Because DEC 25 is the same as OCT 31.

fin.

Labels: geek humor

1. Since I don't have you/ GnR /Spaghetti Incident
2. Tubthumping/ Chumbawamba /Tubthumper
3. Who are you/ The Who /Who are you
4. Just like paradise/ David Lee Roth /Skyscraper
5. Been caught stealing/ Janes Addiction /Ritual
6. St. Anger/ Metallica /St. Anger
7. Earth intruders/ Bjork /Volta
8. Violet/ Hole /Live through this
9. Tripping on a hole in a paper heart/ STP /Thank you          
10. Human touch/ Springsteen /Human touch
11. Boys of summer/ Don Henley /Building the perfect beast
12. Whip it/ Devo /Freedom on choice
13. Gas panic/Oasis/Standing on the shoulders of giants
14. I'm nothing/ Violent femmes /New Times
15. Cult of personality/ Living color /Vivid
16. Take it back/ Pink Floyd /Division bell

--
Soon, my favorite albums of all time

Another one of the Facebook surveys.

1. What was the last thing you put in your mouth?
Raspberry vodka ginger ale sucked out by a red vine

2. Where was your profile picture taken?
Haight Ashbury Street Festival

3. Can you play Guitar Hero?
No

4. Name someone who made you laugh today?
Anita

5. How late did you stay up last night and why?
11:15pm waiting for Anupam to get home

6, If you could move somewhere else, would you?
Zurich probably.

7. Ever been kissed under fireworks?
Not this year yet

8. Which of your friends lives closest to you?
Christy

9. Do you believe ex's can be friends?
I believe it, but my ex-es don't

10. How do you feel about Dr Pepper?
Love it

11. When was the last time you cried really hard?
The night Anita and I went out

12. Who took your profile picture?
Anupam

13. Who was the last person you took a picture of?
Eve

14. Was yesterday better than today?
No, today is Friday, are you kidding?

15. Can you live a day without TV?
Heck yeah, easily. We have a DVR ;)

16. Are you upset about anything?
No, at this moment, give me a minute...

17. Do you think relationships are ever really worth it?
Yes. Mostly.

18. Are you a bad influence?
Umm... no

19. Night out or night in?
Night in. Super Mario Bros baby

20. What item could you not go without during the day?
Good food. Orgasmically good food.

21. Who was the last person you visited in the hospital?
Victoria

22. What does the last text message in your inbox say?
From Josh: Telling me that he's coming to see us

23. How do you feel about your life right now?
Content, thanks for asking. Nothing diamond earrings won't fix

24. Do you hate anyone?
Hate, no. Really really don't like some people

25. If we were to look in your Facebook inbox, what would we find?
Plans for a trip to Switzerland

26. Say you were given a drug test right now, would you pass?
I have two kids what do you think

27. Has anyone ever called you perfect before?
Anita has

28. What song is stuck in your head?
The wheels on the bus

29. Someone knocks on your window at 2:00 a.m., who would it be?
Anita

30. Wanna have grandkids by the time you're 50?
60 is a better number

31. Name something you have to do tomorrow?
Go to a meeting in Los Altos

32. Do you think too much or too little?
Way too much. Stupid question.

33. Do you smile a lot?
I'm easily amused

34. How many hours a day do you spend on the computer?
Not much. Damn kids.

35. If you could be anyone else for a day, who would you be?
Rania Al Abdullah

36. Facebook or Twitter?
Facebook

37. Chicken or Beef?
Goat

38. Mac or PC?
Mac

39. Have you ever punched anyone in the face?
I slapped my baby brother

40. Have you ever been punched in the face?
No

Labels: Christmas, Ukiah

xkcd.com: A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.

Yesterday Fox News discussed the relative support for Palin, Huckabee and Romney for the 2012 elections. And they came up with this gem.


















Thanks Faux News!

Once again, the Japanese have proved that Japan is the coolest and oddest countries in the world.

The Burger King in Japan has a Windows 7 Whopper, with 7 meat patties, for ¥777 ($8.5), for 7 days. Check out this ridiculous meat tower.


I hope it comes with Steve Balmer action figure

If you're not down with the religion of Sikhism, a quick background: these guys are given a sword right after birth and are obligated to carry them all the time. The Khalsas are a hardcore warrior sect of the Sikhs. For a while they even wanted to carve their own country out of India, but that is a story for another day.

Here is a picture of a badass Khalsa on his Suzuki:

Like I mentioned a few days back, most people don't know that India has had a turbulent history with invaders coming from across the world. These have been coming for silk, spices, religion and a plethora of reasons. So we've seen the Mongols, Mughals, Afghans, English, French, Portuguese and more recently Chinese, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and even Sri Lankans wage wars, invasions and terrorist attacks. Though India hasn't really attacked any nation ever... well, unless you count Goa, Pondicherry and Daman/Diu, where the Portuguese and French had small colonies, which were liberated in the 60's, she certainly has been at the recieving end often. For this reason the Indian defense forces are always involved in border "skirmishes". This is the story of the Kargil War, fought over the line of control in Kashmir.



So, let's go to 1999. India and Pakistan were already getting all pissy with each other. Pakistan crossed the line, literally, by entering the Kargil district in the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir. This act escalated things and both countries were at war for about 3 months between May-July 1999. One of the things India needed to do to regain advantage was to recapture strategic peaks like Tiger Hill on the NH 1A (National highway 1A) route. This sounds easy, but let me explain Tiger Hill to the uninitiated. This "hill" is 18,000 feet high, that is about 5,500 meters. Denali is about 20,000 feet high, which is the tallest mountain in North America. So, obviously the Indians have a sense of humor, Tiger "Hill" my ass.



So, on 4rd July 1999, Grenadier Yogender Singh Yadav a Ghatak Commando was tasked to scale a "hill" and win a war. Now, Ghatak translates to "lethal" in Hindi. So, obviously, some serious badassery is involved to get on this unit. Their role is to act as shock troops and conduct assaults against enemy positions, usually without support from the rest of the battalion. These crazies carry the INSAS assault rifles and stainless steel nuts.


So, let's call him Yogi bear cause he just sounds snuggly like a cuddly bunny. Yogi bear, is a commando in the 18th Grenadiers, a unit which has the distinction of the highest number of "Param Vir Chakras", the highest medal of gallantry, among all Indian Army's Infantry Regiments. Screw it, I'm going to call him Grenadier Yadav, he deserves that.

Grenadier Yadav, offered to lead the assault up the 17,000 odd feet to the first bunker. His job was to not only take over the bunkers filled with Pakistani soldiers armed to the teeth, but also to set up the ropes to ensure the rest of his platoon could follow him up. Yup, piece of cake says he, as he prepares to climb in the -30 degrees Celsius, about -22 degrees Fahrenheit. So, yeah it was nippy outside, and yes there was a whipping wind. Lastly this was at 11pm. Sounds like a fun day hike to me.

He was working his way up with his platoon commander and a squad of other commandos following him as he'd fix the ropes on the cliff face. They were most of the way up and hear the unmistakable sounds of an RPG. Yup, the Pakistani soldiers were shelling them with a few rocket-propelled grenades and followed that up with heavy machine guns. The Pakistanis were bang on. His entire squad including his commander lost their lives. Grenadier Yadav was shot several times in his shoulder and his groin. Ordinary men would have given up at that point, but not our vsevolod here. He just gets really really upset and pretty much scales the rest of the "hill" like Spiderman. He gets to the top of the cliff, flips his rifle on full auto and charges the bunker, screaming bloody murder, rifle blazing while lobbing grenades. The Pakistanis to thier credit are trying really hard to stop him with more RPG and other heavy artillery fire. Grenadier Yadav, silences all of them, then rather than rest on his laurels, he pulls out his ice axe and charges bunker #2 of 3. He takes over bunker #2 with some serious hand to hand combat. None of that pansy Karate Kid nonsense, ice axes and lethal blows to the larynx.

The rest of his platoon joined him, after scaling the ropes he had set up and suggested that he be taken to safety considering the gushing blood from his groin. He looks at them like they're off their rocker and charges at full tilt towards bunker #3. His platoon follows him and in minutes Tiger Hill was back in the control of the Indian Army. This was a divisive victory and turned the war in India's favor.



The President of India awarded the "Param Vir Chakra" to Grenadier Yadav posthumously for his show of gallantry and selflessness on Tiger Hill. But here is the problem. He um, wasn't dead. They just assumed that after being shot several times and breaking multiple bones in the hand to hand combat, nobody would survive. Nope, not this guy... he was at the military hospital in New Delhi recovering. Getting ready for another tour of duty.

Labels: badass, Indians

Most people don't think the Republic of India is filled with badass crazies who have protected the country from the baddies. This goes back hundreds of years back to Alexander the Great's days to the World Wars and wars with Pakistan.

Not all of us are call center agents or farmers or engineers.

I will choose a Vsevolod ("ruler of all" in Russian) at random every other week or so and talk about their badassery and balls out insanity.

Labels: badass, Indians

Tricia and I have been traveling less than we used to. Combined we've lived in 4 countries and have visited 20. Since we've had Eve and Arjun, we've hit our dry spell. We did go to Australia with Eve and to India with both the kids. But, I'll be the first to admit that the India trip was probably a mistake. Arjun was 6 months old and needed 3 naps a day. You live, you learn.

Here is my list of 10 places we want to go to

1. Mohenjo daro & Harappa

Where is that? In the Punjab/Sindh area of Pakistan



Why do we want to go here? Shall I start with my Paki jokes? These megacities were the birthplace of the Indus River Civilization, which created the culture of the Indian subcontinent. We've been to Lothal, which was interesting, but the money sites are all in Pakistan. As an Indian I can now get a visa for Pakistan to finally visit my neighbor.

Why this trip would be difficult? Though, my perception is that I could get a tourist visa easily, this may not be entirely true. I'm sure there will be flaming hoops I'll have to jump through.

2. Meghalaya:

Where is that? A small state in north western India. The state's name literally translates to "Abode in the clouds".



Why do we want to go here? This state has the some of the most spectacular old growth rain forests in the Indian subcontinent. Shillong, the capital city is supposedly one of the prettiest state capitals in India and is the gateway to Bangladesh. This trip could turn out to be a twofer.

Why this trip would be difficult? Not too many airlines fly to Shillong from Bombay. Plus the state is relatively poor and the infrastructure is mostly non existent making travel to places like the Garo Hills challenging.

3. Tibet/Bhutan

Where is that? Both countries are nestled between India and China.



Tibet above and Bhutan below



Why do we want to go here? The stark beauty of these arid countries. The dying culture. The dramatic colors. The architecture. I could go on, but I romanticize both these countries

Why this trip would be difficult? Bhutan is easy-ish to get to. There are flight both from New Delhi and Calcutta. Tibet on the other hand is difficult to get to because of the Chinese. There are ridiculous visa restrictions in place.

4. Turkey

Where is that? South eastern Europe or Western Asia, depending on which province you're currently standing in



Why do we want to go here? Firstly, we have many god friends from here and have heard interesting stories. But, that by itself does not sell it. The Anatolian peninsula is one of the oldest inhabited regions in the world. I'm especially interested in heading to Neolithic settlements like Çatalhöyük & Çayönü. I'm also interested in heading to Troy and of course Byzantium/Constantinople/Istanbul for all the history lessons. And one more word: Capadocia.

Why this trip would be difficult? It won't be. We'll have to pick up some Turkish like "Götüne koyarim"

5. Egypt

Where is that? Like Turkey, Egypt too is transcontinental. She sits between Africa and Asia. The Suez Canal sits between the two parts.



Why do we want to go here? First the blatantly obvious: The Great Pyramid of Khufu. The Pyramid of Kafhre. The smaller Pyramid of Menkaura. The other places we're interested in are Sinai, towns in the Upper Egypt area and a Felucca cruise on the Nile

Why this trip would be difficult? No reason. I imagine the culture is very similar to South Asia.

6. Kingdom of Cambodia

Where is that? To the east of Thailand, next to Vietnam



Why do we want to go here? Angkor, the world's largest pre-industrial civilization, and Angkor Wat the temple at it's epicenter. Koh Thonsáy, an island with beautiful white sand beach.

Why this trip would be difficult? Land mines. None of the areas we're interested in have them any more, but there are other areas that still do.

7. Brazil

Where is that? The largest country in north-west South America



Why do we want to go here? So many reasons, Manaus, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Recife, Porto Alegre and so much more.

Why this trip would be difficult? This country is huge and whitting the list down would make us miserable. And yes, we'd like to visit Florianópolis and Belém too. To many choices, aaaaarrrgh.

8. Iceland

Where is that? An island country located in the North Atlantic



Why do we want to go here? The terrain in Iceland is so rugged due to centuries of volcanic activity; this is where the US tested their lunar landing module that eventually drove on the moon. Glaciers, mountains, volcanoes, dramatic lava fields, countless waterfalls and naturally heated hot tubs, perfect for sitting in to watch the northern lights. Sounds awesome?

Why this trip would be difficult? Björk and Sigur Rós. But seriously, it's bloody expensive.

9. Kenya

Where is that? In Eastern Africa, next to Somalia and Ethiopia



Why do we want to go here? Safaris through the 19 national parks and game preserves, the mosques at Mombasa, the Great Rift Valley; the coffee plantations at Thika, view Mt. Kilimanjaro and its spectacular beaches.

Why this trip would be difficult? There has been a substantial amount of tribal violence since 2008's elections, though things are quiet now, should be avoided while traveling with kids in the near future

10. Peru

Where is that? In South America, situated on the western side, next to Brazil and Columbia



Why do we want to go here? Machu Picchu, the lost city floating in a kingdom of clouds, high in the Andes Mountains of Peru, a mysterious settlement that the Incas built, occupied, and deserted, all in less than a century. With 84 of the earth's 104 known life zones, Peru is rich in wildlife diversity. The Amazon basin is home to pink dolphins, jaguars, giant river otters, primates and more. Peruvian music, food and culture.

Why this trip would be difficult? No reason

--

So, I cheated, the list above are places we'd like to today but are slightly out of reach, so places I did not mention because I know I will make it before I get to the list above: Switzerland (Tricia's first love), Mexico (Teotihuacán), China (Forbidden City, Xi'an)

Others up for consideration: Jordan, Israel, Iran, Sri Lanka, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Scotland, Zimbabwe, French Polynesia, Venezuela, Côte d'Ivoire, Haiti

Labels: travel

I've been reading a lot of posts on social media about health care reform. Most seem to be in favor of some sort of reform, as am I. Others posted inflammatory messages that I just truly don't fathom. In my economics class I learned that capitalism is fueled by self interest and indeed it is. But is that really a good thing in the long run? Is a system that focuses on the individual ultimately what is going to keep the world turning for another 1000 years? I don't think so, because everyone wants to drive their minivan or SUV just because they have visitors once a year and *might* need the extra space. I don't think so, because no one wants to be inconvenienced by having to sort out their recycling from the garbage. So many people want smaller government, but if everyone is out there only looking out for their own self interest what is to stop them from taking advantage of the little guy? Aren't we all little guys as individuals and supposedly only two paychecks away from loosing our homes? Is that always really always a result of bad choice? Refusing to implement public services means yes.

How many of you would change your mind if it meant *your* business had to go under, your child couldn't get a seat in the local public magnet school, or because you chose to be a teacher (yes, teachers do work for practically free - so why wouldn't doctors? - And to be honest, I don't think they would ever have to, even with a public health care system) and you can't afford to live in the neighborhood that will give your child the best education - as good as what you are giving other people's kids. Don't we all want firemen to rush to our homes to put out a fire? What about keeping police officers around to nab murderers and rapists and kidnappers?

I also hear people floating the word socialism around. What is so effing wrong with socialism? They spit it out like its a bad word, like...communism, or something. Or do they perhaps confuse it with the word communism? They aren't the same things, you know. Socialist economies are essentially still capitalistic, they just pay a higher percent of taxes in order to gain more governmental services. That is a far cry from a communist government telling you who's going to be a doctor, what to watch on TV, who's going to grow veggies or wheat, who's going to become an educator or an engineer.

There are basic things that people need to survive and shouldn't we as a community do our best to ensure people can reach their highest potential. Doesn't it make sense to invest in our human capital today for a better future tomorrow? Isn't that why we have public schools? Eliminating the need to worry about basic things such as health care, will help do that. I don't think it's too much to expect that things such as health care, education, infrastructure such as our streets and highways, modes of transportation such as public transportation, and the many other things our tax dollars pay for are run by the government. That's part of what they are there for - to provide those services, among other things.

It amazes me over and over again how people can't see beyond themselves. We do live in a capitalistic world that is self centered. Those are the values that we were raised with. Get out of your homes people! Leave your comfort zone. Travel the world and see how other systems work before deciding they will fail. I mean it's pretty obvious where our priorities are if we can even consider a ignorant floozy like Palin, who thinks she has international experience because Alaska is next door to Russia.

Someone posted today that they are tired of reading all the posts that are fear mongering. She was right, no one should be subjected to the fear mongering that the Republican party has caused at all those town hall meetings, specifically with respect to death panels, which has since been proven not to even be in the proposal! Focus on the facts. The fear mongering is just a sign of their own fear of change and that *gasp* they might be forced to actually do something worth while and beneficial to others over themselves!

She posted that the cash-for-clunkers was an abysmal failure. I don't know where she gets her news, but the cash for clunkers was so HUGELY successful that they extended the deadline and budget allotted to it. Just because the website was clogged from volume of users isn't an indication of the success of the program. Even private firms have trouble with expansion of hardware and servers when their businesses are more successful than expected. In everything we do, there is always room for improvement.

The same poster said that no one has died from not having health care. Again, I don't know where she got her statistics from but people unable to afford health care and then who get cancer and can’t afford treatment (I mean let's face it, who can afford the treatment with the prices where they are at)are forced to allow their cancer to progress until it is terminal (where perhaps it could have been treatable). Because they can't get treatment, they don't do anything until they land up in the emergency room (where we all pay for them anyways with our tax dollars. Damn that socialism!). These are the people who die from lack of health care. (Oh, and if it were a doctor failing to diagnose properly, or a family choosing for religious reasons not to medically treat their child, they are sued for malpractice or neglect! Is not allowing people in need, and also wanting to get treatment, but are unable to get it because of rising costs or a lack of health care just a neglect of the government or society)

Before this current financial crisis, the number one cause of home foreclosure was not due to bad consumer choices, but because people couldn’t make their payments because they fell sick. The propaganda fed to the public about UK and Canadian health care systems are out and out myths. Please call any of our Canadian neighbors and ask what they think... Have you traveled to Canada, or France, or Sweden to find out for yourself, or do you just simply believe what is fed to you on Fox News? Remember, people are only after their own self-interest. Why would they tell you what you should hear instead of what will benefit them?

My husband and I moved back to the country a few years back after traveling the world. This time he was a legal immigrant and I was pregnant. He was refused health care coverage because he hadn't been in the country long enough (before getting his green card, my mom had to sign an affidavit saying that she would be financially responsible for him if he couldn't support himself for the next 10 years. She had to do this just so he could get his green card. That means that his not having health insurance would have ultimately affected my mom had he had a tragedy) and because I (his wife) was a preexisting condition. I was a pre-existing condition - repeated for those of you who didn't get it the first time. Not his health or anything to do with him. Me, as a pregnant woman married to him. What did we do wrong?

On a more positive note, I feel immensely fortunate to be living in a country where such a debate is possible. Where, I hope, a huge change is about to take place. A country of which I am proud (almost) for the first time in my life for having elected Obama. To have witnessed a campaign that inspired me to get involved (or at least have an opinion). Don't let me down now, Obama!

But in the end, health care reform is about the bigger picture. It's about serving the greater interest over the individual. And although Obama has thus far refused to play this card, this is a moral issue. And, we should not tolerate anyone not being able to receive health care. It's for our future as a whole. So that we can be healthy and strong enough to fight off all those dangerous (and dare I say imaginary) terrorists.

Labels: health care, obama, rant

Yesterday we headed over to the San Mateo County Fair and as always we had some compilation of classic rock playing in the car. We were quietly singing along as the intro of Black Sabbath's Iron Man started playing.

Has he lost his mind?
Can he see or is he blind?
Can he walk at all,
Or if he moves will he fall?

Eve asked Anupam, "Baba, is this Ozzy?"

Anupam is convinced that his job here is done.

Labels: Anupam, Eve, funny, Rock

For a while I've been wondering about the plight of checks. With online banking, EFT, electronic bill pay etc, it seems silly to waste paper writing out checks. Plus there is the expected latency. Sure there are some business that still write out checks, but that number is dwindling fast. In fact when I'd moved to the US over 10 years back, I used to see people pay using a check at the grocery store. I don't see that anymore.

Today, I ready about USAA (yes, you read that right) using an iPhone app to take pictures of the check and transmit it to them. “We’re essentially taking an image of the check, and once you hit the send button, that image is going into our deposit-taking system as any other check would,” said Wayne Peacock, a USAA executive vice president.

So, USAA is not in the top 20 banks in the country, but they are a Fortune 500 financial services company that serves serving or retired US military families. They were formed in 1922 by some army offices to self insure each other. They called the company "Unites States Army Automobiles Association" and later changed to "Unites States Automobiles Association" as other branches of the military were included.



You do not have to mail the check to the bank ever. The deposit is handled electronically, and the bank suggests voiding the check and filing or discarding it.

So, this feature isn't just out of the blue. A few years back they had introduced the concept of customers scanning checks for depositing.

Other banks will probably follow this story and offer something similar soon. Hopefully they remember there are iPhone-phobes out there, like ummm... Blackberry weenies like me.

Some random trivia: They have one branch and are the 3rd biggest single occupancy building in the country, after the Sears Tower and the Pentagon.

This was the year my mom was born.



Note that the prices are published. All this was before stupid lawsuits, ridiculously overpriced lobbyists and Siamese twin pharmaceutical companies. Sure, infant mortality has gone down.

We had Eve and Arjun at home in a tub. Arjun though had to be taken to the hospital due to some complications. So, lets see, born at home, we drove him ourselves to the hospital and checked him into the NICU. He was there for just over 2 days. Our insurance was billed for over $7000. Let me reiterate, he was in the NICU for just over 2 days and we were billed for over SEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS. Insane.

An average normal birth is billed at close to $10,000. Add complications and the bill doubles.

Do you care that the leading cause of personal bankruptcy filings is medical expenses?

Do you care that the number of uninsured Americans increases by over 10,000 people every day, which does not include the under-insured?

Do you know that there are over 150 million un/under insured in this country today?

Have you heard about Autumn?

No? Read her story (Love me). Do you think she can afford health care? She's just 17.

Don't worry about all those people who aren't as well off as you. It's not your problem. But do listen to the wing nuts at companies who dictate your premiums and what they'll cover or umm... not. These bureaucrats push the right wingers to oppose any competition the government may pose in health care. They throw words like socialism around, yeah, that is a synonym for communism. Numb nuts.

So you think this is about somebody else? Think about your family, extended family, friends... are they all really covered?

Please read your insurance policy to understand inclusions and exclusions. Do not become a victim.

Please... please understand the issue of health care reform before making a stand.

Labels: rant

The freakin idiots at EA thought it would be a good way to promote their new game, which I refuse to name, by offering prizes to Comic Con attendees who "commit acts of lust" with their booth babes. Take pictures, make sure you add it to you favorite social media. Rinse, repeat and you may win a sinful night with two hot babes. Slight paraphrasing there, but you get the message.

I'm guessing the genius marketing boys didn't run this by legal. I'll roast marshmallows in the fallout. I love morons.

Labels: morons, rant

"If anyone tells you he is never afraid, he is a liar or he is a Gurkha."

- Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, MC (On the Indian Army's Gurkha Regiment)

Labels: Quotation