2013- A quick recap through my lens

My 2013- a quick recap

Emotional part of 2013:

• Bonding of loved ones who I did not meet for almost 3 years.
• Spent most of time with friends and laughed for hours. Happy to have earned a reliable gang of friends to share and care.
• Made this Diwali a special one with Lavanya( & family), the beneficiary of BUDS Foundation. 
• Almost 15+ friends got married/engaged and about 6 nice friends entered parenthood.
• Got inspiration from a lot of dedicated men and women working hard to create a social change that I had only dreamt of. Arvind Kejriwal became a new icon to look for.
• Sachin's farewell !! Glad I was alive to watch him kiss the ground and leave the field with such glory and humility.
• There cannot be good without bad. September and October tested our nerves when my husband was gripped by Dengue and its sideeffects. Good that the worse is over. This was the time we learnt the lesson "Health is wealth".
• Death gripped 5 of my near and dear ones.Balamurali- One of my favourite college Seniors who was passionate about hockey bid goodbye to the world. On the other hand, Mandela- my favourite leader who fought for peace rested in peace.

The serious part of 2013:

• I crossed 25 years of age... !!!!
• Had a nomadic life shuttling between Chennai, Virudhunagar and Madurai.
• Got Introduced and connected with some of the best people in the startup ecosystem. (Dream of an aspiring entrepreneur)
• Had the Eureka moment!! Realised the fact that ideas are meaningless until it is executed. 
• Made the craziest mistakes and happily ended up with experience. ( Am a big fan of Edison !)
• Zeroed in one a product that best suits my personal interests. This brainchild of mine was given the name "JollyEventz". Toiling to see it bearing fruits in 2014.
• Joined NativeLead Foundation that works for a social cause that is close to my interests.
• I feel like am travelling on the right direction- Primarily because of the people I meet. 

Looking forward to another year of good , bad and crazy stuff.. Welcome 2014!!! Happy new year to all of you.

How to Type symbols using Keyboard shortcuts

Our life today revolves around word documents and spreadsheets. There are quite a large number of keyboard short cuts we use. Other than Ctrl-C, Ctrl V, here are some interesting shortcuts that work in combination with the Alt key.

Emoticons:

 For ☺smiley face- use Alt + 1

 For ☻black smiley face- use Alt + 2

Playing cards:

For ♥ Heart - use Alt + 3

For ♦ Diamond- use Alt +4

For ♣ Club - use Alt + 5

For ♠ s­pade - use Alt +6

Arrows:

For ↑­up arrow - use Alt + 24

For ↓down arrow - use Alt + 25

For → right arrow - use Alt + 26

For ← left arrow - use Alt + 27

For ↕u­p/down arrow - use Alt + 18

For ↔ lef­t right arrow - use Alt + 29

Website related symbols:

 For ™ trademark symbol  - use Alt + 0153         
 For © copyright symbol- use Alt + 0169

 For ®registered ­ trademark symbol  - use Alt + 0174    

Mathematics symbols:
For ° degre­e symbol - use Alt + 0176

For  ± plus-or ­-minus sign - use Alt + 0177

For ¾ fractio­n or three-fourths- use Alt + 0190For × multi ­plication sign- use Alt + 0215

For ∑ N-ary summation (auto sum) - use Alt + 8721

For √ s­quare root or check mark - use Alt + 251

Musical Notes:

For ♪ e­ighth note- use Alt + 13

For ♫ ­beamed eighth note- use Alt + 14

English Grammar:

For ¶ paragraph mark- use Alt + 0182

For ¡ upside down exclamation point - use Alt + 0161
For ¿ ­upside down question mark- use Alt + 0191

Other signs:

For ☼ su­n - use Alt + 15

For ♀ f­emale sign- use Alt + 12

For ♂ male sign- use Alt + 11

Interesting stories behind the names of areas of the awesome city we live in Chennai

• Avadi - Armoured Vehicles and Ammunition Depot of India
• Adyar - Banks of Adaiyaaru
• Ambattur - Aimbathi ondram oor (51st Region) in the list of 108 Shakti temples
• Amjikarai aka Amaindhakarai - Bank of Cooum
• Anna Nagar - After Annadurai and was developed during his reign by TNHB.
• Ashok Nagar - After the famous Ashoka Pillar
• Ayanavaram - Ayan means "The one", accounting to a shiva temple situated in the area
• Besant Nagar - After Annie Besant
• Chetput - Named after a Chetty Zameen who ruled here
• Chindadripet - Chinna Thari Pettai, due to the weavers population in the locality has evlolved its name into its present form.
• Chromepet - After the old Chrome factory
• Egmore - The land of the rising sun. (Anglicized from Ezhumboor) Higher Mean sea level than the other places in Old Madras. There is a Shiva temple here commemorating the same fact
• Guindy - After the Guindy (Rammer) which Bringi Maharishi planted in this place to begin a great Yaha (Sacrifice) against Goddess Parvati
• Kodambakkam - After Karkodagan, the mythical snake which worshipped Shiva, who has a temple here as well
• Kothavalchavadi - Tax collectors are known as Kothaval. Chavadi is the tamil term for Kiosk/ Booth. This was the frontiers of the old city where taxes were levied.
• Koyambedu - After the Ashwa medha yagam done by Lord Rama, his sons Luv and Kush tied the horse in Koyambedu. Koyam means horse in Sanskrit.
• KK Nagar - After Kalaignar Karunanidhi and was developed during his reign
• Mambalam - Maha Vilva Trees.
• Mandhaveli - Mandhai means herd and Veli means space. Must have been herdland previously.
• Mylapore - Mayil means peacock. The goddess Parvati is said to worshipped Lord Shiva in the form of a peacock here, to get absolved of a sin. So, Mayilapuram (puram meaning city) - became Mylapore
• Nandhanam - Previously Gambier's gardens, was renamed by Rajaji as a part of creating Greener Chennai. Nandhanam means Garden. And apparently thename of the Tamil year "Nandana" it was chistined.
• Nanganallur - Nangai Nallur/ Thillai Ganga Nagar, coined by Kanchi Shankaracharya
• Parrys - Named after a merchant Thomas Parrys who estabished it as a trade center.
• Perambur - After Pirambu trees in the locality
• Pondy Bazaar - After Soundarapandian.
• Poonamalee - Poo Irundha Alli, abundance of Jasmine.
• Porur - Por means war. Believed to be a battlefield since ancient times. Contans the Arcot road which connects the Arcot Nawab with the capital. Home to a chola temple, etc.
• Purasaiwakkam - Due to the Purasai trees
• Saidapet - Named after Sayyid Shah
• Sowkarpet- after the Sahukars who settled there.
• Sunguvar Chattram - Again, Sungam means tax. Chattram is a Inn/ Resting Spot. This is presumably the other end of the city to attract taxes.
• Teynampet - Due to abundance of the Cocnut trees in the region
• T.Nagar - After Sir Thyagaraya
• Thiruvanmiyur - Named after Valmiki
• Thirisoolam - Home to Thirisoolanathar temple on the hill.
• Thondaiyarpet - Coined by Masthan Sahib after his birthplace Thondi.
• Thousand Lights - Derives its name from the thousand lights that were lit when an Indian National Congress Annual Session was held for the first time in Madras
• Triplicane - Thiru Alli Keni, Pond with the Alli flowers: Parthasarathy temple tank.
• Vadapalani - Palani in the North, after the famous Murugan temple
• Vandalur - Derives its name from Vandal, which is the sediments from a river.
• Villivakkam - Real name - Vilvaaranyam. A very old Shiva temple is situated here. Built by sage Agasthiyar. A lot of Vilvam trees were found there. Hence it got the name Vilva Aaranyam. As days pass by the name got changed into Villivakkam. 

What Indian advertisements taught me.???

Note: Read this somewhere and had a hearty laugh. Hope you too like it. 


What Indian advertisements taught me.???

1. Kareena has dandruff problem, Katrina has dry hair problem, Shilpa has hairfall problem and Priyanka has chip-chip.

2. If you've a hot wife, make sure your neighbor doesn't use a deodorant in your absence.

3. Your complexion is more important than your qualifications.

4. If there is no salt in your kitchen you can use Toothpaste.

5. Every second oral care brand is No. 1 and recommended by every dentist in India!!!

6. If your daughter is not Ready to Get married, take her to a jewelry/textile shop.

7. Only reason why men use deodorant is to get girls.

8. Most colas cure all kinds of phobias. You will be close to a superman, if you drink these regularly!!

9. All superstars are so poor that they prefer to risk life for a cool drink than to purchase it for Rs:10

10. The special effects in shampoo ads are greater than special effects in Avatar.

11. Fruit content in shampoo and soap is more than fruit content in 99% of juices.

12. Amul has better satirical cartoonists than people who make better milk products.

13. Most people buy vehicles to travel in bad roads but complain about roads in India.

14. You can't eat Dairy Milk Silk without spreading it all over you face.

15. Nobody uses motorbikes for commuting, its only to pick up girls.

16. All soaps kill 99.9% of germs.

17. People believe that Bacardi makes music CD's and Directors special/Kingfisher make mineral water.

18. The only time mothers and daughters talk to each other, it's usually about hair oil.

19. No matter what kind of expert one is, he'll always wear a white laboratory coat.

And, finally this

20.Mutualfundinvestmentsaresubjecttomarketriskspleasereadtheofferdocumentcarefullybeforeinvesting.

Heaven on earth

My DAD- through the eyes of a son

Son at the age of 5:  There's nothing in the world that my DAD can't do.
Son at the age of 7: My Dad knows about a lot of things. He is very knowledgeable.
Son at the age of 10: I doubt whether my DAD know about everything.
Son at the age of 12:  My DAD knows nothing.
Son at the age of 14: My DAD? He still lives in the ancient days. He is unaware of current trends.
Son at the age of 21: Why should I tell my DAD everything. His advice is not necessary.
Son at the age of 35: My DAD does know something.
Son at the age of 40: Its not wrong to listen to what my DAD thinks about regarding this.
Son at the age of 45: I'll decide after hearing my DAD's views.
Son at the age of 50: My DAD was excellent in making decisions. He was really smart.
Son at the age of 55: Tears run down my eyes when I think my DAD is no-more.
Son at the age of 60: My DAD is the best person I've ever seen. I am nowhere comparable to what he was when he lived. 

Marketing lessons learnt from hawkers in a local train at Chennai

As a resident of North Chennai, I am forced to travel by train to reach the city. As I was travelling today between Chennai Central to Minjur, a lot of things kept running in my mind as I quietly watched fellow passengers around me. Though the travel lasts for merely an hour, it gives me an insight into the lives of more than a hundred people. I've always wanted to pen down as to how these people have taught me few business lessons. 

At any part of the day, you will find the train to be loaded with people. If you haven't witnessed India's unity in diversity, hop on to a train and there you'll find a living proof.People of all kinds irrespective of religion, language or mannerism travel together.You'll find school students, teachers, professionals, industrial staff, cheap labourers, vetti officers, drunkards, bastards and of course policemen too. Bus fares in Chennai force few to choose a more convenient cheap means of travel, hence many end up in trains.

The train journey for many might be a tiresome task lasting for several hours in few cases. But what keeps one active is FOOD. All along your travel, you'll find and hear the sounds of hawkers and gossips. Silence is a rare phenomenon when you board a local train.  Not less than 10 hawkers come to a coach. Each try to sell their goods-fruits, stationery, cosmetics, accessories and eatables.You can happily spend very little money but fill your stomach with those yummy chips, puttu, sundal, chocolates and biscuits. Kids begging their parents to get them chips & Parents cleverly consoling their kid from not eating outside food are common incidents.

• What surprises me is that most hawkers/vendors exhibit excellent business skills. These men and women have learnt business the hard way without listening to boring lectures or Exams just for the sake of a MBA degree. Though they don't dwell or sleep with crores of money, they have picked up an extraordinary talent to convince a person to buy any product. They are not trained marketing guys who work out formulas and theories to fix a price and then use social media or ads to reach out to people. But these men and women have their own strategies, pricing and deliver to you with a smile on their faces. Most of them try to befriend you. 

• They teach me how valuable "Customer Satisfaction" is: These hawkers make sure they satisfy their customer who makes a purchase for a price as less than rs.10 also. They  value your money and many a times you'll find they do not cheat you asking for more. 

• Deliver the best at a "Lower Price". Am surprised when I find people selling 12 oranges for Rs.10. As a new entrepreneur my mind fails to understand what profit would that lady get out of that sale. But she happily picks up the best of fruits for Rs.10 and hands it over to her customers.

• Another big lesson is "Competitor Management". Each vendor makes sure he/she doesn't go selling into the same coach at the same time. Even if that happens, you can very much see their strategies are different. One tries to be brighter than the other. In fact these vendors have regular customers. Hence many passengers know what to buy and from whom. At times, you can even see clashes between competitors. :P

To me, everyone I see and talk to has something to teach me. The world around you teaches and preaches lot more than what is written in examination papers.

Plain glass looking artistic after my splash of colours

How Life Changes when you fall in Love

When you fall in Love, Life becomes extra Special..

You smile for even the silliest things spoken by your love...

Your mind goes crazy when you express how much you love...

Petty fights and patch ups keeps your bonding closer & stronger...

You realize -"One" person can replace all your relationships...

You value each second and wish to make best use of the 24 hours...

Heart beats faster thinking of umpteen reasons to see your beloved...

You live in a world where Distance matters and Feelings go out of hand....

You learn to let go your ego and be patient not to hurt the other...

Altogether both your lives get a pleasant new definition of LIFE itself...

As Lovers you enter heaven and value each other above everyone else...

All Flaws turn into Perfection; Maybe that's why LOVE is BLIND!!!

Things of the 90's which today's kids might not know

Gone are the days when the following things made life interesting. Today's kids don't have a chance to know them. Just wanted to recollect my childhood days. Hope you travel back your memory lane and smile as you read through... Do comment below if you find I've missed out any other thing of the 90's.

What I liked when I was a little girl at home:

1. My biggest assets in life were my "Natraj" pencil and rubber- only Branded u see :P

2. All my pocket money was spent on "Assay" and "Mango Bite" chocolates. 

3. I thought the best collection of songs were carefully stored inside CASSETTES and Radio. TV was however next on the list.

4. I had to run upstairs to adjust those "Antenna rods" while my dad/mom checks on the clarity of the TV channel.

5. I hardly stayed indoors during holidays. All my lovely friends together played street cricket and bruised our knees in the name of "Good Fielding".

6. I never spent more than Rs.15 to cut my hair. What I called "Saloons" those days have today become "salons" and prices have gone up drastically. We hardly worried whether the razor was washed or not.

7. Words like "DENGUE", "TSUNAMI" and "TERRORISM" were unheard of.

8. I ran from "Fancy store" to "Fancy store" to select a greeting for my special friend.Today even e-cards have lost their fantasy.

9. I wrote long letters to my distant relatives. Letters and postcards bridged the distance and brought close ones nearer.

 
10. Not sure how many children today have used "Stamps". But as a kid, I was fond of collecting Stamps. I indeed had a stamp book with more than 300 stamps from around the world.

11. When it was festival time or outing to the beach, all I would plead my dad to get me was a "Kutchi Ice". Many a times "Cold" was my enemy just because it prevented me from enjoying a sweet colorful ice.

12. The sweetest and cheapest sweet to be purchased from nearby potti kadai (Little shops) were "Thaen mittai" and "Kamarkat"

I have just listed a few. If you could add any more to this list, It would be great. Afterall we can't deny the fact that "Childhood" is the golden era of life". Lets get nostalgic and feel happy.

Information is omnipresent !!

                   Social networking and technological growth are certainly shrinking the world into a global village. All of us seem to coexist so well in-spite of boundaries and unimaginable differences. While at school, I thought only books had all the information that one needed. As I grew up, it looked like even television programmes and news channels imparted knowledge. Only after entering college did I realize that all information is hidden inside GOOGLE and I need not depend on books anymore. The next level of realization was social networking , web conferencing, smartphones and all the i-devices that are power-packed with useful content from all over the world.

                 So did I really discover and make use of all these sources to gain knowledge???Each of the above mentioned plays a distinctive role at sometime or the other but is inconsistent.There is something more powerful and resourceful. If we carefully observe all our day-to-day actions we will arrive at this conclusion that PEOPLE are a wealth of information. (Think for a few seconds and you'll agree to what I say). As for me, the enlightenment finally happened after starting a company on my own. ( Better late than never, is'nt it :) am not that old anyways) People are the best source of information and Experience is valuable than theoretical documents.

                 Babies learn from adults. Children imitate and learn from kids of their age or from members of their family. Almost everything we do on a regular basis was picked up from some person or the other.  Books played a vital role in our thoughts and actions but the best teacher was always a human. Everyone associated with me had taught me a lesson. Even those I come across on the roads have in some way or the other affected my thinking. We never know who will come to our rescue or who will pull our legs. But experience though bitter or sweet has shaped and moulded us.

                I am thankful for all those who I've come across so far in my life and I eagerly look forward to meet many people and learn from their experiences. After all our life is too short to live and experience all that we dream of. Pay attention to everybody around you and help one another grow. There's lot more that what the internet can find and tell us. What matters is EXPERIENCE and the spirit to take Life the way it comes.