Now, just imagine the kind of impact Apple can make in Nokia/Motorola/SE/RIM’s sales, by launching a faster iPhone, with GPS, with 3G, and at half the previous price in 22 countries this year.

It’s going to be explosive, irrespective of the shortcomings I posted earlier.

For an unlocked phone, Apple is planning to price it at 499 Euros in the European market.

So, if the same scenario is applicable in India and Apple sells unlocked iPhone 3G, I feel they are going to price it in Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 30,000 bracket. Lets see if Apple can prove me wrong or not!

Apple is going to launch the 3G version of iPhone next week, and it is going to cost just about $199 (approx Rs. 8500). That is a steal in IMO.

Lets see when they are going to launch it here in India.

4 Jobs I’ve Had (Starting with the most recent)
Have only 3 jobs so far…
Business Consultant - Big IT MNC
Process Consultant - Reach Tech
Software Engineer - Infosys Technologies

4 Movies I Could Watch Over and Over
Dil Chahta Hai
Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander
Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge
Munna Bhai Series

4 Places I’ve Lived (starting with the present)
Delhi
Mumbai
Pune
Bangalore

4 TV Shows I Like
I don’t watch India sitcoms at all - hate those Saas Bahu fights.
Prison Break
Friends
Seinfeld
24

4 Favorite Foods
Chicken Curry
Butter Chicken
Pizza withh truckload of toppings
Kadi Chawal

4 Places I’d Rather Be
Leh/Ladakh
Lakshwadeep Islands
Greece
Newzealand

4 People I’m Tagging
You
You
You
and You!

Cheers!

I intend just to use this blog as an online diary of latest events happenings in this emerging domain.

The real reason for this blog is three fold. Firstly, I have a strong facination for anything that flies in the air. I have been following the Indian aviation sector for last 4-5 years and have been really been impressed by the progress it has made. I fully intend to use this site to provide users with access to information about aviation industry. When I see a promising article, I will post it here on the blog.

But this blog is also for my personal experiences and yours. I encourage everyone to make use of this blog in such a way that we are able to keep a record that is preserved in perpetuity.

Thirdly, I want to see whether a dedicated blog on a particular topic can help in garnering more money from Google Adsense or not.

So, in the future, look for more postings about Indian airports, airlines, aviation policies and other related topics.

Till then, Happy Reading!

This is a clear example of monopolistic trade practice. All manufacturers have recommended the use of normal fuel and advice users not to use the branded fuels. Has the governement talked to these auto manufacturers? Looks like NO.

This may also lead to a scenario where people will visit fuel pumps outside the metro borders with large drums and bring in normal fuel and selling it off in metros at a higher price (but lesser than the branded fuel price).

This a sad move and they are literally trying to force customer’s to pay a premium.

On the contrary, if you look at the opposite side, the oil companies are in a big mess right now with all the under recoveries. Sooner than later, it is common man who is going to suffer with higher government deficits and increased future credit squeezes if costs are not passed through to the consumers.

Making premium fuel mandatory would atleast reduce some pollution and offset some of the losses of the oil companies.

And, as expected, the roads are clogged. Travelling to office is a night mare. It took me over THREE hours to reach my work place this morning. And, even now, the whole Ring Road from Raja Garden flyover to Dhaula Kuan is jam packed. Even the access roads to the domestic airport are no more accessible. I’m sure situation around other parts of the city won’t be too different.

I always wonder, why do we have to bear all this crap? Why the governent doesn’t do anything to improve the infrastructure? Why do we have to pay a major part of our income as taxes when we don’t even get basic facilities in return? Why aren’t babus answerable to the general public? Why?

Proto.in is the premier Startup Community Event that happens in India. It is about giving entrepreneurs a platform to express their visions and showcase their imagination, with a working prototype, for the world to see. It’s about increasing partnership, collaboration and mindshare among a distinguished, qualified and well-connected audience. Proto.in provides a unique platform for promising startup talent to communicate their creativity and innovation potential.

Proto.in strive by their mantra — Create, Contribute, Collaborate.

Proto.in come together once in every six months, bringing together entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs, veterans, investors, technologists, bloggers, mentors, bankers, media professionals, hackers, mavericks, students, and even folks from the government bodies such as DST, NASSCOM, TiE, IAMAI, to build a cohesive and sensible ecosystem in India.

Via Brajeshwar

Generally, in May, Delhi is hotter than any furnace. But, I guess weather gods have been freaky this time around or is this the onset of global warming? Warm winters, cold summers? What’s happening?

But, Windows XP didn’t booted up properly. It shows the login screen, asking for the username and password. But, after filling it up, when I pressed Ok, it rebooted automatically. I don’t know why!

So, I popped in Ubuntu 7.10 disc, and booted through it. The system showed me the usual Ubunto boot screen. I selected the first option i.e. ‘Boot or install ubuntu’. But, after that the system got hanged.

What can be the problem? Both Windows and Linux aren’t working! And, I need to retrieve data from the harddisk. Can’t afford to lose it!

Daredevils’s batting starts at Sehwag, and ends at Gambhir. The tail starts at #3! They probably have a longer tail than even a langur

I hope they are able to beat Bangalore Royal Challengers and Deccan Chargers in the next two home games!

The Good

• The car is absolute joy to drive. Has awesome power. The torque and the turbo when it goes past 2000 rpm, is something I don’t think I’ll ever tire of.
• Fuel efficiency is pretty good. The best I have managed is 21 km/l on Delhi-Chandigarh highway. In the city, generally I get around 17-18 km/l with AC, and roughly 19-20km/l without AC. With fuel prices going up with each passing day, this car has been a boon.
• Initially when I bought the car, I didn’t liked the looks very much - specially the big butt at the rear. But, now I love it. Swift looks awesome in pearl white IMO.
• When it comes to handling and ride quality, Swift rocks! I have touched 120 kms/hr with stock tires, and the car took it very, very smoothly.
• Air conditioning is quite effective even in this sultry Delhi weather.

The Bad

• The build quality is unsatisfactory to say the least. The plastic quality used in the car is pretty cheap. Off late, there’s a tuk-tuk sound coming from the left hand side rear door, but I haven’t been able to find the exact source.
• The seat fabrics are of poor quality - makes you wonder why so much cost-cutting in a Rs. 5.5 lakh car, when even likes of Santro’s, i10s and Spark’s have better interiors.
• The exterior paint is also substandard. Even if the impact is small when the car hits something, the paint comes off easily

So, in short
Likes – Great package, outstanding engine, raw driving pleasure , good performance / economy, nice looks
Cons – Poor build quality, prone to rattles.

Overall, the journey has been good - could had been excellent, only if Maruti Suzuki had cared a little bit more for the build quality.

And, the company is ready to replace the screen without any charges. Awesome!

So, I called up Dell’s customer care number today morning, explained them about my problem, and asked them to replace the screen asap.

To my delight, they sent an engineer to do the job today itself, and got the screen replaced.

Voila! This is one the best examples of customer service we can have - You have a defective product, you acknowedge it, replace it free of charge, and that too within a day. What more can a customer want?

Dell - you really rock!

But, is iPhone worth this long wait?

Lets just compare iPhone features with the existing high-end phones in India - Nokia N95, Sony Ericsson P1i and HTC Dual Touch.

So, its clear, apart from the coolness factor, there’s nothing much to offer from Apple.

I still can’t see what the iPhone hype is all about. I agree that it’s beautiful and has a big screen, but that’s about it. So what if it has a touchscreen, am I the only one who would rather have standard buttons than a touchscreen? I sometimes send sms’es while on the move, and its real tough in my opinion to operate a touchscreen enabled phone when you are in a moving car. I also infact like to feel when I press something. Also, having physical buttons makes it so much simpler to use the keys without actually looking at them.

Moreover, iPhone doesn’t have GPS, have a poor cam, is delicate to handle (with its large screen, it is prone to scratches) and is quite big to fit in my trousers/jeans pocket easily.

So, all in all, I will prefer the likes of N95s and P1is over iPhone anyday, unless Apple comes out with killer features in iPhone v2.0. Lets wait and watch!

Update:
Vodafone has finally released their iPhone pricing details. The 8GB model would cost around Rs.15960 and the 16GB model would cost around Rs.19960, both available only on exclusive 2 year contract with Vodafone. No exact details about the launch dates are available as of now. (via The Mobile Weblog)

But, anyways, now since I’m back, will try to be a little more regular now. So, stay tuned!

Australia may think that they have a great team. They may be the world champions.

But, what they did on the field in this test match really shows their character. In my opinion, they are just a bunch of CHEATERS, trying to set new records, by hook or by crook. Disgusting to see the least!

I’ve lost respect for the Australian cricket team. If I was an Australian, I would have felt very very shameful today.

Damn!

I don’t think India is going to find a better batsman again! I hope he goes out with a bang like how he started his ODI career. That is the Sachin we know and love.

Indiatimes Travel’s website, is full of bugs. But, who’s complaining when their system is selling Delhi - London - Delhi travel package at Re. -1 (Yes, minus one). How generous they are!!

Yes, Nepal it is. I am going to royal kingdom up there in the Himalayas next week.

Last time, I went to that country, I was still in my nappies It was actually my first ever trip away from Delhi.

Well, I’m quite excited about the trip. Special thanks to Deepak for patiently answering my queries.

Will surely post pictures, once I’m back in Delhi.

But, after being a part of the same system, I have realized everything is not okay with them. These institutes are very callous about needs of the students. Let me give you an example.

We are having a convocation on this Friday. For that we were asked to come to campus on Monday/Tuesday to pick up the uttaria (the convocation dress), take part in dress rehearsal on Thursday and finally attend the convocation on Friday. Just imagine, why would anybody take a whole one week off from his work just to come and collect his/her degree? All of us are just one or two months into our jobs, and its extremely difficult to take 3-4 days off in a stretch.

We tried to voice our concerns to the IIT authorities, but without any luck - they say it is mandatory. If all this is so much important to them, they could have scheduled dress rehearsal and convocation ceremony on the weekend. Or else, could had allowed students to attend the main ceremony straight away without the dress rehearsal.

But, I guess they have forgotten the primary reason they exist for - for the students.

And, mind you, this is not the first instance, where they have taken a decision on their own and not considered student’s preferences. There have been plenty of such instances.

On a normal day, it takes me around 1 hour to reach Gurgaon. But, today the state of roads was pathetic - fallen trees, stalled vehicles, huge potholes everywhere.

Kind of reminded me of Mumbai - where this scene is pretty normal during the monsoons. What I really dislike is the lack of any effort taken by the government to improve the situation in Indian cities. Even an hour of rain brings a whole city to a standstill.

Govt keeps on talking about robust GDP growth rates, increasing spending power of the middle class, bull runs in stock markets, making Mumbai the next Shanghai etc, but they don’t do much to improve the infrastructure.

I wonder how will they manage to host Commonwealth Games in 2010 when they can’t even manage yearly monsoon downpours.

He’s such a fine actor, and has displayed exemplary behaviour throughout his probabation period. Six years is ‘too’ long a period in my opinion.

Who next? If things go in the same way, the day is not far when Bollywood will also try to move into this domain. Just imagine, what will happen if somehow Rakhi Sawant becomes the coach. In my opinion, she will do really well.

Reasons:
1. She has an awesome attitude. Bole to ekdum fighter types. Maybe Indian players will learn something from her.
2. Unlike Chappel, she won’t leak any dressing room conversations/information in the media. Instead, if there’s an issue, she will be very truthful, blunt and will convey the message directly.
3. She’s a fitness freak - can pass on some tips to the team.
4. She’s a darling of the media. Nobody will bother about asking questions to Sachins, Dravids & Gangulys of the world during press conferences. As a result, they can just concentrate on their game.

There can be numerous other points in support of India’s favourite item-girl. Rakhi ki jai ho!

Basically, I am looking for a car which is easy and fun to drive, is ecomical in terms of running and maintainance cost, and has a good resale value after 4-5 years.

So, I have narrowed down to Swift Diesel VDi, Honda City GXi and Hyundai Verna CRDi GVT.

Swift Diesel VDi - Has a very good diesel engine. With mileage of 18-20 kms/lt, its quite ecomical. After sales service (ASS) is excellent. Costs about 5.75 lakhs. The only issue is that its completely booked out right now. Talked to a Suzuki dealer, he told me that waiting time for this car in Delhi is almost 4-6 months. Whew!!

Honda City GXi - Tried and tested sedan. Looks awesome. Honda’s dealer network & ASS is quite decent. Costs around 7.25 lakhs. The drawback is that there are rumours that Honda is going to phase out this model, and bring in a better version at the same price very soon to counter Suzuki’s SX4. This will mean that it’s resale value will take a huge dip very soon.

Hyundai Verna CRDi GVT - Took a test drive - loved the power of its engine. Again a diesel car - so will be economical to run. ASS is also quite good. Costs about 8 lakhs. But, the petrol version costs about 1.5 lakhs lesser. So, I am in a dillemma whether its justifiable to shell out so much extra money for the diesel version.

Kya karun? Any suggestions?

It’s a weird song, but dunno why, it is superfantastical to listen to!

haath jodd ke boli kawarja,
haath jodd ke boli kawarja,
teeno lok basaye basti mein,
teeno lok basaye basti mein,
aap basein veerane mein ji,
aafatein veerane mein,
aji ram bhajo ji, ram bhajo ji,
ram bhajo ji, ram bhajo ji,
shiv ka vandan kiya karo,
aji shiv ka vandan kiya karo ji,
bagad bam, babam bam babam bam bamlehri,
bagad bam, babam bam babam bam bamlehri,
bagad bam, babam bam babam bam bamlehri,
bagad bam, babam bam babam bam bamlehriii!

meri ek suno antaryami,
meri ek suno bholeswami,
mai to dasi janam-janam ki,
mai to dasi janam-janam ki,
bali umar se bhakti karti,
bali umar se bhakti karti,
tumhe chodke kahi na jaoo,
tumhe chodke kahi na jaoo,
raat-diwas tere charan dabau,
raat-diwas tere charan dabau,
tumhe jo choddu to mar jaoo,
tumhe jo choddu to mar jaoo,
bagad bam, babam bam babam bam bamlehri,
bagad bam, babam bam babam bam bamlehri,
bagad bam, babam bam babam bam bamlehri,
bagad bam, babam bam babam bam bamlehriii!

Even the song “Saiyan” from the same album is awesome. It is a haunting song, more like an unforgettable dream woven into the perfect, yet simple music, and studded with the heart-splitting lyrics and voiced by someone who sings so sincerely and from deep within. Jai Kailash Kher!.

Heere moti main na chaahoo
main toh chaahoo samgam tera
main toh teri saiyyan
tu hai mera ….saiyyan … saiyyan

tu jo chhoo le pyaar se
aaraam se mar jaaoo
aaja chanda bahoo mein
tujh mein hi gum ho jaaoo …
main … tere naam mein kho jaaoo
saiyyan … saiyyan

mere din khushi se jhoome gaaye raate
pal pal mujhe dubaaye jaate jaate
tujhe jeet jeet haaroo
yeh praan praan varoo
hay aise main nihaaroo
teri aartee utaaroo
tere naam se jude hai saare naate
saiyyan … saiyyan

banke maala prem ki tere tan pe jhar jhar jaaoo
baithoo naiya preet ki
sansaar se thar jaaoo

tere pyaar se tar jaaoo
saiyyan … saiyyan

yeh naram naram nasha hai…badhtajaaye
koi pyaar se ghungatiya deta udaaye
ab baawra hua mann
jag ho gaya hai roshan
yeh nayee nayee suhaagan
ho gayee hia teri jogan

koi prem ki pujaarun mandir sajaaye
saiyyan … saiyyan
heere moti main na chaahoo
main toh chaahoo samgam tera
main na jaanu
tu hi jaane
main toh teri
tu hai mera
main na jaanu
tu hi jaane
main toh teri
tu hai mera
main toh teri ………… tu hai mera

By the way, I am in the city of Bangalore these days. With cloudy skies, cool winds blowing throughout the day, and the temperature hovering around 20-25 degrees, this place is extremely blessed in terms of weather.

But, my biggest grouse against this city is lack of sufficient number of good cinema halls & multiplexes. There are only two multiplexes in the city - PVR & Inox, and both of them are booked way in advance, and it is extremely difficult to get tickets for any kind of movie.

Anyways, I’m here for almost one more week, and will most be probably flying back to Delhi on Friday evening.

BTW, I am planning to buy a car for myself when I reach Delhi. But, with so many options these days in the market, I’m confused about which one to go for. Have shortlisted Ford Fiesta, Suzuki SX4, Suzuki Swift Diesel, Hyundai Verna and the uber cool Honda City. Koi suggestion?

Chalo, enough for now, will write the next post from Delhi.

Cya!

With just about one more exam to go, one final project presentation to give, and about six-seven days left before I finally leave this place, I do sometimes wonder whether I will ever feel nostalgic about this place?

Don’t know the answer. Certainly, these were not the best days of my life. I believe that there are better things in store for me in the future. I’m an optimist!

Meanwhile, we had lots of parties in the last fortnight - the most memorable of them was the Valfi without any doubt. Valfi stands for Valedictory function.

For the uninitiated, this yearly event that each and every hostel in the institute hosts is a celebration for all passing-out students. Just picture this, you are sitting on the hot seat, your dearest friends in last couple of years years are all gathered around you listening to the saga of your lifetime in IIT. People reminisce into the past and pull out any incident where you fucked up or got fucked and spice it up with all namak and mirchi. They share memories of good and bad times. All dark secrets of the person are thrown in the open. And, all these tales are chronicled to what is called the “profile”. And, all the profiles in a hostel are compiled in a book.

In short, it is certainly one of the most entertaining event of the year in IIT, full of unlimited masti!

Pictures have a way of expressing a depth of information that is difficult to capture with words alone. So, today I’m launching a photoblog - Pixel Talk.

It is not just another photoblog. It’s my take on the enivironment, people, buildings, and various other things around me.

Ok, you may ask why I am doing this?

- To share my images with others who enjoy photography

- To document my favourite snaps.

- To pass my time

- And, to provide a channel for others to comment on my images

I am a amateur digital photographer. Although I occasionally used to take photographs as a child and a teenager, I never developed a consistent interest in photography until I bought my first digital camera in 2003. I frequently took photos of everything around me, and began to realize that I enjoyed doing it.

It is great to have the opportunity to share my images with you through this photoblog! I always appreciate comments and/or constructive criticism. So, what are you waiting for, start shooting your comments!

Dear Sir/M’am,

This is regarding my travel itinerary (Confirmation Number 1297725) whose
details are as under:
1. Flight: DN 657 BOM-DEL Passenger: Manpreet Bhalla Date:X-XXX-07 Time: XXXX hrs
2. Flight: DN 659 DEL-BOM Passenger: Manpreet Bhalla Date:X-XXX-07 Time: XXX hrs

Today morning when I went to the Delhi airport to board the aircraft DN 659 for Bombay, the Air Deccan official at the counter told me that my ticket has been canceled. That was big shock to me, because I hadn’t cancelled my ticket at all. I had travelled from Bombay to Delhi on same confirmation number. How can it be cancelled, since I never did it. I told her that this may be result of ongoing changes taking place in the Air Deccan ticketing system. But, she refused to heed to any of my requests.

As a result, I had to buy a ticket on another airline at a much higher price to come to Mumbai.

Additionally the same Air Deccan official told me that my money has been reverted to my credit card which I had used earlier to book the ticket. But, no money has been reverted to my credit card as of yet. She then asked me to talk to Air Deccan Headquarters at 080-41505151. I have
been trying this number since 5.30am in the morning, but nobody is picking it up. Is this the way to treat a customer? Without any fault of mine, Air Deccan has spoilt my itinerary as well as my day. Do your customers deserve this kind of treatment? This is not the first time I am facing problems with Air Deccan . Invariably, something or the other happens - flights are late, flights are cancelled etc.

I request you to kindly reimburse my amount at the earliest. Looking for a quick response from your side.

-An agitated customer

Even after 2 weeks, I didn’t got any kind of reply from their side. So, I sent them a simple reminder:

Dear Sir/M’am,

I haven’t recived any reply from your side as of yet (Complaint #50062). Can you please look into this matter asap?

Regards,
Manpreet

What kind of customer service Air Deccan has? They again didn’t even bothered to reply. I had sent my emails to all the email addresses that are mentioned on the website. So, today I wrote them this email:

You are forcing me to approach media and as well as take this matter to consumer court.

Do you know what….!! I got a reply from their side within 5 minutes - exactly the kind of reply you can expect to get from so called airline for the common man.

Permission Denied

LOL! I don’t know whether to laugh at their systems or sulk for my loss. Such a pathetic airline!!

Aur yeh hain…. (click on continue reading link below)
hum sabke teen bander

Not long ago, there was an article on Rediff.com that India & Pakistan will be playing against each other in Super 8s phase of the World cup on April 15. LOL! What a joke!!! While Indian lambs were minced by the Bangla tigers, the Irish have put an end to Pakistan’s campaign.

Notwithstanding the losses, I just wonder what will happen to TV companies who have put in millions of dollars to get telecast rights. God save all those companies who have made all those expensive ad campaigns!

BTW, it was funny to read messages on the Rediff’s bulletin board:

Somebody wrote a limerick -

ARE BHAI KOI TO BATAYE YEH KYA HO RAHA HAI
INDIA OR PAKISTAN KI CRICKET KA VAJOOD KHO RAHA HAI.

INDIA NE KEE GHATIA BETTING
YA HUEE FIR KOI SETTING

SEHWAG HUA HAMESHA KEE TRA FAIL,,
SACHIN,DRAVID NE BHI LAGA DI WICKTOO KI SALE

BOWLER KYA KARE BECHARE
WOH TO SUBAAH KI BETTING SE HEE MATCH HAI HARE

AB BOLO DRAVID KE SENA
AAJAO JALDI VAPAS
AAB WEST INDIES MEIN JIADA DER NAHIN REHNA

ITNI HUEE INDIAN TEAM KEE PETAYYEE
PAR INKO PEHLE KE TRA FIR BHI SHARAM NA AYEE

While somebody else suggested a change in command of Indian Cricket

LALOO YADAV IS CONTROLING INDIAN RAILWAYS IN A BETTER MANNER, MAKING PROFITS FROM LOSSES. ONLY HE CAN SAVE INDIAN CRICKET FUTURE IF WE DECIDE HIM AS A COACH / BCCI CHIEF.

But, whatever has happened, it hurts to see India & Pakistan lose. There have been upsets like these in previous world cups, but two on the same day and that too so early in the tournament is something that was not expected. Just hope that India somehow manages to stay afloat.

LOL. What has job application to do with Hindi Movie Review? Can somebody please explain?

Got a message on my mobile:

Will India win World Cup 2007? Sms YES or NO to 4545. Win iPods, Nokia Phones, and lots of other goodies.

LOL. Only if I could read the stars, study planetary motions, understand various moon positions, and peep into the future, I would have won a iPod by now. Hard luck!

With just about little more than two weeks left before the mega event starts in the lovely islands of the Caribbean, the question on everybody’s mind is ‘Can India do the inevitable? Can they get the cup?’

Honestly speaking, I don’t see a chance.

Reasons:

1. If you look at India’s recent form (notwithstanding the home series against Sri Lanka & West Indies), India has 8-14 win loss record. Yes, they have lost about 65% of their matches.
2. Fitness levels of most of the Indian players is pathetic to say the least. The likes of Kumble, Ganguly, Sehwag will certainly help the opposition players in converting 1s into 2s, and 2s into 3s. Yes, there will be far too many liablilites in the field.
3. Indian players are consistently inconsistent. Sehwag scores 1 and 10 innings. Agarkar has never been a reliable bowler. Kumble and Bhajji are past their prime.
4. On the slow and low pitches of West Indies, we need batsmen who can grind their way out. Besides Dravid & Sachin, I don’t see we have players of that kind. Almost all of them are stroke players, and they just like to whack the ball around. That may work on subcontinent’s flat tracks, but over there, they are going to be a big flop. You don’t believe me? Just take a look at recent tour to the Caribbean.
5. In the super 8s, they will have to win at least 3 matches to book a place in the semi-finals (I’m assuming that India will beat Lanka in the group stage. If not, they will have to win 4 matches). So, who will be these 3 teams? Count out Aussies, South Africans and the Windies. Who is left? New Zealand, Pakistan & England. New Zealand & England are in awesome form too. As a result, reaching the semis itself looks an arduous task, leave alone winning the trophy.

I don’t really know the reason behind this negativity, probably it has something to do with our hysterical mentality of making a ripple look like a Tsunami. But for me, only from cricketing point of view, this is not a potential world cup winning team. It may sound good on paper, but I’m really doubtful about their performance.

But, I am a blind supporter of every Indian Team, let alone cricket. And, I would love to see my analysis proved wrong on April 28th’ 2007. India is one country that has always believed in miracles, and for the sake of Sachin Tendulkar & millions of die hard cricket fans across the country, I hope it happens. If anybody remembers, a miracle happened in 2003, when Team India united to win 9 matches in a row! Can miracles repeat?

PS: Yes, whatever the team is, whatever the form they are in, whoever plays in the team, whether India wins the cup or not, it doesn’t matter at all because India is going to whack Pakistan for the 5th straight time in the World Cup for sure. Right?

shirdi-ellora caves in a.p: And, I thought Shirdi is famous for its temple, and ellora caves are in Maharashtra.

maku immense coverage: What is this? *wondering*

kaalia download: LOL. Next what? gora download.. hara download.. laal download.. peela download…

i am not known meaning: Even I know what do you mean?

when she cancels a date: LOL. People look to google for all kinds of answers

clothes and manner do not make the man but when he is made they greatly improve his appearance: Whew.. nice quote

why are strange things happeing to me: Because you visited my blog

are sikhs intelligent: Yes. Do you have any doubt?

how to be dumped: Haha… I don’t know

It’s kinda funny to read all these search queries. Shows what all people search on the web. Absolute crazy stuff!!

First, it was the Air Sahara episode. And, now its Dell.

My Dell laptop’s hard-disk conked off. I ran diagnostics tests on the laptop and found that the hard drive has bad sectors. Moreover, the warranty had expired too

So, was forced to shell out money to replace it.

Luckily, I managed to retrieve my data using Ubuntu’s Live CD - it’s first time I’ve realized that a Linux distro can be helpful for a normal user as well. Long live Ubuntu! Long live open source!

I had a booking on Air Sahara’s flight which was scheduled to take off at 2025 hours from Delhi. While I was on the way to the airport, I got an SMS that the flight has been delayed by about 2 hours and will now take off at around 2220 hours. At that particular time, the weather was absolutely clear - visibility levels were excellent.

On reaching the airport, I came to know that plane is coming from Hyderabad & took off from there at 2115 hours. And, to my knowledge Hyderabad-Delhi flight takes approx 2-2.5 hours. But, Air Sahara staff kept on saying that our flight will surely leave Delhi by 2220 hours as mentioned. Phew!!

As per my estimation, the flight got delayed further - and to add to our agony, there was what so ever no announcement made by Air Sahara’s staff. WTF!!

Finally, when the plane from Hyderabad landed in Delhi at around 2330 hours. We boarded that plane at around 0015 hours. But, within few minutes, the pilot announced the plane cannot fly due to fog, and so it had to be cancelled. A thick blanket of fog had descended at the Delhi Airport very quickly. Aargh!!

There were passengers on the plane who were at the Delhi Airport for more than 36 hours but each time they boarded a flight - it got cancelled. Moreover, there were almost no vacancy in any of the flights for Mumbai the next day. So, we all decided to stay inside the plane and force airlines officials to give us confirmed tickets for any flight next day. Yes, it was a ‘Dharna’ - dharna against the non-professional attitude and poor service given by the airline.

They wanted the plane so that they can use it the next morning. But, we didn’t disembarked from the plane. The worst part was that the crew left the plane within seconds of announement of flight being cancelled. As a result, there was nobody inside the plane apart from 80-100 odd passengers. It was chaotic scene for sure. Resembled more like a sleeper coach of a train People started getting food from the enclosures at the back of the plane themselves. Look at the pictures!!

Meanwhile, the airline staff tried their best to get us offloaded from the plane - but without any success. All passengers were adamant that they should be given confirmed tickets for next day. Finally, at 6 in the morning, they gave boarding passes to all of us. Only after that we disembarked.

LOL! I was joking with my friend that we entered Delhi airport through departure lounge, and came outside from Arrival lounge after around 10-12 hours without taking off

I had got a boarding pass for 0935 hours flight. And, guess what, this flight got delayed as well - that too by about 5 hours!! Jab kismet buri ho to kuch nahin sakta!!

Finally reached Mumbai at around 1630 hours - ending our 20 hours of agony!! Never thought that a plane can take more time to reach Mumbai than Rajdhani Express!!

What a great way to start 2007!!!