The front page has gone through a mini two-day redesign. The interesting thing about the redesign is that I went through with it after consulting my google clicks overlay map and other statistics that Google Analytics provides.
Most people almost never clicked on my artworks, so out it goes. Also the contact form served only as a honeypot for all spammers, so it disappears as well. My old anti-spam measure is back in, till I figure out a more effective contact form.
SelAm has asked me to participate in a meme. It has been a while since I participated in memes, so here it goes:
All you have to do is select and upload one photo that you have clicked this year that is special to you. Could be anything…aesthetic, technical or personal. Also, put in a short note why it is special.
Here is mine:
Seastars 2007 is a music album by Ivan Chew (ramblinglibrarian) and Adrian Loo. It is a wonderful first album for the band and is a great collection of tunes inspired by the sea.
Probably going to be yet another huge void before I post again, but there were enough Indian milestones that got passed while I was in Chennai that merit mentions in this blog.
1. India “celebrates” 60 years of Independence. Though ask not what is there to celebrate. There is something to celebrate though. The availability of BSNL's cellone signal on the mobile phone when I was on top of the hills of the Someshwara Forest (and why was I there you ask? read on). I was on my way to the airport when the taxi driver quipped on the huge line of cars ahead of us that were being checked in the name of security, “Sudandhiram Ellamal Sudhandradinam Kondadrom (without independence we are celebrating our independence day)”.
2. Chennai celebrated 150 years of existence apparently. Newspapers, delighted by yet another opportunity of filling the gaps between advertisements, gladly reprinted copy written by good writers from a century ago. Also discovered that “Madras” was called “Chennai” in tamil print at least 40 years ago - which more than justifies the change.
3. I went on my first road trip and gladly I didn’t puke or fall sick. I actually enjoyed the 3 days. I have now seen more of Karnataka than I have seen of Tamil Nadu (my Native State). I went through reams of forests (Someshwara, Mookambika, Kudremukh and a bamboo forest famous for its elephants) , sea sides (Murdeshwara, Marvante), one backwater full of ergets, several weathers (foggy, sunny, cloudy, windy, rainy, cold, hot), one historic place (Belur), several religious places, lots of villages (with sheep, goats, cows, hens). Special mention must be made of Agumbe which is the most beautiful place I have seen so far!
4. The control of Chennai’s cleanliness has passed on from Onyx - resulting in Chennai going back to its nasty smelly and disgusting looking ways. For the last 6 years I was happy to note Chennai’s rising cleanliness. But apparently the people who live in Chennai never did.
5. Today is Onam. So happy Onam everyone!
So that’s that.
Technorati Tags: karnataka, india, westernghats, forests, kudremukh, roadtrip
Starhub has advertised for long about its broadband 100Mbps pipe ("Feel the rush of 100 Mbps"). And given that I work extensively online on servers that are quite remote, this was like a dream come true. I was one of the earliest subscribers to this scheme.
However, since then, I have got much to regret about the service. I have had my modems replaced twice and each time I had to give up working for 2 days - wait for the service man to come and replace the modem.
Today, however, it got worse. The modem just got replaced a few hours ago, and the new modem now stopped working. Thankfully, after much firm talk over the phone with an intelligent customer service guy on Friday (before the modem got replaced), I got them to provide me with the 100 Mbps internet service on my Digital Voice modem and this was still available - so I had it moved to my workspace and connected the router from there. So everything works - except for the loss of my landline.
Of course, you can imagine i was WILD. The customer service made it worse when I called after the newly replaced modem broke down. He refused to give me a time by when it will be fixed. He kept insisting the problem was with the signal cable point and not with the modem - but the digital voice cable modem works flawlessly when connected at the same point. I suspect, the problem is AGAIN with the modem - which would make it the FOURTH modem I have got replaced in the space of 2 months.
I think it is the worst service I have got in Singapore so far. And to think I am subscribed to the maxonline "Ultimate" which is the most expensive of the lot.
If you see this error when you (as I have) been innocently downloading a 2 MB attachment from a client - fear not (or fear the worst) as this is the dumb little gmail that is creating a havoc in our lives. Apparently, they have made a mistake in attempting to solve the problem of spammers and have disabled hundreds of accounts. This is what we get in trusting google (the home of the uber-nerds) to be smart enough to not do such mistakes.
This is where you can get the lowdown: Is Your Gmail Account Disabled?
Interestingly, there is no account of this mistake anywhere on their site. Wait till one of the reporters get to suffer from it :)
The last time I was there, I hated it. But then, now that I stayed for atleast four days, I have been enlightened by my amchi-mumbai cousins. So, I can say I hate Thane but I love Mumbai :)
Mumbai is the best place for architecture fanatics like me ( actually, Delhi comes first). The VT is so BEAUTIFUL. It's grandeur takes your breath away. No wonder all bollywood movies starts with the overview of the area around VT and Churchgate, before zooming into the hero's or the villain's shoes (of course, the movies never did justice to VT!).
Apparently, there are heritage walks organized for those who are short of time and want to make the most of it. Otherwise, take leave for four days and explore every nook and corner of the city.
I didnt look at the Gateway of India :( But I will when I pass by next. I did have a good look at Kurla where the floods caused maximum damage. My cousin pointed to the "river" which flooded the district - a swamp that looks more hideous than coovum. I was wondering how more people didnt die purely from being poisoned by that "river". And this is the state of the river even after the floods. Wonder if the Municipality is listening? Or do they want a plague before they do anything about it?
Trivia
My cousin, a train fanatic, knows which train is passing by which station. Not the Mumbai Local ones, but the Gantok-Kanyakumari, Shatabdi types of trains! And apparently, the engines in different Zones also are built differently and look different.
In India, on your mobile phones, you get to see which part of the city you are in, like when i was in the Vashi-VT train, everytime I passed a station the info changed. But in Singapore, we dont have that service at all! It is the very basic element of a location based service :)
Mumbai trains are shockingly efficient. The only trouble being you not getting a seat.
Most people who live in the surrounding districts (like New Bombay or Thane) stay put there. Mumbai isnt an attraction (which I thought it would be!). Each suburb is very self sufficient with malls too!
I am watching BBC now early morning (12.45 a.m.) and I see that Shashank has a powerbook infront of him for his performances. I am touched to see my beloved to playing such an important part in another of my loves: carnatic music (though I am very curious to know why he would need it when other performers carry on fine without any gadgets). The program (Destination India | Music) is focussing on a musical event called Saptak.
My dad had carefully saved these two illustrations of mine which were published in The Hindu Young World, twelve years ago. It seems like it just happened a few years ago! I remember showing it to my school principal with a shy embarassed smile and the thumping of my heart as I saw students crowding the school notice board to get a look at them!
in singapore and suffering from withdrawal symptoms! One month in India is a little too much of ease and comfort for my body!