Press that button.....show your finger!!!

Elections have started and for once there is a topic that is more popular within the country other than cricket. The entire country seems to be interested and everyone appears to be an expert advisor. News channels are all at it with sophisticated opinion polls, spicy attention grabbing debates, sting operations and what not. Well, that’s their job, and let them do it.

But we, the people have an even bigger job. To Vote! No No……….let me take that back. I think the bigger job is to decide; whom to Vote! We have so many parties (political parties) and so many candidates. India is a diverse country and this reflects in the fact that we have so many political parties, each with their own agenda catering to the diverse people.  However, not to forget, the fate of India for next few years will be decided during this election; and its best if we all together come out and caste our vote, to only those political parties, that are capable of governing  India(I choose my words carefully……..its governing…...and not ruling).

Although we have plenty of choices as to whom to vote, we have very little choice of right and able candidates; or even political parties for that matter. Only 2 parties come close to whom we can say have the resources and are able to be forming the government. – BJP and Congress. Well, I’ll include AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) as well, since they are the latest buzz. Let’s make it 3 able parties then – BJP, Congress and AAP.

Now if we consider India, a nation with 28 states (count may even increase by the time I finish this sentence) and 7 union territories, and more than a billion people; it needs experience along with resources to govern.

AAP did start off with a noble and honest intention (it still has), but has proved to be a disaster, nothing more than a finger pointing system. I have full respect to Mr. Arvind Kejriwal for having the guts to take on political heavy weights in style, but it’s just childish propaganda that AAP has achieved. No serious work executed responsibly. It’s so clear that AAP cannot govern, they are incapable of governing. A national capital is in Presidents rule because of them. They had a chance to govern and do good work in Delhi. Instead, they quit; and now they want India. AAP is a party that has fooled people and made full use of people’s sentiments and emotions of bad governance by past governments. I still feel they have the right intentions, but would want to see them do well at state level and then contest for country. As everyone gives school exams, clears it and then attempts a college exam. No one simply goes to college or a degree without schooling. So capability wise, AAP gets a big zero.

About Congress well, I wouldn’t waste much time talking about this party on my blog. We all know the truth. There are thousands of other blogs that criticize or praise Congress. They definitely have the people and resources to govern India. But Congress is more interested in ruling; not governing. And I still do not understand why Rahul Gandhi is given so much importance. The school going kids from my society can challenge him for an open debate and defeat him left right and center. He is just another incapable person who is there in limelight just because of Luck by Chance; that surname – Gandhi!

Now time for some BJP bashing. Always labeled as a communal party, and why not, many of its leaders do give rubbish statements in media. They too have resources and people to govern India, but more than anything else, they have an able performer – Narendra Modi. Credit should go to the BJP that a low level person selling tea can now be contesting for the Prime Minister’s office. All this because of his work and proven record, atleast at state level. Not like the Congress dynasty where the ticket to be the party chief or PM is to be born in the Gandhi family. Is Modi a clean man? I don’t think so. No one is a clean man! Not even Kejriwal (the self proclaimed…… I am right others are wrong type)! But Modi is certainly most able of the lot. In the past BJP has had their fare share at forming a government and many agree they did do decently; atleast much better than Congress has in more than 50 years.

Voting for the right candidate is tough. Especially when you want someone to be a PM, but the local candidate from that party is not worthy. For instance, in one of the areas in Mumbai, the list of contestants are – Rakhi Sawant, Manish Manjrekar, Kamal Khan, Gurudas Kamath, Mayank Gandhi, and a dozen more. This looks more like the Big Boss nominations J

To Vote is similar to going out to a restaurant with your friends and ordering food.
Kaise? Dekho Aise-
Once in the restaurant you look at the menu (candidates in your constituency). Then based on your need, you select an item to order (voting a candidate). Often people look at what others have ordered and copy that. May happen you or your friend does not order anything (increases chance of bogus voting). So to just give company to your group, you order a light snack, or a juice (Nota - None of the Above). Everyone orders something. Same way, during these elections, ensure you and your friends press a button and mark your finger.

Like I said earlier, unfortunate that we do not have much choice as far as good candidates are concerned. But my only hope is that we all Indians come out and Vote; take that extra effort; have the larger context in mind, to make a better India and caste our vote to that candidate; not whom you feel is the best, but for that candidate, who is capable and can govern well!

Let us all as united India, get out of our homes.........and Vote!!! Jai Hind.

Chickened ......... Out !!!

Monsoon 2013 behaved like a good student isn’t it? Started exactly in June and was not one day late for schoolJ. Rains in Mumbai invoke the tourist in us to get out of the city and explore nature. Few weeks back went out of for a short road trip. Awesome scenery, serene landscapes, pleasant winds were all part of it as usual, but this post has nothing to do with the trip; more about it maybe some other time.

Well after that candid introduction; let me jump in straight to the topic. We left Mumbai at early morning to avoid the weekend rush, but got stuck for awhile at the Mumbai – Pune express way. Not a packed traffic jam, but good enough for an expressway. Ten minutes later, realized that a chicken truck (the one that carries chickens J ), had stopped in the middle of the road and few Express way cops were investigating it.  The cops and few local villagers pushed the vehicle to the side and started clearing the traffic. 

Meanwhile, the driver walked towards back of that truck and opened the cage; and whhhooooossssssshhhhhh. Like a pack of cards, all the chickens fell out. Yes, you read it right, its ‘fell out’ and not ‘flew out’; since they were all dead…….khalaaasss. The truck driver, owner or whoever; too was surprised to see all of them dead. There were maybe 200 – 300 approx. How did they die? Maybe because of the heavy rains, being cramped in cages, some flue, infection or who knows what. He started panicking and explaining the cops that they were alive when he last checked. He then handed over few dead chickens to the cops and villagers [chicken bribe ;)] and asked them to help load back the truck.

The villagers were happy to get free chickens. You could tell from their excitement. They were holding them by their legs and waving in the air like a prized achievement. But I wonder what would happen of the remaining dead bodies…………I mean the dead chickens. Probably they would still end up at their destination – some slaughter house or a hotel. And still be served to the end consumer; that is we humans.

The sight of the dead chickens lying on the road and then being loaded in the truck was pretty awful. I am a veggie and it does not bother me much. But I had others with me who love eating chicken and were disgusted by the sight of it. It was a short moment of realization for all of us that we enjoy eating chicken when cooked and fried; but for it to get on to our plate, we don’t even bother or care to know how much suffering That life has to undergo to entice our taste buds.

Like the famous magicians Penn and Teller (total respect for their magic) would say……..it’s only a god dam chicken!!! (no respect for this statement of theirs). Some may also counter argue saying:

1.       Even plants have life, so what about their suffering when the vegetarians eat them?

2.       Its survival of the fittest buddy.

3.       There are so many chicken in this world, why not make use of them by eating them.

Case 1: Let’s take a situation where no one is going to serve us food for one day. We have to get and cook our food all by ourselves. There is a living chicken in front of us and potato plant (or any other veggie plant). Would you kill the chicken, cut its throat, pluck its feather, chop it into pieces and cook it OR pluck the vegetable, cut it into pieces and cook it?

My choice would be to pluck the veggie and cook it. If I cannot harm or kill a life myself, I prefer not eating it as well. Your choice may differ and you have the right to stick by it.

Case 2: Question of Survival arises only when there is a threat. What threat do chickens have for humans? In fact it’s we humans who are a threat to these species …maybe they should fight back J.

Case 3: True, so many chickens. Most of them we have forcefully grown. But if that’s the argument, then why stop at chicken? There are so many crows around. Why not consume the crows as well and make use of them? J

I haven’t posted any pictures in this post; did not want you all to feel disgusted by it. But next time you eat food, would be wise to spend a moment to ponder on what has it taken to prepare that meal for you.

This post is not to debate about veg or non-veg food. What we put into our mouth is entirely our choiceJ…………food is anyways a personal choice. 

If Only Advertisements Could Be Like This...

Advertisements or TV commercials are a bunch of false promises…..or simply put, plain lies. Specially the cosmetic advertisements. Everyone is trying to sell something that they themselves do not use.

Superstars, Good looking models, cute Kids, even dogs promote products they never use :)

Sample punch lines could be -

‘Apply cream X and become whiter by 10X’ – ‘Drink this and get wings or increase your height’ – ‘Spray this and girls will come hunting for you’ – ‘Eat this and the more you eat, the more weight you loose’………….and what not !!!

TV commercials these days are popular for their entertainment factor rather than genuineness of the actual product. It’s good to see that most consumers are intelligent and do not fall for these false promises. We buy what we need………….or …..Do we?

For the first time I have come across a commercial / advertisement, in which this brand doesn't focus on selling the product, neither does it mention the name of the product even once……….rather, it chooses to focus on the issue that their product promises to improve. (In this case…….it is beauty)

Hats off to Dove for creating this sort of a commercial! …………..If only more advertisements could be like this :)

PS: prefer watching it with your headphones........i'm sure you would watch it more than once!

PPSS: If unable to see the embedded video below, click on this

'Q' bole to....Quilling!

Every once in a while, we come across people who put you in wonder! As in, they just make you go Wow! I have a good friend who often amazes me.

Well...this post is not about her. It’s just about a creative quality she possesses :)

If I ask you a question....Have you heard about Quilling? Your immediate answer would be, ….hmmm.......errrrr……..ummm…...Quill...what??

Well, even I had the same answer the first time :P

Quilling is a form of paper art, where strips of paper are rolled, shaped and glued together to create decorative designs.

Yeah I know it sound silly when I define it :) ..... but when one sees it...... it’s just wonder ! ....that Wow I mentioned earlier :)

And this friend of mine does it so beautifully.

I remember the first time she had showed me few of her Quilling art work. She had made few designs on an envelope.

And it looked so simple yet brilliant.

My first thought was......wow......we generally use plain lame envelops to gift something. So why not use the Quilling envelopes for gifting.

It makes the gift look so much more attractive and royal :P

Well the only downside would be people may consider the envelope to be the gift and neglect the gift inside it : P

And it’s just not Quilling envelopes that she does…….there’s a whole range of endless ideas she can play around with.

Enough talks...... just look at some of her designs. The Ganesha one is my personal favorite :)

I know what everyone's thinking !!!............how do I get my hands on them :) ........well....you just need to get in touch with her.

For now, if you need any of her fantastic creations, just let me know.

Judge Not !!!

Hey guys........... its been almost a year and now im back. This blog is not an original one. Got this poem through a mail.......and just thought of posting it here. So enjoy !!! :-)

Heart Of Repentance

I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp--
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.

Herb, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.

'And why is everyone so quiet,
So somber - give me a clue.'
'Hush, child,' He said, 'they're all in shock.
No one thought they'd be seeing you.'

JUDGE NOT!!

Is India really a Poor Country??

I got this mail from a friend. Liked it very much.........so thought of sharing with you all.

We all knew this existed, but the sheer magnitude surprised me. Do your bit to create the awareness and pressure.

IS INDIA A POOR COUNTRY?
by M R Venkatesh

Revelation of Swiss bank accounts

This is so shocking.... ...If black money deposits was an Olympics event.... India would have won a gold medal hands down. The second best Russia has 4 times lesser deposit. U.S. is not even there in the counting in top five! India has more money in Swiss banks than all the other countries combined!

Recently, due to international pressure, the Swiss government agreed to disclose the names of the account holders only if the respective governments formally asked for it... Indian government is not asking for the details..... ..no marks for guessing why?

So go and VOTE......and VOTE for CHANGE!!! The same party brought to power again and again means encouraging unabated corruption

Is India poor, who says? Ask the Swiss banks. With personal account deposit bank of $1,500 billion in foreign reserve which have been misappropriated, an amount 13 times larger than the country's foreign debt, one needs to rethink if India is a poor country?

DISHONEST INDUSTRIALISTS, scandalous politicians and corrupt IAS, IRS, IPS officers have deposited in foreign banks in their illegal personal accounts a sum of about $1500 billion, which have been misappropriated by them. This amount is about 13 times larger than the country's foreign debt. With this amount 45 crore poor people can get Rs 1,00,000 each. This huge amount has been appropriated from the people of India by exploiting and betraying them. Once this huge amount of black money and property comes back to India , the entire foreign debt can be repaid in 24 hours. After paying the entire foreign debt, we will have surplus amount, almost 12 times larger than the foreign debt. If this surplus amount is invested in earning interest, the amount of interest will be more than the annual budget of the Central government. So even if all the taxes are abolished, then also the Central government will be able to maintain the country very comfortably.

Some 80,000 people travel to Switzerland every year, of whom 25,000 travel very frequently.. 'Obviously, these people won't be tourists. They must be travelling there for some other reason,' believes an official involved in tracking illegal money. And, clearly, he isn't referring to the commerce ministry bureaucrats who've been flitting in and out of Geneva ever since the World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations went into a tailspin!

Just read the following details and note how these dishonest industrialists, scandalous politicians, corrupt officers, cricketers, film actors, illegal sex trade and protected wildlife operators, to name just a few, sucked this country's wealth and prosperity. This may be the picture of deposits in Swiss banks only. What about other international banks?
Black money in Swiss banks -- Swiss Banking Association report, 2006 details bank deposits in the territory of Switzerland by nationals of following countries:


TOP FIVE
INDIA : $1,456 BILLION
RUSSIA : $470 BILLION
U.K. : $390 BILLION
UKRAINE : $100 BILLION
CHINA : $96 BILLION

Here's the interesting part.......
Now do the math's - India with $1,456 billion or $1.4 trillion has more money in Swiss banks than rest of the world combined. Public loot since 1947:

Can we bring back our money? It is one of the biggest loots witnessed by mankind -- the loot of the Aam Aadmi (common man) since 1947, by his brethren occupying public office. It has been orchestrated by politicians, bureaucrats and some businessmen.

The list is almost all-encompassing. No wonder, everyone in India loots with impunity and without any fear. What is even more depressing in that this ill-gotten wealth of ours has been stashed away abroad into secret bank accounts located in some of the world's best known tax havens. And to that extent the Indian economy has been stripped of its wealth. Ordinary Indians may not be exactly aware of how such secret accounts operate and what are the rules and regulations that go on to govern such tax havens. However, one may well be aware of 'Swiss bank accounts,' the shorthand for murky dealings, secrecy and of course pilferage from developing countries into rich developed ones.

In fact, some finance experts and economists believe tax havens to be a conspiracy of the western world against the poor countries. By allowing the proliferation of tax havens in the twentieth century, the western world explicitly encourages the movement of scarce capital from the developing countries to the rich. In March 2005, the Tax Justice Network (TJN) published a research finding demonstrating that $11.5 trillion of personal wealth was held offshore by rich individuals across the globe.

The findings estimated that a large proportion of this wealth was managed from some 70 tax havens. Further, augmenting these studies of TJN, Raymond Baker -- in his widely celebrated book titled 'Capitalism' s Achilles Heel: Dirty Money and How to Renew the Free Market System' -- estimates that at least $5 trillion have been shifted out of poorer countries to the West since the mid-1970.

It is further estimated by experts that one per cent of the world's population holds more than 57 per cent of total global wealth, routing it invariably through these tax havens.. How much of this is from India is anybody's guess.

What is to be noted here is that most of the wealth of Indians parked in these tax havens is illegitimate money acquired through corrupt means. Naturally, the secrecy associated with the bank accounts in such places is central to the issue, not their low tax rates as the term 'tax havens' suggests. Remember Bofors and how India could not trace the ultimate beneficiary of those transactions because of the secrecy associated with these bank accounts?

The news channels a couple of days back said that Sonia Gandhi has assets worth of only Rs. 1.37 crores. :))) Do you really believe that ??

I repeat what i said earlier -Go and VOTE......and VOTE for CHANGE!!! The same party brought to power again and again means encouraging unabated corruption.

Are you sure the Media covers up the Entire Nation !!!

Lets look at some more facts about the current government ..........ready for few more surprises!! :))

How many states do we have in India? ............ are you sure u know the answer? or do you have to google it ?? :))
Well...... there are few states that do not get any attention from the media......... no matter how worse a condition exists there.

--> Situation in Assam
Our current Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has been elected to Rajya Sabha for the past eighteen years from Assam… either as an MP or as the PM. And amazingly he has never spoken a word about the illegal infiltration of Bangladeshis which challenges the population structure in seven districts of that State. Maybe they are the guys that vote him in?!

There was a case in Guwahati High Court. A Pakistani infiltrated into Assam via Bangladesh and got included in the voters list after obtaining a ration card by paying bribe to the local officials. After that, he contested in and won the Assembly election on 1996!! In its judgment, the Guwahati High Court expressed deep anguish and said that only in Assam foreigners could come to power and even make the native people minorities. :))

The Pakistani flag is now being hoisted in five districts of states like Assam where the Muslim population has gone up significantly. 92000 Hindusand 6000 Christians are now languishing in refugee camps. The government has turned a blind eye to this. In the name of security, innocent people have been put in jails, whereas people like Yaasin Malik who has 23 murder charges on him, are moving Scot free and gathering their own strength. Is it acceptable to any patriotic Indian?

--> Situation in Andra Pradesh
Thanks to the Congress led Government, out of 36000 temples in Andhra Pradesh, 28000 have closed down in the last five years. Do you want the same trend to continue in other parts of the country?

--> Situation in Nagaland
Why have the minorities in Nagaland, Mizoram & Kashmir not got the similar privileges like the minorities in other states? Why is the Govt following different rules for different religions?

--> Situation in Arunachal Pradesh
Do you know that China is gradually trying to extend its boundries and accquire Arunachal Pradesh? Infact it has already made claims that Arunachal Pradesh belongs to China. Has the govenrment or the Media spoken or responded to China about this? Just imagine how China will react if India claims to accquire any land that belongs to China.

Read more about it here - http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1063888

--> Situation in Jammu and Kashmir
Well........most of us are atleast aware of the situation in J&K. But do you know that on 14th August Pakistani flags are hoisted in this region....... and more over......... on 15th August, the India flag is BURNT in most of the parts. Which country would allow such acts to take place??. I guess i shamefully have to admit that ..."It happens only in India!!"

Such is the plight of most of the states in Eastern India and other parts of the nation. And nothing has been done apart from generating vote banks by dividing the nation into Majority and Minority. Can't Hindu's , Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Parsi's etc. and all religions keep aside thier religion and think for a moment that we are all Indians :))

Well....... you can act. Go and Vote.........and Vote for Change !!!

Game of Education and Money by our Current Government

Some more facts related to the education system handled by over current government :))

--> Exceptional Rise in educational fees:
Back in 1991, at IIT , the semester fees were Rs 20! Yup, you heard it right… Then the government started withdrawing financial aid to the IITs and today the semester fees in IIT is to the tune of Rs 20,000!! Forget about IIT, the absolutely pathetic state of the educational infrastructure of all government run institutions hits you right in the face! That’s one of the reasons they have reservation maybe, to cover up their absolute inability to impart any semblance of basic education to the children of our country.

--> Donating Money to Harvard and Cambridge
Now while our own education systems are in a pretty bad shape, our government gives out money to Harvard and Cambridge universities!! And says stuff like we were not sure that they would accept the money, we are so grateful that they did!! How much money? To the tune of Rs 50 crores!! Just because Mr. Nehru studied from there. Instead had that money been utilized for Indian Rural University /College development we would had best infrastructure for lakhs of Indian Students. In last one year there has been increase by 25% or more in fees in all Govt. Indian colleges and universities, and Govt is generously donating that money to Foreign Universities. (You can read more about this here - http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1150356 )

--> CBSE status for Madrassas
While Pakistan and some other islamic nations are closing down their madressas, there is talk of granting CBSE status to Islamic madressas in India, which means that people graduating with an almost jihadi "education" now could apply for government jobs! Which will mean that we won’t just have criminals in the bureaucracy and ruling us, we will have terrorists! They can be anyone, a Police officer, a Bus driver, a muncipal employee. Easy access to terrorism to enter into our system-- Jai ho! (Read more about this here - http://www.indianexpress.com/news/madrasa-certificates-will-now-be-cbse-equivalent/404478/
and here - http://www.sanghparivar.org/join-madrasa-why-sit-for-tough-cbse-board-exam)

We say India is a secular nation, then why cant we promote Muslim students to study in the mainstream schools with the rest? Why seperate the muslim students and encourage them to study in Madrassas? When Pakistan Govt. itself has realized that terrorism is breeding in some Madarasa and is keeping close watch on activities or closing many Madarasa in Pakistan, Our Indian Govt. is doing the opposite. In many Madarasa , only concept of Jihad is been taught and wrong education is been given .To secure Vote Bank , Congress has made the law for granting CBSE certificate and Job in Public Sector / Government to students passing from Madarasa

--> Scholarships for Minorities
In the passing they handed out scholarships to more than 25 lakh students in India… ALL minorities! When we say we Indians are ONE, they why the funda of minority or majority? What about those who are not a minority? Is this the right way to give scholarships, on the basis of minority or majority status?
All these issues are not been highlighted by the Media. Its just a one liner news and then its over. So we can easily tell who has pocketed the media:)).

So you see......... we cannot really trust the Media. This time go and vote......and Vote for CHANGE !!! :)

PS: These points are just the tip of the iceberg :)) .

Our Money used in Pak & Afgan !!! - Media is quiet ...sshhh!!!

Here are some facts about our money - the money all of us cough up as tax and are threatened with dire consequences if we don’t pay on time, etc, etc… The money that the government is supposed to be using for the welfare of the people… Well, here is what they have done with it…

--> Remember the Mumbai train blasts? Well, around that time India gave financial aid to Pakistan for earthquake relief… Rs 150 crores of it! . Oh, you guys came and blew up our trains… Thanks a lot, we needed new ones anyways! Here is some money for your efforts! We have soooo much money, we really don’t know what to do with it! Using it for education or slum rehab, really didn’t cross our minds at all… :))

--> Rs 3000 crores to Afghanistan! for infrastructure development… and i quote from the website: "In this case, India is providing three million dollars worth of gear. This includes 150 bullet-proof watch towers, 2,500 protective vests, and a lot of mine clearing equipment. So far, India has donated $700 million worth of good and services to Afghanistan, mostly for economic reconstruction." (Here is the link -http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htproc/articles/20061223.aspx). Bullet proof watch towers and protective vests are economic reconstruction?!

--> After the 26th Nov mumbai attacks, government promised new weapons for the police department. Well, if you go to any police station and ask them, here is what they will tell you. "Yes, we have got new weapons. Previously we used weapons / Pistols / Rifles that fired only 2 rounds of bullets. But the current ones are 'supposed to' fire 24 rounds of bullets. Yeah, they are just 'supposed to' fire because these new weapons given to the police department are guns that are discarded by the Indian Army. So they look new, but who knows if they fire or not !!! "

This is how our current government is using the citizens money - utilizing it on countries like Pakistan and Afganistan that are already a threat to India.
And the best part is........ the Media does not highlight such issues. Thats the reason i said earlier.......the media just shows one side of the story ;))
Think about it. Vote for a Change !!!

PS: These are just some of the points that i have highlighted.......there are many such issues where our money has been utilized and not accounted for.

Vote for Change - Say No to Milli Jhulli Sarkar

The Election mania has started already. We all want a change in government. We all want a change in our (Indian) politics and politicians. However, the only power that we citizens posses is - " to vote ". I agree that 1 vote hardly matters. But nevertheless ........it does matter. I hope we all go and vote during this elections.

Since 1991, no party has won the elections with a majority. Its always been a coalition government (Mili Jhuli Sarkar). In such situations, the government spends more time, money and efforts in keeping the coalition together, so that they don't loose the majority; rather than serving / developing the country.

In the USA (and many other contries) , there are only 2 parties that contest the elections -
1) The Republicans and 2) The Democrats.
In India, i think there are hundreds :)) . And we all wish that we have only 2 political parties in our country..........don't we?
But if we look closely, even in India, there are 2 major National parties -
1) Congress and 2) BJP.

So if we neglect or avoid voting the regional parties, and keeping our Nation in mind, if we vote for either of the above 2 parties, then surely there will be a single government this time.

Agreed, both parties are equally bad, equally corrupt. But for the past 18 years, we have not had a single government. Lets kick out the Mili Jhuli Sarkar and vote to get a single government.
But which party to choose out of the two........... do your own research. And PLEASE don't believe the Media, News papers, TV Reports completely. They just show one side of the story :)))

Tasty Surprise

I had been to Switzerland and Germany two weeks back. Both places are simply awesome with their own natural beauty, culture, tradition and people. Well, i am not going to give a detail explanation about my trip in this blog............may be some other time. But will share regarding the lovely food we had in Switzerland.

As we all know, Swiss is a place of high hills and valleys. (and lots and lots of cows. the ratio of cows to people living there is 3:1). The peak parts of Alps range is also in Swiss. So my friends and me decided to visit a peak Mount Titlis. Its at a height of 3100 m above sea level. And tourists are taken to the top via a cable car that takes 45 minutes.

When we reached at the base of Mt. Titlis we were excited to see the natural beauty around. High mountains with their peaks covered in snow. Clicked many pictures there. Before boarding the cable car, we decided to eat some stuff so that we won't get hungry later on. Now eating outside in Europe is a big trouble if your an Indian.........and even more trouble if your a Veggie Indian :). We spotted a take away joint near the base. Hoping that it served good food, we rushed towards it.

And to our delight........guess what it turned out to be. It was an Indian food stall.......yieppe!!!
And to top it all...........our Indian flag was hoisted there too. Well........it is so true.........we Indians have our presence everywhere...........even in the high Alps. The stall attendent was a noble man from Rajesthan but living in Switzerland for the past 30 years. When we looked at the menu............we were even more thrilled. They served Vada Pav, Idli, Pav Bhaji........and even Gajjar ka Halwa :) . We ordered all of them. And i ate it as if it was my last meal ;). I had not eaten these items for the past 11 months since my stay in Finland. So it was a treat for me.

aaaaahhhhh.........I just cant imagine life without vada pav....... ;) (pun intended!!!)

Control + Alt + Delete !!!

Computers have become a very essential part of our lives. And software engineers eat, drink and sleep computers. So much so that we sometimes talk in computer language.

For instance, two days ago my team mate was searching for his pen that he had misplaced in the office. So i go upto him and say... "Dude, do a Control F" (Ctrl+F ....command to search for a file on a Comp) .... ;).

And its not just me, people all around speak in similar lingo. If someone needs help.........he/she will say "F1......F1...." :). The picture that i have attached below shows another commonly used computer command.........used as a lingo..........with a simple yet effective meaning ;) .

If you find similar lingos...........then do post them in the comments section. Have a Great Day/Night ;)

Obama or McCain ?

Who should be the next president of USA? Well, only the people of USA can decide that :). The two presidential candidates are Barack Obama and John McCain. One of these will be replacing George Bush. Barack Obama represents the democratic party and John McCain represents the republican party. (McCain belongs to the same party as that of George Bush). The next president of USA will be declared in January 2009.............but the entire world is keeping itself updated about the proceedings.

Some of us may think, how does it matter to us who the next president of USA is? Well, it does matter a bit...........only a bit. Anyways, its the American peoples choice, and let them decide whats best for them. But what i liked the most is the method of electing a President in USA. You see, when the candidates are nominated for the post of president, they have to provide a full proof plan as to how they are going to sort out the various issues of the country. This includes education, health care, border security, taxation and other such issues.

Then they have to participate in a series of debates, that will be held by a chairperson and the entire debate will be viewed by the common people on TV. This helps them to decide whom they are going to cast their vote for. I seen the last presidential debate between Obama and McCain on youtube. And boy its a treat to watch it. The chairperson asks them such tough and direct questions. Both candidates had to talk on issues (as to how would they solve it if they were elected president) regarding the current fall in American economy, the War on Iraq, the relationships with Iran etc. Its not just that they had to say they would solve the countries problems, they have to present a detail roadmap with facts and figures.

On one occasion, both candidates had to talk about how they are going to solve the economic crises of the America. Both spoke for a while in highly technical terms. And after they had finished speaking, the chairperson points a figure at them and says "I haven't understood a single thing what you just said. It all seems a crap to me". (Imagine someone saying that to you in a debate. You had to change the method of explanation then right) Thats how tough the debates are. Poori tarah se nanga kardeta hain (It projects what plans your going to execute).

I wish even we could have such events during our Presidential or Prime Minister elections so that the common man can decide easily and be clear as to whom he/she will be voting.

But whoever becomes the next president of USA, one thing is for sure........more wars!!! Obama however says that he would remove the troops from Iraq and focus more on the terrorists that Pakistan is supporting. McCain on the other hand says that if he is the president then he will continue this war on Iraq.

I think this...........McCain is a photocopy of Bush. Obama seems more practical and tough. I would go for Obama.