Lost and found....my pencil sketches....

This weekend turned out to be serendipitous...

During school, I belonged to the "drawing hobby" group. And we had developed a craze for sketching portraits of actors and actresses. I had done fair a bit of sketching too...

I had lost these sketches a long time back. But quite unexpectedly found them in the corner of one of those less accessed cupboards.

Although not in the league of the best portraits, if you strain your eyes a little and be a little considerate towards me, probably you can come close to guessing the persons, whom I have assumed to have sketched. :-)

Here they go...

supposed to be Aishwarya Rai..


supposed to be Hritik Roshan....


supposed to be Madhavan...


supposed to be Shar Rukh (from Dil Se)...


supposed to Salman Khan...

supposed to be Kajol...

Thats it...those were the sketches that I had done... Hope to do more and hope to achieve greater resemblance to the subject.... :-)

No Man's Land...

For a few years now, I had a touch of contempt for this movie "No man's Land", for it had snatched the oscars from "Lagaan". But having watched the movie, I must say the contempt is replaced by awe and respect.

The movie revolves around the two soldiers who end up in the no mans's land. Interestingly, they are from rival borders and are left with one more soldier whose is alive but lying on a land mine in a trench. The role of the UN and the press is shown in an interesting manner. From the helplessness of the UN officials on the field to the irritation caused by the reporters is well portrayed. However, the intention of the press is to get the truth and hence any amount of irritation seems justified. The film itself is well made. The ending is cunningly subtle.

One funny conversation that I remember..

UN Official 1: A bomb diffuser makes only one mistake in life...(smiles)
UN Official 2: Well...actually two.
UN Official 1: How is that?
UN Official 2: First, when he chose the profession.

Apart from this the last scene is quite tragic and hence, seems to persist in your mind.

An explaination to the current financial crisis...in (almost) lay man's words...

A friend of mine sent the link to an article in the Hindu daily. If you want to know how and why all this financial crisis is happening, then do read this article. Its a well-written piece of writing.

Article - When the bubble burst...
Link - http://www.hindu.com/mag/2008/10/05/stories/2008100550010100.htm

A few take-aways from this article....

• I got a hang of whats happening and why all this financial crisis.
• I realized I don't even qualify as a "lay man" when it comes to financial jargons ...
• Investment Bankers are super jazz givers and Investment Banking is all about GAS (packaging and selling) ;-) This was in a lighter vein. I do respect them.
  

[PGW Quotes] first installment...

Came across a few of my favorite PGW quotes...

" It was a confusion of ideas between him and one of the lions he was hunting in Kenya that had caused A. B. Spottsworth to make the obituary column. He thought the lion was dead, and the lion thought it wasn't. "

"The fascination of shooting as a sport depends almost wholly on whether you are at the right or wrong end of the gun"

"The shock to Colonel Wedge of finding that what he had taken for a pile of old clothes was alive and a relation by marriage caused him to speak a little sharply."

"He had a face like a gorilla. More so indeed, than most gorillas do."

"it was as if nature had intended to make a gorilla and had changed her mind at the last moment"

"his IQ is about thirty points lower than what you’d expect from a not-too-agile-minded jellyfish"

"He uttered a sound much like a bull dog swallowing a pork chop whose dimensions it has underestimated."

"It was the look which caused her to be known in native bearer and halfcaste circles as 'Mgobi-'Mgumbi, which may be loosely translated as She On Whom It Is Unsafe To Try Any Oompus-Boompus."

"Sir Roderick Glossop ... is always called a nerve specialist, because it sounds better, but everybody knows that he's really a sort of janitor to the looney-bin."

"His locality at this moment is as difficult to ascertain as that of a black cat hiding in a coal cellar on a moonless night"

"He was built on large lines, and seemed to fill the room to overflowing. In physique he was not unlike what Primo Carnera would have been if Carnera hadn't stunted his growth by smoking cigarettes when a boy."

"Unlike the male codfish which, suddenly finding itself the parent of three million five hundred thousand little codfish, cheerfully resolves to love them all, the British aristocracy is apt to look with a somewhat jaundiced eye on its younger sons."

"Honoria . . . is one of those robust, dynamic girls with the muscles of a welter-weight and a laugh like a squadron of cavalry charging over a tin bridge."

"Fond as he was of Pongo, Lord Ickenham could not see him as a breaker of hearts. Yet it appeared plain that his loss had left a large gap in this girl's life."

"After all, golf is only a game,'' said Millicent. Women say these things without thinking. It does not mean that there is any kink in their character. They simply don't realise what they're saying.

[Favorite songs] ತೇರಾ ಏರಿ ಅಂಬರದಾಗೆ...

After long I found this song on Youtube... also somebody has written the entire lyrics in the comments..so thot i will just copy paste this song...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_DMD0LzVGY

ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ: ದೊಡ್ಡ ರಂಗೇಗೌಡ
ಸಂಗೀತ: ರಾಜನ್-ನಾಗೇಂದ್ರ
ಗಾಯನ: ಎಸ್.ಪಿ. ಬಾಲಸುಬ್ರಹ್ಮಣ್ಯಂ

ತೇರಾ ಏರಿ ಅಂಬರದಾಗೆ ನೇಸರು ನಗುತಾನೆ..
ಮರಗಿಡ ತೂಗ್ಯಾವೆ...
ಹಕ್ಕಿ ಹಾಡ್ಯಾವೇ...
ಬೀರ್ಯಾವೇ, ಚೆಲುವಾ ಬೀರ್ಯಾವೇ
ಬಾ, ನೋಡಿ ನಲಿಯೋಣ ತಮ್ಮಾ
ನಾವ್, ಹಾಡಿ ಕುಣಿಯೋಣ ತಮ್ಮಾ

ಬೇಲಿ ಮ್ಯಾಗೆ ಬಣ್ಣ ಬಣ್ಣದ
ಹೂವು ಅರಳ್ಯಾವೆ
ಆ ಹೂವ ಮೇಲೆ ತುಂಬಾ ಸಣ್ಣ ಚಿಟ್ಟೆ ಕುಳಿತ್ಯಾವೆ
ಬಾಗಿ ಬಾಗಿ ಅತ್ತ ಇತ್ತ ಬಾಳೆ ಬಳುಕ್ಯಾವೆ
ಆ ಬಾಳೇ ವನವೇ ನಕ್ಕು ಕಣ್ಣು ತಂದ್ಯಾವೆ
||ಕುಂತರೆ ಸೆಳೆವ, ಸಂತಸ ತರುವ||
ಹೊಂಗೆ ತೊಂಗೆ ತೂಗಿ ತೂಗಿ
ಗಾಳಿ ಬೀಸ್ಯಾವೇ
ತೇರಾ ಏರಿ ಅಂಬರದಾಗೆ ನೇಸರು ನಗುತಾನೆ..
ಮರಗಿಡ ಕೂಗ್ಯಾವೇ...
ಹಕ್ಕಿ ಹಾಡ್ಯಾವೇ...
ಮರಗಿಡ ಕೂಗ್ಯಾವೇ...
ಚಿಲಿಪಿಲಿ ಹಕ್ಕಿ ಹಾಡ್ಯಾವೇ...

ಭೂಮಿ ಮೇಲೆ ಹಚ್ಚ ಹಚ್ಚಗೆ ಹಾದಿ ತೆಗೆದಾವೆ
ಆ ಹಾದಿ ಅಕ್ಕ ಪಕ್ಕ ಬಳ್ಳಿ ಬೆಳಿದ್ಯಾವೆ
ಸಾಲು ಸಾಲು ಬೆಟ್ಟ ಗುಡ್ಡ ಮೌನ ತಳೆದಾವೆ
ಆ ಮೌನವ ಗಾನ ಎಲ್ಲರ ಮನಸಾ ಸೆಳೆದಾವೆ
||ಭಾವಾ ಬಿರಿದು, ಹತ್ತಿರ ಕರೆದು ||
ಮಾವು ಬೇವು ತಾಳೆ ತೆಂಗು
ಲಾಲಿ ಹಾಡ್ಯಾವೆ
||ತೇರಾ ಏರಿ...||

ಭೇದಭಾವ ಮುಚ್ಚುಮರೆ ಒಂದು ಮಾಡ್ದೇನೆ
ಆ ಸೂರ್ಯ ಒಂದೇ ಬೆಳಕ ನಮಗೆ ನೀಡ್ಯಾನೆ
ಗಾಳಿ ನೀರು ಎಲ್ಲ ಕೊಟ್ಟು ಜಗವ ನಡೆಸ್ಯಾನೆ
ಆ ಸಿರಿಯ ಹಂಚಿಕೊಂಡರೆ ಬಾಳು ಸವಿಜೇನೆ
||ಪ್ರೀತಿ ಬೆಳೆದೆ ಸ್ನೇಹ ಕಳೆದು||
ನಗುತ ನಗುತ ನಾವು ನೀವು ಸವಿಯುವ ಸುಖವನ್ನೇ

Kudos to the directors and actors..for such awesome films and songs...

Stack Overflow - not a "problem" but a "one-stop solution"...

For hard-core fans of Joel, I am sure this is no news. But for others, here is a website where you can go for any technical snag...

The link to the website is - www.stackoverflow.com

I have been using it ever since it was launched, about a month ago. A very useful site and a highly responsive one. On an average I get answers to my queries in like 10 or 15 mins... So it has quite a strong user network for a site that is just 1 month old. And the best part about the site, is the integrated voting facility. Because of this, wrong answers get voted out. So unlike in a discussion forum where you will have to dig deep for the diamond, here you have the right answers at the top. And mostly these are verified answers. Apart from that, the other good feature that I liked is, as soon as you type the title of the question, the website shows a set of related questions. This not only avoids duplication at the root, but also provides us with a quick way to search if such a quesiton has already been asked.

For detailed information on this , you can get it right from the horse's mouth here.
And for those of you who dont follow Joel's blog I stronly recommend you to start. Its an awesome tech blog.
http://www.joelonsoftware.com

Its interesting how we (or alteast I) usual think that most of what we can innovate is already done in some fields. Yet we find the results of great minds at work manifesting in such products/sites...

London on toes...

I made a week's trip to London, during May 2007. Based on that, here is a list suggestions...

Within London

• Buckingham Palace – Don’t miss the change of guards. Happens as far as I remember twice a day. I think one must be at 11 30 AM and the other in the evening.
  
  

• St Pauls Cathedral – This is just awesome. Make sure you go to the full top. It very very tall..and the view is awesome from above. You can see whole London.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Tower Bridge – I am sure u will not miss this. Many think the tower bridge is the London Bridge. But this is the bridge with the two towers. And you can go up also and see the working of the tower bridge. It awesome to see. There is one bridge purely for walking. Go in the middle of the bridge and you get the most awesome view of the tower bridge from there. If it is rainy at that time then thank your stars..because..rain just makes it even more beautiful.
  
  
• Tower of London – This has the famous Kohinoor. At least for that you need to see it.
  
  
• Big Ben – This is the clock tower. Of course you cant go in. But this is very conspicuous and you cant miss it
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The London Eye – Go for the ride.
  
  
• Westminster Abbey – One more awesome church. Huge and artistic
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Westminster – The parliament. I actually attended two sessions. One in the House of Commons and one in the House of Lords. This is free and fun to watch. J Also, don’t miss the way the house of commons has a board called Visitors’ Gallery. While the House of Lords calls the same gallery as Strangers’ Gallery. This is a funny thing I cant forget.
  
  
• Shakespear's Globe Theatre – During mornings there is a tour around the theatre. During afternoon and evening there will be plays. Make sure you will go to one play atleast. I could not make it for a Shakespearen Play – Othello. But book alteast 2 days before and you will get a chance to see it.
  
  
• Tate Modern – This is museum near globe theatre is for art lovers. But I was bored of this
  
  
• 21 Baker Street (Sherlock Homes house) – Never ever miss this. This is the Sherlock Holmes house. They have created everything according to how it is in the novel. Make sure u will read the letters to Sherlock holmes from kids all over. Also sign your name in the register. Also, the steward here is just tailor-made for the background. That is why I requested her to sit and took a snap. Just don’t miss this place.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Wimbledon – Never miss this if you are a tennis fan. It awesome. Moreover they have opened the center court for visitors.
  
  
• Chelsea – If you are a football fan, you will enjoy the tour. But if you are not then ditch it.
  
  
• Keningston Palace – This is also good. But you can become tired here.
  
  
• British Museum – You can spend alteast a month seeing this once. So you can easily be bored. But some parts are good.
  
  
• 10 Downing Street – Just for kicks. This was the Tony Blair residence.
  
  
• Hyde Park – It’s the best place to relax. There a very nice lake at the center.

Country Side

• Bath Spa – From what I remember I think this is around 100 kms from London. I went here in a train (left London at 11 30) and came back by train in the evening. You have quite a few places in this place to see. Specially the Roman Bath, an Abbey, a beautiful river side bank with a super aesthetic view of the country houses. There is also an arch of Rich men’s houses.Instead of train, if you go by bus you will be able to see the Stoneheng which is a world heritage site. I could not go there. I was late and had to take the train.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The other place I wanted to go but could not is Shakespears birth place and house. I heard its awesome and kept intact. But I could not go.
  
  
• Also for other country side options Oxford is one more super option. But I did not have time.

Apart from these…other things that I did :-)

• The tube experience – its just awesome. I took a six day tube pass. The tube pass holds good for train as well as buses.
  
  
• Cruise on Thames – One during the day. One during evening. Both were awesome.
  
  
• Window Shop Entire London - Take the bus just to see London city. This is the best part. You will sit on the top of a double decker bus and just go around the city. Generally, I was free during the evenings. Since anyway I had the pass, I used to climb some bus (making sure its double decker) go take a window seat and do a window shopping of whole of London ;-). The city is beautiful during the evenings.
  
  
• River Side Walk - If time permits, during one late evening take a River Side walk. It is just awesome.
  
  
• Platform 9 ¾ - If you are a Potter fan, go to the Harry Potter spot at the Kings Cross Station.
  
  
• For food there was no problem at all, although I am veg. There are hundreds of Indian restaurants.

All in all, this was by far a unique one among all my travels. The reason being, I did it all alone. Having kept all the big luggages in the airport, the whole trip was made on toes...and on a shoestring... ;-) I have also developed a rare fascination for this place and would want to stay here for a longer period of time going ahead...