Travel & Living... (January-08)

Well most of my buddies were asking me it's been long time and NO see !!....Well Guys I got married and you have to understand that there will be Shaddi ke side effects as well :) I'm sure most of the married guys will understand, what I'm saying... I mean Busyness syndrome (busy doing nothing... eh)

Well... Had been to Andaman & Nicobar Islands to spend a part of my vacation in January... A& N Islands used to be called as Kala Pani (Black waters) a name derived from the Cellular Jain in Port Blair... This dates back to the history of the Indian Independence days, My History Knowledge is Worst than Bad... hence one may peek in on the reasonable Material on web (either by Blogs/ or on websites about A&N Island) on the commercial Tourist spots.

Though we happened to visit quite a bit on the southern side of Andaman’s and most of the island and coral filled bays... one of them worth mentioning are the sort of unexplored bay called Mahua dora which is around 1.5 Hrs sail from the Vandoor point.. The Bay is not much explored and so is the vegetation mostly filled with Coconut grooves. Can do a bit of snorkeling as the Local Boat operators are not equipped to conduct scuba diving.

One of the spots which was hearth throbbing is the Neil Island A quite place one with a Rich flora and the Aqua Habitat. All it takes in 2 Hours flat to reach by high speed Cruise from Port blair. We happened to visit the sitapur Beach in the morning and an Amazing place I would love to spend a whole day, the Calm scenic beach on one side and the Vegetation on the other side, and with some of the lime stone caves, we happened to the the first visitor for the day and we thought. Thank God at least we feel like owning this island... and there was a person selling tender coconut, who advised us not to go too far in the coast, as it may not be really safe and stay in the line of sight from the Road.. I would not draw a comparative line with the Gold coast but for me this seems to be like Gold coast ... ... if one were an avid trekker and a runner, would love to run along the beach and trek in the woods But alas my better ( lazy) half couldn't walk more than few hundred meters. The Other Beach we visited was the Lakshmanpur Beach. A Lovely sight to watch the sun go down... [The Photographs are taken by me,, I'm not a good photographer though ]

Well on day two we bid adieu to Neil Island which supplies the Maximum vegetables to the Main lands(seems like it is called a vegetable bowl of Andamans ). we happened to talk to couple of Traders who were carrying their trade back to the main land and they advised that one could spot Dolphins on the way but unfortunately we could spot None..

The other Rain forest in Baratang is around 70 Km from Port Blair , passes through a Deep vegetation on around 8-10 KM where once can spot the Adivasis called Jarwas. A Strict no to Photography and interaction with them and No Horns of course. Once reaching the point one can take a ride in the Mangroves to view the lime stone caves and mud volcanoes...

Well there are other Adventurous activities like snorkeling, Scuba diving etc one can do... and of course quite a lot of trekking and running along the coast!!

Adios...

Running Dairy closure for 2007..

Running to me occurred out of sheer Co-incidence, though I used to Sprint in college/School days.. Couple of things which aroused a desire to run and challenge my physical and mental Endurance is..
One: While I was in Sydney for a short while and it was winter and I guess it was time for some Marathon( which I was not even aware of) and found people running on the Highway in the Mid noon.. ( Of course the Sun light doesn't have an Impact and I still felt cold in the Mid Noon sun).. Was Wondering .. Have this guys gone mad.. then one of my local friend over there told me that there is a marathon in near future and you can see a lot of them running..
Two: My Ex-colleague's of which One is a Avid runner and who Inspired me and at times scold me still when I use a wrong shoe or Wear a Wrong apparel :-) .. the other guy is one who got Inspired by reading a book "Best Year's Yet"..
I started running Long Distance 5KM ,,graduating 1/2 Km every alternate week..well I learnt Running is 50:50 ( Physical: Mental).. all I have tell myself is .. hey man it's just 2km.. Now by God's Grace I can comfortable run an Half Marathon..( with a couple of water Breaks) ..
Then I got Hooked to a Runner's Group.... A crazy bunch of Nut's who wake up in the Morning and Gather at 6 Am when the visibility is as low as 10 Mt's at times !! On a winter day..
Well.. I was closing my my running dairy with a Half Marathon on Dec-30 .. of course organised by RFL folks.. The Good Thing is that this will be my last RUN of my Bachelor Hood :-) !!.. Ah.. I'm Getting hooked this weekend !!!
Hope to run Many more Runs in the coming year .. God Willing ....

Dream is Just a Dream, a Goal is a Dream with a Plan and a Deadline
-Anonymous

An Ultra Marathon Run...

Mathematicians argue that it would be even a more remarkable coincidence if there were no remarkable coincidences in the world.. I took to running out of sheer coincidence as Neither I'm a Avid runner nor a Poet/Writer..
The Runners are the fitness freaks from all walks of like to run the Bangalore Ultra( www.bangaloreultra.com ) .
The one needless to mention was a runner-Doc & other Avid runner from New york who did a 100.4 KM.. and other whom I haven't met, But from the mails it is evident that the Committee, the volunteers as a whole requires a standing ovation !! The Fellow runners are amazing bunch of folks with a passion for fitness and Running..
The Landscape .. was an perfect blend of weather and the landscape .. made me to recall the quote from the Poem 'Daffodils' ... Thousands saw I at a glance.. This is what I could say in the Green/Ultra Green Lawn while on the Run....
Well About my Run.. I had a Good Start as I was recovering from Flu as week back ... and I was feeling that I was in Good shape.. so I started with a Bang and did the first look ( of 13Km) in the first hour and the second loop was a nightmare and I had my knee hardened and was limping AND/Or walking all the way to close the second loop.. All the way .. it was so generous of the Fellow runners who offered to help me and the Bike Ambulance Guys who ever passed me spared my Knee with the Relief spray..
Well it took me a full 3.42 Hrs to run + walk + Limp + Crawl all the 26 Km Mark.. Overall it was an unforgettable experience.. in the/My First Ultra Run...
With a distress I left the Venue .. wishing my Kudos to the fellow runners who were doing 52/104K..

“Frustration is the first step towards improvement. I have no incentive to improve if I’m content with what I can do and if I’m completely satisfied with my pace, distance and form as a runner. It’s only when I face frustration and use it to fuel my dedication that I feel myself moving forwards.”
- John Bing ham

Rugby Heroes and Cricket obsessed media...

While the Cricket obsessed media is yet to recover from the Post 20:20 Syndrome...The Indian Rugby Team of fewer than 14 won the world cup... some excerpts...

KISS Boys Come Home with Rugby World Cup
Heroes of Junior World Cup Rugby winning Indian squad from KISS were given a warm welcome at Kolkata. After their arrival from London on 1st October, 2007, the team was escorted with high security from the airport. The KISS India Under 14 Rugby Team, popularly known as the Jungle Crows, snatched an unprecedented victory over favorites South Africa in the final play-off in London on 29th September, 2007.
Read on... http://www.kiit.ac.in/news/newsevent.htm#Come
Oct 03: The Bhubaneswar-based boys of the Kalinga School of Social Sciences (KISS) that is popularly known as KISS gave a good account to them by cornering the maiden title glory of the Under–14 rugby World Cup held at the Scottish Rugby club in London last week.

Read on... http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/1060
A maiden search on Google with "Indian school ‘KISS’ kisses the maiden Rugby under-14 World Cup" throws 108 Hits... of Which NONE of them are from the Mainstream Media...
Kudos. to these Jungle Heroes.. For their Elated Performance...

Quoting from Swami Vivenkanda.... For the Heroes and the Media..
'Your country requires Heroes; Be Heroes! Your duty is to go on working, and then every thing will follow of itself'.
'Arise, Awake and Stop Not till the Goal is reached

Technology: Is it creating a Divide or Bridging the Gap!

Definition : Technology:
- The practical application of science to commerce or industry
- The discipline dealing with the art or science of applying scientific knowledge to practical problems

In this era of Booming Sensex and Appreciating Rupee crisscrossing the Dollar which is trying to strengthen (all by itself)...
Flood, Farmers Suicide, and yet many more natural calamities and Man Made Disasters...
Fighting the Lost Battles like... Global Warming...
While we peek in to introspect to see how pervasive the technology has become to ease the mundane tasks in our lives...
Let's start our Day... From Dawn to Desk... the Gadgets we used, the Exploration we do and various kinds of Emotions we come along till we retire to our beds...
Compare this with some one living in a Rural Village some Hundred Kilometers Away...
What is the Difference...? Has Technology Bridged the Gap or is it a Divide when we liken our lives...

Has Technology reached Common Man?? .. Completely to be exploited??

People Talk about IT, BT blah, blah Blah... How has it helped a Common man...?
What is the penetration power if Internet in India... Vs Television and Mobile...

Read.. Slow Nation..

However what is the percentage of Masses who benefited by it...
Well I would say. Is that these haven't changed the way we live to an Extent mostly in rural areas, as to what the proclamation is!!
We are a country whose major % GDP comes from Agricultures, Thanks to the Globalization... which had Identified Us to be a cheap Laborers..
To outsource some of the menial Works in BPO, KPO, and LPO& RPO of course... Until some other Nation in the Globe Stands and proclaims to be cheaper than we do...
But yet... we still are advantageous on price Perfomance...
Reason: we are the second populated Nation on this planet!!

Innovation Never Stops..,,
Only two things are infinite: The universe and human stupidity. And I am not so sure about the former."
-Albert Einstein

All in a Day's work...

All in a Day .. Just wondering the no of Unsolicited calls we get. from telemarketers. the DND ( Do not Disturb) is just a crap on the websites of bank.. And the TRAI regulation turns out to be a just like raining on the rocks... neither the rocks will melt not carved out and... A search on Google... with the following words... “Telemarketing calls TRAI “throws 18,000 results... Usually I stop/Halt my brain to work when I use Google. Some of the News on TRAI is...

Rs. 500 fine for calling `Do Not Call' numbers
The Hindu: Front Page: TRAI puts regulations on unsolicited...

National Do Not Call" registry (NDNC registry) would be prepared containing the list of telephone numbers of subscribers who did not want to receive unsolicited commercial communications (UCC), including SMS. The NDNC registry will be installed by the Department of Telecommunications' National Informatics Centre (NIC) that will also operate and maintain it. The entire set up is likely to be ready within the next three months.
>> Well Let us hope of some peaceful days with out calls and can claim Rs 500 on every call which lands on ou mobile...
All telemarketers will have to verify their calling telephone numbers list with the NDNC registry before making a call. Each telemarketer will have to register with NDNC Registry to avail of the facility of scrubbing their calling list. The Dot has formulated separate guidelines for "telemarketers." All the agencies making voice calls or sending SMSs for marketing of products, including those content providers who offer various services through SMS and voice using short codes, fall in the category of telemarketers and such telemarketers are required to register with DoT within three months. Those failing to register would face disconnection.

>> The Irony I found while talking to some of the DSA (Direct selling agents) is that, Some of them don’t even have a Automated System and a computer... all they have is couple of papers with telephone no.. Which they call it as database... and they get this at a price of some X paise per NO?? ..
While I was talking to one of the Person running similar DSA, he said... the Conversion rate ranges from 2% to 7 % out of 100 Customers they call... in a day..

Now, Telemarketing Calls Will Not Trouble You

So what is the solution?? .. Some one on the web had written Ten ways to stop telemarketing calls
.. Here are some more of them...
Sir Are you intersted in personal loan..
Customer :
• yes as long as you pay my interest I’m happy to take the loan.
• I’m busy right now and could you call at 2/3 AM pleas.. please drop in your NO I’ll call you at 3 AM.

I Don’t have much to add.. Enjoy the calls till you get it stopped pragmatically by TRAI folks…

Good luck !!

Power of an Idea

Great minds discuss ideas,average minds discuss events,small minds discuss people."
- Laurence Peter

I just happened to attend open-coffee-club meet in Koramangala in Bangalore ..
In fact.. I was amazed to see the people from myriad background and exposure,However most
of them are from IT background( Including Me).. Some had come just to see/hear what's been talked in these kind of meets.
Well as some one rightly pointed out.. Technology does'nt have answer to most of the business problems.. lemme recall the Dabbawala's in Mumbai.. I was Amazed when I happen to see them do a presentation on their operation and a movie featuring it. In my humble opinion Innovation them with any sort of technology to ease their mundane task will be disastrous, Having said this.. they are SIX sigma certified !!
There may be similar operations we may need to explore as some one said.. After all term technology refers to "The practical application of knowledge especially in a particular area" and "a capability given by the practical application of knowledge ( Ref: The Merriam-Webster )

Well it's up to us to think upon ....however we cant live without the comfy of mobile phones, Laptops, Email, Airconditiond cars and office, Frequent Flying,.

I sum up to say.. I live more luxurious that the kings who lived 100/200 years back.. well guys let's get back to work with monday blues ;-)

Good luck and God Speed !!