Greetings

HAPPY NEW YEAR !
Yet another end of an year . And so start of another. That's what everyone wishes you today and tomorrow morning.

But let me wish you all .... "POSITIVE NEW YEAR" !

Optical Illusion

The figure below, copied form a web site, is quite interesting. As you could get it instant, it's an optical illusion. Look at the picture for sometime (a few seconds..). If you feel headache or if you start vomiting, please excuse me. That's what some of the optical illusion pics do.




















Afterall, its just a matrix of a small geometrical figure. But why the problem ? It's more than just an illusion !

Container Terminal

There are two places in Trivandrum , synonymous to fish. Vizhinjam, where there's a fishing harbour ( and where a Container Terminal is coming up (?). And at Pangode, where there's a fish market.

What if there's no container terminal at Vizhinjam ? See we have one at Pangode.














































Colorful containers ! Scenes from Pangode fish market.

Writing public

Writing is a very sacred activity. Whatever you write gets you pleasure of a different kind. So, there's no constraints of time, place or boundaries. Even a foot path is a good place to sit, relax, and write. May be it's a letter to your darling one, may be a poem, or may be your emotional expressions on the International politics.
Writing is godly ! So, writing sitting in front of a temple is more godly. Maybe, that's why this gentleman chose to write his mind sitting right in front of the Ganapathy temple at Trivandrum Central Railway Station.

Focus on focus

Mr.X : RAMandRAT has no focus. Why so ?
RAMandRAT : That's the focus - Not having a focus on anything in particular.
The focus is on 'Randomness' and thus the variety.
Mr.X : I C ... !

Pure water and "Pureit"

I am talking about the popular brand of water filter (purifier) from Hindustan Lever, "Pureit".
I am a Pureit customer, since the last two years. I have been keenly watching the "Pureit" publicity, over the TV and newspapers. Last day, I happened to see a colourful brochure on this item. The data given there in made me reassess my earlier decisin to buy the product. But, I had already implemented by decision, and so a reassessment on the decision, however, is irrelevant.
But still, I just had a thought on the product, based on what they says.
Pureit has been compared with other conventional filtering (purifying) methods. OK..Ok..Pureit certainly wins. But a comparison with a UV-inline filter also has been projected. The tabulation of comparison clearly says that :
Pureit has low initial expenditure, and low recurring expenditure. For the UV filter, these expenditures are high.
Now, I have a disagreement on this claim, based on my experience with the product.
Initial expenses are certainly low. Thank God.
Recurring expenses are NOT low. Infact, it's very high; that's what I know. And remember, the UV filter has no recurring expenditure, but for the low power consumption.
Thye expenditure of Rs.1/- per 5 litres of purified water, is not true. It works out to almost Rs.1/- for every 3 litres. ie. Every litre costs you about 35 paisa. For the UV filter, I don't have the exact figures. However, I feel it should be much lower.

Pureit always talks about a 'battery'. Though initially I had a confusion over this term, I am clear about what it means. But, I know some people believe that Pureit works on 'batteris' !
{For the common man, batteries refer to a set of cells (dry cell or NiCd or, something like that ) for powering the device }. Pureit battery is just the 'chlorinating module' in the purifier. It has nothing to do with powering the same. This 'battery' needs replacement quite often; and costs you heavily.

I hope, HUL understands the common man's vocabulary, and use the right words. I know, a person deferred his purchase decision , just for believing that this fellow works on batteries (and it would cost him high and recurring).

Serpant with a thousand heads

Ananthan, the serpant God, has a thousand heads. I can imagine, how he would look like. No one has seen him, but the ideology is live.
How'd a 'Nilavilakku' look like. Usually with just one towering head. I have seen Nilavilakku with three heads. But last day I saw one with towering NINE heads.
This maynot be a news ! However, please have a look at the Nlavilakku.
{ in the third floor of Vinayaka Auditorium, Kadavanthara, Ernakulam }.

Ernakulam / Cochin scenes

Cochin aka Kochi aka Ernakulam.
'Ernakulam' can be dissected to analyse as :
Erana kulam . 'Kulam' means pond. 'Erana' means 'having aiswaryam' (clean and holy).
But today's Ernakulam is ( I feel) an 'Eranamketta kulam'. 'Eranam ketta' means 'not having any aiswaryam'. ie. dirty and ugly pond. That's Ernakulam.

I hope my Kochi friends and others would pardon me for making such an analysis and conclusion.
Believe me, that's what I saw last day at Kochi (for me Ernakulam and Kochi are same ).
Look at the snaps I took on the way from Ernakulam south to Kadavanthara. There's a narrow culvert enroute. Scenes from this culvert (adjoining he market).




















It's certainly not water in the canal. Looks like mercury ! Isn't it ?




















And there's no mercury in this canal. It's a farm for haycinth (paayal).




















Keralites, it looks, is not aware that the haycinth (the vegetation you curse ! ) is an excellant source of fish food ! And you know, it's a source of electrical energy !
I pray, our techno-sociologists initiate a revolutionary project for using this resource. That day is not far off. I would see Ernakulam canals clean and beautiful then.
But when ?

Garbage and our Clean city

Our city has a very systematic and rigourous method of making it a real 'clean city'. I appreciate the Government for all their efforts. Look at the above city scenes.
But what I saw in the garbage cart is thought provoking. Almost all of what it had is thrown by the people living around. Most of it is bio-degradable too. A minor part is 'plastics and the like' which are non-bio-degradable.
What's the need to throw off all these degradable stuff ? Can the people themselves dispose them off? What ever little waste materials you have, I think, can be processed in their own campus (even if it is in a residential flat ). It's excellent as manure for the garden (for whatever plants ) you have. But you have to dispose off the non-degradables. Let that alone be collected by the cleaning agency.
{ Maybe, I am too silly and impractical to think this way. Do you think so ? )

Finishing schools and Crash courses

Finishing schools ! They'll finish you. You get finished. So, don't ever go to a 'finishing school'.

Crash courses ! They crush you to crash yourself. So, don't ever go to a crash course !

The green "kaalakoodam"

Pakistan is very unique. It doesnot have an exact border. You may see a territorial entity (with a border drawn) on a map. But, as you know, a country is much more than its territorial entity. For Pak, it’s much more relevant.
Pakistan, in addition to its territorial entity (with disputed borders), also has a virtual entity. Part of Pak, as a virtual country, still resides in India. That’s why the geographical borders are irrelevant. Pak has an internal presence in India, through a very minor sect of the population, spread all over. The reverse, however, is not true.
India lives with an enemy within. All other countries, if at all they have, have their enemies outside their territorial boundaries. It then, is easier to manage. But it’s different here in India. As long as this ‘venomous viral infection’ is present, India cannot be peaceful. Being virtual, conventional methods of driving these enemies away are not feasible. We are to think of a new methodology to cure this infection and attack. You all know that, being built in to our society, we can't drive away the “Pak Operating system” from our country. Therefore, the methodology should be something different, to eradicate the Paki viruses from India.

Pak presence in India is like “kaalakoodam”. The killer venom is still in the throat of Lord Shiva, he can’t swallow it, nor spit out. That’s exactly how the “green kaalakoodam” should be dealt with. Make it inert and ineffective, but still bearing it all along. You have no other choice. This being present virtually, a new ‘social management methodology’ may have to be evolved. Let our ‘sociologists’ think of a solution. Military power, for sure, is not the solution (being internally infected.. you can't strike yourself), though it may reduce the killer power for sometime.

Pakistan - an evil country ? Let it not be !

Last day, our Prime Minister said : “ Mumbai terror strikes had left Indians angry and hurt, as ‘never before’. The terrorists had used the territory of a neighboring country for mounting the attacks. .. Everyone’s obligation to bring perpetrators of the crime to book”.

I think these words are an expression of the ‘limits of tolerance , patience, and anger’. How can the leader of a Nation be more polite, to express his emotions ? Can we Indians be any more patient, to suffer everything that these criminal people does ? It’s all beyond the limits.

I am happy that the issue have been noted by the International community. But I am surprised! And I am proud ! We didn’t retaliate our enemy’s deeds in their coin. Let’s not do it that way. It’s a very GREAT decision. I know the decision was very difficult and painful.

In this context, let me tell you, had it been for anyone else, Pak would have had 195 bombs blasted in their country, within 195 minutes! We Indians are capable of doing this; we have the strike power. But, we don’t do such bad things. None of us would like our innocent Pak brothers to face the strikes. But, they – the whole of Pak people- should understand that India is well aware of the fact that “injustice of any sort can be countered with appropriate strikes”.

Dear Paki brothers, you should understand the situation, and learn yourself that we Indians are ‘angry as never before’. Not only India is angry, Indians are angry. But we reserve our strike powers. Please make all attempts to make yourself – all your countrymen- aware of the truth, and make your Government ( and whoever .. ) act humanely and wise.

With prayers for all people of Pak , and again pray ‘O God, let Pak be not an evil country any more’.

Who am I ?

Who am I ? What's my name ?
It's not my doubt.. it's a question posed to you.
Here is an envelop, addressed to me by my clever friend. Ca you guess who am I ?

High alert : (stray) Dog squad

High alert... protection by Dog squad. Must be the after-effect of recent Bombay blasts.
A scene from a local residential area. Stray dogs lined up in front of the bungalow.

Muffler

Look.. ! but do you hear ? How'd you feel when this bike runs ?
Yeah.. I could feel that last day. It's almost at the threshold of pain.. must be over 100 db !