Aala Santhosh Reddy

A strongly contested game of Antakshari was all it took to add some excitement to an other wise normal day at work. It took some time for all of us to decide the team compositions. But better things were in store when someone suggested that a game between the guys and gals would be a good idea. And all of us okayed the this idea without any second thoughts. So it began with some terrific, old and new melodies from Telugu and Hindi movies to get all of us started. And boy it was a strongly contested game.

It also provided us with a chance to see how many singers were amongst us working silently. While and as usually it happens it started with only a few people from each side participating in the game. The backbenchers who remained silent for the initial few sessions started providing their inputs towards the end of the game. We did get to hear some gem-of-a-songs which we normally do not get to listen often. Surprising was the fact that there were hardly any songs from the recent movies. Rather it was the set of those old melodious songs sung by all of us with great gusto that charged up the atmosphere. People I thought forgot their worries as all of them were lost singing and listening to some really wonderful songs.

The kind of expressions, aggression, commitment, energy that was to be seen in many of us should have taken a lot of us by surprise. I am looking forward to the game of 20-20 cricket that we will be playing two days from now. This time it will be for the people (mostly guys) who will be able to display how they can impress others with their performance on the cricket ground.

Hope we have more fun at our workplace. Cheers to a great start.

It has been a long time since I played a game of cricket. Am happy that I will have a chance to play a game 20-20 cricket soon next week (Courtesy: My Employer). And I need to start preparing for the game. Spending an hour in the morning for exercising (running / jogging / walking) will definitely help.

Preferring to walk for the daily errands, a game of cricket in the evening and walking around in the office made sure that I burnt the extra calories all these days. Luckily the physical activities ensured that I stayed lean even though I have a very good appetite. But that could change if I do not pay enough attention. Notice that my waist size is increasing slowly. Just have the feeling that I have taken enough rest.

It is time to start exercising.

The summer in Hyderabad is become unbearable each passing day. Until recently the summer used to be bearable, but no longer now. Thanks to the ever growing population, pollution and the rapidly decreaasing greenery in Hyderabad. Add to that the hundreds or maybe thousands of trees felled to accomodate the growing needs of a A1 Class city.

While the days in summer were getting unbearable every year, the nights did give some respite. Even that has become a rarity now. Moving into our own house which unfortunately is now surrounded by a concrete jungle, I am getting used to sleepless summer nights. There is hardly any breeze and even if we have one that is a gush of hot air making you feel sick and tired.

This reminds me of my school days when summer was the time I eagerly looked forward to enjoy. Our quarter built mostly with granite (literally) was set amidst lots and lots greenery (trees everywhere). So many trees that each lane with 10 quarters were surrounded by more than 60 trees. I had the luxury of enjoying at least six different varieties of mangoes from an equal number of mango trees surrounding our house.

How I wish I could enjoy playing under the trees on a warm summer day or get a chance to sleep on the roof of my house (cooled with water) gazing at the starry sky with a cool breeze on a summer night.

Those childhood days…

Chanced upon a banner of eBay’s new campaign “10 Things to Do before you Die!” while I was on my way to the office. The promotion invites people to bid for 10 once-in-a-lifetime experiences starting atRe.1/-. The advertisement reminded me of a list of things I wanted to do given that I had Rs. 10 crore with me. For the record it was only an assumption that my finance lecturer gave us to work with as part of an assignment while I was pursuing my masters in management. But there are so many things in life that I want to do and Rs. 10 crore is too small an amount.

Assuming that there is no dearth of money, here is a list of things (will keep adding to it) that I would like to do (as of now) before I die. Here they are (not in any particular order):

1. Travel into Space
2. Pilot a fighter jet
3. Drive a Ferrari and a 1000 cc bike on a F1 track
4. Play at the Lords cricket ground
5. Visit the North and South pole
6. Write and direct a movie
7. Build a state-of-the-art hospital
8. Establish a world-class educational institution

Interesting links for more Things to do before dying

• 50 things to eat before you die
• 100 things to do before you die
• 1000 films to watch before you die
• 1000 places to see before you die
• 1001 books to read before you die

What do you want to do before you die?

Found these in my random browsing.

Source: Sony India

• Sony’s new 8.0 Megapixel and 10x optical Superzoom Camera the Sony Cybershot DSC-H10 for Rs. 15,990

Have been waiting to get myself a good camera with loads of features. This one looks interesting but need to wait for sometime to know the feedback. Definitely worth watching.

Also the 21 Megapixel Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III.

• Zenith’s new Smartstyle PC - A look alike of the Apple iMac with prices starting from Rs. 20,000

No where near Apple’s iMac in terms of styling or attention to detail. The price though is quite low, wouldn’t try it. At least after having worked on a new iMac (at office). Prefer to wait till the prices of iMac come down. Will definitely try getting one.

to be updated…

How does it feel like to spend a day without using any technology or gadget. Sounds exciting. It goes without saying that technology and gadgets have found their way in our lives. Many, I believe, would actually dread even thinking about not being able to use technology for a day. Think of all those whose day starts with an SMS, a phone call, television, music etc.

What would happen if there is one day where no one actually uses any technology or gadget? How many of us have even thought of spending a day without them? At least in my case I haven’t thought about it yet. But I will try spending one day without them. To start I can try avoiding the following:

• My computer (possible)
• Internet (possible)
• Radio (possible)
• Television (possible)
• Fan (possible)
• Lights (tough, but can be tried)

What do you think?

Wish you all a Happy Ugadi.

Source: Earthhour

Earth Hour is the initiative by the World Wildlife Federation to bring awareness among people to do simple things to reduce emissions. And it started with the City of Sydney which turned off lights for an hour last year on March 31. My heartfelt appreciation who try to conserve energy. The earthhour initiative has got momentum with lot of cities across the world signing up for it this year.

It pains me everytime I see energy being wasted. Some of the most common ones: lights glowing in the morning and A/C, fans running at places where it is not required. Every small effort from us to save energy will help us in the long run. The energy we conserve could light up someone else’s house. Hope I will also be able to do something regarding this.