Utility vs Decorative piece

A power failure the other day reminded me of a small incident from a few months back.

My wife is in the habit of decking up the living and dining rooms with elegant yet inexpensive knick-knacks she picks up from the market.

One such item that decks up our dining table are a couple of decorative aromatic coloured candles. We had a visitor a few months back whose first comment on setting foot inside our house was “ Oh ! So you have frequent power cuts in this area”!! My wife was in two minds as to whether to educate the guest or to curb the urge to explain. She wisely chose the latter course of action!

Loudspeakers

Don’t know how many of you will agree with me on this matter.

One thing that irritates me is the tendency of temple authorities to switch on the loudspeakers and play devotional songs in the evenings.

Saturdays are when I usually get a chance to visit the temples near my home. I prefer these temples as they are usually free from the crowds that throng the popular temples in the city.

Even though the temple might have just one or two devotees, they play loud devotional music. So even though one goes to the temple for peace of mind and to spend some time in reflection, the music only serves to disturb one's concentration.

Like I said at the beginning, maybe not everyone would agree, but this is one of my small peeves.

Volcanic ash in TVM !

Overheard at Thampanoor bus stand -

Citizen 1: Did you hear about the volcanic eruption putting a freeze on all air traffic in Europe ?
Citizen 2: Why did they stop all flights ?
Citizen 1: Apparently the ash from the volcanic cloud would disturb and interfere with the aircraft
Citizen 2: Is that so ? Then what about the ash from our 'volcanic' KSRTC buses interfering with other vehicles in the city !!?!!

You might smile reading the above, but seriously, someone needs to review the pollution clearances of the public transport buses. Earlier this week I was on my way to office and at Kesavadasapuram junction, a KSRTC bus was parked in front of the bus stop near the circle (mind you not demurely parked by the side of the bus stop - it was parked at least 3 feet away from the edge of the road). Just as I was about to overtake it, it sped off like a F1 car bursts off when the lights go off, leaving the nearby vehicles enveloped in a cloud of black smoke.

Good (sarcastic) joke on Asianet

Last Sunday night, I was watching a Mimicry program on Asianet. I found one particular joke so good that I thought I would share it here -

Scene: Three terrorists planning a strike in Trivandrum

Leader: Boys, I have details of the next mission. Our target is Thampanoor bus stand. The objective is to bomb and destroy the place. So get ready for the action.

Apprentice terrorist: Boss that is not possible

Leader: What do you mean, it is not possible? I have told you details of the target and what is to be done, I will also give you enough ammunition.

Apprentice terrorist: Boss, that is not possible because they have already reduced it to rubble.

Leader: Do you mean to say that another terrorist group has beat us to it?

Apprentice terrorist: No boss, the Government has done this!!

(The mimicry artist is alluding to the delayed plans for rebuilding the Thampanoor bus stand)

:-)

Kochi gets an IPL team

Good news - a consortium of 5 partners (the Rendezvous group, Parini developers, Anand Shah Estate, Anchor Earth Private Limited and Film Waves) have bid for and won an IPL franchise to be based out of Kochi.

Now, the promised stadium from KCA is still a few years away. So, though it will be Kochi based team, the home matches will probably be played elsewhere in India for the first couple of years.

Another detail of the auction that caught my eye was the fact that the combined bid value of the two new teams is more than the combined cost of the original eight teams in 2008! So the appreciation of perceived value has definitely been very good for the existing teams. The money making machine under Lalit Modi continues its forward march.

Kerala budget - an aside

Yesterday was when the Kerala finance minister presented the budget. My wife caught on to something funny while watching the news ticker on TV.

Announcement 1) Rice @ Rs 2 for 35 Lakh families

Announcement 2) Comprehensive heath insurance for the 35 lakh people who will get rice @ Rs 2

Putting two and two together -> do the 'powers that be' feel that once they consume the rice provided through the PDS (Public Distribution System), folks would need to be hospitalised ??!!!??

Good bye dear Indica

After nearly six years of companionship, we finally bid goodbye to our dear Indica. Nandu initially thought that our relative (who purchased it from us) would return the car after a few days. When informed of the decision she was upset and I heard her telling her mother "Pavam Indica alle, why do we need to give it away ?"

When I spoke to my father over the phone this morning, he was telling me that he was also a shade unahppy whenever he sold/upgraded a vehicle.

The Indica was our first car and we had a lot of interesting memories around it.

Extending Nandu's thought, it feels like giving away a part of yourself.