tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29376888095954782772024-03-05T00:38:09.898-08:00Saradhi's Diaryvijjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17847170225392510456noreply@blogger.comBlogger129125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937688809595478277.post-31823444746275743372022-12-04T13:45:00.001-08:002022-12-04T13:55:23.485-08:00Why am I looking for a mentor at this point in time<p>I have been working as a database admin for the last couple of years now, and every gig I came across had a learning curve with it which I was able to add those learning experiences into my resume. </p><p>During my first project at IHG, I learnt about Availability Groups and Vmware because of very supportive windows team which was maintaining the SQL environment back then before I was brought in. </p><p>In Ciox health, which was my second gig, I showed great enthusiasm to learn AWS concepts on EC2 and RDS as the company was planning to move their db's to both these environments. It was an exciting time as I never got exposed to cloud environment before, and it was mostly me and my manager working with the cloud team on this project when it was in its POC stages</p><p>My current contracting gig at UPS began almost 3 years ago, and since then I have learnt concepts on which I never worked before like partitioning, readscale AG's,Distributed AG's and also got to work on POC projects like Docker and Kubernetes. All of these jobs have brought some level of fulfillment in myself that I have something new to learn every time. I want to expand my horizon a little bit more into data engineering side of things and get into Azure, Azure/Synapse/ADF and all the other goodness which can be learnt from across the fence. I also want to expand my network in the SQL community through volunteering and speaking engagements as i am quiet a shy person. A mentor could potentially help me show pointers towards right way to learn data engineering side of things and also on getting more active within the SQL community. </p><p><br /></p>vijjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17847170225392510456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937688809595478277.post-61151510213564017092022-04-08T11:33:00.001-07:002022-04-08T11:33:48.092-07:00Capturing the Milky Way in North Georgia <p> After years of hiatus, I had to come back and blog about this wonderful experience I had over the weekend in the North Georgia mountains. For eons, since I was on Instagram, the one thing which I always wanted to do was to capture the stars and eventually, the milky way itself. There were many posts that would come across my Instagram feed for a while, but I never really got serious about taking the path of star chasing until last year when I happened to travel to Utah in May and then to Yellow stone in September. </p><p>But even before my adventures around the American southwest, there was one blog that I came across as I was still researching about designated dark spots in and around the Atlanta area, and that's when I came across Prashanth Naik's <a href="https://www.naikonpixels.com">Naikon Pixels</a> He is known by the same name on the Insta as well. </p><p><br /></p><p>So back to the weekend adventure.. The best time to capture the stars is always around Newmoon days, and for me last year was perfect timing during my travels to Monument valley and yellow stone. I also happen to reach out to Prashanth to tag along if he was ever back again in Georgia. He buzzed me over IG and I also wanted to make sure my hiking buddies Yasin and Angel could come along. </p><p>We start around 10.30 PM from North Atlanta, the drive to Brasstown bald felt like forever although it was probably 70 miles away (Courtesy of Country Roads which were serpentine). On the way to the mountain, I almost hit a black bear which was galloping across the road!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6ZYSwd6wc4E" width="476" youtube-src-id="6ZYSwd6wc4E"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Around 12.30 AM, we reach the parking lot on the mountain, only to be welcomed by dark skies and the twinkling stars. It was a dark night but the stars were conspicuous with their presence everywhere. It felt as though a big black carpet was covering the sky with led lights twinkling here and there. The hike to the observation tower on the summit was not that long - only 0.5 miles, but I dreaded heading up the hiking trail considering the bear encounter which we had earlier on the way. We were 4 folks in total, so with our headlights switched on, and all the gear, we started to hike. It was a tough one considering the cold, the wind, and then the eerie silence of the night - engulfing us along the way to the summit. </p><p><br /></p><p>We settled down around the observatory and wanted to take a few sample shots, but soon, the cold weather had overpowered us and it was becoming impossible to handle the camera and stay comfortable. But my zeal to get through the night increased when I was told that 5 AM would be the ideal time to capture the milky way while it would come up above the horizon onto the mountain. This thought kept me going, in the meanwhile, I tried capturing star trails or the stars in general via the time-lapse option on my camera. Apparently, I never used this option before so it was a perfect time to test out that feature. A continuous recording of 1.45 hours boiled down to 10 seconds of timelapse. I liked the end result! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiVfcW56M2Awo6M5JaAmVJ7lxfO29eIH04ZDip65PqrfmwplBbgOrZ6w-wQAsqMVgxTu1nSLv_K2iDrEpDQOH3dz5ApHlYh5WFCVuSvvx-DI8R3lSv8C8zPQ_MJ2UiYuqmfhe3ceL_vf0kfsSC_slK0PJYCPXn4I41AiSrllVsHBBcE7W-z7pXpsZx/s5568/IMG_1874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3712" data-original-width="5568" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiVfcW56M2Awo6M5JaAmVJ7lxfO29eIH04ZDip65PqrfmwplBbgOrZ6w-wQAsqMVgxTu1nSLv_K2iDrEpDQOH3dz5ApHlYh5WFCVuSvvx-DI8R3lSv8C8zPQ_MJ2UiYuqmfhe3ceL_vf0kfsSC_slK0PJYCPXn4I41AiSrllVsHBBcE7W-z7pXpsZx/w640-h426/IMG_1874.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p>Although we spent 8 hours in the cold under the stars, it felt like an eternity, because we also had another plan to capture the sunrise before heading back. Once I had the timelapse in place, I realized my camera's battery was almost running out, it was a now or never situation. It was 5.13 AM already, I quickly ran across the observation deck with my tripod and camera, made sure I had what I wanted in the visor, and took some shots. I was not disappointed! The stars aligned for me on this night for sure!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FepIhyZ18HTAzs_DVAzpAyvImEc6ilXB1KjWmP5poDWkotNvTOo9Ce6Nr9NjAiQUZz8NMawsJWEalO0SuUUKx7g4wKjQTxu4N1g0InE0q-dv-JYyTa0MAoaIpsqa9gyXkVUz12eM7H8BlAFcSg54aBVUYOrXaxHeyJe08oBCP6ZUGFZCElLR7axF/s1620/IMG_1876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1620" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FepIhyZ18HTAzs_DVAzpAyvImEc6ilXB1KjWmP5poDWkotNvTOo9Ce6Nr9NjAiQUZz8NMawsJWEalO0SuUUKx7g4wKjQTxu4N1g0InE0q-dv-JYyTa0MAoaIpsqa9gyXkVUz12eM7H8BlAFcSg54aBVUYOrXaxHeyJe08oBCP6ZUGFZCElLR7axF/w640-h427/IMG_1876.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p>With the milky way shots on my SD card, it was another long wait for the sunrise to happen which wouldn't until around 7.30 am. This second wait was painstakingly difficult and we literally were counting time and cursed ourselves for what we had gotten ourselves into. The below photo explains it all. We are wrapped up in our sleeping bags all night</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpgK2UpOpyyAYHomLx1KZbXJEL3vwOsOfAgSPoLwf1ouhe_z77h67I6wgWUFt1ElwfzwHZVllruujjTl5YACvcIGrUajkmGn3fTU2U9xDjPZSY2Z7facJvurDud69kJh7WXTy0tFoXKm8-WsMmgABbVqnhQitheua0G2ycArGaXpXv3fu7dAJENRD-/s4032/IMG_1798.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpgK2UpOpyyAYHomLx1KZbXJEL3vwOsOfAgSPoLwf1ouhe_z77h67I6wgWUFt1ElwfzwHZVllruujjTl5YACvcIGrUajkmGn3fTU2U9xDjPZSY2Z7facJvurDud69kJh7WXTy0tFoXKm8-WsMmgABbVqnhQitheua0G2ycArGaXpXv3fu7dAJENRD-/w640-h480/IMG_1798.HEIC" width="640" /></a></div><p>I've seen sunrises before in Florida almost every day, but watching a sunrise from Georgia's highest point was something else. The transition from night to day happened even before we could fathom the crazy night we have been through for the last 8 hours. We were all glued towards the east, and by this time, other people started coming up to do the same thing. And then it happened... another to-do item cross-checked out of my bucket list. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38txexLarqsUD65kyMgV_f89BFzvRc9CFYA3fuzqI742TswfMdfAsk_kkxZ_FUpn1CvQweXL7rGVCVtLQnwXBhv30sriHX0JzkuNaawvKooEKaNqiSBkHt6vjq0A5mMzNzP2bzZn3TxBW5gloxbPH30F-hawihYaP8dD1Ll37RgoHGDZjSDE2kds0/s4032/IMG_1877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38txexLarqsUD65kyMgV_f89BFzvRc9CFYA3fuzqI742TswfMdfAsk_kkxZ_FUpn1CvQweXL7rGVCVtLQnwXBhv30sriHX0JzkuNaawvKooEKaNqiSBkHt6vjq0A5mMzNzP2bzZn3TxBW5gloxbPH30F-hawihYaP8dD1Ll37RgoHGDZjSDE2kds0/w640-h360/IMG_1877.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>vijjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17847170225392510456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937688809595478277.post-51625639668498483922020-01-25T21:21:00.000-08:002020-01-26T03:51:49.471-08:00Getting pulled into in the Apple Eco System<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Its been a long time since I came back to post something here but here goes...<br />
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2 years ago, I never would have imagined. to be pulled into the Apple ecosystem. I was a hardcore <a href="https://buddinggeek.blogspot.com/search?q=android">Android fan</a> since my first ever phone which I purchased in 2011. I would spend hours and hours on rooting and unlocking the boot loaders of my Sony Phones. </div>
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Circa 2017 - It was just another weekend when I was headed to T-Mobile store to get the Samsung Galaxy Edge which had a BOGO offer going on. While at the store, one of my co-workers nudged me into getting the <a href="https://buddinggeek.blogspot.com/2017/03/i-switched-to-iphone-7plus-and-might.html">iPhone 7 Plus</a>. Eventually, I so fell in awe and love with the fluid UI experience the iPhone that it was only a matter of time before another apple product would make its way into my day to day use.<br />
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In early 2018, I started having severe joint pains due to psoriasis. It came to a certain extent where I needed some motivation to walk every day and keep me engaged. My eyes fell on the Apple watch series 2. Having an iPhone made the apple watch a natural fit to share my health data between both the phone and the watch. This was at the beginning of 2018. I would also end up walking 4 miles every day in the trail behind my home.<br />
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Come Thanksgiving, I was already looking for a portable computer to consume Netflix and other services. I am a movie buff, so it only made sense for me to go for a tablet. My initial thoughts were not to spend a lot of a Tab, and rather go the safer way of getting a cheaper Amazon Kindle which ran on a forked version of Android. The 9.7-inch 6th generation iPad which would usually sell for 320$ was being sold for 60$ less... around 240$. I could not resist the urge so yes I got an iPad for thanksgiving. Not to mention, I even upgraded to an iPhone XS Max in late 2018.<br />
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One last craving which I always had in my mind was to get a high-end Macbook Pro with lots of RAM. Being a SQL Database admin and an ardent follower of technology meant that, I needed my own sandbox space to learn and test the bleeding edge of whatever technology I was working on. Initially, I used to go around apple stores looking for the 32 GB custom Macbook pro. But I wanted more memory power. My mind was leaning towards the Lenovo P series laptops which seemed to have an insane amount of processing and memory power for a portable workstation. But I held on to my guns.<br />
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Apple had quietly released the 16'inch version of Macbook pro in late 2019. I started checking the configuration and when I found that a 64 gig machine could be requested, I immediately started plans to get one these babies. In the last week of December, Apple had an offer for 6% cashback on all the hardware it was selling on the store and online(Provided you had an apple credit card). Another surprise was when the store employees mentioned the corporate discount I could get. This brought the entire discount of the laptop by 506$. My pockets were still cut deep post these discount. The price was still almost a month's worth of paycheck on the laptop but I have no regrets about it. This is a dream machine which I wanted for a long time and have it for now and will keep it for as long as I can<br />
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Time flies so fast that, it's hard to imagine me appreciating and savouring the Apple ecosystem. It only seemed like yesterday when I was all over the social media - especially on Facebook cursing Itunes as the crappiest piece of software I ever came across. Time changes some aspects of our lives and surely, the influence and appeal of Apple products is something which will always keep me in awe.<br />
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vijjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17847170225392510456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937688809595478277.post-25515590019153482242017-08-08T11:28:00.000-07:002017-08-08T11:32:54.264-07:00Passing of Mom <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Angel of my Life, my mother passed away on July 3rd. This was a day which I never expected would happen. She was a very strong woman and was battling cancer since last year. Things seemed to be encouraging as she was able to cope up with the Chemo and the Radio sessions since September 2016.<br />
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She actually felt a tumour and figured out it must be something serious. The biopsy confirmed it as breast cancer. She was operated within a week, and the tumour removed. It had already spread to the lymph nodes by then. Initially, she had the same apprehension and a bit of depression about what had come upon her at her age of 68 - but her determination allowed her to go through all of the treatments. I did not get a chance to visit her since my last visit to India in 2015.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqsFaUkXBlMMYg0v9kanOflskZenrK_fWPlaZ-aw5YGY1DECKAmC7XaU6GD325Abq7OAz6piPujgMltu-0wpEaD0C5Zqj2UbxzMmf2lI3q79XDaLB3Wx37kqT18mVWDdTZ0zWWpo-9W8Y/s1600/13124619_10208559662361867_5168917377130597363_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="929" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqsFaUkXBlMMYg0v9kanOflskZenrK_fWPlaZ-aw5YGY1DECKAmC7XaU6GD325Abq7OAz6piPujgMltu-0wpEaD0C5Zqj2UbxzMmf2lI3q79XDaLB3Wx37kqT18mVWDdTZ0zWWpo-9W8Y/s400/13124619_10208559662361867_5168917377130597363_n.jpg" width="386" /></a></div>
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But with the level of self-confidence she had, I had her assurance that she was doing well. Meanwhile, I think God had other plans for her. A sudden brain haemorrhage at multiple locations did not give her a chance to revive - With only the heart functioning, the only option for her was to be put on ventilator support.<br />
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When I visited her in the ICU, I could not see her in that state with all the pipes going down her throat. She must have been suffering even then at that point internally due to the setup. I did not want to see her in that state and was the first to take a decision about removing her life support system. My siblings agreed to the same on the next day after taking second opinions. The doctors also could not notice any response to the medication.<br />
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The last 40 days have been a blur, I still cannot believe what has happened. May be, I'll miss her presence once I go back to the US</div>
vijjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17847170225392510456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937688809595478277.post-40864824813920733842017-03-06T21:19:00.000-08:002017-03-06T21:19:01.171-08:00I switched to iPhone 7plus and might never look back <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I switched to an iPhone. T- mobile made this happen. And no, I am not blaming them, but in some way thanking them for acting as a catalyst to take this decision. This was not a conscious decision either . Months ago, I wanted to upgrade to the S7 edge. The reason behind this was that I needed a decent point and shoot camera - and was not looking to buy a DSLR yet.<br />
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The only time I got to know about the Dual camera setup for the iPhone was during a random read on one of the phone review websites. Until then, I was either routing for a Pixel XL or the S7 Edge. People who know me well would vouch that I am an Android guy all along and was never really into anything "applish" .<br />
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The one experience which I had constantly faced with Android was its sluggish performance as time went by. Those were the periods when applish friends would abhor that - " Your Android phone looks like a cheap Chinese model" . They would boast how fast their Apple phone was, and that how the experience was always "optimized" - snappy irrespective of apps running on the phone. I always liked my Galaxy Note 3, not only because it was a 3 year old phone already by the time I brought it in 2015, but because it was my mother's gift. I know Samsung's cameras were always good and the Note 3 was no different.<br />
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So, coming back to present time - T-mobile had an offer where they would provide 0$ down payment for customers who would pay their bills on time. Neither the S7 nor the iPhone were included in this offer. But with a one time price tag of 380$, it was a sweet deal to get the S7 Edge. My sister who uses AT&T brought the same model for 760$. I go to the store, deciding to get the S7, and then I hear all the voices where my apple friends were boasting in my back head. And bam! without even trying out, I ordered a JetBlack iPhone 7plus. Why Jet black? Because I kept reading articles which mentioned that this model had a waiting time - so there must be something good about it right?<br />
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One week on, I have not regretted the switch to this platform which I have alienated for so long. The phone is blazingly fast and I can actually experience what my friends were mentioning all along. I should also mention that occasionally when I use my Note 3 (For reading Quora in the loo), I cannot emphasize how much I am loving this experience and don't regret the switch from the platform I was so loyal to and to something which I am looking forward to explore. </div>
vijjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17847170225392510456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937688809595478277.post-33945546168297352002016-10-27T20:44:00.001-07:002016-10-27T20:47:27.663-07:00Game of thrones - Winter has come and gone for me.... <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Yes I got addicted to game of thrones this year(briefly) . Very late to the party - but better late then never right? For me, my all time favorite serials still remain to be Alias and the X files. No question about that and no second thoughts. No one can replace my love for agent Scully or Bristow. But why the deviation like never before? Turns out its a one time addiction.<br />
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Before I even started watching it, friends of mine who were die hard fans would say " oh you still didn't watch it? You have to watch it - its so awesome! " Like I had committed a crime for not watching it till now duh!<br />
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So I wanted to put their misery to rest - and would forcefully watch it until the first season was finished. To what I understood - GOT in a gist can be explained as a 45 minute drama filled with Sex, Nudity, Prostitution, lot of beheading and romance between brother-sister, father-daughter??, more war scenes and to round up - conspiracy theories. For me, the intimacy between family members seemed more unnatural than romance between same sex folks.<br />
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I don't know what it was - but as time progressed I became really additive to this. Was watching it even before the day I had an interview!! Such a precedence is dangerous but well, it happened. While some characters simple seemed necessary for me, I got into the habit for forwarding the story until my favorite characters were in action . One thing which spices up the show is the ruthless way in which the characters are eliminated. At the end of every season - people would be murdered or would commit suicide . May be this is one of the reason I never wanted to have an attachment with the story as I had with the X files and Alias because no one was dying there! Also, I silenced my friends who were hell bent that I watch the entire series and not miss even "a single episode". There - I did it and now I am free. I also believe there are others who have been in my shoes. It really sucks when people give so much importance to fiction and talk as if it is the end of the world for not watching it. Give me a break fellas<br />
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Oh khalisi! I hope you will get the iron throne pretty soon because winter is coming... </div>
vijjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17847170225392510456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937688809595478277.post-34140208738090784952016-06-12T09:45:00.001-07:002016-06-12T09:45:21.973-07:00Lenovo Yoga 900 - A lean beast to reckon with <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So I was sent a Yoga 900 as a Christmas gift last year and
also to take some time to use and review it. Before that in spring 2015 I was
given an opportunity to work with its older sibling, the Yoga3pro – part of the
multimedia centric – Ultrabook laptops. I used both laptops – The Yoga3pro
through spring 2016 and the Yoga 900 post-Christmas. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I do not want to compare both of these models right now
because the Yoga3pro is no longer available at the Lenovo shop. What I do want
to share is how worthwhile the newer Yoga900 is . <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When it comes to aesthetics, it is almost similar in size to
its predecessor, save the thickness because of the CPU which is more powerful
when compared to the previous core m on the Yoga3pro </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The System which I obtained had the following specs <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Intel i7 6500U with 2.50 Ghz, can be clocked to 3.01 Ghz
with Turbo boost<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">16 GB RAM<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">256 GB SSD <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Windows 10 Home <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The best part about the Yoga 900 is the watch band based
hinge, similar to the Yoga3pro. It provides a sturdy and a nice feel to the
laptop when it is being swirled between the tablet and the tent mode. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I would
say it is on the unique selling points of the system. To start with there is a
brand new logo on the top. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As with the previous yoga models, it can be changed into
various “modes” namely Stand, Tent, Tablet and Laptop. More information about
this can be found in my earlier article. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWm0nYyxTL2ShrKbRI5CbzNwuRiDqd1FXpXZpXk1lCKrhzV8ex_kX4XrUOjnuxZN-ba-Qy0SMi18gtbW1J5KEAcKAjmi6bWD4_j0JsoIHcNnIcBLHjGgq9esgEiWr4IuCsicEj9rrb2w/s1600/5.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWm0nYyxTL2ShrKbRI5CbzNwuRiDqd1FXpXZpXk1lCKrhzV8ex_kX4XrUOjnuxZN-ba-Qy0SMi18gtbW1J5KEAcKAjmi6bWD4_j0JsoIHcNnIcBLHjGgq9esgEiWr4IuCsicEj9rrb2w/s1600/5.PNG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The screen has a nice 13.3 inches QHD IPS screen. A great resource to use Netflix and YouTube
in High Definition. The color
reproduction looks great most of the time and the only problem I see is that
application scaling, where the menus seemed to be garbled or overlapped – this is
not a problem with the laptop per se, but the software vendor who still don’t provide
Hdpi support to their apps. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWg6fMtLrSowHYBDxeJaKMbpIdlMhzGXu5GAhjCVnCTeg_czadYw2cGNLHwVfZtCZKGGdPtpbpYuDloHFRbSVkaogTo2AAnaxRQ8DqlUOHNSZGrR1LuIpV6yvR1kbEph3DO_UJvJ9VskI/s1600/1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWg6fMtLrSowHYBDxeJaKMbpIdlMhzGXu5GAhjCVnCTeg_czadYw2cGNLHwVfZtCZKGGdPtpbpYuDloHFRbSVkaogTo2AAnaxRQ8DqlUOHNSZGrR1LuIpV6yvR1kbEph3DO_UJvJ9VskI/s1600/1.PNG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have not ran all the synthetic benchmarks like others, but
what I did was, pushing the laptop to
the limits – by incrementally increasing the workload on the CPU,GPU and memory
and see how the system handles it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So to run the test I installed Intel’s GPU Analyzer to check out average CPU, GPU load
. The test run was for 2152 seconds and this is what I got in the end <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The memory benchmark also resulted in strong performance.
The test was run to check the average memory throughput. The i7 combined with
the generous 16 gigs of ram is obviously doing a very good job. To give an idea about much this machine could
handle, the test environment I used included 4 YouTube videos running in IE 10
in full HD, One HD video on the windows media player, transferring 72gigs of
data from an external hard disk to the system and also on top of that, running
an instance of SQL Server 2016 which was executing a set of lengthy stored
procedures. I won’t say that this is a generic environment which will apply to
everyone, but in my case this is what I do while I use the Yoga 900. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The end results <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->GPU was busy at 59% on average <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Overall Usage of GPU in Average 18% <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Aggregated CPU load was 41.85% <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">4)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Average GPU Frequency was 356 Mhz<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To check whether my conclusion about the CPU and GPU were
correct, I wanted to take a second opinion, so ran a couple of more tests on
the user benchmark tool. The results were not surprising. It compliments my own
tests with positive results</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Lenovo has created a formidable Multimedia Ultra book which performance very formidably! . This has been one the of the best machines from Lenovo I have used till date, and explore ways in which I can use to the fullest of its potential </span></div>
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vijjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17847170225392510456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937688809595478277.post-48337242336059561722016-05-30T21:51:00.000-07:002016-06-02T05:45:36.419-07:00Singapore <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is a very late post about my trip to Singapore last year. Better late than never right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So I landed in Singapore in the early morning August 15th while India was celebrating its Independence Day. When I planned for the trip, I expected to see a lot and even extended the tour plan to 5 whole days. I probably did not do my research properly. In 3 full days you can see and experience most of Singapore. My friend Shravan was there to host me – so I took this opportunity to the fullest.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">First day, I got to see the night life that Singapore had to offer. We went around various pubs in Boat Quay and Clark Quay. There were a plethora of pubs around the place. There was Russian pole dancing in one, Bollywood themed in another and my favorite of all - the Altitude one pub. It provides a fantastic night time view of the city. The open top pub on the 60th floor also acts as a good observation deck. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KPe2Dgd3QFDK939WRdyjHNNHWy-13JghcYRSgV45iE2wy9nC0cjPjHu7WJheLnzj5J4OI1wSQc7tN0bbUWKG3O5UhwngqRrTX6u7gMp1Zex3gaZ8-pYw49X_XCNF6O1q5OB73PhndZQ/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KPe2Dgd3QFDK939WRdyjHNNHWy-13JghcYRSgV45iE2wy9nC0cjPjHu7WJheLnzj5J4OI1wSQc7tN0bbUWKG3O5UhwngqRrTX6u7gMp1Zex3gaZ8-pYw49X_XCNF6O1q5OB73PhndZQ/s640/1.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At one Altitude </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">On the second day, we were off to Sentosa Island – the place seemed to be too artificial. Singapore is only a city state, so when there is not much offering in terms of nature, folks have cleverly built and developed areas around the city and marketed it as a place of relaxation and fun. There are many things one can do while at Sentosa, I explored Madam Thussads (duh! at last! ) . Spent some time at the beach and that was it. Honestly speaking, there is nothing much to do. But you can spend a whole day there. Other options include Universal studios and an Aquarium. (I skipped them both because I knew I could get similar, if not superior experience in the States). In the evening Shravan took me around Marina bay area, and there - I had a jaw dropping experience. Downtown Singapore on one end and the Marina bay on the other. You could just sit for hours and keep staring the bay area around you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">By the fourth day, there was nothing much to do, so we went for a short visit to suntech city. Basically it’s a group of 7 office towers with a mega fountain in the middle. Also known as “fountain of wealth” it’s the world’s largest fountain. After a couple of photo ops, we were on our way to Little India to visit the famous Mustafa stores. To my surprise the store stretches almost into 2 streets across the road! No wonder this is a famous place for tourists to visit and shop. In the evening, I was back in Marina Bay to visit the famous Merlion . Yes I had planned for this even before I came so it had to happen! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">On my last day, I spent the whole day in leisure at the Singapore botanical gardens. I love nature to bits and what better place to chill out in this big concrete jungle. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the singapore Botanical Gardens </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I bet it would take more than a day to explore the entire place. Once the garden tour was done, I still had time to visit the Merlion in the morning and the Singapore Flyer! Yay! I always wanted to visit the London eye, but this one was something similar. So this was pretty much my experience. All of this was not possible without Shravan – who took me around places. So thanks Shravan! </span></div>
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vijjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17847170225392510456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937688809595478277.post-9536420744705061172015-07-17T16:09:00.001-07:002015-07-19T03:19:17.654-07:00Spring break Part 1 -- Mountain View <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Spring break is a vacation time between March and April for a week in many countries around the world - According to Wikipedia. I had never heard nor knew of it until it came upon the event calendar of my college. There was no way I would be spending such a lengthy time in a university town like Commerce. With my brother helping me pay for the trip, I decided to spend the week at my friend's home in Mountain View. The idea was to explore the place as well as to go visit San Fransisco. I decided to stay at Garick's place because they have been hosting travelers at their place through the Couch surfing platform which I think is an act of pure goodwill. I've also known Garick through the Lenovo Insiders group where we both were invited when it was formed in 2010.
To reach mountain view, I had to take a plane from Dallas to Oakland in the early morning hour, take the BART train from Oakland to Milbrae via Sanfransisco and then hop on to the Caltrain to reach my destination. If you ever plan to go to mountain view another option would to be fly into San Jose and take the caltrain from there. My travel option cost me approximately 7 hours of additional travel from Oakland.
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My first impression of Mountain View? It was dreamland with people going around on Bicycles, lush green trees all around with a bit of Orange tinge here and there , Travelling on the caltrain from milbrae in the midst of the sceanic setting was itself an amazing experience! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Garick and Stephine took me to have a look of the Google campus immediatly upon arrival. To me it looked like a large playground for adults. They were even breeding honeybees on campus so yes if you ever become a googler, there are lot of things you can explore while coding away your stuff. The bright coloured google bikes were omnipresent in the town. To me it also looked like there were as many Indians and Chinese in town. Well Well, I was definitely in Silicon Valley now! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Who would go to Google and not spare time to see those Android statues on the lawn? I've been using Android since donut was released and this was the best photo-op for me to go spend some time with the 'droids'. During my stay, there were kept insider somewhere from the public view . Luckily Stephenie knew where they would be and voila! I was trying to have a bite into the droid statues as soon as I got there. Rumor has it that they are edible - all of them. It's just a rumor though ;) . Of all the droids, the kitkat looked edible but well,it was not! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While at Mountain View, I was also suggested to go visit the computer Science museum. For geeks who would not want to miss a part of history, there is LOT to explore. I am not sure if there is another place which chronicles 2000 years of computing history!. First stop was the IBM section . I've never been an IBM fan nor have known much about it's history myself.So this was an opportunity to explore its history and achievements. This is definitely a company which was a force to reckon with back then, replacing punch cards with magnetic disks and propelling computing speeds to improve industrial productivity with number crunching power. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When we started learning about computers, all of us must have heard about Charles Babbage engine. Probably the worlds first computer designed to calculate polynomial values. It is amazing to see that people were into computing in the early 1800's and the Charles engine is only proof of that. This is definitely a geeky thing! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was never an electronics guy, but it was also interesting to have a look at the evolution of the microprocessor from where it was to where it is now. Big behemoths like Intel have played a major role and still do to bring raw computing power into the hands of the common man and the transition of this invention is more than evident in the processing capacity of a modern day CPU from Intel. There were possibly other players in the game, but since the founding fathers were from silicon valley and they had their vision of CPU processing, it is adept to share a piece of that history on the blog. These are the silicon valley documents - where it all began. </span><br />
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To warp it up, I went inside a section which wad dedicated to Google. One exhibit of particular interest was the Google self driving car which does not require any driver. The model is a modified Lexus SUV and has been going around the google campus for a while, storing telemetry data on its performance. It still does not have a permit to go out on public roads though. Getting to see all of this stuff, one can only marvel at the extent of how intelligent a human mind can be and has the ability to make anything to a reality with compassion and determination. Without my knowledge I spent close to 7 hours in the place and still had time left to go visit other sections from Microsoft and Apple. All of that in another part.<br />
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This amazing and fun filling trip would not have been possible without Garick and Stephanie. So thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for your hospitality and goodwill. One day I wish you will come visit India and I can take you around places myself!<br />
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vijjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17847170225392510456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937688809595478277.post-32790213689125159772015-02-28T18:34:00.001-08:002015-02-28T18:36:36.420-08:007 years of Lenovo Community Collaboration - 'DO' happens right here <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
7 years ago, I was just another ordinary user, searching the internet to check for a solution of my PC problems. What I found on this very day is something which will cherish for a long time to come, not only because I was able to expand my technical horizons with the broader set of global audience, it also presented with a perfect opportunity to work with a number of customers like me around the world. Some of them who later became "Super users" . People who had a lot of passion, to reach out and help others in need.<br />
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This experience also gives you the opportunity to know about new cultures, build relationships with returning customers for help, who in turn are inspired to help others. The flow of knowledge in this way is only possible because, Lenovo has built the community from ground up, envisioned by Mark Hopkins, and with the help of other seasoned super users from various communities.<br />
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So what have I observed since the past 7 years?<br />
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1) When ever I login here, there is a sense of happening, be it the super users working together to keep spam away, looking out for major technical issues that could impact a broad range of customers or banning socket puppets.<br />
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2) It is a privilege to be a part of this group, which has industry leading experts on subjects like Security and Malware. I can't imagine if I could have gotten the opportunity to interact and learn from such folks, had I not been here.<br />
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3) The community runs 24x7 ,365 days of the year. The moderator group is so diverse, that I can always find at least some of them online, making sure that things work like a well oiled machine. Folks from US,Australia,Turkey,India,Europe, Russia and other Spanish countries make the core group of superusers.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiFnRg8onJi2CKI5JNd85cfc2OgGi8uH3diLr_X_ANHdMGZmpyIZEbjY_TsYwkzYtrK8Vn_iuc6Ywsw0JCJzdIw5RDsnYRIBcoEhswyh-tkCYp-61ozYtWWbz7QE9iaiomAq6xHNT9HeM/s1600/lenovo+russia.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiFnRg8onJi2CKI5JNd85cfc2OgGi8uH3diLr_X_ANHdMGZmpyIZEbjY_TsYwkzYtrK8Vn_iuc6Ywsw0JCJzdIw5RDsnYRIBcoEhswyh-tkCYp-61ozYtWWbz7QE9iaiomAq6xHNT9HeM/s1600/lenovo+russia.PNG" height="251" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Newly Launched Russian Community </td></tr>
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4)What started as an English community in 2007 has now being expanded to help customers from non english speaking geographies. This only shows that Lenovo is serious about reaching out to its customers.There is also a sense of commitment from the employees and the super user group - something which inturn keeps me inspired to 'DO' things.<br />
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5) There were only a bunch of Moderators and Gurus when I first joined the forums, what I see now is another super set of users jumping in.Be it Microsoft MVP's, technology partners and others. This indicates that the folks who started the community are always looking for newer vistas which could benefit the customers in one form or another. <br />
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6) I also feel lucky to be a part of various Advocacy groups in Lenovo since 2009 apart from the community, which has helped me to have hand's on experience the latest and the greatest . Run by the marketing,I have been invited to international platforms like the CES in LasVegas and the Mobile World congress in Barcelona. This is also another channel for funneling feedback to the company because you get the opportunity to meet top level executives from the company.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_s1ZCSr3nOmGxdMJOikTTtqxaPKnV-NDi1zWciBulfBVCmTrYbMTUHB71hanHkaDNSpIcjp-bUxR_U-Mgt65Mat5yLbxH8S4A2inE8UepASNqc6wpQtZHhQhMijvId3HGjC1Ki2cJ_yk/s1600/Lenovo+in.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_s1ZCSr3nOmGxdMJOikTTtqxaPKnV-NDi1zWciBulfBVCmTrYbMTUHB71hanHkaDNSpIcjp-bUxR_U-Mgt65Mat5yLbxH8S4A2inE8UepASNqc6wpQtZHhQhMijvId3HGjC1Ki2cJ_yk/s1600/Lenovo+in.PNG" height="640" width="623" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of Lenovo's advocacy groups circa 2011</td></tr>
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It has a been a wild ride so far, and I heartily thank Mark Hopkins for keeping his faith in me, and mentoring me for all these years along with other amazing people like Jane,Andreas,Erik,Dave,Aryeh, Linda,Andy ,Cleo,Serene and many others. You guys are just amazing and I only hope we 'DO' more good things together in the forthcoming future. </div>
vijjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17847170225392510456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937688809595478277.post-30815210749057217212014-12-29T22:14:00.002-08:002014-12-29T23:12:20.098-08:00Virginia Diaries -- Close encounter with aerospace marvels <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I've been watching them on the Discovery channel since my childhood. Their very sight on the TV made to me to get glued to the TV untill the show was finished and I wouldn't hesitate the to watch the show again and again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I went to National aerospace museum in Virginia last week.. Initially it was only the SR 71 black bird in my mind which led me to go there, but there were other things in store which brought a sense of inspiration and amazement of how far the human mind would go to build such complex machines.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As I entered the museum, far in the front there was the space shuttle - majestically resting in the hangar. . It is one thing to watch these go skywards and another thing to see them in real. Even after trying a number of times, I could not capture the whole thing! Can only imagine how bigger the rockets would have been which took it into space.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Fb_hs0NJaIwi_h5EyqQeIoqmLwX65pgEmM4hWNgrz2Tu1ubpnB5a31X6Nk6HZ1YBxUHpLHbYsdiY4vi-_2WDNkzlfiFwWFpZTOKVz4Q4XIPkNn_MfM27xGHJS1295FaQAZXnBwp0Ss4/s1600/shuttle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Fb_hs0NJaIwi_h5EyqQeIoqmLwX65pgEmM4hWNgrz2Tu1ubpnB5a31X6Nk6HZ1YBxUHpLHbYsdiY4vi-_2WDNkzlfiFwWFpZTOKVz4Q4XIPkNn_MfM27xGHJS1295FaQAZXnBwp0Ss4/s1600/shuttle.JPG" height="428" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It is amazing to see such complex piece of machinery on close quarters. One cannot stop admiring the reach and technical competency of the human mind which has taken us by leaps and bounds into the sky and beyond. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The SR 71 Black bird, my all time favorite plane was right before the shuttle in another hanger. This sexy black beauty made by Lockheed Martin is a feast to aero enthusiasts. One plane after another my close observations with these wonders make me feel, if we as humans could achieve so much in the past 40 years , there is a lot of potential in store for the future. I spent almost 50 minutes around the jet trying to take photographs. I just wanted that perfect moment to be captured. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">That such a spy plane used for reconnaissance could deflect and hide radar was beyond my imagination. Now I keep hearing rumors if the US used any alien technology in this? have they? we might never know. Kudos to Lockheed for conceiving such an idea and for always being on the edge. No wonder this baby is still the fastest plane in the world at Mach 3+ speeds. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">If SR 71 has been the fastest ever airplane, it might only be applicable for the military side of things. But what when ordinary humans wanted to travel faster? This is where the Concorde comes in. Many people might already know about it, This is another plane which I wanted to see in real some day. I was always curious about it's operational mechanism and how it would fit into the passenger market. Cruising at Mach 2.04 this has been the fastest passenger jet so far taking people from New york to London in just 3 hours. To compare things - It takes 6 hours for a Boeing 747 and 1 hour 45 mins for the blackbird to travel the same distance. But we have to take note here that the SR 71 travels at 80,000 feet which is an altitude where even conventional oxygen masks wont work. Hence Concorde in all it's glory is the only passenger supersonic aircraft. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Before I windup, there are 2 other planes which I want to mention. One is the F35 Stealth fighter and the other one is the B 29 Bomber which was used to drop the nuclear bomb on Hiroshima during Word War 2. Both of the planes have served or have bee serving for their unique purpose for what they were created. Heck I even was thinking to get a glimpse of the F22 but my bad.. it was too much to take in for a 5 hour trip. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">There are no words to describes when you get to see such engineering marvels. You walk around them in awe and all I can do is salute the geniuses behind machines which have challenged the technological limits humans. </span><br />
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vijjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17847170225392510456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937688809595478277.post-27310420670035432842014-12-14T18:31:00.003-08:002014-12-14T18:31:54.156-08:00Thanksgiving <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Since my arrival to the US, I always wanted to have an experience of the local festivities here be it Halloween or Thanksgiving. Most of the times, missing Indian festivities back home used to bring back fond memories of delicious food and the family unions. While Halloween finished off in a blink, thanksgiving was another thing all together. <div>
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It was Wednesday afternoon when I noticed both the college staff and non teaching folks wanting to go home soon. workers at Starbucks in our college library were already getting upset since they were the only ones working on thanksgiving eve. I wondered, why would people be so excited about a one day festival? I was wrong. </div>
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It was thanksgiving on Thursday alright, apart from that long weekend was also the reason. Now, we Indians might have plenty of festivals throughout the year,giving us the excuse to stay back home have awesome food, pray and have a good time. But what about the folks here? I guess they also look upon the festival times to get some time off and when weekend is upon them anyone would want to get away from their hectic life. (Reminds me of my days at Google where I had 3 days week off. Those days were fun) </div>
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Many of my friends who had cars drove off to places to hang out or do shopping while those "exciting deals" where still there. But me being me, was all alone in the apartment for 4 days. Sheesh. I had my fun time too. An american friend of mine happens to be a Music major in my college. He also like me,signed up for the cousins program, and since then we have been hanging out with a couple of other folks around places. He invited me to his home for dinner along with two other folks from Russia. Now isn't this exciting? hmmm.. </div>
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I was a vegetarian and was really getting on my nerves on how I would manage and get though this "american dinner" experience. Thankfully, my friend's mom was very thoughtful and made some rice for me, which was the only thing I had apart from the delicious rice crisps and the pie. More than the food, the dinner was a perfect opportunity for great conversation between my hosts and myself and of course the bloke from Russia. They were a family of musicians and I myself had musicians in my ancestors. Loads of instrument playing, singing and playing poker and they made me to sing a couple of classical verses too lol. The pie was fabulous and it was an evening well spent(even though I had finals coming up). </div>
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Where ever we go, the importance of festivals is the same, since the concept of vacations never existed before, people needed some time off from their regular life and here they - are be it Thanksgiving or Diwali. </div>
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Celebrating life... </div>
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vijjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17847170225392510456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937688809595478277.post-21806829159442045372014-11-08T23:53:00.002-08:002014-11-08T23:53:17.307-08:00Who are your real friends? <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sometime in our life we face people who come in the mask of friendship. After many days, don't we understand what their true intention would be.<br />
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Some come to you when they need you as their crying shoulder .<br />
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Some only when they need your help<br />
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Some stay for a long time with you, are patient until they get what they want and become oblivious of your presence.<br />
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<b><i>But... there are those few who are with you whether you ask them to or not, they might be your best buddies,family or acquaintances as well. you never know.</i></b> God brings people in your life for a reason. Some come in as blessings and some come as lessons.<br />
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And this is to those who have been a blessing in my life.<br />
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vijjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17847170225392510456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937688809595478277.post-73677686182045634002014-10-21T17:34:00.000-07:002014-10-21T17:34:54.717-07:00The idea of "fitting in" and maintaining necessary cultural balance <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's almost 75 days since I arrived in the states, and something which I wanted ever since was not to be an alien to the culture here. What do I do?There were some opportunities on campus, for which I signed up .<br />
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The first one was the active cultural exchange program. This gathering of 8 people has been a blessing in disguise for a person like me. Who was right there ,trying not to be a "foreigner" . I had to move with the flow . But it wouldn't mean that I could compromise on the cultural and ethical values on which I grew up back in India. The ACE program has been very helpful in sharing what cultural barriers we have , the social customs and religious beliefs. I was amazed to see the way in which there are so many similarities and some not so similar customs in the diverse group. Folks from India,China,Nigeria,Indonesia, Hungary and Taiwan have been participating in the program since week 1.<br />
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Another program which I've been actively participating is the "Lion's cousins" group. Here, each international student who signed up for the program is assigned an american cousin , we are allowed to meet and exchange our way of life and invite each other for festivals or occasions . When I first met my cousin, we never expected that we would chat for a long time . But curiosity about each other's countries got us talking for 3 hours. Oh and I did have the opportunity to taste cheese macroni and learn the game of Texas hold 'em poker. So it was fun!<br />
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While every opportunity which seemed interesting and knowledgeable were signed up by me, I was making sure that my Indian roots. I listen to devotional songs every day in the morning, I make sure that I pray on every Saturday as I used to, only now there are no temples here in commerce. My spiritual sojourn has always there with me and will continue to do so. My family is not with me to celebrate our festivals. Luckily, we have a close knit and a vibrant Indian community at the college who organize various events and make sure that our cultural ethos are in place.<br />
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vijjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17847170225392510456noreply@blogger.com0Commerce, TX, USA33.2470567 -95.89996559999997333.1408312 -96.061327099999971 33.3532822 -95.738604099999975tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937688809595478277.post-34239725697693427922014-08-31T22:55:00.001-07:002014-08-31T22:55:16.027-07:00Life of a Indian Graduate Student -- My first month in Commerce,Texas <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Jet-lag was gone. The enjoyment in the weekends watching Prison break was over. Before I realised, the final orientation for the college had finished and everyone was taking the 3 days gap in between to decide on what subjects to take up. Before that, there were also other things which needed priority</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I never imagined living with strangers before, but after coming here, I had to search for 3 other like minded people like me who are vegetarians, yes sounds crazy but what to do! I thought It is better to stay with vegans, as we all can cook in cycles. ( Yea cooking , my mum still can't believe that I cook). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Apart from cooking which would only happen once we took an apartment, we had to search for one. Not having a car meant that, we four had to split up, go around places, get the best reasonable prices and decide to move in. There were more than a hundred students coming in this fall, so we had to make some quick decisions (What if all the apartments were booked! Where were we gonna stay? ) Thoughts like these gave us some tense moments. Commerce is not a big place after all, so empty spaces could fill out quickly. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This guy actually stopped his truck even while I was on the pavement. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The whole economic system in the United States is a complete reverse of India. While India follows a mix of both Socialistic and Corporate , the US is completely corporate. Want to take a new bank account? There are tons of clauses for everything. It will take some digging to figure out what kind of a bank account you would require. The apartment which we rented did not come with an electricity provider, so guess what? Search for the best reasonable rates in terms of KwH and reviews and sign a contract for one year. (What the heck! Welcome to corporate America ;D ) </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjItNd3MTv1FBMWQm_cCMs5_vION5I_P3KF2-by48TUA7JRoWdjiSF0kwOn5j8A4ka1CzAKuDJWSJWacPU1nNZ3IIOgdPmj_QzchfdaLbCq9wym-Sbzb3XHfhWQXlL740zX5ee1scEqa9Q/s1600/2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjItNd3MTv1FBMWQm_cCMs5_vION5I_P3KF2-by48TUA7JRoWdjiSF0kwOn5j8A4ka1CzAKuDJWSJWacPU1nNZ3IIOgdPmj_QzchfdaLbCq9wym-Sbzb3XHfhWQXlL740zX5ee1scEqa9Q/s1600/2.PNG" height="538" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I kept skimming through this site called "<a href="http://www.powertochoose.org/" target="_blank">power to choose</a>". Hundreds of offers on board, lot of combinations between "Offers" and "Price" . Finally zeroed in on TXU power (They provide Free nights from 9 PM to 6 AM) .</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Getting together was one thing , discussing and buying, sharing the rentals and groceries was new to me . I realised this during my visit to Walmart. It is such a mammoth! . At first, you would feel like buying what you wanted.But once you go there, careful fellas! The "Low Price" gimmick of their's kicks into action. You will end up buying more than what you wanted. Meanwhile, I was also searching for an efficient way to share the budget of the house. After two days, I found "<a href="https://www.splitwise.com/" target="_blank">Splitwise</a>". The UI is clean and I find it to be an easy way to share the apartment expenses amongst my friends. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It took me a couple of days to get stock of things. Why? Because I was surrounded by people from the same country as I. The college did not start at that time, and I was with my seniors, going there quite often, enquiring about things, getting used to the dry Texas heat. Enjoying the outdoor walks where there would be no dust/smoke , or honking noises like India. The time spent at the library during the first ten days was also quite significant. I was loving my frequent visits to taco bell where I would munch upon bean burritos and potato tacos. All was well until I shifted to the new apartment. We were only 4 now instead of the many seniors with whom I've lived. It brought a sense of loneliness sometimes . Meanwhile, I thought it would be prudent to attend some/many of the on campus events for all the Fall students. This was my way of assimilating and adapting the good points in the american culture. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Luckily, the counselling centre in the college sent an email regarding a cultural exchange program.Seats were very limited to just 10 students, so what better opportunity than this to move along with the flow? My inner self advised me to do this because, I wouldn't want to stay as an alien in a far distant land. I wonder what will happen to me when my India visit happens next year. Dunno... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While I was still thinking to take about the subjects, people were already discussing about OPT'S and CPT'S and what not! . No worries, taking a deep breadth and staying calm was my way of reaching the "goal" . My short term target is to score good grades in the first semester. Travel to the east coast in December, come back and begin my second semester. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Apart from all of these, some other things which I've realised till now : -</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">* No Chapatis to eat? Forget it, either get frozen one's or adjust with Tortillas</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">* No Vegan/ Limited options outside? thinking of going subway? that won't happen everyday ya know! Or better prepare your own food. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">* When will I learn the Texan accent? Is it really needed? Ya gotta be kiddin me fella! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">*Crossing a road? Pedestrians are given more priority than cars. They actually stop their vehicles for us to cross over. Imagine what happens in India when you try to cross roads, lol </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">* First day at college, went to USPS, the lady over the counter said "watcha want?" I was like huh?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">*If you don't have a car, walking outside is quite dangerous. Sunscreen lotion,Shades,Cap are a must. Otherwise burn baby burn - literally! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">*Coke is more cheaper and free sometimes once you buy a glass of it. heck,what about water? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The journey for me has just begun. I wait to see what's up next. Or should I say wassup man! :D </span><br />
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vijjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17847170225392510456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937688809595478277.post-87127749291144178852014-08-16T18:58:00.001-07:002014-08-16T18:58:28.652-07:00My first week in America - There is still a long way to gooo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4b; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The decision to go back to school after a gap of 5 years was not easy. And having faced a lot of hurdles, I finally got my visa and landed in the US about 10 days ago. After travelling for 31 </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4b; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">hours, which</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4b; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> was equally divided between day and night, I felt as if I was a dream once the plane landed in Dallas . First impression? No people on the roads! Like Seriously? Where </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4b; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">the</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4b; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> people? There are mostly cars everywhere! Once </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4b; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">in</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4b; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the apartment in commerce, I noticed that it was 7.30 in the evening, but, why was the sun still rise and shine? </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4b; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, this</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4b; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> was another world so it was just the beginning. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4a4a4b; font-family: 'Segoe UI', Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yea 8.30 in the "night" </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I just dozed of that day, the Jet lag had overpowered me. I slept for 36 hours while getting up in between for an hour or two . By the time I got adjusted to the new time zone, it was Friday . There was an air of TGIF!! around me. So it was a weekend well spent with the seniors watching Prison break for 8 hours straight! That happened for two days lol. So what was the next thing to do? Explore the places around me? Nada - Texas is damn hot. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was my belief that, the heat here would be peanuts when compared to the tropical temperatures of India. Yes, I am used to 46C of heat, have walked around during those soaring temperatures. But what I didn't know was that, Texas has a kind of dry heat. When I landed in Dallas at 2 in the afternoon, I was happy that the temperature was around 34C, but surprise surprise the heat was almost unbearable. The AC in the car seemed to be of no use at all. <sigh></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ZvB6iNdqyZwrdiJsKXn28S51e3fkzFW1N5n0HPrfA-oHA2XoZlfn25-Df1EGl7oDVmN3IrGl5YMRftO8ZIpx6szRxMlF86LauiMBzZph6HiI1EQ4uRikXAc8hJfu9bQkE0yFK8rJjdw/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ZvB6iNdqyZwrdiJsKXn28S51e3fkzFW1N5n0HPrfA-oHA2XoZlfn25-Df1EGl7oDVmN3IrGl5YMRftO8ZIpx6szRxMlF86LauiMBzZph6HiI1EQ4uRikXAc8hJfu9bQkE0yFK8rJjdw/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wish people in India were allowed to show their patriotism like this </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">People here love to eat meat,which means that I have limited options for food. Best thing for me to do was to get the groceries from Dallas and start preparing my own food. It wouldn't happen so well all the time, but hey, everyday is a learning process. Mum trained me a bit during the last 20 days of my stay. And yea I did make some curries and chapatis successfully. It would probably take a while for me to prepare everything perfectly but I do have the time now so that should be fine. For making any kind of curry,the funda remains the same.This ten day free period would also be the perfect time to hone my culinary skills</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've been going to the college everyday, to know about the place. Everything is sinking in slowly, but it will still take some time for me to get used to things here. Commerce is also the home of the Lions. I don't play Rugby, but really look forward to watching a sporting event here. Sports and I don't go well, but who knows anything might happen once the classes begin! </span><br />
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vijjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17847170225392510456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937688809595478277.post-44465579541495531382014-07-28T12:06:00.002-07:002014-07-28T12:06:57.177-07:00Asphalt 8 on Lenovo Horizon -- A Super thrilling experience <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yea Yea I know that playing Asphalt 8 would be like peanuts to hardcore gamers out there. But,for me, someone who is not into full time gaming, its a bliss. I've always has some casual gaming in the past. Like Dirt3 or Prototype, or touch based games on my Lenovo Horizon. But what made me to start playing Asphalt? Well, for starters I haven't played a game since I gave away my Ideapad Y560 which I had. So when I got the horizon in this year, I had wanted to push this baby to its limits and what other better game than the free Asphalt which is available on the windows store? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And I'll tell you one thing. You might feel good while you play this game on a regular laptop,but wait until you see this run on the Horizon. It is an amazing spectacle to watch. Have one of the surround sound speakers with ya? Then you are good to go! The best experience comes out when you have the complete package. I had brought a creative set during my student years and I still use it some times. So for playing this game, I thought it would be great if I could use the dusty old speakers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What makes me like this game you ask? Many - the first one is playing on the horizon itself. The second is the variety of racing options it provides Playing offline/online and tournaments which are conducted at frequent intervals. I've used Microsoft's Live Gaming network in the past to play Dirt3 . This time though, having a faster internet connection meant, I could continue playing multi-player games with players popping in around the world. There are also, I observe a number of locales where the races take place - From London to China and from the Ariana Launch center in French Guinea to deserts of Nevada.And new localities keep coming up! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also found that, apart from the regular racing schedules, there are other racing activities which one can indulge in. The first one called " infection". This one is quite funny because which ever car is in the last is automatically infected with a virus.Then starts the high speed octane race -where infected cars turn out to be more powerful in terms of agility and speed. They do however, overload during the course of the race and get back to the original state .Infection might be an easy way of getting a fast paced car,which I would definitely not prefer. Slow or last, regular racing is what I like the most. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lastly, the most fun part of the game are these knockout matches between two opponents, where we get an opportunity to just go around the track while hitting other's cars. They seem to act like moving targets but it's quite easy to hit 'em hard once you get used to the track and the game itself. The more you hit the merrier and you win in the end. Isn't this great? having destruction in the race also helps us at times :). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also, for the first time took a video of the experience. It's not so professional looking - that's the reason we call them home made video's don't we? . End of the day, I am happy to have played this game on an awesome machine like the Lenovo Horizon!</span></div>
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vijjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17847170225392510456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937688809595478277.post-81087102641663679522014-06-28T04:57:00.001-07:002014-06-28T04:57:25.439-07:00Incredible Kerala -- Spirituality at its best <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So my first week in Kerala went very well and I got adjusted to the new lifestyle here, as it would be a long hiatus of 21 days. In the end of the first week, procedures like purgation made me weak . But it was not long before I was told about the rejuvenation techniques which would help me restore the lost energy due to the treatment.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My diet for the first one week Rice soup in the afternoons. </td></tr>
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To compensate this physical weakness in the body, I decided to have some spiritual sojourn in the evenings everyday. There are many options which were available to me at the rehab center . So I took a choice of Indian philosophy, Yoga and meditation, Ayurvedic History and Cookery classes, yes cookery classes finally! I've been learning to prepare some dishes from my mum while at home sooo this time period was definitely a plus point for me.<br />
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I was staying at a place called Kalady, which is very close to the Cochin international airport. My mother told me that this was the birth place of one the greatest Indian saints of all times - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adi_Shankara" target="_blank">Aadi Sankaracharya</a>. Being in such a blessed place, I wasted no time and went around places in an thuk thuk. The first place I visited was the Shakaracharya Stupa<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shankaracharya Stupa at Kalady<br /><div style="text-align: left;">
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The tower is almost 8 stories tall, and as one starts to take the staircase, the sidewalls showcase the birth of the great saint with the blessings of lord shiva, and one who at a very young age left this holy place and started a pan India yatra on his foot. I've heard of these stories via films and books - but visiting such a place is seriously surreal. There were some other places which I visited, on that rainy evening. trying to collect information about the advaita philosophy ( Discovering our true self) of this great saint.<div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The grave of the holy mother - Circa 8 A.D</td></tr>
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I also had an opportunity to visit the grave of his holy mother within kalady. Rama krishna Ashram was an un-expected destination in our route, but the thuk thuk driver took me there as it was a place where people from any faith could come and meditate or pray. The driver was a roman catholic but was spiritually inclined towards the teaching of the great saint. So I payed a visit to the Ashram at the bank of the Periyar river.<div>
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With so much spiritual places around a tiny town, my daily dosage of yoga classes in the evenings were making me more calm and relaxed. The hymns and the <i>asans</i> combined were very effective in making me sane. I also lost some weight during this stay at Kalady around 6 kgs. Not bad huh . My yoga guru was kind enough to teach me breathing exercises for my specific health issue. </div>
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vijjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17847170225392510456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937688809595478277.post-73626628129912532192014-06-07T09:31:00.001-07:002014-06-07T20:18:19.429-07:00Week 1 in Kerala --- My fight with Psoriasis has begun<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After having an extensive 9 months treatment with a regular skin specialist, I took a detour and stopped taking the conventional treatment all together in this January. I was not happy since there was no visible improvement from my end. Later after a gap of 4 months, I zeroed in on a more traditional approach to fight my skin condition. That meant, I had to travel all the way to Kochi, a city in the southern Indian state of Kerala. This traditional method ,also known to Indians as "Ayurveda" has been in to practice since thousands of years. My aunt suggested that I follow this path because it was a natural way to get past things and it has it's own proven track record. So with lot of hope and anxiety, I made up my mind and came here last week .</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I planned to stay here for three weeks to see if this would give me enough time to make me sane and also a better person. After having an initial consultation with the doctor, I called it a day as the long distance travel had taken the toll. It was bedtime for me by 8 in the night. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first day started at 6 o clock with 50ml of medicated ghee (yuk). I just closed my nose and took it in mouthfuls to avoid a vomiting. The medication within the ghee was so overpowering, that I had to use the smell of a lemon to counter a possible vomit lol.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Taking the ghee was a major hurdle for me to go through this ayurvedic process of "<a href="http://www.ayurveda.com/panchakarma/" target="_blank">Panchakarma</a>" . The medicine inside the ghee is supposed to saturate my whole body which will, at a later stage help in remove the unwanted toxins away. Since the first day, I was also going through a treatment process of Lengthy oil massage for an hour in the morning and short timed facial massage in the afternoon in addition to a process called "<a href="http://www.ajurveda.com.mk/index.php?id=204" target="_blank">Nasyam</a>" . And I must say, after four continuous days of Nasyam, my headache problem with which I was suffering from has gone away completely. I've been told that the oil massages in the morning would help to remove the scaling and reddish lesions by the end of my treatment. I see a ray of hope, because they have diminished by 90% in some areas and there are still 2 weeks to go. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another therapy which was started very recently was "<a href="https://www.keralatourism.org/video-clips/takradhara/52/" target="_blank">Takradhara</a>" . In this treatment, medicated buttermilk is allowed to flow over the forehead through a narrow stream from the vessel above. This therapy has been one my best experiences so far. It is so relaxing,that I've been able to sleep for longer hours now (8 hours straight) . I also notice that this process has inhibited my headache problem to a large extent. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Takra dhara - Photo courtesy of Keralatourism.com<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The place where I am staying is a heavenly world. Located on the bank of the Periyar river, it is a self sufficient campus,far away from the bustling city of Kochi. The Buildings which include the Treatment rooms, the office and the rooms for the patients are located in the midst of a a large herbal garden. The whole area is dense with green everywhere,with a large variety of flowers and gigantic trees overlooking the entire campus. I fell in love in this place the moment I arrived and have been trying to enjoy my every moment here. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> been going around for a short walk in the morning and evening around the place, and the best thing is that the monsoon season has arrived here . Both the rain and the green have brought a sense of serenity within me. I can feel a lot of change within myself and I am hopeful that by the end of all this, I will leave this face with a happy mind. I am beaming with positiveness everyday. Above all, I hope that god will also me to move ahead of this condition in the near future. </span><br />
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vijjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17847170225392510456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937688809595478277.post-58529162340547820042014-05-09T06:36:00.001-07:002014-05-09T06:39:47.676-07:00Custom ROM installation on Xperia ZR<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1">I've always been intrigued by Android. The sheer scale at which it commands the smart phone arena is fascinating . ( I know there is <span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="is ">iOS</span> on the other end by it is completely oblivious to me ) . My first smart phone was an android which I brought in 2011. It was a Sony <span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="Sony ">Xperia</span> <span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="Xperia ">X10minipro</span> which I brought after an </span><a data-mce-href="http://buddinggeek.blogspot.in/2011/06/migrating-to-android-from-nokia.html" href="http://buddinggeek.blogspot.in/2011/06/migrating-to-android-from-nokia.html" target="_blank">impromptu decision</a><span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1">. I loved my new phone and was very much attached . It had best of both the worlds, Great OS and of course a sliding keyboard. Two years on, my second phone also happens <span class="hiddenGrammarError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="">to be</span> a Sony, this time with a bigger screen . I have also always admired Sony's tremendous support to the developer community, and was quite happy with their android upgrade cycle for the model which I use. Kit Kat OTA is right around the corner, but I did not want to wait any long . So I took the plunge once again in <span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="in ">XDA</span>, and after a lot of reading and careful precautions, was able to install a custom rom successfully . I wanted to share this article because I did not see anyone doing so for the <span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="the ">ZR</span> models. So here goes....</span><br />
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<span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1">First and foremost, don't even think of installing one if you have no idea about any of the technical jargons in Android/<span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="">XDA</span> community, just forget it. You will</span><strong> void your warranty</strong> and may even permanently brick your device for good. For hobbyists though, a good place to begin would be the <a data-mce-href="http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-zr/development" href="http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-zr/development" target="_blank"><span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1"><span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="">ZR</span> board</span></a><span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1"> at the <span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="the ">XDA</span> forums .</span><br />
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Before thinking to start the process ,there are some essential downloads which are MUST if you ever want to come back to stock rom.<br />
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1) <a href="http://www.flashtool.net/index.php" target="_blank">Sony flash tool</a> By Androxyde <br />
2<a href="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2627892" target="_blank">)Pre-rooted Sony Rom</a>. This is the easiest way than to flash older Roms and try rooting. <br />
3) <a href="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2292598" target="_blank">Backup TA tool</a> . Very important that you use this before unlocking your boot loader<br />
4)<a href="http://bit.ly/ert_14" target="_blank">Doomlord's root kit</a> For people who are still on 4.1.2 where perf_event exploit has not been patched<br />
5)<a href="http://developer.android.com/tools/sdk/tools-notes.html" target="_blank">Android sdk tools</a> From Google <br />
6)<a href="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2635830" target="_blank">Flash tool driver pack</a> From DoomLord <br />
6)Lastly, a strong heart which should be ready to face any eventuality, be it a bricked device or a buggy custom Rom<br />
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1) This is what I did. Downloaded an older android version for my phone with build number 10.1.1.A.1.310 . It is available for download from <a data-mce-href="http://10.1.1.a.1.310/" href="http://10.1.1.a.1.310/" target="_blank">this</a> website. Mind you this is only for Indian model, there are other versions available. Please check <a data-mce-href="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2384512" href="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2384512" target="_blank">this</a> link for the same <br />
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<span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1">2) The second thing to do, is to flash the older or pre-rooted Rom using the flash tool which we downloaded earlier. Make sure that you copy the <span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="the ">ftf</span> file to <span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="to ">firmwares</span> folder of the tool. The default directory path would be C:\Flashtool\firmwares . For instructions refer to this </span><a data-mce-href="http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-z/general/tutorial-how-to-flash-stock-roms-t2240614" href="http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-z/general/tutorial-how-to-flash-stock-roms-t2240614" target="_blank">link </a><br />
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<span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1">3) Now that you have an older Rom, you need to root it and the best way to do so is to use doom lord's easy rooting toolkit. Make sure that <span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="that ">usb</span> debugging and "unknown" sources are enables in developer options. Detailed instructions are being by <span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="by ">doomlord</span> in the following </span><a data-mce-href="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2327472" href="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2327472" target="_blank">link </a><br />
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<span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1">4) After rooting the device, you may have to unlock your boot loader to install a custom Rom. The requirements vary sometimes, and some stock based <span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="based ">Roms</span> may work on a locked <span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="locked ">bootloader</span> too. But, if you want to try something completely different like <span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="like ">Cyanogenmod</span>, Carbon or Free <span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="Free ">Xperia</span> which <span class="hiddenGrammarError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="which ">are based</span> on <span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="on ">AOSP</span>, the only option is to unlock your <span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="your ">bootloader</span>. Please make sure that you backup your TA partition not once but n several times - <span class="hiddenGrammarError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="">to be</span> on the safer side before starting the procedure. There is a video tutorial</span><a data-mce-href="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2292598" href="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2292598" target="_blank"> here</a> which will guide you through the process. Also, there are a number of FAQ's which I would suggest you go through before proceeding with the process.<br />
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5) After finishing with the unlock - the last thing to do is to flash a custom Rom, there are a couple of them on the<a data-mce-href="http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-zr/development" href="http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-zr/development" target="_blank"><span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1"> <span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="">ZR</span> board</span></a> which you can go through. Make sure you read all the bugs which are present in the current Rom before trying to install it.<br />
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I selected Carbon Rom from the lot, as I've been a fan of them since last year. My nexus 7 has a carbon rom too -- so after going through all the features, it was the best option for me. The interface is very close and resembles stock version of Kit Kat. However, being a custom rom, there are many additions thrown in . I am sharing some of the screenshots here for a better understanding<br />
The first one is a stock Kit Kat experience which includes the translucent menu bar. I also notice that the capacitive buttons are also transparent when opening up a book or a video allowing to enjoy a full screen - immersive experience <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81dq_Kv2dSQoAYzecpllD2kanIBO2-68mozhh5Ozd6Iohlnc7-4dTj4wXy7lqnR1apXM5XRaDVG8HfBAlQgMcmXEIuExmBpxqwkMnUVAgOX3nmCwPYszrRaWk0wvjjXsuXiHV-UN7B8g/s1600/Screenshot_2014-05-09-18-11-18.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81dq_Kv2dSQoAYzecpllD2kanIBO2-68mozhh5Ozd6Iohlnc7-4dTj4wXy7lqnR1apXM5XRaDVG8HfBAlQgMcmXEIuExmBpxqwkMnUVAgOX3nmCwPYszrRaWk0wvjjXsuXiHV-UN7B8g/s1600/Screenshot_2014-05-09-18-11-18.png" height="640" width="360" /></a></div>
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The second is the presence of a privacy guard which allows us to control the data which is being shared with 3rd party apps. (This is not possible with the system apps though)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ6WL0PR9gaagW4SvBpNbt4GbOgW-2Q40BL4eYa1j1PXYRbqzDyS0gocVWM7gyrgoFdMFOhHheQj6JwbO0U5o9GKTbgn7XvqsE5Sf_WKno6i5w3M8ncKRFFddEBX16enDhj-8O9nietO0/s1600/Screenshot_2014-05-09-18-08-40.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ6WL0PR9gaagW4SvBpNbt4GbOgW-2Q40BL4eYa1j1PXYRbqzDyS0gocVWM7gyrgoFdMFOhHheQj6JwbO0U5o9GKTbgn7XvqsE5Sf_WKno6i5w3M8ncKRFFddEBX16enDhj-8O9nietO0/s1600/Screenshot_2014-05-09-18-08-40.png" height="640" width="360" /></a></div>
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The third is an extensive set of customisation settings in the Rom. I've not seen so many in Cyanogenmod .<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjva3zEMyKtWWozEtV9TxtpGt8YGULLooPOMRK4TZ-6DTuXxXc7L0IhyIeTGg6UnPZMTfpOC9AlWOwMifbaHawDxNi1YaiWlUno0SxVwcnTMVAEysX8jfQz1En8tHiSuZag5Q5_b5RtOD4/s1600/Screenshot_2014-05-09-18-09-03.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjva3zEMyKtWWozEtV9TxtpGt8YGULLooPOMRK4TZ-6DTuXxXc7L0IhyIeTGg6UnPZMTfpOC9AlWOwMifbaHawDxNi1YaiWlUno0SxVwcnTMVAEysX8jfQz1En8tHiSuZag5Q5_b5RtOD4/s1600/Screenshot_2014-05-09-18-09-03.png" height="640" width="360" /></a></div>
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There might be many more, but I've not tinkered with them as of now. Happy with what I have finally. There are also certain measures which I took to prevent anything going wrong during this process. They were</div>
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1)Disabling blue stacks service while performing rooting mechanism or TA backup method. If you don't do this you will get a message saying that there is more than one emulator installed on the system. Not good eh?</div>
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2)Disable Antivirus protection. Recommended</div>
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3) If you are using windows 8,you will have to <a href="http://www.howtogeek.com/167723/how-to-disable-driver-signature-verification-on-64-bit-windows-8.1-so-that-you-can-install-unsigned-drivers/" target="_blank">disable driver enforcement</a> </div>
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4) Backup the TA partition its a must. Also, make a nandroid backup - just in case </div>
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5) Make sure your battery is charged to at least 80% </div>
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I hope my article helps other customers of Xperia ZR who are planning to go through this process. It was a big headache for me and was not so easy to achieve. All the credits go to the respective developers at XDA forums. I have only tried to bring together all the tools and practises for the benefit of others. <br />
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vijjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17847170225392510456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937688809595478277.post-36659657740698449372014-04-11T23:16:00.001-07:002014-04-16T03:41:04.088-07:00Life without a smartphone -- The better and the worse <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It happens when you least expect about it. On one fine evening, I was on the scooter with my mum going to my aunt's place when one of my worst nightmares happened. I call it a nightmare because I did not dread about it, but I started once I faced the situation. I guess people who are so attached with their phones go through which I went through<br />
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I was so lazy in the evening on that day that I was still on my pyjamas, got on the bike and put my phone in the pocket which did not have a zip. I was taking a turn near my aunt's home when I realised that my left pocket seemed lighter. The phone had slipped off and fell on the road. Worst thing another bike went over and it! . My heart stopped for a couple of seconds and my brain went blank. My darling phone had just been run over by a bike ;(<br />
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<span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1">Having no faith left that the phone could be repaired, I took it to an authorised service centre anyways. <span class="hiddenSuggestion" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="">later on</span> ,I was told that my <span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="my ">Xperia</span> <span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="Xperia ">ZR's</span> screen is way different from the others. Both the touch screen and the panel <span class="hiddenGrammarError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="panel ">are fused</span> together in some way and there was no option to source the panel. When I enquired a bit more about it in the Sony forums, I <span class="hiddenGrammarError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="I ">was told</span> that it would cost around 70% of the <span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="the ">MRP</span> price for the screen :0 . That means around ten thousand bucks for the damned screen! </span><br />
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<span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1">Leaving with no other option, I started using my mum's phone for a month. There was no update what so ever from the service centre for this whole period. It only created more aggravation within me as I was very much attached to my phone. So much so that I would even take it to the loo with me and read my daily dose of BBC news and flip board there. I recapped what has happened for two months without it and this is what I realised. Couldn't go for the morning jog because I was depending on run keeper. Would not read the news as I used to as I would only do so in the loo (We no longer get BBC on our cable TV <span class="hiddenSuggestion" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="TV ">nowadays</span>) . Stopped listening to songs even though I had a yoga tab with me. One of my friend loaned me his Apple iPad for a while to see if I could adapt to it but, that wasn't helping me much either. Being obsessed with photography, my <span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="my ">Instagram</span> feed was always running. Even that activity had come to a halt. These were some of the bad instances which I faced and could not do anything from my end.</span><br />
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<span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1">Coming to the good, the two months gave me ample opportunity to detach from my virtual life. Sometimes, you take your phone for granted as your best buddy. There is a life outside the <span class="hiddenSuggestion" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="the ">interconnected</span> world which we access through applications like <span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="like ">whatsapp</span>,<span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="">viber</span>,messenger and what not . Not having these for two months would also mean that I had to groom my self to go outside more often, meet my friends and perhaps travel to places to do the same. Did I feel good? Initially no.But as time progressed , I realised that hanging out with the people you care and who give you some great time made more sense then doing so <span class="hiddenSuggestion" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="so ">virtually</span>. Overall, it has been a mixed bag. I have decreased my phone usage now and stay online only when I need <span class="hiddenGrammarError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="need ">to be</span> there. There are always two sides to a coin and the case is the same when you <span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1" pre="you ">adapt</span> smarter technology.</span></div>
vijjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17847170225392510456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937688809595478277.post-85919887546739403452014-03-11T01:15:00.000-07:002014-03-12T10:05:28.113-07:00Giving away a better way - Yoga tab donation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
People say that things happen for a reason. I didn't understand it then, but now I really do. This is my short story of fruitful things that I've been able to do since I joined the <a href="http://forums.lenovo.com/" target="_blank">Lenovo community</a> in 2008.For those of you who are not familiar with it, it's a place where people help each other with their tech issues. Some of the loyal lot stay back and become it's core users or super users. They are people who's names are never known but ,they help the brand by staying in the front line - defending it as an advocate, as a super user or a loyal customer. I was fortunate enough to be one of an earlier member who was mentored upon by a handful of people to become a moderator. And this was when I got a sense of fulfillment for joining the forums.<br />
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Fast forward six years, I've had plenty of opportunities to interact with many people and was invited to join a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lenovo/app_522369444524140" target="_blank">Lenovo influencer network </a> which gives me an opportunity to reach out and share my story. And this is story one of those. It was in late January when I was given a chance by Lenovo to donate a Yoga tab to a charity of my choice. I agreed to take on this opportunity and was looking out for a fitting organization or a person. This is when one of my family friend came to my rescue. Ms Premalatha is a Child development project officer who works with the Department of Women welfare. She suggested that I take a tour of <a href="http://maaillu.org/" target="_blank">Maaillu</a>(Our home when translated) and then decide if it was the right place where I could donate the tab. This is when I told about Rajitha. The moment I met this girl, I knew that she was a deserving person.<br />
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Being an orphan did not stop her from pursuing her dreams. I personally spoke with her as she took me for a tour of the massive campus which is run for the betterment of orphan kids and especially girls. I was moved by the enthusiasm and dedication that the girls were putting upon. She also explained her own story about how she joined the orphanage around 8 years ago, and how her interest in Mathematics allowed to complete her master's in one of India's most prestigious colleges. </div>
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Maaillu is located in a serene location, far way from the chaos of the city. This helps the kids to grow up in a peaceful environment. Maintaining a constant flow of donations for 200 orphans is quite a big deal but they have been able to pull through situations because of the kids are bright and have shown their mettle in various streams they are pursuing. I've seen girls who are pursuing their education in Math, Computers, Medicine, Nursing and other vocational courses.</div>
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It was a humbling experience for me to spend that day at the orphanage. After being told about how people from companies like oracle come over in the weekends to teach the students when needed, I was wondering if I could do the same from my end whenever time permits me. Women empowerment is the key here,and the better way is only when these girls have the right tools to utilize and source information for their needs. I thank Lenovo from the bottom of my heart for making this happen, and I look forward towards similar opportunities where I can do my bit of help to the society. <br />
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vijjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17847170225392510456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937688809595478277.post-33873057099694306532014-02-25T10:43:00.002-08:002014-02-25T10:43:44.438-08:00Psoriasis and beyond<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When a person is passing through one of those times when pressures of career growth and lack of stable health converge as a problem upon you - it might result in something which you would never have expected before. I faced the same issue in the last week of October after loosing my job when Psoriasis was at an aggravating stage. <br />
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The world we live in is sometimes so full of mysteries I might say because, you would least expect to suffer from something which has been wrongly diagnosed twice and only when you really face the outcome of it is when you go for an alternative opinion. I was devastated when a doctor in Hyderabad confirmed my worst fears of having Psoriasis. This was more of having a social stigma then a health condition because, you cannot hide it unless your mental condition is stabilized. It will start effecting your scalp and other parts of the body with reddish lesions which are nothing but extra cells that have come out of the inner dermis layers. <br />
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Although I was taking tropical treatment and was trying to keep it in check as much as I could, rapid changes in my career around 4 months back have catalysed the condition and I decided enough was enough. I was told that Psoriasis also causes mental depression and it wouldn't have come at the wrong time . However, during my recent trip to Bangalore, my perspective of the condition has changed a lot and here is what I learned <br />
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One of my aunt is a professor of Biochemistry at a dental college. She is like a motherly figure to me and it was she who told me that there were many reasons due to which the condition would occur and that could include hereditary ones. Her son(My cousin) was facing the same issue and so was my mother's uncle. She explained that somewhere down the line we all were sharing the common genes which lead to have this condition an there was nothing to worry about it. She also suggested that I hit the gym as early as possible because regular exercise leads to the creation of <a href="http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/exercise-depression" target="_blank">Endorphins</a> which control your mental state and mitigate your depression levels. I believed her and joined in a nearby gym for a cardio program(to reduce my body weight) and it had resulted in wonders. 15 days after regular cardio, the feel the change already and have also been able to control my heighted level of excitement over time. <br />
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I realised this last week when my Sony phone fell from my pocket onto the road and a vehicle went over it. I wasn't thinking of the worst case scenario this time as I believe that something magical(or scientific) process was going on in my brain and that was the increased state of sanity! .So yes I finally got my level of sanity after regular exercise and also by infusing a bit of spirituality within me! <br />
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So there you are folks, do not worry if you have psoriasis, it might not have a cure in sight but you can certainly control it using various methods. Be calm, stay positive, do the hard work you have to do and trust in god.</div>
vijjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17847170225392510456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937688809595478277.post-72167197820345510292013-12-01T19:29:00.001-08:002013-12-01T19:31:22.755-08:00A week with the Lenovo Horizon <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I first heard of the Horizon PC when Lenovo announced it in CES this year. But what made it to gain recognition from the rest of the products was something which fascinated me. Because this is a family of PC's which no other company out there had ever attempted to set their foot in. Rightly called as table PC due to its form factor and usage, Lenovo has rolled the ball which has allowed other PC manufacturers to follow suite.<br />
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Luckily for me, I've finally got the opportunity to share my thoughts about this amazing machine which brings in a whole new breed of PC's in the market. </div>
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For starters,the horizon looks like a big tablet albeit till you understand the exact form factor. While it's an all in one PC in purpose, the main intention of the horizon has been to bring people together to spend some quality time be it for multi user gaming or as a weekend entertainment hotspot. </div>
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The Horizon which I got came with the following specifications </div>
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Operating System : Windows 8 64bits </div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> CPU : Intel Core i7 3667U @ 2.00GHz</div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> RAM : 8.00GB Dual-Channel DDR3</div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Graphics<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> :Intel HD Graphics 4000 and NVIDIA GeForce GT620M</div>
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Depending on what model of Horizon you get, there might be variations in CPU make and the graphics processing unit. The display of the Horizon is approximately 27 inches - making it a perfect instrument for your multimedia and multi user gaming. I upgraded mine to windows 8.1 and I do feel the fluidness of the OS throughout the UI and in the desktop mode as well. The screen comes with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) . If you have a switchable graphics model,there is the advantage of taking the help of both the GPU's depending on your power management mode. </div>
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It was a delight to watch the colors come to life when I started using the desktop backgrounds which come with windows8/8.1 . I've actually found some wonderful wallpapers some having panoramic views - which bring a sense of liveliness to the horizon! It is one thing to experience them on a regular desktop but when you have such a system it is sometimes hard to choose the right wallpaper too! Another good thing of using a big screen AIO would be the full screen experience which you get with the metro apps in windows 8. It feels intuitive when you open them for the first time and there is natural interaction between you and the system. </div>
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Watching movies or playing multi user games is what the Horizon has been designed apart from saving space in our homes.The system comes with built in support for Dolby home theater .Watching movies has been a delight on the horizon. You will get to know the full potential of the pc when running a high definition movie. I was watching Life of Pi on it the other day and the presence of the tiger on the screen was thrilling experience. </div>
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With one of the main purpose being to save space, the horizon comes with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.It reduces the overall clutter on your desk which also helps you to concentrate on your work rather than messing around with wires which happens on a conventional desktop. The keyboard is of an accutype one but I haven't really found as comfortable as a traditional one. So I keep using my Microsoft ergonomic keyboard at times.The mouse is my favorite though .You will always feel that things are in control as long as you are using it because it is a big screen and once again requires a clutter free environment.You need to rotate the mouse to 180 degrees to switch it on and vice versa. I never saw these kind of devices but that could be just me </div>
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One of the other main features of the horizon is the ability to play multi user games. It comes pre loaded with variety of games like Roulette, Monopoly,Tycoon and Air hockey and many other which are available in the Lenovo app shop. There also a number of education based titles which can be useful to parents who might want to teach to their kids.Whether playing a multi user game or working on your photos or education,the table mode brings in people together which also creates more interaction between people on a same thing. Lenovo has made this possible though an interface called "Aura" which kicks into action once you lay down the horizon. </div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="white-space: pre;">While I have enjoyed this PC for a week,there are certain hiccups which I have faced and I hope lenovo takes note of them for the future versions. There are only two USB ports which are not really enough when one of the port taken up by the wireless keyboard and mouse. While there is an option to increase and decrease the volume via the capacitive touch buttons,it is not in the case of screen brightness - where only a single button has been given to increase/decrease the brightness value.This means if you want to decrease to the lowest level or next, you need to increase it to the full level before decreasing it down. The included battery has lasted for 3 hours
This has been a noble attempt from Lenovo to produce a new breed of PC's. If you are looking to fill the gap between your multimedia centers and your conventional TV this would help you do that.It would also be a great way to spend some time with your family with the level of interactive features that this PC has to offer.
Disclosure : - I am a member of the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lenovo/app_522369444524140" target="_blank">Lenovo Influencer network</a>. Been lucky to be a part of the group which allows me to share my experiences and stories of the tech side of my life.</span></div>
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vijjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17847170225392510456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2937688809595478277.post-2886752152102191622013-11-08T21:58:00.001-08:002013-11-17T10:36:23.355-08:00400 Miles of Bliss and Green -- A Life changing experience <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There are some journeys in our life which only happen if we are meant to have it. This one was something on a similar terms as I never expected it to happen in the first place. It was a firm determination of my friend Suresh which made this incredible journey into a reality.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For days my friend would ask me to come visit his native town so that we could traverse the length of coastal Andhra Pradesh to complete a sacred journey of all the major Shiva temples in the region. Belief has it that if one could visit all the 5 major temples scattered along the eastern coast,our long cherished wishes would become a reality.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We had to start at 3 AM in the morning in order to cover the entire journey. As the darkness turned to light,the sights around me we full of green.There was so much green that I could not find a small part of barren land anywhere.No wonder that coastal AP is called the rice bowl of India.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Vast green lands were rushing past for hours and hours. Our first stop was the historic 1200 year old temple at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samalkota" target="_blank">Samarlakota</a>. Built by the chola dynasity during the early 800 AD, the temple is one of the few in India which is actually double storied. As we were exploring the temple complex, ancient vedic hyms were reveberating everywhere. The very sound of them gives you some of sort of mental stimulus. Once inside the temple complex, we has to go through an labyrinth of stair cases to reach the top where the actual cerimonies where being performed on Lord Shiva. The Shiva lingam itself is one the of center of attraction - 14 feet in height and made of limestone</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBAv7-LPV4GzBxeNik8doWyyy3-LkpT0qUbTAh2g_6EuoNAzIGEiQIib4qnMTEjt7V259PRuCQjhevt-0tOWAb0Dfxm7Y3Z2Trph4lt9faY2KktkpGW0749fnQQS0cakMc8RaGvnCAQRE/s1600/imported+on+17th+november+705-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBAv7-LPV4GzBxeNik8doWyyy3-LkpT0qUbTAh2g_6EuoNAzIGEiQIib4qnMTEjt7V259PRuCQjhevt-0tOWAb0Dfxm7Y3Z2Trph4lt9faY2KktkpGW0749fnQQS0cakMc8RaGvnCAQRE/s640/imported+on+17th+november+705-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lotus pond behind the temple</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="mceItemHidden">After an hour long prayer ceremony we came out and started for our second destination - </span><span class="mceItemHidden"><span class="hiddenSpellError" pre="" style="border-bottom-color: red; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 2px; cursor: default;"><a data-mce-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draksharama" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draksharama">Drakshara</a>mam</span></span><span class="mceItemHidden">. I have been told that these five famous temples are scattered across the either sides of the river Godavari. They are seperated by at least a hundred kilometers each and it seemed covering all the temples in a day was quite strenuous. The journey itself was demanding and we had to race against time to see all of them. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD36dOvEBh53DpgKNLA40lsIYcVBXUkGWKAHw1r02MDa-pyVi_E2aCpMp7OqAkH3nzenskpUygFrFcDSJxlRb63_rQbKE1sasdky5v8hZY_Hac2_D6GYJ5hEKwN0TBwBeRufVB-qrILqE/s1600/imported+on+17th+november+704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD36dOvEBh53DpgKNLA40lsIYcVBXUkGWKAHw1r02MDa-pyVi_E2aCpMp7OqAkH3nzenskpUygFrFcDSJxlRb63_rQbKE1sasdky5v8hZY_Hac2_D6GYJ5hEKwN0TBwBeRufVB-qrILqE/s640/imported+on+17th+november+704.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="mceItemHidden"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The journey to Draksharamam had been more than memorable.Every village through which we were passing had an impact of Godavari. I could see naturally made canals which were running parallel to the fields where farmers would cool off in the evening by taking a plunge. There were also plenty of coconut plantations along the coast and it seemed a lot to take in for the day! There was this one place on the way which did not seem to look like a typical Indian village. Most of the people there seemed to be millionaires and they became so due to hundreds of acres of paddy fields which they own. The Village had beautiful lotus ponds and lake side villas - quite un common in a rural area. The rama temple in the midst of the village remains the center of attraction. Although we were running out of time and had no business to do there,we stopped the car for a while and started taking some snaps.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiame8SoTwM1Rp8NxLTFeciUH6BYALbAww5ZQbIRRT_gDhtpkr5jWQCNkkejvcsB-fFrUZzwknfSZvscXxKNVgoMMWtXzMNJl2QSIEGm3ob7gQUo36lEOH1vDRw_5ZUGCDhNAlUAReKWkI/s1600/imported+on+17th+november+707.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiame8SoTwM1Rp8NxLTFeciUH6BYALbAww5ZQbIRRT_gDhtpkr5jWQCNkkejvcsB-fFrUZzwknfSZvscXxKNVgoMMWtXzMNJl2QSIEGm3ob7gQUo36lEOH1vDRw_5ZUGCDhNAlUAReKWkI/s640/imported+on+17th+november+707.jpg" title="Rama Temple - Gollelamamidala" width="640" /></a></div>
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After a quick bite at Yanam,we set out towards east Godavari to cover two more temples. what amazed me was the scale at which the fertile lands were being utilized to raise and maintain fisheries apart from the lush paddy fields. While it was almost night fall by the time we covered the entire journey of 660 kms, there was a sense of satisfaction that we achieved what we started out for - and finishing the journey also meant that everything went well without any hiccups throughout. This was one the first sacred journeys which I took and perhaps much more will be covered in the future when time permits. While there was nothing special which I took in terms of camera gear with me apart from my phone, a fully charged thinkpad x220T helped me in the form of an alternative phone charging source . Google Maps came to our rescue in a number of occasions and I wonder how this tedious journey would have been possible without leveraging on modern technology to traverse the length of ancient India. </div>
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vijjuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17847170225392510456noreply@blogger.com0Warangal, Andhra Pradesh, India18.000055 79.58816717.8792145 79.4268055 18.1208955 79.7495285