all things blabbered

Jeffried Rice aka Pineapple Fried Rice

2010-04-22T08:47:00.000-04:00

Photos of the Pineapple fried rice that Siva (Jeff) made last week.

Business Ethics - an Oxymoron?

2010-02-25T08:18:00.005-05:00

I brought a HP dv2000 series laptop a couple of years back and until recently it was working fine. But these days, it takes several attempts to boot the system. Even if it boots up successfully, the built-in wireless card doesn't work and after a couple of minutes the screen freezes displaying a weird distorted pattern of lines and grains.

A bit of googling revealed that there are many other folks with the same problem. The problem lies in the motherboard and over-heating of the NVidia graphics adaptor. HP has acknowledged this issue and has offered a HP Limited Warranty extension that expires after 24 months from the original purchase date. I came to know about this only after I started googling the issue. My laptop model and serial number qualifies for this limited warranty extension, but HP never communicated this to me even though they have my email address.

Unfortunately my laptop started giving trouble only recently and I'm well past the 24 month period. A call to HP was of no help. I tried to explain them that they had sold me a faulty product and that they are obliged to replace the motherboard for free. But they said that I do not qualify for the free service because I had purchased my laptop in Aug 2007 and hence was not within the 24 month period. Still I insisted that the laptop was OK during those 24 months and only recently it started giving me trouble. They failed to understand and accept my reasoning and said that they could service the laptop for ~$250. I understand that these days the life of laptops ismuch shorter, but still being asked to pay $250 for repairing a faulty product that was sold begs a dose of common sense.

I'm not surprised anymore by these tactics. One of the main reasons for the economic downturn and the recent financial turmoil was that business was being conducted with absolutely no ethics.

Mahakavi Bharathi once said:
"தனி ஒருவனுக்கு உணவில்லையெனில் ஜகத்தினை அழித்திடுவோம்"
(Even if a single man is to starve, let's destroy the world)

May sound like the words of a communist. But these companies should apply the same concept to their customers. Even if a single customer is genuinely unhappy or dissatisfied, money earned like this is as bad as money stolen.

1 Apology Down....1000's More to go

2010-02-23T13:34:00.006-05:00

The wise men at the Cuddalore municipality have dug up the excellent roads the highway department laid just a year ago to lay down the underground sewage pipes. Now there is no road at all. The motor vehicles puff up a big cloud of pure dust everytime they use the non-existent road. A couple of weeks back, one evening I was walking along the road and one of those asthma-inducing, lung ailment friendly clound of dust was slowly dis-integrating, one of my high-school teachers, Mr. Anbazhagan appeared on the other side. Though he recognized me, he couldn't recollect my name.

As I approached him, I automatically folded my hands across my chest as any elementary school student would do when he sees his teacher. Mr. Anbazhagan, was very strict and taught Botany for us. He later left the school and is now a lecturer in a college.

After exchanging greetings, we chatted a little about the school days. He kept pulling my hand down, but every time he did so, my hands automatically went back to the default folded position. He said that one of the best things that can happen to a teacher is seeing an old student who still has some respect for the teacher. As he mentioned that I asked him if he was in touch with Mr. Palani, my Math teacher. He replied in the affirmative saying that they both worked at the same college now. Hearing that, I asked him to convey my apologies to Mr. Palani for I was a menace in his class. Mr. Anbazhagan said that it was OK and that it was common for students at that age to be mischievous. But I reiterated that I owed him an apology for all the trouble that I caused during his classes. If not for Mr. Palani's help and guidance, I wouldn't have scored the 80% (not great in Indian standards) that I did in my +2 exams.

I was thinking of apologizing to him ever since I joined BE in Annamalai, but never got to meet him. Atleast now, even though it is not a personally conveyed apology, I atleast did so through Mr. Anbazhagan, another teacher.

Mr. Palani - please accept my sincere apologies.

Now that my mind weighs lesser by one apology, I feel a bit better. Still owe 1000's more.

Indo-American Culinary Trials

2009-11-27T11:49:00.009-05:00

Over the past few months, Jeff aka Sakthishwara Sivam (சக்தீஸ்வர சிவம்) and I have been trying a few Indian, Italian and American dishes. Here is a photo journey of our culinary trials.
(Potato Curry Pizza, Pesarattu, Veggie Pizza, Poori, Kurma, Channa Masala)

Review: Smile Pinki

2009-07-14T09:06:00.002-04:00

This past weekend I saw the Oscar winning short film 'Smile Pinki'. It is a short-film about how a team of doctors and social workers in Varanasi find and operate on kids who have a cleft lip. It was one of the those films that brings a smile at the end. The film is about two kids Ghuturu and Pinki. The film documents the pain, and in some cases the humiliation the parents and the kids have to go through because of the cleft lip.

Luckily for them they come across this social worker who says that they can have their kids cleft lip fixed for free if they come to Banaras. Ghuturu's mom borrows Rs. 500 and takes her son to Banaras while Pinki and her dad cover most of the distance on foot. Once they reach the hospital, they see hundreds of parents with their kids. The rest of the documentary shows how the hospital treats the kids and their road back to 'normal' life.

The doctor estimates that there are at least a million kids in India with a cleft lip.

The documentary is well made. It clearly shows that the director has taken efforts to gain the confidence of the parents. It looks so natural and at the end makes one feel happy for those kids. The background music is typically 'Indian' and sounds great. It is in Hindi with English subtitles.

A commendable effort and I'm sure Pinki's smile would have made the director more happy than the Oscar.

If you would like to donate to SmileTrain, you can do so here.

Lift

2009-07-12T09:40:00.002-04:00

This weekend when I was driving in Mansfield, a frail old man asked for a 'lift'. In other words, he wanted a ride. I did not stop my car. The old man was well dressed and didn't look like one of those weird looking hitchhikers. Though Kavitha and I wanted to stop the car and give the old man a ride, we just didn't. I wasn't sure if it was legal. I hoped that a cop may drive by and offer the old man a drive. I felt bad later.

In India when I used to go to school from Madhavaram to Perambur, my friends and I used to thumb people in bi-cycles to get a ride from Moolakadai to Sembiam. We used to sit in the cycles' 'carrier'. That saved us at least 50 paise a day and with that we brought ourselves a samosa during the morning break. This used to be a routine. In the evenings, the company buses of SRF (Sri Ram Fibres) will stop and pick up students at Moolakadai and drop us off at Madhavaram. It used to be fun.Now I had a chance to offer someone a ride and I just couldn't and I didn't.

திருப்பல்லாண்டு

2009-07-10T10:32:00.006-04:00

பல்லாண்டு பல்லாண்டு பல்லாயிரத்தாண்டு
பலகோடி நூறாயிரம்
மல்லாண்ட திண்தோள் மணிவண்ணா உன்
சேவடி செவ்விதிருக்க் காப்பு

What it means:
Oh! ManivaNNa! One who has strong shoulders that killed the wrestlers
(chaaNooran, mushtikan, keechakaa, Kamsaa, et al in Krishna Avtaar)! May
Your Lotus Feet be protected for very many years! Many thousands of years!
Many crores of (millions of), hundreds of thousand years!

Mahabharat

2009-05-28T13:18:00.002-04:00

I have become a fan of Ramesh Menons' writing and I recently brought a few books written by him - Ramayana, Siva Purana and Bhagvata Purana. Currently I'm reading the second volume of The Mahabharata. There is only one character that seems to be more just than others. He is Karna.

The Kauravas:

Right from the day of the birth the Kauravas are portrayed in negative light. From the bad omens on the day of their birth to the enmity they develop with the Pandavas, you never get a good impression about the Kauravas. Perhaps, the one place where one might like Duryodhana is when he makes Karna the king of Anga. But we all know the motive behind it.

The Pandavas:

The Pandavas too have their own share of wrong-doings. killing of the Nishada women and her five sons in the Lac palace to deceive Duryodhana is unjustified. Also the insults that Arjuna throws at Karna during his one-on-one archery challenge with Karna made me feel for Karna.

Karna:

So far the impression that I got about Karna was that he happens to be the most unfortunate character. The curse from Sage Parasurama was very harsh. So were the curses from the brahmana with the cow and BhoomaDevi. As Lord Krishna says Arjuna, Karna was killed atleast 6 times before he eventually dies at the hands of Arjuna.

The irony is that Karna should have been the actual king because he is the eldest son of Kunti devi. But fate can be cruel and he is the most unfortunate person in the whole story.

Krishna:
As I continue to read the book, I get a feeling that Lord Krishna sometimes was not just in his ways in dealing with the Kauravas. To me, Gandhis' concept of non-violence is much better than the means the Lord Krishna adopted.

So many questions keep popping. Why did Bheeshma, Dronacharya, Karna and a few other good people side with Duryodhana knowing that they would be fighting on the 'evil' side. But some guy in youtube gave a simple explanation. He says that the moral is that adharma (evil), no matter how well it is protected by the good (Bheeshma, Drona and Karna) will still be defeated and Truth will prevail at any cost (Krishnas' unjust means to defeat the Kauravas).

Omissions:
My friend Siva made an interesting observation. Nowhere in this book (or in other Mahabharata books) there is any mention of Radha. Not sure why.

An Act of Kindness

2008-10-17T08:39:00.019-04:00

When I was about 9 years old I was down with Jaundice. The allopathic treatment did not work and after taking me to a number of doctors, my Dad finally took me to Sheeba Nursing Home, which someone had recommended. When we went there the first time, we were told that it would only take 3 visits for them to cure the disease. (I still remember the tonic that they gave tasted awful). By our third visit, I felt a lot better and the third visit was more like a formality.

As we left the nursing home for the final time, my dad brought me some tender coconut water from an old man who was selling them on a small wooden cart right outside the hospital gate. Without realizing that he may not have enough money to pay for the bus tickets, my dad brought me one இளநீர். After paying the old man (thatha), he realized we did not have enough money to go home. We still needed Rs. 1.50 for the bus tickets. The hospital was too far away from our home that it would have cost a fortune for us to take the auto-rickshaw.

Seeing that we were in some kind of trouble, the thatha inquired about the problem and once my dad explained him the situation, without any hesitation, he loaned my Dad Rs. 2. My Dad did not accept the money from the thatha. But he insisted that we take the money. He said that we could return him the money when we return the next time. My Dad once again refused saying that this was our last visit and we would not return. The thatha said not worry about it and asked my father to take the money.

My dad had paid the thatha Rs. 1.50 for the tender coconut water. And now the thatha was giving us back Rs. 2.

My Dad finally accepted the money from the thatha. The thatha told my Dad that I was like his grandson and that he would think that he he gave money to his grandson.

This happened sometime in 1987-88. At that time Rs. 2, I'm sure, was a big amount for a thatha who sells tender coconut water in a wooden cart. The thatha wasn't even wearing a shirt. Just a dhoti. For him to part with such a big amount, knowing that he won't be getting it back, was a big act of kindness.

செய்யாமல் செய்த உதவிக்கு வையகமும்
வானகமும் ஆற்றல் அரிது
Voluntary help from unforeseen quarters is,
in quantum, worth heaven and earth

He was so happy to help us. He was a great man. I wish I could meet that thatha now.

Book Review: The Ramayana

2008-10-12T15:21:00.007-04:00

As the author Ramesh Menon puts it, this is a modern rendering of the great Indian epic. Before I read this book I knew what Ramayana was about thanks to the Sagar brothers work on Doordarshan. But I wanted to know the little known details and this book is full of it. The author has used a very simple language to re-tell Valmiki Ramayana. The book covers Uthara Kanda and it also has a number of extra stories like that of the the story of the great sage, Viswamitra. Though, written in prose form, the author has taken every effort to keep the poetic beauty of the original. Elegantly written, this book is a must in your personal library. I'm looking forward to read the authors' other works.

Thiruvaheendirapuram

2008-10-12T14:39:00.004-04:00

Thiruvaheendirapuram or Thiruvandipuram, is a small temple town outside Cuddalore, my adopted hometown. The main deity of the temple is Lord Devenathar, who is said to be the elder brother of Lord Venkateswara of Tirupathi. The general belief is that if a person is unable to visit Tirupathi, he/ she could visit Thiruvandhipuram instead and that the elder brother would take care of the issues.

There is also a small hillock opposite to the temple. On the top of the hillock is another small temple for Lord Hayagriva (A god with a human body and a horse face). Legend has it that when Hanuman carried the Sanjivani mountain, a small rock fell and that small rock is the hillock in Thiruvandipuram. The hillock is called as the Oushadagiri. Another rock that fell elsewhere in Tamilnadu is called as Marudamalai (Marunthu Malai), which is just ouside Coimbatore.

Thiruvandipuram is one of the 95 Vaishnava sthalams in Tamilnadu. There are 11 more outside Tamilnadu and 1 each in ThiruParamaPaadham and ThiruPaarKadal.

The City of the Cosmic Dance

2008-10-12T14:28:00.008-04:00

I can never stop thinking about the time I spent in Chidambaram. One of my Physics professors told me once that the readings from our Gravitational study experiment would be close to perfect as some imaginary line passes through Chidambaram/ Annamalai Nagar. (I don't remember the name of the line). According to Hinduism Today, "In 1983 a team of geophysicists mapping the Earth's gravity field told devotees that the town had the highest reading they had so far encountered anywhere on the earth. Objects here are heavier than anywhere else. "

Recently I did some research about the history of Chidambaram. Here are some interesting facts:

Out of the five universal elements, the Lord lives here in the form of the Sky or empty space. Legend has it that Chidambaram was believed to be the axis mundi of the earth. it is said that no other place could sustain the energy of the Lords' cosmic dance. Hence Lord Nataraja chose Tillai as the place for his cosmic dance. (A statue of Lord Nataraja sits in the CERN campus)

In those days, the word 'koyil' simply referred to Chidambaram, which is the holiest place of worship for all Saivaites, though it is one of the few places of worship for both Saivaites and Vaishnavaites. Great tamil poets like Thirunavukarasar, Thirugnanasambandar, Manickavasagar and Sundaramoorthy Nayanar composed most of their famous works in Chidambaram. Their works, which were composed on palm leaves, were lost somewhere in the huge Chidambaram temple and eventually discovered to be buried under an ant hill by the great Nambiandar Nambi. There are so many interesting facts about the Chidambaram temple. Kindly check the links.

Whenever my friends and I used to go to the temple, we always visit the small shrine next to the the Chitrakootam, the shrine dedicated to Thillai Govindarajan. There the different prasadams like puliyodarai, ven pongal, sakkarai pongal and curd rice are served on lotus leaves.

Chidambaram is also home to the great Annamalai University. One of my Maths professors in Annamalai University, Dr. Vairamanickam, told us an interesting story about Annamalai University. This is how it goes:

One night, Lord Siva came in Rajah Annamalai Chettiars dream and asked him to build an educational institution for the poor and the downtrodden. The Rajah, gave the dream some very serious thought and started looking for a place to build a university. He was very particular about building the university in a place that was a famous place of worship of Lord Shiva. He decided on two places - Chidambaram and Thiruvannamalai. For some reason, he couldn't get the land required to build the university in Thiruvannamalai. He then decided to go to Chidambaram. Chidambaram was a very backward place except for the temple.

He went around Chidambaram and almost all places were dry with thorny shrubs and plants. It didn't look like a suitable place for a university. Dejected, the Rajah decided to return and as he turned around his angavastram got stuck in a thorny plant. This to him was like the Lord Himself asking the Raja to stay back and build the university there. At that time when the Rajah looked up into the heavens, a Krishna Parunthu (Kite) was circling in the sky right above the place where he was standing. Taking it as a good sign, the Rajah decided to build the University in that place, which is today known as Annamalainagar. The small park opposite the Administration Building is where he supposedly stood at that time. A statue of Rajah Annamalai Chettiar stands in that place today.

Thanks to Giovanni Chierico (CERN) for letting me use his photo.

The Bell Pepper Bounty

2008-10-05T19:10:00.007-04:00

We finally 'harvested' the bell peppers from our plants. I cooked a curry with them and it tasted pretty good. The bell peppers were very tender. Most of them were small, probably because we grew them in pots and that might have deprived them of fertilizers. We tried to grow them as 'organic' as possible.

(Click to enlarge)

The Most Dangerous Animal on Planet Earth

2008-10-05T08:11:00.021-04:00

The financial turmoil and terrorism in the name of religion - these are the two major challenges the world is facing today" (America has it's own share of problems like dealing with people like Bush, Palin et al.) Greed, stupidity and hatred against each other - that is what is causing all this.

Recently a Finance Minister from another country said to a reporter, "Even my 6 year old knows that you don't lend money to those who can't pay you back". So why was money lent to people who couldn't pay back. It was a high-risk and high-profit game. As one saying goes, "The greatest risk in life is not taking one." But you can't risk your life (and others lives) to take one.

வேண்டற்க வெஃகிஆம் ஆக்கம் விளைவயின்
மாண்டற் கரிதாம் பயன் (Kural 177)
Shun the gains of covetous wealth; its fruits are bitter to taste.

அரண்அறிந்து வெஃகா அறிவுடையார்ச் சேரும்
திறன்அறிந்து ஆங்கே திரு
The wise do not covet; gain beautifulwealth, on a righteous path.

Greed - that is what caused and is causing this financial disaster.

The other challenge is terrorism. Here is a short story I heard recently.

"A group of doves lived on top of a Hindu temple. One day, the temple management decided to give the gopuram (temple tower) a new coat of paint. They chased the doves away. The doves, looking for a new place to stay, settled down on top of a church tower. After a few months, the church management chased them away to decorate and paint the tower for Christmas. The doves now settled on the dome of a mosque. After a few months, they were chased away from the mosque as the people in the mosque wanted to paint the dome for Ramadan. The birds, returned back to the Hindu temple tower.

One day, people were hacking each other with machetes and bodies were lying all around in a pool of blood.

Looking at all the commotion, a baby dove asked its mother.

"Mom, who are they and why are they fighting."

"They are human beings and they are fighting because they are crazy", replied the mother.

"Mom, why are they crazy?", asked the baby dove.

"They are crazy because they like their religion. They like their religion because they are crazy", replied the mother.

"What is religion, ma?"

"Remember we used to live in this building, the people who go to this building are called as Hindus. The people who go to church are called as Christians. And the people who go to a mosque are called as Muslims."

"How is that possible ma?. We lived in a temple, a church and a moque. But we are still doves. Aren't we?", asked the baby dove.

"I'm glad you see it that way. That is why we are up here above them and closer to God and they are still down there fighting.

It is ironic that most of us do not choose our religion. Instead, the religion chooses us. It is thrust upon us by birth. Almost all the religions say the same thing. "Love everybody and do no harm". Instead we choose to "love nobody" and "do harm".

Homo sapiens will be the dangerous species on Planet Earth until we live with greed and hatred. We will forever remain the most dangerous animal on planet Earth.

This was my Toastmasters Speech# 4

The Vice Presidential Debate

2008-10-03T09:40:00.001-04:00

As I was watching the Vice Presidential debate, I drifted back to the time when I was in my 5th standard. We had to memorize a Robert Frost's poem and recite in the class and that was a part of the mid-term exam. Memorized and Recited - that is what Palin did. Of course what she recited wasn't anything that can be compared to Frost's poem. She decided to change the rules of the debate by saying she wasn't going to answer the moderator's question. A little bit of an arrogance there. Not sure if she had a pre-debate dinner with Dick Cheney.

On the other hand, Joe Biden almost put me to sleep for the first few minutes. Perhaps he was sleeping as well. But he did wake-up and made sure that the Americans knew that the only difference between Bush and McCain is the speilling in their names. I liked the way he said 'Maverick, he is not', when Sarah Palin kept repeating the keyword of the McCain campaign.

As Palin said, the only difference between hockey moms and a pitbull is the lipstick. Well, today she was a pitbull with a lipstick. She kept recycling the things she knew and I had a good laugh when she said that the Vice President should have more powers.

Perhaps the only touching part of the debate came at the end when Biden spoke about the time when his sons were injured in an accident. Overall, I thought Biden won the debate by a big margin. But I'm sure Palin did excite the 'conservative' base. Her efforts to project the republican ticket as the most progressive one was just laughable.

The experienced Biden won for the substance but Palin trigerred a new hype. Looking forward to the next Presidential debate.

Book Review: Buddha

2008-08-27T08:00:00.006-04:00

This is a great book in which Deepak Chopra gives a vivid description of how one Siddhartha became Buddha. It starts from the point where Queen Maya gives birth to Siddhartha and Chopra takes us through the incidents that dot Siddhartha's life that eventually transform him into Buddha. As the title of the book goes, it talks about how Buddha achieved enlightenment. A must read if you are in to philosophy and religious reading.

ஸ்ரீ வெங்கடேச சுப்ரபாதம்

2008-08-26T14:46:00.009-04:00

I don't think I'm going too far by saying that Sri Venkatesa Suprabatham is probably the only song in India that got its identity by the singer and not by the author/ composer. (Another one that comes close is கந்த சஷ்டி கவசம் by Soolamangalam Sisters )I know people who only accept Smt. MS Subbulakshmi's rendition of the Suprabatham.

Though I never understood the meaning of Sri Venkatesa Suprabatham, I understood it better when I heard the Tamil version. One Dr. Parthasarathy has provided both the translation and transliteration. Once you know the meaning, I'm sure you will appreciate it more. Smt. Subbulakshmi renders the tamil version with a divine voice. To read both the translation and transliteration click here.

It has been more than 40 years since Smt. MS Subbulakshmi sang in the United Nations. A very good article can be read here. A remix version of Suprabatham has sprung up on the internet. Though it is nice to hear, there is no divinity in the music.

Doordarshan Time Machine

2008-08-21T09:10:00.003-04:00

Just some classic ads that we had on Doordarshan.
यह जमीन यह आसमान !

कुछ ख़ास है

Taste of India

And finally this one:

Shop @ allthingsblabbered via Amazon and save time and money.

Introducing Shop @ allthingsblabbered

2008-08-18T14:35:00.010-04:00

At the new shop@allthingsblabbered (brought to you by Amazon), I'm listing all the books that I've read in the past few months. I will be updating the shop and will add the link to the shop in all my future blog posts. All the books/ DVDs that are listed are mouse-picked by me and I'm sure you will enjoy them.

If you would like to suggest any book that you have read for the shop, please get in touch with me. I will be very happy to list your suggestion. Any sales commission for that particular product will goto a charity of your choice.

100% of all the sales commission from Amazon will go to charity(either CRY or ASPCA).

Shop @ allthingsblabbered via Amazon and save time and money.

The Invisible Tsunami

2008-08-18T13:37:00.004-04:00

None can forget what happened on December 26, 2004. The Indian Ocean Tsunami stuck the coastal towns in Tamilnadu. Cuddalore, my hometown, was badly hit. But there is another tsunami that is hitting Cuddalore everyday. This one is invisible and is having a much severe effect on the lives of thousands of Cuddaloreans.

Cuddalore has recently earned the dubious distinction of being one of the many global toxic hotspots. The stench that emanates from the various industries in the SIPCOT stretch of Cuddalore is unbearable. The chemical plants release untreated water in to the nearby water bodies thereby completely altering the chemical composition of water. A large amount of untreated sewage is released in to the Bay of Bengal.

A recent report from the Nagpur-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute states that, “People living in and around a special economic zone in Cuddalore are “2,000 times more” likely to be affected by cancer than the normal population”. Now this is something that cannot be taken lightly. A few alarming statistics in the report are:

Levels of Benzene - a chemical that causes blood cancer among children - were 125 times higher than safe levels.
Carcinogens like chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, methylene chloride and trichloroethylene were 881, 553, 32.5 and 21.8 times respectively higher than acceptable levels.

These numbers are very disturbing not to mention the fact that the NEERI states that the results are a “conservative estimate” as “most of the industries are not operating to capacity on days of sampling”.

Just a little bit of googling will tell you how harmful these chemicals are.

Eating foods or drinking beverages containing high levels of benzene can cause the following symptoms within minutes to several hours: Vomiting, Irritation of the stomach, Dizziness, Sleepiness, Convulsions, Rapid or irregular heartbeat, Death (at very high levels) (Source: CDC).
Exposure to Chloroform may cause liver cancer.
Carbon tetrachloride may cause liver and kidney malfunction and in some cases even death.
Methylene chloride is known to cause lung, liver and pancreatic cancer.
Trichloroethylene is carcinogenic as well.

The TNPCB has decided to turn a blind eye to this issue. The reasoning behind not doing anything about this problem is that the area is already 'spoiled' and hence more industries are being opened in Cuddalore. On one hand, these new industries will bring job opportunities, but at the same time if left un-checked they might very well add more chemicals to the toxic-pool called Cuddalore.

You can help by signing this online petition.

Book Review: Water for Elephants

2008-08-18T11:57:00.007-04:00

This is one of the books that you cannot put down until you finish it. The story is set in the 1920s and takes place in and around a circus train. A 'soon to be' vet doctor drops out of his school after his parents' death and jumps on to a circus train. The train journey, the people and the animals on the train shape the rest of his life.

The author has done quite a bit of research about the old circus 'culture'. (She even spent time with a couple of elephants in two different zoos).

The language is easy to understand and the story is gripping. The ending is pretty good with a 'feel-good' factor. For me it is one of the best 'story' books that I have ever read.

The Greatest Moment in Indian Sports

2008-08-11T05:25:00.001-04:00

Connecticut K-9 Olympics

2008-08-10T07:33:00.005-04:00

While the entire world is assembled in Beijing for the Olympics, half way around the world and in my own backyard, an Olympics of a different kind was held. The Connecticut Police K-9 Olympics was held at the UConn Campus yesterday. About 39 teams (dog + K9 officer) from all over Connecticut participated. Almost all the dogs were German shepherds. The teams were graded on several areas like tactical obedience, criminal apprehension etc.
It was amazing to see what Man's best friend could do. In the 'criminal apprehension' event, a police officer, who acts as a 'bad guy' shoots in the air twice while the dog is looking. Two cars are parked facing each other and are parked in between the 'bad guy' officer and the K-9 team. So the dog has to jump over the car to get to the 'bad guy' officer. The 'bad guy' officer has a thick pad around his left arm, which the dogs hold on to when the reach the officer. (as shown in the foto)
We also met a sweet Golden Retriever named Cricket. She was a sweet dog who seemed to like us :)

One World. One Dream

2008-08-10T07:18:00.001-04:00

It was a grand night for one of the oldest civilizations in the world. The Chinese showed the world the new China. It was truly China's coming out party. They drummed to the entire world what they are made of. The night started off with the countdown by the drummers. From the plasma membrane on the roof of the stadium to the rolling LED screens on the floor, it was all grandeur. The arrangement of the children from 56 different ethnic groups handing over the Chinese flag to the soldiers and the soldiers raising the flag - it gave me goosebumps. Every minute of the Opening ceremony was breath-taking. It was directed by Zhang Yimou (The director of The House of Flying Daggers) .

The only sore point was the commentary by the NBC team. (On Day 1, they said things like "... the American pair from the United States...."). I wish they speak less in the coming days.

The parade of the athletic teams was also great. As Yao Ming walked in with the Chinese flag, the whole stadium was up in it's feet and it was a moment to cherish for all the 600+ athletes who have been waiting for this time since 2001, when Beijing was awarded the Summer Olympics of 2008. It was nice to see the Indian contingent, but the size was dispropotinately small to the population. Hopefully in the coming years India invests more in Sports infrastructure.

Perhaps, the only blemish of the entire Opening Ceremony was someone had given the 9 year old kid a Chinese flag that was tied upside-down in the small stick. Perhaps it symbolized that the Sichuan Earthquake had turned the country upside-down.

I only wish that the Olympics will be held in India - sometime during our time here on Planet Earth.

This girl needs your help

2008-07-25T11:46:00.005-04:00

About a week ago, my friend Suresh Kumar (Annamalai University) wrote to me about this little girl who has been diagnosed with 'Bilateral Severe to Profound Hearing Loss'. Suresh personally knows this little girl, who lost her father recently. She is scheduled to undergo a Cochlear Implantation surgery, which costs about Rs. 10 lakhs.

For Donating online, Kindly send a mail With subject mentioning as
"Donation in favour of Baby.Lalitha Ponmani" to merfmk (at) vsnl.net / merfmk (at) yahoo.com. Transaction details will be sent by MERF.

You can also get in touch with Suresh directly. His gmail id is contactsuresh79.

Southwest Diary

2008-07-22T11:17:00.004-04:00

As I have mentioned in my previous posts, most of you know that I travel south-west from Hartford to Baltimore. With the rising fuel prices, the fares have also gone up and that hurts my pocket. Gone are the days when my previous employer paid for all the travel and accommodation. I don't work for them anymore.

Every Monday and Friday, I see the same folks and the exchanges vary from a smile to a lengthy chat. I used to think that all other business travelers were paid by their companies for travel. But after talking with a few folks, many were in the same boat (or should I say flight) as mine. One person wanted to sell his home in Hartford and wanted to move to D.C, where he is working full-time. But with the housing market at an all time abysmal low, and with a not-so-good Real Estate agent, he hasn't been able to sell his home yet. He too, like me, is a week-bachelor and a weekend-family-man.

I spoke with another person who takes the same flights every week. His company pays for all his travel. I thought that was great. A few more minutes in to the conversation, he told me his wife was a cancer patient. (I wish her a speedy recovery). He was talking about insurance and the healthcare system in the country.

Just last Friday, while we were all waiting to board the plane, a gentleman smiled at me and asked "You take this same flight every week, don't you?". I smiled back and replied in the affirmative. I also told him that I have been doing this for close to 2 years now. He smiled and said, "That must be tough. I know 'cos I have been doing this for 4 years".

Another time, the person who was sitting next to me said, "How is that you can eat chicken and not beef? Dude, you don't know what you are missing. Did you every try a good steak?"

A short Southwest flight to me is a microcosm of the world we live in. It also reminds me that the problems I face are not problems at all. They are just a norm in everybody's life. It also reminded me of a dialog in the movie "Server Sundaram".

"பிரச்சனைன்றது ஒரு சின்ன கல் மாதிரி. கண்ணு கிட்ட வெச்சி பார்த்தா பெரிசா தெரியும். தள்ளி வெச்சி பார்த்தா என்னான்னு புரியும். ஈசியா தூக்கி போட்டுடலாம் "

Translastion for my non-Tamil speaking friends:
A problem is like a small stone. The closer you hold it to your eye, the bigger it appears. Once you hold it away from your eye, it appears small and you will see it better. You can dispose it easily.

Beatles

2008-07-18T20:16:00.007-04:00

I brought my first Beatles CD in 2005. When I listened to the songs, I wasn't really impressed and I wondered how these songs/people became so famous. (I can hear someone saying this guy knows no s#!+ about music). But after a couple of years, I replayed the CD and this time I enjoyed the songs. Not sure what happened between 2005 and now. One of my favorite (in the limited number of songs that I have heard) is "Hey Jude". Here is the song:

Onion Pakoda

2008-07-15T12:47:00.010-04:00

Spicy and Crispy Onion Pakoda for an evening snack! he...he.
பயங்கர காரம் !! சூப்பர் taste !!

(Click to eat)

Bob Dylan

2008-07-11T21:06:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I went to the same music store where I purchased my first Frank Sinatra CD. This time I got a Bob Dylan CD. A sales associate helped me select the CD. I told him that I had never heard Bob Dylan before. After I paid for it, I played the CD in my car. The first song was 'Blowin in the Wind', written (1962) and sung by Bob Dylan. A few of you might have heard this song before (in the movie Forrest Gump). Without further ado, here is the song:

According to Wikipedia, "The refrain "The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind" has been described as "impenetrably ambiguous: either the answer is so obvious it is right in your face, or the answer is as intangible as the wind".

T.G.I.F

2008-07-07T21:09:00.003-04:00

Thank God it's Friday. Every Friday, I go through the same ritual. I come to work early so that I can leave a bit early. Just before I leave my office, I print the boarding pass and and drive to the airport. Rarely, the Capital Beltway is traffic-free. So its a struggle out there. For no apparent reason, the vehicles just inch forward taking close to 10 minutes to just cover a mile. Once I park the car in the Airport parking Garage, I rush to take the shuttle that takes passengers from the garage to the airport. After going through the security, which takes anywhere between 5-15 minutes, I walk straight to the Borders Express Book store. I just browse the store and occasionally buy a book or two. Then I proceed to the gate and wait for the cattle call. It is like a religious experience to go through this every week. I feel I have a spiritual connection with the Baltimore Airport. Changed jobs twice but still I fly through the same airport.

A short flight takes me just outside Hartford, CT where Kavitha picks me up at the airport. A 40 minute drive takes me to my apartment home in the Connecticut country side. I repeat the same process in the reverse order on Monday mornings. I don't know how long I can continue to do this. Hopefully not until the time when pigs fly.

Ordinary Miracle

2008-07-05T13:50:00.000-04:00

As the credits were scrolling on the screen at the end of the movie 'Charlotte's Web', this beautiful song was playing in the background. The lyrics are simple and beautiful. Our everyday life is filled with thousands of small beautiful things. In our simple life, which we have made busy for ourselves, we fail to notice those beautiful things and appreciate what God has created for us. This song kinda reminds us what we have forgotten to see.

Ordinary Miracle by Sara McLachlan

Garden Life

2008-07-05T12:50:00.000-04:00

After a 2 week break, we did some pruning and cleaning. The tomatoes are now about the size of a small cherry. The bean plants are tall and the spearmint plants are tall with broad, thick leaves.

Apart from the plants doing well, there is something to talk about the animal life in the garden. The simple sight of bees sitting and buzzing over the marigold flowers is one to cherish. Our neighbhor's cat was following a wild turkey like a tiger on a prowl. It had no chance against the big turkey but it looked like a big tiger getting ready to jump on it's prey. After a while it just got tired and gave up. A deer was grazing in the lawn and it even took a couple of steps towards me when I offerred it a bunch of tomato leaves. It then decided not to trust the dangerous animal on the planet and quickly ran in to the woods.

As I took the picture of the Asiatic Lily bloom, I was able to capture the deer grazing in the background. If the different sights and happenings in a small apartment garden are so beautiful, think about what is in store out there in the little wilderness that is left. Nature is the face of God and it is sad that we human beings are defacing it.

(Click to enlarge)

CRY

2008-07-05T09:43:00.000-04:00

Once again this year, I'm planning on participating in the CRY Walk in Boston. It is on August 23 @ Thorndike Field in Arlington, Mass. (99 Margaret Street, Arlington, MA).

For the sake of the children, skip a latte or an Indian Buffet lunch (don't skip your lunch, cook at home). And be kind enough to donate that amount to Child Rights and You. I have set a small goal and I need your help in achieving it.

இன்னாது இரக்கப் படுதல் இரந்தவர்
இன்முகங் காணும் அளவு

It is nice not to see a needy face in pain, give
till it blushes in joy with hands full of gain (திருவள்ளுவர், translated by J Narayanaswamy)

Please click here to make a donation:

http://www.active.com/donate/crybostonwalk08/RRaja1

Longwood Gardens

2008-06-30T07:00:00.000-04:00

லாங்கவுட் தோட்டம்

The main attraction of a small town - Kennett Square, PA is Longwood Gardens. Located at about 70 miles Northwest of Baltimore, the beautiful gardens were once owned by Pierre DuPont. He brought the gardens from one Pierce family to save the gardens from being sold for lumber.

We started with a water fountain show, which wasn't that great. But if you have kids, I'm sure they will love it. Then we walked around the Flower Drive, the Italian Water Garden, the Pierre DuPont house, and a few meadows.

There was another water fountain show at 2:00 pm and it was neither good nor bad. You start to get a feeling that the $16 per person entry fee was not worth it. We then visited the garden Conservatory and that was the best place. Filled with a variety of roses, hibiscus plants, shrubs, palm trees, and a number of other interesting plants, the conservatory gives you the money's worth, if not more.

Here are a few photos:

Lake Anna

2008-06-29T07:30:00.001-04:00

A beautiful countryside lake, about 85 miles southwest of Washington D.C. - That is where we spent our Saturday.

Lake Anna, a beautiful man-made (the best oxymoron I have used) lake was a wonderful getaway for a weekend break. About 2/3 of the road trip was covered on I-95 and the rest on scenic winding country roads. Ranches, country homes and vineyards dotted the route. After a while we reached a small port at Lake Anna.

We decided to rent Jet-Skis. I had to overcome some initial fear as none of us knew swimming. But thanks to the "wonderful" DVD presentation and the fact that Rajkumar had already decided to rent the Jet-Ski, I decided to do the same. And that was the best part of the day.

The first few minutes were scary. The Jet-Ski was wobbling and I had difficulty in handling the handle-bar. But after a few minutes, the fear slowly 'dissolved in water' thanks to the Life-Vest that we were wearing. It took a few more minutes to control the Jet-Ski. Once in control, we started skiing and boy, it was fun. But I continued to have difficulty in steering the Jet-Ski.

On the other end of the lake, Rajkumar and Pavithra were cruising on their Jet-Ski. It probably reminded Rajkumar of the good old days of his Yamaha riding in Annamalai. By the time I got my ankle wet, he was completely wet. He was just zipping across the lake. Spurred by his showboating, I decided to now hit the top gear and in a short while I was jumping over the waves and did a little bit of showboating myself. As we jumped over the waves, my Red Sox cap flew away (I knew something would happen to it when the rental guy said he was a Yankee).

Being the pillion rider for 40 minutes, Kavitha decided that it was her turn to handle the Jet Ski. We returned to the port and with the help of the rental guys, we switched seats and after the initial hiccups, she started Jet-Skiing. She had fun too.

Overall that was the best part of the day.

The afternoon was spent in the Lake Anna beach. We played Frisbee and throw-ball (where the ladies won in a thrilling match), ate bhel-puri, sat on a pier with our legs in water.

Thanks to Rajkumar - we went to a great place and had some good adventure.

నూనె వంకాయ కూర (எண்ணெய் கத்திரிக்காய் குழம்பு)

2008-06-21T13:14:00.000-04:00

Alright...this week it was எண்ணெய் கத்திரிக்காய் குழம்பு.

Karthikram - I have sent the above plate to you via FedEx :)

அடை அவியல்

2008-06-15T13:37:00.000-04:00

Adai Avial

Popularly known as 'கார அடை' (kaara adai) in Maami Mess, Chidambaram or as Malabar Adai in Indian restaurants across the US. Kavitha made Adai Avial at home this weekend. And this is how it turned out ...

Commemorating the event, we made a stamp. he...he

Bloom Time

2008-06-15T12:35:00.000-04:00

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,

They stretch'd in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

- William Wordsworth (1804)

In these simple words, we can understand Wordswordth's joy at seeing the Daffodils. Great lines.

Though I don't have thousands of flowers, a few that have bloomed have given me great joy.

Coreopsis:

Marigold:

Dahlia:

Some new additions to the Garden are:

Green Beans, Raddish, Spearmint (Pudhina), Grape Tomatoes, BeefSteak Tomato & Asiatic Lily. I have also planted a few Chrysanthemum clippings. Hopefully they will make it. I don't think I will spend any more money on the Garden. Will only spend time maintaining it.

Frank Sinatra

2008-06-06T08:39:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I walked in to a music store that sells old CDs/ DVDs and brought a Frank Sinatra Collection for $4.99. There were quite a few Frank Sinatra CDs. I just picked one and asked the lady sitting in the Sales counter about the collection. She said it had all the happy songs of Frank Sinatra (Later in the evening I was told that his sad songs are not that sad). So I decided to buy the CD and played it in my car.

I had never heard Frank Sinatra songs - I only knew his name. The first song that came up was "The way you look tonight". Here is a short clip from the song from Amazon. Listen to the end of the clip. The music and the voice is full of life and after listening to it for a couple of times, you feel like singing along. There are a few videos in Youtube as well.

The tamil song that immediately came to my mind was "ஒரு பெண்ணை பார்த்து நிலவை பார்த்தேன் மனதில் குளிரில்லை" sung by TMS (music Viswanathan - Ramamurthy). Both songs are about how a man feels seeing his love in the night.

Also try listening to Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison. There are many videos in Youtube. It will remind you of the good old days of PB Sreenivas and TMS.

Story Review

2008-06-06T08:25:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I had my first story reviewed by the Silver Spring Writers Group. Most of them felt that the story was good. There were quite a few suggestions. Some of them were - add more details, manage the tense (I mixed up the tense). There were some logical questions as well. Where on earth would a prisoner get access to carpentry tools, that too in his last few days?

Thanks to my good friends - Kim, Michele, Jane, Jay, Chris, Alvin, Leslie and Beth - at the Silver Spring Writers Group. In a few ways, they are my gateway to American Culture 101. They are an encouraging bunch and I have already started thinking about my next story. Will post it once I complete it.

My First Toastmasters Speech

2008-06-04T15:52:00.001-04:00

I gave my ToastMasters Ice-Breaker speech yesterday. Got some good reviews. The evaluator said I overdid my hand expressions and used a bunch of filler words. The grammarian said my grammar was good but said I used "uh" and "um" about 14 times. I was told to work on that. If you are interested in knowing what I spoke, continue reading (some of you who know me well, please understand that this was only a speech and I tried not to lie too much).

What I want to be


A recent survey has said that the number 1 fear for people is public speaking and number 2 is death. So according to the numbers, people would prefer to be in the casket instead of giving the eulogy. So here I am to give my Ice-breaker speech to break my fear of the ice - public speaking.

My parents named me Ravichandran. Ravi in Sanskrit means Sun and Chandran means Moon. They probably wanted me to enlighten the whole world. But the closest I got to that was when I was a kid, one night when my cousins were stealing stuff from my Grandfathers carpentry shed, I was holding the torch light.

As a kid, I never had a proper goal. I wanted to be everything that I liked. Initially I wanted to be a doctor because doctors have their own rooms with all the fancy things hanging on the wall. They have a bunch of good looking stationery on the table. I didn't know at that time that they were all free gifts from Medical representatives. Also they had Air-conditioning. A/C was a luxury in India back in those days. Still considered to be a luxury.

I also wanted to be a bakery salesman. Because you could eat all you want. Fresh biscuits and puffs and pastries. I also wanted to be a policeman because you can beat others. I'm sure you understand that kids like eating and beating. I was a well-built kid, but not a bully.

And then I wanted to be cricketer. Cricket is a religion in India and cricketers are Gods. I wished I would have a magic ring or a lamp which would help me hit sixers off every ball. I wanted a ring that would help me take 6 wickets in an over. Overnight, I would become a celebrity.

A kid, I'm sure many of you here would agree with me, always wants attention.

As a kid, I was good in studies. I always came first, that is after the top 10 students in my class. I hated Mathematics. I was never good at Math until my 9th grade. Then it all changed. My parents sent me to a private tutor who changed the way I looked at Math. He not only made me do well in Math, he also made me love Math. Apart from teaching Math, he used to tell me a lot of stories from Hindu Mythology. For the first time in my life, I liked a teacher.

He used to tell this often - A young kids' brain is like fresh clay. A teacher can make a Lord Ganesha out of it or make a monkey out of it. So being a teacher is no joke. And that day I decided, whatever I would go on to do in my life, I will become a teacher someday.

I did my graduate study in Computer Science and that is what is helping me make a living. I will continue to make a living being a Consultant. But one day, after returning to India, probably around the time I retire, I will become a teacher.

A teacher should stand in front of the class and should be able to inspire the students. And for that good communication is important. I hope ToastMasters will help me become a good speaker and communicator.

Thanks for listening.

This is all I could speak in 6 minutes. If you have a Toastmasters Club, near your home, I suggest you join if you are interested in improving your speaking skills.

Your comments are most welcome.

அன்புடன்,
Ravi

Vegetable Garden

2008-06-04T08:40:00.000-04:00

I now have a small Potted Garden in the lawn outside my apartment. This is what I currently have in the garden:

Tomato (Roma): Got a single plant and planted it in a big 5 gallon pot. Its growing well and just this past weekend I added fertilizers.

Bell Peppers: Brought 6 plants and planted them in two 5 gallon pots with each pot having 3 plants. They seem to grow very slowly. Added fertilizers this past weekend. Hopefully they will do well.

Onion: Planted seeds a couple of weeks ago and now I see some shoots off the seeds. This weekend I will remove them and will plant them in separate pots.

Cilantro: Planted a few coriander seeds in a small pot. They seem to grow very slowly. Its been 4 weeks now and only now the leaves have started taking shape.

Methi: In a 2 gallon pot, I planted a few fenugreek seeds and they grew very fast. The pot now has a thick bush of Methi leaves. After a couple of weeks, will probably use them in Methi paratha or dhal.

Hydrangea: We almost lost this plant as we planted it way too early before summer. I had to dig up the plant and keep it inside the home and it grew again. Just this past weekend I planted it outside. Hopefully it will grow and have some good blooms.

Yellow Dahlia: Brought a single plant from the local greenhouse and transferred it to a 4 gallon pot. The flowers look beautiful.

Orange Marigold: Brought a single plant from the local greenhouse and transferred it to a 4 gallon plant. I have a few flowers now. Hope to have some beautiful big blooms.

Zinnia: Planted seeds in the pot in which I have the rose plant. All the seeds have germinated and I now have some small plants. Will transfer them to individual pots this coming weekend.

Carrot: Just planted seeds. Hopefully it is not too late to plant carrots.

I brought almost all the plants/ seeds/ fertilizers from a local greenhouse - Edmondsons Farms. I also picked up some manure (yes....cow dung) from a local milk farm. Have a lot of work to do this coming weekend. I'm planning on planting more tomatoes. I will also be planting a few Chrysanthemums as the summer progresses. I also planted a Himalayan Blue Pine sapling. I hope I can keep it alive and see it grow as a big and beautiful fern.

Drive-In Movie

2008-05-22T10:44:00.000-04:00

The Memorial Day weekend was a movie weekend. The first movie we saw was Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crystal Skull. It was a huge disappointment. I did not expect it to be as good as the Last Crusade, but the new movie failed to score even half the points. The ending was just ridiculous - wasn't like a Spielberg movie.

The next day, we decided to go for a drive-in movie. It was a funny experience. My wife, My SIL, My brother and I drove to the drive-in theater around 9 PM. After we brought the tickets and tuned in to the FM channel carrying the audio of the movie, I realized that the gas tank was almost empty and so I had to drive out of the theater having an Indian moment by asking the box office clerk if we could drive back in after we pump some gas. We made a re-entry after 10 minutes and the movie had just started. It took us close to an hour to find the perfect angle to park the car so that all four of us could see the screen clearly. After we parked the car, my wife and I walked to the snack bar and brought some pop-corn which was ridiculously priced. We brought some pop-corn and ice-cream. What's a movie without junk food?

The movie was over by 11:30 and as I was driving out of the theater, I was forced to make a U-turn and make a second re-entry - this time to catch another movie at the same theater. Once again I had my second Indian moment of the day. I asked the box-office clerk if we could watch another movie with the same ticket. She said, "Oh yes. You have paid for your movies".

Wow...what a deal - pay $9 and watch two movies. This time we parked at a better angle and watched the movie Iron Man. After about 1 hour into the movie, all of us fell asleep except my brother. He asked me to drive home as he was the only person who was watching the movie. So I woke up and started driving and reached home around 1 AM. The next morning the car looked like a trash bin with pop-corn strewn all over the place.

Overall it was a very good weekend.

Monday Morning

2008-05-19T13:10:00.000-04:00

This morning when I picked up my car from the BWI Airport Daily Garage, it was covered with bird poop. The reason I park my new car in the garage is to keep it new and shiny, at least as long as I can afford the $10 a day parking charge. I did not expect to see bird poop all over the car. It so happened that I had actually parked right below a bird's nest - looks like they had a large family up there - probably had other families visiting them for the weekend. I couldn't open the door as the door handle was smothered in you know what. I had to get in the car through the front passenger side door. I took my car straight to the car wash and while waiting for all the bird poop to wash away, here is a couple of interesting things that I heard on the local radio station.

1. 1 Gallon of Gas - 5 cents
An 88 year old lady named Gladys was being interviewed and she mentioned that she remembers the time when a gallon of gas cost only a nickel. Now it is closing in on an amount that is 100 times more than the price that Gladys can remember. She also said how things have changed at the Gas Station. Now you have so many questions to answer at the gas pump. First you have to select the card type - debit or credit and in some cases a very annoying request for a zip code. Then you have to say if you need a receipt or not. Then you have to select the gas type - Regular, Plus, Supreme. You are not yet done. Do you need a car wash today? That is another question. And for folks who requested a receipt, you have the inconvenience of waiting for the receipt to print. At 88 years, Gladys says she hasn't much time left and she just wants to pump gas and not answer a bunch of questions. Who can blame her?

2. The American Economy
I heard this piece of news on NPR. The Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is cautiously upbeat about the economy.

Hmm...what is the meaning of being cautiously upbeat? Just a few weeks back Ben Bernanke was cautiously optimistic. So why was Bernanke cautiously optimistic and why is Paulson cautiously upbeat. What is the difference? There is no difference. As Ben Bernanke used the word cautiously optimistic, the Treasury Secretary wanted to show his command over the English vocabulary. Now he has to say something that means nothing. He cannot use the word 'nothing' for it because people would easily understand it. At the same time he cannot repeat what Ben Bernanke said for that would render his office as redundant. A new term is coined and out it comes - cautiously upbeat.

Imagine Homer Simpson talking with the Treasury Secretary (or with Ben Bernanke)

Homer: um...Mr. Secretary (or Mr. Fed Chairman), are you concerned about the economy?
Secretary/ Fed Chairman: Ah...Homer...I'm cautiously upbeat (optimistic) and ....
Homer: Wohoooo!! (Homer runs out to get a donut)

中国地震

2008-05-16T10:45:00.000-04:00

China Earthquake (Translated using Google Translator)

Nature is the face of God and God is angry now. As the Chinese people believe, so do I that a natural disaster happens when God (or the power above) is not happy. While mankind has been able to conquer Planet Earth and study and land (rovers) on different planets, still we don't have an answer to the chaotic happenings in our planet. Weather is a Chaotic phenomenon and so are natural disasters. to some extent we can predict certain disasters (like a cyclone), but it is beyond human power to control or prevent these happenings.

Nature is so humbling. Everytime we run loose with some theory that makes us feel that we are on top of the world, Mother Nature steps in and humbles us all. But at the same time it is Mother Nature who springs up all miracles. When I was driving to work yesterday, I was listening to the news on NPR and this news made me smile and it just made me thank God with great joy. This was the news: A woman who was burried under the rubble for about 50 hours was pulled out alive by rescue workers. Here comes the amazing part of it - She was 8 months pregnant.

I feel very sorry for the thousands of people who lost their lives. There will be childless parents and parents without a child. Time is the healer. It will take a long time for us to forget but the people who were in the midst of all this will have this traumatic experience etched in their memory forever. The Earthquake where thousands died and a pregnant woman who is alive after being buried for 50 hours - if God can do this, I'm sure He will help all those who are affected.

As it is stated in The Gita, Whatever will happen, that too will be for good.

Disasters break the boundaries of the world. It brings people together. India helped Pakistan when Pakistan was badly hurt by an Earthquake. We now see Japan and Taiwan willing to extend a helping hand to China. I'm glad that beyond all the political bickerings and fights, an invisible love exists that unfortunately comes out only during natural disasters. If we can bring it out during tough times, it is easy to bring it out during other times as well. Love All.

Though we are powerless to prevent these disasters, we do have the power to help the thousands who are suffering. Make a small donation to help the Relief Efforts. You can make a donation here.

Here and Now

2008-05-14T10:19:00.000-04:00

The blog has nothing to do with the "Here and Now" talk show hosted by Robin Young of WBUR.

By saying Here and Now I intend to write about the activities that I'm involved in.

1. ToastMasters International

I'm now a member of the White Oak ToastMasters. I'm hoping to improve my public speaking skills by being a part of this club. To learn more about the ToastMasters, click on the link above.

2. Silver Spring Writers Group
This group is organized by a good lady names Jane. Again, wanted to improve my writing skills. My first task is to write a short story which will be critiqued by the other members of the group in the June meeting.

3. Reading Books
A Thousand Splendid Suns, Kite Runner, Marley & Me, Watership Down, Out Stealing Horses, Into the Wild, A Woman in Jerusalem, Memory Keepers Daughter - all these are some of the books that I have read recently.

All Things Blabbered

2008-04-25T08:08:00.000-04:00

வணக்கம் !

This is the first time I'm venturing into the beautiful world of blogging. I intend to write about almost anything that comes to my mind.

I'm a proud alumni of the great Annamalai University.

ரயில்வே ஸ்டேஷன் பெஞ்ச்

2008-04-25T07:49:00.000-04:00

RAILWAY STATION BENCH

I frequently reminisce about my time in the Chidambaram Railway Station. For any Annamalain - RS would be in the Top 3 of his/ her favorite places in Chidambaram. We rarely visited RS in the first year for the fear of being ragged kept us away and limited us to places like the temple or Mariappa theatre. But from the second year onwards, we frequented the RS. After the days' class, my friends and I used to go to the Vegetarian Light Refreshment Stall in the RS. The VLRS was our Taj Bukhara.

A plate of poori was Rs. 3. There will be 2 pooris and some கிழங்கு. Now there was a better option. If you decide to have சாம்பார் instead of கிழங்கு then you get 3 pooris. So you know the obvious - always got poori with sambar.

Most of the GRE preparation was done in the early morning serene settings of the RS. My friends Sathyan, Prabhu and I used to wake up at 2 in the morning and walk to the RS. Muthu, anotehr friend from the Mech. department used to be the only person sitting in the RS at that time. Most of the times he used to be half asleep with the holding the GRE book loosely in his hand. The general agreement was we wake him up at 4 in the morning or when the VLRS opens in the morning around 4:30. On Mondays, we used to wait for the train from Madras, for obvious reasons, while sipping the piping hot tea.

From passing time to preparing GRE - the Chidambaram RS was an integral part of my life in Annamalai. It will ever remain so.

Here is a well written article on the Chidambaram RS: Ramblings on a Railway Station