Mitesh's Well Rounded Thoughts

Low Energy

2012-01-16T18:53:00.001+05:30

Its been quite strange feeling I have in the past 10 odd days. Dnt feel proactive. Think a lot.. A LOT!!. Overall very low energy.

There is nothing that has prompted this. Just generally spill over of events in ABs life. That has put me in spiral of thoughts.

Hope to refocus soon. Need to start firing now. HIGH TIME!

Unforeseen!

2011-09-29T20:16:00.001+05:30

While the capital markets currently nothing to talk about, I have been witnessing unforeseen activity at work.

There are couple of factors to this activity. One definately is lot of companies exploring ways to expand their sources of funds. Other factor is that finally months of BD activity is bearing a juicy fruit. The relationship built over months and some cases more than a year of constantly being in touch, understanding their business and the difficulties.

BD is not abt a signed mandate. Its about how well you communicate and are very true & clear in your interactions. Large talks and other methods to impress a prospect doesnt take you long. May be a short term gain.

Still i have a long way to go, but exciting times for sure.

Thinking!

2011-09-28T21:49:00.001+05:30

Blogging after a few weeks. It has been a funny day. Emotionally tiring. Happy, sad, angry, contemplative, etc.

But feel something is missing. But I cant do anything about it. Hope this too will pass.

Ridiculous Day

2011-09-16T18:54:00.001+05:30

This was easily the most Ridiculous day at work! Boss jst snaps for no apparant reason. And he has this habbit to snap like a loose cannon every now then.

I respect him a lot. But after today incident, i feel i should take a call abt my future here before i loose respect.

Oppoetunities are knowing, but had ignored them uptil now. I guess now the time has come!

Hyderabad dairies - 1

2011-09-11T05:25:00.001+05:30

Its 5am. I guess I took 1st or among the 1st trains in morning frm dadar. Train is quite crowded.

Surprising the travel to hyderabad was not the usual. Friendly chat was quite at extremes. Interacted to absolutely no 1 while going. Thats a first. Enjoyed it though.

Return journey was enjoyable. An over zealous but knowledgable tulu midaged techie was coming to Mumbai for a new job. His nervous.enthu was quite evident. Then there were this mother - daughter. Daughter on her way to uk for further studies. Mother was a guju born maharashtrian house wife. It was fun talking with aunty. This was the most conversant journey of all my hyd trips.

Hyd was same. There was a change in menu this time. Choose southie thali instead of normal idlis and vegetable dosa at taj mahal. Vegetable dosa is by far the best dosa fusions I have ever had.

I am getting quite comfy with hyd city. It buzzing nd sleepy at same time. A good mixture of cosmo culture with tradition nd new tech culture.

Each journey gives me chance to meet new ppl and expand my thoughts and knowledge. Thts y I hav no qualms abt travelling for 34hrs for past 36hrs.

Here it is. My station has come. Wil be home quite early this time around.

Lonely

2011-09-09T20:58:00.001+05:30

Celebrated my 28th bday couple of days ago. Days leading up to my bday were quite turbulent. Emotionally! Am still not sure wht I am doing, wht shld I do and whts right. The void is very much there.

Moved on finally

2011-08-22T23:11:00.001+05:30

Gosts of the past finally burried. Dettached. Angry. Moving on! Hope I dnt look bck now!

Crazy Night

2011-08-21T09:53:00.001+05:30

Yesterday was a crazy night. A lot of outburst with VM. I seem to hav lost control over things & were I am heading. Hope to gain the lost focus back.. SOON!

Ghar pe Kala Hit laa kay rakhneka

2011-08-19T18:53:00.001+05:30

Today its AB's bday. V dnt hav a gifting culture amongst us but I had planned this since a loong time.

AB has been regular vth his bouts vth mosquitoes. He annually looses battle & suffers with fevers & maralias.

So here I am vth his gift - HIT mosquito repellent. Lol. Hope he likes it!

Jokepal

2011-08-16T19:14:00.001+05:30

Jst visited a site whr group of around 200ppl were singing songs & chanting slogans in support of Anna Hazare.

I was in double mind. Wht to do? Join the group in same enthu or jst see nd leave. I support the cause of movement against corruption. But like most I am a coward. Jst enjy the show from sidelines. B vocal abt on fb & vth frnds. But not really making any difference.

I am travelling bck home, I hav a gentleman in train with a placard pinned to his shirt supporting anna.

Am still thinking, wht shld I do? Wht can I do?

Kick strating active blogging!

2011-08-16T17:04:00.001+05:30

Well it been quite a while since my last post. Happen to read AB's post today. But the issue with active blogging was that lot of interia creeps in when I reach home.

But here I am back. Blogger app suit me perfectly. I can put across my thought at odd hours and locations.

This time one more thing. No marketing. No putting up the links. This space is just for me. :o)

Public Information & Conflict of Interest

2011-04-25T22:41:00.004+05:30

Indian Capital markets have taken a breather after a bull run & a stark correction in past 6 months. But where is the retail participation? Forget participation, Indian “retail investor” doesn’t have a clue what’s going on in the company he invests. There is a regulator which is setup to keep an eye on interests of “Retail Investor”. I have my own views about 2 things.

Public Information

We have big shot brokerage houses whose “analysts” churn numbers, built expansive models, attend conference calls, meet company management & finally give out buy or sell calls. These men from research houses have excess to various one to one meetings with key people from management. They have a chance to get a sneak peak to the plants & operations of the company.

The reports made from this information are published by brokerage houses to the clients who subscribe to them. These are basically a paid service. So now a retail investor, who is a part owner of the company, has to pay for a information, which is divulged to a select few, who make money out of it !!! Companies would argue that they would welcome any shareholder for any information. But that isn’t how it is.

Regulator should look into this. Any information given to any research house, brokerage house, etc. is public information, which should be made public by the company for its owners i.e. the shareholder.

Conflict of Interest

Most research houses are a package deal with a brokerage arm. Both this line of business is actually conflict of interest. The goal of a research house is to give fair & unbiased analysis on a company. The goal of a brokerage houses is to motivate its clients to undertake trades. These two functions under same business entity is essentially a conflict of interest. Research reports may lead to churning of portfolios leading to more brokerage income.

The above two topics are a general observation, but can be discussed in detail & intervened by appropriate body!

Joy Ride!

2010-08-31T09:41:00.004+05:30

Well I finally get back to blogging and hopefully more active this time around & what better way to start with than a conversation between fellow passengers & a Cabbie in crammed Santro on a rainy day which was a 7min ride from VT to NP !

With yesterday being a flash strike by few cabbies for the new order of taking old taxi's off, there was bound to be a conversation on it!

As i get into the back of Santro, my shared ride to NP, i try to "adjust" to accomodate a thrid guy. And we start, straight away noticing an old taxi driver adjusting to close the door of his OLD FIAT! Guy next to me straight away got into the act and asked out driver.

Guy: "Kya lagta hai aapko, keetne mahino mein yeh old taxi ko haata dengey!"

Taxi Driver: "Saab, yeh log sansad se budhe logon ko hata nahi paaye, purani taxi kya hatayengay!!"

lol.. tht was bang on ! Then the TD got started for the nxt 7 mins, discussing everything from the new proposed law, to politicians, to procedures, to pros and cons of FIAT taxi, to y signals go red jst when he arrives, to y a lame truck driver was about to bang out taxi, to y is it raining so much!

But tht one dialog was his was killer...

Love this song ! :)

2010-04-17T02:44:00.003+05:30

Jaane tu meri kya hai from Jaane tu ya Jaane na

Jaane tu meri kya hai
Jaane mein tera kya tha
saath tere har pal
saath tere har lamha tha

Jaane kaisi kasak hai
Jaane kaisi tadap hai
Kyun aankhen nam hai
Jaane kaisa gum hai

Hai dosti humko yakin tha
Dosti aur kuch bhi nahi tha
Par kaise tujhko baatein
Kyun chubhte hain pairo mein kaante

Jaana na jaana
Kaise mene na jana
Ke pyaar yehi hai
yeh Jaane tu ya jaane na

Jaana dil jaana
Kaise tune na jana
Ke pyaar to hai
yeh Jaane tu ya jaane na

Jaane tu meri kya hai
Jaane mein tera kya tha
saath tere har pal
saath tere har lamha tha

Kyon aise chubhti hai
Tujhse doori
Kyon lagti hai
Zindagi yun adhuri
Chua tujhko to kisne ne lagake
Dil mein kisine to aag laga de
Duniya jaala di hai meri

Jaane tu meri kya hai
Jaane mein tera kya tha
saath tere har pal
saath tere har lamha tha

Jaane kaisi kasak hai
Jaane kaisi tadap hai
Kyun aankhen nam hai
Jaane kaisa gum hai

Hai dosti humko yakin tha
Dosti aur kuch bhi nahi tha
Par kaise tujhko baatein
Kyun chubhte hain pairo mein kaante

Jaana na jaana
Kaise mene na jana
Ke pyaar yehi hai
yeh Jaane tu ya jaane na

Jaana dil jaana
Kaise tune na jana
Ke pyaar to hai
yeh Jaane tu ya jaane na

Year gone by...

2009-12-16T12:42:00.002+05:30

Well I wanted to write this for loong.. started a few times.. nd left it...

Its been an amazing year or so... and I have been looking back and thinking about what if's and what not's ... Since I was forced to bid adieu to AGSPL, my previous employer, I have had an tremendous learning year...

I think a what if... what if I was still with AGSPL... I would be happy working under a manager... doing financial research and modeling... looking at the things are improving and thinking of a jump... bride hunting would have been at its highest point if I was unable to find any1 till now... I would have a car.. everything seems rosy... and may be not quite sure and may be not that focused to attain my career goals...

Now looking at what not's... what would I have missed if I was at AGSPL.. well quite a few things for sure... for starters I would still have been a non-swimmer.. I wouldnt have been able to write for a sports website.. tht too on F1.. I would hav never done real hardcore brainstorming about a business while trying to chalk out a B-plan... never would have made effort to hunt for info nd talk to zillion ppl abt various things... my network would have been half of what it is 2day... I would never had tht much respect for markets, traders, jobbers, etc... I would have never done anything related to business development.. and believe me.. its tuff nd needs lot more patience than we think...

Past year or so.. the learning has been tremendous... How to get things done with the limited resources.. how to connect to ppl nd get info.. how to be upbeat and relentlessly try and achieve your goals.. and how to make many more fckups so the same can be avoided hence forth...

Its been truly amazing.. I still cant say I enjoyed it or not.. nd this is better than being at AGSPL.. not being at AGSPL was completely worth so.. only for my mom... cant thank more AGSPL for kicking me out... In the initial days out of AGSPL... my jiju told me.. its better tht I am struggling so early in my career.. well at tht time I thought it was one of those cliched lines... but I hav realized... he might b right after all..

Well this isnt a gyan kinda post.. its just what i think nd feel.. most things might not make sense to readers.. but so be it.. I finally want to make a list of 5 things w/o which the year gone by wouldnt have been so...

1) Family.. yeh the cliched one.. but the truth of life.. its the most imp life line.. which keeps u going.. motivated.. etc... mom-dad-sis-jiju.. all have always been there

2) AB.. and our e-talk on gtalk... I have single handedly eaten his brains out vn I was frustrated nd moody... but his support has been relentless in jst abt anything... 1 odd thing in my life has been tht.. past 2-3 months.. has the highest rate of movies/week in my entire life so far.. nd he has been the companion in most of them...

3) MS.. and our tête-à-tête... well she has been there all through.. she got the same treatment frm as AB got.. and in return I got a fair nd square reply... vch sometimes gives a reality check.. nd vch helps me a lot in making most imp decisions..

4) VK.. super super super senior.. strtd working with him since abt 5-6 months... he gave me an opportunity to work on things which i jst love to do... this period has been the most enjoyable of the past year..

5) JC.. well this is a special note.. he allowed me to spent time at his share trading office.. where I developed some liking to the markets and jst respect it for life..

Red Bull Racing gave me WINGS !!!

2009-10-09T00:16:00.006+05:30

6th oct 09... mamma's b'day... v finished our dinner nd walking bck home... nd i get a call frm a unknown number... it was KG.. one of the owners of isport.in .. the website on which i write for on F1.. he broke the news tht on 7th there is this assembly of F1 car by red bull at JW Marriott and i would like to join him or not... I was like ... HELL YAAAA !!!! a mad scramble for a camera at the last minute nd i was ready for 7th !

reached on time by 10.30... was in lobby.. another 1st for me... i was at a 5 star !! soaking in the ambiance... couldnt help but notice.. tht pooja bhatt has grown so fat.. she was sitting at the adjoining table discussion some set... well then KG came.. nd v proceeded to the place whr assembly was gonna happen...

v took the briefings.. a CD vch contains a video of a Redbull F1 factory tour .. then greeted by few over enthu red bull chicks... asking us to guzzle a few red bulls!! lol... quite a few ppl gathered there... print, TV nd web media in full force...

the covered car lay in front .. nd i was like... aaaa.. this seems like most assembly is already done... well yeh.. it was .. the critical assemblies like the transmission, suspension, breaks etc was done... only the nose, the tail wing... few chks.. nd the engine cover was to be done... even then.. the feel to be so close to the real deal was exciting enuff for me ...

at around 11 they strtd.. 1ce uncovered it.. then there was template at place to make sure bodywork is not damaged during transit.. tht was removed... then the nose was fitted.. they strted letting ppl inside the marked area to take pics nd stuff... but by then my camera battery was dead... i went in anyways... the odd thing was radiator was fitted with fan... vch normal F1 car doesnt hav.. its speed blows the air so fast tht no need of a fan... but here the car wud b driving half the speed.. a fan was a must (see pic below)

looking at those parts so close was sum feeling... i particularly was glued to their performance monitoring software.. nd the kinds of indicators they were looking at... well.. to b frank i understood nothing.. nd it struck me.. i hav moved quite far off frm my mech engg and into the big bad world of finance... i aint complaining till isport helps me in venting out my thoughts through articles :)

then.. the car was finally completed... a few photos ops vth the car nd the mechanics... TV media goin crazy... vn 3rd or 4th grade presenters whu didnt even hav a clue of wot is F1... sum1 even forgot script written by himself !!! lol... (stay away frm 9x news .. lol )

then after an intv vth the support team manager, Tony Burrows... v proceeded to the buffet lunch... i had heard vth buffets at 5 star's frm my sis, SB nd few others... they were either talking abt morning breakfast... or late night 1's... also i had a notion tht 5 star food is bland.. well i was wrong..

the buffet was good... nd i particularly enjoyed my thai curry nd rice :) ... while leaving.. v were handed 4 cans of red bulls as merchandise...

all in all an amazing experience... more to be experienced and explained... for me.. Red bull Racing gave me WINGS !! :D

Pyaar with PR !!

2009-07-31T12:15:00.007+05:30

Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing the flow of information between an organization and its publics.(Source: Wikipedia)

In past 1 week I happen to notice quite amazing PR generated by organisations or atleast attempt to do so !! The most buzzing event of this week... atleast for me.. was Schumi's return!! ppl got crazy... i didnt... i went wild... jumping here nd there nd shouting to the pt tht folks thought tht I had lost it!! but well thts a different story... Ppl strtd givin out info to each other.. Facebook was abuzz... News channels were abuzz tht night... newspapers too.. even today TOI has a 3/4th pager on Schumi... tht helped Ferrari generate massive PR and got a spark to their dismal championship campaign so far. The sponsors wud b happy.. the investors wud b happy.. looking at the public interest generated... Schumi's return no doubt gr8 for thr sport but... even better.. it made a lot of business sense.

Now few more events closed to home... Anilbhai... yeh .. telecom walla... he has been all other the media's channels... After the emotional bombshell at AGM... he has been giving news bites every where possible... I dnt want to discuss whether his pt is right or not (though i believe he was hard done by) .. but he was able to generate significant PR... every newspaper carried a full pager direct interview vth him... he might hav got sum success vth wot he wanted to generate!

Now getting more closer to home... Mumbai's Taxi's ... sum loocha goin on @ airport... but our dear MM newspaper... they carried a series for 3 dayz back to back... to compare black-yellow taxi's.. cool cabs.. nd meru cabs... concentrating on the pt tht Meru's r cleaner neater.. nd taxi r filthy n smelly... well not tht v agree or not agree.. but gr8 PR for Meru cabs... i wud say chance pe dance... mostly not a free PR.... most of the newspapers walla are paid well (thts wot i was enlightened by AK-frm fmcg to banking products walla)

So.. the Pyaar vth PR continues and how brands fight for every space available...

Balance is the key to everything!!

2009-07-27T15:04:00.002+05:30

Keeping one's balance is the key... vn v walk.. do things... its important thing... imagine standing on a heavily banked road... if v start feeling awkward.. v mite feel a little bit of pain in joints after some time... or take example of a loaded bag... if its hanging on just on of our shoulders... v feel the pain after sumtime... thts y a bag-pack is preferred of a carry-case... bag-pack is balanced...

Simply apply this thought to our lives.. relationships like frndship nd stuff.... here also a balance is ought to be maintained... imbalance leads to awkwardness leads to pain !!

"Walk while you talk"... Sum ppl hav no other choice!!!

2009-07-18T16:25:00.003+05:30

Lately.. since 2-3 weeks.. i hav the pleasure of travelling through the Andheri-Ghatkopar belt... well.. pleasure.. lol... u may say unfortunate compulsion... The tall,wise,old man.. AB used to always crib abt the belt.. terming it as $h!T H0Le... I always used to think... the guy is exaggerating!!!

but traffic does get denser during peak hrs... but its ok .. a 45mins distance turns in to a 1.5hr journey.. well thts normal for all mumbaikars !!! but this friday... was crazy... I travel from Mahakali caves road to ghatkopar... take a normal bus or rick from there depending who is paying ;) .. so u can figure out.. wot i do when..

me and dad were together.. got a lift frm a fellow till chakala.. nd then v were to catch a rick... but none was stoping by... v saw a clog ahead... thot .. "arrey.. aage signal tak hoga.. v wil walk till there".. strted walking... v passed tht signal.. then the jb nagar signal.. then the airport signal.. then the marol signal... finall reached walkin till Saki naka signal... covered in abt 35-40mins.. passed atleast 10-12 ghatkopar bound bus... nd yeh.. v were ahead of all of them walkin !!!
v thot.. v hav walked enuff time to catch a rick.. again no 1 agreed... took sum bus at sakinaka signal... jam packed.. but saved ourselves frm walking !.. @ snails pace.. it reached to asalpha... again to got stuck... v thot enuff... rather standing lets walk... got down... strtd walkin till home !!!
in total it took us 1.5hrs to reach... if v had sat in bus... definitely not b4 3-3.5hrs !!! it was tht crazy!!

But... surprisingly... this entire ordeal.. v wherent the only 1... there were loads for ppl... huge crowd... walkin vth us... nd.. i think.. most of them were regulars.. walk for 3-4 km regularly jst to reach home early.. (actually definition of early has been chnged... being on-time is knwn as coming home early !!!)

ITs completely crazy... i agree.. IT IS A $h!T h0Le.... and yeh.. ppl do "walk while they talk"... they dont hav any choice.. atleast on this belt !!

Break the Inertia !

2009-05-27T13:53:00.003+05:30

Inertia(def.) - A body stays in the state of rest or of uniform motion unless it is acted upon by an external force!

I vividly remember this definition frm my school dayz.. But never found it more relevant now.. albeit in a different context. Have myself experienced in past and also saw my few of my close friends in the state of inertia recently.

We tend to get into routine and feel comfortable w/o understnding... do v like it... r things goin how v want.. v jst ride along vth it... get into a cycle of things... wake up.. go to work.. come bck.. bitch abt sumthin.. praise the other... etc etc

This I define as inertia... v continue to be in this state... but this state is broken when an external force is acted upon... vch happend to ppl like me... but... the need of the hr says... v need an internal force to break this inertia!!

internal force... a drive to do things.. stretch boundaries... achieve unthinkable.. do things v want to do... break the cycle... break the inertia !!!!

More than what meets the eye !!!!

2009-02-23T23:34:00.002+05:30

Yesterday nite v had oscars - mother of all awards in motion picture industry... Slumdog millionaire won a landslide 8 awards in various categories including picture & director.. our very own A R Rehman won it for superb original score!! no wonder the movie is gettin all the accolades it is!!!

But it puts 1 question to me... y slumdog only... and not other movies like chak de, lagaaan... vch show india in its other... more beautiful shades... my frnd has also raised this question in his post.

One of the conspiracy theory i can think off is... India is the nxt BIG thing in the world... the huge potential market not withstanding the financial crisis... makes india very attractive... oscars to a movie based out in india can expose indians to foriegn genre of movies.. ppl wud also want to queue up for other international flims vch mite find it a difficult goin in western countries... basically it jst opens up a potential market...

v can draw parallel's vth indians winning beauty contests a decade ago... ash, sush, etc etc... had won major contests close to each other... tht opened up indians to beauty and beauty product... n then started the journey of big names into india...

I dont say tht Slumdog didnt deserve to win... it sure did... but so did past flims... there can surely be more than what meets the eye !!!

Marketing physcology

2009-02-22T12:20:00.004+05:30

in my locality i hav 3 odd general stores.. FS, FK n BB..

FS positioned itself as premium .. catering to upper middle class n higher class audience. So the products stored had huge vareity... apart frm the general day to day items.. it stocked imported chocolates n stuff... diet farsan.. n stuff... vth barcode payment counter..

FK was a normal general store vth normal items... but aft the advent of FS.. it underwent a major renovation n tryed to reposition itself to giv competition to FS... but the product they stored didnt match FS... wot happend is tht ppl strt percieving it as a high end store n were reluctant to go in... so they strtd goin to BB.. vch is a very basic store... ppl strtd precieveing the normal mrp items also to b costly there n hav frequented BB... upper middle class ppl kept goin to premium store FS.. n.. FK has strtd loosing ground..

Close Shave !!!!

2009-01-15T19:46:00.002+05:30

Since lately i hav joined swimming to kill time now-a-dayz... and learnin how to swim.. initally SM used to accompany me and teach me... and was goin good.. but he stopped lately.. i also stopped few dayz later as the water was damm cold..

Restarted 2day... and strtin whr i left... could swim like half the width of the pool... used to do "laps" in around 3-5ft deep water...

jst 5 mins away frm session gettin over, i was in the middle of the pool at around 5 ft deep water... so thot will reach to the ladder laid whr the dept is like 8ft deep.. as i cud do this distance... and then come out and take an early bath...

I strtd and... say abt 12 ft away frm bank... i jst cudnt swim... and cudnt touch the bottom w/o keep my head above water... i paniced.. and no1 was around... not a single soul.. thot am in big soup...

strtd jumpin and thrustin.. w/o makin much progress... suddenly i heard a wistle... thank god.. life gaurd saw me !!!!!...

a chap whu was closest to me and cud swim (lol) ... came to my rescue... b4 i drank another 4 ltrs of chlorinated water !!!

Close Shave !!

Amazing city... Uniquely Singapore.. (Day 4,5,6,7,8)

2008-12-18T13:26:00.007+05:30

Day 4 : (8/12)

So now my frnds and me dusted the exam off... and 4 dayz of complete fun awaited me (2dayz for them) ..

Uptil now v havnt used any public transport... and was determined to use only tht hence forth of my stay in singapore... not only its cheaper but its chance to really feel the city.. the ppl... and the mad rush (if there was 1) ..

After nice early mornin breakfast vch included the customary maggi and cheese sandwich... i loaded my bagpack vth a camera & a handycam... and to add to the fun.. there was a slight drizzle.. vch went on.. for most of the day 2day...

The area v stayed in... there was a LRT stn called COVE ... its in the ring route of the Punggol area... ok... this singapore public transport has.... MRT (normal railway... vch has 3 routes of vch is undergrnd running on normal broad gauge tracks like in India) ... LRT (there 3 of it in punggol, sang keng and 1 other area .. vch is basically short round routes vch hav 1 boggie units running on magnetic track) .. and lastly bus services... (LRT Photo below)

So coming bck to day 4... v left for Santosa... frm cove to punggol via LRT and then frm punggol to harbour front via MRT.. u get these card ticket frm vending m/c and u return bck the card to get bck S$1 as deposit... hmm...

most of these MRT stn exit into a shopping area and.. so did harbour front... into VIVO city.. supposedly singapore's biggest 1... and.. train service to santosa gate was frm 3rd floor of the mall....

Santosa an island vch has been developed by singapore govt into tourist spot ... v strted vth the Underwater world... it was amazing to b so near to these fishes... quite amazing... tht was followed up by dolphin lagoon.. a dolphin show... wow... i was actually seein stuff vch i hav alwayz seen on TV for so song...

inside the santosa island as well... there r these busses vch take frm one attraction to other... then.. v had a lunch break.. the all so familiar Subway Sandwich (nothin else Veg was available :( ) ... then v bought a ticket vch included 7 attractions of santosa island...

V strted vth Tiger tower.... a round disc vch seats around 40 ppl.. goes up and rotates.. and u get and u get panoramic view of santosa island and a bit of singapore mainland...

v left for 3D magix... and... tht was 1 hell of an experience... the hydraulic seats were totally tuned to the movie.. and.. it was 1 experiece i can never forget.. then v moved to... 4D theater.... the seats here were ok... there was some lag.. but.. the water nd.. insect effect were spot... on.. totally gr8..

then.. v enjoyed the luge ride done a slope.. and a open cable car ride bck up... the luge was really thrilling fun.. and i won the race out of the 3 of us.... doin my inners and outers along way.. as if.. i was burning rubber on formula 1 track.. 1 apex to other... yeh... tht was some fun... :)

then.. v moved on to... images of singapore.. a museum in santosa... frm the word museum.. i generally am not tht excited.. kinda boring for me... but.. this 1 was a pleasant surpirse... it strted vth a show vch introduced to how singapore came into being by culmination of 4 diff cultures.. the AV was amazing done.. and.. special effect were rite in front of ur eyes... the best part of the rest of museum is tht.. 1 cud touch feel the things put up.. w/o restriction... the diff carts.. the houses can b seen frm inside.. and the detailin of each and everything thing was amazing....

then v moved on to Merlion.. the icon of singapore... it also strtd vth a small AV.. how merlion came into existance.. and the journey abt 12 stories up... to the top of the lion.. and view frm there was totally totally gr8.. better than... tiger tower...

and v rushed to the main attraction of the nite... the most talked abt thing in singapore... Songs of the Sea... v entered the theater facing seawords... and.. i thot.. yeh.. i wud b sum normal.. song and dance stuff.... but next 30 mins... i my mouth went wider and wider in astonishment to wot i was seeing.... it was a sound,light, lazer, fire.. etc etc show.... like the one .. again hav seen on TV... during openin/closing ceremony of olympics and stuff.... cant express wot i saw in words...

the trip to santosa ended vth a cable car ride frm santosa to singapore mainland on a cable car ride... a fitting end to amazing experince in santosa...

then again... it was 8.30ish pm... saw a subway... had a sandwich... better than... not finding any veg food for the day... and tht was our dinner...

then v moved to clarke quay... a happening place.. vth lots of pubs and disc's... as it was a monday.. most disc's were closed... but v had a pleasant 1 hr at pub vth nice live rock band... was a nice end to a gr8 day... and v headed bck home...

MRT's shut by 11.30-12ish... a few buses were running... took 1.. vch passed near to punggol and then took a cab... and bck home by 1ish...

Day 5 : (9/12)

After the late nite last day... v had a lazy morning... the same customary breakfast.. and left.. quite late around 12 ish... for mustafa center.. its mall.. completely indianized items of more than 1 lakh.. and most ppl of indian origin shop here.. also the exchange rate here is best in singapore .. i wasted no time for tht activity.. ;) .. also saw.. SBI branch in tht area.. :P

2 frnds vth me.. where leaving the next day.. and wanted to chk out more places... so.. didnt c much here.. left by cab to juron bird park... v reached there by 3.30ish... and.. most bird shows were over.. accept 1.. at 4... 2 of them... got into the bird park.. but.. i decieded i wil c the complete park next day.. and left for singapore zoo....

needed 2 train changes... 2 bus rides to reach there... last bus made me wait for 30mins.. unsual as per singapore std's.. but wot i saw theere was.. quite nice... a public bus.. completely branded vth.. incredible India campaing :D..

reached zoo by... 5.30.. bad time... closes at 6... didnt get entry.. but.. had heard.. the zoo isnt much diff... and... singapore night safari happend there itself.. next door...

entered the night safari area... the activties strt at 7ish... and frnds were to join me here.. had time to kill.. lingered around the food courts... in hope to find some veg food... havnt had good indian veg food... the local food is anywayz non-veg to try... and Eureka... an indian restuarant.. "Indian Tandoor"... most of the menu was non-veg.. but reading veg biryani set.. put a smile to my face... also added a naan to tht.. and a huge meal my 1st one at 5.30pm... for the first time.. i didnt convert it into indian rs. b4 buyin it.. did tht after buyin.. lol... costed me 18$... but.. was worth every cent.. not only had hot, veg indian food... but the taste was seriously amazing.. wil competition to nice restuarants in mumbai...

the timing was perfect... i finished my meal... frnds arrived and.. v entered into the activity area... moved straight to Amphitheater for show... the presenter was amzing.. quite funny at most times.. and... again.. the show was just mind blowing... recorded the entire on my handycam..

then moved to tramride.. the actual safari... the experience was too gud.. saw so many animals in their natural habitat... and yeh i saw... LIONS and TIGERS !!!! (unlike Chilla :P )

then v moved on to orchard street... the most talked abt street.. many of them had sumthing or the other abt it... especially SB and MS frm MD's office !!!.... and.. the place was amazingly decorated for the chirstmas season stuff .. the place has all big label showrooms.. and the most amzing and expensive stuff can b seen here... there also is hardrock cafe here !! (quite a few of u wil b smiling on this)

and... bck home by 1.30am.. as public transport shuts off by 11.30ish... the journey bck home was by cab..

Day 6 : (10/12)

I bid adieu to my frnds.. as they left at 7ish in morning... a bit of cleanin up and.. again the customary breakfast.. packed bags.. and left for jurong bird park.. but this time via public transport.. but 1st made my way to harbour frnt... there got tourist pass for 2 dayz... these passes r of S$8 for 1 day... and can b used in bus, MRT, LRT... the odd thing is.. u get these passes not at all stn's... only 7 prime locations.. vth diff timings... but i finally got 1... 2 day pass.. + 10$ deposit... 26$.. and move to jurong.. again 1 change and a bus ride.. and i reach... by 11ish...

most of u knw.. my fear of birds.. and... i was shivering vn i entered.. litterally ducking even if a fly went by.. lol.. yeh... slowly gathered courage to visit various parts of the park...

1st 1.. being birds of the dark... basically owl's and stuff... there were enclosed in glass chambers... and the atmosphere was quite dark... very low lighting.. the owls were making noises and... flying.. too and fro.. and very near the glass wall... i was frieghtened.. cudnt complete.. literally ran out.. lol.. lol..

then.. moved on vth safety.. keeping safe distances frm brids.. even though.. they were caged... but.. the birds were amazing.. the variety was gr8... and for bird lovers.. it wud sure b a treat...

saw 4 showz... and.. in these shows... the birds r made to fly rite over the heads of audiences... a nitemare for me... and i lived on to write this blog.. lol... but yeh... saw talkin parrots.. painter parrots.. etc etc.. the best show was the eagle/hawk show.. again.. these birds were flyin rite over our heads... but.. the shows were completely amazing.. u can never see these birds so close to u.. quite brillant..

only bad part of the day thus far... my memory card... gave and error rite at the end othe bird park trip.. almost 150 odd pics.. r gone... and a few vth evidence tht i was there.. as few might not believe.. i was in bird park for 6 hrs !!!!! :( .. but yeh.. quite a few amzaing pics gone... on top of tht... handycam battery acted up and.. cudnt shoot any of the showz... :( ...

by 5ish.. i made my way out.. here too.. didnt get any veg food :( ... did a bit souvineer shopping... and headed to City Hall...

This is THE PLACE of singapore.. the husttling business district... big tall buildings.... and an engineering marvel - SINGAPORE FLYER ... its tallest faris wheel and observatory cabin in the world

frm the City Hall MRT.. had a nice walk for abt 20-25mins to the singapore flyer... amist big buildings vth all the big names of the world having their office here...

it took 30mins to complete 1 rotation.. and my timing was perfect to reach there... around 6.30 ish.. as i saw the skyline change frm natural light to... aritifical... v were 6 in the cabin.. a young singaporean couple vth their UK frnd.. and a senior citizen couple frm australia... i wasted no timing makin convesation vth the natives.. and the showed me most amzing sites...

I saw malaysia, indonesia, ... and.. and... and.... THE SINGAPORE F1 track !!!!!!!!!!!.. wow... i didnt realize it tht track went exactly below the flyer vth pit area and strt finish strt below it.... latter vn i got out of the flyer... touch the tarmac vth my plams.. got an amazing high doing tht !!!.. wow !!.. tht was some feeling...

the skyline frm the flyer was also unique...

then i made my way bck home.. not had meals since morning.. got down at Little India... and.. jst u move out of the MRT stn.. the smell is very familiar... yeh... then.. u enter the street.. u r in india... yeh... completely... not for a minute i felt i was in singapore then... vth... sounth indian aorund... their flower shops.. and... their film music.. poster of rajni.. yeh.. typical southern town... entered an udipi.. had idli and rice place.. wow.. nice food.. complete satisfaction.. keep walkin on... saw a barber shop... strt laffing.. y... all the posters for hairstyles.. were of.. Rajnikaant.. lol !!!.. amazing.. truely.. Little India in singapore...

made my way bck home.. by 11.. jst b4 the last train service...

Day 7 : (11/12)

Last day in singapore... strt vth packing stuff... as had a early mornin flight next day... then bck to customary breakfast but.. enuff of maggi... only cheese sandwich... then called.. a SIMSR senior frm the phone booth.. and fixed time and place to meet him..

then.. made my way to Mustafa center.. needed to buy stuff like chocolates and souvieerns.. did tht... bought loads of it.. also got the much needed currency ;) .. the load was too heavy... so.. vnt bck home.. to keep it...

vn i left home in morning.. it was very hot!!.. also vn i left mustafa.. was hot.. but.. at punggol it was raining heavily... now.. i got to knw... tht typical singapore weather... so on the final day.. got taste of it as well..

got bck.. sumhow packed everythin in bag... and left vth still it drizzling.. 1st to china town.. typical.. all chineese ppl around.. and cheap stuff available there.. picked up sumtin frm a shop named "3 for 10$".. i guess.. u all got the message ;)

then went to raffles place... to meet the senior... Raffles place.. is close to city hall and of same pedigree... a financial hub.. u come out of MRT and.. u knw.. u r in a financial hub...

met him... for the 1st time... he took me around the place.. v made our way.. first to Merlion... the original 1.. vth water comin out of mouth.. the 1 at santosa is made later on...

then.. walked around in the area saw the famous hotel the fullton hotel... its same like the TAJ of india... on our way.. noticed ERP sigh.. vth some amount written on it... on investigation.. got to knw.. tht.. there is no toll system, like in india, in singapore. but.. all cars hav an unit attached to it... and on passing various roads.. the tax is automatically registered in tht.. and end of month u pay wot ever come in tht unit... tht quite hasstle free.. amazing to knw....

then.. walkin along.. v made our way to Boat Quay... its a bay area.. and fine dining restuarants all laid out rite on the edge of the bay... my 1st meal of the day again.. dinner at 7.30... now a indian restuarant called kinnara... again.. completely amazing.. vth the senior.. whu was a gr8 host for the evening.. had a gr8 time vth him...

aft tht.. made my way bck home... my final ride in the public transport... :)

Day 8 : (12/12)

The day strted at 3am got ready.. packed.. and left home by 3.45... saw a cab rite below the building... asked him... but he said he was waitin for a pickup at 4.30am.. so i made my way to the main road struggling vth 3 bags... the guy... sumhow felt sorry.. and honked.. and asked me to quickly hop in.... he will leave to the airport and come bck.. as airport is jst 20mins away..

i said.. wow.. wot ppl... the fare came out as 19.20 .. the guy took only 19.. and refused to take 20cent.. quite contrary to cab drivers in india.. i insisted on takin it.. and gave a bit extra to him.. i was totally floored by this cab driver... singapore waved a gr8 gud bye to me...

Changi Airport is one of the best airports in the world... and.. i dnt disagree to tht 1 bit.. u hav internet cafe's... family area's.. sleeping zones... thts normal.. but... shoppin at changi is amaizng... also... the plantations inside the airport.. wow.. w/o natural light.. how did they manage.. i dnt knw...

wow.. this 1 was amazing.. a renault F1 car @ the airport.. didnt waste anytime in clickin a few pics.. and asked sum1 to take mine vth it ;)

all in all... a gr8 trip... amazing city.. uniquely singapore !!!

Amazing city... Uniquely Singapore.. (Day 1,2,3)

2008-12-07T17:07:00.009+05:30

Day 1 : (5/12)

Started frm home at 8ish.. flight was at 11.50.. Singapore Airlines...

no traffic hassles... easy checkin... didnt get window seat initially.. but had kept it on request.. and finally got converted... amazing view.. right behind the wing... nice place.. gr8 flight... gr8 hospitality... my 1st taste of international flight...

btw.. its my 1st foreign trip... and.. 2nd flight jounery... i wil make my 2/3rd of flight journey.. on this trip.. lol... howz tht for a ratio.. (in CFA mode na.. so ratios and stuff...

got a few pics... frm the aircraft... here they r.... sumwhr over bay of bengal...

The Changi Airport... i simply amazing... fantastic... really gr8.... words not enuff... jst took few pics.. wil take more.. on return journey..

was goin to frnds apartment(whu himself is rite now in bby).. but had to go via his frnds apartment as key were vth him.. so called him frm airport aft exchangein money to singapore $... now the trouble... found a phone booth.. didnt know.. wot denomination... to put in.. struggled to read on the ph.. most of it in canotonese.. finally caught hold of a lady.. and asked... 1st contact vth a native ;) ... 10 cents it was.. and got the way to frnds place...

Cabs here a amazing... totally... i was in a innova kinda huge car... i asked the cab driver.. r all taxi rate same?.. he said yes.. i was like.. amazing... was so amazined.. didnt even look at the brand.. of the car :( ... it was a/c.. automatic.. all alone the drove at avg speed of 100kmph... !!!!

strted interacting vth him... got to knw... there r 2 taxi operators in SNG... and they hav 12 hrs shifts... all taxi work 24hrs... so no shortage at nite... hmm.. gr8... lot of gizmo's in the taxi... includin a printer... to print the bill...

went to frnds place... took keys... the area was SANG KENG.. and... u hope over to other side of Highway... u come to Puggol.. whr i was put up...

Edgefeild plain.. 105C

reached home... at 9 pm... was sittin.. in absoulte slience.. for 3 hrs.. this being a typical residential complex.. all ppl looked in there homes... shot laga.. thx to net.. called home.. chatted vth few ppl.. felt nice...

Day 2 : (6/12)

1 day b4.. CFA exam.. it was all abt.. reading... didnt go dwn... didnt eat much.. only stuff bought by couple of frnds.. whu reached this place.. 2day morning...

Day 3: (7/12)

Had to make way to Singapore Expo .. 3 of us.. rather go by cab and reach on time.. had to reach there by 8.. examz frm 9.... left home by 7... got down.. waited for 10mins a corner.. no taxi.... then another corner.. no taci.. it was 7.20... talked to few indian guyz... asked them how to reach.. no direct transport... bus-train combo... and.. it was no.. 7.25...

finally got a taxi(not as amazin as day 1 ;) ).. went.. to expo.. huge.. halls... 2 of them.. 40-50% of ppl.. giving exam had travelled frm INDIA !!!... so.. didnt feel v r at an alien country... 2 3hrs session of examz.. 1 went well.. other strictly ok...

then.. roamed at the expo ... few exibitions... goin on.. i had my 1st ever Subway sandwich :D .. MS in md's office of a bank.. wud b smiling...

now.. v wanted to travell bck by train aka MRT... but.. had to make 2 changes.. and fare of 3 ppl.. wud b more than taxi ride.. economic sense prevailed.. and.. took a taxi...

got to knw... taxi's mileage here is aorund... 10kmpl... of manual and 9ish of automatic... hmm... taxi drivers here.. quite informative of the wheels they drive.. explained us.. y so... becoz of big engines vch drink more fuel... hmm.. nice !!

came home..... ppl bit sleepy... planned to go to Clarke quay... nice place for clubbing and nite life... along river... but.. ppl said.. after some sleep... they went offf.. and i went down.. for a stroll..

went to a local store.. looked at local food... and.. then... places around.. bought some grocerry...countined my walk.. found a school.. vth huge play grounds... a church... a gas station.. vth 5% off on petrol and deisel !!!!!... then a small fire stn... the fire van ws unique... completely diff... clicked a pic... the officer came out.. asked him.. can i click pics.. he said.. sorry i dnt knw.. so plz dnt.. he said.. sorry.. 4-5 times !!... amazing.. then invited me... y dnt u come on saturday... its open day... 9-11 am.. u can come in.. and look at stuff here... w/o any hassles at the fire stn !!!... hmm nice...

finallly saw.. a assit to cross road... hav to click a button.. to make tht.. pedestrain light green... vn traffic is gone... hmm.. sumthin new for me... again.. gr8...

bck home.. ppl r still sleeping.. so thot wud blog.. ;)

chk this space regularly till 12-13 dec... for more updates/pics..

Sindbad the Sailor rocks !!!

2008-10-14T00:26:00.002+05:30

ok... ROCK ON.. the movie one of my favorites flicks... happen to see it twice on big screen... and that happend in my lyf tht me seein a movie twice on big screen after abt 9 odd yr... last 1 being K2H2 .. during my SSC...

in particular... i am just in luv vth the song sindbad the sailor! ... the lyrics r so meaning full... and totally amazing... charges me up... hats off to Javed Akhtar... here is goes.. the lyrics..

sinbad the sailor jahaaz me jab chala
mere yaar sun lo sun lo
dhoond raha tha ek nayi duniya ka pata
mere yaar sun lo sun lo
wo anjani raahon me tha O O..
wo lehron ki baahon me tha O O..

sab ne kaha tha in samundaron me jaana nahi
mere yaar sun lo sun lo
khwaabon ke peeche jaake kuch bhi hai paana nahi
mere yaar sun lo sun lo
wo apni hi dhun me raha O O..
wo sunta tha dil ka kaha O O..

So ppl chase ur dreams.. dnt think abt wot ppl think and say... hav conviction in ur belief

uske the jo sapne, wohi uske the apne
aisa tha Sinbad the sailor, sailor
uske the jo sapne, wohi uske the apne
aisa tha Sinbad the sailor, sailor

uska jahaaz ghira toofano mein
mere yaar sun lo sun lo
phir bhi na aayi kami uske armaano mein
mere yaar sun lo sun lo
wo deewana aisa hi tha O O..
wo Sapnon ka humraahi tha O O..

uske the jo sapne, wohi uske the apne
aisa tha Sinbad the sailor, sailor
uske the jo sapne, wohi uske the apne
aisa tha Sinbad the sailor, sailor

wo kuch paane ki chaah mein O O..
wo badhta raha raah mein O O..
gehra samundar tha, oonchi oonchi lehrein
mere yaar sun lo sun lo
kashtiyaan jinpe ki mushkil se thehre
mere yaar sun lo sun lo
wo sahil tak aa hi gaya O O..
wo manzil ko paa hi gaya O O..

the path is not alwayz rosy... but dnt loose hope.. and keep charging... u wil definately succeed

uske the jo sapne, wohi uske the apne
aisa tha Sinbad the sailor, sailor
uske the jo sapne, wohi uske the apne
aisa tha Sinbad the sailor, sailor

So ppl... Chase your dreams like sindbad the sailor... ROCK ON!!

Advtments ... coming of age !

2008-10-11T13:49:00.002+05:30

We recently are viewing new Maruti Suzuki's advt's.... vth tht typical punch line.. "Petrol khatam hi nahi hoonda!!"

This advt. has come of age.. some yrs bck... v saw advt vth a young sardar kid vth maruti 800 model in hand... and playing along...

but the new avtaar... has come of age.... the sardar has grown older.. and the car is now the maruti swift model... and his dadi goin all around the house.. but punch line the same.. "Petrol Khatam hi nahi hoonda!!".. i particualr like the idea of the advt and overall fun to watch !

Also ... those who are following recent Ind-Aus series... during breaks they hav strted running all the classic advt of fevicol... tht "Pakdey rehna.. choodna nahi" .. and tht ppl clingin on to a bus... and tht kid running away frm mom and makin him sit on fevicol ka dabba.. and tht joint family concept.. and many more... fun to watch...

Pricing strategies.....

2008-10-04T12:00:00.002+05:30

With diwali approachin soon, and ghar ka saaf safai goin on in full swing... one of the imp ingredient is HIT for cocroaches.

now.. the spray v had was abt to get over... so had to buy a new 1... the other 1 bought some 2 yrs back... was then prized at rs.169 but rs. 30 off !!

now.. in 2008... sep batch ka product... prized at rs.175 but again !!!.. rs. 30 off...

i guess makers are countinuing with rs.30 off strategy as tht might hav some phycological effect on the consumers..

Food for thought for my marketing pals !!

A few golden months ... end with... THE GOLDEN HANDSHAKE !!!!

2008-10-03T20:44:00.002+05:30

As most of u wud b aware of the recent turn of events @ my workplace ... this is related to tht..

As the news broke a few cried... mood sad .. silent... i was still quite strong.. not a single change in emotion.. it felt as if nothing as happened... but.. as i went to the cafeteria.. and saw few mates.. KD, MY, AA, JM ... jst cudnt help it.. my eyes too went wet ..

aft a few dayz .. i think abt tht event.. and tht shows ... the bond tht happened between galileoiet's was quite strong... not only fellow institute-mates got closer.. but.. the entire bunch had regardless of institutes..

Let me try and say a few words abt my experience of past few months... golden months...

to strt vth the trainin programme... was mostly interacting vth institute mates and.. few others vn there was some difficulty... used to sit besides AA... and she resembles so much similar to my closest frnds... tht was really gr8.. her mannerisms .. fetish for shoes.. et al .. quite similar..

then.. 2nd in line was KD.. the common pt being pasion for F1... and.. then slowly vth MY .. as he shifted place to closer quaters and joined in the banter and DumC ...

frm the institute frnt.. was good pals vth only JT.. and others more like classmates .. but slowly and surely v also bonded fanstatically... PP.. AK .. BD(jain partner).. YS.. RD.. LK

and.. whu can 4get NC.. the sweet sista whu used to sit beside me and talk in terrible ascent and vth various noises lik "hoooh" .. et al.. hahahaha

and the man.. THE MAN... RK ... v hav taken his case rite left and center.. but hey.. the guy had left a distinct memory abt him.. no 1 wil ever 4get... and vthout him galileo wudnt b the same place..

the fighter JM.. was a character in himself... and so were others like YB,VV,RJ,DT,DK .. quite a gang..

then passing thru various sessions of DumC, cows & bull, excell games (LK is gonna write a book, 1001 games during turbulent times) , "Challo !!" chants, and smashes ... lastly came the GOLDEN HANDSHAKE !!

hmm... but ppl... 4get everything.. v had a gr8 time.. and whu said.. v wil not hav the same again... but yeh.. tht wil b not so often though..

till the next time galileoiet's (this is a suggestion by YS.. also our grp name has also chnged ;) ) meet...

KEEP ROCKING !!!

Meter Down !!.... on Corporate life !!

2008-07-11T03:02:00.003+05:30

yeh... ppl.. look at the time of the post... i hav reached home from work jst 15mins back !! ... and it was 5th day @ work ... also... its jst the trainin vch is goin on!!!

the trainin program @ my 1st job seems quite exhaustive... vth tht also comes the various assignments, deadlines, et al...

so 2day (10th july) .. reached office at 10.30ish.. 30mins b4 time... wanted to giv final touches to the asssignment which was due @ 11am ... then.. the normal day.. sessions.. tp... etc etc... then v get an assignment vch is due next day at abt 3pm ... but.. also the other day v hav another assigment strtin frm 11ish vch has to b done in abt an 1-2hrs... so... if it strts a few hrs here and there.. then.. basically.. 1 can miss the 3pm deadline...

this went on .. and on.. and on.... finally finished at 2.10am.. luckily next drop was at 2.15am (otherwise wud hav to wait... there is a drop every 30mins) .. reached home... 2.55ish... and.. yeh let me tell u again.. its training vch is goin on...

wot has these 1st few dayz say...

1st.. timings of being bck home go for a toss... there is only fixed punch-in time... Corporate life..

2nd.. had my lunch at 1ish... then.. a few bites here and there... load of lemon tea and water.. and... @ nite... a whole packet of Hide & seek biscuit.. wasnt hungry but didnt realise i finished the entire packet while doin my stuff.... so complete mockery of eating habits and timings.. Corporate life..

3rd... on my way back.... completely disoriented... was finding it difficult to tel the driver way to my place... in between thot... the guy had drove past ghatkopar.. and went ahead... concentration gone for a toss... Corporate life ?!?!.. dnt knw..

1 this is for sure... its METER DOWN !!!!!!!!!!!

7 Layered triple grill sandwich !!!!!! Yummyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!

2008-06-13T22:50:00.002+05:30

This is my latest offering... frm my kitchen vch i made !!

A 7 Layered triple grill sandwich !!!!

Ingredients:-
Triangle bread
Cucumber (cut in circles)
Tomato's (cut in circles)
Beetroot (Boiled)
Potatoes (Boiled)
Onions (finely chopped)
Capsicum (finely chopped)
Processed Cheese
Butter
Green Chutney
Sandwich masala

Method:-
Take a slice of triangle bread and apply butter and chutney... then a layer of cucumbers... then a layer of tomato's... then a layer of beetroot... then apply butter and chutney on one side and place it... on the other side also... apply butter and chutney... then a layer of potato's... then a layer of onions... then a layer of capsicum... then grate cheese over it... also sprinkle sandwich masala after every layer... and now... place a slice of bread on vch butter and chuntey has been applied... now on top apply butter and.. put it in a grill m/c.. for 10mins...

Here is the Result:-
Simpley Yummyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy !!!!!!!!!!

Ghatti Driving !! .. lol...

2008-05-15T18:16:00.003+05:30

The title suggest just nothing.. wot am i writting.. is completely opposite to be frank !!

2day i went to Nashik vth dad and a cousin(also our business partner) .. in his.. SWIFT !!..

on our way back... i got behind the wheel... got this oppurtunity .. after a long time.. dont remember.. when i last drove vch am so passionate about !!

so.. the route has the most nortorious KASARA Ghaat... enjoyed my.. 1hr 45min drive !!.. frm Nashik to Bhagat Tarachand restaurant !!... it was 90Km run through the ghat..

i was impressed with myself.. behind the wheel.. after a long time... and didnt put a foot wrong.. an amazing drive !!

Mazza aagaya... no way near Ghaati driving on ghats.. lol ;)

All of a sudden !!!

2008-05-15T18:01:00.002+05:30

Yesterday... all of a sudden.. my cell phone Sony Ericsson T 610 ... my 1st cell phone... vth me for about 3 yrs and 8 months.. started acting up...

It wont charge !??! ... so.. it was dieing a slow death... called AB.. who had similar problem vth his phone... asked me to clean up the charging contacts... i tried.. no luck.. took to a shop... he said.. 500 bucks....

came back home... said.. will try other shops tomorrow... dad came back.. told him.. wot happened... he said.. "then buy a new 1.. i will giv u loan" ..

initially.. i was to buy... a new cell frm my 1st salary... but.. i jumped to grab this offer.. immediately.. went at 9.15 pm !!!.. to buy.. a new 1.. my latest priced possesion... Sony Erricson P1i ... ALL of a SUDDEN !!!

Accidental Benefits while cleaning !!

2008-05-14T13:49:00.004+05:30

As now-a-dayz... there is nothing much to do... typically.. the whole day goes in.. being online and surfing and chatting.. and.. evenings.. IPL is at rescue..

So have started cleaning cabinets, et al ... which are long over due...

Yesterday.. I cleaned up my PC and Music system Cabinets... while cleaning.. i dug out.. a few sutff... which i hav.. almost forgotten..

1st was the 1:500 model of Air India's 747 Jumbo !! ... which my dad had got on his way back frm Germany... now its graces its presence in my.. "Model" drawer.. which most of my frnds hav seen !!

2nd i got.. was... a handmade small boat made of cane... vch I got frm Saputara... it also finds a place in.. the "Model" drawer...

3rd... and the last.. by no means the least.... A self-assembler of Lamborghini Diablo SV 1:38 model... vch can b used as a pull-back toy car !!!.. wow... Last time me vth Mechie dost and AB.. assembled the V-8 Chevy Small block Street Rod Engine !!... it was an amazing experience.. now this assembly.. wont b tht challenging.. but.. will surely b fun !!

Look out for this space... for the experience... of this assembly task :)

Gala Spl. PIZZA !!!!!!!!!!!

2008-05-08T23:00:00.002+05:30

Most of my frnds knw of my cooking prowess... one of my ways of stress-busting... was not in gr8 mood... so thot to.. cook..
menu changed to pizza... so tht i can cook.. 4 the nite... instant smile.. mood bhi mast..
here's the recipe...
Ingredients:-
1/2 kg potato,
1/2 kg onions,
1/4 kg capsicum,
garlic to garnish,
cheese to garnish,
pizza base.

Method:-
Boil the potato's. Then chop the capsisum and onions. Simmer potato,onions,capsisum with 1 teaspoon oil. Add salt to taste. Keep this bater aside. Take a pizza base. Apply a paste of ketchup and green chutney, on the base. Spread at bater on the base. Sprinkle garlic. And then cheese. Put in oven at 170 C for 7-10 mins. And its ready.

It competely Indianized version of PIZZA.. thts a Gala Spl. PIZZA !!!

Baa Bapuji ni 20-20

2008-04-25T01:08:00.002+05:30

This is the guju play i saw 2day(24th april,08) ..
It was supposed to be: The play which revolves around an aged couple, who decide to disown their children because of the constant complaints by their daughters-in-law. The couple chooses to be independent and live life on its own terms. Their life becomes more interesting after they win a court case. A light hearted comedy about the perils of being old and unwanted.

The title suggests it b a comedy play... but it proved to be a forced comedy... with a few known and typical jokes placed like an asorted dinner which doesnt gel with the backdrop..

Patel.. a character who falls 4 every girl he sees is frnd of the old couple... also a lawyer by profession who has a record of losing all cases.. 120 in total.. which he has fought... I got very irritating for me when Mr. Patel couldnt concentrate to fight for his frnd against their sons on the 1st day of the hearing.. as the sons hired a female laywer... it was supposed to be an intense scene.. in vch the makers thought to put humor in it... it was ridiculous..

Overall as well.... the play was.. not tht gr8.. was typical soap-opera kinda thing.. vth fucked up comedy... and i think... no social relevance of the topic...

it was a no-show as compared to the last play i saw and i wrote about .. CHITKAR!!

Rebirth!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-02-26T23:24:00.002+05:30

Rebirth.. it certainly was... after the recent north trip vth... SIMSR frnds...

I just had a time of my life... did wotever i wanted to... enjoyed myself... wholly...

The high point was the jump frm a 35ft rock directly into the holy GANGA....

had to overcome my fears of water and the high jump... went to the edge of the rock... 5-6 times... and came back... but finally.. plunged...

I think.. nobody can explain... and replicate the feeling between the jump and the moment v hit water... it seems.. y rnt v hitting water... the feeling of the free-fall... is just amazing....

its REBIRTH for me

Shame O Shame !!!

2008-02-06T19:37:00.000+05:30

Recently v hav seen media goin to the dogs.... ppl just wanting to make up any news and get tht breaking news at the bottom of screen...

recently v saw... MNS and Shiv sena.. goin on rampage in the city and beating up Taximen... and Media is there to cover it.. and not come out to help the person who was getting beaten up !!!

seeing tht.. my blood was boiling !! ... and.. i really doubt the event.. how the hell was media present there to cover tht event.. it was a sudden outburst... i suppose its an agreement between political parties and TV news channels... parties get publicity... and news channels get tht all important BREAKING NEWS !!!!!!!!

and now look at this.... the madness behind BREAKING NEWS .... tht tooo... every1's fav hindi news channel... u guessed it rite ... AAJ TAK !!!

Stupid Me !!!

2008-01-30T01:23:00.000+05:30

I sumtimes write things... which i shld not hav written... some matters vch r very personal...
a few dayz back i wrote ... "Its a Beautiful WORLD out there, with beautiful ppl !! " ....
Wrote somthing abt Chemical Locha.... but i didnt realise the repurcations of the post... Stupid ME!!
chemical locha... the reason for tht too was me... and ppl strt finding fault at others... its makes things more difficult.. and writing personal things on open domain is bad.... the chemical loccha was bcoz of my fault... and ppl think it otherwise...
Got my fingures burnt enff... now.. no more personal stuff on this domain !!!
Stupid Me !!!!

A 10-fold Jump !!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-01-11T18:04:00.000+05:30

Around 1.5 yr back... i was sitting in a small room with about 12 other frnds of mine... and the list came out... i was in it.. with other 2 .... yeh.. had gone to Palghar for interview in a company... got my 1st offer letter... A Mechanical Engineer, with distinction... was paid Rs. 5000pm to be exact....

I took the letter, and said the personnel their, you havn't valued the talent properly. He says.. ok, will pay you 6000/- .... what a joke... I laughed at him... came back.. I still have that offer letter with me...

After 1.5yr... finishing off with my placements at SIMSR, 2day I got my offer letter.... its a 10 fold jump... thats valuing yourself !!!

Batti Band?!?!?! ... for wot?!?

2007-12-20T19:46:00.000+05:30

Recently.. a new campaign was launched on 15th dec 2007.... batti band.. vch insisted ppl.. to switch off their electricity frm 6pm-7pm .... logic being.. to reduce emissions ..

but... the logic is completely flawed... suppose if every1 switches off the lights and stuff... there wud b.. enormous amount of electricity loss... how.. as the concept of power plant engg. ... the base load plants wud anywayz b running... and i demand goes below base load.. the difference amount is wasted...

the solution for energy problem is to... use it wisely... v shld rather educate ppl to how effectively can 1 use electricity judiciously.... simple things like.. switching off TV's main power supply when TV is not ON ... can same significant amount of energy if practiced by 1 and all...

so.. organisations shld rather concentrate on.. education.. rather then.. BATTI BAND!!

Go .. DADA... Go!!!!!

2007-12-09T23:11:00.000+05:30

The Bengal Tiger is back!!!

our beloved SAURAV GANGUALLY... is trully back.. tht too vth a bang..
the controvery surrounding .. him being dropped frm side is thing of the past...
b4 tht he was know was his extraordinary leadership and motivational skills... vch made him most successful test captain of INDIA
now.. he is the come-back kid of indian cricket.. an epitome of determination and grit...wot has this transpired into... the highest individual score by an indian left-handed batsman!!!

LONG LIVE THE MAHARAJA!!!!!!!!

I am the "I" in INDIA

2007-12-08T22:24:00.000+05:30

"The day I was born in this country, this country was also born in me.

I can feel it running through my guts when I'm angry and throbbing though my veins when I'm glad. I am India and India is me.

Starting today, I have decided that i will not point fingers at anyone any more. Instead, those fingers will be pointed at me.

I am the system that does not work. I am the pothole on the road that doesn't get filled. I am teh FIR that doesn't get filed. I am the bridge that doesn't get built.

Everything that's wrong with this country starts with me. And will soon end with me. I am India and India is me."

These are a few inspiring words I recently came across.

1/10 gone... and now counting!!!

2007-12-07T10:47:00.000+05:30

yeh... thts the impact of positive thinking... the earlier post had an immediate impact... the fruits of positive thinking come from unexpected corner's

so.. 1 out of possible 10 gone... and now.. i wil strt counting!!!

Under the Shower!!!

2007-12-06T00:32:00.000+05:30

hmm.. so.. yesterday (05/11/2007) ... morning... a chilly morning.. went for a bath.. and straight into a relaxing hot shower... it was an amazing feeling... so... just sat.. and went for a swim into a waves of thoughts...

for past fortnight or so.. i hav been goin through huge mood swings... bcoz of placement debacles... and.. was really getting to me.. loads of frnds tired to make me feel good.. but.. swings continued..

so.. cuming back to the hot shower.... strted into a flashback mode... wot in my life have i not accomplished till now.. going back to the most crutial point of any1's carrer.. very early stages where careers r set... SSC... i aimed at abt 75%.. not more.. i cud hav easily got it.. but.. lazy me.. thought.. 75% wud b enuff to get where i wanted to go... go got 74.40.. so i got wot i amined...

goin further.. wot next after ssc... diploma wot i narrowed down to... and the course.. MEch ( still cant understnd .. y ppl.. do IT engg) ... so the best course in mech diploma was in Fr. Agnel... aimed for it.. got it.. last seat in mech engg of tht year... again.. got wot i targeted...

again.. in next 4 yrs.. figured out.. there is no pt in studying much.. as even toppers too dont get addmission in bby.. hav to take a back door entry... but.. i had amined to top in 5th sem of diploma... i did tht.. vth 80% ... again got it.. goin futher.. got the admision thro backdoor entry.. for degree... most sensible decision i hav taken in my life.. by selectin.. PIIT as my college... a relaxing 3 yrs passed..

last yr... aimed.. to get a distinction... got it.. easily.. not much of a struggle... same old formula.. read a week b4 exams.. and the calculas in subjs wil get me to distinction...

in last yr.. wanted to do MBA.. gave CAT, NMAT, CET .... but.. alwayz aimed at gettin in SIMSR .. tht too via guju quota... even thought got good %tile in other exams.. but got wot i wanted.. but.. after a struggle... yeh.. also.. abt CAT... had a huge verbal fight vth a close relative.. whose son was also giving CAT vth me.. and.. he strted.. very bad tasted attack on me.. tht.. how unprepared i was... this was a night b4 CAT... i couldnt take it.. i thought.. i hav to crack CAT... didnt think.. of gettin into IIM's... got wot i aimed.. cracked CAT.(ofcourse surpassing his son by a huge margin) ....

so... uptill know.. i hav really got wot i hav aimed at.. easily.. or after a lot of struggle... so this placement thingz is just 1 such thingz... i fact after just getting into SIMSR... i hav realized tht its better u get it after a thoda struggle.. u tend to value thingz more...

SO.. finally.. block is cleared... dont need to fear abt anything, any1, any kinda competition...

only thing i need to overcome my fears....

again.. my favourite line...

IF IT IS TO BE, IT IS UP TO ME

A few apt words!!!

2007-11-30T22:43:00.000+05:30

i just came across my horoscope of 2day at the end of the DAY!!! here is goes..

"Certain aspects of your life may not be unfolding according to your plan these days, yet you can make choices to put yourself back on track. Flexibility will likely get you further now than trying to maintain your current position. Even if circumstances seem immovable, visualize your destination and then work hard to make it real. "

these lines just seem to perfectly fit the state i am in.... but.. last line give me more hope and encouragement!!!

Gloom has set in!!!

2007-11-28T23:53:00.001+05:30

Placement season is in full swings.. companies r coming-in in heaps.. everyday!! .. but still.... but still.. yeh still... I am yet to b shortlisted for any of them...

Gloom has set in.. vth lot of self-doubt... and thinking.. all sorts of things.... so.. get jhatkas frm time to time.. and strt thinking.... but.. frnds come to rescue and.. help out.. but still but still.. yeh still... thoughts come...

But.. i need to.. reassure myself... untimately... If it is to be, it is up to ME!!!

Diwali was back this year!!!!!!!!

2007-11-12T20:57:00.000+05:30

After a long time.. had such a good time during diwali... since last 8 yrs.. yeh.. 8... i have never enjoyed diwali as much as this...
after ssc... hav been giving exams just after diwali... b it diploma or degree or 1st yr of mms ... but this yr.. exam got over.. and a lot more relaxed..
so as alwayz.. had loads of social visits.. catchin up vth cousins and uncles and aunties .... lot more fun!!!

Rangoli - Attempt 2

2007-11-09T23:28:00.000+05:30

hmmm .. Day 2... had loads of social visits... came home at 11pm ... wot to do now.. aaj ke liye.. only this stencil walla... direct... took 1/2 min to finish this 1 ...

i will give myself 1/10 .... :( ... but.. kal.. vth full dedication.. i wil make... last attempt!!!

Rangoli - Attempt 1

2007-11-08T23:02:00.000+05:30

2day was my 1st attempt to put a rangoli alone.. the result is illustrated in pics below :-

I wil give myself 2/10 .. but.. wait for tomorrow's pics ... i am sure.. i wil improve!!!

A new Turn @ U-TURN

2007-11-07T13:27:00.000+05:30

So yesterday the 3rd exam got over(actually 4 papers are still remaining!!).. so the gang, like typical MBA's, did lot of brain storming (vch generally means arguing vth lots of abuses :P ) decieded to go U-Turn at khar

Lot of ppl hav acused me of not goin out of ghatkopar, not knowing the world outside, and stuff... but then... in my life thus far... the ppl i hang out with wont go anywhere... and my limited knowledge of these thingz didnt help in me dragging them out!!! so b it.. know i hav oppurtunity.. and i am cashin in on it... goin places.. experiencing new thingz..

SO v reached U-Turn after lot of waiting, pursuading, etc etc... a few ppl ditched, a few left early... but finally v were 14 of us..

Its a nice place near stn in Khar(W) ... 2 sections a/c and non a/c .... vth non a/c being a open terrace.. the open terrace v selected.. a table .. in fact a huge 1... besided the DJ ... and easily 15 odd can sit around it.. the setting was really good...

The food was decent... and for drinker's it was a nice setting.... also it had a TV screen.. so.. a good setting for sporting events.... then came the hukka .. i tried it.. it was my first time... tried my hand... more than a few times.. but couldnt get the hang of it... i looked unskilled against Pro's like... MD, VS, JV, SM ...

All in all a fun experience.. enjoyed every minute of it... and ppl.. I ventured out!!!

Its a New turn at U-TURN !!!!!

Friends!!!!!!!

2007-11-04T12:06:00.000+05:30

Friend:-A person you know well and regard with affection and trust (thts wot wordweb says)

But.. can any1 actually define frnds, or frndship??
sum1 recently asked me... abt me and a frnd.. r v "best buddies" ?? wot do i say to this...

For me frnds r ppl..vth whom i like to interact/share/fight/argue/giggle/laugh/crack PJ/showoff ... all possible emotions known to mankind... i wud luv to experience vth my frnds..

Most of us have a school frnds.. and.. they cant b compared vth any other kind of frnds made latter on... school frnds can b just taken for granted.. and thts spl abt them...

For me.. the latter on.. in diploma dayz made a few frnds.. but all.. parted... hardly a few in touch.. tht too on quaterly basis over phone calls...

Then came degree... and.. made a couple of good frnds.. fellow mates travelling... and mayb frnds forever...

But the emotions i was talkin abt... didnt happen much in last 2 cases...

Now the recent bunch... its a huge bunch.. isnt it... throwing a party, ppl hav to think twice to take care of the sheer volume ;) :P

But yeh.. i experience all the above emotions... vth MD, SB, CT, RS, KP, AI, AB, AV, NP, AK, MS, KD, and many many more... list is not at all exhaustive...

This is post a Tribute to all of them!!! U all ROCK !!!

Great Escape!!!!

2007-11-01T01:00:00.000+05:30

Yeh it was... the other day... my 1st paper of this 3rd sem exams... the boring LAW paper... i sat... wrote.. foxed by a few questiosns.. looked here and there... and.. wot i c.. SM(my langotiya yaar) wrote the pointers for an answer for me.. on the back of q-paper... i started writing..

but then the invigilator changed.. and the new one.. found sumthing fishy!!! came.. chked... i said," i hav written down pointer for my reference" ... as a god send angel.. he just changed my q-paper... and gave a new 1 !!!!!

How close can it get!!! ... never doin it again.. especially nothing on q-paper!!!

Nostalgia.... all fell apart

2007-10-24T23:02:00.000+05:30

just a sentence... i am missing everyone...

Chitkar!!!

2007-10-24T01:58:00.000+05:30

Chitkar.. a Guju play.. i watched yesterday(23/10/07) .. watched a play after a really long time in a theater ... and wot a play it was... amazing truely amazing ... a few stats abt the play (now i am talkin like a MBA ;) )

Chitkar ... most successful guju play ever.. 1st played abt 25 yrs ago!!! yeh .. 25!!! this 1 was its 761st attempt ... its among the top 10 plays in the world...

The story is based on true life incident which had happened in Gujarat some years back. The drama is pretty old, infact it ran packed houses for 15 years and they discontinued it because it was affecting the lives of the actors. Playing role of mentally challenged person is not that easy I guess. Sujata Mehta in the role of Ratna (Mentally challenged person) was just too impressive. Hats off!! Infact.. Sujata Mehta is the only actor who hasnt changed.. for all other characters, actors hav changed over the years...

Apart from this, the story... being 25yrs old... for a moment i didnt feel.. tht this is not possible in today's world .. everything seems so relevant even in todays senario ... I wud say a MUST SEE!!!

Mitesh Kaka - The Teacher!!!

2007-10-13T16:48:00.000+05:30

Yesterday(12/10/07) .. i went a cousin's place... to pick up a parcel..
there i was.. reached ... but.. cousin.. uncle.. anuty.. not there.. only bhabhi and.. 3 kids..

then comes niyati(cousins old daughter... in 1st std) .... and tel me.. "kaka homework karayo" (help me do my homework) ...

it was a little comprehension.. of tom and jerry... and then questions related to the para... i was so difficult to make her read... as.. to us it seems so easy and trival.. 4 them.. its like rocket science... totally challenging...

A new wave in Indian Sports - Chak De!!!!

2007-08-30T21:53:00.000+05:30

Yeh.. its true... i sense something...

btw... indian sport doesnt start and end vth CRICKET!!!

wot timing the movie was released...

Straight away after the release... India... in cricket wins... a Test Series in England.. after 21 years.. tht too.. defeating an England team.. which hasnt lost a home series in last 5 years... tht was good...

The movie.. also.. got into limelight.. the women hockey.... hmm..

A wave has been created.... a new Spirit of Indian Sports.... CHAKE DE!!!!

The icing.. just came.. yesterday... in India Football....

i am not a gr8.. football fan at all.. nor do i follow... the various club championships...

Yesterday.. while scrolling channels.. i came accross a match - India v/s Seria ... ok.. but.. i didnt change the channel.. vch i otherwise would hav... the reason being.. india 1-0 ahead.. ok.. tht hav been wiped out in past... but.. the time was 93 mins.... ok.. this is cool....

Then.. India eventually won.. i saw.. fanatic celebrations... by players.. the crowd.. also. the commentators where shouting there lungs out.... i was like.. this isnt oridinary win..

It wasnt... India had won.. Nehru Cup .. ok tht ment it was a final.. vch i obviously.. dint know... i thought.. tht might b a fluke.. but then.. hearing the progress in the tournament by india.. i was pleasantly surprised... v had beaten a team 6-0, bangaldesh by 2-0... lost to seria.. but.. then.. beat turkey 3-0 to reach to finals..

The suprising part.. v won this cup for the first time ever after 56 yr it started!!!!!!!!

But.. it was in delhi... in a ground.. tht was packed to rafters... the atmosphere comparable to any cricket match in india.... the crowd.. also.. vth loads of placards of the same Chake De theme... more over... the Football fedration head.. was.. also.. running on the ground like a young kid... was celebrating vth the squad.. it was a pretty site..

Let all the Sports... Ride high on this new wave... CHAKE DE!!!! INDIA!!!!!

Indian Cricket - Succession Planning Nightmare

2007-08-23T14:30:00.000+05:30

So... it seems India Cricket is getting back on its feet... slowly but surely... test series win against England was good.. before tht... one-day series win over South Africa... so.. things getting back a bit... its good

But... wots sad to see .. especially in test squad (which is doing better than the one-day unit) .. is the BIG FOUR.... Sachin, Dravid, Dada & Laxman ... r the center of the batting..

Wots sad to see is tht none of the youngsters are able to break these fabulous four... kaif is back to wilderness... Yuvraj.. isnt tht gr8 test player...

These four will b retireing very close to each other... and there could b a huge hole.. and v can see a big dip in the Indian Cricket...

It this situation building up to b a classic case of Succession Planning... or lack of it ?!?!?!??!

Chak De!! India!!!

2007-08-14T21:32:00.000+05:30

Finally a flim from bollywood, entirly dedicated to a sport... others vch v had were not excatly concentrated on a sport, but to much more drama in the players life... like laagan & Aval number..

Chak De!! India!! .. here v hav a film concentrating on a sport & the issues related to sport.. & not the personal life of player... amazing film... good screenplay... gr8 acting.. has to b as.. SRK is around.. all in all a complete entertainer..

I saw the film 2day was a perfect setting.. India winning Test series yesterday & i was all so charged up.. also tomorrow being our independence day.. so..was bang in between 2 events relating to "Chak De!! India" feeling.. only dissapointment being.. not seeing this 1 with few more frnds.. & especially AV .. who too was so keen to see this 1 ..

TJW - v r back together ... I am loving it !!!

2007-08-12T21:13:00.000+05:30

So... v r currently working in full steam on TJW .. the ice breaker event for Jr.'s ..
every1 is so motivated to put up a good show.. & really break the ice ..
personally myself.. there r 2 things vch is motivating me to do this..

1st & for most is ... giving Jr.'s a good wellcome.. & atleast they shld know more Sr.'s then v did.. v hardly knew any1

2nd is .. tht me finally doing something tht i hav never done.. & i am enjoying this...

3rd .. this i realised very lately.. v r back.. v.. yeh v... v r finally back together.. v means.. MMS A.. back to those old days... v r all up to something again.. i am really loving it.. back to those masti.. those brainstorming (usually is shouting) hahahah.. back r MD, AB, AK, mechie, KP, AV, NP .. &.. many many many many more ... i am really loving it...

Its indeed a small WORLD !!!

2007-08-08T21:36:00.000+05:30

Yeh.. now i completely endorse this phrase now...
Just was able to find out... tht my dad ... &.. RS (HR-wali re) ki mom... too were classmates...
i got so excited haha...
Then RS called me up.. after askin her mom.. &.. she too remembered my dad.. &... then... the old frnds had a conversation... cool na???

hahaha...

wot a moment tht wud b 4 them.. v get excited to hear frm a frnd. .. vth whom.. v havnt talk 4 a yr.. imagine... hearing frm a classmate... after some decades... gr8 gr8...

so... raise a toast... 4 them.. &.. ofcousre 4 me & RS... v hav followed the tradition.. hahaha

Full Timepasss I am doin.....

2007-08-07T13:46:00.000+05:30

haha.. yeh....

its 1.50 pm.. 7th of august... & i am.. in a perspective lecture....
some.. ppt's goin on... but.. luckily wifi on the last row.. :D

its such kind of day.. its raining outside.. mostly the transportation wud b out of gear... but.. v r enjoyin rite now...

FULL TIMEPASS .. I am doing....

It was that kinda day......

2007-08-03T11:47:00.001+05:30

Yesterday i had been to malad.. 4 sum social visit & sum work @ my office....

on our(me, mom,dad) way back... frm malad.. at around 9.45-10 pm... v took a rick... & our usual ritual.. of fixing the price b4 hand.. 100 was decieded & v boarded the rick..

IT started raining.. &.. our gr8 ricks... no virtually no protection.. against the water seeping in.. the flap is also useless.. v reached saki naka.. & the rick was kaput.. wont go anywhere... do.. on pro-rata basis(hahahaha).. gav him 60.. took another rick... it hardly reached 50 odd meters.. & tht too was kaput.. the driver said.. tht some wire was loose. & had come off...

So now.. the 3rd one... mom announced.. "trijo mangal"... its a pharse vch says its a 3rd phera of a wedding... hahahaha...

thankfully...... it reached to my place.. safe & sound.. but.. after v alighted.. it didnt start either...

as i told u.. it was tht kinda day....

My first Brush with management (or mismangement)... 5 years ago

2007-07-30T23:46:00.000+05:30

Ok... this was 5 years ago.. 7th sem of Mechanical engg. diploma.. at Fr. Agnel Polytecnic, Vashi...

V hav our.. final semester... project.. had a grp of 4 ppl... all guju's.. hehe

decieded to make ... flexible shaft bluffing cum grinding m/c.... seems like rocket science.. but.. just a complicated name of a simple m/c... it brush at management .. ;)

then... v .. had to do.. literature survey.. so as to... see.. reponse in the mrkt of the product... instead.. v utilized the time.. in chilling out at home.. makein a dummy survey.. seem so familiar to few of my mrktin frnds(read MD) ;)

then.. the dificult part began... mfging... & yaar.. it was dificult.. everythin.. tht cud hav gone wrong.. went wrong... seriously.. a nightmarish situation.. thts y.. planing is so important... i hav learnt... the tale of wot all went wrong.. is unfolding...

1st... had to make a shaft (4 those frnds. who dont get it.. 4 them.. its a round thing.. hahah) .... had to fit bearings(br no. 6025) at 2 places... tht had 25 mm dia.. on vch it was gonna sit... its a very critical dia.. & bearing needs to fit perfectly.. no loose fit.. i.e. if dia get less than 25 mm.....
& just happened.. was watchin my frnd workin on lathe.. the dimension came near to 25.. the overenthusiatic fellow.. gave excess feed.. & the entire shaft was kaput... fuck.. tht was the only thing remaining.. &.. 6 hrs of mehnat... was down the drain.. thank god.. tht particular material was provided by college.. & was not our expense...
Sir blasted... & said.. forget the shaft material.. he wud not provide it again.. shaft was the most curtial part.. & v had hit roadblock..

v purchased pulleys.. 2 in numbers... 1 fine day.. i was absent.. & my dear grp members... drilled holes. in it.. & kept it away.. it was the last part to put on the m/c while assembling...

then the housing.. the material was not b purchased by us... me & a frnd.. went to a end-piece shop in kurla.. & got a piece exactly as v wanted..also... 2 end pieces.. to cover our housing.. in total it wieghed 10 odd kgs.. got it at the rate of Rs. 17/kg.. v thought .. v hav got a gud bargain.. as our ppl.. had got it at around.. 20-25 Rs. /kg... v were happy..
As shaft had hit a road block.. v started work on housing... subsequently.. sir gave us.. another piece for shaft.. & i annouced.. tht.. i wil turn the entire thing.. no touch it.. as it was critical.. the shaft was done.. bearing fitted quiet well.. i was happy.. the Outer dia(OD) of bearin was to b fitted to the housing.. the housing turnins started.. but.. it wudnt churn the metal out.. the tools broke right.. left.. & centre... even a crabide tool was used.. but.. to no avail... wot to do now... tht enrite 10 kg block was now a waste.. got a new 1... Rs. 25/kg.. costliest of every1... tht turned out to b good... latter found out tht.. the previous metal was harder.. & as it was an end piece... it was even harder..
the houseing.. started taking shape... the critical breaing dia.. was declared as 62 mm.. (as bearin is 6025) ... v made it.. 61 mm.. just to check... try to fit the bearing.. wot do see here.. oooo... the actual bearing dia was 52 mm.... how cud v make such a huge blunder.. i still fail to understand...
now. wot to do.. any brillant engg solution. forget the end plate.. make a bush out of tht material.. vth.. od 62.. id 52... so.. this blunder was plugged...

most of the things were ready.. now time to put the pullies.. vch u remember..were already drilled.. wot do v see... the holes r out.. the pulley holes r not proper.. the reason.. it was to b done on a 3-chuck lathe... & not on a normal drill m/c.. where.. v hold the pulley by hand... got a huge lecture from our... sir...
those were waste now.. got another 1.. & drilled on a lathe..

then assembled.. & the m/c worked well...

finally...

this made me understand... how important is management in everything...planning, oragnaising. & all those stuff... v lacked everything.. then..

now i cudnt imagine.. how cud v able to commit every mistake.. tht cud hav been commited...

& the story above.. has .. lot less stuff.. made.. few more hilarious mistakes.. hahaha..

but hats off.. v cud complete on time... vth all these blunders... the most memorable.. & my 1st "PROJECT" -> FLEXIBLE SHAFT BUFFING cum GRINDING M/c .. By "G-Bros" (tht v tagged our grp)

Living life to its fullest - A SIX SIGMA & LEAN SIGMA Approach

2007-07-12T01:23:00.000+05:30

Six Sigma at many organizations simply means a measure of quality that strives for near perfection. Six Sigma is a disciplined, data-driven approach and methodology for eliminating defects.

Key methodology of Six Sigma is DMAIC i.e. Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve & Control ...

So wots its got to do with life... hmm.. got this while thought driving around Autobahn (ofcourse on my NFS - Porsche Unleashed .. hehe..)

We need a life which is disciplined.. tht is devoid of difficulties(i.e. defect in 6 sigma terms).. & v strive to improve our quality of life i.e. to hav much more peace of mind (& not pieces of mind .. haha) ..

So its quite linked up to Six Sigma ideology.. isnt it...

So.. now lets see.. can v use methodology of DMAIC to life....

Define - we need to define our goal(s) in life.. wot v really need from our lives.. how much... when..

Measure - we need to measure .. where our life is at the moment.. & thus how much v need to improve or put efforts to reach the defined point..

Analyze - So now we need to develop ways to reach to our goals.. & implement it ..

Improve - now we need to keep on improving the measures we take to develop oursleves..

Control - & also control the our progress...

ok.. now the above 5 steps look too childish.. yeh they r... but.. think if v r talkin of our goals related to change our outlook towards certain things...

v can also apporach our problem in also a very structured way.. any kind of personal problems.. v define wot is our problem... & measure.. the point of views of differnt parties involved.. analyze in a very neutral manner.. try & find ways to improve the situation .. & then the control can b carried out by.. reviewing how the things r workin out...

u may think.. tht the above is easier said then done... wel.. yeh.. u may b right.. but.. attaining 6 sigma level isnt piece of cake... remember.. its just 3.4 defects per million... so.. our life wil b so easy & smooth...

now.. how can b an easier approach b more useful... its abt lean sigma

Lean Sigma basically talks about Conquering complexities...

To apply it directly to our lives... v need to reduce complexities of our lives...

v try & tend to make our lives complex & end up geting upset of things... the major two reasons tht i feel of this are... assuming things & having expectation from others

v tend to assume.. tht this person should react in such a manner... he should hav done this & that... havin preconceived notions also dont help much...

other part.. having expectation... it goes hand in hand vth assuming things... expectations from others puts a lot of burden between relationships... if v just keep on doing our thing... others r tend to follow soon... just v hav to b a bit pateint... expecting them to follow immediately... or how soon... wil also increase complexity

to.. reduce complexities in life.. do ur thing... & keep the rest on time.. everything will happen ur way if ur sure wot u r doing...

I really dont know.. wot i hav been thinkin in linkin up strategic management theory & life.. is it right or wrong... or is it some completely outrageous idea...

looking forward to ur comments...

Baa Bahoo aur Baby - A Tribute

2007-07-05T19:10:00.000+05:30

Ok... 1st i must clarify.. i am not at all into serials.. not at all... i only see 1.. & this is the 1..

A complete family entertainer...a comedy... vth some message ... no bitching .. no stabbing in the back stuff...

Wot 1st clicked to me... a joint family .. ok tht every other soap.. but no vapish character .. now thts a rarity...

Every character defined so meticulously a ting of humor in each of them...

The most loved character of the lot... & definately of the majority of viewers ... GATTU...

Fantastic mannerism.. & acting of Deven Bhojani is just mind blowing...

All in all .. A complete family entertainer... vth no dark side to it..

Insecurity - Leads to Development or Disaster

2007-06-20T00:02:00.001+05:30

Insecurity(noun): 1 - The state of being subject to danger or injury
2 - The anxiety you experience when you feel vulnerable and insecure

So tht goes the dictionary meaning... hmmm... 2nd 1 fits better in the context of this post...

So.. v see insecurity in every1.. everywhere... its some kinda insecurity.. may b regaurding their carrer... realtionship... monetary... social security... etc.. etc..

So.. these insecurities... say for example in out carrer.. help us... to put in more effort... to pump in more steam in our work/studies.. to reach a state where v think v wud b secure... & from there the cycle starts again...

Some motivation theory can b linked to this.. surely.. like maslow's... reaching to the top of pyramid... "self actualisation"

Thus basically leads to development of individual... if he/she takes it positively.. something like "constructive criticism"

But v hav also seen... insecurity breeding the moth in our society... ppl.. takin steps which are socially not justifiable...

V hav recently heard.. dacoits in action in navi mumbai areas... these r ppl feeling insecure monetarily & committing heinous crimes ...

Thus.. this kinda behaviour leads to disaster... hmm.. so.. now.. wot do v do...

I wud say... redifine the measure of security... say... someone wud reach self actualisation after satisfying just 2-3 levels of needs defined by maslow... is it possible...

Did our ancient sadhu's & our god who reached moksha did something like tht...

These questions are open for us to debate...

The GREAT INDIAN RAILWAYS!!!

2007-06-11T18:52:00.000+05:30

Most of us Mumbaites are aware of our suburban railwayz... western, central & harbour... arranged from bad to worse..

I hav been travelling in Harbour line(worst of the 3) for 3 yrs.. & now again for about 45dayz after a gap of year...

2day was the worst day... even bad then a day where during my 7th sem engg. exam some overhead wire broke & train went no where.. & then i had to go back home & take maruti 800 till panvel.. & i eventually topped in tht paper in my college ;)

but 2day was a bizzare day... i generally catch 10.06 ST frm chembur... generally this train arrives b4 time by 10.03 - 04.... 2day i reached stn at 10.05... thank god train hadnt arrived yet...

but it didnt for next 15 mins... now.. thts bad.. in such hot & humid conditions in formal attire.. i was sweating a lot... finally the train arrived.. & was surprised to see a new local vth the display in the front of the train.. i thought "waah!! Harbour line has improved"...

at snails pace reached kurla... & didnt move frm there for 10 mins... then again.. started.. & reached wadala... but arrived on platform no.3 instead of 4... so.. ppl rushing & pushing .. to get down frm otherside.. rather than the usual...

didnt move frm there for 10mins... ppl out of train .. wondering.. wot has happend... suddenly a wise guy started BARKING on the anouncing system... some ppl could decode tht langauge & translated it to me as "The train is broke & will b going to Carshed"...

Darn!! now hav to hop over to other platform to catch a train...

But wot has happend to the anouncing system inside the train.. i see a speaker in every compartment... & this being a new train.. it should hav worked & informed ppl in advance..

Rather... ppl had to rush .. saw ppl jumping on the tracks.. & like a typical hindi movie climax sequence.. there where more obstacles for our mumbaikar hero's... the gutter between the track was set on fire...

The sence could hav been so better if just tht anouncing system inside the train had worked...

So i guess... b4 introducing A/c trains.. these basic issues should b addressed

HOME ALONE!!! - Day 1

2007-05-31T00:05:00.000+05:30

Since mom-dad out of town.. had to wake up early at 7... take milk.. collect newspaper...

thought then take a short power-nap .. & will wake up @7.30...

but instead woke up at 8.30!!!!! tht too thanks to mom calling up in the morning...

then... hurriedly soaked the clothes to be washed...

then a messy business of take malai frm the milk.... some how did tht...

then the big task of washing the pot & filling the water.. last time i tried it.. broke the pot ... hahahahaha...

Day1 no casualties.. thank god..

saw the clock.. it was9.15 ... SHIT.... still had to take bath.. pooja.. etc ..

should hav left home by 9.30... but it was 9.45... missed the bus.. took a rick to chembur...

no breakfast.. directly had my first meal at 1.45 -> lunch...

then a meeting at 4... lasted till 8.30pm.... this was the longest i had stay back in RIL...

rushed back home.. as i thought.. i had forgotten to latch the door...

then.. still had to cook... for dinner... had my 2nd meal at 10pm...

Day 1... on a scale of 1-5... 5 being best... was 2... as missed lot of things...

Lets home i hav a better DAY 2....

Check this space to the latest..

Mango Slice!!!

2007-05-29T19:23:00.000+05:30

No.. i am not talking about the cold drink...

i actually was trying to slice a mango for me... by virtue of mom-dad gone out of town.. hehe

& the slices were terible... i was not slicing the mango... felt like murdering it..

It was hard for perfectionist like me to take... i had to improve.. but how... no one at home... kya karu????

Lets see can the net help me???

Here it goes:--- http://www.wildoats.com/u/departmentprint173/

hmm... now.. have 5 dayz.. to be a master at this... before mom-dad come back...

by then i guess.. i wil use the knife not as a butcher.. but as a surgeon :D

STRESS!!!! - We all are LOVING it....

2007-05-27T14:48:00.000+05:30

Statutory warning:- Stress is injurious to health

Noun: STRESS(stres): a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense (courtesy: wordweb)

Stress has become a new fashion... its the in thing... everyone wants to be in some amount of stress...

People are taking more commitments then they could possibly fulfill.

Its now not just goal oriented thing... where people want to acheive something.. but.. they dont want to be just want to be overworked... becoz thts the fad...

Now-a-dayz... if someone comes on time at party.. it is considered... he/she might be out of job!!!!

Because of stress... ppl r attacked by a zillion ailments...

A WHO study says... tht India will be the capital of heart ailments by 2010.. as .. 60% of world heart patients will be from India...

Is it 1 of the by-products of growing economy??... or ... because of the new fad - stress??...

Or both of them related... by virtue of stress = creative tension (remember a GOE reading??)

Its a debatable question.....

Diverse Organisational Cultures....

2007-05-19T19:58:00.000+05:30

I seem to be on a roll... 2nd post in a day... ;)

But had to express this...

Started thinking about it after reading another post... "Access Policies in Companies - Wats your take??"

How different organisation culture differ.. & the you cant find a similarity between the two.

Something like this .. i am experience these dayz...

My first expirence in an organisation was in Air India Ltd... A typical PSU... employees not at all bothered about output.. as they could not be chucked out...

Then came Larsen & Toubro Ltd.... A fantastic organisation, I believe... fantastic atmosphere... gr8 ethics & formalization accross levels..

Now .. Reliance Industries Ltd... aaa... too early to comment.. but.. early signs .. suggest.. tht it is not matching to mine expectation, especially after my previous organisation (a hint of R. Patil here ;) )..

But after reading above blog... i found tht... some simple things like.. "how tea/coffee is served" makes such a difference in the thinking & thus the culture...

In RIL.. the tea/coffee.. is served directly on the table.. & there is a something unique here... to a few at the top.. are served tea in a cup with a saucer.. & to others only in cup... something small thing like this... show tht @RIL they want to make distinction between the two classes..

On the other end... In L&T.. the tea/coffee container was kept at a corner of the dept. at everyone who wants it.. himself goes & takes it... & everyone.. means... everyone.. up & down the organisation ladder... wot it does is... 1st of all the atmosphere is quiet good.. every1 treated equally...

One more thing the 2nd system does.. is that.. it gives time for employees for themselves.. as they move out of there places.. take a walk.... & relax from there work a while... which is not in the 1st system...

Such small things can be interpreted as .. in RIL.. they want people to take fewer breaks.. whereas in the 2nd system.. leisure time is given..

I also observed the satisfaction level in both organisation.. & the difference is very evident... so the relationship I am trying to draw just from the serving of tea/coffee.. is justified or not... I am letting them u all to judge....

Melting Pot v/s Salad Bowl

2007-05-19T19:09:00.000+05:30

What do u think is possible... a society ... termed as melting pot or a salad bowl..
A society can ever be termed as melting pot?... any society for that matter??

The Melting Pot is a metaphor for the way in which homogeneous societies develop, in which the ingredients in the pot (people of different cultures and religions) are combined so as to lose their discrete identities to some degree, yielding a final product which has a more uniform consistency and flavor, and which is quite different from the original inputs.

The US of A was 1st to be know as melting pot of various culture... the metaphor was attached to the US after a modernized adaptation of the play romeo & juliet was called THE MELTING POT.

But is it possible to have such a society... can people act in ways different to their cultures & religions??

I believe not... its not quiet possible..

A more reasonable way to describe a cosmopolitian society would be a SALAD BOWL

A Salad Bowl in which ingredients in the salad (people of different cultures and religions) are combined so as to maintain their discrete identities to some degree, yielding a final product which has a quiet unique in its own way, and which is not quite different from the original inputs.

I guess the latter is more approriate do describe advance societies.. like of the US & other developed nations....

So where are we heading... to a melting pot or a salad bowl??

Or for that matter, does melting pot exists??

I leave these questions open...

Do contribute...

Tech"KNOW"logy

2007-05-15T22:13:00.000+05:30

Vol. 1 :

Technological waste

Anyone who has bought a cell phone, a digital music player, a computer, or other electronic product knows the problem – the technology changes so quickly that your purchase is often outdated within months. This is a source not only of mounting frustrations and expense, but also of mounting hazardous technological waste (Electronic waste).

Electronic waste is a valuable source for secondary raw materials, if treated properly, however if not treated properly it is major source of toxins. Rapid technology change, low initial cost and even planned obsolescence have resulted in a fast growing problem around the globe.

So along with growing concerns of global warming, handling technological waste is also a challenge for our generation & generations to come. So lets vouch, that we all will be more aware of how to handle e-waste and also spread the awareness.

Reboot for Thought
(this will be the special feature in every vol. of Tech"KNOW"logy which gives some interesting facts)
A Laptops use 50% of energy used by a typical desktop when plugged in & just 1% of the energy when running on batteries

(please give your insights, suggestions as i am planning to make it a monthly affair)

A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow

2007-05-06T17:59:00.000+05:30

The title perfectly fits the kinda week this has been. the week started with few social visit.. then catching old friends...

& then started the big step.. the summers... a very somber beginning.. did nothing the whole day...

was down with the job at hand... a day passed.. then two... then got the much awaited spanking frm her again... my frnd..

truely speaking.. was waiting for tht.. ;-)

& now refocused.. & up & running again...

those few days.. really epitomize these words..."A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow"

But now i am up & kicking again...

BEWARE.... MLG is back... & really mean BACK...

Check this space for the latest development on this...

God is GREAT!!!!!!

2007-04-26T20:34:00.000+05:30

It was sunny day of 24th April, 2007. Time: around 1p.m. 5 innocent souls sitting merry in a Maruti 800. Waiting to take a right turn once the way is clear.

A Sumo passes by. Then comes a brown coloured TATA tempo. Speed around 60-70kmph. Slams right rear of the car & then starts the long journey..............

Lucky guys escape unharmed...

A vacation turns into an ordeal......

Faces of 9 friends is covered by grim reality....

Then began the bureaucratic procedure... police station.. statement ... panchnama..

My 1st visit to a police station.. & tht too for around 6-7 hrs at a stretch... system needs to b changed...

Alls well tht ends well...

God really was grateful to all of us...

Those Benches Wont b the same Again :(

2007-04-06T23:10:00.000+05:30

2day... last official day of 1st yr.... :(
had a blast whole yr round... 2nd sem for me was the best... i opened up...
made more frnds...
Life really is rockin... or was..... now???
Last day was a somber climax of the yr.... every1 just left.... exams frm monday...
1 wish left unfulfilled... sittin alongside... now a gud frnd... AB... :( ... had planned it.. but didnt work out
My mechie DOST... had also plans for a clickin session.. tht too unfulfilled... :(
everybody on their own now...
will miss my angels... & truely "angels" for me...
hope rendezvous vth CT continues...
& who can forget MD.... dont hav words.... Our BBA & Spastic society... The SIPSR...

:( :( :( THOSE BENCHES WON'T BE THE SAME AGAIN :( :( :(

Miles to go before i sleeeep...........

2007-04-01T12:43:00.000+05:30

Wot a hectic week.... projects... submissions... et al.. flying all around.... but finally its all over till the exams finish..
Now can finally concertrate on studies... hav to figure out a way to finish 10 subjects in 7 dayz.....
hehehe ... lets see how...
Saturday was very very.... stressful day.... 11 hrs at a stretch doin only RM analysis... uff.... but somehow managed to finish it off...
but it also messed up my sundayz plannin... sumhow how managed to mis-place 1 of my notes... oh .. ho
so now startin sumthin else.... our dear sumeet's subj...

Definately.... MILES TO GO BEFORE I SLEEEEEEP....

Count down Begins

2007-03-26T23:00:00.000+05:30

Finally starting my blog. took real pains to get the title for the blog. did soul searching... lot of brainstorming... The result was this.... Mitesh's Well Rounded Thoughts... god know who suggested this me.... but long live tht person...
for starters this much is enough... still not used to this