Respect the blizzard !

Makkale, if you haven't already seen the news, Germany is preparing for a blizzard ! There have been several warnings and instructions to prepare for it. You can find them here (in German).

Although it is not predicted to be as bad as in the UK, transport, electricity supply etc. will get affected. So take this seriously....it is nothing like getting wet in the rain in South India and coming home to change and having something hot to get better !

- If you have travel plans and if you can avoid it, do so. Most airports and railway stations are announcing delays, so chances are that you are going to be late anyway, so why not postpone the trip from the comfort of your home ? The same goes for driving ! All roads are going to be icy and the supply of salt is ''stretched''....so don't take chances.

- If you have no groceries at home, shop as soon as day breaks and don't wait until 7:30pm, chances are that shops may close early. Stock up on ready-to-eat food as well. Don't forget any medicines that you regularly need (esp. when the weather gets bad like if you have a sinus or asthma problem that worsens with the weather !)

- Cook some food for the weekend tomorrow, if there is no supply you will have no electric stove...duh ?! Fill up a couple of bottles (or more) with water or stock up on a few litres of water as well.

-Charge your mobile phones, laptops and anything that you cannot live without even for a few hours (:D) now

- Pass this info on to your friends and add any tips that I have skipped.

Don't mess with Nature, Stay warm, Stay safe !

Copyright for picture

http://blogs.davenportlibrary.com

Nandri, nandri, nandri

It was New Year’s Eve and among the many other wonderful things the day brought me, there was an email, an email that completely overwhelmed me! It was from a friend, let’s call him Ram and I take the liberty of quoting a part of his email here.

“I just finished reading all your 121 posts.........'t was like reading an unputdownable novel........a few chapters (chapters here akin to posts) were not as interesting albeit; as they were not within the precincts of my fathomable perspicacity.

None-the-less at the end of it, felt like Conan Doyle just killed Sherlock Holmes and he wouldn't return. It's gonna be a fanatic impatience waiting for the next post after this impasse. And that's just one of those ways it made me feel.

I Salute You my good friend........you are a humble person and a noble soul......your words enunciate wisdom, strength, resilience, conviction, agility, steadfastness, tenacity and innocence. I now wonder how can someone be as liberated while fastened by the physical, mental and emotional bonds of humankind..........I wonder??? I shall continue to awe at the mysterious and intimidating yet simple truth that you portray..........the scales of life will keep tilting no matter what, but in search of what is the question. If it is in search of balance, then you see 'what is' in everything; but conversely those who seek 'that what isn't' are looking for justifications and opinions.”

Obviously there are reasons as to why I was not simply flattered but completely overwhelmed….

- I envy Ram’s command over the English language, his wonderful style of writing and his powerful expression of thoughts (as you probably have already noticed). When he compliments me on my writing, I am speechless

- I worship Sherlock Holmes and I cannot count the number of times I have read his short stories and novels. Even mentioning Holmes (and in turn Doyle) in the context of my blog gives me goose pimples.

- I consider myself a voracious reader and I read many blogs regularly but never once have I bothered to read all the previous posts in any of my favorite blogs. So someone reading all the posts and comparing it to a book is just too much for me to take….

Weirdly, this email, instead of boosting my ego, is humbling. A few years ago, when blogging started, I checked it out and thought “This is for writers, not for someone who rambles on like me” and then suddenly one day a simple email made me start blogging. Life brings with it many surprises – from things like finding someone who would turn out to be one’s best friend to life altering decisions. My tenure in Germany (I never even knew where Stuttgart was exactly located before coming here) is one of them and today when many unknown people thank me for the information in my blog, I am surprised again since this was never a part of my plan...but then...it never has been my plan....the plan comes from above and I simply execute it, don’t I?

What can be better than beginning this year’s blogging by thanking him ?! Thanks Ram, I will keep writing and I will consciously try to improve hoping that like the perfect artist, I have the knowledge of when to stop……or let the divine plan take care of it :)

Bye, Bye, Microsoft Word

For someone who has written 2 thesis reports in Microsoft word and has spent more time on formatting than on the content, knowing that Microsoft is banned from selling Word is indeed good news to start off the new year with. Oh..well…nothing to be too happy about since Microsoft has apparently violated some patent in using code from another company for one of its features and they will most likely set it right soon.

I only wish people started suing Microsoft for physical and emotional strain in using its OS or office so that they will do more acceptance testing before releasing something full of bugs to the already stressed world. I simply cannot keep track of the number of times I or other people have lost unsaved work or had to restart the system for no apparent reason or have spent sleepless nights in getting a document in the right format. I have even heard of an incident where someone in Berlin threw out his computer out the window in frustration. The neighbors called the cops and they let him off with a warning saying that "we have all wanted to do it at one point"….enna kodumai Saravanan ?! I am willing to bet it was Microsoft related issues that drove to him to that frenzied state.

More testing, Fewer bugs/exceptions - Microsoft, can you make this your new year resolution?

Makkale, idhoda naan indha year joot, so see you all next year. Have a wonderful new year....ensoi maadi :D ! Vazhga, valarga !

4 Idiots

I first saw a movie with one idiot - Rocket Singh and then the '3 Idiots'...kooti kazhichu parunga, kanakku seriya varum !

Rocket Singh was a comedy but it had such a serious message - Business with Ethics ! All of us at one point have been frustrated with customer service or the money we have had to spend on parts that we have no clue about especially when dealing with electronic goods. Businesses take undue advantage of the customer's ignorance of technology and only profit margins matter. Can one step over this temptation ? That is more or less the crux of the movie. The message was clearly delivered - Business is about people not numbers. If you get the former right, the latter automatically falls in place. I didn't think anything in the movie was out of place, even the romance was so well integrated that one hardly thought about it separately. Ranbir kapoor plays the role to perfection and the supporting cast gives an equally applaudable performance. In short, a really good movie.

I want to talk about "3 Idiots" now but I can hardly find the words. MUST WATCH - even if you don't know hindi, watch it with subtitles (Hearing to Chatur's speech in the college day made me thank amma again and again for having forced me to learn hindi....ROFL !!). The movie was hilarious, brilliant, thought-provoking,...add a string of good adjectives here. You don't need to read the story or reviews or anything, just go watch it, you just have to !! It is really the Balatkar...oops...Chamatkar of the year !

Sources for merged pictures
- 3 Idiots promo
- glamsham.com for Rocket Singh movie poster

Coffee 'Break'

….yeah, I am taking or rather have taken a break from coffee. Today is my 15th day without coffee (giving myself a pat on the back :D) and I cannot remember when I ever did this !

It all started with a colleague of mine who mentioned his abstinence from alcohol every year for 2 months – Jan and Feb, to make up for all the extra booz that goes in during Christmas and New Year. He usually has someone else do it with him for the sake of motivation and this year he had no one. When I volunteered he said “What is the point ? you don’t drink anyway!” and for some reason I said “I will do it with coffee” and we agreed on it.

Afterwards I got to thinking that I had been pretty hasty in what I had committed myself to since I am used to one cappuccino and one espresso everyday at work and our very own bru coffee at home during the weekend. With travel, it gets only worse since coffee remains the only palatable hot item most of the times, for vegetarians! So I decided to test how well I can resist coffee and surprisingly I didn’t miss it as much, so I decided to continue it until the end of Feb and actually overdo my deal (:D) by starting early.

I can’t really say I have become healthier in 2 weeks but I definitely feel so :D

Tips for taking a break from coffee:
- Have a fruit with breakfast – An apple is supposed to be 3 times more effective than coffee in waking you up (yeah, I understand, eating an apple during a meeting is awkward, that’s why there are other tips :D)
- Try different teas….no, no, not the masala chai with lots of sugar but I am talking about green tea and fruit tea. I used to dread green tea until I found one with a citrus aroma. It smells so good that I forget how bland it tastes :D. In winter, no matter what I drink, as long as its hot, I am happy! Remember, you should never drink green tea with milk and sugar. The fat-burning property of green tea is lost when you add either of these. Fruit teas can also be a welcome change since there are numerous flavours available and some of them can really agree with you
- Choosing another hot drink like bournvita or Ovalmaltine. The problem here though is the number of calories. One cup (around 250 ml) has nearly 300 calories (milk and sugar included)

Girls, Coffee is extremely bad for skin, complexion and can worsen acne problems (Guys, no offence, am assuming girls bother more about these things but you have the right to be equally concerned too).

So do you have one of your new year resolutions now :D? Hopefully its not – indha ponnu tholla thangala, ineme iva blog pakkam vara koodadhu !

Avatar - The Story of Lord Rama

It was 7pm and I was all set with my huge glasses, a bottle of water and something to snack on. I was waiting for the curtains to part and the first ad to come up (I never feel like I have seen a movie in a theatre if I do not see the ads and trailers before the actual movie). Yup, I was all set to watch Avatar and see what took James Cameron and the crew 10 years to get it to the big screen.

In one phrase – a visual treat! If you haven’t already seen it, you are missing out on something.

This is not a review, but just my interpretation of what I saw. It may have spoilers, so do not read it if you haven’t seen it. At least that’s what I do anytime there is a movie that’s much hyped about.

To me it was too much like the story of Lord Rama (Obviously there is no 100% analogy, so please do not point out what is not similar). The title led me to think about the 10 avatars (Dasavatharam) and I was seeing more and more of Rama and his story in it.

The Blue Color – Ramar (I fondly remembered how paati used to describe silk saris – Ramar bluela then color border, I like using things we know to describe colors instead of the fancy burgundy, beige words ! Yes, Burgundy is a wine and the color is associated with it but how many people who use it actually know what it means?!)
The colorful dragon – Jatayu
The bow and arrow – Each time Jake took the bow and arrow stance, I always thought of the Ramayana Panchathantra comics.
The tree – Karpagavriksham (It is called the tree of life and eternity in Hindu mythology. I have to admit though I don’t know if this appears in Ramayana)
The hanging mountain – Sanjeevani malai (Hanuman brings it to save Lakshman’s life - yeah, yeah, was not a hanging mountain but was a mountain with special powers)
The belief in Death – Neytiri says that there is no death but the beings just go back to where they came from – exactly the belief Hinduism has (that is why the body is cremated, so that it returns to the earth)
The forest, The monkeys, The animals and Neytiri’s fondness for it and obviously the fight against evil (Evil today is indeed destroying nature).

Oh...well…coming back to the real world, the graphics (yeah, yeah, CGI) were unbelievable. Many times I forgot that the avatars are not actual actors and I never realized how lengthy the movie was (It was more than 2.5 hours) until I came out of the theatre and saw the time. Yes, the fight at the end was lengthier than it could/should have been but the rest of the movie more than makes up for it.

Go, go, get your 3D glasses (aka put on a nerdy look) and enjoy the movie!

Picture from the Ramayana animation movie

Good Samaritan or Nosyparker ?

It was 6 pm on Christmas eve. I decided to go jogging to the Theresienwiese (October fest grounds) since the winter festival was over and the place will be deserted - no people and more importantly, no small annoying dogs. As I expected, there was no one in the whole place. If you know the Theresienwiese there is an alley of trees with a path in between (shown in the photo), which runners frequent. As I was going down this path, I spotted someone in a distance standing and looking at something. As I got nearer, I got scared. I was seeing an old man staring at a park bench and on the park bench was a transparent plastic bag and inside it was a man - all weird thriller movies flashed through my mind in a few seconds. But curiosity got the better of me and so I approached the old man. He turned to me and he looked so benign that I felt a little less scared. Then he points to the park bench and says ''es gibt's doch nicht'' (roughly equivalent to ''can you believe it?''). Then my heart rate slowed down and I saw that a man was half-lying half-sitting on the park bench, with a huge plastic cover for warmth. I tried to talk to him but he appeared to be sleeping, so I just murmured ''schade'' to the other old man and continued jogging.

After finishing the 2km stretch of the alley, I was jogging back home and it was getting much colder (It was -2 deg c) and while I crossed the park bench, the fellow was still sitting (still inside the plastic cover) there. This time I decided to find out why he was there.

Me: Ist alles in Ordnung ? Is everything ok ?

Him (peeking out of the cover): Ja

Me: Frieren Sie sich nicht ? Are you not freezing ?

He just grunts, so I continue

Me: Sie werden hier nicht übernachten oder ? You are not going to spend the night here, are you ?

Him: Doch. Yes

The St.Paul's church is a 2 min walk from there. Being Christmas eve, I knew it would be open through the night.

Me: Warum gehen Sie nicht in die Kirche, da ist es bestimmt warm. Why don't you go to the church, it would definitely be warm there.

Him (raises his voice): Ich gehe da nicht hin. I won't go there

Me: Möchten Sie jemanden erreichen ? Do you want to contact someone ?

Him: Nein

Since I didn't know what else to do, I continued home. After coming home, I had to close all the windows and turn on the heater since the temperature had dropped a few degrees and I thought of the old man.

I made up my mind and first called the red cross. I couldn't reach anyone. Then I called 112 assuming I could reach first aid (yes, this is not a first-aid issue but I didn't know who else to call).

Me: In der Theresienwiese liegt ein Mann mit einer Plastiktüte als Decke. Er muss nicht da sein, er wird sich bestimmt frieren. There is a man lying in the park bench in Theresienwiese. I don't think he should be there, he might freeze to death.

112: Ist er bewusstlos oder krank ? Is he unconscious or sick ?

Me: Nein

112: Hat er Sie um Hilfe gebeten ? Did he ask you for help ?

Me: Nein

112: Scheint er so aus dass er Hilfe braucht ? Does he look like he needs help ?

Me: Ich weiß es nicht aber wenn er da übernachtet.....I don't know but if spends the night there....pause

112: Wir können nichts machen wenn er selber keine Hilfe wünscht und bewusstsein ist. Sie können die Polizei anrufen und sie können vorbei schauen. We can do nothing when he wishes to have no help and when he is conscious. You can call the cops and they can check on him.

I am silent and he continues...

112: Sie sind bei der ''....'' ? You are calling from ''....'' (he says my address) ?

Me: Ja

112: Sind Sie Frau Gopal ? Are you Ms.Gopal ?

Me: Ja

112: Also, bei der Polizei melden. Danke. So, call the cops. Thanks.

This time I dial 110. I repeat the whole story again. After hearing me out, he starts talking

110: Ihre Adresse, bitte. Your Address, please

I am thinking - I call from my landline and you do not know my address....dhoda ! Then I give him my address

110: Ihre Name, bitte. Your Name, please

110: Wie sind Sie da gekommen ? How did you get there ?

Me: Ich bin joggen gegangen. I went jogging

110: Wie alt ist er ? ein 50ger, 60ger oder 70ger mann ? how old is he, would you say 50s, 60s or 70s ?

Me: Er wird mindestens 50 sein. He is definitely over a 50 years old

110: Ist er Wohnungslos, was würden Sie sagen ? Is he homeless, what would you say ?

Me: Keine Ahnung. No idea (Since it was dark and he just peeked out of the cover, I couldn't even see his clothes right)

110: Die Theresienwiese ist echt groß. Beschreiben Sie bitte so genau wie möglich wo er sitzt. The Theresienwiese is really huge. Please describe exactly where he is sitting.

I describe the alley, the position as detailed as I can

110: Alles klar, wir schicken jemanden hin. Wenn alles in Ordnung ist und er keine Hilfe wünscht können wir leider nichts mehr machen. Ok, we will send someone to check on him. If he is fine and needs no help, we can do nothing more.

I thank him, hang up the phone and went deep into thought.

He could be there for a number of reasons - homeless, drunk, fight with the family, something against christmas, visiting someone (but has no money for the hotel) etc. But it bothered me so much because it was cold and he was old and I think dying without food or shelter is the worst form of death.

Then I felt horribly guilty as my mind wandered on to when I was in Nainital 4 years ago in November. I was visiting a cousin and we were shopping along the banks of the lake and it was getting chilly by the minute. As we were hurrying home, I noticed a number of huts and a huge number of people sleeping on the platform. We talked about how terrible it would be for them to stay outside in such temperatures and then got on with our work. I didn't think of calling anyone or doing anything about it.

When I am ready to spend so much effort on one man who is lying outside and who assures me he is all right, why did I not think of doing anything then ? Is it because in someway I am more socially responsible now or is it because I knew that my phone call here would make a difference while no amount of phone calls would help those people ? I don't know......

Today I went jogging along the same route and who do you think I saw ?? The same man, with the same plastic cover and he was drinking what looked like a coffee. He has survived the night, the visit from the cops and is braving himself for what looks like another night......this time I just shook my head and went on running. God and people can help only those who help themselves....