IMDB Revamped

Yet another change brought out by IMDB

I wonder why it took SO long for IMDB to make this change. I mean, wasn't it obvious they needed it. Flixster had it ages back on facebook. Anyways it doesn't work perfect though. I mean searching for Nagarjuna Akkineni/Akkineni Nagarjuna turns up void in the look up but on search it gives the results. That's a bit weird.

One other change that makes it very hard is what they did with the left menu bar. The whole piece of links have been pulled to the bottom of the page making it highly inaccessible to check for them. It kinda limits the ability to make faster search for more information on the movies. Anyways I think we are gonna live with that.

Go IMDB!

Mr.Boss, Mr.Interface, Mr.ODS, Mr.Staging

One Big Intelligent (BI) Family

Being in a small group has tremendous benefits and damn good fun. I have enjoyed such close bonding in all my projects so far right from Satyam. At one point of time it was just 2, me and manager who had been on project for over 3 months. Anyways, everyday going to work amongst these people feels so good and we all have hearty time no matter how hard the task is at hand lazing our assess off till late in the night.

We are the team handling the Business Intelligence part of the project hence the BI. Time for introductions (from L to R)-

• Williams Tapsoba – Mr. Boss – Ever so smiling, highly intelligent and man with large heart. He always says, in his French accent, ‘Alwais be hapi and kip smiling’. He hails from a country in Western Africa (Burkina Faso).
• Me – Mr.Interface - Good, happy going guy.
• Soufir Takarit – Mr. ODS /Mr. Coffee (which he hates and we love) – ‘Hey guy’ his oft-quoted phrase and a funny guy really. With such round shape of his head he has this habit of making a growling expression you gotta fall for it. Another fantastic person to work with. He hails from Algeria.
• Ilyas Brahmia – Mr. Staging – Another Algerian. He is a soft-spoken, humble and extremely hard working person I have met. He hardly sleeps for more than 4 hours a day and he is as fresh as a daisy.

This photo was taken at Pica Dino, an Italian restaurant, specializing in pasta and Pizza where our Boss had treated us for the good work spent on the project and deliverables. It was one amazing ‘Bologne’ pasta I had and utterly delicious pizza.

Forget the acronyms, its kind of inline joke and bit technical too. One of the best things that happen to us from time to time are the meetings. Meeting with our Boss with a schedule of half an hour means you ought to be ready for an hour or more. If it’s a quick meeting, you are good to go for half an hour. Actually he has this habit of repeating some of things he said two to three times that by the time we are out of the meeting we can recite every word of his instructions even in our sleep. So we can easily cut away 25 minutes of his half an hour meeting.

Well, not all the time anyway. I mean to say there are only some times when an half an hour meeting actually feels like half an hour, you see. That apart, we as a team are battling with forces beyond our reach. Its like groping in the dark for getting something out of nothing. As our new entrant Dave puts it, Garbage in, garbage out.

It’s a learning process really. I haven’t been involved in such stage before where we had to start analysis and design for a whole new product for which requirements are still in nascent stage. I enjoy being with these two blokes going to coffee breaks where we pass our time releasing our stress and having some language lessons.

One such lesson today and quite enlightening one at that – Indians have the habit of saying ‘W’ as ‘V’ which I found myself shockingly saying it involuntarily. So water actually becomes ‘vater’. It has made me overly consious now and I will put in all I can to overcome it. Thanks guys.

Note: Corrected after taking inputs from Mr.ODS a.k.a The Champ

Arch De Triomphe

This can also be called ‘A Weekend to Remember –IV’. which is how I started off the series. Re-looking at the content again I now have changed my mind and to with the idea of place of visit. I will be redoing the others shortly too. I have been to this place thrice so far with different people and different timings and every single time it has amazed me.

In Paris, government has certain restrictions on the height of the buildings. By doing so, on some of the buildings you have the fantastic view of the whole city. One such building is Arch De Triumphe and others include Eiffel Towers (yeah!), Sacre Coure Church, Notre Dame Towers, Montparnasse Towers (a recent edition) and at some buildings at La Defense.

This place is kind of strategically located in the center and offers  a complete 360 degree view of Paris. At this place around 12 roads converge but none of these roads take you to the tower. For getting in you need to use underground tunnel or a Metro which again leads you to the entrance of this tower. More about that later. Its kind of funny story. It is just mind-blowing just to be there and seeing it. I especially loved it when I went first time with my roommate. That was the time when it was slightly raining, some fog around, and city was just lit up. Its absolutely amazing.

This monument has been built to commemorate the dead soldiers who valiantly have given their lives for the country. India Gate at New Delhi slightly resembles the Arch De Triomphe.

Fact – I have been wrongly quoting that the inspiration for India Gate has come from French architecture and that it was done by the same person. Searching through the web I see no connection. Nikmo, Devarsh, if you are seeing both are not the same guys. I have actually been misled by my mom, who had originally told me on the phone that both have been inspired by the same and I didn’t cross check. So here I am rectifying it.

It has 284 steps to climb in a narrow pathway up to the top in a spiraling fashion. I got claustrophobic the first time and second time it was good. I was quick and energetic. Once you get to the top, you have one more layer of steps to reach the open space from a huge hallway. Here, one can see huge wreaths pasted on one wall along with statue of a soldier.

Mini-mini and Mini Arch De Triomphe

Going further there are two hand sized mini replicas on a stand of about 2 feet height of Arch De Triomphe on a circular disc which can be moved around by hand which in turn moves another larger replica made of paper like material about the height of the stand right in front of the smaller one. On this second one a steady narrow beam of light is shone on to it and those segments are highlighted by this light go on to be proejcted on the large screen projector hanging on the wall. This gives you the ability to see every part of the Arch De Triomphe exterior in more granular detail. Absolutely fantastic. So, we finally climbed the top and nothing much to say other than being fully left dazed and speechless with the grand view.

Here are some of the pics, for now of this monument, will be updated with all later on-

		Arch De Triomphe VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

A Weekend to Remember - III

Note: It can be read as a single entry or you can take same time out to understand the contextual meaning better by reading this first and second parts. No compulsion though.

Visit to Louvre-

Louvre was originally a palace and a fort to fend off the enemies built by Napoleon the third. It then took on many forms before finally succumbing to being a museum. According to statistics, nearly 8 million people visit Louvre every year. It’s every art lover’s dream to be here like Mecca call to its pilgrims. The glass pyramid as entrance has been the newest addition to this historical monumental piece or architecture. On enquiry with the lady at the reception and guaging by the time we intended to spend which was around 2-3 hours, she suggested us to take the Masterpiece tour which was of one hour duration guiding us along the most worthy monuments ending it with Mona Lisa.

Interesting thing about guided tour is it has the simulation for number of steps you need to climb or walk along with a real panting and breathing that  a person experience. Frankly you can walk faster than the guy in the simulation. But you gotta be careful, otherwise you will definitely get lost.

As you start this tour, the first thing you come across is the replica of the Louvre Castle in a glass enforcement where you can see the building in its entirety.

Louvre Museum – Replica

It gives you certain architectural details of it and then proceeds to show you the last remaining towers or broken towers which was restored. The next to be seen is the Egyptian sphinx. This was my first look ever at a Sphinx. It was majestic. Though it might be 1/20th of the actual size to the ones at Egypt, it was still amazing to look at.

   

Egyptian Sphinx

We next come to one of the museum's most famous works  - Venus De Milo.

Venus de Milo – As seen from the Front

Its an ancient Greek statute that is known for the mystery it shrouds upon people of its missing arms. It is believed that the Goddess of love and beauty is looking at the apple she was holding in her left hand. What is amazing is to see the drapery around her lower half seems to be slipping off the figure giving it a sensual look.

Venus de Milo- As seen from the Back

Seen from its back the lower half of the statue seems hastily done and not having the finest details as seen from the front. This was because the statue was intended to be placed on one of the sides of the walls of a hall.

The next up is another masterpiece – Victory of Samothrace or Goddess Nike.

Nike of Samothrace (As seen from the front)

The greatest thing about this masterpiece is the complete improbable structure that it represents. It is believed the Goddess of Victory Nike has descended upon the ship to honor the sea battle. Taking a look at the statue closely one can see that Goddess standing upon a square piece has landed on arched bow of the ship which in turn is perfectly docked on a plain surface. In reality such objects would dislodge the piece from its standing.

Nike of Samothrace (As seen from the side)

Another thing to notice is, the sculpture itself is so formidable that one does not notice the missing hands or the head. It signifies a grand presence of its own. As seen from the side the drapery is seen as blowing against the wind combining the motion of the descent and the stillness of the Goddess. And then…

Mona Lisa

As Seen from the center and just before the cordon

Zoomed in

Mona Lisa is beauty to be experienced. It has one of the grandest showcase possible. As you enter the room, where Mona Lisa is showcased first thing you notice is the huge crowd thronging all around the room. At three quarters of the room and in the center a huge wall with its sides chipped so that there is room for 3-4 people to pass through side by side on either ends. The wall though doesn’t touch the roof. Right at the center of this wall and at a height of about average height of person i.e. 5ft 8 in from the base you can see Mona Lisa. The height is one of the key factors to appreciate the beauty of the painting.

As you move around from one side to other side, you see her eyes moving along with you. This is one of the well known facts but it is the height that adds to this effect. Apart from that one of the mysteries is behind her smile, its like she is about to tell a secret but she is held back at the last moment. Mona Lisa attained fame because it was once robbed off its existence for over 2 years before the thief was caught and painting brought back to safety. The fervent search piqued the curiosity and increased the aura surrounding the painting making it one of the greatest masterpieces.

We then went on to see some of the finest pieces of Renissance art of 17th century. Nikmo was very keen on seeing all and somehow for him this is what real art is and his goal was only to cover these. I still can’t understand how he has got about knowing art and what to like. Its really strange. What I mean by saying all this is, for a meusuem with its artifacts and paintings enough to satiate one for over 5 days, for him that 2-3 hours we spent was the only thing that mattered. I did force him along to cover all the floors anyway.

Having seen Muse De ORsay before his arrival, I knew art is something you need to experience. I mean listening about the background of the painting, the symbolism, the material used, the age of the painting, one need to have patience enough to go through them all and enjoy it. You can’t say one period is all that matters. That’s what I think though.

Here are some of the other masterworks -

    

Death of a Virgin (A controversial Painting)

And few others just to conclude my Louvre Experience. Coming up next Arch De Triumphe and Versailles Palace.

		Louvre Experience VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

A Weekend To Remember - II

At the Airport -

After all the drama that ended on a most positive note, I finally made it in time to meet him at the airport only to discover the plane has been delayed for another hour. Waiting at the airport with so much tempting food around was just too good to resist. Not surprisingly all the rates were high. I bought a Baguette and sat myself down to watch the movie ‘Flushed Away’. I also had sometime to think over of what all has happened and how good it felt to be there and have my holidaying uninterrupted. Somehow I was reminded of Ravi Teja’s movie ‘Kick’ where he is constantly looking for a ‘Kick’ in his life. With so many experiences under the belt and the most recent one being the Adventure for Visa Stamping to Paris, I can for certain say the excitement and fun only comes with a ‘Kick’. ‘kick’ leka pothe mazaa ne ledu..

Finally around 8:20 walks in my Hero right out of the exit terminal. First thing I noticed was he was quite, how do they say that nicely, hmm, well-proportioned. I mean in the 5 months since he left India, I can say he has changed and gained a LOT. Completely knocked off my feet with this new avatar and asked about the horrendous injustice the photos do to his real figure I get a sly look and a cunning smile as reply. Prodded further, he concedes, he has mastered the art of Photography and has taken a special course in the art of highlighting bodies within certain perspective so that the best part appears. I truly bow to the master and I was fully determined to learn that course. Through our first trip in Metro, I let him into the underbelly of Paris, the network that holds this city bustling continuously with activity.

Nightlife Begins -

We reached home around 9 with pushing and pulling of his suitcase. Like any respectable host I offered him the best of wine, chocolates for him to settle down, get a feel of our house. I then bluntly told him I really didn’t do much groundwork for the next coming days and that we can start off right away doing that. He didn’t have much choice anyway in the sense he had about 5 to 6 things to see around Paris which was the best he could gather. Those we could have covered in a single day at the most. So nothing much to do beyond that. But I wanted him to know Paris has much more grandeur than he believed and we mapped out all our perceived destinations for the upcoming day. With our itinerary settled we set our foot outside to explore the ‘real life’ that he sought.

Notre Dame Cathedral was our first stop we walked near the church for a while. It was built around 1345 B.C in a span of over 200 years since the first brick was laid. It is one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture and the greatest landmarks of the city. Every façade has finest inscriptions of figures, people who looked liked priests, incarnations of Jesus, his disciples and so on. Illuminated at night it was a grand sight to behold.

Once we are done with that we took a walk to St.Germain, one of the posh and most happening area around Paris in the night and in the day. This is where the fashion happens (as my TL said) but you get the drift, right?.  Asking one of the passersby, a tall well-built English guy, who not only told us the locations but also took the pains to come along to the beginning of the lane, leaving his other two friends, and showed us two choices – Rue De Princess Lane, Odeon Lane.

This is where my gyaan into city culture began. I haven’t been a regular drinker nor have been the one who used to binge out a lot in the night. So with a highly experienced chap at the side, it was time for me to listen and enjoy the talks. City is not the same at night as what it is in the day. Especially in different countries like US, Europe where there are no restrictions to close down the bars by 12:00 P.M. One gets to see the local fervor at these bars where lot of people hangout. At both the streets there were numerous bars busily serving the customers. We first strolled around for a while exploring both the streets, Mote mentally ticking off the ones to see and the ones to skip. The time was around midnight. Though the main boulevards were quiet these streets were just fully occupied and teeming with activity.

One of the things that people immediately notice around here is that all the bars/brasseries (as they are called) have a seating arrangement right outside their hotel with double seats facing the street. Of course there is a heater on to keep it warm. It is a very beautiful arrangement as you can enjoy the pleasantness of the city and relish the food at the same time having quality discussions. So the bars having the vacancies outside didn’t have food, much to our disappointment. A bit more walking and enquiring got us to a wonderful nice cozy bar with a really hot ladies serving drinks.

We ordered margaritas along with club sandwich and Ham with bread. We then started talking about American way of life, the freezing cold weather that affects the metabolic activities, the family inheritance laws, the passion behind teaching, the duty of the government, movies, sports, pub culture, friends updates, future plans and so many things. It was so nice and time moved on ever so fast. One of the best things about being with him is it never felt like there had been 6 months of separation. Its as if he just had been away for few weeks. He (apart from Venkat) was the only one with whom I used to converse in English all the time. I just couldn’t bring myself to speak in Telugu with him somehow. Anyways the point is he has tremendous knowledge on various topics that it always feels like you learn something new with him. It might go to trivialities later on but overall it enriches your thoughts.

By the time we came back home it was around 4:30. Checking my mail, I see that my boss William had mailed 4 times at varying intervals asking me to submit one of the deliverables. Actually, before leaving our place I had dropped in a mail asking for a document which I needed to complete it and I thought in the morning I could do the stuff and send him. I immediately drafted a mail and sent him the docs. Within few minutes I had a reply asking for few corrections. My goodness, have I been working with Zombies? Na, just kidding. But still, this was way beyond normal limits. I mean, I further had 3 more mail exchanges with him. He had coherent replies all along.

The time swept past 6:30 A.M and we saw no point in sleeping. We then set out to explore Paris starting with Louvre, Muse De Orsay (which we skipped), Arch De Triumphe and to end with Eiffel Tower. That’s how the first day ended/started.

A Weekend to Remember -I

A bit into Flashback-

It was sometime in last October through gtalk/phone that Nikmo told me about his plans to come to Paris as he was about to take some apprentice course at Spain in the coming March. This was the time when my plans were just about to kick off and I was all set to  sail in November. Though I was very excited I had also some stupid thought that since my assignment would be of 6 months starting November, I feared I might miss him. You see, some bizarre thought in my mind told me that March would come after April and actually felt really sad. Furthermore I wanted to talk to Kishor/Pranav (my TL/Manager) and ask them if I can extend my trip by 15 days just so that I can meet Nikmo who was scheduled to come March 9th. It was only when I discussed this with none less than my dad I got the wake up call. This added on to my Legendary absent-mindedness in my family and they still talk about it for now.

Anyways, it felt like a long time then. As months passed, days started getting near to my Paris trip, even the one and a half month for his arrival felt as if there is a year in between. Somehow by being away from the thought that he was going to come soon, it felt I could enjoy the feeling of waiting and reunion for much longer time. Now he has come and gone just like that. Everything has happened and it has been one of the most memorable days of my life being with him on those 3 days. The last week has been the most hectic week and I couldn’t pen down my thoughts as I hoped too.

Pre-Homecoming -

March 9th was no ordinary day in my life, not when Nikmo is coming anyway. That whole week we had been literally pushed to the limits for the work. As they say, when things are supposed to go bad, everything comes stumbling down. I had issues to deal with in all the segments of the projects, some of which were quite stable until then. Just a day before I was expected to take leave half day my ever so charming and as cunning as a Fox, William (my current Lead) had in one of our meetings almost convinced me to make my leave a half a day one. Through his nice persuasive arguments, gently reminding me about the project commitments, the pressure from above, the dependencies of other teams, the urgency of the tasks, what not, everything in the book, he got me to agreeing to let me come work up till 1 or 2 in the afternoon and then push off. Soufir, another colleague of mine, rightly says he is the perfect Businessman and he gets what he wants. Though I put a brave front agreeing upon everything I wasn’t happy inside. I worked frenetically on Wednesday closing upon as much as I can. I just can’t see this happening. It is one of those unspoken principles that if one had to chose between Project and Personal life, one needs to do justice to his bread and butter. This time I was desperate to break this one for one single time. I was ready to be their slave and work my ass off for the rest of my stay here excepting this one day. I was feeling restless and unhappy. The nest day around afternoon the situation stayed the same. I didn’t want to tell any of this to Nikmo through mails and start off his welcoming to Paris in disappointment.

Around 5:30 we had another meeting for the status updates. These are never short and I was feeling tensed and my mind was elsewhere altogether. I was supposed to catch Nikmo by 7:30 at airport. And then a miracle happened. It seems somehow because of the varied works I was handling, William had a talk with powers that be and convinced them that our team needed one more day to give the deliverables. So we had our deadline postponed by theoretically one day but in actual over the weekend. I was so overjoyed that I want to jump and hug William and everybody around. He did it and I have much more tremendous respect for him.

Frankly when worse comes to worst, I knew it was just matter of half a day that I would be losing. We still had 2 and a half days to look forward to. But thank god, it didn’t and William came to my rescue. The trip would definitely not be the same with that half day gone. It was the most unexpected and completely unplanned days ever and the way it went was just about perfect.

Windows Live Writer

Woah..I still can’t believe MS has think kinda thing!!!

                            

So there ..did it.. Lemme see the results..

 

Courtesy – Mote!