The Utterances of a Peculiar Mindset

These days I'm not writing much on this blog. I now you people must be awaiting for me. Don't worry. I will definitely be here more fequently. And that forms a major part of my New year resolution.
I'm concentrating a little on photography these days. That's one thing I'm terribaly bad at. (To let you know, I'm equally terrible @ singing). But I'm trying to imporve my photography. You can have a loot at My photography Blog.
Don't forget to put up comments. That encourages me.. Adios.. C ya soon.

As many of you must be already knowing, creating video is one of my most favorite hobby and pastime. Here is a video i had created way back in 2005. Its about the treks I had done during my engineering days. Hope you will find it interesting..:-)

1. Always have multiple projects going. That way if your boss starts to wonder why you’re falling behind on one project, you can tell him that you’ve been catching up on another.

2. Create the illusion of furious activity whenever possible. Never have a clean desk. Fill your work area with several projects that you are in the process of doing (or not doing, as the case may be). Cover your desk with open binders, highlighted reports, and sticky notes all over the place—make your workspace look like a war zone. Remember to keep your wastebasket full, too, preferably with work-related debris.

3. Emphasize the tremendous amount of work you’re accomplishing. Talk about your work in dramatic, but plausible terms. Rather than referring to something as "that small project", call it "the epic quest" or "the gargantuan struggle." Preempt unfavorable discussion of your progress by reporting every little advance you make as though it were a large step. Never miss a chance to communicate how busy you are.

4. Ask a lot of questions. Think up complex questions about tasks you have to do and ask them of your boss or coworkers. Ask questions frequently enough and everyone will think you’re really wrapped up in whatever task your asking about. Be careful what questions you ask, though: you don’t want to sound incompetent.

5. Fabricate major obstacles or developments that require you to go back to the drawing board. Every once in a while report to your boss that you had nearly finished a whole project, but then you realized that you had to scrap all that you had done because you figured out a better way to do it. This gives the impression that you’re constantly thinking about ways to enhance your productivity in the long run. It also shows that you can overcome any obstacle. Both of these are preferable to saying that you spent too much time writing personal emails.

6. Open several of the applications you normally use for work and have them visible on your computer’s desktop. The applications, of course, vary depending on the nature of your work. For example, if your task is data entry, you should have one or more databases up and running.

7. Be alert. Not working is like playing a sport or game. You’ve got to always be on your toes and ready for anything. Try to anticipate your opponent’s next move—for instance, does your boss always stop by at certain times?—and pay attention to clues (if you hear footsteps approaching, a chair creaking, or a flourish of activity nearby, it could mean trouble).

8. Watch out for Big Brother. Most large companies now monitor their employees’ computer usage. Learn about your company’s policies on internet usage, and learn about their monitoring efforts (it helps to make friends with someone in the IT department). If you can’t run afoul of the company’s policies without making sure you won’t get caught, don’t risk it.

9. Trick the watchers. There are a variety of tricks you can use to fool those who might be monitoring your computer usage. On the frontline, there are free programs you can install that will allow you to have two active desktops on your computer (one for work, one for play) that you can switch between at the touch of a key when you hear the pitter-patter of supervisory feet. You can also defeat this sort of monitoring by positioning your computer in such a way as to block someone else’s view of the screen (blame the unusual positioning on glare or ergonomics, if you need to explain it). Sneakier IT personnel, who monitor usage on the backend, are harder to fool. Use proxies to surf the web, or use cached Google pages of a website instead of going directly to the site. There are also a variety of programs you can get (many for free) specifically designed to help you avoid detection. Search for them on the internet, or check out the external links.

10. Slack off a little bit at a time. If you spend one whole day a week doing nothing, you’ll get caught. But you may be able to waste the same amount of time without getting caught by spreading out your “leisure time.” Take a few minutes here and there to write emails, check the football scores, or surf the net, and then get back to work for several minutes. Rinse, repeat.

11. Place a pencil or pen behind your ear to give the impression that you are writing down so much important information that if it were possible, your hand itself would be a writing instrument. Remember, if your boss walks by your desk on the left side, place the pencil behind your left ear or the effect is lost.

12. Take a stack of industry magazines with you to the bathroom. Mark them up with sticky notes and wrinkle the pages. Once in private, stick a mobile video player (with earphones, of course) in between the pages and watch something more fun. The low-tech version of this trick—hiding your favorite magazine in the pages of a work-related publication—is a schoolboy classic and can work effectively even at your desk.

13. Visit friends in different departments, leaving your workspace very "busy" looking. However, make sure that you have a work-related topic to initiate the conversation and return to if a supervisor walks by. For instance, tell the person next to you that you are going to double check something with someone from a different department. What you're really doing is providing yourself with an excuse if your boss wonders where you were for a little while. "Oh, didn't tell you? I wanted to double check and make sure both of our departments were on the same page about the new ad campaign, I know it's an important issue and I would hate to have any mix-ups."

14. Drink lots of water. Not only is water good for your health and can combat certain types of cancer, it makes you have to use the bathroom a lot. Bathroom trips can take up a lot of time and are a legitimate way to waste time while still looking busy.

15. Create meetings in Outlook with realistic sounding names. These can buy you a good chunk of time, and if your boss asks, you can say you went all the way to the meeting and no one showed, so you just worked on some paperwork since you had the conference room.

16. For a good catch-all, open a couple programs that you use daily. Make sure that all are visible and fill up your screen so you look busy. Then, take a screen shot using the "Print Scrn" button, open MS Paint, paste the image in, then save and set that image as your desktop background. You may also want to hide most of your desktop icons, as this could be a dead giveaway. Even if your computer is on the desktop, it'll look as if you are deep into work!

17. Always, always carry a backup prop. If you’re going to be away from your desk doing something other than work, carry a document you might have been reading with you. It's best if it's a "long term project" that you can convincingly say you were finally getting to.

18. Smokers always have more free time. If you take smoke breaks, they seem short enough, but the time adds up quickly. Take several smoke breaks a day, and mix up your company outside.

19. Keep it simple. If you're called on your whereabouts, have a nearly-true, simple, work-related answer ready for any situation.

20. Collaborate with a co-worker who places as much value on leisure time as you do—he or she is your perfect alibi if questions arise about your (lack of) work. Employers value employees who can collaborate with others.

21. The more time you spend typing, the busier you look. But, control your typing speed. Fast typing usually denotes email writing. (Relax while narrating your weekend. Don't get too excited!!). Report writing or other work-related typing requires reflection and much more care; unless you are a professional typist.

22. If you're in a job that requires you to make a quota of phone calls per day/week/month, call up your bank or a customer service line and just let them put you on hold. Sometimes you can get up to 20 minutes of hold time before you get to speak to someone, at which point you simply hang up. You're eating up your time, and on the computer that tracks call time, it will appear as though you're busy pushing clients to buy. This probably won’t work when your calls are monitored.

23. Next time you install a program, take a screenshot with the "installing" window. Make it your wallpaper when you need to leave the office so passers-by will think you’re just waiting for the installation to finish. Also with regards to #16, Windows+M is the shortcut to show the desktop. Use this quickly to hide whatever it was that you shouldn't have been doing while giving the impression that you're buried in work.

24. In a less technical field (e.g. retail) you can get away with a lot if you just look intense and walk fast, especially if you have that back-up prop. When you look like you have an urgent mission, it's unlikely a boss will stop you to ask what you're really doing.

25. When surfing the web, even with a proxy or cached pages, never delete parts of your history. Most IT loggers will see the sites deleted, and even if the logger logs every site visited, the techie will most likely not look meticulously at every site viewed. It just makes you look suspicious.

26. Disable your screensaver, or set the timeout for a really long time, so that it isn't so obvious that you haven't been at your desk for a while.

27. Creating or editing a WikiHow can be a great way to make it look like you're working, especially if your job involves writing of some kind or another.

Warnings:

1 Never brag about how you cut corners at work to other people—they may be interviewing at your company soon or know someone there.

2 These tips work best if used sparingly. If you end up getting little or no work done, you’re bound to get caught at some point. Even if you don’t get caught, you’ll have nothing to show for the time you've spent at the office. Use these techniques just to break up the day and make it go by faster, but then get back to work or risk losing your job.

3 Stay away from doing external paying work on company time. Sure, it seems like a great idea to work on your side job while you’ve got some time to kill at your main job, but it’s a bad idea. If you’re caught, you’ll almost certainly be fired, and in some jurisdictions your company can sue you for your wages and damages.

4 If you do decide to download programs to help you not get caught, make sure you do it while your computer's not being spied on. Some office networks have a program installed that allows an administrator to view live screenshots of all of the monitors on a network.

5 Use common sense with regards to step 3. Don't go calling your project "a gargantuan task" if others know how easy it is. You'll either look lazy or inexperienced.

6 While using these techniques, you may find work that needs to be done. Sometimes it is harder to simulate work than to be a genuine employee.

Yup.. Its 5 AM and I'm still studying.. Time is keeping me too bound these days.. We have 11 subjects and the exams are going on.. The exams will go on till 15th Dec.. Will catch up with you after the exams..
C ya till then..

I know it had been long time since I managed to think and scibble up omething on my blog. The life is traveing at a very high pace these days and 'm just unable to manage some time to sit down andt ype my thoughts. Still, I' trying to keep this place active at the best possible.
I'm having my exams from 7th Dec to 15th Dec. 11 subjects to cover.. So you can say 11 Runs of 1 ball required.. Can we have a free hit please..? :-)

Here it is. My new Kodak C513 Digital Camera.. :-)

Yesterday, it was Naval's birthday (Yup she is a child at heart and so her b'day comes on Children day). We had great fun on her b'day. Here are few snaps from the same.

A helicopter was flying around above Seattle yesterday when an electrical malfunction disabled all of the aircraft's electronic navigation and communications equipment. Due to the clouds and haze, the pilot could not determine the helicopter's position and course to steer to the airport.The pilot saw a tall building, flew toward it, circled, drew a handwritten sign, and held it in the helicopter's window. The pilot's sign said "WHERE AM I?" in large letters.

People in the tall building quickly responded to the aircraft, drew a large sign, and held it in a building window.
Their sign said "YOU ARE IN A HELICOPTER OVER SEATTLE ."

The pilot smiled, waved, looked at his map, determined the course to steer to the Seattle airport, and landed safely.

After they were on the ground, the co-pilot asked the pilot how the "YOU ARE IN A HELICOPTER" sign helped determine their position? The pilot responded "I knew that had to be the MICROSOFT building, because similar to their help-lines, they gave me a technically correct but totally useless answer!"

Airtel Broadband and Telephone Services (Airtel B&TS) has launched Wi-Fi service for its customers in South India at a monthly rental rate of Rs 99.

The offer will give Airtel broadband customers wireless access to broadband of upto 2 mbps speed, Airtel said in a statement.

Shamik Dass, COO - South, Airtel B&TS, said, "With the year 2007 being declared as the Year of Broadband and the increasing broadband penetration in the country, on-line life styles have become more prevalent and wireless access more pervasive.”

“Our Wi-Fi service at Rs 99 per month will promote affordable wireless access to a true broadband experience for a new generation that is seamlessly using Wi-Fi networks to exchange files and upload personalized content," he added.

As many of you must be already knowing, I'm doing MMS from CRKIMR, Mumbai these days. I found out that the life of a MMS student is much different than a normal person. So I just thought to let people have a sneak peak in the life of a MMS student. So you can check out "Inside a MMS Student's Life".

Few days back, we visited a friend's home for Ganpati festival. It was really a fun filled visit. Here are few snaps of the same day..

This is a very common question that arises in minds of every individual unaware of the stock market thing. Let me explain you the concept of stock market with a small story.

Once upon a time in a village, a man appeared and announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for Rs10. The villagers seeing that there were many monkeys around, went out to the forest and started catching them. The man bought thousands at Rs10 and as supply started to diminish, the villagers stopped their effort. He further announced that he would now buy at Rs20. This renewed the efforts of the villagers and they started catching monkeys again. Soon the supply diminished even further and people started going back to their farms. The offer rate increased to Rs25 and the supply of monkeys became so little that it was an effort to even see a monkey let alone catch it.

The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at Rs50! However, since he had to go to the city on some business, his assistant would now buy on behalf of him. In the absence of the man, the assistant told the villagers. Look at all these monkeys in the big cage that the man has collected. I will sell them to you at Rs35 and when the man returns from the city, you can sell it to him for Rs50." The villagers squeezed up with all their savings to buy the monkeys. Then they never saw the man nor his assistant, only monkeys everywhere!! !!

Welcome to Stock Market!!!

It had been long time since i put up something on blog. These days I'm just going too busy with the college, projects, Guest lectures and all.. Its wonderful coming back to the other side of the table. After being into teaching for one year, I can understand my teachers in more refined way. Or at least I think so.. Other way round, I now know what I'm gonna miss in the corporate life. So I am enjoying my college life in more refined way.
Anyways, today I'm enjoying this guest lecture about "Ideas that Click" organised by a Management Institute in Mumbai. The first lecture is about Chanakya Niti and its uses in today's Management world. I don't know what the person is talking about. But it seems he is just trying to tell us who is Chanakya and ow this person has studied about Chanakya. I am just waiting for him to come to the point.

These days, I'm also working on a case study about the popular Marathi Stage Show "Marathi Bana". Its a stage show consisting of 125 artists performing on stage simultaneously. It makes people aware of the Marathi culture that people are tending to forget these days. I happened to meet the director of the show Mr. Ashok Hande and was surprised to see how down to earth this person is. He talked to us even though he was in great hurry for an interview. He has also promised us a chance to get more refined and closer look at the things during the show on 23rd at Deenanath, Vile Parle. He also promised us an interview at a later stage.

I'm going to an industrial visit tomorrow to Parle - G. I don't know how the visit is going to come up but hopefully we will have fun. If the visit doesn't satisfy the purpose of learning, at least it will be a picnic for us. The day after tomorrow, we are going to watch the popular show "Marathi Bana" for the case study.

Will be updating you about the things. For the time being, this person has come to the point. So I better now concentrate on the slide show and the seminar.

Few English-Hindi Translations which will tackle your funny bone for sure..

*Have a nice day! ---- Achcha din lo!*

*What's up? ----- Uppar kya hai?*

*You're kidding! ----- Tum bachcha bana rahe ho!*

*Don't kid me! ----- Mera bachcha mat banaao! *

*Yo, baby! What's up? ----- Beti Yo, uppar kya hai?*

*Cool man! ----- Thandaa aadmi!*

*Check this out, man! ---- Iskee chaanbeen karo, aadmi!*

*Don't mess with me, dude. ----- Mere saath gandagi mat karo, e vyakti.*

*She's so fine! ----- Who itnee baareek hai!

Listen buddy, that chick's mine, okay!? ----- Suno dost, who chooza mera
hai, theek?

*Hey good looking; what's cooking? ---- Arrey sundarta ki devi; kya pakaa
rahee ho?*

*Are you nuts? ----- Kya aap akhrot hain?*

*Son of a gun. ----- Bachcha bandook ka.*

*Rock the party. ---- Party mein patthar feko. *

*And the best ones are.....*

*How do you do? ----- Kaise karte ho?*

*Keep in touch! ----- Chhoote Raho.*

*Lets hang out! ----- Chalo bahar latakte*

Wanna listen to Radio? Internet Radio? On your Google Messenger? Follow the steps:

1. Add service@gtalk2voip.com
2. Then add: 110@radio.gtalk2voip.com
3. Make a Call to 10@radio.gtalk2voip.com
4. Enjoy listening to the radio :)

.... Make sure you have good internet bandwidth before you listen. You do not want the songs to kill in between buffers.

Once upon a time, I used to create videos compiling the images. Later, with the busy life, I just could not manage it. Last video I created was on the Friendship Day in 2006.
Anyways, here is one video I created in April 2005. Its about the memories we (passing out batch) left behind while passing out from MIT NCC Troop.

Saw this small informative banner at Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Amazing. Isn't it?

Saw this hoarding at an electricity lamp post in Sion. I was just wondering what has Sonia Gandhi taught to the world? How to be the kingmaker rather than the king..?

Here are few snaps of my Birthday Celebrtion on 3rd September, 2007.

A MBA and an Engineer go on a camping trip, set up their tent, and fell asleep.
Some hours later, the MBA wakes his Engineer friend. "Look up at the sky and tell me what you see."
The Engineer replies, "I see millions of stars."
The MBA asks "What does that tell you?"
The Engineer ponders for a minute: "Astronomically speaking, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Time wise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, it's evident the Lord is all-powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow.
What does it tell you?"
The MBA friend is silent for a moment, and then speaks. "Practically, Someone has stolen our tent".

Moral of the Story: In Management Education, we are taught to explain things in short and exact rather than providing number of useless theories.

Its so comfortable to sit in the college cafeteria, enjoying your lunch and write to your blog. With the laptop in your laps and wifi rays floating around the room, this is like a fantastic way to say connected. And more or less, its a status symbol to surf internet at your laptop.
For me, this is one dream come true kinda thing. Staying connected to the online world while talking with your offline friends too. Last three years, I was staying away from offline friends in the quest of staying in touch with the online world through orkut and blogging. But I'm happy that finally I'm able to manage both at the same time.
Anyways, its now time to get back to my lunch. C ya guys. Lot more to write but maybe in the evening.

The other day, I was reading the matrimonial ads in Times of India. They all went in a monotonous way like "Bride wanted for a 24 year good looking Engineer working with a MNC with good salary. Girls should be good looking and well mannered and blah blah..." I was just wondering how would be the situation if every person starts putting up the advertisements in a language that suite their profession. Just have a look at the following advertisemnts.

FISHERMAN :-Wife wanted, must be able to dig, clean, cook worms and clean fish. Must have own boat with motor. Please send photograph of motorboat.

SALESMAN:- Once in a lifetime offer, to get yourself the original, genuine article. One of the most handsome and smartest bachelor's around is now looking for a wife. And you could be the lucky one he chooses! Has own house, car and successful career!

ECONOMIST:-I am in demand of a wife. Supply is great though my requirements are high. However the elasticity of my demands should not bear too heavy a burden upon the national interest.

MATHEMATICIAN:-Wife required to complete the formula of my life. Must be numerate and understand complex algebraic logarithms. Needed to help further my family unit.

IT CONSULTANT:-Well there is definite room for improvement in my life. The speed of my current flows of information and processes is slowing down and the injection of a wife into my life is bound to improve efficiency. Compatibility could be an issue.

BUSINESS MAN:-Wife wanted for company.

POLITICIAN:-I feel there is a need in this world, to improve the ways we live,to harmonize the processes of life and to build upon past differences and short comings. I believe that we the people need someone to share our lives. To feel the joys of parent hood, and bear the social responsibilities, as we should in a civilized society................. (etc etc and never getting to the point)

CAR DEALER:-Wanted a sturdy, reliable,low depreciating wife.Should be in excellent working condition.

FARMER:-Wanted a wife from good stock.Required for breading.

LAWYER:- I hereby propose to solicit myself as an eligible candidate for the post of wife after marriage. The person whom I'm looking for should be strictly -a girl.The girl should be strictly a girl,with evidence to support this view that she is a girl.The girl should be willing to surrender to the service and jurisdiction of MyLordi.e.Myself.Any objections would be overruled and will not be sustained.

Yup.. Its 2 AM. And blogging is second thing wich I can do it at this moment. First one which I can do or rather I am compelled to do is find and kill the bedbugs. This place in Mumbai where I'm living has lot of bedbugs. They have captured all over my bedding by now.
Now they are taking extra advantage of my descency. But I've no other option apart from being descent. I can't do anything to them. I searched the internet for finding ways of avoiding these bedbugs or killing them. But it seemed helpless. Only thing I can do now is avoid sleeping in the pre-dawn time which is the most prominant attacking time of these bugs. They are less active during day. So I can sleep during the day time.
This option doesn't seem feasible practically but why not give it a try. Like I can sleep early and get up at 2 AM, study or surf for 3-4 hour, sleep again at 5 and then again get up and get going for college by 7. Nice plan isn't it? Only one small thing.. What about the dinner if I sleep early? :-(

Today is "Teachers' Day". I am recieving numerous SMSes and calls from today morning wishing me on the day. Though I'm not a professor anymore, I was into teaching for one year. I have enjoyed every single moment of my job as teaching. However, I'm not sure how enjoyable I was for my students :-)
Every person in this world owes a lot to his teacher. Its not always in the sense of monitory things but sometimes its abut credits too. Every person owes a lot of credit to his teachers.
I had put up a post about the "Teachers in my life" on last Teachers' Day. I wasn't into teaching that time. So my perception of a teacher was very different at that time. I used to hate few of my teachers for being too strict and some others for being too friendly.
Same year, I joined teaching within a weak of Teachers' Day. And after being in teaching for a year, I've now realized how tough it is to teach people, to manage the students, to solve their doubts and most importantly to manage your professional and personal life at the same time without letting any one o interfere with the other.
After being in teaching for whatever time I had put up, only thing I can say is Salute to all the teachers in this world. You are worth a lot of salutes. Mine is just one single part of these lakhs of salutes you deserve.

I don't know whether this should be called as new life or not. But I'm feeling like being in a totally new world these days. Away from the peer pressure of managing the departmental work at college, away from the tensions with teaching.. I'm enjoying my new days as a student. Learning new concept, hanging out with friends, and playing pranks in the classes.. OF course, the peer pressure is gonna be there but there will be 119 other students to share the pressure with me. So, it makes the pressure handling easier.

Anyways, here are two snaps of my new life. Awaiting snaps of my birthday celebration..

Get rid of blemishes, plump up those lips and bosom, whiten the teeth, fix the shape of your eyebrows and trim those inches from the waist...all without going under the knife.

A few magic clicks of the mouse and the transformations are complete. From celebs to just your average image conscious teen, picture perfect is the way to go these days.

Call it digital enhancing, retouching, airbrushing or doctoring, the photos have to be seen to be believed. Pleasantly plump to svelte siren can take a few brush strokes in the hands of the expert retouching artist.

Who says the camera doesn’t lie? Check out the photographs posted on any social networking site, the warts and wrinkles have just been airbrushed away.

No wonder photo studios everywhere are in makeover mode, with retouching artists taking courses abroad to hone their skills.

“Photographs don’t just mirror reality, they can improve it,” says Umesh Sabharwal of Kamala Nagar’s Prem Studio who learnt the art of retouching in the UK.

Sabharwal, who has been clicking photographs of candidates in DUSU elections for close to 14 years, says almost all his clients place a premium on how they look. “Earlier, when students came to get their pictures taken for the elections, they opted for simplicity. The glamour period really came in with a candidate called Shalu Mallik. Her’s was the first colour picture,” he recalls.

Then, beauty got a new angle. “One student looked so good in her poster that it went on sale for Rs 2 as boys wanted to hang it in their hostel rooms.”

The makeover doesn’t stop at clothes and make-up these days. “A lot of work goes into that image that smiles at you from the poster. More than issues, candidates are concerned with the face they present to the world.”

It’s a lead they’ve taken from celebrities whose airbrushed bodies grace everything -- from billboards to magazine covers. Marlene Dietrich always insisted on a huge mirror being behind a photographer so that she could correct his lighting. Today she wouldn’t bother; it can all be done later through a computer.

“Digital enhancement has made the photographer’s job minimal,” says leading fashion photographer Sumiko Murgai Nanda. Lighting can be enhanced, the colour of the garment can be changed to suit the background and a reed-thin model can turn voluptuous.

“There are no limits to what the software can do, the only constraint is the budget since retouching can be quite expensive,” says Nanda who, though she shoots digital, swears by film. “What you see is so not what you get,” says Nanda, that’s the reason she’s wary of model portfolios. “The model in person usually looks very different.”

Like all trends, this one started with celebrities but it’s the virtual world that has given it momentum. “Who looks at photos in albums? I’d rather post them on my profile so that my friends can check them out,” says Shilpa Vasudev, a 16-year-old who admits she chooses only the most flattering ones.

Self-obsession or just vanity?
The idea of makeovers has become part of popular culture, points out Dr Samir Parikh, consultant psychiatrist with Max hospital. “Looks do matter, both in real life and in virtual.”

And studios merely ensure that you put your best face forward. Sabharwal Lab in Gole Market offers various levels of retouching, from light to extreme.

“Customer choose what they want depending on whether they need it for a family photo, website, modelling portfolio and so on,” says Mohit, who runs the studio.

So whether you want your grandparents in colour instead of black and white or make your baby look that wee bit cuter, the studio can do it all.

As for the ethical question, that rarely troubles anyone. “Most pictures are about memories. They will be looked at years later so why not ensure that they look nice,” says Vishal Kapadia, who had his marriage photos retouched recently.

Harsh reality is not always what people want. And when one can airbrush irritating relatives out of a family photo, fake doesn’t seem all that bad.

Not everyone can perfect Angelina Jolie's pout or emulate Salma Hayek's dazzling persona, but there are millions out there who're trying. With images of supposed perfection assaulting them from every direction, high levels of efficiency mandatory in the workplace and exacting demands in society, many youngsters are now unable to cope. They are increasingly isolating themselves and today, they suffer from a malady called 'social anxiety' disorder, also known as social phobia.

Fear of scrutiny, heightened self-consciousness and apprehension about being judged are some of the reasons why youngsters would rather be on their own. A young employee who is marginally overweight, says, "I have great difficulty making friends. I don't like interacting with my colleagues either. I would rather be left alone with my laptop in my cubicle and listen to music on my iPod."

An IT professional, Pradip N, who is undergoing therapy for social anxiety shares, "I would get mentally disturbed while interacting with people in my office, which is why I had to seek help. I had no confidence and would worry myself sick before any meeting or presentation."

Says psychiatrist Dr B Kapur, "Every four out of 10 patients who come to me suffer from social anxiety disorder. This is especially amongst young adults and adolescents who are unable to cope with social situations. Many of them suffer from palpitation, headaches and nausea. It is not shyness as some believe. Social anxiety has to be recognised as a disorder and needs to be treated."

In public places such as work, meetings, or shopping, people who suffer from this disorder feel everyone is watching, staring and judging them. Many of them feel others are noticing every movement they make, critiquing and making negative judgments about them. It is believed that social anxiety is the third largest psychological problem in some parts of the world today, but unlike other psychological problems, it is not well understood, hence often misdiagnosed by healthcare professionals.

Says Bangalore-based psychiatrist, Dr M J Thomas, "Social phobias start in adolescence and are centred on fear of scrutiny. In the US, one out of eight people has this phobia. It is associated with low self-esteem, desire for perfection and fear of criticism. A person with social phobia anticipates and ruminates over the problems that can occur in case of social contact, resulting in avoidance of the situation and in extreme cases, social isolation. They experience rapid heartbeats, trembling, sweating, upset stomach, diarrhoea, muscle tension, blushing, confusion or a panic attack."

Says Dr Ajit Bhide, consultant psychiatrist, "Youngsters who are not socially adept get increasingly isolated in life. Low self-esteem is one of the main reasons. They'd rather be with their gizmos and chat with people online than meet them personally."

However, good news is -- social anxiety disorder can be treated with medical, cognitive and relaxative therapy. Explains Dr Thomas, "One theory is -- it may be related to an imbalance of a chemical called serotonin that transports signals between nerve cells in the brain. Interestingly, this is the same chemical imbalance linked to other mood and anxiety disorders. It may be precipitated by an embarrassing social event in the past."

Both medication and behaviour therapy have proven successful in treating social phobias. Gradual, controlled exposure to an anxiety-provoking situation helps. Patients are shown how to make eye contact, talk louder and slower, greet people and say good-byes, ask for favours, respond to requests and criticism. Eventually, they learn to mingle around.

Check out the Gmail video. Its amazing..

Ever thought of studying something new and stuck due to lack of books? Ever stuck while studying cause a concept wasn't clear from the printed book? What do you think of at this moment..? Searching net for pdfs and downloading them?
Wiki has come up with a solution called Wiki Books. Wikibooks is a Wikimedia project that was started on July 10, 2003 with the mission to create a free collection of open-content textbooks that anyone can edit. Since ts founding, volunteers have written about 26,945 modules in a multitude of textbooks.
My say: Worth a try. If you are a master of a subject, don't hesitate to go ahead and share your knowledge with the world by writing a wiki book about the topic of your interest.

Vidya Balan: I just love this girl.. ;-)

Delhi Police have decided to rope in IT firms in the war against increasing cyber crime, Police Commissioner Y.S. Dadwal said here Wednesday.

"We have decided to rope in the services of IT majors for their expertise for the technological advancement of our sleuths and the cyber cell. They have been asked to hold regular interactions with sleuths investigating cyber crime cases," Dadwal said on the second anniversary of the women protection programme 'Parivartan'.

"The step was taken to keep pace with rapid technological advancement," he said.

"Cyber related crimes are on the rise, but we are fully equipped to meet the challenge. We have a number of experts and engineers working in the cyber cell to catch these new age criminals," Dadwal added.

The cell is a wing under Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW).

According to Delhi Police statistics, a total of 17 cases related to hacking, obscenity, e-commerce fraud (online share trading, credit card fraud) and Internet-related crimes, including copyright violation and misrepresentation on the web, were registered last year.

This was against 12 cases registered in 2005, indicating a 42 percent rise.

Earlier this month, the new police chief, in a meeting with senior officials, had directed that all cyber related cases be investigated under the EOW.

"We are planning to introduce a single window mechanism under the EOW, where all cyber crime cases will be investigated by the experts," Dadwal had told EOW officials.

"The step is being taken as the experts will scrutinize the cases and it will also help in speedy disposal of the pending cases. People will find it convenient to register their complaints," he added.

Currently, assistant commissioners of police (ACPs) at the district level are responsible for investigating cyber crime cases, besides the EOW.

In a highly surprising move, Yahoo has decided to close down its photo sharing service. Here is the message provided by the company.

For some time now we've supported your popular and favorite photo sharing service, Yahoo! Photos. But even good things come to an end, and we've decided to close Yahoo! Photos.

We will officially close Yahoo! Photos on Thursday, October 18, 2007 at 9 p.m. PDT. Until then, we will offer you the opportunity to download your original resolution photos back to your computer or to move to a great photo sharing service, Flickr – the award winning photo sharing community that has even been called “completely addictive.” All you need to do is give us your decision before we close, after which any photos remaining on Yahoo! Photos will be deleted and no longer accessible.

Yahoo has provided an option to shift the photos to other popular services like flickr, photobucket, shutterfly etc. They have also provided an option to order a CD with all the snaps downloaded.

So, if you have a photo account on yahoo and are relaxing with belief in its unlimited storage space, its time to wake up and have some action.

What makes a leader? I’d say, really good acting skills. The most effective way to lead is not to show that you are doing it. People hate being told what to do, and what not to do. No one likes to be led by the nose. You must not make them feel you are the boss, guide, whatever. You just have to carry people along with compassion, love, and not least of all, a sense of humour. In fact, not only should others not feel the burden of your leadership, the leader himself should lead without realising it, without donning the grand mantle of setting some maha example. Achievement is the destination, leadership is showing the way to it.

Secondly, I’ve seen that every true leader treats people well. That’s crucial. You can get away by treating some people badly some of the time, but you cannot make a practice of it. I’d say the best leadership is like parenting. You don’t have to instil awe; you should create loving respect.

Thirdly, you have to have focus. But it is important that the leader’s focus does not become heavy, aggressive, pressuring, troubling, aggravating for others. You should do the planning and what you have to do, and then leave everyone to get on with his or her part of it. It’s most important to believe in everyone else as much as you do in yourself. It’s your team. You’ve chosen it. The people on it should be good, right?

I know that the film industry gets a great deal of flak for not putting itself in a leadership role. On the contrary, it is accused of sending the wrong signals, as happened in recent cases. We are constantly told ‘you guys should be doing so much more considering the extraordinary, even


absurd, influence you wield’. But, when people say ‘industry’, it should encompass all media: not just films, but newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, the works.

Everyone in this multifaceted industry must work together on providing the right leadership. But everyone functions as an independent segment, does whatever it wants to. Besides, at the end of the day, we are just doing a job. We are an industry like any other. We are all in a commercial state of mind. We don’t take all this importance upon ourselves.

I understand that, yes, I should be taking up real-time roles, but I’m an actor. I know what to do when I’m acting. However, I need to be told how to play the roles which set an example, or use my position for the larger good. I am truly glad and proud that the Times group asked me to do this film to kick off their Leadership campaign. If you think I am a youth icon, use me by all means.

In the Times campaign, my role is to lead people into action. It’s about getting up and doing whatever it takes. I did not think of this as lines in a script. It is 100% my personal belief. I am not a thinker. I’ll read about something, and do it.

Even if I know the outcome will not be what it should, I have to physically work it out myself. It’s fantastic if you get it right. But it’s equally all right if you get it wrong. Just do it. That’s what I tell my son and my daughter. There’s always a second time to get it right. I simply don’t believe in not doing anything because you are afraid it won’t work out as planned. For leaders as for followers, there should be no don’ts; just do it..

That's what we guys have to do to save ourselves from girls on every Rakhi..
Anyways, Wishing a very happy Rakshabandhan to you all.

Those who have added me in their orkut friend list already know that my birthday is approaching. If you don't yet know, find out the date.
Well, here is my wish list for this birthday. These are few things which are on my "buy list". However, if you gift those to me, that will be great.. :-)

1) Trekking shoes (Preferably "Woodlands Tractor" but for your convenience you can go with " Hunter shoes from Bata")
2) The book "Rich Dad, Poor Dad"
3) The book "The monk who sold his ferrari"
4) A cool and trendy locket
5) Bluetooth Headset (Nokia Preferably)
6) Video Disc of "Rang De Basanti"
7) Web Space of about 30 MB. (I already have a domain dineshsoni.com )

Well, these are only small things. Big things like 6.1 MP Digital Camera and music player I will prefer to buy myself.. And ya. Don't forget to call me up to wish a Happy Birthday..

Ragging is a very essential and nondetachable part of any technical education. And MMS is no exception for it. So yesterday was our first day show at ragging.
We all were invited in the auditorium. Our seniors were already there waiting for us. It started with presenting a slide show of their photographs of last one year. Probably in an attempt to relax us before starting with further procedures. And then, they started inviting people on stage.
And I was among the first group to be called on stage. We were first asked to formally introduce ourselves. On my introduction, one senior gave the reaction, "There is a professor among us".. :-)
Later came the most interesting part. We were asked to dance on "Kajrare". I had never danced in my whole life but somehow managed to have 1-2 thumkas. And thankfully, that was all. He didn't ask me to do anything more.
From today for a week more, we all are supposed to be in tie. So yesterday I bought a tie and now looking for someone to tie a knot (only tie knot.. No any other knot you fool) for me.
That's all for the first day. More is gonna come our way. And I will be trying to enjoy it.

I'm in mumbai these days, as most of you already know. Life is going great here. Though I'm not getting much time to brainstorm and scribble in this place, let me assure you that the flow will never stop. Anyways, here is what I did in last 3 days..

August 21st: It was our introduction ceremony. We were told about college and its facilities etc. Same old thing like happens in every college. Best thing about the day was I met with my fellow classmates with whom I was in constant touch through orkut and messengers. And to tell you something, people actually found me very silent guy. I mean they were expecting a very dynamic kinda guy in me. But I turned out to be kinda introvert against their expectations. Well, I just said them one thing.. WAIT AND WATCH :-)

August 22nd: We had been to "Chak De" today. Will write whole review of the movie soon. But for now, just know that its worth a watch. I was to this movie with new friends. And this friends still think I am very silent kinda guy totally opposite to their expectations. WAIT AND WATCH :-)

August 23rd: Today was our induction program. We were introduced to the subjects we are going to study in the coming semester. And this was first time I realised what a tough time we are gonna have in the coming times.. Pray for me friends..

Here I come.. To rock Mumbai..
I'm gonna be here for 2 more years. For my post graduation in management..

We've listened to it and also sung it numerous times. But still, we don't know the exact meaning of the great composition by Rabindranath Tagore. Here is English translation of the same.

Through the words of the song, it is not clear if it is composed in praise of India. When it was first sung on 27 Dec, 1911; it was considered as loyal welcome of George V on his visit to India. Tagore himself has said the song to be addressed to the All Mighty (addressed as "Bhagya Vadhata" in the song). It was accepted as National Anthem on January 24, 1950. And a petition was filed in 2005 pleading to delete the word "Sindh" and instead put up the word "Kashmir". The argument was that Sindh was no longer a part of India, having become part of Pakistan as a result of the Partition of 1947. Opponents of this proposal hold that the word "Sindh" refers to the Indus and to Sindhi culture and people which are an integral part of India's cultural fabric. The Supreme Court of India refused to tamper with the national anthem and the wording remains unchanged.

Here's wishing you all a very Happy Independence Day. As the India steps into the 60th year, let us come together, help ourselves and help the country. The country's economy is growing and let's take it to the highest level.

The tourism ministry Monday launched itself as a Brand Channel on YouTube and its 'Incredible India' promotional videos will now be available on the popular video sharing website.

The initiative will help promote tourism by showcasing India's cultural and heritage wonders to a worldwide audience on the Internet at www.youtube.com/India.

"The Incredible India campaign is well recognized all over the world and efforts are being made to maximize our reach. We have to show the world the progress India has made since its independence 60 years ago. Using YouTube website for promotion of Incredible India campaign is an effort in that direction," said Shilabhadra Banerjee, secretary, tourism ministry.

This website on YouTube will enable people across the world to experience and engage with the marvels of India through the power of video. Currently there are 18 films/videos uploaded on the site.

YouTube is a leading site where people watch and share videos through the web. It has about 48 million users in the US alone and is the eighth most visited website in the world.

India turns 60. And Orkut is celebrating with us. India is among the major marketplace for orkut so they are trying to build an emotional bondage with the people of the country. Similar attempt was made during Diwali last year. Or is it just the usual google thing of introducing designer logos at various occasions?
Well, this made me to think where the country stands on its 60th Birthday. Are we really on the route of progress? Or is the progress just the false balloon being launched for showing to the world?
India has progressed in various fields ranging from sports, politics, movies, social aspects during these 60 years. Though the success isn’t spectacular, but it atleast provides hopes for a better tomorrow. We won world cup in cricket but hockey almost vanished from the country. Football could never take up any shape. Tennis got no one beyond 2-3 stars. In a country of 120 crores, we could not get a single gold medal in last 60 years.
Nehru, Shastriji, Indira, Rajiv developed a place for India in international politics. And India is doing well on the political field. The wat Vajpayee and Manmohnji took it further is really commendable. I’m not much aware of the minute things of the international politics. So its better I don’t comment more on this..
What I want to discuss is India’s progress in the field of technology and is effect on the common man. No doubt India has done very well on this front. Ever since the time way back in 1987 when Rajiv Gandhi used to dream of taking India to the 21st century before time, the country is progressing very rapidly in this field. It all started with Dr Sam Pitroda returning to India on Rajiv’s call. He initiated the communication technology revolution in the country. With the associates like Dr Vijay Bhatkar, he just got boost in the revolution.
When India wasn’t allowed access to a Super computer, Dr Bhatkar took up the challenge of creating a super computer for India. And he came up with Param, India’s first very own super computer.

This was the time when the masterminds like Mr. Murthy andMr. Azim Premji realised the need of taking India to the Global stage in the Information Technology wing. And they did the work fantastically. No doubt about that..

Today, India’s economy is progressing like anything. The development rate has crossed 9% and is second highest after China. If the rate continues, Indian economy will become third biggest economy of the world by 2015. I was recently in Mumbai where I read a hoarding as “Sensex crossed 16000 mark. Will 30 crore people cross Povery Line?” Everyone will have different answer and justification to this based on his/her views. My say to this is, Yes. They will cross the poverty line if they stop spending their money o liquor and prostitutes. I mean a person who earns 200 Rs per day spends 100 for liquor, 50 for prostitute and looses remaining 50 in gambling or lottery. And then shouts by the name of the government and the society. The government has created enough work for the poorest peoples. The industries are also creating lot of work. But they people don’t want to do it properly. They rather prefer to find the easy way out to avoid the work and still earn money. The people try in gambling and lottery for the easy money. And thus lose whatever they have.
Then they again shout for not having work and not having money.
The government provides hem shelter through projects like Mhada, which they rent to others and go back to slums. Then they occupy another home through same scheme, rent it again and get back for third one. And the cycle continues. They still shout for not having the shelter.
How to stop this cycle is the big question in front of our politicians. Rather why to stop this is the question. These below poverty line people are among the biggest vote banks for any politician. If they remain below the line, the politicians can show them the dream of a better tomorrow and win their votes The dreams are only to be shown and not to be fulfilled. That’s the reason why the people are never shown a way to fulfil the dreams.
This can only be stopped through the active awareness in the minds of the people who are suffering. The government has helped us enough. We couldn’t utilise the help. Now its time that we help ourselves. And in turn we will help the government.

This seems to be turned into a speech kinda material. But I’ve expressedfew of my feelings through this. More coming soon..

Now this is something I call as dedication to work. I award "Employee of the year" award to this person.. :-)

Did you think that internet is only for the urban people? Then you are probably unknown of something called ITC projects.

The most noticeable of the ITC projects in Rural India are e-Choupal, iShakti, and esagu. Today, they lead a silent revolution that empowers farmers with relevant information to make their lives better.

ITC e-Choupal web portal brings real-time information on weather forecasts and customized knowledge on better farming practices to the farmers' doorstep to improve his crop management. ITC e-Choupal supply chain brings good quality farm inputs at competitive prices to increase his farm yields.

iShakti provides information and services to the farmers through a portal, which has contents pertaining to a variety of rural issues. It enables farmers to have a solution for a pest problem.

Esagu has a three-tier system consists of farmers as end users, coordinators as intermediaries to obtain crop status through digital photographs and text and communicate the advice to the farmers. The agricultural scientists with knowledge system prepare farm advices.

Day 3: August 1
We were close to Jodhpur station as I said hi to the beautiful day. It was 6:30 AM when the train touched platform No. 3 at Jodhpur station. Right in time. The beautiful architecture of the Railway stations gives a perfect impression of what the city is about. Beauty, royalty and hugeness. And the city doesn't let you down at any moment.

The tourist guides and rickshaw hawkers will approach you as soon as you exit the gate. And they won't leave you easily.. Looking for a good place to stay is not much difficult in the city, being a famous tourist spot. We didn't had a night halt plan so any normal lodge was ok for us. We stayed at a place called Sinla Haveli. The person seemed to have converted his haveli into a small lodge. Nice place to stay.

After freshing up, we left for the place called Masuriya (Snaps awaited). This is a religious place and is considered to be the samadhi of sage Balinath, the guru of Baba Ramdeoji. All through the way to Masuriya, we were having a fantastic view of the Mehrangarh fort. (Refer the image above) The sahyadri forts must be looking like this once upon a time, I was wondering.
The Masuriya is actually a cave carved out of giant massive rock. There is one temple of Baba Ramdeoji and Balinathji. The view from the top of the place is just awesome. I sould not go to the top of the rock as they have jammed the way using a gate and glasses.

After this place, we got back to the hotel. Within an hour, we were ready fo out further journey to Ramdeora, our actual destination. There are three ways to go to Ramdeora from Jodhpur. Train, Governement buses an private buses. We decided to take the private bus cause they have good frequency and speed. We left Jodhpur by 1:30 PM.
The journey to Ramdeora was great. I had taken up the window seat and was just looking out of the window all through the way. The journey passed through the desert of Rajasthan and I was enjoying taste of sand with the wind flowing. And I was enjoying. Cause it had the essense and fragrance of my land, Marwad.

The "Rani ki Smadhi" en route to Ramdevra is a beautiful example of Rajasthan architecture. This small but fascinating spot is considered to be tomb of some queen. I could notfind out much information about the same but it must be a tomb of some queens from the Tanwar family which ruled at Pokhran. I will check out for more info ext time I will be at the place.

We reached Ramdeora at around 5 PM. There are lot of Dharmashalas (small lodge kind places, run by trusts). They are cheap and provide very good facilities. Also there are few lodges newly constructed. After getting fresh at the Dharmashala, we left for a visit to the Ramdevji temple. This was the main reason we were to Rajasthan. So I could not just wait much.

Situated about 12 kms. to the north of Pokhran (Jaisalmer), the village of Ramdevra known after Baba Ramdev, a Tanwar Rajput and a Saint who took Samadhi (conscious exit from the mortal body) in 1458 A.D. He had miraculous powers and his fame reached far and wide. Legend goes that five pirs from Mecca came here to test his power and after being convinced, paid their homage to him. Since then he is venerated by Muslims also as Ram Shah Pir. The Hindus regard him as an incarnation of Lord Krishna. There is large number of followers of this god, Spread across whole Rajasthan, Gujrat and many other parts of the country.

After having Darshan at the temple, we just wandered a little in the market, had our dinner and got back to our halting place for a deep sleep. Looking forward to the next day.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Sanjay Dutt has finally got 6 year imprisonment. So what’s the big fuss about it? I didn’t want to write about this. But then the reactions I got through various blogs and media made me scribble about it.

Sanjay has committed crime and he deserved the punishment. So justice has been done with him. Now some people have to say ki he took AK47 for protection. That’s among the most irrational claim I had ever heard. I mean why will anyone have this destroying gun for protection? That too the person who was already having 1 pistol and two revolvers with him.

People say he is son of a senior congress leader and MP. So this fact should have been considered. All right. I consider this fact. Sanjay is son of a senior MP. And so he and his dad are supposed to know the laws of this country. And they are also supposed to have a trust in the police and judicial system of the country. So my point is why didn’t he complain in the Police about the threats he was getting?

People say he has already had 18 month imprisonment. So what..? There are many people who have faced 8-10 year imprisonment without any mistake; just because they don’t have money for bail. Or they don’t have a reach in the Page 3 circle. By the time they are proved non-criminal by the judiciary system, they are either already have 8-10 year imprisonment (in police custody). So if you argue that Sanjay should be exempted just because he already had 18 months jail, this is pathetic argument. In fact all the people involved in the case had already have upto 14 year imprisonment (9 times more than what Sanjay had). So should all of them be exempted from the conviction?

Another claim made is he has recently played very good and patriotic roles in Lage Raho Munnabhai and Mission Kashmir etc. So is that a reason he should be exempted? WTF.. We should understand that there is a difference between reel and real life. And if this claim is considered valid, then Aamir Khan should be awarded “Bharat Ratna” for his great work in Mangal Pandey, Rang De Basat, Sarfarosh etc. And Gulshan Grover should be hanged up cause he has killed more than 1 lakh people till date in movies. And how about Ashok Chakra to Hrithik Roshan for his deed of getting back the post in Lakshya?

Sanjay should be exempted because there are movies worth 100 crore pending on him. So what..? When Bharat Shaha was arrested, did we think about Rs 2000 crore diamond business that he runs? No friends. It doesn’t work this way. This will be like the rich people have right to commit crime and to be exempted. Just because they have money to earn. There should not me any difference between a poor and a rich in the judiciary system and Mr. Nikam and Mr. Kode has proved that the system still works the way it is supposed to.

And consider that Sanjay would have got exemption considering these things, would the same media would have taken it positively? People would have again made big fuss about the same. Remember the Salman Khan case where he was released on a bail after killing two persons.

In my opinion, what Sanjay has got is well deserved. Its not that I have any problem with Sanjay. But in my opinion, the justice should be the same for every citizen of this country. And the judiciary system has done the justice.

They explain this as if it has been something horrible and pathetic.

I was on a tour of Rajasthan for one week. Here I will be putting up about my traveling and the places I had been to.

Day 1: July 30
Left for Jalna at morning 6:30. It was 1st Birthday of my sweet cute niece Netal. So just attended the birthday party. We were supposed to move further to Mumbai from here where we would catch train for Jodhpur.
Left for Mumbai at 2300 hours IST by Latur-Mumbai CST Latur Express.. In short nothing much to be written about in the day.

Day 2: July 31
Reached at Dadar at 7:00 AM. Took up a taxi and reached Bandra Terminus, we were to take up train to Jodhpur from here. I would recommend take up a local to Bandra from Dadar. The terminus is just 1.3km away from the Local train station. Or even better, alight at Khar road which is 0.4km away from the terminus.
The station is very clean and well maintained. So getting fresh here was no problem at all. After getting fresh at the waiting hall of Bandra Terminus, we planned to wander a little. Went to my new college (CIMR) and my new hostel. Wanted to show the places to my mom. he was happy and satisfied with the places I'm gonna study and live at.
After getting back to the terminus, we straight away went to our train and rested in the boggie through which we were supposed to travel. The train we had taken up was "Bandra Terminus - Jodhpur Suryanagri Express". Very fast and comfortable train. It stops at Borivali, Surat, Vadodara, Ahmadabad, Abu Road, Palampur, Marwad, Pali, Loni, Rani and Jodhpur. So you can see, very selective stations. I will recommend this train to those traveling to Rajasthan.

The train left Bandra at its scheduled time, 01:30 AM and was running on time throughout. Enjoying food at various stations, we were traveling through the route, looking forward to reach Jodhpur at 6:30 AM next day.
I will specially recommend the Rabdi at Abu Road station. Its very delicious.
At 9:30 PM, I was in my bed, looking forward to next morning.

TO BE CONTINUED...

I was on one week's vacation to Rajasthan. Came back yesterday. The travelogue will follow soon. Keep coming back. :-)

E-mail service has grown up lot ahead than just E-mail. Now only sending and receiving E-mails won't solve the purpose of a mail account. This is the time when the consumers are looking ahead of plain E-ails. And the biggest competition is among Gmail and Yahoo. Thought other mail services such as Rediffmail, Zapakmail are trying to enter the competition with the help of aggressive marketing through TV and Radio jingles.
Here is a short description about two of the leading E-mail services.

GMAIL
Experts still say that Gmail is the best webmail service overall, but it has new competition in the redesigned version of Yahoo! Mail. Gmail gets the most press for its 2.65GB of storage space, but Gmail also gets kudos for its intuitive organization features; users can assign labels to individual e-mails for sorting, and to organize chats and IM sessions by subject, just like regular e-mail. Also completely integrated with Gmail is Google's chat function. Google is the only provider that allows users to keep track of a chat session just like an e-mail session. You can access Gmail through a desktop e-mail client (such as Outlook Express), and Gmail gives infrequent users a lot of latitude, only canceling an account after nine months of inactivity.

YAHOO
Although the revamped version of Yahoo! Mail gives users just 1GB of storage (compared to Gmail's 2.65GB) reviews say it has a terrific interface that trumps Gmail in some areas. Yahoo! Mail's three-pane screen looks a lot like Outlook Express, and it's the only major free e-mail service that lets you read an e-mail while still being able to view your inbox. Tabbed messages let you easily flip between two or more e-mails. One downside is that Yahoo! Mail won't let you forward mail unless you pay for its Yahoo! Mail Plus service (*est. $20 per year). For those who already have a Yahoo! mail account switching to the new interface is a no-brainer. Others will have to weigh Yahoo!'s intuitive interface against Gmail's larger storage and integrated chat function. Reviews say that Yahoo!'s graphical ads are more obtrusive than Gmail's more subtle text ads.

I was at Mumbai yesterday for some work. Travelling through the beautiful valleys of the Khandala and spectacular water falls, looking at the magnificent Duke’s nose is one thing I love this journey for.
You won’t observe anything until you enter the first tunnel on the route. And as soon as the train comes out of the first tunnel, the stunning view will leave you speechless. All you can do is enjoy the beauty of nature. The magnificent Duke’s Nose keeps staring at you while you enjoy the view of green and dense valleys and the water flow falling down in the valleys.. The train keeps going through numerous tunnels. And at the end of each tunnel, there is one surprise for you.. Don’t miss an opportunity to travel through train on this route. And if you have some extra time, then go by a slower train that gives you more time to enjoy this nature.
Another way of enjoying this beauty of Bhor Ghat will be travelling by car or bus through the Pune – Mumbai Express way. This way provides a bigger view of the nature as it passes through various hills of the region. The number of water falls you can observe through this way are just countless.

The express highway will also provide you a nice view of forts like Lohagad, Visapur, Tung, Tikona, Rajmachi and Korigad at few places. But the most spectacular is undoubtedly the Duke’s Nose.

Bhor was a pricely state 100 Kms south of this Ghat. This was one of the 3 main ghats developed by Satvahana to move the goods from the merchant ships from Mesopotemia, Syria & Egypt to Paithan their capital. The port of Karanja & Rajapuri was connected to this ghat. There are buddhist caves right from these ports to Paithan in form of a chain. similar to Motels of Today. The other 2 Ghats were Thal and Nane. When the Brits came on the scene they converted the original Bor Ghat in to the railway Track. starting at Palasdari. A separate motor track was created from Khopoli. which is still in use.
These days the Express Highway is used more widely due to the less time to travel and faster and more convenient driving.

On this occassion of Kargil Vijay Diwas again we could remember those days of war, the fragrence of unity could be felt in the whole country. Many hands came up irrespective of caste, colour,cread, sex to send any sought of help to our soldiers. When soldiers fought on the borders many of us backed them up from inside. Some helped monitarily, some physically and some through their prayers.
The day for which everyone of us prayed came and India got triumph and everything started to run as it was.

Again we started living with our differences, with our selfishness, with our selfcenteredness and what not. Why is it we cant remain united untill we got hit.

At such situations a famous quatation comes to my mind.....
EVERYONE WANTS BHAGAT SINGH BACK BUT NO ONE WANTS BHAGAT SINGH FROM THEIR OWN FAMILY
This is the only day when we remember the heroes of the war
Capt. Vikram Battra
L . Manoj Pandey
Rifleman Sanjay singh and many unknowns which sacrificed their valuable life over the nation and its people singing the song

This one I got as forward from one of my friend. And that's very fantastic.
What the girls say while rejecting a boy, and what they actually mean by the sentence. Check out yourself.

10. I think of you as a brother.
You remind me of that inbred banjo-playing geek in "Deliverance."

9. There's a slight difference in our ages.
I don't want to do my dad

8. I'm not attracted to you in 'that' way.
You are the ugliest dork I've ever laid eyes upon.

7. My life is too complicated right now.
I don't want you spending the whole night or else you may hear phone calls from all the other guys I'm seeing.

6. I've got a boyfriend
I prefer my male cat and a half gallon of Ben and Jerry's.

5. I don't date men where I work.
I wouldn't date you if you were in the same 'solar system', much less the same building.

4. It's not you, it's me.
It's you.

3. I'm concentrating on my career.
Even something as boring and unfulfilling as my job is better than dating you.

2. I'm celibate.
I've sworn off only the men like you.

1. Let's be friends.
I want you to stay around so I can tell you in excruciating detail about all the other men I meet. It's that male perspective thing

My pace of updating blog has decreased. Cause I'm concentrating on few other things. As I already wrote in this space, I got into Chetana's R K Institute of Mgmt and Research, Mumbai for MMS course. Had been to Mumbai for two days.
Later, as soon as I came back home, I got involved into purchasing laptop. This thing ate up two more days of mine.
Now I'm in Pune for last two days to take out few of the certificates from Pune university.. And the things aren't working out properly. So I'm bugged up already..
Will be putting up something in this space very soon.

A boy was born to a couple after eleven years of marriage. They were a loving couple and the boy was the gem of their eyes. When the boy was around two years old, one morning the husband saw a medicine bottle open. He was late for office so he asked his wife to cap the bottle and keep it in the cupboard. His wife, preoccupied in the kitchen totally forgot the matter.
The boy saw the bottle and playfully went to the bottle fascinated by its color and drank it all. It happened to be a poisonous medicine meant for adults in small dosages. When the child collapsed the mother hurried him to the hospital, where he died. The mother was stunned. She was terrified how to face her husband.
When the distraught father came to the hospital and saw the dead child, he looked at his wife and uttered just five words. The husband just said "I am with you Darling"
The husband's totally unexpected reaction is a proactive behavior. The child is dead. He can never be brought back to life. There is no point in finding fault with the mother. Besides, if only he had taken time to keep the bottle away, this would not have happened.
No one is to be blamed. She had also lost her only child. What she needed at that moment was consolation and sympathy from the husband. That is what he gave her.

If everyone can look at life with this kind of perspective, there would be much fewer problems in the world. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears. And you will find things are actually not as difficult as you think.

MORAL OF THE STORY
Sometimes we spend time in asking who is responsible or whom to blame, whether in a relationship, in a job or with the people we know. By this way we miss out something.