Don't go to this place

I'm p*ssed off. Poor Dew has had a slight stomach upset, diarrhea and so we wanted to take her to the doctor. Nothing serious, just precautionary. She's active and looks ok except that we need to change her nappy 3 times a day. Its a bit green but that's not the point of this post. The last time this happened, we were a bit late on things and so it got a bit worse. This time we did not want to take any changes.

A friend (unmarried, no kids but has plenty of sisters and so has experience with kids that way) suggested this doctor near Deve Gowda Petrol bunk. The last time around, there was a huge rush, and we had to go in the afternoon. However, this time we decided to take an appointment.

Step 1 - 9.30 AM. Eva gives a call to the clinic. Does not get through. Keeps trying.
Step 2 - 10.00 AM. Eva gets through but the receptionist is very rude and says that all appointments are full. She asks if she can walk in. He says no. She asks for an appointment in the evening but he still says NO. Its not possible to give an appointment in the evening. If we need an appointment in the evening then we should call in the evening.
Step 3 - We feel that the doctor is good and so we decide to walk in anyways after lunch. We reach the clinic at 1.15.
Step 4 - We ask the receptionist if he can take down D's name. He haughtly says - NO but we can wait. I talk to the low-life receptionist about the process to get an appointment. He says that people wait in a queue from 8.45 onwards and that they get appointments for 9.30 onwards. Calling at 9.30 does not guarantee an appointment. WTF?? Essentially the idiot says that there is no way to take an appointment even the board outside loudly proclaims that there will be no consultation without an appointment.
Step 5 - At 1.45 we ask again how long it will take. The nasty receptionist just says he will let us know. We wait for a few more minutes and ask again. This time he takes down her name and says that there are 3 people ahead. A couple of women walk in with kids and ask if the doctor is available. The receptionist takes one look at them, decides that they are economically disadvantaged and tells them that "they should call before coming". The feisty lady replies saying that she tried but didn't get through. So, there was no option but for her to come directly.
Step 6 - At 2.00 doctor leaves for lunch. That's not a problem because its a tough day for him as well and as a human being he needs to eat.
Step 7 - We ask the psychopathic receptionist how long will the doctor take. He rudely replies 10 mins.
Step 8 - Its 2.30. No sign of the doctor and the mad receptionist is no help.
Step 9 - Its 2.45. Decide to leave and go back home.

There's another doctor in BTM that we will go to. Atleast the reception is pretty friendly. 6.00 PM I will pick up Eva from her workplace and we will go there.

Note that I have no complaints about the doctor but the whole setup is rubbish.
1. The doctor charges more than Sagar Apollo Hospital OR the other Paediatrician in BTM.
2. There are no kid friendly material in the clinic to keep Dew busy. Just some sterile handouts on immunization. Compare this to Sagar Apollo where there is huge room just as a kids play area. Even the doctor in BTM has a few toys and eye catching posters for kids.
3. The whole clinic is stuffy and one cannot breathe. Sagar Apollo has excellent ventilation and is bright, clean and vibrant. The BTM clinic has the added advantage of being next to my in-laws place and so we can wait there if required.
4. More than all this, the receptionists and support staff at Sagar Apollo is unparallelled. This LKB receptionist at Dr. N's place near Deve Gowda petrol bunk is a real SOB. The doctor is very good but I'm never going back. At Sagar Apollo Dr. B is fantastic and very gentle in his prescriptions. Dr. V in BTM is very enthu and more than happy to listen to what we have to say. So, in no way will I say that they are not as good as Dr. N. The key difference is the receptionist. I remember the BTM clinic guy once even gave me a call back because the Doctor could not come and changed my appointment. That's exceptional service, but that's not what I'm complaining about.

Health care in India is not universal but this is rubbish. Hospitals such as Sagar are jam packed but they are well equiped and have trained support staff to make the whole heathcare package painless.

I lost a whole day of work, Eva lost 1/2 day's work and the worst part is that Dew still hasn't been able to see a doctor. I'm a pretty patient guys but this takes the cake. Even though we had to wait for 3 hours in the Registrar's office when we bought our apartment, it was clear that there was some work going on. People were moving in and out. Our lawyer kept us up to date on things and finally our job got done. At this clinic neither did our work get done nor was it pleasant and it definitely isn't worthwhile.

DONT GO TO THIS PLACE. The Doctor is good but the practice sucks. The receptionist will make the most patient of fathers tear his hair out and blog this rant. I love my daughter and I will NOT take her to this place where its stuffy, intolerable for not just me but her as well, where we have to wait in small room stuffed like sardines in a can.

No F1 Report this time around

Have decided to renounce TV for some time. Hence no reports on F1.

Winners:
Dew

Losers:
None.

Its crazy

For a family of 3, Eva, Dew and I, have 4 vehicles between us. Two cars, One Bike, and One Scooter. No bicycles or tricycles.

Car No. 1 - Battery died tonight and didn't start.
Car No. 2 - Haven't started for months now. Eva tried to start it a couple of days back. It didn't budge.
Bike No. 1 - Less said the better. Haven't started it in years.
Scooter No. 1 - Rear tyre punctured couple of months back. Haven't started it since.

So, we have 4 engines, of which 3 haven't been cranked for sometime, 4 batteries, all of which, I suspect are dead, 15 wheels with tyres (including the stepney for 3 of them), of which one is definitely punctured, 2 haven't had air put in them for years, atleast 5 are low on air and the list goes on...

As they say, the most important part of any vehicle is the nut that holds the steering wheel. Here the DoNut (a.k.a me) is not just grounded, he's up a creek without a paddle. Not good!

Myopic view of personal, funny

He's right where he belongs

F1 Testing has started. Kimi and Massa were in their Brand new Ferraris. De La Rosa and Heikki led the McLaren charge, but its the big boss - Alonso who is in charge!

That too not in the 2008 car, but the old 2007 car. Fisi and Heikki didn't do much with it but Alonso tops the test times.

Myopic view of f1, formula1, alonso

Time for a change

Yes, Yes we all know about the Nano. Not the iPod variety but the one you drive.

So far all the TV channels have been gushing about it, but there are a couple things that struck me.

The Nano employs a CVT gearbox. I remember reading a newspaper article long back, that the Tata's are sourcing this from Kinetic. The Kinetic was famous for bringing the gearless scooter to the Indian market and thereby changing the market forever. "Gearless" essentially is a CVT.

The question is whether the Nano would do the same to the Indian car market. Unlike the US, where a "stick shift" is unusual to find, in India its the norm. The main reason being that Automatics are more expensive and give lesser mileage. But CVTs are different from Automatics, and yet provide the same basic user experience - no manual shifting.

Given the state of traffic in our cities, its logical that we all drive "gear-less" cars. Its less stressful especially for folks who drive on Hosur road and through Koramangala!

Myopic view of CVT, tata, nano

Monkey See Monkey Do

Forget calling someone a Monkey. Here's 11 other animals.

1. McGrath - Pigeon, because that's what they call him.
2. Ponting - Fox, cunning as ever, but he's probably bitten off more than he can chew.
3. Harbhajan - Male Goat (Ram), since he's always charging into controversy.
4. Greg Chappell - Vulture; he picked Ganguly's flesh off his bones!
5. Ian Chappell - Eagle. Says what he means and doesn't beat around the bush.
6. Hayden - Bull Moose, whatever... you know the reason!
7. Warne - Definitely a Rooster. He has his flights of fancy when he tries to surround himself with chicks
8. Viv Richards - Peacock, most certainly
9. Ishant Sharma - Giraffe... Adam's Apple the size of a cricket ball.
10. Boon - Walrus, great Mustache too.
11. Ian Healy - Porkus porkus. Always reminds me of the 3 little pigs.
    

P.S. I'm not condoning racism but here's a chance for caricaturization.

This also reminds me of an anecdote concerning Javid Miandad. JM was considered to be really cheeky, and a past-master when it came to the art of "mental disintegration". He even called Ravi Shastri by his nickname "Rambo", on live tv.

So, this one time, it seems JM was playing Australia and it was Merv Hughes who was bowling to him. MH completed his follow through when JM walked towards him and tried to catch his eye. MH continued towards his runup area when he found JM was still following him. Out of curiosity, MH asked JM what's he doing. JM said, "I wanted to know if you were going to the parking lot". MH was apparently puzzled and asked JM why. JM supposedly said, "I wanted to see you truck because you look like a Lorry driver!". LOL! The mother of all insults!

Myopic view of cricket

Which year is it?

Come Feb 07, 2008, we will start the Chinese year of the Rat. Till then it will be year of the Pig.

Going by all the cricket controversies, you would have thought that it was year of the Monkey. If anything, I think this whole stop-the-tour thingie is all Macaque excreta. If Harbhajan was acting like a Chimpanzee by ignoring express instructions not to bring Race into sledging, then he deserves to be banned. However, if its just a case of the Boarish Aussies, then a better solution could have been thought of.

In the end, I think it was a case of high emotions. The Indian team felt robbed by the Umpires. I don't necessarily agree that they should feel so, but that's just my view.

Its a bit funny that emotions have been brought up this way. The Monkey-God Hanuman is one of the most revered God in the Hindu Pantheon. To compare someone with him, would actually be a compliment. Having said that, there really is no place of racism. If Harbhajan was being a racist, he deserves all that he gets, and the BCCI must also apologize to Symonds.

Lets not forget a real case of Racism. Just a year back it was desi, who was called a Macaca and the American Neta who called him that had such a backlash that he had put his tail between his legs.

In my view, its the ICC who are bunch of Langurs. They have screwed up so badly here, that they have a 800 pound Gorilla in the form of India to contend with and if they toe the Indian line, they will end up looking like a bunch of squirrels. If not, Hanuman help them. As for the Aussies, I really hope they improve their humility. They needn't look any further than, Cliff Young, a 61 year old Aussie who in 1983 beat the best of best in a super marathon from Sydney to Melbourne. Sadly Cliff Young passed away recently.

Myopic view of cricket

That's not cricket

I don't blame the umpires. They could have had a bad test as well. What I'm really dissappointed about is the way the Aussies have appealed. Gilchrist is one of my favourite cricketers. Its not just the fact that he's probably one the greatest Wicketkeeper-batsman of all time, but also the way he "walks" when he knows he's out. He's done that a number of times and he also typically appeals only when he knows its out.

Today, either he was really convinced that Rahul Dravid nicked the ball or he was had a change of heart. If its the former, then its ok. But I doubt it and that's what really irritates me. Had it been some other Aussie cricketer, I wouldn't have complained, but the fact that its Gilchrist makes it hard to believe.

In the Mahabharata, its said that Yudhishtira's chariot would always travel 3 inches above the ground because he always told the truth. The moment he succumbed to weakness and "lied" to Drona, his chariot too touched the ground. Due to this human failure, its said that he spent 1/13th of a hour in hell before seeing Swarga.

You let your fans down!

Myopic view of cricket

frustation and blues

sigh!

There is a huge difference

The last time, I went to see a cricket match was 3rd Test between India and Australia, at Bangalore in 1998.

We had our semester exams going at the same time but managed to catch the last session before the aussies won. The main aim was to watch Mark Waugh bat. He didn't make too many runs but he was not out at the end. Every run he made, was sheer poetry.

That was then, and this is now.

I went to see the first day of the 3rd Test between India and Pakistan yesterday. Boy! Was it a refreshing change. Here are some home truths

1. Watching test cricket isn't boring, just watching it on TV is. Consider this. Who that hell will enjoy watching tv 7 hours a day for 5 days only to find a no-result or boring draw? No one.
2. Test cricket is interesting, if you pay attention to the fielding captain. The field placement is chess-like and its really interesting to watch, especially when they come off.
3. Watching a spectacular fightback is exciting. Session by Session play has a wonderful feel to it.
4. TV with its multiple replays just doesn't give you a feel of things. Half the time you watch only the batsman, but the theatricals are lost. There was one time just before Lunch that Shoaib Akhtar (one of the reasons to watch!) came to field at final leg near our stand. The crowd went berserk, and he acknowledged that by doing a short Namaste!
5. TV commentators talk crap. They mention field placings in passing and give undue importance to the batsman, or whatever the camera catches. I caught the highlights on TV once I got back home and also heard some of the comments. They were pretty plain and obvious.
6. No ads!!! Ya! Though the big screen does show ads between overs, its not overwhelming like it is on TV. No stupid animating tigers during the broadcast, no frantic channel surfing.
7. The crowd! Oh I really missed that, especially when the Indians were playing well. I'm not sure it would have been as good had they collapsed from 61/4 to a paltry score, but since it was a beautiful partnership, the crowd enjoyed it and made it exciting to watch

I'm going again, when the chance comes.

Myopic view of cricket

Number 1 training method - Improved!

I've posted about the number 1 method of improving your driving earlier.

Here's an improved process to number 1
1. Put a Bike at the back of garage such that
a. Its precarious balanced
b. The tyres are punctured (optional)
2. Ensure that the space between the Bike and Garage door (or if you park outside, the gate) is just enough to place a car. For calibration use your car

Rule 1: Every time you back into the garage and you hit the bike, you lose 1 point.
Rule 2: Every time you back into the garage, try to close the door, but find the space lacking (and therefore find yourself having to climb back into the car, turn it on and inch it back), you lose 1 point
Rule 3: If you a lose a point due to Rule 2 and then while moving the car back you infringe on Rule 1, then you lose 2 additional points.

For every point you lose, do something that hurts. E.gs
a. Scrooge would donate $1 to charity
b. Micheal Schumacher would let his team-mate race him openly and freely for 1 race
c. I do an extra lap around the park :-)

So, far I owe myself 2548 laps around the damn park. Eva would be please if I did that many laps in this lifetime.

Myopic view of driving, funny, rules

Akki Roti

Here's my recipe. Had a great Breakfast.

Ingredients:

1. Rice Flour - 3/4 cup
2. Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
3. 1 Onion, finely chopped
4. Curd, slightly sour - 1/2 cup
5. 2 Chillies slit and sliced into small pieces. Keep the seeds.
6. Salt to Taste
7. A pinch of Jeera
8. Cooking oil 1/2 teaspoon
9. A few drops of ghee (Clarified butter)

In a mixing bowl put in the rice flour, coconut, salt, chillies and jeera. Mix well with your hands (wash your damn hands before you enter the kitchen and no shoes allowed). Add the onions and continue mixing. Slowly add in the curd and continue to mix. Make sure that the dough starts to bind and does not run. If it starts to become too much of a liquid, add a bit more rice flour. Mix nicely until the dough has bound well.

Now comes the cooking part. Make a small ball out of the dough. It shouldn't be too large a ball otherwise the roti will end up becoming too thick. The thicker the roti, the longer it will take to cook and less likely that it will end up being crisp.

Take a flat pan and add a little (couple of drops) of oils to the center. Put the ball of the dough in the pan, and slowly start pressing it down to make a nice pancake. Be sure to use your fingers to press it down. That will give the roti its characteristic ridges. Make the pancake as thin as possible without leaving in gaps. Turn on the gas to low and cook for about 5-10 minutes. Keep the pan covered while cooking (optional).

The edges should brown as it gets done. Flip the roti over (be careful, as it will break quite easily), and put some nice ghee on the cooked part. Turn off the gas and flip it back over again. The ghee will now cook into the Akki Roti and gas is saved!

And Voila! Its done. Serve with a nice dollop of Green Coconut Chutney and a heart attack inducing slab of Butter.

Variations:

1. Eva ishtyle. Replace the curd with water. This will make the Akki Roti crisper!. Also, another tip. If you use a Wok instead of a flat pan it will be easier to make the pancake. Warning from Theo - The Akki Rotis are crisper this way but not as tasty :-). However, as Eva has reminded me this morning, I used to eat this type of Akki Roti every time she made it without a single complaint or murmur. So, there!!!

2. Aware-Kallu. I don't know what the English word for this magical bean is or what's biological name, but essentially its a Bean that's available in Bangalore in the winter. Steam the AKs, cool it down and mix it into the dough right before you add in the curd.

Myopic view of indian, kannadiga, recipe, cooking, akki, roti

And the number 1 training method is

to back your car into the garage every day.

If you want to be a better driver, then you should back your car into the garage. Proven method. Couple scratches and broken mirrors later, you will be a better driver.

Myopic view of driving

1 in 5 humans are

Scientific American has a very interesting article about Aliens on Earth. link (via).

That got me thinking about Aliens, Humans and our attempt to contact or check for them contacting us. Do I believe that aliens exist? Well... There are Billions and Billions of stars out there. To assume that there is only 1 star out of those billions that has the "right" to hold life, seems a bit conceited. Its a different question if there is "intelligent" life out there. Again, to assume that we are alone (though I know plenty of humans who fit the description - alive but unintelligent), is very conceited.

If we look at all the alien type movies, one thing strikes me as really odd. They portray alien life forms in black and white terms only. Aliens are either super-intelligent, or extra dumb, they are peaceful or extermely violent, they are good looking or grotesque.

Keeping this in mind, lets look at the Voyager Gold Record and Pioneer Plaque. Both of them contain what can be considered as informational or even peaceful items. Yet history tells us that people are violent, weird and bloodthirsty. Consider, European Colonialism. It had its good points and bad points. It made many Europeans very rich and yet there were others who tried to bring good.

I guess the same would apply here as well. If intelligent life contacts the earth surely it will have its peacemakers and rabble-rousers, its pioneers and its jokers, as well as its leaders and its thieves. Painting them as Two-Dimensional essentially contradicts "intelligence".

Myopic view of intelligence,, aliens

Damn! He's Back

I'm NOT a fan, but damn! the guy is great. One year out of F1 and MS tops the timesheets on an official F1 test.

Ferrari want Schumacher's help for next year's car, which will have standard electronics i.e no driver aids.

Myopic view of f1, formula1, ferrari, schumacher

Oops! They did it again

NDTV and their carbon copies CNN-IBN and Times Now! have a way of irritating me. Its reached a stage, where I don't consider them news channels any more. Their news sections are fluffy and their editorial pieces are poorly researched. I don't think they plan to be about news. In most of their programming, they appear arrogant and ill-informed. A long way from the BBC indeed. Unfortunately, I don't get the BBC (My ^(&@#$ing cable operator) and so, I have to turn to these half-baked morons. Some of their stuff is ok, but its always with a tidbit that makes you cring in horror. Sort of like having to eat fish with a lot of very sharp and very dangerous bones.

NDTV Goodtimes had a show for Diwali by Marut Sikka where he presented a number of yummy recipes for deserts. All was fine, until very end of the show, when he proclaimed - Diwali is the New Year for Hindus and so, Happy New Year.

That's a load of crap. It may be New Year for *some* of us, but not *all* of us. Down south some of us celebrate the new year in Spring. Its known as Ugadi for the kannadiga hindus. Other parts of the south don't have it on the same day, but they too have festivals welcoming the new year in Spring. So, when you are chef, stick to cooking. If you want to mention a fact, then research it.

Another problem that I saw recently was an interview of Anil Kumble. The piece was about his new role as the Indian Test Captain. Again most of it was fine, except for the beginning, where the reporter what's-her-name literally said that Anil Kumble was born in obscure part of Bangalore known as Jayanagar. I may be biased, but Jayanagar is probably the best planned middle-class residential layout in Bangalore. Its not the pretentious part of town and neither is it where the rouveau riche live. To call it obscure is just poor journalism.

Buckle up

"This is your captain speaking. We are approaching Bangalore Airport soon. Please buckle your seat belts as we may be experiencing some Diwali Firecrackers." Huh?

I was at the club on Thursday evening. There's a nice rooftop restaurant, where one can order a drink, have some snacks and take in the view. What made it really nice on Thursday, was the fireworks for Diwali. Some of the rockets were spectacular, while some were ordinary, and yet others just damp squibs.

But that's not what I was thinking.

As I was enjoying myself, I noticed the wind shift direction and blow gently from the East. Within a few minutes, I noticed the first one. Airplane, that is. Coming in to land from the West. That got me thinking. I saw some cool fireworks in the sky and with the plane above them, I started wondering if the plane could ever be hit by one of those.

Planes can get hit by birds at takeoff and landing and that's why they seem to take a lot of precautions. I'm not sure what would happen if a Diwali rocket bursts near a plane. I don't think a rocket will go higher than 20 stories, and the only place where a plane would be lower than 20 stories would be near the runway.

Hmmm.

Myopic view of planes, diwali

Gmail has IMAP but it doesn't work yet

Gmail now supports IMAP, Ya! OR so I thought.

I deleted my POP email in Thunderbird and went through the configuration steps in gmail help. The final step was to enable IMAP in settings.

To my horror, its not there! It still says "Forwarding and POP", when it should have said "Forwarding and IMAP/POP".

I read the official announcement again, and found this tiny disclaimer

As we roll out the feature over the next couple of days, you will be able to use Gmail at work, in your car, or just about anywhere on any device, and actions you take will be automatically synced with Gmail on the web (and remember it works the other way too: anything you do on the Web will be seen on your phone or in your mail client). Just click the "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" tab in your Gmail "Settings" and turn it on. (Psst. If you don't see the "IMAP" in the "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" tab, then check back soon. We are giving it to users as fast as we can).

Gosh Darn... Now to wait and watch.

Myopic view of gmail

Many a slip between the cup and the lip

I saw the Brazilian GP all the way, and was in disbelief when KR won. Mind you, I didn't have any real favorites or was rooting against anyone. Things have changed from the MS years.

If we analyze the Ferrari, McLaren foursome's season, no one really was consistent throughout the season.

1. KR. Started in style at Aus, but then slipped back until the European leg was truly underway. Starting from France, Kimi has finished on the Podium in all races except Germany, and has never qualified below 3rd except at Monza where he was 5th. So, one can say that he was really consistent in the next half of the season.
2. LH. His season too had 2 different halves. In the first half, he was really on top, finishing on the podium in every race until Germany. From Germany it was a sea-saw. He won 2 race but also finished up and down the order. After the Japanese GP, he had over a 90% chance of winning the championship but still lost. I think the pressure was getting to him in the second half of the season and that started affecting his results.
3. FA. I think he had a fairly inconsistent season. He would win one race and then finish 7th or something in the next. Take Monaco, Canada, USGP and France. In those 4 races FA finished 1st, 7th, 2nd and 7th respectively. He followed that with a 2nd place at Silverstone. I think it was this inconsistency that lost him the championship and NOT just losing points to LH.
4. Massa. Had a lukewarm start but then won a couple of races in a row. If we look at his results, they just weren't good enough. Lots of podiums and lots of retirements as well. No bulletproof reliability in his Ferrari this season.


Guys who were winners this season
1. KR. Super star!
2. LH. Despite the hype created by the English press, he really is very good. The second season would be interesting.
3. Kubica. Cool show all season
4. Heikki. Maybe a bit up and down but improved considerably over the season
5. Vettel. This guy has talent and could do wonders in a good car.
6. Alonso. Despite all the temper tantrums and angry fits, I think he did the best he could. He had a new team with a style that's possibly alien to his own and yet he managed to hold his own. I hope he stays in McLaren.

Guys who shouldn't have raced. (Bit cruel here but that just my opinion).
1. Ralf. I'm not a natural fan of his. He's always blown hot and blown cold but this season it was colder than ever.
2. Rubens. Not much to say here. The Honda was pretty poor, and he did manage to out drive Button a couple times, but towards the end there really was no fight.
3. Webber. I'm a fan but this season was not what he would have wanted after leaving Williams last season.
4. Fisi. Less said the better.

Myopic view of f1, formula1

Scary Moment

I went by Eva's Kinetic to work today. The road adjacent to BEML on the way to work is paved with concrete and not asphalt. As I was driving on this road, I found it to be a bit slippery and slowed down a bit. It had rained last night and it didn't make sense to take chances on a wet concrete road.

Just as I slowed down, I noticed two bikes (rather one bike and one scooty) driving towards me. The bike guy was trying to overtake the girl on the scooty and cut the girl off. The girl hit the brakes and immediately lost control. Very quickly she and the guy were stuck together like glue on a slippery road, with no control and driving straight at me.

Thankfully, I managed to turn away from them at the last moment. They must have missed me by millimeters!

Just as they careened past me, they lost complete control and landed up on the road and soon came to a stop.

I too stopped to catch my breath and watch what happened. The girl obviously pissed off, jumped up and starting shouting at the guy. I just thanked my stars and continued to work.

Phew!

Stupid B*stard. Nearly killed one girl on a scooty, and almost got me as well.

Myopic view of bangalore, traffic