bangalorefizz

TVS Moped - An observation

2009-11-17T23:19:00.000-08:00

I took the shot while traveling from Trivandrum to Bangalore in Garib Rath. The recent rain has given a green cover to the dry lands of Tamil Nadu. As I clicked away, I go this picture.

TVS MOPED - Icon of Tamil Nadu

This is the first moped that came with before the arriaval of swanky kinetic Honda and other wheeler. With the arrival of new automatic two-wheelers, popularity of TVS moped has died down in Kerala. Now kerala women has long abandoned the use of TVS mope, instead they have embraced fuel gushing, big vehicles from Honda's and other big companies.

I wonder why TVS moped has become inseparable with the landscape of Tamil folks. Why do they prefer to use this vehicle, despite its old design?

I think there are more reasons why people still stick to this brand. It's a marketing case study for experts. Maybe, it can shed more light on how marketing or product can evolve with the traits of a demographic class

Koshy's - Aging Bangalore icon

2009-08-17T11:23:00.000-07:00

Coffee - Famed beverage at Koshy's

What makes Koshy's restaurant so special?

Is it the ambiance?
Is it the history behind it?
Is it the food? Appam or beef?
Is it the laid back attitude?
Is it the sugar bowl?
Is it the checkered table cloth?
Is it the kind of crowd it attracts?
Is it the location?

First exposure to Koshy's joint

My first visit to Koshy's restaurant chanced upon me, the first glimpse of the hep crowd from Bangalore. At that time, smoking was allowed, and I looked at awe, on the sight of ladies who smoked with manly confidence.

Sights like these were new to my life, and I wanted to know more. As my life progressed in Bangalore, I soon got acquainted with a lady. Our initial rendezvous was all in Koshy's over a glass of rum and fish.

Life moved forward, we spend less time in Koshy's and started visiting many new age pubs and cafe joints. Each place comes with a story, but I feel none as old and peculiar as Koshy's.

So, much has come and gone for this iconic restaurant. Started in the 40's, Koshy's has come a long way. People from the Emperors and to small time crooks(like me) has come to dine.

Koshy’s on the move

What's the future for Koshy's. Will it move bodily in the test of time, or will it still cling to the old tales that still hang on its walls.

I hope it moves with the change, at the same time retains the laid back warmth to all the patrons under its roof

Epitaph

2009-07-28T05:03:00.000-07:00

This pic was taken inside St Patrick's Church, Bangalore. Taken after I atttened the late evening, Sunday

Epitaph:

I fell in love with Epitaphs reading it from the news dailies. Those carefully written beautifully verse mostly touched up the survivor's grief & regrets.

Whenever I read an epitaph, I ask myself, "How did this person live his/her life", What did they accomplish in Did they touch other people's lives in a positive or negative way? Did they leave behind something of value for others, will the people miss this person?

Some verse are very touching, some just reflect the year, time and age. The one I like are those, which reflect the grief, the bond left by the departed.

Few months back, I went to Hosur Cemetry, Bangalore and captured many of the old rustic graves of old settlers of Bangalore. The moment I spend around shooting took me back in time when these loved ones were lovered to the 7 feet grave. How was it back in that time?

Soon, we too will follow to a grave, to be left to share the tales with the old folks

Dream it. List It.

2009-07-26T22:54:00.000-07:00

Compile a song playlist that makes you happy

Punch line from the book "Dream it. List It" got me to write this blog post. This essence of this book is abt listing down all the to-do list.

The book includes a site "43things.com", wherein an user can long in and post the 43 wish list to be followed. .

Instead of going with the site, I opened a diary, with few pages for jotting down all the ideas under different section. For instance, you can keep heading for Finance, Happines, Professsion, Spiritual, holidays, Social etc...

Under it note down all your aspirations, things you would like to live for. It could be crazy as "Visit Peru" or anything that might look very fanciful.

After listing, revisit you list to follow your dreams to fruitition.

Sardine times

2009-07-22T23:59:00.000-07:00

My love for sea food know no bounds. All sizes and shapes of fish fit in my menu. After moving from the coastal town of Trivandrum to Bangalore, my initial apprehension about the availability of fresh sea food was unfounded with the choice of fish available here.

Keralaties are fond of fish and it forms a staple diet for all class of people. I think the eating habits form out of the abundance of resources and for the same reason, original Bangalorean are less inclined to the food from the high seas.

Given a choice I would stay with sea fish rather than the produce from the lakes. For me, the taste of river fish comes only second to the sea fish b'cos river fish taste mud in their flesh.

One of my favorite fish is Sardines ( Mathi or Chala ) as we call it. Though it is small and full of small bones, I love the taste of fresh Sardine curry. Being a die hard fish eater, I love havin fish along with my break fast, something many yuk. My staple breakfast goes with fish curry and puttu. I wonder how many share this queer eating habit but I still regard at the mother of all breakfast.

Next time you venture to buy fish, try out Sardines dish for a change!

Walk fit

2009-07-22T22:33:00.001-07:00

Wake up brothers and sisters of Bangalore. Wake to the bight new shining day.

This is my call, my epiphany for today. My intend to write these lines is to make people come out and embrace the early morning glory. Bangalore is blessed with little green oasis amids the mad frenzy of unplanned and ugly housing structures . Even thought, the name "Garden city," has lost its real name, still each layout retains small pools of green chambers.

I stay at Cambridge Layout, with many parks spread. But the park I visit for my morning walk is one behind ESI hospital and the other Indira Nagara Park near CMH road.

Even though park behind ESI hosiptal is near, these days I go in my vechile the one near CMH road. The choice is due its greenery, woods and the wonderful flower beds of Petunias, sunflowers and marigold.

I usually walk in the park area which is not cemented. This makes walking or jogging more health and less tiring for my aging legs.

Main reason for this post is a fall out from my observation. I've noticed that, there are few youngsters in the park. Most of them are oldies like me or those who have retired from the mainstream of life.

Where 've the young ones gone

Many are preoccupied with job, the demands of which either makes u work for odd hours or nessisitates you to leave home early. There are other who has household chores. Apart from them there are lazy bones or those who are still rich or keep the economy going by joining the expensive health clubs.

My post is towards these two sects>

Brother and Sisters enrolled in the new age fitness around Indira Nagar ( Fitness one, Figurine Fitness, ), I've a small request. Why don't you visit these green space once in a week.

This place is very near CMH road. You can

Walk around the concrete payment
Bring a friend - walk and talk
Take a stoll in the groud
Admire the beautiful roses and peturias
Remove your shoes and walk in the grass
Lie down on the grass and admire the open sky
See eye-to-eye with a stranger
Smile and give a friendly nod to a beauty
Watch how she joggs or watch her gaceful walk
Thank those gardeners behind this beautiful garden
Get motivated to have a garden at your house

Or, chat with me as I go strolling around - I'm open to suggestion : )

Next, there are those who are lazy to pull themselves from the comfort of their cozy bed. Why don't u for a change, come out and be a part of the nature. Join me or pull a friend to this gree n sanctuary for a short vacation.

Life is out there! It's time to make the best. Meet & see interesting, beautiful faces trying to chisel their body. Forget all these new age slimming spas, the answer is right in front of you.

All you need is just a pair of walking shoes and you're on the way to start a magnificent day!

See you in the park

Collection of collective nouns

2009-07-16T06:15:00.000-07:00

I like collective nouns. From the college years, I noted the interesting ones in a book for casual reference. Of-late I forgot about these inscriptions and today a blog fashed upon with a good listing of collective nouns. So, here I'm listing few which rhymed well to me.

There are few sites which has segmented collective by category, and one site with reference.

SO, what do you call a collection of collective nouns

>>a treachery of spies

>>a hassle of errands

>>a magnum of hit-men

>>a quarrel of lawyers

>>an encroachment of fence-builders.

>>a fascination of on-lookers/listeners.

>>an embellishment of fishermen.

>>a blessing of unicorns

>>a book of Mormons

>>a buffoonery of orangutans

>>a charlotte of webpages

>>a mass of priests

>>a parliament of owls

>>a siege of herons

Collective noun on digital- users

>>a spider of webmasters

>>a clique of computer mice

>>a 404 of lost web pages

>>A surfeit of spammers

>>A pinch of shoplifters

>>a clutch of mechanics

>>a mixture of pharmacists

>>a vagary of impediments

>>an obfuscation of philosophers/politicians/economists

tower of giraffes

an exaltation of larks

an asylum of managers

a balance of accountants

a brace of dentists

a babble of linguists

a virtue of patients

a fraid of ghosts

------------

a cast of actors,
a congregation of worshipers
a wealth of lawyers
a billing of consultants
a crew of barbers
a snap of photographers
a drove of cabbies.
an absence of waiters
a deficit of bookkeepers
a flood of plumbers
a lie of politicians
a ream of bureaucrats.

an archive of programmers
a set of mathematicians
a geek of engineers
an incision of surgeons
an audit of accountants
a body of pathologists
a brace of orthodontists

a dose of doctors
a formation of geologists
a mixture of pharmacists
a vision of optometrists.

A bridge of admirals
a deck of sailors
a company of soldiers might be firing a broadside of shells
sailing a fleet of ships

source:

driving a cavalcade of tanks

a desperation of voters
compromise of senators

a buttload of proctologists investigating a clench of sphincters
a colony of microbiologists ogling a culture of bacteria

Source : http://quezi.com/538

Pls feel free to add more collectives to the collection.

Larger set!

2009-07-16T05:33:00.001-07:00

Wider, thinner T.V sets ( Plasma Tv & LCD TV ) are invading the shelf space in all gadget shops. The old mammoth cathode-ray tube sets are left out is shallow puddles of small time shops. It's time for the new to replace the old..The Times They Are A-Changin'

Going with the prices of LCD sets, things are getting much to the hand of an average consumer. When I bought a 29" set, the price of the nearest thin version TV was still beyond my budget.

Now, more of thin based stuffs are seen hanging in pubs, railway stations and at homes. So, what's next. Innovation is set to make a overwhelming change for all us. From the cassettes to digital music system, all things are shrunk in size leaving us, quite un-prepared.

Sudden changes are hard to comprehend. I'm not alone. My gen, has seen both, snail mail and email, landline and mobile, from Ambassdor to Hundai. Change is in the air!!!

List of Online Goodbyes - Part I

2009-07-14T05:57:00.000-07:00

letter endings and salutations – Part I

While going through my long list of favorites tab, I stumbled upon this site with a long list of of endings to letters/emails. It took sometime for me to copy down the whole list from the posts in this page. It would be too long a post for all to be in one post, so I'll be following it up in subsequent post.

Use this salutation to spice up your email or letter....

* goodbye,
* sincerely,
* later,
* God bless,
* Godspeed,
* take care,
* talk to you later,
* kind regards,
* with love,
* yours truly,
* yours ever,
* yours respectfully,
* hope to hear from ya soon,
* onward and upward,
* peace,
* smell ya later,
* later alligator,
* cheers,
* salutations,
* shine on, (my fav)
* May I always live to serve you and your crown,
* Cordially,
* Regards,
* Warm regards,
* Lots of love
* Love always
* Peace out
* Hugs and kisses
* Hugs, kisses, and broken fingers
* Very truly yours
* Yours,

* Ciao,
* xxoo,
* xoxo,
* Sincerely yours,
* Keep the faith,
* Be well,
* Rock on,
* Have fun,

Creative closing and E-mail goodbyes

* love & rockets,
* may the Force be with you,
* hugs, kisses, and gropes,
* word to your mother,
* forever yours, ass monkey,
* love and lollies
* respec'
* later masturbater?
* Peace out,
* Hugs and pogo sticks!
* May the horse be with you!
* love, peace, and chicken grease,
* toodles,
* ta ta,
* love you now and forever,
* yours til the cow mooooooooooooss,
* with warmth,
* love, hugs and kisses,
* forever and always or is it ...
* forever and all ways,
* yours regardless,
* chill,
* ta ta,
* gotta boogie,
* take care,
* May the Seed of your loin be fruitful in the belly of your woman
* Peace in the Middle East,
* Smell ya later,
* Your Majesties exiled servant

Finally, it's upto you to choose the right one to close your letter with appropriate sign-offs. Bit of tangy usage can bring some wit to an otherwise dull communication.
Later tater,
JC

Source: http://www.spudart.org/

Mango fest

2009-06-13T07:02:00.000-07:00

Mango time.. Mango stalls at Lal Bagh permises. It's tasty treat for mango lovers. Different varitie in each stall.

journey of life continues..

After landing in Lal Bagh, I ventured around looking for a spot to rest my back. I moved more inside the sprawling park, I saw the line of stalls filled with jucy, luxious looking mangoes.. All shapes, sizes, flavour, colors.....

First I thought of skipping my temptation due to less dough in my wallet, but then I stopped by at one of the stalls. I asked the rates, it was nominal rates around Rs 25/-, etc..
Bought around 4 kilo of mango from different creeds, and tastes as promised by these fellas..

Reached home to a juicy day, slurping time at home...

Sojourn at Lalbagh

2009-06-13T06:26:00.000-07:00

It's, the nursery at Lal Bagh, Bangalore. It hosts wide varieties of flowering, ornamental, indoor, bonsai, palm and all kinds of plants for your garden. How I landed here. I attended the seminar conducted by siliconIndia at NIMHANS auditorim. Since I didn't attend any of the high-tech seminar, I had plenty of time to spare. From the venue, I darted on the one way road, not knowing where it will lead... Further, I went along with the traffic, only to come to Lal Bagh junction. Now, it was clear where I was.

Soon, I found myself buying a ticket. Parked my vechile next to the nursery and walked it. I had no intention of buying any plants but my green instintcs took over me. I bought two plants. One ornamental and the other ivy kind.

Lal Bagh Nursery

Paid at the counter, where a bean counter did type in the details. Bought a tea from the next door counter and walked out with little hopes of a greeny future.

Scilicon india meet

2009-06-13T04:40:00.001-07:00

Silicon India organized this meet of techocratcs, startups in Bangalore.. I registered for this event and dashed to reach there early on Saturday..

I lazied around the stalls.. many of it was just getting ready for the act. Stoped at few.. and then breezed after most of them.

Lonely?

2009-05-12T00:29:00.000-07:00

Imagine spending a weekend with no single activity to pursue.... your wife/girl friends/friends away, or they are preoccupied!

yes, this similar situation haunted me for couple of weekends and I'm now dent on finding a way to kill my isolation chamber.

Lonely in Bangalore?
So far I've tried out different ways to find a activity partner in this city full of strangers, but it's not working the way I had envisaged. I traveled to off-beat country routes, I went to flea markets to hunt down souvenir, went to used book stores to buy couple of fiction titles, and went to near by club to play T.T ... so on...

But in-spite of my attempt to find a real passion to unwind a fruitful weekend left we with half-hearted success. When I look back I wonder what I lacked.

The sudden emptiness caused with the departure of my wife ( on work project ) took unexpected jolt on my otherwise busy weekend activity. One thing is sure, I had no back-up activities, I depended entirely on one person to full-fill all my life's plans.

Coming days will be a testing time on how I can reach out to similar people, lock on to do or start a lively relationship. Sure, there are lonely people like me looking out to experiment, or expand their life beyond their existing realm....

Here's a link on how well you can start talking to a stranger....

Time keepers - a fading business

2009-05-03T03:38:00.000-07:00

I've a freaky attraction towards small "watch repair" shops. Don't know when I started this fancy towards the "men" in glass boxes. Probably, it starts with my fancy to collect used watches.

What's unusual about their biz. Their work area is mostly littered heaping scrapes of dead watches of all imaginable shapes and sizes. In these no frill walls you can see the framed watch mechanic with his inseparable gadget - one eyed magnifying glasses. Most often these shops are run by second generation of repair folks who has inherited the skill and booty from his father.

Looking back, my fancy towards this biz started with my crazy idea of buying used watches from these shops.

It started my habit form the shops in Trivandrum. There was one shop run by man who is well past seventy . This frail looking man with a charming smile had his small shop in a small one room title shop adjoining a hotel. Every day on my way to work I pass by his shop. One day I stopped at his shop repair one of many dead watches.

He promptly did this repair work and in our regular deals I asked him for a used watch. I told him my kind of watch, something with a big dial, three button etc... He showed me few from his collection...

I choose one watch, brand "Tower". It had a very big dial and it instantly catches anyone's attention. Only the outer shell was the original, the engine was replaced by a cheap automated one.

I had pretty long dealings with his man, till I moved to a new work place. Later I saw that the shop was raised down for road expansion and later I came to know that he passed away..

Years passed on and recently I met another watch repair fellow. This time in Bangalore. He is relatively young, but he too has a tale to tell. He too has his glass box full of bits and pieces of watches of all shapes and sizes. Something that tells of his long tenure in this business. Probably he inherited this skill from his father...

I took a chance to capture a snap of him while he was repairing my watch.

More stories on my later blog...

Vechile insurance - Indira nagar

2009-05-02T05:11:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, I ventured to the near by haven of vehicle agents, driving school at Indira Nagar. I had started my four wheeler driving class in one of the driving school and I wanted to get the tax renewal for my Thunderbird.

I had contacted few agents and the prices quoted started from Rs 550 to Rs 800 for a two wheeler. Somehow, I wanted to find a direct way to pay this tax. After going around the Indira Nagar BDA complex, I asked one shopkeeper who showed me the building at the old side.

This dull looking building behind the petrol pump was the office of new India Assurance. It was Saturday as was promptly closed for business. With no business in hand, I shot two pics from my Cannon S5IS. At least I can share this bit of info with other people who look to save a bit of money in this hard times...

New India Assurance ( Indira Nagar, opposite to BDA complex, Above Punjab Bank )

Timings

Monday to Thursday 10:00 - 5:30
cash counter open - 10:00 to 1:00 & 2:00 to 4:00

Saturday and Sunday holiday

Recession sales in Bangalore

2009-03-01T21:12:00.000-08:00

One of the vegetable vendor at Domlur market place

Gone are the good old days of frenzy shopping spree in the gleaming Foodworld’s Spenser’s or big Bazaar’s in Bangalore. Recession, layoff news, frozen appraisal has culled my usage of plastic cards. The compulsive shopper in me is all set for a long winter hibernation.

Reason for fewer trips to the mall
Apart from the bad economic signs, the poor customer service has prompted me to take a hasty retreat from these product aisles. As a customer, big Food World or Spenser’s or Big Bazaar’s offer no stimulus to shop or to repeat my shopping.

I used to be a frequent customer at the Food World store at Cambridge Layout, but there are no friendly nods from the busy shop attendants. Forget familiarly factor, but where is feel good factor during my visit in these glassy shops?

Discount signs every where in Bangalore
These days DISCOUNT signs are the only apparent signs at all shopping stores. I feel it’s a poor way to attract repeat business. Even though you get wide product choices, the soul of purchase in not about choice or savings; it’s also about feeling good about shopping and giving a better shopping experience.

I used to think that I’m alone to feel like this. But when I heard from an employee at an open forum in office, I felt that I’m not alone. He said he now prefers to shop from small time street vendors instead of the shopping blocks.

New shopping experience
Yes, that’s what exactly I’m doing now. I’m happy to buy from the ladies who sell vegetables from their wooden trolley or push carts. They are all happy to service you and very happy when you purchase more than Rs 20/-. (A similar amount spent at any shopping mall will get you a curious look from counter staff)

When I spend my hard earned dough at these small time vendors, I go with the happy feeling that it directly feeds her family and contributes to her little wealth.

Customer is the King
So, what are you waiting for? Now is the time for you demand better service and not treat you as one of kind in the store.

For these big Daddy brands, it’s time to take a change the defunct way of treating their customers. It's better they try out ways to better shopping experience or else this recession phase is going to hit bad on the cash register.

Cambridge Layout - Map

2009-02-04T05:29:00.000-08:00

http://www.mycitybuddy.com/map.do?l=area&id=60

http://wiki.worldflicks.org/cambridge_layout.html#

Cambridge Layout views

2009-02-03T10:17:00.001-08:00

Picture of Sai Baba temple, Cambridge Layout. This is a famous landmark in this layout. Most often when I get into the auto I say this as a point to make it clear to the auto fellas. In spite of this, these auto guys used to take me around and charge for the round about fare.

Thursday is the most important day for SaiBaba temple. Devotees flock to this temple on this day and the whole area wears a busy look.

Chappal stand @ SaiBaba Temple

A Diamond is Forever

2009-02-01T03:57:00.000-08:00

Recently I was preparing a trivia question for my team and I came upon this slogan, " A Diamond is Forever".

Going deep about this De Beers ad, I found that it was Created by N.W. Ayer & Sons, Inc. and tis slogan has been in use since 1948.

"A Diamond is Forever" stood in time for De Beers, ever since Frances Gerety, a young copywriter, dreamed up the famous line in her sleep. Further this line has etched in our memory with the James Bond flick, "Diamonds are for ever".

And taking of Diamonds, I've a promise to fulfill. I've promised my better half a diamond and by the way recession is heading, I fear for the worst.

Ezekiel 25:17 - memorized

2009-02-01T03:33:00.000-08:00

When was the last time you memorized a passage or a note or a poem. Well, for me It's been ages.

Last week, Star movies showed "Pulp Fiction". In that movie this passage , " Ezekiel 25:17 " from Bible was told by the protagonist. The character had memorized it and that part took me think about memorizing this passage.

" "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is The Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee. And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them." ".

I started to repeat it loudly and now I can recite it half way through. Great, but I like to memorize it fully.. Once in a while its good for you to commit something to memory, at least the gray cells will have something to think of ...

Indian coffee house

2009-01-28T22:38:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I went to the famed Coffee House at M.G road Bangalore. It’s one of the oldest and finest place to have good quality coffee with conversation at the cheapest price.

This Coffee house is in a building which is as tattered like the framed old coffee campaigns hung inside the room. This shop has two floors. The lower floor in this coffee house is mostly filled with the floating crowd and the one above has the more regular crowd.

Death kneel to Coffee house

Recently in Times of India there was a small column written about his Coffee house. It traced back the long service of this idyllic coffee house and how it had brewed fine coffee and conversation. It says that this place is likely to be shifted to some other location and I think for sure, this building is going to go under the rubble.

This article got me to photography the coffee ambience and the old pictures. I feel the best time to take pictures would be in the morning when the crowd is thin and I go ga-ga with my Camera. S5IS.

More pictures and news later ….

I’m yours in Coffee

Size does matter!

2009-01-27T05:53:00.000-08:00

Often wonder all the numerals and sub categories that go behind the perfect cup. Oh, I'm taking about the bra size which goes like 34, 38, a, b, c, etc...

I'm not the right one to talk about something personal with women, but a write up "Times of India" prompted me. The article is about "wrong bra size " which came in the newspaper made to write my version of the story.

Those readers who haven't read this article, they can zoom in and read it's brass points. I've also searched google to find more informative links about this topic. These two links will take you to more information and let you to guage your best fit.... how to measure your bra size and also bra size calculator.

Apart from what's written, from my personal observation I've noticed that many women get along wearing wrong sized bras. This wrong choice often makes their breasts either looking menacingly sturdy or too saggy. while the appearances can be deceptive, it can also bring out adverse effects and in some cases cause permanent disfigurement of their mammary gland.

Recently a friend of mine went to a bra store and as per their advice she went to a more fitting bra which held her inner decks in the right place. Yes, I would suggest that you too follow suit, and adorn the most comfortable ones. Yes, it get you noticed for the right reason and you can ward off unwanted attention!!

Heavy discount lure Bangalore Buyers

2009-01-21T22:35:00.000-08:00

@ Garuda Mall

Luring buyers with all creative discount offers

It's a buyers market, thanks to recession exported from U S of A. Businesses are down, pink slips are flying around and the average citizen has culled the shopping budgets.

First signs of bad economy came from reality markets and now it has spawned to our gleaming shopping malls.

Many shopping places are devoid of buyers. I pass everyday by Oasis shopping mall( Sony world junction, koramangala) and most of the time I find only hand full of customers walking it. Such numbers can hardly contain the overheads.

While the fear of loosing the job has made all of us tighten our budgets, stopped using our credit cards and kept away from the glassy bazzar's.

Until the time the economy show some sign of recovery, this trendis going to linger. I wonder if it become worse that this, and until such time, sellers has to come with new marketing tricks to pull the elusive shopper to their cash registers.

This is the time to showcase exemplary customer service and tactfull marketing. Sadly, customer service is badly dealt by the average seller, and now I would like to see some changes on the faces of people at the other side of the counter.

While Cambridge Layout sleeps….

2009-01-19T21:58:00.000-08:00

What are your thoughts you think of your neighborhood? Well, I'm sure that you would think of it as a larger extension of your home. A place you can be at ease, topped with warm inviting and friendly people who protects and considers you as one among them.

But these days, when I think of my locality in Cambridge Layout Bangalore, I get mixed treat of emotions. As for me, the emotional pendulum swings from attachment to detachment.

Reason to be attached with Cambridge extension
It is close to all the happening place in Bangalore. Commercial Street, M.G Road, Koramangala etc. Moreover, it's near to Church street where I hang aroud during weekends - for beer to second hand books.

Facilities
Other facilities around this residential area are

Hospital - Cambridge Hosptial, Shymala Clinic
Restaurant -
Fitness Centers -
Beauty Parlour - Fa Madria,
Temples -
Church -
Grounds -
Parks -
Juice stalls -
Sports shop -
Fish stores
Handicraft - Jute Cottage,
Coffee Joint

Missing part in Cambridge Layout
But, in spite of all these facilities at Cambridge Layout, I still feel disconnected with the people, the residents or with my neighbors. This sort of individual existence often disturbs me, but as anyone, I move on in life.

Old ways of Bangalore as Pensioners paradise or the Garden city has become a misnomer in the face of rapid change. People with plastic money and wealth from overseas assignments has swelled the place with greed and overshot ego in every ones mind.

Yes, it has given people with plush job, fat pay, more credit cards, more EMI’s, upbeat apts, big fat cars, flashy wife’s & girl friends, exquisite restaurants, and so forth.

But is this life’s all about? Where is old charm of life, when friends meet over a cup of coffee, when neighbors used be friends. I don’t care attitude of life has gotten every single soul, from kids to Grand parents.

Yesterday, while returning from work (late at night), I just passed through the desolate, cold houses that adjoined Polo Bar. Only sign of life was from the light coming from houses and the parked cars greeted with cold affection. As I sped on, I thought of the residents who stay in this place.

" Are they happy in their life"? Do they think the way I do or am I getting these thoughts from my aging soul and spirit. I don’t think I can ever find answer; nevertheless I can give it a try. Maybe, I can dare to meet few strangers around here and share my thoughts: " over a coffee or beer". : )

Wish you a beautiful xmas

2008-12-24T22:31:00.000-08:00

It's Xmas day, a day that comes with tons of sweet rememberences. Every time we celeberate Xmas it has evoked different vibes. This time, it's again special.

Today, I'm lucky to spend my Xmas with my family and in my hometown. Today, we both have taken over the kitchen. Ladies are taking rest and I'm happy to this job in cleaning, cutting and giving all assitance to her.

What else do Xmas recount. Many, many tales, many faded events and people who had left me ..
One event that often comes to my mind is the carols. The small team that used to go around singing carols.... Yes, it seems so far away, and these xmas songs from the streaming site brings me back those sweet little moments goneby.

Recession fever in Bangalore

2008-12-12T01:14:00.000-08:00

Bangalore and recession

Recession a fancy term that happened to U S of A has turned it's bitter face to Indian shores. Every day in the newspaper headlines of pink slips from companies far and wide. From the big giants to the small biz, this virus is fast crippling biz results in Bangalore. No doubt that the outsourcing capital, “Bangalore” is badly struck with the gloomy weather of recession.

I came to read news of recession some 8-9 months back and at that time I just fancied that it will never hurt our biz. But now all those dreaded illusions has come to our backyard.

Recession in Bangalore

From my keen observation in the life around Bangalore I've seen define change in the buzzling malls. Yes, more than shopping malls the recession bug had hit in a big way at the reality Industry.

But recession is not all that bad news to me. Often I have cribbed about the rising apartment rates and rental charges in Bangalore. And now I find some solace in the news that reality sector is hit and I'm glad that I'm not a property dealer. This credit crunch has put on brakes on the spiraling reality prices which Bangalore has witness over the past 5 years. A good pause of growth is fine for a any sector and to put slight brakes on rising greed in our citizens.

Along with the stalled prices of real estate I would like to see lower rates for rent. This is something which is yet to come in a big way. Even now these shady brokers insist that apartment rates are still on the highs. A two bedroom house in Koramangala still fetches across 10K and even a single bedroom dingy houses owners expect a good 6 or 7 K.

Another visible sign of recession in Bangalore is lower attendance in the new age coffee joints. Thin crowds of cuppochino cowboys and girls is another index to go by about the lower spending from these yuppie crowd.

Opportunity does exist in recession:

All is not lost for companies that work to serve for global economies. Recession is a good time for more small business to provide vital biz saving services at a lower cost. It's also time for Indian business to look closely at customer's satisfaction as a key matrices to jingle their cash registers.

AIDS Awareness - Poster

2008-12-11T23:40:00.000-08:00

Received an interesting poster and thought I share it with fellow bloggers. It's all about protection and all well pictured in here. Yes, it's in your hands, carry it around.

Janis Joplin Mercedes Benz

2008-11-16T10:47:00.000-08:00

Janis Joplin - Mercedez Benz

Janis Joplin - Mercedes Benz

From Wikipedia I learnt that Joplin's with Michael McClure wrote "Mercedes Benz", as a critical social commentary on how people relate happiness to money and material possessions. The opinion I had differed from the real version.

This song is purported as a negative commentary about materialistic individuals who place too much value on items like a Mercedes-Benz. Truly, it bespoke on Joplin's view of what she saw as a materialistic world.

Now with a new realization, I come to love this song more than ever. More so for the reason I hold towards this luxurious car. For me this swanky Benz is neither on my agenda nor do I aspire for one.

“Mercedes Benz” Woodstock version

I never thought that I could have this song in my hard drive. This is one song which I like listening from my Friday binge at Purple Haze. I should thank the person who had uploaded it in youtube.

Friday night

2008-11-14T08:39:00.000-08:00

It's Friday night, a day of redemption from the work and the chaotic life. My usual sortiies on Friday night takes me to some popular joints around Koramnagala. The pub that I frequent are Purple Haze or Legends of Rock or I drive all the way to "Tavern "at Church street.

While at these joints, I have the usual cup of barley water and sync with the music of the house. Purple haze is more vibrant with young group and I stand near the DJ and watch the song tracks in their flat screens. These folks go by the regular set of numbers.

The songs that I like to hear on a Friday night from Purple Haze are: Janis Joplin " Mercedes Benz", Queen | I Want To Break Free, R.e.m. - Loosing My Religion, THE DOORS - L.A. WOMAN .

Tavern Inn
One good thing of "Tavern" pub is about the crowd and ambiance. From my regular visits I know couple of folks here and I get some consideration as a regular. A friendly nod and good service : ). From what I infer about regulars in Purple Haze, I get a feeling that most of the freaks are into some creative job like mine...

Smoking and women - Pub breeds in Bangalore
The fairer sex who land in Tavern with their cowboy's tend to look more matured. I liked them most when they smoke. Before the ban on smoking came, Tavern was a heaven for smokers. In my visits to Tavern, I stand next to the bar counter and watch how the ladies puff the smoke out of their system.

I'm one of the kind of a kinky voyeur when it comes to watching women while they smoke. Yes, I do like to see women smoke. Sometimes I wonder if they are making a bold statement or just they are just copy cats!! Very few of my female friends smoke and I don't have a smoking partner to go for a pub date. Bad. I wish I had one!!

Time is hovering around 11:00 and I'm too late to hit any pubs. Thanks to the 11:00 deadline imposed by our elected and idotic politicians.

Now it's time to take off from work and head for my home, sweet home. It's the only place I know of, that can take care of my aching body and tired soul.

I look forward to a fruitful weekend.

Fish curry in the making

2008-11-04T09:43:00.000-08:00

Another milestone in my cooking. This time I've made fishy curry with coconut . No small feat, considering the fact that most of the guys' wouldn't dare such attempts, neither they would inclined to commit time and effort.

My love for fish curry is the primary motivating factor and second I'm left alone to fend for myself. With no other go, I've decided to break the convention and went ahead to make fish curry instead of the usual fish fry.

My regular fish is Sardine, which Docs says is very good. It cost Rs 40/- a kg and around 20 nos of Sardine comes in a Killo.

Fish vendors in Domlur

There are two fish stalls near to Domlur. One is NLP fish stall and the other Anand fish stall. NLP fish stall folks don't clean the scaly Sardines but Anand fellow does. For this reason I frequent this place.

After an exhausting cooking, it was time to have a sip of white wine in the background of some rocking music. What a day it was and I hope I have such adventurous cuisine trips in future.

I'll put my recipe in the coming blogs. Men rise from the couch, use from recipe and surprise your spouse with your culinary skills.

Too young to die - Balandur lake

2008-10-30T00:05:00.000-07:00

It's a all familiar ugly side of Bangalore's at Balandur lake. This wide expanse of water which seemingly look very serene is teeming with all known toxic waste. The lake flows out at two points and at these two side bore the tell tale signs of the level of pollution.

Every day on my way to work and back, our cab cross this route to avoid the traffic at Marathahalli. It’s at the crossing we get to know the stench emanating from this lake. Two things are evident; the foul odor and the frothy water.

At one side of the bridge where it flows out, the water looks as if someone has sprayed detergent. There is white lather at the sides of the water. I wonder how it comes like this

What went wrong? Why has this beautiful looking lake turned out to an urban dump yard of sewage? A lake so large, it can be used for recreation for the citizens but for the unregulated sewage gushing in to.

Blame game can fall on residents and factories run by people like you and me. Bangalore has swelled in size, in population, in prosperity and rampant corruption. No one cares to clean up the waste and it finds its way to such unregulated spots. While many authorities has stake in this mess, everyone will have ample reason to stay away from the blame.

Small wish

My only wish is to see a clean Balandur lake, where ordinary citizens can spend some quite moments with family and friends and cherish the beauty as they ride along in life.

Go Tatkal -

2008-10-23T00:28:00.000-07:00

Finally another successful Tatkal ticket booking. Today I reached Indira Nagar BDA office by 6:20. When I climbed the stairs leading to the booking office my heart sang a little when I saw the line of around 25 people. I stood at the tail end and the fellow in front of me gave me a friendly grin....

The shutter here open around 7: 00 and all the people get a chance to be in the booking hall around that time. Probably there are around 30 seats and all folks sit in waiting for the 8:00 on the clock.

The railway official in charge of these counter are seen very punctual and open the curtains at the strike of 8:00. Today 4 counters were open, and as the first set of people move in, people sitting in the chairs move forward.... It's funny to see this happening. Sometimes I stand and wait instead of sitting down and again moving few seats ....

This time I have reserved for Kochuveli Train and I got the middle berth. The lower berth got over. Luckly got in the counter which accepts credit card and happily paid on credit.

I'm happy to travel by train, with those endless coffees instead of sitting tight in a bus with a faceless stranger. In train people are more friendly, talk more, share more and I get to see how India is changing. This time I'm armed with my new Canon S5IS.

Holiday time travel- B'lore to Tvm

2008-10-22T11:51:00.000-07:00

It's just few more days for Deepavali . As always I made up my mind in the last minute to visit Trivandrum. Weekend and a Deepavali holidy means all pvt buses towards Kerala will be filled up very early. I called up the usual places, Kalada, KPN, and few others for tickets. It didn't surprise me to get cold No from these high flying Gods.

Called ABT Travels for a ticket to Nagercoil. Again the reply was Friday, Saturday & Sunday booked. Too bad..

My hope of geting a Talkal railway ticket too dashed when I reached the BDA counter by 6:30 .. only to find a long winding queue. Thought I can try booking Tatkal through net. A big No for any one thinking of such foolish adventure. When the booking starts by 8:00 don't ever think of getting a steady connection to the sit.. No amount of refresh made me through the first page....

FYI

ABT Travels ,
MAS Residency Compound,
Hosur Main Road
Phone ( 080) 65305672
Mobile 994569311

www.abtxtravels.com

Sleepy thoughts

2008-10-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

Time is past midnight, and I'm weary. The weekend had unfolded new events and for which I'm happy. Yes, experiences maketh a life and each little dots in the life take on to make the complete impression.

I'm leaving for my bed, to dream, to labor on the thoughts of today.. Goodnight friends...

words maketh a sale?

2008-10-12T12:55:00.000-07:00

For those who live by communicating with words, words takes a larger than role in life. Yes, I'm talking of folks like me why wrestle with words to express those thoughts.

Reading, writing and it's endless maze all comes in throes to guild a writer as a master story teller. It's painfully slow and I wonder how many seasons it will take for me to get to that wonderful horizon.

Chilled only till 11

2008-10-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

Pubs and beer culture in Bangalore is one lively stuff I love of this fast life . But recently political leaders are trying to clamp on these spirited live with a midnight curfew. The top orders are strictly followed by the high handed cops. Joints close by 11:00.

No doubt it's archaic law and what really stuck me is the way it is religiously followed . While returning from work, I pass through many small time joints and most often I see Cowboy cops standing in front of these joints to ensure it's closure.

I wonder how they get so strict about maintaining this part of their job, while you can see total inefficiencies in their day- today administration. I think it's quite useless to write of these issues, as every day we see write up about in Times of India. In spite of all these public upheavals, these high handed creeps who lead us are just blind to some basic facets of individual freedom ... Can't blame them for we have had chosen them ....

All in all it's a reflection of Indian democracy.....

Cowboys of Bangalore

2008-10-01T23:47:00.000-07:00

White Enfield, the power behind Bangalore Traffic Cops. Initially I was drawn by their looks.. White cowboy caps and those images are replaced by their not not good shader tales of corruption & ineffectiveness...

Can't blame them entirely. Banagalore has gone for a spiral growth and with it the population of two wheeler and four wheeler...

Traffic is a mess, and the attitude of drivers is even worse. At any unmanned junction, you can see how drivers try to overtake each other.. .it resembles no less than the nature of the beast ....

At times I wonder if it b'cos of the rampant growth or the new culture of competition on the roads. People honk at every point. I'm a kind who hardly honks, for I think it hardly makes a difference. What annoys me is to see people honking even when the traffic is dead slow or just when the signal has turned green..

Wonder if the commuters are driving with so much of tension that they can hardly wait or just they are venting out the frustration through high decibel honks..

Often I hear reports in newspaper of action taken to reduce honking, but on the street it hardly makes a difference... I don't see any immediate hope for people like me who detest honking.. only think I can do is to get drive away from this mess or If I was a tad richer I can buy a four wheeler: with windows shut, it will a little less on my ear drums..

Beemapalli : Teasure trove of classic DVD's

2008-10-01T22:40:00.000-07:00

All familiar payment side store. Sale of pirate DVD's and CD's is done in broad street light..
The price of DVD's goes around Rs 40 - Rs 50. After I bought a DVD, one of my first purchase was from a street vendor. I bought Indiana Johnes collection, Batman collection.. 4 movie in 1 DVD.

But my initial enthusiasm dried out as soon I saw the movies.. The image quality of these CD is very low and it robbed me the dough I spend and my initial euphoria...

After this incident I've moved from these street side pirates to the big time pirates in Trivandrum. Beemapalli in Trivandrum a erstwhile landmark for sale of foreign goods has now embraced movie piracy in a big way.

Now most of the shops has moved to piracy CD selling and from the row of shops, one shop has a good collection of classic movies. I've purchased lots from this place.. U get all time classics to Italian, Iranian, Japanese movies in here.. I've amassed Satyajith Ray's collection and all these just for 30bucks including a plastic cover.

Of course some CD's are incomplete... One DVD, My Fair Lady doesn't have the last scenes and it's disappointing.. It's a fair chance to take, and the print quality is good. As long as I can't afford the branded one, I've to stick to the offering from the pirated CD's of Beemapali.

Next time I visit my hometown, I need to replinish my CD stock with all new stuffs... , Of course some hot stuffs in my shopping cart...

Cambridge Layout - view

2008-10-01T22:06:00.001-07:00

Wildcraft outlet at Cambridge Layout. It's located in the same road where Sai Baba Temple is located and next to Airtel office
This shop offers a wide variety of backpacks, camping and offdoor equipment.... It's a kind of store you would love to revisit and check on the new product updates....

I'm looking to buy a backpack for a 3 day trip.. but somehow, I'm not getting to see the design in these bags... I've seen a bag with one of my friend, but now that model is not available... Well, got to revisit this shop for a new look ....

How Green Was My Valley

2008-10-01T12:23:00.000-07:00

How Green Was My Valley

This movie makes me very nostalgic .. It takes me to the green pastures of my life... "I've seen this movie long long back along with my Dad. I vividly remember watching it and as the movie closed on with a somber note of the family, I too felt heartened by the tragic loss time had made...

Now, as I think of this , it takes back in time .. those days with my Dad, who was the largest influence in my life.

Yes, Iconic father figure lingers on to me long well after his death. .. and it could be one of the reason why this movie takes me back in time....

An appeal

Now, I'm badly looking for the of this movie. Can any one help me out or give suggestion on how I can get a copy of this movie..

Pls Call # 9900114982 anytime ....

Early morning walk - Park story

2008-09-23T23:24:00.000-07:00

My love for walking has taken me to few parks in Bangalore. Of these the favorites are the ones close to my home. The closest one is the one behind ESI hospital. It’s just 10mts walk from Cambridge Layout, a distance that I choose to go with my scooter.

This park is maintained by BDA and I’m happy with the maintenance and the green cover it provides. There is a temple in this park and the path cris cross the rectangular piece of ground.

Who are the regulars and my timing

I’m a lazy bum and hence my daily walk starts at odd timings. Dressed in yellow or red shorts I would reach there between 8:00 and 8:30. Still then I get sufficient time to walk anti- clock wise in the park.

All sorts of people flock in here. There are young nubile ladies, married men and women and also very young mothers with the babies in the walkers. It’s a pleasant sight to see the regular people and how they carry themselves in their little world.

Often in the park I think about their private lives and occupation. Just a strange apparition about how and what there are in this small around me.

Hardly any one spares me a second look and I just continue my walk listening to my kind of music, ranging from Bob Dylan, Carpenters, Floyd or Fleetwood Mac or what ever there in on Rainbow 91/9 FM.

Yes, I would like to describe the people I see here, may in another blog at another time.

Yes, people are strange when you are a stranger….. so goes the Doors song and I better wind this up here.

Dead letter

2008-09-18T09:13:00.000-07:00

Found this dead letter from the BBC site. Just image the recepients and what she must have gone through after reading this letter. Did she have a forethought of such bad incidents?

It used to be a time when telephone was not very popular. Letter was the main way of communication and imagine how such letter brought pain to the faimily.

Wonder how the family look forward to any letter from the Army informing about their loved ones.

Now these are replaced by telephone calls. Often I hear of Army personnel falling in terror attacks.. Again the bad news is informed with voice. Does the caller inform it at one shot or do they pass a comforting call before speaking the ultimate news?

Carbon footprint

2008-09-17T01:35:00.000-07:00

Yes, women thesedays lean on with studs producing the maximum greehouse gases. Bigger 4 drive vechile, larger living room, fashy electronic gizmos, world wide traveller and offcourse with a fat pay cheque.

So, what's with guys like me at the other side of the divide. Are we supposed to be spectators all the way and watch the game from the sidelines.

I think every living soul get's a fair chance, jsut play along in the game of life and you'll have more than good share of fun.

Seasoned life

2008-09-16T09:13:00.000-07:00

With aging life get’s seasoned. Opinions, vision, thoughts and ambitions ringing high at young age slowly mellow down. Yes, majority of people I know have changed with the change of time.

Life is 20’s is vividly different from life peeked at the 30’s or in 40’s. As life progresses it also accumulates new layers and unwittingly we start living on the new deposit.

While every one changes, it’s interesting to watch how life moves high and down in each of the people around you. Yes, when I look around I see people moving from energetic line to dull and sultry sober lifestyles. Can’t blame, for age brings in security issues from shelter, clothing, expenses ….etc..

Apart from these, we tend to see people falling out of our life.. Death as an eye-opener makes us see life in a different perspective. Big daddy’s and uncles fade away leaving and making you wonder how they leave you in the lurch… Dominant faces in life quietly moves away… cause me to look at the meaning of life & opinion.

One question spark up after all these, ….. “ Can we afford to take seriously”

My answer would weigh more on the “No” side. Why NO?

Do you have an answer? ….

Before a rail journey - Trivandrum - Bangalore

2008-09-09T12:38:00.001-07:00

Great train story

Kanyakumari express departs daily from B’lore by 9:45. Now it’s Onam season and in spite of extra trains, all the trains are overbooked. Not to mention about the private busses out there making quick bucks.

Bangalore is now fast becoming a hot seat for young Mallus looking out to start a career. Apart form the young ones, there are plenty of biz opportunities – target the large pool of boozing and fish, beef & pork eating mallus.

Why Bangalore

Thanks to the snail pace planning and development of Kerala, people go out of town leaving family to earn a professional life. In Trivandrum it’s Technopark that has brought some measure of employment for techies and from outsourcing. If it can work in Techonopark why cant they clone this success to other parts or even more such units?

Train travel

Coming back to Kannyakumari Express, it’s again a perfect example of how long a train can take to reach two destination separated by 700 odd km. The time taken is roughly around 18 hrs… Don’t know what name to call for this long time in the train. One miserable feeling I get when I board the train from Trivandrum is that I have to sacrifice my homely lunch. This train leaves Trivandrum by 12:55 and for that I’ve to leave by 12:00, too early to have a great fishy food.

Compare it with bus service, which leaves by 3:30 or 4:00, which gives ample time to have food and have a sweet talk. Well, I detest bus travel but due to this time difference between these two modes of travel, I’m but forced to sit tight in a bus.

Talkal reservation

This time like every time, I failed to book in time and instead I choose the expensive way to book by talkal. Here I woke up early( painfully) and reached Indira Nagar B.D.A complex for ticket booking. Reached there by 7:00 but already there were smarter people waiting by the shutters.

Railway reservation opens at 8:00 and since I was in the front lines, I got the Talkal ticket. Wow, what a pleasure to hold on a railway ticket ( Rs 480 )

Cambridge Layout to Magestic – Auto fare

This day I had to drop my sibling to the Magestic Railway station. We left the house around 20:40, + 3 bags and one cardboard box of vegetables. We got into an auto who agreed to take us to Magestic with fare + 20 Rs. In spite of fairly thin traffic, the ride took around 40 mts. Cambridge Layout to Magestic 40 mintues by auto. I think, to be on the safe side, it’s better to keep 1 hr window of time to reach Majestic.

Auto meter was showing 59 and I paid 80 bucks to the auto chap. No sooner we kept the 4 bags, one potter came and offered to take to the Kanyakumari Express platform. I didn’t ask the rates and I assumed it to be around 30.

Potter & rates

After he walked few steps, he handed the goodies to another potter and in the exchange I heard him saying Do souv ( 200 bucks in Hindi. ). Damn, I then asked him the rates and he coolly said Rs200. I was adamant and said 50 but he came to Rs 100 and then to 80. I got hold of another bag and I stood to Rs 50.

The train was in the 3^rd platform and we took the underpass to reach.

Well, I’ve flooded this blog with so many details( The talkal price, auto fare from Cambridge layout, Railway potters rates at Magestic). I hope some one will get some benefit with details.

So much detail for the Train trip. After seeing her off, I walked to the bus stand and took a bus to HAL. Driver stopped the vehicle near Command hospital and off I went to my home alone and tired.

Hilarious coment by Dr Marc Faber's - u'll enjoy

2008-09-06T02:25:00.000-07:00

Dr. Marc Faber concluded his monthly bulletin (June 2008) with the Following:

''The federal government is sending each of us a $600 rebate. If we spend that money at Wal-Mart, the money goes to China. If we spend it on gasoline it goes to the Arabs. If we buy a computer /software it will go to India. If we purchase fruit and vegetables it will go to Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala. If we purchase a good car it will go to Germany. If we purchase useless crap it will go to Taiwan and none of it will help the American economy. The only way to keep that money here at home is to spend it on prostitutes and beer, since these are the only products still produced in US. I've been doing my part.'

It's hilarious to read this.. One of my colleague forwarded this to me and I forwarded it around. So, why are we so happy joke so much about Uncle Sam. Probably we humans have a tendency to ridicule the top dogs.

I write web copy

2008-09-02T09:54:00.000-07:00

I write web copy for living. Often when I say about my profession it invites cold blank stares. Can’t blame the folks. Not too far ago I too was in that ignorant lot. Time has rolled and now I happen to drone the cloak of web copywriter. Now as a half baked online writer, I’m just climbing the stairway to the online word of words that sell.

What’s a web copy…

“Web copy simply means the words that make visitors to your website pull out their credit cards and buy your product or service”.

Now, it’s clearer. Words propel action/ customer acquisition. Yes, it’s interesting domain, which involves have repository of skills like writing skills, language, marketing, human psychology and all aspects in bits and pieces.

Having said all these, I've miles to go before I can scale the pinnacle of this profession, which I really love to reach...

Yes, it involves plenty of reading, writing and learning from the masters. It’s art, so be it; I’m willing to learn… Any web copy writers from Bangalore willing to trade content writing skills ?

Pls do call up @ 9900114982 & ask 4 charles

Auto - Hire fly traps

2008-08-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

Auta Saar, Auto Bosss

No welcome words greet me or a pleasant hug from loved ones , just me and the heavy bags. As I walk past the tarmarc of Railway station or bus stand one crowd greets me in unison. It's khaki clad auto fellas who greet in chorus .... Auta Saar, Auto Bosss.

Auto's are the popular option available to take us home, unless you fall in the lucky lot who has a loved one waiting to pick you from the tired journey.

For the less miserables ones like me auto walls are the only known acquiantances willing to take me home for a price. But hiring one of these freaks are " blessed "with all sorts of bargains and fare arguments. Yes, they are very good in their trade and I for one is very clumsy in handling such fare bargains.

Due to this handicap in closing fare deals, I use other modes to closer to home or a point away from these landing places. Another reason which I start detesting is to avoid saving my precisius dough and not willing to give it out to these auto sirs.

Every visitor coming to B'lore would have some tale to trade about being taken for a ride by these auto dirvers. I've plenty and so I do my best to avoid any deals with them.

When I come by bus I get down at Madivala and by train I alight at K.R Puram. My destination is Cambridge Layout not a far corner from these points.

K.R puram railway station to Cambridge layout

From K.R puram, Cambridge Layout can be Rs 50 ride but these guys ask fancy price starting well beyond Rs 100. I remember once when my friends landed in this station, the auto driver took them around Indira Nagar in circles and finally reaching Cambridge Layout with a tired meter @ Rs 150/-. These experiences has taught me to avoid these Khaki clad demi gods .

Madivala 2 Cambridge Layout

When I land in Madivala, I often board public transport bus or the frequently plying call center cabs. The pain is the lug my baggage which usually goes beyond 3 bags and covers. In spite of this I manage to carry it across the road and wait for the bus.

I often tell my wife to do the same, she hasn't for once gone with my word. For her stepping into an auto with a fair bargain sounds better than taking all the pains..

When I board a bus from Madivala Mosque bus stand I usally get down after the Indira Nagar fly over bridge and from there an auto with a minimum fare to home.. Amount saved may not be so big but the satisfaction I get go beyond the money saved.

Similarly when I aligt at K.R puram railway station, I cut across the swap of auto fellas and corss the road. From here I take a bus to drop me near Ulsoor stand and from there another auto.

Sounds painful but I do this most of the time.. Often I wonder why I should this much trouble to save around 30 bucks. I don't have the answer, maybe because I do for my own pleasure of doing things differently ....

So, next time you land in B'lore I would suggest you to either cut down on the asking price by a half or take up transport bus to reach your destination. Small actions but it can help in some way to cull down the excesses of the auto drivers in Bangalore .

Heavenly stars

2008-08-19T08:44:00.001-07:00

Life's stories as told by me wouldn't amuse my blog vistors, but pics like this sure would find larger audience. Yes, pics and cartoons touching the fringes of sensuality is definitely get lot's of eye balls. Well, that's exactly I'm trying to do.

Sardine - A fishy lifestyle

2008-08-18T23:06:00.000-07:00

Odd it might appear , my eating habits are just as queer as it seems.

With a long coastline and with bountiful resources from sea and from lakes, Kearlites have come accustomed to Fish in their diet. Yes, I too stand to benefit from this trait, but my liking go a bit more with my penchant for fish for breakfast. But it’s a hard proposition for a person who has now relocated to B’lore.

Sardine story in Bangalore

Bangalore get it’s fish supply from Mangalore, Madras or from other fishing zones. The time difference between the fishing zones and the consumption is a time to . Fortunately the good refrigeration, transport and quick disposal enables Bangalore fish eaters something to look forward to. Though not as fresh as in Trivandrum or any other costal town in Kerala, Bangalore can still boast of good variety of fish supplies at sensible cost and with reasonable freshness.

Fish stalls near Cambridge Layout

Being a resident of Cambridge layout, I’m lucky to have few fish vendors near by. There are two shops near to Domlur. One Shop is N.L.P fish stall and the other one is Fish zone. Mr Ramesh is the owner of NLP and the other one is having a Mallu lineage.

Sardine Price in Bangalore

I used to visit Ramesh’s shop but moved out as they don’t clean Sardines. These days it’s the Sardine (Mathi /Chala or Ney Mathi ) season. These tiny, sleek and silvery vibrant fish is one the cheapest and the best fish you can get in Banglaore. The sardines are selling at around Rs 35/ a kg and I go mostly for a Kilo.

Most often I get sardines arter cleaning the scales and the inside stuff, a job I consider messy. In spite of their cleaning job, I do the second cleaning and I do water cleaning from an outside tap. Mind you, cleaning can stink you and your kitchen.

This is reason why people avoid sardines, and thankfully many consider it too scaly, pungent, and overwhelmingly fishy flavored. Well, I'm not going be turned by any such trivial issues..

Health benefits

Sardines are know for it’s health benefits. I have read about the aphrodisiac quality an also it seems good for heart. It contain Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), a nutrient found the body's cells.

Why Sardines:

Research suggests that consumption of Omega-3 fatty acids may help to:

• Prevent heart attacks and strokes
• Build healthy cell walls
• Improve cholesterol levels and help to lower triglycerides
• Lower blood pressure
• Protect brain development and improve cognition and mood

And more…

In a nutshell, it's believed to have antioxidant properties and is said to enhance physical energy

Yes, sometime I feel fishy after having a healthy meal topped with few sardines ..

Though it is cheap in terms of price, I feel it’s one of the tastiest fish out there. Most often when I buy fish in the morning, I make it a point to fry or make curry of it and take it along my breakfast. At first my lady was averse in having fish in the morning, but with time and regular morning fish diet, she too fell for my fishy side. : )

Breakfast with sardine and puttu

Yes, it’s a heavy breakfast and I really enjoy that heaviness. I’m in no hurry to reach for my work as it starts pretty late. As long as I have such privileges, I’ll ensure my breakfast is packed with fresh sardines on my plate. After the breakfast, I mostly idle myself with a large cup of tea and venture to my terrace relishing the fullness of the fish gone in.

Next time you venture to the fish stall, pack yourself with Sardines and enjoy and pamper yourself with a wholesome Sardine diet pack.

Kallar views

2008-08-13T20:34:00.000-07:00

These ageless twin peak seen from Kallar always revokes the moments spend on top of it. Yes, I’ve climbed the smaller peak, known as “Sarkar Mutta”. It’s not a tough climb on that hillock but a gradual assent through tall grass and tropical trees.

It was a rain sprinkled day, the day I climbed this hill along with my friends. We took sufficient rest and walked in our own pace. With the help and guidance of a local guide, “Ashokan”, we reached the top by 3 noon. As we reached the pinnacle of this bald mountain top, it all started to rain with thunder. It was scary to be on top of a hill with no cover and with blitzkrieg lightning and thunder.

I loved the beautiful expanse as seen from this magnificent top. The cityscape was lightly visible over the silhouetted haze of clouds and fog. We all savored these pleasant view from Sarkar Mutta and ran amok on this open space.

Tale never ends; we have our eye on the next peak, “Varayat mutta”. It requires overnight stay and more preparedness , planning & time. Yes, got to plan out and conquer that tall peak seen from the valley down at Kallar.

Weight of my past

2008-08-03T22:44:00.000-07:00

I for one, have a peculiar way of handling with old and past memoirs. I’m not sure, if I stand bit unique when it comes to addressing my past thoughts.

It’s just that everything around me can spark out an old relic image of the days gone by. For instance I was walking in the park and while taking a bend, I saw the ground littered with the fruits of a particular tree. Yes, it had a prominent place in my childhood. I’m not sure of its name, it has a violet color and it’s tasty when very ripe. The sight of those fallen small berries took be back in time when I used to hop from one tree to another and spend my time plucking and eating. We had a line of such trees not very big, but gave abundant supply of these fruits during one particular season. I’ve forgotten which season it bloomed but remember all the events surrounding it.

Yes, every person has their old past tucked beneath the present exterior. But I feel, in my case, every thing comes back with a slight touch of pain, for I tend to think those days as the rosy days in my life, life free and young!. Yes, no credit cards to pay, no rental bills, no petrol bills.

Nostalgic waste… is it

It’s but futile to think of days rolled away, and sometimes I wish it’s no good to revisit those nostalgic moments…

In the words of Marquez, “dimming piles of nostalgic waste that life had accumulated in the heart,…..”

Yes, it’s good the visit back in time, but often it’s weight crushes on me causing me to think of the old lives, especially when things were simple rosy events and people consigned to the ravages of time…

Sometimes I wish I had people with whom I could share such intimate passages of time, but often I feel it’s better to store in the recess of my mind rather than rekindle those old fond memories..

Yes, everyone has a past to tackle, but sometimes I wonder if I carry too much of baggage …

Were ignorance is bliss....

2008-07-30T11:48:00.000-07:00

To what extend would you go to win a women's heart. Combing from what was given in yesterday's newspaper report, it seems the best tactic is to act pretty dumb.

Pretty surprising, but the report says it work far greater trying to be a macho man. Well then, all the dudes out there flashing on their IQ's and EQ's should now think plain dump.

“But we’ve found that self-deprecating humor is the most attractive of all. It is a risky form of humour because it can draw attention to one’s real faults thereby diminishing the self-deprecator’s status in the eyes of others. "

So, now I got to play a new set of cards on my sleeve in my battle to win the hearts of my raging colleagues..

Napier Museum, Trivandrum

2008-07-29T11:33:00.000-07:00

Napier Museum, Trivandrum kerala

Snap taken on the wee hours of the day. This place used to be my pitch to walk, jog and flirt ... It's at the heart of Trivandrum, a place that houses a Museum, zoo and a large expanse of flora and fauna. Call it an oasis for all the those in this town and the numerous visitors who come down to see the old edifice.

It's an Historical place and it also house some odd artifacts. I think it is closed on Monday's. Many a times I have come down here to spend my evenings with my friends, chatting worldly or mundane stuff and many a times I had coffee and snacks from the KTDC counter.

Every time I visit KTDC monopoly counter, I feel on how efficiently they mismanage this eating joint. Same bored counter staff, men behind the counter with no customer service touch points.. This is the only place in this vast compound where you get some refreshments and sadly this gold Pot for KTDC is wasted out.

KTDC counter at Napier museum

But why haven't these suckers done any thing to provide a clean and a full fledged place. What all infinite opportunites are available to cater to the tastes of various nationalities and also people coming from other parts of India. When ever I have visited this place it only some odd cutlet and the usual coffee tea . At least they can come with a variety of ice creams, juice or even provide tender coconut water .

The KTDC has office very near to the park and so is Kerala Tourism park view office . Both would be chaired by some anointed IAS, and with the multitude of sarkari babus..

Are they dreaming from there or busy writing and re-writing some official notes that never seems to get over with.

It's been more than a year since I had take to this place and by all probability it would offer the same food year after year... With many a reports of KTDC running into loss, making some slight changes in establishment right under their nose can be a good starter..

Well, I started to write this blog to talk about Napier museum and I ended up with something else. So be it, I'll write more about my favorite park later and till then let's chew on this...

God bless, God's own country...

Jilted by terror strikes

2008-07-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

Serial blasts Black Day for India

Saturday, 26th, a day that has been marred by a series of blasts all around Ahmedabad. Stitting at Cafe' day at Cambridge Layout, I was watching how the news was unfolding on this bad tragedy. How can a common fella like me react to such gastly acts. Is it just an act of some section of Muslim
community or it is a backlash of some thing we all have created.

For me the whole day didn't present with a glory weekend feeling. With a drained salary account, there was nothing I could cheer about and nothing chilled I could think of. On top of that the inert fear of another blast episode kept me closer to home, ie Cafe day @ cambridge layout.

"Memories of my melancholy whores"

Sitting at the smoking zone of Cafe' day, I started reading the short novel by Marquez, "Memories of my melancholy whores". With in few pages into this book, it took on very blatant style of his favorite expression about sex and women....

Well I like this bold expression like , " I have never gone to bed with a women I didn't pay, and the few who weren't' in that profession I persuaded, by argument, by force, to take money.......

"The year, I turned Nienty, I wanted to give myself the gift of a night of wild love with an adolescent virgin. "....

Got to finish this book on Sunday, I was narrating few lines to my lady and she just passed it as only of usual pranks and about how the books spoke like my nasty thoughts....

Electronic Eye - A good way out

Coming back to blasts and such incidents, I bet these authorities has to wake up and put more electronic security devices at all the important locations. I wonder why Bangalore a city which has so much IT firms has failed to do these basis security measures.

If such snoopy devices were placed earlier it would been very easy for the cops to locate these sick minds. I hope at least these incidents will prompt them to look for such deterrent measures.

Great old train stories...

2008-07-18T08:24:00.000-07:00

From Corbis.com

Train Crashed by Robbers: Bandits Wreck wrong train in $1,000,000 hold-up. in a daring attempt to wreck and rob a mail train carrying more than $1,000,000 train robbers are supposed to have wrecked this "Boston beef" train near rocklawn. Mass. by mistake. A rail was found disconnected. The locomotive toppled down a 20 foot embankment and eight cars were derailed.

I love trains…

The above picture is an all-familiar Train heist, most popular in the steam era. Great Train Robbery is one great incident that brought infamous name to train robbery incidents.

Before reading Wikipedia, I thought Great Train Robbery as an American event. Now I know it happened in U.K and the locomotive was no: D326, use in London travelling post office (TPO) train.

Now out here, we have regular newspaper reports of passengers robbed at knifepoint and the like. And looking back, up on the central plains of Chambal we have the famous bandit queen. … did she do any train robbery and those stuff…

Coming to Indian big train robbery scene, we all bank on the vivid images of Bollywood movies in 70’s and early 80’s. Haven’t u seen our double barrel gun slinging dacoits in horses, galloping next to the fast moving steam trains… Yes, they are our desi Robin hoods, in some way….

Bye bye home town

2008-07-14T23:00:00.000-07:00

Departures are often kinky in terms of emotional outpour. But for a routine journey back to the new home it’s just come with any outburst.

This time my homeward journey was filled with all the thrills of meeting with old pals, visit to the nature and so forth. I love to have such home frills and looking back I felt I should have busted out more as a happy lot.

But often, many a minor distractions cause my mind to wander for unknown solace. Don’t know what it had buried itself in. Maybe some uncomfortable decision or the unforeseen or perceived worries about my future or just about my dwindling bank balance.

Time goes as we keep worrying for something that isn’t there or for nonexistent things that clog my. I’m just looking out ways to peal off such old fashioned thoughts and come out quick and fast with polished and glistened thoughts to an effervescent world.

Cold blues

2008-07-10T07:06:00.000-07:00

Started with a throat itch and now promoted to a full blown cold attack. Just as I left my home town I had all the symptoms. The day before I left, I met Dr Edwin Ross who stays behind St Joseph school. He stays in an old two storied house, and as I waked to his consulting room I could feel an old air inside. Big fat medical books lays on a settee and the furniture and other paraphernalia looks as old as his practice. He is a frail and thin looking doc, must be in his 70’s. I narrated my symptoms and he prescribed a small dosage of Anti biotic and paracentamol. Paid him Rs 100 as his consulting charges and which his assurance I left with a good heart.

Day 1

Once I landed in B’lore, I knew the cold has taken a strong grip over me. Promptly called my boss to give me a day’s leave. Running nose was rather too heavy probably b’cos it’s been 3 years since I got such a heavy attack.

Day 2

Now, it’s day two and I’m off from work. Boss is not very happy to hear about my leave but I can’t help with my tiredness.

All alone in this house, I had occasional relief when my wife calls and sooths me with kind words. But soon again, I’m engulfed by the lethargic feeling of being alone with no one to tend to. My greatest relief is my landlord and she come and gave me hot idli in the morning and porridge by noon.

I called the near by store and they brought fresh ginger. My lady says ginger tea is good for cold and I got to try it. I hope to be up soon, for I’m missing my work and the life that’s outside these cold walls.

Cold calling

It’s during such bed ridden times you yearn for friends who can come over and be a support. I wish I had someone who can come over and prepare ginger tea or other home remedies to take me out of these cold blues. But as it stands, I got to work it out myself to make this good hot beverage..

Bangalore airport taxi service

2008-07-01T22:16:00.001-07:00

Airport Destination from Cambridge Layout

For a person staying at Cambridge Layout, Bangalore, old H.A.L Airport is just a stone throw away. Auto fare for 30 bucks would take there and a similar return fare can hit you back at Cambridge or Domlur. After the airport shifting, the new Devanahalli airport journey has presented more challenges in terms of time and money.

Time, when it comes to travel 40 + 40Km and money for hiring the conveyance.

So far I've tried couple of taxi service and also used Airport Volvo bus. In my first trip, I was elated by the wide roads and the flyovers leading to the new airport. But disappointingly the new Bangalore Airport building didn’t have the AWE factor. It's just a building block on that vast desolate space.

From Airport to Cambridge Layout, I would recommend BMTC Volvo bus, esp when you are stying close to the bus . In one of the trips to airport, I took Volvo bus from CMH road to New Airport. The ticket price was 150 and the ride was peaceful and it took around an hour to reach the BAL airport.

Cambridge Layout to New Bangalore Airport by Taxi

Last week I had to book a taxi service from Cambridge Layout to Bangalore airport. My brother-in law had to reach airport by 4:00 and hence we decided to take depart by 3:00. To get a competitive rate I called few taxi service in and around Cambridge Layout and Indira Nagar. The quotes I got for the trip form Cambridge Layout to BAL for a pickup and return was around. Rs 1100+.

After I got enough of these inquires from these Taxi sharks, I called Mr Prasanan, an Indica car owner. Got his # through a reference.

He agreed for Rs 700 + 150 late night bata. On the day, ie early morning 3: 00 he reached in time to take us to the . My Prasanan is a talkative chap, esp when we had a common language to speak. All through the drive he poured his wisdom and in turn I stayed awake all through the trip to Devanhalli Airport.

After seeing my relative at the airport, we left around 5:00. We had a short detour to drop a person and returned to Cambridge layout. The whole time spend for the Airport trip 3: AM to 6: AM . After we reached our house, I asked for the fare along with the new detour we had to make.

He asked for Rs 900 which I felt was very reasonable as per Bangalore standards.

To contact Mr Prasannan, Indica Owner

Since I had a good travel exp in terms of service and money's worth I would like to share his contact details with readers.

Mr Prasannan stays at Jeeven Bhima Nagar. He is fluent in English and can speak Kannada, Malayalam and I believe Tamil too. And that makes it for communication and his prices are on the affordable side. He also takes orders for long rides esp, Mysore, ooty , kerala and other adjoining state

Any one who is interested in his services can reach him at this mobile number # 98450 29508.

Bye and happy riding….

I see a boat along the ...

2008-07-01T12:08:00.000-07:00

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
-Mark Twain

Rant about Foodworld

2008-06-30T22:18:00.000-07:00

Why it’s so hard to have a decent customer service in all these sprouting super markets? What’s the differential shopping experience you can get from Foodworld or Spensers or Relience fresh or any big time Mega mats like big bazzar. Can anyone carry home a different feel, an experience to be shared to other shoppers?

So far in my visits, I haven’t found anything different. All the red or blue or stripped attendees in these shops are just spastic. No friendly smile, no welcome gesture or even though I frequent these shops with frequent shopping.

Well, shoppers too are robots in their own way. No time to spare a second look at who’s at the counter and no exchange of pleasantries…

Today, I walked into the Foodworld at Cambridge Layout. It’s pretty close to my house and today I had to make a big purchase for a get -together.

As usual the young ladies didn’t give any nod of recognition, probably I didn’t cross their mind as a macho dude. After looking for my buying list I asked the lady for ginger and the buxom lady just pointed her finger to the counter other side.. L

After all the shopping was done, one of the ladies did my check out. I’ve spend close to 1.5K from my credit card but again it didn’t rattle their thoughts to thank let alone spare a good friendly look that can rock me…. : )

Well, am I wrong to expect something more from these plastic counter staffs? I think they ought to be more than food handler but must give shoppers a happy and a pleasant experience.

Why don’t the top dogs or big wigs from these big marts understand such simple customer service principles? Probably the text books they learned in their business school have gathered cobwebs in their attic or they fell there its not worth the pain to train and teach these counter staff to shell out a smile as a part of brand building.

Come what, business will thrive as we stupid customers are least bothered and don’t have similar feelings as I have shared here.

In the end, I didn’t have a happy shopping experience. But no matter what, I’ll keep visiting Foodworld at Cambridge Layout or any other freaky supermarkets just b’cos I’m just another face for them and all these shops give me the same SHI* experience.

toons....

2008-06-30T09:05:00.000-07:00

I love this kind of drawing, esp on a topic like this... the old T.V set, sharing the drink at his place... and then what's next....

Mushroomed desktop

2008-06-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

once it mushroomed my desktop and now it lies as one of the images in my picture folder. It was an idea I got from a guy who had posted similar pic in his orkut ... can call it a borrowed feather and in the similar vien of thought, I could say about lot of other things that I've learned and others around me...

Blistering Barnacles! : Captain Haddock's vocabulary

2008-06-28T22:48:00.000-07:00

Short list from Captain Haddock's dictionary. Great usage and even great if you can use it on anyone.
Tell you , got the idea to use in my office chat to a "jellyfish co-worker" .. will see how he 'll react to his list ....

Billions of Bilious Blue Blistering Barnacles!

Blistering Barnacles!

Blistereing blundering birdbrain!
Blue Blistering Bell-Bottomed Balderdash!

Fancy-dress Facist!
Fancy-dress Fatima!
Fatfaces! Filibuster(s) !
Fourlegged Cyrano!
Freshwater swabs!
Fuzzy wuzzy!

Gallows-fodder!
Gang of Theives!
Gibbering anthropoids!
Great flat-footed grizzly bear!
Gobbledgook!
Gogglers!
Goosecaps!
Guano-gatherer!

Gyroscope!
Harlequin!
Highwayman! Hydrocarbon!

Iconoclasts! Idiots!

Jellied eel! Jellyfish!

Kleptomaniacs!
Lily-livered landlubbers!
Loathsome brute! Logarithim! Lubberscum!

Macrocephalic baboon!
Duck-billed platypus!
Megacycle

Megacycle Pyromaniac!
Mameluke!
Miserable blundering barbecued blister!
Miserable earth worms!
Miserable miser!
Miserable molecule of mildew!
Misguided missles!
Mister Mule! Monopolizers!
Monster! Morons! Moujiks!
Mountebanks!
Musical morons!

Billions of bilious blue blistering barnacles in a thundering typhoon!

So, what's ur favorite from the above....?

Room with a view...

2008-06-28T11:29:00.000-07:00

this pic taken from the hotel balcony @ Kovalam beach. It's off season time and the sea is a bit rough and the sand has turned its color from white to black. Still, it's a place to spend a night, having good food and chilled beer.

I loved the one day stay over here. The view of the sea is by itself soothing and brings in an easy pleasantness and a lull from the traffic noises I'm used to in bangalore.

There r more places in and around Kovalam to explore and lots of private beach resorts dot this stretch. Money , time are the limiting factors to choose other secluded places.....

Next time it has to be a new place with a new experience. I bet it will offer more soothing scenes and I'll have more tale to tell...

Thunderbird near E-city

2008-06-20T11:11:00.001-07:00

Took this pic near an open space near Ecity Bangalore. Silhouette of my Thunderbird stand out in the wide expanse. Took this snap some time by 7:00 just 4 km from my work place @ Electronic city.

These are the few remaining spots untouched by builders hand and soon to be consumed by the reckless growth of Bangalore .

Picture this..

2008-06-17T09:53:00.000-07:00

hands on future; unreal as in real; united we hold

Business Tips from your Neighborhood Whore

2008-06-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

An article with good humor sense and street smart marketing thoughts. This article takes up marketing ideas from the badly lit streets and sounds equally good from any business case study.

Business-tips-you-can-learn-from-your-neighborhood-whore

Good day fellow ~~whores~~ friends. While most of you are probably still drooling on your pillows watching Saturday morning cartoons today, I will be wondering who the hell will actually be reading this right now.

Everyone is constantly saying that you need a business degree to understand how to do business. But I think that is outdated. Trust me when I say that you can learn everything you need to know from your neighborhood whore. So in the spirit of public service, I took it upon myself to get close and personal with some of them and then to report back to my readers. Now, I am not going to say exactly what I did during my time with them, but I think that was $200 well spent.

Well in all seriousness, this was never meant to be offensive to anyone. My goal was to explain a few dry business principles in a new and entertaining way. Like they say, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. If this method proves popular, hell I am willing to mingle with drug dealers, thieves and other degenerates just to see what we can learn from them.

Price is everything. The price you charge for your product will dictate the type of customer you get. $30 might attract a drunk from a local bar, but $250 might get you a businessman.
Get help when you need it. Working alone might allow you to keep more of your money, but getting professional help can get you to the next level. A pimp might be expensive, but his connections in the industry are priceless.
Diversify whenever you can. Providing one product can be profitable, but being able to target different markets can attract more customers. A successful prostitute is able to satisfy all types of fantasies.
Understand your clients. Your clients have different needs and wants; you must develop a sixth sense when it comes to their wishes. A good prostitute always knows which clients require which services.
Anticipate the market trends. Today your business may be booming, but tomorrow everything can change. Stay on top of the market, because you never know when a local police force will issue a raid.
Be forceful if necessary. Some of your clients might be undecided about the products you have to offer. In order to be successful, you must know when you have to push them and when you have to step back. Learn to be both a dominatrix and an innocent angel.
Good ol’ word of mouth. No matter how great your product happens to be, you will not be successful if no one knows who you are. Tell your regular clients to spread the word, and remind them that they might get a special treat for any future business they might bring.

One last thought, always look for merger possibilities with other companies. As in sex sells, but sex and drugs are a match made in heaven.

Disclaimer: No whores were harmed during the making of this blog post. Play safe and always use a ~~condom~~ linkcondom!

Source: http://www.sugarrae.com/

Fatalist - Calvin and Hobbes

2008-06-15T23:32:00.000-07:00

in one of the debate about change , politics , my friend retorted back in rage that my arguments don't hold any water and what he got that my counter points are nothing but showing a fatalist behavior. well, Calvin also seems to go that way.

Traffic thought for the day

2008-06-15T23:25:00.000-07:00

A far cry from what's happening around in our roads. Be it Bangalore or elsewhere in our country. Wonder when our people will wake up to cut down the rash driving, excessive honking and better road courtesy.

Sunday mirage

2008-06-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

I woke around 7:00 and while still in the hang of my sleep, I had a quaint feeling about the week ahead. My mind raced to think of the Monday chores, the un finished work at my office and all the backlogs. Then yet again, I had a second thought about what day I had woke up to. Is it still Sunday or Monday morning?

My trance mind zeroed in for clues… did I shop on Saturday, did I go to church, did I talk to my wife… and finally I got the answer. Wow, it’s just Sunday only…. There is more going in for this day and more rest before the daily rush hour comes to play..

Never had this feeling. I’m short of words to express my feeling on how I though Sunday is just breaking up and I’ve still miles to go before I reach Monday and more to go before I reach my office….

Indian Coffee house

2008-06-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

what u see is an old framed ad from Indian coffee house, Bangalore. It's no different from the at Indian coffee house in Trivandrum, ( spensers ) . ICH, spensers is my regular hang out and it's the place to catch with the boys with the latest news and life in Trivandrum.

the pic at the ICH @ Tvm has become grayed and some portion of it has dark liquid stain. It all shows the years it has been out there. I don't think if Coffee board has come with coffee promotion so, these old dying coffee houses has to stick to the vintage ads. well, all these add to the different coffee experience, one that is not part of the new age cafe bars.

Tust - Key elements

2008-06-14T00:14:00.000-07:00

I couldn't but copy this passage for my reference and to the world around. From what I can infer from this article, I've plenty of gray areas wherein I've to improve..

TRUST

I believe all relationships are trust relationships, such as employer employee, parent child, husband wife, student / teacher, buyer / seller, customer / salesperson.

How can we have

trust without integrity? Crisis in trust really means crisis in truth. Trust results from being trustworthy.

What are the factors that build trust?

•Reliability --gives predictability and comes from commitment.
•Consistency --builds confidence. ( I lack this )
•Respect--to self and others gives dignity and shows a caring attitude.
•Fairness--appeals to justice and integrity.
•Openness--shows two-way traffic.
•Congruence--action and words harmonize. If a person says one thing and behaves
differently, how can you trust that person?
•Competence--comes when a person has the ability and the attitude to serve. ( this too )
•Integrity--the key ingredient to trust.
•Acceptance in spite of our effort to improve we need to accept each other with our
pluses and minuses.
•Character--a person may have all the competence but if he lacks character he can't be trusted.

Trust is a greater compliment than love. There are some people we love but we can't trust them. Relationships are like bank accounts: The more we deposit, the greater they become, therefore, the more we can draw from them. However, if you try to draw without depositing, it leads to disappointment.

Many times we feel we are overdrawn but in reality we may be under deposited.

Frog Prince _ Mad collection

2008-06-14T00:08:00.000-07:00

Mad, I love it. Let me share some I've got from net... This is from the spoof of fairy tales..

Communist ideology

2008-06-13T13:54:00.000-07:00

I've taken this picture some 5 years back. The building in the background is AKG centre, the nerve center of Communist party in Trivandrum.

Being a photography enthusiast I used to carry my heavy Yashica SLR camera. When I saw this capitalistic car parked next to this socialistic building I could'nt help by capture it in my lense.

Now Communist is in power and this building is back in the limelight for sprouting plenty of unproductive decisions. I can't help wonder how and who takes up decision process. Are they still living in the old U.S.S.R era, esp in their thoughts and I know not in their remotest action....

Big boys in are taking big, but when it comes to any real turnaround I don't see any. Same old sex scandals, same old discussion in T.V and some rhetoric speeches... even now when I go to a govt office all things are same. Same bribe, same queue, same forms...

What are these doing to bring down beaurocracy , I think they won't easily cut down on executive's long arm for with out them they won't exist and vice versa....

LIVE - IN Relation... who and what..

2008-06-12T11:52:00.000-07:00

this ad took me to my earlier thoughts... I wanted to have a live in relation before I get married... fortunately or unfortunately it didn't work out..

now such relationships doesn't raise eyebrows in b'lore... and it's dime a dozen in here.. well, I haven't got any close friends with whom i been into one..

may be down the line I can find someone to ask very personal question of life in close quarters....

my first impression - new blogosphere...

2008-06-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

yes, i have tasted blogging earlier but now this time it's for another set of reasons with another set of style apart from the usual rhetoric .....

will it be different or just be the same reflection.... style don't change as u go places, self same imprint tags you like a shadow.... isn't...