O...Give Thanks to the Lord!

Hmm...After a long time. I should blog more often. I bookmark the things I wanna blog in my mind and sooner or later the bookmarks are archived and I do even forget that I own a blog. Being at home gives me a lotta things to occupy myself and when sometimes I keep on wondering what to do next, I end up doing ultimately nothing!! :)

Last few months were full of travels and trips. Last weekend was Thanksgiving and I got to experience my first Thanksgiving day experience in US.We had an authentic american thanksgiving day with Turkey dinner. (Hmm...Tasted good!).

The day next to thanksgiving is what people here call a 'Black Friday'. The term sounded like its some spooky day , but actually its a shopping day! All the stores in US advertise discount sales and blimey... you will get a laptop for 99$!

The sale time was from 5AM to 8AM in the morning. We went to 'Circuit City' an electronic store to find a long,long 'Q' of people waiting from the previous night! Wierd.
It reminded me of Ranganathan Street in Chennai during the 'Aadi Thallubadi' sale season in the month of August.

Anyway, Thanksgiving is over and people are getting ready for the big-day which is just less-than a month away. It would be my first christmas away from home... and I couldn't wait to experience it.

Lost and Found!

Being at home for some period of time leaves one wondering what to do at home.It's happening to me too.When in school and college, I wanted to improve my skills in arts-n-crafts.When I got in to a job which occupied me full-n-full...Ahh...forget the crafts...I need some sleep!.

Now that am taking a break(!) and at home fulltime, its time to search for the lost.My husband had to make some time to take me to the Craft store, where I was pleasantly surprised at the number of choices one has, to revive the crafty mind.

This is one thing under sky, I would always love to do. Forget Java now... I am a fulltime cooking,cleaning,washing and ofcourse a crafting person now...atleast untill I go to work again!. It really feels very good to find the-lost-soul-soothing things one always likes in life.

Infy 25

Being the family of an Infoscion, gave me this opportunity of attending Infosys 25 years celebration party. It was organised in a Desi restaurant at Philadelphia for Infoscions and family from Pennsylvania and Delaware. It was a typical corporate party with a presentation movie on the company.Needless to say there was singing and dancing.

Though am not the loyal employee of Infosys the great, I felt a little proud for this one of the Greatest Indian companies.I have seen some people dying to get in to infosys. Though am not a big fan of the company,I have a good opinion on what the company does. I watch with pride on how the company was started by a small group of friends. No doubt, Infosys is making India proud.

'A Big Fat Stupid White Man!' ( t'is not a racial comment boss!! Just the name of a book!)

Watching movies has become one of my favorite hobby. Hmm…Timepass would be the right word! Last week in the video section of the library I found the movie ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’. It was a documentary movie by Michael Moore. When my husband found me checking out the video, he said…’Hmm good...Worth watching!’

I always liked documentaries and I would say I loved this one. When I was watching this movie, all I was thinking was the freedom of press and media. They form governments; they overthrow the same in no time, playing a major role in deciding a country’s future. Media’s reach is deep. Reaches one’s mind so deep that it makes one to write a blog on it!

This documentary – Fahrenheit 9/11 - is about the why Uncle Sam declared war on Iraq - which is neither the hidden nuclear weapons nor the once-upon-a-time-mighty Saddam. It’s all about how a country crowning itself the king of the world could do anything to any other country without a reason. It’s about their President Bush. It’s about his life as a President’s son. It’s about their family friend Osama. To me, more than the content of movie, the freedom of media was astonishing and interesting.

Michael Moore’s Oscar-winning documentary was ‘Bowling Columbine’. Based on the Columbine high school incident where two school students massacred the fellow school mates and teachers. Yes…It’s about the Gun-Culture in USA. Really…worth watching!

Michael Moore puts his thoughts on www.michaelmoore.com. But his foes put him in www.mooreexposed.com. They slam him, curse him and give every possible reason for people to hate him. To them he is ‘A Big Fat Stupid White Man’.

Apart from all these criticisms, fact/non-fact arguments, I liked both his documentaries.
Just because, they were interesting.

Customer Care or Customer Scare???!!

There were times when problems remained problems,without being resurrected to solutions.There still were times when folks had to scream for their problems be heard.Then came the new world of Customer cares.Suddenly people are enthusiastic about how you can just call up and tell your problems to sweet voiced ladies and gentelmen, so they would help us to get the troubles solved soon.Mildly satisfied that somebody actually hear their problems.

I had enough of Call centers when I was looking for broadband connections back in bangalore.But not so bad as calling the Citibank homeloans Customer care center,which has become one of my current nightmares.The service, taken care by E-serve, is so pathetic that sometimes I get sooo pissed off, like how in the world that an international bank like Citi would maintain such a bad, terrible,freakingly idiotic service.(hmm...am not getting the right words.!) ...the so called Customer service.

After paying off the loan amount we had to keep paying Rs.500 every month for an year before closing the loan account.We had sent the post dated cheques which after repeated calls and mails, they responded saying they received the post dated cheques of Rs.500. Before even we could relax that everything has been settled, Citibank tried to deduct its previous EMI amount of about Rs.16,000 from our savings account instead of Rs.500 which was supposed to be deducted. Since we had a lesser balance in our savings account,their cheque got bounced and we were penalised Rs.250 on our savings account.

Again we call them, mail them too, and this time the sweet voiced call center lady says, they have not received any cheques from us completely contradicting the previous confirmations, and she would confirm only after 2 working days.After two working days, we call them again, this time its another sweet lady, who again would confirm after a couple of days.(Huh...managing Indian subjects through international calls is really expensive!!)

After some days, We again find Citibank trying to deduct Rs.16,000 from our account...penality again.And this time it was totally pissing and I found myself get furious and restless even to think about these people.

Enough... please. Ladies and Gentlemen,eventhough you are not fully responsible,I no longer find your voices sweet.

Best hangout place!!! - The public Library.

This might sound corny for people who don’t love to stick their nose in to the smell of books…I love books…at least to be surrounded by them. Somehow my crazy reading habit is not that old. It all started when I was in college. But I still remember how I used to read through all the prose before even the school started.

Needless to say, I was the happiest person to find the Public library very near our house here in Bear,Delaware. I was stunned by the way public libraries function here. Of course, am in a different country and I should expect something diferent from India, but I long for such things back in India too. I remember how I and my ‘book-wormish’ gang used to go to the public libraries just to find torn papers for books, back in Chennai. Here the libraries function like communities. They celebrate summer festivals, arrange kids craft contests and so on. I love being here…at least with a library near home.

To Delware...with love.

Being in Delware is one of the most pleasant experiences in my life.
This second smallest South Atlantic US state is one of the most quiet,peaceful
states in US.As far as I have seen,the place is very cool and decent.Last week one of our Indian neighbours moved out of the apartment and I could see three or four indian families biding farewell to them.It was like a mini-Indian

To my dear Yahoo id...

Two weeks back, I experienced one of the most horrible two hours of my life.That fine morning I woke up very peaceful and pleasant just to know that my personal yahoo id was hacked. Ah…there goes my peace. :(

All the attempts to retrieve my password went in vain.Even my alternate e-mail address was changed.Next thing I did was to search for the Yahoo Customer care number.The task was exhausting.Atlast, found one.

Here's another tough job.All my answers about my account was politely dismissed by the Customer Care Executive saying am not providing the right details. All my personal information were changed by some unknown Resident Evil. Whoever did this to me…please live long in hell!. Somehow after those dreading two hours over phone, on and off hold,I got a temporary password.

Then after changing the password, and completely backing up all the mails,I mercilessly terminated my yahoo account.

A couple of days later, I had a mail from one of my friends saying his e-mail account was also hacked.Later I was enlightenend on how both our yahoo accounts got hacked.It was because of a offline message in the yahoo messenger which had a link to an unknown website,which on clicking hacks your yahoo account and sends the same message to all the people in your own friend list.

Observation or Result : Your Friend could search for Yahoo Customer Care number!

Inference or Moral of the Story: Hah…figure it all up yourself!!!

Hiyyaaa....Howdy y'all?

It's been almost a month since I blogged.And I deserved a break.

Being in the country of Uncle Sam, thats so very new to me,
observing,adjusting and digesting facts!

Bump-less roads,Magical weather(atleast for a chennai-girl!) ,lush-green-litter-free road-sides, colored/color-void,strong/neutral accented people...
hmm...I guess its really.. really gonna take some time for this Alice to get used to this Wonderland!!

Lots lying in heaps to blog down.So...watch out for my write-ups. .. Pretty soon!

The Gnostic Factor.

Gnosticism. The word made popular by Dan Brown to the Layman crowd.
It was a year and a half back when this word was added to my vocabulary.
Since then I was curious to know more about that.
Why not google it?

Holy Cow!!! There is a lone, vast Gnostic world out there. There are people who do dedicated research on such a thing. There’s an online library with a vast collection of resources supporting their theories called THE GNOSTIC SOCIETY LIBRARY.
And I desperately wanted to know more and blog it down.

Gnosticism is getting enlightment on religious beliefs. Finding the truth behind religious facts. Seems that the term is strongly linked with Christianity. Gnosticism is considered heresy by Christian churches.

Gnostic issues keep surfacing now and then whenever some scrolls of papyrus from older times pop out .The very famous Gnostic finding was the issue of Mary Magdalene. The Magdalene factor was the prime highlight in Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code. Surprisingly, the world of literature has contributed a lot to Mary Magdalene. As per the Gnostic theory, she’s considered the Holy Grail who carried the bloodline of Jesus Christ.

There are many other Gospels which are considered Gnostic other than the canonical ones that are accepted and included by the Church. Gospel of Mary Magdalene, Gospel of Thomas, and Gospel of Judas which has surfaced now are a few to mention.

Gnostic scholars who consider Mary Magdalene to be a devoted disciple and presumed wife of Jesus Christ also believe that the Church has masked her under the hood of the prostitute, whom Jesus Christ defends when she was about to be stoned to death. Surprisingly it’s nowhere referred in the Holy Bible that Magdalene is the prostitute.

Similar is the latest controversy of Gospel of Judas. Judas betraying Jesus Christ is considered to be the Ultimate treachery of all times. But a crumbling manuscript which is claimed to be the Gospel of Judas portrays him not as a villain but as a Mr. Nice Guy who helps the Lord in his mission.

Orthodox scholars say, ’None of the "extra" documents could rise to the level of the Scripture’. True, Gnostic findings are hard to believe and harder to accept, especially when they try to change the very basic lessons which have already been accepted as facts and that’s why the Gnostic ideas remains at a secret depth from the presumed truth of The Holy Bible. It’s not easily possible to change something that’s etched in the minds of the staunch and orthodox Christians.

Burning Bengalooru..

Still regaining from the last week’s shock of seeing the city burning.
Bengalooru was spewing flames of tears for the dead actor Dr.Rajkumar.

Agree, Bengalooru is certainly a city with a class. It stands apart from the rest of the Indian cities with its glossy exteriors and greener interiors.But something is terribly missing.

The City wants to be called a Metropolitan, but such incidents would certainly mar its own growth. Closing the bars before midnight and banning the mobile phones for college goers only is not a solution for bestowing discipline among the masses. Sensitivity to other’s feelings and self discipline will do wonders.

Never once did the fans of ‘Annavaru’ think about the legend’s family. The crowd was indifferent to the begging and pleadings of the sons to let their father rest in peace.Blaming the government for the lack of control measures is not very appropriate.

Unless people change their attitude, anything that any government attempts to do will go futile.The same attributes to the recent stampede episodes in Chennai during the distribution of flood relief supplies. When it happened for the first time the government was blamed for not taking proper control of the crowd. When the history repeated, the attention is on the attitude of people. Had people and been self controlled and sensitive to others feelings, such a disaster could have been abated.

Murders, violence, Divorces, etcetera, etcetera – Reason? – Insensitivity.All I feel is,the scenes of tragedies will continue to haunt unless people become sensitive to others’ feelings.

Bengalooru Naamakarana!!!

A couple of days back, I happened to watch a hot debate in the CNN IBN News channel on changing the name of Bangalore. Lot of differences in opinions.Obviously, this has become one of Bengalooru mahanagara’s hottest topics. (Of course, next only to Traffic and Pollution).

This morning, I caught a glimpse of the BTM Layout Bus depot's name board. They had changed it to Kuvempu Nagara Bus Stand. Heard that, BTM Layout had already been renamed officially (long back) by the BMP to be called Kuvempu Nagara, but not many call it as yet by that name! Hmmm....Guess the Palike is in a killing spree to change all non-kannda names now.

Changing a name will never change everything. All lies in the mindset of people.There are people who still call their beloved Chennai Metro in the same ol' name of Madras. And I could guess a similar thing could happen with 'Bengalooru' also. Most of the kannadigas, even though they like the name 'Bangalore' more (hot n spicy!!) reluctantly agree and argue defending The name-change-mission for the sake of saving their language, identity and preserve their pride. The recent demonstrations of political parties against corporate giants to recruit more kannadigas were also for the same reason.It's true Bangalore is slowly losing it's regional identity just 'coz it has become cosmopolitan.

So, say ‘Welcome Bengalooru’...and that does not mean a ‘Goodbye Bangalore’. Its not that easy to forget such a hip'n happen’n name!!

Need a Coffee Break?

I have always been fascinated by Java. A vast and interesting programming language.When in college, never did I like it once. I cursed my fate when I started my career as a junior developer in Java. I wonder how I failed to realize the simplicity and depth of the language earlier.

Now I am so much obsessed with the language that I would love to just learn and learn and learn the technology all through my life…

Two months back I completed the first level of certification in Java (SCJP), and now planning to do the next level- SCBCD Sun Certification for Business Component Developer- for which I have started preparing.

Visit http://www.freewebs.com/youandjava for shared Java notes.
I just released the first chapter of my notes for SCBCD exam.If you have any queries, send a mail to scbcd_info@yahoo.com

Go on, If u too wanna sip the Coffee!!

'Broadband' Booms!!

Haah….After a long time…

Past few weeks were a bit hectic with some amount of personal work been done.Hmm…now am back to finger-down the past week’s adventures. hi...hi…of course not about scuba-diving or funky jumps!!

A couple of weeks back, my everyday buzzword was Broadband... for a simple wish of getting a broadband connection at home. Making a wish was as simple as rubbing aladdin's magic lamp.But getting it done was really an uphill task.My fairy Godmother took a long time to wave her wand!!

All I thought was being in the IT capital of India will help me get my broadband connection easily. And it did not take much time for me to realize that I was wrong.

I live in a very busy area which is a concrete jungle of Govt Organisation, Call centers and Small IT industries and needless to say, Bangalore's sky scrapers (Apartments!!) also. Certainly not remote.Still the Broadband service providers would not give me a broadband connection that easily.

The first one I chose was BSNL DataOne for the hype that has been created by the media. But calling a BSNL customer care is not that easy. And getting an answer from them was even tougher.

Next from the bunch is Airtel.The Customer service was good and prompt and the guy got back to me within 10 hours. I was happy at last ,that its so simple to get the connection. But the answer was bit different. He apologized for not able to give me a broadband connection. Saying, maximum number of connections possible in our area has been reached so, they cannot provide me a connection. Petrified…coz I was not expecting such a response.

Reliance was not operating in our area and Tata Indicom said they will call me in 72 hours with the feasibility check and they are still getting back. Meanwhile I checked with the Cable TV Service providers like Hathway,In2 Cable, Zee next were nearly as good as the others in refusing me the connection. Sify too, ignored me. I knew their answer before they could tell me...'Sorry ma'm, Currently we are not operating in your area'.

After nearly 2 weeks of hearing the same 'B' word and thinking of the same 'B' word…I got bored. I thought I will stick with my reliance dial-up which got disconnected every 10 mins.This known devil was really better than that unknown 'B'- angel.

Then finally I decided to apply for BSNL wait for the stipulated 1 month and get my connection. Two days after applying for the BSNL, an Airtel guy called me up, and said he could give me the connection in 2 days. (Thats what they call Life!!). As told, he sent the installation team on the 2nd day and now is enjoying the broadband Internet.

Dear blog-reader,

If you or any of your friends need a broadband connection, and don't have time to do an R&D on the different service providers,their tarrifs,Customer care numbers and feasibility in your area, I am here to help you out!.(hi hi hi). I have really become a Broadband repository in just 2 weeks.

Not... Yet... the parody is not over yet. Its has already been a month and am now pleading BSNL to return my Security deposit.

HDK's 'Mission Bengalooru'

A week of mock exams, java books, exam simulators, threatening mock exam results and am a Sun Certified Java Programmer now. Ooof…what a relief!! My dreams were filled not with flowers, rainbows and stars and seas…but flower brackets, for-loops, if-else and Compilation errors!! And now am back blogging.

One thing that I noticed past week in the 'Bengalooru mahanagara’ was the faster pace in the road maintenance work. I could see bus-stops shifting to lessen traffic congestion, narrows roads getting extended...Great to see the City under busy maintenance! The young Chief Minister of the state with ‘inexperience‘ as his only asset is all in a blastin action.Eventhough the way he acquired power was a bit confusing and frustrating to many people, it’s good to see him in action. Rather than waiting for his turn to come he just created himself a chance for being in the seat of power.

As per the words of our president Dr. APJ Abdul kalam, he has used political politics to attain power and developmental politics after that. Hope he continues to use his strategies to add values to the state. Lets wait 'n watch!

See u Later!!

A bit busy this week..meet you all next week!

Ek Choti si baath...

Some simple incidents in life sometimes seem very interesting. This is one such for me.

Yesterday, I felt very sleepy and kind of boring at office. Being in bench and out of project has its own merits too… ;) Hope my boss doesn’t catch me dozing off!!

Just kidding boss!! I never sleep at Office. He..He..He..

I thought of going home a bit earlier. So I took a BMTC bus(Bangalore Metro ) back to my home.I got a seat in the bus and it was the only seat that was free. And many of the Ladies seats were occupied by some gentlemen. In one of the bus’ stops an older woman boarded the bus with a heavy luggage. She stood near me with her baggage hoping she could somehow find a place to sit. The gentlemen averted their eyes from her and pretended to gaze through the window, too reluctant to offer her a seat. First I thought they would not have noticed the old lady. People are more selfish than I thought. Nobody wanted to provide a place for her to sit. Something pushed me to offer the seat to the lady. And I did. People were still minding their own business of gazing through the window or pretending to do so. One guy saw me standing through the corner of his eyes and quickly averted again. The way the guy acted seemed so silly and stupid to me. I could not keep from smiling.Being selfish is one’s own wish and I am really not here to justify anything…From a Politician to a BMTC commuter,a place to sit means a lot na?

Million Dollar Colleague…

People working for a public and noble cause are very rare..and seeing someone in action really really good.

Pradeep Sudarshan,one of my colleagues is one of such rare kind. He spends some of his precious time in spreading awarness on Eye Pledging and Donation among people.A few days back he was on air for this noble cause.Radio City, Bangalore's popular FM Station featured his interview in a segment called Bangalore Inspires.

He was splendid and really inspiring and I am sure many would have made up their minds to pledge their eyes.I really appreciate him for being enthusiastic for a good cause.

I know what is running on your mind.You too wanna pledge your eyes. right?
Then,for more information visit: http://giftyoursight.blogspot.com OR http://www.freewebs.com/giftyoursight
or you can mail Pradeep Sudarshan at giftyoursight@gmail.com.

Flying Coffins?

The weekend was great and back at office on a boring yet bright Monday morning! The morning is bright coz’ it’s sunny and not that cold and boring coz’ the traffic was slow moving on the way to office. ha!! typical Bangalore. cannot do much about it.

There is one particular thing that always itches the back of my mind, does a ‘knock knock’ and goes off…And It knocked once during this weekend also.Mig 21 fighter planes. Ever since these planes came in to Indian Air force, They make news for two reasons. One - During the Republic day or Independence day Defense displays . Two – Crash due to a Technical snag or pilot errors.

But I always wonder…why Mig 21 alone??

The MiGs have been dubbed "flying coffins" for registering over 100 crashes from 1993 till date. Indian air force says 2005 proved a safer year for them recording very lesser Mig 21 Crashes.

According to Financial Express, from the beginning of the 1990s Russia stopped operating the MiG-21 and producing spare parts for it, and for this reason India has to buy low-quality spare parts in the East-European countries.

The official statistics claim that 283 crashes occurred from 1991 to 2000, in which the Air Force of India lost 221 aircraft, and 100 pilots perished. As many as 62 per cent of the cases involved the MiG-21 fighters made by the HAL in the 1960s. The "human factor" caused 42 per cent of the crashes, technical malfunctions - 44 per cent, and collisions with birds - 7 per cent. Hmm.. Statistics are always scary!

And 2006 should have started with a sour note for IAF with MIG 21 Crash earlier this month on 4th near NAL airbase ,Bikaner fortunately with no casualty.

But according to Air Chief Marshal H Moolgavkar (Retd), PVSM, MVC , If a pilot is competent, there would not be so many crashes. However, just like no two human beings are the same, no two pilots are the same, and the significant number of accidents is due to pilot errors as proved in the courts of inquiry which are meticulously held by the competent authorities directly concerned. So, it is unfair to conclude MiG-21 aircraft as flying coffins.

He also accepts that Mig 21’s are indeed a difficult aircraft to fly and there are technical failures for which heavy price is paid in terms of loss of both precious lives and investment.He also says it is difficult to provide a clear cut answer. If the situation permits, a pilot ejects from the aircraft and generally he lands safe.

In 2003 the then Defense Minster George Fernandes tested for
Mig 21’s ‘airworthiness’ by flying for nearly half-an-hour in a 20-year-old two-seater trainer version in overcast conditions.Obviously he must have chosen a very experienced pilot!!

Acceptable, Life of a fighter plane pilot is not easy. Still Its Indian Air force’s duties to make sure that at least technical snags are minimized. And this is what IAF has promised. After all the one who is flying the plane somehow could eject himself … a fighter plane falling straight on your head when u just took three days off from work to spend time with your wife and children in your farm house is really scary enough…!

Faces of India??!!!

This Bangalorean morning started with a hot air of political news.
Kumarasamy Gowda son of the former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda dumps his father for the chair to rule the South Indian state of Karnataka coalition with the Opposition BJP
But what I am going to write is really not on the political side but on the media.

Last evening, after a tiring day, off from work, I switched on my TV to browse the channels as usual. When I started to hear some crackers around my house, I was left with no clue and turned to TV news channels to figure out what was happening around.

A State’s government tumbling overnight is really hot and breaking news and only the regional news channels were telecasting this news. I switched to the Other English news channels which portray themselves as they are the faces of India and they are the representatives of India. To talk about a few, NDTV did have a little coverage with only the news text running at the bottom and CNN-IBN nothing at all.

This morning on my way to office in the city of Bangalore, I saw a big banner for an ad of CNN-IBN. That seemed so funny to me. . I wondered, if these people cannot cover their news of a particular region then what’s the point in advertising their news channel in that region? These channels always tend to feel that the political capital and the financial capital of India are the only places in India. When they claim that they represent India, ridiculously, they do mean that they represent these two cities only.


Among the Educated - News reading - News Channel watching population on India Considerable amount is in South. And this is not just for the sake of words. But I really do not find any reason for the News Channels to just focus more North and dump the south. Being a south Indian I had always felt the kind of apathy, Central Government and Ministers show on south. Does it have to be the same kind of behavior with News Channels also?

Meanwhile the Regional Media in South focuses on the spreading its tentacles to the other states and other foreign countries but not on the quality of the news they provide the people. Regional news channels focus more on the local news –Which-actress-married-which-director-and-Which-leader-cursed-which-leader – kind of news. They don’t really care on what’s going on in the nation. When we look at the amount of depth given to news related to important happenings in the central government it’s very shallow... and the same junk news is telecast in foreign countries also. This is really not the level of Quality in News NRIs expect from the very popular- wide spread media networks.

These Regional channels focus on improving the Quality of the picture and video they provide and the Quality of new they give people. And Other English news channels which focus more on North Indian News turn more towards south only when Bill Gates tasted a chutney with appam or some foreign delegates visit Infosys,Bangalore.

There's lot to be done by the media to the south...Didn't they see the potholes in the Bangalorean Main roads? Don’t they see newer Industries coming up in Chennai? Do any of us know what the headlines in Andhrapradesh and Kerala are?

Can News Channels take a New Year’s resolution at least the next year...if your sights are too tightly tied to a single thing for this year!!!.

Its' Priscilla's World!!

Hi!
Welcome to my world...
It was a long forgotten idea in me to create a blog and pour my thoughts in..
And its high time to let myself go!
It was a great comeback to my long lost idea...and lo..lemme start blogging!!!...