Sunday, August 31, 2008

Me and the Virtual Bangalore-Inner-Ring-Road Grandprix

While driving on the road, sometimes you get an urge to race against some of the co-commuters for no reason. I experienced one such urge surge today. I was driving my car to Koramangala from Indiranagar. When I was about to cross the Domlur flyover to hit the intermediate ring road, two monsters zipped passed with roaring engines. One, a stylish black PORSCHE CAYENNE and the next a white bull, the BMW X5 - both 3500+ cc gas guzzlers. I felt the enormous power of these vehicles(by the thrust of air which pushed my little car) when they went past me.

Though I realized that my 1000cc puny WagonR was no match for them, the Narain Karthikeyan in me stepped up the accelerator and started chasing these Goliaths and imagined that the Ejipura signal crossing would bear the chequered flag.. Inner ring road is one of those few roads in Bangalore where you can push your speedometer needle move past 90kmph. And this time around i could see the needle struggling between 100 and 110 kmph. While I was busy dodging other fellow commuters at this speed and trying to catch up with my competitor Goliaths, I saw them zooming out of my sight burning the road (they should have been a real 150+ kmph) ... I felt like a bunny who was trying to chase cheetahs (Though I was not the prey).

Another half a km down the road, I could see Ejipura signal emerging and the Goliaths slowing down. I took advantage of the puny size of my car and moved smoothly slipped between the cars waiting for the traffic signal and reached the FINISH line (Zebra crossing). Ha ha ha. I felt like Lewis Hamilton winning British Grandprix. As I exulted with victory, KNOCK KNOCK, a traffic constable knocked on my wind shield and gestured to move behind the zebra crossing.
Though I eventually won the race (unethical & manipulated virtual victory), "எல்லாம் ஒரு _ _ _ திண்ண சந்தோசம் தான் " as my dosht Raghavan says.

At the signal, I saw this hoarding - SPEED is a 5 letter word, so is DEATH. Hmmm ... "என்னா வில்லத்தனம்"?

My Suzuki WagonR: (http://www.marutiwagonr.com/)

BMW X5: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_X5)

Porsche Cayenne: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_Cayenne)

படிச்சாதான் Hero இல்லேன்னா Zero - Entrusting the value of education

Got a chance to see this video in my friend Rajarajan's orkut profile. It is great to see that celebrities contribute back to the society via such medium. This video on educational awareness was organised by Agaram Foundation run by Actor Suya.

துளிகள்:

புத்தகத்தில் உலகத்தைப் படிப்போம்.
உலகத்தையே புத்தகமாய்ப்
படிப்போம்.

கற்றுக்கொள்வதும் கற்றுக்கொடுப்பதும் அன்றி
வேறென்ன வாழ்க்கை?



Friday, August 29, 2008

Chess - On the rocks (or) Off the board?


!!! Wow, what a way to play chess !!!

I guess alcohol improves strategic skills for these guys ;)
Wait a minute, what would be objective of this game? To loose ? Eventually with all the coins(cups) off the board, the player should be happier than the opponent. Right?
Hmmm ... Fellow குடிமகன்s (Drinkers) would understand :)


Make your own future

Wonderful Pravsworld quote shared to me by Nihira.

 

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Grrrrrrrr ... Crazy act Dude ...

Just came across this random post http://www.asylum.in/2008/07/14/the-relax-a-text-position/
and found this video in it.

Man, this guy is crazy and cool.

Feel like this at office after lunch?

My best friend Nihira asked me this question after sending me this video via email.
Feel like this at office after lunch?

Really Cute video. I wish I was that kid.

Focus on the Worthy

  • Law of planned neglect: The secret of getting things done is, knowing what to leave undone. Give up good for the best.
  • There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all -- Peter Drucker
  • Focus: The man who chases two rabbits catches neither / The person trying to do everything will achieve nothing
  • It is not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The real question is what are you so busy about? -- Thoreau
  • Lead time: Visionary leaders have the wisdom to understand that if you don’t lead your time, it will lead you
  • Choice: We are being overwhelmed by choice. A plan relieves you of the torment of Choice – Saul Bellow
  • As you live your days, so you live your life: The past is history and the future is just a figment. This day, the present, is really all you
  • Self Discipline: The tougher you are on yourself, the easier life will be on you.
  • Leadership is really simple: Planning to do things (wisely), doing what you planned to do, when you planned to do it.

Quoted from “Leadership Wisdom from The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari”

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Random Quotes from "Leadership Wisdom"

  • The arrow that hits the bull's eye is the result of one hundred misses.
  • The best antidote to fear is knowledge. He or she, who learns most, wins.
  • "Observe always that everything is the result of change, and get used to thinking that there is nothing Nature loves so well as to change existing forms and make new ones like them." - Marcus Aurelius
  • People are rewarded in the marketplace by the value they add to it.
  • Knowledge that remains unapplied is worthless

Quoted from “Leadership Wisdom from The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari”

See the good

  • No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit -Helen Keller
  • Accusing the times is but excusing ourselves -Thomas Fuller

Quoted from “Leadership Wisdom from The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari”

Mail-to-Blogger is working :)

The Mail-to-Blogger feature which was down was the past one week, if working fine now.

A great relief for me, since I love witing posts via email than going to the Blogger admin to write posts.

Ideas are the true commodities of success

In this new era of business you are privileged to live in, ideas are the true commodities of success. How far you go will be determined by how well you think.

Nurture your mind with great thoughts for you will never go any higher than you think

-Benjamin Disraeli

Quoted from “Leadership Wisdom from The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari”

யார் ஜெயம்கொண்டான் ?

A few lines from the inspiring ஜெயம்கொண்டான் movie song

... எவன் அடிக்கடி தன்னை புதுப்பிப்பான், அவன் வாழ்வில் இங்கு ஜெயம்கொண்டான் ...

... One who constantly evolves will emerge as a victorian in life ...

Not sure of the lyricist (Vaalee, Naa.Muthukumar, Kabilan, Yugabharathi are the lyricist of Jayamkondan Songs). Profound words though which are synonymous to my earlier post of "Surrendering to Change" and constantly evolving.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Surrender to Change

"Doing the same things every day will not deliver new results.
To change the results you are getting, you must change the things you are doing.

The nature of water is to flow. It goes with the current. It does not resist. It does not hesitate before it yields. But it is also one of the most powerful forces on the earth. Study water and manage the changing currents of life and modern business like water manages the currents of nature. Rather than viewing change as an adversary, welcome it as a friend. And then surrender to it. That's what adaptability is all about."

Quoted from "Leadership Wisdom from The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari"

Inspired by Purpose

When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all of your thoughts breaks their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to b e a great person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.

Quoted from “Leadership Wisdom from The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari”

Feeding & Spoon feeding

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.
Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

- Confucius

Quoted from “Leadership Wisdom from The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari”

How benign is Solitude ...

“When from our better selves we have too long been parted by the hurrying world, sick of its business, of its pleasures tired, how gracious, how benign is solitude”
- William Wordsworth

Quoted from “Leadership Wisdom from The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari”.

Work & Meaning

“Work is about daily meaning as well as daily bread: for recognition as well as cash; in short for a sort of life rather than a Monday through Friday sort of dying...we have a right to ask of work that it include meaning, recognition, astonishment and life.”
-Studs Terkel

Quoted from Robin Sharma’s Blog.

Mail-to-Blogger Failure.

It seems there is some problems with the "Mail-to-Blogger" feature for the past few days. I usually use this feature to send posts to my blog as drafts and later publish them.
For more details on the issue follow the links
http://blogging.nitecruzr.net/search/label/Mail-To-Blogger
http://groups.google.com/group/blogger-help-troubleshoot/browse_thread/thread/dacac9a3ede1bd16/ab72c2f07580058e?lnk=raot

So I have to go the usual way of logging into Blogger and writing posts for some more days.

Monday, August 11, 2008

[Olympics 2008] The Golden face of India

http://www.ibnlive.com/olympicsnews/abhinav-bindra-wins-olympic-gold/70827-29.html

Excerpts from IBNLive:

Abhinav Bindra has done what no one has ever done for India at the Olympics. He won the first-ever individual gold medal in men's 10m air rifle event on Monday morning.

China's Qinan Zhu won the silver while the bronze went to Henri Hakkinen of Finland.

Earlier in the day the world champion had qualified for the men's 10m air rifle event finals.

However, Gagan Narang failed to make the final cut in the same event finishing ninth with a score of 595/600.

Narang shot a series of 97,100,100,100,98,100.

Bindra, a Khel Ratna awardee, finished the qualifying event joint fourth with Romania's George Alin Moldoveanu after the duo shot a score of 596/600.

The bespectacled shooter managed a series of 100,99,100,98,100 and 99.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Watched "THE DARK KNIGHT"


After a long wait, I got a chance to watch the movie which was making news "THE DARK KNIGHT".

I often watch Super-hero movies for their spectacular special effects rather than the content itself. And as always the Super-hero movies are predictable. Hero slays villain, saves people (including the loved ones).

But this time around with "THE DARK KNIGHT" that wasnt the case. I was attracted to the content or the essence of the movie rather than the special effects. Its a serious super-hero movie which goes beyond the usual hero-villain spat. I think thats what Joker tries to disrupt, the seriousness .. he ironically exclaims "Why so serious?"

What the villain seeks in this movie is not just chaos but the disruption of faith. Faith that bad things will begone. This movie portrays what forces a good man beyond his so called breaking point to turn himself from good to bad (as shown with Harvey Dent/Two Face) and though some one like Batman is on vigil to save people, its the people themselves who decide their fate (as shown in the scene where 2 ships filled with bomb and people).

All in all a fine movie. Kudos for the Dark Knight team.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Outlook Towards Life

For everything you have missed, you have gained something else;
And for everything you gain, you lose something else.

It is about your outlook towards life. You can either regret or rejoice.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

My car is red no more...

My WagonR which was FANTASY RED in color when I purchased it is red no more.
Due to regular exposure to heat and rain (though the car is covered),
the color has faded and appears faded.
Hmmm... Like me, even my car needs some rejuvenation.

Good, Bad and Ugly

Three things happened to me over last weekend.

Good:
My brother got his first job as a Graphic designer

Bad:
My earlier blog http://being-raja00cs.blogspot.com was defaced in US servers pointing to some random Bible site. Hence I decided to move out and create this new blog.

Ugly:
"My irresponsibility & negligence exposed."
I lost my mobile phone (or) rather I should say I left the mobile phone easily accessible for the thief to make his work easier.