RANDOM THOUGHTS

     FIRST SNOWFALL OF 2023  Google Akka's Forecast of the looming Snowfall from the night  of Monday 23 rd Oct 2023 with Temperatures ranging from a High of -2°C to a low of -10°C had Me and Mami rushing to get hold of our Winter Clothing.   It would be only fair to admit here that though we have been to Canada on 9 previous occasions,  this is only the second time that we are  at Regina during the onset of the Winter . Our previous experience of extreme winter at Regina was exactly 10 years back in 2013 when my Grandson Arya was born . I distinctly remember that the Temperature on that day was Minus  37°c .  In Toronto where my Son stays , the Winter starts a bit later and comparatively speaking , at a much subdued level . Make no mistake about it . For a person hailing from the South of India , Winter is an almost unheard of weather condition  and SNOW  is seen only in the Tamil or Hindi Movies with the Hero and Heroine Gallivanting and chasing each other on  the slopes of Kashm

      AIR TRAVEL AND BAGGAGE                    HANDLING  The recent clip in The Hindu Newspaper  under the caption , " The Thief That Was Not To Be " has set me thinking . This coming as it does from a person who has quite a few  International Arrival Stampings on his Passport must make up for an amusing read . One aspect of the Air Travel which has always seemed  a daunting task is getting  your luggage back at the end of your journey . A : Finding the right Carousel earmarked for your flight is itself a problem to start with . The carousel number announced while you were inside the Aircraft for some strange reason does not match with the actual one in the Baggage Collection Area . In Large Airports where they have close to 10 or more Carousels , this becomes an even  more difficult task . B : Finding your luggage amongst the 100 s of similar looking Suitcases is always a big task . There are many who have their own way of identifying their Baggage .It could be  fastening o

  AN ALL NEW -  AGE RECKONER      Over the years ,practices, habits , rituals and appliances have  given way to a new set of activities by which we go about leading our lives . Some have outlived their usefulness while  some have seen the more modern version of the application taking their places . Most seem to have also  lost out because of our own change in the  preferred choices . Listed below are a few of the items which come to mind immediately . I will with a fair degree of certainty reckon that anyone who is not even faintly aware or heard  of any of the  FIVE  items listed below are sure to be  born in the new Millennium. Others I am sure are  in the varied degree of vintage .  Your Biological age might  be totally different from your chronological age based on how and what you think of the items below . 1) Do you use a Fountain Pen or have atleast heard of it as  a writing instruement . 2) Are in the habit of using  a Ball Point Pen . 3) Do you still use a Bicycle to move abou

LIFE IS NOT FAIR , BUT IT IS STILL BEUTIFUL 1) Life isn't fair , but it is still beautiful  2) When in doubt , take the next small step 3) Life is too short --- Enjoy it  4) Your job won't take care of you when you are sick , your friends and family will 5) Pay off your credit card bills every month  6) You don't have to win every arguement , stay true to yourself  7) Cry with someone , it is more healing than crying alone  8) It is OK to get angry with God , he can take it 9 ) Save for your retirement , starting with your first paycheck  10 ) when it comes to chocolate , resistance is almost always futile  11 ) Make peace with your past so that it will not screw up your present  12 ) Don't compare your life to others . You have no idea what their journey is all about  13 ) It's OK to let your children see you cry  14 ) If a relationship has to be a secret , you shouldn't be in it  15 ) Everything can change with the blink of an eye , but don't worry God nev

  Where do I correctly place the word "ONLY " English as they say is a very funny Language. I have had my own experiences of the same  and many of them comical as well .  My relationship with M/S Wren & Martin have never been friendly and some may even call it downright strained .   M/S Wren & Martin are the Authors of the Book on Basic English Grammer for the School Going Kids in English Medium Schools of the Sub Continent immediately before and after our Independence.  My relationship with these Learned Gentlemen during the important final year school days where it mattered most was  just about PASSABLE at it's very  best.  How else does one explain my predicament of placing the word " ONLY " in the two sentences below . The shifting of the word ONLY to the next place in the sentence changes the meaning totally each time !! and almost always to a new comical meaning . 1) SHE TOLD HIM THAT SHE LOVED HIM a) SHE ONLY , TOLD HIM THAT SHE LOVED HIM b) SHE T

 VISIT TO EDMONTON - CANADA   A combination of factors made our visit to Edmonton in Alberta province possible .  The long awaited arrival of the NEW  HONDA ODYSSEY VERSION 2024 MODEL CAR  AARNA , ARYA'S long pending  extended Tour to a place of repute as promised by their parents Kamesh and Anoo . Three days of Holiday on Oct 7,8 ,  9 being an extended long Weekend because of the Thanksgiving Day in between.  A chance to meet many of Kamesh and Anoo's close friends from their Philippine Days who are now all settled at Edmonton.  The PHILIPPINES connection  Kamesh with Vick Reddy , Atul Sathya , the owner of Annam Cuisine  With Mami , note the Bronze Figur next to me . Edmonton is the 5 th largest city in Canada by virtue of both its size and population . It is the Capital of the Alberta Province. The WEST EDMONTON  MALL here is reputed to be one of the biggest in North America with more than 800 shopping outlets where the products of all the leading Brands are on sale . The hi

HONDA ODYSSEY 2024  ARRIVAL The much awaited day had FINALLY arrived. KAMESH , ANOO , AARNA AND ARYA'S long pending wish of their 8 seater Honda Odyssey was scheduled to arrive on that day . 6 th of Oct 2023 was going to be special . Their excitement was all too evident . Little  Arya reportedly did not  catch even a wink of sleep the previous night . He was all too keen to accompany his parents to the Showroom while taking delivery of the new Car . Both Aarna and Arya wanted to be the first one to get the Look of their new Car .  The fact that the school will get over only at 3.40 pm was a dampner to Arya's excitement.  Aarna for  her part had taken efforts to finish all her Homework and pending schoolwork  so that the long Weekend with  the Thanksgiving Day was open for a really long  Celebration ahead . All of them were at the Showroom to take delivery of the Vehicle which arrived at 5.45 pm on 6 th Oct 2023 Friday . This latest version arrived with many new features . Kames

BAANA THEERTHAM REVISITED  The recent post by my good friend ESB on WhatsApp about the reopening of Baana Theertam makes me Pen this Blog .  My association with Baana Theertham has  been long . Me ,  being,  at first ,  a resident of Madura Coats Colony at VK Puram and then at Agasthiarpatty after retirement has gone on to make this possible.   Being a part of an extended family,  I have had friends and relatives visiting us often . It became almost mandatory to visit the Papanasam Temple , Agasthiar Falls , Sorimuthu Ayyanar Kovil , Karayaar Dam and the Bana Theertam almost regularly . The Boat Ride from Karayaar to the foot of the Bana Theertam falls , an almost 40 minute ride was a much looked after event . Due to Environmental issues and Forest Conservation the Boat Ride was Stopped for almost 15 to 20 years now . Better sense  seems to have prevailed now and conducted tours by the Forest Department  has opened up the exquisite locale to the common man . Around 1991 the Film Roja w

     FEAR IS THE KEY - COVID 19  Sorry , this has nothing to do with the ALISTAIR MACLEAN'S BESTSELLING NOVEL OF A FEW YEARS BACK ,  This is to do with my own experience during the Pandemic days of 2019 . My recent experience of having to make purchases of some home remedies like SANITIZER , A STRIP OF TABLETS TO ALLEVIATE HEADACHE PLUS A TUBE OF MOSQUITO REPELLENT at one of the prominent pharmacy at Dasarathapuram in the city of Chennai ,  made interesting reading . My work for the day also included drawing some money from an  ATM KIOSK which fortunately was almost very next to the pharmacy.  With repeated instructions from my better half and others in the family to be vary and maintain a safe distance and also be particularly careful not to venture any closer than a minimum of 3 meters from any other living creature , human or otherwise. The Cloth Bandana , Safety Mask and an extra protection Scarf over the nose and tied at the back of the neck plus the plastic hand gloves made a