Luwak Coffee

Foreword:
This blog is dedicated to all those coffee lovers out there, who are just taking another sip of their favorite drink, while reading this blog. All the non-coffee lovers, do not read this blog, while eating/drinking; you might just puke on the screen.

So, where do you think the most expensive coffee comes from? Italian? French? Arabic? Kenyan? Nah... Actually, it comes from Indonesia! And it can cost you as high as $600 for a pound.
And yes, I did manage to buy, a small fraction, of it!

Apart from the cost factor, the interesting part is the source of the coffee.
Non-coffee lovers, just back out right NOW.

Ok.. here's the deal.. just read the attached picture

To your left is the derivation description, the center shows the actual Luwak's coffee-xxxx, and the right shows the bottle, after processing!


And so, you surely have to be a coffee lover, to drink that sip!

Interesting ideas to encourage voting

The Maharashtra State Assembly Elections are round the corner... and memories from the elections, earlier this year crossed my mind; especially TATA's jaagore.com initiative. It seemed to be a major youth awareness in a long time. But inspite of their sincere efforts, only a few people turned up, and majority, enjoyed it as a holiday.

So, here's my version of as usual, stupid ideas to encourage voting:

• Give away 1kg of free sugar, to whoever comes to vote. This will surely encourage many you-know-who.
• Make all the theater shows tax-free on the E-day, only after you show your voting mark.
  
• Perform lucky draws on the candidates who come to vote, and give away free vouchers, from the sponsorers. You can do so much to promote our own governmental services. (Free IRCTC Bharat Darshan voucher for family of 4, Khadi Gram Udyog Vouchers, Taj Hotels Spa Voucher, Years supply of Amul products, Detergent supplies, 3 nights and 4 days stay @ wherever, Watches,...)
• Lucky draws and the family gets to meet the President/Prime-Minister, gets to see the navy dockyard, or a chance to meet the military.
• Organize elections in malls (or open grounds), as everyone's found here, on a holiday.
• Organize elections in open grounds and lets re-create and re-live, that mela like culture again. Giant Wheel, flavored ice, and Candy Floss...
• Show only Rakhi Sawant shows through out the day on the Television. This will encourage my next point.
  

All said and done, consider the paradox in my mind...
Now:
People voting - about 40% of the total population
People voting (without any candidate/party research) - 20% (aka Blind votes)
People voting (with minimum candidate/party research) - 10% (includes me)
People voting (who actually eye the correct vision of the candidate/party) - 5%
Also, Probability that the correct candidate is chosen AND he actually does what he's supposed to = 1% (excludes any environmental and econimical breakdowns, which worsens the process)
If:
We have 100% Voting, and if everyone comes to vote, I am quite sure that there will be more BLIND Votes, than the current ratio, which would influence wrong candidate/party coming into power, and... damn!!! I should definitely stop thinking, for a while!

[at] 25 !!!

Always wanted to do this... Just 25 min to go though ... so ppl please ignore errors, if any... There will be many...

Will be mostly like Rapid Fires:

BEGINning on a serious note...

NULL;

END; /* Just today wrote a PL/SQL block */

Birthdays After joining 'Nirvana':

• 24-Sep-2006 - In a party with Friends (Also, lost my Nokia 3300, first mobile phone)
  
• 24-Sep-2007 - Bday@Jakarta.
  
• 24-Sep-2008 - Bday@Vietnam.
  
• 24-Sep-2009 - Bday@Jakarta.

What after 25 more years?
Well, if everything goes well, a restaurant @ Mumbai, where I will prepare 'Chef's special' every evening.
Rest of the time, would like to have a small fan club and just blog!!!
That's retirement plan! World's best job, as it is rightly said...

What drives you?
IT humor, and the fact that I actually get paid for doing that.

Whom do I idealize?
Scott Adams (The Dilbert Guy). Follow him blindly. He's our GOD, if you are in IT industry. Read - THE DILBERT PRINCIPLE.

My best slogans: # All are copied from somewhere #

• No one knows what I do, until I stop doing it.
  
• Success means, never having to wear a shirt!
• IT PREAMBLE
  ===========
  "We the Unwilling, lead by the Unknowing, are doing the Impossible for the Ungrateful. We have done so much for so long, with so little knowledge that we will one day qualify to do anything with knowing Nothing."
• Water is good for you. Unless you're at the bottom of the ocean with an anchor tied to your ankle. Teamwork is like that.
• Home is where the .bashrc is
  

A birthday gift you always wanted:
Well, believe or not, I am trying to do this from a long time. Get 7 black plain t-shirts, and get the following printed, one note each:

• Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday :P

But my MOM ain't gonna allow this :)
But I've more than 39 black T-shirts now in my closet!

Dream Sunday, may be 10 years from now?

Get up @ 8.45 am in the morning... Call up 2 of my best friends... Find out the matinee movie being played in the nearby theater; while cursing 'em for being Kumbhkarans... Complete daily chores (includes 'bath'), and walk out of my house, tricking my mom to NOT know that I did not have that glass of milk, wearing shorts (may be the best brand) and a simple T-shirt... riding that lovely bike of mine... may be doing a Swades...

After the movie, discussing the movie, as we used to, a few years back, in the PG, playing Table Tennis...

One Samosa Pav and then the amazing AAREY Lassi (whose taste is the same from last 10 years) ...

And then running back home for lunch... Yeah... You cannot miss this!

A nice Vietnamese Coffee in the evening should conclude it!

Well, did someone exclaim that we would be married?
The trick is to sacrifice our cars for 'em, and ask 'em to what women do best... Shopping!!!


P.S.:

• Retirement job (Chef's special and blogging) does not mean the IT industry bores me. I just love the IT world.
  
• Nearby theater means the one having lowest fare, with lowest crowd; where you can actually by pop corn, @ pop corn rates.
  
• Asking them to shop implies that they'll bargain (some peace for our soul).
• For all the enthusiasts ( I know there would be none), here's my current contact: +62-87886078609.

There's a surprise waiting for me, back @ home in Mumbai... but no one would tell me, what it would be...

When I look back at any point of my life, I will definitely remember these 25 wonderful years... A toddler just born... who cut his birthday cake with friends, when he was 1... who required help from mom and dad both for oil, tie and shoes... who looked more into the clock than his books for the clock to strike 4:30pm, to play until 7... who then went ahead to use a fountain pen... went to the college, using Mumbai Local trains... who bunked lectures for canteen... loved Mithibai College... who made decision to take up Computer Engineering, just because he may have a computer... to the engineer Don Bosco shaped... learned from DUCS (DBIT Union of Computer Scoiety) ... to an IT fresher... to understand the business processes... who then stepped first time on the plane... who grew into who people call a IT professional... to what I am, commenting on everything the life showed me...

Ten Travels of my professional self

How ever, one (read 'I' ) may blame one's workplace, I am what I am, and what I am is because of my first and current work place.

Well, I have to confess that I am a lucky lad! While possessing no special *skills* whatsoever, it seems I was the chosen one. Customer Travels, formed an integral part to shape my personality that exists today. I have had the opportunity to travel 10 times (of which 9 were international), the log of which I constantly update and share with Ajay and Nirav (very few {only} of the real names that you'll ever find in my posts. Thanks mates!)

Cities visited (in ASC order of where first visited):
- Jakarta, Indonesia. [Count=3]
- Singapore [only a few hours...]
- Larnaca, Cyprus. [Count=1]
- Hanoi, Vietnam. [Count=2]
- Malaysia [only a few hours...]
- Hyderabad [Count=1] ... Well, I consider this to be international :)
- Dublin, Ireland. [Count=2]
- Pune. [Final_Count=1] ... Local onsite < style="font-style: italic;">Nirvanas (codenamed of course)? How to behave, and whom to talk, were his biggest problems then... he even confused the domestic airport with the international one, for God's sake!

Well, I have just loved every place I have been to. However, Indonesia remains a special one, being my first travel, and Vietnam, the most adventurous of all...

Immense confidence is what I have gained...
Have opened up my mind in real sense...
Have unlearned to learn...
Changed my definition of good and bad...
Adapted... Restructured...Revised...

If you met me three years ago, then hey... its time for a new introduction! From you waiting for an introduction from someone, to you introducing your peers... From a Yes Sir... No Sir... kind to a fundae philospher... From just a plain listener to a strategic dictator (too many exaggerated adjectives, ahem!)... its been an amazing journey!

And why am I writing all this? Coz, a lot of memories are springing back to life... my tenth coincides with my first ... as I am currently *back* to Jakarta!

P.S.:
Next Post - My first travel!

A must read - God's Debris

Everytime, I find something interesting, I end up promoting it so blindly, that people think I work on commission!

So, in relation to some conversation, I suggested the book - God's Debris, by author Scott Adams (of Dilbert fame), to two people whom I happen to know. Of which, he finished reading 80-pages (the book is just 131 pages), and could read no further.

The preface of the book is most important:
1. This is not a Dilbert book.
2. Might Hurt religious sentiments and understandings.

Its a nice read, which questions God's existence, his omnipotence! One indeed, needs to keep an open mind while reading this book. It took me one flight, and two lazy Saturday afternoons to finish this 135-paged book for the 3rd time.

After all, there is only one Avatar at a time!

August 14, 2006

A lot of old memories are running through my minds, and so... expect a lot of OLD posts now...

It always starts with those good old childhood days... You are always very excited to visit the workplace... Because you don't work... Your dad does! He brings you in through the office gate, and the watchmen smiles and asks your name... You enter the office, and the chai-walla asks, whether you would like to have a Gold-Spot or a Limca (GoldSpot remains my favorite!) Dad then proudly shows you his work area... A wooden chair, A wooden table laden with paper files, God's and family photos, and an inkpot! Fan-on-top if you work, and an additional table-fan if you get promoted! He then takes you around introducing to all the people in the way, and then to the room for Cold Storage, and you experience that first wave of some device called Air Conditioner, and you adore it! And you wonder, when will I get my room with cool air around me?

And then years pass on... Cafeteria servings become food, Smart people become dudes, Coca-Cola becomes Coke... and you graduate!

It was 14-Aug-2006. With the perception of a normal (government like, where babus sit - with wooden chair&table and fan on top) in mind, I walked inside with pride... (Imagine the musical score from Black, the movie)... and it seems like a dream come true...

Moving from Mumbai to Pune, was then, my worst decision... which turned out to be the best eventually... I even considered going back, just to be with the family, and take up the offer which paid exactly 50% of what this company offered... My roommate then and office colleague now, even suspects tears in my eyes, when I bade my family goodbye on that first day... :)

Coming back to the musical score from Black...
You observe most of the things, that seem ridiculous:

- The floor covered in glossy-reflecting-shining granite, and you have a look at your local-branded shoes!
- (Non-artificial) Plants leaves are wiped clean using water and a napkin
- The intersecting joins within a staircase, being cleaned by a tooth-brush
- Free Food (Includes breakfast, lunch, snacks, fruits, beverages - This surprises some of my friends, even today)
- Free travel services
- The Hotel Accomodation charges bill amounting to Rs.40,000/- for 15 days.
- A separate Table Tennis, Billiards, and a TV room.
- No Dress Code (Wore a shirt exactly twice in 3 years while in office - once when interviewed, other when went to onsite for the first time)
- Tissue Papers everywhere
- Good looking girls (However, either committed or in the neighboring projects!)

After coming over the surprises, you start with your first day at work... but you feel no different... The Induction lecture starts... but you listen this time around...

Few days pass by, and then... your first salary arrives! Nothing seems to match this feeling... you have earned it! Then you go to the ATM, take out your first bill of 100Rupee Note, and laminate it to remember it for the rest of your life...

And this is how it all started... three years back!

Blah! Blah! Blah! [at] a Training

Phew!!! Back after a long time! Believe me when I tell you that

facebook is actually killing my blogging act! Just kept writing something crazy on my WALL, only to find out that No One's listening! So here it is, for me.

I am currently just loving my 5-day profession. Going as a full-time trainer, for the 3rd time in a row, I would love to make it my profession. For all of you who are reading this, am in the software industry, but out of all the techie work, and just socializing! Socializing, I think, I need to write another blog... woooh! Too much to write!

Anyways, at the training, there are a few interesting things happening:

• I wore a shirt! - Yeah! This is top-of-the-list. You'll never ever find me wearing one of those dreaded things!
• Background - Something which can be taught in 2-3 days, is to be streched over 5 days.
• I have, however, convinced them that 5 days is too less, a time, for getting there.
• I say, with full confidence, by looking right in their eyes, that we ought to start exactly @ 9, and I have no problems, whatsoever, in streching beyond the regular hours; but just smile within when they ask me to start by 9.30 and conclude by 5.30. Its a relief!
• It's a record, being the closest ever ONSITE opportunity ( <>
• More the people, the better it gets! - My philosphy from a trainer's perspective! More the people, there always exists a person, who leaves the meeting room for something; and then you just WAIT!
• Carried my personal (and NOT Office) laptop, just because I could get my WINDOWS and ANTIVIRUS definitions updated. (For the geeks - I've never ever installed an IT software, beyond Microsoft Powerpoint till date; It is just meant for games, music, and movies in that order).
• Was active on facebook for about 2 hours, while training the peers.
• I ended up speaking 70 minutes, for the matter worth, not more than 7 minutes. And it was a master piece!
• "All that you require can be CONFIGURED" - The statement I've used at least a hundred times!
• Sighed for SWINE-FLU, and for Michael Schumacher, not returning to the FERRARI Grid, for a couple of minutes.
• One of the participants is down with COLD and COUGH, and the other participant's room-mate feels feverish and has sore throat. Ever heard those ridiculous symptoms?
• Went for a long drive (on my bike), after my quick lunch; but was still the only person to return back to the training.
• Had plenty of freshly ground coffee! Something atleast, for my poor soul!

However, exaggerating all this might seem, I truthfully respect the opportunity, and give it a best shot, so as to fulfil all the training needs! Ahem!

Stay tunned... for more updates! I am just loving it.