Customer Service

The other day my wife and I went to this popular pizza place. Both of us are pizza fans and hence decided to go there. We ordered our favourite pizzas. We are vegetarians and my wife does not like mushrooms so she ordered her pizza with no mushroom topping. After a few minutes we both got our pizzas and i started devouring. Her pizza had mushrooms. She was reluctant to have it. She called the waitress and said she ordered a pizza sans mushrooms but she got one with mushrooms. The waitress took back the pizza. The manager came to our table and apologised for serving us the pizza with the mushrooms. He offered us a deal. He said he would  get us a pizza with no mushrooms and asked us to take the other pizza with the mushroom in a to go box. On the one place he could have very well not charged for one pizza but instead gave that for free and gave us the right pizza.

I tried to analyse this from a shop owner's perspective. The cost of not charging for the wrong pizza was $12 and the cost of making a new pizza was $3. He has effectively lost only $3 for making the new pizza when he could have lost $12 for not charging us for the bad pizza. In the end it was a happy customer with the right pizza .  Clever tactics i say... 

Mahabharatham

I have been following Mahabharatham serial in Vijay TV. I am quite impressed with the direction and screenplay. Though the story has been interpreted differently, a fair amount of justice has been made in the presentation. All the characters look ostentatious, the men have maintained their figure, they are well groomed all tending towards the 6 pack look and the ladies look flashing.

I am really fond of this story. My grandma exposed me into the world of mahabharata during the late 80s when they used to telecast it in doordarshan. I could hardly comprehend then. Only thing i remembered then was when Arjuna shot one arrow a zillion arrows flew across to kill the soldiers and in the beginning of the episode a strange sound used to say " Mein Samay Hoon " other than that nothing was vivid. I later read C. Rajagopalachari's Mahabharata. That was a very good interpretation by Rajai.

Mahabharata has some of the most complex twists and turns in its story. I personally liked 2 aspects of it 1.  " Yaksha Prashna" that part when Yaksha questions Yudhistira. The conversation has some of the most philosophical thoughts made simple.

“What is weightier than the earth itself? What is higher than
the heavens?” What is fleeter than the wind? And what is more numerous than
grass?” Yudhishthira's answer, “The mother is weightier than the earth; the father is
higher than the heaven; the mind is fleeter than the wind; and our thoughts are more
numerous than grass." These are just some of the questions.

and 2. Bhagvad Gita . I am not an expert in BG but little bit of what i learnt impressed me profoundly.

Coming back to the serial that is being telecasted ... There are some larger than life portrayal of characters. Technology has been used to a very good extent. I felt the guy who is playing Krishna is doing full justice to his role but director is compromising a lot to fit the story into the screen . That is what happens when you cut short an epic.

I cannot stand suspense. It has been a while since i read the book so i forgot he storyline. Everytime they show what is going to happen in the next episode i quickly take the book and read what would come next . I need to get rid of this but can't help it.

This epic has been interpreted in different forms by different people. I quiet like Mani Ratnam's take in Thalapathi. Boy what a contemporary interpretation.  With the advent of Social Media there are lot more mashable interpretations. I want to bring in some concepts of probability and interpret it differently ...
for example Shakuni and Stochastic Process ..... may be sometime later ...  after all it is just a myth ...

The Half Marathon Experience .

After a year of preparation, i finally got to run the half marathon. I did not train for 13.1 miles but finally managed to finish. More than the finish it was the experience that i cherished. I did not sleep well the previous night  so was not sure if i would finish. The best part of the run was i got to see those localities of Atlanta that i would have otherwise missed. I started very cautiously, 1 mile into the race i wanted to pee , 3 miles into the run i wanted to poop. I thought this was the end of it , my race is over. I slowly got into my zone... moved with the crowd and was totally immersed into the race.
It was early spring ... the race started at 7 am ... there was gentle breeze ... perfect weather for running ... there was some early blossom on the cherry trees ... with the wind the petals were gently moving in the air just like the scene in Kung Fu Panda where master oogway bids his final adieu to po ... it was surreal but true ... back to the race ... i got hydrated in every water station ... sometimes it was water ... sometimes power aid ... finally after 8 miles i decided to pee ... i lost 12 minutes waiting outside for my turn ... then i felt light and continued ... i maintained a constant speed of 5 miles/hour.  After 11 miles my body was not cooperating ... but the crowd was awesome ... the best part of the race was the crowd... the signs ... funny banners ... cheering ... loud music ... just  awesome. I managed to pick up some speed and finally inched towards the finish line ... on the way i did pose to every possible photographer on the way ... this was my chance to show off  ... after 13 miles and 176 yards i managed to cross the finish line ... i felt good ... received my finishers medal ... it was truly a great feeling ... i was tired ... happy ... excited ... dehydrated ... palpitating ... all at the same time ... but in the end i felt i did achieve something ...

planning to take rest for sometime ... then start training for my next race.... 

Running !!!

I have been obsessed with this running for sometime.  I started more than a year back. First i ran for 20 minutes. I could hardly breath during my initial runs, then overcame that by practice. Nowadays i am able to run longer. Weekdays i have been running for 4 miles and over the weekend i am able to run longer. My emotions are mixed while running. Sometimes i get good thoughts, sometimes nightmares. But mostly when i get into the zone i forget the rest of the world. I loose awareness of my surroundings. Not sure if that is good but as soon as i reach the end i get back to my normal self.

I have registered for a half marathon this weekend. I need to run 13.1 miles. Not sure if i will be able to complete. The farthest i ran during my weekend long runs was 10 miles. I hope with the crowd cheering and more hydration i should be able to finish the race. I have been watching some good running documentaries to keep myself motivated. When 60 year old people can run 26 miles why cant I ?
I was running all alone .. it was good but sometimes felt like a joker who is running with no purpose. My knees hurt sometimes , my diaphram hurts , but once i get into the zone all i sense is the air coming in and moving out of my lungs ... Breathing is the most important aspect of running.
My senior architect at work is my inspiration. I share all my thought about runing with him. He has been running for over 20 years.  My first goal is to complete half marathon then run the full marathon and my dream is to qualify for the boston marathon and run there ... Miles to go ...

You Too Lance !!!

Dear Lance Amstrong,

I was your ardent fan. I used to fall back on your motivational quotes when i was down. I considered you my idol . I have spoken about you to a lot of my friends. I was amazed by your determination . I read your book and did shed few drops of tears after reading the way you suffered and overcame cancer. Man i thought you were one hell of a person . I traveled back in time to live the moment when you won the yellow jersey. I wore your live strong band for a long time. I wondered if such a human could ever live and walk on earth until i came to know that you have taken performance enhancement drugs to achieve all this.
I understand you overcame death to come back and cycle and also understand that it does require a super human effort to achieve what you have done but ... Sorry buddy i don't want to waste any more words to describe your so called achievements or share my agony ....

You Too Lance !!!

Kumki

Don't know what "Kumki" means but liked this song from this yet to be released movie.
It talks about things that don't have a limit like love, affection, relationships. Nice music.

The Cash Back Myth.

Recently my credit card company sent a mail stating that I would get a 10% cash back if  I purchased using my credit card for $30 or more at a specific retail outlet . So if I buy any merchandise for $30, I will get $3 back in my pocket. But should I really avail this offer ? Even if I don't have the need to buy at some place, just because i get a 10% cash back should I go and buy there ? A normal perception is to look at the $3 returns instead of the $27 that went away from the pocket.
A case in point for " A penny wise pound foolish".
 

Who Moved You The Most .

I have been following the American Presidential race closely this year. I am not an American Citizen to imbibe all that was promised by the candidates but as a rational thinker i feel it boils down to how convincing each candidate is at the end of the day. Half the time, the speeches are wasted in ridiculing the opponent's policies and the remaining half goes of in making as many people in the crowd cry or raise and give a standing ovation. If I had an opportunity to vote here, I would toss a coin and decide my candidate because the chances of me going wrong in my decision is just 50%.

On Making Mistakes !!!

Awesome Speech by Tim Harford .

Motivation !!!

One of my colleagues is a marathon runner. He is an ex-army man and has been running for the past 20 years. Today he gave me an interesting perspective about levels of motivation and training.

He asked me a question.  "You know what stops me from running ? " .

I replied ," Work " .

He corrected me saying "NOTHING !!! ".

He continued saying , "When you are comitted and motivated to do something then nothing can stop you from achieving it . When you start giving excuses then the slope gets slippery". 

I was wowed !!!

New Words

I am an ardent follower of the Know Your English column that appears in The Hindu newspaper every Tuesday. Mr Upendran has been authoring this since ages. Every week I learn something new and interesting just that off-late my retention power has been plummeting.
This week I learnt some really cool words.
1. Postmodem depression - I first thought this might be something like Alzheimer's disease but later realised that you get postmodem depression if you are unable to access the internet.
2. Textual Satisfaction - It is a satisfaction that you get when you realize that you have a text message or a missed call. Wow ...
3. Textually challenged - You are textually challenged when you you find it difficult to text...
Coming to think of all this... tiny lifeless things have started playing major roles in our lives. There was once a time when we lived and breathed without the internet and the mobile phone but today we are handicapped sans these things . Sad but true ...

More Salt than Pepper

I recently read this book " More Salt than Pepper" written by Karan Thapar. It is not a book per se but a compilation of his articles written under the column Sunday Sentiments in Hindustan Times. It was a good read. The language was a little sophisticated.
Since it was a compilation of articles the attention span required was very less. It was more like a roller coaster ride, by the time i started relishing an article it got over. He has covered different subjects but most of the articles are related to politics and his interviews with politicians. It was witty , sarcastic and critical in many occasions. On the whole it was a good experience reading this book . I got to know a little about many personalities. I feel this would be a good read while travelling.

Madharasapattinam

I was listening to the songs from the film Madharasapattinam. Was Impressed by one son "Vamma Dhuraiamma" . Song was composed by GV Prakash and sung by Udit Narayanan, Late Cochin Hanifa and Amy Jackson.

This looks like a period film set during the pre-independence era. The song is a tri-logue . One of them sings in tamil about Indian Culture to an English lady. The other translates it literally. The best part of the song is the translation.
Click here to listen to the song.

Beatrice and Virgil

I just finished reading Beatrice and Virgil written by Yann Martel. It was a different read. The content was very light and witty. There was not much take away from the book. Just a lazy Sunday read.

Few lines that caught my attention

Language is alphabets in disarray.
You don't eat an apple you conquer it.
A work of art works because it is true, not because it is real.

Raavanan

I have not written another movie review . I have just penned a few words on the film 'Raavanan'.
I made a big mistake by watching the movie a day after the release. Too many people screaming and not allowing the rest of the audience relish the dialogues.

Coming to the movie. It was a visual treat. Cinematography at its best. The twist in the climax was very good. It was not just another movie where the hero and heroine run around a snow clad peak in Switzerland. A lot of subtle messages conveyed through the visuals and the dialogues. On the whole it was a good experience.

Full marks to the cast and crew.

Decisions Decisions

I have come to that point in my life where I am no longer going to regret on the decisions I have made . Coming to think of it good or bad, we live by the decisions we make.

When a seed is sown in the ground it grows to become a tiny sapling. This sapling in turn gives leave. Leaves grow in different directions. They do not know if the chosen direction is the right one or not. They in turn grow into branches. They grow into sub branches. No mater in which direction it grows, every branch has its own share of fruits.

So why regret on the decisions we make ...

Search Strings

The other day i was attending a session on e-commerce. During the session the presenter came up with an interesting observation. If you type the words click here in google search the first page that comes up is adobe acrobat reader.



No wonder why this happens. There are umpteen websites that have the word click here to download acrobat reader. I dont think this is anyway relevant to the search string.



I tried to use the same search string using bing and the the first page that appeared was clickhere.com . There was some relevance to the search.
Will google change the search algorithm to make it more relevant ?
I am not feeling lucky here ...

Of Matchwinners and Centurians ...

I was watching the India - Sri Lanka third one day match. It was a treat to watch Sachin and Karthik finishing the game in a clinical fashion. Sachin was on the verge of another ton but still India won the match. What surprised me was some reactions that came out after the match. Everybody was criticizing Karthik for depriving Sachin from his century . I am not against Sachin scoring another century but in International cricket is winning a match more valuable than scoring a century?
I dont think so. Even Sachin would have felt that India won the match but people in between need an excuse to gossip.

A wonderful ad

Discount !!!

When a service provider says some service is discounted , do we really pay less than what was charged before ? I really doubt that statement.

I am using a prepaid card from a renown telecom service provider. I topped up my balance with a booster pack so that each call to any number from the same service provider is charged just 30 paise per minute. This went on for some time.

Once when i was making a call , I got a message that said " You will get a 10 % discount on this call ". Little did I know that the tariff would be increased and money would be discounted from that. I had to pay Re 1 for the call and got a 10 % discount. Effectively I have lost 60 paise. Finally I had to discount this money from my pocket .
Phew...