Pure and Stunning Talent

Again, it was a long break for me from blogging.

This time I come back with something stunning that I ran into on Facebook and finally dug out the actual thing from YouTube. When Britain's Got Talent and America's Got Talent topped charts and shot people like Susan Boyle to fame, Kseniya Simonova, the winner of Ukraine's Got Talent was probably unnoticed for a while till she came up with this performance. Her fingers work magic. I can't do stuff with pencil, paint and brush on paper, using sand and creating stories live on a back lit table with sand on it is beyond me.

Watch this video and if you are not moved, let me know.



If you are not able to see the video above, you can go to this here to watch her performance.

When I go back and think about people like Sanjaya Malakar making it big, it all looks like a joke that is not even funny.

Think Of The Chances

Just read a bizarre news:

... bullet from a gun that was accidentally dropped injured a Tampa woman sitting in a bathroom stall. Police said the bullet hit 53-year-old Janifer Bliss in the lower left leg. She was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

Just think of the chances.

In India, people do "potty" in public places giving a feast to the eyes (especially the passengers of Indian Railways). No casualties reported till date even in the case of communal riots or gang wars.

India - "order amongst the chaos ..."

The Great American Airplance Toilet Experiment

(if you are not able to view it here, please use this link)

So what did we learn?

(via bitsandpieces)

Dream Gadget For New Moms

Managing a crying new born is inevitably the biggest challenge that new moms face. And to their rescue comes "Why Cry Baby Analyzer".

Its advanced frequency analysis technology only needs 20 seconds to let you know why your child is screaming to the heavens. Whether your baby is Stressed, Sleepy, Annoyed, Bored or Hungry, this device will identify it on its LCD screen.

Now, that is one hell of a relief for just $99.99. I am getting one for my wife with our baby due in December. 

With so much advancement in technology, a much useful gadget for "man"kind would be one which detects why a woman is crying. One preferred feature added to the basic functionality is to find what it means when a woman says:

1. Fine

2. Nothing

But I guess the armageddon will happen by the time we find a gadget like that!

Thanks God! We Have Electronic Voting Machines

Atleast Election Commission don't have to put in their FAQ if you are allowed to eat the ballot or not!

Dogs Are Taking Over

In a recent story, a dog ate a teenager's passport:

 

A Wisconsin teenager using a classic excuse for evading schoolwork missed a class trip to Peru despite his tale being true: The dog ate his passport. 

And in another one, a dog ate a 50 yr old ladies personal checks:

"Her dog got into her purse and ate all her personal checks." The 50-year-old woman reportedly told police she had no choice but to take money from her former husband's account.

 

In the UK, Dangerous Dog Act is getting updated with law to protect postmen from dog attacks.

The bill aims to extend the law to offer protection to workers such as postmen and women from being attacked by dogs on private property.

It does not stop here. After the beauty pageants for dogs (Barking Beauty Pageant), the baddies of the "Dog World" had a competition for themselves, where Pabst, a 4 year old boxer mix was crowned World's Ugliest Dog. 

They are demanding attention!

Things are getting even worse and this time in the search engine land. If I search for "search engine" on Google, "Dogpile Web Search"* gets listed above even Google on the first page!

Is this an indication that dogs are taking over the world? 

This post does not intend to harm the sentiments of dogs or dog lovers. No hate mails please.

*Dogpile Web Search has nothing to do with dogs and is just a mashup of search engines.

Traffic And Premature Birth

Very smart scientists, after research, have found that traffic is causing premature births.

As famous for its traffic jams as it is for Hollywood star power, the Los Angeles, Calif. area has another dirty little secret: Air pollution is sickening pregnant women who live near roadways, more than doubling their risk of a premature birth, according to a new study.

I just wonder that if this is the case, then 90% of the births in India would be premature. Forget about the air pollution levels - Unborn babies will push themselves out of the womb, flip the bird and walk away because of the abnormal noise levels from all the honking, gutters and foul smell from the overflowing drainage.

There Are Teachers, Then There Are Educators

According to a news report, a certain private school in Washington was recently faced with a unique problem. A number of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom. That was fine, but after they put on their lip stick, they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints.

Every night the maintenance man would remove them, and the next day the girls would put them back. Finally the principal decided that something had to be done….She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the maintenance man. She explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors every night (you can just imagine the yawns from the little princesses).

To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required. He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned the mirror with it. Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.

There are teachers.... and then there are educators

(via)

New York Review: Thankfully Does Not Define "Mohabbat"

New York is a very watchable movie with decent performances from John Abraham, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Ifran Khan and Katrina Kaif.

For a change (that too a huge one ...), Yash Raj films does not define love, commitment, parenting or any of those things. Usually, there is an overdose of "mohabbat", "pyaar", "shaadi ka pavithr bandhan", "dosti" and stuff, but New York was so much better with none of those cliched concepts being put to use. Moreover, it exposed the audience to a different side on 9/11 which is very less known.

With Mohabbatein, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai being greatest tortures of all times (... and then being termed as *larger than life*), New York is the most watchable movie from Yash Raj banner after DDLJ.

Transformers 2 Review: Bloody Long

The plus point of first movie in Transformer series was that it was short, funny and had amazing special effects.

Transformers 2: Revenge of the fallen, was "OK" with the special effects and more autobots and decepticons introduced in this movie. Watching it on IMAX screen was special with some scenes specially designed for IMAX screen.

That's about the good part. For the flip side is that the movie is bloody long. I felt that probably because I was forced to be glued to the chair for whole 2.5 hours without any breaks. Prasadz IMAX screen does not give you any breaks. I had to buy 2 popcorns before I got in.

Megan Fox was hot in the first movie, but it took me few scenes to recognize Megan Fox in Transformers 2. Thanks to her new lip job which I found bad. I think, with all the lip job, she was finding it very difficult to hold her lips sealed!!!

Back to the robots. There are too many Autobots introduced in the movie who have nothing to do except pass on some wacky comments or stunts and then die. This time they have a lady decepticon in human form (reminds me of Terminator) sent to seduce Sam. The movie got a little boring where Sam Whitwicky gets emotional with his parents, Bumblebee and Mikaela.

Micheal Bay tried to pull off larger than life stunts at heritage sites like the Pyramids of Egypt and Petra in Jordan which looked great on IMAX screen. Getting the robots to do stunts in a heritage site was a great idea instead of having everything done in a crowded city which usually is the trend. However, the cameras were kept too close to where the action was, which made the whole thing look shaky and started giving me a headache.

The movie, for me, was too long, over emotional, not so funny and was definitely not as good as the first part. But watching on an IMAX screen probably makes it an "OK to watch" movie.

Answers That Blow Your Mind

My brain just exploded ... Well, after seeing the Miss. South Carolina episode and the geography knowledge video, browser is too technical after all!

My Introduction To English Music

It started with my visit to my cousins place in 1992 when he was playing some songs with catchy beats. I had never heard those kind of beats ever before. The vocals started and I found it ok, mostly because I could not understand crap of what was being sung. Considering that I was used to Balarama (Malayam version) and Poombatta, it was hard for me to understand anything that was non-indian accent.

I pumped the volume up a bit and my parents came running. My father said, "What kind of music is this? This guy is singing with boiling water in his mouth ...". I lowered the volume and continued listening to the album and it kept me glued to my seat with the peppy beats.

I checked the cassette cover, it said "Thriller" by Micheal Jackson. I still can't believe that I heard the album 10 years after it was released. Thriller was the first English song I listened and my introduction to English music.

Today, the world woke up the news that MJ passed away. May his soul rest in peace ...

Find Out Why You Are Putting On Weight

If you are puzzled as to why you are putting on weight, then you may want to cross check if you are married.

Yet another weird research just reveals that getting married or moving in with a partner will make you fat.

They were more likely to watch television together instead of going to the gym or playing a sport. Her research found that couples who lived together for more than two years – especially those who were married – were most likely to display similar obesity patterns and physical behaviours

Now, you probably know the reason. I am going to get a weighing machine and start monitoring my weight. 

And all husbands beware!!! Your wife may just hold the marriage responsible!!!

As for "live-in" guys, if you are looking for a reason for break-up, here it is!!!

:)

(via telegraph)

Getting Married In Zero G

We might have heard of weddings happening underwater and quite a few weird places. While couples are struggling to find a wedding hall in Kerala during wedding season, a couple in the US is planning their wedding in Zero Gravity.

When we started talking about marriage, Noah joked that we should have our wedding "in space".  Although most girls would take this to mean Noah didn't want to get married, Erin knew he was sincere, and that this was a serious request.  We decided marrying on the zero gravity plane would be a good compromise.

Their wedding rings will made of iron from meteorites.

The cost of this wedding is around $5,400 per person and there are 12 seats on the plane called Vomit Comet. We are talking about recession, layoffs, bailouts, crisis etc. and here we have money being spent on Zero gravity!!

There are 2 seats to up for sale and the couple is ready to sponsor half the cost per seat. 

Anyone interested? ...

(via discovery)

The Name Problem

I just got off from a call with Yatra.com. I had to call them just because I ran into some minor issues while doing it online.

Having a mallu (malayali) name is a nightmare sometimes. it took me full 10 minutes to make the customer service associate that my name is "Kannan Kartha"(K-a-n-n-a-n K-a-r-t-h-a). Now, I don't know if it has anything to do with my accent (though I think that I have done decent job of neutralizing my mallu accent) and by the time I completed spelling my name out, I was exhausted.

There are two issues with spelling out a name. First is that people just jump the gun thinking they can get spell it right when I know that they cannot. I remember an American addressing me as "Canon Karta" on email after we had a conversation over phone. This Yatra guy took down my name as "Kanan Kartka". Secondly, the use of "nn" and "th" is mostly there in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and not used to by people from other states especially from the north.

People find it hilarious how mallu names are derived, but believe me, any mallu can learn any language in the world. Be it tamil or mandarin.

As I continue to spell my name to each and every non-malayali I meet, I have also joined the group called "People Who Always Have To Spell Their Names For Other People" on Facebook. Check it out.

Story Of A Job Hopper

I received this one from one of my friends via email and I thought that this one will be a worthwhile post. (I don't know who the actual author is and this piece is not authored by me ...)

A tad long.. but too good.

"Some, rather most organizations reject his CV today because he has changed jobs frequently (10 in 14 years). My friend, the 'job hopper' (referred here as Mr. JH), does not mind it.... well he does not need to mind it at all. Having worked full-time with 10 employer companies in just 14 years gives Mr. JH the relaxing edge that most of the 'company loyal' employees are struggling for today. Today, Mr. JH too is laid off like some other 14-15 year experienced guys - the difference being the latter have just worked in 2-3 organizations in the same number of years. Here are the excerpts of an interview with Mr. JH:

Q: Why have you changed 10 jobs in 14 years?
A: To get financially sound and stable before getting laid off the second time.

Q: So you knew you would be laid off in the year 2009?
A: Well I was laid off first in the year 2002 due to the first global economic slowdown. I had not got a full-time job before January 2003 when the economy started looking up; so I had struggled for almost a year without job and with compromises.

Q: Which number of job was that?
A: That was my third job.

Q: So from Jan 2003 to Jan 2009, in 6 years, you have changed 8 jobs to make the count as 10 jobs in 14 years?
A: I had no other option. In my first 8 years of professional life, I had worked only for 2 organizations thinking that jobs are deserved after lot of hard work and one should stay with an employer company to justify the saying 'employer loyalty'. But I was an idiot.

Q: Why do you say so?
A: My salary in the first 8 years went up only marginally. I could not save enough and also, I had thought that I had a 'permanent' job, so I need not worry about 'what will I do if I lose my job'. I could never imagine losing a job because of economic slowdown and not because of my performance. That was January 2002.

Q: Can you brief on what happened between January 2003 and 2009.
A: Well, I had learnt my lessons of being 'company loyal' and not 'money earning and saving loyal'. But then you can save enough only when you earn enough. So I shifted my loyalty towards money making and saving - I changed 8 jobs in 6 years assuring all my interviewers about my stability.

Q: So you lied to your interviewers; you had already planned to change the job for which you were being interviewed on a particular day?
A: Yes, you can change jobs only when the market is up and companies are hiring. You tell me - can I get a job now because of the slowdown? No. So one should change jobs for higher salaries only when the market is up because that is the only time when companies hire and can afford the expected salaries.

Q: What have you gained by doing such things?
A: That's the question I was waiting for. In Jan 2003, I had a fixed salary (without variables) of say Rs. X p.a. In January 2009, my salary was 8X. So assuming my salary was Rs.3 lakh p.a. in Jan 2003, my last drawn salary in Jan 2009 was Rs.24 lakh p.a. (without variable). I never bothered about variable as I had no intention to stay for 1 year and go through the appraisal process to wait for the company to give me a hike.

Q: So you decided on your own hike?
A: Yes, in 2003, I could see the slowdown coming again in future like it had happened in 2001-02. Though I was not sure by when the next slowdown would come, I was pretty sure I wanted a 'debt-free' life before being laid off again. So I planned my hike targets on a yearly basis without waiting for the year to complete.

Q: So are you debt-free now?
A: Yes, I earned so much by virtue of job changes for money and spent so little that today I have a loan free 2 BR flat (1200 sq. feet) plus a loan free big car without bothering about any EMIs. I am laid off too but I do not complain at all. If I have laid off companies for money, it is OK if a company lays me off because of lack of money.

Q: Who is complaining?
A: All those guys who are not getting a job to pay their EMIs off are complaining. They had made fun of me saying I am a job hopper and do not have any company loyalty. Now I ask them what they gained by their company loyalty; they too are laid off like me and pass comments to me - why will you bother about us, you are already debt-free. They were still in the bracket of 12-14 lakh p.a. when they were laid off.

Q: What is your advice to professionals?
A: Like Narayan Murthy had said - love your job and not your company because you never know when your company will stop loving you. In the same lines, love yourself and your family needs more than the company's needs. Companies can keep coming and going; family will always remain the same. Make money for yourself first and simultaneously make money for the company, not the other way around.

Q: What is your biggest pain point with companies?
A: When a company does well, its CEO etc will address the entire company saying, 'well done guys, it is YOUR company, keep up the hard work, I am with you." But when the slowdown happens and the company does not do so well, the same CEO etc will say, "It is MY company and to save the company, I have to take tough decisions including asking people to go." So think about your financial stability first; when you get laid off, your kids will complain to you and not your boss."

Solution For UnHappy Employees

Who says employers are not concerned about employees? They are definitely doing there best to bring smile on each employees face!

(via email from @rkartha)

Letter To Future Me

Ever wanted to write to your future self? One fine day, you wake up and see an email from your past, what will you feel?

Check out FutureMe!



I am in the process of compiling my first one ...

8 x 10 Tasveer - A Soup

We ran to watch Nagesh Kukunoor's "8 x 10 Tasveer" with high expectations. After Bombay to Bangkok terribly disappointed the viewers and bombed at the Box Office, we expected Nagesh to mend his ways and churn out a good one with a superstar like Akshay Kumar.

The movie started off decently and then it completely lost its way. The concept was pretty good and but there was no execution to go with it. It looked as if Nagesh Kukunoor was trying to do a M Night Shyamalan, but he fell flat on his face attempting to become Mr. Shyamalan (... not that Shyamalan is creating great movies these days).

The movie is slightly influenced by Vantage Point, showing different perspectives of the same incident, but failing to keep the tempo up the way it was done in Vantage Point(2008). Each time Akshay Kumar stares at a photograph, he can choose to travel back in time (... into the photograph) to the moment when the snap was taken and be one of the characters in the photograph for a minute or so. He uses this power to investigate his dad's death.

Javed Jaffrey walks into the movie trying to get in a comic flavor and miserably fails trying to mock Adrian Monk (homicide detective with obsessive-compulsive disorder from the popular TV series "Monk") with a Hyderabadi accent.

Overall, a very forgettable movie. A decent storyline lost in translation. A decent plot that turned out to be an avial(not so tasty one)!

Will I recommend? YES, for kids, only for kids ...


(Image coutersy: IndiaFM)

Chowmahalla - Peace In The Midst Of Chaos

Over the long weekend, we went out to see Chowmahalla palace in the old city area of Hyderabad. The palace actually is a set of 4 palaces. I am posting few snaps that were taken. You may refer Wiki or Chowmahalla.com if you are interested in its history.

   

Chowmahalla is right next to Charminar in the midst of all the chaos. Charminar, however, will not be what it is without the chaos of the old city. Whereas, Chowmahalla which is hardly half a kilometer away from Charminar has utter silence and peace the moment you step in.

The 4 palaces are built back to back seperated by lawns. Wardrobe, crockery, arms and ammunition and vintage cars are put for display. The clothes and crockery will definitely be an attraction for women. The variety of swords and knives will amaze you.

 

Swiss Knife - Nizam style?

The Palace

Above all, a studio inside the palace offers to take your pictures in royal clothes and for just Rs. 100/-, they provide you a printout which has an antique feel to it. We took one and it is in our private collection. Don't miss it!

I want to see the place at night(Right now, it closes by 5.00 pm) and will wait for an opportunity.

Meanwhile check my Flickr Stream.