India & Condoms
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Monday, July 26, 2004
Friday, July 23, 2004
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
Positive Thinking
Michael is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Michael was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Michael and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" Michael replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, Mike you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."
"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested." Yes, it is," Michael said. "Life is all about choices. You cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood.The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life."
I reflected on what Michael said. Soon thereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made > a choice about life instead of reacting to it.
Several years later, I heard that Michael was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care,Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw Michael about six months after the accident. When I asked him > how he was, he replied. "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon to be born daughter," Michael replied. "Then, as I lay on > the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live."
"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked. Michael continued, "...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man.' I knew I needed to take action."
"What did you do?" I asked. "Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Michael. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes, I replied." The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, "Gravity." Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to > live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead'."
Michael lived, not just due to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.
> You have two choices now:
1. Forget this.
2. Forward it to someone you care about.
As always, the choice is our own!
Michael is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Michael was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Michael and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" Michael replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, Mike you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."
"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested." Yes, it is," Michael said. "Life is all about choices. You cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood.The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life."
I reflected on what Michael said. Soon thereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made > a choice about life instead of reacting to it.
Several years later, I heard that Michael was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care,Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw Michael about six months after the accident. When I asked him > how he was, he replied. "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon to be born daughter," Michael replied. "Then, as I lay on > the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live."
"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked. Michael continued, "...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man.' I knew I needed to take action."
"What did you do?" I asked. "Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Michael. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes, I replied." The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, "Gravity." Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to > live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead'."
Michael lived, not just due to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.
> You have two choices now:
1. Forget this.
2. Forward it to someone you care about.
As always, the choice is our own!
Monday, July 19, 2004
Weekend Update
This weekend had been to the Brila temple in Hyderabad. This is a shrine for Lord Venkateshwara. It is told that the idol inside is an replica of Lord Venkateshwara in Tirupati. The Architecture of temple is a combination of South and North. The temple is completely built with white marble, and looks marvel. From the temple one can get a good glimpse of the city and the most fascinating view is the Buddha Statue at Husain Sagar Lake. It almost took us around 3hrs to get the glimpse of the idol due to long queue. It is a worth visiting for 3hrs.
Did nothing on Sunday as usual complete rest.
This weekend had been to the Brila temple in Hyderabad. This is a shrine for Lord Venkateshwara. It is told that the idol inside is an replica of Lord Venkateshwara in Tirupati. The Architecture of temple is a combination of South and North. The temple is completely built with white marble, and looks marvel. From the temple one can get a good glimpse of the city and the most fascinating view is the Buddha Statue at Husain Sagar Lake. It almost took us around 3hrs to get the glimpse of the idol due to long queue. It is a worth visiting for 3hrs.
Did nothing on Sunday as usual complete rest.
Thursday, July 15, 2004
Naming...The Indian Way
Recently, the Maharashtra State government announced its plans to rename the Prince of Wales museum as The Chhatrapati Shivaji Vastusangrahlaya. So now we have that in addition to The Chhatrapti Shivaji Terminus, The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, The Chhatrapati Shivaji Domestic Airport, and who knows what else. If this trend continues, we may reasonably speculate what it will be like in 2050 AD.
>>
My name is Chhatrapati Shivaji. My father's name is Chhatrapati Shivaji. All other names have long since been outlawed. I wake up everyday at 6:30 am CST (Chhatrapati Standard Time) to go to my school: Chhatrapati Shivaji Vidyalaya. It was a little confusing getting there at first, because all schools in the city have the same name. But once I got directions, it was fine. All I have to do is go down Chhatrapati Shivaji Road, make a left turn at Chhatrapati Shivaji Chowk, go straight till Chhatrapati Shivaji Marg, until I reach Chhatrapati Shivaji School. Once I got lost and found myself at Chhatrapati Shivaji Chowk instead of Chhatrapati Shivaji Road. Silly mistake, when I think about it.
My class teacher, Mr C. Shivaji, is a good teacher. Today he asked "Chhatrapati, can you answer that question?" The whole class stood up to answer. Yesterday our school, C. S. Vidyalaya, had a cricket match with our rival school, C. S. Vidyalaya. Of course, we don't know which school won.
But that's okay. This weekend, my family and I will go to the zoo, Chhatrapati Shivaji Pranibaugh, and see all the, um... plants. There used to be animals there, but they're all dead now. They say it was due to "negligence" because the keepers were all running for government, one of them for the office of Prime Chhatrapati.
We have two main telecommunication companies, CSNL and CSNL. One provides telephone services and the other provides broadband MultiNet access via the Chhatrapati Shivaji Satellite. Sometimes we don't know whether we're accessing a website or whether Chhatrapati Shivaji (our grandmother) is calling up. I'll go online later to see if I have any new e-mail at chhatrapati@chhatrapatishivaji.cs
Foreigners are often confused which Paanch Sitaara Vishramgraha (5-ishtar hotel) to stay in, because they all have the same names. I think the Chhatrapati Shivaji Vishramgraha is pretty good, and one should stay there rather than the Chhatrapati Shivaji Vishramgraha or the Chhatrapati Shivaji Vishramgraha.
During the weekend, my family and I might go to the beach, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Samudrakinara, and after that we may go see a film. All foreign films are dubbed in Indian languages because, as we are taught in school:
(1) Nothing foreign is good, and
(2) All things foreign that are good have been stolen from us.
I go to sleep pretty early, after watching the popular TV show Kaun Banega Chhatrapati. Tomorrow will be another day... I think. Sometimes, in whispers, I hear stories told of a mythical age long ago, when places and things had different names. Stories of a time when each thing had it's own name, and of a concept called heterogeneity". It's a legend, only half-believed, of a time when places and things had a history, and the city an identity.
Date: 22 November, 450 AC (After Chhatrapati)
Place: Chhatrapati Shivaji Mahanagar (Formerly Mumbai) (Formerly
Bombay)
Recently, the Maharashtra State government announced its plans to rename the Prince of Wales museum as The Chhatrapati Shivaji Vastusangrahlaya. So now we have that in addition to The Chhatrapti Shivaji Terminus, The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, The Chhatrapati Shivaji Domestic Airport, and who knows what else. If this trend continues, we may reasonably speculate what it will be like in 2050 AD.
>>
My name is Chhatrapati Shivaji. My father's name is Chhatrapati Shivaji. All other names have long since been outlawed. I wake up everyday at 6:30 am CST (Chhatrapati Standard Time) to go to my school: Chhatrapati Shivaji Vidyalaya. It was a little confusing getting there at first, because all schools in the city have the same name. But once I got directions, it was fine. All I have to do is go down Chhatrapati Shivaji Road, make a left turn at Chhatrapati Shivaji Chowk, go straight till Chhatrapati Shivaji Marg, until I reach Chhatrapati Shivaji School. Once I got lost and found myself at Chhatrapati Shivaji Chowk instead of Chhatrapati Shivaji Road. Silly mistake, when I think about it.
My class teacher, Mr C. Shivaji, is a good teacher. Today he asked "Chhatrapati, can you answer that question?" The whole class stood up to answer. Yesterday our school, C. S. Vidyalaya, had a cricket match with our rival school, C. S. Vidyalaya. Of course, we don't know which school won.
But that's okay. This weekend, my family and I will go to the zoo, Chhatrapati Shivaji Pranibaugh, and see all the, um... plants. There used to be animals there, but they're all dead now. They say it was due to "negligence" because the keepers were all running for government, one of them for the office of Prime Chhatrapati.
We have two main telecommunication companies, CSNL and CSNL. One provides telephone services and the other provides broadband MultiNet access via the Chhatrapati Shivaji Satellite. Sometimes we don't know whether we're accessing a website or whether Chhatrapati Shivaji (our grandmother) is calling up. I'll go online later to see if I have any new e-mail at chhatrapati@chhatrapatishivaji.cs
Foreigners are often confused which Paanch Sitaara Vishramgraha (5-ishtar hotel) to stay in, because they all have the same names. I think the Chhatrapati Shivaji Vishramgraha is pretty good, and one should stay there rather than the Chhatrapati Shivaji Vishramgraha or the Chhatrapati Shivaji Vishramgraha.
During the weekend, my family and I might go to the beach, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Samudrakinara, and after that we may go see a film. All foreign films are dubbed in Indian languages because, as we are taught in school:
(1) Nothing foreign is good, and
(2) All things foreign that are good have been stolen from us.
I go to sleep pretty early, after watching the popular TV show Kaun Banega Chhatrapati. Tomorrow will be another day... I think. Sometimes, in whispers, I hear stories told of a mythical age long ago, when places and things had different names. Stories of a time when each thing had it's own name, and of a concept called heterogeneity". It's a legend, only half-believed, of a time when places and things had a history, and the city an identity.
Date: 22 November, 450 AC (After Chhatrapati)
Place: Chhatrapati Shivaji Mahanagar (Formerly Mumbai) (Formerly
Bombay)
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
WHY ENGLISH IS SO DIFFICULT
We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes;
but the plural of ox became oxen not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice;
yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.
If the plural of man is always called men,
why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
If I spoke of my foot and show you my feet,
and I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?
Then one may be that, and three would be those,
yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
and the plural of cat is cats, not cose.
We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
but though we say mother we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
but imagine the feminine, she, shis and shim.
Some reasons to be grateful if you grew up speaking English:
1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8) At the Army base, a bass was painted on the head of a bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18) After a number of Novocain injections, my jaw got number.
19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
22) I spent last evening evening out a pile of dirt.
Complex pronunciations can really mess up your mind! For example...
If you have a rough cough, climbing can be tough when going through the bough on a tree!
There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England.
We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither
from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?
Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend?
If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, What do you call it?
If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?
If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
Sometimes I think all the folks who grew up speaking English should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.
In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?
Ship by truck and send cargo by ship?
Have noses that run and feet that smell?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wiseguy are opposites?
You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in
which an alarm goes off by going on.
Note: I got the above one when I was reading our internal database.
We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes;
but the plural of ox became oxen not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice;
yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.
If the plural of man is always called men,
why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
If I spoke of my foot and show you my feet,
and I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?
Then one may be that, and three would be those,
yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
and the plural of cat is cats, not cose.
We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
but though we say mother we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
but imagine the feminine, she, shis and shim.
Some reasons to be grateful if you grew up speaking English:
1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8) At the Army base, a bass was painted on the head of a bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18) After a number of Novocain injections, my jaw got number.
19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
22) I spent last evening evening out a pile of dirt.
Complex pronunciations can really mess up your mind! For example...
If you have a rough cough, climbing can be tough when going through the bough on a tree!
There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England.
We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither
from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?
Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend?
If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, What do you call it?
If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?
If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
Sometimes I think all the folks who grew up speaking English should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.
In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?
Ship by truck and send cargo by ship?
Have noses that run and feet that smell?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wiseguy are opposites?
You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in
which an alarm goes off by going on.
Note: I got the above one when I was reading our internal database.
Monday, July 12, 2004
Formula 1
Finally my team was into the podium for the first time in this season. I am a hardcore fan of McLaren, and I am happy finally that they were able to come to the podium atleast. At home prix they were able to show off that they can be a potential challenge to the Ferrari's. Kudos to Kimi and the McLaren team.
Finally my team was into the podium for the first time in this season. I am a hardcore fan of McLaren, and I am happy finally that they were able to come to the podium atleast. At home prix they were able to show off that they can be a potential challenge to the Ferrari's. Kudos to Kimi and the McLaren team.
Weekend Update
After a month this weekend I started my travel again, but this time the travel was not a long distance, but it was 25km from the city limit and the place we visited was a water theme park. The name of the park was Ocean World, but it was not as great as Black Thunder in Tamil Nadu or the Water World in Maharastra. Our plan was to reach there by 12.30Pm and stay there till 4.30Pm. It was a good plan since the Ocean park opens only at 11Am and closes by 7Pm. I am not sure what type of timing is this. Also they close the park for 30mins as lunch break. This park has very few water games and non water games. I was thrilled by only 2 games. One which slides you down in a closed tube to a bowl like container and then into the water, which is really thrilling and the other is like a mari ground wheel, but here when it starts to circle you will find yourself floating in the air for atleast 5 to 6 rounds, which is another excited trip I had.
On Sunday I was completely at home purchasing house hold items and in the evening I had been to Ayyappa Temple to start my fasting. I have planned to go to Sabari Malai this year little early with my Chennai Friends. This is my second visit to the shrine.
After a month this weekend I started my travel again, but this time the travel was not a long distance, but it was 25km from the city limit and the place we visited was a water theme park. The name of the park was Ocean World, but it was not as great as Black Thunder in Tamil Nadu or the Water World in Maharastra. Our plan was to reach there by 12.30Pm and stay there till 4.30Pm. It was a good plan since the Ocean park opens only at 11Am and closes by 7Pm. I am not sure what type of timing is this. Also they close the park for 30mins as lunch break. This park has very few water games and non water games. I was thrilled by only 2 games. One which slides you down in a closed tube to a bowl like container and then into the water, which is really thrilling and the other is like a mari ground wheel, but here when it starts to circle you will find yourself floating in the air for atleast 5 to 6 rounds, which is another excited trip I had.
On Sunday I was completely at home purchasing house hold items and in the evening I had been to Ayyappa Temple to start my fasting. I have planned to go to Sabari Malai this year little early with my Chennai Friends. This is my second visit to the shrine.
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
Monday, July 05, 2004
Deepest Lake
The world's deepest lake is Lake Baikal, in Siberia, Russia. The deepest point of the lake, the Olkhon Crevice, has a depth of 1,637 m (5,371 ft), of which 1,181 m (3,875 ft) are below sea level. It is also the oldest freshwater lake on Earth, having formed between 20 and 25 million years ago. Baikal also contains one-fifth of all the world’s fresh surface water! The lake is roughly crescent-shaped, 636 km (395 miles) long, with a surface area of 31,500 km² (12,200 miles²).
The above information is from our company's intranet.
The world's deepest lake is Lake Baikal, in Siberia, Russia. The deepest point of the lake, the Olkhon Crevice, has a depth of 1,637 m (5,371 ft), of which 1,181 m (3,875 ft) are below sea level. It is also the oldest freshwater lake on Earth, having formed between 20 and 25 million years ago. Baikal also contains one-fifth of all the world’s fresh surface water! The lake is roughly crescent-shaped, 636 km (395 miles) long, with a surface area of 31,500 km² (12,200 miles²).
The above information is from our company's intranet.
House Hunt
The whole weekend I was busy house hunting. Getting a house is not easy for bachelors within the city limits. Hyderabad has water problems and every where you go they say that water is only for 2hrs between 6 and 8 in the morning. For people like me who are in shifts will find this really difficult. Finally we got a house in an area called Banjara hills for a rent of 6k with 24hr water facility. As per Hyderabad standards this is a costly house.
The whole weekend I was busy house hunting. Getting a house is not easy for bachelors within the city limits. Hyderabad has water problems and every where you go they say that water is only for 2hrs between 6 and 8 in the morning. For people like me who are in shifts will find this really difficult. Finally we got a house in an area called Banjara hills for a rent of 6k with 24hr water facility. As per Hyderabad standards this is a costly house.
Thursday, July 01, 2004
I'm Back
After a short break I am back to office. It was good and relaxing visit to my home town. I am now in Hyderabad, the new IT city. Within a short period of yrs the whole of Madhavpur which is nothing but the the Hi-tech city has completely changed. The first time when I came here I was able to see lots of barren land and rocks. But today all rocks have been converted into buildings.
After a short break I am back to office. It was good and relaxing visit to my home town. I am now in Hyderabad, the new IT city. Within a short period of yrs the whole of Madhavpur which is nothing but the the Hi-tech city has completely changed. The first time when I came here I was able to see lots of barren land and rocks. But today all rocks have been converted into buildings.
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