Outing in Wayanad

During the outing in Wayanad....

High Profile Meeting in Dubai

Venky is on official visit to UAE and we met....

Obit

Dr G K Matthew (GKM) Eng Prof at MCC passed away this morning. May his Soul rest in peace and Pray that his family is comforted by the Almighty at this time of grief. I could still remember his classes which we all used to enjoy a lot.

The Party

Was Happy to see the New Party being floated in TN and Venky playing a crucial role. Residents of Chennai can see Venky picture in Banners and posters all over Chennai and I am sure TN. All the very best Venky.

Cheers.

Tryst With Nature

This year on New Year day decided to spend some quality time with Nature with a Wordsworth Poem in my heart..

I WANDERED lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

Creek

......Enjoy.

Oxymoron

An oxymoron is usually defined as a phrase in which two words of
contradictory meaning are brought together:-

1) Clearly misunderstood

2) Exact Estimate

3) Small Crowd

4) Act Naturally

5) Found Missing

6) Fully Empty

7) Pretty ugly

8) Seriously funny

9) Only choice

10) Original copies

And the Mother of all......

..

11) Happily Married !!!! (Pls take this in a lighter vein !! )

New Year’s Reflections

Looking back on the months gone by,
As a new year starts and an old one ends,
We contemplate what brought us joy,
And we think of our loved ones and our friends.

Recalling all the happy times,
Remembering how they enriched our lives,
We reflect upon who really counts,
As the fresh and bright new year arrives.

And when I/we ponder those who do,
I/we immediately think of you.

Thanks for being one of the reasons I'll/We'll have a Happy New Year!

"The Road Not Taken"

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

--------------------------------------

Guys I thought this would be a good moment to look back and see whether you have missed any roads that was not taken by choice or intention....chose this poem as it talks about woods and my imagination flew to MCC campus......you are free to speak your mind...AM

H1N1 Remedies

Simple steps to increase ur immune power and precautions to be taken
which is recommended by a prominent doctor: -

1) Please drink as much as water , Hot tea .

2) Regularly wash your hand.

3) Eat Halls, Strepsils.

4) Drink atleast 1 glass of lime water daily.

5) Every night gurgle with salt water(hot).

6) Take Vitamin B & C tablets or any other health drinks.

Some more...................

1. Inhale Clove Oil (Lavang) For 1 Second.
2. Chew 1 Clove In a Day
3. Eat Raw Garlic (Lasun), Onion, Ginger (Aale) (1 to 5gm)
4. Drink Hot Milk With 2gm of Turmeric
5. Consume Plenty Of Vit C Fruits-Lemon/Avala



Ayurvedic way:

This is a way where swine or any such pandemic flu can be prevenrted. The only way to prevent any infection is to boost your immunity. Hence we go back to Ayurveda text and come back with a simple remedy if followed for 21 - 48 days will prevent infections. So here it is

Tulsi leaves (crsuhed paste) 1 spoon (approx 1gms)
Yashtimadhu (Jyeshtmadh) powder 1/2spoon (1gm)
Harada powder 1/2spoon
Turmeric powder 1/2 spoon
Saptaparna powder 1/2 spoon (Alstonia scholaris)
Vidang powder 1/2 spoon (Embelia ribes)

This mixture to be mixed with honey and taken 2 times a day. Will improve immunity. Especially useful if you are working in A/C environment which results in polluted air and spread of epedemic all herbs available at ayurveda herb store

Please take care of yourself with this simple routine.

Meeting in Dubai

When we were in MCC we never dreamed that we will meet in Dubai, well that is what happened......

Lessons in Logic...

I was born intelligent -
education ruined me.
........................................................................
Practice makes perfect.....
But nobody's perfect......
so why practice?
........................................................................
If it's true that we are here to help others,
then what exactly are the others here for?
........................................................................
Since light travels faster than sound,
people appear bright until you hear them speak.
........................................................................
How come "abbreviated" is such a long word?
........................................................................
Money is not everything.
There's Mastercard & Visa.
........................................................................
If your father is a poor man,
it is your fate but,
if your father-in-law is a poor man,
it's your stupidity.
........................................................................
One should love animals.
They are so tasty.
........................................................................
Behind every successful man, there is a woman
And behind every unsuccessful man, there are two.
........................................................................
Every man should marry.
After all, happiness is not the only thing in
life.
........................................................................
The wise never marry.
and when they marry they become otherwise.
........................................................................
Success is a relative term.
It brings so many relatives.
........................................................................
Never put off the work till tomorrow
what you can put off today.
........................................................................
"Your future depends on your dreams"
So go to sleep
........................................................................
There should be a better way to start a day
Than waking up every morning
........................................................................
"Hard work never killed anybody"
But why take the risk
........................................................................
"Work fascinates me"
I can look at it for hours
........................................................................
God made relatives;
Thank God we can choose our friends.
........................................................................
The more you learn, the more you know,
The more you know, the more you forget
The more you forget, the less you know
So.. why learn.
........................................................................
A bus station is where a bus stops.
A train station is where a train stops.
On my desk, I have a work station....
what more can I say........

Miracle

While Visiting India this time Griz lost my watch at the Dubai airport, I had given the leather strap watch to her for safe keeping in her hand bag as the heat was so much and I was sweating like anything lugging all the bags and cartons into the x-ray machine and to the boarding counter.
It was never easy to make International travel with bags and kids. Kids can be managed with a Nancy Drew paper back and an Archie’s Double Digest (my trick of-late to keep them busy) but the bags are the real pain. First you check the weight of the bags to ensure that they don’t go beyond the permitted levels by airline, then you keep a count of how many, it my case it was 13!! (It was never meant to be so many but Thai allowed a special summer offer of 50 KG per ticket) then the pain of you lugging them into the airport in the trolleys.
In all this trials and tribulations the watch was lost and we never realized it until the time we were in Duty Free staring at the chocolates, in order to buy for all the Uncles and Aunties in India. It came as shock to me because I had hardly used the watch, even though it was not an expensive watch still it was bought by hard earned money and it pained a lot.
By this time we were at the boarding gate and I still had about ½ hour for the flight. I decided to give it a try and left Griz and Kids at the gate and went back and informed security personnel about my problem. He directed me to go back the way I came. I went back all the way through passport control and was helped by another security personnel who also accompanied me all the way to the X ray machine and the entrance where I thought the watch could have got lost. I did a thorough check at the X ray machine and to my surprise I could see so many watches, cash, chains, keys and what not which was left behind by passengers. I was consoled to some extend to realize that I am not alone in this ordeal. The security person even helped me to check in the second x ray check and I completed my check and could not find it.
By then I had calmed down a bit as the realization was setting in - That’s it buddy what is lost is lost forget it… meanwhile Griz was making emergency calls to advise that the flight will leave in 5 minutes and if you don’t come back our vacation will be in Dubai only and not in Chennai. I rushed back making up my mind to push this aside and look forward to a great Vacation.
Well, it was 3 months since I am back in Dubai and when I was telling this story to my cousin who asked me whether I checked at the Lost & Found section in the Airport, I said it is of no use as I had personally checked all the x ray machines where it could have got lost when the hand bag came out tumbling down. And I don’t see a possibility. We left it at that… after few days I had an opportunity to visit the airport and thought about this Lost & Found section and decided to give it a try and approached the Airport Police and explained my situation and they diligently asked for the date and time of travel and the area through which I had entered the airport.
I gave them all the information and to my surprise the Police Officer retrieved my watch within 10 minutes. I was lost for words and I still cannot imagine how this was possible. Again and again we go through the events on that day and we are sure that this could have got lost at the X ray machine which I checked personally.
I see this as a Miracle and was happily re-united with my lost watch. The lesson I learned here is that never give importance to material things as that could give you a heart ache when you lose something that you feel precious about. Secondly, if God decides that you should get something, you will get it even though you lose it and against all odds.......

Ooty Booty

Visited Ooty and Coonoor when I was in Chennai as part of R&R for Samson after his procedure. The place was just great with lush green mountains and valleys..... reminded me of Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats & Shelly. The SIMS park is the best in Coonoor as you can find some 100 + years old trees from different countries like Australia, America and South Africa.. it is amazing how they managed to bring the saplings all the way to Coonoor with the limited transport options in those days... hats off to you guys!! Please follow the link to enjoy the pictures.

AD Sense

The world's most expensive saree.....

Chennai Silks a textile unit has come up with one of its kind and it is seeking an unmistakable entry into the Guinness Book of World Records for being the most unique and expensive saree.

The exceptionally stunning saree is meticulously woven with 12 precious stones and metals to depict 11 of Raja Ravi Verma's popular paintings. Explicitly projected is
'Lady Musicians' one of the painter's very famous works that displays women belonging to diverse cultural backgrounds.

Besides, the border of the saree pictures 10 other paintings of the artist that pays tribute to 20th century artist.
The best part of the saree being that the women in the paintings are intricately hand-woven and beautified with jewels of gold, diamond, platinum, silver, ruby, emerald, yellow sapphire, sapphire, cat's eye, topaz, pearl and corals.

Already in the Limca Book of Records, this 40 lakh saree will be the first silk saree that required the use of 7,440 jacquard hooks and 66,794 cards during the weaving process. Moreover, a group of consummate workers took nearly 4,680 hours

Palace of the Old Era

Visited the Padmanabhapuram Palace on our Trip to Nagercoil and you can have a tour of the place by seeing the photos. The place is really great and well maintained by the Kerala Government (although it is within Tamil Nadu). The whole place is made of Teak Wood thanks to the Kerala Architecture and special mention should go to the way the floors are made so shiny and beats our present day marble finish and a bed that is made of stone to give a pleasant sleep during the hotter days. Enjoy..........AM

UP

Very interesting -- you think English is easy???
Read to the end . . . a new twist.
You lovers of the English language might enjoy this .
There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is 'UP.'
It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP ? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP ? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report ?
We call UP our friends. And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car . At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special.
And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP. We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.
We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP ! To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP , look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions.
If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP , you may wind UP with a hundred or more. When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP ..
When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP ...
When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP .
One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP , for now my time is UP, so......... it is time for me to shut UP .!
Oh . . . one more thing:
What is the first thing you do in the morning the last thing you do at night? U-P

Tagged : Amos Reveals.....

1. What is your occupation?
Removal Specialist in other words assisting people to move from one country to another.
2. What color are your socks?
Preferred color is Grey and Blue
3. What are you listening to right now?
The humming of the air conditioner in office.
4. What was the last thing you ate?
My Lunch, Rice, Fish Curry and Fried King Fish
5. Can you drive a stick shift?
Used to drive one but now I am on automatic. Thanks to the technology but still driving in Dubai traffic is always a challenge.
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
I like most of the dark shades, to be specific chocolate / green
7. Last person you were on the phone with?
With my colleague from another branch.
8. Do you like the person that sent this to you?
Usha has been my M.A, M.PHil classmate and we somehow managed to keep in touch all these years. She is prompt in replying to your mails and displays a lot of compassion.
9. Favorite Drink?
Coffee, Pineapple Juice
10. What is your favorite sport to watch?
I don’t follow any sports of late. Used to Like Cricket and was a player during my school / college days.
11. Have you ever dyed your hair?
Yes. Old age is catching up and this is one of the escape routes to use to live in a Glass Menagerie. (something is ringing a bell somewhere….. is it Rajani!!!!)
12. Pets?
Lost 2 full grown Gold Fish recently. But have 5 small Gold Fishes in a mini aquarium at home.
13. Favorite Food?
Not particular about any. Given a chance will plunder a KFC joint or a 5 star Buffet
14. Last movie you watched?
Horton Hears at theatre. Have been watching a lot of kids movies at home
15. Favorite day of the year?
Our Marriage Day
16. What do you do to vent anger?
Shout and throw up tantrums but cools down very quickly.
17. What was your favorite toy as a child?
Pushing a battery with a stick imitating a car being driven some time 2 batteries together to imitate a bus. When we visit our native place keeping a stick between 2 Nungus (from Palmyra tree) and using a v shaped stick to drive it around.
18. What is your favorite? Fall or Spring?
Spring. Brings forth a new beginning and hope.
19. hugs/kisses?
both.. likes to hug(real bear hug) and kiss my kids too frequently until the time I read an article how much damage it creates in a child who organs are tender and growing.
20. What kind of pie?
Apple pie. Prefer as a desert!
21. Living arrangements?
Currently in a shared 2 BHK accommodation.
22. When was the last time you cried?
When seeing a touching scene in a movie.(mostly tamil movies make you cry)
23. What is on the floor of your closet?
Lot of clothes mostly kept aside for give away. DVD player that is brand new but had a problem.
24. Who is the friend you've had the longest that you are tagging?
Would like to tag all my classmates who are actively connected through this blog
25. Favorite smell?
Brut
26. What inspires you?
Honesty and kindness.
27. What are you afraid of?
God
28. Favorite cat breeds?
Siamese
29. Number of keys on your key ring?
Nine. Car, my draws, my cabinets, my washroom in office, office key my cousins house key(now only I realize I don’t have my house key – I guess it helps to have a homely wife who holds the key always for you.)
30. How many countries have you been to?
Two. UAE, Thailand.

Its a Girl

Rajeev and Chitra are blessed with a BABY GIRL. !!!

They have decided to name her Akshita which means one who is seen or visible................AM

English in Japan contd..........