…the rain reminds me of the worst time of my life. And it was not long back.

March 2008 was when I felt losing almost everything which I had acquired in my life so far.

The time and the year which I refer to as – Black Year. Year 2008. And it feels exactly same when it rains in March. Yes, yesterday it rained and I was tormented

Tech Things I spent most of the time

1. Learning Programming languages
2. Blogging
3. Reading feeds
4. YouTube
5. Emails
6. Map Search
7. Downloading Movies 
8. Downloading Songs 

Best Photos

1. Photo 1
2. Photo 2
3. Photo 3
4. Photo 4
5. Photo 5
6. Photo 6
7. Photo 7
8. Photo 8

Last Posts

1. Top 6 things in 2006
2. Graffiti
3. CE designs
4. 40 questions about 2006
5. My favorite webby things in 2006
6. My Motto
7. a

I liked about Gurgaon

1. Opportunities
2. Cafe Coffee Day
3. Infinity Towers
4. Ansal’s Big Cinemas
5. Reliance Fresh
6. Parantha Junctions (GE and Convergys)
7. Momos Junctions (Sector 23A and Sector 14)
8. Sadar Bazar

I didn’t like about Gurgaon

1. Roads
2. Electricity Cuts
3. Most of the Local People
4. Workers
5. Government
6. Traffic Police
7. Commuters
8. Night Life

Favorite Songs

1. Haule Haule (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi)
2. Oye Lucky Lucky Oye (Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!)
3. Move Your Body Now (Kismat Konnection)
4. Tashan Mein (Tashan)
5. Pappu Can’t Dance! (Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na)
6. Karle Baby Dance Wance (Hello…)
7. Pichle Saat Dinon Mein (Rock On!!)
8. Bachna Ae Haseeno (Bachna Ae Haseeno)

Last Movies

1. Ghajini
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
3. Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five
4. Tropic Thunder
5. Slumdog Millionaire
6. Meet Joe Black
7. Lions For Lambs
8. Evan Almighty

This is another analysis which I do on ending of every year to retrospect the year about to end.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
   1. Returned from US
   2. Offered to relocate to foreign
   3. Went all time low
   4. Refused invitation to relocate to US
   5. Left job and gave more interviews in one go than ever
   6. Switched job twice in same year
   7. Travelled, travelled and travelled
   8. Did a big investment in life-long venture
2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

   Yes I kept my resolution, and now making other for this year – to rise to the top from ashes. Amen!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

   Amit Gupta (Infosys)

4. Did anyone close to you die?

   Lot of Indians in Delhi Blasts and Mumbai attack

5. What countries did you visit?

   US

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?

   Hope

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory?

   03/03/2008, 23/05/2008, 21/07/2008, 20/10/2008 and 26/11/2008

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

   Started recovering after Lost Lifelines

9. What was your biggest failure?

   Lost trust in org and people in which I invested more than 2 years

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

    Not this year, TG!

11. What was the best thing you bought?

    I never buy things rather I present them to myself – my new venture

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
    1. Hema
    2. Raji
    3. Manoj Choithramani
    4. Vineet’s pranks
    5. Pankaj’s company and faith
    6. My Brother
    7. Ajay Dhanwal
    8. Ashish Mehta
    9. Sandeep Mahajan
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

    Ramu and Saurabh

14. Where did most of your money go?
    1. Travel
    2. Shelter
    3. Venture
    4. Clothes
    5. Movies
    6. Gasoline
    7. Food
    8. Snacks
    9. Settlements
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
    1. Living in Chandigarh
    2. Relocation to Gurgaon
    3. Job
    4. New Colleagues
    5. New Orgs
    6. Seasia’s Party
    7. New Room-mate
    8. Raji’s decision to stay back with me
    9. Airtel Broadband Internet connection
16. What song/album will always remind you of 2008?
    1. Haule Haule (Song) (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi)
    2. Oye Lucky Lucky Oye (Song) (Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!)
    3. Move Your Body Now ((Song) Kismat Konnection)
    4. Tashan Mein (Song) (Tashan)
    5. Pappu Can’t Dance! (Song) (Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na)
    6. Karle Baby Dance Wance (Song) (Hello…)
    7. Pichle Saat Dinon Mein (Song) (Rock On!!)
    8. Bachna Ae Haseeno (Song) (Bachna Ae Haseeno)
    9. Play It Loud (Album) (Raghav Shachar)

Last time I published my favorite webby things was in 2006 and not much has changed since then. Things which I have been using still up to their repo!

Continuing the trend…

E-Mail - Gmail

Social Networking - Orkut

Office Apps – Google Docs

Online document management service - Google Docs

Image hosting - Zooomr

Calendar app - Google Calendar

Search Engine - Google

Homepage - Google homepage

Maps – Google Maps

Blog - Lifehacker

Music Download - None

Wiki - Wikipedia

Online Storage – DropBoks

Bookmarking - None

To Do list - Google Calendar

Blog Search Engine - None

Online Feed Reader - Bloglines

Blogging Tool – Windows Live Writer

Website Analytics – None

I have been going through too many news stories these weeks which I kept thinking of mentioning at least once over this blog. Following Mumbai Terrorist Attack (26/11) stories so far and how few corrupt opportunist Indian politicians are making hay from it while playing caste politics.

Then there are politicians in India who are made State Ministers but don’t know how to spell their name or how to do their signatures. Golma Devi, Rajasthan state minster, learnt signature from her husband who himself is a leader who was denied party ticket from opposition party making him to trigger his wife to stand in elections because it was sure for him/his wife to win in this pure-caste-based politics within the whole state. Here are the excerpts -

Rajasthan minister just learnt to sign

 

"It took three days to teach her how to sign," says Kirorilal Meena about his wife Golma Devi. But the fact that the woman had topractice putting her signature on her oath letter hasn’t come in the way of her becoming a minister in Ashok Gehlot’s Congress government, thanks to caste politics of please and appease.

 

Golma Devi had to be accommodated because she’s the wife of a dissident BJP leader who’ll bring with her the clout of the powerful Meena community, which dominates Rajasthan’s bureaucracy. The woman, elected from Mahuwa constituency as an independent, could barely read her oath card at the swearing-in ceremony on Friday. The 59-year-old homemaker was prompted along by another state minister Ram Kishore Saini.

 

When Governor S K Singh said "Mein", Golma just uttered, "Mein Golma bol rahi hoon (I am Golma speaking)." Her oath was considered ‘read’ along with Saini.

This is one of those few eye-opening news coming from Times Of India that I like this newspaper otherwise there are so many reasons to dislike it.

Such news articles sometimes put me to shame on my decision to stay in India but then there is always a hope and trust to keep thriving towards making this country a better nation.

Also I am keeping track of two seemingly good Indian political parties started by well educated youth of this country – Bharat Punarnirman Dal and Lok Paritran, founders of which are from premier education Institutes of India, IITs. Following open culture, these parties have published their party structures, Ideologies and lot of other very useful information online, which are quite of interest and promising to support them over others.