tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13353396756609899152024-03-05T02:44:01.584-08:00Ramanan's MusingsRamananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486282036762354266noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335339675660989915.post-70915968371033556972023-09-16T08:25:00.001-07:002023-09-16T08:29:22.785-07:00LastPass - Fare thee well but I could not forgive the back stabbing <p>Yesterday, I bid farewell to the LastPass Password manager with whom I had a long association. A little over 10 years ago, I saw the writing on the wall and realized that I needed help with password management and nervously signed up with this new and up-and-coming password manager called LastPass. To encourage more users, LastPass offered a 5-year deal for $60. I signed up for this deal and was pleasantly surprised by what the tool could do. As it is with a lot of startups, the energy levels are high when starting out and new releases brought new functionality regularly. But that pace dropped off precipitously and in the last few years, they sort of sat on their laurels and the tool became passe and dated. </p><p>To compound their problems, a series of hacks last year exposed their basic claim of security for your passwords. Unknown hackers managed to clone several password databases and then using state-of-the-art computers, they managed to crack user master passwords even those that were 10 or 12 characters long. How many of us have passwords that are that long? I do not blame them for being hacked - it happens to the best of us. What bothered me was their response. At first, they hid the hacking attempts and when they were forced to announce it, their press releases made it sound like it was the customer's fault for having weak passwords etc. Even after it was decisively proven that they had several issues with how they stored those passwords, the CEO never made an attempt to apologize to his customers. </p><p>Anyway, I thought moving on from LastPass would be difficult but to my pleasant surprise, 1Password made this transition seamless. I was blown away by how smoothly I was able to shift my entire password database to 1Password. Even the user experience in the browser/desktop/mobile was nicer compared to LastPass. It reinforced a concept that is well-known in the Bay Area. In order to grow, change is a necessity. It applies to everything from software development to job advancement. Keep innovating by changing your environment with a constant focus on quality. </p>Ramananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486282036762354266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335339675660989915.post-25577715698910443182023-08-25T07:23:00.003-07:002023-08-25T09:38:14.975-07:00Chandrayaan-3 - A win for the middle class worker bee <p> Again, it has been several years since I have had the time to write another blog post. Life gets in the way. The kids are growing up too fast. Parents are growing old too fast. Different sorts of issues to face as you step through these phases in life. More on that in a later post. </p><p>This post is dedicated to the humble men and women scientists of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Long ridiculed by the Western world for their ambitious goals (see NYT's cartoon picture depicting the Indian scientist as a farmer with a cow knocking on the door of the Elite Space Club). </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUh-9EdnFzvf9sO1UFld7AAoxC2zoMcI0tBGU4-rJZUVODGuIZFXt1YoLmmsBdkK3MsqUDVIlp8JexaP5kSBLKnKC5S_e9IJ1AA5NLisIlZQBQDWYJFJ4IqDQ4iqcPUjNNNZG-nqoA7pjNdEz1LW9ohMBaxnl7wFq9z3p2rt2elzlNB9zuigRMcelwkTE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="602" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUh-9EdnFzvf9sO1UFld7AAoxC2zoMcI0tBGU4-rJZUVODGuIZFXt1YoLmmsBdkK3MsqUDVIlp8JexaP5kSBLKnKC5S_e9IJ1AA5NLisIlZQBQDWYJFJ4IqDQ4iqcPUjNNNZG-nqoA7pjNdEz1LW9ohMBaxnl7wFq9z3p2rt2elzlNB9zuigRMcelwkTE" width="203" /></a></div><br />The immortal words of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_was_so_much_owed_by_so_many_to_so_few">Sir Winston Churchill</a>, "Never was so much owed by so many to so few" are very apt to describe what ISRO has been able to accomplish. The 1.4 Billion Indians are grateful to the ISRO for this achievement. We (as in most of the Indians settled here in the US) have no right to share the limelight with the men and women engineers of ISRO. These are hard-working, lower-middle-class folks, many of whom struggled to go to school/college because often they didn't even get primary education in English and then to climb out of all these pot-holes, and earn their degrees in second-tier universities (not from the IITs you see). And then after they got their degrees, they didn't go and seek those rich jobs - instead they chose low-paying jobs at ISRO because they wanted their work to mean something. They overcame all the odds that were thrown at them. The rest of us don't even know the meaning of true grit and vision - something that these folks endure on a daily basis with a smile. <p></p><p>To the astonishment of the media, the ISRO chief proudly claimed that it was due to the low-paying jobs that they were able to pull off this success. What he meant was that he wanted motivated people in his team and not people who come to work for money. I wish them all much success and glory. I am glad to see some of the media recognize these hard-working individuals and not glorify some politician or high-ranking official.</p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/ShashiTharoor/status/1694595343457923574?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1694595343457923574%7Ctwgr%5Ef54e707888c3c4eb1f2794fa878cd405b113edb6%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-36154647802313979487.ampproject.net%2F2308112021001%2Fframe.html">Tharoor</a> said it the best - "The IITians went to Silicon Valley but the CETians took us to the moon.". Wow - what a pithy statement. </p><p>While NASA and the European Space Agency applauded ISRO's achievements and even helped the mission by tracking the progress of the lander, some elements in the Western media used the opportunity again to question why India needs to invest in space missions when it has so much poverty and lacking basic amenities like toilets. Here are a <a href="https://balaji.quora.com/Indian-Space-Mission-Poverty-and-Closet-Racism">couple of strong reminders</a> of why <a href="https://twitter.com/anandmahindra/status/1694535318480073020?s=12&t=bIqxzU55POjYBSD2vm0WZA">investment in science and technology</a> is the only way to pull people up from poverty - an idea that was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dAcrnkZwhc">vehemently supported</a> by Neil deGrasse Tyson, the American Physicist. </p><p>Finally, here is a <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/editorial-india-now-moon-shoestring-211434905.html">fair and positive article</a> from the Western media applauding the achievement. </p>Ramananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486282036762354266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335339675660989915.post-71758967005159066502020-07-20T21:33:00.002-07:002020-07-21T21:13:36.223-07:00A thought of real friendship inspired by a scene from the book Dune ... <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
On my daily walks, I listen to audio books - a lot of them thanks to our well-stocked local library. For a long while, i listened to non-fiction, self-help type of books as well as books that teach you stuff like how startups work, or books by <a href="https://simonsinek.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Simon Sinek</a> that teach you to question the why, what and how of each task. Of late, due to the recent turmoil between the US and China, the works of <a href="https://www.robertdkaplan.com/" target="_blank">Robert Kaplan</a> has caught my eye although these are hardbound books and not audio books.<br />
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Anyway, I am meandering ... the reason for this post arose out of a scene from the famous book by Frank Herbert, <a href="https://www.dunenovels.com/" target="_blank">Dune</a>. BTW, I highly recommend this audio book. Even though I have read the book before, the audio book version has made the book much more magical for me. Now to the point ... in this scene, Paul Atreides walks into a room to find his friend, mentor and sword master, Gurney Halleck, threatening to kill his mother, the Lady Jessica due to a misunderstanding over who betrayed Leto Atreides, Paul's father. Paul clarifies that his mother did not betray her husband and that it was Dr. Yeuh who was the betrayer. Eventually Paul and his mother manage to convince Gurney who is then sick with shame over what he had done. He asks Paul to kill him for his grievous error in judgement and Paul is quick to chastise him on such thoughts and instantly forgives his friend who acted in loyalty to his father.<br />
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It got me thinking about real friendship and a thought entered into my consciousness. I am a person who doesn't have trouble making friends but I am a deeply private person and often have trouble asking for help or giving it for that matter. As a result, I have only but a couple of real friends who I am comfortable with - friends with whom I can share my deepest thoughts without fear of being judged or that information being used against me in the future. It got me thinking that I could not for the life of me, ever remember being angry with these friends. I cant even remember disagreeing with them in the past. The more I thought about that, it amazed me that it was possible to have friends who are in perfect sync with your own wavelength and with whom you can have no disagreements - at least non-trivial ones that you can remember. For a brief moment, I walked along a beaten path feeling a kind of enlightenment that only Paul Atreides could have felt but he had help from his Bene Gesserit mother's training and increased prescience by drinking the Water of Life!! </div>
Ramananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486282036762354266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335339675660989915.post-80043371409867002882020-07-18T19:35:00.001-07:002020-07-19T07:07:53.788-07:00New Balance Men's 608 V5 Casual Comfort Cross Trainer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is a review of the <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">New Balance Men's 608 V5 Casual Comfort Cross Trainer</span></span><br />
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<span class="a-size-large product-title-word-break" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3 !important; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; word-break: break-word;"><a href="https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B3W9QFH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1">https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B3W9QFH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1</a></span></div>
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Bought on: September 26, 2019<br />
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<span class="a-size-large product-title-word-break" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3 !important; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; word-break: break-word;">Pros:</span></div>
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<li><span class="a-size-large product-title-word-break" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3 !important; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; word-break: break-word;">Good stability around the heel area</span></li>
<li><span class="a-size-large product-title-word-break" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3 !important; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; word-break: break-word;">Wide toe-box that limits calluses on toes.</span></li>
<li><span class="a-size-large product-title-word-break" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3 !important; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; word-break: break-word;">The liner lasted longer than most.</span></li>
<li><span class="a-size-large product-title-word-break" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.3 !important; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; word-break: break-word;">Walked about 700-800 miles in these shoes.</span></li>
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Cons:</div>
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<li>Once the liner goes flat, the foot tends to push forward and rub against the toe box.</li>
<li>The sole doesnt last very long. </li>
<li>My feet are <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/supination#treatment" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">supinated</a> and therefore the outsides of the sole wear out much faster than the rest of the sole and quickly makes the shoe unbalanced - see picture below.</li>
<li>See the picture below - the material near the back of the leg came apart due to friction. </li>
<li>Did not last one year. </li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhemJBJ9SzWjCiqTtDI0G-x7AHMmf4-nAx8u1Hr1QKEEHCpRTc3zw-FKFPseb6frsQLClyBpDNGAFncFB9z2Zj4fYUFR6b6ygoV_hAkoGIxEYGJzp8eF6helJ_bVKEMhxWKrmLsX5UPq54/s1600/IMG_20200718_184735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhemJBJ9SzWjCiqTtDI0G-x7AHMmf4-nAx8u1Hr1QKEEHCpRTc3zw-FKFPseb6frsQLClyBpDNGAFncFB9z2Zj4fYUFR6b6ygoV_hAkoGIxEYGJzp8eF6helJ_bVKEMhxWKrmLsX5UPq54/s320/IMG_20200718_184735.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOpsMVXBxwZpMPoQ9QqOyAMAPd5xZHo8RgyU6wkKoxU0UG87tNlHt-OBIpKqwvpdV1CQF2s5teoJ1cuzh-Pge-aXfB6V0k4dSrC2NVEvv-P6UXR3oAQ9RbFZWwRcwI6mYHsFR3D4VGPiw/s1600/IMG_20200718_184740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOpsMVXBxwZpMPoQ9QqOyAMAPd5xZHo8RgyU6wkKoxU0UG87tNlHt-OBIpKqwvpdV1CQF2s5teoJ1cuzh-Pge-aXfB6V0k4dSrC2NVEvv-P6UXR3oAQ9RbFZWwRcwI6mYHsFR3D4VGPiw/s320/IMG_20200718_184740.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOQyiyPzGVlwefIxFYEBE_RsdcotDut4qpXOIqiPpUa4Ynxr4GZ5ZgL2ALfwDGW3h5JXefa-XtXh7-zBCQ3fFo02FUxUXRa-H3Alo2CH-LCA0eEJ-XG9pGkLWhC4HkcC7hPLtQEb2Zzrw/s1600/IMG_20200718_184756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOQyiyPzGVlwefIxFYEBE_RsdcotDut4qpXOIqiPpUa4Ynxr4GZ5ZgL2ALfwDGW3h5JXefa-XtXh7-zBCQ3fFo02FUxUXRa-H3Alo2CH-LCA0eEJ-XG9pGkLWhC4HkcC7hPLtQEb2Zzrw/s320/IMG_20200718_184756.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is the new shoe I ordered and will be the next one I will review:<br />
<h1 class="a-size-large a-spacing-none a-color-secondary" id="title" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span class="a-size-large product-title-word-break" id="productTitle" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: small; line-height: 1.3;">ASICS Men's Gel-Venture 6 Running Shoe</span></h1>
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<a href="https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MYZ7XWO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1">https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MYZ7XWO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1</a></div>
Ramananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486282036762354266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335339675660989915.post-53596118028368104332020-07-18T19:03:00.001-07:002020-07-18T19:03:38.597-07:00COVID-19 changes to my life ...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As is the norm, life throws you a curve ball when you least expect it. We had been making several plans and were about to make a big change in our lives when the COVID-19 contagion struck the world with a bang. Now, several months into this pandemic, it feels like we are making little or no progress at all. All travel is now effectively shut down. Working from home is now an everyday event. Weekdays merge into weekends with no fanfare. There is not much to do. But in a very surprising way, folks including our family have been finding new things to do. A lot of people have jumped into cooking various dishes at home or baking up new treats. Gardening is now very popular as well. For me personally, it has been about walking. <div>
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Even before the contagion struck, I had started walking more, listening to good audio books to help me walking further and further. What started as a lunch time activity, is now something I do religiously twice a day. Two hours in the morning and at least an hour in the evening. Getting a Fitbit was the best thing that could have happened to me. Being an engineer, being able to set measurable goals and attaining them became a daily high. I went from walking 50-60k steps per week to 120-150k steps per week. The highlight has been that I have been able to walk for more than 100k steps per week for 14 weeks straight now. </div>
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But one of the cons of walking so much is that there is considerable wear and tear on your feet. I have calluses on several parts of the feet - the outside of the big toe, the curling little toe, and some heal pain. Since shoes are probably an important component in this issue, I will start documenting the performance of the shoes I have purchased or going to purchase. </div>
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Ramananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486282036762354266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335339675660989915.post-90420550269664331672020-07-18T18:41:00.001-07:002020-07-18T18:46:05.175-07:00Blogging after a loooooong time ...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi there,<br />
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Back here again after a long sojourn of more than 5 years. Life has been busy. A and S (my 12 yr old and 9 yr old) are very busy individuals with heavy schedules which pretty much dominates our schedules. Since my last post in 2013, much has happened. Here is short list of events in my life worth mentioning:<br />
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<li>A and S started school. A is now in middle school (in 7th grade) and S is in 4th grade.</li>
<li>My significant other got her B.S in Computer Science, got her teaching credentials, passed the CBEST and CSET exams and is currently a 8th grade Science teacher. She teaches now at a local school and no silicon valley commute for her. </li>
<li>I left Cadence after completing 15 yrs and landed a job at Xilinx Inc which is walking distance from home. No more silicon valley commute for me too!</li>
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Ramananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486282036762354266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335339675660989915.post-16011066414807674282013-04-16T21:02:00.000-07:002020-07-18T21:06:42.109-07:00366 straight days of geocaching ...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Phew - it is over. My personal challenge of finding at least one geocache per day for 366 straight days. Thats weekdays and weekends, folks. Yup - rain or shine, one geocache per day. Now that it is over, I will take a well deserved break and NOT find a cache tomorrow (Apr 17, 2013). The unbroken run will end on April 16, 2013. Feels like I have achieved my Mount Everest climb!</div>
Ramananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486282036762354266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335339675660989915.post-69042942077028968892013-01-16T07:57:00.002-08:002013-01-16T19:45:05.519-08:00The geocaching hike (Vasona Park, 02/11/12)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
February 2, 2012 was when I officially joined the geocaching bandwagon and registered a user name at the <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/">geocaching</a> website. The first family hike for geocaching was at the local Vasona park and while the record suggests that <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/map/default.aspx?lat=37.24615&lng=-121.963383&z=16">this</a> was our first cache, I think we only found this one on our second attempt.<br />
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At this point, you are probably wondering what a geocache is? A geocache is usually a container of some sort containing at least a piece of paper that we call a log. Object of the exercise is to find this container which is usually hidden in plain sight and sign the log to get credit for the find. Of course, containers come in all shapes and sizes and some are really devious. The cache owner posts the GPS location of the hide on the geocaching website and folks can download these coordinates onto their smart phones or GPS devices. </div>
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The really hard to find containers are the little itty bitty ones called <a href="http://soyouwannagogeocaching.blogspot.com/2008/11/nano-geocache.html">nanos</a>. These are very small and really blend in with the surroundings and therefore requires careful searching often with your finger tips. Now the kids dont particulary like the nanos since they only contain a log. There are lots of geocaches out there that are considerably bigger than the nano and contain trade items - goodies for the kids to exchange. I thought this was a brilliant idea because we no longer have to convince the kids to come for the hike - they volunteer for the hike because they want to find these treasures!</div>
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Ramananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486282036762354266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335339675660989915.post-60389401739762130112013-01-15T22:11:00.002-08:002013-01-15T22:11:24.217-08:00Geocaching we will go ...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I feel almost guilty that I haven't written anything in such a long time.Writing is a passion of mine but I hardly make any time for it. I blame the people in my life - they want me to do my share of the chores!!.<br />
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Anyways, rants aside, my goal this year is to fully document the new shared family passion - <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/">geocaching</a>. The 4 (soon to be 5) year old and I have been hiking the hills of Almaden this past year and we have been raking in the geocaches. The little one is quite the hiker and I am a better man for it - okay well, maybe that is the nice way of saying "I lost a few pounds walking all them hills".<br />
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I hate to call it a sport because that brings in all the competitive connotations but it is a great family activity that everyone should look into. Some of us eager ones are so hooked that we challenge ourselves by trying to achieve crazy goals such as one cache per day for at least a year!! Yes, that's right - my goal is to reach 365 days of continuous caching without a single day's break.<br />
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Today is my 275th straight day of geocaching. Only 90 more days to do :). </div>
Ramananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486282036762354266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335339675660989915.post-23544851784790424932011-02-12T07:45:00.000-08:002020-07-20T21:33:39.130-07:00Borg Alert !!It is 7.46am on a Saturday morning. I have just changed the diaper of the new princess in our family and as I sleepily stare into her beautiful face, it occurs to me that the world is slowly becoming a Borg kingdom - yes, when I say Borg, I refer to the race of humanoid creatures made popular by Star Trek. <div><br /></div><div>Just look at the many ways people interact in the world today - phone, email, blogs, twitter, and facebook. With everybody having a virtual persona these days, doesn't it feel like we are slowly evolving into the Borg? One huge collective consciousness that seeks and destroys any other intelligent forms of life. </div><div><br /></div><div>Yup, this is my pithy observation for the day. Live long and prosper!!</div>Ramananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486282036762354266noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335339675660989915.post-55890491242115813202010-10-10T17:54:00.000-07:002011-02-04T15:21:50.216-08:00Camping in the red woods ...Just got back from a camping trip at the Big Basin State Park. There is nothing like camping out in the woods for a couple of nights. The peace, tranquility, and the solitude of the forests is an experience that deserves to be repeated every so often. Of course, the same two nights out camping will make you relish those hot cooked meals and a nice soft bed!!<div><br /><div>The two year old REALLY likes the outdoors. Even 2+ mile long hikes in the mountains wasn't enough to slow him down. He walked and hiked those trails like an expert and even waded in ice-cold pools (in his undies) and still had energy to play with the glow sticks at night. He is one tough cookie. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>For the parents, it was a joyous occasion to see their child interact with the other children and play as GOD intended them to. No fancy toys - just nature. On the final day, the little one got up extra early and was rewarded for his good behavior by the presence of a few deer that wandered over close to the camp site. The little one got to eat his breakfast watching the deer pretty close by.</div><div><br /></div><div>When they say car-camping, they really mean it. Most folks came lugging all sorts of things to the camp but we were totally dwarfed by the amount of easy-to-make food that was on display. The first were the heat-and-eat meats (like hot dogs and sausages in various forms and sizes) and then the more serious stuff like steaks!! The only vegetable on display was potatoes :). Felt really weird eating our simple variety rice items that the wife had precooked and packed when our camping neighbors were taking close to hour preparing their lunches and dinners. </div><div><table style="width:194px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rrramanan/BigBasin?authkey=Gv1sRgCIvf5onfo5K13wE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_cC6avzx8AU4/TLJp3VpyPnE/AAAAAAAAFq8/EV-fXNWvrHE/s160-c/BigBasin.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rrramanan/BigBasin?authkey=Gv1sRgCIvf5onfo5K13wE&feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">BigBasin</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div>Ramananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486282036762354266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335339675660989915.post-91060369378843830682009-06-26T14:30:00.000-07:002009-06-26T14:37:15.710-07:00My second Father's dayTo reflect or not to reflect on my second Father's day, that is the question bugging me this month. I suppose I should enthrall you all with my pithy comments and insights into fatherhood but I think I can do one better. I found this article while waiting for a build to finish at work and for more reasons than one, the salient points made in this article can be applied to my life ad verbatim. Enjoy.<br /><br /><a href="http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ruebarbpie/entry/father-s-day-special-things"><span class="title">Father's Day: Things I've Learnt From My Baby</span></a>Ramananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486282036762354266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335339675660989915.post-78423083116179328742009-05-23T08:11:00.000-07:002020-07-20T21:46:54.578-07:00Beezees !!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4KOSJDZXmadWnEZ-__zUk22EsnDVH3ZJeNHJW8SWh-JpQZu4wSBXlSSHzFXhp138xpLQ8T-KJx9p-8nWLBD0Ee3QZnKSzJzpWiXZRyupcGC7qytALgR4MgtVwLYD0ZXrMlRkyWV_Jnw/s1600-h/DSC_4121.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339069750927826258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4KOSJDZXmadWnEZ-__zUk22EsnDVH3ZJeNHJW8SWh-JpQZu4wSBXlSSHzFXhp138xpLQ8T-KJx9p-8nWLBD0Ee3QZnKSzJzpWiXZRyupcGC7qytALgR4MgtVwLYD0ZXrMlRkyWV_Jnw/s320/DSC_4121.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 214px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
Beezees, Beezees - seems this is A's favorite word these days and no he is not a Bee Gees fan. This is A's version of the word "Bicycle" :). Yes, we have joined the biking nation. The Mrs has a brand new <a href="http://www.raleighusa.com/bikes/comfort/venture/">Raleigh</a> 7-speed bike while I purchased the very slick looking <a href="http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/urban/allant/allant/">Trek Allant</a>. A has a very cool child seat on which he lords over the Mrs. directing her to pedal faster :).<br />
<br />
I havent been bicycling for a _looong_ time. The last time I remember bicycling was when I was 16 and enjoyed pedalling furiously to go to school at Vidya Mandir, Luz, Chennai. I used to go from Besant Nagar to Luz in about 40 minutes - a distance of about 7.3 kms. Well here is the route:<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /><iframe frameborder="0" height="480" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=25th+Cross+St,+Besant+Nagar,+Chennai,+Tamil+Nadu,+India&daddr=Unknown+road+to:13.026969,80.260448+to:No.+197/117,+R.H.+Road,+Chennai,+Chennai,+Tamil+Nadu,+India+(Luz+Studio)&hl=en&geocode=;FcW6xgAd97zIBA;;FW7xxgAdS8rIBCGKp8LO_QEFGg&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=2&sz=14&via=1,2&sll=13.022537,80.271006&sspn=0.065059,0.069866&ie=UTF8&ll=13.022454,80.271091&spn=0.080278,0.109863&z=13&output=embed" width="640"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=embed&saddr=25th+Cross+St,+Besant+Nagar,+Chennai,+Tamil+Nadu,+India&daddr=Unknown+road+to:13.026969,80.260448+to:No.+197%2F117,+R.H.+Road,+Chennai,+Chennai,+Tamil+Nadu,+India+%28Luz+Studio%29&hl=en&geocode=%3BFcW6xgAd97zIBA%3B%3BFW7xxgAdS8rIBCGKp8LO_QEFGg&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=2&sz=14&via=1,2&sll=13.022537,80.271006&sspn=0.065059,0.069866&ie=UTF8&ll=13.022454,80.271091&spn=0.080278,0.109863&z=13" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small></span></div>
Ramananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486282036762354266noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335339675660989915.post-27697154267377191892009-02-18T20:44:00.000-08:002020-07-20T21:48:10.463-07:00Hard times are here ...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwSaVXEn_Gq7UhDq7Kzc0CfKnV2ZmECJWUkh0-nwJdTjCTMNQjoJgmYiTdIF4GyoU4hzYb6KlXMEOniT2mFjVRl5YStGz6Pkh8wUEvs_jcWpaLb0i9uPFGGmXo5HSU02dqTWfh_h4LUug/s1600-h/DSC_3784.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304370427215562674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwSaVXEn_Gq7UhDq7Kzc0CfKnV2ZmECJWUkh0-nwJdTjCTMNQjoJgmYiTdIF4GyoU4hzYb6KlXMEOniT2mFjVRl5YStGz6Pkh8wUEvs_jcWpaLb0i9uPFGGmXo5HSU02dqTWfh_h4LUug/s320/DSC_3784.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 214px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a>
I seem to have very little time for myself these days given the tight schedules at work, the backyard construction project, and the tight schedules at home and so new posts will be few and far between this new year.
It has finally happened. The good citizens of US of A have elected a Democrat president who seems to have a conscience. But it remains to be seen if he can undo the damage caused by the exiting <a href="http://www.wordreference.com/definition/plutocrat">plutocrat</a>. Much is expected of him and if the first few days are anything to go by, hope still exists for this land of opportunity. This small glimmer of hope is the only thing that is keeping severe depression at bay. Every where you turn, it is bad news followed by more bad news. I can now imagine what Frodo must have felt at the base of Mount Doom.
In all this turmoil, our little family has found a safe harbour in the eye of the storm. Our days are spent wondering what new trick our little boy is going to learn or what new car seat to buy. A is keeping us focused on his needs and wants and often regales us with his mischievousness and his infectious smile.Ramananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486282036762354266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335339675660989915.post-29798972531199532162008-10-19T17:09:00.000-07:002020-07-18T21:06:58.249-07:00Galant head-covering meets a grizzly end ...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKaj5fcbD-unibGPwCRPLbRj-lZOqWkjCcCZbBdR6qAF8se_8162adSilMKW6_lVTAAhXj88H8xnzLRRzeuwLoSVAa4scgxg_asSq5y7Zntk0qart5EoprCHuLGAWQeXtrJ9K6q4gXVOE/s1600-h/IMG_1170.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKaj5fcbD-unibGPwCRPLbRj-lZOqWkjCcCZbBdR6qAF8se_8162adSilMKW6_lVTAAhXj88H8xnzLRRzeuwLoSVAa4scgxg_asSq5y7Zntk0qart5EoprCHuLGAWQeXtrJ9K6q4gXVOE/s200/IMG_1170.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259021926428348562" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Obituary for "Hat"</span><br /></div>The proud and gallant head-covering made of woven straw met a grizzly end on Oct 17th, 2008 at approximately 3pm near Los Banos, California. "Hat" as it was affectionately called, had a very happy life right from when its owner, Ramanan purchased it at Disney World, Orlando, Florida on July 1st, 2003 for the princely sum of $14.99. A veteran of many campaigns over the years, "Hat" was cherised and loved by its owner.<br />"Hat" had survived many trips to the wilderness (even a trip to New York) but it meets its match in the hands (and teeth) of a pudgy and pugnacious (and possibly hungry) eight month old strapped to a car seat in the back seat of a Volkswagen Passat station wagon. "Hat" succumbed to the brutal attack somewhere between the towns of Madera and Los Banos on highway 152 (heading west) and was the only casualty in an otherwise wonderful 5 day trip to Yosemite and Bass Lake. "Hat" is survived by owner, Ramanan and family. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the <a href="http://www.makeitrightnola.org/">Make it Right Foundation</a>.Ramananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486282036762354266noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335339675660989915.post-26103781266124780812008-10-19T09:32:00.001-07:002020-07-18T21:07:10.126-07:00Why is it so hard to upload and organize pictures ...I spent most of yesterday uploading pictures of Adith's eighth month and pics from our recent trip to Yosemite to the popular <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/ramanan_family_pics/pool/">flickr</a> web site. Dont ask me why flickr is popular cause I wasnt very happy with their interface. Okay - they do have some nice tools to help with the uploading but organizing the pictures wasnt very intuitive. How do I sort the pictures in a group pool? If someone knows do let me know.<br /><br />After much soul searching, the mrs and I have decided to splurge on a new iMac - the one with the 24" screen. Hopefully the new Apple computer will come with some decent applications for photo editing and perusal.Ramananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486282036762354266noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335339675660989915.post-82146652841419705442008-08-12T21:29:00.000-07:002020-07-20T21:49:24.704-07:00A lot has happened ...It has been a while since I made time to pen a few thoughts. A _lot_ has happened in the last few months that has left me emotionally drained. Here are a few salient features from the past ...
My parents made the pilgrimage all the way from Chennai to the west coast of California in the end of April' 2008 to visit their first grandchild (A). Airline travel is getting to be a big pain these days what with the new baggage regulations and the fuel surcharges. The flying time from MAA to SJC is a grueling 19 hours - enough to shrivel up a bonny lad of 18. Imagine what this does to travel weary grandparents aged 65.
The weather in sunny California is not what it used to be. It was May but the weather was averaging a chilly 60 degrees Fahrenheit much to the discomfort of my parents who are used to 20 years of steady 85 degree Fahrenheit Chennai temperature . Due to the chilly weather, my father suffered a mild heart attach - or a myocardial infraction to those of you savvy in medical lingo. A visit to the ER revealed that he did indeed have a couple of minor arteries that were completely blocked or close to it. The cardiologist recommended a quick angiogram/angioplasty to fix this minor problem which could turn into a major problem if left untreated. This quickly turned into two nights in the cardiovascular ER in the local Good Sam Hospital. Three stents were placed in his heart to keep the affected arteries open. I can only thank God that this event took place in SJC where the immediate family were all present. I can not imagine the turmoil my mother would have had to go through if this had happened on the plane trip over here or earlier in Chennai.
I sincerely hope none of you ever have to visit a hospital here in the US of A (excluding those visits made to visit the new baby - those are quite fun). The care is very basic and very impersonal. The ER patient has to call down to the cafeteria to order his/her meal. If the patient forgets (even if he/she was unconscious) , then he/she doesnt get a meal. But if one takes a look at the bill (which is really a book/tome), it would appear as if the ER patient was tended to by President Bush's own personal medical staff and Air Force 1 was used exclusively to courier in the medical supplies (which were all purchased in Europe using euros).
Almost three months have passed since that fateful day in May. A lot of good things have happened since then. My father is healthy and has regained his strength and spirits. A has had a wonderful time with both sets of grandparents spending quality time with him over the past six months. Now my parents are getting ready to head back to Chennai and we are looking forward to about three months where we will have to take care of Adith all by ourselves :). Come November, we are all headed to Pune and Chennai to visit the grandparents - little A's first visit to his motherland.Ramananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486282036762354266noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335339675660989915.post-6068170061298888672008-04-20T09:45:00.000-07:002008-04-20T09:53:47.127-07:00Indian Ads rule ...Since Jofus has taken a (hopefully, only a) temporary vacation from blogging, here is a snappy <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af2EbwiL_kk">Indian ad</a> from the folks at Vodafone. I do realize that they are focussed on only selling you something but such an ad does raise one's spirits.<br /><br />Dont google for the song - i already looked. The song was written and sung exclusively for the ad but it sounds like it is loosely based on the "Rising Sun" title song from the movie "Casino".Ramananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486282036762354266noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335339675660989915.post-86732570453223419802008-04-01T22:15:00.000-07:002008-04-01T22:28:38.096-07:00Global Dimming ?Most of you would have heard about global warming and even have done your bit to reduce your personal contribution to global warming but what I found out about global dimming scared me pretty bad. The irony could not be more explicit - I am cradling the sleeping Adith and watching the PBS <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sun/">special about global dimming.</a><br /><br />While I encourage all you to real all about it at the aforementioned link, here is the short summary. We all know that global warming is raising the global temperature and is caused chiefly by greenhouse gases - so far so good. But do you also know that a second type of pollution (particle pollution) actually causes a cooling effect (and hence termed as global dimming or dimming the sun by man-made clouds) and therefore hiding the real impact of the greenhouse gases. Particle pollution is caused by factories, airplanes etc. With the advent of carbon scrubbing technologies, particle pollution is being reduced significantly in the developed world. But in the short term, it appears that this might lead to a double whammy effect. Temperature increases of 3 degrees centigrade are expected in the next 20 years or so.<br /><br />What kind of world will we leave to our children? The future looks harsh at the moment. I am thinking of investing in a submarine since San Jose and Chennai are likely to be under water by 2040 ...Ramananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486282036762354266noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335339675660989915.post-10682655679025574422008-03-29T14:29:00.000-07:002008-03-29T21:47:27.663-07:00Another missed opportunity ...Dang it!! Yet another idea that the <a href="http://www.naymz.com/search/sunil/alexander/1642107">Batman</a> (you can run but you cant hide), Jofus and I only talked about several years ago has been implemented. I refer to the neat "<a href="http://www.shelfari.com/">Shelfari</a>" (virtual bookshelf) website. Look to the right and you will see my virtual bookshelf. Dig a little deeper and you will find a wonderfully put together website that enables friends/groups to share their past, present and future reading lists. The site of course is helpfully interlinked with Blogger, Amazon etc and stands a real chance of becoming yet another successful "social" networking product.Ramananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486282036762354266noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335339675660989915.post-73085497785599480222008-03-13T08:01:00.000-07:002008-03-13T10:00:57.498-07:00Eric Schlosser's dire prediction ...I just finished reading Eric Schlosser's seminal book titled "Fast Food Nation - The Dark Side of the All-American Meal". In my opinion this is one of the two best books on how we should live and eat after we inform ourselves about the food that we eat - the other book in this genre being Micheal Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma.<br /><br />In the afterword, Eric makes a very honest assessment of our current way of life that I found to be very chilling in its prediction. Given my previous post about the amorality of businesses, I though the following was something I should share.<br /><br />Excerpt from Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation: "<span style="font-style: italic;">The history of the 20th century was dominated by the struggle against totalitarian systems of state power. The 21st will no doubt be marked by a struggle to curtail excessive corporate power. The great challenge now facing countries throughout the world is how to find a proper balance between the efficiency and the amorality of the market. Over the past twenty years, the US has swung too far in one direction, weakening the regulations that safeguard workers, consumers, and the environment. An economic system promising freedom has too often become a means of denying it, as the narrow dictates of the market gain precedence over more important democratic values.</span>"<br /><br />Powerful words, eh? Comments?Ramananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486282036762354266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335339675660989915.post-21044801547359574722008-03-06T21:06:00.000-08:002008-03-08T08:13:56.787-08:00Adith rules and the impossible passport size photo of a baby<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWgvWOYd5YnZ5Nj0AeIqHgUtbKgWZqemONn1GuqbQHJ2eGYtVa-mKOh73LMqcV_v29zXFuoWQfwHf_pv2waQ80THl_P2yZ7DP3sAm4L4gOX-NUXQ9-UsCxSU_CNSEXu0Aud8vdxGtmxuU/s1600-h/DSC_0151.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWgvWOYd5YnZ5Nj0AeIqHgUtbKgWZqemONn1GuqbQHJ2eGYtVa-mKOh73LMqcV_v29zXFuoWQfwHf_pv2waQ80THl_P2yZ7DP3sAm4L4gOX-NUXQ9-UsCxSU_CNSEXu0Aud8vdxGtmxuU/s200/DSC_0151.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5175166092861509458" border="0" /></a><br />Since Adith pretty much dictates my life these days, I changed the color and template of this blog to a shiny baby blue :). Hope you all dont object.<br /><br />It has been a fleeting three weeks since Adith's birth and I have not found the time to document these past few weeks. I am back at work this week. Isnt it a cruel world where the mother gets 6 months maternity leave and the dad gets one measly week. Anyway, I managed to go to work one day and then worked from home the next four days. This in order to ease the transition for the family is what I told my manager. But it was really to ease my transition to the daily grind :).<br /><br />Adith received his SSN today and this meant that we could apply for his passport. 2 passport size pictures, application form and Adith's birth certificate are all that are required. We drag the baby to the local Kinkos only to find out that they dont take passport pics of babies - too hard they say!! Take the baby to a professional studio was the recommended advice. It is bad enough that one has to pay something like $20 for a couple of passport size photos - going to a studio is likely to cost much much more. How can these guys get away with charging us these big bucks for a couple of snaps? They dont give us the negatives since these are digital pictures anyway (and they dont give you the JPEG file either). The bane of the free market economy is that one can charge what ever he/she wants as long as there is still a demand for the product - is there no sense of morality in businesses these days?. I hope that with the advent of cheap digital cameras and digital printers, more and more people will make their own passport size photos and put an end to this daylight robbery (okay - i am done with my rant on passport size photos).<br /><br />Long story short, I made my own passport size photo of Adith. Oh, before I forget, the passport photo instructions mention that the distance from the chin to the top of the head must be between 1 inch and 1 & 3/8 inch. What they mean to say is that the distance from the chin to the top of the head must be between 2.5 cm and 3.5 cm (now isnt that something you can measure using a normal ruler :)). Score 1 for the metric system.Ramananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486282036762354266noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335339675660989915.post-34476807864320906972008-02-28T17:10:00.000-08:002020-07-20T21:50:13.832-07:00112 diapers and counting ...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7nVbuZsWp87FpBi42DesnyCdqD6CYp4_RRpkCDbgLzadkcVX1X7I3DtEs0cNkwxmM4x7h8N2fUGj8pdIE5zPpLGu-6xLfq9Fnvg9Quyy73HYvp6UcefaA7iF6a9KRodwkq7gifDDcs50/s1600-h/DSC_0006.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172205053507065650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7nVbuZsWp87FpBi42DesnyCdqD6CYp4_RRpkCDbgLzadkcVX1X7I3DtEs0cNkwxmM4x7h8N2fUGj8pdIE5zPpLGu-6xLfq9Fnvg9Quyy73HYvp6UcefaA7iF6a9KRodwkq7gifDDcs50/s400/DSC_0006.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 179px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 268px;" /></a><br />Yes - he is finally here. A arrived into this world loudly complaining about being squeezed through the birth canal even though it took him only a few minutes from the beginning to the end of the "squeezing" part of the process.<br /><br />A arrived three weeks early catching everyone by surprise. He is a cute tiny little guy but is very active and very curious about the new world that he has descended into. With each day, I think his lungs and stomach are growing exponentially (at least it sounds this way). It is amazing how these little guys can pack it away and then download it all into the diaper. A is averaging about 8 diapers a day and so since he is two weeks old now, thats 112 diapers and counting :).<br /><br />As new parents, the first few hours are exhilarating. We are the proud parents of this darling boy and everything is new and exciting. Fast forward a couple of days and the proud parents are still happy and delirious but more due to the fatigue rather than anything else :). I must say that the feelings that you go through as a new parent is nothing like anything you might have gone through in your life before. In the first few traumatic days, the extended lack of sleep should have converted the new parents into walking zombies but it isnt like that at all. One look at that cherubic face and a mother lode of endomorphines is released into your system to cancel out the fatigue.Ramananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486282036762354266noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335339675660989915.post-39691232266343582842008-02-01T12:45:00.000-08:002008-02-01T17:11:29.527-08:00More musings on the cricket scene ...Read this <a href="http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/334413.html">article</a>. I cant believe how out of proportion the "Harbhajan-Monkey" episode is being blown up in the media. This is crass sensationalism!! Now we have Indians questioning the racist tendencies of Indians. Please - Indians suffer from a whole host of maladies and/or quirks but racism isnt one of them. The day we call preference for the white skin, racism, then we better call all the women in the world who want to be super-models, racists too :).<br /><br />Harbhajan probably did call Symonds a "monkey" but I dont think he did it because he is racist. I think he did it because that is what needles Symonds. Calling Symonds a whole bunch of proper insults would not have unsettled him :). All these types of insults only unsettle the Indians (and the Aussies are very fluent with these types of insults). Bhajji did what any good antagonist would do. When faced with a strong enemy, find the weakness and go for the jugular :).<br /><br />Disclaimer: This piece in no way condones what Bhajji did but in all fairness, he only gave the Aussies a taste of their own medicine.<br /><br />ps: Here is a neat article from <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/cricket/why-india-tired-of-being-little-brother/2008/01/30/1201369227877.html">Harsha Bhogle</a> that kinda puts everything about this fracas in perspective. I think I agree with him - the fault lies with both parties and it is best to learn from this and move on.Ramananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486282036762354266noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1335339675660989915.post-33338025044049077242008-01-30T21:46:00.000-08:002008-01-30T22:03:15.390-08:00Sense and sensibilities ... musings on the cricket scene ...With reference to the incidents described by Joe in his <a href="http://josephingermany.wordpress.com/2008/01/30/cricket-australia-and-harbhajan-singh/">post</a>, it is really funny to see how this world turns. Heckling the batsman is okay as long as one does not make racist comments but one is free to use all other forms of insults. The Aussies certainly look like poor sportsmen for taking something that should have been settled on the field and making a mountain out of a mole hill. It painted them in a very poor light. Ponting's legacy will forever be tainted by these incidents. He will not depart the game with the same respect and adulation that Waugh commanded on his retirement.<br /><br />Gilly's timing of his retirement announcement might have something to do with him trying to distance himself from this team as soon as possible. He was certainly one of the old school warriors of the Steve Waugh generation and would not have liked where this team was headed. But of course he is too much a team man to say this in a public forum.<br /><br />Now on to the fun part - nerves of steel and a sound backbone. Thats whats new with the Indian team. The bowling has been a revelation and it only seems to get better. Pathan's back and so are a whole score of bowlers all superbly coached by a very underrated bowler, Mr. Venkatesh Prasad. With the bowling stopping all comers, the batsmen are under less pressure to win the matches and this has allowed several batsmen to flourish.Ramananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486282036762354266noreply@blogger.com2