Hope it lives up to the billing...It is always tough to predict with any sort of certainty, the chances of either country.
IMHO - it would 1-0, 1-1 or 2-0 in favor of India
Monday, March 07, 2005
Saturday, March 05, 2005
Taxman cometh
Yes, it is taxing time for everyone. April 15th is the last day to file your federal taxes. State filing dates may vary. Virginia waits till May 1st.
Alert : Last minute procrastinators - You may choose to file at the last moment, but make sure you have all the information and correctly to say.i.e. make sure your W-2 has your SSN,Name exactly as in your SSN card. Make sure you have all the 1099-NT from the banks and they tally with what you have.
Some important tips :
Federal taxes can be e-filed free. Visit www.irs.gov to get more details
VA state taxes can be e-filed free as well. Visit tax.virginia.gov for more details
you can visit your local post office, public libraries or the website to download forms and instructions to fill the same.
It is advisable to calculte with paper & pencil (into the downloaded/pickedup form) and tally it with any website that you may choose to use. Keep in mind to not fill in your ssn when you are doing scrap work (safety precaution)
Remember, it is your responsibility to file taxes and get/pay any thing that is due. Any unclaimed refunds beyond 3 years will be forfeited.
Do not hesitate to ask for any help that, someone around you, can help you with. Or comment on this website.
Nothing stops with information - it has to turn into commentary ! ;)
Wow, what a way to make people lose their money. First, they deduct taxes at source, then they deduct more/wrongly. Then you have a limited time to fail and claim. And if you fail to be accurate in your claims, you will be penalised, even if you are due a refund ! Sad to note that most countries around the world use this mode.
Excellent money minting policy !
Alert : Last minute procrastinators - You may choose to file at the last moment, but make sure you have all the information and correctly to say.i.e. make sure your W-2 has your SSN,Name exactly as in your SSN card. Make sure you have all the 1099-NT from the banks and they tally with what you have.
Some important tips :
It is advisable to calculte with paper & pencil (into the downloaded/pickedup form) and tally it with any website that you may choose to use. Keep in mind to not fill in your ssn when you are doing scrap work (safety precaution)
Remember, it is your responsibility to file taxes and get/pay any thing that is due. Any unclaimed refunds beyond 3 years will be forfeited.
Do not hesitate to ask for any help that, someone around you, can help you with. Or comment on this website.
Nothing stops with information - it has to turn into commentary ! ;)
Wow, what a way to make people lose their money. First, they deduct taxes at source, then they deduct more/wrongly. Then you have a limited time to fail and claim. And if you fail to be accurate in your claims, you will be penalised, even if you are due a refund ! Sad to note that most countries around the world use this mode.
Excellent money minting policy !
Thursday, March 03, 2005
From a freaking cell to a fearful cage
Chennai, has a central prison at the heart of its city (no pun intended). Everytime i used to travel via 'Park Station' - which is the transit point to 'Chennai Central Junction' - one can see the 'high' walls of the prison right from the station platform.
Incidentally, they also have a place called 'Theevu thidal' - 'Island grounds' as it is called more fashionably these days.This Island grounds hosts many public events like exhibitions, magic shows, circus etc.
Vandalur Zoo is one of the biggest in South Asia (as have been told). It is located in the outskirts of the city at a place called Vandalur (yeah too obvious)
Without testing your limits of patience - there is a connection among all of the above. A 'Joke' - a what ? : yes, you heard it right.
Before the zoo came to Vandalur, it was located at the Island grounds(hope, i got my facts right) or somewhere near that place. The prison was literally adjacent to the zoo.
Some comedian (you thought the joke was mine ? ;)) thought of a color one.
A life-sentence prisoner laboriously spends 10 years digging a tunnel from within his cell (apparently to escape). Fate had something else in mind. When he finally reached his exit point outside the prison - he began hearing loud growls - not unsure of what it was, he ventured to come out - and he realised it was a lion's cage !.
This is what westerners call 'from the frying pan into the fire' - i though i'd share this joke with you to coin 'from the freaking cell to a fearful cage'.
BTB, a twist ending to the blog(God, i can't seem to shrug off my habit of imitating night shyamalan. Anu malik is happy that am not into music direction). Vandalur hosts 'Crescent Engineering College' which is right adjacent to our college, where 'yours truly' did his engineering course.
Ofcourse, there used to a mischievous smile when people heard 'vandalur' associated with our college name - but we often used to bring immediate burst of laughter by remarking that, 'Yes, the zoo was our staff room'. (Pardon me teachers).
Incidentally, they also have a place called 'Theevu thidal' - 'Island grounds' as it is called more fashionably these days.This Island grounds hosts many public events like exhibitions, magic shows, circus etc.
Vandalur Zoo is one of the biggest in South Asia (as have been told). It is located in the outskirts of the city at a place called Vandalur (yeah too obvious)
Without testing your limits of patience - there is a connection among all of the above. A 'Joke' - a what ? : yes, you heard it right.
Before the zoo came to Vandalur, it was located at the Island grounds(hope, i got my facts right) or somewhere near that place. The prison was literally adjacent to the zoo.
Some comedian (you thought the joke was mine ? ;)) thought of a color one.
A life-sentence prisoner laboriously spends 10 years digging a tunnel from within his cell (apparently to escape). Fate had something else in mind. When he finally reached his exit point outside the prison - he began hearing loud growls - not unsure of what it was, he ventured to come out - and he realised it was a lion's cage !.
This is what westerners call 'from the frying pan into the fire' - i though i'd share this joke with you to coin 'from the freaking cell to a fearful cage'.
BTB, a twist ending to the blog(God, i can't seem to shrug off my habit of imitating night shyamalan. Anu malik is happy that am not into music direction). Vandalur hosts 'Crescent Engineering College' which is right adjacent to our college, where 'yours truly' did his engineering course.
Ofcourse, there used to a mischievous smile when people heard 'vandalur' associated with our college name - but we often used to bring immediate burst of laughter by remarking that, 'Yes, the zoo was our staff room'. (Pardon me teachers).
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
[Song Watch] Sonnalum Kaetpadhillai
Sonnalum Kaetpadhillai by Harini,Unnikrishnan from the movie Kadhal Virus.
It is amazingly sweet, melodious and occasionally a bit slow - never on the richness of the tune - from the stables of A.R.Rahman
Harini, to my gripe, has always been exuding the excitable, childlike texture in her voice ever since singing the 'nila kaigirathu'. I can't find a word that suits - but occasional howling would be commonplace in her songs. Of late (i.e. since '02) she has been sounding more and more mature like 'moonrezhuthu' from Parthale Paravasam.
Is her motherhood bringing this maturity ?
Without digressing more, Sonnalum, to me, has been her 'best' and 'most' mature performance as a singer - she imaginatively weaves in and out of this song...to the extent that Unnikrishnan was made to look like 'by the book' singer !
Kudos to her - like to hear more of such songs from ARR and Harini combo.
Talking of sounding 'mature' - what was it that ARR has done to his voice in 'Yeh Jo Des Hai' - many people wondered who the singer was. Excellent performance.
If he is gonna sing like this, would be a welcome, different voice, to the band of singers.
Hail Melody!
It is amazingly sweet, melodious and occasionally a bit slow - never on the richness of the tune - from the stables of A.R.Rahman
Harini, to my gripe, has always been exuding the excitable, childlike texture in her voice ever since singing the 'nila kaigirathu'. I can't find a word that suits - but occasional howling would be commonplace in her songs. Of late (i.e. since '02) she has been sounding more and more mature like 'moonrezhuthu' from Parthale Paravasam.
Is her motherhood bringing this maturity ?
Without digressing more, Sonnalum, to me, has been her 'best' and 'most' mature performance as a singer - she imaginatively weaves in and out of this song...to the extent that Unnikrishnan was made to look like 'by the book' singer !
Kudos to her - like to hear more of such songs from ARR and Harini combo.
Talking of sounding 'mature' - what was it that ARR has done to his voice in 'Yeh Jo Des Hai' - many people wondered who the singer was. Excellent performance.
If he is gonna sing like this, would be a welcome, different voice, to the band of singers.
Hail Melody!
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Results
'Post-capitalist society' by Peter F. Drucker has been enjoying the honor of being perused by my grey cells for the past week.
Among the other things (which will later be commented on as [Book Watch] and hence come back and visit the site often, and DO comment ) found a nice punch line in there.
The section was about what 'Organizations' are - and what 'results' they produce....
'The results of a university is students & workers applying knowledge, The results of hospital is patients walking away and never coming back, The results of a church are not even on this earth'
I liked the last one very much !
Among the other things (which will later be commented on as [Book Watch] and hence come back and visit the site often, and DO comment ) found a nice punch line in there.
The section was about what 'Organizations' are - and what 'results' they produce....
'The results of a university is students & workers applying knowledge, The results of hospital is patients walking away and never coming back, The results of a church are not even on this earth'
I liked the last one very much !
Smelly Cat...
Smelly Cat Smelly Cat, Where have you been ?
These are the poetic, laughter evoking lines sung by Phoebe&friends in one of the Friends episodes.
It would sound like a prose recital and when she asks for friends to join in, it becomes 'n' times fun
Actually come to think of it, the melody behind those lines are def hummable....
Disclaimer: If you dont really find any reason, why this is funny please watch TBS - they have been running promotion of 'Its funny on TBS' with this scene often, that should fix your problem. If it still does not fix it... forget it.
These are the poetic, laughter evoking lines sung by Phoebe&friends in one of the Friends episodes.
It would sound like a prose recital and when she asks for friends to join in, it becomes 'n' times fun
Actually come to think of it, the melody behind those lines are def hummable....
Disclaimer: If you dont really find any reason, why this is funny please watch TBS - they have been running promotion of 'Its funny on TBS' with this scene often, that should fix your problem. If it still does not fix it... forget it.
[Book Watch] : Starbucks
Starbucks - pouring your heart into it. How company was built one cup at a time.
Pure & unabashed self promotion. It is one of the cheap marketing stunts - with every crisis in the company be it they ran out of toilet papers to they ran out of coffee beans - everything is resolved with success of the CEO.
It travels to&fro in time and leaves no coherence in the narration.
Nonetheless, learn as much as you can from anything that comes by.
OK read : 3 out of 5
Pure & unabashed self promotion. It is one of the cheap marketing stunts - with every crisis in the company be it they ran out of toilet papers to they ran out of coffee beans - everything is resolved with success of the CEO.
It travels to&fro in time and leaves no coherence in the narration.
Nonetheless, learn as much as you can from anything that comes by.
OK read : 3 out of 5
[Book Watch]: Larry Ellison
Larry Ellison - An Intimate Potrayal of Oracle.
This to me, is still the favorite partly coz this was the first of the 'corporate/entrepreneurial' biography that i read.
It is amazingly well written book, the style of author/Larry commenting on each other is novel and makes it an interesting read.
Must Read 41/2 out of 5
This to me, is still the favorite partly coz this was the first of the 'corporate/entrepreneurial' biography that i read.
It is amazingly well written book, the style of author/Larry commenting on each other is novel and makes it an interesting read.
Must Read 41/2 out of 5
[Book Watch]:Jack Welch...
Jack Welch - Straight from the Gut.
One of the amazingly well written corporate turn around books. Ofcourse, there was enough spice in GE/Welch's story to keep it cool till the end...
Strongly recommended 41/2 out of 5
One of the amazingly well written corporate turn around books. Ofcourse, there was enough spice in GE/Welch's story to keep it cool till the end...
Strongly recommended 41/2 out of 5
Snow Nightmare......
When one sees the words Snow & Nightmare together, it is typically linked to some accident coz of snow or car cleaning or trekking upto your station.
Mine, especially this week, has been different.
On Sunday, it was predicted that upto 12 inches of snow is expected in the DC metro area and would paralyse the entire region - as would us in our childhood - was expecting closure of offices - which is not at all uncommon when such massive snow storm is predicted.
Every one hour kept on checking the weather reports. We have 'weather alert' line at office which has pre-recorded messages to indicate the 'closings'. Called that number so many times - finally went to bed - with no hopes of getting up early for a monday morning commute. Think of it - you get up on a monday morning - and you are told, dont worry take the day off :-) so cute.....
impossibly, woke up at around 4 am - tried calling the 'weather alert' - no luck - no updates yet....snore snore...
then my roommate got up - looked through the blinds - sighed in disbelief and ran off as typical of a work-day, disappointment was writ large all over me :-P. Still could not understand what it is that caused such a reaction from my room mate.
Finally when i got up and opened the blinds - wow - not a *single* flake of snow on the ground....
How cruel, weathermen are sometimes....
Once i dragged myself to office, realised that i was not alone in calling 'weather alert' so many times....
BTB, a cheap, Night Shyamalan, kinda surprise ending to the story ( if it can be called that) - it finally ended up snowing 4 inches and all of them melted away on tuesday - yippe - dont have to clean my car -laaa la la laaa la
Mine, especially this week, has been different.
On Sunday, it was predicted that upto 12 inches of snow is expected in the DC metro area and would paralyse the entire region - as would us in our childhood - was expecting closure of offices - which is not at all uncommon when such massive snow storm is predicted.
Every one hour kept on checking the weather reports. We have 'weather alert' line at office which has pre-recorded messages to indicate the 'closings'. Called that number so many times - finally went to bed - with no hopes of getting up early for a monday morning commute. Think of it - you get up on a monday morning - and you are told, dont worry take the day off :-) so cute.....
impossibly, woke up at around 4 am - tried calling the 'weather alert' - no luck - no updates yet....snore snore...
then my roommate got up - looked through the blinds - sighed in disbelief and ran off as typical of a work-day, disappointment was writ large all over me :-P. Still could not understand what it is that caused such a reaction from my room mate.
Finally when i got up and opened the blinds - wow - not a *single* flake of snow on the ground....
How cruel, weathermen are sometimes....
Once i dragged myself to office, realised that i was not alone in calling 'weather alert' so many times....
BTB, a cheap, Night Shyamalan, kinda surprise ending to the story ( if it can be called that) - it finally ended up snowing 4 inches and all of them melted away on tuesday - yippe - dont have to clean my car -laaa la la laaa la
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