Srini

Circle of friends...

2008-01-01T04:20:00.000-08:00

I am doubly happy to eagerly expect this year, for this brings my son Aditya's first birthday together with the New Year Eve!
I take this moment to remember all of you and say to the whole world how lucky and fortunate enough I have been to have a circle of friends, who were, who are and who will be ready to help me, cheer me up and support me at times needy.
I wish you all and all your family members, a prosperous and promising New Year 2008, that brings newer hopes and opens vistas anew for further career development, overall happiness, contentment and fulfillment.
Warm wishes and hearty prayers in this first day of this newly unfurled year 2008 - say, 'An Year of Promises'!

Bhajan bina sukha, shanthi nahin..!

2007-12-08T01:52:00.001-08:00

'Divinity encompasses everything from within and without'.

Every Thursday, some of the inmates of EIT Quarters are regularly participating in Bhajans organised by Mr. Vijayakumar, Faculty of Chemistry, EIT. This restores solace and tranquility to the temple-deprived Indian expatriate souls in us! It lasts for an hour or so. Seen in the picture are: Mr. Moorthy (Karnataka), Mr. B.K. Singh (Bihar), myself (Tamilnadu!) and Mr. Vijayakumar (Andhra), from left to right. Other regular participants not seen in the picture are Mr. Mohan and Smt. Swathi. Thanks to Vijayakumar Sir and Moorthy Sir, now I have the practice of singing a repertoire of bhajan songs (more than 15!).
At least during the bhajan hours we have a chance to praise the Lord and be in His Holy Rememberance.
Bhajan bina sukha, shanthi nahin; Hari, Bhajan bina sukha...

A Workshop on 'Six Sigma'...

2007-10-13T01:52:00.000-07:00

This photo has been taken during a Workshop conducted by my friend Mr. B.K. Singh and myself on 5th Oct. 2007, in EIT premises, on 'Six Sigma', titled, 'Six Sigma - a Tool for Dramatic Quality Improvement and Breakthrough Business Performance'.
With more than 70 participants, the session lasted for more than one and a half hours. The feedback from aspiring students and erudite professors is a standing testimony for the effectiveness of the Workshop, which makes us forget the pains taken in meticulously preparing 80+ slides in Power Point, based on a borrowed British Council book and some downloaded e-stuff! With who else I will share this, other than my dear ones in you..!

(N)Ice rain!

2007-09-16T01:44:00.000-07:00

This photo has been taken one day when rain was gushing, hurling ice pieces upon us. In the background is the EIT Quarters where we are residing, which is very near the college premises. The place known as Mai-nefhi, is 25 kms away from Asmara town. I will try to upload as many photos as possible in near future, including some snaps taken in ‘Expo 2007’ – a mega exhibition for Eritrea! Cheers!

Fitting the shoes of a fine-weather Asmara...

2007-09-11T03:38:00.000-07:00

After a long time I am updating my blog...
I am getting gradually adapted and accustomed to fit the shoes of Eritrea and in this process I’ve learnt some words / numbers in Tigriniya, the official language of this holy country. I felt frustration and anguish in the initial months, as it is natural for a person hailing from a low-land (below mean sea level) to a high-land (above MSL), for at least 3 months or so.
In week ends I roam in Asmara, go to cinemas, browse in netcafes, purchase groceries, some high-quality ‘Class A’ cigars like Rothmans Lights and Winston (!). Some of my friends will scold me for this...I know! I’ve learnt to boil rice and prepare tea too!
As an effort to make people know about an easy way of owning a webpage, without any prior knowledge about html or so, recently I've written an article titled ‘Blogging – a means for casting our notions and passions in web’, which has been published in the EIT magazine – ‘Horizon’.
Along with my friend, I will conduct a Workshop on ‘Six Sigma – a present-day tool for drastic quality improvement’ (the exact title we haven’t finalized yet), on 27th of this month in the college premises. From a worthy website / e-resource called ‘esnips.com’, I got some stuff about ‘Six sigma’. Please give ‘esnips’ a try…it is worth it! Thanks to British Council, in which I am a member, I got a wonderful book too – ‘Six Sigma for Dummies’. I have downloaded a trial software (35.1 MB!) for a down-to-earth explanation of the concepts.
With some new friends here, and some old ones in India calling me and my family too, I am all set to live a balanced life in Asmara. I have plans to go to India by the end of January and bring my wife and my only issue Aditya here, after a month’s vacation. The only thing that annoys me about my trip to India is, whether I will meet my close friends living in California, Salisbury and Switzerland, during that stay or not. Hopefully may they get the same vacation and come to India. Let it be so!

For the first time, my blog post is so personal. Well…at least I have given a piece of information about a web resource called ‘esnips.com’.
The contents of my article, which appeared on ‘Horizon’ are:

Blogging – a means for casting our notions and passions in web

Blogging is a smart and cute art. It is a way of expressing or registering our innate feelings, notions, passions and creations in the world-wide register…I mean web! Offered by a plethora of web portals called ‘blog sites’, blogs (‘web’ + ‘log’ shortened as ‘blog’) are the user-friendly publications of whatever we wish to showcase to the world we live in, in the web pages created by our own.
Precisely, anything and everything related to day-to-day affairs can be typed and published in our web page called blog. It is like one’s web diary kept open for the world to see / read.
Blogging comes in handy for those, who have an ardent zeal to cast their personal experience, opinions and even pictures (‘photoblogging’), with no basic knowledge about ‘html’ and related stuff. No holds barred! Though for a casual surfer who visits blogs they give a ‘déjà vu’ feeling, for the creator of the page it is a dream-come-true!
Umpteen blog portals have sprung up now, offering enrapturing features, inviting many aspirants to open an account and hence a web page in his name. I am acquainted with one ‘blogger.com’, powered by ‘Google’, which specifies a simple, self-explanatory, three-step procedure for a user to create a web page of his own, with the input of e-mail id, password, user name, display name, etc. With a set of multi-colour templates to opt from, users will be at ease to get initiated, though customization and further tweaking is still a possibility for an advanced geek. It uses a powerful editor, facilitating the conversion of what we type in the ‘Compose’ field into a blog publication, with formatting options like justify, bold, italic, font, etc.
The foremost ecstatic thing about our blog is, it can get updated in the ‘Google’ and other search engines! Provisions for submitting our web page to a search engine are at our reach, which enhances the probability of our blog page to be ranked as a candidate for the search results of search engines.
The second salient feature of blogging is its revenue potential effected through advertisements running in your own page! Opening an account with ‘Google Adsense’ will invite advertisements for getting hosted in our blog in the selected location of specified size. ‘Google search bots’ will virtually ‘crawl’ our blog (!) to ‘read’ the blog posts and will host only those advertisements which are pertinent to the contents of what we write – thus augmenting the probability of persons visiting our blog to click those advertisements…and we are paid on ‘cost-per-click’ basis, in turn. A truly amazing feature!
The added advantage of owning a blog lies in the fact that it enhances the face-value of our résumé.
Keeping aside the monetary aspect, primarily blogging serves as a platform for unearthing our writing spree and creative potential from within us, for the world to witness. Such blog interactions may be of mammoth use to many a person. Moreover, it paves an apt way for those craving minds to realize a web page by their own, with an URL, who otherwise would have fallen short of this venture for their lack of ‘html’ exposure or so.
I do run a blog in ‘blogger.com’, focusing on general articles of public interest, poems, PC game reviewettes, etc. Please visit my blog, in leisure – http://srinispree.blogspot.com. Within a fortnight’s time after the creation of my blog and subsequent submission to ‘Google’, it was an enthralling experience for me, to see a simple search for ‘Srini’ in ‘Google’, showing a link to my blog as fourth or fifth result in its window! Similar was the case with other search engines like ‘Yahoo!’, ‘Lycos’, ‘AltaVista’, etc.
Owning a webpage (or pages!), receiving comments from the world-wide readers, having advertisements hosted and consequent updation in Google or so, is an all-inspiring and altogether blissful experience for which most of us aspire and of course all of us deserve.

Unravel your inner-world;
Unveil the latent creative potential;
Unleash the inundating mind streams…

Happy blogging..!

R. Srinivasa Moorthy,
Lecturer, Mechanical Engineering,
E.I.T., MaiNefhi.

Taking up a transcontinental offer...

2007-06-02T00:09:00.000-07:00

It is an all-new experience for me to board a flight fly and wander in the streets of a new country ('comma' is not working in keyboard)...
I am taking up an offer of working as a Lecturer in Mechanical Engg. in Eritrea - a North-East African country near Ethiopia.
We (four in number of which three for teaching profession in the same college) reached Asmara - the state capital on Sunday night (27th May 2007) at 10.00 p.m. via Dubai and were taken care of by one Mr. Hagose who took us to Niala Hotel in Asmara . Next day he asked us to go to Ministry of Education (10 minutes walk) and offered us a cup of Cappachinno ( coffee with more milk!). Yesterday he gave us forms of Contract Residence and Work permit. Today morning we went to M.O.E. and handed over a copy of our provisional appointment order. They asked us to come by 3.00 p.m.
Only tomorrow or on Friday they will take us to the college (!!!) at Mai-Nefhi – Eritrea Institute of Technology (E.I.T.).
Till this week end we have to stay in Niala only I think. Then I will get accommodation in EIT.
IST is 2 1/2 hours ahead of Asmara time . Now it is 9.15 a.m. here. In India it will be 11.45 a.m.
Here it is hard to find Indian food except for some rice (big grains!) served with vegetable curry in Niala. Then we get Veg. Sandwich and Pizza (dry ones!). Machiato is good - a coffee with less milk!
Everything is very costly here. A phone to my wife for 2 minutes and 40 seconds costed 109 nakfas (fairly 320 rupees!) . Today they will give some advance in local currency to meet our food expenses. Only accommodation is free at Niala.
As such the weather and other conditions are good here. People too but they find it hard to understand English. Less of pollution and tension - people are cool and calm and above that very honest...really!
The city is busy in the evening hours with lot of boys and girls standing in the road sides and chatting among them. Caffetarias are filled with students in evening hours. We got introduced to some Indians (all are teachers / lecturers). They make us feel at home in this new place and guide us about what is all about this offer.
Getting SIM card will take some time here . It needs work permit or so. I paid 629 nakfas as tax for using cell phone (multiply by 3!) and 100 dollars for Entry Visa immediately after landing at Asmara.
I'll update this post later...

Want to read/write abstracts?

2005-08-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

I've found a site advertised in my site (here!), named http://www.shvoong.com/, which focuses upon the abstracts/summaries of books, novels, natural science, etc. If you've some spare time, you can log in and publish abstracts of whatever you liked in your reading...and yes! - get paid for it, depending on the content and the subsequent public recognition.

There is no annoying pre-requisites like experience in writing or expertise in scripting, to get into it. It aptly suits and ably supports newbies in writing like me!

'Shvoong' offers three categories for writing articles, based on 'word count' - 300, 600 and 900 word abstracts. It allows us to post/publish abstracts/articles in whopping 37 different languages, about natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, www and newspaper stuff. As consented in the site, by the site, it doesn't employ any expert for screening and everything is left to the discretion of the readers and writers of this web portal!

I don't know anything more about it other than what is necessary for writing an abstract about 'Shvoong'! So far, I've published only one article in 'Shvoong' (by slightly modifying one of my earlier posts in this blog page, titled 'An appeal to the bloggers' to meet the requirement of minimum 300 words for every abstract). Check out 'Shvoong' for more...

Resolutions...a solution?

2005-05-15T10:08:00.000-07:00

The idea of shedding the ill-attitudes and unhealthy habits on a good day is all-encouraging. The only thing that irks is 'on a good day', which often means taking resolutions. As pointed out by my friend Aravind, we are likely to overlook our 'resolutions' in days (or months in some cases) and soon get set to the older routines! It is like a cart in a rut! A cart even if we try, will always roll on the grooves or say impressions on the road, formed by its previous run(s). What is needed is a revolutionary change which can smash the binding shackles!

For example, consider the case of people who smoke! They couldn't quit this unhealthy habit, inspite of taking umpteen resolutions repeatedly! What is needed is a strong will, which most of them verily lack. If they keep trying relentlessly, I am sure one day they will. No special day is needed for this! Only a value-based purpose or an unwavering mindset, not to succumb to the mundane pleasures of this preset petrified habitual practice of consuming the health-eater, will make the difference! This stands true in other habits/practices too.

Every one of us are almost destined to have a thing or two in the domains of our knowledge, as 'to-be-got-rid-off' sort. The even more important thing is, we are totally clear that getting out of those vicious traps would make a larger-than-life difference in our personal lives!

A paradigm shift...

We all ape for it. May through the all-pervasive Almighty and our unflinching efforts, we all get it. Wishes!

Tiffany Brissette...a star of stunning class!

2005-02-26T20:14:00.000-08:00

Tiffany Brissette

Any normal toddler of her age will only squabble over frivolous things and flirt with blissful ignorance/ mischiefs - sometimes by filling our hearts with their capricious blend of emotions...sometimes by emptying our cash cards by their casual behaviour! Not so was one Tiffany...for she captured the hearts of hundreds of TV viewers by her stunning performance in a thoroghly interesting and totally inspiring comedy serial - 'Small Wonder'! A couple of years ago, whenever possible, I eagerly saw this serial (Monday to Friday, in evening hours) in Star Plus Channel. I am always interested to watch the robo girl portrayed by Brissette in 'Small Wonder'.
The story runs around a small family with familial values, of a scientist named Ted Lawson (Dick Christie) working in a 'Robotronics' company, accompanied by her caring wife Joan Lawson, blessed with a son named Jamie (played by Jerry Supiran). His greatest invention lies in bringing out a child - like robot, played by Tiffany Brissette as Vici (VICI is the acronym for Voice Input Child Identicant). As a robot, her strange actions and extra-ordinary powers leave people around her with an astonishment and not-normal-a-feeling. The creator Lawson, prefers to not let the cat out and what ensues is a full-fledged funny drama with ludicrous events, though it essentially has some explicit family values and some implicit messages for the kids.
Though the core credit goes to Tiffany for her striking performance, the co-stars of the family were beaming with lots of spirits in rendering their roles to ensure that 'Small Wonder' will not be a run of the mill comedy serial. When Dick Christie and Marla Pennington, go well with their roles, in aptly expressing their emotions linked with trivial happenings, occasional disappointments, neighbour's envy, aping for promotion, dissatisfaction with their kid's academics and irresponsible behaviour, the toughest task gets set on the tender and slender shoulders of the tiny little Tiffany! Her composed nature and ease in portraying a robot girl coupled with her keenness in sustaining a 'not-expressing-emotions' stance, with a bit of subtelty at allowed instances, is verily praise-worthy, setting her apart from any of the contemporary performers of her age. Even as a cute little girl with curly hair, she exhibits an inner strength of being poised to live life the way it is meant to be, a sure trait of her own, which I feel as the real reason for the rare performance of this rarest talent.
Her physical motions were so precisely pre-metered that a future and feasible VICI, the one we could take home for assisting and amusing us, would truly 'behave' like 'her'! She is complete with her expression and serious in not yielding to instincts which are normal, for she is 'fully aware' that she is wearing a mask of a robot!
She has appeared even at 4, on television and in film and has auditioned in radios/albums. She has appeared in several television commercials too. A complete girl, she emerged as in later years, with her zeal to acquire multiple skills -with unique prowess in playing piano, singing and classical dancing. She was an advocate for science education making public service announcements for many science museums, including 'California Museum of Science and Industry'. A girl of this high a value and credits, became a missionary and youth counselor and vocalist at the Solana Beach Presbyterian Church, located in San Diego, in early months of 2000. Her spiritual quality was well-evident even when she was a kid, making her an intelligent performer with a quick grasp of things around her! Every parent will like to have a kid of her sort. What else is needed other than looking at her innate glories and stages of evolvement, by being with her, nurturing her and witness the whole world praising her! Am I a bit emotive? Well...out of admiration!

'Small Wonder' theme song

She's a small wonder, lovely and bright with soft curls;

She's a small wonder, a child unlike other girls.

She's a miracle and I grant you;

She'll enchant you at her sight.

She's a small wonder, and she'll make your heart beat twice;

She's fantastic, made of plastic, microchips here and there.

She's a small wonder, brings love and laughter everywhere!

Reproaches for a request earnest!

2005-02-26T19:24:00.000-08:00

I've posted an article appealing to the bloggers (which appeared priorly here too), not to use blogs for erotic and perverted purposes, in 'lulu.com'. Immeasurable fury I've to face for such a humble request, which manifested in the form of abusive replies with clamorous curses and roaring reproaches, the highlight being one 'thousand-insects-infest-upon-my-armpit' curse!
Well, blogs are for venting our griefs and gains, pleasures and pains and of course, for anything and everything that comes in our way. It is the freedom we do excercise in posting our thoughts and casting our dreams. A portal to unleash our innerself, freely. Yes.
A little introspection reveals that, one doesn't stand in the middle of a high-traffic highway for the reason that he is 'free' to do anything he likes! Our behaviour will be deemed by the society we live in as 'liberal', if we are set to interfere others' freedom. Thus one's freedom should never cross the bounds, to hurt our co-existing homo sapiens. Our freedom will remain as itself, as long as it is not 'intruded' by others, in the name of the so-called freedom. One grand conclusion is, we are free; not liberal.
If we post some obnoxious pictures and erotic scripts, then people passing by, cannot ignore it. A natural instinct draws them to it, almost every time - the sequel being spoiling their senses to succumb to sensuous things mundane. This will subsequently urge people to browse blogs for ...if you pardon me to say, bdsm and banned videos!
When dedicated porn sites are already there, why the blog sites, which merely reflect common human's our opinions and observations, be used into a platform for such profane and obscene stuff?
We've limitless oppurtunities to grow by leaps and bounds, in limited span of life, whose limits are not known! It is better to limit ourselves to legitimate a living!
We need not resort to lofty yielding actvities; at least refrain from lowly drowning atrocities.
If it is possible for some one to use blogging for generating funds for Tsunami-victims, let them go on. For the rest of us? Well, at least, let us stay cool by scripting our notions and passions, which may or may not inspire any visitor/reader, but will never lead astray to jeopardising jungles.

Troubled waters...Tsunami

2005-02-12T13:22:00.000-08:00

For aeons of time unknown
------You are the witness lone;
With umpteen creatures extinct
------You had a rapport distinct

Terra's lion's share
------Nurturing love and care;
Reaping what you bear
------We live at your shore

Altruistic and always deary
------Why this abrupt act of fury?
Benevolent an asset
------Why on earth you beset?

Wuthering waves
------Withered lives;
Gushing storms
------Effaced homes

Truly-

Time and tide
------Waited for none...

Bereaved of belongings
------Deprived of dear ones;
Even our kids small
------For no misdeeds big

In pain and strain
------We mourn in vain;
Of hue and cry
------Our eyes are dry

Generous like an ocean
------We will teach never;
Vibrant like a wave
------Will we preach ever?

Oh God!
Is this earth or earthly hell?
------Where else can we safely dwell?
Why this wrath wrought on us?
------On whom lies the whole onus?

May divine love fill our hearts
------The only cure for all our hurts;
We all pray as craving souls
------For your grace surely heals

No more to say
------Lead us your way!

P.S.:The tragic spell cast by Tsunami has victimised lakhs of our brethren in its deadly run. This poem is a tribute to the people, bereaved of their kith and kin, homes and possesions. Let us pray for those who left us. Let us contribute for those who are left with. I do thank my brother Mr. R. Maruthachala Murthy, for tweaking this poem with valuable inputs. I've submitted this poem in Voicesnet.org.

02/19/2005: A good news from the people at Voicesnet! This poem has been selected for publication in
'The VoicesNet Anthology International Poetry Competition books' for this quarter, going to press on 6/1/2005. Rewards and recognitions do inspire!

Hands of God, Words of Wisdom...Shiv Khera

2004-12-12T10:29:00.000-08:00

Winners don't do different things.
They do things differently!

The undeniable truth that each human being is bestowed with some distinct qualities that sets him apart from the rest, per se doesn't mean that he will succeed in his life. The understanding of this fact, possessing a righteous attitude, fixing the cherished goal, choosing an apt career, striving relentlessly, eschewing distractions and a lot more are essential to be jubilant and triumphant.

Though there are umpteen achievers with stunning adeptness and praiseworthy prowess in every known field - from architecture to archaeology, art to adventure, music to martial art, engineering to etymology, story-writing to science and technology, sports to spirituality and so, who have stamped indelible marks in the folios of world history, it is possible for only a feebly few to not only leave their footprints and memoirs, but to retrace their trodden paths, out of their altruistic attitude, divine love and magnanimous mindset, to lend their 'Hands of God' to the striving people of the earth to emancipate them from the confining mundane shackles of their own mental creation, to glorious heights and not-even-dreamt horizons!

Shiv Khera, the founder of 'Qualified Learning Systems Inc., USA', is one such personality, who prods people to realize their goals and re-evaluate their strategies for their life in toto. An erudite educator, efficient businessman, eloquent speaker, eminent writer, renowned consultant, international motivator...Shiv Khera has more feathers than his hat could bear!

Once I had a priceless opportunity of attending his public address (on 10/20/2003 at Hindustan Engineering College, Coimbatore, TN, India) along with my students of Erode Sengunthar Engineering College, Erode, TN, India. Here I've tried to give the essence of what he spoke, for I strongly believe that the vibrant words uttered by this legendary achiever-cum-motivator will be of pronounced use to many of us:

Doers will always do. Sayers will keep on saying.
For certain things we don't have choice. (like skin complexion, height, parents, etc.)
No one can motivate others, but can inspire.
Winners don't do different things. They do things differently!
What losers do not like to do, winners also do not either...but still they do. That is why they are the winners. (getting up early in the morning!)
Trust is more important than love. We can love somebody, but cannot trust them.
Child starts learning telling lies only from parents and develops an inferiority complex later. ("Tell him I am not here", father says when his kid attends an official call of Dad, as he is not in official mood!)
Practice makes (things) only permanent; only 'perfect' practice makes things perfect.
When we do good, our self esteem goes up and vice-versa.
Winners take the 'extra' strain needed.
It takes 15 years of practice for a 15 second performance for the athletes.
Change your weaknesses into strengths!
Empathizing is putting ourselves in the place of somebody in distress. Sympathy? A mere feeling.
Only crackpots will keep expecting jackpots!
100% population is not youth, but 100% future is youth.

Acrostic poetry - alpha'poetic'?

2004-11-24T23:21:00.000-08:00

According to Babylon, 'Acrostic' is a composition in which the initial and ending letters form a phrase or a word'. In Wordweb, it is a 'verse in which certain letters such as the first in each line form a word or message'.

Advanced glossaries indicate it as a Hebrew poem in which the lines or stanzas begin with the letters of the alphabet in regular order.

Not easy to write. In addition to the need to befit the unique style, a message it should convey and rhyming the lines should be, if possible with alliterations!

I've just tried one of its sort here.

HARMONY

Home is where to begin! Nurture with
Affection, Compassion
Regard, Respect,
Mutual care, Magnanimity
Onus and Tolerance!
Next comes society; extend it to
Yet others! Universe will change!

Note: Interestingly, the word 'abecedarian' means a tyro learning alphabet! The word is cleverly formed from the first four letters of the alphabet! Understanding the root words (or 'etymons') and when affixed suitably, how they form beautiful words of vivid use are always enamoring. You know, 'etymon' is the etymon for 'Etymology'!

Tips for tweaking blogs

2004-11-24T03:30:00.000-08:00

No one can attain Perfection!
One can only tend towards it,
For perfection is divine!
What this quote (not exactly a quote) implies, is true in every plane of human existence. Even in blogging!

Any script, however great the person behind it be, surely has atleast the faintest chance to be tweaked and tuned! I think the tips given here will help you a lot in refining your blogs. The guidelines will substantially improve your skills in scripting, yielding pronounced results. Go ahead!

The tidbits for tweaking, as I know and follow, I'll put in two headings:

1. Pre-processing (in Notepad or a Daily Diary)
2. Post-processing (inside the Blog Editor)
1. Pre-processing:
First draft is not a sanctified testament! Don't post it as such. Always use Notepad or Daily Diary initially, to capture your thoughts. Give a break, and then review it. There are lot of things you are left with, to refine and revise! Adding or replacing with a befitting adjective, use of alliterations, eliminating repetitions (which often occurs in the first draft!) and much more. (The highly useful techniques mentioned here for poetry writing, are suitable for general writing too. Please check.)
While reviewing, use a friendly dictionary software like Babylon or Wordweb in conjunction, with your draft, for it will serve as a handy (or 'mousy'?) tool to spill out synonyms and indicate correct usages.
Use foot notes, if needed. (one step smaller in font size than the main text.)
Register your gratitude by bidding thanks to the person(s) and/or source(s), if applicable. (for example, 'Courtesy: ...')
As for as possible, provide links (by directly typing the URL) to various useful sites for relevant stuff pertaining to the context.
2. Post-processing :
When you are completed satisfied, carry the stuff to your Blog window. Prefer 'Compose' for major changes like paragraph alignment along with 'Preview' option.
Sometimes a space between two lines we intend will elude us. If so, prefer 'Edit HTML' and use 'Enter' key to bring the line down. (Further editing in HTML depends on the bloggers' knowledge!).
Use the 'Check spelling' option, if you think it is necessary and take advantage of the options for text formatting to give a subtle demarcation between sub-headings, quotes, etc. See the results!
Give links using the 'Link' icon in the 'Edit window' suitably for some texts in your script. (Find a visual illustration in this blogger help page.The merits of this option in comparison with the one mentioned lastly in the previous sub-heading are obvious.
After publishing, still if you are falling pretty short of your expectation...well, opt for the tedious back and forth processing of editing and republishing! (Post-processing posts!)
The thing is, the end result should be well-honed and ably-tuned a write-up!
Best wishes for better blogging!..

An appeal to the bloggers!

2004-11-23T13:14:00.000-08:00

Blogging is smart an art. Blog sites are the nicest portals which do aid people to unfurl their inundating mind streams, in umpteen aspects and share their ideas and experiences. It satiates several yearning hearts by being a platform for unleashing the artistic potencies from within, in writing reviews, articles, poems, stories, etc.

Personally, I've been craving for such a thing for a substantially long period, until my student and above that my friend, Mr. K. Rakesh, kraki@rediffmail.com, to whom I am grateful, came to my rescue by acquainting me with one blog site in which we are now. There is ample scope for registering our stuff, which might be of mammoth use to many others. To publish and later tweak it to the anticipated levels of perfection and subsequently seeing the transition for ourselves is an ethereal experience! I hope many of you know this better than me.

My humble plea is only this - please don't use blogs for perverted purposes or illegal intentions. There are lot more areas for such things. Spare blogs!

Certainly blogs are also for fun and frolic, but within the bounds of acceptability.

May it be a perpetual source of inspiration, nurturing sensational writings that vibrantly serve humanity, yielding reciprocal harmony and international integrity in a broader sense, in near future. In the present context... at least self-improvement.

Haiku - a cute and curt form of poetry

2004-11-21T23:04:00.000-08:00

According to http://poetry.com, 'Haiku is a Japanese verse form that relies on brevity and simplicity to convey its message. It is usually three lines of five, seven, and five syllables, and frequently includes natural images or themes. It is believed to have been first written in the seventeenth century and is based on a Zen Buddhist philosophy of simplicity and the idea of perfection that excludes the extraneous'.

Haiku has solitary and straightforward a message, that gently touches our souls and genuinely kindles an appreciation from within us! A couple of poems of its sort, I've uploaded in http://poetry.com. They are:

Pasture land

The green grasses gleam,
As the sun graces its beam...
Our land shines with charm!

Evening sky

Chances never die...
Are sure to reappear,
Like a setting sun!

Note (11/23/2004): the second one has managed to become one among the closest 20 entries for a Haiku contest conducted on 11/22/2004!

http://poetry.com is a cherished place for the emerging poets to unleash their poetry writing potential. It conducts regular poetry competitions in versatile ways; provides us with reviews for our poems and even permits us to write reviewettes for other's poems! Through its unparalleled efforts it serves the literary community, by giving impetus to the budding poets and spurring them to newer horizons in poetry writing. See for yourselves what they can offer!

Paradoxical verbal combos…Oxymorons!

2004-11-21T07:31:00.000-08:00

An Oxymoron is a combination of two words which are completely opposite in meaning. You've heard many of these before, probably without noticing or realising that they fall under this category.

As per ‘Oxford Talking Dictionary’ (OTD), it is ‘a rhetorical figure of speech in which markedly contradictory terms appear in conjunction so as to emphasize the statement’.

'Babylon English-English’ says: ‘Expression composed of combined contrasts’.

Here are some interesting Oxymorons in common use. These captivating 'contra-verbal combos' are sure to inspire you. The moment you comprehend, an instant and vibrant sense of astonishment runs through your nerves. Feel it!

Found missing
Resident alien
Genuine imitation
Same difference
Almost exactly
Legally drunk
Silent scream
Living dead
Small crowd
New classic
Sweet sorrow
Passive aggression
Taped live
Clearly misunderstood
Peace force
Terribly pleased
Political science
Pretty ugly
Working vacation
Exact estimate

And you know... the 'numero uno' Oxymoron is - Bloggers squander!

[Courtesy: My friend Mr. P. Senthilvelan - senthil@lincsoftware.soft.net; excerpt from a mail sent by him]

An addictive and hell-raising PC horror game...still what the hell happened?

2004-11-19T11:47:00.000-08:00

Have you played Clive Barker's 'Undying'? It was one of the scariest, spookiest games the gaming world had witnessed till date. Anyone who plays it, is destined to be thrilled throughout the gameplay! Suiting narrations, eerie arena, dull/ill lightings, vicious spells, ambidexterous Patrick, captivating cutscenes, horrendous beasts, lurking horror Lizbeth, heinous howlers, gothic gargoyles, ornamental Oracle, subtler texture designs, stunning story line, spine-chilling sound tracks, ominous choirs, poetic parchment entries of Clive Barker and what not? With all the complex ingredients so intricately interwoven into a coherent whole, it is a true master piece of horror- genre games. Curtly...a PC game personification of horror! I am verily annoyed about the 'not-adequate-a-recognition' the game got, even more than the makers of it! Why not the promoters (EA games) give it a retry in the market? For those who missed, it will be a belated boon. A must-play game for every PC gamer! Why can't the team think of making a sequel, of which we are all expectant of and market atleast that one wisely and nicely? I mean Undying 2! Let us hope for the be(a)st to come!

A tribute to a damsel...(say Aishwarya Rai!)

2004-11-19T04:57:00.000-08:00

Curved eyes
Carved nose...
Convex cheek
Converged neck!

Cusped trends
Crafted bends...
Tipped and tuned
Looks well honed!

Mere a gaze
Do amaze...
Clear a smile
Worries at a mile!

Phrases fail to praise
This truly Indian lass!

Well-nurtured
Horticultured ...

This garden of flora
With flowers plethora
Personifies what is beauty
Persuading it as reality!

Yes...

Concept of beauty
Isn't unreality!

For ardent PC gamers!

2004-11-17T01:02:00.000-08:00

I am playing Prince of Persia: The Sands of time PC game.

'Prince' is really charming, progressively enticing and addictively alluring to play as the stages advance. Its dull light settings and matching choirs coupled with tricks and trickeries and above all the 'a-second' time-bound moments prove to be a boon to any one who indulge and get immersed into the pool of this rare kind of pudding. The proof is in eating! My hands tremble out of the fear of letting any cat out. You know...I am 'spell-bound' in two ways!

Get to it, if you don't have one.

I've a repertoire of FPS / horror games with stunning gameplay, scintillating graphics and suiting sound scores. I'll be back with more such game reviews (full reviews, if possible) in the days to come!

Share your experiences. Shed your comments!

Better living!

2004-11-12T07:54:00.000-08:00

Life has a plethora of promises. Sharing can bring people and their thoughts together. This confluence through blogs, will sure help us live better...with mutual love, reciprocal care and above all - a sense of satisfaction in our earthly existence in toto!

Politics to poems,
Science to stories,

Music to movies,
God(s) to games...

Mutual exchanges are destined to move our lives towards newer horizons.

Am I right?

Yes!

Come on Comrades!