The road trip to Switzerland

The trip is over and I am back! Seven days is a long time to be away, but everything went as planned. Landed in Finland couple of hours ago, and right now too exhausted to be verbose.

Tour of Switzerland was a fabulous, and considering that fact that I had decided to visit Switzerland only once in my life, it was worth it. . The highway system of mainland Europe is seamlessly integrated between countries. There is the famed ‘Auto-Bahn’ of Germany on which there is no speed limit, and the highways of Switzerland winding across breathtaking views, with so much information that one will never get lost. Swiss highways are criss crossed with tunnels many of them longer than 1 km. I covered almost all of Switzerland, entering it through Basel, sight seeing at its capital Bern. Also went to the French speaking city of Lausanne in west, and ‘Interlaken’ in the folds of Alps. One whole day was spent traveling by mountain train to reach the highest peaks of Europe, and hiking in Snow. At around 4000metre, breathing was difficult and winds were blowing snow from the ice capped peaks, onto the face. Swiss landscapes are filled with verdant sloping hills, cattles grazing on it and the colorful houses. Infact everything in Switzerland is colorful, starting from its currency (CHF), its flag, its highway and the typical houses. Even the name plates of its Police station were colorful.

Two things to take note here. First, I found Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai, all over Switzerland, smiling from thousand of bill boards. She, I got to know, is brand ambassador of Longines. Secondly, there were so many Indian tourists in Interlaken that it seemed to be a colony of India. I had not seen even a tiny proportion of the number of Indian tourist, at other tourist places in Europe or even in other cities of Switzerland.

I also traveled to Luzern in the eastern Switzerland, and from there took the inter-regional train to Zurich. I had always wanted to visit Zurich and it was worth it. The Bahnhof strasse, the most famous commercial center in world lived to its reputation. I was awed by the Rolex watches in display at Bucherer, the Beyer museum, expensive jewelery, fashion displays and the famous names in financial world.All in one street in the third most costliest city of world. Juxtaposed was the old town of Zurich on the bank of river Limmat.

I didn’t always travel on the highways, but also took the state expressways to see the country side and villages of Switzerland. I stopped in the villages, met the people there in the neighborhood cafés, where everyone knew the other, saw the tractors full of hay coming out from barns and cattle grazing in the field.

All these days weather didn’t disappoint me. It was bright and sunny and on one night it rained and made the landscape refreshing and greener. There are so many things to write, I might do detailed post of each day I spent there.

Finally when I reached Germany again, the weather was lousy, it was drizzling for the whole day. I did see around Germany for one day, and found everthing there to be so cheap than in Finland.

After seven days, I started missing my apartment, Finland and everything else here. I had no clue of what’s happening in world, India or in my home. I did get phone calls, and on one occasion, while I was seeing the beauty of Astronomical clock in Bern, one of my bosses called me and it became a half hour discussion.

So I am happy to be back in Finland and in my apartment. Though things are bit intimidating now, so many emails to be read and replied and so many things to catch up with. I have not even downloaded the pictures from the camera. Tomorrow’s work day is going to be hectic one.

Autumn trip

Okay, it is not autumn yet. The terrific summer we had this year is in no mood to give way. So let's call it onset of 'Autumn'.

I am going on a week long trip to Switzerland. This evening I shall fly to Frankfurt, and from there by a car will be doing road trip across Switzerland. The forecasted weather is not so good, predicts light rain. Anyway will see, forecasts are never accurate and who knows that better than me!

Will be going to Jungfrau (Top of Europe) as well, to have a look at at the magnificent Alps. Again Snow shower predicted for this weekend. The temperature of -6C does not bother me at all. While returning , may spend a day in Frankfurt; haven't visited that city till now.

See you all later !

Computer problems

For the past few days, my blogging frequency has decreased. Weird problems with my computer were one of the reasons. The thing I most hate is any kind of aberration in my computer, it totally disrupts my routine. Usually any computer problem seems weird and leaves me at my wits end; still I feel I always have the weirdest problems when it comes to ‘my’ computer.

Once I remember, the whole display of my office computer went upside down, a perfect 180 degree. There is no way it can happen with any available settings. The systems people, when they saw it, termed it as the issue of the year and laughed for good amount of time. They later formatted the system and installed the Windows again.

If it is a hardware issue (which itself is an issue to determine), at least the manufacturer warranty covers it. It is that software or operating system issue, which leaves me completely helpless. Thanks to those myriad discussion forums on internet, you can post your issues and someone will help you. But my issues have often proved to be a tough nut to crack, even for them.

The latest issue I had was one of such kind. After booting, things would run fine for just few minutes and after that, there would no sound device, no networking installed or configured and God knows what else! I kept on restarting, for the computer to work fine only for few minutes. Even the IP address would become 0.0.0.0. I perused many discussion forums, posted my querry and did whatever I could. One suggestion I got said the mother board of my laptop has gone corrupt! After using information from many forums, I could at least solve half of the jigsaw puzzle. I found where my sound device suddenly goes after few minutes of restart? The services corresponding to sound, networking and DHCP (?) would stop by itself. When I manually started them, all of these started to work fine. But the question, why they stop automatically or what stops them automatically is still unsolved? I have not restarted my computer since then; I just keep it in ‘stand-by’ or ‘hibernate’ mode. It will again take a full day to find out the answer.

I know people say that Windows is not the best available thing, MAC notebooks are better or Linux is better operating system. But trust me, for a normal computer literate person like me, Windows is the most convenient one. You got to hand it to Gates; it was not his technical skill but his marketing skill which made him the richest man. So even with the deficiencies or loop-holes, Windows has the ease of use. It does give me issues from time to time, but what thing does not?

I hope to find the resolution for the latest issues very soon.

Cola controversy in India

The fight of cola majors in India is starting to generate lot of heat. This, as we all know, started when one laboratory (in India) claimed to find traces of pesticides, which was above the permissible limit, in the colas. This ultimately led to banning of cola ‘sale and production’ in few Indian states. Cola majors, namely Coca Cola and Pepsi (having 98% of the market share), have launched huge ‘PR’ excerise to counter this adverse publicity. The sales have reportedly been plummeting. One Indian newspaper has reports of US industry association warning of slack in US investments in India. This hasn’t been of much help to the case of the cola majors.

This is not a new or isolated case of adverse publicity in food and beverages industry. There have been several instances of this across world, and also in India. So much so that there are lots of templates case study to handle these situations. I am sure, Coke and PepsiCo have highly qualified brains to frame strategies, but if I think from the point of an Indian consumer, there are customizations required in that template.

In a rising nation, economically and otherwise, sensitivity has to be given special consideration. There has been a full page advertisement in Indian newspapers claiming cola to be safe for Indian consumers and within prescribed limits (I have no first hand information about this). There also have been claims that many other things like milk, water, etc has far higher content of restricted chemicals in them. So far so good, but what will irk an Indian consumer most is ‘double standards’. The report says that cola majors have different standard for India (for those harmful chemicals) and different for developed countries (Europe & USA). This may or may not be true, but media reports definitely suggest this. This straight away hurts the ego of any Indian consumer. Standards may be low for many other things in India, but one can’t say,”Hey this is safe enough for you all, so don’t complain”. They might not complain where they don’t have choice, for rest, they won’t buy your cola.

The more the cola companies attack the laboratory findings, the more it will hurt its case. They should rather come with facts proving that their standards in India are same as anywhere else in world. This is the difference while trying to counter adverse publicity of this form in India. Well, they might already be doing this as I am not aware. I am only saying from the view that if was to not drink cola then it would be only for this reason.

Anyhow all of us are sure that cola is going to be there in India.

Fake Photographs from Middle East

Reuters after getting busted for a fake photograph of Beirut bombing has since then apologized, and taken off all the 920 pictures by that photographer from its database.

The photographer, Adnan Hajj, a freelance Lebanese photographer used to manipulate and doctor his photographs from the Israeli attack on Hezbollah. His photographs has even appeared on the front page of 'New York Times' along with 'Yahoo'.

The fraud was busted by bloggers at Little Green Football. Read the full description here. He had cloned the smokes and used digital manipulation in his picture of Israeli air strike on buildings in Beirut. Wonder how Reuters could not see such easy perceptible manipulation! Another of the photographer’s image in Reuters, showing an Israeli F-16 dropping flares was manipulated in photoshop to show three flares, instead of one.

Reuters in a statement said, “There is no graver breach of Reuters standards for our photographers than the deliberate manipulation of an image”.

A series of pictures appearing in New York Times, shows one man buried in debris (Tyre city) with not as much a speck of dust on his body. The photograph is attributed to Taylor Hicks/New York Times. On the Gateway pundit blog, an anonymous commenter further showed other pictures from New York Times, which shows the same man moving around before posing for the ‘dead man in rubbles’. Wonderful modeling assignment in a hot zone!

There are photographs of 'Qana' civilian tragedy being doctored as well, by the same Lebanese photographer appearing at Yahoo News Photo. Yahoo has since then removed those photographs but you can see them in the Little Green Football blog(Scroll down for the picture). What a good way to whip up passion!

Next time you see a picture from Middle East, of a dead man buried in the debris, or a toddler being pulled out of a destroyed building, just remember, they could be fake ones.

(Click on the links for the 'original' news-source)

Reality and Movies

I remember the discussion I had long time ago, with a guy, after watching the movie Jerry Maguire. He had asked me, “how was the movie?” I said it was good, rather terrific. Then, almost immediately, popped a question from me “Why do those, who struggle in movies, always succeed?” Though that time, the question was drowned in the ensuing laughter, it keeps coming back to me again and again. Does it happen this way in real life? In movies, we have someone struggling against all odds, listening to their conscience, standing by their conviction and ultimately they win.

I mean, wasn’t this the most important thing about that movie. The protagonist is kicked out of his job after his ‘mission statement’, which he conceived during his ‘crise de conscience’. The movie depicts how one can be successful, even after holding firm on the belief of relationships and personal values. So what if the protagonist was not able to succeed? What if he had not got the project or his client didn’t do well at the game. What would the movie conveyed then? May be the movie won’t have been made with this theme. But does this sort of thing happen in real life? Is it that easy to make a phone call, give a presentation, have interesting discussions in the board room and get the project? Well in real life, you do more than this and still lose the project.

So why don’t they make movies like this. Why does not the struggle end in failure? Are we so afraid to face reality? This might also be the reason that makes movie successful. If the movie is able to whip out the something, which everyone wants in their real life, but can’t get/do it , the movie becomes a success. I don’t know, but I would still like to see someone who struggles and then fails. Reality alone is assuring.

The List...

I got this amazing list from someone's blog (can't put the link without permission). In the list you have to bold things, which you have already done, and put an asterisk after things you want to do.


01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink (only my group was in the bar, so technically yeah)
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid*
06. Held a tarantula (Yukk!)
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger *
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 10 provinces (What country is this from?)
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country*
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign * (I so want to do this)
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing *
49. Midnight walk on the beach *
50. Gone sky diving *
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China *
67. Started a business *
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken ( or Travelled to Pluto,may be? bah!)
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days (3 days)
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice(does a Vaporetti count? no point being in a Gondola alone)
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert" *
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand *
90. Bought a house *
91. Been in a combat zone*
92. Buried one of your parents *
93. Been on a cruise ship(4 times :))
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over *
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote article for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states (How many states US has?)
124. Visited all 7 continents *
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days *
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes (Yummy!)
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions (Will never go)
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language (huh! so often)
139. Been elected to public office *
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life

If you feel like then please copy this list in your journal and do it. Nice way to remember things you have done, or want to do.

P.S - Whenever I do 'italics' the right hand column of the page goes to the bottom. I don't know why it happens this way ? Though in some browsers it appears just fine but not in mine (IE 6.0). Can someone please tell me how to resolve this ?