tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83102037612910707292024-03-06T05:23:42.929+00:00Curious RamblingsCurious Ramblings is my outlet for any flashes of inspiration that I may have which usually leads me to write about it.Charuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011453877794175427noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310203761291070729.post-22365040816904586342015-05-04T11:03:00.002+01:002015-06-17T11:06:05.143+01:00Living with water: an integrative approach for managing water use<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/04/27/27/4272716_9f117415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/04/27/27/4272716_9f117415.jpg" height="428" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 89px;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture 1: The meandering River Cuckmere in the South Downs, East Sussex, UK</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="color: #4c1130;"> About water where I live </span></b></span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Living in a part of the world that has abundant water, and at
the same time reading about drought-stricken parts of the world, I am compelled
to take a closer look at this magical resource, water, especially freshwater,
that we humans and many others in the web of life depend upon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m very fortunate to live in
southeast England, in an area called the South Downs (Pic. 1) which receives on an
average, 950 mm of rainfall per year (Pic. 2; Met Office 2015).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The local geology of the area further helps
in containing the rainwater, as the bedrock is Chalk (Pic. 3), a type of powdery
textured Limestone, which serves as an excellent aquifer for storing as well as
filtering water to keep it pure and clear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The island of United Kingdom receives most of its rainfall from
moisture-laden winds blowing over the Gulf Stream, the warm surface current in
the Atlantic Ocean (UK Environmental Change Network 2015).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Seven Sisters cliffs and the coastguard cottages, from Seaford Head showing Cuckmere Haven (looking east - 2003-05-26).jpg" class="mw-mmv-final-image mw-mmv-dialog-is-open" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Seven_Sisters_cliffs_and_the_coastguard_cottages%2C_from_Seaford_Head_showing_Cuckmere_Haven_%28looking_east_-_2003-05-26%29.jpg" height="240" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture 3. Chalk cliffs in the South Downs. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Rainfall average (1981 - 2010)" src="http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/media/image/2/i/avgRAin1.jpg" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="256" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture 2. Average annual rainfall in the UK</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><b>The future scenario</b></span></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">What I’ve
described above is wonderful in that those of us living
here should have no concern for freshwater availability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, we are faced with a warming
climate and consequently the possibility of changing patterns of atmospheric
and oceanic circulations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the future,
the Gulf Stream may change its course and the UK may not benefit from its warm
waters for its moderate climate and abundant rainfall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another cause for concern in the near future
regarding the availability of freshwater in the southeast is from the activity
of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) of shale rock for obtaining methane
gas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The South Downs area has been identified
as a shale rock hydrocarbon resource (British Geological Survey 2015a).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If fracking is done, large quantities of
fresh water will be required, and there is the added concern of contamination
of underground water aquifers as well as surface water bodies with the chemical
fluids used for fracking, although the British Geological Survey argues
otherwise (British Geological Survey 2015b).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b><span style="color: #4c1130;">A preemptive strategy for living with water rather than living for water </span></b></span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Bearing the future scenario in mind which may alter the current situation of
plentiful water in southeast England, here is a strategy for
sustainable living to help cope with future water shortage as well as its conservation. If every home has a <b><span style="color: #38761d;">water-meter</span></b> installed it will give users a clear idea of how much water they use, and how they could reduce
their consumption, if possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Home
backyards or gardens could have a <b><span style="color: #38761d;">vegetable patch</span></b> where vegetables and fruits that
are endemic (local) to the area can be grown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This will help reduce the water footprint of the household, if an effort
is made to eat vegetables that grown naturally in an area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> This is already done to some extent in the UK where people rent a patch of land called an allotment, from the local city council, for growing fruits, flowers, and vegetables. </span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>F</b></span><b><span style="color: #38761d;">oraging</span></b> courses could be offered by
city councils to educate people on edible plants that grow naturally (or invasively) in an
area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a region of abundant rainfall,
houses could easily reduce their water bill and help conserve water by installing a <b><span style="color: #38761d;">rainwater harvesting system</span></b> (Pic. 4; Innovating Water Solutions 2015; Mother Earth News 2015) that
collects rainwater, which could be used for watering the garden and for various other uses where tap-water is not exclusively required.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eco-friendly household appliances </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">could be used which
consume less water</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> and electricity. As an example, for small and less soiled laundry loads, a <b><span style="color: #38761d;">mechanical washing machine </span></b>could be used (Pic. 5, Goods Home Design 2015).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="cboxPhoto" src="http://www.watercache.com/images/education/rain-barrel.jpg" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture 4. A rain barrel for harvesting rainwater.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="pedal-powered-washing" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-27804" src="http://cdn.goodshomedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/pedal-powered-washing.jpg" height="205" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture 5: Pedal-powered washing machine.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">To reduce the water
footprint as a result of energy usage, government incentives could be given to
households to use energy sources that consume less water such as <b><span style="color: #38761d;">photovoltaic
cells</span></b> and <b><span style="color: #38761d;">wind-powered electricity</span></b>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Industrial and government buildings should
implement this scheme wherever possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Community colleges, universities and other
institutions that disseminate information and education should play an active
role in raising public awareness on water-related issues and the mitigation of
the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Super-markets and local
grocery stores should have <b><span style="color: #38761d;">'water-footprint' leaflets of common food products</span></b> made available to shoppers, which may make people more aware of their
own water footprint while shopping for groceries.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I <b><span style="color: #38761d;">live very close to my work place</span></b>, so I walk to work every
day, which makes my commuting water footprint nil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am also a <b><span style="color: #38761d;">vegetarian</span></b>, and although my food
water-footprint is lower than regular meat-eaters, I do realise that by
consuming wheat, rice, oils, fruits, and vegetables, I have a significantly
large indirect consumption of water, which<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
am now looking to<b><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;">reduce.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am also looking into ways by which I can
reduce my annual usage of refrigerator and electricity appliances.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Bibliography</span></b></span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">British Geological Survey. 2015a. “Jurassic shale of the
Weald Basin: resource estimation report.” Accessed 02 May.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bgs.ac.uk/research/energy/shaleGas/wealdShaleOil.html"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">http://www.bgs.ac.uk/research/energy/shaleGas/wealdShaleOil.html</span></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">British Geological Survey. 2015b. “BGS maps help understand
relationship between groundwater and fracking.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Accessed 02 May. </span><a href="http://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/docs/aquifersAndShales_FINAL.pdf"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">http://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/docs/aquifersAndShales_FINAL.pdf</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Goods Home Design. 2015.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Pedal-Powered Washer Needs No Electricity and Costs Only $40.” Accessed
May 02.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.goodshomedesign.com/pedal-powered-washer-needs-no-electricity-and-costs-only-40/"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">http://www.goodshomedesign.com/pedal-powered-washer-needs-no-electricity-and-costs-only-40/</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Innovative Water Designs. 2015. "Rainwater Harvesting Methods." Accessed May 04. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Met Office. 2015. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“How
much does it rain in the UK?” Accessed May 02. </span><a href="http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/learning/rain/how-much-does-it-rain-in-the-uk"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/learning/rain/how-much-does-it-rain-in-the-uk</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Mother Earth News. 2015.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Build a Rainwater Harvesting System.” Accessed May 02. </span><a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/rainwater-harvesting-system-zmaz03aszgoe.aspx"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/rainwater-harvesting-system-zmaz03aszgoe.aspx</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
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UK Environmental Change Network. 2015. "3.1 Factors affecting climate-ocean currents." Accessed 04 May. http://www.ecn.ac.uk/what-we-do/education/tutorials-weather-climate/climate/factors-affecting-climate<br />
<br />
Picture sources:<br />
Picture 1: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4272716<br />
Picture 2: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/learning/rain/how-much-does-it-rain-in-the-uk<br />
Picture 3: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Downs<br />
Picture 4: http://www.watercache.com/images/education/rain-barrel.jpg<br />
Picture 5: http://www.goodshomedesign.com/pedal-powered-washer-needs-no-electricity-and-costs-only-40/</div>
</div>
Charuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011453877794175427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310203761291070729.post-40723574729620664172013-06-07T15:26:00.000+01:002013-06-07T16:53:58.314+01:00Work for the sake of work<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Over the years in my student and professional career doing
what I do, i.e. understanding earth processes, from time to time, my boat gets
rocked. I compare these moments of
instability with the very earth processes that I strive to understand. The rock record is a testimony of having
endured whatever it was put through – subduction, compaction, thermal and
pressure stress, upheaval, faulting, folding, jointing, erosion etc. My story is one of endurance too, except that
unlike the rocks (or sediment, in my case), my testimony carries emotion with
it. During one such recent event when the ground shook beneath my feet, I found the same old emotions surfacing again.
I couldn’t help but reflect upon the fact that the nature of the calamity was generally similar to others of the past as were the emotions associated with
it. The only difference was that of space
and time and the personnel involved.
Thus, upon further reflection, I’ve arrived at the following conclusion: one’s
objective and effort is best spent in striving to persist with the work
involved – that alone is a constant; other factors surrounding one are variable and
subject to change at short notice. In
other words, carry on doing whatever you’re doing, if you still care about it
and if it still interests you, for the sake of doing that work to the best of
your ability. There’s more merit in it,
than in doing or not doing something for the sake of pleasing or abhorring personnel. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Let work itself be the motivator, not the people that you’re
working for, although they benefit directly or indirectly from the former.</span></span> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span>
</div>
Charuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011453877794175427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310203761291070729.post-8857469310048744132012-04-29T14:00:00.000+01:002012-05-29T18:54:54.638+01:00Waiting for a train that never comes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYMQx3IlrbPqtDGcwbO1f5UIBp6uMu2ef_Q4DfarxIf750K9f1AdVJJzVf6WhzxfCMwXqp8mbIwV919IUlti9TJkl5Ugf3ZF9tMUXZSvDp_9OMkJrkm6VhCUOPcUvGUSC8cAPQjrJqErjF/s1600/Devon3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYMQx3IlrbPqtDGcwbO1f5UIBp6uMu2ef_Q4DfarxIf750K9f1AdVJJzVf6WhzxfCMwXqp8mbIwV919IUlti9TJkl5Ugf3ZF9tMUXZSvDp_9OMkJrkm6VhCUOPcUvGUSC8cAPQjrJqErjF/s320/Devon3.jpg" width="303" /></a></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Plymouth to Exeter</h3>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Map courtesy:</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.locations4business.com/europe/uk/south-west-england/devon/devon-county-council/latest-developments/"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.locations4business.com/europe/uk/south-west-england/devon/devon-county-council/latest-developments/</span></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Once again I’ve made the mistake of venturing out in the so called British summer without a rain jacket or an umbrella (colloquially called brolly) or any warm clothing for that matter. I should know by now to always dress for winter or have the supplies ready, just in case the weather changes, as it often does here. It’s a coincidence, or perhaps not, that only a couple of days ago I attended a concert by Amanda Shires, a country/folk singer who sang a song about a train, the Union Pacific not turning up. Here I am, waiting patiently on a wind-swept station, Exeter St. Davids, with rain pelting down, waiting for the First Great Western train that never comes, or one that is severely delayed. The railway company staff can’t stop apologising; every announcement starts with, “I’m sorry to announce..”. The whole problem started at Ivybridge, a town just outside Plymouth where due to strong winds a tree fell down, blocking the railway track. It being a Sunday, everything is taking longer than usual. Some being are happy though. The sea gulls are having a blast. The sea is stormy, and its windy and grey. They always seem to be extra chirpy in such weather. All is well with them!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><h3 align="center">
The scenic rail route just before arriving into Exeter</h3>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Picture courtesy: </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.southampton.ac.uk/~imw/Dawlish-Warren.htm"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.southampton.ac.uk/~imw/Dawlish-Warren.htm</span></a></span></div>
<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjosAaqSEShyrc08dYrVNdfJxEwDx_kR4ql7034o7wBU2yTP0poTOK5H77vwfdR2VvClqXrfbuJ55_qAWKumHbfmBqii8ep4ttJbkj-cnImT-n1dwUR3schIFY_J8uLvzZVL0cExyrE5Kre/s1600/8DLW-Dawlish-Train-Wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="460" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjosAaqSEShyrc08dYrVNdfJxEwDx_kR4ql7034o7wBU2yTP0poTOK5H77vwfdR2VvClqXrfbuJ55_qAWKumHbfmBqii8ep4ttJbkj-cnImT-n1dwUR3schIFY_J8uLvzZVL0cExyrE5Kre/s640/8DLW-Dawlish-Train-Wall.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
</div>Charuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011453877794175427noreply@blogger.com0Exeter, Devon, UK50.718412 -3.53389950.678199 -3.612863 50.758625 -3.454935tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310203761291070729.post-1113568073243688182012-02-04T22:22:00.001+00:002012-02-04T22:25:37.696+00:00Right Here, Right Now<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">On a recent day trip to Teignmouth (an inspirational place indeed), I had this thought come to me that if I can't achieve something that I'd like to, in the present moment or condition that I'm in, then it's almost impossible that I'll be able to achieve it in the future. If I can't do it now, then what guarantee is there that I'll be able to do it in the future? The only certainty that I have is of the here and now, nothing can be said with accuracy about what is to come. Then what is the point of dreaming up something for the future if I'm not able to believe that I can live my dream now?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This came to me in a bit of a raw form as above; I felt that the thought made no sense. I then had counter thoughts about why should one bother dreaming dreams at all, for surely not all of them can be made to come true in this instance, in the now as it were. So if they wouldn't come true now, then according to the above logic, they wouldn't come true in the future too. Thus there was no point to this thought.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I mulled on this further, and slowly came to realise that whatever one aspired for or dreamt of achieving was mainly to do with the feeling associated with the aspiration, dream or achievement. The actual thing that fructified the achievement was a physical thing, i.e. a change in one's physical circumstances, such as place, job, finances, relationship (presence or absence of someone), possessions and so on. The feeling that came out of such a change would make all the difference and thus would be life changing, hopefully bringing about a change in one's mental attitude and making the effort worthwhile.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Now that this had come to light, linking it with the here and now made sense. It has been said before that in order to achieve a goal, the best tactic is to assume that you are already there, i.e. the goal has already been achieved. This philosophy as I understand it now, has mainly to do with the feeling/attitude/awareness associated with achieving the goal, not so much with the physical attribute of the goal itself. Thus, if one proceeds with the task of making their dream happen, the feeling that they already own the outcome should necessarily be adopted. Working towards the goal with such a feeling makes all the difference in many ways. There is already a feeling of lightness, enthusiasm, joy, peace and a sort of unattachment to the result. Doing the work then allows you to enjoy the journey to the goal and totally removes the stress element of achieving the result. The state of happiness that one envisions with one's dream whatever it may be, is already there. Thus is it possible to achieve, right here, right now.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But hang on, it's not over yet. From my own experience I know that although I have tried in the past to assume that I'm already at my goal, and have worked with the diligence and sincerity that it takes to reach the goal, it has not been physically achieved after much labour. How can this happen? In answer to my querie, I found this article that cleared the glitch (</span><a href="http://lawofattractiontutor.com/"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">http://lawofattractiontutor.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">) . It speaks about an inner resistance that one might have towards one's dream/aspiration that prevents one from achieving it. For whatever reason, one may not feel deserving of the result, or may not even want it, even though externally one may work hard for it having adopted the attitude stated above. With such resistance comes doubt, thus the total commitment needed for adopting the 'winner' attitude is not there. The words by Goethe and W.H. Murray talk about commitment beautifully (</span><a href="http://www.goethesociety.org/pages/quotescom.html"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">http://www.goethesociety.org/pages/quotescom.html</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">). One has to be committed externally through physical effort and internally through the attitude. I do believe that with such a combination, it is possible to achieve your goal right here and right now.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVMNuJ5n7NpxfTXGAoDWVEqYFNlfefuYAq7kACRI0ynl807inptrmNfupWzwuxt3qU_e2Ed-SM1MuemNE49f6B2vmsMB9IdZBXHObmih-SVenRyt2VB6lRWKpEdv4grhj_lJcudCw25_Oz/s1600/Watch+on+a+map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVMNuJ5n7NpxfTXGAoDWVEqYFNlfefuYAq7kACRI0ynl807inptrmNfupWzwuxt3qU_e2Ed-SM1MuemNE49f6B2vmsMB9IdZBXHObmih-SVenRyt2VB6lRWKpEdv4grhj_lJcudCw25_Oz/s320/Watch+on+a+map.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://flic.kr/p/bnczhx">http://flic.kr/p/bnczhx</a></div></div>Charuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011453877794175427noreply@blogger.com1Plymouth, UK50.3719165 -4.136019799999985550.316492499999995 -4.2289822999999851 50.4273405 -4.0430572999999859tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310203761291070729.post-7866528094297936442012-01-24T14:00:00.003+00:002012-01-25T18:12:49.214+00:00A kind of traveller<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">There is a kind of traveller who travels around without needing a base to return to. Wherever he travels is his base; it’s where he wholly operates from, it’s where he lives in his physical entirety for the time that he is there. He travels with reckless abandon, with nothing to lose or gain; he travels for the sake of the travel, following his heartfelt instincts. When it’s time to move, he lets go of everything that may bind him down, and trusts that the Universe will bring new supplies, resources, opportunities and encounters for him to experience and benefit from in his new ventures.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Such a traveller wastes no time. He goes at a pace as slowly or quickly as is needed to accomplish the purpose of the travel. There is nothing wrong in travelling a great distance if it’s only to stay there for a short while. Equally, when all his travels are done, he may stay put in a place of his choice for the rest of his life. Such travel is purely about quality, it has nothing to do with quantity. With quality is meant the lesson to be learned, the experience to be had, the work to be done.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Thus, you may travel without roots, stumbling along and allowing serendipitous things to happen to you, or you may travel with a plan and yet allow amazing things to happen to you. You may travel all the while having an anchored base to return to, or you may finally travel back to your roots. Each of these types of travels may be experienced by you if you wish, and then it is left to you to decide which journey was the most liberating and most worthwhile.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7YCyCy4Q7Zz1uEUlgKv84g_Y3ffd_cK6DD9PQMxoE-bzVadz96XWLyBNm97njDPX3QYRlNTHtQNORXZUQ_8N2qXBmWjntMlWwYmnsgkIAUxy6U0mwgfEWM4a91qXt8UNwE-teGTXohmBX/s1600/Travelling+Buddha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7YCyCy4Q7Zz1uEUlgKv84g_Y3ffd_cK6DD9PQMxoE-bzVadz96XWLyBNm97njDPX3QYRlNTHtQNORXZUQ_8N2qXBmWjntMlWwYmnsgkIAUxy6U0mwgfEWM4a91qXt8UNwE-teGTXohmBX/s320/Travelling+Buddha.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><a href="http://flic.kr/p/9R77UP"><span style="font-family: Arial;">http://flic.kr/p/9R77UP</span></a></div><br />
</div></div>Charuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011453877794175427noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310203761291070729.post-46013354827863467242012-01-23T19:45:00.008+00:002012-01-23T20:33:32.020+00:00On Sarongs & Throws<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Or How to hide your mess when under-the-bed is no longer an option.</strong></span><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I have always been mystified by sarongs. These Indonesian/Malaysian traditional wrap-around skirts are so colourful more than anything else, that I’ve always felt they would serve better as wall pieces or displayed as materials of art rather than a piece of clothing. My feeling came true recently when some friends announced their intent of visiting me at very short notice. Delighted as I was to be seeing them, chaos reigned supreme in my room, and in my mind too upon receiving the news of their imminent arrival. My mind went into auto-pilot mode and before I knew it, I was working at amazing speed, efficiently bundling clothing and books away into the closet and the book case respectively. Narrow longitudinal gaps between the closet and the wall can be efficiently used to squeeze in things such as overcoats and the laundry basket. At this moment I remembered my sarongs. I quickly dug them out from the closet and threw them over the piles of things that were seen from the in-between gaps that had been used as storage space. Open cupboards could also be covered by draping their front with a sarong. I immediately regretting having discarded a rug that I had bought years ago from a shop called South Of The Border Imports. It was a Mexican style rug woven in bright colours, rugged and huge as a rug should be. Not only would it have adequately done the job of covering up things, but it would have made a bean-bag if wrapped carefully around a pile of winter woollies and pillows. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"> Sarongs <a href="http://flic.kr/p/adGKTK"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">http://flic.kr/p/adGKTK</span></a> Mexican rugs <a href="http://flic.kr/p/fLQoe">http://flic.kr/p/fLQoe</a></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqYYck1eCosb5Q2ypv16o4kL7VqvuDvreUwx5o3DVu4znKDBIcRdrl6M-Ua9unr6EjtLnKdRm1T3z78mh2V5TKMk9WaoNjHStBsQMc9tkdqK0aO6eqLqxsaUANFY3U3CCs-UQc7F0loWaA/s1600/Sarongs1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239px" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqYYck1eCosb5Q2ypv16o4kL7VqvuDvreUwx5o3DVu4znKDBIcRdrl6M-Ua9unr6EjtLnKdRm1T3z78mh2V5TKMk9WaoNjHStBsQMc9tkdqK0aO6eqLqxsaUANFY3U3CCs-UQc7F0loWaA/s320/Sarongs1.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN_Ft4MYWjKr8vsXOwYQD38B6ijDha5Ok6uNyoiX2I0r4PUa71KKVSyHwPqclUHU1t5H9xu9CxGOYGoDq12ZYfcfLe3751B9xZi0GglCAQTeAAzKAT75fczLgRsarVy-4emFxl571XAbqJ/s1600/Mexican+rugs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213px" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN_Ft4MYWjKr8vsXOwYQD38B6ijDha5Ok6uNyoiX2I0r4PUa71KKVSyHwPqclUHU1t5H9xu9CxGOYGoDq12ZYfcfLe3751B9xZi0GglCAQTeAAzKAT75fczLgRsarVy-4emFxl571XAbqJ/s320/Mexican+rugs.jpg" width="320px" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div></div>Charuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011453877794175427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310203761291070729.post-16124550816202585102011-07-09T17:55:00.002+01:002011-07-09T18:17:29.468+01:00A snapshot of Vietnam<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“We could run down the gangway shouting Ho! Ho! Ho Chi Minh!” suggested one of my shipmates jokingly, as we prepared to dock. “ We’re in Nha Trang, on the south coast of Vietnam, and quite far away from Ho Chi Minh city”, I reminded him, but he had already vanished in the excitement of disembarking from the ship after our 2 week long cruise in the South China Sea from Singapore to Vietnam. Much as I had enjoyed every bit of the cruise, I was relieved to set foot on ground again, as I left the ship to spend a couple of days in the scenic coastal town of Nha Trang. The local Oceanography Institute had organised a welcome party for the entire crew followed by a short tour of the institute and its in-house aquarium. I had my first taste of the delicious local food which seemed to set me up for a life-long love of Vietnamese food. Our hosts had organised music and dance for later in the evening; we couldn’t have had a warmer and more heart-felt welcome!</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The following day we hired a boat and went off on a snorkelling trip in the coastal waters of the South China Sea. The boat was skippered by an old man. The old man met tourists from various countries through his boat business and he maintained a notebook of his encounters and conversations with foreigners. He showed me a page in his book of a popular Indian song written in Hindi by an Indian person who had been on his boat. He even hummed the tune to me, which he remembered very clearly. I was amazed and inspired by him. From his little wooden boat in Nha Trang, he was able to stay connected with the rest of the world. His notebook contained snapshots of multiculturalism from around the world. It was my first attempt at snorkelling, and although I was somewhat overwhelmed to be out in the open ocean with a pair of flippers and a face mask with a pipe to work as a breathing apparatus, the scene of the colourful corals underwater made every minute of it worthwhile. On returning to the boat, a delicious Vietnamese lunch awaited us, prepared by the skipper and his assistant, while we were out in the water.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Later that evening upon returning ashore having bid our friendly boatman a warm farewell, I took a walk along the sandy beach lined with palm trees. A local musician strummed a guitar playing local tunes and accepting whatever change people dropped in his hat. Local kids played in the sand, with no seeming hurry to go home. The next morning we made a trip to the market in paddle rickshaws. The driver of my rickshaw would not accept a tip, and he insisted on waiting for me until I finished shopping at the market so that he could take me back to the hotel. Most of us bought the traditional Vietnamese straw hats that are typically worn by workers in the rice fields. One of my colleagues couldn’t stop taking pictures of the market place. He said it felt so warm and homely that he had to take back as many reminders of it as he could. We treated ourselves to traditional Vietnamese coffee and spring rolls at a street-side café. I bought portable statues of the laughing, travelling and the meditating Buddha, local paintings and picture postcards depicting life in Vietnam, all as souvenirs and gifts. At another street-side shop, I bought a t-shirt embroidered with a traditional scene of a rice field. Happy with my purchase, I walked away. A few minutes later, I saw the owner of the shop hurrying towards me with a t-shirt. I thought she wanted to sell more of them to me, so I politely refused in English and started walking away. She followed me, insisting on something in Vietnamese, all the while holding out a t-shirt to me. I ignored her for a few minutes, and then I tried to explain again that I did not want another t-shirt. She pointed at the t-shirt that I had bought from her which was in my shopping bad and said the word ‘damaged’. I pulled out the t-shirt from my bag, which she hastily grabbed from me, unfolded it and pointed out to me a large tear in the cloth! She had realised that she had sold me a damaged product, so she had followed after me to exchange it for another t-shirt! I was touched by her honestly, and I gladly exchanged the t-shirt with her. She smiled in relief and went away.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We went to a restaurant for our evening meal. I ordered two servings of spring rolls. The waitress laughingly informed me that two servings would be too much for me. She recommended one serving to which I agreed, although I was somewhat confused and embarrassed that I was being told to eat less. When the food arrived, I realised why her advice made sense. One serving consisted of a medium sized plate full of about 10 small-sized spring rolls! I couldn’t possibly have managed to eat more than a plateful. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My short stay in Nha Trang was over. As I waited in the airport lounge for my flight, I wondered when I would be back again. Although 2 days seemed like such a short time, almost like a snap-shot, after 12 years my memories and feelings of the place are still alive and fresh.</span></div>Charuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011453877794175427noreply@blogger.com4Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa, Vietnam12.245251 109.1989570000000612.129673499999999 109.06832250000006 12.3608285 109.32959150000006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310203761291070729.post-42932474660402374202011-06-04T21:21:00.002+01:002011-06-04T21:30:22.104+01:00Self appraisal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"It's all very weird", the man behind the serving counter said, as he poured hot water on to the tea bag in my cup, " Earl Grey with milk! Thai noodles with a fork?". Yes, it's pretty weird being me, I thought, as I sipped the fragrant tea and reflected on things. I was back to the basics. I had felt to be the victim of recent events and had narrated my side of the story to a colleague, whose surprising and somewhat shocking reaction had been, "Well, it's natural for 'so and so' to have been the way they were with you." I was hurt and infuriated that the colleague had justified the offending party's behaviour and called it natural. After fuming over it for a day and gradually allowing myself to mull over it, the realisation came to me that I was all in all quite an intolerant and self-righteous person when it came to morals and principles. In my world, there seemed to be no room for anyone to err or be less than perfect in their behaviour and lifestyle! It occurred to me that I may have been leading a militantly hostile life all this while, unknown to me, yet obvious and uncomfortable for others around me, to say the least.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It then led to some self-questioning:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Why did it matter so much to me to continue being righteous about what had happened? Wasn't the loss and the lesson learned enough?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- What did it matter anymore as to who was right and who was wrong? The damage had already been done.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">In the end, only kindness matters. Kindness to others and to one's self. A fresh start is needed.</span></div>Charuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011453877794175427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310203761291070729.post-54163060111911777152011-01-30T18:20:00.009+00:002011-06-13T09:32:14.298+01:00Living On The Edge<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Summary</span></strong> <br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An overview of one's life pattern reveals that its nature is that of being on the edge of things. Such a lifestyle is one of constant movement which is regarded as a positive thing. </span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Living on the edge</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It seems to me that some people including myself strive to live on the edge. It’s not that we find ourselves in edgy situations accidentally and often, but it’s as if there can be no rest until we are on the edge of anything, be it a physical location, a financial situation, a travel plan, or a mental attitude for that matter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I find myself living at the water’s edge most of the time, whichever continent or hemisphere I find myself in. I even find myself visiting places that are on the water’s edge. Financially, I tend to just about make it until the next pay cheque arrives, as I’m always working on contracts in the academic world of teaching and research. I travel a lot through my work, and through looking for work, which is how I end up being at the water's edge (mostly) in various places. Interestingly enough, I always find myself either on the first flight or train or bus of the day or the last one on the schedule. As for my attitude, I find myself to be a comfortably restless being, always planning my next move in life, making sure I never get too comfortable to reach a state of stagnation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes I tend to observe myself, and I wonder if one edgy situation aids the formation of another, thus leading to a chain of such events that shape my life. My profession is one of marine science, so living at and visiting locations by the water’s edge links up with it, although I’m not sure which happened first, the location or the profession. My financial self-sufficiency largely reliant on the academic contracts keeps me moving places. Again, budget travel routes to get to these places are usually available for trips that start at unsocial hours such as at the edge of dawn or midnight. All in all, I would say that existence on the edge is a dynamic one, where there is more action than inaction, and the movement is generally perceived as being in the forward direction.</span></div>Charuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011453877794175427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310203761291070729.post-81197938491544805222011-01-18T06:17:00.006+00:002012-01-23T20:18:05.952+00:00A random conversation, or one that may have implications for the sericulture industry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">He mostly spoke in Tamil with a few smattering of English, as I spoke in English with a lot of gesticulations and facial expressions to make myself understood. He said he was a silk weaver. I said I was in favour of Ahimsa Silk (=silk without violence), where the silk-worm is removed without any harm done to it, then the silk is extracted from the cocoon. He laughed and said that it made sense that I should talk so as I was from Gujarat, the land of Gandhi. He said something along the lines of ,"..it was okay for him to practice 'ahimsa' for the purpose intended back then.." I said that we should refrain from killing anything in the spirit of universal brotherhood. He finally seemed to agree, I think.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Related link on Ahimsa Silk:</span><br />
<a href="http://jay-parkhe.posterous.com/ahimsa-silk-taking-the-violence-out-of-silk-i">http://jay-parkhe.posterous.com/ahimsa-silk-taking-the-violence-out-of-silk-i</a></div>Charuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011453877794175427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310203761291070729.post-50966867274931738902011-01-15T14:29:00.004+00:002011-01-15T14:33:54.457+00:00On ExitsIf you've been in a circle for a while and wanting out, the exit is in the tangent. It's okay to hop on to the next circular existence, if linearity cannot be maintained. You'll know how to get out of it from your previous tangential experience.Charuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011453877794175427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310203761291070729.post-61681060917420587752011-01-15T14:24:00.002+00:002011-01-15T14:28:35.617+00:00In A Parallel UniverseIn a parallel universe, an alternative reality must exist. But does the opposite of what's going on transpire, I wonder. And do we sometimes, in moments of inspiration and courage, leap into such a parallel universe?! Is this what is called a 'life-changing moment'?Charuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011453877794175427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310203761291070729.post-77472934774975803692010-12-12T05:59:00.001+00:002012-01-26T16:54:58.994+00:00Harmony in Chennai<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">It seemed as if the plane was making a larger loop than necessary over the coastal waters of the Indian Ocean before coming in to land into Chennai. A few months ago, I had departed from Chennai on a ship and had sailed into the Indian Ocean. Going seawards, slowly and gently, as the ship parted from the port, seemed natural. Gradually the land dimmed away in the distance. However, seated in a plane flying high, and watching the land-sea boundary dip in and out of view seemed a bit too much to take in. Seeing things on a grand scale was not the norm in life; I was used to seeing things too up close and personally, to be able to appreciate the overview that the plane ride was offering me. The landing was smooth, as it always tends to be in the subcontinent, from my experience. My heart though heavy from the worries of recent events in life, sang out weakly, “Hello Chennai! Here I am!” Every place has an abstract personality to it, perhaps it’s the energy associated with it, which I refer to as its spirit. The spirit of Chennai seemed to me a sympathetic observer that evening. The place appeared to be unusually quiet and nonchalantly peaceful, as if letting me be, the fragile emotional state that I was in. The winter monsoon rains of December had washed off the dust and dirt. Christmas stars lit the doorways of some shops and houses in the streets, next to brightly lit temples. A thin evening mist hung in the air. A short taxi ride brought me to my destination. I thanked the Universe for its kindness, after I had questioned it in a brazen way only a few days ago concerning the events of my life. The Universe had stayed quiet then, and it listened quietly to my heart’s gratitude now.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WuieLfKVCF1SShuDcd1PqkMv1i1r2Xdt3lOc6QRcw9N3MxEEkJA7dEyM5AhSUXjvZ4ChPQ9-SVSdJN0xjmgaOChiA22J2kGBzo6pB17jHoEKbnAHYy6cjkRZbUSGHN47Tcm6BFMbJspI/s1600/Chennai+Dec+lamps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WuieLfKVCF1SShuDcd1PqkMv1i1r2Xdt3lOc6QRcw9N3MxEEkJA7dEyM5AhSUXjvZ4ChPQ9-SVSdJN0xjmgaOChiA22J2kGBzo6pB17jHoEKbnAHYy6cjkRZbUSGHN47Tcm6BFMbJspI/s320/Chennai+Dec+lamps.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="http://flic.kr/p/5J1qfs"><span style="font-family: Arial;">http://flic.kr/p/5J1qfs</span></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWK0P8RQb7nXUoUdz2eXsKzEwqlpWz-R29SgxDnfMWXv_f1mMRPZp9OUHsslIBCCmJLIxyAYhrG3b2N5kzA0vXBz74N3UKEPHv6DeaTuDDw8mwyK6lywAZX50NGYVjZtfm_Hzz6kVfYVv/s1600/Chennai+Dec+lights+temple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWK0P8RQb7nXUoUdz2eXsKzEwqlpWz-R29SgxDnfMWXv_f1mMRPZp9OUHsslIBCCmJLIxyAYhrG3b2N5kzA0vXBz74N3UKEPHv6DeaTuDDw8mwyK6lywAZX50NGYVjZtfm_Hzz6kVfYVv/s320/Chennai+Dec+lights+temple.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="http://flic.kr/p/5J1zFN"><span style="font-family: Arial;">http://flic.kr/p/5J1zFN</span></a></div><div align="center"></div></div>Charuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011453877794175427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310203761291070729.post-64535221249477810092009-04-09T17:08:00.000+01:002009-04-09T18:03:30.772+01:00The sun always shines in Teignmouth<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5OGhMLydugQnAcpf-4WHM5RYH2LOzTi8PQq7XM5YSCnZAoeWPKoykBqeAkhc8dKVlQbZO0-XsqsxxCDeqyNGJv8S-8U0EAH7u-u936xcDMuYtAhfHBYY8GzSIEoW7gblcm1j0bgX-XpLc/s1600-h/SDC10524.JPG"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5OGhMLydugQnAcpf-4WHM5RYH2LOzTi8PQq7XM5YSCnZAoeWPKoykBqeAkhc8dKVlQbZO0-XsqsxxCDeqyNGJv8S-8U0EAH7u-u936xcDMuYtAhfHBYY8GzSIEoW7gblcm1j0bgX-XpLc/s1600-h/SDC10524.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322731509862153874" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5OGhMLydugQnAcpf-4WHM5RYH2LOzTi8PQq7XM5YSCnZAoeWPKoykBqeAkhc8dKVlQbZO0-XsqsxxCDeqyNGJv8S-8U0EAH7u-u936xcDMuYtAhfHBYY8GzSIEoW7gblcm1j0bgX-XpLc/s200/SDC10524.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I spent 3 days in Teignmouth last week. Teignmouth, at the mouth of the River Teign, is a coastal town in South Devon (</span><a href="http://www.devon-online.com/towns/teignmouth/teignmouth.html"><span style="font-family:arial;">http://www.devon-online.com/towns/teignmouth/teignmouth.html</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">). I went along with the Ocean Science students to assist with the coastal oceanography field work. The weather was gorgeous all throughout, and the distractions were plentiful -- Oyster Catcher's Cafe, Amanda's Bakery, Harbourside Fish n Chips, pubs, bookshops, u name it.<br /><br />There were various activities going on through the day; my task was to get the students to assess the grain size of the beach using a technique of sediment-scanning and image analysis, somewhat different to the traditional method of sieving sediment. Of course, I had already sieved many samples of the beach sand to establish a calibration data set against which the scanned images were compared in MATLAB. Needless to say, I spent my entire time roaming the beach, getting students to sample various parts of it. The back beach is so different to the front beach, in every way! I can't decide which one I prefer. I'll probably go back and decide.<br /></span><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpimWZsGj4NGixb0_slqtC2Kxw1KhLVGddQAX5WjAgV9QsuKZUDzlNqfO_6O41OkSM-n_-JFyWCw918yuQgr4WgNuhLUYVE3ohSPPvQ7YiZnFkZkZZ4Jn8hMnPHHzW6dw4azzDOkzW_ZVF/s1600-h/SDC10527.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322732460993033010" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpimWZsGj4NGixb0_slqtC2Kxw1KhLVGddQAX5WjAgV9QsuKZUDzlNqfO_6O41OkSM-n_-JFyWCw918yuQgr4WgNuhLUYVE3ohSPPvQ7YiZnFkZkZZ4Jn8hMnPHHzW6dw4azzDOkzW_ZVF/s200/SDC10527.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Mgltnw1HX_Bbm8A9lS0ocTqUmqSHCbqwkrnc-UX1FeFmIiSCcfVLwc-VAtfdApw1YQ9JShRJKBSlp9nrOI34U2aIPAwM4bdWhbktSRn7EbSxh2G6KVPnH-3qVHobhTl2ZMhlQuhoBO9l/s1600-h/SDC10536.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322731513531891490" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Mgltnw1HX_Bbm8A9lS0ocTqUmqSHCbqwkrnc-UX1FeFmIiSCcfVLwc-VAtfdApw1YQ9JShRJKBSlp9nrOI34U2aIPAwM4bdWhbktSRn7EbSxh2G6KVPnH-3qVHobhTl2ZMhlQuhoBO9l/s200/SDC10536.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17ZDsQFtTbV36fLodId4ihNJqvTkkTvPhCqvI25D9rdRAazUFYZCq0bodEriwVaPbZ_WFGRGIOilvKxvHXYpq4dbxF0Uh6HtukM_8318xr3DIqgk7vJ-08_BcvhIM2FUFOQk412Kk9a4N/s1600-h/SDC10468.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322731504011498242" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi17ZDsQFtTbV36fLodId4ihNJqvTkkTvPhCqvI25D9rdRAazUFYZCq0bodEriwVaPbZ_WFGRGIOilvKxvHXYpq4dbxF0Uh6HtukM_8318xr3DIqgk7vJ-08_BcvhIM2FUFOQk412Kk9a4N/s200/SDC10468.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div>Charuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011453877794175427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310203761291070729.post-45171690882947222432009-04-08T10:29:00.000+01:002009-04-08T22:20:14.005+01:00A New Beginning<span style="font-family:arial;">Hello!<br /><br />I've finally joined the blogging world. I've had it on the periphery of my mind to set up a blog, but never got around to doing it, until a conversation with a friend last night inspired me to do so.<br /><br />So, I've started Curious Ramblings with great aspirations, to let out the pent up creativity in me! Here goes.. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span>Charuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011453877794175427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8310203761291070729.post-82360766823013753672008-12-07T18:20:00.001+00:002011-06-24T14:55:58.120+01:00A Sunday Medley<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimVPX_jqKj8_EoyR67urDa8SvhHbc0UvAGHP1VH308oGMnbizhUMGO9Geff6mfdHw065mixm1gZHjEEoT4Mwo7iS7vZfPAkrZ_f5TRVsvbeaM4RZk-5WU7I7BHrzrTxV5m93oKuNQc4oif/s1600-h/SDC10555.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322737228191790834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimVPX_jqKj8_EoyR67urDa8SvhHbc0UvAGHP1VH308oGMnbizhUMGO9Geff6mfdHw065mixm1gZHjEEoT4Mwo7iS7vZfPAkrZ_f5TRVsvbeaM4RZk-5WU7I7BHrzrTxV5m93oKuNQc4oif/s200/SDC10555.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: right; height: 150px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">Felt justified in being lazy this morning. Some audacity in thinking that it was okay to sleep in. Made it to the meditation venue well before time, but it was not to be. Jonathan did not turn up. Karen turned up just before 10, predictably. Lingered around for a bit, dutifully waiting for any late comer who may turn up, but none did. Walked back home in the biting cold, feeling humbled. Now feeling, as I sit here in the B-Bar café (or the Thai Noodle Bar), trying to make something of the day, that if the commitment to doing something is not there 100%, then there’s no point in doing it. There may be no fruitful outcome to a half-hearted effort. I see it often around me, in fact almost always, everywhere. Incompleteness in the human effort. The inadequacy of the human effort. Hah. Much like the inadequacy of the fossil record – it’s just not there, the missing bits, they’re absent. Hence the story cannot be complete. Only windows to what might have been, or might be.<br />
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On a lighter note, this is the perfect moment – just like the girl said in the movie ‘Me, You and Everyone Else We Know.’ A moment steeped in opportunity. So live in it, fully. Thus live it fully.<br />
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On another note, can’t help noticing how blends turn out to be far more interesting, colourful and lively than originals. It’s true for cultures (and the people influenced by it), food, music, costumes. It’s true for tea, e.g. PG Tips! The same could be true for transitions in nature, when the night blends into the day, i.e. dawn, and when day blends into the night, i.e. dusk.<br />
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Neil Young is lovely, all the time. His song is playing in the background...'The Old Laughing Lady'. Women in this café resemble a Leo woman that I know at work. Perhaps there’s a Leonine atmosphere here. The place is certainly steeped in art – a strong Leonine trait. And this place has got me writing, after ages. There’s also a strong red hue and other bright colours dominating the place. The woman at the counter, keeping the place going, is a Pisces, a creative sign. Besides, I’m wearing an Amethyst-Quartz bracelet. Amethyst is a stone that inspires spirituality and harmony. Quartz is supposed to channelize energy. I do feel the creative energy flowing harmoniously! <span style="font-family: arial;">Recently, I’ve been feeling a strong connection with gemstones. I feel the need to have as many of them as I can. I also want to understand their significance fully. Perhaps it’s a precursor of things to come. </span><br />
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On yet another note, perhaps family members derive a strong sense of self-worth from each other. If, at the end of the day, we do live for others, then perhaps it is important that we play out the role model that we are expected to be...?<br />
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Coming back to the café, the art work of a Mongolian artist Tod Otgonbayar are displayed on the walls. It gives a feeling of being bold and unabashed in doing what one does. This feeling has been on the revival of late.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">There’s an exciting appeal to islands, however lowly in size or distant from the mainland they may be. The journey involves being waterborne, an unusual means of travel, we being terrestrial and generally land-loving creatures. Sitting in a refreshment hole on one such small island, Mountbatten, an annexe of the Plymouth Peninsula, I contemplate the importance or unimportance of this small landmass jutting out of the waters called Plymouth Sound. Looking across the water, the scenery is one of a seemingly bustling city, a deep-water harbour, of old and new establishments, broken by patches of green grass, a lighthouse and a fort, amongst other things. Breaking this view is a more scenic one, of sail-boats dotting the water. The water itself is a big distraction, its rippled blue surface exuding a magnetic charm. An inviting medium, putting everything else in the backdrop. The narrowness of the strait and its proximity to the city is even more inviting than the open blue sea stretching out of the Sound. The strait of possibilities. Where everything is an idea worthy of being explored, and fulfilled. I wonder if the famed buccaneer of the past, Francis Drake felt similarly..</span></div></div></div>Charuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011453877794175427noreply@blogger.com1