This groundnut seller at Sony World Junction, Koramangala is pretty strange. This photo was taken around 10:00pm. He sells fried groundnuts at the bus stop and bus commuters while waiting for the bus do not mind taking a Rs.5/- worth of groundnuts from him. The groundnuts given in the paper cone, the commuters after eating throw the cones on the ground.
This seller when he is closing down his business and getting ready to go home, was collecting all the paper cones. I was really impressed at first sight that he is doing such a good social service, collecting the paper waste and putting it inside dustbin.
Unfortunately, it was not to be so. He collects theses paper cones for re-using them!! Reusing the paper cones is not a bad choice maybe…

“All izz well” with the movie especially when Shankar took the task of directing the remake. Shankar has taken care of each details from the original movie and did not leave any loopholes nor screw up the script.

The storyline is well known. Vijay, Shrikanth & Jeeva join Ideal Engineering College and become thick friends soon. And they are roommates too. They play pranks, fix a helicopter for another student who commits suicide, takes up on the principal (Satyaraj). Love happens between Vijay & Ileana (Satyaraj daughter) after the 3friends crash to a wedding.

What all happens is known if one had watched “3Idiots”. If you have not watched “3Idiots” then I wouldnt be a spoilsport.

The songs were typical and pleasant to hear from Harris Jeyaraj. The locations were carefully chosen. All within TamilNadu from Chennai to Ooty to Danushkodi.

Maybe Vijay could have shaven his mustache too. Would he have looked like schoolboy then?

Watch it and enjoy the movie. My rating 3/5.

10years later am not part of i-flex Solution. I thought a lot as to how to define my 10yrs from then to now. I sat down to choose 10 photos to denote 10yrs. The conditions I put for myself were:

1. I should be there in the photo.

2. I should be able to tag myself with those photos.

3. All the photos should be taken inside India.

The most difficult part was finding photos where I am in front of the camera. The second is to choose just one photo from each that I can tag myself. The third was of the so many which ones should I leave out and which ones should I choose. I wanted every other photo out there.

After all that difficulty I finally made a collage of 10 photos that would define me today, 10 years after I walked into Bangalore.

I would tag myself today as a Traveller, Cyclist, Runner, Software Engineer, Chess player.

In these 10 years I refound my chess playing skills while the rest I explored and found to be what I can be best fitted to.

1. The mobile network signal drops lot of times. Some times, the network is not found till a reboot is done.

2. Battery never says 100% charge complete.

3. Worst of all. Last night after battery drained, my mobile got switched off. Today morning I put it on charge and switched it on. Shocks of shocks, the mobile network is missing. Reboot still no network. Change mode to Airplane and again disable but still no network.

Worst of all, none of the service providers are also listed.

This is the most funniest thing I would have done. Went to System Settings -> Wireless & Networks -> Mobile Networks.  Disabled Data enabled, Data roaming, Use only 2G networks. Then clicked on Network Operators, finally my mobile service provider was listed in the available networks. I select and then enable all the disabled options. 

Back to normal. Back to work. 

Any further issues will be added here. 

Only that the upgrade to 4.0.3 never happened. Further research on net followed. Somewhere in one of the articles I read that upgrade happens from 2.3.6 to 4.0.3 which is official.

There I go downloading 2.3.6 and installing. Now everything goes for a toss. The phone when rebooted started giving the message “android.process.acore has stopped unexpectedly”. It wouldn’t go beyond the screen of saying touch android for starting.

When I press “Volume UP & Power” button together I get into bootloader menu but when I click on recovery, I get an exclamation mark and nothing happens beyond.

When I connect the USB cable to my laptop, I can view the files inside the mobile, can copy into the mobile or copy out. But the laptop device manager would not recognise the phone.

Again I go into researching the entire internet android domains looking for solution. I end up installing Android SDK, downloading umpteen files to be installed in the phone. Then I try to install PDAnet. Check & read every post on android forums, watch every video.   

After installing every other file, I try fastboot command. But the command prompt issues a message “waiting for device”.

If I type adb devices in command prompt there is no result. Basically my phone was not getting recognised. 

In one other post I read take the battery and leave it out for 10mins and again put it back, it will work. This looked dumb to me, still I followed. 

I should say though that it was after I felt this was dumb thing to do, did I get an idea to get it working. Like they say, one last attempt. 

I put the battery, switch it on, see the message “android.process.acore has stopped unexpectedly”. Shutdown the phone. Press “Volume UP & Power” button together.

Click on Recovery, I find the same old exclamation mark. The theory that removing the battery, leaving it out for 10mins, and then putting it back, was not a solution for my phone.

When the phone was displaying the exclamation mark, i got an idea voila. I press again “Volume UP & Power” button together, it took me to the recovery mode in forced way!!

I know the file “update.zip” did not upgrade my phone earlier, so I select CynogenMod9 files and install them. Its even more frustrating because you know you have reached close to solution but the solution is not there still. When I installed CM9 files, my phone spat saying “Installation Aborted”. Try another file same message. I start looking for CM7 files now. Same result.

One final brain wave, my 6th sense woke up & I clicked on “update.zip”. Wonders of wonders, the installation happened successfully. Though that 2mins of installation my heart was racing & pumping. I reboot the phone lo behold, watching very carefully & yes phone is up!! I sync the google account and the old apps that I had installed earlier are all back too… 

Now my NexusS is on Android 4.0.3!!!

What is required:
1. White pumpkin
2. Yellow pumpkin (less in quantity, otherwise taste is very different)
3. Chowchow
4. Beans
5. Broad beans (Avaraikai)
6. Potatoes
7. Carrot
8. Drumstick
9. Brinjal
10. Green Chillies
11. 2-3 cups of Curd
12. Churned coconut
13. Green leaves

(Quantity of vegetables decide on the how much is required based on number of people)

Preparation method:
1. Peel the skin of carrot, potatoes, chowchow.
2. Cut the vegetables into almost similar length. Dont cut brinjal too small.
3. Wash the vegetables. Put them in a pan.
4. Mix one cup of curd with water. Pour this mixture into the pan and put it on for boiling.
5. In the meantime, make a paste of churned coconut and 3-4 green chillies.
6. Once the vegetables are boiled, add the above paste.
7. Add another 1/2 cup of curd.
8. Mix the contents and allow it to boil for 2-3minutes.
9. Add green leaves, mix the content.

Now avial is ready. Avial goes well Adai, coconut rice, lemon rice, tamarind rice and plain rice.

The movie brings to light lot of things about relations to people
1. Going on date does not mean girlfriend – boyfriend
2. All is never well in a relation. There are up’s & down’s.
3. Atleast one in the relation should be a strong person. Should tide over tough times.
4. Patience is the key in a relation.
5. Men can never forget earlier relation or person with whom they are deeply interested.

There are lots more, needs close watch.
While I would rate it as 4.5/5, the movie is not mass movie.

1. How many of us are tax payers in our country? How many people evade tax? How many pay the exact amount which is required? How many businessmen show the correct profits and allow tax department to deduct?
Are we not creating black money here?
2. How many prefer to work overseas and send money into India in dollars. Try to look for all loopholes to avoid tax on money sent to India. The money converted from dollars to rupees is pretty huge.
Isnt there black money created here?
3. We have typical case of rich getting richer & poor getting poorer. Everyone knows the big palatial mansion built in Mumbai in recent times.
4. There are lakhs of people struggling to get even one single meal. Lakhs still struggling for a decent clothing.
5. Even though goverment has banned killing girl child, still female infanticide is prevalent.
6. Don’t spit on the roads. But walk anywhere in India you will find people spitting. Places like Kolkatta has buildings painted red by paan spitting people.
7. Throw garbage at dustbins. But how many follow this? From 7th floor of the house down flies a cover filled with garbage into vacant plot nearby. Where ever we want to throw we throw the garbage and leave. We are lazy to take the extra few steps to keep our surroundings clean.
8. Cross the road at zebra-crossing. Its only on paper. We still prefer running across the road whenever we want to cross unmindful of the approaching traffic.
9. Casting vote is one’s duty. This again remains on paper. Whats the use, who will vote. Who cares who comes to power. Little do we realize that casting vote by every citizen can prevent politicians with police records not come to power.

There are many more laws and rules which we as common public don’t follow. Cast your vote keep corrupt politicians away from power then we don’t need Anna Hazare to fast.
The fasting by Anna Hazare should first be against the public of India for not doing their duties.

Before I begin to support Anna Hazare I would first like to see a day when there is 100% voting, politicians with criminal records are kept away from coming to power, each citizen follows all law of state, every citizen pays the correct amount of tax…

PS: These are my personal views.

1. Poondu (garlic) – 30 pieces
2. Turmeric powder – 1/2 spoon
3. Tamarind – 3 small rounds
4. Sambhar Powder – 3 spoons
5. Salt – 2 spoons
6. Red chillis – 3 pieces

Preparation:

1. Peel the garlic. This is the most boring job!!
2. Heat the tamarind in water. Then squeeze the tamarind and take the water out. Make a thick paste of this.
3. Heat oil in pan and add mustard seeds.
4. To this mixture put the garlic and fry them till it becomes slightly golden.
5. Now add the red chiilies and fry that too.
5. Add the turmeric powder & sambhar powder. Mix the contents.
6. Immediately add tamarind water and mix the contents.
7. Add the salt and again mix.
8. Allow the content in the pan to boil. Then reduce the flame and allow the content to continue boiling. Till the smell of sambhar powder goes off. Regularly keep stirring the contents.
9. Once the smell of sambhar powder is gone, make the mixture into thick content.
10. Now poondu vathal kozhambu is ready to be served.

This is can be mixed with rice and eaten.