Comments on my previous blog!
This piece of comment from 'Navin' deserves its own place in my blog.I appreciate the time he has spent in expressing his point.Thanks Navin.
Although I went through the entire passage more than once,I am not in a situation give my comments/counter arguments,as i simply feel I am an ignoramus in this complicated area filled with boundless speculations.
-Raapi
p.s: the next blog piece..i would try to come up with my usual mundane non-intellectual run of the mill stuff.

Posted by rajesh |

This is a question that sometimes arises in one's mind at some point of time .I have thought about it a number of times and everytime I came to the same conclusion but never was confident enough to plainly accept it or explain it.I was thinking what made me come to such an opinion about the existence of God and it struck me that I was not against GOD himself but was totally against the ridiculous devotees,who acted like insane guys most of the times through their excessive outpour of religious sentiments.Being born in a brahmin family,brought me much more aversion to all these rituals and practices which seemed meaningless.What I write now includes some of my closest relatives too.Most of these much devout beings blindly followed their faith and had no sense of what they were doing.They were ready to spend around hundred rupees to buy milk/coconuts and throw them away on the pretext of offerings to God,rather than give a single rupee to the poor beggar sitting and starving in front of the temple.They feel proud in exhibiting the silk robe that they bought for the deity but never feel an iota of pain looking at the poor orphan who sits the whole day in his rags, unable to cover even his private parts.
Superstitions and meaningless rituals form the integral element of any brahmin family.The ladies spend too much time and money in the name of Temple visits/archanai/abishekam/prasadam and what not.I have detested the modern day temples which have become a congreagation of rowdy maamis who indulge in nothing but gossip/rumour about the entire neighborhood.If God were to be even existing in that temple's premises,he would be shocked to hear some of those ladies talk crap right in front of him.
Idol worship seems to be at its peak.Most of the Indian city streets are overflowing with the ever-mushrooming breed of Ganesha idols and small "Hundi"s tied to it.The government needs to abolish this rubbish system of easy-money making.As it was very well portrayed in a tamil movie comedy,the self-made poojaris of these streetside idols,become richer and richer gradually due to the foolish masses,who earn 2 rupees daily and drop a rupee in the Hundi.
A breed of entrepreneurs in the name of "saamiyars" add insult to injury!The height of lunacy among the masses is the blind belief that they have in certain human mortals.Nobody even waits to think what could have made these humans supernatural beings.
I was watching one of the channels which regularly had a show meant for preaching christianity/the presence of God.It was so digusting to even put up with the few seconds that passes by during the channel browsing.The chief speaker was yelling at the top of his voice and speaking continuously without a pause ,with the audience resonating to his actions and some even dancing to his tunes,as he varied his tones now and then to put the crowd into a frenzied,clumsy state.I couldn't understand the logic behind such a public display of one's devotion to God.
In my opinion,GOD was an invention,rather a virtual invention made by some clever ancestor,just to create a sense of control or fear amidst the emerging outlandish uncontrollable despots of his times.Although I do concur to the fact that there needs to be some superior power to bring in a sense of a moderated environment,I feel it has been taken too far than for what it was invented for ,in the first place.The world would be a better place if every person held the same amount of faith upon himself and acted in a normal way!
Finally..abt the question I asked myself,the answer was always that there might be God existing but it is not what/where the devotees of this age worship.It must be something else which is abstract and unexplainable.All through the ages there have been 2 groups of people-the ones that took it as a goal in life to find the answer to this question and the other category which didn't waste time on it and just moved on.I am trying to be a part of the latter category!
-raapi

Posted by rajesh |

See Feb 7 post.
Goodluck.
-Rajesh

Posted by rajesh |

download and enjoy.Its cool..Best way to launch a product.Too much info packed into it.-Raapi

Posted by rajesh |

Kirukals
The above link is the blog of one of my close friends..collegemate..hostelmate..roommate etc etc..He is Nattu- lives Down Under doing his master's degree.His blog is one of the fascinating ones I have ever read.It kindles a sense of great joy when he describes all his funny incidents.It brings in so much fun for me because I had a chance to be with him during most of his funny/memorable incidents..
This is the lastest comments that I wrote in his blog abt some incidents that I still remember and cherish.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nattu..U dint talk about the "Koyya-kaay" episode..hehehe..Folks..U wont believe this..But this guy climbed the compound wall of the house wer we stayed during engg..He had a mug with water in it..He just dipped/washed the Guava fruit in the mug directly from the tree and ate it without plucking(Just like how squirrel's eat)..This was to escape from the house owner!!-raapi
Raapi | 02.22.04 - 3:46 am | #

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Another episode..Am not sure if this really happened or not..Nattu was once alone during the Final year engg study holidays in Tanjore..He was so bored that he tried giving electric shock to some ants(katta erumbu) with open wires plugged onto the walls..-raapi
Raapi | 02.22.04 - 3:48 am | #

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oh..I ve got so much trivia jus oozing out abt nattu..May be I shud blog abt this separately in my blog.One of the wellknown fundae abt nattu..If he did the first subject/paper exam very well..He had a superstition that he would do the other exams very well IF HE WORE THE SAME DRESS..Yeah this fact is true..Ask him..hahaha..Naaraaaaaaayana Naaaaaaraayana..-Raapi
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have so many such incidents etched out in my memory which belong to our College days/Tanjore house saga which we guys fondly address as the "5k Palace" saga..I am sure that was the best phase of our lives for the 7 of us who lived together.I shall try to write about that experience little by little in the coming blogs.I guarantee that most of you will enjoy as much as we did/do.
-Raapi

Posted by rajesh |

H1-B cap reached..Read Page 2 Last para
This article talks about the H1B visa's current situation and what implications the current cap is going to have on the students with EAD(those who are on optional practical training) and on those people who are currently in H1B status.
Most of the indian software companies have played it smart to pull in a major chunk of the 65000 visas that were available.I really can't believe that the system is allowed to work this way.
I feel the people who are going to suffer mainly due to this are the current batch of graduates from the U.S universities and also those whose EAD period is expiring.I don't know if the U.S might increase the number from 65000 again next year,thanks to the various groups' outcry against foriegn workers taking up their jobs.Even if the number gets increased,it is going to be a gala time for companies like Infosys/TCS and others to gobble whatever number is thrown towards them.Also,the application filing for the next year(period starts from Oct 2004) is starting from April,which means that the H1B limit(whatever number it is) will be reached immediately because it will be issued on a first come first served basis.This again is going to be a worrying factor for many M.s students.
This article talks about the same news.
Another article that I read talked about how the number of IITians going for M.S has decreased significantly.
IITians staying back in India
Offlate I have been telling some of my juniors/friends to think twice before applying for M.S at U.S univs with a goal of getting into lucrative jobs at the end of their courses.Hope these articles portray the ground reality and make sense to the people who are in a dilemma as to what they want to pursue.
-Raapi

Posted by rajesh |

I was recently watching some program on the National Geographic channel which dealt with the extinction of some animal species a few hundred years ago.It also spoke of some animals which exist today but which are expected to go down in history as yet another species which got extinct.I was thinking on the same lines yesterday and tried to draw a parallel into the human society.Although this analogy seems to be so vague and kind of unrelated to the above concept of a species disappearance,it did being in a sense of fear and sorrow when I started dwelling deeper into it.
I was just thinking about the diminishing breed of ladies adept with the traditional culinary styles.I am reminded of the entire gamut of unique food varieties that my grandmother is/was well-versed in preparing.Being a Palghat brahmin I was fortunate enough to be exposed to the cooking culture of both the Kerala and tamil brahmins.Every preparation had a unique approach to it rendering a taste which had the charm of staying well-etched in one's memory.There were some sweets and savories that used to be made at Grandma's place,even thinking of some of them brings back the sense of smell and delicious taste.
I shall try to name a few here but the list is endless.Maida cake,Pal covaa,kadala mittai,Gothuma Halwa,Poorna kuzhakattai,Poorna Bholi,Adhirasam,Badhusha,suhiyan,Vella Kuzhakattai,Upittu,Seedai,Murukku,Goad-belae,Nombu adai,ellu urundai,ravaa laddu,bhoondhi laddu,Ribbon pakoada,Thattai,Thaengozhal,Thaengaa Barfii,Mixture,,Oamapodi,Banana chips,Chakka chips,Naenthrapazham/chakka varati,Semiya Paayasam,Jevvarisi Paayasam,Neiyappam,Uppappam,Pori urundai,Ilantha mittai,Vella avil,Mysore paaku,Baadam halwa,Doodh Pedaa etc etc etc.
I am sure all the above mentioned items would have brought in fond memories to anyone who is reading this passage.I have no doubt that my Paati/her league or extra-ordinary old ladies, would be able to make any of the items that I have listed above to the ultimate perfection.But my subject of concern is when I realise that...My mom would not be able to make even half of what I have mentioned and the most worrying factor is that my sister/me or the current generation can't make even a single item in the list!The agony increases when I start thinking of other mundane stuff that is eaten daily at our homes- the Papadams,Moar-mulaga,Uurgai,Karuvadaams,Ilai-vadaams etc.I could envision how it is going to be in the year 2050.There would be only a very select few of this elite breed of adept cooks left and all these food varieties which were specially homemade with delicate attention would only be available at few of the Krishna Sweets and Grand Sweets!
I feel this is an area which is being neglected and is silently getting depleted.These world-renowned exotic breed of delicasies form a great part of the South Indian Brahmin's cultural heritage. It is pitiable and horrible to realise that it will soon- in a few decades, be a subject of history!Cooking is an art which can only be naturally inherited from one's mother or grand mother through the years of consistent learning.Anybody claiming to be a great chef, having acquired a degree in cooking from one of those innumerous Culinary related colleges ,would certainly make a lousy cook.
I sincerely wish that the current generation,mainly the female community try to acquire as much information as possible from their erudite mothers and grand mothers and try to replenish the paucity of the traditionally trained cooks.
-Raapi

Posted by rajesh |

Drawing a blank when it comes to writing something here..Basking in the glory of being idle.Enjoying the euphoria of being empty headed..hmm..Not really..This kinda trance sucks..Nuthing meaningful stuff happening in life.-Raapi

Posted by rajesh |

Something tells me...Theres not going to be any Pakistan cricket tour this time too.I guess the security concerns are too high that some players have already started expressing their displeasure.Even if the tournament goes on,I am sure its gonna be a damp squib with many top players not participating and some secondary tier players getting a chance.Whatsaya?
It really makes no sense for India and Pakistan to try thier gimmicks with playing cricket in either India or Pakistan.While there are thousands dying everyday at Kashmir,it is ridiculous for a few people to try to remain calm and extend their feelings of pseudo-goodwill by playing.I am not sure how the Indian players would be able to handle the pressure.Every dropped catch would probably mean 1/2 a kg tomato or thier house being burnt down ,back home and every catch caught would mean a gunshot from a crazy Pakistani,apart from the ever-existing threat from the millions of militant groups in Pakistan,whose best chance to screw up the present dialogues/Peace process would be to just knock down some Indian cricket player.Just imagine a Sachin or a Dravid gets shot or kidnapped!!This would definitely lead to an immediate war between the countries because the sentiments of the population in both the countries are easily aroused when the topic of issue is cricket.
I am sure this clever scheme,as always, is the handwork of some crazy guys/politicians with commercial interests.The question is..Would these idiots even dare to take a step into Pakistan,let alone play an adrenalin pumping game of Cricket?
-Raapi

I got reminded about another piece of info which deserved to be flamed.It was the extravagant,ludicrous,stupidity that is being performed in the name of a wedding for the son of SAHARA India's Chairman.It was so irritating to go through the news websites, all of which giving it a great picture.It in fact reminded me of the crazy act of Jayalalitha few years ago in performing a 100 crore wedding for her foster son.This time,this wedding costs 500 crores and the height of shame is that the Indian prime minister is attending it along with 1000s of other very popular stars.Do these people have no other work?Why would anyone want to be part of a disgusting pompous show of one's wealth,when there are millions suffering without even the basic necessities.Bill Clinton is expected to attend the second part of this idiocy on Feb 14.I just feel this is an excellent example of extreme shame and the media goes ga-ga over such stupidity time and again.Useless morons...

Posted by rajesh |

Today I happened to read an article on Sulekha.com,a popular NRI-related website.The article was contributed by a master's student in the U.S.This is the transcript of her feedback or comment to the innumerous brickbats she got for her so-called piece of fun.
Posted by Revathi Satyanarayan on Jul 9, 2003

Thank you all for reading my article and thanks to those of you who took the time to post your assorted comments and ferret out information about me.
I am aware that this article has created a lot of controversy. It is overwhelming to see all the fan/stink mail that I have recieved.
I would like to inform those of you who are offended that I wrote this as an attempt at humor and satire. I bear absolutely no ill will towards people from any region/state/country/world. I consider myself as indian as the next indian person out here and am pretty proud of where I came from...not bombay/hyderabad..but India.
I understand that the article might have been offensive in parts and I now know where to draw the line. Especially after my mom (who is from AP) read this :)
FYI I am not a member of any anti gult organization or the KKK as someone pointed out.
Some of the comments are of a very personal nature and I think more offensive than whatever I might have to say, but well..guess thats human nature especially when a medium like the web provides anonymity.
The decision of the editorial board is their business and I shall leave it at that.
Please try to take this in the right spirit and get back to the more important things in life.
Pali...thanks dude!
take care ya'll
Revathi "
It really was a distasteful essay which had all the elements to rub so many people on the wrong side.It just brought to my attention yet another gimmick by some desperate attention seeking hopeless individual, who is unfit to remain free in an unmoderated domain.There are so many such people whose definition of fun is not really globally acceptable.IMHO,these silly smart-assed ones are definite outliers which need to be taken off the equation,somehow!!
Here is the link to the article.My opinion about sulekha.com has really taken a beating due to their cheap act of retaining this article on thier website to gain publicity.
The article is here..Don't forget to look thro the comments under the article!!
-Raapi

Posted by rajesh |

This post is going to be one of the very few posts which might have an element of productive aspect associated with it.I sincerely wish someone somewhere gets benefited out of the links I am posting here.My plan is to keep updating this particular post as and when I get much more details.I request people who have much more info on this area,to notify me so that their info could also be added to this blog subsequently.

1) some Coop/Internship Links Although some of these pages dont exist,I am sure the links can be backtracked to thier current webpages.

2)Major semiconductor Manufacturing/Design Companies -Both for fulltime/Coop

3)General Coop/Job search websites

4)Monster.com-It was useful..Got a few calls from the jobs in there

5)Brassring-Equally good as monster.
6)jobvertise.com(Added on 10th Feb)
7)Jobs in Austin..Links directly to the companies' career websites - Updated on Feb 21
8)semiconductor companies.Comprehensive list.Updated on Feb 21
9)MotorolaCareers.com..Heard theres lotsa summer internshipsUpdated on March 14th
I feel the foolproof method to land oneself into a fulltime job in the U.S is by doing a coop or an internship.Getting into one of them is not a daunting task.It just needs a little bit of searching/Networking.Goodluck!

Posted by rajesh |

The title of this blog contains some of the common words that I very often come across when I browse through the matrimonial websites,namely Shaadi.com and Tamilmatrimony.com.I still don't know why some of my friends looked at me as if I had commited a sin,when they heard me talk abt spending/killing my weekends visiting these websites.Although I accept that there is no purpose/element of seriousness in my visits,I had a basic understanding that the purpose of such websites and the ads placed over there in public,was for people to look at them.Anyway let the dialogue rendering guys keep up their work,I have no reason to quit browsing these websites.If not for any productive work,it helps me atleast pass my abundant useless time.
It was kind of a great eye-opener to me.I was surprised to see the current trend in matrimony.Every alliance seeker sang the same old song."Looking for a guy who is a teetotaller,good looking.He should be from a decent family and have good habits."The first question that arose in my mind was..if this is the basic requirement what is going to happen to the millions of smokers and beer-guzzling guys out there?Are their breed going to die down slowly?The next question was..Was it not foolish to ask for a person to be from a decent family? Would anybody categorise himself coming from an indecent family and ignore that ad?
Some of my other observations were
***It really is a painful phase for some of the parents looking for an alliance for their girls.Feel very sorry for many of the faces peeping out of the webpage portraying a sorry look ,looking for the man of their dreams.At first it did not hit me hard,but then upon visiting the page after a span of 2 months,it was pathetic to notice the same faces still hanging in there.I have seen some of these girls age an year in these ads.Wondering about the travails of this flock of people and what the society and family has branded them..
***The ads placed by the guys seem to be much more enthusiastic and brimming with confidence.Most of them are very carefree and show no shyness in putting up lengthy descriptions with peculiar demands.Some of them try to win the confidence of their prospective mates with the aid of their silly photos.
***Some ads get etched in the minds due to the amusing profile description/demands.One of them was from a gal's mom which said "MTV guys from the yo-yo generation..Pls excuse us"..I jus cannot resist laughing whenever I think of it.
***Girls cannot have a photo taken with their natural looks in a natural environment.Almost every one of them has an assumed facial expression and the surrounding locale is still the age-old studio with an wooden table and a very bad wallpaper in the background!
***Every tamil guy is a teetotaller.By default every guy has the B.E/M.S qualification tag attached to him.Wondering how the BSc/Bcom guys ever get married.
***Every tamil girl is tall,fair and beautiful.Evrybody prefers their guy to hold a H1 visa or green card.
***I sincerely wish that my observations don't hurt the sentiments of any person who is seriously involved in bringing out a successful outcome either for themselves or their near and dear ones,through these websites.
***I pray that the next time I visit the websites,I find fresh new faces ;) out there,in the sense that ...I wish all the people in there right now, to be successful in their search!
-Raapi

Posted by rajesh |

It has been a boring series of months,in the sense that nothing eventful/interesting has been happening.Even few of the memorable happenings have not been pleasant enough to remember and quote.The impending worry about the future and never-ending worries about the loneliness continues to haunt.I realise that the title of this blog is kinda too exagerrating.I am not that worried as it sounds.But then, I feel its better to have a few of them and be involved in tackling them than have an empty mind and cry over being idle.
I remember having read somewhere something on the lines -"There is no reason not to be happy in life" which I interpret as "There is every reason for me to be cheerful and stop worrying unnecessarily!"
Here are some random thoughts that are cruising through my mind this instant:
****This month is the much awaited month when one of my best friends(my best find in life,I could say)is getting married.I wish this person all the very best!Although this is no time to complain/worry,there is a small tinge of sadness being away from the memorable occasion and also a sudden feeling of losing that person(Getting out of touch..I mean).Although many people deny it,it is definitely true that a person cannot maintain the same proximity with friends once he or she gets into wedlock.I have experienced this exact pattern many times in the recent years and this one gets added to that list!
****My sweet sister had her 21st birthday this week.It was a delight calling her and wishing her.Whenever I speak to her,I am filled with pleasant nostalgic memories of the wonderful times we have spent all through the years.
****The stock markets are kinda taking a strong beating.They are trying to make a fast retreat southwards from the elevations that they attained due to the crazy holiday mood in Nov/Dec.
****The companies are slowly starting to recruit and it seems to be a good sign hearing some of my friends talking about their interview calls and job offers.My company AMD also seems to be on a recruiting spree which is kinda surprising.
****I just realised that it has been a long time since I have attended any function or festival.When in India,there was always some known person's kalyanam or grahapravesham stuff and even they were not happening,there was always a diwali/pongal or one of those 'jayanthis'(Krishna/Hanumar/Mahatma...).Terribly missing the fun!
**********************************************************************
R A A P I

Posted by rajesh |

Since the last few months,I have observed that one particular dog that dwells in the same domain as mine,has been barking quite a lot.It never ceases to stop even if it is shunned or shooed away.Every passer-by expresses distasteful comments as they encounter its menace,but that particular dog has never been able come to its senses.God only knows when it is going to realise that its cries for gaining attention will be never be fulfilled.
I found this article on the web which spoke of some reasons and some actions to counter it.
Reasons for the Barking:
Whining, barking and howling reflect a dog's emotional state. For example, a dog that is excited or startled may bark to express its agitation. It is important to bear in mind that your reaction to your dog's barking or whining will directly determine its behavior in the future.
Barking to attract attention--Your dog can learn how to behave in ways that attract attention if you reward its behavior with attention. If your dog barks when it sees food and you then give it food, the dog will learn to bark for food. The dog may then learn to bark in a variety of situations, many of them inappropriate, for a reward. The reward may take many forms, including food, praise or petting. Even in the form of punishment, negative attention is still attention. Sometimes the best way to deal with attention seeking barking or whining is to simply ignore it. As difficult as this may be, keep in mind that you encourage barking by giving your dog any attention, positive (reward) or negative (punishment).
Barking during isolation--A dog that is not accustomed to being alone may become anxious when isolated or separated from a playmate or human companion. This anxiety may be expressed by whining, barking and howling. The dog may bark or whine only in the first moments following separation, or may continue the entire period of isolation. Behavior modification, sometimes combined with sedation as necessary, may be the viable solution. Vocalization (barking) may precede other forms of separation anxiety, such as destructiveness, inappropriate elimination and excessive grooming.
some more details/tips
-Raapi

Posted by rajesh |