Random Notes

Honda Activa servicing

2009-06-18T12:27:00.002+05:30

What a nightmare! My second in row. The first was with the Yelahanka branch who returned the bike as it was but took 3 grand from me. The second and latest was with the Jayamahal branch- nightmare unlimited. They called me up the day it was given and informed me that it will be done only by 7.30pm, by when the accounts will be closed. I went the next morning at about 9.30, work still not done.

My husband arranged for it to be delivered to my office in Residency Road. By this time, I'm already stressed. The guy who was to deliver it, lands up after 2 extra hours. And what do I see? The right mirror is broken! I called a manager, Mr.Patil, who said it was a small misshap and will fix it for free. I grudgingly took the bike and was shocked to discover many extra dents and scratches on it the next morning. We went back to the service station and spoke to Mr.Patil. Only now were we informed that the delivery person was involved in a bad accident and is on leave! Our question- how could you deliver the customer's bike after such damage which might endanger the customer's life?

We then took full inventory of the bike and agreed to have the damage fixed free of cost.

Well, the bike looks good now. But a few things like the indicator's sound and reverbration is still there. I just done want to go back to that place EVER again!

PS- a so called customer service exec, Sangeetha, did nothing but apologise like a parot over and over again. Get a life.

Vote

2009-04-23T11:17:00.002+05:30

Today, I have done what I had not, for the very first time. I voted! We went to the polling booth at 8 AM and were surprised to find no queue. Who did I vote for? I don't know! I gave my vote to an unknown candidate, just because she was a lady. Her name is Padmaa K Bhat.

Why I am feeling extra good today is because Bangalore seems strangely empty today. It felt like Sunday. I reached my office in record time, 20 minutes, as opposed to 45 minutes that it takes for my commute :)

Pizza Corner in Garuda Mall

2009-04-13T13:52:00.002+05:30

A conizza usually costs around Rs.100 at the PC outlets. Yesterday's experience with PC, was, how do I say it, like getting an injection shot. I asked for a Conizza which was displayed as Rs.95 and I was surprised when the bill was for Rs.135. Why? I asked the cashier lady? Has the menu not been updated? She was kind enough to let me know that Rs.130 was the price with cheese. I nodded in negative when she asked for cheese and now this? She said it was already billed and could not help it. It was her lucky day, I wasn't feeling well enough to make a fuss of it.

Hilarious posts

2009-04-01T12:48:00.003+05:30

Came across this while was researching about phones... hhahaha

Gulabi Gang

2009-01-22T17:44:00.002+05:30

Who? What?

I was really surprised that I came across this article online at MarieClaire. I don't remember hearing the name being mentioned, but that maybe because I dont watch the news everyday. Apparently, they are a bunch of women who have turned rebel for a good cause. In their pink sarees, they stand out, both because of the costume and the sad tale in the depth of their eyes. I googled it and came up with a video and quiet a few articles.
Gulabi Gang ( The pink women of India)

In one of the most backward regions of India, Uttar Pradesh, village women dressed in pink saris are getting togther to fight corruption and injustice and to raise their voices against the system. It was formed in 2006 and has largely grown to thousands of members from over 300 villages. Not only for themselves, but for everyone in need, Gulabi gang preforms peaceful demonstrations to prove their point... without violence. Inspiration personified.

Favorite Shop- not my favorite anymore

2009-01-20T15:06:00.002+05:30

I recently bought 3 garments from the FS 50% sale. 2 of the kurtis' were of the same size and apparently under "No exchange" items. When I went to exchange the one that did not fit, the manager there flatly refused. Had to spend a lot of effort trying to make him understand. But, succeed, we did! So the next time you go there, make sure you read the signs around you that say no exchange and pick one that will definitely fit you!

Xmas and New Year icons!

2008-12-25T00:33:00.002+05:30

A directory of neat looking holiday icons. You can see some them like the bells and candle here.

Sony Cybershot DSC T20

2008-12-23T13:32:00.001+05:30

Picture Quality: 4.5/5
Ease of Use: 4.5/5
Value for Money: 4/5
Shutter Speed: 3.5/5
Battery life: 3.5/5

Pros: macro settings, user interface, design, light weight
Cons: havent yet come across any
I fell in love with the T20 the moment I laid my eyes on it! T20 is a sleek, credit card sized camera with a slide lens design. I asked a friend to get me a black one from Singapore and have never been
more happier with any other camera. Its an 8.1 MP with 3x optical zoom with Carl Zeiss lens of course.

What I love best about about the T20 is its amazing ability to take out of this world macro pictures! It truly brings out the details from even the most mediocre of things. It has 2 macro settings, the macro and super macro. I am sure both will treasured by macro photo enthusiasts. Besides macro, it has a host of other automatic settings such as snow, fireworks, moonlight, etc. You can also record unlimited videos with sound depending on your memory card.

It has a big and beautiful LCD display screen with a very user friendly interface, that is common to most Sony digital cameras. It is an ideal point and shoot camera for beginners up to experts. Face Detection technology, a double anti-blur feature, high ISO sensitivity are some of its other additions.

In layman terms, go for it if this is your first digital camera or if you want a great gift for your family or close friend.

Adding a playlist to your blog- iLike!

2008-12-22T11:04:00.002+05:30

You will find this in Blogspot buzz as well, but I know that many like me will not have the patience to go through that!
You can now embed a playlist of your favorite songs on your blog. How?

1. Click this link- http://www.ilike.com/playlist/create_embedded?src=blogger
2. Enter your play list's name.
3. Search and choose your songs. Reorder if required.
4. Click Done!
5. Save the widget :)

You will find my list right at the bottom. You can go to your layout page and choose where you want it to it.

Blogspot error

2008-12-22T10:54:00.005+05:30

This is the stupid error that I was getting each time I was trying to update my blog's template. It really got to me nerve I tell you.. I haven't seen this before at all. I also searched the help site and came up with zilch. Bloggers beware.

Aquarium- the water creatures

2008-12-20T22:21:00.003+05:30

This is the latest picture of our aquarium. My husband cleaned it after quiet a few months of procrastination. The aquarium was literally teeming with apple snails whichw was the outcome of 2 horny papa and mama snails. Now we have just the Bleeding Heart tetras which are not exatcly sight for the sore eyes as they are fast zig zag swimmers. Apparently, it so happens that these tetras are extremely rare.

Stickies- easy, breezy and cutesy

2008-12-19T23:58:00.000+05:30

I came across this very good sticky notes website, which allows you a free account with which you can create stickies for yourselves to remind you of that unfinished task... especially if you are forgetful like me [not really, I'm just trying to undermine myself here so that you feel good :P]

You can check it out here- http://www.mystickies.com

Note- not compatible with Firefox 3.0.4 :( and sadly does not work with IE [tell me something new eh!]

Whew... that was hard work...

2008-12-19T20:40:00.003+05:30

I spent literally hours looking for a good skin for this blog. Ask me where I haven't been! I used all the different search engines as well. Finally got this beauty at a free templates site.

To add fuel to fire, Google was giving me a stupid error which haven't seen before.

So, after searching high low using different search engines, these are the site that gave me some very good templates.

http://www.ourblogtemplates.com/2008/03/browse-all-blogger-templates.html

http://mashable.com/2008/05/17/70-plus-new-and-beautiful-blogger-templates/

http://btemplates.com

The all-seeing eye

2008-12-14T22:53:00.001+05:30

The Notorious Bettie Page

2008-12-12T11:03:00.000+05:30

I havent seen a more misnamed movie. Bettie Page turned out to be an innocent southern belle who is trapped in the web of a difficult life and does what she has to, to survive. Bettie Page, a homely, black eyed and black haired beauty, pin up icon and a infamously famous.

The movie was a combination of black and white and spurts of color. Bettie is a beautiful girl who is god fearing and married to a man who doesn't appreciate her. She leaves him.. for good i might add. She ends up in New York and her tryst with modeling starts with a African American taking some casual pictures of her. From here she goes hunting for work and ends up with a couple who run a "different preferences" store. They tell her she just has to pose in some costumes and that these pictures are for some very influential people who have different preferences. In those days, there were just pictures and no movies containing graphic material. She eventually becomes the pin-up queen. Bettie makes a few friends on the way, taking acting classes to fuel her ambition. This is where she meets her boyfriend who later discovers what kind of modeling Bettie is into.

After the pictures are discovered by the censor board, Paula and Irving are dragged to court and are forced to shut shop. Bettie moves to Miami and discovers a church on a lonely walk on the beach. She is drawn to the church and leaves behind her modeling for a spiritual life.

My Rating= 6.5/10 :)

Bettie Page played by: Gretchen Mol

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0404802/

Vidhana Soudha

2008-12-09T11:19:00.000+05:30

The Vidhana Soudha is a famous landmark of Bangalore. The building is illuminated on Sundays and public holidays. A few pictures which i took from my 1.3 mp phone camera.

hahhaha

2008-12-03T17:05:00.000+05:30

Funny name for chikki :D

Russell Peters- somebody's gonna get a herrrrrt!

2008-12-02T23:39:00.000+05:30

I recently became a fan of Russell Peters. For the love of God, how could I have missed out on him all this time? The man is a genius!

Here is a video excerpt from one of his shows. Watch out for his quick wit... injuriously funny!

Look Ma! No traffic!

2008-12-01T14:10:00.000+05:30

Peaceful M.G road and Brigade early on Saturday morning. Had me feeling nostalgic... sob

Finding money

2008-11-28T11:00:00.000+05:30

I have always found money when I'm in need of it... literally. I don't know how I manage to leave them there in the first place. I find money in the clothes drawer, hidden pockets of my purse or in the back pockets of my jeans :). The beauty of it is that you find is, when you need it, not a day too soon :)

Highway to hell

2008-11-25T21:32:00.000+05:30

My ride back home tonight was just like it is everyday... on the edge. Im sure I can now perform all kinds of stunts on my bike, courtesy, the AP registered bubblegum pink private busses, the Vajra KSRTC busses and the very cock Meru and the many other cab providers.

I guess my favorite [or most hated, take it whichever way you want], would be Vajra. I mean, by the mercy of god, I cant even HEAR them sneaking up beside me!! They virtually make no noise and since they re a dark red, certainly not very visible at night. Slow down guys, it does not have to take a disaster to set you straight.

Next, the pink and ugly [i never thought i would say "pink" and "ugly" in the same line as I just love everything pink.. almost i guess] AP busses. I almost rammed into one when the driver breaked without notice. And yes, to help the situation, they dont have any tail light, so how do you know when they break or slow down? Intuition??! [right, eat my socks]

Meru and the others, calm down will you? It should be made a crime to bully riders off the road. To look at, the drivers are under aged and sleepless. And they drive like, yes that's right, the under aged and sleepless.

Once my cabbie was speeding over 120 kmph back from the new airport and got pulled over. He got away with a Rs.300 bribe to the cop. Is any honest govt official reading this? [not likely]

Airtel- let me "Express Yourself"

2008-11-19T22:31:00.000+05:30

With a tagline that says "Express Yourself", it sure has a crappy customer service. No, I'm not trying to badmouth a big telecommunication giant to get attention. Its just that it shouldn't be this hard to speak to a customer care exec. The first one had the worst soft skills and promptly hung up on me, duh, not surprised..

The second time I barely managed to get someone on line. I mean, do you really have to tell me that your IVR menu has changed blah blah when all it does it make me wonder if the IVR was made in Pakistan?! The golden option to speak to a human is virtually BURIED under layers of menus.

I think I'm so happy now that im a Vodafone customer! Phew.

Bangalore's worst traffic jam ever!

2008-11-19T22:16:00.000+05:30

18th November saw the Indian Silicon Valley's residents' worst nightmare come true, literally. For what seemed to be an eternity, traffic in the central to North Bangalore came to a standstill. Riders and drivers on their way back home, switched their vehicles off and got out to take a walk in whatever little space was left among the huge jam. The reason, my friends, is as frivolous as they come. HDK, an ambitious ex chief minister of the state held a rally for the rural mass. His press conference after the mess this caused did not contain a note of apology. Instead, he goes on to defend the rights of the rural mass, which is reall besides the matter. The inconvenience he has caused could in no mean be quantified.

I sincerely do hope such events are held outside the city henceforth. And I can only hope that certain thick-headed people realize their folly.

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIBG&login=default&Enter=true&Skin=TOI&GZ=T&AW=1227113988515

Yepo YP 757 F8

2008-10-30T19:29:00.001+05:30

I purchased this mp4 player from rediff shopping. This is a China made imitation of the ipod Nano. I got the one in beautiful bright pink, my favorite color :) I paid Rs.1280 for a 2GB player.

The software is just average. The features are numerous such as ebooks, photos, music, recorder, FM. The photo feature is useless as the screen is too small to see anything clearly. Best suited for low quality pics in less mega pixels.

Sound quality was surprisingly good. I am very disappointed by the user manual though! Its a very shoddy work, needless to mention grammar. And yes, I got the wrong manual. The experimenting is on!

Other notes:

Product Description

1.8" TFT Screen, 65000-color full color display.

Support a variety of acoustic formats: Including music formats such as MP1, MP2, MP3and WAV, etc.

Unique MTV movie function: It is capable of playing MTV movies and music.

JPEG image browse function.

Firmware upgrading function: The latest upgrading software can be downloaded on the Internet to implement the function expansion of this unit.

FM stereophonic radio: With the powerful automatic search radio stations and manual search radio station functions, it can store as many as 30 (20 for each system) different local radio stations of different frequencies so as to allow you to listen to radio programs freely.

U-disc Function free of Drives.

Alien Space disc mode: By using the tools attached to this unit, you may divide disc of this unit into two, and encrypt one of them to conceal the space, so that this enciphered part will not be seen or read by others. In this way you may hide your secrets.

Record/Replay: You may record and save it as the voice file in a format of WAV and ACT, and you may select section replay or contrast replay to implement the digital replay function in a real sense.

7 kinds of acoustic equalizers: Natural, rock, popular, classical, soft, jazz and DBB.

Multiple playing modes: Normal, repeat one, folder, repeat folder, repeat all, random, intro.

Timing shutdown: You may set the sleep mode and power saving mode, which will facilitate your application.

Full animation menu: The visual animation menus in combination of corresponding display of words make your application easier.

More Product Features
Trademark: YEPO
Model: YP-757-F8
Standard: CE,FCC,ISO9001
Unit Price/Payment: EXW Shenzhen US$15.9 [w/o flash]
Origin: China
Packing: 40sets/ctn, ctn size:405*445*355mm
Min. Order: 100pcs/model for trial order, 1k/model for regular
Transportation: Air
Company: Shenzhen Yepo Electronics Technology Co., Ltd.

Product specification here.

sleep

2008-10-24T12:29:00.000+05:30

Ever since I am on a much needed break, all i seem to love doing is sleep! I don't know if my bed is too cozy, I just drift off to la-la land on a whim. I can't imagine how people have trouble sleeping!

I have never been much of an early riser. I have struggled through the night to study for exams but ask me to wake up at 6 AM and you can bet your car I won't.

Some articles i found while researching on sleep:
How to Become an Early Riser- http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/05/how-to-become-an-early-riser/

Sleep- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep

The GM Diet

2008-10-23T21:19:00.000+05:30

It is really disturbing to see that many youngsters these days are overweight. I am part of the club. Before you form opinions, let me tell you that I have lost weight recently. I did the famous GM Diet twice and lost upto 4 kgs! It an easy diet to follow, never lets you go hungry if followed properly. Another idea that works for me is eliminating rice from my diet. Not that I hate rice, but its just unwanted carbs.

http://www.iimahd.ernet.in/~jajoo/gmdiet.html

KFC

2008-10-06T15:31:00.000+05:30

Kentucky Fried Cruelty with Pamela Anderson | Viral | SPIKE.com

love GOA!

2008-09-27T21:46:00.000+05:30

Came back today from a long overdue vacation. Goa is the place to unwind. Although I must admit, the sun was a little too sharp for me; I tanned like crazy! I also bought tons of junk jewelery :). Ahhh blisss...

Fine For Nothin'

2008-09-17T22:11:00.000+05:30

I had a very infuriating and hilarious [?] experience with the Bangalore traffic police a few days ago. I was driving and my husband kept the phone to my ear, and boom, we were pulled over by a cop who hopped in front of our car. I mean, i dint even touch the cell phone, it was just at my ear and we had to pay a fine of Rs.100, which was actually, supposedly, Rs.400 according to the big guy who stands behind the bike and writes receipts. There is absolutely no point in talking technical law. I can't even imagine how it would be if I dint know the local language!

Reality Shows

2008-09-07T10:52:00.000+05:30

I just love reality shows! From America's Next Top Model to Big Boss 2, they are my lively source of entertainment for a very long time now. There is something touching about how people react when they are on camera... the reactions are as various as the colors in a peacock's feather. After i saw Rakhi Sawant on Bis Boss 1, I became a fan of hers. Bold and crass describe her best.

Having said all this, I can't help but think in a small corner of my mind that these shows might be rigged. You will know what I'm talking about if you have seen even one of these shows. The best example would be Splitsvilla. Its all for the TRP i guess.

Made in China

2008-08-04T22:00:00.000+05:30

I am sure you have heard, atleast a million times, about cheap stuff coming from China. We have China Bazaars on every nook and corner in Bangalore. I recently bought a pack of these jelly like thingies [still dont have/know their name] and I refuse to use "Seven Color Crystal Ball"! I always keep reading instructions and other material/info on anything I buy and so I did with this as well. And what a treat it was for my camera! Take a look at the instructions.. its hilarious!

Bangalore Blasts

2008-07-25T22:15:00.000+05:30

I am still in shock over what happened today! Namma Bengaluru... a calm, peaceful city turned IT hub turned terror-target. I got the news out of the blues at 3.30pm today, about the same time my colleague pinged me informing about the blasts. At first, it sounded too unreal, could this really be happened? Then, as reality sunk in, a miled dose of panic soon followed. My office is in Manipal Centre, a "good" target as any other. We at office took a call under 10 minutes to shut shop for the day and on my way I was. Thankfully, the route to my house was not choked for once!

I cant tell you how heartbreaking this is... here you are worrying about work targets, washing laundry over the weekend, deciding which movie to watch... seemingly mundane decisions of a Bangalorean for the weekend and bang- not one, two, three either... 9 blasts!!! and another!

I am driven to think that this could be dirty politics at work. I am sure the true terrorists would try something dumber like hitting IISc. Still, something of this magnitude has left all Bangaloreans stunned.

flowers

2008-07-19T22:36:00.000+05:30

My pic made it to the papers! 12th July 08, The Hindu Metro Plus :D

2008-07-16T15:40:00.001+05:30

Summer 2008

2008-07-16T13:43:00.000+05:30

Watched this movie last night at home. What looked like promising, light-hearted entertainment soon turned into psyching tirade of Mahanjans, pre-meds, guns along with beloved Goa trying to vie for attention!

My advice- not a must watch.

http://in.movies.yahoo.com/news-detail/27416/Summer-2007-In-Summer-2008.html

Tooth.. ache...damn...it

2008-07-11T14:16:00.000+05:30

I just hate this phase of the wisdom tooth eruption. Done with the right side, that was easy. Now the one on my left is pure pain in my mouth! I wonder why these guys take decades to appear, and when they do, they have to be so troublesome! :(

Could not resist from posting this pic- the big bites that you see are my colleague's :D

2008-07-08T16:47:00.001+05:30

Doughnut!

2008-07-08T16:33:00.000+05:30

We have a doughnut fever going on in my office... atleast I think it [the doughnut revolution] has begun to happen!! I just...cant...resist... a good chocolate glazed doughnut! And we get it for as cheap as Rs.7! 3 cheers for Amma's pastry shops :)

My supercool shots

2008-07-04T17:28:00.000+05:30

Some of the photos I took in the macro mode of my new Sony T20 :)

That's right...get jealous now :P

This one is some fancy silver lamp that my mother has.

wow, no words.

End of the world... no, just end of the Bangalore summer!

This was a more beautiful view, the photo does injustice.

One of my favorites.. love the color and the dew

nice ad

2008-04-25T12:53:00.000+05:30

found this great ad... very useful.
Also, for those interested in making it a better planet, Gore's Inconvenient Truth is a masterpiece!

Obama... there's hope yet for America

2008-01-04T15:15:00.000+05:30

This is a very inspirational speech of Obama for the Web Amendment.. After i watched this video, i was surprised by the clarity and honesty of Obama's vision. This is the kind of person that spells hope for politics gone awry.

New Year in Bangalore...

2008-01-02T13:30:00.000+05:30

.... was amongst a frenzied mob. We got out of Garuda after a movie and saw drunken men and revelers, like everywhere! I was thankful for the security personnel and cops, but not enough to stop a drunken mob. And a couple of men even came up to us and wished us, shaking our hands. I felt [im sure the rest of us felt it too] at the mercy of the mob. We had to be rooted to the spot for about 30 mins while waiting for the mob to clear.

And, must mention our honorable citizens, the auto drivers. A guy charged us Rs.100 from Garuda to Manipal Centre. The only time of the year when they can get away with it.

95% Indians

2007-12-28T11:16:00.000+05:30

In my search of people as a recruiter, i come across a large number of people based out of India. Spoke to one such person last evening, who happened to be from Bangalore. Spoke in Kannada too! From the past week, i have a crazy theory, which not be so crazy after all, after the assassination of Bhutto. For the safety of me and my family [ ;D] i shall not float the theory for the whole world to read. But what the conversation did confirm was a great part of my theory could be true. Disturbing as it is, what can a civilian do about it anyway? In ABC company, 95% are Indians, he said....and in XYZ company, only 5% are indians...

For photography enthusiasts....

2007-12-14T17:53:00.000+05:30

http://www.microsoft.com/prophoto

arguments :D

2007-12-14T15:48:00.000+05:30

oh yea, we indians love it! me, i absolutely love it, provided it is in the right vein.
i was recently arguing with a colleague about what that smallish button below the power-on button on the CPU is called... "restart" right?? No, he says, its reset... yea well.. same no?

Mr.Colleague then went on to actually, get this, "Google" it and came up with some 3-rd world country CPU which claimed that thing to be the reset button.

Who cares?? No one really, fun is in the arguments! :)

Moving, Shifting.... whatever else you can call it

2007-11-13T17:41:00.000+05:30

My family moved to the new level that we built on our existing house in Bangalore. What a phase! The place was filled with relatives who were vising for the opening ceremony and most of them, especially the kids(!!) helped us with the moving. It was then that i realized that i had hordes and hordes of clothes.... some as old as the one i wore in 12th standard! Yikes! Of course, i don't fit into them anymore :P

I very happily donated some to my cousin. So much so that she did not have space in her luggage to carry them!

All this has made me wondered exactly how much money i have spent on clothes. I still dont think twice before buying them. Not my fault if i see something for 1/4th of the price of the mall stores!

Unnecessary traffic hold-ups in Bangalore

2007-10-08T12:40:00.000+05:30

Yes, i know this is all too familiar a topic. I'm just so frustrated that we still have hold-ups for silly politicians who cant travel from A to B without having the pleasure of holding up traffic at all junctions; And for what joy? The local ones never get assassinated anyways :(

There was this episode on i think 19th of September, where i had to wait for about 10 totally ruined minutes at the Manipal Center traffic signal. The flow from all the directions was stopped and when the VIP cars passed by, i truly wished i had a gun, it would make good target practice!

Food- Pizza Corner delivery...... at hungry pizza fan's nightmare!

2007-09-09T22:36:00.000+05:30

Recently had a very traumatic [..sob..] experience with PC delivery service.
http://www.mouthshut.com/review/Pizza_Corner-130792-1.html

Use the above link to read about the matter.
I mean, what makes the PC staff think im a 3 year old who'll buy their dumb reasons about a "missing" delivery person, who is absconding with the order??!! Yup, honest to God, that's what they told me after i called them 2 hours after i gave the order!

Seriously, grow up you PC guys! Learn to treat your customer with a little honesty.