I have been to Chennai this week on official work. I had to travel a lot in Chennai during this trip. I had to resort to autos for transport. For those who haven't visited Chennai before, you will have to depend on the whims and fancies of the autowalla when you use them.
The autowallas will quote some random fare to reach the destination. These prices are usually some nice round numbers like 100, 150, 200 etc. You either take it or leave it. The meters on these autos are just for decoration. Donot commit the cardinal sin of insisting on the use of meter. You will end up paying more than what he quoted.
I can only hope to live to see pre-paid autos with reasonable rates in Chennai.
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Friday, February 24, 2006
Possible only in India?
This incident happened between my friends. One of them, RK, had an opportunity to go to US on behalf of his company. He had gone for visa interview, where they rejected a visa for him. We were very disappointed when he told this. One of my friends, AK, reacted differently. He demanded from RK whether he tried to give something *under table*. Everybody burst out laughing as we had no words to say. When RK said that it is not possible as there are no tables there, AK retorted that RK should have taken the interviewer aside for a *small chat*.
I wonder whether is possible in any other country. Why do we always think of shortcuts in life? We need to change our thinking if India is to grow to next level.
I wonder whether is possible in any other country. Why do we always think of shortcuts in life? We need to change our thinking if India is to grow to next level.
Friday, February 17, 2006
Story time
I s(h)uddenly had this story telling bug and concocted this story. The story is related to software.
AK and RS are two roommates. RS is happy with his life, and A is struggling to find a good job. AK has a bad memory.
One day, AK comes running to RS. He is clearly in agony. RS asks him "What happened? You look terrible". AK writhes in pain. "I forgot my password. You are the only one who can save me". RS is puzzled and says "Be more specific. I donot understand". AK narrates this painful episode.
"Couple of months back, I posted my resume at an online site. I required an email-id for this process. The email-id would be used for intimating me about any openings. Yesterday, I had to update critical information on this resume site, and alas, I forgot my password. You need to do something. Help me".
RS consoles him and says "Don't worry. It is not a problem. Do you remember your login-id?". AK answers in affirmitive. RS logs on to the site and starts the password-retrieval procedure. The procedure requires one to answer the secret question. The secret question was "What is your father's name?". AK is relieved. He enters his father's name, retrieves the password and updates the data. The site informs that some information has been sent to the provided email-id.
AK tries to log-on to his email account. As fate would have it, he forgot the password here too. His face turns ashen as he looks at RS. RS asks him not to worry and for second time in ten minutes starts the password-retrieval procedure. The question this time was "What is your pet's name?". AK was flummoxed by this question. He didn't have any pet. He tries answers like cat and dog, which obviously didn't help. He pleads RS to help. RS shrugs his shoulder and says "I cannot help you here. Try to remember the answer". He then go out.
RS returns back after a couple of hours and is stunned at what he sees. AK is still sitting at the computer trying to find the right answer. Iguana. Porcupine. Platypus.......
AK and RS are two roommates. RS is happy with his life, and A is struggling to find a good job. AK has a bad memory.
One day, AK comes running to RS. He is clearly in agony. RS asks him "What happened? You look terrible". AK writhes in pain. "I forgot my password. You are the only one who can save me". RS is puzzled and says "Be more specific. I donot understand". AK narrates this painful episode.
"Couple of months back, I posted my resume at an online site. I required an email-id for this process. The email-id would be used for intimating me about any openings. Yesterday, I had to update critical information on this resume site, and alas, I forgot my password. You need to do something. Help me".
RS consoles him and says "Don't worry. It is not a problem. Do you remember your login-id?". AK answers in affirmitive. RS logs on to the site and starts the password-retrieval procedure. The procedure requires one to answer the secret question. The secret question was "What is your father's name?". AK is relieved. He enters his father's name, retrieves the password and updates the data. The site informs that some information has been sent to the provided email-id.
AK tries to log-on to his email account. As fate would have it, he forgot the password here too. His face turns ashen as he looks at RS. RS asks him not to worry and for second time in ten minutes starts the password-retrieval procedure. The question this time was "What is your pet's name?". AK was flummoxed by this question. He didn't have any pet. He tries answers like cat and dog, which obviously didn't help. He pleads RS to help. RS shrugs his shoulder and says "I cannot help you here. Try to remember the answer". He then go out.
RS returns back after a couple of hours and is stunned at what he sees. AK is still sitting at the computer trying to find the right answer. Iguana. Porcupine. Platypus.......
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
My popularity at office
A and S are my colleagues. S just came on-board the project and A was expected to ramp her up. Today, when they were having some discussion, I informed A about S being unhappy with his mentoring. Ofcourse, I said this in a humourous vein. We had a laugh at this. Later when A left, I had the following conversation with S.
S: Why did you lie? He would think bad about me.So much for my popularity at office.
Me: I know him. He will not bother about this.
S: Does he know you well?
Me: Yes.
S: Then, it is fine. He will not think much about what you said.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Blood Tests and Twelve hour fast
I was required to take medical tests for insurance. The doctors indicated that I need to fast for twelve hours prior the tests. Today, during the tests I enquired about the reason.
The results of some tests change following digestion of food. For example, when we eat lots of sweets, the sugar quantity in blood will increase. This means we will see different results depending on the time from last meal. By fasting for twelve hours, we provide doctors with base results that can be compared over time.
The results of some tests change following digestion of food. For example, when we eat lots of sweets, the sugar quantity in blood will increase. This means we will see different results depending on the time from last meal. By fasting for twelve hours, we provide doctors with base results that can be compared over time.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Aeroplanes and crazy rules
I had been to Hyderabad during the Republic Day weekend. I had flown this time. There was an argument between air-hostess and a passenger on the flight back. As on every flight, the air-hostess requested everyone to open the window blinds while landing. The sun was falling right into the person's eyes. So, he didn't want to open the blinds. There was some discussion for sometime. This got me thinking as to reason behind this strange request. I did some googling and found the reason.
Seems reasonable. I think it would serve better for carriers to educate the passengers about the reasons behind such strange requests.
The passengers can act as an extra set of eyes for the crew and report things such as an engine fire if the blinds are open. If flying at night it also lets the passengers eyes more easily adjust to the dark should the aircraft suddenly be plunged into darkness, as happens while landing and take-off.
Seems reasonable. I think it would serve better for carriers to educate the passengers about the reasons behind such strange requests.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Talent hunt and Voting
There has been a flurry of talent hunt programs on television these days. "Saregama" and "Indian Idol" etc. are very popular. These shows judge the participants based on the voting by the public. Though democratic, I am not sure this is the right way to judge talent.
It appears people vote based on locality of contestant rather than the person's talent. I have been a culprit of this myself. But, I donot see this as something wrong. I voted for candidate from AndhraPradesh irrespective of his talent. I am not qualified enough to rate the skills of the top-tier contestants. So, the nearest criteria for differentiating is his locality.
The organizers need to understand this and bring in the talent factor into consideration while filtering out the contestants. I like the program "Nach Baliye" in this regard. A qualified judge's rating is also taken into account while filtering the contestants.
It appears people vote based on locality of contestant rather than the person's talent. I have been a culprit of this myself. But, I donot see this as something wrong. I voted for candidate from AndhraPradesh irrespective of his talent. I am not qualified enough to rate the skills of the top-tier contestants. So, the nearest criteria for differentiating is his locality.
The organizers need to understand this and bring in the talent factor into consideration while filtering out the contestants. I like the program "Nach Baliye" in this regard. A qualified judge's rating is also taken into account while filtering the contestants.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
My Intelligence Quotient
I gave the Classic IQ test at Tickle and my IQ score turns out to be 131. An excerpt from the results:
Congratulations, Rajasekhar!
Your IQ score is 131Your Intellectual Type is Precision Processor. This means you're exceptionally good at discovering quick solutions to problems, especially ones that involve math or logic. You're also resourceful and able to think on your feet. And that's just some of what we know about you from your test results
Right vs Wrong
Consider this scenario:
Suresh walks into a super-market to purchase some things. He stands in the queue for billing/payment. The cashier incharge of the queue is clumsy and takes a long time to serve each customer. Further to accentuate the irritation, he starts serving customers out of the line. This pushes Suresh across the limit and he shouts at the cashier. The guy aplogizes, but continues to be very slow with his work. Finally, it is the turn of Suresh. In hurry to finish fast, the cashier only bills for certain items which Suresh purchased. Suresh realizes this, but doesn't ask the cashier to bill for the missed items. He cooly walks out of the shop paying only half the money of what he purchased.
Now, was Suresh right or wrong in deciding not to correct the cashier? Clearly, the cashier was not upto his job and he was wrong at serving customers who weren't in the queue. Will Suresh's decision be a good payback for his mistake?
Suresh walks into a super-market to purchase some things. He stands in the queue for billing/payment. The cashier incharge of the queue is clumsy and takes a long time to serve each customer. Further to accentuate the irritation, he starts serving customers out of the line. This pushes Suresh across the limit and he shouts at the cashier. The guy aplogizes, but continues to be very slow with his work. Finally, it is the turn of Suresh. In hurry to finish fast, the cashier only bills for certain items which Suresh purchased. Suresh realizes this, but doesn't ask the cashier to bill for the missed items. He cooly walks out of the shop paying only half the money of what he purchased.
Now, was Suresh right or wrong in deciding not to correct the cashier? Clearly, the cashier was not upto his job and he was wrong at serving customers who weren't in the queue. Will Suresh's decision be a good payback for his mistake?
Monday, January 09, 2006
Books and your personality
I had an interesting discussion with my colleagues during lunch today. I am not sure if I can call it a discussion. It was more like my colleagues schemed against me and it was me Vs them. The debate was around the learning from a book, and how it improves one as a person. I was against this idea and everyone else were for it.
I donot think there is much to learn from a book. It is purely an entertainment channel, and a matter of your habit. It is like having fishing as a habit. You donot improve as a person just because you fish when you have some free time. Before I proceed, let me make it clear that the discussion was about fictitious novels. I completely agree that one learns a lot from technical books. These books make you knowledgeable, improve your confidence and help in progessing in your career. One might also learn from self-help books and management books, although I never read them and have no taste for them.
So, what am I supposed to learn from these novels and how I will become a better person by reading them. I cannot comprehend this. My colleagues insist that I might face similar situations as mentioned in the book, and then I might react in ways mentioned there. This seems silly to me. The decision taken by a character in book is a figment of author's imagination. It is what the author would have done in that situation. Why should that be the correct decision? Why should I do what the author has suggested? I donot understand any of their arguments.
The discussion ended with them making a decision that I have agreed to their views (Don't know how). I asked a couple of them to give an example of the learning they had from a fiction. They did not manage to come up with an answer. I think that explains who had the right view in the discussion.
I donot think there is much to learn from a book. It is purely an entertainment channel, and a matter of your habit. It is like having fishing as a habit. You donot improve as a person just because you fish when you have some free time. Before I proceed, let me make it clear that the discussion was about fictitious novels. I completely agree that one learns a lot from technical books. These books make you knowledgeable, improve your confidence and help in progessing in your career. One might also learn from self-help books and management books, although I never read them and have no taste for them.
So, what am I supposed to learn from these novels and how I will become a better person by reading them. I cannot comprehend this. My colleagues insist that I might face similar situations as mentioned in the book, and then I might react in ways mentioned there. This seems silly to me. The decision taken by a character in book is a figment of author's imagination. It is what the author would have done in that situation. Why should that be the correct decision? Why should I do what the author has suggested? I donot understand any of their arguments.
The discussion ended with them making a decision that I have agreed to their views (Don't know how). I asked a couple of them to give an example of the learning they had from a fiction. They did not manage to come up with an answer. I think that explains who had the right view in the discussion.
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Trip to Mumbai
I have gone to Mumbai last weekend on an official trip. It turned out to be quite an action-packed weekend. Entire Friday and Saturday were spent on official work, and not very adventurous. It has been fun but nothing special during this period.
The actual adventure started on Sunday, when me and Deepak went sight-seeing around Mumbai. Deepak turned out to have very keen eyesight. He pointed me to some very rare sights. We got complete view of basters at a couple of places. (FYI, a baster is a extremely skilled person who sews garment with long loose stitches). Then, we saw this person who(se) gave lace that was of finest quality.
Our flight back to Bangalore was scheduled for 6:30pm. We reached by 5:30, much ahead of time. But, there was a final twist in the tale. The flight was rescheduled a couple of times, and we ended up missing the flight thanks to Jet Airways not updating the status on the displays. We had to pay Rs. 500 extra and get into a flight at 9:30pm.
If you are wondering about what is fun about basters and lace, think twice. The words which are in bold and italicised are anagrams.
The actual adventure started on Sunday, when me and Deepak went sight-seeing around Mumbai. Deepak turned out to have very keen eyesight. He pointed me to some very rare sights. We got complete view of basters at a couple of places. (FYI, a baster is a extremely skilled person who sews garment with long loose stitches). Then, we saw this person who(se) gave lace that was of finest quality.
Our flight back to Bangalore was scheduled for 6:30pm. We reached by 5:30, much ahead of time. But, there was a final twist in the tale. The flight was rescheduled a couple of times, and we ended up missing the flight thanks to Jet Airways not updating the status on the displays. We had to pay Rs. 500 extra and get into a flight at 9:30pm.
If you are wondering about what is fun about basters and lace, think twice. The words which are in bold and italicised are anagrams.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Shantaram: A compulsory in any bookshelf
I have just gone through half of this 950-odd page beast, and it finds its place to my bookshelf (see the side bar). A gripping tale concocted by Gregory Robert that leaves one spell-bound, or should I say book-bound.
The story is about an escaped convict, Lindsay, who finds his destination in the slums of Bombay. He settles in the slums and runs a first-aid center there. He gets involved with mafia, and later the Afghan rebels. He also falls in love with Karla, a Swiss national who settled in Bombay. He is christened 'Shantaram' by the motherly Rukhmabai, and hence the title of the book.
A definite read for anyone. It scores 5 out of 5 with me.
The story is about an escaped convict, Lindsay, who finds his destination in the slums of Bombay. He settles in the slums and runs a first-aid center there. He gets involved with mafia, and later the Afghan rebels. He also falls in love with Karla, a Swiss national who settled in Bombay. He is christened 'Shantaram' by the motherly Rukhmabai, and hence the title of the book.
A definite read for anyone. It scores 5 out of 5 with me.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
The Latest Craze
The latest fad in town is running in a marathon. There has been a spate of marathons in India. Believe it or not, Bangalore hosted two marathons: A Full Marathon in May 2005 and a Half Marathon in December 2005. I wonder what caused this sudden interest in marathons?
As I see it, people run in marathons for following three reasons
I checked the Marathon Calendar to see the international scene and found that there is a marathon almost everyday somewhere in the world. So, Bangalore is just catching up with world. I am unclear in my mind, about where I stand with the idea of a marathon. But, one thing is sure. I will never run in a marathon.
As I see it, people run in marathons for following three reasons
- Give something to the society
- Running is good for health
- Just for the heck of it/Doing something different
I checked the Marathon Calendar to see the international scene and found that there is a marathon almost everyday somewhere in the world. So, Bangalore is just catching up with world. I am unclear in my mind, about where I stand with the idea of a marathon. But, one thing is sure. I will never run in a marathon.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Life of an Injured Man
Thanks to the accident, I am forced to go around with a crippled gait. I got my dressing changed yesterday. The doctor informed that the stitches will be removed next Tuesday. Waiting for that day eagerly.
It has been quite an experience during the last few days. It is not possible to pass anywhere without drawing some sympathetic attention. Right from my house-owner to the security guards at the office, they have something sympathetic to say. I have no doubt about their good intent, but for Gods' sake, I have an injury which will be fixed in a week. Also, there are lots of jovial requests to play Table Tennis at office. Thanks to my injury, I realized that Rajesh, Jude and Deepti are capable of handling TT racquet.
There have been something positive about my injury. I took a break from office today, and what a time I had. I got to watch the brilliant batting by Pakistan amassing 353 in their quota of 50 overs.
It has been quite an experience during the last few days. It is not possible to pass anywhere without drawing some sympathetic attention. Right from my house-owner to the security guards at the office, they have something sympathetic to say. I have no doubt about their good intent, but for Gods' sake, I have an injury which will be fixed in a week. Also, there are lots of jovial requests to play Table Tennis at office. Thanks to my injury, I realized that Rajesh, Jude and Deepti are capable of handling TT racquet.
There have been something positive about my injury. I took a break from office today, and what a time I had. I got to watch the brilliant batting by Pakistan amassing 353 in their quota of 50 overs.
Monday, December 12, 2005
Messrs Karma strikes
I had quite an eventful day today, which turned me into a strong believer in Karma.
I started the day at a Workshop at office. I walked out of the workshop in an hour, as my eye was watering continuously. I fixed an appointment with an opthamologist. With sometime left for appointment, I decided to go home. On reaching home, I realized that I forgot the key. Left with no other choice than going back to office. I was waiting to cross the road before my house (on my bike), when someone speeding on a bike rammed into me. He inflicted a single wound on me (leg), which had to be stitched.
Now, what do you call this, if not Karma.
I started the day at a Workshop at office. I walked out of the workshop in an hour, as my eye was watering continuously. I fixed an appointment with an opthamologist. With sometime left for appointment, I decided to go home. On reaching home, I realized that I forgot the key. Left with no other choice than going back to office. I was waiting to cross the road before my house (on my bike), when someone speeding on a bike rammed into me. He inflicted a single wound on me (leg), which had to be stitched.
Now, what do you call this, if not Karma.
కర్మణ్యె వాది కారస్యThe above block is an excerpt from Bhagavad Gita, which means "Your only duty is to work without worrying about the fruit of your work"
మా ఫలెషు కధాచన
మా కర్మ ఫల హెతుర్ భూర్మ
మతె సంగొస్త్వకర్మిని
Friday, December 09, 2005
My First blog in Telugu
I have tried to create a keymap in Windows for Telugu, which is my mother-tongue. Telugu has a complex grammar and I had some fun using Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator to create a Telugu keymap. I finally managed to create one, which was not working correct all the time. I then found this cool software, which does an automatic trans-literation while I am typing in English. I got that installed, and here is my first blog in Telugu. The software can be downloaded from Aksharamala. It comes with keymaps for several Indian languages.
నా బ్లాగ్ కి ఆహ్వనం. (It means "Welcome to my Blog")
నా బ్లాగ్ కి ఆహ్వనం. (It means "Welcome to my Blog")
Friday, December 02, 2005
New trends in language
There are new trends set in english usage with the increased popularity of SMS (related to messaging, not the person who sits next to me at office), and chat. I donot follow half the stuff in these messages.
I have been witness to this conversation recently
I have been witness to this conversation recently
Person 1: Hey, Catch you at the movie
Person 2: I won't be able to come
Person 1: Gosh! That is bad
Person 2: What is Gosh
Person 1: Gosh is just something people use to express their feeling. It is something like shit
Monday, November 28, 2005
A change and an answer
Readers of my blog would notice that I have changed the address of my blog. It is easier to associate me with theproudvinnakota than scorpion-sting. I originally intended to discuss about music of my favourite band, The Scorpions, on this blog and hence the previous address. I have written about everything expect music on this blog, and so decided it is time to change the address.
People who know me, will understand the reason behind the current address. My surname is Vinnakota, which originates from a small village in Andhra Pradesh (India) our ancestors came from. I am proud and fiercely touchy about the surname.
Now, answer to my quiztime question. From the comments, I am not able to make out if anyone has guessed the personality. The answer to the puzzle is Raj Vinnakota. Yes, it is me who has done all those silly things in my childhood. I was short tempered for most part of my life. I have displayed some control over the last 4 years. Ofcourse, there is a still a lot to improve.
People who know me, will understand the reason behind the current address. My surname is Vinnakota, which originates from a small village in Andhra Pradesh (India) our ancestors came from. I am proud and fiercely touchy about the surname.
Now, answer to my quiztime question. From the comments, I am not able to make out if anyone has guessed the personality. The answer to the puzzle is Raj Vinnakota. Yes, it is me who has done all those silly things in my childhood. I was short tempered for most part of my life. I have displayed some control over the last 4 years. Ofcourse, there is a still a lot to improve.
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Quiz Time: Find the Personality
Find this famous personality based on the clues, which I found. The clues are related to his childhood. Yeah, the personality is a Male. Most of us know this person.
Clue 1:
Everyday in the morning, he used to wait at the end of the road. When the girl, who lived next door, passed that way for her school, he used to block her way and tease her. The girl complained to her parents. They informed to his parents. They threatened him, beat him. They tried every means of stopping this behavior. Nothing helped. Finally, the neighbours moved to another place. He was 6 years old when this happened. The girl was 5 1/2 years old at that time.
Clue 2:
He was playing with a group of friends (guys and girls). Suddenly he got angry at one girl and hit her with a brick. She had to be rushed to a hospital. She ended up with several stitches on her scalp. He was 7 years old when this happened.
Clue 3:
Once again, he got angry with a girl (Hmm!! seems to have a fetish of girls). He stalked her and filled her nose with a red chilli. The girl was crying for several hours that day. He was 7 years old when this happened.
Last Clue:
Who is this (in)famous personality
Clue 1:
Everyday in the morning, he used to wait at the end of the road. When the girl, who lived next door, passed that way for her school, he used to block her way and tease her. The girl complained to her parents. They informed to his parents. They threatened him, beat him. They tried every means of stopping this behavior. Nothing helped. Finally, the neighbours moved to another place. He was 6 years old when this happened. The girl was 5 1/2 years old at that time.
Clue 2:
He was playing with a group of friends (guys and girls). Suddenly he got angry at one girl and hit her with a brick. She had to be rushed to a hospital. She ended up with several stitches on her scalp. He was 7 years old when this happened.
Clue 3:
Once again, he got angry with a girl (Hmm!! seems to have a fetish of girls). He stalked her and filled her nose with a red chilli. The girl was crying for several hours that day. He was 7 years old when this happened.
Last Clue:
Who is this (in)famous personalityWednesday, November 23, 2005
Let's paint the world pink
Combining the purity of white and the passion of red gives us pink, the color of gentle love and desire. Pink is also the color of many newborn animals. Pink signifies gentleness, and new birth. Pink has also been found to have a tranquilizer and calming effect within minutes of exposure. It seems to suppress hostile, aggressive, and anxious behavior. Promote peace and harmony in today's hostile and violent world by wearing pink.
Today - Deepti wore a pink salwar-kameez, Jude wore a pink shirt, Rita wore a pink shirt, We had Triage in conference room 'Pinky', I wore a pink T-Shirt.
I am contemplating on wearing pink shirt, trousers and undergarments one day. Also, waiting for someone to constitute a Pink Day, when we can paint the whole world Pink!!!!!!
Today - Deepti wore a pink salwar-kameez, Jude wore a pink shirt, Rita wore a pink shirt, We had Triage in conference room 'Pinky', I wore a pink T-Shirt.
I am contemplating on wearing pink shirt, trousers and undergarments one day. Also, waiting for someone to constitute a Pink Day, when we can paint the whole world Pink!!!!!!
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