Currently, am an NRI. Wow!! And an expat in Singapore. Super wow!! I never thought I’d be any of that. You know only NRIs are able to afford housing in Abhiramapuram and Mylapore, right? For Teynampet, you may need to be NRI banker or something. And you know the kind of life expats live in Chennai? Splurge is the word. They are the only people who buy stuff at KNK road and that European coffee boutique off-Gopalapuram. Someday, I’ll be an NRI expat in Chennai. ...
I was in Chennai last week. I had to go out someplace and I had hired a cab since I am not very keen in driving in Chennai any more. It was a 40 minute drive one way and it was a pretty hot day. The cabbie was the only relief all along the drive although both my wife and my mom found him a tad too annoying. The man was naturally gifted at talking. He spoke a naturally funny dialect of tamil. And he picked up topics from the road. Every street name, car, building, office space that we cross, he had something to quip. Some where just a rant or a while, but a lot many were just good humor. It is clear that he doesn’t mind. That’s like the best stand up comedy show I have been in – not that I have been in a lot. I listen to them a lot. ...
There are a lot of websites to plan your vacations and trips. I don’t want to list them all here. But the most common theme is along these lines: you have a budget and I have a package. you have a destination and I’ll tell you the budget. Well, I really wish there was a third category. I have a budget and number of days. I’ll tell you the sort of hotels I am looking at as well. Give me a list of flight + hotel combinations that will still get me there. ...
Funny that I should talk about music. But anyway, laugh all you want. I am going to talk about something related to music. After a long time, I liked what I heard in OK Kanmani songs. I didn’t quite care about the lyric, but I didn’t find it obscene. Yeah, that’s been a while when the song is not obscene. And its more obscene to hear kids mouth the lyrics innocently. Somebody really robbed them off their innocence without telling them about it. ...
After a period of absence, I am back to the writing board. Lot of things happening and I hope I would take some time to pen them here for future laughs. I am sure most of us have used a pain killer spray. There are a quite a few good brands out there and we usually stock one called “Moov”. We don’t use it very often, but sprays are handier than the ointment tubes. Especially for me. I have noticed that every time I use the ointment, I need to pee almost immediately. And no amount of washing your hands can save your *** from getting a bit of ointment treatment that would leave it frigid for quite some time. So, sprays are definitely better. ...
I have tried to learn stuff via coursera only to give up quarter way. Usually am off after the first week or so. This has nothing to do with the difficulty or anything. Usually, my work spikes immediately after I sign up for a course. I’d miss a week or two of assignments. And then I ll loose interest. I am trying again now. Let’s see how far this goes. ...
Honestly, it’s more painful than pleasant to have one. I have a one wish for my smartwatch: There should be a one tap snooze for all sorts of notifications: social media has the worst timings for conversations. And the time usually coincides with your work that needs all your concentration. Apart from that, it is quite nice. There is a huge cry around why Apple watch battery sucks. Some of the most priced watches from my grandpa’s age required to be ‘key-ed’ every 24 hours for it to show the right time. In fact, it is worse than that. You had to give an exact number of turns for it to keep the correct pace. And those were very priced. Things improved quite fast from there. So we could expect the same for this piece of technology as well. ...
I won some cookies in the office CNY lucky draw this year. Honestly, its an amazing thing to happen. I have tried to participate in lucky draws in many different stages of my life. And each time, my number would never be called out. Then I concluded that these are sour vine. Not for you. I had the same thoughts as I wrote my name in the lucky draw tag at office. I knew I won’t get it. I didn’t get it last year either. But heck, I’ll give it a shot anyway. Nothing to lose, not even my pen to write the name with 😀 ...
Apple announced it watch last year. And it decided to ship it from next month, this year. Of course, as a fan boy, it is a fab gadget to own. As an electronics engineer, it is a piece of marvelous engineering and worthy of owning. What follows is not a review, not a rant and definitely not a promotion. This is just an observation. Apple watch is a first in many things for Apple. For the first time, Apple announced a non-shipping product in its annual meet. For the first time, Apple could not predict the exact date their watch would ship. After a long time, Apple dropped the proverbial ‘i’ from its naming. For the first time, Apple is venturing mention-ably into the fashion industry. For the first time, Apple is releasing a multi-variant product line. For the first time, I am scared of what Apple is doing to itself. But why does that last line matter at all? ...
I love this post from Seth Godin. http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2015/03/more-trouble-than-its-worth.html You must read it too. And here is my favorite line in that post: Seeking out the things that are more trouble than most people think they’re worth is a powerful place to be. I have been here. Early on in my career, when I was here, it really gained me the quick recognition and earned me the type of tasks I was best suited for. On the edge. ...