Dear Diary..

Its time that I told you about her. About the girl I fell in love with. I have been hinting you about her for a while, only if you were Tom Riddle’s Diary, you would have already asked me. Let me tell you.

It was a cold Easter eve, 11th March 2009, and I was all set to go to church for the mass that night. That was the time when I was an addict on twitter, so I spent the hours before church that evening online, as usual. I was part of a little gang that included @cheth, @venksh and @dharshana, we were talking about Google Adsense over a hashtag #AdsenseTalk.

The talk really caught on because many people could relate to it and it was about making money online. Everyone loves making money on the internet, though only some actually do. Anyways, people started joining in with the hashtag and eventually it became the top trending topic that night. That is one thing.

More importantly, somewhere in between, a girl got in from somewhere. From that night I remember, she was funny and used to tweet so much and she had some friends too with her. I remember talking to a guy and he said, he is gonna crash (I didn’t know what that meant at that time, but I thought he actually crashed, cuz I never heard from him after that ).

There is one more thing that I remember, when she was signing off, she DM-ed me saying Good Night or said something and called me “Bro” I remember asking her, how come I am already your bro? and she said something like.. I don’t know, what did you say?

Her name is Milana Ryan (@rm1l – FB). I wish I knew what she would turn into for me, I could have recorded every memory, but then that is how life works I guess. You never know.

Here is a thing with me. I have made lots of friends online, actually I have made more friends by meeting them online first rather than meeting them offline. But these friends never stay, esp. the ones that I haven’t met. What do you have to talk to someone when you barely know the person but his/her profile picture and a name?

But somehow the friends I made from Indonesia stayed for long. Oh, btw, Milana is Indonesian. My first friend I made online was @DevyPrameswari, this was in 2005 or 2006 I think, we met on Morange and is still in great contact. There are more – @TengkuDewi @JustDiii @Agnes_Novi @TheoNatalie. I have more friends in Indonesia than in any other country (after India of course, you dumb ass ). There is something about them.

So what was special about Milana? I never got bored of her, even after talking and tweeting day in and day out. And it was so easy talking to her, she would somehow make sure that we are in contact often and I didn’t have to think too much to find ideas to talk (which I really suck at). It just worked and it was beautiful.

Soon, I started looking forward to her and she did many little things for me to keep me interested, little tweets here and there, a poke or two; She always made me feel special. One of the BIG little things she did was make me this video on my birthday last year. And I just loved that video, have seen in a zillion times and every time I smile or cry.

And this and that and this and that, I had a crush on her. I tried to put it down, take it slow, I didn’t want to screw up a friendship, but it just wont go. And then I told her about it and last August I flew to Indonesia. We met, got to know each other better and fell in love so bad. We had a great time. And that’s the love story so far.

Lucky me, I know her as a friend, then as my best friend, and then most importantly I am now knowing her as my lover.

Pictures and Story of the Trip: This Way!

And Its Her Birthday Today!

Its the first after we are together and I know how important this is. But sad, I can’t be with her. If there was a chance, I would be on a flight as I write this, showing up in front of her as a surprize!

“Honey.. Wish you a very Happy Birthday. Remember the promise I gave you, and do trust me on that. I have put together a Video for you. Its our story. I hope you love it and watch it over and over whenever you miss me.”

“I also created a group card for you: HERE!”

“I love you!”

So Dear Diary, that’s the story so far. More will happen and I am sure I will write pages and pages on you with the moments we have and the moments we share. Until then, keep my GF safe. Keep her happy whenever she visits you!

The Milana Ryan is a post from: The Kuttappi

Its been a while since I read my last book and this one, Outliers came heavily recommended. The book starts with a definition of what an Outlier is:

Out-li-er

1. something that is situated away from our classed differently from a main or related body.
2. a statistical observation that is markedly different in value from the others of the sample.

Outliers is the story of People who have achieved immense success and the connection of their Success to their own talents, their time of birth and their family history. The book shows how one’s success is closely dependent on his surroundings, the people he is with and the time in history he is born and most importantly his family.

There are not many thing that you can change on your path to Success. Most of them have been already decided. Probably by the time you are reading this, you already have a career and if you think of it most of your decisions in life were based on your interaction with your family, and your immediate surroundings. The only thing you can change is your surroundings. And that will make most of the difference.

One Single take away from Outliers: It takes 10,000 hours to be an expert at anything you do and being an expert at it (whether it be playing Piano, or sketching your neighbour) depends much on your willingness to constantly challenge yourself and much less on your inborn talents and skills. If you are willing to put in that effort, and identify the opportunity for your big break and take the risk to take the plunge, you are on your way to be an Outlier.

Do your thing!

Buy the Book: on Amazon.

Book Recommendation : Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell is a post from: The Kuttappi

Ever since the idea of Entrepreneurship got stuck in my head, I wanted to be a CEO. Well, I wanted to be an Entrepreneur first, CEO second. I am finally there!

It all started with a super secret project designed to make money online. Now its a registered company – One C Media Private Limited.

Who is involved? Me, @theAnand, @KenneyJacob, @iAmATechie, and @NicksalTR.

About the name. We call this ‘Project 10 C’ internally so we tried to register 10 C Media, but it wasn’t available. So we went for 1 C Media.

I remember, once at a BarCamp, @Eldhose said, Freelancing != Entrepreneurship. I can vouch for it, its so true. Freelancing meant, lots of free time, limited commitments, no formalities and freedom to choose the hours and days of work. The latter brings long term commitment, responsibilities, and 24 x 7 work.

Recently someone asked me what are my hobbies other than photography. When I thought about it, I am doing my hobbies all day. I love what I do, everyday! Too bad, it doesn’t give much time left for photography.

Now to answer the most important question; what do we do? Well, the exact details are classified We specialize in making money online. and we do almost everything legal known to mankind to make money from the internet. And Yes! We have borrowed some from aliens too.

Its a new start, one step at a time!

I am Cee-Eh-Oh! is a post from: The Kuttappi

I came across a Robert Frost poem “The Road Not Taken” while reading Brian Gardner. Two lines of the poem became my favorite.

“I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.”

His poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” has been my all time favorite:

“The woods are lovely, dark, and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”

All of Robert Frosts Poems are here.

Robert Frost! is a post from: The Kuttappi

I have collected many things. The first one I remember started when I was in my third standard, it was Match Box covers then. I have collected Coins, Stamps, Currencies, Badges, Tatoos, Medals and what not, even Bus Tickets.

Now its time for another one. Being part of Smiley, I get to travel a lot and stay in different hotels across Kerala. As a reminder of the place, I have started taking mementos home from those hotels.

Mementos can be anything that has the name of the hotel printed on it. Could be Match Boxes, Shampoo bottles, Soaps or even tissue papers.

I have a shoe box at my home where I store these things. I hope it would be so much fun when I have a lot of them.

p.s: I am still doing the One-Pic-A-Day Project to the best I can.

p.p.s: The word ‘Moi’ was inspired from @Andrine_Mendez who uses it often in his tweets.

Moi New Collection is a post from: The Kuttappi

Some time back, I read on @TheAnand’s blog about a HSPDA WANN Card. Once during a hangout I got to use the same on his laptop. Man! 3G is fast.

Following his steps, I ordered a similar card on ebay and finally got it working this week. Here is what you need to get and what you need to do to stay connected on the move using BSNL 3G.

Unlike the USB broadband connections, this card is placed inside the laptop, so the whole thing is an integrated unit, nothing to carry around and absolutely nothing protruding. It looks as if the laptop is born with internet

Things you would Need

• A Laptop with a Sim Card Slot. My Dell Studio 15 has a hidden Sim card slot under the battery compartment, you will need it.
• Option GTM378 PCI-E HSPDA Module. Order it here.
• A 3G GSM SIM. I bought a BSNL 2G SIM which is available for free and then upgraded it to 3G for free. A 3G sim costs Rs. 120.
• Drivers and a couple of Software’s, I have included download links below.

Unboxing Option GTM 378

Here are some shots of the pci-express card. My Card came with a 3G Antenna.

Step By Step – Installing the Card

Order a similar card on ebay (this is the one I bought) or get one from a local shop. From what I know, it costs around 4500 INR here locally, but I got it online for 43$ which is only half that cost.

Open up the back compartment of your Laptop and install the Card. The Antenna port or connector marked A is the port for GPS Antenna (Refer this). We are supposed to plug in the 3G Antenna to the other connector (one not marked A), but since I had spare wires on my laptop, which I assumed to be connected to some kind of internal antenna, I connected one of those to the 3G antenna connector and connected the 3G Antenna to the GPS slot (the one marked A).

I haven’t been able to lock on to any satellites yet, maybe its because of the connection as said above. Anyway 3G works great, have to figure out the GPS issue soon, will keep you posted.

OK, once the stuffs are in place, close the compartment. Restart your PC.

Now Windows will detect new hardware and try to install drivers. If you are on Windows 7, you probably wont need any driver.

Download Drivers

If you are on Vista or XP, you probably need a driver. Use the download links given below.

• Driver Software – For Windows to Detect the Card. Go here and Select ‘Driver Win’.
• Connectivity Software – For Windows to Connect to the Network. Go here and Select ‘Dashboard Win’.

Install the driver first and restart your computer. The installation will complete and windows will show a installation success message. Now install the Dashboard software.

> Check this forum for many FAQ’s

Buy a 3G SIM

I got mine from BSNL, as I said earlier, a 3G sim costs 120 bucks. Instead buy a 2G sim which comes for free, and upgrade it to 3G, again for free. Plug the SIM to its port and restart your pc.

Make sure 3G is active on the SIM (check by dialing *123# from a mobile with the sim and see if the plan says ’3G General’ in it or something similar). Open up the Dashboard we installed earlier. Its called GlobeTrotter Connect. Click on “show settings” and you have to enter a APN. This is tricky.

The APN depends on the the mobile number of the SIM.

• @TheAnand uses ‘gprssouth.cellone.in‘ (without the quotes of course)
• I use ‘bsnlnet‘. I got it from here.
• You could get some more from this list here.

Both username and password are meant to be left blank. If that doesn’t work, try what is said in the link above.

If you get it right, when you press Connect, it would connect to the internet and you can start Browsing.

> Find Details of the 3G Data Plans here

OK, So I got GPS?

Well, Not yet. But I got the GPS thingy activated and it started searching for satellites successfully. Have to resolve that issue, should be an issue with the antenna (now that I am using the 3G antenna with it) or poor signal strength or something.

Here are some links that will give you a head start. GPS is disabled on the card by default (why would they do that?)

• GPS Activation Details and Some Useful Links from @TheAnand
• How to Enable GPS on Option GTM 378 – The official Version
• HyperTerminal For Vista
• Free GPS Softwares for Windows

Ok, Have fun, Stay Connected and Move Your A$$ around. lol.

Internet On the Move with BSNL 3G and Option GTM 378 is a post from: The Kuttappi

Ok, so as I said in the Canon Photography Workshop notes, I bought my Dad bought me my first DSLR camera last week (July 1st), Canon EOS 550D or Rebel T2i as it is known in the US or Kiss X4 Digital as it is known in Japan.

As usual, and for one last time (yay), I had to borrow my mom’s awesome mobile camera, Sony Ericsson K 810i for the photo shoot. (I have skipped some stuffs like warranty card, leaflets etc. to keep the number of images down).

First Impressions

Since its my first time with any DSLR, I don’t have a frame of reference, but I do really feel great about this Camera. Thanks to the internet, I do feel comfortable with the Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority Modes. The menu is neatly arranged and I feel easy with everything. Just like I use any mobile phone or a point and shoot camera.

Click Click

Couple of shots with Canon EOS 550D.

Keep Track of my best shots, here is my flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/arunbasillal/

Linkies

I have created a Twitter Profile to Collect the Photography Tutorials I read online, if you are interested, you may follow it here: @ProClicks

The day after the Canon Photography Workshop I googled to see if there were any email groups for Photographers in Kerala, I couldn’t find any. So I have created one to share news of Photography Workshops and Seminars in and around Kerala and general discussions. If you are into Photography, please do join in – Photography Kerala Google Group

Ok, time to snap!

Unboxing DSLR Canon EOS 550D, 18-55 IS Kit is a post from: The Kuttappi

Last week, on 30th, I attended the Canon Digital Photography Workshop at Abad Plaza, Cochin. It was my first serious step into Photography and so I was really looking forward to it.

I didn’t want to be late, so I set out really early in the morning (had a plan to see a guy before the event which was at 10:30 am, thanks to the slow ordinary bus, I missed the meeting, but was really early for the workshop). From what I had known from my friends, I had decided to get off at Kacherippady bus stop; I didn’t bother to ask anyone where it was, by the time I asked someone, I had missed the stop.

I got off in front of Sunny Diamonds, well, this stop is much closer to Abad Plaza than the other one. It was my lucky day!

So I reached the registration counter and was prepared to pay Rs. 200 as mentioned in the invitation. But they didn’t ask for any, gave my name and visiting card (yay! I got plenty of them ).

There were about 10 guys inside, and by the look and feel I could say that they all were professionals. I found a guy who looked more like an amateur near the front row.

Okay, here is the deal – I forgot his name, but I have it on my notepad. I kept my notes in @BinnyVA‘s carry bag and left it there. He is supposed to send me the scans by now, well, he is super busy, so that will have to wait. Notes from the camp will come up once I get it

Update: Got his name, he is @mahadevaniyer.

I saw coffee being served on the sidebar (?). I was not sure if it was free or paid, so I waited. Then I saw the guy in front of me, one Mr. Binil, (he gave me his card), having coffee. So I followed.

Right after I finished coffee, @Jinson and @NeenaNair walked in. I remember Neenz from BlogCamp Kerala 1, but I couldn’t recall Jins. He could recall me, so I was in an embarrassing situation. Anyways, we got introduced. (After reaching home and some digging up, I found him here, now I remember!)

Our resource person, Mr. Balan Madhavan (@WildFrames) came in with his Mac (oooh!). Lights went down, and a Canon Feature Video came up on the huge screen.

@BinnyVA came in from nowhere and took a seat near me. Balan sir introduced himself and started off with some of his shots.

The aim of the photography was to enlighten the Digital SLR users about the possibilities of their gear and make then get the most of it.

The morning session was about the technical aspects of the Camera, and how the Digital concepts are related to the old film photography concepts. Mr. Balan knows everything so well and his examples were so to-the-point.

I had the feeling I had at BlogCamp Kerala 1, the feeling of an alien, but I tried to keep up and took notes. BlogCamp Kerala 1 proved to be a milestone in my blogging career and I hope this one turns out to be one for me in Photography.

After a while we spotted @BinoyXJ on a back row. He was my companion for the rest of the day. We had great free lunch (discovered: there is something called Free Lunch, find out where the next Canon India Workshop is ), and had lot of fun at the Social Media Meet up later in the evening.

I was surprised to meet @KarmaDude, I thought he had left India. Next surprise came in the form of @ShalvinPD, he too is into photography! Also met @Zuhiboy who is a fashion photographer himself.

[@BinnyVA just sent me the scans of my notes, so here they are, just in time. And this link is a thank_you for his effort, no he didn't ask for it. Go check out - http://binnyva.com and get a hang of #BinnyVA]

Notes From Canon Photography Workshop

For clarity, let me introduce the least effective way for the human brain to remeber – Bullets . All thanks to Mr. Balan.

• Digital Photography is ever improving, so if you are buying a Digital Camera, buy the latest. The latest would have all the issues fixed as compared to its ancestors.
• Raw Image Format is called “Digital Negative”. Shoot important shots in Raw. Raw format allows a lot of post-production edits. Also if you have to file a copyright claim, you need raw image to show that you shot the image.
• JPEG is not compression, its removing the repeated pixels. JPEG is finished image, the output and not recommended for post-production. Shoot in Raw if you are planning of post-production edits.
• Adobe Lightroom is a recommended software for editing Raw. Costly option.
• Buy the oldest and one of the cheapest accessory that can improve your shots dramatically – The Tripod.
• We talked about Exposure Bracketing and HDR.
• Its not all about how many Mega Pixels you have, the size of each Mega Pixel vary. DSLR cameras have bigger sensors. So an image taken with a 8 MegaPixel Mobile Camera, 8MP Point and Shoot Camera and 8MP DSLR, all three will be different. DSLR will be far better.
• Show the world only your best shots, trash the rest.
• Always transfer pictures to a studio computer via CD Rom or DVD. There are viruses that affect camera’s software and many cases have been reported.
• Buy a Desiccator Box to protect your gear.
• If you cannot afford a Desiccator Box, buy an air tight, transparent pearlpet jar, buy a packet of silica gel (about 500 grams), make a layer of Silica Gel first, cover it with a dry towel and store the camera on it. When the Silica Gel turns white, remove moisture from it by heating in a microwave.
• One thing I really understood from the camp is that, they all are damn serious about their profession. They are ready to go to any extend the situation demands and buy any equipment no matter how expensive they are. I met an old guy who had over 3 lack rupees worth of gear in his bag.
• The afternoon session was a practical session with a real Model (Mumtaz). Lighting up a model using minimum lights was discussed.

Overall, I found it really effective. I got to meet a bunch of cool people, thought I felt way out of the league

P.S: Dad bought me a Canon 550 D the day after the camp, un-boxing pics will follow.

Social Media Day @ Cochin

Mashable had declared the same day as World Social Media Day and so we had a Social Media Meetup there after. Basically all those of us who use Twitter, Facebook and the like met at a cafe and had some drinks

Me, @BinnyVA and @BinoyXJ walked to a nearby cafe, Coffee Cube. @ShalvinPD came in with his wife. Then came @KarmaDude (or maybe in the reverse order). @Zuhiboy came in, then came @Praseed3point14. @KenneyJacob also came in. and that was it.

We played some crazy naughty game, what is it called? some Jiggle I guess Had a couple of very expensive drinks and talked about everything under the sun. Saw some superb works of @Zuhiboy on his laptop.

After the meet, we said good byes. I came home with @Praseed3point14, he gave me company till Aluva Bus Stand, I got a Kothamangalam Bus and I came home. Lets call that a day!

p.s: Mumtaz’s mobile number: 9995394558 ( I kept my word!)

Notes From Canon Photography Workshop at Cochin is a post from: The Kuttappi

Ok, so as decided, I was SSH-ing or Simply Sitting @ Home for the past one week. But practically, SSH involves a lot of work especially for a freelancer.

First priority is Time. You never know where all the time went. I would wake up and read and write a couple of emails, reply to some facebook and twitter calls, and lo! its afternoon already.

Then I would have my breakfast (yes, breakfast) and get back and before I know it, lunch is ready. Time moves slowly only in the evening, and that’s when most things get done for me.

Einstein was right, Time is relative!

And I thought SSH involved freedom to sleep and go out. The truth is, I haven’t been having enough sleep, I feel like the exam days at college. I would take a nap at 11.00 pm and tell my sister to call me after an hour or so. Its been a crazy week and I still have a ton of work pending.

Anyway, as a result of ‘hanging-out‘ with @KenneyJacob and @TheAnand last Monday and Tuesday, I have decided to give up SSH and to move to the next level, more on that later.

P.S: There was a trip to Veega Land last Wednesday

SSH is Not as Easy as I Thought is a post from: The Kuttappi

The back cover of my copy of iCon Steve Jobs: The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business had a review that said “… Once you start reading, you won’t want to put it down“. In my first sitting I covered 31 pages and that review proved to be true.

iCon is a biography of Steve Jobs and tells the story of his journey with Apple, NeXT and Pixar. I was expecting to read more about Steve Jobs, the man, but it turned out to be more of Jobs as a Entrepreneur with flashes into his personal life here and there.

If you are new to Jobs, after reading the first half of the book, you will hate him. I saw my all time favourite Steve Jobs Speech about that time and for the first time ever didn’t feel anything throughout the video. But it all comes back towards the end of the book: the second coming of Steve Jobs.

One trait of Steve that made an impression on me is his attention for detail and his love for the cool looks. He is always concerned with how things look; no wonder the iPods are cool and MAC’s are awesome.

I wouldn’t say that the book is well written, scenes change without any relation and here is something that irritated me the most: using First names in half the places and Last names in another half. Usually authors pick the part of the name that can be easily identified by the reader, like Lasseter for John Lasseter or at least would stick to one part of the name. The authors of iCon choose to use John and Lasseter to their liking.

But the story is exciting and comments from the authors to behavioural traits and events is amusing enough to win the reader. A good read overall, inspiring too.

iCon: The Story of Apple, NeXT and Pixar is a post from: The Kuttappi