Monday, December 03, 2007

Reliance Footprint

I checked out the Reliance Footprint store on 100 ft. road, Indiranagar, Bangalore last evening. Parking is not a problem - they have basement parking and you can also park on the road in front of the store. The store's interiors misses the mark at being 'classy'. Their claim to fame - '40 international brands under one roof' - i guess is true when you combine Mens, Womens & Kids collection. There was nothing unique about the Women's shoes & bags collection. They had the usual Catwalk, Inc5, Clarks, Reebok and other brands. You can get same or even better shoes at Lifestyle/ Commercial Street. I was surprised that they didn't have Crocs shoes which is the 'in' thing right now. Am not going back there again for sure...

AyurvedaGram

AyurvedaGram is a wellness center in Whitefield, Bangalore. I tried one of their day packages this weekend - I went for the yoga/pranayama/ meditation package which cost Rs.650 per person. They have another package which includes full body massage for Rs.950 per head.

So here's how the day went...

The place is an hour's drive from M.G.Road. I got there at 9:30AM. After meeting and greeting, i was given a tour of the property. The whole place has authentic rural Kerala feel. They have 26 heritage cottages, some of them with outdoor bathrooms. I wasn't impressed with the cottages - small room with smaller beds, old/ over used bed linen, rusty plumbing... definitely not worth Rs.6,500 a night.

Consultation with the ayurvedic doctor was useful - he gave insights about ayurveda and food/lifestyle tips based on my body type. Next was Yoga... The instructor was excellent - he has masters degree in yogic sciences and has been teaching for 10 years now. He customized the session according to my requirements. He taught me asanas/pranayama for vision correction and few other things.

After that, there was group pranayama session, followed by very healthy south indian veg lunch. I hung out in the library for couple of hours - books collection was average. Then i attended the meditation session in which i drifted off to sleep.

I headed back home at 4PM still feeling groggy after the brief nap. It was a day well spent. Good break from busy city life...

Sunday, December 02, 2007

Quote of the day

As long as the world is turning and spinning, we're gonna be dizzy and we're gonna make mistakes - Mel Brooks

Monday, August 06, 2007

The Celestine Prophecy, James Redfield

The concept is very similar to The Alchemist & The Monk who sold his Ferrari. It talks about serendipity, letting go of ego, positive thinking, being in tune with the universe and following your heart... Good read.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Girls of Riyadh, Rajaa Alsanea

I had been looking for this book since i first heard about it a year ago and i finally found it at Barnes & Noble in Evanston this week when i was least expecting it.

This book is written by 25 yr old Saudi girl, Rajaa Alsanea. It examines the love life of four girls in their 20s from affluent families in the Islamic capital of the world, Riyadh.

I loved it. It's a page turner and a delightful read. It's the 'Sex and City' (the TV show, not the book. That book was awful) of Saudi Arabia. It proves that the story of the girls is the same whether they are in the ultra-liberal US or ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia. They are all in pursuit of love.

To me this book was a continuation of Princess Sultana's Trilogy (Princess, Princess Sultana's Daughters & Princess Sultana's Circle) written by Jean Sasson. The trilogy shed light on women's life in Saudi Arabia from early times up until early 90's and this book picks up the thread from late 90s and portrays the present day situation which hasn't changed at all - Saudi is still a male dominated society where women are treated as second class citizens, women can't start their own businesses (this one is strange considering that Prophet's first wife Khadija was a business woman herself asaik), no dating and so on. However, this book itself represents a step forward in the direction of change:
- A young Saudi woman has taken the first step to stand up and say "I love & respect my religion and my country. But the rules by which we are living are archaic and they are suffocating me. I think we need to make some changes around here. Do others feel the same?"
- The government for it's part is helping spread awareness about the issues highlighted in the book by permitting to publish it in the kingdom and thereby encouraging discussion on the topic

India has some things in common with Saudi Arabia like the banning of valentine's day celebration by the moral police in some parts of India. If you think about it oppression of 'freedom of choice' exists everywhere in one form or the other.

Monday, July 09, 2007

'Mind your Business'

I have been thinking that these three simple words 'Mind your business' might be the key to having trouble-free interpersonal relationships at work and at home.

Minding your own business at work to me means,
(a) Staying focused on my responsibilities and self-improvement
(b) Not giving unsolicited feedback or advice to people - i have learnt the hard way that giving unsolicited feedback or advice to someone is always a very bad idea no matter how close you are to that person... only exception is when you are that person's manager or mentor. People in general know deep inside where they stand. They don't want to hear it from you. If you point out their mistakes, they'll get defensive and it'll only make them person shut you out
(c) Not telling people how to do their job - this clearly falls in 'trespassing' category and i absolutely hate when other people do this to me. So, this is definitely a no-no

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Billy Goat Trail

Did the Billy Goat Trail hike last Sunday - its in the Great Falls Park, Maryland. It's moderately difficult hike of 4 miles. Took about 2 hours. The trail runs along the Potomac River so there are lot of beautiful views of the river along the way. It was lovely.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Comeback

Have been busy last few months trying to learn & play the 'get rich game'. It's been an exciting journey so far. I haven't figured out my 'magic formula' yet... I'am trying out some of the lessons i have picked up so far. I promise to write a book or at least a blog post when i figure out what works for me :)

In my quest for knowledge about investing in real estate, i signed up for two-days workshop with The Trump Institute - a course designed by the man (Donald Trump) who made his fortune in real estate. The course was well worth my time and money. The trainer is a successful real estate investor himself, so he knew what he was talking about. The course was very informative and gave lot of valuable insights about real estate investing. It was exactly the kind of beginner's course i was looking for. I have to figure out how to apply the learnings in India where the Real Estate market is not as organized and mature as US. There are two higher level courses after this. I'll probably take them when Trump Institute comes to India.

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Muhammad by Martin Lings

'Muhammad' by Martin Lings is a biography of the Prophet who founded Islam in 500AD. I like this book coz it gives factual account of his life in a readable manner. It put to rest the misgivings i had about the battles and bloodshed associated with the spread of Islam during the Prophet's lifetime. Now i understand why those battles were necessary.

Monday, February 05, 2007

Anthem by Ayn Rand

Anthem is a short story which condemns groupism and glorifies individualism. The story is prophetic, it tells what kind of backward and unhappy place this world would become if everybody stopped living for self and started living for others. So the message is to stop thinking 'We' and start thinking 'I'. I agree that 'I' is the key to happy and fulfilling life. Every individual is responsible for his happiness. Only if an individual is happy would he make the people around him happy.

Traffic Signal

Traffic Signal is the new Madhur Bahndarkar movie starring Kunal Khemu, Konkana Sen and others. It's about the life of people who make their living by begging and selling knick-knacks at traffic signals. It was like a documentary film which ends just when it starts getting interesting. It had some funny and touching moments. Music was very boring.

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Quote of the day

"I do the very best way i know how, the very best i can and i mean to keep on doing so untill the end" - Abraham Lincoln

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Chembra Peak (in Wyanad, Kerala) Trek

Went on a trek with the $16 Trekkers gang, on Jan 26th weekend . It was six hours trek. It's got to be the most difficult trek i have done till date in South India. It wasn't as bad as Kodachadri though. That one still holds the top spot in my 'worst treks ever' list.

Losing the way made it interesting and added atleast an hour to the climb. There are some nice views of tea plantations and mountains along the way.

The 'heart shaped' lake located about halfway to the peak is a perfect spot for long and refreshing break. The view of the mountains from the peak was amazing.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Bangalore not safe anymore!

Riots are becoming common place in Bangalore (i know it's now called 'Bengaluru', but i prefer 'Bangalore'). Since April 06, there have been four riots including the two that happened this past weekend. Riots trigger at the drop of a hat and everytime there's a riot, people are killed/ injured, buses and auto rickshaws are burned, houses and shops are looted, businesses and schools are shutdown. Then there's the growing crime rate & threat of terror attacks...

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

It's the story of a demented middle aged man who has incestuous relationship with his adolescent step-daughter for over two years. As if that was not enough, in the end he goes and murders the man who 'steals' the girl from him. According to a reviewer this book is written the way prose is supposed to be written i.e., ecstatically. Well, i couldn't appreciate the style... I thought it just went on & on with lot of unncessary details for e.g., one page description of the way she plays tennis, mr.humbert humbert sitting in his room and visualizing the girls movements around the house... all that was too much to take...

Monday, January 22, 2007

To Kill a MockingBird by Harper Lee

This book deals with the issue of racism in USA in 1930s, from a child's perspective. It was an eye-opener to me as I had no idea how bad the situation was. Easy but very interesting read. Am curious to know how things stand today... i guess it's not as bad

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

My friend Gyan gifted me 'The Kite Runner' on my last b'day. I just finished it and i have to say it's one of my favorite books. Thanks Gyan...

It's a story about two boys, set in Afghanistan. For most part, the book is quick paced - it has drama, suspense, unexpected twists & turns and lots of emotions. It gives some shocking insights into the turmoil in Afghanistan starting from1973 (change of power thru bloodless coup) through to 2001 (US attack on Afghanistan following 9/11 attacks). The level of detail about the war and politics is just right and is beautifully woven into the story. So you don't feel like you were reading a war report or digressing from the main theme... Neat!