We're off!

I'm looking forward to our 10 day vacation in Dubai. I've never been there and although it was never in my list of travel destinations I'm excited since it's the first trip for my mom outside India.
I don't particularly fancy high tech cities and concrete jungles but I have never seen a desert before, except from an aircraft. So am looking forward to the sand dunes.

Short post, gotta rush.

For some reason...

The site is not allowing me to post more pictures. :)

Anyways! This morning, I parked my car on Brunton and realised that I had parked it way close to the parking signboard. Parking is such a nuisance, really. Never imagined that Bangalore would get so crowded that it would become close to impossible to get parking at 9am.
I've also been following the Madeleine McCann case lately and I really wonder about the media frenzy. I know every child is precious but nobody even thinks about the hundreds that are lost in India. The Indian channels report about a child missing in Europe but don't care for the hundreds missing in our own country! What a shame!

Here is another photo taken at her school.

Here are a few more pictures of her 3rd Birthday.

Birthday Time

Well am I glad to be writing again. Busy as ever, training a couple of very polite Poles, organising Birthday parties, working, going on a vacation, being plain lazy etc etc. All since the last time I wrote.

Lisa turned 3 this month and I think it was only on this Birthday that she really had fun with the balloons, decorations, cake and friends. The last time around, she was really excited about having everybody around but I don't think she realised that it was all about her. But I'm glad she enjoyed herself. She had been waiting for it for several weeks. She literally had 3 separate parties, with 3 cakes to cut. The next day, she wanted to know why she had so many birthdays. Here is a photo. I'll upload some more later. And that's anybody's guess when.

Life's all about the choices you make. Sometimes, good, sometimes bad and sometimes ugly. And the kind of choices you make, moulds you into the person you are and the life you lead. Sometimes a lot of choices we make are not really ours, we chose it because somebody else wanted us to. While that might not really be what you've wanted, that was probably the best and that's the beauty of naievity.
On the other hand, what if all the decisions you made, was exactly what you wanted? That sounds perfect doesn't it, but usually a decade later, you wonder if you had the choice to do things a little differently. Reverse, retake, Ctrl Z.... and if you didn't think that way, you are probably lying to yourself. That's just human nature, to want and to change.

Outbreak of Chikungunya!

This is what I found from the CDC website. Although they say that the disease is not fatal, it's not entirely true. People who have diabetes and heart diseases are the ones at risk. It is an extremely painful disease, so much so that it becomes difficult for the person to even move his fingers.

Chikungunya Fever in Sri Lanka, India, and Indian Ocean Islands This information is current as of today, June 27, 2007, 09:56:13 AM

Chikungunya fever is a viral disease transmitted to humans by the bite of infected Aedes and Culex mosquitoes, including the daytime-biting Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus species. Symptoms can include sudden onset of fever, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, joint pain with or without swelling, low back pain, and rash. The symptoms are very similar to those of dengue, but, unlike dengue, there is no hemorrhagic or shock syndrome form. This disease is almost always self-limited and rarely fatal.
A unit of the Ministry of Healthcare and Nutrition in Sri Lanka recently reported laboratory-confirmed cases of chikungunya fever in patients from several districts; the most affected districts are Batticaloa, Colombo, Jaffna, Kalmunai, Mannar, Puttalam, and Trincomalee. Surveillance activities for chikungunya fever cases are continuing in sentinel hospitals in Sri Lanka.
In October 2006, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported ongoing chikungunya fever outbreaks in the following states in India: Andhra Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Kerala.
A chikungunya fever outbreak on the Indian Ocean islands of Mayotte , Mauritius, Réunion (territory of France), and the Seychelles that began in March 2005 is waning. However, transmission can still occur, and travelers to all tropical and subtropical areas of the world are reminded to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites.
Prevention Measures
There are no preventive medications or FDA-approved vaccines for chikungunya fever, but travelers can take steps to reduce their risk of being bitten by infected mosquitoes.
Use insect repellent on exposed skin surfaces when outdoors, particularly during the day.
Repellents containing 30% to 50% DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide) are recommended. Lower concentrations of DEET offer shorter-term protection and require more frequent reapplication.
Repellents containing picaridin are available in the U.S. in formulations of up to 15% concentration, which require frequent reapplication. Repellents with higher concentrations of picaridin may be available in some regions outside the U.S.
Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors.
Clothing may also be sprayed with repellent containing permethrin or another EPA-registered repellent for greater protection.
Where possible, stay in hotels or resorts that are well screened or air-conditioned and take measures to reduce the mosquito population.
Reduce Aedes breeding sites by emptying standing water that may have collected in containers (e.g., uncovered barrels, flower vases, or cisterns) and either overturning the vessels or covering the opening.
If illness develops, stay under a mosquito net or indoors to limit mosquito bites and to avoid further spread of infection.
These preventive measures are the same steps that one would take to reduce the risk of other mosquito-transmitted infectious diseases, such as dengue, malaria, and yellow fever.
Treatment
No specific drug treatment against chikungunya fever is available; thus, treatment of chikungunya fever is supportive: bed rest, fluids, and mild pain medications such as ibuprofen, naproxen, acetaminophen, or paracetamol may relieve symptoms of fever and aching, provided that the person has no contraindications to these medications. Because aspirin can increase the risk of bleeding and possibly increase the risk for Reye's syndrome, it should be avoided during the acute stages of the illness. Few cases are severe enough to warrant hospitalization. All persons with chikungunya fever should be protected against additional mosquito bites to reduce the risk of further transmission of the virus.

Her Latest Picture

I took this a week ago.

Calvin and Hobbes

Here are some funny ones that I bumped into.

Try teaching a toddler the value of money. When I tell Lisa that I cannot buy her everything she asks for she says, "Why, just open your purse, take the money out and give it". Simple isn't it.



I hated English grammar in school. I wish I had read this back then. :)

I met this guy from Taiwan recently, who said he was 30 then, explained to us with great reluctancy (by writing and so on) that he was actually 29. Why? Simply because they consider the number 9 to be unlucky. However, I would've said 28 instead of 30 ;)

Sometimes you don't want ALL the details do you:)

Seven Virtues

I've always heard about the Seven Deadly sins and never really imagined that "Seven Virtues" have also been documented.

For those who don't know here it is:

Chastity (Latin, castitas)—Courage and boldness. Embracing of moral wholesomeness and achieving purity of thought through education and betterment. Abstinence (Latin, frenum) -Constant mindfulness of others and one's surroundings; practicing self-control, abstention, and moderation.
Liberality (Latin, liberalitas) —Generosity. Willingness to give. A nobility of thought or actions.
Diligence (Latin, industria) —A zealous and careful nature in one's actions and work. Decisive work ethic. Budgeting one's time; monitoring one's own activities to guard against laziness.
Patience (Latin, patientia) —Forbearance and endurance through moderation. Resolving conflicts peacefully, as opposed to resorting to violence. The ability to forgive; to show mercy to sinners.
Kindness (Latin, humanitas) —Charity, compassion, friendship, and sympathy without prejudice and for its own sake.
Humility (Latin, humilitas) —Modest behavior, selflessness, and the giving of respect. Giving credit where credit is due; not unfairly glorifying one's own self.

The list of Seven deadly sins is probably easy to stay away from, but this list is tough!

Training!

I'm in this Advanced Unix training right now and I guess trainings are the only time you can do whatever you want except work. I have no access to my emails or LAN so I get to blogging! I've been using Solaris for 6 or 7 years and never attended a training so I am enjoying this one, simply because I'm learning the finer details.
There are a couple of guys here who are least interested in what's going on in class, doing everything else but training. Orkut for example! What kind of an obsession is that?

Goa! The place to Go!

The trip to Goa was the first for me as well as Lisa and we loved it! Except ofcourse for the bus journey from Londa to Vasco da Gama. It wasn't a trip that we had planned in advance and as a result we took the train from Bangalore to this place called Londa, which was actually in the middle of nowhere. A forest really.At Londa we were told that the nearest bus station was 1.5 km away and that we had to walk all the way with our luggage and Lisa. We had breakfast at the Londa bus station and then began our 3 hour ordeal. The bus was so over crowded that it did not have place for even a little bee to get in, but we did. Hurray! Needless to say, everybody was so exhausted that all we wanted to do was get some food and sleep. It was a trip that none of us want to make again. But all this was compensated with the wonderful time we had in Goa. When Lisa saw the beach for the first time, her reaction was "So much water!". See "Our Trip to Goa" for pictures. Here is one of Lisa.

Global Warming

See what we've done to our world: Climate Map

It is not funny anymore, is it?

Lisa's First Concert

Lisa's first concert was on the 30th of March, 2007. I've posted a link under "My Pictures", you can view them all. It was so much fun and she made us proud. Such a performer!

Lisa's Sports Day

Lisa's first ever Sport's day was held on the 3oth of March.

That's her all ready for the very important day, in her white shorts (Mama had to go running all over town to find it) and yellow tee, representing the yellow tabebuia spring flower.
And guess what she won a medal and she was so proud, and so are we.

Summer

Summer is here with a vengeance! It's hovering around the late thirties here and stepping out at 2 or 3 pm is inviting loads of trouble, even with sunscreen.
The spring flowers are slowly giving way to fresh new leaves, if only it were spring time all year long! I'm waiting for the monsoons to set in but it won't be here till some time in June :( So till then, most people here in India have to deal with frequent power cuts and lack of uninterrupted water supply. The ones who can afford it are well equipped offcourse. There is the UPS that comes to the rescue when there is no power, underground and overhead water tanks, borewells and so on. But what do the poor do? Sometimes I don't want to think in that direction for obvious reasons. A lot of them stay in small one room huts with tin roofs and that would mean like living in a furnace. I noticed a large group of women queued up in front of a borewell pump, waiting with their plastic pots. How much will they carry? One, two, three pots?? On the other side, you'll see gardeners striving to keep the lawns green. Such double standards is something people here will never learn to do away with. The government offcourse does nothing, only occasionally bickering about the fact that all the rivers in India have to be interlinked.

Spring!

It's 10:45pm on a Sunday night and I'm as fresh as a flower! Owe this to a good 2.5 hour afternoon siesta, and what's more Lisa was asleep too. Most of us have an extended weekend here because of Ugadi, the Hindu New Year and hopefully I will be nice and rested before I get back to slogging on Tuesday morning. Next week is going to be packed as well, mainly because of Lisa's sports day and Annual concert. I'm looking forward to it but I'm not looking forward being away from work, not that I'm a workaholic, but because I'll have to deal with the pile up when I return.
I have nasty cough and I'm not sure how I picked it up but I'm convinced that my tonsils have to go. A dear friend gave me some gyaan about saving my tonsils, saying that if I didn't have all my parts intact when I die, I won't be let into heaven :) Right now, I think dealing with hell will be better than dealing with my tonsils! Since both Lisa and I weren't feeling too good on Saturday we decided not to go for that birthday party we were invited to but instead decided to visit my cousin and his wife. We ended up staying over (which is not surprising) and returned only a few hours back. Watched a bit of the miserable cricket match between India and Bangaladesh, where India was uncermoniously ripped apart and this morning the men concentrated on the Australian Grand Prix. That is probably the only thing that can get them out of bed on a Sunday morning. Lunch was my treat at the Asean in an extremely crammed restaurant, but all was compensated for with the heavenly food. So on the whole, just lazed through Saturday and Sunday, which is good.
So it's spring/summer in Bangalore, there has never been a clear demarcation of seasons out here. "Winter" usually lasts for a month and during this time the weather is cooler than the rest of the year, around 18 deg C- 22 deg C. But now, the trees are in full bloom. Purple Jacaranda,, yellow tabebuia and offcourse the beautiful pink Cherry Blossom. I'm not sure if I didn't really notice these trees all these years of if this year they look exceptionally lovely. Whatever it is, it just makes us all happier. Reminds me of how back in school we waited all year for the frangipani to flower, the little bench below the gulmohur tree, all so loverrrly. Apparently 2 people called William New and John Cameron introduced the tabebuia trees to Bangalore, since it could be planted under the electric and telephone cables without interfering with them. Very thoughtful.
If only somebody with come up with some concrete ideas for decongesting Bangalore! Sometimes we forget to smell the flowers because all we can smell is the pollution, it's awful and I worry for the next gen. We are leaving behind for them absolutely nothing. Recently I read about how the Ozone layer above Bangalore is thinning at an alarming rate. It now stands at 1.8 MED against the borderline of 2 MED. Let's not go there!

More!

So I promised to write more. Here goes:
If you want magnificent and well documented roads, visit South Africa! They have one of the best roads in the world and it was such a pleasure. Good weather, which is typical around Feb-March, made it even better. The air is pure, and the skies filled with millions of stars. I had actually forgotten what the skies are actually supposed to look like. I remember when I was around 10 years old, I would sleep on the terrace just looking at the stars and there were just so many. Now, the skies of Bangalore are grey, and your lucky if you manage to see any.
The wilderness amazed me! Vast open lands, you could see the horizon. Nothing to stop the view, no buildings, no cables, no planes, absolutely nothing. And the serenity can tend to be a little creepy. I remember looking at a herd of springbok, a few zebras and sable, all of them almost still, just lazing and this will probably be the image of Africa that will be in my mind for a very long time.
The Sterkfontein caves, was probably what I loved best. The cradle of humankind, is the place where paliantologists found the oldest known human skull, Mrs. Ples. It was found by Dr.Robert Broom, somebody who spent decades studying about it and the origin of man. It is believed that it was here in Africa that humankind first orginated! So although I missed the trip to Pilanesburg, I thought a visit to the Cradle of Humankind was something I wouldn't have ever wanted to miss.
Apart from that, we fed the giraffes, ostriches and even got to petting some of the lion cubs. Very cool!
A country can't be so perfect can it? So what is it about South Africa, that a lot of people don't know about.Crime! SA has a very high rate of crime since and this is mostly because the rate of unemployment stands at 50%. So almost all buildings have high walls with electric fencing but that doesn't really help much. The people there fear for their lives which I wasn't used to here in Bangalore. I had wonderful colleagues who made me feel safe, and if it wasn't for them, I'm not sure if things would've been the same. One of them told me about how women wouldn't stop at traffic signals at night, if they could help it because in that short period of a few minutes, there are chances that they would be robbed. I met an Indian on my flight back, who had been robbed at gunpoint thrice and whose Uncle was attacked a few days ago, and was in the hospital being treated for broken ribs. Another Afrikaner woman with a 3 month old collicky baby- her brother had been shot and she was transporting his body to India. Very distressing and very sad. But having said all this, I would like to someday, go back to Africa simply because one week was too short. I miss it, the air, the skies, everything!

South Africa!

It's pretty obvious isn't it that I have been upto a lot lately. Well, the year started out great. The big news, I got promoted to a Technical Leader, something that came to me quite unexpectedly. I'm not complaining.
Then on the 3rd of February, 2007 was my little sisters wedding. Well I guess she isnt little anymore. The wedding was in Hyderabad, a fairly small one in comparison to the typical Indian ones. So there I was taking the extra responsibility of a new role and trying to help out with the wedding (mainly the incessant shopping that I'm not too fond of). Just when I thought everything was under control, I was requested to visit South Africa to train a few engineers. Gosh, that was the most exciting day for me! Just a few months ago, I wrote down a list of places I wanted to visit and Africa was the last one. Not because that was my last choice, but because I never really thought that an opportunity would come my way. So it did!
SA is a beautiful country except for the high crime rate but thanks to my colleagues from work, I felt absolutely safe. Now, I have tons to write about this heaven on Earth and it will probably take me several long posts and I will take the time to do that. But for now, I will try and keep it short. I'll post some pictures soon.
I am back!