MaDdyLicious!!!

6 packs and all!!!

Maddy — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 11:58:35 +0000

I really dont know why the world is going crazy over 6 packs. First it was SRK, then Salman now Amir. And now I hear Sanjay baba is getting into 8 packs..

I dont understand what the ehtire fuss is about. Its defnitely not about health or abdominal strength. I mean even if it were it would be only from a very small part of GYm goers. I mean, how often do you break coconuts on your stomach?!

I always loved my family pack!! I had what i liked and am proud of it. If you want to get those 6 packs to show off, after years of diet, and gym torture, working ur arse out…what do you get heh? Confidence? Or perhaps a girlfriend? I mean the point that you went thru such torture only proves that you would easily put others in to a similar trouble!!! And that your so concerned about ur looks that even an inch of fat turns up on you and u’d be in a hysteria!

Am happy with what I am..king size and with a family pack!!!

Cheers

Nokia top 8 phones

Maddy — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 05:54:00 +0000

Over the years Nokia has revolutionized the mobile phone markets in India. As far as I remember holding a Nokia in your hand, was the ultimate status symbol, making you a classy, gadet oriented dude. Well today am taking a look at the all time top ten mobiles in my opinion in India, whihc I recall from my time!!!

This is not a ranking of any sorts, but just a timeline kinda thing.

Here Goes

1. Nokia 3310

This phone was my first phone, paid 3800 bucks in 2004. A time when messaging was free, this was theeee phone to have. There was also the popular 3315 also which had some few changes and a slight change in the keypad. All in good ol black and white!!!

2. Nokia 1100 —>

The phone that took India by craze!!! The made

for India phone had the best roughability and usability, probably matching the 3310, which is still in use in the market. The 1100 also hadthe torch which again made it a quite feature full phone. As in the 3310 there was also a white background phone for the 1100, the more popular 1108.

3. Nokia 3530

Arguably one of the most overpriced colour rich(for those times!!!) featureless phones. The phone was a break through for its see through cover. —>

4. Nokia 3610

Though I never personally liked this phone for it looks, it seemed to every other hand in the happening “Manipal” crowd. (FYI Manipal a very small town with its world class educational facilities, is the most highest mobile density towns in India. An average of 3 cell phones per person!!!)

5. Nokia 3100

This small colour phone with its glow in the dark side lines and cool styling was a hit and a relief from the bulky phones of the time. It was also fit in the hand.

6. Nokia 6610

Wow!!! What can I say about this phone. The super popular, the super classy and the super professional phone is the 6610. The only thing this phone lacked at that time was a camera. And sure enough Nokia did release the 6610i which had a camera, but a pathetic one at that.

The 6610 was undoubtedly one of the best phones ever made in the transition of mobile-black and white-clour phones. One of my absolutely favorite phones.

7. Nokia 6600

Aha!!! The nokia 6600 is the ambassador of camera phones!!! If ever there was a high end phone in the transition to camera phones it was the 6600. Every one wanted it. Sooo many had it. It was so popular that it also became the most hated after it became common enough. Every other hand had it. It dint help that the 7610 wasnt that popular for its price against features.

8. N gage

This phone though I wouldnt say is avery popular phone, it was one of the gaming phones which

also had a new ngage qd version for the same. —>

Well there are many other phones in the recent past which have done quite well, like the 6680 or the 3250. And of course the N series!!!

However the market has become bombarded with top brand s coming in with super feature rich slim phones. So Nokia has a long and tough fight ahead to ensure it sticks to the top.

Time for some stories!!!

Maddy — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:36:00 +0000

Well ,apart from the many success-full bloggers out there, who have made their live stories into good books, there are a cosiderable many who haven’t. Telling your life story to the big byad world takes a lot of courage and guts, at the same time an eye for detail, knowing your readers and the like.

I had pondered about the same in a post couple of months ago, and now I have finally made up my mind. Am gonna right some stuff from my life, see if its working out, and the nperhaps continue to write the entire “maddy-potter” Series. Sone thoughts to finalize my plans are yet to be considered. For example, whether to continue in the same blog or start a new one?Already having two other blogs, I dont think a fourth one would be worth it, as one of the blogs has been idle for quite some time. On the other hand I dont want to disturb the flow of the story with other interesting thinks I want to talk about.

Another prob seems to be people. How do I create the characters as they were rather than give a wrong impression, whihc could ruin the entire plan??

Hmmm, Lots to do befre venturing on this huge huge idea. Could be a mistake, could be a great idea, buts what the hell. It aint worth keeping it in the head,no?

Well. I guess I would have cleared my head by Monday so lets c!!!

Till then, have a rocking weekend!

MaDdY

Obama and India

Maddy — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:57:00 +0000

What cheers India and what makes it cautious about Obama presidency:

What Cheers India:

Natural Ally: Obama says building strategic partnership with India top priority and sees India as a natural strategic ally of the US in the 21st century.

Terrorism and Pakistan: More focussed on ending terrorism and Al Qaeda by concentrating on finishing Al Qaeda sanctuaries in Pakistan and bringing stability in Afghanistan. Plans to increase aid to Afghanistan.

Iraq and Muslim world: Promises withdrawal of troops in Iraq within 18 months – a fountainhead of hostility against the US in the Muslim world. Makes it easier for India to deal with a US with better standing in the Middle East.

Economy: Favours greater regulation of financial institutions.

Backs immigration reform and H1B visa programme.

What makes India cautious:

CTBT: Obama has strong views on non-proliferation. May try to force India to accept CTBT (Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty) and provoke a fresh debate in India on this sensitive issue. Shouldn’t be a problem after the US, China come on board.

Kashmir: May try to play peace-keeper in Kashmir, a tendency that is likely to be resented and opposed by India which sees Kashmir as a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan and one that does not need third-party intervention.

Outsourcing: India fears global financial meltdown may force Obama to turn protectionist. Obama has promised tax incentives for US companies that create new jobs.

This post has been taken from Yahoo!!!

MaDdY

Obama!!! American President

Maddy — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:52:00 +0000

Barack Obama, who will be the nation’s first African-American president, won the largest share of white support of any Democrat in a two-man race since 1976 amid a backdrop of economic anxiety unseen in at least a quarter-century, according to exit polls by The Associated Press and the major television networks.

Obama became the first Democrat to also win a majority since Jimmy Carter with the near-unanimous backing of blacks and the overwhelming support of youth as well as significant inroads with white men and strong support among Hispanics and educated voters.

The Illinois senator won 43 percent of white voters, 4 percentage points below Carter’s performance in 1976 and equal to what Bill Clinton won in the three-man race of 1996. Republican John McCain won 55 percent of the white vote.

Fully 96 percent of black voters supported Obama and constituted 13 percent of the electorate, a 2-percentage-point rise in their national turnout. As in past years, black women turned out at a higher rate than black men.

A stunning 54 percent of young white voters supported Obama, compared with 44 percent who went for McCain, the senator from Arizona. In the past three decades, no Democratic presidential nominee has won more than 45 percent of young whites.

It also appears youth turnout rose one point since 2004, to constitute 18 percent of the electorate.

McCain won a majority of every other age of white voters, which appeared to limit Obama’s reach into many traditionally Republican states.

Obama performed slightly worse with white women, 39 percent of voters, than Al Gore did in 2000. McCain won the votes of white women, 53 to 46 percent, perhaps an indication of the historical candidacy of his running mate, Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska.

Obama compensated for the drop-off in white female support with the strong 41 percent support from white men. No Democrat since Carter had until Tuesday’s election earned more than 38 percent of the white male vote.

In 2000, white women split between the two parties while Republicans won white men by 24 percentage points. That white male gap was dramatically narrowed Tuesday to 16 points, a trend that began with the financial crisis, and one that allowed Obama to split the male vote overall.

McCain won only 57 percent of the votes of white men, who were again 36 percent of the electorate.

White college graduates, 35 percent of voters, broke for McCain 51 to 47 percent, marking roughly a 3-point gain for Obama compared to Gore’s 44 percent showing.

Obama performed at a similar level as Gore with working-class whites, earning 40 percent of their support to McCain’s 59 percent, which is roughly similar to George W. Bush’s performance in 2000 and 2004.

Obama’s victory also stretched into other key blocs won by Bush four years ago. Suburban voters, who were half of the electorate, split between Obama and McCain.

Rural voters, who went for Bush by 19 points in 2004, leaned to McCain by 8 points. And married voters, who went to Bush by 15 points, leaned to McCain by 6 this year.

Hispanics, who as in 2004 were 8 percent of voters, went for Obama by more than 2-to1, 67 percent to 30 percent. That marks a roughly 10-point drop-off in Republican Hispanic support, compared to Bush’s performance in 2004.

Obama also won 84 percent of those Democrats who backed New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in the hard-fought presidential primaries.

White independents, a fifth of voters, roughly split between the major party candidates, which has not occurred in a two-man race in three decades.

It was McCain’s support that was down compared to Bush in 2004, no small referendum on his effort to campaign as the “maverick.” Obama earned the same level of support as Democrat John F. Kerry in 2004 – 47 percent.

On the major issues, 63 percent of voters said the economy was the most important, six times more than cited the war in Iraq (10 percent), health care (9 percent), terrorism (9 percent) or energy (7 percent).

Not since 1980, in the shadow of a gas crisis and stagflation, did the economy dominate voters’ concerns as it did Tuesday. Back then, almost seven in 10 voters named either the economy or inflation, jobs and unemployment, or balancing the federal budget as the top issue on their minds.

In 2004, only 20 percent of voters cited the economy, while 22 percent cited moral values, 19 percent terrorism and 15 percent Iraq. In 2000 as well, the economy/jobs, taxes, education, Social Security and world affairs all carried roughly equal weight among the voters

So Obama has finally made History!!!

The information in this post has been taken from Yahoo!!!

MaDdY!!!

Of Course I love you!!!

Maddy — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 16:51:00 +0000

“OF Course I Love You…Till I Find Someone Better”

Got Your Attention heh!!! Well It did catch my attention too when my Roomie Alampanah got the book home. Within minutes I was on the book.

The book is written by Durjoy Datta and Maanvi Ahuja, aka Chethan Bhagat Style. If you have read 5 point someone, you will find the narrative quite similar and quite entertaining. Its set in Delhi college of engineering and is the tale of a dude who has problems and then he has “problems”!!!

The best part of this book is that the entire story is picked out from his actual blog, which he used to scribble on. Someone picked out this stuff and he got it done into a book.

Its a fantastic book, the story line keeps you wanting more (For Obvious reasons!!!) an has a nice end to it. Though the end doesnt sound realistic, Its a good book. Thats all that I can say, because you need to Read it!!!

I got his blog too. This is his book and of course the man himself ( his running blog!!!) Dont bother searching for the books posts ,theyre obviously deleted!!!

Happy reading!!!

Rome Total War Triology

Maddy — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 19:41:00 +0000

Finally!!! After months and months of agony and frustration, and after giving it all up, I had the Good Fortune to stumble upon a game I had been looking for quite some time now.

Let me tell you about this game called Rome Total war. I was initiated into this game by my good friend Ajith, who gave me the game in 2005. It was the first game my laptop saw, and for the next one year I was speaking roman to Ajith, much to the frustration and annoyance to our close friends.

Rome Total war is a strategy game from the house of SEGA. It was the second game launched after SHOGUN Total war. This game is basically about the Roman times (270 BC to 400 AD) Set in the time when the Roman senate was in action. The game basically is a conquer all strategy game, and you can play with different factions. Initially you get to choose only one of the three Roman FAmilies ( Julii, Brutii and Scipii) Once you complete the campaign mode you get to choose from more factions like Greeks, Gauls etc. YOu need to manage your states in terms of buildings and armies. And since they[re all inter connected and have a result on your income and quality of generals and admirals, you gotta be careful with what you have.

The game also has two other modes, being Historical battles-where you replay real life battles occurring in the past, or custom battles choosing your opponent and the weapons and armies.

The second part of this game was the Rome Total War-Barbarian Expansion. This game brought in only two major factions, West Rome and East Rome under the Roman banner, and the basic idea was to hold and conquer particular states in order to win the game. There were changes in the in-game scrolls and gameplay. In addition there were countries playable from the start unlike the First Edition. However this dint defer much to the initial Game.

However the third Expansion, Rome Total War-Alexander was a challenge no true strategy lover could avoid. A tougher scenario, you play as Alexander and need to capture 11 odd states in a new map, within a certain number of "turns". You have lesser support from the your own cities as their in constant mess and riots, killing your money supply. This game is what I got finally today and it is really making me crazy

The other installations of Total war have been Medieval war ,Empire total war and the much awaited MEdieval Total war 2. Theres also rumors of Mughal Total War coming soon. For more details check out the website.

Check out the screen shots

If your a strategy Games enthusiast then the Total War series is something you must try. Have a look also at Age of Empires series and Age of mythology series. Rise of Nations is also ok.

Any ways Happy gaming!

Fashion-Movie Review

Maddy — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:12:00 +0000

After Page 3, traffic signal and Corporate Madhur Bhandarkar has hit the nail on the head with "Fashion". For those who are out to watch Madhur for the first time, the movie will take you through the Fashion industry in a span of three hours, with a different style of frankness and spunk. The movie also has taken a lot from real life incedents with the "wadrobe malfunction" too.

However for those who have seen the previous movies of Madhur, this movie would tend to be a bit boring at first. There is a predictable story line with the struggle-top-fall-climb up againg kinda story. But its gots a nice punch to it. The movie might not do much for Priyanka Chopra (Meghna Mathur) as there isnt anything that brings out her talent as a n actress. Shes done well, but nothing stands out.For me the surprise were the other two actors, being Kangana (Shonali-such a cute name) and Mugdha (Janet). Kangana was especially fantastic in the little time she was on screen. Her fashion photos were absolutely mind blowing. Arjan Bajwa was also looking good on screen.

Its a movie you would want to watch a couple of times, at least for the great ramp shots

The music isnt great but theres a particlular background score which is really catchy. Will try to get that soon.

There were some brands which were quite visible in the movie. Some being Cafe Coffee Day, Canon, Loreal (my company!!!) and some others…Any way catch the movie in a theatre near you!!!

Happy cine watching!,

MAddy!!!

Mangalore

Maddy — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:00:00 +0000

Well this time around I went home via good ol Mangalore. ITs been a long time that I went there, last being A year ago for some business. However this time around, things had changed quite a lot. The famous 4 way lane which was under construction-completed-again under construction-cancelled-re constructed had finally got shape. IT was more of a road this time around than it ever was. However the bus drivers dint mind. For them anything the bus moves on, is road. and that to their own personal road.

Any way, some surprising new members, (Again finally!!!) were the Fly overs and drainage works going on in Mangalore. Mangalore is a Special Economic Zone, and is expected to be the next Bangalore. However years ago there were pointers to the lack of infrastructure in the city. The Mangalore-Udupi-Manipal Belt is world reknown for their educational and medical institutions. However Mangalore does also have a fair bit of Shipping and industrial activity. This area is also known for its coastal cuisine and NRI population. Any way back to the fly overs.

Just like Bangalore, the fly overs were there, towering over the roads, kicking up dust and disrupting traffic-ah the irony of it. Well I was in Mangalore for like 30 min, During which I managed to take a snap of Saibeen Complex, and catch a glimpse of Errol, author of Scoptoma. I wasnt able to catch his attention, as I was in a bus. But anyways, here are the snaps

The Once super popular Saibeen complex

Fly over

Fly over again

Inner city Roads–Flooded with Airtel translights!!!

Well thats all I could capture, am working on a post with interesting facts on the Manipal-Udupi-Mangalore Triangle. Hope that comes out soon!!!

Cheers

MaDdY

Diwali at home-The working

Maddy — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 18:38:00 +0000

Though there are some other connected posts before this one, I thought it would be better off to start with this as it is the “happening” thing right now.

Well traditionally in South Canara, more so among “Konkani’s” (GSB) Diwali is celebrated over three days. The first day, there is a ritual called “Uda borche” which translates into filling water. Actually on this day, in the evening the source of water, the well is decorated and a puja is done. Before this the water is drawn and filled into the water drum, which is essentially a huge metal drum over a fire place. This was the olden Boiler!

Subsequently there is a puja for the same. The next day before sunrise, we get up and have an elaborate oil bath. And welcome Diwali into our homes. This day is celebrated with crackers, fireworks, diyas…anything to do with light. It is actually signifying purity and goodness coming into our lives. (Dont ask me about the details!!! its kinda complicated)

The third day is Balindra puje. On this day people can steal anything ,provided they dont get caught. People dont usually go of to rob a bank or something, its just some harmless things like a few coconuts from a tree or that kind of stealing. I hope your not getting any ideas!!! Check out more about Diwali

I have some photos, Dint make it home in time, but I got what I could…

This is the inner well of our house, you can see the names of the rivers written, albeit in Kannada.

This is a close up of the front portion

This is the olden water heater was talking abotu. Its not in the actual splendor, cos I got this snaps a day too late

And this is the full picture, along with the small oil ka katori at the side

And after all, I think this is the more common view of Diwali!!! The festival of lights!!!

Wish you all a happy Diwali!!!