Mercy's Pensieve

Award Time

2012-01-08T11:36:00.001+05:30

It is award time again… I got a gold award under “Excellence in Customer Delivery” for 2010 :)

21st of December

2012-01-05T23:00:00.002+05:30

Bell rings and is followed by a blinding flash of light… It is the early morning of 21st of December. I was anxious to open my eyes. What if the ancient wisdom is true? Is Hollywood right after all? If I open my eyes can I see the pearly gates and angels to welcome me into heaven? Do I deserve heaven in the first place? Am I getting off for all the sins? What about the cold-blooded murder of a small chick by first painting it green and blue, washing it later with cold water, and neatly wrapping it up in a heavy blanket? What about beating our pet dog with broom as he refused to shut up while I was reading comics? All those “I’m sick” lies at office or stealing peach and plums from neighbor’s garden…? God doesn’t seem to have kept His accounts properly. If this is indeed heaven, to which God does this one belong to? Why is it cold here? Is this the icy mountains of Mount Kailash or the milky ocean of Vaikuntam or abode of One God amidst of fluffy, silvery clouds? What really happens in heaven? Will angels sing His praise always? I can do that but not forever. Is it just music, dance, and food forever? Won’t people get bored of nothing but good stuff at some point? What kind of work people do here? Will He create again and send me back? I made a quick prayer – “Dear God, I love earth. I don’t belong in Heaven. Please send me back…” It was as though my prayer was answered… I felt warm hands, grasping and stretching my foot that I had curled up into fetal position. I reluctantly opened my eyes to him - standing tall, pulling me towards him with a huge grin plastered across his face from ear to ear. I heard him saying “Baby… you seem lost today morning… Why have you set the alarm? It is the first day of our vacation… I made you coffee and toast. It is a beautiful day… Shall we go out for a walk?” His tight embrace brought me back to the world. Our world is far better than holy heaven.

2011 Summary

2011-12-31T23:54:00.002+05:30

2011 is a truly wonderful year to me – new home, new friends, got published, certification, and to top it all first international vacation. Hope and pray that 2012 should bring me everything I wished to my hands – the best year yet… Wishing you all a fabulous 2012… :)

The Amateur

2011-12-26T01:40:00.003+05:30

She thinks she can write among her other skills and talents. She tends to write with a strange tone for her fictional highbrow literary readers. She is hungry for details in any situation. Her words flounce with her recordings of mysterious colors, cryptic scents, unknown resonances, peculiar flavors, and miniscule feelings. Her curiosity made her wander in wide range of topics. She has all the necessary vanity for a writer but not the insight. She starts to write something without knowing her plot. She desperately wants to reach a culmination point but not sure where her pencil is taking her.

Duty Calls

2011-12-26T01:40:00.001+05:30

His corner office overlooked city and traffic. He took his eyes from his laptop, scanned the horizon. Months had flurried across that winter had painted a few patches of natural colors grey. He had wound himself into a cocoon, moving away from her, working on a business deal. Yesterday, he looked up while sorting slides for his presentation, whiffing her scent. She returned from gym, her angelic face hot and shiny, sporting a smile. Nothing in his world could be more perfect. He wanted to make up for their lost time. He passed a multi-million dollar deal to his colleague.

Bon Voyage

2011-12-25T23:01:00.002+05:30

I stitched after a long time… nearly after 3 years… :)

Big Banyan Tree

2011-12-24T23:19:00.004+05:30

I’ve talked about this for years… when we did go, it was mind-numbingly unplanned. When we left home with our chauffeur, we had no clue on the destination. I was thinking it must be one our usual exploits like Lalbagh. Thamba surprised me by picking “Nandi Hills”. We drove north discussing other places and turned west settling for “Big Banyan Tree”. Mysore road had one of its worse traffic jams. It was a welcoming change to get out of the city. At least four people asked us “go straight for three kilometers” after taking a right near Rajarajeshwari Dental College. It was about seven kilometers from Mysore road. Finally, we got there…

400 year old banyan (Ficus Benghalensis) tree is set in the backdrop of mighty monolithic hill – Savandurga. This tree is supposed to be the fourth largest in India after the ones in Andhra Pradesh, Kolkata, and Chennai. I’ve not seen the one in Chennai in spite of living very close to it :( This big banyan tree currently has more than 1000 aerial / prop roots and supposed to expand by a few feet every year. The green canopy spans across three acres. The main trunk is dying of some disease, hosts a Siva temple underneath. It hurts to note that most branch and trunk of this beautifully gnarled tree has been etched with graffiti by vandals. Horticultural department took the tree under their care to protect and conserve its roots.

I wished to go further to Machanabele dam and Savandurga… without lunch, we had to return after carefully picking up snacks like tender coconut and peanuts… Anyway… happy to meet the old giant at last :)

Lunar Eclipse

2011-12-10T22:30:00.003+05:30

Lunar eclipse through my eyes… Sorry for the bad photographs…

Lalitha Ma’am

2011-12-06T18:32:00.004+05:30

How can the year end without a whirlwind pilgrimage tour? Madurai – Pillayarpatti – Rameshwaram… I’m trying to forget the horrors of bathing in so-called scared waters (“punniya theertham”) or the food poisoning that made take frequent trips to the bathroom and confined to bed for two days. The best of this trip is meeting Lalitha ma’am, my high school biology teacher. I was surprised when a lady grabbed my arms and asked “Mercy, do you remember me?” I struggled hard to place her… Thamba knew her instantly. I was truly touched – she could remember my name and face after all these years and out of numerous students who would have walked in and out of her classroom… Not every teacher will help to shape our future… Some will leave long last impression that would stay for lives. Lalitha ma’am is one of those kinds. She is a tough bird with impeccable standards. I remember this particular incident… Amma drew an impressionist work of Nepenthes in my Botany record notebook. I do not remember what I did to annoy her later that she refused to draw human brain for Zoology record. I wanted the brain to excel the beauty of nepenthes. Hence I decided to trace the picture from book. The result - brain appeared as a minuscule version in my big record notebook. I submitted my work proudly. When she picked up mine, she called me to her table with a cold stare and asked me “what is this?” I replied innocently, “brain!” She retorted in front of all my classmates “yours?” and showed it to the class roaring with laughter. Well… my notebook was thrown out in an elegant projectile motion. That’s when I decided without any trace of doubt “Computer Science is my future” :) On a serious note, I owe a lot to her… She strived for perfection in every single thing. I’m still trying to live up to her standards…

Exact Same Feeling

2011-11-28T21:11:00.002+05:30

Never Felt This Way!

2011-11-28T20:46:00.002+05:30

Have you ever been in a situation when Google returns two search results for an error from a discussion forum that describes the exact weird error code you have with multiple responses begging for a solution and the discussion thread is archived without any actual solution?

December 15, 2007
Hi,
I get the following error when I upgrade and compile my solution…
1> CollaborationExplorer.exe : compiler error #: CS2005 missing file specification for ‘option’ option
And
1> Release\FactoryManager.dll : fatal error LNK1120: 4 unresolved external symbols
Can somebody please help?
Thanks in advance,
Tim

January 9, 2008
I’m stuck with stupid issue… anyone there?
Thanks, Tim

I’ve never felt this close to any guy in my entire life… :) Update the discussion thread when you find a solution people, PLEASE!! :)

Leaping Seconds

2011-11-08T23:46:00.005+05:30

Last week there was a news article on new proposed standard to get rid of GMT. British media has passionate arguments against it as they view it as diminishing “Britain’s role as Victorian superpower”. If the new standards are accepted, then Paris-based International Bureau of Weights and Measures will become the new guardian of time. France has lobbied for “Paris Mean Time” at a conference to set a world standard time in United States in 1884. Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) a standard from 1972 uses atomic clocks across the world to measure time accurately. Vacillations in Earth’s rotation will affect these atomic clocks and hence adjusted by milliseconds called as “leap seconds”. Apparently there were 24 leap second adjustments were made since UTC was accepted in 1972 to match the “solar time”. These minute changes could potentially wreak havoc in online systems. Google blog talks about how critical accurate time is to them. They use Network Time Protocol (NTP) that uses UTC to synchronize clocks of computer systems.

Daylight Savings Time changed to extend my work days… Amma beats the time by keeping our clock running 15 minutes ahead. Now that we all know her trick, it hardly makes any difference – “that stupid clock is 15 minutes ahead of sanity, amma” :) The relativity of time could kill us at times – how can time change its color and speed while one is in a boring meeting or in a vacation? Time is elusive, isn’t it?

7’aum Arivu

2011-10-31T01:00:00.008+05:30

It translates to “7th Knowledge” or “7th Sense”… however, there is neither knowledge nor sense in the whole movie. Bodhidharma, a Tamil Pallava prince went to 6th century China as a Buddhist evangelist and founded the basics of martial arts in Shaolin Temple. I’m not getting into this disputed history… just a few thoughts after watching this outlandish movie.

Bodhidharma in his farewell speech tells his father that the travel is not only for evangelism but also to spy on China – I don’t see anything wrong with evangelism but “spying” on a big and distant country seemed ridiculous while Pallavas were forced to stop expanding their territory by Badami Chalukyas.

The route Bodhidharma travelled was shown as a land route via Himalayas as opposed to the sea one. I’m okay with any route actually but just because Bodhidharma was depicted with a red colored loosely wound shawl-like as top in paintings doesn’t mean he can pass the mighty Himalayan cold as a scantily clad mendicant… but, hey... who knows maybe he can beat dying harsh weather too.

Even an undisputed master in hypnotism would at least hold eye contact to control the other person’s mind. Dong Lee seems to control the mind with an eye contact that lasts less than minute or even without it. Tell me something… is there a universal mind language? As in Dong Lee as portrayed knew only “Chinese” but was able to control simple “Tamil” minds… Am I missing anything here?

Common rhino virus takes at least two to three days to quarantine a individual. A virus recreated from 6th century can show its reach on the host within a day… may be a strong strain… It is a basic instinct to cover nostrils and mouth with at least your hands had you known about some virulent strain in the air… people do that in smoky places to traffic pollution. A star genetic engineering student was too caught up in moving infected people to isolation ward don’t worry about protecting herself… same goes with Dong Lee and the evil professor… Would they already have access to antidote?

Genetic memory is made up of instincts developed over a period of time since a species evolved like fire hurts, predators kill, bizarrely colored fruits/vegetables could harm, or able to survive high altitudes with less oxygen… these are not learnt skills like medicine or martial arts.

Modern genetic engineering doesn’t have a process to manipulate DNA. Bodhidharma’s medical text in Tamil takes about changing the DNA in 12 days. For some odd reasons, ancient idea was made possible with modern technologies. This superman Bodhidharma also predicted the evolution of 21st century scientific equipment and process… Thamba tells me that if someone soak him in a giant glass tank filled with weird solution for 12 days, he will claim that he could remember the "genetic memory" of Mahendra Varma Pallavan I…

Voice of the historical background claims “when others were barbarians, Tamils were civilized”… This is a ludicrous exaggeration. There were other civilizations that existed along with or even before Tamil civilization. This claim sounds like all Tamils are ostentatious racists without substance.

This movie is definitely not a “victory for Tamils all over the world”. It is not my intention to undermine Bodhidharma or Tamil. I’m a very proud “Tamil” just don’t claim that others are stupid. I value my roots and have a strong belief that the precious notes in ancient Tamil texts are not decoded yet. Before singing the glory of the past and add the prerogatives, do something worthy enough of “Tamil”…

P.S. I wrote this post intentionally in English.

Jupiter – As Close As It Gets

2011-10-28T23:40:00.002+05:30

Star of October is Jupiter… It sparkled with moon on 12-13th of October. Tonight, Jupiter is at “opposition” – Earth “passes” Jupiter. It is about 3.97 astronomical units (au) away. I was thrilled to spot a huge diamond in the east of night sky… :)

Glass Painting

2011-10-25T21:15:00.003+05:30

I’m attracted to the massive stained glass windows in churches to simple suncatchers by windows. I’m fascinated with its history. I had been obsessing with the hobby of stained glass for a while now… Stained glass objets d’art are created by cutting colored glass which are later arranged to form patterns or images. It is quite an effort that requires both artistic and engineering skills. I can’t imagine the cleaning struggle after that. I’m going to stick to simple glass painting and reverse glass painting until I could spare more time and money… more than anything I should get over my laziness. I wanted to begin with a pattern on the Rose Window of Notre Dame. “The Annunciation” is another theme that I would like to try. I was asked to try floral or geometric patterns before venturing into highly ambitious projects...

Passport Seva Kendra

2011-10-18T23:55:00.004+05:30

My passport is due to expire next March. I was quite happy about the new online and automated process. Thought of giving some tips to the readers… the portal will tell you that the list of required documents to renew an old yet valid passport is ONE address proof. I had two photocopies and the original. Guess what? That isn’t enough if you are applying for your passport in a different region – say you got your passport in Chennai and trying to get it renewed in Bangalore. According to the authorities, they require TWO address proofs in that case. Trust me… there is no point in yelling “The last time I heard Bangalore is in India… I’ve not moved to New York and requesting an Indian passport…” or “PAN card is a valid Indian government ID… do you know how much tax I pay?” Until now, I just got my bank statements for address proof. Well… they made me run again to the bank for an “Address Confirmation Letter” along with one year bank statement. I’ve turned wise the second time – didn’t argue just wanted to oblige and get the hell out of the passport office after spending almost a day there without lunch.

Best is Yet to Be

2011-10-11T23:23:00.002+05:30

Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in his hand
Who saith, "A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!"

~ Robert Browning

Geometrical Patterns in Pottery

2011-10-09T15:17:00.010+05:30

Dubai museum was a big disappointment to me although Thamba asked me not expect anything. Well… my expectations weren’t that big - Islamic astronomical artifacts and paintings. Dubai hosts some of the tallest architectural buildings but the museum was a small fort. All I found were a boat, some knives and swords, a canon, mannequins depicting lifestyles, preserved falcons. The small room opposite to the gift shop has the most valuable items of the museum – items collected from Jumeirah archeological site. One interesting things that I noticed is in the ancient burial site men were buried facing the sea as in work and women facing the land as in home - clearly marking the gender roles. A humble request and suggestion – these archeological notes have to be updated properly – they still have old notations of BC/AD instead of BCE/CE. It strikes the eye of an amateur…

Anyway… my intention is not to write a review on Dubai Museum but on the geometrical patterns that I found on the pottery. Pottery dating back to 2nd and 3rd Millennium BCE had some interesting geometrical patterns. Mostly made of concentric circles and triangles, they were fascinating because we can spot some of these patterns even now. The ones between 9th to 12th century CE is more sophisticated – among them I spotted a curious pattern like those of Tamil kolams. I should research more on this. This is what I noted on the Starbucks tissue paper while Thamba was waiting outside…

Heat and Sand

2011-10-08T22:02:00.005+05:30

I’ve never seen so much of sand in my life. I also thought the Indian tropical summer is unbearable. When I looked down from the plane it was just sand in small heaps, hills, and mountains. It could easily shame the sand in our Marina Beach. The weather forecast is very simple – hot during night, hotter in the morning, and hottest in the afternoon. I had to take a shower before jumping into the bed after returning to the apartment anytime of the day. I can easily spot the fancy high-end cars on the road. I can’t name about half of that. I developed a certain liking to Arabic breads and their Hummus salad.

Thamba started with Dubai Mall. Meeting Raj at the entrance of Dubai Mall was a pleasant surprise. Thamba treated me with an exclusive Italian chocolate sponge cake filled with cherries soaked in rum and covered with dark chocolate. It was the usual tourist thing after that. Dinner cruise at Dubai Creek, Dubai Creek Park, Dolphin Show, posing with all the cartoon characters, Desert Safari and belly dance, Ibn Battuta Mall, Mall of Emirates, Jumeirah beach, Burj Al Arab, Dubai Museum, Musical fountain and Burj Al Khalifa…

Highlight of the trip is 42” Samsung that we bought from Mall of Emirates…:) It fits perfectly in our entertainment unit and I could not take my eyes off him ;)

Dubai, Baby!!

2011-09-26T20:33:00.005+05:30

My first international vacation :) Thamba asked me “Do you have any vacation leaves?” I said “I got about 20 of them and don’t know what to do with it.” He went “Would you like to visit Dubai?” I almost fell off the couch… Thamba is on an official visit but was kind enough to sponsor flight tickets :) My brother, ladies and gentlemen… He is the BEST brother any girl could ask for :) :) :)

Woooohoooooooo!!! I’m going on an international vacation… Yayyyyy!!! I started making plans feverishly soon after that – desert safari, camel rides, star trial photography, dinner cruise, and shopping of course… :)

பின் வருவன தமிழ் கூறும் நல் உலகிற்கு மட்டுமே புரியும் என்கிற காரணத்தினால்... துபாய் போறோமே ஷேக் டிரஸ் எல்லாம் வேணுமா? பலப்பலன்னு கண்ணு குருடு ஆகிற மாதிரி கலர்-ல தான் டிரஸ் போடுவாங்களா? பெண்கள் பர்தா போடாட்ட சாட்டையால அடிப்பாங்களா? பீச் இருக்குமா? இப்படி எதோ முதல் தடவை வெளிநாடு போறது போல ஒரே பதட்டம்... இதுல தம்பா வேற "பிளேன் மேல பறக்கும் போது விண்டோ ஓபன் பண்ணச் சொல்லி கேளு..."அப்படின்னு கிண்டல் பண்ணறான். "டேய் விசா-க்கு என்ன பண்ண?"-னு கேட்டேன். "கடல் ஓரமா பறக்கும் போது, ஆழம் குறைவா இருக்க இடத்தில், கேட் ஓபன் பண்ணுவாங்க... நீ அப்படியே குதிக்க வேண்டியது தான்...அலைவேகமா அடிச்சு உன்னை கரை சேர்த்திடும்... அப்புறம் யார் கேட்டாலும் 'கஜா கா தோஸ்த்'-னு சொல்லு" இப்படி பல கேலிக்கு அப்புறம், டிக்கெட் போட்டு, விசா வாங்கி தந்தான். இது வரை திரை கடல் ஓடி திரவியம் தான் தேடியது உண்டு...வாழ்கையில் முதல் முறையாக கடல் தாண்டி ஒரு உல்லாச பயணம்... அடுத்த பத்து நாட்களுக்கு என்னை தொடர்பு கொள்ள வேண்டிய முகவரி – நம்பர் 4, விவேகானந்தர் தெரு, துபாய் குறுக்கு சந்து (துபாய் பஸ் ஸ்டாண்ட் அருகில்), துபாய்.

All I could talk was “Dubai” in the past one month to anyone who could say a “hello” to me - friends, neighbors, fruit vendor, ice-cream boy, cashier while buying groceries, BMTC bus driver, our office security, house-keeping guys and co-workers. Actually I should thank the entire family for sponsoring various things and making it happen… This is the best birthday gift ever!! :)

More updates from Dubai… Ciao!! :) :) :)

Weekend

2011-09-25T22:45:00.003+05:30

It was a two hour flight journey to meet the special someone. She wasn’t worried about the snowstorm when the plane descended. If needed, she would walk the two mile from the airport to his place. Her heart beats frenziedly with excitement and anticipation. She knows she will have to return to the same place with tears in two days. Now,this moment is hers. She caught his eyes dancing impatiently. Two embraced ignoring snowfall among the crowd. He welcomed the light in her eyes and the warmth of her lips to build memories to be shared with their grandchildren.

Multiverse

2011-09-18T21:31:00.002+05:30

There were times when we talked through the night, counting the stars of our universe. Today for reasons unknown our conversation runs bleak. I chose the road strewn with stories ringing with laughter on its footpaths. I walk ahead looking back at your smile. We reach a placid lake and sit close together on the brown grass. While the birds pauses their songs, I intently listen to your silence. You pick up pebbles to create ripples. I pick up a twig to create art. When the dimensions of our parallel universe fades, we will return to the universe we share.

Overseas Call

2011-09-09T21:57:00.005+05:30

A silent, sultry, dark night, leaves stood still in the fig tree outside her bedroom window. The creaky, old chair was enough to support her wobbly legs and impatient mind with her book. The Hidden Connections of Capra has an unusual bookmark – a peacock feather. She felt the peacock feather against her cheek as though to quell her restless mind. As soon as her phone chirped, she knew it was him. It is their connection… Among the sweet nothings, there wound an invisible, fine thread of love and longing. Leaves of fig tree danced in the delight of night shower.

Choice

2011-09-05T23:03:00.004+05:30

It was a dark, moonless, and snowy evening... They sat on wooden bench waiting for the bus. Eye contact struck the match showing the realms of a different world. They could take seven steps to get close to discover the unexplored world. They might remain unmoved to be the slave of their own fantasies. They sat still, mirroring their body language - shrunken and hugging themselves, waiting for the other to make the first move. Time flew past as it does forever. The bus arrived; she passed him without bothering a look for it is better with dreams than reality.

Say NO to Plastics

2011-09-03T23:46:00.006+05:30

or pay for it... Blanket ban on plastics never kicked off… Shops are now charging for it. While standing in the queue in Shopper’s Stop, I could see three out of five before me took their stuff without the plastic bag when the guy said there will be additional charges. Such a remarkable change… may be the next time those two would bring their own bags. We refused a plastic bag too. Amma’s big purse could hold two shirts, one t-shirt, and an evening dress. Perfect! I remember taking two big jute bags to Sunday market when we were in Kodai. We don’t take more than a small purse and a wallet for shopping these days. Change your shopping habits as it good for both your wallet and earth :)

Legible Scribble

2011-08-29T19:38:00.006+05:30

CNN has been mourning the death of handwriting in several articles since early August as some 46 states in US have adopted the Common Core Standards, a set of educational guidelines that do not require cursive writing as part of a school's curriculum. Concerned people were behind cursive writing and not calligraphy. Graphology came in early 1900s that could potentially read a person’s character with their handwriting. There is a study that says art of handwriting has been diminishing in recent decades. Apparently sloppy handwritten notes of doctors have claimed lives. What is more required in digitized world – cursive writing or typing? A point of debate... I used write very well during college days. This is what it had become after 9 years of working with computers…

I’m saving this for myself to check in the future. January this year, I had to post my expense report and bills to settle. There was a big line in USPS office in spite of heavy snow. When I made it finally, this lady took my cover and brightened - “That is the most beautiful script I’ve seen in months here… Bless ya… you made my day!!” I wanted to tell her that I can actually do better but simply smiled and accepted the compliment gracefully. There are people who still appreciate good handwriting… It is worth to know this art.

The Laughing Heart

2011-08-26T23:31:00.002+05:30

your life is your life
don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.
be on the watch.
there are ways out.
there is a light somewhere.
it may not be much light but
it beats the darkness.
be on the watch.
the gods will offer you chances.
know them.
take them.
you can’t beat death but
you can beat death in life, sometimes.
and the more often you learn to do it,
the more light there will be.
your life is your life.
know it while you have it.
you are marvelous
the gods wait to delight
in you.

~Charles Bukowski

Regular Expressions

2011-08-25T23:38:00.003+05:30

After a longtime, I wrote regular expressions to work on a CSV file.

new System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex(",(?=(?:[^\\\"]*\\\"[^\\\"]*\\\")*(?![^\\\"]*\\\"))");

I almost forgot how fun it is to work with them like this and this.

Tiruchanoor

2011-08-22T18:30:00.004+05:30

I dusted the notes of “Krishna nee begane baro…” to play in my Veena for this Jenmashtami, trying to ignore Thamba’s previous comment that “Krishna might run away through the next street had he listen to me playing”… May be Lord Krishna felt the same and changed plans for this year – “Visit me” :) How blessed one has to be close to him on this very special day? We originally planned Tirupathi on a different date but got tickets on this day. It was raining, mist was sneaking up from the evergreen forests of the mighty seven hills, the red sun illuminating the gold dome, Suprabatham as the background music – there are special moments when you feel close to God…

The highlight of the trip turned out to be Padmavathy Thaiyar… Tiruchanoor is mostly visited in a hurry – more as a custom. We were lucky enough to be there on early morning this time. There was this lady standing before in the queue before me as we wait for the gates to be opened. The temple organizers asked the ladies to get in first. We went in and before we make the serpentine rounds, they asked for tickets. This lady said it is with her husband and they asked her to wait. We went in. Just before entering the sanctum sanctorum, they were doing pooja for the steps. As the pooja got over, this priest asked me to step with right foot as my first step and asked me stand in a special place as we entered. Once the pooja is over, the priest blessed me with Sadari for more than a minute chanting mantras and gave me a long strand of jasmine flowers with kungumam. I never knew about this custom… It was absolutely overwhelming – I felt something more than happiness coursing through my veins…

India against Corruption

2011-08-18T23:52:00.004+05:30

I remember my first bribe… I didn’t break any law, yet I paid my bribe to the police officer who came for passport verification at Nehru Centenary Girls Hostel, CEG. I was quite thrilled about getting a passport and the possibilities of future travel. The police verification, a mandate routine, is first experience with corruption. Manoj came to the lab asking me to get to hostel office as this officer is waiting. Arunan was also there. I showed my student ID to this officer – Mercy does exist and that she is a student. I was naïve enough to believe it was all done until he asked me “Fees?” I was like “Will you give me a receipt and how much? I didn’t read about this fee in passport applying process…” Arunan stopped me before I went further and gave Rs.200 to that police officer. That is how I was initiated into Indian system of corruption.

Corruption in recent past has gone from modest hundreds to billions of dollars. I was actually thinking our ex-CM Yeddyurappa as a poor bloke – “when people are squandering in billions he is snatching just 60x40 residential plots in Bangalore…” Hegde report on the mining scandal tells me otherwise. Every single penny is hard-earned – I’ve lost sleep or had Visual Studio infested dreams, had repetitive stress injuries, and skipped meals to get my salary. I also pay horrible taxes while somebody just whisk away in a blink of an eye to Swiss banks. Mass gatherings and protests outside is a collective anger of entire nation that has been suppressed or conveniently ignored for years. I’m glad that we are expressing it in a non-violent way. How does government react to it?

• Hiding behind “policemen” - PM has numerous important tasks in his office ruling the country and he doesn’t know the arrest of an old man. Lately his only answer has been “I don’t know or I’m not aware”. What work does he actually do? Is there a provision in RTI to ask for daily workload of PM?

• Hiding behind “technicalities” - Chidambaram says “People can ask for anything… but ONLY Parliament has the right to make a law”. Forgive me for the insolence – isn’t India the largest democracy in the world? I’ve the audacity to believe what they taught in school - democracy is “by the people, for the people, and of the people”.

• Hiding behind “external forces” – United States is plotting to destabilize the government of India. I think United States has enough trouble right now with poor employment ratio, debt crisis, losing credit rating, and stock market tumbling that has forced Obama to get into a bus. If Obama could strategize all this in his bus ride, he could have very well saved his own country. I’m quite surprised why they have not talked about Pakistan yet.

• Talking “nonsense” – I heard some Congress spokesman on TV that “this issue doesn’t include ALL people – where are Dalits, BCs, OBCs, Christians, and Muslims?” This issue hasn’t covered only one group of people – corrupt politicians and officials. Other than this group, people from every walk of life are out there protesting. Congress Party is in a serious need of good spokesmen… I actually get rashes in my skin just listening to their nonsense.

Monsters under My Bed

2011-08-10T21:45:00.003+05:30

She sleeps with a heap of books, a smiling dinosaur, a simple camel, and a lazy, ginger cat. She likes a cool, dark room to sleep. She woke up from deep slumber as felt a sudden chill of someone tugging her sheet slowly. She did not dare to open her eyes as the growl under her bed steadily grew; she felt that there was something close to drool or blood on her books, a leg was missing from the camel, and could not find dinosaur or the cat.

Her imagination brought back all the dark villains she has ever read to life that is now waiting under her bed to grab her ankles. Her cry never reached her own ears as something jumped on her with vengeance. A vile creature with a malformed face and gleaming big eyes tried to lick the life out of her. Her fingers finally managed reach the switch of reading light. Sincerely hoping that light could dissolve the monster, she opened her eyes just in time to save another licking attack from her pug.

The Alchemist

2011-07-31T23:36:00.003+05:30

God took seven days to create earth… I took less than an hour to create earth, heaven, and hell… :) Hut, stone hedge, metal, and light – I’m not into any voodoo, black magic stuff… Alchemic Phone 7 is an addictive game. “Angry Birds” tops the chart at my home. The other popular ones are “Fall down Classic”, and “Flowerz” from XBox… What is your game? :)

I Love NY

2011-07-31T22:08:00.003+05:30

I like to work on animate objects for my art work until one day I landed on Stephen Wiltshire gallery. There is life in his cityscapes that pulsates different mood. Autism could not stop him from soaring up to sky and draw the most famous cityscapes in the world. He did astonishing 18 feet of New York just after a 20 minute helicopter ride from memory at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn.

I made the one above from the photos that I’ve collected over years… Somebody should have warned me about it – the profound effect that New York evokes on one for the first time – it was love at first sight :)

To Poori with Love

2011-07-30T22:49:00.005+05:30

A madhubani painting – ‘Tree of Life’ a.k.a. ‘Karpaga Viruksham’… Tree of Life is one of the famous motifs of traditional Indian art that has exotic fruits, birds singing and feasting on these fruits, and a peacock dancing. This exquisite motif represents life, growth, and abundance styled in Madhubani.

A Perfect Date

2011-07-28T15:11:00.005+05:30

I got this book “How to Draw Cartoons?” in May… It was very interesting trying to try various facial expressions with simple strokes. Poppy however claims she can draw better whereas I can only paint. When I put together and showed it to her, she went like “girl looks like you…” ;) Any resemblance to living or dead is purely coincidental ;) :P

I don’t know how to take a photo that shows fine lines well :(

Hello Weekend!

2011-07-27T00:08:00.003+05:30

I love weekends – especially Friday evenings. It was double joy to go to a play and dinner with Preetha on a Friday evening couple of weeks ago. The weekend after that, I went out on a really long walk all by myself. This walk included a detour to a book store, a Strawberry Blush, books of Tagore and Capra, ATM to withdraw cash and peanuts on the street near a park... :) Last weekend started with a bang… shopping in the smaller alleys of Commercial Street is a great experience. Saturday Thamba took me to a sale with a warning that “we are not buying anything”. As predicted by less-than-average seers, I got a purse and two t-shirts. Home loan EMI is like a dragon breathing fire on my face anytime I think of shopping these days. This huge commitment kills the joy of shopping… but the caveat here is “if it is not from your wallet…” ;) Amma and Thamba took the bills :P Needless to say I was grinning from ear to ear on the way back home :) Epitome of weekend happiness comes with a movie on Sunday night – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II. I never liked the Harry Potter movies nor going out on Sundays, but it was fun to watch the movie sitting in between Thamba and Poppy with popcorn and donuts :) I leave a small prayer to God with this post to make the weekends rest of the year as lovely as these… :) :) :)

History Reimagined: Declaration of Independence

2011-07-23T19:26:00.002+05:30

I don’t know what went wrong, I couldn’t write posts. No matter how busy, I love to update my blog. I guess this time it is both home and work got in the way. I also believe the sweltering tropical summer made my right brain cells get into a hibernation mode. I’m going to continue my usual from now on. To begin on cheerful note, I watched some of the anniversary videos of Office 2010. I liked this one better…

MCTS: Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 Configuring

2011-06-29T19:48:00.003+05:30

Passed the exam today :)

Bharata Natyam

2011-06-18T23:02:00.009+05:30

Karthi took me out today evening for a Bharata Natyam dance recital. I had a lovely evening. Some of my photos…

Thank you, Karthi :)

Sweet Home

2011-06-02T18:21:00.003+05:30

Crouching Dragon

2011-05-22T23:12:00.003+05:30

Touched my paint brush after a long time… A Chinese dragon with the letter “Fu” (good fortune) and the good luck symbol infinity. It was on handmade paper with fabric colors.

Clean Sweep

2011-05-13T22:35:00.002+05:30

Sun has set on the DMK horizon today. It is a decisive mandate, landslide victory, or whatever you call. The reasons are

1. Nepotism: Omnipresence of one family from World Classical Tamil Conference to Parliament of India

2. Institutionalized Corruption: TV channels, radio channels, newspapers, cinema… one family controlled everything. Those shameless “Kalai Vizha” where they force everyone in Tamil Film industry forced to attend, sing, dance, and appreciate Karunanidhi at the end… No such celebrations were made once actor Ajith Kumar proclaimed on stage before everyone that they were forced to do this. Rajinikanth stood up and clapped for Ajith’s speech. Kalaingar TV smartly edited that part and ran it. Most lead actors were forced to work in one of the family production projects. They also determined when to release a movie and in what locations. Actor Vijay’s struggled to release his movie as they wanted to wait for a movie that had story and screenplay by Karunanidhi. Apparently 50 lakhs were given to him for that and movie was even received well by his own party members that it ran for a day or two. Who pays 50 lakhs for such a movie? Who were they trying to fool?

3. Sri Lankan Tamils: Turning a blind eye to this issue and had actually mocked by staging a “fast”. This stunt fast made into record books as being the shortest in world history. UN has recently confirmed the human rights violations and mass killings. The worst is in spite of having a strong command in UPA led government, he hardly raised his voice when Sri Lankan army killed Indian fishermen.

4. Common man: Horrible power-cuts, price rise of basic commodities, bad state of law and order, confused with the twisted news on different channels, and many more

5. 2G Spectrum: This has brought all the other issues mentioned above to limelight.

6. Praveen Kumar: Chief Electoral Officer of Tamil Nadu state did a tremendous job in confiscating bundles and bundles of money transported by various means – police jeeps, ambulances, and private buses. His stringent adherence to the rules and implementing state-of-art measure to nip malpractices made 78% voters and zero violence.

I predict arrest of Kanimozhi by CBI, UPA leaving DMK, acrimonious family fights in public (Sun TV is already showing celebrations in Poes Garden for hours together), split in DMK… all said the big question now is what change can Jayalalitha bring?

Tamil Nadu Election Results 2011

2011-05-12T22:03:00.000+05:30

78% voters, 30 days… I followed up all the exit poll results and analysis in all the news channels (English and Tamil), newspapers (again both English and Tamil), magazines, passionate arguments on both sides, blogs, tweets, astrological and numerological predictions, predictions by birds like parrots, crows, and eagles, ancient runes, some tried to talk to the ghost of Paul the Octopus, tarot cards, effects of Jupiter transit in early May on politics… I can’t stand the suspense any more that I’m writing this blog even while the power backup at home is twinkling dangerously low (30 minutes of summer showers can bring the power down in three big areas right at the center of the city). Who do you think can make the majority? Leave your comments and win a special prize*.

* Only comments left before 12:00 pm of 13-May-2011 will be considered

Feminism in 2G Spectrum

2011-05-09T16:04:00.002+05:30

This scandal spectral view has me dumbfounded. It takes a sharp turn in each corner. While main conspirator is lurking in Tihar, the “co-conspirator” is still on loose. Probably, they are waiting for the results of Tamil Nadu elections. Dayalu Ammal, 60% stake holder in Kalaingar TV is let off the hook because the poor woman does not know any language other than Tamil. One of the main benefits Karunanidhi has reaped with his “Tamil only” campaign. Anyway… Kanimozhi, 20% stake holder is saying that she does not even know the operations of Kalaingar TV. She is also a “mere” stake holder. It is always people who hold big money does not know the operations in this big case. Fair enough? I can even forgive this… but “Kanimozhi is just a woman”… What kind of bull $#!% is that? I still trust and believe in Law that does not discriminate based on gender, status, and other bias. “Treat Kani compassionately as she is a woman” – Great statement… Don’t we have women prisons in India? Don’t all the allegedly accused go there? It is worse than a kinder garden girl saying “boo hoo… I’m Daddy’s little girl… you can’t hurt me…” Kushboo has lent her support to Kanimozhi as a “women and a mother”. Wow!! Now that Kushboo supports let us change IPC like this “if the accused know only Tamil, reports ill-health, and/or is a woman, no charges can be reported”. Jayalalitha never had played “woman” card even after being sexually harassed right inside the State Legislature of Tamil Nadu. She stood up for herself and avenged like Kannagi… I’m not saying she is 100% perfect… just that she never wanted someone to rescue her. If you know how to pitch for a central minister seat and get it, have some nerve to stand up and fight. Even if you don’t have any pride for yourself, don’t kill women’s.

The Mountain

2011-04-26T00:13:00.002+05:30

There are times when you feel closer to God. This breathtaking video would do so. Terje Sorgjerd, a very talented landscape photographer from Norway had captured stunning shots of natural shows from the highest mountain of Spain – EL Teide. He had mixed it with spectacular capture of our Milky Way galaxy during a sandstorm using time-lapse photography. He has true eyes… Enjoy the video! If the HD version is slow – try this.

The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.

Something Interesting

2011-04-19T15:02:00.017+05:30

Best Guess: Google quietly launched a new feature in Search Engine Results Page recently called “Best Guess”. Check it out…

QR Code: Short for Quick Response code, a matrix barcode or two-dimensional barcode readable by QR barcode readers. The code is made of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be text or URL.

Xbox Avatar: I started playing Xbox LIVE on my phone… To add jazz to the gaming experience, I created my digital avatar...

Geek and Poke

2011-04-14T20:32:00.006+05:30

I follow xkcd for some years now. I like a tech comic - Geek and Poke. This has been an inspiration for me to create some bad comic strip like this and this :( Geek and Poke’s satire can bring a smile to a soft chuckle, if you need a break from work.

Free?

2011-04-08T18:06:00.002+05:30

Tamil Nadu elections… I’m appalled at the election promises. 35 kilos of rice for Rs. 2, free mixer, grinder, TV, laptop, free bus pass, house for Rs. 75,000,Rs. 35,000 to support marriage, and more… there is nothing on any productive improvements for the state.

Free bus passes? TNSTC and SETC are already falling apart. Most of the people I know take KSTRC or private buses on Bangalore-Chennai route. We had a horrible experience travelling in SETC during our South Tamil Nadu trip. Air Conditioner wasn’t working and you can’t open the windows. Heat and humidity made it difficult to breathe in the first place. Rupees 1000 crore loses were reported. Whereas, the private bus corporation owned by the Transportation minister Nehru churns profit year after year. In spite of all these, they are offering free bus passes? You need not have masters in economics to find it stupid.

Please forgive my insensitivity here for I’ve never been married. Why would government have to support marriage? India is going beat China’s population in another 20 years. Are we in such a state that government is asking people to procreate and fill the land? If one can’t find money for the wedding, why would you get married in the first place? Who will support the family? May be they will live on the 35 kilos of rice and the rest what government provides.

With the price-rise like what we are facing, is it even possible to construct a house of decent size for say a family with two children with just Rs. 75,000? Our house is under construction. I have a decent idea on the price of various items. I don’t think it is possible. Are they talking about tents for families?

If one gets rice, mixer, grinder, TV, laptop for free, they might as well reduce their working potential to half. Are they trying to produce a generation of lazy fools? It is not politician’s money to splurge, it is taxpayers’ money. Do you want the items at your home stamped as “Given by Government of Tamil Nadu” with a huge photograph of an old crook smiling or do you want your own choice from your decent living? Announcing “free” ensures more corruption - they’ll pocket a sizeable chunk to their own family and this viral family claims dominion over entire Tamil Nadu. Even our great poetess Ovaiyar says it is ok to beg to learn and not for anything else. Free is worse than begging. Proud men never live on charity. Pride doesn’t come for free.

Reflections

2011-04-05T00:42:00.003+05:30

There was a photo contest at EMC Consulting with two themes – Black and White, and Nature. Couldn’t be a more straight forward theme… I sent mine. The Hudson

Shot at the Hudson River, NY

Reflections

Shot at a small pond in Branchburg, NJ

Reflections won third prize and will be appearing in the calendar of EMC Consulting :)

Back Home

2011-03-31T20:41:00.002+05:30

This is a quite a trip for me. I worked hard, got recognized, made some great friends, saw nothing but beauty and elegance except for that one incident of having to witness a dear hit on the highway, even my cooking tasted good… Watching the clock in the Masonic Temple as I wait for bus in central Philly, Sunflowers in Philadelphia Museum of art, first visit to opera, beautiful blooms at Philadelphia Flower Show, sipping coffee and nibbling blueberry cheesecake at Junior’s in Times Square, sitting on the steps of Mets Museum and watching the world pass by, night stroll in Manhattan, “snow walk” in Madison… Almost everyone I met was kind and sweet to me here. I’m the most blessed one… I never felt this satisfied and contended… This had me wondering is it even right to feel such happiness :) Leaving United States on a happy note tomorrow… :) I’m going to miss some of my friends here though :(

Went to Press

2011-03-22T02:46:00.007+05:30

My article on Thanjavur Paintings, “In Pursuit of Painted Wood - Tanjore Paintings” was published in Reading Hour magazine :)

I had an urge to write about my view on the certain aspects of history that has captivated my interest to go an extra mile, for example the cire-perdue (lost-wax) technique of Chola bronzes. This involves good amount of research. Two things to remember when someone uses the word “research” – “Google” is not the synonym of “research” and Wikipedia is not an authorized source for any information. Research in Indian History generally involves collecting and reading old books to visiting museums and temples. Quality most often needs time, effort, dedication, perseverance, and money. Anyway… I was doing what I thought as right as always when Thamba pressed to pursue my interest by chasing a Publication in south of Tamil Nadu to get a rare book published in 1930s. Apparently, they had one copy left which they had used it for proof-reading. I had one planned in detail named “Rajarajeeshwaram” on Thanjavur Big Temple before slowly drifting to Thanjavur Paintings. One final nudge from Jaggu, the article took a decent shape. No author would have had the luxury of having an agent for the first time. Jaggu took mine to Reading Hour with no commission ;) He wants his name to be mentioned while accepting Pulitzer ;)

You can pick up the magazine here - Sapna (Jayanagar & Kormangala), BookStop! (Kormangala), Magazines (Church Street), Variety Book Stall (Off MG Rd, Near KC Das), Newstand (Jayanagar 4th Block Complex)

Super Full Moon

2011-03-20T07:58:00.003+05:30

A full moon occurred less than one hour from perigee, super full moon, which happens once in 18 years. I wanted to view the moon rising in horizon. In fact I was checking the sky since 5 pm with no luck. Sun was too bright and I had to complete a presentation for review by 9:00 pm though it is a Saturday… I missed seeing her close as I was neck deep in work. Anyway… here is the moon around 10:00 pm EST.

Lunch with Geeks

2011-03-15T05:06:00.002+05:30

I went to lunch with four other Microsft consultants. It was decided prior leaving that not to discuss project over lunch since we all felt a need to unwind and enjoy our meal together. We went to a Mexican restaurant and they suggested me a grilled veggie burrito as I don’t eat meat. The lunch conversations began with the work culture of Microsoft, drifted to accessing office network with our Windows Phone 7, location-aware mobile applications, Silverlight, XNA Framework, debugging in Visual Studio 2010, HDSI, Microsoft Surface, XBOX Live-Kinect-Bundle, a possibility of gene mutation as most of us could do with 5 to 6 hours of sleep and a prediction of an “electromagnetic disorder” that could affect humans in future :)

Philadelphia Flower Show

2011-03-08T08:16:00.005+05:30

Philadelphia Flower Show is one of the world’s largest indoor flower shows. Spring is not yet around the corner but we get to see vibrant foliage by Philadelphia Horticultural Society and other savvy private organizations. This year, the theme is “Spring Time in Paris”. This is my first chance to walk in the streets of Paris rather than bound to airport ;) Tour de Eiffel, animal carousels, la fleuriste, la patteserie, Celtic cross, French songs, sweet fragrance of the flowers reached the nostrils in spite of the crowd… I liked Bonsai garden, miniature landscaping, Irish garden too… There is no artist like God – how many colors, hues, textures, patterns, shapes… every swish and swirl of his brush had created something exclusive and wonderful…

I felt like digging up the mud and plant some with my own hands as I saw those brilliant flowers. There is nothing like the warmth of damp earth. Root on the rocks is my favorite style in bonsai. I got some ideas to try not on my thriving bonsais but may be the new ones. I’ve been wrongly accused as a serial killer of trees by Thamba. On my defense, I’m still learning the art. Once in Lalbagh nursery, I was examining the trees with much admiration that a couple who graciously thought me as a student of Botany asked my advice in buying bonsais. Thamba noticing this from a distance went like “you not only pick your own victims but also can attract other viable partners in your crime”. Anyhoo… my Golden Cypress is proudly entering her 3 year and so is my Snow Rose that recently burst into blooms under the good care of Amma.

Weekend at Big Apple

2011-03-01T10:07:00.004+05:30

If you can remember all the junk character passwords of numerous service accounts in various environments and not your personal ones, you need a break… spent my weekend at Big Apple. NYC closely follows Chennai and Bangalore as my favorite cities and is special because I explored it on my own. Statue of Liberty guiding immigrants to the land of opportunities, serious-looking business people in financial district, trendy and fashionable ones in Broadway, simple and nerdy ones near Central Park and Mets… so many different people from different ethnicities that one could become a people-watching Parisian here, if you have time for that of course. With no rhyme or reason, NYC skyline to the slush of Hudson fills me instant joy. Is it bad that I passed “that” offer without even considering it? Seeing the night lights in my last visit I had a fleeting moment, I thought it would be good if I settle here. It occurs to me more often now although it is weird that we just bought a house in Bangalore…

Appreciations

2011-02-23T06:28:00.001+05:30

Go-Live was successful…

Product Manager: Your addition to the team has made a world of difference to all of us…

Program Manager: You are very easy to talk to on technical issues and resolutions… the way you grasped the system in such a short time is awesome…

Senior Sales Manager: After you joined the team, it took a lot of pressure off our shoulders…

Senior Resource Manager: Mercy has this unique blend of skills that makes her a very special addition to the team…

Vice President: We are here at this place is because of your valuable work…

I replied everyone “Pleasure is mine… it’s great to work with all you… ” I’m just going to sleep for 12 hours straight tonight… :)

Puppy Shame

2011-02-22T09:43:00.001+05:30

This happened last week… After all these years of experience, I didn’t expect this from me… The project that I’m working on goes live tomorrow. As expected, I’m running high on caffeine and sleep deprivation. But that is not even an excuse. One of my high priority tasks is production cutover from legacy sites to the new ones. DNS entries at Cisco router level was all set to be done the previous night. To mitigate the risk of DNS propagation which would approximately take 24 to 75 hours around the world, I was exploring several options. The straightforward one is to have a 301 permanent redirect in IIS so as not to disrupt existing Google and other internet search indexes. I wasn’t able to do that with upsetting the current configuration. So I wrote a script to do my job. It worked well in my machine. I got “oooooooh”, “nice”, “wow” during the demo. We decided to try this in Stage. I overruled the backup option saying that “it is just a simple script”. Well… it worked well… more than well… I wasn’t able to rollback my changes. No matter what I try, I wasn’t able reach it as it kept me redirecting. I was sharing my screen with the team. People started throwing in suggestions. Nothing worked. It simply refused to budge. To add to my embarrassments, I heard someone saying “hold on… don’t work… our architect is working on Stage” :( I mess up but when I clean up, I clean up real good. I was able to hack into the system and removed the script. I also came up with the efficient rollback for Production. It did come up with a cost – wasting more than an hour of others valuable time. Although you are bursting with confidence, it doesn’t hurt to take a backup… sometimes it is difficult to get over the lure of ITIMM (it-worked-in-my-machine) :(

Shakespeare and Kambar

2011-02-15T10:31:00.002+05:30

While watching Roméo et Juliette, it occurred to me that there is a likeness between Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and Kambar’s Ram and Sita in Ramayanam. Before Hindutuva groups joins to gang up against me, I ‘m not trying to demand or undermine the divinity of one of the most revered couples in Hindu pantheon. Also, I’ve not read Valmiki’s version. Personally, I feel Romeo is far better a man than Ram at any time for he never questioned his wife’s loyalty while he was away – banished from the kingdom. Coming back to the semblance…

• Lamentable tragedy at the end – death in the case of Romeo and Juliet against Sita been taken by her mother, Goddess Earth
• Story was long told before Shakespeare (borrowed from the Italian story – The Tragical History of Romeus and Juiliet by Arthur Brooke in English) or Kambar (Hindu epic retold by Valmiki in Sanskrit)
• High command over the language and the beautiful adaptation by these two authors
• And the least common factor between these two masters is “falling in love at the first sight”

Other than this, I noticed other subtle trails that lead up to the story. Shakespeare calls out to the nature to bring out Romeo’s premonition that something extraordinary is about to happen to change his world upside down as he enters the hall of Capulet’s house.

I fear, too early: for my mind misgives
Some consequence yet hanging in the stars
Shall bitterly begin his fearful date
With this night's revels and expire the term
Of a despised life closed in my breast
By some vile forfeit of untimely death.
But He, that hath the steerage of my course,
Direct my sail! On, lusty gentlemen.

Kambar effectively uses the grammar construct “இயல்பு நவிற்சி அணி”, adding poet’s thought to a natural incident. It seemed as though the young, spring leaves of Mithila flutter in the air to convey Ram – “City of Mithila is blessed to have Goddess Lakshmi born as Sita who awaits your arrival. Don’t make her wait for a long time. Come as soon as possible.”

மையறு மலரின் நீங்கி, யான் செய் மாதவத்தின் வந்து
செய்யவள் இருந்தாள் என்று செழுமணிக்கொடிகள் என்னும்
கைகளை நீட்டி அந்த கடிநகர், கமலச் செங்கண்
ஐயனை ஒல்லை வாவென்று அழைப்பது போன்றதம்மா !!

Shakespeare claims Juliet, a rich jewel who teaches the torch to burn bright. He adds the way how she stands - a snowy dive amidst crows.

O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear;
Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!
So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows,
As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows.
The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand,
And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand.
Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight!
For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.

Kambar says beautiful ladies who wears gold anklets and other ornaments, moves their hips like a lightning bolts, wait on Sita who stand among them like the queen of lightning.

பொன்சேர் மென்கால் கிண்கிணி ஆரம் புனை ஆரம்
கொன்சேர் அல்குல் மேகலை தாங்கும் கோடி அன்னார்
தன்சேர் கோலத்து இன் எழில் காண
சதகோடி மின் சேவிக்க மின் அரசு என்னும்படி நின்றாள்

Shakespeare portrays the intense passion of Romeo and Juliet in a saint-sin word play.

ROMEO [To JULIET]:
If I profane with my unworthiest hand
This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this:
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.
…
ROMEO:
Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take.
Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged.

JULIET:
Then have my lips the sin that they have took.

ROMEO:
Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged!
Give me my sin again.

JULIET:
You kiss by the book.

Kambar portrays the intense passion with sheer eye contact – their eyes met and caught as though they eat one another, thus their feelings merge into the oneness.

எண்ண அரு நலத்தினாள் இனையள் நின்றுழி,
கண்ணொடு கண் இணை கவ்வி, ஒன்றை ஒன்று
உண்ணவும், நிலைபெறாது உணர்வும் ஒன்றிட,
அண்ணலும் நோக்கினான்; அவளும் நோக்கினாள்

Il n'y a qu'un bonheur dans la vie, c'est d'aimer et d'être aimé…

Roméo et Juliette

2011-02-14T09:25:00.002+05:30

Watching Puccini’s La bohème in Italy is a beautiful dream. Sigh… During my last visit, In spite of willing to shell out $150 and the prospect of walking alone in Broadway late in the night, I couldn’t get tickets on the only free weekend. When I got to know about “The Opera Company of Philadelphia”, I decided to give it a try again. I got it this time :) I want to see a classic the first time. Roméo et Juliette by Charles Gounod is an opera is played in five acts in French. This is based on Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. It was first performed at the Théâtre Lyrique (Théâtre-Lyrique Impérial du Châtelet), Paris on 27 April 1867. “Je veux vivre” is my favorite.

It was an absolute thrill that I told everyone who could possibly listen to me for more than two minutes. This statute widely covers my family, friends, colleagues, receptionist, and hotel manager to house-keeping staff members :) Opera has etiquette of its own. With a reverence of student preparing for her first day in school, I prepared for the event – dress, hair, and shoes, where to say “bravo”, “brava”, or “bravi”, when to applaud, etc. I must thank Poppy here for letting me borrow her dress :)

It is my first visit to opera house… I didn’t expect to see a huge crowd of well-dressed people in one of the posh locations of Philadelphia. When the doors were opened to me, grandeur of palace was so striking – chair in plush red and gold, a massive crystal chandelier, bronze sculptures, and velvet curtains. I’ve seen such place only in movies. It felt great just to sit there. I was a little nervous to complete reading the small pamphlet that they gave about the opera. Seems it is offensive to read while the opera is playing.

I liked Stephen Costello as Roméo and Ailyn Pérez is a lovely Juiliet. Their duets brought out the ultimate tale of forbidden love. Although I could not spot any Indian in the crowd, the cast had one – Siddartha Misra, played Count Paris in the opera. I sat there mesmerized by the elegant surroundings, dressed in my western-best, allowing my mind and heart to gently sway with the classical music… truly enchanting… I can still hear “adieu… mille fois…” This esoteric love affair is going to last for a lifetime…

May the Force be with You

2011-02-08T06:43:00.001+05:30

Do you like Darth Vader, Dark Lord of Sith, scourge of the Jedi, master of the dark side of the force, servant to His Supreme Excellency Emperor Palpatine? You’ll simply fall in love with this young Darth Vader although he fails to get a dog obey his command, bring life to a rubber doll, turn on machines, or simply pull his breakfast sandwich. He however could turn on Volkswagen Passat with a little support from his father. A new commercial for Super Bowl season doing big rounds here… Enjoy the video…

Glass Slippers

2011-02-05T10:16:00.003+05:30

Long stay at a place will make you grow into it. I met an old couple Rich and Carole who lost their home to fire. They are in this hotel for a long term like me. I met Carole in laundry and suddenly a regular at their dinner table. They apparently thought “India is a ‘poor’ country”. Thanks to Slumdog Millionaire. I had a good time telling the glorious past, tumultuous freedom struggle, and midnight independence, union of states, constitution, and shining presence. I thought they might throw me out for the long drawn lecture with the help of Google images. On the contrary they seemed to have taken a liking towards my story telling. Towards the end, they came to a conclusion that “India is fascinating country” :) I know about their family and they know mine with help of photos. Rich greets me with a big hug and Carole always ask me to eat more :) I enjoy all the pampering from them. The way she was helping me with nachos and cheese the other day made the sous-chef ask her, “Is she your child?”, completely ignoring the color difference :) She replied immediately “Oh yes, she is…” :) I don’t wear sloppy pajamas to dinner lounge or take food to room anymore. I get neatly dressed for a formal American family dinner :) Ervin is another person, hotel shuttle driver, a kind old gentleman. I hate making him wait but he never minds that. Although I didn’t want him to take too much trouble in snow or rain, he always insists in getting the door for his favorite “gal”. After a long day, I came down to go back to hotel. He opened the door, bowed and said “Welcome aboard, my chariot” :) I thanked him and got in saying he shouldn’t have taken the trouble while snowing. He went like “I don’t have glass slippers… else would have given it to ya… little Cinderella…” ;) I’m a well pampered, little lady Cinderella :) Truth is I always had been one back home too :) :)

Father of Mercy

2011-01-31T00:30:00.002+05:30

“… is our Lord, the God…” was the first sentence that I heard as I went inside the Sacred Heart Church for 9:30 mass. In spite of rising agnostic feeling at times, it is nice to know that I’m still His child :) I felt comforting warmth deep inside…

Sacred Heart Church is one of the oldest Roman Catholic parishes in this county. It was good twenty minute walk from the hotel. It has been more than a month since I visited temple. Instead of sleeping through a Sunday morning, I decided pay my respects at a local church. I got dressed up in formals and started walking. I made a stop at a gas station to check the route as I forgot the route that Google Maps had suggested. I should have taken a hard copy. Well… what can I say?? “Going green” can be harder :) After losing the way, a friendly man in the neighborhood shoveling snow, pointed the right direction.

I had a fair idea of how a mass would proceed. It could be tough catching up – rising up, kneeling down, “and also with you” + “peace be with you”… While in doubt, copy others :) I shook my hands and told “peace be with you” to two strange American women… When the congregation left, I sat in silence for some time. I kneeled down in front of the altar and prayed in way God can understand before leaving… :)

Nishumbhasudani

2011-01-23T22:05:00.004+05:30

Where can you hunt for the roots of Chola history? South India?? Nay! You could do it in Philadelphia as well. I entered the “Asian Art” section on the second floor thinking no museum can be complete without Indian art. I wasn’t disappointed. There is a temple hall made out of the pillars from Madanagopala Swamy Temple, Madurai. It was a classic Vijayanagar architecture of 16th century CE. It is the biggest collection. On the next room, in the South Indian section, I found Chola sculptures. Never thought I could see a classic there. Eight arms with weapons, flaring hair, eyebrows bent in anger, a hint of smile in lips… my eyes were opening wider and wider… I was like “Is she…?” and bent down to read the note on the side… “Oh my God… Oh my God… She is her indeed” I got goose bumps confirming her name. I found a bas-relief of “Nishumbhasudani”. The card read “Goddess Durga As the Slayer of the Demon Nishumbha (Nishumbhasudani), 900 to 925 CE, Tamil Nadu, India”. I was thinking of meeting her in Thanjavur. She couldn’t wait any longer for my trip down there and gave me a darshan here. I examined her details closely with a wide smile.

According to Thiruvalangadu copper plates, Vijayalaya Chola, the first king of medieval Cholas, established a temple of Nishumbhasudani at Thanjavur soon after his conquest of the town circa 850 CE. Although Natarajar of Chidambaram temple is considered as favorite God of Cholas, Nishumbhasudani is considered as their “family deity”.

Chilly Philly

2011-01-23T10:21:00.008+05:30

It is one of the coldest winters of America. Southern states that had not heard of snow are now weighing under it. I braved the cold, and left the hotel around 7 in the morning. It took around 10 minutes to walk to the bus stop. From eyebrows until chin were the parts of my body exposed to the world. My eyes filled with tears and lips were threatening to swell. I felt as though cheek bones would crack up anytime soon. Tip of my nose could have easily been 5 degrees lesser than the body. I was moving like a steam engine with my heavy breath. I thanked God for sending the bus within 2 minutes. So much on global warming…

Outside my hotel

Can blood run cold? Getting out of bus, I frantically started looking for coffee shop. The only shop that was open was a 24 hour adult video store. The other option I had was a bank. I even thought of opening an account to save me from cold. I found a small coffee shop around a corner before I could thank God again, I found it closed. It’s open only on week days. They were shooting a Hollywood movie on Market Street and had blocked the pathway. It is my first time to see a Hollywood shooting. Huge cranes, big cameras, lights, reflector, people walking busy with earphones and microphones. I could have stayed for some more time had it not been for the cold. Apparently only dressed up extras can walk in their area. After a short detour I found a Starbucks, waited for the walk signal and ran to it. It was closed. Wondering whether if the Philadelphia coffee shops are acting against me, I moved further… bingo! A bakery was open. After being warmed up by a French Roast espresso, I left Market Street for 23rd Street.

Just when I threatened to break open Philadelphia Museum of Art, a school teacher told me that it would take another 10 minutes to open the museum. The curator opened the door and welcomed the most esteemed guest of the day, the first visitor to enter – that would be me. A security officer opened the door and let me in  I walked a lot. I spent a good amount of time at “European Art” section, more specifically impressionism. I was admiring “Sunflowers” by Van Gogh listening to trickle of a fountain. A day to remember forever…

செந்தமிழ் நாடென்னும் போதினிலே

2011-01-14T17:43:00.001+05:30

I had a chance to talk to a colleague (Filipino) who stays in the same hotel. Apart from a courteous nod and smile on eye contact, we never got anywhere for more than 10 days. It so happened that we had to sit next to next each other in office shuttle. There comes the typical “programmer” talk – which team, what role, years of experience, and the inevitable technologies… - then moved on to where you are from... From there it drifted to his visit to Chennai 3 years back. He claimed to have learnt a couple of Tamil words / sentences. With a thick accent, he asked me, “eppadi irrukeenga?” That made my day. As Bharathiar asserts, there is a rush of the sweetness of honey in the ears while listening to “Tamil” or “Tamil Nadu” anywhere. We are insanely proud of our language and culture. Aren’t we?

Lights! Camera! Action!

2011-01-08T20:02:00.002+05:30

I never thought this would happen – I left Windows Phone 7 for cooking. Hunger in an unknown land makes me peevish. I’ll completely go out of my mind like going down 5 floors twice to get a slice of plain pizza and chips. I’m easy with hunger only when Amma is around. Unlike what Thiruvalluvar says I fill my stomach before I fill my ears (intellect) especially when Amma is thousands of miles away. Jaggu sent my phone to the hotel and I got it on Wednesday. I had to wait another day to play with it. Here you go… view from my window today… :)

Celestial Beginning

2011-01-05T05:03:00.002+05:30

2011 has a celestial beginning – a partial solar eclipse and the peak of Quadrantid Meteor Shower falling on the same day, 4th of January. Partial eclipse was visible near sunrise over most of Europe and northeastern Asia. Sunset ended the partial eclipse for western Asia. It would have been a minor eclipse over Gujarat to Kashmir in India. Quadrantid Meteor Shower was said to dazzle the sky from the night of 3rd January to the morning of 4th January.

I did get up around 3 in the morning that is not because I was very excited to view the meteor shower. I still sleep and get up at odd times. It was very cold and I gazed at the sky peeking through my window. I craned my neck to get a glimpse of Ursa Major. It was partly cloudly and couldn’t find the Big Dipper. Thinking I could get some pictures in the internet, went to sleep again.

My work for this year begins today. Work kept me busy and I hardly had time to droop my eyelids. It is not work that I’m afraid of. Since I got to know about the travel to east coast during this icy winter, I’m dreading one thing – static. It is back again with vengeance. Minor shocks in anything that I touch makes me worried of touching anything. I do follow some best practices that were recommended to me like touch the glass first rather than the handle when you open the door. I simply hate it when it’s from laptop. I didn’t cut my hair for more than 6 months now and it has grown long. It has unnatural volume and sticks out in all possible directions. To avoid looking like a banshee, 10 minutes of hard combing with a wooden comb tames it down.

Looks like there is going to be a lot of local travel here… Planning to visit Philadelphia Museum of Art this weekend to make up for Chitra Santhe… :)

2010 Summary

2010-12-28T00:04:00.002+05:30

This has been a truly remarkable year both professionally and personally not just to me but everyone at home – a very huge one indeed… :) :) :)

People who visit us have often remarked about our beautiful home. Even strangers who had a chance to peek inside have told us the same. Sweet home is getting better… we bought a new home and will be moving in by early June :) Thanks to Bala, Suman, and Karthi for helping with home loan references and witness signatures… :)

The year doesn’t get over without an international travel… Leaving to Pennsylvania and Boston on a business trip (what else?) tomorrow :)

My wishes to everyone to open New Year with the warmth of hope and happiness in heart; May this year brings choicest of blessings showered on you... Have a wonderful year ahead! Catch you all from the other side of the globe in New Year! Ciao…

And… the Oscar goes to…

2010-12-23T22:55:00.002+05:30

Mercy Ponnupandy :)

Well… I’ve been awarded “EMC Cause for Applause Award” by Consulting Leadership Team for taking new initiatives which help Consulting Practice to look at new direction of Business :)

In my acceptance speech, I thanked Thamba profusely for “coaching and installing Documentum” between the sniffs and tears ;)

Slactivism and the Art of Contribution

2010-12-21T21:15:00.002+05:30

At some point in life, most of us find an urging need to contribute to the society for various reasons – making a difference in others life, feel good factor, strongly felt on personal experience, or just for tax exemption. It could be any reason. Whatever it is, small or big all contributions do make a change. They say small drops of water make an ocean, isn’t it? Ensure to do it well. Alarmingly a new of breed armchair activists is in rise, hoarding internet to support a cause just by moving a finger to click mouse. They support their cause or raise awareness in internet by signing internet petitions, attach awareness ribbon, or join a social networking group. They are called by the term, ‘slacktivist’. Having largest number of tweets or big group in Facebook hardly brings a change. They would surely get picked up in the search results and other than it doesn’t achieve anything.

Take awareness on breast cancer for example. If somebody knows to join a Facebook group on creating awareness about breast cancer they would already know how to use search engines to get information about it. Just by joining as a member, one feels self-righteously good and gets complacent on action. Adhering “Earth Hour” by switching off home, driving a luxury car alone to a shopping mall flooded with lights and watching a movie, and happily tweeting about it beats the purpose. It is more than irony. It is actually mocking the original goal. How about creating awareness from family planning to RTI to the remote villages via internet? Internet is a powerful media and I wish it reaches every nook and corner of India. Things are not like the way we wish though.

Before even one get to know the cause or goal behind a campaign, there is a dangerous trend to jump into the bandwagon. Save Tigers is one such campaign where I felt confused on the public support. By saying this I never meant to say we should not save tigers. Tiger is our national animal, the pride of India; we have to save them from extinction. No second thoughts about it. How can one contribute? Do you plan to renounce the world and start searching the inner-self by doing penance – sitting on a tiger skin in Himalayas? Or have you planned to request Giorgio Armani to design winter coat to protect against the harsh winter of Europe on your vacation? Please don’t do that. Hunting wild animals is a criminal offence in most of the countries. One can’t do that. Zamindars of olden times who fashioned to wear tiger’s tooth in a gold chain or have stuffed tigers are lost today. If you have one at home, there is a possibility of getting arrested these days. Consuming the meat of carnivorous animals could be a potential threat to human health. As history has it, there is no country which had tiger meat as a delicacy.

If you think in these terms, you might wonder how to contribute? The same site talks about “Roaring Online”, “Celebrity Roars”, “Visiting Tiger Reserves”, to “Donate” as different ways of contribution. Now that I’ve “roared” online, what could be the effect? I know most of my readers – colleagues, friends and family (at times I’ve forced them to read it ;) ) I can swear that none live anywhere closer to a tiger reserve and hence don’t have one in a million chances to hurt a tiger even accidentally. On celebrity roars, I hardly buy anything just because some celebrity endorses it. One has to be a responsible tourist while visiting forest and not just tiger reserve. A small cigarette butt could trigger huge forest fires. It is painful to watch people throwing plastics with reckless abandon. And “Donate”? Now you are talking business, baby!

Saving tigers needs money, the real god in the present world. Leonardo DiCaprio donated $1 million and helps to find political and financial help to sustain this cause. That is what is required – tons and tons of money, to support governments, scientists, veterinarians, and the right resources to run the tiger reserve. Government policies should get more stringent in forest areas. It was good to find Kanyakumari district as plastic cover free zone in our last visit. They could implement the same in Nilgiris Biosphere or places like Hogenekkal, Mekedatu where people come close to nature and utterly spoil the harmony of it. As an individual, I can only pick up a fight with one or two by telling them not to do it. Government can impose this as law and make it a clean zone. Roaring online would only have zero impact.

When you want to support a cause, please read thoroughly. Only when you feel strongly about it, offer you support. When you offer your support, try to do more than online support – invest your time and/or money to make a real difference as nothing comes for free in this world.

Life in a Glass House

2010-12-17T15:36:00.003+05:30

Active Indian media (Newspaper, Television, and Radio) was digging out scam after scam this year. Indians were appreciative about their well-documented exposés through an excellent use of RTIs. Have they turned their backs when it came to one of their brethren? I’m talking about Nira Radia tapes… Shocked Supreme Court of India found it as “mindboggling pollution” but Indians are deprived of this crucial news. TV channels that take one case, dissect it to shreds, and analyze with various talk-shows, expert opinions, and people voice are unusually quiet. It is simply because some journalists crossed the line to mediate between corrupt politicians, huge corporates, and power-brokers. Even print media is slow in accommodating this news. Thanks to electronic media YouTube, Blogosphere, Twitter, and others who had taken this to people. It reach is limited only to the computer-literates.

It was a normal, scam-free, terrorism-free, natural-disaster-free day in a life of common people... While browsing TV channels, I left a channel linger on for two minutes. One anchor was really shouting his heart out. Amma worried, peaked out of kitchen to ask “is everything alright?” Munching a hot snack, I replied “yes… things are good… why asking now?” She said no “They are shouting on TV and I thought something worse has happened” I had to convince her nothing other than normalcy has prevailed that day. This is exactly how common people react to TV.

It is very unpleasant to hear the noise polluting my living room. What is the need to shout when you already have a microphone? Or probably they should just talk without microphones. Although they attach passion-for-a-cause tag, many times it raises above the decibel levels that humans can hear and hence loses it case without being heard. Why such vocal, passionate media has a peculiar black-out? Ethical and moral values of Indian journalism has been questioned now. Don’t we warn or correct our own family members or friends if we feel that they are crossing boundaries? Why not accept mistakes and come out clean? Indians would never want their fourth pillar of democracy going weak by power mongering and corruption.

I Told You So

2010-12-17T15:22:00.002+05:30

Earlier in one of my posts, I had written about how DMK supremo Karunanidhi is too old to fit as CM and that he writes letter to PM often on issues of lesser importance. Kanimozhi has vouched for that in Nira Radia tapes…

No. Prime Minister did not. I was the one who was talking with him. I was on the phone and he – Prime Minister said a few words, that’s all. And see, Prime Minister can’t talk on a phone to dad and convey, there is obviously… Prime Minister is also, you know, very soft spoken and dad can’t hear that clearly also.

He can’t hear well over the phone?? Aaaaahhhhhhhh… That is exactly why he writes letters that surpasses Shakespeare’s sonnets or in this case Thiruvalluvar’s Thirukural to PM. Imagine PM calling Chennai on a potential security threat, yelling as hard as some TV anchors, and Karunanidhi going “huh? thaangal solluvathu en sevyil seriyaga vizhavillai… aathalal sirthu pozhuthu sendravudan Kanimozhiyai ungalidam pesa sollgiren” God bless Tamil Nadu...

Contemplation

2010-12-12T22:03:00.004+05:30

Un livre est une fenêtre par laquelle on s'évade
(A book is a window through which it escapes)
~ Julien Green

A Kalamkari inspiration… The joy of reading comes from within. My imagination can run places... When it combines with powerful language, it would become a wild horse too tough to tame. I read Metamorphosis by Kafka late in the night before sleeping and was deeply worried next day to open my eyes. After touching my back and sides to prove myself that I’ve neither developed hideous shell nor numerous legs, I opened my eyes with glee. I somehow couldn’t get rid of the formaldehyde smell after reading a short story by Marquez about a dead body. I begged Amma to join me for a walk around 10 in the night simply to get rid of that. There were numerous such instances… one bad habit that I’m trying to get rid is to stop the story in between and try to guess the flow of story. I end up spoiling the story for myself but have the pleasure of guessing the flow right. The joy of reading comes from within…

Bangalore Syndrome

2010-12-10T00:44:00.002+05:30

Bangaloreans irrespective of so many complaints tend to like their own area. Most of residential localities in Bangalore come with similar facilities – shopping malls, multiplexes, restaurants, banks, hospitals, schools, and others. Yet, they simply refuse to accept another area is better than one they live on.

Indiranagar is an uptown, quiet residential locality in the heart of the city with varied shopping options and eat-outs. To this, some from Jalahalli would argue that roads are non-existent in Indiranagar with metro construction, though that is the same happening in Jalahalli ;) For people in Indiranagar, Jalahalli belongs to Tumkur district rather than Bangalore. Hennur is right place for some to live because it gives a feeling of both in the city and not way too downtown :) Although infested with ghost hauntings and high-profile government officers, R.T. Nagar is the best place to live as it connects the SEZs with the city ;) I’ve heard BTM is top rated locality in Bangalore by a few. JP Nagar would have reached 18th Phase but that doesn’t deter people from even thinking of moving out. Sadashiva Nagar glitters with trees and film stars as is the case with Dollars Colony. Early in this decade Whitefield, Madiwala, and Electronic City would be the ideal place for IT Professionals. Newly developed SEZs might have hazed this prestigious identity. Still it is the choice of place for many. You can find comparable arguments akin to those mentioned for all the localities.

People like the place in Bangalore where they initially landed on. They are fiercely proud of their locality. You can listen to serious arguments defending their locality as you pass by in cafeteria or pantry. Most of the Bangaloreans are affected by this ‘Bangalore Syndrome’ :)

Blue Ring of Patience

2010-12-09T16:27:00.000+05:30

What can you do when the Windows blue ring of patience fills you with despair?

1. Have a snack
2. Take a power nap
3. Read ‘The Island of the Day Before’
4. Rotate your eyeballs like the ring to help you in not falling asleep over you laptop
5. If your energies are high, you can also try hypnotizing self
6. Write useless rants like this

What is your pick? ;)

Ordered

2010-11-26T23:18:00.002+05:30

I could not stop myself from launching an evangelist tech talk on Windows Phone 7 until Poppy pointed out “you are talking only about your phone these days…” :) Thamba had to stop me from going overboard and buying a screen protector for $19.99 as it said being used by NASA and military aircraft with lifetime replacements… Apparently he could get it for Rs.10 at Dubai Plaza located in one of the smaller, decrepit alleys off Brigade Road… :) Hmmm… Just ordered my very own HTC HD7 Windows Phone 7 mobile from Amazon :) I wanted to check Black Friday deals… :) Now, eagerly waiting for Jaggu’s return from Sunnyvale hopefully by Christmas… :) Meanwhile I should change my tariff plan to include data… :)

Mercy’s Horse

2010-11-21T22:54:00.003+05:30

I mean no offense to Leonardo’s Horse ;)

Kalamkari Paintings is an ancient craft of painted and printed fabrics. It gets its name from Kalam – Pen and Kari – Work, literally pen work. They are hand painted or block printed using vegetable dyes. This exquisite art form belongs to the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. They have two distinctive styles – Srikalahasti and Masulipatnam. Srikalahasti style flourished under the Kalahastieeshwara temple that depicts Hindu mythological classics. These were taken around villages to King’s courts by Chitrakathis – group of singers, musicians, and painters, to narrate the stories. Masulipatnam style was patronized by Moghul rulers that portray animals and flowers motifs. There is a lesser known style – Thanjavur style that developed under Maratha rulers in Karrupur village – paintings were done delicately in gold brocaded silk to be worn by Chatrapathi Shivaji and the royal clan.

I made it on paper with poster colors. Horse represents virility and power across various cultures. This horse has become an instant favorite with Amma since I started outlining as she linked it to Ayyanar, our home deity :)

Prelude to Madness

2010-11-16T22:33:00.002+05:30

We went to a restaurant... I excused myself and left to wash my hands. Poppy joined me immediately. Water hardly trickled as I stood there trying to hold some divine mudras of Bharatanatiyam under the tap with my right hand. Seeing Poppy vigorously washing her hands, I started complaining loudly on ‘why some sensors don’t work’… Puzzled, she turned back with questioning eyes, turned the tap knob and said ‘this is really too much’. Our office is a green building that has sensors to turn on water taps… :(

It was a Friday... Irrespective of the workload, I’ve a special Friday glow on my face which is always noted by Amma. I wore blue jeans and full-sleeved white shirt, tied my hair into a ponytail, and added kajal to accentuate my eyes. I liked the result in the mirror – a perfect girl next door. It was a hectic day at work… by the end of the day, a work was well done – architecture and process diagram in Visio was comprehensive and eloquent so that it was accepted without any review comments. Feeling contented, I took the bus thinking about weekend painting that I was planning for. I took my usual place standing next to the driver. Once I got the tickets, I noticed people looking at me differently. I was like ‘Oh my God… Women are ogling at me? I must be looking good after all the hard work…’ Beaming, I jumped out of the bus and walked homewards. Once I reached the known boundary, I was smiling, wishing, and waving at people in a diva-like fashion. Amma opened the door with a small cringe between her brows to ask me, ‘why are the last two buttons of your shirt undone and why are you grinning like a fool?’ It struck me, ‘Aaaaahhhhhhhh!! That is why people were staring!’ She had a hearty laugh when I told her the story... :(

Windows Phone 7 – Really?

2010-11-09T19:30:00.002+05:30

Windows Phone 7 hit the retail markets yesterday. E-mail, photo, video, social networking, or work tasks – do it in your own style.

Unlike Nokia with Symbian or Blackberry with Blackberry OS piling up bad UX on every release, Microsoft went ahead to redesign its mobile platform. Microsoft doesn’t support backward compatibility either. It is new. There is no PInvoke to run native code – develop with .Net compact framework. Apps run in Silverlight or XNA just means more games development is made simple. Programming, testing, and debugging are easy with Visual Studio 2010 and Expression Blend.

Windows Phone 7 Marketplace ensures social networking with a list of high-profile brands such as Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, YouTube, eBay, Travelocity, Netflix, Foursquare, and Yelp. 5 MP / 8 MP camera with various shooting modes and HD video recording brings elegance to the quotidian tasks. Music can be synched with Microsoft Zune. Xbox Live provides the gaming entertainment with some mesmerizing graphics-rich games that demonstrates the platform capabilities.

Browsing got better with IE Mobile that uses the rendering engine of IE 7 and adds up the capabilities of IE 8. Although it does not support Adobe Flash Player or HTML5 videos, it is a full-fledged HTML browser.

As any other smartphones do, Windows Phone 7 has Microsoft Exchange Active Sync for Exchange Server 2007/2010 and Exchange Online. Office Mobile – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote comes with Windows Phone 7. Users can create Word and Excel documents from the phone and view PowerPoint presentations. OneNote is for creating and synchronizing notes. To collaborate with enterprise intranet, there is a native client support sharing, editing, and synchronizing documents to SharePoint Server. Dell announced that it dumps 25,000 corporate RIM Blackberry mobile phones for Windows Phone 7 on Dell Venue Pro. It is more to promote Dell phones rather than Windows Phone 7. Whatever it is, Dell’s early adoption is going to be a case study for Enterprise implementations.

Windows Phone 7 is a phone for all – professionals to programmers or students to gamers. A people phone, really! Check out this new, funny promo...

Comparison from a Developer’s Perspective

2010-11-08T23:31:00.003+05:30

	Apple iPhone	Google Android	Microsoft Windows Phone 7	RIM Blackberry
Operating System	iOS 4	Android OS (open source)	Windows Phone 7	Blackberry OS 6
Framework	iOS SDK	Android SDK	Silverlight, XNA, .Net Compact Framework 4	Blackberry Java SDK, MIDP 2.0, CLDC 1.1
IDE	Xcode	Eclipse	Visual Studio 2010, Expression Blend	Eclipse, NetBeans
Programming Languages	Objective C	Java	C# .Net, VB .Net	Java, J2ME
Scripting	No support	Perl, Python	JavaScript	JavaScript
Multitasking	Limited	Yes	Limited	Yes
Web Browser	WebKit, Safari	WebKit coupled with Chrome V8	Internet Explorer Mobile	WebKit
Flash Support	No	Yes	No	No
Enterprise Features	Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, Cisco IPsec VPN, Push APIs	C2DM, Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, native IPsec VPN	Windows Phone 7 can sync with Exchange 2010, Exchange 2007, and Exchange Online, Mobile Office Apps, Remote Desktop, Windows Live Messenger	Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, Push API, Messenger, Terminal Service / Remote Desktop (only for Windows)
Social Networking	Ping… apps for Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube	Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Digg, Delicious, YouTube	Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube	Facebook, Flickr, MySpace
Cloud Component	Third party apps	Third party apps	SkyDrive	Third party apps
Application Store	App Store	Android Market	Windows Market Place	Blackberry App World

Holy Matrimony

2010-11-03T19:26:00.003+05:30

Raghupati, Raghav, Raja Ram,
Patit paavan Sita Ram!
Sita Ram, Sita Ram,
Bhaj tu pyaare Sita Ram!
Ishvar, Allah tere naam,
Sab ko sanmati de bhagavaan!!

Mithila Paintings known as Madhubani Paintings originates from Madhubani village in Bihar, Orissa. There is a myth that these paintings were commissioned by King Janaka to mark the occasion of Sita’s wedding. These paintings were done on walls and floors to signify special occasions by women folks. The tradition is passed on from mother to daughter. There are three different styles – Kashyatha (oldest of traditions is a line drawing of scared symbols in monochrome either black or red), Brahmin (painted with vivid colors depicts scenes from Hindu mythology), and Tattoo (reflects primitive art and creates its impact by serial replication of the same image). Madhubani Paintings were brought to the attention of modern world during the drought of 1960s by the Indian Government as an alternative source of income.

I’ve tried Kashyatha style and added tinge of red to have a striking effect. This is a Kohbar (nuptial room) painting – central themes of these paintings are love and fertility usually depicting Sita’s marriage or Krishna and Radha tales. And… I thought it was simple… Small swans and peacocks made me wish a magnifying glass :) It actually took backbreaking work of 3 to 6 hours for 4 nights. Madhubani Paintings might look a little clumsy and complicated at first sight; but, once you start to look into the details it has different depths of meanings that falls into the bigger picture – just like life itself. How do you like it?

Go Away

2010-10-29T21:38:00.001+05:30

They were returning home after a cup of coffee, nuzzled under one umbrella, rain splattering all over, and feeling the warmth of each other in the mild weather. He had one arm around her in a protective way while the other was holding umbrella. She covered his hand holding the umbrella as though to provide additional support to avoid the unruly winds tipping off their frugal shelter.

They reached home wishing the walk could continue forever. She ran into their lawn with a reckless abandon and threw her arms heavenwards. He sought her immediately, took out rogue strands of hair from her face to hold her lips in his.

Shivering a little, she was melting slowly in the hot coffee-breath. He said ‘Pull the blinds and switch on the light. Rain is such a mess.’ Her coffee mug was close to her mouth.

To the Land of Pandyas

2010-10-21T07:31:00.002+05:30

58. Beyond this there is another place called *Comari, at which are the Cape of Comari and a harbor; hither come those men who wish to consecrate themselves for the rest of their lives, and bathe and dwell in celibacy; and women also do the same; for it is told that a goddess once dwelt here and bathed.

59. From Comari toward the south this region extends to *Colchi, where the pearl-fisheries are; (they are worked by condemned criminals); and it belongs to the *Pandion Kingdom. Beyond Colchi there follows another district called the Coast Country, which lies on a bay, and has a region inland called *Argaru. At this place, and nowhere else, are bought the pearls gathered on the coast thereabouts; and from there are exported muslins, those called Argaritic.

~ Unknown Greek Merchant, Periplus Maris Erythraei (Periplus of Erythrean Sea)

[* Comari – Kanyakumari; Colchi – Korkai; Pandion – Pandyan; Argaru – Uraiyur]

There can’t be a better travelogue than this and I won’t be writing one either. We are leaving today for this Indian Deep South trip. Trip Details:

Day I: Nagercoil (Jaggu’s place), Padmanabapuram Palace, Tiruparappu Falls, Kanyakumari (Vivekanada Rock Memorial, Beach, Kumari Amman Temple), Suchindram

Day II: Tiruchendur (Murugan Temple), Vallioor (Karthi’s place), Uvari (salt farms), Tirunelveli (Nellaiappar Temple)

Day III: Madurai (Meenakshi Amman Temple, Azhagar Kovil, Pazhamudhir Cholai, Tiruparangundram)

Indian family’s vacation has to include temples and in the end it’ll look like a pilgrimage trip. I know my request to visit Korkai (capital city of Pandyas during Second Sangam Age) will be compared to Arikamedu of Pondicherry trip. Amma looked at me as though I’ve some sort of mental disorder and asked, “Why are you obsessed with dilapidated temples and ruins? Why can’t you visit ‘regular’ temples like ‘normal’ people?” When I was about to embark on lecture of the 3000 year old history behind Meenakshi Amman Temple, Azhagar Kovil, architectural advances, myths associated with each temple, she cut me short, ‘We are going to pray. Period.’ Alrighty… we are going to pray… and I want to feel the history of every stone laid and sculpted with the help of literary references, myths, and art :) I’m very excited about this trip. We chose these days so that these places are not infested with holiday crowd (Pooja or Deepavali holidays). The preparation is complete with high-collared, full-sleeved kurtas and loose salwars of cotton - tailored specially for this trip. That’s my idea to beat the sun. It should not rain heavily too. :) It is nice to get out of Bangalore once in a while… wooohooooooo!! :) :) :)

EMC Proven Professional

2010-10-20T13:49:00.003+05:30

My first flight in content management domain – EMC Content Management Foundation Exam (E20-E120) – to broaden the knowledge is successful :)

Sincere thanks to Thamba for his directions and coaching. I tested his patience to the extreme limit by asking questions or responding in an annoying i-know-that-already tone while he was trying to help. He made sure that I understood the concepts clearly and had me working hands-on by creating a virtual machine. Special thanks to Poppy for firing a print of employee exam voucher. I’m yet to install a driver to connect to home printer from my Windows 7 64-bit. Last but not least, I want to thank Amma for her much needed, refreshing espressos for my nocturnal sessions. I can always count on rock-solid family support for any attempt. :)

Technical Fundamentals of Documentum from EMC Education Services is actually 2 books, when put together is taller than my pillow. Learning a new technology after regular work schedule is not exactly easy. It turned out that I would be working with Documentum from next week. Yay! Sleep deprivation and caffeine had me levitating five inches above the ground for the past three days. Yaaaaawwwwnnnnnnnn… But, I do a have a huge smile on my face now :)

Another Day

2010-10-12T22:11:00.001+05:30

Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.
~ Chapter I – I am Born, David Copperfield, Charles Dickens

Microwave Kesari at 12 a.m., Mysore silk saree, gold bangles, handcrafted antique silver anklets, chauffeur at disposal, lunch with friends, dinner with family, a huge chocolate cake… life is wonderful :)

Fleur-de-Lis

2010-10-09T23:37:00.004+05:30

Photo by Arul Jegadish

Fleur-de-Lis (French: lily flower) is the stylized emblem much used in ornamentation and heraldry, long associated with the French crown. Lily was said to have sprung from the tears shed by Eve as she left Eden. Legend has it that Clovis, the Merovingian king of Franks (466 – 561 C.E.), was presented with a golden lily at his baptism. History has it that fleur-de-lis is associated with French monarchy since 12th century C.E. when King Louis VI had one on his shield. Fleur-de-lis has different interpretations in symbolism. It signifies - perfection, light, and life to French Royalty; purity and sanctity of Virgin Mary to Roman Catholic Church; and its three petals to the Holy Trinity.

Referred

2010-10-03T19:17:00.002+05:30

Meenakshi Matai has referred my painting - photo taken by Jaggu – in one of her articles under ‘Arts of India’ for a local newspaper in Phoenix called Valley India Times. Here is the link -
http://www.valleyindiatimes.com/columns/artsofindia/10_10.html :)

Art of Painting

2010-09-29T20:05:00.002+05:30

Of all arts, the best is chitra. It is conducive to dharma and has the virtue to liberate an individual from his limited confines.
Wherever it is established - in home or elsewhere - a painting is harbinger of auspiciousness.
Art is the greatest treasure of mankind, far more valuable than gold or jewels.
The purpose of art is to show one the grace that underlies all of creation, to help one on the path towards reintegration with that which pervades the universe.
A painting cleanses and curbs anxiety, augments future good, cause unequalled and pure delight; banishes the evils of bad dreams and pleases the household deity. The place decorated by a picture never looks dull or empty.

~ Chitrasutra, Vishnudharmottara circa 6th century C.E.

Indian Fiction

2010-09-25T01:43:00.003+05:30

I go through different periods in reading – classics, fantasy, historical, magic realism,science fiction, Tamil, travel, women authors – in no particular order. Around March this year, I was reading the works of Pakistan authors with no reason. For some years, I didn’t venture too much into Indian fiction for the fear that it might break the spell of Amitav Gosh. The charm began with ‘The Glass Palace’, the enchantment strengthened with each of his novels until ‘Sea of Poppies’. I revel his style, marvel the story… in the end it feels like I almost know Kolkatta and Bengal although I’ve never been there.

I picked up some from the Indian section recently and liked two out of three. ‘Lessons in Forgetting’ by Anita Nair, a refreshingly south Indian set up that deals with middle-age crisis storm that one goes through on things like career, relationships, and family, which could potentially change the course of life. ‘Smell’ by Radhika Jha is about a young girl of Gujarati origin from Nairobi, orphaned by mother and relatives, tries to survive in Paris. ‘I, Romantic’ by Rajeev Jhaveri centers around Avinash, a military man, who can’t think for himself, transformed into a romantic and a film maker by a girl. I enjoyed reading first two and didn’t like the last one much. Here are some really random excerpts…

My religion taught me to accept everything that happened and will happen in my life as inevitable. That it had all been decided by someone somewhere before time or I existed. So there is peace in accepting each day, each twist of fate – Appa leaving home, Amma’s marriage to another man, my divorce, my dead-to-the-world daughter, the stilling of my own life. But my education demands something else of me. It taught me to ask questions. To go beyond the surface and to probe. To know, to know, to know, for in knowledge is salvation.
~ Lessons in Forgetting, Anita Nair (Harper Collins)

The first bars of the music, loud brassy trumpet calls like the beginning of a hunt, broke the silence in the apartment. I felt a chill run down my back. Then a strong and beautiful melody began. It would sound like a song celebrating victory and I felt immediately caught up in the triumph of the sound, which was then picked up more strongly by the horns. But there was something cruel in the melody, a feeling that got stronger as the second line drew to a close. I shivered.
~ Smell, Radhika Jha (Penguin Books)

Pria said all this between sniffs, smiles, blowing her nose and a few modest smiles. For me the only words that made sense were a couple of ‘a’s’, ‘as’s’ & ‘of’s’. Had she gone on for a while longer, I would have questioned their meanings as well. Where do people like her come from? I am sure they are unleashed by the sadistic streak of nature to make you feel inferior. To make you feel so dumb that you never feel like opening your mouth again.
~ I, Romantic, Rajeev Jhaveri (PLUS INK)

Hello World!

2010-09-21T21:20:00.003+05:30

My first application on Windows Phone 7 ;) Nothing major… was playing around with Windows Phone Developer Tools… :)

Irreconcilable Differences

2010-09-16T21:40:00.006+05:30

New York City,
September 15th, 2001

Dear Ivan,

I don’t know why I call you dear even now. That is how they taught me to write a letter. Of all people why I should I write a letter to the one who has walked out of my life nonchalantly. Did you even care to look up where I was on 11th? I haven’t changed my number yet. No message, no calls… was I that bad? For God’s sake, I’m pregnant with your baby. You would have dismissed it with a wave of your hand or that noisy sigh of relief that I would have perished with your baby to save you some trouble while watching TV. I can imagine your false concern in those beady black eyes next day with your friends on national security. God… you can talk and talk doing nothing.

I want to write to let you know that I survived. I came for a jog and fresh air in Central Park but could not move a limb or breathe. I neither could appreciate the early streaks of autumn nor the pleasant weather. Only thing I could feel was my blood was coursing thick in the veins like an acid trying to burn my very existence from this earth. It all happened then. How I wished to be at my office in 105th floor on the fateful hour? I still could not cry. I’m very angry.

Regards,
Rebecca
------------------------------------------------------------

New York City,
January 21st, 2002

Dear Ivan,

I lost my job, living on savings, insurance will run out in another 5 months, and yet I don’t want to see you. I noticed your struggle to control the devilish grin when I said no rights on baby including visitation rights for no alimony claims. Men are proud of their first born. Aren’t they? Your indifference makes me sick. Doctor says it is a girl. I won’t let you to do the same to another girl of my blood. I really don’t want to see you. It just fills me with low self-esteem and makes me vulnerable enough to harm you in all possible cruel ways. You took all nice things from me including tears and left me with an unwanted burden to constantly remind me of a worst past. Leave me alone. I need a job in Wall Street now and not you.

Regards,
Rebecca
------------------------------------------------------------

New York City,
March 6th, 2002

Dear Ivan,

I visited OBGYN today for routine checkup. I got off the cab and walked along busy pavements of First Avenue. As I walked into the hospital, it seemed as though every person had a loving partner. I’m not jealous. I just don’t have feelings of any kind these days. My smile hardly reaches eyes even when faint flicker of hope swirled in the form of job offer. You know how I wanted to be a stock broker at that big place. I haven’t felt happiness. I almost have everything I want except you. Probably it is better you are not around to see my supposedly best days.

Regards,
Rebecca
------------------------------------------------------------

New York City,
May 22nd, 2002

Dear Ivan,

Medical Center is more of a second home now. There were 10 strangers and no known person except for the doctor in the labor room. They begged me to scream and cry. As you know I lost the ability to cry, I did not scream too. That excruciating pain was oddly relieving. Isabelle came into the world to confirm my vilest nightmares. She reminds me of you – she has your thick curls, high jaws, and thin, trembling lips. I immediately wanted to throw her out of my window.

Regards,
Rebecca
------------------------------------------------------------

New York City,
July 30th, 2002

Dear Ivan,

I came out of post-partum depression and Isabelle is not put up for foster care. I took her out for the first time to Central Park. It need not have been this way. How your eyes filled with desire fixes me in any place in those early days? Sweet-nothings spills over the night, your declaration of love, hunt for a one-of-a-kind wedding gown, no-expenses-spared marriage, romantic honeymoon, passionate nights… isn’t there a single grain of truth in all these? What went wrong? Absence and angst replaced love and lust. Deep down there must be a lie, manifested as truth, later morphed into love, and slowly disintegrated tall tales because of the weak core. I missed to see this deceit from the beginning.

Regards,
Rebecca
------------------------------------------------------------

New York City,
August 28th, 2002

Dear Ivan,

Ed agreed to baby sit Isabelle today while I was in an office party. I met Ed during one of our excursions to Central Park. A ball fell at my feet and I looked up to see man running towards me; I threw the ball at him and he returned that to bunch of other men. Drizzle broke out feebly and I took Isabelle to move. He offered help and then introduced him as Ed. After you, it was very difficult for me to trust any men. I refused. He took Isabelle from me. He pointed that it might rain heavily and that it could be difficult to get a cab. He waved to his friends and started sprinting. He dropped us at home. He lives two blocks away from us. He too works in Wall Street. I don’t know when he came home and got himself involved in diaper duties. He is nice and cordial. Since when have I started observing other men??

Regards,
Rebecca
------------------------------------------------------------

New York City,
January 3rd, 2003

Dear Ivan,

Ed’s friends were bound to Europe for the holidays while he was tied up with work. He spent the holidays at home switching between Isabelle and work. He pointed to me that she has got my eyes. Yes, she really does. I noticed only after that. Glad she has my features too. They both get along well. Ed helped me with shopping at Fifth Avenue. He is good and open but thinks that I’m arrogant, closed, stubborn, and proud. Little did he know that only those has brought me this far.

Regards,
Rebecca
------------------------------------------------------------

New York City,
December 18th, 2004

Dear Ivan,

It is long since I wrote to you. I was busy with Isabelle and work. Ed took us out on a vacation to Atlantic City to get some sea in summer. Isabelle started talking in God’s language. I could only understand ‘mama’ so far. Yesterday night when Ed was taking Isabelle to bed, she called him, ‘papa’. Neither did I teach nor did he correct. He was happy as though his own child had called him ‘papa’ for the first time. Then something weird happened, tear drops escaped my dry eyes. Ed let my cry loudly on his shoulders for more than an hour. When the pouring subsided, he wiped my face with a wet towel and kissed my lips for the first time. I felt like born again.

Regards,
Rebecca
------------------------------------------------------------

New York City,
January 9th, 2006

Dear Ivan,

I ran into your friend Jerry at Rockefeller Center. He tells me that he has lost you in a skiing accident at Alps. I froze hearing it. You not only slipped off my mind but also from a cliff. When I moved in with Ed, I wanted to erase all your memories. I sold half and gave the rest to charity. All I have left of you is Isabelle and these letters. I could not bring myself to destroy these letters that are never meant to reach post office. These words are mine that details the battle with my mind and heart. Now, it doesn’t hold any meaning. I’m going to burn the bundle so that you could get some light and warmth as you travel to the nether world.

Regards,
Rebecca
------------------------------------------------------------

Windows Phone 7 - The Revolution is Coming

2010-09-14T22:06:00.003+05:30

There were too many questions and jokes about my cell phone these days. I have a Nokia N80 that Thamba got for me from Singapore in 2006. Even after changing the battery 6 months back, charge lingers around 2 hours of talk time and 24 hours in standby. I’m lazy to take it to service. Some of the frequently asked questions and my answers are below.

Q: Are you alive?
A: Just because you can’t get me on cell phone, it doesn’t mean I’m dead. I’m alive. Thank you very much. There are other modes of communication – email, communicator, office #, or just take me out for dinner ;)

Q: If you don’t carry your cell phone around always, why do you need it?
A: I’m not the one who takes cell phone to restroom and lunch table. I’ve serious concerns about germs. I expect the same from you. Don’t even think of calling me while in bathroom. Seriously, never, please… :)

Q: Why don’t you tie it around your neck?
A: Thank you for your suggestion. I’ll never do that in a million years.

There were jokes like throwing my cell phone into the abyss of a water body, use it as brick when building my home, and use it to move the car up in some of the dangerous speed bumps that you can find only in Bangalore. Well, people make up jokes. I’m actually waiting for the revolution and its arrival is not far too. Grapevine has it Windows Phone 7 is expected to hit Broadway, NY on 11th of October. I’ve been reading reviews, information updates from Microsoft for a long time now. HTC, Samsung, or Sony… not decided yet. So far HTC looks sexy. I’m going to change the plan to 3G. I’m not going to buy any apps… will be writing it for myself, downloaded emulator over the weekend… Totally excited about WP7 :) Can’t wait to lay my hands on one :)

Hugs and Kisses

2010-09-13T21:13:00.001+05:30

It is his daily routine to wake up with his smartphone to tweet morning wishes, read newspaper with coffee, enter bathroom with magazines, check tweets during breakfast, and once back from office it is Facebook for friends, LinkedIn for professional updates, photos in Flickr, or updates his website. She grew tired of this obsession and took charge to rekindle the romance between them. The efforts were lost in vain as he came with a new toilet-shelf book when she arranged for a bath together and he barely noticed the sexy lingerie trying to fix a broken HTML in his website when she hopped onto their bed.

Unabashed by the failed attempts, she approached it tenderly – tweeted about buying groceries on the way back home and sent a mail with the details. He picked up items in the order she has written – bread, olive oil, sugar, milk, eggs, celery, beans, carrots, oranges, grapes, hugs, and kisses. The women buying apples left the grocery store dazedly with bruised lips.

Being Private

2010-09-07T23:10:00.002+05:30

It was terrific three weeks – lost appetite and felt hungry the same time, virtualization nightmares, not spoken with anyone properly including my family whilst talking a lot in meetings, read only newspaper and not a single book, switching between MGR and Michael Jackson songs (I too find no link between the two but it happened so) and some sleepless nights. The result is I know what it takes to setup a private cloud. It was awesome. I’m going to work from home tomorrow and take off the day after to indulge in myself and the family. Sangeetha is visiting us. She promised to cook anything I like. I love to play with little Vishwa. Going to spoil the little one with a French rhyme and at least one Thirukural… :) Happy holidays, everyone!

Bus Day

2010-09-03T23:50:00.002+05:30

Fourth of every month is declared as Bus Day by BMTC to promote the use of public transport thus limiting carbon footprint and traffic congestion. When I was new to Bangalore, I had no time to decode bus routes as I was busy understanding different ‘baths’ – Karaabath (Upma), Kesaribath (Kesari), Bisebelabath (closest Tamil equivalent is Sambar Rice). Office moved to Hebbal. That didn’t deter me from using autos which eventually left a big hole in my wallet. More than that my blood pressure shoots up with the auto meter and ends up with nasty spite. I even took two auto drivers to police in different cases. BMTC was brought into my vision during that time. I really hate it when people stamp my feet and don’t apologize. I got used to it as I can’t expect everyone to be like me. Extravagance of working in CV Raman Nagar for a while didn’t stop me from using BMTC. Our project was deemed SEZable and was moved Nagawara. Suman suggested me to take Tin Factory and Outer Ring Road route instead via Shivaji Nagar. I tried and liked it. Since then Tin Factory and 500 buses are integral part of my office life.

I’ve a conductor friend in 500 T bus. I usually get some change to buy tickets from Amma. I forgot that day. I opened my wallet to see notes of 100. Worried about being yelled and humiliated in front of all the people in a crowded bus for giving away 100 rupees to buy a ticket worth 7 rupees, I rummaged my bag to find no single coin. Like Tevye of Fiddler on the Roof, I too look up the sky and have a one-way conversation with God at times. This conductor caught me talking to the sky outside the window - ‘Why, God? Why? Why me? You can look after others for a change instead of concentrating your energies on me’ I gave him currency note and asked for a ticket. He took it without smiling and gave my ticket. He moved away from my direction without giving change. He turned again and told me in Kannada ‘You gave money and I the ticket. That’s it. What is the proof that you gave me 100 rupees?’ I might have cried hadn’t I seen him sporting a playful smile. He kept walking up and down only to stop to tell me ‘change illaa, madam’ He gave my change as we crossed Hennur. To my bad luck, the very next day I found myself on the same bus with the same conductor and a 500 rupees note this time. My hand was shaking when I gave it. He stood in the middle of the bus and called for everyone’s attention, showing 500 rupees note, to declare that if somebody is giving a note of higher denomination, he’ll take 10 rupees per 100 as his ‘commission’. Everyone burst into laughter. After that, there would be small exchange of pleasantries like ‘chennagithare, madam?’, ‘change bekka?’, ‘sukhra vaara office baralva?’ He was unmindful of my broken Kannada replies.

Volvo buses came in. I always wish for one in summer. There is this driver in 500 D bus who sort of knows me a bit. I wish him ‘Good Morning’ for which I would get an enthusiastic ‘EMC madam…!!’ as reply these days. I rushed into his bus one day and stood next to him. I asked a ticket to EMC to the bus conductor. He shouted ‘madamke luggage-ku onthu ticket kodappa…’ pointing to my laptop and lunch bags. I defiantly said ‘it is my laptop and lunch’ when people around me started laughing.

Little I know them, but they seem to enjoy their work and have a genuine concern for the passengers. This post is dedicated to them.

Are You Kidding Me?

2010-08-30T19:07:00.005+05:30

Disclaimer: I’m not political.

When I read certain things, I feel probably the person(s) who penned down / said would have thought either they are smart or rest of the world is dumb. These are the people seriously affected by when-i-close-my-eyes-the-world-goes-dark disorder. I was too frustrated to think reading newspaper is not worthwhile. I believe it is just how you look at life. Change your perspective. Newspaper can be a day-opener with a soft chuckle to a good laugh. Here are some.

Night Parking Available: When we were looking for a bigger house to move in some years back, we came across this ad – ‘3 bed room, blah, blah, night parking available”. Curious on the ‘night parking’ facility, we checked out. It apparently means the house is on a busy road, when the traffic subsides during night time, you can park the car in front of the house. Where do you park the car during the day? Well… it is up to you – may be in office during weekdays and some mall during weekends.

I’m the CM: Shocking news reports surfaced soon after Independence Day celebrations on the death toll at Beggar’s Home in Magadi Road allegedly due to gastroenteritis caused by food poisoning from stale food. Seemingly 3.5% is levied as ‘Beggar CESS’ by BBMP that comes close to 23 crore. In spite of such huge money, we still find them in busy traffic signals of Bangalore, harassing public at times. I was wondering why it is called ‘Beggar Home’ and not a ‘Rehabilitation Center’, and why they are not trained to do some work to make a living out of it. Some days later, our honorable Chief Minister, B S Yeddyurappa visited this home and questioned the beggars, ‘I’m the CM, what you want?’ Nothing wrong with question except that it was directed at special people who aren’t aware of themselves to recognize mighty CM. This story went on to say the CM asked if the inmates of the home wanted to join the family. Anyone with average intelligence could identify special people; how many sane people leading a normal family life irrespective of the class and creed would have desired a profession in begging or at least as hobby enthusiasts – aren’t there reasons for abandonment? Looks like CM needs more briefing up from his educated IAS team.

Monthly Grocery List of a Tamils: This is not just an issue of Tamils but of every Indian because of the alarmingly high price hikes of commodities. Populist DMK party promised rice at 2 rupees per kilo and they delivered it via government run ration shops. Can we look price of other items for running a kitchen with no luxuries included? Tomato – 40, Onion – 30, Sugar – 50, Tur Dal – 94, Urad Dal – 87, Oil – 110. How can person run a family with a daily wage? Probably rice porridge??

Endhiran, The Robot – A Saga in 200 Crore: I’m a huge fan of Rajnikanth. I really don’t want to talk about Sankar or this movie. Somehow it brings Terminator and Arnold Schwarzenegger to mind and it spoils the movie for me before even watching it. What brings Endhiran in are-you-kidding-me genre? It is the production by Sun Pictures. The movies made by Sun Pictures until today falls under ‘flop’ category. If that is the case, there arises some unanswered questions like where they got such money or how can a business venture on run high risks.

Veteran ‘Tamil’ Leader: DMK supremo and now CM, Karunanidhi is called as ‘veteran’ Tamil Leader by his loyal party members. I’m not judging him by any appreciable social and moral standards on his confusing family tree with wives, mistresses, and numerous descendants. If you have your own organization, will you employ an old man who is losing sight and can’t move around as your CEO? That is also not the point what I’m getting into. It hurts when they call him ‘Tamil’ leader sometimes. Despite of ill health or reality calls it ‘old age’, he visits New Delhi only to get a place in central ministry for his various children and grandchildren. Anything less critical/sensitive like Sri Lankan Tamils, sharing of Cauvery water, petrol price hike, he writes ‘letters’ to the central government. These letters are written in classical Tamil and the PM is not a Tamil, hence it does not brings any action associated with it as PM might not get a multilingual classical Tamil poet nearby always to translate it for him. He urged the movement ‘Tamils of Tamil Nadu’ should learn only Tamil as he could not find a better reason to appreciate other languages. He offered tax reliefs on Tamil cinemas which are named in Tamil as way of promoting it to the general masses. That way he ensured that Tamil shall live on to eternity. His own family is only a frugal number among the 6.5 million Tamils, so they can afford names like Sun Network, Sun Pictures, Red Giant Movies, or Cloud Nine Productions.

300% Pay Hike for MPs: MPs assessed themselves against - blown up inflation, Kashmir is in state on unrest for a month, Maoists attacks in central India, a national shame like Common Wealth Games multimillion dollar sports scandal, exponential growth of petrol price – to settle for a 300% pay hike and that too grudgingly. Now that they got what they want, will they not accept any bribes, will they attend parliament session regularly and try to bring change, will they try to resolve disagreements decently enough so that the session is productive and not adjourned… time will answer.

Weather Control – Weapons of Mass Destruction: Weather Control is an emerging trend in WMD. If you like to wage a war against a country, instead of sending army over, you could control the weather patterns like triggering volcano or earthquake or tsunami or simply send monsoon over the country. Pakistan media reports that US ‘manipulated’ El Nino and India deliberately diverted waters from dams for Pakistan to face worst floods ever. That’s why they are denying Indian and accepting US aid. If only MGM Studios is out of debt crisis, we can suggest this new WMD theme for the next James Bond movie.

Take Care

2010-08-26T21:34:00.001+05:30

Timing could not get better. I was half jogging and half running, trying to make it to office for a 9:30 meeting. I despise meetings in the morning between 9 and 10. If it is before 8, I can take it from home. My regular office hours begin at 10 and can reach up to midnight. I simply can’t leave home before 9. In these 9-10 meetings, I’ll usually make a dramatic entrance – storming into the conference room panting and apologizing, with really bad hair. Most of my colleagues are used to it and was dubbed wrongly many times as ‘bringing energy into the room’.

Today was one such day. I was in hurry to get to my bus. I got goose bumps from metal scratching sound to wonder about early road repair work today. Then events unfolded itself in slow motion to my eyes – a person was rolling with a bike on the road. I stood frozen for a moment and realized it was girl lying down on a busy road with her kurta badly torn. I rushed towards her, pulled her bike that was crushing her right leg, removed her heals and made her sit. Her right leg was broken started bleeding profusely. Terrified at the sight of gushing blood, I found a towel in her lunch bag and tried to stop the flow with that. A few people stopped, I asked someone to get some water. One helping soul got some water; another parked her bike on the roadside and gave the keys to me. An auto driver was willing to help and took her to the nearby hospital. It is not easy to support an adult with my own luggage - purse, laptop and lunch bags. She asked me to call her friend. While she was getting first-aid, her friend dropped in. I briefed him on what happened, where to find her bike, gave her things to him, and asked her to be safe. Her bike skidded because of the slippery monsoon roads and also of not paying proper attention while riding as she was listening to music in her iPod.

I missed my meeting. Let us take time to reflect here. First the drivers… Please, please don’t use mobile phones while driving because nothing is important than your life and remember that you are not going to launch a rocket anytime in your life. You are also not the great descendants of Beethoven who is working to compose a heart filling symphony. Hence it is not necessary to be hooked on to music while driving. You might not meet a Good Samaritan to help you always. Remember, you are not just endangering your own life but also risk other innocent lives. To the men and women - bystanders, office goers, small vendors, and home makers… a message to all of you - ‘Helping does not hurt’. All of us have to reach office or home on time for critical meetings, project delivery, cooking, or any damn thing. Please have the human heart to reach out to people in need. Think at least once a day what you have given back to the society and the world while sucking up its resources dry for you and your family. You can leave your selfishness behind at least when you see somebody suffering…

Girl Stuff

2010-08-22T22:35:00.003+05:30

I wanted to cheer up Amma… what can raise the spirits in women of any age? Shopping! It is green shopping this time – hand/block printed natural dyes in cotton. Ethnic prints like Kalamkari, Mangalgiri, and Madhubani on bed linen, cushion covers, screens is lovely. Shopping is not complete without clothes. Amma wanted to buy my birthday saree. Yeah… it is not until October but my designer would normally take time and my birthday usually lies between Dussera and Deepavali, so we need to give it to her at least a month in advance if I wanted my design on the blouse. Amma got me a Mysore crepe silk in red-violet color with small stars all over and a stylish small border. The more we splurged, the more we got giggly. It was a typical girls’ day out…When we returned, Amma said ‘we both should go like this twice a year’ I agree with her completely :)

Yesterday’s heavy rains had bought chaos to Bangalore city in the form of water clogs and tree falls. It was an enjoyable day to me. It was a lazy day… I showered before lunch and sat out licking an ice candy, watching the rain. I invited Poppy to join me. We both sat not talking but simply staring at rain. I agreed to Poppy’s suggestion – ‘rain walk’. We took our umbrellas and went out. While people were sticking to walls under sunshade like lizards, we had full freedom to roam. Initially I was careful with my skirt. Poppy said we could change after walk. After that I just got wet. Rain was not heavy during the first five minutes for Poppy to tease the rain God, ‘What? Only this much…?? Bring it on, buddy!’ Rain God took it as an insult and the sky started pouring down. That is when we saw sparks flying from a transformer. We ventured on for more. One of the lanes that we took had fresh roads. They had some clean water. Poppy asked me, ‘can we jump?’ I replied, ‘if we can take bath after this…” We jumped to splash the water; I had only my eyes and forehead dry in spite of the umbrella. We continued in the fashion for good 25 minutes, returned home soaked to the skin…

Le Voyage Extraordinaire

2010-08-19T22:45:00.006+05:30

Year 3815 C.E., Galactic Traffic Control beeped an alarm for Mercedes to look up the great screen where a red dot was blinking. Her squint look at the red dot for 5 seconds brought the details of the warning to the screen – galactic cruiser Tlaloc M-7 steered by Captain Edmond has left ¹Norma and is moving towards ²Sgr A*. Tlaloc M-7 seemed to have slowed down as it has swept pass the destination for the Emergency Response System to trigger MTEH (Moving Towards Event Horizon) alert.

Unabashed of signal availability to the cruiser that is dangerously close to ³event horizon, Mercedes sent the message, “Starboard and full speed”, overriding the cruiser control, followed by sending a guard ship to Tlaloc M-7. Cruiser turned and with a great struggle started gathering speed. Edmond suffering from spacetime sickness felt a pull backwards…

Appendix
1. Norma is the closest arm to the galactic core of Milky Way
2. Sgr A* or Sagittarius A* is the super massive black hole in the center of our Milky Way galaxy
3. Event Horizon is the surface that surrounds the black hole that marks the point of no return

P.S.: Guess I’m the first one to write an appendix for a flash fiction :)

Bookworm

2010-08-16T21:41:00.001+05:30

The wizened old man with a flowing white beard, woolen cap, shrunken with time, sat on a three legged stool, rekindling the fire that he set using phosphorus, in the wee hours of morning. He carefully measured zinc oxide and threw it into the muddy broth that was bubbling in the tin cauldron that was already emitting strong stench of sulfur, containing the treasure of his life – seven blocks of silver that he inherited from his late wife. While going over his notes, a silverfish jumped from his notebook and ran, he threw the log over the silverfish but the bookworm took the hit in its hind part and hid underneath a stone.

Yellow light creeks dawn, he continued stirring thoughtlessly, a lightening hit his cauldron that electrocuted and charred him to bones immediately. Rains lashed out from heavens, extinguished the remaining fire, mixed with the broth from the cauldron, reached the stone, and moved further. Another lightening split opened the cauldron to expose seven yellow bars covered with translucent fluid and a bookworm in excellent health came out from near the stone and took refuge in the bag full of books and notes from rain.