My telephonic talk with my favourite Uncle!

You know in the four maternal uncles I have, two are my favourites!! One of my cousins is doing his Bachelors in Engineering in Coimbatore. As part of his curriculum he had been asked to do an in plant training in any of the reputed industries!

As my first maternal uncle is in thr top managerial position in one of India's most reputed industrial setup, my cousin's father asked me to talk to him and know the procedures for applying for the IPT for him there. 

Talking to my favourite uncle isn't my pleasure?!!! I spoke to him for a while yesterday afternoon . . . . after couple of months!!!

It was really a joyful experience....!

Stranded on the road with the flat tyre!

Yesterday I have started my day by visiting the temple in my workplace with my family. We have offered Pooja to the God and returned home around 0930 am. 

After having my breakfast, I have started to my work. On my way to the office only the funniest thing happened!! When I was crossing a temple on the roadside, I felt a little wobbling in my bike. I understand that I run a flat tyre. I tried applying the break but it caused the wobbling to increase.

So I have switched off the engine and waited the motorbike to come to a complete halt and pulled it to the side of the road. I was curiously looking for the reason for my flat tyre. 

To my surprise, it was a 25 paise coin got pierced into the tyre. I don't know who left the coin on the road. I have called up my office for a lift. Only in the afternoon I have got my motorbike ready. 

Sometimes it happens . . .

The tour of New York on a rainy day!!

After a day's stay in Chicago, we have travelled to New York and landed in the John F Kennedy International Airport on 02nd May 2009. This time I was well prepared with Google Maps route for the hotel we have stayed. 

I have avoided all the 'taxi mediators' approached me before I came out of the airport and got a 'Yellow Cab' (the City run cabs!). The guy who drove the taxi was not familiar with the exact place of the hotel. But we have been given an estimate at the airport itself about the approximate cost for the cab travel to the hotel. Once the meter reached the particular cost the driver put off the meter and drove the remaining distance without collecting any extra money!!

The hotel (Fairfield Inn Marriott) we have stayed was really a good one. We have been provided the shuttle service to the nearest subway station. Here also I have bought MTA's One day fun pass MetroCard for each of the two days I have stayed in New York.

I have started my tour of New York from Time Square, the ever busy place of Manhattan area of New York. I did a walking tour around the streets of Time Square and returned to the room on the first day. As it was the evening the streets were flooded with hundreds of thousands of lights mega giant display systems.

The next was a very challenging one. I have started the day with rain. But I have decided not to give up! I bought a combo boat ticket to the Liberty Statue and Ellis Island.

Though it was raining and the wind was blowing like a tornado, my curiosity kept me standing on top of the boat to take pictures of the statue!

You would have seen the pictures of the statue taken from the front side, but for a change I have taken a picture of the statue to show how it looks like from the back side! 

I didn't even prefer to buy an umbrella for two reasons, 1. I have to through it out at the end of the day as I didn't had place for it in my luggage, 2. I was running out of time. 

All the way walked around the Manhattan area to see the other places even it was raining. I have walked through Broadway to reach the world economy's most important place, the Wall Street (New York Stock Exchange)!

Next I have quickly walked to the famous Brooklyn Bridge! It is said to be the world's longest suspension bridge.

Next I have been to the sight where world's one of the most tearful tragedy happened, the WTC site!!. 

After that I have been to Empire State Building and returned! The onething I still feel sorry, though I have planned to visit, I have missed the UN office!!

The next morning we have started little earlier than planned to the LaGuardia Airport to fly to Atlanta and from there to back home!!

And . . . this is how my US Trip came to an end . . .

Dream and Get !!!

Yesterday was quite normal without much significant things happening for me. In my previous post I have wrote about my head ache. I was suppose to consult the doctor yesterday, but I did not. I felt somewhat better yesterday night and dropped the idea of consulting the doctor!

But when I woke up this morning, I was feeling sick. I didn't want miss my office. So I have started as usual and come to the office. 

You are aware that I won a website for website templates. I also own an another website www.dreamandget.com ! It is a kind of community website but not like orkut or facebook ! 

I have started this website with the main of giving back for and by the experts in the community. For instance, think about a tech or non tech issue for which you spend your valuable time in searching for solution on the web! The same amount of time is spent by thousands of people to find the solution for the same problem. 

I invite you all to join dreamandget . . . It is FREE !!

Note : On another free day I am planning to write about magic square !!!

Excuse me... Is there anyone listening?!!!

It is almost a month since I have started writing regularly on my blog. Like a mad man I am writing like talking to someone who is near to my heart. I know there are no listeners or readers for my blog (It is evident I have never got a comment on my post from anybody). 

But still writing on my blog about my day to day life, gives me a sort of relief. It makes me feel like someone is listening to me. Yesterday was the very busy day of this week. Atleast I had meeting with 30 people. I have left the office with heavy head ache. It is my habit normally I will not took any medicines for tolerable head ache. 

Just to change the mind, I have went outside with my son. We did a little shopping for a while returned back after half an hour. But still I had the head ache and felt I should consult the doctor (I am getting this for the forth consequent day). 

I have postponed the decision to the next day to see whether things turn positive... 

Hope it will . . . .

A day in Chicago !

It is how my US Trip as a GSE Team member ended in Tullahome. On our return we have extended our trip to include Chicago and New York at our own interest. From day one through the end of the trip, I have provided computer technical support to my team.

I have searched the internet and booked hotel in Chicago and New York also. We have travelled from Tullahoma to Chattanooga by road and flew from there to Chicago with a transit in Atlanta.

The Hotel we have stayed in Chicago was not upto our expectations but a good deal for the money we have spent for it. We happened to walk atleast 200 metres to reach a good (Thai) restaurant. 

I have spent US $5 to buy a CTA's Day Pass to use with the buses and trains which was a good value for money. 

The Navy Pier area in Chicago is a really beautiful one. I have chose to go on a boat ride (Architecture cruise) and visited the Millennium park. As we stayed there for just a day and a half, I didn't got much opportunity to more places.

My maternal uncle and his success after hard work !!

Note : This post is dated 27th May, 2009, though it is published today!

My mother has got 7 siblings. So I have got 4 maternal uncles and 3 maternal aunts. In those 4 maternal uncles, the first and third maternal uncles are my favourites!! I have got lots of inspiration from my first maternal uncle. Till date I dont know what qualities of him attract me. But I have tons and tons of love and affection and respect towards him! None of his acts hurted me ever!!

The third maternal uncle is a very special one! If someone wants to learn how to take care of the family and relatives, he is the best person ever I know in this world. He is such a wonderful man who took care of a large family and is the only one who is still having very good contact with every close relative and the winner of very good reputation among them.

He came yesterday to our place to invite us for his newly constructed building warming ceremony!! It is a newly constructed godown to support his business. It was his long time dream realised after a lot of hard working! Most of the money he hard earned were spent for the welfare of the joint family!! He is such a unselfish person!!!

Though I am very younger to him I wish him all success in all his future endeavours!!!

My birthday and in news in Tullahoma!!

After our trip to Oak Ridge, we have travelled to Sevierville. I have already wrote about my stay in Sevierville in my post The Ratliffs' Hospitality. We have travelled to Tullahoma after Sevierville. 

I have stayed in Charle and Raymond Coffey's house. It is a very beautiful house surrounded by farm lands sprawling over 42 acres. Charle has got a very very creative mind as evident from her scrap book on her overseas trip!!

The next best thing I liked in their house is Charle's convertible Mazda car! Riding on the car is a real fun!!

The best part of my stay in Tullahoma is, I have celebrated my birthday there. This is the first time ever I have celebrated my birthday in a foreign land. I was just preparing my video preparation in one of the meeting on my birthday, suddenly there was an announcement in the PAS about my birthday. Everyone there stood up and start singing the birthday song for me. It was a really touching experience for me!!!

We got our photos and news published in the local news papers too!!! 

Have your own website

Yesterday was a very plain day. The day passed just like that with my regular work and returned home around 08:30 pm IST. I don't have much interesting to write about my yesterday! But I don't want to leave it like that ( :) ) and disappoint you !! 

After some serious(?!) thinking, I thought of writing about having your own personal website. I have come across lot of people who have registered a domain just for the sake of  having custom domain email ID. Most of them are not even using the webmail service provided by their service provider. They use to POP or IMAP it to their PC or Laptop or to Gmail. 

When asked, the reasons told by them include Lack of time, Lack of technical knowledge to develop web pages and so on. What about some ready made templates that too for FREE of cost? All you need to do is, choose one from OSWD (Open Source Web Design), download it and replace the content (the text and images ) with your own, upload it to your domain web space! Your website is ready!!! Most of the templates available in this website are W3C standards compliant also!!

OK... What if you want to have a more professionally designed web template? For that you can consider my website www.webrangoli.com. There are tens of thousands of professionally designed web templates!! 

But you should pay to get them .... Now the choice is yours . . .

A week in the Atom Bomb City

First of all I apologize for not writing about my US Trip as promised for the past 3 days. I have posted my daily updates early yesterday morning and did not write anything in the afternoon. 

OK. After my stay and travel in Knoxville / Maryville, I have travelled to Oak Ridge for our next set of travel and stay. Oak Ridge is beautiful small town established in the year 1942 mainly for atomic research. The National Laboratories here manufactured the atom bombs dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki of Japan during the World War II. 

I have seen a very big Japanese bell there which was put up in memory of the atomic bombings on Japan, one of the World's worst tragedies ever!! Japan is one of the very beautiful countries I have ever visited and I like Japan particularly Tokyo very much for many good reasons.

I have stayed in Dr Lee and Linda Smalley's house. Dr Lee is an Ophthalmology Surgeon! He was very fast in making the prints of the photographs taken at his home. 

As part of our trip there, we have traveled to the nearby city Kingston where we had a real surprise! We have been awarded the honorary citizenship of city of Kingston!

The other delightful experience we had there is , we had seen lot of peacocks in the museum there!

Weekend with my family!!

Childhood is the best part in anyone's life! It is a pleasure to be with all relatives and friends at the early ages of life without any worries!! But as days go on and we grew up, these it has become very difficult to be with our relatives and beloved ones. 

These days I am meeting some of my relatives for couple of days in a year and in some others' case once in a couple of years!! 

Day before yesterday (Saturday) gave me a chance to meet my brother who is working as project manager in a computer networking and security company in Dubai. He came to my house with his family. We all went to our family temple the same day. I had worked for half day only on that day. (Obviously you would have noticed I haven't posted my second blog post on my US trip!)

Yesterday also we have spent our day at my home until my brother's family left to Madurai in the evening. (A few months back he had bought a new house there!).  But myself and my brother traveled to a nearby picnic spot to discuss about any possible future business plans. 

My son also enjoyed his "weekend (?!) " with his cousins! You can see my son in the middle and my brother's sons to his both sides in the above image.

My mother, me, my family, my brother, his family - all of us are a single family.... But... Except my Father.... I really miss him....

Good Earning Day

The day had started well for me yesterday. The business was as usual. I am a very very small time (tiny!!) player of stock market. I bought couple of shares at least 6-7 months ago. Unfortunately the stock market started tumbling since then!

The SENSEX and NIFTY kept going on a nosedive for several months! The prices of the shares I have bought went down to less than 40% of its original value for quite sometime during the past months. I was very determinant in not losing my money. So I have decided not to sell any of my shares until the prices bounce back to normal or even better!!

The wait was over by yesterday as some of my shares' value went up to more than 45% of the price for which I have bought. But still, I haven't sold the shares as the up trend happened only at the end of the day of trading yesterday.

I predict the bull-run will continue on Monday morning also! But I should gleefully watch the market for uptrend. If it is negative, I should sell them immediately.

It was a really good earning day!!

Ted's lake house and the KISS system

After traveling for about 5 days in and around Cookeville, we have reached Knoxville for our next set of stay and visit. Though officially we were in Knoxville, the place I have stayed was in the outskirts of Maryville. It is a very beautiful house of Ted and Myrna Frazier with an attached lake (:)) !!!

I have really enjoyed my stay with them. Me and Ted were discussing a lot of matters about both of our countries, about the countries both of us traveled and about a lot of world affairs. 

One day in the middle of our discussion, I was telling Ted that life is made simple in his country with the invention and introduction of lot of gadgets from across the Globe. Then Ted said "We have a KISS system". I was blinking my eyes as I didn't know does it mean. Ted continued "It is Keep It Simple...Stupid system!!" There were laugh around there for sometime...

I have went for a boating and fishing in the lake attached to his house in the pedal boat owned by them . . . I have even took some pictures sitting and posing on his Kawasaki motorcycle...! 

During my stay with them, I really enjoyed the food prepared by Myrna (especially the traditional Easter Feast!!). A special thanks to her!!

Here also me and Ted were of the same opinion that People are same across the Globe... May be the Governments are of difference in opinion....

Boss is NOT always right !!

There is a saying in the corporate world that "Boss is always right". Do you agree with that? I don't. We can not always blindly accept the opinion of the boss. Most people use to do that even though if they know that there is an better alternative option than of the opinion of his boss. Ultimately it would in most cases affect the growth and interest of the company. Whether we accept the above concept or not, it doesn't matter if we are sincere, loyal and honest to our profession.

There is a pressure from my boss to redesign and come out with a new web application for our group institutions. Eventhough I am into administration, my boss knows that I am also doing web development and web promotions consultancy to companies, he wants me to do the redevelopment of our group website. 

But I dont have much interest in doing that for our group. There are two reasons. The first and prime reason is, it is not at all my responsibility in the job assigned to me. If I do develop that, I should spent good amount of my valuable time in that and my focus and concentration will be shared in two verticals. I don't want my regular job to get affected by that. 

The reason number two is that, I don't want to sell my special skill for a zero cost! When we do something for FREE or for no cost, our interest and involvement will also be less. At the sometime people will not realize the value of work done at free of cost. 

So yesterday when my boss asked about it, i have politely told him, it will be better to employ some company to do the same and made him accept the proposal.

Note : Don't relate the matter I have discussed here with the title of this post!! It is just to share about my yesterday .... 

Cookeville and the Snow fall !!

In my US trip, after Chattanooga we have traveled to Cookeville. When talking about Cookeville I should first mention about Rachel Moses. She is the one who picked up us from Chattanooga. We have traveled to Fall Creek Falls on our way to Cookeville. Rachel and her friends have become very good friends of us after our visit there. 

They all have joined my friends' network in facebook also. 

I have stayed with Jack Armestead's house. He is the Provost in the Tennessee Technological University. His son is a good Tennis player and plays for his school team. He is good in music also!!

Cookeville is the place where lot of remarkable things happen in our trip to the US. Some of those are the meeting with the Mayor Sam Salee, TTU President Bell, Rotary International President D K Lee and the chance to live in a day of Snow fall.

Yesterday I have returned home a bit delayed. That is why I was not able to upload the photos yesterday. The onething I have forgot to write about Cookeville is we have been provided a Limousine to travel around the city.

It was a great experience !!!

Picnic to a Hospital?!

It was an yet another busy Wednesday! Not only yesterday, but the past 6-7 days were busy. I haven't got much time to spend with my son. Since last Monday itself we were planning to take my son to the hospital for his course of treatment for Primary Complex. 

I have decided to take my friend's car and drove to Rajapalayam so that I can stop over wherever we like... He likes to drink Juice, tender coconut, Pathaneer, etc. He didn't cried much in the hospital as expected.

Shows he is growing...!

In the evening we had my Father-in-law visiting my home. He stayed with us till today. 

After spending two and a half hours (including travel) I have returned to regular duty! Those two and a half hours is like a picnic for us!!

Uncle Bob, the Strawberry Jam - both sweet !!

You know I have started writing about my US Trip from yesterday. I would like to make it in an order like first I am going to write about the hosts I have stayed with, then the rest of whatever interesting about my trip!!

I have stayed in Robert (Bob) McElroy's house in Chattanooga, TN, USA. He is such a gem of a person who take care of me very much for my entire stay with him. Though he is living alone, he really loves to cook. The strawberry jam cooked by him was the unforgettable dish I have ever tasted. 

Eventhough he is in his 80s, he is very brisk in doing things. 

On the first day evening he took me to his son John's restaurant (Cicy's Pizza!) We had a nice dinner there!! (you can see that in the photo above). 

I didnt carry any sweater or jerkin with me as I learnt from the internet that the climate will be around 21 - 23 degree celsius through my entire trip. I felt that I can withstand such cool climate there. But the reality was worser than what I have predicted... ! 

Uncle Bob only came into my rescue :) ..! He gave me a jerkin to use until my stay with him... But he offered to extend the use of the same until my entire trip in the US...! 

I have got an another chance to meet him when we returned Chattanooga at the end of our trip...! 

Even through the US culture admit people to call other by name, I couldnt do the same with Uncle Bob...! Not only for the reasons I have mentioned above but for many reasons I liked him (and still I like him) very much. 

So I have decided to call him UNCLE BOB . . . !

Flat, Plain Tuesday... But Surprising ..!

I have started my yesterday work with an assumption that being a Tuesday, there will not be much crowd for admissions.... but to my surprise, there were lot of enquiries and even good number of admissions too...

Human mind is unpredictable sometimes... isn't it?

Apart from the above surprise, it was very flat, plain day. The only remarkable thing for yesterday was the weather..! It was boiling and in the 40s (in Celsius) till day before yesterday!! But all in a sudden the weather turned to be very pleasant !! Thanks to the nature... At least I had a good sleep....

That's all for today ... See you tomorrow !!

A Journey for Learning and Sharing

I have promised you I will be writing about my US Trip from May 18th onwards. I was also planning to write my blog for Sunday also on Monday. But it was a very hectic day yesterday after I have start working at 09.20 IST. I left my office only at 20.30 IST in the evening due to a huge enquiry for admissions into our group of educational institutions. 

Anyhow below is the data of my US Trip. It is just an introduction. You will not miss my day to day update also. I am planning post about my US Trip besides my daily post.

Here we go . . .

9 Flights

45 hours on board airplanes

37000 Miles (60,000 Kilometres) of Air Travel

4300 Miles (7000 Kilometres) of road travel 

Stayed / Traveled to more than 15 cities

Met 100s of people and exchange of 

1000s of handshakes 

15 speeches in various cities and towns

... and tons of learning and sharing

All under the Rotary International's Rotary Foundation sponsored Group Study Exchange program. I really proud and feel honored for having selected as one of the memebers of the GSE program.

Everyday from tomorrow for the next 10 days atleast I will write and share my US trip experience with you here (Of course, besides my every day updates of my life!!)

So keep reading !!! 

See you tomorrow.... Take care

It is good if it is interactive

You know I have already mentioned in my previous post "The Lost and Found" that writing blogs will most of the time help people to find the persons or the beloved ones with whom they have lost contact with. 

As the blogs provide provisions to the readers to write comments, it is also an interactive medium where the readers can comment upon the writer's opinion. I have set my blog to receive comments from all those who read my blog. 

So as a reader you dont even require to identify yourself or login to any system to write comments on my blog and you are welcome to do so. If it doesn't work you can write to me here.

I am planning to write about my recent US trip from Monday the 18th May 2009...

So let us discuss . . .

The lost and found

It is always good to have someone to share whatever you feel, think and even to chat something keep you going. But what if you dont have a one with whom you can discuss anything and everything ...?

For me my blog is like my best friend and well wisher..... Because I always use to speak up almost everything including those I dont want to discuss with people in my blog. The reason is the blog is always in one's favor and listen to him.

The other best thing about the blog is, you might have had best friends or someone who very much cared for you before, but lost contact with them later due to vaious reasons, there are possibilities for the lost to be found. 

Sometimes one day or other they could read your blog and know how you are and what you are doing... 

If nothing happens.... dont worry ... you have got some place to express your thought... so enjoy blogging !!!!

Voting for the first time ever

As the term of the 14th Lok Sabha expires in the normal course on 01st June 2009, India ran for the general elections in more than one phase to elect the 15th Lok Sabha. The final phase of the polling ended yesterday.

The Election Commission of India put in lots of efforts conduct the elections safely and peacefully. The past decade had witnessed efficient CEOs who introduced lots of new norms and standards in conducting elections. 

For me the thing which I have really really enjoyed is, I had the chance to vote for the first time ever in my life.... 

Surprising??

Though I have become eligible to vote when I was 18 and there were number of elections conducted before the present one, It had been a strange co-incidence that I had been out of the town on the date of the election every time. 

I was thinking I am going to miss this election too.... but luckily I have come back from the United States of America a week before the polls. 

My opinion is, as the voters are allowed to vote only on production of any of the 14 approved ID documents, the system of marking of the voters with the so called indelible ink is not necessary. 

It was a miraculous escape!!!

Is it not always that easy to drive a car? This question stroked me when I heard about an accident met by one of my relative and seeing the wreckage of the badly damaged car yesterday.

I was just relaxing at home yesterday noon as it was being a holiday when my mobile phone rang to announce me about this bad news! I can't even believe that my . relative met with the accident. Because the person who drove the car is driving cars for the past 15 years.... I have seen him many times driving like a pro.

The next surprise to me is the place the accident happened (It is just a kilometer east to the institution I am working for). It is a very flat, well layed road with literally zero traffic... It is highly impossbile for a car to get upset and roll on the road and stopped after hitting into the bushes....

The best part and an unbelievable good thing about this accident is .... my relative escaped very narrowedly and really really miraculously!!! Thank God !!! You can understand the rest of what my words expressed here by seeing the picture of the wreckage of the car below

Most of the times it is obvious People will always use interpret things as they view the matter... One of my friend who is having belief in superstitions tried to establish a connection between the mishaps and the time it had happened. In his view there should be some connectivity between the time (12.00 noon) and the mishap.

To support his view he even reminded about the accident I have met couple of months back and the time it happened (around 6.30pm in the evening).

Whatever it is, IT WAS A GREAT MIRACULOUS ESCAPE !!!!