deponti to the world

my 2 cents

Sights, Buildings and Thoughts in Mylapore....
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[info]deponti
Very long post, read only if you have some leisure.

I do love my country, which often has its flag represented in unique ways:

india flag star 131109 myl

And I like walking through its cities.

Each city in India is quite distinct from the other; not for us the bland homogeneity of a skyscraper downtown and sprawling suburbs...I find Indian cities totally fascinating.

Like all Indian cities, the architecture in Chennai is an often astonishing mixture of old and new idioms, which are radically different from each other. It's fascinating to watch...and there are also the this-es, the thats, and the others as I walk. I decided to take my MLC for a walk, too...and we went together, through a few roads in

Mylapore (town of the peacock), now called Thirumylai or the place of the divine peacock

walk with me through Mylapore )

Think about the beauty of seeing a small temple, that's traditionally built under a spreading young

Peepal Tree

temple under peepal tree 131109

...and make my way home....


Some more on Mylapore

the walk without photographs

Mylapore Tank


New Year in Nageshwara Rao Park

Chennai vignettes

Mylapore Tank

And if you STILL have patience for more,

here !

The Journey Continues...
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[info]deponti
The path lies ahead, intriguing, interesting...unknown.

So far, the journey has been successful, and one of happiness for the main part.



car and path ragihalli rd 311009


Here's wishing [info]shortindiangirl that her journey continues, with good health, happiness, and peace of mind....

Thank you [info]anirudhc
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[info]deponti
It's so rewarding to visit friends on other blogs too...today, from Ani's blog, I got this:

http://abduzeedo.com/fantastic-optical-illusion-artworks-rob-gonsalves


Reminds me of the work of

M.C.Escher

..it really needs imagination and so much painstaking work to come up with each of those!

And a simple, clear illustration of how a sewing machine works, from

Mekin

http://bitsandpieces.us/2009/08/26/how-a-sewing-machine-works/

Friends are such interesting people...come to think of it...people are so interesting!

My recipe for Chai, for [info]inspirethoughts
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[info]deponti
* IF you want masala chai:

* for each cup of chai that you want, take half a cup of milk, and half a cup of water.

* with a pestle, smash ginger, cloves and cardamoms (about 1/2" piece of ginger, one clove and one cardamom for 2 cups of chai) at the bottom of the pan in which you will make the chai.

Or, you can add ginger powder, elaichi powder, and clove powder to the milk/water mixture.

If you don't want to make masala chai, leave this step out.

* Add the chai to the milk/water mixture. If it's Taj Mahal, Yellow Label, or Lipton Red Label (the two varities most easily available in the US)...add a rounded tablespoon (yes!) or a measured tablespoon and a half, per cup. If you can let the mixture steep for a while, it's better.

* Now boil the whole thing, let it boil for about 15 to 30 seconds, and then switch off and cover for about half a minute.

* Strain the chai, and serve (sugar can be added while boiling, but I prefer not to, as drinkers can add the amount they want.)

This way, I find, that whether there are 3 people or 30, I make exactly as many cups as required, and there is no wastage!

Microwave:

Microwave the whole tea-steeped mixture, with or without masala, in the microwave UNTIL it boils (use a large enough container so that it doesn't overflow). Take out, strain AFTER half a minute, and serve.


*You need to add enough chai to make a nice brownish chai, it shouldn't be too white!

I love 3 Roses Tea in India for making chai. [info]chaibacca's favourite is Society Tea, available only in Mumbai, alas!

Why is this?
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[info]deponti
Here's what [info]gaur36 has to say...

http://gaur36.livejournal.com/107478.html


It *does* exclude many good photographers for no good reason that I can see.

Why cannot these competitions have an honour system, requiring participants to declare that the image has not been manipulated in any way?

[info]yathin, [info]amoghavarsha, [info]shivakumar_l and other photographers that I know....what is your opinion on this?

Every day is Friendship Day, for me...
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[info]deponti
Apparently it was Friendship Day a day or two ago (actually, all these days can be called Greeting Card Day or Help Archies or Hallmark Become Rich Day)...to me, every day is a day in which I revel in the friendships that sustain me.

So...here's a loving wish to all my LJ friends; whether I have met you in person, or not, you are all very dear to me.



Photobucket


Friends are the greatest treasure that I can have. Thank you!

I took this today in Forest Park...those are the battlements of the main building of Washington University, where A took her double Masters' degrees.

Posting in the future...
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[info]deponti
I post something at 6am U.S. Central Time, and (since my LJ dates my post with IST) it's dated 4.30pm ....11.5 hours into the future! Wow, if I'm existing at both 6am and 4.30pm simultaneously, that's surreal...

Obviously, this is a post after no sleep at all! :)

For [info]amoghavarsha
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[info]deponti
To a dear friend who's taken the rough with the smooth....


hpy bday amogh 090709 lindell blvd


Oh, I do like the way the morning light falls...it's a palpable blessing from the sun!

That's on Lindell Boulevard, which faces Forest Park.

For my American friends on July 4th
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[info]deponti
I suddenly decided, if I could make "kOlams" for our festivals, why not one for Independence Day?

I was walking along Delmar Loop when I saw a street artist with some chalk. I didn't like his work at all, but paid him a few dollars for his trouble, and then bought two chalk crayons from him. One was yellowish-white and one was blue on one side and pinkish red on the other: I knew I had the material to create my own 4th of July kOlam:


independence day 030709

That shadow is me, documenting my own work! Sorry, I could do only 9 stars, the other 41 will have to be imagined!


Happy Independence Day, all you Americans. And one day in advance, happy birthday to [info]idahoswede, who is off on a boating trip having a great time!

I got all straight A's....
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[info]deponti
On LJ, as on other social networking/blogging sites, "friends" need not always be *friends*, I heard someone say. But for me, that doesn't work. Friends have to be friends. Most of my LJ friends are actually people whom I have met face-to-face, whether before or after they have become my friends on LJ. And many, whom I have not met, I email or call on a personal basis!

So today I would like to talk about some friends on LJ, who are A's.

One A, whose real name does not begin with A, but whom I have come to refer to by her LJ name. She delights me, because she lives so thoroughly in the moment, and absorbs and enjoys her surroundings through all her senses...and writes so well about the experience. She has a great sense of fantasy; sketches, paints, and photographs those fantasies, too! She's a real delight, and very rarely do I find negative posts on her blog.... thank you for being my friend, [info]asakiyume.

One A, whom I befriended because I thought he was a birder, always writes very well; he is a very good wordsmith, and is always honest about himself and his experiences, at work or elsewhere. I enjoy his short poems a lot. It's been nice to get to know him personally, and his delightful wife, who is also an A. Thank you, [info]birdonthewire.

One A, who is really an A, started commenting on my posts, and then I found that she posts a lot of stuff that I like very much, particularly when it comes to film music! She's a person who has braved adversity, and yet has not lost her sunny outlook on life! Thank you, [info]inspirethoughts.

One A, who is an A both on LJ and in real life, is a very interesting and complex person. He does a lot of pro bono work in the fields (pun intended) that he is interested in, and is interested in a lot of varied things, too. He's helped me so much with a lot of software stuff, and often disagrees with me about a lot of things....and the debates are fun! Thank you, [info]anushsh.

One A, who is also an A BOLJAIRL (Both On LJ And In Real Life), is someone I met on a wildlife trip, and with whom I share my love of wildlife, and whose photographic skills I really appreciate. I have watched him go through ups and downs, and grown into a confident person...he's always sent me great music, and his sense of humour is infectious. Thank you, [info]amoghavarsha.

Wow, let me stop right here before the list grows any longer.

You know, I started this list with one A, and kept adding to it...because each of my friends on LJ is very special in unique ways....!
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Squirrels....
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[info]deponti
I know squirrels are extremely common animals, and are sometimes regarded as pests, but they are so interesting to watch!

They watch you from the ground...

squirrel on grass 230609


They watch you as they climb the tree quickly, to get out of your way...

squirrel on tree rrunk 230609


They continue watching you carefully after they are in the tree (oh, I really loved photographing that beady little eye!)



squirrel eye fp 230609

But when they *think* you're not watching....they do have fun!





And..you want to know what traction is?


squirrel on wall 240609




Here's [info]asakiyume's post about a squirrel and his tail...

I really wish I could write fantasy the way she, or [info]inspirethoughts, do...but I guess I am a very factual and dry person; my fantasy life is very poor indeed!

Motherhood...and Motherfood....
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[info]deponti
I realize that half of humanity will not empathize with this post; but "parenthood" is NOT the same as motherhood.

Motherhood..is such an intense state of being. From the minute one becomes a mother, one realizes that one is so totally responsible for another (or several, as the case may be) living being, and its survival depends entirely on the care one gives.

The tie of the flesh is something incredible. My daughter says, "My body is telling me that the baby will wake in a few minutes and ask to be fed...." and so it is. Within minutes, the little almond eyes are open, and the mouth forms a hungry O and emits wails which mean "Feed me! Now!"

Sometimes fiction is better than reality...here's fiction by home-naturalist [info]inspirethoughtsabout what she thought was a couple but which were, actually, a mother sparrow and its little one!

And here's a really beautiful (as always) sequence from [info]yathin on the same subject .


Now that you've seen those fabulous photographs, here's a mother-and-child (this time, it's the COMMON GRACKLE .


mother and child grackle 170609


"Feed me! Now!" says that open beak, and the urgent fluttering....

Separation
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[info]deponti
Can you feel my hand in yours
When we are apart?
When separated by the miles, and worse,
Can you hear my words?
Do they resound in your heart?
If you feel my hand in the touch of the breeze
And my sounds in that of my beloved birds,
Then... our separation will cease...
Our togetherness will start.


I saw this amazing Asakiyume Effect in the sky when a thunderstorm built up over Yosemite....


sun in the clouds 310509 sten


KM has gone to Detroit for a few days....yesterday was our 33rd wedding anniversary!

Those who can...please attend...and think of me!
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[info]deponti
http://kalyan.livejournal.com/247389.html

From the LJ of [info]gaur36
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[info]deponti
http://gaur36.livejournal.com/96568.html?view=59704#t59704


What a pity that we squander our treasures and our good practices to the excitement of aping western ways...

Today I walked to the Farmers' Market in the Loop,



farmers' market loop 010509


and walked back with my purchases; the fact that I had 3 bags (one backpack and two carries) attracted a fair number of curious looks. I realized that no one is used to carrying groceries or vegetables/fruits and walking around. Walking is an activity engaged in only for exercise. It is NOT a form of locomotion unless one is too poor to afford anything but public transport...

When KM and I told people that we walk from home to the St Louis Galleria (no.1 on the map), and back, we got a lot of "wow" reactions!,

St Louis Sunrise
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[info]deponti
It's going to be raining the next few days, but this morning I was able to go for my walk, but the sun scudded through the clouds....


130509 sunrise

[info]asakiyume shares my love of the sky and I learnt the phrase, "sky ocean" from her...

The End...
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[info]deponti
Someone sent me a terse email, with just these few words: "we are NOT friends". No background, no CLUE what happened so suddenly. No explanations, nothing....nothing...

It's happened a few times with others in the past, but GOD it hurts. MUST not let it hurt...of course I can get over these things.

I must understand that MY being close to someone is not the same as THEIR being close to me. Imagine, I am still unable to learn this simple fact.


"dOst dOst nA rahA...pyAr pyAr nA rahA...zindagi, hamEin thErA aitbAr nA rahA...."

Well, there are friends and family around, and the wound may stop bleeding soon.

Thank you [info]premkudva, for wasting my time....
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[info]deponti

The Blogalyser reveals...

Your blog/web page text has an overall readability index of 12.

This suggests that your writing style is conventional
(to communicate well you should aim for a figure between 10 and 20).Your blog has 15 sentences per entry, which suggests your general message is distinguished by verbosity
(writing for the web should be concise).

CHARACTER MATRIX



male malefemale female
self oneselfgroupworld world
past pastpresentfuture future

Your text shows characteristics which are 57% male and 43% female
(for more information see the Gender Genie).
Looking at pronoun indicators, you write mainly about yourself, then the world in general and finally your social circle. Also, your writing focuses primarily on the present, next the past and lastly the future.
</small>
Find out what your blogging style is like!



It's, I think, word for word, identical to Prem's blog. Prem! Let's stop writing two blogs...you just carry on the good work! :)

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Coincidentally....
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[info]deponti
We went to the Missouri Baptist Hospital today for A, and on the way in, we saw this sad sight, of a dead bird...


dead bird 050509


And when I came home and switched on my laptop and went to my LJ friends' list, the first post I saw was one with these words:


" the very same day I wrote (a) poem, I saw this dead bird underneath a car in my parking lot. So weird and scary! Yes, because the poem I wrote was about a bird that fell down and broke into pieces eventually losing its life ... And then I see this dead bird for real."

Now that's co-incidence on co-incidence, indeed!

[info]yathin...I couldn't find a match for this bird; could it be a caged songbird that had flown away, and was therefore killed by some predator? Or perhaps, died of the unaccustomed cold, and the inability to find food?

A good guide to buying a camera....
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[info]deponti
Thank you, [info]cyberscorpion...

http://cyberscorpion.livejournal.com/122967.html

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