Live Free. Live Happy.

Author: rahul

  • The Child Returns

    And the child turns ???

    Hush !!!! I caution Hash
    As he is about to dash
    For this is not the usual nap
    The child has put on the spiritual cap

    The child!!! I must be crazy
    For things are never static
    and the child is no longer hazy
    Now,he is systematic( or system-attic??)

    Early to bed and early to rise
    The child has turned wise
    Neither I bang nor I scream
    For he is no longer in a dream

    He is awake but deep in meditation
    Which is a part of the modification
    But remember it’s only a part
    For he has always been – a class apart

    With new specs giving the professional look
    He spends more time with the book
    But then I put all this aside
    To me Rahul is always a charming child

    -luv forever
    -friend forever
    -ricky forever
    Now, I guess the title should be “child forever”
    —————————————————————-

  • Advice from a friend

    rose is a flower
    it stays an hour
    love is power
    it stays forever

    -veera sandeep

    but my dear
    love is a fever
    it damages ur liver

    message for rahul
    rahul! try to defeat the defeat before the defeat defeats u

    U laugh becoz i am different I laugh becoz u r all same

    everyone has the power to make others happy .. some by entering the room .. some by leaving the room

  • Birthday Mail

    From: Rahul Amaram
    Subject: Happppppyyyyyyyyy Birthdaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyy !!!
    Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 23:57:30 +0530

    Sunday, Feb 13th:
    5 days left for her bday .. what do I do ? what do I do ?
    I know .. I’ll bake her an eggless cake and gift it to her :-).
    That will be different and special.

    Let me see what all do I need for a cake – a recipe, the items and an oven.

    I google for a recipe and find some sites. The items could be purchased from
    the stores. And oven ? Do we have an oven.

    I immediately ask my grandma and I get the expected response – ‘Paaddu
    ayipoyindi, exchange offer kosam wait chestinanu’. I think to myself – ‘Shit!
    what a time for it to get spoilt’. But not to forget all those wonderful
    aunts I have. And so I start calling up all known and unknown aunts – mom’s
    sis, dad’s sis, dad’s cousin, dad’s sis-in-law. And the responses are not
    very surprising – ‘Oven, why would I have one?’, ‘Sorry … its spolit’,
    ‘Nope, sold it long back’. But I’m not one among those who lose hope. I
    decide to get the one at home repaired.

    Monday, Feb 14th:
    In the course of my inquiry about the oven with one of my aunts, I get to know
    that there are eggless cake mix available. I come home early from office and
    get an eggless cake mix from Food World. As the oven had gone for repair
    (after me continuously pestering daddy to send it for repair in the morn), we
    decide to bake it in a pressure cooker. After a couple of hours and with help
    from my mom, the cake is ready. Excited I taste it, but only to my
    disappointment. I think to myself – ‘The cake is not bad, but certainly it is
    not worth to be cut in front of 10 persons’. So I drop the cake plan. A big
    FLOP story!

    Tuesday, Feb 15th:
    Oh my God! 3 days left. I’ve got to do something. I know. So what if I can’t
    bake a cake, I’ll order one next day.

    Wednesday, Feb 16th:
    Time for ordering. Someone told me VACS Bakery (Kharkana) is good. Decide to
    catch ‘C’ route bus as it goes to Kharkana. Unfortunately, business wanted me
    to stay back till 8.00 PM. So had to ask mummy to do the job.

    Thursday, Feb 17th:
    Gr8 ! One day, left. And there is nothing you have done for her. Ok … if not
    anything, atleast a card from Walden is a good idea. Decide to catch the bus
    to Somajiguda but end up catching the bus to Ameerpet. Somehow reach Walden
    and start browsing through the cards. Hmm … after 10 mins of search I don’t
    find anything interesting. Catch the auto to my home.

    And now, here I am mailing you all the flop stories. I guess sometimes nothing
    just works out.

    When I said ‘You make my every day brighter’, you laughed thinking that it was
    a joke. But I meant every word I said. I am out of words to describe the
    difference you have made in my stay in Infosys. Infosys would never have been
    the same without you 🙂 !

    I’ve heard this somehwere – ‘People walk into our lives and people walk out of
    our our lives but only few leave their footprints’. And I do not hesitate
    telling you that are among those whom I will remember all my life. Tomorrow
    we may not be the way we are today, but I shall always remember you. Thanks
    for being such a good friend.

    Have a fun filled bday Minna 🙂 !

    Luv,
    Rahul.

    P.S.: Edo bday ani koncham eko pogarutinanu. mari egraku. Kindiki digu 😀 !

  • Update

    There have been some major updates of late.

    • Purged the Open Diary page in Personal section as I didn’t seem to find time to add content it and hence it seemed useless
    • Added Mail page to make my mails accessible from anywhere.
    • Renamed the “Entertainment” section to Archive owing to some changse in the content of this section.
    • Added a new section Articles containing two very interesting articles currently – “Choosing a Broadband ISP” and “Net Telephony”
    • Added new entries to the Blog page.

  • Net Telephony

    Note: This article mainly focusses on using Skype Phone Adapter. But if all you are looking for is a cheap and convenient long distance calling solution, then I suggest you visit this article of mine.

    International Calling Solutions

    This article is meant to provide cheap solutions for international calling. And by cheap, I mean really cheap. Also note, that I would highly recommend a 64 Kbps+ connection for enjoying best voice conversation.

    I shall be using the following notations while trying to explain the possible solutions.

    A,B represent two users who stay in differnt countries and want to talk to each other.
    ISP-A, ISP-B are the internet service providers for A and B respectively.
    TE-A, TE-B are the Telephone Exchange networks in the countries of A and B respectively.
    PC-A, PC-B are the computers used by A and B respectively.
    PH-A, PH-B are the phones used by A and B respectively.

    A two-sided arrow means calls can be placed by either of the users. A one-sided arrow implies call is placed in the direction shown (i.e. to the user to whom the arrow is pointing)

    i. PC-to-PC

    PC-A <—–> ISP-A <—–> Internet <—–> ISP-B <——> PC-B

    A shoud pay charges for using ISP-A i.e. A should pay only internet charges of his ISP.
    B should pay charges for using ISP-B i.e. B should pay only internet charges of his ISP.

    Two good software for PC-to-PC calling are Skype and Google Talk. Yahoo Messenger Voice Chat and other PC-to-PC voice chat software work the same way and hence all you need to use them is an internet connection.

    ii. PC-to-Phone

    PC-A ——> ISP-A —–> Internet ——> TE-B ——-> PH-B

    A should pay charges for using ISP-A and TE-B i.e. A should pay internet charges of his ISP as well as the charges for placing calls to the telephone exchange network in the country of B.
    B should pay only charges of TE-B i.e. B should pay charges to the telephone exchange network in his country for possessing a phone.

    Some good software which offer cheap PC-to-Phone calling are Gizmo (this offers cheapest calling to US currently – 1 cent/min), VoIP Discount (VoIP Discount offers the overall cheapest rates, also it has free calls to landlines of some countries which include US, UK, Australia among others … check out all the VoIP Discount rates) and MyWebCalls(two good features which are very impressive in MyWebCalls are its per second billing and no account expiry).

    Also note that if B is in US/UK, the telephone exchange network charges are really low and hence PC-to-Phone calling to US/UK is cheap (as low as 1 cent). But if B is in India, the telephone exchange network charges are high in India and hence PC-to-Phone calling to India is costly (10 cents or more)

    iii. Phone-to-PC

    PC-A <——- ISP-A <—– Internet <——- TE-B <—— PH-B

    Phone-to-PC works this way. A buys a local telephone number in the country of B. B can call up this local telephone number which gets redirected to the computer of A. Therefore

    A should pay for ISP-A and TE-B i.e. A should pay internet charges of his ISP as well as the charges for possessing a phone number in the country of B (which is around Rs.200 / month if US/UK).
    B should pay charges to TE-B i.e. B should pay charges to the telephone exchange network in his country for possessing a phone and also for making local calls to the local phone number which A bought.

    Some good software which offer this service are Skype (Skype In) and Gizmo (Gizmo Call In). Right now not all countries are supported yet. You can get local phone numbers in US, UK and a few other countires. Thus your friends n family in US/UK can call up that local phone number and your computer will ring. Also VoIP Buster and VoIP Stunt get a special mention here for providing free voip-in numbers in select countries.

    iv. Remote Calling (PC-PC-Phone) [need to purchase the product DPH-50U mentioned below]

    PC-A —-> ISP-A —> Internet —> ISP-B —> PC-B —> USB Phone Adapter (DPH-50U) —> TE-B —-> Any local user phone

    Now I think this is one real awesome product. Using the USB Phone Adapter by D-Link you can now call up any phone in your destination country using one of the local phone numbers of the destination country. This is possible because the USB phone adapter interconnects the PC with the regular telephone line. Look in the “Featured Products” section below for more information about this product.

    A should pay for ISP-A i.e. A should pay only the internet charges of his ISP.
    B should pay for ISP-B and for local calls using TE-B i.e. B should pay for his internet charges and also for all the local calls which A has made using his phone number.

    There may be other products like the USB-phone-adapter which may offer similar functionality but I am not aware of them yet.

    I do hope this article helps you in cutting down the bills of long distance calling.

    Featured Products

    1. Echostore’s skype-to-usb phone adapter (also compatible with google talk, net2phone, etc.)

    Now you can connect your cordless phone / any phone to your PC and make and receive calls to skype users. This has nothing to do with your telephone exchange network. This device is mainly useful for those who do not know how to use the PC / those who want the flexibility of talking using a cordless phone. Visit the product page for furthur details. Kindly note that you can find other similar skype to usb phone adapters on the internet. Why I chose this product is not only because it supports skype but also google talk, net2phone, etc. And they also claim it can be used in Linux but I had some problems to get it working in linux.

    2. D-Link’s USB phone Adapter(DPH-50U)

    Now I should confess. This is one AWESOOOOMEEEEEEEEEEEE product. So far this supports only skype. Though this product works in a way similar to the above product, what makes it a much better buy than the above product is the “Remote Calling” Feature. The below description of Remote Calling Feature has been taken from the product’s page.

    ******************************************

    The DPH-50U can be configured to forward incoming Skype calls to another destination such as your cell phone so that you never miss a call while you are away. The DPH-50U also includes a toll bypass feature that is ideal for the following two scenarios:

    The first scenario is when you are in the same geographical area as the DPH-50U and want to make an international call. You can call from your cell phone to the computer that the DPH-50U is connected to and make a low cost SkypeOut international call.

    The other scenario is when you are traveling abroad and want to call someone who lives in your home area. You would simply make a Skype-to-Skype call to the computer where the DPH-50U is connected to and use your regular telephone line to make a local call.

    *******************************************

  • My Stupid Suicide Plan

    My Stupid Suicide Plan

    Last week, an IITian committed suicide. People who commit suicide do it when they feel there’s no future. But wait, isn’t IIT the one place where a bright and shining future is a foregone conclusion? It just doesn’t add up, does it? Why would a young, hardworking, bright student who has the world ahead of him do something like this? But the answer is this-in our constant reverence for the great institution (and I do believe IITs are great), we forget the dark side. And the dark side is that the IITs are afflicted by the quintessential Indian phenomenon of academic pressure, probably the highest in the world.
    I can rant about the educational system and how it requires serious fixing, or I can address the immediate-try my best to prevent such suicides. For this column I have chosen the latter, and I do so with a personal story.

    News of a suicide always brings back one particular childhood memory. I was 14 years old when I first seriously contemplated suicide. I had done badly in chemistry in the Class X half yearly exam. I was an IIT aspirant, and 68% was nowhere near what an IIT candidate should be getting. I don’t know what had made me screw up the exam, but I did know this, I was going to kill myself. The only debate was about method.

    Ironically, chemistry offered a way. I had read about copper sulphate, and that it was both cheap and poisonous. Copper sulphate was available at the kirana store. I had it all worked out.

    My rationale for killing myself was simple-nobody loved me, my chemistry score was awful, I had no future and what difference would it make to the world if I was not there. I bought the copper sulphate for two rupees-probably the cheapest exit strategy in the world.

    I didn’t do it for two reasons. One, I had a casual chat with the aunty next door about copper sulphate, and my knowledgeable aunty knew about a woman who had died that way. She said it was the most painful death possible, all your veins burst and you suffer for hours. This tale made my insides shudder. Second, on the day I was to do it, I noticed a street dog outside my house being teased by the neighborhood kids as he hunted for scraps of food. Nobody loved him. It would make no difference to the world if the dog wasn’t there. And I was pretty sure that its chemistry score would be awful. Yet, the dog wasn’t trotting off to the kirana store. He was only interested in figuring out a strategy for his next meal. And when he was full, he merely curled up in a corner with one eye open, clearly content and not giving a damn about the world. If he wasn’t planning to die anytime soon what the hell was I ranting about? I threw the copper sulphate in the bin. It was the best two bucks I ever wasted.

    So why did I tell you this story? Because sometimes the pressure gets too much; like it did for the IITian who couldn’t take it no more. On the day he took that dreadful decision, his family and friends were shattered, and India lost a wonderful, bright child. And as the silly but true copper sulphate story tells you-it could happen to any of us or those around us. So please be on the lookout, if you see a distressed young soul, lend a supportive, non-judgmental ear. When I look back, I thank that aunt and that dog for unwittingly saving my life. If God wanted us to take our own life, he would have provided a power off button. He didn’t, so have faith and let his plan for you unfold. Because no matter how tough life gets and how much it hurts, if street dogs don’t give up, there is no reason why we, the smart species, should. Makes sense right?

    – CHETAN BHAGAT (IIT Delhi, IIM Ahmedabad)

  • Conversation with PM

    One day a man was having a conversation with god when his whole life flashed before his eyes as a series of footsteps on the sands of time. He saw that there were two pairs of footprints, but during the most difficult periods of his life there were only one set of footprints. He asked god “You said you will be with me throughout this journey, but why have you deserted me during the most critical times of my life??” to which god answered “Son, I did not desert you, I was always with you…you see only one set of footprints because during those difficult times in your life, I was carrying you”

    Another day an associate was having a similar conversation with his Project Manager (PM) when his whole project flashed before his eyes as a series of footsteps on the sands of time. He saw that there were two pairs of footprints, but during the most difficult times in the project there were only one set of footprints. He asked his PM “You said you will be with me throughout the project, but why have you deserted me during the most critical times of the project??” to which the PM answered “Son, I did not desert you, I was always with you…you see only one set of footprints because during those difficult times, I was sitting on your head!!”

  • Update

    Not any major updates of late. There many been some new additions in the Entertainment section. As I am on the lookout for a job, I have updated my resume.

  • Twenties – Something Mindset or The Quarter-life Crisis

    It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things about yourself that you didn’t know and may not like.
    You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.

    You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren’t exactly the greatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you don’t recognize is that they are realizing that too, and aren’t really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.

    You look at your job… and it is not even close to what you thought you would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and that scares you.

    Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn’t. One minute, you are insecure and then the next, secure.

    You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.

    You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you. Or you lie in bed and wonder why you can’t meet anyone decent enough that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you love someone but love someone else too and cannot figure out why you’re doing this because you know that you aren’t a bad person. Getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for yourself… and while winning the race would be great, right now you’d just like to be a contender!

    What you may not realize is that every one reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out. Send this to your twenty-something friends… maybe it will help someone feel like they aren’t alone in their state of confusion…

    We call it the – Quarter-life Crisis.

    Just wanted to know if you too are twenties – something.

  • High Tech weather forecast!!!

    High Tech Weather Forecast