Hotel Review - Pizza Hut - Kammanahalli

A laid back saturday afternoon was a perfect day to feast on a good Pizza. So instead of ordering it home we decided to visit the nearest

Pizza Hut

. Just left from Kamanahalli signal on outer ring service road, its very close by to our place, but the broken road for about 200 mts is a dissapointment.

Stepping in the place, the ambience was like any normal Pizza hut restraunt. But a warm greeting from the waiter who began serving our table, made us remark the difference in this place. The service is extra ordinary. The serving staff actually knows how to take care of the customers / guests. The pizzas are served almost at every corner but definitely the pleasant and positive experience made us write this review.

For anyone staying around outer ring road, this is a much recommended place. For ambience we would love to give 8/10, for service we would say 11/10 yeah a +1, food as usual deserves a 8 or 9.

Mumbai terror attack - What happens next

The whole nation watches, glued to television sets every minute, mourning, feeling sad, feeling angry, there is anguish but everyone knows the future of this incident. Its mumbai, it will be back on its feet in no time is the feeling around. Is it ok to have this feeling? What happens next? Probably the attack which is linked to pakistan, will be condemed by all politicians and the various countries and then the most dreadful of all thing, everyone will forget.

It took solid over a decade for India to punish the terrorists of the 93 blast, so what about now. There will be reports filed, and in another 2 days, media will start reporting the usual stuff on Rakhi Sawant and Himesh Reshmiya and the topic of the biggest terror attack on India goes to the back burner.

So who all gained in this terrorizing event.
--> Yes ofcourse, Pakistan, they got to smirk on making India miserable.

-->Politicians, LK Advani didn't spare commenting that the PM's speech was useless. Everyone wanted camera coverage. MR. Munde couldn't get enough that he walked straight to the nariman house location; for what? Visiblity and votes. No one spared a single minute or chance to earn some votes.

-->For the england team it was very fortunate that they were saved off a 7-0 washout series in One dayers as they have a good alibi of security.

I really loved what shobha de said in her interview. This is no time to sit quite and relax. We have to go behind the terrorist aggressively. Just see what the US did to taliban and Iraq for revening 9/11 and that too without any solid proof. So what about the 9/11 here in our own Mumbai. Who is going to revenge for this?

The government should come out strong and restore the faith in the people that if someone dares to attack us again, we will not think twice for shedding blood of the victims.

Condolences to all innocent people and their families who became the unfortunate targets of this terror attack and Salute to all the martyrs

Comics to enjoy

US Dollar Almighty

I recently found this article which explains this question in a easy way…thought it may be of interest to some of you in this group…

US Dollar Almighty
(Posted recently by Malaysian Author Mr. Syed Akbar Ali in his blog.)

Just to excite your interest (keep you from yawning) 'US Dollar Almighty' I will talk about the following:
i. Why is the US Dollar such an international currency, why is it so widely used and what is its future role?

To be widely accepted and to be successful, any currency must be perceived to represent value.In the beginning gold and silver were used as currencies. Whether they were used as currency or not, gold and silver carried their own value.
In the beginning (say in India in 6th century BC) gold and silver coins did not have 'token' values or face values. The weight of the coin was widely known, but there was no mention of how much 'money' it represented. So the monetary value of the coin could vary.
Later coins started having token values or face values higher than the amount of metal inside them, just like paper currencies today. This became 'fiat' money.But the more basic question is why gold ? Well the simple answer to that is because gold does not rust. You can burn it, melt it, blow it up or whatever but you can always put it back together again as a piece of gold and it would still be gold. Plus the fact that it is rare. You must dig up mountains to obtain gold.
There are other metals which are more expensive than gold and are also rarer - like uranium. But I think if we carried uranium coins in our pocket, we would start glowing quite embarrasingly. Gold has withstood the test of time.


In short, human beings need something that is dependable, something that will not disappear, something that is unchanging, something that is valuable. This is why human beings have given such high value to gold. This is a simple but very important point, please remember this because we will revisit this point when we come to see why the US Dollar is so succesful as an international currency. And plus the fact that gold is also rare - it became a perfect store of value and a medium of exchange, both rolled into one. You could store your wealth in the form of gold bars and gold jewellery in all shapes and sizes. Or you could use gold coins as money, a medium of exchange.



OK, not to bore you any longer. In my humble opinion, this is also exactly why the US Dollar, is perceived to have value, by almost the whole world. The US Dollar (also called 'greenback') is actually printed on cotton. The US Dollar represents a country, the United States of America (a country with 306 million people now?) which is perceived to be dependable, unchanging, has great 'economic' value and will not disappear anytime in the foreseeable future. Let me say something about the gold standard, the famous Bretton Woods agreement of 1944 and such. I really dont know what it all means. It has stopped functioning since 1971. The world has moved on quite well since then. During World War 2, even before the Bretton Woods agreement, the British Pound was pegged to the US Dollar and vice versa. In 1944, at the height of WW2, the Brits and the US met at a golf club in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire and agreed that their currencies, plus that of their wartinme allies, should have a fixed exchange rate. How would they achieve this? They would each hold gold in their central banks to back up their currencies. But this was not enough. Also at that time, the IMF and the IDRB (Int'l Bank for construction and Development - at that time mostly for orang putih sahaja because half the world was the British Empire and the other half was the French, Dutch, American and German empire) had also come into being. So they agreed that if any of the Bretton Woods countries had foreign exchange reserve problems, the IMF would extend emergency loans to that country.

Based on this agreement, and the safety net provided by the IMF and the IDRB, their exchange rates were kept stable - within a difference of 1% fluctuation only. But there were other more ridiculous aspects of Bretton Woods. Only the US Dollar could be converted into gold, the price of gold had to be maintained at a certain level and stuff. Quite impossible. Since 1865 (end of American Civil War), the US remains the most viable and robust nation on the surface of the earth. The fact that the US also has aircraft carriers, nuclear bombs and such are secondary. The US Dollar became a global currency even without these weapons of war. Compared to the US, as late as 1962, France was close to becoming a military dictatorship (the rebel 'colons' almost overthrew General DeGaulle). Around that time France also had to introduce a new currency, the 'new' French Franc. Spain was ruled by the dictator Generalissimo Francisco Franco from 1947 until 1975. Germany was divided and under constant threat of war until 1989. These are not exactly the conditions that build great confidence in your currency's international stature.Then just six years ago, in 2002 the Western European currencies disappeared and were replaced by the Euro, which was officially introduced in 1999. The Euro was physically launched in 2002 at parity with the US Dollar. But the Euro has now surpassed the US Dollar at 1.36:1. Why? Simply because the Euro zone (15 countries altogether?) is now the largest economic grouping in the world, with a combined GDP that exceeds the USD12.0 Trillion of the US.The Euro is not yet as popular as the US Dollar but it is geting there.


The US Dollar derives a lot of strength from the fact that many people around the world are reassured that as a country America is quite unshakeable and for the foreseeable future it will remain a rich, powerful and stable country. You can rely on the fact that when we wake up tomorrow America will still be around. This simply means that whether they like it or not, whether they agree or not, whether they are aware or not, people around the world still place their trust in the United States of America.

The point is, not only oil is priced in US Dollars but even the currencies of countries are valued in US Dollars. And the trade in foreign currencies is many times larger than the trade in oil. How many times larger? The trade in foreign Currencies is estimated to be USD2.0 Trillion PER DAY!! And most of this Forex trade is done in US Dollars. So that is how 'Almighty' the US Dollar is. Global oil trade is only a fraction of the currency trade. Then gold is also traded in US Dollars. But the greatest demand for US Dollars is between countries that export goods. Usually when a country exports goods, it wants payment in its own currency. When we export palm oil to Pakistan, we want to be paid in Ringgit, not in Pakistani Rupees. Therefore Pakistani importers must 'buy' our Ringgit (using their Rupees) and then give us the Ringgit in exchange for the palm oil. So technically the more we export, the more the demand for our Ringgit - hence our Ringgit will increase in value (or strengthen). But this is not always the case. Sometimes exporters do not want to be paid in the currencies of their home countries. For example in the 80sand 90s (and maybe even now) Indonesian exporters frequently wanted to be paid in US Dollars for their exports - not in their own Indonesian rupiahs. This is because their currency was suffering uncertainty -meaning fluctuation in value on a daily basis, instability etc.Or their country may be suffering increasing rates of inflation which may make their Rupiah earnings become smaller. So they want to bepaid in US Dollars which they will later convert to Rupiahs at a more opportune time. If their currency deteriorates further, they will exchange the US Dollars and get even more Rupiahs. So the US Dollar is going to be around for a while. The main reason is because America is a stable, rich, very progressive, extremely creative and productive country. And they are a democracy which values freedom. This is the underlying strength of the US Dollar. This is why the US Dollar is still Almighty. Just for your information, in the last week, despite the financial crisis, the US Dollar has strengthened against almost all world currencies except the Japanese Yen.

Thailand tiger temple - Interesting and astonishing

Thailand tiger temple

Tiger Temple is the place where you can meet some friendly tigers… or that’s what they say.
http://www.tigertemplethailand.com/tours_tiger_temple_thailand.html

Ripleys believe it or not!

Got this rare picture in email. Believe it or not!

Did u get the catch?

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If you look from the bottom to the top you would notice that the picture is morphed. There are around 7-8 lines which shows the manipulation job

The Mobile Store – Fooling around people for HTC Phones.

The mobile store have been advertising about HTC phones as some very discounted prices, and in reality they do not have a single piece forget to sell not even for display in any store in any city in India. They advertised the price of HTC TYTN II or HTC 4550 at 24999 along with some offers. I happened to book the phone in one of the stores and they committed that they will arrange the phone in next 2 days. 2 days became 12 and they one of their sales rep gave me a sorry call stating that the phone is not available. It was highly frustrating and someone who booked a HTC phone or was waiting on the commitment that the stock would be available next week (Which never came) would know.

According to me, very unprofessional way of doing business, I should say by Mobile Store. If they didn’t have a single phone in stock, there was no need to put false pricing and then mislead customer’s causing unnecessary disappointment. They could have upfront told customer and removed the phone from their website as available. As per them the company was not producing enough stock, so how come its available in the market at other stores. So no need to spoil the brand of HTC by giving false alibi.

I hope this blog reaches the mobile store and HTC management that how much the brand image has been tampered and is getting tampered day by day.

SARDAR DETECTIVE

SARDAR DETECTIVE




A policeman was testing 3 Singh brothers who were training to become
detectives.


To test their skills in recognizing a suspect, he shows the
first Singh a picture for 5 seconds and then hides it. "This is your
suspect, how would you recognize him?"


The first Singh answers, "That's
easy, we'll catch him fast because he only has one eye!" The policeman
says, "Well...uh.. .that's because the picture I showed is his side
profile."



Slightly flustered by this ridiculous response, he flashes the picture for
5 seconds at the second Singh and asks him, "This is your suspect, how
would
you recognize him?"



The second Singh smiles and says, "Ha! He'd be too easy
to catch because he only has one ear!" The policeman angrily responds,


"What's the matter with you two? Of course only one eye and one ear are
showing because it's a picture of his side profile! Is that the best answer
you can come up with?"



Extremely frustrated at this point, he shows the picture to the third Singh
and in a very testy voice asks, "This is your suspect, how would you
recognize him?



He quickly adds, "Think hard before giving me a stupid answer." The Singh
looks at the picture intently for a moment and says, "The suspect wears
contact lenses." The policeman is surprised and speechless because he
really doesn't know himself if the suspect wears contacts or not.

"Well, that's an interesting answer. Wait here for a few minutes while I check his file and I'll get back to you on that." He leaves the room and goes to his office,


checks the suspect's file in his computer, and comes back with a beaming
smile on his face.



"Wow! I can't believe it. It's TRUE! The suspect does in fact wear contact
lenses. Good work! How were you able to make such an astute observation? "



"That's easy," the Singh replied. "He can't wear regular glasses because he
only has one eye and one ear."

Now this is funny... Laugh your heart out

Bomb and Sardar
2 sardaron ko 2 bomb mile,
1st Sardar: chal police ko de k aate hain.
2 sardar: agar koi bomb raaste me phat gaya to?
1st sardar: jhoot bol denge ki 1 hi mila tha


Doctor And Sardar
Sardar 2 doctr: Mujhe 1 problem hai
DR: Kya?
Sardar: Baat karte waqt aadmi dikhai nahi deta
Dr: aisa kab hota hai?
Sardar: Phone karte waqt


Sardar and Home
Man: Sardar jee aap ko garmi lagti hai to kya karte ho?
Sardar: AC k paas ja k baith jata hun
Man: Agar phir bhi garmi lage to?
Sardar: To A/C on kar leta hun


Sardar and pray
A sardar prays daily for 2 hours,
"He Vahe Guru meri lottery lagade."
After 11 years Vahe Guru angrily appeared & said,"Khoti de puttar 1 vari ticket to le le"


The real Sardar
Ek sardar ki chatri me hole tha,
kisine pucha, umbrella me hole kyun?
Sardar bola, Oye barish ruk jayegi to pata kaise chalega


Sardar and Hitler
Hitler says,
"There is no word like IMPOSSIBLE in my dictionary"
Sardar says: Ab bolne se kya faayda? "Jub kharidi thi tab hi check karna tha na"


Sardar and Computer
Sardar: Yar mujhe 1 hathora or keel chahiye computer k lye.
Sales man: Magar computer me inka kya kaam?
Sardar: Oye yaar mujhe computer me windows lagani hai.


Two Sardards
1st sardar: oye agar neend na aaye to kya kia jaaye?
2nd Sardar: Neend ka intizar karne se achha hai ki banda soo hi jaye
1 sardar rail ki patri per so gaya .
1 aadmi ne kaha kya kar rahe ho? Train aayegi to mar jaoge!
Sardar: Mere uper se jahaaz guzar gaya to kuch nahi hua, train kya cheez hai?


Sardar and Police
Police: Tumhe kal subah 5 baje phaasi di jayegi.
Sardar: Ha Ha Ha Ha!
Police: Kyon hasn rahe ho?
Sardar: Main to uthta hi subha 9 baje hun.


Sardar and Practical
In bio practical:
Examiner: Tell me the name of this bird by seeing its legs only?
Sardar: I don't know.
Examiner: You r failed, what's your name?
Sardar: See my legs & tell my name

Call of the CUPID

Now this is what is called as the contact of the CUPID......

Management - Employee rating relationship. Think out of the Box

I read this recently and thought of sharing the same with you........ Hope it makes some sense…


Every company has a performance appraisal system in place to measure the effectiveness of its employees.
Employees are normally rated in most of the companies in the above categories. Apart from the above non performance category is also there, which is not depicted here ) . Needless to say everyone wants to be rated Outstanding.
What is the yard stick and how do you measure these aspects?
• Employee "A" in a company walked up to his manager and asked what my job is for the day?
• The manager took "A" to the bank of a river and asked him to cross the river and reach the other side of the bank.

• "A" completed this task successfully and reported back to the manager about the completion of the task assigned. The manager smiled and said "GOOD JOB"


Next day Employee "B" reported to the same manager and asked him the job for the day. The manager assigned the same task as above to this person also.
• The Employee "B' before starting the task saw Employee "C" struggling in the river to reach the other side of the bank. He realized "C" has the same task.
• Now "B" not only crossed the river but also helped "C" to cross the river.
• "B" reported back to the manager and the manager smiled and said "VERY GOOD JOB"


The following day Employee "Q" reported to the same manager and asked him the job for the day. The manager assigned the same task again.

• Employee "Q" before starting the work did some home work and realized "A", "B" & "C" all has done this task before. He met them and understood how they performed.
• He realized that there is a need for a guide and training for doing this task.
• He sat first and wrote down the procedure for crossing the river, he documented the common mistakes people made, and tricks to do the task efficiently and effortlessly.
• Using the methodology he had written down he crossed the river and reported back to the manager along with documented procedure and training material.
• The manger said "Q" you have done an "EXCELLENT JOB".


The following day Employee "O' reported to the manager and asked him the job for the day. The manager assigned the same task again.

"O" studied the procedure written down by "Q" and sat and thought about the whole task.
He realized company is spending lot of money in getting this task completed. He decided not to cross the river, but sat and designed and implemented a bridge across the river and went back to his manager and said, "You no longer need to assign this task to any one".
The manager smiled and said "Outstanding job 'O'. I am very proud of you."

What is the difference between A, B, Q & O????????
Many a times in life we get tasks to be done at home, at office, at play….,
Most of us end up doing what is expected out of us. Do we feel happy? Most probably yes. We would be often disappointed when the recognition is not meeting our expectation.

Let us compare ourselves with "B". Helping some one else the problem often improves our own skills. There is an old proverb (I do not know the author) "learn to teach and teach to learn". From a company point of view "B" has demonstrated much better skills than "A" since one more task for the company is completed.

"Q" created knowledge base for the team. More often than not, we do the task assigned to us without checking history. Learning from other's mistake is the best way to improve efficiency. This knowledge creation for the team is of immense help. Re-usability reduces cost there by increases productivity of the team. "Q" demonstrated good "team-player" skills,

Now to the outstanding person, "O" made the task irrelevant; he created a Permanent Asset to the team.
If you notice B, Q and O all have demonstrated "team performance" over an above individual performance; also they have demonstrated a very invaluable characteristic known as "INITIATIVE".

Initiative pays of every where whether at work or at personal life.
If you put initiative you will succeed. Initiative is a continual process and it never ends. This is because this year's achievement is next year's task. You cannot use the same success story every year.
The story provides an instance of performance, where as measurement needs to be spread across at least 6-12 months. Consequently performance should be consistent and evenly spread.
Out-of-Box thinkers are always premium and that is what every one constantly looks out for. Initiative, Out-of-Box thinking and commitment are the stepping stone to success.
Initiative should be life long.

Think of out of the box.

Review - Little Italy

Everyone passing by 100 ft road in bangalore, must have noticed Little Italy. We happen to visit it this weekend and having a pleasant experience wanted to jott down about it in our blog.

Firstly, the Ambience.
We simply loved it. Very simple and elegant. We have the option to sit outside on the ground floor or else on the first floor there is a nice sitting. Since it was bit chilly on the day we decided to make ourselves comfortable on the first floor.

The service -
Very very decent service. We had absoultely no problems with the captains explaining us different items on menu, letting us know the quantity sufficient for two. And upon ordered the food was served in a jiffy. So very prompt that we didn't have any endless wait time, staring at other people munching :)
I would rate the service as 9/10.

The Food -
To begin with its a pure veg restruant. So green's the theme. I would say its was EXCELLENT. We just savoured every dish we ordered. Food served hot, well prepared and tasty. No complaints on any of the dishes we ordered.

So in startes, we went with a Spinach Salsa. A dish which is served as crispy toasted breads and a bowl full of molten cheese and spinach. It was awesome.
We went on and ordered a thin crust pizza with the maximum toppins and it felt like our tastebuds got rejunivated after eating pizza hut and dominoes all our lives. Seriously it was good.

From the menu we figured out Brown Rice as an option and instead of a pasta settled for a spicy dish of brown rice. Since the first two dishes were great, we were a bit confident that it won't be dissapointing. It was Good!

So overall the food again gets 9/10.

We ordered a couple of cocktails and in comparison to cocktails at TGIF, or 13th Floor, I wouldn't rate them as equal to food and service. So I highly recommend wine as a safer option, if you like it.

The most important factor. The Price.
On an average every dish would cost you around 200 - 250 in average. So if you do not want to indulge yourself in a drink or two, a dinner for two would cost you around 800-1000 bucks which is absoultely worth the cusine and the service.


Overall it was very plesant evening for us. We hope to visit it soon and then continue on this blog with more info on some other dishes. But highly recommended place.

Karnataka – Marriage Registration

Karnataka – Marriage Registration
It was on the 25th of June, we got our marriage registered and we sighed a breath of relief for getting over with this task. Me and my wife both belong to Maharashtra but I have been residing here in Bangalore for over 3 years now. Having accomplished this task I thought of sharing the experience for all those aspiring to procure their marriage registration certification. For those who are unaware “Marriage registration is made mandatory as per Law in India”
The first thing to note is that you have to find the registration office which maps to your locality. We stay in CV Raman Nagar and the registration office we visited was K R Puram office. So getting started with what all documents are required. Documents need to be photocopies which are submitted with the application.

1. First you need to fill up a form, which can be obtained at the registration office itself. It’s a simple form asking you to fill details like your fullname, fathers name, mothers name, your current residential address, name and details of you witnesses. There are 3 witnesses required.

2. Proof of address for both Bride and Bridegroom. This might be challenging for few people like us who don’t have a permanent residence in Bangalore. So here is the list of acceptable documents
a. Passport mentioning your current address.
b. Driving license
c. Electricity bill.
d. Telephone bill (Landline. We submitted Airtel bill so it is not mandatory that it has to be BSNL)
e. Gas connection proof.
f. Ration Card
g. Voters ID
h. A letter from your company HR.
i. Rent Agreement copy.
j. Bank statement showing your address.

Things to note:
Just the Rent agreement alone will not suffice and is not accepted. You will need to provide atleast 2 of the address proof documents in case you are submitting the Rent Agreement or Letter from your HR stating your current address. In our case we submitted a letter from HR along with Airtel Landline bill.

Another important point is that you would need address proof for both Bride and Bridegroom separately.

All the documents need to be in English, Hindi or Kannada.


3. Date of Birth proof for Bride and Bridegroom. The following documents will be acceptable.
a. Passport
b. Date of Birth Certificate
c. Driving license
d. School / College leaving certificate
e. Voters ID

4. Invitation card in original.
5. 5 Copies of 2B size photo. A 2B size photo means a joint photo of Bride and Bridegroom.

Procedure

Step 1:
Fill the form with details and get it verified with the clerk. There will be 2 copies of the form. Attach the photograph on both the forms and both of you should sign on the photographs. The clerk will cross check all the documents attached and then ask for signature of both Bride and Bridegroom on each and every document submitted. After the verification the clerk will stamp on the form.

Step 2:
Take the stamped form to the Marriage Registrar. He will again verify it and sign it.

Step 3:
Take the form to the operator who would enter the details in the registration database and give 3 copies of the certificate. Please ensure that all your spelling and details are correct and then sign a draft before printing the final certificate.

Step 4:
Take the printouts to the clerk. Paste the remaining 3 photos on the 3 certificates and submit it back to the clerk.

Step 5:
The clerk will acknowledge the receipt and you’ll have to sign in the register.

Step 6:
The clerk will then get the certificate stamped and signed from the Marriage Registrar.

Step 7:
Give a broad smile as the work is completed.

Additional details:
- First and foremost, both the Bride and Bridegroom must be present to complete the whole procedure.
- 3 witnesses signature is required. The witnesses need not be in blood relation (We requested a family who had come for their own work to sign for us). The witnesses just need to sign the form and no documents are required of the witnesses to be submitted.
- The whole procedure costed us 2 hrs of our time and 115 Rs. Official fees for registration.
- You need not hire an agent as it is fairly simple to get the work done. Agents typically approach you and may ask anywhere between 500 – 1500 Rs.
- You will receive 2 original copies of the marriage certificate.

I hope the above details help and in case you have doubts you can also mail me on kanumerouno@gmail.com and I’ll be glad to help.

Travelog - Coorg Kushalnagar golden temple dubare

It was the much needed break for all our team members and we decided to go on an overnight journey. Staying in Bangalore the choice wasn’t that difficult to make and everyone agreed to freeze on COORG. So we didn’t have much days in hand and since we were with families and a group of 16 multiple things had to be planned precisely including the venue, the transport, the food and many other miscellaneous things.

So we started our hunt for searching the best venue for us in Coorg. With lot of searching on the internet, visiting various blogs for reviews and other review sources, we narrowed down on 3 places, TATA – Plantation trails, Misty Woods and then finally we searched a fairly new place “Coorg County Resorts”. Coorg County Resorts gave us the flexibility of having as many separate cottages we needed while as in plantation trails has a limited of 5 Rooms. So if you are in a big group, specially families included then it might become a challenge.


So we made our booking in Coorg County Resorts, although couple of reviews we read on http://www.oktatabyebye.com/ were not that well. The reason was we were talking to the GM and he ensured that all what he commits would be done. The resort offered us multiple different types of cottages, so they have around 2 Palace Villas, some 5 Delux Villas, and few Standard Villas and about 10 Delux rooms.

We started off in the morning at around 7.30 although the plan was 6.30 and the delay is self explanatory. By around 10ish we have reached “Kamat’s” on Mysore road where we feasted on hot idlies, wadas and best was onion rava masala dosa. The tea was bit disappointing, but the coffee which I was having was nothing less than great.


Our next stop was Golden Temple – The Buddhist Monarchy. This was the most awesome Buddhist temple I ever saw. The humungous structure is completely gold plates and we were left awed when we saw the huge, around 15 – 18 feet idol, Lord Buddha and 2 other idols on either side of same size which looked like queens and they all were made in GOLD. The environment was nothing less than divine as there were atleast 500 monks reciting chants on the beats of the drums with such harmony and accuracy that made us stand still for moments we knew we will not forget.


Coming out of the temple wasn’t an easy task, but after clicking lot of memorable photos and shooting videos, and keeping the time schedule in mid we had to drag ourselves out. The temperament of ours soon changed as we entered the Tibetan market which is right opposite to the temple. Every one flooded on the feng shui shops and then we could hear nothing but bargaining. I got for myself few good mementos as a Chinese mask, feng shui bells, show pieces and yes Chopsticks which I have been searching for quite some time.


By around 3 we decided that we were on the threshold of messing up our own schedule and that the resort manager had called us to let know that the lunch has been made ready and they are waiting for our arrival. So our planned arrival time was 1.45 at the resort and we reached at 3.15, so we were on a right on spot. So our plan was to finish off lunch and reach madikeri, but that seemed a remote possibility after it started raining. So we decided to settle back in the resort and enjoy the greenery and solitude around.


So let me write about the resort.

http://www.coorgcountyresorts.com/

The resort is on the kushalnagar to madikeri road approximately 10 KM after kushalnagar and 20 KM before madikeri. There is lush greenery around and in the whole premises of the estate. Gardens are well maintained. There is a swimming pool, which is fairly big, but since it rained the day we reached there, we couldn’t enjoy it. The electricity is a constant problem in the entire town, but good that the resort has complete power back on generators to run the hot water geysers and AC’s. In terms of facilities there is a recreation room, which has few indoor games like Pool, Carrom Board, Chess and also a few fitness equipments mostly cardio. We struggled to play pool because one of the cue’s didn’t have a tip, but anyways who was playing seriously. Most of us enjoyed different games throughout the evening.

The rooms are of different types. The best one’s are the Villas and I was staying in the Palace villa which has amenities like AC, Fridge, TV etc. It was decent accommodation and had the look and feel of antique villa with complete wooden furniture. Since all the Villas are located in the vicinity of trees and plants, you have a very good feeling of enjoying nature. But the catch is that you do not have the liberty to keep the door or window open in the evening as you wouldn’t want to become a feast for the mosquitoes. We had to rely on the AC for the ventilation in the room. Overall it was ok and if I have to rate the place on scale of 10, I would rate it 7.5. There are other options as well like the standard villas and deluxe rooms. The furniture in all the rooms was almost similar.

In terms of service, the staff is very courteous but we had some challenges in response time to get some things done. So you can’t expect a 3 start service, but then you can get things done by talking to right people managing the place. In terms of Price the quoted price was around 6500 Rs for the Palace Villa, but for a group of 16 and since we needed atleast 8 cottages we worked out a deal with the resort. I bet you can do the same.


Next day we started off to Dubare, the elephant camp. An ahoy! We actually clicked snaps with elephants bathing in river. There was a small baby elephant who was stealing the show with its childish acts. Being adventure enthusiastic group nothing stopped us from booking a boat to do still water river rafting. We called the boat on the other side of the river and for the next hour 11 of us must have lost atleast 1000 calories and that was thrilling. A must to do experience.


On the way return we had our food at a small but very decent hotel called Kingsway inn which you will find opposite to top in town and just after SBI bank. The food was served amazingly fast and to our surprise it was way too good as compared to many places in Bangalore. I would recommend this place if you need to stop over for lunch.

The journey started back and people with all the adventure in rafting, travelling settled back in the bus and proceeded back to namma bengaluru.


I would love to write more about the size of the blog would go obese. So if you have any queries I would be more than happy to respond to them so you can freely bug me on kanumerouno@gmail.com

Top 50 Things To Do To Stop Global Warming

Top 50 Things To Do To Stop Global Warming

You can find more at: http://globalwarming-facts.info/ 1

Global Warming is a dramatically urgent and serious problem. We
don't need to wait for governments to find a solution for this
problem: each individual can bring an important help adopting a
more responsible lifestyle: starting from little, everyday things. It's
the only reasonable way to save our planet, before it is too late.
Here is a list of 50 simple things that everyone can do in order to
fight against and reduce the Global Warming phenomenon: some
of these ideas are at no cost, some other require a little effort or
investment but can help you save a lot of money, in the middlelong
term!


Don’t forget to check out the original site from which this list was taken:
http://globalwarming-facts.info
Top 50 Things To Do To Stop Global Warming
You can find more at: http://globalwarming-facts.info/ 2


1. Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb
(cfl)
CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300
pounds of carbon dioxide a year.


2. Install a programmable thermostat
Programmable thermostats will automatically lower the heat or air conditioning at
night and raise them again in the morning. They can save you $100 a year on your
energy bill.


3. Move your thermostat down 2° in winter and up 2° in summer
Almost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. You
could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple
adjustment.


4. Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner
Cleaning a dirty air filter can save 350 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.


5. Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases
Look for the Energy Star label on new appliances to choose the most energy
efficient products available.


6. Do not leave appliances on standby
Use the "on/off" function on the machine itself. A TV set that's switched on for 3
hours a day (the average time Europeans spend watching TV) and in standby
mode during the remaining 21 hours uses about 40% of its energy in standby mode.


7. Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket
You’ll save 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple action. You can
save another 550 pounds per year by setting the thermostat no higher than 50°C.


8. Move your fridge and freezer
Placing them next to the cooker or boiler consumes much more energy than if they
were standing on their own. For example, if you put them in a hot cellar room
where the room temperature is 30-35ºC, energy use is almost double and causes an
extra 160kg of CO2 emissions for fridges per year and 320kg for freezers.


9. Defrost old fridges and freezers regularly
Even better is to replace them with newer models, which all have automatic
defrost cycles and are generally up to two times more energy-efficient than their
predecessors.


10. Don't let heat escape from your house over a long period
When airing your house, open the windows for only a few minutes. If you leave a
small opening all day long, the energy needed to keep it warm inside during six
cold months (10ºC or less outside temperature) would result in almost 1 ton of CO2
emissions.




11. Replace your old single-glazed windows with double-glazing
This requires a bit of upfront investment, but will halve the energy lost through
windows and pay off in the long term. If you go for the best the market has to offer
wooden-framed double-glazed units with low-emission glass and filled with argon
gas), you can even save more than 70% of the energy lost.


12. Get a home energy audit
Many utilities offer free home energy audits to find where your home is poorly
insulated or energy inefficient. You can save up to 30% off your energy bill and
1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Energy Star can help you find an energy
specialist.


13. Cover your pots while cooking
Doing so can save a lot of the energy needed for preparing the dish. Even better
are pressure cookers and steamers: they can save around 70%!


14. Use the washing machine or dishwasher only when they are full
If you need to use it when it is half full, then use the half-load or economy setting.
There is also no need to set the temperatures high. Nowadays detergents are so
efficient that they get your clothes and dishes clean at low temperatures.


15. Take a shower instead of a bath
A shower takes up to four times less energy than a bath. To maximise the energy
saving, avoid power showers and use low-flow showerheads, which are cheap and
provide the same comfort.


16. Use less hot water
It takes a lot of energy to heat water. You can use less hot water by installing a low
flow showerhead (350 pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year) and washing your
clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year) instead of hot.


17. Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible
You can save 700 pounds of carbon dioxide when you air dry your clothes for 6
months out of the year.


18. Insulate and weatherize your home
Properly insulating your walls and ceilings can save 25% of your home heating bill
and 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Caulking and weather-stripping can
save another 1,700 pounds per year. Energy Efficient has more information on how
to better insulate your home.


19. Be sure you’re recycling at home
You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste
your household generates.


20. Recycle your organic waste
Around 3% of the greenhouse gas emissions through the methane is released by
decomposing bio-degradable waste. By recycling organic waste or composting it if
you have a garden, you can help eliminate this problem! Just make sure that you
compost it properly, so it decomposes with sufficient oxygen, otherwise your
compost will cause methane emissions and smell foul.


21. Buy intelligently
One bottle of 1.5l requires less energy and produces less waste than three bottles of
Top 50 Things To Do To Stop Global Warming
You can find more at: http://globalwarming-facts.info/ 4
0.5l. As well, buy recycled paper products: it takes less 70 to 90% less energy to
make recycled paper and it prevents the loss of forests worldwide.


22. Choose products that come with little packaging and buy refills when you can
You will also cut down on waste production and energy use... another help against
global warming.


23. Reuse your shopping bag
When shopping, it saves energy and waste to use a reusable bag instead of
accepting a disposable one in each shop. Waste not only discharges CO2 and
methane into the atmosphere, it can also pollute the air, groundwater and soil.


24. Reduce waste
Most products we buy cause greenhouse gas emissions in one or another way, e.g.
during production and distribution. By taking your lunch in a reusable lunch box
instead of a disposable one, you save the energy needed to produce new lunch
boxes.


25. Plant a tree
A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Shade provided
by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15%. The Arbor Day
Foundation has information on planting and provides trees you can plant with
membership.


26. Switch to green power
In many areas, you can switch to energy generated by clean, renewable sources
such as wind and solar. In some of these, you can even get refunds by government
if you choose to switch to a clean energy producer, and you can also earn money
by selling the energy you produce and don't use for yourself.


27. Buy locally grown and produced foods
The average meal in the United States travels 1,200 miles from the farm to your
plate. Buying locally will save fuel and keep money in your community.


28. Buy fresh foods instead of frozen
Frozen food uses 10 times more energy to produce.


29. Seek out and support local farmers markets
They reduce the amount of energy required to grow and transport the food to you
by one fifth. Seek farmer’s markets in your area, and go for them.




30. Buy organic foods as much as possible
Organic soils capture and store carbon dioxide at much higher levels than soils
from conventional farms. If we grew all of our corn and soybeans organically, we’d
remove 580 billion pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere!
31. Eat less meat
Methane is the second most significant greenhouse gas and cows are one of the
greatest methane emitters. Their grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause them to
produce methane, which they exhale with every breath.



32. Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking, carpooling or taking
mass transit wherever possible
Avoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 pounds of
carbon dioxide emissions a year! Look for transit options in your area.


33. Start a carpool with your coworkers or classmates
Sharing a ride with someone just 2 days a week will reduce your carbon dioxide
emissions by 1,590 pounds a year. eRideShare.com runs a free service connecting
north american commuters and travelers.


34. Don't leave an empty roof rack on your car
This can increase fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 10% due to wind
resistance and the extra weight - removing it is a better idea.


35. Keep your car tuned up
Regular maintenance helps improve fuel efficiency and reduces emissions. When
just 1% of car owners properly maintain their cars, nearly a billion pounds of carbon
dioxide are kept out of the atmosphere.


36. Drive carefully and do not waste fuel
You can reduce CO2 emissions by readjusting your driving style. Choose proper
gears, do not abuse the gas pedal, use the engine brake instead of the pedal
brake when possible and turn off your engine when your vehicle is motionless for
more than one minute. By readjusting your driving style you can save money on
both fuel and car mantainance.


37. Check your tires weekly to make sure they’re properly inflated
Proper tire inflation can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Since every gallon
of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, every
increase in fuel efficiency makes a difference!


38. When it is time for a new car, choose a more fuel efficient vehicle
You can save 3,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year if your new car gets only 3
miles per gallon more than your current one. You can get up to 60 miles per gallon
with a hybrid! You can find information on fuel efficiency on FuelEconomy and on
GreenCars websites.


39. Try car sharing
Need a car but don’t want to buy one? Community car sharing organizations
provide access to a car and your membership fee covers gas, maintenance and
insurance. Many companies – such as Flexcar - offer low emission or hybrid cars too!
Also, see ZipCar.


40. Try telecommuting from home
Telecommuting can help you drastically reduce the number of miles you drive
every week. For more information, check out the Telework Coalition.


41. Fly less
Air travel produces large amounts of emissions so reducing how much you fly by
even one or two trips a year can reduce your emissions significantly. You can also
offset your air travel carbon emissions by investingin renewable energy projects.


42. Encourage your school or business to reduce emissions
You can extend your positive influence on global warming well beyond your home
by actively encouraging other to take action.


43. Join the virtual march
The Stop Global Warming Virtual March is a non-political effort to bring people
concerned about global warming together in one place. Add your voice to the
hundreds of thousands of other people urging action on this issue.


44. Encourage the switch to renewable energy
Successfully combating global warming requires a national transition to renewable
energy sources such as solar, wind and biomass. These technologies are ready to
be deployed more widely but there are regulatory barriers impeding them. U.S.
citizens, take action to break down those barriers with Vote Solar.


45. Protect and conserve forest worldwide
Forests play a critial role in global warming: they store carbon. When forests are
burned or cut down, their stored carbon is release into the atmosphere -
deforestation now accounts for about 20% of carbon dioxide emissions each year.
Conservation International has more information on saving forests from global
warming.


46. Consider the impact of your investments
If you invest your money, you should consider the impact that your investments and
savings will have on global warming. Check out SocialInvest and Ceres to can learn
more about how to ensure your money is being invested in companies, products
and projects that address issues related to climate change.


47. Make your city cool
Cities and states around the country have taken action to stop global warming by
passing innovative transportation and energy saving legislation. If you're in the U.S.,


join the cool cities list.
48. Tell Congress to act
The McCain Lieberman Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act would set a firm
limit on carbon dioxide emissions and then use free market incentives to lower
costs, promote efficiency and spur innovation. Tell your representative to support it.


49. Make sure your voice is heard!
Americans must have a stronger commitment from their government in order to
stop global warming and implement solutions and such a commitment won’t come
without a dramatic increase in citizen lobbying for new laws with teeth. Get the
facts about U.S. politicians and candidates at Project Vote Smart and The League
of Conservation Voters. Make sure your voice is heard by voting!


50. Share this list!
Send this page via e-mail to your friends! Spread this list worldwide and help people
doing their part: the more people you will manage to enlighten, the greater YOUR
help to save the planet will be (but please take action on first person too)!


If you like, you are free to republish, adapt or translate the list and post it in
your blog, website or forum: we only ask you to give us credit with a link to
the original source.
Thank you.

Original source: http://globalwarming-facts.info/50-tips.html

I am using BACKLE - How about you?

Next time you google anything, think twice. You can save some energy by using Blackle, a variant of google. Howzzat?

www.blackle.com

How is Blackle saving energy?


Blackle was created by Heap Media to remind us all of the need to take small steps in our everyday lives to save energy. Blackle searches are powered by Google Custom Search.
Blackle saves energy because the screen is predominantly black. "Image displayed is primarily a function of the user's color settings and desktop graphics, as well as the color and size of open application windows; a given monitor requires more power to display a white (or light) screen than a black (or dark) screen." Roberson et al, 2002


In January 2007 a blog post titled Black Google Would Save 750 Megawatt-hours a Year proposed the theory that a black version of the Google search engine would save a fair bit of energy due to the popularity of the search engine. Since then there has been skepticism about the significance of the energy savings that can be achieved and the cost in terms of readability of black web pages.



We believe that there is value in the concept because even if the energy savings are small, they all add up. Secondly we feel that seeing Blackle every time we load our web browser reminds us that we need to keep taking small steps to save energy.
How can you help?
We encourage you to set Blackle as your home page. This way every time you load your Internet browser you will save a little bit of energy. Remember every bit counts! You will also be reminded about the need to save energy each time you see the Blackle page load.
Help us spread the word about Blackle by telling your friends and family to set it as their home page. If you have a blog then give us a mention. Or put the following text in your email signature: "Blackle.com - Saving energy one search at a time".


Have a look at our energy saving tips page for ideas on steps you can take to save energy.
There are a lot of great web sites about saving energy and being more environmentally friendly. They are full of great tips covering the little things that we can all do to make a difference today. Try Blackling "energy saving tips" or visit one of the many great blogs dedicated to environmental awareness.

I pledge to save water, as every drop counts!

I saw this underprivileged boy this morning at a traffic junction. He was quenching his thirst with the water leaking from the tanker’s outlet. The boy appeared very thirsty but the signal turned green and the water tanker moved. The boy, I guess, remained thirsty.


















I couldn’t stop myself from capturing this moment using my mobile phone. The boy, however, has left several questions in my mind…

Am I wasting water? Am I consciously saving water every day?

Do I let the water running while I brush my teeth/ shave? Can I close the tap during all such activities?

Do I use water judiciously while taking a shower/ bath? Or do I just use it because it is flowing through the tap?

Do I drink the water left in the water bottle overnight at my desk? Or do I just empty the water bottle in to the sink, saying “this is stale water, from yesterday”?

Do I stop the person waiting on me at the restaurant from refilling my glass of water after the meal is over and the cheque is being settled? In most cases, this glass full of water goes waste as I walk away after settling the cheque.

Do I monitor the quantity of water being used to wash my car? Can I make do in just half a bucket (10 – 15 liters) as against using a hose pipe to wash the car?

Is the washing machine at home being serviced at regular intervals to ensure optimal usage of water?

If I’m buying a house/ apartment, did I ask the developer if the building is equipped for rain water harvesting?

Do I insist for a 24x7 water supply in the apartment/ house where I stay? Do I really need a 24 x 7 water supply?

Am I aware that water is a perishable resource? Am I spreading the awareness whenever & wherever possible?

I pledge to save water, as every drop counts!

How to know if the product is "Made in China"

I got this information in an email and thought it would be useful to be cautious while buying some imported stuff, specifically food items / edibles.


The whole world is scared of China made "black hearted goods"Can you differentiate which one is made in Taiwan or China? Let me tell! u ... the first 3 digits of barcode 690, 691, 692 is made in CHINA. Do not ever buy it for your own health.471 is Made in TaiwanThis is a human right to know, but the government and related department never educate the public, therefore we have to rescue ourselves. Remember.

00-13: USA & Canada
20-29: In-Store Functions
30-37: France
40-44: Germany
45: Japan (also 49)
46: Russian Federation
471: Taiwan
474: Estonia
475: Latvia
477: Lithuania
479: Sri Lanka
480: Philippines
482: Ukraine
484: Moldova
485: Armenia
486: Georgia
487: Kazakhstan
489: Hong Kong
49: Japan (JAN-13)
50: United Kingdom
520: Greece
528: Lebanon
529: Cyprus
531: Macedonia
535: Malta
539: Ireland
54: Belgium & Luxembourg
560: Portugal
569: Iceland
57: Denmark
590: Poland
594: Romania
599: Hungary
600 & 601: South Africa
609: Mauritius
611: Morocco
613: Algeria
619: Tunisia
622: Egypt
625: Jordan
626: Iran
64: Finland
690-692: China
70: Norway
729: Israel
73: Sweden
740: Guatemala
741: El Salvador
742: Honduras
743: Nicaragua
744: Costa Rica
746: Dominican Republic
750: Mexico
759: Venezuela
76: Switzerland
770: Colombia
773: Uruguay
775: Peru
777: Bolivia
779: Argentina
780: Chile
784: Paraguay
785: Peru
786: Ecuador
789: Brazil
80 - 83: Italy
84: Spain
850: Cuba
858: Slovakia
859: Czech Republic
860: Yugoslavia
869: Turkey
87: Netherlands
880: South Korea
885: Thailand
888: Singapore
890: India
893: Vietnam
899: Indonesia
90 & 91: Austria
93: Australia
94: New Zealand
955: Malaysia
977: International Standard Serial Number for Periodicals (ISSN)
978: International Standard Book Numbering (ISBN)
979: International Standard Music Number (ISMN)
980: Refund receipts
981 & 982: Common Currency Coupons
99: Coupons


With more and more milk products from China and Taiwan having problem. We really got to check where the things are produced. Here is a way to differentiate Taiwan made products and China made products : by looking at first three digits of its Bar Code.If the 1st 3 digits are 690, 691 or 692 - China madeIf the 1st 3 digits are 471 - Taiwan madeSo please spread the words to everyone......
Nowadays, China businessmen know the consumers do not prefer products "made in china", so they won't show made from which country.However, you may now refer to the barcodes, if the first 3 digits is 690-692 then it is made in China.

Best Wedding Invitation card

This has to be one of the most interesting wedding card I've seen ... Amazing creativity.

Congratulation to the wedding couple!!

What do words actually mean

This is a very common email forward ... but since it light hearted humor ... posting it on my blog

Real Meaning of these terms…


School : A place where Papa pays and Son plays.

Life Insurance : A contract that keeps you poor all your life so that you can die Rich.

Nurse : A person who wakes U up to give you sleeping pills.

Marriage : It's an agreement in which a man loses his bachelor degree and a woman gains her masters.

Divorce : Future tense of Marriage.

Lecture : An art of transferring information from the notes of the Lecturer to the notes of the students without passing through "the minds of either"

Conference : The confusion of one man multiplied by the number present.

Compromise : The art of dividing a cake in such a way that everybody believes he got the biggest piece.

Dictionary : A place where success comes before work.

Conference Room : A place where everybody talks, nobody listens and everybody disagrees later on.

Father : A banker provided by nature.

Criminal : A guy no different from the rest....except that he got caught.

Boss : Someone who is early when you are late and late when you are early.

Politician : One who shakes your hand before elections and your Confidence after.

Doctor : A person who kills your ills by pills, and kills you by bills.

Classic : Books, which people praise, but do not read.

Smile : A curve that can set a lot of things straight.

Office : A place where you can relax after your strenuous home life.

Yawn : The only time some married men ever get to open their mouth.

Etc . : A sign to make others believe that you know more than you actually do.

Committee : Individuals who can do nothing individually and sit to decide that nothing can be done together.

Experience : The name men give to their mistakes.

Atom Bomb : An invention to end all inventions.

Philosopher : A fool who torments himself during life, to be spoken of when dead

E-ticket and Identification proof information for Indian Railway

Here is some really valuable piece of information which can help you in case you are not carrying the same identity proof which you have mentioned in your E-ticket for railway journey.

Government of India (Bharat Sarkar)
Ministry of Railways (Rail Mantralya)
Rail Bhawan
*****
No. 2004/TG-I/10/P/E-Ticket ID New Delhi, Dated: 08.10.2008
The Chief Commercial Managers,
All Indian Railways.
The Managing Director,IRCTC,
Bank of Baroda Building, Parliament Street, New Delhi.
MD/CRIS, Chankya Puri, New Delhi.
(Commercial Circular No. 56 of 2008)
Sub: e-tickets – Photo ID.
Ref: - This office letter of even number dated 22.12.2004 (Commercial Circular No.49 of 2004).
----------
As per the instructions contained in this office letter dated 22-12-2004 referred to above, the passenger booking e-tickets has to specify at the time of booking the type of one of the specified identification card, he/she will be carrying during the journey. In case the passenger forgets to carry that proof, he/she is considered travelling without ticket and penalized accordingly, even if he/she has some other valid proof to establish his/her identity. This has become a cause of complaint and is acting as impediment in the proliferation of e-ticketing.
2. The matter has been reviewed and it has been decided as under:-

(i) The existing provision of specifying the type of proof of identification at the time of booking e-ticket should be dispensed with.


(ii) Since the condition of indicating proof of identity has been dispensed with, the concept of master passenger (whose ID is indicated on the ticket - two permissible at present) will no longer be there. In fact, during the journey even if any one passenger booked on an e-ticket presents any of the five identity cards mentioned below in original, the same may be accepted as proof of identity:-


a) Voter Identity Card.

b) Passport.

c) PAN Card.

d) Driving Licence; and

e) Photo identity cards issued by Central/State Government.

It will be the responsibility of the passenger carrying any one proof of identification mentioned above that the other passengers booked on the e-ticket are bonafide passengers and are not travelling on someone else’s name.
Contd…2
[ 2 ]

(iii) If none of the passenger is carrying any one the proof of identity as mentioned in para (ii) above, the passengers will be treated as travelling without ticket and shall be charged accordingly.


(iv) The existing provision of carrying Electronic Reservation Slip(ERS) will continue and if the passenger fails to carry the ERS, a penalty of Rs.50/- will be imposed.


(v) There will be no change in other instructions regarding e-ticketing scheme.


(vi) Necessary Software changes arrangements may be made accordingly by CRIS/IRCTC who will inform the date of effect to this office as well as all zonal Railways.


(vii) Suitable instructions may be issued to all concerned particularly ticket checking staff so that no inconvenience is caused to the bonafide passengers booked on e-ticket.


(viii) Staff involved in harassment of e-ticket users should be dealt with strictly and it may be ensured that there is no complaint on account of ignorance of this provision.


(ix) Wide publicity should be given by IRCTC and zonal railways about this feature for the information of general public.


(x) A review of the changes made will be undertaken after six months taking into account the following factors:-


a) The number of occasions in which the name of the passenger was got changed in tickets booked as e-tickets;


b) Misuse of the changed provisions by unscrupulous element;


c) Any other information received from Zonal Railways or some other sources.

3. Zonal Railways may, therefore, send the month-wise details of incidence mentioned in para 2(x) above during the first four months of making this provision by CRIS/IRCTC, to enable this office to review the modified provisions.
4. This issues with the concurrence of Finance Directorate of Ministry of Railways.
(Dr. Monica Agnihotri)
Director Passenger Marketing,
Railway Board
No. 2004/TG-I/10/P/E-Ticket ID New Delhi, Dated: 08.10.2008

Some of the important Bangalore numbers

Some of the important Bangalore numbers


Airlines

Domestic Airlines

* Air Deccan: 98457-77008
* Air Sahara: 25584417
* Indian Airlines: 140 / 142 / 25226233
* Jet Airways: 25226576 / 25226577 / 25220688 / 25229873
* Kingfisher Airlines: 4197 9797
* SpiceJet: 1800 180 3333 (BSNL)
* GoAir: 1800 222 111 (BSNL)


International Airlines

* Air India: 22277747
* Air France: 2558 9397
* Air New Zealand: 2224 4625
* British Airways: 2227 1205
* Cathay Pacific: 2226 9745
* Delta Airlines: 2227 3439
* Gulf Air: 2559 4242
* KLM Northwest Airlines: 2226 9854
* Kuwait Airways: 2558 6533
* Malaysian Airlines: 2212 2991
* Quantas Airlines: 2225 8594
* Saudi Arabian Airlines: 2227 6614
* Singapore Airlines: 2286 7868
* South African Airways: 2224 4623
* Srilankan Airlines: 2207 5020
* Swiss Air: 2286 7873
* Thai Airways: 4112 4333
* United Airlines: 2224 4620


Ambulance

* Accident Relief Care: 2220777
* Ambicare: 23323560
* Ambu Care: 26342063
* Ambulance Services: 23367548
* Bangalore Hospital: 26562753
* Bowring Lady Curzon Hospital: 25591362
* City Corp-Cantonment: 25571488
* City Corp-City Area: 22277789
* ESI Hospital: 23324112
* Gayathri Hospital: 23352085
* HOSMAT: 25593797
* Indian Red Cross Society: 22264205
* Jayadeva Hospital: 1051
* KC General Hospital: 23341771
* Mallige Medical Center: 22261135
* Mallya Hospital: 22242325
* Manipal Hospital: 25211200
* Ramakrishna Nursing Home: 26633148
* Rotary Life Saving Brigade: 1050
* Sagar Apollo Hospital: 26536700
* Santosh Diagnostic & Scan Center: 25542425
* Sree Chowdeshwari: 23367925
* Shushrutha Ambulance Service: 23447666
* St. Jonhs Ambulance Association: 22295631
* St. Martha's Hospital: 22275084
* St. Philomena's Hospital: 25577046
* Vanivilas Hospital: 26701150
* Victoria Hospital: 26703294
* Yallamma Dasappa Hospital: 22225663


Customer Care Numbers

Hutch Customer Care

* Dial 111 from your Hutch phone or 98860 98860


BSNL Mobile Customer Care

* 94480 24365


Airtel Customer Care

* Dail 121 from your Airtel mobile
* 98450 98450 (Prepaid), 98450 12345 (Postpaid)


Citibank Customer Care Number

* All Citibank customers - 2227 2484.
* Citibank Suvidha account holders - 2227 2265.
* CitiBusiness Customers - 2229 4653.
* Citibank Credit Card - 2227 2484
* Priority service to CitiGold Customers, Diners Club Members &
Citibank Gold Card members - 2229 4653.

ICICI Bank Customer Care Number

* Bangalore - 4113 1877
* Karnataka - 98455 78000


HSBC Customer Care Number

* Banking related - 2558 9595
* Credit card related - 2558 9696


HDFC Customer Care Number

* Debit card related - 9945863333
* Banking related - 5500 3333
* Credit card related - 6622 4332


ABN AMRO Customer Care number

* 4124 5555


SBI Credit Card Customer Care Number

* Toll Free - 1600 180 1290 (BSNL and MTNL)


UTI Bank Customer Care Numbers

* 2537 0615, 2531 7830


IDBI Bank Customer Care Number (Phone Banking)

* 22297000


Manhattan Credit Card Customer Care Number

* 3030 1969


Standard Chartered Credit Card Customer Care Number

* 2558 8888


Bangalore City Corporation

* Complaint Room: 22237455/22221286, Fax: 22223194
* Control Room: 22221188
* Commissioner: 22260707 /22942215 / 98440-99707


Cinema Theatre

* PVR [Forum Mall]: 2206 7511, 787 [Mobile booking], 5110 0787
[Home delivery]
* Inox [Garuda Mall]: SMS Booking 303030, Phone Booking: 5112
8888
* Innovative Multiplex: 2522 5944
* Vaibhav: 23514515 / 23514554
* Cauvery: 23361528
* Rex: 25587350
* Urvashi: 22245551/ 52/ 53
* Symphony: 25585988
* Abhinay: 22872029
* Ajanta: 25514590
* Lavanya: 25362134
* Pallavi: 22223191
* Sagar Talkies: 22263180
* Sangeet: 22865098
* Tribhuvan & Kailash: 22261101
* Lakshmi: 25512716 / 25538179


Electric Supply

* BESCOM (CRCO): 22208938
* 24 hours Service (Centralised Complaints): 22267119


Heartline

* Jayadeva Heart Brigade: 1051
* KIMS Hospital: 26624870
* Manipal Heart Foundation: 25266646
* Narayana Hrudayalaya: 2783500
* Rotary Life Saving Brigade: 1050
* Sagar Apollo Hospital: 26552653
* The Bangalore Hospital: 26565494
* Trinity Heart Foundation: 26563996
* Wockhardt Hospital: 22268888


Helplines

* Accident: 103
* Emergency Help for entire Karnataka [Operation Sanjeevini]:
1062
* Senior Citizens: 1090
* Women: 1099


Postal Service

* Postal Enquiry GPO: 22866772
* Postal Enquiry City: 22874410
* Speed Post Enquiry: 22867302


Police

* Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic)


East: 25588566, West: 23592771

* Police Commissioner: 98440-99707, 22260707 / 22256242


Private Hospitals

* Abhaya Hospital: 26564586
* Acura Specialty Hospital: 41105252
* Agadi Hospital: 22222921
* Al-Ameen Hospital: 22912723
* Alfa: 26540041
* Amar Nursing Home: 26602171
* Ananya Hospital: 26607422
* Bangalore Children's Hospital & Research Centre: 28600552
* Bangalore Hospital: 26565494
* Bangalore Institute Of Oncology: 22225644
* Bangalore Kidney Foundation: 26392695
* Baptist Mission Hospital: 23330323
* Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain Hospital: 22207649
* C M Hospital: 25280461
* C S I Hospital: 22861104
* Chaitanya Nursing Home: 23432633
* Charakas Ayurvedic Clinic & Health Centre: 25211801
* Chhaya Nursing Home: 23342339
* Chord Road Hospital: 23225858
* D V G Hospital: 26913925
* Diacon Hospital: 23329909
* Dr B R Ambedkar Medical College & Hospital: 25465860
* Dr Agarwal Hospital: 22223100
* Dr Sita Bhateja's Nursing Home: 22210701
* Eshwar Hospital: 23495080
* Ganesh Nursing Home: 23610331
* Garden City Hospital: 26346555
* Hitech Kidney Stone Hospital: 22207114
* Hope Infertility Clinic: 25583836
* HOSMAT: 25593792
* Institute of Naturopathy & Yogic Sciences: 23717778
* Jayashree Nursing Home: 23440981
* KIMS Hospital: 26527739
* Kshema Hospital & Trauma Centre: 25424751
* Lake Side Hospital: 25360823
* M S Ramaiah: 23606545
* Malik Dispensary: 22385769
* Mallige Medical Centre: 22203333
* Mallya Hospital: 22277991
* Narayana Hrudayalaya: 7835001
* Northside Hospital & Diagnostic Centre: 23620844
* Novanordisk (24 Hours Diabetic Helpline): 1901338014
* Panacea Hospital: 23228649
* Raj Mahal Vilas Hospital: 23417077
* Ramakrishna Hospital: 26656800
* Ramakrishna Nursing Home: 26633148
* Ravi Kirloskar Memorial Hospital & Research Centre: 28394899
* Republic Hospital: 22211762
* Sagar Apollo Hospital: 26536701
* Santosh Hospital: 25367706
* Sevakshetra Hospital: 26714194
* Shekhar Hospital: 23345901
* Sindhi Charitable Trust Hospital: 22231711
* Sri Satya Sai Hospital: 28411500
* St. John's Medical College & Hospital: 22065000
* St. Philomena's Hospital: 25577047
* St. Theresa's Hospital: 23375332
* Tibetan Medical Center: 23496190
* Trinity Hospital & Heart Foundation: 26563993
* Vijayanagaram Ayurved Bhandar: 23198718
* Vittala International Institute of Ophthalmology: 26722214
* Wockhardt Hospital: 22281146
* Yellamma Dasappa Hospital: 22225643


Railways

* City Railway Station: 22874544
* * Enquiries: 131
* * Reservation Enquiries: 132 / 1361


Taxis

* Unicorn : 9844024365
* Air Link Taxi: 25362222
* KIMS Hospital: 26624870
* Chamundi City Taxi: 25200333 25293222
* City Taxis: 23237191/2
* City Safari: 25539999
* Garden City Taxis: 23437646, 23434274
* Maruthi City Taxi: 23368888, 23369000, 57613332
* Radio Taxis: 23320152
* Raj City Taxis: 23337777, 23634444, 23335666
* Roman Taxis: 25486606, 25486616
* Shree Maruthi City Taxi: 51900000
* Spot Taxis: 25510000
* Taxi Control Room: 23523636


Tourist Information

* KSTDC: 22352902
* For Conducted Tours-KSTDC: 22275883
* ITDC: 22254396
* Government of India Tourism Office: 25585417

Car Care - A very very useful read

I got to read the following in an email .... and gotta give credit to the author for being so emotional, passionate about cars, that he could write such a long but useful and tipfull email.




All of us think sometimes like this in our sub conscious mind. All car lovers, drawn us all here in this great forum. We have cars. We plan to buy cars. We like to keep it in pristine condition as long as possible. All starts with big plan and with big anticipation. But…

Somewhere down the line most of us give up for various reasons. But they’re only reasoning to console our soul and ego. We spend our hard earn money to get our choice but after sometime, we quietly ignore her look and lusture. Again for various reasons. And possibly, for all practical purposes.

Ok, let me not get too philosophical. You bought a car. You just love it. You want to get the best out of it and please admit it…When others look at your car, you expect admiration!
A right feeling, I also admit. But what have you done or what you do to expect that?

Very few ladies and loads of gentlemen of the forum, take care of your car. Here goes an old man’s view of taking care of your loved one.

I’ll try to put my views in order. Within that you may find few points are not really needed to keep your car in that stunning look. Please use your own discretion to accept or reject those points.

All the new generation cars come with basic (code name 2K) paint. It could be different brand names but end result is the same. This paint process comes with an extra step in between, known as ‘clear coat’. This gives you that yummy wet look.

According to me there are three categories of owners. Extremely lucky type, somehow lucky type and god can only help type . Little elaboration needed here.

Extremely lucky type: Owners having paint shades as metallic grey/brown , gold, silver…
Somehow lucky type: Owners having paint shades as white. Beige, grey…..
God can only help type: Owners having paint shades as dark metallic colours, red, deep blue, maroon,…and the worst of the lot, BLACK!!

So, given the basic categories here I start step by step of cleaning a car.

Washing: Don’t pour buckets of water on your car. It’s of no use and a serious offence when it comes to water conservation. Actually speaking, you don’t need more than two (ok, let’s make it three) buckets of water to clean your car on a normal day (I’ll talk about abnormal day little later).
Use separate cloth for body and wheels. Those yellow/brown shade cloth which we get on every traffic signal is useless. Instead, buy that other cloth (mostly blue). Dip that in boiling water with detergent to get rid of unwanted starch and lint. In this process the cloth will become softer also.

Soak the cloth in water (don’t squeeze) and wipe the body with light pressure. Follow the same process for the entire body. By this time your buckets’ water must have changed into dark and mucky. Fill up your bucket again. Wash the hell out of that cloth and start wiping the body dry. A good soft cloth should remove all water marks from the body. Every portion of the body should be done one at a time followed by washing the cloth again in that bucket water.
Few points to remember:
1.Don’t keep your car under the sun while washing.
2.Pour water only on your windshield to loosen the dust and hard particles.
3. Bangalore boys, don’t use borewell water. It’s the fastest way to make your paint fade and allow corrosion to start.
4. Use black and white newspaper to clean the glass area.
5. Remove road tar spots with diesel soaked cloth.
6. Alloys (coated with brake pad’s dust) should be washed with detergent and toohbrush. You can also use ‘armor all’ wheel cleaner for this. Trust me, this one works like magic.

Plastic trims: Use STP’S ‘SON OF A GUN’ . This is mainly for the SANTRO/ELANTRA/GETZ/IKON and etc users. I’m sure all of you must be tired of seeing those vertical grey/white marks there. This is due to grainy texture that Hyundai/Ford loves. ‘SON OF A GUN’ actually creates a coat of oily film and prevents dust and water to settle down.

Leather care: Try to use air conditioner as much as possible. Body acid is the main culprit here. For steering wheel leather (attention, especially Palio users because of their choice of leather) use a little quantity of good leather protection liquid (e.g. ARMOR ALL LEATHER CARE). Upholstery also should go for the same treatment. This may work out a little expensive but remember that you’ve paid through your nose for that leather upholstery.

Fabric care: Vacuum cleaner/ 3M scotch guard and lots of care and attention for not to make it dirty. It’s nice to have chaat and munchies with your girlfriend or wife but try to avoid doing that inside the car. I’m sure you can do it especially when we don’t have any drive in theatre here.

On the road: There are characters on the road who’re are willing to stand straight till such time you find your parking slot next to them. Moment you’re through with your parking, they’ll will find your car is the only one to lean on. They leave behind their fingerprints and their palm prints. Often they use your bumper to rest their shoe to tie lace. They’ll keep their bags and what have they…on top of the bonnet or roof, depending on their height and your cars’. So you come back only to find your car is giving you that dirty look, smeared, smudged with oil and sweat marks Add to that you’ll have a coat of dust from the road and traffic. Extremely lucky types and somehow lucky types are little better of here. So, what do you do? Do nothing and I repeat nothing. Any step to wipe the dust or to clean those marks will lead to greater damage to your paint finish. All you can do is to curse them and drive out. Clean them next morning while thinking about them. Your additional/residual anger will be converted into a physical energy. Only to help you to clean your car better.

Waxing. Sunday special: The toughest part. Great exercise to workout your muscles. Great recipe to burn calories.
If your car has not gone through a proper rubbing and polish for a long time, I suggest visit a professional car care center. Post this when you get back that wet look it’s only a matter of maintaining that. Extremely lucky types and somehow lucky types are little better of here again. For a regular polish use something which has swirl remover. Most of the imported stuffs work wonder but the problem is you don’t get them on a regular basis. The best I’ve used so far was PENZOIL BLUE CORAL. It was a regular import then but just not available now. For clean wax, you pick up anything from the market. Best according to me is TURTLE WAX PLATINUM SERIES. Most available brand in the market is FORMULA 1from USA and you get Chinese fake of the same. Fake one comes with a sun behind the Carnuba tree motif. Back of the can also displays a flying US flag where as the original one has a flat flag graphic.
Don’t go overboard and put wax on plastic trims. You’ll spend triple amount of time to remove them. Be careful not to choke your windshield washers with wax. You’ll never know while polishing but find out no water spraying when you need it most. Regular waxing does not do anything wrong to your paint finish but protects. A freshly waxed paint surface will repeal water . US and other countries residing members can try 3M’s PERFECT-IT rubbing and wax. I’ve tried them once and they’re outstanding.

Remove dried up wax from those curves and trim joints with toothpicks. Dried up wax looks ugly and sticks out like sore thumb.

Abnormal days wash: Like monsoon when all hell breaks loose. Wash inside the mudguard thoroughly. Wash running board (also known as door panel). Wash under the bumper which is not visible generally. Remove floor carpet if you’re in Bombay or some heavily raining place. Wash floor mats regularly. Take the car to a service station and wash under body. A rubber coating does help at the cost of spending 4000/- to 5000/-. Additional value of rubber treatment is its’ noise deadening quality. Not a must but it helps surely.

Rubber parts: Wiper blades should be cleaned with light shampoo. Not regularly but once in 15 days. This process will keep the blades soft and also prevents scratch marks on windshield. Tyres should be scrubbed with detergent (at least once a week) and use STP’S ‘SON OF A GUN’. This product is for rubber also. Apply it evenly with a cloth after spraying..Wait for half hour and wipe it with a dry cloth or cotton waste (what they use for polishing) to get that mat black finish. If you like your tyres to shine..Leave it as is after applying.

Under the bonnet: Service stations would probably use soap/diesel to scrub out the grime but never use their air hose properly to make it bone dry. Insist on that (if need be, pay extra to that washing guy). Diesel soaked rubber/plastic parts are potential threat to retire from their respective duties at odd hours.

Well, I think I’ve covered most of it. This write up is from my experience. There could be difference in opinion as we go along. But all I’ve covered here work for me and hopefully work for all of you also. As I mentioned before, use your judgement and take this note from there.

Falling in ‘God can only help type’ category, I had no choice but to do what I’ve written here.



CAR CARE HELPFUL TIPS WASH POLISH WAX

Get out of Debt ... Now!!

In debt and don't know how to get out of it? Here are six tips to get you started.


1. Make clearing debt a priority


For the moment, don’t look at avenues to invest your money. Just look at channelising all your funds towards getting debt-free.
Look at all the possible avenues from where money could come in: an inheritance, a gift, a bonus, a tax refund.
Use all this additional money towards repaying your loans.
If you get an increment, don’t invest the extra income or spend it. Channelise it towards your loan repayment.
If your loan is a fixed amount every month, then accumulate the increment over a few months and pre-pay your loan.
If your loan is a credit card debt, then repay it every month with this incremental amount.


2. Stop using your card


Talking about credit cards, if you owe a huge amount on your credit card, stop using the card.
Because if you continue to do so, it becomes very difficult to get out of debt.
That’s because the amount that you owe the bank is not just the outstanding amount which you have not cleared. Now, every single payment you make on the card also gets caught up in this loan.
Say you owe the bank Rs 10,000 on your card. This month, you use your card thrice. Twice at a restaurant and once for shopping. You spend Rs 3,000 totally. When your next statement is sent to you, you now owe the bank Rs 10,000 + Rs 3,000.
And, the rate of interest on the outstanding amount (Rs 10,000) is now applied even to the Rs 3,000.
Let’s say the bank charges 2.5%.
That means, you have to pay 2.5% not only on the Rs 10,000 but on Rs 13,000. The more you spend, the bigger your loan gets.


3. Keep a tab

If you are only using cash and no longer using your card, then it is easy to keep tab.
Withdraw just what you need for the month and live within that amount.
If you do not owe any money on your card and are using it, it is difficult to keep a tab on spending.
What you can do is to keep a simple clip/placeholder on your refrigerator and keep all credit card spending counterfoils there.
Or you could keep them in a little box.
Everytime you add to this, total it up. If you have reached your limit, take the card out of your wallet and use it only after you have settled your bill.
Not only will this help you get disciplined but if you constantly see what you spend, you will fear spending more (hopefully!).


4. Curb spending

Ah! Sounds tough?
Not too difficult actually.
Don’t stop spending altogether. Just curb it.
Pick an area or two where you spend a lot: Eating out, shopping, visiting coffee shops, cigarettes. Now cut it down. If you blow up Rs 3,000 every month on eating down, cut it down to Rs 1,500.
Channelise all these extra savings not towards other areas of spending but towards paying back your loan.
That way, you still get to go out though not as often. Don’t worry if your social life is hindered, its only for a while.


5. Prioritise your debt
Don’t try to settle all your debts at one go. You will panic and drown in it.
Prioritise your debt. Select some loans to be paid before the rest.
Don’t just assume that the largest loan must be repaid first. Look at other factors such as the tax benefits and the rate of interest on the loan.
Once you prioritise you loans as “Urgent”, “Not so urgent” and “Can wait”, you will know where to channelise your extra money.


6. Have a time frame
Don’t just promise yourself that you will eventually pay back all your loans and get out of debt.
Give yourself a time frame.
If the debt amount is huge, then give yourself a couple of years.
If it is not too bad, then maybe six months should be fine.
During this period make a sincere effort to get debt free.