Which side of the brain do you use?

I'm almost equally using my right brain and my left brain according to this quiz. Check yours by taking the quiz (click the link below)

Right Brain/ Left Brain Quiz
The higher of these two numbers below indicates which side of your brain has dominance in your life. Realizing your right brain/left brain tendency will help you interact with and to understand others.
Left Brain Dominance:	(14)
Right Brain Dominance:	(13)
Right Brain/ Left Brain Quiz

Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer

Set in 18th century France, the film tells the story of an olfactory genius, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille and his homicidal quest for the perfect scent. Genius and homicidal? That does not go together and that’s why the title includes the tag “The Story of a Murderer”. Grenouille is a normal person (according to me) with supernatural sense of smell. He can smell anything. He can describe each item in a trash just by its scent. Grenouille keeps on feeding his nose with different kinds of scents. He’s thrilled by the different scent of each object. However, he becomes fascinated with one scent. The scent of a female human body. When the first time, he was exposed to the scent of a girl selling plums, she is startled by his behavior. In order to gratify the fullness of its scent, he unintentionally suffocates her. That is his first murder. He becomes so obsessed with the scent that he wants to capture it. Finally, he creates a perfume made out of human scent at the cost of many female lives. Whoever smells the perfume becomes a slave to it. And this is not what I wanted to tell.

The beautiful virtue personified in this movie is ‘OBSESSION’. Throughout the movie, you can find Grenouille is obsessed with the human scent. He wants to somehow capture and store it. He fails in most of his attempts but one he succeeds, his obsession grows stronger. In order to create a perfume, twelve individual scents are required to be harmonized together and the thirteenth scent would be the final touch that would make the perfume superior and different. He achieves to create all the thirteen different scents and I feel that it is his obsession which leads him to achieve this.

I don’t think obsession is a new thing. I can see it in every inventor, being it Einstein or Edison. Archimedes was so obsessed with how to determine the quality of gold in a crown that he was thinking about it even in his bathtub. It was their obsession that has led many people to become inventors. I feel that to achieve anything extraordinary, one needs obsession. I can also see it in Sportsperson like Sachin Tendulkar or Michael Schumacher, so obsessed that that have made them legends. I guess even Osama Bin Laden would have been obsessed with terrorism that he can do events like 9/11. Be it on the good side or bad side, it is obsession that makes people to become celebrities.

Earlier in this blog, I said Grenouille is a normal person according to me. In the movie, you can find Grenouille growing as a strangely detached boy. He speaks less in his childhood. I would say the reason is the obsession of his gift. If its obsession that would make a person to achieve things then I don’t mind if it is the same obsession that would cause others to call an obsessed person as abnormal. Whichever angle you look at obsession, still it is that which gives birth to legends. This is the stuff that legends are made up of.

What is your obsession?

Money has no memory. Experience has.

Money has no memory. Experience has. You will never know what the total cost of your education was, but for a lifetime you will recall and relive the memories of schools and colleges. Few years from now, you will forget the amount you paid to settle the hospitalization bill, but will ever cherish having saved your mother's life or the life you get to live with the just born. You won't remember the cost of your honeymoon, but to the last breath remember the experiences of the bliss of togetherness. Money has no memory. Experience has.

Good times and bad times, times of prosperity and times of poverty, times when the future looked so secure and times when you didn't know from where the tomorrow will come... life has been in one way or the other a roller-coaster ride for everyone. Beyond all that abundance and beyond all that deprivation, what remains is the memory of experiences. Sometimes the wallet was full... sometimes even the pocket was empty. There was enough and you still had reasons to frown. There wasn't enough and you still had reasons to smile. Today, you can look back with tears of gratitude for all the times you had laughed together, and also look back with a smile at all the times you cried alone. All in all, life filled you with experiences to create a history of your own self, and you alone can remember them all.

The first time you balanced yourself on your cycle without support...The first time she said 'yes' and it was two years since you proposed...The first cry... the first steps... the first word... the first kiss...all of your child...The first gift you bought for your parents and the first gift your daughter gave you... The first award... the first public appreciation... the first stage performance... And the list is endless... Experiences, with timeless memory... No denying that anything that's material cost money, but the fact remains the cost of the experience will be forgotten, but the experience never.

So, what if it's economic recession? Let it be, but let there not be a recession to the quality of your life. You can still take your parents, if not on a pilgrimage, at least to the local temple. You can still play with your children, if not on an international holiday, at least in the local park. It doesn't cost money to lie down or to take a loved one onto your lap. Nice time to train the employees, create leadership availability and be ready for the wonderful times when they arrive.

Hey! Aspects like your health, knowledge development and spiritual growth are not economy dependent.

Time will pass... economy will revive... currency will soon be in current... and in all this; I don't want you to look back and realize you did nothing but stayed in gloom. Recession can make you lose out on money. Let it not make you lose out on experiences... If you are not happy with what you have, no matter how much more you have, you will still not be happy.

Make a statement with the way you live your life!

Accepted

People, its 0128 hrs by my watch and the reason I blog at this irregular hour after a whopping twelve hours of work today is because of yet another incredible movie that I jus completed watching. Accepted. Even after a tiring day, I still feel afresh is because of the same fact that is re-established in this awesome movie. You want to know about the summary? Then please find it in the wikipedia.org. I’m not going to reiterate the same here. Man, you should watch this movie. This is real ass kicking. The last movie review that I wrote was because of a fact that was personified in it which is the excellence of feeling in believing things and fighting for it till the end no matter who say what. And Accepted jus excels on this motive – yet another movie that rocked my heart. (By this time you should have read the plot summary or at least watched this movie and then continue reading this blog lest this is nothing worth than shit).

The very basic reason that we fail in all our endeavors or end up complacent is because we don’t believe in what we do. We don’t believe that we would ever achieve more lest we would at least complete it. We don’t believe in ourselves. We don’t believe that we can lose weight. We don’t believe that we can be punctual. We don’t believe that we can also buy a car. We don’t believe in anything that we do. Even if we do, we don’t do it with our full heartedly. How many of us have believed that you would complete a particular job in a specified period of time? Or how many of us have believed that we would reduce our weight in 12 weeks time? But we all do everything because of a mere fact we are obliged to do it. How many of us work willingly? We work because our dad worked, our grandpa worked. It is orthodox. It is the tradition. To how many of us does our same job remain challenging even after 3 years in the same company?

Guys, to achieve anything extraordinary, first we need to believe and see it happening through our inward eyes. All the greatest inventors in this earth believed in what they were doing. Some called Copernicus a fool, some called Galilee an asshole, some cursed Socrates, some threw Gandhi on the floor but they never failed to believe and fight for what they believed in. And today the world talks about the cursed and not the curser.

Friends, I am writing this blog to re-emphasize on the truth that if you can believe, all things are possible. The problem is we don’t have the heart to believe things and see things that are yet to happen. Faith can move mountains. Faith can empty an ocean. Believe and again I say believe. No matter whoever is against you, no matter whoever is for you. For your things to happen, you should believe and believe it with all your heart, mind and soul. And it will happen, and when it happens buddy, savor that moment. Relish it. Pass the joy to every cell in your body because it was that which believed that this would happen. But if it did not happen, be very proud that you had the balls to stand up for something when the whole damn world was against, when no one else dared it to do it. JUS Believe!!!

 

HE LOVED HER

All that she could give him was a farewell hug when she decided to break up with him. The only reason that she gave for the break up is that it was impossible for their relationship to continue forever. When he asked the reason for such a decision, she had no answer. Whenever he felt that it was impossible, it was she who gave him the confidence that it will happen because she strongly believed in it but now when she herself had said that it was impossible, he lost hopes. This had been the reason that had kept them in expressing their love for each other in the initial days of their relationship. She had so many friends but she could never feel anyone of them that belonged only to her. She wanted a friend for herself. Even though he too had many friends, he never exposed his real feelings to anyone. He was alone everywhere – alone with friends, alone with family, even alone in a crowd. He always believed that one day he would have a friend, a friend only for himself and that would be his wife. Yes, he was waiting for his wife, the only person that would ever belong only to him until he met her but now everything changed and he felt as if the whole world is turning up against him.

He was shattered by her decision to break-up because that meant he would have to go back to square one – alone again. And what hurt him more now was the realization of being dumped after being loved by someone. If she had not come into his life, he would have agonized only for living alone but now he had to go thru a more painful experience of learning that he was once loved but now ditched. He did not know what to do but he did not even want to convince her. It was then that the final and farewell hug happened. He left without saying a word to her. She shed a tear and he did not understood whether that tear is for the joy of their relationship so far or for the conclusion of their relationship today.

All the way to his home, his despair never lost momentum. He was thinking, thinking and thinking on what could have went wrong. Even when their friends did not understand them but hurled accusations against her, she stood for him and decided that they would never part. There were many instances where they covered for each other and stood for each other but he had no clue on what had made her to jilt him. That night, he couldn't even cry because his mind was racing only towards the reason for the break up. He did not know when he slept. The next day, he woke up as if everything was normal. He acted normal. Whatever he did on that was so normal that even a close friend would not say that he was dumped last night. He spoke with everyone like any other day. He had his usual breakfast, went to office and started working. Even during the lunch, his face never showed a hint of his despair. He was jovial with everyone as usual and was a little more efficient in his work that day. When she saw him behaving no different even towards her, she thought he had become insensible to his pain.

That night, his consciousness, not being able to hold the curiosity asked him why he never cried after losing his beloved one. He was silent. It continues asking whether he had loved her truly to which he replied affirmative. His consciousness was confused and thought that this guy has really gone nuts. He then replied calmly, "I did love her truly and with all that I had. There has never been a day where I did not imagine how our relationship would continue forever. I had discussed with her everyday on this. Even now, I don't know the reason why she jilted me. All I know is that I loved her, whatever may come. May be I loved the wrong person, may be I loved a person who was not worthy of it but the truth remains that I loved her and that too truly. Yes, it is very painful to know that the person whom you loved so much is not reciprocating thereafter but I have loved her so much that it takes very less of me to be painful as most of me still loving her. It is she that should be crying for neglecting my love and this relationship and not me."

It was the day that the skies were never so clear for the consciousness. Both slept peacefully thereafter but that little pain in him did not.

The Gift to India

Even though most of us (Indians) celebrate the departure of the British from the Indian soil as Independence Day, I regret about it for one reason. History narrates that the British had sent their people to report on the countries that are suitable for doing business when they wanted to do trading. One such reporter who had visited and analyzed India had reported that India was so prosperous that he could not find a single beggar in the country. Only then the British came into India as traders and later ruled it. I was not even born when India got her freedom from British so rationalizing on why British started to enslave India would not be fair. I imagine that British would not have wanted to ruin the land but wanted to make use of it to their benefit. When India would have protested for it, then the British would have tried to enslave them. Whatever may be the happenings, amidst all the cruelty that the British did to India, they did leave some good things.

One is the monuments like Victoria Terminus (now renames as Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) in Mumbai, Fort St. George in Chennai, Fort William in Kolkata, Bombay Castle in Mumbai, Madras Presidency College in Chennai, a lot of forts like Riwa Fort, Worli Fort, Mazagaon Fort, Sion Hillock Fort in Mumbai, Fort St.David in Cuddalore. Some of these monuments still stand so strongly that one can hardly find a crack in it. It had become a prestigious property of India even though it was the work of the British hands. The other would be the advancement in transportation brought to India like the railways, motor vehicles and many other transportation utilities. Not to be forgotten about the education system in India like constructing the University of Bombay, University of Madras, University of Punjab and University of Calcutta. The British also established the Archaeological Survey of India. They even did apply their expertise in irrigation, creation of paper currencies, creation of Indian Police Service, creation of the Department of Agriculture, extensions of railways, roads, canals, and the list seems to be endless.

Of all that the British had left, what I consider the best is the English language. Brother, it is because of this language India was able to make advancement in many fields like medicine, education, aeronautics, bio-engineering, architecture, textiles and still going on. Had they not left this wonderful gift to us, we would still be like those in the 18th century, even in the year 2200. We would have never learned so many wonderful things of the world but for the English language. We would have never known so many diseases and arrived at cures for those but for the English language. We would have never known anything about computer or programming or anything that is related to electronics if the British had not left English language in our country. You would not be reading my blog but for this language. Of all the British left, English language is the wonderful gift that India should never stop thanking the British.

Please don’t tell me that we would have made advancement thru our mother tongue. People, to achieve that we have achieved today was done years ago in the English and the America. If we had waited to make advancement in our mother tongue, it would have taken another century to achieve the same achievements. One might argue that it is because of the English language, the advancement could not be made in the mother tongue. Let me tell you something – if we had not known the English language which had become the universal language, then how would have we known the advancements made by the other countries. English would have been and has been the only bridge between us and the outside world. I am in no way against my mother tongue but what my mother tongue could not achieve is achieved thru the foreign language.

When we celebrate the Independence Day on August 15 this year as our freedom from the British, let us also thank them in the corner of our hearts for the magnificent gift that they have left to us. Let the lips that said “Vande Mataram” say for once “God Save the Queen”.

Windows Activation

Finally I have learnt the art of cracking Windows Activation after much research. Before I get into the steps, it would be justified if I throw light on the technical aspect of this Windows Activation.

In order to reduce Windows OS piracy, Microsoft came up with an idea which is the Windows Activation. Even though you own a genuine copy of Windows OS, you cannot use it every time you reinstall the OS. You would need to acquire Microsoft's permission (now that's really irritating) which is the Windows Activation. Once the OS is installed using the genuine OS discs, a message would pop up stating that Windows needs to be activated within 30 days.

When you opt to activate it immediately, it would open the Activation window providing the option to activate either thru Internet or Phone. If Internet is chosen, it would connect to Internet and the product would be activated. If Phone option is chosen, it would display an installation ID. You would need to choose the country for the phone number, call them and provide this ID and they would return another ID which you would require to enter in the provided box.

Now what is this ID that is displayed in the window? The ID corresponds to your hardware components like your motherboard, RAM and processor and the Windows Product Key. When you install the OS for the very first time, your hardware information is stored against the particular Product Key. Then every time you re-install in the same computer, Microsoft checks whether the OS is installed in the same computer or another by checking the installation ID that you provide to them (brilliant, huh?). If the ID differs, they might ask you the reason for the re-installation and after some time, they would say that the OS has expired and cannot use it anymore.

No, we'll beat them by using the genuine OS without the activating.

First, if you are re-installing it in the same machine, then all you need to do before re-installing is to a backup of two files: wpa.dbl and wpa.bak. These files can be found in the system32 folder of your Windows installation directory. After the re-installation, restore these two files to the same folder in Safe Mode.

Second, if you are installing it in a different machine, then there are series of steps to be followed:

1. After the re-installation, start the computer in Safe Mode and log on using an administrator account.
2. Click on Start -> Run, type regedit and hit Enter. The Windows Registry would be displayed.
3. ExpandHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\WPAEvents.
4. Take a backup of the registry before modifying (find instructions towards end of blog).
5. On the right panel, you would find a key named OOBETimer. Double click on it to modify its contents.
6. Delete all the values and then type the following (without the quotes): "FF D5 71 D6 8B 6A 8D 6F D5 33 93 FD"
7. Click Ok.
8. Then right-click on the WPAEvents key on the right panel and select Permissions.
9. Click on SYSTEM under Group or user names and select Deny Full Control. Click Ok.
10. Close the Registry window and restart.

When clicked on the Windows Activation pop-up, it will display "Windows is already activated. Click Ok to exit."

Voila! We did it.

Wait, wait, its not over. This will work only till the 30 days. After 30 days, Windows will prompt to activate the product while logging in. Now since we had activated the product thru the back door, Windows would display the "Windows already activated" depicted in the image above. When you click Ok, it would log you out. This will go on in an endless loop. Now, don't ask what's the point in using the OS only for 30 days. Where there's a will, there's way.

What we need to do is to remove the script to check the product activation during the startup.

1. Start the computer in Safe Mode and log on to an administrator account.
2. Click on Start -> Run, type regedit and hit Enter.
3. In Registry Editor, expand My Computer, and then expandHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/WindowsNT/CurrentVersion/Winlogon/Notify.
4. Under Notify, right-click RESETS, and then click Delete.
5. Click Yes to confirm the removal of the RESETS subkey.
6. Exit the Registry window and restart.

Now, you will not get the prompt to activate windows during Windows logon.

Don't curse me if this didn't work or the Resets key is not found in the Registry. There's another workaround for the same. Take a copy of the winlogon.exe (found in system32 folder of Windows installation directory, e.g.: c:\windows\system32) from any activated computer and replace it in the same folder in your machine where the product needs to be activated. Do this in the Safe Mode. If you are unable to replace, rename the existing one and then copy this to the system32 folder.

Steps to backup and restore registry:

1. Once you are the location where the key needs to be modified, click on File -> Export in the Windows Registry window.
2. The following dialog box will be displayed:
3. Make sure that the key you want to update is mentioned properly under the Expand Range column.
4. Then click on Save.
5. To restore, just double-click on it and confirm the same.

Guys, that was a really huge article that I'm writing after so many days. I have verified the steps and assure that it works. If it doesn't work, please contact Microsoft for further instructions.

Character

What is ‘character’? Character is the most fundamental definition of any person. It is what differentiates us as humans. It is our very essence. It is what guides us in our journey from being a ‘nobody’ to a ‘somebody’.

How then does one build character? Character building begins with our thoughts. Thoughts translate into words. Acting on our words forms habits. And over time, habits shape character.

Character development is a continuous process and is so important in our lives. Be it the business of life or the business of work, the reality is, our journey is all about relationships and teamwork. Remember, you are the leader of the team you build. And if you seek to build a team that lasts, as is the goal of every leader, it is important to have a rock solid foundation of good character.

True, every person is unique. We are all born under different circumstances; go through different life experiences, all of which contribute to shaping our character. While some take on leadership roles effortlessly, there are many who feel they lack in the qualities of a good leader. This is where character building helps.

Generally, every human being is unconsciously attracted to people with good qualities. Virtue, compassion, goodness... these are just some of the qualities people seek in others.

Remember, whether we want it or not, our character comes across clearly and transparently to anyone tuning into us, consciously or otherwise. So avoid falling into the trap of pretentious behavior just to impress someone or achieve short term gains. To be really successful, be honest to yourself, and to your team.

To be a successful leader, build that character in yourself that you would like to see in your leader. Ask yourself, “Would I actually like to follow a leader like myself?”, “Am I not a leader?”, and “Should I not have the qualities that make one?”

Your character determines your destination. If you don’t like where you are headed today, create your path towards your desired destiny. Character is what will help shape that path.

It is no secret. There are many ways to build your character. One way is to conquer your fears. It is one of the biggest tumbling blocks in developing character. Be confident!

Talking about a good thing also leads to it. Constantly associate with people who carry good qualities or are successful. Learn, adopt and absorb their positivity. Refrain from doing what is not good for you. Control your senses. Weak morals point to a weak character. If you allow yourself to be swayed by simple things, how can you expect to be trusted? Practise strict discipline. If a person is not hard on himself, the world will be hard on him; if he is hard on himself, the world will be easy on him.

Last but not the least, in your journey from being a ‘nobody’ to a ‘somebody’, find someone who will be a contrarian to you; someone who will challenge you just when you think you have found the easy way to success. By doing so, you will find yourself sharpening your skills, wanting to learn, focusing on building yourself and making the necessary changes to be better. This is the fastest way to build your character.

Please take a moment to ponder… Character building is not a one-off attempt. It is a continuous process in the cycle of life. Once we have traveled the path from being a ‘nobody’ to a ‘somebody’, we have to start all over again. We have to step back into the shoes of other ‘nobodies’ in our team and lead them through the same journey. And that is the true test of character.

Courtesy: Joseph Bismark, Group Managing Director, QI Ltd

The legendary of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar

A recent spat with my friend has provoked me to write about this genius. Everybody who knows cricket would know who this person is. A new era in cricket was born when he set his foot into this sport. In fact, this sport has more fame because of this little master than anything else. Yes, it is Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar who has achieved more than any cricketer could ever do.

Sachin has been incredible throughout his career. He has been the leader in terms of runs scored and centuries at a better strike rate. He's one of the few Indian players who was able to maintain the same level of consistency both at home and away. Also his average being better in matches where India won would tell us his match winning performances. He has also scored consistently against the World Champions and indeed, his batting average against Australia is slightly higher than his overall career average. Sachin has left no stones unturned and have set many records in the history of cricket.

If at all there's one thing that is missing in Sachin's achievement would be the World Cup. He has made 5 appearances in the World tournament so far but yet the team has not won a single time. Is that we do not have better players since cricket is not a single man's game that we lose every time? We had "On the off-side, first there is God, then there is Ganguly." We had "If cricket is religion, then Sachin is God". We had "The Wall" Rahul Dravid. We did have the greatest cricketer of all times but then why did we still fail?

Australia never had an off side God, a Wall or a cricketing God but they have managed to win it more than once and once under the very nose of India. What one cricketing GOD could not achieve was achieved by 11 cricketing mortals.

I am not into pondering the answers for these questions. My question is simple: What is the use of having so much money, if one could get what he wants? What is the use of having the best bedroom in the whole world, if one could not have a peaceful sleep? What is the use of having so much great cricketers in our country, if we could not win one World Cup after 1983?

Statistics Courtesy: CricBuzz

Flash of Genius

The title of the movie "Flash of Genius" actually refers to a test or a doctrine that refers to this test for patentability used in the United States Federal Courts. This doctrine states that the inventive act should come into the mind of an inventor in a "flash of genius" and not as a result of tinkering. "The new device, however useful it may be, must reveal the flash of creative genius, not merely the skill of the calling. If it fails, it has not established its right to a private grant on the public domain."

That's the concept of the movie around which the story moves. Dr. Robert Kearns is an engineering college professor, legally blind in his left eye. While driving his family of six kids and his wife on a rainy season, the constant movement of the windshield wipers blades irritates his troubled vision. Being an engineer, his minds hits upon an idea that why the wiper blades cannot work like the human eye, blinking every few seconds and not continuously. This inspires him to invent the intermittent wiper blades and he takes his invention thru his friend to the Ford Motor Company. The company which embraces Bob's creation unceremoniously shuns the man who invented it. Bob decides to fight against the company legally but it costs him his family and his future.

Why am I shedding light on this movie is because the way Bob fought for his right is admirable. When he files a lawsuit against the motor company thru a lawyer, the company offers money for settlement but Bob refuses it in spite of his lawyer and his wife wants him to take the deal. Consequently, his lawyer resigns the case and his wife demands a divorce, taking all the children into her protection. Being left alone, Bob does not flinch but it makes his decision to represent himself in the lawsuit stronger. By this time, four years passes away. For a year, all Bob is does apart from teaching at the college is reading lawsuits to prepare himself for the case.

All those know him thinks that he would never win the case against the might Ford Corporation and pities on him. Even his children especially his eldest son believes that his dad will never change in spite of what all happened to him (since Bob was out of his home for two months during which professional treatment is provided for his nervous break-down). Finally all his children help him in the case and he wins.

Bob's stand to fight for what he believes in inspires. When his lawyer asks him to accept the settlement money and says that this is how justice is dispensed in the country, Bob decides to thinks that is not the justice that he believes in.

To stand up for what you believe - no matter what happens, whoever tells anything - takes real courage. It does test the persistence of a man. Bob fights and fights till he succeeds. I find the same thread running in the movie "Horton hears a Who!" Till the end, Horton believes in the existence of the Who generation in spite of his whole neighborhood comes against him.

Very few movies leave a lasting effect on the viewers and 'Flash of Genius' is one among them.

Sun Direct DTH

After reading reviews after reviews about different DTH services (Tatasky, AirTel, DishTV and Sun Direct) and comparing which one is better, I finally chose Sun Direct. Now don't say that I made a wrong decision. Lemme justify my decision.

Pros:

1) Being in the southern part of the country, majority of the channels I would subscribe would be the regional ones. Since SUN Direct originates from the southern part, they can cater to the needs of the southerners in a better way.

2) On comparing with the first time fee (includes installation, cost of STB and free subscrption), Sun Direct offered 5 months free subscription to an amount almost touching the rates of other service providers.

Cons:

1) On reading numerous reviews, the first black mark I came across against Sun Direct is their poor customer service. It is because of the estimated time the IVRS provides - sometimes it is more than 20 minutes just to speak to a service personnel either for an enquiry or a recharge/addon. However, when I started experimenting it, I found their 1800 number is quicker. Also, there were numerous complaints about their web site not loading properly. Also, they do not have an option to recharge thru Credit/Debit card. So you need to purchase the recharge coupon from its retail outlet and end up waiting on the call to its customer service. So why I did chose in spite of these many after sales-service complaints? Its because the recharge, add-on packages and checking balance options are available thru the SMS option which is better and faster than their customer service.

2) Yes, few of their channels like Star Cricket, Ten Sports, etc. lack the quality where you can experience shadowing of images on screen but it is tolerable when the service comes cheaper.

To conclude, if you are from the southern part, better opt for Sun Direct. Remember, every thing in this world has its own pros and cons. Better way would be to know how to overcome it than regretting for it.

IPL II 2009: Rajasthan Royals

In its first season, not even the owners of Rajasthan Royals would have had hoped that their team would secure a berth in the semi-finals as they were regarded as the minnows. However, under the captaincy of the legendary leg spinner, the young team won the inaugural title of IPL. And they deserved it. What Chennai Super Kings could not achieve with their legends like Matthew Hayden, Mike Hussey, Suresh Raina, L Balaji and MS Dhoni, was achieved by the Rajasthan Royals with the likes of Yusuf Pathan, Sohail Tanvil and Shane Watson. CSK had players who had already found the cricketer in them and because of that they were brought to IPL but RR had players who had only then discovered a cricketer in themselves and that too which can win titles. It was a revelation to most of the youngsters.

Let's put the past to the past. In the season II, RR could not win big apart from one or two last ball thrillers. It always lacked one more batsman or a bowler. Shane Warne and his men lost the winning rhythm when one of its strike player fails. May be it was nothing to lose for Shane as he said in a post match session but for the youngsters like Swapnit Adonkar and Naman Ohja it was an opportunity. They could not make better out of it. Yet, Ravindra Jadeja made it to the Indian T20 team but would be given a chance in the much settled and comfortable Indian team is a big question.

Why Rajasthan Royals still remains my favourite team in spite of it not making to the semi this season is the captaincy of Shane Warne. He brings the best of his players who discover a different person inside them. The way he puts his faith on the youngsters and guides them is really tremendous. He has got that gift. Keeping his head cool, talking to the players every time they've been hit to boundaries or in the death overs really brings out the best. He does drive the passion of the game in the youngsters. May be that's the stuff the legends are made up of.

I pray that they regain in the next season what they lost this season.