The Dark Spark

Whoa.

2010-02-22T21:56:00.001+08:00

Hmmm, so it’s been almost about 4 months since I last blogged. One word: Whoa. Yes, I have been neglecting my blog, I won’t deny that, but 4 months? Aw man, I should hit myself. *Whack* Ow. Now that I’ve revived the blog for at least the fifth time, we face another problem. What do I blog about? I mean, a lot of things have happened. I went to India, I got a goat, I got selected for HSSRP, I became an APL for Scouts, I’m now in Sec 3, I went to OBS, then… uh yeah that’s about it. K, let’s start with my goat. I got this black goat, well a kid really, he’s about knee height and he’s like the cutest little thing. I’d give you photos, but they’re on Facebook, so I can’t be bothered to put them here. You’re not my friend on Facebook? Shoo then, you shouldn’t be reading this. Then why isn’t this blog only viewable by limited people, you ask? Because I’m 14 an lazy, so I couldn’t care less. Anyway, my goat’s name is Boy, he likes hibiscus and rose leaves and he poops in pellets.

About me getting selected for HSSRP, uh, no big deal, it’s just another research project, except that if I screw this one up, I’ll tarnish RI’s reputation, so no pressure. Me being an Assistant Patrol Leader, yay. Thank you, thank you, you’re far too kind. I’m now in Sec 3, yay for that too. Oh and I went to OBS in Pulau Ubin, talk about that, right now I need to go to sleep.

Nokia Bus

2009-11-04T21:17:00.001+08:00

Today, I got on 157 to go to back home. The bus is some kind of bus sponsored by Nokia or something. Sorry if this sounds outdated, but I really haven't been on these buses. So anyway, all the seats are low and much softer than the normal bus seats. It even had 2 bar stools with a table. But best of all, it was giving out free songs! Not that the songs were good, but they were free! As Mr Krabs would say:

Basically all you had to do was switch on your Bluetooth and something would send you the song that was playing at the time. Have any of you been on these buses?

Scientists discover massive ring around Saturn

2009-10-07T20:05:00.000+08:00

It's been about a month and a half since I last blogged. Yay. Before I say anything,I'd like to congratulate everyone who managed to become a prefect, especially Deepak, 'cause I was campaigning for him and all, that's a different story, I'll tell you later.

So anyway, my parents saw this on CNN, and I thought, Wow. How could we have missed that? Turns out the ring is actually invisible, and can only be detected by thermal imaging.

On 6 October 2009, the discovery was announced of a tenuous outer disk of material that is in the plane of Phoebe's orbit, which is tilted 27 degrees from Saturn's equatorial plane. The ring is from 128 to 207 times the radius of Saturn, and is thought to originate from micrometeoroid impacts on Phoebe, which orbits at an average distance of 215 Saturn radii. The ring material should thus share Phoebe's retrograde orbital motion, and after migrating inward would encounter Iapetus's leading face, which could explain the two-faced nature of this satellite. I took this from Wikipedia, it doesn't matter as long as you understand it. Don't understand? Basically it means that this new ring, Phoebe, is tilted about 27 degrees from its other rings. And Iapetus is one of Saturn's moons, and from Earth, Iapetus looks half black, half white, like the yin yang symbol. Phoebe orbits Saturn in the opposite direction that Iapetus orbits Saturn, so all that dust and rock in Phoebe hits one half of Iapetus, giving it a 'two-faced nature'. Here're some pics I took from CNN and Wikipedia:

This is Iapetus, you can see the dark side of the moon on the right side of the picture.

And this is Phoebe, the huge ring around Saturn, which is the tiny dot in the centre.

New blog title

2009-09-11T11:58:00.001+08:00

I thought ‘Rags and Bones’ was getting old, so changed it to this. Nice?

New blogskin

2009-09-10T23:30:00.001+08:00

Now that Elim isn’t using this blogskin anymore, I thought I could use it. Looks kinda nice, don’tcha think?

Teachers’ Day Henry Park GEP 2007 Reunion

2009-09-01T21:31:00.001+08:00

Yesterday, (almost) the whole GEP 2007 Henry Park batch met up for a reunion. The plan was to… well… um… most of us had this idea that we were going to Holland V for lunch after meeting all the teachers (haha everyone looks the same), but then someone brought up Pandan Valley, saying that it had a cafe and that we could play there after eating. But then we went to Holland V anyway, saying that we could always go to Pandan Valley after lunch. After we got to Holland V, I learned something very important. Whenever you have lunch with a lot of people, never go to a place with a lot of choice. While walking along the road, some people were “Oh, look! NYDC! That place is good…” or “Sushi Tei! The food isn’t bad and it’s not too expensive.” But we finally went to Subway, while another small group went to BK. We took a bus to Pandan Valley, then watched Ken do some magic tricks with cards that let you learn Chinese at the same time (I don’t get it either). Then we played Murder/Murderer/whatever it’s called. I was supposed to be home at 2, but I saw the time only at 2. Then it started raining. So I went home late. My mum wasn’t too happy, but she was ok afterwards.

Anyway, why I posted this was that, even though you’ve known all these guys (and girls) for about 3 years, you don’t really feel that connection anymore. Even though you may be in the same school now, it still doesn’t make much of a difference. Hmmm we should meet up during the Dec hols again. And maybe at a more fun location. I like rock climbing…

Happy B’day, Jinj Yang!

Photo

2009-08-23T17:24:00.003+08:00

Found this photo on my mum's phone. It's me on the scout structure thing I posted about a few months back. The quality's not too good, sorry.

The RI boy who hawked pancakes

2009-08-08T10:30:00.004+08:00

Read this in the paper today… First reaction: Whoa.

It was about this boy who grew up hawking pancakes, because he was really poor. Then he secured a place at RI, which at that time would have probably been very expensive. His dad wasn’t too happy when he heard about this… Still, he went to RI. His home was kind of far away from school, and he had to take a bus every morning, which meant more expenses for his family. So he had to go home after school and sell the pancakes again. But after completing his education at RI, he was unable to afford to go to university. But today, both his daughters have Masters’ degrees. He is happily retired today. The writer met him recently at an inter-school basketball game and he asked the writer if he still remembered him. You see, he was in fact, the person who inspired the writer to go to RI. Basically, what the writer is trying to say is that today, we are much more privileged than people were back then. Now, we have a lot of children on scholarships. The Public Service Commission gave out 82 scholarships and The Defence Science & Technology Agency gave out more than 100 scholarships.

For those of you guys who want to read it, the article’s title is “The RI boy who hawked pancakes”, the writer is Koo Tsai Kee, and it’s on page A28 of The Straits Times.

2K Quarantine!

2009-07-20T20:49:00.002+08:00

Today, SEVENTEEN people were absent from 2K! That's like about 12-13 people present! So, because of the H1N1 flu scare and all, RI got damn scared, then quarantined them. Dunno what happened exactly, they either got sent home or were sent to the Raja block. So should be for about a week.

UPDATE: If I'm not wrong, 2I is now quarantined as well.

If Today Was Your Last Day

2009-07-19T09:19:00.002+08:00

I got this song from Aru, thot lyrics really meant a lot.

If Today Was Your Last Day
by Nickelback

My best friend gave me the best advice
He said each day's a gift and not a given right
Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind
And try to take the path less traveled by
That first step you take is the longest stride

If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last
Leave old pictures in the past?
Donate every dime you had, if today was your last day?
What if, what if, if today was your last day?

Against the grain should be a way of life
What's worth the price is always worth the fight
Every second counts 'cause there's no second try
So live like you're never living twice
Don't take the free ride in your own life

If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past?
Donate every dime you had?

And would you call those friends you never see?
Reminisce old memories?
Would you forgive your enemies?
And would you find that one you're dreaming of?
Swear up and down to God above
That you'd finally fall in love if today was your last day?

If today was your last day
Would you make your mark by mending a broken heart?
You know it's never too late to shoot for the stars
Regardless of who you are

So do whatever it takes
'Cause you can't rewind a moment in this life
Let nothing stand in your way
'Cause the hands of time are never on your side

If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past?
Donate every dime you had?

And would you call those friends you never see?
Reminisce old memories?
Would you forgive your enemies?
And would you find that one you're dreaming of
Swear up and down to God above
That you'd finally fall in love if today was your last day?

Silence

2009-07-19T09:13:00.002+08:00

I wrote a continuation to Pain, don't think it's as good, feel free to give me suggestions on how to make it better.

Silence
Silence.
Nothingness.
I feel Nothing.
I only remember a great Pain -
It stopped as abruptly as It had come.
What is this?
Death?
No, that cannot be.
I am still conscious.
I feel Something -
Hate.
I feel Hate.
Hate for this Silence,
this Nothingness.
No, I do not Hate It -
I Love It.
Love -
for this Silence,
for this Nothingness,
for this Peace.
It is what I have always wanted.

P.S. No again, I am not turning emo.

Poem!

2009-07-17T07:23:00.003+08:00

Last night, my back was aching a lot (fever), so I tried putting on some muscle relaxant thingy, but all it did was BURN. So while I was writhing in agony (no lah, it didn't hurt that much, it subsided after a few minutes), I thought, "What is pain, exactly?" People with bullet wounds, those who are going to die due to some severe disease, they feel nothing but pain. What are those last moments like to them? Hence this poem. No, ma, I am not turning emo.

Pain
Pain.
That's all I feel
Every pore in my body -
on fire.
Hell.
A inferno withing me.
I cannot move -
I am helpless.
I can only wait for it to consume me.
Make it go away -
somebody help me!
There is NOTHING I can do!
Everything is
out of reach,
out of control,
out of comprehension.
All I can see, feel and hear -
is Pain.
A volcano.
No, a thousand volcanoes.
That's what it is.
Tens of thousands of raging volcanoes -
all here in my chest.
I am done for.
I do not remember anything -
All I know, is Pain!
Make it go away,
please.
I'll do anything -
just make it go away.

Wadya think? I was really bored, this isn't the kind of stuff I'd usually write, but it was 2.30 in the morning, I couldn't go to sleep, so I started doing random stuff - writing, listnening to music, reading, blah blah blah.

SZ reunion!

2009-07-04T10:02:00.002+08:00

So after about 1 year, SZ is finally together again! We went to NSRCC in Changi, then went to the arcade *koffkoffgamblingkoffkoff* and played and played and played (lol I used 20 bucks so everyone had to wiat for me...). Then we went cycling and the stupid stand on my bike kept falling down, and in the ned I got so fed up I just gave up on it. Then we sat down for a long time, watching TV, playing Rubbish, etc etc. Then DC! I have got to do some more exercise... Can't even sprint without getting stitches... And then we had dinner, parents came, talked and talked and talked and talked, then went home.

P.S. Sorry so short I'm seriously in a hurry now.

Is it me, or is Twitter just dumb?

2009-06-15T20:20:00.001+08:00

I mean, who cares what you’re doing? And the worst part is, there are people who are actually OBSESSED with tweeting. Here’s what a typical OBSESSED Tweeter’s Twitter page looks like:

7:04 am	Getting up
7:10 am	Brushing teeth
7:16 am	Making coffee
7:20 am	Eating cereal
7:32 am	Showering
7:46 am	Getting dressed
8:08 am	Driving to work
8:23 am	Entering office
8:38 am	Starting work
9:06 am	~~Playing games~~ Working (hard)

Wow. The guy has a waterproof laptop. Anyway, back to what I was saying. So, who really cares what you’re doing every millisecond of the day? It’s bad enough to login to Facebook and having to read through every status update, random quiz result and note of your friends. So guys, don’t join Twitter just because every person in your social circle is doing it. It’s just going to be a major waste of your time…

But I like Twitter, even though it’s dumb. Hehehe…

Special Boy With Freakishly Large Brain Wins Spelling Bee

2009-06-14T21:59:00.001+08:00

Here’s a “funny” video about a gifted kid who won a spelling bee. I didn’t find it funny.

Special Boy With Freakishly Large Brain Wins Spelling Bee

Comments greatly appreciated.

GoOgLe WaVe!

2009-06-08T13:58:00.002+08:00

Yay! Google Wave is going to come out this year! What is it? Well, Google Wave is something like Facebook, except a LOT better. Ok, not really like Facebook. It's kind of like a mix of Facebook and Windows Live Messenger. Basically, it's social networking where you can be chatting with a person, and at the same time drag another person into the convo, share pictures. And best of all, it's Open Source! So you can add stuff to Google Wave like games, widgets, etc. Well, I don't know much about it yet, but to find out more, click on the title of this blog post.

Annual Camp Photos!

2009-06-07T13:11:00.006+08:00

Ok, seeing as my description wasn't enough to actually create a mental image of the structrure, I decided to put up a few photos here. It doesn't look 4 metres, but IT IS.

YT 4 metres above the ground with no safety harness and only 2 poles to hold on to, with his feet and 2 flimsy-ish poles.

Me stoning up on the structure one evening. I was up there for an hour, John said.

Climbing up to tighten knots

Annual Camp!

2009-06-05T13:25:00.002+08:00

On Monday, I went to RJ for 01 Scouts' Annual Camp 2009! This was supposed to be a 'fun' camp, so we could bring handphones, iPods, etc. So basically the idea was to set up a campsite, with a sleeping tent and kitchen tent for each patrol (Kestrel, Eagle, Hawk, Owl, Falcon and Kingfisher), and a structure made of poles in front of the tent (no photos, sorry). Overall, the camp was real nice except for the fact that I managed to get the structure to fall on my knee (I got totally owned after that. It kept hurting randomly), kept getting heartburn, etc, etc. The food was really good, considering the fact that we cooked it ourselves. We had black pepper chicken, fried rice, srambled eggs, french toast, and a lot more stuff. But what I'm really proud of is our structure, cos it was really tall (about 3-4m I think), and had a pulley system at the top which let you pull yourself across. Lotsa people said they were damn scared up there, and I have no idea why. Cmon, it's just 4 metres! Oh wait. No safety harness. Anyways, whenever I went up, I tied a rope to my waist, just to be sure. No, it's not stupid, cos I fell off almost twice. Then we had to climb up and tighten our knots. Very easy, you say? The problem is, we have only 2 hands. So with 1 hand holding on to the structure, the other doing the knot, the knot doesn't really get tightened. So I tied myself to the structure, leaving both my hands free to tie the knot. Then on Thursday, I started getting heartburn, so Mr Tan discussed with my mum and so I went home 1 day early. Ah well, nothing else to say.

RI Prejudice!

2009-05-25T18:57:00.001+08:00

RI Boys (and Girls now, too) are seen by the public as the elite (Raffelitists, lol), the goody-two-shoes and the best of the best. So everyone has this image of RI students being nerds and academicky people. So if we make a mistake, everyone is shocked as though Rafflesians aren’t allowed to make mistakes. I remember Deep told me that during a Skatezone reunion, a security guard came after them while they were playing DC and told them something about them being Express students, being from good schools, yadayadayada. So now it’s a crime for Express students to play, is it? Seriously, to all the non-Express students out there, place yourselves in our shoes and think how you would have felt.

Happy Birthday to Me…

2009-05-23T11:43:00.001+08:00

So, today, I’m 14 years old! After more than 1 decade of being alive, this, as always, leads me to appreciate the miracle of life. But what happens when I’ve passed? Will I be remembered by mankind? Will I have contributed what I should have contributed to the society? Or will I just be one of the 7 billion? What will I make of my life?

Arr, forget that. Birthdays are meant to be celebrated! So today, I’m going to Rach’s house. Lol my mum got be 2 books, turned out I’d read them already!

Blog, or not to blog?

2009-05-22T18:57:00.001+08:00

After about 2 months of not blogging, I ~~was forced~~ have decided to blog again after repeated ~~nagging~~ from my mum and Aru. Well, first of all there’s like so much to say! For starters, I’m not in India anymore, cos I totally hated it there, you know, everyone is so… dumb-ish and beating everyone at every test is so easy! So you know, there wasn’t much of a challenge. So I told my parents. Then they got ticket back to Singapore. And they did all this without me knowing. My mum contacted my Mr Pang, who told the whole class. Then Rav told Skatezone, and HF asked me on Facebook if I really was coming back. As I didn’t know at that time, I told her something to the effect of my Leave of Absence ending, yadayadayada, you get the point. So I came back here, and now my mum is working again and Tanya is going to school again. My dad, however, will still be in India. He says that his project will be over in 6 months. So, right now, I’m really busy, but I expect the workload to get heavier as the year progresses. What do I mean by “really busy”? Well, in the 4 weeks that I’ve been in RI, I’ve been working on 2 projects, written 4 tests, and going for 01!

But still, all of the above is part of being a Rafflesian. Note that I say “Rafflesian”, not RI-er. From what I’ve heard, RGS is a lot harder. Can you believe they actually have to learn cooking!? *scoff* But anyway, back to what I was saying. Being in Raffles isn’t easy. We don’t have free time for ourselves cos we’re like so darn busy. What do I mean? Skatezone had arranged for a reunion a few weeks ago, but we couldn’t cos like EVERYONE (except Rach and Rav) was busy on every suggested date. So, to all the Primary School kids thinking about going to a Raffles School, think twice. It’s not that you’re going to regret joining a Raffles School. Contraire! You’re gonna have a hell of a time!

Medal!

2009-03-09T17:10:00.001+08:00

On Thursday, the Academic Coordinator called me up on stage and said some stuff which was totally not true (like bringing laurels to the school, etc, etc). Then I got the medal and she made me show it to the school and all... Then they pinned another medal onto me. My teacher told me to keep it on, but I took it off anyway. Here are the medals:

Topper! again

2009-03-04T21:48:00.001+08:00

If you look through previous posts, you will see that there is a post entitled "Topper!" Well, good news again! I just found out that I'm not just the topper for India, I'm the topper for South Asia, and most of the Arabian Peninsula!

But then again, everyone's calling me a nerd (I look nothing like that. My glasses aren't that big, my skin ain't yellow, and I don't have buckteeth that stick out) because of this. One of my teachers came to class and made an announcement. She also said that I'd be receiving a GOLD medal tomorrow, but I don't believe her. The last time I got a medal for UNSW, it was just plated gold (ask around).

Survey!

2009-02-28T14:19:00.001+08:00

OK. I know some of you may have heard of ThinkQuest, a kind of thingy which is a competition thingy which lets you make project thingies. My group decided to do one on homemade weapons. So we wanted a survey and here's the link below.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=pRX5Th3CCm9pACAu8OqXlg_3d_3d

For those of you people out there who are related to me, fergeddaboutit.

Chikkamagalur

2009-02-28T14:09:00.001+08:00

First of all, apologies.

Recently, I had gone on a trip to this place called Chikkamagalur which is about 7 hours away from Bangalore on a school field trip. We stayed at this place called Woodway Homestay owned by someone who owned a coffee estate of about 300 acres (about 1.2 km²). We didn't do much on the first day except that I was assigned to a dormitory and not a bedroom, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. We all got double-decker beds and I got to sleep on the top, so one afternoon I was bored, so I called over a few friends and jumped from bed to bed as "The Human Mario" with one of my friends singing the theme song. We went on a tour around the owner's coffee estate the next day and guess what? You have to wait for 9 years before the coffee plant actually gives you something! And it has to be between 18 to 30 years old so that its harvest is somewhat stable. That morning, I tried a whole cup of coffee for the first time. One of my friends was like UGH but frankly, I liked it. So helped myself to bit more... and had quite a lot more at night, and then I couldn't sleep. Stupid coffee. That was it really. On the bus trip I watched movies on Saif's iPod like Blades of Glory and such. I got some coffee back from Chikkamagalur and I get a cup a week if I keep begging.

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

2009-02-10T21:02:00.001+08:00

Haha I think some of you guys may be getting, your hopes up, but this is by Onion News Network, which makes fake but hilarious news reports. Here goes:

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With NO Keyboard

Hilarious.

Pointless!

2009-02-09T23:58:00.001+08:00

I don't know if you guys do, but go visit if you haven't.

http://tharun.firstaspect.net/gallery.html

Biased!

2009-02-09T23:52:00.001+08:00

Recently, a few events have started me thinking. I've forgotten all but one. Today, I forgot to bring my Math project to school (yes, I had finished it). My Math period was taken over my mistake by my History teacher. By the time she realised, it was time for the photo-shoot session for the yearbook (I think). Then during the actual History period the History teacher came in again. So I didn't have to submit my Math project today. This has happened quite a number of times. Once, when I was one of the guys with long hair, I wasn't called up. It's happened with many other stuff as well.

Why?!

I have thought of 3 possibilities:

I'm small and cute and no one has the heart to scold me (I swear, some boys have said this to me).
The principal has given each of my teachers a briefing not to scold me.
I am a future saviour of the world. Everyone knows about this except me. People have been instructed by the Oracle who saw this in the future not to scold me (Godzilla, perhaps?)

What do you think?

Maldives planning to buy a new homeland

2009-02-08T21:48:00.001+08:00

Maldivian President, Mohamed Nasheed, says that the gradual rise in sea levels caused by global warming means the Maldives islanders may eventually be forced to resettle elsewhere.

The Maldives is the lowest nation in the world. Its highest land is little more than two metres above sea level.

The United Nations estimates that sea levels may rise globally by nearly 60 centimetres this century.

Devastation fears

The Maldives comprise more than 1,000 islands and coral atolls surrounded by the clear waters of the Indian Ocean.

The white sandy beaches are a major tourist attraction bringing in billions of dollars every year.

Now Mohamed Nasheed, who will be sworn in as the country's first democratically elected president on Tuesday, has said that he will set up a fund to acquire land in other parts of the region.

Mr Nasheed's spokesman, Ibrahim Hussein Zaki, told the BBC's World Today programme that the new government had to take action.

"Global warming and environmental issues are issues of major concern to the Maldivian people. We are just about three feet (0.91 metre) above sea level," Mr Zaki said, speaking from the capital, Male.

"So any sea level rise could have a devastating effect on the people of the Maldives and their very survival".

Similar culture

Over the last century, sea levels around parts of the archipelago rose by nearly 20cm. Mr Nasheed fears that even a small rise could leave some islands inundated.

Mr Nasheed's plan is to create a "sovereign wealth fund" using tourism revenues to buy land so that future generations will have somewhere to rebuild their lives if they have to leave.

He wants somewhere within the region, where the culture is similar - possibly India or Sri Lanka.

His fears is that if he does not take action, the future descendents of the 300,000 islanders could become environmental refugees.

Source: Somewhere in BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7719501.stm, me thinks.

Me Talks:

I think this is... funny. Everyone knows that Maldives is a group of islands, so imagine if they bought a place in Bangalore. Your GPS would say stuff like "The Republic of Maldives is approaching. Please keep your passports ready." But what I find put-downing is that Nasheed speaks as though nothing can be done about global warming. It's almost as though he's already given up. Nasheed, if you're reading this (which is most unlikely to happen), please leave your reply in comments or in the tagbox. I hope you're tech-savvy.

Topper!

2009-02-03T21:33:00.001+08:00

I can't believe it. I just went online to check the scores for the UNSW Examination results, and guess what! I was the Indian Topper for the Computer Skills exam! And no one else had as a score as I did (which itself wasn't very high either (37/40)), so I was the only topper for Grade 8. Not only that, I got High Distinctions in every subject (English, Mathematics, Science, Computer Skills (obviously lah)). So when I told my teachers, turned out that they knew about this weeks back and they just wanted to keep it as a surprise for me. But too late. The Great *coffcoff* Tharun outwitted them! Oh I can see you all ing at me. Thank you very much, you may arise.

My Site!

2009-02-01T00:58:00.001+08:00

Yay got my own site! I haven't really done up much yet, seeing as I started it sometime yesterday. I haven't got any ideas on what to put up on the "Home" page, so I'm all open for suggestions from you guys. The blog tag redirects us to this page, the gallery has a few (2, to be exact) Flash™ animations. On the "About" page you will find a very biased so called "biography" about myself. On the "Contact" page, you will find links to the other pages plus the time plus some stuff about me EXCEPT my contact details. Must protect my privacy mah! As I said earlier, I'm open to suggestions!

Oops, forgot to tell you the URL. http://tharun.firstaspect.net/

Monkeys!

2009-01-28T23:58:00.023+08:00

Recently, I was doing a project on my laptop when Tanya came up and told me to come up to the balcony 'cause my dad was calling me. So I just went over to the balcony and whaddya know?! There were monkeys on the nearby brick (I think) factory! Right in smack in the middle of commercial Bangalore! So we watched them for about half an hour through my dad's Bushnell binoculars and we found that 1 of the monkeys was missing an arm, 1 was pregnant (or maybe just ate too much) and 1 was... well... small (very mischievous though). Then they made their way down the fence into the lawn near the beach volleyball court and started pointlessly roaming around. So for the past week, these monkeys have been the stars of the apartments. Though it was only today that a security guard finally noticed them and then a few guys came with cameras and started snapping. The monkeys then made one of them screeching sounds, but the dumbos still didn't move away! And the monkeys didn't do anything either back, so I guess it was OK...

Well the monkeys looked scared out of their wits though. Looks like I won't be seeing them for a while...

Bird strike confirmed in US crash

2009-01-19T22:36:00.001+08:00

It has been confirmed that a collision with a flock of birds caused a US airliner to lose power and ditch in a New York river just after take-off.

Flight data recorders show the engines of the US Airways Airbus A320 cut out simultaneously, National Transport Safety Board investigators say.

The plane had only managed to reach a top altitude of 3,200ft (975m).

All 155 passengers and crew of Flight Flight 1549 survived the landing on the Hudson, which made headlines worldwide.

They were rescued by boats from the sinking aircraft - the captain was the last to leave.

The wreckage of the plane was lifted by crane from the icy waters on to a barge moored to a lower Manhattan seawall late on Saturday and is now being moved to a marina for closer inspection.

'Sound of thumps'

Kitty Higgins of the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed on Sunday that ice floes in the river were slowing the search for an engine thought to have separated from the plane when it ditched on Thursday afternoon.

But she said the "black box" data confirmed pilot testimony that the plane had collided with a flock of birds.

"About 90 seconds after take-off, the captain remarks about birds," she said, quoting the data recorder.

"One second later the cockpit voice recorder recorded the sound of thumps and rapid decrease of engine sounds. The captain acknowledges that both engines have lost power and he takes control of the aircraft."

Earlier, the plane's pilot, Capt Chesley B "Sully" Sullenberger, and his co-pilot, Jeff Skiles, described for the Board how they had suddenly seen "big, dark-brown birds" approaching, then registered them hitting the plane.

Capt Sullenberger took the decision to ditch the plane in the river dividing Manhattan from New Jersey.

Apart from one person whose legs were both broken, none of those aboard are reported to have sustained serious injuries.

The pilot was due to give his first TV interview about the crash on Monday but that has been cancelled at the request of the US airline pilots association.

1 1526 local time (2026 GMT): Flight 1549 takes off from LaGuardia airport
2 1527 (2027 GMT): Pilot Chesley Sullenberger reports birds hitting engines
3 1528 (2028 GMT): Pilot told to land at Teterboro airfield
4 1531 (2031 GMT): Pilot ditches plane in Hudson River

First of all, Wow.

This reminds me of a Hindi movie, Rang De Basanti, where the whole conflict arises because a fighter pilot dies. I forgot exactly what happened, but something happened to the plane and it was about to explode. The plane was right on top of a city. If he had ejected there, the plane would have crashed in the city. So, he steers the plane away from the city, and when he is a safe distance away from it, the plane explodes. With him in it.

I'd like to congratulate Pilot Chesley Sulenberger for his heroic act (yes, these are my own words, no plagiarizing) by saving all those... *checking article* ...ah... 155 passengers on board.

Trusting shopkeeper leaves store unattended

2009-01-08T23:25:00.001+08:00

My mom pointed this out to me a few days back. My first reaction was WOW! Here goes:

A North Yorkshire shopkeeper left his hardware store open on Boxing Day - with an honesty box instead of staff.
Tom Algie wanted to give himself and his three staff the day off but without letting down his customers, reports the Daily Mail.
So he left a note telling shoppers to serve themselves and then leave their payment in the box he had left behind the counter.
When Mr Algie, 47, returned at 4.15pm to close up, he was delighted to find the shop in Settle, had taken £187.66 - and two euros.
The father of two said: "I didn't think twice about leaving the shop open. Settle is a lovely quiet rural town and there's never any trouble here. I put my faith in my customers and I wasn't disappointed.
"It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I just wanted to spend the holidays with my family but thought it would be quite nice to open up the shop."
The honesty box - which he dubbed his newest member of staff - was made out of a funnel and plastic cereal box, and put behind the counter at his shop Practically Everything.
His note read: "Yes, I have given everyone the day off, including me, so please choose the items you want and place the right money inside, Merry Christmas."
Customers also left notes saying what goods they had bought and this, combined with a quick check of his stock, confirmed that his trust was not abused.

Goes to show the honesty of the British!

Back to Bangalore...

2009-01-04T11:21:00.001+08:00

Now that I've returned to Bangalore from vacation, allow me to share some of my pix with you guys:

First of all, where Mysore is in India:

Different views of the Mysore Palace

Look closely and you'll see ENORMOUS beehives!

The 'amazing' view includes a power generator, a solar heater, a coconut tree, and an apartment...

The garbage lady shouting at a person from another house for dumping garbage outside the house...

P.S. Apologies if the captions aren't very visible.

December

2009-01-02T15:07:00.002+08:00

As you may know, my mother reads my blog regularly to see how things are going on it. After her routine check, she pointed out that I had 26 posts in November but only 5 in December. Oh, I know... I can even hear all you guys shouting "Booooo!" at me! My excuses? Well, I have a number of them! 2, to be exact.

The first one - The dreaded word. Something ~~all~~ most of us hate. Doomsday. It is: EXAMS!!! Da-dah-daahhh! If you guys think "So what?!", you're wrong! I had 11 exams and only a week to prepare for them (OK, the procrastination bit was my fault). So, in my fervour to do well in the exams, I totally forgot about R&B.

The second one - The holy word. Something ~~all~~ most of us worship. The day(s) of our lives. It is: HOLIDAYS!!! Ta-da! If you guys thought that that gave me an opportunity to blog, you're wrong! The first few days, I was in Mysore, without using a computer (despite my dad having his laptop, the hotel being a Wi-fi zone, and there being a computer room downstairs XD). I was too caught up in um... having fun and didn't blog until New Year's Day.

P.S. As I write, there are 3 dead mosquitoes on the table.
P.P.S. I'm using my grandma's laptop
P.P.P.S. I'm taller than my mom (lol)

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T11:03:00.001+08:00

Happy New Year everybody! Looking back on 2008, I see how things have flown by so fast. My first day at RI, my new friends, how Skatezone still kept in touch despite being in different schools, me leaving Singapore for India, my first day at EISB, topping the class (twice!), Obama's victory (and more importantly McCain's loss), me making new friends, and most importantly, growing taller than my mom.

It's usually at this point in time, after reminiscing about the past year, people make New Year's resolutions. Mine are the following:

Grow taller
Eat more
Grow taller
Gain weight
Grow taller
Do well in the final exams
Grow taller
Take life more easily
Grow taller

Award

2008-12-20T13:36:00.001+08:00

Sorry for not posting till Saturday, but anyway, last Monday I'd gone to school to get that award for Literary Activities and not many people came. Just a handful of parents, most of the students and the awardees. Then they call up the awardees, say a few lies about us, then give us a certificate, a trophy and a cash prize. It wasn't anything flashy, but it was good anyway. Everyone was like "omg it's glass!" If I'd told them it was acrylic, they'd have given a blank stare. So I didn't bother. So for getting that thing, my mum gave me a watch. Turns out that she'd already bought it ages ago in Singapore, and was gonna give it to me when I'd done something worthy of getting that watch. It's solar-powered and it has a database to store 30 contacts. She gave my sister a watch too, but that's another story...

No posting

2008-12-10T19:00:00.001+08:00

Sorry guys, but I won't be posting till next Thursday, as I have exams for a week. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Betsy!

2008-12-07T20:31:00.000+08:00

So I had gone to Coimbatore over the weekend, to do a medical check-up. After the check-up, I went over to mom's house to spend the night (and the next 2 days). And guess what? They'd bought a puppy! Her name is Betsy, she's an Alsatian and she's exactly 70 days old today. Betsy's named after another dog that was in one of my mom's cousin's farm. She has these mood swings, which is kinda unusual for a puppy... She will suddenly open her mouth wide and try to bite you while you're stroking her. Or she could just chase after you and bite you. She bit me twice on the calf, but it didn't hurt, so I guess she was just playing.

She has her own area on the second level of the house (the terrace). It's where she has her meals and plays with us. Talking about meals, she has this weird habit of toppling over her water bowl when she's not thirsty and then lie down in the spilt water. Whenever we bring her downstairs she goes and lies down underneath a car. So we start running away from her and she automatically gets up and starts chasing us. When we set her down in the lawn after a meal or after when she's been eating bugs, or cement (yeah, she did that once) she starts eating grass. My dad says it makes her automatically throw up and get out all those bugs and cement. Then she runs like a madog (mad + dog = madog) all over the lawn. In the sandpit, she starts digging like h-ll. I think that's all I can say about her, so here's a photo of her:

As the pic shows, her fav place is under the swing.
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Award!

2008-12-04T21:16:00.001+08:00

So today, after a totally uneventful morning (ask Naman and he'll tell u otherwise (but don't, anyway)), I wuz called up by some 10th std (equiv of sec 4) guy and he told me and this other girl in my class to go downstairs. There wuz a teacher there and he took us up to the Director of Academics room and she gave us a briefing abt an award we were gonna get on Monday. Different students were getting it for different reasons, some got for Academics, some for Athletics, some for Music. I knew I was gonna get the award beforehand, and I thought I'd get it for Academics, having topped my class twice in the previous tests/exams.

Traffic in India

2008-12-03T21:11:00.001+08:00

I was saving this for something special, but here goes:

There are many things that India has to be proud of, such as our heritage, culture, and cuisine. But, I can guarantee you that the state of our traffic is not on the list. While driving, the only thought Indians have on their mind is to go from Point A to Point B and back in the quickest time possible. The safety of others is not important to them. Talking on the phone while driving and blowing the horn to break up traffic jams (sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?) are just some items on the list of characteristics of Indian driving.

If you go to other countries such as the USA, UK, and Australia, people obey the traffic rules, which in turn results in minimal traffic jams. In India, obeying the traffic rules is dangerous! Drivers drive wherever they want, left or right, it doesn’t matter.

Another thing on Indian roads is the corruption. “Corruption?” you may ask. Yes, corruption. The traffic police will stop anyone for anything, just to make some extra money. They will ‘fine’ you for speeding, and then pocket the money for themselves. In other words, the drivers bribe the police not to book them.

When an ambulance is seen making a turn, a vehicle will definitely go on the other side of the ambulance because in that way, that vehicle can reach its destination much faster. Next is the condition of the roads. Indian roads are FULL of potholes, ranging from the size of a tyre to about 3 feet wide. The roads, apparently, are not only for vehicles, but for animals such as goats and cows as well. While driving on village roads, you may see a huge flock of goats moving at a speed of half a kilometre an hour, with a small boy carrying a stick behind them. Blow your horn once, and the boy will turn around, see you, then raise his stick and wave it in the direction of the goats. Like a magic wand, the goats miraculously move away from the road. Even on the city roads, you may see a cow taking an afternoon nap in the middle of the road, which is, many times, one of the causes for traffic jams.

Now, let us take a break from finding fault with the drivers and see how we can improve Indian traffic.

1. Why are Indian drivers in such a hurry all the time? They leave home late, and so they have to get there in the shortest time possible.
Solution: Leave home well in advance.

2. Why do Indian traffic police accept bribes? So that they can make money for themselves.
Solution: When you are caught for something, pay the fine and ask for a receipt.

3. Why are Indian roads full of potholes? Because of the poor quality of the materials used to make the roads.
Solution: The government should take more care while giving tenders.

4. Why are cows seen in the middle of the road? Because of their owners leaving them there.
Solution: A fine for the owners of the animals. They should leave the animals to graze in considerably safer areas, far, far away from the roads.

My mum told me not to post this till I had submitted it for the school mag, but seeing as I have done so...

P.S. Being in India, I wrote this in the point of view of an Indian.
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Finished at last!

2008-11-30T15:32:00.001+08:00

After like, 2 weeks, I finally finished my geography project. I had to write 6 sections (Location & Extent, Physical Divisions, Political Divisions, Climate, Wildlife and Vegetation, and Culture) along with a conclusion, bibliography, and acknowledgements. I had to write about 1 of these 5 South Asian countries: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal or Sri Lanka. Oh, you may think I chose India, seeing as it is the easiest to do, being in India. Nope. I don't take the easy way out *coughcoughyesIdo*, and so I took Pakistan. You know, Pakistan isn't all that bad. It is quite a nice country. Have to go there one day...

It's all over...

2008-11-29T20:58:00.001+08:00

After 62 hours, it's all over. 195 are dead, 327 are injured. And just 40 young men in their late teens and twenties caused these attacks. Among the killed, several are Americans, 1 is Japanese, 1 is German, and a few are British. A Singaporean, too, is one of the dead. Lo Hwei Yen, a lawyer in Singapore, was killed in the Oberoi-Trident hotel. Singapore, a security-conscious island state, is shocked by this incident. The terrorists had threatened to harm her if the Indian authorities entered the hotel.

Now, all the terrorists are dead, except one 18-year-old who has been spilling the beans to the Indian authorities and has said that this attack had been planned 6 months earlier (whoa). He also said that he had been given orders to shoot as many as possible. He was armed with an AK-47 and was at the Chhatrapathi Sivaji Terminus Railway Station. So young, and yet such an efficient killer...

The captured killer

India's 9/11?

2008-11-28T11:37:00.001+08:00

Looking at the recent events, I see how that everything, and I mean everything, is somehow related to politics. Politicians are obviously the root cause for all these attacks. They live in bungalows and terrace houses, while there are police officers and soldiers giving their lives up just so that we can sleep peacefully at night. And another thing. When there were the train bomb blasts in Mumbai 2 years back, all the commotion died down within 8 hours. When there were bomb blasts in Bangalore a couple of months back, all the hubbub subsided within a day or two. People just forget about things that they must remember and make sure it doesn't happen again! Instead, what happens? They do not carry out any preventive measures so that they are prepared the next time, but instead let it happen over and over and over again!

During an encounter last month or something in Delhi, a police officer by the name of MC Sharma gave his life by taking bullets in the chest. Have you heard anything about his wife now? Today, 3 brilliant officers have given their lives.

Hemant Karkare, the Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad Chief, died last night by taking 3 bullets in the chest. Unlike other corrupt officials, he was leading his men (only about 2 were wearing bullet-proof vests) and not huddling behind the last man for protection. What will happen to his family? Over the next few days, there will be few photos of his crying family members (just as what happened to MC Sharma's wife), and after that, nothing.

Ashok Kamte, the Additional Commissioner of Mumbai Police, was killed while fighting terrorists in the Mumbai Attacks. He, along with Hemant Karkare, will be forgotten. Like them, I am sure there are many others to come.

As for the Mumbai attacks being India's 9/11, I do see many similarities. Both Manhattan Island and Mumbai are major financial centres of their respective countries. But I don't care about the similarities of the attacks. I want to see a similarity in how the Indian government responds to these attacks, just as the USA did. They should see that they are ready for another attack. Yes, you may be wondering why I don't want India to eradicate terrorism and just prevent an attack. It's not that I don't want it, it's just that it's not possible at this point in time! That's the nature of terrorism, ladies and gentlemen! It just can be eradicated. The most we can do at this point in time is to make sure another attack doesn't happen!

There is no use blaming Pakistanis for what has taken place today. We cannot use the small percentage of them as a stereotype for all Pakistanis.

The politicians are currently making all the decisions. They did not give the Army and NSG the go ahead for them to go in. If emergency rule had been brought in, this whole affair would have ended much earlier.

Mumbai Blasts

2008-11-27T20:17:00.003+08:00

My dad sometimes, in the morning, turns on the TV to watch CNN. And guess what? There were like 4 bomb blasts (as I'm writing this, there have been 10) in Mumbai!

Turns out that these terrorists, from a group called Deccan Mujahideen (sounds new), a branch of another terrorist group called Indian Mujahideen (another new one). 6 places were/are under terrorist attacks. The Taj Hotel, Oberoi Trident (another hotel), CST Railway station, Café Leopold, Cama Hospital and Nariman Point. My mum says that these guys (aged only like 20-25) barged into the Café and just started firing (btw, they have AK-47s, hand grenades, etc.). Then they rounded up ppl with American or British passports.

As for the hotels, there are still hostages (about 80 in just one of them) in them, with terrorists. There is smoke billowing out the windows, fires, and gunshots are being heard every 10 mins. The NSG (National Security Guard) is moving up the hotel and they directly under the room where the terrorists and hostages are. On a news channel, they had this guy, called Deepak (no offence, Deep) who was trapped in the Taj Hotel, was on the phone with these news people and is saying stuff like "I'm below the 18th floor, above the 10th, not too high, not too low"! What if the terrorists found out?

My mum also says that there are officials from the Singapore Embassy standing under one of the hotels. Diplomats trapped inside, maybe?

To look at pics, visit this URL: Don't tell them you're a Brit

Who Am I?

2008-11-26T20:46:00.001+08:00

That question just occurred to me... and well... I don't seem to know the answer. First I thought: Tharun. But that's just a name. It's simply a way to... I can't put this in words, but I guess it's just a word used to um... describe(?) me. Ok, I need to get better at putting stuff into sentences. Ok back to who I am. Well I guess who I am is something I and only I have, or am. Which apparently, I don't. I am a boy, but there are others (duh!). I am a brother, a son, a grandson, a nephew, etc, but that isn't it. Well, if I put all my qualities together, then I would be 'unique'. But what I am looking for is a word or two that will say it all.

But... what is it? I have absolutely no idea.

This leads me to another question: What am I here for? (to be discussed in another blog post)

Well, maybe I have an answer to who I am, but it can't be expressed in words. I just don't know how to say it. Languages are sooo limited...

Deepak's visit

2008-11-22T20:07:00.000+08:00

Today Deepak came to visit (along with Devika, his cousin Nithya, his mum, and his dad)! Yay! I hadn't seen the Skatezoners for almost half a year now, and then Deepak came. Differences:

He's much taller now. Though I hear Arunima is still taller than him.
His voice is breaking. Singtel really made his voice sound overly manly.
Overuse of 'I'm sure'

So we kinda mostly played on the com, which I feel bad about even now, and then we went and played in the 'huge area', as Deepak's mom put it, downstairs. Deepak's as good at swinging as ever, I did a chin-up with great difficulty, and I raced with him. Guess who won? *Answer in the tagbox* Then we came back up to take the table-tennis bats and on the way, we talked about Singapore, India, and stalagmites (sounds real random, eh?). But we got to the clubhouse, and the table was already occupied. So we went back home to play more on the com. Then his dad came, we talked for a while, went to the basement, talked about car, and sent them off. He's going to Thrissur on Monday, and is coming back here on the 13th of Dec, and his mom said we can have sleepover (that's a girl term. I dunno what boys call it).

Another attack...

2008-11-21T22:13:00.001+08:00

According to reliable sources (Arunima), the Security Guard has struck again. At a recent Skatezone party at Varsity Park (without me), it was decided that a game of DC (Double - Crossing) would be played (without me). So while they were playing (without me), they were making quite a helluva racket (without me). And then they saw him (without me (phew)). The Security Guard. Whatever happened next... is a blur.

Witnesses are requested to give a first-hand account of the incident.

Poo Man Escapes

2008-11-21T22:04:00.001+08:00

This took place in 2006, but I just saw it. Hilarious. According to crime reporter Leon Watson,

A homeless man facing jail for causing more than 20 000 GBP damage by defecating on trains has ‘done a runner’.

Mr Bonney Eberendu, 36, was awaiting sentence when he escaped from a London hospital on Tuesday.

He had earlier admitted charges of causing criminal damage across South London’s railway network.

Mr. Eberendu was arrested by police in October after he was spotted at Camberwell Green bus garage.

It followed 22 incidents on trains bound for London Bridge and Waterloo, on which human excrement was found smeared over the seats and tables.

Mr. Eberendu’s three-month campaign of smearing human excrement inside the carriages posed a serious risk to public health and cost more than 20 000 GBP to clean up.

He had also been charged with possessing an offensive weapon — a knife.

At the time he absconded, Eberendu was undergoing a mental health assessment before his sentencing hearing, which is expected to take place later this month.

Anyone who has spotted him should call British Transport Police on 080 040 5040.

Here's a pic of the newspaper article:

Movies of 2009

2008-11-19T19:47:00.001+08:00

My Hit-list:

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry is back at another year at Hogwarts. He has to learn about Voldemort's past and how to defeat him. Will he succeed? (Duh he will. I read the book. Though someone sacrifices themself)
Star Trek
I don't really know much about this, but I guess I should watch it, all the same.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
This movie is gonna be awesome. It's all about how Wolverine, the best X-Man in my opinion, came to be.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Judging by the title, looks like the Decepticons are back.
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Oooooooh! A 3rd one!

There are a lot more, like Pink Panther 2, Dorian Gray, Sherlock Holmes, etc., but they're last resorts.

Wheeeeeeeeet!

2008-11-17T23:39:00.001+08:00

You see them everywhere. Malls. Apartments. Libraries. Shops. Who are they? Yes, you may have guessed. They are: SECURITY GUARDS! (dah-dah-dahhh!) Who, or what, are these creatures? Some say they are near human, but I doubt it. Having had some personal experience with them (does the term 'Ridgewood' ring a bell?), I think I would be able able to give a first-hand account about them, even though there is a chance that this would be my last post if the King of the Security Guards found out.

The Security Guards' sole purpose is to guard places from thieves and such. So, they do have their advantages. But, they have a Dark Side as well. It all started one day, I don't really remember when, but it must have been somewhere in 2005, when Skatezone was a newly-formed group. We were at one of our first few parties, and having quite a helluva time, and making quite a bit of noise, when we saw it. It was him. The Security Guard.

In India, the security guards are exceptionally funny (not to mention that they might have a screw or two loose in the head). They will blow their whistle for practically everything. And now we shall have a special show by the TBC (Tharun Broadcasting Company): Inside the Mind of a Security Guard.

Brain to lungs: Eyes report that they see a car about to enter the apartment. Blow.
"Wheeeeeeet!"
Brain to lungs: Eyes report that they see car having gone over a hump. Blow.
"Wheeeeeeet!"
Brain to lungs: Eyes report that they see car having entered the basement. Blow.
"Wheeeeeeet!"
Brain to lungs: Eyes report that they see a car parking. Blow.
"Wheeeeeeet!"

Brain to rest of body: Eyes report that they see kids having fun. Interrupt them in any way possible.
"Wheeeeeeet!"
Brain to rest of body: Eyes report that they see 30-year-olds climbing a flagpole. Don't do anything. I repeat: DO NOT DO ANYTHING.

And that brings us to an end of our special programme from TBC. Thank you very much and good night.

Label Cloud

2008-11-16T22:03:00.001+08:00

Hey guys! Did you see the new label cloud I've put up? To get your own, go to: http://phy3blog.googlepages.com/Beta-Blogger-Label-Cloud.html

Book: The Village by The Sea

2008-11-16T21:49:00.001+08:00

This book is written by an Indian author, Anita Desai. She's now an old woman.

The book kinda gets the message about rural India across, but I'm just 13, so I don't really get what she's [Anita Desai] trying to say. It's probably about the differences between city kids and village children [note that I say 'kids' and 'children']. We talk about not getting the 4th-gen nano (hint, hint, Tanya) while they toil all day to get a meagre salary.

Summary:

Hari and Lila are a brother and sister who live in the village Thul with their two sisters, Bela and Kamal, and their parents. Their mother is bedridden and their father, gone every night to the toddy shop, doesn’t seem to help as he is forever drunk.

Only Bela and Kamal go to school. Hari dropped out of school a few years back as he could not afford to pay the school fees. The entire village makes a living by fishing, but Hari’s family, being poor, can’t afford a boat. Instead, Hari climbs coconut trees and sells coconuts in the market. One day, Hari sees a site for a factory being laid and finds out that there is going to be a huge fertilizer complex stretching from Thul to Vaishet. There are soon lots of protests as these factories will release waste into the sea, polluting it and killing all the fish, which will eventually result in the loss of the villagers’ livelihood.

The villagers from Alibagh and Thul then decide to sail to Bombay, to give a petition to the Chief Minister saying that they will not part with their land. Hari follows them as well. Upon reaching Bombay, he realizes that he could stay here and make a living. Back in Thul, there is a house owned by a family called the de Silvas, who live in Bombay. They had given Hari their address. He goes there, but they have gone back to Thul. The security guard of their apartment leads Hari to a man called Jagu, who gives him a meal and a job at his restaurant, the Sri Krishna Eating House.

In Thul, Lila tells Mr. de Silva about her mother’s sickness and he immediately brings her to the hospital in Alibagh and agrees to pay for her treatment. When Lila’s father finds out, he gets angry and immediately leaves for Alibagh. The next time Lila visited her mother; she finds her father there and notices that he has given up drinking.

Meanwhile, in Bombay, Hari has taken up another job with the watchmender, Mr Panwallah. He teaches him how to mend watches and it is here that the monsoon starts. After earning enough, Hari returns to Thul by bus and meets his family the day before Diwali. He finds out about his mother and father. He goes to Alibagh to bring his mother and father home and they all celebrate Diwali together the next day with fireworks, sparklers, bonfires, Catherine wheels and bull races. In the end, their mother is well enough to go to the shrine in the sea with the other village women.

I would also like to mention that this is the longest post ever.

Aqua Regia

2008-11-15T20:28:00.001+08:00

Today was horrible. First I had to wake up early to go to the quiz. Then I had to stand in a LONG queue. Then finally Rohit came and then we registered. Then I realised I had forgotten to bring a clipboard. Then we didn't know almost half of the answers. And Rohit told me one or two answers, I didn't believe him, and they turned out to be correct! I felt like such an idiot. And guess what? We weren't selected (no surprises there)! I was really upset, but now I kinda forgot about it. Ah well, there's always next year...

Children's Day Celebrations

2008-11-14T17:32:00.001+08:00

I went to school at 8-ish, and there was a programme in the morning. There were these teachers dancing to 'Itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-yellow polka-dot bikini'. Then the teachers invited students up on stage for some fancy-dress competition. And then.... came food. I ate chicken kebabs, french fries, ice cream, and drank loads of apple and mango juice. I was stuffed. So, in conclusion, I would like to thank Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru for saying a fancy line about children, and in result making Children's Day be celebrated every year.

Children's Day in India

2008-11-13T21:40:00.001+08:00

Children's Day here is celebrated on 14 Nov, unlike in Singapore where it is celebrated on 1 Oct. It's celebrated on that day cos' it's the birthday of a guy called Nehru, who was India's first Prime Minister. I have to go to school wearing a costume for a competition, and so does Tanya. I don't bother, but Tanya insists. Girls will be girls...

Limericks...

2008-11-12T23:43:00.001+08:00

An old man went to a railroad,
Where a passing train got him mowed.
The deaths were fifty,
They all died horribly,
And to their heavenly abode.

Limericks!

2008-11-12T23:42:00.000+08:00

There was a young man from India,
Who drove as though he was a Raja,
Careless was his driving,
His car went exploding,
And he flew all the way to Russia.

Limericks

2008-11-12T18:37:00.004+08:00

There was once a man from South Spain,
Who ate some burgers on a lane,
But they contained lead,
And he dropped down dead,
And the man got caught in the rain.

Tanya's Mis-singing

2008-11-10T22:51:00.001+08:00

Today, Tanya sang Abba's Mamma Mia (There's a fire within my soul) as: There's a fire within my school!

My Speech

2008-11-10T22:17:00.002+08:00

"And now we have Tharun with the story of the day"

Tharun walked forward slowly. He stepped up to the podium. He stepped on a raised platform to raise his height and he said:

Good morning.

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and a four-year old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was ....................... Today, and everyday.

Thank you.

There was applause and Tharun stepped off the stage. The Director of Academics went onto the stage and said....

Continuation of story in Gen I way:

She said some corny stuff about my story and said something to the school, I don't really remember. But it was a cool experience.

My teacher told me to come up with a moral story to narrate at assembly, so after searching countless websites, I found this story. Normally it's the teachers who say these stories, but this time, I got chosen.

Harry Potter Spells

2008-11-09T19:31:00.001+08:00

Forgive me for spelling errors. For the descriptions of the spells, go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spells_in_Harry_Potter

1. Accio (Summoning Charm)
2. (Age-Line Spell)
3. Aguamenti (Aguamenti Charm)
4. Alohomora
5. Anapneo
6. (Anti-Cheating Spell)
7. (Anti-Disapparation Jinx)
8. (Antonin Dolohov's Curse) – Order of the Phoenix (Slashing movement)
9. Aparecium
10. (Atmospheric Charm)
11. Avada Kedavra (Killing Curse)
12. Avis
13. (Babbling Curse)
14. (Banishing Charm)
15. (Bat-Bogey Hex)
16. (Bedazzling Hex)
17. (Bubble-Head Charm)
18. (Caterwauling Charm)
19. Cave Inimicum
20. (Cheering Charm)
21. Colloportus
22. (Colour-Change Charm)
23. Confringo (Blasting Curse)
24. Confundo (Confundus Charm)
25. (Conjunctivitus Curse)
26. Crucio (Cruciatus Curse)
27. (Cushioning Charm)
28. Defodio (Gouging Spell)
29. Deletrius
30. Densaugeo
31. Deprimo
32. Descendo
33. Diffindo (Severing Charm)
34. (Disillusionment Charm)
35. Dissendium
36. Duro
37. Engorgio (Engorgement Charm)
38. (Entrail-Expelling Curse)
39. Episkey
40. Erecto
41. Evanesco (Vanishing Spell)
42. Expecto Patronum (Patronus Charm)
43. Expelliarmus (Disarming Charm)
44. Expulso
45. Ferula
46. (Fidelius Charm)
47. (Fiendfyre)
48. Finite Incantatem
49. Flagrate
50. (Flagrante Curse)
51. (Flame-Freezing Charm)
52. (Flying Charm)
53. Furnuncular (Furnunculus Curse)
54. Geminio
55. Glisseo
56. (Gripping Charm)
57. (Hover Charm)
58. (Hair-Thickening Charm)
59. Homenum Revelio
60. (Homorphus Charm)
61. (Horton-Keitch Braking Charm)
62. (Hurling Hex)
63. Impedimenta (Impediment Jinx, Impediment Curse)
64. Imperio (Imperius Curse)
65. (Imperturbable Charm)
66. Impervius (Impervius Charm)
67. Incarcerous
68. Incendio
69. (Intruder Charm)
70. (Jelly-Legs Jinx)
71. (Jelly-Brain Jinx)
72. (Jelly-Fingers Curse)
73. (Knee-Reversal Hex)
74. Langlock
75. Legilimens
76. Levicorpus
77. Liberacorpus
78. Locomotor-
79. Locomotor Mortis (Leg-Locker Curse)
80. Lumos
81. Meteolojinx Recanto
82. Mobiliarbus
83. Mobilicorpus
84. Morsmordre (Dark Mark)
85. Muffliato
86. Nox
87. (Obliteration Charm)
88. Obliviate (Memory Charm, Memory-Modifying Charm)
89. Obscuro
90. Oppugno
91. Orchideous
92. Pack
93. (Permanent Sticking Charm)
94. Petrificus Totalus (Body-Bind Curse)
95. Peskipiksi Pesternomi
96. Piertotum Locomotor
97. (Placement Charm)
98. Point Me (Four-Point Spell)
99. Portus
100. Prior Incantato
101. (Protean Charm)
102. Protego (Shield Charm)
103. Protego Horribilis
104. Protego Totalum
105. Quietus
106. Reducio
107. Reducto (Reductor Curse)
108. (Refilling Charm)
109. Relashio
110. Rennervate
111. Reparo
112. Repello Muggletum (Muggle-Repelling Charm)
113. Rictusempra (Tickling Charm)
114. Riddikulus
115. Salvio Hexia
116. Scourgify (Scouring Charm)
117. Sectumsempra
118. Serpensortia
119. Silencio (Silencing Charm)
120. (Slug-Vomiting Charm)
121. Sonorus
122. Specialis Revelio (Scarpin's Revelaspell)
123. (Stealth Sensoring Spell)
124. (Stinging Hex, Stinging Jinx)
125. Stupefy (Stunning Spell, Stupefying Charm, Stunner)
126. (Supersensory Charm)
127. (Switching Spell)
128. (Taboo)
129. Tarantallegra
130. Tergeo
131. (Tongue-Tying Curse)
132. (Transmogrifian Torture)
133. (Trip Jinx)
134. (Unbreakable Vow)
135. (Undetectable Extension Charm)
136. (Unbreakable Charm)
137. Waddiwasi
138. Wingardium Leviosa (Levitation Charm)

Porro Ago Harry Potter (Long live Harry Potter)

Indian Ads...

2008-11-08T22:53:00.001+08:00

'Center Fresh'
Dialogue:
Boy: Daddy! For you.
(Dad takes and eats)
Boy: Daddy, my report card. I failed again.
(Then the dad, smiles, slaps, etc)

'Center Fruit'

'Center Fresh' (2)

Day out

2008-11-08T22:02:00.001+08:00

Today, we went out from morning till evening. It wasn't that bad, actually. First we went to a place called Cubbon Park (must be named after some ang mor). Well, basically it was a park, so was quite boring, lah! Then we went to an art gallery. It wasn't as boring as I expected, though. They had paintings of animals and stuff. You see, when we entered, there was a power failure (as usual), and guess what? One of the pictures looked better in the dark than it did when the lights were on! Then we went to have lunch and Tanya and me played in an arcade in India for the very first time! Wasn't that bad. There a racing one called 'Fast and Furious', which was better than the ones in S' pore. But the biking one was the same.

Coming up next... Indian ads.

Indian Ads for Phones

2008-11-08T20:51:00.000+08:00

'MotoYUVA A810'

'MotoYUVA W270'

Aqua Regia

2008-11-07T23:14:00.003+08:00

Yay me! I got selected by my school to represent the school for a science quiz! It's a nationwide quiz, called Aqua Regia. Translated, it means 'royal water' in Latin. Aqua Regia is supposed to be able to dissolve GOLD! It's a mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid, in the ratio of 1:3.
OK, now that we've had a very enriching chemistry lesson, let's get back to to the quiz. Me and my teammate, Rohit (he's from the US), wrote a prelim round and now we have to go to the City Finals at this place call ed Ambedkar Bhavan. The only thing I know about Ambedkar is that he wore specs. I'm excited! And nervous. And scared. Wish me luck.

Arvadek Adava!

2008-11-07T22:51:00.001+08:00

I left my blog untouched for 5 months and 1 day. I guess I must've broken a record. Does anyone have Guinness' phone number?

Can anyone guess what Arvadek Adava is? Its 'Avada Kedavra' backwards! But then again, HP spells don't work that way, do they? Talking about HP, did you know that a few weeks back, I thought that they were the worst, most stupid and senseless book I had ever read. But after watching the HP movies on Pogo, it all came rushing back to me. Strange, eh? Maybe I need some kind of visual stimulation to boost my memory. I've actually forgotten half of all the spells! Mebbe the next post should give a list of HP spells. Please contribute, then I'll make it into a Word.doc (then can chain mail, lol)

Dying Blog

2008-06-06T19:37:00.001+08:00

Sorry for not updating the blog (again). Thanks to Aru for reminding me (and Deep too). I came back from my mother's hometown cause my great-grandfather (rest him) passed away. I still haven't gotten anything for HF for her b'day, maybe something on iTunes? I know she has an iPod, but I dunno which music CDs she has. Maybe I could get her an audiobook, but the real book would be better. HF, if you're reading this, tell me what you want and make sure it's available on iTunes

Yesterday was World Environment Day (WED), and I saw the most ironic thing ever on TV. Cartoon Network was advertising its WED special of Ben 10, 6 shows back-to-back! Wouldn't that be wasting electricity (3 whole hours!)??? My mom only lets me watch 2 shows a day, so I watch the Wizards of Waverly Place and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Okay, back to WED. Here's a comic strip I found a few years back.

There's actually a whole series of Rustle the Leaf, which you can see on this website.

Dead blog

2008-05-20T22:00:00.003+08:00

Sorry guys for not updating my blog, cos i kinda forgot abt it and all... and I was busy helping to pack too. But I reached Bangalore last night, and here I am, blogging again. I got my laptop plugged into the TV in my room, so its extra big. There are three rooms in the flat: the master bedroom (where my parents sleep, obviously...), a slightly smaller room, and the smallest room (mine). OAOS got the bigger room cos she has to share it wid my grandma (heh). I really need to get my room cleaned up... It's a mess. Ah well, need to go clean the room! BB.

Monday, April 14, 2008

2008-04-14T21:16:00.003+08:00

Sorry for not writing yesterday, but who cares? Today was DA BEST! I can't believe that I actually got a Merit Award for the Tan Kah Kee! I am SO SURPRISED! But the problem is, both the rehearsal and the actual ceremony thingy itself is after May 19th. June 20th and 21st, in fact. But my dad says we could try to come back for those 2 days. So yay. Oh and I went to support RI in a rugby match against ACS(I) (man, I hate them). And we LOST! Well, actually it doesn't really matter cos the last time we got into the finals was 17 years ago. And the score was only 15-11, so 1 more touchdown and could've won.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

2008-04-12T13:59:00.001+08:00

Hi all. Today was kinda interesting. I woke up at about 6.30 to go to Mustafa to shop for George's farewell present and Deep's birthday gift (which was more than a week ago). I got both of them a ...*static sounds...pshhhhh* and then we bought rice and went home. We were all very tired, so we took some rest and then I went to study math. Then after that I watched a bit of Monty Python and took a nap.

*We apologise for the cut-off of the blog entry above. We now receive breaking news that this was done intentionally by me (of course) and that he did so to protect 'important information' from two people, namely George and Deep.*

Here's another Monty Python video called 'The Funniest Joke in the World'.

Friday, April 11, 2008

2008-04-11T18:28:00.001+08:00

Nothing really interesting happened today. Today is International Friendship Day, so we had a performance from the scholars that took up one whole hour. We were supposed to have a physical fitness test today, but I haven't been exercising too much, so good for me. After that we had biology, and we were discussing antibiotics and how they work and about cell division, etc. That was quite interesting.Then we had recess, I watched a bit of Monty Python on my iPod. Then it was Research Ed, we had a lecture, so just took some notes there. Tamil was ok, just had to summarise a chapter of a book and read it aloud. After that I went back home and had lunch. Then I went back to school to the library and borrowed 'The Pursuit of Happyness". I watched only a bit, but it was a nice movie, from what I watched. Then I borrowed 4 books and went back home. I reading by the way.

I know this post has been boring, so I have uploaded a funny Monty Python video to make up for it. Enjoy!

Introduction

2008-04-10T22:25:00.001+08:00

Hi all,

Welcome to my blog, Rags & Bones. Reason for giving it such a weird name? Well, this blog has no real focus (poems, photos, music, movies, etc). Perhaps in the future something might develop. It's mostly just like an online diary. I'm kinda new to the blogging thing, so help me wherever you can. Have a good time.