Winash Times

Singapore Slang.....

2010-05-16T06:48:00.000-07:00

If you feel , there is no Unique thing to Singapore , as they are relatively young country, then You are taken for a twist here .

I have been here close to a year, I m amazed at the way People talk here, They call Singlish ..something Unique here..
When You hear ..It would be like English , but It just sounds different , in my words Weird . Even People speak a different dialect of Tamil,unlike in TN
If you are new to Singapore , here is Slang you should get used to...

                 Yes or Ok means Can -- You l see lot of people use 'Can can '

                 'Top Up' means recharge/refill -- You need to know this coz you l have to topup..err recharge your Bus/Train Ezlink cards

                  Already -- I dont know why they add this word to every sentence they speak

                  Ok- Lah     -- Almost all people add this word 'Lah' to the end of sentence , Formosan Influence

                  Jalan - Jalan means road/ street /way /route /path/Go ..depends on person you speak to ..:(
                  Angmo - A White Foreigner esp. from Europe/US
                  Bukit - Bukit mean Hill, a elevated place - They refer this   to any higer slope as well

             Kopi/Kopic/TehC - Kopi means coffee ,alias Black coffee , You should ask with Milk , which is 'C'

                  MRT - Nearest railway station , You can spot any place and ask for nearest MRT and look that
                              in the map - very easy

                Kaya Toast - Breakfast you can find only in this part of World - Butter, Kaya (sweet) with bread


                  Mustafa /Cheers/ 7-Eleven - These shops are available all round Island , 7/11 & Mustafa are 24/7 shop , where you will get everything from Condom to Computers .

                  NTUC Fair Price /Cold storage -- NTUC (National Trade Union Congress ) , has stalls all over the Island , is under the Government and has quality products at lower prices .
People only call NTUC and not fair price,
Cold storage has all imported products at slightly higher price, especially the meat products (not for me)

                    HDB - Housing developementAuthority
                   Condo - Condominium
                    Poly - generally means Health clinic nearby /also known for Polytechnic college
   Community centre - Place for localitypeople to congregate and serve people within .
                   Dry/Wet market - Place where you can buy cheap Non-Veg (Sea food kind)
                  Tekka -- Tekka means Market , which is actually in Little India .

                                    and many more, will update as and when I notice ...

    Some Useful Abbreviationss

                  PUB - Public Utility Bills

                  NRIC /IC - National Registration Identity Card , all people call it IC .
                              Since most of people here are from other countries , carrying IC ( Foreign Index Number -Pink/Blue Card) is better, to have in Wallet.
                              Whenever you go to , Your first identity Card for registration would be your IC

                   NETS - Network for Electronic Transfer

                           Anytime/Anywhere to Swipe money .Make sure when you open account You have NETS enabled
                           Almost All remunerated have their NETS enabled on to their Debit/Credit cards

Expat Disarray ? .....

2010-03-02T03:22:00.000-08:00

Ofttimes , I have been reminded of this word while in Singapore...

The official meaning(M-W) ,says someone moved from country voluntarily to seek new home abroad .

IF you go through World history (courtesy- Bill Bryson ) , Countries had prospered /are prospering only through Immigrants , There was phase in every country ,where a generation of hardwork intertwined with flux of immigrants (both high skilled and low skilled) , prospered their nation

Once they feel, they have achieved the consistent GDP, and have sufficient self pool of Talent, They take part in commanding Third World, oblivious of fact that they also contributed to growth .

Singapore is almost in transformation of that Phase, but they need consistent conflux of Skilled/non skilled people to meet their demands.

Some numbers which really poise developing India's role in Singapore's parabolic growth

$27 Billion : World Bank estimates of Annual Money remitted to India (largest in planet,US,SNG major Contributors )

25 million : Indians living outside country

$25 Billion : Singapore-India Bilateral Trade value last year

200,0000 : Expatriates in Singapore

3500 - Approx Number of Indian companies in SNG

150 - World's leading Banks in Singapore

27 - Average Age of Expat in SNG

184 - Number of Indian restaurants (per street directory.com )

2- Second largest investor in Indian economy (next to US)

3 - International Indian schools based in SNG

There are gripping numbers for china as well, We'l see that later (Rise of Dragon)

India and china have been bestowing these numbers consistently , for most of developed nations.

Singapore is only country in globe to have benefited most from both these countries' as they share a common culture and proximity to their homeland .

The Great challenge is that , to restore the talent and impart that skill to citizens here, and to stop them moving to more greener pastures,thereby foregoing their citizenship.

The Numbers arent that great , the Conversion rate of Work permit to PR to citizen is meagre 32 %

The fact that Mumbai/Chennai or Ningzia/Guanzhou will take decades to become Singapore of present time, is their Addon , and bythat time Singapore would have marched on its own .

And this is a Society which accepts that , Survival of fittest happens in across Expatriates .

To add to that Singapore has 4 national languages ,Malay,English,Tamil and Mandarin

Australia,UK, US ,and many South Asian countries have the same Issue, but their landscape offers them more, unlike Singapore .

Many Countries can take leaf out of Singapore's book ,when it comes to planning . If in 90's they planned what it should be today , Government has already planned for 2030 , but irony is that they need more Singaporeans rather expats who enjoy the fruit of this country and fly back home along with their remittance money . No Wonder Singapore PM wants couples to spend more time in Bed ..lol :)

If you look at this this in financial standpoint , They are pushing only well to do live here going forward , coz others simply cannot afford luxury offered here .

If the Expat Edifice is perturbed , then it might be bad if not worse for this country, so PR conversion or Citizenship rules should be flexible ,coz most of Expats are Asians and not Europeans :(

Despite all this unbending rules, inter race politics for improvement ,Singapore is the most happy city in Asia

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4110675

Gong Xi -Syabas Singapore !!!!

Quoted Quotes ....

2010-01-06T21:48:00.000-08:00

Enthusiasm may start a work, but it is only effort that can finish it.
You may deceive your companions, But never your conseience.
Powerty grows on laziness; Power grows on fear;
Patience grows on understanding; Position grows on responsibility.

Marriage is based on tolerence;
Love is based on faith Admiration is based on respect;
Hatred is based on suspicion.
Sentiments resists logic
Logic resists passion; Passion resists sense;But Sense promotes wisdom

Love is a mixture of tolerance and affection
Lust is a mixture of aggression and ego;
Fate is a mixture of helplessness and faith;
Hate is a mixture of contempt and sentiment.

Liked these lines ...something we can share/ feel :)
-- Anonymous ..

2 States - Marraige Drollness

2010-01-01T08:03:00.000-08:00

Chetans latest ..is about the Intercaste/state marraige in India ..with certainly Pun intended a bit more..:)

I thoroughly enjoyed the book,completed in few Office MRT trips ...

I m not sure howmany people would understand his lingo like

'Practising Tam Brahm ,safezone guy, Gori vs kaala Jokes,Citibank/HLL didoes

To cut long story short, The passage from love to marraige between 2 Hi-fi Management Geeks ,who are from different parts of India where their cultures' differ more than a yawning gap,still their hearts stand tall .

To be honest, These type of marraiges are rarity, but can only happen/nurture in your college days- First love is always special,and if it culminates in arranged approved Wedding as this does,Life is certainly Beautiful !!

I have many North Indian friends who told me the horror of surviving in Chennai, but All is not that bad from what you think of this cultured city

For sure Chennai is not Bangalore or Hyderabad,which are perfect Cosmo cities, but people must understand that everything takes time in Chennai , but once accustomed, they swear by it ,without losing Identity ,not many cities can boast that !!

But certain witty quotes about chennai are blatantly true .

'Spotting a Tamil speaking Sardarji is like finding polar bear in Delhi '

'Why on Earth all people wake up so early in this city '

'Tamilians love Anybody who is fair , Intellectually Intelligent,Educated people - Chennai embraces them .

'Fashion is not a chennai Hallmark'

'Traditionally Hindu-addicted people ,reading Editorial pages - TOI took decades to come here .

'Tamilians love to irritate Non Tamil Speakers by speaking only in Tamil - partly true depends on clan and Gang ..

'Nerd Embryo - boy/girl who has physics,chemistry,maths as their best friends !!!

'Every teenager watches porn'

'Tamilian, Brahmin & Iyer (3 seperate identities -Noncompliance in any -U r disqualified )

'Marble Floring to a Punjabi is Foreign degree to a Tamilian '

'Tamilians can distinguish good singers from bad, as punjabis would a butter Chicken in a jiffy '

The Story has sprinkles of sarcasm,racism (Hightime we accept it exists) ,but we all are united by Indian at heart ,which is the final uniting factor in all our desi marraiges :)

Avatar --- Opulently Audacious

2010-01-01T06:54:00.000-08:00

Avatar

THe Most expected film of the decade ...certainly did meet its expectations, unlike many fall like damp squib.

I watched this in 3 D(someday all films should be watched this way) ,providing out of World Experience

Year end seems to be time some good films are coming out , be it 2012 (some say it s a dumb movie),Rocket Singh, 3 Idiots ,Sherlock Holmes

Avatar is so different from other ones coz of its very thought of living in another planet ,courtesy his special effects

Cameroon just gives us around 15 mts of time at start of film , before we understand that

'We are no more in Kansas and should get used to Pandora'

The irony is that kernel of scientifc possibility of such a life cannot be ruled out .

Here are some Flake facts supporting Cameroon's World

Pandora is a alien world where Nature is still intact with its people, a Super conductor paradise.

The rare 'Unobtanium' ,which Earth is so deficit of ,for its Energy crisis ,is ubiquitous here

We all know that When superconductors are in the presence of a magnetic field, they can float.

Pandora is such a place where its assumed that Mountains ,Landscapes, reefs float Coz of this principle

Unobtanium can conduct electricity without resistance at room temperature; the best current superconductors work only when the temperature is below minus 150 F

Thus Unobtanium loaded mountains, Trees float in this Massive magnetic field

Another startling effect is bioluminescence Ecosystem – organisms’ ability to create their own light, This might be a reality tomorrow if we run short of Energy and Nature when deprived light produces on its own.

Pandora is more of a Moon rather a Planet , where Day/Night is quite long (27 Earth days to revolve the planet)

The radiation Emitted is also downplayed by Super Magnetic field , thus protecting people living there.and their huge Sizes are result of Gravity (10 times of that of Earth )

THe Usual filmy gimmicks are also there,like Navi people speaking English(not sure why they are blue coloured) , Invasion tactics compared to Iran/Afghanistan ,Destroying the Giant Tree Clan when The Precious metal is available everywhere in Pandora but Sci-Fi totally overhauls all those minuscule Errors

The Climax is one to be worth watching in 3 D

The Story is envisioned in view of a paraplegic who remains saving the alien group while Good Spirits(Eva) ,Neytiri, Bio-Scientists all form best of acting crew.

Albeit the Length of Movie is bit Elongated ,you dont get these movies every decade

3 Cheers to Cameroon !!!

IF GOD WAS A Banker ... Revisited

2009-09-18T00:36:00.000-07:00

Thought of reading this from last year.... somehow got time to complete this only this year ...albeit I read Ravi 's next book about Metaphor Ferarri .

This is certainly , just NOT another book from IIM Alumni sequel Story .
Its a fast paced book, telling tale about 2 IIM bozos ,their life and their paths to glory .

Ravi really keeps up to his reputation of Alumni tag, but there is too much Bias about our hero Swami in the book ...may be there r best of pals,belong to south India, or often share Idli/vada(as stated in book)
The book really opens up, the nuances of fresh B-School grad's life after college, transformation from college to corporate arena , in eyes of our protagonists ,Swami and Sundeep Srivatsava

Retail marketing, Banking jargons,small Witty oneliners ,

Honesty vs Aggression ,Corporate Cupid , Post marital affairs , Promotion politics
This has it in all to be made a short pacy fictious film (English though..)
The common traits of this book are , both Swami & Sundeep are level-headed,ahead of their times, witty , and are climbing corporate ladders in their own styles

Swami is epitome of all good things, coz of his middle class upbringing ,and proves that humbleness and honesty can take you to places,sooner or later, with peace of mind .

Sundeep is portrayed as Womaniser,still aggresive,gaining pelf through peril , attaining attention at any cost (helped by Naresh) , but, with No peace of mind .
Kalpana , Natasha ,The US auditor , all play pivotal roles, but the beholder of the book was the boss Aditya ... who started by recruiting our protagonists, and culminates by saving Sundeep and raising Swami to another level .
Anybody who is fresh from college needs a guide to Wily corporate World, and Aditya was one such metaphor used in book .
I m not sure why Ravi , gives such a dark side to people who are in High positions in Corporate Ladder, although it might be true to some extent ,could have thrown more light into promotion politics rather than Flesh and Booze ,Nevertheless gritting Debut .

Quarter life Crisis ...Devoid of Nous ..

2009-08-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

I got this mail some years back ..but didnt realise then .... they feather you as calm Wind later...

Life is realy different after 25 ....

Not talking about Cortisol levels or Cerebellum receptors fading down...

It is knowing yourself..and searching within....

What the bleep Do I know...?

It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely
know where you are now.
You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones.

What you don't recognize is that they are realizing that too, and aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.
You look at your job... and it is not even close to what you thought you would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and that scares you.
Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn't. One minute, you are insecure,Coy and then the next moment Confident,Suave. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away, and there is nothing to do
but stay where you are or move forward..... You cant live in past ..:(
You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you. Or you lie in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you love someone but love someone else too and cannot figure out why you are doing this because you know that you aren't a bad person.
your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for yourself... and while winning the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!
What you may not realize is that everyone reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out.

Wasting our precious Time.. and then cripping about it .. At the end of Tunnel .. We are not that bad as we think ... but we seldom appreciate ourselves.....and fall in trap of Time and Tide...

But as everything else..this too will pass... and we would be in next stage of life, confronting nxt set of challenges....

But I feel, we are devoid of nous, restless and want things to happen in faster pace , in this transformation phase , than they really happen ..

Typical 20 something attitude...

Feel free to share if you see same facets in your journey...

Yearn for Urn ..

2009-07-30T00:36:00.000-07:00

Legacy ....

Nobody else in the world know better this word than the English .Not coz They ruled Asians for many years, and have a yawning history.. They knew how to remember and cherish that ,

Ashes , All England lawn Croquet club ,FC's are finite remnants of Sporting history ,which dates back to 18th century

If January you are down Under, July U shud be in London ..The Summer is best here than many parts of World . The Sporting calender goes full circle , with F1, Tennis, Cricket and Football .

Two people who captured every Brit heart this summer was Federer (Greatest Ever..?

and Flintoff .

The former went onto beat Sampras grand old record of 16 grandslams ,and is in acme of tennis

Ashes , as well know ,is test match cricket is played between England and Australia , for the little urn .

I like my peers still feel, 2005 was best series every played for the Urn ..in lot more ways

Australia had an almost invincible team with Ponting at the helm, supported by Hayden/Langer at top ,Clarke and Martyn in middle ,Gilchrist to keep , Warne and Mcrath to destroy . But still having all this resources They lost to Vaughan's England 1-2 .
Test matches were never boring , in Ashes series, since It was equally fought , withball and bat , and some words :)
An Intruiging Series, with bits and pices of controversy , professional commentary by Great Team of Richie Benaud,Boycott,Bumble ,Mark Nicholus, Tony Greig,Botham .
Cricket became Summer sport again in England .
The Series was later called as Flintoff's series, same as that of Ian Botham , back in 1981.The Big fella took wickets/runs and more importantly Fit ,to be on top of Oz's .

4 years On, The passion remains the same in Ashes 09, but Is Quality of Cricket still same..?

Remember there was no T20 cricket then, No IPL, Schedules werent crumbled....

England were bent to their knee in Cardiff to hold a draw .... but come Lords They rose to the occasion , winning OZ by more than 100 runs .The last win came around 1934 .
Who was hero ...Its Freddie again, playing his last series .

Ponting was at helm again, but now he is without the Wings of Warne & Mcrath ..so he had to trust his new kids on block, but Unfortunately Mitchel Johnson went wayward , couldnt control himself in aura of playing first time in Lords' and adjust to that slope , erring too much ,exposing his captain's weakness and succumbing to pressure .

Oz are always expected to bounce back, Let's see where is this heading to....

In this modernage of T20 cricket,This still remains the best Test cricket series , and hopefully will remain ever ...coz of Legacy ..The History holds a lot of say in this .

Scintillating Singapore

2009-06-24T09:08:00.000-07:00

Singapore ....

A Whirlwind ..and a year has passed in this youthfull country /Fun city/ Workaholic Island

Gosh....Time really goes unnoticed ..

So thAT I have been here for a year... thought of ramping up some ' Singapore ishstyle ' that caught my eyes ..

Singapore, in my panoramic view , is a Young Immigrant country which has everything in it to challenge the World ,albeit the size is small .

People are multicultured , decent, modern and extremely hardworking ( Even relax Hard !!! )

One of the few countries, where Goverment has a say in almost everything , hence the System is in place and people abide by it .

There is Huge difference between people coming to view Singapore and people living here , so much that 44 % of Island's population are from other countries , and there is always a stopover crowd in the city .

Here r some must places in S'pore , that I feel, People should include in their detour .

Sentosa

Sentosa is a Island within a Island , so much so that it was purposefully constructed to escape from the Hustle/bustle of the city .

Even Though there are many ways to get to the Island, thrilling way is by Cable Car , transcending over scenic Harbour .

There is more to Sentosa , than many people think as a Single Day Voyage .

UnderWater World , Songs of Sea , 4D Magic are places which generate lot of $$$ to the Island, but are worth every cent . The day should be planned in such a way that , to cover all the above , preferably in twilight .

Not to forget, Sentosa is a naturally constructed Island , which was erstwhile full of Flora and Fauna, so you will also see lot of greenary here .

We can have another evening to spend some lovely beaches( Palawan,Siloso) in the Island ,Christmas through New Year is special occasion /Peak season , so Party Planners plan way before, but would be a memorable one .

Apart from these, Dolphin Lagoon, Butterfly Park , Great Luxury Resorts /Spa's are housed in this mini Island , thereby requiring atleast couple of days to cover this exotic place .

P:S Things here are comparitively costlier, than city , so have sufficient $$$ , before fishing .

Night Safari & Jurong Bird Park

World's First Nocturnal Zoo , is one of Singapore's Pride earning lot of visitors every day , spread along 40hectares , with more than 1000 animals

The Show Starts around twilight time and extends upto midnight , offers a quite different experience to see favourite animals in their own backyard , without daylight . The One you ought not to miss.

Photos with flash arent allowed , as some animals might misintrepet you as their Prey..:(

Night Safari location is not in heart of city, so it best to combine it with Zoo and Bird park , which saves you atleast 10 $ . (www.bushub.com.sg)

There are some special occasions such as 'Haloween Hell' , Spirits' Day, which are really enthralling , for kids and entire family .

My Best bet would be to take a Taxi from Ang Mo Kio MRT . (Note MRT services close by Midnight)

The Jurong Bird park is another scenic location, which encompasses all ingrediants for a family outing . We can cover this place in an evening, as most of bird shows start at that time .

There is a internal Tram to look around the park or you can follow the Bird trail, which is actually better . We can feed the birds, take pictures, watch as they perform ...The park has everything to enthrall the visitors and people workng in park are always pleasant in reception !!!

Macritchie Reservoir & Tree Top (Hanging Bridge)

If you thought Singapore is a concrete Jungle wth only tall buldings and HDB blocks, think again

Singapore also has its own share for the Global warming and Green Revolution .

Macritchie Forest trail and Bukit Timah , provide a Green coating to bustling city .

Many tourists miss this from their tour plan ..

Macritchie is one of the oldest reservoir's ( built in 1860's ), is spread across 146 ha , not very far from the city . THe forest around the water catchment basin is the real trail that people would like to trek/jog/walk . If you want to seriously shed that extra calories, while enjoying nature this trail is for you .

The Pinnacle in this trail is to reach the HSBC Tree Top, or Hanging Bridge, similar to Laxman Jhula in India .

There are may Donts than Do's here.. so better follow the Law !!!

The distance varies from 5 kms to 11 kms within the vicinity of forest, but to reach tree top, It takes around 5 hours of walking (17 kms) , which again varies from person to person .

THe Hiking routes are mentioned everywhere , so you wont be lost !!!

The location is really pristine , and on the way we we would encounter number of freshwater wild life, weird plants like pitcher, ant plant , quirky sounds , not to mention the reptiles (watch your way !!)

A Vital thing here to mention is , once you are on half way to the forest, you will not get any transport to get back, or some refreshment places, so decide before you start and carry water bottles , as it is essential . The best time to start is by morning , so you reach the top by around 10 am .

After a mean 4 hour long walk, you reach the HSBC Tree Top , which is around 250 m and 27 metres High Suspension bridge , which colligates 2 peak points Bukit Pierce and Bukit Kalong .

The Bridge can hold only 30 people at a time, and is ONe way !!! so No looking back

After strenous Walking, The Tree Top offers a Bird's view of Floura and Fauna , in the crux of not so dense forest .The canopy is soo good that you l get to see all happening in vicinity .

The walk back down even more looks long than way up, coz it has long steps in zig zag manner .

The worst thing I felt was ,there was no restroom or any source of water, for atleast 3 to 4 kms down from tree top . (

You l have lot of natural friends in this canopy walk, like monkeys ,insects , small birds, and some weird creatures ..so make sure to take care of your belongings , and after this great trail, most people would take taxi back home :) ..I m no different ...but to zip the entire trip, It was real enthralling experiance, one ought not to miss !!!

THe World has shrunk Honey

2009-05-31T10:07:00.000-07:00

Social networking has indeed changed the lives of many of us .

Facebook, Twitter, Orkut, Newswine, Linkedin .... These are no more jargons..and If you are not part of them ,Your just behind all other actors in 'All the World's stage' .

If Internet has sown seeds of Knowledge Exploration, Social networking has furthur diversified this Globe trotting of Information , through friends .

Video sites,Blogs and Search engines are almost intertwined with these sites for their survival or vice-versa .

From Susan Boyle, Ashton kutcher,Lim Ding Wen,Shashi Tharoor to 'Whats up this weekend' ,We can share anything with anybody .

If we look into finer nuances of this , this just explores that all people have some common trait , that to share things with their near and dear, and these networking sites acts as a platform

Any technology has a flip side to it,this is no different .

Ethical Hackers at one end, and huge Anti-Virus Industry at other end , Personal Privacy at stake and last but not least increasing Porn Pavements .

On a larger note ,these are certainly a boon to stay close with friends,peers, loved ones and share all we want to ,albeit within our permissible limits .

Singh is King ....

2009-05-31T09:56:00.000-07:00

M S Office Installed ... UPA version 2.0 begins ..:)

After month long smooth elections, in world's largest democratic exercise, we have a Primeminister who will lead India , into aurora of development for years to come .

Mr Manmohan Singh is only the second PM, to continue the office for the second term in sucession , witha vast majority .

The Underlying Sucess of this landslide victory ,belongs to Gandhi Family , which goes to show still dynasty politics works well .

The Indian Voter has come of age, and voted for Development

A weak opponent to Mr Singh, and a party(BJP) with too many problems within .

Rahul Gandhi, the scion , calling the shots .

Having said that, They still face some tough bumps ahead, India is right in centre of troubled 'Padosan' countries ,

Srilanka fresh from wiping LTTE , Nepal under Maoists, Bangladesh under their Legion War within , and ourown erstwhile Pakistan fighting with Taliban, who are almost a stone's throw away from Islamabad .

Terrorism and Caste politics are still great impediment to India's growth.

Its Time for actions ...than words...

IPL and Elections

2009-04-20T05:41:00.001-07:00

Even in this hard hitting times, If there are two things, where the moolah gushes, it should be IPL and our own elections .

The former is a yearly affair, whereas the later is once in 5 years, and is anterior to every citizen

After period of 5 weeks, we would know who would occupy the hot seat leading biggest democracy in the world .

Indian election commission is a great body, when it comes to conducting national elections, and other countries can certainly take a leaf out of its book

Even though the manifestos are just a gimmick , coalition government seems to be the answer for last decade or so.

This intelligibly shows we are short of confidence in one national party ,mainly due to lack of choice .

India needs a Obama, but unfortunately we are short of visionary leaders.Even one who aspires to be , will be mulled down by our old foxes .

The PM candidate from ruling party is 78 and the opposition is 81, and if they get selected , their cabinet ministers average age is around 65

Now Do we have a choice ..? more drama is yet to unfold in next 5 weeks , as regional parties,claim to be kingmakers ( jokers!!)

But Indian elections still holds all charisma and majo , to be free and fair one , as largest democratic exercise .

Hoping for terror free polls and great leader to lead our young nation in paths of glory .

Moving on to IPL, It has become more of Indian political league, having moved away from India .

The Buzz we had last year would be missing, as Eden gardens is no Bull Ring or Newlands,

The Home minister has very right to reject paramilitary forces,rightly so, during election time,but Lalit modi is too pragmatic a man to waste such a feast not to happen .

Good to see Shane warne, Mcrath back on action , My money is on Daredevils to win this edition , even though heart goes for Chennai .

Albeit Juvenile IPL is no F1 or EPl in $$$ terms, It is still a maiden exemplar for merging Entertainment with sport ,a Win -Win situation .

Negativity in News ..

2009-03-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

Lately, There has been too much negativity in media about this recession and credit crunch that,I feel that Ignorance is certainly bliss ,for some stages in Life .

Certainly It is apparent that We are in middle of Fizzy financial future ,but Life in itself is a Obscure journey .

And to add fuel to the fire ,Big Money czars like Madoff (They call Mad at madoff now) , Standford ,Satyam Raju ,and more to follow in coming days .

But there is always dawn after dark, The governments across world are taking up stimulus packages , cutting interest rates , making sure money reaches banks, markets, industries, Educational Institutions,health care ,creating jobs to thrust economy

Singapore , an active IMF member, has for first time in history has tapped its reserves .

As Financial pundits say, Stock markets might not always reflect country's economy on whole, it does give grave graph .In other hand GDP,Inflation and Consumer spending census by far is right tool to judge .

With Today's Economy so intertwined ,Media can help actually third world countries' reflecting whats the shrinkage level happening elsewhere across globe .

But we seldom see Media reporting Recuperating ways or measures for common man , to encounter till it gets better.

In India, Media has come off age, with so many news channels fighting for TRP ratings, any soul-stirring news is always RSS feed for them .

Print Media is always and will always be better than E-media, coz it is not instant news but a thought induced and verified information .

Page3, Sports and Healthcare news will more or less be soothing or boosting, coz they are always money spinners.

As we all know, AP,Reuters,AFP are premium providers of day today news , I read somewhere in a Reuters' Employer blog that there is a lot of tweak and pinch , from what they provide and what it is actually ,and underlying factor is the $$$ which flows in it .

The E- media (TV & Net) gets it from them (less officially and mostly unofficially) .

The Positive Vibe has to start from here ,but I guess there is no Single Boss(editor desk) to gauge what is correct and what isn't and it all boils down to Collective Loyal Journalism .

JAI HO .....

2009-02-22T21:41:00.000-08:00

ARR has finally won something which was due for his hardwork and quality music...The Oscar

I was watching all Live the event in office ( Courtesy : Media 5 in our Cafeteria ) !!!

This means a lot to his fans all over the world , His sales records' speak for themselves , surpassing all combined Madonna's , Spears', and other solo performers of this generation.

ARR has evolved over last 2 decades, re-inventing himself , presenting to larger world new refreshing music, blending technology with Tasteful soul stirring music .

A true Genius , The Mozart of madras , thoroughly deserved this honour,for all his perseverance ,hardwork and Quality of music,which he never compromises .

As Always, He is down to earth and dedicates award to his mother and God . He always mentions "God is great " , sure his divine connection and simpleness always keeps him grounded , but his aura has reached dizzy heights .
'
My personal favorite ARR song is "Yeh jo Desh hai mera" from Swades .

He has put Indian Music Map in the Oscar limelight and and day is not far, when a true Indian Film bags one Oscar , needless to say it will have ARR in it.

JAI HO !!!

Blushing Boredom

2009-02-18T07:38:00.000-08:00

Offlate, I have been reading books at a pace, which I have never done in my life.

Books are filling in space left by my good friends,to blush boredom .

To add my Zeal, Singapore hosts many Second Sale Book Shows, and every locality has huge lending Library.
Even though I m a ardent Archer follower, I m going through some biographical books lately which are mind blowing.
Chetan Bhagat is also fast becoming an Indian Icon in space (Shelfari,Google,biblio) ,I still feel
"5 point" had more freshness,pristine thoughts and a feel good factor.
He then moved on to "Call center World and then to Cricket,Religion in " 3 Mistakes" . The former was made into a Bolly Flop, while I guess the later is also script worth of masala flick .
A IIM passout, No Candy, he knows how to sell his Words,but his Lingo is quite good Urbanite humor, catering Gen Y and Z .
Zoya factor is another one worth for money-An Adwomen's view of marketing Cricket.
Nine on Nine , by Nandita Puri, has been rated as one of the Pioneer in modern era , has more feminine flavor , but TOI Experience helps her heal it, to present it in a sweet manner.
Debono,Stephen Covey,LouisGerstner,Spencer Johnson,..........They all belong to special list in my mindspace, as they always help in reinventing/F5 my memory cache, albeit they are strangers :(

The Curious Case Of SlumDog

2009-02-13T09:41:00.000-08:00

For a movie, which recieved standing Ovation at BAFTA and Gloden globe , SDM(not my manager) is really on Medal bagging running spree ,enroute to Oscar.
Another movie which is in contention with our own SDM (its become ours since its made on India and has ARR) is " Curious case of Benjamin Button "
I did watch both movies, and both movies are poles apart, and I m not sure who said Universal themes gets nominated ..:(
The former is a normal rags to riches story, with someone from Slum goes on to win Huge money, in popularised tele Quiz Show hosted by Anilkapoor(?)
Danny Boyle (some of his earlier movies are even better) is too pragmatic a man to waste Vikasswarup's Q & A .He really saw Gold in it and presented to First and Second World , and then finally brought to Thirdworld .
Mumbai, even though has enough Chobadpatti's , is limned as desperate ugly city which has people who will dwell anything for money.
The Idea was clear for boyle, as he envisioned Westerners could connect to three things in film , apart from some good acting by Brit actors.
Callcentre Chaiwala's Love for latika, Millionare program (way It was connected to real time scenarios) & AR Rehman
ARR, in my opinion and n many Indians' eyes maynot have given his best music,in his standards, for this film, but it was used effectively by Boyle and culmination song JAIHO was Icing on Cake for the film.

The Later , Benjamin Button , is eccentric movie in its very thought.It encapsulates the life of a person from childhood to oldage ..
Seems normal..nahh... just think upside down ... A baby born old grows and dies young ....
A great thought spilled sporadically by some good scenes,and has Bradpitt giving stellar performance , is good enough to contend for Academy awards.
The Film is moving in slow pace...but individual life stories needs that at times ...
Even though Daisy was looking beautiful(Kid and Teen)in the film, the Aunt and Lightning man brought more cheers to the story

And the whole story , as in Titanic, is in a diary,being told in a Windy katrina twilight time by leading Lady to her daughter.
The Award goes to "The curious case of Slum Dog " - I guess Jury would prefer the latter for some obvious reasons known to them .

Thunder Down Under ..

2009-02-13T09:36:00.000-08:00

There has been the absorbing sport all last couple of weeks , be it the Steelers steeling the show in the Superbowl for the third time, or gimmicks over Chelsea in EPL, or Who's the Biggest Dollar cat in IPL (for a change lets spare Dog)
If its going be Jan/Feb, You gotta be down under , Aussie dominance mozzie finally sucking its own blood under pressure , having lost to SF in test series and in Onedayers. Cricket wont be onesided anymore :(
But the real treat to all sports lovers was marathan match between Rafa and Fedex ....
" God Its killing me " uttered the champion, who just sees Big Nadal Wall between him and history ..
For somebody who has reached grandslam finals from 2004 till date , the excellence & execution is unmatched .
He is certainly in History and will remain in Open era for more years to come .
Fedex has seldom been pushed to final set, and his odds in fivesetter are not as good as the man who beat him the most.
Lets not forget the Zealfull Nadal, who is at his pinnacle of his career , even bettered the longest Semifinal match in the Open , against his Davis cup mate, to keep something special for Fedex .
Erstwhile ,there has been various best of clashes in Open era, Sampras vs Agassi , Beckar vs Edberg , but not as quite as quality of tennis as these two blokes consistently provide .
We l have to wait until the greenish month('m sure Fedex will slip n Rolland garros),to see these two greats battle it out again

Sally & Black House..?

2009-01-26T04:58:00.000-08:00

Talking about Change , Change actually conquered the Throne finally..
Black man in White House ... Obama deserves everybit of this and all re now hoping for the better in this bitter recession .. its time for Action more than Words , as half the planet's economy is coupled under Black brother..:)
Hope Obama lives upto his expectation and fulfills reminiscent of American dream of Luther King .
Hailing the president , thee was another hero last week in Hudson River.... "Sally" , the great Pilot who saved many lives by floating a Plane in Hudson river, for a flight bound for Charlotte,NC
Two birds once agian caused flight to lose control, but it requires lot of mettle in handling the situation.
Something about Sally, My friend in Mclean, Roger told me that Sally,57, is no new to these situations as he is running a private Jet suite training , and He has enough experience of landing in water . Executing your excellence at right time doesnt come to all... Hail the Hero !!!!

Chinese New year...

2009-01-26T04:53:00.000-08:00

Today is Lunar New year.. chinese new year.. Its huge festivity here in Singapore, more so in locality I live..
This is the year of Ox ... Im getting lot of Yin-Yang flavour these days ....
Wanna chck ur luck this year... www.proastro.com . Myns not that bad... :(
Chinese horoscopes are composed with 12 Animals: Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig and Rat
They respect a lot these animals...Its a Long weekend here in Singapore, and includes 2 official holidays .. (Wish new year for various nationalities recur often ..heee)
All shops are closed, and it wears a "bandh" or deserted look . I m sure all roads lead to Shanyang, guangshou, bejing and Shanghai , this time of year...
The first day is for the welcoming of the deities of the heavens and earth, officially beginning at midnight. Many people, especially Buddhists, abstain from meat consumption on the first day because it is believed that this will ensure longevity for them. Some consider lighting fires and using knives to be bad luck on New Year's Day, so all food to be consumed is cooked the day before.
Most importantly, the first day of Chinese New Year is a time when families visit the oldest and most senior members of their extended family, usually their parents, grandparents or great-grandparents(trust me their mean life span is 85 ! )
Lion dance or beats , in red couplets are famous during this time , where people carry big drums and make sounds , the reason which dates bck to some 14th century .
The History says that there used to be a Mythical devil called "Nian" ( Year in mandarin) , which comes during New year destroys all crops , fields and attack smal children.
So to encounter that, a Old person in a village suggested to wear Red couplets and weed of the beast by making huge noises in drums . This trick seemed to have worked and henceforth people display Red lanterns and Shalls in front of their house , symbolically meaning to weed off all bad things.
Mandarin oranges ( Jin Ji in Pinyin) also play an important role in this week long festival. People exchange oranges to their peers and relatives,
They elucidate Good luck , because the homophone of Jinji means good fortune..I ve heard many people say this to me , until I know I was also blinking..:(
So much has happened over last few weeks , and its only 25 days into new year(English) .
I was shocked as everyone else in Satyam Debacle and our Media is not projecting this good either.. Employees must be having horrid time not only in their projects, but also with all this Hype..
As All say Time will heal the problems, Hope new board takes some legitamate decisions and takes care of some 50 K families.
Change was always expected, but a rude change or Shock in this manner totally glooms the rising Indian IT Industry .

NY2009.......

2009-01-01T06:29:00.000-08:00

So another Year has gone by... Another one to Beckon.... Shud be an interesting Year...
Just for a thought , Looking back last year, I didnt do any fruitful things for society.. been all selfish... working around moving to diff places.. learned a bit... wasted a lot.. a typical
20 something attitude..:)
Some resolutions I m taking in this new year...( Last year I didnt fulfill some .. any way atleast an occasion to take some...)
Some pragmatic achievable R'solutions ..:)
Contribute something to society , so as to engulf that 'Feel Good factor'
' Information is wealth' -- Browsing/Reading more and more useful things and most of all collating as document , so when we look back/Share shud be useful .
Keeping this Blog Alive ,Completing some certifications ....

Pray Almighty.. ...This shouldbe peaceful year and Loads of Happiness and Kindness be seen in people, with no natural calamities....

Suddenly N Singapore

2008-07-18T08:04:00.001-07:00

It all happened in 72 hours...
A Whirlwind.. and I m in Singapore now.... working for Transaction Giant..
Its been 2 weeks since I came here, a Truly Global City
Multi ethnic, various cultures.....Hardworking people.....
The cleanest city in world .....said some billboards.....and rightly so...
I m currently staying in condominium .. will all luxury facilities....
yet to go around singapore.... just going to work in MRT.. one of best Public transport system..
Whereever u r.... U r not far from MRT in this Swet city/country....

Wimbledon s Over

2008-07-18T08:04:00.000-07:00

Sorry ..wasnt in blog times.. for quite a while.....
Wimbledon s over....Fantastic end to fanatic tennis ....and King of lawn was won in epic battle, battering more than 4 hours ,by Clayman...Rafael nadal...
History is undone..and a new era begins...
It will take certainly "Roger" a period to conquer 5 times at Lords' of Tennis....
It was a Sisters' Act ..INdeed...Williams sisters always arise from ash when they r written off..
The Venus star is now holding maximum Grandslam titles..:)
and youger sibling is not far either...
Hope Spectators get exuberant tennis year on year ..in this everlasting tournament...

Wonky Wimbledon

2008-06-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

Exactly , a year and 10 days, back to blogging,

As my favourite Tournament is about to begin, The Legacy continues ....

French s over, Nadal did it again, Will it be wonky again in Wimbledon for Fedex !!

It seems Roger is not at his best, this year, but still Lawn tenning follows different law :)

King of Grass might do 6 in a row, surpassing Bjon borg and Sampras , to be solitude in Elite club

Experts say, the clay crasher is only person , between Fedex and the Crown

Paes and bhupathi and joining hands again, atleast a practice , before real Bejing test

Sania maniac s coming down, hope her game doesnot..

Any how, Its going tobe Convulsive 2 weeks ahead, at All England club .

I wish I cud watch proceedings live .... someday I wil be there .. nothing s far away...

Vintage Wimbeldon...

2007-06-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

French s over..

here comes..Wimbeldon....

Both Henin and Nadal had a Triple Victory at Rolland Garros....

But Lawn tennis follows different law...

Seeds stay here....and so is Pride....

Federer might have last laugh .... lets hope for Mirza maniac to work here....

Come july... We ll see Tennis' "True lies"