End of 2007

Folks !! Last night my classmate and friend send me these wonderful pictures of a place called Kasauli in the State of Himachal North of India. We were both studying in the school ie St. Mary's Convent School and I did my 5th to 10th Grade here in this beautiful place . She happen to visit it after almost 2 decades I got to see these wondeful pictures and with her permission I have posted few on my blog..After seeing those I have now decided to visit this place with my kids hopefully in our next trip to India.We have been for the past one year trying to get in touch with our classmates of those years and hopefully hear from them someday.
With the 2008 concern being Global Warming and we here in Finland awaiting the snow since ages..I wish everyone of you a great year ahead. Thank you for the comments and good wishes all through 2007.. Here is wishing you a Very Happy New Year !!

The Pictures form Kasauli - Thanks to my friend...

Christmas Greetings !!

Have you noticed how discordant Christmas Carols sound in the month of May? Or in the monsoon? They don’t even sound right at Diwali, do they? There is something about Carols that make them typical of the Christmas season. They get you ‘into the mood’, don’t they? Some people like me make the most of the season. We start listening to Christmas Carols even as the Church ushers in the First Sunday of Advent.

The nostalgic memories of Christmases gone by leave me a little emotional (you know what I mean). I think of the wonderful times with the family around the dining table busy making Christmas sweets... while surreptitiously dipping my fingers into the cake as it was still a sweet, sticky dough. Oh for the times we sang Christmas Carols with the family during those chill December evenings after dinner and before bed and went Carol singing door to door. All of us were tired having done something or other to contribute to the joy of Christmas. It was the giving that brought us that joy so typical of the season.
At the risk of sounding like a ‘wet blanket’: I could never much take to Christmas ‘songs.’ (mind you, not ‘carols’) They seem to have quite a ‘selfish air’ about them…Admittedly their words were picturesque… evoking all kinds of images but the ‘spirit’ seems to be missing…Think of titles like…I’m dreaming of a White Christmas, I’ll be home for Christmas ..All I want for Christmas…I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus... and many others… I suddenly became aware of how ‘selfish’ a secular Christmas can be in comparison to a Good Old Catholic Christmas. The very Carols speak for themselves…Come all ye faithful…Silent Night … Away in a Manger…Go tell it on the Mountain …There was something peaceful, devout, generous and thought-provoking about them…The carols have a way of quickening the Christmas spirit. They will do this same for us even as we sing (or try to sing) them again this year.
You have to admit that Christmas ‘songs’ only encourage you to be a little more self-centred and a lot more selfish. Christmas is a time for giving and helping, soothing and supporting…but we find ourselves, helping ourselves, hoping to receive, yearning to be pleased… That’s where we miss the ‘Christmas-point’ with such songs entering our repertoire…We become obsessed with our ‘first person’ celebrations while others are helped only in as much as ‘I get my slice of the pie first.’
It’s Christmas once again…so how generous will we be this time?... You’ve got a real chance to open not just your purse but your heart and your home to anyone who needs your love…so that when you bless those around you from the goodness of your heart…you’ll notice a thaw in your frosty greetings and not just a melody but harmony in your discordant Christmas carols…Then ‘giving’ will be simple…I pray your heart overflow with Christmas joy…because in giving you have already received much more than you gave...(Text Borrowed from Fr. Ian Doulton sdb)

Merry Christmas Folks !!

A proud moment...

It was a joy to have our little one appear in one of the monthly magazine of a top departmental stores here in Helsinki http://www.stockmann.fi/portal/english http://tavaratalot.stockmann.fi/portal/suomeksi/
Please click on the picture to get a bigger view.

Where does the problem lie ?

An article forwarded by my friend from Bangalore made be think:

- Is it money ?
- Is it lack of education ?
- Is it just one-off incident ?
- Do we care ?
- Are we humans anymore ?
- Is it stress ?
- What is it ?


Read the article from TOI Bangalore Nov 16th page 3 .....

If you’re ever a victim of road rage, don’t expect the cops to come to your rescue. ‘Your problem, you settle it yourself,’ is all you can expect from the men in khaki. This is what happened with a customer service executive at BEL Circle on Thursday evening.
Sandeep (name changed) was driving home with his fiancee at 5.45 pm. Just before BEL Circle, a car overtook them, and the driver made a face at him. While Sandeep got stuck at the signal, the other car whizzed ahead.
When he crossed the signal, the driver, standing in the middle of the road, stopped him.
He started abusing Sandeep, and then picked up a brick and smashed it on his head. Bleeding profusely, Sandeep cried out for help, but in vain. A constable standing nearby didn’t utter a word. “ . My fiancee requested the constable to help me, but he said he wouldn’t intervene in a personal scuffle,’’ he said.
Some passers-by stopped the driver, but he sped away on seeing the cop. A little later, the constable too vanished.
Sandeep and his fiancee were taken to Jalahalli police station. But none of the cops knew which constable was on duty at the circle. A complaint was registered and the victim taken to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for a broken nose.

OSO V Saawariya - What do you think

So do you buy my idea..!!


Couple of years back on a fine evening in one of the posh hotel in Mumbai or London..there was a table reserved with following guest list:

"Sanjay Leela Bansali Farah Khan ShahRukh Khan Anil Kapoor Rishi Kapoor"

The guest were in time and had the usual chitchat and then ordered some विन and then as usual Farah Khan spoke first...

Farah: You know after main hoon naa i really do not have any script which i can work on other that the stage show Bombay dreams no real work but Shahrukh and self have come up with this super plan which involves you Sanjay

Sanjay: Tell me darling.. I can die for you..

Farah : You are launching Ranbir & Sonam and I have this new girl ..Shahrukh kya naam hai yaar uska..

Shahrukh : Yaar woh Prakash Padukone kee tall see model beti...ek minute let me check the sms she sent..haan Deepika

Farah: So what i was telling Sanjay your story of sawaariya is that same old gissi pitee wali the only good thing u make are those sets ..kabhi kabhi i feel you should change ur profession to interior designing ॥anyways..back to our plan...tho meine sochaa public ko ullu banathe hai.. we come up with a hotch-potch story where we fit in few songs ..dosra janam and all that..Shahrukh vaise bhi kai stars को dosth bana chuka hai ..subko guest appearance de denge or ek masala film bana dalthe hai..

Sanjay(chewing gutka as usual): So darling what is this to do with me ?

Shahrukh : Yehi tho twist hai sirjee ..we will launch these two ordinary pictures on the same day and the best time of the year.

Anil Kapoor : Diwali Pe !!

Shahrukh : Exactly !!

Farah: Yes !! We will create enough hype controversy media clash ..rivalry taki juntha samje bhai kuch hai movie mein..and its a known fact if a person goes to see one movie will 100% go and see this other one...

Rishi kapoor (Enjoying his wine and smiling all evening): Haan yaar mein tho jaroor jaunga cause ek mein tho mera beta hai aur dusre mein aaj ke shaam ka bill pay karne wala hai .(gives a hi-fi to Shahrukh)

Shahrukh: (signalling at the waiter) Get me the best wine from your cellar..

Farah : We will chip in Karan to help us create a controversy between you and me Sanjay if you donot get angry and with your permission I will get your mother but
nothing drastic haan...

Sanjay : Anything for you darling....

Shahrukh : So guys kaisa laga humara plan ..we will cover the cost in hours and then mauja hee mauja ...I mean cash he cash

Sanjay : What about television audience they are more interested in game shows singing shows etc

Anil : That is simple Sanjay one of you become Zee ka chamcha and the other Sony ka..you attend all the shows there as guest and movie becho and the other goes to Sony..ekdum chakaas !!

Sanjay : But Farah and me are doing this Jhalak dikla jaa together these days...logon ko doubt ho jayega

Sharukh: People will forget by then ..they only remember controvercies and once you or Farah says something bad about you thats it ..they will hang onto that. remember how much of hype i created for KBC with Amit uncle (winks)

Farah : So its a deal and hopefully we all will not be seeing each other as a part of this plan lets have a fun evening .

Sanjay: Farah you are such a darling ..

And the night continues ..... ॐ Shanthi ॐ
Not to worry.. There was no such meeting or any such plan...my blog says...Just free your minds.. ;-)..watch the movie and you will start thinking...;-)

The Halloween !!

Its been while since I put something on my blog...have been busy with other things..like Winter tyres..Kitchen renovation...Agile way of working....before you move to something more interesting in the www here are few captures of our Halloween party..and what is halloween?? Hmmm in short..its alternative rendering Hallowe'en is shortened from All-hallow-even, as it is the eve of "All Hallows' Day" and that is All Saints Day..btw the common thing we hear is that this is more of US Marketing stuff but the fact is that Ireland Scotland and England were first ones to adopt it and then the US made it their own...Back to our party,the best part was the different costumes the kids had put on and the entire decoration and atmosphere was Spooky !! Happy Halloween and here are the pictures...

Happy Birthday Abba....

My father has been a big computer buff for many many years and has
used this technology very well. Its his birthday today we thought of
a nice way of wishing him on his special day...

Happy Birthday Dad/Abba
We love you...