Butterflies!

From Larry: 10 things that will never fail you

Thanks for the thoughts, LarryWinget!

2011: In Memorial

A drawing which I did for the ProdEx Artist's Weekend on Dec 2nd 2011 - summarizes a few key events that happened in my life in 2011.

(from left to right)

Row 1: LeadGrabber released, started making money.

Got a new camera, Canon IXUS HS 220

Steve Jobs passes into the next world (that's the roller button of my cadbury iPod)

Row 2: Ate lots of chocolate (that's an M&M bean)

Worked a lot.

India won the world cup.

Row 3: Got engaged.

Had lots of ideas and brainstorming sessions.

Visited eGrabber USA. (Also wished I got a patent)

Spice Shops in Alleppey, Kerala

If you're visiting Alleppey, Kerala then you would do well to pick up some spices from the main bazaar at Mullackal (map).

Spices grow well in the Kerala climate so they are available in plenty at rates lower than you can find anywhere else.

Road tripping: Kanyakumari stop off..

On the NH45 route from Chennai to Trivandrum, Kanyakumari is a short diversion. This time, we decided to make it there. Once you break away from the traffic and the crowd and keep driving down the beach, you'll be surprised to find an empty patch of beach and a sight which looks like this:

Now most people think of the Thiruvalluvar Statue and the Vivekananda memorial when you mention Kanyakumari. But that's where the crowd is this is how far away we were from the Statue:

With large rocks,there was plenty to climb on and get close to the massive waves lashing furiously against anything in their path. As the waves meet rocks, there is this distinct, eerie, extremely low bass and low volume rumble that you hear. Its hardly noticeable at first, but then when you listen in, its surprisingly scary. Neat!

That's how small we are to the rocks... that should give you an idea of the size of the waves.

 

From the beach, its quite clear that a short distance away from the shoreline is very deep, and very rough water.

Tip for beach visitors:
Do not pay the 30 bucks that you are asked for when you enter the beach road. The guy asks for "parking charges", but it doesn't make sense if you are not using the parking lots or are just driving by.

Bird on the Railing

Taken at Boys Hostel, Symbiosis, Pune, 

bright Sunday morning, just after a rainy day.

Glimpses of the white sand Alleppey Beach

Introducing the Alleppey Beach. I was born 500 meters away from that shoreline (in the Beach Hospital).

Alleppey is well known for its backwaters. The white-sand beach is something that visitors discover after they reach the town. Post lunch is the best time to visit the beach, when the water is cool, the tide is low, and the beach is nearly empty.

This particular day, the tide was extra-low, the sky was overcast. The previous night, the tide was extremely rough,.. the hallmark of its fury being the smashed crustaceans washed up on shore. In some areas, there was a layer of broken shells, about an inch thick! I held the largest shell I've found so far... (not the largest one I've seen, but the largest one I've found)

The sea at Alleppey is usually very inviting, its hard to resist a dip. But calm waters run very very deep. A few meters away from the shoreline, the sea bed takes a sudden dive, and the currents are strong, and pull  swimmers down. Many experienced swimmers have perished. So, if you are going into the water, go till waist deep. No more.

Alleppey was once a bustling center of trade and commerce.. until the Cochin harbour was developed. Many decades ago, ships docked a few kilometers off the Alleppey coastline and tug-boats brought in the goods, which were loaded into railway wagons waiting on the pier. Now, Alleppey is a sleepy little town, and all that's left of the proud days is the skeleton of the pier.

Make no mistake, that pier's made of real sturdy steel... It's lasted for more than a century. I searched the pillars for some evidence of its early days. I expected to find inscribed on the steel "Made in England"... but the salt of the sea had already destroyed any such evidence.

:D I would pay to watch someone walk that pier, Super Mario style...

(Pics by Cyclops, the Android)

The Coconut Oil Mill at Trivandrum

The smell of coconut oil that comes out of the oil bottle you purchase from the nearest retail store is no where close to the original smell. To get that authentic smell, you need to visit a coconut oil mill. Walk in, and you are hit by an invisible curtain of heavy, warm, almost suffocating coconut flavour... I wondered if I would get high if I stayed too long.

The coconut mill crushes sun-dried coconuts...

... into golden yellow coconut oil ...

... and oil cake - which goes into cattle feed and biscuits ...

At the center of it all is the crusher machine. It takes in the dried coconut from the attic above. The pipe coming down from the attic chops the coconut into smaller pieces, which are then force fed into a horizontal, spiral tube which crushes the oil out. The oil drops down in the circular tub below. And the oil cake comes out into the basket, at the end of the tube.

Fresh coconut oil, they say, is healthier than the refined version. All I can say is, when you see that coconut being converted into that golden yellow oil, all you are thinking is, "I need something to fry.. NOW!!!"