Saturday, August 18, 2007
India's Independence
I was reading an article about India's Independence. The writer mentioned what a British High Commissioner said back in the 60s about it. He referred to a mutiny by the Indian Royal Navy in 1946. The writer said that many in the audience that time including himself were surprised at the mention because none of them had heard about it. I dont remember reading about it either. The British High Commissioner said that this mutiny rattled the British because they thought it was going to be a repeat of the 1857 mutiny. Their fear also stemmed from the fact that they had trained many Indian soldiers for the World War II. They feared that they will now rise against the British slaughtering them down to the last man. That's the reason they finally left India. I dont know how much water does theory hold.
The Fourth Protocol (16th August)
I am currently reading Frederick Forsyth's "The Fourth Protocol". In the beginning it sounded pretty dull compared to Forsyth's other books - The day of the jackal, Odessa file, The Afghan and the Fist of God. I was seriously thinking of abandoning it. But somehow I hung on and am being amply rewarded for it. I can hardly keep it down now that it has reached its final few pages of climax.
It's printed on the front page of the book that it was made into a movie starring Michael Caine and Pierce Brosnan. Pierce Brosnan!! :-) I have never been a fan of Bond movies but when Brosnan was 007 I watched Bond movies religiously. I think he was a perfect fit for the character of Bond. :-)
So let's see what the final pages have in store for me......:-)
It's printed on the front page of the book that it was made into a movie starring Michael Caine and Pierce Brosnan. Pierce Brosnan!! :-) I have never been a fan of Bond movies but when Brosnan was 007 I watched Bond movies religiously. I think he was a perfect fit for the character of Bond. :-)
So let's see what the final pages have in store for me......:-)
It's my sweetheart's birthday today (15th August)
I got an SMS today morning. The 1st few lines rather had me worried. They went something like this "I know you love her, it's not a secret anymore. She's pretty, she is hot, she is so rich and cultured". What's this all about? I scrolled down and the rest of the message went like this "She turned 60 today! Happy Independence Day!" I plead guilty as charged. :-) Happy Birthday India!!
Inca Gold! (4th August)
I read another Clive Cussler book "Inca Gold" :-) Fascinating!! I was surfing the TV a few weeks back when I stumbled on a movie called "Sahara". I was about to change the channel when I heard the word "NUMA" and I was like "Did he say NUMA?". Sure enough it was a movie version of Cussler's book "Sahara" and the character of Dirk Pitt was played by Matthew McConaughey. The only movie in which I have seen McConaughey so far is "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" :-) so I was a bit taken aback. As I watched I liked him though. Guess it will be Matthew's face that will rise before my eyes when I read all future Dirk adventures. :-)
Ruskin Bond's Green Book (4th August)
Recently I read Ruskin Bond's Green Book. Almost at the beginning there is a lovely poem called "Trees" by Alfred Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robbins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snows has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain;
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
This book is a collection of stories by different authors including Bond himself. In one of the stories, it is mistakenly mentioned that the secred tree of the hindus is Peepal whereas it actually is the Banyan tree. Then there is a very beautiful story about why animals have come to fear mankind. I especially loved the story about tippity - the flyinf squirrel. I have always found Elephant fascinating - and just love the baby elephants running along side their parents :-) Long Live Natgeo and Animal Planet!! This book contains an article that says that when the elephants know that their end is very near they go deep into the forest to the Elephants' Graveyard!
I dont know what kind of animal a ratel is - must search on the net. But one of the stories does mention that this animal is very fond of playing by itself. The writer of the article has mentioned how he came about one playing by itself in the moonlight! I almost envied the writer for this rare experience :-(
Then there is a story of the flute player which reminded me of another book called The secret garden that I had read years back - a very simple innocent world of children which sadly has become the land "where no man has gone before" for today's children.
I am of the generation which knows Maneka Gandhi as the wife of late Sanjay Gandhi and as a lady who raises hell when stray dogs are killed. :-) But she writes and writes well. This book contains a very touching story of a sparrow called "numm numm" :-)
All in all a very delightful book for people who love animals, nature and forests :-) Dont I sound just like a critic?? ;-))
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robbins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snows has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain;
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
This book is a collection of stories by different authors including Bond himself. In one of the stories, it is mistakenly mentioned that the secred tree of the hindus is Peepal whereas it actually is the Banyan tree. Then there is a very beautiful story about why animals have come to fear mankind. I especially loved the story about tippity - the flyinf squirrel. I have always found Elephant fascinating - and just love the baby elephants running along side their parents :-) Long Live Natgeo and Animal Planet!! This book contains an article that says that when the elephants know that their end is very near they go deep into the forest to the Elephants' Graveyard!
I dont know what kind of animal a ratel is - must search on the net. But one of the stories does mention that this animal is very fond of playing by itself. The writer of the article has mentioned how he came about one playing by itself in the moonlight! I almost envied the writer for this rare experience :-(
Then there is a story of the flute player which reminded me of another book called The secret garden that I had read years back - a very simple innocent world of children which sadly has become the land "where no man has gone before" for today's children.
I am of the generation which knows Maneka Gandhi as the wife of late Sanjay Gandhi and as a lady who raises hell when stray dogs are killed. :-) But she writes and writes well. This book contains a very touching story of a sparrow called "numm numm" :-)
All in all a very delightful book for people who love animals, nature and forests :-) Dont I sound just like a critic?? ;-))
Harry again (24th July)
So now about the movie..... I liked it as usual. Especially the part where the tiresome and irritating Dolores Umbridge is swept off her feet :-) by Hagrid's half-brother. Boy! I clapped like hell. Then I was reminded of something else that my colleague had said long time back as an answer to my "I dont read books on wizards". she said "Its magic for grown-ups". She was so right! The books took me to a wonderland I wished and hoped existed. And now the movie turned me into a child again......not ashamed to clap when I like something very much.
Recently I read a story:
An old man is sitting with his grandchild outside his house as the sun is setting. He looks at the sun and says to his grandchild "You know child, there are 2 wolves inside every human being. One good and the other evil and there is a constant struggle between the two of them." The child looks up at his old face and asks "which wolf wins grandpa?" To which the old man replies "The one you feed, child".
I guess Potter movies are doing an excellent job of feeding the good wolves in all of us when they show triumph of good over evil. And again it is not a black-white scenario. Not everything goody-goody. He does harbor doubts that he might be evil in reality. He gets angry and still finds it within him to fight back the evil wolf and let the good one win. All of us can see a little Harry inside us. And that makes him really special I think :-)
Recently I read a story:
An old man is sitting with his grandchild outside his house as the sun is setting. He looks at the sun and says to his grandchild "You know child, there are 2 wolves inside every human being. One good and the other evil and there is a constant struggle between the two of them." The child looks up at his old face and asks "which wolf wins grandpa?" To which the old man replies "The one you feed, child".
I guess Potter movies are doing an excellent job of feeding the good wolves in all of us when they show triumph of good over evil. And again it is not a black-white scenario. Not everything goody-goody. He does harbor doubts that he might be evil in reality. He gets angry and still finds it within him to fight back the evil wolf and let the good one win. All of us can see a little Harry inside us. And that makes him really special I think :-)
Harry potter and other things (24th July)
So I finally watched the latest potter movie. I remember the time when 2 of my colleagues gave me the first 2 books as a birthday gift. My first reaction was "In case you havent noticed I am well past the stage of reading books on wizards and witches". One of them assured me that her father-in-law who also had the exact same opinion has become a confirmed Potter fan. It didnt sound as too much of an assurance for me but I didnt want to sound rude about her pa-in-law so I took the books with me. A weekend was coming up so I put my feet up to the walls, grabbed a basket full of roasted chestnuts and decided to see what this was all about. The rest as they say is history :-))
Long time no see (22nd July)
God!! I cant believe I didnt come here for 3 weeks. But now I have net access at home. So I guess I will come here more often from now on..........
Another story (30th June)
Here’s another one that I read. I believe it originally is from some collection of Russian stories.
This is about a young boy called Dennis. Every evening after coming back from school he keeps his school-bag outside the closed door of his house and plays with a friend who stays close by. This is because his parents both work and little sister is put in a cr̬che. One day he is playing with his friend showing him the new toy car his parents got him a day before. They play with it for a while and then its time for the friend to go home. Dennis is sad as he has to spend the next few moments alone - till his parents come home with his baby sister Рwith only the gathering twilight for company.
His friend waits a little longer to show Dennis what he has in his school-bag. Dennis's eyes sparkle as he looks at the small match-box. Soon his friend goes home. Dennis’s parents and his sister come home to find him sitting on the stairs with the matchbox in his hand. His mother ruffles his hair affectionately and asks him about the new car. Dennis shows her the matchbox and tells her that he traded his new car for it.
His mother is astonished that her son should give away the car he so wanted for the matchbox. She leans forward to see what’s inside. As she catches sight of the small fire-fly in one corner of the matchbox her son explains "Mom, I traded because this one’s alive!"
This is about a young boy called Dennis. Every evening after coming back from school he keeps his school-bag outside the closed door of his house and plays with a friend who stays close by. This is because his parents both work and little sister is put in a cr̬che. One day he is playing with his friend showing him the new toy car his parents got him a day before. They play with it for a while and then its time for the friend to go home. Dennis is sad as he has to spend the next few moments alone - till his parents come home with his baby sister Рwith only the gathering twilight for company.
His friend waits a little longer to show Dennis what he has in his school-bag. Dennis's eyes sparkle as he looks at the small match-box. Soon his friend goes home. Dennis’s parents and his sister come home to find him sitting on the stairs with the matchbox in his hand. His mother ruffles his hair affectionately and asks him about the new car. Dennis shows her the matchbox and tells her that he traded his new car for it.
His mother is astonished that her son should give away the car he so wanted for the matchbox. She leans forward to see what’s inside. As she catches sight of the small fire-fly in one corner of the matchbox her son explains "Mom, I traded because this one’s alive!"
All a matter of attitude (30th June)
Here’s a story I read recently
A man was taking a train to the new village to which he had been transferred. While chatting with an old lady he said “I am not sure what kind of people I will come across in the new place”. The old lady asked him “what were the people like in the village that you left?” “Oh, simply horrible!” said the man. “ “they were very selfish, didn’t want to help anyone and I was glad to get out of there” “I don’t know how you are going to cope in the new village then” said the old lady “because the people there are also like that”.
After a few days the old lady met another young man from the same village on his way to his new place of work. He voiced the same concern and the old lady asked him the same question. The man smiled and said “They were very good people, took very good care of me and were always ready to help” “Then you should not have any reason to worry, the new village has pretty much same kind of people” said the old lady.
Was the old lady speaking the truth or lying to the young men?
She was speaking based on her study of the men’s attitude towards life and people they met.
A man was taking a train to the new village to which he had been transferred. While chatting with an old lady he said “I am not sure what kind of people I will come across in the new place”. The old lady asked him “what were the people like in the village that you left?” “Oh, simply horrible!” said the man. “ “they were very selfish, didn’t want to help anyone and I was glad to get out of there” “I don’t know how you are going to cope in the new village then” said the old lady “because the people there are also like that”.
After a few days the old lady met another young man from the same village on his way to his new place of work. He voiced the same concern and the old lady asked him the same question. The man smiled and said “They were very good people, took very good care of me and were always ready to help” “Then you should not have any reason to worry, the new village has pretty much same kind of people” said the old lady.
Was the old lady speaking the truth or lying to the young men?
She was speaking based on her study of the men’s attitude towards life and people they met.
Bhutanese food, anyone? (27th June)
Recently as I was surfing the TV channels I came across a program about food from Bhutan. I don’t know what dishes make up a lunch/dinner table in a Bhutanese house so I watched it.
I could not believe that when about 5 dishes were cooked ¡V each had just 4 ingredients. As far as spice was concerned there were only pieces of big red chili and salt. For an Indian like me who cannot do without my mandatory quota of garam masala, mustard, turmeric and chili powder this was like a culture shock :-) What? Not even a pinch of pepper? I exclaimed incredulously.
And 2 of the dishes had cheese in it as one of the ingredients! I cursed my luck for not being born into a Bhutanese family where I could consume cheese as part of my daily staple food :-) Some people have all the luck!
The food must have tasted nice too because the person anchoring the show sat down to consume it at the end. I watched him closely as he put a spoonful in the mouth. I have seen many cookery shows where the anchor-person on tasting food makes vague sounds like “oh, interesting”,”ok¨, ‘hmmm’- trying desperately to keep a happy face. But in this case, there was genuine delight J along with the comment “these chilies are rather hot”!
I could not believe that when about 5 dishes were cooked ¡V each had just 4 ingredients. As far as spice was concerned there were only pieces of big red chili and salt. For an Indian like me who cannot do without my mandatory quota of garam masala, mustard, turmeric and chili powder this was like a culture shock :-) What? Not even a pinch of pepper? I exclaimed incredulously.
And 2 of the dishes had cheese in it as one of the ingredients! I cursed my luck for not being born into a Bhutanese family where I could consume cheese as part of my daily staple food :-) Some people have all the luck!
The food must have tasted nice too because the person anchoring the show sat down to consume it at the end. I watched him closely as he put a spoonful in the mouth. I have seen many cookery shows where the anchor-person on tasting food makes vague sounds like “oh, interesting”,”ok¨, ‘hmmm’- trying desperately to keep a happy face. But in this case, there was genuine delight J along with the comment “these chilies are rather hot”!
Good poem off a blog (25th June)
life is interesting,
interesting enough to keep you hooked
life is fast,
fast enough to miss it completely
life is alive,
alive enough to make its presence felt
life is postitive,
positive enough to give you hope
life is real,
real enough to take it seriously
life is naughty,
naughty enough to play pranks
life is smart,
smart enough to oversmart you
life is precious,
precious enough to value it
life is cute,
cute enough to caress it
life is mysterious,
mysterious enough to explore it
life is Life,
Life enough to live for it
(From http://www.akshaysurve.com/blog/2006/07/)
interesting enough to keep you hooked
life is fast,
fast enough to miss it completely
life is alive,
alive enough to make its presence felt
life is postitive,
positive enough to give you hope
life is real,
real enough to take it seriously
life is naughty,
naughty enough to play pranks
life is smart,
smart enough to oversmart you
life is precious,
precious enough to value it
life is cute,
cute enough to caress it
life is mysterious,
mysterious enough to explore it
life is Life,
Life enough to live for it
(From http://www.akshaysurve.com/blog/2006/07/)
Good one (25th June)
A hotel was having problems with people stealing towels. Instead of putting up a sign saying, "Please don't take the towels." They made up a cute sign saying, "We are a little family hanging here for your use. Please don't take any of us out of this room, as we are very attached to each other. We do, however, have some cousins down in the gift shop that love to travel. They would be happy to go home with you!" They said the number of towels being stolen virtually stopped and they had numerous customers asking if they could take a copy of the sign home with them!
Sea-shore again (25th June)
I had been to the sea-shore again last evening. I watched as the last rays of the setting sun disappeared off the water and stars made their appearance in the skies. The sea was neither rough nor calm – but it appeared like a playful child as its waves lapped the sea shore, breaking into a pearly white froth with a crisp sound as they touched the still warm sand.
And I stood there thinking about the Carpathia, Mary Celeste and thousands like her who met their watery graves in the seas and oceans all around the world –sometimes along with their passengers and crew. Death’s never a pleasant affair – even if you believe in re-incarnations. I remember falling into the river while attempting rafting for the 1st and possibly last time somewhere in Pennsylvania. And I didn’t like it one bit. Died a thousand deaths before friends pulled me back to the safety of the boat. The oceans all over the world must have witnessed so much of pain and suffering.
Its difficult to express exactly what I felt as I stood there watching the waves – a mixture of awe, sadness and grief. A story read somewhere came to mind – a story of 7 waves who were sisters. They always wanted to visit the shores but their parents being parents didn’t want to let them out of sight. Finally, a solution was found. The 7th sister to visit the shore will go back to meet the parents living at the bottom of the sea. From that time onwards, it’s said that the 7th wave to hit the shores will carry anything thrown in it to the bottom of the sea.
I thought of the small collection of beautiful shells that I have back at home. I decided that next time I come to the shore I will get one of them and throw it in the 7th wave -my way of paying homage to all those resting there forever.
And I stood there thinking about the Carpathia, Mary Celeste and thousands like her who met their watery graves in the seas and oceans all around the world –sometimes along with their passengers and crew. Death’s never a pleasant affair – even if you believe in re-incarnations. I remember falling into the river while attempting rafting for the 1st and possibly last time somewhere in Pennsylvania. And I didn’t like it one bit. Died a thousand deaths before friends pulled me back to the safety of the boat. The oceans all over the world must have witnessed so much of pain and suffering.
Its difficult to express exactly what I felt as I stood there watching the waves – a mixture of awe, sadness and grief. A story read somewhere came to mind – a story of 7 waves who were sisters. They always wanted to visit the shores but their parents being parents didn’t want to let them out of sight. Finally, a solution was found. The 7th sister to visit the shore will go back to meet the parents living at the bottom of the sea. From that time onwards, it’s said that the 7th wave to hit the shores will carry anything thrown in it to the bottom of the sea.
I thought of the small collection of beautiful shells that I have back at home. I decided that next time I come to the shore I will get one of them and throw it in the 7th wave -my way of paying homage to all those resting there forever.
How much Electronics can a house have? (12th June)
I am not much of an electronics person. It was only recently that I got fed up of people taking potshots at my age-old Ericsson phone and decided to go for a new one. This time I honoured Nokia with my business and this new baby has a camera which takes beautiful pictures.
Apart from the mandatory laptop I dont think I can boast of owning any gadgets with cutting-edge or what they now call as the bleeding-edge technology. So my jaw nearly touched ground when I read the following:
http://www.siliconvalley.com/deantakahashi/ci_6112502
I guess the only thing that is lacking is the transporter room - like in Star Trek!
Apart from the mandatory laptop I dont think I can boast of owning any gadgets with cutting-edge or what they now call as the bleeding-edge technology. So my jaw nearly touched ground when I read the following:
http://www.siliconvalley.com/deantakahashi/ci_6112502
I guess the only thing that is lacking is the transporter room - like in Star Trek!
Another book (12th June)
There is another book that I am reading besides Sea Hunters. Actually both these books are arranged chapter-wise where each chapter doesn’t have much to do with either its successor or predecessor, so I can read them in parallel. The other day one of my friends spotted me with this second book and nearly fell off his chair laughing. "What on earth are you reading Dickie Bird’s autobiography for?" he managed to ask between hysterical bouts of laughter. "Are any special intellectual capabilities needed for reading this book? Of course you wont know of them anyways" I shot back with as much sarcasm as I could muster in my injured tone. But by now he has become immune to it so he calmly answered "A basic working knowledge of cricket must be the pre-requisite".
Now it is true that I only understand the sport in its broadest terms – when the batsman is run out, when he is stumped, when he is caught, when a six is hit and when it’s a four. Despite trying hard I have never been able to understand an LBW. I don’t understand a Yorker or a swing. And I have never bothered to find out where exactly is the silly point. So in the cricket parlance I score a duck when it comes to the technicalities of the game.
However I don’t see this as a handicap when I read the auto-biography. Sure, there are pages where such a knowledge is needed to figure out what Mr. Bird is saying but despite skipping such pages I am enjoying this book because it tells me a lot about what it takes to work as an umpire. I mean we all see these 2 people signaling in weird gestures – curse them when they don’t signal a four or a sixer when our favorite team is batting or signal an out when our favorite team is fielding. But they had to pay attention to a lot of things – especially in those days when there was no 3rd umpire. The laws of the game seem complex as well. And the spectators have become more aggressive over the years. Mr. Bird says rightly that the umpires and the groundsmen who prepare the pitch don’t have an enviable job! I guess the next time I watch a game I am going to be more sympathetic towards the umpires.
Finally, it’s interesting to read about the players and their personalities. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes this sport about which George Bernard Shaw said
"The English are not very spiritual people, so they invented cricket to give them some idea of eternity."
Now it is true that I only understand the sport in its broadest terms – when the batsman is run out, when he is stumped, when he is caught, when a six is hit and when it’s a four. Despite trying hard I have never been able to understand an LBW. I don’t understand a Yorker or a swing. And I have never bothered to find out where exactly is the silly point. So in the cricket parlance I score a duck when it comes to the technicalities of the game.
However I don’t see this as a handicap when I read the auto-biography. Sure, there are pages where such a knowledge is needed to figure out what Mr. Bird is saying but despite skipping such pages I am enjoying this book because it tells me a lot about what it takes to work as an umpire. I mean we all see these 2 people signaling in weird gestures – curse them when they don’t signal a four or a sixer when our favorite team is batting or signal an out when our favorite team is fielding. But they had to pay attention to a lot of things – especially in those days when there was no 3rd umpire. The laws of the game seem complex as well. And the spectators have become more aggressive over the years. Mr. Bird says rightly that the umpires and the groundsmen who prepare the pitch don’t have an enviable job! I guess the next time I watch a game I am going to be more sympathetic towards the umpires.
Finally, it’s interesting to read about the players and their personalities. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes this sport about which George Bernard Shaw said
"The English are not very spiritual people, so they invented cricket to give them some idea of eternity."
Sea Hunters II and NUMA (9th June)
The book that has got me hooked on completely at present is Sea Hunters II. Now you might be saying isn't it rather like watching the sequel first?¡¦. I admit that it is so but I was suffering from an overdose of Agatha Christie mysteries (though I am really fond of them) so I was hunting for some other kind of thrilling books. From the name I thought this must be about some long lost treasure at the bottom of the sea but it turned out to be about the hunt for sunken boats. And this is real - not fiction.
That brings us to NUMA - The National Underwater and Marine Agency that was founded in 1979. Dr Clive Cussler who is the chairman of NUMA is one of the authors of this book. NUMA undertakes missions for discovery and then preservation of ships of historical importance to the USA. This book talks about the hunt for the ghost ship Mary Celeste and RMS Carpathia (which picked up survivors from Titanic) among others.
Time for another confession :-) much of this is 'uncharted waters' for me. I still can't remember whether starboard side is the right side or Portside is the right side. I haven't seen an anchor except for in movies (most probably Titanic). And I won't be able to tell a magnetometer from an odometer if you keep both instruments side by side :-) But it is intriguing to read as for each ship( or steamboat or whatever it is that floats on water) the book first talks about how it sank and then about how its discovery was attempted.
Needless to say, once I am done with the sequel I am going back to the book that started it all :-)
That brings us to NUMA - The National Underwater and Marine Agency that was founded in 1979. Dr Clive Cussler who is the chairman of NUMA is one of the authors of this book. NUMA undertakes missions for discovery and then preservation of ships of historical importance to the USA. This book talks about the hunt for the ghost ship Mary Celeste and RMS Carpathia (which picked up survivors from Titanic) among others.
Time for another confession :-) much of this is 'uncharted waters' for me. I still can't remember whether starboard side is the right side or Portside is the right side. I haven't seen an anchor except for in movies (most probably Titanic). And I won't be able to tell a magnetometer from an odometer if you keep both instruments side by side :-) But it is intriguing to read as for each ship( or steamboat or whatever it is that floats on water) the book first talks about how it sank and then about how its discovery was attempted.
Needless to say, once I am done with the sequel I am going back to the book that started it all :-)
I am hopelessly addicted…… (6th June)
to Discovery Travel and Living channel. It has shows on 2 of my favorite things – travel and food! I have been a fan of their “Globe Trekker” program and I love “Passport to Europe with Samantha Brown”.
As far as food goes, I watch almost everything that they “dish out” – Floyd’s India, Oliver’s Twist, Anthony Bourdain, Planet Food. I guess the only show that I don’t like watching is Hell’s Kitchen. I feel sorry for all the participants who are trying their best and I cannot tolerate the chef yelling at them :-(
Another of my favorite cooking show is Kylie Kwong: Simply Magic. Kylie makes cooking seem so simple. And everything is “Gorgeous” and “beautiful” for her – even a freshly cut piece of spring onion! She almost makes you get off the couch, venture into kitchen and whip out something delicious…..just “almost” :-)
Internet cafe (6th June)
Read this: "Last week, a Shanghai court ordered operators of an Internet cafe to pay $11,200 to the family of a 15-year-old boy who collapsed and died after playing online games for two straight days, the newspaper China Youth Daily reported. Internet cafes are supposed to limit the number of hours that minors are online."
My reaction: What were the kid's parents doing? Was there no one else who wondered why this kid hasnt come home?
My reaction: What were the kid's parents doing? Was there no one else who wondered why this kid hasnt come home?
something I wish I had when I was in school..... (31st May)
And here's something I wish I had when I was in school.....
http://www.siliconvalley.com/deantakahashi/ci_6018503
A smart pen.....it can tie up what your professor is saying with your handwritten notes and you can even upload the notes on your laptop. What a blessing!
I remember my days in the B School when I used to struggle through after-lunch lectures - fighting off drowsiness, figuring out what the prof is saying and taking notes at the same time! But I could only do one thing at a time. So I would either doze off with my eyes open or make notes of 2-3 sentences as the professor raced off. My notes would invariably end up with a lot of doodling.
I am painfully reminded of the class on M&A. The prof taught well but I missed out on a lot because it was a post-lunch session always :-( I wish I had this Smart Pen then...........
http://www.siliconvalley.com/deantakahashi/ci_6018503
A smart pen.....it can tie up what your professor is saying with your handwritten notes and you can even upload the notes on your laptop. What a blessing!
I remember my days in the B School when I used to struggle through after-lunch lectures - fighting off drowsiness, figuring out what the prof is saying and taking notes at the same time! But I could only do one thing at a time. So I would either doze off with my eyes open or make notes of 2-3 sentences as the professor raced off. My notes would invariably end up with a lot of doodling.
I am painfully reminded of the class on M&A. The prof taught well but I missed out on a lot because it was a post-lunch session always :-( I wish I had this Smart Pen then...........
Lines from a Beatles song (31st May)
Today I was reading about the joint appearance of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs at a Digital Conference. (http://www.siliconvalley.com/news/ci_6025485)
There was a reference to some lines from a Beatles song:
"You and I have memories that are longer than the road that stretches out ahead." Pretty haunting, arent they?
I wonder if I can find the lyrics of this entire song.
There was a reference to some lines from a Beatles song:
"You and I have memories that are longer than the road that stretches out ahead." Pretty haunting, arent they?
I wonder if I can find the lyrics of this entire song.
A child amongst you is taking notes!! (22nd May)
I had been to the sea-shore the other evening. A crowd of people had gathered near one of the buildings. Soon a fire engine rushed over. I was puzzled – couldn’t see any smoke. There can be smoke without fire. Can there be fire without smoke? But it seems there was neither fire nor smoke. A bird had got itself entangled in a tree branch and someone had informed the fire brigade. After struggling for 10 minutes or so the bird was set free. As it soared back into the evening sky a bunch of kids keenly observing the whole process clapped with gusto. I wanted to clap too – but I didn’t.
Scene 2 – I am struggling over the menu at the coffee shop – don’t they have anything without cream or ice-cream? A tiny kid walks in with his mother in tow – a boy. As he passes me he looks at me – his chubby finger lightly tapping the surface of the table as he moves past. When I zero in on what I think is the lowest calorie drink on the menu I look up and see the kid sitting with his mother at the far end of the café. His mother is busy scanning the menu and I see him watching everyone in the café with frank curiosity. He looks at the couple sitting by the window. He looks at the group of college girls who are busy paying each other off after settling the bill. He looks at the executive who is typing busily into his laptop. And I wonder if I looked at anyone of them as I walked into the café. Of course I threw the occupants a cursory glance to gauge if there was a vacant seat but beyond that it is always – oh, how can you stare at people like that? But the kid has that luxury.
Food arrives for him and for me. I am careful as I swirl the liquid with the spoon, he is happy making as much noise as possible by banging spoon against the saucer. I am careful to wipe my lips as I tuck into the sandwich. His mouth is splattered with bits of chocolate cake. I say to myself this sandwich is heavenly, he shows his appreciation for the food by lip-smacking.
I suddenly keep my spoon down – I feel so jealous that I know it’s absurd! :-)) I envy the kid for the luxury to let himself go – a luxury I can no longer afford. I suddenly look back at all the birthdays gone with sadness. Have I lost the opportunity forever?
And then the Eureka moment strikes. I remember the scene at the sea-shore building. I haven’t lost the opportunity yet – I say to myself – no one ever does. I have simply stopped noticing when the appropriate opportunity presents itself!!
I am not going to let it slip by unnoticed next time – I decide and then an odd quote from Bible comes to my mind “A child amongst you is taking notes”. It doesn’t hurt to take notes from a child sometimes, does it?
Scene 2 – I am struggling over the menu at the coffee shop – don’t they have anything without cream or ice-cream? A tiny kid walks in with his mother in tow – a boy. As he passes me he looks at me – his chubby finger lightly tapping the surface of the table as he moves past. When I zero in on what I think is the lowest calorie drink on the menu I look up and see the kid sitting with his mother at the far end of the café. His mother is busy scanning the menu and I see him watching everyone in the café with frank curiosity. He looks at the couple sitting by the window. He looks at the group of college girls who are busy paying each other off after settling the bill. He looks at the executive who is typing busily into his laptop. And I wonder if I looked at anyone of them as I walked into the café. Of course I threw the occupants a cursory glance to gauge if there was a vacant seat but beyond that it is always – oh, how can you stare at people like that? But the kid has that luxury.
Food arrives for him and for me. I am careful as I swirl the liquid with the spoon, he is happy making as much noise as possible by banging spoon against the saucer. I am careful to wipe my lips as I tuck into the sandwich. His mouth is splattered with bits of chocolate cake. I say to myself this sandwich is heavenly, he shows his appreciation for the food by lip-smacking.
I suddenly keep my spoon down – I feel so jealous that I know it’s absurd! :-)) I envy the kid for the luxury to let himself go – a luxury I can no longer afford. I suddenly look back at all the birthdays gone with sadness. Have I lost the opportunity forever?
And then the Eureka moment strikes. I remember the scene at the sea-shore building. I haven’t lost the opportunity yet – I say to myself – no one ever does. I have simply stopped noticing when the appropriate opportunity presents itself!!
I am not going to let it slip by unnoticed next time – I decide and then an odd quote from Bible comes to my mind “A child amongst you is taking notes”. It doesn’t hurt to take notes from a child sometimes, does it?
Do you know what "AFAIK" is?
I didnt and that gave a friend a chance to laugh at my expense yesterday :-) I had asked him for some information and he bagan his email with the word 'AFAIK". When I replied back I wrote 'What is AFAIK? As far as I know, its neither an English word nor Hindi. Is it some slang in an Indian language that I dont know?'. Promptly I got an email back with a lot of smileys which said 'AFAIK means As Far As I know" :-))) I almost died with shame!!
A story about a mother
The net is an amazing place! After updating the tags I was just testing whether this journal can be found if I search for my name. I came across an entry that I had made in 2000 on some user group. I read that entry and it was about a story from bible. I had forgotten that story but I liked it so much when I read it again that I cant help posting it here.
"The day Moses' mother died, he went to the mountains to pray as usual. Butbefore he could begin..he heard the voice of the Gods themselves which said "Be verycareful now about what you say or do.Because now that your mother is no more...there is noone who would pray for you, who would ask for my forgiveness for the blunders and sinsthat you have committed and there is no one now who would ask for my blessings for you"!!
Now you know that what I had said in the Word of Caution in my very first post rings so true! I hadnt imagined that my next post will be same as made about 7 years back! :-)
"The day Moses' mother died, he went to the mountains to pray as usual. Butbefore he could begin..he heard the voice of the Gods themselves which said "Be verycareful now about what you say or do.Because now that your mother is no more...there is noone who would pray for you, who would ask for my forgiveness for the blunders and sinsthat you have committed and there is no one now who would ask for my blessings for you"!!
Now you know that what I had said in the Word of Caution in my very first post rings so true! I hadnt imagined that my next post will be same as made about 7 years back! :-)
About this blog....
I was writing previously on livejournal but I found that it was difficult for friends to leave comments on the posts so I decided to start here instead.
I am going to copy over those posts over here so as to get everything in one place...
I am going to copy over those posts over here so as to get everything in one place...
Beginning of a beginning or Beginning of an end?
As Agatha Christie's Miss Marple says "I express myself so badly" :-) What I mean by the subject line is now that I have created this journal the question is will I keep writing in it or will this be the one and only entry?
For those unfortunate souls who are destined to stumble across this world of mine.........a word of caution - I dont have any specific agenda for these journal pages. One day it could be a tasty recipe that I have come across, next day it could be a funny sign that I see on road, the next day could be about a program that I saw on Discovery/Nat Geo/History.............so you see.....this is going to be a very un-organized journal.
But if you are one of those who can tolerate it or who think they can tolerate it, you are welcome! :-))
For those unfortunate souls who are destined to stumble across this world of mine.........a word of caution - I dont have any specific agenda for these journal pages. One day it could be a tasty recipe that I have come across, next day it could be a funny sign that I see on road, the next day could be about a program that I saw on Discovery/Nat Geo/History.............so you see.....this is going to be a very un-organized journal.
But if you are one of those who can tolerate it or who think they can tolerate it, you are welcome! :-))
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