A big advantage of working at onsite is visiting countries. You will be more fortunate if you get an opportunity to work in Europe as you can travel to multiple countries, multiple times (no offence / defence on this).
We (my family and our cognizant colleuges) to visit Paris during last Christmas Eve (2006). Well, of course definitely need some amount of planning if you are visiting with your family no question of planning.
As we visited in the peak winter the temperature was less than 3 degrees for our entire trip of 3 nights and 4 days.
We started on 24th Dec from London waterloo to Paris Garu-du-Nord, thought Eurostar. Travelling through Euro star is really a good experience as it travels through a tunnel under the sea connecting UK and Europe. You can visit http://www.eurostar.com for more information.
We started at 8am from London. It took 2Hrs and 40Min to reach Paris, local time 12:30pm.
Fortunately we booked our hotel with in 100meters of the station and hence saved lot of time in getting our self ready to visit the city.
The very important places that you should visit in Paris are the following:
Arc de Triomph:
Commissioned in 1806 by Napoleon, shortly after his victory at Austerlitz. There are four huge sculptures at the bases of the four pillars. These commemorate The Triumph of 1810 (Cortot); Resistance , and Peace (both by Etex); and The Departure of the Volunteers, more commonly known by the name La Marseillaise (Rude).
Engraved around the top of the Arch are the names of major victories won during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods. The names of less important victories, as well as those of 558 generals, are to found on the inside walls. Generals whose names are underlined died in action.
Beneath the Arch is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and eternal flame commemorating the dead of the two world wars.
Musée du Louvre
Not sure if this has got popular after the Da-vinci-code movie.
The Musée du Louvre, the former home of the kings of France, is for two centuries one now of the largest museums in the world. its collections are distributed into 7 departments. The world famous painting of Monalisa is here behind a bullet proof glass.
Photography is not allowed inside the museum. If you are art loving, it would definitely a day is not sufficient.
Notre Dame de
Its a gothic masterpiece. Notre Dame, conceived by Maurice de Sully, was built between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries (1163-1345). Road distances in France are calculated on the basis of the "0 km" marked on the square in front of the cathedral.
Eiffel Tower
The most famous monument in the world (317 metres, 10,100 tonnes). Built by Gustave Eiffel in 1889 for the Universal Exhibition of which it was the star. Information, historical and technical facts on all floors, show-window/office of Gustave Eiffel on the third floor.
The tower has three levels. There is a lift till the third level. You can see entire Paris from the top of tower. It’s really a wonderful experience.
You should visit the tower during the evening times to see the light effects. The light effects will last for 15min and will happen for every one hour.
Versailles Palace
Take the plunge into the world of Louis XIV at the heart of the Castle of Versailles. The palace hasGrand Apartments, Hall of Mirrors and the Queen's Apartment. Most of the ceilings are painted and if you love art you will love to stay in Versailles. The other side of the palace has formal gardens "a la Francaise". You can wander around the groves and pools where the magnificent display of fountains reveals the skill and artistry of three centuries of French Garden design and engineering.
River Cruise
If you are in a very short trip to visit Paris, I recommend you to take River cruise. Even otherwise, you can take this tour on Seine as it gives you the unique opportunity to discover Paris, its history and its major landmarks including: Place de l'Opera, Place de la Concorde, Champs-Elysees, Arc de Triumph, Place du Trocadero, Eiffel Tower, Invalides, Pont Neuf, Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, Luxembourg Gardens and Saint-Germain des Pres and much more!
Disney Land
A trip to Paris is not complete without visiting Disney Land. This will require at least one full dedicated day to visit all the attractions in Disney Land. It has rides for both children’s and adults and of course grownup's can watch us all the time.
This theme park has the theme park and Walt Disney studios. I have not been to studios but I can say it will be equally good.
Invalides
The most significant event in the history of Les Invalides however, is unquestionably the return of the body of Napoléon in 1840. After seven years of negotiation with the British government, Louis-Philippe, King of France, obtained permission to repatriate the Emperor's remains from St. Helena.
After arriving at Le Havre, it was brought up the Seine and landed at Paris at Courbevoie. On 15 December 1840 a state funeral was held, and despite a winter snowstorm, the hearse proceeded from the Arc de Triomphe down the Champs-Elysées, across the Place de la Concorde to the Esplanade and finally to the cupola in St Jerome's Chapel until the tomb - designed by Visconti - was completed. On 3 April 1861 Napoléon I came to his final rest in the crypt under de dome.
Three nights and 4 days just went like that and had to return back... but my experience still lives in my memory which I can cherish for long.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Thirupattur Brammapuiswarar Temple
This is a Brahma temple in Tirupattur near Tirchy which I got to visit during my visit to India on vacation.
The main deity of this temple is Siva in the name of Brahmapurisawar.Brammapuriswarar temple is a temple for Brahma.
I was told that this is the only place were we can find a separate sanadhi/ worship place for Brahma.
Story as I heard and remembered about this temple:
It was during the times when Brahma was cursed to perform tapas towards Lord Siva to re gain his creation duty.
He came to this village where he established and worshipped 11 Siva lingams and worshipped them. The lord then became happy and empowered him to continue with his creation duty.
The Brahma here is called "Thalaiyelughtai Matrum Brahma". The lord (Brahma) here is empowered to change our destiny for Good. Hence anyone visiting this temple will have their long pending wishes not fulfilled due to destiny will be fulfilled.
The Brahma idol here is worshipped with turmeric. The prasadam given at the sanadhi is also turmeric
Another highlight of this temple is this temple has Jeeva Samadhi of Pathanjali.He is the compiler of the Yoga Sutra.
Temple as I recollect:This seemed to be a very old temple build long ago. This can be seen from the pillar mandapam and the size of the temple which is very huge.
There are three sanadhi for Siva - Brahampuriswarar,Godess and Brahma.The Jeeva Samathi of Pathanjali is on the corridor next to Braham's sanadhi.
How to reach here:
Thirupattur is a remote village around 30Kms from Tirchy. Thiruchirappali is well-connected by rail to almost all the major cities of India.
Buses are available from almost all areas of places of TamilNadu.
The main deity of this temple is Siva in the name of Brahmapurisawar.Brammapuriswarar temple is a temple for Brahma.
I was told that this is the only place were we can find a separate sanadhi/ worship place for Brahma.
Story as I heard and remembered about this temple:
It was during the times when Brahma was cursed to perform tapas towards Lord Siva to re gain his creation duty.
He came to this village where he established and worshipped 11 Siva lingams and worshipped them. The lord then became happy and empowered him to continue with his creation duty.
The Brahma here is called "Thalaiyelughtai Matrum Brahma". The lord (Brahma) here is empowered to change our destiny for Good. Hence anyone visiting this temple will have their long pending wishes not fulfilled due to destiny will be fulfilled.
The Brahma idol here is worshipped with turmeric. The prasadam given at the sanadhi is also turmeric
Another highlight of this temple is this temple has Jeeva Samadhi of Pathanjali.He is the compiler of the Yoga Sutra.
Temple as I recollect:This seemed to be a very old temple build long ago. This can be seen from the pillar mandapam and the size of the temple which is very huge.
There are three sanadhi for Siva - Brahampuriswarar,Godess and Brahma.The Jeeva Samathi of Pathanjali is on the corridor next to Braham's sanadhi.
How to reach here:
Thirupattur is a remote village around 30Kms from Tirchy. Thiruchirappali is well-connected by rail to almost all the major cities of India.
Buses are available from almost all areas of places of TamilNadu.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Object Oriented and Incarnation of God
This incident dates back a decade when Ramayana was telecasted in Doordarshan (DD). Not sure how many of you watched Ramayana in DD.
Obviously anyone who knows Ramayana will also know that both Ram and Parasuram met during Sita's syamwar.
The immediate question that stuck my mind after this scene was how come Vishnu take avatar of Ram and also take avatar of Parasuram at the same time? (I was not matured enough to understand the philosophy behind it).
Though I was able to understand that God can take avatars but not two avatars at the same time. How he be in two different forms in the same place? That sounded strange and never have I heard any similar stories.
The question was in my mind unanswered till the time I learned Object Oriented Programming for Java.
During my early days of learning java it was really tough to under the Object Oriented Concepts. But as the time passed, i was able to see everything in the form of Object well of course everything was actually in Objects but its only then I realised it.
In Object Oriented Programming there are concepts like Inheritance, Abstraction, Polymorphism, Class, Objects etc.
Inheritance: In object-oriented programming, inheritance is a way to form new classes (instances of which are called objects) using classes that have already been defined. The new classes, known as derived classes, take over (or inherit) attributes and behaviour of the pre-existing classes, which are referred to as base classes (or ancestor classes). It is intended to help reuse of existing code with little or no modification.
Refer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inheritance_(computer_science)
Abstract Class: An abstract class, or abstract base class (ABC), is one that is designed only as a parent class and from which child classes may be derived, and which is not itself suitable for instantiation. Abstract classes are often used to represent abstract concepts or entities. The incomplete features of the abstract class are then shared by a group of sibling sub-classes which add different variations of the missing pieces.
Refer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstract_class#Abstract_and_concrete_classes
As per this, I concluded that Lord Vishn can be considered as an Abstract Class while both Ram and Parasuram can be considered as inherited concrete classes with their own properties but still a concrete manifestation of the Lord Vishnu.
How wonderful to know that even God’s are Object Oriented?
Obviously anyone who knows Ramayana will also know that both Ram and Parasuram met during Sita's syamwar.
The immediate question that stuck my mind after this scene was how come Vishnu take avatar of Ram and also take avatar of Parasuram at the same time? (I was not matured enough to understand the philosophy behind it).
Though I was able to understand that God can take avatars but not two avatars at the same time. How he be in two different forms in the same place? That sounded strange and never have I heard any similar stories.
The question was in my mind unanswered till the time I learned Object Oriented Programming for Java.
During my early days of learning java it was really tough to under the Object Oriented Concepts. But as the time passed, i was able to see everything in the form of Object well of course everything was actually in Objects but its only then I realised it.
In Object Oriented Programming there are concepts like Inheritance, Abstraction, Polymorphism, Class, Objects etc.
Inheritance: In object-oriented programming, inheritance is a way to form new classes (instances of which are called objects) using classes that have already been defined. The new classes, known as derived classes, take over (or inherit) attributes and behaviour of the pre-existing classes, which are referred to as base classes (or ancestor classes). It is intended to help reuse of existing code with little or no modification.
Refer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inheritance_(computer_science)
Abstract Class: An abstract class, or abstract base class (ABC), is one that is designed only as a parent class and from which child classes may be derived, and which is not itself suitable for instantiation. Abstract classes are often used to represent abstract concepts or entities. The incomplete features of the abstract class are then shared by a group of sibling sub-classes which add different variations of the missing pieces.
Refer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstract_class#Abstract_and_concrete_classes
As per this, I concluded that Lord Vishn can be considered as an Abstract Class while both Ram and Parasuram can be considered as inherited concrete classes with their own properties but still a concrete manifestation of the Lord Vishnu.
How wonderful to know that even God’s are Object Oriented?
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
O! I am in a Big Worry
O! I am in a big worry that is what I always think about myself. I worry for anything and everything like say for example:
My daughter is just two years old but she has lost her canine teeth so I am in a worry!
My boss has got a promotion that makes me worry - worry because you don’t know how the new boss is going to deal with things and particularly me!
My friend has bought a big car, I am in a worry because his company is paying more for the less work he does than me!
My client manager does not take any decision and sits like a dumb ass! - That worries me a lot
I got worry my wife with all these and she gets worried because of me.
O - holy god, Why should I be worrying so much when I don’t have to worry for things that are beyond my control ?
So, I went to a swamiji seeking his advice. You know, he told me a small story
He came across a prince who has lost his Kingdom, He had to live in forest with his wife and brother, his wife was kidnapped by someone - With this much told he asked me if I am in such a pathetic situation?
I said - definitely not this bad! – He said Ok Good to hear that by the way do you know who was that? I said no – He said the prince was later known as King Rama – King of Ayodhya.
He started again: You know, here is another chap he came across who promised that he will never lie and just keep his promise he ended up loosing his Kingdom, his wife became a slave, he son died and he worked in a cemetery
He then questioned me if I have any such worries – I said nop, not at all, I said they are not worries but more a pain to pass through
He said O’ is it so? How do you compare your worries with these? When compared with it, mine seems to be simple.
So you got the answer!
I said yes, I understand that this is simple when compared with these but my worries are bigger for me and why should I compare with these?
He said, yes, that’s the message, you just stop comparing yourself or events associated to you with others.
You worry because you compare events associated to you with everything else and when you can compare all things why not compare your worry as well?
As long as you don’t compare you will not have worries because you do not have the power to change certain things and the best is to accept such things.
After all everything has to change and this will also change hopefully for good.
My daughter is just two years old but she has lost her canine teeth so I am in a worry!
My boss has got a promotion that makes me worry - worry because you don’t know how the new boss is going to deal with things and particularly me!
My friend has bought a big car, I am in a worry because his company is paying more for the less work he does than me!
My client manager does not take any decision and sits like a dumb ass! - That worries me a lot
I got worry my wife with all these and she gets worried because of me.
O - holy god, Why should I be worrying so much when I don’t have to worry for things that are beyond my control ?
So, I went to a swamiji seeking his advice. You know, he told me a small story
He came across a prince who has lost his Kingdom, He had to live in forest with his wife and brother, his wife was kidnapped by someone - With this much told he asked me if I am in such a pathetic situation?
I said - definitely not this bad! – He said Ok Good to hear that by the way do you know who was that? I said no – He said the prince was later known as King Rama – King of Ayodhya.
He started again: You know, here is another chap he came across who promised that he will never lie and just keep his promise he ended up loosing his Kingdom, his wife became a slave, he son died and he worked in a cemetery
He then questioned me if I have any such worries – I said nop, not at all, I said they are not worries but more a pain to pass through
He said O’ is it so? How do you compare your worries with these? When compared with it, mine seems to be simple.
So you got the answer!
I said yes, I understand that this is simple when compared with these but my worries are bigger for me and why should I compare with these?
He said, yes, that’s the message, you just stop comparing yourself or events associated to you with others.
You worry because you compare events associated to you with everything else and when you can compare all things why not compare your worry as well?
As long as you don’t compare you will not have worries because you do not have the power to change certain things and the best is to accept such things.
After all everything has to change and this will also change hopefully for good.
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