tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-377020932024-03-07T11:03:15.012-08:00SurveysanSurveySanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130447467923947840noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37702093.post-91593846781833411502014-10-09T12:55:00.000-07:002014-10-09T13:01:47.125-07:00Huawei Honor 6 Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I bought the Huawei honor 6 on <a href="http://www.flipkart.com/huawei-honor-6-h60-l04/p/itmdzm66rhvhchha?pid=MOBDZM5TMHQHGWDD&srno=t_3&query=huawei+honor+6&affid=newsndeal">flipkart</a> and received a prompt delivery of the phone today.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">btw, Huawei is to be pronounced <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 26px;">WAH-WAY, just so you know, just in case, if you didnt know.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Over the years Huawei has been manufacturing wide variety of network products and started introducing mobile phones and tables in recent years. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It is not (yet) seen as a niche player in the smart phone market, but huawei is starting to make waves with its Ascend product ranges and other new models. It is becoming a threat for Samsung and starting to eat its market share. While Huawei gained from 4% market share to 7%, Samsung has gone down from 32% to 25%, in the second quarter this year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have used Android before and was a happy Apple iphone customer in the recent years and really got comfortable with the whole idea o iPhone and IOS. When i was contemplating to upgrade to the iphone6, i noticed the new Honor 6 that got introduced by Huawei. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Octa Core processor (Faster than the Fastest :) ), 3GB RAM, 13 MP x 5 MP cameras the sleek and slim design and the low price range (rs.19,999 in India, $327) convinced me. After skimming through some comparisons and reviews, it did come out as a compelling model.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My only concern was the size. i am used to smaller sized phones that fits comfortably in the hand and which allows a single thumb typing. i prefer to text and email using one hand. The idea of a wider phone was therefore a </span>deterrent<span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Honor 6 is 2MM wider than the iphone6 ( <a href="http://www.phonebunch.com/compare-phones/apple_iphone_6-1506-vs-huawei_honor_6-1564/">iphone 6 vs huawei honor 6 comparison</a>)</span></div>
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Honor 6 is <span style="font-family: inherit;">16MM wider than the iphone5s ( <a href="http://gadgets.ndtv.com/huawei-honor-6-1723-vs-apple-iphone-5s-1028">iphone 5s vs huawei honor 6 comparison</a>)</span></div>
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I decided to take the plunge as the other positive features outweigh the size issue. </div>
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The phone arrived in a neatly packed nice looking blue colored box.</div>
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It had the phone, charger, scratch guards, and a mini USB charging cable - all nicely packed. i was hoping to find a earphone, but it doesn't come with one.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flipkart.com/huawei-honor-6-h60-l04/p/itmdzm66rhvhchha?pid=MOBDZM5TMHQHGWDD&srno=t_3&query=huawei+honor+6&affid=newsndeal"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxBRdA-f9Smr-ZimD10WX1fK3QmE8eavtCaX0gxM7tqommRaEocTZUdrhEUaxvDS9hrO-yqt4rgIOHAKBxVAPPZ4WruIjQgbEOxPV0R62axq7DeU1amyvCZhbt3PjCJAbCY2eeJQ/s1600/phone3.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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I powered up the phone. Interestingly, there was no indication asking me to charge for 8 hours first. The phone had almost 50% charge, so it booted up instantly with the honor logo. </div>
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There was no clear indication anywhere whether the body was metal or plastic. Every website had a different detailing. The sides has a aluminium railing which feels nice. The back and front is certainly plastic. but, it doesn't have the 'cheap' plastic'y feel. It felt very light to hold and looks elegant.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flipkart.com/huawei-honor-6-h60-l04/p/itmdzm66rhvhchha?pid=MOBDZM5TMHQHGWDD&srno=t_3&query=huawei+honor+6&affid=newsndeal"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGVr6d_J7AL1HLmrX2qm6LwYE4GfvszOGPJhOLHPqUMNGGmbae8gbNB3CBUGcijf70arTNmlsfjJKnbQQGdfKo1XL3ThGwTmdJrCVB2GHlCZjQzgqbI8a0u1JsDkgc7HhPgMh5g/s1600/phone4.png" height="320" width="187" /></a></div>
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During the initial setup, i could feel the width was a bit annoying to deal with, especially for my one-thumb typing preference. its hard to reach the left most characters on the keyboard. icons on the top 25% of the screen is certainly beyond reach. </div>
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As you can see below, the phone next to an iphone4, definitely seems big and is big. Its wider and taller.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flipkart.com/huawei-honor-6-h60-l04/p/itmdzm66rhvhchha?pid=MOBDZM5TMHQHGWDD&srno=t_3&query=huawei+honor+6&affid=newsndeal"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglEUXrK9MMDY7GEsYbV6vcFHLuBn0iV4VuBJld4YM0sUS3ReOWBhmHYJcxEJyJ3CGf3qPN3nxxz4q7LNMJKgjw0ak1NXUjjo_wl9jZ9-A0SB4gaQzrghdTBVBNX9v_iGEe56_SAQ/s1600/phone2.png" height="320" width="285" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flipkart.com/huawei-honor-6-h60-l04/p/itmdzm66rhvhchha?pid=MOBDZM5TMHQHGWDD&srno=t_3&query=huawei+honor+6&affid=newsndeal"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dyPFrbil_rBqNZuT5opQfQg2iJ0T7AlxdWex8ltjM0KcSkKECIU8ch8D9g0ikyj1o8wn2z0ojdCMhqPOuFKZtpsiTclzjVVk-RvMG0tWHR_LR0Um-CENQK2wAkZwtdE-NW-LZQ/s1600/phone1.jpg" height="320" width="120" /></a></div>
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Other than the size issue, the only other frustration is the placement of the speaker. Its in the back. So, when you play your music or take a call on the speaker, and lay it down on the table, the volume does go down noticeably. Workaround is to keep it face down. Will have to do that after the phone gets atleast a week or two old.</div>
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Played with the camera a bit. It has the necessary mode features (night shots, HDR, panorama, etc..). The night pics on the front camera isn't that great. </div>
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The 13MP camera does a decent job.</div>
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Pics below taken using 13MP main cam.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flipkart.com/huawei-honor-6-h60-l04/p/itmdzm66rhvhchha?pid=MOBDZM5TMHQHGWDD&srno=t_3&query=huawei+honor+6&affid=newsndeal"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4hVZO2UYvf08zuIh05fLdngzUXIPJIUl-pDBOWaBrLqeh1vXzagTu8G_9a_-62lSK5QYraoYcPRZLIrELWx8aTAaQ3DONxyOK3L9I8mD-E8f53aH1KS0BHZVLPe3_AQ82H9wgOA/s1600/phone6.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flipkart.com/huawei-honor-6-h60-l04/p/itmdzm66rhvhchha?pid=MOBDZM5TMHQHGWDD&srno=t_3&query=huawei+honor+6&affid=newsndeal"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEGzz_cOSpuiaGXlYH8XwG98jKls3XNaZK6ShQybwkiZsSCBZitvswC34s1IxE0KjmxiRQKpeLmN0drDk0zt4nKOSVBzbWhvoaDv7tXFWFE33ODL00fxyBjeZEfoMGiyddt2NCAA/s1600/phone7.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
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In summary, its a great phone. Very responsive and fast. </div>
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Browsing, facebook, email, texting and other regular activities had no issues.</div>
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It feels great and is light weight.</div>
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Phone sound quality is good. Speaker phone is loud.</div>
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The Android skin given by huawei is simple and nice.</div>
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What i didn't like is the width and the placement of the speaker on the back side. </div>
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Does Android have a keyboard which can let me customize the width and make it right justified? </div>
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If i can get a thinner keyboard and right justify it, my typing issue will get resolved. searching for it.....</div>
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If you feel the iphone6 is too pricey and phones should not make you spend more than 20,000 rs, and you wouldn't mind Android, this is the right phone for you.</div>
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It's exclusively sold by <a href="http://www.flipkart.com/huawei-honor-6-h60-l04/p/itmdzm66rhvhchha?pid=MOBDZM5TMHQHGWDD&srno=t_3&query=huawei+honor+6&affid=newsndeal">flipkart</a>. next-day shipping available in most cities for an additional 100rupees. if you pick the regular shipping, it usually takes 3 to 4 days max, if you live in a metro. </div>
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<a href="http://www.flipkart.com/huawei-honor-6-h60-l04/p/itmdzm66rhvhchha?pid=MOBDZM5TMHQHGWDD&srno=t_3&query=huawei+honor+6&affid=newsndeal"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguBCtYVZDIAdQQ-CofNIkV0tO1mlq9DCKXM-sf0PCEky2j5bL7jiBKacYTwv1FN87n_wTssXCMnZZsKaN7ZVPntKd2yR2fMdW9lPLuIPEtdW1iLRW8dv2cTf7cM7JcMFvGoOHuFQ/s1600/huawei5.jpg" height="227" width="320" /></a></div>
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do let me know if you have questions or need clarifications.</div>
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SurveySanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130447467923947840noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37702093.post-24265248078798124682012-01-27T22:27:00.000-08:002012-01-27T22:27:27.343-08:00Nanban - Tamil Movie Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanban_%28film%29" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/33/Nanban_film.jpg/220px-Nanban_film.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>
What a treat to the eyes, ears and the heart? The standing ovation in
the houseful theater at the end of the movie,
summarized it all well.<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Idiots"></a> Every minute in the movie was entertaining. There was no dull lag,
except when Vijay played nurse, trying to deliver a baby using webcam
assistance from Ileana and a vacuum cleaner. argh! but, even that
wasn't as spooky as it would normally be. The likeability of Vijay just
overpowers you and makes you follow him and acknowledge whatever he
does.<br />
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Nanban revolves around three engineering grad students
(Vijay, Jeeva, Srikanth) playing the usual college pranks, a
tough principal (Sathyaraj), an interesting fourth grad student (Sathyan, playing Silencer is splendid) and ofcourse the
principals daughter (Ileana).<br />
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Vijay fits so nicely well into the student mold. Jeevaa too. Srikanth does, after some squeeking.<br />
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Shankars, feel-good sequences are sown in plenty. <br />
The
writers notion that everyone should pursue their natural talent, to
lead a successful and contended life is very nicely delivered by Vijay. <br />
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While
everyone in the movie has a problem, Vijay is carefree and touches
everyone with his thought provoking message 'Aal izz well'. <br />
Nanban also magnifies the flaw in the Indian education system that doesn't
necessarily produce the amount of thinkers the western system does. The
dual between Vijay and Sathyaraj is witty and thoughtful. <br />
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Vijay,
saves himself from ragging, by taking a spoon and devicing a quick
electrocutor that electrocutes his seniors P, when the senior urinates
on Vijays dorm door.<br />
Vijay, saves Jeevas dying Dad by taking him to a hospital on a scooter with Ileana.<br />
Vijay,
convinces Srikanth that he should pursue his natural talent,
photography, rather than engineering. He also gets him his first job.<br />
and
ofcourse, Vijay shows up on time to deliver Sathyarajs grand kid,
when the city is slaughtered by rain and all hell breaks loose. <br />
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After graduation, Vijay disappears. Srikanth and Jeeva tries to locate him, discovering some interesting facts about Vijay.<br />
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The
screenplay is so nicely done that the sense of suspense, which starts
when Srikanth stops the plane soon after he receives a phone call, continues even after Sathyaraj, the villain, changes
his mind and bonds up with Vijay.<br />
It continues till the very last minute of the movie. <br />
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Amazing entertainer!<br />
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Cinematography was very pleasing - the sequences of Ooty and Dehradun was a visual treat. <br />
Songs are catchy. The 'aall izz well' song, with a whistle along with the singing is a dance worthy number.<br />
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Ileana had nothing much to do; <br />
Srikanth has a light role, but he fills the movie from begin to end; <br />
Sathyaraj is pretty sure to bag an award for his performance. He over acts a
bit (reminded me of our legend Sivaji Ganesan), but that doesn't
come in between us and him;<br />
My personal favorite is Sathyan, who
plays, Silencer. His speech in front of the minister
is a laughing riot;<br />
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What a treat to the eyes, ears and the heart?
The movie makes you laugh hysterically, (almost) shed a few tears and
feel good in the end.<br />
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To know why Sathyans nick name is
Silencer, to know why Nasa spent millions to create the space pen for
its astronauts instead of giving them a pencil and to know why Vijay disappeared after graduation,<br />
Watch it in theater!<br />
<br />
PS: I just replaced the actors names from my previous <a href="http://justsurveys.blogspot.com/2009/12/3-idiots.html">3 Idiots review,</a> as Shankar did exactly that. :)<br />
But, Shankar deserves great praise for bringing this to the tamil audience. Excellent remake and worth watching. </div>SurveySanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130447467923947840noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37702093.post-51635146457670721172011-04-03T22:37:00.000-07:002011-04-03T23:32:06.419-07:00Adam from IndiaI have always wondered why India, with its vast pool of smart brains and thinkers does not awe the world with great inventions.<br /><br />Googling 'Indian inventions' brought a wiki page listing a handful of 'trivial' items that have been listed as our inventions. Pajamas, Buttons, Puppets to name a few.<br /><br />I have been following Notion Ink since last year, when they announced plans for designing and manufacturing an Android based tablet, called, the ADAM. <br />Though not completely indigenous, as Apple had just shown the world the greatest wonder of the personal electronics world, the iPad.<br /><br />To Notion Inks credit, they did have a differentiator in mind, to make the tablet unique and not a mere copy cat of its predecessor. Within a few months after the initial announcement, a pro-type was done and the CEO of Notion Ink (Rohan) carried it around and demonstrated its capabilities and the differentiators.<br /><br />What seemed like vaporware, took shape very prominently and the final version of the ADAM had started shipping since early this year. <br /><br />I ordered my Adam when the pre-order window was made available for the early enthusiasts. <br />It was a gamble to pay $500+ to an unknown company. But, i decided to jump in, just to support this fresh school of thought and the possibilities this will bring to other thinkers, if this had to succeed.<br /><br />The initial experience with Notion Ink was less than optimal, as they were going through the launch pains, the logistics, manufacturing issues, software issues, customs issues, shipment issues, credit card issues, and you name it issues. <br />It took more than four weeks to get my Adam on hand, from the initially promised shipping time. <br /><br />Lets forget the past for a moment.<br /><br />I did get my Adam last week. <br /><br />I was glad to get it and unbox it and confirm it was not a vaporware.<br /><br />It was sleek. <br /><br />The initial impression (having used iPad before this) was a bit questionable. I was wondering, whether I should have gone for ipad2. <br />Part of the reason was, Notion Ink's Eden OS (Android 2.2 based). It took a while to get used to it, as there was no detailed manual that came with it. <br /><br />Even after figuring out the usage, it still lacked a punch, when compared to iPad's simplicity. <br />After rooting it and getting some apps from the Google Market Place, Adam is becoming healthy and charming to handle.<br /><br />The negatives so far (or stuff that i havent figured out yet):<br />1) cant get the vibrator work during key-press. without vibrate, feels brick'd sometimes.<br />2) camera is mediocre quality. lot of grains and plastic'y.<br />3) some apps were dis-oriented on launch. launches upside down. (app issue not tablets?) <br />4) the front panel is buggy. not many apps that support the 'leaf' concept, anyway. (installed Launcher Pro and it works great now. to get the 'normal' android view, touching the timestamp on the front panel slides it down)<br />5) facebook doesnt show a 'save password'. have to login everytime.<br />6) a little unresponsive sometimes to the touch, especially on the market place (search icon)<br />7) The OOB browser isn't cool. (downloaded Opera mini)<br />8) though the curved shape is nice to see and hold, i couldn't find a good case that will do justice to it.<br /><br />The positives:<br />1) the hdmi port (yet to test it)<br />2) support group from notioninkhacks.com and other sites will prove to be useful.<br />3) the pixel qi LCD is amazingly cool.<br /><br />more to come... <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLa4ngyK8pbZaLA2xqqvFfNsmUFOJ7Y-lBr_ONBmFoVSnAr8-0sJ1dIE4tzJv-BJvk8xH5xg8l3FO34007DK867Mznv-OTx-wyToOjprxbrmadvWEgMjk8K-GDWp_TIwrBO_02CQ/s1600/adam.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 253px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLa4ngyK8pbZaLA2xqqvFfNsmUFOJ7Y-lBr_ONBmFoVSnAr8-0sJ1dIE4tzJv-BJvk8xH5xg8l3FO34007DK867Mznv-OTx-wyToOjprxbrmadvWEgMjk8K-GDWp_TIwrBO_02CQ/s400/adam.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591608131057865282" /></a>SurveySanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130447467923947840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37702093.post-70041337823492347732011-02-21T23:12:00.000-08:002011-02-21T23:15:07.671-08:00FlashBack - me, car, gears, dad, neighbors and electricianIn our side of the world, its a tendancy to project 'family pride'. People goto greater lengths, to show-off their supremacy among the neighbors. <br /><br />One such show-off included getting a car for the household. In Indian metros, cars are not essential. Public transportation options (though crowded) and call-autos and call-taxis provide more than adequate commute freedom.<br /><br />but, the household decided to get one anyway, for keeping up with the tradition of pride projection.<br /><br />Normal cars wouldn't do and luxury cars were beyond reach.<br /><br />after much debate, we settled for the newly arrived, nicely engineered Swift. Ofcourse the high-end ZX bright red one, as anything less would allow room for the neighbors to better ours.<br /><br />Trick was, it was a stick-shift and not automatic. Automatics are available, but for a costly premium.<br /><br />None in the family could drive it. It stayed in its pristine condition for several weeks and a driver was hired @ T&E (Time and expense) for occasional trips. During my annual vacation, I attempted to drive with the help of the driver, but the 'gear' thing wasn't my cup of tea. Added with the insane road sense of my dear fellow commuters, i felt like an ant in the midst of a crowded Chennai bus, every second of my drive time.<br /><br />I decided 'gear driving' was not for me and never attempted to sit in the driver seat after that.<br /><br />A year passed by and I went back for my next round of the 4-week stay. Car was still pristine as the other house hold members had similar phobia. The T&E driver thrived and was living happily ever since.<br /><br />On a fine day, after a heavy meal, I heard my dad calling my name and I went down stairs. He was standing near the car. The electric metre reader from the local municipal office was with him. He was there to check on the metre and the car was in the middle obstructing his access.<br /><br />My dad said, "Dear son, we need to move this thing a few inches back. Sit in and put it in neutral and I will push it".<br /><br />Hearing this, the electrician gave a stunned look and looked down upon me. He said, he will also help push it with my dad, with a grin in his face.<br /><br />The 'US return' in shorts and T, with my laptop on one hand, didn't want to go down so easily,in front of that electrician.<br /><br />I said, "don't ya worry dad. i will take care of it. i will drive and move it back".<br /><br />My Dad of little faith, reluctantly accepted. He had the electrician stand clear and he moved few feet away, and raised his hands like a traffic cop giving me instructions. "Start... move back.. move back.. move back.."<br /><br />I went inside, turned on the car, not realising the car was in 1st gear. It shook really wild and jumped a notch like a horse and stuttered and stalled.<br /><br />My dad was startled and moved away and the electician ran for his dear life.<br /><br />Dad said, "dear son. please put the car in neutral and i will push". I said "NO dad, it's easy and I will take care of it this<br /><br />time. All i have to do is, keep the car in neutral and start it, and put the car in reverse gear and move a little. Wait and Watch".<br /><br />Attempt two, the stuttering didn't happen. car started smoothly, but the moment, i applied the reverse gear, the whole<br /><br />neighborhood came out of their home and started staring at us. Once the car engages in reverse gear, its customary for Indian cars to sing a song in high volume. This was to ensure the house pets and stray dogs raise and run away, if they were snoozing under the car. In my case it was a loud electro tune of the great patriotic song 'vande matharam'.<br /><br />Well, the car tried to move two milli metres and stalled again. tried again. stalled again. tried again stalled again. tried again. stalled again.<br /><br />Dad couldn't take it anymore. he said, "SON, you will break the gear. get out of the car and i will put it in neutral and you push it".<br /><br />The electrician was back in position and he grinned again and said, "i will help too".<br /><br />I was so ashamed to stand there anymore, with the grinning electrician and the laughing neighbors who were, by now, thinking, "did he really work in the US? he cant even drive a car?.. shame shame puppy shame... blah blah blah..".<br /><br />I ran inside crying out 'Mommmmmmmmyyyyy..."<br /><br />When i returned to the US, after the vacation, I decided that I will buy a darn shift-gear and move it from pointA to pointB, which are more than a few milli metres away.<br /><br />I can't wait for my next trip to Chennai, dear Chennai !!!<br /><br />:)SurveySanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130447467923947840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37702093.post-92123559407921199472010-06-19T23:16:00.001-07:002010-06-19T23:38:33.372-07:00Ravan - Movie ReviewManiratnam does it again, in delivering a visual stunner. but, he fails miserably in delivering a gripping storyline.<br />The entire team deserves a standing ovation, for capturing in celluloid, such vivid images. The bar is now raised so high for Indian movies.<br /><br />Maniratnam is known for his portrayal of characters that will trigger a variety of emotions from the viewer. <br />Ravan, failed to deliver that, even with the inclusion of such mights as Vikram and Aishwarya in the lead role. <br /><br />Vikram, the robin hood of a village clan lives in a forest; for some reasons he kidnaps Aishwarya, the wife of a police SP (played by Keralas Prithviraj). The viewer is not told the reasons behind the kidnap and the reason for vikrams hatred against police and the wealthy in general. The unknown eludes us until after intermission. <br />Mani sir, if you had shown us the reason in the first 5 minutes, the next 60 minutes would have been a delightful journey for us. Instead we were watching the visuals with a wide open eye and a hollow heart, not knowing what the heck is going to unfold. <br /><br />The scenery in every frame is captivating. The forest, the waterfall, the river, the mist, the green, the rain, vow! astounding. But, we couldnt enjoy the feast with Vikram, Aishwarya, Prithviraj, Priyamani, Prabhu and Rahmans beats, screaming in every other frame. <br /><br />why did Ravan kidnap Aishwarya? well, we know it after the intermission. Ramas clan had kidnapped Ravans sister and raped her. <br />Ravan, lets go of Aishwarya in the end back to Rama, but Rama questions her honor. Aish comes back to live with Ravan. what happens next is the only good 5 mins in the movie.<br /><br />Cinematographer, Choreographer and Set directors needs a big applause. They just moved the movie to a standard that has never been seen before in Indian cinemas.<br />Aish needs special mention for her hardwork in shooting in three languages in those exotic locations for more than a year.<br /><br />Vikrams acting was fabulous. but, the dialogues were irritating in some situations. In the climax, Vikram and Aish doing the bak bak bak dialogue was silly. Suhasini needs a lesson on dialogue writing. Manis, usual, no dialogue style would have benefited this much better.<br /><br />In all, a magical making, but unfit for a viewing in movie theater. Would be a roaring success as a live broadway theatrical show.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raavanan"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 290px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/0a/Raavanposter.jpg/200px-Raavanposter.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>SurveySanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130447467923947840noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37702093.post-72078666316735881332009-12-25T12:12:00.000-08:002009-12-26T21:20:38.952-08:003 IdiotsWhat a treat to the eyes, ears and the heart? The standing ovation in the houseful theater (in San Jose, US of A) at the end of the movie, summarized it all well.<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Idiots"><img style='float:left' src='http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/dc/Threeidiots2.jpg/200px-Threeidiots2.jpg'/></a> Every minute in the movie was entertaining. There was no dull lag, except when Aamir played nurse, trying to deliver a baby using webcam assistance from Kareena and a vacuum cleaner. argh! but, even that wasn't as spooky as it would normally be. The likeability of Aamir just overpowers you and makes you follow him and acknowledge whatever he does.<br /><br />3 Idiots revolves around three engineering grad students (Aarmir, Madhavan, Sharman Joshi) playing the usual college pranks, a tough principal (Boman Irani), an interesting fourth grad student (Om Vaidya, playing Chatur Ramalingam is splendid) and ofcourse the principals daughter (Kareena).<br /><br />Aamir fits so nicely well into the student mold. Sharman too. Madavan does, after some squeeking.<br /><br />Rajkumar Hiranis, feel-good sequences are sown in plenty. <br />The writers notion that everyone should pursue their natural talent, to lead a successful and contended life is very nicely delivered by Aamir. <br />[ <span style="font-style:italic;">aah!, how i wish Aamir told me this during Qayamat Se Qayamat tak - i would have stayed away from computers & IT. :)</span> ]<br /><br />While everyone in the movie has a problem, Aamir is carefree and touches everyone with his thought provoking message 'Aal izz well'. <br />3 Idiots also magnifies the flaw in the Indian education system that doesn't necessarily produce the amount of thinkers the western system does. The dual between Aamir and Boman Irani is witty and thoughtful. <br /><br />Aamir, saves himself from ragging, by taking a spoon and devicing a quick electrocutor that electrocutes his seniors P, when the senior urinates on Aamirs dorm door.<br />Aamir, saves Sharmans dying Dad by taking him to a hospital on a scooter with Kareena.<br />Aamir, convinces Madhavan that Maddy should pursue his natural talent, photography, rather than engineering. He also gets him his first job.<br />and ofcourse, Aamir shows up on time to deliver Boman Iranis grand kid, when the city is slaughtered by rain and all hell breaks loose. <br /><br />After graduation, Aamir disappears. Madhavan and Sharman tries to locate him, discovering some interesting facts about Aamir.<br /><br />The screenplay is so nicely done that the sense of suspense, which starts when Madhavan stops the plane soon after he receives a phone call about some 'Rancho', continues even after Boman Irani, the villain, changes his mind and bonds up with Aamir.<br />It continues till the very last minute of the movie. <br /><br />Amazing entertainer!<br /><br />Cinematography was very pleasing - the sequences of Simla and Ladakh was a visual treat. <br />Songs are catchy. The 'aall izz well' song, with a whistle along with the singing is a dance worthy number.<br /><br />Kareena had nothing much to do; <br />Madhavan has a light role, but he fills the movie from begin to end; <br />Boman Irani is pretty sure to bag an award for his performance. He over acts a bit (reminded me of our South legend Sivaji Ganesan), but that doesn't come in between us and him;<br />My personal favorite is Om Vaidya, who plays, Silencer, Chatur Ramalingam. His speech in front of the minister is a laughing riot;<br /><br />What a treat to the eyes, ears and the heart? The movie makes you laugh hysterically, (almost) shed a few tears and feel good in the end.<br /><br />To know why Chatur Ramalingams nick name is Silencer, to know why Nasa spent millions to create the space pen for its astronauts instead of giving them a pencil and to know why Aamir disappeared after graduation,<br />Watch it in theater!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fwIApTFkoTM&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fwIApTFkoTM&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>SurveySanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130447467923947840noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37702093.post-79712950050163791022008-11-30T21:52:00.001-08:002008-11-30T22:20:49.611-08:00Blue man group sucksI had been to Las Vegas for this thanks giving weekend. <br /><br />Boy O Boy, Vegas was over crowded this weekend. I read somewhere that, when economic situations are bad, people take the 'easy route' for their vacationing.<br /><br />Everyone in the surrounding areas like LA, bay area, Arizona, drive to Vegas, instead of flying out to any place else, during wallet-tight days.<br /><br />This was my seventh or eighth time visiting Vegas. Iam not a big fan of gambling, but I do spare some change for the slot machines. My wasting limit is usually around $20.<br /><br />I am more inclined towards spending the big bucks on quality shows. <br /><br />The likes of David Copperfield and Cirque de soleil is my idea of 'quality' shows.<br /><br />This time, I wanted to watch the 'O' show in Bellagio. I made the mistake of not booking the show online, in advance. It was sold out this time as well, with a few tickets with 'obstructed' views. When I pay more than $100 for a ticket, i would prefer a 'un-obstructed' clear view of the act. so, I decided to miss out the show even this time.<br /><br />Having driven so far, I wouldn't be a happy camper if I had to return with losing $20 bucks in a slot machine and not catching a 'quality' show.<br /><br />so, with my frugal hat on, I went out hunting for tickets for some other 'quality' show. Vegas has this nice, half-price ticket outlets, which sells any lastminute unsold tickets for half the price.<br /><br />Nothing really caught my interest, but when I saw 'Blue Man Group' in the Venetian Casino, I decided to give it a try. <br />i wasn't too sure what to expect. But, I was hoping, it would be some kind of a music show with lot of percussion instruments and some catchy visuals.<br /><br />afterall, the original ticket was $139, which I was sold for a 'half-price' of $90.<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Man_Group"><img src='http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/BlueManGroup_Dec2007.jpg/300px-BlueManGroup_Dec2007.jpg'/></a><br /><br />I was happy that I got the premium seat for $90. So, i took my gang of six and went to venetian in time to convert the half-price voucher to real tickets and reserve my seat.<br /><br />The casino box office lady said, I can't 'pick' my seat and the computer will 'auto-assign' the seat. I thought, "ok, what the heck? so be it". <br />The computer gave me a seating in row JJ. I asked the lady, if that was a good 'seat'. she assured that it was.<br /><br />I went in the auditorium and JJ was the second row from the last. <br />I was a bit confused, how a premium seat ended up in the last-but-one row. <br /><br />I later convinced myself (being the computer wiz, that I am :)), thinking that the computer probably assigned this, because, it couldn't find consecutive seating for my gang of six, any place else.<br /><br />ayway, the show started with a bang.<br /><br />as expected, three blue baldies started drumming, splashing paint. I said to myself, "vow, my $90 may be worth the spend".<br /><br />but, the curiosity and interest only lasted for the first 3 minutes of the drumming. <br /><br />All the other things that followed it, for 107 minutes (baring another 3 minutes somewhere in the middle), were a complete waste of my time and money.<br /><br />There were moments where some of my gang members started yawning and stretching and looking at each other. <br />The blue baldies did other stuff. mostly, pulling a random guy/girl from the audience and making fun of them, etc.. <br />well, i didnt spend $90 to see a cheap make-fun-of-audience show. <br />I expected more bang for the buck, like what the David Copperfields, Cirque de soleil or Mama Mia gives. <br /><br />I wished, Mama Mia was available.<br /><br />The free shows in Circus Circus, Treasure Island and other Casinos were far far better than the Blue Man Group.<br /><br />last time around, i saw the La Reve in Wynn - was awesome and yes, it gave me the bang for the buck! <br /><br />Blue man Group sucks! avoid it at any cost, if you can.<br /><br />have you seen it? did you like it?SurveySanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130447467923947840noreply@blogger.com210tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37702093.post-84640994682105410152008-07-28T20:07:00.000-07:002008-07-28T20:56:52.046-07:00Cuil, the google challenger, fails my testI searched for surveysan, my blogger nickname and Cuil comes back with <a href="http://www.cuil.com/search?q=surveysan&sl=long">10 links in the 1st page</a>, and only ONE is relevant.<br /><br />Tried the same in Google and <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=surveysan">all links are relevant</a>!<br /><br />long way to go Cuil'ers! <br /><br />Fix and let me know when to re-test.<br /><br />btw, try out a test search and comment on your results from both sites. lets see how it compares.<br /><br />:)SurveySanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130447467923947840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37702093.post-40029030001719266562008-06-11T20:43:00.000-07:002008-06-11T20:44:20.977-07:00Dasavatharam - Kamals latest movie - when will you watch it?When will you watch Kamals latest Dasavatharam?<br /><br /><SCRIPT type='text/javascript' SRC='http://www.newsNdeals.com/survey/survey_v6.js'></script><script type='text/javascript'>document.write(dispSurvey(/*survey title*/'Dasavatharam - when will you see it?', /*option values*/ '1st Day or atleast 1st Week in theater at any cost!{Few weeks later - no rush!{Will download and watch - illegally!{will wait for DVD!{few months later - in TV{No Comments{', /*title bg color*/ '990000', /*title text color*/ 'FFFFFF', /*options bg*/ 'FFCC66', /*options text color*/ '330000', 'FF6600', /*submit caption*/ 'குத்துங்க', /*objid and survid*/ 'objid=82{survid=807903', /*check email*/ 'N' )); </script>SurveySanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130447467923947840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37702093.post-68583239524498386682008-02-20T22:03:00.000-08:002008-02-20T22:06:44.733-08:00Sleep Helps!<a href="http://www.adept.co.za/~erica/"><img src='http://www.adept.co.za/~erica/baby-sleep-erica-copy.gif' width='250' style='float:left'/></a><strong>Reasons for sleeping and waking up early</strong>. <br /><br />Evening at 9 - 11pm: is the time for eliminating unnecessary/toxic chemicals (detoxification) from the antibody system (lymph nodes). This time duration should be spent by relaxing or listening to music. If during this time a housewife is still in an unrelaxed state such as washing the dishes or monitoring children doing their homework, this will have a negative impact on health. <br />Evening at 11pm - 1am: is the detoxification process in the liver, and ideally should be done in a deep sleep state. <br /><br />Early morning 1 - 3am: detoxification process in the gall, also ideally done in a deep sleep state. <br /><br />Early morn in g 3 - 5am: detoxification in the lungs. Therefore there will sometimes be a severe cough for cough sufferers dur in g this time. S in ce the detoxification process had reached the respiratory tract, there is no need to take cough medic in e so as not to interfere with toxin removal process. <br /><br />Morning 5 - 7am: detoxification in the colon, you should empty your bowel. <br /><br />Morning 7 - 9am: absorption of nutrients in the small intestine, you should be having breakfast at this time. Breakfast should be earlier, before 6:30am, for those who are sick. <br />Breakfast before 7:30am is very beneficial to those want in g to stay fit . Those who always skip breakfast, they should change their habits, and it is still better to eat breakfast late until 9 - 10am rather than no meal at all. <br /><br />Sleeping so late and waking up too late will disrupt the process of removing unnecessary chemicals. Aside from that, midnight to 4:00 am is the time when the bone marrow produces blood. Therefore, have a good sleep and don't sleep late. <br /><br />TAKE CARE ABOUT YOUR HEALTH; Live Life Without Limits!SurveySanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130447467923947840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37702093.post-61814991948082035962008-01-28T21:38:00.002-08:002008-01-28T22:26:51.234-08:00What causes Cancer? How to prevent Cancer? Cancer Prevention and wellness titbits<a href="http://civilliberty.about.com/od/historyprofiles/ss/news082206_10.htm"><img src='http://z.about.com/d/civilliberty/1/0/L/0/-/-/cancercell.jpg' style='float:left' width='250'/></a> This articles speaks about the cause of cancer cell growth and some prevention ideas. <br /><br />Tamil translation is here @<a href="http://surveysan.blogspot.com/2008/01/blog-post_28.html">surveysan.blogspot.com</a><br /> <br />1. Every person has cancer cells in the body.These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size. <br /><br />2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime. <br /><br />3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors. <br /><br />4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors. <br /><br />5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system. <br /><br />6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastro-intestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc. <br /><br />7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs. <br /><br />8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction. <br /><br />9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications. <br /><br />10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites. <br /><br />11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the food it needs to multiply. <br /><br /><strong>Prevention is better than CURE</strong>.<br /><br />a. Sugar , is a cancer-feeder. <br /><br />By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like Nutrasweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in colour. Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt. ( THE WEST MADE US 2 CHANGE FROM SEA 2 WHITE IODISED SALT ) <br /><br />b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus .. <br /><br />By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soya milk cancer cells are being starved. <br /><br />c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. <br /><br />A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains <br />livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful,especially to people with cancer. <br /><br />d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. <br />About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed <br />and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for <br />building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day.. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C). <br /><br />e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. <br /><br />Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer-fighting properties . Water- best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it. <br /><br />f. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines become putrified and leads to more toxic buildup. <br /><br />g. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells. <br /><br />h. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor ssence,Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins,minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the body's own killer cells to destroy cancer cells. <br />Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells. <br /><br />i. Cancer is a disease of the mind,body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. <br /><br />Anger, un forgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life. <br /><br />j. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells. <br /><br />k. Dioxin chemicals causes cancer, especially breast cancer. <br /><br />Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. We should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. <br /><br />The combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. <br /><br />Instead, use glass, such as CorningWare, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food. <br /><br />You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, CorningWare, etc. Dioxin problem is one of the reasons why fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. <br /><br />Also, plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead. <br /><br />So, friends, follow these, simple-to-do prevention steps and KEEP CANCER AWAY!<br /><br />1. No plastic containers in microwave. <br />2. No water bottles in freezer. <br />3. No plastic wrap in microwave. <br /><br />Be Healthy!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.scgcorp.com/pdf/scg_written_11.pdf">Interesting article about Cancer in India</a>SurveySanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130447467923947840noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37702093.post-28878996647483545592008-01-28T21:38:00.001-08:002008-01-28T21:38:08.588-08:00Test PostTESTSurveySanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130447467923947840noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37702093.post-86780862309566459122007-12-19T22:24:00.000-08:002007-12-19T22:26:50.960-08:00FixMyIndia.org - Post your Grievances!Check this out.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.fixmyindia.org/"><span style="font-size:180%;">FixMyIndia.Org</span></a><br /><br />A site, pointing to Government of Indias, Grievance logging site (<a href="http://darpg-grievance.nic.in/">http://darpg-grievance.nic.in/</a>).<br /><br />Interesting fact is, grievances are getting addressed.<br /><br />Response is slow, but it does work!<br /><br />Use it responsibly!SurveySanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130447467923947840noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37702093.post-19452520217985556662007-06-14T21:28:00.001-07:002007-06-14T21:34:47.560-07:00Sivaji - Tamil Movie - Hot SurveySivaji Sivaji Sivaji.<br /><br />Its a magic buzzword in Tamil speaking places. <br />Rajnikanths' latest movie, predicted to be a super duper hit.<br /><br />Are you affected by the craze? What is your take on it?<br /><br /><SCRIPT type='text/javascript' SRC='http://www.newsndeals.com/survey/survey_v4.js'></script><script type='text/javascript'>document.write(dispSurvey(/*survey title*/'Sivaji - When will you see it?', /*option values*/ '1st Day or atleast 1st Week in theater at any cost!{Few weeks later - no rush!{Will download and watch - illegally!{will wait for DVD!{few months later - on TV{No Comments{', /*title bg color*/ '669900', /*title text color*/ '', /*options bg*/ '6699CC', /*options text color*/ '000000', 'CC66FF', /*submit caption*/ 'Submit', /*objid and survid*/ 'objid=293{survid=634630' )); </script> <br /><br />:)<br /><br />can read Tamil? <a href="http://surveysan.blogspot.com/2007/06/blog-post_13.html">Check this out</a>?SurveySanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130447467923947840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37702093.post-86251857459054665482007-04-01T11:50:00.000-07:002007-04-01T12:06:38.217-07:00Googles Free wireless to all parts of the worldWe all know how good Google is in inventing new stuff.<br /><br />The much awaited 'FREE wireless' is now available through Google, to all parts of the world.<br /><br />Thanks to the great invention by Googlers titled TiSP. <br /><br />Setting up and getting online just takes 60 minutes and its free for life.<br /><br />Details are here - <a href="http://www.google.com/tisp/">http://www.google.com/tisp/</a><br /><br />How to install is here - <a href="http://www.google.com/tisp/install.html">http://www.google.com/tisp/install.html</a><br /><br />FAQ's are here - <a href="http://www.google.com/tisp/faq.html">http://www.google.com/tisp/faq.html</a><br /><br />Thank you Google :)SurveySanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130447467923947840noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37702093.post-42293968195522936932007-02-25T14:18:00.000-08:002007-02-25T20:31:59.217-08:00Movies I watched recently (1 hindi, 2 tamil, 1 malayalam)For us Indians, watching movies is the Numero~Uno way to spend our free time.<br />Our hobbies revolve around movies, movies, more movies and movie related other stuff.<br />I am not sure, if we are 'made' this way, or this is something forced into us by some media desparado's.<br /><br />I believe, the movie watching phenomenon is predominant, because most of us lack other opportunities to spend our time in a better way. <br />Some of us, who do have fairly better opps, neglect to pursue them, due to our inbuilt lackluster attitude towards 'quality' life.<br /><br />I lie among the lackluster crowd with lazy couch-potato skills, who take pride in spending every minute I have, in watching movies. <br />I do this movie watching with a zest and with the pace I am in right now, I will probably saturate watching all the (good) movies ever made (that gives a chill :) ).<br /><br />I will dwelve in to the details of the kind of movies I like and hate in a separate post. For this post, I will briefly comment (not a full review) on a few recently watched movies.<br /><br />1) <a href="http://www.apunkachoice.com/movies/mov623/">Eklavya - The Royal Gaurd (2006)<br /><img src='http://www.apunkachoice.com/upload/movies/movgal5278.jpg' width='250'/></a> <br />I usually decide to watch a movie in a big theater if the movie had received raving reviews. Very few times, I do a blind-watch for my favourite director/actors. ( my recent blind-watch was <a href="http://justsurveys.blogspot.com/2007/01/guru-movie-review.html">GURU</a>, and it was worth the watch).<br /><br />as for Eklavya, I decided to spend my $10 to watch the movie in a theater, after reading some positive reviews about the film. <br />I was also thrilled by the trailor of this movie. <br />Unfortunately, the 2 minutes movie trailor was made by hand picking ALL the good scenes in the movie and the left over movie was not as thrilling.<br /><br />The movie quality was good (cinematography, sets, acting, ..), but it lacked an overall appeal. <br /><br />Eklavya (Amitab) was about a royal gaurd who thinks his dharma was to safegaurd the royal castle and everything within. The king, saddened for many years by the 'Eklavya secret' kills the queen and also plots to kill Eklavya. Prince (Saif-Ali-Khan) arrives, learns about the 'Eklavya secret', voes his ex-girlfriend (Vidya Balan), and engulfs himself in sadness throughout. King has a evil brother (Jackie Shroff). King was killed by someone, Eklavya decides to avenge.<br /><br />Amitab aced his part. Saif-ali-khan has no screen presence for this type of role. Vidya Balan was Ok.<br /><br />well, watch it in a theater, if you absolutely have to. <br />for the rest, you can wait for the DVD.<br /><br />2) <a href="http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tamil/trailer/8251.html">Pachaikili Muthucharam - Tamil (2006)<br /><img src='http://image1.indiaglitz.com/tamil/gallery/Movies/silandhi/main.jpg' width='250'/><br /></a><br />Gautham Menon (director) has proved his cine-making skills again. He has evolved a new template of movie making since Minnale. He is pruning the template and shines better and better each year.<br /><br />Pachaikili Muthucharam, is a nice drama about a married middle aged male (Sarath Kumar) who his overpowered by the charms of his train-mate Jyothika. The story revolves around the extra-marital affairs between Sarath and Jyothika for a while and takes a nice twist when Milind Soman steps in as the villain.<br /><br />I dont like Sarath much, but his presence in this movie was fitting.<br />Jyothika was awesome to watch and so was Andrea(?), Saraths wife.<br /><br />The only negative was, Milind Somans dubbing (Gautams) voice. Gautam should stay behind the camera and not do any more dubbing for his villains. Enough of that!<br /><br />well, watch it in theaters. It will be a good movie watching experience.<br /><br />3) <a href="http://www.nowrunning.com/film/slideshow1.asp?movieNo=3256">Deepavali - Tamil (2006)<br /><img src='http://www.nowrunning.com/comingsoon/Deepavali/poster.jpg'/><br /></a><br />reminded me of 'Moonram pirai', though this movie is not a lift from 'Moonram pirai'.<br />what happens when your beloved, suddenly forgets you one day? <br />This happens to our hero (Jeyam Ravi), and the movie is about how he gets her (Bhavana) back.<br />Movie was nicely done. The chennai slang tamil which is filled in the movie was a irritant in the beginning, but then it flows well and adds up to the beauty of the film.<br />Bhavna is cute and bubbly. Ravi has acted well. <br /><br />for me, watching a movie in a theater will usually require a good proven director/actor or atleast a good review. Rarely a movie like 'Kadhal' comes in and pushes me to spend my $10. Deepavali is not one among them, but a can-watch, not-boring movie.<br /><br />4) <a href="http://www.nowrunning.com/film/review.asp?movieNo=1840&r=357">Perumazakalam - Malayalam (2004)<br /><img src='http://indiascafe.com/g/comingsoon/Perumazhakkalam/still7.jpg' width='200'/><br /></a><br /><br />I enjoy malayalam movies - and I believe some of the very best movies are 'made in Kerala'. I watched Perumazakalam (directed by Kamal) on DVD a few weeks back.<br />Its been a while since I have seen a subtle and touching movie and Perumazakalam was a feast for the eyes, ears and the heart.<br /><br />Meera Jasmine, a typical muslim wife with a kid, lives in some corner of Calicut near a big lake (or backwaters?). Like most keralite husbands, Meera Jasmines' husband (Dilip) works in Saudi Arabia to make a living. <br />Movie unfolds with the news that Dilip was arrested and was sentenced to death for killing a fellow Keralite (Vineeth). <br />To save Dilip from the gallows, Meera has to convince Kavya Madhavan (Vineeths wife) and have Kavya provide a clemency.<br /><br />What a movie! vow!! Back waters, monsoon, rain, cinematography, background score, songs - everything fits very well!<br /><br />The actors lived their part - every one of them.<br /><br />Perumazakalam gave the best movie watching experience. If you like watching good movies, this is a must watch for you!<br /><br />Happy Oscars!! lets celeberate the movies!<br /><br />more to come (Iranian movies)... later..<br /><br />to be continued...SurveySanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130447467923947840noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37702093.post-26749594245605848072007-02-15T22:57:00.000-08:002007-02-15T23:01:21.397-08:00Vote for the best photo (tomatoe, potato, onion )<a href='http://surveysan.blogspot.com/2007/02/blog-post_9064.html'><u>Click here</u></a> to view the contestants and pick your choice in 'vote box' (in the middle of the page)<br />Click the link below the vote box to send your vote.<br /><br />Here is a sample of the list of pictures from the contest. Do vote using the link above!<br /><br /><iframe src='http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?user_id=89125559@N00' frameBorder='0' width='500' scrolling='no' height='500'></iframe>SurveySanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130447467923947840noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37702093.post-47872590972273220082007-02-02T18:00:00.000-08:002007-02-02T18:03:01.373-08:00Photo Contest for AmateursIf you can read tamil and if you like taking pictures with your digi cam and if you are an amateur at that, try out the photo contest in this link:<br /><br /><a href='http://surveysan.blogspot.com/2007/01/blog-post_30.html'>சிறந்த புகைப்பட வித்தகர் போட்டி</a><br /><br /><br />have fun!SurveySanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130447467923947840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37702093.post-36214576740897742762007-01-30T20:42:00.003-08:002007-01-30T20:45:00.062-08:00Windows Vista Launch - Bill Gates<embed type="application/x-mplayer2" pluginspage="http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/MediaPlayer/" src="http://www.microsoft.com/winme/0701/29339/GA_Launch_MBR.asx" width=500 height=500 name="MediaPlayer" autostart="True" ShowStatusBar=1 ShowControls=1 ><br /></embed>SurveySanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130447467923947840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37702093.post-37884449714772331032007-01-30T20:42:00.002-08:002007-01-30T20:44:02.520-08:00testing 1 2 3...<embed type="application/x-mplayer2" pluginspage="http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/MediaPlayer/" src="http://www.microsoft.com/winme/0701/29339/GA_Launch_MBR.asx" width=320 height=310 name="MediaPlayer" autostart="True" ShowStatusBar=1 ShowControls=1 ><br /></embed>SurveySanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130447467923947840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37702093.post-72465969286224579252007-01-30T20:42:00.001-08:002007-01-30T20:42:22.393-08:00testing 1 2 3...<OBJECT id="VIDEO" width="320" height="240" <br /> style="position:absolute; left:0;top:0;"<br /> CLASSID="CLSID:6BF52A52-394A-11d3-B153-00C04F79FAA6"<br /> type="application/x-oleobject"><br /> <br /> <PARAM NAME="URL" VALUE="http://www.microsoft.com/winme/0701/29339/GA_Launch_MBR.asx"><br /> <PARAM NAME="SendPlayStateChangeEvents" VALUE="True"><br /> <PARAM NAME="AutoStart" VALUE="True"><br /> <PARAM name="uiMode" value="none"><br /> <PARAM name="PlayCount" value="9999"><br /></OBJECT>SurveySanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130447467923947840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37702093.post-80184468432483302802007-01-13T14:24:00.000-08:002007-01-14T16:03:01.737-08:00Guru - Movie Review<a target=_blank href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru_(2006_film)'><img height=300 src='http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c9/Guruposter.JPG'></a><br /><br />Like all Mani Ratnams earlier movies, GURU created a big wave of expectation right from the day of its conception.<br /><br />The expectations grew wider when the rumour mills churned that the story line of GURU is drawing a parallel with the life of industrial Guru Dhirubai Ambani.<br /><br /><em>Ambani, the industrial mogul who started off as a polyester merchant selling 'saadis', grew his business from a few thousand rupees outfit to a multi-billion dollar empire. Baring, the bad publicity over the 'methods' he used, he was a true champion, the likes of whom helped shape industrial India.</em><br /><br />That being said, was GURU just a biographical depiction? No. not at all. <br />You could call the 'Aviator' a biographical depiction of Hughes. Not GURU.<br /><br />Manis one-liner for the story could have been 'A poor villager, who grew up and became a big industrialist, like Ambani'. <br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.chakpak.com/WAction.do?WT=ImgSS&m=18812&w=375&h=250" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" width="400" height="275" scrollbar="NO"></iframe><br /><br />Abhishek Bachan has turned out to be a true star and GURU will be a milestone in his career, just like how Nayagan was for Kamal Hasan.<br /><br />Abhishek does the job well. Be it the young Guru who rocks with Mallika in a Turkey club, or the married Guru who romanticizes with Ash in a Bombay apartment, or even the aged Guru bai who is confronted by Mithun about his business ethics. Abhishek gives a stellar performance.<br />It is a joy to watch him perform Guru bai. <br /><br />Aishwarya Rai's magic is missing in this movie. She is not suitable to act in an old-age role, yet. <br />Mani should have fed her well and made her a little plump before shooting the old aged scenes.<br />Mani may have missed the boat on this one.<br /><br />Cinematography (Rajiv Menon) was spotless in every frame - Aishwaryas rain dance in a village among the paddy fields and the song celeberating the twins arrival was nicely done. <br />Mani has a keen eye for song picturisation and with Rajiv as his wing man, GURUs songs were very delightfully done.<br /><br />Some of the choreography wasn't fresh and not catchy as it should have been.<br /><br />Enough has been said about A.R.Rahmans scores for GURU. Yes, the songs were brilliant and the backround score was apt. 'Guru bai Guru bai' chant through out the film adds the tempo of the film.<br />Hariharans 'Eh Hairathe ashiqui' (Gazal type) sprinkled as a background score on many occassions was a good one. Tere Bina (with a cute dhamthana dhamthana chime in the lines of a sufi love song) was a new style song.<br /><br />Madhavan does his part, but in front of Abhishek's performance he fades away. <br /><br />Mithun is a very good addition, as Nanaji.<br /><br />Some supporting actors were amateurish in certain scenes shot in Turkey and some shots in the final moments of the film. <br /><br />The 2 3/4 hours movie has no 'dull lag'. But, at the same time the details of Guru bai's business growth and all the accusations thrown at him were very cinematic. <br />It looks like Mani wasn't keen on showing the business nuances of Guru bai to his audiences. Who wants those things anyway?<br /><br />The final moments where Guru bai defends his motives against harsh allegations with a 4+ minutes dialogue contains the essence of the movie. <br /><br />Dialogues like 'I am the public' and Guru bais speech, about how he helps the middleclass, to own and grow with his business empire, leaves one with a positive allure towards the man.<br /><br />GURU will stand out from the crowd and is a mass entertainer. <br />Is this Manis best ever? arguably, No. <br />The best is probably yet to come.<br /><br />What is your take on the movie (if you have watched it)?<br /><br /><SCRIPT type='text/javascript' SRC='http://www.newsndeals.com/survey/survey_v4.js'></script><script type='text/javascript'>document.write(dispSurvey(/*survey title*/'GURU Movie Review', /*option values*/ 'Excellent. Must watch in Theater.{Good. Wait for DVD.{Bad. Time is precious.{', /*title bg color*/ 'FFFF00', /*title text color*/ '', /*options bg*/ 'FFFF66', /*options text color*/ '000000', 'FF33CC', /*submit caption*/ 'Submit', /*objid and survid*/ 'objid=175{survid=922399' )); </script>SurveySanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130447467923947840noreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37702093.post-35528604228486704742006-12-20T22:08:00.000-08:002006-12-20T22:21:35.597-08:002020 - Will INDIA become a SUPER power by 2020 ?I was reading <a href='http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0670882712/ref=nosim/wwwnewsndealc-20'>India 2020: a Vision for the New Millennium</a> by Kalam. <br /><br />His ideas and suggestions for a better India are inspiring. <br /><br />But given the state of affairs in the home land, achieving greatness in the next 13 years looks like a distant dream.<br /><br />The poor are getting poorer, while the rich is getting richer day by day. Basic amenities are a rarity. <br /><br />Farmers are dying everyday. Gap between literates and illiterates are increasing. <br /><br />Though satellite TVs and cellphones are spreading faster than a forest fire, water scarcity is equally prevalent.<br /><br />The growth in stock index and increase in foreign reserves does provide a positive sense. But, urban growth is not sufficient to claim the super power rank.<br /><br />So, question of the hour is: Do you think India will become a super power by 2020? Will it atleast get better and be able to ensure that its citizens sleep everyday with a full stomach? OR Is our government and its leaders portraying just a mirage and will she get worse by 2020?<br /><br />Click your choice and tell me what you think!!!<br /><br /><SCRIPT type='text/javascript' SRC='http://www.newsndeals.com/survey/survey_v4.js'></script><script type='text/javascript'>document.write(dispSurvey(/*survey title*/'2020 - Will India become a SUPER power by 2020 ?', /*option values*/ 'No way!{No. But, there will be few improvements.{No. We will get poorer and miserable.{Yes. It will!{No idea.{I don\'t care!{', /*title bg color*/ 'FF6600', /*title text color*/ '', /*options bg*/ 'FFFFFF', /*options text color*/ '000066', '66CC00', /*submit caption*/ 'Submit', /*objid and survid*/ 'objid=165{survid=495437' )); </script> <br /><br />Happy Holidays guys and gals!<br />Happy Holidays guys and gals!<br />Happy Holidays guys and gals!SurveySanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130447467923947840noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37702093.post-34742893785071714042006-12-17T18:06:00.000-08:002006-12-17T18:10:00.555-08:00Todays Survey - Best thing a guy likes in a (Indian) girl?With so many things changing back home, with regards to tradition and values and way of life, what is the most important thing a 'desi' guy expects in a 'desi' girl?<br /><br />Just beauty and smartness or does he still expect the girl to have values and traiditions?<br /><br />Well, click your way and tell us what you have in mind. <br />If the 'choice' you have in mind is missing in the list, add a comment and let us know.<br /><br /><SCRIPT type='text/javascript' SRC='http://www.newsndeals.com/survey/survey_v4.js'></script><script type='text/javascript'>document.write(dispSurvey(/*survey title*/'Best thing a guy likes in a (Indian) girl is?', /*option values*/ 'Beauty{Intelligence{B & I wrapped in Shyness{B & I wrapped in Pride{Polite and Subtle{Tradition & Values{None of these{', /*title bg color*/ 'CC3300', /*title text color*/ '000000', /*options bg*/ 'FFFF66', /*options text color*/ '000000', 'FF6600', /*submit caption*/ 'Submit', /*objid and survid*/ 'objid=160{survid=937615' )); </script>SurveySanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130447467923947840noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37702093.post-8983891137352282722006-11-29T19:45:00.000-08:002006-11-29T19:55:03.339-08:00Is Snoop Dogg living right?Like him or not, Snoop Dogg is a big favourite for many folks out there.<br />Though I personally don't like all his music, I do like a few of his peppy numbers.<br /><br />Having reached great heights in the music world, he has become a mentor and a positive example for many people in his community. <br /><br />His arrest yesterday is the 3rd arrest in the past few months. This time its for possessing a gun and cocaine and marijuana. <br /><br />Is Snoop setting a bad example for his fellow people? Is he living right?<br />what say you?<br /><br /><SCRIPT type='text/javascript' SRC='http://www.newsndeals.com/survey/survey_v2.js'></script><script type='text/javascript'>document.write(dispSurvey(/*survey title*/'Todays Survey - Snoop Dogg arrest. Is he living right?', /*option values*/ 'No. He is setting a BAD example for his fellow people.{Yes. His personal life is nobodys business.{No comment.{Who is Snoop Dogg?{', /*title bg color*/ '000066', /*title text color*/ 'FFFF00', /*options bg*/ 'FF9933', /*options text color*/ '000000', 'FF6600', /*submit caption*/ 'Submit', /*objid and survid*/ 'objid=113{survid=8160' )); </script>SurveySanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12130447467923947840noreply@blogger.com0