End of 2007

Folks !! Last night my classmate and friend send me these wonderful pictures of a place called Kasauli in the State of Himachal North of India. We were both studying in the school ie St. Mary's Convent School and I did my 5th to 10th Grade here in this beautiful place . She happen to visit it after almost 2 decades I got to see these wondeful pictures and with her permission I have posted few on my blog..After seeing those I have now decided to visit this place with my kids hopefully in our next trip to India.We have been for the past one year trying to get in touch with our classmates of those years and hopefully hear from them someday.
With the 2008 concern being Global Warming and we here in Finland awaiting the snow since ages..I wish everyone of you a great year ahead. Thank you for the comments and good wishes all through 2007.. Here is wishing you a Very Happy New Year !!

The Pictures form Kasauli - Thanks to my friend...

Christmas Greetings !!

Have you noticed how discordant Christmas Carols sound in the month of May? Or in the monsoon? They don’t even sound right at Diwali, do they? There is something about Carols that make them typical of the Christmas season. They get you ‘into the mood’, don’t they? Some people like me make the most of the season. We start listening to Christmas Carols even as the Church ushers in the First Sunday of Advent.

The nostalgic memories of Christmases gone by leave me a little emotional (you know what I mean). I think of the wonderful times with the family around the dining table busy making Christmas sweets... while surreptitiously dipping my fingers into the cake as it was still a sweet, sticky dough. Oh for the times we sang Christmas Carols with the family during those chill December evenings after dinner and before bed and went Carol singing door to door. All of us were tired having done something or other to contribute to the joy of Christmas. It was the giving that brought us that joy so typical of the season.
At the risk of sounding like a ‘wet blanket’: I could never much take to Christmas ‘songs.’ (mind you, not ‘carols’) They seem to have quite a ‘selfish air’ about them…Admittedly their words were picturesque… evoking all kinds of images but the ‘spirit’ seems to be missing…Think of titles like…I’m dreaming of a White Christmas, I’ll be home for Christmas ..All I want for Christmas…I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus... and many others… I suddenly became aware of how ‘selfish’ a secular Christmas can be in comparison to a Good Old Catholic Christmas. The very Carols speak for themselves…Come all ye faithful…Silent Night … Away in a Manger…Go tell it on the Mountain …There was something peaceful, devout, generous and thought-provoking about them…The carols have a way of quickening the Christmas spirit. They will do this same for us even as we sing (or try to sing) them again this year.
You have to admit that Christmas ‘songs’ only encourage you to be a little more self-centred and a lot more selfish. Christmas is a time for giving and helping, soothing and supporting…but we find ourselves, helping ourselves, hoping to receive, yearning to be pleased… That’s where we miss the ‘Christmas-point’ with such songs entering our repertoire…We become obsessed with our ‘first person’ celebrations while others are helped only in as much as ‘I get my slice of the pie first.’
It’s Christmas once again…so how generous will we be this time?... You’ve got a real chance to open not just your purse but your heart and your home to anyone who needs your love…so that when you bless those around you from the goodness of your heart…you’ll notice a thaw in your frosty greetings and not just a melody but harmony in your discordant Christmas carols…Then ‘giving’ will be simple…I pray your heart overflow with Christmas joy…because in giving you have already received much more than you gave...(Text Borrowed from Fr. Ian Doulton sdb)

Merry Christmas Folks !!

A proud moment...

It was a joy to have our little one appear in one of the monthly magazine of a top departmental stores here in Helsinki http://www.stockmann.fi/portal/english http://tavaratalot.stockmann.fi/portal/suomeksi/
Please click on the picture to get a bigger view.

Where does the problem lie ?

An article forwarded by my friend from Bangalore made be think:

- Is it money ?
- Is it lack of education ?
- Is it just one-off incident ?
- Do we care ?
- Are we humans anymore ?
- Is it stress ?
- What is it ?


Read the article from TOI Bangalore Nov 16th page 3 .....

If you’re ever a victim of road rage, don’t expect the cops to come to your rescue. ‘Your problem, you settle it yourself,’ is all you can expect from the men in khaki. This is what happened with a customer service executive at BEL Circle on Thursday evening.
Sandeep (name changed) was driving home with his fiancee at 5.45 pm. Just before BEL Circle, a car overtook them, and the driver made a face at him. While Sandeep got stuck at the signal, the other car whizzed ahead.
When he crossed the signal, the driver, standing in the middle of the road, stopped him.
He started abusing Sandeep, and then picked up a brick and smashed it on his head. Bleeding profusely, Sandeep cried out for help, but in vain. A constable standing nearby didn’t utter a word. “ . My fiancee requested the constable to help me, but he said he wouldn’t intervene in a personal scuffle,’’ he said.
Some passers-by stopped the driver, but he sped away on seeing the cop. A little later, the constable too vanished.
Sandeep and his fiancee were taken to Jalahalli police station. But none of the cops knew which constable was on duty at the circle. A complaint was registered and the victim taken to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for a broken nose.

OSO V Saawariya - What do you think

So do you buy my idea..!!


Couple of years back on a fine evening in one of the posh hotel in Mumbai or London..there was a table reserved with following guest list:

"Sanjay Leela Bansali Farah Khan ShahRukh Khan Anil Kapoor Rishi Kapoor"

The guest were in time and had the usual chitchat and then ordered some विन and then as usual Farah Khan spoke first...

Farah: You know after main hoon naa i really do not have any script which i can work on other that the stage show Bombay dreams no real work but Shahrukh and self have come up with this super plan which involves you Sanjay

Sanjay: Tell me darling.. I can die for you..

Farah : You are launching Ranbir & Sonam and I have this new girl ..Shahrukh kya naam hai yaar uska..

Shahrukh : Yaar woh Prakash Padukone kee tall see model beti...ek minute let me check the sms she sent..haan Deepika

Farah: So what i was telling Sanjay your story of sawaariya is that same old gissi pitee wali the only good thing u make are those sets ..kabhi kabhi i feel you should change ur profession to interior designing ॥anyways..back to our plan...tho meine sochaa public ko ullu banathe hai.. we come up with a hotch-potch story where we fit in few songs ..dosra janam and all that..Shahrukh vaise bhi kai stars को dosth bana chuka hai ..subko guest appearance de denge or ek masala film bana dalthe hai..

Sanjay(chewing gutka as usual): So darling what is this to do with me ?

Shahrukh : Yehi tho twist hai sirjee ..we will launch these two ordinary pictures on the same day and the best time of the year.

Anil Kapoor : Diwali Pe !!

Shahrukh : Exactly !!

Farah: Yes !! We will create enough hype controversy media clash ..rivalry taki juntha samje bhai kuch hai movie mein..and its a known fact if a person goes to see one movie will 100% go and see this other one...

Rishi kapoor (Enjoying his wine and smiling all evening): Haan yaar mein tho jaroor jaunga cause ek mein tho mera beta hai aur dusre mein aaj ke shaam ka bill pay karne wala hai .(gives a hi-fi to Shahrukh)

Shahrukh: (signalling at the waiter) Get me the best wine from your cellar..

Farah : We will chip in Karan to help us create a controversy between you and me Sanjay if you donot get angry and with your permission I will get your mother but
nothing drastic haan...

Sanjay : Anything for you darling....

Shahrukh : So guys kaisa laga humara plan ..we will cover the cost in hours and then mauja hee mauja ...I mean cash he cash

Sanjay : What about television audience they are more interested in game shows singing shows etc

Anil : That is simple Sanjay one of you become Zee ka chamcha and the other Sony ka..you attend all the shows there as guest and movie becho and the other goes to Sony..ekdum chakaas !!

Sanjay : But Farah and me are doing this Jhalak dikla jaa together these days...logon ko doubt ho jayega

Sharukh: People will forget by then ..they only remember controvercies and once you or Farah says something bad about you thats it ..they will hang onto that. remember how much of hype i created for KBC with Amit uncle (winks)

Farah : So its a deal and hopefully we all will not be seeing each other as a part of this plan lets have a fun evening .

Sanjay: Farah you are such a darling ..

And the night continues ..... ॐ Shanthi ॐ
Not to worry.. There was no such meeting or any such plan...my blog says...Just free your minds.. ;-)..watch the movie and you will start thinking...;-)

The Halloween !!

Its been while since I put something on my blog...have been busy with other things..like Winter tyres..Kitchen renovation...Agile way of working....before you move to something more interesting in the www here are few captures of our Halloween party..and what is halloween?? Hmmm in short..its alternative rendering Hallowe'en is shortened from All-hallow-even, as it is the eve of "All Hallows' Day" and that is All Saints Day..btw the common thing we hear is that this is more of US Marketing stuff but the fact is that Ireland Scotland and England were first ones to adopt it and then the US made it their own...Back to our party,the best part was the different costumes the kids had put on and the entire decoration and atmosphere was Spooky !! Happy Halloween and here are the pictures...

Happy Birthday Abba....

My father has been a big computer buff for many many years and has
used this technology very well. Its his birthday today we thought of
a nice way of wishing him on his special day...

Happy Birthday Dad/Abba
We love you...

Colors Of India

A small group of volunteers supported by an organisation get involved in a fund raiser and the result is a colorful festive atmosphere on a pleasant Sunday during autumn here in Helsinki. We try to get the Culture, Cuisine and Charisma of India to you with only a desire to make your day filled with Fun, Food and Festivity..Like in the previous two years we(ie Swaad - The taste of India) have two stalls this time..one purely for the stomach..ie The awesome Biryani(The picture attached)..Mumbai kee Pav Bajji.. Bangalore ke Dahi Wade...And the Punjab kee Lassi. Also this time we are trying to organize a corner for some sports played on the streets of India..its gonna be fun trying those out for sure..but to keep some mystery on what it is all about...visit us at Colors of India 2007 on 30th September at Puristamo, Kaapelitehdas, Tallberginkatu 1 C 15, 00180 Helsinki. Welcome!!

My Best friend's wedding !!

On the 3rd of September will be a BIG day for a dear friend of mine. I have known her for about 16 years now and I know what this day really means to her and Yes, how I wish I was there to see her at the alter with man of her dreams . I wish her happiness and joy.. This is a beginning of a new life...God Bless.. This one is for you !!

Celebrating the 60th Independence Day

Like every year we were at the Embassy today morning to proudly celebrate our Independence Day. The feeling you get while seeing the Indian flag hoisted and the singing of the National Anthem makes you feel good and the wonderful words of encouragement given by the honorable Ambassador that each Indian living here in Finland is an Ambassador for India in his own right. It was also a pleasure to hear the very first speech of our very first Lady President,marking a new era in Indian History..God Bless India.. !! Jai Hind !!

Our Baby is now in School !!

It was like, just few years back we had our little baby born and flash..flicker...he is now starting his school..Every parent is very proud and with butterflies in their stomach as to how would he cope up with the new life he is just going to start..well its that moment of your life which shall remain embedded for ever....We were there at his school and it was a moment worth capturing.....

Cricket Tournament in Finland

I am a part of a very few cricket playing fans out here in Helsinki and we have been playing cricket since 2002 starting with 4 players and now grown to a big number and have been successful to organize Annual Tournaments. This year's tournament was played last week and we had 4 teams fighting for the top spot. We had a Rebel team cause it was built by using the mobile phone ie calling people from their slumber to be part of the team :-) It worked out well so that we could have 2 semifinals and a final..The light stays good till 11 PM here to carry on playing so that was never an issue :-) Our team N95 were the underdogs ..starting with an over giving away 20+ runs but manage to pull back with some good batting and bulldozed ourselves into the finals where again as the least favorite were put to bat and came up with some good hard hitting and fight able score but the main highlight was the support our team got from the stand with some Bangra and dhols and a lot of 6 man Mexican waves :-) we got the opposition under pressure and they buckled with some excellent catching and bowling performance we were in good shape to get to the last over when the opposition needed 19 runs to get which was a tough ask with me bowling ;-) And then the moment of victory...captured here(click to open)) are few of the good times we had. The game was played in a good spirit(san achohol I mean)..Cheers !!
The Presentation !!

Clip updated by Siva

Story with drama, suspense, action and good old family values

The video, which was shot in September 2004 at a watering hole in the Kruger National Park in South Africa, has been seen over 90 lakh times.

An Amazing feature from Adobe try it now

Did you know this?

You can listen to any PDF instead of reading with Adobe Reader 7 .0 or 6.0, and the short cut is:

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Enjoy it !!

Ever Wonder how your mouse works ?

Did you ever wonder what makes your cursor move across your browser? Of course you did. But wonder no longer: in Japan they just used a loupe and they discovered the secret of the moving arrow shaped cursor. Pretty simple yet mazing! Have a Look !!

Kidsclub Annual Sports Day 2007

By the Blessings of the Uperwala and the Dua of the Neechwale we had a jolly good time in Suomenlina for the very first Annual Sports day of our Kidsclub !!

Here are the snippets of what we did...

- Congrats !! All were at 1 PM sharp at the Ferry stop and we took the 1:15 Ferry this is one thing which makes things happen..your support

- Reached spot 25 in Suomenline opposite the Church around 1:45 I guess

- Games on

3-Legged Race... Kids and parents showed great enthu in participating and the event was fun specially watching parents running like crazy kids forgetting that they were running with little kids..but good spirit ;-)

Suvi-Dhagaa Race.... Ladies please go for a training session as the men put the Thaaga first .. some say it was match-fixing but after setting up a Review committee
the accusations have been cleared and indeed the men who were the fastest Suvi-mein Dhagaa putter ;-)

Straw Race.. The impatient crowd made my life miserable so I had to put straw in their mouth and finally there was some silence but some (batuni) parents did continue talking but finally the race started with Shahenshah tking a big lead but Badshahs came back strong and won the race with a 1.3 second lead..

There was a 15 minutes break while i dunno wat the kids did but some kind ladies helped me tie Jalebis(Finnish ones)to the rope and finally the last event was put into place with a warning sign of the Seaguls attacking our Jalebis and uperwala
showering a few drops of amrit jal.. It was fun again to to see kids trying to finish the jalebis and parents forcing their little ones to finnish theirs by hanging them upside down....

Well you might think it was over but we did manage to play the ball game where the kids gave parents a tough time inside the ring and I saw many many parents re-entering the kids into the rings--saying a standard lines ' Abhi kahan shuru hua hai games aur mera bachaa out nahee hua hai abhi..khel beta khel...' all adding to the fun....

Finally the Uperwala decided to call it a day we all went running under cover and continued the presentation ceremony where kids got a standing ovation for the wonderful job they did and some deserving gifts and goodies...sadly few parents decide to skip it and play some of their own sport which was against kidsclub rules..

To end with the thankyou(s)

- For supporting the idea of the Sports day and following it up
- For helping me co-ordinating the games
- Ladies for helping in the games
- Parents for an active participation in the games

Here is the same report in pictures:


This is me reporting, a Freelance reporter from KidsClub-TV ..all the views expressed are personal and are not liable for judicial enquiry !!

Samachar Samapth hue !!

Helsinki Samba Carnival 2007

On June 9th, 2007, the XVII Helsinki Samba Carnival event takes over downtown Helsinki. This street carnival is expected to draw tens of thousands of spectators. The weather was perfect so we decide to take a trip to downtown to see what this festival is all about. The colors we saw were awesome. I must say they color is the one thing that attracts you the most and the second thing is the energy the participants show and potray..For all those who have not had a chance to be there I will recommend you to be there next time and I am sure you will love it too...Its so unlike Helsinki .. Salute to all the paritipant who inspite the hot weather gave their best to make the event more amazing...Cheers me !!

The first steps !!

Its always a joy to be able to witness the first steps of a baby and our little one just did that last week we have captured those moment.....just for you

Soon it will be tough keeping track of her whereabouts in the house :-)

Our Holidays to India

We had our vacations to India just completed and before we start enjoying the beautiful Finnish Summer here are few thoughts on our Summer Holidays to India..May is one of the hottest months back in India with the temperatures touching a max of 44C in the regions we visited namely Gurgaon in the North, Hyderabad, Bidar and Bangalore in the south. It was a maiden trip for our little girl who celebrated her 1st Birthday in India with all her dear relatives and we managed to capture most of our vacations in pictures...
To start with Gurgaon who the caby mentioned is the new Japan of India..I met my very dear and Old friend who i knew during my School days. We had a great time with his family and spent lot of time in the ever so crowded mals of the new metros of India...

My wife's home town Bidar is a very historic place and it was great to get back there as things are pretty much the same there and I love the atmosphere there..kids had a rocking time playing in the water tub and also the Birthday party we had for my little one was not less than a wedding you have here in Finland :-)


Finally we docked on to the IT capital of India ie Bangalore and met lots of our relatives and few of our friends though we missed meeting lots of my friends as kids were suffering form flu and fever...since it was a re-uniting of family it was good being home with Dad Mum and my little Sister with her little bundle of joy who had traveled all the way from Melbourne to have sort of family re-union minus my brother-in-law who could not make it as he had no holidays...


Finally, I have put together some picture which I thought were pretty amazing and which captured our holidays and the mood of India which we so cherish and enjoyed...


I would like to thank all my friends and relatives who made this holiday ever so wonderful and I am sure we will have many more fun filled holidays in future...

This is Deepak reporting to you live from Helsinki :D

For all you skypers...

Found these useful smileys..Try them out :-))
(Cut and paste each line in your skype chat window)
Add more if you find...

(blush) :$ :-$ :=$ :">
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:O :-O :=O :o :-o :=o
8) 8-) 8=)
:D :-D :=D :d :-d :=d
8-| B-| 8| B| 8=| B=|
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(|-( |( |=(
|-) I-) I=) (snooze)
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(^) (cake)
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(dance) \o/ \:D/ \:d/
]:) >:) (grin)
(yawn) |-()
(puke) :& :-&
:@ :-@ :=@ x( x-( X( X-( x=( X=(
(bandit)
(drunk)
(finger)
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Kids Drawing Bookmarks for a good cause

I was approached by a charitable organization if we could help them with making some bookmarks which they might use as their brochures in future and I approached the kids with the idea and they all where there to have some fun and also help in this good cause..We had this event today and the kids had to draw 3 bookmarks each and the subject were Education , Environment and Family..We had kids from age 3 onwards to 12+ and each one did give their best and as always I had the volunteering parents helping me with different activities..The kids came up with some amazing art and the creations were truly appreciated with the folks who were around...I am sure in the small way they could be of some help to a bigger cause..Adios till next time..Dee

Solo Dance with A Twist - An event for our kids

On Mar 24Th we organized this event for our kids here in Helsinki

Here are few of the highlights...

- There were about 16 kids participating from ages 1-12. They danced on some of the
top bollywood foot taping numbers and gave their 110% and it was joy watching each
one of them. The parent cud do nothing but admire them...

- We had our Finnish friends officiating as Judges and they were so thrilled to be
among the kids and giving valuable input to the kids and parents and also giving
away certificates and goodies

- For a wonderful team of volunteers who helped with backstage activities,
refreshments,cleaning packing the goodies booking the hall and sound system.

Also I feel we are going to have many such activities for the kids with the support of all the parents and kids involved cause I believe 'Ek Cheediya.Anek Cheediya' concept Song on DD...

So keep watching my blog on the kids activities...Adios !!

Do try bowling with your family

We had been bowling with our family friends couple of week-ends back...
My son who is six loved to bowl and so did all of us...
Please note you do not need any special skills to enjoy bowling..
Watch this attached video and you will see my son found his own style..:-)

The prize on weekends is about Euros 25 and on weekdays about Euros 18
Its a good idea to book in advance specially if you do not want to wait for
a track to be free..
Also you need to rent specific shoes available on location for about Euros 2

So next time try this family sport and go for the strike !!

India in World Cup 2007 - We are out

Let me start with this nice converstaion I heard during a match...

There was a discussion between the commentators during the SA v Aus match as to why Australian players keep throwing at the stumps even though there is no chance of a run out and the reason was as follows:

- Normally you get just 1-5 chances of a real run-out in a match and if you happen to throw during a chance you are likely to miss often as u might not have been aiming the stump for 2 hours but if you keep doing it then there is probability you would hit when its crucial.
- Keeps your shoulder warm and articulated throughout the match
- The batsman has it in the back of his mind this guy has been hitting the stump very often so let me think twice before i run.

Result
- What the school of our thought believe that you might end up giving extra run by simply hitting the stump is replaced by
- More run outs if you remember the De Villers run out from longon changed the match
- Less risky singles
- More fit players

Anyways I wanted to stress on the thinking process the other teams are having whereas we keep talking about seniors and juniors

I feel

- if Tendulkar really wants to do good to Indian cricket he should be la Alan Border
- Bowl good 10 overs of genuine experienced bowling
- Come down the order and play a quickfire inning like Akram or Border
- Be strict and demand respect and authority form the team and most important
- The money they make should be totally on merit and not on past glory
- BCCI should have policies to control advertisement money going to individuals cause
this is not Tennis or golf where one is earning in tons cause their rating depends on
individual performance and cricket is a Team Event

More important

They(BCCI) should plan retirements plans for senior players based on age and performance..

Lets hope we have learnt our lesson and work towards building a competetive team rather than
an experimental team...

As a Cricket Fan I will always want India to be in the top gear...

Khelo India Khelo !!

Organizing Indian Festival in Finland

So now we have plan to organize a Indian Festival here in Helsinki...
Now it is in the 3rd year and we have been pretty successful in getting our Finnish friends to enjoy it..

Its getting tougher to organize it as years go by as the expectations of the people are growing and the people involved are pretty less compared to the work it involves.

Hoping that we pull it up this time around with a much needed help by our ever so willing bunch of volunteers. If you think that you are interested to be a part of it I can assure you the folks out there are more than encouraging and supportive so please feel free..

Wishing you a great summer !!

Welcome to my blog !!

Free your minds !!
Yeap !!! You can discuss anything under the sky without hurting anyone with verbal abuse of any kind and avoid using names and direct reference whenever possible....
I am new to blogging so still learning the ethics.... :-)
लाइफ इस ठू शोर्ट... लेट अस ऎन्जॉय !!
Deepak Cutinha