At the outset, I have to admit that I am very bad when it comes to carnatic music details.I know for a fact that I like Carnatic music and like it better when it is fused with western elements.It kind of makes a mark even in an ordinary person like me who has not made too many attempts to understand the nuances of the music. I happened to listen to V.s.Narasimhan's fusion music through youtube(From Lazygeek's blog). It is really fascinating and instantly sending one into a trance.After a very boring day at work and frying heat in Texas, as I got home and listened to some of his pieces from youtube I am filled with awe and totally forgot all the day's irritating thoughts.I wish I had discovered his music earlier. Now its time to hunt down some of his compositions online and through CDs available in stores. Heres some details about him. An article from Hindu
Some of his compositions from youtube:
I came to know that my all time favorite "How to name it" also had V.S.Narasimhan's Violin masterpiece.
The underlying write up is based on my reply to a friend who questioned the use of the social media tool twitter.His point was that twitter carried incoherent snippets of personal details of people who didn't really know that well and that how it could possibly help him in any possible way.
Getting into the twitter bandwagon and posting pithy snippets of info that one deems interesting is not just about interacting within one's group and trying to pull each other's leg.In fact I feel that the twitter posts will help demonstrate the varied interests that people have which might not be possible to exhibit to conventional media.These tweets shall spawn constructive conversations and debates the next time when the group meets instead of the regular mundane topics.
The best way to tap the potential of twitter is to start following friends as wells as other people who are well known in their corresponding field. For instance, I follow the updates from the Austin American statesman,cricinfo,crossword related tweets.These entities update pertinent information regularly and cater to my tastes. In fact I feel that there are a number of diverse areas that I can follow and get informed but the paucity of time doesn't allow me to ramify my twitter network. One needs to start thinking out of the box when it comes to Internet social media, wherein anything that gets posted is privy to a large audience all across the globe.This same fact illustrates that twitter and blogs could be put to use for great Internet activism or towards creation of positive endeavors.
As I was positing this write-up, I dabbled in twitter and found these links for a friend who got laid off recently and is seeking any leads for job info.
To get started with twitter,one just needs to visit www.twitter.com . Then if one really needs to have continued access throughout the day,it is better to get a firefox client like twitterfox or something which will keep popping up new stuff in the background,making it virtually effortless for one to follow tweets or post tweets. This makes one avoid spending a lot of time refreshing or having the twitter page open always.Using rss readers is also a good option.
The search utility in twitter ( http://search.twitter.com/ ) is yet to be tapped properly.Its been very useful when you want to follow specific stuff .For Eg:I was hooked on to twitter during the Bombay 26/11 happenings.Albeit being uncorroborated and repetitive sometimes,some updates were really fresh and interesting. I am reminded of the tweet that I sent a few days ago: In the country of the ignorant,one who twitters is the king! Get to know the latest hot topics http://tweetstats.com/trends
Albeit my indifference or unbiased emotions towards the whole LTTE issue and the recent news about the wiping out of the controversial group - LTTE and its self-made megalomaniac leader - Prabhakaran's death, I have been intrigued by the development and history behind the LTTE group.
This new article that appeared on the UK Mirror online gives a very good outline about the history of LTTE's connections with the Tamilnadu politicians. It asks a question as to whether the future of LTTE lies in the hands of the Tamilnadu CM Mr.Karunanidhi. My personal opinion is that Karunanidhi doesn't have the need currently to fight for this cause as he is busy fighting for ministerial berths for his close kith and kin and is hell bent on making sure his lineage is well represented in both the state and central ministries.
All along the srilankan issue has been used as an efficient medium to garner some hardcore tamilian fanatics' votes in every election and to side with the local parties whose core initiatives lie on propagating pro-Eelam issues among the tamil diaspora.Karunananidhi has time and again proved how Machiavellian he is , by cunningly using the LTTE issue as a weapon to garner Tamilnadu junta's support and conveniently forget it when the group needs moral and strategic support to advance its cause. Had he really been an advocate for the goodness of the innocent Tamils stuck between the terrorist organization LTTE and the merciless Srilankan Government, he would have mobilized enough Indian government support to stop the killings of the thousands of innocent Tamils,instead all he could come up with was an obvious facade and drama of hunger strike which didn't even last for 4 hrs.Even this dharna was done in an air cooled,luxurious setting completely in contrast to the suffering public on Srilankan soil.
My blog has been getting step-motherly treatment or rather step-fatherly treatment from me in recent times.The main reason I think is the popularity with twitter. The short,pithy messages with tinyurl based condensed content seems to be more interesting nowadays rather than the lengthy posts in the blogs,which does not guarantee a definite readership.
ANyways, I still like blogs better because of the seriousness in the posts in blogs.Twitter seems to be random updates with no real uniqueness in it. follow me on twitter here http://twitter.com/raaapi -Raapi
We had the luck of seeing the Pope in person at the Vatican on the new Year's eve Papal address welcoming the new year. There were lots of celebrations and the choir kept singing the christian sermons. It was really awesome. -Rajesh
Visited Chicago in dec 2008. spent time at the Field museum/Adler planeterium/Shedd aquarium on 24th dec. (No photos as we forgot our camera in our hotel) :(
A few months ago I refinanced at 5.5% thinking the rates had come down a lot from the 6.25% rate I had from my original loan.
Of late the rates have been decreasing even more.
My mortgage broker,Brad Walters is helping me refinance again for a lower rate.
Here is my Linkedin recommendation for Brad and I could say again that hes really a nice guy to work with.He offered all options of refinancing with/without points/with and without origination fee and I was finally able to select the best possible combo for me.
Brad helped me refinance my home loan recently.He was very adept at handling all the aspects of the entire process with great professionalism and understanding.He is an expert when it comes to Home loan details and is easily reachable at all times. Brad was able to get the best possible mortgage rate with minimal fees and It was a pleasure to have dealt with him. -Rajesh November 14, 2008
Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, High Integrity
I got my green card few months ago and since then had stopped following the Visa bulletin. Took a peek at it today and was amazed to find that nothing has changed since when I used to follow this.
Irritating to say the least!When will this system be set right?
My Honda accord's battery died and it locked up my radio system in the car.The anti-theft thingy associated with this radio system gets locked up and needs a special code to make it work again.Little did I know that it was so sophisticated system.Since I had bought the car as a second hand car, I didnt have the original secret code/key and couldn't find it stuck anywhere in the glove compartment or the trunk.
After googling for this, I found out a way to get this done.
1. Turn off the audio unit. 2. Press and hold the 1 and 6 preset buttons, then turn on the audio unit. The display toggles between two screens. The first screen displays a U and the first four digits of the serial number (for example, U2100). The second screen displays an L and the last four digits of the serial number (for example, L8683). Ignore the U and L, and write down all eight digits. 3. Call Honda Dealer for Radio Code. 4. Use the preset buttons with numbers to enter the 5 digits of the anti-theft code into the audio unit. The system would spring back alive!
Awesome procedure!i am glad it worked without having to spend some 100$ through the dealer to take care of this.
I was wondering all the while during last week's attack at Mumbai, as to how any article would be able to capture the entire episode vividly with all relevant details. Here is one such article! Great piece capturing all the details.Really sad to go through it and realize the ordeal faced by innocent people who were just going ahead with their routine. -Rajesh
Whats with Austin and its endless bank robberies?Almost every other week,I seem to read of someone just entering a bank and decamping with undisclosed sum at gunpoint.Can't they hire one of those retired ex-servicemen or someone who can work for cheap just holding an unloaded gun in front of the branch akin to the good old way it is followed in India?That thing for sure works unless and until the culprit gets to know the trick of the guns and gun wielders at the entrance being a fake.
I guess this trend of rampant robberies at the Brick n Mortar bank locations can serve as a good advertisement gig for online banking!Although online banking has its own risk of lot of scams,at least one doesn't have to fear about getting killed at the hands of some lunatic at the branch.
Diwali 2008 just passed away silently devoid of any glimpse of reminding me of the festive mood in India.No crackers,no exchange of sweets,no calls from relatives with the clichéd question "Ganga snaanam aachaa?".
Well.Its been the same since year 2000 since I came to the US, the only change this time being that we had some friends at home and went out for dinner.Also, shwetha made it a little interesting by making ribbon pakodas.
The TV programs seem to suck big time.The faces of Vadivelu,Karunas and other uninteresting individuals don't seem to cheer anyone up.Very irritating programs all throughout the day.Gone are the days when it used to be really great with a Rajni/Kamal movie releasing or a barrage of interesting new movie songs coming out on the day of diwali.Also , isn't there no one else to conduct pattimandrams other than solomon papaiya and his oft repeated crew of individuals? That program really makes every occasion seem the same and not worthy of remembering anything in particular.
I wish they allowed a hunting trip where these executives run for their lives with the shareholders behind them.
Bastards!I wonder how the people who signed up for this trip had the audacity to go to the trip when the sky was falling.But then what goes their father?The bloody govt was bailing them out with billions of dollars without considering the continued largesses on the part of this stupid company.
The Dow went down today.Well. What else to expect when there is so much of dumbfuckery going on at all levels in the US economy.
This are some pictures of our first Golu in Austin.It was a nostalgic experience which brought in memories of childhood when we used to meticulously arrange the bommais and come up with innovative grocery stores/parks etc.An awesome experience.
This weekend Shwetha and I had the privilege to host the famous vocalist Sanjay Subrahmanian, Naagai Murlidharan(violinist) and neyveli venkatesh (mridangist) at our house when they had come for a kuchery in Austin.
We had a memorable experience.We were touched by the simplicity and modesty of all the artists. The larger than life musicians were very easily approachable and humble.
So many things go into refinancing. I have decided to refinance and used some of these tools.
Zillow.com has a nice little mortgage rate chart Zillow has a neat little "Anonymous Loan request" option which lets lenders send your their GFE after looking into your loan requirement.You need to be logged in to Zillow to use this facility.
In refinancing 3 mains things to look out for and bargain: The lender fees and the title company's escrow fees. Also the home appraisal can be bargained for 250$ instead of the 350-375$ charged for their 1 hr work.
The bailout will affect you because taxes payers have to foot this loan. You will see more inflation because it will weaken our dollar more than it is, causing products to be much higher. If they did not do the bailout, then all loans would screech to a halt and business could not operate. This is a lose, lose situation, due to the problem not being fixed when out of control loans were given out. Our government failed to protect the citizens and now we will pay. The extent of this disaster isn't even known, because it is the first of it's kind. Put in a nutshell, you will have to pay more for everything and the debt must be paid by the taxpayers by you and I and our children and their children, etc. We are only hoping this stops total failure of our system, they still don't know the full repercussion of what is to come, but it is going to be hard for everyone, except the rich people who will continue too collect from their investments, jobs, or whatever. They very wealthy are the only ones who will benefit for sure.~~
Such headline news for Austin don't seem surprising but then its scary to realize that this happened yesterday when I was sitting in an adjacent movie screening oblivious to this happen in the nearby room.
Insanity and weirdness of Austin!Anything can happen anywhere! -Raapi
OMG!I could never come to terms with that stupid drug addict mentioned above earning close to a million$/episode.That serial is not interesting either.Its a stupid story of a womanizer and wastrel.
Hmm..Academics/toiling 20 years at school/college is a waste of time apparently. -Raapi
This is from an upcoming movie "Engal Aasan".. Look at this Man... aging..director and look at the spelling in the picture. Wasn't there a single person in the entire studio or photo shoot who could not spot this glaring error?
Anyways,hope this movie is like his previous one Arasaangam which surprised me and my friends.It was really a good movie devoid of usual Vijayakanth elements.
For some reason the Mumbai consulate website gets to publish the Priority dates 1 day earlier than the official Visa bulletin website has the details.I presume that is because of the time zone factor.
The 10th/11th/12th of every month seems to have become a restless time for the Priority date watchers!
This article in WSJ talks in simple terms the hidden costs associated with the widely advertised lower cost newer Iphone that is going to get released to public at the end of this week.It comes close to suggesting that one shouldn't just jump on to this new deal.But who's going to listen?
Cellphone, Internet and cable TV services really make a killing and drain a substantial sum of money from the monthly paycheck with all the hidden costs. Coming to think of it,I think I pay something like 250$ for just these 3 services,which over a period of 2 years which is typically the contract period is around 6000$.Now that is really a mind boggling sum for just these 3 services.I don't own a homephone and thus am avoding another 50$ of expense each month.
One needs to be wary of these new gizmos and the hidden agenda behind these gimmicks.
Pathetic India! Why on earth would anyone think of living in this country?Its setting itself as an example of "1 step forward and 27 steps backward" with such ridiculous laws coming in day by day.5 lacs?what the hell?Did anyone think about those countless forward caste people who don't earn 5 lacs over the their entire lifetime?What about them?Who's going to lift them from the non creamy sewage layer?A chief Minister proudly proclaiming that her state will have reservation starting from schools till college for SC/ST/BC/OBC soon.How pathetic can it get?I pity the upcoming forward caste generation in India.The moment one is born ,he or she is doomed for life if he or she chooses to stay in the country. -Raapi
Very disgusting to see this article about an Indian couple (Mahender and Varsha Sabhnani ) who were sentenced for badly treating their Indonesian maids.
What a wonderful song!Superb rendition.Kudos to Aruna Sairam.I had the opportunity to listen to her music in Austin last month.She was very humble and full of grace.
Her Kalinga narathana song was also very interesting.
I am no Carnatic music expert.I am actually pretty bad that I can't even count myself as a novice in the area. I was listening to one of the latest Malayalam movie songs
We are pleased to announce the July 2008 cut-off dates for immigrant visas for individuals born in India and those born in most other countries.
To qualify for an appointment, an applicant's priority date (the date that the petition was filed) must fall before the cut-off date for the appropriate category.
The following numbers are derived from the Department of State's Visa Bulletin. If you have additional questions about cut-off dates and your case is being processed at the U.S. Consulate General in Mumbai, please e-mail us or call us at +91-22-2363-7407 between 2 and 4 p.m. IST.
I have quite often gone back to my blogs from 3 or 4 years ago to see what I was doing in the June of 2003 or the August of 2005 because I find it tough to remember all those trips I took and all the people I met 3 or 4 years ago. Thinking futuristic,I would like to jot down a few of the significant activities/trips that have been happening in my or my folks' life.I hope these timelines provide me with enough memories when I visit 2 or 3 years later down the line.
My last trip to India was in 2006 June for my wedding. Its surprising that I haven't visited India for around 2 years now.I think this is the longest time I have stayed away from India.
Timelines and events since 2006 June!
June 2006 - Got married in Chennai.Didn't spend much time in Chennai.Went on a 3 week vacation.Spent 2 days in Singapore on our way back to Austin.Went to Sentosa.It was a pleasant experience.
July 2006 - Went on a trip to Las Vegas/Grand Canyon.It was fun.
Sept 2006 - Visited Brownsville/South Padre with Saru and Vinodhini.We had a good time.
Sept 2006 - Shwetha went to Sanjose to be with her parents/Sangeetha to help around during Sangeetha's delivery.
Nov 2006 - Sanjay was born to Sangeetha and Chandru on Nov 14th.Went to Sanjose/Los Angeles/Sandiego.Sanju was very cute and we had a great time in Sanjose. The drive from Sanjose to San Jose was awesome.Met friends and relatives.Shwetha's parents visted us in Austin later and we had a good time going to houston/galveston.
Dec 2006 - Went to florida and spent time with chitappa and family.Visited disney and spent a nice time in the resort that chitappa had booked.
Jan to July 2007 - Very busy with the house buying/building process.No scope for any kind of trips.Quite hectic and tensed times.
July 2007 - Shwetha's sister Sangeetha and family visisted us in austin.We had a nice time with Sanju.Went to Houston and places around austin.
August 2007 - My sister came on a 6 month tourist Visa to Austin coinciding with my housewarming ceremony.
Sept 2007 - Had the housewarming ceremony which was attended by close friends Nattan and family and KSP n his wife.Chitappa and sridhar's family also visited.It was a really good occasion for everyone to meet.Wish shwetha and my parents were also here
Oct 2007 - Parents visited austin for a 4.5 month stay.They visited a number of places such as lexington,oklahoma,michigan,galveston,Houston and returned to India in March 2008
November/December 2007 - Drove 2 or 3 times to Galveston texas where Chitra was doing an observeship at the Driscoll children's hospital.Amma/appa stayed with her for a couple of days in the hotel after which they returned to austin and left for KENTUCKY.
December 2007 - Went on a looooooooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggg roadtrip from austin to Lexington during the christmas vacation.Shwetha,Chitra and I travelled across texas/arkansas/Tennessee till kentucky.While returning Chitra stayed back and Shwetha and I alone drove back.We stopped at the HOT SPRINGS national park.It was an awesome experience.
March 2008 - Shwetha and I visited Sanjose to see baby Sanju.It was quite some time since we saw him.
Feb 2008 - Amma/appa left for India culminating their 4.5 month trip to the US.It felt bad when they left.It was after 8 or 9 years since we lived together for a substantial amount of time together.
March 2008 - Sister went to India and returned to Austin for her residency Match process.Wow! She did 2 trips to India within 6 months.Wait thats not the end of it.
May 2008 - Sister returned to India for her Visa stamping and shes returning to the US this month.
May 2008 - Wifey went on a 6 week trip to India and is returning in 2 weeks.shes spending time happily with our folks in Chennai/Pune and Mumbai.I wish I had also gone to India :(
June 2008(present) - I went on a small drive to dallas to spend a weekend with good old friends VS n Yesh.It was fun and we just whiled away our time watching countless movies - Nepali/Arasangam and Arai 305il kadavul being the prominent ones.Barring Nepali the other 2 movies were really good.VS and I played Tennis for around an hour.It was terribly hot and humid.We went for bowling the Saturday night.
June 2008 - Going to Omaha,Nebraska to get Chitra settled before she starts her residency from July.Will be flying to Kansas city and drive to Omaha from there.
