...·: potpourri de pensée :·...

Chanakya's science of common sense

2007-10-12T17:56:00.000-07:00

"prabhuvulu manninchaali... raakshasamaatyulu bayata vechi vunnaru!" .
(Excuse me Master, 'His demoniac grace' is waiting outside!)

That was my sole dialogue as a knight in "chanakya sapatham" skit from the recent Silicon-Andhra cultural festival (ACF 2007). I was requested to do this simple role just an hour before the actual performance! Rehearsal & costume wearing happened in an hour!

The unexpected role later made me read about Chanakya. I never liked history in my school. But history looks interesting now and I get hooked to Wikipedia often.

Chanakya is a legend, highly popular during his times- around 300 BC. He was born with a complete set of teeth, a sign that he would become king, which is inappropriate for a Brahmin like Chanakya. So his teeth were broken and later he became the Prime Minister to emperor Chandragupta!

The life history of Chanakya is very interesting. I've been reading Chanakya's Niti Shastra and it has lot of wit & wisdom, rightly explaining an ideal way of living in this age.

Here's an english translation to Chanakya's science of Niti, or common sense.
http://www.indiadivine.org/hinduism/articles/169/1/Chanakyas-Niti-Shastra/

[There are 17 chapters, each with around 20 verses]

Married Strangers

2007-07-28T21:19:00.000-07:00

I subscribe to a e-zine from IYF, Pune (India). The latest one carried the following article, that puts a good perspective on marriage:

"How to avoid becoming married strangers?" This title, typical of transactional analysis seminars, addresses a tragic modern paradox: we have the technology to communicate with people millions of kilometers away, but lack the ability to communicate with people around us. why?

One of the often-overlooked factors that erode relationships is unrealistic expectation. We habituate ourselves to watching images of perfect persons in action on the screens - images that do not talk back, images that we can summon, change and dismiss, by the mere flip of a button. These images go deep into our hearts and form our subconscious expectation of others. But whether we like it or not, the real people around us are imperfect, as are we ourselves. When they fail to live up to our expectations, we become irritable and hot-headed. Moreover, when they disappoint us repeatedly, the resulting frustration causes us to constantly dwell on their faults and ultimately makes us cold-hearted towards them. Hot heads, cold hearts - isn't this the cause of most of our conflicts?

We can't solve these problems by changing situations, jobs, homes or even spouses. We need to change our own expectations, Spiritual vision, as obtained from the Vedic and other wisdom-traditions, provides us the desired paradigm shift. We are spiritual beings, beloved parts of the supreme whole. As parts, we are cooperators, not controllers. Unaware of our allotted role, we expect people to act as per our own plans. When we succeed occasionally, we become euphoric; when we fail repeatedly, we become devastated. But while struggling to make our plans work, we miss out on the lasting fulfilment that comes by playing our part in the Divine Plan. When we notice and appreciate others' struggles to overcome their conditionings, our hearts warm towards them - and theirs towards us. Then we help each other courageously tolerate and wisely learn from our respective imperfections. The resulting combination of cool heads and warm hearts ushers in material harmony, emotional growth and spiritual redemption.

2007-07-04T09:41:00.000-07:00

Khichadi recipe:

Here's the recipe to a wholesome khichadi that I talked about in a previous post.

Ingredients (A):
Rice 1 cup
Toor Dhal 1/2 cup
Cauliflower
Potato
Carror
Beans
Mint
Ginger
tomato
Green Chillies 2-3
Curry leaves
Cashews/Almonds/Pistachios (nuts & bolts!)
Garbanzo beans 1cup
Green peas 1cup
salt
Seasoning (B):
olive oil
1/4 tbsp cumin (jeera)
1/4 tbsp poppy seeds (khas-khas)
1/4 tbsp black mustard (avalu)
1/4 tbsp fenugreek (mentulu)
1/4 tbsp urid dal
pinch of asafetida (instead of garlic) and
a pinch of cardamon powder

Method:
First wash Rice & Dal and fill the mixture in a bowl with water and put aside for 15 minutes.
Seasoning (done in the cooker itself): Heat 5-6 tbsp of olive oil in the cooker for about 2 minutes and add the mixture of items in List B into this oil. After stirring, add grated ginger, slit green chillies and curry leaves. Now add chopped Mint follwed by Cauliflower,Potato,Beans,Carrot (all chopped) and stir well after adding 2tbsp salt. Add tomato followed by Garbanzo beans, green peas and any nuts & bolts! Put the mixture of Rice & Dal into the cooker. You only need to wait for 1 cooker whistle (extra ones would make our food a tooth paste!)
Here's how it looks like after it is ready:

Heres our final wholesome khichadi (goes blissful with gongura, chilled orange juice and HBO:)

Loose control !!

2007-07-03T22:52:00.001-07:00

LOOSE CoNTROL! one more time..

If you watch gult movies, you'd know what 'iron leg' means. And this Jinx's leg has always made our batch special!

Unprecedented things have always been happening to our batch (1995- Class X & you can make other calculations). Our batch has always been a trend-setter. Syllabus used to always change starting our batch; JEE leaked in 1997 (the previous year, it was the turn of EAMCET!). The next four years- Nature's never been so non co-operative in our state! Next, 2001's events and the western world has never been so cagey in its dealings with others. Some other miscl events till now.

Looks like the leg power of Mr Jinx has done it again! I am talking about the roller coaster ride given to our batch (and previous batches) by USCIS for EB based I-485 applications.

Don't know what's in store next!

The coming collapse of the US$

2007-07-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/jun/11dollar.htm

Going by the above article, the collapse of US $ seems imminent. Since the US dollar is going to become like a promissory note of a defunct finance company, what is going to happen to the meager 401(k) savings of tons of NRIs here?

It may not be a bad idea to stop contributing to 401(k); glean whatever is left (ya! pre-sexagenarians like us obviously need to pay fine+tax) and invest it in some alternatives or make merry!
Can some financial folks comment?

Places that graced my presence :)

2007-06-27T23:02:00.000-07:00

How many places on earth did I visit/explore or just see so far?
I know, spiritualists will say real exploration is within!

But this is just a record of my journey in the world- places that graced my divine presence :)

I used google map api, so you may directly jump to the map here!

INDIA -> AP (Port of Entry to this world!)
-----------
Hyderabad & Secunderabad
Ongole, Vijayawada, Tenali (meedi tenali, maadi tenali :)
Guntur (+ godavaru village)
Tirupathi & nearby temple towns-
Srikalahasti (+ Sri Sukabrahmaashramam),
Kanipakam (self-manifested diety of Lord Ganesha),
Aragonda (Legend has it that half of the sanjeevani mountain fell here)
Bhadrachalam (+ parnasala, godavari river)
Tanuku Kadapa!
Puttaparthy, Kurnool
Hindupur (Lepakshi village)
Alampur (Jogulamba temple)

INDIA ->Tamilnadu
-----------------
Chennai; Mahabalipuram

INDIA-> Kerala
--------------
Palghat (Obtw, Vidya Balan is from this place :p)
Nilgiri Hills (Did Trekking!)

INDIA ->Karnataka
-----------------
Bangalore; Mysore; Belur; Halebidu
Sravanabelagola

INDIA->Maharashtra
------------------
Bombay; Shirdi
Ajanta & Ellora
Aurangabad (saw Panchakki aka water wheel!)
(went up the Daulatabad fort!)
Nashik (+ Trimbakeshwar)

INDIA->Orissa
-------------
Puri (went as a toddler, I remr nothing!)

INDIA->Bihar
------------
Patna (never be unsuspecting!)
Gaya (visited vishnupad Temple)
BodhGaya (I sat under Buddha's Tree!)

INDIA-> New Delhi

INDIA->MP->
Chitrakoot (circumambulated the hill!)
Gwalior (went up the Gwalior fort!)

INDIA->UP
---------
Allahabad (+ The Sangam)
Varanasi
Sarnath

USA
---
GA->Atlanta
LA->New Orleans, Baton Rouge
FL->Pensacola,Orlando,Tampa
MS->Carriere
CA->SF Bay Area, Lake Tahoe, Mt. Sastha, Sacramento
CA->Los Angeles & San Diego
VA->Herndon
Washington, DC
AZ->Grand Canyon
Hoover Dam
NV->Las Vegas!
MA->Boston
TX->Houston, Dallas

GERMANY -> Frankfurt
UAE->Dubai
SOUTHKOREA->Seoul
SINGAPORE->Singapore
UK->London
CANADA-> Calgary & Vancouver

Future travel!
--------------
EARTH -> The *new* seven wonders! (Any gals? position still open to tag along ;)
Moon
Mars (How about Venus? Noo way! ;)
Saturn's moon !

And finally here's my path Map!
(You might want to zoom into your places to see if our czar has graced them!)

czar's visit...

Sivaji- The BOSS

2007-06-17T09:39:00.000-07:00

I am not a big fan of Rajni (Newton will get heart burns watching Rajni's movie!) but I had to watch the special premiere of 'Sivaji' in San Jose, couple of days back. Overall, the movie doesn't look like a >$15 million (Rs 60 crore) budgeted production. (Except for few songs where-in the art director put lavish settings). The review here is apt. Only thing I liked in the movie was pppretty Shriya :p

The movie is all about black money in AP (TN, in tamil version of the movie) and how our Rajni grabs this and routes to New york through money-laundering; gets them back as white-donations and uses it to build Hospitals/colleges etc.

Of course, crazy Rajni fans in TN go berserk waiting to watch him do coin tricks and other stupid antics. Tamilnadu is a mystery!

Bodies exhibition- Las Vegas!

2007-06-05T08:44:00.000-07:00

Why do people get deficient in their intelligence at Las Vegas? The only people who gain from gambling are the dealers. Only .0001% get Jackpots and I still suspect these are insiders. Slot machines/blackjacks/roulettes etc., all look attractive making people aquire disease, I call 'Acquired Intelligence Deficiency Syndrome'!
The only message I'd like give to those lakhs of people- 'Ever fed never satisfied, never fed ever satisfied!'.

Next time you visit Las Vegas, don't miss this amazing place near Tropicana Resort & Casino- "BODIES...The Exhibition" (http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com/)

It was truly 'Enlightening, empowering, fascinating & inspiring' as proclaimed by them.

The exhibition illustrates human anatomy in depth, making people wonder about the intricate 'human body'. The central nervous system, immune system, respiratory, digestive, reproductive system, together with various internal organs- all taken out from a real human body. They also show various healthy organs beside their diseased counterparts (all taken out from a real human- of course, from a dead-entity!). I only wish those who are addicted to smoking/drinking/illicit sex etc., take a look at how their internal organs might look like and the terrible suffering it brings later. Its better to remember these exhibits before ordering the 'sizzlers' (& other junk) in the restaurants!

I will bring this exhibition to Hyderabad, if I become a millionnaire!

life comes at you fast..

2007-05-27T13:59:00.000-07:00

It's been close to 6yrs since I started living away from people amidst whom I grew up. As always, I try to visit some of them whenever I have a vacation @ home. Senility in them hasn't been so apparent, until my recent visit.

My mind has forked a new thinking process to reflect on them (and make sure brain's cpu goes idle, rarely !)

Depending on the way an old living entity appears or projects itself, we could vaguely imagine the way it has lived its past. Senility is inevitable (grey hair; sagging skin; decreased energy levels in the cognitive senses; some medical condition etc., are all the obvious symptoms), but what makes some (category A) still exude charm and have reasonably good health? And what makes some (category B) get decrepit or ungraceful in their old age?

What differentiates graceful deterioration from a non-graceful one? It is mostly shaped by the way the entity had lived its life between 20's-40's; the choices/compromises it has made & the environment.

In about 3 decades from now, I will also be like one of those. Might soon have to start the post-single part of 1st innings in my life (I still feel it is optional!). How I take on this will, to a large extent determine the way my 2nd innings is shaped. (financial/retirement planning etc., is only one side of the coin)

This is just based on my limited observation of elderly people whom I know, including some relatives close to my tribe & other family friends. So, this need not be applied to others.

Here is what my thinking has churned out- Those who belong to category A- all have common reason(s), while in category B, each entity has its own reasons for its plight (yes.. you might've heard a similar dialogue in Saif's movie- 'Being Cyrus').

I am making a simple classification here. Here are some qualities of people in category 'A'-

1. These are the ones who mostly remained unperturbed by the vicissitudes of time. (A strong center)
2. Made perfect balance between their work; family & friends.
3. Their mental states are mostly discrete (meaning old events- successes/failures etc don't have any influence on their current mental state).
4. Had no addictions; Developed some higher taste.
5. Are aware of medical & scientific advancements (need not be tech-savvy) & like learning.
6. Have balanced understanding of religion & philosophy. Carried no undue sentiments.
7. Nava rasas are balanced (add life to years). They are fun-loving.
8. Give importance to physical activity (some morning walk/yoga etc) and healthy diet.

Qualities of people in category B-

1. They got influenced by time/events/media/people etc., in the past. (and now have a shaky center)
2. They couldn't balance their vocations with other necessary things (and now carry some dissatisfaction in their hearts).
3. Their mental states are cumulative. (Slaves to old events- good/bad; bask in old glory or brood over ugly past)
4. Had some type of addiction; some still trying to get over..
5. Not aware of things around them and are neither interested in learning.
6. Are either-
too sentimental: religion without philosophy
or too speculative: philosophy without religion
7. nava rasas are imbalanced in them. (add years to their festering life).
8. lived as couch potatoes and didn't care about healthy food.

Its hard to generalize this. There might be many exceptions. Some folks may have qualities from either categories or always hop from one to other. And no matter how disciplined life a living entity has in its youth, it may have an ungraceful health condition in the end, may be to account for karmic purgation. Few exceptional souls (who obviously contributed to human evolution) in the history had serious health conditions but had some mysterious power of endurance.

It is said in the scriptures that the state of mind of a living entity at the time of death determines its next life. The ideal state doesn't come so easily (not by cramming at the last-minute). Life should also include preparing for that state. Scriptural reading (for gaining transcendental knowledge) is not a retirement plan, but a way of dynamic living.

Life comes at us fast (the duration may seem longer, but it is just a fraction in the blink of the cosmic eye) and we will soon stand in the shoes of elders.

Intelligent people learn by seeing others' mistakes; Normal people learn by making mistakes; foolish people never learn even from their own mistakes.

What about me? I am rarely intelligent; generally normal and occasionally foolish!

Bhukthi in the Bay Area

2007-05-20T10:42:00.000-07:00

Boy O boy! I am tired of the restaurants here. With no good restaurants (for pure veggies) around, life in Bay is now "Life at Bay!".

Sometime back there was one good restaurant "Woodlands"- near Mary Ave & El. Camino intersection, in Sunnyvale. The food has always been on-top-of-the-world for me and my veggie friends.
The guy who served us liked us soo much. Sadly, the restaurant got closed :( Most believe it has more to do with that jinxed place that made "Woodlands" get closed! No restaurant that got opened at this place has survived for more than a year! The new exploring management may have to do some serious vaasthu puja before beginning!

Other desi restaurants- they make good food once in a while, but those good-food-days are always mutually exclusive with the days-we-visit!

Non-desi restaurants- somewhat good. More than us, they get tired of hearing our restrictions in the order-"no meat! no this.. no that!"..

I will lobby for any yogis-from-himalayas (who sustain themselves just by sun gazing!) to open a yoga center here and teach the art of sun gazing to nourish people deprived of good food!

Most people aren't aware about this- Sunday evenings can be utilized for both Bhukthi & Mukthi! Visit any local ISKCON center in the world and they have free sumptuous feast every Sunday :)

I sometimes visit the one in San Jose. Devotees (mostly Bengali) prepare amazing food in the mood of devotion. It's not a bad idea to marry some devotee Bengali girl :P But you've got be an extreme pious soul to deserve this prasaadam privilege!

Some interesting statistic about the Sunday program at Krishna temple:
5:30pm -Lecture (attendance: 20%)
6:30pm -Arati (attendance: 40%)
7:00pm -Bhajan (attendance: 60%)
7:30PM -Feast! (attendance: 100% !!)
I may be a bit exaggerating, but statistics reveal Bhukthi is more important than Mukthi in Kali Yuga! Actually, I'd say prasaadam (sanctified food) is enough- it nourishes both body and soul :p

Sadly, this feast program is only on Sundays :(

In recent times, I've mastered the art of cooking pulav & khichadi. Will post the recipe & directions some time :)
Peeps, check out this book in the meantime. Its worth owning a copy!

;-)

2007-05-13T20:39:00.000-07:00

My nephew looks almost like how I looked at his age..

Sharing similar features and inheriting the mantle of allari from his legendary uncle ;), he is now called Jr. Prasad :)

The Legend

Gen Next :P

Wonders from Len's lens

2007-04-26T00:45:00.000-07:00

Ancient scriptures declare that the life of a human being wouldn't be complete without experiencing the nava rasas. One of them being 'Adbhuta rasa'- Wonder/Marvel.

This post is to let viewers know about one incredible website maintained by my colleague- Len Gao, an amateur photographer.
Armed with two digital SLR cameras and powered by ample 'wonder' rasa, he has set out a journey to illustrate the rich culture of the world! Go see http://www.peace-on-earth.org/ and let your eyes enjoy the feast. You will the see the cultures & amazing pictures from over 20 countries. Latest addition being spain. He also contributes some of his photographs to wikipedia. Making the best use of your PTOs requires meticulous planning and Len shared some these details with me :)

I am simply amazed at the content and the quality of pictures. This has now given me more inspiration and to begin with, I will make plans to visit all the seven wonders in the next few years. (Being an Indian, I never visited Taj Mahal, even though I've been to the north many times :( what a shame!)

Any gals? you can come.. tag along with me.. I'm single and TDH ;)

Our World....Big picture !

2007-04-15T08:27:00.001-07:00

Earth looks so good!

Venus looks li'l complex compared to Mars ;P

(I hope you know what I'm arriving at!)

Wow! .

I can play marbles with our planets!.

Marbles gone!.

Amazing!.

Now, the earth is gone into oblivion at this magnitude, leave alone 'The Earthlings'! But the 'vanity' in these earthlings is even bigger than Antares :P

PS: The source for this material is unknown. It was submitted without attribution.

Warming the GW

2007-04-08T23:33:00.000-07:00

Monday morning.. I send an email to my team- 'WFH today'. Some would consider me effeminate and many would appreciate me as I am cutting down on 'Global Warming'. But actually, I am too lazy to drive my car to the office and want to extend my weekend :)

After watching this documentary film titled 'The great Global Warming Swindle'- (in google videos), I learnt that Global Warming is not totally anthropogenic (caused by humans). The equation is much complex and the single largest entity to blame is Mr. Sun, yes.. our Surya Bhagavaan ;)

It'd definitely be polemical to say that human activity is not contributing to rise in temperatures 'n' sea-levels, especially when the news in the air is all about global warming and related stuff (include films, esp 'The Inconvenient Truth' by Mr. Al Gore). But the fact is, part of the media always adulterates the content (for its survival) to make it exciting and people can't help but get conditioned by this. The phenomenon had caught so much in the last decade or so that lot of careers are getting built over it. It seems average budget on Global Warming is exceeding $4 billion a year.. gasp! Good for students majoring in climatalogy/geography. No problem for funding! and you can even take up career in climate journalism if you're getting bored coding or testing!

One section of the people (current bandwagon, include- media/politison!/scientist) believe that CO2 (from the industrial/automobile exhausts) is causing the rise in temperatures. They rely their assumption on the statistics- Relation between CO2-level and average-temperature taken over the past hundreds of years. The other section affectionately called as heretics by the former challenge these statistics. (Reminds me of one Sidhuism- Navjot Singh Sidhu commenting about 'Statistics' ;)). They say that there is no direct correlation between CO2 & temperature if you closely observe the statistics. The rise in temperature is more when there are more sun-spots (on the surface of the Sun), whose magnetic fields & dust interact with the cosmic rays (coming from outer space) and this is making the clouds disappear thereby heating the oceans more which in turn is generating more CO2.. huh! (small breathless song!). So, Sun is to be blamed for this debacle.

Now, the African dream (that of development) and that of all the developing countries won't be realized if everyone jumps on the bandwagon. (watch the documentary and you'd know). They need the latter section to let them rely on conventional fuel for development (actually, for survival).

As the two sections fight with each other, I will do my Surya Namaskar every day (BJP should be proud!) to keep myself physically fit!- till the day I exit or the world collapses (whether it be due to real global warming or the fight over it) , which ever is earlier :)

Cricket Journey

2007-03-25T21:59:00.000-07:00

Now that India is officially out of World Cup, here's how it had its journey to Defeat:
(fwdd email)

# A TO Z OF INDIAS JOURNEY TO DEFEAT !!

A - ll players but never a team

B - owlers & Batters had some kind of fear

C - happel a cricket teams nightmarish coach

D - efensive mindset

E - verybody has their own agenda

F - ailure accepted with no penalty

G - ood players were neutralized and confused

H - igh Promise low performance

I - nnovativeness totally lacking

J - obs totally secured as players

K - een focus in ads not play

L - ack of motivation, thanks to the coach

M - eaningless stroke selection

N - eedless political manouvering in last 4 yrs

O - verall decline in cricketing standards

P - layers lack trust among themselves

Q - uest to win lacking

R - elaxed attitude, Ruthless results

S - our relationships, Silly mistakes

T - eam spirit evapourated

U - nder estimating opposition

V - ery political atmosphere in & out of field (What’s Sharad Pawar doing there?)

W - icked Coach,Worried Captain, Worthless Team

X - tra effort missing for such a mega event

Y - ears of coaching in wrong direction

Z - eroes by heroes

monies

2007-03-25T01:54:00.001-07:00

What a lazy bum am I? I kept postponing filing my tax-returns until now. Done with it for this year. Huh!..

Peeps, I'll now be richer by hard-to-count figure and would like to share this fortune!

Allow me to introduce as Mr. Soludo from Tobago Islands. I'd like to share my hidden wealth from Central Bank of Nigeria and all I need is your address, bank account # and routing #. The transaction will be smooth and..

Helloo!!? You'd say.. I still see such junk emails in my inbox from time to time.

Anyways.. I saw some interesting statistics while using Turbotax..
In my AGI (adjusted gross income) range, people on average contribute about $2.8k in charity annually (mine is so puny compared to this) and somehow put close to $19k in deductions. I wonder how much it'd be for singles. All that my greediness could muster was about $5.5k for deductions.. duh!

And my tax liability is almost double the national average. See how IRS lacks consideration for singles? So, get married and have kids and you'll have less liability- including your vehicle insurance cost :)
Oh really? Thanks for the sermon.. but I'm better off- being single, for now :)

Do you know, California state on average gets $2 billion annually in the form of fines collected from traffic offenses? I had my share of contribution last year :). I got a ticket for not turning on the head lights in the evening. And it wasn't too dark either.. I bet this'd be the silliest way any one could get a ticket in their driving history.

Yes, driving is a privilege until you get a ticket!

The Human mind

2007-03-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

The mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong! -BG

For some, philosophy becomes interesting when it is analytical and uses analogies. So here is how the 'mind' fits in a chariot!

The chariot is the body. The five horses represent the five senses (tongue, eyes, ears, nose and skin). The reins, the driving instrument, symbolize the mind, the driver is the intelligence, and the passenger is the soul.

I will add my purport to this.

Every person has a best friend or foe in the form of his own mind. First, a person needs to look at himself as someone different from the mind. Now, here you are sitting in a chariot with your intelligence as the driver. The reins are the mind and they are getting scurried hither & thither due to heavy wind. The wind can be thought as the thoughts! And you have five beautiful horses galloping as they perceive something interesting to them.

You go wherever your chariot goes! - in a multidimensional arena..

Now, do you have control on the chariot. Yes, but it depends on the driver- 'Intelligence' and his driving history.. Intelligence depends on the power of discrimination. Discriminating between what is right and what is wrong; what is needed & what is not needed. Where does this power of discrimination come from?

It builds (some times even breaks) over a time. It is shaped by something transcendental depending on our level of consciousness..

India trip

2007-03-18T01:18:00.000-07:00

India, my home country has always been a mystery for me (and continues to be so..) More mysterious than the 'mystery spot' in the Bay Area!

For most, this becomes apparent once they start living outside and then make a visit to their homeland. To completely figure out why certain things work or don't work in India is in itself like an 'NP complete' problem!

Some things/places/people always remain dear to me.
I always plan to make a visit to some temple town and a village apart from my stay @ Hyderabad..
During my recent Annual Indyatra, I had a nice trip to the temple town in Bhadrachalam that also included a boat-ride (after I got inspired by watching 'godavari' movie) across the Godavari River..

The powered boat (locals call it 'launch') has a capacity of about 60. While getting in, I enquired about the safety since not everyone in our group knows how to swim. I asked the owner whether the boat carried any life-vests. He says an emphatic "No!", I ask "what if...", to which he smiles and says- "antha ramanna daya". Boy! you are not in an abondaned boat 2miles from Keywest waiting for Hurricane wobbling from the Atlantic. The weather is awesome here and this'll be a different experience altogether.

The ride was awesome and was worth its price.. Would've been more fun if they also had other activities like parasailing, etc like in Lake Tahoe. (I guess I'm asking for more..)

I was back in Hyderabad.. safely :)

It was also nice to hear authentic Hyd'badi hindi.. You ask the boy in a cloth store "can you show me more colors?" and you'll see him bring more & say "ye sab coloraaaan dekho!".

Wow! I found that 'rapchik' one!
'ye sab nakko.. woh. dikhaavo'..

I'm also one of those "Hyderabad ke logaaan".. Once a Hyd'badi, always a Hyd'badi :)

You shouldn't miss watching this hilarious movie- 'The Angrez'.

Hyderabad is changing fast (some things are getting better), but I wish to see some improvement in driving habits of people.
When will we stop seeing people from jumping the signals?
When will 'pre-emptive' Honking change to purely 'Reactive' Honking?
When will the much-hyped local public transport system start?

I should only hope..

lift-off

2007-03-15T18:57:00.000-07:00

Ok.. The stage is set, all prep done. Solid rocket booster aux power units have started.
9,8,7,6,5..
The main engine has started..
..4,3,2,1
and Lift-offf!!.. Lift-off of the umpteenth person into blogspace.
roger, out!

Let's see its maneuvers and see how far this goes.. :)