Surviving Bangalore -- A Daily Synopsis

Aquarium Madness - Justified

2011-07-27T11:37:00.000-07:00

I recently got back into my love for fish and keeping them in my house, been over three months now. While I have successfully created one tank that is a 19cm cube, the new tank that I am working on is much bigger and is going to take a lot more time to fill out. I have now compiled a list of things you should look out for from a beginners perspective. I hope that you find this blog useful and remember that reading doesn't hurt but reading from one source and being impulsive can kill the hobby for you. Here, in typical Surviving fashion, is my list of thirteen.

German technology is nice to look at but leaves you feeling like you have just lost your manhood
Goldfish aren't bowl fish. Try spending an entire week in your bathroom without going out and you'll see what I am talking about.
Heaters are good because when you are done with them there are other more 'practical' uses for them. I shall leave this to your imagination (as dirty as it is)
Not every store you go to will offer the best advice. Brush up by finding articles and forums online. Note: Not every forum user is helpful but doing a check on their posts gives you a sense of what to expect.
If your fish start dying don't blame the fish
If you start hating the hobby then don't kill the fish give them away
Never allow people to tap the glass of your tank. If they do, give their heads a knock with your knuckles and say hello after doing that. People, smart ones, get the correlation pretty quick.
Patience is key but that doesn't mean you have to be a monk about your timing
If you don't have a green thumb get some driftwood and rocks
Don't look at a tank and duplicate it, look at a tank and admire it. Once you are done admiring it start forecasting how you want your tank to look and set a plan for it.
Expensive fish are like expensive women, heartbreak and empty bank accounts are soon to follow.
Just because everyone is not using a product doesn't necessarily mean its bad. It could also mean that everyone doesn't know to use it.
Enjoy whatever you do and if someone tells you differently encourage them to make more fun of you and then push them down the stairs as they leave your house. Brain damage or physical harm generally puts people back on the right track.

Mood while writing this post: Oblivious

Information Nuances

2011-02-07T10:33:00.000-08:00

It's February and while I might be late to get my list out for this month, it hasn't been due to lack of trying or even being lazy (how I wish). Sadly, work and life have been getting in my way but I have some time now so here goes.

Everyone that complains about lack of privacy on social networking sites probably doesn't understand the meaning of having a social networking site
People who flash their iPhones at you are probably happy that they have joined a long line of sheep that have a shepherd. I can't say his name.
Tele-marketers hate their job just as much as you love telling them to get lost
The music industry is just as bad as prostitution. Some use their mouths for things other than singing.
Writing letters is considered old-school but when people get one they jump around like they've just discovered gold
Eventually the day Monday will disappear from calendars and then so will the human race
Battle LA is a movie on Resistance : Fall of Man
Megan Fox should be in the new Transformers movie and I think if they spent another month on CGI it could possibly happen
Dogs have a great life but its too short to really enjoy
Most people only become patriotic after a calamity strikes their nation
Guns are good if you don't want to waste your time
If India fixes its power issues then we will take over the world [FACT]
Education is a luxury these days and isn't really an imparting of knowledge anymore

Music Listened to while writing this blog post : Dogs barking outside my window

Mood while writing this post : Confused

The Digital Revolution - Making the common man smarter

2011-01-27T18:57:00.000-08:00

I fondly remember getting my first internet connection at our home in Abu Dhabi. It was a very slow connection at the time [28.8kps] but what it offered in terms of information usage was quite astounding. We were able to check for information online and for the most part it served its purpose for email and keeping touch. Fast-forward to 1999 and my first day in college. I never knew that the speeds available were so much better and that the information being used and passed around was even bigger than I had imagined. Absorbing so much information in one sitting is impossible and no single person on the planet can claim to know everything there is to know about anything or everything.

With the digital revolution has come many good things - Social Networking sites, search engines, blogs, wikis, etc. but the real question we have to ask ourselves is where is it all really going? Is the common man starting to encroach on avenues where he/she would normally not have gone 10 years ago? Are people developing and propagating tastes to their friends that they never would have and as a result changing the mindset of people who might have not bothered about things such as smart-phones years ago? I find it rather annoying at times when someone comes into a forum and posts a technical specification rather than talk about how the device performs and offers real depth to the conversation rather than copy and pasting. Moreover, the trend now is to just spew out whatever we read and most times we think that industry experts are offering advice on how a topic should be dealt with but we don't really know if someone that is half our age is sitting there offering advice on a device he/she might never have worked on. Does this make the information any less valuable? No. Does this make the information a 100% right? Definitely not. While some sites are offering control mechanisms on how the information is handled, like Wikipedia, there are still skeptics like me who take a step back and ask where the information came from.

As the information age progresses people have also learned to open search engines on their phones and end conversations that would have gone on for days about a topic people could only research with the actual device in their hand. This is what the issue with this information boom has been. Now, everybody has an opinion on a device and they can offer this opinion without any hands-on experience. To add to the technocrat's misery is that these people are not technically sound either and are just consumers of a device trying to show their intellectual prowess in an argument that can be ended by getting into specifics of a device that the common man can't find on a search engine.

I feel that a step in the right direction should be closing off information to the public that is a step above the actual working of the phone and see how many people actually have a say about something that they cannot see or know about. The reverse advertising principle of not showing anything and letting consumers try it out for themselves when they see the product might work but then again you know there is someone out there who feels its his calling in life to post a video and comment on the device. This person might be 10 years old and so his opinion probably really doesn't count to someone looking for more sound technical advice but you get my drift.

I have nothing against providing information to the masses. I just have a problem with the masses thinking they are all experts.

Mood while writing this blog - Fresh

Music listened to while writing this blog - The sound of a crow on my terrace

The importance of being evil

2011-01-16T21:48:00.000-08:00

When I was younger, trips to Sunday school [Friday school in the Middle-East] were a common practice. Kids from all over town would gather in rooms that were air-conditioned to listen to people from the church community talk about the importance of being good and a beginners lesson in theology was offered. Of course, adults were also given importance and they too had to attend sessions as well. The natural progression over a period of time was that children who went to these classes would turn into church-going adults with a good sense of what their religion was about and what the church's requirements were for a good life on Earth. Sadly, this is not the case as I have observed. People tend to let their own conveniences override any belief system to get what they want. Is this wrong? Certainly not. Does the church think this wrong? Yes. The question then arises about why we go against the grain when we know that there are eternal repercussions. Is it because we think that what was taught to us at Sunday school is all hogwash? Is it because we have an all forgiving God that lets us get away with most things? Is it because every time we asked a question to a problem that seemed to challenge Church Dogma, we were simply told that it is beyond human understanding? Or is it because we know that a little evil goes a long way to being a better person?

I think that all of us have to be evil at certain stages in our lives to enforce the fact that we are good people. No one can have a perfect record of being a saint on the planet and even the saints according to catholicism also did rather vile acts before they became who they are. I always laugh at people that enforce social structures by stating that God will punish you. The reason I do this is because of the very definition of God. If something all-powerful is sitting somewhere in the Universe and watching us do all these acts of ill-will, shouldn't he/she/it be trying to stop it? By not stopping it, doesn't that make God selfish? I suppose the answer to all those questions would turn any zealot/devout catholic into a rebuttal attack helicopter answering with pre-programmed responses like - Its your faith you are asked to believe or No one knows what God wants for us, ours is only to obey and be good. If that's how the faith system really works then as human beings, we should probably have let slavery continue and the Crusades would have to be chalked down as the most worthless campaign we have ever run because freeing people completely contradicts what our faith is about if there is a super-power guiding us.

I don't really think there is a right answer to what God wants or if there is a God at all but I do know that there is definitely a right answer to the fact that good must exist at the cost of evil and vice-versa. No one knows whether genocide is a wrong act and for some people, this might be the only way for them to attain their freedom or ensure that their race survives. I wonder if people that hear of mass murders or acts of violence between cultures take a minute to analyze what is going through the minds of the people committing these crimes, laughable isn't it, as they talk about how evil the act is.

I could go on about how we should always think logically and never make a rash decision on blind faith but this is a fight fought during our formative years when our brains are incapable of deciphering what a logical decision really is. Are parents to blame for not bringing us up right? I would say yes but then again, what if our parents never had the chance to learn things the logical way and be offered a completely egalitarian view on logic vs faith?

So as an exercise take some time out today and think about what you really want; logic or faith. The first path leads you down a road that will question what is right and wrong from a very conditional perspective while the latter simply asks you to believe that what is written is right and because it comes from a supernatural power that can't be seen or argued with it is definitely right. Feeling sheepish? That's good because thats what a shepherd wants you to feel.

Disclaimer: I do not at any point ask you to change your faith so if you are a religious person and find this offensive please leave a comment and I will consider that as a reason to assume that your faith when questioned turns you into a rabid wolf. I wrote this as a chance to allow my logical side to do some thinking and express my opinions.

Mood while writing this post : Quizzical

Music listened to while writing this post : Sparrows chirping [no, its not a record]

Meat Packets

2011-01-12T22:30:00.001-08:00

Every person I know suffers from some kind of internal rage control issue. It may manifest itself physically as someone shouting or hitting an animate object. Nevertheless, it does manifest itself. Lately, I have noticed that more people seem to be taking the fact that I go along with the flow as a reason to indulge in their own little whims and fancies along the way. While this truly doesn't bother me as long as they don't cross their fantasies with my personal well-being, it has begun to bother me. This is certainly not the only thing that has started bothering me about the people in my life but it is probably at the top of a very short list. That said, here is my thirteen for the week.

Never share your dreams with anyone. There are chances that you might actually actualize them.
Everyone including the Pope is selfish, he just doesn't go to anyone for confession.
Opening your mouth is probably just as detrimental as keeping it shut. Therefore, if your already in hot water stay in the state your in, chances are that its not getting any worse.
Never challenge someone to be something they are not, you might end up being disappointed and that person might end up staying in that state for the rest of their lives thereby bringing pain to you inadvertently
Smoke as many cigarettes as you feel like and even take pictures because apparently there won't be any in 2050. Please read the Surgeon General's warning on the box before you do and if your still okay with it then smoke away.
PETA is probably the most in-human organization out there because it thinks that animals are more important than humans. I wish they'd all get together and commit mass suicide in the name of some insane cause so that the rest of us normal humans could get back to staying on top of the food-chain.
Bill Gates will outlive Steve Jobs. Sometimes a little unwanted growth goes a long way.
Netbooks are good for daily use but I wouldn't recommend them to someone who does a lot of typing and has big fingers.
Coke will always taste better than Pepsi
The Bangalore Metro will be actualized and then two years later, everyone will go back to using personal transport and we will still have all the traffic issues we are having today. What's the point of having a metro you ask? Read the news in 2013 you might get your answer.
Life Expectancy is going up every year. What that means is that one day you'll be sitting around completely incapacitated but hey you'll live for a 100 years plus isn't that great?
Liverpool FC has so many issues but the bigger problems are on the pitch and not in the manager's dressing room
Almost every person that watches football either support Manchester United, Chelsea or Barcelona. I find that funny because if you ask them about good teams in other leagues they shake their heads in wonder that players in other countries actually play good football.

Song listened to while writing this post - Nothing

Mood while writing this post - Enraged

Have Operating Systems really gone too far

2011-01-11T10:46:00.000-08:00

I remember getting my first Pentium based PC a little too well. It was an assembled machine that booted up with what I feel is still the best OS I ever worked on - MS DOS 6.22. However, my curiosity coupled with the advent of Windows 95 led to the installation of this new OS on the computer. We marveled at how the trash bin looked and the fact that a start menu had been added to make the entire look a little more colorful. Skip forward more than a decade and now I am using Windows 7 Starter on my Netbook. What always fascinates me about operating systems is how far we have come and how little we have learned as part of the progress we have made. I have now been using Visual Studio 2008 on my Netbook and for the most part it runs pretty well although what truly puzzles me is that it runs better than my regular notebook which sports a faster processor and a nicer hard-drive too. Over the years people have gotten accustomed to the fact that everything they do with relation to their PCs requires a pretty User Interface. This of course has also led to manufacturers building more complex software that leads people to buy faster and stronger machines. I then wonder what it would be like to have an Operating System that loaded components only when you needed them and didn't really give you all the bells and whistles on first install. Some people will argue that not everyone has the technical expertise to run such an Operating System and my response to that is the same reason that people have adopted things like Windows Starter, Ubuntu and the now approaching Chrome OS from Google.

In all honesty, the average person really doesn't need anything more powerful than a 1.6 Ghz processor to get all their work done. Does your browser really need a dual core CPU to read emails and browse YouTube? No. Does the computer need a graphics card that is capable of displaying more than 16 million colors and houses a 512 MB onboard memory card? No. Is it possible for your PC to get everything you get done today without a pretty interface? Yes. Sadly, the world likes things easy so as users we are accustomed to seeing everything handed to us on a silver platter. While this is good what we don't realize is that all the technological advances we have made might probably have come to us faster and cheaper had we really thought about how we wanted to build software and how we wanted to keep the user educated on what he/she really needed to do in order to get their work done.

I also use Ubuntu Netbook remix and to be honest, it runs faster than my Windows installation. The sad truth however is that most of my paid Microsoft applications provide better utilities for getting my work done which is why I am still using them but I'd like to imagine a world where I buy a cheap laptop that has no frills attached to it so that I can run an MP3 player, browse the internet and get my coding work done. I believe the time is right to infest the market with something that can do all of this without burning a hole in a user's pocket and Netbooks are the beginning. Sadly this won't last very long as even Netbook manufacturers are making strides and putting faster CPUs on devices that weren't meant to do all the things we think they should do. Information is getting larger to digest every day and as a result, the manufacturers have to keep up.

If someone out there in the development world is reading this and has an answer to the problem of making a PC that runs with a 1.5 Ghz processor and still affords the user a wholesome experience, my only advice to that person is to grab it while the iron is hot because there may come a time when we will have moved so far ahead that looking back at a simpler solution will be impossible because everyone using the internet will think its foolish even when its not.

Music listened to while writing this blog - Nothing

Mood while writing this blog - Optimistic

The Portable Wonder

2010-12-17T12:45:00.000-08:00

I remember receiving my first GameBoy. The light green colored screen and the power-on lock button are some of the finer things about the unit that stick out in my mind. Nevermind the maroon colored button schema that has now become a household name with any person owning a gaming console worldwide. It was then that I was first introduced to the power of portability. Fast forward a few years and come to about 10 years ago when I was once again introduced to something a little more wonderous, a PocketPC. Most people think that this device never really reached its peak because of the user-base and its rather clunky size with a very opulent PalmOS on it, but I thought that it held great promise. A stylus navigated you through the operating system and let you perform operations that back then seemed like rocket science. I owned a Palm at the time and happily totted my prized possession around taking notes and keeping a strict contacts folder. It was around that time that people even started adapting to the fact that laptops were going to be the mode of operation for most college students as well. Now, lets come to the present day. I find it hard to fathom a world in which we don't have a mobile device as part of our daily lives. Our cellphones, sorry smartphones, have become such an integral part of our work and personal lives that we probably couldn't do away with them even if we wanted to. Most technical feats are now finding their way to mobile phones and whether it be an Android-based phone or something that the boys at Apple churn out, we all have one.

Today, for the umpteenth time, i have loaded my most favorite operating system of the moment on a laptop with no operating system. The catch? It all resides on my USB stick and never actually touches my hard-drive. The joke? I don't even need a hard drive to use it. If you haven't already checked it out, Google is releasing a new operating system called Chromium OS that allows users to connect to a Cloud-Like service offering the user the ability to worry about absolutely nothing except turning on the machine and then getting to work. When I look back on it all, I wonder whether somewhere along the way, we decided that the complexities weren't wowing us anymore so we shifted our focus on ease of use. Is this a good move? I don't know really. Some people like to claim that everyone should be able to use anything while some others believe that the magic of using a complicated device lies in the ability to manipulate every last level offered by the device.

It also leads me to believe that we spent all these years making things better when all we really needed was something simple ... enter the first GameBoy and reset the cycle.

Music listened to while writing this post - Nothing

The Best Moments Aren't Made To Last

2010-12-01T21:29:00.000-08:00

The frequency of my posts have started bothering me of late. I suppose I attribute it to the fact that I have other things going on in my life these days with the marriage and all. I don't know when it happened but I think I quietly lost 20 years of my life in the last five years due to my own stupidity and callousness. As a result, I am dedicating this weeks top thirteen to the concept of living "The Moment" and not letting anyone get in your way no matter what it is you think you are doing. Here are thirteen things I feel I should get done before I decide to leave to the next world and yes these are "real" wants.

Light the person I hate the most on fire and push them off a building
Eat a nice big juicy steak that is cooked just right in India
Live long enough to see the world eradicate the concept of money
Watch the human race prolong life-expectancy by 300 years
Abolish passports for travelling between countries
Abolish countries
See the world agree on one unified language. Doesn't necessarily have to be English but I'd like it to be substantially easy to adopt [ No South-Indian languages ]
Get a self-powering house that leaves me independent of any government requirements for power or utilities
Learn the fine art of Tae-Kwon-Do or Jiujitsu/Ninjutsu [I am on my way to this]
Get into a band that plays Classic Rock and only Classic Rock
Fix my broken knee once and for all
Go back to 151 Lbs once again
Get everyone off my back for 364 days starting with the day post X'mas till the following X'mas and have absolutely no contact with them for those 364 days to see who will come back after a year and who won't.

Mood while writing this post - Fanfuckingtastic

Music listened to while writing this post - Hit The Lights - Metallica [Album: Kill 'Em All]

The Chronicles of Jacques Belmonte - Lost in my birth

2010-11-12T12:03:00.001-08:00

Servitude is my master,
Faith is my loss,
Mechanical is my existence,
I know nothing but my goals,
The night is my solitude,
In the ineptness of humanity lies my one true strength,
I am a creature that preys on the frailty of humanity,
My master knows not of my existence,
My goals are selfish but with meaning,
Before my death many shall find their way,
To the grave I shall send them with friends or foes,
My name is Jacques and my existence has just found purpose.

Inspired by a book I will never completely write
The Chronicles of Jacques Belmonte

First android post

2010-10-11T10:04:00.001-07:00

Android post with version 1.6

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.2

Curbing The Addiction

2010-09-21T04:34:00.001-07:00

Today is quite a special day, I finally figured out why I like cigarettes so much and its not the smoke or the pleasant high I actually get when I smoke them. If you've ever taken a stab at understanding why you smoke you'll know the kind of feeling I am actually having right now. Although, I made ground during a fight with my wife, its the comfort of knowing that I can put one in my mouth and I don't have to worry about opening my mouth for anything except to place it on the ashtray or put it out. Sadly, after countless hours of pondering this happens to be the sole reason. In my moment of triumph however, I figured out that while quitting is a good option, I now have to find other ways to satiate my lack of a cigarette so here is my list for the week.

Weddings are a pain in the ass and usually end up leaving one person sour for the rest of their life about how things went on that blessed day (I know a lot of you rainbow and pony people are going shame on you right now)
Sharks and Remora have found successful ways to co-exist which have taken them years of evolution and understanding. Couples and their in-laws are light years away.
It's better to say your wrong even when you aren't. Chances are you can sit down years later and smile about the fact that you were and it cost you absolutely nothing to do so.
It's good to let your hair down now and then but remember that when you do let it down ensure that no one else knows your doing so. Why? Because everyone has an opinion and that's not the point of the exercise is it?
Liverpool will spend another season without a single trophy unless they get the Europa Cup. Then, they will go on to win the Champions League thereby leaving them with no domestic trophies yet again.
When I am 40, I'd like to climb a mountain just to say I did it at the age of 40.
God is a spiritual entity who most people think behaves like Oprah Winfrey but in reality he's closer to Adolf Hitler
Life in Goa is more peaceful than anywhere else on the planet. No one bothers you and for the most part you don't know that they even exist
Speech is the most advanced form of communication on the planet. Even if Google finds a way to provide us with a smarter communication medium it would fail because it requires someone talking about it to promote it to the masses
I will not be with my present company in under 500 days. I think that one is probably more true than the nine other points before this.
Ever wonder why they created a brand of condoms called Trojan? Durex has it right.
TV Shows are someone's sadistic way of laughing at your pathetic life while showing you a way in which no one else on the planet lives - Oh dear the Irony.
Music can soothe the savage beast - Try playing a Concerto to a Lion just before it pounces chances are he thinks its dinner music and will eat you with a fork and knife

Mood while writing this blog - Uncomfortable

Music listened to while writing this blog - I think I am giving up music for a bit

The Drive

2010-09-13T07:32:00.000-07:00

This week is going to be special for me. Why you might ask? Because this week I will either end Friday with something so wicked and evil that the people that are involved might wonder what just hit them and how it hit them. It's been a fight that I have struggled with for over four years now and its finally made me reach to a stage where my brain is telling my body that its time to stop being pushed around and fight for your right to be at peace. Some of it is financial but most of it is just lack of respect for skills and that makes me want to break something even more than trying to fix the problem. Unfortunately I cannot divulge the nature of my act because I have taken almost 29 years to sort this out in my mind but today I finally reached the full extent of my patience and I am about to start planning the execution.

All I am going to do for now is breathe because the alternative will probably end my career but the results will make me extremely happy.

Cheers to slavery because without it we would have nothing to quantify the things that happen to us when we are driven to do things that fall way beyond the accolades we receive.

Mood at this point - Focused
Music - Sabotage

Year One - My close friend Mr. Death

2010-09-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

As it has become customary these days, I have my list of 13 that signal my entry into the month of September. I've been thinking about death lately and how it affects certain people in ways that sometimes baffle me. I don't understand, nor will I ever, why some people completely break-down at funerals. Personally, I find it a bit self-serving as its a release mechanism that allows you to let go of the person that is gone. Sometimes, I also wonder why everyone else around the person crying don't try and bring them back to reality with a word of comfort or some stern advice about the beauty of life. Of course, I will be called heartless and a total emotionless fuck because of the same but that really doesn't matter to me because I still find it very illogical and pretty selfish at the end of the day.

When a pet dies, crying doesn't help because you paid for your pet or got it for free so what your really crying for is loss of investment if you think about it
Gas chambers are silly. If you wanted to know the effects of gas on people why not just lock yourself in a room and gas it with a button to let the gas out when your done choking yourself.
Tiger Woods can put a golf ball in a hole but he can't use a cellphone discreetly
Smoking isn't bad but the effects have made society think otherwise
An apple a day keeps the doctor away. So why are so many doctors eating apples?
During wedding preparations the bride isn't the only one that goes through hell
Bruce Wayne would never have become Batman if he had gone to a good shrink
Having a special day for teachers also implies that there should be one for every other profession on the planet
Religion is nothing but sales-pitching these days. Don't like one move to another.
Heinz is the one company I respect the most in the food manufacturing industry. How can something so cheap as a unit product generate so much money
If IQ tests were a gauge for people being allowed to live or die, we'd never have the concept of genius. Corruption might have bit the dust too
Top Gun should be retired from Television permanently. Make people pay for the DVD or BR
The next time someone tells me that TV Shows are a brain-rotting experience I would like to ask them what politics is. I mean you've got drama, suspense and humour along with all the other makings of a good TV Show

Mood while writing this post - Tired and confused

The infinite eventualities

2010-08-17T12:02:00.000-07:00

This week has been a trying one of sorts. What I have learned in the process is that there are so many outcomes that a person sees from their own perspective and a true master of prediction probably sees all the outcomes from so many angles that they themselves have no opinion of their own but to pick one of the possibilities and just fly with what comes next because they have a gift no one else has ... the ability to see infinite eventualities no matter what the situation is. This is governed by altruism and the ability to put one's self outside the situation at hand leaving nothing to chance but to sheer prediction of the way in which all the elements in a situation will behave or react. I am slowly striving for this kind of mental freedom and one day I will have it. However, for the moment, I am back with my list of thirteen inspired by my week so far.

Expecting people to fall into your realm of understanding is an impossibility that is only riddled with despair and lack of hope for evolution
We didn't evolve from monkeys they evolved from us
God is good as long as things are going your way leading me to believe that religion is a convenience and not the dogmatic fodder everyone thinks it is
Marriage's were easier when my parents were my age
Blue whales are the most envied mammals on the planet
Greek tragedies are nothing but ancient porn gone wrong
Mathematics only works in a room with people who come there with no opinion of their own
Gold is a metal nothing more nothing less
Blood is thicker than water but grease is thicker than blood
We all need one rebel in a system to question our approach to anything good or bad
When a fool speaks we must appreciate his/her efforts because we could all use a helping hand to push our cause
Shouting never fixed anything. Elimination of existence usually does
The internet makes the cure for AIDS seem like a joke

Inspired by the music of the late George Harrison - Here Comes The Sun

Hello Web Browser - Good Bye Operating System

2010-08-05T02:39:00.001-07:00

It's been over a decade now since we've seen web browsers and for the most part, they have gotten faster, more secure and even offer user-interfacing that sometimes makes us wish our Operating Systems did the same. With the advent of NetBooks and other mobile devices, users are now getting geared to being on the move, keeping in touch with friends and relatives with messaging, taking pics, creating videos and even doing other complex web-oriented tasks through either their snazzy phones or their browsers. I have even stopped watching movies on my home PC and have simply switched to my Playstation 3 to get the most out of my movie experience. I would even go so far to say that if you are an end-user with absolutely no need to develop any software or perform tasks related to file editing, etc. your primal needs as a PC user are all met by your neighbourhood-friendly web browser. With the utilization of Cloud Computing and SaaS now entering everyone's lives in a small way through the internet, is this really the slow but timely demise of a full-blown operating system? I of course, cannot partake in the testing because I need to develop portals for a living and sadly, this is just not possible with just a web-browser but I did think of a few things that might make sense in the years to come.

Web-based email. Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc. are all prime examples of having your email access no matter where you go. They are OS independent and even work on your phone.
Picture Storage/Editing Functionality. There are services available on the web that take care of more than just providing albums of your trip to your grandmother's house or even the basic editing and publishing. Furthermore, some sites even offer you the ability to send your pictures to a print lab for actual physical copies.
File Storage. With options like Microsoft's Skydrive, users only pay for storage space and simply access their data anywhere. DLNA even allows devices to share data among them so why ever bother lugging around an expensive portable hard-drive?
Web-Site Editing/Creation. If you've got a need to make a website and you need it to have basic information, most hosting sites now provide you with easy to edit templates and even blogs have inherited this feature as part of their service plans. The only downside is that there is no real testing functionality and if you need such services you are demoted back to your OS to meet these requirements.
Media Players. Enter the era that has been captured by YouTube. What can you really not find on Google? Tack this onto a store functionality for music and you'll never have to store your music on your hard drive anymore.
Television. Even the guys who started Hulu must be looking back at their days of infancy and going. We never thought it would be this big!
Office Productivity. If your not strapped for complexities, Google Docs does this pretty well.

I could list more, but what's the point unless you sell the general population on the idea that the Operating System is really no longer a solid requirement if not to only power your web-browser up and get you on the internet. With options like Chromium OS, Linux Netbook Remix and some other black-market Linux based solutions now making their way into the mainstream market, more end-users are slowly getting educated on the ease of installation and use of these OSes. The PC market is certainly not dying anytime soon but if your an end-user with no real need to play on your OS, I'd say give a Netbook a try. Chances are you'll never go back to your regular bulky Operating System ever again.

Coping

2010-07-28T00:39:00.001-07:00

Lately, I have been dealing with a wide assortment of stupidity and for the most part, its being dealt with my simply neglecting the issue at hand and deflecting the topic using the old-school technique of noise-making. Simply start a fight, steer it in another direction, get them worked up and the problem that originally started the debate slowly disappears. Sadly, this works on an untrained individual who will never ever remember the original topic of argument and fails generally on a person who is so head-strong that their original convictions have become part of their psyche.

What's even more discouraging is that the more head-strong you are, the less inclined you are are to try and see point-of-views of any other individuals involved in the issue. This has become a daily routine for me now ranging from my marriage all the way to making a simple decision regarding what to eat for dinner. As with most things in my life, I tend to take a few steps back when the 'action' has subsided to reflect on things learned as part of the experience. I have made my list of thirteen once again to shed some light on the misfortune that is human stupidity and the arguments that arise as such. Perhaps you too may find something to laugh about or reflect on in the process of reading this blog.

No one is really stupid your just smarter when you point it out
Most silly arguments are based on non-factual data. This in itself probably outlines the need to step away quick
Age ain't nothing but a number (Sorry Aliyah just had to steal that line). Using this as a deterrent only brings me back to point 1
Saying "I give up" or "You win" doesn't necessarily mean the other person wins
The more a person shouts or raises their voice, the more you realize that you are making more sense than they are
Societal norms are generally poor debate winners
Talking about politics and religion or family generally ends up in a fight
When in Rome, eat a pizza and enjoy the sights. Don't do as the Romans do (I'll let you decipher this one)
Breaking a belief is harder than building one. Systematic conditioning removes the thought and then the break-down can begin
Proving something to the untrained mind usually involves visuals to aid the process to move along
Negating someone's existence is the best form of winning an argument and perhaps avoiding more unnecessary mental strain for the rest of your life. This takes a highly skilled mind and projection thinking that most people choose not to develop.
There are six billion plus people on the planet. Why should anyone have the last say on anything?
Mathematics and Science might be flawed but our brains have yet to figure out something else that can bend and twist logic so neatly. Furthermore, religion is a human construct and using it in an argument or as advice totally fails because the primary base for any good argument is that the unit object spread over multiple instances should hold true. Religion sadly does nothing but pacify an active mind. Treat it well for it may save you in times when you discover that Science isn't all its cracked up to be.

Mood when writing this blog - Tired

Music listened to - Motley Crue - Wildside

The Antithalia

2010-07-10T08:45:00.000-07:00

"Dedicated to the Peter Pan that never really dies but goes on a vacation in all of us"

No one knows where it began,

But everyone knows where it ends,

Three-sixty-five is a big number they say,

That's the risky game I've played.

Twenty-Nine times over till my insides are no more,

I have gone from a man to a whore,

And when I finally find my peace,

A place to put my mind at ease,

All that will accompany to my place of rest,

Is the dust I have gathered beneath my bed.

Chromium vs Ubuntu Netbook - Let the war begin

2010-06-30T08:17:00.001-07:00

My latest craze has been Netbook oriented as I want to find out why a lot of people have started adopting this approach to their daily needs. I started out by trying Google's famed Chromium OS and subsequently visited the Ubuntu solution from Canonical as well. Here's what I found and maybe it can be useful to people that are trying the same.

The setup

Both Chromium and U-Netbook can be installed on a USB stick and just booted up by changing the BIOS options to load the OS from the desired location on boot. I found that Chromium offered the faster experience on load and this might be attributed to the fact that the entire OS is built on the Chrome Browser. The Ubuntu release didn't really take much longer but it did take a whole extra three seconds on my laptop and then finally did load.

The quirks on load

Chromium offered no wireless support for the version I tested and hence I was forced to run my entire experience via a cable connected to my laptop which lead to a rather unpleasant first start. The Ubuntu client however, loaded up and then offered me a list of Wireless networks to choose from. A click of my choice and a WEP PWD enter later I was browsing the internet with no cables at all. The only place where the Chromium OS just put U-NetBook to shame was related to the delay in response from the client when U-NB loaded. My entire notebook froze and I was only able to move the mouse till it loaded something that never really stopped loading through my entire experience.

The User Management and Login

Chromium gave me the universal Google way of handling things which let me into the OS via a simple username and password screen that took my Google account and then offered me all the rest of my Google services at a simple click away as I was logged into the service(s). Ubuntu on the other hand just loaded up and froze for a bit before it offered me all the standard Ubuntu functionality that I have come to expect from my Ubuntu box that I run with a Desktop version of Ubuntu.

Managing the Experience

This is where Chromium dropped the ball and for the most part you can understand why Google have done this. The Chromium browser is your one stop shop into how the entire OS runs and everything is done in a browser window offering applications that are web-based ranging from a calculator all the way to Google Docs and the integrated Google Talk component inside Gmail. Ubuntu offers users the ability to change preferences, install hardware/software and gives any hardened Linux user the standard options they are used to.

First Impressions and Verdict

I am a fan of speed and Chromium OS is the faster of the two. It handled the load quickly, got me into my mail, provided me some standard links to utilities I might need and actually got me running as a standard web-user. Ubuntu Netbook is something a power user who just wants a quick loader for themselves will stick to. It offers enough to leave your slow Windows-based machine and migrate to it without even blinking an eyelid. The speed of the applications was very good and it all just fit on a USB stick offering me a chance to install it locally.

Google Chromium vs Ubuntu Netbook

Chromium is a great out-of-the-box experience - it offered me browsing (with Flash), widgets for my daily work and the ease of sign-in with my Google ID/PWD
Ubuntu is great until you get to the home screen and then it just hangs. It didn't come Flash ready and it wasn't until I installed Google Chrome on it that I managed to get my Flash experience back on track. Hardly, something that a person requiring web-access should have to do but some will argue that its a one-time installation and that it shouldn't hamper the experience.
Chromium is still in Beta and will probably remain that way for a while until Google feels its public ready. The system did hang in certain instances where I wanted it to load specific information that was very heavy but it didn't really hamper my ability to browse pages.

If your a hard-core web fan then Chromium is probably something you'd use to get an average joe introduced to the whole netbook experience. It turns on quick, gets you on even faster and if they can sort out the whole WiFi issue then they will have a winner.

If you are the kind of person that needs all the fancy customizations and everything to look all glossy and pretty with a hand under the hood at all times then Ubuntu Netbook is the way to go. The Ubuntu One sign-in offers great synchronization across all PC's using U-NB and this is also true for Chromium. The Firefox that comes with it needs to be seriously repackaged with some better in-house support, however, with the advent of HTML-5 I don't see that being a real issue.

I hope this helps anyone out there who is looking at a Netbook OS option and I am always willing to hear back from you'll about your experiences and how its worked out for you.

Music Listened to while writing this post - Sound of Silence - Simon and Garfunkel

The List #2 - June 2010

2010-06-28T01:40:00.000-07:00

Here's another thirteen things I have observed recently in no particular order of precedence.

Don't start a fight with an Apple fan-boy. The chances of you winning the fight are great. The chances of acquiring permanent mental damage are higher.
Not everything you read on the internet is true (Gosh I wonder why)
Web 2.0 is the beginning of the end of validated and correct information
Every politician on the planet has traded favours either with other humans or animals (aka other politicians)
A Vuvuzuela is not a noise-maker its a cultural cacophony in the making.
Software is meant to break. If you start cursing it, it will only get better (at breaking that is)
Your manager doesn't always know what's right so double checking never hurts
There is no substitute for naturally acquired talent. These people have something that a book doesn't offer - it's called skill.
A Dosa is a rejected Frisbee [Personal opinion of course]. Why anyone would put such a horrid thing in their mouth and lick their lips post it still baffles me. I have been trying hard for many years to understand it and in the process have subjected myself to this torture many times.
Tom Cruise might practice Scientology but that's because he doesn't get paid enough to follow anything else.
Adidas is and always will be better than Nike
Chaos at its peak is more entertaining than getting laid
Teaching is better than preaching

The List - June 2010

2010-06-14T22:39:00.000-07:00

List of me musings for 2010 (so far) - Thirteen per day only

People don't know how to wear a suit properly. Sometimes you'll see people wearing the most ghastly suits with even more ghastly shoes and ask yourself why they even bother putting on a suit only to look more like a monkey when they do.
People just lack manners and any kind of professional etiquette in India. Yes, I am Indian and I am not particularly fond of how people say you know I want a job in XYZ and it will be better for me when you can actually start now and save yourself (perhaps the country too). Someone always comes back and tries to tell me better by trying to blow rainbows up my ass here. My only reply is George Michael might like it from you more than I will.
Telling someone your not capable of mentally growing is already destroying your credibility with them. Don't waste your time trying to move on in life if you've got this attitude. Chances are you've already condemned yourself to a life of meaningless existence and you haven't realized it yourself.
High-Definition Television is only 720P and above. Anything else is pointless and shouldn't be advertised as such. MPEG-4 isn't high-def by itself nor will it ever be.
People in the country which I live in thrive on "I'll do it yaar" or "Chalta Hai". I'd love a doc to tell them that when someone they care about or they themselves are on their death bed.
Zero is the new infinity. Think about it.
Companies that claim that they want new and fresh ideas really want older people with proven ideas to work for them.
A slut is a male definition not a societal one. Got any other explanation for it? Go ahead I am all ears.
Cricket is good as long as its on a channel that is far away from what I want to watch.
South Africa has done a good job for the World Cup and probably will do for the rest of the WC as well.
England will not make it past the quarter finals in the WC. When they do crash the tabloids in the United Kingdom will do what they do best ... move onto bashing the players personal lives.
SAAS is the future and sadly no one is seeing how big it is going to be and capitalizing on it.
Steve Jobs is going to die soon and when he does, Apple will still churn out hot products because he's only selling them not making them. The next time that someone says that Jobs made the iPod I will point them to Google and remind them to read first then post.

The Return

2010-05-04T03:49:00.000-07:00

I know I have always been a finicky sort of person and I killed my old blog for reasons I still can't really share but I am back and it has been resurrected. Watch this space.

This is the end

2008-02-25T22:15:00.000-08:00

Most writers usually leave a good line of work with a closing quip or something that will create an air of loss or anxiety. My closing this blog has to do with many reasons, most of which are associated around the fact that my lethargy has contributed to lack of attention here and this will be the final post in here. I will be starting a new blog soon with a brand new name and anyone reading this can find that information on Facebook or Orkut if your in my friends list. I have decided to take a brand new approach to my writing and my outlook on Bangalore as it stands and the people that have come into my life along with all my experiences.

I wish everyone a prosperous 2008 and look forward to your patronage on my next blog. This is Melroy Coelho putting the cat out of the house and turning the lights out.

Goodbye

Music listened to while writing this blog - Shadow of the day - Linkin Park
Mood while writing this blog - Hopeful

The Way Of The Wrong

2008-01-13T11:49:00.000-08:00

"Deep inside me is a thought that is waiting to let itself out and I fear I will be ridiculed and hated for being myself but I must do it to keep the very little there is of me alive" - Me on January 1st 2008

Our education rarely fails us; when we go to stores and we are bargaining for items we have just purchased or making the most difficult of choices while picking out what we wish to eat for the day at a restaurant. However, when we have a belief and a way of thinking, our education truly fails us as it is here that our education truly tests us. When our very education is challenged and our belief systems are at the verge of being changed, we start analyzing everything that is given to us. I truly do not believe that anyone or anything should truly be allowed to propagate the changes that we 'feel' are necessary to make us better people in the environments we are placed in. I think that as educated individuals we need to explore every possible scenario before making a personally informed decision on whether or not we choose to believe what is being told or shown to us. Contrary to my own personal beliefs, there are individuals out there who use 'collective' thinking to make these decisions. I can only guess that their existence is necessary to ensure that my existence is possible.

I wished to actually write more on this and bring further light on the topic but I now understand and know much better than I did five hours ago and realize the err of my ways. I have also realized that when a thought is challenged that I should find more easier ways of letting people know that I don't digest everything put to me on a plate and that I actually like straying away for conventional wisdom and rely on my own intuitions, however wrong they may be, before I finally realize that I am either wrong or right. Either way doom is eminent and I have chosen this path for this very reason. No one came up with solutions for a better world by simply listening to the people around them and believing everything they were told. They thought and tried and tested and went back to the drawing board. Don't desert your thought pattern, its the most human thing we really have; yes even more than our emotions.

Music listened to while writing this blog - Two Steps Behind - Def Leppard
Mood while writing this blog - Contemplative

Achtung

2008-01-04T03:58:00.000-08:00

As I write this blog, I am consistently plagued by the question of whether or not I should write it. The beginning of a new year usually starts with some kind of resolution. Perhaps I will give up smoking? Work towards world peace? Get a better job? Live a healthier life? But, the answer to all these silly resolutions is no. It was during the Christmas season that I first experienced what I really wanted to experience for the longest time. That is when I made the first resolute to actually work towards it. We all have a self-driven need within ourselves to be heard. Its what makes us popular as well as unpopular. However, its not the art of being heard that I am going to work towards for 2008 but its exact opposite. Yes ladies and gentlemen, its the art of invisibility and non-attention seeking that I am working towards for the new year. Many of the people reading my blog are then going to start asking the obvious questions, why keep writing the blog? Isn't that some sort of attention seeking? You can't just change like that overnight, can you? And, the answer to these questions will only be answered over the course of the year. I think I am tired of taking the light away from others or making others listen to what I have to say. I have realized its better to listen and acknowledge when you know there really is nothing better to offer. Does this make me a better person than an attention-seeker? Certainly not but I want to try it and see where it takes me.

Offer no solutions, preach no self-beliefs, just simply acknowledge what everyone says. Its going to be one of the hardest if not the most complicated changes I will have to implement but I think 365 days of this will teach me something I cannot learn from books or talks with my friends and when its done I will have gained something that I can finally call my own.

Wish Me Luck

Music Listened to While Writing This Post - U2 - Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Mood - F'ed Up

The Way Of Steel

2007-12-13T13:16:00.000-08:00

"I will have died a thousand times and it will still not be enough for me to forget"

-- Based on pure fiction and non-homicidal behavior. Any resemblance to modern day events are your own personal thoughts and being the open minded writer that I am I will leave them as just that. Your thoughts. --

Two Years Ago
-----------
Christmas Eve is a time for families and loved ones. Strange how societal norms are merely just phrases conjured up by some drunk individual who sounded philosophical while drinking eggnog and making out with his partner for the night. These are the thoughts that run through my mind as the Katana in my left hand awaits its usefulness in my goal for the night.

Four Years Ago
-------------
My name is not important. Neither are the names of my wife or her secret lover. I realized all this two years ago when I found out that she had been cheating on me. I still remember the smell of the roses I had picked up from O'Hare, the cab ride home, the sound of gravel crunching beneath my new Hugo Boss shoes and last but not least the sight of her making out with him in my kitchen with the windows open for the world to see. However, the realization that my marriage was in the gutter was something I had felt a year into my marriage. What consumed me that day was far more dangerous and more vicious than the simple pain that a loved one feels when betrayal is thrown in their face. Instead, I watched them with the hope that I would be noticed and the entire episode would unfold into a shouting contest with a few apologies thrown in to make it seem plausible that any remorse was felt. What greeted me however, was them running across my kitchen (yes, my kitchen) and then into the living room and finally upstairs. I looked down at the gravel beneath me and remembered how she had told me that it was less of a burden on me had I hired a professional to do it. A tear rolled down my cheek as I watched my entire marriage unfold before me in the ocean that allowed my cornea to see the outside world. I had returned home early with the intention of surprising her but I guess there were things that even I was not prepared for. I swallowed what was left of my emotions and left my house.

My walk back to my watch retail store, which i owned, seemed more tiring than the time I had taken her on a hiking trip in the Himalayas. It had been her dream ever since she was a child to go on that trip. My physical prowess matched that of a 10 year old but I managed to get a trainer and move my way up the ladder so that she could get the dream she always wanted. It was in the cold air that the Nepalese found like a summer walk in Manhattan that she transformed from my girlfriend to my wife. I sat at my desk and pondered on all the wrongs I must have done to her for me to deserve the punishment I had just been dealt. She was monetarily taken care of by everything I could possibly muster from the bank and my personal savings. She had stopped making love to me because she felt that it was something we needed to chalk out during the week. Yet, I loved her ...

It was in the dark confines of my watch repair cubicle that my mind snapped internally and the rest can only be coined as Focussed Insantiy.

Three Years Ago
---------------
Its been almost a year since I had my visual episode on my front yard. Since then, I have joined a Kubodo arts club and picked Kendo as my desired martial art of choice. I have even graduated to a level that my instructor stated,can only be reached by sheer devotion to my craft. What happened to my wife and her secret lover you ask? Nothing. I simply wiped my tears drank some whiskey and brushed it all off as if I had just watched Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet go at it again and putting the television off ended all my anguish. I have been on a cardio program that now allows me to run for 45 minutes non-stop without breaking a sweat. My wife continually asks me why I keep cleaning the house with the maid but I tell her that I am a man who enjoys the minute intricacies and so I like helping my non-english-speaking maid clean the house, the overpaid bitch. The only thing my wife does not complain about is the large pieces of meat I buy every week and chop into small pieces with the precision of a master chef. Her eyes only light up when she sees me clinically tear a whole animal into pieces so fine and so perfect that the meal cooked after seems like a formality of the process. I have also learned that her secret lover, who she still sees, works as a real estate agent and that he lives alone. How perfect. My work in the watch shop has allowed me the pleasure of meeting many people, one of whom is a clay pot maker. He has even lent me the keys to his garage and the use of his kiln that he uses to blast fire his pots for glazing. I have even started reading my newspaper on the porch with a notepad to study the everyday movements of my neighborhood and all this is neatly fed into a Microsoft Excel sheet that I then use to understand trends.My wife has repeatedly asked me to buy her a car but I have refused on the grounds that I like driving and can easily take time out of my day for her to get her to any destination of her choice. My reading has improved and my understanding of the human anatomy is now almost at par with most average medical practitioners. The only flaw in my entire work this year is my inability to twist my Katana effectively with one hand. Patience will get me to where I need to be.

Two Years Ago
-------------
Its almost time. I look at my Swatch Irony watch and think of the actual irony of a well-renouned watch-maker wearing an average watch. I smile to myself in the night light as I start to make my way up to the bedroom. My wife has developed the interesting habit of being blindfolded as she makes love to her secret-Casanova. I walk into the bedroom and slowly sneak up on him and he starts moaning with her. I want there to be no pain just guilt. I drive my blade into his back and out his front. The edge of the blade strikes my wife as I climb over her mute lover who is now choking on his own blood and push harder into her stomach. With absolute clinical ease and firm resolute I twist the blade in clockwise fashion and similarly do the opposite. She is now choking too but I must not let joy flood my mind, focus is needed. I take out a smaller knife and stab him in the left side of his stomach pulling down to gut him like so many Salmon I have done before. My wife gets the premier treatment when I stab her in neck. Three and a half minutes. I am ahead of schedule. I had the bedroom made with a carpet that I had personally installed for reasons of replacement. I had even asked the person that I bought the carpet from whether I could get some more material for replacement at an earlier date. He happily obliged when I showed him the money; thank you. I begin taking them off the bed and pull the blindfold off my wife's eyes. I bring up the cleaver I have kept in the kitchen and begin dicing them into little pieces. Forty minutes, I have two minutes of breathing time. I remove a garbage bag I had placed in our closet and simply place all the chopped pieces in there. The next part of the plan has to work according to statistics and sheer luck. I open my backdoor and take a survey of the yard, not a soul in sight. I place both the four bags in my car and drive to my friends house to use his kiln. Its amazing how easily bones will burn when the right amount of heat is applied. It takes approximately an hour to get all of it done before I get my vaccuum cleaner and scoop it all up. I open my car window and simply let all the dust out letting my tired face break a smile for the first time in the night. I reach home and replace the carpet along with the bedding and the mattress as well which has a layer of orthopedic material above it to make the blade stop just in time. I then begin to hum 'Jingle Bells' to myself as I begin doing what me and the maid have been practicing for almost two years now; thank you. After everything is done, I chop the matress into little pieces as well and put all the garbage into bags that fill the back of my car. One more trip to my friends place and this all can end.

Christmas Day and after
-----------------------
I wake up at 9:00 AM and call the police stating that my wife never came home the night before and all her cellphone is not reachable. The police start an investigation into the matter only to turn up with no conclusive evidence stating that she was murdered. I begin to cry just like all the victims I had watched over the two years and almost exactly like the videos I had made of myself and watched over and over to make sure my final act went as planned. I state that she cannot be dead and must be missing. I even stay at the police station for four days just to make it all believable, what a waste of time. I spend my New Years at home sitting in the dark and feeling absolutely nothing. Tomorrow starts the rest of my life and the two years that will come with me finally being able to enjoy what I have done.

Two Years Late - Himalayas
--------------------------
The Sherpa I meet tells me that I am going to have one of the best trips I have ever had. I have to agree. I open my flask and down the most expensive brandy I could afford to put in it and smile. We trek some distance and he tells me that we need to camp for the night. I simply agree and ask him if he would like a drink. He refuses and says that he will take some later. I step out of my tent and in the cold crisp air of Nepal, I take a swig and start to cry uncontrollably. It feels good to let out tears that should have hit my hand-worked granite floor six years ago.

Music listened to when writing this blog - The sound of crickets
Mood - As normal as can be
Reason for writing this blog - I wanted to end my writing in this blog today and move onto another blog but I figured that its better to stay here and keep the fire burning. It's my work and no one is taking it away from me with words ever again. I want to thank everyone who reads this blog for their comments over the last few months and no I am not crazy or sad I just wanted to write something that resembled my work over the last few months and what it now means to me. Thank you all. Merry Xmas.

I am ...

2007-11-20T18:17:00.001-08:00

The New York breeze runs across my face and leaves all the skin it touches cold and prickly. It will be Christmas soon and its starting to show. Stores are decorated, people are walking the streets and families are getting ready for the holiday season. I pickup a newspaper and look at the headlines.

"Fireman saves elderly woman from burning apartment"

Most people look at things like this and admire the courage it takes to run into a burning building and pull out a woman. They feel safe living in a city where the firemen know their roles and their importance to society however small that may be. For the past few weeks I have been losing focus on the things that matter to me the most: love, dedication and my humanity. I was once asked by a friend why I am so lazy and don't show any initiative to mend the things that are broken in my life. I didn't have an answer that I could give at that time. I look at the newspaper again and feel sad for the fireman who had to pull the woman out. As humans we exhibit self-preservation and to run into a burning building is showing lack of that quality. However, if we didn't have fire (god forbid), then that fireman wouldn't have to risk his life and he wouldn't have a job. He doesn't need to run into a building, he has to. It may be for many reasons, his family has always been in the firefighting service, he couldn't get any other job, his parents made him feel inconsequential and now he's looking to gain approval from other people, the list goes on.

I will never have the fame that a picture on the front page of a newspaper gives these individuals. I have never wanted it nor have I craved it because it means that their job is only a means of getting somewhere and not something they have inculcated into the very blood that flows in their veins. No one needs to be a hero, they are just born that way. Seeking rewards should never be one anyone's mind and paying the men and women that do these jobs makes no sense either but in the end we are driven to these acts in some way by money.

I hear police sirens. Someone must be in trouble somewhere, this isn't going to be front page newspaper material, but no one has ever asked to take my picture for who I really am.

I drop the paper back in the stand and start running. When was the last time someone asked Peter Parker for this picture ...

Mood when writing this post - Damned if I know
Music listened to when writing this post - Silence

1861

2007-10-08T20:37:00.001-07:00

" God left this place a long time ago " - Leonardo Di Caprio - Blood Diamond

Location: Sao Paolo , Brazil
Time: Sometime in the late afternoon.

"Não ferirá"

I wake up to the sound of the nurse telling me these words as I sit up in a hospital bed in Sao Paolo, Brazil. The nights events are all hazy and mixed with neural ghosts of people dancing and my friends doing shots at the bar. I clearly remember paying for my entry to the club where we started partying at 4PM in the evening but almost everything else is a blur.

A doctor comes and sits down next to me. He's got a stern look on his face and starts talking in Portuguese. I use all that's left of my strength and raise my left hand to stop him from talking. I am guessing his second evaluation of the patient sitting on the bed brings him to the realization that I am not from Brazil. His English speaking skills are about to be tested and he wants to convey his message to me with absolute accuracy.

"Senor, you were bought in last night from a hotel that reported you drowning in their pool"

"Are you sure doctor?"

"Yes, unfortunately I am"

"What was I doing trying to drown myself?"

"No one is entirely sure. But you should thank God that someone found you when they did or we would not be having this conversation right now"

"Do you believe in God?"

"Yes I do Senor and you should get some rest now. I will get the nurse to check the IV and make sure that your comfortable. I will get your reports and come back to talk to you"

"Thank you for everything Doctor"

"Your welcome"

My life has been less than comfortable in the past few years. I have finally taken a vacation and come to Brazil or Brasil as some people like to call it, to enjoy some off time from IBM. I intentionally decided not to take any form of communication with me and have spent three weeks going around the country side enjoying the local culture and picking up as much as I can culturally. The women are gorgeous and highly aggressive; the food is great and would give my roommate a hard time considering its spicy; the alcohol is something I never complain about in any country and last but not least the music.

I came across a group of people who claimed to be from Norway while i was crossing through some jungles on a trip. I have since been traveling with them and have found their company to be very good. My views on the world and the social unrest we have as humans is almost in simpatico with theirs. Its almost strange but they seem to be finishing my sentences. I have always wanted to visit the Scandinavian portion of Europe and with my new friends I though I would have that chance till we had a conversation on the night we came to Sao Paolo.

Natalia - "Where are you from Melroy?"

Georg - "Yeah, where are you from Melroy?"

Me - "I don't really know anymore to be honest"

Natalia - " What makes you say that?"

Me - "Well I am culturally impaired when it comes to being an Indian and I am socially impaired if I had to say I belonged in the Middle East"

Georg - "Thats an interesting point of view. Have you never felt like you belonged somewhere?"

Me - " I think that's what we miss as people. Country, society and everything else we feel the need to belong to is something we have constructed as humans to inculcate a sense of belonging. The real truth of the matter is we don't really need to belong to anything to be the people we are. When was the last time you actively worked for your country and donated your money willingly to its benefit. I know your going to bring up taxes and what your government feels is your obligation to living in its country "

Natalia - "I am not really a Nordic. I am from Russia. So I don't truly believe I am a Norwegian"

Georg - "Yes, she's not a real Norwegian but after living in Norway for so many years, you might as well call her Norwegian"

Me - "Excellent point Georg. So now I have a question. If I may"

Georg - "Certainly"

Me - "If I haven't lived in India all my life and spent most of it in Middle East does that make me belong more to the Middle East or to India?"

Natalia - "I always consider myself Russian although I have lived in Norway for most of my life"

Me - "When was the last time you spoke Russian with someone for a good part of your life?"

Natalia - "I can't really recall that I have ever done so"

Me - "Have you ever pro-actively spent time wondering about the problems your country has and how you are going to solve them?"

Georg - "And then you have to ask yourself this question, do you really need to pay attention to all your country's problems to be a part of it?"

Me - "Where is the sense of belonging if you never spend time with the entity you are trying to desperately to belong to?"

Natalia - "So your saying I am not really Russian? Am I more Norwegian?"

Me - "That's debatable. Do you feel your less of a Russian for spending more time in Norway? Or do you feel more Norwegian for not spending more time in Russia?"

Natalia - "Aren't they one in the same?"

Georg - "I think Mel's point is that we don't really belong anywhere, physically"

Mel - "Good observation Georg. We are all just trying to fit in and I guess we feel more comfortable attaching ourselves to entities made by people who think that being patriotic somehow brings more meaning to their existence and their uniqueness is solely based on where they are from and what they speak. Their culture has diluted their very existence and its more convenient for them to say they belong somewhere rather than accept the sad truth that they just want to belong somewhere and their lives mean nothing more."

Natalia - "What about family? Don't you think you feel a sense of belonging there?"

Me - "I was born in 1981. I love my family but to say that I belong to my family is not how it should be accurately described."

Georg - "How would you describe it then?"

Me - "As silly as it may sound, I call it love."

Natalia - "Haha. Do you want another drink?"

Me - "Yes, please. Georg can we interest you in another"

Georg - "Certainly"

Natalia - "So what made you think about all this?"

Me - "The fact that I've come to Brazil to call it quits on a great run at my life"

Natalia - "Your going to end your life in Brazil? Any particular reason why?"

Me - "I guess it was just potluck that I ended up here"

Georg - "Will you let us know before you do so?"

Me - "I think you'll just know"

Natalia - "Is it tonight?"

Me - "That would be telling my friend. It's been a pleasure traveling with you'll. I am going to miss you guys when I am gone"

Georg - "Then lets not waste anymore time with this useless banter. Lets drink and party to the sense of belonging and the end of your life"

Me - "Yes, lets"

It was a few hours later that I found myself sitting at the edge of the pool in the early hours of the morning looking into the water. They say that drowning is one of the most painful ways to die but I feel that its probably the most fitting for people that have lost their passion for living. The sense of helplessness and the inability to do anything while you feel the water suffocate you is a clear reminder that you might still want to give life another chance. I pop the pill of cyanide and jump in.

The doctor has come back.

"Senor, we have to call the police and keep you here under observation for a few days. You tried to ingest cyanide and drown yourself. Is there someone you would like us to call?"

"Yes, God"

"Senor, I do not think this is a joking matter. I am going to call the police and I hope you will co-operate with us in this matter"

"I certainly will"

As I lay in my bed, I notice the nurse who has been standing around through the entire conversation and my recuperation during the night. She has dark hair and an almost perfect body. I wonder why she is in the health profession and want to ask her why but my only goal right now is to find a way to die. I turn towards her and start talking.

"Excuse me"

"Yes, Senor"

"I was wondering, how much money do you make being a nurse?"

"Not much, Senor"

"Would you like to be rich?"

"I do not actually know"

"Well if you want to just let me know, I can give you my life savings but I require a favor on your part"

"And what would that be?"

"I would like you to kill me by putting something in my IV"

She stops and looks at me with a stare that can only be one of contemplation and shock mixed generously.

"Can I ask why you want to die?"

"Certainly"

"What is the reason?"

"I came to Brazil to enjoy myself and finally take a vacation. I have seen a country that has shown me so much I will never truly be grateful. I do not want to be Brazilian nor do I feel a sense of belonging here. But I figure this is just as good a place to die as any"

"Why is that?"

"No one knows my name or my past life and I finally feel a sense of belonging"

Music listened to while writing this post - Linkin Park - Somewhere I Belong
Mood - Elated

The Different

2007-10-08T03:25:00.000-07:00

When I was much younger than I am now, I used to carry around the impression that everyone around me was going to be as efficient as me when it came to work and my love for life (I was only 14). As I grew older I started realizing that people are who they are for their innate character flaws and a sense of existence that embodies their character and social traits, so I have let them be and exist the way they want to for their own bad or good.

Unfortunately for me, I realized this a little too early and have practiced it in my daily life. I would like to write more but I sincerely feel that this is enough.

Music Listened to while writing this blog post -AC/DC - Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution
Mood -Drained

Run ...

2007-09-25T07:25:00.000-07:00

Running comes naturally to human beings; you see a tidal wave coming at your from the shoreline and you run. Why do you run? Self preservation is the only thought that truly comes to mind. But sometimes, in those rare occurrences, you actually just stand there and watch the wave and embrace the fact that its all going to end and no matter how fast or high you run, its never going to be enough to truly escape.

What makes people stand and face the music? Is it guilt? Is it acceptance? Is it the will to no longer succumb to what nature or god has to offer? Is it lack of worthy existence? That is something that has truly evaded me for the past 26 years of my life. I wish I had answers for some of the stupid decisions I have made in my life but I really don't. Sometimes its just better to face the music and do the dance, sure you'll lose a bit of that personal essence that makes you tick but its probably better for the overall learning experience. I would like to clarify that facing the music has nothing to do with giving up whats near and dear to your heart but actually taking the learning experiences for what they are ... learning experiences.

By this point my brain and hand are probably off in their own worlds typing and thinking with absolute monkey-filled symmetry but then again when have I ever done anything ingenious to truly call my own?

Music while writing this post - IGA Floor - Vol 1 - Sounds of a sinking ship
Mood - Totally rattled

Choose Your Weapon Wisely

2007-09-09T19:25:00.000-07:00

8:06 AM - IST - Bangalore

Guns for show, knives for a pro - Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

I always wanted a gun when I was younger. They are easy to use; point, pull, bang and dead. The inherent problem with a gun is that the ammunition eventually runs out. The refill portion of the weapon makes it highly inefficient even if it is able to dispatch enemies with more ease than a knife.

I classify knives as a much more efficient class of weapons for many reasons. They offer range, more pain during death and require more mastery to outclass most other weapons. The amount of time and dedication required to learn the Bushido arts is one way of showing my love for knives. The amount of precision and patience required to wield a blade is evident in most cultures even the more brash ones.

The reason for this blog post is to illustrate the stupidity that I have been experiencing for the past three or four weeks. One of my 'so-called' friends has taken it upon himself to feel a bit more superior than the rest and for all reasons under the sun, I have allowed it. He once came to us with a problem that he felt incapable of making a come-back against the people he worked with and we offered a little support on the issue. I knew then just as I know now, that he is a gun-wielder. People with the narrow-mindedness always go for the quick approach and will even fire in the dark at times to make their point. To add to his compounded idiocy, my friend also feels that he has the ability to twist people's minds by simply text-ing them or by avoiding people to create bigger and more unavoidable scenarios. However, it is now reaching its event horizon and will eventually start bleeding into the parts of my personal life that I hold a bit more dear than the niceness i have chosen to exhibit.

Tread softly my friend, I have been sharpening my blade while you run around playing cowboy with the people I care about a lot.

Music Listened to while writing this blog - Texas - Halo
Mood - Calculative

Looking At The Sun

2007-09-06T01:44:00.000-07:00

07:43 AM - PST

I've always wanted to own a house on the beach and now I finally have it. A patio that stretches for about 70 meters overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It doesn't really matter what country I am in because its all going to end eventually. Scientists have concluded that the sun is going to explode and there is nothing we can do to escape it. It has now been five weeks since this news was revealed to the public and I still haven't had time to sit down and enjoy a drink. With my girlfriend sleeping in bed, I figure its just a good time as any.

I wake up from bed and walk into my kitchen; I'm going to miss waking up and drinking coffee with my kitchen counter overlooking the ocean. I look at the Nescafe bottle sitting right next to the sugar jar and contemplate substituting my alcoholic desire for a cup of coffee. That thought is very short lived. I open a cabinet over the kitchen counter and pull out a bottle of Jack Daniels that I bought at a liquor store two days before we all got the 'great' news. The kitchen drawer opens with effortless ease as I pull a glass out and start to pour my drink into my glass. I walk over to my fridge for some ice; the salesperson said that it was supposed to make ice on the fly but this fridge has never been tested on this feature. I push the lever with my glass and out pops two ice cubes. Mildly satisfied with the number of ice cubes in my hand I go out on the patio and look at the ocean.

My sophomore year in college was great. Surf in the morning, beach volleyball in the afternoon and nights spent in bars socializing with a wide spectrum of people who won't mean anything to me in approximately ten minutes. I wonder what those people are doing right now? Some of them might be sitting in their houses praying to whatever God they were conditioned to believe since the age of two. Others are out on the ocean surfing the last few waves they are ever going to experience. Some might be busy making love to their spouses with the intention of taking that memory to the after-life. I purposely drugged my girlfriend's drink last night to have her sleep through this ordeal. I wonder if any of the people I went to college with are looking out at this ocean wondering what its like to have nothing better to do but drink some bourbon and stare idly at the approaching disaster.

As I turn around I look at the patio table I was conned into getting a week back. Some Chinese-looking woman told me it would bring balance in my chaotic life. With no hesitation in my mind, I picked it up. Its a simple wooden table with a glass top and two chairs that are rather relaxing. I wonder if that woman is still at the same store trying to sell more furniture to people passing by ... fucking sales people.

I look back into the house, the TV is on and some television presenter is on the screen. It's a re-run and that I can be assured of because its the same guy I have seen for three weeks now covering the fact that the world is going to end and there is nothing we can do about it. I see the same silly sketch of how the sun is going to engulf all the planets around it and from what I can tell, the initial effects will be painful but the end comes pretty soon.

I look back at the ocean, its started to happen. The water looks a bit misty, effects of heat. I can smell something burning, must be the table I am sitting at. I look at my glass of whiskey that I haven't touched since I got out on this patio. The two ice cubes are shrinking in size. I take a quick sip and notice something that hasn't bothered me since it started about three years ago. My skin has boils on it and I get the feeling that they are itching but I don't feel the need to scratch. Amazing how our sicknesses will teach us to face adversity. As I feel the first boil burst I let out a whimper and feel my eyes fill up with puss. I close whats left of my eyes and think my last thought ... Should have put more ice in the whiskey glass, I don't remember it ever tasting bad with three ice cubes.

Music Listened to While writing this blog - John Mayer - Gravity
Mood - Confused but happy that I am not angry

Four Days in Sunny August

2007-08-29T13:58:00.001-07:00

Thoughts race through my mind as I sit at a cafe in Paris. It's been almost four months now and the scars on my face are completely healed from my meeting with Jaroslav in Russia. I have deserted my hunt for the rest of the clan at the moment realizing that my efforts would end in a meeting with either Ivan or Michael. Vampires generally regroup and strategies very quickly when one of their elders has been murdered. Attacking now would be foolish even for the most experienced vampire hunters and that I am not.

The past few days of my five day stay in Paris have been spent courting a young Parisian woman whose only fascination with me is the way I talk and my innate ability to pick up her language eventhough I claimed to be from the United Kingdom. Her innocence is something has been a breath of fresh air in a violent and troublesome year leading to the death of my sister and the realization that my father is now part of the group responsible for what I have become. I welcome the pleasure. Everytime I meet his girl I am constantly reminded of the first time I learned of my regeneration abilities and how the slow growth of my severed arm actually made me feel warm all over.

I see her approaching the cafe in the distance. I wonder if she even has a clue about me and the kind of person I am. She must have told all her friends about this foreigner she met at local bar in the city. I wonder how she is going to react when I have to pack up everything I find so dear about her and get back to my work at hand.

I think of all the women in my life and how at some point in the relationship I have had 'bigger' callings to attend to. I sometimes wish this life never caught up with me and I hadn't made the choices I did.

I watch her pretty face as she kisses me on the cheek and asks me if I have been waiting long. I listen to her talk in her innocent voice and realize that its time once again to move on with my task at hand. I would love to spend the eternity given to me with her but my father would eventually find us. That is something I do not wish even on the most evil people I have come across.

I offer her a cup of coffee and tell her to meet me in my room. As I kiss her on her cheek and leave the cafe towards my room. I know what must be done before I leave Paris and I know why I have to do it. The struggle will be short before I snap the neck and drink whatever blood I can muster out of her.

You only hurt the ones you love ...

Taken from the Chronicles of Jacques Belmonte - Book Two
Music while writing this post - Celine Dion - All By Myself

Stop Running Fast Because No One Really Cares But You

2007-08-28T05:03:00.000-07:00

Tyson Gay is probably sitting in his house today smiling to himself for numerous reasons but the one achievement he has which no one on the planet can claim current fame to is ... Fastest Man Alive. It was only recently that he acquired this title and he beat the rest of the people in the race to reach the finish line.

The purpose behind today's blog is to talk about achievements and the drive one truly requires to reach that goal. As an individual living in society its very difficult for a person to have a unified focus on a singular goal that will help him/her achieve better results/long term satisfaction over their current situation when the current situation is offering them solutions to the problems that the current situation created. Confused? I was too until I finally realized what was truly required of me to make this situation disappear.

My current life/work situation has gone through some major changes in the last two weeks that have required re-focus on goals and the changes in my career that I have slowly been striving along towards over my time in India. I have listed the changes in small paragraphs to give a brief account of why I even started this blog.

My Career
========
When I first joined IBM I was like a fat kid in a chocolate factory, everything looks good so why not taste it? But over a short span of time, I learned about my options and the choices I would eventually have to make in the long run to ensure that my career actually survives the mundane time it is currently in and moves to a higher level. Unfortunately, I have been running hard in the wrong direction as far as this goes and its been a hard battle between the other circles of my life to balance everything out. How is it going? Let's just say not too well but I am going to put my foot down and take the battering just so that I don't turn into that bitter old man who everyone knows could have done better.

My Social Life
==========
I used to be overly social (if there is such a phrase). Alas, over the past few years, I have strived to bring people together and build the kind of social life I used to have once upon a time. In the process, I have forgotten the golden rule of the social circle concept that I have learned over the years which has taught me that if two people don't like each other then you are not responsible for making sure that they understand that they are both your friends irrespective of how they treat each other and it is not your sole responsibility to make sure everyone is comfortable and playing well together. The final result, I have to either let things burn and pick up whats left of the ashes or get burnt myself and burn all the social circles I have. I would like to take advice on this and I have in the past, but its time to once again make firm decisions like I did in early 2002 and let the actual people with the problems decide what they want to do.

These are of course the bigger points and there are smaller problems within these but the focus has to be big to make it small and I only hope that I have a bigger self-controlled drive to fix the problems that have now come back up.

Mood when writing this blog - Rushed
Music Listened to when writing this blog - Eric Clapton - Change The World

Joss Stone - Introducing

2007-08-14T04:27:00.000-07:00

When I first heard JS it was by pure accident. 'Right to be wrong' was a track that showcased a very mellow and mildly angry Joss. The new album 'Introducing' has a much fresher sound and is very catchy. 'Arms of my baby' is a very fast paced and beat-rich song showcasing the wider range that JS can actually reach. Great sound, good purchase and totally recommended if you want to actually listen to something a bit different from the standard pop and radio stuff you are listening to.

Playlist
=====

1. Change (Vinnie Jones Intro)
2. Girl They Won't Believe It
3. Headturner
4. Tell Me `Bout It
5. Tell Me What We're Gonna Do Now feat. Common
6. Put Your Hands On Me
7. Music feat. Lauryn Hill
8. Arms Of My Baby
9. Bad Habit
10. Proper Nice
11. Bruised But Not Broken
12. Baby Baby Baby
13. What Were We Thinking
14. Music Outro

Overall Rating : 8/10

Music listened to while writing this post - Arms of my Baby - Joss Stone
Current Mood - Carefree

Mlimerick Time

2007-07-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

I knew a girl
She was pretty stiff
My friend asked me for her address
Instead we smoked a spliff

Music listened to while writing this post - Sound of Silence - DJ Apt. 102
Mood - Tired but pushing the awareness

Dedicated to the presence of Dry Poison in the house

Security with some fashion attached

2007-07-19T00:51:00.001-07:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/19/fashion/19taser.html

Will wonders never cease ... next we will have security systems with Power Puff Girl themes on them.

Flashback Post

2007-07-18T22:58:00.001-07:00

Thursday, July 19th 2007

==================

iTunes Library Random Choice - Daft Punk - One More Time

Whenever I hear the tune that was randomly chosen for me by iTunes today I get reminded of good times over the year 99 when I first went to college and the ensuing madness and partying that was coupled with graduation 4 years later. Just had to post this ... enjoy college cause once your out its not as fun even if you party everyday ....

Music - Daft Punk - One More Time

Mood - Friday Fever

Growing Up V1.0 Reflection

2007-07-18T06:32:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since I have done some reflection and I guess now is a good time as any. There have been some major changes in my life going from age 17 to 26.

1. Friends - I don't really know when or where it happened but after coming back to India I have reduced the radius of the circle of friends I have. I chalk it down to a few things that I can probably blame the drinking culture in India on but mostly on the fact that with the work I do I hardly meet any new people and that is something that I constantly try and work towards with any means given to me.

2. Tolerance - This is one thing that I believe I have managed to get down pat with the 9 years that have passed since me being 17. These days, I think before I do anything and the tolerance factor is much higher. I used to be quick to react but now I think and see if there is a way to just let things go and for the most part I do.

I know this is a short post but there is much more that I have not really reflected on completely and I will add them to this. Its that time of the decade spent where I need to do some introspection and see the things that need fixing. Who knows whether they will get fixed or not?

Music Listened to while writing this blog - RHCP - Around the World

Mood - Totally Pissed Off and Tired

Blood and Cigarettes

2007-07-13T03:02:00.000-07:00

I am bought back to consciousness by the sounds of the crazy madman screaming fifteen stories above my head. I slowly reach into my coat pocket and pull out a packet of Marlboro Reds.

"Ahh, comfort at last"

The smoke fills my lungs immediately and I get that rush most smokers get when they haven't smoked in a long time. The mere fact that the smoke is giving me a pleasant high indicates the beginning of the healing process. Regeneration is anything short of pleasan....Fuck!!! Now he's taunting me by throwing bricks off the top floor around the trash I am comfortably resting in. All I need is another ten minutes to get back to full health and its back to business as usual. I can now hold the cigarette with the firm grip I started the day out with. I once read that smoking doesn't promote proper skin grafting and that it can cause abnormalities. I am guessing doctors haven't seen what I can do and in some ways I pray they never do.

He's screaming again. Something about taking care of the flock and how I was never good at it. The cigarette is done and I am back on my feet. I open the front door of the building and walk in. Fifteen flights of stairs to climb and a repeat of everything that has just happened. The autumn breeze blows on my back and gives me a slight chill because the jacket I was wearing is now torn all over.

Killing your father is never easy.

Taken from The Chronicles of J.Belmonte - Book Four

Music while writing this blog - Things I've Done - Linkin' Park

Mood - Friday Blues

Mlimericks (continued)

2007-07-11T05:03:00.000-07:00

Its been a while so here is one that we came up with this weekend past, which was eventful. Drunk people, a blown tire, a half-drunk girl who tried some funny things lol (get your mind out of the gutter) and a birthday.

I knew a girl

She was real old

I knew a girl

She was real old

I got between her legs

And all I found was mold

Disgusting I know...

Music listened to with this post - Morningwood - Babysitter

Mood - Half Full Happy

The Wonderful Verification Process

2007-07-05T03:37:00.000-07:00

7:00 AM - I drag my arse out of bed and open the windows to let some of the mildly polutted air into my room.

8:00 AM - Put on my iPod and go about my reading work

9:00 AM - Get my clothes ironed and proceed to have a shower

10:00 AM - Get out the door and proceed to work

11:00 AM - Fill out an online application for the reset of my password for On-line banking with ICICI and this is where the chain of chronologically neat events stops.

The question to be asked while reading this blog post is " What is something that no one else knows about me that only I could know?"

I asked myself this question as I was filling out a form to get my internet banking password reset today. There were a series of questions that anyone could obtain with a little casual questioning and I wonder why banks have really not caught onto this. Let's examine some of the ridiculous questions we are asked :

1. Whats your mother's maiden name? Gee I don't know but maybe my dad, brother, sister, grandmother, uncle, aunt, granddad, all the friends shes known over the years and someone know wants to reset my password for me could answer.

2. Whats your Date of Birth? With all the orkutting, myspacing, facebooking and gosh even googling we do I, our date of birth is the most insecure question to put on this form.

3. Account Number? Slightly harder to obtain but not the hardest still.

4. Email address? Who writes letters anymore. Need I say more?

5. Residential Address? All it takes is a day out where I live and I am sure you can get it from anyone on the road for 10 Rs or even for free (Yes, being polite gets you a lot of information).

6. Mobile Number? God, this one is so trivial that its inclusion in a safe form is pointless

So, the final verdict is that banks should allow you to just devise questions yourself and that should be it. Imagine if I had a question like "What did I have to close the night for my 19th birthday?". Now thats security and doesn't require me to wait a whole fucking week for my PIN to be reset. Till the next time ... Hello.

Music Listened to while writing this blog - Piece of My Heart - Faith Hill (Cover)

Phrase of the moment - More Than Meets The Eye

Movie on the Horizon - Transformers (The Movie)

Kelly Clarkson - My December

2007-06-26T01:50:00.000-07:00

Playlist

======

1. Never Again

2. One Minute

3. Hole

4. Sober

5. Don't Waste Your Time

6. Judas

7. Haunted

8. Be Still

9. Maybe

10. How I Feel

11. Yeah

12. Can I Have a Kiss

13. Irvine

When the first American Idol nominated Kelly Clarkson as the winner I wasn't too sure that she'd last in the music business but here she is with a third album to her name. Its not all that great to be honest and if you want to hold onto your manhood i recommend not actually listening to it beacause I almost lost mine. As a pop album, it will do well and the throngs of Clarkson fans out there will be happy to see the girl finally become a woman.

Overall - 6/10 (Its Kelly Clarkson you can't give her anything under a 5 or Simon will come to your doorstep)

Music Listened to while writing this post - Jewel - Deep Water
Mood - Peachy

The importance of saying Hello

2007-06-23T23:22:00.000-07:00

Hello

noun
an expression of greeting; "every morning they exchanged polite hellos"

- Taken from dictionary.com by the complex "Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V" procedure

A typical morning at work for me involves coming into the IBM building and systematically proceeding to my desk. Along the way, I meet people with whom I have exchanged minuscule words and sometimes a quick joke to lighten their moods. The standard approach to greeting a person informally has gone from proper spoken English to grunts and hisses like a pressure valve letting out gas. I usually greet people with a quick Hi or a slightly prolonged Hello followed with the person's first name, last name or their nickname. These days, however, people seem to be following the gangster's guide to showing restekpa (yes i know its spelt wrong) and they only nod or give a chin up. If you happen to chance someone saying Hello to someone else, they must either be too early for work or have nothing better to do at their desk.

Saying Hello probably means nothing to the average man but it can be used in so many efficient ways. Here are a few :-

1. You've woken up from bed and your girlfriend/wife/mistress/the girl you paid to much for is in the kitchen snacking away at your precious nutrition. To avoid conflict and unnecessary morning banter, you say a quick hello how are you? soft kiss on the cheek and voila you have managed to grab the coffee she has made for you along with the newspaper and the bacon on the dish. Don't believe me? Give it a try.

2. Your getting into work and you notice the cunt that has been making your life miserable and smiling about it is coming your way. Wash that mournful look off and say a brisk and polite hello followed by 'how are you today?'. If that doesn't plant the seeds of doubt in the infertile soil resting on the top of your nemesis head, even a radioactive powered bulldozer won't help.

3. Your in the pantry and that extremely cute or vixen-like (if that floats your boat) co-worker is getting a cup of brew before heading back to work. You could start the conversation with your name and that you are interested in her and the size of her mamalons but with the way law is going these days your better off just getting a porn magazine and making sweet love to your right hand. Instead, test the water with a cool Hello, how are you? and just give an acknowledging smile and slight tilt of head. What have you done here? Tested the water, made your entrance and successfully taken a look down her cleavage. (I know ladies I am sorry I did not put a guy in here but believe me I'd have to see a shrink if I did)

4. Your boss is trying to ditch work early and go home to play Xbox 360 with his kid (well ok I know I could have come up with something better) and you notice him from across the floor. You can shout a nice air-filled Hello, Mr XYZ I think Mr. Your-boss-not-mine was looking for you and quickly become the MVP of the floor for that day or week if your lucky.

I could go on and on but I think we can all now agree that no matter how serious I try and get in my writing, I will never be able to do so successfully. Just remember, the best way to make an entry is to find out what you want and work towards making sure no one knows what it is you truly want from them. Hello is one of the safest ways to do so when your in a group because who wants to be rude to someone that is trying very hard to be polite unless your a total ass and really don't care for the niceness of people. Good luck using your new found abilities and remember it takes two to tango and one to get a sexual harassment suit for trying to feel up your HR representative.

Till the next time ... Hello

Music listened to while writing this blog - RHCP - Raodtrippin' (something like that)
Mood - Elated

Whats In A Name - Short Add

2007-06-20T01:35:00.001-07:00

I know there are spelling/grammar mistakes... and its gives my writing character so if you are going to comment on that learn to kindly fuck off.

Music while writing this short post - AIN - Rotten Apple
Mood - Indifferent

Whats In A Last Name

2007-06-20T01:33:00.001-07:00

"By the power vested in me by the state of jibberish, I pronounce you husband and wife" -- The man every married person learns to curse if things go sour

When your younger, your decision making really isn't your own. Your parents give you everything you need and decide what you shouldn't get eventhough you might truly need it. They look over your shoulder at every step ensuring that you get the things they never got and in addition to this wonderful responsibility, they also manage their hectic lives. However, talking about pressure and responsibility is not the point of this post. The one element of the over-fantasized concept of marriage that I want to talk about is the last name a woman gets when she marries the man/woman of her dreams. I wonder where it is written in stone that a woman needs to adopt a man's last name? I think I missed the memo on where that Holy Grail lies.

The best solution for this problem is to do one of two things

Amalgamate the last names
Concatenate the last names

Now, lets take each of these and see the pros and cons.

Amalgamation

Althought the process sounds like a super villain out of an Uncanny X-Men comic book, the reality is far from it. Lets take an example to illustrate the phoenetic problem some cultures will have if this goes live.

Eg. John Brown marries Mary Shelly - Their last name becomes Brolly. Sounds a bit mannly but its the concept working as designed.

Now, what kind of good samaritans would we be if we only helped people with western family names? The bad kind. So lets take a quick trip over to the Indian subcontinent for some more Sesame Street fun.

Indian Eg. Ram Chandran marries Prachi Jain. They gets the last name Chanchi. Still not so bad but with the kind of world we live in, its only a matter of time before we deal with intercultural marriages.

IntCul Eg. Melroy Coelho marries Danielle Huntchekova. So we get the last name Coechekova. I am sure my dad and mom would have a fit calling the kids and so would their friends as well but its something that can be worked around.

Along with the problem of last name amalgamation there is another problem which requires time to be injected into the equation. What happens when the kids of last-name-amalgamated-parents (LNAP) get married? Lets find out.

LNAP Kids getting married - Brolly married Chanchi - Brochi.

So amalgamation works out pretty fine and everyone is none the wiser. Lets take care of the next solution which actually sounds more pleasant but causes much more problems.

Concatenation

I know it sounds like a yank-infected chinese cooking style but its actually a method of putting two things together by keeping their original states the same. So in the first example, the last name would become Brown-Shelly and so on. Now, these parents become LNCP - Last Name Concatenated Parents. Everything else holds the same except for the children who get completely screwed and every subsequent generation suffers even more.

eg. Brown-Shelly meets Chandran-Jain and now you have Brown-Shelly-Chandran-Jain and the next batch of kids suffer even more.

Therefore, to avoid all this confusion women should take mens last names. Why? Look at the amount of confusion we had to go through to come to a peaceful amicable solution. Oh and for all you feminists screaming for women's equality and why men can't just take women's last names? When you get the concept of equality right we will talk business. When and if I feel like bashing that concept I will get to it. Melroy Coelho - Out.

Music Listent to while writing this blog - Alice In Chains - I Stay Away

Mood - Happy

Starting verbal arguments when Wireless is availible

2007-06-14T06:00:00.001-07:00

We were sitting around the living room yesterday night and talking about David Copperfield (The Illusionist). Now, in a situation where you are seated at a bar, no one would start arguing unless they had information or if they were told by a reliable source (wife/fuckbuddy/etc.). Instead, my roommate simply opens his laptop, goes to google and voila you've got all the information you need. Amazingly, this same scenario has now crept into the bar scenario where people with internet access on their cellphones can now do the exact same thing. Infact, if Bangalore was completely wireless, I could simply open my PSP and go googling or Wiking around the internet for information. Imagine a world where your watch did the same thing? or where your microwave did it too? Soon we will all be connected in some way or the other and it's pretty scary. Where will we run.

Crazy world we live in.

Music while writing this post - Joan Jett - I Love Rock And Roll
Mood - Generally Happy

Windows Live Writer (Beta) -- Simple and Very Useful

2007-05-29T07:36:00.001-07:00

So today I was in a very Microsoft mood. I visited the website and went to the Live Beta section and found an application that I am very happy with.

Windows Live Writer (Beta) has made my blogging easier by simply allowing me Word functionality and then the simple push of a button to get the post onto the web.

If you like blogging and if you like to save your drafts on a machine to work offline then this is a great application to have and it even takes the style from the blog site and puts it in the drafts as well.

Wicked cool. You have done well once again Billy.

Link - http://get.live.com/betas/writer_betas

Rating - 9/10 (Simply because it lets you write whatever whenever and just post it when you are ready)

Music - Carried Underwood - In your heaven

Statement of the Day

2007-05-29T07:27:00.001-07:00

So yesterday night we were sitting down having dinner and just talking when my roommate's brother decides to say something that must be considered in the hall of shame of things that people say when they are certainly not thinking.

"Being intellegent is not a bad thing"

I leave it to the masses to dissect this one and bring me back some comments. Considering the patronage I get to my page I am expecting a null result but I shall pass this one around work and the forums to see what comes up.

Name Change consideration --- Techno-Ronin
Music - Disappear - Dina D'Allesandro

Weekend Learning and the N-Queen Problem

2007-05-28T02:54:00.000-07:00

So i'll admit, I am very very rusty when it comes to programming after being out for it for so many years but the information i garnered this weekend has actually got me interested in it once again. I learnt a bit about registers and their uses. A little more reading on Wikipedia and I am slowly getting back my interest for programming. Now the question is what do i do with it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/32-bit_x86_assembly_programming

Death - The Final Goal

2007-05-21T03:26:00.000-07:00

Some people say that it takes a death in the family to sometimes bring the family together. Others say that death is the one true constant we have in our lives. The question then begs that if we know its coming around then why are we still fighting for cures and saving lives? If we all know that we are going to eventually turn into physical matter that constitutes the planet why have a science that develops medication/saves lives?

I have long thought about this topic and can only come up with one answer ... Selfishness. An article I posted some time back ... No Good Deed ... properly explains that no good deed truly has a complete selflessness associated with it. At some point in time we get attached to the people that we live with, family and friends. I think it is pure selfishness that wants us to keep them alive and see the species propagate into the future. For if we were all truly comfortable with death then we would not be finding ways to cheat it. We all know its coming and we all certainly know we cannot live forever, yet we read about people in the newspapers who get medals and awards for finding the cure to diseases we have struggled with for many generations.

We never hear good things about the people that have come to terms with the Grim Reaper and have actually accepted their fate and are dying. These are the people who truly deserve the medals and awards because they know its coming and they are not fighting something that is as innate in our physical being as giving birth or socializing. It is for this very reason that I feel people who pray for the dying, who take the challenge to cheat death and who feel that the world would be a better place through medicine truly take the cake as worldly unaware and cheating the people they are helping out of the one thing they need ... reality.

Sure I might be a bit angry and misguided while I write this article but who are they to judge me on what I think when we all know that what we think is not our own, it is a product of everything around us.

UEFA Champions League/Heroes Season 1

2007-05-21T00:50:00.000-07:00

Season 1 for Heroes comes to an end and Liverpool meets AC Milan for a Champions League final in the same week. Its going to be good is all I can say. Not much to write today other than the usual run of the mill and my final commitment to say Fine ... Fuck You to people I choose to irrespective of how they feel or what situation they are in.

In the end, you can trust no one but yourself. However, you should never fall short of the person you can be to help other people because if you have a gift it is your responsibility to use it.

Music - The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony
Phrase - You will never Walk Alone

Heroes - The One I Feel The Most Inclined To Be

2007-05-17T01:30:00.000-07:00

In the past few months I have been watching this show diligently and haven't missed a show ... yet. With the season finale coming up next week I feel that now is the time to write a blog about which character I feel I can truly relate to.

Character List
==========
Mr. Linderman - The Healer
Peter Petrelli - The Empath
Nathan Petrelli - The Flying Man
Claire Bennet - Indestructible
Hiro Nakamura - Time Traveller
Sylar (Yes hes an anti-hero) - The Genetic Absorber
DL - Walks through walls
Nikki/Jessica Sanders - Dual Peronality with Amazing Strength
Mica Sanders - Able to Control any machine
Parkman - The Telepath
Ted Sprague - Radioactive Man
Molly Walker - The locator

The character I best relate to is Peter. He's the guy that did all that he could when it was time and still ended up getting fucked in the end. The girl he was interested in dies. The patient he cared for the most died. His brother is worried about saving a world that is on a crash course for destruction. He has a gift that is truly one of the best powers but his ability to see his potential is shadowed by his fear of failure. His family feels that hes taken the wrong path. He finds Claire to be his sister and finds comfort is pushing her to use her abilities for good. I sometimes wonder how you cannot like this character for all the fucked up shit thats happened and his view on the world going from cheerful to sheer analytical. I cannot wait for the season finale to see what happens when Peter and Sylar finally square off and whether or not Boom becomes a reality.

Women and the missing link

2007-05-17T01:20:00.000-07:00

Every time I seem to want to write something about women my age I am reminded of the amount of time spent on the books that I have been trying to write for a long long time now. The protagonist is a true lover of the opposite sex but just doesn't seem to hit the right note and --spoiler but who cares-- either ends up killing all his love interests or loses them because he is not interested in anything but sheer revenge and motivation for a higher cause.

In some ways I feel that I fall into the same thinking, considering I am writing the stupid books lol. I always seem to feel that a relationship that takes too much effort is like trying to move objects with your mind when you really can't. It's a more fruitful venture to consider yourself human and move on with the options given to you because of your unique placement in the mad world we live in.

Women in general aren't really bad and in some cases are the sole reason some of us find the time to put smiles on our truly depressed faces. Alas, with all the good must also come the bad considering the fact that nothing good really exists without something bad to balance it out. I think a sabbatical is in order and to do that I need to break/burn some bridges that I really do not want to. Unfortunately the end result is going to be beneficial for me and if I really and truly put my mind back into things that actually make me happy I will be a better and more wiser person for doing so.

On with the show ...

Music while writing this blog -- Xpress - Lazy (Radio Edit)
Favorite Word of the Moment -- Boom
Expected death count for the day -- too large to count
Realization for the day -- Cows don't fly, shit does.

AMD Phenom

2007-05-14T01:52:00.001-07:00

Interesting article I came across today from the AMD Pressroom

http://www.amd.com/us-en/Corporate/VirtualPressRoom/0,,51_104_543~117412,00.html

Super Heroes In Our Lifetime

2007-05-14T01:19:00.000-07:00

I feel that today is going to be a long day considering that my back is really killing me but then again I guess I am to blame for sleeping in a position that makes most gymnasts look like amateurs lol. On a more brighter note, things are looking up and I have started talks to move into a job role that I think would better suit my mental frame at IBM. If all works out well then the blog will become more active as I will have more time to type and actually cover things that I have been dying to cover for a long long time.

Todays title is something that I have been passionate about since my childhood, comics. I remember spending hours upon hours reading away while my parents told me to sleep or eat or take a bath (thank god i listened sometimes lol). Most people take comics as a creative gateway for artists/writers/inkers to show the world their talent. I think that with the amount of evolution we have seen in graphic novels (what they are called these days) this statement no longer holds true. As a clarification I would like to say that when I talk about comics I am not talking about Tin Tin or Asterix or those lame-ass Archies that have filled people's bookshelves for the longest time possible. I am talking about real writing .. Batman Year One/Marvel Knight's Peter Parker/Fantastic Four EX/Etc. These writers have grown up with the readers who adore them and are now at a stage where its not just heroes beating villains or getting the girl at the end of the day. Moreover, they deal with real-life issues, Peter Parker not being able to support Mary Jane and her modeling conquest or Bruce Wayne having flashes about the way in which he has dealt with his parents loss and his choice to become the Dark Knight.

It really hurts fans and people like me when movies like Spiderman 3 come out and totally ruin the image that these artists have worked so long to create and display. Directors like Sam/Ang/Brian etc have got so much material to work with that having great script writers becomes a no-brainer, yet they go and gear these movies for the pimple popping generation we have now. I do not see how making these movies in pure 60s fashion is going to garner new fans and show them the evolution of these heroes and I don't see the point in bubble-gumming the entire situation.

I can only hope that Ang does a good job when IH2 comes out because hes got a great casting call in Eric Bana and Jennifer which should not be wasted. Bruce is a complicated character and should be treated as such. I don't really care if the movie ends with a big bang or we see spectacular SFX. I just want to see heroes being heroes and not the childhood style crap we are seeing from these mediocre directors.

Music listened to during the write of this blog - Velvet Revolver - Money
Phrase for the day - Your going to die anyways why not enjoy yourself and fuck the rest of the world for thinking they are going to live forever
Melroy Coelho Firmware Version - 1.0+

Air No More

2007-05-11T01:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I think that iGoogle really is great. I have been using it for two days now and already I am reading up on stuff that I normally would never find if I was just reading around. Todays reading was no less from sheer brilliant. When I was younger we lived opposite the Michelin showroom and this is an invention that will surely go places with the right amount of funding and perhaps innovation from car manufacturers as well.

Read on

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/tweel-airless-tire.htm

Music this blog was written with - Simply Red - Stars
Word of the moment - Kohomadha

Melroy Coelho v1.0 Personal Firmware Upgrade May 7th 2007

2007-05-07T00:40:00.000-07:00

So people, it eventually had to happen and the time has finally come. Yesterday in the afternoon I reset my personal firmware back to v1.0. For a lot of people this is going to come as a shock but for people that have known me prior to 1999 all faith is now restored in the jungle that is called my post high school years.

Things to look forward to with v1.0
-----------------------------------
1 - I do not take bullshit anymore and become vocal on it at get-go
2 - I really don't give a shit to second degree work and will let you know where you belong
3 - You know that understanding person that you thought you knew. Guess what I killed him.
4 - Cows and stray Cats get the same treatment - A kick although I prefer death.
5 - Take a stab at my lack of regional language understanding and I WILL put you in your place
6 - Weekends are finally ME time and your plans may or not fall into them
7 - I will help anyone provided they seriously want to be helped and are not just attention starved
8 - I finally want to put Football ahead of alot of things in my life and get back into it
9 - No more half-wit jokes about situations anymore

There is a lot more to come with this regression but I felt it finally was time. I am tired of being run ragged by the amount of time I spend thinking and wasting on useless ventures. A trip to Nandi Hills and I saw the light in the dark of night. I am going to apologize to all the people over the 8 yrs who have gotten used to a specific kind of response from me based on situation and my critic-style of humor. I also want to apologize to people that I have helped in the past because at some point I got so badly jipped that I had to put my foot down and tell the truth and from now on there will be no more sugar-coating.

I would like to thank Bangalore, lack of sleep, sheer human idiocy and my need for self-improvement for bringing me back to where I truly needed to be. BACK TO BASICS.

Reading this disclaimer I suppose puts a spin on a lot of people that I have met over the years but for the ones that I know and they already know are truly in the right boat there will be no difference between us. For all the rest, god help us both.

Phrase of the moment -- Everything that has a beginning has an end.
Song used to make this decision -- Cry - Faith Hill

No Good Deed Goes Recognized

2007-05-01T23:38:00.000-07:00

Someone once said that love was unconditional and all i have to say to that is yeah right. Yesterday night I had an amazing revelation as I smoked a Davidoff cigarette and drank a glass of wine. I started thinking about why people do things in the name of love and it suddenly dawned on me that people do things in the name of love to appease themselves as the end result of doing something for someone else no matter how good they may feel about it ultimately gives only one person satisfaction, the person that performed the act.

More to come ..

Anfield Madness - Chelsea Are Just Not Good Enough

2007-05-01T23:29:00.001-07:00

Its one thing to be called the champions of England (It means truly nothing) but to finally be called the champions of Europe is something that has evaded Jose Mourinho for a total of three seasons. Last night Anfield was on fire as Liverpool FC stormed into yet another final of the European Championship (former name for the UEFA Champions League). I have no words to describe my pure excitement and relief at the fact that we are once again where we were two seasons back and with the threat of AC Milan or Man Utd. on the horizon. But as fan of the KOP i can only say one thing ... You'll Never Walk Alone ....

And to all the supposed football and Chelsea FC fans ... go back to stitching or needle work you ignorant c$nts.

Blog written and inspired by Ryan Cabrera - On The Way Down

Big Showdown In Anfield Tonight

2007-05-01T01:28:00.000-07:00

When the lights finally go down on the Liverpool season for '06 - '07 for their Champions League I would like to think of the finals and the repeat showdown with AC Milan that we had two years ago. When people that simply watch the sport tell you that it's all over in the first half with two goals down to one of, if not the biggest, footballing clubs in Serie A, you cannot help but feel the necessity to challenge common reasoning and logic and let the silly SOBs know that in this sport nothing is over till Injury Time puts a low blow on the proceedings. I feel and know that we can still pull off yet another amazing season by thumping Chelsea at Anfield. Tonight's betting proceedings will go to my choice of charity should we win. If we lose, I will personally take the money along with a picture and donate it to R.I's ongoing oil fund for Chelsea FC... NOT

COME ON LIVERPOOL ....

Scouser for Life
Melroy Coelho (Resident Happiness Injector IBM IGA Europe and MEA)

Song this blog was written along with - Football's Coming Home - '98 Edition - Baddel and Skinner

Chennai Trip 2007

2007-04-30T23:29:00.000-07:00

First revisit trip of the year and it was good in many ways. I think I have finally found my 'Miami' group equivalent and it was in the most unlikeliest places of all (yes i know there is no word like that). The trip came about in a very odd fashion with me not even wanting to make the trip because of stress reasons. Alas as with most trips I have made (Virginia Tech, Ft Lauderdale 2004 and the ever famous Miami Caper 2002) I caved in and said it would be good to finally get out of BLR and head for some nice sunshine and maybe get some beach time in.

Things to do when in Chennai
------------------------------

1 - Avoid telling people a specific time - Heat and Traffic will cause problems
2 - Remember to buy deodrant in bangalore cause man you will need it when you get there
3 - Remember to eat burgers at Baywatch (We get good stuff in some places in BLR but the taste is something to remember)
4 - Do not go to Mochas unless you want to be like someone acting in the Godfather Sauna scene
5 - Remember that Rajnikanth is bigger than the good lord himself so be careful about what you say and do with the moustache man.
6 - You will start saying things in languages you do not understand (english mostly)
7 - Take the chance to enjoy the fact that booze is much cheaper in BLR and drink less

All in all I will say that my concept of Chennai is now a far cry from what it was last year when I erratically visited the place. Had i known the people i met on this trip I probably would have had a better time but considering my frame of mind when I went there I will say that I think that it was a smart decision on my part not to call anyone lol.

City Rating

Overall - 6.5 /10
Weatherwise - 7 /10 (Yes I grew up in the mid-east and I love the heat)
Beach/Entertainment - 6/10 (As with any place the people make it not the place itself but I have been to places where the beaches just blow your mind)
Alcohol - Undecided (Did not get to try any of the local stuff but who knows maybe next time)
Drugs - Undecided (Although I got a very nice offers at Zara's hehe glad I kept that one to myself)
People - 9.5 /10 (This trip would have been an utter waste had I not gone with some cool people)
Revisit Factor - 8/10 (Still lots to see and more places to go so I will visit again maybe in only shorts)

Song used while writing this blog - SJB and Jane Weidlin - Rush Hour (Fonzerelli Hot and Sexy Remix)

Good Weekend

2007-04-24T06:44:00.000-07:00

So we had a good weekend this past and it's not because we drank or the weekend was great but rather due to the fact that we met some very cool and fun people. finally bangalore is starting to get back in groove again after a long long time. More to come in the posts as I now sit in a place where my every move is no longer monitored.

Have to love hating The Man

Personality Type Take A Look

2007-03-10T13:34:00.001-08:00

You Are An INFJ

The Protector

You live your life with integrity, originality, vision, and creativity.
Independent and stubborn, you rarely stray from your vision - no matter what it is.
You are an excellent listener, with almost infinite patience.
You have complex, deep feelings, and you take great care to express them.

You would make a great photographer, alternative medicine guru, or teacher.

What's Your Personality Type?

Gears of War vs Resistance: Fall of Man

2007-03-08T06:24:00.000-08:00

The Xbox 360 has been a big hit worldwide since its realease last year. Many people geared it as a failure on MS's part to release something so early in the game when its other two competitors were still working on their next-gen consoles.

As always, I am with Nintendo on this game plan but on with the point of the blog. I have seen extensive screenshots, gameplay analysis and even seen developer interviews for the two top gun FPSs for consoles this year ... Gears of War and Resistance.

Initially, I was in total awe at the way GOW simply overruns Resistance when it comes to vivid scenarios, very good looking enemies and even FMVs. But that was before last month when I saw a time-trial of Resistance. The bosses just outdo anything GOW throws at it and the inherent problem I faced when I played Resident Evil 4 for the first time has even been overcome. Even next-gen consoles suffer from the excessive sprite syndrome as I saw in a demo video made by some of the developers. This is where Resistance just kicks ass ... at one point of time there were approx. 40 enemies on the screen doing different things and the PS3 never even flinched. It just kept on rolling. Furthermore, the levels get more intensive as Resistance moves on and im sorry to tell all those ardent PC gamers out there but there is no game at present that can match the overload of enemies and the clarity that is put out by the PS3.

Ratings
GOW - 9.5 /10 (I mean can you really give it any less? its simply spectacular on scenarios minus the A button problem and the wall hugging ... hopefully a fix comes with the next edition)
Resistance - 9.8 /10 (Sony have outdone themselves and the enemies just keep on coming totally cool game, very well thought out weapon system and the controls are fluid. One thing to work on in the next edition is to get it from the new school person point and not the gun crossair)

Water loss ... start some fires

2007-02-05T03:11:00.000-08:00

So today the Karnataka government lost out a bid for getting control over a dam and the amount of water is now going to be downsized. Amazingly, starting fires is what the local population has decided on. I don't know which rocket-scientist started this amazing idea but I think that they forgot that inorder to put out fires (which im sure the local fire department wants to do inspite of any rivarly with TN) they need water.

Only time and the unbelievable stupidity called education will tell the tale of these morons ...

Brahmin Wedding Fundamentals -- The Sweet

2007-01-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

So listed here are a few pics from this special sweet that you only get at Brahmin weddings. I have decided to show the phases in which this dish comes to a person attending the wedding.

Phase 1 - The empty plate

Phase 2 - A crispy toasted sweet puff is put on my plate but I have to wait for the coming condiments :(

Phase 3 - The Brahmins coat the bun with some cocaine (They tried to tell me it was sugar ... Yeah Right)

Phase 4(Finale) - They cover it in almond milk and your off

Rating - 6 / 10 (Kellogs has the upperhand here but still a very good treat)

Mlimerick #3

2007-01-23T04:58:00.001-08:00

Here a good one that I thought of while having a fight with someone (a girl). Enjoy, as usual comments are welcome

I knew a girl,
Who liked to teach;
Unfortunately she never liked to practice,
What she liked to preach.

Weird Things Just Keep Happening

2007-01-22T05:33:00.000-08:00

So this weekend was a good one. My friends from FIT visited and we got a bit drunk. Had a good money conserving nite. Nothing too serious. Also went on a trip to Baldwins High School and did some hiring for the company. Shame I didn't take any pics as it might have been a good idea.

In addition to that, a friend from work also had his birthday and learned a few things about how to roll a joing lol. The ensuing posts will have more on how to do that with help from my internet friends Google and Wikipedia.

PIX
----

Chints talking on the telephono in the new appartment

My drink getting the better of me lol

Thought of the day
-------------------
Fuck Etiquette It's What Makes Managers And What Good Are They Anyways ....

Mlimerick #2

2007-01-17T01:19:00.000-08:00

So with the first one comes a new one as well lol. This one is pervy but also one of the first few I developed on my trip to Nandi Hills and back.

Floss
-----
I knew a girl
She tasted sweet

Now I have hair
Between my teeth

Lox

2007-01-16T03:55:00.000-08:00

This article on Wikipedia made me miss fish so much. I mean yum. A nice toasted sandwich with this in it.... ooo yummy with some tea and bacon in the morning.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lox

Mlimerick #1

2007-01-15T23:34:00.000-08:00

This is the first mlimerick that I will post on here. Before going into the actual content, a mlimerick is a melroy limerick hence the amalgamation. Here goes. BTW this place is open to more mlimericks from people from all over the world so please feel free to email me or comment on these with your own.

Cookies and Milk
-----------------

Cookies and Milk I sat and ate,
Because my stomach told my mind ... not to wait

Superheroes going awry

2007-01-13T07:17:00.000-08:00

So I was reading media news on IGN today and found out that Sam Raimi has finally started unveiling the infamous Venom in the upcoming Spiderman movie. For years, Spiderman fans have watched Eddie Brock mutate from the simple jail cell jock into one of the best enemies Spiderman has ever faced. There are some better ones but for now I think Raimi has done a good job. With the recent trend in most of Marvel's normal run comics (The Knights series is an offshoot), its nice to see that Marvel have finally decided to go back to grassroots and pit Spiderman against a good villain. I was hoping for a view of Carnage in the entire misgivings but I think that it would be a bit too much for the writers to incorporate. Also, the inclusion of Topher Grace as Eddie Brock has me a bit confused. I never saw Topher as the bulky muscular kind with the ability to really portray what Stan Lee had in mind.

All I can hope for is an entertaining movie and who knows maybe Sam can pull off another idiotic Spiderman movie (after number 2) and get away with it.

I am an Idiot - An agreement

2007-01-07T10:16:00.000-08:00

At this point in time i have consumed no copious amounts of alcohol. But Rahul Chaturvedi born in India at 12:44 am IST Jan 8th 2007 has agreed to be called an idiot once a month for the rest of his natural life as per the terms and agreements setforth in his Alto. He could not tell the difference between Tom Cruise and Christian Bale ... sad i know but its true.

Enjoy Rahul Happy New Year and wait I still have 31 - 7 days to have you proclaim ur an idiot.

Yay ... I want to go to the parade....

MEL

Song of the moment -- I should be so lucky -- Kylie Minogue

Razorligh - Self Titled Album

2006-12-07T06:52:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I think that what the music world really needs is some smashing lyrics and a great rock sound to rejuventate the music listeners of today and take them back to the basic 4/4 music pattern. It seems alot of today's music listeners are into R+B and Hip Hop. Which is not a bad thing but then again there are other art forms that are getting lost in the mix.

Razorlight have a very fresh sound to them and the music is something that you can pick off the shelf and just start listening to. There is no complexity and guess what, it sounds fucking good. I was turned onto this band while i was plugged into Radio 1 one Sunday and since then I am a fan of the sound of the vocalist and the ever inspiring guitar work in the background. I tell people all the time that the beauty of the rock guitar is no longer with the English speaking portion of the Western world.

Take some time out and give this band a chance, chances are you may start putting rock back on the plate.

Playlist

--------

1. In The Morning

2. Who Needs Love

3. Hold On

4. America

5. Before I Fall To Pieces

6. I Can’t Stop This Feeling I’ve Got

7. Pop Song 2006

8. Kirby’s House

9. Back To The Start

10. Los Angeles Waltz

Overall Rating - 8/10

Nintendo Wii

2006-12-05T02:37:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while, a videogame manufacturing powerhouse comes along and does something revolutionary that just makes me feel all warm inside. Nintendo Corp. Japan did such a thing two weeks back when they released their contender into next-gen gaming called the Wii (pronounced as weee) according to Shinji Miamoto.

The thing that I like most about this console is the fact that Nintendo has now made a console that actually makes gaming a physical as well as lazy feat both in one. The new joystick has a motion sensor in it that is responsive to the user's motion. There is also the nanchuck attachment that turns the Wii Remote into the old school Gamecube/N64 configuration that brings back the old school way of playing Nintendo games.

Now, here are some interesting comments on what the two other big giants (Sony Entertainment America and Microsoft had to say about the console).

Sony -- These guys literally rule the computer game realm when it comes to having a large archive of games to choose from. And 99.999999% of them are backwards compatible all the way back to the PS1 or PSOne. They have done the most ridiculous thing ever and actually incorporated motion sensing into their joystick eventhough they stood by MS when they said that motion sensing will never catch on and is hard to incorporate into next-gen games.

Microsoft -- J.Allard went on record to say that Microsoft would never support a motion sensing joystick for their XBox series as they were not going to be headed in that direction of the market. Microsoft will always get full marks on the fact that they revolutionized the console market with Xbox Live but they always fall into the lower of the three when it comes to fun and of course the library of games are very eh.... of course changing with the new console (Xbox 360)

It however will be a good thing for Nintendo who have never conformed to high power graphics to bring gamers to their niche. Their games have always been about fun and challenge rather than a pretty game that has the replay value of about 1.5 times. As a closing note I am going to name the games of the consoles over the years to show the fun factor and games I have found good.

Nintendo
----------
NES/Famicom - Legend of Zelda 2 - Links Awakening
SNES/SuperFamicom - Super Mario Bros. 3 / Streetfighter 2 (Revolutionized the market)
- Ninja Gaiden/Super Contra
N64 - Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time (Game of the Century)
Gamecube - Metroid Prime (Outclasses Halo and in some aspects even Gears of War)
Wii - Yet to be seen but Legend of Zelda - Twilight Princess is looking very promising

Playstation
------------
PSOne - Metal Gear Solid / Gran Turismo 2 (So hard to choose)
PS2 - Metal Gear Solid 2 : Sons of Liberty (Excellent gameplay and wicked storyline)
- Gran Turismo 3
- Grand Theft Auto 3/Vice City (Put Rockstar back on the map)
- Metal Gear Solid 3 : Snake Eater (Any PS2 owner needs this)
PS3 - Poor launch titles, best title is Resistance : Fall of Man

Microsoft
----------
Xbox - Ninja Gaiden/Knights of the Old Republic/Halo (I hate this title but it is a box seller)/Forza Motorsport
XBox360 - Perfect Dark Zero/Gears of War

Posting after a long time

2006-11-30T02:47:00.000-08:00

Its been quite a while since I have last posted and yes I have had quite a few thoughts on my mind recently. Things mostly involving death and the afterlife. Do not worry I am not going to make this a supernatural discussion board. More to come in the weeks to follow.

Melroy Coelho

Heaven or Hell?

2006-11-16T18:28:00.000-08:00

I have had an ongoing debate with myself since the age of 12 and it involves the human-made concept of heaven and hell (yes I know this comment starts another topic all together). But lets take some time to think of the things that actually constitute each of the said after-life planes of existence.

Heaven (Simple Rundown)
-------
1 - Cant have crime
2 - Cant do anything bad as God comes from there
3 - People would have to behave and be polite at all times
4 - Everlasting pleasure

Hell (Simple Rundown)
----
1 - Eternal suffering and pain
2 - Sinners getting flogged
3 - Total sin as the Devil comes from there
4 - Crime has to be prevalent

In recent times, many people have tried to justify the non-existence of heaven. The best example I have found, and I can't remember where I heard it, is where someone said that heaven and hell actually exist on the same plane and the decisions we make as people takes us closer to the final actualization of whether or not we live on either one of the planes. For eg. When you go to work in the morning and say hello to someone and smile pleasantly then its existing on a heavenly plane, however, when you go to work and start giving that same person the brunt of your frustration and start cursing then its hell. The interesting thing about this is the gradual progression of someone into hell which coincides with the concept most religions have about hell. The more good deeds you do, the more chances you will have of reaching heaven. Unfortunately the world does not work like that and if we all did good deeds then at some point someone would forget what good was and deem it as standard life.

Someone has to be doing something bad for us to know the concept of good so I think the earlier concept does have to hold true as there needs to be a very consistent balance between people doing good things and bad things in the world for the two, heaven and hell which I shall call H/H from now on, to exist. But then comes the question of whether or not the decisions made by an individual at an instant also depend on perception of the other individual and hence leaving the choice of us going to H/H in the hands of another. Confused? Here lets try an example ...

You wake up in the morning and say hello to your wife, get out of the house, walk to the car and start driving, you call a friend; of many years; and start talking about how your marriage is in a rut and you wish you were out of it. Your friend gives you the advice that maybe you need to work on it. So you go home at then EOD and talk to your wife about the thoughts in your head. With little or no thought, she gets upset saying that its been the major reason she has been sleeping with a person on the side. Now we break into two scenarios ---

Scenario 1
----------
You decide its best for you'll not to be with each other anymore and leave it at that. More points to go to heaven? Well we will see that at the end of this discussion.

Scenario 2
-----------
You take it pretty hard and tell her all the wonderful profanity you have accumulated over your tenure in the realm of the living. Finally, in a fit of rage you'll start fighting and you push her down the stairs and break her neck thus ending her life.

Scenario 1 happens to be a bit more trickier than 2 because in the fact that some religions consider breaking marriage a more grevious sin than actually being a bigger person and letting it go. Also, in that case, the breakpoint can spin either way depending on who is more forgiving and that ultimately decides who is being bad or good. It's not some supernatural force but another living being that decides whether your living in the heaven portion or the hell portion. There is truly no logical answer to Scenario 1.

Scenario 2 can work alot of angles as well. The first one being that all murderers go to hell. But what about the catalytic act of sleeping with someone else and tainting the concept of marriage, trust and responsibility? On the other hand, some fanatics would say that its ok for the man to have pushed the woman down the stairs as it was the right thing to send a sinner to where she had to go. On the other hand, the lady in this situation can also be considered as a victim and hence doing no wrong as her marriage was going to the doghouse and as an act of self-preservation and being emotionally unkept she slept with someone else. So who is to blame here?

So infact, the concept of Heaven and hell really breaks down to other people letting you into the gates. Its not about going to mass or eating communion or going to a temple or going to a mosque or praying five times a day or giving money to the poor or even helping that old lady cross the street (but you better do it lol). Its actually about letting other people see the good in you and letting them decide how the moment shifts in your favor to end up in H/H.

Of course, if your a religious fanatic you'll probably read this post and hang me like a sheep before the slaughter but then again I don't really care as its time to get somethings on the table just so that they can be discussed in a good/clean fashion.

Google Taking Over The Media

2006-11-15T09:47:00.000-08:00

So today I was logging into my blog and I noticed there was a Beta version of it and lo and behold I have now found Google in yet another part of the my web-based entertainment. Its amazing how at every corner I seem to find the name Google. For example, Orkut is now linked to Google Talk and also, Google has now decided it wants to be on the radio. Only time will tell what they have in store next.

Only good things will come of this ...

You have much to learn Grasshopper

2006-11-13T10:19:00.000-08:00

<-- Adithi Belting Notes

Every now and then I teach people things that can only be taught by actually seeing and listening to other people. Music is one such concept. Most people will come up to you at a party and say 'man can you teach me to play ... '

Of course, like any good-mannered musician, I always say that I will take time out of my day to teach music to the person asking the question.

Teachography (I know get a dictionary) [People that I appreciate more than they'll ever know]
===================================================================
1997 - Manish
1998 - Raymond Shimra, Danny, Andy
1999 - Anil Mendonca, Nigel, Gary
2000 - Matt Tash, Joe
2001 - Sachin Mendonca, Jake Whitmore, Mr. Ed
2002 - Hemanth Kumar, Jen, Ilya
2003 - Robbie Porro, Carmen
2004 - Broken wrist takes time out to learn music theory
2005 - My sister, Sristhi, Elvis, Bikram, Damien Lythcott (I was one busy Nigger)
2006 - Adithi, more to come

One thing I always take away from teaching someone music is the fact that they don't just learn from you, they also teach you new styles of music that you probably never heard before. Sometimes I sit back and look at all the people I have taken time to teach and how their choice in music has made me a more rounded musician over the long term. I would never have given the time of day to Dave Matthews or even sounds like Pantera and Sepultura unless I had spent time from 2000 - 2001 listening to and playing the stuff.

I don't think i'll ever stop teaching people until of course my wrist breaks and I am no longer able to play. Even then, I think my schooling and self-education in music won't let me be inactive about the second biggest passion that I have in my life.

Viva la Musica ....

Nandi Hills et All

2006-11-13T10:09:00.000-08:00

So this weekend past was good and the only reason that it has taken me so long to get to blogging about it is the fact that I have so much work and pressure on my head these days that when I take time out I actually feel guilty when I'm done ....

Anyways, onto my trip to Nandi Hills. I got there first class thanks to some drinks at the bar and of course when I awoke in the morning I was greeted by the back seat of the car coupled with a backseat companion, a guitar. Its been so long since i've actually played a guitar that it took me a few minutes to actually orient my hands to what they used to be good at. The place, Nandi Hills, really doesnt have too much to offer for the sightseer, there is Tipu point but even that has a charm that can only last for a few minutes, maybe an hour at the most depending on what you go there to comprehend. However, the highlight of the day came in the form of an unexpected visitor with a tail, a monkey. Its amazing how many monkeys there are on that hill and how unafraid they are of human presence.

The rest of the day revolved around recuperating from the hangover as well as making up some music. I now have a new song, kinda like an x'mas jingle, that sounds like it came out of Curious George movie.

At the end of the day I feel that the trip was worth it just to get out of Bengalooru (how will people ever cope with this) and to see a place other than the smog laden city that used to be nice.

Pix
==

Azad and Rahul enjoy a moment on the rocks near Tipu Point

Current mood : Sleepy
Word for the day: Persistence

Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way

2006-11-12T08:35:00.000-08:00

I've always liked the Dixie Chicks, and this new album really is a different sound from their usual happy twangy sound. I guess in all the time they've spent recovering from insulting the president and losing popularity with the masses on their take on the invasion of Iraq, they've refined their sound and come out with something that sounds more mature. The best song in my opinion on this album is the opening one because it takes us right back to why we love these girls so much, their lack of common sense when taking political stances lol.

There is a good selection of music on this album that will keep country fans well entertained for a long time. Another good song with a fresh sound is Bitter End. Good for you girls and to add salt to the president's already gaping wound, this album has worked wonders for the girls

Playlist

1. The Long Way Around
2. Easy Silence
3. Not Ready To Make Nice
4. Everybody Knows
5. Bitter End
6. Lullaby
7. Lubbock Or Leave It
8. Silent House
9. Favorite Year
10. Voice Inside My Head
11. I Like It
12. Baby Hold On
13. So Hard
14. I Hope

Overall Rating : 8.5 / 10

Bar Report - Surya

2006-11-12T07:55:00.000-08:00

Surya bar is located in what can only be described as the Boston of Bangalore. Situated among a throng of colleges, this bar offers the visitor a range of mostly college students. The highlight of this bar is its rooftop where groups of students/visitors sit in circles (on the ground I might add) and consume copious amounts of alcohol. Now I know what your thinking, how can that be fun? In some ways it can be because it offers an ambience that most other bars don't offer which is the openness of the drinking experience. For example, if you went to a place like Pub World then you'd be forced to just drink with the crowd that you went with unless of course you sat at the bar.

The one thing that did seem of place at this bar was the lack of a guide railing to stop innocent (in more than way) students from pretending to be Clark Kent and try and fly off the roof. The drinks cannot really be gauged here as there really isn't a plethora to choose from but then again once you find the drink you like then the place takes more precedence.

The food was good and from what I could tell, the service could have been better but they really aren't paid to serve well nor are they inclined to step up to the situation and make a better effort.

Drinks Rating : 8 /10
Food : 7/10
Safety(Special Rating) : 2 /10 (But who wants to be safe anyways)
Service : 5 /10 (being kind)
Overall Score : 8/10

An Opera, Aussies win a game and I got better

2006-06-13T05:11:00.000-07:00

They say bad luck comes in waves and I guess good luck does the same thing because in one day I got Opera 9 Beta 2 (very nice as far as im concerned), the aussies won their first world cup game in 32 years and the Czechs mauled the US and to put the icing on the cake, i got back to 100% fitness from two weeks ago when i got mobbed lol.

So what else can i look forward to? hehe i think ill put that one in the private blog hehe

cheers
MEL

Word of the moment -- Yippeee

World Cup 2006

2006-06-11T03:45:00.000-07:00

Maradonna swinging a shirt around, Jurgen Klinsman getting, Michael Ballack getting up off his seat and cheering Klosse on, David Beckham opening Englands account. If you are as ardent a fan as me then you know what I am talking about. Yes, World Cup 2006 is underway in Germany and im stuck in B'lore, a city that doesn't really care about something that brings the world together even more than the olympics. Its kinda sad cause this place used to be full of Anglo-Indians and they actually went out of their ways for Portugal, England and Argentina matches. I dont think its bad for any bar in b'lore considering the number of football crazy fans there could be in b'lore but oh well i think cricket will always be at the heart of most indians.

I still think India can make it to the next world cup if we only got our heads up a little more and told the government to go fuck itself and get funding from the sponsors. The problem with indian football is its just as bad as indian cricket lol all fucking politics. As long as portugal go to the world cup continually ill always wear a Portuguese jersey for world cups and yes when India goes there will be no shame in getting an Indian jersey too.

I hope it happens in my lifetime .....

Cheers
MEL

CD in Audio Tray -- Dixie Chicks : Taking The Long Way

Jewel - Goodbye Alice In Wonderland

2006-06-07T21:51:00.000-07:00

Release date - May 2nd, 2006

They say when you grow up you get wiser and this woman surely has. I remember getting my first Jewel album when I was still an average guitarist and it made such a profound impression on my playing skills that I kept buying her music except for that one pop debaucle (i forgive you lol). But this new album is alot fresher, shes gone back to her music writing roots and I really have to say that it was a mandatory buy for me but if you have the time to listen to some country music written on a very folk level then its good stuff. The first song brought back memories of my first listen to Pieces of Me and it was good.

Will it win a Grammy ? I don't think so but its nice to see people going back to their musical roots and not changing cause to be honest with you Ms. Kilchner doesnt really need to. Go on Jewel belt your lungs out.

Fav Track on Album -- Again and Again

Overall Rating - 8.5 / 10

And the mob has my number

2006-06-01T20:01:00.000-07:00

So i guess its tradition, every five years i get mobbed. What do i mean by this? well lets take a secnario.

- We all go out and drink
- We drive a friend home
- We decide to get him into the house he lives while he wails away in the car (i dont blame him job stress can get to you eventually)
- He decides to let his neighbors have it nice and proper so he curses them all out
- We get his roommate to drive him around the block to sober him up
- I get my friends car and we are about to drive out
- My friend then gets stopped by an angry mob
- They try and pull him out of the car and take his keys, take my other friends badge, slap the shit out of all of us, smack me up like im a little bitch and hey we all leave.

Whats so coincidental about all this is that its happened before in Karnataka on my way to Goa. I think theres something in the air that lets ppl know that hey i think hes overdue for a hammering so lets give him one. I dont mind getting beaten for people that out of their senses (god knows ive been there many a time) but i mind getting beaten by people that wont listen to reason. I think sometimes you just have to put your foot down and say no but thats me and start fighting back but what can you do against 15 odd people. Sometimes I wonder what goes through the mind of people when the mob gets together? I think they feel a bit super and say hey theres X number of people behind me why dont I take a chance and show my balls now.

All i can say is I have made a solemn promise never to venture to that area anymore and I have made a promise not to drink with that person anymore. Ill hang out but as far as alcohol goes, big no no. And as for my friends that stayed in the car and took the beatings; I've got nothing but respect for you'll and somehow or the other we will make it up but for now lets all take a sit back and laugh about it because what can u do other than that lol.

cheers to World Cup in a few more days
MELLY

P.S. First time i ever saw a Punjabi run for his life when he was supposed to be in the car with us.

Bar Report - Scottish Bar

2006-05-29T05:21:00.000-07:00

Name : Scottish Bar
Nick : Scottish
Location : St. Mark's Road, Bangalore

Drinks Range - Moderate
Drinks Variety - One type of beer and One type of Wine
House Speciality - Inhouse Wine

Food Range - Nothing Spectacular
House Speciality - Chinese Pakoda

Scottish Bar on St. Mark's is one of the few places in Bangalore that caters to the college crowd as well as the working class of the city. Its location on St. Mark's road makes it easily accesible to all Josephites be it commerce or science as well as the crowd that wants to stray off the street for a drink or two (namely me). Although it doesn't sport a wide variety of drinks, it still has a good charm to it and is probably one of the better places to watch the World Cup at.

The place also sports a wine that is made inhouse that is pretty good and comes close to a Port Wine finish leaving a sweet and rather woodsy taste in the mouth. The pricing in the joint is also fairly decent leaving you with money to spend on a date after your done.

Rating - 8 /10

Additional Comments always welcome

Is This What They Call Love On A Saturday Night

2006-05-27T09:32:00.000-07:00

Ahhh,
Joy, what else can I describe today as. After so many weekends spent out at bars and pubs i finally took the day off and decided to stay indoors, the result was so refreshing that now i think im going to do this more often. Sometimes i think we do something regularly for so long that we lose the taste for it so from now on i am going to have weekends off from my regular weekends (does that really make sense?) lol ill let u figure it out.

VIVA IMBECILEMENTE

A Now Back To Your Regularly Scheduled Programming

2006-05-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

21:30 IST Bangalore

Sometimes I amaze myself. After a days worth of work and a run in the morning I decide to go out for drinks with friends from college. Why? because you dont get a chance to meet the people that went to college with you very often when you live on a total different continent. Anyways, here we are the three of us and we go to a regular joint where we have a few drinks and discuss how and why India and the infrastructure it has now will not go anywhere because of politics and all that jazz.

23:30

Now we're outside the bar and jonesing for a nice spliff to give tribute to Bob the man and have a good time. We finally manage scrounge some off a bouncer in the bar (through a contact) and off we go on a drive around B'lore at night. Im guessing it was somewhere in between the consumption of smoke and the driving around that i suddenly realized that the best time to go around B'lore is late in the evening on a week day. The roads were serene and traffic is next to negligible. Additionally, there are some nice places in B'lore that can be seen in the night.

1:30

At this point in time we've moved onto spliff no. 3 and we're having a good time. It was then that I realized how much I actually miss Melbourne and all the people that went to school with me. Alas, I am now in b'lore and slowly starting to like it. It's like coming full circle. When I first went to Melbourne it was good and exciting and then it went into a lull for a long time but I weathered the bad times and then the good times rocked. Im guessing its only a matter of time before the bad times stop and the good times roll again.

Viva Melbourne

What White Paint Can Do For Your Discipline

2006-05-08T08:50:00.000-07:00

There are some good things about bangalore and then theres the chaos and confusion that people in India have come to deal with not out of necessity but habit.

Todays rambling is about something i strongly feel India is in need of --- White Paint on the Road.

Now you must be thinking, he must be off his rocker to want to do soemthing like that and what the fuck is he talking about maybe he has had too much to drink or something lol. But hear me out. If someone took some white paint and drew some lanes we'd have less traffic jams, infact, if someone got off their lazy arses and put a divider on the road we'd have less confusion and fewer people driving cars cause it would take forever to get somewhere.

BUTTTTTTTTTttt... is that going to happen? HELL NO. Why? because we want to be backward in our discipline and claim to be a rising nation. Get the cows off the road and then we can call one of our cities a metropolitan, get the people to obey all the traffic laws and then we can talk about competing with the best cities in the world.

Its been a long day and im tired but I had to get this off my chest.

Oh and for the record if anyone asks we have no truly metropolitan cities in India.

Playing Snakes and Ladders on a board that sports only Snakes

2006-05-05T01:25:00.000-07:00

You know when you were young (lol now i sound old) your parents at some point or the other introduced you to the game of snakes and ladders. The objective was simple, all you have to do is get from the number 1 to the number 100 while rolling some dice and maneuvering your token through a chicane of snakes and ladders.

The beauty of this game is that it teaches us two things.

- Luck is sometimes necessary to get to the top and you may have all the skill but you'll never get there if you are luckless.
- Hard work and time can sometimes get you to the finish line.

Last week i had a talk with my so-called managers about quitting the company that i currently work for. What happened? the dirty sons of bitches put me in a corner and told me that they were going to have me blacklisted if i didnt meet their demands or rather requests. It was so sad because I now feel that coming home might actually have been a good eyeopener for me as to how stupid and childish even top management can be when they want to be.

If these assholes think I am going to bend backwards for them they have another thing coming but wait oh wait for time is on my side and so is guile

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAA

Snap Crackle

2006-03-15T17:03:00.000-08:00

So what to write about today? hmmm. Turned 25 the other day and realized that hey thats a quarter century so i decided to celebrate it by dousing my youth away with one last grand gesture of being beligirently drunk. Does that mean ive taken being drunk out of my system? not really its going to be a while before i jump back on that horse but that demon has been quelled temporarily.

What else? hmm the United States has to get some perspective on the growing world around them and disallowing a merger between Dubai and the port authorities really isnt a way to get a foothold on the spinning economics. Boeing is now paying the price by having to go ass kissing all over the globe. Contrary to the gung-ho attitude of the military and people saying that the US doesnt need anyone, the new world that exists outside the well that american frogs live in is changing so fast that by the time they catch up when it gets going it may be too late.

Whos going to be the next superpower? hmm good question but only time will tell and the stupidity of ppl that want to hold on to something that wasnt theirs to begin with.

cheers
MEL

When Childhood Habits Have More Meaning

2006-03-09T08:05:00.000-08:00

Now im sure anyone in their youth has read comics and I have to say that instead of ruining your perception of the world, comics (not that shitty archie and supandi crap) but real comics have got so much hidden meaning that it turns my head inside out wondering how they ever went unnoticed under the radar. To cite a few examples i'll bring books that i've read in my youth in this discussion.

#1 - The Incredible Hulk
---------------------------
Most ppl say oh its about a guy turning into a green monster and destroying everything in sight but on further inspection, its actually about a guy fighting inside demons to make sure hes not a menace to society. teaches kids to keep their anger in check and even if they can let things go loose and cause havoc not to do so. I remember reading my first comic about Bruce Banner and how hes so mild mannered but the demon inside needs to be culled or else it will cause problems. The movie on this comic did not do as much justice as it should have infact it failed where the comics have done so well over the years. i remember Stan 'the man' Lee giving Bruce the power to control his change and that made the comics even more interesting to read.

#2 - Bob Kane's Batman
--------------------------
Now, alot of people just watch Batman and say wow nice gadgets, funky car, millionaire lifestyle, James Bond in the dark. what they dont see if who Bruce Wayne really is, a kid who is so mangled on the inside because of his parents death that he familiarizes himself with the darkest animal that there is in the animal kingdom and then goes on a vigilante mission. Enemies like Two Face, Killer Croc, Scarecrow, etc in the original Batman series actually shed light on more human imperfections and the very place of Gotham really can be disected to show how modern society and law fails and darkness has truly got the upperhand in the modern world.

#3 - Uncanny Xmen
----------------------
This used to be a staple diet of mine till Scott Lobdell stopped writing for them. The initial series with the original Xmen tackled issues of non-acceptance in society based on the fact that mutants were just normal humans that looked different. The later series of the uncanny and brotherhood got a lot more into the issue and how the Genoa crisis clearly showed racism in the modern world. Top class writing for Marvel standards that have now gone totally pop and have lost their meaning.

#4 - Amazing Spiderman, Peter Parker Spiderman, Spiderman
-----------------------------------------------------------------
By far the most loved comic book character ever made. Peter Parker is the average joe showing responsibility and what better model for kids growing up. Its almost like ObiWan telling Luke about the way of the force lol. This book deals with a guy who has real-life problems and yet finds the time to deal with villains. granted the earlier issues were mostly done with the fact of just having a hero come around and save the day but as the Amazing Spiderman got into the clone issues as well as the Kraven issues it showed Pete in a much more human light struggling for money, running from the public, dealing with a personal meltdown and the demise of Ben Riley, Gwen and Flash Thompson.

#5 - Superman
-----------------
Im sure at some point in our lives Clark Kent made us jump off high beds in the hopes of flying lol but even this comic book with all its flare and supernatural workings shows a man who has the power to take over the entire world but he doesnt. instead he goes thru life hiding his true abilities and helping a race that he could snap in an instant.

There are so many more that ive read over the years. Daredevil, Fantastic Four, Fathom, Witchblade, etc. But ive got to say that no matter the writer, no matter the era, no matter how many iterations the writes and artists go through there is always some moral point to take home from these comics. Be it racism, the power of responsibility, the mere fact of showing us how society is fucked up or just people running away from their own insecurities these books have the power of teaching and sometimes emulating these heroes can show us a better way. So the next time someone says that 'Comics will rot your brains' take a step back and have a nice chuckle for what do they know about lol.

cheers
MEL

Bird Flu Scares and Lent

2006-02-28T20:01:00.000-08:00

Well with the beginning of lent the latest stupid scare of bird flu really has me wondering whats happening to the world around us. This craze of bird flu can suck my balls and got to hell.

Now about lent, its a good thing that this bird flu came around now i can eat more beef and get my lazy arse to start eating pork too hehe.

on with the show.

MEL

Tirupathi - My trip to a temple

2006-02-10T23:34:00.000-08:00

So i was asked about a month back if i would go to a temple with a friend once he got his car. I said 'why not i think it would be good for me'. Little was I aware that I would get an insight into what pilgrims must feel during Haj and the almost madenning concept of lines in India.

The trip started out on a Thursday (9th Feb 2005) afternoon and the usual bullshit that can be associated with trying to get people to go on the trip (someone drops out, someone wants pickups at a specified point). Once that all got done we were finally on our way out the door and I was genuinely interested in seeing the temple and all that it had to offer. Someone I had talked to prior to my trip to this place said it was the second most richest temple in the world and the most richest was apparently the Vatican in Rome. So i was expecting something like the Vatican. A few beers and some silly conversation on how someone thought their concept of God was the 'one-to-end-all' explanations we were finally in the town that actually borders the entrance to the temple. The name of the town was Tirumala.

I was then told we could not carry any alcohol or cigarettes up the hill so I thought hey these guys wont drink on the hill top afterall they are going on a pilgrimage lol. Boy was i wrong lol. We managed to smuggle some contraband (hehe i feel like a terrorist) into the area we were staying in and I said well here begins the journey. We had to buy tickets (yes the kind you buy to see the superbowl) to stand in line to get to see the deity (Balaji) and what other names you can come up with for him.

5:00 AM
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So now im standing in line and its frigid but not too bothersome to me. I was quite excited and had not slept the whole day as I had been working the night before and hadn't had a chance to sleep. But I am now waiting in this line with all these people who have shaved their heads in honor of this deity. Its quite a sight to see bald ppl (men and women alike) waiting in line. I think people probably realized that i wasnt a hindu but I could care less. Now here begins the interesting part of the trip, they started telling me about these amazing laddus (sweets) that are prepared in this temple. At this point im wondering what people really come to this temple for ? hehe. But then again im one to judge so I talk less about the topic and actualyl cant wait to get in the temple.

6:00 AM
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Still waiting in the line and now im inside the main line kiosk that gets into the temple and all i can think about is how this resembles some of the prisons I have seen in east asian movies. Its almost dismal to say the least and people are walking about with no shoes on. I even tell one of my friends that it looks like a prison and he begins to explain to me about how many people come through here and how they have to lock people in rooms to maintain queue control. Quite interesting stuff i say and then we move on.

8:00 AM
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After about three hours of finally waiting in the queue, we finall come up to the moment of truth. I am now standing inside what seems to be a pre-entry to the final shrine and It is quite amazing. The stone walls and the carpeted floor almost makes it worth the three hour wait in line which was told to me later was short as there werent alot of people there.

8:30 AM
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Now heres what gets me about this place. It cost me Rs. 200 ($50) to get a ticket, stand in line for three hours and push and shove these people around to just get to the temple shrine and after finally getting to what can be explained as totally calming and i only get to see the deity for about 5 seconds before someone is pushing me along and telling me to move as fast as I can say. It has to be the most RIDICULOUS thing in the world. I know its a small cave and all but for this they should have free lines and no money at all an then let people pay how much they want to. Anyways, the statue is truly amazing to see and the shrine has some very interesting architecture to it as the light in the there is all natural and not generated by any source.

9:30 AM
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After visting the shrine and seeing the place around it, i finally did something tourist like and got a guy on the side to take a polaroid snap of me and my mates near the temple entrance. Ate some breakfast as i was totally starved. Got some blessed sweets while leaving the temple and ate it too.

11:00AM
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Once we were done there I stil wanted to see what else this place had to offer. My friend told me that there were two waterfalls in the vicinity that were quite amazing to see so i said why not go there. Just my bad luck, the roads were closed so we could not go. Instead, we went to see a rock garden which housed a natural arch made of rock and a rather lazy peacock lol.

Afterthoughts
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Tirupathi is quite an amazing shrine I must say. For that many people to come there all the time and visit a deity that can be seen for a total of five minutes it certainly has to be. But at the cost they have going for the public that are willing to pay to see it. I think its a sham and to be honest I would not condone such a behavior from the Catholic church as a Roman Catholic. The place is very soothing but alas it has been destroyed by the masses that come in hordes and drag their children and the house pets to this event. And last but not least i went with people that talked in their native tongue and did not really speak to me about things and I went there with an open mind and had so much to learn in mind but alas all i learned was with my eyes and not my ears so heres to a trip with three lessons for the learning.

1 - Dont take a trip with people that dont want to talk and arent as excited as you
2 - Dont take a trip with people you will never be comfortable with
3 - Dont take a trip with people that arent serious about what they are going to do

Ill post pictures once i get the chance

Cheers
MEL - Much better as a person and better relaxed as a man

Crying Man Crying Game

2006-01-29T13:25:00.000-08:00

Today my roommates and me had a discussion on whats better for a child

-- Dont overburden him with studies when hes younger
-- Overfill his brain with too much matter that it explodes

Now i grew up with the latter and to be honest, i wish i had the first option growing up because i feel i would have turned out as a better all-rounded person. Why u ask? why make a child loose the best part of his life -- childhood by making him do things like study geometry, etc. Sure u have to make him competitive for the coming years but to be honest alot of ppl i know that work in india do just that.... work. wheres the love for ones self? wheres the time we put in to be people and not employees? we need to realize that we are humans and if we dont do something to take care of personal wants and needs for ourselves then how can we truly show care and want for others?

Some ppl say, hey man i do that ... and all ive got to say is yeah u may but the majority of the population doesnt. we make fun of ppl who spend their times in bars and other places saying that yeah they wont amount to much in life while we spend our time pinning over books and numbers to prove to our piers and parents that we can be who they want us to be. sometimes i think direction is good but when i ask ppl if they can remember the most memorable part of their lives, it usually starts in the tenth grade or higher. i have fond memories of the place i grew up in, from the fourth grade where i remember summer days playing football and being a kid eventhough i went to a CBSE school. i remember saying fuck to my summer homework and doing it only two days before school restarted. was i being neglegent (YES) but i was on holiday and refused to let them be ruined by homework.

Some incoherencies might exist in what ive said but in short, growing up i wish i had spent more time on becoming me instead of wasting my childhood behind books. i think we should spend 80% of our childhood being children who are accepted for whatever faults we have with the learning curve instead of being pushed and pushed until we are ready (8th grade) to be pushed.

Melroy Coelho

Brokeback Mountain

2006-01-18T10:04:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while ill watch something that truly turns me inside out by watching it. This movie was very good to say the least although indian masses digesting it is another story. The movie deals with gay cowboys lol and to quote a TV presenter from the BBC its a cowboy movie without the 'cow' in it.

Other movies recommended for mind twisting fun

Primer
Oldboy

There are some others lol but these two will definitely keep you busy.

Cheers

Understanding Mechanics

2006-01-18T09:51:00.000-08:00

Today out of sheer curiosity i started reading a manual on orbital dynamics to see if i was capable of going back to my science background and to be honest i found reading it more interesting because it wasnt a part of my curriculum anymore.

Its amazing how we will pick up things when we like them rather than when we are forced to read about them. the reason i started doing this stemmed from a program i was watching on the BBC about the new NASA expedition to Pluto and how it is going to take 9+ years for the shuttle to get there.

Who knows by the they may develop a better method to read the planets without having the wait time. Ive also pondered on whether they will develop something faster in that time and realize that they sent a slow one out and send that out lol.

But that is something i pondered on but i dont think the US govt would be that stupid. then again they elected an idiot into the post of president so we can doubt that choice.

Cheers
MEL

Whats in a name?

2006-01-17T03:02:00.000-08:00

Well today i read that Intel is finally doing away with the name Pentium to usher in a new era of processors? Good news? yes but unfortunately Intel has gone the cheap way and is not hiring anyone with the ability to come up with a new name. Instead, they are going to give the products names like Intel D-4000 etc.

Now, if Intel thinks that by giving names like that its going to create a great marketting scheme for its sales department lol ive got news it wont. The best thing about the Pentium brand name is that it had the name to go with it. People would always say Pentium vs AMD now its going to be Intel vs AMD and not Pentium vs Athlon. The good thing that Intel has going for it is that its also partnering with Apple to get boards for their new computers but the AMD market is also picking up.

I wonder how many people would have blindly jumped on the bandwagon if Sony had named its playstation as Sony P-128X lol.

Sounds dull. get on the board Intel and give ur new product a snazzy name.

Cheers
MEL

Waking Up Is Hard To Do

2006-01-12T00:16:00.000-08:00

well it was very interesting today as i saw a different side of b'lore. i am normally so plagued by lack of sleep that I miss my mornings but today i took a walk around in my neighborhood and saw many morning time activities that were not around when i wake up late lol as a resolution i now get up at 7:45 but we'll see how long that lasts

Cheers til the next rant
MEL