I came across Hulu.com and was amazed to see what this website has to offer. "Hulu is a hub for network TV shows and movies: Hulu offers shows from nbc, Fox, pbs and other channels, including free full episodes of SNL, The Daily Show, The Office and other hits the TiVo-less masses often miss, plus films like Ghostbusters, The Fifth Element and Lost in Translation."(Time.com)

"Hulu is an online video service that offers hit TV shows, movies and clips at Hulu.com and other online destination sites — all for free, anytime in the U.S. " (Hulu.com/about)

The only problem (not for US citizens) with Hulu.com is that currently Hulu.com is only available for people in the US. They have international streaming issues. Lets hope they solve it, because I would simply love to watch premium videos/movies online for free. Hulu.com is like YouTube of Network TV shows and Movies.

Today there were serial bomb blasts in Guwahati and its surrounding regions. Earlier this year bomb blasts took place in Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Maalegaon, Varanasi, Ajmer Sharif, etc. Till now Kolkata and Chennai is not bombed. Is it next in line to be bombed? 


What is going on in this country?

No place is safe in this country? What is the source of all this recent bombing?


Recent Bomb Blast in India

New Delhi (PTI): Following is the Chronology of some recent major bomb blasts in the country:

September 2008: Six serial blasts occurred in Delhi, killing 15 people and injuring more than 50.

July 2008: Nine explosions in Bangalore create terror killing two persons and injuring twelve.

May 2008: Eight serial blasts rocked Jaipur in a span of 12 minutes leaving 65 people dead and over 150 injured.

October 2007: 2 persons killed in a blast inside Ajmer Sharif shrine during Ramadan in Rajasthan.

August 2007: 30 people dead, 60 hurt in Hyderabad 'terror' strike.

May 2007: A bomb at Mecca mosque in Hyderabad kills 11 people.

February 19, 2007: Two bombs explode aboard a train from India to Pakistan, burning to death at least 66 passengers, most of them Pakistanis.

September 2006: 30 people dead and 100 injured in twin blasts at a mosque in Malegaon.

July 2006: Seven bombs on Mumbai's local trains left over 200 people dead and 700 others injured.

March 2006: Twin blasts at a railway station and a temple in Varanasi killed 20 people.

October 2005: Three bombs placed in busy New Delhi markets a day before Diwali killed 62 people.

Data Source: The Hindu.
Photo : A man breaks the windshield of a car to look for people possibly trapped inside after a bomb blast in Guwahati, the main city of India's troubled northeastern Assam state, one of a string of bombs that killed dozens on Thursday. Utpal Baruah/Reuters. 

Whenever I find the key to success, someone changes the lock.

To Err is human, to forgive is not a COMPANY policy.

The road to success??.. Is always under construction.

Alcohol doesn't solve any problems, but if you think again, neither does Milk.

In order to get a Loan, you first need to prove that you don't need it.
 
All the desirable things in life are either illegal, expensive or fattening or married to someone else.
 
Since Light travels faster than Sound, people appear brighter before you hear them speak.
 
Everyone has a scheme of getting rich?.. Which never works.

If at first you don't succeed?. Destroy all evidence that you ever tried.
 
You can never determine which side of the bread to butter. If it falls down, it will always land on the buttered side.
 
Anything dropped on the floor will roll over to the most inaccessible corner.
 
As soon as you mention something?? if it is good, it is taken?. If it is bad, it happens.
 
He who has the gold, makes the rules ---- Murphy's golden rule.

If you come early, the bus is late. If you come late?? the bus is still late.

Once you have bought something, you will find the same item being sold somewhere else at a cheaper rate.

When in a queue, the other line always moves faster and the person in front of you will always have the most complex of transactions.

If you have paper, you don't have a pen??. If you have a pen, you don't have paper?? if you have both, no one calls.

If you have bunked the class, the professor has taken attendance.

You will pick up maximum wrong numbers when on roaming.

The door bell or your mobile will always ring when you are in the bathroom.

After a long wait for bus no.20, two 20 number buses will always pull in together and the bus which you get in will be more crowded than the other.

If your exam is tomorrow, there will be a power cut tonight.

Irrespective of the direction of the wind, the smoke from the cigarette will always tend to go to the non-smoker.



Maa Durga's idol being transported on a lorry with loads of music & light (hungama) to the holy Ganges.

Note: Photo clicked by me from my mobile camera from the inside of my car while driving in traffic. 

I guess it was a week ago, when me and yogi went to see a movie, thats when we had this wonderful looking and very tasty aaloo tikki. Yummy!! (My mouth is watered as Im writing this post.) I love food.



Aalo Tikki


Tea Junction at City Center Mall at Salt Lake


Look at my eyes.. booo
Laadoo and Diya


Check us out man!

Manju di with Diya

Diya with Kannu.

Bhooot (Diya)

Handsome Jiju and Btful Manju di
Both looking ekdum jhakaas even after 10 years of marriage and 2 kids.

Miss Haryana

Im on the Mt. Everest. Yipee!!


Both Laadoo and Diya are mad about pets. They love dogs & rabbits.


Saffron Tea (Kesariya Chai)
I clicked this photo when Shiv(below), Yogesh and me went to drink tea at Sharma's (Bhawanipore) early in the morning a couple of weeks ago. 


Shiv Eyes
I clicked this picture in 2006. The person in the picture is my friend Shiv Kumar Prasad (SKP). He is also known as Shiv Baba alias Shiv - The God.



Chicken BBQ 
I took this photo on 6 Feb 2005 during a Chicken BBQ Party at VIP Beach in Cha-am, Thailand. I along with Gofran and Sher cooked the Chicken BBQ. It was great fun. I can never forget the days I spend at Webster University. Click here to see few more food photos. 

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Happy Diwali
The current header image is of a traditional rangoli, which I clicked at Richa / Sajal Maheshwari's home in Saraburi, Thailand, few years back. I went there with friends to celebrate diwali. The rangoli is made of colored rice, flower petals, and diya.

Message:

Happy Diwali

"As you light each diya, may your home shine with bright smiles, glowing joy and warmth of family and friends! Shub Deepavali. Festival of Lights.

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Ma Durga
Here is a copy of my previous header image. This particular photo was clicked by me at one of the Ma Durga Pandals. during Durga Puja 2008. The eyes of Ma Durga is amazing in this picture.

Message:
Happy Durga Puja
"Ya Devi Sarbabhuteshshu, Shakti Rupen Sanksthita Namasteshwai Namasteshwai Namasteshwai Namo Namaha."

esperienza is listed at India Blogs 1.0 directory, which has been created by Labnol.

labnol india blogs

India Blogs 1.0 is a directory of Indian Blogs. It an directory of Top Blogs in India and Most Widely Read Indian Bloggers. "The Indian Bloggers Directory is an ongoing effort to showcase some of the best Indian blogs and bloggers from India." Amit Agarwal, Labnol.


India Blogs 1.0 project is maintained by Amit Agarwal of Digital Inspiration (Labnol.org)

I found this wonderful piece of art. Somebody painted the picture below with all the famous men. Its wonderful. I could only guess a few faces. If you can guess, please leave the names in the comment box below. Let figure out all the name. (Click on the photo to enlarge.)

all famous men

Here are the names of men I could recognize in the above photo:

Pale, Chanjgez Khan, Adolf Hitler, Alexander, Charlie Chaplin, Mohamed Ali, Bill Clinton, Einstein, Bruce Lee, Socrates, Aristotle, William Shakespeare, Mahatma Gandhi, George Washington, Arafat, Baden Powell, Michael Jordan,… 

Also found these famous women:

Queen Elizabeth, Marilyn Monroe, Mother Teresa, Queen Victoria,…

Please help me find more. Comment the ones I missed.

After finishing graduation from Webster University I wrote an article ‘Webster Thailand Striving’ for the University Newspaper ‘Chai’. The same article also got published in a local Hua Hin magazine – Observer. Below is a scan copy of the same.

observer_article

On 18 October 2008, I happened to go to a Gujarati Food Festival which was organised by the Space Circle Club at the Oddyesey restaurant at the club. I went along with my friend Vineet, who resides at Space Town. 

There was an array of Gujarati food offered at the buffet table. They had served everything: appetisers, main course and sweet dishes. Few of the Gujarati cuisine names which I remember are Dhokla, Thepla, Khakra, Sri Khand, Pooran Poli, Fulka, Oondhiyan, Bateta Sukhi Bhaji, Khandvi, Chat, Cholafali, and Fafda (there were many more items but I forgot there names.)


A Traditional Gujarati Thali

After trying all the different cusines, I came to the conclusion that Gujarati food is generally sweet. Even the daal was sweet. Actually very sweet. So to check, whether the food festival people served me the right food or not, i did some research on the internet and this is what I found out: 

"It is common to add a little sugar or jaggery to some of the sabzi/shaak and daal. The sweet flavour of these dishes is believed to neutralize the slightly salty taste of the water. Sweets made from such ingredients as local sugar cane, jaggery, milk, almonds, and pistachios were originally served at weddings and family occasions as an instant energy booster for relations travelling long distances to attend. They are now being enjoyed every day by those with sedentary occupations." - Wikipedia.

"The famous Gujarati thali served at weddings consists of farsans, sweetmeats and a variety of sweet and sour chutneys and pickles. This harmony is derived from the mixing of the sweet with the salty is what makes the cooking of this state different from the rest." - GujaratPlus.

So hence prooved that Gujarati cuisines are sweet. Some photos which I clicked from my MOTOROKR:



Vineet in the black tshirt




Missing people.

Find out more about Gujarati cuisine / food from here:

116-indian-blog-names
Blog Name: Prateek Raman
Blog Tagline: Who’s Father’s What Goes !!!
Blog Address: http://www.planetricks.com/

-x- 

Blog Name: Seriously Joking
Blog Tagline: Information Madness 
Blog Address: http://zombieanoop.wordpress.com/

-x- 

Blog Name: Traciana Mahogany 
Blog Tagline: The Ramblings of a Demented Mind
Blog Address: http://trixtersenred.livejournal.com/

-x- 

Blog Name: Expect a Whack!!!! 
Blog Tagline: Looking for some time pass??? U r @ the right place…  
Blog Address: http://whimsicalmind.wordpress.com/

-x- 

Blog Name: Hues of madness
Blog Tagline: To err is human, to blame someone else for your problem is strategic
Blog Address: http://huesofmadness.blogspot.com/

-x-

Blog Name: Chronicles of a Drama Queen
Blog Tagline: A 30-year old career woman cum yummy mummy who is also a quintessential Drama Queen blogs about life and love and everything in between.
Blog Address: http://foreverdramaqueen.blogspot.com/ 

-x- 

Blog Name: Sauce!
Blog Tagline: We outdo others in useless things.
Blog Address: http://myownfairystories.blogspot.com/

-x- 

Blog Name: A load of crap from an idle brain
Blog Tagline: NA
Blog Address: http://philip9876.wordpress.com/

-x- 

Blog Name: Ejaculations of a Confused System 
Blog Tagline: A Staccato of Random Thoughts, Memories and Musings... Snowballed into a single entity by a highly eccentric mind 
Blog Address: http://asadscorner.blogspot.com/

-x- 

Blog Name: The Not So Popular Blog
Blog Tagline: No type, No life.
Blog Address: http://thenotsopopular.blogspot.com/

-x-

If you have notice or have any of such funny and interesting blog names and descriptions (taglines), please drop them at the comments section below.

This is the girl I’m going to marry. I got engaged to Veeni on 13 June 2008. Wedding is scheduled for summer 2009.

vp1 
Now that it's over, what to destroy next?

vp2 
"Listen up everybody..."

vp3 
With her fav doll

vp4 
Wah! Kya pose hai!!!

vp5 
Celebrating Deepawali

vp8 
Lights... Camera... SMILE  ;-)

vp6 
Namaste Ji

vp9 
Veeni with elder brother Pratik

vp7 
Playing days

vp10 
Veeni Patel now

email

Gofran Shahzada
“We live in stories. What we are is stories. We do things because of what is called character, and our character is formed by the stories we learn to live in.” —William Kittredge

Veeni Patel
"zindagi ki yahi reet hai, haar ke baad he jeet hai..."
"hassi bari mehengi ho rakhi hai duniya mein..."

Vivek Toshniwal
~ I was unhappy I had no shoes to wear until I met a man who had no feet ~

Pratik Patel
If they give you lined paper, write the other way.

Arijit Mahalanabis
Achieve the Impossible...because its Always Possible.

Khun Rin
"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." -Abraham Lincoln--(American 16th US President (1861-65)

Rahul Mukherji
"...i baLancE, I weaVe, i d0dGe, I fr0lic, aNd my billS are All paId...tHe laWs 0f phYsicS d0 noT apPly t0 mE...yEarS ag0 i disCoveRed tHe meAniNg 0f liFe buT f0rGot t0 wRite iT doWn..."

Suman Mukherji
GiVe It YoUr AlL .... In ViCtOrY Or DeFeAt .... StAnD TaLl !*!*!

Suresh Sundaram
Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.

Kuldip Garhwal
"You can design & create & build, the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality." - Walt Disney.

If you have any more such email signatures, please feel free to drop them in the comments section below.

I found an interesting quote, which I like to share with all of you:

Be like a postage stamp.
Stick to one thing until you get there.
- Josh Billings
I found this one Yogesh's October 2008 Calendar. 


Click on the above image to download the calendar for your computer desktop or click here. You may download the whole set of Motivational and Inspirational calendar from here. Or you may download many more other great desktop wallpaper calendars from 123 Hot Calendars



The rapid increase of prices in the share market experienced in 2007 (Sensex shooting from 6,000 to 21,000 points) was all fake and did not have a substantial root cause (India's real growth in terms of infrastructure, etc.)

It was all owing to the millions of dollars invested by the Foreign Direct Investors (FDI). When the FDIs pulled out their funds from India, the economy came back to where it stood. It is dropping as fast as it had climbed up before (Sensex back from 21,000 to 10,000). 


The Indian economy is like an elephant, due to the size of the country; therefore it can move up slowly, but it cannot run. The roots of the Indian economy needs to be strengthen, then only can it survive in this age of globalization.



Chandni Chowk to China is Akshay Kumar's upcoming movie. Go to http://cc2c-thefilm.com  to watch the trailer. For some weird reason, the producers publicise on movie posters that the movie will release this diwali, but the website says 16 Jan, 2009. Anyways its worth the wait. Enjoy the trailer.


After reading and then posting Chetan Bhagat's insipirational speech on my blog, I came across Steve Job's (CEO of Apple Computers) speech at Standford University.

Steve's wanted to tell the students that they have to find out what they love. "You've got to find what you love."  He ended his speech with the lag line: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."

I like the tag line Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish. It reminds me of a tag line, one of my english language professors from college used to use. It goes something like: Stop explaining. Start exploring. 

Here are the links:


Inaugural Speech for the new batch at the Symbiosis BBA program 2008

© Chetan Bhagat

Source: http://www.chetanbhagat.com/blog/general/sparks 

Good Morning everyone and thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you. This day is about you. You, who have come to this college, leaving the comfort of your homes (or in some cases discomfort), to become something in your life. I am sure you are excited. There are few days in human life when one is truly elated.  The first day in college is one of them.  When you were getting ready today, you felt a tingling in your stomach. What would the auditorium be like, what would the teachers be like, who are my new classmates - there is so much to be curious about. I call this excitement, the spark within you that makes you feel truly alive today. Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or to put it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time.

Where do these sparks start? I think we are born with them. My 3-year old twin boys  have a million sparks. A little Spiderman toy can make them jump on the bed. They get thrills from creaky swings in the park. A story from daddy gets them excited. They do a daily countdown for birthday party – several months in advance – just for the day they will cut their own birthday cake.

I see students like you, and I still see some sparks. But when  I see older people,  the spark is difficult to find. That means as we age, the spark fades. People whose spark has faded too much are dull, dejected, aimless and bitter. Remember Kareena in the first half of Jab We Met vs the second half? That is what happens when the spark is lost.   So how to save the spark?

Imagine the spark to be a lamp’s flame. The first aspect is nurturing - to give your spark the fuel, continuously. The second is to guard against storms.

To nurture, always have goals. It is human nature to strive, improve and achieve full potential. In fact, that is success. It is what is possible for you. It isn’t any external measure - a certain cost to company pay package, a particular car or house.

Most of us are from middle class families. To us, having material landmarks is success and rightly so. When you have grown up where money constraints force everyday choices, financial freedom is a big achievement.

But it isn’t the purpose of life. If that was the case, Mr Ambani would not show up for work. Shah Rukh Khan would stay at home and not dance anymore. Steve Jobs won’t be working hard to make a better iPhone, as he sold Pixar for billions of dollars already. Why do they do it? What makes them come to work everyday?

They do it because it makes them happy. They do it because it makes them feel alive. Just getting better from current levels feels good. If you study hard, you can improve your rank. If you make an effort to  interact with people, you will do better in interviews. If you practice, your cricket will get better. You may also know that you cannot become Tendulkar, yet. But you can get to the next level. Striving for that next level is important.

Nature designed  with a random set of genes and circumstances in which we were born. To be happy, we have to accept it and make the most of nature’s design. Are you? Goals will help you do that.

I must add, don’t just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.

There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions. 

You must have read some quotes -  Life is a  tough race, it is a marathon or whatever. No, from what I have seen so far, life is one of those races in nursery school. Where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same with life, where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.

One last thing about nurturing the spark - don’t take life seriously. One of my yoga teachers used to make students laugh during classes. One student asked him if these jokes would take away something from the yoga practice. The teacher said  don’t be serious, be sincere. This quote has defined my work ever since. Whether its my writing, my job, my relationships or any of my goals. I get thousands of opinions on my writing everyday. There is heaps of praise, there is intense criticism. If I take it all seriously, how will I write? Or rather, how will I live? Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up? It’s ok, bunk a few classes, goof up a few interviews, fall in love. We are people, not programmed devices.

I’ve told you three things - reasonable goals, balance and not taking it too seriously that will nurture the spark. However, there are four storms in life that will threaten to completely put out the flame. These must be guarded against. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and loneliness of purpose.

Disappointment will come when your effort does not give you the expected return. If things don’t go as planned or if you face failure. Failure is extremely difficult to handle, but those that do come out stronger. What did this failure teach me? is the question you will need to ask. You will feel miserable. You will want to quit, like I wanted to when nine publishers rejected my first book. Some IITians kill themselves over low grades – how silly is that? But that is how much failure can hurt you.

But it’s life. If challenges could always be overcome, they would cease to be a challenge. And remember - if you are failing at something, that means you are at your limit or potential. And that’s where you want to be.

Disappointment’s cousin is  frustration, the second storm.  Have you ever been frustrated? It happens when things are stuck. This is especially relevant inIndia. From traffic jams to getting that job you deserve, sometimes things take so long that you don’t know if you chose the right goal. After books, I set the goal of writing for Bollywood, as I thought they needed writers. I am called extremely lucky, but it took me five years to get close to  a release.

Frustration saps excitement, and turns your initial energy into something negative, making you a bitter person. How did I deal with it? A realistic assessment of the time involved – movies take a long time to make even though they are watched quickly, seeking a certain enjoyment in the process rather than the end result – at least I was learning how to write scripts  , having a side plan – I had my third book to write and even something as simple as pleasurable distractions in your life  - friends, food, travel can help you overcome it. Remember, nothing is to be taken seriously. Frustration is a sign somewhere, you took it too seriously.

Unfairness - this is hardest to deal with, but unfortunately that is how our country works. People with connections, rich dads, beautiful faces, pedigree find it easier to make it – not just in Bollywood, but everywhere. And sometimes it is just plain luck. There are so few opportunities in India, so many stars need to be aligned for you to make it happen. Merit and hard work is not always linked to achievement in the short term, but the long term correlation is high, and ultimately things do work out. But realize, there will be some people luckier than you.

In fact, to have an opportunity to go to college and understand this speech in English means you are pretty darn lucky by Indian standards. Let’s be grateful for what we have and get the strength to accept what we don’t. I have so much love from my readers that other writers cannot even imagine it. However, I don’t get literary praise. It’s ok. I don’t look like Aishwarya Rai, but I have two boys who I think are more beautiful than her. It’s ok. Don’t let unfairness kill your spark.

Finally, the last point that can kill your spark is isolation. As you grow older you will realize you are unique. When you are little, all kids want Ice cream and Spiderman. As you grow older to college, you still are a lot like your friends. But ten years later and you realize you are unique. What you want, what you believe in, what makes you feel, may be different from even the people closest to you. This can create conflict as your goals may not match with others. . And you may drop some of them. Basketball captains in college invariably stop playing basketball by the time they have their second child. They give up something that meant so much to them. They do it for their family. But in doing that, the spark dies. Never, ever make that compromise. Love yourself first, and then others.

There you go. I’ve told you the four thunderstorms - disappointment, frustration, unfairness and isolation. You cannot avoid them, as like the monsoon they will come into your life at regular intervals. You just need to keep the raincoat handy to not let the spark die.

I welcome you again to the most wonderful  years of your life. If someone gave me the choice to go back in time, I will surely choose college. But I also hope that ten years later as well, you eyes will shine the same way as they do today. That you will Keep the Spark alive, not only through college, but through the next 2,500 weekends. And I hope not just you, but my whole country will keep that spark alive, as we really need it now more than any moment in history. And there is something cool about saying - I come from the land of a billion sparks.