tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72064478380935384162024-02-19T15:39:32.022-08:00Varun's Digital DiaryVarunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911437244977847067noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206447838093538416.post-12955095679701105402020-09-15T05:31:00.008-07:002020-09-15T05:31:53.053-07:00A Little About Our Company<p><span style="color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px;">Neeta Shankar Photography Pvt Ltd is a Wedding and Lifestyle Photography Company led by Neeta Shankar my wife and me. Neeta has been named among the top wedding photographers in India and with every wedding she shoots, she endeavors to do better than the last. Neeta Shankar and her team of photographers and cinematographers specialize in Wedding Photography & Films where they strive to create timeless memories for you which are candid, emotional, offbeat, and fun. They are based in Bangalore but have shot weddings in Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Goa, Kolkata, Jaipur, Udaipur, and everywhere else because they love to travel!</span></p><p><span style="color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px;">If you are searching for that</span><span style="color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px;">Best Wedding Photographer</span><span style="color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px;">to shoot your beautiful once-in-a-lifetime event; someone who will put in sincere effort to capture the absolute best, Neeta and team is the right fit for you.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Some recognitions that have come along our way over the years</span></p><p><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase;"><b>RECOGNITION</b></span></p><li style="border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Nikon India Expertive / Brand Ambassador</li><li style="border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Godox India Brand Ambassador</li><li style="border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Shot over 200 weddings across India in Bangalore, Mumbai, New Delhi, Goa, Kolkata, Jaipur, Udaipur, Chennai, Hyderabad and other cities</li><li style="border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Social Media Influencer with over 5,00,000 followers across social networks</li><li style="border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">World #4, Top 20 Wedding Photographers on the Web, according to xxlpix.net 2018 survey</li><li style="border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">World #94, Top 100 Photographers on the Web, according to xxlpix.net 2018 survey. Only Wedding Photographer in India to feature on the list.</li><li style="border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">World #14, Top 20 Women Photographers on the Web, according to xxlpix.net 2018 survey</li><li style="border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Named among the Top Wedding Photographers in India</li><li style="border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Photography Mentor at Toehold Travel and Photography</li><li style="border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mentor for Better Photography Inner Circle Wedding Photography Workshops across 9 Cities in India</li><li style="border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mentor at Adobe Photography Virtual Series</li><li style="border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Panel of Judges, Canon Photo Marathon India 2014</li><li style="border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Speaker at Adobe Photography Symposium 2014</li><li style="border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Speaker at Canon IndiaKliks Photography Symposium 2014, New Delhi</li><li style="border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Panel of Judges, Canon IndiaKliks Photography Competition</li><li style="border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Speaker at iClick Photography Symposium 2013, Bangalore</li><li style="border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Influencer for Sony Alpha Mirrorless Cameras, Samsung Note Series, Samsung A7, Samsung A8, Samsung S8, Google Pixel XL, One Plus, Sony Xperia</li><li style="border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Images exhibited in various exhibitions across New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Goa.</li><li style="border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Articles published in Better Photography Magazine, Smart Photography Magazine, Times of India, Deccan Chronicle, The Asian Age, The Hindu.</li><p style="border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 14px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white; font-style: italic; text-align: justify;">“There is a famous Kannada quote which roughly translates to – what the sun can't see, a poet can. To me, Neeta epitomizes that poet, with a camera in hand instead of a pen. I have been perpetually stunned by her use of light, composition, and unflinching focus until the closest-to-ideal shot is achieved. I don’t think she has anything else on her mind when she is on the job. It’s both a lovable and an inspirational quality about her.” </span></p><p style="border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 14px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Do check out our website <a href="http://www.neetashankar.com/photography">http://www.neetashankar.com/photography</a> and don't forget to follow us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/neetashankar/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NeetaShankarPhotography/" target="_blank">Facebook</a></p>Varunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911437244977847067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206447838093538416.post-49492240273298135872012-12-25T22:00:00.000-08:002012-12-25T22:00:59.395-08:00Miss you Sachin!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16.5px;">It was the summer of 1998 and I was in Chandrapur (Maharashtra) with my parents and my sister. My dad used to work there and we had gone to visit him during our term holidays. He had rented out a 2 bed room apartment and had a portable (14 inch) black and white TV in his room.</span><br />
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It was the season of Coca-Cola Sharjah Cup and Indian team had somehow managed to get themselves to a position of "Do-or-Die" as they always do. Australia batted first and amassed a lot of runs (284/7 - Exact score courtesy cricinfo). India had to get to 237 in 46 overs to qualify for the finals or had to score 276 in 46 overs for an outright win.</div>
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276 back then was a score that very few teams could chase even in 50 overs and hence my mom ordered everyone to bed. Sand storm didn't help the cause and it only delayed the start of second innings which meant I had to get to bed without watching the start of India's innings.</div>
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30-45 min later my dad slowly sneaked into the room where my sister and I were sleeping and woke me up. He asked me to pull a chair and sit outside his room with the door slightly ajar not disturbing my sister and mom who were sound asleep by then. He had probably realized something magical is going to happen that night and he didn't want his son to miss it. And what MAGIC we witnessed!! It was unreal! It was out of this world!</div>
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One of the finest innings of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar! Every shot of his gave me goose bumps and every six of his wanted me to shout, clap and cheer. My father and I have watched many great ODI matches after this (including the finals that followed this match) but this one was truly special and it will remain etched in my memories forever courtesy my dad and one little master called Sachin. What better father-son bonding than watching Sachin tear-apart a terrific Australian bowling attack that comprised of Warne, Moody, Fleming and Kasprowicz!</div>
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When he was eventually given out at 143 (He had not nicked the ball), he had made sure he had taken India to safer shores. India had qualified for the final. India had “lived to die another day”. India would have won that match had he played till the 46th over but I guess the joy he had given by taking India to finals was enough for me to sleep with a smile on my face for another week or so. A win in the finals was only icing on the cake.</div>
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Here's a mini highlights of what I witnessed that day</div>
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Will miss you Sachin!! Saaachin Sachin *clap* *clap* *clap*!!! Saaaachin Sachin *clap* *clap* *clap*!!!</div>
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Varunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911437244977847067noreply@blogger.com0Bangalore, Karnataka, India12.9715987 77.59456269999998312.4764147 76.949115699999979 13.4667827 78.240009699999987tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206447838093538416.post-63882007309730792622011-05-15T22:40:00.000-07:002011-05-17T00:06:13.175-07:00Second Innings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The last time I landed in Lagos,Nigeria, it was about 8.00 pm and all I could see was the dimly lit runway. This time around though, I took Qatar Airways instead of Emirates and the flight landed in the afternoon.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Nigeria for the first time looked beautiful and I am not kidding or being sarcastic when I say it. There is probably more greenery in Lagos than we have in Bangalore and we shout our lungs out that we live in the 'Garden city'. There is nothing more pleasing to eyes and heart than wide spread greenery and a dash of rainfall. (I've been cooking here and I had to use the words 'Dash of Rainfall' just like 'A dash of Lemon') Yes!! It was also raining when I landed and the whole scene looked so amazing! Wet runway, lush pastures on either sides of the runway, fully loaded Airbus 330 carrying people belonging to almost all nationalities! So what if the the landing gear slipped and it required one brave guy and a pretty airhostess to stop the plane!? Scene straight out of a hollywood movie isn't it!? Nothing of that sort happened though and we landed safe and sound!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Elections in Nigeria completed about a month ago and the guy who has won and will continue to be president of the country is Mr. Goodluck Jonathan. I am not wishing him luck. It is his name! </span>People believe a lot in him and are looking forward to the changes he has promised to bring. They are hopeful and the whole country is looking to move into greener pastures! For a country that was under the military for so long (Around 33 years), a whole term under a democratic party and a good president to add to it will be a welcome change.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Greener pastures I guess is something we all look forward to all the time in life. It is probably THE driving force of human kind. We always aspire for a better situation for ourselves even though the one we already have might be the best. People who manage to figure this out as early as possible I guess are the happiest. Having absolutely nothing to do gives a lot of time to think about a lot of things in life and this is one such passing thought. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Looooong flight journey gave me an opportunity to read a lovely novel called '<a href="http://www.facebook.com/Lifeiswhatyoumakeit.preetishenoy"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Life is what you make it</span></b></a>'. It is written by one of my dear blogger friends <a href="http://justamotheroftwo.blogspot.com/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Preeti Shenoy</span></b></a>. I loved the book and am extremely proud of her. The book is </span>currently 3rd best seller on flipkart and it has made it to the long list of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vodafone_Crossword_Book_Award"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Vodafone-Crossword Book awards</span></b></a> announced on IBN Live. Can you beat that!? I guess she can! I want to see the book become a National Best seller! Without disclosing much about the book I would like to tell you readers that it is a coming of age story of a girl called Ankita. I do not read much books and realised that I will not be the right person to to review it! Won't do justice! I'll probably copy and paste the email I sent to Preeti.<br />
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<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3rd on Flipkart. Awesome! You are making faster progress than Novak Djokovic :) (Shouldn't really compare tennis to books but that is the headline I read first thing in the morning today! 'Summit in Sight'. </span>BTW I have to tell you the book 'Life is what you make it' is awesome! Got a chance to read it in the flight... Finished it in one reading. Had to delay lunch but it was totally worth it... I cried and laughed with Ankita... Loved her, hated her, Felt bad for hating her. And finally felt great to see her back on track, on her feet and doing what she always loved to do... It put me through an emotional turbulence inside the flight. I can understand what it must have put you through to get into the skin of such a character.... Few love letters in the book are amazing... I can simply copy paste them straight out of the book and any girl would go aww :D</blockquote>And as expected, I got a lovely reply (Preeti always replies) but that is a different story.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It has been raining on and off here and the weather has been quite pleasant. Pity we cannot keep our windows open for the breeze as that will be an invitation to our very own Female Anopheles and we are simply in no mood to feed her.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">First week in office hasn't been noteworthy. But some events outside office have defintely been blog worthy! There is a Supermarket 'Shoprite' in Lagos that sells fresh bread in an inhouse Bakery. I had always seen people standing in a queue to buy it but had never bothered to get one for myself. This time around my friend and I decided to get our hands on that famous fresh bread no matter what. Believe it or not, we stood in the queue for about hour and a half just to buy that bread. Steve jobs will be put to shame if he sees this queue. People queue up for his product only on the first day of its launch. Now comes the curious part. How was the bread? I want to write that it was awesome, mindlblowing, yummy! But Nah!! It was like any other bread. Simply couldn't find anything special with it. The wildest guess we could come up with is it is probably the best fresh bread available for such a low price. Pictures below will tell you the story :)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJ74u9rU-gZ1pgXufiwaBqgYaY9rM709QACLEnKm9d0M-XBRfrc4y05gOmObcalBFydXKdE_rND-0NE7uKgmYUlCzNiv6PWuTeaf6AZua-MzQz9wvrU73NA0aRkuovR-K4C_xzCBJGg5t/s1600/2011-05-13+18.58.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJ74u9rU-gZ1pgXufiwaBqgYaY9rM709QACLEnKm9d0M-XBRfrc4y05gOmObcalBFydXKdE_rND-0NE7uKgmYUlCzNiv6PWuTeaf6AZua-MzQz9wvrU73NA0aRkuovR-K4C_xzCBJGg5t/s200/2011-05-13+18.58.39.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Standing in the Queue</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5y6ZzGd5p86FPZRxZa0_vhZrEo_AdUiaec9NulFqDKCvqzK3A2ihXH1CrH2Tahx5axVXG0vE6Xd34TPdiBgBERddRvrZuoKV6O44UbwYxZXRhjMpyQPMWMYP6HUn-c41pRFUR7UzjytN-/s1600/2011-05-13+18.57.34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5y6ZzGd5p86FPZRxZa0_vhZrEo_AdUiaec9NulFqDKCvqzK3A2ihXH1CrH2Tahx5axVXG0vE6Xd34TPdiBgBERddRvrZuoKV6O44UbwYxZXRhjMpyQPMWMYP6HUn-c41pRFUR7UzjytN-/s200/2011-05-13+18.57.34.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">World Famous Bakery :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidGP_nfbSLxvhhRVJfrtS12mrNOfzUwNodexsnzX_gWtwzVbZr7Mjz7ZqnFp1oe3Vg3uJuQIVonmmR7au4gBGTn1waBdION66sbrECLdCI_9A1Jz9w7tu2MX7M2gQYzmdsXcFzOappmAE5/s1600/2011-05-13+20.27_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidGP_nfbSLxvhhRVJfrtS12mrNOfzUwNodexsnzX_gWtwzVbZr7Mjz7ZqnFp1oe3Vg3uJuQIVonmmR7au4gBGTn1waBdION66sbrECLdCI_9A1Jz9w7tu2MX7M2gQYzmdsXcFzOappmAE5/s200/2011-05-13+20.27_1.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jackpot!!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Weekend has been a very lazy one! Completed watching the first season of 'Modern Family'. Sitcom has lovable characters and is quite funny. Will have to wait till I get back to India to download and watch the second season. Also got to watch the movie 'Thor'. 3.5 stars out of 5. I like Natalie Portman in any role :)<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">'Stanley Ka Dabba' (Movie) released over the weekend in India and I am feeling jealous of anyone who's watched it. I wanted to watch that movie and want the movie to do well. Good to see that the movie has been getting awesome reviews everywhere. Just hope it is still running in theatres when I get back. If not, torrents zindabad :)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">What else is happening down here in Africa!? I have been travelling around the world. Am I crazy!? No! I am not! I am travelling virtually of course! Making plans, reading about new places, looking at the pictures people have clicked. Feels great to read about new places. Ever tried it? Go on.. Give it a shot! You'll love it... It is good to allow your mind to wander off... It comes back with lots of new ideas and thoughts! </span>Where is my mind now!!? Your guess is as good as mine!<br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Bavra Mann Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna...</span></blockquote></div>Varunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911437244977847067noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206447838093538416.post-45416295287108544592011-02-20T11:12:00.000-08:002011-02-20T11:17:55.867-08:00Family away from home<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">As the day nears for my roommate to fly back to India, I have started feeling restless instead of feeling happy for him for getting out of the 7 star Jail. Am I feeling jealous that he is getting to India before me or will I miss him here!? I guess it’s both.<br />
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Roomies (I don't really like this word but since it sounds cool, I have used it) are one's backbone and family away from home. If you have ever had a bad experience with one, I feel sorry for you but then I am not talking about it here. This blog is like its author. Always positive :)<br />
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They are there to share happiness, they are there to share your dreams, they are there to hear your stories, they have seen you crib, they have seen you laugh, they have seen your anger, they have been guinea pigs for your cooking experiments, they are someone who have seen you in all moods and are there for you all the time.<br />
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They come in all shapes and sizes, all colour, caste and creed but nothing matters. At the end of the day, they are family! I am someone who did not want to get out of home for anything till I finished my college. Had I got a job in Mandya or Bangalore as soon as I finished my Engineering, I would have missed something big in life. I was always confident that I would survive anywhere in the world but got a chance to experience it only when I got out of home in 2005 and what an experience it has been!<br />
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As I am typing this out, every friend I have ever shared a room / apartment with is just walking across my eyes. This post goes out to all my awesome roommates. It will be incomplete if I do not mention their names. It will be one long list though :). I will not bore my lovely readers with their introductions but will surely mention one or two traits I love about them the most. This doesn't meant they don't have other traits :D. If you manage to relate it to your personal experiences or roommates, I would think I have done a good job in keeping you occupied :-).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg58FMNhJFX1UhxeeC5lB4CyDlug9NAnqSaRg5Gi1D9GWgP8rdRGllVnKZ5x3isg4UI7vrP3Uc_m3RKhIlx7VMPtDyzIzykvR6k7E3Dlv1MwfPoWTVYe_YxxsUDQ5vrknV0d8UfErzvKc1/s1600/friends-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg58FMNhJFX1UhxeeC5lB4CyDlug9NAnqSaRg5Gi1D9GWgP8rdRGllVnKZ5x3isg4UI7vrP3Uc_m3RKhIlx7VMPtDyzIzykvR6k7E3Dlv1MwfPoWTVYe_YxxsUDQ5vrknV0d8UfErzvKc1/s1600/friends-logo.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<b>Ashok Poojary</b> - First ever room mate and a caring one at that :)<br />
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<b>Sushanth</b> - Kannada speaking room mate in Mumbai. What more can you expect!? Free spirit...<br />
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<b>Purnendu Shandilya</b> - Giant with a heart of gold :). Ready for anything anytime of the day!<br />
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<b>Akshat Jain</b> - Spontaneous, Passionate, Playstation Partner<br />
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<b>Vikas Anand</b> - Studious types<br />
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<b>Chandan Kumar</b> - One of the Best Friends I will ever find :)<br />
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<b>Adityavir Tyagi</b> - Good cook, Prankster <br />
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<b>Alok Jain</b> - Butt of all jokes and not so typical Jain ;)<br />
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<b>Vikas Dhankar</b> - On phone all the time with his Jaanu.<br />
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<b>Siddartha Mohanty</b> - Super Prankster, Movie Partner,<br />
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<b>Vikram Dev</b> - Sensible, Extremely hard working.<br />
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<b>Abhijeet Shetty</b> - Someone who hated to be tied down in Office, Home sick!<br />
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<b>Bibhupada Dash</b> - Aloof, Good at heart!<br />
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<b>Shamendra Ekka</b> - Explorer, Adventure Freak!<br />
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<b>Harsh Gandhi</b> - Khabri (He actually knew where Osama was hiding too. Pity that Bush never asked). Lovely human being.<br />
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<b>Maneesh Shanbhag</b> – Mr. Dependable, Personal Photographer in UK :)<br />
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<b>Ankur Badani</b> - Industrious<br />
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<b>Mohit Gandhi</b> - Rolu Polu, Someone who loves to follow rules everywhere<br />
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<b>Sandeep Bharadwaj</b> - Typical Jatt if you know what I mean and an extrovert. Can make friends in minutes :)<br />
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<b>Kamal Prasad</b> - Lively, Have a lot in common, Great Company<br />
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Love you all and miss you!!</div>Varunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911437244977847067noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206447838093538416.post-20983930957036011422011-02-13T11:26:00.000-08:002011-02-13T11:59:15.710-08:00Weekend Movie Mania<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I am high!! Totally high on movies I managed to watch this weekend and before my eyes drag me to my bed, I thought I should post the reviews. Some are old, some are new. Some are comedy, some are action. It was a cocktail of movies that took to me to a different world altogether. All the movies can be enjoyed at home on a DVD or you know where you can download them ;)... Links below the movie names will take you to IMDB and Wikipedia websites for more information.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.ehow.com/images/a04/ik/0t/host-movie-marathon-night-200X200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.ehow.com/images/a04/ik/0t/host-movie-marathon-night-200X200.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy: Google Image Search</td></tr>
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<u><i><b>The Mummy</b></i></u><br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mummy_(1999_film)">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mummy_(1999_film)</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120616/">http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120616/</a><br />
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I have watched this movie a thousand times (Okay I'm exaggerating) and still watch it whenever it is on TV. I like both The Mummy and Mummy returns. Never tried to watch the third part as it did not have the complete cast and crew of the first two movies.<br />
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<b>3.5 out of 5</b><br />
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<b><u><i>The Hangover</i></u></b><br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hangover_(film)">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hangover_(film)</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1119646/">www.imdb.com/title/tt1119646/</a><br />
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Timeless classic I would say. Manages to tickle the funny bone whenever I watch it. Awesome.<br />
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<b>4.5 out of 5 </b><br />
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<i><u><b>Red</b></u></i><br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_(2010_film)">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_(2010_film)</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1245526/">www.imdb.com/title/tt1245526/</a><br />
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Out and out Bruce Willis movie. Mindless Action but well made I would say.<br />
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<b>3 out of 5</b><br />
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<b><u><i>The Town</i></u></b><br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Town_(2010_film)">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Town_(2010_film)</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0840361/">www.imdb.com/title/tt0840361/</a><br />
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Loved the movie. It is a movie a about a small town called Charlestown and about Bank robbers.Ben Afleck has not only acted well but also directed it really well<br />
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<b>4 out of 5 </b><br />
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<b><u><i>Scott Pilgrim Vs The World</i></u></b><br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_pilgrim_vs_the_world">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_pilgrim_vs_the_world</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0446029/">www.imdb.com/title/tt0446029/</a><br />
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Geeky. A total geek movie. A guy to win his girl has to battle her seven evil exes :) in Mortal Kombat style. People who've played console and PC games at least once in their lives will be able to relate to the movie. If not, don't even think about watching it. <br />
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<b>3 out of 5</b><br />
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<b><u><i>Boy</i></u></b><br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boy_(2010_film)">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boy_(2010_film)</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1560139/">www.imdb.com/title/tt1560139/</a><br />
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Beautifully told story of a young 11 year old Boy who lives with his granny, a younger brother a goat and few cousins in a farm house. Fun fact about the movie is it the highest grossing New Zealand film of all time.<br />
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<b>4 out of 5 ( 4 only because it is just a 90 min movie)</b><br />
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<b><i><u>My best friend's girl</u></i></b><br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Best_Friend's_Girl_(2008_film)">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Best_Friend's_Girl_(2008_film)</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1046163/">www.imdb.com/title/tt1046163/</a><br />
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Romatic Comedy. Has its moments. But then thats it. One time watch only if it is on TV and you have nothing else to do.<br />
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<b>2.5 out of 5 </b><br />
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<b><u><i>Ghost Writer</i></u></b><br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ghost_Writer_(film)">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ghost_Writer_(film)</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1139328/">www.imdb.com/title/tt1139328/</a><br />
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Awesome! A tale of a ghost writer (Ewan McGregor) who gets himself entagled in political conspiracy when he decides to ghost write the memoirs of an Ex British Prime Minister played by Pierce Brosnan.<br />
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<b>4 out of 5</b><br />
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</b><br />
Since it is 14th of February, I would like to take this opportunity to wish Saint Valentine a very happy birthday and wish a very happy Valentine's day to all my loved ones!<br />
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Lots of love,<br />
Varun</div>Varunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911437244977847067noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206447838093538416.post-51157478274314653842011-02-04T07:12:00.000-08:002011-02-04T07:12:28.405-08:00A handwritten blog post :)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">This is something I have always wanted to do. Post a handwritten blog post. In case the written font is not too clear you can click on the picture to enlarge and read. Hope you enjoy it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1lHyupdc1Qz9gVzeVMQAcjsnIV-jsId3ofxNuAJElyrnQGkJOZeh9zJXWIk45NguErR0zEHa1IeIYH40MdipgAdh9dUGoijYWdv0eSlWASt5xnTOIh_qeSLRmG3wItxZyFkBsk2aYzOD/s1600/Page_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1lHyupdc1Qz9gVzeVMQAcjsnIV-jsId3ofxNuAJElyrnQGkJOZeh9zJXWIk45NguErR0zEHa1IeIYH40MdipgAdh9dUGoijYWdv0eSlWASt5xnTOIh_qeSLRmG3wItxZyFkBsk2aYzOD/s640/Page_1.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjcHv4yZ04M1A0dl4GbKI6VqNo6raYtwYmW3xLiOnn2vyYgy47VtJf3SHJ7Nb2tjsr_ScumyQ50ixBzYZMPxjArWA2x-YQnPCTcKDBJ86arJZLv8SS01cBHdqxQw4jPjkrvAMkUur3cCCV/s1600/Page_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjcHv4yZ04M1A0dl4GbKI6VqNo6raYtwYmW3xLiOnn2vyYgy47VtJf3SHJ7Nb2tjsr_ScumyQ50ixBzYZMPxjArWA2x-YQnPCTcKDBJ86arJZLv8SS01cBHdqxQw4jPjkrvAMkUur3cCCV/s640/Page_2.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExU1B_04B5H1onQw7G-MKKerynec65GZ6i97x7a7K4QuZ75B7WWhP-AZ58cr-cGwLEtYFYWHTCsw12VSVWdV7n4xwQjdrIEma0s0WsUY7u1IhbT6_1VVsUgnVvrH3zZJzjhlyhgQRZ4oD/s1600/Page_3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExU1B_04B5H1onQw7G-MKKerynec65GZ6i97x7a7K4QuZ75B7WWhP-AZ58cr-cGwLEtYFYWHTCsw12VSVWdV7n4xwQjdrIEma0s0WsUY7u1IhbT6_1VVsUgnVvrH3zZJzjhlyhgQRZ4oD/s640/Page_3.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br />
</div>Varunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911437244977847067noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206447838093538416.post-6783945764195425682011-01-09T04:49:00.000-08:002011-01-11T01:14:20.114-08:00Incredible India - Pleasures of TravellingWhenever I come across pictures of amazing locales or read about them, I add them to my never ending list of places I want to visit. Worst part about this list though is, it is no where documented! It is stored in some corner of my mind. Before I lose track of all these lovely places, I thought I'll list them out here. Listed in no particular order. I want to visit the first place in the list as badly as the last one.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdid5FNsbBZvOP6vpwZia5mHWjXWj3XrcOTaSvmrBNrOBoR0CjFaYkKj_E2HdPyrvd6xILyOLOOPVfwRYvnhuK1iXa8PDIpVmE5EXwvJk9abcxvfHTFRWj7FEPj9v4j-lAyhz-6pgY1UIo/s1600/plane-taking-off.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdid5FNsbBZvOP6vpwZia5mHWjXWj3XrcOTaSvmrBNrOBoR0CjFaYkKj_E2HdPyrvd6xILyOLOOPVfwRYvnhuK1iXa8PDIpVmE5EXwvJk9abcxvfHTFRWj7FEPj9v4j-lAyhz-6pgY1UIo/s320/plane-taking-off.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span data-jsid="text">♥ ♥ </span>I love to Travel <span data-jsid="text">♥ ♥ </span> </td></tr>
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I will stick to places in India for now and in the part 2 of this series, I'll list out the places abroad.Please note that I have not listed the places I have already been to. <br />
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Travelling is something that gives one new insight to life. It also gives us an opportunity to learn new cultures, taste new delicacies and it makes us realize that there is lot more to life that updating Facebook status and it also makes us realize the importance of the place you are currently living in. <br />
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This post will be incomplete if I don't thank my <a href="http://ggiridhara.blogspot.com/">Dad</a>. If I have been to so many places in India (20 states out of 28), it is only because of him and it is only because of him that I love travelling. I can argue that I am a Sagittarius and travelling or wandering comes to me naturally but then as a kid if someone's infused that travelling is good and something that can be enjoyed and not something to be feared of, it has to be him!<br />
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Here goes the list; <br />
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1. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andaman_and_Nicobar_Islands">Andaman and Nicobar Islands</a> / <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakshadweep">Lakshadweep </a>- Two Amazing islands in India. One in Bay of Bengal and the other in Arabian Sea.<br />
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2. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leh">Leh </a>and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladakh">Ladakh</a> / <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jammu_and_Kashmir" title="Jammu and Kashmir">Jammu and Kashmir</a> / <a href="http://maavaishnodevi.org/">Vaishno Devi</a><br />
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3. North East India (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arunachal_Pradesh" title="Arunachal Pradesh">Arunachal Pradesh</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manipur" title="Manipur">Manipur</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meghalaya" title="Meghalaya">Meghalaya</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mizoram" title="Mizoram">Mizoram</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagaland" title="Nagaland">Nagaland</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripura" title="Tripura">Tripura</a> - Sister States)<br />
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4. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jodhpur">Jodhpur </a>/ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaisalmer">Jaisalmer</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajasthan" title="Rajasthan">Rajasthan</a>) - Only desert in India<br />
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5. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daman_and_Diu" title="Daman and Diu">Daman and Diu</a> <br />
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6. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puducherry" title="Puducherry">Puducherry</a><br />
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7. If possible, every small village in Himalayas. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayas">Himalayas</a> is one mountain range I never get tired of seeing. Have loved all my trips there. <br />
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8. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gokarna,_India">Gokarna </a><br />
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9. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanchi">Kanchipuram</a> Temple and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madurai">Madhurai </a>Temple for its architecture.<br />
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10. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nainital">Nainital</a> / <a href="http://www.mumbaimirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article&sectname=Travel%20-%20Domestic&sectid=128&contentid=20100401201004011725356046f1b443a">Kanatal </a>/ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodai">Kodai</a>. In fact all small and big hill stations of India.Have been to most of the famous ones.<br />
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11. Reserve Forests / <a href="http://www.famous-india.com/india-wildlife-sanctuary/">Wildlife Sanctuaries</a> / <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_parks_of_India">National Parks</a> - Would love to go to every one them. There are about 100. Bharatpur, Kaziranga, Gir and Corbett are on top of my list. <br />
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12. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goa">Goa</a> - Yes! One more time.<br />
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13. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajanta_Caves">Ajanta</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellora_Caves">Ellora</a> Caves<br />
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14. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampi">Hampi</a> - Want to go here again with a DSLR Camera<br />
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15. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alappuzha">Alleppy</a> - Kerala - Backwaters and House Boats<br />
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16. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhanushkodi">Dhanushkodi</a> - End of land. Very close to Srilanka<br />
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17. North Karnataka - Bijapur, Badami, Patadakal, Aihole, Kudala Sangama <br />
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Since I am posting the links of each and every place, I am getting lost reading through them and have been typing this post since last 2 hours. I have a strong feeling that I have missed a lot of awesome places and I will surely keep visiting this post time and again and keep updating it. It also increases the numbers of hits on my blog you see :-)<br />
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If you think I have missed anything, please let me know! I'll surely add it to the list. In this busy world, I have no clue when and how I will find time to visit all these places but I am someone who firmly believes that time can be controlled and can be tweaked the way we want it to work.<br />
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I had watched the video below earlier but when I watched it on a television in Nigeria, it suddenly brought a sense of pride in me. Told my Nigerian friend proudly that this is India!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/rNWeBVBqo2c?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
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Watch out for part 2 of the series :) Hope you had a great weekend! Have a wonderful week ahead!<br />
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<b>Update from Nigeria</b>: Nigeria is treating me very well. 4 weeks out of the 12 have flown in no time. In 8 more weeks, I'll be back in India. Have plans to go to a nearby reserve forest and shop for some Nigerian handicrafts. India vs South Africa test series was awesome. Looking forward to one day series now.Varunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911437244977847067noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206447838093538416.post-50207029040917916332010-12-26T15:33:00.000-08:002010-12-26T15:50:15.817-08:00Post card from Lagos<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As promised, here I am with a picture post card (Click on the thumbnails to see the full size image and don't forget to click on hyperlinks in the post) from Lagos. Before you dive into the pictures, here's a lil tidbit about the city! </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"It’s the largest city in Africa, with wall-to-wall people, bumper-to-bumper cars. The city takes its name from the Portuguese for lagoon, and has been a Yoruba port, a British political centre and until 1991, Nigeria’s capital. It remains the economic and cultural powerhouse of the country, and has a superb live music scene and West Africa’s most inimitable street life. It won’t be to everyone’s taste, but if you’re up for an urban adventure then you might find Lagos truly compelling. A true megacity and the face of modern Africa as much as any picture postcard national park – jump right in." - <b>Lonely Planet </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5CamFgnP4-6uCS-gUVH4oN9ryEvtnW8nD6TecGIvcCCwKp9OUipizkPgE2e5T1_ccQD7iiU6Ep7gYD8PQUQEPbYcW0o7sEYjEkVs6kSNUbgZw-NB_5OAmf4vqzT4ElDg0MqxdW6SeRisE/s1600/DSC07615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5CamFgnP4-6uCS-gUVH4oN9ryEvtnW8nD6TecGIvcCCwKp9OUipizkPgE2e5T1_ccQD7iiU6Ep7gYD8PQUQEPbYcW0o7sEYjEkVs6kSNUbgZw-NB_5OAmf4vqzT4ElDg0MqxdW6SeRisE/s320/DSC07615.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Will start off with a sign board and then move on to my apartment and office. People do keep the city clean. Main roads look spic-and-span but sometimes the footpaths and side roads are as smelly as <b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7jlGRq8xZ4" style="color: blue;">Phoebe Buffay's cat</a></b>!</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Drawing Room</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKqQwoQhl05jyNDQ9tyq2fMElK5Mkc1e0Os329yzObI4jBxlHrE0RfG7Q8xj56dM4kh-eSG8ZnPvN6oug29lTAGUK_RCcfcUJC7ouJ9zPFo0yCJz6J1oxePJjz4k2hz1VzPGRTyCSQlpZQ/s1600/DSC07594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKqQwoQhl05jyNDQ9tyq2fMElK5Mkc1e0Os329yzObI4jBxlHrE0RfG7Q8xj56dM4kh-eSG8ZnPvN6oug29lTAGUK_RCcfcUJC7ouJ9zPFo0yCJz6J1oxePJjz4k2hz1VzPGRTyCSQlpZQ/s200/DSC07594.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dining </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKYGPBu_uB39I7wxUr-ppUi4FpvJtbyqD-XwKbF7U69m7CvnJkAaLjstfOtmnPC08ZdybfjV1xF1CK_wvbKFcA2lhx17MUZ94kFCMvPG8ZDnWvzKKNl1j4S06-RLgm-LsqHHN-HVvFQNs/s1600/DSC07596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKYGPBu_uB39I7wxUr-ppUi4FpvJtbyqD-XwKbF7U69m7CvnJkAaLjstfOtmnPC08ZdybfjV1xF1CK_wvbKFcA2lhx17MUZ94kFCMvPG8ZDnWvzKKNl1j4S06-RLgm-LsqHHN-HVvFQNs/s200/DSC07596.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Balcony next to Drawing Room</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifVQY0lpQ-JIEOcSuU0LGkGxrUUELHMD-dsUentC5Nm1EEuOChJvj15miGoq7inyv86pBlOsDCPwICOxAMHkKKAqARZ03-8RNDrR5JU6CaXZ6opeDsMxovwd9AU6opebNLG2PKU30XN_Xq/s1600/DSC07597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifVQY0lpQ-JIEOcSuU0LGkGxrUUELHMD-dsUentC5Nm1EEuOChJvj15miGoq7inyv86pBlOsDCPwICOxAMHkKKAqARZ03-8RNDrR5JU6CaXZ6opeDsMxovwd9AU6opebNLG2PKU30XN_Xq/s200/DSC07597.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kia Rio, My Roomie Kamal and our Driver Hakim</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicUjTwXMMQceRzcA8P6cyfeX2QY7kEarHPvQWcnpJBOIstOciUN3muswuJIdHykpk3e9dhUVI4Fbt_tA-i7cNgjWFCIxPm5GMu5HMirBTgtCxEljlUIKf9o9WL1MLe6dfn5vQ9p3oLFtWR/s1600/DSC07595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicUjTwXMMQceRzcA8P6cyfeX2QY7kEarHPvQWcnpJBOIstOciUN3muswuJIdHykpk3e9dhUVI4Fbt_tA-i7cNgjWFCIxPm5GMu5HMirBTgtCxEljlUIKf9o9WL1MLe6dfn5vQ9p3oLFtWR/s200/DSC07595.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Stairs from Drawing room to Bedrooms</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRBHZbBENQCttlUU77n1Aejpy8qq9UKAHjcZ9OzukaDgnRtYpeYHNpf3F2CQdz5cTb3ni7mzrciOTzreRgR9tSzSV2rB2r6KunUDy5IhlME6hLsPakhiiE_6IKKe05M1wjX0xVTls69sR5/s1600/DSC07624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRBHZbBENQCttlUU77n1Aejpy8qq9UKAHjcZ9OzukaDgnRtYpeYHNpf3F2CQdz5cTb3ni7mzrciOTzreRgR9tSzSV2rB2r6KunUDy5IhlME6hLsPakhiiE_6IKKe05M1wjX0xVTls69sR5/s200/DSC07624.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">My Room :)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYh-VL-QxWfNiVeLN2K4-vxiXOQ7YrqDOvy1X0spObj13kqOjnnCjsE0LB1w2Tr9KWKqRTWMFPatVJFu8ZNDuwMDhqvfp1BlNad2d0bqvBX4WAbHcak1GmhQEfgOTcTWW364CTMEnMCsF/s1600/DSC07620.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYh-VL-QxWfNiVeLN2K4-vxiXOQ7YrqDOvy1X0spObj13kqOjnnCjsE0LB1w2Tr9KWKqRTWMFPatVJFu8ZNDuwMDhqvfp1BlNad2d0bqvBX4WAbHcak1GmhQEfgOTcTWW364CTMEnMCsF/s200/DSC07620.JPG" width="150" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Work Place. Golden Plaza, Lagos</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcnpUEuAyi3JsSUUmfnibaHZV7yBgLPKs8iOBGL54m9M3ytxSWaJTzQ3ZDxT86ksyNikBRQLCOUa4Qz9LfbKQPfDkf7mjTe0fMXRPqRFmPAfOcKQC7KRqLufIespcbHRtoo6MX-wjcSxF/s1600/DSC07599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcnpUEuAyi3JsSUUmfnibaHZV7yBgLPKs8iOBGL54m9M3ytxSWaJTzQ3ZDxT86ksyNikBRQLCOUa4Qz9LfbKQPfDkf7mjTe0fMXRPqRFmPAfOcKQC7KRqLufIespcbHRtoo6MX-wjcSxF/s200/DSC07599.JPG" width="150" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">MTN's Y'ello (Yellow) Christmas Tree</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Enough of apartment and Office! Let me move on to bird's eye view of Lagos! (Pictures have been shot from the 9th floor of Golden Plaza!)</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrTzBva3aiD58tv48XcptXmVYN3NQNI2mPUtNsClgVObk0N9salPRTjVJHQ7fgoVM52ZmDg1u3PqlAfv7jKujAy_L6IZsPyxhP-fLuSaNFPbGPxE20TiCIKODbbutD3YVn9iSt54NJV-A/s1600/DSC07627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrTzBva3aiD58tv48XcptXmVYN3NQNI2mPUtNsClgVObk0N9salPRTjVJHQ7fgoVM52ZmDg1u3PqlAfv7jKujAy_L6IZsPyxhP-fLuSaNFPbGPxE20TiCIKODbbutD3YVn9iSt54NJV-A/s200/DSC07627.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> MTN parking lot</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsOGEcD2Qq4qyxFJTDnhDQg5o3mMd8Q_oF-TQ-V1FY_w6hfIO__0VHZ0CNnYjObiuDuq-yxbG4i3vym7JSDACNtAl4rPe1R03dg97ol44AeYAts1Z4T5WFRaKBkiqNwtiIZAGYIPcyzYg/s1600/DSC07628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsOGEcD2Qq4qyxFJTDnhDQg5o3mMd8Q_oF-TQ-V1FY_w6hfIO__0VHZ0CNnYjObiuDuq-yxbG4i3vym7JSDACNtAl4rPe1R03dg97ol44AeYAts1Z4T5WFRaKBkiqNwtiIZAGYIPcyzYg/s200/DSC07628.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Flyover, A housing colony and an old market</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLGviAwWByBxmW95ZlSGy0byQp45DBaes7-JnPN8wdXEqWuBfNaj4G36fRy-f6V2SgJP_BDgXCxhbwWVgciOMYV-Hhen2UcxkNEBJEjx7z5HGRY9OIML6aXBWsKUQT2P2iPlUgavhzBrN/s1600/DSC07629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLGviAwWByBxmW95ZlSGy0byQp45DBaes7-JnPN8wdXEqWuBfNaj4G36fRy-f6V2SgJP_BDgXCxhbwWVgciOMYV-Hhen2UcxkNEBJEjx7z5HGRY9OIML6aXBWsKUQT2P2iPlUgavhzBrN/s320/DSC07629.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Boat Club. Water seen is the back waters of Atlantic Ocean!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wasn't that just amazing!? I know I am praising my own pictures but is there anything wrong in calling an amazing picture amazing!? :-D</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Okay now let me zoom in a little and show you the traffic,some buildings and anything that caught my eye while driving to work. Haven't really managed to capture the true essence of Lagos and the <b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mtxeHDCyx0" style="color: blue;">bumper to bumper</a><span style="color: cyan;"> </span></b>traffic yet but since it is something that is seen almost every day, I'll capture if for you very soon! </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I had read somewhere that if you drive in Lagos you can drive anywhere in the world. I think everyone would say the same about the city they live in but after seeing how people drive here, I should say, if you have driven in Bangalore, you can drive blind folded in Lagos. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUHgMBmjc3bGdJWL13KdvJI_ftL26faaxjZR3OnBPc4pKu8Oqun8VovlFpGh4qB1ylBFyQTTR9C7oagN-UwGyaF8P2wwqL_GN4eurnouQqdz94gI3pzaWooFyB27GpfLSanzkzdTxaWaJ8/s1600/DSC07605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUHgMBmjc3bGdJWL13KdvJI_ftL26faaxjZR3OnBPc4pKu8Oqun8VovlFpGh4qB1ylBFyQTTR9C7oagN-UwGyaF8P2wwqL_GN4eurnouQqdz94gI3pzaWooFyB27GpfLSanzkzdTxaWaJ8/s200/DSC07605.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Awolowo Road. Oh yes! There are Autos </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAblKUbDjEUkJC41A1qyf-b3p-g1B84EN6yBlv3xaR8wkf6jjoGuT0fOUf2vQUuaNMvphaCCfudT4nP6avU2qRnIDRY89NZMJRSGNTIbHoqGb77IBbKa3r6kYkin_-LOBqvmXzlsz16io6/s1600/DSC07616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAblKUbDjEUkJC41A1qyf-b3p-g1B84EN6yBlv3xaR8wkf6jjoGuT0fOUf2vQUuaNMvphaCCfudT4nP6avU2qRnIDRY89NZMJRSGNTIbHoqGb77IBbKa3r6kYkin_-LOBqvmXzlsz16io6/s200/DSC07616.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lagos Taxi. Haven't traveled in one yet</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixq_VcY5O501qTDGitR_FZizk1UL9JR0i5uoouFp3G7KEZIS9HHHMTuSdo-PdOlpCFtWSBAh5Zs1B4hnp4hlNiXaSl7ThSTmuxiqzi1YEYJhDKJg2KDTB4KXQm8NPk0lb4kL97XIT4iP_m/s1600/DSC07611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixq_VcY5O501qTDGitR_FZizk1UL9JR0i5uoouFp3G7KEZIS9HHHMTuSdo-PdOlpCFtWSBAh5Zs1B4hnp4hlNiXaSl7ThSTmuxiqzi1YEYJhDKJg2KDTB4KXQm8NPk0lb4kL97XIT4iP_m/s200/DSC07611.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">100 cc Motorbikes are everywhere</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSkDSaF70_zz0hqP7Gj0JZRpbJVAHWjJUWxPrZtHnz9OwZyPtgJHO4EFclfgef1X24c1wKP9PZZIPlAzW4BMrp5Kd-jhzku8FBdZgkW_IW9zJxge4dvSZgf6bQ2mkd9RnRM1fEBetkmKkX/s1600/DSC07609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSkDSaF70_zz0hqP7Gj0JZRpbJVAHWjJUWxPrZtHnz9OwZyPtgJHO4EFclfgef1X24c1wKP9PZZIPlAzW4BMrp5Kd-jhzku8FBdZgkW_IW9zJxge4dvSZgf6bQ2mkd9RnRM1fEBetkmKkX/s200/DSC07609.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">City Buses (Called Lag Bus) lined up </span></td></tr>
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhMcS6SgoS99VoptEhX6UhE0x5JhDAf6bHnY2u7rwBaA_YpAmi0G6uHUn0mu45W_Mepf3h62tZ7VnzjL9PeuplzAJeX5POtG3csR8cdEjnaX283hjhcn7xCEhoKSr2omG3hKhDbyqtYZtR/s1600/DSC07610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhMcS6SgoS99VoptEhX6UhE0x5JhDAf6bHnY2u7rwBaA_YpAmi0G6uHUn0mu45W_Mepf3h62tZ7VnzjL9PeuplzAJeX5POtG3csR8cdEjnaX283hjhcn7xCEhoKSr2omG3hKhDbyqtYZtR/s200/DSC07610.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Back waters you saw in one of the pictures above takes us to lots of lovely little lagoons and islands! One such beach cum lagoon is Ibeshe. We had a team outing there and it was awesome to say the least. I will round off my post with some memories from that trip. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPaDZPaVsxGpnb71xTRL2DGGNY9Rh_n5UR-xYr3x42pz2vYhDF1GENjcZvkIt8CZxeZA1Z15OOlLV01oLUjGUaL1hNdSzxqXNbnq0KenU2VeDjYgKtTuigXHeeNCG1GhKqWgYKR5dIy77/s1600/DSC07635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPaDZPaVsxGpnb71xTRL2DGGNY9Rh_n5UR-xYr3x42pz2vYhDF1GENjcZvkIt8CZxeZA1Z15OOlLV01oLUjGUaL1hNdSzxqXNbnq0KenU2VeDjYgKtTuigXHeeNCG1GhKqWgYKR5dIy77/s200/DSC07635.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadb8HbupgWmkRzFXsEr3tIM-3QG8dhSkYnfV2lAfIQuluszPPGOari2kixwB__dISBjgdS268bfAXJ3akQr05o62ZgZdhUyg3JyXYN4bkAS0vyTBGGHslmHGrUnN8rvVVOOQrB8vSBRci/s1600/DSC07638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadb8HbupgWmkRzFXsEr3tIM-3QG8dhSkYnfV2lAfIQuluszPPGOari2kixwB__dISBjgdS268bfAXJ3akQr05o62ZgZdhUyg3JyXYN4bkAS0vyTBGGHslmHGrUnN8rvVVOOQrB8vSBRci/s200/DSC07638.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">With my Manager and someone who's taller than me</span></td></tr>
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinPK6IP5TxaaGRW_Saks3XID_qU1-zautb-6npVAlEnqF0eWTNKQt-wtWZC0GWGILlOtkH2LzsRwO2NIjPuHz5lZo8PoBC6W6fTSymRXRzlRqF7v3MewsGlbtCeqX5nwjpYx9CR-BPGI1_/s1600/DSC07645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinPK6IP5TxaaGRW_Saks3XID_qU1-zautb-6npVAlEnqF0eWTNKQt-wtWZC0GWGILlOtkH2LzsRwO2NIjPuHz5lZo8PoBC6W6fTSymRXRzlRqF7v3MewsGlbtCeqX5nwjpYx9CR-BPGI1_/s200/DSC07645.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuDKNLNrWJUxO0CujzpGK9ERswG_s2lvObVrN6qCNRqomTzTyuatPjp3QXPr-yksbKbHofozebmPpwoF_KETAAYPSe4L_FP2JSsccgKlIziv554ELyf6vpyrur30KoxLagPhokkv1edZqX/s1600/DSC07646_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuDKNLNrWJUxO0CujzpGK9ERswG_s2lvObVrN6qCNRqomTzTyuatPjp3QXPr-yksbKbHofozebmPpwoF_KETAAYPSe4L_FP2JSsccgKlIziv554ELyf6vpyrur30KoxLagPhokkv1edZqX/s200/DSC07646_1.jpg" width="150" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I came here to work. I am not kidding! </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP1JQvl9KuKdYVCPFWZixSndicQdkLzqII3Rg8aSaOOqIhA039VE4-DR8tDx9aFcQc8DiQD3SzQ9yVB7NVPGjviOkW_1h_ADex6rAV3cLvW-A6uGr6Nre5tY3EqTJKAVZCaTbolo3RT-8K/s1600/DSC07651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP1JQvl9KuKdYVCPFWZixSndicQdkLzqII3Rg8aSaOOqIhA039VE4-DR8tDx9aFcQc8DiQD3SzQ9yVB7NVPGjviOkW_1h_ADex6rAV3cLvW-A6uGr6Nre5tY3EqTJKAVZCaTbolo3RT-8K/s200/DSC07651.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ibeshe Resort</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_nxO7mrhY8xI4km_pT0xXecrOmW4vVWhSTtr70HdDFkaZ46Nrzb7AYAWqK8MOV8060GfUEi6u-2g9noAUCBeUykrdTiMiekRdWiexy45AY57VXqU5_X49HWYLKpLdw8Owkq8Fc3wtvmly/s1600/DSC07655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_nxO7mrhY8xI4km_pT0xXecrOmW4vVWhSTtr70HdDFkaZ46Nrzb7AYAWqK8MOV8060GfUEi6u-2g9noAUCBeUykrdTiMiekRdWiexy45AY57VXqU5_X49HWYLKpLdw8Owkq8Fc3wtvmly/s200/DSC07655.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Playing soccer/football</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSc52yiN6Cb6L53rHiZPRbkPvTiYaP_CD-rq6J8sbMqfB62wUxDQiW_q1zyJGpyUFOwwc_QAgH-8YM0_5jSMbaOUCbC1YMCd_G2Z1npBZSoLLYbaCCe4tT_C1rFgSNEeoOLgOSPF2FSN4v/s1600/DSC07649.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSc52yiN6Cb6L53rHiZPRbkPvTiYaP_CD-rq6J8sbMqfB62wUxDQiW_q1zyJGpyUFOwwc_QAgH-8YM0_5jSMbaOUCbC1YMCd_G2Z1npBZSoLLYbaCCe4tT_C1rFgSNEeoOLgOSPF2FSN4v/s320/DSC07649.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgXNSDU5F-oTvIhrqFzKS4BB3B-xDfCw-cTq1gBXiubgDt9ni0apCy-i99MkH5UtBf_YI_ZDHXkMK6iWRD3uGim3GBaGWauvcjlsykTxOMLls5JPpHJrp6X5y9iYBcdK_7WfS1Bs6swrw-/s1600/Ebeshe+Lagoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgXNSDU5F-oTvIhrqFzKS4BB3B-xDfCw-cTq1gBXiubgDt9ni0apCy-i99MkH5UtBf_YI_ZDHXkMK6iWRD3uGim3GBaGWauvcjlsykTxOMLls5JPpHJrp6X5y9iYBcdK_7WfS1Bs6swrw-/s320/Ebeshe+Lagoon.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Love the last two pictures!</span></td></tr>
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA-651kzWr1dtmBxNpjhr-vRRngxfsJzWa5N9yvBK4HER5ZlL5xYodsJbXvSswdJOLxpSfAgw3WlppQePfas8YFs1E-y5VhZKEjGq6Sv-4dSrei3qrISJE1sRB3gUpuS_AMflzgdswpBup/s1600/Lagos_iPod+008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hope you had a great Christmas weekend and hope you enjoyed the picture post card from Lagos! Stay tuned for more! :-) </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">PS:- For the entire album, please click <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/iamvarung/LifeInLagos?authkey=Gv1sRgCKupv5zi64DT6gE#">here</a></span></div>Varunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911437244977847067noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206447838093538416.post-21155076193926342592010-12-19T04:05:00.000-08:002010-12-20T03:40:47.736-08:00Y’ello from Nigeria!It has been a long time since I updated my blog about anything and it might come as a surprise to you that I am updating it from Nigeria. I came here last Sunday and will be here for another 11 weeks. The journey so far has been pleasing and I am hoping it will continue to be the same for next few weeks and months.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmHCskBxk6A2J9IJdgRujK9tnvCe9UMNBmXQMNOckPZ5lTDbEOu1pwZMpIZkszriwddj3koFtHwgKmdkkEHy5ccTMe4n8ktpZOjzeIOO3PVFMqH-KXS-h9A85H5_2VJGeA8XnYlR-qwiwx/s1600/DSC00225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmHCskBxk6A2J9IJdgRujK9tnvCe9UMNBmXQMNOckPZ5lTDbEOu1pwZMpIZkszriwddj3koFtHwgKmdkkEHy5ccTMe4n8ktpZOjzeIOO3PVFMqH-KXS-h9A85H5_2VJGeA8XnYlR-qwiwx/s320/DSC00225.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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Thanks to my organization, I’m living in Lagos (Pronounced as Lay-gos by people out here) and in one of the posh localities of the city. <br />
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What strikes me the most in this city/country is the stark contrast between rich and poor! Person here will either own a Toyota Land Cruiser or an Audi or a BMW or will own nothing. Middle class seems to be non-existent. <br />
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I will write more about the city as and when I visit it. The only places I have visited so far are my office, a grocery store and a night club facing back waters of the Atlantic Ocean. There is no real threat to life but then we have been advised not to venture out alone.It will be some time before I start visiting places out here. <br />
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To give you an example of the life I am leading here, I share an air conditioned 2750 sq ft apartment with my team mate. It has 3 huge rooms, an awesome drawing room and a decent dining hall. And kitchen is any cook’s dream kitchen. Spacious and with all amenities! Wait! I am not done yet! We also have a chauffeur driven black Kia Rio car and a maid/cook :-). Royal treatment Eh!!?<br />
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I don’t remember when, but I was once asked by a British guy as to why we all Indians look alike!? I had no answers back then and since he was a friend, I had told him he must have gone mad! But now I know why he asked me that question. From the day I have landed here, every person looks the same to me. I was actually worried if I will be able to distinguish between the pop singer on TV and my driver. Even though I managed it by second day I call every singer on TV as Hakim now. That is btw my driver’s name. <br />
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Every person out here is friendly and tries to help. If you are out walking about a mile, you’ll end up wishing/greeting at least 10 unknown people along the way. They know that we are scared to even walk alone and try to make our lives as comfortable as possible. Had people not scared me so much, I would have preferred to walk to office every single day. Wondering what changed the lazy guys’ preference? It is traffic jam that has changed it all!! Jams here are the worst jams I have ever seen. Beats Bangalore traffic jams hollow. It took us 1 hour to drive a mile few days back. Weather is quite hot and humid but then that doesn’t really stop us from walking and being Indians, we are used to such heat and humidity. <br />
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Coming to food, we get all sorts of veggies and meat. You name it, we get it. It is probably a south Indians’ dream city as we get coconuts :-). Nice fresh ones for cooking! If a Malyali ever decides to migrate from Dubai, this is the city he/she should come to! <br />
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The only thing that I am not really happy about is the Internet speed. Feels as though I have gone back 10 years in time. To simply give you an idea about the speeds here, I tried to download a movie last night. The estimated time remaining was 11 weeks and 8 hours. I canceled the download because I might as well reach Bangalore by then and download it in 1 hour. I am not really complaining about the place though. I know every place comes with its set of pros and cons and I am happy as long as I am able to connect to the world!<br />
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Pictures and more details in my next post and now that I have time, I’ll post regularly! <br />
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Cya later Alligator ( Picked it up from my nephew Archith :-D)<br />
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PS: Flight to Nigeria was great. Emirates gets thumbs up from me! and here's the meaning of Y'ello for you!<br />
Y’ello - A super hybrid form of both yo and hello, making a super greeting. Used extensively in Nigeria!Varunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911437244977847067noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206447838093538416.post-57851189301991744322010-10-05T03:28:00.000-07:002010-10-05T04:03:01.042-07:00Cricket Mania<div>I feel depressed whenever I watch the Indian cricket team lose. The depression increases many folds when they lose from a winning position. I know it is something not in my control. I know it is a sport and the team cannot win all the time. I know Sachin is not God. I know Dhoni is an over-rated star. I know Dravid and Laxman cannot win us test matches all the time. So what is it that causes the depression. </div><div><br /></div><div>I think it is simply the love for the game and the country. Honestly speaking, inspite of all the match fixing, spot fixing scandals/allegations, inspite of overdose of cricket, I still love the game a lot. I might no longer follow every ball, I might no longer look at the score card every five seconds but I still follow the game whenever and wherever possible. </div><div><br /></div><div>I hate it when people speak badly about team India. I hate it when smart-asses say idiotic things about the game. I hate it when self proclaimed experts of the game comment unnecessary things. I sometimes speak idiotic things too but deep down inside I am always hoping that the team wins. I simply cannot take Indian cricket team's failure.</div><div><br /></div><div>Like every kid in India, I grew up watching cricket and hoping that I would play for India some day. I always dreamt about holding a bat and hitting the winning runs for the country. I could spin the ball like Kumble and bat like Sachin. Don't get surprised! Every one in India can do that. It is only a few lucky ones who play for the country though.</div><div><br /></div><div>===========</div><div>Lunch Break</div><div>===========</div><div><br /></div><div>Had started to write this post when Indians were 8 wickets down. Had gone out for lunch dejected and disappointed. <i><b>Mann hi mann mein</b></i> I was hoping for a miracle. Wanted to end this post in a jubiliant mood no matter what.</div><div><br /></div><div>Miracle it was! Vangipurappu Venkata Sai Laxman has taken India home yet again! I have to take one of my words back. Laxman can win us tests against Australia any given day. Australians don't seem to have the key to the treasure chest where Laxman safe guards his wicket. </div><div><br /></div><div>What an amazing match and what an amazing player. I have been busy reading the articles written my Australian media ever since the win and it is truly a special feeling to read such awesome words.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here are some snippets for you;</div><div><br /></div><div>"Edges flew wide and short balls were bunted high and safe early in the partnership but eventually <b><i>Laxman’s undeniable class</i></b> kicked in"</div><div><br /></div><div>"<b><i>VVS Laxman steers India</i></b> to very special Test match win"</div><div><br /></div><div>"<b><i>VVS Laxman has returned to thwart Australia</i></b> yet again"</div><div><br /></div><div>I don't want to discuss anything about the match since it will be the topic of the discussion in all news papers and all conference rooms for the next two days.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am happy, I am jubilant, I am ecstatic and I am smiling. The frown I had when I started writing this post has vanished. I am as happy as the two people in the picture below;</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01732/laxman_1732222c.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 460px; height: 288px;" border="0" alt="" /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>And BTW, it will be interesting to see who takes the front page of the news paper tomorrow. Abhinav Bindra with his CWG gold medal or VVS. Your guess is as good as mine ;)</div>Varunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911437244977847067noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206447838093538416.post-35630349433949403192010-09-13T04:26:00.000-07:002010-09-13T04:38:38.563-07:00The (big) Bang!!I have this habit of reading Google talk messages of all my friends at least one time every day and I am pretty sure that this habit of mine is not unique.<br /><br />People generally update their status with inspirational quotes, new phone numbers, blog updates, song they are listening to, current location, personalized messages, hilarious jokes, movie reviews etc but I had a surprise in store when I read the status messages of my friends today.<br /><br />Here's what I saw!!<br /><br />- Dabang!!<br /><br />- Item ye aam hui... darling tere liye<br /><br />- Hum tum me itne ched karenge ki confuse ho jaoge... Ki sans kaha se le aur ..... !!<br /><br />- Munni badnaam hui...darling tere liye...:-P<br /><br />- Da Bang.....<br /><br />- Lafander se humein yaad aaya ....<br /><br />What does it tell you!? It tells me that all these friends of mine have watched the movie 'Dabangg' over the weekend and loved it. No one would spoil their personal space otherwise. So what is it you think has made this movie bigger than 3-idiots (Dabangg got a better opening than 3-idiots).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Following is my take on it;</span><br /><br />In an era whe<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDhZcvFZw4rRjbCOg89eVA8PtbqFC8KpsnppP5ySdeNvasPkj17f5W30jU2ckfp9AjtA6QmlRhsOsNG5v7-fc806i0bqKpQ77ePmgZkJxRIFqbiSV7jt9nnf01sUnOhqtJDNded4602RGp/s1600/Dabangg-Movie-Review-Round-Up.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 120px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDhZcvFZw4rRjbCOg89eVA8PtbqFC8KpsnppP5ySdeNvasPkj17f5W30jU2ckfp9AjtA6QmlRhsOsNG5v7-fc806i0bqKpQ77ePmgZkJxRIFqbiSV7jt9nnf01sUnOhqtJDNded4602RGp/s320/Dabangg-Movie-Review-Round-Up.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516358971414895858" border="0" /></a>re filmmakers have become thinkers and trying to out-think the audience by making films that no one really understands (Couldn't really understand the love story in Kites for example), this movie comes as a welcome surprise. You don't need brains to watch / understand this film. It is an out and out Bollywood entertainer. It is something Bollywood is known for.<br /><br />Right from Deewar where the angry young hero manhandles around 20 people inside a garage to Dabangg where the hero single handedly kicks the hell out of a gang of dacoits, hindi cinema heroes are known to be super heroes by birth. Someone who can dodge a bullet or bomb and kill the bad guy with one quick blow.<br /><br />We should thank Dabangg and Salman Khan for bringing this brand of hero back into Bollywood. Aamir tried it with Ghajini but it was any day a remake of tamil movie. This one is ek-dum original :)<br /><br />Frankly speaking, I was tired of watching these crying, mentally retarded, metro sexual, realistic heroes on screen. I see those kinds of guys all the time on page 3 anyway.<br /><br />Coming to the storyline of the movie, why do you want a story anyway when you so many other<br />things to cheer and whistle about (Oh yeah! I whistled to my hearts content watching the first day first show in Bangalore) . For instance, you have these amazing dialogues, brilliant songs, action sequences that even Rajnikant fans would be proud of, pretty actress and last but not least, Munni :)<br /><br />Salman Khan has managed to strike a chord with everyone who has watched this movie so far and I am sure he'll continue to do so for the next few weeks/months to come. This movie is going to be one of the biggest hits of his career and one that will feed Salman's brothers and their kids for generations to come.<br /><br />All said and done, if you ask me if I am waiting for Dabangg-2, my answer would be, "<span style="font-weight: bold;">Kamaal karte ho yaar</span>, ye bhi koyi pooch ne wali baat hai!!?" :)Varunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911437244977847067noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206447838093538416.post-17065849408035762212010-01-28T05:10:00.000-08:002010-07-14T13:24:03.239-07:00Schumi is back!<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Before my comment section is taken over by spammers an</p><p>d before that poor thing surrenders into submission, I have decided to stage a comeback and kick them out!</p><p>You read it right! I am back! Tonnes and tonnes o</p><p>f work in office took me away from blogging and I somehow never made an attempt to come back after that.</p><p>My comeback news may not be as exciting as Michael Schumacher's comeback to Formula-1 but I am sure it will be more exciting than India's test series in Bangladesh :)</p><p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIyLnh4PQMNNehX6Lydo5ZTaWZCmXlFs1baqaR8XFVYrk5gb0sVfy3kyURnuFAJDf7YcZGyG4BzubiOZ07N1ZXeKhXGcgoFGrFfJC3QwogNmxrRpwhWRoL76k9S-ed9SnClUpdVU25c2f/s200/front-619.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 131px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493860229247591634" /></p><p>My parents and few friends who've seen me drive an Alto at 140 kmph, a Santro at 150 kmph, a Swift at 160 kmph and a Vauxhall Zafira at 190 kmph fondly call me Schumi and that explains the title of the post. I've been called a BMTC/KSTRC bus driver as well but I'll stick to the best name of the lot.</p><p>I get maximum number of comments when I let my thoughts flow arbitrarily and that is what I have decided to do for my comeback post. Here it goes;</p><p><strong>Sports:</strong></p><p><strong>Cricket:</strong> It was good to see that none of the IPL teams hired services of Pakistani players. I simply loved reading the comments of Pakistani players after the auction was over. India Vs Bangladesh was a waste of time, money and players. It cost us Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh. Hope the replacements find their feet soon.</p><p><strong>Tennis:</strong> Haven't followed Australian open very keenly this time around but I'll be rooting for anyone who'll be playing against Serena in the finals. Good to see Andy Murray in the finals. He'll be a tough nut to crack.</p><p><strong>Formula 1:</strong> Can't wait till March. It will be one awesome, adrenaline pumping and exciting season.</p><p><strong>Play-station 3</strong>: I am not sure if this qualifies as a sport but I love playing it whenever I find some free time. This is by the way the latest addition to my gadget showcase and another culprit that's kept me out of blogging :). I am currently playing Uncharted 2: Among thieves, FIFA 10 and Gran Tourismo 5 prologue.</p><p><strong>Current Affairs:</strong> Shashi Taroor's tweets are more popular than any statement made in any parliament these days. But Abdul Kasab with his tandoori chicken demands and cheap comments and without any twitter account beats even Shashi Taroor to the headlines of all news papers. Not sure why they've not hanged him yet. If both of them fail to make it to the headlines, then it is definitely an Indian thrashed in Australia who gets the footage. Padma awards were a total mess this year with Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Sant Singh Chatwal making it to that list.</p><p><strong>Movies: </strong>Haven't watched any new movie lately (My definition of lately is one week) but have plans to watch Ishqiya, Rann and Road to Sangam this weekend. Can't wait for My name is Khan.</p><p><strong>Television:</strong> I am hooked on to 'Ye Pyar Na Hoga Kam' on Colors, musical reality show Music ka Maha Mukabla on Star Plus and Dance India Dance on Zee. I do watch Balika Vadhu too but don't mind missing it once in a while.</p><p><strong>Travelogue:</strong> Had been to a lot of places nearby and far in last two months. Every place beautiful than the other. Goa, Mumbai, Mudigere, Chikmagaluru, Devaladakere, Horanadu, Shringeri, Kalasa, Shivmogga, Jog Falls, Linganamakki Dam to name a few. Now that I have started writing again, I'll probably write a post on my trips in detail very soon.</p><p>I’ll end the post with a section that I had promised I'll write with every new post.</p><p><strong>Did you know? </strong>: A Haitian girl was found alive 15 days after quake. Miracle? What do you think?</p><p><strong>PS</strong>: Apologies for not writing regularly.</p>Varunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911437244977847067noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206447838093538416.post-13130565182553343172009-09-10T23:26:00.000-07:002009-09-11T05:28:28.534-07:00Time to celebrate<div align="left">It is my Dad's birthday on 11th October and since he will not be in India on that day, I have come up with a unique way to clebrate it here in Bengaluru. I have decideded to take part in two events. I have registered for one and yet to purchase tickets for another. Both the events are equally awesome and I am sure any person any where in this world would love to attend them. </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><strong>Enjoy the teasers :)</strong></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380097313585609794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 218px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjycSleoQ5v04NSrfyRRd4LAtuaTCOPNxkXqbykClyZDD09Dq3DaVpj36Xn0UJ5it9cFtC_nTRusd-Z_qxOTfTWFFxGS1Hp-NC59Nc7sTTaUNqWK-4WQYIlxwh5-qAIaz_m3q8LGrlAm4Qi/s320/Sonu.JPG" border="0" /><strong>To book tickets log on to </strong><a href="http://www.livetree.in/events.html"><strong>http://www.livetree.in/events.html</strong></a></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="left">Yeah! Sonu Nigam Live. That's what the Poster says! I just cannot wait another month to attend this concert. I'll be booking the tickets by next week. Tickets are priced at 550,1100 and 2200. A touch too high but then I am sure it will be worth every paisa. </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><p align="center"><strong><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380098843593792194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 197px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZRonRK_Lq__TGoe7Kub4y3IrXnylteqqvZ25HglrQpFLIQ_llC1PkrtYHqMnWmoOYn4FZOIUsraCSNxAmKEORrwq7zh0Alc673OZ9gYIc1B_fP_ZUkU3mpquW6V02_5OhemlHIfXpyKeY/s320/Cyclathon.JPG" border="0" />For registration and more information, Log on to </strong><a href="http://bsaherculescyclothon.in.com/"><strong>http://bsaherculescyclothon.in.com/</strong></a> </p><p align="center"></p><div align="left">After the success of Bengaluru Marathon, it is time of cycle enthisiasts to do something similar. Yes, It it Cyclathon time! It is sponsored by BSA Hercules and is a Network 18 venture. I have already registered for this event and am looking forward to being a part of the first Bengaluru Cyclathon. Join me and get healthy. I'll be taking part in the 'Green Ride'. </div><div align="left">Did you know about any of these events? Are you planning to attend them? Let me know if you do...</div><div align="left">Apart from dad's birthday and these events there is one very important reason for me to celebrate! It is finally confirmed that we will be getting our salary hikes this year. We might get it next week! Yey, Yippe!! Yey!!. Can't stop grinning :D</div><div align="left">From now on, I am planning to end all my posts with a Did you know section!. It might or might not be related to the post but will definintely be something new. Let me know if I should continue it or not! I promise it will not be techie stuff all the time. There are lot more interesting things happening in this world.</div><div align="left"><strong></strong></div><div align="left"><strong>Did you know:</strong> Yahoo have launched thier own version of twitter (The world famous micro blogging site). It is called <a href="http://meme.yahoo.com/"><strong>meme</strong></a>. You can create your accounts there in two ways. Either through invitation from your friends or through a waiting list which is quite long. I have created mine! When are you creating yours!? </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">My meme's titled Goodness Gracious Me(me) - <a href="http://meme.yahoo.com/varungiridhara">http://meme.yahoo.com/varungiridhara</a> </div>Varunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911437244977847067noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206447838093538416.post-540886833738211422009-09-05T14:08:00.000-07:002009-09-05T22:40:38.169-07:00New Darling of Tennis<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCSleuXLlQaoz3b667dSXnDV9qkrXuE815rVgkP3VUV96BRhtUuPWC9nwGyorxwuQRpCG_3GnPuDGYhD6BViH-gTF4UWeF95z967UcezUGMrZMDIwUCagqfuGqDgI4ByrXrKyZ8TqDqbb8/s1600-h/melanie-oudin-us-open.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCSleuXLlQaoz3b667dSXnDV9qkrXuE815rVgkP3VUV96BRhtUuPWC9nwGyorxwuQRpCG_3GnPuDGYhD6BViH-gTF4UWeF95z967UcezUGMrZMDIwUCagqfuGqDgI4ByrXrKyZ8TqDqbb8/s320/melanie-oudin-us-open.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378102746932781986" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Source: Google Images</span><br /></div><br />She is just seventeen but can beat the best on her day! She is ranked seventy in the world and third in America after Williams sisters.<br /><br />She has just shocked Elena Dementieva (The Olympic Gold Medalist) and Maria Sharapova (US Open Champion - 06, Wimbledon Champion - 04) in the current US open and is now going to take on Nadia Petrova in the round of 16. Guess she has taken a liking to the ova's and eva's of Tennis.<br /><br />Even though I was rooting for Maria Sharapova and was very disappointed that she didn't win, the three hour match made me stand up, applaud and congratulate the teen. It was an error-prone match for Sharapova. She committed around 65 unforced errors out of which 21 were double faults. She is seriously struggling with her serve. I hope she works on it and comes back strong in her next tournament.<br /><br />We cannot take anything away from the teenager though. She has been playing her best tennis and achieving the results. Her agility in the court and strong forehand makes up for the power tennis that other players play. She is a fighter and a true American at heart.<br /><br />Here's wishing her all the best for her next match. Hope she wins it! Irrespective of whether she wins her next match or not, the new darling of tennis has won herself a new fan!<br /><br />She is none other than <a href="http://www.usopen.org/en_US/players/overview/wta313963.html">Melanie Oudin</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Addendum: </span>There were two other noteworthy upsets yesterday. Both of them after I fell asleep :)<br />- Another teenager <a href="http://www.usopen.org/en_US/players/overview/wta314206.html">Petra Kvitova</a> (19 years) has defeated the World No. 1 Dinara Safina. These upsets have made life easier for the Williams sisters and I hate to see them both in the finals. I hope there are two more upsets in the women's draw :)<br />- Andy Roddick has been shown the door in a five set thriller by an unseeded American <a href="http://www.usopen.org/en_US/players/overview/atpi186.html">John Isner</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">.<br /><br /></span>Varunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911437244977847067noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206447838093538416.post-56803659491537336402009-09-02T02:25:00.000-07:002009-09-02T02:46:41.104-07:00Don't forget to read the 16th PointI did this tag only because it is a <em>no holds barred</em> tag. Had fun doing it! Thanks <a href="http://spikeville.wordpress.com/">Spike </a>for tagging me.<br /><br /><strong>1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn on page 18 and find line 4</strong>.<br />"He stared at it". Book closest to me - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.<br /><strong>2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can & catch air?</strong><br />Naa... I caught a water bottle<br /><strong>3. What is the last thing you watched on TV? </strong><br />Dejavu in Hindi. Wo haath se nikal raha hai. Usse pakdo! LOL :)<br /><strong>4. Without looking, guess what time it is?</strong><br />12:30 pm<br /><strong>5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time? </strong><br />12:36 pm<br /><strong>6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?</strong><br />Sounds of tring tring and few colleagues discussing work!<br /><strong>7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing? </strong>–<br />I stepped outside to come to office.<br /><strong>8. Before you started this Q&As, what did you look at?</strong><br />Gtalk chat window and my Google reader window.<br /><strong>9. What are you wearing?</strong><br />Beige trousers (I know! It is very confusing but I know what colour beige is) / Striped maroon shirt.<br /><strong>10. When did you last laugh?</strong><br />Last night. When my little nephew uttered something in his own language.<br /><strong>11. What is on the walls of the room you are in?</strong><br />Paint and lots of posters.<br /><strong>12. Seen anything weird lately? </strong><br />Promos of London Dreams. Two old guys dreaming of becoming rock stars! Wow! Can there be anything weird than this!? :)<br /><strong>13. What do you think of this quiz?</strong><br />Brilliant! Complete time pass!<br /><strong>14. What is the last film you saw?</strong><br />Woody Allen's critically acclaimed Annie Hall (1977).<br /><strong>15. If you became a multimillionaire overnight, what would you buy?</strong>-<br />I'll invest it and become a multi billionaire first and will then think about spending it. A villa overlooking the beach, A Formula 1 team, A SUV are probably the first things I'll buy.<br /><strong>16.</strong><br /><br /><blockquote>This is cheating! You cannot scroll directly to 16th point. Go back to 1 and<br />don't skip 16 :) </blockquote><br /><strong>Tell me something about you that I dunno!</strong><br />My blog crossed<strong><em> ten thousand</em></strong> hits last week. Yey!! Yippee!! Thanks readers. You are all awesome! Keep visiting Varun's Digital Diary :)<br /><strong>17. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?</strong><br />I'll probably<strong> </strong>erase the poverty line. Rest would fall in its place automatically.<br /><strong>18. Do you like to Dance?</strong><br />Yeah... Dhan Te Nan :)<br /><strong>19/20. Imagine your first child is a girl /boy, what do you call her/him?</strong><br />My imagination is not very good. I would have been an artist otherwise. I will think about the name when it is the right time for it. Will probably pick any one that google is not able to search :)<br /><strong>21. Would you ever consider living abroad?</strong><br />Yes. But, Ye Mera India. I love my India. I'll come back for sure.<br /><strong>22. What do you want GOD to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?</strong><br />Hey Buddy! I just closed the Pearly gates. It is full. Go home and come back whenever you desire. Get out now. Shoo :)<br /><br />I am not tagging anyone in particular. Anybody who liked the tag is free to pick it up.Varunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911437244977847067noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206447838093538416.post-55119993697697656042009-08-11T06:17:00.001-07:002009-08-11T07:21:05.305-07:00PotpourriIt has been more than a month since I posted something on this blog. I am extremely sorry. I have been reading all your posts without fail (Google Reader) but have not been able to comment on any of it. First, it was office firewall that blocked me, then it was my personal laptop. I had to cough up sixteen thousand to get it repaired. Mourned a week and now that I am out of it, I am back to writing my blog. If you have a HP laptop, please make sure you get your warranty extended. HP motherboard sucks!<br /><br /><b>Travelogue</b><br />I had been to few picturesque locales near Mysore last month. That explains why I was not able to post during weekends :)<br /><br /><b> 1.</b> <b>Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta</b> - This peak is the highest peak in Bandipur Forest range. It is covered with dense fog round the year and thus gets the prefix Himavad (<i>fog/mist</i>) to it. Temple of Lord Krishna on top of the hill gives it the name 'Gopalaswamy Betta'. It is around 225 kilometers from Bangalore and 75 kilometers from Mysore. It is on the Mysore - Ooty road. If you are going to Ooty, don't forget to visit this place.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD1gL2oJiALmHyYPNYrii5QMhd0d5z85pWQkQNCDwN-dI8UK35j-_lhnMpn1RVQxMaQYpiKFMEClOrmqZ4b4n8UClYBXu0_0zyy7UqzoF9REWYE_M9epYXJ3JDZfaZOelUibJHglRT8vdf/s1600-h/DSC02303.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD1gL2oJiALmHyYPNYrii5QMhd0d5z85pWQkQNCDwN-dI8UK35j-_lhnMpn1RVQxMaQYpiKFMEClOrmqZ4b4n8UClYBXu0_0zyy7UqzoF9REWYE_M9epYXJ3JDZfaZOelUibJHglRT8vdf/s320/DSC02303.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368704355406187378" border="0" /></a><br /><b> 2.</b> <b>Backwaters of </b><b>Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS)</b><b> Dam </b>- There is this small enchanting island created by the backwaters of KRS known locally as 'Blue Lagoon' or 'Thittu'. It offers a perfect picnic spot and a spot to unwind your senses. It is about 4 to 5 kilometers from the dam. Any person loitering around the dam would be able to direct you towards it. Make sure you use the name 'Thittu' when you ask for directions.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1VElOnf-kPYQhxfW5EUVam5hiQD6EHAzkCX3PeYco8liNt6D1012D1VBLkgAY8l6aWDImUB3qqtxTtMRCCl1B9-ErrIES4v0Yw6d-mTT6VWyNxrKoxuLFM8sXfpx1oVKLaP3FSHM_JvCg/s1600-h/DSC02191.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1VElOnf-kPYQhxfW5EUVam5hiQD6EHAzkCX3PeYco8liNt6D1012D1VBLkgAY8l6aWDImUB3qqtxTtMRCCl1B9-ErrIES4v0Yw6d-mTT6VWyNxrKoxuLFM8sXfpx1oVKLaP3FSHM_JvCg/s320/DSC02191.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368704956629265874" border="0" /></a><br /><b> 3. Gagana Chukki and Bhara Chukki Wat</b><b>er Falls (Shivana Samudra) - </b>It is the Mandyan Niagara :). Around 122 kilometers from Bangalore, this is definitely a place worth visiting during rainy season.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUdwKr6agolESupzYhaUApTZtdImfYmzcY51H4ZHIQ9Ii6Fnpwbw8H1FA8k7kqGEncQ1_LRzbyUAOQyRCqnG8OuiCYuf_96QA77JJHAHaLOAFS_ZG9BXFap8L3X2rDg1Uh3roKBOSb5yvH/s1600-h/DSC05712.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUdwKr6agolESupzYhaUApTZtdImfYmzcY51H4ZHIQ9Ii6Fnpwbw8H1FA8k7kqGEncQ1_LRzbyUAOQyRCqnG8OuiCYuf_96QA77JJHAHaLOAFS_ZG9BXFap8L3X2rDg1Uh3roKBOSb5yvH/s320/DSC05712.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368706215384171538" border="0" /></a><br /><br />If you require more details about the scenic locales, drop me an email. I'll be more than happy to provide them.<br /><br /><b>Movies</b><br /><br />I watched a lot of movies last month. Watched few classics and almost all new releases. Just got an email from my friend that the tickets have been booked for Kaminey. I am watching the preview show on Thursday :). Can't wait for Thursday now.<br /><br /><b>Television</b><br /><br />Now that Teen Diva and Rakhi's Swayamvar is over, I am hooked on to other reality shows. Sach ka Saamna, Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao, Dadagiri, Stunt Mania, Connected, etc etc. They are any day better than K-Soaps.<br /><br /><b>Award<br /><br /></b>My friends have been kind enough to award me even when I am not posting anything. I have been awarded by four people. Thanks a million guys!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9VQxE3JX9o9EIElOm1T4vhlS0OmEZ3h4eXl3lTwPICUOnum3HdQQtTgg12em1yD_E4kKibp5HaW9HQlu8ZGBxtiDsDj0I-3AiF3feED47wg8mMVodkfQaFytHyiBumGLShUtH7ZjjFJA/s1600-h/award.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 147px; height: 159px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9VQxE3JX9o9EIElOm1T4vhlS0OmEZ3h4eXl3lTwPICUOnum3HdQQtTgg12em1yD_E4kKibp5HaW9HQlu8ZGBxtiDsDj0I-3AiF3feED47wg8mMVodkfQaFytHyiBumGLShUtH7ZjjFJA/s320/award.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368710633220948674" border="0" /></a><br />The rules for this tag are as follows:<br /><br />1. Link the person who tagged you.<br />2. Display award on your blog with these rules<br />3. Reply to the questions below<br />4. Tag 7 people deserving the award according to you<br />5. Come back to BLoGGiSTa iNFo CoRNeR (PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE THIS LINK) at http://bloggistame.blogspot.com/ and leave the URL of your Post in order for you/your Blog to be added to the Master List<br /><br />1.The Person who tagged you : Chiranjib (http://chiranjibmazumdar.blogspot.com), Valerine (http://verbalfiend.wordpress.com/), penandpaper (http://penpaper.blogspot.com/) and Shayari (http://bukkichowta.blogspot.com)<br />2. The Date when you were tagged: 11/07/2009, 16/07/2009, 28/07/2009 and 30/07/2009,<br />3. Seven people I tag are :<br /><br />Arnab - http://arnabchakraverty.blogspot.com/<br />Chandan - http://errandsnsojourns.blogspot.com/<br />thethoughtfultrain - http://thethoughtfultrain.wordpress.com/<br />Richa - http://wwwrichaagarwal.blogspot.com/<br />Shivya - http://theshootingstar.wordpress.com/<br />Vivek - http://vivek1186.blogspot.com/<br />Archana - http://apensievetoofull.blogspot.com/<br /><br /><b>Tag<br /></b><br />Tagged by four, Here I go,<br /><br />A – Available/Single? Both :)<br />B – Best friend? Have many!<br />C – Cake or Pie? Cake<br />D – Drink of choice? Water. Any day!<br />E – Essential item you use every day? Cellphone<br />F – Favorite colour? No idea. I like all of them.<br />G – Gummy Bears Or Worms? Yuk! None<br />H – Hometown? Mandya/Bangalore<br />I – Indulgence? Chocolates<br />J – January or February? February :) Work for 28 days and get full salary.<br />K – Kids & their names? None.<br />L – Life is incomplete without? Stupid question<br />M – Marriage date? Check my answer to the first question.<br />N – Number of siblings? 1 Sister<br />O – Oranges or Apples? Oranges<br />P – Phobias/Fears? Claustrophobia<br />Q – Quote for today? http://www.quotationspage.com/qotd.html<br />R – Reason to smile? Have lots of them<br />S – Season? Spring<br />T – Tag 3 People? I already have!<br />U – Unknown fact about me? I don't like doing tags<br />V – Vegetable you don't like? Muli, Spinach<br />W – Worst habit? I don't have any ;)<br />X – X-rays you've had? One during my childhood and one after I joined my company.<br />Y – Your favorite food? Home cooked food<br />Z – Zodiac sign? Sagittarius<br /><br /><b>Sports</b><br /><b><br /> 1. Formula-1</b><br />I was beaming two weeks back when I read that Schumi is making a comeback. But it is disheartening to know that he has called his comeback off. He called it off last evening. Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer will now be replacing Massa instead of Michael Schumacher.<br /><br /><b> 2. Cricket</b><br />Cricketers are scared that their clubbing days in fact nights with film stars will be over if they sign WADA.<br /><br /><b> 3</b><b>. Badminton</b><br />Hope India wins the world championship title this year. If not, we will definitely see Saina in next Farah Khan movie.<br /><b><br /> 4. Hockey</b><br />Is anybody still playing it? :)<br /><br /><br /><b>News</b><br /><br /><b> 1. Swine Flu</b> - *Achcho* Don't you worry! That was only due to the dust that had accumulated on my blog. I have cleaned it up. Talking about swine flu, I received a hilarious mail this morning. A warning email.<br /><br />This is what that email read!<br /><br />If you wake up looking like this, please don't come to office :)<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbReTWzfTngsQ8GL-321lELfquGibJxOFnGD7AGKiRqczFHo4Lp90kAbMr4gzgGKqEWvobIPJdhy2lcmSh80sKnM9u_tBKoc7bGHzQkz7JdjXm4bsjSDPvnsX1YMh0_TugvXMJTEmuNDZB/s1600-h/swine_flu.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbReTWzfTngsQ8GL-321lELfquGibJxOFnGD7AGKiRqczFHo4Lp90kAbMr4gzgGKqEWvobIPJdhy2lcmSh80sKnM9u_tBKoc7bGHzQkz7JdjXm4bsjSDPvnsX1YMh0_TugvXMJTEmuNDZB/s320/swine_flu.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368709868839195954" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><b> 2. What!? - </b>Swine Flu is the only thing that I get to read in news papers these days!<br /><br />Potpourri looks extremely full. Will stop before it explodes and I promise to blog regularly from now on.Varunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911437244977847067noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206447838093538416.post-64651086179179927502009-07-07T03:24:00.000-07:002009-07-07T03:46:00.971-07:00Few things don't need surveys1. The number of two wheelers on footpaths of Bangalore during peak hours is equal to the number of two wheelers on the roads of Mumbai or for that matter any city at any time.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinmfPmW72Oqwo2FiCzoKS4_aoFkiIzCcn5PtnIimqbkeOF8rb6mojOZzeJEemuclnl_tUNslCeST0ZW6ZZ8YHKZbms67Z6goQoTCnFd2mBfb0HW-xEFbHe_wlPusWaZvFxFhgK4usUmMpk/s320/two+wheeler+on+platform.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 203px; height: 153px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinmfPmW72Oqwo2FiCzoKS4_aoFkiIzCcn5PtnIimqbkeOF8rb6mojOZzeJEemuclnl_tUNslCeST0ZW6ZZ8YHKZbms67Z6goQoTCnFd2mBfb0HW-xEFbHe_wlPusWaZvFxFhgK4usUmMpk/s320/two+wheeler+on+platform.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">(Source: Google Image Search)</span><br /><br /></div>2. Most of the Kannada conversations in Bangalore start with 'Nimage Kannada Baratta!?' which translates into ‘Do you know Kannada!?’<br /><br />3. Ninety percent of people, when late for an appointment and are stuck in an elevator show all their frustration on the poor elevator buttons. They hit and punch all those buttons as though it would take them to their destination faster :)<br /><br />4. Only five percent of the people in this world like their managers. Rest of them...Hmmm... I don't have to tell you about them. :)<br /><br />5. According to most of the people (Let me generalize it to educated class) in India, easiest way to quick money and fame is a MBA in an Indian Institute of Management and for others it is playing the Indian Premier League or winning Indian Idol.<br /><br />6. When it comes to jokes on people or communities, Sardar jokes are the one to beat. Blonde jokes comes close second.<br /><br />7. Two hours in peak Bangalore traffic everyday for a week can cause all sorts of respiratory (pollution) and mental (frustration of driving in jams) disorders.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">8. Bangalore has one restaurant almost every street. They are popularly known as 'Darshinis' and usually serve only breakfast, and snacks in the evening. I haven't seen this in any city I have been to so far.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7JQbT3XgeIGkUHMjLC7uHvoOCGzOXI4FOnm4C7-vK7EJS-ETgmwI4_fbX4qeyEKdipPl6B30DTfc7iiex0V-r3KaPt1ipKELT83HHFTwo_ls8Iv8A2YPlSoOxnpms-X9-6baiKWqzVQN/s1600-h/203665534_a836c7a19f_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 92px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7JQbT3XgeIGkUHMjLC7uHvoOCGzOXI4FOnm4C7-vK7EJS-ETgmwI4_fbX4qeyEKdipPl6B30DTfc7iiex0V-r3KaPt1ipKELT83HHFTwo_ls8Iv8A2YPlSoOxnpms-X9-6baiKWqzVQN/s200/203665534_a836c7a19f_o.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355666574422178722" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="font-style: italic;">(Source: Google Image Search)</span></div><br />9. It takes at least one hour to find a true British citizen in Wembley, London. It is one of those localities that have been literally captured by the Indians. Another locality that comes close to it is East Ham.<br /><br />10. There are hardly five, 5-Paise coins left in India today and I have one of them. Where are the other four? :). Is it still in circulation? The last I saw it being traded was when I was in 5th standard.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBmqmvwKflQPIgU9AM1OkRZrcIePfg-5vf26oqfiL73Wh40kheGaK1aSFWgNOOuUXJiYqa8Cpi7fU6XXxbevldTaW7XdsLYqcU3yk1jiXiLCpny_9KYmIfu1B5OH7SmRDhJUaGIDHybdi/s1600-h/5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 97px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBmqmvwKflQPIgU9AM1OkRZrcIePfg-5vf26oqfiL73Wh40kheGaK1aSFWgNOOuUXJiYqa8Cpi7fU6XXxbevldTaW7XdsLYqcU3yk1jiXiLCpny_9KYmIfu1B5OH7SmRDhJUaGIDHybdi/s200/5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355667316801533170" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Source: Google Image Search)</span><br /></div><br />11. The ratio of official emails to personal emails in any normal person’s mail box is usually at 5:6. If that person in on bench then this ratio drops to 1:4 :)<br /><br />12. The amount of time we spend waiting for our laptops or computers to respond (waiting for a download to complete, waiting for a file to open, waiting for a web page to load, etc) everyday is a painful ten to thirty minutes depending on the speed of your computer and internet. Any bright ideas on how we could use that time constructively?<br /><br />13. Kids playing with marbles and kids playing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagori">Lagori</a> (Pitthu or Sitoliya) are extinct or is it the other way round?<br /><br />14. Every year, at least ten kids drown in drains and five kids get stuck inside open bore wells in Bangalore and its surrounding places .<br /><br />15. And last but not the least; I change my blog template every 6 months :)<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">PS:</span> This post was more or less limited to cities I have lived in because I am in no position to comment anything on other cities.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">PPS:</span> If you know of any such fact please feel free to add that in the comments section. I’ll publish them on my blog with the name of the contributor.Varunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911437244977847067noreply@blogger.com57tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206447838093538416.post-81582030831664890152009-06-22T01:57:00.000-07:002009-07-02T03:55:05.759-07:00New Vehicle<span style="font-size:100%;">I have finally done it! I purchased my first vehicle last Saturday. All the vehicles I have driven so far have all been gifts from my parents. This is the first vehicle I have bought with my own money! Feels great! It is beautifully crafted, has two wheels, is very light and zippy and is probably the best bet to beat Bangalore Traffic. It comes in two or three colours but I picked up a twin tone one. Black and Silver! And since I was looking for a basic version with no gears, I had very few brands and models to choose from. Everybody wants a vehicle with gear these days. I am tired of changing gears in this traffic.<br /><br />Once the selection was made, it was time for the payment. A payment via credit card was costing me an additional 2.5%. I was in no mood to fight for the additional amount he was charging for the credit card as I had already set my sights on my beauty and had to buy it at any cost. I withdrew money from the nearby ATM and made a full payment by cash instead. They promised to deliver it by 5.00 pm that day but to my surprise, the delivery was made one hour earlier than scheduled time. I tore all the packing off as soon as it was delivered at my door step and parked it in its assigned space. I hate to ride vehicles with their packing covers still on. And why did I park it instead of taking it on a spin!? I had to rush somewhere and didn't get time to test ride it immediately.<br /><br />I had to attend an Arangetram or Ranga Pravesha that evening and it was about to start in thirty min time. Arangetram is the debut on-stage performance of a Bharatanatyam student, after undertaking years of training. The student who was performing her Arangetram was a fourteen year old kid. My distant relative! Since our families are in touch with each other even today, distance doesn't seem to be evident. The show put up by the little girl was spectacular to say the least and so was the dinner that followed it :). I enjoyed the show even when I am not an ardent fan of that form of dance.<br /><br />Coming back to my vehicle, I finished my dinner ASAP and rushed home. I had taken my car out as I didn't know how the new vehicle would perform. I didn't want to take any chances with it. As soon as I parked my car, I took the new vehicle out of its parking area and took it out for a spin.<br />Even though it was not as fast as the car or the bike, it surely was as smooth as both of them.<br /><br />To add to that, my new vehicle is eco friendly (No Pollution) and brings with it lots of amazing health benefits;<br />- It gives one's heart, blood vessels and lungs a workout, thereby reducing the risk of heart problems.<br />- It'll give one a trimmer and toned muscles.<br />- It helps one a great deal in building one's stamina. Fitness levels are improved.<br /><br />Riding it is quite easy but it requires some pedalling to be done to move it forward.<br />Did I just say pedal! Yeah! It is a bicycle I bought! A '<a href="https://www.ticyclesindia.com/ProductFeatures.asp?pid=6#">Hercules MTB Thriller</a>'. I tried my best to keep up the suspense but I am sure most of you would have surely guessed it by the end of first or second paragraph. I wanted to buy a bicycle for a long time now and I finally had enough time last Saturday and found the right bicycle.<br /><br />It brings with it lots of benefits all right but the main reason I bought it is because <strong><em>I love to cycle</em></strong>. I have loved it ever since I first learnt to ride but quit due to laziness. The last time I rode one was probably in the year 2000. I have put all the laziness back now and have gone back to my first love. I have so far successfully pedalled for 4 km everyday and plan to increase it gradually.<br /><br />What do you think about my first ever investment on a vehicle and when was the last time was you rode a bicycle!?</span>Varunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911437244977847067noreply@blogger.com52tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206447838093538416.post-39469183149026744112009-06-09T02:37:00.000-07:002009-06-09T02:59:01.738-07:00Arbit thoughts- One Day International Cricket and Test Champs (Australia) are still getting grips of Twenty-20 cricket. It is all over for them this year. They can try again in 2011. They are out of the T-20 world cup 2009. What did I feel about it!? Wooohooo... Felt awesome! It was as awesome as watching Pakistan lose to England two days back :)<br /><br />- One guy is managing to annoy me every single day when I am watching cricket. He is the one who has got a free phone with unlimited calls from his company. He is misusing the phone to the fullest. He has even gone to an extent of calling friends and acquaintance who have forgotten about his existence. Wonder how he found all those phone numbers in the first place. He has his kaka's phone number too. The same old Kaka, who lit up his sets when he was still learning to act. I am talking about Hrithik Roshan and his new Reliance Ad if you didn't get it by now. :) One of those Ads is <a href="http://ishare.rediff.com/video/entertainment/reliance-mobile-ad-with-hrithik-roshan/629113">here</a> for you.<br /><br />- Formula 1 is no longer exciting with Brawn stamping their authority on all races. As far as I am concerned, if there is no competition between Ferrari and McLaren, it is not Formula-1. The anti-clock circuit didn't produce any surprises either. If FIA had to cut costs, they could have simply asked drivers to sit inside a simulation and race. They could have shown us the video.<br /><br />- Star Trek is an amazing movie. I simply loved the way it has been shot. Wow! Wonder when Indian Cinema will grow up from Koi Mil Gaya and its Jadoo.<br /><br />- I happened to watch a Hindi movie too. It's called 99. Yeah! That's it. It is '99' only. There are no Idiots or Fools on either side of 99. Kunal Khemu, Cryus Broacha and Soha Ali Khan star in it. It’s a light hearted comedy. It is worth watching on a weekend and on a rented DVD.<br /><br />- Roger Federer finally won the French Open which had eluded him for the last three years. As a kid, I had heard a story about a spider that never lost hope and climbed a wall after 'n' number of attempts. Since that spider had no name, it can be named Roger Federer now. With this victory, he also equalled Pete Sampras' record of 14 grand slam victories. Does that make him the world's greatest then? Only time will tell. By the way, did anyone of you cry along with him when he won the last point?<br /><br />- * Bing * Bing * Bing *, what's that thing!!? It is Microsoft's latest search engine. <a href="http://www.bing.com/">http://www.bing.com/</a>. I will not go into the details and features of it because there are lots and lots of tech blogs who have already written about it. Grapevine has it that it is as good as Google but will take time to gain popularity. Microsoft is making sure that it reaches people by spending millions on advertising. I have always been a fan of Microsoft and am supporting their latest venture too. Are you?<br /><br />- Cooking is easy as long as we have the right ingredients to mix only criterion being that the ingredients have to be mixed in right quantities. :D. Didn't get it? Don't worry! I have been cooking at home since last week and this is the effect of it. The best dish I have cooked so far is the Kadhi. It came out really well. Recipe shared on request ;). If you are good at preparing something, please do share your recipes too (Vegetarian only). I am trying out new recipes every day.<br /><br />- Keeping a house presentable without help from anyone is a herculean task! I realised it only after I started dusting each and every part of the house. My hat goes off to anyone who does it all days without complaining (My mom, dad and sister included in this list). Oh no! This reminds me that I have yet to clean that carpet :)<br /><br />- Any idea about what is happening with the Indian Government after the elections? Elections remind me of the mark they put on my finger when I voted. It still remains on my finger only to irritate me whenever I see it. They have to find a new ink that disappears in a week or two or they'll lose my vote :). Girls can cover it up with nail polish but what can guys do about it?<br /><br />- Sitting inside a car, Bangalore's traffic looks double the usual. It takes me fifteen to twenty minutes in a car to reach office when a bike takes only ten minutes. I am not complaing as I am loving every minute of the drive. I tried switching off the Air Conditioner of my car today to save some fuel and help the environment but I have become so used to driving in an air conditioned car, I couldn't survive the noise and smoke for even two minutes. Not sure how I will ever go back to using my bike :)<br /><br />- <a href="http://www.wolframalpha.com/">Wolfram Alpha</a>. Have you heard about it? It is a computational knowledge engine (not a search engine) which will solve the woes of lot of college going people and lot of people who are interested to learn new things. It has been developed by the same team who developed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematica">Mathematica</a>. It is as good as a Wikipedia or an Encarta. It is easier than most of the encyclopaedia sites because it gives all details available about the word you searched for on a single page. It displays even images and graphs supporting the documentation. Try searching your date of Birth for some fun. Format: <month><date>, <year><br /><br />- Multiplex and Producers calling-off their strike came as a relief to me as that is the whole and sole source of my Friday night entertainment. Since there are lots and lots of movies lined up, it is going to be one hell of a party time.<br /><br />- I'll end the post as arbitrarily as I started it! :) Until next post...Varunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911437244977847067noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206447838093538416.post-19370811318488336752009-06-01T23:51:00.000-07:002009-07-02T04:27:22.849-07:00Little Rascal<div align="left">He opened the refrigerator whenever he saw it, he loved to bang and close any open doors, he loved to mess up the pooja room, he loved to scream for no reason, he loved the elevator and wanted to ride in it whenever the main door of our flat was kept open, he loved to ring the calling bell non-stop, he would switch off Television if he was not interested in watching it. He is one guy who managed to change the lifestyle of everyone around him in a short span of one and a half months. We were literally scared as to what his next move would be.<br /><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342650468691778498" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsJ0hTyDwVdOuEuVZc4BvDNeURxIX76eAGbUK2utP8tAh3tbxsZ9s-JbDsdxAOPjbS0l-l4t8w2oirh2xSNQxEqfpP-6wC1jMXad2rJAmZd5V-ZZJdgJ1x7sV8_jGfs78cu28BgQSsNb9v/s320/DSC05846.JPG" border="0" /> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Pic: Archith Planning his next move</em></p><p align="center"><em><br /></em></p><p align="left">But now when he's gone back to USA with his mommy and grandparents (my parents),Pooja room is intact, nobody switches off Television when I am watching, nobody bangs doors, nobody screams aloud. The house is at its peaceful best but is no longer charming and lively. There's no laughter that can be heard of, there is no one to run towards me to give me a hug when I go back home from office, there's no one to shower unconditional love, there's no one to laugh uncontrollably at the silliest of faces I make or silliest of games I play, there's no one to dismantle my cell phone. Ahhh! I am missing everything badly.<br /></p><p align="left">It is hard, very hard not to miss kids once we get used to staying with them. With them around, the atmosphere of home is always so energetic and rattling with excitement. It is like this edge of the seat action movie. One is definitely going to miss something if one blinks at the wrong time. Kids have so much energy in them that they pass some of it on to people around. It is contagious.<br />Time used to fly playing with him. Blogging to chodo, I had no time even for office :). I made sure that I stayed just the stipulated time everyday and got home as soon as possible.<br /></p><p align="left">Now that I am all alone and have lots of time in hand I am planning to get back to cyberspace and blogging. A dear blogger <a href="http://books-life-n-more.blogspot.com/">friend</a> of mine reminded me yesterday that blogging is one my jobs too and I have to get back to it ASAP :)<br /><br />I would like to keep the post short and end it here. It is for you to decide whether it was sweet :)<br /><br />Missing you terribly little rascal! Love you!<br /><br />PS: I was talking about my nephew all along. He will turn two this month and my blog turns 50 posts old :). Quite an achievement for an irregular blogger.<br /></p>Varunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911437244977847067noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206447838093538416.post-22003086293770157012009-05-05T10:32:00.000-07:002013-04-16T04:02:08.906-07:00Coorg Photo Shoot!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I had been thinking of writing a post with only pictures in it for some time now. The picturesque Coorg gave me just the opportunity I was looking for.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUckLTC-a-w6rPvdywOZ8QJMVH6gN4U6On3SzUPqxvslHCpmp5h8DBPyLVGHXguwywWz9Tm91zf1zm1YZlWFfPwteOd2eBV-G8VuFToTdMg8Paer3dzBLAZOrlfZvrP4lctnOJNGGQGuv/s1600-h/DSC01863.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332399873837472738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUckLTC-a-w6rPvdywOZ8QJMVH6gN4U6On3SzUPqxvslHCpmp5h8DBPyLVGHXguwywWz9Tm91zf1zm1YZlWFfPwteOd2eBV-G8VuFToTdMg8Paer3dzBLAZOrlfZvrP4lctnOJNGGQGuv/s400/DSC01863.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Hail storm welcomed us</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVNnSbr6-oJg6-kPp1LnJFePfJF6nxyI7xNg0G23a2a3D7TkqSDTYQBiL06qNTh1dcMg9gI5_L4z4yLyc4F9gkXL4J8fzyARIuRuvy58b7060gxLz9iOdRJKu5Ht7EkbihKpWWGoY9s1-/s1600-h/DSC01892.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332400785463786290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVNnSbr6-oJg6-kPp1LnJFePfJF6nxyI7xNg0G23a2a3D7TkqSDTYQBiL06qNTh1dcMg9gI5_L4z4yLyc4F9gkXL4J8fzyARIuRuvy58b7060gxLz9iOdRJKu5Ht7EkbihKpWWGoY9s1-/s400/DSC01892.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Four Mus</span><span style="font-style: italic;">keteers</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3pY1o9_4v1j9BCURwAx_UlaV5W7nZXLqeNrRyNjzoNVD18zeoShM_JDpHKWq1gP8UuykWshpH4CeYA7cSrAe08bcbHnunB86LW5rLf6Z6v9QtmgPtONk8fhUUxcNMz_gSmHPkug6JfXM5/s1600-h/DSC01883.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332400255985829186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3pY1o9_4v1j9BCURwAx_UlaV5W7nZXLqeNrRyNjzoNVD18zeoShM_JDpHKWq1gP8UuykWshpH4CeYA7cSrAe08bcbHnunB86LW5rLf6Z6v9QtmgPtONk8fhUUxcNMz_gSmHPkug6JfXM5/s400/DSC01883.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Crossed the free flowing Cauvery River</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoumdz7RfRuTa3CCIo2BsnwKXvX2motX7TjTjk2YOgfLUNrDchxu-T5_CtMIcTs5D3lmcpGJZSa6f9AfG2kIiyAaYvKxhWJtl4Zt2qbNu4kNICquOw_CcNQ8Z49fAJf1azlb-KsgbjY-HV/s1600-h/DSC01895.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332401370248066866" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoumdz7RfRuTa3CCIo2BsnwKXvX2motX7TjTjk2YOgfLUNrDchxu-T5_CtMIcTs5D3lmcpGJZSa6f9AfG2kIiyAaYvKxhWJtl4Zt2qbNu4kNICquOw_CcNQ8Z49fAJf1azlb-KsgbjY-HV/s400/DSC01895.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">To watch wild Elephants in its n</span><span style="font-style: italic;">atural Habitat</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1VaY392VYrIKm1JtoRnPCaxThRQ2h1Y0sACqUOnk-821r8c2O4btUSMIithDV2BGkdGCS79zDcpA-srmer9VZKXOl0dz_c-p_npEfZkO-Eox8UyZHKa3eVTReY2nNtoodo9Wk-QWnUdjN/s1600-h/DSC01900.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332402349637213474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1VaY392VYrIKm1JtoRnPCaxThRQ2h1Y0sACqUOnk-821r8c2O4btUSMIithDV2BGkdGCS79zDcpA-srmer9VZKXOl0dz_c-p_npEfZkO-Eox8UyZHKa3eVTReY2nNtoodo9Wk-QWnUdjN/s400/DSC01900.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Couldn't help but wonder at Nature's amazing colors</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4D3dOshWLWA3BRxF1gzJBXDSe-j12Jmd101PyYEpZmwuNfJ-34lG9WgA-OgOK_ApBd8d-ITZhUIcEomXjtYNweDhq1vkW93jEge6YS2l3_opChHnDBBRTmp0rVieLKhlDrDpQmkeEs64u/s1600-h/DSC01943.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332402737249665954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4D3dOshWLWA3BRxF1gzJBXDSe-j12Jmd101PyYEpZmwuNfJ-34lG9WgA-OgOK_ApBd8d-ITZhUIcEomXjtYNweDhq1vkW93jEge6YS2l3_opChHnDBBRTmp0rVieLKhlDrDpQmkeEs64u/s400/DSC01943.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">and its picture perfect setting.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt05tDc7wdlXw-TbK1RTjdRAdSZM-29GE0cy9zwwV65UFu9F6cK3r65y_Hf0P9zdHo_oSCTYmJtJpMgFm08KUCM3S2WT1I92z8nnKJHaDlfbgyiiHubETTkBDnbEApXB_am6BxhnvIZRqO/s1600-h/DSC01966.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332403636459099426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt05tDc7wdlXw-TbK1RTjdRAdSZM-29GE0cy9zwwV65UFu9F6cK3r65y_Hf0P9zdHo_oSCTYmJtJpMgFm08KUCM3S2WT1I92z8nnKJHaDlfbgyiiHubETTkBDnbEApXB_am6BxhnvIZRqO/s400/DSC01966.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 267px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">We set out towards the source of river Cauvery. Through the country side, turns and bends</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMd9nfOXXlaqfDAwXPS8Hcgelo1kourOFbcEVQ1FTG2eTDCive8WVCaDAuR0JeNMnwvEDgBcK_PAgKNJpEvfOscKhsJfV_BOiilGrPbRQuJMH2DRidtf8FnORZaTpKqW5o9aSzhEDYVjDC/s1600-h/DSC01985.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332403984090733842" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMd9nfOXXlaqfDAwXPS8Hcgelo1kourOFbcEVQ1FTG2eTDCive8WVCaDAuR0JeNMnwvEDgBcK_PAgKNJpEvfOscKhsJfV_BOiilGrPbRQuJMH2DRidtf8FnORZaTpKqW5o9aSzhEDYVjDC/s400/DSC01985.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 267px;" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Stopped over a lil to stare at a lovely m</span><span style="font-style: italic;">an made wonder</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQC1qqiPQM7z_Ot0iy0r1UMtzBBn-_ySGHsbmgPSj4MKrq_piANRvGKSIdnlfWar_IzQ5Yn_2pzlZ6RD6ZdbsX4MYyMYhLkqu4X8BtF3OdCRmWYnzyqRERe6kRm0WL6RzmgdpPcyAYDXQA/s1600-h/DSC01994.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332407111445360834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQC1qqiPQM7z_Ot0iy0r1UMtzBBn-_ySGHsbmgPSj4MKrq_piANRvGKSIdnlfWar_IzQ5Yn_2pzlZ6RD6ZdbsX4MYyMYhLkqu4X8BtF3OdCRmWYnzyqRERe6kRm0WL6RzmgdpPcyAYDXQA/s400/DSC01994.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 267px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Posed for a few pictures</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYYI-sySluvmEIhDwZ_krY9__NEOUcb05voUonsJq_oMrpZWozMEjmkYjebG385LFrEigUYgAxdIUEY2-r2AlKHAqyhQav5GEEIufiTy2SdA9UfHzlsyGERkAEWwiNhBhsCWZs67jLu7uu/s1600-h/DSC02007.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332407743661643058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYYI-sySluvmEIhDwZ_krY9__NEOUcb05voUonsJq_oMrpZWozMEjmkYjebG385LFrEigUYgAxdIUEY2-r2AlKHAqyhQav5GEEIufiTy2SdA9UfHzlsyGERkAEWwiNhBhsCWZs67jLu7uu/s400/DSC02007.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 267px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">and finally reached Talacauvery (Structure</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> in the background)</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfaY1PJCq71pjgjDf35jHQ2uSZb4VMAxEfZ9UvcJiIDx9zD1-ma27UwWoZ8t1qcHv8Z-6ugR9vbRJ1adWkIxyU0RWvTCrcjk71ILxvO1XRPhPKGZZ1fyV29bzlOPPQLiJKqU100ipi9Nk/s1600-h/DSC02030.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332408205978856066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfaY1PJCq71pjgjDf35jHQ2uSZb4VMAxEfZ9UvcJiIDx9zD1-ma27UwWoZ8t1qcHv8Z-6ugR9vbRJ1adWkIxyU0RWvTCrcjk71ILxvO1XRPhPKGZZ1fyV29bzlOPPQLiJKqU100ipi9Nk/s400/DSC02030.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 267px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Rounded off the trip with a vi</span><span style="font-style: italic;">sit to Abbe falls</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDUatC5yP_JVNUMdCWriEH09uM_kKDAlzLEdt0mEX6QYTlLrevDy0aMnapW4NhqWceF75K0DmQpMebF9y9TS42z-c6l8IywIUDkYPISOXzXhTTyZJQOAOEqBgWNYFNtG7y4Tl_543K1dmF/s1600-h/DSC02055.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332409193012169442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDUatC5yP_JVNUMdCWriEH09uM_kKDAlzLEdt0mEX6QYTlLrevDy0aMnapW4NhqWceF75K0DmQpMebF9y9TS42z-c6l8IywIUDkYPISOXzXhTTyZJQOAOEqBgWNYFNtG7y4Tl_543K1dmF/s400/DSC02055.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 267px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">and a stopover at one of the Coffee Plantations</span><br />
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I had seen Coorg three times earlier had never captured it a camera. Now that I have successfully done it I wanted to showcase it. That is exactly what I am doing now :)<br />
Hope you enjoyed the short trip!</div>
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Varunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911437244977847067noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206447838093538416.post-17812496986206120922009-04-16T05:43:00.000-07:002009-04-16T05:52:36.401-07:00Thirty minutes on the footpathBefore anyone starts showing concern, let me make it clear that I still have my job and this is just a one-off case where I got to spend some time on the footpaths of Chennai. I got this opportunity when I accompanied my sister to the American Embassy in Chennai. Visitors are not allowed inside the premises and are not supposed to even wait outside the gate. Since the embassy is in one of the most busiest roads of Chennai, the only place a person can wait for their dear ones is the footpath right next it. One gets to see all kinds of people there. Luckily for my sister, she had a cute and handsome American citizen to accompany her. The little fellow made sure my sister came out in thirty minutes. The cute lil fellow is my nephew.<br /><br />These thirty minutes gave me a chance to sit there on the footpath and observe. Observe people who were all vying for that all important American stamp on their passports. This also prompted to me to put my guessing cap on and to start forming opinions and frame conclusions.<br /><br />I usually come to conclusions soon (most of them luckily turn out to be right) and that is what I did sitting there. I enjoyed guessing the reason behind people's visit to the embassy.<br /><br />Here are few of those for you to enjoy;<br /><br /><strong>1.</strong> A young girl being dropped off by concerned parents - <strong><em>She is probably trying to get a Visa to pursue higher studies</em></strong>. I came to this conclusion when I saw the worried look on her dad's face. A look that said, "Two million rupees for studies!, My daughter's gone mad"<br /><br /><strong>2.</strong> An elderly couple being dropped off by their relatives - <strong><em>Couple's daughter or daughter-in-law is pregnant or has just given birth. They are going to USA to help their kids take care of their new born kids</em></strong>. This was easy. The couple looked happy and a little worried because they didn't want any problems during Visa stamping. They were checking their documents time and again.<br /><br /><strong>3.</strong> A confident guy getting out of an autorickshaw and walking straight to the gate - <strong><em>Third attempt to get his Visa stamped</em></strong>. He knew which queue he had to join and where to get down from the autorickshaw.<br /><br /><strong>4.</strong> A mid aged guy getting out of a chauffeur driven Toyota Corolla - <strong><em>A high-profile IT or a management guy</em></strong>. His company would have done all the paper work for him. He was there to give his biometric identifications and collect his visa.<br /><br /><strong>5.</strong> Girl being dropped by parents and a whole bunch of relatives - <strong><em>Newly married and is probably trying to join her husband who's already in USA</em></strong>. Number of relatives, number of bangles and amount of jewellery she wore and no sign of her husband allowed me come to this conclusion.<br /><br /><strong>6.</strong> Female looking like a beggar being dropped off by a decent looking guy - <strong><em>She is definintely going to be the next maid in Manhattan</em></strong>. I know I should not go by the looks but it was the shabby dress that made me think this way.<br /><br />Would you have arrived at the same conclusions?<br /><br /><div align="left">Apart from all these fun conclusions, there was one thing I noticed which was common to everyone who came there. Every person had a sparkle in their eyes. a sparkle of expectation, a sparkle of hope. A hope that things would only get better for them. I hope it does too. </div><div align="center"><br /><em>SARVA SUKHINO BHAVANTU, </em></div><div align="center"><em>SARVA JANAH SUKHINO BHAVANTU, </em></div><div align="center"><em>LOKA SAMASTA SUKHINO BHAVANTU</em> (Sanskrit) </div><br />Poetically translated: May all beings be fulfilled, may all beings be healed and whole, may all beings have their needs met, may all beings be protected from harm, may all beings be at peace, may all beings be free.<br /><br />PS: Really sorry for not posting regularly.Varunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911437244977847067noreply@blogger.com48tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206447838093538416.post-56895170371549588852009-03-16T07:22:00.000-07:002009-03-16T08:02:01.212-07:00How does it matter?<span style="font-weight: bold;">If it is a Dilemma for slum kids to Act or study</span><br /><br />- How on earth can news like these make headlines on NDTV? I have had this dilemma whether to study or not since the first day of my school. It never got published :(<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">If Sharif emerges winner in Pakistan and If Zardari is the loser</span><br /><br />- I really don't understand why the Indian media is still interested in Pakistan's news. Guess it is now up to the new government to take care of 26/11 issue. Old government seems to have completely forgotten about it and is busy distributing Rahul Gandhi's masks.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">If Freida Pinto is married</span><br /><br />- One film wonder, the eye candy of hollywood. Why should we waste our precious time to know if she is married or not. Who the hell cares!? I am not going to marry her any way :)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">If Shilpa Shetty decided to call or meet the ailing Jade Goody</span><br /><br />- Why was it necessary to print such a thing on Page one!? Didn't Shilpa have Jade's phone number or address?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">If BCCI and home ministry keep fighting over the dates of Indian Premier League</span><br /><br />- IPL is such a rich tournament. Please don't tell me it cannot arrange its private security.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">If Mayawati invites third front constituents for dinner</span><br /><br />- I am glad I couldn't find the menu anywhere<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">If Infosys is cutting costs </span><br /><br />- According to an article on rediff, Infosys are planning to close down all their loos by 7:30 pm. Not sure what they are trying to save. Any ideas?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">If Jesus cooks for Madonna</span><br /><br />- Before any one gets confused, I am talking about a model named Jesus Luz who is currently dating Madonna. I am not sure if Madonna wants to adopt that guy or marry him because he is just 22 year old and she is 50. And why are we Indians concerned about Madonna any way!!!??<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">If Obama sneezes or Michele catches cold</span><br /><br />We Indians probably know more about Obama and Michele than most people in USA.<br /><br />These are few news items that I got to read today out of which only the last one is exaggerated. We are bombarded with such pathetic news every single day. I just hope and pray that the Indian media does not go the UK way where it is 90% gossip and 10% news.<br /><br />Gossip is definitely good. It was my favourite pass time in Mumbai and it still is but I know which sites or paper to read to get my daily dose. I would prefer to read them only there and don't expect to read them every where I log in. At least don't expect to read them on sites known for their great news coverage.<br /><br />Times of India, NDTV / CNN-IBN<span style="font-weight: bold;"> , Are you listening?</span>Varunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911437244977847067noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206447838093538416.post-80889071824661526972009-03-03T08:14:00.000-08:002009-03-03T09:31:01.044-08:00The Movie Maniax Awards 2008Ever wanted to be the jury in a movie award function? Ever felt that the award went to an undeserving person? Ever felt that that the award functions were rigged?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Feel it no more! </span>Here's your chance to set all these things right straight away! Here's your chance to support an initiative to honour the best in Hindi Cinema irrespective of it box-office status and star power.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://moviemaniax.wordpress.com/">The Movie Maniax</a><a href="http://moviemaniax.wordpress.com/"> Aw</a><a href="http://moviemaniax.wordpress.com/">ards 2008</a><br />---the blogosphere's final verdict---<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLm951l0_r0uyCg9Y7s1QJod7R7gYJerA33iiAONKA7AkH7w4kR43NSTdCx68c2sZnlwWNj5AHyb721XwHo8YTqnh2j4p_yloIUv5xQwUinvrjBHZPo-b6_GS-HnFjvuePeO3CCQgNz3T/s1600-h/Logo-2nd-3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 74px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLm951l0_r0uyCg9Y7s1QJod7R7gYJerA33iiAONKA7AkH7w4kR43NSTdCx68c2sZnlwWNj5AHyb721XwHo8YTqnh2j4p_yloIUv5xQwUinvrjBHZPo-b6_GS-HnFjvuePeO3CCQgNz3T/s200/Logo-2nd-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308996258550452514" border="0" /></a>Coming soon to a web page near you :)</div><br />Please support and participate in this endeavor. Do spread the word amongst all your friends, fellow bloggers, relatives and all netizens you know. Orkut, Facebook and Gtalk status messages are a great place to start :)<br /><br />Below is the teaser of what is in store. Keep watching <a href="http://moviemaniax.wordpress.com/">this</a> space for more on Movie Maniax Awards. Don't forget to <a href="javascript:window.external.AddFavorite('http://moviemaniax.wordpress.com/',%20'Movie%20Maniax')">bookmark</a> the award site.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGhxJ08UWv2iU7C0k2c4s7LPtFuX0KLeimWc4T7-RqEF56GxErN3BHgv_H7PFLm6WzuQzfCjtZLMANWlpPsPnIXL9tQedkCB-5y3sPgEkTL1k3wtdpICm6u-Slo5scgfg7cP9IMkpihdDj/s1600-h/teaser1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGhxJ08UWv2iU7C0k2c4s7LPtFuX0KLeimWc4T7-RqEF56GxErN3BHgv_H7PFLm6WzuQzfCjtZLMANWlpPsPnIXL9tQedkCB-5y3sPgEkTL1k3wtdpICm6u-Slo5scgfg7cP9IMkpihdDj/s320/teaser1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309003932580923714" border="0" /></a>Once the site is up all you need to do is vote, vote and vote... Vote Karenge na!?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAnbmKZjYA-JH0tW-HGqgI9J_usqntfKj5NoXcIqlwTI3fJ3yoI7GxDGlt9e0CEWpyv0TrxdWeoqpIt8HrX9o2Ozs3Lm-HNH2jzzZg38nAXeiEOR744JXvmiZ8A7MZq0mF5QqVJQhbdeY3/s1600-h/for+vee.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 141px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAnbmKZjYA-JH0tW-HGqgI9J_usqntfKj5NoXcIqlwTI3fJ3yoI7GxDGlt9e0CEWpyv0TrxdWeoqpIt8HrX9o2Ozs3Lm-HNH2jzzZg38nAXeiEOR744JXvmiZ8A7MZq0mF5QqVJQhbdeY3/s200/for+vee.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309005374196430898" border="0" /></a><br />This Movie Maniax Blogger Awards is an award 'of the people (<span style="font-style: italic;">Aam-Junta</span>), by the people and for the people(movie stars)'. <span style="font-style: italic;">Isiko Kehte hai Democracy</span>. What an Idea! <span style="font-style: italic;">Hai na Sir jee </span>:)<br /><br />Endeavor by: <a href="http://blessed-curse.blogspot.com/">Vee</a> with able support from <a href="http://alchemistpoonam.wordpress.com/">Poonam</a>, <a href="http://opinionsandexpressions.wordpress.com/">Reema</a>, <a href="http://books-life-n-more.blogspot.com/">Smita</a>, <a href="http://varun-giridhara.blogspot.com/">Yours truly</a> and <a href="http://vimalsparadise.blogspot.com/">Vimmuuu</a>.<br /><br />Creative Consultant: <a href="http://passionforcinema.com/author/magik">Magik</a><br /><br />Awards Badge Designer: <a href="http://devdapotha.blogspot.com/">Dev</a><br /><br />Publicist: <a href="http://mirrorcracked.wordpress.com/">Nikhil</a><br /><br />Judges: You Bloggers, Aam-Junta<br /><br />The Nominations are finalized and polls will be live shortly. We are looking for support from all of you in making this a great grand success. You can j 'The MovieManiax Awards' group on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=65946733133&ref=mf">Facebook</a> and pledge a vote.Varunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911437244977847067noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206447838093538416.post-67124023309124406992009-02-26T01:09:00.001-08:002009-02-26T01:32:57.363-08:008 Oscars to Indian PovertyA lot has been talked and written about Slumdog Millionaire already but I would like to add a few cents of my own. I am mightily pleased that three people from India managed to win awards and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate AR Rahman, Gulzar and Resul Pookutty. All three of them richly and truly deserved their awards.<br /><br />Coming to title of the post, I read this in one my friend's (Maneesh) Orkut status message and felt it was so very true. Why do you think the jury gave this movie an Oscar? I think it was due to the mass appeal that this movie was able to establish. Every person everywhere in the world somewhere dreams of winning that ten million in a day and hence related with Jamaal (Protagonist of Slumdog Millionaire) the very moment they saw him. It is not only a Slumdog who would want to win that money after all. And If we talk about the feel good factor or the romantic angle (Latika) of the movie, I have seen better movies that leave a lasting impression than this one. What could and would have turned the tide towards this movie is the portrayal of Indian poverty. Westerners have seen this movie as a guide to Dharavi.<br /><br />As far as showing Indian poverty is concerned, don’t you think there are no beggars on the street on New York or London? Don't you think there are no petty thieves on the street of San Francisco? Leave alone thieves, there are murderers roaming in college campuses of UK and USA with a gun shooting any random guy or girl they see. Why not portray it in a movie and win an Oscar? Why only Indian Poverty?<br /><br />Indian government somehow markets itself as poor and a country full of slums and makes it easy for people like Danny Boyle to come and show whatever he wants to. I have seen and talked to people in UK who come to India to only see its poverty. Take my word for it; Dharavi will soon become a hot tourist spot in Mumbai. Maharashtra Government has gone a step ahead by gifting two slum kids a flat each. Every second kid in Dharavi would now want to act in a Hollywood movie and get a flat. They would be ready to do anything they can to please a white person. This movie has ignited false hopes in all kids who live in slums.<br /><br />Felt great to know that a movie shot in India and a movie which has Indian actors in it won so many awards but at the same time felt bad that it won these awards at the cost of poor people living in slums of India and portrayal of their life. I just hope Danny Boyle and his team don't forget the people who made this movie possible and help them if not to become a millionaire at least to lead a normal life.<br /><br />This post is more of a rant and not a dig at anyone. And please don't get me wrong; I liked the movie!Varunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13911437244977847067noreply@blogger.com25