# BEGIN WordPress

RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
AddType x-mapp-php5 .php
AddType text/html .shtml .html
AddHandler server-parsed .shtml .html
AddHandler x-mapp-php5 .php

# END WordPress

It had been bothering me for a while and thanks to WordPress Support I’ve been able to figure out the solution. Let me know if it helps you.

Fast forward to today – I’ve an hour train journey daily and after discovering a public library close to home with tons of great books, I see no reasons why I should not indulge a lot more. Another great thing about reading books is that is that it goes well with my new years resolution of blogging more interesting stuff often. In the age of 140 chars, blogging might actually sound wierd to some people — I’ve my reasons and thats an another post, a long one actually.

This is my current queue of books. I’ve read a lot of science fiction and am looking to branch out. For some reason, I also want to read Milton’s Paradise Lost this year.

Dune by Frank Herbert

Complete Guide to Guys by Dave Barry

The Pelican Brief by John Grisham

1984 by George Orwell

Short Stories by W.Somerset Maugham

Have any comments, suggested reading lists/books? I’m all ears.

Side Note : I used Amazon Showcase for WordPress for the display above, and the geek that I am, spent more time hacking the CSS and the widget code than for the actual writing of this post.

1. When Rajnikanth enters a room, he doesn’t turn the lights on, he turns the dark off.
2. When Rajnikanth looks in a mirror the mirror shatters, because not even glass is stupid enough to get in between Rajnikanth and Rajnikanth.
3. Brett Favre can throw a football over 50 yards. Rajnikanth can throw Brett Favre even further.
4. The last digit of pi is Rajnikanth. He is the end of all things.
5. Rajnikanth does not know where you live, but he knows where you will die.
6. Bullets dodge Rajnikanth.
7. A Handicap parking sign does not signify that this spot is for handicapped people. It is actually in fact a warning, that the spot belongs to Rajnikanth and that you will be handicapped if you park there.
8. Rajnikanth’ calendar goes straight from March 31st to April 2nd, no one fools Rajnikanth.
9. If you spell Rajnikanth wrong on Google it doesn’t say, “Did you mean Rajnikanth?” It simply replies, “Run while you still have the chance.”
10. Rajnikanth can do a wheelie on a unicycle.
11. Once a cobra bit Rajnikanth’ leg. After five days of excruciating pain, the cobra died.
12. When Rajnikanth gives you the finger, he’s telling you how many seconds you have left to live.
13. Rajnikanth can kill two stones with one bird.
14. Rajnikanth was once on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune and was the first to spin. The next 29 minutes of the show consisted of everyone standing around awkwardly, waiting for the wheel to stop.
15. Leading hand sanitizers claim they can kill 99.9 percent of germs. Rajnikanth can kill 100 percent of whatever he wants.
16. There is no such thing as global warming. Rajnikanth was cold, so he turned the sun up.
17. Rajnikanth can set ants on fire with a magnifying glass. At night.
18. Rajnikanth has a deep and abiding respect for human life… unless it gets in his way.
19. It takes Rajnikanth 20 minutes to watch 60 Minutes.
20. Rajnikanth once shot down a German fighter plane with his finger, by yelling, “Bang!”
21. In an average living room there are 1,242 objects Rajnikanth could use to kill you, including the room itself.
22. Behind every successful man, there is a woman. Behind every dead man, there is Rajnikanth.
23. Rajnikanth destroyed the periodic table, because Rajnikanth only recognizes the element of surprise.
24. Rajnikanth got his drivers license at the age of 16 Seconds.
25. With the rising cost of gasoline, Rajnikanth is beginning to worry about his drinking habit.
26. The square root of Rajnikanth is pain. Do not try to square Rajnikanth, the result is death.
27. When you say “no one’s perfect”, Rajnikanth takes this as a personal insult.
28. Rajnikanth makes onions cry
29. Rajnikanth can delete the Recycle Bin.
30. Ghosts are actually caused by Rajnikanth killing people faster than Death can process them.
31. Rajnikanth can build a snowman out of rain.
32. Rajnikanth can strangle you with a cordless phone.
33. Rajnikanth can drown a fish.

I am sure there are more things Rajni can do that are not here. Share them and your favorites in the comments. Americans can go ahead and do a “%s/Rajnikanth/Chuck Norris”

Source : Unknown. A hilarious email forward.

Don’t know if I should be thankful for that or should feel sad that I am missing out on something different. I seriously am hitting the sack really hard. Just a couple of minutes on the bed and I am off to sleep, blissful sleep. Makes me wonder what has changed. Is it the work and just that I am tired at the end of the day? Is it that I am happy and content, completely relaxed and so can sleep without any worries? or Is it just that I am used to this mundane schedule of sleeping at 12 in the night and not after breakfast. Probably there is more than meets the eye.

God, can I please have my insomniacity back. Just for a little while, maybe only on the weekends so that I can relive all those seconds that seem like minutes, never ending. So that I can have time to write and read more. So that I can have time to email my friends and family. So that I can have to do everything that I have wanted to do….

Just copy paste this code into your blog with changes wherever necessary especially the highlighted line and it should work. Let me know here how it goes!

<div id="twtr-search-widget"></div>
<script src="http://widgets.twimg.com/j/1/widget.js"></script>
<link href="http://widgets.twimg.com/j/1/widget.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet">  

<script>
<!-- Change settings in this code to whatever you want (subject, search, ...) -->
new TWTR.Widget({
search: '@ev',
id: 'twtr-search-widget',
loop: true,
title: 'My Live Twitter Stream',
subject: 'Search @ev',
width: 600,
height: 200,
theme: {
  shell: { background: '#bbb', color: '#ffffff' },
  tweets: { background: '#ffffff', color: '#444444', links: '#1985b5'}
  }
}).render().start();
</script>

If you don’t want to copy the line numbers, use the copy to clipboard option that shows up on the right when you hover over the code

Followed by the Terminator

A proud moment in my twit life. I am being followed by @Schwarzenegger ..  ani is a big fan and my Masters degree has his autograph already. Kewwl!!

1. Nothing beats a great night sleep before the interview. Being fresh is absolutely critical.
2. Always brush up details about the company, the job description before the interview.  A dear friend of mine, in a Microsoft interview talked about how he would be a great fit to Myspace, thinking that they were a subsidiary of M$. Also, if you know who is going to interview you, look him/her up on LinkedIn and also Search for his/her professional skills, interests and prepare.
3. Know your resume like the back of your palm and keep a copy handy.
4. Go over this list of 50 common interview questions and be prepared with answers for each one of them. Customize the answers based on the job profile and the company.
5. Search the company’s  interview questions, recommendations from employees. Glassdoor is a great place to start.
6. Have a good breakfast on the day of the interview. One cannot emphasize enough the importance of having a great breakfast everyday of your life. It gives a refreshing start to the day and is a healthy habit.
7. Take a shower, dress formally and take the phone interview sitting in a chair. It definitely helps you get into the right frame of mind and your answers are definitely more polished and professional. Trust me, I have done interviews on my bed in shorts and there is a marked difference.
8. Watch something funny or listen to music before the interview. You feel relaxed and it also helps you focus better. I would recommend Seinfeld or Friends. Do not cram at the last minute. Always study beforehand and you will be much more relaxed during the interview.
9. Have ice cream/yogurt/chocolate depending on what you like probably 10-15 mins. before the interview.  You will feel calmer and cooler instantly.
10. Avoid clutter around you. Keep only a pen, paper, glass of water, good phone (headphones/mike or bluetooth) and a copy of your resume around you. You definitely don’t want to be distracted especially not when you are trying to find the order complexity of Towers of Hanoi.
11. Strike a balance between talking and listening. Let the interviewer do the talking, explain about the position and company. Listen carefully and reply accordingly.
12. Ask at least a couple of follow up questions after the interview. It shows that you are interested in the company and the job. Have a good idea about what you are going to ask so that you don’t ask something awkward during the interview. Keep the questions professional and related to the job/company.
13. Never discuss salary information with the interviewer unless asked specifically.   Make sure that you are not discussing confidential information and if at any time, you are in doubt and you cannot answer a question because of that, definitely let the interviewer know. It is totally OK to answer something that might violate your NDA.
14. Definitely send a thank you letter/email after the interview to the recruiter and also to the interviewer if possible. Helps you stand out and shows that you are genuinely interested in the position. Also, the recruiter would promptly follow up with the interviewer and your application process will whiz by.

Lastly, keep smiling and answer confidently. Believing that you are going to kick ass, is more than half the interview cracked.

Got something to add to these tips or have these tips helped you also? Share them and I would love to hear about it in the comments.

After umpteen changes, from google app engine  @sumanth-blog to finally settling down with WordPress, I am finally done with most of the changes that I wanted. However, I am pretty sure that I would definitely want something or the other to change and will be always a work in progress aka BETA forever.

The previous blogs that I had, have been random ramblings and as Rama succinctly puts it  “Californian Pleasures”. I wonder if the theme would change and I would write something useful for others, maybe .. only time would tell. Anywho, let me know what you guys/gals think about the blog and if any suggestions do spring to mind,  holler at me!

Live long and prosper

He told the loan officer that he was going to Philippines on business for two weeks and needed to borrow $5,000. The bank officer told him that the bank would need some form of security for the loan.

Then the man handed over the keys to a new Ferrari parked on the street in front of the bank. He produced the title and everything checked out The loan officer agreed to accept the car as collateral for the loan.The bank’s president and its officers all enjoyed a good laugh at the guy for using a $250,000 Ferrari as collateral against a $5,000 loan.

An employee of the bank then drove the Ferrari into the bank’s underground garage and parked it there.Two weeks later, the guy returned, repaid the $5,000 and the interest, which came to $15.41.

The loan officer said, “Sir, we are very happy to have had and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multi millionaire. What puzzles us is, why would you bother to borrow “$5,000″.

The millionaire replied: “Where else in New York City can I park my car for $15.41 and expect it to be there when I return”

Source

Source