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Tuesday, May 23, 2006

It's All just CRAP By The Way.

This one is another one of my corporate Rants.
I hate it when people or companies take loads of money for something and give you substandard Products or service. It boils my blood and you should feel the same too.....


This is my review of Not just jazz by the bay.

Restaurant: Not Just Jazz By the Bay.
Location: E-Square.

I wanted to go to this restaurant for a while since a few of my friends recommended it.
The did however tell to try the Buffet.

I went there once with my sister and friend.
We ordered a-la-carte. And here is my review.

DRINKS:
My sis had something called Peach Fizz. I had a Tropical Bloom and my friend have a sweet and salty fresh lime soda. The tropical Bloom tasted like my Medicine that goes by the name of 'Ventolin'. The peach fizz was too fizzy and distasteful. And the fresh lime soda was...tolerable. The mocktails cost around Rs.120 and the fresh lime Rs. 50. So bad and sooooo not worth it.


STARTERS:
We ordered stuffed mushrooms, Potato Roesti and one more thing which escapes me now.
They were all ....okay. Not great. Not something i would recommend.
The quantity was atrocious. My 7 month old niece craps more than the amount they give you in each plate.
Each starter was in the Rs. 95 to Rs. 105 range.
YUCK!!!!

MAIN COURSE:
Now if you are a non-vegetarian then you have quite a bit of choice, but if not..then you have 5 pastas to choose from, one Ravioli, a Veg Wrap, and 2 more veg dishes which I cant remember.
I wanted the ravioli but it was not there. So I had the Crap Wrap. Now I really hate wasting food or water...but this was sooo bad that i left half of it. The Pasta Arabiata was okay.
Again the portions were so less that even a starving Somalian would turn it away. (I really pray to god for people who get no food daily. And people Please don't waste GOOD food. )

AMBIENCE:
The whole place has black everywhere. Black tables, black chairs, black rexine sofas giving it a very S&M feel. The floor tiling is nice though. A nice Drum kit sitd on the stage.

THE WAITERS:
I could sense a slight bit of arrogance... and I really hate arrogance.

All in all this place is a COMPLETE RIP OFF. I am so disgusted with the place that i will never ever go back to even try the buffet. Please Do not go there.
Not a satisfying lunch and paid an arm and a leg.
YOU have been warned.

Mars restaurants... STOP LOOTING the general public.



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Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Quota Qualms- My ideas.

Huge protest and disgust are making me make this post. The reservation quota for sc/st/bc/obc etc. stir is causing quite a commotion in the country. I had put a small piece on it over here.
Now I shall propose what I think should be the way to handle it.

Firstly, I would like to declare that I am anti-discrimination, anti-quota, and completely believe in equality.

1. The the quota system should be abolished. This will give equal footing to everyone and then the competition will be based on proper merit. The way it is meant to be. Even the ladies quota should be completely removed. Equality should be there among castes and even sexes. I can't believe a country which gained independence due to the hard work by Mahatma Gandhi, has people who want reservations based on caste, which is one way of promoting discrimination, making the "un-opressed" "the oppressed" (I am referring to the people in the open category. You are pretty much doomed if you are boy in the open category and have only 85% marks. You still lose out to a person using caste reservation person with 50% marks!!!!!!).

The caste system, and the different treatment of people based on their castes existed a 100 years ago. Let by-gones be by-gones. Such rubbish should not exist today in the 21st century. Coming back to my proposal.

2. The number of seats totally for every course, in every school, college, University should be increased to accommodate a larger number of students. This will solve the problem minutely... but every little helps.

3. I do propose there be a 10%-15% reservation for the management quota.
(Management quota is usually for the rich people who may or may not come from foreign countries (NRI's or foreigners) who can afford to pay the fees which is usually between 10x to 20x the regular fees.)

You say: "Huh? Why are YOU saying there should be a management quota when YOU believe in no reservations, explicitly saying EQUALITY should prevail?"

Let me explain.

As far as I am concerned, money makes the world go round. You can't provide anyone with anything unless there is backing of financial power. The government should provide FREE education, as it is done in foreign countries, to all children from the lowest level up to 12th standard compulsorily.

Our government lacks the money(since most of it ends up in pockets at different levels of the hierarchy due to corruption) and the will to improve the situation (since all politicians are more interested in power play, and money making rather than improving the situation and fulfilling their pre-vote promises.)

With the increase in the number of seats and the management quota, a large amount of funds will come in from those sources. Those funds can be used to provide education for the people who are deserving, meritorious and can't afford the fees and books, IRRESPECTIVE of their caste.
The most common argument for reservation is that the people from backward castes can't afford the education. That is where the management quota comes in.
This should be implemented for all levels after 12th standard. If the government provides free education (by some new policy and radical, revolutionary idea) then the question of reservation up to 12th standard does not rise, and the admission at graduate level on merit basis is totally possible.
Of course the government will have to monitor the in-take of the funds so that swindling does not occur (something people always tend to do...nobody wants to earn things anymore.)
---------------
A few Side notes
----------------
1. The management quota will allow for students from the non-Indian system of education students to get admission and also the RICH DUMB KIDS.
The people who come from other systems (me included), know how tough it is to get into the system due to bureaucracy and inflexibility of the system; and the Indian education system is harder to study (I can say that based on personal experience).
2. I appreciate what the Doctors in New Delhi are trying to do by going on strike, but I don't believe it is the right way. I believe it is slightly negligent and am pretty sure it is against some kind of Doctor's code/oath.
Any ideas from YOU?




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Thursday, April 06, 2006

Two pieces of NEWS

I was watching the news and two stories caught my eye.

1. It has been proposed that reservation(for SC's, BC's, OBC's, LT's, dimwits, morons) be increased in higher education institution and even IIT's and IIM's, by 27% to a total of 50%.

2. Harayana is attracting alot of companies, foreign and domestic, to setup shop there.

Here is why.

1. The news of the reservation quota being increased should not have come out before the UP elections. But for obvious reasons (so that those people I mentioned above (dimwits and all) will vote for the proponents of the law and be in power. Of course the BJP has said this is against election conduct rules).

What this means statistically is the joke that goes "out of every 100 people in your class 10 will be idiots" will now become "out of every 100 people in your class 50 will be idiots".

The reason I call them idiots is because quite frankly ...all people under reservations are.

The reason the reservation system was introduced is because apparently, they were "the oppressed castes" about 100-150 years ago.
And it stays now because they are economically backward. Well of course they are economically backward. They want to ride through life on their caste certificates and don't want to work hard.
If they had the brains maybe they would realise that and make themselves "economically forward"(can you say that?)
The only reservations I will ever agree to is to student's who have excellent grades and can't afford to go to great schools and colleges, irrespective of caste. I don't even mind paying 1.5 times the fees if it helps them out, from the extra that I pay. But just plain old caste reservation sucks.

No wonder we don't progress very much. Of course, I am in the open category and so feel strongly about the whole situation.

In this day and age, am I not "the oppressed" one now. Hows that for irony "the oppressed" oppressed me, "the unopressed"!?!?!?!
Catch more over here.

2. Haryana is attracting a lot of foreign and domestic companies. This is because they are giving them SEZs (special economic zones). Don't know the exact details... may be the companies get a tax break or something. Reliance petrochemicals is planning to open their biggest refinery in Haryana soon. Even bigger than the one in Jamnagar.
Even DLF is moving to Haryana (and one more company whose name escapes me).

And why not move to Haryana?. If your company's labourers go on strike..just call the Harayana Police and they will beat the workers like dogs and get them back to work.(Read this to get that last one)


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Monday, March 20, 2006

What Can YOU Do? What can we do

okay this one is a slightly serious one....

I watched 'Rang De Basanti' recently. It got me thinking about the dismal situation of India. Quite frankly I think India is not gonna improve much and very soon.You may not like what I said.... I don't like it ...but that is how I feel and how things look to me.

I feel that way because of all the daily things that happen to me, to others. Now I am not saying that other countries are perfect and that everything works...but I feel they do try harder.

As for the movie. I hate it when movies make a good point like this movie did ...but never show, how you, an average everyday person, on a daily basis, can do something to make a difference. I don't mean go and make donations to NGO's and help little kids out...although that is a start.

I mean fight the low level everyday things.

FIGHT a government official (anyone at any level) who wants to take a bribe. FORCE him to do his job the right way.
FIGHT a government official (anyone at any level) who is too lazy to do his job. FORCE him to do it.

PISS them off till something is done.

FIGHT the urge to pay bribes even if it means the difficult way out for YOU.
FIGHT the urge to be lazy and not do your work.

FIGHT mediocrity and never settle for substandard work.
FIGHT the urge to not give your best and do substandard work.

FIGHT corrupt Politicians. Shake their world if they misuse YOUR VOTE.

TEACH little kids from the ground up about values, and doing the right thing.
TEACH little kids about following the rules and obeying the rules.
TEACH people to be brave.
TEACH people to be less apathetic.

SLAP people into following the law and rules.

A few things to note here.

1. YOU have to do it ... and the benefits come back to YOU.
2. YOU have to FIGHT. It's way past the time to talk.


When a generation is stirred ... then only will something change for the better.

Now the tough questions. where do I start ? why should I? What difference will I make....
Am i just dreaming...and ranting.....
I want your views on this issue ...


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Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Giving Sound Advice..

Are you a guy? Do you have a younger brother? Or maybe even a nephew ? Is there any guy you know who is younger to you and just about to make a career decision. And I don't mean high end stuff....just a little guy out there who wants to be a Fireman, Doctor, Lawyer, Super Hero... and keeps changing it every month. Or even just an adolescent/teenager trying to choose between Science/Commerce, Doctor/Lawyer/Engineering?

More importantly, does he Love and Respect You?
Do you want him to Love and Respect You for the Rest of your and his Life?

Well if the answer is yes then you need to know one thing. He will usually come to for advice and it is imperative that you give him good, sound advice. Especially if you want him to Love and Respect you forever.

Great advice, which helps people through hard times, or helps people make important decisions, is crucial.
It may not be the "regular" advice or the "Correct" advice...but it needs to be told, and can affect the guy in may ways.

So next time that little GUY comes to you for Career advice, look into his eyes, remember what you are doing,
what you wanted, what you have, and what you know from your experiences in life ...and refrain from saying the regulars like "Doctor/Lawyer/Engineer etc." ...and tell him what you realised you wanted to be half way through you Professional Degree Course and say to him "bikini model photographer" Or "Victoria's Secret Photographer" or anything to that effect.

Because you know you are really pissed off with engineering/sciences/etc and you really wished you were one of the afore mentioned. And trust me when that guy is grown up and happy from your sound advice, there is going to be no one else in the world he is going to Love and respect more than you.

Heck I wished somebody would have told me this.
I wish my brother/Cousin Brother or any older guy I knew, told me this rather than "Engineering".

I mean look at the perks...LOOK at the perks.



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Thursday, March 02, 2006

The Incompetence that is Airtel

I really hate it when any company or government institution does NOT do their jobs properly, or implement their processes properly and then they irritate the crap out of you. More so when they charge you a fine when it's your mistake, and when it's their mistake it's just a "mistake". They don't have to compensate you or even apologise, in the case of government institutions. In fact they might conveniently blame it on "the Computers".

Anyway recently on two occasions Airtel (Bharti Cellular India) peeved me off.

1. On December 31st 2005 my dad went to the Airtel office in Ahmedabad and gave back the sim for my brothers cell phone in Ahmedabad. We even paid off the final bill, and of course before all that, we filled and submitted the form for cancellation of number and service.
What arrives in the mail near the end of January? A bill for the rent and charges in January. How is this possible when we GAVE BACK the sim and even gave the Cancellation Form? Maybe the guys there were in the New Years Eve mood and slipped up.

And then it happened again.

2. Around 8th of February 2006 (give or take 3 days) I submitted, in the Airtel Pune Kalyani nagar Branch, the Cancellation form for my sister's Airtel Number. There I was told that the final bill will come in 2 days time which I will have to pay. This time I kept the sim since he said "Keep it around but don't use it." I didn't follow up on it after that day because I was way too busy with my project work. On the 26th of Feb. Airtel sends a DCA (debt clearing agency) guy home to collect a cheque from me and ask me why we didn't pay.

I told him that we had cancelled the sim and were waiting for the final bill which they NEGLECTED to send, so we didn't know how much to pay, and I was too busy to follow up. So he calls his boss up to tell him that this was the case.

His Boss then has the gall to ask me "Why did I cancel the sim?". I told him why, but really, that pissed me off. I can cancel any service when I want, which I signed up for (except the army of course), without having to answer to them, or even specifying a reason.

The bill came by courier the next day.

I really wonder what goes on in Airtel's offices and Computer Systems. Do they work? Maybe I should design and sell them a working software system (Somehow the Billing system never ever fails....)

I really hate it when Corporates never provide the kind of service that people get from companies in other countries. I must say how ever that multinationals that come to India do almost as good (I was surprised twice with prompt response from Pizza Hut Pune and Luxor Writing Instruments in Delhi. What was more surprising that they replied to an internet feedback form. In Contrast Godrej Sara Lee's website doesn't even work half the time)

Government institutions are decades behind that kind of response....don't believe me...just go to your local BSNL office or passport office and just try to ask them even one Question. Any Question. See how they respond......

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Do You have an IDEA?

Following is a typical conversation from my home, in my room, on my IDEA cellular phone.

ring..ring ........ring..ring.

Friend: Hello.
Me: Hey Wassup?

Friend: Hi? How are you?
Me: I am great what you upto?

Friend: Nothing much just watching t.v. What's Happening

Me: Well I wanted to know....[At this point I am talking away and that person is getting a very badly distorted, breaking signal of my voice ] ....if you wanna go watch...

Friend: ....hello ...dude, you are breaking up very badly...hello..hello..
[now I shift my head and torso around where I am sitting, in a very epileptic seizure type motion, trying to get a better signal]...
Me: Now can you hear ....

Friend: ...hello ...you still breaking up very badly......
Me: LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA
LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA
LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA
LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA
LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA
LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA
LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA
LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA
LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA
LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA
LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA
LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA
LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA

[by now my signal has marginally improved]

Friend: Okay stop I can hear you now...[so I stop going LALALALA] ....what were you saying?
Me: Do you wanna go watch "Rang De Basanti"?

Friend: What time is the show?
Me: Can you make the 5 'o clock.

Friend: Well I might be a bit late....

[Now whats happened is that I can hear him totally clear, but he can't hear a word of what i am saying...it's just blank...no distortion.]

Me: Why?

Friend: Hello?.....you there?...
Me: Yes.
Friend: Hello?
Me: Yeah I am listening.
Friend: Hello? Hello.....Heelllloooo.....Heeeeeellllllllooooooooo.....
Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelllloooooooooooooo... Hello Hello Hello Hello
Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelloooooooooooooooooo... Hello Hello Hello
Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellooooooooooooooooo...Hello Hello
Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellooooooooooooooooo. Hello Hello

[Once again miraculously with my Mohammed Ali like movements the signal marginally improves.]

Me: Can you hear me now?
Friends: Yeah now I can hear you.
Me: So why you gonna be a bit late?

Friend: Because I have to......

Me: Okay so what I will do is that...[now he can hear me, but I have a total blank in my ear...]...book the tickets
[I now realise that I can't hear]...Hello? you there?....[and finally the phone gets cut and I hear two beeps].

That is the end of my conversation of exactly 1:34 minutes.
This happens every day REGULARLY, anywhere in my house.

I have had a few friends come over and go through the same thing...but they don't go LALALALALALA ...they just go Hello? hello ? heeeellllloooooooo.

I really wish they would do something for my area. I have a tower overlap problem. I get upto 6 different, all distant tower signals....Maybe they should just put a tower over my roof....
An IDEA can change your life....or speech impair you....



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Saturday, February 11, 2006

Why did this happen?

I was watching Star Gold the other day (and by the other day I mean in my engineering exams, preparatory leave, around a few years ago). I was watching the Neha Dhupia Movie 'Julie', because I had missed it in the cinema and it looked like the kind of movie I would not want to pay for and watch. So I thought what the hell I might as well watch it.

I was watching it and it reached the scene where Kiran Kumar's (I think that is his real name) character makes his indecent proposal to Julie. And just before he was about to make the proposal...the audio for the movie goes away and then there is techno music. I was laughing that Star tv could actually make such a mistake.

I was actually wondering later if they made a mistake or was some of the dialog being blocked by some moral policing policy...I still wonder.

Why show the movie if they are gonna cut the important dialogs....that too the plot turning point dialogs. Also don't they know that proper grown adults are watching!!!




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Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Some more fun with a Camera





This is in addition to my previous blog post, Fun with a camera













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Monday, January 30, 2006

A Different Perspective.

I am taking part in a Competition in my college for software making. You have to make a software that adheres to the theme "Software that makes a student's life Easier". My partner and I got a nice idea and we started about making the software.

He handles the algorithm at the back end and I am in charge of the GUI. It is specifically like that because of complications...

Well anyway, the task seemed quite straight forward. I started out on my part and kept getting stuck, a lot.
There were so many ideas I wanted to implement but didn't know how to. Some things I looked up on the net and found ...sometimes after 6 hours of searching. Then using that requires understanding, then fitting it to your purpose...which is especially difficult with other people's codes...with limited explanation (very little in some cases). Knowing the stuff and then doing it on your own, requires learning a lot of knowing the language before hand...and even then no book is complete.

Well of course as you would expect I did run into a lot of trouble but slowly and steadily I did figure things out and get things working.

During that time I realised how easy some things can be ...and how difficult others. This is of course after someone else has already made the basic functions and libraries inside the language, for you to use.

It made me realise the kind of work that goes into making software. It made me realise how important design is in Software Engineering.

I can actually now appreciate why big corporations are so hell bent on anti-piracy. To work so hard...so long...make all the sacrifices of time, money, sleep...and then not get your dues....really frustrating.

Am I anti-piracy? Well not completely. But I will think twice the next time I have a chance to get pirated software...then one more time after that ....and get back to normal after that ....

I guess I will try to buy it whenever possible.

I would be totally anti-piracy if that meant prices would drop a great deal so every one can buy software and no one has to pirate....That will be the day.


Sunday, January 29, 2006

You have to read this

This has got to be silliest, funniest ...and yet the most detailed and technically sound...website i have seen.
I was laughing like crazy ...read http://members.tripod.com/~menakas/moskilling.html  
[Update: Link is dead now]



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Saturday, January 28, 2006

Fun with a Camera

Ever since their invention, cameras have captured many a shocking and fun filled moments. Now they can sometimes even be very intrusive in celebrity's lives....well that's the way the cookie crumbles. I always wish I had a camera near by to capture those moments in life which you may or may not remember, and did not have a camera handy.

Anyway, I was with some friends one day and we played around with the phone's camera...these are the funny photos made from it.
















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Tuesday, January 17, 2006

... warnings from PIFF

As bad luck would have it, 6 out of the 8 movies I saw today were REALLY REALLY atrocious. All the good ones I missed...due to many reasons...If you want reviews and also to know which were good read this

Anyway moving along.

Italian Movie:- 3 Days of Anarchy
--------------------------------------
Well this movie REALLY REALLY sucked.
The title (and even the synopsis which I got) are totally miss leading. No story, No Sense. Please avoid this.

Kontakt
-----------
I missed the first half hour of this movie. The rest was okay...a bit funny. I would say watch it if there is nothing better.

Brazilian Movie Silver Salt.
---------------------------------
Another nonsense movie. It started well....was pretty good till halfway....and then just went nowhere...really fast...and I didn't even realise when or how...

French Movie The Piano Teacher
-----------------------------------------
Turn around ... AND RUN, RUN, RUN to save your life, save your brains, save the food in your stomach...and anything in your life that has even the most devoid meaning. This movie is by far the worst movie I have EVER seen. I am totally off FRENCH Movies thanks this distasteful master piece...... I really should have watched fish Defacating in the Sea and it's related intricacies, instead.


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Friday, January 13, 2006

Pune International Film Festival (PIFF)

I went for 4 movies today in the Pune International Film Festival, or PIFF as they call it.
The movies I saw were :-
A French Canadian Movie called "Looking for Alexander",
An Australian movie "Three Dollars",
A Malayalam movie "When it Rained hard",
A French movie "A Real Man" (the names are translated names in some cases and has not been done to protect identities).

Here is my short viewing opinion of them all, more like a very rough suggestive guide for you.

Looking for Alexander
-----------------------------
This Movie was pretty good. It raised some questions by the end of it which were unanswered. The basic plot is quite decent. But the people in it act quite weird sometimes.....very contrasting behaviour within 2 minutes.
Not bad watching though.

Three Dollars
-----------------
This Movie was utter NONSENSE. Nothing made sense and nothing was relevant. The story is wavy with no direction as such ...and the way the flash backs were done were a bit confusing from time to time.
All in all, DON'T watch this crap.


When it rained hard
-------------------------
This movie had a decent story idea. I think they could have done more with the story. I think it was made quite badly.....the background score is very, very ANNOYING and IRRITATING (actually irritating, in every sense of the word).
The movie is worth a watch even though I felt it was executed badly.
Nice idea...bad execution.

A Real Man
---------------
This one is like Three Dollars...although I did like it a little better because there a few laughable moments....other than that ......CRAP.


That's all for now will put more on the rest of the movies that I do watch.

Saturday, January 07, 2006

The Fountainhead

I finally finished Fountainhead today...a month after starting...struggle is the best word to describe it.

I spoke to 5 people who had read this book and 3 had left it midway.
I started this book with the certainty that I would not leave this book in the middle.
I almost did 3 times...

People love the ending with the character Howard Roark's speech.
I really don't think that the entire book is great...I hated most of it.....found it 'Mostly senseless' (pun on Douglas Adams' words from Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy intended).

But none the less not bad...not great either...dunno if i will recommend it.

I want to have your thought and views on the Fountainhead.




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