Monday, August 28, 2006

Guess what i saw in Zooooooooooooooo..................

Saturday i had been to Zoo and guess what i saw ......... I saw my Manager ;o) ...haaaaaa haaaaaaa ..Unfortunately he was out of the cage :o( !!!!!

And guess what ..he is been telling everyone that he saw Vidya in Zoo .. haaaa haaaa haaa !!

Time for a pic ...

Team Meeting :) !!

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

The Clicking story ...

Camera , film rolls , developing the role , putting them in albums ..all these had been there in our house from a long long time. Every time there was a special occasion or we went out, Dad would buy a new film roll . And then there would be all kinds poses given for photos ,some funny ,some silly, some stupid, some nice, some not so nice! Comments from mom to stand straight, not to show my 32 teeth, not to make monkey faces, Stand sideways, that and this !!
Out of the 36 shots most of the times half the roll would be over, sometimes even the full roll depending on the function and moments! And then depending on how busy dad would be the roll will either lie in his drawer/camera for months or would be developed the very next day. Meanwhile there will be frequent reminders from mom on how much money is being spent on photos ,printing ,film role etched. She would even mention that so much money is being spent and not all the photos come out good !!! Even after all this we have one box full of albums. There are times when myself and my sister would open the trunk and sit and see old photos ! Seeing old photos brings lot of sweet memories and lot of funny incidents !
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The craze of capturing the moments in the lens continued in me and my sister .I got a Kodak camera as a birthday gift from my dad when i joined my B.Sc. Every official or unofficial trips /picnics we went, i had the camera with me and i was very generous with clicking photos . It was a new roll in the camera always. If all the 36 shots came out good, i would be more than happy :) ! The complains regarding spending money on photos kept continuing from mom and but i didn't stop :) !!
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Most of my college events and college friends are captured by my Kodak camera. This craze continued all through my M.Sc and even when i joined work . And then when Digital cameras were in market i always felt i should have one but then i couldn't afford it. And like a good daughter i never asked my dad, but he always knew it !! So like a loving dad he gifted me a Sony Digital Camera on my 25th Birthday, what a gift to celebrate my quarter century !!
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Kodak camera became an forgotten entity ! And the Digital Camera always accompanied me in my bag. Now there were no more complaints from my mom because there was no buying the roll, developing, no complains that the photo didn't come out good !!! I made full use of my Digital camera, everything in the house was captured in the Digital Cam.. from the not-so-bad cooking of mine to new shoes, Anything and everything was a subject in my photography ( if i can call it so!! ). There used to be a time when 36 shots was more than enough but with Digital Camera in my hand 36 shots also was less for me, so i upgraded the camera memory right in time before i could go to London. The trip to London was clicking everything possible and upload it on the net so that mom-dad and my sis could see London through my photos !
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The photography continued in Singapore too , Meanwhile Dad continued his craze of clicking using the old Yashica film camera . He would takes the pictures ,get them developed ,scan them ,upload them so that i could see the pictures. I decided it was time i bought a Digital Camera for Dad ! A Camera for a Camera ! So i bought a Sony Digi Camera and sent it across through my friend who was going to India . My dad was thrilled !!
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And back in Singapore as my photography madness intensified i decided to buy a better camera with a good zoom and resolution . Panasonic FZ 5 fitted my budget and had all the things i wanted ,so in January 2006 Panasonic FZ 5 became my new companion. Since the new camera was bigger than my old Sony camera, Panasonic camera didn't accompany me always. Sony camera would still be there in my bag always. Photography became a passion, a hobby !!!
I started reading books on photography to gain some technical knowledge! A lot of experimentations! I started to take part in online contents too and i eventually won a photo contest . I even went for few photo shootouts with few of the photobloggers. My Panasonic FZ5 looked like a small kid in front of those DSLR cameras ..but still i continued capturing ever nook and corner of Singapore through my camera lens . I even opened a photoblog along with my friend Manju. Daily updating of the photo on flickr became a routine event apart from weekends bcos i don't have access to internet :( on weekends ! Clicking a photo then seeing the result was fun, sometimes the photo doesn't come as expected and sometimes the random clicks generated amazing results ! Candid shots are my favorites. Capturing people in their natural way is great ! Sometimes the picture speaks ..Many a times i see a picture I just imagine what the two people might be talking or what the lonely person must be worrying about ! clicking kids is always an delight ,their innocent actions, their cute smiles and their amazing expressions are a treasure !
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Photography is wonderful ! A wonderful hobby ! A photograph is like an visualization of the old memories in some corner of your mind and you feel nostalgic every time you see a picture !
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I write all this as i am arranging more than 14 GB of photos to be burnt in DVDs to be taken back to India or rather 14 GB of sweet memories !!
This post is incomplete without an picture ..so here goes the picture ..
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Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Freedom

Every year as Independence Day comes i feel happy and a sense of pride runs through me. My dad being in Army has indulged more patriotism not only in me but in my whole family. On the eve of Independence day, i make sure i have the Tri color with me , if at home then one tri color will be put near Grandfather's picture to salute the sacrifices he made as a freedom fighter. The love for one's own country is natural. Although there are many things in India which are not acceptable , but still i love my country. Its in our hands to make India a better country.
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I love my country for its varied culture .
I love my country for its unity .
I love my country for its diversity.
I love my country for the innocent people.
I love my country for its food.
I love my country for its smell of mud.
And last but not the least .
I love my country because i was born here
and the values it has given me !
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Talking of Independence and freedom , Today morning i realized that i don't even have the freedom to hoist the tri color in my cubicle on the eve of Independence Day.
Like every year this time also i had the tri color with me and i pasted it on my cubicle yesterday evening before leaving the office. As i entered the floor i was searching for any other tri color expect for mine but i couldn't find any other. Nevertheless i was happy to see the two tri colors flying on my desk. But the happiness didn't last for long . Once i met M (the same person who is suffering from FTMS), he asked me to remove the tri color from my desk. I defended saying i put it last year also ,but he was adamant on removing it ! I said i don't think it is a problem ,but he rudely said "Just removed it !". Its the position in which he is which makes him do things from me and i simply have to do it !! I removed the tri colors from my cubicle with tears rolling down ..It was an insult to my tri color !!!
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I don't think a small Indian flag will create any sorts of racial indifferences , that too in a country like Singapore which is much know for its Racial Harmony .Then where is the problem ? The problem is the insecurity in him ( M ) . God save our country from such people, no wonder he has been wandering outside India from so many years !!!
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Happy Independence Day
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Monday, August 14, 2006

Nick Naming

"Zebra Aunty!!!! , was S , My 4 year old cousin's reply when she saw this lady walking in front of us who was wearing a black and white striped Chudidar " . And we all all laughed slowly not getting the Zebra aunty's attention !
Nick naming is something which weall do ..relating a person to something!!
Nick names are something which i am good at giving . There are a lot of nick names which i have kept for others and others have kept for me !
Nick names kept by me ....
Blue Shirt : There was this guy in college during my B.Sc who used to wear a particular blue shirt 4/5 days in a week. Apparantly when i saw him in my university while i was doing my masters he was wearing the same blue shirt .
Pinku : My mallu classmate who used to turn pink when we used to tease him .I named him Pinku :) !!!
Chimney : Again one of my classmates who used to smoke a lot !
Headweight : One of the girl's in my friend's crush list who was a snob !
Joint: She was the Joint Secretary of our college . She even mentioned a thanks for christening her nick name and making it famous :) !!!
Laddu : Nick names of one of our lecturers whom we troubled a lot.. No specific reason for this nick name ...we jsut shortened her name and added a u in the end..
Chocolate: This guy in office who used to come to our cubicle to ask for chocolate and keep troubling me for chocolate :) !
And if you are wondering whether i had nick names ..yes i did have .. a lot of them
Keep Smiling :I had this habit of writing Keep smiling on my bag ,note book etc ,etc ..so one of the senior guys saw this written on my bag and kept my name as Keep Smiling . After a few years when i met him he asked me whether i still have that bag with me :) !!!
Soda : In Kannada, the thick spectacles are called "Soda kannadka" and since i wear spectacles they kept my name as Soda.
Pashu :'Pashu' means cow in Malayalam .Now i don't exactly remember why i got this name but some of my mallu friends used to call me that !
There were other nick names also but Naaaaaaaah..i am not going to reveal all the names ..no way !!!!

Friday, August 11, 2006

I WON , I WON

I won the first place in the weekly BSB contest (Bangalore Shutter Bugs) . The theme was Abandoned and below is the winning picture taken by me :o) !!!!



Its feels great to win !! No prizes but i get to be the judge for the next contest. Coincidently it was my suggestion last week that we should have special themes related to photography so this week going by my suggestion the special theme is Portrait. Now ,i am just a beginner so the judging is going to be tough . I plan to go to library and pick up some photography books. I don't want anyone coming back and telling me that i didnt judge properly. If i wouldn't have been the judge and a participant then i would have posted the below picture which is one of my best portrait shots ever !!



Hmmm... so what do you say :o) , Should i be the judge or the participant ?

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Happy National Day Singapore ..

Its Singapore's 41st National Day tomorrow (9th August ) . Everywhere in Singapore i can see the red and white flags, its so nice to see the flags. I remember that every Indian Independence Day (15th August) , i feel happy every time i see a auto fellow pass by with the Indian Tri color or a scooter fella with the flag on his scooter handle. I also make sure i have the Indian Flag with me. Sometimes remember the schooling days when we used to dress in full white and go to school....

Singapore has come a long way in these 41 years . I was seeing the documentary on Singapore Discovery channel.

The transportation system is fantastic. MRT -Mass Rapid Transportation system as it is known in Singapore is well connected and well maintained. Even the security system is good. The Roads are great and the people follow the traffic rules and its only rare that somebody honks !!!Taxis/Cabs have GPRS enabled by which any taxi in Singapore can be tracked any time and they even have route maps installed using which the driver can know where exactly to go.

There are so many races here and they all live in peace and harmony. How I wish in my country also they would live in peace and harmony. Chinese, Malay, Indians and i guess Singaporeans too ,all stay together in this small Island. People are quite helpful and humble. Although Singapore is a commercial country, culture and tradition are given equal importance.

Singapore in one country which is known for its cleanliness. Almost everything is so well maintained and organized which is the best thing what i like about Singapore. The houses are like the toy blocks of which we build buildings ..such a symmetry! Buildings are also well maintained, regular cleaning of the blocks, spraying of the medicines to keep the mosquitoes away and every day cleaning of the common garbage dumps. There are people who even come for regular checks inside the houses to check for stagnant water which might lead to breeding of mosquitoes. I know this well bcos my friends had to pay $ 100 fine for breeding mosquitoes in their bathroom ;o) !!

Amidst all the sky scrapers and tall glass buildings you can also find lot of tropical forest and trees everywhere. Its greenery everywhere and again they are well maintained.

Technology is quite advanced and they use it to the maximum. Every other person is loaded with mp3 players, laptop, digi-cam, mobile, Bluetooth, wireless ,wi-fi and what not !!!

Singapore is a major tourist hub. Lot of tourists come everyday. Main attractions being Sentosa, Singapore Z00, Bird Park, Merlion Park, Raffles Place and many other beautiful places.
And the best part is that India is not too far, its just a 4 hours journey from here :o) !!! so you actually don't feel that you are staying very far away from India ,there is even a place called 'Little India' here :) !!!
I have been in Singapore for more than one year now and it has been a good experience. Lot of things we can learn from Singapore, although its a small Island.

Happy National Day Singapore !!!!

Monday, August 07, 2006

Heights of planning

M: You should plan ,you should plan !

One Day when somebody is not feeling well and calls up M to tell that he/she is not feeling

M: [Instant reaction] Is it planned or unplanned ??

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

FTMS

FTMS is a weird kind of disease ..person who is suffering from this disease doesn't have any problems ,but the other people in his team have a tough time dealing with this...

Symptoms :

* The person likes to sit in the conference room /Meeting room most of the time.

* The person is not alone in the meeting room, either he/she is talking over the phone or with someone.

* The person suffers from high blood pressure.

* The patient loves raising his voice.

* The person calls you up immediately after he/she receives a mail where your mailid is in the To column and his/her's is in the CC column.

* The person doesn't understand the mail although its written in English and you are supposed to explain the same mail in the same language it is written.

* The person tries incorporate things from previous project to this project although it is not at all related.

* And last but not the least, he/she keeps point out your every mistakes and then tells you that you are doing a good job !!!

FTMS : First Time Manager Syndrome !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

The making of IDLI...

Nah ..its not about the making of some movie named IDLI ..I am talking about the first time I tried making Idli last week and how they turned out to be :) !!!

There is always a first time for everything...I had tried my hands on Dosa but never on Idli so last Friday it was the first time for Idli making :) !!!
Preparation begins a day before. I asked my friend to ask his mother the correct ratio for rice and split black lentil to be soaked. He told me 4:1 i.e 4 cups of rice + 1 cup of split black lentil . So i soaked 2 cups of rice and 1/2 cup of split black lentil . Soaked it overnight and grinded it in the morning before leaving for office for it to ferment. My intuition or sixth sense whatever made me keep a plate under the bowl in which i had kept the grinded batter for fermentation so that if it over flows it doesn't dirty the kitchen platform and saves me from some of scolding from my landlady about messing her kitchen .
My landlady cooks less and cleans more ;o) !! Both the habits have its own pros and cons.. She cooks less ..so i have got the whole kitchen to myself ..but on the other side one fine day when she plans to cook she flicks the tomatoes and onions from my cover ...She cleans more. so the kitchen is clean after she cooks non-veg and i dnt have to do much of cleaning ..but then she expects me to clean even when i am rushing to office !!!
Anyways ..i am all excited in the office about the idlis ..i even tell my friend that , tom i am going to get idlis for breakfast . By the time its evening i even tell my friend that we will make small onion sambar ..so all excited i reach home ..on the way i buy small onions ..grated coconut..some green chilies and a small green mango. I tell my friend to peel the small onions (its boring to peel them) by the time i get the batter. Now this is called positive thinking. I didnt even knew how the batter would be, will we be actually making idlis?? And even if we managed to make will it be edible ?? So with all such questions.. I rush home, keep my bag and rush to the kitchen to see the idli batter .. But where is the batter ??? Missing ??
Then the landlady who is watching TV tells me that the idli batter had over flown in the afternoon so she kept it inside the fridge ... Aha...(My sixth sense worked :) )Good that i had kept the plate beneath it ! I took out the batter ,and beat it with a spoon and check its consistency ! Looked fine to me ! So i quickly change my dress ..take the batter and off to my friend's house .
So first we make chutney ..I cut the raw mango only to find that the half of the mango was spoilt but still the other half was good so i cut them into small pieces (while my dear friend was eating some of them) and put it in the mixer (grinder ..blender or whatever you call ) along with 2 green chilies and coconut ...3-4 four rounds and chutney is ready :)
Next is the famous small onion sambar ..i peel a potato, cut into pieces ..take some 2-3 small onions, cut into half ..one chopped tomato..some chilies.. heat the oil in pan ..reach for the masala box for mustard and cumin seeds ..and guess what ..it was empty ...all clear ..i call out for my friend..and then he gives me a smile and tells me that he will go and get it now. I say okay ..and peel two garlics and put it in the oil to fry ..then added the onion and tomato and potato... after frying for a while added the sambar powder ..followed by the cooked daal and water . Boil it for a while. In separate frying pan heat some oil , put some mustard seeds, cumin seeds and two dried chilies. once the mustard seeds start popping out remove it from the flame and pour a little over the chutney and a little on the sambar . If you want your sambar to look good for the photo session then pour it in a nice glass vessel and decorate it with some coriander leaves :o) !!!!

And now for the grand finale ..The IDLI.. All the circus we did to make the idlis .. Since we didnt have a proper idli cooker..we kept the idli plate on top of a vessel with a water so that the steam wud cook the idlis..and since we were beginners. we kept the cloth on the idli plate so that it doesn't stick ..
Steps :

* Wet the cloth.

* Spread it on the Idli plate.

* Pour the idli batter.

* Keep it on top of the Vessel .

* Close it with a lid.

* Once the steam starts coming out in about 5-6 minutes, open to check whether the idlis are made.

Tip : To check whether idlis are cooked insert a knife and remove it, if nothing sticks to the knife then the idlis are cooked.

* Take out the Idli plate.

* Sprinkle some water on top of it.
* Remove the cloth along with the idli ..reverse and again sprinkle some water.. and carefully take out the idlis ..


We were so happy to see the idlis :o)
And then my friend asks me did you grind the split black lentil and rice separately ?? I asked why? And then he tells me "Then only the idlis will be soft !!" . What an early realization ,as always!!!! :D !!
Nevertheless ,the idlis were edible ,the sambar was great ,had to do some minor adjustments to the chutney .. all in all it was a great dinner .. nothing remained ..everything was emptied..

The making of the IDLI was an successful event !!!!
I DID LIKE IT ( IDLI ) !!!!!!!
P.S : Photos courtsey Manju