Indibloggies

I recently stumbled upon this site…and has been an unending source of entertainment ever since. Go to the nominees for the most humorous blog whenever you are bored, or feeling depressed, or just feel like killing time. My favorites are Twisted DNA, Doing Jalsa…, Coconut chutney, and Son of Bosey.

Federer and Zizou.

Hit for Haiti.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/football/01/22/football.haiti.zidane.kaka/

In the words of Ali G…RESPEKT!

Personal goals for 2010

My manager asked us all to mail him what our professional goals are for 2010. Personal goals could also be added (optional). These were my personal goals:

· Get executive platinum status in AA

· Visit Yellowstone national park

· Get in shape

· Purchase a F1.4 AF lens

Professional goals are out of scope of this post! Who wants to know them anyways…for the most part, it is “Keep the profession”

Windows live writer

Just configured windows live writer on my computer to post blogs directly. If there is one thing that I hate about the internet, it is the remembering of user name and passwords for the 20 million accounts I have, ranging from bank accounts to random birthday reminder accounts. Hopefully I will have one less account password to remember, and one less account to log into…

5K to fitness

There was a 5K run in Chicago today, as a part of the the St Patricks day celebrations. I took part in it...and came 407th...! :-)
http://www.theracershub.com/results_view_print_individual.php?id=202025

Though not a very impressive number, place in the race really dint matter. The month's worth of preparation for this run, was in itself, the reward. All that mattered was the running, and that I complete the run in the first place. And I did....and in 31:38 mins too...no kidding! Definitely time well spent, rather than chugging green beer at 9 in the morning, as it often happens (though I really wouldnt mind that too.)

Jai ho..!

Allah Rakha Rahman. A person of few words. And at the first look, he probably wouldn't stand out. But from the time Rahman appeared in the scene in 1992 with Roja, the Indian music industry would never be the same. Music speaks a common language, and no other person than ARR has made this more evident. Indian music was ready for a new segment in the 1990s, and Rahman infused fresh blood into it, spawning a new generation in music. It has been 16 years since, and Rahman's music continues to captivate and fascinate us. The Oscar and golden globe awards are nothing more than an assertion to the marvelous talent of this little man. Among all the Indian music artists who have taken Indian cinema and art to the world, Rahman is definitely one of the fore bearers.

One the eve of his Oscar victory for Slumdog Millionaire, I present my top 10 favorite Rahman compositions.

10. Urvasi urvasi (1994) - I took a long time to choose this song, cos its the last on my list, and there were so many awesome ones to choose from. This again wins because its such a cool song. From the movie Kadhalan, Prabhu deva's first movie, Shankar's direction, and Rahman's score, all songs in this movie are very impressive. This one tops them all.

9. Dil Se re (1995) - This song is simply Rahman! The rhythm and base really sets the song going. Rahman's first Hindi movie. Lyrics dint entirely make much sense. But you cant stop tapping your foot to this. If you ask me, this song deserved an Oscar.

8. Anjali Anjali (1994) - Melody. SP totally rocks on this one. Though the movie was not a big hit, and the music never got much recognition, this is one of Rahman's early masterpieces. With a superb use of instruments, including Kadri Gopalnath's Sax, and soul stirring vocals, this song definitely deserves to be 8.

7. Humma Humma (1995) - No Rahman list is complete without this one. One of is most popular and earliest number that will get a crowd into a dancing frenzy. Evergreen song, no matter when you listen to it. Love the Shehnai on it. Rahman loves using it on all his songs, if you notice.

6. Yeh Jo des hai tera (2004) - Every NRI's theme. The music and lyrics certainly makes one to miss his homeland. The song lays out the two paths that lay in front of every Indian living outside of India. The choice of money and luxury over home and family. Its never an easy choice, and this song makes it obvious. Rahman's own voice makes the song an unforgettable piece. The instrumental version of the same song is just as beautiful, if not more.

5. Jana Gana mana (2007) - The killer number from Ayudha Ezhuthu. Set in a heart thumping beat, this song is sure to get u all charged up. My song for the treadmill. A great power song to get you going!

4. Ottagatha Kattiko (1999) - IT amuses me when I see that Jai Ho won an Oscar. No doubt its a marvelous song. But there have been so many songs of Rahman that have enthralled millions. This one is from the movie Gentleman. This song makes me want to get up and dance every single time. Awesome beat, wonderful vocals from SPB and Janaki, this song rocks! Shehnai again..!!

3. Vande mataram (Maa tujhe salaam) (2000)- Every Indian unofficial national anthem. What more do I have to say about this song. A masterpiece, worthy of an Oscar.

2. Konjam Nilavu (1993)- Though the movie Thiruda thiruda itself dint do so well, it was one of Rahman's finest compositions. Fact paced, and catchy...A musical delight. None of the songs in this movie really made a big impression. Another song "thee thee" is just as wonderful.

1. Kadhal Rojave (1993)- And we reach the end of the list and have come a full circle, back to Rahman's first movie, Roja. I still remember the time when Roja was released, and the kind of attention it received from everyone. Everyone was fascinated with the music, all from Rahman's keboard. Every single song in the movie is superb. With breathe-taking music and SPB's deep sensitive voice, this has to be my number one choice.

Movie Review: A Wednesday

Just 5 words. Every Indian's must see movie.

Onions and Yoga

While what I am about to say is trivial and unproven, it is still worthy of saying it.

I am a great fan of onions, and like to include them in my cooking whenever possible. Ironically, I also have a great problem when it comes to chopping them, because my eyes water and burn like hell. Of course, everyone has trouble when it comes to chopping onions, but for some reason, I seem to suffer from the eyes burning for much longer and harder than others. While the rest seem to get through it in a few minutes, I seem to suffer from the burning in my eye for nearly an hour or more.

So like everyone else, I googled for remedies….and there were a ton of them. Some of the common ones were sticking your tongue out while chopping, chewing gum, freezing the onion, among others. But none of these grandma methods were really a good solution, 'cos none of them had any logic or theory behind them. So I went about trying to figure out why eyes burn in the first place when you chop onions. And I am going to answer this question below.

Simply put, eyes burn when chopping onions because, there is some substance that comes out of the onion, travels through the medium (air) and comes in contact with the eyes. This substance causes a reaction from our eye, that causes the burning. First, lets eliminate the obvious possibilities.

It cannot be some liquid squirting out of the onion, because, if so, my eyes shouldn’t burn at all since I wear glasses all the time.

It cannot be fumes that come in contact with your eye when you chop. I have tried squinting my eyes, keeping my eyes open at a minimum while chopping. If it was due to surface contact, that must have atleast reduced the burning. It dint.

Its not by contact. Its not by spraying liquid. So what else could it be? How else could these fumes be transmitted? The only that means that sounds logical is by means of inhalation. The air contains the fumes. We breathe in that air. These fumes get into our eye through the nostrils. That is the only remaining way in which the fumes can come in contact with our eye.

To test this, I tried to chop onions by avoiding inhalation at the time I chop. I took a deep breath, and started chopping half an onion while breathing out. Then, I moved away, took a deep breath, and returned to the chopping. I could certainly feel the difference. My eyes hardly burnt when compared to the times before.

So, if you want to chop onions without your eyes watering, practice yoga. Develop control over your breathing. If you can hold your breath for long periods of time, you can chop these bastards with this simple technique.

Journey to the center of the mind

Saw this amazing talk by Prof. Vilayanur "Rrrrrrrr"amachandran on youtube.

Green Ganesha Chathurti

Ganesha Chaturthi marks the birth of Ganesh, the Elephant God, the remover of obstacles. Back in India, Ganesha Chaturthi is celebrated with much fervor and enthusiasm all over the country. But even the remover of obstacles cannot possibly remove the amount of garbage that is dumped into every water body, from the mighty seas to little lakes, 10 days after the festival, when the Ganesha idols are immersed into water to mark the end of the festival.

Here is the nice side of the story...Ganesh Chaturthi starts with colorfully painted idols of ganesha being sold several days before the festival.

Here is the not so nice side...Ganesha idols are typically made of clay or plaster of paris and colorfully painted with paints containing harmful chemicals such as arsenic and mercury. Plaster of paris takes a long time to dissolve and releases many toxins into the water when it dissolves.

On the day of the festival, these ganesha idols are beautifully decorated with flowers, colorful garments, and puja is performed.

Decorations often are made of plastic, thermocole and other non-bio degradable substances.

On the 10th day, these idols are taken to the sea (or any water body closeby) in a procession, and immersed. There is a lot of dancing and singing in the procession, making it a gala event.

Thousands of ganesha idols (with sizes ranging from a few inches to more than 80 feet in height) immersed into the sea (or any water body closeby). Along with it goes all the flowers, garments, decorative materials into the water. The irony of the story is that the same ganesha idols that were adorned and worshipped a few days ago, often end up washing up on the shores broken, and are left there for dump trucks to deal with.




For a environment friendly Ganesh Chaturti, here are some things we can do:

1. Use clay idols of ganesha, preferably unpainted. If you really need painted ones, purchase something that use vegetable dyes, that are bio degradable, and not harmful to nature.

2. Avoid using plastic or thermocole decorations.

3. Do not dump any flowers into the lake / sea. Dispose them off separately.

4. Immerse ganesha in a tub. Many temples have a small pond like area for this purpose. Make use of them. Do not use water bodies like a lake or sea for immersion.



Have a HAPPY AND GREEN GANESH CHATURTHI...!! :)

Wide Apertures

Check out my new photoblog.

Affect Vs Effect

Here is a quick lesson in English grammar. I have often seen people make mistakes with the usage of the words affect and effect. I have even seen mistakes in websites and official documents, and so thought of clarifying the difference here.

Lets examine the difference. Consider these 4 sentences.

1. The settings in the device manager in the computer, effect the performance of the system.
2. The criminal act effected a significant change in the law and order situation in the county.
3. Soil erosion by water and wind affects the natural environment.
4. The affect of soil erosion can be seen in the the grand canyon.

Which of these are right / wrong?
.
...
.....
...
.

And here are the answers:
(1 - Wrong, 2 - Right, 3 - Right, 4 - Wrong)

Here is how the difference can be understood.

When the word AFFECT is used in a sentence, the sentence also says "what" is being affected. The keyword here is "what". The word AFFECT always refers to the influence of a certain event ON SOMETHING. Hence, whenever we talk about affect, it always refers to a person, or thing, or similar.

In contrast, the word EFFECT is used in a sentence to indicate an action. The word EFFECT is used to describe "how" something was AFFECTED. The EFFECT of a certain event is another event. The word EFFECT indicates a result (remember cause-and-effect). This is different from AFFECT which refers to an object.

Lets look at the 4 sentences again.

In sentence 1, the sentence doesn't say anything about "how" the settings influence the performance. It only says that the settings influence the performance. So, the performance of the system is the object. Hence, the word to be used is AFFECT.

In sentence 2, the sentence refers to "change" in the law and order, which indicates action. The sentence is about the "influence" of the act on the law and order situation. Hence the word is EFFECT. The same sentence can be re-framed using the word AFFECT as, "The criminal act affected the law and order in the county by a significant amount."

In sentence 3, natural environment is the object of the sentence. Hence AFFECT. Hence correct usage.

In sentence 4, the sentence is referring to the influence of soil erosion. Hence the word is EFFECT.



Let me know if that helped..!!

The man...The moment.

N-Deal or P-Deal

Found this article in the Hindu.

What exactly is India rejoicing about? It seems like all the excitement at this time in india is about a government winning a trust vote. For the last 25 years or so, we have not seen a government prove its majority in a trust vote situation. All of a sudden, PM Manmohan singh is being hailed as the greatest PM there ever was. Visionary Leader. "Singh is King". In all this, the real topic seems forgotten. Every news article talks only about the political situation in India, how BJP has brought shame to the parliament, and how the parties have responded about the deal.

Is anyone even thinking about the N-Deal?? Read the 123 agreement? Is the N-deal in India's favor, or is it locking our country into this huge investment? What are its Pros and Cons? Is this opening up our defenses for foreign inspection? Meeting our energy needs? What is this deal doing to our common people?

The whole issue has been turned around into proving which political party is right, and what it will take to stay. Its no longer a N-deal. Its just a deal about who is in power. Should call it the P-Deal. Indeed a black day in Indian politics, and media.

The king dethroned

The end of an era. Roger federer's unbeaten streak at wimbledon ended yesterday after a long battle between him and Rafael Nadal, with Rafael Nadal emerging as the new champion at Wimbledon. Roger's 5 year winning streak was over. "It hurts", said a smiling Roger, laconically, at the end of the 5 odd hrs game, whne John McEnroe asked him how he felt. Hidden in that smile was the regret that he would probably never be able to equal Bjorn Borg's record of 6 straight wimbledon victories, the highest ever.

But lots of admiration to Rafael, who played amazingly. If anyone deserved the cup over Federer, it was him. It was definitely an emotional moment for me and all my friends, who were all routing for Federer. Wimbledon was his, and he fought for it with all he had. If anyone could have pulled the game from a 2 set deficit to a 5 setter, it was him. Reminded me of the time when Federer beat Sampras in the 2001 wimbledon, and the commentator exclaimed "There will be a new king in Wimbledon." Its his superb skill and warm persona that makes him the undisputed champion of tennis and a favorite among all tennis fans. Winner or not, he is still the king at wimbledon, and an inspiration to tennis players worldwide.

"I will be back, next year", said federer. Will look forward to that.

Pics from chicago downtown

I am not only dumb..but also lazy

Name Popularity

There are
Karthik Gopalakrishnan listings in the USA.

Gopalakrishnan listings in the USA:

how dumb am I

EURO 2008 scoreboard

More pics from my SLR!