The Best Ad In Recent Times

It's been a while since i made a video post, so here goes.. Amidst all the rubbish they call commercials these days, this one is like a breath of fresh air.. I haven't liked any ad so much to make we wanna download it and have it on my pod but this one i did.. Maybe its cause of the really pretty woman, or the great song in the background, but everything fits perfectly.. I actually had Limca after watching this ad, beautiful (the ad.. the drink was pretty so so)

[P.S. Sushma Reddy is super hot.. We need a lot more of her on TV]

In The Age Of Technology

It all started when my sister decided that the two of us together should gift my dad an iPod.. Since i was to buy the pod in Chennai, she gave me a cheque for her share of it (I know she could have done an online transfer but that's not what i wanna discuss here).. 

Anyway, i promptly deposited the cheque at SBI when i got back to Chennai.. They said there was going to be some re-structuring at the bank and hence, it will take up to 10 days for the money to get transferred.. I was thinking "Fair enough, at least they warned me".. Ten days became fifteen and then after 21 days, i contacted them again since it still hadn't been transferred..

Now this is where SBI left me stunned.. They said they would check up on it and promptly sent a Telegram.. No, I'm not kidding, they did send a telegram.. In this day and age, when million dollar transactions are done online, our Indian banking system still depends on telegram to get messages across.. You can imagine what the net effect of this is, an additional delay that is added by the Indian Postal service.. Its been a week since the telegram was sent and still no response.. The telegram was sent to Standard Chartered; i wonder if the delay is because Standard Chartered didn't know how to respond to this or if they replied with a telegram of their own!!

On a side note, TCS is the solutions provider for SBI and one of the SBI employees had threatened to beat me up when i told them i had gotten placed in TCS.. I'm not sure though, if its the TCS service or the need to identify with the 'aam aadmi' that is making SBI use what i presume to be an obsolete method of communication..

25 Things About Me

For non facebookers..

1. The beach used to be my second home during my engineering. I was there on over 250 days during my third year.

2. Contrary to what people think, i don't like all movies. In fact, over the last year, there are barely a handful i liked.

3. My iPod has great sentimental value for me. It was the first thing i bought for myself with my salary.

4. I have sung two consecutive years at the Thyagaraja Aradhana in Thanjavur. I'm not kidding.

5. Beer is my favourite beverage. Heineken is my preferred brand.

6. I think it is okay to lie if the truth will hurt the concerned person more at present.

7. Quite a few of my friends think i am tin hearted cause i tend to be pretty indifferent at times.

8. I hate horror movies. Guys who watched Vaasthu Shastra with me will bear testimony to that.

9. I want to learn playing some musical instrument. Current inspiration is playing the guitar after watching Vaaranam Aayiram.

10. I am cricket crazy. I actually bought the Chennai Super Kings jersey for 2200 bucks.

11. I love Chennai. I think its the best city in the world.

12. I find it very hard to make conversation with people when i meet them for the first time. I'm a hoot after that.

13. I still speak only in movie names when i need to speak in Hindi.

14. My first crush was the biggest. I don't think I've ever had so many butterflies in my stomach the first time I've met anyone else. 

15. I've been abroad twice. My first trip was sponsored by my company, Yippeee!! Rio De Janeiro is on the agenda.

16. Music is an essential part of my day. I normally listen to about 3 tracks from my pod just before i sleep.

17. I tend to be very secretive about a lot of things, even to my close friends.

18. I have had big misunderstandings with almost all my friends at some point of time in the past.

19. I cannot drink water continuously i.e like *glug glug glug*

20. I think more people know me as Chandler than as Arun Chander.

21. I get very annoyed when someone corrects me, even if it is justified.

22. I love planning trips with the guys. I, in fact might do it for them even if i'm not joining them.

23. I used to be pretty sarcastic a few years ago. I've come a long way due to some persuasion (to put it lightly).

24. My bike is my most prized possession at the moment.

25. I wanna get started with my MBA soon. Work is getting monotonous.

A Week At Bengaluru

My visits to Bengaluru have risen significantly over the last four years, particularly over the last year since my sister relocated there.. Though i was born in Bengaluru (no, I'm not a kannadiga.. Very much a Tamizhian) I've never really grown fond of the place, in spite of the fact that they have better beer, better weather and a more picturesque atmosphere than Chennai..

Last week, i was sent to Bangalore on work based on the simple reasoning that since i was born there, i must know the city.. My boss was highly mistaken, i can't get to anywhere except Malleshwaram, Brigade road and Indra Nagar..

Moving on, i was there to meet some people there regarding two studies we were carrying out (I've been sworn to secrecy about what the studies involved, ping me in Private later for more details).. The first thing i realised this time was that the damn city has become hotter than Chennai.. I was so drained out after the first day that i slept 12 hours at a stretch and skipped dinner in the process..

To add to this, the people in Bengaluru were not so friendly to meet.. Most people i spoke to seemed constantly irritated and this didn't help the fact that i had a tough target (number of contacts to be made) to achieve.. What also didn't help was the Nilgiris guy calling me some 30 km away from the city to meet him and then when i get there, to have his assistant convey to me that he wasn't there then.. Highly frustrating work, i appeal to every one of you who wants to enter into consult to think about this before deciding..

The one good thing about market research though is that helps you lose your ego.. The guys you contact know that you are dependent on them and make you realise that when they speak (One gentleman from Britannia raised this bar to a new high for me).. The fact that you need to get your work done makes you swallow your pride and be courteous to him.. Good experience though.. The other big pluses were that i know Bengaluru pretty well now and can manage with my kannada a lot better..

One thing i noticed about the city is that a lot of people know Tamizh there, surprising given the anti Tamizh propaganda that is portrayed on TV.. This made travelling around the city easier.. My uncle's driver (talks only kannada) claims Chennai is not so friendly to tourists cause when he asked some auto guy here for directions, all he got was what he infers were profanities..

Padikadhavan

There are few films that inspire you to review them at 2 in the night.. Padikadhavan is one such movie.. Not for how good the film was or how much Tamanah lived up to expectations (both of which didn't happen) but for how much the movie insults one's intelligence..

Typical mass entertainer with zero logic, which would've been okay if it had some good humour or good songs, something for me to write about here.. The songs are the worst i've heard in a while.. Humour was there in abundance but it was at the expense of the movie.. I don't remember ever laughing so hard during the intermission.. We had our own doubts that Sathyam would throw us out for the noise we were making in the corridor..

The irritating part was how they wasted good actors.. Shayaji Shinde and Atul Kulkarni are good actors, its a pity they waste their time with such movies.. Vivek's jokes were okay in parts.. I still can't fathom why Tamanah agreed to do this movie.. 

There was a joke in the movie (strictly for Tamizh folks) where when Tamanah says she can't stand the sight of Dhanush, he says "Paatha pudikadhu, Paaka paaka dhaan pudikum".. Narayan joked that the same would be the case with the movie but unfortunately, it went from bad to worse.. I dread to imagine what it would be like watching "Villu" given most reviewers claimed Padikadhavan was a better movie!!

The Year That Was

2008 began on a high.. I had just returned from Dubai, work was going great and i was enjoying every moment of it.. CAT results were out, i had done well enough to inspire me for the following year.. This is beginning to sound very geeky, but anyway, Life couldn't have been better..

2008 had a lot of firsts for me..

My first foreign trip with friends.. Singapore is easily the most fun I've had on a trip and the most money I've blown in four days time.. Money well spent though!

My first IPL experience.. This topic has been beaten to death and I'll move on.. I'll leave you with Niru's brilliant photographic skills though..

My poonal experience.. I know its the first and last, but what the hell.. To quote gau, i finally got 'Poonaled' at the 'tender age' of 23.. My family thought it would be fun to club this with my cousin sister's marriage and Voila!, i am officially a Brahmana now.. I'm probably the first to get 'Poonal Bumps', thanks guys, what would i do without you people!

My first experience at a disc.. Began by going to two discs at Singapore, both of which had amazing energy.. Dublin though was an extreme disappointment.. It was a Friday night and there were barely 20 people.. While i didn't shake a leg at any of the above places, i will remember them for other events that took place..

My first highway drive.. Got to drive the car from Hosur to Vellore on NH4 (Or is it NH7, I'm not really sure).. It was great fun and i probably should start taking the car out more often..


The first wedding in our group.. Shweta got married December 6th.. All of a sudden, i feel much older now (It's also probably cause the grey hair has begun to show.. Beginning of wisdom? Probably not.).. Congrats Shweta! Happy married life..

This was also the year i had a huge misunderstanding with a dear dear friend of mine, which thankfully was resolved without much damage.. And another first, which i dare not discuss in a public domain..

Last but not least, attending Conferences.. This had to be the biggest waste of my time this year.. I can understand people higher up in the organization attending them but sending me was a big mistake.. 6 wasted days, unfortunately i wasn't given a choice..

Somehow managed to squeeze in a trip to Delhi, a couple of road trips, one to Pondy and one to Mahabs.. I know they aren't long trips but great fun never the less..


After what has been a rather eventful year, things are strangely not how they began at all.. Change of job? Change of city even maybe? Higher studies? What about my personal life? Get serious with someone - yes or no? Clearly more questions than answers.. Hopefully the year ahead gives me the answers to these.. Happy New Year! Cheers!

Insights From IPL @ Chennai

After going to 5 matches at the Chepauk, my IPL quota for the season is coming to an end with just 2 more to go.. Great cricket (most times, especially against Punjab) apart, there have been quite a few things that have stood out for me..

1. No matter how many cricket superstars are there on the field, the loudest noise is for our own superstar - Thailavar Rajnikath.. All this without him being present there.. The loudest cheers in the stadium are reserved for whenever his songs are played..

2. Cheer leaders haven't lived up to the hype the politicians have created.. After reading all the comments made by these self appointed moral authoritarians, i expected it to be a tad more exciting to say the least.. Disappointing..

3. Each performance at the matches so far have been moderate to poor barring the Naresh Iyer, Benny, Suchitra gig and to a certain extent Karthik's performance.. While the acoustics were horrible during Hariharan's performance, Anuradha ruined hers by singing a modified version of We Will Rock You which surely would have had 'Queen' turning in their grave..

4. Krishnamachari Srikanth maybe a world cup winner and probably the most prolific player from Chennai so far in cricket but is easily the most annoying of the Set Max lot.. It begins with his accented English and goes on to his singing the Chennai Super Kings song when they ask him for comments.. He would do well to learn from his other distinguished World Cup winenr who happens to be present at all Chennai matches, Ravi Shastri..

5. Pommie Mbangwa is probably more famous in Chennai than he is back in Zimbabwe.. The number of people trying to get his attention in the stands is pretty surprising..

6. The DJ (if that is what you call the guy playing the music during the matches) was on song during the Punjab match.. Starting off with 'Pretty Woman' for Priety Zinta, started belting out of lots of 'situation' songs.. "Singam Pola" , "Raja Kaiya Vecha", "Annatha Aadurar" were the best timed..

7. The Chennai Super Kings management, India Cements, are a big bunch of idiots.. I've been waiting for the Reebok jersey to come out since the tournament started and still no signs.. The Reebok guy jokes saying it'll probably come only after the tournament is over.. In contrast is Shah Rukh Khan, who along with Reebok has opened an exclusive Kolkata Knight Riders shop in Kolkata to sell their merchandise..

8. Sivamani is an amazing entertainer.. The guy has phenomenal energy and the crowds seem to love him.. I was pleasantly surprised by the response he got for the mere mention of his name even.. He keeps moving from stand to stand and plays a piece whenever Chennai hit a boundary, pick up a wicket or just cause he feels like.. Good move by India Cements here.. I had forgotten to mention this before.. Credit to J for reminding me..

9. Last but not least, half the people with camera phones are crazy.. I can understand them taking photos of themselves at the ground or some celebrity or some hot chick but taking photos of cheer leaders some 200 meters away using a VGA or a 1.3 meg camera made absolutely no sense..

I'm sure there were more interesting moments, just can't seem to remember anymore now.. Here's wishing Chennai Super Kings the best of luck..

It Finally Happened!!

After four years, the moment i was desperately waiting for finally happened.. I don't know when the obsession began but it caught flame when i missed his batting during the second test of Australia's tour of India in 2004.. Since then, i have wondered many a time if i would ever see him play live which included failed attempts to go see a match in Bangalore (Chinnasamy stadium seems to be jinxed as far as i am concerned.. Two failed attempts for tickets so far though my sister got free passes for the Terrace Pavillion!!! More on that later maybe)

How i wish he was wearing the yellow uniform as in the pic instead of Cream and black during yesterday's match against Chennai Super Kings.. Adam Gilchrist, my cricketer of the last decade, proved to everyone in Chennai why he is a match winner.. With Chennai managing a paltry 144, it would've been an easy victory for any other team (I'm not even considering royal challengers) but Deccan have proved in the few games they have played that they can make a match of even the easiest victories..

After beginning rather cautiously, he took off with some mighty blows against Ntini.. I still am awestruck thinking about the first six he hit off Ntini.. A quick fire 54 all but took the game away from the Chennai Super Kings.. Mr. Dependable Rohit Sharma and Styris finished the job rather nicely..

Gau keeps saying Gilchrist is too unpredictable but today is example of why exactly he is amongst the best.. An interesting statistic, Rohit Sharma is the leading run scorer in the IPL but the only 2 matches Deccan have won had Gilchrist written all over them (Man of the match in both matches), with little or no help from Rohit.. Not dicrediting Rohit here but just proving what a difference 'Church' can make.. Deccan desperately needed a victory today and as they say "Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Man!"

'INSPIRED'

The wait for the Indian Tom Cruise is finally over!!! Look at our very own Chiyaan Vikram posing for a promo still for his upcoming movie Bheema.. Extremely disappointing to see such a rip off from such a big movie.. You have to hand it to the think tank though, they actually thought to shoot it from the other side.. Maybe this is Vikram's better side :D

Good music, talented director at the helm, huge production house backing the movie,a national award winner donning the grease paint and this is what we get.. Hmmm.. Still looking forward to the movie though.. Such huge expectations deserve something a lot better in return..

PHEW!!

It's been a hectic few weeks.. Absolutely no time to do anything at all and i must blame myself for bringing this onto myself..

For those of you who are reading this and don't know yet, i joined a consultancy firm in Chennai in august.. Been working there for about 3 weeks now.. Yes, I'm not taking TCS (i think :D).. But i feel completely justified by my decision to have a career switch given how many of my friends want to quit their IT jobs.. The pay isn't as much but work seems really nice and prospects of growth seem possible..

Pretty new at this place and hence don't know the people too well yet.. I've been warned what not to do in the office already though, things like when not to greet your boss and repent for it.. Work is getting hectic and deadlines are getting extremely unrealistic, which bring me to why i started writing this..

I miss my old life.. What time i got up was inconsequential, i could stay awake till five.. Now, i had better get to office by 9:30 (It's tough man).. Beach was routine, now it seems like a luxury.. Haven't been there since i started work.. I miss watching movies.. From close to two a day, I've come to a movie in two weeks.. The thing i miss most is not having to be so responsible for my actions..

Things don't seem to be getting any lighter.. The only thing that rocks about this is that i get paid for the hard work i put in, unlike engineering, where i paid to be told what to do.. Last weekend was the best in a few weeks now.. Went to bikes and had great fun.. It was great hanging out with all the guys again..

All this seems so sudden and unexpected that it's hard to deal with.. I sincerely wish i could go back three months just for a little while.. Maybe another evening at the beach with all the guys before they head their separate ways.. I can almost hear aerosmith singing "Dream on" :D

GRRRRR

The last three days have thrown some pretty irritating events at me.. I had ordered a book online to be delivered to Gau in the US.. Since it hadn't reached day before, i called the international customer care number they had given.. The lady's accent was by itself hard to decipher from and was irritating but to top it, she put me on hold on an international call for 5 minutes!!! She must be freakin stupid.. Frustrating..

To relax myself later, i decided to see a movie.. I read a review on IMDB about a movie called "Live Free Or Die", not Die Hard 4.0.. It said the movie was one of the best comedies the guy had seen.. This had to be the single most boring movie I've seen.. At least in TR movies, u have him for comedy.. This just beat that hollow.. Absolute waste of 1.5 hours of my life..

This however has to take the cake for most frustrating.. I went to the TCS office to see why they had put only 3 of us alone in Noida for training.. When we got there, the security guy stopped us and asked us to write our names in the entry log.. He called up the sourcing guy and gave the phone to me.. The bugger didn't even let me get into the damn building and shooed me off from their saying the decision has been made in the corporate office and there is no way i can change it.. The least he could have done is called us in and told us the same in person.. And to think these guys are from HR and are good in people skills.. God save us when we join TCS..

MISSION ECNR

Went to the passport office to get my ECNR stamping done.. It has to be one of the most irritating things you can do when you are vetti.. No idea why they didn't do it for me when i applied for passport.. Idiots made me go again for it and charged 300 bucks for it..

The place should be on the verge of breakdown.. Endless queues(there are so many of them) of people waiting for hours together.. All i could think of standing was Kamal's dialogue in Anbe Sivam where he says "India Oru Jananayaga Naadu, Ingu Queue La Ellam Wait Panidhan Aganam".. The ventilation there is pretty bad, so it all together makes for a very stuffy morning.. There are people outside the office who fill your forms in the proper format for a reasonable price, either 10 or 20rs depending on what form it is.. Makes our job easier..

The worst part about the place is that there is just one Regional Passport Officer for each task.. The queues become serpentine cause of this.. For the ECNR work in the second floor, i had to start at the landing of the first floor.. This in spite of me being there by eight and the office starting only by 10.. Chennai folks would easily walk away with any early bird prizes.. The fun part of the place is the variety of people you meet there.. Loads of comic characters..

Once you get through all that and pay the fees, they tell you that you need to come again in the evening to collect the passport, which is another huge queue.. I started at ground floor landing for that.. Thankfully this one moves pretty fast.. The Indian government should seriously consider either employing more people to have more counters or open another passport office.. Everything in online anyway, so synchronising shouldn't be a problem.. The irony of the entire thing is that even after i stayed there and did the entire thing, i still have no idea what the ECNR means and why i need to get it..

BUSTED!!!

It had to happen some time and it finally did today.. Had gone to Spencer today with a few of my friends (Try the Chinese restaurant at the new food court, really good).. On the way back, the fat man in the white shirt pulled me over.. Those guys use Walkie Talkies extensively.. He was using it then to contact the next guy to stop another bike..

I was caught on two accounts, Speeding and Driving in the wrong lane.. I was guilty of both offenses though.. Doing 60 on a 40 km/hr road and driving in the lane for buses on mount road.. Don't think he thought of either of this when he stopped me but was clever enough to point it out to me when i gave him my license..

It's just ironic.. For about 2 odd years, i used to drive all around Chennai without a license.. Never once have i been asked to pull over, maybe i was just careful then using all small lanes.. Now i have all my papers and I'm being asked to pull over time to time.. The guy bugged me for about five mins and then i had to pay him 100 bucks and leave..

I don't know if it was a lesson well learnt but it surely was a waste of hundred bucks..

STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP

This is what has kept me entertained for the past one week.. A new TV series called "Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip".. This is a behind the scenes look of a comedy-sketch show.. The show stars Matthew Perry, Amanda Peet and Bradley Whitford..

The show is supposed to be a drama but it is extremely humorous.. The humour here is kinda intellectual at times though.. The Dialogues are absolutely brilliant.. The Matthew Perry-Bradley Whitford combo would give Chandler-Joey a run for their money.. Matthew Perry is at his best here..

Not sure if this series will come to India anytime soon.. For those who are vetti, download it and watch.. I must warn you though, each file size is about 350 MB.. I have 14 of them and am in the process of getting the , so you can collect them from me if you want..

GOOGLED

Hmmm.. Being as vetti as i am nowadays, i decided to check out the various things Google had to offer.. Pretty mind boggling given the scale of the entire operation.. It's almost as if anything you want to do on the PC, can be done on Google alone.. Mostly..

What started with a simple search engine (complex in nature but easy to use) has manifested itself into one of the world's biggest corporations and the growth only seems to be increasing exponentially.. A true marvel.. Hats off to Larry Page and Sergey Brin..

Now what prompted me to write this was 'Google Reader'.. Simply amazing place.. Anything that you normally want to keep yourself updated about can be read off just one place.. This could be anything from the latest news, sports updates or even updates on peoples blogs.. This eliminates us from having to go there each time to see if anything new has been posted..

The next best thing in Google is that you get to do so many things with just one id.. The advantage of this is that you could use one service inside another and it takes zero effort.. The downside of this, which gau unfortunately is experiencing, is that if you lose the id, you lose everything.. And that seems to be a lot, given that Gmail and orkut have become integral to most of us now..

I recommend 'Google Reader' to everyone for how easy it makes looking up info.. Planning on testing all other Google applications too.. Will give you my opinion of the same in the coming days.. I heard Google is coming out with an OS.. If true, it could be as revolutionary as the iPhone maybe.. Wow, something to look forward to..

P.S If you are wondering why this picture for the logo, it was to portray the 'Magic of Google' given the broom etc (a la Harry Potter) :D

F.R.I.E.N.D.S Deleted Scene

This one is just hilarious.. Beginning of the eighth season.. Episode 803.. Just too good.. Damn.. I miss the show.. Spent two hours on youtube now watching all F.R.I.E.N.D.S bloopers and interviews..

Jack Jack Attack

One of the best animated shorts i've seen.. Hilarious.. Pre Requisite is that you should have seen "The Incredibles".. Pixar Rocks.. Just check out the other short animations by pixar on you tube.. Too good..

TO ZUNE OR NOT TO ZUNE

After all this time, I've finally decided to get myself an Ipod or Zune.. I've decided on the colour but not on what i wan to buy, comic.. I want you guys to help me decide.. I'll tell you guys what i feel about the two, form your own opinions and let me know what you think i should get asap..

The Ipod seemed the obvious choice.. Tested and proved.. Ease of use.. Slimmer than the zune.. Smaller too.. Not too heavy.. More than anything else, it has service centres across India too.. So worst case, service shouldn't be that big a deal.. On the flip side, it's too common and i am for Microsoft..

The Zune has its share of flaws.. Big, bulky and some concerns over the battery back up on the Zune.. The worst part about the Zune is that it can't be used as a hard disk.. That sucks and one of the main reasons i went against it.. It's advantage is that it has Radio and is Microsoft.. Unfortunately, no service centres anywhere in India yet..

Let me know what you guys think i should get.. While you are at it, also suggest what i can get engraved on the back of the player..

THE INDULGENCE TAG

Adi tagged me.. That is no reason for me to be doing this but i have nothing much else to do, so here goes..

Here are the rules:

1. Players start with 8 random facts about themselves.

2. Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 8 random facts.

3. Players should tag 8 other people and notify them they have been tagged.

(1)Movies are my life.. Language, Length, Cast don't make a difference as long as movie is great.. Unless Pam is in it :D

(2)My bike is my most prized possession.. I consider it my first love.. Always ready for a drive..

(3)I love Chennai and wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world.. Chennai Rocks man..

(4)I am becoming more brand conscious with each passing day.. Reebok remains my favourite..

(5)I love to sleep.. Given a choice would sleep 14 hours a day.. Very Very lazy..

(6)The beach is my second home.. Spent most of my engineering life there..

(7)I am indifferent to a lot of things unless its something to do with me or someone i really care about..

(8)I am an introvert by nature.. Take a lot of time to get close to people..

I tag:

J

Santy

Gaurav(If he gets his id back)

LORD OF THE NET

Go to www.isohunt.com and look at the most searched name there.. You'll stumble upon aXXo.. What/Who exactly is aXXo??

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=axxo

aXXo is some dude in some country (don't think anyone but him knows where) who comes up with the best possible DVD Rips of movies.. The quality of his releases have given him(or her??) demi god status in the Internet world.. The number of hits his torrents get is just phenomenal.. Most of his rips are 700 MB in size, which is advantageous given you can put a movie in a CD or six in one DVD..

All of aXXo torrents are available on www.darksiderg.com.. Pretty cool site for getting torrents.. I recently stumbled upon an interview that aXXo had apparently given,

http://torrentfreak.com/interview-axxo-the-most-popular-dvd-ripper-on-bittorrent/

Comic part, he says his country doesn't believe in Copyright Infringement.. Wonder where he is from?? The main advantage of having someone like this is for people like us in countries where movies get delayed for months and in some cases don't release at all.. The corporates might not agree but then again, if they release their movies on time here, we probably wouldn't have the need to download movies (Just being diplomatic here, Gonna download the movies anyway:D)..

This post is just a tribute to whoever that great man is who has brought hours of quality entertainment to all of us.. Long live aXXo!!