Catfolio

It all started on a rainy day. I and my sister were in the house watching the rain. Then I saw this cat watching us from the opposite sunshade. It was a she cat with grey and white tinge. My sister took pity on it and offered it some milk. Until then I always thought cats are cute.

This cat was not happy with the milk that was offered to it. No, it doesn’t want more, but it wanted to share it with another. So it brought another cat (its boyfriend?!!), which was bigger in size and looked as if it could drink a whole jar of milk in one gulp. After another month the she cat came with two other cats - its kittens (family party).

My sister has a touch of class in naming these cats

Karuppu (which literally translates to blacky; the 1st kitten) – this cat is pure black in colour. It has the gift of stealth and it uses it to the maximum; for sneaking inside the house. Several times I have made the mistake of sitting on it without knowing it was sleeping on the sofa. I hope cats are more into spirituality (unlike the snakes in nagini); it will forgive me soon.

Songi (which means lazy or unhealthy; the 2nd kitten) – whether blacky is into spirituality or not, but this cat is. I think it is into Buddhism. I have never seen it fight with the other cats for food. It will patiently wait for the other cats to eat first, and then if there is any left, it will take it.

Thirudu (which means thief; the boyfriend) – This one is unlike any other cat I have ever seen. It has a very particular set of skills; stealth skills. It uses it with such finesse that the developers of Sam Fisher will have a run for their money. No matter where we keep the food, it will always find a way to nick it. No matter how far it is, the moment we open something wrapped in a plastic bag it will hear it. Whole roasted chicken, fried fish, coconut bun, it has nicked everything that I think is worth eating. I strongly recommend the military guys to consider recruiting cats for defense, they will make excellent spies.

After a month, it was cats here, cats there and cats everywhere. I thought enough is enough it was time to act tough. I made a plan to recapture my home. My first aim was to get rid of the thief cat (my sworn enemy). I chased it away whenever it came in sight. So, every time, before it enters our house it will first check whether I am in.

Songi, I really don’t have to do much, I just shooed it away (it is not so keen in eating the food anyway). But, I let blacky to stay with us, as my sister is very fond of it.

For two weeks my evacuation plan was working well. I had our home back to myself (except for that black puffball of a cat). It was then; the thief cat nicked a whole packet of chilly chicken that our dad bought for us. Argh… I hate cats.

Earth News

Some disturbing earth news around the world


Experts: Warming to cause global water shortages by 2080

USA Today: KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Half the world’s population could face a shortage of clean water by 2080 because of climate change, experts warned Tuesday.

Wong Poh Poh, a professor at the National University of Singapore, told a regional conference that global warming was disrupting water flow patterns and increasing the severity of floods, droughts and storms — all of which reduce the availability of drinking water.

India loses more people to climate change than any other country

Poznan (Poland), Dec 5 (IANS) Between 1998 and 2007, India has lost more people due to extreme weather events caused by climate change than any other country, with an average of 4,532 people killed every year, a well-known German NGO has calculated.The monetary losses were an average of $12 billion a year in terms of purchasing power parity, representing 0.62 percent of India’s GDP, added Sven Harmeling of Germanwatch here Thursday.


U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Still Increasing

ScienceDaily (Dec. 5, 2008) — Total U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were 7,282 million metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO 2e) in 2007, an increase of 1.4 percent from the 2006 level according to Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 2007, according to a report released December 4 by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Since 1990, U.S. GHG emissions have grown at an average annual rate of 0.9 percent.


www.myfootprint.org - you can find your earth footprint by taking a quiz here. Nice One. My score was 0.41 earth.

Some interesting news around the world

Heavy drinkers 'lie to doctors'
Almost two in five people who drink to excess are lying to their doctors about how much alcohol they really consume, suggests a survey.












Rich countries launch great land grab to safeguard food supply
Rich governments and corporations are triggering alarm for the poor as they buy up the rights to millions of hectares of agricultural land in developing countries in an effort to secure their own long-term food supplies.

The head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, Jacques Diouf, has warned that the controversial rise in land deals could create a form of "neo-colonialism", with poor states producing food for the rich at the expense of their own hungry people.




The world in 2025: Superpower strife Wealth and power to shift from West to East
Last week the US government’s National Intelligence Council published its quadrennial forecast of the shape of the world in the next 20 years. It predicted that by 2025 America’s role as the sole superpower would be challenged in a more fragmented world and it would become more of a “first among equals” with countries such as China, India and Russia. The report also suggested that as wealth and power moved from West to East, so “the western model of economic liberalism, democracy and secularism, which many assumed to be inevitable, may lose its lustre - at least in the medium term”. Other significant challenges included conflict over scarce resources, “ramshackle” international institutions and increased danger of nuclear conflict.



Boy dies from heart failure after using too much deodorant
A 12-year-old boy's heart failed after he used too much deodorant, an inquest heard.

Daniel Hurley, from Sandiacre, Derbyshire, England was found collapsed in his bathroom by his father Robert Hurley after using the Lynx Vice deodorant, a coroner was told.

Derby Coroner's Court heard that use of the spray in a confined space led to Daniel suffering a cardiac arrhythmia.


Japanese man stabs bureaucrat over pet death
TOKYO (Reuters) – A Japanese man upset by the death of his pet turned himself in after fatally stabbing a bureaucrat and his wife, Japanese police and media said on Sunday.

Police were searching the house of a 46-year-old man who said he murdered a former vice minister for health and welfare, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police Department said.

National Geographic Best Photos

Overall Winner
Stalking India's Hemis National Park, a snow leopard lives up to its name in U.S. photographer Steve Winter's award-winning National Geographic magazine image.


Winner, "Underwater World" Category
Man and whale size each other up in the winner of the 2008 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition's underwater category, announced on October 30, 2008.

One Earth Award
A black colobus monkey has its fur singed in preparation for sale at an illegal bush-meat market in Gabon.


Winner, "Animal Behavior: All Other Animals" Category
An aptly named winner of the 2008 Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest, "Deadlock" was captured in the dead of night in a Belizean rain forest.


Winner, "Animal Behavior: Mammals" Category
French photographer Cyril Ruoso pursued the screams of hunting chimpanzees through dense forests in Tanzania's Gombe National Park--and captured this winner of the 2008 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, announced October 30, 2008, in London.


Winner, "Animal Portraits" Category
"He would jump all over me, then run away," said Stefano Unterthiner of the black-crested macaque in this winning photo from the 2008 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. "He was always hanging around."


Winner, "Animal Behavior: Birds" Category
A snowy clash of white-tailed eagles during a Polish winter is among the winning images in the 2008 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, organized by BBC Wildlife Magazine and London's Natural History Museum.

Experiences of a 'Treater'

There is a new buzzword in my office these days “Treat” (and it is on me. No prizes, if you have guessed it right). Since I am the newbie in my office I been repeatedly hankered by my colleagues for a treat.

I had been hearing this word for sometime now. The reason for asking a treat grows larger than the wish list of Christmas presents. While some may be justified, others are way beyond my understanding. Treat for having seen a good looking girl, treat for having spent a whole day in the office without any major consequences (which includes not getting lashed out by your boss), treat for having gotten a treat from another friend, and the list goes on.


There were times when I couldn't escape these 'treats'. When I was in college in Mumbai, my friends somehow found out about my birthday (despite my precautions). Think about giving a treat to twenty plus teenagers. My parents will long throw me out of college before I could ask money from them. Fortunately, my mother came to my rescue. She invited my friends to our house and served them with dosas and idlis. Surprisingly it worked well, as Idlis and dosas are considered as snacks in north India, whereas it is a regular breakfast for us, south Indians.

When I was in my previous office, I have to give another treat to my colleagues (again for my birthday). And again this time luck was on my side as our company credited some of my unpaid arrears. Since I was giving the treat, I ordered a huge falooda. This restaurant, in which we were dining have a different seating arrangement, where a long sofa was laid beside the dining table and I was made to sit in the far corner. Once our main course was over I was waiting for my falooda. Instead, I got only the bowl and the spoon in which it was served; no thanks to my colleagues (remember I was in the far corner). So much for my thinking that the 'treater' can atleast enjoy his own food (what a sucker).

Despite all these shortcomings I am still considering, giving a 'treat' to my new colleagues as it works wonderfully in making new friends. So any one in for a treat???

Boo!!

"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear."
--- H.P. Lovecraft

It was an hour past midnight and I was playing Raveholme chapter in Half life 2. I was wearing my Sennheiser HD202 Headphones. The fast zombies and the poison crabs are appearing out of nowhere. Suddenly the main door of our house burst open and my heart almost came through my mouth (it turns out that my father as usual has forgotten to close the main door)

Welcome to the oldest trick and the selling point of latest games and movies – Horror.

I had been playing games for eight years now. While I cannot call myself a hardcore gamer, I am certainly not a novice. I have completed my share of games (around 84) and have some good collection of games (on the last count it was around 204).Yet, after playing all these games I still feel scared when playing horror games. I see games like F.E.A.R and call of cthulhu rated higher and get tempted to buy these games. But after playing for few hours I felt so scared that I dare not play it again. After some days I gain some courage and try to play it again. Though somewhat confident than the first time, I still will not be able to complete the game. Finally I will give up and uninstall it which will in another set of horror games piling up on my desk.

While games like F.E.A.R and Jericho can be called as scary, Far cry is no where near the horror genre. Yet I get the same sense of spookiness while playing it. Horror games have never really appealed to me because I'm not the sort of person who enjoys being scared. As I am already scared of many things in life (failures, being alone).

Am I the only person who is afraid of playing these games? Am I the only person who is scared of fighting the zombies and aliens and all the other severely disfigured monsters? Am I really that faint hearted?

Determined to find out, I googled the internet and found some interesting facts.

1) It seems many faint hearted gamers (aha!) find it very disturbing when playing horror games. Some of them are not afraid to watch horror movies but they are afraid to play horror games. The reason, when watching the movie the viewer have very little interaction with the T.V (except of course turning it on and off with the remote). But this is not the case with games. Player immersion has been the new mantra for latest games. Game companies try everything from realistic animation to inventive story telling. For example the Gears of War franchisee hired writer, Cliff Bleszinski for Gears of War 2.

While immersion will help in achieving success of the game, it may hinder the game occasionally (in my case frequently). When playing call of cthulhu there is a part where you have to escape from a group of murderers who will be chasing you throughout the town. I was never able to finish this stage even after playing it for 10 to 12 times. The fear of them catching me was greater than the reality that I was playing only a game.

It seems fear is subject to change from person to person, and this affects the gamers when playing games(While I was able to finish ravenholme chapter in HL2 with little problem, other gamers had the extreme difficulty with it).

2) Exposure therapy

"The effectiveness of the inexpensive hardware and software used in this study shows that VR technology is sufficiently advanced for VR exposure therapy to move into the clinical mainstream," they write in a paper published in the October edition of the journal Cyber Psychology and Behavior.

Popular computer games like Half-Life and Unreal Tournament could provide a cheap and effective treatment for people with debilitating phobias, say Canadian computer scientists.

Specially made virtual reality (VR) equipment is already used to treat certain types of phobia. Exposing patients to the source of their pathological fear within this controlled and safe environment can be an effective therapy.

However interesting these facts are, it doesn’t seem to answer my question completely.

Everyone has fears, either we live with them or we pretend not be afraid of it. Has there, ever been anything that you have experienced within a game that has ever frightened you, but should not have? Has anything ever stopped you from finishing a sub-quest, level, or even an entire game? Have you ever developed a real-life fear because of something in a game, or vice-versa?

A visual tonic

Finally, I had the chance to overcome the severe headache, since my watching of the movie Karzzz. Oh yes, I’ve finally, seen wall-e, and what an innovative and mind boggling experience it was. Pixar has again come up with their own unique formula for success – Innovation + perfection. Though, I suspect Issac Asimov might've had a thing or two to say to the producers.

  How far can man’s creativity reach? See for yourself in wall-e. 

A Zen Story

Though I am not very much into spirituality or philosophy, I love to read Zen stories as it is short and up to the point. Here is one such story

A Cup of Tea 

Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen. 

Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full, and then kept on pouring. 

The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. "It is overfull. No more will go in!" 

"Like this cup," Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"

Source : http://www.101zenstories.com/

Dad joke

This article was published in Reader's digest on june 2008.  My reading of this article cannot be more perfectly timed as my dad just started giving one of his dad's jokes ('Since it is a Pass-enger train, i think you should have pass-ed atleast your high school.' Hmpf!) while we are on a train to tirupathy. 

Groan Ups!

It was a look of horror. It was a look of pain. My son's eyes were crinkled, his mouth held tight. Then he spoke: "Don't you ever say that again."
  But I must say it again. It is my job.
We were watching the TV show prison break, in which one of the characters was called Fibonacci. I had vaguely remembered something in maths called Fibonacci number. Hence, every time the character was mentioned, I would mutter: "That Fibonacci-those guys really have got his number."
  In an episode of prison break I could make the joke perhaps 15 to 20 times. By the fourth advertising break, my son was ready to kill me.
  It was, of course, a Dad joke. Dad jokes are special form of humor. They are marked by two distinctive features. They are a) not funny in the first place, and b) increasingly less funny after endless repetition.
  I have heard that a new generation of fathers is not shouldering its responsibility in relation to the dad joke. Only last week, a young family hopped into a car, ready to drive down a valley. You will, I'm sure be as shocked as I was to learn that the young father failed to make observation, "It won't take long-it's all downhill from here."
  Another shattered child tells the story of driving with her father past a cemetery in a country town. In vain did she wait for him to make the remark: "Look at that, kids, it's the dead centre of the town-people are dying to get in there."
  Such shocking case studies are one reason the government is establishing Dad joke training centers, helping young fathers who can't get their Dad jokes flowing.
  Says one counselor, "Young children naturally look up to their fathers and see them as a font of wisdom and authority. The dad joke is an important part of the process of separation, whereby the child realizes that the father is a real person, with flaws and imperfections."
  Visiting one of the training centers recently, I could see the hard work involved. A group of young fathers stood in a semicircle being instructed by Doug, a grandfather who has been perfecting Dad jokes since the 1960's.
  "Let's say you're at home, and your little fella catches you talking o yourself," said Doug. He'll say, 'Dad, you're talking to yourself again.' So what do you say back?"
  The young men looked baffled. "Maybe just explain about the pressure I'm under at work?" said one young father.
  Doug seemed to groan inwardly. "He doesn't need to know all about that," he chided. "All you need says is, 'it's the only way I can get a decent conversation around here.' Then you grin at him as if it's the funniest line in the world."
  Doug then handed out dummy Christmas presents-each one a wrapped bottle of wine. It took a while, but by the end of the afternoon each dad was shaking it up to his ear, then declaring: "I know! It's a book!"
  "Remember," said Doug, "It's all in the repetition. The book gag should be performed every single birthday and Christmas until the child is at least 50. If it really is a book, by the way, shake it and say, 'I know! It's a bottle of wine!'"
  Next, he sat the men around a dining table, placing a huge slab of roast beef in the middle. Soon, he had the men chorusing as one: "Ah, here's my dinner-I just don't know what the rest of you plan to eat."
  Back at home, Prison break was on again. I rolled out my Fibonacci joke, only to find it was losing its power.
  I tried a new tack: “Can you turn up the TV?"
  My son turned to me: "You deaf or something?"
  "Eh?" I answer.
Oh yes! Oh yes! I had guided the young man into my trap, then sprung it shut. Again a pained look. Again, the eventual comment: "Don't you ever say that again."

  Slowly, with great effort, I'm bringing the young fella around the idea that his father is not perfect. It's tough of course, but from the look on his face he may finally have my number.

Some samples:

When driving past a cemetery, 'You know, that is the dead centre of town!'

When squeezing past in the hallway and saying "excuse me please" - the reply from Dad will be to lock you in a bear hug and shout "I thought you said SQUEEZE ME".

When asking to pass the pepper or salt, Dad will move as though to pass it, then continue his arm in a circle, returning the aforementioned condiment to its original resting place. So the salt has gone past you.

Taare Zameen Par.. Childhood is a Gift..!!!

This is a wonderful song from Taare Zameen Par

Lyrics with english translation

Singer: Shankar Mahadevan,Dominique,Viviene
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

Dekho Inhein Yeh Hain Aus Ki Boondein
Patton Ki Godh Mein Aasmaan Se Koodein

Look at them, they are like the drops of dew that hopped on to the leaves directly from the sky

Angdayee Lein Phir Karwat Badal Kar
They take change in their own ways

Nazuk Se Moti Hans De Phisal Kar
These gentle pearls who laugh when they slip

Kho Na Jaaye Ye Taare Zameen Par
I wish these stars don't get lost on this Earth.

Yeh To Hain Sardi Mein Dhoop Ki Kirne
These are the rays of warmth during winter

Utarein Jo Aangan Ko Sunhera Sa Karne
who have descended to bring the golden light to your houses

Mann Ke Aandheron Ko Roshan Sa Kar Dein
in order to brighten up your gloomy hearts

Thiturti Hatheli Ki Rangat Badal Dein
To change the characteristic of the shaking palms

Jaise Aankhon Ki Dibiya Mein Nindiya
Like the sleep in your eyes

Aur Nindiya Mein Meetha Sa Sapna
Of the dreams in your sleep

Aur Sapne Mein Mil Jaaye Farishta Sa Koi
Like meeting the angel of your dreams

Jaise Rangon Bhari Pichkari
Like a pump filled with vibrant hues

Jaise Titliyan Phoolon Ki Kyari
Like butterflies on fragrant flowers

Jaise Bina Matlab Ka Pyara Rishta Ho Koi
Like a meaningful relationship full of love

Yeh To Aasha Ki Lehar Hain
These are the wave of hope

Yeh To Ummeed Ki Sehar Hain
They are the dawn filled with optimism

Khusiyon Ki Nehar Hain
They are the canal of happiness

Dekho Raaton Ke Seeney Pe Yeh Toh  
Jhilmil Kisi Lau Se Ugey Hain
Look at how they have sprouted like a flame against the dark sky's chest

Yeh To Amboya Ki Khusboo Hain Baagon Se Beh Chale
They are the odour of the Ambya flower that have drifted from their gardens

Jaise Kaanch Mein Choodi Ke Tukde
Like the broken pieces of a glass bangle

Jaise Khiley Khiley Phoolon Ke Mukhdey
Like the fully blossomed flower

Jaise Bansi Koi Bajaye Pedon Ke Taley
As if someone is playing the flute amidst a copse of trees

Yeh To Jhonke Hain Pawan Ke
They are the gentle zephyr

Hain Yeh Ghungharoo Jeewan Ke
They are the anklet bells of life

Yeh To Sur Hain Chaman Ke
They are the tune of the garden of spring

Muhaley Ki Raunak
Of the luminance in a colony,

Galiyan Hain Jaise 
Khilney Ki Zid Par Kaliyan Hain JaiseLike the streets are
Like the the buds pestering to blossom

Muthi Mein Mausam Ki Jaise Hawayein
Like the breeze in the fists of the weather

Yeh Hain Buzurgon Ke Dil Ki Duwayein
They are the blessings of the aged.

Kabhi Baatein Jaise Dadi Nani
Sometimes they talk like our grandmothers

Kabhi Chalkein Jaise Mum Mum Paani
Sometimes they spill like the lukewarm water

Kabhi Ban Jaaye Bhole Sawaalon Ki Jhadi
Sometimes they become the bush full of innocent questions

Sannatey Mein Hansee Ke Jaise
Like the laughter in a silent environment

Sooney Hothon Pe Khushi Ke Jaise
Like the smile of joy on someone's dry lips

Yeh To Noor Hain Barse agar Teri Kismat Ho Badi
Your fate must be blessed to come across these gems

Jaise Jheel Mein Lehraye Chanda
Like the moon drifts at the reflection of a lake
Jaise Bheed Mein Apne Ka Kandha
Like the support of a loved one in a crowd
Jaise Manmauji Nadiya Jhaag Udaye Kuch Kahe
Like the exuberant river spumes froth
Kaliyan Hain Jaise
Like the buds are
Jaise Baithe Meethi Si Jhapki
They sit like the sweet hugs
Jaise Pyar Ki Dheemi Si Thapki
Like the affectionate touch of love
Jaise Kaanon Mein Sargam Hardam Bajti Hi Rahe
Like the dulcet melody of the 7 swaras keep playing in your ears

Kho Na Jaaye Ye Taare Zameen Par
I wish these stars don't get lost on this Earth.

Bunny love

This is a cute love story between a bunny and a cat.

Source : www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/ddautta

Here are the list of softwares which helped me with this video. I've also included the download links

Flash Saver : http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/Network_and_Internet/Graphics_Plug-ins/Flash_Saver.html

Flash to video converter : http://www.swf-kit.com/

Please feel free to leave your comments. Every comment you make will help me to improve myself