Digvijay and Ridhima's blog

Why is Groupon losing its shine for me?

August 10th, 2011 by Ridhima Suri

Or maybe it’s something to do with the businesses that list with Groupon. I wonder.

To be honest, I like deals. I like to save some money but I want value for my money. Value in terms of the service or product I pay for along with reasonable customer service by the business owner.

>>>$$$$<<<???>>>$$$$<<<<!!!!>>>>?????

In a nutshell, I used to buy deals posted on Groupon a lot. The deals were great! Lately I see myself shying from these deals. Here’s why. I feel the businesses are cutting corners in the service they give or products they sell. Here are a few examples.

1. My Capricious beauty salon deal : Their inexperience in the industry reflected in the job they did. The person who did my facial kept talking and talking during the whole time, explaining what was my skin type and what product she was going to use. She put some really strong packs on my face, and voila! that was it. The facial was done. It got over before it started. The worst part was yet to come: I got all red bumps and ugly marks on my face. It took several weeks for my skin to recover from the damage done. It was one of the most horrible experiences I have ever had!

Tags: Groupon review, Technology

Posted in Opinions | 2 Comments »

Cityville: Love it. Hate it.

June 4th, 2011 by Ridhima Suri

I play Cityville. I also play Farmville.

I genuinely enjoy playing Cityville as there is little bit of strategy involved and planning a whole city is fun! It’s great to play with your friends, visit their cities, build colorful cities and go beyond the limits set in the ‘real world’.

I have not tried other Zynga games but that will depend on how long these two games keep me entertained! he he!

There are a few things in Cityville that I don’t particularly like.

1. Got few friends: Goal completion is tough

If you have very few or no friends playing Cityville in your social network, there is a chance that you will never be able to complete goals that involve hiring tens of people. For example, you have to hire 10 people in a Bank and about 6 people in the City Hall.  Also, if you want to expand your city you need 14, 16 or 20 Zoning Permits that you can ask only from your friends. A person with just 2-3 active friends (like me) will take several days to accumulate the large number of permits! How is a person supposed to do all of this without a large number of active Cityville friends?

Tags: cityville, Cityville review, FaceBook and online branding, Facebook and social interactions, facebook game application, facebook games

Posted in Gaming, Technology | 10 Comments »

Dear Saibaba, we will miss you.

April 25th, 2011 by Ridhima Suri

Dear Sri Sathya Sai baba,

When I heard that you had left us for heavenly abode, I felt strong, not weak. I was sad but hopeful. I was happy that you were relieved from the physical adversities you were enduring. I was hopeful because you connected with us mentally and spiritually: through your teachings, values, and programs and I knew for sure that you would guide us in spirit as well.

I sang bhajans with my mother in your praise and always preserved any flower that dropped during the bhajan. It was your rare blessing to us and simply made our day! We both sang together on ever Thursday and never needed a microphone even in front of a very large gathering. It was an electrifying experience.

My mother and father were blessed to be married in Bangalore in your gracious presence. Thank you for consenting to this. Till date, we clean the case in which all the presents you gave them are preserved.

Thank you for giving darshans to my old grandparents who visited Puttaparthi last summer despite very poor health. They wanted to see you so badly and were brave enough to visit you at the age of 82 and 79.

Tags: Saibaba, Sri Sathya Saibaba, Tribute to Saibaba

Posted in Opinions | No Comments »

Kosmix acquired by Wal-Mart : News recap

April 21st, 2011 by Ridhima Suri

April 18,2011.  Wal-Mart acquired Mountain view based social media start-up, Kosmix.

There is no doubt that the retail industry is going through tumultuous changes and there is a need employ smart and complex technologies to change the basic retail model.

It’s about time the retail giant Wal-Mart makes swift strategic changes and the acquisition of Kosmix will definitely reap substantial benefits !

Good call Wal-Mart!

Congratulations to the entire Kosmix team! Wish you lots of success in the future and hope you build many many new technologies to help Wal-Mart grow and evolve.

I have handpicked a list of reports on this acquisition in case you missed this news.

1. Wall Street Journal article
2. New York Times article
3. Motley Fool article
4. Techcrunch article announcing the deal
5. Huffingtonpost article
6. More details on the Rationale behind the deal explained by the Founder Anand Rajaraman

Update May3, 2011

The deal is now officially closed. Bye-bye Kosmix, Hello Wal-mart! Mountain View will miss you..:) Read the Founder’s blog post announcing the closure of the Kosmix Wal-Mart deal

It’s only the beginning of another super wonderful innings full of technological innovation, opportunities, and success!

Tags: Kosmix aquired, Kosmix news, Walmart acquires Kosmix

Posted in Management and Business, Technology, Web 2.0 | No Comments »

Kaash main bharat mein hota: I wish I was in India

April 21st, 2011 by Ridhima Suri

This is an inspirational poem written by guest writer, Swasti Sharma.

The poem hits a chord with all Indians living away from their home country. Swasti dedicates the poem to her husband Vipul Sharma.

VipulSwasti

काश मैं भारत में होता

हर रोज़ मुझे यह लगता है

कि काश मैं भारत में होता

 

माना मैंने पाया है बहुत यहाँ

नाम काम वैभव और धन

लेकिन अंजानो में यारों

ढूंढें से मिले ना अपनापन

 

हर रोज़ मुझे यह लगता है

कि काश मैं भारत में होता

 

ऐसा लगता है कहीं और मैं हूँ

मिटटी की वो खुशबू ही नहीं

कितनी भी कोशिश कर लूं मैं

यह देश अपना लगता ही नहीं

 

जिस घर में माँ का प्यार ना हो

पापा का जिसमें दुलार ना हो

भाई बहनों का साथ ना हो

वो घर तो है बस नाम का है

 

हर रोज़ मुझे यह लगता है

कि काश मैं भारत में होता

 

होठों पे मुस्कान लिए

यादों के झरोखे आते हैं

Tags: H4 Visa Related, Inspirational poem, Life on H4 visa

Posted in H4 Visa Related, Interesting | No Comments »