Review - Digital Fortress

Its a fast going novel with small chapters , some if it even for just one or two pages but the pace makes you glued to it.. I finished it in just 3 days.. Though its all about network security and cryptography, Brown gives enough information, so that people who know nothing of the above two would also understand..

The 'invincible' code-breaking machine ran by the National Security Agency, encounters a mysterious code it cannot break, the agency calls in its head cryptographer, a brillant, beautiful mathematician. What she uncovers sends shock waves through the corridors of power. The NSA is being held hostage - not by guns or bombs, but by a code so complex that if released would cripple U.S. intelligence.. Through the central character, we come to see how cryptography has evolved in today’s time and also something about the NSA, its functions, capabilities and awesome power. With an ingenious plot whose exciting premise is further bolstered by a rapid pace, lots of suspense, interesting characterizations and a romantic entanglement thrown in for good measure, Digital Fortress is a cutting-edge techno-thriller that compels the readers to wonder how much the government is concealing from the public, and whether big brother is really watching everything everywhere. Dan Brown’s laudable detailed research makes this book so realistic it’s scary. Moreover, it will provoke readers to think and wonder if this loss of privacy and violation of human rights is justified by the number of horrific terrorist plots foiled and lives spared daily -- an interesting dilemma.

A good novel with lot of information and thought provoking as well..

Review - The 3 mistakes of my life..

A typical Indian novel be it for the name,character,context,beliefs and what not. . This novel is a mix of friendship, business, cricket, love and religion.

It begins with Chetan recieveing a mail from one of his fans that he has taken sleeping pills, writing a mail to Chetan waiting for the eternal sleep..Chetan traces this guy and comes to know whatever had happened and he straightens things out.. Its a very realistic story.. The story is about 3 friends Govind, Ish and Omi.. Govind a Maths geek with very big dreams, Ish for whom cricket is everything and Omi a very loyal friend who would do anything for his friends.. The other important characters are Bitoo mama(Omi's uncle)who contributes for the "religion" portion of the plot, Vidya (Ish's sister) who contributes to the "love" portion and Ali who is born with a hyper reflex talent that makes him hit a six of every ball he faces contributing to the "cricket" portion.

There were several instances that portrayed the friendship b/w the three, but the last few pages left me in tears.. A simple narration with far deeper meaning.. Being a very small novel, you will surely feel relaxed after reading it.. Truly a worth read...

Here are some glimpses of the plot..

Govind, Ish and Omi start a business by setting up a sports shop and they progress drastically within a short period of time suddenly there is an earthquake that leaves them in debt...

Govind,Ish Omi and Ali get a chance to go to Australia to get Ali trained in the Australian Cricket Academy..

Govind and Vidya are in love, of which Ish isn't aware..

Bitoo Mama wants to kill Ali..

Omi dies..

Tempted to know what happens.. Go get the book and read it...

Nadigar Thilagam Sivaji Ganesan

The perfect artiste in every sense.. Am a die-hard fan of this Legend.. Of course his demise is a great loss for the Tamil industry, but his talents will certainly be remembered and revered forever..

He started acting on stage at the age of seven, made his debut in the Tamil film, "Parasakthi" at 24.. Super added to "voice" and "face" was Sivaji's singular gift of mesmerizing bodily postures and gestures that he aesthetically used with inventive embellishment in his art of characterization. Be it happiness, joy, anxiety, fear,sadness, pain or whatever feel possible on this earth, no one can bring us the feel as this great man does... His majestic gait in certain movies(Raaja - nadai), no one can ever match that.. Some of his fans dont' understand tamil but still they admire him a lot.. For admiring something it isn't necessary that you need to understand it, such is his acting.. His actions conveys as much as his words and the dialogues just adds more to the performance.. He doesn't act but lives the role, that makes each and every role of him all the more naturalistic..

Awards :

• Best Actor Award, Afro-Asian Film Festival,Cairo - 1960
  
• Padma Shri Title - 1966
• Padma Bhushan Title, 1984
• Knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
  
• Dadasaheb Phalke Award - 1996
  
• Kalaimamani
  
• NTR National Award 1998
• He was awarded the title of Chevalier, the Order of Arts and Literature by the Ministry of Culture, Government of France. This is one of the main decorations of the French Republic which is conferred to honor the most original and talented personalities, for their remarkable contributions in the field of Arts and Literature in France and all over the world.
• In 1962, Ganesan toured the U.S, where he was given the honor of being the mayor of Niagara City New York. He along with the former Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru were the only two Indians to be honored this way.
• During a visit to the United States in June 1995, Sivaji Ganesan found himself in Columbus, Ohio,. Mayor Greg Lashutka named him honorary citizen of Columbus at a special dinner.
• The South Indian Film Artistes' Association President Vijaykanth declared that October 1, the birth day of Ganesan, would be observed as Actors' Day in Kollywood
• Actor Marlon Brando visited India and was shown movie clips of Sivaji Ganesan . From then on Brando has admired Sivaji Ganesan for his acting style. He also said that Sivaji Ganesan can act like him but he cannot act like Sivaji Ganesan . This was something special as it has not been said to any other Indian actors from a popular American actor.
• A statue was erected in Chennai to honour this legendary actor in 2006. It was unveiled by the then Chief Minister

People who haven't watched any of his movies, really are missing something in life...

Review : The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand

This is my first Ayn Rand book and I was so intrigued by it that, any free time I get , even if its just two min, I would be with this book only... The novel revolves around the four main characters Howard Roark, Dominique Francon, Gail Wynand, Peter Keating and Ellsworth Toohey.. It stands as a perpetual monument to what a human being is capable of..

Roark (the hero) is expelled in his third year of graduation because of his individualistic thoughts which doesn't allow him to replicate anything that have been done in the past.. He lives by his own rules, which are based on reason and individualism.. The book speaks about his style of work and how he goes against all conventional and classical schools, the problems he faces, pain he had to bear and finally how he merges a winner with his rational thinking irrespective of the masses.. Not only this, but thorugh the relationship of Roark & Dominique it conveys what love is and from Gail & Roark's relationship it personifies what friendship is.. Roark's testimony at the final trial, the crux of this final speech has a loooooooooooooooooot to convey to the readers... Its not something that words can explain, just read it and you will know...

One of the most beautiful things in this book is its reinvention of the meaning of the word ‘selfish’ from ’being completely self-centered’ to that of ’having a sense of the SELF’ and ‘selfless’ from ’doing for others without thinking about one’s benefit’ to that of the ’complete absence of the sense of the SELF’. This is a way of life I completely agree with and trying to lead my life this way..

To put it in a more easier context , the message the novel evinces is "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

Truly a "MUST READ"....

Time Management

Time management is nothing but managing the priorities of your day to day activities and allocating time for them accordingly.. Once you master this skill, everything else will automatically fit in as you want it to be..

There is a general notion that " Time is money"( the pic also portrays the same), this is because in today's world money is considered more important and powerful than anything but the truth is that," Time is more valuable than money", because u can get more money, but you can never ever get more time. Perhaps the watches are also so named as a reminder - if we don't watch carefully what we do with our time, it will slip away from us.. So do your best thing at this moment & time will put you at the best place for the next moment.

You can do anything, but you can’t do everything, at least not at the same time. So think of your priorities not in terms of what activities you do, but when you do them. Timing is everything.. The more earlier you develop this skill in you the more easier you will achieve all you dreams.. When you allow yourself to begin to dream big dreams, creatively abandon the activities that are taking up too much of your time, and focus your inward energies on alleviating your main constraints, you start to feel an incredible sense of power and confidence. Master time,then you will understand how true it is that most of us underestimate what we can attain.Always remember "You are what you are only because of what you do"

As usual some quotes to give the final touch....

Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use

Success is more than a good idea. . It is timing too..

The common man is not concerned about the passage of time, the man of talent is driven by it.

Attitude

Attitude

The perspective in which we look at things..
Our most priceless possession..

There are umpteen things in the world that are beyond our control, so instead of brooding over the inevitable changes it would be best to analyze our characteristics, traits, specialists and limits and change our attitude accordingly to build us up. Every second, every moment and every breath of our life is nurtured by attitude

The picture at the right, this can be taken as an example of two
extreme attitudes. I don't mean to say that, the cat has an attitude,But if you think so then it means you are not looking at the post with the right attitude. :P. I just wanna emphasis on the fact that, this is how people's attitude differ. Our living is determined not so much by what life brings to us, but by the attitude with which we comprehend it . We cant control what happens to us, but we can control the attitude towards what happens to us and by doing so we will be mastering the change rather than allowing it to master us.

Positive attitude may not solve every problem but it makes solving any problem in a pleasant way.. Its a little thing that makes a big difference.. So develop a positive attitude and see the change it brings in your life..

Review : By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept

Paulo Coehlo's books do have the power to transform life and gives us a different perspective of looking at things. This book sure is no exception to that.

The two main characters in this small story are Pilar and her childhood friend. Time separates them both. It has transformed Pilar into a strong and independent woman who has learnt how to bury her feelings, while her devoted childhood friend has grown into a handsome and charismatic spiritual leader who chooses religion in order to seek refuge from his raging inner conflicts and to find meaning of life.. What happens when both of them meet after 11 yrs.. This is what the story is about..

The Concept of the "Other" which we should oust form our life is one important message this book gives us.. "The Other is the one which teaches us what we should be like, but not what we are. The Other believes that it is our obligation to spend our entire life thinking about how to get our hands on as much money as possible so that we will not die of hunger when we are old.So we think so much about money and our plans for acquiring it that we discover we are alive only when our days on earth are practically done. And then it's too late". Each and every word has a deeper meaning which when understood gives us a different insight about love and life..

Some of the lines that I wish to quote..

• We have to listen to the child we once were, the child who still exists inside us.If we are not reborn— if we cannot learn to look at life with the innocence and the enthusiasm of childhood—it makes no sense to go on living.
• It's better to lose some of the battles in the struggle for your dreams than to be defeated without ever even knowing what you're fighting for.

Just feel the book to sense the profoundness in it and to know what happened to the adolescent love between Pilar and her childhood friend..

Infactuation, Friendship and Love

Anyone who comes across this blog am sure will first read through this post only, such an captive topic, right.. So I thought for a long while as to how to make it so interesting that people would care to read the other posts as well.. So here it is..

Infatuation
Liking a person just by the sight of them.. Major problem among the youngsters today.. It prevailed only among college students, but these days its spreading so fast that even school kids tend to fall in this pit.. So bad.. Never ever follow this teenage instincts and regret later after you come to know what life and the world is..

Friendship
The very word that will bring back the sweet memoirs since our childhood.. Ya its friendship which one can count always.. The understanding once developed will remain forever no matter whatever turn the life takes..

There comes a point in your life when you realize who matters,
who never did,
who won't anymore...
and who always will.
So don't worry about people from your past
there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future

So choose your friends carefully and your life will go accordingly.. Nothing else can replace the position of a true friend.. So cherish true friendship forever..

Love
The very first thought that comes to one's mind on seeing this word is love between a guy and a girl.. One fact that we need to feel bad about is that the love that parents shower on their children have been totally forgotten.. This bond can doubtlessly be taken as the epitome of true and divine love..

Mother's Love

I humbly appraise my mother's worth
It began with pain to give me birth,
Which triggered off a love so strong,
Blossoming into a life-long bond.

When needed, she was always there,
Someone I realized would always care.
And the older I got the more I knew,
A mother's love sincere and true.

Now as I watch Mum age in years,

I'm happy to help and ease her fears.

Privileged now to play my part,

As she did for me from the very start.

Let me make one thing very clear by this I don't mean that true love can never exist between a guy and girl, it sure does.. No one can deny that.. Each one's way of expressing it differs.. True love needs to be felt not read or explained..

Love is a tender touch, a warm embrace
Its something that leaves on everlasting trace

Love does not consist in gazing at each other
but
in looking together in the same direction

In love the hard times will surely come,
and no lover is without flaw,
but
you must have patience to see the rainbows
and endure the thorns to have the rose

Pain is inevitable... Suffering is optional....

Everyone of us wish our life to be painless, but that is not what happens always... Each one of us do come across a situation where our life seems painful and miserable... That is coz its natural.. There sure will be a reason behind it..

All pain is either severe or slight, if slight, its easily endured;if severe,it'll without doubt be brief.. We cannot learn without pain

Every pain inflicted upon us by nature is to make us better. Its our approach towards it that makes the difference. Most of us think that we are only suffering and others are all happy, but that is major misconception prevailing that tends us to lose hope in life. One should understand that everyone does suffer but the attitude is what increases or decreases the magnitude of it.

Life indeed consists of "ups" and "downs". The "ups" motivate us and the "downs" teaches and corrects us. Both of these together is what makes life interesting and the total absence of any one of it will make life monotonous and bored. So when you are suffering just have one thing in mind "This will pass for a better beginning"

The secret of success is learning how to use pain and pleasure instead of having pain and pleasure use you. If you do that, you're in control of your life. If you don't, life controls you."

Self Analysis

Paulo Coelho's books made me realise how important the analysis of self is in a person's lyf... So here am just writing down some thoughts of mine which am sure would help everyone who reads this.... Self analysis should be done about each and evrything one does in their life and more importantly it should'nt be dropped as more often one tends to postone it and gradually it gets forgotten....

If you are willing to spend some time learning about yourself here are 2 easy ways of doing it

1. By penning down everything , then analysing it

2. Sitting calmly and thinking over

There is ofcourse a difference between the will to be honest and the capacity to do so... Every obstacle surmounted in overcoming this difference means understanding the inner self more which will helps to approach the next with more inner strength... So my suggestion to anyone who reads this is

" No one can go back and make a brand new start, but anyone can start now and make a brand new ending... "

So start it today to feel the difference for a better tomorrow....

Paulo Coelho

The moment I thought of starting a blog I wanted to write about this great man born on August 24, 1947 in Rio de Janerio, Brazil... "I always knew," he says, "that my Personal Legend, to use a term from alchemy, was to write." I admire this man a lot for his attitude and am sure all his fans would also accept it..

He is not only one of the most widely read, but also one of the most influential authors writing today. All his works are thought provoking , motivating and it creates in us a virtue of approaching life more optimistically.. We all know "Attitude is what makes a person", he shows us a different dimension of looking at things and changes our attitude towards life helping us in facing any situation more confidently...

Here are some of his views about life:

1] All men are different. And should do everything possible to continue to be so.

2] Each human being has been granted two courses of action: that of deed and that of contemplation. Both lead to the same place.

3] Each human being has been granted two qualities: power and gift. Power drives man to meet his destiny, his gift obliges him to share with others that which is good in him. A man must know when to use his power, and when to use his gift.

4] Each human being has been granted a virtue: the capacity to choose. For he who does not use this virtue, it becomes a curse - and others will always choose for him.

5] Each human being has the right to two blessings, which are: the blessing to do right, and the blessing to err. In the latter case, there is always a path of learning leading to the right way.

6] Each human being has his own Personal Legend to be fulfilled, and this is the reason he is in the world. The Personal Legend is manifest in his enthusiasm for what he does.
Single paragraph - the Personal Legend may be abandoned for a certain time, provided one does not forget it and returns as soon as possible.

7] Each man has a feminine side, and each woman has a masculine side. It is necessary to use discipline with intuition, and to use intuition objectively.

8] Each human being must know two languages: the language of society and the language of the omens. The first serves for communication with others. The second serves to interpret messages from God.

9] Each human being has the right to seek out joy, joy being understood as something which makes one content - not necessarily that which makes others content.

10] Each human being must keep alight within him the sacred flame of madness. And must behave like a normal person.

11] The only faults considered grave are the following: not respecting the rights of one’s neighbor, letting oneself be paralyzed by fear, feeling guilty, thinking one does not deserve the good and bad which occurs in life, and being a coward.
we shall love our adversaries, but not make alliances with them. They are placed in our way to test our sword, and deserve the respect of our fight.
we shall choose our adversaries, not the other way around.

12] All religions lead to the same God, and all deserve the same respect.
A man who chooses a religion is also choosing a collective manner of adoration and of sharing the mysteries. Nevertheless, he alone is responsible for his actions along the Way, and he has no right to transfer to religion the responsibility for his steps and his decisions.

13] Everything which is done in the present, affects the future by consequence, and the past by redemption.

14] Of every ten problems we have, nine are created by our own selves - through guilt, self-punishment, self-pity. However, from time to time a great obstacle appears in our path, which was put there by God, and which is there for a reason. The reason is: to give us the opportunity to change everything, to move forwards.

What great thoughts.... Awesome... Am sure anyone who cared to read all through this would want to know more about his works and here is a list of it.. I assure, by reading his works you are gonna gain a lot out of it...

Year	Title
1982	Hell Archives
1986	Practical Manual of Vampirism
1987	The Pilgrimage
1988	The Alchemist
1990	Brida
1991	The Greatest Gift
1992	The Valkyries
	The Diary of a Magus
1994	Maktub
	By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept
1996	The Fifth Mountain
1997	Love Letters from a Prophet
	The Manual of the Warrior of Light
1998	Veronika Decides to Die
	Essential Words
2000	The Devil and Miss Prym
2001	Fathers, Sons and Grandsons
2003	Eleven Minutes
2004	The Genie and the Roses
	And on the Seventh Day (collection of three previously published novels)
2005	The Zahir
	Revived Paths
2006	Like the Flowing River
	The Witch of Portobello
2007	Life: Selected Quotations
2008	The Winner is Alone
	The Wizard (biography by Fernando Morais)

Official Site:
http://www.paulocoelho.com.br/engl/

Blog :
http://paulocoelhoblog.com/

Nice Quotes

A friend is someone who believes in you even when you have ceased to believe yourself...

A hug is worth a thousand words. A friend is worth more...

They may forgot what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel...

To handle yourself use your head, to handle others use your heart...

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment...

To live is to change and to be perfect is to have changed often...


There is nothing so easy but that it becomes difficult when you do it reluctantly

The wise are wise only because they love. And the foolish are foolish only because they think they can understand love


We are what we repeatedly do.. Excellence,then is not an act but habit..

If you want to feel rich, just count the things you have that money can't buy


Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence...Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent...

For every failure, there's an alternative course of action. You just have to find it. When you come to a roadblock, take a detour...

What you love is as unique to you as your fingerprints. You need to know that because nothing will make you really happy but doing what you love

Don't ever be angry on ur friends... B'coz at the last moments of our life, We remember not the words of our enemies.. but the silence of our Friends.....

We're never so vulnerable than when we trust someone--but paradoxically, if we cannot trust, neither can we find love or joy...

PS : Look @ my other blog page for more citations

Me - A Software Professional...

My first day as a soft prof was on June 9th,2008.Though I had previous work experience,it was as an intern, so this day really has a special significance in my life.. Now am an IT professional... The company which I joined is the same company where I had done my internship and cubicle is also the same, so it was lyk am going back to office after a long vacation. Since nothing was new for me, i didnt need any training and my work started immediately.
Today being a holiday, I was feeling bored and that's when I got this idea of blogging.. My first confusion was in deciding the blog name.. Finally i decided upon this name as most of whatever I felt lyk writing was some kind of memories and incidents in my life. The second confusion was what am I gonna write n my first post n I thought and thought and thought and concluded that it would be about me becoming a proffesional as this a gr8 event n my lyf.. And here am with my blog..

In Rememberance of all my dear "FRIENDS"

As we walk our path of life,
We meet people everyday.
Most are simply met by chance.
But, some are sent our way.

These become special friends
Whose bond we can't explain;
The ones who understand us
And share our joy and pain.

Their love contains no boundaries.
So, even we are apart.
Their presence enhances us
With a warmth felt in the heart.

This love becomes a passageway,
When even the miles disappear.
And so, these friends, God sends our way,
Remain forever near.