New year wishes

I wish to see

• Fewer conflicts
• Fewer kids on the streets
• Happier people
• Better lives
• Better leaders
• Better roads in Bangalore :-)
• Cleaner air and water
• Greener Earth
• More friends
• More smiles
• Fewer tensions
• Fewer cricket matches :P
• Fewer calamities

in 2006. Wishing everyone a very very happy new year.

The year gone by

Its that time of the year again, when we dutifully look back, trying to figure out what we have done with our lives during the past year, and then make plans, build hopes for the year thats just waiting by the door. I wanted to write this tomorrow, but not sure if I'll get the time. Let's see, what did the year 2005 do to me? Well, this year Murphy's law caught up with me and everything that could go wrong went wrong. Only last friday, I was sort of relaxed, having tea with my friend, thinking that at last, the year is coming to an end, only one week to go, nothing else to go wrong now, and I was so happy hoping for a better year, when my sister called and asked me to come to hospital, my nephew was being admitted there. Four days, that little fellow went through hell, and I was like what the bloody heck ........ But no, this is not the time for whining. Count your blessings remember? So I gotta count now. The biggest blessing for me is that I've been reminded to count my blessings :-). Got carried away a little I guess, stopped counting and started asking for more. But now, I even stopped asking why me? Only to a certain point you see. After that, one almost stops caring. So, here goes a list of all that I've been blessed with in the year gone by -

• Money to spend on books, dvd player, dvds and a computer :-)
• Joined guitar classes, bought a guitar and started practising
• Strength to withstand everything without ever breaking infront of others
• Survived a couple of accidents, Thank you God
• Minor health problems, could have been worse right?
• Prayers answered with a Yes :-)
• Some dear friends' problems were solved and wishes came true
• A harmonica, learnt to play a couple of tunes on that
• Lots of memories to live with and fight against

That's quite a lot more than what I had hoped for. Looking forward to another wonderful year. May God bless one and all. Happy New Year to myself, all the people I love, all the people who love me and to everyone else :-).

Happy birthday sweetie

Tomorrow is my cousin's birthday. Want to wish her a very happy birthday and many more such birthdays to celebrate. Wonder how old she is now, should be 10 I guess. Dont know why it seems girls grow up faster than boys. I used to play with her a lot when I went home. Can't believe she's already 10. And her sister, she is already in her 7th standard. And it feels like only last year that they used to rush towards the gate whenever I went home, and both used to skip school whenever me or my sister visited. Last time I took them to fun world in may, they had a blast. Haven't spoken to them since. Wonder if she's missing me. So, here's to my sweet little sister. Happy birthday sweetie. Wish you many many happy returns of the day. Wish you every happiness in the world and more.

The Fountainhead

After reading through the first chapter, I felt like Ayn Rand is too predictable. It's always going to be the same plot - one guy - fiercely individualistic, whole world against him trying to force him into submission, one guy who symbolises all the evil in the world (in the name of collectivism) and knows that, one guy who knows something is wrong with him and the world in general, doesn't know what it is but he can feel it when he sees the hero, the girl who thinks very much like the hero, loves him and punishes him/herself/both for that, the all powerful guy who acts against his every belief to accumulate all that power, who knows whats wrong with the world and uses it to his own advantage, and all the other characters supporting either the hero or the villain, who are mere spectators/listeners, just there to emphasize their beliefs. It was the same in Atlas Srugged, and in We the living. Wonder what she has gone through in the Soviet Union that she hates the idea of the collective so much. But this novel is different in that it depicts the conflict more vividly. That might be because this is the first novel in which she presented her idea of the heroic in man. In Atlas shrugged, the readers are expected to be already familiar with her ideas, and when I read that first, I was totally baffled. It took a lot of effort to gather and understand what was happenning and why it was happenning. But after reading this, I can identify lot of similarities between the two and I can make much better sense out of the former as well. Overall, a good read and there are certain passages that make me wonder how in the name of hell could she write something like that. But there's a little paradox I see here. Seems the novel became an instant classic. And people in the novel say if we can't comprehend what she is writing, it must be something great, about a character who happens to be a writer. Now could this be the reason why this book became a classic :P?

Nice one

Will definitely lift your spirits

God : Hello. Did you call me?
Me: Called you? No.. who is this?

God : This is GOD. I heard your prayers. So I thought
I will chat.
Me: I do pray. Just makes me feel good. I am actually
busy now. I am in the midst of something.

God : What are you busy at?
Me: Don't know. But I cant find free time. Life has
become hectic. It's rush hour all the time.

God : Sure. Activity gets you busy. But productivity
gets you results. Activity consumes time. Productivity
frees it.
Me: I understand. But I still cant figure out. By the
way, I was not expecting YOU to buzz me on instant
messaging chat.

God : Well I wanted to resolve your fight for time, by
giving you some clarity. In this net era, I wanted to
reach you through the medium you are comfortable with.
Me: Tell me, why has life become complicated now?

God : Stop analyzing life. Just live it. Analysis is
what makes it complicated.
Me: why are we then constantly unhappy?

God : Your today is the tomorrow that you worried
about yesterday. You are worrying because you are
analyzing. Worrying has become your habit. That's why
you are not happy.
Me: But how can we not worry when there is so much
uncertainty?

God : Uncertainty is inevitable, but worrying is
optional.
Me: But then, there is so much pain due to
uncertainty..

God : Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.
Me: If suffering is optional, why do good people
always suffer?

God : Diamond cannot be polished without friction.
Gold cannot be purified without fire. Good people go
through trials, but don't suffer. With that experience
their life become better not bitter.
Me: You mean to say such experience is useful?

God : Yes. In every terms, Experience is a hard
teacher. She gives the test first and the lessons
afterwards.
Me: But still, why should we go through such tests?
Why cant we be free from problems?

God : Problems are Purposeful Roadblocks Offering
Beneficial Lessons (to) Enhance Mental Strength.
Inner strength comes from struggle and endurance, not
when you are free from problems.
Me: Frankly in the midst of so many problems, we don't
know where we are heading..

God : If you look outside you will not know where you
are heading. Look inside. Looking outside, you dream.
Looking inside, you awaken. Eyes provide sight. Heart
provides insight.
Me: Sometimes not succeeding fast seems to hurt more
than moving in the right direction. What should I do?

God : Success is a measure as decided by others.
Satisfaction is a measure as decided by you. Knowing
the road ahead is more satisfying than knowing you
rode ahead. You work with the compass. Let others work
with the clock.
Me: In tough times, how do you stay motivated?

God : Always look at how far you have come rather than
how far you have to go. Always count your blessing,
not what you are missing.
Me: What surprises you about people?

God : when they suffer they ask, "why me?" When they
prosper, they never ask "Why me" Everyone wishes to
have truth on their side, but few want to be on the
side of the truth.
Me: Sometimes I ask, who am I, why am I here. I can’t
get the answer.

God : Seek not to find who you are, but to determine
who you want to be. Stop looking for a purpose as to
why you are here. Create it. Life is not a process of
discovery but a process of creation.
Me: How can I get the best out of life?

God : Face your past without regret. Handle your
present with confidence. Prepare for the future
without fear.
Me: One last question. Sometimes I feel my prayers are
not answered.

God : There are no unanswered prayers. At times the
answer is NO.
Me: Thank you for this wonderful chat. I am so happy
to start the New Year with a new sense of inspiration.

God : Well. Keep the faith and drop the fear. Don't
believe your doubts and doubt your beliefs. Life is a
mystery to solve not a problem to resolve. Trust me.
Life is wonderful if you know how to live

There are some answers that are real good which I've highlighted. My favorite - at times the answer is NO. To end it I'd like to add, Today is a gift, that's why it's called present. Life is wonderful if we know how to live.

Looking for a house

is not easy :-(. Am scared by just the thought that I have to start looking, and start soon. May be will start from this sunday. Hope I can find one quickly. Then moving would be another headache. Got to vacate the current one by end of next month. That reminds me, I forgot to give the spare key to our owner. He had asked for it so he can show the flat to other prospective tenants :P. I bet if anybody sees the flat in its present condition, they wouldn't even enter it :-). He was asking if there were any valuable things in the house. Ofcourse, there are many. My keyboard, guitar, music system, all my CDs, cassettes, books and the harmonica presented by Jd. Other than these, I wouldn't mind if anybody took anything else :-).

Out of office

Physiotherapy is over. No significant difference. The therapist seemed very disappointed. He was a nice guy. He did his best and I'd like to thank him for everything. Didn't get to see the doctor today. Got to ask him what I'm to do now that the therapy has totally failed. Left office at the usual time thinking I'll see the doctor and go home from there. But since he was not available, I came home early. Was not prepared to go back to office :P. Haven't written anything in the past week, so I thought I'd rather spend sometime here. So I came along, to an internet center and it is from there that I'm writing this. This reminds me, I had decided many months ago that I'll buy myself a computer and get an internet connection so I'll not miss this place when Im not at the office. Why didn't I do that yet? That would complete my personal entertainment collection and ensure that I'll never feel bored at home again.

Dilbert's principles

Got hold of it yesterday. The fountainhead is almost over. Will finish it today. Got Angels and Demons too but I dont know why I bought it. I'm not at all interested in reading that. Saw this one last week only but those guys were not ready to bargain. And though I very much wanted the book, I couldn't take it without bargaining :D. Finally, yesterday, I got it for what I wanted. Looking forward to a fun weekend :-)

I feel so sorry

for Ganguly. This is definitely not what he deserved. To me, it looked like he came to terms with his ego, understood what was wrong with him and showed the will, the determination to change things. And look what he got for it. It wouldn't have been so painful had he not been considered for the series at all. He would have worked harder. Tried harder. It wouldn't have been so painful had he not performed in the match, had he got out cheaply, tamely as he did on a lot of prior occasions. India won the match and he played his part. He showed that he was willing to change. He looked comfortable in the crease. He showed the world and himself that all was not over for him. And he gets dropped. Now what would he say to himself? How would he convince himself? Must be really hard on him. The reasons this time - he's not consistent with the bat, he is not threatening enough as a bowler and his fielding is a liablity. And to think that he was taken as an all-rounder for the first two tests. Didn't they know it then? Or as Gaurav said here, are they scared that they may not get a chance to sack him later if he comes good in this series? Whatever it is, I wish Ganguly wouldn't take it to heart and show the bunch of jokers what is the stuff he is made of. All the best Dada.

Congratulations Sachin

What a moment that was. Thought will have to wait till tomorrow. But suddenly he approached the magical figure so fast. Almost lost my breath when he edged the ball to the slip on 99. And then it came. The punch in the air. The jubilation of everyone in the ground. What a man. What an achievement. Hats off to Sachin Tendulkar.

Take care and all the best

Jack's landed in London. He left on tuesday. Flight was sometime early in the morning yesterday. He called yesterday night. Seems everything was cool. Wanted to write a bon voyage post for him. But I took off on tuesday and yesterday I was too busy to come this side. And what with the physiotherapy thing, I dont have enough time left to work in the office. Got to leave at 4:30 everyday. And there's so much work piling up. So I guess I'll have to stay away from my favorite place for a while now. So, I thought I'll write this one last thing as soon as I reach office today and then I'll get back to work. He may not be back again for an year. So, here's wishing him all the very best. You rock pal. Take care.

The results are out

Now I know what's ailing me. And I'm so relieved. Got the MRI reports today. Went through the report while waiting to meet the doctor. Was so glad to find the word normal written at so many places :-). The findings - straightening of the lumbar spine - that the doctor had already told me - that my lower back somehow had straightened itself, it was supposed to be curved; And a mild scoliosis with convexity to the left side. Whatever that is, the word mild gave me immense relief. The result of the pain is a bulge in the disc which is pressing the nerve that goes into my left leg. The doctor advised physiotherapy for a week. Depending on how I respond to the treatment, further course of action will be decided. Now that doesn't mean there is no cause for worry. Because, this seems to be the final stage before the disc comes out. That is what we call slip disc. And then I'm doomed. So, I got to be very careful from now on. Take good rest. No lifting anything. No riding bike :-(. Got to cut down on that. Take good care of my back. And attend the therapy sessions without fail. When the doc said physiotherapy, I remembered that, sometime ago, when I went to another doctor in another hospital, even he had advised the same but at that time, the pain wasn't so much and I neglected :D. Had I taken the therapy then, I guess this situation wouldn't have come. It could have been worse. Thank God it isn't. Anyway, I got to take good care of myself from now on.

Shaayari

log laut jaate hain gam hamara dekh kar
jaise lehar laut jaata hai kinaara dekh kar
mat kandha dena mere arthi ko tum
kahin zinda na ho jaayen tera sahara dekh kar

source: Bhagwant mann on the Great Indian laughter Champions

A test where copying is encouraged!

Well well well. Iam no big follower of the open source movement though I like the idea very much. The reason for putting this up here is that three of the 5 young engineers Moinak Ghosh, Pradhap Devarajan, Venkata Kishore, Sriram Popuri and Gangadhar Mylapuram mentioned in this article happen to be my classmates in college. So proud of you boys, way to go.

Kanyasulkam on TV

Starting this sunday, kanyasulkam is going to be aired on MAA TV. And Gollapudi is going to play Girisam. I had thought so many times earlier that he fits that role. Madhuravani is going to be played by Jayalalitha. Now I'm not very convinced with this. Not sure how good an actress she is to pull off this role. But I'm sure Gollapudi would do a wonderful job. Its a must watch.

5 lessons for IT pros from Team India

These are the lessons, in order.

Lesson #1: Discover yourself when on the 'bench'
Lesson #2: Be flexible
Lesson #3: Work on the weakness or be replaced
Lesson #4: Believe in the leader who has a vision
Lesson #5: It's all about teamwork

Well, the 'bench' concept, I guess came from the IT industry only. But the other things certainly apply to other areas of your life as well, not just your career I guess. Being flexible definitely helps. We may not be replaced if we do not work on weaknesses, or may be we will, say in a relationship :P. The leader, has to be God. Believe in Him, He knows best. And it's all about teamwork, whether it's family or a community or a country. Very valuable lessons indeed :-).

My first attempt at rhyming lines

Check it out here. Sure it can't be called a poem. But not sure what to call it. So, it's just a set of rhyming lines :-). Inspiration sure takes a person a long long way. Guess I should thank Smyta

Sightseeing

After lunch, we took a jeep and went on sightseeing trip. 6 places altogether to be seen. It was only for the first timers and so, I went with them just for the fun rather than actually sightseeing. We took them to all places and while the first timers enjoyed themselves, we regulars had fun. By the time we reached the end of the trip, the tiredness began to show. It was 5 pm by the time we returned to the rooms. Everyone wanted to take rest. Me, madhu and subbu went to have some masala tea :-). After that, we went to the room to take some rest. It was decided that we'll rest for may be an hour and then go back to the temple and sit at my favorite place. When we went to the room, we were not surprised at all by what we saw - everybody was already into deep sleep. Jack was on the phone. So, we three just rested and talked about everything. It was time to remember our batchmates in CRR. Inbetween, jack joined us and the conversation just went on. After may be an hour and a half, we decided it was time to go out. Enough of rest, we thought. Went out, had some snacks and went to the steps. Sat there for a good one hour talking about this and that. Then it was dinner time. Went back, had dinner and went to the room. One unfortunate incident happenned at this time, which sort of brought some discomfort between us. But knowing jack well enough, I knew I could set things right. And I did, when we came out again after taking some rest. From then on, it was as usual again, strolling around the temple, sitting on the steps (I just love that place), chatting on and then going back to the room, getting ready for darshan, standing in the queue, and waiting. By 1:30, we were in the queue. But we had to split up because the girls didn't get ready quickly enough. And when they came, they brought their mobiles, which is not allowed. So, they had to submit the mobiles at a counter and again join the queue at the end because of which they were far far behind us. Anyway, by 2:45, everyone was inside the temple, waiting for the doors to open. There were many VIPs I guess, so even though we were very early into the queue, we were still way behind in the temple. So, it took a long time for us to get a glimpse of the Lord from the outside. I was wondering what did I do that he's keeping me waiting for so long :P. But, this time, the darshan somehow was different I felt. I think we got to stay longer than usual, though the people were pushing us urging to move on. When in the temple looking at the Lord, I think nobody can think of anything else. We finished everything and were out by 4. After collecting the laddus, it was time to disperse. Jack and kanna were to stay behind, they were not coming to bangalore with us. Ourselves and the chennai brigade quickly packed and left. We dropped the chennai people at the busstand and went to Alamelumangapuram. I was dead tired by then, the previous day's fasting showing its effect now. So, I just sat in the vehicle while the others went in. Once they came back, we quickly went to the busstand, only to find out that the A.P.S.R.T.C. volvo at 8:45 was cancelled and the next one was only in the afternoon. Quickly went to the ksrtc counter. There, one bus was ready to leave. Next one was after 12. So, we got on to the bus, but only after confirming that he would stop for breakfast :-). Bought some biscuits to have in the meantime. The moment bus started, everyone drifted off into sleep. I guess I was the only one awake, though even I dozed off for small amounts of time. And so it was that the trip ended, and somehow I feel I got closer to Balaji after this trip :P.

Back home

Returned yesterday at around 1:30 pm. Went home, watched tv for a while and slept. Woke up at 9:30 pm. Didn't want to get out of bed, so I decided to forget dinner. Again watched tv for sometime and fell asleep. May be at 11. Woke up at 8:30 in the morning. Quickly got ready and started for office. My bike refused to start for a long time. Think the engine went dead because of the cold and 2 days of rest. Had a tough time getting it started. And by 9:40 I was at my seat again, trying to recollect where I had left off. Breakfast, a cup of tea, regular chores and a little work later, I'm back where I like to be - here. The trip was good. Initially we planned for only 3 or 4 guys to go but finally, we were 10. Myself, jack, kanna, madhu and 2 of Jack's colleagues and their cousin from bangalore. Subbulu, vasu (Madhu's bro) and his friend joined us from chennai. It was a horrible journey from bangalore to tirupathi. Started at 7 but it took almost an hour and half to get out of the city. And then he wouldn't stop for dinner. We were hungry and asked him several times when he would stop. Each time he said 1/2 an hour. Finally, around 10 pm, he stopped somewhere. Couldn't eat anything there, even though we were VERY hungry. It was that bad. After that naam ke vaasthe dinner, we started again. Everyone was sleeping. Me, as usual, awake, lost in my own world. It was 1:30 when the bus reached tirupathi. The other three were already there waiting. Seems all three came by the same bus. They even saw each other and wondered who they might be waiting for. And they were surprised that they were waiting for the same batch :-)). Then we started walking. Subbulu was shocked when I told that we were to walk. He asked why I didn't tell him beforehand. Why would I - I knew he wouldn't come if I had told him :P. We handed over the luggage at the cloakroom for transportation to tirumala and we started walking at around 2:30. Not much crowd, thanks to the land slide that was reported the day before and widely publicised by the newspapers. Therefore, the walk was pleasant, with the atmosphere cool and quiet. Being slow walkers, Kanna and subbulu started off early so they will not slow us down. We were surprised they covered so much distance, given their speed. We joined them maybe after one hour. They were taking rest, drinking glucose water :P. Here subbu received a shocking news, that I will be fasting the whole day and will not have anything other than tea. And that will be only after reaching tirumala. On the way, I'm not even going to drink water, and definitely I'm not going to sit and take rest. He asked me why, what was the reason. I wondered why. He knew very well how I used to be. And now why the sudden change? I said that's the power He wields over us. 25 years, I never bothered, even to question His existence. I never went to a temple and joined hands before God. I just told him we would talk about it later. By the time we reached the top, it was 6. Straight away, we went and joined the queue for the seva tickets. It was fun there, cracking jokes and pulling legs, subbu again being the worst sufferer. And so on it went, till 8 when the counter opened and we got the tickets. Then it was over to the room and preparing for the day ahead. We had booked two rooms online. So, we went to register and get the keys, myself, jack and subbu. Others went for the luggage. All 7 of us took one room while we gave the other room to the two girls and their cousin. We rested for a while and started getting ready. By the time everyone was ready, it was 11:30. So, we decided it's better to have lunch. Went to the restaurant nearby. I decided I'll have some tea and roam around till they finished lunch. I had some masala tea and went to my favorite place, the steps behind the temple where we always sat when we went there. There, I sat, in the sun and pondered subbu's question. Why this sudden change? And one by one, I recounted all the incidents in my life and how they had affected me. How after all those years, I suddenly accepted defeat and acknowledged His power, how I bowed before Him and begged Him to show me the way. Now, I have only my faith in Him to rely on. It was a good 1/2 hour there when I got a call from jack asking me where I was. I said I was on my way back. I met them near the restaurant and from there, we went on the sightseeing trip. More on that later.

Going to Tirupathi

Today. Will be back on sunday. Got some long pending dues to clear and some more favors to ask. Planning to go to the temple by walk but not sure whether my back will permit me or not. Well, walking will not be problem, but I don't know how many days of rest I'll need after that. But I guess He will take care. So in all probability, I'll be walking with my other friends up the hill.

Anyatha saranam nasthi thvameva saranam mama
tasmaat kaarunya bhavena raksha raksha janardhana

Will try and find out what comes in the blank - done

I'm so down today and so frustrated, I even changed the title of my blog. Why did I have to visit that blog? why oh why

When I grow up I want to be a child

Beautiful blog. Wonderful poems. Awesome photos. Really liked it. And it is so aptly titled, the spirit of celebration shows in the posts/poems. Hats off.

By the way, the title is stolen from the comments section of the linked post. Oh I'm so shameless

Memories to be cherished

Another email. Nice one.

The tragedy of Ganguly

Just read that Ganguly finds place in test team. Somehow, I felt a sense of sympathy for that guy. I was never a big fan of him, nor was I among those thirsting for his blood. But I did hear somebody saying that on the offside, there was God, then there was Ganguly. I even remember the media singing his praises for taking the fight onto the Aussies in the first test when India visited them in the recent past. Now I wonder what could have gone wrong. The other day, one of my colleagues was saying "we have to see what Chappell does with Tendulkar. Even he is not playing well. But he keeps saying Tendulkar's presence itself helps a lot ". Yesterday, in the news paper, I again read the same thing - Tendulkar can do a lot just by being in the team. That made me feel that may be it was Ganguly's attitude that has caused all these problems. May be he got a little carried away, being called prince, tiger and so on. May be he just thought he was next to God, but forgot that was only on the field and that too only on the offside.

The Last Don

Boring to begin, builds up slowly and gets interesting, unputdownable towards the end and finally it ends so abruptly leaving a sense of disappointment. I expected a lot more dramatic end. But it was so simple. Initially I thought it was the same old mafia shit. Powerful Family, with brothers waging wars with rival Families. But it sure got better as I progressed. So much so that I didn't want to sleep without finishing it off the other day. Good I didn't continue till the end that night, otherwise I would have been terribly disappointed. Overall, an OK read for me.

Don't drink or drive

Looks like driving in this city is getting far more dangerous than drinking. Saw an accident yesterday while going home. Looked like a bike was hit by a car, the biker lost balance, went over the divider and was hit by a bus on the other side of the road. When I passed by, they were just taking the person out from under the bus. Was so disturbed. Now I didn't actually witness what happenned and so I don't know whose fault it was. But as if driving on these roads itself is not harrowing enough an experience, have to see such things. And still I see so many people driving so recklessly as if the road is their grandfather's playground. They may not care for their lives but they should remember that their irresponsibility might cost someone else their life. I HATE these *&^%$*#&*@&#^

He is human afterall

Roger Federer defeated in the Master's cup title clash by David Nalbandian. But the guy played with a strapped ankle and almost turned the match around before losing. Yes he is human after all, but on the courts, he's next only to God.

I enjoy inhaling and exhaling

Picked it up from the profile of Nikol. Been random searching blogger whole of today because I didn't feel like doing anything. Came across this blog just before going for dinner. Thought I'll read it after coming back. Wanted to go home as soon as I came back. But after reading this post, I wanted to look at her profile. I did and I found the line which I put as the title. Thats quite a nice way of expressing the sheer joy of living

10 killer post ideas

Good ideas. But the one I liked the most was in the comments - the one about "Man, you wouldn't believe what happened to me today" form posts - they are sure to elicit response from readers who have undergone similar experience. But that's going to help only when you have readers. I think the others can help get readership and this one can help in getting comments :-)

Which festival is this?

Another email forward - kind of funny. If you said its Krishna Janmashtami, you're wrong. Its Rakshabandhan he he he

Insanity or an art form

Photography is a joy, an art. But for those who are bored with the point and click routine of imagery, here's something very very interesting.

I first laughed out loud at the idea of throwing the camera in the air and observing pictures obtained thus. But, after looking at some pictures and some thought, this indeed seemed interesting and worth trying.
And if you want to know what happens if you throw your camera once too often,
click here

Visit to the doctor

Atlast, I got to see the doctor today. I told him that I'm able to walk without much problem but the pain is still there when I sit/stand/sleep/move whatever. He examined me, stretched my leg and asked me to continue the medicines but this time to reduce the dosage. Earlier he had asked me to take 2 tablets a day. Now he asked me take only one. For 10 more days. And further he advised me not lift any weights, take rest when the pain is more and to always sit with my back erect. Well, scared as I was, I asked him what could be wrong. He shrugged it off saying it was a back problem, a disc problem and I should observe these precautions. Then I asked him if I should come back after 10 days. "Only if you have a problem" was his response. Somehow after today's visit, I'm more scared rather than feeling better. I dont want to listen to somebody saying "if only you had realised earlier, we could have saved you". Stupid it may seem, but Iam scared. And I've decided I'll go to another hospital tomorrow.

An insider's guide to Google

Read an article with the same title in TOI a couple of days ago. Tried hard to find a link to the article in the TOI site but couldn't locate it. Really was a nice article explaining what google is really capable of doing. Here is a list of things mentioned

• Google can cook - enter the ingredients and it will give you a recipe. May be a list of ways in which the specified things can be put to good use
• Google can aid you in performing conversions - enter 100 Indian rupees to yen and it promptly tells you 100 Indian rupees = 259.729417 Japanese yen. And you are not to worry if you do not know what is the currency of a country. Type something like Indian money to say Japanese money and it can still come up with an answer. Sounds a little awkward but serves the purpose
• Google can track the movement of flights - using google maps, someone has developed a site which will give you the path a plane will take from a specified source to destination. It can also tell you the whereabouts of a given flight
• One more site that uses google maps in the background - pick any spot on earth and start digging. It will dig the deepest possible hole and tell you where you will end up. The writer's comment - wonder what purpose it serves but nevertheless it exists http://grad.icmc.usp.br/~cipriani/bighole.php?lang=en
• And google is trying to put every book that has ever been printed on the web. Those books that are not copyright protected are already there. Don't know about those that are protected. Think we can still search and get pages from those books.

Interesting applications all these. Will have to find a link to the article.

Found a whole list of other things you can do with google maps - click here to find out

Kaun banega zero

A unique game on your Airtel! Give the maximum wrong answers and win Rs. 1 lakh! Call 3030 now. Call@ Rs.6/min
This was the content of an SMS I received yesterday. Quite amusing. Whats coming next?
Talk bullshit and win 1 lakh?? The art of incongruent speaking! Sounds like a good idea.

Finally

I'm here. Whole of yesterday, I've been making changes to the template. Now Im pretty much satisfied with the look and feel of my new blog. Coming to the content, I'm not sure what to do. I like the look and feel of this one and also because this is more popular, may be there's a greater chance of my blog getting noticed if I keep posting here. But I like the simplicity of the earlier one and I dont mind not getting noticed by anybody. Then why did I sign up here in the first place? May be just for the heck of it. Will decide later what to do with this.