Vibhu Mishra

Landing a C-130 on board an aircraft carrier

2012-01-18T14:20:00.004+05:45

"Landing a C-130 on board an aircraft carrier"

Has a nice ring to it, but you have to have your ears ringing to understand this. For those of you little initiated in matters of various aircrafts and their carriers, following few paragraphs are for you (ahhh here comes Jack my friend, just let me attend to him)...

... now that Jack is well settled in the warmth of my tummy with some remnants still in the goblet sitting firm at my desk, looking at me from the corners of his eye, landing this C-130 is going to be even more fun!

The C-130 is 30 meters long, has a wing span of about 41 meters, she is relatively light on an empty tank, weighing in at about 35 tonnes and has a payload of about 19 tonnes. She is nicely tall standing about 40 feet and can easily travel three thousand kilometers.

That is big plane... no wonder folks beyond the seas have christened her "Hercules", not a very apt name for a woman. Baah! what do I care, I never call her Hercules anyway, for me she is the C-130...

Now back to landing her ;-)

to be continued... Jack is feeling lonely, he needs some company

MaHa (Madan Krishna Shrestha and Haribansha Acharya) speak out against discrimination and untouchability

2011-09-28T17:04:00.000+05:45

Famous Nepali television personalities Madan Krishna Shrestha and Haribansha Acharaya stating the fact that caste-based discrimination and untouchability practices are serious crimes and urge everyone for their commitment to end such practices.

A 30-second television public service announcement (PSA), part of the 100 day campaign against caste discrimination and untouchability.

100 day campaign against caste discrimination and untouchability

2011-09-22T11:20:00.006+05:45

Despite national legal standards and international obligations, caste discrimination and untouchability practices are still prevalent in Nepal, particularly in rural parts of the country.

To widely disseminate the content of the recently promulgated Caste-based Discrimination and Untouchability (Offence and Punishment) Act 2068 to ensure its effective implementation, the United Nations Human Rights Office in Nepal (OHCHR-Nepal) and the National Dalit Commission have jointly launched this campaign.

On 16th September, the President of Nepal officially inaugurated the launch of the campaign and over a 100 participants, including Government representatives, Human Rights Defenders and media personalities, took part in the campaign's first National Consultation programme organized later in the day.

The ultimate goal is to ensure that victims as well as their family members are able to invoke the rule of law in order to access justice. A culture of accountability must replace the present culture of impunity in Nepal.

To pledge your commitment to end practices of caste discrimination and untouchability, visit the campaign website: http://www.100daysagainstcastediscrimination.com and make your mark today!

Globetrotting mice!

2011-09-07T10:45:00.005+05:45

Often minuscule little creatures of nature, associated with both that is good as well as that is not so good.

Back in the days of old, when streets were not paved with gold and stories were frequently told that of the more mightier ones of the rodent family were quite bold!

STOP! THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A WRITE UP ABOUT GLOBETROTTING MICE - NOT MY ATTEMPTS TO QUALIFY AS A KINDERGARTEN POET!

Anyway, got up this morning, brought in the newspaper, at the first glance, I was convinced that the newspaper guy goofed up today, brought yesterday's paper again, but it was not the case, paper was different, yesterday's read "September 6", today's "September 7". The cartoon was different as well, and so was the headline, albeit too similar!

One mouse tried to travel from Kathmandu to Hong Kong, alas it was caught and killed, or was it the same one? In HK, a second mouse was found, not caught - not killed (I hope it can escape) made it's way there. Does it have a visa? I hope so...

Good going my globe-trotting little creation of nature!

FYI, the newspaper articles:

Mouse on board delays NAC flight 11 hrs, http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=35612
Mouse grounds NAC Boeing again, in HK, http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=35686

Smoker's headache (medical condition)

2011-08-29T15:18:00.003+05:45

NOTE: I AM NOT A DOCTOR, PHYSICIAN OR SOMEONE WHO IS EVEN REMOTELY RELATED TO MEDICINE.

The information presented below is just a simple search on Google. The reason I make this post is because many people stumbled upon this blog post [http://himalayanbullet.blogspot.com/2007/07/smokers-headache-modified.html], on searching for "Smokers headache"

Please use information below entirely upon your own will and thinking.

LINKS:

Headache Triggers and Smoking
http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/guide/triggers-smoking
Puff, Puff, Puff — Throb, Throb, Throb
Smoking and Headaches: Another Reason To Quit
http://headaches.about.com/library/weekly/aa110700a.htm
Smokers Have More Migraine Attacks
http://www.elements4health.com/smokers-have-more-migraine-attacks.html

Belittled!

2011-08-03T19:01:00.004+05:45

Greetings all,

belittle |biˈlitl|
verb [ trans. ]
make (someone or something) seem unimportant : this is not to belittle his role | she felt belittled.
DERIVATIVES
belittlement noun
belittler noun
ORIGIN late 18th cent.: a coinage of Thomas Jefferson originally meaning [diminish in size, make small] ; the current sense dates from the very end of the 18th century.

I'm not in the mood to ramble on and on about what is happening, not happening or just stuck there, somewhere...

But today, 3 August 2011, I am reminded of two pieces of news I heard on the radio -- one today, other a few months back. ,[some rambling] for once - that is an interlocutor to me that I just allow to talk, I don't interrupt it at all, or ask questions, I just quietly or not so quietly listen...

Two, I will not call them men, or even individuals, -- two --, faced a judgement of sorts, for one it was quick, or atleast the radio told me was quick, for the other - just started today.

What happened to No. 1, in the Pakistani city of Abbotabad, was what the "it" deserved, but the means was not what was deserved by the thousands and tens of thousands who suffered for this "it"'s deeds...

The other, today, in a cage, before the world, lying down on a stretcher, did commit carnage on innocent people, justice or no justice, time will tell, but today - "it No. 2" was belittled!

I did not see this, for me, my radio tells me this, but yes, "it No. 2" was belittled

BELITTLED!!!

UN Human Rights Council recommends suspension of Libya

2011-02-26T09:35:00.000+05:45

In an unprecedented move, the United Nations Human Rights Council has acted to suspend one of its members.

The Human Rights Council has unanimously sought to invoke rules governed by the United Nations General Assembly to suspend Libya’s membership from the council because of gross human rights violations.

The recommendation reads: “to the United Nations General Assembly, in view of the gross and systematic violations of human rights by the Libyan authorities, the consideration of the application of the measures foreseen in OP8 of General Assembly Resolution 60/251.”

The resolution states that it “…decides the membership in the Council shall be open to all States Members of the United Nations; when electing members of the Council, Member States shall take into account the contribution of candidates to the promotion and protection of human rights and their voluntary pledges and commitments made thereto; the General Assembly, by a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting, may suspend the rights of membership in the Council of a member of the Council that commits gross and systematic violations of human rights…”

The Council strongly condemned the recent gross and systematic human rights violations committed in Libya.

Libyan representative

And in a twist of events, a Libyan diplomat to the United Nations in Geneva told the Human Rights Council that they had decided to serve as representatives of the Libyan people.

"We only represent the Libyan people," First Secretary-Abdel Shalut said.

Shalut said the young people of Libya, the grandchildren of the revolution, were today writing a new chapter in the history of struggle and resistance.

At the diplomat's request, Council members stood in a minute's silence in honour of the victims of the current violence.

Libya, is first member of the Human Rights Council to be the subject of a Special Session.

The Council also decided to urgently, dispatch an independent, international commission of inquiry. The team will be appointed by the president of the Human Rights Council, will investigate all alleged violations of international human rights law in Libya.

Speaking at the opening of the Council’s meeting the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, reiterated her earlier call for an international investigation into the human rights violations in Libya, said: “I encourage all international actors to take necessary measures to compel the Libyan Government to stop the bloodshed.

The Council urged the Libyan authorities to prevent more bloodshed in the country and ensure safety for all civilians.

“…in brazen and continuing breach of international law, the crackdown in Libya of peaceful demonstrations is escalating alarmingly with reported mass killings, arbitrary arrests, detention and torture of protestors,” the UN human rights chief Navi Pillay told the Council.

The Human Rights chief reiterated the State’s obligation to protect the peoples’ rights to life, liberty and security.

Pillay reminded governments that it the responsibility of the State to protect populations from crimes against humanity and other international crimes.

She also expressed concern for refugees fleeing the unrest to neighbouring countries, and urged neighbouring states to receive and treat them “humanely.”

The Human Rights Council called on the Libyan government cooperation to guarantee access to human rights and humanitarian organizations including human rights monitors.

The special session was convened at the request of Hungary and endorsed by 61 States members as well as observer states of the Council, all representing the different regions of the world.

[ from: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/HRCSpecialSessionLibya.aspx ]

Utter carnage in Libya

2011-02-26T09:25:00.002+05:45

The world we live in today has brought the human kind closer to one another than ever before, we had telegrams, telephones and faxes, then came emails and chats: now we have facebooks, twitters and blogs...

No matter how hard one tries, one cannot remain aloof from the carnage that is happening in North Africa, it started with Tunisia, then Egypt and now Libya, one just need but browse some tweets or visit a forum on facebook. Even if one doesn't do that, one is bombarded by the news of carnage in the country. Attacking one's own people, branding foreigners as mercenaries and trouble makers, ordering mobs to run amok, no word or even the entire lexicon can even attempt to express the condemnation that these actions warrant.

And yet, the ones who have some level of decency are the only ones who can at least try to denunciate this.

All I can express, is that I am left speechless and wordless. My heart goes out to the thousands in the country who have lost it all... you are the bravest of all of us, if we can still call ourselves humans, a word from which humanity originates.

Extremes

2011-01-27T14:45:00.002+05:45

I walk the lonely roads... I walk the empty lanes...

I think of my mind... I think of what was my mind...

People have a way of saying and a way of feeling: what is white - is good - is pure; what is black - is evil - is bad...

I think back, I think of a time when my mind was more sane... be it back or be it white, they are extremes, if you study one school of thought, you add everything, you get black, you add everything again, you get white; if you study this school of thought, you remove everything, you get white, you remember everything again, you get black...

I think back, come to the present, I dare not ask - for you are big - but yet I courage... Oh - you the wise - you the right tell me what is white, what is black?

For in your wildest of dreams - when you are the strongest - you are the mightiest of all, the strongest of all, the bravest of all, the one who is righteous - I dare you answer me ... which of this is pure - which of this is good - which of this is evil - which of this is bad ... accept my dare, for I am small ... I am insignificant ...

I dare you - step out of your armor, step out from behind the ranks and files of those who protect you, step in the dust - as I stand and display the courage to hear me now ...

... be it white, be it black... there is no contest ...

... both are extreme ... both are vile ...

... I dare not offend either - for I only dare myself ...

... for I am the grey...

Still have the WOW factor

2010-11-19T19:41:00.002+05:45

If you look through the archives in this blog, maybe around three years (or more back), you'll come across a post where I talk about aiming for the WOW. I can't exactly recall whether my friend Jack D was sitting by my side that day or not, but he is right next to me now.

I like sitting with Mr. Daniels, he listens to me, doesn't talk back much - which I like - but at times I would appreciate if he would give me some feedback.

Even if it is that glimmer in the corner of the eye or the pat on the back, I would appreciate something...

Anyway, after a long time today, there was feedback from a different audience, it wasn't written or spoken, it was in the glimmer of the eyes, even if I did startle a friend... The glimmer in the eyes was good... I think there was the pat on the back as well... 'twas good...

The friend of Mr. Daniels still has the WOW factor in him...

'twas good...

The Giants?

2010-10-14T13:13:00.003+05:45

It has been ever so common now that everytime I sit down with this window in front of me, I need to have Jack on my side, and gentlemen and ladies - this is not the Jack who goes off to pick a fight with a giant after climbing a beanstalk - this is my good and old friend Jack...

And while I am on this subject, why does Jack have to fight with the Giant? So what if the Giant is big and his feet smell? Take a moment out of your busy schedule gentlemen and ladies - the small sparrow hopping on the table to pick on a few grains of rice that fell of someone's plate... the poor thing was so scared that she (or he) slipped a few times, on its first pass, the sparrow did not even reach the rice, it was so scared that just one glance at me and it flew away - there was no way I was going to do anything to it.. It was only later that the poor tiny creature of God managed to muster enough strength and courage to actually come and peck on the rice (or maybe it was the compulsion of hunger that forced it). And to my great joy - it did, it ate the rice !

Now to this small creature, this small beautiful creature - I or anyone else (humans that is) is a giant, we are big and no doubt our feet smell! This poor beautiful creation of God does not come to pick a fight with us... then why does Jack (not my Jack) have to be this big "hero"? Why pick a fight with the giant? Why?

Insanity!!!

I am happy with my Jack - he doesn't talk much - he is quite fluid - likes to be in his bottle - until I pour him in a glass. He enjoys my company and at least we think alike, he's not a violent person, he doesn't like to pick fights for no reasons....

All for now... Jack's waiting....

Pictures: Live Tiger Cub Found in Luggage

2010-08-27T12:20:00.000+05:45

From the website of National Geographic,
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/08/photogalleries/100826-baby-drugged-live-tiger-cub-luggage-smuggling-bangkok-pictures/#/tiger-cub-found-luggage-airport-face_25089_600x450.jpg
--
To see the pictures, visit this link: Pictures: Live Tiger Cub Found in Luggage
--

Tiger Cub: Freed, Fuzzy Headed

Photograph courtesy TRAFFIC

The cat's out of the bag—at least for a woman caught smuggling a live, two-month-old, drugged tiger cub in a suitcase full of toys (pictured) at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport on Sunday.

The 31-year-old Thai national, whose identity has not been revealed by Thai authorities, was scheduled to board a Mahan Air flight to Iran. But when she was seen struggling with a large bag at check-in, airport officials decided to x-ray her luggage.

The x-rays revealed the tranquilized tiger cub among stuffed-tiger toys, according to a statement released Thursday by TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring network. (Related video: "Tiger Trade Slashes Big Cats' Numbers.")

Officials are investigating whether the cub was wild caught or captive-bred, as well as where the woman intended to bring the tiger.

All Asian tigers are listed as endangered or worse by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), mostly due to the illegal trade in tiger parts. (Read about how to save tigers with National Geographic's Big Cats Initiative.)

Discrimination kills - Maternal mortality and human rights

2010-07-23T12:20:00.001+05:45

Discrimination kills - Maternal mortality and human rights

Discrimination against women leads to preventable deaths and injuries during pregnancy and child birth. Each year hundred of thousands of women and girls die and millions more become disabled as a result of complications during pregnancy and child birth.

A study by United Nations Human Rights office (OHCHR) finds a clear relationship between maternal mortality and morbidity and violations of human rights.

------
The study by the UN Human Rights office is produced under the request of the Human Rights Council.

The short documentary is the story of a widower whose wife died during childbirth. He speaks of how his wife's death could have been prevented. The UN human rights office says discrimination against women is causing unnecessary deaths and injuries during pregnancy and childbirth.

For more details on this and other works of OHCHR, visit their global website: www.ohchr.org or the website of its Nepal office: nepal.ohchr.org

Leadership (re- or un-)

2010-04-21T20:11:00.003+05:45

Is Leadership important both - on the field and perhaps more in the dugout...

From the days of old... when life was simpler... when thoughts were anything but complex... when thoughts were As, Bs and Cs (and some increments)... mere placement of words didn't matter much... An un- here or a re- there:

A very simple illustration DO - was same as re-DO and un-DO... everything was in the MIND... one could easily re-MIND and un-MIND, BLINK your eyes and you're in the world of dream walkers, un-BLINK and in the world of dream walkers, what the heck — re-BLINK and in the world of dream walkers...

Ok guys - all for tonight... My friends Jack and Jonnie are here... I shall return soon - the moment I get sober and have re-gathered my senses or have un-gathered it...

Ok guys - all for tonight...

I say again...

Leadership is important both - on the field and perhaps more in the dugout...

Save Our tigers!

2010-02-21T20:12:00.007+05:45

Ok guys, no more beer and no more just wasting my time. This is important, do visit Save Our Tigers! website and spread the word. From a page on the website, the following information:

Sign up here: http://www.saveourtigers.com/JoinTheRoar.php

Save Our Tigers website: www.saveourtigers.com
WWF: www.wwf.org
WWF India: www.wwfindia.org
WWF Nepal: www.wwfnepal.org

--- information from http://www.saveourtigers.com/WhatCanIDoLeadtheChange.php ---

What can you do?

Spread the Word
Let everyone know that our tigers are on the brink of extinction and that they need us. Now. You can start by joining the Save Our Tigers movement on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, and spreading the word wherever you go – online or offline.

SMS
A short message can go a long way to help save our tigers. Let all your friends know about the movement through SMS – just type in your message and ask them to visit SaveOurTigers.com to join the roar.

Write to Editors
Write a letter or an email to editors of popular newspapers and magazines, asking them to support the cause and highlight the urgency to save our tigers. The more people we can reach and inform, the louder our roar will be.

Donate
Organizations such as WWF and The Corbett Foundation work for tiger conservation and need our active support. If possible, you can chip in with funds, volunteer for work or donate clothes, etc. for the forest guards by tying up with such organizations.

Volunteer for Our Tigers
Your time is the most important contribution for our tigers. If you think you have the skills or the commitment to help the tigers on-site, do contact an NGO working for tiger conservation to volunteer for our tigers.

Preserve our Natural Resources
Loss of habitat is one of our tigers’ biggest problems. We can reduce pressure on forests by avoiding unnecessary use of forest-derived products, such as paper and timber.

Be a Responsible Tourist
Visit tiger sanctuaries and national parks and discover our country’s natural heritage. But please remember that the wilderness is to be experienced, not to be polluted by packets of chips, etc.

Lines of code

2010-02-21T14:05:00.004+05:45

A few years back, a friend sent me a card, no matter how hard I try, I can't recollect the occasion (it most certainly wasn't my birthday), anyway, the card had written on it –

~~I am a software analyst~~
I am a software developer
I am a programmer
I am a person who writes code!

At the end of the day, anybody who worked on development of the graphic-rich ultra-cool games we play on the computer or the word processing applications we use to type and neatly present 200-pages long reports, are all people who write code.

The phrase "person who writes code" is no way as fancy as "analyst", or as intellectual as "developer" or as geeky as the "programmer", and this for sure will not get you any girls to go out with.

It is the poor person who writes code who does all the work and these analysts, developers and programmers who get all the glory and worse -- the girls!

Why so?

I have absolutely no idea!!!

Spending a Sunday trying – to understand a 20-thousand line of code application using code that is just copy-pasted from the internet and then optimize it to use memory and processor power to say 15% of what is is using right now – is definitely not what one should be doing!

I better get back or if I keep this up, I will write another paragraph and head to the chiller, grab a few bottles of beer and enjoy the cricket!

Yet another silly post!

2010-02-09T19:43:00.004+05:45

silly |ˈsilē|
adjective ( -lier , -liest )
having or showing a lack of common sense or judgment; absurd and foolish : another of his silly jokes | “Don't be silly!” she said.
• ridiculously trivial or frivolous : he would brood about silly things.
• [as complement ] used to convey that an activity or process has been engaged in to such a degree that someone is no longer capable of thinking or acting sensibly : he often drank himself silly

This is yet another silly post, yasp if you prefer... A long time ago, there was yacc, for those of you hailing from the days of A's, B's and C's (or a few increments of it) — a time when life was much simpler — would know what this is... for others, this will be yet another silly post!

Nevertheless, had it not been for that silliness, a lot would not have been what they or it are today!

So, as I down my fifth bottle of beer after a long day's work, Cheers — here's to yacc!!!

Peace...

embrace diversity, end discrimination!

2009-12-03T19:33:00.002+05:45

embrace diversity, end discrimination

Human Rights Day, 2009

On Human Rights Day, 10 December 2009, UN Human Rights chief, Navi Pillay promotes a world of equal treatment for all. Lets embrace our diversity and put an end to discrimination, Pillay says.

International Day of Climate Action

2009-10-26T13:12:00.003+05:45

Following text is from www.350.org,

On 24 October, people in 181 countries came together for the most widespread day of environmental action in the planet's history. At over 5200 events around the world, people gathered to call for strong action and bold leadership on the climate crisis.

What does the number 350 mean?

350 is the most important number in the world--it's what scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Two years ago, after leading climatologists observed rapid ice melt in the Arctic and other frightening signs of climate change, they issued a series of studies showing that the planet faced both human and natural disaster if atmospheric concentrations of CO2 remained above 350 parts per million.

Everyone from Al Gore to the U.N.’s top climate scientist has now embraced this goal as necessary for stabilizing the planet and preventing complete disaster. Now the trick is getting our leaders to pay attention and craft policies that will put the world on track to get to 350.

---

For more information, please visit http://www.350.org/

A silly post!

2009-06-03T15:25:00.002+05:45

Even by my standards this post is really silly! I have absolutely no argument to justify its utter silliness...

What is silly?

If anyone of you have ever worn a helmet and crouched down very close to the batsman just because you are the junior most member of the team, you will know what silly means... I myself remember doing this just once. As far as I can recollect, it was in 97 or 98 and by no means I was the junior most player on the team and I think I fielded there just for one ball because the bowler had just taken two wickets in two balls and was on a hat-trick.

There was no bat-pad or anything, the bowler didn't get the wicket and I went back to usual position of fielding, mid-off...

Well, coming back to silliness, I was just on the roof and man was it hot, it was hotter than what I can recall, I think the heat got to me, and now that I'm back inside and the air conditioning is on, I am regaining my senses...

This post was silly, silly even by my own standards - this post is really silly! I have absolutely no argument to justify its utter silliness...

Continuous or Discrete?

2009-04-22T20:41:00.006+05:45

Discrete: not to be confused with Discreet...

It has been a while since my last post... anyway, I'm back here...

I am a student of Physics and at a later stage, computing... I remember my old physics classes - that many things which we took for being continuous were infact discrete, take sunlight for example we think it is always coming to us in a straight line continuously, however it is not so - it is the photons of light which is coming and they are coming one after another, like an army of ants marching after the one in front and in perfect order!

The same goes for electricity, we think that the current is always flowing but here too the case is different, be it electrons which is carrying the charge or the alternating current in the household electric supply, its always on - off - on - off and so on... 50 times a second (for those of us here),but here too lies an order... a harmony in motion...

But what about nature, are the elements of nature continuous or discrete...

Read what I write here and then visualize it with your eyes closed... you are standing on a hill, a breeze is flowing, blowing through your hair, slowly... slowly, a puff of air... then another, not a gale force wind which is continuously hitting at you... but more serene, one gust now... stop... another gust now...

Feel it, is it continuous or discrete?

I will give you one more exercise, again read and think... visualize...

You are standing on a beach... a wave of water comes and flows over your feet... then recedes back... then comes another and goes back again...

Think...

Continuous or discrete?

All for now folks... till next time!

Oh! By the way, here is how the dictionary defines "discrete",

discrete |disˈkrēt|
adjective
individually separate and distinct : speech sounds are produced as a continuous sound signal rather than discrete units.

DERIVATIVES
discretely |dəˈskritli| adverb
discreteness |dəˈskritn1s| noun

ORIGIN late Middle English : from Latin discretus ‘separate’ ; compare with discreet .

USAGE On the difference between discrete and discreet, see usage at discreet .

Ergonomics at the workplace

2009-03-26T10:57:00.006+05:45

Wikipedia defines the term ergonomics as: Ergonomics is the scientific discipline concerned with designing according to human needs, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance. The field is also called human engineering, and human factors. [link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergonomics]

We see ergonomics everywhere these days, one of the places we see it the most is in the chairs and seats we use, be it car seats... and myself being a bike rider, how can I forget the utterly comfortable seat of Bullet motorcycles, the shape and the design of the set is simply wonderful... *Ahem* this entry is about workplace, so bikes for a later day...

Anyway, getting to the point, we spend a lot of time at the office, in front of the computer screen, small things like the lighting of the room, the way our hands are positioned on the keyboard etc. play an important part in our comfort and when this goes goes down adds to the stress and strain... reducing productivity and efficiency...

So here are a few tips to optimize the ergonomics at the work place. Just one thing to point out, ergonomics encompass a lot of aspects, this one is related to the monitor and lighting.

Distance between eyes and the screen: 2 feet - roughly an arms length.

There are a lot of theories regarding this, but in my opinion the ideal distance should be around 2 feet or more... roughly at the distance of an arm's length...

Try a simple experiment to see the strain on your eyes while concentrating at something very close to you. Hold out your arm and look at the fingers, now just move the arm towards you, concentrating on the finger, you'll see how the strain affects your eyes.
Positioning the screen: such a way that you look down at the screen.

This actually serves two purposes - 1. eyes are most comfortable while viewing objects at an angle - between 15 degrees to 40 degrees below the horizontal, and 2. it is easier on the neck.

Thus try to position the screen in such a way that you are not looking straight at the screen but at an angle below your eyes.
Tilt of the screen: top of the screen slightly farther than the bottom.

Tilt the screen such that the top of the screen is slightly farther than than the bottom, this would been that when you are reading on the screen, your eyes are moving down in an arc thereby keeping the distance from the eyes more or less the same.
Office lighting: indirect lighting, reduce glare and reflection.

In the office, have lighting that is indirect, and as far as possible, try to avoid direct light. And one very important point - do not have any source of light which creates a reflection from the screen of the computer.
Choosing screen colours: dark letters on lighter background.

While we do a lot of reading, we often find it easier to read text which is darker in colour on a lighter background, than a text and background of similar colour, the reason is contrast, also with a lighter background, the difference in contrast between the screen and the reflection off it is reduced.

All for now, I hope to put some images regarding these as well as more ergonomics at the workplace... Till next time...

Save paper - Save the environment!

2009-03-03T20:37:00.004+05:45

Saving paper at the office - we all can do a small bit for the environment, believe me - it is not all that difficult... It just take a conscious effort, saving paper at the office is not like quitting smoking or drinking, and you can do it without much effort too!!!

Right now I do not write as a preacher, I write here with a message and a few tips and ask you to look into your inner self when you press Command P or Control P for the printing that document, do you really need it?

Here are a few tips which might help you in saving some paper sheets the next time you print:

Do you really need to print? Just think it over, is printing really required? Often the answer may be "no".
Use that extra margin, by default most softwares set a very wide margin, often it is 1.5 inches, often you do not need to have such wide margins, by editing the margins you can get more on a sheet of paper thereby saving paper - also as you are getting more in a sheet of paper, it is easier to read as one wouldn't have to flip pages.
12 point or 11 point? I will ask you a question - in the picture, which block is more readable? The one on the left is a text block of 12 point, the right one is 11 point, often for reading there isn't much difference - but the difference lies in the lines per page you can accommodate - saving more paper.
Use "Print Preview", this is especially useful when you are printing off web-pages, due to their formatting, they end up taking many more sheets of paper when printing, with the "useful print" only on a few sheets. Do a print preview, and see how many pages are useful and which ones aren't, then while giving the print command, instead of all pages - print only the ones you need.
Print PDF rather than paper, often if you want to print documents for later reference, printing them out as PDf is also a great idea - these are in the digital format, can be easily carried around in flash drives or mailed to yourself, you can get numerous free pdf writers, also on Mac OS X, it is there by default!
Print both sides of the paper, these days many printers are duplex which means they can print on both sides of the paper automatically rather than you having to manually flip the pages printed, simply see the advanced printing settings to set the "Print both sides option".

Often it happens that we do need to print a document - don't feel guilty, print it out! If you read this blog and if it had an impact on you or simply provoked a thought - you're excused, don't lose sleep over it...

But keep this in your mind... Save Paper!

(still no subject)

2009-02-11T19:26:00.004+05:45

Someone had once said, or someone had not once said this - when don't have a canvas, let the world be your canvas... when you don't have a palette, or brushes or paint... use the wind... and paint... create a masterpiece!

I am pretty much sure that no one has said this - if I am wrong, my humblest of apologies...

Right now, as I am writing this - I can't find a subject... but it hasn't held me back... I write anyway... No comments today... No philosophies today... No pearls of wisdom... just a few bullets... as I sit down... no electricity - its the load shedding, but as I said, no comments today - just my piece of art...

Oh what is it that I hear - my good friend Jack calling me... so long folks...

(still no subject)... so this will be the subject - (still no subject)...

How to nap...

2008-06-17T09:59:00.005+05:45

Found this really super cool article...
Original Link: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/naps/

----------

For years, naps have gotten a bad rap, derided as a sign of laziness, weakness, or senility. We are "caught" napping or "found asleep at the switch."
But lately napping has garnered new respect, thanks to solid scientific evidence that midday dozing benefits both mental acuity and overall health. A slew of new studies have shown that naps boost alertness, creativity, mood, and productivity in the later hours of the day.
A nap of 60 minutes improves alertness for up to 10 hours. Research on pilots shows that a 26-minute "NASA" nap in flight (while the plane is manned by a copilot) enhanced performance by 34 percent and overall alertness by 54 percent. One Harvard study published this year showed that a 45-minute nap improves learning and memory.
The body benefits, too. Napping reduces stress and lowers the risk of heart attack and stroke, diabetes, and excessive weight gain. Naps make you smarter, healthier, safer. But to understand how you can nap best - when, for how long, to what end - you need to understand your body.

BORN TO NAP
Most mammals sleep for short periods throughout the day. We have consolidated sleep into one long period, but the biological vestige remains. Our bodies are programmed for two periods of intense sleepiness: in the early morning, from about 2 to 4 am, and in the afternoon, between 1 and 3 p.m. This midday wave of drowsiness is not due to heat or too many fries at lunch (it occurs even if we skip eating). Rather, it arises from an afternoon quiescent phase in our physiology, which diminishes our reaction time, memory, coordination, mood, and alertness.

ARE YOU A LARK OR AN OWL?
To determine the best time to nap, it helps to know your "chronotype." What time you would get up and go to sleep if you were entirely free to plan your day? If you're a lark, apt to wake as early as 6 a.m. and go to sleep around 9 or 10 p.m., you're going to feel your nap need around lor 1:30 p.m. If you're an owl, preferring to go to bed alter midnight or 1 a.m., and to wake around 8 or 9 a.m., your afternoon "sleep gate" will open later, closer to 2:30 or 3 pm.

WHAT'S IN A NAP?
In designing the optimal nap you need to grasp its potential components. During sleep, your brain's electrical activity goes through a five-phase cycle:
Stage 1: Falling asleep
Stage 2: Light sleep
Stages 3 and 4: Deep, slow-wave sleep
REM: Dreaming Sleep
A whole cycle lasts about an hour and a half (and repeats during night time sleep)

A short afternoon catnap of 20 minutes yields mostly Stage 2 sleep, which enhances alertness and concentration, elevates mood, and sharpens motor skills. To boost alertness on waking, you can drink a cup of coffee before you nap. Caffeine requires 20 or 30 minutes to take effect, so it will kick in just as you're waking. Naps of up to 45 minutes may also include rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which enhances creative thinking and boosts sensory processing.
Limit your nap to 45 minutes or less, if you need to spring into action after dozing. Otherwise, you may drift into slow-wave sleep. Waking from this stage results in serious sleep inertia, that feeling of grogginess and disorientation that can last for a half hour or more.
But you might want to take a long nap, at least 90 minutes. Many of us get about an hour to an hour and a half less sleep per night than we need. A new study shows that the sleep-deprived brain toggles between normal activity and complete lapses, or failures, a dangerous state of slowed responses and foggy inattention. Sound familiar?
Naps of 90 to 120 minutes usually comprise all stages, including REM and deep slow-wave sleep, which helps to clear your mind, improve memory recall, and recoup lost sleep. Longer naps in the morning yield more REM steep, while those in the afternoon offer more slow-wave sleep. A nap that is long enough to include a full sleep cycle, at least 90 minutes, will limit sleep inertia by allowing you to wake from REM sleep.

Back after some time... The gentle sloth!

2008-06-10T15:01:00.005+05:45

There is an old Latin saying... "If the wind will not do your work... take to the oars..."

I guess that's it... don't have the mental strength left right now or the physical will to analyze this statement... But amongst us there are many people, for every one who would take the oars, there would be more than ten who will just sit back and enjoy the ride...

What do I say about such people... they are just so utterly lazy! They are just so lethargic and there mere presence is languid... they are just sloths!

Well, talking of sloths (the animal), at least they are a sweet and docile creation of god... and these gentle sloths, have this incredible air of calmness about them, I could just close my eyes and go to sleep just thinking of them... But not that I don't want to sleep right now... I sure could use it... but these sloths (the animal I mean) are in fact quite an ingenious creation... They spend a lot of time just slothing around... hanging off tress, munching on the leaves which provide so very little energy, and the sloths deal with this through some brilliant economy measures: they have very low metabolic rates (less than half of that expected for a creature of their size), and maintain low body temperatures when active (30 to 34 degrees Celsius or 86 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit), and still lower temperatures when resting.

And oh yes before I forget... these sloths eat insects, small lizards, and carrion, but their diet consists mostly of buds, tender shoots, and leaves...

Quite a contrast with the "sloths" of our "real world"... forget the insects, lizards or carrion... they get the cake and they eat it too!!! And the poor rowers just keep rowing the boat forward...

Now people, lets not give the gentle sloth a bad name by calling our "non-rowers" or the "free-loaders" a sloth...

Closest to ever being a hero

2007-11-14T09:13:00.000+05:45

The translator is not a decision making man, he is a LANGUAGE EXPERT. If the original is illegible, he READS it. If the grammar is wrong, he FIXES it. If it simply makes no sense, he UNDERSTANDS it. If he’s lucky, he’ll learn a few things, translate a Security Council document in less than a week, FOR THAT IS THE CLOSEST HE’LL EVER GET TO BEING A HERO.

... not a hero yet... but got close last night :-)

These are actually laws!

2007-11-07T15:19:00.000+05:45

These are actually laws!

It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament
It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British king or queen's image upside-down
It is illegal for a woman to be topless in Liverpool except as a clerk in a tropical fish store
Eating mince pies on Christmas Day is banned
If someone knocks on your door in Scotland and requires the use of your toilet, you are required to let them enter
In the UK a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman's helmet
The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the King, and the tail of the Queen
It is illegal not to tell the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing
It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament wearing a suit of armour
It is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls of York, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow
In Ohio, it is illegal to get a fish drunk
In Indonesia, the penalty for masturbation is decapitation
A male doctor in Bahrain can only examine the genitals of a woman in the reflection of a mirror
In Switzerland, a man may not relieve himself standing up after 10pm
It is illegal to be blindfolded while driving a vehicle in Alabama
In Florida, unmarried women who parachute on a Sunday could be jailed
Women in Vermont must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth
In Milan, it is a legal requirement to smile at all times, except during funerals or hospital visits
In France, it is illegal to name a pig Napoleon

When I’m riding, the road ahead doesn’t matter... What I’ve left behind matters even less

2007-11-02T15:24:00.000+05:45

When I’m riding, the road ahead doesn’t matter,
What I’ve left behind matters even less

I have absolutely no idea who said this or when, but these words are a biker's dream... I for one have believed these ever since I can remember... the moment I sit on my bike, start her up and put her into gear... the world around me ceases to exist... all the conflicts, all the feuds, all this rat-race exist no more... all that exist is my trusted steed, the road ahead and myself...

As I watch as the tachometer ticks by... kilometer after kilometer... tick-tick-tick... watch as the wheels turn... hear each and every contact in the distributor as the engine rotates at over 3000rpm... powering me where my destination is... alas I have no destination to go to... for the destination is the end of the journey... my desire is not to travel for a goal... my desire let the travel be my goal...

It doesn't matter what the road ahead will bring me... it matters not what marks I have left on the road behind me... for me the ultimate mark would be the road itself... as it would whisper quietly to someone who would dare to follow me... Vibhu had traveled these road... and there won't be any milestones to prove it... the road itself would be the milestone!

Meri Bhais Ko Danda Kyu Mara?

2007-10-26T14:15:00.000+05:45

For those of you who want to get to the point click here.

After a long time I was feeling creative again, well in my dictionary, it means I was feeling super wacked out... felt like writing a book that I left off a long time ago, got up this morning, didn't feel like getting up at all... don't know if it was friday blues, could have been...

Meri Bhais Ko Danda Kyu Mara?

And if you guys are thinking I am too stoned over some mega weed... I'm not guys... I'm in perfect shape... and please be patient, this is going somewhere and it will reach its destination pretty soon...

Got back to designing a site that I should have finished a long time ago... and oh yeah I was feeling creative otherwise this thought would have never crossed my mind... then what... what was to stop me from doing it... opened photoshop... thought of a design (yeah!).... no really I did "inspire" myself with a design... and as usual, entered the coordinates of the canvas, painted the Layer 0 white, drew the guides, filled my first gradient...

Went to the image website to grab a nice image for the banner... saw a pic of this extremely cool mucchad or as Thomas would say "That is a really funky picutre", guy seems to be a haryanavi jatt... with this super cool white mustache, and a lattha with him...

I couldn't it as my mind drifted and wham bam hit a giant huge red semi with these words - "Meri Bhais Ko Danda Kyu Mara?"

Lets get to the serious stuff now... The things goes like this -

Meri Bhais Ko Danda Kyu Mara?
Teri Khet Me Chara Charti Thi...
Teri Baap Ka Kya Woh Leti Thi?
Meri Bhais Ko Danda Kyu Mara?

This was an old hindi song, and now that I am super doped on this super weed called creativity, this is the best time for analyzing this statement... What is Bhais - a simple four legged bovine, so gentle... gives us milk... and if you have ever traveled the highways of Bihar, Bhais ke doodh ka chai... simply wonderful...

Why would someone hurt this gentle create of god? Just because she was eating the grass in some overgrown field? Man is mean... I remember the days of old when I would just sit in my village home and watch the kid from across the street take his buffaloes to graze in the morning... singing his song, a dialect I couldnot even understand... its so simple there... and then you look in the cities, these big concrete jungles, atleast I wish this was like a jungle, where no one is bothered by what you are doing... let the bhais eat the grass... why does it bother you, it hasn't done anything to you... but in this jungle... you have to hit it with a danda... why?

Let the bahis be what it is... you be what you are... stop interfering... and start thinking...

Think...

Oh and by the way - "Meri Bhais Ko Danda Kyu Mara?" translates into "Why did you hit my buffalo with a stick?"

How to Properly Place New Employees

2007-10-25T15:28:00.000+05:45

A friend emailed this to me today... quite funny...

1. Put 400 bricks in a closed room.

2. Put your new hires in the room and close the door.

3. Leave them alone and come back after 6 hours.

4. Then analyze the situation;

a. If they are counting the bricks, put them in the Accounting Department.

b. If they are recounting them, put them in Auditing.

c. If they have messed up the whole place with the bricks, put them in Engineering.

d. If they are arranging the bricks in some strange order, put them in Planning.

e. If they are throwing the bricks at each other, put them in Operations.

f. If they are sleeping, put them in Security.

g. If they have broken the bricks into pieces, put them in Information Technology.

h. If they are sitting idle, put them in Human Resources.

i. If they say they have tried different combinations, they are looking for more, yet not a brick has been moved, put them in Sales.

j. If they have already left for the day, put them in Marketing.

k. If they are staring out of the window, put them in Strategic Planning.

l. If they are talking to each other, and not a single brick has been moved, congratulate them and put them in Top Management

m. Finally, if they have surrounded themselves with bricks in such a way that they can neither be seen nor heard from, put them in the Legislature.

----Anonymous

its passion...

2007-10-10T10:20:00.000+05:45

These words appear as "Honi soit qui mal y pense" as the motto of the Grenadier Guards, the most senior infantry regiment in the British Army. Quite heavy words when you think of it, and quite professional too...

I asked myself a question last night when I was unable to sleep. Who is truly a "professional"? The entire night I spent just pondering on this term, morning came and I was still answer-less, slowly it was time to go off to work... and as I got ready, slowly archiving and deleting all the memories and worries of the previous day and personal life lest it affect me and my actions today, the meaning got clearer and my mind went into overdrive...

The almost 2 years that I spent in SM, my day started and ended with work... if I was happy, it was because I did something good... if I was sad, it meant I screwed up something... those two years knew nothing more... home was just a bed to sleep on... time for my friends... time for my family... time for me... time for life... there wasn't any time at all!!!

I did everything I was asked to do... I did everything I had to do... I did things I was supposed to... I did what I was not supposed to do... I did things just because people I thought I couldn't do... I did stuff to tick people off... I did things because it gave me a high... loved every moment of doing it all...

Work slowly became a passion, I got married to my job... became one with it... I would even dream of work...

And then one day it ended... I had to move on... what is left are just memories... a day's, maybe 2's work done in mere hours because I had to keep a promise... 3 weeks spent on a project which still carries my name... something that was snatched away and later came back to me... the guy who pat on the back... the gleaming eyes of that girl... the smile on the face of my team... that one comment - "Vibhu dai is a positive psycho!"... and when I was leaving... "Mat jaa yaar..."

I miss those days...

Was this professionalism? No... I don't think so... I'm too much in love with my work... its passion...

How to Avoid Injury when Falling off a Horse (or a bike)

2007-09-23T22:12:00.000+05:45

Humm... the way I figure it, a bike and a horse are quite similar... in the days of old you had knights in shining armor atop wonderful steeds, these days you have knights on shiny bikes... not much armor... or that lance or the coat of arms... but still... hey what the heck... found this interesting article on the internet... may come in handy... enjoy it...

Falling off a horse can range from embarrassing to fatal. If you ride horses, it is almost guaranteed that you will fall off sooner or later. To avoid injuries, especially to the head, you must learn to take precautions and fall in a certain way that will minimize the risk of injury.
(http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Injury-when-Falling-off-a-Horse)

Steps
1. Ride with a buddy, so that he or she can get help if you fall.
2. Choose safe riding clothes such as boots with flat soles, an approved helmet, long pants such as jeans or jodphurs, boots for you that have a heel, and a sleeved shirt (the longer the sleeves, the better to help prevent gravel rash), a heavy leather jacket is also quite handy... makes you look cool too!
3. Wear fluorescent or brightly coloured clothing. Not only will drivers be able to see you, but it will be easier to see where you have fallen, even if your buddy is some distance away. Your horse should wear something fluorescent independently, in case he gets loose.
4. Use correctly fitted safety stirrups. These come in a range of designs, but are all meant to prevent your foot becoming trapped in case of a fall. If the stirrup bar (the part of the saddle that the stirrup leather attaches to) is the old hinged type, keep it in the open position.
5. Relax. Allow yourself to fall and don't resist. In the time between when you leave the saddle and when you hit the ground, tensing up your muscles will severely limit your body's natural ability to absorb impact.
6. Let go of the reins. This is often hard to do as it's natural to want to protect your horse from escaping into danger, but by hanging on you are risking being dragged. Trust your buddy to catch your horse.
7. Remember that as you fall to land on your rear end or, if the horse is tall and you are short, to land on your feet. If you do this, use the same type of force you would use if you were dismounting. If you land on your feet, bend your knees as you land.
8. Duck and roll away from the horse as soon as you hit the ground. Rolling will lessen the impact and get you away from their hooves, and ducking should protect your head. Treat it like a somersault.
9. Learn that once you stop rolling to gently move your arms, legs, fingers, toes, head, wrists, and ankles, one at a time. If you feel even the slightest bit of pain, lay still until help comes and it would be dangerous to move. But if you feel up to it, stand up slowly without jerking your body. Your friend should have caught your horse and should be holding it for you.
10. Check your horse over and walk him for a bit. This will give you a chance to find out if you have any injuries and also to have a stretch, plus comeon bro... its your horse... its got feeling too man...
11. Try to figure out what happened. Were you loping on the wrong lead and got unbalanced? If so, you should work with your horse on picking up the correct lead so that doesn't happen again.
12. Climb back on if you are happy to do so. This is a very important step, because the later you get back on, the harder it will be.

Tips
· If you are trying to land on your feet, remember that if you slip, it is better to fall backwards than forwards. If you fall back, you should be able to catch yourself, but if you fall forward, you will probably land underneath a horse and could have a harder time getting up.
· Carry a mobile phone, charged up, but switch off. Make sure you have the numbers of the yard you have ridden out from and your vet. Carry the phone on your person in a belly bag or ankle safe for instance. Calling for help is much more difficult if your phone is on the horse running away from you.
· Some people, especially children and teenagers, naturally roll when they fall, but when you get older and become less flexible, this can become harder or impossible. Doing exercises to improve your flexibility will improve your riding as well and reduce the risk of injury. Judo lessons are especially good for this.
· Laugh. Laughing helps some people relax and it can help quieten your nerves.
· Always wear a helmet.

Warnings
· If you feel like you're about to fall, grab the horse's mane or the saddle horn(if riding western), but not any other part of the horse. Do not spook or hurt the horse. That's all it will take for him to throw you off or bolt.
· If you lose consciousness, even for a few seconds, call an ambulance immediately, even if you feel fine after.
· If you have any back pain, don’t get back on the horse. Back injuries can take time to fully reveal themselves and riding will damage them further.
· Never wrap the reins around your hands.

My Team

2007-07-22T20:40:00.000+05:45

One man alone can be pretty dumb sometimes, but for real bona fide stupidity, there ain't nothin' can beat teamwork.

And it is this collective stupidness that binds us all together, its not your normal everyday team... its more... much much more... these are the guys I can fall back upon... no matter what happens, I know these guys will pitch in for me, and I just hope I can do it for them... It is their spirit that gives me the strength to fight on, and the utter stupidness to look for solutions where none exist!

Thank you guys!

In the pic: Sanjay (blue jacket), Yubraj (black t-shirt), Pushpan (brown shirt), Yung (last row), Dijup (green/blue shirt), Paresh (white t-shirt), Bandhu (between Pushpan and Paresh) & Me!

Smoker's Headache (modified)

2007-07-08T07:49:00.002+05:45

Dear readers, I have noticed that many people stumble upon this blog post on searching for "Smokers' headache", which I presume is a medical condition they are looking for. Please note that this blog is just a parody for someone who smokes and needs a cigarette and the process he has to go through to get it.

If you are looking for the medical condition, please refer to this post instead, http://himalayanbullet.blogspot.com/2011/08/smokers-headache-medical-condition.html

NOTE: I AM NOT A DOCTOR, PHYSICIAN OR SOMEONE WHO IS EVEN REMOTELY RELATED TO MEDICINE.

1. You sense a desire for a cigarette.
2. Locate money to purchase a new pack.
3. Locate your bike keys.
4. Walk to your bike.
7. Sit in your bike.
8. Start your bike.
9. Put your bike in gear.
10. Ride to the nearest store.
11. Put your bike in park.
12. Stop your bike.
13. Get off your bike.
14. Walk to the store.
15. Walk inside the store.
16. Stand in line.
17. Request your brand of cigarettes.
18. Remove your money from your wallet.
19. Place your money .
20. Wait for your change.
21. Take your cigarettes & change.
22. Walk to the exit of the store.
23. Walk to your bike.
24. Sit On your bike.
25. Start your bike.
26. Put your bike in gear.
27. Drive to your home or smoking area [ i have 1 so ]
28. Put your bike in park.
29. Stop your bike.
30. Walk to the door of your home or the smoking place.
31. Unlock the door.
32. Open the door.
33. Walk inside.
34. Open the pack of cigarettes.
35. Remove a cigarette from the pack.
36. Locate a lighter or match.
37. Light the lighter or match.
38. Light your cigarette.
39. Smoke this one.
40. Have another for all this hard work!

This one is from my good friend Kevin... http://ketaktmko.blogspot.com/

Waiting for you...

2007-06-28T09:06:00.000+05:45

waiting for you...
a slip of hand... a twist of fate!
and i still wait for you...

i gave the stars and i gave the sun...
i gave it all and you wanted more...

i gave it all and i still wait for you...

i gave myself away... i gave myself away!
my hands are tired and my heart is bruised...
and now i have nothing left to lose...

you asked for more... i gave it all!
i gave myself away... still wait for you...

Jealous?

2007-06-02T20:02:00.000+05:45

2nd June, 2007

"Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed that is." - Jedi Master Yoda

Now what is jealousy? Ask me, I have felt the wrath of it first hand... At the fear of getting seduced by the dark side, I must confess, I enjoyed it... it made me feel that I am the reason for someone's greed... now if I am the reason for anyone's greed, wow... can't express how it feels... it's just wow...

Won't say whose wrath I felt... but the cause was she was jealous... she surely was jealous... I can still feel the way she reacted... I meant it as a joke... but no she had to take me seriously... so big-deal... take me seriously...

Man but was she jealous!

WOW she was jealous!

Just a couple of pics...

2007-06-02T19:49:00.000+05:45

Hadn't done this in a while

2007-05-28T09:39:00.000+05:45

27th May 2007

Now let me think, when was the last time I did this?

I guess it was late December 2003, don't remember why... I just used to do it... and I used to love it... tried a number of combinations... one was Dr. Morpen's another was the standard Tata, and a few more...

Now before anyone starts getting any ideas, it isn't something very naughty or something very weird... All I can say is that was completely wacko...

It was the Accounts exam, spent the whole night finishing a project... then around 4:30 AM made myself the treat I always love... my mug of coffee! spent the next hour just sitting on the water tanki... enjoying the morning breeze... was the ideal way to spend some time figuring out the marbles in my head...

Something was different about this morning after a long night... the wind that was blowing... the birds which had started chirping... the sky turning rosy... clouds smiling with me... the wind... the birds... the sky... the clouds all of them knew me that day... they called me by my name... and after 3 and a half years... I knew I was home...

And I loved each and every moment of it!

She is my Excalibur

2007-04-23T20:54:00.000+05:45

There drew he forth the brand Excalibur,
And o’er him, drawing it, the winter moon,
Brightening the skirts of a long cloud, ran forth
And sparkled keen with frost against the hilt:
For all the haft twinkled with diamond sparks,
Myriads of topaz-lights, and jacinth-work
Of subtlest jewellery.

She is my excalibur... my holy grail... she is my victory... she is my defeat...

When alone, she's my shadow...

When happy, she's the reason... when sad... she's my comfort...
In the scorching sun, she's the shade...
In the coldest winters, she's the warm fire...

When the world turns topsy turvy, she's the one who says... I am here... If only you could hear...

She is my trial... she's my reward...
She only she...

When I'm mean to her... she says not a word...
When I'm rude to her... she says not a word...
When I'm angry at her... she says not a word...
When I need her... she is right there...

When I need her... she is right there...
When I need her... she is right there...

When everything goes wrong... she takes me in her arms...
When everything seems my fault... she says look me into my eyes...
When I shout... she listens...
When I whisper... she listens...

When I need her... she is right there...

The day she is playful... none can match her passion...
The day she is loving... none can match her warmth...
The day she is angry... none can match her wrath...
The day she asks... I just wish I could... like the way she does for me...

When I need her... she is right there... and she says - I am here... If only you could hear...

When I'm mean to her... she says not a word...
When I'm rude to her... she says not a word...
When I'm angry at her... she says not a word...

And the day she gets angry... man... does she get angry...
Her tantrums... ohh her tantrums...
All she says that day... ok my lover... time to push me all the way home...

Who is she...
You know...
She is my Excalibur, She is my zindagi,
She is my sweetheart... my bullet!

Today I shall dance...

2007-04-11T19:36:00.000+05:45

Should the waft of the night come and caress you... know that my yearning has sent you a note...
Should your chunni get wet when it (the rain) pours down... know that my tears glaze you from the skies...

Ajj laggi satt kalje
Dil sochya hunh ki kare
Kiven bhulle teri yaad nu
Kiven jeeve jan kitthe ja marre

Ek terioh hi aas si
Hunh o bhi tara banh gai

Sanu ashiquan di goth nu...
Khajjar bana ke chad gai

Bhaven khaiye na...
Kitthe jaiye na...
Par rona vi naa...

Asan ajj nachna...
Asan ajj nachna...
Asan ajj nachna...
Asan ajj nachna...

Je tainu raat nu bhulla Koi
Hava da aake chumh lave
Janni sehek ne meri sajan
Galle ne ajj sunehrhe

Je bhijj jave teri chunhri
Jaden sauhn-bhadon minh varhe
Janni aashiquan di hunkhe
Taine arshan ton chambrhe

Bhaven khaiye na...
Kitthe jaiye na...
Par rona vi naa...

Asan ajj nachna...
Asan ajj nachna...
Asan ajj nachna...
Asan ajj nachna...

Thanks Rabbi...

When you can't feel the ground under your feet...

2007-04-10T19:03:00.000+05:45

When you do something right... you can feel it... when you do something wrong... you can feel it too... but what about the time when you yourself don't know what you have done is right or wrong...

Its something like this... you are walking on solid rocks, or you're walking on grass... or you're walking on ice... you feel the rocks, you feel the grass, you feel the slippery ice under your feet... and when you are falling... there is nothing but emptyness under your feet... you can feel that too...

Now consider this... you don't feel a thing... that is the feeling of not feeling anything under your feet...

This was a normal day nothing much happened today, got a couple of chocolates... got the taste in my tongue to prove it... yeah the song ajj nachiye was a little loud, still have the ringing in my ears to remember it... was quite sleepy in the class... got the scribbles to show for it...

Had the sadness in my eyes... I can still see it...

My sweetheart kicked me... got a cut on my leg to prove it... my sweetheart kissed me... got a smile on my face to show it...

Yet I can't feel the ground under my feet... but I will!

Don't set milestones...

2007-03-31T11:08:00.000+05:45

Emerson had said, Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is none and leave your trail...

What I am doing right now will not be known to many... neither do I want this... just that pat on the back... or that gleam in the eyes... or simply that look which doesn't say a word is enough... enough for the sleepless - tired nights and days...

What I am doing wouldn't be known to even the person next to me... neither do I care... its enough that I know that I have done it... I have made my path... left my trail...

I don't believe in setting milestones, instead what I want to do is let the path that I have tread be my mark... Let it be my signature... There can't be a better appreciation of what I have done... just that pat on the back... just that gleam in the eyes is enough...

When you walk up on the stage, face your audience, say what you want to say... and once you are done, if there is that wow, you'll know that you have done your job... and done it well...

Aim for that wow...

When you walk a trail never walked... go down a road where none exists... let your footprints become the trail...

Don't set milestones, let the trail you blaze become your signature...

My Nepal (I)

2007-03-26T17:26:00.000+05:45

"The greatest journey in life is the one that takes you home!"

I had taken a bunch of photographs in July 2005, stitched them together and the above is the result. Its the mountains to the south of Kathmandu...

This one is for you Delhi...

2007-03-19T11:14:00.000+05:45

Delhi, where I spent 4 years of my life... gained "wisdom" made friends, made enemies, and made some acquaintances, some of whom I'll remember for a long time... some not even the next day....

Delhi, where I learnt to cook... Delhi, where I learnt how to jump off a bus at 50 and land on my feet... where I would smoke 555 in the first week, classic in the 2nd, navy cut in the 3rd and down to beedi in the last...

Delhi, where there was Galina's Tandoori, Barista's Latte, Keventer's Cold Coffee, Wenger's Pastry, PVR's movies, and where there was the old faithful 442... where there was mudrika + and -, and one day that red AC bus too...

Well Dehli, can't say I love you... can't say I hate you... this one is for you:

Jaagegi raat bhar aur...
Bhaagegi saath par kar...
Daalegi belagaam khayalon ko...

Puchge ye savaal aur...
Maangegi ye hisaab, na...
Sunege tere jawabon ko...

Yaha hei ek nadi...
Aur waha hei ek Lal Quila...
Par kahan hai es sheher ka falsafa...

Yahaan aasu aur geet...
Aur jawani thi maine tere naam ki...
Aavara thi raat...
Aur sarhkein thi sab mere baap ki...
Aur ma tha... tu thi... aur thi Dilli bas!

Kahin koi urh raha hai...
Kahin koi gir raha hai...
Kahin koi hai khara quagaar pe...

Kahin koi khele jua...
Kahin koi bane gulaam...
(aur) Kahin koi hai khara intezaar mein...

Jab gaya mei kal Quatab Minar...
Aur suna tha maine elaan...
Ki bani hei yaha en nayi party...

Aavara hai naam...
Bhatakana aapna vidhaan hai...
Fursath hai kaam...
Kuch dhundala sa aapna nishan hai...
Wahan mei tha, tu thi... Aur thi Dilli bas!

Dekhe yahan kayi mausam badalte hue...
Dekhe jazbey kayi patthar bante hue...
Kayi waqth se pehle...
Sab aaj tu kehle!!!

Aavara hai naam!
Bhatakna aapna vidhan hai....
Fursath hai kaam...
Kuch dhundala sa aapna nishan hai...
.... Aur mei hun... tu hai... aur hai Dilli bas!

- Rabbi Shergill
Song: Dilli
Movie: Dehli Heights

set yourself free...

2007-03-14T23:11:00.000+05:45

don't be confined in a metal cage...
set yourself free...
feel the wind in your hair...
mirror the brilliance of the sun in your eyes...
it won't matter if you're accompanying the rising sun or riding off into the sunset...

be one...
be one with your thoughts...
be one with your ideas...
be one with your desires...
be one with yourself...

set yourself free...

Lavz... kabhi kabhi yeh dagah de jate hai...

2007-03-10T15:04:00.000+05:45

Jis din dil khush ho... khushi se khushi... chaaron taraf sirf khushi ka eahsaas ho...

Yeh batana bahut mushkil hai, ke yeh eahsaas kaisa hai... kafi mushkil... do lavz, sirf do lavz woh bhi dagah de jate hai... be-wafh lavz bhi...

Aur fir woh mere aankhon me dekthi hai... na jaane kyu dil ki dharkan kehti hai... thoda sa aaraam kar lene do... in aankhon ke saaye me... saala dil bhi be-wafah ho gaya hai...

Ab sirf yeh waqth thoda sa be-wafi kar de... sirf kuch pal ke liye ruk jaye... koi aahat na ho... koi sanaata na ho... woh sirf mere aankho me dekthi rahe... kafi mushkil hai batana... arre hume to hosh kahan... hamara dil to dharakna bhul gaya... yeh in aankhon ka jaadoo hai...

Yeh kaisa jaadoo hai... do lavz bhi nahi chodh gaya... kya yeh in aankhon ka jadoo hai?

Kehna mushkil hai...

Kaise kahun... yeh Lavz... kabhi kabhi yeh bhi dagah de jate hai...

Haan... abhi yeh Lavz... yeh bhi dagah de jaate hai...

The prettiest girl!

2007-03-09T19:48:00.000+05:45

When you are dancing with the prettiest girl in the party its not bad manners to step on her toes, its simply stupid... and when you are holding her close in your arms, and lift her up in the air just because she is the most special person in the world, you don't drop her... not because its not the right way of putting her down.... IT IS JUST DUMB!

When you bank 70° while making that turn at 90, or when you are taking her on the the bumpiest of roads... you are dancing the waltz... it is the most wonderful of feelings that any heart could feel... or the senses to behold...

I dance with the prettiest girl in town... I hold her tight in my arms, close to my heart... and when she is idle... each stroke of her 346cc engine is attuned with the beats of my heart... or rather my heart attuned with her every stroke...

what now?

2007-03-07T22:16:00.000+05:45

what now? the same old clamor of the tv running in the background... nights have turned into days and days into nights... twilight has taken over... no sun rise... no sun set... just that flaming ball stuck somewhere over or under the horizon... does it matter? i am not allured by it... nor repulsed...

This one is for my sweetheart!

2007-03-05T21:14:00.000+05:45

Just for her...

Dil dharakta mujme hai lekin hai to uska!
Mana feel mujhe hota hai lekin ehsaas to hai uska!
Mana sochta me hu lekin khayalo me to woh hai!
Mana yeh me hu... Lekin hu to uska...

Holi 2007 Pictures

2007-03-03T13:09:00.000+05:45

Holi 2007

To the pictures, click here
.

17 Hour Shift! (contd...)

2007-03-02T15:35:00.000+05:45

2nd March,

Now that I look back at the 17 hour shift at the office on the 28th Feb, it wasn't all that bad... had reached the office at 3AM... later found out that there was a bandh in the morning, had two options, one was walk... second sneak home through the alleys and lanes...

humph! decided to make another option myself... as it is by the time I was done it was already 12:30 so what the heck just another 3-4 hours and I could ride back... had lunch there itself... the chicken was delightfully well prepared... especially the gravy...

Had some pending work so started with that... listened to some music... Spirit and Dilli Heights, the flash I made was quite nice...

Cleared my mind... never realized that once you're making the owls and the bats jealous how weird it is working at day... there was a nice breeze so opened all the windows, which then got a little too strong so closed it back again...

Ate a banana after a long time, felt a little like a monkey! Soon it got to 4, went to the floor, spent the next hour and a half in the server room... was interesting... and cold...

Then the sun also decided to call it a day, went down to Ram Dai's for one for the road... and decided that it was time for me too to call it a day, for my next one would be starting in about 7 hours, finally left around 7PM, and reached home quite quickly, the traffic was unusually light... ought to be because it was a bandh...

Reached home...

Interesting day...

17 Hour Shift!

2007-02-28T19:40:00.000+05:45

28th February 2007

Just too beat right now to write... will continue...

After 6 Years

2007-02-26T16:28:00.000+05:45

26th February 2007

Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel

After a span of 6 Years, went on the basket ball court again, after the most tired I had been in a long, very long time, some how got the energy to play a match again, the score line wasn't that good... But atleast I did better than how I thought I would do... got a few good blocks and didn't lose the ball...

We lost at the end... but it was fun.

1 day enough for 2 years!

2007-02-25T14:49:00.000+05:45

24th Feb 2007...

3 Years since graduation and any physical activity [on the fields ;-) ] and then I have the bright idea of playing once again, this time for KUSOM...

11:30 Raj Dal Battalion,
Ok... try-out for the basket ball team... yeah, the last I played was the Alumni Team v/s School team, back in 2001... 6 years cool... Well atleast I can say I didn't end up not scoring... one 3pointer from the mid court line will impress a few dames even today... not bad... :)

Played almost for 5 - 5 1/2 hours... and at the end also played a game of cricket... bowled first... haven't done that for 3 years now... first over was quite good... only 1 run.. next two... rather not say... what was it now - 3-0-26-0 ??? Then batted... again atleast I can say didn't get out for a duck... got 5 runs... off the mark with an edge... hit a four... good enough...

Then... then what! went to sleep at 5 PM and woke up at 5:30 AM hadn't slept like that in a long time... well one day of sports was productive... got a good sleep... now my body hurts like anything...

Next? Lets see...

Rationalize Love?

2007-02-18T20:50:00.000+05:45

Can you rationalize love? Can you explain why you love someone?

You can't rationalize the feeling...
she's not as shiny or as sleek...
she doesn't have the best fuel economy...
or is most comfortable on these old narrow and pot-holed filled streets...
one would ever ride a bike like this using one's head...

I ride this bike with my heart. I ride her because I just love it... I just love her... You can't rationalize love... You simply can't explain it... You just feel this feeling of being in love... feel it all around you... over you, under you, beside you... everywhere you go... you just feel it... you bask in its warmth... feel it like a shadow in the mid-day scorching sun... You can't explain this feeling... You can't explain love...

You just love... that is what I do... I just love her!

We band of brothers...

2007-02-18T15:22:00.000+05:45

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

Just a few lines from "Henry V", but when you think about it, there is more... much much more... there is something about these words that the Young English King Henry told upon his men before the Battle of Agincourt, when victory looks uncertain... when all odds are against you... when the world has turned its back to you... or at-least your world has turned its back to you... Do you cower? Do you think otherwise?

With just your fellows beside you... or even if there aren't any... Rise and face all opposition with all your might... Let the world which shied away know that it was weak and you were not wrong...

Now what does this have to do with me? Not a lot... I just have these words stuck to my workplaces... just to remind me... what I am doing might not be remembered... might not even be known... but who cares... I am doing what I am supposed to...

This 14th Day of the Second Month!

2007-02-14T20:29:00.000+05:45

Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.
- Robert Frost

When it rains it pours... when it snows... what can I say?

2007-02-14T19:48:00.000+05:45

When it rains it pours... today was just that case... rained like anything... poured I should say... also it snowed... when it snows... what can I say...

62 years... Its been 62 years that it snowed in Kathmandu, and it snowed today... on V-Day... don't know what the weather gods had in store... but I am sure Cupid played a role... just the day to snuggle with your one around a cozy fire and inside the blanket... just wonderful... what can I say...

I was in class (MBA - Econometrics), sitting in the last row (as always)... when I just looked back and saw some abnormally large rain drops... must have been hail... wasn't the case... what can I say...

car got stuck in the slush... had a hard time controlling her on the roads... defogger gave up... was fun getting wet... the steaming hot plates of momo and those glasses of Smirnoff... what can I say...

Well, what can I say, I'll just quote Vaughn Monroe...

Oh the weather outside is frightful
But the fire is so delightful
And since we've no place to go
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

It doesn't show signs of stopping
And I've bought some corn for popping
The lights are turned way down low
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

When we finally kiss goodnight
How I'll hate going out in the storm!
But if you'll really hold me tight
All the way home I'll be warm

The fire is slowly dying
And, my dear, we're still good-bying
But as long as you love me so
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Well, weather gods... Cupid... let it snow! let it snow! let it snow!

Woh dosti ke pal (Those moments of friendship...)

2007-02-12T18:01:00.000+05:45

Woh dosti ke pal...
yaaden... ek din woh bhi yaadon me kho jayengi... bas baki rahenge to woh pal... dosti ke pal... sunye madam, hum waiso me nahi jo bhula de... woh zulm hoga... to kya hum zulmi hain... lekin aapke dost aapke saathi hain... aise mat samajna ki vibhu bul gaya... vibhu ko yaad hi kaha! haan yaad hai... kuch kuch yaad hai... nahi sab kuch yaad hai... vibhu waiso me nahi jo bhula de... yaad nahi raktha... jaise raat ka andhera suraj ke roshni se juda hai... waise hi yaaden - bhulne se judi hai... haan hum yaad nahi rakhte... kyuki hum nahi bhulte... woh dosti ke pal... woh dosti ke pal...

*** Translated into English ***
Those moments of friendship...
Memories... one day these too shall disappear in memories... what will remain would be only moments... moments of friendship... listen madam, we (I) are not like those who would forget... that would be cruel... so what - we are cruel... but are amongst your friends... don't think that Vibhu fotgot... when did Vibhu remember at all! Yes we remember... we do remember something... NO - we remember everything! Vibhu is not like those who forgets... does not remember... the way the darkness of night is intertwined with the light of the sun... the same way remembering and forgetting are twined together... YES WE DON'T REMEMBER ANYTHING... BECAUSE WE DON'T FORGET ANYTHING... those moments of friendship... those moments of friendship...