Caught Special - 13

Here is a Caught Special series of special Sun Pictures (no, I mean... Photographs of the Sun) from my collection for you. 

Each one of them were taken at different places across the globe (yes... really... there's one from KL and one from Japan!). Two or three different cameras were used as you can see in the details. The pictures span a wide period from the year 2005 up to, just 2 weeks ago, this year 2011.  

There are almost 43 pictures in this posting. Some of them look really stunning to me, frankly speaking. I do not know how you feel. Please take a look at these, and post your comments. May be I will post a part-2 series sometime in the future. Click here to see all pictures.

To browse, note that you can also click on one of the pictures and it will launch the Lightbox image-viewer feature that I have enabled. It allows you to quickly see all images in a film-strip fashion, and then, remember, you must press Escape key to come back to this page; if you click the x (close) button of your browser page / tab you will be out of this blog.

Wish you all a very happy, healthy, wealthy, sunny, shiny, prosperous and peaceful new year 2012 and beyond.
 

Caught Grinning - 13

A few Cat(s) pictures that bring a smile on our face.

1) At at small grocery store in Vijaya Bank Colony, Bangalore, 23rd December 2009, 06:37 PM: While hectic business were still going around them, these two cats were happily sleeping at the counter! 

2) At my in-laws' place, Chennai, 26th December 2009, 08:16 AM: This cat was finding warmth in my father-in-law's shoe!

3) At my in-laws' place, Chennai, 27th December 2010, 06:00 PM: These kittens were finding warmth with their mom! Can you count how many of them are there?

4) At Cliff-top resorts, Yelagiri, 2nd January 2011, 10:13 AM: These kittens were finding warmth with their mom, and stared at me as I shot this snap peeping from the first floor parapet! Again, can you count how many of them are there?

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This is a series posting such pictures I captured at different places. You can click on the pictures to see a bigger version.  

Under the Labels list on the right hand side, click on 'Caught Grinning' to see all postings in this series.

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Caught Special - 12

Special thoughts: This was from our Balcony. 

It was a cold morning in mid-December. The rose plant had bloomed in full glory. The sunrise was brimming. I suddenly had this thought of clicking the roses in close-up, in partial silhouette, with the sun at the center of the bunch! It came out quite brilliantly, added with the lone bird that fell in my frame and the distant diminished structures.

Camera: Sony Cybershot W320
Date: 14/Dec/11, Wednesday, 06:59 am

Two days later, there were more flowers, more attractive, and another sunrise tempted me to try one more picture... It came out nicely too. 

Camera: Sony Cybershot W320
Date: 16/Dec/11, Wednesday, 07:12 am

 

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This is a series posting special pictures I captured. 
The pictures are original and without any post-processing.
Under the Labels list on the right hand side, click on 'Caught Special' to see all postings in this series. 
Click on pictures to see full size view.

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Caught Grinning - 12

This is a series posting such pictures I captured at different places. Under the Labels list on the right hand side, click on 'Caught Grinning' to see all postings in this series. You can click on the pictures to see a bigger version.

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Name board of a small hotel at Badami. A heartening intent but.

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Please Note: This is just for a smile. There is no intention to hurt anybody's feelings.

Caught Special - 11

Special thoughts: This was at Mahakuta Temple, near Badami in Karnataka. 

I saw this cat at the entrance to one of the ancient temple. Standing still, looking up, focused, he was staring at something for a long time. Probably a mouth-watering prey. I clicked one with a larger frame of area and another with a closer silhouette that came out pretty nice. Take a look.

Camera: Sony Cybershot W320
Date: 12/Nov/11, Saturday, 11:54 am
 

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This is a series posting special pictures I captured. 
The pictures are original and without any post-processing.
Under the Labels list on the right hand side, click on 'Caught Special' to see all postings in this series. 
Click on pictures to see full size view.

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Pigeon Surprise

We were very pleasantly surprised when the Pigeon had laid an egg in our garden, that too inside a pot!

Our garden, in the 5' x 12' balcony, is a small one but arranged reasonably well. We have a 3-step pot stand, a couple of hanging pots, and then some independent 2-level pot stands. The balcony is covered with safety grill. Since the time we moved in here, for the past 3 years, we have always found the pigeons visiting our garden. And when they come in, they pass time here -- they take a walk, drink water overflowing from the pots, eat seeds, pollen, insects and worms. Even though we have our garden chair placed very next to the pots, and we also spend time once in a while in this surroundings, the pigeons have never felt scared. They always like to visit our miniature garden in our small balcony.

But, we never expected that they will find our garden so comfortable to come in and lay an egg -- inside a pot that was kept filled with soil.

Caught Grinning - 11

This is a series posting such pictures I captured at different places. Under the Labels list on the right hand side, click on 'Caught Grinning' to see all postings in this series. You can click on the pictures to see a bigger version.

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12/Nov/11, 11:51 a.m. 

This was at Mahakuta Temples near Badami. 

The sun was shining. This solar light was Off. But the conventional light very next to it was still On, under broad daylight. When are we going to save electricity? When will we switch-over to renewable energy consciously?

This caught me... not grinning... but crying.

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A Narrow Miss...

5:10 p.m.

When I entered our home on that Friday evening, I had come back early from work, because we were to leave for Badami in a few minutes. We were scheduled to board the taxi at 5:45 p.m. to give ourselves almost 2 hours to drive to the train station. But, I gave a shock to my wife and son saying that we may have to cancel the trip due to some problems in the project that needed me to stay back and work.

Our packed travel bags were kept ready. I had even informed the taxi guy to come at 5:45 p.m. for pick-up. Bijapur Express train from Yeswantpur leaves at 7:45 p.m. But this big dilemma for me to stay back and be available for the project work was the hassle.

My son was poking me to still go to Badami, and recommended me to stay at the hotel room and do whatever my office work was, remotely; and they both would roam around the ancient Chalukyan capital filled with several cave temples, tonnes of sculptures, and vast archeology. I was still trying to see how to cancel the trip so that I could go to work on Saturday.

The project was at a crucial phase, it has been going delayed, and the customer had been asking to pull-in the completion schedule.

Caught Special - 10

Special thoughts: This was at Pattadakal, near Badami in Karnataka. 

This could aptly be titled Ancient vs. Modern. A single frame bringing together the classic world of inscriptions on stone and the texts today on our contemporary computers! How do you like it?

Camera: Sony Cybershot W320
Date: 13/Nov/11, Sunday, 11:45 am

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This is a series posting special pictures I captured. 
The pictures are original and without any post-processing.
Under the Labels list on the right hand side, click on 'Caught Special' to see all postings in this series. 
Click on pictures to see full size view.

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Caught Grinning - 10

This is a series posting such pictures I captured at different places. Under the Labels list on the right hand side, click on 'Caught Grinning' to see all postings in this series.

[Note: Click on pictures to see a bigger version for better clarity]
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12/Nov/11: This was taken at Hotel Mayura Chalukya Badami. This stair-case appeared to lead to a dead-end on to a flat wall, catching our attention!

It actually connects to the party-hall upstairs. Just that the wall in front at the top end is at an angle creating this illusion, and bringing a smile on our faces.

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Badami, Mahakuta, Pattadakal, Aihole trip

Train # 06535, Bijapur Express [Tu, W, F, Su]
     11/Nov/11 (Fri) Departure from Yesvantpur (YPR) at 19:45 hours [First station]
     12/Nov/11 (Sat) Arrival at Badami (BDM) at 07:33 hours [Stops only 2 minutes]

Train # 16356, Golgumbaz Express [Tu, F, Su]
     13/Nov/11 (Sun) Departure from Badami (BDM) at 20:00 hours [Arrives 17:58 hours, stops for 2 minutes]
     14/Nov/11 (Mon) Arrival at Yesvantpur (YPR) at 09:15 hours [Last station]

e-Readers: Survey Results

I conducted this online survey on Good or bad impact of e-Reader applications in India via KwikSurveys from 9th September 2011 to 24th September 2011. There were 221 responses. Here are the survey results for everybody's benefit.

Caught Special - 9

Special thoughts: This was at Kumarakom, in Kottayam, Kerala. Of the 650+ photographs I had clicked during that trip, here are a few caught specials. These were taken in and around Illikkalam Lake Resort and during the house-boat ride on the vast Vembanad Lake. 

Camera: Konica Minolta, Model DiMAGE X50

09:09 PM - Resort by night. It had just rained.

07:08 AM - His day has started.

09:08 AM - The Boat pick-up is ready

10:41 AM - See him? Waiting for his catch.

10:44 AM - He is well on course.

10:55 AM - They are calm.

05:40 PM - Some special combo of colors setting in.

06:10 PM - Rays and reflections.

06:16 PM - Just a few more minutes to go.

06:45 PM - Blend of nature and the man-made.

08:29 AM - See the rain-drops too.

08:59 AM - Lake, boat-house, rain, umbrella, fishing.

09:08 AM - A scenic combo.

12:08 PM - The water-ways and the transportation.

12:10 PM - Rain-droplets, pristine.

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This is a series posting special pictures I captured. 
The pictures are original and without any post-processing.

Under the Labels list on the right hand side, click on 'Caught Special' to see all postings in this series. 
Click on pictures to see full size view.

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Bangalore Express, Seat #71

Chennai, Centrail Railway Station. 12:45 PM on a mid-September afternoon recently.

As I walked towards the platform, I was happy to see the Chennai-Bangalore super-fast train #12609 waiting for me already. I strolled slowly, stopping by some book-seller carts browsing through their shelves. I also stopped for a cool juice. And I walked past compartments one after another after another.

I was heading back to Bangalore on that Thursday noon, after having attended a relative's wedding in north Chennai that forenoon -- just a couple of hours prior to that.

I was tired, and was eager to get in to my AC chair-car for which I was holding a confirmed reservation. Even though it was not the peak summer time in September, Chennai is Chennai, and the day had already taken the toll on me. The platform was not overcrowded, but was not too empty as well. It was an average crowd, but all over the place. Most travelers were making their last minute buys before jumping on to their trains. People who just arrived were rushing off the platforms to get home, or to get on with their businesses, or to get on with whatever their purpose was in the city. I kept walking. Just a few more steps... I was really longing to be inside my air-conditioned coach.

Caught Grinning - 9

This is a series posting such pictures I captured at different places. Under the Labels list on the right hand side, click on 'Caught Grinning' to see all postings in this series.

[Note: Click on pictures to see a bigger version for better clarity]
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A shop's name board...

Survey on e-Readers

Please participate in the survey: "Good or bad impact of e-Reader applications in India" - Click Here

Survey closes 21-Sep-11. Thank you for your valuable time and opinion.

Un Ilakku

Un Ilakku 

உன் இலக்கு

Meaning, Your Target. 

These lines just grew in me as I was driving home a couple of weeks ago. A few lines about that latent talent hidden deep inside, but completely unsure by his own. This is to that sparky fiery young who all but looks unknowing the real self-potential, appearing worried and scared too. I say, victory is the only target you have got, take it up, forget & ignore everything else... the world is wide open for you, young!

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PS: Picture courtesy: Internet, Eric Lafforgue

Caught Special - 8

Once in a while I get the opportunity to click something special. An attractive frame of scenery, a rare moment of incident or action, an unusual view of a common perspective, a snap of poetic feel and depth, a picture-perfect still, or even an impressive blend of colors with a rustic or a glossy finish.  

This is a series posting such pictures I captured. The pictures are original and without any post-processing.  You can also see my thoughts about the picture and the camera used for snapping. 

Under the Labels list on the right hand side, click on 'Caught Special' to see all postings in this series. Click on pictures to see full size view.
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Special thoughts: This was taken in our balcony. We had brought this wild Lily plant from Hunkal Woods, Chikmagalur (12Apr09). It never bloomed under our care. But it always flowers at the touch of rain. Just a mild drizzle would even do. It flowers within 1-2 days of rain drops on it any time. It had flowered again on a Sunday towards end of February. The very bright color and the day's golden sunshine caught my attention - and I got busy instantly with my old Konica Minolta. I got one in a rare angle too. Click on the images to see the full size. You can see the focus and clarity.

Date: 28/Feb/2010, 12:30 PM ~~ Camera: Konica Minolta, Model DiMAGE X50

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River Tern Lodge - Bhadra Dam & Wildlife

We did this 2 days 1 night road trip to the River Tern Lodge - that is part of the Jungle Lodges & Resorts near Lakkavalli - during the independence day week-end last week.

Amidst the western ghats of India, the River Tern Lodge of Jungle Lodges & Resorts is located on an attractive hillock, right at the edge of and overlooking the Bhadra River and Dam, and adjoining the Bhadra Tiger Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary. Overall the trip was very exciting and the location of the resort simply superb.

As usual I got the due regular service done for my car 2 days before the trip, so it was a good drive all through.

We took the following route both up and down: Bannerghatta road, NICE road, Tumkur road, Tumkur, Gubbi, Tiptur, Arsikere, Banavara, Kadur, Birur, Tarikere, Lakkavalli. Bangalore to Tumkur is NH-4. Tumkur to Tarikere is NH-206, a.k.a. Bangalore-Honnavar (or BH) road. The one-way distance from Bangalore to Lakkavalli is 288 KM. Our onward drive took 7 hours end-to-end, including a breakfast stop and other minor photo click slowdowns.

Here is an active Google map you can click and browse through.

Seville, Spain

Just came back from a week's business trip to Seville in Spain a week ago, and I thought of writing a (pseudo) review and posting some pictures.

The route to Seville from Bangalore is a bit convoluted. Bangalore-Dubai-Madrid-Seville is how I got there, and back via same route as well, by Emirates Airlines for the international sectors and by Iberia Airlines for the domestic sector.

Some basics first. Seville, pronounced normally as 'Sevil', is also called as Sevilla, and pronounced as 'Seviya' in Spanish, with the two Ls silent. 

I did not have time to go around Seville, but the 154 year old Hotel Inglaterra in Plaza Nuevo area where I stayed was right in the city center, only about 20 min. from Seville airport.

See summaries and photos below.

Shop for Home-made Arts & Crafts

There are quite bit of new updates in the Shop for Home-made Arts & Crafts page. The updates are:

• A010 - Abstract Fencing
• A011 - Mediterranean landscape on Plaster of Paris
• A012 - Madhubani stained glass painting 
• A013 - Pebble painting
• C002 - Chips on terracotta vase
• C003 - Fruit Platter
• C004 - Jharokha painting 

Please click here to go to Shop for Home-made Arts & Crafts page.

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Caught Special - 7

Once in a while I get the opportunity to click something special. An attractive frame of scenery, a rare moment of incident or action, an unusual view of a common perspective, a snap of poetic feel and depth, a picture-perfect still, or even an impressive blend of colors with a rustic or a glossy finish.  

This is a series posting such pictures I captured. The pictures are original and without any post-processing.  You can also see my thoughts about the picture and the camera used for snapping. 

Under the Labels list on the right hand side, click on 'Caught Special' to see all postings in this series. Click on pictures to see full size view.
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Special thoughts: This was at Lady's Seat in Yercaud Hills. A brilliant pose by this family of monkeys with a great backdrop. What was special was that the three were sitting perched on the tip of that rock which is right at the edge of the deep pocket behind! I had to put my hand through the gap in the fencing to go low in angle in order to get this frame nicely centered and also straight in front of the monkeys.

Date: 12/May/2007, 05:38 PM ~~ Camera: Konica Minolta, Model DiMAGE X50

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Solomon Pappiah

It was a special occasion when Dr GC and my friend Ganesh(a!) had succeeded in inviting Shri Solomon Pappiah from American College, Madurai at that time to visit and preside over our Literary Association event. I even created this big banner invite seen below, got principal's approval and displayed it on the main notice board. I made it special to form His name with the first letters of each line. Later, on the day of event, he gave the packed hall a cracker of a speech that had all of us thinking, as well as laughing our stomachs out, for an hour. Ganesh had also pulled me into this role of delivering the prestigious vote of thanks for the event. An honor I must say, completely thanks only to Ganesh. The very short verse that I wrote and delivered in front of Him and the hall of audience was quite special, because, as I spoke, he spontaneously reacted with his trademark appreciation of 'ha' at certain moments. Can't forget forever.

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Vidiyumvarai Kaathiru

விடியும்வரை காத்திரு - Vidiyumvarai Kaathiru - Wait until Dawn.

This brilliant photograph was part of a Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder advertisement some 25 years ago. A young mom with her tiny tot on her shoulders. The mom's face and eyes are displaying a thousand wishes to future of her toddler. Such a magnificent still this, inspired me to a short little poetic verse.

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Caught Special - 6

Once in a while I get the opportunity to click something special. An attractive frame of scenery, a rare moment of incident or action, an unusual view of a common perspective, a snap of poetic feel and depth, a picture-perfect still, or even an impressive blend of colors with a rustic or a glossy finish.  

This is a series posting such pictures I captured. The pictures are original and without any post-processing.  You can also see my thoughts about the picture and the camera used for snapping. 

Under the Labels list on the right hand side, click on 'Caught Special' to see all postings in this series. Click on pictures to see full size view.
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Special thoughts: This was at Nandi Hills near Bangalore. People, including us, had big trouble from a lot of monkeys over there while eating the lunch that was carried along. The monkeys were very courageous and robbed or snatched away food and snacks from everyone around there. But, a littler later, we saw those monkeys in a completely different setting. There was this small, almost cantilevered roof-top projecting over the deep valley beneath. Monkeys were having a great afternoon nap under tree-shades on top of it, without worrying about the deep valley below and the height on which they were actually lying! Take a look.

Date: 23/Jul/2006 ~~ Camera: Konica Minolta, Model DiMAGE X50

3:09 PM - Two monkeys happily sleeping off on the roof over-looking the valley.

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3:09 PM - Another pair on the other side of the same roof

3:10 PM - A long-shot of the same second pair.

3:11 PM - Look at these four families of monkeys on another side of that roof. In each family, while the head took a nap, another family member sat next, picking lice!

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Secunderabad to Aurangabad

Secunderabad. Sarojini Devi road. Taj Mahal Hotel. It was about 10 AM when my senior Regional Sales Manager got the 4 carton boxes containing test equipment unloaded from his hired Ambassador car in the parking lot. I had instructions to leave from Secunderabad directly to Aurangabad that evening, to deliver those boxes to Bajaj Auto Ltd., to immediately complete the installation & training for the engineers, and to collect the payment also. There was a bit of urgency from the customer side too and so I had to start immediately. The train from Secunderabad leaves at about 6 PM in the evening and I only had about 7 hours to start not just thinking about, but to execute the travel plan itself.

I was working in Bangalore at that time, and was taking care of technical support for electronics test equipment customers in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala full-time, and Maharashtra part-time. When this instruction to go to Aurangabad urgently was given to me, I was already on a trip to Hyderabad for the prior 2-3 days, visiting different customers on service calls or annual maintenance visits etc.