The spirit of Entrepreneurship!

Lose yourself...
to find the true "you"...
Never get so old...
that you can't run after your dreams...

what matters is not the greenbacks...
what matters is that you are a greenhorn...
ready to take the world on...
your mind is not corrupt...
that does help...

Fun lies in the uncertainities...
Fun lies in the journey, not in the destination...
Fun lies in asking the right questions of yourself...
Have fun, they rightly say...

Have a huge appetite...
for risk, that is...
but do know your limits...
Get your calculations exact...

Interact, Ideate, Innovate, Invigorate...
then Initiate, Implement, Intensify, Improve...
and then Improvise and Inspire

Failure is heartbreaking...
Hell yeah, it is...
But it isn't permanent...
so even if you lose, don't lose the lesson...
for it may help in your next flight into your own space...
Never give up on yourself...
You are the ONE!

Hope I can inculcate this spirit in me.

God willing, India will win this Test Match!

Score update

• SR Tendulkar 27* and VVS Laxman 2*
  
• Last Batsman out - G Gambhir on 29
• India 77/3 in 26.4 overs
• India need 299 from 83 overs to win

"Cricket is my religion and Sachin is my God!"
A photograph bearing this banner by SRT's fans has become a part of cricket memorabilia. As far as I know, it was first flashed in Toronto, I may be wrong, but that hardly matters. My intention behind mentioning this is to relate it to the title of the post. India's victory is now in two pairs of hands, both of whom belong to God - one is up there in the heavens and the other is plugging away ones and twos and the occasional four at the Chinnaswami Stadium in Bangalore against a second-rate Australian bowlng attack when seen in light of the yesteryears.

I personally don't correspond to this concept of labelling human beings as God but I do think that SRT is one of the finest batsmen the world has witnessed. Also, he does have in him the ability and the experience to soldier on for the rest of the 5th day and lead India into victory's waiting arms. What remains to be seen is whether he has the gumption to do so.

If there has ever been the slightest blot on SRT's illuminating career, it has been that he hasn't won enough Test matches or ODI's for India when batting last. I still remember the heart-wrenching loss to Pakistan in Chennai in 1997 (SRT's favorite knock for me). News channels (however thoughtless they are!) are mercilessly flashing his average in the second innings which is way below his overall average. The daggers are certainly out for him, more so when Saurav Ganguly has announced his plans to retire after this series. All through his career and more so, lately, he has said that he doesn't have a point to prove to anyone. I do go by that. But his critics and detractors don't. But here the issue is proving a point to himself. Realistically speaking, this may well be his last Test series against the Numero Uno in India. Wouldn't he want to do it in grand style?
From what I have seen of him, he must be very determined to do so and Brian Lara's record would be the last thing on his mind, if at all, it is on his mind. The pitch is deteriorating, but his getting out to a ball that looks like it kept low, only because of his actions (the bat's toe touching the ground, his right hand coming off the bat in despair) would look highly ugly. He would still be in the team for the next Test even if India loses, but would that please him? I doubt. Also, he can play like he did in Sydney enroute to 241, carving out a draw, but would that please him? I doubt! (Req. RR - 3.6, Curr. RR - 2.6)

So fight on SRT. India and your mates in the dressing room back you to get the job done. This opportunity-in-disguise would never come back. We don't want to burden you with the weight of expectations. Do know that we are with you, in victory as well as defeat for you have served India like no one else. We are proud of you!

Score update

• SR Tendulkar 31* (71) and VVS Laxman 5* (32)
  
• Last Batsman out - G Gambhir on 29
• India 87/3 in 34.1 overs
• India need 299 from 83 overs to win

Edited : SRT out for 49. Huh! The match looks set to end in a draw as bad light looms large. Maybe ... If ... but ...

Union Bank of India Gold Tooth Ad

First thing first, this post and future posts under this label are courtsey this blogger - EmptyHead. Also I have used this as a guide.

Today, I start this new exercise of reviewing advertisements. As a potent form of publicity, ads have fascinated me a lot, be it the print, radio, TV or Internet version. Please be aware that the reviews are going to be totally non-technical since I'm yet to fufill my MBA dream. So, the perspective you'll get is the consumer's.

If you watch TV regularly, you could not have have missed the above advertisement. And for all you software engineers slogging at places far away from the comforts of your "Home Sweet Home", you can watch it here.

Re-branding has been the hot trend for some time now (remember Ceat and Axis Bank). Union Bank of India has undergone a complete makeover too. But it has retained its punchline - "Good people to bank with". This ad looks like a move to consolidate that idea.

Now, let us delve deep into the ad.

• First Reaction - Like all ads featuring cute children, (the girl in this ad is an angel!) this ad too manages to establish a mushy connection with the first-time viewer.
• Music - The background piece is very nice too, but you get so lost in the ad that it's hard to notice it, the first few times.
• Novelty of the idea - The catch is that the idea of getting kids to win hearts in favor of banks is not a new one. I remember a memorable ad in which a cute boy takes his piggy bank all the way from the village, protecting it fiercely from prying eyes along the way and parts it with it happily only when he gets to the bank cashier, who shows him the way to his own locker. So, whether this ad would actually appeal to the consumer to the extent where he opens an account, is questionable.
• The concept - The concept is fairly good, where the kid tries to help out the young guy in fulfilling his dream of developing a racing car and the bank tries to convey that it will help its customers in the same vein (almost like an angel investor) because "Aapke sapne sirf aapke nahi hain!". It does sound a bit cliched, but aren't ads supposed to be that way? There is a slight chance that young girls may tug at their respective (to be precise! LOL) dads to open an account in this bank, but a slight one only.
• The Appeal - The ad does hold a certain emotional appeal to the consumer as well as inherent motivation for the average bank employee since it is an ad that is straightforward, carries no extra baggage and the message does get across.
  
• Negatives - The ad has very few blatant negatives, neither does it confuse the viewer nor is it too familiar or irrelevant. But, yes, it is a bit far-fetched.
  
• Recollection - Ads are most effective when they stay in the almost schizophrenic public memory for some time. This ad definetely scores highly on this scale, primarily due to the superb acting of the kid who wonderfully exhibits a very likeable cheerfulness in collecting broken teeth from everywhere. Also, the camerawork is good.
• Overall - 4/5

Readers, please pour in with your comments. I would definetely want to improve here.

My love for Manchester United!

Manchester United Football Club is a name that makes the adrenaline flow super-fast down my neck. My love for Man United is not equivalent to my love for the Indian Cricket Team, because the latter is something that had been decided by my birth, and the raging Indo-Pak political issues added fuel to fire. This love is out of my own choice, and this characteristic alone makes it that much more special, something to write about.

I became a true-blue Red Devil during the slump years from 2003-2o05, and I am proud of this fact since it wasn't a case of me saluting the rising, or for that matter, the shining sun. I watched almost all their matches in those seasons and what struck out to me was the team's character - unrelenting in attack, always on the lookout for goals, smarting from the 8-month forced sabbatical its premier defender had to take but still fighting on.

Also, Sir Alex Ferguson, their most successful manager, always inspires a sense of trust and permanence with his passion for the club being unmatched. He has had a series of spats with players of high calibre like Ruud Van Nistelrooy, David Beckham, Roy Keane but his credentials have never been doubted. Every now and then, short-sighted people attack his throat with calls for him calling it a day. But the wise ones know that Sir Alex must be allowed to continue for as long as he wants to because if there is someone out there who can uphold the glory, it's him. His absolutely wonderful handling of the enigma that is Cristiano Ronaldo bears ample testimony to this school of thought. Also, he has been central to the change in Man United's character from a team who only knew how to score goals to a team who can attack and defend equally well. Bringing players from places like Brazil and Korea is also a first in United's history. His knack for picking players from other teams (Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham Hotspurs, Wayne Rooney from Everton) which fit into the Reds' culture is just superb. Also, a fantastic striker of yesteryears, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is managing the reserve team and players like Paul Ince, Roy Keane have learned the tricks of the management trade under him.

What differentiates Man United from other teams is that relatively lesser number of controversies crop up and they are handled in the most professional manner possible. Also no player is given undue latitude to get bigger than the club or the game itself. Sir Alex is in cruise control mode.

I guess if I say anything more I'll be labelled a pundit which I don't want to be. But surely, the Red Devils have it in them to go for a treble this season.

Man United, Here we go!

Untitled (deliberately!)

Poor me..
fractured leg...
my buddies...
alcohol, bootlegged...

feeling dejected...
and alone...
fighting devils...
like Mahone...

highly active...
suddenly inactive...
fortune twists...
I'm captive...

TV, Internet...
kill time...
Someone kill...
misery mine...

Sunday night...
just me, PC...
everyone says...
"take it easy"...

Mom calls...
"Everything's fine",
I tell her...
Standard line...

SMS recieved...
"Get well soon"...
If I could wish,...
would touch the moon!

Why it's me?
I wonder...
get no sunshine...
only the thunder...

Keep going?
No clue...
No more moaning...
Life's a flu!

Shine On!

There are numerous adjectives that mortals shower on men or groups possessing talent and then, there are some who rise aeons above such pettiness because of the sheer, everlasting quality of their work and more importantly, their absolute disregard for the concept of comparison. These men are so deeply involved in collating matter that flows out of their creative outlets that everything else automatically assumes secondary importance for them. This is where the highest principle of Objectivism, as stated in that God of books - "The Fountainhead" comes into the picture.

Pink Floyd is how you spell genius. This band from the UK was, is and will be the marquee name in Psychedelic Rock. I am no music connoisseur, I don't even come close to being called a dilettante. But to me, psychedelia unleashes its complete effect on the listener only when it fulfills two criteria - extraordinary poetry and unparalleled music.
If I start elaborating about the music (the absolute perfection over instruments, the tunes, the riffs, daredevil experimentation like Musique concrète et al), it would be like showing a candle to the Sun. The poetry was absolutely phenomenal too, with radicalism, surreality, allegory, philosophy, Onomatopoeia, imagery, simile and metaphor being the highlights of almost everything the band created.
But what stood out was that simplicity was never sacrificed and that vital connection with the listeners (the elixir for any band) was always established. And the back-to-the-basics idea behind the cover art lured audiences, no end!

Pessimists, critics and other related tribes have always got diatribe up their sleeves with respect to the controversies that Pink Floyd was involved in. But as they say, "Many men, many minds!".

Pink Floyd is definitely, the single most powerful source of inspiration for the novice writer, the poet in me.

I wrote this post as the words, "There's someone in my head but it's not me" reverberate in my ears through the headphone, along with the sado-masochistic laugh of a lunatic. No prizes for guessing what exactly I'm referring to - "Brain Damage" by Pink Floyd.

Of Compiler Design and a 4th grader

Are "parsing" and "purse-in" one and the same thing?
For everything that goes in, comes out sooner.
How can alphabets be non-elements?
No, please don't go back on primary education!
It befuddles me no end, I swear!

How do LR and SLR differ?
does SLR refer to "Sylar" from "Heroes"?
My God, save my soul, or rather brain from that evil man!

Why do we have languages for all levels - high, low and middle?
We got to have uniformity and equality, don't we?
That's not what they taught me at school
Is it not akin to fooling me? Answer me, O teacher!

Why do we need to transfer the innocuous dot to so many places?
Won't it get tired? Come on, think of it!

Who is going to explain to me what is happening out there, no; in there in the compiler?
Who is tending to what and whose ID are we constantly referring to?
Arithmetic tells me to open the brackets first,
but here the rules have been marauded!
I don't know when, don't even have a clue!

'I' referred to only me, that's what my English teacher told me
It was strictly singular, though plumpy she herself was,
good enough to be two! (hope she is not listening!)
Here there is a sea of 'I's', I saw eleven of them on the blackboard today
God, am I hallucinating or what?

Someone please come to my rescue,
this is a SOS call
My cute, little brain is not able to compile all of this arbit gyaan
The load is too much, this flood of symbols, arrows, elements and non-elements
I swear!

Readers, please empathise with me in my troubles with understanding Compiler Design.
Please pour in with your comments.