avantiketkar

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

2006-06-06T21:25:00.001-07:00

The first book of Richard Bach that I read this week. Its a small book with a lot of pictures. The message the book gave was very strong and effective. I loved the indirect way of inspiring people to do what they want. Its amusing how the names of people given to the seagulls do not sound weird. I actually picturized the seagulls in the flock talking and fighting :) It sounds funny now...

I definitely feel the pictures added a great value but could have been more effective. The copy I read had them blurred and in greys.

I also found out that there is a mobie on this. Need to watch it...

You can read the book at:http://lib.ru/RBACH/seagullengl.txt

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

2006-06-06T21:25:00.000-07:00

To cut a long story short

2006-05-29T21:22:00.000-07:00

The last post was on May 17, 2005. So, a new post after a year :) Pretty obvious, I have been busy. Its not thatI have all the time in the world now, but I at least did something interesting that I can blog about...almost sounds like brag about :)

Now that I have changed my job and I started working in San Francisco, I have to be in a train every day for 35 minutes. Needless to say, the books came to my rescue. I read a 'non-technical' book after a long time and loved it. It was the short story book by Jeffrey Archer - To cut a long story short. Each of the stories has a completely different subject, even though most of them are in Europe. There are love stories, betrayals, love triangles, jealousy, coincidences and much more. Its factastic!

The one I liked the most was too many coincidences... just too good. I cannot imagine someone planning things so far and making sure that they happen that way! I also liked the one Chalk and Cheese.

This one was definitely better that The twelve red herrings and I hope to grab another one of his short story collection soon.

Saleen S7

2005-05-17T16:31:00.000-07:00

Wow.That was my first reaction and then I was speechless for a while

Isn't she a beauty?
This is how Forbes.Com describes it:
" Exotic supercars are extreme in every sense. But what to make of this claim: According to the Saleen S7 press release, its aerodynamic ground effects are so effective, and create so much down force (what holds a car to the road at high speeds), that even if you drove the S7 upside down at 160 mph on some sort of Hot Wheels roller-coaster track that exploded into real-life scale, the car wouldn't lose its contact with the road. Of course they didn't explain how they know this, and, sorry, we're not volunteering to test out the theory.

Meanwhile, the S7 power plant is decidedly less outlandish than its ground effects. The motor is derived from a Ford Mustang, then deeply modified. It's made entirely of aluminum, has stainless-steel valves with titanium retainers, and a high vacuum dry sump and stainless-steel exhaust. It breathes through roof-mounted intakes and is mated to a six-speed manual transmission. Power output is a claimed 550 horsepower, with performance of less than four seconds to 60 mph and a top speed in excess of 200 mph. "

"The S7 can look beyond super--it can look cartoonish. "
I kinda disagree....

"And the S7 has some fairly clever components: a video monitor instead of a rearview mirror (since how could you see anything aft via a conventional mirror, anyway?), and a removable steering wheel to ease entry and exit into the tight-fitting cabin.

But we still have to ask: With a new Lamborghini on the market, as well as a new Ferrari 575M Maranello coming, who wants a Ford-powered supercar?"

Wow....

Which one is better...

2005-05-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

The new Comcast connection provides more than 100 channels. I usually end up watching TBS though. "Very Funny" as they describe it! I whole heartedly agree with them. It is indeed very funny. SeinFeld, Everybody Loves Raymond, Friends, Sex in the City... they all come in a row. One of my friends, Varun, is a BIG fan of SeinFeld and watches all possible episodes every day. I bet he dreams about "the Kramer" every night (or every day?)! I started watching it with a bit of a reluctance since I didn't want to get out of the 'Friends Fever'. I ended up watching it for a couple of times and I would say its OK! Elaine overacts and she kindof gets on my nerves :) George is good. SeinField and Kramer haven't made any impression on me as yet! I guess I need to watch it more frequently or just stop watching it :)
I like EveryBody loves Raymond better that SeinFeld any day! Marry is the cutest old lady ever. She is weird but witty, aggressive but helping, selfish but honest. She and her husband make a perfect pair! Isn't it?
I watched Sex in the City and don't think will dare to do so again! Unless its the last thing remaining on the earth to do :) Too much fashion, too much sex, too much makeup! I can't take it.
So, whats the conclusion....

******** FRIENDS ROCKS!! ********

Call me crazy!

2005-05-11T14:27:00.000-07:00

Call me crazy, but its true. I have practically googled for all my friends' name. This includes my school friends, college friends, colleagues and many more. This is my favorite time pass! And its amazing that how I find out various things about them in no time. Is it weird?

Budday...

2005-04-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

This one was a good one. since mom was with me for my birth day after two years it was definitely a special one. We had a little party at home on 24th night with my friends here. Mom made a delicious dinner after a 7 hour effort. Boy, I am not sure if I can do that...ever! She made a lot of stuff, "vada-pav", "Pakatali puri" and "Green Rice" were the highlights. Thank god I haven't started counting calories yet :) I guess soon I will...
There was a creamy chocolate cake, candles, the birthday song and so on... We also had a small "Mafia" game where the mafias played it very smart :) It was a good break from "Settlers of Catan" after a long time. The party lasted till aroung 12:45 and then everyone realized that Monday started!! Then you know how it goes....
So, I worked the whole day Monday and went out for dinner with Mom, Sush and Varun. This is an Indian hotel in Bellevue called "Moghul". I had a HEAVY dinner.....again!! All in all it was a great birthday.

So, why was it special?

It was my last "single" birthday.....

Angels and demons

2005-03-27T16:52:00.000-08:00

Too long... that would be my first reaction. I started reading the book just because it is a prequel of Da Vinci.. But that is not unusual for me. I usually read part 2 of any story, like it and then part 1. Its funny but it works.
This book has the same Robort Langdon, a professor of symbology at Harward and solves all the mysteries. However, the clues this time lacked novelty. It was the same funda of killng the cardinals and branding the illuminati symbols on them. I got hooked up to the book for the first two days and then lost the enthusiasm. I finished it in around a month after that. Just because I kept postponing my reading. The last 50 or so pages have too much information, I feel. There are three to four twists to the story in the end. Thats a bit too much..
All in all, I would say its a 3.5 star!

Are you afraid of the dark?

2005-03-05T15:28:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am! I actually am. I sleep with at least two lights switched on. Guys find it funny, girls might not though.

This is the title of Sidney Sheldon's book that came in 2004 (I believe its the latest one). There are two central characters, stunningly beatiful as usual and one of them is afraid of the dark. Its a typical sidney sheldon story with a mix of revenge, mistery and affairs. The plot is interesting but I wouldn't say its one of his bests. I couldn't sleep that night till I finished it but thats normal with his books. Four different scientists work on the same project prima (a weather controlling system) and get killed in the different parts of the world. They all work for the same think tank KIG and the murders happen on the same day. The two heriones are the wives of two of these scientists and they unveil the truth. The culprit is very predictable but some part of the mistery comes as a shock. And as always, the last few pages are the best!

All in all, its a good book. If you are a big Sidney Sheldon fan, as I am, you will like it.

The student life

2005-02-11T16:43:00.000-08:00

"Enjoy as much as you can" my cousin told me when I was a student in Texas. "Since you won't get time once you start working!". That depressed me a little. Because I thought, if work life is more streessful than student life, I probably won't be able to stand it! Unfortunately(?) I could not "enjoy" as much during the student life, whatever the word means.

I feel that work life is much less stressful than student life. Of course, your responsibilities go up, and you need to be accountable. But its still better. Here are some major differences:

The first and the foremost: money. Even if you are stressed, you have money to take it out. Go out, watch movies, eat good food and blah blah. "Enjoy in your own way", without worrying about money. In school, think twice if you want to call a cab. And after thinking, don't call it :)

In school, get up in the morning, make your lunch, pack it and take it. If you forget to, or decide not to, Walk for 10 minutes, eat a subway and walk back for another 10 minutes. By the time you reach your office, the sub is digested! I know, I know, buy a bike and save time. Yeah, buy another one soon becase either the first one gets stolen or its punctured, or its broken or something like that. So, a better way - just skip lunch! In the workplace, no lunch box, thats OK. Go to the cafeteria and hoggg.

In school, weekend means more work than weekdays. Its a great opportunity to finish up backlog. stay up late and do the assignemnts, homeworks, reasearch work and what not. In the worklife, weekend rocks! Even if sometime you have to work on weekends, its not killing. Its OK!

And yaa.... no GPA calculation after every semester. Isn't that great? Do the good work and improve yourself as the feedback comes. Work on different areas that include personality development. So, the way I see it, do your best in the school days. Forget picnics, movies, trips, parties there and enjoy the studies to the fullest. Once you are out, compensate for all this, of course in a timely manner :)

So, do I regret spending too much time in the office? Naah.... thats the best thing I have done till today!

Monday Blues

2005-01-20T17:05:00.000-08:00

The Monday blues actually start on Sunday. Probably Sunday evening. I started getting a feeling that the break time is over. Its not that weekends are "fun weekends" but they are definitely better than the weekdays. I work, but at my own leisure and from home :) (I love this working from home funda!) So, the things start looking depressing. Watching a movie on the laptop feels like "committing a crime!". Can't really go out late either. It all starts there.

Monday morning goes into getting back to work and the productivity goes drastically down till lunch. Checking e-mails, talking to people, deciding prioritie and making a schedule, no solid work. Then I try to get out of this state and actually start working after lunch. It still feels like something terrible is happening to me. Monday 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm is the worst period! Everyone is all pumped up with energy (or maybe its just their way of getting over the blues!) and I feel.........exhausted! I know... sounds wierd.

By Monday evening I get used to the 'facts of life' and gain the speed. After going home on Monday, I remember that god... 4 more days like this. Tuesday morning gets better and the rest of the week doesn't give me time to think of anything other than work, not even colors.

Madhuri, a billion dollar smile.

2005-01-14T13:26:00.000-08:00

Bollywood has had a million 'actresses' as such. Either they are models used as a 'showpiece' in a film or they are good actresses but aren't the pretty ones. Who's the exception. Oh ya, Madhuri! I loved her in (most of) her movies, KhalNayak, Devdas, Tezaab, Dil to name a few. And yes, how could I forget 'Hum aapke hai kaun'. She is a hell of an actress, watch 'Anjaam' if you don't believe me. She is pretty and an amazing dancer with great expressions. She almost talks to you when she dances.

I like her when she looks innocent!

I like her when she is scared!

I like her when she looks simple!

And yaa, I like her when she smiles.

"Ek, Do, Teen" "Tamma Tamma", "Choli ke pichhe", "Didi tera devar", "Kahe chhed mohe"...gosh, who can beat that? She will remain my favourite even after a dozen new so called 'number one' actresses. No Kajol, no Raani, Madhuri rules!!

When Ross plays the Bagpipes....

2005-01-13T14:17:00.000-08:00

"Friends", isn't it the best comedy ever? All six of them are my favourite. Each one is very much like us and still very much different. I have watched almost all the episodes (except for season 10) and each one is better than the other.

The best pair there of course is Ross-Rachel!

There is an episode where Ross plays bagpipes for Monica, Chandler, Phoebe, Joey and Rachel. This is in the 7th season when Monica nad Chandler are getting married. This is one of the most hilarious episodes they have come up with. Its a huge instrument and Ross keeps struggling to keep his balance while playing it. The sound- 'noise'-as described by Monica and 'music'-as described by Ross- is just unbearable!! I would describe it as 'an ultimate way to make someone laugh'! Its definitely far away from 'music' and a lot closer to 'noise'. Ross 'performs' to convince Monica and Chandler and let him play in their wedding. I would have loved to watch an episode where they let him play in the wedding. That would have been fun :)

So, when he says 'sing along'........ Phoebe actualy starts singing. "EEEEEEEEEEEEE" as she sings along, at the toppest of her voice, a screechy sound that literally could scratch the eardrum, but doesn't! You laugh so hard that you kinda ignore that sound. I can't imagine how they got through the scene. You forget for a minute that they are normal people and not your "Friends". The sincerity with which Ross plays the bagpipes and the enthusiasm with which Phoebe joins him, is hilarious!! Every time I watch it, my stomach hurts out of laughing! Wow... that's talent!

The episode ends with a small shot where they are laughing while shooting. Hey, totally understandable :)

What do I read?

2004-12-28T20:40:00.000-08:00

Mostly fiction. I enjoy science fiction and some of my favorites are Ender's Game and The Lost World. I also like light reading. Short stories, family dramas, love stories and so on. I have read almost all the books by Sidney Sheldon and Tell me your dreams is the best indeed. I wonder how a male author always has a female central character in all the stories. She is strong, incredibly attractive, smart and what not. She survives anything and everything that happens to her and ends up winning the game. Wow!

One of the books I recently read is Da Vinci Code. I just couldn't keep it down until I finished it. Next in the line are Angels and Demons and Deception Point.

I just started reading Danielle Steel. Its good but not great! Whenever I am too tired to think while reading, I grab one of her books. Extremely simple stories portraying facts of life. Apart from that I keep reading Reader's Digests. I posted a funny incident to them a few months back and am still waiting for the reply :)

I cannot stand....

2004-12-28T20:35:00.000-08:00

I cannot stand...

Frogs
Lizards
Music created without putting in enough efforts
Sentimental guys
People pretending to be "friends" and showing true colors when you need them the most
Smell of cigarettes and alcohol
Lazy people

My dream (Every)day...

2004-12-15T10:12:00.000-08:00

I get up immediately after the alarm rings, stop it and get ready
I have a nice breakfast with a fruit, a waffle and some coffee
My car is dry... (I live in Redmond, WA), so its a dream..
I reach office and find a parking spot close to the elevator
I enter my room and my boyfriend calls me up
I work till lunch, with no phone calls, no pri1 issues, noone dropping in
I go out to a nice restaurent and have a quick lunch with no waiting
I come back run through e-mails and get back to work
I do some more coding and do some more testing
I take a cup of coffee at 5ish and take care of my bugs
I send e-mails for the updates and next day's issues
When I get out of the building, its not cold and not dark
I exercise a bit, take a shower, relax for a bit, and cook loght dinner
I eat talking to my boyfriend or watching TV
I jump into my bed with a Reader's digest or a novel
I sleep the moment I close my eyes and never get up in the middle of the night by the "scary" dreams.....

Will it happen...EVER?

Yahoo! Literati

2004-12-10T14:40:00.000-08:00

In the world of "Halo" and "Prince of Persia" I find myself lost. I don't really enjoy the fighting and racing games. Maybe its natures fault.... saying that because I am a girl and usually girls don't enjoy fighting! I mean physically :)
I stick to the good old word power games like scrabble. Yahoo! Literati is "almost" my homepage! (I said almost because who can beat Google??) You will find me in Lounge 23 mostly. I play with the name "Thegamegirlhere". Many times random words get accepted there and I have to search for their meanings (using Google!.......oh sorry.....I mean Google.....the exclaination mark can only go with Yahoo! :)) Some of these words include mem(hebrew letter), ha(hour angle), WOT(wide open throttle) etc. Its surprising that it accepts short forms like that. But apart from that its a great break from work. You don't have to play continuously, people join your table and leave pretty frequently. There were hardly any times when I completed a game with only one player. So, if you just want to take periodic breaks from the brain-eating work, try it out!

Sonu Nigam.. He is the best!

2004-12-08T16:09:00.000-08:00

He is my favorite singer ever since I have watched the first episode of "Sa Re Ga Ma" that comes on Zee TV.

Many people tell me that he looks girlie and I somewhat agree to that. But I think its more of his voice than his looks that make me fall for him. He once sang with Manna Dey in a concert, a classical bandish and Manna Dey commented that he doesn't feel that bad about not singing anymore in the film industry because its taken care of by the talented people like "Sonu". And man.... since that day..... he is "the one"! I have never admired any other celebrity, neither male nor female, so much before! (with an exception of Asha Bhosale!) Some of my favorite numbers in Sonu's voice include:

Rabba mere Rabba (Muze Kuchh kehna hai)
Kal ho na ho (Kal Ho Na Ho)
Do pyaar karane wale (Jungle)
Jindagi Maut (Sarfarosh)
Tanhayee (Dil Chahata Hai)

or lets say.... all his songs! (Except Bijuria :))

In short, he is the best male singer around and I hope sings more than acting!

My Favorites!

2004-12-08T15:51:00.000-08:00

Let me start out with the three best things in my life or lets say the three best nonliving things in my life.

The first is Music. I mostly listen to hindustani classical and semiclassical music. Film songs based on ragas are my favorites. "Jiya le gayo ji mora" (Anpadh), "Albela Sajan" (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam), "Nainon me badara chhaye" (Mera Saaya), "Mere naina" (Mehboob) ...... and the list continues. Asha Bhosle and Sonu Nigam are the best! What say? :)

The second is "Food". I am a veggie but eat eggs sometime. I love eating and cooking. If computers did not exist, I would have been a che somewhere! Maybe in my own hotel!

And the last but not the list.....books! I have read almost all the books of Sidney Sheldon and have just started with Danielle Steel. Some of the books that didn't let me keep them down are "Da Vinci Code", "Ender's Game", "Tell me your dreams".... Anymore suggestions?