Thursday, September 10, 2009

Time to celebrate

Posted by Varun | Thursday, September 10, 2009 | Category: , , , , , | 15 comments

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.

Enjoy the teasers :)

To book tickets log on to http://www.livetree.in/events.html

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.

For registration and more information, Log on to http://bsaherculescyclothon.in.com/

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'.
Did you know about any of these events? Are you planning to attend them? Let me know if you do...
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
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.
Did you know: Yahoo have launched thier own version of twitter (The world famous micro blogging site). It is called meme. 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!?
My meme's titled Goodness Gracious Me(me) - http://meme.yahoo.com/varungiridhara

Saturday, September 5, 2009

New Darling of Tennis

Posted by Varun | Saturday, September 5, 2009 | Category: , , , , | 14 comments


Source: Google Images

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

She is none other than Melanie Oudin.

Addendum: There were two other noteworthy upsets yesterday. Both of them after I fell asleep :)
- Another teenager Petra Kvitova (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 :)
- Andy Roddick has been shown the door in a five set thriller by an unseeded American John Isner.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Don't forget to read the 16th Point

Posted by Varun | Wednesday, September 2, 2009 | Category: , | 29 comments

I did this tag only because it is a no holds barred tag. Had fun doing it! Thanks Spike for tagging me.

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn on page 18 and find line 4.
"He stared at it". Book closest to me - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can & catch air?
Naa... I caught a water bottle
3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?
Dejavu in Hindi. Wo haath se nikal raha hai. Usse pakdo! LOL :)
4. Without looking, guess what time it is?
12:30 pm
5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?
12:36 pm
6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
Sounds of tring tring and few colleagues discussing work!
7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing? –
I stepped outside to come to office.
8. Before you started this Q&As, what did you look at?
Gtalk chat window and my Google reader window.
9. What are you wearing?
Beige trousers (I know! It is very confusing but I know what colour beige is) / Striped maroon shirt.
10. When did you last laugh?
Last night. When my little nephew uttered something in his own language.
11. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
Paint and lots of posters.
12. Seen anything weird lately?
Promos of London Dreams. Two old guys dreaming of becoming rock stars! Wow! Can there be anything weird than this!? :)
13. What do you think of this quiz?
Brilliant! Complete time pass!
14. What is the last film you saw?
Woody Allen's critically acclaimed Annie Hall (1977).
15. If you became a multimillionaire overnight, what would you buy?-
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.
16.

This is cheating! You cannot scroll directly to 16th point. Go back to 1 and
don't skip 16 :)

Tell me something about you that I dunno!
My blog crossed ten thousand hits last week. Yey!! Yippee!! Thanks readers. You are all awesome! Keep visiting Varun's Digital Diary :)
17. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
I'll probably erase the poverty line. Rest would fall in its place automatically.
18. Do you like to Dance?
Yeah... Dhan Te Nan :)
19/20. Imagine your first child is a girl /boy, what do you call her/him?
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 :)
21. Would you ever consider living abroad?
Yes. But, Ye Mera India. I love my India. I'll come back for sure.
22. What do you want GOD to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?
Hey Buddy! I just closed the Pearly gates. It is full. Go home and come back whenever you desire. Get out now. Shoo :)

I am not tagging anyone in particular. Anybody who liked the tag is free to pick it up.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Potpourri

Posted by Varun | Tuesday, August 11, 2009 | Category: , , , , , , | 29 comments

It 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!

Travelogue
I had been to few picturesque locales near Mysore last month. That explains why I was not able to post during weekends :)

1. Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta - 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 (fog/mist) 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.


2. Backwaters of Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) Dam - 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.


3. Gagana Chukki and Bhara Chukki Water Falls (Shivana Samudra) - It is the Mandyan Niagara :). Around 122 kilometers from Bangalore, this is definitely a place worth visiting during rainy season.



If you require more details about the scenic locales, drop me an email. I'll be more than happy to provide them.

Movies

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.

Television

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.

Award

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!



The rules for this tag are as follows:

1. Link the person who tagged you.
2. Display award on your blog with these rules
3. Reply to the questions below
4. Tag 7 people deserving the award according to you
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

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)
2. The Date when you were tagged: 11/07/2009, 16/07/2009, 28/07/2009 and 30/07/2009,
3. Seven people I tag are :

Arnab - http://arnabchakraverty.blogspot.com/
Chandan - http://errandsnsojourns.blogspot.com/
thethoughtfultrain - http://thethoughtfultrain.wordpress.com/
Richa - http://wwwrichaagarwal.blogspot.com/
Shivya - http://theshootingstar.wordpress.com/
Vivek - http://vivek1186.blogspot.com/
Archana - http://apensievetoofull.blogspot.com/

Tag

Tagged by four, Here I go,

A – Available/Single? Both :)
B – Best friend? Have many!
C – Cake or Pie? Cake
D – Drink of choice? Water. Any day!
E – Essential item you use every day? Cellphone
F – Favorite colour? No idea. I like all of them.
G – Gummy Bears Or Worms? Yuk! None
H – Hometown? Mandya/Bangalore
I – Indulgence? Chocolates
J – January or February? February :) Work for 28 days and get full salary.
K – Kids & their names? None.
L – Life is incomplete without? Stupid question
M – Marriage date? Check my answer to the first question.
N – Number of siblings? 1 Sister
O – Oranges or Apples? Oranges
P – Phobias/Fears? Claustrophobia
Q – Quote for today? http://www.quotationspage.com/qotd.html
R – Reason to smile? Have lots of them
S – Season? Spring
T – Tag 3 People? I already have!
U – Unknown fact about me? I don't like doing tags
V – Vegetable you don't like? Muli, Spinach
W – Worst habit? I don't have any ;)
X – X-rays you've had? One during my childhood and one after I joined my company.
Y – Your favorite food? Home cooked food
Z – Zodiac sign? Sagittarius

Sports

1. Formula-1
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.

2. Cricket
Cricketers are scared that their clubbing days in fact nights with film stars will be over if they sign WADA.

3. Badminton
Hope India wins the world championship title this year. If not, we will definitely see Saina in next Farah Khan movie.

4. Hockey
Is anybody still playing it? :)


News

1. Swine Flu - *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.

This is what that email read!

If you wake up looking like this, please don't come to office :)




2. What!? - Swine Flu is the only thing that I get to read in news papers these days!

Potpourri looks extremely full. Will stop before it explodes and I promise to blog regularly from now on.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Few things don't need surveys

Posted by Varun | Tuesday, July 7, 2009 | Category: , , , , , | 57 comments

1. 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.

(Source: Google Image Search)

2. Most of the Kannada conversations in Bangalore start with 'Nimage Kannada Baratta!?' which translates into ‘Do you know Kannada!?’

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 :)

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. :)

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.

6. When it comes to jokes on people or communities, Sardar jokes are the one to beat. Blonde jokes comes close second.

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.

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.
(Source: Google Image Search)

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.

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.
(Source: Google Image Search)

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 :)

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?

13. Kids playing with marbles and kids playing Lagori (Pitthu or Sitoliya) are extinct or is it the other way round?

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 .

15. And last but not the least; I change my blog template every 6 months :)


PS: 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.

PPS: 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.

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