Play time

The beauties of nature can be funny. Here is the rain playing with the trees. The trees and plants stayed calm all the time when the rain was pounding over it. I am sure that the tree is enjoying the tantrums that the rain threw. But, I am having more fun watching this dance and music performance.

11 more hours to go

I am eagerly waiting for the announcement of noble prize in Economics.

Morning Moonlight

The sunrise on the eastern sky
Cast a reddish spell on the western mountain
The setting moon got caught in the fire

Change your perspective

We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.
-Albert Einstein, physicist, Nobel laureate (1879-1955)

History Repeats

In 1959, Arthur Kornberg, was awarded noble prize in medicine jointly for the “discovery of the mechanisms in biological synthesis of ribonucleic acid and deoxyribonucleic acid.” Forty seven years later, in 2006, his son, Roger D. Kornberg, is awarded the nobel prize in Chemistry “for his studies of the molecular basis of eukaryotic transcription.” Both father and son are affiliated to Stanford University.

I can imagine the excitement at the Kornberg's residence.

Dasara

Everybody worshipped all the goddesses at Ajay's place.

An evening

Some random pictures near Ramya's apartment.

The Greatest Game Ever Played

“There are only two types of player: Those who keep their nerves in control and win championships, and those who do not”

Water Canyon

Water Flow

Stretch

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.
— T.S. Eliot

Warm and Sunny

It was windy yesterday night. I was expecting a cataract. But, the wind subsided after an hour or so.
Officially, fall season starts day after tomorrow. But, it is already getting cold in the nights. It snowed an inch or two in Sandia Mountains. Today is nice, warm, sunny, bright, and pleasant.

The Simpsons

Whenever I take a coffee break in the evening after a tiring day, I can count on the Simpson family to bring a smile on my face. Even though they are dumb, crazy, and realistic, they still make me laugh over trivial things.

Why is "The Simpsons" a favorite show of many? Do they visualize their family when watching the show? Or do they crave to be a part of the Simpson family? It may just be a guilty pleasure.

What is so special in "The Simpsons"? Is it that gullible and improvident Homer who can be tricked by even a stupid child? Is it the prankster Bart and his roller-skate? Is it the erudite Lisa who always wants to excel in whatever she does? Is it Maggie with her dumb gestures? Is it Marge who takes care of the whole family?

Whatever maybe the true reason, I know one thing for sure.
I love the Simpson family!

Ganpati at my home

Backyard

Some good pictures from Mayuri's backyard.

Kalyug

It is a wonderful movie based on the illegal and shameful acts in porn industry. The attitude of the lead character, Kunal, was commendable. Even when he got his chance to wreak vengeance, he remembers what his father says about helping others in need. The part where Kunal reveres his father lent verisimilitude to this otherwise sensitive movie. I don’t remember the exact quote. But, it goes something along these lines.

If you want to ease your pain, try reducing somebody else’s pain.

The qawwali style song, Jiya Dhadak Dhadak Jaaye, is an absolute catcher. It was sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, nephew of the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

Bommarillu

This movie is playing in Albuquerque at the SUB Theater (Student Union Building), University of New Mexico campus on September 9th. There are two shows: 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm.

Ganpati

There is a “Grand Lunch” organized by the Indian Student Association at Socorro.
The venue is the Student Activity Center @ NMT.

Fanaa

You will never be alone with a poet in your pocket.
-John Adams

Yesterday night, I got a chance to watch the movie Fanna at Ajay’s place.

The movie is a mixture of poetry, photography, sentiment, romance, principles, and patriotism; all of the elements in good nature.
The lead actor, Aamir Khan, proves that he is invincible in dialog delivery and action. I get reminded of Kamal Haasan when I see Aamir’s movies. They both seek perfection. He is an actor who performs with panache.

Even though the shayari (lyricism) is platitudinal, it sounds exceptional and adorable when Aamir Khan recites it.

A couple of lyrics that I remember as of this writing are as follows:

Zindagi kay safar mein kisi ko itna mat chaho keh woh
Tumhari chahton ka kaatil aur wafaon ka saudagar ban jaye

Aag suraj mein hoti hai,
Jalna zameen ko padtha hai
Mohabbath nigaahen karthi hain
Tadapna dil ko padta hai

Ganesha Chaturthi - 2006

The Indian Students Association at NMT, Socorro has planned elaborately to celebrate the birthday of Lord Ganesha.

Venue: Los Pueblos Apartments, B #9 (Raghav’s apartment)
Aarti timings: 8:00AM & 8:00PM, Aug 27th to Sep 2nd 2006

Here is an excerpt from the mail that was sent out to all members:

"...we will celebrate the festival for 7 days, so it starts on 27th August that is Sunday and ends on 2nd of September that is Saturday. Visarjan will be held on the seventh day followed by a grand lunch. The place for grand lunch is yet to be decided. And the pooja will be held at Raghav's place(Los-Pueblos Apartment B # 9).

For all the seven days of Pooja we need people to cook prashad voluntarily and bring it before pooja. For the grand lunch on Saturday few people volunteered to cook food but we need more volunteers.
Aarti will be held twice a day(8AM in the morning and 8PM in the evening) throughout the pooja week."

The following are some pictures that I received from a friend.

Don't be discouraged

These quotes speak for themselves.

The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.
-Walter Bagehot

Don't be afraid to go out on a limb. That's where the fruit is.
— H. Jackson Browne

Cops

With the school reopening for fall semester tomorrow, the presence of cops has increased. If the intention of the cops is to hide, they have to do a better job; I can spot them easily.

Wednesday
A car was pulled over on Leroy Place at about 10:00 pm. It looked like the driver was a teenager and all occupants were minors. The driver turned off the engine and the lights. The cop waited for his backup to arrive before enquiring. Nobody is safe on the street.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday
I have seen a pattern on these three days. A cop waits in the parking lot of Loma Vista Apartments on El Camino Real St at 8:00 am. A police car hides besides Epiphany Episcopal Church on Leroy Place at 10:00 pm.

Let us hope that this (conspicuous) presence reduces the crime rate in Socorro.

Smoke joining the dark rain clouds

Hole in the Cloud

Floods in Socorro

There were severe thunderstorms in Socorro yesterday, which was followed by a heavy downpour. Roads were flooded, especially Frontage and Florida. Here is a picture of rain water dripping in my office.

Today, Mayor Ravi Bhasker of Socorro gave us listeners an update of the flood situation and other arrangements done by the City to help the residents. Apparently, Red Cross is here in town with 40 beds. The Finley gym was made ready for night stay for people whose houses were flooded. He also mentioned that he had never seen so much rain in the last 15 years or so. The ground is saturated with water. I don’t hear that very often nowadays. Everybody knows that Socorro is a desert. Obviously, this monsoon season renders the following Arabian proverb false. “All sunshine makes the desert.”

Independence Day

He woke up in the morning and took a quick shower. He wore his uniform (white shirt, brown trousers, and brown canvas shoes) and went to high school. It was mandatory to attend the Independence Day celebrations at school. The principal (headmistress) of the school hoisted the flag. Then she saluted the flag and watched the band of scouts and guides marching in the quadrangle to the beats of drum played by Magesh (his friend). At the end of the ceremony, he gets a tricolor (Indian flag), a safety pin, and a chocolate. He proudly pins the tricolor to his shirt. Then, he preferred to go home while his friends plan for the rest of the day (study or play).

He was a couch potato. He came home to watch the Independence Day parade on the TV. It was followed by entertainment programs: a comedy drama, a medley of video songs from movies released during the Independence Day, an interview of a famous personality (usually a contemporary actress), a patriotic movie, etc. Finally, in the evening he decided to do his homework.

His mom cooked delicious food for lunch (rice, sambar, fry vegetable curry, and curd). She also made some sweets. After lunch, everybody in the neighborhood wished each other a very happy Independence Day and exchanged sweets (baadushah) and snacks (vada). This was the best part of the day.

It has been 12 years and he still misses those good old unforgettable days.

Dell Laptop Batteries Recalled

Dell recalls laptop batteries because they might overheat and catch fire.

This is definitely not good news for Dell. I had recently mentioned about the unpleasant experience with Dell Customer Service. I hope they respond well to attend to all the calls (estimated 4.1 million laptops).

I would prefer using this website (available from Tuesday Morning) for logging instead of speaking to the customer service.