Google Rocks!!!

Here it goes!!! I got a steal of a deal on the Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007 suite containing Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc. I was elated and didn’t think twice to order the product. The product arrived a week later and I popped the DVD into the DVD drive on my laptop. The installation process started only to end abruptly. The error message was “Error 2203. Internal error has occurred while installation. Contact Microsoft Product Support. Please look into the following file to get assistance on this error”. The path of the log file was given in the error. I was upset but since I am used to such ambiguous errors from Microsoft, I decided to do some research. I dug deeper into my system files and found the folder mentioned in the error. I got hold of the help file and opened it. It had some instructions plus a link which connected me to the Microsoft site for more help.

Since there was no straight forward help available, I decided to do a search for “Error 2203” on the Microsoft support website. It wasn’t of any help and I felt that I was going around in circles on the support site searching for answers. I looked for an ‘online help’ or ‘telephone support’ options but those were exorbitantly priced. I was thinking, I purchased this software and am not able to install so shouldn’t Microsoft fix this free of cost for me. Well who am I to argue with Microsoft Corporation? Frustrated I was but at the same time was determined to get the installation done. Then I remembered, when everything fails there is the ultimate life line…. ‘Google’

So I clicked on the ‘Chrome’ (which I love) shortcut on my desktop and brought up Google.com. Searched on this particular error code and after a little bit of research, came across this wonderful article to fix “Error 2203”. http://thevistaforums.com/index.php?s=89651c589ca4b1fa1514a011876c5582&showtopic=29895&view=findpost&p=206461

I followed the steps and tried the installation again. Voila…. Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007 was installed on my laptop without any issues. Thanks a ton to the person who posted this article.

So the moral of the story is “Even if you purchase your software from Microsoft, it takes Google to save the day :)”.

The search is on!!!

Yes its true that the 'bride search' process, which is an integral part of many Indian weddings, has been activated at my home too. Until now no one seemed serious but it looks like, as I get 1 more year older in a few days, my days of 'bachelorhood' would be gone too.

It looks like finding a bride these days is becoming a lengthy and time consuming process. Those who know me will agree to the fact that I have only two filter conditions for my bride. She should be a Malayalai (one who is from Kerala) and she should be a Christian. Simple right??

I created my profile on all the famous matrimonial websites. My profile reads, "I am a simple and god fearing person looking for a simple and god fearing bride". That's me. But when I looked at some profiles on these websites, people have written paragraphs and paragraphs about themselves which puts my one liner to shame. Yeah you should know how to market yourselves. This is the quality I lack.

The other day my father asked me, "If you are already committed to some girl let us know". I wish I was committed to some beautiful girl already. This would have saved me a great deal of time in profile searching, shortlisting, getting rejected and hence getting disappointed etc. My 'bride search criteria' from my early teenage days until now has remained the same. She should be a Malayali and she should be a Christian. This has probably filtered out some prospective alliances at college and at workplace but past is past.

It would have been a different ball game if I had already committed to someone. If she was from a different cast or religion, all my efforts would have been directed towards convincing my parents and probably her parents. Then it would have been a lonely battle and the results would have been unpredictable. If it would have ended in a heartbreak then things would have been more difficult. But now I have my parents with me who are involved in the 'search' with zeal and zest. I can always rely on them to find me a good life partner. It would require a lot of patience I agree but it should probably worth the wait. I believe that whatever happens in life, happens for good. So lets wait and watch.

Time for me to go back and run through some more profiles to find that life partner I am looking for!!!

My Thanksgivings!!!

Another Thanksgiving is around the corner. Another Black Friday is just a few days away. Turkey, Mashed potatoes, cranberry, pumpkin pie... yummy. Its going to be a treat for the eyes and jubilation for the tongue and probably some more hours at the fitness center for many.

As I think about my Thanksgiving this year, I go back three years when I heard about Thanksgiving. It all started in 2005 when I came to US. I had no clue what Thanksgiving was. The first Thanksgiving night was spent on bagging the Black Friday deals at various consumer electronic shops. We fought the chilling cold to stand in line at these stores and we were pretty happy that we could get some good deals.

The next year I decided not to go for any shopping in the cold but tried some online deals. I had some friends come over and we celebrated our simple Thanksgiving.

I enjoyed a real Thanksgiving meal in 2007 when one of my family friends invited me over for a Thanksgiving dinner. It was just awesome. I tasted home made Turkey for the first time and I kind of liked it. It was a gathering of friends and families which is the true spirit of Thanksgiving.

As we prepare to celebrate this Thanksgiving, I decided to put some thinking about the things that I should be thankful for. 

First and foremost I am thankful to God for the career opportunities that I got this year. Its been rough times and I am thankful that I still have a good job amidst these difficult circumstances. 

I am thankful for being was able to visit India (especially Kerala) this year. It was a wonderful visit. Being with my near and dear ones is the thing I am always thankful for. 

The rupee is almost Rs. 50 to a dollar. This was a thing that seemed impossible until a few years back. I am thankful that many of the software professionals will get a good exchange rate for the dollars they send home.

Gas prices are tumbling down. I am sure everyone will be thankful for that. Its one of those few things that still brings a smile to our faces in this bleak atmosphere.

Last but not the least Thanksgiving 2008 coincides with my birthday and hence I am thankful to the Lord for all His mercy towards me throughout this year and throughout my life so far.

What would you give thanks for???

It makes a lot of sense

AdSense, another innovative product from Google labs, is a fast and easy way for website publishers of all sizes to display relevant, unobtrusive Google ads on their website's content pages and earn money. Did you just read 'earn money'? Yes AdSense makes a lot of sense as far as making money is concerned. Its a simple technology with powerful results. You can read a whole lot about AdSense on https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/topic.py?topic=13488

Setting up AdSense for your blogs is easy too. Go to the 'Layout' tab and 'Add a gadget'. AdSense is one of the gadgets that you can select in the window that pops up. Easy isnt it?

You must have noticed that there are some ads being shown on the top left corner of this blog. You got it right, I have added AdSense as one of the gadgets on my blog. Its been a week now and I am looking forward to my first income from AdSense. All proceeds from AdSense on my blog will go to the Daya Vihar Orphanage. 

Happy blogging and earning... $$$

The chosen one

In the Holy Bible, Matthew 22:14 says "For many are called, but few are chosen". I am no Evangelist or preacher but a common man. But I am privileged that I fully understand this verse thanks to my uncle Evgt. Dr. T.S. Koshy. I believe that he is one of the 'chosen' ones and this verse is so apt for him.

My uncle Evgt. Dr. T.S. Koshy was born in a poor but God fearing Christian family. He faced many hardships growing up in his life but he never deviated from the path of goodness and faith. As a result he was 'chosen' by God to work towards His wonderful ministry and he humbly accepted God's will.

Most of us have a dream of earning big, collecting riches of this world and being famous. But in contrast there are some of the 'chosen' ones who leave the riches of the world, well settled jobs and their lives for the work of the Lord. My uncle is one of such people who had a vision for serving the under privileged ones. He started the 'Daya Vihar' orphanage to shelter and uplift the neglected children in the society. You can read more about the orphanage at http://www.lovelychildren.org/ and while you are reading, spare a moment to pray for the wonderful work that is being carried out for the society.

I had the opportunity to visit the Daya Vihar orphanage this summer. The joy in the eyes of the children said it all. They consider my uncle as their Appachan (Grandfather). I heard stories of inmates who were kids long back and have now settled in their jobs. They could have fallen victim to the ungodly ways of this society but for Daya Vihar. I met small kids who can dream for a better future knowing that their Appachan will take care of them. Words cannot explain their joy. My uncle believes that his happiness is in their happiness and he wants to take care of them as long as possible. 

I know that many a times there is a paucity of funds for the different needs of Daya Vihar. But my Lord wonderfully opens new avenues to fulfill their needs each time. Once again I salute my uncle who is my role model and I truly believe that "For many are called, but few are chosen".