to enjoy the book and almost found myself in soup when I was unable to control myself laughing out loud.
So yesterday at work I started reading Five Point Someone to see how good a writer my friend Chetan is? and ofcourse I was so captivated that I read the book in five hours straight at work (That's why I called this "what not to do at work").
One thing that really surprised me in the book was: Ryan enquiring his professor about gym machine which actually increases human effort and so is not a machine according to the definition of Professor Dhubey and the professor unable to answer it.
According to me, Gym machine is still a machine according to Dhubey because the purpose of body building is made easier with lesser human effort than building a body by natural exercise. But, professor Dhubey's definition fails to mention that human body is still a machine and human body reducing human effort is a bit absurd.
One thing that glued me to the book was the romance of Neha and Hari but was kinda sad when I read the prologue that he got married to Anusha Bhagat and not Neha. I should also applaud the guts of Chetan for mentioning all the romance with his HOD's (Cherian's) daughter in a book and publicly sharing it. I could not have done it as my conscience would not have agreed upon.
I also felt that he over-exaggerated at few places but he covered it up saying that it is his own point of view. However, when I started the prologue of "One Night at a Call Center", I am not surprised when the girl said it is an OK-OK book but he definitely is a very very very captivating writer
Lastly, I am dying to watch 3 idiots now which is Five Point Someone and my guess is as good as yours.
Aamir is Ryan
Madhavan is Hari
Sharman is Alok and
Kareena is Neha.
Wowowowowoww.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Being on wheels
As most of you might know by now, I am a jack of all and there are very few things that I have not tried out. One such thing is roller skating.
On Sunday afternoon, I wanted to test my GPS as well as my skating skills. With a new vigor in life, I fed the address of the skating rink on my GPS and moved to the skating rink. I reached the skating rink 30 minutes ahead and so started preparing myself for the big stage. Hahaha...I just kept listening to some sweet songs in my car.
Huh!!! Its time. I entered into the skating rink thinking that I might be the only person who being so old and hitting the rink for the first time. Oh yeah, you must have sensed it by now, its my Day 1. I was filled with some excitement, some eagerness, a little embarrassment, and a little happiness that I am learning something new.
I paid the fee at the counter and moved inside, I tried skating shoes of size 11, then switched to 12 and finally size 13 fit my huge feet and now I'm on wheels.
Now, I went to a separate section on the rink where Michael was taking public lessons on how to skate. Oh man, during the first 30 minutes, I was the only person in 20's who is starting to skate. I was slightly discouraged but I have this "never give up" attitude which never fades. I believe in "Better late than Never". So, Michael asked us ( few kids and me) to do certain drills and then I hit the rink. By the time, I hit the rink, I could see some guys and gals in their late teens/early 20s trying out skating. Uff, I am not alone anymore.
It was an awesome experience skating around. I felt as if I was a one year old baby learning how to stand, walk and run. Yeah, it was tough to maintain the balance especially for tall people because the center of gravity of the human body lies a bit higher. Oh yeah, I grasped the concept but not the application. Yes, learning to skate at younger ages is much easier as you are short and light.
I hurt my hands and ankle, fell more than 3 times in my 150 minute run, nonetheless it was a great experience. I behaved more so like a child who wants to try again even after falling without getting deterred by the fall. The effort was much more satisfying when people around mentioned that I was very good for the first day.
Its a must try experience for everyone if you haven't before...Good luck and share your experiences too.
More to go and more to try,
Siva
On Sunday afternoon, I wanted to test my GPS as well as my skating skills. With a new vigor in life, I fed the address of the skating rink on my GPS and moved to the skating rink. I reached the skating rink 30 minutes ahead and so started preparing myself for the big stage. Hahaha...I just kept listening to some sweet songs in my car.
Huh!!! Its time. I entered into the skating rink thinking that I might be the only person who being so old and hitting the rink for the first time. Oh yeah, you must have sensed it by now, its my Day 1. I was filled with some excitement, some eagerness, a little embarrassment, and a little happiness that I am learning something new.
I paid the fee at the counter and moved inside, I tried skating shoes of size 11, then switched to 12 and finally size 13 fit my huge feet and now I'm on wheels.
Now, I went to a separate section on the rink where Michael was taking public lessons on how to skate. Oh man, during the first 30 minutes, I was the only person in 20's who is starting to skate. I was slightly discouraged but I have this "never give up" attitude which never fades. I believe in "Better late than Never". So, Michael asked us ( few kids and me) to do certain drills and then I hit the rink. By the time, I hit the rink, I could see some guys and gals in their late teens/early 20s trying out skating. Uff, I am not alone anymore.
It was an awesome experience skating around. I felt as if I was a one year old baby learning how to stand, walk and run. Yeah, it was tough to maintain the balance especially for tall people because the center of gravity of the human body lies a bit higher. Oh yeah, I grasped the concept but not the application. Yes, learning to skate at younger ages is much easier as you are short and light.
I hurt my hands and ankle, fell more than 3 times in my 150 minute run, nonetheless it was a great experience. I behaved more so like a child who wants to try again even after falling without getting deterred by the fall. The effort was much more satisfying when people around mentioned that I was very good for the first day.
Its a must try experience for everyone if you haven't before...Good luck and share your experiences too.
More to go and more to try,
Siva
Sunday, November 22, 2009
My experiences with handling a pistol
On a chilly Saturday afternoon of November, I moved to Red's Indoor Shooting range with a long held desire to operate a gun. The desire to operate a pistol arose from my interests to aim at things. I still remember the days when me along with some friends used to make bows and arrows from broom sticks and make darts out of needles and broom sticks to aim at calendars.
So, I started driving and missed my route but somehow made it to my destination. I was shocked to see that the parking was almost full. Wow!!! so many people with their own guns in their cases, rifles, and also children of age 12.
I filled a couple of forms and then I was allowed to hold the Wesson and Smith 0.22 mm pistol after being instructed on how to use, load and unload it. It was a basic pistol but I could see the very early concepts used while designing a gun.
Now, it was time to roll. I fixed my camera on the tripod, loaded the gun and started shooting at my target which was 7 meters away. I was neither consistent nor precise but atleast was close to both. I applauded myself that I was good for a first timer. After I shot 80 rounds, the target sheet was full of bullet holes and I cannot make out where I am shooting, so I started aiming at the head portion of the target and also changed the hold on my gun to a much casual approach and I was able to put all the 6 bullets into the head of the target, Hurray!!! I made it.
All in all, it was a great experience to hold a gun and shoot 100 rounds
So, I started driving and missed my route but somehow made it to my destination. I was shocked to see that the parking was almost full. Wow!!! so many people with their own guns in their cases, rifles, and also children of age 12.
I filled a couple of forms and then I was allowed to hold the Wesson and Smith 0.22 mm pistol after being instructed on how to use, load and unload it. It was a basic pistol but I could see the very early concepts used while designing a gun.
Now, it was time to roll. I fixed my camera on the tripod, loaded the gun and started shooting at my target which was 7 meters away. I was neither consistent nor precise but atleast was close to both. I applauded myself that I was good for a first timer. After I shot 80 rounds, the target sheet was full of bullet holes and I cannot make out where I am shooting, so I started aiming at the head portion of the target and also changed the hold on my gun to a much casual approach and I was able to put all the 6 bullets into the head of the target, Hurray!!! I made it.
All in all, it was a great experience to hold a gun and shoot 100 rounds
Saturday, November 14, 2009
My Personal Website
Yesterday, I created my personal website and it took me about 6 house of intense work to do it. Here is the link: https://webspace.utexas.edu/sk22957/Siva/home.html
Was it so simple. I almost postponed it for 2 years. May be I was very busy with other things (Passing the bug may be). However, I never expected to produce a personal website in 6 hours time if not I would have done it much before. Now, I am impressed by my efforts (The fruit of success is always sweet) and now I am a satisfied man. Another feather in my cap....HTML...LOL
Was it so simple. I almost postponed it for 2 years. May be I was very busy with other things (Passing the bug may be). However, I never expected to produce a personal website in 6 hours time if not I would have done it much before. Now, I am impressed by my efforts (The fruit of success is always sweet) and now I am a satisfied man. Another feather in my cap....HTML...LOL
Monday, August 17, 2009
'The Wall' is back
I bow to the persistent determination of Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid....They proved us all wrong by making a reentry to the competitive cricket. Ganguly did perform well after his comeback and I hope Rahul will also prove his mettle and makes an entry with a bang. I wish him good luck.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
8/14/2009
Today, I traveled and additional 20 miles after work just to play 2 hours of cricket....Is it worth it....Oh yeah...I played some aggressive cricket...Though I am well known as a bowler...I liked the contribution I made with the bat when the team was in tatters at 13/4.
I need a car desperately to travel so far and comeback home....Its hard to travel 10 miles via bus at 9 pm but I cant loose the fun especially when performing well :)
I need a car desperately to travel so far and comeback home....Its hard to travel 10 miles via bus at 9 pm but I cant loose the fun especially when performing well :)
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Life after college!!!
I donno how true is this dialogue yet 'college ke gate ke uss taraf hum life ko nachate hain aur doosri taraf life humko nachati hai' as things were smoother on me despite the recession effect.
I am away from books for more than a month now. This is the first time after 8 years. It is a different feeling which is interesting because I am away from them. Also, it is distressing at the same time when I question myself, is this all....Can't I learn more in life....Am I finished....Should I stick to the same kinda life for the next 35 to 40 years....The sound of it makes me sick....I cannot hold to these 8 to 5 jobs....
So what should I do??
Enough is enough!!! I should now get back to my wonderful books and try to do something in life....The pinnacle I reached till date is only my 'ground zero' as I claim it to be....Now, I can try things and if they don't work for me then I can safely get back to this ground zero.
What's my future and where's my future?
One thing is for sure.....My future is in India and definitely not USA. I am not going to sell myself and my happiness for a few thousands or even millions of dollars.
So, I got to do something that makes me stand well in India.....
SO WHAT IS IT?? I WONDER
Is it CFA/MBA/PhD in Transportation/PhD in Finance. TOTALLY CONFUSED as I should be.
I am away from books for more than a month now. This is the first time after 8 years. It is a different feeling which is interesting because I am away from them. Also, it is distressing at the same time when I question myself, is this all....Can't I learn more in life....Am I finished....Should I stick to the same kinda life for the next 35 to 40 years....The sound of it makes me sick....I cannot hold to these 8 to 5 jobs....
So what should I do??
Enough is enough!!! I should now get back to my wonderful books and try to do something in life....The pinnacle I reached till date is only my 'ground zero' as I claim it to be....Now, I can try things and if they don't work for me then I can safely get back to this ground zero.
What's my future and where's my future?
One thing is for sure.....My future is in India and definitely not USA. I am not going to sell myself and my happiness for a few thousands or even millions of dollars.
So, I got to do something that makes me stand well in India.....
SO WHAT IS IT?? I WONDER
Is it CFA/MBA/PhD in Transportation/PhD in Finance. TOTALLY CONFUSED as I should be.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
New TV!!!
Watched Transporter DVD in my new TV with an inbuilt DVD player.
Time to get an antenna and steal some channels.....Chalo Walmart!!!
Time to get an antenna and steal some channels.....Chalo Walmart!!!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Funny Incident at work!!!
My manager asks me to find out what 2080 is in the computation of value of travel time. How the hell can someone trace a number just taken randomly. I had to break my head to figure out it is 52*40 (52 weeks and 40 hrs a week). I told him the same and he says "This is how much time I pain myself every year". LOL
Friday, August 7, 2009
Flight back to USA
My happiness knew no bounds when I was back in India for a 17 day trip after 21 months and 18 days. Those 17 days flew like 17 seconds and now the story begins describing my return to USA. It was as if all forces were trying to stop me fly back.
I reached the airport with my mom and dad. The flight from Hyderabad according to my itinerary should leave by 9:30 PM but when I reached the airport at 6:30 PM, I see that the flight is scheduled to take off at 8:30 PM. Luckily, I was at the airport before time and managed to escape the unexpected. Now, the security check up never ends. I see only 5 people ahead of me but it took me 45 minutes to clear up and by the time I cleared the security, it was 8:10 PM. I had to rush to the terminal. After doing all these gymnastics, I learned that the flight was delayed and finally the flight took off at 10:30 PM. This flight was destined to reach Mumbai.
Chapter 2 begins.....The connecting flight in Mumbai is at 12:50 AM and we reached Mumbai at 12:20 AM. The irony of life is that, each plane was allocated only one bus and I was unable to make it into the first bus. So, the bus took the first set of people to the airport and then came back for us. It took about 15 minutes for the bus to come back but almost looked like an hour (anxious moments). By hook or crook, we all managed to catch the plane in Mumbai. I hoped that all goes well here. Luckily, I had the two empty seats beside me such that I can happily sleep.
Chapter 3 begins.....Soon after the flight took off, the captain announced that the flight is going to land back in Mumbai as it is facing some technical glitch. The flight which flew at 12:50 AM landed back in Mumbai at 2:30 AM. Let's not forget that I am in India which is rich for its culture. The reason I am mentioning culture is because older people and their families get a free pass in the queues. Hold on, the next set of people who get free passes are families and friends of parents with babies (< 5 years). I can see that I cross about 100 people by running towards the queues and finally when I look back I see less than 10 people behind me. You might have guessed it, it is because of the free passes. I had to stand in the queue from 2:30 to 6:30 in the morning to get the keys for my hotel. The breakfast was supposed to be served at 8:00 AM so I could not sleep in the hotel room. I ate a delicious South Indian breakfast and came upstairs at 8:45 AM to have nap. I was awakened at 10:00 AM saying that the flight is ready to take off. Hoping that things would get better, I made a move to the airport in a bus which was radiating the heat of a typical sunny day in Mumbai.
Chapter 4 begins.....The flight was supposed to take off at 12:30 AM. Again all the security clearances and blah blah blah...so my life is back to queues. After all the mess, the cabin crew for the flight reaches the airport at 12:40 AM. Now, they got to clean the plane, board the passengers and then take off. Passengers with me started loosing patience and welcomed the crew by chanting phrases such as "ALL SHAMELESS PEOPLE ARE COMING" and at the same time clapping. The embarrassed Air India management then gave an apology letter along with some music CDs as a token of their apology. Finally, I boarded the flight at 2:30 PM and yuppie all set to reach New Jersey.
Chapter 5 begins.....I reached NJ at 12 AM. After all the security check ups, immigration clearances, baggage claims (please don't forget the long queues for each of it). Let's divert and I will tell you a funny story here. I was observing an old man in the flight who keeps pacing across the alley's even when the seat belt sign glows, when the flight is about to take off etc. I was dumbstruck when I saw him in a wheelchair after he got out of the plane. So, he got a super free pass. Remember he is old so he already possesses a free pass. Now back to the looooooong story, I know it is boring but bear with me as I went through this trauma. At 2:15 AM I was able to reach an Air India official who is allocating us to different connecting flights as we all missed our flights. I did not get a flight until 5:30 PM on that day. So, he assigned me a hotel and asked me to take a cab ready to pick me up and transfer me to the hotel. Alas! I had to wait till 4:30 AM in the morning to get the bus that would transfer me to the hotel. At 5:15 AM, I was told that I need to check out by 12 noon as the last bus for the airport is only at that time. I went to my room and browsed online to see if I could visit any places nearby but as I did not find anything interesting closeby, I went to sleep and checked out the hotel at 12 Noon.
Chapter 6....I reached the airport and went to the continental airlines counter to check in my baggage and take ticket. The person there saw my air ticket given by the Air India official and says that she could not find any reservation on that ticket. Huh!!! there is no end to my problems, with all the luggage I took a transit and traveled to the terminal where Air India offices were present and then was shocked to see no one in the office. Every airline had atleast 30 to 40 officials but none in Air India. I did not know if I had to laugh or cry? Where the hell should I go now....I kept loitering around the airport and stopping by the offices of continental airlines. One fine lady checked my air ticket and said that there is no reservation with them and took me to the offices of Air India (a second visit to their empty offices) and then told me that the top level has an Air India office but most of them do not know about it. Therefore ask for it but if anybody says that Air India does not have an office in this level, ignore them and keep trying. Luckily, the third person I stopped by showed me the office which is actually like a store room. I was mad with rage and was planning to sue Air India at this time and then I spoke loudly to a lady there and she started calling the continental airlines. After one hour we were able to make contact and she said I was good to go. Hoping that things will be better atleast now, I made a march to the domestic terminal of continental airlines and then checked my baggage and collected my air ticket. Please don't think that the story is over....it is just beginning to end :P
Chapter 7......I had 2 hours time to spend before I take the flight....so I opened my lappy (laptop) and started playing some stupid games. After an hour, I see that my flight was delayed. it kept on getting delayed till 7:30 PM. Depressed and desolated, I was playing games until 5:15 when I heard some announcement which had my flight number. I closed my lappy and looked at the status and was shocked to see the status as 5:30 PM. Now, I have 15 minutes to clear the security check and board the flight. I was 99% sure that I am going to miss the flight but I made a run for it. I went through the security check up and goddamn it, I wore my left shoe to the right leg and vice versa after removing my shoes for the check up. I did not bother to change but kept running. The flight terminal was approximately 1.5 miles away from the security check up. Imagine me running with wrong shoes for 1.5 miles. Believe me, the flight was still waiting at 5:28 PM. Thinking that I am lucky, I boarded the flight and I hit the seat as if it was a comfortable king size bed with extra cushioning and got up only after I reached Austin.
Final Chapter.....I took the airport shuttle to reach a closer destination and called for a cab. Its 10:30 PM in Austin and the cab service was not lifting the phone. I was able to make contact at 10:50 PM and asked for a cab. I was on the road in the midst of the night holding that infinite luggage. I waited till 11:15 PM and the cab did not arrive. So I called up the service again and asked for the cab again and the cab arrives at 11:35 PM. Huh!!! I reached my apartment at 11:45 PM.
There were some more stories which I skipped in this article....Though, I had the patience to travel through these never ending problems, writing this looong article. I do not have the patience to describe the events entirely. (For example, the story of the funny Bihari guy who traveled with me and stayed with me in the Mumbai hotel etc.).
The events in this story took 70 hours in real time and I would claim them to be the most horrible hours of my life till date. I know only few will make it to the end of this story and I would applaud them for their patience too :P
I understood that I was gifted with lots of patience as I never lost it throughout these 70 hours.
Note: Please ignore the grammatical mistakes as I lost patience to read it again and edit it.
Signing off
Siva
I reached the airport with my mom and dad. The flight from Hyderabad according to my itinerary should leave by 9:30 PM but when I reached the airport at 6:30 PM, I see that the flight is scheduled to take off at 8:30 PM. Luckily, I was at the airport before time and managed to escape the unexpected. Now, the security check up never ends. I see only 5 people ahead of me but it took me 45 minutes to clear up and by the time I cleared the security, it was 8:10 PM. I had to rush to the terminal. After doing all these gymnastics, I learned that the flight was delayed and finally the flight took off at 10:30 PM. This flight was destined to reach Mumbai.
Chapter 2 begins.....The connecting flight in Mumbai is at 12:50 AM and we reached Mumbai at 12:20 AM. The irony of life is that, each plane was allocated only one bus and I was unable to make it into the first bus. So, the bus took the first set of people to the airport and then came back for us. It took about 15 minutes for the bus to come back but almost looked like an hour (anxious moments). By hook or crook, we all managed to catch the plane in Mumbai. I hoped that all goes well here. Luckily, I had the two empty seats beside me such that I can happily sleep.
Chapter 3 begins.....Soon after the flight took off, the captain announced that the flight is going to land back in Mumbai as it is facing some technical glitch. The flight which flew at 12:50 AM landed back in Mumbai at 2:30 AM. Let's not forget that I am in India which is rich for its culture. The reason I am mentioning culture is because older people and their families get a free pass in the queues. Hold on, the next set of people who get free passes are families and friends of parents with babies (< 5 years). I can see that I cross about 100 people by running towards the queues and finally when I look back I see less than 10 people behind me. You might have guessed it, it is because of the free passes. I had to stand in the queue from 2:30 to 6:30 in the morning to get the keys for my hotel. The breakfast was supposed to be served at 8:00 AM so I could not sleep in the hotel room. I ate a delicious South Indian breakfast and came upstairs at 8:45 AM to have nap. I was awakened at 10:00 AM saying that the flight is ready to take off. Hoping that things would get better, I made a move to the airport in a bus which was radiating the heat of a typical sunny day in Mumbai.
Chapter 4 begins.....The flight was supposed to take off at 12:30 AM. Again all the security clearances and blah blah blah...so my life is back to queues. After all the mess, the cabin crew for the flight reaches the airport at 12:40 AM. Now, they got to clean the plane, board the passengers and then take off. Passengers with me started loosing patience and welcomed the crew by chanting phrases such as "ALL SHAMELESS PEOPLE ARE COMING" and at the same time clapping. The embarrassed Air India management then gave an apology letter along with some music CDs as a token of their apology. Finally, I boarded the flight at 2:30 PM and yuppie all set to reach New Jersey.
Chapter 5 begins.....I reached NJ at 12 AM. After all the security check ups, immigration clearances, baggage claims (please don't forget the long queues for each of it). Let's divert and I will tell you a funny story here. I was observing an old man in the flight who keeps pacing across the alley's even when the seat belt sign glows, when the flight is about to take off etc. I was dumbstruck when I saw him in a wheelchair after he got out of the plane. So, he got a super free pass. Remember he is old so he already possesses a free pass. Now back to the looooooong story, I know it is boring but bear with me as I went through this trauma. At 2:15 AM I was able to reach an Air India official who is allocating us to different connecting flights as we all missed our flights. I did not get a flight until 5:30 PM on that day. So, he assigned me a hotel and asked me to take a cab ready to pick me up and transfer me to the hotel. Alas! I had to wait till 4:30 AM in the morning to get the bus that would transfer me to the hotel. At 5:15 AM, I was told that I need to check out by 12 noon as the last bus for the airport is only at that time. I went to my room and browsed online to see if I could visit any places nearby but as I did not find anything interesting closeby, I went to sleep and checked out the hotel at 12 Noon.
Chapter 6....I reached the airport and went to the continental airlines counter to check in my baggage and take ticket. The person there saw my air ticket given by the Air India official and says that she could not find any reservation on that ticket. Huh!!! there is no end to my problems, with all the luggage I took a transit and traveled to the terminal where Air India offices were present and then was shocked to see no one in the office. Every airline had atleast 30 to 40 officials but none in Air India. I did not know if I had to laugh or cry? Where the hell should I go now....I kept loitering around the airport and stopping by the offices of continental airlines. One fine lady checked my air ticket and said that there is no reservation with them and took me to the offices of Air India (a second visit to their empty offices) and then told me that the top level has an Air India office but most of them do not know about it. Therefore ask for it but if anybody says that Air India does not have an office in this level, ignore them and keep trying. Luckily, the third person I stopped by showed me the office which is actually like a store room. I was mad with rage and was planning to sue Air India at this time and then I spoke loudly to a lady there and she started calling the continental airlines. After one hour we were able to make contact and she said I was good to go. Hoping that things will be better atleast now, I made a march to the domestic terminal of continental airlines and then checked my baggage and collected my air ticket. Please don't think that the story is over....it is just beginning to end :P
Chapter 7......I had 2 hours time to spend before I take the flight....so I opened my lappy (laptop) and started playing some stupid games. After an hour, I see that my flight was delayed. it kept on getting delayed till 7:30 PM. Depressed and desolated, I was playing games until 5:15 when I heard some announcement which had my flight number. I closed my lappy and looked at the status and was shocked to see the status as 5:30 PM. Now, I have 15 minutes to clear the security check and board the flight. I was 99% sure that I am going to miss the flight but I made a run for it. I went through the security check up and goddamn it, I wore my left shoe to the right leg and vice versa after removing my shoes for the check up. I did not bother to change but kept running. The flight terminal was approximately 1.5 miles away from the security check up. Imagine me running with wrong shoes for 1.5 miles. Believe me, the flight was still waiting at 5:28 PM. Thinking that I am lucky, I boarded the flight and I hit the seat as if it was a comfortable king size bed with extra cushioning and got up only after I reached Austin.
Final Chapter.....I took the airport shuttle to reach a closer destination and called for a cab. Its 10:30 PM in Austin and the cab service was not lifting the phone. I was able to make contact at 10:50 PM and asked for a cab. I was on the road in the midst of the night holding that infinite luggage. I waited till 11:15 PM and the cab did not arrive. So I called up the service again and asked for the cab again and the cab arrives at 11:35 PM. Huh!!! I reached my apartment at 11:45 PM.
There were some more stories which I skipped in this article....Though, I had the patience to travel through these never ending problems, writing this looong article. I do not have the patience to describe the events entirely. (For example, the story of the funny Bihari guy who traveled with me and stayed with me in the Mumbai hotel etc.).
The events in this story took 70 hours in real time and I would claim them to be the most horrible hours of my life till date. I know only few will make it to the end of this story and I would applaud them for their patience too :P
I understood that I was gifted with lots of patience as I never lost it throughout these 70 hours.
Note: Please ignore the grammatical mistakes as I lost patience to read it again and edit it.
Signing off
Siva
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
India Vs NewZealand
India wins a test series against the Black caps in Kiwi land after 41 years. Pataudi's boys have done it in the past and now Dhoni repeats it with his juggernauts. The most inspiring part of this win was contributions from all the eleven. It was good to watch Harbajan and Zaheer contribute with bat.
I see a lot of criticism about Dhoni declaring late which eventually resulted in a draw. Dhoni explained the critics well and I agree with Dhoni.
Let's suppose Dhoni declared early and it did not rain and the Kiwis reach the target. The criticism on Dhoni would be much more and he would be responsible for putting a 41 year historic win into jeopardy.
Well Done Dhoni and well done Team India. I wish you good luck for the Caribbean tour in June-July.
I see a lot of criticism about Dhoni declaring late which eventually resulted in a draw. Dhoni explained the critics well and I agree with Dhoni.
Let's suppose Dhoni declared early and it did not rain and the Kiwis reach the target. The criticism on Dhoni would be much more and he would be responsible for putting a 41 year historic win into jeopardy.
Well Done Dhoni and well done Team India. I wish you good luck for the Caribbean tour in June-July.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
See-Saw Effect 2
Gold started behaving in aberrant behavior to that explained in the article See-Saw Effect -1. This explains that "Future is unpredictable". It started going against the $ against Euro. It also lost its proportionality relation with crude oil. It is surprisingly going up and up. I was expecting it to fall after the end of the buying seasons in Saudi Arabia and the wedding season in India.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
India Vs Srilanka - LBW's
Half way down the 2nd innings of the third match in the five match ODI series with Srilanka has seen four leg before wickets and all of the four wickets given out were against India. This is heights of craziness, Sachin Tendulkar the little master was given out in all the 3 matches for deliveries going away from leg-stump and the fourth was Yuvi who was given out as a lbw after getting a clear and thick inside edge. All the four leg before decisions were wrong decisions.
India appealed for a lot of successful leg before but were turned down. It is time to decide if lbw needs to be manual or should be given to the third umpire. I know that the manual error gives more fun to the game. But, with wrong decisions propping up for all the appeals, one needs to think about it.
India's success in the ODI series so far must have made the Indian cricketers neglect the umpiring errors.
India appealed for a lot of successful leg before but were turned down. It is time to decide if lbw needs to be manual or should be given to the third umpire. I know that the manual error gives more fun to the game. But, with wrong decisions propping up for all the appeals, one needs to think about it.
India's success in the ODI series so far must have made the Indian cricketers neglect the umpiring errors.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Perennial Marketwatch curmudgeon Paul Farrell offers the following twelve tips for financial survival this year, courtesy of Forbes columnist Gary Schilling - who, by-the-way is said to have been right on target with his 2008 calls:
1. Sell home-builder stocks and bonds.
2. If you plan to sell your house, second home or investment houses anytime soon, do so yesterday. (Yes, another 20% drop is coming.)
3. Sell some housing-related stocks.
4. Sell some consumer discretionary spending companies.
5. Sell most commercial real estate.
6. Sell some commodities. (But proceed "carefully:" Selling "some" securities, or buying, or actively trading in today's volatile markets demands a level of skill sets, savvy and sophistication most investors lack.)
7. Sell emerging-market equities.
8. Sell emerging-market debt.
9. Sell stocks in general. (Shilling's forecast of a "severe recession suggests that corporate profits, as defined by the Commerce Department, will fall 48% from their peak in the third quarter 2007 to the fourth quarter 2009, and drop 32% from 2008 to 2009. This forecast implies much weaker S&P 500 earnings than projected by Wall Street analysts and strategies" whom he says "tend to be overly optimistic, especially in recessions when analysts don't want to offend managements of the companies they follow with low numbers.")
10. Sell consumer lenders' equities.
11. Buy the dollar.
12. Buy, carefully, high-grade bonds.
1. Sell home-builder stocks and bonds.
2. If you plan to sell your house, second home or investment houses anytime soon, do so yesterday. (Yes, another 20% drop is coming.)
3. Sell some housing-related stocks.
4. Sell some consumer discretionary spending companies.
5. Sell most commercial real estate.
6. Sell some commodities. (But proceed "carefully:" Selling "some" securities, or buying, or actively trading in today's volatile markets demands a level of skill sets, savvy and sophistication most investors lack.)
7. Sell emerging-market equities.
8. Sell emerging-market debt.
9. Sell stocks in general. (Shilling's forecast of a "severe recession suggests that corporate profits, as defined by the Commerce Department, will fall 48% from their peak in the third quarter 2007 to the fourth quarter 2009, and drop 32% from 2008 to 2009. This forecast implies much weaker S&P 500 earnings than projected by Wall Street analysts and strategies" whom he says "tend to be overly optimistic, especially in recessions when analysts don't want to offend managements of the companies they follow with low numbers.")
10. Sell consumer lenders' equities.
11. Buy the dollar.
12. Buy, carefully, high-grade bonds.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Mumbai Bombings
The translated conversation between the terrorists striking Mumbai on 26/11/2008:
The dossier sent to Pakistan by India as evidence of Pakistani involvement in the attacks
The dossier sent to Pakistan by India as evidence of Pakistani involvement in the attacks
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
