Category: Uncategorized

“He though he was falling down the bridge 

It was between a river and a ridge!

The ground was close and a big fright!

So he thought thinking and t’was all right!”

The power of mind is a mystery!

There is a story of Patients who have been operated without anesthesia but they had been made to believe that they are getting pain relieving medication or anesthesia!

read on!

So today we had a puja at our house and as it is customary, we got up early in the morning and made so many dishes for everyone! Then we sat for the Puja and finally late noon we had some food! 

What is so surprising is that we were fasting the whole day! Normally during a routine day if I do not get my breakfast on time then it is very difficult! Of course during younger days we could survive without breakfast or even lunch! But as we grow older and get fixed to a routine it is difficult to change!

Which is why doing so much work while fasting is actually a great feat which we did and many people all across the world do! When you have some faith and some belief, that is so strong that you do not feel hunger or thirst or even tired! In fact after everyone had food and we were serving and taking care of guests is when I realised we have not eaten anything the whole day!

The brain is a powerhouse! If you train the brain then it can manage anything! You can even apparently train the brain to think that you have done some work or gone to a place when you might not have done so!

In a study for the efficacy of a migraine medication, one group took a migraine drug labeled with the drug’s name, another took a placebo labeled “placebo,” and a third group took nothing. The researchers discovered that the placebo was 50% as effective as the real drug to reduce pain after a migraine attack!

The researchers speculated that a driving force beyond this reaction was the simple act of taking a pill. People associate the ritual of taking medicine as a positive healing effect. Even if they know it’s not medicine, the action itself can stimulate the brain into thinking the body is being healed!

In the same way you can even train the brain to bear any pain! How we have heard stories of ordinary people doing superhuman stuff! 

Guess it is true when they say, “It is all in your mind!” Super human and a great mind also was birthday celebrity, the illustrious poet Gangadhar Meher!

With all that work and fasting and running around the mind did have time for a quick sketch and blog!

Now train your brain to sleep on time!

Shubh ratri!

“Life is so dull an there’s no thrill!
It’s like you have taken the blue pill!
Let your imagination fly and not rest!
Life with music is simply da best!”

The headphones phenomenon!
This is similar to the effect of watching a movie in the theatre or in your house!

Last week or so when we were in Georgia, our Guide ‘Misa’, tried to entertain us with some famous bollywood numbers which we loved! Then he played some beautiful Georgian songs and we loved them too! After some time even when we did not know the meaning we were singing along with him! He was so happy and so were we!
Good music just needs an open ear!

read on!

If you love music and by this I mean any music then as far as I am concerned you are normal! You may dislike some music or like some other, but if you are someone who dislikes any music or any kind whether fast or slow or loud or mellow then I am very scared of you!

Forget the Homo, (Sapiens that is!) even plants have been known to love music and prefer some type of music to another.

Even your furry friends who walk on four legs like music!

It turns out the enjoyment of music isn’t a unique human experience. Recent and ongoing research shows that animals have their own preferences for music, specifically tunes that use pitches, tones, and tempos that are familiar to their particular species! This for the cats! Not the musical Cats but cats who like certain type of music!

Another study, conducted by the Scottish SPCA and the University of Glasgow, suggests that dogs prefer reggae and soft rock over other musical!
Of course the above study is Biased on the taste of the owner so do not be surprised that a dog in Chennai near a temple may actually like Carnatic Music!

All these goes to prove that liking music is a normal behaviour of Humans and other beings though of course sometimes some old Uncle may tell you to reduce the volume of your music system!

Enjoying music is dependent on time and mood and of course situation. Music is my life! I can enjoy any kind of music at any time of the day and language is no barrier!

Now like you enjoy most or many movies in the theatre and later on when you see the same movie in your TV you may not like it so much! Which is why you may like them better if you have a projector connected to a nice speaker system!

In the same way listening to some music in headphones or a surround sound system is always better than plain speakers!

Unlike speakers broadcasting sound widely into a room, headphones project audio down ear canals right against the eardrum. This makes the music feel like it’s originating inside your skull, wrapping immersively around you. The experience can feel almost synergistic – a snug sonic cocoon!

Now since both the music are the same it just sounds better because of the personal effect! Unconsciously, a person realizes that at the moment no one except him hears the music. That is why the composition is perceived as a kind of “soundtrack to life”. Wherever the listener is – in the crowd or all alone – his own music is with him or her!

In addition to this there is another reason which lies in the noise isolation and in the location of the speakers.

When a person listens to music through headphones, the speakers are located in close proximity to their eardrums. Headphone housings are usually designed in such a way as to suppress background noise. Thus, only music enters the ear canal. This creates a special interactive effect that allows a person to isolate the smallest details from the composition, which he or she most likely would not notice while listening to music from the speakers.

This is especially true for those who know a little about rhythm and other nuances of music!

The way you experience stereo sound with headphones is also very different since the separation of the left and right audio channels creates a particularly crisp 3D effect!

A special selection of the sound range allows you to level the monotony inherent in some game actions. This applies to such games in which there are the same type, often repeated moments.

Nowadays, many owners of large casinos have already come to the conclusion that they not only hire specialists in the selection of musical accompaniment, but also order composers to create unique, specialized works! In fact there are places where you do not have any bands and all you have are a bunch of people dancing by listening to music which is getting transmitted to their headphones!

Then again too much of a good thing is also bad! Constant listening to headphones is not good for your ears and hearing so make sure you take adequate breaks in between and not listen to loud music or sounds for long intervals!

Now if you like good music then you would like good movies and a hearty laugh! If you want both then you must watch the movie Rafoo Chakkar starring birthday celebrity
Kanwarjit Paintal!

Of course now listen to some light music like say Kenny G and sleep!
Shubh ratri!

“Alone in the woods the road is narrow

Looking at the dark street traps!

Nothing to be scared! Don’t be mellow!

We got with us dem Google maps!”

The other day navigating in some remote corner of the village of my father, Google was confidently showing us the way!

Got me thinking how it works!

Read on!

Remember how going or travelling to any place was a big issue if you did not know the direction? or the traffic?

How an expert uncle (By default it would be a guy! No gender bias here but that is simply an observation!) would tell that this particular route is the best!

Even when you do arrive at the destination properly, he would tell you that you could have taken his route! Of course like Rajnikanth you would like to say, “EN wayi, thani wayi!” but you could not! 

Now of course most of the older folks have relented that Google Maps knows the best! Of course the constant re routing and stuff is a big irritation! Over the years now though rest assured, if Google tells you an estimate then more often than not, it will be correct!

Even Google of course cannot handle the Bangalore traffic and rains and the sudden one way and road closure but still it gets it as close as possible! Even Auto rickshaw drivers also have now accepted Google maps! 

I still remember how at every nook and turn I used to ask about the direction and the place! Once going to a theatre in my bike I tried a different route some years back and reached the same place which would have taken ten minutes; in two hours! 

The guy who finally told me the way gave me a look of extreme pity!

I have never been shy of asking directions and I remember while driving, I used to stop and ask and go! This extra time was usually added to the time taken to reach the destination!

Now for the past several  years, the platform has evolved from an exclusively web-based application to the go-to navigational mobile app that provides updated and highly accurate real-time information against locational and directional queries!

Google apparently uses a combination of satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° panoramic views of streets, and GIS data to provide up-to-date, comprehensive digital maps for route planning and travel via foot, car, bicycle, air or public transit! 

Did you know? Over 150 million people worldwide are contributing information to Google Maps, with 50 million daily updates coming from the community and the public sector! It has been told that Google Maps is a data Monster which, constantly feeding off information and updating and optimising the system to provide users with better recommendations and more current information!

I guess that is why other map apps like Apple cannot be as accurate as Google since the experience and data collection is more! 

Of course the collection of so much data is a concern for privacy especially since it has been shown that Google knows your location history even when your phone is not switched on!

That is may be a price to pay for the convenience which allows you to know the direction in a remote place late in the night. Now that is no laughing matter right? 

Laughing though is obvious matter when we see birthday celebrity Keshto Mukherjee act!

Now guide yourself to your bed and sleep!

Shubh ratri!

“I have many layers over me!
Remove one and another remains you see!
You can treat me like King or like garbage!
Am green am the humble cabbage!”

The fate of the cabbage is to be the seat!
With so many layers and options, cabbage is a gatherer of crowd!
Like how you need to fill a room with some guests in a short notice, cabbage does the same in a meal!

Cabbage is one food which can take the flavour of anything and complement it! Also giving weight and content!

I still remember how cooks in places where they serve sizzlers make them on a bed of cabbage! After a while when it does get roasted or cooked, you even eat that!

Another great role of cabbage is how it can make any dish oriental! Just add a little cabbage to fine and dry rice and you have fried rice!

Of course it is associated with thyroid issues so it is advisable not to eat too much of cabbage but then in moderation it is ok!

In fact Cabbage is a very old vegetable! So much so that it is the grandfather of many vegetables like broccoli, collard greens, brussels sprouts, kohlrabi and sprouting broccoli. All of these developed from the wild cabbage B. oleracea var. oleracea, also called colewort or field cabbage!

Cabbage, known botanically as “Brassica Oleracea,” is one of the oldest vegetables in human history. It originated in the Mediterranean and has been cultivated for over 4,000 years. The Egyptians, Greeks and Romans were already enjoying the many varieties of cabbage. The Romans, in particular, were renowned for their vast culinary knowledge and helped popularize cabbage throughout Europe.

In France in the Middle Ages, cabbage was a staple food, particularly for the working classes. Often eaten in soups or stews, its ability to preserve made it an essential food during the long winter months!

In the south cabbage is a frequent vegetable as a side with carrot or as an accompaniment to rice. Since it is known to be flatulent, it is always mixed with fennel! That dish with fennel and some coconut is called the Mulaguttal or Molagootal!

So from being just the bed of a dish to the main dish, Cabbage is a versatile bloke!
Versatile and talented also is birthday celebrity Manoj Nelliyattu “M. Night” Shyamalan!

Now avoid cabbage in the night though!
Shubh ratri!

“Milk goes good with em
Soak a lot would soften them!
Some fruitz and some sugar so real
For kids the breakfast cereal!”


Previously when we or I alone used to go to any international travel these little things usually used to save me from hunger! They were always available and for vegetarians they were really God send!

To think that the invention of one of the most popular breakfast dish of the world was actually an accident!

read on!

In the army we used to get rations of corn flakes especially during the field or remote postings and they used to be a little salted. I never knew that they were salted after processing but the taste was nice!

Now for many folks like me who never used to have a proper breakfast till after the age of 30 years (Now I have to have all the three meals on time especially breakfast!); having cornflakes as breakfast was never done!

When we used to go to army tours with dad, then most of the times the mess would serve these flakes as a breakfast option which then either my dad or my brother would use! Mom and me would still stick to the classic dosa or idly or our favourite Vada! I feel that one vada is the gift or reward you get for eating two idlis!

So if the standard options were not available we would still take some alternatives like bread toast with jam or even pan cakes with syrup! Corn flakes was never in the list even if it was available!

For many of us at the time, corn flakes was a snack! We used to mix it with other stuff and make a mixture and eat!
Even after oats caught on the breakfast menu for some in India, corn flakes was not that widely accepted!

It could be that the combination of milk without any modifications with corn flakes was a bad choice or the fact that even if you eat the corn flakes, you will feel hungry in a couple of hours!

So in trips to places like Munich, the presence of Corn flakes in different ways like chocolate coated and plain would at least give us a satisfaction that we can eat something! That was the only time I have willingly eaten corn flakes as breakfast! Occasionally I like to have some muesli and some flakes but it is very rare.

Now of course corn flakes have come in so many types and flavours that it is difficult to choose which one to give to the kids! Not to mention the high sugar and salt content and their effect on them!
Luckily even they have not developed any special interest in them so for now flakes are only a reserve option both in or out of our house!

How these flakes came to our breakfast table!?

Kellogg was born in Tyrone Township, Michigan. He attended the University of Michigan Medical School and graduated from Bellvue Hospital Medical College. In 1876 he became superintendent of the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan. There, he promoted wellness through a healthy, vegetarian diet, and routinely experimented with new food products.

Kellogg was working with his brother Will on a new kind of wheat meal for patients at the sanitarium when the process that resulted in Corn Flakes was accidentally discovered. Rolling out wheat dough that had been forgotten overnight, the brothers discovered that instead of loaves of bread they got thin flakes. Kellogg’s patients liked the new food, and he sold over 100,000 pounds of the cereal in the first year.

John Kellogg also invented other popular food products, including peanut butter, granola, and a grain-based coffee substitute. He continued to run the sanitarium and to experiment with new foods, while Will left the hospital and founded the Kellogg Toasted Flake Company, the predecessor to today’s Kellogg Company! Now that’s legacy! Legacy also is the work of birthday celebrity Thalaivaasal Vijay!

Now keep some flakes for breakfast or better yet soak some rice and dal!
Your choice!
Shubh ratri!

A quick sketch and blog!

“It may not be heard but it’s loud! 

It’s really hurt and it’s actually violence!

It may break your heart without the parting of lips!

It’s not a gun, but the sound of silence!”

The sound of silence is a great song by Simon and Garfunkel but it’s much more than that!

This is a common thing we face during any conversation!

The sound of silence!

Read on! 

So you meet your friends or family after some time and you get to talking!

Then after some time and some routine questions you suddenly run out of stuffs to talk about! You try to cover all grounds like past present and future!

And then it comes! You have nothing to say! What’s to be said is done and dusted! Then you enter that awkward silence!

An awkward silence is an uncomfortable pause in a conversation or presentation. The unpleasant nature of such silences is associated with feelings of anxiety as the participants feel pressure to speak but are unsure of what to say next. In conversation, average pause length varies by language, culture and context! That is the offical definition but of course it is different for many!

There is also a difference between genders in the pause but we will not go into that! 

Many people have different ways to get off the awkward silence especially when the talk is formal! It’s never comfortable to any one and there are many tricks to avoid them! 

It’s advisable to not to blurt out all questions or information fast! It’s always better to pace yourself! Many use humour as a coping mechanism to avoid awkward silence! You must also understand that it’s awkward to the other person or persons also!

Conversation going smoothly is an art! It’s like music with a rhythm! There are proper pauses and fillers! If you use them then you may not have such pauses! Music and awkward silence and pacing reminds me of birthday celebrity Vishal Bhardwaj!

Not enjoy the non awkward silence and sleep!

Shubh Ratri!

“He fell down in the pit by mistake 

The pit had spikes with a poisonous snake

He disappeared without a shame 

Luckily t’was just a game!”

One of the best games to play when you are alone and free is the Rubik’s cube! It improves your coordination and skill and also keeps you sharp and focussed! 

The speed is just a bonus though you must be able to do it faster once you get the drift!

The common notion is that games, specially computer games do not require any skill or intelligence but in the modern world they are a skill set! Of course in no way they are better than proper outdoor games and reading! But did you know that there are some games which require your full attention and your brain to work really well?

read on!

One of the most irritating and difficult game to me was the Prince of Persia first version which used to come with the earlier Windows! That Prince had only one skill! Getting killed! There were some levels which were so difficult that you can only count the time it takes for you to make him jump on a hole with spikes!

In fact the older versions of many such games have always been more difficult than the newer version. The Prince of Persia 3d version and Prince 2 and finally the ones which including and following Prince of Persia Sands of time were actually much easier to finish than the first version! There may be some difficult levels but if you do again and again you can still finish the game. 

Some levels and games though can frustrate even the most serious gamer! In between a full time clinical practice you can take a break and play some levels of these games like Prince of Persia or Even Far Cry or my personal favourite Half life 2! But if you are stuck in the same level for a long time you used to have those geeks who used to spend their life playing these games make a guide for people who play them once in a while. These are called Walkthroughs! We will come to them soon!

So many games are simply a computer programme so it can be programmed to act the way you want! These work in couple of ways as I know! One is that you can have cheat codes which are again two types! Now these are my limited knowledge as a non tech guy! The first one is usually given or leaked by the developer himself or a hacker who would have cracked the game file! In this you have to use an app like the notepad which in those days was a really cool app and the most important app in the cd which allowed it to be auto run! So the basic instruction in the game was changed and certain commands and keywords are added which you can access in between the game! These can be things like giving you extra life or making you less amenable to hits!

Another way was that you have another programme which you need to run parallel to the game and when both of them run together, you need to pause the game and use TAB with ALT to access the cheats like God mode or more health!

Now these are basically ways to CHEAT! Which is why I seldom used them as if you win by using them then it is not really winning! But in games such as Serious Sam, I had accidentally accessed the hard mode. Most games had such a selection and once you make this selection you cannot go back! If you select the easier mode then some games like Wolfenstein may even ridicule you! The easy mode in that is something in the lines of “DADDY I AM SCARED!”

So by and large as a good and ethical gamer; I used to use the Walkthroughs! Now these were like the guide or refresher course of the game! They used to tell you the best weapons to use and the best way to complete the game! If you are stuck in a game then they will definitely help you! It is still good because you are do not get any extra lives or easy way out! With all the help and coaching the walkthroughs give you, the game has to be still played and won by you!

Even otherwise, every game levels requires countless calculations and measurements and trials. The amount of research which goes into some games is mind boggling! In a recent study by Psych Daily, they released the average Iqs of the biggest games. The games with the 3 lowest Iqs were Rocket League, assassin’s Creed in GTA, and those Iqs are about average for most humans. The 3 highest IQ games are Minecraft. among us and Rainbow 6!

I have played only rainbow 6 and I can vouch for the list! 

In no way though this post encourages gaming which is still a time pass and bad distraction for kids but (this is the most dangerous word in the world! Whenever there is a BUT which follows anything good then rest assured whatever comes after that BUT will kick your…!); still video games need brains to develop and to play! Not to mention good hand eye coordination and fast reflexes! Which means you need good skills! Skilled also was birthday celebrity Jaidev!

Now turn off those consoles and sleep!

Life is not a game!

Shubh Ratri!

“The temple bells ring with a zing!
The chanting of mantras make you sing!
The lights a little dull and little bright!
The village temple is a delight!”


I am just back from a visit to my father and mother’s vilage and visit to our family goddess called the Chittur Bhagavathy and the constant Kerala rain bought back memories like the flood held weakly by emotions which suddenly gives way…

Now in many ways, the village roads and the Old houses of dad’s village made my kid’s eyes wide open in wonder!

I have actually gone to those places when we were young and stayed a couple of days! That used to be fun!
Not the iPad or tablet fun but real outdoor fun!

Seeing and trying to milk the cow! Or going to the nearby small river stream for a bath with elder cousins! Or the sitting on the courtyard and listening to the temple bells!

How everyone used to switch off the lights and close the doors and gates by 7 or 8!
And now we finish our work by 9 if lucky!
During the days of visit to our village the dinner was done and finished at 7! It was usually what was made for lunch and we all kids were promptly sent to sleep!

I still remember my old uncle who would have his own room and get food there itself! He would not come out much and though young I understood that he was old and unwell. He was the one who taught me how to play patience with a deck of cards!

Now my kids may not have patience for that!
The beauty of the whole setting was that the village was still more or less the same! Of course some roads have got some make up and some new houses are there where previously you used to have open fields but the feel and the nostalgia is there!

With every corner and every street my dad would scream in enthusiasm and delight and a memory association with that place would come!

While visiting some old house or place if he finds an acquaintance then it’s lottery! The whole sequence of nostalgia starts again!

I especially like the Chittur temple since it looks so old! The smell of the oil lamps and a little rain outside is simply amazing to me!
The main centre of the temple is usually in the centre and in most Kerala temple it’s not really visible! That makes its even more challenging and nice!

I actually don’t want the village or the temple to change much! The sanctity which triggers the nostalgia must remain! The sanctity and legacy of birthday celebrity Pingali Venkayya who designed the Indian flag also will remain for a long time!

Shubh Ratri!

“The cars move so fast!

The distance is so vast!

If you wanna drive and put your driving to test! 

Then driving on the highway is da best!”

A quick sketch and blog after a long drive!

One of the things we all do after some time of sitting and not doing anything much for a long time is to make this sound!

Now don’t worry! 

It’s not what you thought before though even that’s normal!

Read on! 

Driving on a highway is fun! Music in full blast and family singing and playing together!

Of course if you are an average Bangalorean most of your time and energy on a big highway journey would actually be spent on reaching the highway! 

It took me close to two hours to just reach the highway on a total journey which was for 8 hours or so!

Of course snacking on the way and having all that junk food is an added advantage or disadvantage!

Make sure your neck is well protected and the back rest is ok! On top of that frequent breaks are part and parcel of Highway driving!

Then after driving for a while when you get down to stretch, one of the first things you do is crack your joints! 

That is the sound I mentioned above!

The felling of a nice crack and sound is really cool! You like it so much! 

There was a myth that if you crack you joints too much then it would lead to arthritis! Of course it’s not true!

So why do they make the sound!?

 The “popping” or “cracking” sound that happens when we crack your knuckles is caused by popping bubbles in your synovial fluid, which is responsible for lubricating your joints. When you pull your bones apart, there is a buildup of negative pressure, causing these bubbles to burst!

Of course do not over do it since there is a limit for everything! Of course birthday celebrity Bhagwan Dada broke many limits with his dance moves!

Now stop cracking your knuckles and sleep!

Shubh Ratri!

“The door was locked from inside
The key was lost as you would dread
The house was huge and far away!
Of course t’was all in your head!”

A personal tragedy leading to a great invention which leads to greater destruction!
Intrigued?
read on!


In this novel the author has a personal loss of a dear and near person which leads him to get bust with his research and his bizarre invention!

The whole premise of this very famous novel can be thought as a call for help of a lonely man child who tries then to find the same or similar company in his invention!

The description can be the screenplay of a soap opera or the storyline of a bollywood movie!

But this is actually the theme of one of the most famous novels! The Frankenstein by Mark Shelley!

In fact in many notions the creation of a zombie like creature who later on starts to hate even his own creator is a common theme! A freudian analysis of the novel would actually yield some classic psychological issues!

Also the most common mistake made by many is that the name of the monster is not Frankenstein! Shelley’s original novel does not give the character a specific name. In the novel, Victor Frankenstein variously refers to his creation as the “creature”, “fiend”, “spectre”, “dæmon”, “wretch”, “devil”, “thing”, “being”, and “ogre”!

In fact it was called the Frankenstein’s Monster in many retelling and depictions but later on the apostrophe ‘s’ was dropped and the name became linked to the Monster!
Then again even if you did have this doubt there have been so many analysis of the plot and many have concluded that in spite of his being a big giant with rage, the actual Monster was Frankenstein! This is because in creating the Monster, Frankenstein made a big error and that makes him evil!

Of course this is just an interpretation and maybe the author was simply bored and wanted to create a memorable character and that is exactly what was done! Another author who had made such complex emotions in his works was birthday celebrity Dhanpat Rai Srivastava! You may know him as Munshi Premchand!

Now pause your imaginations and sleep!
Shubh Ratri!