Right I've been tagged. By one Aparajita. And I'm supposed to talk about myself. Time for self appraisal or more humble statements I wonder....
Ok lets hit the dirt straight.
1. I live on a few things. That includes, Music, Movies, TV shows. Love technology and cars. I have a dream garage of a dozen cars. Man I gotta get rich fast.
2. When there is a power disruption, I thrive on the more old fashioned habit of reading. I love books and love buying them. Sadly my buying power is still somewhat limited and hence my collection mostly includes a lot of duplicated versions.
3. Will kill for food. Good food. Will love the provider dearly. Will kill the creator of Onions though!
4. I currently, am a so called businessman, running my own content development team. Cut the corporate jargon and it means, I write stuff for the internet for a living. Any writers interested?? part timers wanted. Immediate openings!
5. I am a greenie in many ways and will try to recycle anything and everything. Yet I will drive my Dio like a maniac ignorant of mileage. Hypocrite? I am balanced! :P
6. I personally think am a very good driver, but make a really bad backseat passenger! I follow all road rules to the T. Seriously. Everything. Except the speed limit! :P
7. I will one day tour the world, just to take pictures! Saving up for that compact pro.
8. Stubborn. An Ass quite often. Crankily sensitive at certain times. Will ignore the world even if it was disintegrating during such periods.
9. Louves the rain. And sun. And moon. wind. and dark clouds.
10. Crows are fatally attracted to me. Guess maybe they think am not so full of shit yet or something and make generous donations on me and my vehicles. Will purchase an air rifle to wage war on them one day...
11. Will learn to shoot. Did a few times on my uncle's air rifle and loved it! maybe go on a GTA style rampage....
12. Started blogging out of an interest to be heard. Now lame reasons have added up which include earning Adsense money (55USD in 2 years, HEll yeah am rich) and the possibility of finding a significant other online! Ladies, tell me, does my blog in any way seem like a possible turn on?? :O
13. Have an inhibition to calculus. Especially Mathematics 3. M3 was truly more like MI3!
14. Academically weakened over time. Now struggles to add 1+2. Ahh Education. Over college rather. an 86% 12std mark became a 6.89/10 GPA in college! Ahh the inversion!
15. Thinks he knows everything. Maybe I do. maybe I don't. Try figuring it out.
Reading it again, now, I really don't know what I've typed and why I've typed it, but then hey its done and so it shall remain. Now I shall tag, Pranesh, Rya, Abishanth, Asha, Archie!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
New International sport!
The International Olympic Committee today announced the inclusion of a new sport in world sporting meets. The Sport know as "Shothrap" is an all new game that has been inspired from daily occurance in real life(Especially off late). There exists no exclusive governing body for the sport and hence the IOC has decided to take upon itself the task of governing all rules and regulations of the sport. The brief description given by them about the sport is as follows.
Shothrap is an athletic event on the lines of javelin throws and shot puts. It draws its inspiration from the basic human nature and instict to wield unique objects and propel them at a rapid pace. This sport shall test the athlete's ability to aim and throw with speed and accuracy at any given target. Parameters on which the performance of the athlete will be gauged include, speed taken for the given projectile to cover the prefixed distance and the accuracy with which the projectile hits the target. The Shothraper (object flinger that is) will have to exhibit inhuman strength and aim in being able to fling an irregular object to succeed. Initially, the given target will be a fixed object of some sort. But as the event gains pace, The Committe plans to bring the game back to its roots by using real people as targets, and shoes as projectiles. These targets will also be athletic participants in the event and will be tested on several parameters. These parameters deal with one's mental prowess and include being able to withstand repeated shoe attacks, identifying the type of shoe, size, colour, brand, stitch, height of heel while the object is being flung at them etc. And keeping in line with the strictest traditions of the game, the shothrapee(that is person at whom projectile is being flung at) will be politicians only. This will enhance international affairs as it will bring world leaders into direct active events which will test their mental strength and resolve while bringing them together to interact on a more casual and competitive platform instead of whiling away their time at their regular summits in air-conditioned rooms where they sit, eat and chat. Yes shothrap is basically an abbreviation of SHOe THRow At Politician.
Found this in the Hindu today morning. My inspiration for the above. I had thought of the very same lines a few days back....
Shothrap is an athletic event on the lines of javelin throws and shot puts. It draws its inspiration from the basic human nature and instict to wield unique objects and propel them at a rapid pace. This sport shall test the athlete's ability to aim and throw with speed and accuracy at any given target. Parameters on which the performance of the athlete will be gauged include, speed taken for the given projectile to cover the prefixed distance and the accuracy with which the projectile hits the target. The Shothraper (object flinger that is) will have to exhibit inhuman strength and aim in being able to fling an irregular object to succeed. Initially, the given target will be a fixed object of some sort. But as the event gains pace, The Committe plans to bring the game back to its roots by using real people as targets, and shoes as projectiles. These targets will also be athletic participants in the event and will be tested on several parameters. These parameters deal with one's mental prowess and include being able to withstand repeated shoe attacks, identifying the type of shoe, size, colour, brand, stitch, height of heel while the object is being flung at them etc. And keeping in line with the strictest traditions of the game, the shothrapee(that is person at whom projectile is being flung at) will be politicians only. This will enhance international affairs as it will bring world leaders into direct active events which will test their mental strength and resolve while bringing them together to interact on a more casual and competitive platform instead of whiling away their time at their regular summits in air-conditioned rooms where they sit, eat and chat. Yes shothrap is basically an abbreviation of SHOe THRow At Politician.
Found this in the Hindu today morning. My inspiration for the above. I had thought of the very same lines a few days back....
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Nanobyte!
At last the people's car is here! and keeping in trend with the high tech society of India, Its called the Nano!
revealed to the world last year, initial reactions have varied from cute to interesting to modern. It does look exactly like how most predictions of future city cars looked like. Compact, spacious, cheap, efficient and decent looking all in one package. Lots of critics have been pessimistic about the quality of the vehicle, from safety, to comfort. But first impressions have clearly proved the pessimism to be just that. Pessimism. Clearly being launched at a 1-lakh price tag means certain draw backs will exist. Ratan Tata has mentioned that several times. But the game winner here is that, the drawbacks are in places where you will least identify it. the layman's requirements have been met successfully and that is where the success of the product lies.
The vehicle is not available for a test drive. Most motoring hacks have been given test vehicles but not the general public. This is due to the high levels of interest generated. Infact I dropped by at the local TAFE showroom where I know the salesperson well cos I bought a car frm them sometime back. There was a lot of fanfare with Aqua playing in the background and fancy strobe lights around the car. there was a huge crown mulling that I could not even see the car frm the road. It looked more like a party was underway! there was a security guard vehemently protecting the car from the crowd. No one was allowed near it. I was pretty amused by this sight and mentioned it to the sales guy.
Me: I don't recall this much protection for the Linea(a 7-9 lakh car!) when it was launched
SG: Yes sir, we didn't have this many people walking into the showroom then! In fact We've never had this much crowd at our showroom till date!
Me: But why so much security?
SG: Well Lotsa people keep coming in to look at the car and we've had some people keep opening and closing the doors and they broke the door on the safari! had we left the Nano unprotected we would have just the frame remaining!
Me: Right.
Anyways back to the car. it's impressive, hugely spacious and should I mention this; One car mag says it's easier to get in and out of the Nano than an S-classe! it's got the right features necessary and fits the right pockets. A first car for many families and a 2nd city only car for bigger families. In fact I hear many variants are in the pipeline including a 650cc diesel, and hybrid or pure electric car based on the Indica EV that was jointly developed in Norway. yes there exists an Indica and Indica Vista which run about 200km on a full charge purely on batteries. slated for production in Norway and for sale in Europe. It is expected to come to india sometime in the future. This technology may filter down into the Nano as well and then will make for a very good enviro friendly city car. it surely will be much better than the current Reva.
The launch of the Nano has made quite a stir on the international stage as well that, quite a lot of motoring hacks from abroad have dropped down to try it out too.
Autocar UK editor-in-chief Steve Cropley had this to say:
This is a car neither the Germans not the American could have built. They'd have lost sight of the cost and marketing objectives. The Japanese could get closer, but they've already had a shot and the resulting car costs twice as much.
Seriously, a tribute to Indian engineering Genius I have to say!
View the video reviews here.
View more videos on the Nano here.
You can book your Nano from April 9th till the 25th. But before that you have to buy an application that costs Rs300. I hear that nearly 500,000 applications are expected to be sold! That itself will cover quite some costs for Tata! Tata has stuck to its promise of a 1 lakh price for the base version which will total on around 1.2Lakhs for the on-road price.
On a lighter note, BBC Topgear say they've found the inspiration behind the design of the Nano. look below for that!
Quite inspiring don't you think! :D
revealed to the world last year, initial reactions have varied from cute to interesting to modern. It does look exactly like how most predictions of future city cars looked like. Compact, spacious, cheap, efficient and decent looking all in one package. Lots of critics have been pessimistic about the quality of the vehicle, from safety, to comfort. But first impressions have clearly proved the pessimism to be just that. Pessimism. Clearly being launched at a 1-lakh price tag means certain draw backs will exist. Ratan Tata has mentioned that several times. But the game winner here is that, the drawbacks are in places where you will least identify it. the layman's requirements have been met successfully and that is where the success of the product lies.
The vehicle is not available for a test drive. Most motoring hacks have been given test vehicles but not the general public. This is due to the high levels of interest generated. Infact I dropped by at the local TAFE showroom where I know the salesperson well cos I bought a car frm them sometime back. There was a lot of fanfare with Aqua playing in the background and fancy strobe lights around the car. there was a huge crown mulling that I could not even see the car frm the road. It looked more like a party was underway! there was a security guard vehemently protecting the car from the crowd. No one was allowed near it. I was pretty amused by this sight and mentioned it to the sales guy.
Me: I don't recall this much protection for the Linea(a 7-9 lakh car!) when it was launched
SG: Yes sir, we didn't have this many people walking into the showroom then! In fact We've never had this much crowd at our showroom till date!
Me: But why so much security?
SG: Well Lotsa people keep coming in to look at the car and we've had some people keep opening and closing the doors and they broke the door on the safari! had we left the Nano unprotected we would have just the frame remaining!
Me: Right.
Anyways back to the car. it's impressive, hugely spacious and should I mention this; One car mag says it's easier to get in and out of the Nano than an S-classe! it's got the right features necessary and fits the right pockets. A first car for many families and a 2nd city only car for bigger families. In fact I hear many variants are in the pipeline including a 650cc diesel, and hybrid or pure electric car based on the Indica EV that was jointly developed in Norway. yes there exists an Indica and Indica Vista which run about 200km on a full charge purely on batteries. slated for production in Norway and for sale in Europe. It is expected to come to india sometime in the future. This technology may filter down into the Nano as well and then will make for a very good enviro friendly city car. it surely will be much better than the current Reva.
The launch of the Nano has made quite a stir on the international stage as well that, quite a lot of motoring hacks from abroad have dropped down to try it out too.
Autocar UK editor-in-chief Steve Cropley had this to say:
This is a car neither the Germans not the American could have built. They'd have lost sight of the cost and marketing objectives. The Japanese could get closer, but they've already had a shot and the resulting car costs twice as much.
Seriously, a tribute to Indian engineering Genius I have to say!
View the video reviews here.
View more videos on the Nano here.
You can book your Nano from April 9th till the 25th. But before that you have to buy an application that costs Rs300. I hear that nearly 500,000 applications are expected to be sold! That itself will cover quite some costs for Tata! Tata has stuck to its promise of a 1 lakh price for the base version which will total on around 1.2Lakhs for the on-road price.
On a lighter note, BBC Topgear say they've found the inspiration behind the design of the Nano. look below for that!
Quite inspiring don't you think! :D
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
My love!
In my search for never ending entertainment on the net, I chanced upon a website that said that it would generate a love poem for me, if I just filled in a few questions. In the hope and belief that Maybe this might be the key to finding my true love :P I attempted it. Apparently I made some mistakes with filling up the form, because my poem, has turned out to be, umm...... quite unique..., to put it mildly. :D
have a look!
My Love
Your skin glows like the jackfruit, blossoms sexy as the sunflower in the purest hope of spring.
My heart follows your electric guitar voice and leaps like a baboon at the whisper of your name.
The evening floats in on a great crow wing.
I am comforted by your speedo that I carry into the twilight of printerbeams and hold next to my middle finger.
I am filled with hope that I may dry your tears of vodka.
As my nose falls from my brief, it reminds me of your cat.
In the quiet, I listen for the last roar of the day.
My heated belly leaps to my bikini. I wait in the moonlight for your secret rat so that we may glitter as one, belly to belly, in search of the magnificient orange and mystical speaker of love.
Try it out yourself HERE , hopefully with better results!
have a look!
My heart follows your electric guitar voice and leaps like a baboon at the whisper of your name.
The evening floats in on a great crow wing.
I am comforted by your speedo that I carry into the twilight of printerbeams and hold next to my middle finger.
I am filled with hope that I may dry your tears of vodka.
As my nose falls from my brief, it reminds me of your cat.
In the quiet, I listen for the last roar of the day.
My heated belly leaps to my bikini. I wait in the moonlight for your secret rat so that we may glitter as one, belly to belly, in search of the magnificient orange and mystical speaker of love.
Try it out yourself HERE , hopefully with better results!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
F1 is back and in what a way!
Brawn flexes Brawn!Kubika Kamikaze!
Trulli truly Lucky Bugger!
Hamilton and Glock too!
Slumdog millionaire Brawn GP!
These are some of the lines that ran thro my mind. And I'm sure lots more will be running thro everyone else's too! Seriously so much action in one race! Formula one seems to be returning to its nature of biting climaxes ever since the 2008 season!
Hamilton and Glock too!
Slumdog millionaire Brawn GP!
These are some of the lines that ran thro my mind. And I'm sure lots more will be running thro everyone else's too! Seriously so much action in one race! Formula one seems to be returning to its nature of biting climaxes ever since the 2008 season!
The weekend starts with Jenson Button clinching pole and then ends with him winning the race. As for the front of the race, that is all there is to be said. He had a great race and won it fair and square. But behind him there was a flurry of activity that would make any marketplace envious of! A lot of wheel to wheel racing, daring overtaking manouvres, lots of grazing and nose panel breaking! Lots of crashing in fact at one point it looked more like the drivers were playing bumper cars. I do believe at least 5 cars changed their nose cones during the course of the race!
Around 5 cars damaged their wheels and had them replaced. 2 cars at various points were actually mobile on just 3 wheels! And we even had a mini race which started at the start of the start-finish straight and ended at the chequered flag. Seriously! And we had Kubica who is from Poland but has been trained in the art of Kamikaze driving (Japanese instructor maybe??). But I have to say he has balls! To try such a move and it is drivers like these that will create history with unparalled driving which will either end up as stunning moments of history or utter stupidity, like in this case. But I tell you, this guy has to be watched. He is going to make racing far more interesting to watch. And so will Vettel! Really poor luck chap!The fact that the top teams of last year, namely Ferrari and Mclaren failed to make a mark seems to have been overshadowed by the rise of all the minnows. Braun, RBR Renault, Sauber, Toyota have all risen into the top league and they clearly raced better than the Crippled Horses or the Broken Arrows (1 Arrow broke actually). Maybe these guys had a bad day out, but from what I've seen, they aren’t going to have it easy either. We saw last year, what one Sebastian Vettel could do and we saw today what 2 Brawns can do. And you know what? Mercedes has got a great engine setup too! We saw it in the Brawn cars, guess maybe Mclaren should pay a visit to those guys see what they've come up with.
Fisichella forgot his parking spot and spent precious moments in reversing with the help of pit lane attendants! Force India continues to be a farce though Sutil scored a 10th place today.
And yes, for all those greenies out there, F1 cars are green now! We saw KERS in action, Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems and the extra boost it can give during overtaking and stuff. 80bhp is pretty cool! But I have to day the cars look kinda weird with the small rear wing!
Well anyways, clearly F1 2009 is going to have a lot of crash bang whams happening so buckle you seatbelt get your airbags and get ready to roll with the circus!
Latest news: Brawn GP bagged a deal yesterday with Richard Branson of the Virgin Atlantic group. This guy is like the Vijay Mallya of the UK and trust me this means loads of more glamour in F1!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
twilight
A vampire love story? Really??
These were my reactions when I first heard about the book. I wasn't really impressed, Plus I wasn't really into romance novels. But then another friend of mine happened to read the book. Fact was, He wasn’t much of a 
reader and when He told me the book was good and that the movie of the book was out recently, I had to go try it out. And the result, well I'm not flabbergasted or entirely thrilled or anything. But hey the book was good, and I shall read the sequels as well. I should quote one friend who said that the book according to her was better than Erich Segal's love story. I've never read that book and don't really intend to either. This statement was just for those who have read it to make a judgement.
It's a modern day love story where a girl exiles herself from the big city to a godforsaken town. Here she happens to meet an exceedingly handsome guy from a family of exceedingly beautiful and handsome people and falls in love with that guy. The guy reacts strangely towards her like he was revolted or afraid of her. But the incidents that happen later on bring them closer and soon she understands the reasons behind his initial reactions as they decide to break all traditions and embark upon a human-vampire relationship. (One of them one of us. – Sounds familiar? I snicked it from heroes. :P) Having seen all the eloquent prose and poetry that describes love, strangely I didn't find this all that overwhelming. The words and language used were simple and somehow I didn’t really get all the emotions being described here as I should have. The inability of the couple to be intimate due to his nature and instinctual capabilities which could harm her was just not really explained well I felt.
Pretty dramatic towards the end, some how I felt the book didn't really keep me turning the pages as fast as I could really do. Maybe the more romantic at heart might disagree. Hmm so maybe I'm not romantic at heart. Sounds probable. Back to the book, a pretty good book; I've downloaded the film though, hoping it maybe might express better, what I felt was lacking in those words.
But then, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I expected it to be a dramatic, cheesy weird love story and instead I got a good simple and elegant modern tale.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Thousand Splendid suns - Khaled Hosseini
It's a tale based in Afghanistan. It starts off in the 1970's telling the tale of one Mariam and goes on where after around 2 decades the story of a young girl Laila intervenes into Mariam's. the rest of the story goes on about how their life goes on amidst the turmoil around them.
It gives one a really good perspective into life in Afghanistan back then and even now. The way people are treated, women are treated, how people survive. I've always found the subject of life in the past interesting, so the vivid descriptions of the Afghani elite who followed a nearly American way of life, from cars, music and the comparisons to the much poorer kept me enthusiastic. But then if you want that more, you really should be reading the kite runner. Cos it's got a lot more adventure that you could relate to in certain ways, Specially me being a male.
It's not exactly a gripping tale but it will keep you immersed. Specially if you haven't read Khaled Hosseini's other book. For people who have read the kite runner, specially me, I found this book a little boring in bits and pieces. It does not come close to The Kite Runner in any way, I felt. But else it really is an impressive book. Worth a read for sure!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Binge Reading!
I made a trip to Chennai recently and that trip entailed my presence at Spencer's Plaza numerous times. During those visits, I paid visit to Landmark and purchased several books!. 9 to be exact. Now now, I should quote, by Landmark, I don't mean the bookstore located in side, but the one outside. Chennai'ites might wonder where that landmark might be! Well it's at the traffic light. :D
yeah well anyways, I got quite a few books and have been on a binge reading session. over the next few days i shall write about the ones i've read! Hope it makes interesting reading for you!
yeah well anyways, I got quite a few books and have been on a binge reading session. over the next few days i shall write about the ones i've read! Hope it makes interesting reading for you!
Friday, January 30, 2009
The state of automotive design for the masses
I don't know if it's me or what, but off late, I do find quite a few cars to be weird. And the funny part is, people actually think it is cool and stuff and buy it in the dozens. What has happened to great automotive design. Practical yet great looking cars like for example the Beetle are rare to spot nowadays. It's like if you are buying your car at a price, don't expect great design to be part of the package!
Let's start with this, The Suzuki Swift. Yes its curvy, can be modified to one's whim and fancy, has a somewhat cute front end, but then go to the back, its squat rear is kind of weird. Quirky, but somewhat cool too. It does leave an indelible impression, but I would not call it a great looking car or anything, though it does carry of certain character, the cheeky one.
Then came along the i10 and I was aghast. Just look at the front it. It's oriental. Chinese eyes, you think that looks great??? The rear is fine though. Normal. But the interior is really a great place to be, so owning an i10 is a good thing, because you will be seeing the good part of it rather than the weird front end.
Suzuki then launched the A-star, it's got check written all over the front and that is good. Interiors are cramped but fun, specially that pop up tacho. But go behind and, you are for a shocker. It looks like the hulk sat on a Swift rear end! Really, where did the designers go wrong?? Did they get drunk??
Another similarly design gone wrong, I don't understand what your car is trying to say piece is the New Honda city. Amazing front end. That grille, headlights, all exemplify Honda design. Then we walk to the back and all we see is a stubby boot with those slightly cross tail lights. It just doesn’t seem to match with the front end!
Similarly goes the Honda CR-V. I just don't understand what people see in that gaping front grille. Everything else in that car is good, in fact great. But the front end is nothing short of Horrendous. I would rather buy a more simple looking Mitsubishi Outlander than buy this (Another reason for this being the 10 speaker including subwoofer Rockford Fosgate music system in the Outlander :P )
Talking about butts gone wrong we do have the Indigo and the Swift Dzire there too, but you know what? Both these butts actually exude some richness with the chrome and stuff. I may be making a blunder here, but the Dzire actually kind of reminds me of The Bangle (older BMW 7 series with the big boot). Isn't that a good thing??
The Honda Civic though has been one of those cars that fit perfectly from bumper to bumper. That sharp aerodynamic front end, a simple linear monoform design that ends with jet fighter afterburner style tail lights, just combine to scream futuristic that you might just about expect the car to take off! Interiors are ultra cool with the dual level display, really it looks like a car that's back from the future. You want more future by the Civic Hybrid which comes with those completely covered alloy wheels.
Another design that has pretty much captivated my heart is the Fiat Linea. I have to say it's just so elegant that I could literally marry it! It's not the kind of hot ramp model, but the madamoiselle in an elegant dress. There is certain grace and elegance to the Maserati inspired front and the simple vast rear end. Those Audi style side windows that stretch from pillar to pillar just add to it all and then sit inside, the dash design just mersmerises you. It's a little retro styled, but just totally classy. This is a car that you will love to see out of your window everyday, parked outside your house, pretty much like the ad on TV goes. It is I have to say, one of the best Italian designs for the masses, after cars like the 500 (old and new) and stuff. :D
And amidst all this I just realised that the new Toyota Corolla is also a pretty sensibly designed car. People who know me will know that I am not a fan of Toyotas, but it's pretty simple, almost plain, but has those hints of Camry here and there with those new headlights, tail lamps and front grille. Hey being a baby Camry is surely a good thing, especially when the Camry is considered to be a baby Lexus; You can't be far of from well designed luxury right??
I have to quote, the new i20 makes a much better case for itself in terms of design than the i10. It's pretty sporty looking with all those creases and curves, which also remind me of the BMW 1 hatch.
Ahh well I've said what I want to say, but I guess all this ranting will fall on deaf ears, because as I speak, the i10 and A-star continue to rake in sales in big numbers for their mommies, as customers will flock to buy these cars…
Let's start with this, The Suzuki Swift. Yes its curvy, can be modified to one's whim and fancy, has a somewhat cute front end, but then go to the back, its squat rear is kind of weird. Quirky, but somewhat cool too. It does leave an indelible impression, but I would not call it a great looking car or anything, though it does carry of certain character, the cheeky one.
Then came along the i10 and I was aghast. Just look at the front it. It's oriental. Chinese eyes, you think that looks great??? The rear is fine though. Normal. But the interior is really a great place to be, so owning an i10 is a good thing, because you will be seeing the good part of it rather than the weird front end.
Suzuki then launched the A-star, it's got check written all over the front and that is good. Interiors are cramped but fun, specially that pop up tacho. But go behind and, you are for a shocker. It looks like the hulk sat on a Swift rear end! Really, where did the designers go wrong?? Did they get drunk??
Another similarly design gone wrong, I don't understand what your car is trying to say piece is the New Honda city. Amazing front end. That grille, headlights, all exemplify Honda design. Then we walk to the back and all we see is a stubby boot with those slightly cross tail lights. It just doesn’t seem to match with the front end!
Similarly goes the Honda CR-V. I just don't understand what people see in that gaping front grille. Everything else in that car is good, in fact great. But the front end is nothing short of Horrendous. I would rather buy a more simple looking Mitsubishi Outlander than buy this (Another reason for this being the 10 speaker including subwoofer Rockford Fosgate music system in the Outlander :P )
Talking about butts gone wrong we do have the Indigo and the Swift Dzire there too, but you know what? Both these butts actually exude some richness with the chrome and stuff. I may be making a blunder here, but the Dzire actually kind of reminds me of The Bangle (older BMW 7 series with the big boot). Isn't that a good thing??
The Honda Civic though has been one of those cars that fit perfectly from bumper to bumper. That sharp aerodynamic front end, a simple linear monoform design that ends with jet fighter afterburner style tail lights, just combine to scream futuristic that you might just about expect the car to take off! Interiors are ultra cool with the dual level display, really it looks like a car that's back from the future. You want more future by the Civic Hybrid which comes with those completely covered alloy wheels.
Another design that has pretty much captivated my heart is the Fiat Linea. I have to say it's just so elegant that I could literally marry it! It's not the kind of hot ramp model, but the madamoiselle in an elegant dress. There is certain grace and elegance to the Maserati inspired front and the simple vast rear end. Those Audi style side windows that stretch from pillar to pillar just add to it all and then sit inside, the dash design just mersmerises you. It's a little retro styled, but just totally classy. This is a car that you will love to see out of your window everyday, parked outside your house, pretty much like the ad on TV goes. It is I have to say, one of the best Italian designs for the masses, after cars like the 500 (old and new) and stuff. :D
And amidst all this I just realised that the new Toyota Corolla is also a pretty sensibly designed car. People who know me will know that I am not a fan of Toyotas, but it's pretty simple, almost plain, but has those hints of Camry here and there with those new headlights, tail lamps and front grille. Hey being a baby Camry is surely a good thing, especially when the Camry is considered to be a baby Lexus; You can't be far of from well designed luxury right??
I have to quote, the new i20 makes a much better case for itself in terms of design than the i10. It's pretty sporty looking with all those creases and curves, which also remind me of the BMW 1 hatch.
Ahh well I've said what I want to say, but I guess all this ranting will fall on deaf ears, because as I speak, the i10 and A-star continue to rake in sales in big numbers for their mommies, as customers will flock to buy these cars…
Monday, January 19, 2009
New dawn.....
Within the next 48 hours, something that one would have never imagined, something that Martin Luther King could only dream for is going to happen. The most powerful post is being given to a man of Kenyan Origin. A man who is technically black, but as I see it as American as any other American. Obama's father was Kenyan while his mother was of English and Welsh Descent. So theoretically speaking he is not of American descent. Yet the fact that he has climbed to the top seat of power talks about the incredible person he must be. But I am guessing this happened only because he was a Democrat and not a Republican.
For one I can say that, his varied heritage and the experience of growing up on so many cultures will help him understand the world so much better than all those people who throughout the years have hardly had any idea of what the rest of the world looked like and yet, insisted on being the supreme power poking their noses into all and every affairs.
Anyways his predecessor, the butt of our numerous jokes, President George W Bush is leaving Mr. Obama a very interesting situation as a welcome gift. He must be smirking right now "Lets see how you figure this out sucker!". But I have reason to believe that he will tackle it with much more intelligence than a kindergarten kid as we have seen over the past 8 years. Lets see how he handles it in the days to come...
For one I can say that, his varied heritage and the experience of growing up on so many cultures will help him understand the world so much better than all those people who throughout the years have hardly had any idea of what the rest of the world looked like and yet, insisted on being the supreme power poking their noses into all and every affairs.
Anyways his predecessor, the butt of our numerous jokes, President George W Bush is leaving Mr. Obama a very interesting situation as a welcome gift. He must be smirking right now "Lets see how you figure this out sucker!". But I have reason to believe that he will tackle it with much more intelligence than a kindergarten kid as we have seen over the past 8 years. Lets see how he handles it in the days to come...
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Why advice columns are good!
Dear Abie,
The other day I set off for work, leaving my husband in the house watching TV. I hadn't gone more than a mile when my engine conked out and the car shuddered to a halt. I walked all the way back home only to find my husband making love to to our neighbour! He was retrenched from his job six months ago and he says he has been feeling increasingly depressed and worthless. I love him very much, but I don't know if I can trust him anymore. What should I do?
Sincerely,
Frustrated.
Dear Frustrated,
A car stalling can be caused by a variety of faults with the engine. Check for debris in the fuel line. If it's clear, check the jubilee clips holding the vacuum pipes onto the inlet manifold. Or it could be the fuel pump itself being faulty causing low delivery pressure to the carburetor float chamber.
I hope this helps.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Got this from RD Dec 08 issue!
The other day I set off for work, leaving my husband in the house watching TV. I hadn't gone more than a mile when my engine conked out and the car shuddered to a halt. I walked all the way back home only to find my husband making love to to our neighbour! He was retrenched from his job six months ago and he says he has been feeling increasingly depressed and worthless. I love him very much, but I don't know if I can trust him anymore. What should I do?
Sincerely,
Frustrated.
Dear Frustrated,
A car stalling can be caused by a variety of faults with the engine. Check for debris in the fuel line. If it's clear, check the jubilee clips holding the vacuum pipes onto the inlet manifold. Or it could be the fuel pump itself being faulty causing low delivery pressure to the carburetor float chamber.
I hope this helps.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Got this from RD Dec 08 issue!
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
P.A.D.
Another boring day passed by as I stared at my computer screen or the ceiling fan in a bid to discover something new! Alas! No apple fell on my head! I started rummaging through my bookshelf and found some mags...(mind u I don't hind porno in my wardrobe for those smirking folk!). It was a mag. And as I started reading it, I discovered something. About myself.
Guess what folks I suffer from PAD. Sounds cool eh? It means Phone Anxiety Disorder or also known as Phonexiety!!?? :O
No it's not a disease where you phone gets stuck to you whenever you get tensed or anything but apparently you are so stressed out that you start hearing things. In this case you think your phone rings when in reality it doesn't! Phew. And I thought I had gone mad, hearing things that I didn't. PAD sounds much cooler than MAD doesn't it! :P
And for anyone else who suffers from it, sorry dude, apparently as of now it's not a curable disease, though chucking yourself in a place where there is no network, like the North Pole might help. But do pray that now maybe you don't start 'seeing' things, like maybe an appearing mobile phone!
Guess what folks I suffer from PAD. Sounds cool eh? It means Phone Anxiety Disorder or also known as Phonexiety!!?? :O
No it's not a disease where you phone gets stuck to you whenever you get tensed or anything but apparently you are so stressed out that you start hearing things. In this case you think your phone rings when in reality it doesn't! Phew. And I thought I had gone mad, hearing things that I didn't. PAD sounds much cooler than MAD doesn't it! :P
And for anyone else who suffers from it, sorry dude, apparently as of now it's not a curable disease, though chucking yourself in a place where there is no network, like the North Pole might help. But do pray that now maybe you don't start 'seeing' things, like maybe an appearing mobile phone!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Research paper on traffic conditions in India :P
I have over the past few months been putting in a lot of effort and research into what drives Indian road users. I have come up with some startling explanations for the peculiar ways of Indian drivers.
- Most drivers state that the dotted lines (read lane markers) are reminiscent of the numerous connect the dotted line drawings of their childhood and hence in an effort to relive their childhood days, always try to hit both the lines on each side!
- An autorickshaw driver once commented that the city corporation was spending too much money and wasting a lot of electricity on the year round Diwali lighting while the city faced a huge power shortage. I later discovered he was referring to a traffic light junction.
- Reliability testing of Vehicles by manufacturers is not sufficient. Auto and bus drivers hence do this on their own basis to ensure that they have not been cheated with a badly manufactured vehicle. Reliability tests are mostly performed on speed breakers, dividers and unsuspecting pedestrians.
- A survey of intercity bus drivers brought out a startling revelation. Every bus comes with a permanent footrest (accelerator) and a spare footrest (brake pedal) in case the original fails.
- Another common opinion of road users is that, all the guys in White and Khaki at traffic junctions are cost effective human scare crows for the purpose of scaring away crows that may shit on vehicles.
- The above mentioned Guys also like to play hide and catch with motorists on a regular basis, with the motorist who gets caught having to choke out papers and money. This is a test of your mental prowess where you put your ability to beg, plead and cajole to great use. A more modern advanced version of the hide and seek game is where the catcher is armed with laser weapons and photographic cameras to eliminate the person who is caught. For this purpose people dress well and comb their hair neatly in case they are photographed.
If you are a foreigner on Indian roads, you now have a much better idea of what exactly transpires here…
- Most drivers state that the dotted lines (read lane markers) are reminiscent of the numerous connect the dotted line drawings of their childhood and hence in an effort to relive their childhood days, always try to hit both the lines on each side!
- An autorickshaw driver once commented that the city corporation was spending too much money and wasting a lot of electricity on the year round Diwali lighting while the city faced a huge power shortage. I later discovered he was referring to a traffic light junction.
- Reliability testing of Vehicles by manufacturers is not sufficient. Auto and bus drivers hence do this on their own basis to ensure that they have not been cheated with a badly manufactured vehicle. Reliability tests are mostly performed on speed breakers, dividers and unsuspecting pedestrians.
- A survey of intercity bus drivers brought out a startling revelation. Every bus comes with a permanent footrest (accelerator) and a spare footrest (brake pedal) in case the original fails.
- Another common opinion of road users is that, all the guys in White and Khaki at traffic junctions are cost effective human scare crows for the purpose of scaring away crows that may shit on vehicles.
- The above mentioned Guys also like to play hide and catch with motorists on a regular basis, with the motorist who gets caught having to choke out papers and money. This is a test of your mental prowess where you put your ability to beg, plead and cajole to great use. A more modern advanced version of the hide and seek game is where the catcher is armed with laser weapons and photographic cameras to eliminate the person who is caught. For this purpose people dress well and comb their hair neatly in case they are photographed.
If you are a foreigner on Indian roads, you now have a much better idea of what exactly transpires here…
Monday, July 21, 2008
The Dark Knight!
Simply put the film rocks. It takes off from Batman Begins. A new villain surfaces in Gotham City and calls himself the Joker. Played by Heath Ledger, He is the star of the film. The joker just makes you want to applaud actually. Christian Bale has made a convincing performance by no means bad but against the Joker, Batman is just not good enough. But I must add that the shots of the Hong Kong and Chicago skylines are amazing and with the background scores just make the scenes where Batman flies, sexy to watch! The story of how one man through his ability to make decisions as he wishes(actually it's two men now, both Batman and the Joker)can change a lot of things just comes to tell how much people who actually dare to do what they wish to, can really achieve if they do it, be it good or bad. You have example for both in the movie.
The scene where Batman topples a whole container truck is just SEXY! The return of the Lieutenant from having died of gunshot wounds was amazing and made everyone happy. We also see acts of courage from the people stuck on ferries and even when they are given the option to save themselves at the cost of a bunch of criminal convicts on another ferry, the fear and the assorted emotions are just a spectacle to watch. Seriously I think had it been a bunch of crazy Indians on board they would have pressed the detonator first thing without care for the other people. Somehow sadly, I beg to think so. I do hope Indian society will prove me wrong. Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent, the straight District Attorney played a pivotal role in the movie, I do wish to sympathise with him, yet, given the post he holds in Gotham city, his actions were not totally what one could expect from a person of such stature. But then, he is ultimately human, and all humans have one weakness - Emotion is what the movie justly exemplifies. Rachel Dawes is beautiful here with not much of a role to play, but somehow I preferred Katie Holmes. The ending was just amazing, Batman taking on the blame for Two face's mistakes so that Harvey could be pronounced a hero to Gotham City. Somehow it was a magnimous moment...
The joker seriously could root for an Oscar. Sadly if he did win, he wont be there to collect it. The batmobile is a sexy piece of machinery. As Lieutenant Gordon said in Batman Begins "I gotta get me one of those things!". Each and every scene is filled with either action or amazing acting or seriously cool quotes. A magnificient movie, to be watched surely, in a proper theatre please. It's one of those movies where it would become a cardinal sin if watched from a theatre rip on a computer.
Check out the link below. Quotes from the movie.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/quotes
The scene where Batman topples a whole container truck is just SEXY! The return of the Lieutenant from having died of gunshot wounds was amazing and made everyone happy. We also see acts of courage from the people stuck on ferries and even when they are given the option to save themselves at the cost of a bunch of criminal convicts on another ferry, the fear and the assorted emotions are just a spectacle to watch. Seriously I think had it been a bunch of crazy Indians on board they would have pressed the detonator first thing without care for the other people. Somehow sadly, I beg to think so. I do hope Indian society will prove me wrong. Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent, the straight District Attorney played a pivotal role in the movie, I do wish to sympathise with him, yet, given the post he holds in Gotham city, his actions were not totally what one could expect from a person of such stature. But then, he is ultimately human, and all humans have one weakness - Emotion is what the movie justly exemplifies. Rachel Dawes is beautiful here with not much of a role to play, but somehow I preferred Katie Holmes. The ending was just amazing, Batman taking on the blame for Two face's mistakes so that Harvey could be pronounced a hero to Gotham City. Somehow it was a magnimous moment...
The joker seriously could root for an Oscar. Sadly if he did win, he wont be there to collect it. The batmobile is a sexy piece of machinery. As Lieutenant Gordon said in Batman Begins "I gotta get me one of those things!". Each and every scene is filled with either action or amazing acting or seriously cool quotes. A magnificient movie, to be watched surely, in a proper theatre please. It's one of those movies where it would become a cardinal sin if watched from a theatre rip on a computer.
Check out the link below. Quotes from the movie.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/quotes
Monday, July 07, 2008
Lovestory 2050
Let me tell you the story in brief. I missed out the first 3 odd minutes, but my cousin filled me in. Apparently our hero crashes his MG while driving really dangerously. He has a typical rich father who just has no time for his son. Anyways the guy goes around and happens to spot pretty Priyanka Chopra and takes a liking for her. After the regular case of mistaken identity issues between the lead girl and guy, our hero (whatever his name is, I don’t know, I think the character was called Karan) woes Priyanka (Sanaa) and begs her to come on a date with him. She finally agrees and they do so. She enjoys herself and blah blah and they fall in love (not really worth going into detail- If it's not worth MY blogspace, then you can imagine). And yes, we have an important character in the form of our Sanaa's mom. One of those typical Desi moms we've seen in so many films. She prays for a good looking guy for her daughter and when she opens her eyes she spots Karan walking. She stalks him to find him sitting at a restaurant with her daughter,… and…. She is overjoyed!!?? In fact she is so overjoyed, I had to verify with my cousin as to whether she prayed for a guy for her daughter or for herself(And yeah for those readers who don’t know me well, I don’t understand Hindi. So all this stuff I'm telling you is from the visuals, and a little bit of translation from my cousins).
Anyways, so everything seems to be going well, when Mr. Fate decides to pay a visit, in the form of a truck and a hit and run accident. Guess who was hit?? It had to be the prettiest person on screen… Well Sanaa dies and Karan is distraught. And yes, amidst this chaos here, we have a scientist uncle of Karan's, who lives in the same town as Sanaa. This guy is on the verge of creating a time machine which Karan and Sanaa test out once and blow the fuse as well. So after Saana's death, Scientist uncle discover's the exact equation(which was accidentally created by the couple during a romantic moment at the chalkboard - Seriously which scientist in 2008 writes his equations on a chalkboard??) to make the time machine work. He gets the whole set up running and he comes up with an idea. Take Karan back to the past where he can prevent the accident from happening. But while they try to do that, the systems uncannily hang(Must be based on windows or something) and the time machine gets stuck at Mumbai 2050 which incidentally was keyed in by Sanaa sometime back. Karan thinks it is fate. I think it's a case of the component supplier selling faulty components.
So the scientist and Karan decide to go to 2050, and while they are busy preparing the spacecraft, sorry time machine, two little kids, who are Sanaa's younger siblings sneak on board. Now we are in 2050. Well Mumbai in 2050 is a changed place. Skyscrapers galore, flying cars etc. What did take me by surprise was the lack of traffic! Indians seem to have adopted technology pretty well too, what with a panwallah using a micro robot to sell pan and the best was, a snake charmer charming a robotic snake! Else the whole place looked like it was snitched out of I, Robot. And yes did I mention fashion of 2050? Seems to be predominantly leather. Looks like cows and crocodiles are on the extinction list too. Anyways, the hero spots the re-incarnation of Sanaa in the form of Zeisha, a red haired popular singer. He starts tracking her and mysteriously she gets drawn to him too when she sees him. The power of love eh?? Anyways Karan starts wooing her too and they pretty much fall in love. At this stage things kind of get messy, I kind of lost the plot, and they discover he is some fake guy or something, fake ids and stuff. Karan is chased away by her guards. During this process, Sanaa's diary falls out of Karan's shirt and Zeisha duly picks it up and reads it at home, and now she realises that whatever Karan was blabbering was true and she gains memory of the past or something. And yes, how can a bollywood flick not have a villain? So we have a Dr. Morishi or someone, who used to be Scientist uncle's la assistant of some sort. He has become some big shot guy and now realises that scientist uncle is visiting town and that the time machine is here. Uncle scientist is captured and questioned on the whereabouts of the machine. He enjoys the moment and comments on Dr. Morishi's 'microchip boss' appearance (Similar to Mottaiboss of Sivaji fame except that microchips are encrusted on his bald head!!?) Anyways Karan come to the rescue, high tech fight scenes ensue and the good win and yeah we have a high speed flying car chase involving the baddies from 2050 not being as good drivers as a guy from 2008 and end up crashing everywhere. And finally, the space ship which came to 2050 with 4 people, now has 5 people and 2 robots, and returns to 2008, I think. End of story.
1.I found the hero imitating Hrithik too much, some people in the theatre were querying if the new face was Hrithik's re-incarnation or something. But then we realised Hrithik was not gone yet.
2.Priyanka was pretty as usual, but I found Sanaa to be too giggly and Zeisha to be a bit loud mouthed initially.
3.The movie was weird. Period. Don’t bother watching, unless you want to check out Priyanka or the new hero guy, or if you want to try the new comfy seats at Kanakadhara (Central theatres, Coimbatore)
Anyways, so everything seems to be going well, when Mr. Fate decides to pay a visit, in the form of a truck and a hit and run accident. Guess who was hit?? It had to be the prettiest person on screen… Well Sanaa dies and Karan is distraught. And yes, amidst this chaos here, we have a scientist uncle of Karan's, who lives in the same town as Sanaa. This guy is on the verge of creating a time machine which Karan and Sanaa test out once and blow the fuse as well. So after Saana's death, Scientist uncle discover's the exact equation(which was accidentally created by the couple during a romantic moment at the chalkboard - Seriously which scientist in 2008 writes his equations on a chalkboard??) to make the time machine work. He gets the whole set up running and he comes up with an idea. Take Karan back to the past where he can prevent the accident from happening. But while they try to do that, the systems uncannily hang(Must be based on windows or something) and the time machine gets stuck at Mumbai 2050 which incidentally was keyed in by Sanaa sometime back. Karan thinks it is fate. I think it's a case of the component supplier selling faulty components.
So the scientist and Karan decide to go to 2050, and while they are busy preparing the spacecraft, sorry time machine, two little kids, who are Sanaa's younger siblings sneak on board. Now we are in 2050. Well Mumbai in 2050 is a changed place. Skyscrapers galore, flying cars etc. What did take me by surprise was the lack of traffic! Indians seem to have adopted technology pretty well too, what with a panwallah using a micro robot to sell pan and the best was, a snake charmer charming a robotic snake! Else the whole place looked like it was snitched out of I, Robot. And yes did I mention fashion of 2050? Seems to be predominantly leather. Looks like cows and crocodiles are on the extinction list too. Anyways, the hero spots the re-incarnation of Sanaa in the form of Zeisha, a red haired popular singer. He starts tracking her and mysteriously she gets drawn to him too when she sees him. The power of love eh?? Anyways Karan starts wooing her too and they pretty much fall in love. At this stage things kind of get messy, I kind of lost the plot, and they discover he is some fake guy or something, fake ids and stuff. Karan is chased away by her guards. During this process, Sanaa's diary falls out of Karan's shirt and Zeisha duly picks it up and reads it at home, and now she realises that whatever Karan was blabbering was true and she gains memory of the past or something. And yes, how can a bollywood flick not have a villain? So we have a Dr. Morishi or someone, who used to be Scientist uncle's la assistant of some sort. He has become some big shot guy and now realises that scientist uncle is visiting town and that the time machine is here. Uncle scientist is captured and questioned on the whereabouts of the machine. He enjoys the moment and comments on Dr. Morishi's 'microchip boss' appearance (Similar to Mottaiboss of Sivaji fame except that microchips are encrusted on his bald head!!?) Anyways Karan come to the rescue, high tech fight scenes ensue and the good win and yeah we have a high speed flying car chase involving the baddies from 2050 not being as good drivers as a guy from 2008 and end up crashing everywhere. And finally, the space ship which came to 2050 with 4 people, now has 5 people and 2 robots, and returns to 2008, I think. End of story.
1.I found the hero imitating Hrithik too much, some people in the theatre were querying if the new face was Hrithik's re-incarnation or something. But then we realised Hrithik was not gone yet.
2.Priyanka was pretty as usual, but I found Sanaa to be too giggly and Zeisha to be a bit loud mouthed initially.
3.The movie was weird. Period. Don’t bother watching, unless you want to check out Priyanka or the new hero guy, or if you want to try the new comfy seats at Kanakadhara (Central theatres, Coimbatore)
Friday, May 16, 2008
Arai en 305 il kadavul
The movie was great. A really simple but nice tale of how two guys meet god. I am envious of Prakash raj for two things though. One was he got to play god and superman too (Without the red and blue under wear though). And two he had a Nifty little hand held communications device. This little device which I suspect was designed by Vertu (Lots of gold embellishments you see) is amazing. He communicates to all the other gods using that device apparently. It comes with all the regular features with the highlights being the emergency warning system, which warns him every time something bad is going to happen, like the incident where 2300 lives were lost when a mosquito fumigation vehicle drove by. The highlight of the device is the 3D display which shows everything happening in the world real time in 3D. Nifty indeed!!!
I am sure Nokia and Sony Ericsson are going to be haggling badly to obtain this device. What such features could do to their market share I wonder. Imagine a device that charges without a plug at a plug point and obtains full charge in 5 seconds!
Hmm anyways back to the movie, I don’t know why this movie runs in one of the smallest theatres in
Friday, February 01, 2008
Life is all about Nothing!!
When was the last time you fought with a friend over a petty issue? How many such relationships would you have destroyed in the past twenty years of your life by fighting over unnecessary things? I am sure the answer is many. In some cases things might have reconciled but in most the relationship once broken is gone forever. Consider the story of a guy called Naresh. Naresh was a smart handsome guy in college enjoying his single life until one fateful day…
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Sunday, January 27, 2008
Switch Off........
It’s 2050. The streets of
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Don for the Masses........
Ahh it’s comparison time again!!!!! Billa versus Don. It’s a no brainer actually, Billa just doesn’t stand a chance. I am not a fan of Shah Rukh as I’ve said in my previous articles, but I have to say, I was just in awe after watching Don. The movie has a certain level of class and panache that however much Kodambakam has tried, cannot emulate. They say it’s not a copy of SRK’s Don and only a remake of Rajni’s Billa, but unfortunately they have taken this movie while looking behind their backs at SRK’s version.
Here is a list of the Vehicles featured in Billa 2007: (For the voracious car fan)
AMG Mercedes think CL55 or SLK55 or something…
Nissan Skyline R32(not sure if it’s a R32 or R33) The blue car he does Donuts with…
BMW Z3
BMW 5 Series
Jaguar S Type
Subaru Impreza Sti
Proton Saga (Teksi :) )
A car carrier truck with a perodua kancil, saga and other cars in it
Proton Wira
Proton Waja
Proton Perdana
An Ambulance Toyota Ace I think
Some vans
Saturday, December 08, 2007
At the coffee house.......
It’s 4 o’ Clock. I look out the window onto the busy
We were the hottest couple on campus; Ambitious individuals bonded together by love. We had dreams of a life together and all our careers pushed aside. Things had seemed great and settled until that day….
Minutes went by.
“A lot has been happening. I’m pretty tied up at work. I hope it’s the same for you in
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