cameras

Camera is a very fascinating thing invented by man. It helps one relive his fond memories. I have a camera buff from the age of 17. My first camera was a Hotshot, which uses 110 film. Next came the Kodak Kroma. This was a nice camera, even though it was cheap and not the automatic type. The pictures came out really good. I bought a Canon Camera in Antwerp which had zoom lens and even a small remote. This camera was really good. I took lots of photos in Europe, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and many other places. Several family functions were also photographed using this camera. I had to exchange this camera for Olympus camera as the zoom barrel got spoilt. The Olympus camera is also a very good one, almost similar to the Canon camera. I have taken lots of photos with this camera also. Next on the list is my dream camera, a digital camera. This is a Sony product-DSC T1. This camera is sleek, compact and very good. I have taken several photos using this camera as well.
So this is the story of my love for camera, which may never end!

hype over 9/11 and 7/7

There is so much media hype over 9/11 and 7/7. Why is it so? It is true that many lives have been lost and property damaged in these incidents. But these are not any great historical events to be remembered by their dates. Further, many such bombings have taken place all over the world resulting in loss of lives and properties. Is it because 9/11 and 7/7 have taken place in USA and UK, they are being given so much importance by the media? If this is the case, the media are not playing their part correctly. They should give equal importance to all such acts!!!

Life at sea

It is nice to be out at sea, away from the land, crowds, pollution etc. But sea life is not what it used to be about 8 years back. Things have changed a lot. Lot of new regulations, laws, codes, and what not. The work load has also increased very much, out at sea as well as in port. Gone are the days when going to ports was eagerly awaited by everybody on board. Now nobody wants the ship to stay in a port for a long time because of PSC inspections, surveys, and what not. The only time people want to get to a port is when they sign off. But even that has become a rarity in VLCCs and ULCCs, where they get off the ship in boat or chopper. Long sailing has its own advantages as well as disadvantages. Maintenance is given so much importance that people hardly find time to relax. Apart from this, there are drills, safety meetings, safety movies, training sessions and all that which makes life dull and monotonous on board.
And people ashore think that we are having a great time sailing and visiting new places!!!

soaps on tv

There was a time when tv was a luxury and it was broadcasted for just a couple of hours everyday. With the advent of time, the duration increased. Due to this, soaps were introduced in the tv. They became an onernight craze everywhere. People were glued to their chairs watching these soaps, fully involved in them, laughing and crying with the characters. Social life became very rare thing. After the launching of satellite tv channels, the soaps grew in large numbers. Every channel started their own soaps called mega serials and these serials ran into hundreds of episodes, lasting for 3 to 4 years. People have become so much addicted to these serials, that they don't want to miss even a single episode. They try to avoid social meetings, outings and all other events just to see these serials.
All these soaps are very much the same. they show about revenge, mother-in-law abusing and cursing a poor daughter-in-law or the vice versa, love stories and love triangles, a business man trying to crush his rivals. The characters cry and make the viewers cry. Nothing more than that. Still, people find these serials interesting. This is a big wonder as to how they sit and watch the same faces again and again for 3 or 4 years.
Some sort of regulation has to come regarding the number of episodes of these serials. Also they must be made more viewer friendly, so that people can see them and laugh/relax, instead of crying.
Will the serials be made with comedy instead of the crying/abusing and of shorter length??????

Water Problem

After more than one month of water problem, we are heaving a sign of relief. the sump has been constructed and water has been filled in the sump. The water problem has been solved, at least ,to some extent.
Chennai is facing severe water problems for quite some time now. The well dried for the first time way back in 1983. We deepened it 60 feet, after which we didn't have problems till 2002. The well was dry again and I had drilled a bore well 200 feet deep. I was happy that I didn't have to face another crisis, but my happiness was short lived. The bore also went dry in 2004. I had the bore well flushed and due to the rain, the problem was over for the year. Again this year, the well went dry and the bore well followed the suit. I was left with no other option, but to build a sump for storing water bought from water tanker.
The only way to end this water problem in Chennai is to desalinate the sea water. Hope that the government does that and put and end to the acute water problem this city is facing.

Mobile Phone Users Beware

Talking on the mobile phone when driving is very dangerous. Inspite of warnings posted all over, people do that. And the result..... very painful and cruel end to life. This photo is of a man who met with the accident in Bangalore, when talking on the phone wile driving. People must be more careful and avoid using mobile phone when driving. After all its your life.......

Please be careful when using mobile phones.

Traffic in Chennai

Traffic in Chennai
Travelling in Chennai, one of the four metros of India, is every man's nightmare. Especially if one is self-driving a car or a two-wheeler. The traffic is not at all regulated andthe drivers are most indisciplined. People care a damn about traffic signals, rules to be followed during driving and about other drivers on the road. The big vehicleslike buses and lorries including the notorious water tankers follow their own rules when on road. They stop right in the middle of the road and turn all of a sudden. The brake lights and indicators are there for just name sake. They never function. They emit thick dark smoke which may choke a man to death. How these vehicles pass the fitness test every year is a point to ponder! Next comes the MUV's like Tata Sumo, Toyota Qualis, Mahindra Scorpio and other such vehicles keep on honking and race about the roads as if they are the only people on the road. The autos and share autos have grown in extremely large numbers within a short span of one year. The share autos are getting bigger and bigger day by day. They have practically taken over the bus stops meant for public buses. They are also polluting the atmosphere by their poisonous fumes. The schools, colleges and other companies/factories have also started running their own buses to increase their revenue. This adds to the woes of the general public travelling by two wheelers. Cyclists too play their part in creating confusion to the extremely confused traffic. They come from nowhere and suddenly take a turn across the road, putting their lives as well as the lives of other road users in jeopardy. They cycle merrily in the middle of the road with gay abandon. The pedestrians also make it a point to walk on the road fearing their shoes may get dirty! The cops are silent spectators to all this. They don't ensure that people follow the rules and vehicles are in proper condition. The government has declared that further 5000 autos will be given liscense to ply on the already congested roads of Chennai. The roads will have to be widened taking into account the number of vehicles plying on the roads. The methods for issuing liscence for drivers will have to be made more stringent and people will have to be educated in using the roads. The vehicles will have to be checked for emission, sound pollution and other safety devices.Unless these are done, travelling in Chennai will continue to be a nightmare for everybody.When we have stringent rules and regulations for ships plying in oceans, why not for the roads, where millions of people commute everyday? This is because I am a seafarer and I know all about the rules and regulations laid about for us!