Combined Transport for the Delhi Run 1 Nov 2009!

All runners from Gurgaon, let's do ourselves and our environment a favor, and have fun while at it: Let's organise a bus (or two!) to take everyone from Gurgaon and back!!
I'm from TCS - Tata consultancy Services, Gurgaon, and am one of the co-ordinators for the run. We have approx 20 runners coming from Gurgaon side and want to hire a bus to go to the venue together. Everyone is invited to join in, also to help us find a trustworthy service that will take us there safely and back!
Benefits:
1. No tension : Park your vehicle at the office, sit back and enjoy the long ride to Nehru Park, Delhi. Save all your energies for the run.
2. Enjoy : It's time to re-live those college trip days, with making new friends and a good dose of antakshiri and foot-tapping thrown in!
3. Save : Fuel, carbon footprint, climate, parking space, everything!
Please send me your list of runners, with name, email, contact number, running number; and pickup point in Gurgaon on nikhil.js@gmail.com and nikhil.sheth@tcs.com. All expenses will be shared on per head basis.

16 Habits of Highly Effective People

I've been reading a website called Tickled By Life that my friend Ritu pointed me to once, she's done some articles in it.
The site was started in 2008 and collects amazing articles on life, self-help, personality development, happiness and the like.

Check this one out... 16 Habits of Highly Creative People
(THIS should answer many questions!)

It's an awesome read... seems like a personality description of the 13th sign of the zodiac -- for ppl who are truly 'out of this world' !!

11th hour for the fossil fuel dinosaurs, and we're buying them up!

I'm seeing so many print ads around me these days... so many awesome cars at unbelievable prices. I'm also reading in the news about India's automotive sector zooming ahead.

This is a conundrum : Higher demand, and cheaper cars??

There's got to be something we're not seeing. Well, at least something You're not seeing.
Electric cars are here. So are hybrids. Tesla Motors, Nissan, Toyota, even GM and all the Chinese makers are going into it big-time.
It's not just about economics. Look at your environment. The developed countries are smarter than you are, and they've started planning already, while you run around gaping at those ads.

All automakers are trying to dump as much petrol and diesel vehicles in India, Asia, Africa etc as they can, coz in a year they won't be able to sell their pollutant shit anywhere, with electric and hybrid coming in the thousands and revolutionizing the auto sector.

Video : My crappy humorous Speech

I ain't particularly proud of this one, but hey, it's better than what You can do...

Modern, sophisticated, enslaved

This article is dedicated to our modern-day sophisticated women, mainly all those who actually or secretly like posters like this one:


Sorry about that, but hey, I couldn't say no ;) Anyways, back to the bashing...
At this juncture, I'd like to give due regards to the fairer sex - the ladies. They have single-handedly dumped the world into one big trash can with their incessant shopping and materialistic desires. Research has shown that women today prefer shopping to sex. So complete hedonist waste is now better than a natural, nourishing act. (Oh, grow up, your parents practiced this a 100 times before they could concieve you) You don't really find this (wo)man-made preference preceding natural instincts that alarming, right?

My rock stars are different than yours

Here's a recent advert by Intel:



It shows people crooning for a scientist who's the co-inventor of the USB drive, treating him like a rock star.
It got me thinking: Someone like me must have made this ad! Man, i so identify with that feeling -- the world has a seriously stupid-inside idea about superstars, idols, heroes and all the like.

"Our rock stars aren't like your rock stars" - right on!

Now, at this point we're at danger.. of ignorance. You can just have a laugh, and switch back to whatever was entertaining you. Or, start thinking about it. Are we crediting the people today who should be credited?

When things like better cars, roads, medical care, housing for all, state-of-the-art airports, railway stations, stadiums, malls, educational institutions etc are introduced, we praise the politicians who come late and cut a red tape. But they didn't do anything. We praise Amitabh Bachhan for Kaun Banega Crorepati, and for ushering in a new wave where so many common people got a chance to make it big.

But you've been wrong all along.

Dandiya for Dummies

me: jo bhi milta hai, ek hi cheez poochta hai : u know dandiya?
friend: u gujju ...hai na?
me: like, i wouldn't be a gujju if i didn't c'mon...
10:53 PM friend: no generally i m asking :)
me: and then next sentence "i don't know dandiya"
it's like saying "i don't know bhangra"
friend: i think it's quite interesting and enjoyable
me: what's there to know? bhabra: raise 2 hands in air and hop.
dandiya: raise 2 hands with dandiyas in air and step
*bhangra
friend: hmm
me: aaah u never gone to dandiya either, huh?
10:55 PM friend: nopes
me: but i've done bhangra plenty of times
anyways, women prefer the garba..
friend: garba and dandiya r different?
10:56 PM me: ya, very.
garba: no sticks. everyone goes around in a circle, swaying back and forth, hands at low level.
10:57 PM friend: k
me: dandiya : a pair battles it out, stick hitting stick to a much faster rythim
10:58 PM friend: hmm
me: when we guys do dandiya with full gusto.. it's best to stay out of the way.. u never know when the stick might hit u in its path.. it's soooo coool
11:00 PM but ladies usually prefer grace over speed... most of the time u don't even clash the sticks.. they just flick them like harry potter''s wands and go round n round
hey, this is good writing... let me blog this..

My Miscellaneous pictures collection

Misc 2009

Down Times

Why do we have down-times?
I'm not talking about sleep... Rather it's the regular periodic despair and inactivity we tend to slip into sometimes.
Like I did. That too on a Sunday. That too when I'd had a very fun and eventful Saturday, and in the morning I'd gone for 2 nice events, the second one of which i was brimming with energy and was voted best table topics speaker for the day.

After getting back, though, I just slipped into freefall. It was friendship day. Strangely I didn't miss anybody. I got some sms's from distant and near friends, to whom i replied back with a courteous "thanks, same to you". I didn't even call anybody. There were people on mind to call up and wish, but I didn't. I just lay there. Doing nothing. Weather may have played a role here.. it was a hot, troubling Sunday. The type where it's not even that hot that you escape to an air conditioned place; but not comfortable either.
I had a ton of things to do. Still do. It's a hectic week ahead. I even watched some movies. But I was depressed the whole day, having absolutely no reason to be.

Is this down time the natural negative part of the sine wave? All the positive words that have spurred me.. all just failed. Is it because even my roomies were sort of in the same boat; was it because of a shared consciousness prevailing in the house? Or is it that we inevitably will come across down times? Even now I'm having to struggle, just to will myself to get up and start doing things.

Maybe it's too many movies. Or too much activity that's taking a toll. Conversely, I haven't had any intense physical activity in quite some time. Could that be it? Would a few push-ups shake me out of stupor?
Anyways, still so many things to do.. have to arrange something at the office for Tuesday (tomorrow!). Haven't even booked a conf room yet. I just know that If I don't do anything about it, it's gonna flop. But still can't feel the drive. Maybe this blog might help...
Comments please!!

Toastmasters Videos!

Hi Friends,
I've been upto something lately.. Toastmasters.
Managed to get some videos up on youtube after lots of conversions n editing.. here's 2 of them!
Pls comment, and if you're on youtube, pls go to the original URL and rate the videos!

This is my 5th speech, the Illusion of Reality:



And this one's from our Installation ceremony.. when I was appointed VP membership of my club:



To know more about my club, check out:
http://jpkutoastmasters.bravehost.com/

What's toastmasters?? Find out on:
http://www.toastmasters.org/

Harry Potter - The Musical!

All Harry Potter fans out there, there's a new play just uploaded on Youtube

MUCH better than the movies, rib-ticklingly awesome...

Harry Potter - The Musical !!
These people had starred in the movies, then they wouldn't have been so oppressive! Amazing humour, and all the harry potter quips rolled into one! This was a one-show play done free of cost, that will never be done again... fortunately it was taped and now it's rocking the internet!
Note: listen with headphones on or with really loud speakers.

http://www.youtube.com/user/StarKidPotter

It's right now the 2nd-most subscribed youtube channel this week... Let's make it number 1! Subscribe and start watching right away!

Gujju + Punjabi wedding!

Jigar Pathak's Wedding 13-14 June 2009

HOW TO use Google Maps on your cell without internet connection

Google Maps is a terrific application. It gets even more awesome when you have it on your cellphone.
However, there's a catch... internet connection is a must. And, since it's all images, Google Maps is a pretty high volume app, continuously downloading some 100 kbs of data for everytime we move on the map! They do have a cache size but it's pathetically small, and invariably we need to dload when we move the map from A to B.

I thought there's no other way, until I came across this free mobile app: Mobile GMaps.
It's made by somebody else, open source, free, and it has truly empowered me by freeing me from my oppressively priced mobile net connection, and giving me the entire detailed road map of NCR region right on my cell phone!!

Do YOU want this on yours?? Well, of course you do! Here's how:

Help a cause-Let's invest socially! www.rangde.org

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime"

Charity.... doesn't work. Why? Because, you make the receivers of charity dependent on it. That's the reverse of independence. Noble as the intentions are, it's a one-time event where you lose money and the receiver doesn't get sustained support. To truly empower the lower sections of society, we have to do something to make them independent. And charity isn't the answer here.

http://rangde.org/rangde.htm
Instead, it would be better to make a small investment for social cause... we get the money back as this is not charity, but social investment in small-time entrepreneurs. Little as rs.500 also makes a huge difference. You can register yourself, and put in some amt using ur debit card. (I used hdfc netsafe.. it makes a virtual prepaid debit card with limited amt that's one-time use only... safety first)

We get the money back after about 1 yr . So what the heck, put in rs.500 at least, you're going to get it back anyways and you'll have made a big difference in someone's life as well!
 
So far they've had 100% rate of return, which is far better than most stocks today. It's based on a micro-credit system that was pioneered Bangladesh and won a Nobel prize for the enormous scale of upliftment it brought about in that country. These guys are trying to replicate that success here in india, over an online platform that instantly connects people with spare cash to hundreds of small time entrepreneurs who need the capital and will return that money once their business gets started. It circumvents the high interest rate borrowing system that is based in greed and is responsible for the present worldwide recession. Instead this platform promotes a nobler way of doing business by making maximum use of the wealth already available in society and generating more, without anybody's loss.

Ps:- pls "support" Harsh Thakkar from TCS Gurgaon who introduced us to this initiative and is running a 10K marathon for it this May 31st in Bangalore. See his blog, http://uniqideas.wordpress.com for details.
When you're making the investment on rangde, you'll see a Support button; click that and select Harsh from the dropdown and then proceed with your investment.

Cooliris

This one's the icing on the cake for all Firefox lovers... Now browse through image searches, photo albums, even youtube in total ISHTYLE!! Check out the Cooliris Add-on which converts a placid webpage into a 3D wall of pictures and videos!
The picture here is a cooliris view of one of my photo albums in picasa.

Poem about thin people

Friends, Healthy Dames, Lend me your fat,
For I am too thin and that's a fact!

My body disposes of every nutrition thrown at it
I've been called Skeletor and sometimes I really look like it

All those great-looking body-hugging tees, they melt my heart
Though if I put one on, I certainly won't look the part!

I can't feel my hands and feet in winters cold
While upon me many times my shirt will fold

When I stuff in more food to balance my BMI,
The signs aren't good, like floating interest on an EMI

My system suddenly reacts, disposes of the excess mass.
In forms of solids, liquids and, well, even Gas!

While most humans can stay afloat in water high enough to gulp air,
My Low-Vol, HD physique makes me sink like a wreck in the seas of despair.

My bones are always knocking about in the auto, bus or on the bike,
And don't make me go horseback or I shall jab the creature like a spike!

And coming back to clothes, O, you don't know the agony..
With all the cool clothes on, I'd look just like an exhibit of anatomy..
Not a jeans will fit well, either too baggy or not going under the knee.
Even a shirt with the right length of sleeves has a torso wide enough for two of me

What to do, 't was God's wish for me to be alag from the rest,
While the rest pray to shed it, I pray for just a little more, then I'd look my best!

We're all screwed one way or the other, do you get the gist
Heck, at least you don't have to see a child's fingers encircle your wrist!

Recent news events: what if we connect the dots?

Have you seen the movie, "The Day After Tomorrow" (2004)?

It includes a part where some choppers flying in the UK suddenly get caught up in an extreme drop in temperatures, get iced, and drop out of the sky.
The film was a total work of fiction which drew heavily upon prevailing scientific opinion, but was criticized for over-the-top predictions. The main criticisms from scientists was the time-scale. They said all these things were not possible in the short span of hours the movie shows, and that the extent wouldn't be so exaggerated.

Nature may be a little more imaginative.

'Ice build-up' on crashed plane http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7889764.stm

"The crew of a plane that crashed in New York state killing 50 people noticed "significant ice build-up" on its wings before it crashed, investigators say.

Analysis of data recorders recovered from the scene shows the plane made a series of severe pitches and rolls seconds before plunging into a house. "