I am traveling to USA

Ok folks, I am in the USA between March 3rd-15th. So if you are from the USA and want to meet a celebrity (me me me) drop a line here. We are more likely to meet if you are in Colorado. Why? I am going to be staying in Denver. I heard that it is a beautiful place, but the weather there kind of freaks me out: avg max temperature (next 10 days): 5 Degs C and min. temperatures is like -10 degs C! Whoooo!
Write to me: suman 'at' sumankumar 'dot' com

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Maharasthra's New Ban: No entry for kids under 21 into bars, pubs and beer parlours

The ban - I read it in the papers today - is to stop 'kids' under 21 from screwing up their lives. I was wondering... how come one can vote at the age of 18?
Also, some association wants wine shops to remove all associations with gods and names of gods. Ha ha ha. I live in an exciting place. I wonder what they'd ban next... ban sex for unmarried people?
Write to me: suman 'at' sumankumar 'dot' com

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Eating Out in Bangalore: Shiok - Far Eastern Cuisine

I paid a visit to my good friend Madhu 'Madman' Menon's new restaurant (with a hic cocktail lounge); CMH road has metamorphosed into a bustling-hep-sophisticated hang-out. Two buildings before the Citibank ATM, I caught Shiok's humble-yet-captivating glow-sign. I took the lift to the 2nd floor and entered Shiok.

God is in details and I know Madhu-the-atheist is the details-guy. The lighting is soothing in the restaurant; just right to ease you up and prepare you for a lip-smacking far-east cuisine. Madhu doubles up as a chef as well; now, you know why the man kicked a career in user-experience and IT, and followed his passion: cooking. He threw the menu at me and said 'tabbed menu boss!' Yea, if you are a vegetarian you don't have to browse through the entire menu, just follow the tab named 'vegetarian'.
Me being me, I spent little time in the restaurant and slid into the cozy cocktail lounge. I am not a cocktail guy mind you, but I liked what I tasted there. Don't miss out on the house cocktail: The Shiok Slammer. Tell you what, this lounge is the best place to bring your girl (or guy depending upon your sex and sexuality) and spend some quality time talking and catching up. The music is not intrusive and loud. They play 90s music, but I would prefer Madhu to research more and improve his music collection. The lighting -again- is sexy. And, customizable: if you want a rocking night the lights can be brighter or if you prefer a mellow ambience, you got it.
I only wish that every eat-out cares about its patrons like Shiok and its boss Madhu. Shiok is a great example of user-centered design; and trust me, you check it out once and you are hooked for sure.

To learn how to get there see: http://www.ryze.com/go/themadman

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I am looking for ideas on webcasting my wedding

I don't have lot of money. So, can you suggest some economical alternatives. One that I had thought of was to have a webcam hooked to Yahoo hooked to a PC at the marriage hall; well, that doesn't look like a great idea. So, please shoot from the hip. If I use your idea, I'll write your biography for half the fee. Full fee is only a million bucks

Write to me: suman 'at' sumankumar 'dot' com

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Creativity

Creativity

"But the rest of us, like it or not, will have to adjust. The hints about how to make this adjustment are evident at Patni. As I meet programmers and executives, I hear lots of talk about quality and focus and ISO and CMM certifications and getting the details right. But never - not once - does anybody mention innovation, creativity, or changing the world. Again, it reminds me of Japan in the '80s - dedicated to continuous improvement but often at the expense of bolder leaps of possibility. " Source:Wired
OUCH! No wonder none of the software products on my pc are made in India, where 'made' = designed. So, oh techie-guru of India, will you please stop acting like you are a gift to us and actually design something on your own? Huh?
(PS: Shalin. Not you. Hee. Hee.)
Write to me: suman 'at' sumankumar 'dot' com

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Maaleesh!

Maaleesh!

I went for a hair-cut this morning. There was the usual Sunday rush. After a short wait I was offered a seat by the barber.
'Short, I want it real short.' I told him. So he went to work and within fifteen minutes he got me looking like a porcupine in heat. Well, I asked for it! Just when I thought it was over, he asked me, 'Maaleesh?'
Maaleesh is Hindi for massage. In this context it was head massage. I thought over it for a few seconds and said, 'ok.'
He pointed at a few bottles and asked me to choose; I chose a strawberry coloured oil. He applied a palmful to my scalp and started 'maaleeshing'. After a few minutes of 'tap-rub-squeeze' my scalp, he yanked out a funny looking machine and strapped it to his palm. It was a vibrator :-D while it whirred on top of his palm, he ran his hand over my scalp, neck and shoulders. Trust me it was rejuvenating. Then he was about to move his vibrator-powered hand over my chest when I said, 'No!' I mean, hey, hell no! The strawberry-coloured oil probably had camphor in it; It felt as if a bottle of mint was poured on my head. It felt like sticking your head in the freezer.
He removed the machine from his hand and locked it up in a drawer. I checked out my hair in the mirror in front. I was looking like an electrocuted monkey. I was about to stand up when the barber stopped me. He held my head; one hand at the back of my head and the other at the chin, and came close. I thought he was going to kiss me. But thankfully no. He paused and 'listened' to my head and gave my head a twist clockwise, 'trrrrkkkkkkk' it broke. He twisted anti-clockwise, and it 'trrrrrrrrrrrrrrked' again. I felt lighter now. I felt younger. It was as if, all the rusty sensations in my head and neck were flushed out with the 'trrrrrrrrrkkkkk'. The barber stepped back, like an artist admiring his just-finished painting, smiled, and said, 'That'd be all sir.' I didn't want to get up, but I had to as lot of people were waiting. I thanked him and asked him, 'How much is the bill?' 'Forty Rupees', he said. Ah well!
Write to me: suman 'at' sumankumar 'dot' com

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