Random rants of Janus

My Teachers...

2009-04-28T17:46:00.004-05:00

From the title, you might have assumed that this post is about my teachers and what I've learned from them... Unfortunately, no... This post is about the numerous thrashings I've received at the hands of my school teachers.. I'll name just the few that I can recall now.. Almost all of them seem to be from my 8std to 10std...

The one that is etched on my mind is my Maths II teacher in 8th or 9th in SBOA, Coimbatore.. She taught me Geometry and her name was Chitrakala . On that day, I dont remember why (I'm sure I deserved it), but Chitrakala Miss was very angry. She came right to my desk and gave a nice knuckle punch ("Kottu") on my head. I was feeling a little wobbly.. That's when she realized that the red stone (or, maybe it was a little ruby) from her ring had fallen off. She asked me to pick it up even as I was still reeling under the blow delivered a few seconds ago.. As I bent down to pick it up, another wise-ass picked it up and gave it to her before I could. She said "Idiot" and then left.. I know I'm making it sound very brutal.. But believe me, everytime I talk about it, I'm laughing like hell!

Another incident happened around the same time.. Our school was still being constructed at that time and so all big events (Valedictory and Inaguration functions) were held in a makeshift auditorium that was created by removing the tarpaulin sheets that separated one class room from another. As we sat waiting for the chief guest to arrive, we were all talking to each other. You can imagine how loud it must have been when everyone is talking. Our P.T master (his name was Sam Sir) was trying to get people to be silent. But, only the small region he was standing in seemed to take notice of him. That's when he summoned me. Readers, you have to understand how the mind of a school boy worked during those times. I thought that I was being called to be handed down a responsibility (maybe to mind a part of the crowd or maybe even welcome the chief guest or something). So I walked over with so much pride and enthusiasm. As soon as I went and stood near him, I heard a thundering sound. I realized that he had slapped me very hard in front of the whole auditorium. Then, there was silence! Sam Sir shouted out saying that the next person to talk would get a tighter slap. And that he was making an example out of me.. Grrr..

And then I remember the cane/scale shots that I've gotten from other teachers.. Nothing really worth mentioning though..

And this one time, I was playing the 'pen game' (the one you play with Reynolds pens on desks, trying to hit the other guys pen out of the desk in one shot) with my friend Arun Prasad. Right after my shot, I saw from the corner of my eye that our Principal (Mr. Chandramouli) was entering our classroom. I ran and sat in my place. Poor Arun Prasad. He was still trying to work that shot from an angle and was facing away from the door. The Principal pulled him out and slapped him right there.. (and maybe he took him to his office as well.. I forget). I'm sure Arun gave me a piece of his mind when he came back .. Hehehe..

I've studied in 7 schools .. Avila Convent (from when it used to be a co-ed), Carmel Garden , SBOA Matric, Stanes (All in Coimbatore), Boston Matriculation, Adarsh Sr. Sec School (both in Chennai) and Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan's Bhavans Gandhi Vidyashram (Kodaikanal). But strangely enough I don't remember getting hit by my teachers in any of the other schools. Hmmm..

Face of terror

2008-11-26T17:56:00.005-06:00

It's been a while since I wrote a blog... However, this post is to vent my frustration and anger at the series of terrorist attacks that happened in Mumbai today...

Right now, I'm feeling a combination of emotions.. Although there's sadness and grief over the unfortunate loss of so many innocent lives, I feel a great sense of anger, frustration, disbelief and hurt. How could this keep happening? Is the government of India really doing anything to prevent this? How long is the government going to be in the reactive mode? Maybe they are doing things, what happened today only proves that it is not enough.

Also, the false sense of pride that the people are very resilent and will withstand any terror attack is only adding to the woes. I can see the news channels showing thousands of people continuing to travel on trains and buses to work tomorrow as if nothing has happened. What they dont realize is that those people do not have a choice. Its not that they are not afraid, just that they can not miss a day's work. Life goes on, they will say... How I hate that term now...

What happened today was also significant because of the openness of the attacks.. How emboldened these terrorists must be to come out in the open and attack innocent people?

Something else that comes to my mind is the continued terrorist attacks in places like Kashmir, NorthEastern states, SriLanka and Pakistan (not to mention Iraq, Afghanistan or the many African countries). It's an almost everyday occurance there and these attacks aren't even front page news for the rest of the world/country. It's almost like no body cares what happens in those places.. What will happen now is that all the countries will condemn this violence and then carry on as usual. In a couple of months, all will be forgotten until another attack like this happens! I wish the Indian government will prove me wrong this time and bring the culprits to justice this time.

Lady with the red spider

2006-05-19T13:09:00.000-05:00

A couple of days back, I was waiting in the parking lot of my apartment for a friend to pick me up. He was already late by 10 minutes. I called him and he told me that he'll be outside my house in 5 minutes. And so I decided to sit on the stairs facing the parking lot. (For those wondering why I didnt go back up to my apartment or just wait inside, I injured my leg last month and walking up the stairs is still a pain.)

A few minutes passed. A gentleman from the next apartment complex walked up to me. He seemed to be headed in my direction and I was getting ready moving myself to one side of the stairs to allow him to pass through. He greeted me and I reciprocated. Then, we did some small talk about the weather that afternoon. I also told him I had been waiting for almost 15 minutes for my friend to pick me up.

For ease of understanding, here's the rest of our conversation:

Him: So, you've been waiting for 15 minutes? Did you see a girl with a red spider?
(I was a little confused, I didnt know if I heard him correct)
Me: Excuse me?
Him: I'm waiting for my friend. She's supposed to meet me here.
Me: No. I didnt see anyone like that.
Me: Did you say she had a red spider?
Him: Yeah.

(Silence...)

Right then, a car drove towards us. I saw that it wasn't my friend and so, I looked away. But, the guy I was talking to, turned to me and said that his friend was here and waved a bye-bye and went towards the car. That was when I realized... The color of the car was Red and the model was a 'Toyota Spyder'!!

Vote for ... (2)

2006-04-27T18:23:00.000-05:00

Disclaimer: The following is my view on the present political scenario in Tamil nadu. It might not be in conformance with actual ground realities. So, beware :)

Will Vaiyapuri's joining Komalavalli change anything this time in Tamil nadu's assembly elections? Wondering who Vaiyapuri and Komalavalli are? Ofcourse I am talking about our dear Vaiko and Jayalalitha. It was a little while ago that I came to know their real names. My view: Nothing might have changed with respect to poll arithmetic, but it has had an effect on the enthusiasm and confidence levels on either side. It is a little hard to digest that Vaiko can join hands with someone who put him behind bars for almost 18 months. But then, this is politics and in the words of a wise man - "Arasiyal-la idhellam sagajamappa" ( Things like this happen in Politics).

I feel that AIADMK alliance started the campaign with a distinct edge over the DMK alliance. With Vaiko's fiery speeches and Jaya's development plank, their campaign seemed to be reaching the people. But being the shrewd and wise man that he is, Karunanidhi came up with the Rs.2 rice and color TV scheme. Impractical as it may sound, people started to take notice. And the AIADMK camp couldn't ignore this fact. This led to a slew of concessions from each side with Jayalalithaa announcing 10 kgs of free rice and Vijayakanth announcing 15 kgs of free rice through the PDS. It didnt stop there. Vijayakanth has announced a free cow to each household and also Rs. 500 every month to every house-wife. At that point, I felt that the AIADMK alliance was loosing out on the advantage that it held. The DMK alliance seemed to be catching up.

But, in the last 2 days, something else has come up. The news about Dayanidhi Maran allegedly pressuring the Tatas to give Sun TV a stake in the DTH venture that they have started in alliance with the Star network. The newspaper reports say that Maran had blackmailed the Tatas to give up a 33% stake or face consequences. This is a serious charge and as expected Jayalalithaa is bound to exploit this situation. Let's see if this could really change anything.

This election is going to be nail-biter and both the alliances are going to fight to the finish. Let's see what happens. Personally, I am in favor of a 3rd term for Jayalalithaa this time. Let' see....

Vote for ... (1)

2006-04-24T20:23:00.000-05:00

Its election time back home in Tamil nadu. Its that time of the year when people will get to see someone they will not see for another five years (Hehehe .. Ofcourse, I was referring to the MLAs).

To me elections are as interesting as the World Cup cricket matches. I'm hooked on to the TV news, newspapers, talk shows and any other source of election news. Many years back, the duo of Pranoy Roy and Vinod Dua would host the election special programmes. They would come up with Pie-charts and statistics interspersed with interviews with politicians. I dont know why and how, but I was somehow very fascinated by all this and the fascination continues to date.

I remember my first experience of voting in an election. There were no voter ID cards at that time. I dont even remember if they asked us for identification. I voted for the DMK and they won. Sadly, that was the last time I voted too. I have been out of Coimbatore ever since.

Elections are a season of surprises and promises. And this election is no different. We have seen some parties walk across alliances like they had a pedestrian crossing between them. Not much effort is needed for people to jump from one side to another. Then, there's the mud slinging among the politicians. If you've ever been to a road side election meeting, you will know what I am talking about. The speakers (mostly ward or block level leaders or sometimes even 'professional speakers') reserve the choicest of words to describe their opponents. And promises... dont even get me started on that. Parties and candidates will promise you the moon. They do it election after election and always seem to get away with it.

Sadly, many people dont care about elections and simply dont vote because they have lost faith in the entire process. To them, the elections are just a farce and feel that it wouldnt really change anything. For many others, its the payback time. They try to get as much out of a candidate in forms of gifts (which range from Biriyani packets to liquor to utensils and clothes). This is their way of getting something out of the candidates who end up robbing them for the next five years.

To be contd... (Have to run now.. Been invited to dinner somewhere :))

Sleepless in Seattle..

2006-04-13T03:35:00.000-05:00

How much I tried not to use this title!! I knew that it would be the most banal and hackneyed expression that one could use when living in Seattle. But, I simply couldn't resist it. So, forgive me for that. (Quick update: In the past 6 non-blogging months of my life, I completed my Masters degree, found myself a job with Microsoft and moved to Seattle.)

So, I'm lying in my bed at 1:53 AM on a Thursday morning (technically) and suddenly it occurs to me to write a blog. And here I am. I know for sure that I should be sleeping now and that I'll regret this decision tomorrow when my alarm goes off at 7:30am. A little voice inside me would say-"Couldnt you have slept a little earlier?? Now, your eyes are red, you are going to be sleepy all day and unproductive at work. So, why dont you just sleep for 5 more minutes and then I'll wake you up myself. Dont worry about resetting the alarm, its only 5 minutes, I will wake you up".

And the foolish me will agree and say "Only 5 minutes, okay? Not a minute more". After a extended 5 minute period that happened to last for almost an hour, I would jump out of the bed, curse myself and rush to the bathroom, skip my morning coffee (these days its back to bournvita) and reach work at little after 9:00AM. As I drive to work, I would promise myself that I will be early to bed and early to rise the next day. Nowadays, even I dont believe that when I say it to myself :))

Lotsa things to blog about. Will be back here again soon..

PS: BTW, is anyone still visiting this page?? Guess I'll find out soon :))

Chennai - What is happening?

2005-10-03T16:32:00.000-05:00

Chennai as we know is one of the more conservative metros in our country. Somehow, most of us are proud to know that we have managed to retain our culture against the increasing influence of western culture. But over time, I think our politicians have gone overboard by trying to "enforce culture".

A couple of months back I read about the illogical censoring of a Tamil movie that was released almost a year ago. Apparently, it was re-censored because politicians felt that the movie was immoral and was degrading our culture. They protested by felling 50 year old trees on national highways. Incase you hadnt notice, these trees are the real reason for our degrading moral values !! Anyways, thats a different issue altogther. Now, coming to another important issue.

For the last 2 weeks, Chennai was at the center of media attention unfortunately for all the bad reasons. First off, it was actress Khushboo who had to apologize for airing her views on pre-marital sex. Then, it was a 5 star hotel whose license was revoked and had to close because a few party crashing journalists found couples kissing on the dance floor. And lastly, a engineering college student was 'ragged' by his principal and staff for wearing a dark coloured shirt and talking to girls! Blasphemous!!!

As regards to Khushboo's views, I personally dont agree to it and neither do many other people in Tamilnadu. So what? Does that in anyway change her right to say what she wants? Doesnt she live in a country that gives its citizens freedom of speech? I used to think so. But, I am having serious doubts now. So, Khushboo said something and you dont like it. Go ahead and voice your protest. But, burning her effigies? Legal actions? Isnt that going a little too far. We have to understand that different people have different opinions and learn to tolerate views you dont agree with or support.

About closing Park hotel. People, tell me - WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING? Kissing is now crime? That too on dance floors. I think the police and politicians should realize that they have more important things to take care of. Does the police diary read something like this:

1. Capture/Kill Veerappan - DONE
2. Find couples kissing on 5 star hotel dance floors and revoke licenses - DONE
3. ....
4. ....

The couple happened to be guests at a private party. Whats wrong in them kissing each other. Maybe the party crashing journalists should be arrested for trespassing.

Lastly, a student from MNM Jain Engineering college, Chennai was pulled up by his principal for breaching the dress code by wearing a red shirt to college. If you might remember, all engineering colleges under Anna University are bound by 'The Dress Code' which bans T-shirts and jeans. But, this college has taken it to a whole new level by adding additional regulations banning dark colored shirts. Are we in Chennai darkest days?

Seriously people. Something's wrong.

Daddy cool

2005-09-25T13:04:00.000-05:00

Hey...Guess what? My dad is a blogger. Check this out

vinodad.blogspot.com

Believe me folks, I did not make him create this id. Anyway, his first post is cool. I think you guys should check it out.

Hawzo's here

2005-08-25T19:11:00.000-05:00

Its not like a normal blog. I've rewritten the first line atleast 15 times. I probably have writer's block because I havent blogged in a long time.

What was the big news that I said I would announce in a week? For folks that are still interested, here it is. Over the summer, me and my friend Karthik made a new website. Its called "Hawzo.com". The website is a place where people can lend and borrow books among themselves. Its like the ebay concept with lending & borrowing instead of selling & buying.

We've launched this website with restricted access to our university students. (You can still go there and check out the site). We also have plans to extend this to a business venture if the response to the website is as we hope it would be.

So, thats my big news!!

Sorry folks... Couldnt break it earlier because of some other constraints...! And, sorry for having made you all wait!!

More later!!

Vinod

Something to say!

2005-07-11T10:56:00.000-05:00

I have something to tell you all...No!! I am not getting married! No !! I havent gotten myself a new job! This is something more dearer and important to me.

Dont know how many people are still reading this blog. Some of you know about this already and most of you dont! Why am I shrouding all this in secrecy? Its all for a reason. I will break the big news in a week from today!!

Countdown starts!! Am excited!!!

Zzzzzz...

2005-06-02T13:35:00.000-05:00

Had decided to take a small nap from blogging, turned out to be a big slumber.

So, I've officially graduated (although I still havent completed my final project). My family and friends turned up and made it special for me. My parents were here only 3 days and my mom made my favorite puttu, adai etc...We had a dosa party at home (Courtesy: My mom and one of my friends here). It was all fun! Ofcourse, there were a lot of tense moments. Like the time when I stood in the graduation ceremony without my gown because it was being brought in another car (which got caught in the traffic) and another time when I dropped my friend off at the airport terminal 10 minutes before her flight and we found out that we were in the wrong terminal. But overall, things turned out fine.

I went to Smoky mountains for the memorial weekend. Maybe, I'll blog abt it next.. Lets see...

The inertia was getting built pretty rapidly and I just wanted to break the proverbial ice with this post! Will come back with a better one soon...

Evolution or Creation?

2005-05-10T14:15:00.000-05:00

I know this is a very sensitive issue. But, what the heck. Its only what I think that I write here. Doesnt really have to be right (or even true for that matter).

Centuries back, there was this raging debate about whether the earth was flat or round. We've come a long way since and the church has infact accepted that the world is round. Another serious matter of contention between the two sides is the theory about the origin of life. Was it created by a divine force or did it evolve over the ages?

I dont know how many of you saw this on the news. Schools in Kansas are engaged in a bitter battle now over the inclusion of Darwin's theory of evolution in the school syllabus. The scientific community is hell bent on making a point by including this in the syllabus while those who believe in the creation theory think that this is a serious affront to their religious beliefs.

What should be done? If you ask me, I'd tell you to make both theories known to the kids. Let them decide when they think they need to choose one over the other. I've been taught evolution in school but I still believe in the existence of God and also that there was a divine hand in the creation of the world. I sometimes even think that evolution in itself a divine doing. Maybe, God wanted us to be a monkey before he made us a human. Maybe, he wanted us to appreciate the faculties we have by giving it to us one by one.

Bouquets - I do not expect for this. Brickbats - I do.... So, keep them coming!

Rajini effect

2005-05-08T17:54:00.000-05:00

You probably already have been bored to death talking/reading about this.. Anyway, I decided to make your turn in your grave by doing another article on this topic from a slightly different angle though.

According to trade reports, superstar Rajnikanth's latest Tamil movie "Chandramukhi" (CM) is running to packed houses in India and doing great business overseas. Supposedly, Chandramukhi has broken a lot of records of the Indian movie business in the US. Well, this post is not a review of the movie. I wont talk of the great experience I had when I watched the movie in Kansas City. (For that, you'll have to see our pic on rajinifans.com/cm_theater/usa.asp ). I wont even talk about the breaking of coconuts and aarthi puja of Rajni's image on the screen in New Jersey. I'm going to talk about the effect this star has on a tiny little fan of his!

My little niece Ashmita (who is 5 years now) is a big fan of Rajnikanth. When she was 2 years old, her mother (my sis) had to keep the Padayappa DVD running to get her to eat. I dont know what she understood of it, but she simply loved it. No one in our house is a fanatic Rajini Fan, although everyone likes Rajini and his movies. And no one ever forced this thing on her. She simply liked Rajini by her own choice!! I dont understand how Rajini could have an effect on a small kid who lives thousands of miles away from this place where Rajini rules.

This time around when CM was being released in Salt Lake City (thats where Ashmita lives), she decided to do something nice for her fellow American friends. One day when she was watching a CM commercial on SUN TV, she said to my sister "Mom, You know what? I am going to write a book. Its going to be called 'Chandramukhi'. All these American people dont understand Tamil and so, they cant see Chandramukhi. So, I'll write this book in English and everyone can enjoy it"

If Rajini can still make tiny little fans like this, I am sure he can continue doing his style (some people will call it antics, not me though) and be called the one true Superstar of Tamil cinema.

6300 !!

2005-05-01T21:11:00.000-05:00

Wondering what this number is? Its the amount of time I spent over the phone last month! Damn it! It is 4 WHOLE DAYS! Didn't realize I've been wasting so much of my time. I've made a resolution to contain it to atleast 3000 this month!!! So friends, if I dont call you as much as I did before, this is the reason.

Is there a way I can figure out how much time I spend on emails?

I read about this survey about the effects of emails on the human IQ. According to the survey, "Email users suffered a 10 per cent drop in IQ scores, more than twice the fall recorded by marijuana users, in a clinical trial of over a thousand participants. Doziness, lethargy and an inability to focus are classic characteristics of a spliffhead, but email users exhibited these particular symptoms to a "startling" degree". I have to agree with this. For me, email is a serious distraction. Earlier, when there were no email notifiers, I used to keep F5-ing my inbox every 30 seconds or so.

I dont feel good reading all this. I feel sleepy and lethargic already. Let me go and take a little nap :-)

The next 100 days

2005-04-22T16:38:00.000-05:00

The next 100 days of my life are going to be very important. (I started off with a number much smaller than 100, but eventually decided that I wont be able to do all that in that time). I am at the fag-end of my masters degree (or atleast, that what is my current plan!) and there are quite a few things lined up for me in these 100 days.

Let me start of with things that I am certain about. I will attend the 'Walk down the Hill' (Graduation ) ceremony on the 22nd of May. My parents are coming down from India (my graduation is certainly the reason they chose this date. Although their visit was planned 2 years back). My sister and her family (Yohooooo.. my little niece Ashmita too) will be here. A couple of friends plan to attend. Add to it the coincidence that its my Mom and Dad's 30th wedding anniversary on the 22nd of May. So,thats a big day for me!

This period of time will hopefully see me writing the last examination of my life (I've been saying this for some years now). I will also start off with my final project.

Now, the uncertain part. I will probably defend my project in August (after sweating out through the whole of summer :-) ) . I will also have to start looking out for a job! If/When I get one (my Mom/Dad get wild when I say "if i get a job" ), I will probably have to move out of Lawrence which has been my home for 1 1/2 years now. Hmm...Thinking of that, I grown to like Lawrence very much now. I've made some good friends here. It was like a big break for me after working for almost 4 years. I will probably miss Lawrence a lot!

So, busy days ahead!

And Sasi, Hope you had a great bday (yesterday)!

Farewell

2005-04-20T21:04:00.001-05:00

Today, our college mathematics professor Dr. Kanakaraj died of a heart attack. He is one of the best teachers I've ever had all my life. There were lots of things about him that I admired. Apart from the fact that he was a very good mathematician, I liked it that he never had favorites in class. He treated everyone equal and gave us all respect ( Back in India, I think thats something we rarely get from our teachers).

I will remember him for tossing those little bits of chalk at those who were whispering or wandering away. I will remember him for being very helpful to my dad when he went to his house to get my recommendation letters signed. I will remember him for being the good person that he was. And most of all, I will remember him for always giving his best to all his students.

Farewell Sir! May your soul rest in peace. We will hope and pray that the God Almighty gives your family, courage and strength during this period of grief.

How I wish !

2005-04-14T22:47:00.000-05:00

Its always during days like these that I miss home the most. Its Vishu (Mallu Newyear's day) and Tamil Puththandu ( Tamil Newyear) today!!

Back home, the day would have begun with my parents waking me up, covering my eyes and dragging me to see the 'chithirai kani' or 'vishu kani' ( its an beautiful arrangement of fresh fruits, vegetables, currency notes, silk clothes, jewelry, a lighted lamp and a mirror). What a sight it would have been!

My mom would let me sleep for some more time. And as soon as I wake up, I would take a nice oil bath ( well, the oil part is optional not the bath) and then make a visit to the temple. We would come back to a hot breakfast that mom has already laid out on the table for us. I would then start watching special programmes on SUN TV (Solomon Pappaiya's patti mandram, new tamil songs and ofcourse one 'India tholaikaachigal mudhal murayaga' Tamil movie) . My mom and dad would try to switch the channel to Surya or Asianet hoping to catch some Mallu programs! Although I usually dont let that happen :-)

We would get 'Vishu Kai-neetams' where elders in the family give money/blessings (had to include 'blessings' to make it sound a little more decent) to the young ones. It used to be a day when money only comes in. But, as I got older, money also goes out :(

And what festival would it be without good food! We will be treated to a grand and sumptous 'Sadhya' - a traditional kerala lunch. With Pappadam, Payasam, Yeruseri, Sambar, Rasam, Upperi and lots of other yummy stuff!

How much I miss all that !!

Life

2005-04-06T00:41:00.000-05:00

The world saw two lives being brought to an end last week. These two people had been sick and ailing for a long time. And their death was never a surprise and was an event in the happening for sometime now. But, the similarity ends there. I am talking about the death of Pope John Paul II and Terri Schiavo.

Last week, I also saw this movie called 'The Sea Inside'. It is based on the true story of a man who was a quadriplegic ( paralyzed from the neck down). He waged a long and unsuccessful legal battle to end his life 'with dignity'. To him , Life without freedom was not life. In the end, he manages to take his life and tells the world that life is a right and never an obligation!

In Terri's case, things were a little different. She remained in a semi-comatose state for many years after her accident. Her husband, Michael Schiavo was the one who made the decision to end her vegetative existence. He opined that Terri would find more peace in her death and thought she would have had done the same thing (if she could have).

The Pope, on the other hand, lived through his life fulfilling his obligations as the guardian of the Roman Catholic Church. His ailments and illness did not keep him from giving up. During the last few years, the Pope appeared frail and weak and Parkinson's seemed to get the better of him. Even during the days of his suffering, when asked about the Terri Schiavo case, he felt that the end of life is a question only in the hands of God. He also believed that death was not something that must be in the hands of politicians or in the hands of physicians, but in the hands of God only.

People see life in different ways! For one, life without freedom is life without dignity. For the other, death offers more peace than a useless life. And for the other, life in itself is never yours. The only thing in your hands is the way you live it.

The relations I see in these deaths might simply be because they happened in the same week. Dont know if any of this makes any sense. Anyways!

Poor shopkeeper

2005-03-25T04:01:00.000-06:00

This happened some years ago. It was my aunt's first death anniversary. Our whole family was gathered around my aunt's cemetery for a small prayer meeting. The ritual also included preparing a sumptous meal and offering it to the dead person. My mom, her sisters and my aunt's daughter prepared my aunt's favorite dishes and offered it to her on a plaintain leaf.

Suddenly someone remembered that my aunt loves icecream and that we did not bring any icecream for her. My mom did not want to compromise on it and she asked me to buy some icecream from the nearest icecream parlor. So, my cousin and me got on a motorbike and went to a store that was only a few hundred meters from the graveyard.

We bought the icecream. The shopkeeper said that the icecream would start melting soon and enquired us where our house was. I told him that we didnt have to go far and that it was opposite to Carmel Garden School. The shopkeeper seemed dumbstruck. The graveyard was the only thing opposite to the school. I didnt realize that I had said that my house was there. My cousin started to laugh. But, being the bright guy that I am, I simply didnt understand. We walked away leaving the shopkeeper bewildered !!

The poor shopkeeper!

2005-03-14T22:14:00.000-06:00

Thought you might like it!

2005-03-09T00:42:00.000-06:00

Can you guess what this is?

Strange Coincidences!

2005-03-07T15:42:00.000-06:00

Sometimes things just happen! No amount of reasoning can give you a satisfactory explanation of how and why things happen!

Five years back when I came out of my new-entrant training program in Tata Infotech, the HRAG (Human Resource Allocation Group) put me into this project called DSSP. At the end of the first day, I made up my mind to talk to the HRAG manager to request a reassignment to a different project. The reason: I attended a project seminar on the first day and I didnt understand a word of what was being said. This guy was explaining how to analyze a kernel dump image. All I saw was thousands of bytes of hexadecimal data projected on the screen. The only reason they put me in the project was because I was a Comp. Sci major. But my perseverance (read as laziness) advised me to stick on for one more day. The next day I found out that the onsite team for the project was in Salt Lake City, Utah. And suddenly everything changed.

How ?? My sister lives in Salt Lake City. She and my bil own a Indian restaurant in SLC (thats how we liked to call it). From that moment on, I started dreaming! And before long, I saw that dream come true. Many of my relatives (in Coimbatore and Kerala) still think that my sister 'took me to the US'. Were it California, New Jersey or Chicago - there's a chance that my company could have sent me. But, to Salt Lake...No way! It had to be my sister. No one ever believes that it was just a big coincidence. Now, I've stopped explaining.

And how come I am writing about this today? My friend(1) was telling me about his friend(2), who was coming for an onsite assignment to St. Louis (Missouri) sometime in summer. Later in the evening, I got an email from my close friend(3) ( totally unrelated to (1) and (2) ) telling me that she's into this new project thats has its onsite based in St. Louis. Thats not all. Turns out that its the same project as (2) and guess what? Moments later, they both are talking to each other!! And all this happened in one day!

Things happen!

PS: After completing the post, I realized that a 3rd person might not find this THAT strange a coincidence. But, to me, it was !!

King without a kingdom !!

2005-03-02T15:00:00.000-06:00

How I love the Indian politician! There's never a dull moment in Indian Politics. And today's post is about the best among the lot ! You can love him or hate him but you can never ignore him. He's the one and only "Laloo Prasad Yadav" , the king of Bihar, India's most lawless, corrupt and backward state.

A couple of years back, during investigations into the fodder scam, the High court of Patna issued a non-bailable warrant against Laloo. As a strict follower of the law, he immediately gave up the chief minister's post, promptly appointed a dummy in his place and then went on to rule the state just like before. State officials were required to report to him in the jail. And now, he's a powerful Union Cabinet minister in the Manmohan Singh government even though all the cases are still pending against him. Thats Laloo for you! Thats what he is capable of!

But, looks like the 'Laloo charm' didnt have the desired effect in this elections. Although, the RJD turned out to be the single largest party, it looks like there is no way he'll be able to get Rabri back to the CM's seat. The horse trading sessions have begun and the legislators must be assessing themselves after their victories (in rupee terms ie. ). The undecided independents and the legislators of the smaller parties will soon prove their 'worth' by showing the public the true essence of India's democracy!

Thinking of which, I wonder why we still call it the CM's seat..why not CM's office.. why is the seat so important? I guess we still equate the CM's chair with the King's throne. This might also explain the reason why politicians act so detached after they seat themselves on the throne. Maybe they start thinking they are emperors themselves.

Anyway, Laloo's taken a beating this time. But, being the survivor that he is, I am sure its only a matter of time before he bounces back. And believe me,the way things work, I wouldnt be surprised if he manages this in a week's time!!

Jai Hind!

Google Goliath

2005-02-26T13:53:00.000-06:00

A poll conducted by MSN Search found that search engines are the first port of call for nearly half of men seeking advice. Family are consulted by a third, while partners are the choice for only one in four men. Hmm...doesnt that mean men talk to search engines more than their girlfriends, colleagues and family? That is the power of search engines...That is the power of Google. I am sure some of you want to go and search for "poll +MSN search + seeking advice" on Google as soon as you finish reading this. Well, thats what I would do.

I simply love Google for the simple matter of fact that I can continue to remain ignorant on any topic and still get information I need on the topic with a mouse click. No more long hours in the library trying to find answers (and I dont mean answers to only my school assignments and homework). I sometimes wonder how it would have been to do homeworks/coding assignments when Google was not around. (Hate to have been studying when there was no Internet, no search engines !! )

As everyone continues to heap lavish praises on Google's speed/accuracy etc, there's something I would like to discuss. Google is now diversifying. Its into anything thats something on the internet. It now has its own mail service, map service, news site, ecommerce site, blogger site, photo organizer among a host of other services. And guess what?! Google now has its own domain name registration site !! Will Google start integrating these? Probably using something called a Google Passport to login. Coming to think of it...Will Google become the Microsoft of the Internet? Well, according to http://www.google-watch.org , that might well be in the offing. I wouldnt agree completely with what the site says (It potrays Google as the scheming sinister force that wants to take over your world). But, it was interesting to see things from another perspective.

PS: Comparing Google to Goliath was certainly a no-no. But, I simply couldnt resist the tempation to equate the growing Google giant to the biblical Giant who was killed by a shepherd's sling.

Nothing.

2005-02-22T02:10:00.000-06:00

This post is about 'Nothing'. Seinfeld fans can relate this to George and Jerry's idea for a TV show about 'Nothing'.

I simply dont know what to write today. But realize that people will stop seeing my blog if it isnt updated regularly. So, here we go..

My college basketball team (The KU Jayhawks) were handed their third consecutive loss today. This time at the hands of Oklahoma. At one point, we trailed by almost 19 points before making a comeback attempt by closing the lead to just one point. But, guess the effort was just not enough for a win. This is the first year I am following college basketball and I am already weak in my knee everytime KU loses. A couple of weeks back, we were the No.2 team in the country and now we've come down to No.8. :(

What else? The wireless card on my laptop's went crazy today. Cant seem to make it work. Spent almost 4 hours on it! Now, I have this long ethernet cable running across the room (tripping my roommates when they walk).

Even my little niece Ashmita had a sad story to tell me today. She did not get the 'Best singer' sticker in her kindergarden class. Maybe, my next post will be about her. !!

Although I dont feel sad or anything, after writing all this, I wonder if this has been a bad day for me !

Schumi vs Narain

2005-02-18T01:01:00.000-06:00

If you had read my first post (which reasoned the name 'Janus' for the blog), here's an instance of Janus-ism at its best.

I am sure most of you are aware that Narain Karthikeyan has been signed by Jordan to be their race driver for 2005. I have reason to be especially proud since Narain is from my hometown - Coimbatore. One more reason I relate to him is that, his younger brother was my classmate in school. How I wish I had moved more closely with him :-)

Also have to tell you that I am a great fan of Ferrari and Schumi.. ( Well, I was one of the Red Ferraristi, watching Schumi win in Indy last year.) So, this year Narain brings with him a truck load of confusion to my already confused head ! Although I understand (just like Narain would) that its going to be long way before Jordan even matches Ferrari standards, I kind of have this secret desire that Narain makes a podium finish (and maybe even break open the champagne) before the end of this year.

So, the 'Schumi vs Narain' in the title is in no way related to the race on the tracks...simply the confusion that looms in my head. Well, I've decided to go with the dark horse this time.

Go Narain !! Run those fellas over!

Black - Review

2005-02-16T17:14:00.000-06:00

Brilliant ! One word to sum up Amitabh Bachchan's performance in this movie.

Amitabh Bachchan has proved time and again that he still has it in him after so many years. KBC was his comeback vehicle after forgettable performances in movies like 'Lal Badshah' ( which I thought was Amitabh's biggest mistake). This time, its 'Black' that has taken Amitabh to a entirely new zone. The phoenix rises again from the proverbial ashes.

Just when you thought Amitabh was getting typecast in his new post-KBC avatar, he manages to break free from it. Seems Amitabh mentioned in an interview that he cant see himself beyond 'Black'. Well Mr. Amitabh, having seen you do this time and over, we know we can expect more like this. Hats off!

Also have to mention about:

The lil girl (Ayesha)- Simply awesome
The mom - Refreshingly natural. Pleasantly surprised at the importance given to the role.

I havent been a big fan of Sanjay Leela Bhansali after Devdas!! I hated that movie. (possibly because I can not see Shahrukh cry.. He's one of the worst criers in the world. And he does that so often too ). This movie takes him up a notch too.

So, anyone reading these posts? Need comments to improve. Or I am still going to keep writing like this.

2005-02-16T03:58:00.000-06:00

Janus Man

Janus Geek?

2005-02-16T03:17:00.000-06:00

Janusgeek?

For people who are wondering why my blogger name is Janus ( but are still lazy to not go and figure it out for themselves ) - this post is for you!

Janus is Greek God of something. He supposedly has 2 heads that point in entirely opposite directions. Relates to me coz I never seem to have the same belief on anything forever. One day, I regret having taken the decision to quit my job and do my masters degree. The next day (when I get to sleep till 12 noon) I am supremely confident that THAT was my best decision ever :-)

On a more serious note - This janus has his head looking to the East ( his motherland) and to the West (his fosterland) always. Naturally, his head leans a little more towards the East and he loves to take occasional digs at the West :-) So, what to expect from my posts? Nothing at all... it is going to be a series of rantings coming from a totally confused dude!!

Should stop referring to myself in the 3rd person (should also stop writing stuff within brackets). Well, hopefully things will get better with the next post.