tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113704282024-03-14T02:04:44.209+05:30Unstructured Eructations From A Glue Sniffing IndianA blogger and his untimed burpsAndyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417678383854690986noreply@blogger.comBlogger211125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11370428.post-68681223331081787762008-12-13T13:40:00.002+05:302008-12-13T13:47:33.579+05:30Headline of the dayFrom today's edition of Madras's much loved much hated so-called Chinese emissary - The Hindu - "Turtles deported"<br /><br />The preceeding article -<br /><em>CHENNAI: Customs officials at the Chennai airport on Thursday night found 1,000 red-eared baby turtles in baggage that arrived on a Malaysian airlines flight. As there were no claimants for the baggage, the authorities deported it to Malaysia.</em><br /><em></em><br />You can access the original article <a href="http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/13/stories/2008121359390500.htm">here</a>. Somebody needs to learn grammar, sentence construction and how not to write what-the-fuck headlines and articles ASAP.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417678383854690986noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11370428.post-42288374087997703112008-08-07T22:44:00.000+05:302008-08-07T22:48:14.824+05:30Heath Ledger vs 2Pac vs Notorious B.I.G - a parallel?The Dark Knight has been smashing box office records ever since it was released late last month. Cinema goers and critics worldwide are raving about Heath Ledger's performance as the sadistic Joker, although his on screen sadism has not been reflected on screen like in SAW, the character's dark side is very evident throughout the movie. Chilling, dark, think of any adjective to describe his performance, you will find yourself a few words short at the end of it all. The subject of this post however is not about HL's performance. It's about his movie minting millions after his death. Consider the case of gangsta rap icons Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. Both of them sold tons of records when they were alive. Their murders however changed the equation. Their music is still popular and is making more money than when they were alive. Heath Ledger's case seems to be identical. Is it just me or do I see a parallel here? A conspiracy theory? 2Pac and Notorious were bumped off and their posthumous records have sold millions of copies. Was HL murdered? Or did he overdose on prescription pills?Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417678383854690986noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11370428.post-59343428067686745242008-01-12T22:35:00.001+05:302008-01-12T22:45:44.265+05:30To the nincompoops in the Indian media and my brethren<ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 102);">Harbhajan Singh's ban is not a national calamity. Please don't send the army to Australia.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 102);">There is no need to go ballistic over what I can say is a very silly incident and colour it with racism</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 102);">There is no need to burn effigies of the people involved and cry for their heads to be placed on a platter</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 102);">There is no need for schmucks pretending to be politicians debating about this on national t.v while their respective states burn</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 102);">There is no need to telecast the incident as breaking news for over 4 days. The story is stale. Get over it</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 102);">There is no need to give too much importance to cricket. It is a silly game</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 102);">There is no need for a debate on this issue on channels such as CNN-IBN, NDTV, TIME NOW and every other two bit channel masquerading as a news channel</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 102);">There is a no need to forget the sexual harassment cases that happened earlier this year. Bombay and Cochin anyone?</span><o:p></o:p></li></ul>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417678383854690986noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11370428.post-79859864475024744332007-11-03T08:14:00.000+05:302008-11-19T16:48:04.844+05:30Separated at birth?<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Yxl7kLXHZhs/Ryvi77TIRWI/AAAAAAAAADw/CF00Uf37lok/s1600-h/jeff-goldblum-2004-vanity-fair-oscar-party-0463IU.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128442119849526626" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Yxl7kLXHZhs/Ryvi77TIRWI/AAAAAAAAADw/CF00Uf37lok/s400/jeff-goldblum-2004-vanity-fair-oscar-party-0463IU.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Yxl7kLXHZhs/Ryvi77TIRXI/AAAAAAAAAD4/Rk9VK6QLLpg/s1600-h/p1160224-1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128442119849526642" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Yxl7kLXHZhs/Ryvi77TIRXI/AAAAAAAAAD4/Rk9VK6QLLpg/s400/p1160224-1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Yxl7kLXHZhs/RyvicrTIRVI/AAAAAAAAADo/aifMbVuxDR4/s1600-h/jeff-goldblum-2004-vanity-fair-oscar-party-0463IU.jpg"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Yxl7kLXHZhs/Ryvg1bTIRSI/AAAAAAAAADQ/PtuAHBDeWoI/s1600-h/p1160224-1.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Jeff Goldblum and Amit Varma<br /><br />Amit photo courtesy <a href="http://www.ultrabrown.com/posts/bastiat-prize">Ultrabrown</a><br /></div><div><div>Jeff picture courtesy <a href="http://images.google.co.in/imgres?imgurl=http://www.exposay.com/celebrity-photos/jeff-goldblum-2004-vanity-fair-oscar-party-0463IU.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.exposay.com/jeff-goldblum-2004-vanity-fair-oscar-party/p/3387/1/%3Ff%3DJeff%2BGoldblum&h=620&w=421&sz=31&hl=en&start=6&um=1&tbnid=toml1-CCeMeKGM:&tbnh=136&tbnw=92&prev=/images%3Fq%3Djeff%2Bgoldblum%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN">E</a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Yxl7kLXHZhs/RyvhC7TIRTI/AAAAAAAAADY/gyoTMlrzA-o/s1600-h/jeff-goldblum-2004-vanity-fair-oscar-party-0463IU.jpg"></a><a href="http://images.google.co.in/imgres?imgurl=http://www.exposay.com/celebrity-photos/jeff-goldblum-2004-vanity-fair-oscar-party-0463IU.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.exposay.com/jeff-goldblum-2004-vanity-fair-oscar-party/p/3387/1/%3Ff%3DJeff%2BGoldblum&h=620&w=421&sz=31&hl=en&start=6&um=1&tbnid=toml1-CCeMeKGM:&tbnh=136&tbnw=92&prev=/images%3Fq%3Djeff%2Bgoldblum%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN">xposay</a></div></div>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417678383854690986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11370428.post-27428478005755493552007-11-03T08:05:00.000+05:302007-11-03T08:08:39.939+05:30Old news<a href="http://indiauncut.com/">Amit Varma</a>, one of my favourite bloggers <a href="http://indiauncut.com/iublog/article/look-whos-won-the-bastiat-prize/">snagged the Bastiat Prize for Journalism </a>in New York last week.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417678383854690986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11370428.post-8518729532374095612007-11-03T07:57:00.000+05:302008-11-19T16:48:05.131+05:30Classic pizza moments in the movies<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Yxl7kLXHZhs/Ryvc3bTIRRI/AAAAAAAAADI/as6lZEVcecY/s1600-h/pizza-page.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128435445470348562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Yxl7kLXHZhs/Ryvc3bTIRRI/AAAAAAAAADI/as6lZEVcecY/s400/pizza-page.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>How many of you folks like pizzas? I am sure most of you do. Imagine biting a slice of delicious pizza, all that topping on a thick/thin crust, yummy. That’s ignoring the number of calories and the percentage of trans fat of course, lol. Still, good pizza always melts in the mouth. In my opinion, Dominoes serves good pizza followed by Pizza Hut.</div><div><br />The folks over at the foodie site Chow have a post about classic pizza scenes from movies such as Dog Day Afternoon, Goodfellas, Wayne’s World and others. </div><div><br />Sample this</div><br /><div><em>…2. Pizza as an Alibi. The Gold of Naples (Italy, 1954). Sophia Loren plays the frisky young wife of a pizza vendor who loses her wedding ring during a tryst, then lies to her husband, saying it slipped off while kneading the dough. A frantic search ensues, and with a little sleight of hand, the ring miraculously appears in the last pie.</em></div><div><br /><em>3. Pizza as a Media Magnet. Dog Day Afternoon (USA, 1975). During a badly botched bank heist, Sonny (Al Pacino) and Sal (John Cazale) hole themselves up with hostages. The ordeal drags on, so Sonny negotiates with the FBI to have pizza delivered. As TV cameras roll, the delivery guy is paid with a wad of bills from the bank’s coffers. He waves his arms and jumps up in the air: “I’m a fucking star!”</em></div><div><br /><em>4. Pizza as Something to Go with Polyester. Saturday Night Fever (USA, 1977). “Hiya Tony. Two or three?” “Two, two, gimme two, that’s good.” The opening scene of this ’70s disco drama features a classic pizza move: Tony (John Travolta) slaps two slices together double-decker style, taking big bites through both layers as he struts down the street…</em></div><br /><div>Read the rest of the article <a href="http://www.chow.com/stories/10699">here</a>.</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.littleladyfoods.com/images/pizza-page.jpg">Picture courtesy</a> </div>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417678383854690986noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11370428.post-84814889974463280972007-11-03T07:51:00.000+05:302008-11-19T16:48:05.386+05:30What Pratibha Patil was thinking…<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Yxl7kLXHZhs/RyvcJLTIRQI/AAAAAAAAADA/oDZmYHGwSMg/s1600-h/2007102562020101.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128434650901398786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Yxl7kLXHZhs/RyvcJLTIRQI/AAAAAAAAADA/oDZmYHGwSMg/s400/2007102562020101.jpg" border="0" /></a> Hmm, that is a nice pair of shoes. I should get me a pair. I wonder where she got it from. <br /> <br /><div></div>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417678383854690986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11370428.post-50315607577716686502007-10-01T19:38:00.000+05:302008-11-19T16:48:05.547+05:30Hailstorm in MadrasThe city witnessed a never before seen hailstorm last week. In my 16 years as a native of this quirky city, that was the first time ever. My colleague managed to get a photo of the hail that looked like a button.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Yxl7kLXHZhs/RwEBRKMurEI/AAAAAAAAAC4/AulubwVoMko/s1600-h/DSC00002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Yxl7kLXHZhs/RwEBRKMurEI/AAAAAAAAAC4/AulubwVoMko/s400/DSC00002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116372045976742978" border="0" /></a>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417678383854690986noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11370428.post-81847934873255236562007-09-30T00:47:00.000+05:302007-11-03T08:05:43.381+05:30India says Chak De, Team India says show me the money<p>I have been watching my father ever since the Twenty/20 cricket World Cup started till it ended with the Indians winning the final this week. Every time he and his friends would sit down in front of the telly, analyse the teams and the prospects of winning and losing for each team, how the players would fare, weather conditions, berate the umpire if they gave decisions that were though to be 'foolhardy.' </p><p>It was quite a sight. Every evening, since the tournament started till it got over, my dad would be seated on the floor with his face glued to our 21 inch tv screen. For him cricket was the new serial. No more BS from the house of Radaan (Radhika Sarathkumar's production house, if y'all follow Tamil serials) or unbearable melodrama from Devayani (Kolangal). </p><p>One of my father's friends is a roly poly Iyer mama, a travel agent who takes care of our ticket needs, out ticketmaster, be it my fathers trip to Kerala or my Patti's yearly sojourn to visit her son in Florida. </p><p>Everytime there was a match involving India, I would make comments such as<br />"All out for no loss", "The Indians are going to lose today. They will never get to the finals." </p><p>His face would turn beet red with anger and he would say "Poda badava. Nee enkitta adi vaanga porai." </p><p>Oh FSM , the sadistic pleaure I got in subjecting him to my remarks. Mu ha ha.<br />I hate cricket, I still do. I was a fanatic. I used to be a stat freak, following the exploits of our team and the records of some of our 'stars' till the match fixing scandal after World Cup '99 left a bitter taste in my mouth, something I can't seem to get out of my head. Some folks tell me to get over it, its been 8 years, move on. Not me un uh. Public memory may be short, but I can't forget what happened. </p><p>Even when India was playing Pakistan on Monday, I was watching Philip Seymour Hoffman beat the crap out of Tom Cruise in MI-3. So the team has won. A major victory in a long time. Something that was unexpected. With the "hope of a billion people riding on their shoulders", so said some people. What humbug. So Y.Singh hit Stuart Broad for 6 sixes. So we one the final by 13 runs. </p><p>So Malik made a remark that people in India think is in bad taste -<br />"I want to thank everyone back home in Pakistan and Muslims all over the world. Thank you very much and I'm sorry that we didn't win, but we did give our 100 per cent," Malik said at the presentation ceremony, after losing to India by five runs in the final of the inaugural Twenty20 World Championships in Johannesburg." </p><p>Great, Barring Malik's comment, the Indian public can now shower praises on the team, take them through the city on an open air bus , something that is done for football champions in Europe. We can now forget our pathetic display in the West Indies and England, and ignore other sports. Brethren, bactrack to a few months back, July - August to be precise. The Indian football team won the Asian Cup in Delhi, in front of a crowd that included balding has-been Virender Sehwag. Then we won the BSNL sponsored hockey tournament held in Madras city. The mass media went over board. Some of them were pompous enough to say that this could revive interest in our national sport- hockey and the worlds most famous game - football. All of that will be swept under the carpet by the 20/20 cup win. </p><p>So what happened when we won the football and hockey honours? Were the players paraded in a motorised cavalcade? Were they promised huge sums of money, like the $2 million that good old frog face has pledged from the BCCI? Did Shah Rukh Khan travel to Chennai to cheer India in the hockey cup final? (I think he should have considering he played a washed up coach who leads the ladies team to the hockey finals in Chak De, a movie people are raving about.)<br />There is a great disparity between cricket and other disciplines. Even if corporates pump 5% of what they spend on cricket advertising on sports as varied as hockey, football, bodybuilding, athletics, people would not have to resort to dubious practices to win or live in penury for want of financial aid. </p><p>One of these days things are going to go out of control. My mother told me contrasting stories of a football player and Sreeshanth, both of whom have been playing for a while. Sreeshanth, has a Rs 75 lakh house and 2 cars whereas the football player is struggling financially. So go figure.<br />That about sums up my rant. I could keep going on and on about this. Ho hum. Might as well wait for the webcast of the <a href="http://bodybuilding.com/fun/2007olympia.htm">Mr Olympia bodybuilding championship </a>that starts tomorrow.<br />PS: The title of my post is a modification of the name of a team that participated in the 2007 Landmark quiz competition. They won the prize for the best team name, as a matter of fact. </p><p>Related reading - <a href="http://www.ibnlive.com/news/cash-rewards-rain-for-men-in-blue-from-states-pvt-bodies/49350-3.html">Financial windfall for players .</a></p><p><a href="http://indiauncut.com/iublog/article/do-we-really-love-cricket/">Do we really love cricket </a></p><p>Update - The aftermath of all those bozos announcing mega cash deals for the World Cup wining duffers in blue - the <a href="http://in.rediff.com/sports/2007/sep/26hock.htm">Asian Cup winning hockey team is to go on a hunger strike </a>to protest step motherly treatment . Isn't that a shame? The same politicians who have announced lakhs and lakhs in prize money have not even bothered to do something for Indian hockey's finest, even though the babus represent the state these players come from. This is douchebaggery at its best. </p>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417678383854690986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11370428.post-7053296643791379542007-09-22T16:01:00.000+05:302007-09-22T16:06:16.453+05:30Jason Bourne - here I comeFinally, I get to see the Bourne Ultimatum, the last of the Bourne series today at Sathyam cinema. What beats me is why the buggers took alomost 2 months to release the movie in Madras, when it has grossed over $250 million dollars at the box office since its release in August. I loved the first two movies, I am expecting the third one to be a cracker. Critic reviews have been postive, so I am keeping my fingers crossed.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417678383854690986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11370428.post-15367831847525428642007-05-18T21:49:00.000+05:302007-05-18T22:02:32.624+05:30Banning cellphones in Anna University jacks up pass percentage - so says ViswanathSomebody please tell this moron to shut up. LOL. This is waht he said at a conference in the city yesterday.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The pass percentage went up by a startling 25 per cent after Anna University banned cell phones on campus two years ago, its Vice Chancellor D. Viswanathan said on Thursday, arguing for a total ban on mobile phones on campuses. </span><p style="font-style: italic;" align="justify"> Inaugurating the 39th World Telecommunication and Information Society Day organised by the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers, Chennai Centre, he said employability of the graduates had also gone up by 30 per cent after the ban. </p><p style="font-style: italic;" align="justify"> On the whole, the ban had evoked good response as well as results from students, he added. </p><p style="font-style: italic;" align="justify"> Mr. Viswanathan said cell phones were a source of disturbance not only for students, but youth in general. </p><p style="font-style: italic;" align="justify"> Youngsters driving or walking on busy roads talking on their phones ran the risk of getting involved in serious accidents, he pointed out.</p>Why target the youth population alone? I have seen respectable oldies talk while they drive. And this moron is rumoured to carry two cellphones inside the Anna University campus. One set of rules for him and another set for the rest. Humbug.<br /><p style="font-style: italic;" align="justify"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><a href="http://www.hindu.com/2007/05/18/stories/2007051816370300.htm">Via</a><br /></p><p style="font-style: italic;" align="justify"><br /></p>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417678383854690986noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11370428.post-3101633265592173372007-04-28T12:12:00.000+05:302007-04-28T12:18:58.174+05:30The VT murders - revenge or insanity?<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">About 30 odd students and teachers were massacred at Virginia Tech university a couple of weeks back when a deranged student decided to take out his anger on the system. Using a hand gun and a semi automatic, he pumped bullets into 33 civilians before turning the gun on him self, as is the hall mark of campus killers. Remember the Columbine school incident in ‘99? Michael Moore directed a moving documentary based on this event examining US gun culture (this is a must see documentary. It won an Oscar for best dock feature in 2003 and Moore’s infamous speech attacking Bush for the Iraq war was drowned out by ceremonial music (on purpose).<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Two Indians died in last week’s incident, one an immigrant Prof <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Loganathan</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Minal</span>, an architecture student from Bombay. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Blogdom</span> is flooded with condolence posts and there are also the trashy ones that spew racial hatred.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">The media is having a field day restructuring events and arranging video cons between Indian students in VT and their parents in India(<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">NDTV</span> did that) besides covering the awful circus that is the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Aiswarya</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Abishek</span> wedding (Wedding of the year, my foot).<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">The VT murders have been classified as the bloodiest campus massacre ever, not to forget manic serial killers on the romp dismembering bodies and doing the most vile acts ever imaginable.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">So the question now is, what makes people snap? Is it bad upbringing? The idiot box? Or depressed people who have been at the receiving end of all that nonsense from society? Is that a chance to get back at something you feel will never change? By murdering people?<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><script><!-- D(["mb","PS: If any of our fellow loggers has relatives or friends studying in VT, I am with you, in mind and spirit.\u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv dir\u003d\"ltr\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" color\u003d\"#000000\" size\u003d\"2\"\>Godspeed. \u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv dir\u003d\"ltr\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" color\u003d\"#000000\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003c/font\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv dir\u003d\"ltr\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" color\u003d\"#000000\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003c/font\> \u003c/div\>\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv dir\u003d\"ltr\"\>\n\u003cdiv\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" color\u003d\"#000000\" size\u003d\"2\"\>Regards\u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" color\u003d\"#000000\" size\u003d\"2\"\>Ananthakrishnan.G\u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" color\u003d\"#ffffff\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:10pt;color:#f1ad0e;font-family:Arial\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#c0c0c0\"\>Technical Communication\u003c/font\>\u003cbr\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" color\u003d\"black\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Arial\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#000000\"\>Read my blogs @ \u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" color\u003d\"black\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Arial\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#000000\"\>\u003cstrong\>To be or not to be-\u003c/strong\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" color\u003d\"black\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:10pt;color:black;font-family:Arial\"\>\u003ca href\u003d\"https://ch1blogs.cognizant.com/blogs/146383\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>https://ch1blogs.cognizant.com\u003cWBR\>/blogs/146383\u003c/a\>\u003cbr\>\u003cstrong\>Traveller\u003c/strong\> - \u003ca href\u003d\"https://ch1blogs.cognizant.com/blogs/Traveller/\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>https://ch1blogs.cognizant.com\u003cWBR\>/blogs/Traveller/\u003c/a\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\u003c/div\>\u003c/div\>\n\u003ctable\>\u003ctr\>\u003ctd bgcolor\u003d\"#ffffff\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#000000\"\>This e-mail and any files transmitted with it are for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information.\u003cbr\>\nIf you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. \u003cbr\>\nAny unauthorized review, use, disclosure, dissemination, forwarding, printing or copying of this email or any action taken in reliance on this e-mail is strictly ",1] ); //--></script>PS: If any of our fellow loggers has relatives or friends studying in VT, I am with you, in mind and spirit.<br /><br /></span></div> <div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Godspeed. </span></div> <div dir="ltr"> </div>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417678383854690986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11370428.post-7232987690162382092007-04-15T16:11:00.000+05:302008-11-19T16:48:05.818+05:30All talk and no play<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Yxl7kLXHZhs/RiIBzvP24KI/AAAAAAAAACQ/8v37EcuP7fY/s1600-h/DSC00090.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Yxl7kLXHZhs/RiIBzvP24KI/AAAAAAAAACQ/8v37EcuP7fY/s400/DSC00090.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053603720231051426" border="0" /></a>The PMK seems to be on a roll now a days. All they do is talk and protest. I found this poster in Anna Nagar. This is about the party's opposition to big retailer's like Reliance Fresh doing business in Madras.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417678383854690986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11370428.post-5185532932944547332007-04-15T15:56:00.000+05:302008-11-19T16:48:06.028+05:30Over booking and passenger travel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Yxl7kLXHZhs/RiH_BfP24JI/AAAAAAAAACI/-gzoGOhYth4/s1600-h/DSC00091.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Yxl7kLXHZhs/RiH_BfP24JI/AAAAAAAAACI/-gzoGOhYth4/s400/DSC00091.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053600657919369362" border="0" /></a>Why can't local airlines get their act togethers? This after the over-booking scam that was exposed by news channels across the country and popular blogger Kribs <a href="http://www.kiruba.com/archives/2007_04_01_archive.html">posting his experiences with Jet Airways</a> titled "The Airlines Scam and How I Experienced it First Hand."Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417678383854690986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11370428.post-47530600424105353562007-04-15T15:52:00.000+05:302007-04-15T15:54:09.626+05:30An epiphanyI normally suck when I write fiction/non fiction (truth be told, I suck at writing long posts) and try to lace them with humor. This is an attempt since I plan to start working on longer posts. So plissé read on without yawning/fainting.<br /><br />Grunt, grunt, here I am at the gym trying at 7.00 in the morning to curl two 5 kg dumbbells in the hope all that grunting and panting and lifting will help me put on some muscle on my biceps, not as bad as a rotten grape but slightly better, like a date maybe. Today’s workout went fine. Gritting my teeth and doing a lot of repetitions to get that pump only to be told by the trainer I was doing it all wrong. Splat - that was me hitting my forehead with my palm.<br />Working out and ogling at the women who were exercising nearby, mostly more of the former but sometimes the latter especially if there’s a really good looking one , I managed to complete my workout at last, phew.<br /><br />After completing the chore of taking a bath, not a record breaking 5 seconds mind you but at a relaxed pace, I was getting ready, thinking about my project deliverable and the locker key with the humongous key chain, trying to drag my bottom out of the gym. I hit the road at last. It was an un-eventful ride through Madhya Kailash (I thought the Kailash mountain range was way up north) Kottupuram, Chamiers Road till I landed near the Gemini flyover enroute to the client’s office.<br /><br />Once particular incident shook me out of my reverie. As I approached the bottom of the bridge following a car, I decided to take a left unmindful of the fact that an auto was coming on the left. These autowallah’s, you have to stay at least 10 feet behind them because you never know if they will take a left or a right. As I moved to the left, I almost missed bumping into the auto, and instead of the usual pachai Madras bashai, the dude said<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Saar, leftla varadhuna pathu vaanga, meerrar edukku vechirkeenga?” translated it means - Boss, look to your left when you drive, use a left view mirror when you have one.<br /><br /></span>I normally like to make autos pay for what they do to the other motorists like cutting in front of them, confusing them and so on, but this one set me thinking. Me, the great, I-will-abide-by-the-rules-even-if-a-truck-runs-over-me Rules Ramanujam had an epiphany, and what a nice one that was…Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417678383854690986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11370428.post-24530967591507686792007-03-28T20:47:00.000+05:302008-11-19T16:48:06.132+05:30What you looking at?<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Yxl7kLXHZhs/RgqHH_xLgdI/AAAAAAAAAB8/YTmu-TSQj_U/s1600-h/DSC00017.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5046994903868604882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Yxl7kLXHZhs/RgqHH_xLgdI/AAAAAAAAAB8/YTmu-TSQj_U/s400/DSC00017.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417678383854690986noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11370428.post-6227118453222529612007-03-28T20:45:00.000+05:302008-11-19T16:48:06.262+05:30Toilet humour<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Yxl7kLXHZhs/RgqGz_xLgcI/AAAAAAAAAB0/KQcWAJ_mVLY/s1600-h/DSC00027.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5046994560271221186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Yxl7kLXHZhs/RgqGz_xLgcI/AAAAAAAAAB0/KQcWAJ_mVLY/s400/DSC00027.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417678383854690986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11370428.post-69397172758635785832007-03-28T20:41:00.000+05:302008-11-19T16:48:06.366+05:30Spotted...<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Yxl7kLXHZhs/RgqGavxLgbI/AAAAAAAAABs/wZOOt6WmRVc/s1600-h/DSC00061.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5046994126479524274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Yxl7kLXHZhs/RgqGavxLgbI/AAAAAAAAABs/wZOOt6WmRVc/s400/DSC00061.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417678383854690986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11370428.post-84152195530509233952007-03-26T13:33:00.000+05:302007-03-26T13:37:17.933+05:30Come India Come...Yipee, India has been kicked out of the World Cup. Now we can all get back to our petty lives without getting obsessed with a bunch of over-paid, over-rated, over-hyped loonies playing a sport that is popular only in a few nations and along with an equally loony coach. Plus we can all do post-loss analysis, something that we lazy, India-is-cricket-cricket-is-India desis are so good at.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417678383854690986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11370428.post-74286153007329723652007-03-20T19:28:00.001+05:302008-11-19T16:48:06.474+05:30Roof top film festival March 2007<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Yxl7kLXHZhs/Rf_rUT1XzbI/AAAAAAAAABg/ql4GSCYSSHE/s1600-h/rtff.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5044008841832287666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Yxl7kLXHZhs/Rf_rUT1XzbI/AAAAAAAAABg/ql4GSCYSSHE/s400/rtff.jpg" border="0" /></a>Blog buddy <a href="http://gapp.wordpres.com">Sagaro</a> and his friends are conducting a unique festival - The Roof top film festival. Yep as the name indicates, this festival will be held at a fellow bloggers house terrace and is an all nighter starting at 7.00 pm Saturday and goes till 5 am the next day. The tag line for this unique event is<br /><div><div><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">To involve the film buff in an intelligent conversation with a developing audience on the Net. To provide fringe film makers with succor and a platform to promote their art. To take movies to the rooftop, where the hierarchy is flat and the spirit high.</span></div><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-size:+0;">Yep, the spirit will definitely be high :-). There is a <a href="http://rtff.pbwiki.com/">wiki</a> for this event where you can go and register but hurry, the terrace will acoomodate about 25 people - it's a small place, so go register. This event will be held at the following location:</span></div><br /><div align="left"><em>75, Second Street, Karpagam Avenue, R.A.Puram, Chennai - 600028</em></div><div align="left"><em></em><br />Some of the movies that could be shown at the event (I am not sure if the list is final):</div><ul><li>Leon </li><br /><li>Spring, Summer, Fall Winter And Spring (Korean) </li><br /><li>Citizen Kane </li><br /><li>Nostalgia </li><br /></ul><p>You could check out this link for a <a href="http://rtff.pbwiki.com/movies">list of proposed movies</a>.</p><div>So be there...</div><div></div><div><span class="technoratitag">Technorati Tags: <a title="Technorati tag: movies," href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/movies," target="_top" rel="tag">movies,</a> <a title="Technorati tag: film" href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/film" target="_top" rel="tag">film</a> <a title="Technorati tag: festival," href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/festival," target="_top" rel="tag">festival,</a> <a title="Technorati tag: roof" href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/roof" target="_top" rel="tag">roof</a> <a title="Technorati tag: top," href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/top," target="_top" rel="tag">top,</a> <a title="Technorati tag: cinema," href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/cinema," target="_top" rel="tag">cinema,</a> <a title="Technorati tag: unique" href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/unique" target="_top" rel="tag">unique</a> </span></div></div></div>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417678383854690986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11370428.post-17019415525563154622007-03-20T18:39:00.000+05:302007-03-20T18:43:59.201+05:30Now this is hair raising...What would you do if you had an 18 inch outlandish Mohican hair cut, was piss drunk and failed a sobriety test and your hair was too big for the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=442015&in_page_id=1811">police photographer to take your mug shot</a>?<br /><br /><span class="technoratitag">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/drunk" target="_top" rel="tag" title="Technorati tag: drunk">drunk</a> <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/driving%2C" target="_top" rel="tag" title="Technorati tag: driving,">driving,</a> <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/mug" target="_top" rel="tag" title="Technorati tag: mug">mug</a> <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/shot%2C" target="_top" rel="tag" title="Technorati tag: shot,">shot,</a> <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/police%2C" target="_top" rel="tag" title="Technorati tag: police,">police,</a> <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/Mohican" target="_top" rel="tag" title="Technorati tag: Mohican">Mohican</a> <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/hair" target="_top" rel="tag" title="Technorati tag: hair">hair</a> <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/cut%2C" target="_top" rel="tag" title="Technorati tag: cut,">cut,</a> <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/lady" target="_top" rel="tag" title="Technorati tag: lady">lady</a> </span>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417678383854690986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11370428.post-69390665976615295882007-03-13T17:50:00.000+05:302007-03-13T17:52:06.939+05:30Loser IncI plan to start up a company called Loser Inc. I can make one of you the Chairman and CEO of the company as you would be the perfect candidate for such a venture. The company I plan to start up would mainly be into bio-gas products from the bowel, it would also include vandalism as an art, scratching in the wrong places in public and sleeping your weekend with no particular ambitions in life. Since everyone is too embroiled in the rat race and seem to be mssing the real cause of being in this world, Loser Inc. would be a shining example of mediocrity at its best. Let's not be like the rest, take the road which has not been taken. Think of this, if everyone is a winner in this world it is going to be so boring. Losers Inc. would emphasise on the fact, that “being a loser after all is not such a bad thing”, it is just another way of life.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417678383854690986noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11370428.post-51680205654440587762007-03-13T17:19:00.000+05:302007-03-13T17:28:22.234+05:30Roger Federer gets his ass whupped finally...<a href="http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/sports.aspx?ID=BD4A410493">... after a very long time at the top</a>. But Fed Ex will be backAndyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417678383854690986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11370428.post-90178933038985187672007-03-12T18:04:00.000+05:302007-03-14T18:15:02.390+05:30300 the movie - first week in the box office<a href="http://movies.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1275823.php">300 tops over $70 million dollars during the weekend</a>. That's huge considering the fact this is an R rated movie. The opening is almost similar to what another R rated blockbuster, The Matrix made in back in 1999. Can't wait to watch the movie.<br /><br /><span class="technoratitag">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/frank" target="_top" rel="tag" title="Technorati tag: frank">frank</a> <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/miller%2C" target="_top" rel="tag" title="Technorati tag: miller,">miller,</a> <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/300%2C" target="_top" rel="tag" title="Technorati tag: 300,">300,</a> <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/graphic" target="_top" rel="tag" title="Technorati tag: graphic">graphic</a> <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/novel%2C" target="_top" rel="tag" title="Technorati tag: novel,">novel,</a> <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/zack" target="_top" rel="tag" title="Technorati tag: zack">zack</a> <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/snyder%2C" target="_top" rel="tag" title="Technorati tag: snyder,">snyder,</a> <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/gerard" target="_top" rel="tag" title="Technorati tag: gerard">gerard</a> <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/butler%2C" target="_top" rel="tag" title="Technorati tag: butler,">butler,</a> <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/box" target="_top" rel="tag" title="Technorati tag: box">box</a> <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/office" target="_top" rel="tag" title="Technorati tag: office">office</a> </span>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417678383854690986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11370428.post-60700868689196849472007-03-12T18:00:00.000+05:302007-03-12T18:07:32.177+05:30Letter to the owner of Hotel Henkala, TambaramDear who-ever-manages-Hotel-Henkala-Tambaram,<br /><br />Me and 8 of my friends came to your hotel for a school reunion yesterday where I met one of my former class mates after a decade. We proceeded to your roof top restaurant and ordered drinks and food. We had to put up with a stupid music channel (sun music) but that was ok. We had fun, catching up on on old times, pulling each other's legs, making enquiries about the people we knew, how far they had come up in life and so on. Turns out most of them are doing quite well. We were at your restaurant for 3 hours. The only sore point that marred this otherwise jolly ocassion was the very delayed delivery of the bill. We finshed our dinner at 10.00 pm and you gbought us the bill at 10.50 pm)<br /><br />You had us fretting and fuming. You made us wait for 50 minutes and as a result, one of my friends started to shout at your people. When we went to lodge a complaint my friend started arguing with the front desk manager, Jacob too. But Jacob blew his top and started a slang fest. All of this could have been avoided if your manager had kept his cool.<br />Now, the hopsitality industry is one of the most demanding professions in the world. You have to bend over to please people and deal with irate customers on top of that. Your manager apparently does not know how to deal with angry customers. This guy needs to attend anger management/customer service classes.<br /><br />Maybe it's me or the people of this city have really short fuses.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417678383854690986noreply@blogger.com0