Shout with Rohit Jain - MOVED TO http://blog.rohitjain.me

Moved to http://blog.rohitjain.me/

2009-08-08T00:30:00.004+05:30

Hi everyone,

Hope you enjoyed reading on this site. Thanks a lot of your comments.

I have moved to my own domain. Hope to see you there too.

http://blog.rohitjain.me

Solar Eclipse @ Kolkata (22nd July 2009) - A Strange view

2009-07-22T23:44:00.009+05:30

Most of us witnessed, seen & observed the Complete Solar Eclipse that occurred today on 22nd July 2009.

And as an avid lover of the same, I tried my luck to observe it too. Though the sky here was completely cloudy in the morning it still gave few momentary glimpses around 0625hrs. I took out my 2MP mobile camera and tried to click. I just wanted to 'capture' for my memory, nothing special.

People around have posted some breath taking images of today's eclipse and it was a real feast to eye. I later checked the ones I clicked and I was, "OoooO!".

Below are few pictures taken off my mobile phone camera. Nothing compared to the ones I saw taken by others today but these pics seemed strange to me. As you can see yourself in the pictures below, the eclipsed Sun is barely visible (though Enough from a 2MP). But what is interesting here is the red aura around it. This looked interesting. Not sure how it happened in all the pics, may be it got caused by the reflections on this low capacity mobile camera, but at the first glance at the pictures I almost yelled, "I caught the entire Solar System from my window, well almost!".

Just wanted to store it on my blog for my. Have a look...

I know this is interesting enough to put a smile on face ;)

Shall I click again?

Windows 7 Release Candidate available for download

2009-05-10T18:31:00.000+05:30

Many of us have tested the beta of Windows 7, and I am sure we all felt the improvements it offered over Windows Vista.

And soon before Windows 7 gets ready for final release, we have Windows 7 RC available for our testing now.

One can download it at:
http://technet.microsoft.com/hi-in/evalcenter/dd353205(en-us).aspx

You need to have technet member ship in order to download. The installer (32 bit) is around 2.3gb and will install the Windows 7 Ultimate RC. Installation is fast and it is suggested to do a Clean install. So if you have Windows 7 with you (as I had), you will need to reinstall all of your softwares after installing Windows 7 RC on top of it.

The Release Candidate will definitely offer better functionality and enhancements. I am yet to try out all, will post soon as and when I find few worth mentioning.

Few of these are:

New Login screen: quite refreshing.
Taskbar improvements: The notifications are clear and now you can hover over the taskbar thumbnails to see the actual window. Ability to define the length of jump list items.
New themes: We have some new desktop themes such as Characters, United States, Nature etc.
XP Compatibility view: with support for XP SP1, Sp2 & SP3 modes.
Desktop enhancements: now we can separately hide desktop icons & desktop gadgets.
Improve keyboard shortcuts.
Latest Internet Explorer 8.
And many many more...

To find out the great features/enhancements that Windows 7 Beta offered, read here: http://shoutwithrohit.blogspot.com/2009/01/windows-7-beta-tighten-your-seat-belts.html

If you have an idea, spread it.

2009-03-27T21:34:00.005+05:30

It was once when I was deeply obsessed with http://www.howstuffworks.com. Why? Simply because it's addictive. Once you start reading one article on this site you will forget your lunch, your dinner, your sleep. Because it's just like a sea and the deeper you dig the deeper it feels. Mind you that you will be too tempted to dig, anytime. Though used regularly in a disciplined manner can help you eat on time and can also enlighten you 'bout the minutest details of so many things. It's one of the best resources on the internet today.

And now is the time when I again feel obsessed. This time it's http://www.ted.com. Why? The answer is the same. It's addictive too.

I watched one TED video link forwarded to me today. And in just one hour from then I had watched almost 6-7 more. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It's a site which brings together the next Einsteins, the next Newtons, the next Hawkings, the next Gates, the next Berners-Lees and many more. They are people who are normal like you and like me but have given 'time & thought' to their 'thoughts & ideas'. You see the results.

Once you start watching few of these people talking 'bout their ideas you may, yes you will, start feeling inferior and will immediately ask yourself..."what have I done something unique in my life?". But believe me, It's ok to ask so because not everyone can be a Marconi or an Edison.

Albeit if you can start accumulating your ideas in smallest ways on a regular basis & give a lil of your effort on it, not to achieve something greatest but to explore it deeper. I am sure you will be amazed by your own thoughts, your own creativity, your own ideas. Few people are blessed with higher IQ levels by birth, such as Einstein with around 160 and few have even higher than him but unexplored, unknown. What needs to be done is to feel it, to explore it. So go ahead, explore your ideas. You will jump in joy by announcing, "It's a new idea!"

People close to me know that my blogs & my talks are all full of links/websites/google. There are numerous occasions when I answer as "Just Google it". Simply because I do the same too. May be because I spend huge amount of time on internet. And in a great way depend on it too. For a fact, in last 4-5 years I have spent almost half of my life on internet. Not because its a part of my job but also because I am addicted to net. Yes, you can call me Net Savvy.

Though, on a funnier (or worrying?) side If I ask Google she gives me worries for this (even though she loves me too or may be because she loves me that's why). When I ask Wikipedia it puts me in the categories of those people who need healing. It says I am affected with IAD, the Internet Addiction Disorder syndrome. Quite a thought, huh!

Whatever it is, the fact is today my life is very much around internet almost like an inseparable part of my life today. And if you ask me to imagine my self for sometime without Google, God! I will feel brain-sick instantly.

Anyways, I am sure to watch tens & hundreds of more videos on the TED site in coming few days because its compelling to the core. In case you like it go ahead exploring it, don't worry it's ok to spend sometime of yours listening to the great ideas of others. There are people who keep their ideas to themselves to amaze/surprise others in future. And then there are those who love to share their ideas with others and get unimaginable & invaluable inputs from others, which actually helps them idealize better and enlighten the mankind. Which kind you are?

Give a thought.

Just Remember, If you have an idea, spread it.

Windows 7 Beta - Tighten your seat belts, b’coz we’re going to test drive it

2009-01-18T21:36:00.048+05:30

If you have been using Microsoft Vista, you may have found yourself stuck at many places. If you were daring enough you would find your way outs, but if you are not you would throw away Vista and switch back to the dependable Windows XP. For a normal user, Windows XP is still the most dependable o/s for their day to day use.

And if you thought Vista needs lots of improvement, than you are right. Even Microsoft thinks so. Hence, they present to us the next operating systems from their magical box, named Windows 7.

Microsoft released the Beta version of Windows 7 just a week back and people all over the world are really looking forward to it, especially those using Vista currently (me included)…for obvious reasons.

I downloaded the Beta version (.iso format) which is around 2.4 GB from http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/beta-download.aspx . It’s free for public testing and that means you can get your own personalized copy. The beta expires on 1^st August, 2009. The download is originally 30 day trial (that can be rearmed to 120days later on), but if you activate it with the serial key it provides (free, ofcourse) at the time of free downloading you can use it until its dead itself.

Updates: Download of Windows 7 Beta Installer has been STOPPED since 10th Feb, 2009. Though if any of your friends/colleagues has a copy of the existing download you can still use the same. Moreover, even though the download has been revoked, you can still get your personalized serial key from the above said link.

Note: the download is done via a special Download Manager of Microsoft. This will download the installer (.iso) in an organized fashion. But if you are looking to use your favourite Download accelerators (who won’t?), you can search the direct download link for the same too. Just Google and you would have the plate full.

Anyways, I finally downloaded and waited for the weekend to arrive so that I can test drive the new operating system, promising to be better than Vista. I was excited, as always :).

Installation was quite smooth taking somewhere around 25-30 minutes Only. My laptop configuration comprised of a Dell Latitude D630, Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2.6GHz with 3GB Ram, an external USB mouse (I hate to use inbuilt mousepad!). I have multi partitioned drive with Vista Enterprise running already, so that I have the option to dual boot when needed. The installation was impressively fast. And during installation it seems to have installed all the needed drivers for the cards & chips attached to my box. It also detected my wireless modem network. The entire installation took 2 restarts before I was presented with the Login screen. The login screen, cool blue colored with Lights coming from the top ;). Nice thought Microsoft!

I login with zest. Wait! Did I boot to Vista? Lemme recheck…I see! It’s Windows 7 only. I played around with it for first 10-15 minutes and found few cool features with nice enhancements. As I have been reading & following the news about Windows 7 for quite a long time I agreed to the following statement which I had been telling myself:

"Windows 7 is NO new operating system, it’s Vista overhauled."

And I was true!

But not bad, if one can take out the pains & troubles of past operating systems, even that is worth appreciating. And afterall its just the 1^st beta as of now. In the days to come it must be followed by Beta 2 & RC1 & RC2. I am sure by that time lots will evolve into it.

Before installing Windows 7, I asked few questions to Rohit (myself):

Will I be able to use Windows 7 for my daily operations?
Will Windows 7 run all my applications, desktop & web?
Will I be able to do software development on Windows 7 without concerning about compatibility issues?
Will Windows 7 run all my hardware?
Will Windows 7 detect my Nokia mobile via Nokia PC Suite?
Will Windows 7 end the era of Blue Screens Of Death (BSOD) finally? And what ‘bout Windows Update Restart Loop?
What new features Windows 7 has for me?
And What's Missing?
Other Miscellaneous/Known Issues!
And will Windows 7 do this too, will Windows 7 do that too????

Here are my findings & my answers to the above questions:

>> 1. Will I be able to use Windows 7 for my daily operations?

Yes, as of now. As I said, its 90% (or may be more) Vista only. And as I have been using Vista for more than a year now, seems it won’t trouble me much.

>> 2. Will Windows 7 run all my applications, desktop & web?

The biggest concern, for me & for all. I started installing things (which I had been running on Vista well) one by one. As below:

AVG 8 Free edition: Installed flawlessly. No issues in working.

Microsoft Office 2007 Professional Edition: Installed successfully. Had read few people facing trouble running Excel on Windows 7, but none for me to face.

Microsoft Outlook 2007: Configured with my business email, working perfectly.

Mozilla Firefox 3.0.5: Installed well, perfect import from old instance. Extensions working well too. It has immense rendering issue. But, Pages don't render completely on screen, and to see it you have to either resize the window or scroll up/down to cause screen rendering. This causes you to see patches of old screen & new screen on the browser. Even the toolbars & buttons are improperly rendered. Even when you switch tabs, firefox switches it well, but you can still see the old tab's page on the screen giving you a confusion whether you actually tabbed. If you move your mouse over the screen then, you can see new screen in bits & pieces. All screen looks like patched. Being my favorite browser, Firefox causing major issue with Windows 7 for me. Issues!

Google Talk 1.0.0.104: Installed well, no issues connecting. Though when I start the Voice Call using Google Talk, it takes 5-6 seconds before it starts receiving my voice via the inbuilt microphone. Seems its taking time connecting to the microphone. Issues!

Yahoo Messenger 9 9.0.0.1912: Installed well, works well. Though the icons on the system tray area doesn't seem to remember its Behavior customization. I set the icon to be visible always, but it loses the setting on subsequent exit & restart. Issues!

VLC Player 0.9.8a: All well.

Winamp 5.541: All well.

Word Web 5: All well.

Irfan View 4.20: All well.

xPlorer 2 v 1.7.2.1: All well.

CutePdf writer: All well. Got added to the list of my printers and writes pdfs well as expected.

Unlocker: All well.

Internet Download Manager 5.15: All well. Recognizes browser download as expected and downloads with lightning speed, as always.

TradeTiger 1.0.3.6: All well. As Windows 7 has .Net Framework 3.5 inbuilt, had to apply the rscoree.dll patch, works well after wards. (Download Patch from here: http://www.sharekhan.com/tradetiger/setup.htm. Look out for the section at the bottom of the page.)

Internet Explorer 8 Beta 8.0.7000.0: Windows Vista 7 comes inbuilt with the latest version of IE 8 Beta (version 8.0.7000.0). For everyone’s knowledge IE8 is the next version of the web browser from Microsoft which hopes to take his share back from browsers like Mozilla Firefox & Google Chorme. I have been using IE8 Beta for few months already and can tell you that its really fast. Features like Bookmark toolbar, Web slices, Web Accelerators, InPrivate Browsing, etc. are worthy to look forward to. And for those site which are not compatible with IE8 rendering engine, there is Compatibility Mode you can turn on for those site. And everything else works well!

MS JVM: Issues! I use a website which needs MS JVM to run applet (as its not compatible with JRE). MS JVM installed well. When I run the page with the applet (untrusted!), it started to load but then it ended in an error page containing some Security warning. When I clicked on more information it said “Windows Data Execution Prevention detected an add-on trying to use system memory incorrectly. This can be caused by a malfunction or a malicious add-on.”. I tried turning DEP off for IE, but it didn’t help. I Googled if I can turn of DEP altogether and found I can. Though turning DEP is not suggested, still I wanted to know if that’s the problem. I popped up a command prompt with Administrative privileges and run the following command:

bcdedit.exe /set {current} nx AlwaysOff

I restarted the o/s and voila now the applet opens. Seems like JVM didn’t have sufficient privileges with the Windows 7 DEP settings.

To know more 'bout enabling/disabling/checking-status of DEP, please visit here:
http://vistasupport.mvps.org/disable_data_execution_prevention.htm
http://www.mydigitallife.info/2009/01/01/how-to-verify-data-execution-prevention-is-enabled-or-disabled-in-vista

I wasn’t still happy with DEP turned off as it’s a security hazard, so I played around the IE options and found out finally! There is one setting in IE8 under Internet Options -> Advance -> Security section -> Enable Memory Protection. Disabling it made the MS JVM Applet run without having to tweak DEP. Ahem, It’s safer now!

Reliance Net Connect DataCard: Read point 4 below.

Nokia PC Suite 7.1: Read point 5 below.
Stickies v6.0c: All well.
VPN: Connects well. Though it's taking much longer to connect and seems to be authenticating twice.Issues!
Microsoft Outlook 2007: All well. Except it too loses its system tray icon behavior setting, same as YM. Issues!

There are many other s/w that I will be installing in the coming days, as and when I need them or come across. Hope it will run as always, because if it’s compatible with Vista it shall run here too….remember it’s Vista reinvented :)

>> 3. Will I be able to do software development on Windows 7 without concerning about compatibility issues?

I setup IIS 7 and it seems to be running well on its own. I am yet to setup Visual Studio 2008, SQL Server 2005, MS Chart on my box. I hope that will work too. Because, that’s the major requirement for me being a software engineer!

Visual Studio 2008 : All well. Proper installation & expected behavior.
SQL Server 2005: All well, once installed. Installation into deep deep trouble. Read the section 9. Other Miscellaneous/Known Issues below.

>> 4. Will Windows 7 run all my hardware?

LAN printers installing & working nicely. Other than that my USB Mouse (my savior), USB thumb drives all seems to be working well. More hardware to test in future.

I installed my Reliance NetConnect datacard which is a ZTE CDMA1X MODEM. The installation seemed incomplete as it didn't prompt me to insert the dongle. I then tried to plug it in and it seemed to have been detected as a PnP device. I run the internet dialer but it failed to detect a valid modem. I tried all my luck but it remained not working. I went to my "Devices and Printers" sections of the Control Panel and show the data card modem listed with a "!" sign. I knew something was wrong, as it notified me too. I tried reinstalling by driver update but no success. Again I tried to do driver update and this time let it search windows online update directly, it found 0.5mb of update! I knew thats the thing, the fish is caught. I let it update & as expected it works now. Bravo Microsoft!

I also use the broadband connection at home via a wireless modem. It uses PPPOE protocol to connect. But seems that the PPPOE connection that I use to connect to my broadband, is comparatively slower during initial dialing phase. It takes 5-6 seconds more compared to what it used to take in Vista, before it starts checking the login credentials. But once logged in & connected, its flawless. 5-6 seconds just once every connection is bearable enough.

>> 5. Will Windows 7 detect my Nokia mobile via Nokia PC Suite?

Issues!

This was trivial. Still, I run the Nokia PC Suite installer and Arghh..it says “Operating System not supported”. Seems like the installer explicitly checks for the OS name & version. Anyways, I did the workaround…I changed it’s compatibility to Windows Vista and run again. It ran this time. I plugged in the USB cable CA-42 and connected my Symbian S60 V3 mobile. It detected well and I can see my mobile in the explorer well, along with the memory card within.

At last, it worked well by changing the Compatibility Mode. For quick reference, to change compatibility to any program, right click to its exe of its shortcut, go to its properties->compatibility tab and set compatibility to a lower version of operating system. So the next time its run, it will assume itself to be working in the set operating system.

Still, as desired it should run without tweaking the compatibility and it will only happen once Windows 7 is finally released and Nokia provides the software for the latest platform.

>> 6. Will Windows 7 end the era of Blue Screens Of Death (BSOD) finally? And what ‘bout Windows Update Restart Loop?

On my Vista instance I get BSOD quite frequently, may be its because it seems not to be compatible with my laptop hardware. But since I have been running Windows 7, I have not faced even a single one. And that’s something I can WOW about.
[Update]
Life isn't as easier as it seems :). Got 2 Blue Screen back to back just 3 days after installing. Seemed to be some issues during operations (cut/copy/paste/share) with file path more than 256 characters. And once the BSOD started, it is approaching count of a dozen. Not bad though, still fewer than with Vista.

On windows update during Vista there was once a time when update got stuck in a loop of restarting, that was a known bug for Microsoft. They released patch for it successfully. As for Windows 7, I tried windows update once which provided with 3 updates, one for Windows 7 client, one for my Broadcom network card & one for my Reliance datacard. I installed and it asked me to shutdown. Ai Ai Sir! But it seemed to have got stuck at 30%. I waited for 20 mins and then hot reboot it impatiently. Fingers crossed, it restarted and didn’t show any issues. Windows update status was successful. May be as I had manually updated the Datacard driver previously, windows update couldn’t recognize it & got stuck overwriting it during update. Anyways no more issues after that on update, yet.

>> 7. What new features Windows 7 has for me?

This section will contain mostly the UI improvements & file/device management.

USB Install: To those notebook owners who miss Disk drives in their box, you can now install Windows 7 right from your USB disk. Just copy the files from the installer ISO to the USB drive & your machine will boot from it straightaway! I haven't tried it myself though, but the following link may be of your use (not tested though!):
http://www.intowindows.com/how-to-install-windows-7vista-from-usb-drive-detailed-100-working-guide

Windows Boot: You get a brand new bright animated logo :) Welcome to Microsoft!

Desktop: It seems as it was in Vista. By default it comes with a background featuring the blue fish with bubbles coming out. Nice. Now there is a story behind why there is a Fish on the desktop by default. The fish featured is called Siamese which is a Fish found in Thailand. Interestingly its also referred as "Betta" Fish. And now as the Windows 7 is in Betta (read Beta) phase, may be this fish resembles it the best! :-)
Added things for desktop contains ability to have a set of wallpapers which can shuffle within itself every xx minutes or when demanded. Just right click on the desktop and select “Next Desktop Background Picture” if it’s available. By default it changes every 30 minutes.

Taskbar: Taskbar icons are neatly organized. Hovering over them shows the thumbnails of the running programs and its a real pie to the eye.

Themes: Windows 7 comes with inbuilt o/s themes. Just right click on desktop and select Personalize, you can see few readymade sets of themes. You can set the Windows Color scheme, background & screensavers as always. And if you need more themes, wallpapers, etc. you can get it online free of cost too.

Sidebar: This proved to be a major resource hog in Vista. And hence when you run Windows 7 you don’t find it. Did Microsoft remove it? Nopes. It’s running but it’s not docked to the right hand corner of your screen. When you right click on your desktop you get an option called Gadgets that will enable you to add the old loved gadgets. And, now these gadgets can float anywhere by default.

It seemed to be working for me, bur for last few reboots clicking on Gadgets do nothing! I run the Sidebar.exe myself, but seems it’s broken for some reasons. Issues!

Updates/Fix: As said, the User Access Control is somehow controlling the Gadgets too. So, if you have put UAC off (As most of us do!), Gadgets will disappear too! So, in order to see the Gadgets put the UAC to the lowest level and it should work. Still for me it didn't work and finally had to hack the UAC Superseeding Gadgets via registry.
Open regedit and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Sidebar\Settings
Create a DWORD called AllowElevatedProcess and set the value as 1. Close the registry editor and you can see your gadgets even if the UAC is off! Phew!

Start Menu & Task Bar: Task bar has gone smarter by grouping the programs in a better way. And if you feel like opening a fresh instance of the running program, just middle click or shift+click on its icon in the task bar.

If you right click on any icon on the taskbar, you can see the history of related items open/run in the past. Microsoft calls this feature "Jump Lists". Its accessible also with the items pinned to the Start Menu. Now this is major privacy concern, because this can leave you with unwanted spies. And you can’t really put this off on per application basis. Though if you would like to disable it you can uncheck the option labeled "Store and Display Recently Opened Items in the Start menu and the taskbar" available under the Start Menu tab of the Task Bar & Start Menu Properties. This will remove the history for all the icons in the task bar & start menu and also clear the Rent Items list the moment you click on Apply/Ok. Though if you are only interested in clearning the Jump Lists once....uncheck the "Store and Display Recently Opened Items in the Start menu and the taskbar" checkbox then click on Apply (this clears all the lists), now Check it again & do Apply/Ok (this will again enable the feature for future lists). Take your pick.

Quick Launch: It seems to have gone smarter too but people at first will find it difficult as it iconize all open programs. And when you run one of those in the quick launch bar, it gets shaded with a bright square. But its still iconized. When you open more than one instances of the same program, you still see just 1 icon. When you hover over the icon, you see the thumbnails of the running instance(s) from there you can switch to one. And in case you want the old behavior of getting full length taskbar icons with its title visible, you can customize it using Start Menu properties. In the properties window, select Taskbar buttons dropdown from the Taskbar tab and change it to “Combine when taskbar is full”. I feel it should be the default o/s setting.

Show Desktop: You will suddenly find Show Desktop icon missing from the quick launch. It’s not missing, it’s relocated. If you watch closely you can see a small button (blank) on the right most corner of the task bar (next to the system clock). Clicking on that shows the desktop. And if you just hover your mouse over that button for few seconds, you can preview the desktop right away, the feature is called “Desktop Preview”. For those who are keyboard savvy like me, just press WinKey+Space to get the same.

System Task Area: The icons on the system tasks area used to be expanded with “<<” button, now they are visible by an up arrow like this “^”. Clicking on it will show a small window with hidden icons. Customizing icons is easier too now.

Libraries: Windows 7 introduces a feature called “Libraries” that can group together many locations under one virtual name. This is a cool feature which helps organize your files. Lets say for example you keep your photos in two locations one at “C:\FamilyPics” and another at “D:\Office Snaps”. Now you can create a Library named “My Pics” and add these folders to the library for easy access at one place. Nice feature. And the shortcut to get to the Libraries “Win+E”. Issues!

Updates/Fix: Finally Found the solution for Win+E Key. Thanks to the TechNet Forums & HowToGeek.com.
Read here:
http://www.howtogeek.com/forum/topic/in-windows-7-how-can-i-make-wine-open-my-computer-and-not-libraries

& just download & run this exe (checked..it works!):
http://www.howtogeek.com/geekers/WinE-MyComputer.exe
Make sure to copy this to your Startup folder so that this gets executed every time your machine starts. Just copy and paste this exe (or its shortcut) to your user startup folder. You can find your startup folder at:
:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

Though when you click on Windows Explorer under Accessories or the Icon pinned to your task bar it still opens the Library section. Thankfully some hack is available to help you breath easy. If you want to open your My Computer...right click on it and select Properties. Under the Target box type the following:
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /root,::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
And apply. The next time you click that icon on your task bar, you will be right in your My Computer screen.

Start Menu Search: It has gone better & faster. And as program names & file names can be longer, when you start typing for search the start menu gives more space than before for search results.

Network Connections: The network connections icon in the system task area is worth appreciating as it groups all existing connections at one place and facilitates quick connect/disconnect.

File Management: Seems good enough. One good feature is very useful, when you try to delete/move/rename a file being used in some programs, Windows 7 shows you the File In Use window and tells you the name of the program which is using it. I used to depend on Unlocker for this, seems some relief for it.

User Interface: It has improved greatly without putting much pressure on your CPU & hardware. All windows and menus have drop shadow. User Interface & graphic effects are really seamless & a real pleasure to eyes.

Though at times I found my task bar & windows title bar with continuously flickering black patches. Opening Start Menu once cleared the patches. Seems like some rendering issue. Issues!

Send Feedback: As Windows 7 is in Beta stage, it assumes feedback. Hence, to make it easy almost every window contains a link called “Send Feedback” on the top right corner. When you click, it collects the system info and lets you provide more feedback with rating. If you are wondering what it collects, it notes down your o/s version, list of All the software installed, etc. in an xml format. I have been providing lots of feedback as and when I find. Please do so as it will make this o/s better when it comes out in its final release.

Ribboned Interface: The ribboned interface got popular with the Office 2007. And seems like Microsoft is all game to extend it. The applications such as Microsoft Paint, Wordpad now features Ribbon Interface. For those who are tech-savvy, it's good to know applications like these and even Calculator etc. uses WPF now.

Screen Zooming: Windows 7 comes inbuilt with screen Zooming features now. I used to use softwares like Zoomit for it (though I still use it for all other great features it offers), but now if you need a quick Zoom just pres WinKey and +. It also provides you with a quick toolbar for more other features, "Preview full screen" is very useful during zooming.

Window Docking: Windows 7 has one neat feature which allows you to dock any window on the screen occupying the left half/right half/entire screen. Just drag a window on the top/left/right corners and you can see an animated rectangle appearing, which suggests docking. It's really cool as it helps you manage window size easily. And the best part, it has shortcut keys for most of it! Windows+LeftArrow, Windows+RightArrow, Windows+UpArrow, Windows+DownArrow. Very useful. Another pleasant but surprising feature is "hide all windows but this". How it works is just hold the title bar of a window and shake it with your mouse. All the other windows in the background will be hidden, shake it again and they are back. Useful when you are discussing something with others, and want to quickly hide windows. Windows+Hone is the shortcut key for this, in case you need it quick.

Windows Disk Image Burner: Whenever we download a big application installer/operating-system-installer, we generally get it in the form of an .iso file, which is a DVD/CD disk image. And in order to use the files in it, we either need to burn it to a CD/DVD using an external buring software which can read .iso (I use Nero for it) or we need some .iso mounting software which can create a virtual drive from the files in the .iso (I use VirtualCloneDrive for it). But now with Windows 7, I can directly Burn an .iso with the inbuilt Disk Image Burner. Though it doesn't support creating a virtual disc but it's quite handy when you quickly need to burn an .iso to an optical drive.

The Problem Recorder: Now this is a real smart tool. If you ever need to send out help-ticket to your IT help desk or needed to show if something is not working on your box, you would prefer if you could just record & send the video or the screen shots. The Problem Recorder is just for that. Type record problem in the Start menu search and select "Record steps to reprodce a problem". The window that opens provides the Start Recording, once you click on that Windows 7 starts recording your mouse & keyboard. You can see that when you do a mouse click, a red dot flashes telling that your mouse click is recorded. You can also add comments during the steps recording. Click on Add comment and just type in addition details. Once done click on Stop Record. Wow! It lets you save the recording in Zip format which will include NOT video but ScreenShots so that it can be quickly seen without needing a media player by the IT help desk. This can be real handy! You can tweak the recording using the Settings option.

System Recovery Disk Creation: It happens at times when the operating system doesn't load and you are lead to doing System Restore, and for that you may need a bootable windows disk. Now Windows 7 can help you create in just few clicks. Type "repair" in Start Menu search and you will get the utility. Very handy and a life saver for me.

To find more 'bout what's new in Windows 7 visit http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/whats-new.aspx

>> 8.And What's Missing?

Issues! (actually)

Now this is a surprising section. I always knew that with Windows 7 I will get more than what I get in Vista. But I wasn't expecting few of the tools missing. Here is a small list, which I could find out:

Windows Movie Maker: No more available out of the box.
Windows Photo Gallery: No more available out of the box.
Windows Mail/Live: No more available out of the box.
InkBall Game: No more available out of the box. My cousin used to love this! (I am yet to find a Microsoft download link for that)
Windows Calender: No more available out of the box, as it was available in Vista. (which was said to be a replica of Mac iCal).

(may be few more to be discovered)

In Vista, the above mentioned softwares were available as a part of the o/s installation but with Windows 7 its not. Thankfully they are free tools and can be downloaded from http://download.live.com. Still that means an additional download of some good 100s of MBs. The web installer can be used to install the above and also Windows Writer, Windows Messenger, etc.

>> 9. Other Miscellaneous/Known Issues.

Issues! Issues! Issues!

Working with Windows 7 is being really an enjoyable feeling. And as it is in Beta stage, it pops out its head saying "I got you!" :) Few other issues face are:

Dual Booting with XP: I installed Windows 7 on my laptop which was already running Windows Vista, it worked well. The Dual booting works as desired. I then also installed Windows 7 on another laptop which was running Windows XP SP2 as the primary operating system. The installation was good. And as expected Windows 7 became the deafult during the o/s selection screen. I was able to select one or other during boot. Then I tried to make Windows XP the default o/s during boot so I went to System Configuration (Start->Run->msconfig). Voila! I just had Windows 7 in the Boot menu list. And that means I could change the deafult o/s. I immediately thought, did I lose XP? I rebooted. Selected Windows XP. It booted. Windows XP started. I took a sigh of relief. I went to System Configuration in XP. Voila Again! I had only Windows XP in the Boot menu list. This has left me in state of surprise. It not only means that I have to manually select Windows XP during boot, but it made me realize that its a bug with Windows 7, I hope. I tried a lil to edit the boot.ini manually but I just could not find more than one o/s in the list. This is really strange and definitely an Issue!

Windows Installer Crash: This came out as a big headache. I was installing SQL Server 2005 Developer Edition and it failed as there was some clash with SQL Express which got installed with Visual Studio 2008. I thought of uninstalling the SQL Express, I couldn't. I tried uninstalling Visual Studio 2008, it could not even. The uninstallation broke prematurely with an error "Windows Installator has stopped working". I knew it was the Beta effect. I went to the Event Viewer and looked at the entries. It reported "Faulting application name: msiexec.exe, Faulting module name: ntdll.dll". I realized something wrong with MsiInstaller. As always, I Googled! After searching for 10/15 minutes and trying few unsuccesful tweakings I found the solution. The MSIInstaller had issues. And as per the articles I read it made me feel that due to some reasons Windows had marked MSIInstaller as "Suspended". And hence no new installation/uninstallation could be performed.
Solution? 100%. Time for some registry tweakings. Here is what one has to do:
Open registry editor (Start->Run->Regedit).
Navigate to the following node:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\SQMClient\Windows\Disabled Sessions
You will find a DWord named as "MachineThrottling". This key is supposed to store some inforation of suspended applications (as far as I could understand).
Just rename it to something else (such as MachineThrottling_Old, etc) or delete is straight away. If you like to play safe, take a key backup before it.
That's all of it. I rn the installer for SQL Server again and it worked like a charm!

Desktop Window Manager/Display Driver breaking: It happens out of no where. Suddenly during working I see my screen resolution changing to 800 by 600, everything looks like a mammoth on screen & the screen color goes all messy. The system pops me an error saying that DWM has stopped working due to insufficient privileges. Even sometime the machine gets logged off. But clicking on Screen Resolution and selecting a higher setting resets all to one pleasant look. Ahem! Seems like something wrong with DWM and/or Graphic Driver.

>> 10. And will Windows 7 do this too, will Windows 7 do that too???

This & that….will keep popping up in my mind as usual. Interesting to see how do they fair. Will keep you updated.

So, that’s all on this post as of now. I can see it’s already so big, and it’s gotta be bigger.

Let me know if you find good features or face some issues with Windows 7. And remember to Send Feedback regularly, if any.

More to come soon about my experiene with Windows 7. Either I will update this post or will start a new one.

If you want to know more ‘bout Windows 7, visit now: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/

And are you ready for the this news? If rumors are to be believed, Microsoft is already working on Windows 8. :-)

Till then, happy surfing!

Cheers,

Rohit

'Mom' Is The Word.

2009-01-09T12:26:00.005+05:30

What a lovely pic.....isn't it?

She is a Dalmatian in Leicestershire who has given birth to a possible record-breaking litter of 18 puppies. The happy mother, Button, is the daughter of a dog who starred as Dipstick in ‘102 Dalmatians’. She gave birth by a Caesarean section on December 23, 2008.

The pic depicts one of the very few reasons why Mothers are the best in this world. Just look at her face, she is one proud mother, like always.

And if you are one of those who think that only humans have care & concern for their young, try taking away one of the pups and you will be running for your life. I bet.

Love Is A Mother’s Gift

When God made mothers, He took great care
To fill their hearts with love so rare.
Their children are their greatest prize;
You can see the great love in your mother’s eyes.

Love, love is a mother’s gift
To their precious children, their hearts to lift.
Warm, tender and giving love
That grows them up healthy and happy.

Thank you, mother for all you give
To help me grow and to help me live.
I will love you forevermore,
My mother, my mom, whom I adore.

Love, love is a mother’s gift
To their precious children, their hearts to lift.
Warm, tender and giving love
That grows us up healthy and happy.

By Joanna Fuchs

Those Were Days! vis-à-vis Today. A walk down memory lane...

2008-12-21T18:40:00.017+05:30

Bittu, wake up its time to get ready for school.

Me: Yes, 5minutes.

10minutes later…

Bittu, wake up, its getting late.

Me: yes, 2minutes more.

5minutes later…

Bitttuuuuuu!

Me: YES I got up.

Then getting ready, and going to school. The school prayer starts with joined hands. The class teacher starts attendance…”Yes, Madam”. Bell rings, hurray the class is over and for that 2mins break between periods the class turns into a vegetable market. Onion, Potato, Tomato and everything else seems to be selling. The 2^nd class starts…and this goes until lunch time. Mamaji (uncle) comes with a flask of hot milk & lunch. I was hungry. Lunch finishes. And then 15minutes of running & plying here and there. The 2^nd half resumes with a longing to get back home soon. The final bell……………..WOW! School is over, everyone is pumped up to go home. Mamaji arrives to pick me home. And here I was, one happy kid after the school.

Those were days! The beautiful primary school days.

Reaching home, changing in a jiffy and running to the field to play. Everyone was there waiting for each other and then the games starts. And what a variety, starting from Cricket to Gilli-danda to Kanche to Kho Kho to Aais Pais to Football to Pittoh to Patang Udana, anything you can name!

Dusk time and someone from the home comes calling, “Bittu come, its time”…yes you guessed it right, again the 5-minute-request ;) Finally, returning home with dirty cloths, why not? Stare from guardians, must have! It happens when you are child…child from every bit of your heart, mind & body.

Late evening….dinner & studying & television & preparing school bag for the next day. Finally a glass of milk & time to sleep. Zzzz.

Then came the High school days, a little grown up, going school alone, eating lunch by own & coming back on own too. Waking up on time and that means No more 5 minutes more requests L. After school is over coming back on my own, either early or a late by 10-15 minutes, because that was Ok then. Someone had grown up. Dirty cloths, not really. Even if it is sometimes, its ok, no stares from anyone.

The after school period was followed by Cricket, mostly. Cricket was one of the most loved games for all of us, and the days when it rained we had to have another game and did we have to think? NO! We can play football in water…eeshhhhhhhh….cloths all dirty but we used to love it, because we were all game. Then comes the Atchoo!…if you play in rain, you got to catch cold! But its ok too!

Those were days, really!

I remember on the result day in primary school, I used to be so excited that I will be called on stage to collect the annual result. My Nanaji, Mamaji will be there watching me from the crowd. And when the result is announced in reverse order, you have all the reasons to be the most happiest to be called last. God, that was the best feelings of the entire school life.

Monitoring the class, leading the school parade, taking parts in cultural programs, singing, acting, laughing…OMG! Those days will never come back.

Then came the college life, a college which I visited only 3 times or may be 4 in the entire 2 years. For collecting library card, depositing fee, filling up form & finally for collecting result. Previously every day school attendance was important, college changed that habit. One is a master of his own will, go or not go, even if you go you can hang out everywhere else but the class room. It was boring like hell. Things had changed. Nothing of that time is memorable; really, it was nothing more than a phase of growing up.

Then coming to Kolkata, getting into computer training classes....yes that was a lil fun, a lil…but it was not to last long either. It got over. First job…and then started the routine hours, routine life, routine thoughts. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy…made Rohit too. 3.5+ year of dullness. And that’s enough reason to miss the childhood today. A phase of life when everything was free, everything was open, every mistake was acceptable because that was a phase of grow-‘ing’ & learn-‘ing’. Aha….now it’s ‘grown’ and ‘learnt’. And that means no mistakes, no irresponsible act, no childishness….Ahem.

Some vis-à-vis:

Previously I used to ask…”Mausi, tomorrow is Sunday, I can sleep a lil longer na?”. And that one extra hour of sleep on Sunday was relaxing, real relaxing. Now, no one to calls me, “Bittu wake up.” I can sleep as long as I want and as long as I can. But its relaxing a bit. It’s just a drag. And on the weekdays the “Bittu wake up” is converted into the alarm bell and the 5-minutes-more request into Snooze.

Previously a long vacation meant a real long one. One month of summer vacation, one month long just imagine. I used to go to my parents in Deoghar (yes I am brought up at my Nanaji’s place….that’s another story). And I used to enjoy the vacations like anything, never wishing it to get over. Now…vacations means Sat & Sun, which comes every week and it has become such a part of life that it has no such special longing for. It comes & it goes away. A one month vacation….its not even in dreams now.

Previously I used to wait for the 1^st week of every month to go to the news-stand and collect a copy of Champak/Nanhe Samrat/Suman Saurabh/Nandan. That 5/- or 10/- book meant the world of information & entertainment for the days to follow. Today it’s the e-subscription, e-book, e-magazine, e-news & e-paper that informs me ‘bout happenings all around. See even Champak has an online version. What else? I remember previously I was so much into watching television, that even while studying in the room it used to be running. Today, I hate to watch television that’s why I don’t keep one.

Previously going to movie in a theater used to come very rare, may be once a year or two. And the tempo used to rise from many days before it. Wow, I am going to a theater! But today I am sitting amongst 10-12 cinema halls in 1km radius from my place. And it causes no tempo. The 1 samosa & gold spot in the interval of previous days are replaced with a bunch of popcorn, packed chips, canned cola (diet one mind you), etc. More than what we expend on movie tickets, twice of that goes in the eating between interval today making movie becomes less important than the other stuffs around. The money has lost its value too.

Previously 1 Re. means 20 toffees or 1 packet of colored saunf (fennel seeds) or 2 orange icecreams or 6 puchkas (just imagine 6pcs. in 1Re.). These things today take lots of bucks, may be tens or hundreds, still it doesn’t taste the same. Not even a bit.

Previously we used to play Ludo, Saanp Sidhi and winning in those were much more pleasant than winning a lawn tennis match or motor biking. Clearing one level of Mario to get closer to queen was much more celebrating than finishing a game on Xbox/PS3. Winning in Business game was much more strategic than the Age of Empires or any multi player online game.

Previous we used to wait for a week to watch Rangoli/Chitrahaar on DD National channel. It was one of the only few musical programs of the week. Today, there are tens of music channels running 24x7. Previously the national channel (Doordarshan) used to start at a fixed time in the morning (if I remember correctly it was around 5am) till 12pm around once, then two hours of break with the most famous striped rainbow idle screen. That used to give some time to rest for us too. But today, there are no breaks, no interruptions and channels boast their 24x7 availability, unknowingly leaving us with no implicit breaks for other things. Previously a breaking news meant a highly important one, today every news is a breaking news.!

Previously lunch & dinner had special charm. I remember I used to quest for dishes at home. Plz plz plz make chaat today, how about idli-dosa, its been so long I haven’t tasted a cake please make it today Mausi, naan also! Now…everything is all around, in Shops, and its charmless. Nothing charms like before. Nothing tastes like before. Yes I miss my home, Yes I miss my family. But I can’t do anything else than missing, for life has changed.

Previously a birthday celebration meant the whole world’s blessings. Gathering of friends at home with Gifts (those were the most awaited things of the entire day), getting real birthday cards by snail mails (yes real, so real that you can touch & feel them), cutting cake with everyone clapping around…That is the real kind of celebration. But today, a birthday means few emails from friends, few sms-es, few scraps, few calls, an official happy birthday mail from your HR, ‘few’ colleagues coming and wishing you (obviously after reading the mail only)…that’s it! And in case you happen to throw a birthday party, its more of a get together to show off your attire & to talk everything else other than the reason of party. Where previous birthday parties were followed by opening of gifts most curiously, now its followed by paying the bills with a sigh.

Am I complaining my current life? Yes, I am. Because when I think of today everything looks cosmetic. But then…whats the use complaining? Because at the end of the day, you have got to live this only. That’s how the scenario is today. Never mind.

There are so so many other things I can mention b’coz the list is endless but I will end here by saying the following lines:

“Kahwa gail ladikaiyan ho tani humke bata da,

hum ta padi tohri paiyan ho tani humke bata da”.

It means “Please tell me where my childhood has gone, I beg you please tell me where my childhood has gone.” It’s a lovely Bhojpuri song, which drags you back into your childhood days. I know it’s not possible to go back into your sweet childhood days again, but you can definitely cheer your life with those lovely memories. I am trying too.

"ye daulat bhii le lo, ye shoharat bhii le lo
bhale chhiin lo mujhase merii javaanii
magar mujhako lautaa do bachapan kaa saavan
vo kaagaz kii kashtii, vo baarish kaa paanii"

A very famous gazal by Jagjit Singh, talking 'bout longing the childhood.

Below is an excerpt taken off my mail box and it’s absolutely correct. I know I know that reading it once/twice will make you miss your old days, but trust me its ok to miss those days & cry a lil. And yes, remember….“You are never grown up enough to be childish sometimes”.

With sweet memories in heart & its cool feelings in eyes.!

Rohit

----------------

When Gulli-Danda & Kanche (marbles) were more popular than cricket.
When we always had friends to play aais-paais (I Spy), chhepan-chhepai
& pitthoo anytime ... When we desperately waited for 'Yeh Jo Hai
Jindagi' (Doordarshan serial)
When chitrahaar, vikram-baitaal, Dada Daadi Ki Kahaniyaan were so fulfilling.
When there was just one Tv in every five houses and...
When Bisleris were not sold in the trains and we were worrying if papas will get back into the train in time or not when they were getting down at stations to fill up the water bottle ...
When we were going to bed by 9.00pm sharp except for the 'Yeh Jo Hai Jindagi' day ...
When Holis & Diwalis meant mostly hand-made pakwaans and sweets and moms seeking our help while preparing them ...
When Maths teachers were not worried of our Mummies and papas while slapping/beating us ...
When we were exchanging comics and stamps and Chacha-Chaudaris & Billus were our heroes ...
When we were in Nanihaals every summer and loved flying kites and plucking and eating unripe mangoes and leechies ...
When one movie every Sunday evening on television was more than asked for and 'ek do teen chaar' and 'Rajani' inspired us ...
When 50 paisa meant at least 10 toffees ...
When left over pages of the last years notebooks were used for rough work or even fair work ...
When 'Chelpark' and 'Natraaj' were encouraged against 'Reynolds
& family' ...
When the first rain meant getting drenched and playing in water and mud and making 'kaagaj ki kishtis' ...
When there were no phones to tell friends that we will be at their homes at six in the evening ...
When our parents always had 15 paise blue colored 'Antardesis' and 5 paise machli wale stamps at home ...
When we remembered tens of jokes and were not finding 'ice-cream & papa' type jokes foolish enough to stop us from laughing ...
When we were not seeing patakhes on Diwalis and gulaals on
Holis as air and noise polluting or allergic agents ...
The list can be endless ...
On the serious note I would like to summarize with ...
When we were using our hearts more than our brains, even for scientifically brainy activities like 'thinking' and 'deciding' ...
When we were crying and laughing more often, more openly and more sincerely ..
When we were enjoying our present more than worrying about our future ...
When being emotional was not synonymous to being weak ...
When sharing worries and happiness didn't mean getting vulnerable to the listener ...
When blacks and whites were the favorite colors instead of greys ...
When journeys also were important and not just the destinations ...
When life was a passenger's sleeper giving enough time and opportunity to enjoy the sceneries from its open and transparent glass windows instead of some
super fast's second ac with its curtained, closed and dark windows ...
I really miss them…don't You?

Everyone deserves a Smile. Cause one Today!

2008-11-09T04:15:00.022+05:30

Smiling is contagious,

you catch it like the flu,

When someone smiled at me today,

I started smiling too.

I passed around the corner,

and someone saw my grin,

When he smiled I realized,

I'd passed it on to him.

I thought about that smile,

then I realized its worth,

A single smile, just like mine,

could travel round the earth.

So, if you feel a smile begin,

don't leave it undetected,

Let's start an epidemic quick

and get the world infected!!!
- - -

This post is for those unlucky people who are out there 'just living their life everyday' or I can say, 'waiting for the death to touch them'. It sounds loud, but the reality is even louder.

Every day when we walk out on the road, running step by step with everyone...somewhere 'besides' the crowd is one of those people waiting for others to feed. There is one such kid trying to attract people by hitting the ground with one hand and raising the other for someone to fill. There is one such person with missing limbs lying on the ground and calling people by shivering his body continuously. There is one mother with her toddler on the lap trying to collect enough money for eating so that she can breastfeed. People call them 'The Beggars'. I dissent. Can we better call them "The Needies"?

We shall be thankful to god for blessing us with at least that much so that we can keep ourselves up & running. We shall be happy that we have a family and we can support it. We shall be happy that at the end of the day when we go to the bed our stomachs are full. We shall be thankful that we don't worry every night 'bout how will we stand the next day without any food in reserve, without a shelter on the head and without any cloths on the body. We are heavenly blessed.

But then there are people who are not blessed the same way. They are under-privileged and most of the time ill behaved too. It's a phenomenon that at times when there is one needy person on our doors we tend to close it with force, yelling at the needy not to come again as if s/he committed a big crime by knocking. When there is someone tapping on our car window, we pretend not to give any attention and wishing him/her to move away. When there is a fund raising for the needies/the-flood-affected/the-natural-calamity-affected we alibi for running low on finances. Who is asking you your entire fortune? All that is expected from you is a small help, a very nominal help; and for the needies...it can make their day!

Can't we stop smoking for a day and use the same for someone's meal for a day? Can't we spend a lil less on tobacco for someone's warmth in the winter? Can't we skip a cup of coffee in a swish cafe just to stop someone from crying out of starvation? And then when there is a celebrity show, when there is a cricket/tennis/football match, when there is a cozy late night dance party we don't give a damn to think twice before nodding, "Count me In, I am all game!". I understand it's important for you too, I understand you want to live & enjoy your life, you have full right too...but what's the harm if you can make someone at least live, let alone enjoy, few moments?

If every one of us starts helping the needies in one's own possible way, we can make world a better place to live. Start with "Help 1 person every day" routine and you will see the difference. Not just that the one you helped will bless you or will make your day with his/her smile every time you pass by but you yourself will feel proud the entire day. Just give a try, I am sure you will feel good. We can spend a hundred bucks for just 2-3 hours of pleasure by going to movies; can't we spend just a couple of bucks for a day long pleasant feeling also?

And remember, Helping is not only in the form of money. There are people who need love & affection more than money. Because this will make them feel valued, make them feel proud. You can help them heal their miseries by being a bandage sometimes.

Merriam-Webster defines 'Needy' as:

1 : being in want : poverty-stricken

2 : marked by want of affection, attention, or emotional support

Hope you can understand that need comes in various ways, forms & volumes.

Don't we see so many small children wandering on the street everyday? What do you think the future has for them? No education, not enough cloths on the body, half eaten and full starving, wounded & beaten. Can't you just help one?

And you don't need to ask "All is fine, but how do I start with?". You don't need to ask anyone how to help others. If you want you can start with the routine: "The first needy person I see every day, I will help him/her in any way I can." Isn't that easy? And if you want to be a part of a larger group who does that, there are many NGOs you can get attached to.

I am also in a lil touch (though virtually, not physically) with one such NGO called "Neev". They are mostly into helping the little children in and around Kokata. They prefer calling the children "Flowers", ain’t it true? And then there is another one I was talking to, it's named "Janhit Foundation". They are into Child helpline, Water Conservation, Water quality maintenance, sustainable agriculture, violation of human rights, environmental education, etc.

I know the images above are heart paining and they will continue to be such until we start willing to make a change, in one’s small way. And if we do, the world will smile together, see:

Everyone loves to be loved and needs to be needed. How True!

So, What are you waiting for, won't you like to cause a smile today?

A Martyr Dies in The Ear - The Epilogue

2008-11-04T12:08:00.010+05:30

This continues my last post A Martyr Dies in The Ear.

Lacy was alive!

Yes. Last night as I was trying the home made therapies, things changed. I had poured some Mustard oil and after 2 hours of it tried with an ear bud to see if I can drag her dead body (as perceived). But I couldn’t. The ear was paining so much that I could not try more. The ear felt sick. I got strained. I thought, "Why me"? I was getting tensed.

Then I warmed a bucket full of water. Once it was lukewarm hot, I got up my place with a lil heavy heart, water bucket in my hand. Felt like I am going for a war and the bucket in my hand is the only ammunition I have to fight the enemies with. I held the faith that things will improve. But how can it? I wasn’t an ENT myself!

I took a mug full of water, tilt my head left and started to pour slowly. My heart was praying. I continued. I heard a ripple. Voila! I couldn’t believe my eyes. She dropped into the bucket and she was Alive. Was she?

For a second I thought that it’s some other fly, I looked around; there was nothing else but silence. I don’t have such insects at my place. Even when this incident happened last night, I was at one of my relative’s place.

I was sitting there, as one dumbfounded person, thinking of the stupidity of taking this carelessly. What if she was an insect with stings? What if she had bit me? What if she had crawled into my brain via my ear drums? What if she had multiplied herself? Phew! All the scary feelings came in a fraction of second and I was all wide eyes, frozen.

Lacy was fluttering her wings in the bucket, trying to come out. She couldn’t fly, she was inept. I tried to take her out on my finger. I could. There she was, resting on my finger silently. She wasn’t moving. I whispered to her, “Hello there! Can you hear me?” No one replied. I tried to shake her gently, she was unmoved. She had died, for the second time. And this time it was for sure.

For few seconds I thanked God to keep one innocent creature alive. Though, I was more worried seeing her alive than what I was when she was there dancing in my ears. May be she was so handicapped by the warm water the other night that she lost the energy to move, let alone dance. She was scared, she didn’t move for almost 18 hours. At 11pm last night she could come out. Thanks to me, thanks to the old age therapies and thanks to Google. May be she knew that she is going to die, and this was her one last wish before death…wish to see the world with her eyes for the last time. And as soon as her wish was met, she died in peace. God bless her soul, she was a real fighter, a Martyr indeed.

And then I could sleep well last night. One sound sleep after such a long time!

I am all happy ears, once again! :)

A Martyr Dies in The Ear

2008-11-03T22:21:00.022+05:30

That was an awry feeling. And it is leaving me in a big dizzy. The picture below describes the incident well, though it’s a lil exaggerated than what actually happened.

(It’s one Scary feeling, and it's NOT a Dream)

"A Martyr Dies in The Ear"

The Plot:

Dinner under electric lights, few insects and Me.

The Story:

Last night I, Rohit, was having dinner around 8pm under the electric lights. As it’s Diwali time, lots of flying insects are all around. Everything was normal. Suddenly! Alas! I felt something entering into my ear. As I could make out, I knew it was one tiny insect entering inside my right ear. I don’t know what the breed is, but it was some sort of small lacewings (a.k.a. Lacy). I poked my ears with my finger for a while (the normal reaction one has in such situations). And it was NOT another dream.

A minute of jabbing and then there was silence & peace. I was relieved. It felt as if the cool breeze (out of fan) is flowing in the air and touching my ears with soft pleasant sounds, it felt musical.

4am today, I woke up feeling that someone is dancing on my ear drums. It was a hell of a feeling. I recalled it’s Lacy, she lost her way and got inside my ear last night. And see her bravery; she was silent for almost 8 hours, One true idol of Patience. But then she must have rested enough and wanted to come out, so she struggled her way out and in doing so she woke me up. I was worried. It was almost like having a monster inside. I tilted my head to the right and shook hard. She got feared of her life. She started to move even faster. I could feel each and every millimeter she was walking inside my ear.

By 4:10 I had tried enough. I immediately thought of calling one Doctor friend of mine, but she is out of India these days. She is my all time physician, first hand. Didn’t want to call my home and cause panic so resisted that too. I took a deep breath. Took another. The insect moved faster. Staying alone away from family leaves you in such situations where you are clueless. I was one such. But being an IT professional saves you...I Googled. (do not laugh, because she is a darling which is 24*7 for me and she saves me aplenty).

15-20 mins of reading; at the same time trying to drill the ear with ear bud; and at the same time wishing & praying that nothing goes wrong. Lots of thought hit my mind in such a small time. I felt like an airplane is running inside my ear. I was calm. I remember from the old days when I was with family that whenever there is trouble with your ear, you drop some Mustard oil and in a while you will be relieved. That works 100%. But being alone, not cooking at your place, even that option was void for me. Nothing left, I tried something else what Google suggested. I got some lukewarm water, fed it to my ears with a spoon. 1, 2, 3 spoons of water and then I decided to stop. The dance stopped too but I could not sleep again.

She died. I felt sorry for her. Because it wasn’t her mistake. But then that’s life, a bug’s life. We both suffered for some time. And I being the stronger breed came out alive but not her. God bless her soul.

The misery isn’t over yet! She is still lying dead inside my ears. And that’s bad for both. Her, who can’t be cremated and me who is fearful of an infection. And then there is my mind, which is feared the most. It was Anny twice and now it’s Lacy. Why are bugs behind me?

I being the software developer ‘plant’ bugs in the software I make, like all other coders do, unintentionally. And yes our bugs give nightmares too. But then we fix (read kill) them asap. So, is it that the bugs are taking revenge? Or are they normal; it's just we who come in their way everynow and then. Phew! Whatever it may be, I think I am already suffering Entomophobia.

(A person suffering Entomophobia)

Now, when I have got myself some ear drops and some mustard oil. I can hope for a relief. Before writing this post I just poured few drops of the latter (I trust the old age home therapy in this case). Hoping that by the time I finish this post I can try to dig my ears once more softly and take out the weaker victim. Then some warm water therapy, if needed. Else it will be time for SOS for me.

(Home Therapy for ear troubles)

Suggestions for those who suffer insects in ears (god forbids):

Do Not poke your ears with any objects, not even ear buds as it can cause the insect to push deeper making it even harder to come out (and survive too). It can even cause damage to middle ear or eardrums. Remember, your ears are one very very sensitive part of body.

Tilt your head to the side and gently shake, Do Not hit.

If you feel the insect is alive and doesn’t come out by shaking, pour a small amount of vegetable oil (few suggest paraffin oil too, not sure). This will suffocate the insect to cause death (one warrior goes martyr).

If you feel that the insect is dead, pour a small amount of warm water to flush it out.

Still If nothing helps, it’s time for SOS. Contact your physician, preferably an ENT specialist, immediately.

(Poking can be really harmful. Do NOT.)

I know I know you want to yell at me, “Go to an ENT now!” But, that’s another part of story :)

(The ENT specialist…jokes apart, DO Consult them when needed)

Wishing you insects free days & nights.

But Picture abhi baki hai mere dost (the movie isn't over yet!). Read what happened next at: A Martyr Dies in The Ear - The Epilogue

Who Drafts My Dreams?

2008-11-02T00:33:00.000+05:30

Watch out a missile is heading our way. Phew!
You all….get behind me, let me fight the terrorists!
Oh I lost one leg, still I can kick them flying in the air!
Aliens. OMG! They are attacking with lasers. Do a thing, you all go to the nearby lane, lemme fight them down!
Seems like police is coming, do you hear the siren?
Or is it ambulance? Do you hear the siren?

Oops, it’s not police it’s not ambulance either….. It’s the sound of my alarm bell, In Real. Rohit wake up!!!

These are few of my dreams, dreams which we all see. But to me, in every 3/10 dreams, I am playing a Super Hero. Do I look like? Or do I feel like? Ahem, mysterious dreams.

We all see dreams and we all forget them. Yes if we believe the studies and we recollect our experiences, we forget almost 9/10 dreams. And the ones we are able to remember leave us in a dizzy that why did we see those?

There are so many times when we can relate a particular dream to things seen/read/spoken during the day. But what ‘bout those which are from nowhere, see these Alien ones. I see them very often.

It’s hard to say clearly why we dream and most importantly WHO story-lines our dreams. But whoever s/he is…is an interesting story writer. The creativity, something beyond anyone’s imagination, the twist & turns, the association with recent happenings or the link with the unfulfilled desires…all are beyond comprehension. And the best part is the ability to adapt with the things happening in real time around you. How many times have you felt that what you are seeing in your dream, something similar is happening ‘at that moment’? Does it happen to you too that a ringing door-bell/cellphone/alarm-bell nearby gets converted into a siren in the ongoing dream OR a yell from your parents for waking up gets exchanged with someone calling your name in your dreams OR a mosquito biting you in reality is substituted with a wild animal tearing your body? I wonder how…but it happens, happens with all. At least to me.

There are many theories based on dreams; scientists have done lots of researches but I am afraid none seems 100% acceptable to me. Few say it’s a chance to do those things which we are not able to do in our day to day life, few say it gives us more time to think ‘bout something, and few say it’s outright useless. Whatever it may be, it’s interesting. Very interesting.

If I can quote what I have read recently…it say that five minutes after the end of a dream, we have forgotten 50 percent of the dream's content. Ten minutes later, we've forgotten 90 percent of its content. And I can tell you it’s true. So what’s the best way to remember dreams, if only you want to? One of my friends says, she keeps a pen-paper near to her bed and whenever she wakes off her sleep, she immediately notes down the dreams. And yes it DOES help, because I tried and I do it many times now. I already have few dreams of mine noted. And whenever I read those, I can’t help smile because they are at the meridian of creativity. Hats off to the creator!

You also wish if you could remember your dreams too right? No issues, give a try. If you would like to remember your dreams you can try the above approach. Yes it sounds a lil troublesome to hear but the result is very pleasing. You will enjoy each and every of your dreams, only if you value them. Though to me this has proved to be ‘the best’ solution to recall dreams, there are few more as below:

How to Improve Your Dream Recall

When you go to bed, tell yourself you will remember your dreams. It is found that thinking about dreams before you fell asleep actually makes you remember having them.
Set your alarm to go off every hour and half so you'll wake up around the times when you're most likely to remember your dreams.
Drink a lot of water before you go to bed to ensure you have to wake up at least once in the middle of the night! – I know you are smiling b’coz this is really Funny! ;)
Keep a pad and pencil next to your bed. – I told you this already, it works.
Try to wake up slowly to remain within the "mood" of your last dream. - slow motion waking up with adda :)

Few facts ‘bout dreams, worth mentioning:

Most dreams last anywhere from five to 20 minutes.
People don't only dream in black and white, as was once believed.
Even though they may not remember them, everyone dreams several times a night. In fact, during a typical lifetime, we spend about six years dreaming.
People who have been blind from birth have dreams that are formed from their other senses (e.g., touch, smell, sound). - this is interesting.
When people are snoring, they're not dreaming. - this is even more interesting, b'coz you can safely wake up your snoring hubby without worrying of the yelling, "you broke my dream!" ;)

Interesting facts, indeed! And this post will be incomplete if it doesn’t talk of the meanings of dreams. Yes, your dreams can be interpreted. Same as few people interpret moles on body or a a lizard falling on your belly. You may call these superstitions but its true that "it's superstition till it happens to you."

Common Dreams and Their Interpretations [NOT mine ;)] – Interesting, very interesting

Being naked in public
Most of us have had the dream at some point that we're at school, work or some social event, and we suddenly realize we forgot to put on clothes or are in minimum clothing! (I do see this sometimes…eesssh) Experts say this means:
- We're trying to hide something (and without clothes we have a hard time doing that).
- We're not prepared for something, like a presentation or test (and now everyone is going to know -- we're exposed!).
If we're naked but no one notices, then the interpretation is that whatever we're afraid of is unfounded. If we don't care that we're naked, the interpretation is that we're comfortable with who we are.
- Falling
  You're falling, falling, falling... and then you wake up. This is a very common dream and is said to symbolize insecurities and anxiety. Something in your life is essentially out of control and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Another interpretation is that you have a sense of failure about something. Maybe you're not doing well in school or at work and are afraid you're going to be fired or expelled. Again, you feel that you can't control the situation.
- Being chased
  The ever-popular chase dream can be extremely frightening. What it usually symbolizes is that you're running away from your problems. What that problem is depends on who is chasing you. It may be a problem at work, or it may be something about yourself that you know is destructive.
- Taking an exam (or forgetting that you have one)
  This is another very common dream. You suddenly realize you are supposed to be taking an exam at that very moment. You might be running through the hallways and can't find the classroom. This type of dream can have several variations that have similar meanings. (Maybe your pen won't write, so you can't finish writing your answers.) What experts say this may mean is that you're being scrutinized about something or feel you're being tested -- maybe you're facing a challenge you don't think you're up to. You don't feel prepared or able to hold up to the scrutiny. It may also mean there is something you've neglected that you know needs your attention.
- Flying
  Many flying dreams are the result of lucid dreaming. Not all flying dreams are, however. Typically, dreaming that you are flying means you are on top of things. You are in control of the things that matter to you. Or, maybe you've just gained a new perspective on things. It may also mean you are strong willed and feel like no one and nothing can defeat you. If you are having problems maintaining your flight, someone or something may be standing in the way of you having control. If you are afraid while flying, you may have challenges that you don't feel up to.
- Running, but going nowhere
  This theme can also be part of the chasing dream. You're trying to run, but either your legs won't move or you simply aren't going anywhere -- as if you were on a treadmill. According to some, this dream means you have too much on your plate. You're trying to do too many things at once and can't catch up or ever get ahead.
- Your teeth falling out
  Many people have dreams that they lose all of their teeth. In this dream, they may feel something strange in their mouth and then spit teeth into their hand, eventually losing all of their teeth. According to some, our teeth are related to our sense of power and our ability to communicate. Losing our teeth not only makes us embarrassed by our appearance, which hinders our communications, but it also lessens our power because we may not speak our minds. It's also associated with feelings about our appearance.
- You Die in your dreams
  Yes, it is possible to experience death in your dreams. Dreams of death often occur as a result of great stress caused by relationships, school, career changes, depression or by the approach of death itself. Death in dreams may also be viewed as a metaphor - as a new beginning or a time of renewal.
There are few dreams that one sees many times repeatedly. And then we start getting a lil curious to find out why this one again? If you have read the above interpretations, you can understand that it’s also linked to your mental state, something which is running in your mind for a long time. Take my example, as I said I do find myself half naked in the dreams and as soon as I realize I start running to my home….which I never see reaching. I also find myself with slippers/shoes inside the holy temple and I immediate take them off making sure no one noticed it. And then these Superhero ones…..God, this gives me jitters!

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, which I just read, says “Dreams are the language of God.” No point arguing on this as I am clueless ‘bout the Author of my dreams. But if it is God then does he want me to be a Super Hero, huh? I remember the Super-Hero-ship, or I better call it the feeling of being a Savior, was deep inside me few years back. There was a time when I used to feel that I am gonna solve all the problems you have and that you was everyone I was interacting with. But then I gave it up, thankfully. I realized that I am a normal human, not a super hero who can fly in the air and kill the bad people, one who will do a magic to get you what you want, one who will solve your personal problems, one who will help you get over all your weakness. Stupid me! I realized and I am relieved. Because I can do it to one, but I can’t do it to all. I don’t want to.

Wikipedia describes Dreams as:
Dreams are sequence images, sounds and feelings experienced while sleeping, particularly strongly associated with rapid eye movement sleep. The contents and biological purposes of dreams are not fully understood, though they have been a topic of speculation and interest throughout recorded history.

Whatever dreams are they are worth seeing. And if you would like to know more ‘bout dreams & their mysteries you better take Oneirology.

So, what do you think who is the author of your dreams? Is it your wild-yet-philosophical-though-sometimes-worried-sometimes-excited-mind or is it God talking to you in his language? And what do you dream 'bout?

Happy Dreaming, yeasty yeasty!

Why Jhumri Telaiya is famous in Bollywood

2008-10-05T14:05:00.017+05:30

Jhumri Telaiya (JT), my home town, is one small but beautiful place. Beautiful because I have my heartily attachments with it.

Wait wait wait, are you too thinking if there is any place named “Jhumri Telaiya”? Ahem! Yes ask me, there is!

Jhumri Telaiya is a small town in the state of Jharkhand, India. It's in the district Koderma, which is quite famous for Mica, Coal and Kalakand. Though it’s NOT a tourist place, it’s still hugely popular in Hindi films/songs (in a humorous way). I have seen curiosity in lots of people’s mind ‘bout this place so finally deciding to write something ‘bout it.

Here it is a small description about why Jhumri Telaiya is famous in Bollywood. Found these paragraphs long time back on some internet site (not sure ‘bout its origin). I had it saved with me for a long time and now posting it here. (it's written in Hindi, click here to read this post in English, translated using Google Translate Beta. The translation is hugely inaccurate but still can give you a sense of understanding).

Why Jhumri Telaiya is famous in Bollywood:

अगर आप रेडियो के श्रोता रहे हैं तो फरमाइशी गीतों के कार्यक्रमों में ‘झुमरी तिलैया’ का नाम अवस्य सुना होगा। 1950 से 1980 तक रेडियो से प्रसारित होने वाले फिल्मी गीतों के फरमाइशी कार्यक्रमों में शायद ही किसी गीत को सुनने के लिए झुमरी तिलैया के श्रोताओं ने फरमाइश न भेजी हो। हाल यह था कि हर किसी गीत के सुनने वाले श्रोताओं में झुमरी तिलैया का नाम कम से कम एक बार तो जरुर प्रसारित किया जाता था। इस तरह झुमरी तिलैया का नाम दिन में बार बार सुनने में आता था जिसके कारण रेडियो श्रोताओं में झुमरी तिलैया का नाम प्रसिद्ध हो गया था।

सही अर्थों में कहा जाए तो झुमरी तिलैया को विश्वविख्यात बनाने का श्रेय वहां के स्थानीय रेडियो श्रोताओं को जाता है जिनमें रामेश्‍वर प्रसाद वर्णवाल, गंगालाल मगधिया, कुलदीप सिंह आकाश, राजेंद्र प्रसाद, जगन्नाथ साहू, धर्मेंद्र कुमार जैन, पवन कुमार अग्रवाल, लखन साहू और हरेकृष्ण सिंह प्रेमी के नाम मुख्य हैं। मुंबई से प्रकाशित धर्मयुग में वर्षों पहले छपे एक लेख में विष्णु खरे ने लिखा था कि उदघोषक अमीन सयानी को प्रसिद्ध बनाने में झुमरी तिलैया के रेडियो श्रोताओं में खासतौर पर रामेश्‍वर प्रसाद वर्णवाल का हाथ है।

झारखण्ड में गया रेलवे स्टेशन के अगले स्टेशन कोडरमा के बाहरी क्षेत्र को झुमरी तिलैया के नाम से जाना जाता है। यह बिहार की राजधानी पटना से 200 किलोमीटर की दूरी पर स्थित है जिसकी आबादी एक-डेढ़ लाख के करीब होगी। यहां विश्वविख्यात अभ्रक की खानें हैं और यहां का कलाकंद भी प्रसिद्ध है। वर्णवाल के बारे में लोगों का कहना है कि उनकी पहली फरमाइश रेडियो सिलोन से पढ़ी गई थी। फ़िल्म ‘मुगले आजम’ का गीत ‘जब प्यार किया तो डरना क्या’ के लिए उन्होंने टेलीग्राम से फरमाइश भेजी थी। रेडियो सिलोन से अक्सर यह प्रसारण होता था कि आप ही के गीत कार्यक्रम में झुमरी तिलैया से रामेश्‍वर प्रसाद वर्णवाल ने ‘दो हंसों का जोड़ा बिछुड़ गयो रे, गजब भयो रामा जुलुम भयो रे’ फरमाइश की है। झुमरी तिलैया से गंगालाल मगधिया, कुलदीप सिंह ‘आकाश’, राजेंद्र प्रसाद, जगन्नाथ साहू, धर्मेंद्र कुमार जैन, पवन कुमार अग्रवाल, लखन साहू ने भी इसी गीत की फरमाइश की है।

रेडियो पर फरमाइश को लेकर कई अजूबे जुड़े हुए हैं। एक बार ऐसा हुआ कि ओल इंडिया रेडियो पर गंगा जमुना फ़िल्मका गीत दो हंसो का जोड़ा बिछुड़ गयो रे बज रहा था। गीत समाप्त होने पर उदघोषक ने घोषणा की कि अभी अभी झुमरी तिलैया से रामेश्‍वर प्रसाद वर्णवाल का भेजा हुआ टेलीग्राम हमें प्राप्त हुआ है, जिसमें उन्होंने दो हंसों का जोड़ा सुनाने का अनुरोध किया है। अत: यह गीत हम आपको पुन: सुना रहे हैं। टीवी के व्यापक आगमन से पहले रेडियो के अलावा मनोरंजन का दूसरा साधन नहीं था। ग्रामोफोन प्लेयर बहुत कम लोगों के पास था।

फरमाइश भेजने वालों में हरेकृष्‍ण सिंह ‘प्रेमी’ कभी पीछे नहीं रहे। यह अलग बात है कि वे अपनी हरकतों व कथित प्रेमी होने के कारण हमेशा चर्चा में रहे। फरमाइशों में अपने नाम के बाद अपनी कथित प्रेमिका प्रिया जैन का नाम भी जोड़ा करते थे जिसके कारण वे प्रसिद्ध हुए। यह बात अलग है कि उनकी प्रिया जैन से शादी नहीं हुई।

एक और दिलचस्प बात यह है कि रेडियो पर फरमाइश भेजने वालों में आपसी होड़ इस हद तक बढ़ गई थी कि लोग एक दूसरे की डाक को गायब करवाने और रुकवाने के लिए डाक छांटने वाले कर्मचारियों को रुपए देते थे। तब कई गंभीर श्रोता फरमाइशी पत्रों को भेजने के लिए गया और पटना तक जाने लगे जिससे डाक खर्च भी बढ़ गया। उन दिनों इस तरह के पत्र पर कम से कम 25 से 35 रुपए खर्च होने लगे।

झुमरी तिलैया के संबंध में सबसे ज्यादा रोचक बात यह थी कि जिस किसी फ़िल्म के किसी गीत को सुनने के लिए झुमरी तिलैया के श्रोता अपनी फरमाइश भेजते थे उस फ़िल्म को और उस गीत को मुंबई फ़िल्म उद्योग के बॉक्स ऑफिस पर हिट माना जाता था। यह सिलसिला कई साल से ख़त्म हो गया है। निजी टीवी चैनलों और दूरदर्शन की मार से रेडियो श्रोता बहुत कम रह गए हैं, साथ ही झुमरी तिलैया का सरगम भी खो गया है।

Interesting isn’t it?

Here are few pics of the near by lakes (somewhere close to the DVC Dam). I have personally been there few times many years ago, and yes it's a beautiful landscape.

Few more pics collected from internet.

The JT Railway station named after the district "Koderma".

The Local market of JT "Jhanda Chowk", in the center of the town.

Rikshaw stand near the theater Jawahar Talkies.

Hope you will never ask again, “Is Jhumri Telaiya a place in reality? And I thought….” :)

Cheers,

Rohit

She Loves Me, She Bites Me

2008-10-02T00:56:00.014+05:30

Yes. She love me, she loves me so much that she can’t resist biting. She feels it’s her divine right, what an audacity! When it happened to me for the first time, I held my nerves somehow thinking I will be careful the next time. But voila again! Ouch. She is obsessed, I am feared. The feeling of her clinching me makes me go weak in my knees. But that’s how it is…her so confident and me so diffident.

I call her Anny. People call her Female Anopheles.

2 times in less than a year, and you have more than enough reasons to feel dreaded. Malaria comes with lots of disturbances especially when it’s in one of its worst variants (read flavors). Last year when I was struck with the flavor Plasmodium Falciparum (the worst flavor in its category), that was painful. Yes it was. And that time Anny didn’t come alone, she had her friend Dengy a.k.a. Aedes Aegypti with her too. They together caused me my life’s first hospitalization, 13 days straight & tough. Grrr! Having brought around of it, things looked like once in a life time experience. If only it was.

But nope I was Struck again, last week. Flavor: Plasmodium Vivax, A less severe than the last one, but more moving because it brought back with it the frightening memories.

Next flavor? God forbids me & all.

Ahem! Just as a reminder, Malaria is one of the deadliest diseases in the world. It alone accounts for more than One Million deaths every year. And if not cured fully, it has the highest rate of relapse. Does the Anny kind feel proud of helping keep the growing human population at control? Please don’t! Let us handle it ourselves.

As there are no vaccines currently that can prevent Malaria, few precautions worth taking:

Be Clean, Eat Clean, Keep Clean.
Use Mosquito Nets in night.
If nets are not available/possible, use Repellents, Coils or Anti-mosquito gels. Especially while travelling.
Use Indoor residual spraying.
Avoid concentration of water in open areas.
In case you doubt of the symptoms, consult your doctor ASAP before it worries you and your dear ones.

On a side note, I feel that when there are so many species getting extinct every day, why don’t these harmful ones? Huh? Oh, The Food Chain, I know I know.

Anyways, Wish you all a healthy life!

And Yes, Your Man Is Pregnant!

2008-08-24T01:58:00.000+05:30

"Ur pragnant man gv birth 2 a baby girl...:-D"

This is the text message I received few weeks back on my cell. My first response was, “huhh?” But then I realized what that was for. 'He' did it finally!!!

How would you feel if that beeps on your mobile one day or your Man says himself, “Sweetie, I am pregnant!”

Bizarre? Not really, read ahead.

Thomas Beatie, a.k.a. Pregnant Man, is a male from New York who gave birth to a baby girl on June 29, 2008. And eventually became one proud Man (though by means) to give birth to a human baby. There are so many stories & talks behind this so called man-delivering-a-baby-and-becoming-a-father-oops-mother-or-whatever-you-call phenomenon. Resisting the depth of the stories but worth mentioning are few facts. Thomas Beatie, 34, who is happily married to Nancy for years was born as a female (yes!) and now is a transgender man for last 10 years or so. He managed hard to keep few features of a female during his varying. He had past attempt for an implanted pregnancy which failed but this time it worked, worked wonder. He birthed! And this feat made him appear on the most prestigious Oprah Winfrey Show too. Not putting much ‘bout how it happened & how it was delivered, but in case you are interested you can always Google for it.

Thomas Beatie

Thomas Beatie with birds

Thomas Beatie @ Oprah Winfrey Show

Thomas Beatie & Nancy Beatie

Thomas Beatie & Susan Juliette (the Cuty)

Lovely pics :)

I can't help commemorate the movie which I saw lately, The Mist. It talks ‘bout the results of human-scientific-researches-and-the-results-thereafter. If you have seen this movie once, you know what I mean to refer to.

Anyways, no doubt it’s a courageous act by someone who wants to fulfil his/her desire. One who wants to make ‘it’ happen. But then........desires are infinite! Ain't it? Anyways, greetings & blessings to the Beatie family.

Keeping this post short and leaving you with a Question…….

If you are a woman, would you desire same for your man? ('Sweetie, I am pregnant' greetings?)
Or,
if you are a man, would like to be another Beatie?

Yes/No/Maybe?

Let us know what you feel.

Burning Neighbourhood

2008-07-26T19:54:00.037+05:30

2 months back...blasts at Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
Yesterday...blasts at Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
Today...blasts at Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.

Which is next……………….Your city?

The more I write ‘bout it, the more I will hail again. So I will stop here, right now. I am peeved, extremely.

Just a warning….Next time You move around in the city……move at your own risk, anything can blast, just anything!

As I said before………..we are not the human we should have been. We are the most cruel creature on earth!!!.

Just Look at the brutality. Few major blasts in India in last 5 years....

March 13, 2003: A bomb attack on a commuter train in Mumbai kills 11 people.

August 25, 2003: Two almost simultaneous car bombs kill about 60 in Mumbai.

August 15, 2004: Bomb explodes in Assam, killing 16 people, mostly schoolchildren, and wounding dozens.

October 29, 2005: Sixty-six people are killed when three blasts rip through markets in New Delhi.

March 7, 2006: At least 15 people are killed and 60 wounded in three explosions in Varanasi.

July 11, 2006: More than 180 people were killed in seven bomb explosions at railway stations and on trains in Mumbai, blamed on Islamist militants.

September 8, 2006: At least 32 people are killed in a series of explosions, including one near a mosque, in Malegaon town, 260 km northeast of Mumbai.

February 19, 2007: Two bombs explode aboard a train bound from India to Pakistan, burning to death at least 66 passengers, most of them Pakistanis.

May 18, 2007: A bomb explodes during Friday prayers at a historic mosque in Hyderabad, killing 11 worshippers. Police later shoot dead five people in clashes with hundreds of enraged Muslims who protest against the attack.

August 25, 2007: Three explosions within minutes at an amusement park and a street-side food stall in Hyderabad kill at least 40 people.

May 13, 2008: Seven bombs rip through the crowded streets Jaipur, killing at least 63 people in markets and outside Hindu temples.

July 25, 2008: Seven blasts strike the IT city of Bangalore killing at least one person and injuring at least 15.

July 26, 2008: Sixteen blasts shocked Ahmedabad killing more than 45 people, injuring hundreds.........and still counting.

September 13, 2008: Blasts in New Delhi! (5 blasts, 25 dead already, how many more?)

November 26, 2008: Terrorists attack in Mumbai at various places/five-star-hotels. 125 dead already, 327+ injured. And counting.

January 1, 2009: Serial blasts in Guwahati, Assam! 5 dead already....what a bad start of the year.

Space left for even more

Hail, how much???

Should You be the Bandage?

2008-07-13T16:42:00.010+05:30

This happened to me 3 days back. I was shopping in a mall. Once done, I followed to the packing counter. The lady on the counter started packing after confirming directions with me. But before she could complete, she got her left thumb cut with the adhesive tape cutter. It started to bleed. I was watching. She turned to one of her colleague at the next counter and asked for some ‘first aid’. After 3-4 minutes, one man from the counter brought some antiseptic lotion & a torn piece of bandage. He finished his duty by saying “Laga Lo” (Apply It). The given piece of bandage was not more than ¼ inch in size. The girl was shocked and said “are you kidding?”. The man seemed insouciant.

I said to myself “Rohit!”. I grabbed my wallet and took the pack of one medicated bandage. (I keep one all the time). I didn’t say anything to the lady and peeled the pack. Everyone around was looking at me. I asked her, “Can I apply?” which was replied as “Sure”. Fixed! Immediately she raised her thumb to the same man and said loudly, “See this!”. She actually meant “Feel this!”.

Once the packing was finished and I started to move, the lady said, “Thanks”. I said to her, “You deserve it.”.

Did I feel good by doing so? Obviously. I always believe that a woman needs special care, special concerns. And at times like these you need to make her feel that she deserves it. That man may have different understandings but then everyone on that counter knew that he was feeling guilty for being rude. That’s all I wanted him to feel….I’m sure he will originate.

Now the question is, Shall you be the Bandage All the times? Controversial question.

I will straightway answer…Not always. I can’t take away miseries of Everyone around. But those who I care for, those I feel for, I am there for them always. This answer is a personal opinion and I am sure people will agree to disagree. People working in NGOs, I know few, will even like to slap me for this answer. But that’s accepted. I am not everyone’s Saviour.

I remember 2 months back when I was at the railway station enroute to my home town. As there was sufficient time left for departure, I took a seating in the big waiting hall. I saw a young boy (he must be in his 20s) who seemed a li’l mentally disturbed. He was going to people and asking for money. And as expected, people were not interested, few of them even showed raised eyebrows to him. He knew he shall move, he did. He arrived to me and did the same, I just nodded No because I don't give money to such, it can be misused. He kept on moving. I was watching. After 5 minutes, as he had no luck he took a standing at a nearby pillar…..exhausted. I saw him staring at a person drinking tea. I was watching.

Minutes passed and I said to myself “Rohit!”. I got off my seat and stopped by that young boy. He was worried if I will beat him (it’s normal because I am sure he has been many times). I looked at him for a minute and asked, “Kuch khana hai?” (will you eat something?). He said, ”Haan, chai pina hai” (Yes want to have Tea). I took him to the nearby tea stall and ordered, “One tea please”. The vendor saw that boy and started scolding him, “go away else I will beat you hard”. I said to the vendor, “he is with me!”. His eyes dropped to the ground. I stood by the boy till he finished his tea & biscuits. He said, “one more cup”. I couldn’t help smile. When he finished the second cup, I pat him bye. Before moving off the stall I said to the vendor, “You need to handle people with love.” He was mum, because he felt he was rude too.

These are just two of many personal experiences I liked to share today. Personal experiences, personal thoughts, personal judgements.

I will end by saying……….. if you FEEL you should care/help for one, don’t think much, don’t say it either……go ahead and do it! Action speaks louder than words, remember?

A helping hand at times is like a hand of God!

Be The Bandage sometimes!

God bless you.

Family Matters

2008-07-12T22:33:00.018+05:30

Read this beautiful poem written by a Father for his child...

TO MY CHILD

Just for this morning, I am going to
smile when I see your face and laugh
when I feel like crying.
Just for this morning, I will let you
choose what you want to wear,
and smile and say how perfect it is.
Just for this morning, I am going to step
over the laundry and pick you up and take you to
the park to play.
Just for this morning, I will leave the
dishes in the sink, and let you teach me how to put
that puzzle of yours together.
Just for this afternoon, I will unplug
the telephone and keep the computer off, and sit with
you in the backyard and blow bubbles.
Just for this afternoon, I will not yell
once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and
whine for the ice cream truck, and I will buy you one
if he comes by.
Just for this afternoon, I won't worry
about what you are going to be when you grow up, or
second guess every decision I have made where you are
concern ed.
Just for this afternoon, I will let you
help me bake cookies, and I won't stand over you
trying to fix them.
Just for this afternoon, I will take us
to McDonald's and buy us both a Happy Meal so you can
have both toys.
Just for this evening, I will hold you in
my arms and tell you a story about how you were
born and how much I love you.
Just for this evening, I will let you
splash in the tub and not get angry.
Just for this evening, I will let you
stay up late while we sit on the porch and count all the stars.
Just for this evening, I will snuggle
beside you for hours, and miss my favourite TV shows.
Just for this evening when I run my
finger through your hair as you pray, I will simply be
grateful that God has given me the greatest gift ever given.
I will think about the mothers and
fathers who are searching for their missing children, the
mothers and fathers who are visiting their children's
graves instead of their bedrooms. The mothers
and fathers who are in hospital rooms
watching their children suffer senselessly and screaming
inside that little body
And when I kiss you goodnight I will hold
you a little tighter, a little longer. It is then,
that I will thank God for you, and ask him for
nothing, except one more day!

Moving na?

Now, listen to this voice over by a child.....she had lost her father an year back. She is talking to him expecting him to be listening from Heaven somewhere. Beautiful song (In Heaven), beautiful voice over. (Click on the round Play ">" button below). I am sure you will listen to this song twice, at least. I wish, you hold your tears.

Now, This is Moving!!!

Family Matters!

As You Travel Through Life, Keep Moving

2008-07-11T23:57:00.006+05:30

This is one of the greatly moving poems that I received from one of my friend today. Immediately thought of sharing here. A self explanatory and deeply motivating. Hope you get the message.

As You Travel Through Life, Keep Moving

As you travel through life there are always those times
When decisions just have to be made,
When the choices are hard, and solutions seem scarce,
And the rain seems to soak your parade.

There are some situations where all you can do
Is simply let go and move on,
Gather your courage and choose a direction
That carries you toward a new dawn.

So pack up your troubles and take a step forward -
The process of change can be tough,
But think about all the excitement ahead

There might be adventures you never imagined
Just waiting around the next bend,
And wishes and dreams just about to come true
In ways you can't yet comprehend!

Perhaps you'll find friendships that spring from new things
As you challenge your status quo,
And learn there are so many options in life,

Perhaps you'll go places you never expected
And see things that you've never seen,
Or travel to fabulous, faraway worlds
And wonderful spots in between!

Perhaps you'll find warmth and affection and caring
And somebody special who's there
To help you stay cantered and listen with interest
To stories and feelings you share.

Perhaps you'll find comfort in knowing your friends
Are supportive of all that you do,
And believe that whatever decisions you make,
They'll be the right choices for you.

So keep putting one foot in front of the other,
And taking your life day by day...
There's a brighter tomorrow that's just down the road -
Don't look back! You're not going that way!

Keep Moving, always!!!

The Woman In Your Life

2008-07-04T21:24:00.004+05:30

Tomorrow you may get a working woman,
but you should marry with these facts as well.

Here is a girl, who is as much educated as you are;
Who is earning almost as much as you do;

One, who has dreams and aspirations just as

you have because she is as human as you are;

One, who has never entered the kitchen in her life just like you or your
Sister haven't, as she was busy in studies and competing in a system
that gives no special concession to girls for their culinary achievements

One, who has lived and loved her parents & brothers & sisters, almost as
much as you do for 20-25 years of her life;

One, who has bravely agreed to leave behind all that, her home, people who
love her, to adopt your home, your family, your ways and even your family ,name

One, who is somehow expected to be a master-chef from day #1, while you
sleep oblivious to her predicament in her new circumstances, environment
and that kitchen

One, who is expected to make the tea, first thing in the morning and cook
food at the end of the day, even if she is as tired as you are, maybe more,
and yet never ever expected to complain; to be a servant, a cook, a mother,
a wife, even if she doesn't want to; and is learning just like you are as
to what you want from her; and is clumsy and sloppy at times and knows that
you won't like it if she is too demanding, or if she learns faster than you;

One, who has her own set of friends, and that includes boys and even men at
her workplace too, those, who she knows from school days and yet is willing
to put all that on the back-burners to avoid your irrational jealousy,
unnecessary competition and your inherent insecurities;

Yes, she can drink and dance just as well as you can, but won't, simply
because you won't like it, even though you say otherwise

One, who can be late
from work once in a while when deadlines, just like
yours, are to be met;

One, who is doing her level best and wants to make this most important
relationship in her entire life a grand success, if you just help her some
and trust her;

One, who just wants one thing from you, as you are the only one she knows
in your entire house - your unstinted support, your sensitivities and most
importantly - your understanding, or love, if you may call it.

But not many guys understand this......

Please Appreciate "HER".

God Bless You

2008-07-02T01:01:00.000+05:30

I asked the Lord to bless you
As I prayed for you today, everyday
To guide you and protect you
As you go along the way.

His love is always with you
His promises are true,
And when we give Him all our cares
He will always see us through.

So when the road you're travelling on
Seems difficult at best
Just remember I'm here praying
And God will do the rest!!!

P.S. edited, originally taken from internet.

We are not the same Human that God wished

2008-06-21T20:25:00.014+05:30

A 65 year old lady was killed in her house after being raped by a gang of 3 men, 10 houses were set ablaze in a village due to the dispute over a small piece of land, 2 school boys were shot by another student in school, a 3 year old girl was raped by her uncle, a woman was burnt to death by her in-laws after being declared infertile, a person was caught by police who later accepted killing more than 30000 people till date, the old parents knocked the doors of old age house after being thrown out of the home by their only son, more than 1000 farmers committed suicide!

Is any of these sounds Human?

Every morning we wake up, touch the newspaper, open the television many of such news are heard and seen. And it’s not just one day, it happens daily. And now the scene is that it feels a part of our life. We are so well prepared in advance of such news, most of the times we tend to skip reading those….yes, we are habituated. I am sure we have changed.

The more I say the more it would hail inside. At one side we see a handful of people trying to help others live. Look at the NGOs, look at those social workers who are trying their best to nurture lives. There are people who sacrifice their lives to protect us at the country border. These people go out, talk to the needy, help them, play with them just for one real smile. Heavenly. And on the other side, we have those who take away lives on the ground of killing ‘bad’ people and freeing this world of agony. There are groups, which in the name of god, do violence all around the world. They call it ‘struggle’ & ‘wish of god’. We call it ‘terrorism’.

When we look around ourselves, we feel worried. Sometimes we can’t help but laugh on the foolishness all around. Take this, a bus hits a small girl taking away her life. The angry people beat the driver to death, set the bus ablaze……..causing a communal tension, 3 days of complete military marching, lots of fighting, lots of lathi-charges, lots of gun firing. 100s more die. Pathetic!

God knows what the future holds……..b’coz the way ‘we the human' are behaving, we won’t be needing food to eat. We will soon be tearing each other’s body parts like dogs.

I am sure that not even God can bless us Now, b’coz we have disappointed him already. Next time when it thunders in the sky, try to listen his wrath.

Hail!

also read: Meet The Most Cruel Creature On Earth

You are Important, You are the 'Star'

2008-06-14T00:20:00.001+05:30

A small but simply powerful poem, reminding how important one's self is:

Don't say you're not important,

It simply isn't true,

The fact that you were born,

Is proof, God has a plan for you.

The path may seem unclear right now,

But one day you will see,

That all that came before,

Was truly meant to be,

God wrote the book that is Life,

That's all you need to know.

Each day that you are living,

Was written long ago.

God only writes best sellers.

So be proud of who you are,

Your character is important,

In this book, you are the 'Star'!

It's a Beautiful World.

2008-06-09T21:37:00.003+05:30

It's a saying Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, so very true. Things are beautiful if You think they are.

Check out the following video, dedicated to our mother nature. Compilation of some of the great camerawork!

Presenting Planet Earth:

And Then There Was An Application Restart!

2008-04-23T17:20:00.006+05:30

This post is purely for those people who work on Microsoft Asp.Net or is interested in it in any way. So, if you are not an IT guy, feel free to move to other posts on the blog, I am sure there is one for everyone. :-)

This post may sound like it’s for novices but deciding to pull this one out of my keyboard after facing few of these recently.

We, the people working in Asp.Net, love Sessions. I am sure everyone nods Yes. And just for that reason we put various kinds of data in the Session variable. Ranging for user names to their profile to list of items in an application to a table to entire database! Because it’s damn easy. You just have to do:

Session["MySecretPassword"] = "rohitjain";

Session["MySmallDatabase"] = dataSetDB;

And done! Now, You have your password or the entire database in session for a long long time. But! Here is a catch, what is this LONG time? Ahem, that depends on many things. Not going deeper into this but must to mention a reason that is Application Domain restart! Let’s talk ‘bout it & check out few reasons that restarts an asp.net application with some probable resolutions that I feel.

When an asp.net application restarts, it kills most of the things related, specially those which are volatile by nature, our beloved Session is one of those :(. And it not just kills things but it recompiles the application too which can take good amount of time and have thousands of your users waiting till then. Out-proc session storage may solve the vanishing of Session issue but still you can’t prevent Application restart.

There are few reasons that cause an Asp.Net application to Restart worth mentioning:

Changes to web.config:

We all keep lots of application related info in web.config, specially Connection strings & appSettings keys. And they are kept their so that they can be changed easily when needed. But hey when I change anything, my application starts! I can’t force everyone connected to relogin/restart when I change my site header, or when I switch to a separate database.

Resolution: Don’t change your values!

Ha ha ha. Just joking. Asp.net 2.0 upwards supports external configuration files. The best candidate is appSettings.config, which we update quite randomly. Just have an external file say appSettings.config and mark it as the source. For an example:

<appSettingsconfigSource="appSettings.config" />

That’s it. Now you will need an external file appSettings.config as below:

<addkey="SiteHeader"value="Hello There!"/>

</appSettings>

And you are done. Now when you update this appSettings.config the application doesn’t restart, and you get the New values when you use AppSettings collection!!!

Everyone is happy! :-)

Though there are few conventions to be followed such as the path of the external file has to be relative to the root web.config file. For example it can be “appSettings.config” if the file is also in the root directory or “Configurations\appSetttings.config”, in case you want to keep all your external settings in a separate subdirectory.

You also have to ensure that the root node of the external file is same as the one you are using it for. Means? Means, if you are using an external file for appSettings section, the first node of the external file should be appSettings. And as you know its XML, it’s case sensitive.

And yes this is not just limited to appSettings sections. If you have your own custom configuration sections, you can externalize that too. For example, I have a custom section named as MyWidgetSettings which has few settings related to my site’s widgets layout. I have a section handler for that mentioned in the web.config. Now? Simple. Do the followings:

Move your settings to an external file, say Configurations\MyWidgetSettings.config. And make sure to have the same root element; in our case MyWidgetSettings.

<Settingname="vertical-alignment"value="left"/>

<Settingname="borderimage"value="~\img\wb.gif"/>

</MyWidgetSettings>

In the web.config edit your section:

<MyWidgetSettingsconfigSource="Configurations\MyWidgetSettings.config" />

Last and the most important, Update your section handler keys,

<sectionname="MyWidgetSettings"type=" SampleCodes.MyWidgetSettingsHandler, SampleCodes"restartOnExternalChanges="false"/>

</configSections>

I am sure that you have guessed that the magical key is restartOnExternalChanges="false" :)

For more details on other options on other tweaks and tricks related to this, just Google.

Folders:

We all know how to create directory.

Directory.CreateDirectory("Dir1");

And it’s no crime. And in case these need to be deleted?

Directory.Delete("Dir1");

Bravo!

But you not only killed the directory, you killed the application too. Yes My Dear! And the same applies to renaming a directory too. Consequence: Application restart!

How does it happen? There is a service called “File Change Notification (FCN)” that runs at the background and notifies IIS when there are changes to the local file system.

Resolution: Create but don’t destroy!

That’s the rule of thumb. You can create a directory inside your web directory but you MUST not delete any. You can delete the internal files but you have to leave all directories/subdirectories. But but but, In case you are environment friendly and feel that you really need to delete directories too and throw away unneeded trash, create directories outside the web directory anywhere. Any file system changes outside the web directory will not cause that application to restart (generally). There are other way outs like using Achieve files such as .zip instead of a folder to store files and use a tool to read and write to them. The recent .Net framework has inbuilt framework for that. But this way out doesn’t suit always, mostly not.

Aspx file changes:

We all know that an application doesn’t start when we update an Aspx file (& hence recompiled). Not Actually! There is a count that goes behind the scenes. By default, an application doesn’t start till the count of dynamic recompiles reaches 15, a default value. Once reached it Does restart.

Resolution: There is an element named compilation that comes under the configuration\system.web of a web.config.It has so many attributes one of which is called numRecompilesBeforeApprestart. It can be used to increase the default value (15) to an even higher value in case you update the files frequently. This will save you frequent application restart arising out of changes to aspx files.

Application Idle time out:

An asp.net application domain recycles after sometimes (by default 20 minutes), if it’s left idle. That means if no one hits your application for 20 minutes straight, it will recycle the application. Mind you, this is different from Session timeout property. So, even if your session timeout happens at 60 minutes, and the application is left idle for 20 minutes. At the 21^st minute, your session will be void too as the application would restart on the next request.

Resolution:

You can change this timeout figure via IIS. This is an IIS configuration and is set via the properties of the Application Pool to which your application belongs. Play around with IIS and you will find other interesting features/settings too.

And yes…

There are many scenarios when you would like to Force an application restart. You don’t need to go and edit web.config to cause it, just have a page with following code:

System.Web.HttpRuntime.UnloadAppDomain();

And call that page by any means. Make sure that not any Tom, Dick or Harry can access this page :)

This is a very very partial list of so many other reasons that can cause an application to restart. But just mentioning few ones faced recently. If you have faced something like this & would like to share, just drop it as a comment.

Hope it helps.

Live And Let Live

2008-04-18T22:56:00.015+05:30

A very old saying, a very simple saying….live and let live.

This is a term coined long back, expressing the concept that one should let others live their lives as they see fit. The following of this theory not just keeps others happy but you too; in a way that you start accepting people the way they are without infringing with their living style. And others can be & behave the way they want to.

And you can imagine how many problems this simple ideology can solve...Misunderstandings, not meeting someone’s expectations, etc. etc.

This theory also talks about not killing others, mainly animals [humans too ;)]. This says that we should not kill any creature no matter how small it is, no matter how big it is. Because a creature has life, and a life is a life…be it yours, be it mine or be it a creature’s.

Lord Mahavira

Today, on Mahavir Jayanti (the day when Lord Mahavira was born), let’s rehearse this phrase popularly coined by him…

“Live And Let Live”.

(जीओ और जीने दो)

Let’s do it! And make the world a happier place.

Think Of Those Who Love You

2008-04-17T17:57:00.010+05:30

This is something which is stuck on my desk for almost a year now. Something which I read quite often, and every time it's read it lifts the soul.

I don't know where did I get this poem from but whoever created it, my heartiest appreciation to him/her.

And I think it's worth sharing here in our blog site. So, here it goes, Think of those who love you:

Think Of Those Who Love You.

If someone should hurt you
and say a thing unkind,
Remember what I write to you,
and keep these thoughts in mind.

For everyone that makes you cry,
there are three to make you smile,
And a smile will last for a long, long time,
but a tear just a little while.

Don't let someone who hates the world
cause you to hate it too,
Behind the clouds is a Golden sun,
and a sky that's full of Blue.

If someone said a thing that's cruel,
don't let it get to you,
Your achievements are greatly numbered,
and your faults are very few.

So if a certain person should act a certain way,
Think of those who Love You.

And don't let it spoil your day, ever!!!

I always believe in the theory that, If someone likes you it's his/her wish, if some hates it's his/her problem.

Remember as I previously said, "You can't please everyone."

So, Think of those who love you. And others........do we really need to care for them?

Have fun, it's your day, make it bright, make it live, make it yours.....Everyday!

Cheers,
Rohit

Start Small Grow Big

2008-04-15T16:57:00.002+05:30

Everyone wants to create an empire, everyone wants to create a world class product, and everyone wants to invent the most innovative product ever. Great! But one needs to remember, a seed takes time to grow and become a tree.

You have to start small!

When one starts a new business, one thinks of making a new empire immediately, cool. But every empire starts with laying-down of one tiny foundation stone. We, specially people who are related to computers, know well how the Giants of today named as Google, Microsoft, etc. evolved. They started with a handful of people, handful of resources. They started Small. Time, perspiration, everything went in and that is the result that, now today, they are a complete world in their own.

Not only that when we start small we have better scope of control, but we also have enough room to expand, to grow. Think of a situation if everyone was born 5 feet long. Sounds imaginative but then there would have been no childhood, there would have been no fun-filled learning, there would have been no excitement, there would have been no innocence, there would have been no cute memories, there would have been no precious photo-albums. Not to mention the trouble of making a huge body like that come on this earth. Phew! Scary thoughts.

Sometimes, I wonder how a seed (as tiny as a point of needle) can turn so huge. Is it some kind of super encryption? .zip V2.0? Then as I rest my technical mind a li’l and think practically I understand, that it’s the combined effort of tons and tons of sun light, tons and tons of air, tons and tons of water, tons and tons of shades, tons and tons of shedding, tons and tons of growth that goes in the process. And yes most importantly Tons & Tons of Time. Nothing happens before time, nothing. Still, honestly speaking, this seems like a Magic to me!

Have you ever watched a small plant coming out of a broken wall? Have you ever watched an egg unwrapping a small bird with chirpy sound, have you ever imagined [I can’t say watched ;)] a baby developing in a womb. I know you are just thinking that, isn’t it mysteriously magical?

Most of the people trouble themselves at the first go by looking at the “big” picture. Have a broad vision to cross the sea, but target small islands.

We all make resolutions, often at the new year eve. And at least 10/10 people know that those resolutions don’t last long. (That’s the reason I don’t make any). It’s nice that this habit gives us a chance to look for areas where we can work, but rather making resolutions like, “I will quit smoking from tomorrow” it’s better to start with “just 1 stick every day for the next 1 week and then gradually I will decrease further”. That may sound like bargaining with ourselves, but that works better. You can relate this to various other examples around you

Remember, “you have to start small”.

Few people call it, “the magic of baby steps”. And it’s true, baby steps have enough magic, just give it a try I am sure you will see some castles coming up fast, real ones.

Start small, grow big!

Software I can’t live without : Some Must Haves for me

2008-03-21T23:56:00.028+05:30

I have always been a person who looks for new softwares, not because they are ‘wow’ but more because they can make my work/job easy; be it writing code, formatting documents, taking notes, browsing net, listening to music anything. And no wonder that a big part of my world roams around softwares, softwares & more softwares.
There are few softwares which gets into my machine in a jiffy. Let me take liberty to share few of these (in random order) with you. For me they are ‘must haves’. Just give it a try, and if you like add them to your must haves.
This list updates as and when I find some truly useful softwares. Here is a list:

Google.com
I know I know its not a software, but it stands #1 in my list. It’s a Search Engine, but to many its like the 1 stop resource station. Need anything, just google it. And trust me, you will get more than what you expected.
Google It!

Firefox
This little Web Browser is simply awesome. The ease of use, lightning-speed, tabbed browsing, thousands of Extensions, ease of bookmarking, download management, to name few. I remember how I got addicted to this browser from the very first time I used it. Yes Internet Explorer is always there but I only use it for my development projects and for those sites which do not support Firefox (bad!). This comes in various versions to support multiple languages and/or operating systems.
Download Firefox 2
Download Firefox 3 beta 4

Winamp
This is my favorite Music Player. The best features include, cool Skins (though I don’t use anything other than Winamp Modern or Bento), Global Hotkeys (this is a great life saver), Tray controls, notifications, beautiful shell integration and so so many other things.
Download

VLC
This is my favorite Video Player. The best part of it is its intelligence to play any kind of movie, yes you read it right ‘just any kind’. I have hardly seen any requirement to download any additional codec. Windows Media Player is always there but you need to download additional codecs, and if you don’t have internet at that place, God! And this software comes in various versions to support multiple operating systems, Windows, Mac, Linux & many.
Download

Stickies
This is a small Note Keeper software. It’s very light weight and doesn’t eat up your CPU much. It creates notes that sticks right on your desktop. Very useful when you need to have something right infront of you. I use it to store notes, and also to Alarm me ‘bout something.
Download

Internet Download Manager
My favorite Download Accelerator software. Everyone feels tired of that slow 40-50KBps download speed even if your internet connection supports a gallon. Its latest version has been improved gracefully and it integrates very smarty in almost all the browsers. This also provides Scheduling of download (a great feature), ability to download an Entire site, etc.
Download

WordWeb
This is a computerized Dictionary. Not just that it provides you with Antonyms, Synonyms but also with word usage examples. A truly must have for everyone.
Download

WindowFX
This is UI Improvement software. It just changes the way objects on your monitor ‘talks’ to you. Yes! Just install this tiny software and you will feel elated!
Download

GoogleTalk
This is the cleanest Instant Manager Client. This enables a Gmail user to chat with their online buddies. This also supports features such as file transfer, voice chat, etc. And not just this, it also notifies you of the new mails in your Gmail box & is smartly integrated with your Orkut account (if any).
Download

Yahoo Messenger
This is another Instant Manager Client. Almost every person who uses internet, must have used this one once. This is one of the very old IM clients. This has almost all the features an IM client shall have, such as voice chat, file transfer, Web Camera sharing, etc.
Download
Download YM Beta
Download YM for Vista

AVG Antivirus
This is my favorite Antivirus Software. Its very light weight yet quite powerful. And the best part of it, it’s FREE!
Download

Irfan View
This is my favorite Image Viewer software. This is a very small software and can open any form of image, even PSDs. Features like Thumbnail view, Image transform, resize, bulk conversion are just amazing. A must have!
Download

Winrar
This is an Archiving software. This has support for not only .rar files but also .zip files. Another great feature is the ability to split a big archive in small pieces.
Download

xplorer2 pro
This is my favorite Folder/File Explorer software. The day I started using it to browse folders on my machine, I remember how li’l I use Windows Explorer now. The user interface is great and so powerful. Smart features such as Bookmarking a folder, Robust File Move/Copy, quick navigation keys, treeview, etc. are just brilliant.
Download

SlickRun
This is a tiny software which presents you with a calendar/time right in front of you. No need to click/hover over your system clock, its always on top for you. And not just this, it can also be used to execute programs/websites, same as your Start->Run.
Download

CutePDF
This is a File-To-PDF converter. It can save any thing, that can be sent to a printer, to a PDF file. It gets added as a printer in your machine. Neat & great!
Download

FileRecovery
This is an File Undelete software. Many times we just casually shift+delete a file and in next few seconds we scream “God! I needed that file”. This will help you undelete your files even if it’s out of your recycle bin.
Download

Microsoft Office 2007
This is a complete Office Suite, comprising of Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc. The new 2007suite has an amazingly soothing UI, powerful new features, new tools…….overall a completely new way to work.
Download

Xobni
This is an Outlook Extension. Trouble in remembering name? It's word "inbox" spelled backwards ;) This is the smartest outlook extension I have ever seen. And trust me, its Lighting fast. The search feature (the best), the conversation view, the network view, the attachment view, the UI, the reports….all are just Fabulous. I am sure once you try this, you will get addicted to it. The way I am. It’s just 3MB download and works tremendously elegantly.
Download

Visual Studio IDE
Obviously being a Software Engineer, my list has to contain some programming softwares. This one is simply the best IDE for development. It has beautiful support for writing codes in C#, VB.Net, HTML/ASPX, CSS, etc. Most of my everyday time is spent on this one only.
Download VS 2005
Download VS 2008

Web Developer Toolbar
This is a Browser Extension. This helps one dig to the bottom of a page and its element, enable/disable CSS/JavaScripts/Images, etc. A truly must have for any web developer.
Download for IE
Download For Firefox

Firebug Firefox Extension
This is also a Browser Extension for Firefox. And is same as Web Developer Toolbar for Firefox. But in terms of its usability and features, it’s way ahead. Trust me! A must have for me, b’coz I have to keep digging the pages I make and find out layout issues, on the fly page editing previews, etc. etc. A truly must have for any web developer.
Download

Windows Vista (Ofcourse)
This is the latest Windows Operating System from Microsoft. Everyone must have heard the buzz around regarding it and it truly deserves it.
Download

Links may change in future, if any just Google it

Just try any of the above, I am sure it will be a nice experience.
Do let me know your Fav-Must-Have-List too.

Cheers,
Rohit

We All Love History (a scene from "इतिहास की परीक्षा") (Language: Hindi)

2008-03-01T13:03:00.013+05:30

A very sweet poem shared by one of my friends recently. The Poem is in Hindi. Here it goes:

एक कविता जिसने बचपन में हमेशा मेडल दिलवाये ...जिससे बहुत सी यादें जुडी हैं :-)

-----------

"इतिहास की परीक्षा थी,...इतिहास की परीक्षा थी ..,यह सोच के ह्रदय धड़कता था , घर से निकलते ही बायाँ नयन फड़कता था"
तुम बीस मिनट लेट हो ...तुम बीस मिनट लेट हो..." द्वार पर चपरासी ने बतलाया
मैं मेल ट्रेन की रफ्तार से कमरे के भीतर आई "

"यह १०० नम्बर का पर्चा था मुझको २ की भी आस नहीं,
चाहे सारी दुनिया पलटे, पर मैं हो सकती पास नहीं ...पर मैं हो सकती पास नहीं ॥!"

फिर आँख मूंद के बैठ गयी, बोली- " भगवान् दया कर दें , इन प्रश्नों के उत्तर दिमाग में ठूंस-ठूंस के भर दें".
आकाश फूट अम्बर से आई इक गहरी आवाज़ - "ऐ मूर्ख व्यर्थ क्यों रोती है? तू आँख उठा के इधर देख गीता कहती है , 'कर्म करो फल की चिंता मति किया करो '.. जो मन् में आये बात वही उत्तर पुस्तिका में लिख दिया करो "

मैंने लिख दिया ...मैंने लिख दिया ................" पानीपत का दूसरा युद्ध कठसवान में जापान और जर्मनी के बीच १८५७ में हुआ था......"
मैंने लिख दिया ...मैंने लिख दिया ................" महात्मा गाँधी महात्मा बुध के चेले थे ...गाँधी जी के संग बचपन में आँख मीचौली खेले थे"
मैंने लिख दिया ...मैंने लिख दिया ................"महाराणा प्रताप ने था महूमद गौरी को १० बार हराया ...अकबर ने हिंद महासागर अमेरिका से मँगवाया ..."
मैंने लिख दिया ...मैंने लिख दिया ................" मोहम्मद गजनवी रोज़ सुबह उठ कर २ घंटे नाचता था ... औरंगजेब रण में जा के औरों की जेबें काटता था "

लिख दिया अंत में "इतिहास की कोई बात न सच्ची ....इसको पढना व्यर्थ की माथापच्ची "!!

हो गया ............., हो गया परीक्षक पागल सा मेरी कापी देख देख....,
बोला ..."इन सारे बच्चों में होनहार बस यही एक ....होनहार बस यही एक "

औरों के सब पर्चे फ़ेंक दिए .....!
मेरे सब नम्बर छांट लिए......!!
"जीरो नंबर दे के बाकि सब नम्बर काट लिए :-( .....!!!"

by SJM

.

The KISS Principle

2008-02-19T11:01:00.005+05:30

We, in every sphere of our lives, strive to excel. We give our 100% to everything we do, sometimes even more than that. When we are needed to do something we lay out a master plan. One with great textures, greater details & greatest complexity. Bravo! All are impressed. But, are you too?

It’s a phenomenon, the older we grow the wiser we get and this wit comes with the related toppings.........called ‘complexity’. Few people call it a phase towards maturity, for few it’s the life’s goal. Whatever.

Have you ever watched a li’l kid closely? What does he do when he has to cry? Nothing, he just cries. What does he do when he wants to laugh? Nothing, he just laughs. What do we do? We find one; find a reason to laugh, find a reason to cry, find a reason to think, find a reason to get. Aren’t we getting to much reasoning?

The KISS principle is a very old one. People like me working in system designing & development domain treat it like the holy divine mantra. Not because it helps us do things with ease in the current moment, but also to avoid unseen complexities of the future.

This, principle for everyone, is known infamously as “Keep It Simple Stupid”. You got it right, it’s about one’s approach towards things, towards solving problems, towards looking for a solution......one’s approach towards life.

There are times when we strive to give more than the best. And that is where we need to stop. We don’t need to throw ourselves to a situation rather we just need to walk up to it.

Try applying this principle in each & every part of your life and you will feel how simply effective it is. Be it in your relationship handling, be it talking with people, be it handling proposal, be it proposing, be it customer interaction, be it litigation handling, be it problem solving, be it anything, be it anywhere. It just works wonders. Just try to keep it simple.

There is a saying......”rather than finding a complex solution to a simple problem, find a simple solution to a complex problem”. :)

Cheers!

Approval Addiction Syndrome

2008-01-25T22:57:00.000+05:30

Are you obsessed with what do others think about you? Do you have a life that revolves around seeking everyone's approval? Do you feel sad & low if someone disapproves of you? If you answered "yes" to any of those questions then my friend you suffer from what is called the Approval Addiction Syndrome.

If you keep concentrating ‘bout what others think of you and you run here & there to get their approval........then sooner or later, you will be running faster than you can, working harder than you can until you get exhausted. Soon, you will feel you can’t live up to everyone’s expectations. And then you will feel helpless, frustrated & depressed.

More often than not we do things to please others, as we feel it’s human to meet others expectations with you and it’s devilish to betray them. We please one person. Another one comes, we do something else to please him. Another, another, another....phew! The cycle goes on and on and on. And sooner we realize that we are not able to please everyone. And even if we are able to please most of the people, we are not happy with ourselves. Stop! Review yourself before that happens with you. Value your happiness.

There is a saying, “Please all, and you will please none”. And it’s more than true. We can’t please everyone around. And if someone is unhappy ‘bout me, someone doesn’t like me, it’s very much possible that I am doing something right still. It means I am being myself. And then it’s true that not everyone will like that. Be it.

Remember, You need to live life for yourself. Value what pleases you. Yes you have to keep others with you but that doesn’t mean that everyone around you have to be happy with you. Please few. Upset few also. :) There has to be a balance. And if you can’t make that balance between your people, you will have to compensate it with yourself. All will be happy, except you.

These are the few symptoms that may tell you that you are affected too:

• Feeling hurt by others’ thinking about you.
• Habitually comparing yourself to others.
• Trying to be competitive in the most ordinary situations.
• A nagging gumption that we aren’t important enough, or special enough.
• Trying to ‘impress’ important people.
• etc., etc., etc.

How many do you have?

Now the million dollar question............knowing all these why we do so still? The answer is Fear. We fear of being rejected. We fear of being discarded. We fear of being disapproved. We fear of others' cold responses to us if we fail to please them. We need to let go this fear. We need to free our mind from this botheration.

Remember, If we lose people because we couldn’t please them, don't be sad, they were never worth keeping.

I can’t help link to the following book titled “Approval Addiction” by Joyce Meyer. The book is exceptionally well and is worth reading.

So, If you are affected with this syndrome too, get yourself cured now. There is no medicine. All you need is to live for yourself. Be yourself.

Be yourself!!!

Global Warming : The ball in our court may not stay long

2008-01-15T19:19:00.000+05:30

Check out the following video. It is Created to take a stand against the greatest threat our planet has ever faced, we call it "Global Warming". This video is being created & promoted by Earth Hour for a simple action of turning off the lights for one hour to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming.

This simple act has already captured the hearts and minds of people all over the world. As a result, at 8pm on the 29 March, 2008 millions of people in some of the world’s major capital cities, including Copenhagen, Toronto, Chicago, Melbourne, Brisbane, Tel Aviv and Manila will unite and switch off for Earth Hour.

Today WE have the option of switching off the light, tomorrow may be a completely different story.

Can't help link to the following video. It's The Earth Song by Michael Jackson, talking 'bout the adverse effects of Deforestation...something which relates directly to global warming.

This post is just to give a brief idea about what future has for us. :)

Life of an Alarm Clock

2008-01-13T11:59:00.001+05:30

Every night one goes to sleep, makes sure to re-set the alarm clock. One has to get up by a definite time. Night passes, sun rises, and the alarm goes...............@#$@#$@#$@#$&*^&*#@!@#$#.

But before it could take its one full breath, a hand (devilish) comes with 1000 eyes searching for it and in the next half second its dead. And this cycle continues every day.

Sounds familiar? I am talking of you only :). Wait wait wait, talking of Us. I am no exception.

That's the life of an alarm clock. Someone (someone because for me it has a life) who works every second throughout the night to make sure that he 'delivers' when demanded....and is killed so sadistically. But still every night we re-set him for the same. And every morning he is killed once again.

What does it reflect? On one hand if we think of an alarm clock, its one dedicated, honest, loyal, selfless creature. Someone who even after being footed, being hit doesn't say anything and keeps on doing what his duty is.

And on the other hand, if we think of Us..........? We use him, day after day, expect it to work without fail and when it works instead of giving it a prize, we hit it hard to silent it.

Strange na? It is not. It's how we are.

We are habituated of using things/people. We want them to work flawlessly without a single failure but when it comes to handling them, when it comes to understanding them, when it comes to rewarding them, we fail we neglect. All we want is that our purpose is served, rest who cares really? There are so many other thoughts that can be mentioned here but deciding to skip it. B’coz I am sure you are mature enough to understand those.

So, next time your alarm clock rings and you have to snooze/kill it, do it but do it with Love.

Though there are few people who manage not to depend on alarm clocks. Yes it’s possible because everyone has a clock inside. Read this interesting post: http://andrewbrunelle.com/?p=167

Calendar 2008 (with some awesome Quotes)

2008-01-06T22:32:00.000+05:30

Not Just Quotes, they mean Values.

2008-01-05T13:58:00.001+05:30

I have been a person who loves collecting quotes. Collect not because they are big, but because they have depth. I have lost count on how many are stored in my mailbox, in my file system, bookmarked in my browsers, my notebooks, specially gifted quotes books....they are all over.
Just putting here few (very very few) of them. Some of them are written by me :">. Each of them holds value for me, else it wouldn't have been in my collection.

Here they go:
• Most collectors collect tangibles. As a quotation collector, I collect wisdom, life, invisible beauty, souls alive in Words.

• Every moment of life is worth a celebration. If you have not appreciated life and its precious moments, it is time to do so.

• Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.

• He who wishes to secure the good of others, has already secured his own.

• I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure: which is: Try to please everybody.

• One who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; one who does not ask a question remains a fool forever.

• Without love, the rich and poor live in the same house.

• Treat everyone with politeness Even those who are rude to you, Not because they are not nice But because you are nicer.

• If you can't dare fight for the things you want, you will always be upset with yourself.

• Real friends are the ones who survive transitions between address books.

• Don't aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally.

• There is no point at which you can say, "Well, I'm successful now. I might as well take a nap." The moment you take, you will be crushed.

• The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which -- To burn. And it does hurt selecting the latter.

• Learn as much as you can while you are young, since life becomes too busy later.

• It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.

• To silence other, first be silent yourself.

• You can't keep everyone happy. If you try, you will be playing dishonest to few.

• Trusting God won't make the mountain smaller but it will make climbing easier.

• You cannot be lonely if you like the person you're alone with, i.e. thyself.

• Sell your brawn and brain to the highest bidders but never put a price-tag on your heart and soul.

• If people are inferior of you then it means you have something which others are still dreaming of.

• An apology is the superglue of life. It can repair just about anything. But it has to be a 'Honest' one.

• "Life says 'yes' and gives u GOOD, says 'no' and gives u BETTER , says 'wait' and gives u the BEST"

• I don't need a friend who changes when I change and who nods when I nod; my shadow does that much better. I look for honest reactions.

• Take risks: if you win, you will be happy; if you lose, you will be wise.

• Live. Love. Laugh.

• Being defeated is often temporary, giving it up what makes it permanent.

• Fool me once, shame on You; fool me twice, shame on ME.

• If you can't be happy where you are, it's a cinch you can't be happy where you aren't.

• Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.

• Laugh with, not at, others.

• Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from any one.

• When the world says, "Give up", Hope whispers, "Try it one more time."

• If you look at closely, more often than not, you will find the answer in the question itself.

• If thou are a master, be sometimes blind; if a servant, sometimes deaf.

• Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day.

• If you fill your heart with regrets of yesterday and the worries of tomorrow, you have no today to be thankful for.

• If you are still talking about what you did yesterday, you haven't done much today.

• Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.

• Become a 'Possibilitarian'. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see possibilities - always see them, for they're always there

• Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it with high spirits.

• If you are running in the popular track, run faster & overtake. Otherwise run in a different direction, the whole world will follow you.

• Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That's why we call it the 'Present'. Unwrap it!

• Try not; Do or Do Not. There is no try.

• If the child is not learning the way you are teaching, then you must teach in the way the child learns.

• Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so love the people who treat you right & forget the ones that don't and believe that everything happens for A reason.

• Before you speak, listen. Before you write, think. Before you spend, earn. Before you criticize, wait. Before you pray, forgive. Before you quit, try. Before you retire, save. Before you die, give.

• When you ask others 'why?', ask yourself 'why not?'. Most of the questions will be answered automatically.

• Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster person. But sooner or later, the one who wins, Is the one who thinks he can. Believe in yourself.

• Winning doesn't always mean being first, winning means you're doing better than you've done before.

• It is not what you gather but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived. Spread light, joy, freshness & smiles.

• Life is like a rainbow. You need both the sun and the rain to make its colors appear.

• There's a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstance permit. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.

• The smallest good deed is better than the grandest intention.

• Minds are like parachutes, they function only when open.

• Don't learn safety rules by accident.

• We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves.

• Always have a positive attitude in life. There is something positive in every person. Even a stopped watch is right twice a day.

• Never be proud nor depressed for what you are, and the position in society you hold. Remember, "After the game is over King and Pawn go in the same box."

• When you are criticized, don't get upset. Remember that "No stones are thrown at a fruitless tree."

• What other people do shouldn't affect you - we do things because of the kind of person we each want to be.

• When the strong help the weak, it makes us all stronger.

• The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.

• Do for others as you would have them do for you.

• Here is a simple rule of thumb for behaviour: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them!

• You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.

• It is the weak who are cruel. Gentleness can only be expected from the strong.

• Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slower to become angry.

• Most of the trouble in the world is caused by people wanting to be important.

• If you are bitter, it will eat you up and do you much more damage than the people who have hurt you.

• Everybody has something good inside them. Some hide it, some neglect it, but it is there. No one is Bad internally.

• The best index to a person’s character is (a) how he treats people who can’t do him any good, and (b) how he treats people who can’t fight back.

• If a man is gracious and courteous to strangers, it shows he is a citizen of the world, and that his heart is not an island, cut off from other lands, but a continent that joins to them.

one for your smiles :)
-----
• If your lips are extended beyond your nose then you are about to do something rude after reading this message and then laugh on yourself.

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Available

2008-01-01T13:17:00.008+05:30

SP1 is officially released:
You can either download it using the Windows Update or you can download the stand alone installer (434.50MB) from here:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/3/a/9/3a9b72c2-527d-4694-8a49-84c056d4c34d/Windows6.0-KB936330-X86-wave0.exe

Remember the warning as mentioned below.

--------------
Here is the link from where you can Download Vista SP1 RTM (Yes it's the official version).
I have not yet tried this on my box, for while I am updating this post the SP1 is getting downloaded in parallel. I don't know what 'side-affects' this SP1 has on some tweaked Vista, but if you have a Legal copy, I think you won't wait till March end now to get SP1.

As I am not allowed to directly link to Microsoft SP1 link, hence providing the other link. This link describes the process of downloading the SP1 (.img file)
Vista SP1 Download Guide

Hope that will help you.

-------------------------

Service Pack, Service Pack, Service Pack. Here is one more...Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Release Candidate 1.

Whenever a new software is out in the market, in a day or two, people start talking 'bout probable service packs. Nothing new, nothing surprising. A service pack is a patch for a software to fix/upgrade its features.

Since I installed Vista Ultimate on my notebook, I have been trying to play around with it. It has been more than 4-5 months doing so. Loved the interface, new improved way of navigation and lots of other things. I faced few issues too, but I always knew there would be Updates/SPs to fix those :).

We all have been hearing a lot of Vista Service Pack 1 getting released sooner or later, but it's not just out yet. People all around the world must be expecting it with wide eyes. Last night, I just Googled (my favorite activity) 'bout the latest news on Vista SP1 and Voila!...it's out. Not directly though, you need to do some registry tweaks (we call it Hacks in technical world). In the next 1 hour the Service Pack was up & running on my box. Though it's not the final version of the Service Pack, hence named Release Candidate (RC).

This Service Pack is available via Windows Update, but not normally. For this to be available in the list of available updates, one needs to add few registry keys. If you are good at flirting with registry keys just go Start->Regedit and play around. But be careful, registry hacks can create chaos in your operating system. So a safer & readymade option is to download the following file, which contains the needed registry keys in one command file. Just extract this zip and run the .cmd file within and done. File is already uploaded on a site here: http://www.ghacks.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/sp1rc_wuhack.zip

Once you are done with this, you need to run Windows Update (you can get this under Control Panel, or search it via the Start Menu Smart search box). Click on "Check for updates" on the left hand side.

The system shall list you one windows update available (should be KB 935509). This is NOT SP1. This is the way to SP1, around 4.5MB+. Just download and install the same. You would be asked to restart the box, do it. Once restarted, run the Windows Update again, it may list few other minor updates...download them too, Restart! After 1-2 restarts and checking for updates, it should list the Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Release Candidate 1 available now. Size of this is supposed to be around 50MB+. Go Grab It! That's the thing. After downloading, it will install like any other software, starting with the license agreement, which no one bothers to read :).

Just go run it. The system will need to be restarted again and here is when the updates will be applied. This will take somewhere around 40minutes, rest depends on your hardware & software configurations.

Once installed, you can see the System Properties to verify that the service pack is installed. :) It always feels nice to be running the latest softwares with latest updates.

Enhancements (few I would like to key in here):
One of the major, Copy & Paste process. Vista has improved user interface and promises to provide users with various useful information. It does it gracefully well. But here is one place where it really gets stuck. In the normal Vista o/s, when you copy files to another location, vista goes one step ahead and 'calculates' the time needed to copy for showing you the copy progress statistics. Here is the hitch. The copy progress hangs many a times. And most of the times that is annoying, really. This service pack is supposed to fix it so that the copy will start immediately and calculations will be done parallely, with a much enhanced approach. I tried the same myself and really felt the difference in the 1st attempt only.

Other than that increased hardware support, security, network issue, BitLocker enhancements, etc. as documented in various resources.

Some other noticeable item changes too. Sure to mention that the Search item on the Start Menu goes out (thanks to Google's lawsuits). Though you can still access the same using Win+F or F3.

There are many other enhancements which can be found documented on the Microsoft site or other resources on the net.

Here is the Release notes for the Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Release Candidate: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/936330. Make sure to read it before installing.

Important Note, this is just an RC, the final SP is supposed to be released in the first quarter of 2008. And in order to install that you will need to Uninstall this RC manually. You can do it from the Control Panel->Programs & Features normally. Should you face any problem after installing the SP1 RC1, just uninstall it normally.

Hope this will help people have a preview of the most awaited Microsoft Windows Vista Service Pack 1.

WARNING: Those who are NOT running the Legal copy of Vista, DO NOT try this SP1 RC1, else have a hard time tweaking it again.

Keep looking for more patches/SPs. Happy hunting in this new year ahead. :)

Happy New Year 2008!

Meet The Most Cruel Creature On Earth

2007-10-29T22:18:00.000+05:30

Warning: The video below is very barbaric in nature and features extreme cruelty and violence. Please don’t hit play if you are weak heart or too emotional. Kids & pregnant women are suggested to close this page immediately.

Meet The Human!

It’s not that before seeing this video (below), I had no idea ‘bout such brutal acts but seeing this in length hit me hard, really hard. And I finally, after deep thoughts, decided to blog it.

This video below describes the process, though partial still, used in animal farms to get the produce out of them. A produce can be in the form of milk, flesh, fur, horns, teeth, and anything & everything that has monetary values.

This gives an immense sense of self-guiltiness and self-disgust; the cruelty & barbaric nature hidden inside us. I agree that this video deals and focuses only on the cruel acts, but when you are talking of a cattle farm, can you talk of love & care? There is only one intention behind it...sell everything possible.

In this video you can see how animals are cut by their throat, banged on the roof/wall, ragged, boiled and much more. I have already seen this video 10+ times and by the time you read it, the count would be in three digits.

(Click once, twice for IE, to Play. Put Audio on.)

Warning: If you are a kid, a pregnant woman, a weak heart or a very emotional person, don’t hit play.

I know lots of people will question me that when it’s so cruel and everyone knows 'bout it too, why do you have to blog it again? Simple; sometimes a fat person needs to be told that he looks fat. I just did the same.

Moral: Go Veg! I am.

Feel free to pass on the link to all your friends. Please attach proper warnings.

Similar videos
Top Three Reasons Not to Eat Fish: http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/Prefs.asp?video=fish_3_reasons&chgpref=1

don't plan, don't try, just DO it

2007-09-30T17:37:00.000+05:30

times after times, things after things, hopes after hopes...it's like a never ending cycle.......it's called life.

it's been months since i am longing to write a post.........longings after longings. and today i finally decided to "break;" this loop. procrastination, shilly-shally......call it anything, it's everyone's companion. no matter how active, no matter how agile we are, we tend to delay things, i am no exception. i do, i do it many times.....sometimes intentionally, sometimes consequently.

we all have heard the term 'priority list' and believe me if you go and ask anyone "what's yours?", you will immediately get one....everyone keeps it. but the sad thing is, most often than not it's just kept unattended. i am not complaining, how can i? b'coz i sail in the same boat. but then at times things make you realize.....you need to check your priority list, you need to review it, you need to act on them.

this post may already be sounding like a "self-complain note", maybe, maybe not. actually yes. it is. when i sit alone (i do it very often), i talk to self......i realize........i review my list........i re-prioritize...........and then make a plan of actions.......i feel happy then. but then again i get a feeling………how to priorities plan's'. tough act, but i think i am managing to.

i have been reading a lot, i read a lot, books, articles, mails, editorials, all kind of stuffs that is in a language i understand. reading keeps me ticking, same as what music does to me, it keeps me alive. i remember few years back i was reading a book titled 'gods are meeting and you are invited', written by one of my relatives. i came across a page which dealt with the notion of "high.esteem-higher.esteem-highest.esteem-high.esteem-low.esteem-no.esteem cycle'. and i always remember it whenever i come across such a picture around me, inside me. i see this picture very often. it says, there are times in life when we feel good and at that very moment our esteem is at a very high level, then we feel better and then best raising our esteem to its peak. we feel like we are going to win this world with the inner confidence, inner belief.....but then it fades.........fades very fast and we feel fallen on the ground, sometimes even below. and the funniest thing is that this period comes every now and then...it's like a woman's cycles, though irregular ones.

last week i did something, which i have been longing to do for years. no need explaining how would that have felt...felt before doing and felt after doing it. a flood of relief flew towards me, at least.

i have been talking to a close friend on this topic and in each of the discussions a line comes out....."i wish it's not too late". this is a common feeling when we think of things we are longing to do, but hastate/avoid due to 'situations'. let's face it, we all love to play the time game. we all wish to get that 'extra' few days before making the move. how many times have we really gone ahead with things we want to do immediately? you will say, i do it many times; see i wanted to do this and i did it. then i ask you to list me 3 things you want to do but are hesitating.....and no surprises there would be 5+ things. you are smiling? me too.

sometimes it's not the result but it's the attitude that matters the most. we hesitate to do things, we refrain ourselves from actions because we are afraid of the unpleasant probability. it's not wrong being afraid but it's wrong being distracted. don't be. don't let the fear, the unseen deviate you. keep them besides and move. keep them behind and hit. keep them away and live.

i know reading all this now, one's hormonal level will increase and suddenly a sense of excitement will come out shouting high............"yes, i am gonna do it". you will come out of your closet and may do it too. i wish things work out. but still the question is how long will this attitude last?

i think by this time you can make out that this post is again related to "the value of time". and if you have browsed this site, you can find out that there is already a 4 month old post titled "it's now or never".

i just wish we all, including me, realize the value of time at every step of life. and act when its needed the most.

i finish this post with the saying, "don't plan, don't try, just DO it".

The Taj Mahal - The Magic Of Love. Continues!

2007-07-08T03:31:00.000+05:30

The Taj Mahal has always been and will always be one of the most enchanting monument for me and I believe it is also for most of the people around the globe. And once again, after 2200 years, the world has re-recognized its magic.

It has once again been voted as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.

The 20 Finalists were (Monument & Location, Construction Date, Symbol Of):

Acropolis, Athens, Greece (450 - 330 B.C.), Civilization and Democracy
Alhambra, Granada, Spain (12th century), Dignity and Dialog
Angkor, Cambodia (12th century), Beauty and Sanctity
The Pyramids of Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico (before 800 A.D.), Worship and Knowledge - In Top 7
Christ Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (1931), Welcoming and Openness - In Top 7
Colosseum, Rome, Italy (70 - 82 A.D.), Joy and Suffering - In Top 7
Eiffel Tower, Paris, France (1887 - 89), Challenge and Progress
Great Wall, China (220 BC and 1368-1644 AD), Perseverance&Persistence - In Top 7
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey (532 - 537 A.D.), Faith and Respect
Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto, Japan (749 - 1855), Clarity and Serenity
Kremlin/St.Basil's, Moscow, Russia (1156 - 1850), Fortitude and Symbolism
Machu Picchu, Cuzco, Peru (1460-1470), Community and Dedication - In Top 7
Neuschwanstein Castle, Fussen, Germany (1869 -1884), Fantasy and Imagination),
Petra, Jordan (9 B.C. - 40 A.D.), Engineering and Protection - In Top 7
Pyramids of Giza, Egypt (2600 - 2500 B.C), Immortality and Eternity),
Statue of Liberty, New York, USA (1886), Generosity and Hope
Statues of Easter Island, Chile (10th - 16th Century), Mystery and Awe
Stonehenge, Amesbury, UK(3000 BC - 1600 BC), Intrigue and Endurance
Sydney Opera House, Australia (1954 - 73), Abstraction and Creativity
The Taj Mahal, Agra, India (1630 A.D.), Love and Passion - In Top 7
Timbuktu, Mali (12th century), Intellect and Mysticism

The voting, which continued for months, ended yesterday (6th July, 2007). The results were declared on the 7th July, 2007 (GMT) @ Lisbon. It was 0230am, 8th July in India. And I just managed to watch the live concert online. I was overjoyed to hear the list of new wonders, it included my pick.

Though it doesn't really matter if The Taj is 'officially' in the list of wonders or not b'coz it's always going to be the most wonderful monument ever made. But still at some part of my heart it really feels proud to see its worldwide recognition. It's the one and only entry from India and is amongst the World's Top 7.

And if you are one of those unlucky people who are yet to see this glory in reality, you can take a small virtual tour of the Taj Mahal here: http://www.taj-mahal.net/augEng/main_screen.htm
(Use your mouse to walk through. Watch out for Yellow arrows to move to another section OR use the Orange dots on the map-view placed on the right side of the page.)

Long live the greatest monument of love......The Taj Mahal.

You and 'You'

2007-07-07T15:48:00.000+05:30

Many times we feel like there is no one to talk to, many times we feel we can't share 'this' thing with others, many times we feel there is no one to understand us and then...then we fall back to Self. We all love to talk to self, don't we?

So tell us 'bout you by taking this small poll. If you wish you can leave your comments too.

Take the poll

Free Poll by Blog Flux

(Leave your comments below.)

It's Music, Play It! Celebrate the World Music Day!!!

2007-06-21T01:49:00.000+05:30

It's World Music Day Today! The 21st, June' 2007.

Music........a great reliever, a great connector, a great inspiring thing, a great energizer, a great escalator, a great fun, etc, etc, etc.......and so many other heavy nouns & adjectives that one can remember, all can be pleasantly, rather musically, attached to this word.

On the personal level, I have been completely into music, not making ;), but listening..................for years & years and today it feels that its an inseparable part of mine.

I don't know when I started listening to it but as long as my memory goes.....there is music, music, music & more music......even more.

I remember when I was very young (8 years back), I used to sing. I used to sing on stage, I used to give performances in contests, public gatherings, etc. etc. But it's past now.

It is a very known & experienced thing that when one enters the teen age lots of physical changes take place. And I was no exception. And for me.........there was a change in my voice too.........from sweet girly-girly (yes truely) voice to still-sweet but boyish one ;)

But do I care? Na. I still manage to sing when I am alone. And I have broken so many mirrors already.......ha ha ha. Just kidding.

And today.......it's one of my most 'active' activity. I just can't help it. I don't want to.

So on this musical day all I will say is.................Keep humming, keep crooning, keep singing...........in short.......Keep 'MUSIC-ing'.

la la la la la la lalalala...........la la la la...la la la la.....lalala.................:)

Cheers,
Rohit

Sorry - To BE or Not To BE

2007-06-17T21:46:00.000+05:30

Million dollar word.
Anything wrong......sorry.
Anything not working......sorry.
Anything working......still sorry.
Anything needed......sorry.
Need another chance......sorry.
Sorry, sorry, sorry.
And voila......things settled as desired.

A 5 letter word with 5000cc Horse power.
A 5 letter word with lots of oomph in it.
A 5 letter word with an ability to express the innermost feeling.
A 5 letter word......powerful than anything else, literally.

We all use this word. Every day, every other moment. But do we really mean it EVERY time?

Sometimes it’s used as the shortcut to make up things, some time just for formality, and sometime just to please others.

Sorry literally means……Feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone. Feeling, you read that? You need to feel it. Hope you get the point.

When it’s said with immense sincerity & innermost feeling, it will show in its each letter. It will express the inner self of yours. And I am sure it will solve any misunderstanding/problem.

So, use it only when you mean it. Else it’s just like cheating with your words. Hope, you don’t like cheating!

Cheers,
Rohit

P.S. Could had written this post very nicely in more than 10000 words, but just keeping it short & unstructured this time.

It's Now or Never! It's Time.

2007-06-09T14:42:00.000+05:30

How many times you wanted to do a thing, but couldn't go ahead.

How many times you wanted to say something to someone, but couldn't go ahead.

How many times you wanted to roam around freely, but couldn't go ahead.

How many times you wanted to raise your voice against something, but couldn't go ahead.

How many times you wanted to do be yourself, but couldn't.

How many times, how many?

I understand its human nature to always look for success. We all hate failing, don't we? It's good at one place but at times it may (read:will) hold you back from what's waiting for you. How? Just think....we wait for the right time to do something. And we keep telling our selves, "its not the right time, Let's wait a little more". But that 'little' turns out to be too long and the time passes and passes and passes. And when we realize that bingo! its the right time.......it gets too late. And then we have nothing left than being sorry. Sorry to self.

Always remember, "An extended wait is not patience, it's delay."

So please,

When you think you have to do a thing.............just go ahead and do it.

When you think you have to say something to someone.............just go ahead and say it.

When you think you have roam around freely............just go ahead and free your wings.

When you think you have to raise your voice against something............just go ahead and raise it with confidence.

When you think you have to be yourself.............be.

Time once gone can never come back, value it!

Wishing you all the best!!!

My two cents,
Rohit

Happiness is a voyage, not a destination. Find out the ‘The’

2007-05-28T12:09:00.000+05:30

It was one of those sweet moments which came after a long time for me. I was on a 2 days off again. It’s not that I don’t take leave but this time it was a little different. I had gone to Deoghar to my parents on their memorable wedding anniversary. Instead of celebrating with tens of people we decided to be with god & nature. We moved to Parasnath. I have been there so many times but this time it was after a gap of 4 years. I felt again that it’s one of the most beautiful places I would ever visit in my life. Parasnath is considered one of the most auspicious places for Jains. Few people also call it the Macca of Jains, no wonder why. The atmosphere, the scenery, the peace, the excitement all grips you so much that you feel you have suddenly come to heaven.

We decided to go by road and the journey was a mere 2.5 hours long. But for me, it looked that I have travelled ages. If my memory goes right, it must have been 8-10 years since I travelled by road in such a manner. It was a sheer pleasure this time. It was summer at its peak with blazingly hot air, but still it didn’t seem to bother me much. Why? B’coz I was completely in the nature. I kept looking outside and as far as I could see it was green, green and more green. People were seen busy in their daily hustle bustle of life but at the same time they seem to enjoy whatever comes their way. They were sweating, they were tired but they had a streak of smile on their face every other moment. By looking at them one could very easily identify if they had enough resources to eat twice a day or not but still they were as agile as they can be. Agile enough to face and at the same time enjoy life. It takes great courage to live your life in limitations.

While in the car, I just kept looking around making sure that I don’t miss anything. It’s my habit to look deep and try to see the unseen, something which is not visible but can be felt. One thing I realized, again, that what matters most to people is not leisure but happiness. No matter how the life is, no matter how the day is, no matter how the night is, people look for happiness and they work very hard for it. There are few people who keep crapping about the problems in their life……..I feel sick of my life, I am not earning well, I have a pathetic family, I am not doing enough for my family, my sister has to get married but I don’t have ‘enough’ money for a royal marriage, I am not satisfied with my job, I don’t have responsibility in my job, I have to take so many responsibilities in my job, I proposed someone but he/she rejected my, etc, etc, etc. And then there are people who want to be happy in whatever way possible…….my life is great even if I don’t live a royal life I am enjoying every moment of it, I am earning nice and I just have to carry on this, I have a lovely family and they love me very much, I am planning to marry my sister next month; the ceremony would be very simple but would be very alive, my job is nice and I am very satisfied with it, I am happy that at least I could express my feelings to the person I love, so on and so forth. Now you better know which of these two groups is happier.

I was just going through an old presentation last night which also says…..”Happiness is a Voyage not Destination”. So true! We need to learn to ‘be’ happy rather than thriving for happiness. I know it’s easier for me to sit here with my parents and key in these thoughts than to go and face the various nitty-gritties of life. But still the question is, is it really so tough to be happy?

Once we entered Parasnath, we could sense the sweet fragrance in the air. It feels as if flowers are floating in the air all around and you can’t help but throw your fist in the air to grab some of them. I did. The place is completely surrounded by the holy mountain on one side. It’s tall, it’s green, it’s enchanting, it’s so close to you that you feel like going ahead and embracing it. The mountain is very auspicious b’coz it has in it many holy temples. People get up early in the morning, around 4am and get ready to mount it in a group of 5-10-20-50-100. It’s mere 27km...9 km upwards, 9 km scattered & 9 km downwards. Scared? No need to be. Once you start mounting it you forget all these stats. It’s green, green & more green all the way through once again. People keep chanting religious Namokar Mantra, bhajans, etc all the way through. And you certainly realize how beautiful nature is when it’s left un-tampered. Why do people cut trees, Why? All in all it’s a complete ‘fun’ time being there b’coz....b’coz it gives you happiness.

Though we didn’t mount as we had not planned for that in advance and also because we had to leave the very next day, but suddenly I happened to ask my mom, “Maa, can’t we stay here for a week more at least?” And before I could wait for an answer I, myself, replied…………”Aha! May be some other time.” And we all smiled. I wished if I could freeze the moment.

We returned back by road, again meeting life in its various faces on the way. I remember that while returning back, we had run out of water. We stopped by a hand-pump and I got out with the empty bottles in my hand. Before I could approach the lady filling up her bucket on the pump and ask for her favor, I could see her pushing her bucket aside and giving me the way. I can’t help but stand for few seconds and realized the hospitality. I took the bottle to the pump while the lady pumped it until it was full. I just thanked her and was back in the car. I turned back and saw her back to the duty. It was raining fire on her head and she had 10+ buckets besides her. But still she had a smile on her face. Hats off.

Don’t we all have to carry on our duty everyday but most often than not we start feeling tired? Then...then we complain, my life is not happening, the job is very monotonous. I want to switch to a newer organization at least it would give me some fresh moments and when that starts boring I will switch again. And the chain continues. I am thankful to god that I don’t suffer this phobia. For me life is beautiful and it gets better every second. I just happen to live it in the best way. Not much of beguilement but enough to enjoy each bit of it. Job…………I just love it. I make sure that at job I don’t work rather I play. And that’s what keeps me energized. I don’t work because it’s my duty, I work because it’s fun and it gives me happiness.

We finally reached home and we all were very happy about this small trip. We didn’t carry any cam else I would have put few snaps of the place here. And today when I am writing this post, I can very clearly sense the fragrance following me even here. I will remember this small trip for a long long time.

That’s it. A small post on a small trip.

Did this post seem like an over statement of a small thing?

Or, did this post seem too much tilted towards the happy parts of life?

Or, did this post seem like an exaggeration on anything?

No matter what it felt to you, for me it was just an attempt to focus on the happier side of life. And for me this post ‘again’ gave me few streaks of happiness and every time I read it I can’t help but close my eyes and feel life.

Now the question is, what is ‘The’ most important thing in life: Being Happy with what you have OR Striving for the unseen? Close your eyes and Think. The choice is always yours.

Cheers!

How Do You Know When You're In Love?

2007-04-24T19:45:00.000+05:30

How Do You Know When You're In Love?

How do you know when you're in love?

Is it the crazy things I do?

Is it the fact that my heart skips a beat
every time that I think of you?

Is it the fact that I can't sleep at night
when your image is in my head?

Or is it the fact that I can't stop smiling
after every word that you've said?

Is it the need to hold you in my arms
and keep you there forever?

Or is it the fact that I wrote you a poem
and sent it to you in a letter?

Is it this awful feeling deep inside
whenever I have to take you home?

Or is it just being here without you
that makes me feel so alone?

Is this hunger deep inside
that longs for your kiss?

I feel so happy sometimes feeling that I'm in love
for there are so many things I would miss.

But still I am not sure if I am in love, am I?

P.S.: modified thoughts, originally from spillyourdil

Har khwahish puri ho, jaruri to nahin (Hindi Poem)

2007-04-09T11:31:00.000+05:30

Khwahishen hazaron hai in aankhon mein,
Manzilein lakhon hai in rahon mein,
Par har woh dagar apni bane jaruri to nahin
Har umeed, har khwahish puri ho jaruri to nahi.

Manzilon ka kya hai, har taraf bichi padi hain,
Ye to khud pe yakin ho ki pa lenge unhe,
Kosish nahin himmat karle had se jyada khud pe bharosha chahiye,
Har muskilon ko paar karle aisa dilon mein hosnla chahiye,
Fir bhi kya pata kab kis mod pe
ek aisa manzar aa jaye jo ye sikha jaye
Ki har woh manzil jo apke samne hai use paya jaye jaruri to nahin.
Har umeed, har khwahish puri ho jaruri to nahi.

Rahon mein kayi muskilen hain, raho mein kayi faslein hain,
Kuch idhar kuch udhar har taraf uljhe se pade hain,
Par fir bhi dil mein tamanna hai, dil mein yakeen hain,
Ki angaroon ko chuna hi nahin unhe apna banana hain,
Unhi angarron se baagon mein ful khilna hai,
Chal pada, nikal pada, khud pe yakin aur khud pe bharosa kar ke,
Par fir kahin kisi mod pe ek anjazana sa woh ehsaas
Ye bata gaya ye sikha gaya,
ki har yakin hakikat mein badle jaruri to nahin
Har umeed, har khwahish puri ho jaruri to nahi.

Sapne maine bhi dekhe hain, sapne dekhna chahta hun,
Sapno mein khud ko jina aur khud mein sapno ko jina chahta hun,
Par kya karun kisse kahun ki woh sapne,
jo kisike saath dekhein hain unhe aklea nahin jiya jaata,
Badhaya hai jo haath maine unhein thamne wala ek haath chahiye,
Unhe pura karne ke liye unhe jine ke liye, ek saathi ka saath chahiye,
Par jab woh na mila jab woh na dikha
to fir ye dil ko samjhaya,
Ki………………………………….jaruri to nahin.
Har woh khwab jise dekhe hai who puri ho jaruri to nahin.

Na pure ho sake woh armaan,
Na puri ho saki woh khwahishein,
Jin armanon mein khud ko piroya tha,
Jin khawahison se khud ko bhigoya tha,
Aaj un ke bina un se alga ho gaya hu,
bhid mein bhi tanha reh gaya hun
Fir bhi chehre pe wohi muskaan hai, chahe hi dil bhale hi ro raha ho,
Kyunki apne aansuon apni taklifon ko jahan ko dikhaya jaye jaruri to nahin,
Har umeed, har khwahish puri ho jaruri to nahi.

Par fir bhi dil mein kahin ye yakin hain kahin ye viswas hai,
Ki zindagi imtehaan le rahi hai,
khud ko samajhne ka mauka de rahi hai,
Samajh raha hun, samajh gaya hun, aur age bhi samajh lunga khud ko,
Bhale hi ye khwahishein puri na ho, na sahi.
Bhale hi ye sapne adhuri rahe to ye hi sahi.
In ke sahare jite aya hun, in ke sahare hi ji lunga.
Aur jis din alvida kehne ke samay ayega,
in khabon in manzilon se ek baar guftgu karunga
Aur ye kahunga ki….
Mana ki har woh khwab jo dekha tha woh pure na ho,
Har woh manzil jis ke liye badhe the apna na ho,
To kya hua,
Khwabon ko ji lo, manzilon ko chum lo,
Kyunki aaj ye mahaz khwab hai,
Par hamesha khwab hi rahein jaruri to nahin.
Dekh lo inhein, ji lo inmein,
Kyunki har khwahish puri NA ho, yeh bhi koi jaruri nahin.

If you want to be understood………Listen

2007-03-01T15:25:00.000+05:30

A small child hiding away from his brother under a mountain rock to give himself some momentary pleasure,
A young but already separated couple taking a tour together and still thinking why they are together again,
A deaf and mute girl with extreme s-e-x-ual desires imputable to others' rejections,
And so many other small things which are so true, so real.
That’s Babel.

Last weekend I saw Babel (Hollywood, 2006), starring Brad Pitt & Cate Blanchett. I saw it not because I am a Brad or Cate fan, but more because of it’s outstanding performance at international film awards ceremonies. And as because I had read in advance that this movie has won 15+ international awards, I had to feel the class too. (B’coz I wanted to convince myself that I understand movies too. Does it happen to you too?) And yes, it was in one of my favorite theater ‘Nandan’, Kolkata, India.

The film looks at relationships, from husband/wife, parent/children, brother/sister and plays around the themes of love in adversity. I will like to mention few incidents from the movie to point out few things about us.

Two some 10-12 years old brothers in the deserts of Morocco quarrelling over the newest .270 caliber rifle which their father bargained. The elder being elder tries it out first but is not as skillful as the younger one. Their decision to check the long distance hitting capabilities of the rifle shows the inner intellect of a young mind, the curiosity, the excitement the young ones have. And just in the course they aim at a tourist bus to see if it reaches it. They are disappointed. We all love to judge things, we all love to judge people.

Some where in US, a maid is nursing the two young kids scared of some past brutal incident. The tenderness the lady shows to the kids makes you feel blessed and you can’t help think of your childhood, putting your head on the lap of your mother. Eyes wet already?

Cate feels something on her neck. It’s bleeding, bleeding heavily. Oh my god. It’s a gun-shot. The bus stops and everyone starts showing the panic. But no one comes out to help. People love showing their empathising-careness but are found castrate when needed to act. Don’t we see such people everywhere around us?

A deaf and mute girl in a modern city of Japan is affectionate to a young but raunchy lad. And as soon as he is aware of the disability he behaves stranger again. We want people to be perfect but we forget the fact that no one is perfect. We all need to look into mirrors daily. The girl’s frustration drives her to give away with her pan-ty and debunk. People dare do things they are not comfortable with, not comfortable at all. But they still do it to tell them self that they are no less then others. And they feel it’s fun until it turns fatal.

The younger brother is spying on her sister changing clothes out of an agreed hole in the wall. The elder brother warns but is pushed back with the reply “What’s your problem? She doesn’t mind it either.” This kind of spying is not uncommon, it happens very often around us. Though it’s not always with this much of mutual consent but it happens, it does. Why? To some it is fun to cross the taboos and enjoy the momentary pleasures. And the same is revealed with that under-the-mountain-rock act.

The tensed couple somehow manages to reach a nearby village but the rest of the group members feel scared of entering, for the people are termed ‘terrorists’. I wonder how it is that one person’s act causes ill-fame to the entire mass. And then comes an old stranger lady’s care ness. The care lets you feel that people have beautiful hearts and are very caring from inside. People can’t see others suffering and few feel it is god’s act to heal other’s pain. Hats off to those honest NGOs.

The maid has to go to attend her son’s marriage but faces difficulty in finding someone to take care of the two kids and hence takes themselves with her. They enter Mexico. The kid asks, “Is it Mexico? I have heard it’s not safe”. Why are we taught these things so early in our childhood? Iraqis are terrorists. Americans are not faithful. Indians are conservatives. And so many other things. While the newly wed couple is cutting the cake, the lady is embracing an old strange in a separate room. Loneliness again. It drives you to do things you are not proud of, not proud at all.

Cate’s neck is stitched with needle to stop the blood from flowing. The pain makes her unmovable and she confesses of peeing in her pants. She wishes to do it again. Brad takes off her inners and makes her pee in a cooking pan, while she is resting on his arms. They embrace, embrace in fear of losing each other. But they hold each other tight. No matter whatever drove you to separate (god forbids) with your loved ones, your heart IS always connected. It will always care for your ex-spouses, ex-husbands, ex-friends even if you don’t let them know it.

Other tourists’ arguments to move asap, angry fight and then the silent departure from the place leaving behind the couple alone. People don’t like to be in the wet shoes for a long time. Everyone prefers being out of other’s troubles.

The mute girl’s act of attracting the police officer by daring naked and thinking it may attract her the pleasure. But it turns frustrating b’coz the officer knows it’s not ethical and resists. She cries, cries loud. The crying on the shoulder limns the inner confession, the guilt we feel after doing any thing wrong. If someone does anything wrong, intentionally or unintentionally, we need to understand his/her inner state at that time. We need to understand what made that happen and then we need to act to counsel that person so that it is not repeated. We need to empathize not discard.

The killing of the elder brother in police encounter drives the younger boy to rip the bloody rifle brutally. His innocence drives him to his confession towards the policemen, ”It was me who shot. My brother is innocent. Save him please. Save him please.” We love your family, we all. And at times we made sacrifices for our families, not because it will make them happy but because it gives happiness to us too that we could do something.

Brad & Cate are taken to a hospital by support (at last) from the local government. She is out of danger and is pictured on TV all over the country describing how she survived the ‘terrorist attack’. What a headline.

It is an old saying that “The grass is always greener on the other side.” I would add, “And when the grasses start dying, the greener sides die first and then all looks the same. Everyone worried, everyone helpless.” You never know what is there in life for you to face, how brutal, how pain-staking. The moment you start feeling that everything is fine, everything is under control something or the other hits you from nowhere. But all you have to do is to have faith in yourself, have courage in yourself to fight it and fight loud. I do, I try to. You?

These are just few incidents that I have scrapped here and there were so many more, with some truly great messages.

I remember after the show ended, I stayed in my seat for 5-10 minutes until I heard someone say, “It’s all over.” I smiled and replied, “It is Never. It goes on and that is life.” No wonder if he stared at me after that.

I wondered what is meant by the title ‘Babel’. I googled and found that it means “A scene of noise and confusion”. True, both were present throughout the movie. And the both are present in everyone’s life; every time, every moment.

The tag line of this movie is “If you want to be understood………Listen”. True We need to learn to listen, not just listen to others but also to our inner-self. We shall ask our selves, What I am doing is right? Is this what I should do? Is that justice? Is that me?

I am sure I will remember this movie for a very long time. Frame by frame.

Lesson learnt: No matter how prepared you are, you should be ready to face. Ready to face life.

All the best!

Mission ‘Uninstalling Internet Explorer 7 a.k.a. IE7’

2007-02-22T16:15:00.000+05:30

Wow Internet Explorer 7!!! It is Awesome!!! Tabbed look, RSS feed viewer, Search box, Quick Tabs, Stronger Security, and lots of other things. I feel blessed.

Days passed & nights passed with blessings all around. But hold on what’s that? Is that a fly in my soup? IE7 doesn’t work with this software; IE7 doesn’t work with that software. Phew!!!

Googling...

Oh, it’s not the IE7; it’s the software which is not compatible with IE7. Seems like they need to release new versions. But until that happens, it seems that I need to adieu to IE7. I will miss you.

Anyways, let me uninstall the IE7. How do I do that? IE7 doesn’t have any uninstall option in the Start Menu entries. Oh, you are a dumbo Rohit. You need to go to Add/Remove Programs from Control Panel. Scrolling the big list…here it is Microsoft Internet Explorer 7. Let me click on it to get the Change/Remove button. Where is the button? Hey. Hello. Where are you? Let me see others in the list. They have the button. Why it’s not on the IE7?

Let me go the Microsoft way….Reboot the machine.

Restarted -> Logged in as Local Administrator to avoid permissions issues -> Went to Add/Remove Programs. Uff, It’s not there still. (God!!! Time to file a ticket to IT Helpdesk?)

Googling...

Oh, I need to select “Show updates” on the top of the Add/Remove dialog box. I selected it and then could see few updates under IE7. YES!!! They have the buttons. Seems like I have to uninstall the updates first to get the button on IE7 item. Smart concept!!!

I uninstalled the 2 updates. Rebooted the machine. Went to Add/Remove box. . Fainted! No buttons yet. Now what is the problem? Who took the button?

Googling...
Googling...
Googling...
GREAT!!! Long live Microsoft!!! It’s a known Bug.

Microsoft believes that after installing IE7 on your machine, if you get a Change/Remove button in the Add/Remove Dialog box for IE7, you are lucky. If you don’t, you are in the mass, just like me. Read this: KB923721. The page reads: “You cannot uninstall Windows Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2”. What a title! Though the page speaks about problems with IE 7 Beta 2 only, but it is true with the IE7 Final version too. I used the Final version only.

The suggested workaround: 7MB download cost on the network. . You need to download the Internet Explorer Uninstall Tool package.
The uninstaller uninstalls the IE7 and you get back your IE6. At last! (I am feeling better now. I will sleep well tonight. Thanks KB, thanks Microsoft.)

This is the first time I have come around a software which asks you to download the uninstaller separately. I wonder Microsoft didn’t release any patch for this too.

Lesson Learnt: When you download IE7 installer, make sure you download the IE7 Uninstall Tool too.

Cheers!
Rohit

ASL Plz

2007-02-20T14:35:00.001+05:30

I nvr tho8 dat it wud end lke diz. Scrabbled? Read ahead….

I hate using shortcuts such as hru, sm1, gr8, etc. in sms, chats. Still there are some selective ones which I use such as ttyl, asl and kit. I use asl as everyone else does for getting a stranger's introduction during online chats (which I seldom do). But last week happened a strange but funny incident.

Read this small conversation…..

Italiano (name changed): Hey!
Ro: who is this?
Italiano: I am from

Italy

.
Ro: not interested.
Italino:
Ro:
Italiano: Can I chat with you.
Ro: Tell me a thing first, how did you get my id?
Italiano: yahoo directory
Ro: I see.
Italiano: Can I chat with you.
Ro: (thinking)
Italiano: ??
Ro: (thinking)
Italiano:
Ro: ok.
Italiano:
Ro:
ASL plz.
Italiano: asl means???????????????
Ro: Are you new to chat?
Italiano: asl means???????????????
Ro: Age Sex Location
Italiano:
Ro: ( what did I write wrong. Let me see again what we talked. Why this blushing symbol.) What was there to be Blushing in it?
Italiano: Hmmmm, You are naughty.
Ro: Don’t be fishy with me.
Italiano:
Ro: Why this symbol? Is anything funny going on here?
Italiano: No you said na “Sex Location”. You are very naughty
Ro: (grrrrrrrrr kit kit kit kit kit)

Rohit has signed out!!!

Lesson learnt: “Never use shortcuts with strangers. NEVER!!!”

Thought it was annoying to me at the time but I remember I smiled so many times after signing out thinking about the incident. And even now when I am writing this post I am smiling again. Now the scene is that anytime I read the word “ASL” I am rofl. Rofl means rolling on the floor laughing . I wsh I m nt wrtng shrtcts nymre.

Before ending this post a strong advice….avoid using shortcuts with those who you don’t know, else my best wishes with you.

CA (Come Again).

Love is just Love

2007-02-12T11:30:00.000+05:30

It was more than 2 years back, 26th August 2004 to be specific, when I wrote these lines of thoughts. I remember I was undergoing my graduation exams at that time and during the small breaks from studies, I used to add more lines to this. [don't worry, I topped the exam :)]. And this is how this entire thing came up. Why I wrote it?......that is a completely different story. May be in another post some time?

I don't know whether I should call it a poem or not, but as for me these lines sings by themselves so I call it a poem, My First Poem. I hope to write many more in the coming days, when I am in mood.

As I am writing so many other things on this blog site I thought of putting this one too. So that it could be found anytime. And what could have been a better time to add it to this site than this week. A week when Love is in the Air all around. So, here it goes...."Love is just Love."

Love is just “LOVE”

Love is……………a Mystery.

Love is the language through which
two hearts express the intangible.
Love is an ocean of immense ecstasy
where one sinks deep
to soak soul in drops heavenly.

Love is the smile that sparkles
in someone’s presence.

Love is the tear that trickles
when one cares for someone.

Love is the immeasurable faith
that sprouts when
when one finds the other half.
Love embraces without pretenses.

Let me remain me
Let you remain you…
Let’s unite to become one forever.

Is this what Love says?

Love is the song that is sung
at the silent beats of heart.
Love is the divine rhythm
at which soul dances recklessly.

Love is a treasure of enticing pain
where one longs for someone
countless nights and days.
Love is infinite
expanding beyond the cerulean sky
and carrying in it the whole of existence.

Love is the string which ties
two souls in eternal bond.
Love is completion
with a streak of emptiness in it;
emptiness that is fulfilled
only in the presence of the beloved.

Love is the creation of a creator.
Love is the poem of a poet.
Love is the painting of an artist.
Love is the symphony of a musician.
Love is the religion of a lover.
Love creates but never destroys.
Love is a faith which never betrays.

Love is a rainbow
that embellishes eyes
with its myriad colors.

Love is the blooming flower
whose sweet fragrance
intoxicates the senses.

Love is a drop of water
on the heart of parched desert.
Love is a beam of light
flashing in vast darkness.

Love is the breath
that carries wisps of scented air.
Love is the sigh one takes
in remembrance of someone.

Love is a shower of rain
sprinkling around boundless bliss.
Love is life flourishing
in its most awesome form.

Love is Everything
and Everything is Love
yet words fail to delineate
what Love is.

Love is
ineffable

inexpressible
indefinable.

Love is beyond words.

Love is the ancient wine
with its flavor beyond description.

Falling in Love entails rising …
Falling and rising together…
A puzzle it is... isn’t it?

Love is a feeling
that one may have for a moment
but whose essence lasts forever.

Love happens once in a lifetime
but it’s tough to recognize it
it just happens…happens by itself.

Love is the purest virtue, the highest power
a dais where once you step,
you leave behind all selfishness and desires

as Love increases, desires decrease.

Love nurtures soul in a bliss.
Love doesn’t know give and take.
Love just shares…beyond boundaries.
Love doesn’t bind;

its sets one free
removing bars and inhibitions.

Love is beyond logics..

Love is beyond deductions….
Love is beyond understanding……
Love is beyond comprehension…….

A riddle that can be solved
only when one falls in Love.
So…………

Fall in Love

to see how Love elevates soul to higher terrains.

And as any other word would fail to describe
what Love is
So…………..

let it remain the way IT IS.

Love is just Love.
Nothing below nothing above……
Love Is Just “LOVE”.

Love is a gift. A feeling, an inspiration which can raise someone to the sky from the ashes.

If you love someone Express it. For, an unexpressed love can turn out to be a poison, a poison that will not kill you, but would make you suffer each and every moment. Don’t worry how your beloved would respond to you, because you didn’t ask him/her before you started loving. He/she might not respond to you at all. Never mind, if you loved honestly your duty is to just keep on loving. You never know when stars turn your way and starts shining on you with their full strength. You never know when the cupid hits the bull’s eye. You never know.

So, express your love, express your feelings to the person who matters the most in your life, i.e. your beloved.

Wishing you all the very best of luck.

With Lots of Love.

Rohit