Day 1
Some of the fall outs of last minute decisions during peak season are having to deal with annoying itineraries and ridiculous prices. Our flight to Puerto Rico had a 11 hour overnight layover in Atlanta. Whoops! Another hotel booking and double the check in baggage fees (Thanks Delta! Your customer service is something else. Not.) later, we arrived in Atlanta. We heard a lot of whooping and cheering in the airport arrivals section. The troops were home for the holidays - presumably from Iraq. While they deal with world problems, we had one brewing for ourselves - Dinner. No car + late night = hungry and irritated. Anyway problem solved. Luckily, we’d packed a few Maggi’s to get us through any bad days and poor culinary experiences (That’s life when you’re vegetarian). So, one maggi + coffee cups+ microwave later, we were all set to tackle the next day’s flight to San Juan – Puerto Rico!Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Puerto Rico!
Puerto Rico trip – Dec 09
It’s funny how some decisions can be made very quickly. Out initial thoughts were to head to New Orleans for Christmas week. We even bought the travel guide! But something changed and off the fly (pun in retrospect) we decided to go someplace further. We booked our tickets to Puerto Rico and planned the entire trip in 2 weeks (after buying a new guide book of course). We did not have time to learn any Spanish phrases unfortunately.
Why Puerto Rico? Its in the Carribean. Its exotic. Its tropical which is nice since we've been shivering our a$$e$ out in Austin. Its not technically the US but we don't need a passport to get there from mainland US. (Imp since husband's passport was running out. Countries need 6 months validity for international travel. Not to mention that Indian passports always means visa i.e. more planning)
Trip Itinerary
Day 1 – Travel Austin- Atlanta. Overnight stay
Day 2 – Atlanta to San Juan – capital of Puerto Rico
Day 3 – San Juan and surroundings
Day 4 – Snorkeling and kayaking off Culebra (the Spanish Virgin isles)
Day 5 – El Yunke rainforest and kayaking into the bioluminescent bay in Fajardo
Day 6 – Luquillo beach – About 45 mins from San Juan
Day 7 – Driving on the Ruta Panaromica into the central mountains. Overnight stay in the mountains.
Day 8 – Guanica, in the South coast of Puerto Rico
Day 9 – Guanica
Day 10 – Return to AustinPS: Advise for other Indians passport holders in the US planning a trip to Puerto Rico. Just your US driving license will do. Travel to Puerto Rico is considered domestic travel. You will not need your passport anywhere. Take it though - just to be safe (it has your US visa). Plus, your US mobile phones work there (no international roaming)
Travels and travails
I am going to kick start the revival of this blog with a brief description of the travels we have done here.
The real reason we came to the US was that a lot of other places are accessible from here. I think Sriram and I have been fairly happy with the travelling we have managed in the past 1 year (yes we recently completed out 1 year anniversary in Austin!).
Lets see. We arrived in Austin - Feb 09
April 09 - New York City - Always wonderful. Spent time with brother. Even after having spent months in NYC in the past, I had never seen Liberty island and Rockefeller Center. So with that done, I think I've completed the tourist circuit in NYC. Which means, I can do other stuff when I go there again next month. Oh wait its already March. So this month.Yippie!
June 09 - South Padre Island - Spring break Mecca and for us, a long interrogation by US emigration(the island is barely 30 miles from the border with Mexico). and we hadn't even left the state of Texas! One lesson learnt on that trip - carry passport everywhere you travel.
Houston - Boring. I can't even remember when we went!. Its the only place apart from Dallas (even more boring I hear) that's an easy drive from Austin. NASA was a total let down. Yawn. Did I say boring? The highlight of the trip was perhaps the old old pub we visited in downtown Houston. Their cash register was at least 2 centuries old and it rang real nice. Side note - I read just yesterday that the sound of the cash register is one of the most pleasant sounds on earth (it ranked something like #2 in a top ten list). The other highlight? I almost forgot. Leaving our car in a garage that was closed for a public holiday. Convincing the Mexican inside to let us in to retrieve the car so we can go back home was no mean task! Lesson - Use hotel valet. Even if it means 30 bucks a night. Robbery.
August 09 - Trip with parents and brother to the West Coast. Lovely
Vegas - Every bit as over the top as you hear it is. The shows are nice. The casinos - you could'nt lose your money faster. Vegas even seems to have liquor that costs thrice what it would in a regular pub. In any case, people from Austin are spoilt with the low cost of living. Couldn't believe that a pint of Budweiser (about 3-4 bucks in Austin) could be 9 bucks in Vegas. They just used some fancy packaging. Anyway, the fact that I lost my camera and it was actually found and returned to me (posted home by the Casino I lost it at). Priceless.
Grand Canyon - The best decision we made was to rent a car and do our own driving. The desert moonscapes around Vegas are to be seen to be believed. The Grand Canyon is breathtaking. We really want to go back there and make the hike down to the river. Sigh!
Los Angeles - Finally. The land of Hollywood. The drive was interesting. The traffic in LA - legendary. Universal studios - touristy. But surprisingly, we had a lot of fun. The veggie food in a cafe there was one of the best I've ever had. Santa Monica beach - cold. But a beautiful sunset.
The bay area and San Fransisco - Reunion with with old friend. Great time. San Fransisco - as magical as ever. The redwood trees again. I never cease to be amazed by their size. A whole day wine tasting in Napa - hic! I've never had this much champagne before. The flavoured ones were excellent.
Sept 09 - Trip to Bangalore and home sweet home. Does this count as "travel". I guess not. What would have counted was the trip to Goa. But then - that was a disaster. We got caught in torrential rains that flooded the area and we basically scooted from there before you can spell G-O-A. There was that trip to Calcutta too. The less said the better. The street food in Calcutta always rocks!
Dec 09 - Puerto Rico. Now this, I wont let any of you go easy. I have spent a precious few hours writing a travelogue and read it - you must. It will go on this blog shortly.
Am I back?
Its been a whole lot of time since I last blogged. Its funny how things turn out differently from what you imagine (I don't mean it in a good or bad way). Seeing as it was that I was set to make a huge move in life (really this is a pun!) to live and experience the US of A- Austin Texas it was. Wanted life to change a little bit- actually a whole lot. Living in Bangalore for all those years. Working. Earning good money. It was just way too predictable and I wanted to get away. Its even quite strange how the universe throws things at you when you need it. Not a few months before we left to the US - the husband and I, we had talked about how moving some place far - like the US will be really nice. So it happens.
I thought I'd have a lot to share and a lot to discuss and this blog would be brimming with posts. None of that happened.
It feels strange and I feel strange. I think I need to start writing again.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
The swanky hotel in Manali
Its the "catch your eye" generation. Agreed. But why feature the Burj Al Arab next to an advertising piece on Manali holiday packages? Plain stupid. Seen in in the Times of India online edition today.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Road to indebtedness
In India, the banking system is still traditional. Yes there is the occasional Lakshmi chit fund and Vini Vic scheme. We all take housing loans, student loans etc. After getting to the US however, I see some of the “advance” (pun intended ) ways in which people can get hold on money. Its about the “right here right now” out here. Its mainstream. Plus, its not even the banks that do this.
1) Title loans – There are tons of ads. Smiley couple needs cash. Sad. Walk into a “title loan” shop and walk out with money, beaming. Anyone can get cash. Instantly. What they omit to tell: They just kept your car as security for a 500 buck loan.
2) Cash into gold – Got broken chains and unwanted gold jewellery at home? (Yeah really they believe jewellery is unwanted). Just send it in an envelope to the automated processing center and they will send cash. Instantly. Almost like its free.
3) Turn a structured settlement or annuity into cash now – Its just simple cash flow discounting to present value with obviously a tidy profit involved. The ads encourage people to get their cash flows (usually from lawsuit settlements) discounted so they can buy their dream home!
4) Cheque discounting – Even Walmart does it. Take a check and get cash immediately for a small fee. Encourages people to not even wait for 2 days that it takes for a cheque to clear.
5) Most shops offer EMI schemes and many many people buy expensive stuff only because of those schemes. Cars, houses? Fine. What about TV, furniture, holidays. Yup all of this.
Financial advancement is great. Deception is not cool. Some of this is taking place in India. Its just not mainstream yet. I really hope it remains that way.
1) Title loans – There are tons of ads. Smiley couple needs cash. Sad. Walk into a “title loan” shop and walk out with money, beaming. Anyone can get cash. Instantly. What they omit to tell: They just kept your car as security for a 500 buck loan.
2) Cash into gold – Got broken chains and unwanted gold jewellery at home? (Yeah really they believe jewellery is unwanted). Just send it in an envelope to the automated processing center and they will send cash. Instantly. Almost like its free.
3) Turn a structured settlement or annuity into cash now – Its just simple cash flow discounting to present value with obviously a tidy profit involved. The ads encourage people to get their cash flows (usually from lawsuit settlements) discounted so they can buy their dream home!
4) Cheque discounting – Even Walmart does it. Take a check and get cash immediately for a small fee. Encourages people to not even wait for 2 days that it takes for a cheque to clear.
5) Most shops offer EMI schemes and many many people buy expensive stuff only because of those schemes. Cars, houses? Fine. What about TV, furniture, holidays. Yup all of this.
Financial advancement is great. Deception is not cool. Some of this is taking place in India. Its just not mainstream yet. I really hope it remains that way.
I like, I dont like.
I have been tagged by Maanasi to do this. She wonders if I’m alive and breathing these days, seeing that this blog has no updates. So, this is to show her up.
1) I like driving – Even in Bangalore. Especially in Bangalore maybe. I know the traffic sucks yada yada, but secretly, I liked all that alone time I used to get.
2) I like things natural - It may make me look like I just got out of bed, but I’m not cheating anyone. Plus, I’ll never figure what to do with make-up. Its effort I don’t know how to make. Anyway, I NEVER look like I just got out of bed unless I just did or I’m lazy. That happens sometimes.
3) I hate exercising in the gym - I still do it but I hate it. Its boring.
4) I love traveling – That’s all I ever want to do. Go to as many different places as possible. I never get a travelogue done though. Much as I try. It’s the laziness again. I won’t even include that as a separate point.
5) I like to read in the loo. Some may find it disgusting. I like it. In Bangalore it was the daily newspaper. Here, it is Time magazine.
Hmm so far, 4 “I like” and 1 “I hate”. I have to change the equation
6) I hate “girl talk” other than with girls I share a wave length with. Its sooo boring to hear women talk about their daily lives. Unless they want to use humour or say something interesting, I don’t care for it.
7) I like studying. I complain and complain about it when I have to study for exams, but the nerd deep inside loves it best when studying.
8) My latest passion is America bashing and also some “Indians in Amrica” bashing. Got nothing against the country. Noticing a few things and making fun of it makes me feel good. It also makes me mean. But I don’t say anything to anyone’s face. So I’m good right?
9) I love watching programs like CSI and also Medical Detectives and such like. In fact, in my CA exam studying days, I used to allow myself 1 hour everyday to enjoy watching grisly murder stories re-enacted while having lunch. But horror movies? No siree bob. No can do. Hate them and don’t feel silly to say - I get really scared.
10) I love clothes but hate shopping. I will never buy stuff at some discount stores, not because I’m a snob but because I hate sifting through stuff that’s in a heap. If its all nicely put up on a rail, I’m all for looking. I cannot tolerate shopping trips that last more than say 3 hours. Not even at these fancy American outlet malls.
Lets see, now I’ve reached the same number of points as on Maanasi’s list. Just need one more to top her effort. If not content, sheer numbers talk baby!
11) I’m really bad at keeping awake for late nights. I used to be called "8 ‘o clock news" in my childhood for my penchant to quickly drift off to sleep soon as the anchor came on. No much has changed today. Ok, its not 8 pm anymore. But its certainly not all night or even close.
1) I like driving – Even in Bangalore. Especially in Bangalore maybe. I know the traffic sucks yada yada, but secretly, I liked all that alone time I used to get.
2) I like things natural - It may make me look like I just got out of bed, but I’m not cheating anyone. Plus, I’ll never figure what to do with make-up. Its effort I don’t know how to make. Anyway, I NEVER look like I just got out of bed unless I just did or I’m lazy. That happens sometimes.
3) I hate exercising in the gym - I still do it but I hate it. Its boring.
4) I love traveling – That’s all I ever want to do. Go to as many different places as possible. I never get a travelogue done though. Much as I try. It’s the laziness again. I won’t even include that as a separate point.
5) I like to read in the loo. Some may find it disgusting. I like it. In Bangalore it was the daily newspaper. Here, it is Time magazine.
Hmm so far, 4 “I like” and 1 “I hate”. I have to change the equation
6) I hate “girl talk” other than with girls I share a wave length with. Its sooo boring to hear women talk about their daily lives. Unless they want to use humour or say something interesting, I don’t care for it.
7) I like studying. I complain and complain about it when I have to study for exams, but the nerd deep inside loves it best when studying.
8) My latest passion is America bashing and also some “Indians in Amrica” bashing. Got nothing against the country. Noticing a few things and making fun of it makes me feel good. It also makes me mean. But I don’t say anything to anyone’s face. So I’m good right?
9) I love watching programs like CSI and also Medical Detectives and such like. In fact, in my CA exam studying days, I used to allow myself 1 hour everyday to enjoy watching grisly murder stories re-enacted while having lunch. But horror movies? No siree bob. No can do. Hate them and don’t feel silly to say - I get really scared.
10) I love clothes but hate shopping. I will never buy stuff at some discount stores, not because I’m a snob but because I hate sifting through stuff that’s in a heap. If its all nicely put up on a rail, I’m all for looking. I cannot tolerate shopping trips that last more than say 3 hours. Not even at these fancy American outlet malls.
Lets see, now I’ve reached the same number of points as on Maanasi’s list. Just need one more to top her effort. If not content, sheer numbers talk baby!
11) I’m really bad at keeping awake for late nights. I used to be called "8 ‘o clock news" in my childhood for my penchant to quickly drift off to sleep soon as the anchor came on. No much has changed today. Ok, its not 8 pm anymore. But its certainly not all night or even close.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Guilt and the environment
Leave the World a Better Place™ - Carbon Offsetting Option
EcoSkies - Carbon Offsetting OptionContinental has partnered with Sustainable Travel International (STI), a non-profit organization that supports global climate protection and environmental conservation. STI offers customers the option to make a contribution to offset their carbon footprints for travel on Continental. All contributions are paid directly to STI. Continental does not receive any portion of any contribution.
Sustainable Travel International calculates that to offset your amount of CO2 from this itinerary, you may contribute $0.21 or another amount.
I just make an airline booking and noticed the above paragraph just after the booking details. Very interesting concept I must say - to make the guilt disappear.
But, another though that comes to mind is that the carbon impact of a 4 hour flight seems to be worth only $0.21, a miniscule atom amount. So, will this achieve the proper purpose of assuaging guilt? What if someone thinks “I’ll have a heck of a number of really long flights to do and even then my impact cannot exceed $10”.Therefore, I do not care.
Did I contribute the amount? No. I’ll turn off the light bulbs when I leave a room.
EcoSkies - Carbon Offsetting OptionContinental has partnered with Sustainable Travel International (STI), a non-profit organization that supports global climate protection and environmental conservation. STI offers customers the option to make a contribution to offset their carbon footprints for travel on Continental. All contributions are paid directly to STI. Continental does not receive any portion of any contribution.
Sustainable Travel International calculates that to offset your amount of CO2 from this itinerary, you may contribute $0.21 or another amount.
I just make an airline booking and noticed the above paragraph just after the booking details. Very interesting concept I must say - to make the guilt disappear.
But, another though that comes to mind is that the carbon impact of a 4 hour flight seems to be worth only $0.21, a miniscule atom amount. So, will this achieve the proper purpose of assuaging guilt? What if someone thinks “I’ll have a heck of a number of really long flights to do and even then my impact cannot exceed $10”.Therefore, I do not care.
Did I contribute the amount? No. I’ll turn off the light bulbs when I leave a room.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Windy Austin
Austin can be windy. Very windy. The reason, I feel, is because there are so few tress here. I mean the REAL ones. The only kind you see here are the dwarf boutique variety. You know they’re small and look pretty. So, anyway, there is nothing to stop the damn wind from flying right through and helping you and your shopping cart get ahead of yourself. I give below a very real example to substantiate this.
I go to the grocery store today. I know it’s a windy day because I fight my way to the car. All is well. Groceries are done.
Now, I go back to the car where I balance the cart, the car keys and myself. Have to open the door to put the stuff in. In the melee, the shopping cart runs away on the gentle gradient (helped by the wind of course). I somehow put everything in and then after the mandatory which side of the car to go towards confusion (this whole right side driving thing drives me crazy), I get to the driver’s seat. I open it with zero visibility. My hair is flying all about. Then I notice some important papers inside the car are swirling like crazy and one is already on the driver’s seat ready to sneak out. I quickly stop that by jumping towards the driver’s seat with my ahem!, posterior. Now I’m deeply satisfied. I saved the paper but wait a minute! I can’t turn!. The wind had made my hair go vertical and then some of it was still stuck between the door (on the top) when I dived in! I must have been a sight. That was confirmed when I came home looking something like this.
I go to the grocery store today. I know it’s a windy day because I fight my way to the car. All is well. Groceries are done.
Now, I go back to the car where I balance the cart, the car keys and myself. Have to open the door to put the stuff in. In the melee, the shopping cart runs away on the gentle gradient (helped by the wind of course). I somehow put everything in and then after the mandatory which side of the car to go towards confusion (this whole right side driving thing drives me crazy), I get to the driver’s seat. I open it with zero visibility. My hair is flying all about. Then I notice some important papers inside the car are swirling like crazy and one is already on the driver’s seat ready to sneak out. I quickly stop that by jumping towards the driver’s seat with my ahem!, posterior. Now I’m deeply satisfied. I saved the paper but wait a minute! I can’t turn!. The wind had made my hair go vertical and then some of it was still stuck between the door (on the top) when I dived in! I must have been a sight. That was confirmed when I came home looking something like this.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Kooky series
I think this is fun. I will start a number and “side-series” and see where they head.
Today’s series is: “Things to avoid/not do in America especially if you are from India and your taste matches mine and you are 5 feet tall or above”. Since this is my series, I have the right to name them what I want.
1) Do not walk. Drive! – Please, even if it sounds like the sanest thing to do, do not walk in this country (disclaimer: This is for the average American location. Not New York City). You do so at your own risk, as I discovered yesterday.
On a lazy Sunday afternoon who wants to cook? So the Mr and I decided to go get some grub from a place that was apparently 200 yards away (thank you google maps!). And so we walked. The footpath (the sidewalk as it is called in these parts) narrowed and finally becoming non-existant. Soon we had to walk on a dirt path ok. (gulp), ditch. Yes, ditch with some serious clay that stuck to my brand new shoes. We had a tough time steadying ourselves from the wind that almost blew us away everytime a vehicle passed, not to mention the quizzical looks on the face of the drivers. Are those people walking on their OWN TWO FEET or is that a mirage from all the Texas heat? Anyway you get the picture. We walked and never got anywhere and of course we were murderously hungry. Had to go back home, take the car out and get a meal eventually.
So, no walking please.
2) Avoid root beer – As exotic as it sounds all it is, is Iodex stirred into carbonated water with very little sugar. I discovered this yesterday, after the grand walk. Worse still, none of my aches and pains went away.
3) Avoid grapefruit juice – If like me you thought it was grape juice, you are forgiven. If I had paid any attention to the colour of the drink, I would have been forgiven too. But alas! It’s the bitterest most horrible drink on earth (along with root beer of course!). It does’nt DESERVE to be pink in colour
This list is bound to expand and I will delight you with all the information.
As always>> You’re welcome.
Today’s series is: “Things to avoid/not do in America especially if you are from India and your taste matches mine and you are 5 feet tall or above”. Since this is my series, I have the right to name them what I want.
1) Do not walk. Drive! – Please, even if it sounds like the sanest thing to do, do not walk in this country (disclaimer: This is for the average American location. Not New York City). You do so at your own risk, as I discovered yesterday.
On a lazy Sunday afternoon who wants to cook? So the Mr and I decided to go get some grub from a place that was apparently 200 yards away (thank you google maps!). And so we walked. The footpath (the sidewalk as it is called in these parts) narrowed and finally becoming non-existant. Soon we had to walk on a dirt path ok. (gulp), ditch. Yes, ditch with some serious clay that stuck to my brand new shoes. We had a tough time steadying ourselves from the wind that almost blew us away everytime a vehicle passed, not to mention the quizzical looks on the face of the drivers. Are those people walking on their OWN TWO FEET or is that a mirage from all the Texas heat? Anyway you get the picture. We walked and never got anywhere and of course we were murderously hungry. Had to go back home, take the car out and get a meal eventually.
So, no walking please.
2) Avoid root beer – As exotic as it sounds all it is, is Iodex stirred into carbonated water with very little sugar. I discovered this yesterday, after the grand walk. Worse still, none of my aches and pains went away.
3) Avoid grapefruit juice – If like me you thought it was grape juice, you are forgiven. If I had paid any attention to the colour of the drink, I would have been forgiven too. But alas! It’s the bitterest most horrible drink on earth (along with root beer of course!). It does’nt DESERVE to be pink in colour
This list is bound to expand and I will delight you with all the information.
As always>> You’re welcome.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Statutory warning
The herein mentioned blog is titled Filter Cafe that bears close resemblance to Filter Coffee - the wonder drink from South India, a liquid which the writer loves (ok, is addicted to!). It thereby follows that good content can only stem from lavish gulping of the beverage mentioned. Now, the writer has been denied this simple pleasure owing to the move from Bangalore to Austin. Thus, future posts may be "Nescafe instant" like until a certain shipment arrives from Bangalore, India. Till then as they say :
Coffee is not my cup of tea.
Chew on this.
Coffee is not my cup of tea.
Chew on this.
From "simply adjust maadi" to "howdy partner!"
For all of you who thought this blog is dead dead dead! …too bad. I’m back!
A new series shall start on this blog to high light the recent events in my rather eventful life. The move from Bangalore, Karnataka, India to Austin, Texas, USA. Yes, just recently moved countries from the land of Yedyurappa (what’s with the moralistic BJP these days?) to Mc Cain country (although Austin is supposed to be the haven of wierdness in the midst of the conservativeness that defines the rest of Texas). Yay!. So, after having stayed in Bangalore all my life, here I am in Texas.
So, lots of observances shall be showcased to you – reader and will shift depending on mood of self. So don’t berate me.
My current mood is as follows: The US is a developed country? Really?.
Chew on this. For more, patiently await my posts.
A new series shall start on this blog to high light the recent events in my rather eventful life. The move from Bangalore, Karnataka, India to Austin, Texas, USA. Yes, just recently moved countries from the land of Yedyurappa (what’s with the moralistic BJP these days?) to Mc Cain country (although Austin is supposed to be the haven of wierdness in the midst of the conservativeness that defines the rest of Texas). Yay!. So, after having stayed in Bangalore all my life, here I am in Texas.
So, lots of observances shall be showcased to you – reader and will shift depending on mood of self. So don’t berate me.
My current mood is as follows: The US is a developed country? Really?.
Chew on this. For more, patiently await my posts.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Bangalore - hot and happenin!
We all know that Bangalore
Check the screen shot below of the piratebay website (Click for enlarged image). Yes, yes guilty as charged! I download torrents all the time! But, for the first time, I noticed the young ladies on the left column. See for yourselves. I’ve lived all my life in
Sunday, November 9, 2008
MTR for the uninitiated
Tell me about one travel article to
Everyone tells you to go there but no one tells you what to do once you reach. Therefore, in this post, I help by letting you know how to have a satisfactory breakfast experience at MTR. Here follows some tips from me. If you continue to the end of the post, there’s also a surprise waiting!
1) If you’re not a morning person like me, the best time to visit MTR is around 10.15 am – Breakfast closes at 11 am and the doors shut after around 10.45 am. No one’s allowed in after that. Why 10.15 then you ask? Well, many people just like you wanted to have breakfast at MTR and many people just like you, are not morning people.
2) Put your name down with the chap who calls out for tables as they become free. Well, this part is not difficult. But be sure to hang around him. I suggest a you maintain not more than 2 feet distance between the chap and you at any moment. Why? Sometimes the guy’s prone to calling out names in such a soft voice that you may not hear. He does not believe in second chances and right in front of your eyes, you may see the family with the kid carrying balloons bought from Lalbagh trooping in instead of you.
Now we come to the most delicate part of the operation:
3) When your names are called out, spring up from your seat and follow instructions to you table but AT THE SAME TIME, make a sweep of the entire room and check what’s on everyone’s table. If you’re Sherlock Holmes that no problem. Else, like me, you’ll need to practice about 2-3 times. Why you ask? Well, there are no menu’s in MTR. When the waiter blesses you with his presence, don’t annoy him by asking what’s there. Else, he’ll annoy you back by giving rattling out the entire menu in 5 seconds flat. Ever seen someone do speed reading aloud? That’s a necessary qualification to be an MTR waiter
4) So now that you’ve observed what’s on everyone’s tables, you can get ordering. But wait! There’s still the dosa aspect to mention. Of course you’ve gone all the way to MTR and the reward is perhaps a nice Ghee Masala Dosa. The waiter will tell you there’s no dosa, ALWAYS. Then, he’ll let tell you “maybe I can manage the last few dosas for you”. Then he’ll scold you and let you know these are the last possible dosas and he’ll send you to eternal hell if you ask for one more later on. You’ll meekly agree. Here in MTR, he tell YOU what to do. Its his way or the highway. Oh yes, you can note this charade going on in the tables round you as well. Once the artificial scarcity is created, I see that everyone orders dosas.
5) Refer to point four. The dosas have been ordered. Now, look desperately around for the waiter again to place the rest of your order. Or yes, if you are less than 4 people, expect to share your table with the boy carrying balloons from Lalbagh.
6) Once the food arrives, save for some minor irritants (you have to BEG for a second serving of chutney etc) the experience is excellent. I refer here only to the food.
All right so here’s the bonus I promised for reading the entire post. Below is MTR’s breakfast menu from my Sherlock Holmes’ing’.
Masala Dosa – Order first. It comes from the black market.
Rava Idly
Khara Bath – Not always available
Bisi Bele Bath – Yummy
Badam Halwa
Gulab Jamoon – so so
Badam milk
And the piece de resistance:
The Fruit Custard – From the second you put your eyes to it, you WANT it.
All breakfast items come with a generous helping of ghee.
You’re welcome!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Mid Day - Mid week crisis?
I know people are losing their jobs and that’s a sad thing
I also know that mid-day is filled with tripe and no one ought to take it seriously.
BUT STILL
Today’s cover story talks about the the Jet Airways sacking of 800 employees (and more to come). Here are some gems from the report:
Monica Gawande (28), one of the 800 odd crewmembers laid off by Jet Airways is distraught. “I underwent eye surgery, since the airlines wouldn’t allow me to fly with my spectacles on.
Yeah right. Ever heard of contact lenses?
Also mentioned in the story, “As mid day found out, 90% of the 800 odd crewmembers being laid off have huge educational loans and home loans to repay, families to support and dreams to fulfill”
What? 90% have dreams to fulfill? That’s some survey!
Mid day to crew member (22 years): So, do you have any unfulfilled dreams?
22 year old: Nope. I just want to wander about with this vacant look in my eyes. Its quite fun actually!
I also know that mid-day is filled with tripe and no one ought to take it seriously.
BUT STILL
Today’s cover story talks about the the Jet Airways sacking of 800 employees (and more to come). Here are some gems from the report:
Monica Gawande (28), one of the 800 odd crewmembers laid off by Jet Airways is distraught. “I underwent eye surgery, since the airlines wouldn’t allow me to fly with my spectacles on.
Yeah right. Ever heard of contact lenses?
Also mentioned in the story, “As mid day found out, 90% of the 800 odd crewmembers being laid off have huge educational loans and home loans to repay, families to support and dreams to fulfill”
What? 90% have dreams to fulfill? That’s some survey!
Mid day to crew member (22 years): So, do you have any unfulfilled dreams?
22 year old: Nope. I just want to wander about with this vacant look in my eyes. Its quite fun actually!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Essence of India
I suddenly felt like looking at the Indian government site. Plain curiosity that’s all.
http://india.gov.in/
Turns out, this site serves a dual purpose. It’ll help you learn the art of writing in flowery language, one tests the limits of artistic expression. If you don’t believe me, outlined are some phrases. Decide for yourselves…. on you own. Get the redundancies?
This section introduces you to the National Identity Elements of India. These symbols are intrinsic to the Indian identity and heritage. Indians of all demographics backgrounds across the world are proud of these National Symbols as they instill a sense of pride and patriotism in every Indian's heart.
The Indian peacock, Pavo cristatus, the national bird of India, is a colourful, swan-sized bird, with a fan-shaped crest of feathers, a white patch under the eye and a long, slender neck. The male of the species is more colourful than the female, with a glistening blue breast and neck and a spectacular bronze-green train of around 200 elongated feathers. The female is brownish, slightly smaller than the male and lacks the train. The elaborate courtship dance of the male, fanning out the tail and preening its feathers is a gorgeous sight.
The long span of Indian history covering more than 3000 years and enumerating several civilizations has been a constant reminder of the country's rich multicultural extravaganza and world-renowned heritage. The people and their lifestyles, their dance forms and musical styles, art & handicrafts, and such other elements go on to reflect the varied hues of Indian culture and heritage, which truly epitomises the nationality of the country. This section attempts at showcasing all those elements, which act as a window to the culture and heritage of India.
The beauty of the Indian people lies in their spirit of tolerance, give-and-take and a composition of cultures that can be compared to a garden of flowers of various colours and shades of which, while maintaining their own entity, lend harmony and beauty to the garden - India!
I don’t know about you, but I find this stuff funny (ok also deeply educative. I did not know our national tree was the Banyan Tree.)
http://india.gov.in/
Turns out, this site serves a dual purpose. It’ll help you learn the art of writing in flowery language, one tests the limits of artistic expression. If you don’t believe me, outlined are some phrases. Decide for yourselves…. on you own. Get the redundancies?
This section introduces you to the National Identity Elements of India. These symbols are intrinsic to the Indian identity and heritage. Indians of all demographics backgrounds across the world are proud of these National Symbols as they instill a sense of pride and patriotism in every Indian's heart.
The Indian peacock, Pavo cristatus, the national bird of India, is a colourful, swan-sized bird, with a fan-shaped crest of feathers, a white patch under the eye and a long, slender neck. The male of the species is more colourful than the female, with a glistening blue breast and neck and a spectacular bronze-green train of around 200 elongated feathers. The female is brownish, slightly smaller than the male and lacks the train. The elaborate courtship dance of the male, fanning out the tail and preening its feathers is a gorgeous sight.
The long span of Indian history covering more than 3000 years and enumerating several civilizations has been a constant reminder of the country's rich multicultural extravaganza and world-renowned heritage. The people and their lifestyles, their dance forms and musical styles, art & handicrafts, and such other elements go on to reflect the varied hues of Indian culture and heritage, which truly epitomises the nationality of the country. This section attempts at showcasing all those elements, which act as a window to the culture and heritage of India.
The beauty of the Indian people lies in their spirit of tolerance, give-and-take and a composition of cultures that can be compared to a garden of flowers of various colours and shades of which, while maintaining their own entity, lend harmony and beauty to the garden - India!
I don’t know about you, but I find this stuff funny (ok also deeply educative. I did not know our national tree was the Banyan Tree.)
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Crisis!
So far, I’ve never discussed work at my blog. However, of late, with the financial crisis rocking the world (you know when even Mid-day has several cover stories on it), it is time to discuss my work. My job involves closely following the markets – specifically the fixed income markets (bonds), which have been at the epicenter of the crisis. This post will also stand as proof that I was in the thick of things during the greatest financial crisis since the Great depression (1929-1940) (I’m not saying this. Experts are).
I think it’ll take years to properly attribute reasons to all that we’ve seen take place in the financial world in the past year. Yes, although grabbing the headlines now, the financial crisis has been making news since April last year believe it or not!. That was pretty much when I joined my current job (July 07). So its been very interesting for me.
In this post I will not do anything other than present a time line of the crisis that I have nicked from Bloomberg as well a graph where you can see at what pace things have been moving of late. Its rather long. I’ve warned you that the crisis has been going on for ages now!
So without further ado, here goes:
2-Apr-07 New Century Financial Corp., which specialized in loans to people with poor credit defaults, files for bankruptcy protection after being overwhelmed by customer defaults.
17-Jul-07 Investors in two Bear Stearns Cos. hedge funds that invested in collateralized debt obligations backed by subprime mortgage loans are told there is no value left in the funds, wiping out $1.6 billion originally invested.
19-Jul-07 Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke tells the U.S. Senate's Banking Committee that there may be as much as $100 billion in losses associated with subprime mortgage products.
22-Aug-07 Countrywide Financial Corp., the biggest U.S.mortgage lender, sells $2 billion of preferred stock to Bank of America Corp., the biggest U.S. bank by market value, to bolster its finances.
14-Sep-07 Northern Rock Plc says the Bank of England agreed to provide emergency funds to ease a ``severe liquidity squeeze'' sparked by U.S. subprime mortgage defaults following the first run on a British bank in more than a century.
11-Jan-08 Bank of America, the biggest U.S. bank by market value, agrees to buy Countrywide for about $4 billion.
14-Mar-08 Bear Stearns Cos. gets emergency funding from the U.S. Federal Reserve and JPMorgan Chase & Co. as a run on the bank depletes its cash reserves in three days.
16-Mar-08 JPMorgan Chase agrees to buy Bear Stearns for 7 percent of its market value in a sale brokered by the Fed and the U.S. Treasury.
1-Apr-08 Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., the fourth- largest U.S. securities firm, raises $4 billion from a stock sale to quell speculation it's short of capital.
9-Apr-08 Washington Mutual Inc. rejected an offer from JPMorgan Chase to buy it for as much as $8 a share, or $7 billion, before announcing it received a $7 billion capital infusion from a group led by TPG Inc., the Wall Street Journal reports, citing people familiar with the situation.
28-Apr-08 The U.S. Internal Revenue Service starts distributing tax rebates electronically as part of a $168 billion economic stimulus plan.
31-May-08 Bear Stearns ceases to exist as the acquisition by JPMorgan is completed.
11-Jul-07 IndyMac Bancorp Inc., the second-biggest independent U.S. mortgage lender, is seized by federal regulators after a run by depositors depleted its cash.
31-Jul-08 Nationwide Building Society, Britain's fourth-biggest mortgage lender, says U.K. house prices declined the most in almost two decades in July and consumer confidence fell to a record low as the economy edged closer to a recession.
31-Aug-08 Commerzbank AG agrees to buy Allianz SE's Dresdner Bank for 9.8 billion euros in Germany's biggest banking takeover in three years.
7-Sep-08 The U.S. government seizes control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the largest U.S. mortgage-finance companies.
15-Sep-08 Lehman Brothers files the largest bankruptcy in history, and Bank of America agrees to acquire Merrill Lynch & Co. for about $50 billion.
16-Sep-08 American International Group Inc. accepts an $85 billion loan from the Fed to avert the worst financial collapse in history, and the government takes over the company.
18-Sep-08 Lloyds TSB Group Plc, the U.K.'s biggest provider of checking accounts, agrees to buy HBOS Plc, Britain's largest mortgage lender, for 10.4 billion pounds.
21-Sep-08 Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley receive approval to become commercial banks regulated by the Fed as tight credit markets forced Wall Street's two remaining independent investment banks to widen their sources of funding.
23-Sep-08 Goldman Sachs Group Inc. says it will raise at least $7.5 billion from Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and public investors in a bid to quell concerns that pushed up the Wall Street firm's borrowing costs and hurt its stock.
26-Sep-08 The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ends a program that monitored securities firms' capital after Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, the only companies remaining under its jurisdiction, became banks overseen by the Fed.
26-Sep-08 The SEC's inspector general releases a report asserting that the agency failed in overseeing Bear Stearns because it knew the firm had ``high leverage'' and was too concentrated in mortgage securities before its forced sale to JPMorgan Chase & Co.
26-Sep-08 Washington Mutual Inc. is seized by government regulators and its branches and assets sold to JPMorgan Chase in the biggest U.S. bank failure in history.
27-Sep-08 Washington Mutual files for bankruptcy protection.
28-Sep-08 Fortis, the largest Belgian financial- services firm, receives an 11.2 billion-euro ($16.3 billion) rescue from Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg after investor confidence in the bank evaporates.
29-Sep-08 The House of Representatives rejects a $700 billion plan to rescue the U.S. financial system, sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 778 points, its biggest point drop ever. Citigroup Inc., the biggest U.S. bank by assets, agrees to acquire the banking operations of Wachovia Corp. for about $2.16 billion after shares of the North Carolina lender collapsed under the weight of overdue mortgages. Bradford & Bingley Plc, the U.K.'s biggest lender to landlords, is seized by the government.
30-Sep-08 Dexia SA, the world's biggest lender to local governments, gets a 6.4 billion-euro state-backed rescue as a worsening financial crisis forces policy makers across Europe to aid ailing banks. Ireland says it will guarantee its banks' deposits and debts for two years.
1-Oct-08 The U.S. Senate approves a revised version of the rescue plan that was refashioned to entice enough votes for passage.
3-Oct-08 The House passes the revised version of the rescue plan. Wells Fargo & Co., the biggest U.S. bank on the West Coast, agrees to buy all of Wachovia for about $15.1 billion, trumping Citigroup's government-assisted offer.
4-Oct-08 U.S. President George W. Bush signs the rescue plan into law.
5-Oct-08 BNP Paribas SA, France's biggest bank, will take control of Fortis's units in Belgium and Luxembourg after an earlier government rescue failed to ensure the company's stability as the global credit crisis worsened.
6-Oct-08 The Fed says it will double its auctions of cash to banks to as much as $900 billion and is considering further steps to unfreeze short-term lending markets as the credit crunch deepens. The German government and the country's banks and insurers agreed on a 50 billion euro ($68 billion) rescue package for commercial property lender Hypo Real Estate Holding AG after an earlier bailout faltered. The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls below 10,000 for the first time in four years.
9-Oct-08 Citigroup walks away from its attempt to buy Wachovia, handing victory to Wells Fargo. The Dow Jones falls below 9,000 for the first time in five years and briefly dips below 8,000.
13-Oct-08 An EU summit meeting is called and most EU nations agree to implement rescue packages for their country's banking institutions. Agreements were reach with regards to guaranteeing inter bank funding, debt, injecting capital into banks and changes in mark to market accounting rules
Every dot on this graph represents an important event during the ongoing crisis. Notice how its almost a line in the last couple of months (From september 08 onwards). Things are happening at a screaming pace.
I think it’ll take years to properly attribute reasons to all that we’ve seen take place in the financial world in the past year. Yes, although grabbing the headlines now, the financial crisis has been making news since April last year believe it or not!. That was pretty much when I joined my current job (July 07). So its been very interesting for me.
In this post I will not do anything other than present a time line of the crisis that I have nicked from Bloomberg as well a graph where you can see at what pace things have been moving of late. Its rather long. I’ve warned you that the crisis has been going on for ages now!
So without further ado, here goes:
2-Apr-07 New Century Financial Corp., which specialized in loans to people with poor credit defaults, files for bankruptcy protection after being overwhelmed by customer defaults.
17-Jul-07 Investors in two Bear Stearns Cos. hedge funds that invested in collateralized debt obligations backed by subprime mortgage loans are told there is no value left in the funds, wiping out $1.6 billion originally invested.
19-Jul-07 Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke tells the U.S. Senate's Banking Committee that there may be as much as $100 billion in losses associated with subprime mortgage products.
22-Aug-07 Countrywide Financial Corp., the biggest U.S.mortgage lender, sells $2 billion of preferred stock to Bank of America Corp., the biggest U.S. bank by market value, to bolster its finances.
14-Sep-07 Northern Rock Plc says the Bank of England agreed to provide emergency funds to ease a ``severe liquidity squeeze'' sparked by U.S. subprime mortgage defaults following the first run on a British bank in more than a century.
11-Jan-08 Bank of America, the biggest U.S. bank by market value, agrees to buy Countrywide for about $4 billion.
14-Mar-08 Bear Stearns Cos. gets emergency funding from the U.S. Federal Reserve and JPMorgan Chase & Co. as a run on the bank depletes its cash reserves in three days.
16-Mar-08 JPMorgan Chase agrees to buy Bear Stearns for 7 percent of its market value in a sale brokered by the Fed and the U.S. Treasury.
1-Apr-08 Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., the fourth- largest U.S. securities firm, raises $4 billion from a stock sale to quell speculation it's short of capital.
9-Apr-08 Washington Mutual Inc. rejected an offer from JPMorgan Chase to buy it for as much as $8 a share, or $7 billion, before announcing it received a $7 billion capital infusion from a group led by TPG Inc., the Wall Street Journal reports, citing people familiar with the situation.
28-Apr-08 The U.S. Internal Revenue Service starts distributing tax rebates electronically as part of a $168 billion economic stimulus plan.
31-May-08 Bear Stearns ceases to exist as the acquisition by JPMorgan is completed.
11-Jul-07 IndyMac Bancorp Inc., the second-biggest independent U.S. mortgage lender, is seized by federal regulators after a run by depositors depleted its cash.
31-Jul-08 Nationwide Building Society, Britain's fourth-biggest mortgage lender, says U.K. house prices declined the most in almost two decades in July and consumer confidence fell to a record low as the economy edged closer to a recession.
31-Aug-08 Commerzbank AG agrees to buy Allianz SE's Dresdner Bank for 9.8 billion euros in Germany's biggest banking takeover in three years.
7-Sep-08 The U.S. government seizes control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the largest U.S. mortgage-finance companies.
15-Sep-08 Lehman Brothers files the largest bankruptcy in history, and Bank of America agrees to acquire Merrill Lynch & Co. for about $50 billion.
16-Sep-08 American International Group Inc. accepts an $85 billion loan from the Fed to avert the worst financial collapse in history, and the government takes over the company.
18-Sep-08 Lloyds TSB Group Plc, the U.K.'s biggest provider of checking accounts, agrees to buy HBOS Plc, Britain's largest mortgage lender, for 10.4 billion pounds.
21-Sep-08 Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley receive approval to become commercial banks regulated by the Fed as tight credit markets forced Wall Street's two remaining independent investment banks to widen their sources of funding.
23-Sep-08 Goldman Sachs Group Inc. says it will raise at least $7.5 billion from Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and public investors in a bid to quell concerns that pushed up the Wall Street firm's borrowing costs and hurt its stock.
26-Sep-08 The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ends a program that monitored securities firms' capital after Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, the only companies remaining under its jurisdiction, became banks overseen by the Fed.
26-Sep-08 The SEC's inspector general releases a report asserting that the agency failed in overseeing Bear Stearns because it knew the firm had ``high leverage'' and was too concentrated in mortgage securities before its forced sale to JPMorgan Chase & Co.
26-Sep-08 Washington Mutual Inc. is seized by government regulators and its branches and assets sold to JPMorgan Chase in the biggest U.S. bank failure in history.
27-Sep-08 Washington Mutual files for bankruptcy protection.
28-Sep-08 Fortis, the largest Belgian financial- services firm, receives an 11.2 billion-euro ($16.3 billion) rescue from Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg after investor confidence in the bank evaporates.
29-Sep-08 The House of Representatives rejects a $700 billion plan to rescue the U.S. financial system, sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 778 points, its biggest point drop ever. Citigroup Inc., the biggest U.S. bank by assets, agrees to acquire the banking operations of Wachovia Corp. for about $2.16 billion after shares of the North Carolina lender collapsed under the weight of overdue mortgages. Bradford & Bingley Plc, the U.K.'s biggest lender to landlords, is seized by the government.
30-Sep-08 Dexia SA, the world's biggest lender to local governments, gets a 6.4 billion-euro state-backed rescue as a worsening financial crisis forces policy makers across Europe to aid ailing banks. Ireland says it will guarantee its banks' deposits and debts for two years.
1-Oct-08 The U.S. Senate approves a revised version of the rescue plan that was refashioned to entice enough votes for passage.
3-Oct-08 The House passes the revised version of the rescue plan. Wells Fargo & Co., the biggest U.S. bank on the West Coast, agrees to buy all of Wachovia for about $15.1 billion, trumping Citigroup's government-assisted offer.
4-Oct-08 U.S. President George W. Bush signs the rescue plan into law.
5-Oct-08 BNP Paribas SA, France's biggest bank, will take control of Fortis's units in Belgium and Luxembourg after an earlier government rescue failed to ensure the company's stability as the global credit crisis worsened.
6-Oct-08 The Fed says it will double its auctions of cash to banks to as much as $900 billion and is considering further steps to unfreeze short-term lending markets as the credit crunch deepens. The German government and the country's banks and insurers agreed on a 50 billion euro ($68 billion) rescue package for commercial property lender Hypo Real Estate Holding AG after an earlier bailout faltered. The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls below 10,000 for the first time in four years.
9-Oct-08 Citigroup walks away from its attempt to buy Wachovia, handing victory to Wells Fargo. The Dow Jones falls below 9,000 for the first time in five years and briefly dips below 8,000.
13-Oct-08 An EU summit meeting is called and most EU nations agree to implement rescue packages for their country's banking institutions. Agreements were reach with regards to guaranteeing inter bank funding, debt, injecting capital into banks and changes in mark to market accounting rules
Every dot on this graph represents an important event during the ongoing crisis. Notice how its almost a line in the last couple of months (From september 08 onwards). Things are happening at a screaming pace.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Of cheats and generosity.
A very small snippet of what may be right and wrong with the world today explained through blatant consumerism:
Last Sunday, I wake up with the usual thought of picking up the Sunday supplement to read with a cup of coffee and there I saw on the newspaper, a sachet of Vivel shampoo – the new range by ITC. Well, that’s a freebee! (I think we threw the paper into our recycle stack though, shampoo et all).
Then, we go over to our friend’s house for lunch and conversation leads to why there’s a white blank rectangle on their Sunday supplements. Turns out the news paper guy has nicked the shampoo sachet before delivering them! Ouch! Now this is approximately a 300 home apartment complex which equals 300 stolen sachets that the newspaper dealer may be selling to the shop around the corner for a profit, unless Rapunzel lives with him.
Turn to Monday morning in our house and guess what? another Sunday supplement is delivered to us! Looks like the dealer had a few extra newspapers and wanted us to have the sachets.
Now that’s generous. All’s well with the world again (for the next 5 mins).
Last Sunday, I wake up with the usual thought of picking up the Sunday supplement to read with a cup of coffee and there I saw on the newspaper, a sachet of Vivel shampoo – the new range by ITC. Well, that’s a freebee! (I think we threw the paper into our recycle stack though, shampoo et all).
Then, we go over to our friend’s house for lunch and conversation leads to why there’s a white blank rectangle on their Sunday supplements. Turns out the news paper guy has nicked the shampoo sachet before delivering them! Ouch! Now this is approximately a 300 home apartment complex which equals 300 stolen sachets that the newspaper dealer may be selling to the shop around the corner for a profit, unless Rapunzel lives with him.
Turn to Monday morning in our house and guess what? another Sunday supplement is delivered to us! Looks like the dealer had a few extra newspapers and wanted us to have the sachets.
Now that’s generous. All’s well with the world again (for the next 5 mins).
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
End of the world
I went about my usual daily business scarcely aware that this potentially devastating device (Hadron Collider- Will post the link later. Looks like the entire world is searching for it so it wont load) will be unleased on the world today. Imagine the irony - the experiment CERN is conducting to study the Big Bang - the birth of the universe can cause the the end of the world. All the radio stations are inviting callers to discuss their "in a blaze of glory" exit from this world. A lady wants to take her husband to all his ex's so they can give him a last goodbye kiss? Huh? Another guy wants to propose (sic) to Sania Mirza.
Anyway, what about my blaze of glory? I want to discuss a movie. A movie called Dark Storm that I watched quite recently on TV (was that a sign from up above?). This obscure movie (took me tons of googling to get to its name - had forgotten it) talks about exactly the world faces today. Scientists in some super secret military lab discover "dark matter" and the mandatory evil and greedy one amongst them wants to un leash that on the planet for his own excitement (or to sell it or whatever). You see, its very hard to understand what the movie tries to convey. But if you ask me, this was the warning god gave to us long back (movie released in 2006). What's the fun if you dont use your grey matter to figure out the deep implications of the movie?? So here we have Mr. Rebonded hair scientist (turns out he has a web site for his "fans" but again I get an error. Is it just me?) who has swallowed dark matter (the evil guy puts it in him in true Guinea pig fashion). He can now control it. He's got this flashy presence on screen (literally) and can throw electricity bolts at people amongst other things. A boring 2 hours and tons of close ups on the hero's hair style later, Mr hero guy goes to this "lab" to stop the dark matter from creating a black hole in order save the planet. I'll leave the ending for you to figure. Come on you've got to use your grey matter too - to figure out how to tackle today.
As for me - I've now told the whole world how to save planet earth. Watch Dark Cloud.
Anyway, what about my blaze of glory? I want to discuss a movie. A movie called Dark Storm that I watched quite recently on TV (was that a sign from up above?). This obscure movie (took me tons of googling to get to its name - had forgotten it) talks about exactly the world faces today. Scientists in some super secret military lab discover "dark matter" and the mandatory evil and greedy one amongst them wants to un leash that on the planet for his own excitement (or to sell it or whatever). You see, its very hard to understand what the movie tries to convey. But if you ask me, this was the warning god gave to us long back (movie released in 2006). What's the fun if you dont use your grey matter to figure out the deep implications of the movie?? So here we have Mr. Rebonded hair scientist (turns out he has a web site for his "fans" but again I get an error. Is it just me?) who has swallowed dark matter (the evil guy puts it in him in true Guinea pig fashion). He can now control it. He's got this flashy presence on screen (literally) and can throw electricity bolts at people amongst other things. A boring 2 hours and tons of close ups on the hero's hair style later, Mr hero guy goes to this "lab" to stop the dark matter from creating a black hole in order save the planet. I'll leave the ending for you to figure. Come on you've got to use your grey matter too - to figure out how to tackle today.
As for me - I've now told the whole world how to save planet earth. Watch Dark Cloud.
Friday, September 5, 2008
The Indian connection
I do not have to introduce anyone to the habit of Indians taking credit for everything important that happens around the globe. Not to take away the accomplishments of talented individuals but I totally gag everytime the media digs up an Indian connection within no time for any happening that gets widely reported about. Take this for instance. It took them what? One week? to decide that an Indian was behind google's new browser Chrome.
Booker price? Gotta have an Indian. In fact none of the other nomineess with even get discussed in the Indian media.
Man on the moon/Mars/Uranus? - The little Indian needs to be waving right from up there!
Umpteen other examples. Bah!
Booker price? Gotta have an Indian. In fact none of the other nomineess with even get discussed in the Indian media.
Man on the moon/Mars/Uranus? - The little Indian needs to be waving right from up there!
Umpteen other examples. Bah!
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