Thursday, August 27, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Memories of 26th July, 2005 - Water, water everywhere.
Memories of 26th July, 2005 - Water, water everywhere.
We watched at first in fascination, then trepidation, as the water steadily crept into the building compound, the slowly seeped into our house. Frantically we tried to remove everything from the ground level of the first room into the next room. A feeling of helplessness gave way to horror as we watched the clear water grow murky because of the gutter water now trickling into the rooms at the back via the kitchen and toilet.
My son and I emptied the lower shelves of the cupboard, which contained clothes, books etc and dumped them on the bed. Surely the water would not rise so high. But we were wrong. The flood had started at about 3 pm and by 7 pm we were standing knee-deep in water. Our car in the compound was now covered with water up to the headlights. The plants we had purchased from the Green Grower Nursery were still in the car. The fish we purchased for the awuarium in the office were still in the plastic bag in the house. We put the bag in a bucket of water, but as the water rose, the bag moved out and joined the medley of flotsam of newspapers, buckets, mugs, slippers, mats, bottle caps, worms and cockroaches.
By 9 pm the water level had reached the mattresses on the bed and the sofa-cum-bed. All the clothes and other things we kept on the bed were slowly getting wer. The neighbours called up upstairs to share a meal but we hesitated - still waiting for the water level to go down, so that we could make our way to Colaba or at at least Mahim, where we could spend the night with relatives, but it was not to be. Finally at about 10 pm we went up to the first floor and had dinner prepared by our neighbours.
Our neighbours gave us mats to sleep on but we were restless. At about 11.30 pm the water had reached the electric meters on the ground floor and suddenly the lights went out. With the help of torches we kept looking out at the water level but looking didn't help at all. The water kept rising higher and higher. Now we could only see the tops of our cars in the compound. The scooters and bikes were already buried in the pool of water.
Calls kept coming in on the one mobile with us that was still in use. (my BPL phone was out of service). We learnt that one sister-in-law was stuck in her office at Malad. My Brother-in-law went to pick up a nieve who was stranded in the school bus. We finally picked her up at 10.30 pm. Another sister-in-law was stuck at Siddhi Vinayak Temple at Prabhadevi. A friend who worked in a hotel had to spend the night there. The few people who managed to return home at night in our building, had to wade through water that was neck deep. Our compound and adjoining roads were now a virtual swimming pool.
We watched at first in fascination, then trepidation, as the water steadily crept into the building compound, the slowly seeped into our house. Frantically we tried to remove everything from the ground level of the first room into the next room. A feeling of helplessness gave way to horror as we watched the clear water grow murky because of the gutter water now trickling into the rooms at the back via the kitchen and toilet.
My son and I emptied the lower shelves of the cupboard, which contained clothes, books etc and dumped them on the bed. Surely the water would not rise so high. But we were wrong. The flood had started at about 3 pm and by 7 pm we were standing knee-deep in water. Our car in the compound was now covered with water up to the headlights. The plants we had purchased from the Green Grower Nursery were still in the car. The fish we purchased for the awuarium in the office were still in the plastic bag in the house. We put the bag in a bucket of water, but as the water rose, the bag moved out and joined the medley of flotsam of newspapers, buckets, mugs, slippers, mats, bottle caps, worms and cockroaches.
By 9 pm the water level had reached the mattresses on the bed and the sofa-cum-bed. All the clothes and other things we kept on the bed were slowly getting wer. The neighbours called up upstairs to share a meal but we hesitated - still waiting for the water level to go down, so that we could make our way to Colaba or at at least Mahim, where we could spend the night with relatives, but it was not to be. Finally at about 10 pm we went up to the first floor and had dinner prepared by our neighbours.
Our neighbours gave us mats to sleep on but we were restless. At about 11.30 pm the water had reached the electric meters on the ground floor and suddenly the lights went out. With the help of torches we kept looking out at the water level but looking didn't help at all. The water kept rising higher and higher. Now we could only see the tops of our cars in the compound. The scooters and bikes were already buried in the pool of water.
Calls kept coming in on the one mobile with us that was still in use. (my BPL phone was out of service). We learnt that one sister-in-law was stuck in her office at Malad. My Brother-in-law went to pick up a nieve who was stranded in the school bus. We finally picked her up at 10.30 pm. Another sister-in-law was stuck at Siddhi Vinayak Temple at Prabhadevi. A friend who worked in a hotel had to spend the night there. The few people who managed to return home at night in our building, had to wade through water that was neck deep. Our compound and adjoining roads were now a virtual swimming pool.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Common sense is not so common huh?
This was forwarded to me by someone in mourning:
AN OBITUARY
An Obituary printed in the London Times - Interesting and sadly rather true.
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, *Common Sense*, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn’t always fair;
- and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn’t defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.
He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I’m A Victim
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.
Any comments?
This was forwarded to me by someone in mourning:
AN OBITUARY
An Obituary printed in the London Times - Interesting and sadly rather true.
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, *Common Sense*, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn’t always fair;
- and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn’t defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.
He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I’m A Victim
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.
Any comments?
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
एक्स्सर्प्त फ्रॉम अ बुक अबाउट थे Beatles
If you are a Beatles fan then you must read this:
Hard Day's Write: The Stories Behind Every Beatles Song
by Steve Turner
Please Please Me
One of the great strengths of the Beatles was that by 1962, the year they cut their first record, they were already seasoned performers, well-versed in American soul, gospel, rhythm and blues and rock'n'roll. Most of what they knew had been learned the hard way. They knew how songs were constructed because, unable to afford sheet music, they had to decipher lyrics and work out chord changes by listening to records over and over again. Having played rock'n'roll to adoring teenagers at the lunch-time Cavern Club sessions in Liverpool, as well as to inebriated German businessmen in Hamburg, they also knew how to excite, calm and seduce an audience.
John and Paul had been together for five years; George had been with them for almost as long. Ringo was a recent member, having replaced Pete Best on drums, but they'd known him since 1959 and his previous position with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes meant that he had played the same venues as they had.
At this time, the Beatles' material was standard beat group fare -- the best-known songs by the best-known rock'n'roll artists. Top of their list was Elvis Presley. They covered almost 30 of the songs he'd recorded, as well as numbers by Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, Gene Vincent, Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, Larry Williams, Ray Charles, the Coasters, Arthur Alexander, Little Richard and the Everly Brothers. Studying the music of these artists taught John and Paul the basics of songwriting. When they came together at Paul's house to write their own material, it was a case of reassembling the familiar chords and words to make something distinctively theirs. This is how a bass riff from a Chuck Berry number came to be incorporated into 'I Saw Her Standing There', a song about seeing a girl at the Tower Ballroom in New Brighton, and explains how the sound of Roy Orbison's voice came to be the inspiration behind 'Please Please Me', the Beatles' first Number 1 single. Sometimes their songs were 'about' incidents from their lives but often the words, like the chords, were borrowed from what had gone before. At this stage, the words were important to create sounds and impressions, rather than to convey a message.
Most of their debut album was recorded in a single session on February 11, 1963. It was released on March 22, 1963, and reached the top spot in the British charts. In America it was titled Introducing The Beatles and released on the little known Vee Jay label. The US version didn't include 'Please Please Me' or 'Ask Me Why' and failed to make the charts.
I Saw Her Standing There
Producer George Martin's original idea had been to tape a Beatles' show at the Cavern Club in Liverpool but it was later decided to get the group to play their live show in the studio and cut the album in a day. This was done on February 11, 1963, when in a 1 5-hour session the Beatles recorded ten new tracks to which were added both sides of their first two singles.
'I Saw Her Standing There' was the perfect song with which to open the Beatles' first album because it set the group firmly in the context of sweaty ballrooms, full of dancing teenage girls. They decided to keep the 1-2-3-4 'intro' as this added to the impression of a raw Liverpool beat group captured in live performance.
Originally titled 'Seventeen', the song tells the simple story of a boy who sees a girl dancing at the local ballroom and, after deciding that her looks are 'way beyond compare', determines never to dance with anyone else again.
As the story unfolds there is a wonderful mixture of youthful arrogance and insecurity portrayed. There is no hint that the narrator has considered the possibility of rejection and yet, in that unforgettable beat group rhyme, we're told that as he 'crossed the room' his heart 'went boom'.
Paul started composing this song one night in September 1962 while driving back to his home in Allerton, Liverpool. He liked the idea of writing about a 17-year-old girl because he was conscious of the need to have songs which the group's largely female audience could easily relate to. "I didn't think a lot about it as I sang it to myself," he said four years later. "Originally the first two lines were 'She was just seventeen, Never been a beauty queen'.
It sounded like a good rhyme to me at the time. But when I played it through to John the next day, I realized that it was a useless line and so did John. So we both sat down and tried to come up with another line which rhymed with 17 but which meant something." After a while, John came up with 'you know what I mean', which, as Paul recognized, could either be dismissed as a filler or accepted as sexual innuendo, 16 being the legal age of sexual consent. It was also a very Liverpudlian phrase that neatly avoided the borrowed Americanisms which littered most English rock'n'roll of the time.
Mike McCartney photographed his brother and John sitting by the fireplace in Forthlin Road working on this song. Paul was sitting in front of a small black and white television and John was beside him wearing his horn-rimmed spectacles. They were both playing acoustic guitars and a Liverpool Institute exercise book was open in front of them on the floor with the crossings out in the song clearly visible.
Paul later explained in an interview with Beat Instrumental that the bass riff was stolen from Chuck Berry's 1961 song 'I'm Talking About You'. "I played exactly the same notes as he did and it fitted our number perfectly," he confessed. "Even now, when I tell people about it, I find few of them believe me. Therefore, I maintain that a bass riff doesn't have to be original."
Hard Day's Write: The Stories Behind Every Beatles Song
by Steve Turner
Please Please Me
One of the great strengths of the Beatles was that by 1962, the year they cut their first record, they were already seasoned performers, well-versed in American soul, gospel, rhythm and blues and rock'n'roll. Most of what they knew had been learned the hard way. They knew how songs were constructed because, unable to afford sheet music, they had to decipher lyrics and work out chord changes by listening to records over and over again. Having played rock'n'roll to adoring teenagers at the lunch-time Cavern Club sessions in Liverpool, as well as to inebriated German businessmen in Hamburg, they also knew how to excite, calm and seduce an audience.
John and Paul had been together for five years; George had been with them for almost as long. Ringo was a recent member, having replaced Pete Best on drums, but they'd known him since 1959 and his previous position with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes meant that he had played the same venues as they had.
At this time, the Beatles' material was standard beat group fare -- the best-known songs by the best-known rock'n'roll artists. Top of their list was Elvis Presley. They covered almost 30 of the songs he'd recorded, as well as numbers by Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, Gene Vincent, Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, Larry Williams, Ray Charles, the Coasters, Arthur Alexander, Little Richard and the Everly Brothers. Studying the music of these artists taught John and Paul the basics of songwriting. When they came together at Paul's house to write their own material, it was a case of reassembling the familiar chords and words to make something distinctively theirs. This is how a bass riff from a Chuck Berry number came to be incorporated into 'I Saw Her Standing There', a song about seeing a girl at the Tower Ballroom in New Brighton, and explains how the sound of Roy Orbison's voice came to be the inspiration behind 'Please Please Me', the Beatles' first Number 1 single. Sometimes their songs were 'about' incidents from their lives but often the words, like the chords, were borrowed from what had gone before. At this stage, the words were important to create sounds and impressions, rather than to convey a message.
Most of their debut album was recorded in a single session on February 11, 1963. It was released on March 22, 1963, and reached the top spot in the British charts. In America it was titled Introducing The Beatles and released on the little known Vee Jay label. The US version didn't include 'Please Please Me' or 'Ask Me Why' and failed to make the charts.
I Saw Her Standing There
Producer George Martin's original idea had been to tape a Beatles' show at the Cavern Club in Liverpool but it was later decided to get the group to play their live show in the studio and cut the album in a day. This was done on February 11, 1963, when in a 1 5-hour session the Beatles recorded ten new tracks to which were added both sides of their first two singles.
'I Saw Her Standing There' was the perfect song with which to open the Beatles' first album because it set the group firmly in the context of sweaty ballrooms, full of dancing teenage girls. They decided to keep the 1-2-3-4 'intro' as this added to the impression of a raw Liverpool beat group captured in live performance.
Originally titled 'Seventeen', the song tells the simple story of a boy who sees a girl dancing at the local ballroom and, after deciding that her looks are 'way beyond compare', determines never to dance with anyone else again.
As the story unfolds there is a wonderful mixture of youthful arrogance and insecurity portrayed. There is no hint that the narrator has considered the possibility of rejection and yet, in that unforgettable beat group rhyme, we're told that as he 'crossed the room' his heart 'went boom'.
Paul started composing this song one night in September 1962 while driving back to his home in Allerton, Liverpool. He liked the idea of writing about a 17-year-old girl because he was conscious of the need to have songs which the group's largely female audience could easily relate to. "I didn't think a lot about it as I sang it to myself," he said four years later. "Originally the first two lines were 'She was just seventeen, Never been a beauty queen'.
It sounded like a good rhyme to me at the time. But when I played it through to John the next day, I realized that it was a useless line and so did John. So we both sat down and tried to come up with another line which rhymed with 17 but which meant something." After a while, John came up with 'you know what I mean', which, as Paul recognized, could either be dismissed as a filler or accepted as sexual innuendo, 16 being the legal age of sexual consent. It was also a very Liverpudlian phrase that neatly avoided the borrowed Americanisms which littered most English rock'n'roll of the time.
Mike McCartney photographed his brother and John sitting by the fireplace in Forthlin Road working on this song. Paul was sitting in front of a small black and white television and John was beside him wearing his horn-rimmed spectacles. They were both playing acoustic guitars and a Liverpool Institute exercise book was open in front of them on the floor with the crossings out in the song clearly visible.
Paul later explained in an interview with Beat Instrumental that the bass riff was stolen from Chuck Berry's 1961 song 'I'm Talking About You'. "I played exactly the same notes as he did and it fitted our number perfectly," he confessed. "Even now, when I tell people about it, I find few of them believe me. Therefore, I maintain that a bass riff doesn't have to be original."
Friday, May 29, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The Writers' Camp at Khandala was an overnite one, held on 23rd and 24th of May. Everyone enjoyed it. Here is the feedback from some of the participants.
<
What I liked
This workshop was an eye opener of sorts for me. It has opened my mind to a whole lot of aspects about writing. I am now motivated to continue writing regularly about everything that comes to my mind. It sure de-stressed me over the last 2 days and I didn't even once think of office.
What was not good.
It was a little uncomfortable balancing on the chairs and writing. Maybe next time we could have tables or sit on the floor.
Any suggestions?
None as of now. Yes, you must reach out to more people using mails and social networking sites. Also approach corporates. It is an amazing workshop and people should use it at least once. I would like to attend future workshops. Please keep me informed as I would also like to forward it to my friends.
Aanchal Shetty: aanch80@gmail.com/aanch-wordpress.com
I liked the interactive sessions being taken. I understood where I stand in the field of creative writing. I'll start to learn to be a voracious reader. Definitely, I would like to come for the next session, where I want to see myself as an improved writer, better than what I am now.
I suggest that the workshop should be of 1 day, in the city.
Jairaj Lawrence: jairaj7@gmail.com
Workshop was well organised. There were a lot of group activities which brought the best among the participants. All participants were openminded and sharing their knowledge and helping others. I liked this workshop. This workshop taught us essential aspects of creative writing through various games and fun activities. A great workshop. Thanks lot to Ms. Patricia. I would like to attend future workshops. It's worth attending this workshop.
Bharatbhushan: bm.iotepp@gmail.com
What I liked about the workshop:
This being my first experience, (of this kind) I must admit, I came with a few apprehensions. But, I can go away now happy and contented and completely satisfied (burp!)
Thank you, Patricia for an enriching & invigorating two days, on this my first few steps that I am taking along this creative journey.
The exercises were all useful and the sheer number of them, ensured that interest levels did not dip & instead we were always left asking for more. Please don't reduce the pace, the content, or the vastness of experiences that you generated. I enjoyed myself, thank you again!
I would like to attend any future workshops you organise. Kindly let me know. I would also like to join the writing club.
Swapna Redij: choppyin6@yahoo.co.in
I'll try to summarize my experience at the workshop in three short words. 'I LOVED IT'
It was truly a beautiful learning experience where I came to know more about myself and other like-minded individuals.
The teacher was friendly, non-authoritative and seemed to take real pleasure in doing her job of training people to become better at what they love to do (writing).
What more could one ask for when one has a wonderful teacher, eager-to-learn students and a gorgeous environment.
I heartily thank you, Mam.
P.S. It was a memorable workshop.
Dheeraj Lonare: raj.K202@yahoo.co.in
<
What I liked
This workshop was an eye opener of sorts for me. It has opened my mind to a whole lot of aspects about writing. I am now motivated to continue writing regularly about everything that comes to my mind. It sure de-stressed me over the last 2 days and I didn't even once think of office.
What was not good.
It was a little uncomfortable balancing on the chairs and writing. Maybe next time we could have tables or sit on the floor.
Any suggestions?
None as of now. Yes, you must reach out to more people using mails and social networking sites. Also approach corporates. It is an amazing workshop and people should use it at least once. I would like to attend future workshops. Please keep me informed as I would also like to forward it to my friends.
Aanchal Shetty: aanch80@gmail.com/aanch-wordpress.com
I liked the interactive sessions being taken. I understood where I stand in the field of creative writing. I'll start to learn to be a voracious reader. Definitely, I would like to come for the next session, where I want to see myself as an improved writer, better than what I am now.
I suggest that the workshop should be of 1 day, in the city.
Jairaj Lawrence: jairaj7@gmail.com
Workshop was well organised. There were a lot of group activities which brought the best among the participants. All participants were openminded and sharing their knowledge and helping others. I liked this workshop. This workshop taught us essential aspects of creative writing through various games and fun activities. A great workshop. Thanks lot to Ms. Patricia. I would like to attend future workshops. It's worth attending this workshop.
Bharatbhushan: bm.iotepp@gmail.com
What I liked about the workshop:
This being my first experience, (of this kind) I must admit, I came with a few apprehensions. But, I can go away now happy and contented and completely satisfied (burp!)
Thank you, Patricia for an enriching & invigorating two days, on this my first few steps that I am taking along this creative journey.
The exercises were all useful and the sheer number of them, ensured that interest levels did not dip & instead we were always left asking for more. Please don't reduce the pace, the content, or the vastness of experiences that you generated. I enjoyed myself, thank you again!
I would like to attend any future workshops you organise. Kindly let me know. I would also like to join the writing club.
Swapna Redij: choppyin6@yahoo.co.in
I'll try to summarize my experience at the workshop in three short words. 'I LOVED IT'
It was truly a beautiful learning experience where I came to know more about myself and other like-minded individuals.
The teacher was friendly, non-authoritative and seemed to take real pleasure in doing her job of training people to become better at what they love to do (writing).
What more could one ask for when one has a wonderful teacher, eager-to-learn students and a gorgeous environment.
I heartily thank you, Mam.
P.S. It was a memorable workshop.
Dheeraj Lonare: raj.K202@yahoo.co.in
Friday, May 8, 2009
कलर therapy
Found
a pretty interesting site on Colour Therapy. Here is the link. You can get a colour reading here.
a pretty interesting site on Colour Therapy. Here is the link. You can get a colour reading here.
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