Apr 09
The course was available when i needed it:
- Much too late
- Somewhat late
- A little late
- Much too early
- Somewhat early
- A little early
- Just in time
Oct 24
I am currently in Seattle for the past one week and will be here for the next 3-4 weeks. Came here last saturday and immediately went on a sightseeing trip on Sunday. The city is beautiful, the view from my office, awesome!
See more of what I am doing, on my new Seattle blog – Sights in Seattle.
Oct 03
We recently had an innovation week celebration in our company and as a part of it, there was a daily puzzle contest. I had prepared around 4-5 puzzles every day and sent them across by mail. Given below are all the puzzles. Mail the answers to me through my contact email (top leftof the page). Answers will be given when replies stop coming in.
PUZZLE 1: Head of the Pack
Let me tell you a thing or two about solving puzzles. It is much easier than you think it is. Maybe, all the big puzzle competitions happen only in the capitals of the various countries, but this doesn’t mean you can’t capitalize on the other opportunities. Actually, the capitalism existing in our country is preventing us from spending more time on solving puzzles. Sometimes, this lack of time to solve puzzles results in lesser innovation in organizations. So, it is time to throw out the bureaucracy and come together to solve all the puzzles. One always wonders whether such techniques do yield results, but believe me, they do. Last, but never the least, we hope that you were able to find the name of the city.
PUZZLE 2: Piled up in Egypt
The boxes are arranged such that the number inside a box is equal to the sum of the numbers of the two boxes supporting it (i.e. the two boxes below it). No number is repeated and all numbers are greater than zero. What is the number in the topmost box?
PUZZLE 3: A puzzle on my table!
After seeing this puzzle kept on the table, even Dr.Watson would have been tempted to say, “It’s elementary, my dear!”
99, 15, 53, 8, 11, 32
PUZZLE 4: STR-ANG-E OR-GANI-SMS
Given below is an empty crossword. You have to fit the following words into the grid. Then the letters in the colored cells will give you the answer.
Words: 282, 2253***, 28669, 78779, 5262
PUZZLE 5: Counting the Extras
Corfu
Either
Viefi
Nerves
Open
Sexi
Wort
Corfu
Either
Viefi
Nerves
Open
Sexi
Wort
Look at the words above. All of them have something extra. Once you identify the “extra” bit, do the most logical thing and you will get the seven letter answer.
PUZZLE 6: TOUR OF LIMASSOL
Amdocs Social Club has organized a tour of Limassol. You are here, sharp at 8 AM on a nice Saturday morning. As you try to board the bus, the driver asks you for a password. You say to the driver that you were not given any password when you registered in the survey. The driver says that the survey system had crashed on Friday night and the only way they could allow people to get on the bus was through this password system. You try to argue, but to no avail. As you turn back, the driver says “Sorry, my friend. Maybe, you can have a look at some of the photographs taken by your friends during the previous tour”. You grab the paper thinking that the driver was just making fun of you. But, soon you realize otherwise. The paper seems to be a collage of 9 photographs with people gesturing through some strange signs. You immediately start decoding the message and realize that it indeed has the password. Can you find the password from the collage below? You can download a higher resolution picture here. Thanks to Harish and Anith for modeling for this puzzle. Btw, both are right-handed and hence, their right hands take priority over their left.
PUZZLE 7: MILITARY TALK
Do you know the NATO phonetic alphabet? If not, search it up on the net. In the passage below, the NATO phonetic code words of all letters of the alphabet (A to Z) but one have been encoded. Find the one alphabet which has been omitted. To get you started, I shall give an example: Alpha (for letter A) has been encoded as one of the “Two Greeks”.
Do you know the NATO phonetic alphabet? If not, search it up on the net. In the passage below, the NATO phonetic code words of all letters of the alphabet (A to Z) but one have been encoded. Find the one alphabet which has been omitted. To get you started, I shall give an example: Alpha (for letter A) has been encoded as one of the “Two Greeks”.
(Repeat Twice): Tyson and his father (in a radiation outfit) went to a country, a Canadian province and a capital city. There they met Frankenstein, two Greeks, an African, an American and his angels. They danced twice (to critical acclaim), had a drink in the local Mariott, played a sport, watched a play by William and before December they founded a software company, for which they won an award.
PUZZLE 8: PRIME-TIME PUZZLE
All the numbers in the table below can be expressed as a product of some primes. Do the prime factorization for each of them and then look for some pattern to find the 8-letter word!
|
9699690 |
510510 |
4849845 |
|
248710 |
39 |
2926 |
|
248710 |
285285 |
14630 |
|
49742 |
39 |
2090 |
|
746130 |
6630 |
53295 |
PUZZLE 9: Just another day in Cyprus
I have Cypriot neighbors. They are a small family with the husband, wife and their three kids – Andreas, Nicos and Nicolas. Mr. Christos, 42 years old, works in the LAPD (Limmasol Area Police Department) and Mrs. Christos is a housewife. Mr. Christos is former national backgammon champion. Mrs. Christos is highly educated and it seems that she chose to give up her good job to take care of her family. Mr. Christos works 6 days a week and starts at 7 AM in the morning. So, it was yet another boring Saturday when I was lazing around on my balcony. I noticed a guy walk over to the front door of our neighbor’s and this is the conversation I heard (translated to English for your convenience).
Guy (G): Good morning, I am from the PENTAGON (People EstimatioN Team And Government Organization Nicosia) and I wish to know the details of your family.
Mrs. Christos (MC): Yes, what details do you want?
G: Do you have kids?
MC: Yes
G: How many?
MC: Three
G: What are their ages?
I saw a smile on MC’s face. Then she said, “So, are you in a mood to do some math?”
G (with a smile on his face): Of course Ma’am, tell me.
MC: If you multiply the ages of my three kids, you will get three dozens.
MC: If you add the ages of my three kids, the number is the same as my door number.
G (Thinks for a while): Nope, I need more clues!
MC: You know, my eldest is a spoilt kid who spends the entire day playing backgammon in that coffee shop.
G: Thanks you Ma’am, I know their ages now.
Now, all you have to do is to find the ages of the three kids.
PUZZLE 10: BILINGUALLY SPEAKING!
Nowadays, more security personnel are required at football matches compared to international borders, as the probability of trouble seems to be higher in the former. So, it was no surprise that BBC were taking extreme precautions before reporting on an upcoming Russia-England football match. Any partisan report by the BBC could spell trouble for its loyal supporters and would enable its competitors like CNN get the international edge. So, they went looking for a person knowledgeable in football, but also impartial to both Russia and England. They found one Mr. Edvard Garringue Gotwald, a former footballer of the Czech Republic, who knew a lot about the Russian and the English sides and was also well conversant in both Russian and English.
So, the match happened on 18th July 2001. It was a closely fought encounter and the cops managed to keep off the hooligans and ensured that the match went on well. The editor of BBC received the match report from Mr. Edvard. He was shocked! It looked like Mr. Edvard, in the excitement of the match, mixed both Russian and English while writing the report. So, what does the report say? Btw, the final score in the match was Russia-1, England-0.
PUZZLE 11: STUCK IN JAIL
Samuel is stuck inside a jail in Libya. He is full of remorse and has sent you the secret note below. What does it say?
PUZZLE 12: WATCH THE CHANGE!
See the gif file below. You should see different images in the gif are played one after another. Imagine a 5*5 grid of LEDs. Only few LEDs are switched on at a time. The switched-on LEDs appear as white circles in the image. There is a 7-letter word encoded in these blinking LEDs. Better switch your brain to mode X OR you will never find the answer!
See the gif file below. You should see different images in the gif are played one after another. Imagine a 5*5 grid of LEDs. Only few LEDs are switched on at a time. The switched-on LEDs appear as white circles in the image. There is a 7-letter word encoded in these blinking LEDs. Better switch your brain to mode X OR you will never find the answer!
PUZZLE 13: A Visit to Kykkos Monastery
A team in DVCC wanted to go for a project event. They decided to go for a walk on a forest trail leading to a monastery. Only few members of the team knew about the trail and it was up to them to guide the rest of the group.
They started off going northwards. Then they turned east. Then a superstitious person suggested that they rather go south. After walking for some time, they realize that they had reached a dead-end. So, they cursed the superstitious guy and then retrace their way north. Once they reached the point from where they turned south, they continued in the original direction. A little later, they reached a dead-end. Then the superstitious person laughs and suggests again walking southwards. After some time, they take a well deserved break.
After a 15 minute break, they continue walking south. Once they reach the fountain marked on the map, they turned eastward as suggested. After what seemed like a long time, they came across a signpost on the road pointing towards the north. So, they turn north and walk for another half an hour and then rest for lunch.
After lunch, people were not in a mood to continue. But, they had to reach their destination before nightfall. So, the group leader urged the group to start walking westwards. After some time, the path turned to the south. Just after a short distance, there was a sign pointing towards east. So, they turned east. Now that the sun was behind them, they didn’t feel the heat of the sun. So, they didn’t realize that they had walked quite a distance when the map suggested that they turn south again. So, they dutifully followed. Then, almost immediately, the path turned west again. Then, after walking west for around 30 mins, they stopped for a tea-break.
After the rejuvenating tea, they started walking eastwards. After what seemed like a long walk, they came to a dead-end. Then one person casually said; ”Ah, maybe we should have taken the path to the south which came some time earlier!”. They all cursed him and retraced their path due-west. When they came to the turning mentioned by this person, they turned south and marched on. After 1 hour, they saw their destination before them, the grand monastery of Kykkos. At the gate of the monastery, the guard asked them for the password. The group leader who had been taking notes all the time during the trek realized the password and told it to the guard. It was the correct password and they all happily retired to the guest rooms at the monastery. So, do you know the password?
A team in DVCC wanted to go for a project event. They decided to go for a walk on a forest trail leading to a monastery. Only few members of the team knew about the trail and it was up to them to guide the rest of the group.
They started off going northwards. Then they turned east. Then a superstitious person suggested that they rather go south. After walking for some time, they realize that they had reached a dead-end. So, they cursed the superstitious guy and then retrace their way north. Once they reached the point from where they turned south, they continued in the original direction. A little later, they reached a dead-end. Then the superstitious person laughs and suggests again walking southwards. After some time, they take a well deserved break.
After a 15 minute break, they continue walking south. Once they reach the fountain marked on the map, they turned eastward as suggested. After what seemed like a long time, they came across a signpost on the road pointing towards the north. So, they turn north and walk for another half an hour and then rest for lunch.
After lunch, people were not in a mood to continue. But, they had to reach their destination before nightfall. So, the group leader urged the group to start walking westwards. After some time, the path turned to the south. Just after a short distance, there was a sign pointing towards east. So, they turned east. Now that the sun was behind them, they didn’t feel the heat of the sun. So, they didn’t realize that they had walked quite a distance when the map suggested that they turn south again. So, they dutifully followed. Then, almost immediately, the path turned west again. Then, after walking west for around 30 mins, they stopped for a tea-break.
After the rejuvenating tea, they started walking eastwards. After what seemed like a long walk, they came to a dead-end. Then one person casually said; ”Ah, maybe we should have taken the path to the south which came some time earlier!”. They all cursed him and retraced their path due-west. When they came to the turning mentioned by this person, they turned south and marched on. After 1 hour, they saw their destination before them, the grand monastery of Kykkos. At the gate of the monastery, the guard asked them for the password. The group leader who had been taking notes all the time during the trek realized the password and told it to the guard. It was the correct password and they all happily retired to the guest rooms at the monastery. So, do you know the password?
PUZZLE 14: The search for Cypriot villages
Find the following village names in the grid below. The remaining letters would tell you how to get the answer. The words can be oriented horizontally, vertically or diagonally. The letters in the grid below can be reused for more than one word, but not in more than 2 words.
PUZZLE 15: GRAFFITTI OR GRAPH?
The Cyprus government has long suspected the British of monitoring all email communications passing through Cyprus. But, they have never been able to prove it. They ask for your help in uncovering the secrets of the big white dome on top of the Troodos Mountains. But, this task is easier said than done. It is a well known fact that the dome is patrolled by less than a dozen soldiers, but the hi-tech security around the dome is almost impenetrable. In the guise of a regular tourist looking for a good spot to ski, you reach the side-doors of the dome. You see lot of graffiti on the wall and think aloud; “These football fans haven’t left alone even this place!” You see a monitor on the door asking for a password. Then you realize that the graffiti might actually be the key to this. You start plotting points assuming that each pair of letters connects the vertices labeled by the alphabets. Slowly, letters start to appear and finally, you get the password. What is the password?
The Cyprus government has long suspected the British of monitoring all email communications passing through Cyprus. But, they have never been able to prove it. They ask for your help in uncovering the secrets of the big white dome on top of the Troodos Mountains. But, this task is easier said than done. It is a well known fact that the dome is patrolled by less than a dozen soldiers, but the hi-tech security around the dome is almost impenetrable. In the guise of a regular tourist looking for a good spot to ski, you reach the side-doors of the dome. You see lot of graffiti on the wall and think aloud; “These football fans haven’t left alone even this place!” You see a monitor on the door asking for a password. Then you realize that the graffiti might actually be the key to this. You start plotting points assuming that each pair of letters connects the vertices labeled by the alphabets. Slowly, letters start to appear and finally, you get the password. What is the password?
PUZZLE 16: A TIGHT FIT
The eight tiles below must be fitted into the pattern so as to form 4 words reading across and 5 words reading down. The tiles cannot be rotated or modified in any form. Find the 9 words.
The eight tiles below must be fitted into the pattern so as to form 4 words reading across and 5 words reading down. The tiles cannot be rotated or modified in any form. Find the 9 words.
PUZZLE 17: FORM YOUR OWN QUESTION
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ?
Fit in the letters below to form the question above and then find the answer. No need to change the orders of the letters in each group of three. Just find the right position to place the group as such.
|
APO |
BEA |
BUM? |
NWA |
SAL |
|
SAL |
SOA |
TLE |
TWE |
WHA |
PUZZLE 18: READING BETWEEN THE WORDS
Each sentence below contains a country’s name within it. Find each of the countries.
a. My landlords went to a spa in Latvia for this year’s holidays.
b. To find the Great Wall, search in an Asian country.
c. It is normal in this country to walk to work.
d. This country has a fine palace where horses live.
e. You have to visit this city to enjoy such adventures.
f. While attending the innovation session i germinate ideas for the next big thing.
g. The crowd consists of thousands of people so those leaving cannot be monitored individually.
h. The rough analysis proved that this machine does not work.
PUZZLE 19: GOING TO THE MOVIES
For all you movie buffs out there, these puzzles should be a piece of cake! Each of these rebuses solve to a movie name. (14 movies)
Enjoy!!!!!!!!
Sep 24
I am a normal person who dreams regularly (thankfully, no nightmares!). Sometimes, i do remember the dreams the next day and most of the times, they are even more outlandish than a typical Bollywood movie. But, one thing which has always been the case is that some aspect of the dream would always be something which i had done or been involved with in the near past.
For example, if i were preparing for a dumb-c event, then i would not only stop at dreaming about codes, but also wake up (actually asleep) , then awaken Vidhya and ask her to decode something which i mime! Similarly, for puzzle events, i have actually got some good ideas for puzzles from the dreams.
But, a few days earlier, i had a dream which went something like this. I was traveling in a bus and got a ticket from the conductor. There was a guy next to me who suddenly dropped some coins into my hand and then asked me to hold on to them for few minutes. I, of course, wasn’t interested and tried to put back the coins in his hand. But, he was avoiding this and saying “one minute, please” and so on. Then, i noticed some movement behind me and felt a hand on my pant’s back pocket. I realized that someone was trying to take the wallet out of my pocket. I quickly turned around and punched the guy in his face. At this time, i came out of the dream.
No, i didn’t wake up, but i went into “Analysis of the dream” mode while i was asleep. i started wondering as to why i had this dream. I had never been part of such an experience. No one had ever picked my pocket nor had i seen someone do it. i was surprised, as this ploy seemed perfect for a pickpocket gang with one member working to distract the person while another takes the wallet. Is it a sign of things to come? I dunno!
For example, if i were preparing for a dumb-c event, then i would not only stop at dreaming about codes, but also wake up (actually asleep) , then awaken Vidhya and ask her to decode something which i mime! Similarly, for puzzle events, i have actually got some good ideas for puzzles from the dreams.
But, a few days earlier, i had a dream which went something like this. I was traveling in a bus and got a ticket from the conductor. There was a guy next to me who suddenly dropped some coins into my hand and then asked me to hold on to them for few minutes. I, of course, wasn’t interested and tried to put back the coins in his hand. But, he was avoiding this and saying “one minute, please” and so on. Then, i noticed some movement behind me and felt a hand on my pant’s back pocket. I realized that someone was trying to take the wallet out of my pocket. I quickly turned around and punched the guy in his face. At this time, i came out of the dream.
No, i didn’t wake up, but i went into “Analysis of the dream” mode while i was asleep. i started wondering as to why i had this dream. I had never been part of such an experience. No one had ever picked my pocket nor had i seen someone do it. i was surprised, as this ploy seemed perfect for a pickpocket gang with one member working to distract the person while another takes the wallet. Is it a sign of things to come? I dunno!
Jul 16
Had been to the doctor today. There were many people already queued up. So, i decided to catch up on some pending work and took my laptop inside the doc’s office. I was going to work on some local documents and wasn’t interested in the popup which said that there were some wirless networks in range. Out of curiosity, i decided to check out the available networks and guess what the name of the network was….
Jun 27
I don’t usually post email forwards, but this one seemed useful and interesting to know too.
——
-
ONLY BUY OR FILL UP YOUR VEHICLES IN THE EARLY MORNING WHEN THE GROUND TEMPERATURE IS STILL COLD. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground, the denser the fuel, when it gets warmer petrol expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening…. Your litre is not exactly a litre. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the petrol, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products play an important role. A 1 degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.
- WHEN YOU’RE FILLING UP, DO NOT SQUEEZE THE TRIGGER OF THE NOZZLE TO A FAST MODE. If you look, you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. In slow mode, you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapours that are created, while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapour return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapour. Those vapours are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you’re getting less worth for your money.
- ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TIPS IS TO FILL UP WHEN YOUR TANK IS HALF FULL. The reason for this is, the more fuel you have in your tank, the less air occupying its empty space. Petrol evaporates faster than you can imagine. Petroleum storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the petrol and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation.
- IF THERE IS A FUEL TRUCK PUMPING INTO THE STORAGE TANKS, WHEN YOU STOP TO BUY, DO NOT FILL UP – most likely the petrol/diesel is being stirred up as the fuel is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.
————
Technorati Tags: oil price increase petrol pump petrol diesel
Jun 02
Hotel Saravana Bhavan started in Chennai in the year 1981 (almost as old as me!) with the K.K.Nagar branch. We moved to K.K.Nagar in the year 1990 and from the first time i tasted the famous Saravana Bhavan sambhar, there was no looking back. I was addicted to it.
Back then, when there was no concept of pocket money/allowance, it was hard work trying to “collect” enough money for a visit to the hotel. There was a tacit understanding with my mom that any “unattended” coin with a value of <= 1 rupee could be claimed by me as mine. There were other sources of income too. I would always immediately respond to anyone's call for help in recovering coins which would have fallen behind tables/shelves. I would attempt (or rather attempt to attempt) to recover those coins, but ensure that i make back-breaking groans and moans when i do so. This would immediately prompt my mom to say "It's ok. Leave it if you cannot reach it" and the coin would be forgotten. But the location would be promptly stored in my mind and when the time/need arrived, i would go over and, with the slightest of ease, recover the valuable 50 paise. So, once i had collected 7 rupees (the price of a sada dosa back then), I would run over to Saravana Bhavan and enjoy a sada dosa with the three types of Chutney, the sambhar and the Molaga Podi. Pure Bliss!
But, when my brother started growing older, there was competition for the stray coins. My mom, realising the rising inflation along with the competition from my brother, increased the threshold of coins defined as “stray” to 2 rupees! So, from then on, the only hotel i swore by, the only hotel which i considered worth visiting has always been Saravana Bhavan.
So, it is no surprise that i look forward to this whenever i visit Chennai. I was in Chennai last week and had been to Saravana Bhavan. Then began the ordeal!
It was around 7 in the evening and the place was full of people. So, it was tough to find a place. I had to wait a few minutes to find one empty seat on a table of four. But, considering the humidity in Chennai in summer, this place was a wrong choice as it was far away from the reach of the ceiling fans. So, i didn’t place my order and was on the lookout for a better table. To my luck, a place on the other side of the room (just below a fan) was vacated. So, i jumped up and walked across the room. But, it looked like i was not the only one with this idea. Another guy, who was unfortunately nearer, occupied this seat before i could go over. Disappointed, i turned back to go to my place. But, even this was gone now as it was forcible occupied by the family on the next table who decided to give a separate chair to a child not even tall enough to reach the table. No wonder there is so much competition in India for everything! So, i was back on the waiting list. Luckily, all this action was seen by a waiter who was kind enough to come over and volunteer to find a good place for me. True to his words, he found a good seat – right under the fan. After thanking him a lot, i sat down to enjoy a good meal.
Now, i had to order stuff. In the past, when i had been on month long home leaves, i usually start ordering based on the serial number on the menu and go one by one. But this time, I was in India for just a week and it was already the 4th day into this week. So, this concept would not work. I had to go for plan B which was to either choose according to my likes or according to availability. If i were to go based on my liking, it had to be one of the dosas accompanied by the sambar. What i meant by “availability” is the probability of getting that particular item back in Cyprus. Yes, we do get Dosas in the Keralam restaurant in Cyprus, but i have to drive a 100 kms and pay a humongous 14 dollars for a single masala dosa, but theoretically, dosas are available and so they are out of consideration. Then, it had to be the famous Parotta kurma. So, i ordered it. You can never have only one dish in saravana bhavan. So, for the next item, i chose the 14 idli sambhar dish. Nowadays, you might have to request for a magnifying dish as an accessory to see the “mini” idlis. The main course was done. A dinner at Saravana Bhavan is always finished with the famous “Masala Milk”, yellow in colour with the “paal edu” (that which many hate to have in their glass of milk, but which i love!) floating on top.
So, after having ordered for the Masala Milk, i went over to the wash basin. When i returned, the inevitable happened. My seat was gone, taken over by the next saravana bhavan enthusiast. Now, do i just leave and hope that my bill will be paid by this guy? But, i havent had my glass of masala milk!! There is no way I am going to leave without it. So, not knowing what to do, i slowly wander near by hitherto seat. The friendly waiter comes into the picture again, smiles and offers another seat and even brings over my water glass to my new seat.
One hour and three seat changes later, i finish my dinner. Yes, it was an ordeal, but it was worth every bit.
Back then, when there was no concept of pocket money/allowance, it was hard work trying to “collect” enough money for a visit to the hotel. There was a tacit understanding with my mom that any “unattended” coin with a value of <= 1 rupee could be claimed by me as mine. There were other sources of income too. I would always immediately respond to anyone's call for help in recovering coins which would have fallen behind tables/shelves. I would attempt (or rather attempt to attempt) to recover those coins, but ensure that i make back-breaking groans and moans when i do so. This would immediately prompt my mom to say "It's ok. Leave it if you cannot reach it" and the coin would be forgotten. But the location would be promptly stored in my mind and when the time/need arrived, i would go over and, with the slightest of ease, recover the valuable 50 paise. So, once i had collected 7 rupees (the price of a sada dosa back then), I would run over to Saravana Bhavan and enjoy a sada dosa with the three types of Chutney, the sambhar and the Molaga Podi. Pure Bliss!
But, when my brother started growing older, there was competition for the stray coins. My mom, realising the rising inflation along with the competition from my brother, increased the threshold of coins defined as “stray” to 2 rupees! So, from then on, the only hotel i swore by, the only hotel which i considered worth visiting has always been Saravana Bhavan.
So, it is no surprise that i look forward to this whenever i visit Chennai. I was in Chennai last week and had been to Saravana Bhavan. Then began the ordeal!
It was around 7 in the evening and the place was full of people. So, it was tough to find a place. I had to wait a few minutes to find one empty seat on a table of four. But, considering the humidity in Chennai in summer, this place was a wrong choice as it was far away from the reach of the ceiling fans. So, i didn’t place my order and was on the lookout for a better table. To my luck, a place on the other side of the room (just below a fan) was vacated. So, i jumped up and walked across the room. But, it looked like i was not the only one with this idea. Another guy, who was unfortunately nearer, occupied this seat before i could go over. Disappointed, i turned back to go to my place. But, even this was gone now as it was forcible occupied by the family on the next table who decided to give a separate chair to a child not even tall enough to reach the table. No wonder there is so much competition in India for everything! So, i was back on the waiting list. Luckily, all this action was seen by a waiter who was kind enough to come over and volunteer to find a good place for me. True to his words, he found a good seat – right under the fan. After thanking him a lot, i sat down to enjoy a good meal.
Now, i had to order stuff. In the past, when i had been on month long home leaves, i usually start ordering based on the serial number on the menu and go one by one. But this time, I was in India for just a week and it was already the 4th day into this week. So, this concept would not work. I had to go for plan B which was to either choose according to my likes or according to availability. If i were to go based on my liking, it had to be one of the dosas accompanied by the sambar. What i meant by “availability” is the probability of getting that particular item back in Cyprus. Yes, we do get Dosas in the Keralam restaurant in Cyprus, but i have to drive a 100 kms and pay a humongous 14 dollars for a single masala dosa, but theoretically, dosas are available and so they are out of consideration. Then, it had to be the famous Parotta kurma. So, i ordered it. You can never have only one dish in saravana bhavan. So, for the next item, i chose the 14 idli sambhar dish. Nowadays, you might have to request for a magnifying dish as an accessory to see the “mini” idlis. The main course was done. A dinner at Saravana Bhavan is always finished with the famous “Masala Milk”, yellow in colour with the “paal edu” (that which many hate to have in their glass of milk, but which i love!) floating on top.
So, after having ordered for the Masala Milk, i went over to the wash basin. When i returned, the inevitable happened. My seat was gone, taken over by the next saravana bhavan enthusiast. Now, do i just leave and hope that my bill will be paid by this guy? But, i havent had my glass of masala milk!! There is no way I am going to leave without it. So, not knowing what to do, i slowly wander near by hitherto seat. The friendly waiter comes into the picture again, smiles and offers another seat and even brings over my water glass to my new seat.
One hour and three seat changes later, i finish my dinner. Yes, it was an ordeal, but it was worth every bit.
May 12
Okay, they are not blonde, but they do represent what “dumb blondes” are supposed to be famous for – their dumbness. Yesterday’s episode of “Kya Aap Panchvi pass sey tez hai” was a special episode with stars from TV soaps making their appearance on the show and wining money for charity.
Sarah Khan(Sadhna) and Parul Chauhan (Ragini) of “Sapna Babul Ka….Bidaai” were on first and right from the start, they seemed to be perfect candidates to fail a 5th class exam. Usually on the show, insets are shown about the educational achievements of the participants to embarrass them further if they don’t answer a question. But, this was not the case for these two. Maybe, the producers knew that even after “preparing” them for the show, they would make a fool of themselves, that he decided not to embarrass them further. Or, they became models at such an early age that they didn’t have time to complete class 5. How else would you explain the following responses:
Question 1 – Find the number of common nouns beginning with the letter “B” in the following sentence: In Bombay, I met Billoo with a basket in a blue bus.
So, the stars (the two girls) start thinking aloud. Parul says, “Basket and bus must be the two common nouns”. But, the smarter Sara says, “What about Bombay, it is a common place, so it must be a common noun”!!!!
The producers then realised that their questions would prove too tough for this pair, but it was too late. Maybe they should have put Timbuktoo instead of Bombay, then Sara would have said, “Timbuktoo is not such a common place, so it cannot be a common noun”
Sarah Khan(Sadhna) and Parul Chauhan (Ragini) of “Sapna Babul Ka….Bidaai” were on first and right from the start, they seemed to be perfect candidates to fail a 5th class exam. Usually on the show, insets are shown about the educational achievements of the participants to embarrass them further if they don’t answer a question. But, this was not the case for these two. Maybe, the producers knew that even after “preparing” them for the show, they would make a fool of themselves, that he decided not to embarrass them further. Or, they became models at such an early age that they didn’t have time to complete class 5. How else would you explain the following responses:
Question 1 – Find the number of common nouns beginning with the letter “B” in the following sentence: In Bombay, I met Billoo with a basket in a blue bus.
So, the stars (the two girls) start thinking aloud. Parul says, “Basket and bus must be the two common nouns”. But, the smarter Sara says, “What about Bombay, it is a common place, so it must be a common noun”!!!!
The producers then realised that their questions would prove too tough for this pair, but it was too late. Maybe they should have put Timbuktoo instead of Bombay, then Sara would have said, “Timbuktoo is not such a common place, so it cannot be a common noun”
Question 2 – Neil Armstrong was the first person on the moon. Which country does he belong to?
Parul is quite confident and she says “America”. Shah Rukh, who is aware of their dumbness, wants to take them for a ride and says, “That is the name of the continent. I am looking for the name of the country”. Immediately, the smart Sara says, “New York?”. Shah Rukh then realises that any further discussion would embarrass the entire TV fraternity, so he accepts America and closes the question.
Question 3 – Which is the only mammal which can fly like a bird?
Parul, who has until now been overshadowed in being dumb by Sara, decides to take matter into her own hands and confidently says, “Kangaroo”. Shah Rukh, desperately containing his laughter, goes to the center of the stage and imitates the movement of a Kangaroo and asks, “Are you sure that a Kangaroo flies like a bird?”.
The producers by then had decided that they had had enough of this smart duo and decided to end their round and call on the next group. Now, i realise why TV soaps are so slow and prolong each and every scene. It is not the intention of the director, but it is the adaptability of the TV stars that is the problem. They seem to be so dumb that it takes them forever to understand and show an expression and the director has no other choice, but to capture the entire thing on camera!
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Apr 23
The post “Games we forgot” on hawkeye was one of those posts that you back to your childhood days and bring back fond memories. There are a lot of games mentioned in his post and i remembered having played many of those. If you can’t recollect any of the games mentioned below, check out his post.
Kings: I remember having played this game event until the end of high school. It is a fast paced game and i was good at it, as it required the person inside the circle (or whatever field) to be pretty athletic in avoiding the ball. Of course, I have had embarrassing moments in school when, out of over-enthusiasm, i do too many acrobatic stunts and end up with my pants torn in all the wrong places!
Chains: This game was very popular in my apartment, but only when the girls were also present. Contrary to other games in the same category, there was a great demand to become the catcher, because the catcher would first “choose” the girl who he wants to hold hands with, make her out and enjoy the rest of the game holding her hands!
French Cricket: This was played when we didn’t have the required strength to play a proper game of cricket. A good cricket player would have lot of fun in this kind of game, as it was almost impossible to get a good cricket player in this form of the game. The others, pity them, as they would be spending the entire time running to all parts of the “open” field, as there was rarely a n”end” to the field.
Hide n’ seek (Kannam M/Poochi): This was a standard game, but we used to play it on our terrace. Thinking of the places i used to hide in gives me the jitters now, as our terrace was the fourth floor and i used to climb on top of the tanks and even down the water pipes by the side of the building to the sunshades on the windows of the third floor flats.
Hand Tennis: The usual rules of tennis, except that the racquet is replaced by the palm. Our moms used to be the water-moms. The water was not for drinking, but for cooling the reddened palms.
Chalk Cricket: We used to play this at school, where a ruler replaced a bat and a chalk replaced a ball. The chalk (usually 1/2 a chalk) was placed vertically on the table (serving as a pitch) and it had to be flicked towards the batsman (which constitutes a delivery). We even had different scores based on which girl you managed to hit, ranging from +6 (the highest) to -2(the lowest). Few of the girls also knew this scoring system and we have had many an argument for the validity of the rating.
Unfortunately, the games which people (from the South) usually recollect are Goli (marbles) and Gilli-Danda, both of my which i have never played! I am sure that there are many more that i have played and forgotten and i hope that some blog post comes along the way which refreshes my memory.
Kings: I remember having played this game event until the end of high school. It is a fast paced game and i was good at it, as it required the person inside the circle (or whatever field) to be pretty athletic in avoiding the ball. Of course, I have had embarrassing moments in school when, out of over-enthusiasm, i do too many acrobatic stunts and end up with my pants torn in all the wrong places!
Chains: This game was very popular in my apartment, but only when the girls were also present. Contrary to other games in the same category, there was a great demand to become the catcher, because the catcher would first “choose” the girl who he wants to hold hands with, make her out and enjoy the rest of the game holding her hands!
French Cricket: This was played when we didn’t have the required strength to play a proper game of cricket. A good cricket player would have lot of fun in this kind of game, as it was almost impossible to get a good cricket player in this form of the game. The others, pity them, as they would be spending the entire time running to all parts of the “open” field, as there was rarely a n”end” to the field.
Hide n’ seek (Kannam M/Poochi): This was a standard game, but we used to play it on our terrace. Thinking of the places i used to hide in gives me the jitters now, as our terrace was the fourth floor and i used to climb on top of the tanks and even down the water pipes by the side of the building to the sunshades on the windows of the third floor flats.
Hand Tennis: The usual rules of tennis, except that the racquet is replaced by the palm. Our moms used to be the water-moms. The water was not for drinking, but for cooling the reddened palms.
Chalk Cricket: We used to play this at school, where a ruler replaced a bat and a chalk replaced a ball. The chalk (usually 1/2 a chalk) was placed vertically on the table (serving as a pitch) and it had to be flicked towards the batsman (which constitutes a delivery). We even had different scores based on which girl you managed to hit, ranging from +6 (the highest) to -2(the lowest). Few of the girls also knew this scoring system and we have had many an argument for the validity of the rating.
Unfortunately, the games which people (from the South) usually recollect are Goli (marbles) and Gilli-Danda, both of my which i have never played! I am sure that there are many more that i have played and forgotten and i hope that some blog post comes along the way which refreshes my memory.
Jan 10
Okay, the bajaj one is more than 1 lakh, but it is targeting the same segment as the Tato Nano/Jeh. So, i guess that it is okay to bring them together.
Tata and Bajaj are making it easier for the common man to purchase a car now. When a bike costs 50,000 Rupees, who wouldn’t like to go for a cosier option by paying another 50,000 rupees. This move by Tata and Bajaj has lot of implications:
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The Indian cities would now definitely feature of every edition of “The Amazing Race”, “The crazy Race” or whatever new series the american channels can think of. Even now, it is fashionable for people to show a segment where a foreigner is shown driving on the Indian roads. Now with the Tata Nanos and Bajaj Lites replacing all the motorcycles, more mayhem is assured on our roads which translates into more dollars from all the foreign tv shows coming to India.
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It is said that 1 in every 5 mile of the highways in USA was built straight so that it could be used as a landing strip in times of war. The Indian government was very impressed by this concept that they “customised” it a bit and implemented here. On the Indian roads, 1 in every 5 km is pot-hole free so that people can use that part to stand on when the other sections gets filled up with water during excessive rains. The other 4 kms were designed so to stop any advancing armies which don’t have the capabilities to negotiate such obstructions.
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With respect to the last sentence of the previous point, Pakistan and China have already placed orders for thousands of Tata Nanos and Bajaj Lites, which are cheap options for their armies to use when invading our country as these vehicles are built for Indian roads.
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Demand for land of a particular type has sky-rocketed after these announcements. No one even wants a petrol bunk to be allotted to them now. All of them are now crazy after allocation of parking lots, as soon, every tom, dick and harry in India will be driving around in small cars.
So, the small cars are not only stirring the Indian media, but the media of other countries are also getting interested. Tata and Bajaj, a good move!
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