Mes Secrets Inconnus

trying to blog from iPhone using the iblogger app. just hoping , I will get more regular with this.

Since I happen to have used all these devices, I kind of felt that this pic relates to reality.. BTB, don’t ask me what I am using now

My office library – Kwench seems not to have books of my taste. iBooks came to my rescue. iBooks is an amazing way to download and read books. iBooks includes the iBookstore, where you can download the latest best selling books or your favorite classics. You can browse your library on a beautiful bookshelf, tap a book to open it , flip through pages with a swipe or a tap. You can also bookmark or add notes to your favorite passages…

Isn’t that neat?

Oh I could never quite understand this Twitter thing, must admit it took a while lol ... well, that has all changed. Followed some great folks, got a peek at their life and modified some of mine. Indeed it helped me a lot especially during the iphone Jailbreak/unlock news, Ayodhya issue and now the Mobile number portability. Some of them I follow include – Sachin tendulkar, Jim Carrey, Robin Sharma , Harry Mccracken, Padmashree to name a few.  Find me in twitter @vinukj

Happy tweeting – share and discover what’s happening now…

When Wifey’s mobile crashed, it was time for me to buy her a new one. Hours of review led me to narrow down on Samsung Champ. Later on I realized that my lil one loved watching her rhyme videos on my iPhone, whenever i had business calls to attend. So the onus was on me to find a cell that could play videos. Add to that some random requirements from wifey like – touch screen, a good camera, ability to check email etc all became P1 requirements. So after market researching, i found this android based cell – Spice MI 300. Now don’t go by the name. This VFM cell will blow your mind. I have managed to put some highlights of this cell for you.

* 3.2” HVGA Capacitive touch screen
* Android 2.1 upgradeable
* WiFi
* Bluetooth
* GPS & A- GPS
* HSDPA 3.5G
* 170 Mb onboard memory + free 2gb card – upgradable to 32GB
* 5 MP Camera with autofocus and LED flash
* Video at 30 FPS
* 600 mhz Qualcomm processor ( the same in HTC's)
* 3.2” 480 x 320 HVGA Capacitive touch screen
* Android and Spice Marketplace
* 1250Mah Battery
* Office Support
* Push Email
* G-Sensor, E- Compass , Proximity sensor

• Movie characters driving in the city will get to park wherever they like when they get to their destination.
• When you are alone in the back seat of the car, make sure you sit in the middle.
• Sudden acceleration of a car (be it forwards, backwards, stopping, skidding, sliding, or whatever) causes a loud skid, even on dirt or wet roads. Be prepared. Each wheel is also fitted with a smoke device to let you know when this happens. Hollywood cars are also special: when you take off quickly, you always leave a skid mark for each drive wheel, regardless of whether you have a limited slip differential or not.
• There are always people carrying around large sheets of glass on the street during a car chase.
• The person behind the wheel is talking to and looking at their passenger for the entire journey without actually looking at the _road_, changing gear, signalling etc. 
• Cars chasing each other in the middle of a city will not suffer enough damage to stop the chase.
• People being chased by a car will keep running down the middle of the road instead of ducking in somewhere where a car cannot go.
• A car will always explode when shot at, unless the hero is driving it.
• When you drive a car, you can always recognize all the persons you know that pass you in the opposite direction.
• If someone has "fixed" the foot-brakes in the car, the driver never use the hand-brake and the gears to slow down, at least not until the last moment.
• Cars often end up on cliff-edges with 2 wheels in the open air. The good guys are saved just before the car falls over, the bad guys join the car in the free fall, often caused by a bird setting down on the part of the car hanging over the edge.
• When a car falls off a cliff after a car chase, it usually explodes before reaching the ground.
• When speeding cars hit a parked car, they fly up into the air while the parked car doesn't even wiggle
• After a car crash, no movie character ever sits and shakes for five minutes, or becomes incoherent with shock.
• All cars seem to run on kerosene rather than gasoline (hence the copious black smoke when they burn).
• Not only do movie cars always park right in front, but they are never locked. 
• Movie cars have all excellent brakes and can come to a full stop from 120KPH (with loud screeches, even on dirt roads) in 20 ft.
• There are no stop signs in movie land. Wherever you have to drive, no matter how close or far away it is, you never have to stop before you get there.
• Film cars never start the first time when you're running away from the bad guy.
• If there is a large bump in a downhill road, speeding cars will always fly over them and hit the ground in shower of sparks. An interior view will then show the reaction of the passengers at the moment of impact. They will not be injured, even if they are not wearing safety belts. No tire damage, broken axles, or suspension failures will occur as a result of the impact. The car will then execute a sharp left turn at the bottom of the hill. Losing a hubcap at this point will be optional.
• Police cars involved in chase scenes usually tend to suffer more than any other vehicles- they have head on collisions, smash parked cars, fall into water, and of course, experience the ever popular flying-roll, causing the car to land upside down and crush the lights and siren. Usually, we never get to see the unlucky police force member before or after the inevitable accident.
• Acid applied by the villain to the hero's brake lines never has any effect unless the car is heading down a steep, winding road. Cars at traffic lights have invujlnerable brake lines.
• No one ever runs out of gas (even in long car chases). Corollary: every stolen car has a full gas tank and gets great gas mileage.
• Vintage cars are always 100% immaculate and freshly polished. They never have any scratches, dents or repairs.

Just like the one below, my mom also has lot of such things. I would not figure out these things as a kid, but when I now see her doing such things to my lil one, I understand. This means – I am now mature

Summarized below using Mind maps

The last day on our epic Journey. This day was reserved for Shopping. But since we could not make it to Taj, I decided to show her the famous Akshardhama Temple.

While we spent a few hours at the temple, dad & mom were looking at the lil one. After we were back we again got back to shopping ways. This time around – Meena Bazar and Dilli 6.

After an exhausting shopping we boarded our flight back to Bangalore. By this time, my lil one refused to sleep and kept every one on the flight on their toes.In particular she managed to impress the air hostess who more or less stopped being host for other passengers while my lil one became their VIP .

The cool breeze of Bangalore… Nothing can beat that.

This was the day of Delhi Tour. We hired a local cab to take us around Delhi. While Agra was on our list, but we figured out that it would jeopardize our other plans. And also the fact that the Taj is shut every Firday.

So , we just picked a few places in New Delhi. New Delhi was not new to us. I have sight seen Delhi a couple of times. This one was primarily for Wifey. So to make it more interesting for her we visited – India Gate, Birla Mandir, Jantar Mantar, Kalkaji Temple & Red Fort. We winded the day with some shopping at Chandni Chowk.

All the while, we feared the delhi heat waves, but fortunate enough that it was cool.

This was a quite day. We were slated to travel back to New Delhi later in the noon. In the morning we visited Dad’s friend resort. he was a proud man showing around the resort which he has built. He has no doubt put in a lot of efforts even for the smallest item. While we had a guided tour of the resort, my lil one roamed around the resort not as though she owned them, but rather did not care who owned them. That’s my lil one!!!!

Later in the noon, after a good lunch we proceeded to New delhi in the express train. We reached New Delhi late evening and retired to a hotel to spend the night.

After the Wagah Border episode we moved and settled nicely in Amritsar. Our next destination was Amritsar – Golden Temple( Harmindar Sahib Temple) and Jallianwala bagh.

The Golden temple is an awesome temple and I would any day recommend this place as a must visit. The locale is so serene, clean and makes you spend a lot of time there. We spent a solid 3 hours there. Mr. Amandeep Singh was courteous enough to guide us through the temple , it’s historic significance and it’s importance. After the guided tour we went to Jallianwala Bagh.

The very sight of the Jallinawala Bagh made me feel very bad. The inglorious basterds :-(. After seeing the bullet marks, there was nothing much to comment.

After this we again went back to the temple and decided to have lunch in the Temple’s Langar. The food was delicious and simple.

We still had some time and before we left for Ludhiana, we decided to shop around and as usual, the shopping was lil one centric. We got some nice clothes for the little one with some for wifey as well. While we were on shopping, the very thought of Bhagat singh doing rounds disguised in this very place gave me gitters.

Since we had seen the major attraction – The Lama temple yesterday itself , we were running ahead of the planned schedule. So i looked a few more places of interest and found that the Kangra fort was worth watching.

So we set for – Dal lake ( the largest man made lake in Himachal), since the lake had dried up , we just ended up watching the tall pine trees which otherwise would have made a very good back drop. Again we were ahead of schedule as i had planned for a boat ride and some quite moment’s beside the lake. We then headed to Bhagsunath. This place is located at the outskirts of Mcleodganj. The temple here is said to have great healing powers. Another attraction here are a serene spring and a small but majestic waterfall. The region offers breathtaking views of the surrounding hilly ranges and woody forests. The ambiance of the place is dynamic and the atmosphere is cool and pleasant. One can feel the cool breeze from the Himalayan ranges.

After this we had a good time at the Kangra fort. It was a very old fort and also scary. There weren’t any takers and looked like we were the only one interested in the fort. The fort was well maintained though. We then reached Kangra’s most famous temple – Brajeshwari temple. The temple is one of the shakti peeta’s.

Since we had time and as per plan we headed to Wagah border to watch the retreat ceremony. I must tell you, for what our jawan’s have sacrificed you must watch this ceremony and shed atleast your sweat. I was totally drenched with my own sweat and dripping. The ceremony lasted 45 mins and the crowd was uncontrollable. The PRO was the highlight who infused us with the required “Josh” to boo the Pakistani’s who were just a handful at their border. The sight was terrific, but we were sorry of our state. The great heat of Punjab was acting on us.

Sati’s tongue fell at Jwalaji and the goddess is manifest as tiny flame that burns flawless blue through fissures in the age old rock. Time and again scientists have tried to figure out the reason for this flames and even tried to douse the flame with thousands of gallons of water only to conclude this as a miracle by god. I was also spell bound by this. The complex as a whole is big one with Devi’s bed chamber across the courtyard and above the temple is the shrine of baba Gorakhnath. We are all still reeling under this beautiful scene while we left the Shaktipeeta to move to towards Chamunda devi.

Chamunda devi is another beautiful temple on the banks of Baner river. Though the river had dried up, there was enough for us to play and have fun. Chamunda devi is considered as the wrathful form of Durga. The word “Chamunda” has been derived from 2 words – Chanda & Munda who as per mythological legends were demons and Durga with her immense power made Chamundi to slay them.

My lil one as usual had enough fun for herself at the banks of Baner river. I get a feeling that she loves water sports.

Since we had some more time before the day ended, we decided we take a shot and move to Dharmshala. Once there, we stayed at the hotel for himachal tourism. The receptionist was courteous enough to give us directions and places of interest in the neighborhood. After quickly refreshing ourselves, we headed to the Dalai lama temple. I was flabbergasted when i saw the amount of foreign nationals. This place had more non- indians . The whole place looked gave me a feel that i was not in India – from the people, the restaurants, the shopping items for sale.  Some how we headed straight to the temple and had a good look. Some how i felt the Tibetan settlement at Bylakuppe a much better place.

The trip to the temple turned fruitful to us as we got a chance to meet Dalai Lama himself who had come to address the monks. We were lucky to get a real close glimpse at him as he walked past us.

Alright , the whole night was the Jagaran night. But nothing different for me. I was sleepy as well. I now feel guilty for having faked ( i had a slight pain, but exaggeration took it’s toll) an uncontrollable ear pain and headed back to the hotel. My lil one had the night of her life – open space in the resort, fully cushioned and air conditioned by powerful industrial fans. And to give her company were other kids who seem to be already having a gala time.

By the way, the hotel I stayed was called – La Aditya….The french connection :-) Most of the menu items were chinese :-)

We started off to Himachal Pradesh –  visit Chintpurni Ma. The drive was close to 3.5 hrs but we stopped in between to catch the beautiful sights of Himachal Pradesh. I will post some pics at the end of this post.

“Chinta” Means worry ……Tension or worries act as a slow Poison.Maiya saves HER bhakts from it, giving elixir of life, by fulfilling their desires and hence rightly known as CHINTAPURNI.The sacred place belong to 'Chhinnmastika Devi ' i.e. the goddess without head. It is also know as the Abode of Chhinnamastila. But the most popular name is CHINTAPURANI, Some parts of the holy feet of Sati are said to be fallen here, while Lord Vishnu used His Sudarshan Chakra to cut the corpse into pieces. The Shrine of Chintapurniis situated in Una district of Himachal Pradesh in northern India is a very beautiful shrine which is on a hill top.We stayed at a small hotel there while we visited a shrine in the evening. Again, it was eventful for my lil one as some bhakts started performing kanya pooja on my lil one. It was a strange sight for us to watching people praying and taking blessings from my lil one.

The day started as early as 3 am. By the time even two of us were ready the cabbie arrived. We were late. We rushed to the airport with just a few minutes for departure. My lil one was the most excited as she was wondering where we are off in this wee hours. I had already learnt that Indigo was not going to feed us and so had some biscuits handy. The question of air pressure was back and I instantly stuffed some cotton wool in my ear. But the greater question was – how would my lil one act? What if she develops my traits? I was the most concerned as i did not want a cry baby ( i hated this during my bachelor days though i am very supportive now :-))

Fortunately, my lil one had a good flight. She did complain in between of some ear pain, but that was a very short phase. For most part she slept with her grand dad and we landed safely.

The catch now was to move from Delhi airport to old delhi railway station. The expected duration was 2 hrs including the traffic. I was told many stories about delhi traffic. But we got lucky, it is May day and most shops & offices were closed and what seemed to take 2 hrs was made up in 45 mins.

Old delhi railway station was not very clean. It’s one of the busiest junctions and so i guess it takes a lot of effort to keep it really clean. So we got into the waiting room and decided to move to the platform when the train arrives. I do not want to divulge more info here since i transitioned into a “coolie wala” for not trusting any coolies and my back still aches.

Finally after a 5 hr journey we reached the ludiana railway station and  guess what? – A chevy captiva was waiting for us :-) The drive to reach our hotel was cooool !!!!

All my family is very excited. Not with the fact that we all are off to North India – Delhi , Punjab & Himachal to be precise, but with the fact that i would be away from any electronic gadgets( read laptop  & iThings). Well the preparations are on and the tickets booked. We are all set. But the greatest challenge is getting my lil one’s items all in one bag and not more than that.

We started for this trip by first persuading wifey to come out with a checklist of most common items that we would use for a week and would be sure that, we would use more or less the same items most of the time.( when will women learn :-) , Go MS go!!!)

Finally the list was up, but I had a real tough time getting all the items in one bag. I carried forward my funda of travel lite ;-) So i gave instructions that we should have only 4 bags to carry and that should not exceed. I hope this time atleast my funda of travel light would work ;-) Only the next week would tell.

BTB, i heard that Indigo would not serve us breakfast. I will have to travel lite :-)

29.  When we think about ourselves, many of us tend to try to work on our weaknesses.  In doing so, we limit the time we spend leveraging our strengths.  I’m not suggesting to ignore areas in which you need improvement, but every time I focus the bulk of my energy on my strengths (without totally ignoring other areas), I achieve much better results even within my weaknesses.  It’s a matter or positive perspective and sustaining motivation.  It really works.

30.  Never register anything  but your real name as your primary email address. You’ll regret it when you grow older

31. Trust your Mom.. because when all the world around you crashes your mom will always be there with you." Life is a challenge, accept it....Life is a problem, solve it.....Life is a maze, walk through it... Life is a mystery, solve it...THEN Life will be heaven, so enjoy it..."
Accept every problems that comes in your way as the test from God, and pass with flying colors

25.  The more I act like my daughter.  The happier I am. The more I play, mimic, tease, and chase my daughter in any given day… the happier I am when I go to bed at night.  The simple act of being silly is one I lost over the last 6-7 years.  It’s taken a toddler to slowly infuse this back into me.  I want to embrace it even more.

26. Empowering other people is what really matters in life. I want to empower.  I want to empower my lil one  to be the most amazing and fulfilled person she can be.  I want to empower complete strangers to see opportunities in their own lives that they’ve buried under mounds of stuff, debt, and excuses.  :-)

27.  Instead of teaching kids to study concepts, we should be teaching them to solve problems. I won’t dive too much into what I know is an insanely deep and polarizing concept.

28.  You don’t need nearly as much money as you think you do. Another revelation that has come into my life in the past year or so.  You really *need* far, far less that what you think. 

21. Intensely research any decision that limits a large amount of your freedom. :-)   As a rule, the more freedom that is at stake in a decision, the more I’ll research it.  The real reason is that I’m o.k. if research leads to indecision in cases where freedom is at risk.  Take buying a car, deciding to have kids, or taking a new flat, for example.  It’s not really a bad thing to second guess yourself there.  Things to stop analyzing?  The perfect weekend to go camping, a new product/service you want to launch, or whether or not to let your lil one paint their room neon pink.  Do it.

22. Being a parent is harder than you think. Before I had kid, I used to get annoyed by kids whining on airplanes. How hard can it be? And now… I know.  Even with only one (who, by the way, is an angel 95% of the time) I get it.  I can’t believe how easily I become frustrated sometimes.  I can’t imagine those of you with 3, 4, or 5 naughty ones.

23. Being a husband is harder than you think. Everyone told me marriage takes dedicated and consistent effort.  I acknowledged the words, but detached myself because I assumed we were an exception.  What an idea sirjee.

24.  The best feedback you’ll ever get is when you try to sell something to someone.

17. Choosing the correct mentors is the #1 most important factor in success of any kind. Modeling a mentor is the fastest way to success.  It doesn’t matter if you are climbing the corporate ladder, starting a web-based business, playing professional cricket, or studying religion.  You’ve gotta find your Gates, your Jobs, your Tendulkar, or your Krsna.

18. The answer will always be no if you don’t ask. Seriously, if you want something you have to ask.  Don’t be a blunt idiot.  Ask genuinely and ask politely.  If you just ask…  you’ll be surprised more often than not.

19. It’s o.k. to be a fan. I used to reject the concept of being a fan.  I didn’t want someone to call me a “fanboy”.  I wanted to think for myself.  Now, I’ve come to terms that being a fan is fun.  I like cheering for the RCB. 

20. Focus the bulk of your energy on leveraging your strengths, not on improving weaknesses

13. There are very few unique personal problems. Chances are millions of people have gone through whatever issue you may have.  Chances are at least one of those people is much closer than you think.  Problem is we think any issues we may have are unique and we assume those close to us wouldn’t understand.  Wrong.

14. Find your motivation (I’m talking to myself here).

15. Be the change you want to see in the world. Yeah, I know…  it’s a little :-).  But this one is a good one.  If you are trying to convert people by knocking on doors and handing out pamphlets, you are doing it wrong.  It’ll always be an uphill battle.  Try modeling for people.  Try impressing… try inspiring.  Use your actions to show me not only the how, by the why.

16. The worse I eat, the less productive I am.  The less productive I am, the worse I eat. Also, I’ve realized that feeling like crap on a regular basis is not enough motivation to eat healthier.  Sad, but true.  And I don’t think I’m alone on that one.  Most of us know that it’s the cause of so many problems, yet we don’t change.  You don’t eat healthy and exercise because “it’s good for you”

9. Surround yourself with people who inspire you. Mentors are essential, however you’ve got to also find a relate to inspiring people on a daily/tangible level.  My wife, parents and daughter inspire me.  I want them to be involved in everything I do.

10. Be willing to give away the glory. One of the best ways I’ve found to have someone accept an idea/concept is to make them feel like they came up with it themselves. Many of the people I respect most are amazing at sharing and giving away the limelight when it comes.  They are constantly taking a back seat to build up others.

11. Money doesn’t buy happiness, but it buys everything else! :-)   This is my fun way of saying that I like money.  I want a lot of money.   I want my family to live a remarkable, yet secure life.  I rarely worry about money now, but I want to all but eliminate it as a concern altogether.  I want to be able to focus my life on giving in the coming years, while still being able to have an income.  But even with money, I want to ensure we embrace…

12. Experiences almost always trump possessions. I don’t mind spending money (you shouldn’t either), but the key is to do so consciously.  For me, conscious spending is concentrated on 90-95% experience and 5-10% actual “stuff”. 

5. The largest thing between you and what you want is whatever glob of excuses you can pile up. Try this, you can actually get away by doing nothing and talking shit

6. Very few decisions in life require intense research. 90% of research/data-gathering is a waste of time.  I’ve found this true in my personal life and I’ve certainly found it true at work.  Nearly without exception, I over analyze every decision I make.  Stop talking… stop thinking… stop planning… start doing.

7. The majority of people think they are above average. I constantly remind myself of this fact.  By nature, we tend to over estimate our own skills and/or contributions.  Not only that, but we are much less aware of what other people contribute. I do it and you do it, too.  So recognize it.  Go out of your way to thank people for the things you do notice.

8. People automatically devalue anything they get for free. While we are on the topic, be careful about what you give away for free.  This can be applied beyond work, too.  Family, friends, clients, colleagues…  We automatically place more value on things we have to pay (money, time, effort, energy) for.  Give someone something for free consistently and they quickly begin to expect it.

Last month I celebrated my birthday, exactly on the same day as today . Co- incidence had it that , there was another party ( for a different reason) and my occasion got coupled with that. Needless to say that this was my grandest birthday. Never in my life had i had such a reception. So I sat down to ruminate the first 31 “life lessons” that came to my mind :-)

1. As a child, I never once worried about food, water, shelter, or love.  I was never once abused or neglected.  I got everything I needed and most of what I wanted.  Both my parents were (and still are) hard-working, supportive, and have great values.  The older I get, the more I realize how insanely fortunate this makes me

2. Saying “no” politely is far better than saying a half-assed “yes”. Learning to respectfully and politely say “no” is one of the skills I desire most. Especially in the online world, I tend to want to say yes to everything.  There are so many amazing people, opportunities, projects, and feedback.  It’s all right here, right now.  But, I’ve been saying “yes” and then completely letting people down way too much recently.  It’s not a matter of being “busy” or “important”.  Everyone is busy and important.  It’s a matter of really being to knock  the projects I can do.  I want to either give 110% or 0%.  I want to learn to say “no” in a way people enjoy.

3. There will always be haters. No matter what you do or how much you give, there will always be haters.  I’m making a pledge to rid my life (and my online world) of any consistently negative, non-constructive forces.  If you want to hate… go get your reaction someplace else.

4. You can do anything you want.  No seriously… you can literally do anything. As kids, we are always told this, but most of us dismiss it as crap.  It’s not.  In the last year, I’ve really come to terms with this.  I can literally do whatever I want.  Some of that is confidence and some of it comes from just having my eyes opened recently :-)

I called the sales executive and confirmed that the car is ready. Reached there by 10am. Car was being washed. It was ready by 10.30 am.Meanwhile i got busy with the paper works. My lil one was with her granddad pointing to linea and checking out its features. Meanwhile wifey was clicking some pics
The staff were courteous and was pleasant to deal with.They gifted us a box of pooja items & chocolates. I had no time for having the functionalities explained as i wanted to get the Car baptized. We drove away from there to the temple and had the rituals performed. Unfortunately the pooja items they gave very very basic and depilated, So i had to buy newer items. After that we came back home and I tried to fit the car in my garage, but the fear fo scrapping the car, i parked it out and then after lunch went back to Prerana.The Service engineer explained all basic functionalities.
I found that the plastic near the driver's seat was not polished and asked the service engineer to polish it. Unfortunately some moron applied some other white liquid which stained the plastic instead of polishing. They then had a tough time getting that strain out and bring it back to normal.
Finally , like they say, all izz well if it ends well. I happily drove back my beauty home.

I think that the biggest mistake people make is latching onto the first idea that comes to them and trying to do that. It really comes to a thing that my folks taught me about money. Don't buy something unless you've wanted it three times. Similarly, don't throw in a feature when you first think of it. Think if there's a way to generalize it, think if it should be generalized. Sometimes you can generalize things too much. I think like the things in Scheme were generalized too much. There is a level of abstraction beyond which people don't want to go. Take a good look at what you want to do, and try to come up with the long-term lazy way, not the short-term lazy way.

All my anxiety was dowsed today. I was supposed to get the first look of my beauty before it went to RTO. I had this so well planned, but unfortunately, my office did not think so. Another urgent on duty requirement, i had to cancell the visit. Maybe i will go and have a look at it on wednesday. And on thursday , it will be mine ….

It rocks!!!! For a very long time , i have been researching this. I know for sure that it was possible, but the smart guys at the Magic jack always release an update which masks the SIP info. And when i do sucessfully get the the SIP info, Fring or Siphone gives way and limits the password to 18 chars or less. Finally, thanks tweeter ( it’s good when you follow the Siphone releases). After spending close to 6 hrs on this, i finally managed to configure my Siphone on Iphone after unmasking the SIP info from the Magic jack. It was worth. All i need is Wifi or 3G to make calls for free all over US & Canada.  What’s more interesting is – people in US can call me at my US number. Sounds cool right???. For those who were looking for this – try the below. If you need more assistance pm me. I’ll do what it takes to get that connection started.

My beloved [‘Cara Mia’ – in Italian]. I just had another TD and here is what i feel

What’s HOT:

* catchy and fresh Italian styling which turns heads
* Good mid-range in MJD. Torquey engine.
* rock solid stability
* door-closing in 2 stages-imparts a sense of solid build quality
* equipment in emotion plus-INCLUDES "BLUE and ME" and "my car" from Linea. USB PORT is standard, only in emotion pack.
* excellent front seat under-thigh support
* superb driving position
* user friendly interior with soft clutch and superb ergonomics
* refined and quiet cabin at high speeds
* ride and handling with solid suspension and great grip levels with 195/60 R 15 tyres

whats not:

    * cheap interior plastics, especially the black shiny plastic trims
    * base versions are under tyred
    * initial response is only a bit lethargic
    * cramped rear seat with front seats fully pulled back
    * spongy brakes
    * crap speakers of stock stereo
    * interior trims give a feeling of claustrophobia as compared to Linea.
    * Emotion pack is expensive, diesel models should have been priced at least Rs. 10-15,000 less

The Grande Red dot.

The preview

 

It’s final now :-). The passion now dates back to my uncle who owned a Premier Padmini ( FIAT 1100D), first car i ever sat in. In tribute to my beloved uncle.  As they( he also did)  rightly say -  You don’t buy a FIAT, you OWN it. Monica Bellucci clad in red will be in my stallion very soon.

This works like a charm, I just got a BSNL 3G prepaid sim for 59 INR. I had to charge it with 120 INR to get the promotional part and what this gives me is a 6 months validity as well.

The BSNL customer care centers have improved by leaps and bounds, the whole process took me only 15 mins and the activation was done in a couple of hours.

Now, i am waiting for the 3G spectrum auction and the number portability by the DoT. Hope this is round the corner.

A super mini vehicle designed to replace Project 188 :-) Once again styled by the famous Giugiaro and sharing the platform of GM can it disappoint? We’ll i am gonna find that out in the next few days. While i do all these, i will write up my experiences for folks who might find it a interesting literature :-)

FIAT – an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino. It’s a company that manufactures railroad vehicles, tanks and aircrafts. BTB, FIAT is the world’s 6th largest carmaker. It’s been consistently getting the European car of the year 12 times for the past 40 years, which makes it more than any other manufacturer. Just have a look at the birth of FIAT logos

Then was the time to test the ABS, I pulled her till 80 kmph and then floored the brake pedal, what came next was shock, the car's stability was mind-boggling, it felt like when I was once watching a show on discovery channel on one of the american army's tank, they were showcasing its stability under emergency braking on high speed. And it was not necessary for me to be in that tank, but it was visual how stable it was... I felt the same when I suddenly braked the Punto.

Exterior - The more solidly build doors I ever saw in any car was when my dad owned the Indigo and used to frequently tell me to watch my hand before closing the door, just because of the sheer weight of the door, after the test drive I even tried to press the sheet metal with my hands but to no use, and my M800's sheet is like thick foil. even kids in my lane have known to create dents with sheer push. Rest all is italian and only one word comes to my mind...Hot, if the japanese is an asian kick boxer, the Punto is a beauty pageant winner who's hobby is kick boxing

Interior - Exterior was too good, interior was too bad. Let me put it this way, how would you feel if you are visiting a house with beautiful drive way and garden, italian tiled portico, but inside done up by "Kumar Furniture Shop" sofas and tables, plastic is not at all upto the mark, but thankfully the things that matter are too good to be ignored, its like diamond studs on wrought iron necklace, the leather "coated" steering and gear knob, AC controls, Music System Controls, the fuel and boot lid levers (even they are crafted in a design) are too good. The seats are very well designed.

Performance - The turbo punch was not as evident as in the Jap but was quite impressive in this Italian beauty considering that its 115 kgs heavier and more solidly built than the Swift.

Noise Isolation - Both have a different type of in-cabin noise, so I would rate them on the same page (when you are a Suzuki rider with open mufflers,the ears are used to this "noise")

Suspension - This is where the Punto is light years ahead of Swift. The japanese is like a suspension-less rickshaw as compared to Punto. I deliberately took the Punto to some of the damaged roads around my office which I frequent on my Swift. I suddenly stopped cursing the roads for a change in Punto, so this car is also for the people who want to relieve themselves from the "road-is-broken-what-my administration-is-doing" stress. Very Very good suspension

Gear Shift - Swift's gear shift is like a second world war enfield rifle bolt, Punto on the other hand is like a AK-47 cock-bolt mechanism that can be operating with just one finger, the only other car with such super smooth gear shift I ever drove was Hyundai Accent CRDI. ( Please note , i have not used any othe above ammunition, but have experienced this on PS2)

Verdict - I love this car and will buy it as soon as I sort the other things....

I went upto her and gathered all my courage to ask her name, she with a smile, as if she knows that the entire world around her admires her, said Punto....Grande Punto....

I sheepishly asked her whether she was available for a (test) drive, but in my mind I was ready for a straight away rejection. She too seemed interested in me and allowed me for the drive.

Everything seems to be sculpted with perfection, the door, the driver's seat, the majestically sportive steering, and everything around it.

I inserted the key and after a gentle purr she roared, she wanted me to do her fast but I was very cautious since there was traffic around, I grabbed the soft gear knob (leather hugged), pressed the clutch, put her in first, gently pressed the accelerator, and she pounced ahead, I thought of giving her some F1 dose, over-revved her in every gear and soon was touching the ton mark and past, then the fifth gear was just bliss, the MJD motor was audible as a deep throated humm…..

Last night I dreamt all night about her and was full of guilt when I woke up, my wife & lil one were still fast asleep, and I thought to myself, how can I cheat my love, my wife and my lil one but again like the last time the dark desires were too powerful to resist and the feeling of guilt turned into a desire for passion,

Then today i went out during office lunch hours for some work, while returning to work I saw her again on the road side, waiting for someone, I slowed down and stopped a few meters before her, she in complete red drape was looking like a princess, big eyes, best smile ever I saw in my entire life, and as inviting as a hot pool of water in the fridged cold of alaska when you are lost and want some warmth,

I went upto her and gathered all my courage to ask her name, she with a smile, as if she knows that the entire world around her admires her, said Punto....Grande Punto....

I was floored, and as I did this I was not only betraying two women in life but I was also betraying two other, my M800 and my long time girlfriend my Suzuki

Well,  Its a whole new world when you fall in love, that too AGAIN. But the situation gets tough and interesting when you are married and in love and then after 2-3 years of marriage you realize you are in love again. It makes you feel disgusted that you are cheating on your wife but finally you give in to your deep dark desires and decide to move on.

This happened for the first time when I was with my wife coming out of UB City , she was there at the signal, toned body, lovely eyes and real hot. But then she moved on and I was left with my wife, and then like it happens in the teens, you see a girl on a signal, she rocks your mind for a few days and then you forget her, the same happened to me and i also forgot.

Again I happened to see her when I was going to a wedding with wifey and the lil one , I immediately recognized her and wanted to go and feel her, but like the last time lost her in traffic.

Finally, BSNL woke up and decided to give the Tech savy population of Bengaluru the 3G gift. The promotional 3G plan is very nice. You can see here. For starters , i had my Dad’s BSNL connection migrated to 3G plan( i was shocked, they charge only 25 INR for this to happen). After which i configured it on his E51 and boy it was rock solid. Browsing was pretty breezy. I would say 3G is here to stay.

I am off to the customer care to get myself a promotional 3G prepaid sim card for 59 INR. Will update you later.

The famous college and it’s surroundings. I am quite sure that if I tell people that i graduated from MCE – Malnad College of Engineering ( esp 2001 batch), people will think dirty.  Just like i say - “Great minds think alike and dirty minds seldom differ ;-) “

I really don;t blame them , but there are also a lot of positives they can think of though :-) Anyways that’s history and the stuff the college is made up off. So after a 9 yr gap, i got to go back to college ( just like the 3 idiots opening scene) for a close friend of mine( who also happens to be a MCE alumni). So we were there in all glory to honor the college and have a look at our hostel and the regular “addas”. I must say we were pretty impressed with the number of changes that’s gone in there. The place looks even more greener and friendlier now. A picturesque view for you

I just got into the business of identifying the “CAR” of my requirements. The era of the new generation multijets has begun. This specific engine has been termed as our national engine ;-) just because of the number of cares in which it’s being used – Swifts, Dezire, Ritz, indica vista, punto etc.

And well i must also consider the BS4 norms that would be kicking in soon. A lot of things are being considered while i look at the cars( car for a lifetime). Some of the most obvious being – looks, torque, fuel efficiency, space, comfort, safety, build quality,accessories and the cost:-)

For starters, this is how the top cars match up

After a 2 day hiatus at the resort, we were rejuvenated and it was time to leave the beautiful place. En route we decided to visit Halebid and Belur

Halebid is around 37 km from Chikmagalur. We went along the Chikmagalur highway towards the Capital of Hoysala empire. While travelling towards Bangalore, you might be likely to miss the Halebid turn. There are Karanataka tourism boards at a lot of places before, but just when you have to take the turn, the signboard is actually in the opposite direction – so that people coming from Bangalore can see it, but not the ones from Chikmagalur. We had seen this while going to Chikmagalur and were on the lookout for the turn. But for others, I would like to mention that make a note of the signboard which mentions Halebid 37 kms. The left turn comes at around 22 kms from the signboard. From the turn, Halebid is 15 kms on the inside and the view towards the place is magnificent. The road has gulmohar trees on both sides. This time of the year they were all flowering with the petals falling on the road giving it a divine look. The temple is still incomplete but you would not notice this in front of the beautiful carvings.
This shrine is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is the largest of Hoysala temples. The construction of this temple was during the 1121 – 1207 AD period, and is very similar to the Belur temple. The temple complex consists of two identical temples with shivalinga and nandi mantaps facing the lord. The nandi mantaps have huge nandis carved equally beautifully. Outside the shrine are intricately carved figures from mythological epics – Ramayan, Mahabharata and puranic legends of beasts. The carvings on the outside consist of – elephants, Hoysala royal emblem of a man killing a tiger,lions, charging horsemen, epics sculptures and mythical beasts (from bottom up).
Outside the shrine, locals sell stone sculptures and panchdhatu handiwork. They try to con you by selling the crafts work at huge prices. Beware of these, even though you would agree that the people are doing so much work for these sitting in the sun and polishing the stone to give them the required shape, shelling out your hard earned money and being conned is still not agreeable. Hence for these people – small Ganapati stone idol – 20 Rs, medium Buddha head piece – 50 Rs, Sitting lamps medium size – 10 Rs. Panchadhatu murtis – 40 Rs each. If you can bargain and get for less, well good luck….

The night was so cold that i hardly got any sleep. I literally had 2 pairs of pants on. Damnn.. the whole night i was thinking about my warm cozy bed in bengaluru. Always an experience. I felt better when i started to think about wifey. Wifey cannot even sustain the bangalore cold.This very thought of wifey going through this cold made me warm ( ok, this is my alter ego) . So finally when the day dawned and i stepped outside the tent – i was flabbergasted. This place was awesome. When i can came in last night, there was nothing i could see, but now this was a beauty. The bold hills, the greenery, the estate , the house – simply fantastic. 

My lil one woke up and she was thrilled. All the open spaces and trees, made her jump in delight. There were lot of sports that we could play and boy my lil one never felt better.

The host also offered us some great traditional food which was very tasty. All we did was eat and play.

The uncle was kind enough to give us a tour of their 50 acre estate and showed us some beautiful viewpoints , including a 360 degree view point. He showed us all the trees and plants that were being grown in his estate. He showed plants that were of medicinal value and how eco- friendly his estate was. I must give full credit to thier family who have taken the extra effort for making this happen. Also all the food made here is organic.

SInce their family is already well off and this they were doing as a passion, they have no fixed check in and check out times. The food is prepared based on your liking which is very good. Devigiri estate definitely gives you the warmth which no other estate/homestay would give.

Pictures to follow

It was quite some time I had been on an outing with my family. The last planned outing of December went for a toss because of my bad health. So this time when the opportunity presented in the form of a function in Hassan, wifey and myself were quick on planning this outing. We decided we make full use of this opportunity. I booked this homestay/resort in Chikamagalur called – Devigiri Estate which was located at the foothills of Bababudana giri hills

We left early in the morning and reached Hassan in time to attend the function there. My lil one got a little irritated and threw up a couple of times making my car smelly. I literally utilized my entire deo spray to get rid of the awful smell. But these are only small things that can happen when you have a lil one. So after a brief stop at Hassan, we left for chikmagalur the same evening. The idea was to reach the place for dinner. But boy, as we moved closer and closer to the hills, our cell phone service started waning. The lack of any street lights and people made the place so scary. All we could see was the big huge hills in the background. At times, i felt  i was going in straight into the hill. Luckily here and there, i could spot some localities who would always give me wrong directions. I still could not figure out why :-).

Eventually, we reached the place and the host – Mrs. Ramadevi was kind enough to offer us some hot coffee. The temperature had dipped and it was very cold. We opted for the tent house for our stay.

According to me people who buy car think of 2 things

1. To take you from point A to point B : This I think, any car should do :-)

2. To envy others : – Now this the factor that’s been keeping me going.

Which car satisfies # 2, be a good VFM and also not be too hot on my pocket.. Well, my search has just began…