where creativity brews...Volume: 1 Issue: 5

ThAnkS tO tEcHnoLOgy... noW We cAn haVe bYtes oF CoFFee...

Things to be Thankful for:Turkey.Cake.Chocolates.Friends.Beer.PizzaSunshine.Icecream.Smiles.kids.longwalks

GoodHealth.Prosperity.RelativesGuys.Gals.Gifts.Peers.Moonlight.desserts

Dilbert.Dollar.Adobe.MSOffice.WindowsCellphones.Colours.Fonts.Weekends

Words.Love.Blessings.Bread.Readers.BiriyaniPalakPaneer.Spielberg.Books.Einstein

Leonardo da Vinci.H2O.O2.Luck.InternetMouse.Keyboard.Laptop.BIS.Customers

and...

November 2008

Ithinkitisafunnycoincidencethatthisnewsletteris called ‘DS-Café’. See, I worked as the CIO ofMelittaCoffee(aninternationalcompanybasedinGermanythatproducescoffeeandcoffeerelatedconsumergoods)fortwoyears. Acoffeebeanisnotabeanatall;itisthepitofafruit.Thisfruitisharvested,thepitremoved,dried(rawdriedcoffee iscalledgreenbean),androasted inovensthat tumble thebeans. I havewitnessed this firsthandand as the beans cook, they actually crackle and snaplikepopcorn.Oncethebeansarefullyroasted,theyareblendedwithotherroastedbeansfromvariousregions.Sometimes they are sprayed with flavors like vanillaor hazelnut. Coffee is very complex and its flavors arederived fromtheregion inwhich itgrows,morerobustcoffeecomesfromwetregions,whilethosefromthedryregionsarelighter.ThoughitisgrownallovertheworldColumbiacertainlyhastheperfectregiontogrowcoffee.

Whenthegreenbeanisreceivedbythefactory,itgoesthroughaqualityinspectionprocess.Atasterchecksthecoffee toensure that it representswhat thegrowerdeclares, sometimes, it isnotand thebatch is rejected.The taster pours boiling water over ground-coffee, andsipsthewaterandground-coffee.He/shethenspitsthegroundsout,muchlikethewayyoutastewine.Thisprocessiscalled“cupping.”Ifthebatchisapproved,itmovestothe roasting and grinding process. Coffee is ground invarious levels, fromespresso (very fine) to coarse. Thefinergroundcoffeeallowstheconsumertouselessandreceivemoreflavorpercup. I bet you did not realize I knew somuch aboutcoffee. I thinkthereareassociatesamonguswhohaveexpertise in interestingand surprisingareas thatdonotrelatetoourday-to-dayjobs.Whetheritisahobbyorpastworkexperience,weshouldtrytosharethisknowledgewith each other. You never know, until you ask.Whatkind of interesting information can you sharewith yourcolleagues?

From The Chef’s KitchenRon Whyte

Explore every Cup!The only section dedicated to Project news and our contributions towards DS Business. Find out what’s being happening in DS each month and follow it up with everything you might ever care to know about our Projects/Products/Customers.

Technology• Ronald Whyte and Barry Deetz visited Chennai and interacted with team on overall Decision Solutions technology front• Mainframe Migration Cut-over strategy is in progress• ChexMate Project mandated January 7 compliance/delivery date • The Dev Inspect License is still being pursued• Mainframe installs performed on November 22nd/23rd was successful. The following WR’s were installed: § WR#31277 - BIS FraudFinder Standalone component § WR#31136 - MF Migration DB2 Connect Catalog Node

• Discovery/SML bi-weekly maintenance window on November 13th - successful • MyEclipse Blue being installed/researched by Dev Team for Java IDE

PRojecT ManageMenT• EPM / EPK – Training is in progress for Project Managers

STRaTegy• Initial Business strategy devised and reviewed with Leadership team• Product/Business and IT Team working on 2009 Projects/Priorities

aRchiTecTuRe• Discovery > New Berlin installation is progressing as planned. • Current State Architecture > Continuing with the Brown Bag Sessions. • ITRB > Developing a process around source control and release management • Future State Architecture > Completed the Architecture principles to align with business strategy.

STaff uPdaTeS• Completed the 360 surveys for Ron’s direct reports• Working on coordinating an IT-wide year-end team celebration

Contributed by - Kathirvel Lakshmanan

The Decision Solutions tool replacement effort to sunset the Demand and Resource Portfolio Management (DRPM) application, the Lotus Notes Work Request System, and SAP Time Tracking is underway.

The Microsoft Office Enterprise Project Management (EPM), Enterprise Project Knowledge (EPK Group LLC), and PlanView (PlanView Inc.) solutions were selected as the tools to replace the systems. Each of these tools is an FIS corporate tool with an internal FIS support team.

EPM/EPK are joined into one toolset and are end-to-end collaborative project, portfolio and resource management tools. Key project detail and resource allocation are captured in the tools and presented in multiple views and reports for comprehensive project portfolio management. Unlike the Work Request tool where requirements, designs, and other attachments were included, EPM/EPK is the current project detail and the supporting documentation will be located on SharePoint

PlanView in conjunction with Oracle Human Resources will be the time tracking tool for the project work effort. Regular feeds from Oracle maintain the resource pool data and approved project and maintenance work breakdown is input for resource time allocation.UAT testing for EPM/EPK is in progress by the Decision Solutions project team and is targeted to be complete by the end of October. Several beta projects will be simulated through project life cycle for final validation.

The PlanView implementation is in the planning stages and will utilize some of the same structure defined for EPM/EPK to build the framework for time tracking.

EPM/EPK and PlanView InitiativeBy Gary E Mester

What you like most about FIS?The people are really what make

things tick. I am impressed by the professionalism and dedication of our global team members. Being surrounded by people who truly care about our products and customers is enjoyable. It is also interesting to be involved with the variety of products DS offers and the constant challenge to make things better.

Can you give us an idea about what your work day involves? Well, there really isn’t a typical work day.

Due to the current migration activities and the various roles that are in Shared Services, there are many meetings, discussions and e-mails each day. I work with the team to prioritize activities, discuss project impacts and resolve issues. There are also routine follow-ups with Vendors and

Procurement regarding software licensing.

Mocha [K] a Talk- Dan Boehm

Tell us something more about your career profile / career moves and what it takes to be

Dan? IT has been the focus of my

career for nearly 20 years. Having roles in Operations, Software Development, Technical Consulting and Management over this time has provided me a broad perspective on IT and specifically software development. FIS has been my home for eight years where I have not only worked with and managed Decision Solutions teams, but also EP, ClearCommerce and ACH. Due to the diverse skill set of the Shared Services team, multitasking is the theme of the day at my desk.

What are your hobbies or interests? Is there any interesting fact about yourself that you would like to share with the team?

I am really an outdoors person – summer and winter. My interests are hunting, fishing, boating and traveling with my family. Music has always been an interest as well. I played piano a great deal in school and played trumpet in a Jazz band in college. While I still play both, it is not as frequent as I would like.

What is your most embarrassing moment in life?

I’m sure there are many. One note worthy work related moment would be from my consulting days. I was preparing to make a presentation to a group of executives and when we all sat down, my chair had moved

and I ended up sitting on the floor.

What are the challenges in your current role? The biggest challenge is keeping up on all the activities the team is involved with. There are currently seven roles (Oracle and DB2 DBA, Data Analysis, Technical Writing, UI Design, Technical Consulting, Technical BA) within Shared Services with associates in Woodbury and Chennai. Each one has unique needs or issues from project to project. We have also never had a good handle on all the software licenses, costs, renewals, allocations, etc. that DS has. Over the past few months I have been gathering this information

so we can better forecast our costs in 2009.

What would be your forward-looking statement or goal for the shared development team?

Shared Services is a collection of different talents and our goal is to work together to provide the best possible development and support of the DS products. The team is tasked with continuously looking for ways to improve processes and improve our products. We have an exciting 2009 ahead of us.

Interviewed by: Ravi Komaragiri

Tell us about your family and educational background.I have two kids – Josh , 17 and Nick , 14. They go to school during the day. One plays football and the other likes to Skateboard. Both are in golf and bowling leagues. I went to college for business and have continued my education with courses and certifications in HR. What was you first job like? How did you get to your current job?I worked in a restaurant as a server. It was fun but I didn’t like it when customers blamed me if they didn’t like their food. After that job, I worked in retail. When I was in college, I needed a job during the summer and I came to ChexSystems. I worked part time in the call center while I continued going to school.

After I graduated from college, ChexSystems offered me a management position. After a couple of years, I moved from Minnesota to San Diego, California and worked for Deluxe. I was a corporate liaison in the check processing division and then I worked in the IT department as a desktop support technician. I then moved to Connecticut and took about 9 months off after I had a baby. I came back to Minnesota and worked for ChexSystems again. During this time, I started working in HR as a HR generalist. We became eFunds and I moved to iDLX as a HR manager. Then iDLX and eFunds became one company.

From an HR perspective, what are your immediate challenges after the financial crisis. We need to remain focused on productivity and continue to develop employee’s skills.

Catching [C]up! with Laurie

What do you think would negate that?Continuing to keep the lines of communication open and communicate the strategy of the business, make sure each employee understands what their role is and how their contributions impact the business. Focus on development, training, what skills will be necessary in the future for our business.

So, how is your first time experience in India?First time experience? Wonderful. I love it. I was excited and very nervous as well when I was packing for my trip and getting ready to go, you have to get the shots, etc. and I was nervous about traveling so far away; but it’s been nothing but amazing. I just think it’s been wonderful…

What had you heard prior to coming to India?There is so much to look at ancient things, enjoying the travel and the Taj Mahal. I heard about those things. The People, oh yes how wonderful the people are… and that’s true, that has come to be very true. I wish that I would have had more time in each place.

Are you planning for a personal trip, with your family, to India?I have actually thought about it (smiles) My kids… they would love to come there. They think it’s so cool that I am a day ahead of them with the time zone.

What are the strategies you have for the retention of employees?We are working on career development plans so both the manager works with the employee and they both take an active part in developing the employee’s career and helping them with opportunities. Not only just with how you get to the next level but more of what kind of projects do you want to work on , what kind of skills do you want to develop, about how to broaden their skill sets and continue to grow and develop.

Tell us about the most memorable moment in your life.My children…when they were born.

What is the motivating factor that keeps you going? I say it is people. I have thought about leaving, but it is the people factor that I really enjoy. Whatever I am doing, I enjoy interaction with the managers as our business partners. If I worked for a HR dept that was just administrative, I would not like that. I like that I am invited on this trip. I love that I am IN with the business.

If you want to change your job now, apart from HR, which one will you go for? I always wanted to be a lawyer. If I were to do something completely different, I would be Feng Shui consultant.

How did you adapt to the various roles you have done over the years? I learn everything I can and try and improve. When I moved into different positions or areas in the company, I plunged in… and learnt everything I possibly could and tried to make it better for the business. So, I just adapt by interest and trying to learn more… I am very flexible… always looking to improve things…

What do you have to say about DS Café?First, I’ll flip-through all the pages and then come back and read the articles. I will pay more attention towards the Indian recipes now. I really look forward to reading DS Café each month.

Interviewed by: Nanda and Sridhar

Mug ShoTYou seem to be a very nice guy, how did you ended up in this miserable prison (FIS)? and since how long? My old friend Becki Wilken recruited me. We had worked together at Fingerhut for years, she decided she needed a change and moved on and came back to get me. You notice she is no longer here either; she again needed a change and left me here to fend for myself for almost 10 years.

Now that you have recently been transferred to the bigger cell, how does it feel? Lonely!

What about revealing your past serious crimes, e.g. “Creation of PDM (Product Data Mart)” which one you regret you would have not committed and why? It is true, I built PDM, the current one is actually the second version. I also helped build PDW, EDW, CPR, and the consumer dispute process for Consumer Relations on the mainframe, this is the one I regret the most. I think it is a terrible application, but I mostly regret it because I had to have Romey fix it for me as it had a bug.

Shaun A Vandegrift

Wanted

Wally

alias

Who is your favorite inmate in this prison (FIS) and why?I don’t think I have any favorites. I am basically a mean person and don’t like anyone

If Wendy’s (the fast food restaurant) goes out of business, what will be your next favorite dine in/out place? How dare you think such thoughts?! Probably Chipotle.

Your ideal wish, while serving your sentence?To win the lottery and retire, isn’t that everyone’s wish? To have a leaner meaner mainframe and to control the world, ha ha ha!

Your favorite beverage or drink and why?I’ve never met a beer I didn’t like. So, Beer would be my answer. It makes my happy…er.

Now that this year’s deer hunting has opened – what is the score in your mind? I wanted the score to be Shaun – 1, deer – 0. Right now, I think the deer are ahead. On Tuesday morning, after 3 days of deer hunting, I was sitting at the lights about 3 blocks from work and a 10 pt buck ran across the street in front of my eyes and I think it might have even winked at me. It was heading in the direction of work. About 3 hours later, Kyle Koch stopped by my office and asked if I saw the huge buck laying out on the hill by the back door. I think that deer is taunting me!

What is secret behind being a real Dilbert admirer? The secret is to find humor in recognizing the parallels between Dilbert’s world and our own. Some days I can’t figure out whether we are giving Scott Adams ideas for Dilbert or using his. As confided to Romey Sharma

Fromtimeimmemorial,lonechildoftheThirdplanet,Moonhas capturedaweand imaginationof thehumankind.Ancient civilizations, captivated by the charming celestialbody that lit up the night sky, prominently placedMoonasathingofbeautyandassociateditwithbeautifulthingsinmythology. Itsbeautyhasdiminishedaround400yearsagowithtelescopesdiscoveringmountains,valleys,cratersandtoughterrainsonthefacethatenchantedmanyapoet.However, lunar cycle and its effects onhumanphysiologyandpsychologystillbordertherealmofmythandreality.

Modern science fiction writers envisioned Moon as astopoverinintergalactictravelandcompetingnationsgavesolidcredibility to those intuitionsbyheraldinganeweraofspaceraceandexploration.WhenerstwhileSovietsweresuccessfulinsendingaMooncraft,UnitedStatesreciprocateditbylandingManonMooninaremarkableachievementoftechnologyandindomitablespiritofhumanwill.Eversince,EuropeanUnion,JapanandChinaweresuccessfulinMoonmissionsofvariouscomplexities.

On 22nd October, on a fine serene morning at SHAR inSriharikota,asmallislandontheeasterncostofIndia,aten

storey tall, 316 ton PSLV-C11 lifted 1.4 ton Chandrayaan-1 (Moon Craft in Sanskrit) and roared way past cloudstospaceaimingfortheMoon.BackintheBlueMarble,anationwatchedliveTVcoverage,someholdingtheirpalmstogether inprayersandsomewith tears in theireyes!Adreamcametrueforscientists;themomentofalifetimefor a nation that was sending sounding rockets thatcouldgouponlyafewmiles,atatimewhenapresidentemphaticallyproclaimed,“WewillgotoMoon!”

India’sentranceintotheselectgroupofnationsthathavecapability and technology to send a probe toMoonhasevokedawiderangeofemotionsacrosstheglobe.AsmallsetofnaysayerscriticizedthedecisionofanationtogotoMoonwhenmillionsofitspeoplearestarving.Cananation,with300millionpeoplewholivewitha-dollar-a-day,affordaspaceprogramofthisstatureanddimension?HerearesomefactsthatassesstherationalebehindChandrayaan.Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has beenin the forefront of utilizing space technology for useof common person. Remote sensing satellites of ISROprovide information about monsoon, rain forecast,agriculture, fishing, biology, resource mapping, climatic

To the Little Rock

changes and help in predicting and averting naturaldisasters. Communication satellites connect inaccessiblerural heartland of India bridging the digital divide andprovideeducation,telephony,telemedicineandtelevisionprograms. ISRO’s commercial arm Antrix Corporationcompetesinthelucrativeinternationalmarketforlaunchingnearearthsatellites.Antrixbringsadollarprofitoneverydollarspentonit.

India’sMoonmissioncostsabout80milliondollarsanditisashoestringbudget(Inastronomicalterms!).Chadrayaanhas 11 payloads - five indigenous, two from NASA andweighsabout675KGinfinalorbit.Thisprojectalsoincludedbuildingoftwofuturisticdeepspaceradiotelescopesthatcan send signals as far as Mars and beyond. The mooncraft oriented to lunar poles will capture thousands ofimagesofhithertounexploredpolarregionoveraperiodof twoyears.Thismay likelyprovideconclusiveevidenceofpolaricecapsandthepresenceofwater.Inapioneeringeffort, 3D terrainmapping cameraonboard the craftwillmap the entire surface to prepare a three dimensionalatlasthatprovidessignificantinsightintoLunarlandscape.The mission has payloads to conduct mineralogical andchemical mapping of near and far side Moon. The veryfact thatNASAhastwo instrumentsaboardChandrayaanandwouldbeusinginformationfromthecrafttoidentify

another“seaoftranquility”tolandtheirnextmannedMoonmission isanacknowledgementandperfect testimony tothetechnologicalprowessofISRO.

1.1 billion people that includes another burgeoning 310millioninsatiablemiddleclassputsasignificantstrainonanynation,leaveasideanemergingone,creatingtremendouspressureontheadministration,ecosystem,infrastructure,agriculture and energy requirements. Chandrayaan has aprobespecifically tosearch for theabundantHelium-3 (acleanfuelforfuture)inMoonandtoanalyzefeasibilityoftransportinggasbacktoearth,toquenchtheOilthirstandreduce environmental problems.While thesewords takethe shape, Chandrayaan, orbitingMoonhas released theMoonImpactProbe(MIP)andplantedtheIndiantricoloronthelunarsoilandthemissionisaccomplished.Thecraftwillstartexperimentsthatwilllastformorethantwoyearsandwillsenddataforthebenefitoftheentirehumanrace.Moreover,costofthismissionisjustenoughtoprovideasquaremeal for justONE day to half of that 300millionpeople.ThechargecanbebestcounteredandmanifestedbytheChineseproverb:

“Give me a fish and I eat for a day. Teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime.”

With this achievement, the nation, long conqueredandoppressed, exudes thenew found confidenceof alumberingelephant (as Indianeconomy isnicknamed)thatiswakingupandispersonifiedbythelargestyouthpopulation in theworld.A fewmillion starryeyedkidswhohaveseen,read,heardandbeeninspiredbytheseachievements would be hard pressed to create newmilestones and goals. A few thousands would reachnewfrontiersinspaceresearchandwillgoplaces.Theywill be tomorrow’s scientists, astronauts and missioncommanders.Perhaps,thatisthemostenduringpictureofChandrayaan.

When India goes for a Mars mission in a couple ofdecades,someofthescientistsofthismissionwouldbein their finest suitswith scarlet flowers adorning theirchestandwillbeawaitingtheceremonialbugleforonelast time.What a befitting tribute andhonor itwouldbe!

PSLV:PolarSatelliteLaunchVehicleSHAR:SriharikotaSpaceCenterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandrayaan-1

[TheauthorhasnoaffiliationwithISRO.]

ByNandakumarK

Why are you so gung-ho about “Go Green”?

We need to think about the future of human beings rather

than just today.

Whom do you want to debug?People who waste energy/power.

Why do your mails contain more bytes than we can

chew?I am not able to write shorter ones.

Rate the below actors.a) Cameroon Diaz - Threeb) Angelina Jolie - Onec) Meg Ryan – Two

And did you pick up your American accent from

“Angie Jolie”? ;-)With 4 years of work in US, I might have acquired a little

bit of the American accent.

What would you have, when

you are with your spouse?

Bloody Mary -

Screw Driver -

Whisky - üRum -

Your hair style – “Baldness cover-up” or

a style statement?

I shave my head as it is more comfortable.

Tell us about your college sweet heart?Jamuna. She was a very friendly person.

Unforgettable embarrassing incident?

When I was in Tokyo, one of my Japanese managers waved

his hand as he arrived at the entrance. I thought he was

calling me and I went behind him. Suddenly, he stopped

at one point and told something to a person aside. That

person in turn approached me and questioned “why are you

following him?” I said, “He waved his hand. So I thought

he is calling me”. But later, I came to know that he was

actually saying “Good Morning!”What will you do with an Oscar?

I will sell it and have peanuts.

Tell us a joke?Galileo studied in Moon light, Shakespeare in candle light,

Graham Bell in street lightMy Question is . . .What the hell they did during the day?

Murugesan T

llllllll l

lMr Bean

Interviewed by: Chandru

Dear reader,

I have taken the time to write this communiqué so that you can obtain a deeper understanding of this on-going conspiracy. We’re all crazy. Think about it! We were born crazy. Picture this: you wake up and look outside your window and as luck may have passed you, you see your 27-year-old neighbour running-around naked and screaming his lungs out. Your first reaction is: He’s crazy. And you’re right, he is crazy but so are you. When you were born, you ran around naked and screamed at the top of your lungs as well!

The only difference is that after all these years your neighbour has chosen to continue the healthy expression of his madness while you have fought aimlessly to suppress yours. But your neighbour does have a problem: He has nobody immediately around that will join him in his joyful expression. He might have had some drugs prescribed to him so that he can stoop low to your level and act “sane,” and he might have forgotten to take his drugs on the morning in question.

We spend a lifetime trying to suppress our feelings and urges and when we see others freely expressing their natural craze we freak out. But we can’t help sneak in a smile or laugh when we bare witness to such behaviour. The reason for this being envy. We envy those who have the luxury of not caring or giving in to what others think of them! Madness is merely the expression of one’s natural acquired emotions. Face it, we like crazy people! We use the term “crazy” on a daily basis because we cannot fight the obsession we have with it.

WhEn ThE DRuGs StOp WOrkiNgBy Alford Desouza

Mumbai

In life, we encounter three kinds of people: crazy, mad and psychotic! Crazy is when you’re still young at heart and mind, expressing your inner craze freely, without the necessary intake of drugs or substances. Mad is when you’re a little matured at heart and mind, expressing your inner craze freely, with the intake of regular prescribed or recommended drugs. Psychotic is when the drugs stop working, and your start writing rubbish like this!

I’m sure that right now you got that smile on your face, well what did I tell ya?! We like crazy people. And you’re probably wondering who on earth may have written this? You probably know or may have narrowed it down to a few people. The reason for this being recognition. Since we’re all crazy, it’s not hard to recognise and identify someone who is crazy. But there are a few of us who have suppressed their craze long enough, that they have forgotten how to be crazy.

Well, a few pointers on how to be crazy: The next time you wake up and everything seems to be a big chaos, simply join in. Feel free to ask strangers if they heard gunshots last night, if they ask why, just say you couldn’t find a silencer. Or feel free to stare at the sky and when strangers start staring along, you start pointing. Feel free to bring your own food to a party or ask strangers if they heard those voices from beyond. Try shopping for bright coloured undergarments. Call McDonalds and order KFC. Wear a “HORN OK PLEASE” t-shirt. Bottom line, you don’t need pointers, you got it in you. So when you find out that I wrote this rubbish, feel free to come up to me with words “The high priests have called for you!” I will gladly respond with the appropriate and or comforting words “No more drugs for you!”

Round potatoes of uniform medium size - 2 lbsCooking oil - 1 cupCumin seeds - 1 tspCloves - 3 nosAsafoetida - 1 pinchRed chili powder - 2 tspsTurmeric - ½ tsp

1. Boil the potatoes (in their jackets) in enough water to immerse these wholly, for 10 to 15 minutes. Once these are done, their skin can be peeled off easily.

2. Cool the boiled potatoes in cold water and peel the skin off .Prick through the peeled potatoes on all sides, with a thin twig.

3. In a fryer, deep fry the peeled and pricked potatoes in oil, on medium heat. Turn these frequently with a perforated ladle till these are uniformly fried to a golden yellow color and lose almost all moisture and become light. Take out of the oil with the perforated ladle, draining all oil, and keep aside.

4. Transfer the left over oil to a steel pan, of about 2 liters capacity. Add cloves, cumin seeds and asafoetida to the still hot oil. Stir with a ladle and resume heating, while adding red chili powder and turmeric, along with a tablespoon of water.

Ginger powder - 1 tspAniseed powder - 1 tspSalt - 1 tspCurd/Plain yogurt - ½ cup‘Garam Masala’ - 1 tspMixed big cardamom, cinnamon and Black pepper powders - 1 tsp

Ingredients:

Method of Preparation:Stir again with a ladle, till oil takes color of chilies and turmeric and begins to separate. Now add well beaten curd/yogurt to which a little water has been added, along with aniseed and ginger powders. Continue stirring till the curd and spices blend together with the oil.

5. Add the fried potatoes and turn these with a broad steel spatula, so that the spiced sauce covers these all over and the potatoes get soaked in it. Add enough water to immerse the potatoes wholly and cook on low heat, for half an hour after covering the pan with a lid.

6. When the spiced gravy and oil soaks to the very core of the potatoes and these turn brown, also the gravy thickens and oil begins to separate, add garam masala and the mixture of cardamom, cinnamon and black pepper powders. Turn gently with the spatula to let the spices get mixed. Dama Alu’s are ready.

Dama Alu By Romey SharmaRecipe

By Gayathri Krishnan

What is it with books that is not there with movies or any other form of visual entertainment?

I believe books allow us to imagine, without trapping our mental world with an image like a movie does. While reading a book, when one comes across any dialogue, it gives us the opportunity to see a deeper meaning, unlike in movies, where we (or atleast most certainly me) are too involved in the visual imagery, to notice that there could be other interpretations.

When I read “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” (Book 3), there were two places I totally fell in love with J.K.Rowling’s writing:

(i) There is a book called the “Monster book of Monsters”. This is a magical book that bites. The students are prescribed this book for their syllabus, but they are unable to open the book, as the book bites. So, they have all sealed the book in one way or the other (using spellotape, cello tape + imagination = spellotape!).

Hagrid, the teacher for that subject, shows the students how to open the book.”Stroke it.”, he says and the book gently opens…

My Interpretation: Even the most vicious can be won over by love! It was beautiful, the way this point was subtly made and since I am reading this, I feel I have the freedom to imagine. What say?

(ii) The other scene is where the “Defence against the dark arts” teacher is telling the students about this thing called “Boggart”. The Boggart will assume the shape of anything one fears. For example, you fear a dead-body and face a Boggart, it assumes the shape of the dead-body.

The teacher instructs them on ways to face a Boggart. He says, “The Boggart wants to scare you, so when you laugh at it. It gets confused!!”

He tells the students of a charm that can change the Boggart in the form of your fear into something funny…”Ridikulus!”

My interpretation: The best way to overcome any fear is to face it, and better still, to laugh at it!

I love it when books are not preachy about virtue but scatter the stories with situations and dialogues where we can assume our own meanings. Reading then becomes so much more fun!

Interpretations

Celebrations....Anita Alexander was blessed with a baby girl on 9th Nov, 08.

On 20th Nov 08, Raja Arumugam became the proud father of a baby boy.

Raghu Kanakasabamani and Sankari

on 7th Nov, 08.

Just Married!

New Borns...

arI was thinking of an article on the book “Art of War” by some sissy named Sun

Tzu. His name and his book is full of nonsense like “Attack the enemy when he

is weak” etc. Let me narrate the ordeal

SaTurDAY

11 AM

9 AM –(India Stretchable Time)

Home: Study room. Eatahorriblebreakfast.Allsettowrite.Laptoptakesawhile-zoom20minutestoboot.MeantimegettingcarriedawaybyFriendsandSeinfeldserialontheTV.Allofsuddenitis11.30andPowerisgone..Willtakeanothersweet3hours..Iamsweating/cursingandismissingtheAC.WhynotlaptopscomewithahugefanoranAC???

11 30 AM

Friend Mr. S’s flat:

FewminutesbackShadsentanSOSSMSwithabeermugpicture. Ineedtogethimouttoabaraswellasgethisw

ife’s

permission(Whatafriendship?)..S’swifegivespermissionwithanunforgettablehati

ng:-).S’s1stson’s(4yrs)lefthandis

onasling.It’saminorfracture.Irememberthatthisguyusedtohaveaslingonhisrightarm4weeksback.Iaskhim,what

happenednowtogethis lefthandfractured. Heregoestherep

ly,hewasshowingoneofhisfriendhowhisfirstaccident

happenedandheendedupdoingthesamesomersaultagain.(Kidswillneverlear

n!).ButinterestinglyIaskhimhowcomethis

timehislefthandgotbrokeratherthantherighthand.Againcomestheshockingcleverreplythath

elandedonthewrongside

tobeonthesaferside(isn’tKewl!).Hearingthat,Iamalldelightedandam200%confidentthatthisguyhas

gotallthegenes

frommyfriendS(NoDNAtestrequired).Nowthe2ndkid(1yr)isjumpingallovermeandfinallypissedonmynewshirt.What

adaytobegin?!Seekidsdohaveabadinfluenceonme.

Location : Home , on my sweet bed

HearingafaintsoundofadoorbellringandItrytoignoreit.It

ismymaidservantwhocomesatherown

willanddoesnothaveanysenseoftimingortime.Iknockoffmysleepaswellasaheadache(yo

uguysknow

why?)toopenthedoor.Fortunatelythemaidpreparesmeacoffeeandhelpsherselftoo!S

heisbeingniceto

mejusttogetherbonusaswellasaraise.

ssssssssssssssssssssssssSBy Kathir

Art w

2.00 PM - Power has come back but who cares to go back home!

Lounge bar:Sipping a mocktail (dehydrated ;-)) while S is happily drowning on a Beer and as well feasting on Fish fingers. (I am not allowed to eat

non-veg on a Saturday/Friday and so on, just bcoz my mom believes that I will end up with a calm, composed and obedient wife by doing

so.Yeah Sure, I will get such a wife in a burial ground. Only problem with that is that she will be decomposed. ) I have my quota of 3

mocktails and some Veggie stuff. Mr.S stops with 4 beers and lots of empty plates. Great appetite!6:30 PMMy Apartment Security GateThe guard tells me that my mail was picked up by my neighbor’s college going daughter. Why is she picking up my trash?

6.40 PMMy flat entrance

Trash picker waiting. Hands me the mail and wants to know whether there are any internshp positions available in my office. I politely,

say No. She gets into a giggle and wants to know the handsome guy who dropped me yesterday on a brand new car (Trash is out!!). I

tell her that he was my X-colleague Mr.R and he is married (unsolicited info). Mission accomplished! ;-) Oh Boy! She sure knows how

to pick up trash! 7.15 PMHome:Watching TV. Mobile rings. My sister and BIL are on the way to see me (She regards me as a spoilt brat and has a huge doubt that I am hiding girls/wine/drugs in my flat.) I know how to handle this part! I scrape thru by saying that I have a dinner appointment which in turn is a major disappointment for my sister’s search and seize operation :-)

8.15 PMHome:Intercom rings. It is my cousin Mr.B and he makes the right contacts to get us entry into a happening

Disco. Have a quick bite at McDonald’s. 10.30 PMDance floor:Great crowd and loud music. B is guzzling drinking whiskey like a Fish and he offers me a cocktail to keep the party going. I stop with 3 drinks to be not to be on the (dance) floor :-) .. High Time to get back

Lost track- Who cares? But it is early hours of Sunday

Home: Trying to get some sleep! Need to pick up a friend from airport at 8 AM. Too much for a Saturday! And Sun Tzu needs to

be corrected!“Attack your enemy during his weekend and not when he is weak!” If my weekends are going to be like this, then

it isn’t too late for me to end up with my Lady at the Burial Ground! Hang on to know more about my Sunday!

Children’s Day @ the Café

This Children’s Day, the kids of SDC associates got

a chance to interact with Ron and Barry who were on their

India Visit.

The children also displayed their artistic talent in the

coloring competition (some of their work

was very colorful indeed!).

Every child went back home with cute, fun gifts.

Event Coordinators: Priyamvada & Sridhar

Word Pyramid

A Word Pyramid is a collection of dictionary words with each word having one letter less or more than its previous one. Moreover, each word can be found by inserting or deleting a letter to the previous word and anagramming. For instance: RUE SURE USERS RHESUS USHER HERS SHE is a valid word pyramid.

The aim is to get from the start to the end of the puzzle, using the clues that appear alongside each step of the pyramid.

By: Babu Ramalingam TEAsers!

To solve the puzzles find the words in each puzzle that are part of Greek mythology.

TEAsers!

Solution To

Volume 1, Issue: 4

The answer is Z. The French license plate (on top) is drawn with all straight letters, while the German plate on the bottom is drawn with all curved letters.

Cool ! Isn’t it...

ExpressOh!

I am thoroughly enjoying the DS Café. It is so nice to see such a blending of cultures and I appreciate the exchange. Thank you for your contribution to celebrating our diversity, as well as our unity.I am honored to be part of an organization that is open to sharing in such a meaningful way.-- Jill Borsos

Thank you so much. The October issue is wonderful as always. I browse through it first then go back and read each article. I read Mark Swenson’s comments about sharing it with his children and I think that is a great idea so I am going to do the same.Thanks again!-- Laurie Husaby

It’s great as usual. Keep it up.-- Vishal Lakshmikanth

Please put this up on SharePoint as well. Thanks!-- Ronald Whyte

Very Cool, nice job! Enjoy your new SharePoint site.-- Denise Thrower

This is great how you managed to get SP to work with the newsletter. Please pass on my congratulations and appreciation on a job well done.-- Michael Masut

Volume 1 Issue 4

On October Issue:

On our SharePoint site:

Editorial:

Creative Design: Vijesh R Sushil

Kathir Ramya RK Divya Chandru

Sridhar Nanda Siva Babu Ravi S

Ravi K Lonnie Romey Savio(Mumbai)

Café Crew:

Await the nXt Fresh brew on X’mas Eve

Chennai DS Cafe’ Crew with Master Chef Ron and Barry

Deetz

FeedBack @Mail_DS_Editorial@fnis.com