Beggars can be choosers too!!!

I had always heard of the saying "Beggars cant be choosers". However times are changing, thanks to the inflation. This article shows that beggars can infact become choosy :)

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/526049-bangladeshi-beggars-demand-minimum-donations

Excerpt:
**********************************************
A group of beggars in northern Bangladesh are lobbying local politicians to set a minimum rate that people can give them because they are struggling with spiralling inflation, an official said Monday.

Kurigram council chairman Abubakr Siddiqui said about 40 beggars - most of them disabled - held a rally in the town at the weekend to raise awareness about their plight.

"They demanded the local council fix the minimum rate of alms at one taka (1.45 cents). At the moment most people who give them money give between 10 and 50 paisa (0.15 to 0.70 cents)," he said.

Siddiqui said as well as setting a minimum rate, the group also wanted the council to ban beggars from outside the town from encroaching on their territory.

"They say the soaring cost of food is taking its toll. Their daily collection is not enough to buy adequate food for their families," he said.

"We cannot stop the entry of outsiders into the town. Any Bangladeshi has the right to come here."
************************************************

Sirigannadam Gelge!!!

One of the most striking wordings. Very apt and true to the core!!!

Sirigannadam Gelge!!! Jai Karnataka Maathe!!!

To Pitt, stop @ DC

Monument, DC








Har ghar chup chaap se yeh kehta hai ..
andar usmein kaun rehta hai?..
Chhat bataati hai... ...
yeh kiska aasmaan hai.
Rang kehte hain kiska yeh jahaan hai....
Kamron mein kiski kalpana jhalakti hai?...
Is farsh par nange pair kiske bacche chalte hain?...
Kaun chun chunke ise pyaar se sajaata hai?
Kaun is makaan mein apna ghar basaata hai...
Har ghar chup chaap se yeh kehta hai... ki andar usmein kaun rehta hai?


Treasury, DC





Capitol, Washington DC:

One day you will love me....

src - http://www.explosm.net/comics/1082/

Sample Shots from the new Canon EOS 400D

Finally here it is. My lifetime dream to own an SLR!!!!

Got it shipped today and was just trying out some shots to make appropriate settings. Believe me, this is one amazing SLR. Just 2 hours with her, I have already fallen in love with her :)

An amazing 9 point focus with 3 frames per second, its fun to shoot.

What if I am not eligible to get into the army to shoot enemies, I cannot give up shooting. So here I am with my new found interest, photography. More to come soon.






Can you see the star?? No? Take a closer look :)

In boiling Virginia!!!

Phew!! after a long break, I finally found some time today to write an update. After 7 weeks of "warming the bench" in Colorado on some of finest spring days, I finally had to move to Richmond 2 weeks back. Here for a short assignment of 3 months. I swear there is no greater pain than the pain of moving to a new city. After a week of hotel life, finally moved into an apartment.

Weather sucks here. From the 20-30s of CO I land here on a boiling Sunday at a temperature of 103. That was tough.

As I write this, I am thinking of those good old days in College where we, the famous 5 had innumerable instances of fun, laughter and fights. I look back today and see that all of us have physically distanced ourselves so much. Everyone have been busy in their own life. From the every day meetup calls to a weekly/monthly chat/scrap, life has taken us in different directions and responsibilities. Tinku will be a father in a couple of days and Sandy expecting soon. Sunny with his never ending passion of cricket and Kachra in his own world of music, beer and movies. Appu seems to have gone underworld. No signs of his existence. I am not any less. Have been a lot busy in the last couple of weeks too. All in all its not the same anymore.

I am waiting eagerly for that day when I land back in India and meet the Gang once again in some PUB sipping some Jack :)

Looking forward for that day. More to come soon...

Ciao.

The Break Up!!!

I watched with awe and amazement as she came out of her hiding place. First, a little peep over the ledge and then her whole absolutely symmetrical body. A perfectly blonde head and a body you could die for. White as a virgin island's sand. I stared at her with admiration and fear. She had changed the course of my life. Everyone said that she was killing me softly without me realizing it.

At first, like all bachelors, even I just wanted to hang around with her and show her off as my new found love. I was successful too. I raised many eyebrows but at the same time I was shit scared of introducing her to my family, even as "just a friend". We met scarcely in the beginning but gradually we bumped into each other more often, sometimes not willingly or sometimes through a common friend. We grew close, so close that I was addicted to her.

Days passed into weeks, into months, into years. We were together all the time. She accompanied me to office, to the movies, shopping, even to my bed. We were inseparable. I felt great but inside me a feeling of guilt was beginning to rise. I was not keeping well off late. I used to get tired very soon and my mood was always cranky. At first I thought it was because of my close association with her but then I realized it was much more. She always stood by me in my times of distress and was of great help too.

It was only later that I realized that all this while, it was she who was killing me softly every time I kissed her. My deteriorating health made me reach a conclusion finally. I had to break up with my love. I didn't want to but I had to. I had no other option. I was dying and I didn't want her to be with me while I died. She was great with me and we had some great times but now she must leave me alone. She was too good to be ignored and I was sure that she would have already chosen her next victim by now.

I finally collated all the courage I could and decided to confront her with the harsh truth of breakup.

Sitting in the balcony in my favorite shorts and T shirt, I pulled her out from where she was hiding behind me. Looking at her, I felt sorry, she was so innocent and yet…….. I had to kill her.

"Whats the matter darling?", she asked me with the most tender care and utmost love.

"My love,", I said kissing her lightly, "I have to leave you now. Its been a long time and we had a heavenly experience. We were a match made in heaven"

"Oh yes we were and we still are…. Then why do you want to leave me? You know how much I love you and how much you love me. You know we cant stay with each other. Please don't leave me now… I'll die".

"Im sorry my love but I have made a decision", one more kiss.

"Why? Have you found someone else? Is there someone who can make you happier, remove your sorrows the way I can? Help you in times of pain?"

"Yes there is someone else. But you wont understand coz you don't have a heart."

"I loved you more than anyone ever did. You will be sorry for this."

I could feel her heat in my hands and could sense the fire running within her. I had to stay calm. She was now withering away and I was almost there… My goal was almost reached….

After a few more kisses and heated words I finally was able to convince her. "Goodbye" I said and sent her tumbling down from my fourth floor balcony. She watched me as she descended the distance until finally her head struck the floor below. Red sparks flew and my love, the cigarette bud, died without a sound. I broke up from my love, SMOKING

A Home away from Home

Its been a long time since i am active on blogger. Quite held with all the catching up with friends in Bangalore to start a new journey and hopefully a new career here in US. Been 13 days into US and it feels so far away from home. I miss those Masala Puri and Uncle angdi addas. Life is totally mechanical being here. And most of all I miss my black beauty. Feels handicapped without a car.

Anyways this was what I chose and this is what i will have to live/love with. I am lucky in one way that I have so many ppl out here whom i know and it doesnt feel too much out of place.

Once I am into a project and get busy prolly things will ease out and settle down faster.

Thats it for the day, more to come soon.

-Pradeep

Still the same old Schumi...

As the saying goes "Winners never lose", Schumi has proved that he is still "THE BEST" around in the world of Formula 1.

387 straight days outside the cockpit the master champion returns to the racing challenge and sets the records straight by being the fastest on track. After the tests at Barcelona, it has to be agreed to that there is not a bit of racing and speed that has gone off him.

He is still the best in the years to come....And as rightly said by Marca, the impressive pace of Schumi is nothing short of a "humiliation" to the active drivers..

Way to go Schumi. Miss ya....

Sao Paulo....A record broken and history made!!!

The happiest day of my life....

Yes, what else could make me more happier than seeing a ferrari 1-2 and moreover a ferrari making it to the drivers world champion. Thats right, Kimi, the Iceman never would have dreamt of being the world champion a few races ago, from being a zero to a hero, he has shown the perfect sportsmanship, and that all it takes to being a world champion is not just good driving skills but also a great amount of sportmanship. No one would have ever thought that the Finn would take away the world championship from the Brit who seemed so strong all through the season...I still feel sorry for him. Hats off to you Lewis and the best of luck for the coming seasons....

Kimi Raikonen, the driver who has the perfect attitude and the sheer pace which is demanded in a true world champion drove the perfect race of his lifetime to snatch away the honors from the deadly Brit and the arrongant spaniard. I would have been happy even if Hamilton won the championship, but could not tolerate seeing the "arrongant" spaniard in the same position as mentioned in my previous post. He was never worth it....

And my heart goes out to the "brilliant" Brazilian Massa who had to throw away his race to kimi just for the sake of benifiting him and the team as a whole. He is a true sportsman who knows what "loyalty" to the team means...

And a short sneakpeak to the race itself.....

Kimi with a brialliant start from third overtook Lewis in the first corner and then as usual the unethical spaniard had to show his cunning skills. He almost braked down to ZERO which would have put Lewis out of the race, but then again, as they say, bad luck strikes at the wrong time, and something happened to Lewis's car and puts him down to the back of the grid. Even a blazing recovery brings him to just 10th on the grid. An early pitstop and a slow pack of cars upfront was always a challenge for him to challenge the Finn for the world championship. On the other hand, the spaniard losing a place to Kubica's amazing overtake gave the Finn his first glimpse of making it to the championship.

After the second round of pitstops, as everyone's guess it had to be the Iceman to take the lead from Massa. And then it was a race which went on to make history. Kimi Raikonen, who had a faint chance of tasting the world champioship stood there on the podium as a true winner.

This 1-2 victory of Scuderia-Ferrari-Shell was one thing i had dreamt about all this season....and to top it all both the championships are now guarenteed to be in the safe and proper hands, rather than with the team who were driving "half-a-ferrari"...

It was indeed a great day for every single ferrari fan around the world to cherish this for the coming few months, untill the next season, which calls for more challenges with the under-lights singapore GP....

I am sure that there is more thrill, fun, suspense and exitement in the coming season...and the only thing that makes me unhappy is that the 2007 season has come to an END...

Adios F2007 and adios Ralf. Feels bad that after 17 years there will not be a "Schumacher" on the starting grid. A Great Year ahead in 2008 and I just cant wait for more action.

GOOD BYE....

Weekend getaway to Ozone...

It was turning out to be another boring weekend, got up at around 11 and rushed to the school to attend the alumni committee meeting. Finished around 1 and was lazing around at the adda. And then the boys as crazy as always suddenly decide for a weekend getaway. What else can be a better place than Ozone.

Team : Chintu, Papu, Pussy, Vela, Lambu, Kiran and myself

Started off around 4 in the afternoon and picked lambu from kadur, and in the meanwhile the silencer clamp of the scopio had come off thanks to the maniac driving by chintu.

Reached ozone around 11 and started off with the JD and in less than an hour it was empty. Slept around 1 and Sunday everyone was lazing around playing carrom. Started back home around 4 in the noon and dropped by lambu's farm. Such an amazing place, far away from the city buzz...

Also had a taste of my first scorpio ride and believe me its a monster.

Reached bangalore around 12 and straight away hit bed only to get up today for all the traffic madness in bangalore. It indeed was a nice unplanned weekend getaway...

Spa Francorchamps - A Review

It has been a long break from blogging and today i planned to write something. Something new and different. What else can be better than a race summary of yesterday's Spa Francorchamps.

Here it goes in detail...

The Track:
Spa was first started in 1924 and has ever since been a track hard to master upon. It has witnessed several accdents involving the deaths of the likes of Alan Stacey and Chris Bristow. The weather conditions are dynamic on this circuit with a surprise shower on one half of the track and the sun shining bright on the other. However Spa is and has always been a place where every F1 driver would love to drive. Eau Rouge has remained the most evocative corner with speed reaching upto 320 KMPH and just the perfect thing a F1 fan would love to see.

In the last decade Ferrari and Iceman have dominated this track with the last three going to Kimi's basket.

The Qualifier

The qualifier was a 100% domination by the Scuderia. Iceman has always been a champ in Spa. This is one track that suits to the best of his ability. With some slight problem at the rear of the car he could still manage to pull up the fastest lap. With Massa following close behind it was an all red startup poised for the Race. Alonso and Hamilton starting in the second grid only to battle out a "non professional" competition between the two of them. I will come to this later.

Race Day:

Luckily perfect weather and perfect conditions marked the start of the 44 lap Spa race. Iceman took off with the utmost perfection. Massa almost mirroring the capability he has shown since his debut also started fine even though being on the dirty side of the pole. Although he had a slight problem at the first corner but managed to stick close behind Kimi. Alonso and Lewis on the other hand were riding a race of their own with a who-kicks-out-whom strategy. A perfect start by the rookie from the start line almost overtook the Spaniard with sheer pace and ability, however the so called double world champion had other thoughts. He played such a cheap trick on his own team mate that he was almost thrown out of the race. However Hamilton managed to get the car back on the track w/o losing position. Nick running in 5th lost a couple of places in this hustle.

From here on it was 44 laps of total domination by the Finn without any threat from the rest of the pack. Massa too was running a race of his own class with no one to threaten his position.

An uneventful race ended with the Ferrari 1-2 which just feels so good. Many more races needed like these. Cheers Ferrari.

Miscellaneous:
Alonso's dirty tactics will not carry on for much time. It was about this time last year that I remember the Spanish driver had caused a storm within the Renault team, accusing them of leaving him isolated and alone – what did he expect after going backstabbing his team and signing with McLaren immediately after securing his first title? He is a spoilt kid who wants things to go his own way and doesnt give a damn to anyone else, no matter if the other person is his team boss or a compatriate. If Alonso wins this world title, then it will be the most disgraceful thing to happen to F1. How can a person who cannot conduct himself in front of the whole world be given a World Championship. A good fast driver is not all about being a F1 champion. It is much more than than. Being a diehard Ferrari fan I wud still be happy if the championship goes to Lewis who has simply done an amazing job, But I have my fingers still crossed hoping that the Finn catches up and overtakes the Brit both on and off the track.

Thats it for now.

Signing off,
Pradeep

Whatever your Cross...

Whatever your cross,

whatever your pain,

there will always be sunshine,

after the rain ....

Perhaps you may stumble,

perhaps even fall,

But God's always ready,

To answer your call ...

Whatever your cross,

whatever your pain,

"God always sends rainbows ....

after the rain ...

Six parts gin to one part vermouth.

Bright college days, oh, carefree days that fly,
To thee we sing with our glasses raised on high.
Let's drink a toast as each of us recalls
Ivy-covered professors in ivy-covered halls.

Here's to parties we tossed,
To the games that we lost
To the girls, young and sweet,
To the beer and benzedrine,
To the way that the dean
Tried so hard to be pals with us all.
To excuses we fibbed,
To the papers we cribbed
From the genius who lived down the hall.

To the tables down at Mory's(Wherever that may be),
Let us drink a toast to all we love the best.
We will sleep through all the lectures,
And cheat on the exams,
And we'll pass, and be forgotten with the rest.

Oh, now we're out amid the cold world's strife.
Sliding down the razor blade of life. (Oooh!)
But as we go our sordid separate ways,
We shall ne'er forget thee, thou golden college days.

Hearts full of youth,
Hearts full of truth,
Six parts gin to one part vermouth.

The Power of One...

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream.
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal

One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom

One step must start each journey.
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what's true,
One life can make a difference,
You see, it's up to you!

Latest Updates

Have been out of blogging for sometime now. Just shifted from labs to GDC. Quite held up with all the setup of accounts and configurations. Nothing much has happened offlate. Probably will start working on some project next week....

Broken Love

All day i sit there and gaze up the sky
Hoping to see whether she smiles
Such was my shy
That i never gave a try

Thought she would know me, Love me
But she never seemed so
Now that she's gone away from me
I feel i was a moron to be...

All my life, I've been loving her
Want to love her till my last breath
But now that she's gone away
I have nothing to say.....

Listen Darling, Oh my Angel Queen
I love you tonight and Love you forever
Hope is the only strength to me now
Someone give me the hope to live....

Tonight i am Broken, I Need You
But you ran to HIM, before I could tell you.
Such was my shy
That i never gave a try

My mind is tired and my heart is sore
Waiting for it to Stop and Burn no more
There is Frustration here, cause i can't let Go
When u r far or near, my feelings still Grow.

Hectic Life

Been a while I posted anything on the blog. Life's been so hectic in the past weeks that havent really had any time to do anything outside ticket support. Hopefully get some time to post something new today....

Life is so unfair, time flies and I cant...

Calling it Quits!!!

There was once a time when I barely managed to pass Engineering. A time when getting a Job was not a fairytale. Indeed I managed to land up in one. Although earning a 4-digit salary the job taught me priceless stuff. I was very happy with it untill came a day when greed got the better of it. More money drew me to end my satisfactory job, hoping to get more exposures to the big bad world of software development.

However it really wasnt a fairytale. History they say is a bad motorist, it never signals its intensions when it takes a turn. That exactly was what happened. I have sprung, stumbled, run, fallen, rolled over, got up and dusted myself. And here I am today. When i look back I feel that money aint everything. I have atleast a good amount of it today, but then again the work I do is of a dog and nowhere comparable to what I used to for the meagre salary.

So here I stand with two options, either accept the situation and get bogged down to this or stand up and Change. Change for the better. Embrace oppurtunities. I have been a person who never looks out for oppurtunities, but never forget to open the door when they knock.

Today the same "me" has sprung out again. I stand here embracing the change and hence **Calling it Quits...**

Childhood...

What is this life full of care, we have no time to stand and stare….

It was raining heavily outside. Dark clouds gathered in the sky and nature was in its ominous best. I took a break from my work and went to the pantry to grab a cup of coffee. I had a sip and went near the window to see the rain pouring down heavily outside the glass structure. I was inside our huge office building, unruffled by even the fierceness of the nature. Through the heavy transparent glass, I could see a small girl trying to hold on to her umbrella which the wind was snatching away from her. I felt sorry for the girl, and was happy that I was not in a similar pathetic situation. Yes. I take pride for the fact that I am a software engineer. . I have everything which a common man would envy; money, status, respect, you name it I have it. I always wanted to be software professional and here I am, working for one of the best firms in the world. But then, am I really happy? Now, I could see an imprint of my palm on the other glass window, through which I reminisced my past, basked in the warmth of the sun shine.

My childhood was so much of fun. I vividly remember those rainy days, when I hugged my mother tightly during sleeping listening to all the stories told by her. Now, I have a big house here, but then it is just a house, not a home. My parents are pretty far away from me now. I have a cell phone to talk to them everyday, but then I really miss those dinners which I had with my family everyday. I could easily afford to taste all the different cuisines these days, but the best of food there, lack the love and affection which is present in the food prepared by my mother.

I threw a lavish party for my colleagues for my birthday, but then they would never replace the birthdays when my friends secretly brought a cake and at the end, half of the cake would have ended up on my face. The couple of hundred bucks that u save for a long period just to give a treat to your friends in the road side chat shop can never give the pleasure even after spending a few thousand bucks these days.

The scene of me crying and refusing to have dinner on the day when I fought with my best friend came to my mind. Today, she has gone far away from me, taking away my love and with it my life, but I am sitting and coding here with a false smile on my face. Everyday I meet new people, but then I long ceased to make a new friend.

It's true that I have a lot of things now. I have a nice bed, but no time to sleep. Lots of money, but no friends to spend it with. The latest designer clothes, but a worn out body. Quite a few to flirt, but no one to love. Awards for technical excellence, but no reward for the crave for peaceful ambience. A confident demeanor, but a reluctant and apathetic mind. Full of rain, but no sunshine even in the farthest distance.

Now, I could see the small girl on the road enjoying in the rain with her umbrella firmly in her grip. She might not have all the comforts which I have, but then she has the innocence and fun which I lost a long time back. I have decided to come out of this false fantasy, even if it is at the expense of losing the tap of the software engineer. I am going to again enjoy my life. I am going to go out in the rain and play with the small kid now. I removed my tie, and went near my computer to shut it down. Just then, I saw a new mail alert in my mail box. I slowly opened outlook and I found a message from my manager with an attachment saying that there was a critical defect in the code and I have to fix it soon. I convinced myself that I am not going to get bogged down again by these pressures and stick to my decision. I ignored the mail and went to the rest room. After a couple of minutes, the software engineer in me came out, his shirt tucked in with the perfect tie knot, sat before the computer, and started typing,


Hello Mr.XYZ,

I am looking into the defect and will send the patch files before EOD.

Regards,
Me.