Pet Pride

Lovely pets, remover of stress,
You’re parting, make things a mess.

Grandparents Jackie, faithful born,
Hazel alone, now that you are gone.

My sweet Kunji, Ammini and others you give,
But you come to me, Even after you leave.

The ducks and turtles, doing a lot of communicating,
of one kind or another, with fishes too in the pond,

Guess they were happy about the sunshine, too!
But I could not control myself, when rabbit you were gone,

Size doesn't matter, who said you are wild,
We still love appu and ammu, you are mild.

Colourful lovebirds, repeating parrots,
Your chirruping makes my day, you bring gay,

Pets, you are a pride, but at times gives pain,
I don’t want you, just to be in the zoo, I love you.

_____________________________

"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and man." Cannot forget my father feeding dogs...

"I am glad that rats have only one life, but cats have nine."

"Am still trying to Find Nemo"

"Chechi, you dont know how much I loved my rabbit, I cannot control my tears, others wont understand, why you told this matter..."

Belive there are some, whose favourate pet is elephant!

Fly Kingfisher, chempothu makes my mothers day!

"Peace to you and may your path be blessed." ~ Lee Jampolsky

Energy

Most of the pages in todays Hindu had Rajiv Gandhis photo. As I wondered why, I realised today was his birthday. (20.08.1944-21.05.1991). Indeed, he has left a mark behind. Destined! Will of God?

Ad in todays Hindu, by the Ministry of petoleum and Natural Gas, Govt. of India...

'Energy is the key to the growth and development of any nation'

...upgrading ourselves in everyway and securing energy is the future of the nation....

Conserve energy for a bright future:

• Drive at optimum speed of 45-55 km/hr
• Maintain correct tyre pressure
• Switch off engine at traffic signals
• Light your stove only after you have kept all the ingridents within your reach and is ready to cook.
• Pressure cooking saves fuel and time.
• Use optimum quantity of water while cooking.
• Use higher efficency 'ISI'marked LPG stove.


There can be one criterian for measuring the development, how much high technology is used in the life of common man..Well this is external.

Look out for positive, spread positive, thoughts, energy..

Positive thoughts, positive feelings attract positive energy,and brings joy..
Negative thoughts, negative feelings attract negative energy,and brings sorrow..

That is what the Law of attraction also says...

Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow..Never tell a person he is wrong...

With Nature Again on Independence Day...

Bidding farewell for this year, to the rain-drenched month of Karkidakam, and celebrating the Independence Day..Had a long bike ride, with few to be precise 9 of my present team mates to spend sometime in the solitude of unspoilt nature, in Ernakulam itself....

First to Kodanad, then had a view of the lake near Malayatoor, trecked and reached top of the hill, where it was misty at 12.30pm.., saw the periyar river, and then a drive to Illithode, played in the river....all this when it was raining....








Is'nt it lovely??

How about the thought, something contrary to my favourate but true about some:
'Servant is always wrong, son is ok, but I am always right'!

Independence a precious Gift of God....May we always remain Independent!!!

Ragas

Awe-inspiring performances that bring alive all the beautiful moods of the day- from morning to night.

A rare collection reflecting the changing moods of morning, afternoon, evening and night through ragas those are truly inspiring.

The beauty of Indian classical music lies in the fact that its soothing vibrations have the power to transform any moment into something truly special. And when the masters of music come together to capture the different moods of the day, the effect is nothing short of magical.

Ragas 16-CD pack is a beautiful rendering of morning, afternoon, evening and night ragas by famous classical artists. These captivating music CDs celebrate the melodic marvels of Indian classical music and bring together the finest classical performances by the greatest maestros.

Get ready to be swayed by the soothing perofrmances of some of the biggest names in the history of Indian classical music- Pt. Jasraj (Vocal), Rajan and Sajan Mishra (Vocal), Hariprasad Chaurasia (Flute), Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (Sarod) Shahid Parvez (Sitar), Padma Talwalkar (Vocal), Shruti Sadolikar (vocal) and Mallikarjun Mansur (Vocal).

Maestros of Indian classical music...together in one great collection!!! This is exclusively from India Today Book club.

Ha! Woh lamhey, Woh bathey…

On Friday the 30th July 2010, soon after work with a team of enthusiastic, energetic, and eager, ex colleagues, set out to Wayanad, on the southern most part of the Deccan Plateau, to explore the Exotic legends, rich heritage, aborigine tribes, tree houses….in ‘God’s own Land’.

We left Kakkanad by 10 pm, Chakramuttu cut his birthday cake, and all of us sang ‘Happy Birthday to you’, searching for the three alphabets, remembered Maria, on grabbing Mansion House. Then began Martin’s Nadan Pattu, Praseed’s parady pattu, Kavitha by Satheesh, Achamma and Shivaji from other side echoing to the tune, which paved way to Anthakshari, Hindi, English, Malayalam songs..rocking, thrilling, melody..Shyam was there with an apt knowledge of the lines from every song. Then as suggested by Aneesh, the hot seat, helped us know the team members even more. The sleeping manager, Sanal was woken up. The secret behind Fredric’s health, Tressa Elssas Success, Aneesh & Sabithas marriage, love and life, Shyam’s future plans, Sivas gift for his family, and to add to the glory, we had Arun.

At around 2.30 am, we stopped to answer the call of nature, had from Thattukadda light food from Azad who also served us tea. It reminded me of people talking about child labour, and then shouting, ‘Chootu 2 chay lana’. By 4.30, we were through Thamaraserry churam, having nine hairpin curves within a distance of 16 kms.to Ghat Road view point, for a great view of steep, misty mountains and a glimpse of distant horizon in the Arabian Sea.

From then began the exploration of Wayanad:
MUTHANGA WILDLIFE SANCTUARY: Since the entry into the wild life sanctuary begins only at 7.00 am, and we reached by 6.30 am, we had our morning walk in the Mist’n’Sun, the sunny rays of the morning sun percolating through the wooded natural landscape. The team was running through the grasses to capture pictures of dear, elephants and monkeys. And then at 7.00 am we entered the Sanctuary.
We reached our place of stay, with lovely view, after refreshing, we had breakfast from Hotel Sagar, and it was Satheesh Piranal.

EDAKKAL CAVES: An interesting trek up the Ambukuthi Hill near Ambalavayal town takes you to the Rock carvings found on the walls of Edakkal caves speak of the Neolithic Civilization. It is about ten thousand years old.


The cave was formed in the crevice of a broken rock, thatched by another massive rock. Climbing the rocks was indeed an uphill task, but worth the adventure. Coming down was not so very difficult.

SOOCHIPPARA WATERFALLS: For reaching the waterfalls, you have to walk miles, but location is scenic, and there is the music of the water flow all around you, making you wonder, how many waterfalls would be there, and it would be on which side. The water flows in a narrow line through rocks and gorge joins the river Chaliyar which ends in the Arabian Sea.


It was quite enthralling to see a group of 4-5, young families each having children in between age group of 1-4, climbing the rocks with ease and vigor. Kudose to those men, who walked with the children on their shoulders. But for the help from Aneesh, I would not have been able to do it all alone.
On you way to and from, Tea plantations on the hill slopes will definitely fascinate you. There are plantations owned by TATA, Harrison Malayalam, and even by many locals.


You can buy some mementos, and don’t forget to eat gooseberries dipped in honey, its yummy…We picked the dinner and had it in our room. Thank God, Whether on both the days were favorable for our trip.

Day 2 @ Wayanad: Happy Friendship day!!!

How better this could be cherished!! Ormyude talukalil oru kochu mayilpeeli tandu pole sukshichu vekan, kochu kochu paribhavangalum thamashakalum niranjaee nirmalamaya sauhradam ennum nilanilkate!

Having vacated the stay home, after breakfast, we thought we would just have a glimpse of phantom rock and go to the museum.

PHANTOM ROCK: This is a human shaped rock, a magnum opus of Mother Nature. This rare work of art from nature is at Cheengery near Ambalavayal.


Thanks to Martin, we dared to climb it and view exquisite locations around and take the pictures. ‘Bogoolathinte spandhanam anubhavapettu. ‘

We were so engrossed in it, did not realize the time fleeting. Had to drop the plan of visiting the museum.

KARAPUZHA DAM: Enroute to Banasura Sagar, our Annie chettan dropped us at one end of the Karapuzha dam, and we walked over to the other end, enjoying and viewing the flow of water from the dam. It indeed is a great place for picnic.
A green pasture in the lap of nature! Surrounded by the unfathomable beauty of the hills and the ripples of the lakes , a spot enough to make anyone a kid.

BANASURA SAGAR: India’s longest earth dam, is situated at the northern boundary of Wayanad. The Island is in the backdrop of Banasura hills. It offers a spectacular green beauty. You can do boating here touching 25 small Islands spread over the dam. In consequence of the topography, islands are formed in the upstream of the dam after the rainy season. Manikkunnu, Chembra Peak, Thariyode, Suganthagiri and Brahmagiri hills can be seen from here.



Tranquility at its extreme! Enjoyed the ambience of hills, lakes and valleys. No wonder if you loose the sense of time immersing in the serenity of its locale.

POOKKODE LAKE: The lake is a rare gift of nature to Wayanad. Walking around it, a full round, gives you a rare feeling, enjoying the nature, plants, and monkeys. To set free your mind and talk to water lilly, hear the music of water-fowl. Childrens park, an aquarium and a shop for spices, handicrafts and honey also function here.



Did not want to return, but had to..Stopped at the Chain tree, and again on the peak of the Ghat, to capture lasting memories and praying that we all come again soon. Had dinner at night 10 pm, from near Calicut University. Fredric, Martin, Shyam rocked with their dances, during the return trip. Space was not a constraint.

Had a feeling of eternal bliss, Mesmerizing mother nature at her best. I wished I could be absorbed by her. Thanks to the wonderful team to…Indeed success is the ability to organize a productive endeavor, and the tour was indeed a great success! Kudose to the organiser, manager, and wonderful team. Thank God for the opportunity, and for providing apt whether.

Thanks to the photographers, you do not know who get the best shot, and there were so many varity to, for and by Aneesh...Lovely, perfect picnic it was!

Some attractions that we missed, because of lack of time, and wishing to catch up soon:
• A days trekking on the paradise Chembra Peak, in the west of Kalpetta.
• Picturesque view of Pakshipathalam, the caves, home for wide variety of birds, animals and distinctive species of plants.
• The sunrise valley, with an offshoot of challiyar river meandering along.
• Kurva Island, said to be the main attraction, with 950 acres of evergreen forest, on one of the tributes of river Kabani.
• The Panoramic view of Meenmutty waterfalls, the biggest in wayanad about 100 mtrs. From above. The walk catching through the ropes, would be real fun.

Splendid mesmerizing nature, indeed a great boon to the sight.

The Pursuit of Happyness

Was Desperite to see this movie since a week...

And then had sms from Amit on 07-Aug-10: The movie in AXN started at 8pm...and then followed more calls/sms...

It is a 2006 American biographical drama film directed by Gabriele Muccino and based on the true story of Chris Gardner. The film stars Will Smith as Gardner, an on-and-off-homeless salesman-turned stockbroker.

The screenplay by Steven Conrad is based on the best-selling memoir written by Gardner with Quincy Troupe.

5 lessons from the movie:

1. Never put all of your money in one basket

Chris Gardner (played by Will Smith) spent all of his money buying a bunch of portable bone scanners that he was convinced would make him rich.

2. Never give up and remain fixed on the goal

Chris Gardner never gave up. He decided what he wanted to do and went for it. Even though his motivations for being in the stock market weren’t the correct ones, it did end up working out for him.

Chris’ story proves that if you remain fixed on a goal, and attack it with passion, you can reach that goal.

3. Motivation and Attitude go a long way

Chris had motivation, he had to feed and care for his child. Having to feed your child is probably about the strongest motivation I can think of. Chris’ son (played by Will’s real-life son Jaden) reminded him daily of his need to succeed and get control of his life.

4. Sacrifice in the short term to gain in the long

As Dave Ramsey would say, we must “live like no one else so we can live like no one else”. Live on less than you earn, get out of debt, and begin saving. These are all short term sacrifices for the promise of being wealthy later. Chris knew this.

5. Never think you can’t do something

In one of the most powerful scenes of the movie, Chris tells his son that he can’t do something. After a few moments reflecting, he again looks at his son and says “Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do something, not even me.”

Well having heard a great hype about the movie, I was just ok with it, I like it, but still The Sound of Music is my favourate.