Art - Part II

Ambigram craze....
That's what it is! and that's what i'm crazy about right now!

Must be cos of having read Angels&Demons recently.
For the uninformed, here's a lil info.
An ambigram, also sometimes known as an inversion, is a graphical figure that spells out a word not only in its form as presented, but also in another direction or orientation. [from Wiki]

It seems there are different kinds of ambigrams, but my lastest craze is creating 'Rotational Ambigrams', those that are mirror images of themselves. In other words, the image will look exactly similar even if you rotate it by 180 degrees.

Here's a few ambigrams I did @ work, using Corel PSP-X.
I'm still an amateur at it, but I'm getting better!
Its great fun too..another point that can be added to that forthcoming book of mine, "Things I do @ work:The_Uncensored_Edition".

Actually, making ambigrams is not all that hard. It'll take a lil bit of "upside-down" thinking in the beginning, but gradually you get the hang of it and it becomes easier.
As you can see, the first one is my name itself. The second one is the logo that I made for our Multimedia Community here @ MindTree. The 3rd one is the title of this blog. If u wanna verify, all you have to do is save these pics and then rotate them in any ImageViewer s/w. Or you can just screw your neck upside down....or watevaaaa!

Anyone who wants their names to be made into ambigrams...just post a comment and i'll get to it! (For a very reasonable price too...lol.) kiddin! laaayyytaa!

Art - Part I

Sometime back, my friend Beni told me about a site -> mrpicassohead. Pretty simple actually, a place where you could create your own picasso-style art.
Picasso Art is Weird yet Stylish.

Best part is that you can sit in your cubicle and waste away time. If you want to. And if you have nothing better to do.

Here are three I did...

A cricket coach and a football hat-trick

Phew...what a weekend!
Had to go for my DeviceDrivers training program even on Sunday!
Grr..in fact i'm again sitting here in this training session right now blogging.
Want proof? take this.

// {2ED8260D-0706-4656-AFF9-6FBD5278BDC2}
DEFINE_GUID(GUID_SAMPLEIO_DEVICE_INTERFACE_CLASS,
0x2ed8260d, 0x706, 0x4656, 0xaf, 0xf9, 0x6f, 0xbd, 0x52, 0x78, 0xbd, 0xc2);

Hehe..sorry! that was supposed to be pasted in some driver file called genport.c, but anywayz..
I haven't posted in quite a while, partly cos work has just shifted into a higher gear, leaving me with lesser free time, and football training also has spawned itself into a rigorous 3 times/week mode.
I scored my 2nd consecutive hat-trick during football training last Friday. More than a case of good-form, I think it was cos of poor defending by the opposition.However, I got clattered twice during practice, which left my left ankle bruised with shades of black, green, purple and blue.

On Saturday, we had our CA (Consumer Appliances) IG outing to Eagleton Resorts, which is actually a full-fledged golf-course also. We had great fun but I again got injured (this time my knee) while playing extreme diving-prone squash and badminton.Well, while I was walking past the golf-course, actually the lunchroom area :-) , I noticed 4 foreigners sitting at a table. One of them looked oddly familiar, but i wasn't very sure. So I walked by twice, and then ran off and called my friend Umang a.k.a 'Toy' to help confirm. And indeed, my excellent observation skills were right!

The suspected party was our very own Indian Cricket Team Coach - Greg Chapell!

My initial thoughts ->
1. Go upto him, shake hands and take a pic with him.
2. Go upto him and say "Hey mate! How about bringing Ganguly back?"

Choice no:2, I knew, could be met with unexpected and uncontrolled reactions, ranging from showing me the finger (Greg loves doing that if you didn't know)...to an abuse+slap combo (now don't start!) ...to maybe even picking me for our struggling Indian Team (but hey I'm too busy for a part-time job right now) so I decided not to opt for it.

So only Choice no:1 was left. Even while standing there, I saw another guy doing just that. Grrr..i did not have my digicam with me so i had to rush off and get one from my colleagues. But by the time I got back, a small crowd of around 10-15 people had gathered so Greg and his mates decided to flee the scene. Hmm..missed an opportunity...(I meant Greg missed an opportunity to meet ME) :-0 But anywayz....not everyone gets lucky ;-)

That's how my weekend sped by...but atlast chilled out yesterday watching ManUtd thrash Birmingham 3-0, while applying ice to the injury I sustained during football training yest morning too. The third one in three days. Hey, that's a hat-trick in itself!

Ok...it seems today morning's training session has been terminated.
Lunch calls, but more than that, Mafia beckons.
Logging off...

Soccer and the Butterfly Effect

Like i mentioned before, I'm a Sports Freak. So i'm gonna stay with the same theme for this post too.

Most of you must have heard about the Chaos Theory.

In a scientific context, the word chaos has a slightly different meaning than it does in its general usage as a state of confusion, lacking any order. Chaos, with reference to Chaos Theory, refers to an apparent lack of order in a system that nevertheless obeys particular laws or rules. The two main components of chaos theory are the ideas that systems - no matter how complex they may be - rely upon an underlying order, and that very simple or small systems and events can cause very complex behaviors or events. This latter idea is known as sensitive dependence on initial conditions, a circumstance discovered by Edward Lorenz (who is generally credited as the first experimenter in the area of chaos) in the early 1960s.

The Butterfly Effect, first described by Lorenz, vividly illustrates the essential idea of the Chaos Theory. In a 1963 paper for the New York Academy of Sciences, Lorenz had quoted an unnamed meteorologist's assertion that, if chaos theory were true, a single flap of a single seagull's wings would be enough to change the course of all future weather systems on the earth. In the due course of time, this statement was refined to - "If a butterfly flaps its wings in Brazil, there will be a tornado in Texas".

After last week's Champions League encounter between Arsenal and Real Madrid, my good friend Hari Shenoy came up with another definition for the same ->

"If a mid-fielder on any football ground in the world sneezes,
Jose Antonio Reyes of Arsenal will have a fall!"

Here are a few more I added to the list.

"If a defender blinks during a match, the next thing he will
witness is Ronaldinho celebrating a hat-trick."

"If Mikael Silvestre receives the ball, the oppositon
will celebrate a couple of self-goals."

"If Ronaldo (Brazil) scores a goal, he will wake up
wishing it were true." (Reverse Butterfly Effect?)

"If Joe Cole takes a shot on goal, atleast 5 defenders will be
left rueing the result of a wicked deflection."

“If a footballer is tackled and rolls in pain during a match in
any football ground, Jose Mourinho will cite 'simulation' as a
reason to why Chelsea didn't win their match." (With his
sulk-mode on ofcourse.)

and finally...

"If a certain Russian slips on a banana peel and dies,
Chelsea will get relegated to the 2nd division."

A flashback on SUPER SUNDAY

It's funny really.
I've already read three blogs about the exact same topic.
And i know I'm 3 days late too.
But i have to post this. I confess openly - I'm a Sports Freak!
What the hell am i saying? not makin sense? Read on plz.

I got back to Bangalore 2 days ago.The only whole day i got in Tvm to spend time with my family n friends was Sunday.However, ironically, i ended up sitting glued to my TV set for 10+ hours. I coudn't help it..i again confess- I'm a Sports Freak!

Ok, starting off... we had a pretty good Ind v/s Eng test match happening since morning. But this was nothing compared for what was in store that day.

Firstly, F1 started again! I was so damn glad after Qualifying, but my spirits were dampened after seeing Schumi relegated to 2nd place, edged out by Alonso. Kimi came in 3rd. This year's championship looks like its gonna be an edge-of-the-seat thriller. I already can't wait for the next race!

Next, just when F1 got over, a feast of football began. My beloved ManUtd was playin Newcastle where Rooney was on fire, and we ended up winning the match 2-0 when even a 10-0 scoreline would have done justice to the way we played..no i'll change my words..the way we did everything but finish. Maybe 2-0 was actually deserved for the plethora of chances wasted.
Not such a big story but, Arsenal defeated Liverpool 2-1 after that. (Does anyone actually support these teams?..hehe..juz kiddin.)

Ok, best part of the day was taking place at the Wanderers in South-Africa. The cricket match between Aus and SA. What a record-breaking game dude!! 870 runs plus in 100 overs, two 150s, 28 sixes, records just went on tumbling. In the end, South Africa scraped through, winning with one wicket and one ball to spare! They chased down 435 runs! Believe that! Those ESPN guys should have framed the look on Ponting's face when Boucher scored the winning runs and send it to me. I had predicted to my housemates that SA would win the series 3-2 and they did. One of my housemates, Harish even said he would shave his head clean if SA did win. We are still waiting for that. I think it was sweet revenge for SA in more ways than one. Cos SA is the unluckiest team in cricket i feel, right from the '92 WorldCup where Jonty was left staring at the screen which said '22 to win in 1 ball'. The '99 WC where Zulu ran himself out when the scores were level to let Aus go thru. The '03 WC when a bad Duckworth-lewis system mistake meant that Boucher didn't take a single of the last ball cos he thought SA were thru.

Sweet Revenge i say again.
And in some subtle way, i think that Hansie Cronje too was smiling down on the Wanderers that day.

Return to Innocence

Alrighttyy then! (dunno why i just said that, was it Ace Ventura's line? maybe) Anywayz me back home now in Trivandrum. I'm here just for the weekend. Initial observations:
-Tvm is hot!!! (all u Blore peeps who complain abt d weather shut up!)
-Ferrero Rocher tastes 10 times better when eaten after an year. ;-)
But it feels good to be back home. My bro's back from the UK and my sis+hus has come down too. Family re-union i guess.

Home, Home again..
I long to be here, when i can...

I had a good journey via KSRTC's Airavata Volvo bus. Not bad seriously! Before i boarded the bus, i gota meet my friends Mintu, Lekhsmi, Rekha and Pinku.(ppl i hadn't seen in a long time.) I'd expected the usual kinda bus-trip where i'd isolate myself to my fav music col from my discman. But before i could get to it, I noticed a small kid of max. 4-5 years sitting on his dad's lap on the seat opposite to mine, accross the aisle. The cute small boy was speaking to his dad very excitedly and I could'nt help but eavesdrop on what he was sayin.

Boy: "Daddy!Daddy! how did the dinosaurs die?"
Dad: "Mone..u see.." (i think the dad was thinkin of some good answer which would convince his son..tuff question you see. No-one is sure exactly!)
Boy: "Pooja's mother told me that they died because 'avvaru kootil kerriyilla' (Mallu->Eng translation: they did'nt enter their dens) so they became old,so old and died."

Hahaha..i had to control myself from bursting out laughing. The joy and happiness on the kid's face seeing his dad n mom laugh at this was a sight.The innocence of his answer - humbling.
He didn't stop there.He went on to ask how Gandhi died..and his dad explained to him all about Godse etc. Next question...

Boy: "Daddy, how do the cows give milk?"
Dad: "Mone..cows have the ability to transform water into milk."
The boy seem pretty satisfied with the answer.But he had many questions left...

Boy: "Daddy, how does a small plant become a big tree?"
Dad: "Small plants eat their food and grow big..."
Boy: "Daddy, how do small babies learn to speak language when they grow?"
Dad: "They listen to what their daddy and mummy says and repeat those words. For example, the first word you said was 'Amma'. "

I could'nt control myself after that. I told the dad how smart his kid was and asked him his name. "Nikhil" said the dad. "Say hi,Nikhil" and Nikhil shyly waved his hand and whispered "Hi". He continued quizzing his dad and daddy patiently answered all his questions.

Then came the STUNNER.
Nikhil: "Daddy, you know these people we see on the roads who come and ask us money no? How is it that these people have no money but we have?"
STRIKE 1,2,3.
The Daddy was out without an answer. He fumbled on saying how he had a job..etc etc.

I was left marvelling at the kid's intelligence and curiosity. At his innocent perspective of Life. And this world. Innocence unblemished.
We were all like this at one point. When and how did corruption,pervertism,jealousy,egosim,hatred, and guilt invade us and rob us of this innocence?

I'm not sure but...
I think a 'Return to Innocence' is essential for all of us.
A lesson taught to me by Nikhil on my 'Return back Home'.

:-) cya all ..oh and by the way, Ferrai just got 1-2 in Qualifyin!! Scarlet days back again?? Can't wait for Raceday!!

Hey Lad!

[The below material is the original creation of uSTANnochans Creations. It was written in conditions of extreme boredom in the LGfloor,MT-WC. All rights reserved. All characters mentioned in the peom below are fictional, and any resemblance to a real-life person is an impossible coincidence. Even though you will feel like killing the author after comprehending the poem's extreme senslessness, please avoid doing so since insanity is a trait common to people of his age. No hate mail either.ThankYou]

Hey lad, why do you feel so glad?
When you see a gal scantily-clad?
If she thinks she's lookin rad and it's the latest fad,
Believe me - You could be the model of the next Axe ad!

Hey lad, why do you then become stark raving mad?
Just cos someone like her treats you bad?
It's better to leave such people as they are
Rather than trying to get over it in the nearest bar!

Hey lad, before drowning your sorrows in amber,
Wait a sec and ponder - Is your life a clamber?
If you've fallen into the fire from the frying pan,
It's time for advice from stan_da_man!

It's a Pitty i'm not Brad,
or have a voice like Nickelback's Chad,
else you'd have listened to this crazy ballad,
and earned your bread instead of robbin your dad!

[ThankYou again for reaching this line - THE END ;-)]

A Tribute to Gilmour

Today is March 6th.
Today is David Gilmour's 60th Birthday.
David Gilmour - The voice and guitar of Pink Floyd.

And not by co-incidence surely, today is the release date of David's new solo album 'On an Island', which has been inspired by the Aegean Island of Kastellorizon. For more info, goto David's new offical site.

Here's a photo tribute to David and his Fender Stratocaster.

And the award goes to...

Brrr...whenever boredom sets in, it's time to have some run-time fun! So here I am blogging again, and I've decided to conduct my own awards ceremony, for the best movie dialogues (or rather, the best ones i like) based on random categories of my choice. (Ofcourse, only English movies count - Hindi and Mallu flicks will just have to wait.)
Ok..let's start folks!!

The Best Movie Dialogue in the category of 'Staney Boy's Childhood Favourite' goes to .....
"Hasta la vista, baby" from the movie 'Terminator-2:JD'.
[One of my all-time fav flicks. The only bigger T2-JD fan (than myself) i know is my friend, Somu (who's now onsite in some pattikad in Kerala..hahaha..sorry da!). He knows almost all the dialogues by-heart n in sequence too! This dialogue was the symbol of absolute power and macho-ness for crazzy lil kids like me who used to dream of using big guns to shoot down the baddies like Arnie did!! hehe...crazzzy i was..and still am.]

Ok next one.
The winner in the category of the 'Most awe-inspiring dialogue' goes to .....
"My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the armies of the North, general of the Felix legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next." from the movie 'Gladiator'.
[Another great flick. This dialogue seriously raises goosebumps. Especially the scenario in which it is said, when he comes face-to-face with his sworn enemy - the Emperor, after many years. Brilliant.]

The winner in the category of 'Most Grim and Chillingly-confident dialogue' goes to .....
"I'll make him an offer he can't refuse." from the movie 'GodFather'.
[Only one man could have delivered that dialogue the way it was meant to be said - Marlon Brando. It's the fav of many friends of mine, but none can imitate it better than my friend Ashwin Richie (yo dude! Where in zee blue hell are ya?)]

Let's keep going.
The winner in the category of 'Most saddening and pitiful dialogue' goes to ....
"E.T. phone home" from the movie (what-else-but) 'E.T. : The Extra Terrestrial'
[I don't about you guys, but hearing this line almost made me cry. Dunno why though. Maybe it was the way E.T. said it..hehe.]

The winner in the category of 'Most Romantic dialogue' goes to ....
(hahaha..not from those romantic classics like Gone with the Wind, Casablanca.. nah nah.)
"You make me want to be a better man." from the movie 'As Good as it Gets'.
[Damn! Jack stole my line! hehe. This movie has excellent dialogues all over. Brilliant acting performances from Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt. It's no surprise they both won oscars for their roles. You should see the movie and understand Jack's character to get the essence and feel of this dialogue. It's amazing.]

The winner in the category of 'Most Sarcastically funny Dialogue' goes to ....
"Sell crazy somewhere else, we're all stocked up here." from 'As Good as it Gets' (again)
[Like i said before, you have to see the movie to get the feel of this. And the setting ofcourse. Jack's character is easily the most pessimistic and sarcastic ever! I think almost 50% of his dialogues from the movie can get nominated in this category!]

The winner in the category of 'Biggest Cult Dialogue' goes to ....
"One ring to rule them all,One ring to find them.One ring to bring them all, and in the darkness.....bind them!" from the 'Lord of the Rings'.
[Cult book/movie and one of my all-time favs. Words can't express. JRR and Peter Jackson, thou art great!]

The winner in the category of 'Most Jaw-dropping n Shocking Dialogue' goes to ....
"I am your father" from the 'STAR WARS V : The Empire Strikes Back'
[ wow maaan...the truth-revealing scene is unforgettable, esp for die-hard Star Wars fans like me. You almost utter the next sentence of the movie yourself which is "Noooooooooo..." from Luke Skywalker. George Lucas, thou art great too!]

The last award.
The winner in the category of the 'Best Closing-Line in a movie' goes to ....
"Oh, no. It wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast." from 'King Kong'.
[Excellent way to end a great movie. Me n Shyam were watching it @ INOX and both of us went softly "wooooow" hearing it. Collectively with the audience.]

Ok, that's that. Award Ceremony over. Now for the post-ceremony party, and sorry, none of you are invited!(hahaha) so bye to all for now...cyaaa...(sorry, but) I'm feelin real high and my adrenaline's pumping like hell - maybe cos of listening to DreamTheater non-stop. But I don't care cos this is my blog and i get to rant all i want! hah! (ok,winamp's off, i'm back to my senses) Actually..office-time's up, so i gtg home now. Until next time...